maddie

[maddie-forward]

fcllingangel​:

@tiff-chiba​—

“Funny meeting you here, Tiffany!” His mouth curls into a grin, mostly kind, a veneer hiding the shark that wants to pounce—he had been meaning to get back to Hale about all of the whole dating thing, but life and his job seemed to consipire against them. “I’m Angel. Hale’s friend—great to finally meet you.”

“Oh-- hi!” Tiff smiles, small but genuine. They get kind of nervous meeting Hale’s friends; but they’re feeling a lot more relaxed after their vacation together, at least. It does kind of feel like Angel is perhaps laying it on a bit thick? But they’ll admit they’re kind of paranoid and tend to assume people will dislike them; Tiff’s willing to admit it’s a them problem, not an Angel problem. “It’s really nice to meet you. Angel is such a neat name; like Angel Clare in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. I’ve been... kind of reclusive these last few months but I really want to start meeting more of Hale’s friends! She always has such nice things to say.”

[maddie-forward]

tenzinnguyen​:

closed starter // @tiff-chiba​

“Handle your liquor any better these days, kid?” Tenzin recognises Tiffany immediately – it’s hard to forget the innocent eyes that drew her in last year. She makes no attempt to shift her feet off the table, but gestures to the chair opposite her. “Take a seat, I’ve got a pitcher of beer and some wings on the way.” Tenzin had been planning to drink the whole pitcher by herself, but sometimes company outside of the Damned can liven things up. 

Tiffany doesn’t always have the best memory for faces, but Tenzin is pretty hard to forget. Especially because you can never forget the person that teaches you how to do tequila shots! Not that Tiffany does that very often, but when they do, they do think of the intimidating-but-somehow-kinda-nice woman that taught her. “Um. No.” They admit with a soft grin. Tiff just isn’t a natural born drinker. White wine spritzers are the way forward for her; water it down by any means possible! But they are happy enough to sit with an old acquaintance, anyway, so they accept the invitation to sit. “Thank you! Are you-- waiting for someone?” She winces as she asks that, because like, what if Tenzin got stood up for a date? And also, if she was waiting for someone, she’d not have asked Tiff to join her, because Tiff isn’t a cool sort of person you ask to sit with you because you think she’ll impress your friends.

[driflloon]

serena and himi for sheep harajuku collection

[maddie-forward]

sexysamson69​:

She moves back and into the flat. Samson follows a few moments later. Instinct has him keeping a distance away.

“I’m not here for Hale,” he explains.This is Tiff’s place more than his, last he expected was for them to offer to leave. “I’m talking to you for her but… I don’t know.” Samson releases a heavy sigh, shaking his head looking at the ceiling. “I thought as far as knocking on the door.”

Tiff has, unfortunately, proven to be a good person. She accepts everything about Hale and loves her for it. The fact she even offers to leave because Samson mentions his discomfort shows that even better. Fucking hell. “I can go, if you want. Or we could… talk.” It sounds a little pained, more like a question because he’s afraid if they start talking, he’ll say too much. It’d probably be for the best if he does. “How much has Hale told you? Bout me.”

Oh, right. He’s here to talk to her. Now that she knows he’s actually a person, Tiff realises Hale’s probably been genuinely trying to get Samson to talk to her for ages. But he thought about as far as knocking on the door, and she doesn’t really know what to say either. She’s happy enough talking to most people, but it makes it kind of weird when the person doesn’t want to talk to you but feels obliged. She’ll be nice for Hale’s sake but she doesn’t really want to be talking to someone who thinks of her as a duty.

“Not much. She doesn’t exactly know heaps about you anyway, you’ve got the mysterious thing down pretty well. If it helps, I’m not that interested. Like, I’ve not been sitting on tenterhooks waiting to hear your life story.” Tiff sighs, scratching their nose as they flop backwards into an armchair. That came out meaner than intended. “You don’t owe me anything. Like if you don’t want me to know anything more than necessary, fine. But I do think it’s pretty mean to Hale that you’ve spent months hiding from me. I get that you’re uncomfortable with humans, but you’ve made it into this huge drama when it could’ve been like. Hi Tiffany, I’m Samson, I’m not comfortable with humans so I’m going to keep my distance but here’s the obligatory big brother talk about not hurting my sister. You know? You could’ve done that months ago.“

[maddie-forward]

haleozdemirs​:

Hale can’t help but smile when Tiff talks about rain and romance. They seem much more optimistic than they were a few weeks ago. There are more smiles than furrowed brows lately, and they hold onto Hale’s hand a little less tightly than they had during those first couple of weeks, after that asshole had gotten inside their head. She still can’t believe that someone could be so cruel to such an innocent, and sweet person. It makes her blood boil; she’ll get revenge for Tiff one day. She’s simply waiting for the right moment, then she’ll track him down and pierce his mind with something sharper than illusions. 

