#this coming from someone who actually started a book club when she was like 12 like đđ
dont u ever remember the fact that magnus canonically had the thought of starting a book club with alex and suddenly wanna, idk, sob into ur pillow?
368 notes
·
View notes
ketamine is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART (ty rat priest)
ladyfag is a kute venue w lots of kute boyz and u n ur friend dance on stage cuz why not. the dj puts the lights on u and ur friendz n sweat drip drops from ur head down to ur body and it feels holy. dirty magazine party is nxt and there's a human carpet who is coercing people into his kink to step on him like a carpet n gets mad when u ask him if he's ok so u get on him with ur 5 inch platforms and jump ttwice. cobra snake is snapping pix of everyone and the girl who u met a vivienne westwood last week tells u she likes ur kitty kat ears and u blush. u meet a girl that looks like the reincarnation of SOPHIE and spiel ur lil spiel ab how she changed ur entire life n stance on music/started ur party life. she asks to kiss u after and u let her. <3
ugh sigh eek ugh sigh eek meh blah ugh ooof. mi head is spinning and the come down from molly is never fun. found myself being v suicidal. wrote this cuz i wuz eating chicken wings and sad.
"im sucking the meat out of my teeth from the gaps in between. i used to pull my teeth when they started becoming loose and make sure they fell out the same day, i did it cuz i wanted the tooth fairy to make my wishes come true, to be in a loving family, to be happy. there's a gap from this tooth i pulled when i was 12 or so, it healed unevenly , so every time i eat meat it gets stuck in between ."
i've been talking so much lately i've lost my voice.
u leave dick appointment hungry af from burning all the calories dancing and almost k holing but u mentally pushed urself out of it, didnt think that was possible but ketamine is not for the faint of heart or mentally weak. kiss ur friend goodbye n r craving ur fav hangover food. u walk to the bodega and ignore the weird unwarranted comments from touristy men with boring flannels and cargo pants who just seem so fascinated every time they see someone who looks like a lil lolita goth. IDK why these tourists r hangin in bushwick, plz go to midtown or the upper east side so u can compare credit scores. u walk back to ur apt and BOOM. right underneath ur 400 dollar new new rocks u feel a MF LIFT and on top of that u hear a DEATHLY SQUEAL. yep. the sound of black metal REEEEEE's on loop. [also, EW if u ONLY ever cry while listening to dying fetus , get help. ] u just accidentally stepped on a fucking rat. but they just ran away underneath a car. yr convinced the rats here r superhuman or something like they have GOT to go to mandatory rat church or something underground with their sundays best and all give their tithes n offerings to RAT PRIEST to get this anti kryptonite. alana from broad city talked about RAT BASTARD [which is personally one of my greatest fears, never forget how i fking lost sleep for 2 whole days when i found a tiny mouse in my apartment a month ago, one time seeing it run across my clothing rack in the middle of the night, me responding by SCREAMING and running down my second story floor barefoot and out tha door] but id like to get to know RAT PRIEST. what does he wear, what do his sermons consist of, why do i even think hes a he. ive come so far as a nonbinary person and even helping build an anti-christian club at my christian college,writing a MF poetry book ab my deconstruction of God our Father into God our Mother. i hate the patriarchy and how its framed my sense of power insuch a male perceived worldview. speaking of men.
i am DONEEEE dating musicians and BOYS FROM UPSTATE!!!!!! ive been gaslit by 3 of them this year and its barely june?!?! why pollute something so beautiful n pure like music with a fragile ego!? ive never understood how that could happenâŠbut imNOT stupid. tha softest boys are tha softest manipulators. DUH. i get having energy restless AF to create, express N give but how can U allow the round of applause n medal to corrode tht inner beauty?? or hold urself in so much pride they r stuck in karmic loops. but im no better cuz i never seem to learn either believing they actually think im special too. ive given sm love n attention away from myself lately n these ways of communicating w these kinds of ppl dont feel genuine when u are left empty handed. but NY was never a great place for ppl to date anyway. u find like minded ppl who connect to and they have reservations n avoidances. but falling in luv n getting hurt always happens without a warning.
PLZ PLZ PLZ RAT PRIEST dont let me fall for another musician!! ill bring u 12 bacon egg n cheeze's on cinnamon raisin TOASTED lightly with a side of coffee LITE N SWEET. PLZ RAT PRIEST i know ur there, omnipotent being. that sees the smol ones underneath ur the fluffy clouds u lay on in haven, i kno ur listening. PLZ RAT PRIEST, luv is worth going into a furnace of 1,000 flames for!! i just want pure luv. and if it's in u, u'll b the only boy ill ever be on mi knees 4 EVER again. [kross mi heart hope 2 die.]
0 notes
The Criminal Psychology Majors, Jason Todd x Fem!Reader Part 1/?
Word Count: 1.3k
Authorâs Note: Y/N - Your Name, A/N - Any name (your best friendâs name.)
This is just something Iâve been cooking up in my head during my maladaptive daydreaming. Not really having a plan for this one. ALSO: First post ever on Tumblr! I hope you enjoy it!
I forgot to include the Part 1 when I first posted this lmao F
Warnings: Curse Words, no beta bitch we die like Jason Todd
(Part 1) (Part 2)Â (Part 3) (Part 4)Â (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7) (Part 8) (Part 9) (Part 10) (Part 11) (Part 12) (Part 13) (Part 14) (Part 15) (Part 16) (Part 17) (Part 18) (Part 19) (Part 20)
As a criminal psychology major, Jason Todd was an intelligent young man waiting to inherit a lot of Wayne Enterprisesâ company. Not because Bruce was dying, but because that was Bruceâs promise to him, Graduate, he said, and you can work alongside me, boss and boss. The idea excited Jason entirely. To finally be seen as a colleague to his father was something he always needed from him, but he was too scared to say âHey dad, am I more than just a sidekick now?â and he knew it.
She, too, was a criminal psychology major. An equally intelligent young woman fighting her way to the top of her class, Jasonâs class. And of course, dating isnât out of the question. Especially when she sees her peers, specifically the one with the white streak in his hair. There was something about him that made her insides twirl in many different ways, butterflies soaring throughout her as if he was destined to meet her. Luckily for her, he sat beside her. Before she could speak to him though, the Professor boomed at the class:
âGood morning class! I am your professor, Thomas Hangre, and welcome to Criminal Psych 101!â
And then began the quick and messy note-taking. She noticed the man beside her didnât take notes. But, itâs his grade, not mine, she thought.
Little did she know.
When the professor finished, she went to pack up her notes, when the man tapped on her shoulder and outstretched his hand:
âHey, I donât think we got a chance to meet before Prof Hangre started spewing at us,â he laughed, âThe nameâs Jason, you?â
âOh! My nameâs Y/N. Itâs nice to meet you, strange man from my criminal psych class, Jason.â she retorted and shook his hand.
âWell well, I can assure you if I was a criminal, Batman would have cracked down on me already, darling.â he stated, almost matter-of-fact-ly.
âYou say that like you know Batman.â
âYou donât know if I donât.â
She laughed at him, there was something about the way he delivered words and sentences that drew her in. This is the start of something good, she thought.
He nudged her slightly in a playful tap, âYou want to get something to eat later? We can get to know each other better, and maybe rewrite those very, very sloppy notes of yours, Y/N?â he asked, he seemed shy about it.
âI would love to, Jason.â
They exchanged numbers and packed up her stuff. She figured he still had classes, but she didnât. So she went back home to her roommate, A/N.
----------------------------------------
âGirl, you do not know the hunk of a man I met today, when I say carved by the Greek Gods and deliver words like a Wayne, I mean it!â she giggled with A/N, they were her best friend.
âCâmon, tell me that guy asked you out, at least to a book club if heâs that hot.â she asked.
âHe did! Weâre meeting up later at the library to rewrite my notes and chat. Do you think this outfit is cute? I want to make him swoon.â
A/N laughed, âOh yeah? Girl youâre killing it and you know it. Câmon, red mini skirt, get that man. And maybe see if he has a brother.â
She roared out laughing, âA brother? He is the brother, no man comes from a family where thereâs multiple nice ones, you know the saying.â
âWell still, roomies stick out for each other.â
âI know, I know.â she laughed. âOh and have you seen the latest Bat news, apparently heâs gotten injured.â
âServes him right for being a bat!â
âBe nice! The man protects us and you know it.â Just then, she looked at the clock, she had 30 minutes to meet up with Jason, so she started panicking.
âI gotta go now, wish me luck.â
âGo, get him.â
-----------------------------------
She pulled up to the library with her bag of hastily written notes and car keys on her lanyard. She was nervous. This was someone who was really cute, and so far, he seemed really sweet to her too. She gulped, getting out of her car. The thing was beaten up to hell and back, so she hoped Jason didnât see her in it. But he did.
âHey Y/N.â Jason whispered and she jumped. He laughed.
âNice beat up car, Y/N. Really living out the broke college kid lifestyle, gotta respect it.â he joked.
âOh yeah, this is, uh, just aesthetics. Iâm secretly very, very rich. Millions of dollars. All my money too.â they both laughed and he lead her inside the library and they both sat down at a desk with two chairs and a computer. This was more luxury than she even had back with A/N.
 Jason grinned and took one of her notebooks and started trying to transcribe what she wrote onto a word document. She laughed, because even though she knew her handwriting was barely legible, he seemed to be managing, and she admired his efforts.
âYou know, Jason, I can always transcribe it myself,â she said.
âNo, no, itâs okay. If I write it then I can print it for both of us, so you donât have to pay the printing fee.â
âThereâs a printing fee?â
âYeah, one of my brothers used to go here, my dad says if we all go here heâll pay the fees since itâs worth it for this college.â he said.
âYou have brothers?â she asked, shocked he opened up this quickly.
âOh yeah I do. 4 to be exact. 3 sisters too. What about you?â
âA twin sister. Sheâs quite lovely, goes to a different college like a nerd though.â she joked.
He let out a booming laugh, âI think weâre the nerds, Ms. Criminal Psych Major.â
âYou have got me there, Jason, you got me there.â
âI know I do, Y/N. So, what high school did you come from, or are you an out-of-city kid?â
âNot from this city, Iâm actually from Metropolis. Itâs huge and annoying there. Too many people. This is such a smaller city compared to Metropolis. Iâm guessing you were a Gotham Academy kid?â she asked.
âYeah, repping the Gotham Academy to death and back, I met a lot of good people there and I would have to agree, my uncle lives in Metropolis, itâs massive.â he said.
âYour uncle is probably a people-person then, Iâm sure as hell not.â she retorted.
âNeither am I, but there was something about you that seemed inviting if Iâm honest. I donât regret asking you this, what is this? A date?â he asked.
âIf you want to call it a date, we can call it a date, Jason.â you assured him.
âItâs been a date then.â
âWell Iâm glad you thought I was inviting and worth your time, Jason. Really, this is lovely.â you once again assured him.
âDid I tell you that you look nice? Redâs a lovely colour. Itâs even my favourite colour. Itâs like you can read my mind and dress for the occasion.â
âMan, if I could read your mind, Iâm sure it would be a joyride. Maybe Iâll know why you went into Criminal Psych over everything else.â
âThatâs a story for another time, Y/N.â he said as he somehow finished typing out the last page of the notes, âI guess this will conclude our date, shame really.â
âWell, that just means thereâs room for a second date, Jason.â
âIâll make sure to tell my brothers about you, then.â
âIs the second date worthy of the Mighty-Jasonâs brothers knowing about me?â you are inclined for the answer.
âWell, the first was the minor mention of your name, the second is saying âWe had fun, I have hopes.â You know?â he said.
âI know.â
And he printed the document.
158 notes
·
View notes
BASIC INSTINCT (Part 1 - A Spencer Reid Series)
Part 2 Part 3 Part 4Â Part 5
Summary: (Y/N) has recently joined the bau through non conventional and rather privileged means. Couple that with a dark and troubled past, all she really wants is a fresh start. What she didnât predict getting in her way of that, was one Special Agent Dr Spencer Reid. She thinks itâs hopeless and heâll hate her forever. That is, until she sees Dr Reid on a rather...unusual place.
A/n: I kinda canât believe this is my first Spencer Reid/Criminal minds fic. Iâve been obsessed for so long but I never got the courage to post anything. Well, weâll see how this one goes. I really do hope all of you enjoy this, since Iâm planning to make it multi chapters and Iâm too in love to abandon it! Forgive me for not giving yâall the smut right away but good things come to those who are patient! And also huge thanks to @imagining-in-the-margins for being such a wonderful human and helping me beta this first one. Shout out to all the lovely people in the discord for encouraging me enough to write this. And also for my sweet liv, bc if she didnât like this I would def not have posted.
Couple: Spencer Reid/Fem!Reader
Word count: 2320
Rating: R-no actual hard smut. For now.
Content warning: 12+ years age gap, description of bdsm scenes and play, swear words, brief fingering
*********
Since the first day I stepped in the bau, I knew Dr.Spencer Reid would not like me one bit.
Call it a gut feeling, a hunch, or maybe my justified pessimism.
 I knew the moment my dad told me, fresh out of the academy and not even slightly experienced at 24 years old, that I âmysteriouslyâ got a generous offer for a job with one of the best teams the FBI had to offer, that I wasnât going to be liked by a lot of people. Because it wasnât a mystery how I got the position. It was actually really plain and simple, and could be boiled down to one word:
Nepotism
I didnât ask for it; I didnât want it (no matter how much I actually wanted the position, but by my earning it on my own merits), but I completely understood something like this was likely to happen. I knew it the moment I moved back home and decided that the only thing worthwhile I really wanted to do was join the FBI. My dad was a good guy who was just trying to help me, his intentions were just a little misguided. It happens.
What doesnât âjustâ happen is that my dad is the deputy director of the FBI. His helping me was âmaking callsâ and âpulling stringsâ, which instantly gives my peers every reason to doubt every achievement I have.
But I was completely ready for it. Â
What I wasnât ready for is for everyone on the team to be normal and so welcoming to me, like I was any other agent. It was everything I wanted.
Well, everyone did that except him. I couldnât figure it out why, but from the first minute he turned those eyes towards me, looking me up and down but never quite reaching my eyes, I could feel the scrutiny under the stare. Almost like he was saying âReally? This is it?â.
But with a blink it was gone, and he turned away from me and put his attention to the book in his hand so fast I almost thought I imagined the whole thing.
But I knew, I knew I saw it. And I knew that even if I didnât want it, my body and brain would spend days trying to make him acknowledge me again, to look me up and down again, to try and prove to him what Iâve been trying to prove to everyone:
I deserved to be there. I could earn it by myself. I just need the chance to do it.
And so, my journey to try to not only be useful but a valuable agent, someone he would have to notice began.
 And it was shit.
Everyone was so willing not only to teach me, but to listen to my input.
Luke always had my back, both of us being the newbies in the team. JJ and Tara were always open to listening to theories, doubts and rambling, besides being totally badass inspirations. Penelope always had a eager and friendly attitude that could comfort me immediately, and she welcomed me with open arms. Emily and Rossi were patient, while also pushing me to be so much better, and being the best mentors they could be.
None of them even seemed to have even a passing thought of giving me special treatment or harsher judgment. It was almost perfect.
If it wasnât for Special Fucking Agent Doctor Reid. He wouldnât even be an asshole towards me, oh no, It was much, much worse. He ignored me.
He was almost happy to pretend I didnât even exist. Of course there were situations that he couldnât avoid socializing, as minimal as it was, but it was like he was talking to a wall. He looked at me like he was surprised that I was even there. He wouldnât acknowledge me unless he was made to. He wouldnât even correct me when I was wrong. At this point I was sure that I could be screaming bloody murder at him and he wouldnât take his eyes off whatever he was doing.
It was the most frustrating and irritating thing that has ever happened to me. It made my blood boil over. It made me cry with sorrow.
And I couldnât even figure out why. I didnât know what it was that made me crazy because Spencer Reid wouldnât look my way.
So I did what every angry and frustrated normal young adult does.
I went to a sex dungeon to drink my mixed feelings away and watch BDSM scenes. Duh.
Even though I wasnât going there to play, and I thought I would never be able to play again, it was still a safe place for me. A place where I could see people that once knew the real me and provided a place free of any judgement. People who didnât know who I was outside of those walls, who thought of me as just another person in that safe and different little world.
It also helped that watching, as much as it wasnât my preference before, was the only thing that could properly get me off these days. And after everything, I thought I still deserved the ability to enjoy some parts of it.
And so, after saying my goodbyes to Pen, JJ amd Emily, and finding flimsy excuses not to join them at the bar for Friday drinks, I hopped the elevator, wondering how long would it take me to get properly dressed and drive across town, and if I was going to be able to call more of my old friends.
But all my happy thoughts of getting to immerse myself on a world I still loved were immediately clouded when a hand stopped the elevator and went in with me. His hand.
Great, just the perfect ending to an shitty day. A awkward elevator ride with Spencer Reid. And as always, he didnât bother to acknowledge me, even though it was just the two of us riding down.
I was trying so hard to be in a good mood; to ignore the shitty end to a shittier case and go somewhere where I could try to be happy. But I just had to be met with his silence, his awkwardness, his existence in general. I didnât want to feel like that today. So before I could stop myself, I did something stupid
 âSo, what are your plans for the weekend, Doctor?â
Stupid. Stupid, stupid. Like he would voluntarily participate in small talk with me, something he already didnât like, with someone he didnât even bother to not like.
 âI think Iâm going to go to a party with a friend today.â
Now that took me by surprise. No short replies? No one syllable answers? He actually told me something out of his own free will? He engaged in small talk?!
 âO-oh? I didnât know you were one for partying... like, at all. Which friend are you going with? Do I know him?â
Talk to me. Keep engaging in small talk, please.
 âYou donât really know me well enough to judge if I am one for partying or not, now, do you? And you definitely wouldnât know her. I donât only hang out with people on our team, contrary to popular belief.â
Well that was extremely uncalled for. And rude. I thought that it was the first time he ever referred to me as part of the team, but that was an small detail to analyze later.
 âNo need to be defensive or rude, I was just asking.â
 âWell, donât.â
He was back to having that stupid blank expression on his face, back to not dignifying me with a proper answer, and that just wouldnât do, would it?
I had a response. I had an excellent, spectacular comeback to use, but before I could actually defend myself in any way, the elevator dinged open. He couldnât get out fast enough.
It was infuriating. So I did the only reasonable thing:
I followed him to his car to give him a piece of my mind.
Because of those immensely long legs, he almost got there quick enough to drive away and avoid me, but I would not let my stubby short legs get in the way.
I got my hand in before he could close his door, much like he did with the elevator. He still refused to look up at me but, the cheer disbelief and confusion on his face was enough of a response. Canât ignore me now, asshole.
âYou know, the only reason I donât know anything about you, is because you pretend like I donât exist. So donât be needlessly rude to me. Itâs better to keep not saying anything at all.â
And there it was. It was just tip of the iceberg, but at least I acknowledged it. I could actually feel a smirk forming on my face.
âRemove your hand please.â
And he finally looked up at me. All the disbelief and annoyance on his face were gone, replaced by that utterly bored and blank stare.
I actually wanted to scream. How was this the same guy that couldnât stop talking and rambling enthusiastically about any and everything to anyone, the same person who had a perfect smile and warmth on his eyes for everyone else. How.
It was too frustrating. So I stepped back, removing my hand from his car door and walking towards my own car. It was better to just let it end already so I can wallow in my humiliation over this failed attempt at confrontation.
It almost put me in a bad enough mood that I didnât want to go to the âclub,â but I had already promised Amara, who was not only one of my best friends but also happened to be dating that particular BDSM dungeonâs Mistress. There was no getting out even if I wanted to.
 And I didnât really want to.
 ****
 A hour and dress change later, I was ready to go. This was absolutely nothing like the old outfits I used to wear for this events, but then again, I wasnât the same girl. Not entirely.
So I opted for a silky black dress with a cowl neck and the best heels I had. It was sexy enough for a night of normal clubbing, but rather tame for a night at a dungeon. It was exactly what I wanted. It was less likely in that type of dungeon for anybody to approach or proposition me if I didnât look experienced and in my element.
Even if I secretly was.
So I got ready, took my time to properly breathe, and left everything that wasnât this night or positive thoughts behind the locked door of the apartment. I could come back to them later.
Right now, I was going to be happy and have fun.
 *****
I was not having fun anymore. It was unfortunate, and I felt like somehow that this had to be the bad mood I was in from a particular encounter earlier. I just couldnât find anything that excited me the way I wanted it to. I had made the rounds with Amara, and she had showed me all of the new rooms and new toys before every space got occupied with busy couples and groups.
It was beyond fun exploring before the spaces were being actually used, and imagining what each person would get out of those rooms. It was a pleasant and happy feeling.
But soon enough the dungeon got filled with more and more people, and each room was occupied and used. Most were open for all that wanted to watch, but each scene I passed failed to get my attention. It was especially more daunting and lonely when Amara left to put on a show with her girlfriend in the main room.
And as pretty and wonderful as they looked, I just didnât feel like watching a couple as in love as Amara and Celeste performing tonight. It was just... a little too much for me. After everything, most loving was.
No, what I was looking for was not that. I was looking for the thing I used to crave. The thing that used to keep me going at all times of the day.
I was looking for fucking. Not couples making love, not couples having sex, not pet play, not elaborate scenes or people using toys so strange and complicated I couldnât make out what was what.
I was looking for someone completely fucking dominating their partner.
It shouldnât be impossible to find. Not on a Friday night, and not in a club this good.
And I did. I finally found it.
The dom had his back to the audience and the door with the little window I was watching through. He was turned toward his sub standing on the side while she spread her legs on the bed, her hands tied up to the headboard, showing her pussy to the audience along the wall. It was the perfect scene for me. In fact, too perfect.
She even looked a little like me, in fact. Same build, similar hair. It got me even more excited to watch this through. I took a deep breath and finally opened the door. Stepping in, I leaned against the door, having a direct view to the bed.
And god did I want to watch.
The dom still had his back to us,but I wasnât watching him. Rather, I watched the girlâs cunt and how he was fingering it, not saying anything for her or us yet.
He has really nice hands.
Really, really nice. In fact I donât think Iâve seen such nice hands since â
Not the time!
The girls face looked rather blissful, and I imagined three of those pretty and long fingers should be doing just the trick for her.
But then she did something that displeased him.
She moaned. Loudly.
The sound was immediately followed by a sharp slap in her face.
Fuck, that made me wet.
But before I could even entertain the idea of getting my hands inside my panties, the dom spoke.
He spoke in a voice I almost never heard directed towards me, but could pick out in any crowd.
He spoke in the voice of the man that made me so mad I almost didnât come to the club in the first place.
âAre my fingers inside you too much? Cause Iâll fucking stop if you canât obey and stay quiet.â
 And I froze. I froze and panicked and had to stop myself from screaming by bringing a hand up to my  mouth.
 Because that was Spencer Reid, in a BDSM dungeon, dominating a girl right in front of me.
