#"top of the w

[gruusha]

on top of the WORLD, on top of it all trying to feel invincible yeah, oh yeah, oh -- DYING on top of the w o r l d

[jack-shadow]

Mega man Crossover Fanfic: Chapter 1

(my first mega man fanfic! I included a few drawings just to paint a picture of the scene. I said I was bad at art, not that I don't love it.

This was based on an idea I had randomly for a unique Crossover between all mega man series but chapters 1 & 2 will be almost entirely focused on classic. We will move on to X, Zero, and all the others soon. Without further ado, enjoy)

For Rock it was just a normal day at Dr. Light's laboratory,they were performing some much needed repairs on the repurposed robot master, Wood Man. "Rock, hand me the new weapon chip" Dr. Light asked his son.

 "On it!" Rock said, handing a green chip to his father. 

Dr.light slid the chip into a slot in Wood Man's body. "Alright, that should be good. how are you feeling?" Dr.light asked.

Wood Man hopped off the examination table, and stretched his arms. "Just fine" he Answered, "but do you have a cleaning station nearby? My leaf shield protected my armor well, but I still want to scrub these burn marks off".

"Right over there." Roll pointed over to a door, " there are some in there" she said. 

"Before you go can you tell me how you got burned so badly" Dr. Light asked with a hint of concern in his voice.

 "Oh right it's actually kinda weird. I found this cloaked robot and he asked who built me, and I answered Dr.wily. He just grinned and before I knew it there were two of him. He tried to attack me and I tried to block with my leaf shield. It didn't keep me from going unconscious but I at least didn't get too hurt." Wood Man spoke casually as if it wasn't that big of a deal.

Dr.light looked confused and worried, "there's a dangerous robot on the loose and you didn't think to tell me."

" Well he didn't hurt the forest and that's all I really care about." Wood Man said defensively.

"Sigh~ Well thanks for informing us now I guess" Dr.light groaned.

"You're welcome, and thanks again for repairing me, I'll just clean up and get back to work.” Wood Man went into the door that Roll pointed out earlier.

 "Did Wily forget to program his robots with brains?" Roll said sarcastically.

 "Roll, be nice. He's just very dedicated to his job." Rock protested.

Roll rolled her eyes"Just saying, if there's a dangerous robot on the loose informing us is kinda higher priority than getting a shower"

Dr. Light spoke up, "Given the description and how it split into two separate robots, I'm thinking-"

"Gemini Man?" Roll guessed correctly.

"Wily must have rebuilt him!" Rock said.

Roll thought about it, "But I didn't think Gemini Laser left burn marks like that, and if it really is Gemini man why would he have to ask if Wood Man was built by Wily?"

"Trust me, gemini laser can leave some pretty nasty marks," Rock said.

"And Gemini Man was built long after Wood Man" Dr. Light added

Roll thought about it, " I guess that makes sense but we shouldn't rule out the possibility of it being another robot.”

" Yeah, this whole thing is rather suspicious," Rock agreed.

" Well at least we know he's probably after Wily bots" Dr. Light said with a grin, "and nearby The forest Wood Man watches over is the weather station where Air Man now works"

Rock beamed, " That means we can Ambush him! And keep Air Man safe"

Dr. Light smiled at his son, "yup, just don't let your guard down. If Leaf shield didn't protect Wood Man, then that means Wily probably upgraded Gemini Man. Please be careful."

Rock looked up at his dad with a reassuring smile, "It's okay dad, I've got this. Plus I'll have Air Man as back up if I need it"

"Alright just be safe out there" Dr. Light gave his son a hug before activating the teleporter to send Rock to the Weather Station.

Upon arrival Rock had already been transformed into Mega Man, ready for action. He was about to go in and inform Air Man before he heard an all too familiar whistle in the wind behind him.Rock looked all over for the source of the sound before realizing it was coming from above as Proto Man jumped down from the top of the Weather station.

 "Bro!" Rock shouted before jumping to give his brother a hug, it was clear that Blues (or Proto Man as he preferred to be called) was still not used to hugs. Rock realizing his brother's discomfort got off of him, " I assume you already heard."

" Yes, unfortunately Air Man is refusing to listen to me, he says he could take down any threat that comes his way. I tried to tell him that it took out Wood Man but he just kept talking about how superior he was."

Rock laughed, "Do you want to remind him he's weak to leaf shield, or should I ?” Proto Man didn't laugh, it was just awkward silence. "So what's the plan?" Rock asked, trying to break the silence.

"Simple, wait here and ambush Gemini Man, or whatever bot wily sends our way.”

 Rock grinned, "Sounds like a plan!" 

The two of them proceeded to wait there until well after dark. "For the last time Tempo's just a friend!" Proto Man shouted in annoyance. 

"Hey I was just saying," Rock teased, putting up his hands to defend himself.

Suddenly they saw a dark figure dash into a nearby alley. Both of them immediately stopped joking around and drew their busters .Rock went in while Proto Man stayed behind , the alley eventually opened up into a more open space, Rock Walked around a bit trying to find whoever it was that jumped into the Alley. He was suddenly hit with a jolt of electricity hitting  his back  and knocking him to the floor. He was nearly knocked unconscious by the hit but could still hear the snapping of lighting. Rock reared his head around to see what hit him, it was clearly not Gemini Man.

It was a white robot  with a golden arm constantly sparking with bolts of lightning. The design of the robot was like nothing he had ever seen before, it vaguely reminded him of Duo with the arm and the alien-like design but it was still strange.

"Rock tried to speak but the mass amounts of electricity were frying his voice box causing his words to be Glitchy.

"Watch your back," the unknown robot said, looking over at a robot that could have been his clone except for his armor being black instead of white. This one's expression was a twisted grin whereas the white carried a neutral expression.

 " Thanks!" The black one said, looking at Mega Man's malfunctioning body, "HA! Is this the Mega Man of this world? And here I thought he couldn't get any more pathetic!"

Mega man turned his head, what were they talking about? His voice box was still malfunctioning but he eventually managed to ask, "w-wh0 aR3 Y-Y0u?" 

The black one heard this and turned to his counterpart , "why didn't you kill him?!" He asked.

