#*Will create an open for either as well as a couple third party additions.

[thepnwvarmints]

Charlie Hunnam & Garrett Hedlund - Studio City | Los Angeles - 3/17/2023

[mack3030]

Things the Sims 4 Community Can Do About Paywalls...A Post...

[This is going to be a bit long, so you may want to save it and read it when you have time, or just...you know, buckle in.]

I thought I would ring in the new year by talking about something that I feel we as a community need to finally decide on. (It’s been debated since 2017 or so, and it’s now 2021...) I’d like, if possible, to try to suggest some real solutions and choices that we can make that will hopefully create a better and more honest community out of all of us.  Now I would like to start by making some postulates. In geometry, postulates are facts that do not need proven with a mathematical proof. They are assumed to be true. Thomas Jefferson and the founding fathers would call these “Self-Evident Truths”. I would like to use these as a bit of a basis for my arguments. 

Truth: The Sims 4 has been enough of a cash cow for EA.  If you buy the base game ($40) plus all expansion packs (40 each x 10) + all game packs (20 each x 9) + all stuff packs (10 each x 17) you would come to a total of seven hundred and 90 dollars ($790) plus tax. This is of course, without sales, bundling, etc, which many people DO take advantage of, but STILL. That is a TON of money for EA’s pockets.  EA makes a majority of its money on the fact that the Sims 4 is an “incomplete game”. It “completes” the game further and further by adding more “expansions” to the game to the point that it seems almost useless to buy the base game alone without adding to it. 

Even with sales and other things, it’s easy to spend over $500 dollars on the sims 4 game + expansions. Still a lot of cash for a game that is years old. This is just money that is spent on the game that goes to EA. This does not account for:  * Money spent to buy a new computer because your old one wouldn’t run the sims.  * Money spent supporting CC artists who have donations open or early access.  * Money spent on access to sites that have ads/paywalls/exclusive sims 4 CC such as Leosims, etc. (Which are the problem, frankly)

We should be able to respect the fact that a majority of us paid a hefty amount for this game. It is unfair, and frankly greedy to REQUIRE people to pay MORE just to unlock or gain access to specific user created content. 

I am not talking about a VOLUNTARY support or donation because they like what you offer. I am talking about FORCING people to pay if they want to ever be able to use the CC or mod you offer. 

Now, the typical defense for this is “Well, I’m an artist! I spend time/effort/etc working hard on these meshes, the code, etc to make this content!”  Which leads me to point #2. 

Truth: Mods, CC, and other content for the Sims 4 are useless without the game. Once they are created/uploaded to the game, all copyright to those objects IMMEDIATELY transfers to EA. 

I teach art in a Missouri public school. Our state standards dictate that when art students are in middle school grades, they have to learn about copyright, fair use, and creative commons. While I am not a copyright lawyer, I have had to learn enough about this subject to teach it. So allow me to break down a few facts about copyright: 

First, when ya make it, ya own it. There’s not a process to apply for a copyright. The moment you create something that is 100% your own work, you hold the copyright to it. 

Second, when you make something that is created based off of or USING someone else’s intellectual property as a reference or resource it is a fan creation. In art, we call this “fanart”. It is not 100% your own work. Someone else’s intellectual property is involved. 

Fan creations always have tread a very thin and shadowy line when it comes to different companies and the legality of them. You can easily search google for various articles explaining it, but to summarize it in a short method: 

Most companies do not actively go after those who create fan creations unless they are making profits that could instead be going to the creators of the intellectual property. If the fan creation is discovered to be making profits and/or taking the intellectual property in a direction the creator does not approve of, they have legal options to pursue (court, cease and desist letters, etc). 

Third, Copyright can be transferred from person to person. In most cases this is done through a written document that both parties sign, however there IS an exception to this that EA uses to allow itself to transfer your copyrights to your content to them: 

EA’s agreement with you is non-exclusive, meaning that the moment you hit “agree” on the sims 4 terms and conditions, you have handed over your rights to any CC you create for the game. 

If you want to maintain full creative rights over the mesh/mods/etc you make then, you have to not make that content for the sims 4 and make your own platform to host it on. This is way easier said than done. 

Truth: There have been various examples in the past of CC creators who have stolen meshes, bases, bits/pieces of work, or “inspiration” for CC from other sites/companies, who have been called on it publicly. 

The most recent event concerning this was drama concerning itsbrandysims and their use of meshes from imvu/secondlife (you can see my opinion on the subject HERE), but there have been other documented cases. Leosims, for example, has been listed as an example of someone taking meshes from secondlife creators and reuploading them (when it was told to me, I was shown THIS thread as evidence). Another well known creator was accused by a former sims 4 cc creator (who now makes content from second life), and was called out in THIS post in 2019. 

