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teenyweenyeenymeeny · 3 months

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any more little scott hcs?

Yes yes hmmm… miscellaneous ones hehe…

• easiest way to tell how old he is feeling are his energy level and how much he’s stimming… in his Normal age range [about 4-8] he is a tiny ball of energy he can’t sit still at All and when he is feeling Especially teeny it is the opposite he barely moves just curls up in a little ball or clings onto someone and Freezes… when he’s a grown up he’s kind of in the middle 🤍

• ^ when he is little he stims in more ways than when he is grown up too… grown up Scott flaps his hands if he’s excited and I Think I will give him the excited stomping and the toe and finger wiggling… little Scott does all of this But sometimes he runs around in a little circle if he’s excited too… and perhaps rolls around on the floor… he Does have other stims too I think but these are the main Specific Consistent ones I can think of

• when Scotty draws or colours pictures he sticks his tongue out… the first time Kim sees him do it she laughs because she remembers him doing that when they really were kids

• ^ speaking of colouring pictures Scotty doesn’t really Believe in the lines hehe… or even the picture he is Supposed to be colouring in 🤍 he is the type of kid to draw big monster battle on top of the lines for like. Peaceful day in the forest :) or something… hehe

• ^ and if he Is just colouring not really adding his own pictures it is way more fun to scribble !!!! Boring to colour in the lines…

• this is something I think I talked about with Sunny [I don’t know if you would want to be tagged hehe… and if so with which blog……] but when Scott plays games like Pokémon he is the type of kid to get bored with the levelling up process and run directly to the next gym hehe… and then when all his Pokémon are so under levelled and he gets his butt kicked he whines and whines… when he is grown up he understands the issue and has more patience to do levelling up but Pokémon is more for when he Isn’t grown up…

• ^ he has to beg for help hehe… he goes Wallace… Wallace sniffle help……. And Wallace goes I don’t know what to tell you buddy you could try levelling up… and Scott just whines More hehe…

• ^ sometimes Scott makes Wallace go with him to visit Neil so he can ask him to help… Neil is the expert……

• ^ this doesn’t Always work out though so sometimes Wallace will try to play for Scott and Scott will stare over his shoulder and do backseat gaming I think hdjsjs and Wallace will get annoyed and say you’re welcome to play your own game if you know best little guy and then Scott will whine about That Too

• ^ if Wallace doesn’t Want to play Scott’s game he will give him a task like ohh could you find whichever Pokémon for me I want you to catch this specific one… and this tricks Scott into doing the levelling up heehe

• ^ oh yes and if Wallace Isn’t there and Scott is home alone he will just. Give up 🤍 he will get annoyed and just start doing something else and forget about the game Immediately…

• I think I have said before that little Scott is Clumsy but I think it was in reference to him always needing a sippy cup… spilling drinks is not the only way he is clumsy !! Another way is. He messes up a Lot if he tries to play his bass

• ^ like he doesn’t Actually know how to play it Ever but he can get by with playing by ear and muscle memory when he’s a grown up… if he regresses during band practice though he forgets what he has taught himself

• ^ sometimes he just starts playing with his bass too trying to make funny or really loud sounds… even if he is supposed to be rehearsing hehe

• ^ I think that MOST of the time Stephen n Kim just laugh it off if this happens and either encourage him to entertain himself or play With him to try and make funny sounds

• ^ maybe once or twice though when they had a show coming up and tensions were already high they got annoyed a little though… snapped at him maybe to at least try to take the band seriously

• ^ that didn’t Help though obviously it just made him feel even Younger and upset :( and he just started crying </3 so Then sex bobomb had to Really end practice because Now they had to comfort the baby… ooooopsie… it would work out though I know it 🤍 and everything would be okay

• when Scott is little he talks really fast and stumbles over words a lot… and I think he is the type of kid to forget to breathe between sentences so he will end up having to cut himself off mid-word to take a big breath hehe

• he can only focus on things if he’s being supervised… it’s weird and he doesn’t really get why he’s like that but if he’s home alone his attention span bounces all over the place but if Wallace is there he can stick to one task for Hours… especially if he gets Contact like sitting in Wallace’s lap while watching TV that sort of thing…

ummmmm all for now ☆

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othersideofthebladecampaign · 1 year

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Session 74: A Confession of Fear

An entry from a thick, leather journal tucked away in the shoulder bag of Wallace Bones:

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

I'm finding myself at a bit of a loss for where to start this time, but in the sense of there just being…so much. A lot has been happening. Although I suppose that in and of itself isn't much of a surprise. It's par for the course.

But at the core of it all, I'm unsure about this plane. We've been here before, but I'd like to say I dislike it even more this time. It's all a little overwhelming for me.

I've never been one for very big cities, but this place seems to bring out that fear in a very similar way to Vaguess. It's crowded and anonymous yet at the same time, we've been under almost constant scrutiny of others. Even our contact feels more like she's observing us rather than simply interacting as an acquaintance.

It certainly doesn't help that the Warden managed to so thoroughly convince Kirin that they were to be trusted. Who's to say that whatever mind tricks they fell prone to won't strike again in the future? We didn't even know about this effect until it was too late to do anything on our own. Oriz made a deal with Khonsu and Deoch, and the thought of whatever might be requested of him as payment down the line worries me more than I can express in only a few words.

I've scarcely felt safe while we stay in this plane. And as much as I dislike saying it…even Absolus is starting to feel unsafe. I don't experience the same amount of trust for them as I once did. Something isn't right about them, and this place is letting it show. Perhaps the details aren't lining up as well at this angle.

How ironic is it that I'm beginning to trust the Eel more than the Eagle?

I knew something had felt wrong when I…when I fell. I was scared though, and I wanted familiarity, so I stayed with them. I still am scared, to be quite honest. Is that a bad thing for me to admit, given the job we do? I think some amount of fear is healthy, but it drags on and on, and it's exhausting. Pardon the unintentional play on words, but I can feel the tiredness in my bones.

I want those I love to be safe with me, but all of this uncertainty in everything we do puts that in such immense jeopardy.

Is safety even possible anymore?

Something is messily crossed out here, now illegible

We have to encounter the fae again–willingly, this time. I would do everything in my power not to return to that place again, but as usual, we have very little choice. It has to be done, and whatever suffering we experience will simply happen.

I'm going to warn the others and hope that they listen and take my advice to heart. I'm not sure I want to talk about what I saw with them though, as much as it would probably help to understand what we'll be walking into. I don't think I've had a chance to process it enough yet.

This will remain a secret between you and I, but when it's quiet...I think I can still hear the clock in that room.

#mod wren #osob #mr bones #session 74 #AAAA #ive decided i want to start writing journal entries every so often from bones' POV as we do our sessions #(HONESTLY SOMETHING I SHOULD'VE STARTED DOING A WHILE AGO /COUGH) but yknow #anyways i spent way too long learning wallace's handwriting and it's gonna be the only thing I write in for at least two days <3 #he needs a hug :(

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anyathefandom · 11 months

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To Those Fortunate Enough chapter 29:

@burned-lariat

A smirk formed on Wallace's face as soon as Irina walked out of the bathroom.

Wallace internally:

Wallace really be like "Irina you don't understand me and Dex hashed that out years ago. He's just being dramatic right now" like Wallace once again I need you to stop INVALIDATING YOUR SON'S FEELINGS!!!

“Absolutely. I kept him safe, I kept him away from your mother. I did what you wanted-”

“Stop,” Irina raised a hand, “stop right there.”

“What?”

“...I’m going to ask you this once, and I want an honest answer. Do you actually love our son?"

Me: See and now you got Irina wondering if you even love that boy.

"Concerned citizen?" Alexis furrowed her brow before the answer dawned on her, "Victor got you removed."

"He did."

"Well…welcome to the club."

"What do you mean?"

"The locks to The Invader were changed overnight. We can't get in."

"And you think it's Victor's doing?"

"Who else would it be? It's not every day you see a bunch of big men in business suits taking over your office."

Me: Once again I appreciate that Victor is very active. Like mans is not wasting any time with making his move. I love a competent villain.🤌

"But why? Is Wallace that big of a threat?"

"What makes you think he isn't?"

"Well, when the family met Irina and found out what happened, he was this calm, simpering presence, not some dangerous, conniving brute."

Me: AND THAT'S MY MAN!!!

"What made him 'simpering?''

"Irina lashed out at him over what happened to Dex and he just…took it. He didn't fight with her, he didn't get angry, he just took the blame and wilted under her rage."

"That doesn't sound like Wallace. The Wallace I know is a hot-headed, stubborn brute."

Irina: “No, I sacrificed a lot for him. I sent him away because if I didn’t, he’d be dead. I had to give up my motherhood for his well-being, and I had to swallow the fact that I broke my own heart to save him, and I hate that I hurt him in the process. I suffered in a way no mother ever should, but I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat if it meant he got to live to see another day. What did you sacrifice?”

Me: Baby that's just the power of Irina Cassadine 🤷

Wallace: “You.”

Me: I feel his pain but I'm going to need Wallace to stand up because I know it broke his heart when she left but Dex is his son so resenting your only child who you have with the love of your life isn't the way to go sir.😬

You sent us away,” he replied, “You had me take Dex and flee the Netherlands. I had no way to contact you, I had no way of making sure you were okay-”

“That wasn’t important!”

“How was that not important?”

“Because it wasn’t about me, it was about Dexter. What mattered was his safety and his well-being: who cares about me?”

“I cared!” Wallace shouted, his voice echoing, “I cared, Irina! I love you!”

“I love you too.”