Taglist: @imagining-in-the-margins @spencer-reid-in-a-pool @gretaamyk @prettyricky187 @sunlight-moonrise @fanficlibrary82 @blazinvixen @samanddeanstolethetardis221b @httpnxtt @reidetic @hyper-fxation @blushingspencer @reidlusts @wishingwellwriting @redbullchick
I feel like I missed a lot of peeps but please know Iâm still thankful ma loves
2K notes
·
View notes
it's just a shadow you're seeing that he's chasing - chapter 10
Warnings: Depression, disordered eating, self harm, suicidal ideation, referenced suicide attempt, meltdown
Summary: Weeks go by and he feels himself deteriorate, feels the thread heâs hanging onto begin to split and fray, and he starts to wonder how this is going to end for him. At what point enough will be enough. or, The one where Spencer goes to the psych ward.
Genre: Angst, hurt/comfort
Word Count: 2.5k
AO3 Link
Chapter 1 - The Enemy Within
Chapter 2 - Errand of Mercy
Chapter 3 - Dagger of the Mind
Chapter 4 - Where No Man Has Gone Before
Chapter 5 - The Galileo Seven
Chapter 6 - This Side of Paradise
Chapter 7 - The Man Trap
Chapter 8 - And the Children Shall Lead
Chapter 9 - Mirror, Mirror
Chapter 10 - A Private Little War
Chapter 11 - Wink of an Eye
Chapter 12 - That Which Survives
Chapter 13 - The Empath
Chapter 14 - Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
During morning visiting hours, Spencer has gotten into the habit of reading. The shelves in the activity room are full of random books - donations, surely - with everything from chess manuals to Oprahâs Book Club picks to Garfield comic anthologies, and heâs willing to read anything that will pass the time and get him out of his own head.
This morning, however, his routine is thrown off when heâs informed he has visitors.
Heâs led into one of the small meeting rooms, and inside he finds JJ and Henry waiting for him.
âUncle Spencer!â Henry yells, jumping off JJâs lap and throwing his little arms around Spencerâs legs.
âWhat did we say about being gentle?â JJ chides him gently. âRemember how Uncle Spence isnât feeling well?â
âItâs okay,â Spencer says, picking Henry up and settling him on his hip. âItâs good to see you! I wasnât expecting this!â
âWe got back late last night,â JJ explains. âAnd thereâs an open house at Henryâs preschool that we have to go to tonight, so I thought weâd stop by in the morning instead. I hope thatâs all right.â
âThatâs fine,â Spencer assures her. âItâs a really nice surprise.â
âHereâs another surprise,â JJ says, and hands him a cup of sweet, caffeinated coffee.
âJennifer Jareau, you are the best,â he says dramatically.
âAre you feelinâ better?â Henry asks, looking up at Spencer.
âI am,â Spencer says, and then continues, more for JJâs benefit than Henryâs. âNot enough to come home yet, but definitely better than when I got here.â
âThatâs really good to hear,â JJ says. âWe miss you, you know.â
âI miss you, too.â
âMommy! Give Uncle Spencer his present!â Henry yells.
âHey, Henry, I know youâre really excited, but how about we use our indoor voice when weâre in the hospital,â Spencer says softly.
âSorry,â Henry whispers loudly, and Spencer hugs him close so he knows itâs okay.
âHere you go,â JJ says, pulling something out of her pocket. âHenry made this for you. Hold out your arm.â
Spencer does so dutifully, and Henry takes what appears to be a pipe cleaner covered in purple beads and wraps it clumsily around Spencerâs wrist.
âItâs a bracelet,â he says. âI made it! Itâs to make you feel better!â
âOh, wow!â Spencer exclaims. âI feel better already! Thanks, Henry!â
He looks up at JJ, whoâs smiling at the sight of the two boys together.
âYou know, a few years ago, someone told me I looked like a pipe cleaner with eyes,â Spencer remembers.
âA few years ago you kind of did,â JJ laughs.
âThis is perfect, actually,â Spencer says. âI usually wear a bracelet someone gave me to help my headaches, but Iâm not allow--, um, I mean, I donât happen to have it here with me.â No need for Henry to know there are special rules here.
âGood think you have this one, then,â JJ says, in a way that leads him to believe sheâs cleared it with a nurse already, and he smiles.
âWhen do you get to come home?â Henry asks, squirming out of Spencerâs grasp and then jumping on his lap as soon as he sits down.
âYou know, Henry, Iâm not sure yet,â Spencer says. âBut hopefully itâll be soon. Probably a few more days, at least.â
âDo you have medicine to make you better?â
âI do,â Spencer says, and he sees JJâs raised eyebrow out of the corner of his eye.
âYou look better, Spence,â she says. âYou really do.â
âYeah, Uncle Spence, you do!â Henry echoes, even though he clearly has no idea what JJ is talking about.
âWell, thank you,â Spencer says. âHenry, howâs preschool going?â
Henry launches into a half-coherent ramble about his teacher and his friends, and JJ is watching Spencer, not even trying to hide the way sheâs profiling him from body language and physical appearance alone.
He knows what sheâs seeing: pajamas, which sheâs never seen him wear before.
His hair is a mess, but thatâs nothing new, and anyway, itâs too short to get too out of hand.
His glasses, which he hasnât worn outside of his house in years.
His hoodie, which is huge on him and hides the shape of his body, and his face, a little less gray and sunken than when he was admitted.
The way he jiggles his foot on the floor and mouths silent words to himself, because his hands are busy holding Henry but he is almost physically incapable of holding completely still.
The circles under his eyes, which are a permanent fixture, but also a testament to the nightmares that havenât really gone away.
âAnd howâs Will?â Spencer asks when Henry winds down.
âHeâs good,â JJ says. âHe sends his love. He wanted to come, but heâs on duty this morning.â
âThatâs okay,â Spencer says. âHenry, can you do me a favor? Will you tell your dad that I said to say hello?â
âYeah!â Henry says, delighted to be trusted with a task.
âEveryone being good to you, Spence?â JJ asks softly, and Spencer nods.
A nurse knocks on the door to let them know that visiting hours are over.
âWell, Henry, Iâve gotta go back to bed now,â Spencer says. âBut Iâm so glad you came to visit me, and thank you for the bracelet! Iâll see you soon, okay?â
âOkay,â Henry says, but he doesnât want to leave Spencerâs lap, and JJ finally has to pick him up.
âYou wanna give Uncle Spence a kiss goodbye?â JJ suggests, and Henry nods. Spencer stands up and leans forward, and Henry kisses him on the forehead.
âBye, guys,â Spencer says, and watches them go.
---
The visit is a great start to what ends up being a very difficult day.
Spencer doesnât know what exactly it is, but something descends upon him later in the morning, something big and unruly and suffocating. He lays in bed under the weighted blanket until itâs time for group therapy, and then he brings Maurice the Stingray with him, curling up in the corner of the room and speaking only when spoken to. He canât focus on anything, and he wants to be at home, but he also doesnât want to be at home, because he knows he wouldnât be safe there.
After group he paces the hall. He calculates that fifteen lengths equal one mile, and heâs on his fourth mile when he realizes the anxiety buzzing inside him is going absolutely nowhere. He considers finding his nurse and asking for medication, but heâs never done that before - heâs taken it when offered, but heâs never asked, and thereâs something about asking for help that makes him feel sick to his stomach.
At lunchtime he eats precisely 0% of his meal, and he flushes his Ensure shake down the toilet when no one is looking. He crams himself into the space beneath the desk in his room, knowing someone will find him but too distressed to really care. His thoughts spiral out of control:
I was doing better and now everything is bad again and nothing is ever going to get better and Iâm hopeless and coming here was a waste of time and everyone took time out of their days to come see me and Iâve let them all down along with myself and Iâm never going to be okay and this was supposed to help and I canât do this and I want to die I want to die I want to die I want to die
He feels a pinch and looks down to see a bit of wire coming loose from the end of the pipe cleaner used to make Henryâs bracelet. Itâs barely poking his wrist, but he stares at it, thinking about what he could do. How he could unravel it further. How he could drag it across the thin skin of his wrist. He can feel it with an intensity that makes him shiver, can picture the beads of blood that would bubble up. The potential relief is almost palpable, and he stares and stares and contemplates until suddenly heâs hit with the image of Henryâs tiny hands putting the bracelet on him.
âI made it!â Henry had said. âItâs to make you feel better!â
Spencer rolls out from under the desk and walks directly to the nurseâs station, catching Jeannieâs eye. From the expression on her face, Spencer deduces that he doesnât look so good, and within seconds sheâs by his side.
âI need,â he gasps. âI need to go somewhere dark and quiet.â
His room is dark, the hall is quiet, but none of it is really dark or quiet. None of it is my senses are going haywire and Iâm going to completely freak out if I canât dampen them immediately quiet.
Jeannie guides him to a small room with nothing but a mattress on the floor. She props the door with a pillow because thereâs no handle on the inside, and she leaves the lights off.
âSpencer,â she says gently. âCan you tell me whatâs going on?â
Before he says anything he removes the bracelet from his wrist and hands it to her.
âCan you lock this up somewhere, please,â he chokes, and heâs crying again, and he wants it to stop, he feels like heâs always crying, and he wants to punish himself, he wants to hurt, but he canât. âI need it back eventually but my godson made it for me and Iâm-- Iâm going to hurt myself with it if you donât take it.â
She takes it without question, slipping it in her pocket.
âSpencer, Iâm really--â
âI didnât drink my meal shake,â he adds before she can say sheâs proud of him. âAnd I didnât eat my lunch. And everything is bad, and I canât do this, I donât want to do this anymore, I donât want any of this. Please, please, can you make it stop⊠Can someone just make it stop? Iâm toxic, donât you understand? Iâm broken and Iâm always going to be brokenâŠâ
Heâs rambling through his tears, but this isnât a normal ramble. This isnât sharing information out of love, this is desperately begging for a reason either to live or to let go. He barely hears the words as he says them.
âYouâre okay, Spencer,â comes Jeannieâs voice, sounding so far away. âYouâre safe. I know youâre scared, but you did the right thing by being honest with me. That shows me you really do want to get better. I think youâre panicking, and I think youâre overwhelmed, and Iâm wondering if I can go grab you some medication to help you calm down. What do you think?â
Spencer stares at her, thoughts racing through his mind, and he doesnât know when he stopped saying them out loud. He blinks a few times, trying to center himself. Finally, he nods.
Sheâs gone for less than five minutes, and he takes the pill easily, then bounces on the mattress and wrings his hands.
âDo you want some time alone?â Jeannie asks. âI can close this door, but that mirror right there is--â
âOne way glass, I know,â Spencer murmurs. âI can tell.â
âRight, you do interrogations.â Jeannie smiles. âAnyway, whenever youâre ready to come out, just wave and someone can open the door for you. Does that sound okay? Or would you prefer to go back to your room?â
âThis is good,â Spencer says, and it is. Itâs dark and quiet and empty. âUm, could you maybe bring me either the heavy stingray or the heavy blanket, though?â
âOf course.â Jeannie leaves and returns with both.
Spencer lays flat on the mattress, puts the blanket over his whole body, and then lays the stingray on top for extra weight.
He stays like that until he falls asleep and someone wakes him up for dinner.
Spencer does manage his dinner, and then heâs faced with a free evening, since his visitors came in the morning. He realizes thereâs only one thing he wants to do.
---
âBennington Sanitarium, how may I help you?â
âMay I be connected to Diana Reidâs room, please?â
âCertainly. One moment.â
The phone rings twice.
âSpencer? Are you all right?â
âHow did you know it was me?â Spencer asks.
âNo one else calls me,â Diana says. âAnd this is about the same time you called me the other night.â
âOh.â
âWhatâs wrong, baby?â
âMama, do you ever feel like youâre too broken to be fixed? Like youâre never going to get better, and youâre just a-- a parasite to those around you?â
âOh, Spencer,â Diana says, her voice full of sorrow. âDarling, of course I feel that way sometimes. Of course I do.â
âHow-- how do you, um, live with those feelings?â
âI wish I could hold you right now, my Spencer,â Diana says quietly. âYou have to promise yourself not to let those feelings win. Because theyâre not real. If you canât promise yourself, promise someone else.â
âWhat if they are real, though?â
âHoney, I think I know a thing or two about feelings that are or arenât real,â Diana says wryly. âI promise you, what youâre feeling is normal for someone who is dealing with the things that you are. And if you donât trust me, ask any one of your friends, and theyâll tell you the same.â
âI thought I was getting better,â Spencer says softly.
âRecovery isnât linear,â Diana says. âItâs not a simple y=mx+b. Itâs that godson of yours scribbling all over a piece of printer paper with a crayon. It goes up and down and back and forth and it doesnât make any sense at all but itâs beautiful anyway, because it was made just for you. And there are no parameters, no axes. You decide where it begins and ends. You decide what it means. You will always have ups and downs, Spencer, but you can never, ever give up. Do you understand?â
âDid you ever want to give up?â
âMany times,â Diana admits. âSpencer⊠I tried once. Before you were born. Your father found me.â
âMamaâŠâ
âI never tried again after I had you. I wonât leave you like that, no matter how far apart we are.â
âMama, I didnât know.â
âThatâs because I never told you.â
âI donât want to leave you, either.â
âGood,â Diana says. âThen donât. Youâre doing exactly what you need to do, Spencer, and itâs going to be great sometimes, and itâs going to be difficult and terrible sometimes. But youâre where you need to be, and I sleep better knowing youâre safe. And I promise you, however youâre feeling right now, you will not feel that way forever. I promise.â
âI believe you.â
âI love you so much. More than you could possibly imagine. Iâm proud to be your mother.â
âLove you too, mama.â
âYou know, you havenât called me that since you left home.â
âI havenât felt this small since I left home.â
âIâm so glad you called me tonight, Spencer.â
âMe, too.â
âSleep sweet.â
âGoodnight, mama.â
23 notes
·
View notes
Title: Lovebug (9/12)
Summary: Â
âIt might be a bug.â
âA bug?â
âSometimes the developers of this application make mistakes. This is our first time meeting Iâm sure soâŠIsnât it a bit weird that we just met for the first time and it rings like this? And for two strangers to coincidentally ring each otherâs alarms?â
Levi is the developer of the Love Alarm App and Hange is married to Zeke.
Link to cross-postings: AO3
Other Chapters: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7Â 8Â 9
Notes: Sorry for taking my sweet time posting this. We had no wifi for a while, transpo issue and I was dead asleep as soon as I got home two nights in a row lmfao.Â
Anyway, feedback is very much appreciated :D
Levi might have felt a little guilty about letting loose just that evening but his conservative mind was finding all the ways to justify it.
Maybe the justifications held some weight. After all, taking the midnight train out of the city wasnât the strangest thing to do. Hange and Levi werenât the only ones at the ticket gate then they werenât the only ones waiting on the platform. On the train, Levi could count the number of empty seats more easily than the occupied ones.
He started to relax as soon as he settled on one of the seats. He convinced himself that in the end, he had been overreacting. There was nothing at all odd with rushing to her home then to his, packing two overnight bags and buying two last minute tickets to the northernmost station of their country.
To Pemberley. Levi didnât have the time to load the book into his reader again. He instead downloaded the pdf file to his phone.
He had willed himself to make sense of the black on the bright white screen before deciding, it was too late at night to read. Instead he propped his elbows on the windowsill and leaned his chin on his hand. He snuck a glance at Hange who sat in front of him, leaning on the window in that same way.
A long day behind them, they were both exhausted. On the bright side, if Levi closed his eyes and let the train rock to whatever rhythm it was most comfortable with, he was sure that in a split second, they would have arrived at their destination.
Sleep could have lasted less than a second. Next thing Levi knew, he was fighting to open his eyes. The sun rose without warning, the only thing between them just an empty glass that did nothing to protect him from the first rays of morning.
Levi quickly adjusted his view, making sure he wasnât directly staring at the sky like a while ago. He craned his head back, instead focusing on the rolling hills and the countryside.
It wasnât the British countryside in the book. It didnât seem at all like a Pemberley or a Rosings Park or Longbourn. Still, he delved into the passing green and foraged for whatever similarities his sleep muddled mind could come up with.
One thing Levi dared to note, despite his limited experience traveling, the view from an interregional highway, or an interregional train, the rolling hills that passed by, the clusters of trees that varied in density and the plains that dotted the view were all the same regardless of location. Despite the variety nature could offer, nature still had unifying characteristics. While at the same time, nature was distinct from everything non-nature.
And when it wasnât unwillingly tamed, paved over, forced to coexist with concrete, buildings and humans, it was a sight to behold.
It was enough to take his breath away, enough to make him almost regretful that the train was moving too fast for him to stare for just a second longer at a changing landscape or canopies that blurred amongst one another.
Eventually, regret at not appreciating nature had him exhausted. He turned in front of him to see Hangeâs eyes were fixed at whatever passing objects caught her eye outside the window. Her head bobbed, her eyes darted from left to right and her mouth was half open and she didnât seem at all in a hurry to close them.
âIâm sure this isnât your first time seeing this much nature,â Levi said, a humble start to light conversation.
Hange seemed comfortable going along with it. âIt isnât. We had the country club,â she said. There was a nonchalant look on her face as if she saw the âcountry clubâ as more of a consolation.
Levi couldnât help but agree. Golf courses were all green, the mini forests that lined the paths from the golf courses, to the beaches to the summer houses were all nature. Yet they were of a type of nature, trained not to bite any unsuspecting visitors.
When Levi leaned back on his chair, turning his head out of the window, he appreciated the raw green for a second longer. Then he concluded, there was novelty in seeing nature at its most candid form.
Hange spoke up. âYou know, I havenât been able to leave the city since we left the country club. And not traveling in months... This feels new.â
âBut youâve travelled before,â Levi responded.
âOf course I have,â Hange said. âZeke would always take me out to the best gardens, the best parks, the best hiking trails⊠He knows I like nature.â
âSo he took you to âPemberley?â Then to âRosing Park then Longborn?â Most were likely fictional places but at that point, Hange may have had her own idea of what fictional was.
âNo, not to my Pemberley,â Hange said, like it was the most unimportant thing in the world. âNever.â
âSo this was supposed to be your first time going together?â Levi asked. He noted that they never did get to sit down and map the route to Hangeâs dream destinations. Hell, he didnât even know where they were.
He opened his phone, then the map of the northernmost region.
The capital of the northern region had city buses, a small subway system, nothing like what they had back home. Levi traced the blue and the green, pondering for himself which had the most rolling hills, the most âgardens.â Obviously, over a very zoomed out map and a few hundred mile radius, it would be difficult to tell so he consulted Hange. âWe could take an unlimited bus ticket⊠or a two day all you can ride train---â
âNo. We rent a car,â Hange said.
âWait, but if we donât know the land--.â There were too many excuses he could have brought up. The excuse he was most hesitant to even fathom seemed most pressing then. Levi didnât know how to drive.
Hange probably saw through it. âIâll drive.â The cheeky grin on her face was enough of a hint, she was more than ready for adventure.
Levi closed the maps application and pocketed his phone. âSo Iâm assuming youâll be doing the navigation.â
Hange only nodded, her smug smile getting wider by the second.
***
Hange surprisingly knew how to navigate the complexities of building an itinerary. What the hell she was doing, how the hell she was doing it and what the hell her plan was, Levi couldnât be too sure.
Thirty minutes into arriving at the regional train station, they had rented a car and secured a pocket wifi. Thirty five minutes into it, Hange was pulling out of the station in a rented sedan.
The train station was situated in the middle of the city and in the car, Levi had to subdue the panic which came with going out of the city then seeing the scenery slowly shift from five story buildings to two story houses then finally to the peaceful green offered by the city outskirts. He wondered why they had even taken a train station to town if they were going back into countryside landscapes anyway.
âDo you know where weâre going?â Levi asked. Levi knew that Hange had been there once before. Just the idea that someone could actually easily navigate expressways and exits without a phone on the dock and a guide seemed almost unnerving.
âIsh,â Hange said, her eyes fixed straight ahead.
âWe have wifi, we could use a maps application to navigate?â Levi never drove, he wouldnât know but, it couldnât hurt to be just a little more careful.
âMaybe later. Iâve been here more than enough times,â Hange said. They rode in silence for a minute or so more before she turned to him. âWeâre gonna be on the road for a while and driving on the freeway gets boring.â
Levi glanced up at her questioningly.
Hange caught his eye âTell me a story.â
âAbout what?â
âHow was your date with Petra?â The question came out of nowhere and Hange had said it too casually and too abruptly and that had Levi choking on his own saliva.
He recovered quickly, clearing his throat. âExcuse me?â
âYour date with Petra? Didnât you tell me you would be going on one?â
âI did,â Levi admitted. âBecause you asked me to,â he added, a second later.
âI suggested it.â Hange clarified. âAnd how did it feel?â
âGood.â His response was automatic.
One hand on the steering wheel, Hange pulled her phone from her lap, unlocked it and turned on her modified emotions alarm. âTurn yours on.â
Levi only saw one reason why sheâd do all that. âWhy? You donât trust me?â
âWell, you went through all the trouble of making the gift right? Letâs make use of it.â
Levi could have fought. He only needed five seconds to see reason in her order. Besides, if she turned hers on, it would turn out to be a fair trade. He turned on his phone scrolled through the home screens and opened the application.
âSo how did it feel?â Hange asked. She set her phone on the stand and hovered one finger over the activate button.
âIt felt good,â Levi willed himself to say it with the same conviction as a second ago, firm and straightforward but just a little shaky underneath.
Still too shaky to deceive his own application. A yellow spot just under the words âhappyâ would have been nice. After all, âgoodâ was a word that generally implied that something was good, something made me happy. The alarm flashed with green and Levi had half the mind to fling his phone over the backseat of the car.
âHappy sad? Or sad happy?â Hange asked, there was a laugh in her voice.
Was she mocking me? It felt like a much better argument to quote her, mock her maybe. He glared at her. You told me love is a choice right? By some allusion, Levi attempted to put it all together. âIâm making the choice to say it was a good and productive date. We tried to pick out a good present for you.â
âAnd in the end, you decided to make an application,â Hange said. âDid Petra suggest anything?â
âTea, a wallet, a pencil caseâŠâ
âI would have enjoyed those,â Hange said.
âIt didnât seem like that to me,â Levi admitted. He studied her features as he spoke.
Hangeâs face was unchanging, her eyes still looking straight ahead. Levi was almost amazed she managed to keep some of her focus in conversation. Hange turned the car, swerving towards one exit.
Levi winced at the white that flashed in front of him for a split second. âHow do you feel?â He asked.
âAbout what?â
âAbout the date?â He answered. Levi gave Hange a good once over, ending with her hand on the clutch. Her hand wasnât shaking, but she held it like she was going to pull it out of its place any second now.
Hange paused. She had hovered her hand over the alarm but she never did activate it.
Levi subtly turned towards the phone then back at her. âHappy?â At that point, maybe a mischievous side of him had taken over. He wanted to provoke her.
Hange poked the active button on her phone, much harder than necessary, hard enough for Levi to wonder if it had reduced the phoneâs lifespan by even just a year or so.
Her phone flashed once again with a purple dot.
Levi noticed her eyes widen for a second then a flash of pink flowered on her cheeks before she looked away. âAngry sad or sad angry?â He asked, deliberately mimicking Hangeâs old tone of a while ago. It came out more of a growl than whatever naturally sing songy voice Hange managed everyday. Either way it had been a satisfying set of motions.
âAngry sad⊠Or maybe sad angry?â Hange murmured. Then she hummed for a second longer, the car slowed down with it and she turned back to him. âI feel...purple,â she said.
Purple isnât a feeling. Levi glanced accusingly at her. Hange though wasnât looking back at him. If she saw anything through her peripherals, she didnât make it obvious.