“Nothing is ever too much when it comes to you.” It’s a slightly cheesy and lame thing to say, but it’s true. Hale would move heaven and earth for Tiffany. When you find someone who loves you just as much as you love them, it’s natural to want to spoil them, and shower them with love and affection. Although, she knows that it must be overwhelming sometimes, to have her as a girlfriend. Her love language is a combination of the five that were listed when she searched Google, meaning it’s impossible for her to go for too long without letting Tiff know that she loves them in one way or another. She always tries to be respectful about space and being overly generous, but it’s hard. Especially for a Succubus!

Hale watches with a smile as Tiff opens the basket, hopeful that they will like the gift. She doesn’t have to wait too long to find out, because quicker than she can blink, her sunshine is on top of her. “You’re welcome!” she manages to squeak out between soft giggles, hands moving to hold Tiff’s hips. After stealing a couple of kisses of her own, Hale nods. “For real, love! I’d never trick you like that. I was racking my brain for weeks, stressing myself and Fins out, then it just came to me. You love Japan, and I love you, so I booked the trip.” Hale hasn’t taken her eyes off Tiff’s face since her back hit the ground. They’re even more beautiful when they’re excited about something — their eyes light up, and she can see the little smile crinkles in the corners of them, and the dimples in their cheeks. I’m so fucking lucky, she thinks. 

“We can do whatever you want, sunshine. This trip is for you, I’m just your tag along tourist,” Hale teases, fingertips gently gliding up and down the length of Tiff’s spine, over their shirt. She has to behave in public, unfortunately. “We are! I checked on the internet to make sure I booked for when they’re in full blossom. And! You are the most beautiful thing ever, but I’m sure I’ll love the sakura, too.” She pecks Tiff’s lips before they can protest. “We really can do whatever you want, though. If there’s anything you want to do over there that you haven’t done before, then let’s do it. I’m just excited to get away from Chicago and be alone with you. Like, really alone, with no work and toddlers running around, or a grumpy Sam on the couch. Just us, having the best time in Japan.” 

It’s kind of a miracle that Tiffany’s not blubbering like a baby. It usually takes very little to set them off, but maybe they’re finally adjusting to nice things happening to them, and for them. Hale is so endlessly generous with her affection, and time, and money, and everything, that Tiff is just about beginning to acclimatise. Not that they’d ever take it for granted, of course, but it at least doesn’t feel like such a startling, overwhelming shock, now.

This is... totally crazy, though! A vacation to Japan! Tiff’s not been in years, they’ve not been able to afford it since they got emancipated. They’re absolutely wriggling with excitement, still pinning Hale to the blanket but now sitting up, straddling her hips. “Oh my god, I don’t even know where to start. I’ll have to do so much research!” It’s clear that to Tiffany, research is a very exciting thing. There’s going to be colour coding and itineraries and inclement weather contingencies. “But I definitely, definitely think we should go to an onsen that does massages, and get a couples massage. It’ll be so relaxing.“ And they both need it! Tiffany’s been so stressed after Ihsan, and balancing classes with their podcast, and Hale loves being a nanny but it’s tiring having the kids so she really deserves a break too.

“And we should make a list of people we need to bring gifts back for! Fins for sure deserves something nice. Oh my god!“ Their voice gets squeaky. “I can’t believe it. This is so amazing, I love you.” Leaning forward to steal another kiss, but it’s only a quick one because they’re so excited, almost immediately sitting back up shifting their weight from left to right. “But the trip isn’t just for me, okay? It’s for us. I want you to help me with the itinerary so we can find stuff you especially want to do, too.“

[maddie-forward]

sexysamson69​:

“It’s—” Samson begins. They do a good job of throwing him off, her whispered and reasonable horror. If he were simply a fox, those are perfectly reasonable things to do! “It’s complicated.” He had never considered the consequences of hiding himself like this for so long.