The white one kept its expression neutral, " It's a robot master,  no threat,  there wouldn't be a point."

 The black one sighed at this, like he heard it a million times," Alright then I'll do it."

Just as he said that a shot of nuclear energy came from out of nowhere. The mysterious robots jumped out of the way and looked towards the alley to see who fired the shot. It was Proto Man who threw Mega Man an E-tank and continued to fight the bots. Mega Man drank the E-tank and stood up still hurt from the blast but he could at least stand.

Proto Man was losing despite how powerful he was. These two were just too fast and even the blasts that did hit seemed to have little effect.

Proto Man was taking multiple fatal lightning blasts and he fell to the floor.  Rock couldn't tell if he was unconscious, just badly damaged, or even dead.  No, he couldn't be dead, Proto Man was too powerful to be killed so easily.

The robots landed next to where Proto Man laid broken, the black one picked him up. " Red armor, Yellow scarf." They both looked over at the wall which was badly damaged from Proto Man’s shots, " and powerful, he might be of use, more than Wood Man anyway. I'll take him back for further study you stay here and see if you can grab anything else"

Mega man raised his buster, he wasn't sure what he could do to these... things, but he couldn't let them take his brother. The white one noticed he was up and glared menacingly at him before moving so fast he became a blur. Before he knew it, Mega Man was struck from behind with another lightning blast. Before he could even react White was grabbing him by the neck and slamming him into the ground.

" You go, I'll kill him,"  White said to his counterpart.

The black one grinned, “That's the spirit!” he said before opening a strange portal and entering it with Proto Man still in his grasp. As the portal closed Mega Man felt a sense of failure wash over him, Proto man was gone.

He looked over at the white Bot that was still pinning him to the ground, and he was going to die. The robot let loose bolts of electricity straight into Mega Man's body. He screamed in pain! If he didn't think of something soon he'd die and then Proto man would be gone forever. Mega Man switched his weapon to Bounce ball hoping the parts of his body that were now covered in rubber would help keep his vital circuits intact, it did seem to have some effect, but it still hurt.

Rock once again asked through tears, "wh0 ar3 y0u?" 

The robot kept the same blank expression as if this was an everyday task for him, "Gemini Spark." he said simply. Gemini Spark continued to blast Mega Man with electricity suddenly a gust of powerful wind coming from behind Gemini Spark knocking him off Mega Man.

Mega Man looked and saw Air Man, " get out of here I'll handle this!" Air Man shouted. Mega Man nodded and ran out of the alley as Gemini Spark got back up for a fight. Mega man knew that there was no way Air Man would survive, and he felt bad leaving him behind, but he's in no condition to help his friend fight. He’d never felt so helpless, he could only hope that Air Man could be rebuilt later.

Mega Man stumbled his way back to the lab and collapsed just in the doorway. Dr. Light was startled from his worried pacing back and forth.  “Rock!" he shouted, rushing to his son's beaten and broken body,  "oh my goodness, what happened!" 

Rock tried to speak but his voice box was still malfunctioning, so he could only cry.

Dr. Light got to repairing him and as soon as Rock could talk again he blurted out the words that were weighing on his mind  "Blues is gone". When he managed to recompose himself he informed Dr. Light about everything. Dr. Light seemed to be even more worried than he was before, "Who could have built such a thing!" he thought out loud. "He's as fast as Quick Man and can control a larger amount of electricity than Elec Man."

"And he shares a name and ability with Gemini Man, " Roll added.

Dr. Light nodded, " I don't think Wily is capable of building something like this, or anyone I know for that matter," Dr. Light said, his words trailing off.

"Do you think that it's another Alien like the Star-droids or Duo," Rock asked. "Maybe,  I don't like resorting to saying something's an alien when we don't know what it is but at this point I think it's the only possible explanation"

"Then we'll inform Duo and take him out together!" Rock shouted

"Actually Duo will have to take him out alone," Dr. Light said.

"Why"  Dr. Light looked down, not daring to look his son in the eye. " You were nearly damaged beyond repair, and if Blues was defeated by this thing then you clearly aren't prepared to fight it." 

"Then I'll just have to prepare, upgrade myself with new abilities and a rubber coating, find his weakness and exploit it!" Rock said triumphantly

" No rock, I'm not sending you back out there and I'm not further weaponizing you.”

"But dad-", 

" Please, I already lost one son to this thing, I don't think I could take it if I lost you," he looked at his son with sad pleading eyes. Rock understood, he nodded and gave his dad a hug, he could tell this was a tough situation for him,too.

 "I just want to save him," Rock said, tears streaming down his face.

 " I know,”  Dr. Light said.     

(Alright folks hope you enjoyed, chapter 2 is in the work. Shout out to my awesome mom for both Beta reading and Editing)       

[mareastrorum]

WIP Wednesday: TF&TS (Molly's Book)

Here is a scene from chapter 3 of a longfic I am working on.

Fanfic Summary: Mollymauk Tealeaf survived the encounter with the Iron Shepherds, but a short time later, a spirit had begun hunting him, claiming that he stole his body. This Campaign 2 AU begins with Episode 26 and continues on from there.

This fanfic will be posted on AO3 starting in June or July.

Molly hung half off the bed to reach his coat because hells if he was getting up when it was that close. He snagged the end and then rummaged the pockets while dangling. He managed to find the book and pull it out of a pocket just before he lost his balance and crashed forward onto the floor.

No one saw that.

Caduceus huffed quietly and made a point of pulling his covers over his ears once Molly turned to look. Caduceus was already well aware he should not sleep facing Molly’s bed for a variety of reasons, but, well, he did have large ears.

So, fine, someone heard, but no one saw that.

Molly gracefully got up, climbed back under the covers, and got comfy before he pulled the book up to inspect. It was rather small compared to all the tomes Caleb usually lugged around—smaller than the size of Molly’s hand if it laid flat. The cloth binding was fairly worn. The colorful flower prints had faded along the corners. The title on the cover was in a fanciful lettering that was far too complex to read, though it had clean and well-practiced line work.