The horrible part of this? Many of these creators are charging people (often at not so great rates as well), for STOLEN content. Content they don’t even own, that they ripped from another place. This should not be accepted by a community that loves a game as much as the Sims 4 community.  Truth: EA has provided a way for people to make money while not hiding content behind paywalls entirely, and the INTENT of this was to OFFSET COSTS.  Almost every post about content locked behind paywalls features this post found on the Sims Forum from 2017. In it, SimGuruDrake, who was the community manager at the time (she has since left the Sims 4 team for another job).  Most of you who have seen this discussion topic before know this post by heart, but I’d like to highlight one important aspect of it: 

One thing that is always important about communication is the intent behind it. The intent for people to be allowed to make patreons and allow early access wasn’t so people could just make money for themselves, the idea was to offset costs to buy programs to make the content. For example, a yearly subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud (which has photoshop, illustrator, etc) costs a couple hundred dollars US a year. If someone was using photoshop to help them create their CC in addition to blender or other free programs, EA/Maxis wanted to allow the creator to not have to pay for making the CC out of pocket.  Can EA/Maxis control what people spend the money they make off of patreon on? No. But it should be noted that the intent of this action was to help people pay for supplies for their hobby more than to make a business out of it. 

Onto the next truth! Truth: There is an image that disputes this post above, however the authenticity of it and timing of it are very disputed. 

This image is often thrown around by people who lock content behind paywalls, but I would like to take a second and try to provide an honest assessment of it.  First of all, I have a bit of a problem with the fact that the original person who “messaged” SimGuruDrake this question has not been identified. This image was not posted on the tumblr of a CC creator who claimed “Hey I reached out to a sims guru and this is the answer I got!” The main pages that have this image are either tweets from CC creators using it to defend their stance on paywalls (ex: here), or tumblrs/tweets “debunking it” (ex: here, here).  I even reverse image searched this image using google, and another platform and could not figure out where this originated from. Of course, I’m not an expert, but...still. 

The fact that the origin of this picture is unknown casts doubt on it. If it were a well known CC maker who is known for being honest, that’s one thing. But the fact that we don’t exactly know where it came from is suspicious. Because frankly, anyone with some decent editing ability could photoshop this. 

Here’s my imperfect edit, but I’m just a self-taught graphics nerd and I am not as dedicated at faking screenshots as some. (And the crap photo quality didn’t help.) Another common issue is that at the supposed “time” that this question was being asked, some state that SimsGuruDrake had already left the Sims 4 team. I will admit, this photo is within the correct timeline, as SimsGuruDrake did not officially depart the sims 4 team until February 2018. (There is a post on the sims forums that has a timestamp that confirms this.) But, if you were in the process of leaving your job within the next month (as a two week/30 day notice is common when leaving a job), would you REALLY be answering questions in DMs on twitter, or be focusing on packing up, and training your successor?  The last thing that really makes me doubt the validity of this picture is the fact that it’s not really easy to message the sims gurus on Twitter. This appears to be twitter from the screenshot (although there are some things that are a little out of place from the current UI): But when I attempt to direct message a sims guru I get this message: 

I even tried seeing if I could reach out via DM to Drake herself, (who now posts under a different twitter) to see if it was possible: 

Could the policies have changed since 2018? Possibly, but I feel that opening up direct messages is just asking for Sims 4 team members to get angry messages, so this could very well be a long running EA policy. I have also reached out to her via a twitter tag (as of 1/2/21), and will update y’all if I get a reply:

Okay, so now that we’ve gone through all of this, let’s talk about the last truth that’s really important:  Truth: Putting content behind paywalls has generally been considered disgusting by many in the sims 4 community, and TAKES AWAY the choice of people to support CC creators they love/appreciate WILLINGLY.  A few notable posts sharing the disgust with this practice can be found: HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE & HERE). And these are just what I can find from a simple precursory search.

Okay, Brainiac. So what can we do to solve this problem? 

Well, there’s a few methods we can employ, and sadly, it’s going to take a bit of a commitment and concentrated effort from the community. 

Step #1: Make the COMMUNITY the VICTIM instead of EA. 