Me: I'm really getting the "I love you" dialogue in these conditions.😭

“No, you love Dex. Everything was about Dex, it was always about Dex.”

Me: Wallace that's what happens when you become a parent!!!

"That’s what happens when you become a parent, Wallace. It stops being about you, and it starts being about your child. I’m sorry you never got the chance to experience that kind of selfless love.”

Me:

“None of this is Dexter’s fault-”

“He kept you away from me!” Wallace boomed, “All of this is his fault, all of it! None of this would’ve happened if you had just let Helena get rid of him!"

Me:

“Wallace, come on,” Irina got the man to his feet, “it’s alright. I know you were angry. I’m sorry I poked at you like that.”

“No, no,” he shook his head, wiping his face with his hands, “Don’t apologize. You had every right to. He was right: I wasn't the father he needed me to be. I let him get hurt over and over again because of some petty resentment I never had the right to feel. He deserves better. I have to fix this.”

“Where are you going?” Irina watched as he grabbed his jacket from over the adjacent chair.

“I’m going to show up for him,” he answered, grabbing his jacket from an arm of the sofa, “I’m going back to the hospital, and I’m going to sit there and wait until Dex wakes up. Once he’s up, I’m going to spend every second making up for everything I’ve ever done to him.”

Me at the start of this conversation:

Me by the end:

#to those fortunate enough #general hospital

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voicesfromthelight · 2 years

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Hello! I adore your blog and your artwork. I have been working with spirits and magic for a long time, but I still get huge lapses in self confidence and begin to doubt my perceptions. Then I have to start all over. I would like to get to the point where I am steady in what I know and can begin to help others. Do you have any advice or maybe even some favorite books or websites? Thanks so much, Jay

Hi, Jay!

Thank you so much for your kind message! It's lovely to know that my work is reaching an audience that is enjoying and benefitting from it. Off the top of my head, I can definitely recommend a few things: Learn about energy healing, and make a regular practice of it, so that you become very comfortable with feeling energy and using visualization to shift it and clear it. It's the best foundation for any spiritual work. You can reference books such as "The Psychic Healing Book," by Amy Wallace, and "Hands of Light," by Barbara Brennan. For psychic work and mediumship, I highly recommend the books "Medium," by Konstanza MorningStar, "Where Two Worlds Meet," by Janet Nohavec, and "Moving Beyond," by Fleur Leussink, who also offers courses and mentorship programs. For channeling, I recommend learning to practice clairaudient dictation, for which I describe a method in my more traditionally formatted version of my blog, "Voices from The Light" (where you can find a lot of my metaphysical writings.) Good books on channeling include "Opening to Channel," by Sanaya Roman, and "Channeling: The Heart and The Art," by my friend, Diana Muenz Chen (who, by the way, studied with Barbara Brennan!)

In general, my advice is to get to know your guides, learn to trust them, and try different methods of communication until you find ones that work for your sensibilities and guides. Don't focus on fear-based beliefs, but do take energetic and spiritual integrity, as well as basic protection and clearing, seriously. (I've written a lot about that on my blog!) Also, don't worry about whether or not you are "just making it up" (since ideally, the proof will be "in the pudding" - and anyway, the psychic senses are basically passive, receptive forms of imagination rather than an active, projective one), and don't be afraid to make mistakes. It's all a learning process, but once you've established a strong connection with your guides, they will teach you how to get better at communicating with them, and help your development unfold. Even startling experiences where you think you messed something up can be part of a learning process. Keep track of your hits and misses. Build up a list of all the times your clairsenses were right about something. Find some friends who resonate with you, and with whom you can practice, but know that you can develop a lot on your own, with your guides, as well.

By the way, as strange as it may sound, no method of magic has ever worked as well for me as connecting with my spirit guides, more or less spontaneously throwing a small "tantrum" at them about something I wanted to change, asking for help, and then giving charity in their name as thanks. You can always ask for temporary guides to help with a given issue, too. But you have to do the energetic groundwork to establish a strong, clear and joyful connection, first, so that you keep evolving and learning about your own energetic responsibility for what you manifest, through a two-way conversation.

There are some things I haven't posted here for formatting reasons, by the way, but have shared on Instagram - mainly a couple of videos in which I recently shared some insights on ITC and lessons on forming spiritual connections. I think I'll be posting more there from now on, so, if you like, you can follow me there, as well!

Best of luck on your journey! Sending you all my blessings!

Best wishes,

Emily

#psychic #psychic development #channeling #spirit guides #psychic medium #mediumship #mediumship development #clairaudience #clairvoyance #voices from the light

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farfrompleasant · 2 years

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Happy Freyja Friday!!!

So I remember reading that adult beardies shed only once or twice a year??? Poor Freyja she's so extra she's doing more than the other beardies 😭

Or maybe it's because she only does a part of body at a time? But since adult beardies shed due to wear and tear they don't need to do whole body like when they're growing right so that doesn't make a lot of sense either 🤔 what an enigma

Yeah, Everyone is over this heat wave 🥲 my ass has to go outside like five times a day to keep Nova from going potty in the house and I hate that for me lol

You're right monitors can be huge! I think because there's like a bunch of different species all in the monitor family, like isn't a komodo dragon also a monitor lizard???

Speaking of komodo dragons, sometimes I forget that reptiles are such an ancient species, it's so fascinating! Did you come across any cool bits in your research on monitors? Komodo dragons have venom in their saliva which is cool/gross/scary not necessarily in that order lol

Ya Lizzie is a drama queen because she's developed this thing over the years where she's possessive of me. Her vet actually straight up said she's resource-guarding me during a visit and asked me to step out 😭 (pre-pandemic times so it's been a thing with her for ages)

Can you cool Freyja down by giving her ice cubes in her water or bath? Freezing her treats? Is she okay in this dang heat!

So Heller and Wallace are not being the same about Nova in the house at all, Wallace will taunt Nova when she's in her crate minding her business, and Heller just cries for Wallace to not go downstairs because he's scared, just like when they first got home and weren't used to all the space and creatures in the space yet 🤷🏻‍♀️

She's pretty bad at catch

Omgg Happy Freyja Friday (x3) ?

I'm unsure, but I know that it's been a while huh 😅 I've thought of just sending you small blurbs of content just cause I missed sharing stuffs with you 🥺

Instead, I went cold turkey, especially since I haven't been taking many pictures of Miss Girl lol and if you must know, I've been a lot better since the last time we talked c:

Now, onto Freyja Friday! I'm sure you've had inquiries while I've been gone and I'm looking forward to hearing from my dear friend ❤️

Yeah... Freyja has to be a different breed because she sheds damn near every month-- she's shedding as we speak, actually. And my god, I'm sure eye shed is the most uncomfortable feeling along with nose shed and where she expels waste (idk what to really call it but I've been calling it her russy😭) I don't know... there will be multiple parts of her body simultaneously shedding, but yeah the process is not like that of a snake; there is no one full, swoop. I would love to know why is it that she sheds so much, but I'll have to settle to her being an enigma... a high maintenance one at that. Kidding! it's no biggie to me c: and to answer your question, she’s pretty lax in regards to these heat waves... I heard that beards (and maybe reptiles as a whole) cannot eat frozen foods or treats. I think by them being exoteric, they might not be able to digest cool/frozen goodies properly ://

BUT BUT! I have been taking her outside since my absence on here and👏🏾 let👏🏾 me👏🏾tell👏🏾you👏🏾 we have made some progress!! Miss Girl can be outside for five to ten minutes max as long as

she’s handled (or cradled... she has scampered and clawed her way onto my torso!)

the sun is out or setting... she somewhat likes being out, despite the slight breeze

and as long as we avoid areas with large trees, she gets a tad wary once there’s shade and shaking leaves in the equation

but yeah... she’s learning to be okay with the outside world... one evening at a time c;

NOVAAAAAA! How is the baby-dog?! Is she potty trained by now or is it still just a concept for her? lolol I definitely feel your pain! My brother's dog is an old coot that isn't potty trained so uh... we mop at least twice a day... he's a menace! But I'm glad that you are able to take Nova out to potty!! I'm sure she's getting well acquainted with the living situation and appreciates you doing so too ❤️ I know I sure as heck would... it's way better than feeling guilty 🫣

THAT IS SO COOL, in that order too lol... I guess they have more in common with monitors than I thought c: Well now you reminded me that Komodo dragons are considered to be a type of monitor lizard c: and a few fun fact about monitors is that they have high intelligence, they don't blink but have great vision, and compared to majority of their species they tend to seek out human interaction and affection. Isn't that neat?! I thought it was... made me want to get one of each 🤩

Oh wow o_o sounds like Miss Lizzie is playing reverse momma bear! She said: ain’t no body attacking my human, periodt 😂 I find it to be very endearing as it really implicates that she cherishes you to the point of being protective and possessive 🥹 and I love her for that, even though it is not so much a good trait (human-wise).

No offense, at all really but LMFAOOOO not Heller being a literal scaredy cat! And my boy Wallace is out here being thee instigator/antagonizer!! Omg I love cats and their antics!! I’m so bummed that I'm super allergic because I want a black one, a girl too... I'd name her onyx 🥺 ANyways before I start longing for those creatures of death-- it sounds like it’s been a bit of a wild ride for you, as an onlooker, and Little Miss Nova but ugh that made my day!