It reminded Molly of Desmond’s elegant handwriting. Desmond had said that the point of calligraphy was to make letters almost illegible and so damn pretty that everyone would forgive you for it. Molly had never been able to read them anyway, but he never held that against Desmond because he could barely read regardless. Desmond had made some especially fancy-looking flyers for some of the bigger towns the carnival had traveled to, so Molly had pulled those out for snootier looking commoners.

I hope he’s found a way to cheer up.

Desmond must have had a reason for going his own way after the carnival disbanded. Going out on his own might have been better for him anyway, since those years working as a musician had not cured his melancholy. Well, that was Desmond’s burden to carry, not Molly’s. He’d figure it out eventually, and Molly wasn’t going to sour his own mood over something out of his control.

Molly gave a brief shake of his head (jewelry not jingling since he had taken it out for the night), then opened to the first page with text, which had the title and a handwritten note:

The Forest Witch and Other Z-E-M-N-I-A-N Folk Tales:

tran-slat-ed from Die Wald… W-A-L-D-H-E-X-E(?) (the rest made no damn sense).

To Mollymauk

From Caleb

Molly grinned as his tail shifted back and forth under the sheets. He wasn’t sure if that was actually the right spelling for his name (he had seen a few in the carnival, but Gustav used this one, so it was his preference), but that was sweet nonetheless.

Below was a sketch of a witch approaching three children. It must have been from one of the stories. Hells if Molly was actually going to read though, that was for nerds. Instead, he flipped through the book, content to browse the paintings.

Caleb had been right: they resembled the art style on the oracle cards. The background scenes had similar amounts of detail, and they only used a handful of colors in each image. Simple at first glance, with lots of easily missed finesse and skill in the final touches. His cards were more colorful, though that was due in part because Molly was still improving at mixing paint. Color matching was far more difficult than it looked, so he found it easier to be creative with the colors he happened to mix than to waste all the paint trying to get it exactly right.

Molly stopped on one intriguing illustration. It featured a snake slithering out of a hole at the bottom of a wall and looking at a tiny gold crown sitting on a piece of cloth. A young girl watched from the top of the wall. She had something small in her hand, but Molly did not recognize what it was; it looked almost like a top with a handle the length of her arm, and a bunch of thread wound around it.

Well, the story on the opposite page likely explained. Molly narrowed his eyes at the book for a moment, tail twitching slightly, as though it was the book’s fault that the image didn’t make sense on its own.

At least it was short.

Molly sighed deeply and started reading, mouthing the words to himself:

An orphan…

Orp-han? Or-pahn? Or-p-han? Context!

An orphan child…

Oh, orfan.

An orp… orfan child was sitting on the town walls spinning, when she… (Spinning what? What did the kid spin? Herself? Is that a top? Sure, a top.)

An orfan child was sitting on the town walls spinning (a top), when she saw a snake coming out of a hole low down in the wall.

Swiftly, she spread out beside this one of the blue silk handke… han-d-ker… hand-kerch… ker-chi-efs… (Hankercheef? Why did they write it like that? That couldn’t be right.)

Swiftly, she spread out beside this one of the blue silk hand… hankercheefs which snakes have such a strong liking for (What? Really?), and which are the only things they will creep on. (Was creeping different from slithering? How else did it get around?)

Molly looked up a moment, trying to recall how snakes move, weaving his hand back and forth through the air. They just moved in smooth curves, right? Was there another way? Maybe like a caterpillar.

Whatever.

As soon as the snake saw it, it went back, then returned, bringing with it a small golden crown… (Why did she have a crown? Well, maybe she liked to dress up. Or maybe she’s royalty. Sure, she’s a queen.)

As soon as the snake (queen) saw it, she went back, then returned, bringing with her a small golden crown, laid it on the handk… hankercheef, and then went away again.

The girl took up the crown: it glit-tered and was of deli… de-li-ca-te… delakit golden fi-lig-ree work.

Molly stopped again. What’s fi-lig-ree? That’s familiar. Oh, filAgree. Artsy curves like on the back of the cards. Nice.

It was not long before the snake (queen) came back for the second time, but when she no longer saw the crown, she crept up to the wall, and in her grief smote her little head against it (Oh, shite) as long as she had strength to do so, until at last she lay there dead. (It’s just a crown!)

If the girl had but left the crown where it was, the snake (queen) would certa… cer-tain-ly… (sir-tan-lee?) have brought still more of her trea-sures out of the hole.

Molly stared at the page, confused, then around the room as though that might provide answers. Wasn’t this supposed to be a story for kids? With a snake committing suicide? Over a crown? Fairy tales had a lot of murder, but suicide was new. And the lesson was don’t steal from a mark that has some nice gear until you were sure you had gotten an idea of what else you could loot. That was not wrong, but still a strange lesson for children.

Sure, Molly had taught Nott to steal from grumpy people, but the fact she was so young was what made it amusing. He hadn’t expected old folktales aimed at children to teach something similar as a matter of course. Zemnian stories were weird. Caleb had said he read all of these, too—no wonder he was a bit odd.

Molly looked back at the book. After a moment’s pause, he opened to another random page.

Maybe one more.

[siennalilypurvis]

Logo development

We wanted to further develop our logo and manipulate the typeface. Millie sketched some ideas for not only our logo but some illustration assets that we could use in our assets. Based on her sketches, I started trying to adjust our logo in accordance to her ideas. At first, I experimented with adding a sort of ‘tangeled wire’ effect to the start of the logo as well as extending the end of the word to trail off. The idea was to have a wire that is tangeled and is then detangled through the word to represent the word itself ‘unwired’. I tested this with our colour palette but over all I thought it looked a bit busy and took away from our ‘calming’ vibe that we wanted to emulate. 

I progressed with a different approach to the logos this time. I tried to keep them simple to avoid the busy-ness that occurred with my previous attempt. I really like the way these turned out. I tried out two versions, one where I maniulated the anchor points of the W and stretched them to give the whole letter a lot more movement and fluidity. And another where i just added the floaty wire effect to the ends of the ‘W’ whilst keeping the letterform itself untouched (apart from adjusting the middle top of the ‘W’ to make it rounded). We ended up prefering the latter one as we really liked how flowy the ‘W’ was, it made our logo a lot more distinct and contemporary. 