Now when I say this, I don’t mean we’re actually victims, but mean that instead of constantly saying things like “WHEN YOU DO THIS YOU VIOLATE EA’S TOU!”, thus making EA the “victim” of the crime. We change the dialog to saying “When you lock stuff behind paywalls, you cheat the sims 4 community and disrespect their choice to support you or not.”  Because let’s be honest. Maxis/EA really doesn’t give much of a care about if people aren’t following this rule. You can report people to the team, but as far as most people have seen, it doesn’t get anywhere. But if we make it where the community is the party being “wronged” it is much harder for those who have paywalls to not be scared. Because the community, in the end, has to be with them.  DepthofPixels had a really amazing post about this HERE. 

Step 2: Decide to not support anyone who puts their content behind exclusive paywalls and do not hesitate to spread the word about why you choose not to do so. 

By that, I mean

not paying any patreon accounts that don’t offer either their content 100% for free, or offer early access.

And sharing about why you choose to do that on your social media. Something I might suggest would be to make it a bit personal and share something like:

Instead of spending $15 a month to get exclusive content from Leosims (or any other patreon/paywall creator here) I’m spending that $15 supporting creator x, creator y, and creator z, who don’t put their work behind paywalls! 

Link their patrons, share why you like their content, and why you take the stance to make the community better. Make it a positive thing, praising the people who are doing RIGHT by the community. 

Yes, you may not get their content for a while (although there are some different places (

x

,

x

) to find them *cough*. But in the end, is it worth supporting someone’s content when they’re treating the community badly? 

Step 3: Report creators who actively steal content from IMVU/secondlife to those respective companies, and all others to EA. (Even though nothing may happen.)

Here’s the deal. When people steal from either of those sites, they are infringing on someone’s copyright, as well as Imvu/secondlife’s copyright as well. It’s not okay, and they should be held accountable for it. Here’s the LINK for submitting a ticket to Secondlife. I haven’t been able to find one for IMVU, but maybe someone else will find one. Let those companies know and allow them to handle those specific creators.  As to the other creators, EA may not handle them at the moment. But IF (and this is a wishful thinking “if”) there were suddenly a flood of messages about certain creators...? I think they might have to pay attention to some of those messages. There is an official report form, but it might even be worth tweeting to SleddingGuruFrost, who is the current community manager asking about their stance on paywalls.  And last but not least: 

Step 4: Make sure that those who are doing the right thing and not putting their work behind paywalls feel appreciated. Show them some love via a tumblr ask, or by tagging them on twitter, or by going up a tier on their patreon (or pledging for the first time). Celebrate these heroes who are creating content and not forcing it on us. 

Us asking for people to give us a choice to support them isn’t being greedy, or disrespecting their time. We just want transparency, and respect from those who create content for the game we love so much versus them treating us like we’re just a source of income. I know it might seem a bit hard to do this for some of you, and for some it may seem like I’m preaching to the choir, but we have to decide where we stand on this issue and stop letting those who abuse this system keep doing it. We can make a difference if we decide as a COMMUNITY to work together.

With commitment,  ~Sunny

[cal-puddies]

remember when we couldn’t take the heat || ashton irwin

a lovely anon requested another trope fic for @kindahoping4forever​ and i to tag team, so we did.

As always Crystal is amazing and please share love with her as well (i do share any comments you all leave with her as well!) With her help I really think we were able to take this to next level, so it would not be this good without her! I hope you all love it!

You check your bag one last time before zipping it shut. You check your phone, seeing you still had about an hour before Michael and Crystal picked you up on their way to the airport. 

A week long getaway at an all inclusive resort with five of your best friends (and one last minute addition of a new significant other) was exactly what you needed. 

You thanked your lucky stars every night that Kay Kay was too busy, meaning Ashton had decided not to go. The two of you had never gotten along and you don't think you'd ever be able to relax if he was there.

So you're more than disappointed to see him strolling up to the gate. The second you spot him, you groan to Sierra, “You guys promised me he wouldn’t be here.”

She frowns and rushes over to have a quick sidebar with Luke. She returns, super apologetic and quickly explains that Ashton's relationship had recently blown up again and that he had texted Luke last night some vague questions about the trip but they had no idea that meant he intended to tag along.

“Well. He better not be next to me," you pout, crossing your arms.

But of course he is, because why not start off your relaxing vacation this way? And instead of seeming heartbroken about his break up, he’s flirting with all the flight attendants and every girl in line around him, until he sees he’s sitting next to you. He plops in the seat and immediately scrunches his face up. 

“There’s gotta be another seat,” he grumbles, flagging down a flight attendant who assures him it's a full flight and there is in fact not a single other seat available. 

“You’ve gotta be kidding me," Ash murmurs after the flight attendant walks away. 

“Not like this is my dream flight either, buddy,” you groan.

Sensing the already mounting tension, Luke looks across the aisle with an apologetic smile to you and mouths ‘Sorry.'