“’m not comfortable around humans.” It’s a lackluster explanation, but an honest one. What more could she want from him? (A lot more, but he’s not ready for that.) “Hale’s—she’s been wanting me t’tell you for a while. Needed time.”

Not comfortable around humans is a notion Tiffany is intimately familiar with. It’s how she was raised, in fact, and her parents made sure to note frequently how uncomfortable and disappointing a presence she was in their lives frequently. So do they take Samson’s words a little personally? Yeah. He’s one more person in her life that should like her but instead finds her mere human existence upsetting.

“Okay, well...“ They shrug, propping the door open so he can come in and wandering further back into the flat. “You can come in but Hale’s not here right now. I can like... go out, if you want, while you wait.“ The idea makes them feel resentful, like they have to be unwelcome in their own home just because of Sam. But he was in Hale’s life long before Tiff, so they’re willing to make accommodations. She’s used to making herself small for the sake of other people, anyway.

[maddie-forward]

thomasxoconnell​:

“It’s a real show of power, and nothing more.” It always had been, especially growing up one of several kids. He knew all too well that people flaunted wealth through branding and status. Labeled things for the rich and poor. It was all stupid at the end of the day. Shoes were shoes. Coffee was Coffee. And most coffee didn’t come from cats, and was very good. “People are boring like that, feeding into the cycle. Things that should be deemed disgusting or ‘low class’ become fancy and cool with a high enough price tag.”

“Like how rich people starting doing the ‘chabby chic’ thing, as if it’s not weird and gross for them to pay thousands of dollars to look like the working class people they treat like shit.” Tiff agrees. “Although I don’t know, we’re lucky enough to get to order stuff at coffee shops, so maybe we shouldn’t be too judgemental about rich people.” Though it’s a pretty recent luxury for Tiff. When they were on their own they couldn’t afford coffee shops, but Hale is so generous with her money that Tiff can now treat themself to a little beverage when they feel like it. This guy looks pretty put together, so they guess he’s always been able to come to places like this. But he still seems nice! See, privilege is a scale.

[maddie-forward]

thomasxoconnell​:

Tom’s eyes widen and he shakes his head. “No, no, I’m not creative enough to make up a lie like that, I promise.” Ford got all those skills. “It’s really a thing, you can look it up right now, I promise.” It sounded ridiculous, he knew that much, but Tom was anything but a liar. “I don’t even know why I brought this up in the first place,” He says with an awkward breath of a laugh, ‘I just, uh… well, I don’t know.”

Tiffany giggles gently at his awkwardness; maybe he’s not pulling her leg. It’s a weird conversation opener to be sure, but it’s not like Tiff’s never said anything a little peculiar. “No, it’s okay. It’s funny. Isn’t it wild the stuff rich people will do to flash their status? Like you couldn’t pay me to drink that kind of coffee, but you act like it’s fancy and exclusive and people can’t wait to get their credit cards out all of the sudden.”

[maddie-forward]

sureihsan​:

it was amazing, how easy it could be to break a person. just offer them a little bit of personal nightmare fuel, such as a never-ending sea of their cat, just briefly tap into their vulnerabilities, such as their parents’ disapproval, then appear as someone who was safe in their eyes. an old formula – one that should have gotten tired by now, but every single person was different ! every single personal tidbits taken from their outer life, every single vulnerability ihsan was offered upon entrance, every single person they loved and would be terrified to see go ! every single person… the song swelled a bit louder, creating the perfect atmosphere for a swan dive. why, it was their swan song ! holding tighter onto the other’s hand, ihsan made hale’s voice, saying, ‘we’ll be each other’s forever now,’ swirled around in tiff’s mind. overlapping, ‘hale’ looked to the ground, then to tiff, then straight ahead.  “ three… two… one. ” and stepped one foot off to offer the illusion.

Forever. Tiffany is ready for it, willing to do whatever it takes to be with Hale. It doesn’t even feel scary. They feel so calm, and their weight shifts forward

– And then she’s tugged back, and all she can hear is the blaring traffic so many stories below, and Hale isn’t here at all, it’s some guy she doesn’t know–

– And Tiffany screams, a panicked and breathless sound that scratches its way out of her throat.