With her own series of gestures, Hange had given one message. She didnât want to be bothered.
Yet, she had asked him about Petra for a reason.
Levi couldnât tell how much he saw was a trick of the light or a clear hint. Hangeâs jaw had tightened, her eyes narrowed ahead. She didnât talk much after the word âpurpleâ that softened to a whisper mid word.
For the first time, she wasnât being completely transparent
Levi then felt less obligated to open up. âIf youâre feeling purple, then Iâm feeling green,â he said.
They didnât talk for a while after that.
The car exited the main road to a road half its size. Although the car always rattled, it was particularly more obvious then and as Levi looked out the window and back at her, he realized that maybe it was because she was slowing down.
Slowing down, or maybe vacillating the best course of action.
âYou okay?â he asked.
âIâm fine. Just trying to remember the way around here,â Hange said. She looked behind her, then forward again.
âWhat are we doing here?â
âIâm gonna use this birthday weekend of mine to take a trip down memory lane, reflect on stuff.â
âIf thatâs how you want to celebrate your birthdayâŠâ Levi checked his phone once more before pocketing it.
âThanks for coming with me,â Hange said, her tone more serious. âGoing on these types of treks, they really help. More than you probably think they do.â
Levi could at least try to understand it, if he just focused on how far apart the houses were, the notable manicured green of his surroundings and every single tree, flower, root and bush that just seemed to have a place. All acting prim and proper as if they were doing the gardens a favor.
There must be some appeal at least. âItâs quiet,â Levi noted as the car slowed to a stop to the side of the road.
âMost of the houses here arenât occupied,â Hange answered. âWho actually wants to live in the middle of nowhere all year round.â
Levi turned around once, scanning his surroundings for a second longer. The houses were too far apart, he counted five just by doing a 360 but he knew if he squinted and took in the other shapes far past the downhill slope he could count more. âFrom the looks of the houses here, rich people,â Levi said.
âDuring the summer maybe or during the winter vacation. Every other time of the year most people will stay out in the city so theyâre nearer to work,â Hange said. âZeke owns this house.â She didn't have to point far, Hange only had to casually brush her thumb over to her side for Levi to follow her gaze.
Of course Zeke would own one. When Levi looked behind him again, then looked to the far left and the far right, he had to admit Zeke had one of the grandest ones, a wide two story mansion situated at the top of a hill.
âThis is my Rosings Park,â Hange said. She walked towards the small pedestrian gate, pulled a key from her pocket and with a quick flick of movements--- as if she had done it so many times before--- she unlocked then pushed the metal gate open with a creak.
The view behind the black bars was only more beautiful. They climbed the hill and slowly but surely, Levi was getting a much better view of the house on top. He noted that the house gleamed with a type of beauty that could take oneâs breath away. He had been a little self conscious though and he found himself willing his mouth shut, letting his breaths come out with a more rehearsed rhythm.
âDid you ever continue the book?â Hange asked, her eyes fixed ahead.
It was easy to tell which book she had been talking about. âSince you spoiled me? No,â he admitted.
âThen I donât think youâve read far enough into the book if you still think Elizabeth ended up with Mr. Wickham,â Hange said. âYou probably wonât appreciate Rosings park then.â
âYou still rememberâŠâ Levi could have sworn it had been months since he told her about the book.
âThe book means a lot to me,â Hange said. Her words were a bit more careful that time, but she was starting to climb the hill, a little faster as if whatever scenes were running through her head then had injected in her, enough energy for adventure.
Levi brushed away a rush of guilt and he followed behind her. âGo spoil,â he said. Iâm sorry about being angry. He didnât say those last two words, awe, exhaustion or maybe a combination of both had him opting to stay quiet. Maybe he chose to reflect and as he followed behind, he started to wonder why he had been angry about her spoiling in the first place.
Hange seemed surprisingly eager to spoil him. The first words out of her mouth came out unimpeded. âRosings Park is where Mr. Darcy first proposed to Elizabeth.â
First proposed. âSo she rejected him?â Levi asked.
Hange turned back to him and nodded, a strange smile on her face. âAnd why do you think Elizabeth would reject Mr. Darcy?â
âHe was an asshole right?â
âAccording to Elizabeth that isâŠâ Hange looked at him expectantly but Levi for the life of him couldnât tell what she wanted. She didnât give him time to answer. She ran straight ahead towards the side of the house.
Levi was left with no choice but to follow. After all, the grounds were much larger than Levi had expected. From his view at the bottom of the hill, the house had seemed small, only composed of the front porch. As Hange went behind the house, disappearing in the corner, Levi started to suspect that the summer house was larger.
Consequently, Levi was occupying himself over the wealth of Zeke.
Again. The view didnât do anything to help. The corner opened up to manicured gardens, clean cut hedges and flowers that could have been arranged by some invisible hand. Or maybe they were arranged artificially. It probably wasnât beyond Zeke and his money to find ways to grow flowers so they were evenly spaced, further accentuating the fiery orange and bright red on the simple green.
Hange followed the stone path that lined the large house, slowly balancing on the pebbled line that cut between the cobbled stone path like it was a tightrope. She had the balance, maybe the eagerness to look straight ahead, and Levi couldn't really follow her gaze or be certain of where she was staring.
She didnât look particularly entranced at anything as if she had seen it so many times before.
âThis is one of Jaeger summer houses,â Hange said. She stopped by the fork of the path, one side circled the house, the other went straight into the garden. âHe has others all over the country, others abroad. Too many to count and I donât even think Iâve been to all of them.â
âOkay.â Levi had felt pressured to say something. As the awkward silence dragged on, Levi realized that might have not been the best thing to say.
What else was there to say though?
Wow the garden is so nice. It seemed like an appropriate thing to say but it didnât feel like something he would have liked to admit to Hange.
Wow your husband is so rich. What else would that do but reiterate what Levi already knew?
Wow, I wish I was your husband. That last one felt like a mind fart. Something that had seemed natural to think but as Levi pondered it for a second longer, he realized just thinking that exact phrase seemed all the more inappropriate.
âDoes it seem artificial?â Hange asked.
âYes, it does.â That answer came out easier definitely, especially when it wasnât a begrudging compliment. Especially when in the back of his mind, he could remind himself, those werenât his words, those were Hangeâs.
Hange continued to indulge him. âGaudy?â
âVery tacky, incredibly tacky.â Maybe those words had seemed more for him than for anyone else. A hint of guilt settled at his chest but then he remembered, the Jaeger family had more than enough money. He could spare a few unkind words. He looked at Hange, trying his best, to keep his eyes away from the garden in front of him, before he started to doubt the reliability of his own words.
Despite the âgaudiness,â Hange walked ahead, following the stony path and Levi followed behind. Beyond the shiny manicured hedges were benches, a gazebo and Hange sat one of the ones closest to the top, just before the steep incline fell. It was a good vantage point for a comprehensive view of the garden.
At the highest point, the green expanded in all directions. He could pick out how the sun kissed the lawn, the trees and how they shone with something seemingly unnatural. The more Levi stared, the more easily it became to pick out what gaudiness Hange had been talking about.
With his eyes looking out for the right glimmers, he soon figured for himself, they shone like plastic. It soon became apparent to Levi, there was something artificial and tacky about manicured lawns, well trimmed hedges and carefully positioned flowers. The guilt assuaged and Levi felt all the more confident to look back at Hange. âWhy do you like it here then?â
âItâs still Rosings park to me,â Hange said matter-of-factly.
âAnd whatâs so special about Mr. Darcyâs first proposal?â
âRead the book,â Hange said as if that were the easiest thing to do then.
The book was loaded into his phone. It was just a few clicks away, reading was an entirely different process and Levi found it tempting to overlook that order---or that friendly suggestion altogether.
âJust spoil me. You spoiled me already before,â Levi said.
âMr. Darcy first proposed here.â
You said that already. âAnd? Whatâs so special about that?â
Hange didn't reply to him immediately. For a long few seconds, she stared at nothing in particular then turned to him, a defiant look on her face. âYou know, you remind me of Mister Darcy.â A backhanded insult maybe, enough to have Levi looking away as blood rushed to his face.
Anger, it was definitely anger. âHow do I remind you of Mister Darcy?â Levi challenged.
âRead---â
âDonât.â Levi looked away.. âTell me to read the book.â
âAnd there you are again.â Hange waved one hand at him, as if making a point.
A point Levi could only grip weakly. âYou think Iâm an asshole?â One realization dawned on him, maybe he had been pressing a little too much at her points.
âNot an asshole. A well intentioned man with a very abrasive manner of speaking.â
âAbrasive?â Levi asked. When he realized he put a little too much lip into the âbrâ and too much throat into that last last syllable that Hange might have just been right, but only just. âWhat makes you think Iâm abrasive?â He added, a second later, just making his manner of saying the word âabrasive,â softer and tamer.
Hange looked pointedly at him. She stood up, right in front of the gazebo. And she stood there for a second longer, as if she expected him to follow.
It was awkward to sit alone on a bench, in a garden he wasnât familiar with, especially when the partner of the owner was standing seemingly uncomfortable by the gazebo. He stood up and walked towards her.
âWas I at least tolerable?â Hange asked with a very distinct tone, a hint of a mock accent in her voice.
Tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me. For some reason, those words had stuck with him. âWhy the hell are you citing the book?â
âOh, so you noticed. I wanna play a bit,â Hange said.
âPlay what?â
âJust play a bit with the man who reminds me so much of Mister Darcy,â Hange said. The insult still poked at Levi at his most irritable and he was tempted to walk away.
Hange put one hand out and the most natural movement was to look back. âWhat do you want?â Levi asked. Two parts of him were grappling for control, one with the intention to walk away and one tempted to take her hand. âWhy are you putting your hand out?â
Sheâs married. Sheâs married. Sheâs married.
âMay I have this dance?â Hange asked.
No, you cannot dance with a married person. People go to balls because theyâre single. His conscience wasnât screaming but it had grumbled it with utmost authority.
Holding hands was off limits. Holding hands with a married person in one of the summer houses of her billionaire husband was very much off limits. What the hell was Hange thinking? His head started to spin, there was a hitch of breath and Levi didnât even think confusion could have sent a prickle in his eyes.
The hand quickly disappeared from in front of him. Levi looked up to see Hange had pulled that hand back and it fell to her side. Still, Hange was moving it, as if it was still very much fair game. âSee, youâre a softie at heart,â she said.
âWhat are you trying to prove?â Levi asked.
âThat youâre like Mr. Darcy?â Hange was getting more and more smug. âMr. Darcy didnât wanna dance either.â
âWeâre not in a ball,â Levi said, blood rushing to his cheeks. Suddenly everything seemed like an insult. Darcy was an asshole yet a big softie. Two descriptions on two different ends of the spectrum. Levi started to reflect. Which description was more insulting?
Hange leaned back on the gazebo. âLet me enjoy this, I met a guy who reminds me of mister Darcy. Then when we first met, I thought you hated me, if not hated me, I thought you just hated the world,â she said.
"How can you assume that from our first meeting?" Levi asked.
Hange sighed. "You sat too far away from me, you acted like my being there was an inconvenience and you weren't too happy to be answering all my questions."
"I was being professional."
"I have met sales people nicer than that."
Levi wasnât a salesman. That much, he could admit. "And just because I was a little abrasive, you'll assume I hate you?"
"What can I say, that's my prejudice," Hange said. She didn't look like she would have bothered to hear much about his explanation.
"And what are you going to say now? My own abrasiveness is pride?" Levi challenged. Really, he was in no mood for a challenge then, a challenge he didnât himself understand. He sighed and turned back to the bench. From the mischievous glint in Hangeâs eyes, it was obvious there were way more things he still didnât understand. âGive me time to finish the book,â he said.
He stretched his legs out, unlocked his phone and opened the ebook file.
He didn't remember the last words where he stopped but he did remember one particular passage that seemed a little bolder, the ink darker particularly on the bright white of his phone screen.
You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so.
Then comprehension came quickly after that. Levi scanned through the next page, until reaching a point where he knew there was new information.
Back to that asshole Darcy. At that point, Levi was in less of a mood to reflect. Hange had called him Darcy, he still considered that one character to be a total asshole and he found himself torn between denying and accepting his sad fate.
Hange continued to move, a flicker at his peripherals. He felt it clearly, she sat beside him again. He heard the click as she unlocked her phone. Then the all too familiar sound as the love alarm activated. Love alarm or Emotion alarm?
Levi cursed himself for reusing that damn sound. He glanced quickly, just to search for some flash in the color. He couldn't really tell the contents of her phone from his angle. And when he had gathered up the courage to look, Hange had already pocketed it.
âPeaceful isnât it?â Hange started.
âHow do you feel today?â Levi asked. He kept his voice disconnected, not looking at all at Hange.
âHappy,â she said.
Levi had turned on his own application almost surreptitiously, making the conscious effort to silence it just a second ago.
The alarm flashed before him again. A very familiar yellow, with the words happy on top.
âGood for you then,â Levi finally responded.
He made another conscious effort, a quick sanity check, just to make sure the smile wasnât apparent in his tone.
The house wasn't empty.
As Levi soon found out as they made their way back out to the gate, there were housekeepers, gardeners. And they seemed fond of Hange, fond enough to even remember her birthday. Some had even been friendly enough to ask who the man with her was.
Friendly. Or suspicious. For a while longer, Levi was self conscious.
But there was nothing to hide. He and Hange after all had just gotten friendly over the months.
âThis is Levi, heâs a developer helping me work on my PhD,â Hange explained it like it was just the truth.. âAnd I thought Iâd show him around the estate. If you donât mindâŠâ And it was the stone cold truth and as she spoke, Levi couldnât help but be fascinated at how feelings of sadness, guilt and relief mixed so easily together inside him.
The housekeeper shook her head. âNo, we donât mind at all. Do you two need lodging? We could prepare---â
Hange put her hands up in front of her. âNo, that would be too much. Weâre only here for the night and I think I wanna go further up north.â
âJust like last time?â Worry flashed across the housekeeperâs face for just a second. âYou know it gets dangerous nearer to the mountainsâŠâ
âWeâll only be there for a while, just long enough to see it again. And weâll be careful about it.â Hange looked like she was saying too much. But she always talked so it shouldnât have been such an odd thing to think. Maybe because Hange spoke with a little more tension, her words came out of her much faster, sometimes stilted and Levi found himself staring, then avoided her gaze as he realized he couldnât even control what he was feeling.
The quick exchange eventually ended and he was following Hange out of the house. Her strides were much harder to keep up with.
âSorry about that,â Hange said. âI get nervous when I visit the Jaeger estate alone.â
âYouâre married to Zeke, you have every right to be there.â
âI married Zeke, not his money. I donât wanna play the partner that just suddenly enjoys all the richest and powers of my husband. Thatâs why I didnât even take his name. Iâm not a gold digger. Iâm not a Jaeger, we just so happened to get married.â She got into the car and closed the door with a louder slam than usual.â Iâd feel much better staying over if Zeke was with me.â
âYou didnât have to take me here either if you were uncomfortable.â
âI wanted to show you my Rosing Park,â Hange said. She placed her hand on the clutch and started the car. âAnd next, we go to âPemberley.â Itâs a few hours away from here so buckle up.â
The car pulled out from the driveway and soon they were out on the road again.
A few minutes of silence later, Levi started to get a little restless. âThis book really means a lot to you huh?â He asked.
Hange nodded then she was quiet for a while longer and Levi thought it proper to just let her navigate her way through. The car continued to whirr and if Levi looked closely, he even noticed his body was shaking with it. If he read for a while longer, he could end up with his head spinning and his eyes crossing. He increased the font size and willed himself to read again.
âYou know,â Hangeâs voice was ringing in the silence and it pulled him out of his semi concentrated state.
Levi looked up at her, and just behind her, he saw they arrived back in the free way.
Hange continued. âOne thing about Pride and Prejudice, the author doesnât spend too much time talking about how the landscapes look like. The appearance of the houses and gardens are up for interpretation.â
Levi recalled, Hange was a very inquisitive person. Enough to hyperfixate on landscape? He was doubting. âThen why did you imagine Zekeâs manor as Rosings?â He asked.
Hange shrugged. âIf you read the book, youâd see, it was the home of Lady Catherine, an incredibly tacky place and if you remember the gardens behind the house, theyâre very green but they seemâŠ. Artificial? Rehearsed?â She gave a pained look.
âThen why do you care enough to look at them if you hate the gardens that much?â
Hange shook her head. âI donât hate them but the novel, it made me reflect on a lot of things and sometimes, when I allow myself to look at the landscapes, Iâm able to think about what happened in the book, and about love and---â
âSo Mr. Darcy proposed to Elizabeth,â Levi interrupted. âThen what happened?â
âShe turned him down,â Hange said.
âWhy?â
âTo put it simply, because she thought Darcy was an asshole.â
âItâs only natural that people wouldnât want to marry an asshole right?â Levi asked. âBooks should be teaching those types of things.â
Hange spared him a long glare. âWell, hereâs the thing. Mr. Darcy isnât an asshole. Heâs misunderstood.â
âAnd what do romance novels do but romanticize every single âmisunderstoodâ man.â
Hange hummed and stared back again at the front. The car continued to move at a steady pace. A long pause followed. Then she spoke up again. âWhat if I told you Pride and Prejudice is not really a romance?â
âWhen it follows a couple and the development of a relationship, I think it counts.â
Hange patted the steering wheel. âWell sure, the novel tackles love and marriage but the approach is⊠cold, calculating. If you notice, they spend more time discussing money, properties, duty. It takes into account money, status, upbringing⊠so it seems more like a social commentary to me. â
You could not make me happy, and I am convinced that I am the last woman in the world who could make you so.
âThen how did this book shape your idea of love?â Levi asked.
Hange put her finger to her chin. She had a far off look. âI like the idea of approaching love as something to calculate and to think about. Like Elizabeth and Darcy, they explored it, they thought long and hard about it..â
âOh?â Levi asked, one eyebrow raised. âIs this where your âlove is a choiceâ schtick comes from?â
Hange bit her lip. âNot just that definitely. Thereâs a lot to learn about being hasty, about having to think long and deep about love and marriage. They didnât fall in love at first, they were prideful. They had their prejudices but they made it work⊠And I thought to myself, maybe these are what love and marriage are? Maybe they're calculating like a science, maybe we should consider everything from reputation, money, family and convenience when we deal with something like love and marriage and itâs okay to approach life that way.â
For some reason, that tirade only made Levi heavier and heavier the more he continued. "The main character⊠she turned down Mr. Collins proposal and that was because she didn't love him right? Emotions play a part too," Levi said.
"I'm not denying it," Hange said. "But ask yourself, how much of a part are emotions supposed to play?"
That question, Levi couldn't answer. Somehow, that should have been something someone a little more experienced like Hange should have answered for him. Instead, she kept quiet, her eyes looking straight ahead, but she blinked a little faster the next few times as if she was struggling with something he couldn't see.
It could have been uncharacteristic. It was an odd set of emotions to play with but Levi was suddenly more and more compelled to break the silence himself. With nothing much else to say, he let his emotions speak for him. "If I were a little cold before, I didn't mean that."
"No offense taken," Hange grinned at him knowingly. "You seem tense." She was studying him for that glimmer of a second before she started to fiddle with her phone with her free hand. "I have the audiobook for Pride and Prejudice. You wanna listen?"
***
"They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound.
"This is supposed to be my Pemberley," Hange said. She had been hyping it up since a while ago that it seemed almost anticlimactic then. With the tone Hange was giving, he was sure she had been a little disappointed too. "Believe me, it looks nicer on good days," she added.
It had been a good day until a while ago. He could have sworn the sky had been blue for at least half the trip. Grey clouds were a strange things, part of the clouds were grey from afar but never looked too menacing until they was looming directly above them. Only when it was nearer did it have the tendency to just blanket everything in a very dull and unbearable grey.
Any color would look grey with the right level of dimness. He wondered for a while longer why Hange was still continuing the trek. The longer they walked, the farther they got from the car.
Leviâs worry, his nervousness only increased threefold, fourfold then he lost count. After all, they had stopped on what could have been the middle of nowhere. He couldn't tell where they were. Any inkling of sense laid out in front of them was in the form of a dirt road, just stretched out from the freeway with no buildings for miles, no pit stops.
And if it actually started to rain? Levi imagined it for a second before shaking his head. He tried to focus on other things like the ease of walking, his manageable energy levels.
The meagre late lunch of a drive-through burger meal was more than enough for a quick hike. Levi found himself pondering whether energy should have even been expended for something so grey.
The color grey just didn't seem worth the hike to see. "Why are we here?" Levi asked.
"Let's just stay long enough to climb the hill." Hange seemed persistent. Her back was on him and he couldn't tell the face she was making then. âIt might look better on the other side.â
They were near enough at least that Levi had to crane his neck to see the top and he consoled himself. Maybe it was worth the hike. Maybe Hange was more privy to weather patterns and she at least calculated the quick hike and the awe that it would be worth.
Then Levi reminded himself, it was her birthday. Whether it did leave him as in awe as she was was irrelevant. That was a consolation Hange afforded herself. He was merely a companion. There should be things to get out of the conversation at least. âTell me about your Pemberley,â Levi said.
âYouâre gonna continue reading right? Do you really want to know?â Hange asked, seeming suddenly careful with her words.
After spoiling me the rest of the way? Levi would have wanted to ask.
âYou seemed invested,â Hange said. It was a sufficient answer to his silent question. âIâd rather you read it on your own. Especially the part about Pemberley and the scene in Rosingâs.â
âWhy? After spoiling me this much?â His abrasiveness, the irritation had made his legs lighten under him and he moved a little faster catching up to Hange.
Hange seemed concentrated, looking ahead, not hesitating even as the incline presented itself right in front of them. It was getting steeper and Levi felt it as an ache in his legs as he climbed but Hange, admirably or begrudgingly, seemed unfazed
Levi was a few inches shorter and maybe he was at a disadvantage. He didnât have the same investment either but he stepped forward, going at the steeper incline with wider strides while maintaining speed. He looked to Hange who was right next to him. She continued to look ahead, she craned her head back, her hastily tied hair fell behind her and she was whispering something.
If Hange hadnât seemed hypnotized yet disturbed, if the fat cold droplets didnât settle on his arms, getting stronger and more numerous by the second, maybe he would have let her climb and climb. He would have obediently followed behind.
It had been everything at once. Maybe confusion at everything had been that one final nail on the coffin. Irritation welled quickly, then anger. Hange hadnât been speaking in any straightforward manner for a while already so he forced it out of her.
âWhy the hell does Pemberley mean so much to you?â Levi raised his voice. Just in case that hadnât been enough, hell, that had actually been enough, he pulled her from behind.
The rain accumulated on the dirt road quickly and when Hange turned to answer, she fell backward rapidly. Right on top of him.
It was a quick and terrifying sequence or movements, Levi found himself sandwiched, Hange in front of him, his behind buried in mud and dirt, blades of grass were brushing heavily past him. But he didn't stop.
They didn't stop. Gravity had them moving down, naturally quickly and violently down the steep incline and Levi could only be thankful that the grass had been kind, absent of anything that could have snagged at any part them.
A few long seconds later, by some miracle, they were unharmed, still very much alive.
It didnât change the fact that at the bottom, they were both fucking dirty. And he was a little--- scratch that--- very rattled. And Hange was on top of him, her hair clung close to her, her glasses had fallen to her mouth and she seemed just a little disconcerted.