Ashton immediately pulls out headphones and makes a big show out of ignoring you. He pulls his leather jacket off, accidentally elbowing your shoulder and smacking the sleeve in your face. 

“What the fuck, Irwin?" You seethe. 

He glares at you and shrugs, going back to his music. 

Who the fuck wears a leather jacket to a fucking beach getaway? Could he look any less practical? You wonder briefly if he even brought anything suitable for the weather before you realize you shouldn’t give a single fuck about what’s in his bag.

You successfully ignore each other through the rest of boarding and take-off. At the earliest possible opportunity you order a drink and he comments, "A little early, don't you think?" You search your mind for a better retort than "Not when I'm sitting next to you, asshole" but then you realize it doesn't matter what you say because he didn't even bother to take off his headphones to make his remark.

To compound the dirty look you receive from him, Luke and Sierra order a drink for you as well. You gratefully chug both before ordering another, grumbling under your breath that this flight could not be over soon enough. 

Ashton makes nice with the flight attendant and even takes his headphones off to flirt with her a bit. You roll your eyes at whatever bullshit lines he's feeding her and think now would be the perfect time to doze off for a cat nap if his voice wasn't so fucking loud.

You huff as she walks away, “Can you keep it down loudmouth?” You adjust your cardigan against the side of the plane and close the window shade, crossing your arms over your chest, leaning your head against the balled up fabric. 

“I’d like to be able to see the sun," Ashton says, putting his sunglasses on and flipping the shade up. 

You grit your teeth, “What’s the fuckin point if you put the sunglasses on?” 

“Does it inconvenience you?” He asks, looking at your face and finding you must agree. “Then that’s the fuckin point, Princess.”

Your eyes narrow as you stare at him in disbelief, but you manage to keep yourself from selecting one of the literal hundreds of insulting comebacks you have running through your mind. 

Guys like Ashton live off of getting reactions from people and the best way you could stick it to him is to simply not give him one.

You lean back in your seat and shake out your sweater, draping the sleeve over your face to create a makeshift eye shade for your nap. He scoffs at your actions, clearly hoping you'll take the bait and when you don't, you feel his glare on you for several beats before he pulls out his phone to find another way to entertain himself.

You’re able to ignore him for the rest of the flight, and you feel accomplished knowing it's driving him nuts that you’re no longer reacting to him. 

You wait patiently to get off the plane, getting more than mildly annoyed at Ashton’s impatience. But you try not to say anything. He gets out of the row and you let Sierra and then Luke out across the aisle. “You two can no longer be trusted,” you jab at Luke. 

“I’m sorry, bub,” Luke gives you an apologetic smile. “I didn’t know he would really come and I wouldn’t have wanted you to miss this.” He tries to explain with a pout but you just roll your eyes at the giant man in front of you.

You manage to claim your baggage without incident and you narrowly avoid the misfortune of having to sit next to Ash on the shuttle to the resort. Luke, obviously trying to win back your favor, offers to let you sit with Sierra and he sits in the open seat next to Ashton.

“Just don’t let him get to you,” Sierra says. “We’re still gonna have fun and there’s enough of us that you shouldn’t have to interact.”

Her reassurance helps soothe your nerves for the time being. 

When you arrive at the resort, everyone mingles and chatters excitedly in the lobby while Luke and Sierra check your party in. Calum and his girlfriend keep Ash occupied and away from you and you couldn't be more grateful, taking the opportunity to make small talk with Michael and Crystal. 

Check-in is taking a lot longer than it should and you crane your neck to try and see the front desk from where you're at. You happen to catch Sierra's gaze from across the room and she offers you a forced smile before she quickly looks away. Whatever's happening, it can't be good and you have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with the last minute addition to your trip.

When Sierra and Luke come back, they both refuse to make eye contact with you, making you even more suspicious. They hand out key cards to the other two couples and then both take a deep breath and look between you and Ash. 

“What?” You ask point blank. 

Luke purses his lips together, “They’re booked, they don’t have a room for Ash... but... your suite has a couch...” 

“You’ve actually gotta be kidding me,” you quip. 

“We won’t even be in the rooms except to sleep, it’ll be fine babe!” Sierra tries to convince you. 

You groan, not even bothering to look at Ashton. “Fine.” You grit your teeth.

Ashton is obviously not thrilled with this arrangement either and you see him pull Luke aside, animatedly waving his hands as he complains. 

You take the opportunity to head up to the room first in hopes of marking your territory: claiming the good drawers, the prime counter space in the bathroom. He needs to know you're doing him a favor by letting him stay in your room.