I hope to surprise and or entertain you with the latest update! it’s really nice to be back c: here’s a handful of gifs I made with you in mind, friend! ♡

🥰✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*🥺Isn’t she lovely?🥺✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*🥰

#I miss you though ♡#badatwritingstuff💓#freyja friday #beardies i love #dogs i love #cats i love #farfrompleasant

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fraserwallace55 · 10 months

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Week 7

This week in class we got introduced to the second part of the Type Matters assignment, the digital kinetic type, where the focus shifts from being static like the booklet was to something with a focus on motion and also sound. Despite being behind on what I should have done coming into this week, I had to keep moving forwards in class and shift my thinking into this second part of the assessment. I decided, partially with the lecturers suggestion and because it fits my initial thoughts on what I'm going to make, to go with AfterEffects. It also helps that we're going to learn it in class, so that can make the procedure of creation a lot more manageable than if I decided to go with something else. Before the storyboarding process I began by sketching out random ideas I had, whether they were thinking more thematically or about possible motion I could involve in my later concepts for my kinetic type.

I began by drawing out this idea I had thought of during the explanation and introduction to this part of the assessment, where I explore what I could do in terms of motion for the lettering. I was thinking of possibly having a single letter in frame, which morphs periodically into the next letter of the word, which for this example is just pepeha. It then goes through the whole word, before expanding out of itself at the end to display it as a whole. I also considered with this idea of making it able to loop. I also trialed incorporating imagery relating to my pepeha into each letter, which would change as the letter does. I also thought about making it 3D, allowing it to possibly extrude out among other things.

The kinetic type I come up with needs a relation to my pepeha, which can be more image based like in my initial idea above or more type based through a word, the latter of which I ended up exploring with my last name of Wallace.

It has a general image I can already strongly relate to it, that being the tartan, which in itself could be quite interesting to explore as a leadup to the type because of all its various lines and squares. I thought of having the squares fold out from one another or alternatively appear as an array, possibly in smaller segments of squares and lines. I thought from there that once the screen gets filled with the tartan, it could pan down, with the squares gradually falling away until a single line is left in the frame. The tartan square could then terminate in the middle of the frame and split off into individual lines, which then form the word.

I explored this idea in a much fuller way here, showing how the lines could ultimately feed into each individual letter. I also contemplate how the frames would only be involving a section of this overall image at once, in order to give a sense of motion to the lines. I explored this part a lot more comprehensively later on, when I made a storyboard involving what my possible keyframes may be and how the tartan and type would form.

The differing aspects of motion in this idea is something that I think could be interesting to explore, as it goes from a bit of a rigid, grid focused beginning with the folding out of the squares of tartan to a flowing and smooth part later on, which then feeds into the type to create their forms. The only part I'm not sure how to approach yet is how to make the type much more notable rather than it being all the effects that are just solely there to build up to the typeface Itself. I could possibly extend the eventual animation beyond where the storyboard ends and incorporate more type focused animation from that point onwards.

Along with this tartan focused idea, I trialed another that looks at my pepeha more broadly, while focusing on type a lot more from the start.

I'm still unsure if these ideas are realistically possible to achieve with a basic knowledge of After Effects, but I want to at least try if I end up going in this direction when the digital work starts next week.

Outside of all this brainstorming I also managed to get the video explaining my booklet complete, albeit extremely late compared to when it should've been finished, just like all my other work up to this point.

I struggled throughout this process just like I had done with everything else, but mainly because struggle with recording myself for work like this, something I had to put past in order to get it done before it became another piece of extra work in the catalogue I had to get done while more stuff came in.

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catxsnow · 3 years

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BACK TO YOU W.W.

Request: Could I be so bold to request a Wally fic? Where he comes back after his "death" (lets be real we all know he is not dead) and Y/N reacts to it? Could it be fluff, angst, a little of both, that's up to you.

P.s. I love you 😊😊

Warning: angst, mentions of death (wallace), fluff

A/N: hello, good evening, I’m tired as fuck.

I’ve been thinking about a taglist lately so if there’s interest I’ll start one. I always suffer when I make it for some reason but if the people are interested I will suffer for y’all.

Word count: 2.3k

Wally coming back from the dead seemed surreal.

The hope you had for his return never diminished, even if those around you gave up long ago. Wally wasn't dead, he was never dead - he was just stuck in a place that no one could save him. Not Barry, not Bart, Not even Jay. Wally was the only one that could save himself and he had done it.

Broken, battered, and barely breathing he had made it out of the Speed Force. He had made it back to you. It put everyone into shock to see him collapsed in the middle of the team's headquarters. His suit was barely hanging to his body, eyes sunken in with exhaustion. He barely looked alive.

It took weeks to get him nourished back to health. Weeks of him being in a coma, wondering how the hell he managed to get back home. Sleeping at his bedside every night because you were scared this wasn't real or that he would be taken from you again. Long nights of crying because even if he was back, was he even going to wake up?

By the time that he was back up on his feet and running around again, every single league member had come to see him. Those who gave up on him, those who never lost hope, even those who never knew him.

Wally West was back.

Unfortunately, it seemed that a lot of him was still missing. His smile that once never left his face hadn't resurfaced once. The laugh that you remembered so clearly that got you through so many hard days vanished. The light in his eyes when he was running or saving lives was dull. He wasn't the same man you knew.

He teetered around you like a stranger even though every night he told you how grand his love for you was. You noticed him bumping into furniture that had moved from his time away or looking at pictures of people he didn't know with tears in his eyes. He stood by the window, watching for nearly an hour, just staring into the void every other day.

Wally wasn't all back from the Speed Force. He had lost a part of himself in there that he could never get back. Dick tried to fill in the gap of time that he missed, catching him up on everything that he missed but the moment that he came back to you he seemed more zoned out than ever. M'gann excitedly told him about her engagement with Conner, Kaldur with his new position in the league.

Everyone tried to make him feel right back at home, but no matter how hard they tried it would never be the same. Wally lost that time, and he was never going to get it back. He could never make it up to his friends for missing so many important moments in their lives or the grief that he put them through.

No matter how fast he ran, how many hours he stayed up wondering if things would have been different that day, none of that would change the fact that he had been missing for five years. Guilt plagued him, fear of being stuck back in there, he was in a constant state of terror because it was so damn easy for him to be lost the first time.

Nightmares woke him up every night. Sometimes he would lay there staring at the ceiling for hours without you knowing, other times his screams would echo in your room and wake you. Tears streaming down his face, clinging to you like his lifeline. Horrible dreams filled his mind of being pulled back there - or seeing his friends taken instead.

Those moments were the only time that it seemed Wally was willing to open up to you. It was the only time that he treated you like a lover rather than a stranger. Only when he was most vulnerable did it feel like he was truly back home, safe and sound with you. Whatever was holding him back from being open to you, it broke your heart.

Wally was always the one that you could go to when you had your issues and now that you couldn't do the same for him... it was hard to accept. You didn't want to push him into relieving his memories where he was stuck or asking the wrong questions to get him upset. Saying nothing at all didn't seem to be working either.

Dick noticed it, Barry, Artemis, even Garfield was worried. No one knew what was going on inside that head of his and he refused to go to Dinah - or anyone - for help. Everyone was worried.

You told them of the times that you woke up to him vibrating the entire bed, still asleep and a pained look on his face. Or the time that he would be perfectly fine before suddenly speeding around the house like he had no control over his body. Wally had become unstable with his speed - and maybe his health too.

"Love you, baby," Wally mumbled out.

He had gotten back from his hangout with Dick to find you sprawled out on the couch. Whatever they had done must have put him in a good mood. The moment that he saw you, he sped over and practically dived into you. His arms kept him hovering over you so he could lean down and kiss you properly - something that he always seemed to avoid since being back.

He found himself cuddled into your chest, arms snaked around you. For the first time since his return, you saw a genuine smile on his face. It was a sleepy, half-smile, but nonetheless, you were excited to see it. His eyes drooped closed the second you started massaging his scalp. He hummed with content as you eased the tension that had been piling up.

Half asleep, shoulders loose after weeks of being tensed at every moment. His heavy breathing was audible and you could feel the warmth of it against your skin. It had been years since you had seen him relaxed like this and it quickly brought tears to your eyes. Wally had been through so much, he deserved happiness, he deserved to have peace in his life.

"I love you Wally, always," you whispered. Silent tears spilled down your eyes - you wanted him to find his joy again, no matter the cost. "I never gave up on you, my love. I knew you'd find your way back home. Fuck-" your voice cracked, "I was so lost without you. Having you back in my arms like this was the only thing keeping me going.

"You mean everything to me, Wally. I know that you did what you did to save the world but..." you sighed. It was impossible to say that you wished that he hadn't done it - or that someone else should have taken his place. "I'm so relieved that you're safe now. I know you've been going through a hard time, and I've been trying my best not to push you - but if you need anything you know I'm here."

You waited for him to say something - anything. Wally was struggling to open up to you but seeing him in a good mood like this may have been the best opportunity to get him to say what was on his mind. Unfortunately, his silence made you worried.

It wasn't until the sounds of a soft snore did you realize that he had fallen asleep on you. His body had become completely dead weight, arms no longer tense around you. The security he felt being with you had lulled him to deep sleep in a matter of minutes. Although you weren't in a comfortable position, seeing him at peace was well worth it.

"He's getting better."

It had been months since Wally had been home. The process of getting him back to his mental state before entering the Speed Force for years was going to take a long time - but he was well on his way. Being with friends, family - finally admitting that he needed to see someone to talk through all this - dramatically helped.

The original team decided to put together a little surprise birthday for Wally. He said he didn't want anything - but they had several year's worth of get-togethers to make up for. So, you and Dick plotted together to throw something, just with his closest friends. Nothing overwhelming.

Although he originally complained about the gesture, he quickly found himself appreciating the effort that had been put into that evening. The food, the people, he forgot how much these moments meant to him. Seeing the smiles on everyone's faces again, that was the best gift he could have asked for.