Hange pushed herself up. âIâm sorry, are you okay?â She put one hand on his cheek, one filthy hand.
Instinctively, Levi pushed it away. She was disgusting. They were both disgusting. He could taste a hint of dirt at his lips and he closed his nose and shut his mouth before he could taste anymore.
It was disgusting. And in that state, he was recalling how pleasant almost drowning seemed when he was covered in mud, the rain only continued to pour. He would rather have been drinking salt water then.
When he noticed that a minute passed under the rain, he started to observe then search for signs on how Hange might have been feeling. They had left their phones in the car. He was thankful they werenât casualties but he was a little regretful that he couldnât read her then.
Purple. He made a guess. That was the only reading she had given then. Sad angry? Or angry sad?
But when he looked for sadness, angriness, he saw it in those wide eyes in the red just under her eyes. Or he could have been projecting. It could have also been a placebo affect.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. I got so fucking worked up over this. Let's go back." Hange's voice was stilted, alarmingly cold.
"You've done this before right?"
The rain wasn't stopping anytime soon. In fact, it came down hard and Levi could have felt like he was drowning again.
The storm had proven to be a worse adversary. The wind was almost as menacing as waves.
He struggled to his feet. Hange had held out her hand, wrapped one arm around his shoulder and standing up became a small feat.
"Hey, are you okay?" Hange asked again, her voice a whisper that brushed at his neck. She was close enough to even overwhelm the pouring rain just outside their small bubble.
He hadn't answered her earlier. He didn't even know how she had been able to get the message to him in spite of the wind blowing at their face, the thunder and the patter of the rain on the dirt road.
When they were close enough, shoulders and arms touching, her lips almost brushing against his ear. He thought it close enough that she would probably hear if he whispered. Maybe it was worth just opening his mouth to speak. Two words or maybe four. Just long enough so she wonât have to speak again the whole trek back to the car.
âLetâs just go back.â
***
Adrenaline, exhaustion and the shaken state eventually gave way to irritation once again.
It was a slow process but Hange was silent. She had been driving much slower and with the peace, the slow rhythm of the whirring of the car, Levi had time and space to contemplate.
Levi was contemplating the expenses of cleaning a rented car. When the mud started to dry and harden, when they caked at his skin, they only aggravated the at first, silent irritation. It was silent but it was irritating altogether. He angrily wiped his hands on the dashboard of the car, and reached for his phone next to the clutch.
âLevi, I can pay for cleaning up the car," Hange said.
Levi kept quiet. For one, he didnât want to entertain the idea of making her pay for all of it. A part of him though, the stingy part, would have rather she did.
âLevi, are you angry at me?â Hange asked a minute later.
And that phrase always had that magic of making most people angrier than they were already. Levi was no exception.
Still, he did try to be just a little nicer. âYouâre driving aimlessly on the road. Weâre a mess in the car. Weâre both covered in mud, my legs and my arms hurt. Hange, think.â
âThink?â
âWho wouldnât be at least a little angry?â His tone betrayed his words. Hange had been responding in questions since a while ago and it only served to further aggravate it.
âI told you, Iâm sorry.â She did say 'sorry' a while ago but he wasn't in the mood to accept it then. So it slipped his mind.
âWell, finally youâre being more direct but you know, it would have been helpful if youâve been more open since a while ago.â
âMore open about what?â
Levi smacked his hand on the dashboard. âThere you are again, you ask questions but you never fucking answer. And if you answer youâre fucking vague, or you fucking digress.â
âAny... question you wanna ask?â Hange asked hesitantly.
âWhy does Pemberley mean so much to you? Why does this damn book mean so much to you? Youâre a scientist, a researcher. Why are you getting so worked up over a fucking social commentary?â
Hange gave him a wounded look, and she stared for a long time. Levi only noticed then, that that had been the longest stare she had been giving him in a while. The fiasco of a while ago was enough of an evidence that Hange did get worked up over it and Levi held it like a memento, just in case Hange decided to play oblivious.
She didnât. âYouâre right. Iâm sorry. I got emotional.â But she still wasnât answering questions.
âWhy does Pemberley mean so much to you?â Levi asked again. He kept this voice hard, stone cold and firm. He enunciated every syllable and every word like they were separate from one another.
Hange avoided his gaze. âWell, I really like the relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy---â
âWhy do you like it so much?â
âItâs because I would have wanted the same for myself---â
âWould have?â And Levi caught it, two words that had hovered in the air for a second.
Hange clamped her mouth shut.
âWould have?â Levi repeated again in the silence. And the irritation, the discomfort and the fury from being caked from head to toe with semi dried mud had somehow been released with two words.
âI have the same for myself,â Hange clarified.
âWould?â
âItâs a slip of the tongue,â Hange said. She didnât look back and it didnât look like she would be prodding that topic anymore.
So Levi brought up another question. âWhat about Elizabeth and Darcyâs relationship do you like?â
âItâs... â Hange was hesitating. âItâs in the small detailsâŠâ She seemed more concentrated on the road ahead of her.
âGo on.â Levi gripped on the seat cushion underneath him. Somehow, the car was starting to move in time to the patter of the rain.
âYou might even think Iâm crazy for looking at themâŠâ Hange continued.
âButâŠâ Levi turned to Hange, he looked closely as her lips parted as if she was about to say something.
Then her voice filled the cramped space inside the car for only a split second, before the squeak of tires, the spray of water and the burst of sensations that came with the dizzying experience of his body lurching forward in his seat.
For a second, Levi could have sworn he was dead.
***
They werenât the only ones who decided to call it a day. It turned out there were numerous people who had been wandering around that side of the country and it looked like that particular motel had been the only one for miles around.
The first warning should have been the fact that it had taken Levi and Hange minutes to navigate a pretty small parking lot, just to find a place to fit the car. The second warning should have been the amount of lit up windows.
At that point, they were both exhausted and Levi had focused too clearly on the âopenâ sign.
Open 24 hours.
So he didnât waste any time. Hange didnât either. It was cold, it was raining and Levi could forget that it was too early in September for him to have been shivering, for white fog to be accompanying his shuddering breath.
It was his first time up north, autumn came much earlier. That didnât stop him from grumbling silently about why autumn rains had to be so cruel.
It was barely even autumn. Shitting on the weather proved to be an adequate consolation for their very uncomfortable state.
Hange seemed unsure and maybe she had heard his grumbles, maybe she had assumed it was about her. âIâll check if they have any rooms,â Hange said, an apologetic smile on her face. She looked down towards his elbow. âAnd Iâll ask for a first aid kit, so we could do something about that.â
His body had been a conglomeration of discomforts since a while ago and the bleeding scrape on his elbow had been a terrible surprise. Not so terrible actually as he looked closer, he barely even felt it.
Before he could stop her, Hange had went ahead to the reception, covered in mud and all. Levi was grateful at least that they both had cleaned their shoes on the way in. The headache would be left to whoever would be cleaning their car.
The man at the counter was apologetic, a little too nice and he spoke to Hange like he was talking to some higher figure. It was a simple back and forth.
They were guests, he worked in hospitality. It was a natural exchange.
Maybe Levi had just been a little perceptive because everyone seemed to approach Hange with some unique form of respect. After a brief back and forth, Hange turned back to Levi, a flash of uncertainty on her face.
Just a flash. Before Levi could perceive more, it disappeared.
Levi still saw that as a cue to follow behind. âWhat?â
âSo there is only one room left, towards the back...â Hange started.
âApologies about thisâŠâ The receptionist bowed his head. âThe roads get slippery⊠And itâs dangerous to go out so many peopleâŠ.â He was babbling at that point and all Levi wanted him to do was get to the point.
Hange let out a sigh then dropped her credit card on the table. âWeâll take it.â
âYou managed to get a room, why is he apologizing?â Levi asked, turning to the comparably more coherent Hange Zoe.
âWell, thereâs only one room left,â Hange responded.
âAnd?â
âThereâs only one bed.â Hange had said that part with a straight face. She huffed and put one muddy finger up in front of him. âBut you know, I really think we can make this work...âÂ
44 notes
·
View notes
12:05
Pairing: Colson x Reader
Warnings/tags: smut, cheating, drug use, mentions of foot-fetish, mild blood (nose bleed)
Welcome to my first Colson Baker (MGK) fic. I used a lot of lyrics and lyric references in this. My goal was to make it seem like this toxic relationship and coversations between his and reader are what inspired a lot of his songs.
*************************
âCâmon get up,â your best friend Shawnie nudges you, pulling back the sheets of her bed sheâs been kind enough to share with you since the breakup. ïżœïżœïżœItâs almost noon,âÂ
âGrmmphf,â you groan tugging the sheet back over your head.
âIâm not gonna let you stay in bed all day again, crying over âMachine Gun Kellyâ,â she says as she raises the shades on the window; the midday sun bright rays beaming through the thin sheet over your head. âItâs been three weeks now, get up. Weâre gonna have a girls day.â
âHe has a real name, you know,â you mumble from under the sheet. âColsonâ
âOh yes, Colson the compulsive cheater, how could I forget?â She rips back the sheet a final time.âHow was he dumb enough to get caught this time?â She emphasizes, knowing it's not the first time youâve caught him cheating. âLipstick on his shirt? Hickey?â She taps the bed, âI mean it! Up! I'm taking you out.â
âUghhh fine,â you prop yourself up. âNudes on his phone actually. Found them his first night back from tour.â You swing your legs over the edge of the bed with a sigh. â Do you know that dumbass really tried to convince me they were mine, like I dunno what my own pussy looks like!â You let out a half- amused chuckle.
âWow, thatâs pathetic even for him,â Shawnie rolls her eyes. âI donât understand why you keep going back to him?â
âI dunno â itâs just..â you rake your hands over your face and into your hair. âI canât explain it --itâs complicated. You wouldnât understand.â
âTry me,â Shawnie responds, taking a seat next to you on the edge of the bed. âSeriously, Iâm listening. I just wanna help you get over him. I hate seeing you hurt all the time.â
âI feel like Iâm addicted to him, like heâs my drug or something,â you admit.
âExcept what fun is a drug if you canât even get high off it and only experience the comedown?â She retorts.
âSee thatâs just the thing â you donât know him like I do â there is a high,â you smile as fond memories flood back. âWhen itâs just me and him, when heâs just âColsonâ, he makes me feel like Iâm on top of the world. He treats me like a princess, he makes me laugh, he makes me feel good about myself, and OH MY GOD the sexxxx!â You whine, âYou know I always talk about how good it is,â you laugh. âFor real our sexual chemistry is just something I never thought Iâd experience with anyone. He makes me feel so comfortable and open and unashamed of the things Iâm into, and he shares a lot of the same desires. Everything with him is perfect... until tour starts up againâ
âI can understand why all thatâs important to you, but what about being faithful? Isnât that important to you too?â Shawnie questions.
âOf course it is, thatâs why I keep breaking up with him! And at first I hate him, I really do. I swear to myself Iâll never even talk to him again, but as the hurt wears away, I start craving him again,â A tear rolls down your cheek. âAnd then I start questioning myself like was I too hard on him? What do I expect from someone whoâs living that rockstar lifestyle, getting high and drunk every night with gorgeous women just throwing themselves at him, ya know?â
âNo, that is not your fault, you cannot be held responsible for him giving into temptations on the road!â Shawnie exclaims in a motherly tone. âIf he truly wanted to be faithful to you he would.â
âIn Colsonâs words he âfucks up when heâs fucked upâ.â you defend him.
âWell maybe he shouldnât get fucked up if he canât keep his dick in his pants!â She expresses loudly.âDonât make excuses for him... Now come on Iâm taking you out today; my treat.âÂ
âShawnie, really you donât have to do that. Iâll be fineâ
âToo late I already booked us appointments at the spa, and ââ her voice then shifts to a fast whisper âI may have set up a blind date for you with one of Gabeâs friends Kyle for later on tonight!â She finishes with a cheesy grin.
âShawnie!!!â You gasp.
âRelax, Iâll be there with Gabe too. Itâll be a double date. Weâre meeting at Club Hell at eleven. Now get up and get ready before we're late to our appointment.âÂ
âHell⊠how fitting. Thatâs exactly what this nights gonna be,â you think to yourself. Youâve seen Shawnieâs boyfriends friends before and theyâre not exactly your type.Theyâre Â
just a bunch of preppy frat boys whoâs penny loafers and crisp button down shirts scream âtrust fund babyâ and âmy dads a lawyerâ.
*************************
In the passenger seat on the way home from the spa you look down at your bright pink toes and canât help but frown.
âWhatâs the matter?â Shawnie asks, nudging you with her elbow as she drives. âDo you not like the color?â
âNo, no. Itâs not that. I love the color, and thank you so much for taking me to get them done, itâs just that Colson always used to take me â the manâs a sucker for a fresh pedicure,â you answer smirking to yourself as you recall his peculiar kink.
âThat is more than I needed to know,â Shawnieâs eyes go wide while keeping them fixed on the road.
âOh please like you donât know every detail of our sex life already,â you say tapping her leg playfully.
âBut feet is where I draw the line!â She exclaims, pointing a finger.
You let out a chuckle,âWell then I guess I shouldnât tell you about the time he ââ
âBlahhh blah blaaaa I canât hear you!â Shawnie attempts to cover her ear closest to you with her shoulder, keeping her hands on the wheel, making you bust out laughing. âThereâs that smile I miss, I knew it was still in there somewhere,â she smiles back at you. â Seriously, fuck Colson and FUCK feet!â She laughs.
âI thought you didnât wanna hear about that time,â you tease.
âWhat is wrong with you!!!â
âIâm sorry, Iâm sorry,â you clutch your stomach in laughter, âI couldnât pass up that opportunity, you set yourself up for that.âÂ
***************************
Unfortunately Kyle is pretty much exactly what you were expecting and not at all your type but after a few rounds of drinks you decide to make the best of the night and invite Kyle out onto the floor to dance â Shawnie and Gabe to follow, the four of you forming a small circle. Not even five minutes into dancing you spot Colson entering the club with a tall brunette.
You grab Shawnieâs arm. âLook!â you say into her ear trying to be discreet about it.
âOh my God, of all nights,â She rolls her eyes, âIs that the girl?â
âI dunno I didnât exactly see her face, remember?â
âIs everything okay?â Kyle interjects, looking confused.
âItâs nothing, just someone I used to know,â you answer, returning to dancing as Colson and the brunette disappeared into the crowd. You were determined to have a good night, if not for yourself than at least for Shawnie. She was trying her best to help you get over Colson and have a good time.Â
****************
âWow, they really pack this place huh?â You yell over the music as the floor starts to get crowded. And as if you spoke too soon one of your elbows collides into someone behind you. Immediately you spin around to apologize. âOh shit, Iâm sorr â Colson!â
âAh fuck man, why are you here?â Colson rolls his eyes, realizing itâs you.
âI could ask the same thing! Iâm tryna have a good night and you gotta show up running shit.â
âWhoâs this?â Colsonâs date looks up at him annoyed before speaking to you, âWhy you talking to my man?â
You throw your head back in laughter. âYouâre man? Ha! Youâve got a lot to learn honey. Colson likes to run around. Colsonâs everyoneâs man!Â
âNah, câmom,chill, chill,â Colson blocks his date with his arm as she tries to step to you.Â
Shawnie reaches for you, pulling you back towards her by your shirt. âLetâs all be adults about this.â
âFine!â you twist from her grasp. âJust stay away from me and Iâll stay away from you!â You shout at Colson before marching over to the bar. You need another drink. Your friends follow behind and Kyle sits awkwardly in the bar stool next to you. âSorry about that, that was my ex, wasnât exactly planning on seeing him here tonight.â
âNo worries, seems like a total douche anyways.â Kyle responds.
âYeah, something like that,â you answer in a daze staring into the crowded dance floor where you find Colsonâs sky blue eyes locked on you from across the room. He watches you over the shoulder of his date, her back turned towards you.
âCan I buy you a shot?â Kyle offers.
âUhh, yeah sure,â you answer, not paying attention, your eyes still focused on Colson.
Kyle pays for the shot, tips the bartender and hands you your shot. You don't even look to see what it is before throwing it back in one gulp. âCome on letâs go dance,â you slam the empty shot glass and grab Kyleâs hand pulling him onto the dance floor, positioning his back to Colson. You donât know what kind of game Colson is playing, but you can play it too â your eyes still locked across the room.
When the song changes â Closer by Nine Inch Nails now playing through the club speakers â Colson takes his game to the next level, grinding with âhis girlâ without breaking eye contact with you. You canât decide if heâs trying to make you jealous or make you want him. And you canât decide for what reason you keep playing along but itâs not long before you find yourself rolling your body against your date, your stare letting Colson know two can play this game.
âDamn, girl!â Kyle exclaims, shocked by your sudden shift in demeanour, his hands making their way to your ass, making you cringe internally at his touch. But you keep up the facade letting him push and pull your bodies together on the dance floor as Colsonâs glare intensifies.Â
âI wanna fuck you like an animal, I wanna feel you on the insideâŠâ  The chorus starts and you know things are about to get turnt up. Colsonâs head dips down, his eyes still glued to yours as he sensually licks a stripe up his date's neck. Quickly, you spin Kyle around leaning into him as you grind your backside against the zipper of his denim. You reach behind your head with one hand, lacing your fingers in the back of Kyleâs hair and pull his face into your craned neck, simultaneously inviting him to taste you and shielding his view of you and Colsonâs fervid eye fucking. You feel guilty feeling Kyle grow hard against you, knowing allowing his sloppy mouthing of your neck is definitely leading him on.
âFive.â Colson mouths to you, holding up the same amount of fingers behind his dates back, then motioning with his head to the bathrooms. You check your watch, itâs 12:00 exactly.
Five minutes pass and you see Colson excuse himself to the bathroom. Immediately you push you date away frantically, making up a lie about feeling light headed and needing to go get some water at the bar, but head straight to the bathrooms. Inside the one person bathroom you find Colson doing a key bump of coke by the sink.
âWhat do you want?â You ask, annoyed.
âAinât that the tight little black dress from the first night we were together?â he asks, sniffing and wiping at his nose, as he locks the door behind you.
âIs that what you brought me in here for, to ask if this was the dress from our first date? You roll your eyes hopping up to sit on the edge of the sink counter, your fresh pedicured feet with open toed shoes dangling down in front of you.Â
âMMMmmm you get them done just for me, baby?â
âFuck off Colson, I didnât even know you were gonna be here tonight, otherwise I wouldnât have come,â you quip, folding your arms across your chest in annoyance. âAre you done wasting my time, Iâd like to get back to my date.â
âBullshit!â Colson calls you out. â Little lawyer boy out there ainât even your type, I know it and you know it. Your girl set you up on a blind date didnât she?â He says cocikly. He knows you too well.
âYou donât know shit, Colson,â you lie, jumping down from the counter and heading towards the door to leave.
âPretty impressive performance out there though, I gotta give it to you â .â Colson steps forward his body between you and the door, backing you back up against the counter. â-- letting him lick and touch all over you â-â he lowers his head, his whiskey-infused breath cascading over your neck and chest and he continues to speak. â-- knowing dayummm well you wish it were me.â
âYou need to let me go, Colson. Weâre over! You cheated ⊠AGAIN!â You remind him, and apparently yourself, your head involuntarily cocking to the side, opening up your neck to him, your body half ready to give into temptation despite your anger with him.
âIâll admit I took advantage of you every night that I was on the road,â he speaks in an apologetic tone. But donât think for a minute iâma let you convince me that what we started is finished, or for a second that I wouldn't take a bullet to the head for you!â He presses a single knuckle to your temple, his blue eyes piercing though your soul âYou know we both want this. I know weâve had some hard times but you said that even if it took forever that you and me would be together.â
 âYouâre insaneâ tumbles from you lips in a last ditch effort to keep up your guard even though the breathy way it escape your mouth sounds a lot more like âfuck me.â
âOk, yeah, Iâm insane⊠but you the same!â He says, aggressively pointing at you and pressing his forehead to yours, his lips mere centimeters from your own.
You bite your lip; your guard, your walls, and common sense crumbling down around you. âWeâre insane â both of us,â you laugh ,a single tear sliding from your eye. âI guess thatâs just the way it goes.â You punctuate your words against Colsonâs eager lips with a kiss.
Thereâs no turning back now, your fingers hurriedly undoing the buttons on the placket of his pink devil shirt as his hungry mouth devours kiss after kiss until you can barely breathe, his hands cupping your face so tight. He tastes of weed and whiskey, but you welcome the nostalgic flavor on your tongue. You slide his now open shirt off his shoulders, and let your hands trail down his tattooed torso.Â
âFuck, Iâve missed this,â he growls breaking the kiss, quickly lifting you back onto the counter, and letting his shirt fall to the floor. Nestling his face into your neck and hair, he breathes you in as if his memory is bottling up your scent for later.
âColson,â you whine needily. Desperate to feel the heat of his mouth connect with your flesh, you rake a hand through his tousled bleach blonde locks, pushing down on his head until you feel his wet tongue begin to lap at your clavicle. You lean back against the mirror in pleasure as his tongue writes a sonnet across your neck and chest. He spreads your legs with his knee, your tight black dress inching up your thighs the wider your legs go. His hand slides up the expanse of your inner thighs to your core. Hastily, he pushes your panties to the side, the tips of his pretty painted fingers toying with your clit. The faster he rubs the faster and more sporadic your movements and breathing become, your body begging to be fucked. âUhhh, Fuck me!â Your words echo your bodyâs pleas.
âMmmmhh, he lets out a throaty rumble. âThought youâd never ask,â he smirks, reaching for the delicate waistband of your black lace panties. He quickly pulls them down, struggling when they get snagged on the stiletto heel of one of your shoes. âFuck it,â he laughs leaving them stuck in exchange for undoing his cherry red belt. With his belt undone he upzips his dark denim jeans pulling them and his ethika boxers down in one motion, springing himself free.
Wrapping his arms around your thighs he yanks you towards him, your ass teetering on the edge of the counter. With a hand behind each knee he shoves your legs back, bending you into one of his favorite positions; folded in half, legs up by your head. He loves how deep he can get like this.Â
Still holding your legs back, he bends down, lowering his face to your core, tasting you.Â
âUhhhhh, Fuck, Cols,â you whine with eyes squeezed shut, griping his hair as he moves his tongue in a wide stripe from the bottom up, pausing to focus his attention on the sensitive bud at the top.Â
âUmmghmm,â he hums against you before lifting his head. âNo time for this right nowâ he says with glossed lips âbut God, I had to taste you again.â
He removes one of his hands from your legs and grabs himself, bringing the tip to your entrance. Quickly, he slides it back and forth through your wetness before pushing in, a low gravely moan falling from his lips as he bottoms out.Â
âShit⊠Fuck...Oh my God!,â You slap a hand over your mouth.
âNah, ainât nobody gonna hear you over the music out there, babyâ he says brushing your hand away from your mouth and replacing it with his lips, as he thrusts.
You moan into his mouth and he moves his lips lower, kissing down your neck, so he can hear your pleas of âHarderâ. He obliges driving his hips forward with more force, and quickens his pace, the back of your head banging against the mirror so hard, you swear the both of you are about to have seven years of bad luck. But you donât care, the slight curve to his perfect cock ramming repeatedly into your g-spot.Â
âFeels so good , uhhh right there. Yes!â You scream out.