Ash comes in while you’re setting up in the bathroom and he immediately tries to stake claim on the bed. He’s flung himself across it when you come out of the bathroom. 

“Keep dreaming, Irwin.”

“I got here first,” he states, tucking his arms behind his head with a smug look on his face.

You push his boot-clad feet off the bed with a huff. "Yes, you got here to MY bed first," you say with exaggerated enunciation. "MY bed in MY room. Since it was booked for ME. Since I was INVITED on this trip."

“I was invited too,” he reminds you, standing up, ready to argue. 

“But you declined! And reinvited yourself literally last minute. If you had agreed when you were originally asked, we wouldn’t be sharing a fucking room," you say with exasperation.

"It worked out though," he shrugs dismissively. 

You feel like your eyes are about to pop out of your head as you glare at him. "Does this seem like things working out to you?!"

“Honestly yes. We’ve both got a place to stay, I get to be here with my brothers... besides... Rock Star here, need I remind you, I don’t sleep on couches,” he starts. 

“Blow me with that bullshit,” you quip. “This trip was supposed to be relaxing and now I can’t get laid because I can’t bring anyone back here... AND I have to see you literally first thing in the morning... AND you’re trying to take my bed... it’s the couch for you, Irwin. I don’t give a fuck who you think you are. And I think your BROTHERS would back me up on this," you say mockingly.

“I don’t know why you have to be such a bitch about this. And of course Luke will back you up, he’d hate for Sierra to be mad at him,” he rolls his eyes. 

“I think he’d hate to know what a fucking diva you’re trying to be,” you sneer. “Why can’t you just go crash on one of their couches?”

"Like I said, I'm not trying to sleep on anyone's couch, sweetheart," he explains, the condescension dripping off of his words. "Plus, there's no way I'm about to be anyone's third wheel, something you clearly have no problem with."

You take a beat, pinching the bridge of your nose and taking two deep breaths. “Hate to break it to you Rock Star, but you ARE a third wheel on this trip. I just wanted a vacation with friends... but, as per usual your thotty ass comes along and turns it into my own personal hell. I paid for this room, so you can find yourself on the couch, freeloader.”

He gives a single snort in response which honestly infuriates you more than if he had come back at you with some long-winded monologue. He drags his suitcase to the couch and busies himself with unpacking, slamming drawers and grumbling every step of the way. You can't even be happy about winning the bed argument because you're so worked up now you can hear your heart pounding in your ears.

You grab your phone and angrily text Luke and Sierra, “Does 5sos really need a drummer? Can he be replaced? Because the current one is about to be dead.”

Luke responds with the crying laughing emoji which has you about to launch your phone across the room. Sierra is typing for quite a bit but eventually just ends up sending a simple "Hang in there sweetie, it'll be worth it tomorrow!"

You call room service to order a bottle of vodka, it’s the only way you’ll be able to deal with him. You hear Calum in the room and make an appearance, plastering on a fake smile. He gestures to his girl, “We were just gonna go check out the resort, wanted to see if you guys wanted to come?” 

“I’ll pass thanks, I just ordered some room service. But Ash, you should absolutely go,” you encourage, gritting your teeth. 

“Gladly... who goes on vacation to sit in their room anyway?” He quips.

Rather than fight in front of Cal, you give the group a sickly sweet "Have fun!" and breathe a sigh of relief when they shuffle out the door.

You take the chance to relax, changing out of your plane outfit and into something more appropriate for the more tropical setting, you open the balcony doors and wander out onto it. It really couldn’t be prettier. You’re drawn out by a knock on the door and you think it must be room service, but it’s Luke, Sierra, Michael and Crystal. Luke is holding your bottle of vodka. 

“Had it charged to our room,” he says, thrusting it toward you. “We wanna go exploring. But let’s all get a drink first.” He smiles, “Save this for later.” 

“Ash still here?” Crystal asks, peering into the room. 

“He went with Cal... thank god,” you grumble. You set the vodka on the bedside table and grab your bag and sunglasses to head out with them.

One drink with the group becomes two which becomes decidedly more than two and they convince you to explore with them. By the time you get back to the room, Ashton has returned and is lounging on the couch as if he hasn't a care in the world. "Hey roomie," he dryly greets you without looking up from his phone.

“Hey asshole,” you slur, followed by a hiccup. You walk toward the bed and kick your shoes off, and very quickly follow it up with peeling your top off. “Why’s it s’hot?” You hiccup again and land haphazardly on the bed.

"AC wasn't acting right so I called the front desk and they said someone could look at it tomorrow," he explains noncommittally. "I, however, had the decency to leave my clothes on because I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." 