He stood on the other side of the room with Conner and Dick - all three of the men were laughing their heads off about something. Artemis stood by your side, watching the three of them just as you were. She handed over one of the drinks in her hand to you. Everyone in the room had been deep in conversation with someone - besides you. She noticed.

"He is," you agreed with her.

"Why're you by yourself?" She got straight to the point. Artemis didn't bother with the small talk or sugarcoating her question. She waited for your answer, watching as your gaze turned from Wally, to the now interesting cement beneath your feet. "(Y/N)."

"Everyone's helped Wally so much and I can't help but feel like... Like I haven't done enough. Wally was always the person that I could lean on and now that I'm the one that has to be strong for him, it just feels like there's more that I could have done to help him. I never had the same bond that you all had with him being on the team and risking your lives, I don't know what it's like enough to help him through this trauma.

"Wally deserves the world and a lot of the time I feel like I can't give it to him. I'm not a hero, I don't have powers, I'm just... normal. Maybe that's not enough for someone who can save the world before I even finish breakfast," Your fists tightened at your sides as the heavy realization that had been clouding your mind was revealed.

It was clear that you were the odd man out in the room. Everyone there had risked their lives to saved the world and what had you done? Wait anxiously at home for your friends to return? Grieve at the losses that you couldn't have changed? There was nothing that you could do in the hero-life besides sitting on the sidelines.

"You do a lot more than you make yourself believe, (Y/N)," Artemis placed her hand on your shoulder. She glanced over at your boyfriend, wondering how different it would have been if they ended up together instead. Wally would have been unhappy, he loved you from the beginning.

"Wally can't stop talking about the support you give him. He wouldn't be where he is today without you. Men are stubborn - especially speedster men - they won't always admit how much they need someone. He gets this look on his face when he's talking about you like you're the whole reason for his existence. Don't put yourself down for not being stuck in a hero life we are - your love for him is the only power he needs."

"Thank you, Artemis," you forced a smile at her. Although you didn't believe her words at the moment she was right. Your love for Wally was the most important thing that you could ever give him, and that was going to have to be enough for now. Every ounce of your love went to making him happy.

Before she could say anything else, a familiar breeze washed over you both. Wally was suddenly standing right in front of you - and as if Artemis wasn't even there, brought you in for a deep kiss. His lips molded to yours, hand pressed to the small of your back to keep you close.

"I love you, (Y/N)," Wally barely pulled his lips from you. Conner had heard everything that you were saying to Artemis, and although he felt as if it wasn't his place to tell, Wally needed to know. A need to be with you, to assure you that you had done more than enough to get him to where he was, filled him.

"Across every galaxy, every universe, the Speed Force, no matter where I will always find my way back to you. I'll love you through everything," Wally pecked you once more. "Thank you for never giving up on me, babe."

"I'll never give up on you, Wally West. Not even the Speed Force can keep us apart," you grinned.

"Get a room already," Artemis complained. You had forgotten that she was still standing with you. It wasn't just her - the entire room was staring at the both of you. Smiles on their face at how happy Wally was with you. His little move had caught the attention of everyone and he just adored it.

Wally laughed at her comment. He swooped you up in his arms and sent a wink your way. He was already gearing up to speed you both out of there before saying his last bit to Artemis - and everyone else in the room.

"Don't have to tell me twice."

#wally west #wally west imagine #wally west x reader #wally west fanfic #wally west one shot #kid flash #kid flash imagine #kid flash x reader #kid flash one shot #kid flash fanfic #young justice #young justice imagine #young justice one shot #young justice fanfic #dc one shot #dc imagine #dc #dc comics

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tactiletelekonesis · 3 years

Note

sir we are need desperate need of flash fam hcs. would you do the honours?

Ok I’m not as well versed in Flashfam content but I’ll try! I mainly know Bart, but I’ll give it my best shot.

First I’d like to start off with my favorite canon facts about Bart because I can’t NOT talk about him:

He skateboards!

He once tried to get a Green Lantern tattoo but his healing abilities made it go away after five minutes and his friends knew it would happen but let him spend the money anyway lmao

He’s insanely popular at school, like, everyone loves him and he doesn’t get it

He once shaved his head because he was sick of people at school touching his hair, but Max made him wear a wig to school anyway

Ok now for the headcanons:

Bart has a skateboard that’s modified to not wear down at superspeed so he can use it at his own pace. He rarely uses it because he prefers to use regular skateboards cos it gives him time to slow down and think

On a similar note, Wally has modified roller skates! His kids want their own but he insists that they stick to non-modified roller skates until they’re old enough to control their speed more consistently

All the speedsters are pretty much geniuses but I like to believe that Bart is the only one who has a photographic memory (which, the memory thing is canon btw) because like... look, a lot of people make Bart the butt of the joke in the Flashfam but he’s special to me and I love him

Wally is the fastest speedster. Sometimes they wonder if Bart would have grown up to be faster, but they’ll never know because Bart has a prosthetic knee from when he was shot and it gives him a limp (also canon). This makes Wally the favorite of the speedforce (yes I’m stealing this from @damthosefandoms but look, she’s right, that’s why I’m stealing it)

Jai and Irey are almost as fast as their dad but not quite

The speedforce is an entity with a mind of it’s own and the speedsters are its favorite humans.

Barry Allen has so much love in his heart. He loves his family, he loves his friends, he loves his rogues.

On that note, Barry Allen and Hal Jordan are best friends (and sometimes lovers?) and I know that’s pretty much a given in the fandom but it needs to be said again because I love their friendship

Max and Jay are good friends but they can get competitive about “their” respective kids so despite the fact that Bart is literally Barry’s grandson, Max and Jay try to one up each other with Barry and Bart’s exploits on who’s more proud of their kid. When Barry gets involved he talks about Wally, and when Jai and Irey are born, Wally gets involved talking about his kids. It’s a mess.

All! Speedsters! Have! ADHD! It’s just a given. It can cause them problems, but they manage. The speedforce helps.

I’m on the fence about whether I want to headcanon Bart as having Tourette’s? There’s literally no basis for it other than the fact that I have Tourette’s and I want to project, but like. It would fit him well imo, and I think Tourette’s is best suited to superspeed out of all the powers because my body constantly feels like it’s not going fast enough.

Barry is defensive of his rogues. Someone tells him that his rogues are lame compared to another city’s and he goes off on them. People think he’s insane because he criticizes the rogues in one breath and defends them in another

Bart avoids VR games after travelling back in time because while it might not be the same level of technology, he doesn’t want to trigger himself with something similar

Listen, growing up in VR was traumatic for him because no one was real, he didn’t process death, he didn’t process danger

I ping pong back and forth on whether Bart is aroace or gay, so I’m gonna say he’s demi.

Wally and Barry are bi

I haven’t given thought to the sexualities of the other speedsters and I’m not going to lol

They all welcome Jess Chambers (not to be confused with Jesse, I’m talking about the one from Future State) with open arms when they come to this universe

Jess is canonically nonbinary, and I think that inspires Bart to be more open with his gender too

Jai and Irey are menaces. They try to get away with using their superspeed in little ways just to mess with their dad

When they’re old enough to join the Teen Titans, Jai is the leader. I don’t know why I just know in my gut that he is.

Having two speedsters on the Teen Titans is confusing but they manage and it actually works out well!

Irey likes to change her hair often and the fam makes her wear wigs as a civilian to not give away her identity

I want to include headcanons about Wallace, Avery, Jesse, and others, but I’m not as familiar with them and don’t want to do them disservice, you know? But what I’ve read of them they seem pretty cool! I just need to read more of them.

#bart allen #barry allen #wally west #jess chambers #max mercury #jay garrick #jai west #irey west #flashfam #the flash #flash #kid flash #impulse #konwontshutup #icecoldmistake #hal jordan

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stylesnews · 3 years

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Like most good stories, Harry Styles’ video for “Treat People With Kindness” starts with Fleabag, specifically with a meeting at Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s hit London theatre run, which became the launchpad for the joyous black and white video, released on New Year’s Day.

Working with a team now synonymous with Styles' videos (choreographer Paul Roberts and stylist Harry Lambert, to name a few), it was directed by brothers Gabe and Ben Turner (part of the production company Fulwell 73), whose work has spanned One Direction videos ("Steal My Girl", “History”) and Styles' solo track “Golden” and who produced the documentaries I Am Bolt (2016) and Hitsville: The Making Of Motown (2019).

Here, Gabe and Ben tell us the story of when Harry met Phoebe and how “Treat People With Kindness” came together.

Gabe, you tweeted that the video was shot at the beginning of last year. How did it come together?

Gabe Turner: Harry and I went to watch Phoebe do her live Fleabag show in London. We met Phoebe and she was the kindest, most delightful person ever. The next day I was watching dance videos randomly and one of them was this Nicholas Brothers video from the 1920s. It was two brothers dancing. I said to Harry, “You and Phoebe, question mark.” And he messaged back saying, “Treat People With Kindness”. Then he called Phoebe and was like, “I've got this song. I want to do a video. What about me and you doing this dance routine?” And she was like, “Great." And then the two of them called Paul Roberts, the choreographer.

Ben Turner: This isn't always how our life is. This isn't the regular process. But once the touchpaper got lit, it just went off. Every now and then something comes along where all the dominoes fall perfectly.

GT: Harry and Phoebe worked with [choreographers] Paul Roberts and Jared Hageman. The four of them rehearsed all the time, remotely, wherever they were. Whatever projects they were doing, the choreographers would go with them and work on their steps. We would get sent video updates for them as they were rehearsing and learning. We were like, “This is amazing.” We had been to the Troxy for the Bugsy Malone Secret Cinema, so we were like, “That would be a great place to do this.”