[maddie-forward]

thomasxoconnell​:

“It’s called Kopi luwak,” Tom starts, realizing as he starts to explain that this may not be the most ideal ice breaker, “It’s actually… well, it’s technically cat poop? But, it gets expensive because the cats get to pick what coffee cherries they want to eat from what the farmers harvest. So, it takes a lot of time and man power… and cat power.”

Cat poop? Gross! “Okay, okay, I think you’re messing with me. I know I look naïve but I wasn’t born yesterday. There’s no way people pay that much for caffeinated cat poop.” It’s a funny joke, but Tiffany doesn’t believe it for a second. It would make a great episode for their podcast though, cryptid cats that produce potent and valuable coffee!

[maddie-forward]

thomasxoconnell​:

where: some coffee shop charging way too much for a cup who: @tiff-chiba​

“You know, there’s coffee out there that costs $600 a pound, so it really puts this in perspective.” Tom takes a sip, face screwing up a bit. “That perspective being that they are overcharging for this coffee.”

“$600 for a pound?” Tiffany repeats, horrified. That’s a truly unfahtomable expense. They are also intrigued, because they love learning fun new facts, and also are always excited to make new friends at coffee shops! “How come it’s so expensive? I can’t think of any reason for something you consume to be so expensive.” Like, not to be vulgar, but you literally just piss it out.

[maddie-forward]

haleozdemirs​:

Hale hugs Tiff tightly as their arms wrap around her. It’s a relief to hear that they think the picnic is perfect. So much thought and love has gone into it, but it still doesn’t feel like enough. Words, gestures, gifts, physical touch; none of it is enough to express how much love she has in her heart for her sunshine. Still, it’ll have to do, because there’s no other way to show it. “I’m glad you like it, my love.” She relaxes her grip, still keeping Tiff close as she rubs their back. Hale knows how emotional they can be after the night she’d told them she loves them. Not that she minds! In fact, it adds to the long list of reasons she’s so in love with this adorable human. The emotion they show is endearing and so sincere – it makes Hale want to keep surprising them like this for the rest of her life.

As Tiff releases her hold on Hale, she gives a slight pout. If they could be permanently holding each other without it hindering their daily lives, that would be perfect. “Me neither,” Hale replies, settling down on the blanket next to Tiff. “I’ve always been single up until now. It makes sense that you’d be the first person I’ve ever spent this day with, though. It just fits, you know?” She’s never been in love with someone before, and she’s glad that she didn’t waste such a sentimental day on someone who didn’t deserve her in the past. Hale’s had a lot of firsts with Tiff; each one equally special and memorable. “You’re welcome, sunshine. It feels like such a small gesture when I compare it to how much love I have for you, but it comes from the heart,” she says with a smile. “If it had rained, I’d have pitched a tent! Nothing was going to stop me from doing this.” Leaning in, she cups Tiff’s cheek before pressing a chaste kiss to their lips. 

“Go ahead and open the basket, there’s something for you in there.” On top of the food, there’s an envelope with Tiff’s name on the front. The ‘i’ is dotted with a heart, of course. Inside the envelope, there’s a folded piece of paper with the printed out confirmation email of the Japan trip Hale has booked. Their second gift will come later, when they’re eating and Tiff least expects it.

It still seems totally mad to Tiffany that Hale was always single; but then, it’s probably hard when you’re a succubus, and you aren’t sure how much you can trust that people really like you, or  if they’re just using you. In a weird, slightly jealous way, Tiff is also privately sort of glad. They want Hale to be happy, always, of course, but... well, there’s just something kind of exciting about being Hale’s first something.

“A tent!” she laughs. “Well, I guess a tent in the rain could be really romantic actually, with the water droplets rippling off the pond surface. And I think rain makes fish want to come to the surface, right? So we’d see more of them.” They always have fun together, and Hale has a talent for making everything romantic, so whatever happened, Tiff kn ows this would be special.