[the-character-lounge]

More About the Lunar Lilies

 "Ohh, Randy's being a big boy now!" he laughed, then waded back over to him to rest his head on him and look up. "There's punch in the kitchen." He moved to grab up his coconut again and sip more of it, unable to resist the sweet coconut taste.

Randy chuckled and gently touched the flower on Spinel’s head. “Y- You look like a my- mysterious mermaid w- with this in your mane~” He chuckled and softly stroked Spinel’s ear gingerly before getting out to go get some punch. “I- I’ll be right back. I- I could use some of th- that punch.” He really hadn’t had anything to drink all day, so now was his chance to get some water and something a little sweet.

Spinel flushed a little at the compliment, reaching up to touch the flower lightly. He hoped it would last a good while, or if not that the other flowers would react the same way to him. But he felt a bit lonely as Randy was leaving, and slinked out of the pool with his clothes clinging to his body. He followed and stayed in the entryway. "Did you have any time to look in to those flowers yet?"

Randy nodded and poured himself a glass of punch. “I- I went back to the o- observatory this m- morning and b- borrowed some old case s- study notes on th- the project.” He turned to look at Spinel, seeing the wet clothes clinging to his body making him blush. “A- Apparently, th- the flowers w- were originally designed t- to be a kind of.. u- universal binding a- agent in potions. B- But.. it turns out th- they do something m- much much cooler.” He sipped a mouth full of punch and let the flavor sit on his tongue a minute before swallowing it down. “.. Y- You wanna guess wh- what they do?”

Spinel quirked a brow, "They tell moods and glow in the dark, that's all I know." He looked up, though he couldn't see the flower from that angle. He got a snarky grin, "Do they attract ponies? I got soo many compliments today."

 Randy chuckled and shook his head, feeling slightly jealous but also proud at the same time. “N- Not exactly.. y- you see, a- according t- to their studies.. th- these flowers feed o- off of emotions. Th- They’re not p- parasitic in an- anyway, b- but they grow healthier w- with the more e- emotional st- stimulation they get. B- Basically, i- if you experience a l- lot of emotions in a s- single d- day, a- and you’re wearing the flower, i- it will continue t- to grow and s- stay healthy.” He sipped his punch again and looked up at the flower. “Th- They’re almost l- like a pet. Y- You feed th- them and care f- for them by providing them w- with emotional s- stimulation. A- And in return, th- they do.. something…” he shrugged and finished off his punch, going to the bowl to pour himself another cup. “I- It didn’t… s- say what they do.. th- the notes ended w- with that volume. I- I’ll have to g- go back to the observatory a- and get the other set of notes.”

Spinel tilted his head. "A 'pet' that does... 'something'. Well then." He laughed a little, curious and amused. "As long as I keep having all these strange days, this thing's going to dine like a king. On the finest dining, I think~" he bragged flirtatiously. "So is it something they do constantly or only after an amount of time or uhh... Emotion feeding...?"

Randy shrugged. “I- I’m not sure… th- the notes didn’t really say.” He chuckled and drank down his punch. “Th- The flowers d- do grow bigger a- and healthier as they r- receive positive emotions.. o- or emotions th- that their c- counterpart feels the strongest.” Randy went to the sink and poured himself some tap water. “Th- That’s what I’ve been able to take away fr- from the notes. Th- They’re typically r- really confusing, and th- they use words I don’t fully u- understand.” He shrugged. “B- But th- they do posses s- some serious m- mojo.. wh- whatever it is th- they do.”

Spinel started to wonder what emotions he experienced most, positive or negative. He was feeling alright lately, and considering today was a polishing day, he was feeling on top of the world. "I wonder what Hatter would think of these things. She's a rich alchemist, I'm sure she could figure 'em out." Man, this cocktail was good. He'd been absently sipping it when he was thinking, and it was almost empty.

Randy sipped his water, and shrugged. “Th- The notes said e- eating the flowers r- raw is p- potentially harmful, a- as the ch- chemicals in their petals th- that produce the colors react w- with our st- stomach acid.. a- and it can cause some serious s- side effects.” He sipped his water and cringed. “I- It ranged from just an u- upset stomach t- to bleeding eyes…. k- kind of graphic when they were describing the side-effects too…” He shuddered. “B- But.. m- maybe there’d be a way t- to use them. I- I wouldn’t know h- how..”

"I don't know, her family is like.. super obsessed with all that science shit." he waved his hoof. He was glad he didn't eat one of those flowers. But then he wondered how Candy would look with his eyes bleeding. "Damn, I can already think of some uses..." There was some serious cruel intention going on in his head.

Randy spied the flowers dark, seething swirling and laughed a bit uncomfortably. “Th- The flowers al- almost have a p- personality of th- their own.. I- I don’t think th- that one l- likes the idea of being put t- to diabolical uses…” He had read up on the color system of the flowers a bit more, and it was interesting. The flowers were typically symbiotic with their counterparts. If they were happy, the flower was happy. When the pony was angry, so would the flower. However, sometimes contrasting colors and the swirl pattern seemed to indicate the flower had its own feelings on the matter… while not sentient, they were certainly well versed in emotions. It was interesting to think an organic thing like the Lunar Lily kind of had a mind of its own.

He blinked, then frowned, feeling annoyed at the flower now having an opinion apparently. "It's not diabolical when they deserve it!" He grumbled and finished off his drink, then levitated a fork to try and get out the meat of the coconut.

Randy chuckled and shrugged. “Th- They’re not perfect. I- It only registers emotions and feelings.. n- not thoughts.” He came over and leaned on a nearby counter and looked Spinel over. The way the clothes clung to his body, complimenting his muscles and shape, it made Randy feel a bit aroused. “B- But, silly th- things that they are, th- they’re so complicated, th- they have three v- volumes of notes wr- written on them.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Th- They’re complicated m- messes.”

"Shit, all that over a flower." He munched on the coconut, pleased by the taste. Sooooo much better than coconut flakes, it was heavenly. He slid himself down the frame of the entryway, "You mind getting me a mojito? I have a couple in the fridge, can't reach my magic that far."

Randy smiled and set his glass down. “Y- You’re starting to m- make me wish I could get drunk.” He snickered and went to the fridge, opening it up and looking around for the mojitos. Spinel had a point.. why had there been so much fuss over some pretty flowers that changed color? He shrugged, and found another coconut, bringing it over to Spinel. “H- Here you go.”