You make it sound easy.

BT: That momentum that Gabe's describing, that's what made it easy. It was plenty of hard work, but once it started, it just came together.

What was the turnaround like for the video? BT: We just did it fast, in the space of a few months.

GT: There is a process for how music videos get made. Directors pitch for them, they come up with their creative, present it and there’s a process to go through. This one was already happening before any of that process. It was pure art from Harry and Phoebe, going, “We're going to connect and make this amazing thing and it will come out when it comes out.” As a creative to work in that way is totally joyous. You're just facilitating greatness.

What was it like to shoot?

BT: This is also easy, in a way, because the choreography means that [Harry's] going to be here at this point and there at that [point]. You knew exactly where they were going to be in the room. We went back and forward a bit on how to weave the story into the choreography so it wasn't just a dance routine. By the time we got onto set, that was quite well planned. The nice thing is being more prepared, you can try to feed in a bit of latitude to things. I know because we've worked with Harry for a long time that the camera doesn't just love him. The camera wants to marry him and run off with him and probably never come back. So we know to give a little bit of space for that to happen. Obviously to have Phoebe there with him as well is totally bonkers. And, again, the camera loves her. It was exciting for us to talk about how to execute things with someone who we admire so much.

GT: When you go to the Troxy there's a hidden stage at the top. Ben had an idea of coming down from the hidden stage to reveal Harry, then setting a scene up of [Phoebe] at the top. She was brilliantly collaborative in discussing what kind of role she was going to play.

What notes did you talk through with Phoebe about her character? BT: This song's called "Treat People With Kindness”, so it feels like there's a distance to cover in the narrative. You start on the Marsellus Wallace shot, out of Pulp Fiction. We wanted to get a sense that this was a kind of tough guy and there was the opposite of people being treated with kindness around the place. But the conversation went from [Phoebe] being a character that stood up to him to, actually, if you look at it, [she] wipes a tear off of his eye, which is so beautiful.

GT: Ben was just obsessed with casting the back of people's heads for the first shot.

What makes a good back of the head?

BT: I'm talking about how many folds of skin at the top, the optimum shape. Someone [said] that Bruce Willis had a fantastic shaped dome of a head and it really turned me on to the shape of a bald head, because it can be really beautiful.

GT: I find a lot of the music videos that we do, there'll always be a shot from a film that inspires something.

Aside from breaking the fourth wall at the end, the Pulp Fiction shot and the Nicholas Brothers, what other reference points or Easter eggs did you include?

BT: We love the Marx Brothers, Danny Kaye and those physical comedians. I love Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. We’re also obsessed by Bugsy Malone. Busby Berkeley... I don't think there was much Busby Berkeley in this. GT: At the end there's a tiny bit, but Busby Berkeley has actually been used as a reference in quite a few music videos. We love that stuff. But we didn't want to go too into that symmetry and the choreography, because it didn't feel as fresh. What have you learned from Harry, after working together for so long?

BT: He's on a really interesting journey and we are lucky to be a bit of that journey with him. It's really rewarding to dip into that and try to facilitate some of that as we go along. There's a lot that he's in touch with that I'm not. I'm quite a lot older than him. I'm not as cool as him.

#harry styles #jan21 #gabe turner #ben turner #tpwkmv #GQ #article

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desertno3 · 3 years

Text

Violet – Chapter Three (4/7)

When Sean finally meets his daughter, you wonder why you ever left him in the first place.

Sean Wallace x fem!reader Chapter Three: 1540 words

Prologue // Chapter One // Chapter Two

A/N: Me? Taking time out of my day to create an entirely new gif to fit the vibe of this chapter? It’s more likely than you think. I have been wanting to make a gifset of Sean + smiling lmfaooo so hey it works out.

Taglist: @ysmmsy @prettyinpayne @the-a-word-2214 @peakywitch Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist for this series!

“Mum, where’s Sean?”

“I told you, he’s working.”

“But where?”

“I don’t know, Vi.”

Your daughter makes an unsatisfied noise. “When will he come back?”

“I don��t know the answer to that either, love.”

And you really didn’t. Before he left, Sean had told you that they’d finally got a hold of the people responsible and that he was going to go and deal with them personally. You didn’t press him for any more details than what he’d offered. Just because you had reevaluated your stance on his lifestyle did not mean you were ready to know the ins and outs of it. It already unnerved you enough that these were actual people who more than likely wanted you or Violet harmed and knowing anything more than that would do a greater number on your psyche, that much you knew. The only thing you wanted to know was that they would never get a chance to come for you or Violet ever again. How that would be guaranteed you left up to Sean to figure out - and judging by the look on his face before he left, you were sure he already had.

“Do you think that he’ll like this?” Violet asks you, holding up the little picture she’d been working on.

You give her an assuring smile, “He’ll love it.”

Since their little colouring-in session, your daughter had decided that Sean was her favourite member of the Wallace household and had made it a mission to try and spend every possible moment with him - even when he was busy. There was one afternoon where you couldn’t find her anywhere, only for Marian to tell you she was in Sean’s office. You’d sworn under your breath when she’d told you that, knowing how relentless Violet could be if she wanted someone’s attention, and having to deal with an irritated Sean was the last thing you wanted on your plate. However, when you appeared at the open doorway, you found Violet contentedly sitting on the sofa reading one of her picture books while Sean was at his desk tapping away at his laptop. Neither of them paid any mind to you, so you’d backed away slowly and left them to it, your heart warm.

Things had been less tense between you and Sean ever since your conversation about Violet. The resentment and cold shoulder you had anticipated from him afterwards never came and, much to your surprise, you instead got a Sean that was amicable and - dare you say - almost caring. He’d become more open to updating you on the progress he was making with tracking down the culprits and in turn, you were more than willing to answer all his questions about Violet. He would often ask you things nonchalantly and in passing and you knew it was his way of trying to catch up on what he’d missed without coming across as being overly invested. You understood his approach, considering there was still so much you hadn’t spoken about regarding this new dynamic between you, him, and Violet, but you quietly adored the fact that he cared to know more about her and glad that he hadn’t shut you out the way you thought he might.

A couple of days later, when you peer out of the guest bedroom window, you’re just in time to see a glimpse of Sean walking up the path to the front door. Marian had told you he would be back today but she didn’t say whether or not he had been successful in dealing with the culprits.

“Shall we go down and get breakfast?” You ask your daughter, turning from the window to face her.

She nods sleepily and you chuckle, picking her up in your arms before heading downstairs.

“Hey, Vi,” You murmur to the child languidly resting her head on your collarbone. “Guess what?”

She perks up a bit, looking at you curiously. “What?”

You reach the bottom landing of the stairs and nod your head towards the front door. And then you almost regret doing it.

“Sean!” Violet squeals the moment she turns and spots him.

“Ow, Violet,” You complain as she squirms in your arms in an attempt to reach him, roughly elbowing you in the process. “Ease up.”

“I can take her,” Sean chuckles, seeing as Violet was nearly half out of your hold anyway.

You nod and hand her over, your heart fluttering slightly as he takes her in his arms, feeling like this was a glimpse into what life would've been like for the three of you if you had never left Sean.

“Hello Violet,” He says to her, a finger lightly tickling her side and making her giggle.

"Hi Sean,” She replies, looking up at him as she rests her head on his shoulder (and you think jesus christ your heart could burst at the sight). “Where have you been?"

“I had to take a trip,” He explains, craning his neck a little to meet her gaze.

“Why?”

“I needed to talk to some people.”

“About what?”

“Vi,” You cut in, saving Sean from having to come up with a kid-friendly explanation of what he’d been up to. “Let’s have breakfast, yeah? Sean just got home.”

Violet pouts at you for interrupting before turning her attention back to the man in question. “Will you have breakfast with us, Sean?”

You look on in amusement, knowing not even he would be able to resist her pleading eyes.

“Of course,” He tells her with a smile. “I’m starving.”

“How did it go?” You ask Sean after Violet had run upstairs to get the drawing she had made for him.

You seemed to be doing this a lot, you realise, fitting in as much serious conversation as the two of you could in the rare times Violet wasn’t around. Maybe it was an instinctual parent thing. Or maybe Sean’s lifestyle just called for it. You didn’t really know.

“Good,” He replies, stirring a cup of tea. “Everything’s been taken care of.”

You raise an eyebrow, “Taken care of?”

He hums, “They won’t bother you again.”

You stare at him blankly as you process what he’d just said. Even though you knew the amount of effort Sean had put into essentially hunting them down, you didn’t realise it would all be done and dusted quite this quickly. A part of you had mentally prepared yourself to have to live with this looming threat for a while - imagined that you’d probably have to get Sean to beef up the security when you finally found a new place to live, thinking it was going to be that much of a long-term problem. But here he was telling you it was all over.

“How… how did you manage to find them so fast?”

“It wasn’t hard once we got people to talk,” He explains, sliding the freshly made tea over to you.

You mumble your thanks as you take it in your hands, the heat of the ceramic bringing you back to reality somewhat.

“And you’re sure they won’t… retaliate?”

“Positive.”

You eye him curiously, watching as he goes to make his own cup of tea, and you clock, for the first time, the small gash above his brow.

“What did you do?”

The question leaves your mouth before you could even think about whether or not you actually wanted to know the answer to it and the corner of Sean’s lip lifts slightly in response.

"I know you’ve changed your mind about a lot of the things I do but it’s probably still best if I don’t tell you that part of it.”