“Wait, there’s more? Hale, this is too much!” They flush with delight. It’s kind of overwhelming how generous Hale is, but they know she loves to spoil them, and... Tiff kind of loves to be spoiled. So it works out pretty well! Wiggling with excitement, Tiff opens the basket expecting to find matcha ice cream, which may well be tucked away in there, but more importantly, there’s an envelope with her name on it. Tiffany loves getting cards, she always keeps them forever, but when she peels it open it’s not a card--

“No way!” Tiff‘s jaw drops, stunned. A vacation? To Japan?! “Oh my God, Hale! Thank you, thank you, thank you!” They shoot across the blanket, tackling Hale backwards onto the blanket to kiss, kiss, kiss all over her cheeks and face and throat. “We’re going to Japan, for real? It’s not a joke? It’s true? Do you think we can go and see Osaka Castle? And hot springs! And there’s so many amazing restaurants.” They’re already planning the itinerary in their head, when the date sinks in and they gasp. “And the cherry blossoms! Oh my god, Hale, we’re going to be in time for the sakura! You’re going to love seeing the blossoms, they’re the most beautiful things ever.”

[maddie-forward]

sexysamson69​:

Tiff opens the door. It makes everything feel a bit too real for Samson, now. He fights the impulse to step back. They’re a tiny fucking human, he has no reason to be afraid. She’s clearly more rightfully terrified, putting on the chain and asking him to prove who he is. It’s a very Tiff question to ask. They always did weird shit. (It’s an almost affectionate thought.)

“Yesterday? Fuck. Ugh,” Samson curses under his breath. Of course he doesn’t know the name of it. With a heavy sigh he starts sort of bopping his head, humming the tune (bet he can) “That Japanese… Fuck if I know.”

This isn’t a conversation he wants to be having in the corridor. Hell, he doesn’t want to have this conversation at all. “I don’t know the name but then you made poached eggs —did your lil vinegar bit—and gave me the burnt bacon.” The last bit is said with no small amount of embarrassment, unable to hold their gaze. “Can we not have this conversation outside?”

Oh, right, yeah. He probably wouldn’t know the song, so that’s fair. That alone would not compel Tiffany to trust him, but the burnt bacon bit? Tiff’s face drops, she slams the door to undo the chains before opening it again, properly this time.

“I scritched your ears!” they whisper in horror. “I would never have done that if I’d known! I would have given you not-burnt bacon! You– it’s been months! The whole time? The whole time?!” She’s more embarrassed than anything. Like, how much of her shower singing and cooking soliloquys and dodgy disco dance moves has he been subjected to? And he’s actually just some guy?

[driflloon]

serena motola for amazon fashion week fw17

[maddie-forward]

suremonty​:

for as much as monty loved being in the company of others – a pretty social guy, all things considered – there were few people he figured he could confidently call a ‘friend.’ with the constant threat of time pulling him to some fun new disaster at any time she wanted, he’d learned better than to try to make any lasting connections. he lost mary. he lost ed. if it hadn’t been for time, maybe he could’ve grown old with his sister-in-law and her daughter. if it hadn’t been for time… frankly, he probably would have died alongside ed, but at least it wouldn’t have been for nothing.  this dame tiff, on the other hand, had wormed their way into his heart already. he didn’t want to already be thinking of them as a friend, but they were the closest thing he’d found to someone who could appreciate the days of yore ! heck, they were at a baseball game – and barely anyone genuinely liked baseball nowadays ! it had been his favorite sport in his youth ! not to mention, they knew asl ! he didn’t have to worry about his walkie-talkie ! taking one of the hotdogs with a smile and nod of gratitude, he bit into it as they showcased their brand new trinket. with a few big claps, a smile ( though he tried to keep the bits of hotdog in ), and a nod, he signed back, “ i always loved those things ! what do you have in them ? cola ? ” anyone who had to drink a beer to appreciate the sport… sad ! “ have you seen any of those giant foam fingers around ? i’m gonna need one of those before the game starts ! ”

“It’s root beer!” Tiff signs, which is beer in name but not practice. It feels like the right choice for a baseball game though, there’s always an element of nostalgia in root beer. Their parents used to bring them to games, occasionally. Tiff has got enough distance from their parents now to not have much lingering resentment there and is simply able to enjoy the game, but it’s sure nice having someone else who totally appreciates the charm of it.

Their mouth opens in a little ‘o’ of realisation – foam fingers! Right! Nodding, Tiff reaches into their backpack to retrieve a couple of slightly squashed fingers: they’ll straighten out with a bit of waving around though. Handing one to Monty, they sign, “I figured they’d make it sort of hard to talk, but I brought them just in case.” It’s one of the things Tiff loves most about ASL: you can use it even in a crazy loud stadium and be understood perfectly, no words lost to the roar of the crowd. “What do you think about Mike Tauchman? For an outfielder he’s crazy calm when he’s on the plate, I think we have a real chance today!”