[uselessnerdnherblahg]

I Saw the Sign

Willie gets passionate about things and Alex gets passionate about Willie. It all works out, but thank god for ghostly poofing abilities.

A poorly written first kiss fic nobody asked for.

Not my gif.

Look, Alex didn’t plan for this to happen, okay?

They were sitting on the top of the “W” on the Hollywood sign. Willie was telling him about some dude named Tony Hawk, who apparently became this famous skateboarder right after Alex died. Alex was taking note of the inflection and the tempo of his voice when he was talking about something that particularly excited him. Alex wanted to go back to the studio and recreate it all. He wanted to play the track over and over again so he could listen to Willie for the rest of his afterlife.

Willie then let out that adorable giggle, making Alex’s gaze drop to his mouth. Alex’s eyes quickly popped back up to Willie’s hoping he wasn’t caught. It was so obvious, but Willie didn’t say anything. Rather, he did the thing with his face that made Alex believe his heart stopped all over again. That thing where it was like Alex’s brain just stopped working. The thing that made him feel like he couldn’t hide any part of himself from Willie. Where it seemed as though he was just an open book for Willie to read, but instead of listening to his anxiety and shrinking away from any possible scrutiny, he felt safe to be himself in Willie’s eyes.

Yeah, that thing.

Then Willie did that other thing where he bit his bottom lip and quirked up his eyebrows, making Alex feel hot. Man, how many times did Willie do that? Knowing very well what kind of effect he had on Alex. Geez, Alex just wanted to-

The next thing Alex knew, he grabbed at the key hanging off of Willie’s neck and pulled him into a kiss.

It was a quick and chaste kiss, but Alex’s brain still short circuited at the softness of Willie’s lips. Alex’s eyes fluttered open- when did he close them- and took in the look on Willie’s face. The shock in Willie’s features matched his own as his actions caught up to him.

“I’m so sorry.” Alex let go of the key fisted in his hand so quick like it had burned him. “I- I wasn’t thinking.”

“Alex.”

“I don’t know what came over me.” Alex ran his hands through his hair at an erratic pace as the anxiety started to build in his chest. Oh god, should he leave? Poof out? Leave the country? What has he done? If he wasn’t so high up he’d be practicing his “model strut” by now.

“Alex.”

“You were just so cute and I- I- I-”

He felt a hand grab the strap of his fanny pack, jerking him forward, then Willie was kissing him. Alex instantly relaxed into it and breathed in, responding to how Willie deepened the kiss. He shifted to get closer, to finally weave his hands through that soft hair and trace those sharp cheekbones. Like he’d been dreaming of since Willie crashed into him on the Walk of Fame. He just wanted to get closer, have no space left between them and-

He was falling.

No, Alex was literally falling. Like, off of the Hollywood sign.

He was only airborne for a few seconds before poofing back up to Willie and holding onto him for dear life. Willie was cackling at the turn of events and Alex’s face went pink from embarrassment.

“Guess you’ve really fallen for me, huh?”

“Shut up.”

AO3 link- https://archiveofourown.org/works/29307912

[unsaid-stardust]

Together

Prompt: Willex + Is something bothering you?

Requested by @reggies-jam

tagging @littledancersun @mambofivehargreeves @sunsetcurves (message me if you wanna be added to the tag list! 💜)

Alex was more or less happy. They were free from Caleb and they could hug Julie now, which was pretty cool. He loved Luke and Reggie; they were his family. But their hugging skills? They needed some work. Julie though? Her hugs were the greatest. They were just so warm and loving. After their show at the Orpheum, he found himself hugging her endlessly even when it was clear there was no reason for a hug. He didn’t care. He just loved being able to hug her. 

Everything seemed great. The band was closer than ever. Luke was glued to Julie now that they could touch (Luke thinks no one else notices, but everyone notices. Well, everyone except maybe Julie). Reggie is back to hanging out with Ray (they’re weirdly in sync now for only one out of two persons existing. It’s quite scary sometimes). And Alex?

He was hanging out with Willie most days. He showed Alex all of his favorite spots in L.A. Some more empty art museums, Justin Bieber’s empty pool (Alex still didn’t know who that was, but he liked seeing Willie’s face light up when he showed him the spot), a secret spot on the beach. They were endless and Alex loved every one of them. 

He should be happy, shouldn't he? Spending time with Willie, being able to hug Julie, his family being more than content (despite being dead). But, there was something stopping him from being truly happy. 

“Hey, Alex. Is something bothering you?” Willie snapped Alex out of his thoughts. They were sitting on the top of the "W" on the Hollywood sign. No. Really. If it’s one thing that Alex has learned about Willie it’s that he’s living his afterlife to the fullest and goes places that lifers wouldn’t be able to for obvious reasons because well, those reasons don’t apply to you when you’re in the afterlife. 

And that was one of the things that attracted Alex to him. Alex wasn’t like that. He’s sitting on. top of the Hollywood sign, the most beautiful view next to him, uh, in front of him, and he can’t help, but worry. Worry that all lifers will suddenly gain the ability to see them and they’ll get in trouble. Worry either of them will suddenly disappear altogether. Worry that, even though all of them escaped, Caleb will come after them. 

"Alex," Willie repeated. It was then, that Alex had realized he had been zoning out. 

"Hmm?" Alex hummed. 

"I uh, asked if something was bothering you. You've been spaced out for like the past five minutes," Willie explained. Alex felt his lips part; he didn't think Willie would notice. Well, even Alex himself didn't notice, but that's besides the point. Luke and Reggie only notice Alex is freaking out when he paces the room; they don't look at him carefully enough to notice him space out. It was--nice. Having Willie notice him like that. But, Alex didn't know if he should tell him everything that's going on in his mind. 

It wasn't that he didn't trust Willie, no, no, no, that wasn't even part of the question, it was more that he didn't want to bore him or stress him out with all of his racing thoughts. Plus, he knew he shouldn't have to worry. Everything was fine. 