âMmm, yeah you gonna cum for me baby?âÂ
âSsso close.â You know you're practically guaranteed to cum before Colson; the man could go all night, often making you cum two or three times before heâs done. But you donât have that kind of time tonight in this tiny club bathroom with both your dates nearby. A few more hard thrusts and your orgasm begins to peak in your abdomen, the feeling as surreal as the Dali tatt on his back your fingernails are raking down. âI â Iâm Cumming!Â
He keeps up his pace, chasing after his own release, groaning with each clench of your walls as you ride out the waves of pleasure.
Still not there yet, he quickly pulls out, grabs you up by your hair, and shoves his cock into your mouth.You can taste yourself as he rams his cock in and out of your mouth. âYeah, love watching you getting your throat destroyedââ he grits between his teeth, watching in the mirror as he face fucks you. âUhhgh, gonna ââ he exhales heavily, filling your mouth as he holds your head in place. After the last drop is out he pulls you off him with a âpopâ.
The silence is awkward as you both get dressed, nothing but heavy breathing in the air. âAh, shit,â Colson breaks the silence, a slow trickle of blood coming from his nose.
âSit, sit. Iâll get it,â you insist, hurriedly grabbing some toilet paper from the stall, as Colson takes a seat on the counter. You dab at the dripping blood and pinch his nose shut. âHere hold this, like this,â you say, guiding his hand to his nose. âYou really gotta stop doing coke, ya know.â you say in a caring tone as you finish buttoning up his shit for him.
He gives you a simple âthanksâ with a genuine appreciative smile. âGuess we would get back out there,â he gets off the counter giving his nose a final wipe.
âYeah, Shawnieâs gonna kill me when she finds out.â
âShhh,â he shushes your lips with his finger. âThe homies donât gotta know.â
355 notes
·
View notes
Growl: Chapter 7
Warnings: None
Tags: @theravencawsatmidnight @etroman @kaariqueen
Your P.O.V
Monday came sooner than I wanted it to, not to mention I had a test today. A test...that I did not study for. "I'm such an idiot." I muttered, as I reluctantly walked into school. "Maybe if I beg good enough Iwaizumi will let me cheat off him." I say under my breath. I suddenly felt someone lean down and whisper in my ear. "What's this about begging Iwa-Chan now? Naughty L/n-" I elbowed Oikawa in his gut before he could finish. "I'm talking about a test, you horndog!" I snapped. Oikawa recovered from the hard blow. "S-So you didn't study, huh?"
"I bet you didn't either." I glare at him. "Of course I did! Unlike you, I had Iwa-Chan's help!" I gave him a shocked look. "How did you get his help!? He always tells me to study on my own! No wait...we're you actually "studying" or..."
"L/n-Chan! I'm surprised at you!" He could deny it all he wanted, there was no overlooking the blush on his face. Guess I was right about that. "Whatever. Let's just get going." I say while walking, a bit faster to get some distance between me and Oikawa. But of course his long leg ass easily kept up with me. "You know L/n-Chan, if you keep this up you won't be able to participate in club activities." I hate to admit it, but he was right. If I kept failing in my classes, the school faculty will be forced to remove me from the volleyball team. Meaning I won't be the manager or hang out with my new friends as much. I won't get to hang out with Kyotani either...
"Of course that upsets me more than anything else." I think with a sigh. I hurried into class with Oikawa, Iwaizumi was already inside at his seat. "Hey Iwaizumi." I greet him as I take my seat. "Hey L/n." He says back. "Actually on time for once Shittykawa?" He asks, not even glancing at the brunette boy. "Oh hush. I got plenty of beautify sleep last night, so of course I'm here." Oikawa sits down. "Doubt it." I mutter. We all know you were with Iwaizumi last night you liar. "What?" They both ask in unison. "Nothing." I lean back in my seat. "Hey Iwaizumi, can you help me study if I fail this test?"
"No."
"Jerk!" I cross my arms. "Why not?" Iwaizumi looked at me as if I were a child. Great, about to get scolded by a man my own age. "Because you should have taken studying more seriously. You had plenty of time before today. You also had the weekend. What have you been doing?" He asked. I turn away to hide my blush. Like hell I was gonna tell them I was with Kyotani. Oikawa would never shut up about it, and Iwaizumi...well it was kinda like telling your father that you have a boyfriend. Point is, it was awkward and I'm not spilling!
"....I was watching anime."
"Nerd."
"Shut up stupidkawa!!"
"You're starting to loose your touch, L/n-Chan." He smirks. "I could have thought of a way better insult than that."
"So you do want us to insult you?" Iwaizumi raises an eyebrow. I groan and rest my head against the window, Iwaizumi and Oikawa's bickering drowning out as I stare out into nothing. 'Might as well accept the fact I'm failing this test. I really should have studied more instead of doing stupid shit. Maybe I'll Kyotani to help me.' My cheeks then red. I didn't know how his grades were, but it was worth the try. Just because he was a punk didn't mean he couldn't be smart, right?
The test had finally ended, and I had just barely passed! But it wasn't good enough, I can't just barley pass throughout the rest of my last year. What happened today was pure luck, and that wouldn't last me forever. I need to take this more seriously, for the volleyball team and for myself. I managed to catch Iwaizumi just before he went inside the gym. I told him I needed to speak with him in private. "What did you want to talk about L/n? Is there something wrong?" He asks, concern lacing his tone. I clutched my bag tightly and spoke with a stern determination. "I'm going to start studying harder. I just barely passed the test today. If I keep this up and fail, I won't be able to be your team's manager anymore. So what I'm asking is..." I look away from Iwaizumi, hiding my embarrassed expression. "Do you...know what Kyotani's grades are like?"
When Iwaizumi didn't answer, I looked up at him. His expression was one of confusion. "You...want Kyotani to help you study? Why?" I bit back a growl and clenched my hands tighter, my face was only getting redder but the second. "Because! The only people I'm "close" to is you, Oikawa and Kyotani! You won't help cause you're busy with Oikawa and Oikawa can't help cause he's dumbass who would only flirt with me the entire time, and Kyotani...well I don't know! That's why I'm asking!"
"Whoa, wait, slow down." Iawaizumi raises his hands. "You're close to Kyotani? How did you manage that?" He asks. I sighed deeply, I really didn't want anyone to know about it. But there's no helping it now. "Me and him talked over he weekend. And, I even went over to his place a few times. So yeah, we're friends now I guess. But I didn't really know much about him, only a little bit really." I fiddle around with my hands, trying to figure out what else to say. "I would like to know more about him. So I thought, why not do that by asking him to help me study." Iwaizumi hummed in response. "I see." He mutters.
"Are you going to take it seriously?" He asks. I nod. "I will. I said I would start trying harder." Iwaizumi rubbed the back of his head. "Then you should ask him. If you and him are friends like you said, I'm sure he wouldn't mind helping you. As for his grades, I don't know about all that." He put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm proud of you Y/n. You really are coming out of your shell, it makes me happy to see you're making an effort." I smile softly and put my hand on his. "Me too. Don't worry, I'm gonna make sure I keep my word. Just wait and see Hajime!"
"I look forward to." Iwaizumi chuckles.
Practice had ended a bit earlier than unusual, the team finished changing and we're heading out. You decided to hang back and wait for Kyotani, it felt a little weird to say the least. Though it shouldn't be, you had just been over to his place twice and met his family. From an outside perspective, someone could mistake you both as a couple, even thought it was quiet the opposite. "I completely get it though." You sigh. You were snapped out of your trance by the locker room's door opened. Kyotani stepped out, school bag thrown over his shoulder. "Oh, hey." He greets once he finally noticed you. "We're you...waiting for me?" He asks. "Uh, yeah." You nod. "I wanted to ask you something." You tilt your head towards the exit of the gym, Kyotani seemed to have understood the message and walked out with you. The both of you walked in silence until reaching the school gate, Kyotani finally spoke up. "So what did you want to tell me?"
"You know how important tests are when it comes to graduating and being able to participate in club activities right?" Kyotani nods. "Well, I do want to graduate. But I also want to stay and be the team's manager. So I can't afford having my grades continue to slip. Eventually they'll be so bad, that I won't be able to do either. So what I'm asking is, will you help me study?" Kyotani raises an eyebrow. "Really? You want my help?" He asks. "I know it's sudden of me to ask, but I really don't have anyone else. Iwaizumi is too busy helping that train wreck of a captain of ours to help me. Not like he would anyway." Kyotani sighs heavily. "I don't know..." You turned to him. "Please!" You grab his hand with yours, Kyotani froze where he stood. "I'll make sure to repay you for helping me! Anything you want, I'll do it! So please...please help study Kyotani." You look up at him, eyes shining pathetically like a sad puppy. How could he say no to that? "Damn it..." He almost wanted to walk away and ignore it, but deep down he knew damn well that he couldn't. "Ok. I'll help you as best as I can. My grades aren't anything special, just so you know." You smiled brightly and hugged him. "Thank you so much! And anything helps at this point!" Kyotani nods and continued walking after you pulled back. "You really are nice Kyotani. Despite whatever everyone else thinks or says. In fact, I'm really glad I got to know you." You couldn't tell how Kyotani felt about that, he was slightly ahead of you, so you couldn't see his face. But unknowing to you, Kyotani cracked a little smile. And he'd never admit it, but he was glad he got to know you too.
Later that night, you and Kyotani were staying up late studying. You both decided it would be best if it happened over at your place rather than his. For two reasons. One, your mother wasn't home, so you had the entire house to yourself for the night. And two, Kyotani insisted that his mother would interrupt every so often because of how fond of you she was. It was down right embarrassing. And he didn't want to deal with that all night. Besides, like this, it would just be the the two of you, alone together. Together with math, really. "And if you solve for x you get?" Kyotani asks, waiting for you to answer. You hummed as you thought hard about what to say. "....15?" Kyotani shook his head. "12." You let out a loud groan. "This is such garbage! How am I ever gonna get this!?" You whine. Why did math have to be such damn complicated, in fact, why did anything involving studying have to be complicated? "Don't know. But you better get it quick before the council kicks you off the team. Now try again." Kyotani says, while writing something down in his books. "How can you be so calm about this? I thought you said your grades weren't anything special. Or was that a lie?"
"No, it wasn't. My grades are pretty shit." He admits. "Then what's the point this!?" Your mind screamed. "But not because I'm stupid or anything like that. It's because I hardly ever show up to class. But between the two of us, I'm smarter than you I guess." You scowl and slam your pen down. "I guess so huh?" You grumble. "Relax. I'm helping you out ain't I? After you do this we can take a break." Kyotani sets a new set of math equations in front of you. "Yeah sure, but before that, why don't you go to class? If you're so smart as you say, then why not just go and better your grades. I'm sure you don't want to get kicked off the team either."
"No, I don't. But my grades aren't that bad yet. So I have nothing to worry about. Hurry up and solve these."
"Not until you answer my question." You say as you cross your arms. Kyotani looked up from the books and eyes you for a moment. He sighs and leans back slightly. "Either cause I just don't feel like going, or cause it just ain't worth the effort." He finally tells you. Really? That was it? He made it sound like it was so much more to it than that. It almost made you angry, you were failing but you actually tried to put in the time to go to class. The only time you've ever skipped class was the one time with Kyotani, and never before or after that. You went to school every day and tried as hard as you could, and yet, you still failed at what he claims to exceed in. He says this and he's not even there! He skips out and still makes better grades than you! And from the looks of it, he hardly ever studied like you. "It just doesn't make sense." You mutter. "What?" Kyotani asks, only for you to shake your head and get back to writing. "Look, I made a promise to the team that I would try harder at this manager thing. And I can't do that if I continue to fail like I am, and as for you? I can tell you have such a passion for volleyball, every time you play, you get this look in your eye. A look that says, "I'm going to be the best at this". But how the hell are you gonna the best at anything, if you keep skipping class and letting your grades slip?"
"What? This a lecture now?" Kyotani eyebrow twitched in a annoyance. "Damn right!" You leaned forwards on the the table and poked his chest, as you spoke with the sternness of a mother who was scolding her child for acting out. "Your grades might not be as bad as mine now, but they will be soon if you keep that shut up! And when that happens, you'll be kicked off the team! And we both don't want that now do we?" Kyotani had to bite back any spite that he wanted to throw your way. You had a point, so he would let you talk. "If I get kicked out it won't be much of a shock, but Kyotani your team needs you. Think of how upset they would be if you were removed because you didn't try your hardest." Your tone began to soften with every word. "I know I would be. You love this sport way too much to give it up so easily. So don't let this chance slip away from you, try harder, do better. That way, you can keep moving further. And who knows, maybe one of these days, you'll land yourself in a really famous volleyball team."
Kyotani was speechless, you were absolutely right. You were right to be upset with him, you were right about him loving the sport, you were right about it all. His eyes tore away from yours, meeting the table that sat in between you both. "Ok." Was all he said. "Ok!? You-" He cut you off before your temper could rise any further. "I'll start going to class more often. But you have to start trying harder too ok? I don't want you getting kicked out either." A smile made it's way onto your face. You held out your pinky. "Promise?" Kyotani rolled his eyes but interlocked his pinky with your own.
"Promise."
Previous | Next
20 notes
·
View notes
What is your ranking of the original New Directions members (including Sam & Blaine, doesnât have to include Matt since I know heâs difficult to rank lol)? :)
ooh this is so fun! here we go:
1. quinn: no surprise to anyone who knows me. i adore her and all her squandered potential - by far my favorite character to watch on screen and to read/write fanfiction for. not a perfect person - or even a nice one a lot of the time - but somehow still incredibly compelling.Â
2. mercedes: a true queen. worked hard, stood up for herself and her friends, brushed off the haters and went on to become a fierce celebrity in her own right. we love to see it. also, her cover of ainât no way? my favorite song from all of glee.
3. kurt: literally the coolest person on the show, and one of my all-time favorites. Â he was so brave and fearlessly himself, even in the face of incredible pushback, and i really admire him for that. heâs as ambitious and determined as rachel, but doesnât step on other people (or send them to crackhouses) to succeed. at the end of the day, he achieves his goals on his own merit and hard work, which was a refreshing foil to rachelâs storyline.
4. blaine: heâs such a complex character, with such an undeveloped backstory, which is why he appeals to me so much (same reason i like quinn, now that i think about it). he isnât perfect, and there were certainly moments that i actively disliked him, but i found him to be really interesting, and his relationship with kurt was incredibly sweet most of the time.
5. tina: love her! fantastic sense of style throughout the seasons, and really grows into her own skin similar to people like blaine and puck. thereâs definite character development there, and i love the narrative of her going from someone who let rachel steal her west side story solo in the front 9 to fighting for a place in the spotlight in seasons 3-6.Â
6. rachel: love fanon rachel, but canon rachel is someone i can only handle in small doses. sheâs got a wonderful voice, and her ambition is admirable. she also won my heart in a lot of scenes opposite quinn, where she shows a remarkable capacity for forgiveness and compassion. i think sheâs a good person, but not a very nice person, and sheâs a bit much for me.
7. mike: mostly sweet but not a really strong presence in my mind. i donât remember him doing anything that made me upset, but he didnât have enough of a personality - or enough screen time - for me to develop an attachment to him, so heâs smack dab in the middle.
8. santana: (ooh i can feel the hate coming already). look, at the end of the day, santana just didnât do it for me. towards the end of season 3 and through the end of season 4 i actually found myself warming to her, but her decision to leave new york to go to an island with brittany (who is literally my least favorite og glee clubber) pissed me off, and she never really recovered from that decision. also, a lot of her âfunnyâ comments werenât funny to me at all, just mean. she crossed the line a few too many times for me to every like her.
9. sam: love his voice! also found him to be a pretty solid character in seasons 2 and 3, if a little boring. then season 4 hit, and he was relegated to being not funny and kind of dumb too. disappointing end to a character that had a promising start.
10. artie: meh. great voice, mediocre personality. said some really shitty things - mostly about and to women, but also the scene with ryder from lights out (yâall know the one) comes to mind.
11. puck: hate season 1 puck, tolerate the rest. heâll never be my favorite, or even a character i particularly like, but he had decent character development and personal growth, especially given the showâs general manner of ruining everyoneâs character development on a regular basis.
12. finn: started an asshole, ended an asshole. had sweet moments occasionally - especially opposite quinn, rachel, and as a teacher in season 4 - but completely destroyed any trace of fondness by using homophobic and ableist slurs, making the glee club perform gangnam style at sectionals (seriously, what even was that), and generally being both dumb and prejudiced. no disrespect to cory though - he seemed like a wonderful person and actor, and my disdain for finn is strictly based on his writing and characterization.
13. brittany: i didnât find her funny at all, especially in the later seasons - she was just mean and irritating. also, as a bisexual woman who looked to glee for queer representation when i was coming to terms with my sexuality, brittany failed to deliver for me in any meaningful way - probably because she never actually used the work âbisexualâ to describe herself, and her promiscuity - while not a problem in and of itself in my book - fed into a lot of shitty stereotypes about bisexual people. not a fan.
25 notes
·
View notes
Current X-book Mood-Ring Guide
There are an awful lot of X-books on the shelves right now. They are most of my monthly haul. No joke it is at least 12 books at this point. So, in order to cope with that, Iâve organized all the books into one of four different categories, aka âbooster-packâ themes. Click through if you want to jump aboard the best X-men run since Morrison before the boat pushes off for the Hellfire Gala this summer! These are the 4 categories:
-Mainline Blue/Gold-styleÂ
-Jr. Mutants AcademyÂ
-2nd-Wave Krakoa Niche (aka âthe good stuffâ)
-Cetera
#1. Mainline Blue/Gold-style
Mood-color/vibe: Actually 90s-style Blue/Gold and like bright primary colors (but also muddy-ass colors from X-factor).Â
Books included: X-men, Excalibur, Marauders, X-force
Typical Pokemon: Scott Summers, Jean Grey, Wolverine, Betsy Braddock, Kate Pride, Beast, Black Tom, Storm, Bishop, Emma Frost, Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Kid Omega, Domino, a Pyro, Iceman, Avalanche. Rare drops: Apocalypse, X-23, Synch, Darwin, Kid Cable, Fantomex (in that Giant-Sized!)
These be the books for someone who wants those direct, mainline, core-members-style lineups. On the main book (adjective/word-play-less X-men)Â Hickman/Yu have worked wonders with their run, but it hasnât been a stable team, instead focusing on Scott and his adventures dealing with some of the more prominent threats to Krakoa.Â
So itâs essentially been a revolving door of a book with Cyclops sometimes leading assaults against major problems and sometimes just being a dad to teenagers from the future, and itâs been generally great.Â
Meanwhile, the teams we find on the other 3 books could basically be a main X-men team if you just throw Jean/Scott/Logan onto them (except for X-force because Logan is usually on that one, actually, and Jean sort of is..)
X-force: Wolverine usually, Kid Omega, Beast, Jean (quitting?/back-up), Domino sorta, Sage, Black Tom Cassidy, Colossus once? Forge sorta. [Lotâs of backup or sometimes-members on this team but kinda centers on Beast, Omega, Wolverine and Jean or Domino]
Excalibur: Betsy Braddock, Rogue, Jubilee, Gambit, Avalanche, baby/dragon Shogo, Apocalypse (honorary, mia)
Marauders: Kate Pride, Storm, Emma Frost, a Pyro, Iceman, Bishop
On X-force, you get a little Morrison-homage energy going on what with Beast being sus, Quentin Quire having a character arc and dating a cuckoo and then all the body-horror. This one hasnât been amazing and the art sometimes has issues for me but itâs been a solid expansion on Krakoa-Era lore.Â
On Marauders, you get a book centered on Kate Pride and the Hellfire Club. Itâs been aight but Iâm not the biggest Kate fan. Definitely has heart and the art has been beautiful.Â
Excalibur started a little weird for me... I lack the references or attachment to Otherworld or Davis/Moore-era Excalibur so I donât think Iâm even really the target demo, but I will say it recently, post-X of Swords-- which it set up single-handedly basically [along w/ one ish of X-men]-- has gotten more interesting in recent months. The Betsy + Kwannon stuff was great! And Howard did great with Apocalypse before he went off to another dimension. (points off for iffy color-palettes sometimes).Â
#2. Jr. Mutants Academy
Mood-color/vibe: Pastel
Books:Â New Mutants, X-factor, Children of the Atom, Cable
Common Pokemon: Magik, Cable, Rachel Summers, Doug, Warlock, Armor, Boom Boom, Scout, Dani, Warpath, Karma, Glob, Beak, Daken, Eye-boy, North Star, Rachael, Prodigy those Children of the Atom kids, Magma, Rahne, and a lot of lil kid mutants runninâ around in Akademos/the Wild Hunt area of Krakoa whose names I donât know yet.
This is the junior-crew club. New Mutants would be in the Blue/Gold books practically due to being part of the first wave of post-HoX/DoX books, but its basically been 3 different books/teams over its run and along w/ Children/Cable/X-Factor, it feels like there a whole handful of books offering up junior-crew shenanigans specifically.Â
So New Mutants has been all over the place, starting with a lineup of OG Claremont era New Muties, then focusing on a team consisting of Glob, Armor and Boom Boom (perpetual...âyoung adultâ I guess?), now settling on a new team under Vita Ayala with Magik and Warpath heading up a squad of young âuns (beautiful art on the recent stretch). Hopefully itâs settling into its self now, because I can see longevity for this new squad... maybe.Â
I still have to read the 2nd issue of Children of the Atom, Â but am intrigued by it. X-factor meanwhile seems to be focusing on queer representation with people like Prodigy, Daken, North Star and Rachel on the same group together. Polaris started out the lead of that title only to be plucked out by Duggan (or the fanbase) for the main X-team coming up. This honestly makes sense, because even though she isnât drawn this way, shouldnât Polaris be considerably older than someone like Rachel? Eh.Â
Also, in issue #4 of X-factor we had a beautiful homage to the Academy X mutants, with several cameos, so it seems like Marvel is intentionally using these junior-crew books to acknowledge all the various junior-crews, whether it be OG Claremont kids, Generation X people, the kids introâd under Morrison and Whedon, or even the dang âol Academy X ones, they seem to all be getting at least some representation in some book.Â
Also Cable owns. Didnât know Iâd like the Kid-Cable guy until this book and his appearances in the main title, but now itâs confirmed. Him dating Esme, Kid Omega dating Phoebe? These crazy telepaths! Anyway, I hope Dugganâs main-team book is more like Cable than Marauders, in terms of pacing and characterization, but they both have beautiful art!
New mutants:Â Karma, Magik, Mirage, Scout, Warlock, Warpath and Wolfsbane
X-factor: Daken, Eye-boy, Polaris (quit?), North Star, Rachael, Prodigy
#3. 2nd-gen Krakoa Niche aka âthe good stuffâ
mood-color/vibe: purples, metaphysical/cosmic pallets, tertiary colors
books included: Hellions, S.W.O.R.D., Way of X
common Pokemon: I mean theyâre basically all rare drops
This is the good stuff! Who would have thought. And when I think about it,  Way of X and S.W.O.R.D., as part of the second wave of Krakoa-era books that started with Cable, both address some of the core issues and ideas that the whole HoX/DoX mini kicked off better than-- or at least more directly-- the other books. So I guess the non X-men, first-wave Krakoa books feel âmainlineâ in terms of their team lineups, but in terms of content, these newer ones almost feel more relevant by design. S.W.O.R.D. focuses on the cosmic context of the mutants post-Krakoa and Way is Kurtâs first spot-light moment in the era and is expressly concerned with Kurtâs addressing of the deeper moral quandaries that a people who have conquered death will be faced with. I mean, it's expressly about religion and like, spirituality-- a very tall order, but first issue pulled it off super deftly.