You scoff at his implication. Or you mean to, at least. Despite the climate of the room, the events of the day combined with your intoxicated state has you drifting off before you know it. As you fade into unconsciousness, you think you hear Ash snipe in the distance, "If you barf on the bed during the night, I'm not helping you clean that shit up."

You make a mocking tone at him, you think. And you’re out. 

After an evening of drinking, you wake up at 3 AM, needing the bathroom. You immediately notice you’re somehow tucked in bed, even though you’re 90% sure you passed out halfway on it. Your shorts are unbuttoned but not off and all the lights in the bedroom are off. When you make your way to the bathroom, you peek over at Ashton on the couch and he’s sprawled on his stomach, only in his boxer briefs. It’s then you realize it’s still ungodly hot in the suite. You shut the bathroom door, turn on the light and take a quick look at yourself in the mirror before deciding you need to wash your face before going back to bed.

You're in no rush as you use the toilet, wash your face and brush your teeth. It's been an exhausting day and you could use the alone time. You're careful to shut off the light before you open the door and start to tiptoe your way back to bed. 

You nearly jump out of your skin when a gruff voice barks at you, "Think you could make any more noise in there, princess?" You're livid but you say nothing and lay back down.

When you wake up in the morning, you’ve managed to almost completely forget about sharing your room with Ash. So it’s a rude awakening when you find him emerging from the bathroom with a towel slung low on his hips, water dripping from his hair, muscles rippling as he starts digging through his drawers.

“Oh... the princess has decided to grace us,” he rolls his eyes, seeing you’re awake. “You’ve got like 45 minutes till we all do breakfast and judging by the way your phone has been buzzing, someone thinks I killed you last night.” 

You groan and wipe your hand over your face, “More like making sure I didn’t kill you.”

As you reach for your phone on the nightstand, you realize the sheets are sticking to your skin which is covered in sweat. "Did the front desk say what time they were coming to fix the air? And Jesus, as if this place wasn't humid enough, why exactly did you need to take the world's steamiest shower?"

“Gotta relax these muscles after sleeping on the world's most uncomfortable couch, sweetheart,” he retorts. “And no, I was not given an ETA but I’m sure when we go down for breakfast you can complain again. Maybe if you do it, it’ll get fixed faster,” he snarks. 

You roll your eyes and grab something to wear from your drawers, slamming the bathroom door behind you.

You take a cold shower, partly to wake you up and partly to cool you down (and mostly because Ash definitely used all the hot water on purpose). Even without creating steam, the bathroom is sweltering so as soon as you get dressed, you crack the door open in hopes of maintaining some airflow. You throw your hair in a ponytail and are applying a basic face of makeup when you feel Ash's eyes boring into you. 

You look behind you through the mirror and see him propped up against the door frame, observing. "We're just going to breakfast, not the royal ball, Princess. You don't need all that shit."

“Why’s it any of your business?” You ask, staring at him in the mirror. You wait a beat and then work on finishing your makeup, topping off with mascara and lip gloss.

"Just an observation," he begins but is cut off by a knock at the front door. He leaves to answer and you take a few deep breaths to relax yourself. All you have to do is get down to breakfast and then you can enjoy the  company of the people you actually came on this trip to spend time with. You hear Ash loudly joking with someone and you exit the bathroom hoping to see a handyman on the receiving end of his banter, but it's just Luke and Sierra.

Sierra smiles at you, “Hey beautiful, how’d you sleep?” She asks. 

“I think the only reason I slept so well is because I drank so much. It’s fuckin hot in here.” 

“It’s bad in our room too,” Luke shares. “We tried to call maintenance but no ETA on when they’ll be up, sounded like we weren’t the only ones suffering.” He shrugs.

Sierra notes your look of concern and interjects, "But we've got a ton of fun shit planned for the day so we won't be in our rooms too much anyways and hopefully it'll all be sorted when we get back!"

Luckily you were able to get some much needed space from Ashton during breakfast. You sat at opposite ends of the table and Sierra and Crystal did their best to keep your mind off of things. 

"Sorry I'm being such a bitch, you guys," you confess during a trip to the ladies' room. "I don't want you to feel like you have to baby-sit me the whole time, you're supposed to be enjoying the time off you have with your guys."

"Babe, we get it," Crystal reassures you. "It's not like this thing with you and Ash is anything new, we're all used to having to navigate it."

"And it's fine, sometimes people just don't get along," Sierra chimes in. "You're not obligated to like all of your friends' friends. We’re all adults, we can handle it."