[maddie-forward]

haleozdemirs​:

“It is! It seems only right that we come back here for our first Valentine’s Day.”  Her thumb brushes over the back of Tiff’s hand as they approach the spot, nerves making her stomach feel all fluttery. There’s a floral patterned blanket already laid out on the grass, with a large picnic basket sitting in the middle of it. The kid Hale had paid to keep watch over it spots her, giving her a thumbs up before walking away. “I struggled for weeks trying to figure out what to do for you. That’s kind of why I was so stressed a couple of weeks ago,” she admits, followed by a nervous laugh. “I want today to be special, and I think this is the perfect place to have lunch and spend time together.” Leaning in, she kisses Tiff’s cheek, lips lingering against their skin for a few seconds longer than necessary. “I’d pull out your chair and be a gentlewoman, but we don’t have them. So I guess I’ll just have to wait on you this afternoon, instead,” Hale teases.

Tiffany has an embarrassing habit of crying about nice things (happy ending in a movie? Tears. Gay swans? Tears. Birthday present that is given distinct from Christmas present? Tears) and this is no exception. They’re just not used to people doing this kind of stuff for them. Maybe as a young kid they got kind of spoiled, but as it became apparent they were never going to have any powers, their parents lost interest so abruptly…

So, yeah, Hale bringing them back to the spot where they first met and setting up a beautiful picnic? Tiff sniffles, on the verge of blubbering. “It is perfect,” she says, voice wobbling, and after Hale kisses their cheek, Tiff wraps their arms around her and pulls her in tight. The smell of Hale’s shampoo and the serene lapping of the pond and the way the afternoon light dapples through leaves, it all feels too perfect. It’s been a hard couple of weeks, with the Ihsan debacle, and Tiff needed to get extensions on a couple of essays and was kind of nervous she’d end up getting committed or something, so coming out here with Hale and feeling so safe and so loved in the open air… Tiffany feels like she can breathe. Finally releasing Hale from the hug, she takes her hand and pulls her gently down on the blanket, and Tiffany curls her legs under herself. “I’ve never had a girlfriend on Valentine’s day before,” she laughs, though Hale already knows this, running a hand under her eyes to collect a few more stray happy-tears. “This is so nice. Thank you, thank you. I can’t believe we got so lucky with the weather, too, it looks beautiful here. Imagine if it had rained!”

But then, with Hale Tiff is sure that would have just become a funny story. It’s very difficult to rain on their parade as a couple.

[maddie-forward]

sureihsan​:

‘hale’ held out ‘her’ hand for tiff to hold, offering them a sad, but reassuring, look. “ it won’t hurt, it’ll be quick. that’s the beauty of it. ” the swan dives really were more for the general public than they were for the person. the general public loved to gather around a building with a person standing on top, about to jump ! traffic and the like didn’t really work the same way… muting the noises that crept through, dull sirens and confused murmurs from onlookers, ‘she’ turned to hold both of tiff’s hands. instead, a song ihsan was able to access in her memory – something beautiful and something tragic – played softly. “ count of three ? ”

Maybe it’s easier because Hale has wings. If this ended up being a bad idea, she could change the course of events in a few effortless flaps. It’d even be kinda romantic, Tiff thinks, like Spider-Man diving off a building to catch MJ. The whole thing feels weird in her mind, slightly off, but it’s always been confusing. Hale is immortal, which is confusing enough. It raises questions of eternity. Eternity looks different for Hale than for most people. For Tiff, a common-or-garden variety human, eternity is… death, right?

So stepping off makes sense, right?

Hale’s hand is in hers, so she knows it’s safe, she knows it’s okay. There’s a weird sort of roaring in their ears; and for some reason they’re thinking of On the Moon by Sulli. Why do you look so blue? Baby can you hear me? Happy girl, happy girl…

“Count of three,” Tiff agrees with a small nod, looking to Hale for strength. They’re scared, but they know it’ll be okay because Hale said it would be. This way they could be together. So they count down, and, oblivious to the screams of onlookers down below, Tiff takes a step forward–