Also Hellions is better than it has any business being! Read this if you want savagely dark humor and some very obscure mutants + Havok/Psylocke/Sinister. But if I had to reccomend one, itâd be a tie b/w S.W.O.R.D and Way. First issue of Way was exceptional and got right into things and Kurtâs very well-written and will surely prove a meditative lead for a book like this, whereas S.W.O.R.D is epic in scale while still have sick character moments/dialogue. Manifold had a great issue or two and is now my favorite new mutant, even in the context of a somehow-actually-good King in Black tie-in. Damn! And everything going on b/w Magneto and Fabian Cortez (who was made to argue for why mutants should be allowed to murder âflatscansâ/humans to the whole Krakoan council this week whilst naked. Itâs fantastic. Hell, even the Snark-War sounds...interesting? Whatâs happening to me.Â
S.W.O.R.D.: Fabian Cortez, Magneto, Abigail Brand, Peeper, Manifold, Wiz-Kid, Mentallo, Fenzy
Children of the Atom: Cherub, Marvel Guy, Cyclops-Lass (?), Gimmick, Daycrawler
Hellions: Havok, Psylocke, Empath, Orphan-Maker, Nanny, Wild Child, Sinister, Greycrow
#4. Cetera
Mood-color/vibe: colorless, ânormalâ element
Books included: Fallen Angels (complete 6-ish mini), All the damn Wolverine books, the uh Sword of XÂ âguidebookâ and the new Peach Momoko Demon Days books and whatever X-men Legends is.
These are titles which are either complete or donât fit in with other things or in Demon Days or the X-men Legendsâ booksâ case, I think donât even occur in-universe. And per usual of course there are multiple Wolverine books... the main one seems fine.Â
Anyway all-in-all, these books are doing weirdly well. Mutants as a concept shouldn't be able to be spread this thin story-telling wise, but the books donât really feel redundant and most are filling a specific niche or purpose. I may be dropping some of the first-wave Blue/Gold style books (Marauders and X-force I'll probably just check in on from time-to-time), but S.W.O.R.D., Way, the main book under Hickman or Duggan and Hellions all have me verrrrrry satisfied. Even standard stories in the Krakoa era feel special, and that speaks to the power of Hickmanâs vision. Hellfire Gala, here we come.Â
35 notes
·
View notes
Paul Weller in conversation with Mary McCartney: âWe used to pinch a lot of Beatles songsâ
For this Woking-born son of the 1970s, there were four father figures who underpinned everything, from his first guitar to an inspirational career that continues to expand and explore more than 50 years later. On the release of his latest solo record, his third in three years, we asked Paul Weller to pick through the past with an artist who knows better than any how The Beatles shaped the generation that followed. By Dylan Jones; 4 June 2021 from British GQ Magazine
(edited for Mary McCartney content only)
For Wellerâs latest GQ appearance, we thought it would be good to put him together with an old friend, the photographer Mary McCartney. Which is what we did...
Mary McCartney: So, Paul, when did you become a Beatles fan? When you were 12?
Paul Weller: When I was five years old. I had some of the singles, because my mother bought them, but the first time I saw them was the Royal Variety Performance in 1963, when I was five. From the time I saw The Beatles I loved music and then when I was around age 12 I started trying to learn to play guitar. Me and my mate had a few lessons for a bit and got a few weeks in, but the guy was trying to teach us how to read music, so we got bored with that. And as soon as we learnt enough chords we stopped the lessons and we just start doing it ourselves.
MM: When did you actually start writing songs?
PW: As soon as we â me and my mate Steve Brookes â learnt the three or four chords. Iâm still mates with him now. We started a band and we just learned together and we just kept swapping whatever weâd learned in the week, swapping back and forth. It was just me and him and then we just gathered up people as we could find them. There was never any doubt in my mind thatâs what I would do and, even at around 12, I thought that was definitely what I was going to do for a living. Well, I didnât know it could be a career, I just knew I was going to do music. So by the age of 14 we were playing pubs, working menâs clubs and social clubs with The Jam. But your dadâs band was the catalyst for all of it.
MM: You know, Iâm directing a documentary about the history of Abbey Road Studios at the moment, so Iâve been taken back to those times. There is a photograph of me aged three months on one of the sofas in the studio, so I was there before I can remember being there. Whenever I walk in through the doors I still get a funny feeling. But Iâm learning a lot about The Beatlesâ recording process, though. What was your writing process in the early days?
PW: When we started to write songs we just used to pinch a lot of The Beatles songs. They were very basic, just us taking our first steps as songwriters. I was actually very passionate at the time, but I didnât have the skills to articulate that passion. That kind of developed. Our first songs would have been nonsense songs, just âMy Baby Love Meâ stuff... But, like every other fledgling songwriter, I just started off by aping other people, like The Beatles did, like Dylan did. Everyone starts out copying other people.
MM: I assume you recorded your new album during lockdown?
PW: I did. I had about four or five tracks left over from [last yearâs] On Sunset and they were just lying around, unused. So I started working away, chipping away, trying to put together a new batch of songs. As ever, I recorded them all in the studio down in Surrey, just me and a guitar singing along to a click track. If I couldnât record with the band, Iâd send the recordings to them and theyâd play their parts and then send them back. It was a very odd process, but it worked. However, when we could finally all record again together, it was like the first day of school after the summer holidays. It was great. The writing process was actually the same as it always is, but because I knew I didnât have any live work for the foreseeable future, we just created all this space. I think the lockdown was actually hugely influential in a way, as all the quiet made me appreciate nature in a way I hadnât done for quite some time, maybe ever. I could really feel and hear and see nature again, it started to take over. I loved hearing the birds sing and not seeing any aeroplanes in the sky. It helped me think about things I would never normally think about in any situation. I felt more in tune with nature. I had a thought that if we werenât here, if we all disappeared, which Iâm sure we will do one day, the earth would just reclaim itself and that it will always be here and we wonât.
MM: It was such a nice feeling, actually stopping and looking and appreciating, not rushing around. I was lying in bed one night in the middle of London. It was 2am and it was so quiet it felt like we had gone back 100, 200 years. I couldnât hear the rumble of the underground and it was almost as though cars hadnât been invented.
PW: How was your lockdown, Mary?
MM: Mine was good, but weâre not here to talk about me. Iâm grilling you today. But mine was good. Well, I say it was good, but it was unnerving. I think, on a global scale, it was just unnerving because it was like living in a science fiction movie. I think the main thing a lot of us benefitted from was having to slow down and not being able to just go and do things. So, in that sense, it wasnât a bad thing. I was obviously worried about peopleâs health and the economy, but, like you, I really got in touch with nature. I did a lot more photographic work outside. And, of course, I started to prep for the Abbey Road doc. Whatâs the perfect recording scenario for you?
PW: Well, I love my studio and, to be honest, Iâd be quite happy to never come out of the place. I could quite happily stay there forever. I bought the building in 1999, but itâs only really been the past 15 years or so that weâve really got it together, with the sound and the vibe and the equipment. Iâm continually making little acoustic adjustments to the room. Weâve got a drum kit set up all the time, as well as a micâd piano, so itâs always ready to roll. I can play guitar, obviously, as well as bass and piano, but Iâve never really enjoyed playing the drums, because I canât sing and drum with any conviction. Itâs a different art altogether, playing drums. I like drummers who play the song, who can play the tune and who arenât trying to do their own thing. That requires a certain amount of discipline, a different discipline: not playing too much but playing the right thing. Your dad is a good drummer.
MM: Yeah, he is. Mum introduced me to a song he played drums on years ago, called âMy Dark Hourâ, by the Steve Miller Band. Heâs credited as âPaul Ramonâ and he does backing vocals, guitar, bass and drums. It was recorded in Olympic Studios in London towards the end of 1969, after an argument Dad had had with the others over Allen Klein becoming their manager. The others had gone off and he said Steve Miller walked in and asked if he wanted to play the drums on this track he was recording. I think the drumming on it is so good, but you can tell heâs letting out a lot of tension.
PW: I love that first solo album of your dadâs, the one with you as a baby on the back. Thatâs probably one of my favourite records. It was lo-fi before lo-fi was even talked about.
MM: I love the rawness of it, as itâs just so personal. I still listen to McCartney and Ram a lot. They shot the album cover up in Scotland. They were horse riding and he zipped me up in his jacket. He put me in the jacket so I was safe, as he was going riding. I love that picture from a photographic point of view as well, as itâs very real. Itâs taken at the end of the day, during the golden hour. Itâs so natural.
PW: Now, what was it like growing up, then, as a daughter of a Beatle?
MM: Well, it was more like growing up as a daughter of Paul and Linda, because they were such a great couple. But,
also, they were such adventurous people. So, we were kind of following them around and going on lots of adventures. We went on tour with them and we really only stopped when we needed to go to school. So I have lots of memories of travelling as a girl. I even remember going on the double-decker that they used as a tour bus in 1972. The seats on the upper deck were replaced by mattresses and bean bags.
PW: I assume it was your motherâs inspiration that made you want to be a photographer...
MM: I think so, as I think I just always saw her taking pictures. She had such a casual style too. She didnât do a lot of setting up and neither do I. Itâs just so much nicer when you connect with your sitter and when you just casually take pictures. I much prefer that and I certainly know that you donât like to have your picture taken in a very set-up kind of situation. What really got me into becoming a photographer was looking at Mumâs pictures from the 1960s. They were about her being with someone and taking pictures and very much not âThis is Jimi Hendrixâ. Again, casual. When I became a photographer, I took Mumâs talent for granted. She would take pictures out the car window and then they became these books or a print on the wall. When I started doing it myself Iâd put the camera up and Iâd be like, âDad, can you turn the car around so I can take this picture?â And heâd be like, âNo.â She would take pictures so effortlessly and I didnât realise there was a knack to it. Mum and Dad would treat everyone equally; I do remember that. We were always surrounded by people, so I suppose thatâs why I think I am a bit of a people person. I like meeting people and I like connecting with people, but I still find Iâm quite shy about it. I find it stressful, but I like it. But I could never in a million years get up on a stage, ever. Even thinking about it makes me feel like fainting. When did you first walk out in front of a big crowd? How does that feel? Is it just feeling that adulation and love and appreciation and then giving that back? Does that feel really healthy? I always think when it works perfectly, it just must be such a healthy feeling.
PW: Itâs almost a weird thing, because just prior to going on stage, especially in the hour before, Iâm in bits. Iâm so nervous and so donât want to be there and want to go home, and then within minutes of actually being on stage, as soon as that first tune strikes up, I automatically feel as though this is completely where Iâm supposed to be. It feels like the most natural, most comfortable, Zen-like place you could possibly be, itâs so weird. Iâve always felt nervous before going on stage. Thatâs never changed. I mean, itâs got a little bit better as Iâve got older, but not much. I think I need to have that feeling. It was weird, because there was a time when I tried to stop drinking â before I stopped completely â and when I stopped I suddenly wasnât nervous before going on stage. And I didnât like it. It felt really odd.
MM: Isnât there something superstitious about this?
PW: No, I donât think so. I just think it gives you an edge. Those nerves can make you edgy and I think thatâs important for me.
MM: And then did the nerves come back?
PW: When I started drinking again they did.
MM: But now youâre not?
PW: When I finally stopped drinking it took me at least two years to get used to that feeling of going on stage totally sober and straight. And now I love it. But it took a good two years to get comfortable, as it was really odd at first. Iâd be on stage and Iâd notice so much, like thereâs a guy in the front row whoâs wearing a green shirt or something, and now I donât feel that at all. Now it feels natural and I have a greater appreciation of it. Thatâs the other thing as well, getting more from it and being more conscious of what weâre doing.
MM: Growing up, watching Mum and Dad on stage just felt natural. But Iâve seen you play a few times and it makes me realise how much I couldnât do it myself. There is such great energy and itâs really entertaining and you look completely natural, but I wouldnât be able to feel comfortable in that position. Also, to me, it feels like your music has to be played live. I went to a concert before lockdown and the person was so vacant and not connected to the audience and, because of that, it made me nervous. You could tell they were going through the motions, that it was an act. They had no connection at all. Whereas when I look at Dad on stage heâs all about connection. I think I had taken it for granted before that, but when you see someone who doesnât connect, you realise how important it is.
PW: I know some people who turn up just before they go on stage and as soon as they finish they get in the car and theyâre off. I donât understand that either. Itâs a far bigger thing than that for me, because Iâm looking for that connection. As much as the audience might be, I am as well, and my band too, because Iâve seen it happen with my own eyes and there are some nights where you get so connected together by an audience that this thing just grows and grows. It transcends the moment.
MM: Itâs like magic.
PW: Itâs something special. The last time I played at the Fillmore in San Francisco, a couple of years ago, it was like that, and it wasnât because of gear. It was almost like we took off, like the whole room just lifted up.
MM: Have you got a ritual for after the show?
PW: No, not really. No.
MM: My dad has this sandwich and a Margarita, because he doesnât eat before he goes on. He waits until after.
PW: I have a cup of tea these days. In the past, I would have got off my nut, but I donât any more. But if you have a gig like that and that becomes your benchmark, youâre always looking to get back to that moment, which is not always possible. But that becomes the thing youâre always searching for, to find that connection. Weâre always striving for the spectacular. Itâs the same with record companies. Sometimes you have to compromise, but what you really want to do is pursue your own passions. It was more difficult when we first started, because the record company tried to step in more and tried to guide us to do this or that. In the early days of The Jam they even suggested we cover a 10cc song. We said, âNo fucking way is that going to happen.â Youâve got to stick to your guns. Youâve got to pursue what you set out to achieve.
MM: Fashion and clothes feel important to what you do, maybe because they make you feel a certain way to be able to perform?
PW: Yeah. But although I was too young to be really involved in the 1960s, I still lived through that time and that whole thing has never gone away for me. I love that period and it informs a lot of what I do, including how I dress. The whole look and sound of that time is just really formative. I donât feel Iâm stuck in that time, but it will always be the cornerstone of everything I do. I just thought it was such a brilliant time for music and fashion and art and all that stuff.
MM: What do you think it is about it? Is it experimentation?
PW: I think so. It was those postwar years, coming out of all that austerity, that bleak black and white, grey world â large parts of the country were still like that in the early 1960s. There were still bombsites. There was still slum housing. So it took a long time for Britain to become modern, but when it did, it was explosive.
MM: Dad describes it as it all suddenly going technicolour.
PW: Yeah, I think thatâs true and you just see the clothes and music expanding. Men stopped wearing demob suits and started wearing all these bright-coloured clothes.
MM: And the pill came about and made life a lot easier.
PW: Then the other pills came a little bit later and helped expand everyoneâs horizons. These people were pioneers. And also look at the art world â Peter Blake, David Hockney, Bridget Riley. It felt as though everything was becoming more modern and opening up and becoming different and colourful. I was only a very tender age, but, nevertheless, that influence was of great importance and value and always has been. Punk was probably the first time I experienced that freedom. We missed out on the 1960s, had a lift with Bowie, but after that it was largely a cultural wasteland. I was always looking for when I thought it was going to be our term. The 1970s were still very much in the shadow of the 1960s until punk. And then it all blossomed. Then it all started to make sense.
Fat Pop (Volume 1) by Paul Weller is out now.
Producer: Grace Guppy. First assistant: Pedro Faria. Digital technician: Alexander Brunacci. Make-up: Jane Bradley. Retouching: The Hand Of God
32 notes
·
View notes
...............all of them.....?
It took me an hr to do this....đ„Čđ
1. coffee mugs, teacups, wine glasses, water bottles, or soda cans?
Teacupsss
2. chocolate bars or lollipops?
Lollipops
3. bubblegum or cotton candy?
Uhhh cotton candy
4. how did your elementary school teachers describe you?
Probably quiet and smart lol I did my school work and was friendly with everyone so I was a favorite and heard all the nice things đ
5. do you prefer to drink soda from soda cans, soda bottles, plastic cups or glass cups?
I kinda like bottles more but like the glass ones with the caps that could slice your fingers-
6. pastel, boho, tomboy, preppy, goth, grunge, formal or sportswear?
Iâm for all but sports lol
7. earbuds or headphones?
Earbuds
8. movies or tv shows?
Shows cause Iâm the type to watch an hr long episode vs hr long movie idk why but Iâm rarely in mood for them
12. name of your favorite playlist?
Drop the beat (ie songs that are upbeat and I like most)
13. lanyard or key ring?
Hmm...I guess lanyard?
14. favorite non-chocolate candy?
Skittles or twizzlers
15. favorite book you read as a school assignment?
I had lots I had to read in school but only ever finished a handful lol my favorite I think was maybe Macbeth? I would say Odyssey but I donât think we read the full thing cause I remember being disappointed about something like that...
16. most comfortable position to sit in?
Sitting with my legs bent up in seat with me in some way
17. most frequently worn pair of shoes?
Converse and some nice but cheap sneakers from Walmart
18. ideal weather?
Not too hot, not too cold, mild like before/after a rain (most the time), idc if itâs raining or sunny but as long as temp is comfortable Iâm fine
19. sleeping position?
On my side most often
20. preferred place to write (i.e., in a note book, on your laptop, sketchpad, post-it notes, etc.)?
Phone and notebook
21. obsession from childhood?
Oh gosh uhhh I guess my like of dolls maybe? Or obsession with anything âšunexplainedâš like ghosts, aliens, cryptids, etc
22. role model?
Kim Namjoon lol just kidding (sorta)
23. strange habits?
Ok I know I have some and my friends would be more than happy to point them all out but hm let me think...idk if these count as habits but Iâll never place a mirror facing a bed (this is more superstitious I guess than habit,,,) I canât stand my food touching, if I have a tray like in cafeteria I have a certain spot for everything and uh my mind just went blank-
24. favorite crystal?
Moonstone, lapis lazuli, and I feel obligated to say garnet cause itâs my birthstone
25. first song you remember hearing?
Circle of Life maybe who knows xD
26. favorite activity to do in warm weather?
Walk or clean,,Iâm more active and about with warm/nice weather
27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?
...stay inside where itâs warm
28. five songs to describe you?
Not this againđ uhhh idk you tell me ajdbd
29. best way to bond with you?
Indulge me when I go off about things I like or learn đâ I know Iâll talk your ear off and Iâm sorry but know I donât often talk about these things with people so once I start itâs hard to stop,,and it makes me really happy when people do listen to me about these things and send me related items every so often or even look into it themselves to learn more đ„ș
30. places that you find sacred?
For some reason this feels like a trick question...um cemeteries and anything with ages of history I guess
31. what outfit do you wear to kick ass and take names?
Oof do I really have a true outfit?? I have shoes for this which are just black platform sneakers I call stomping shoes
32. top five favorite vines?
I never,,,watched these,,,
33. most used phrase in your phone?
âYesâ...?
34. advertisements you have stuck in your head?
State Farm and McDonaldâs, always
35. average time you fall asleep?
10-11...usually...
36. what is the first meme you remember ever seeing?
Uhhh that one with the ginger dude (I think it was someoneâs yearbook photo??) I donât remember much else about the meme but it was on ifunny, or whatever the app was, a lot
37. suitcase or duffel bag?
Suitcase
38. lemonade or tea?
Easy, tea
39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?
...neither
40. weirdest thing to ever happen at your school?
Dude these questions really testing my brain power here- for senior prank someone put cereal in some bathroom sinks I think
41. last person you texted?
My mom
42. jacket pockets or pants pockets?
Iâm gonna say jacket since I wear those often
43. hoodie, leather jacket, cardigan, jean jacket or bomber jacket?
Hoodie or cardigan
45. which genre: sci-fi, fantasy or superhero?
Fantasy
46. most comfortable outfit to sleep in?
Usually whatever shirt Iâm wearing that day and some pj/lounge pants đ€·
47. favorite type of cheese?
Mozzarella
48. if you were a fruit, what kind would you be?
I-what kind of question is this? How does one even answer this?
49. what saying or quote do you live by?
What comes around goes around lol (yes Iâm a heavy believer of karma)
50. what made you laugh the hardest you ever have?
Lol who knows, probably something dumb me and my siblings were doing or something we watched cause thereâs been plenty times of that xD
51. current stresses?
Homework vs free time e-e
52. favorite font?
I like the gothic looking ones but itâs usually not practical to use so idk
53. what is the current state of your hands?
My hands...? Theyâre fine ??
54. what did you learn from your first job?
How to care for babies and little kids, how to put on a diaper lol
56. favorite tradition?
I canât remember a particular one off hand but Iâm trying to start few new ones like decorating cookies for Halloween uwu
57. the three biggest struggles youâve overcome?
Uhhhhh like personally or...? Cause weâve overcome homelessness before, um finishing assignments idkđ oh maybe bullying?? Thatâs all I can think of since I still struggle with a lot,,
58. four talents youâre proud of having?
Alright letâs do thisss: creativity (mostly in writing sense), I can bake/cook, I have amazing organization skills and many work places have used that lol (bonus is I donât mind, I actually really enjoy it, very peaceful), surprisingly good balance all things considered, Iâm a quick learner
59. if you were a video game character, what would your catchphrase be?
âIâm too tired for this.â
60. if you were a character in an anime, what kind of anime would you want it to be?
Good question good questionđ€ I donât think Iâd last in any of them/have a terrible side character role so đ
61. favorite line you heard from a book/movie/tv show/etc.?
âLifeâs too short to hold grudges.â
62. seven characters you relate to?
Dude this is gonna get embarrassing I can feel itđ€
Itaru, Iori, Sogo, Belle, Simeon (obey me), Nozaki (heâs clueless about romance irl and doesnât know when someone has a crush on him yet can write romance well enough and yeah itâs me lol), and uhh Swindler/Ordinary Person in Akudama Drive (still canât believe no one really has names in that anime but the way she gets wrapped in everything felt like something thatâd happen to me lol)
63. five songs that would play in your club?
Like nightclub...? Iâm skipping this ajdbd
64. favorite website from your childhood?
Probably the Barbie site, me and my sister played all the dress up games almost daily istg
65. any permanent scars?
Appendectomy scars and then looks like I have one on a toe but itâs possible it still might heal...
66. favorite flower(s)?
Nightshade, foxglove, babyâs breath, bellflowers, roses
67. good luck charms?
I donât think I have any...
68. worst flavor of any food or drink youâve ever tried?
Lemon
69. a fun fact that you donât know how you learned?
Let me think...I read something once about flowers having ears(?) but like not ear ears just something about having a part that picks up sound waves
70. left or right handed?
Right
71. least favorite pattern?
Lolll animal print I think
72. worst subject?
Physics...the worst science
74. at what pain level out of ten (1 through 10) do you have to be at before you take an advil or ibuprofen?
6...?
75. when did you lose your first tooth?
I donât remember, it probably happened when i was 6. I do remember losing one of my front teeth during my birthday one year and I was happy since the tooth had been loose for some time xD
76. whatâs your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?
Chips I guess or just like fried in skillet
77. best plant to grow on a windowsill?