"Uh yeah no. Everything is-fine" Alex stuttered. He found himself stuttering around Willie constantly and he kicked himself in the head for it. It was Willie. There was no need to be nervous. Willie pursed his lips and drooped his shoulders. 

"C'mon, Alex. I can tell when something is bothering you. I only asked to be polite. Just, tell me what it is. You know you can tell me anything," he said softly, turning his body towards Alex, his knee brushing against Alex's. Alex couldn't help, but look down at their connected knees, his cheeks feeling warm. He sighed out of defeat.

"It's just--do you ever worry? Because for me, I feel like I'm worrying constantly, you know? Like, what if people can suddenly see us like Julie can. Or what if the Hollywood sign just starts giving out and we fall? What if Caleb comes back and takes you away? I just-I couldn't have that," Alex shook his head before it hung down towards his lap. 

"Hey, hey, look at me," Willie demands softly, placing his hands on Alex's shoulders and directing his head to look him in the eyes. 

"Everything is ok, ok? What if all of that happens? It's not the end of the world, I mean you're already dead," Willie began, trying to get a laugh at of Alex. All he could muster, was a soft chuckle and a half smile, making Willie chuckle along with him. 

"If lifers start seeing us then we'll just make it like we're holograms, like your band. And if the Hollywood sign gives out, I'll grab onto you and we'll fall together. And Caleb-" Willie paused, swallowing back his fear.

"We'll figure it all out together, ok? Even if It means-"Willie couldn't stop letting Alex know that he's not going anywhere, but Alex had other ideas.

He kissed him. He got the courage and ran with it. He placed his thumb and index finger underneath Willie's chin and directed his lips onto his own. A soft kiss turned passionate, Willie's fingers lacing themselves through Alex's hair, knocking his hat off of his head. During any other moment, Alex would've freaked. He would've yelled for his fallen hat and immediately reach to grab it. But, in this moment, he didn't care. For the first time in his life and afterlife combined, he didn't have any worries in the world. All he wanted to do was show Willie that he was there with him too. 

And for a few seconds, minutes, hours? He did until they broke a part too soon for Alex's liking, both in need of air. Willie let out a small chuckle, his lips pursed together in that tight smile Alex loves so much. Alex rubbed the back of his head, not feeling his hat. It was then, that he remembered and he looked down towards the grass beneath them. 

"Awe, my hat! That was my favorite one!" He exclaimed. Willie laughed before grabbing Alex's hand. 

"Come on, we'll look for it-together." 

[oldschoolhip-hop]

Sho-Tang by Bobbito Ross

Sho-Tang by Bobbito Ross

Bobbito Ross dropped this fire on March 25th, 2021. This was a commission piece for his homie JR of Sho’Nuff from the 1985 classic, The Last Dragon in full glory. From the energy escaping his fingertips, Sho’Nuff is in a wicked gaze at his next opponent, his hair wrapping around the top of the W as his likeness only shows a bit of yellow from the logo. Really amazing piece, I love this brothers…

[rathernotmyname]

Fictober! Day 23

Fandom: Papillon RPF

Warnings: it’s RPF.

For @orchidsandlillies! Enjoy!!

Sentimentality

When Charlie opens the door to greet Rami on the other side, he feels as if he’s punched in the face by the air alone.

“Hi,” Rami says, face scrunched in confusion at the sight of Charlie’s mouth gaping and his hands waving in front of his face. “Are you choking? Is something wrong? Should I call an ambula-”

“Hot,” Charlie wheezes, retreating back into the doorway. “I mean, hello Rami. It’s hot outside.”

Rami raises his eyebrows. “Well, yeah. Didn’t you go outside the last few days?”

“No. I stayed inside with my AC, watching the weather report and being scared about my patio melting into the sewer.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Rami briefly thinks about telling Charlie that today is the first day since the heatwave started that Sami could convince him to wear shorts, but that might make him grumpy. ‘I’m a Brit,’ he’d say. ‘The hottest temperature I’m used to is 70 degrees Fahrenheit, California boy.’

(Rami likes it when Charlie calls him that. Not that he’ll ever admit it.)

Instead of boasting about his own heat tolerance, Rami says: “Well, are you gonna come out or will I have to get a cold inside with you?”

(Okay, that’s not much better.)

But it’s enough for Charlie, because he can’t bear it when Rami is sick, God bless him.

“I’ll see if I find the skimpiest shorts I have.”

The ‘skimpiest shorts’ don’t turn out as skimpy as Rami’s horny brain had hoped, but they fit Charlie very well. Maybe Rami looks at his butt when they walk down the stairs, but who’s there to judge him?

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” Charlie asks while he cleans his sunglasses with the rim of his t-shirt, biceps and shoulders flexing when he rubs at a particularly stubborn stain. God damn it, Rami, Rami thinks. Right places, right times, alright?

“Well, I was going to drive us to the Hollywood sign, but since you already look like you’re going to collapse, I’m inviting you for ice cream.”

“I love you,” Charlie blurts out.

“Me too,” Rami says quickly before he can apologize. “That’s why I’m taking you to my favorite ice cream parlor. They have something called ‘spaghetti ice cream’. The Germans came up with it, funnily enough. If you had it once, you’ll never want anything else, you can believe me on that.”

Charlie looks a little overwhelmed from their rapid-fire exchange of affection and Rami’s short rant, but he’s smiling, a truly beautiful smile that makes Rami feel as if he’s showered with buckets full of love.

He ends up being right – Charlie sings songs of praise over the spaghetti ice cream that makes even the waiters blush in happy abashment.

“When my career comes to an end, I’ll open an ice cream parlor, and I’ll only do spaghetti ice cream, in every possible combination. Spaghetti Carbonara, Spaghetti and meatballs, Lasagna ice cream…”

“Can I be a waiter?” Rami asks while hooking his arm through Charlie’s as they wander up the path to the back of the Hollywood sign.

“You’re gonna be my main waiter. And taste-tester.”

“I’m gonna get so fat.”

“We both will. Part of the job, innit?”

They’re still giggling when they search for a way to climb over the fence that protects the sign from vandals.

“When I was a kid, we would go here after school sometimes,” Rami reminiscences, staring up at the barbed wire in contempt. “It was much easier to get onto the sign back then. I liked to sit inside of the second ‘O’. Sami climbed on top of the ‘W’ once when we were 9 or ten, and he almost peed his pants because it was so high up.”