After breakfast you do a few touristy things and a little bit of shopping before going back to the resort to prep for some much needed beach time. 

Ash scoffs as you sort through bikinis, “How many of those fuckin things did you need to bring? Are you going to be ready anytime soon?” 

“It’s not like you’re actually waiting for me anyway,” you murmur, otherwise ignoring him. 

But he’s not ignoring you, he’s watching your body move through the space, clad only in the bikini you selected. And it almost makes him more annoyed the way you definitely seem to be so confident in it. “Was that your best one?” He snarks.

"Sorry that some of us are actually into making an effort," you shrug. "And why is it your new favorite hobby to just stand there and watch me get ready, don't you have anything better to do?" 

You shove past him in the doorway to fetch your beach bag out of the closet. The room's swampy temperature has not improved and you hate that you can feel the transfer of sweat from his skin to yours when you brush up against him.

“I was just trying to be polite and wait for you to head down but I didn’t realize it'd be such an ordeal,” he grumbles, slipping his sandals on. “Fucking ridiculous,” he mumbles to himself. 

“No one asked you to wait, just fuckin go, Irwin. I don’t need an escort,” you exclaim, pulling on a pair of shorts. 

“An escort is probably the only way you’d get laid with that attitude,” he gruffs, slamming the hotel room door behind him.

You ball your fists up in rage and whip a sandal towards the door. It hits with a satisfying smack and you can't help but wish you had tossed it 15 seconds earlier so that noise would've come from the back of Ashton's head.  You walk over to retrieve your shoe and are startled by the knock at the door. 

You open it to find Cal with a half-amused, half-concerned expression on his face and his girlfriend looking bewildered. Their relationship was new and this was really the first she had experienced your dynamic with Ash in all of its dysfunctional glory. 

"You doing alright?" He inquires, trying to peek inside the room behind you. 

"I'm just ready to lay in the sun and not think about anything,” you say, grabbing your bag off the counter behind you and closing the door. 

Turns out the sunshine and drinks was exactly what you needed to calm down and within an hour you were laughing and playing in the water with everyone, though you had to watch Ashton flirt with everything that moved, even encouraging them to call him “Daddy, because all his friends do.”

As much fun as you're having, you can't help but notice the heat of the day doesn't seem to be passing. Tired from being in the sun, everyone agrees to head back to their respective rooms for a short rest before meeting back up for a late dinner. You know even Ashton must be spent when the hot wind starts blowing your beach hat off your head and he retrieves it and returns it to you without comment.

“D’you wanna shower first?” He asks, when the two of you return to the room. “Think you got some extra sun,” he mentions. “I can put aloe on if you need.” 

“First shower would be great, thanks,” you yawn. “You'll probably need some aloe on your neck and shoulders. I have some if you didn’t bring any,” you offer and then head for the bathroom.

You take your brief shower and come out in just a towel. You grab the aloe, gently toss it to Ash and he makes quick work, lightly coating your red skin in the gel. 

“Thanks,” you murmur. 

“Don’t mention it,” he says, capping it and heading for his own shower.

It doesn't hit you how weird it was to have a pleasant interaction with Ash until after you're dressed. You're rooting around in the suite's fridge for cold water and without thinking, you place two on the counter. You stare at the bottles for a beat, almost as if they appeared there on their own.

"One of those for me?" Ash's voice asks from behind you, startling you out of your confusion.

"I... guess so?" You answer with a shrug, turning to hand him the beverage. He's shirtless and the pair of athletic shorts he's chosen for his post-shower attire hang low on his hips and you wonder why you've made note of that.

“Thanks?” He replies, equally confused. “Wanna watch some tv?” He asks. 

“Sure,” you shrug. He clears his stuff off the couch and you sit at opposite ends. You doze off before you even decide on what to watch.

You awaken to the sound of both your and Ash's phones vibrating on the coffee table. You're disoriented but cognizant enough to realize you must have slept through the time you agreed to meet for dinner.

“Oh shit,” you murmur, wiping the sleep from your eyes. You grab your phone and look at the texts and quickly shoot off a reply.

-fell asleep, be down soon-

You gently shake Ash, “Hey they’re waiting on us, we fell asleep.” You wait to see him open his eyes and then you flit off to change into a sundress. “Why is it so hot? It must be cooler outside by now.” 

“Open the balcony door,” Ash sleepily replies, peeling himself off the couch. He quickly changes into black jeans and a short sleeve button down. 

You throw on sandals and mascara and are ready, quickly, which he appreciates.

Some of your friends trade surprised looks when they see you two peacefully arriving together but none of them comment on it. 