A succulent probably
78. coffee from a gas station or sushi from a grocery store?
Neither ew
79. which looks better, your school id photo or your driverâs license photo?
They are both about equally terrible
80. earth tones or jewel tones?
Earth
81. fireflies or lightning bugs?
Fireflies
82. pc or console?
I am on pc side now
83. writing or drawing?
Writing
84. podcasts or talk radio?
Podcasts I guess
84. barbie or polly pocket?
Barbie
85. fairy tales or mythology?
Mythology, itâs too fun and chaotic lol
86. cookies or cupcakes?
Hm...cupcakes
87. your greatest fear?
Uh,,,I donât have many fears but I guess one would be falling from a great height? So I would get scared of crossing a bridge and it collapsing or riding a plane and it falling easily
88. your greatest wish?
World peaceđ„Č
89. who would you put before everyone else?
My mom maybe...?
90. luckiest mistake?
I honestly donât remember but something I do remember is I out semicolon instead of period and turned out to be correct grammar lol
91. boxes or bags?
Boxes
92. lamps, overhead lights, sunlight or fairy lights?
Sunlight or fairy lights, I donât require much either way and prefer more natural lighting
93. nicknames?
Lassie, twinkle toes, Ash, poody butt (by 3 yr old I sometimes watch and play with lol he means it affectionately; I call him monkey butt and itâs catching on slowly instead)
94. favorite season?
Starting to be fall just a little more but I like transition times most
95. favorite app on your phone?
Letâs go with twitter
96. desktop background?
It is a moriarty and gang pic
97. how many phone numbers do you have memorized?
2: mine and my moms
98. favorite historical era?
Ooo tough one but Iâll say renaissance as some of the coolest things came from that time
17 notes
·
View notes
*sequel* to actual fucking quotes from the shiftblr coffeehouse discord server
once again, it's out of context because x1000 funnier
also x1000 longer than previous post
"ur satan is gnc af"
"Bestie Iâm already having gender envy over a fucking demon please"
"O_O ODEPIJHFbavevisdpvfhzdcnjawedsidjksjdkoeirjfmkdsoeirujdksodifjndmksoidfjdksidfj
ITS" NOT IN MY FRAFTS
IS SPEDNT 1 hour PN THAT SHIT"
"AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
"ohoho sexy"
"I am very proud of myself"
"himbo x edgy fuck"
"YOU COULD SQUISH HES CHEECKS"
"he has teefs"
"SQUASH"
"good for biting đ·"
"he's a himbo basically"
"BÍÌÌiÍ«ÌÌtͧÍÍŻeÌÌÌ"
"bifth"
"i havent watched blue exorcist in years but mr okumura my beloved </3"
"MY LIFE QUESTIONS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED"
"is it important information to mention that the person i put up for my turn is the son of satan"
"I know like 1 thing about everyone who isnt ranboo lmfao"
"crimes"
"tumblr sexyman"
"idk why but my first thought was cowboy onceler"
"I vibe with him but he is very long and twisty"
"steampunk e-girl"
"steampunk tumblr sexyman"
"Canonically bi crimelord I agree!!"
"OOO FRIEND SHAPED"
"ARTIST SIGHTED"
"they look like someone i would want to be friends with but is way cooler than me so i'd never actually talk to them"
"babby..... would die for him"
"honestly i probably kin him"
"i'm sure he's lovely but he looks way too much like my ex i'm sorry-"
"i'd be down for another rotation! i have another twink to show y'all"
"Also :00 blonde friend"
"Let us all infodhmo"
"Hsjagdvbs shhh im on phone"
"Nix woukd you like to joon?
"skitters away"
"I have two braincells and they both drink dumb bitch juice"
"oof wait whats the order again i have 0 memory"
"i want to bond with him over cosplay-"
"Awkwardly watches in band kid"
"One day I'm gonna a broadway star"
"which isnt to say they were bad. they were just fortnite dancing during rehersals"
"I threw it so hard my glasses flew off and slid under the stage right divider"
"anyway heres my boi"
"emo"
"haha emo"
"virgil sanders kinnie"
"he looks like he listens to my chemical panic at the fallout boy"
"Bro I bet he'd kick my ass with his deck"
"bird man my beloved"
"fuck i had so much to say and then i forgot it all"
"Birds!!"
"guiguhuh"
"crabrave"
"She sounds like someone I would end up stealing her personality"
"yess name collector gang"
"alias glass aiden haven absinthe fish brick rice"
"But I have Cypress, Remure, Genesis, Lemres, and Comet"
"And she's named after a mars candy bar bc alien"
"Hey, if plato went by plato, you can be king thief"
"im not dissing my gramma like that shfojd"
"My dad has seven legal names"
"bitches be like *looks at fictional character* *steals their name* it's us we're bithces"
"coraline lowkey traumatized me but i adore it regardless"
"mmmmmm magic man :]"
"°0° green man"
"criminal (affectionate)"
"he would shoplift a candy bar from walmart and then brag to all of his friends about the sick stealing he did"
"despite the fact he's canonically been capable of overpowering a minor deity"
"i would commit so many crimes for him"
"Very babey"
"Yes please tell green man he is very pog"
"he also keeps a lot of dumb secrets"
"but I will sorely miss the chaos and energy of this here chat until I wake again" (by request XD)
"i just say words and if they're funny then they're funny"
"* or extremly chaotic either works"
"at this point we are just taking turns rambling"
"oH--"
"bc my brain has a schedule"
"Hopefully they have gyoza there or I will lose my mind"
"hehe yes spooky man"
"my ghost glucose guardian"
"the head of the undead group that lives there, and we end up dating. (yes I date a ghost, no I will not be taking constructive criticism /lh)"
"ghosts r just inherently sexy"
"i mean im becoming a squid thing so"
"Raven quirk raven quirk!!"
"Ć Ăą m p"
"ĆĂŠmp"
"mothman: ooh lamp you look very nice today! do you come here often? mothman: wait shit no"
"I'd date a ghost"
"mine is still accurate, i am still sobbing (/j)"
"p e e p e e"
""@nick wilde is a tumblr sexyman" is the best thing i have ever seen"
"im sorry im cackling like a dying hyena"
"you're all 12 year olds"
"PEENIE"
"He once caused global warming on accident so he could get a tan"
"god, what a himbo. i love him"
"that reminds me of my friends kin assigned me jesus"
"Man outside of battle be like: princely crying but then in battle hes like: "CATACLYSM! DISASTER! DEVASTATION!" Chill out man"
"Every time I talk about satan it never fails to shock people it's my favorite thing to do"
"im kin assigning him roman sanders"
""Oh yeah he caused global warming because he wanted to get girls" "he what""
"oh damn i forgot satan was straight"
"twink appreciation club"
"give us the twinks"
"my first thought was bottom-"
"so many people to try and get his dad to love him"
"daddy issued"
"OH MY GOD ITS WILBUR"
"Big boy but"
"anyways janus is swagggg"
"........................."
"gib twink"
"give twink then i will share"
"holds him gentle like hamburger"
"This dumb bitch opened a book that said "do not open" and got possessed by a little bastard"
"he is. fragile creachur"
"klug is beauty klug is grace i would let him step on my face"
"If I'm playing swap and I have to hear one more "Pwanet Powew" Im gonna lose it"
"Who is to blame? Pandora or the box?"
"Bakugo isnt my type but I respect the drip"
"i say like my type isnt long-haired pretty boys and girls that look so gnc that people have a history of confusing them for men"
"hes a gremlin and i can appreciate a pretty gremlin"
"that is to say i am attracted to VFlower vocaloid. This is a confession."
"note i am a lesbian"
"You may like Schezo wegey"
"why does he have one single expression"
"soul soul eater passes the vibe check"
"magic wand"
"I Want To Hold His Hand"
"i would commit a war crime for him any war crime idc which one"
"my favorite one is when he sounded rlly gay because he said "Muscular bodies keep me satisfied""
"p e a n u t"
"Klug is a homophobic homosexual its just facts"
"grug from the croods is peak male performance"
"jaw drops to floor, eyes pop out of sockets accompanied by trumpets, heart beats out of chest, awooga awooga sound effect, pulls chain on train whistle that has appeared next to head as steam blows out, slams fists on table, rattling any plates, bowls or silverware, whistles loudly, fireworks shoot from top of head, pants loudly as tongue hangs out of mouth, wipes comically large bead of sweat from forehead, clears throat, straightens tie, combs hair Ahem, you look very lovely."
"tag yourself im the fireworks shooting from the top of the head"
"i like essays"
"central time gang"
"11:11 pog-" (wait... is that a suprise angel number?? yes it is lovelies just for you <3)
"Then again im also a dumbass bitch who wonders what the souls in soul eater taste like. SERIOUSLY THOUGH. THEY LOOK TASTY AS HELL!!!! LIKE GODDAMN BRO YOU'RE MAKING ME FUCKING HUNGRY. Like. that shit- it's Bone Apple motherfucking Teeth. hell yea my guy. Im hongy now.... shlorp I'm seriously considering this. Like. They seem kinda like a liquid? But a solid? Are they like jello? The fuck they taste like my guy???? I keep imagining they're like sour, like sour candy maybe? Or do they taste salty? Sweet? Maybe some combo of two? Do they even have a taste or is it about the texture? The sensation? God my mouth is watering what the hell. I am starving. I think I need to go get a cookie. I'm gonna go get a cookie. Brb. I'm better. I'm still craving souls though. Which is a weird-ass cringey thing to say but I'm being dead-ass rn. They just.... look tasty???? And I wanna eat one. Thus. I am shifting to Soul Eater for the express purpose of satisfying my fucking cravings. enjoy"
"points were made"
"jello? more like helloooo schloooAHFJDSDAIDWNALDHSJKDAIDANDM"
"WAIT I THINK I HAVE AN ANIME GIRL BITING VIDEO TOO"
"anime girl voice: mmm! mm... ahhhhmp!! mmm, mmm... aaahmp!"
"i think it sounds great
i'm going to start eating like that"
"several people are typing"
"do these look edible to you"
"forbidden gummies"
"when I was on lsd I couldn't eat my fruit gummies because I thought they were alive because they had little faces on them"
"oh shit yeah don't do drugs"
"anyways general consensus is puyos are edible, ty for your input everyone"
"everypony is a word so powerful it can bring nations to its knees"
"pls the self control it's taking me not to say "hewwo everypony" in gen chat when someone new joins-"
"hewwo evewrypony uwu deaw cewestia i hopwe it doewsnt wain owo"
"ive cooked up a sowution wiwth the knowwege ive acwued. they say a kitcwen time saves niwne, but im just savwing two. Ive gathewwed the inwedients to make a time sowbet. Thewe's hawdly woom fow seconds when the seconds mewt away."
"I had a ten year old sister... you know what happened to her??? very sad, very tragic... she turned eleven....."
"NIIICE"
"Guts dont say the secks word :( /j"
"watch your fucking language in front of the president"
"im so sorry lumi"
"i think you're like ehhhh 8/10 funny"
"now me???? 10/10. Hilarious"
"sometimes i have to take a step back and remember that this is the same guts i follow on tumblr /lh"
""ok every here's some good shifting advice!!! uwu have a good day" "yeah i did lsd and ate fruit gummies""
"i have one setting and it's whatever this is"
"my bitch ass cat just pushed the door open with his fuzzy face and now my sleeping dad is being lulled into dreams by Cosmo Sheldrake's 'Pliocine'."
"me on discord: nick wilde"
"me on tumblr: shifting water! haha funne! me on here: my hermit crabs are cannibals also i want to eat souls."
"im sorry yOUR VIBESA RE JUST SO DIFFERNT"
"u give off older cousin ive never spoken to but always admire at the family gatherings vibes"
"what the fuck"
"BC I HAVE LIBERTU"
"If you adopt me then yes"
"am I qualified for dad jokes???"
"we're all a lot smarter on tumblr"
"I'm like "awww... sweet... sweet little shiftlings... posting such sweet shiftling content... so pure, so wholesome... does not even know abcs....""
"can't think before you speak if you never think B)"
"I'm not responsible enough to be a mom"
"cat pet"
"show us pictures of the cat or i will do Crime"
"maybe thats me being a coward tho"
"MOTH!!!! MOTH MY BELOVED"
if y'all want I can make this a series bc shiftblr keeps giving me more content
33 notes
·
View notes
Wind anon has a test tomorrow so she is gonna be studying for a bitâbut it should be okay! (Actually, seeing and reading not only the PF updates but also all the comments from fans give me energy and motivation. Itâs really good at cheering me up, so I greatly appreciate how I was able to stumble upon such a community.) Anyway, might as well get to the reaction!
First, starting off with Iwaizumi... every time I see an Iwaizumi start I get a bit anxious like âoh no, itâs him againâ type of feeling. Makes me all twisty. But I was like âhm? Whyâs he asking where they all are? He drove them to the venue?â So I was like âaaaaaâ but softly
And YN with Suga and Akaashi! Soft boys. Very very nice. Suga mentioned reading books as a suggestion to Bokuto before didnât he? Book crew~ also, I like that thereâs a bench by the restrooms of the place. Very conveniently placed, isnât it? Though the mention that itâs secluded is very fitting with YN needing to recharge the social battery. Some days I need to recharge my battery myself, and I just completely lose the desire to talk once itâs low. I hope YN gets lots and lots of self care days where she doesnât have to do anything but love being herself. She deserves it.
Kuroo being with Bokuto :D! I like how heâs still sticking by even when he has no clue what they are talking about. Itâs wonderful.
And Kenma :0. Same restroom as the one where YN, Akaashi, and Suga are? Because then they all went together. Cute cute cute. A group of introverts.
Sakusa and Atsumu by the snack table. Thatâs good, thatâs good, hope that they had some good food.
Osamu talking to a kid about how he cooks his ramen! Very nice very nice, I feel like there hasnât been enough chances to show Osamuâs desire and love for food. I mean, there was that one time Meiko got him to cook food for her even when he was tired and Iâm still a bit grumpy about that, but itâs nice that heâs getting a chance to socialize to people like this.
Daichi, starting off with saying he was indisposedâmy immediate reaction was to zone in and be like âMeikoâ but no. It wasnât her this time. By this point I was like âbut...where is she...?â But also, Daichi is being real polite with the way heâs talking. Curious, but not bad. Just interesting to me.
And here we see Iwaizumi doing the classic âI hold the power. I demand answersâ I know that heâll have his redemption arc but I am just very...at odds with him right now and wind anon disapproves. Itâs upsetting to see him actually. I can only imagine how YN feels... (oh, Iâve been thinking of whatâd it be like to take the place of Meiko. Not right now because thatâs asking for wind anon to wake up to animosity and chaosâscary. But like, if wind anon was from the start... platonic cuddling with YN and no drama...)
But Daichi taking care of the wardrobe malfunction. Thatâs a cool choice. Though I suppose it makes sense. Heâs the steady type. Less impulsive and emotion driven compared to Iwaizumi, but still able to get there. Though, considering the amount of stress Iwaizumi has been under, was it really not a thing to ask for help from one of the members, or to request another person from management? Thereâs...13 members altogether, so 12 people heâs trying to manage right now. I donât think there would be much loss having 2 managers to care for 6 main members at a time. Might be more efficient, and they could always try a rotational schedule and collaborate if they want more full house content.
I like how Iwaizumi asked âwho and whereâ and when Daichi replied with only The Who, everyone still moved on. Just shows how frazzled and frantic Iwaizumi is under that calm facade.
Iwaizumi commanding them to leave :0! I was really puzzled at this point. Like the rest of the members, I didnât understand why he was so adamant considering he had made them go to the event to network. And him forgetting Oikawa...
But moving down to the part where Iwaizumi blows up and tells them to get in the limo (because wind anon doesnât want her reaction to drag too long), itâs very much like Iwaizumi. First there is the message about âthere will be another event where you get to pretend youâre relevant for a couple of hoursâ oh, wind anon is focusing on that line. Obviously, the fact that they are all preoccupied right now is not a concern to himâbut this was very emotionally charged and bluntâhe didnât have the patience to frame his thoughts to something prettier and more logicalâthis is truly what he thinks. âThere will be another eventâ shows that he believes that there definitely will be oneâheâs not trying to cover his words so the fact he mentioned thereâs another event means itâs not trying to placate them in a sense. I mean, if heâs trying to placate them, rage is not the way to go about it anyway so it would have been a fail even without this, but he specified the event when he couldâve not said a thing about a future event so, yeah. âWhere you get to pretend to be relevant for a few hoursâ oh my gosh. How to go about analyzing this portion? The content, the emotion, the execution, itâs all so...vivid. (10/10 job as always fr0ggy) the fact that he says pretend to be relevant shows how he views the house. Obviously they like the content they create. They care about the content they create. And sure they may not all be big, but relevant? Theyâre definitely relevant in your career choice Iwaizumi. They got nominated for an award and itâs not as if they were around for a super long time. Itâs impressive. Youâll get attention and more of a fan base. Their relevance will definitely grow. The words by themselves are an attack of sorts to the members, showing his belief that they are shallow and fake and trying to get famous and seem big. Makes him seem like he has an inferiority complex of sorts, the way heâs acting. Take everything I say with a grain of salt though. Iâm not a doctor.
Okay, next. We have Daichi, who is more reliable and asks for logic! Thank the lords of the PF universe, I literally wouldnât be able to take too much emotional charge. And then Meikoâs name pops up. The last time I was writing an ask, I was redesigning Meikoâs entire look, and purely the look. I wasnât doing a character analysis and I didnât put anything besides my opinions on a better dress but I saw this and the complete blankness my mind went was astonishing.
âSheâs a grown woman Tsumu. I left her alone for a few hours, she can handle that.â Yâknow, for a cook, he really didnât realize that was a recipe for disaster. (B-dum tsss. I do like puns) but sheâs been shown to not be able to take care of herself and also have a bad personality on top of that so it really was an explosion in the making. Iâm the spectrum of not taking care of myself (skipping meals to do schoolwork...skipping meals to sleep...yeah, no) but I think my personality is decent. But Meiko? I actually thought she might be decent with networking. I mean, she picks up guys quite easily doesnât she? So I was fascinated with what she couldâve possibly done.
Liquor :0 !! I was never interested in drinking liquor that much (though they are pretty a lot of the times...the colors and bottles and glasses are really nice art subjects). Seeing Meiko makes me want to avoid alcohol even more. She started drinking...gosh, she is...a hot mess. Not even kids would be as bad...
Her being âplasteredâ? Considering that one time where she started drinking a ton before going to a club and...forcing herself on Suga, and how she managed to leave the bathroom completely composed and such, I was mesmerized at the fact she actually managed to drink enough to get completely wasted. And champagne? She mustâve just stuck around and made a whole group of glasses where she was. Also, she didnât try to get any guys? Wow. Wind anon is staring at her like sheâs a particularly weird specimen. She is so...baffling. Confusing.
She insulted and slapped someone :0!!!!!! The amount of exclamation marks show how intense my reaction is. Violent, violent, and such an idiot Meiko is. I hope management steps in. I canât stand looking at her. But I mean...once she wakes up, like the morning after, would anyone be willing to look and care for her? Such a mess...
I pity the people in management who would have to smooth this over. Gosh, they need a raise and a fruit basket. Like those fancy ones with the fruit cut into shapes on skewers and such. As well as a box of chocolates.
But yeah, Iâll end it here. Been a while since I have a long reaction. Iâm pretty sure I got a bit of the analysis wrong and also rambled a bit too much at times, hmmm.
Okay, headcanon time... imagine YN making make up by breaking all of Meikoâs and she just names the mix âMeikoâ because itâs a streaky mess. She packages it and gives it to fans for free. It would be fun :D. Only the eyeshadows and stuff though. I do not trust any thing that would directly touch Meiko...like her lipsticks. Bleh.
Sakusa, Akaashi, Suga, Tooru, and YN being eyeliner group. Just imagine Akaashi tilting your head up with the lightest fingers under your chin, while Sakusa braids your hair and folds in some dark silk flowers with pearl centers into it. YN smiling at them after she comes out, with pomegranate lip tint and a leather jacket. Be dangerous YN. Kill us all. YN supremacy <3.
YN and Atsumu would be the two to have the popsicles that you break apart.
Kenma wears red eyeliner once for a dare or a gift to fans or something and all of his fans decide to pass out.
Osamu and Bokuto doing stuff together to promote healthy living.
Okay, gonna end here. I very much appreciate all the support here. Much love towards those who favorite my asks and such too. Iâm super glad you all like hearing from me. I mean, weâre all fans of PF and fr0ggy so I hope that everyone is enjoying all of this as much as I am. You all make me very very happy. Much appreciation to all the anons and ask senders and submissions because everyone is super cool.
Take care fr0ggy! Much hearts to you!
oh geez i hope ur test goes well!!!!!!! i donât have much to say cs ur incredibly eloquent (as usual) but i rlly like the idea of bokuto n osamu promoting healthy living!!!! that rlly hits cs my family is VERY much into healthy living so that just made me happy hehe ILY I HOPE U HAVE A LOVELY DAY KITH KITH <3333
26 notes
·
View notes
Shoujo manga recommendations - unrequited love
1.      360 Degrees Material
Taki is the cool yet strange guy in Mio's class. She bumps into him at the subway station after school and saves him after he almost gets pushed onto the tracks. The next day, he returns the favor by saving her from an incoming car. This marks the start of Mio's love.
2.      Ai Kara Hajimaru
Sakura Ai has always loved sunflowers, as they appear like the sun, which incidentally also was the name of her first crush, Taiyou, in the 3rd grade. From since then, Ai has never had another love and has also become quite introverted, but after meeting a guy with the same name, somethings will begin to changeâŠ
3.      Anta Nante Okotowari
Yui has a deep love for her "older brother" (they're not actually siblings, but are related), and she is devastated when he gets married. While at the wedding, Yui meets a sobbing boy, Kaoru. It turns out that his cousin (that he was in love with) is the one Yui's brother is marrying.
When Yui moves into a boy's dorm so she can seek out new love, she finds that the head of the dorm is none other than Kaoru!
4.      Ao Haru Ride
Yoshioka Futaba has a few reasons why she wants to "reset" her image and life as a new high-school student. Because she's cute and had a demure personality she was ostracized by her female friends in junior high, and because of a series of misunderstandings and mishaps, she couldn't get her feeling across to the one boy she has always liked, Tanaka Kou.
Now in high school, she is determined to be as unladylike as possible so that her friends won't be jealous of her. While living her life this way contentedly, she meets Tanaka-kun again, but he now goes under the name of Mabuchi Kou. He tells her that he felt the same way as she did when they were younger, but that they cannot go back. Will Futaba be able to continue her love that never even started from three years ago?
5.      Awayuki no Namida
Ritsuka, who likes to watch the snow as it falls, has an unrequited love for Fubuki, who lives with an older woman. Ritsuka and Fubuki fall in love, but Fubuki still has past debts toward the older woman, who was his dead brother's fiancee.
6.      Bambi to Dhole
Yukimi is her real name but everyone calls her Bambi. She is the student discipline committee member who locks students out of the school if they're a minute late, but sneaks cigarette breaks on the roof. Lone wolf transfer student Tetsu Nagasawa hops the fence after she locks it and breaks her cigarette in half when he finds her on the roof, but he's a super nice guy to a mother and baby on the train. Bambi already has a boyfriend but will the wolf steal her heart?