“You don't think I can’t handle it?"

There’s no attitude behind the way you asked the question, just honest curiosity.

Sean shakes his head, “There's just no benefit to knowing.”

“Right,” You nod, agreeing, but then you can’t help yourself and you look up at him sheepishly. “But I’m curious, though.”

“Well, you’re going to have to stay curious,” He tells you, his lip lifting again in amusement.

You make a face at his evasive snark and he chuckles a little, continuing to go about making breakfast and ignoring the way your eyes are following him.

“What happened there?” You ask, gesturing to his forehead.

Sean lets out an amused exhale and leans back against the sink, “Vi definitely gets her inquisitiveness from you.”

“And she definitely got her stubbornness from you,” You fire back, picking up on the way he had dodged your question again.

He smiles at that and so do you, delighting a little in your childish back and forth. You couldn’t help but offhandedly think that, without Violet in the room, it almost felt like old times. In the same vein of thought, you realise that there are about a million things that need to be addressed between you and Sean, the most pressing of which was what your lives were going to look like going forward, especially now that this problem had been dealt with. Things weren’t going to go back to how they were before, that much was for sure. Neither of you get to say anything more, though, because Violet’s back with the drawing, eyes alight and eager to show it to him.

#you'd think I'd have made enough sean gifs on my main for every occasion but I guess not yet lol #sean wallace x reader #sean wallace imagine #sean wallace fanfic #gangs of london fanfiction #*writing #violet series #sean wallace

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hldailyupdate · 3 years

Text

How the joyous ‘Treat People With Kindness’ video came together

Directors Gabe and Ben Turner on how Fleabag became the launchpad for Harry Styles' ‘Treat People With Kindness’ music video

Here, Gabe and Ben tell us the story of when Harry met Phoebe and how “Treat People With Kindness” came together.

Gabe, you tweeted that the video was shot at the beginning of last year. How did it come together?

You make it sound easy.

BT: That momentum that Gabe's describing, that's what made it easy. It was plenty of hard work, but once it started, it just came together.

What was the turnaround like for the video?

BT: We just did it fast, in the space of a few months.

What was it like to shoot?

What notes did you talk through with Phoebe about her character?

BT: This song's called "Treat People With Kindness”, so it feels like there's a distance to cover in the narrative. You start on the Marsellus Wallace shot, out of Pulp Fiction. We wanted to get a sense that this was a kind of tough guy and there was the opposite of people being treated with kindness around the place. But the conversation went from [Phoebe] being a character that stood up to him to, actually, if you look at it, [she] wipes a tear off of his eye, which is so beautiful.

GT: Ben was just obsessed with casting the back of people's heads for the first shot.

What makes a good back of the head?

GT: I find a lot of the music videos that we do, there'll always be a shot from a film that inspires something.

Aside from breaking the fourth wall at the end, the Pulp Fiction shot and the Nicholas Brothers, what other reference points or Easter eggs did you include?

GT: At the end there's a tiny bit, but Busby Berkeley has actually been used as a reference in quite a few music videos. We love that stuff. But we didn't want to go too into that symmetry and the choreography, because it didn't feel as fresh

What have you learned from Harry, after working together for so long?

(12 January 2021)

#harry styles #harry update #article #gq #treat people with kindness #hldaily #january 2021

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bluenet13 · 3 years

Photo

It's All In Your Head (Chapter 1/2)

Written for @badthingshappenbingo

Fandom: Chicago Fire

Characters: Matthew Casey, Sylvie Brett, Kelly Severide, Stella Kidd, Wallace Boden, Firehouse 51.

Prompt: Hair Matted with Blood

Summary: Post-ep to S09E09 "Double Red." Casey's life continues to spiral as his friends worry around him; or what happens when no one notices Casey is struggling and our captain is too stubborn to ask for help. AKA, I enjoyed the ep but needed more angst, h/c, and Brettsey, so I'm fixing it.

Links: ff.net / AO3

Playing basketball with Severide probably wasn't his greatest idea, because by the end of just one round with Stella's new arcade machine, Casey's head is throbbing and the whole room is spinning.

Barely suppressing a grunt, he stumbles backwards until his back hits the column in the middle of their loft. Taking advantage of Stella and Severide being focused on their new furniture, he takes a second to rest his head on the pillar. Eyes sliding closed as he massages his temples, another barely suppressed grunt escaping his lips when he touches the swollen and tender spot on the side of his head. Moving his finger around the area, Casey makes a mental note to take a shower before work the next day as he can still feel the cut from when his head hit the ground and dried blood sticking to his hair around it.

As soon as the machine plays the sound that signals game over, Casey quickly opens his eyes and rights himself. His mask continuing to slip away as his pain continues to increase.

Turning towards the kitchen, Casey does his best to avoid his roommates' stares as their eyes search the place where he had just been standing. He moves quickly to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, before he gingerly makes his way to his room.

"Going already?" Severide shouts from the living room.

"Yeah, man. Just tired. So I'll grab a quick nap before beating you again. God knows you need some alone practice," Casey says, trying to get the attention off him, while doing his best to sound convincing and not slur his words.

"Are you okay, captain?" Stella asks carefully, knowing how the boys get when you fuss over them. She is standing a few feet away from her boyfriend and is looking at Casey with clear worry in her eyes. They're all usually tired after a shift but their last one wasn't particularly bad and Casey always likes to take advantage of his days off to do some construction or work around the apartment. And it wasn't even 6pm. Definitely early for Casey to turn in.

"Yeah, yeah. All good. As I said, just tired. I'll see you both later. You guys enjoy yourselves," Casey says, throwing what he hopes is a reassuring wink their way, and making a point to hide the side of his head where blood might be visible.

Stella nods, but she can't shake the feeling that something is off. The previous day's events play on her head and she wonders if the accident did more damage to Casey than everyone thought.

Turning to her boyfriend as soon as Casey's door clicks shut, Stella grabs his shirt and draws Severide to her. "Did Casey seem off to you?" She wonders, not able to stop herself.

"Hmm, honestly? Since that night last fall, he always seems a little off," Severide answers sincerely. Both automatically knowing which night he's referring to.

Thinking back to the last few months, Stella can't help but agree. Remembering how the captain tends to spend his free time on shift closed down in his quarters, and how often he loses his cool and snaps at people now. Not to mention, how little they see of him at home, with Casey spending most of his days off working his construction job or locked inside his room. His occasional trips to Molly's usually ending soon after Brett makes an appearance with Grainger.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Stella concedes eventually. She then grabs the basketball and proceeds to put the ball in the net from where she's standing. "Come here and let me school you. And maybe next time you can actually beat Casey," she teases, picking up the basketball and scoring another point.

Severide mumbles something under his breath but he's smiling to himself as he stares at his girlfriend proudly. He waits until she's done, beating both his and Casey's scores in the process, before he takes her hand and pulls her alongside him towards their bedroom.

-x-x-x-

As soon as the lock clicks shut behind him, Casey slides down the door. The short walk to his room left him winded, and made his headache evolve to include nausea and a ringing in his ears that makes him feel as if his PASS device is active. But unlike in that scenario, there is nothing to turn off now because this sound comes from within, as his skull seemingly threatens to break in two.

Taking a tentative sip of water, Casey stops as his stomach tries to revolt. Closing his eyes, he takes slow, deep breaths willing the nausea to pass so he can drink enough water to down the two pills he managed to grab without Severide or Stella noticing. Now wishing he also had the presence of mind to grab some nausea medication from the kitchen.

After minutes tick by and his symptoms don't ease at all, Casey decides to forgo the water and just down the two pills dry. They scratch his throat but, at this moment, he couldn't care less.

With a groan, he then drags himself through the floor and awkwardly climbs into his bed. Not even bothering to take his clothes off and just collapsing into the mattress. Hopefully a good night's sleep in his own bed is all he needs and he will wake up feeling refreshed and like the last two days had just been a bad dream.

-x-x-x-

He doesn't.

Sleep is elusive all night long. And he spends the whole night tossing and turning because of the pain in his head, and then having to take deep breaths to calm his worsening nausea because of all the tossing and turning.

His awake moments also mix with dreams of cars and sad smiles. Leaving him feeling even more miserable and exhausted than the night before. So much that the last two days do in fact feel like a bad dream, while this night feels like a full-blown nightmare.

-x-x-x-

The following morning, knocking on the door wakes up Casey, and he groans as soon as his eyes land on the clock sitting on his nightstand. He's late for work.

"Case? You alright? We need to leave soon or we're going to be late." Severide's voice comes from outside his room and Casey briefly wonders if it's too late to call in sick. He feels like hell but all things considered he should probably feel thankful he's still alive and that his head is still in one piece. Even if it feels like someone is trying to crack it open from the inside.

"Sorry, man. Just getting ready. Give me a minute," Casey shouts, wincing as his own voice hurts his head. With no time to shower, he just spends a couple minutes getting ready in the bathroom, mostly trying to fix his hair that's sticking up in every direction.

"Let's go," Casey says, stumbling out of his room, and going directly to the front door so his roommates have no time to take in his appearance.

Or so he hoped. "Are you really okay? You look like hell, and you're wearing the same clothes you had yesterday." Severide asks. "And is that blood on the side of your head?"

Looking down at himself, Casey frowns, taking in his wrinkled look, before moving his hand to the spot where he knows the cut is and sighing as he can feel new crusted blood around his hair. He must have reopened the wound with all his tossing and turning the night before. "Didn't have time to do laundry. Will get on that after shift. And why would I have blood? It's probably red paint from my construction job yesterday." Casey settles on the first excuse that comes to mind, hoping they're already so late that Severide won't have time to question him further. "I was working on a barn," he adds as an afterthought, shaking his head and promptly regretting the movement as it intensifies the pounding on his skull.