Charlie joins him in his giggling fit, still walking alongside the fence, searching for a way through.

They end up walking up and down the whole thing for almost two hours and discuss various techniques, like putting a jacket on top of the barbed wire (“My jacket is way too expensive for that, to be honest.” “Yeah… mine, too.”) or digging a hole underneath the fence (“I didn’t think of bringing a shovel. Damn it.” “Can’t we do it with our hands?” The ground is way too firm for that. We’re not gonna come very far.” “Damn it.”) before giving up.

“Killjoys. All of them,” Rami grumbles.

“Well, I can’t deny that I would have taken the ‘H’ with me, as a souvenir. You know? Like: ‘I was in Hollywood and all they had was my last initial’, except that it’s bigger than my house,” Charlie jokes, but he stops talking at the sour glance he receives. He frowns. “What’s wrong?”

Rami plops down on the dusty ground, legs outstretched and arms crossed like a pouting child.

“I really wanted to show you the sign. Properly. And it also sucks because it’s part of my childhood, and now it’s just not possible anymore.”

Charlie flounders a little, then he sits down next to Rami, slinging an arm around him and pulling him close to press a kiss to his temple, relieved when he feels Rami smile at it.

“I understand that. It sucks.”

Rami nods and snuggles his head into the junction of Charlie’s head and neck.

“But this is still nice,” Charlie continues, lifting his head to watch the orange-red sun setting over Los Angeles, “even if it’s not like you planned. I mean, our trip to the ice cream parlor wasn’t planned, either.”

“You’re right. I’m just a little sentimental,” Rami admits, turning his head so his nose is pushed up against Charlie’s jaw, taking in the smell of his aftershave and salty, warm skin.

“Well then, let’s be sentimental together,” Charlie says, wrapping his arms a little tighter around Rami. “Let’s start with me: I’m very sentimental because it’s getting cooler now and I forgot to turn off the AC when I went out, so my house is going to have the climate of a refrigerator when I come back.”

Rami guffaws. “And what’s there to be sentimental about?”

Charlie presses another kiss to Rami’s temple, making him let out a noise that sounds like a purr.

“I’m gonna be sentimental about always feeling just right when I’m with you. Not too cold, not too warm. Hell, I didn’t even notice the heat anymore as soon as I got into your car.”

Rami lifts his head, looking up at Charlie with wide eyes, almost overflowing with affection. “Charlie,” he chokes out, arms flying around his boyfriend before he kisses him soundly on he mouth.

When they make their way back to the car fifteen minutes later, Rami’s hand in the back pocket of Charlie’s skimpy shorts, Charlie half-turns to look back at the fence.

“Gotta agree with you,” he says, shaking his head in mock-annoyance. “Whoever thought to reinforce that fence is a proper cunt.”

Rami’s loud laughter accompanies them up to the end of the hill.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

The reason the C is on top of the W is because in any other way I.e with the W on top or first on the left or the two blended together would make people read it as "WC". WC. which of course is short for water closet i.e the toilet! There was actually an article about this before their monogram was released but after the engagement and how they had to be careful with positioning as they didn't want anyone reading it as WC because of the connotations it has here in the UK.

OMG, I hadn't considered that. I bet they got a good laugh out of it.

[peacefulapostlearchive]

@nicknamedrook​ said:  She flinched, she couldn't help it. Curling in on herself as his finger touched the top of the W. She had given him permission to touch it, even as red and irritated as it looked, her brow a little furrowed. Some of the letters scabbing up where John had bore down too hard. "Still itches..." Still hurts, but he didn't need that on his conscience. Not when she was sitting in his lap.

         witnessing the sight of the scar is almost too much for him to bear . THIS is what his brother is capable of , HAS BEEN DOING . he sighs as he reaches out hesitantly to let his fingers trace over the lines of the ‘ W ‘ . its still so surreal for him to believe , but he cannot deny the proof right in front of him .  ❝  i’m sorry , ❞ is all he can muster to say at first . it looks like it hurts even if she doesn’t say it . 

this only makes his conflicted feelings worse . hearing what his brother has done is much different than actually seeing it . what is he supposed to do ?? blue eyes raise from the scar to look into her eyes . all the conflict and concern and guilt showing clearly .  what is he supposed to say ?? ❝  i should have been there . . . ❞

[dishwashingrat]

To be fair the top of the W is slashed & the bottom half of the title is slashed as well with the BY on the lower half of the RW. Remember with the WB being in the middle makes sense those letters get slashed, especially more so the B, given they had to cut through it to get to cut the volume 7 underneath the Y. Not so much the W since the slash starts there to get the proper angle especially if they’re hinting at separating the team again for a bit next volume or an episode.

Yeaaah.... but why bother adding blood on it? 

When they did it with Weiss in V5 it also sliced the volume name underneath so I think that’s just stylistic design. Thought I do agree kinda that they will get separated.. somehow? We do have a lot of things going on afterall and they probably want the title characters to be part of every big thing so I guess it’s kinda needed? 

Once again I don’t expect anything from next episode so I won’t be let down or smnt... just if something does happen to Blake.. I won’t be surprised at all because of this. 

[zalk909192]

Victory + Love

AfuHiru Month - 20.08.19 - Act1

Day Four_ Victory and Love Rating_ Mature? But a light one. What’s in here?_ bad words, a lot of money, nyc, wall street, homophobia, long fic Ao3 here, folks (Prompt List) by Nene~

Hiruma had everything a man would ever want. Power, fame, money, women. Everything was at his feet. He was living the American dream to the fullest; he started in Texas when he won a scholarship for being the always winning quarterback of his football team. Then, in college was pretty much the same, but he preferred to continue with Economics in New Your instead to choose a sports career. He was brilliant and he started to work hard on Wall Street in a few years. The money came quickly, his name was on everyone's lips in the high society and every single rich boy and girl of New York City would have loved to have him like their broker. Hiruma lived in an attic on top of the W New York Downtown hotel, near to Wall Street but not too much. He loved his work, but sometimes he preferred to be apart from that world. He wasn't a fan of the mundane life of Wall Street. His hate for drugs and corruption was a big deterrent and his presence at parties were rare. That night the party was hosted by one of his client and Hiruma was the main attraction. Since his face wasn't often in public in the right context, everybody wanted to shake his hand or to flirt with him. And offer jobs, which he never accepted. After two hours of intense social activity, he escaped from the noisy crowds and went right out of the room, to breath some fresh hair on the terrace. He had a glass of whiskey and by the railing, only a woman in a long black dress and high heels was there too keep him company. She has a nice ass and her curves seemed to be better than usual in his eyes. Her blonde hair was gathered in a high tail and he could see her elegant neck. Well, maybe he could have tried to not leaving that place alone, after all.