7.      Celeste Blue
Eishi is one of those popular guys that are smart, good looking, and is good at sports. However, he thinks people and "love" are bothersome and would rather not deal with either of them. When his teacher told him to help this girl, Uta, to study, he dreaded the idea of having to stick with such an annoying girl. Soon, though, his heart starts to lighten up towards her.
8.      Datte, Kimi ga Warau kara
Letâs get into a time machine and return to that time.
Where it was always fun and you were always laughing, to that time...
"I only have three more months to live"
Yui who just transferred to a new school in the countryside becomes Ryoâs classmate. Yui who is suffering from an illness has a "wish" that she canât tell anyone, but Ryo wants to grant her that wish butâŠ
After death, reality hits Ryo and Yui.
This is the story of the eternal promise that was made by the two of them. Â
9.      Eien no Mae
Arisa has had a crush on classmate Nageki since the school festival, but has never spoken to him. Will she be able to strike up a conversation before they part ways at graduation?
10.  Futari no Himitsu
Saijou Kiki is a model and child star and with the release of her new commercial her popularity skyrockets. At school, she harbors feelings for Takumi-kun... but somehow ends up kissing his friend Teppei?! And what's more, they've switched bodies due to some sort of old legend?!
11.  Getsuyoubi Kara Kataomoi
Despite his one-sided love, a prince at school encouraged his crush to confess to her crush. But he also could not resist confessing to her. What will happen?
12.  Hachimitsu ni Hatsukoi
Koharu and Nacchan are childhood friends which many of their friends thought they are a dating couple. Soon, after getting into senior high school, Koharu feels something different with Nacchan. While Koharu tries to figure out her feelings, Nacchan's already falling in love with someone else, the beautiful Saionji, but his love doesn't stop him from caring for Koharu. Does what Nacchan feel towards Saionji really be love? Why can't he let Koharu go on a blind date?Â
13.  Hatsukoi Hakusho
A collection of one shots.
14.  Hiren Trip
Miyu, an ordinary new first-year student who hopes to become a mangaka meets the schoolsâ class president who seems to have a hidden side to him. While being pushed around by the cool but private class president, the curtain on Miyu's stormy school life is raised.
15.  Katakoi Triangle
Sekiya-san of the cultural library has an unrequited love for Yuuki-kun. The one who cares about Sekiya-san is the popular Kasai-kun, who is also Yuuki-kun's friend! And, what's this? Yuuki-kun is rooting for Kasai-kun?! It seems that everyone's feelings are one-sided... or are they?
16.  Kimi ga Inakya Dame tte Itte
Nayu and Oumi are childhood friends. Without realizing it, Nayu finds she has fallen for Oumi over the years. However, just as she comes to terms with her feelings, Oumi reveals himself to be in love with the pretty Tsuzuki-san in his class. How will Nayu deal with such heartbreak?
17.  Kimi o Omou Toki
What does it mean to love? Most of the time, I don't know... Falling in love with someone always ends up with a farewell. Encounters in which you can meet a kind man are very rare. For someone to tell me, "Momo-chan, I love you very much~ âȘ" and to caress me with a smile... I don't understand the meaning of those things. Still, that kind of behavior gives me a warm feeling and makes my head spin.
18.  Kimi to Kyun Koi, Shiyou
A collection of one shots.
19.  Kobayashi ga Kawai Sugite Tsurai
The comedy starts when the cross-dressing begins! The Kobayashi twins, Mego and Mitsuru, were named after historical figures, but only Mego has grown up with a taste for history. So when Mitsuru is in danger of losing his weekends to extra history classes, he convinces his sister to swap clothes with him and ace his tests! After all, how hard can it be for them to play each other?
But Mego canât rely on just her book smarts in Mitsuruâs all-boys, delinquentsâ paradise of a high school. And Mitsuru finds life as a high school girl to be much more complicated than he expected!
20.  Koi dano Ai dano
After constantly transferring during middle school (Warau Kanoko-Sama), Naedoko has entered Takara No Tani High along with Tsubaki. Follow her adventures as she tries to restore the Newspaper Club's status without being noticed by the Broadcasting Club or Student Council...!
21.  Koi ni Dokubari
Youthful, real love between a pure girl x sharp-tongued boy. âThe boy Iâve had a long unrequited love for has found himself a girlfriend. On top of that, sheâs my best friend. Even though Iâm the one who met him and fell in love with him first. Why did he not choose meâŠ?â Heart-broken Aya meets Ryuu, an unpredictable, older boy. Aya gradually begins to be drawn to this sharp-tongued, but kind Ryuu. However, this love isnât straightforward at all. âWhen you fall in love, you canât keep being a âkind, good girlâ.â Ryuuâs words pierce her heart, doesnât disappear and is painful, butâŠ?Â
22.  Last Game
Yanagi is rich, smart, a girl-magnet, and always at the top of his class... well, until Kujou transferred in his primary school. She was quiet, plain, and poor, yet not once has she failed at beating Yanagi, both in academics and sports! Yanagi has made it his life goal to defeat her and thus, followed her from elementary until college over the past 10 years. Only when he decides to change the rules might he finally win. Here comes their last game!
23.  Love so Life
Shiharu is a high-school student who loves kids, lives in an orphanage, and works at a daycare... Until the handsome uncle of two-year-old twins offers her a raise if she'll be their babysitter. Often relying on memories of her mother's actions for guidance, Shiharu quickly finds herself falling in love with her new makeshift family.
24.  Mako to Aki-chan no Koigokoro
A collection of one shots.
25.  Metallic Colors
The story of a stylish and gaudy girl who strives to win the heart of the boy she likes.
26.  Nonchan to Watashi
Risa and Takumi are childhood friends, but due to a fight in the past, they stopped talking to each other. Now university students, Takumi is a famous playboy who goes out with a different girl every day, and Risa still regrets not having been able to apologize for what she did six years ago...
27.  Orange
In the Spring she was 16, Takamiya Naho receives a strange, but detailed letter from herself, ten years in the future. At first she thinks the letter is a prank, but then the things written in the letter actually happen, including the new transfer student that sits next to her in class, Naruse Kakeru. The letter reads just like her diary entries, down to the same characters. It is not till two weeks later, when Kakeru shows back up at school, that Naho finishes the letter. In the letter, her 27-year-old self tells her 16-year-old self that her biggest regret is that Kakeru is no longer with them in the future, and asks her to watch him closely.
28.  Propose no Okite
A high school girl becomes a wife?! And her husband is the worst man? Because she had to pay her familyâs debt, she married! The husband is the son of a big Hotel company. The first time she saw him she said "You got a wife thanks to your money! Youâre the worst!" "I maybe the worst", he said "but youâll have to live all your life by my sideâŠ"
29.  Saboten no Himitsu
Miku Yamada has a longtime crush on classmate Kyohei Fujioka. But no matter how many times she tries to show him how she feels, clueless Kyohei just doesn't get it. Frustrated, Miku gives up on him, only to have him start calling her "Cactus" for being prickly when he's around. Will Kyohei ever figure out Cactus's secret?
30.  Shitsuren Biyoushitsu
A collection of one shots.
31.  SP x Baby
A romantic comedy about a privileged man and his kickass female bodyguard.
Tamaki Hasegawa misses an interview for a much-needed job in order to stop an assault on a man running for his life! The manâKagetora Sugo, the prime ministerâs nephewâthen asks Tamaki to become his bodyguard.
Tamaki isnât sure sheâs cut out to be a bodyguard, but Kagetora has another reason for wanting to hire her. Unbeknownst to her, theyâve met beforeâŠ
32.  Special A
Her whole life, Hikari Hanazono has been consumed with the desire to win against her school rival, Kei Takishima--at anything. He always comes out on top no matter what he does, and Hikari is determined to do whatever it takes to beat this guy!
33.  Suki desu Suzuki-kun
Suzuki Hikaru, Hoshino Sayaka, Ito Chihiro and Suzuki Shinobu are all new students who have just entered the same middle school. Sayaka is a shy girl who secretly loves acting. Hikaru is an energetic boy who loves basketball. Incidentally, he shares the same last name with Shinobu, a popular rich boy who would be perfect if not for his rotten personality. Chihiro is Hikaruâs childhood friend and has long had a crush on him.
34. Wana Love - Wanna be the Honey Trap
Mayuko is a model. She's acting like a beauty in front of guys but in fact she's suffering of an unrequited love with the cameraman Nagumo...Will she reveal her true nature through his lens...?
35.  Yoshiwara Hana Oboro
Hana is a normal teenager who goes to school normally, that is until she gets run over by a car... or did she? Suddenly, she finds herself in a weird place known as the "Red Light District"... in EDO PERIOD?! Trying to find a way to get back to her own time, she somehow gets mistaken for a prostitute and has to escape. Not expecting to be saved by a gentleman, she suddenly ends up in a geisha house.. but then she is bought by the same guy who helped her earlier?!
36.  Yumemiru Taiyou
While loitering in the park, Shimana Kameko, who intended to run away from home and skipped school, meets a suspicious man in a kimono. This man, who had been locked out of his house, offers Shimana a place to stay. However, he requests she fulfill three conditions in exchange for her tenancy?!
108 notes
·
View notes
Ya know thinking about it, maybe thereâs nothing more to Syds weird amount of trust for Farouk than gullibleness and pride.
There seemed to be a pattern of her not really internalizing the severity of Farouks crimes, she mostly just thought of him as an âassholeâ throughout all the seasons and not someone doing deep long lasting damage to the people around her.
In chap 11 when they find the music box David ask what it is she says, âNothing just your asshole parasite messing with my head.â
As if its Davids fault Farouks evil, or as if Farouks only a David problem, and not ya know, an extremely powerful supervillain bent on world domination.
Iâm trying to figure out what Syds perception of Farouk was, so lets look at their major interactions.
1. Discovers his existence, chap 5. She was wondering what the problem in her and Davids relationship was and now she has someone to blame. Iâll point out, itâs likely she was only thinking of Farouk as an obstacle in the way of her and Davids relationship, and not as a horrifying abuser whoâs had a chokehold on David for his entire life. Now the âmissionâ is clear, snip Farouk outta Davids head, everythingâll be perfect.
2. David and Amys childhood home, also chap 5. Farouk jump-scares them a few times. And I think as far as Syds concerned, thatâs a cheap trick. She sheds a tear but then puts on a brave face and keeps moving. Just a horror show after all. None of it ârealâ. But then Lenny actually jumps out and attacks her, telepathically ties her up then starts grotesquely kissing David while heâs unconscious. And the way she talks, I think Syd internalizes Lenny as being like... a jealous ex. The kissing, the âyou stole my manâ type language. Man, this relationship obstacle just wonât get out the way. And then...
3. Mental Clockworks, chap 5-7. In the white room Farouk reveals his true form and chases Syd down which scares the shit outta her. But, important note, he doesnât actually touch her before the delusion is put in place. Itâs still very much not real.
Anyways, whatâs a horrifying display of control and power for everyone else worked a bit differently for Syd. She was the only one who noticed anything was off. And she couldnât place it for a while, which worried her, and she eventually gets incapacitated by Lenny. But then, sheâs woken up by Cary who takes her into a phone booth and tries to update her on whatâs happening, only sheâs already figured it out. Iâll point this out as a moment of overconfidence, sheâs visibly proud that she was able to see through the illusion. Sheâs not like the others, sheâs a hero archetype. And being that means when Cary hands her the glasses and tells her to go save the others sheâs super confident in her ability to do so. Sheâs the hero after all. And when she does put on the glasses she remarks, âShe thought itâd be more interesting.â Sheâs actively downplaying this nightmare. I donât hold it against her but my point in saying all this is that it comes back later. This is another instance of her thinking Faroukâs âNot that big a deal.â Underestimating his abilities. I mean, she saw through it after all, she could probably do it again if she needed too... right?
To summarize 3, Syd sees herself as the hero who saw through Farouks cheap illusion. She feels stronger than Farouk here, like he couldnât hurt her (really hurt her I mean) even if he tried. And in that, she canât relate to the others who treat it like a big deal or like a traumatizing moment in their adventure. It was just a standard hero vs villain fight to her. Really hope the points getting across cause thisâll come up later.
4. White room, chap 8. Another interaction with Lenny only this time sheâs on the ropes, looking a lot worse for ware. Syds not scared of her anymore, or so she tells herself at least. She saw through Farouks tricks. She can do it again if she has too. Nothings gonna get in the way of her and Davids happily ever after. Except Lenny has a good point... sheâs still inside David. Still attached to his mind. She could explode his brain if they try to rip her out forcefully. And David canât handle himself against Farouk, Syd knows this. Cause Davids never won against Farouk up to this point. Getting out of Mental Clockworks was a team effort from her, Melanie, Cary, and Oliver. If it hadnât been for the crown they wouldnâtâve gotten out of their. Syds role in this was to keep Kerry and Rudy safe until Cary could complete his end of the plan. And she did. But David was helpless in that, as far she knows. So she, the hero, needs to do something. Just sitting around isnât good enough. So... she switches with David again. Using a true loves kiss too, a truly fairy tale worthy action, one for the books.
Sheâs fully possessed now, completely outta control of her own body, but Farouk only used her to get Kerry. Itâs a very short moment for Syd, she might not even remember it. When she wakes up she says, âDid we win?â She honestly mightâve just blacked out after the kiss. Because theyâre not telepaths their minds are probably much easier to push to the side than Davids. She might notâve really... experienced the possession is what Iâm getting at. And sheâs once again most concerned with David.
D: âYou should not have done that, as much as I like kissing you.â
S: âIt wouldâve killed you.â She says that last line not in a concerned way, but in a playful-ish way. As if to say âObviously I saved you. Iâd destroy the world myself if it meant saving you.â
Ya know what, Iâll point out here also that David once again failed to beat Farouk. Syd managed to get Farouk out of his mind but David still couldnât stop him in the real world.
5. Plaque, chap 9. As explained in show, Syds been part of the team hunting down Farouk and trying to stop him from finding his body. Before chap 12 she and everyone else is under the impression that Farouk is the source of the âmaze virusâ. A psychological plaque that freezes everyone in their tracks and causes them to chatter their teeth. Disturbing, but... just based on other stuff we know about the character... she probably doesnât care that much. Her main focus is probably still David. And when David comes back, she immediately blames him for disappearing. Her context here being that he was found in the club they followed Farouk to, next to a bunch of teeth chatterers mumbling, âHelp them. Their in the maze.â Clearly, heâs been somewhat involved with the events of the past year, so why hasnât he contacted her? Why hasnât he included her in it? Whyâd he abandon her? He says he doesnât remember anything? Ptonomy says otherwise. Clearly he remembers something. Heâs keeping secrets. She gets why from the others, but why from her? Theyâre supposed to be a team. And he abandoned her, to go clubbing with Farouk or whatever it is that he was doing their.
6. Music box, chap 10. Davids back. Maybe she can just pretend things are normal. He leads them to the middle of nowhere and they find her old music box. Farouk. That asshole. His little jump scares and memory tricks wonât get to her. He canât hurt her, remember? This is all he can do. Illusions, trick. And sheâll see right through them every time. Besides, was reminding her of her childhood really the best he can do? Yeah sheâs got a childhood, so does everyone. Sheâs over it already. (Iâm starting to type more and more in Syds perspective.)
6.5 Syd the illusion breaker gets caught in the maze, chap 12. Only... sheâs out of it before David even enters her mind to save her. She sees that heâs there, doesnât know why, but decides to use this as an opportunity to teach him a lesson. We all know the lesson though. The headline in this particular case is, âDavid never saved Syd from her maze.â He never even saw it. She doesnât know what heâs talking about when she mentions it. He entered her mind but sheâs the one in full control. Scary good control even, props to her. The lesson sheâs trying to teach him is sort of... her own thought process on heroism. âLove canât save us, itâs what we have to save.â Up to this point âloveâ is all Syds been fighting for. Itâs been the driving force behind her heroism. Sheâs done some messed up things in her past, sure, but all her problems only made her stronger. They made her the âtruth seerâ she is today. They led her to David, the best thing thatâs ever happened to her. No villain can hurt her more than sheâs hurt herself. This all... obviously doesnât translate perfectly to David. Thatâs just... not been his experience.
(Skippable David Tangent) Farouk hurt David the most that any one person could. And David couldnât hurt himself more even if he tried. And all Davids pain hasnât made him mentally stronger, less gullible, or less sensitive. The opposite in fact. Davids minds been split, unbeknownst to Syd. Heâs in a constant state of confusion. He keeps getting tugged around by friends and enemies and doesnât know what to do about it. Davids pain hasnât shielded him at all, just caused him more strife. Heâs even still being manipulated by his abuser. The survivor story just doesnât work on him, at the moment at least. As far as Davids concerned his âstrengthâ comes from his powers, and he didnât get a choice in those either. Syd doesnât see any of this, sheâs not a telepath. She hopes her story will help him but... it really only applies to her. Back into her perspective though,
7. Lennyâs back, chap 15. I know this isnât a Farouk interaction but it is sorta important. Davids not listening to her. Sheâs trying to remind him of the mission, trying to keep him focused, but clearly itâs not working. Losing his sister really affected him. She understands sure, but he wonât even talk to her about it. Love is whatâs supposed to be used to help each other through these dark times, to make sure people donât feel alone. But heâs isolating himself from her. He isnât âsaving loveâ heâs pushing it away. Thatâs not what heroes are supposed to do. Farouk is once again in the way of their love. She canât blame David, and she knows itâs not her fault, so Farouk.
But the headline there is sheâs downplaying his sisters death. As if itâs just another trick to mess with him, an obstacle to be hurdled over. Like the music box thing. But... his sister died. In fact... Lenny was more immediately comforting to him about it than either of the Syds were.
Syd still isnât internalizing the pain Farouks causing to others. All sheâs internalized is her own wins against him and the fact that heâs never permanently damaged her specifically. Or so she says. Heâs still just a ghost in a haunted house.
8. Lenny talk, chap 16. Syd comes over to gloat. She sees through Farouks trick. Lennyâs not gonna frazzle her, or David. Sheâs just another obstacle to their happiness. Only Lenny drops a hard truth on her. And Syd doesnât seem to want to hear it. Sheâs stunned at. Tbh... I think she walks away deciding not to believe her. It must be another trick. She just said that to mess with her (again, Syds thoughts). She really really wants to continue thinking of Farouk as âjust some assholeâ who they need to work with and/or defeat so her and David can finally have their happy ever after. At this point, if she actually started thinking of Farouk as dangerous to her, as a major threat, itâd feel like giving him power. The power of fear, over her. She refuses to be afraid of Farouk, cause she knows thatâs how he tricks people. Thatâs how he controls them. So she doesnât listen to Lenny. She resolves to continue downplaying Farouks crimes. A dog barking in peoples ears.
9. The cave, chap 18. In between this and the last one David left her again. He really doesnât get what âsaving loveâ means. But she dedicates herself to him again. If he wonât save love, she will. Sheâs a hero after all. Sheâs beaten Farouk in the past and sheâll beat him again if she has too. And then... the cave. Incorporating what another fan has said, even if Syd does pic up on Melanie being Farouk, she knows her future self wanted to work with him for some reason. He was the key to saving the world. He may be a house haunting asshole, but if he saves the world, then thereâs gotta be something more to him... right? Melanie complains about Oliver some more, sheâs over it. But then Melanie starts showing Syd images. Syd doesnât know how sheâs doing that, but some of the images are from very private personal moments. And theyâre all centered on David. These must be memories. Both her and Davids. How Melanie is doing this can go on the back-burner for now, what is she trying to tell her with these? That Davids crazy? No, Faroukâs the one who was behind all these things. Davids âher man.â Her one true love. The problem in their relationship has always been Farouk.
But then... there are all those moments after she got Farouk out of his head. Him keeping secrets. Him not confiding in her, or being there for her. Him constantly leaving her behind. Thatâs not how loveâs supposed to work. A psychopath? Well, when you say that... and you show these images on the screen... and you show him torturing Oliver ( a victim) to get to Syd. And enjoying it, almost like he just wanted the excuse to go all out. Like itâs not really about saving Syd. Or love for that matter. Syd maybe admits to herself at this point that Davids fairly unhinged. Heâs had a rough childhood though, there were bound to be some sharp edges here and there. He tortures Oliver for a long time though. And it really starts to feel like he just likes doing it, not that heâs doing it cause itâs ânecessaryâ. It doesnât even work.
And then... Melanie shows her Future Syd. She matches the description David gave her. And thereâs David, in those same pajamas he wears. And... heâs kissing FS. He didnât tell her about that. Itâs not cheating cause itâs her future self. But... they talked about this. David was the one to say it might feel weird. Why not tell her? Why keep that a secret. Even if itâs not cheating, it certainly feels like it. Itâs a huge betrayal. And he doesnât have Farouk as an excuse. Davids just... a bad person. Sheâs starting to piece together the point of all this. âLegion, The World Killerâ yada yada.
David hasnât been loyal to her. He hasnât saved loved, heâs not going to save love. The path heâs on is dark and selfish. Could he destroy the world? Theyâve known he could since season 1. They never thought heâd actually do it. But wait no, you canât give up on love that easily. Heâs a good person. And then Melanie shows it all again. And she shows him kissing Lenny. And she shows FS telling Farouk about David. And Syd canât help but concede. Davids too far gone. Farouk may be an asshole, but David lied about everything. He lied to Syd. Again, Davids not going to save love, he missed the mark on that. Davids going to end the world.
Very important to point out here, as Iâve tried to build it up, Syds internalized herself as a hero who doesnât let anything get to her. Farouk canât hurt her with his illusions and tricks. Sheâs seen through them before and sheâll do it again. But David betraying her? Keeping secrets? Playing with her heart? That hurts more than anything Farouks done to her. She invested in David. She was on his side no matter what, but he wasnât on her side. So if FS says Davids evil and has gotta go, than sheâll believe her. Heâs gotta go.
All of this hopefully explains my theory on Syds specific moment-to-moment reasoning thoroughly
I also wanna say though, if Iâm right this makes Syds moment on the mountain make more sense. All the specific unexplained discrepancies.
She says she knows it was Farouk who showed her all that. Because she doesnât perceive Farouk as that big of a threat and again, as mostly a house haunter. Those were clearly memories, she doesnât care that the infos coming from him, and she believes she can tell the difference between an illusion and something real. so Davids gotta answer for that.
She gets a detail wrong, she says âHe went to see her, after you quit.â But we all know he saw her before David quit and specifically set him up. Syd doesnât know David specifically broke their rules after they set them. She thinks he kissed her beforehand and didnât tell her for whatever reason.
And again, she doesnât fully understand what everyone around hers been through. Hence, âThe son of samâ thing. To her, Farouk maybe evil, but you can see through his tricks if you just try hard enough. Even though he possessed her she didnât really register it happening. At a certain point the things you do when heâs in your head are on you (says Syd).
Oh, and also majorly, the âFarouk, your enemyâ thing. She never really care about him all that much. He was just an obstacle. David was the one who had a weird complex about him.
Tl;dr Syd doesnât view Farouk as much of a threat. She doesnât register or internalize the pain heâs causing to the others cause heâs not doing any of it to her. Syds main focus is David and when she realizes what Faroukâs showing her are memories, and that Davidâs betrayed her and isnât planning on âsaving loveâ, that hurts her more than anything Farouks done. Thus, she turns.
18 notes
·
View notes