Severide and Stella look at each other. Both knowing Casey is not the type to neglect his housekeeping duties, and also remembering the captain had actually done laundry last weekend. But, they're both more worried about what looks nothing like red paint and definitely like blood on the side of Casey's head.

Does he really think he can fool a squad lieutenant and firefighter/paramedic/future lieutenant? Stella seems to ask as she shares a look with Severide.

Severide nods, then shrugs and walks to the kitchen, grabbing a styrofoam mug and a plate with toast and eggs. "Here, we left some breakfast for you. You can eat in the car."

Casey's stomach does a backflip at the sight of the food and he has to use a lot of his remaining energy just to push his nausea down. "Thanks, man. But not really hungry. I will just take the coffee," he says casually, trying to sound normal.

Severide and Stella share another knowing look, but both decide to let it go for now, instead Severide sets the plate on the fridge and passes the cup to Casey. Then everyone grabs their keys and bags and they're out the door.

For a moment, Severide worries that maybe he's imagining things and Casey is totally fine. But looking at Stella out of the corner of his eye, noticing his own worry reflected in her brown eyes, he decides to trust his intuition and ask her about it later. He has been Casey's best friend for a long time and he knows they need to tread carefully when it comes to the man sharing his feelings and opening up about what's ailing him. Because something clearly is.

For his part, Casey is barely able to follow Severide and Stella down the stairs and towards the parking lot, and in his struggle, has the sudden, very obvious realization that he shouldn't work like this. All his energy is going into just taking one step after the other and he's in no condition to be anyone's captain today. But he made it this far so he can at least make it home. Once he's there, he can just tell Chief Boden he's not feeling well and spend the day out of the field and doing paperwork. It would be good for Stella too. She can be truck lieutenant and get some more preparation for her upcoming exams.

With that decision made, Casey then spends the next half hour sitting quietly in the backseat of Severide's car. The cup of coffee getting cold in his hand after his first tentative sip was received with his body threatening to throw up. What exactly, he wouldn't know, given he had skipped both lunch and dinner the day before.

When Severide parks his car in the street in front of Firehouse 51, Casey takes a second to close his eyes and compose himself, then slowly gets out of the car and makes his way inside. Not sparing his roommates a single glance.

Ignoring everyone who is already in the common room, Casey walks directly to the bathroom and closes himself inside a stall. After taking a minute to make sure there's no one inside, he finally lets go and proceeds to try to throw up the emptiness in his stomach. With nothing to come out, Casey just coughs and dry heaves. By the time he's done, he is sweating and shaking. And not for the first time realizes he's in no condition to go out into the job. Matt Casey has never been particularly good at self-preservation but he is the best at protecting the lives of the firefighters and paramedics under his command, and he would never willingly put their lives in danger.

Moving to the sink, Casey washes his face and mouth, before reaching inside the stall for his discarded bag and taking off his now sweat soaked t-shirt and changing into his white captain's shirt. He spends the next five minutes carefully scrubbing the blood that's matting his hair, before he arranges it in such a way that it covers the cut on his left side. Then taking deep, calming breaths, he schools his features and exits the bathroom.

As soon as he turns the corner towards Chief Boden's office, Casey collides with Severide and he can't help the grunt that escapes his lips. "Here you are. I've been looking for you. Case, are you sure you're okay?" Severide asks, concern evident in every single one of his words.

"Yes, man. Stop worrying. You're acting worse than Stella last time you got hurt," Casey says, as the previous day, trying to take the attention off him and direct it back to his roommate.

Severide says nothing, but looks at his best friend intently. Easily noticing how tired he looks and how the dark circles under his eyes are even more pronounced than anytime in the last few months. His skin also looks flushed, cheeks reddish, and he keeps squinting at him. Casey hasn't particularly looked good since his failed night with Brett, but he looks like shit now. But before Severide can steel his resolve and call him out, Casey seems to dismiss him with a shake of his hand and continues on his way.

"Going to speak with Chief Boden, I will see you later," Casey offers, then he is gone.

-x-x-x-

"Casey, good morning. What can I do for you?" Chief Boden asks from his desk, signaling for Casey to close the door and sit down.

"Hi Chief, I wanted to request the day off," Casey begins, but stops at the shocked look on his chief's face and the sudden way his eyebrows go up. Casey knew it was uncommon for him to voluntarily request time off but he wasn't expecting his chief to look so surprised. "Must have eaten something bad yesterday because my stomach is not agreeing with me today," he lies, inwardly wincing.

Matt Casey never lies, but sometimes he likes to color the truth. After all, his stomach is really not agreeing with him. And, as if trying to add more truth to his statement, Casey's stomach does another flip.

"Alright, Casey. I will tell Stella to take command of truck for the day and you go home and rest. Let me know if I can do anything to help," Boden agrees easily. A small seed of worry settling deep inside him because his captain rarely takes himself off the lineup voluntarily. But if he says it's just a bad case of spoiled food, there's nothing he can do and they just need to let time do its magic.

"Thank you, sir. But, if you're okay with it, I'd prefer to stay here. I can just lie down in my quarters for a bit, then take advantage of the time to get ahead on some paperwork," Casey proposes, knowing his situation is a lot more complicated than food poisoning. He doesn't want to go to the hospital as he fears this might be the time the doctor mentioned where another head injury could really put a damper on his career as a firefighter. And even if he hopes that this will all resolve on its own with time, he would still like to be close to an ambulance and paramedics in case it all turns worse before it gets better.

As it turns out, he does have some sense of self-preservation after all.

"Whatever you think is best, Casey. But if you're feeling worse, don't hesitate to go home. Or ask Brett or Mackey to check you out. They can give you something to make you feel better," Boden instructs. Like always being the type of leader that likes to point out what he believes to be the right path, but ultimately, wanting to give the men and women under his command the chance to decide for themselves.

Casey nods, even knowing that Brett is the last person he would ask for help right now. He almost did yesterday, then spent the whole night dreaming with her sad eyes when he had broken her heart. Being honest with himself, he knows he wants nothing more than to talk to her and let her comfort him. But he has done enough damage already; now she wants space, and the least he can do is give that to her.

"Thank you, chief." Casey bids his boss farewell before he walks straight to his quarters. Closing the door and lowering the blinds, then promptly falling face first onto his bed.

Five minutes later the alarms go off, calling all five units to a vehicular accident. The alarms and sirens only intensify the throbbing in Casey's head and a sob escapes his lips as he tries to shield himself from the noise by covering his head with his pillow. When the room is back to silence, he sighs in content, glad he doesn't have to get up and worry about being Captain Casey right now. At this moment, he has more than enough just worrying about how he feels like he is dying.

Barely shaking his head, Casey wills those thoughts away from his mind and closes his eyes. With the whole firehouse out on a call, he can finally get some rest and hopefully this time actually wake up feeling better than before.

-x-x-x-

After Casey more than dismisses him and walks to the Chief's office, closing the door behind them, Severide has the familiar need to follow him and find out what's going on. But he doesn't want to get on his friend's bad side, so instead, he follows the path where Casey came from, and decides to find some clues on his own.

Seeing the locker room empty and intact, Severide walks into the bathroom and quickly notices the discarded cup of coffee on the trash. The entirety of the black liquid spilled on the bag. Sighing, Severide decides to go wait for Casey outside of Boden's office so he can talk to him about it. Something is clearly wrong with him, and Severide needs to do something about it before Casey's stupidity lands him in trouble. Severide knows he's not great at taking care of himself, but some days he thinks Casey is even worse.

Getting to Boden's office, Severide finds the door open and the chief alone working on some paperwork. Briefly considering talking to Boden about it, Severide eventually decides he doesn't want to go over Casey's head, so he turns around and walks to the officer's quarters.

From a distance, Severide can already see that Casey's door is closed and the blinds are down, so he's probably inside, but before he has time to knock on the door the alarms go off as they're all called to an accident downtown. Staying in place for a few seconds, Severide waits to see if Casey will come out so he can make sure he's really okay before they go into a scene. But there's no movement inside, and Casey never comes out.

Hearing the engines of the trucks, Severide shakes his head and runs towards the apparatus bay, coming face to face with Boden as soon as he exits the door.

Seeing all of truck, but Casey, sitting at their usual spots, and the seat next to Stella empty, Severide turns to his chief. "Sir, is Casey alright?" Casey can get pissed off if he wants, Severide thinks. After all, he wouldn't need to be asking their boss if the idiot had just opened up to his best friend and roommate, instead of avoiding all his questions.

"He said he has food poisoning, and requested the day off. Stella, you're in charge of truck today," Boden all but shouts, both answering Severide's question and informing the rest of the house that they will be going to work without their captain today.

Food poisoning? Severide wonders, scrunching his face when he remembers he hadn't seen Casey eat anything since the day before yesterday. Something is clearly up and he will find out as soon as they're back from this call.

Nodding, Severide jumps into the squad truck and turns on the sirens as Cruz hits the gas. For a brief moment, as he passes the apparatus floor, he catches Stella's eyes, and again, sees his own worry reflected in them. They briefly spoke when they got to the firehouse, and even though Stella also felt something was off, they both agreed this might all be in their heads and was just another side-effect of Casey's current distance from Brett. Still, they can't help but worry. And if that wasn't enough, Severide then turns to Brett, who's sitting on the driver's side of ambo 61, and sees an unasked question on her gaze, her face also showing concern.