« So? Is the party as boring for you as it is for me? »

The woman looked at him right over her shoulder with an amused smile, then she looked again in the night of New York with a little laugh. She shook her head.

« Then? Why here, all alone in this dim light? »

Hiruma was approaching her with a grin on his face and he was more convinced about, at least, the beauty of the woman.

« May I ask your name, milady? »

And then, he realized he made a mistake. The lady turned around and smiled showing in the light reflected in the glass of the terrace's windows. She was a he.

« I'm Afuro Terumi, dove. Am I like you expected me to be? »

Dove? Ah, he was wearing a white suit. That was a rhetoric question, Hiruma knew he couldn't help but be surprised. He was frozen on the spot, in fact, because that situation was totally absurd. It was absurd he thought about a man from a certain perspective. Insane. Illogical. And of course wrong on so many levels.

« Hiruma Yoichi, eh? They said you have more women than money, but that you prefer asses more than... well, you know far better than me. »

Afuro Terumi was only some inches from him and Hiruma started to panic a little. A man. Well, not only a man. A man in drag was suggesting...

« Maybe I can be useful in the same way. »

Hiruma just- couldn't- No. Never. Afuro moved a little for god-knows-what and Hiruma was himself again. He stepped back, trying to remain calm.

« I'm not a faggot. »

Afuro stopped instantly and raised an eyebrow.

« Excuse me, what did you just say? »

That was an accusation.

« I said I'm not like you. I mean. Flattered, but no thanks. I'm not a- »

If eyes could kill, Hiruma would have been already dead. Afuro took a step further and slapped him.

Hard.

On second thought, it wasn't a slap at all. It was a punch. A good one. So good he had the taste of his blood in his mouth. Afuro didn't like being insulted, not even by the newborn legend of Wall Street.

_

Afuro Terumi was born and trained to be perfect. His family was a strict one, he had a childhood full of responsibility and with too little time for himself. That's why, when their parents died in a plane crash, he was 23 and he was so awfully relieved he started to do everything he truly wanted unrestrained. In a moment he went from perfect future CEO of an old import-export company to the rich heir who didn't give a damn about rumors and scandals. He was openly gay, on Wednesdays he would wear pink, and by the way, in three years he had recreated the empire of his stinky old family in something completely different, but even more proficuous. He was a highly requested top model, he was CEO of a makeup company under his name, he was his own model for his line of lingering, and he anticipated the Supreme trend with the "Victory+Love" one, rich of special collaborations featuring world-famous artist and brands. It was time to make it grow more and they said that a good seller could sell whatever he asks him to, with the right motivation. And ho was the best broker in town? Hiruma Yoichi. That name sunk in Afuro's mind like a promise, the first time he heard it. After some research, he found out some peculiar things about the man he would like to hire. A lot of women but when he asked, only some of them told him that they had sex after leaving the party together. And both of them said that Hiruma would come only with anal sex. To Afuro, it was enough to know the real preference of Hiruma. It was so explicit that Afuro thought why someone should have sex with girls too. Because of course, Hiruma was gay in his eyes. Maybe he could even hire him and offer some benefits.

"I'm not a faggot" That words and Afuro was pissed already. Because if Hiruma wasn't a faggot, who else could be one?

The punch came from a fucking black belt in Taekwondo. Because a faggot could make you cry just like any other man. And in high heels, that faggot could make you bleed without a single flinch.

And still, the next day the same faggot could end your career on a whim.

But like the goddamn faggot he was, he didn't: he had a lot of ways to crush a homophobic homo like him.

[blackberryshawty]

I’ve never been scared of heights in a traditional sense like I love tall ass roller coasters and shit but I have a fear of like edges on heights or like high places. Like I once was on the verge of a panic attack having to walk on the helipad on top of the W like I was afraid a gust of wind would blow me off the building

[prismatic-gay]

I don't think this gets talked about enough:

Tw: depression, anxiety, suicide

This is mainly to students but recently it seems to be happening in adults as well.

Just recently I completely crashed and burned without even realizing what was happening largely due to this phenomenon that I'm about to talk about.

There's a study that shows that mental health in students generally goes in a W curve

You start off happy, (top of the W) seeing your friends after the summer classes are still easy but as time goes on mental health goes down, sure people hype in October about Halloween and stuff but it's still overall a downturn, as winter approaches mental health tends to tank- then we hit November where suicides spike. This spike is the first low of the W- we start going up slightly in mood (not all the way) when the holidays come around (in most cases) because Christmas/no school/holidays whatever. Only to crash again sometime between February and March. After that as summer gets closer mental health usually starts to incline.

I'm kind of stupid, and didn't realize the decline was happening until it was at the low. If you notice that your mental health is on the decline for seemingly no reason or school stress's or whatever may be going on please seek help. The W curve isn't a joke, it's a common thing that's only gotten more and more prominent. And it's something people should keep in mind: if you're feeling like shit around this time of year you are not alone. Even if you feel like it, you are *not* alone. Many other people are going through this so please don't be afraid to seek help if you need it. I had to learn this the hard way.

Tldr: mental state generally tanks around November and March due to a phenomenon referred to as the W curve. If you notice your mental health tanking leading up to these times please don't hesitate to ask for help. This is prevelant in students, both in college and prior schooling. You're not alone in this.

[cheapxseats]

                                                      way up h i g h                               top of the w o r l d that night                    hellbent on stealing a kiss between every sip                              it was m o r e than enough                                                      we were l i v i n g it up                                         in the cheap seats

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