-x-x-x-

Sylvie Brett prides herself on always being ready to do her job and help whoever is in need. Or rather, almost always. Because a certain fire captain has the uncanny ability to draw her thoughts away from the job and towards his beautiful blue eyes and deep gaze. Even when the man is not even in the same space, her mind is an expert in conjuring his face whether she wants to or not.

So now, even as she exits the ambulance and goes to the back to find her med bag, Brett tries to catch Severide or Stella's eyes. At any other time, they would be the ones seeking answers from her, but nowadays, she knows Casey is much more likely to share personal details with his roommates than with her. It's not the first time she has that thought, and as every time before, a sad smile escapes her lips with the realization.

Brett can't deny that she is in love with Casey and wants to be more than friends with him, but mostly, she just misses her best friend. And wishes things would go back to normal, when they would communicate like no other, and share with each other what neither dared share with the rest of the world. That's how she knew that whatever was happening now, wouldn't be happening at all if she hadn't sought Casey that night. Then she wouldn't have asked that question, and he wouldn't have broken her heart with the power of his honesty alone.

Shaking her head, Brett gives up trying to attract Severide or Stella's attention and instead focuses on the current call. Grabbing every instrument and item she might need, she follows Mackey to the accident, and together they stand to the side, while squad works on getting the victims out of the three cars involved in the crash, and truck, minus Casey (as her mind helpfully points out), works on extinguishing the few flames that had already sparked and making sure no others join.

When that's done, Brett and Mackey do quick work of taking care of the victims and getting them stable while they wait for additional ambulances to come and help them transport the victims to Gaffney Chicago Medical Center. Only for that brief moment she forgets about Casey, taking some time to stare at the young paramedic, her partner for two more shifts, as she ponders why another partner is leaving her. Maybe she's a good paramedic, and just not a good leader? Because there has to be some reason why no partner is able to stick with her for more than 2 years, while the previous Ambo's 61 PIC was able to spend years with just Shay and then Brett. Apparently Casey is not the only one who prefers Dawson.

Sirens getting closer draw Brett away from her own pity party and she joins Mackey in letting the new paramedics know the state of the victims they just treated and helping them get everyone inside an ambulance. As she proudly stares at Mackey, hearing her confidently recite all the patients' stats and known injuries, Brett makes it a point to remember to congratulate the young woman again and wish her good luck in her new house.

That thought also makes Brett realize that even in a very small way, she's still a part of Mackey's success and the fact she so quickly got the recognition she deserved by being considered for a future PIC job, an achievement which took Brett more than a few years. She should feel proud of that, for both of them. Plus, she's always been good, some would even say great, at her job. So there's no reason for Brett to be feeling down on herself.

But then she remembers Casey, and her conviction crumbles. Whatever is happening to him now wouldn't be happening if she hadn't let their personal lives mix with their jobs. And even if it is just food poisoning, which she doubts, it would still be her fault, because any firefighter should feel like they can reach out and ask her for help, however minor the injury or illness might be. And Casey clearly hadn't thought he could. But then again, he had tried to ask her a question during the last shift. It hadn't been her fault that, as usual, they got interrupted, but it was her fault not to ask him about it later.

Same as it was her fault that she didn't check Casey after the incident last call. And deep down in her gut, she is certain that is the real problem of whatever is happening to him now.

Sighing, Brett forces her mind to return to the present and closes the door of Ambo 61 after Mackey climbs inside next to the stretcher. For now, she will focus on doing her job to the best of her ability, but she knows something is up, and she will find out what, as soon as they're back at 51.

-x-x-x-

Again, Casey doesn't wake up feeling better than before. In fact, the pain in his head now reaches a new level of misery and the room is spinning so much that just getting out of bed is a struggle.

Closing his eyes, Casey pictures what he remembers of his small quarters and tentatively makes his way to the door. Resting his head on the wood as he wills the world to stop moving.

Opening his eyes again, he unlocks the door and slowly makes his way to the common room in search of Brett, Mackey or anyone that can help him. But the room is empty and with a sinking feeling he realizes the call lasted longer than expected or maybe he just didn't sleep all that much.

But then Casey hears the telltale sound of the firehouse's units and his friends' voices and with the last of his energy follows the noise to the apparatus bay. Every step is a new challenge and by the time Casey crosses the threshold and stands on the garage, the ache in his head has worsened. He moves a hand to message his temple, hoping to alleviate the ache in his head and frowns when his fingers come back sticky with blood.

When the trucks and SUV are close enough for Casey to see them, or rather, their blurry outlines, he raises his hand, hoping to get Brett or Severide's attention, and in his disorientation, frowns again when he sees blood staining his hand. Wanting to get closer to his family and the only people that can help him now, Casey takes one final step but it's too late and his whole world collapses on him. His dizziness and nausea take over, the room around him disappearing as the blurriness gives way to full-blown darkness and the familiar sounds of the firehouse are reduced to interminable silence.

And before Casey can process anything of what's happening, the world seems to tilt off its axis and he feels himself falling...

#Chicago Fire #matt casey #sylvie brett #brettsey #kelly severide #brett x casey #bad things happen bingo #chicago fire fanfic

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kaseywsinclairs · 2 years

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“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐱𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐲— 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞?”

She rocked up and down on her heels once, then twice before settling down— the serious expression on the interviewers face did not change, in fact her antics only made it set even harder, like stone: or perhaps maybe more like a gargoyle. “I’m Kasey Wallace-Sinclair,” she riddled off, “Twenty-three, taking comp sci.” The second half made her wrinkle her nose in distaste, waving her hand to dismiss it, an action that was met with a scribble in a box.

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞? 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞, 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬, 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡.”

“I like to give people things,” Kasey said, thinking about the smooth piece of wood that was tucked into her bag right now that was destined to go to Cal, or the set of earrings that she had found at the farmer’s market that had reminded her of Elyse. Her pockets always made noise, hers was a musical step: from glass and metal and beads crashing and careening into one another while she moved.

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞?”

The story came to mind immediately, and her smile spread— beatific. “A conch. I’d been looking for one all day once, I got the worst sunburn I’ve ever gotten because I was combing the beach, desperate to find one. It was almost three in the morning by the time I gave up and went home and washed the salt away and put on my aloe.” Kasey sighed, “I was so disappointed. I don’t know why it was so important to me, but I knew that I wanted one and that I needed to have one.” The blonde lifted a shoulder, “I spent the next day really sad, but my best friend came by that night and he was burned just as bad, or worse— but he had the most beautiful shell for me. It’s perfect, I still have it. You can hear the ocean in it just as clear as if you were there.”

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?”

“I don’t know,” Kasey said, frowning for the first time in the span of the interview. “No one’s ever told me that they liked the way that I think of things and didn’t laugh after.” Blue eyes cast up, and chewed at the flesh inside her cheek. “I think that it would be the most special thing that someone could say, if they meant it.” Her smile tugged up once again, as if it hadn’t of faltered at all. “There’s a hundred nice things that someone could do for me, I can’t pick the best one out of the bunch.”

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫f𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?”

This was something she had obviously put some thought into, and Kasey pushed her sleeves up, freeing her hands and wrists to properly illustrate the day. “I start the day off cuddled in after a sleepover, with Mira hopping around and giving me and my friends bunny kisses.” She felt warm, picturing it— the people she loved most all tucked in under a quilt, laid out under a sky full of glowing, plastic stars. “Then, we go get drinks. Coffee if they want, or tea, or even lemonade, but I like to have redbull.” Sugar and caffeine, she wanted to feel as though there was jet fuel in her veins. “I think I’d like to play Pokemon, find a shiny or something— or maybe go for a walk in the woods to find flowers. Just something nice, and easy, you know?”

“𝐈𝐟 𝐚 𝐜𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰?”

Kasey pursed her lips. “I want to know if all that stuff about charging crystals is real. I have a lot of doubts, I think the universe would be able to speak best about it.” She had had a very intense conversation with Lane once about it, or rather, they had talked over the saleswoman in a mystic shop who was explaining the process: but both blondes had decided that the bonafide way of powering up crystals was simply too much effort.

“𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩?”

“Kindness.” The word is soft, as if drawn out with chalk. “People who treat me with kindness are the best ones that I know.” It was important, to feel comforted, to know that there was love around her: Kasey couldn’t be a flower that bloomed in the dark. She tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, “Not everyone has, you know?”

“𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧?”

“Both, I love both. I have a pet rabbit though, and I love her so, so much.” She was already scrabbling for her phone, pulling up a picture. “Her name is Mira—“

“𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞: “𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐦 𝐈 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞…”

Her lips pressed together in brief concentration, this was something that could be answered simply, and yet she wanted the response to be just right. “Is it cheating if I said that I have everyone in my life I could possibly want to share things with? Sunrises, shopping trips, surf days and ice cream cones. I don’t wish for anyone else to take that all away from the people I do have."

“𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧? 𝐁𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟?”

“I cried in my communications class last week, my prof was being nice about it, but the girl that I was partnered up with got upset that I was being too slow. I got overwhelmed and just started to cry.” She rubbed at her cheek, “I’m still a bit embarrassed about it.” By yourself? Kasey sighed. “Watching Encanto the other day.”

“𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮?”

Her head shook, and the blonde hair that had been carefully tucked behind her ears came free, swinging with the mismatched dangling earrings that she wore. “It’s not.” She leaned in, admitting quietly. “It’s actually kind of scary.”

“𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞’𝐬 𝐃𝐚𝐲?”

Kasey lifted a shoulder, “No one’s been rushing to ask me to be their valentine, so— I think so.”

#in the words of julie: this graphic is cute. but not that cute. but everything before it was bad #about #affluencevalentines

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