You join the group and you all walk together to the restaurant you agreed on for dinner, at the far end of the resort. 

Since you and Ash delayed things slightly, the place is crowded and you have to wait by the bar while the staff finds seating to accommodate your large party. Ash volunteers to order drinks for everyone while you wait and you can't decide if it's endearing or annoying that he brings you a vodka soda without you having to tell him what you want.

Once you’re seated, Luke and Sierra voluntarily put space between you and Ashton but he still ends up across from you. You don't mind his presence as much as you thought you would. 

The air conditioning appears to be working on this side of the resort, the cold drinks are flowing and you feel yourself truly relax for the first time since you arrived. You even catch yourself laughing at a couple of playfully snarky comments Ash tosses at Luke's expense.

You reach across the table to grab the pitcher of water as you’re all winding down and your arm knocks Cal’s drink, spilling it all over him and Ash. Ash blows his top, going out of his way to make a scene. Everyone tries to move past it but you know all the headway you two had made going into tonight was probably ruined as he refused to let it go, continuing to groan about his wet shirt and jeans.

"If the air hasn't been fixed, our room is probably so hot it'll dry the second we walk in," you joke, trying to lighten the mood. 

"Is this fucking funny to you?" He sneers, forcefully tossing his napkin on to the table. 

“It is kind of funny, Ash,” Cal says, trying to calm the situation down. 

“I said I was sorry,” you shrug. “It’s not like I meant to.” 

“Could’ve fooled me,” he snarls, storming off to the bathroom.

Defeat settles into your features, upset from the interaction, being tired and the ungodly heat you knew you were about to face. “I’m gonna head up to bed,” you announce, kissing Sierra and Crystal on the cheek. You wave at the rest of the group while Luke stands to give you a hug. 

You hear Cal’s girlfriend, “That was a little harsh of him.” 

“It’s just the way they’ve always been,” he explains quietly.

When you pass by him, Michael stops you and offers to walk you back since it's dark out and a bit of a journey to where your rooms are but you wave him off, you're looking forward to being alone. 

Heading out of the restaurant, you cross paths with Ash and his eyes shoot daggers at you but he says nothing. As you push through the door, you hear him loudly complain to nobody in particular, "She gets to run off and act like this is MY fault again?"

You ignore it, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. 

Once you get back, you change and pour yourself a vodka soda. The room is still unbearably hot so you lay across the bed checking your phone, and take advantage of the breeze coming through the balcony door.

About 20 minutes later, you're in the bathroom washing your face when you hear the front door slam and Ash barges into the suite like a tornado; he cranks the TV for no apparent reason, bangs around in the fridge and slams some drawers with little regard for who or what he disturbs. You give a silent thanks for the fact that the surrounding rooms all belong to your friends so you don't have to feel embarrassment on top of everything else. 

You brace yourself for whatever you're going to encounter on the other side of the door and turn the knob. You immediately stumble on Ash's still damp clothes, which he evidently stripped off as soon as he walked in the room. You roll your eyes but as an act of good faith, pick them up and hang them over the side of the bathtub to dry. You exit the bathroom once more and find him standing in front of the balcony, clad only in his boxer briefs. "How is it still so goddamn hot in here?" He says, exasperated.

“I don’t think they even came to look at the AC,” you observe. “I really am sorry about the drink, Ash,” you murmur at his back. You’re having a hard time tearing your eyes away from his back and thick arms. Your eyes take in the tattoo on the back of his neck. You let out an audible sigh, accidentally. 

“Don’t mention it,” he says looking back at you, face red, indicating he was still kind of heated.

"It's just... we had a pretty nice time this afternoon and I was kind of starting to enjoy the peace," you start. 

"You know, that's one of the things I've never liked about you?" He says with a calmness that betrays the harshness of his remark. "You're one of those people who can't STAND not being liked by everyone. I feel bad for you." His brow furrows as if in deep thought.

“I don’t need everyone to like me, I just need to know what the fuck I’ve ever done to you, you fuckin fake deep thot. You know everyone sees right through your bullshit? Your fans and your friends, just humor you.”

"You seem to put a lot of stock in what other people think, is all I meant," he says, seemingly unaffected by your words. "And you especially seem to pay a lot of fuckin attention to what people think about me."

“I actually couldn’t give a fuck less what people think about you, but when you parade around like some sort of imbecile, having random people call you ‘daddy’ because wow what a fuckin turn on - girls with daddy issues- it’s fuckin ridiculous, Ashton. You walk around here acting like I have the holier than thou attitude but it’s you thinking you’re some big shot because you have a few gold records. That doesn’t mean shit in Hollywood, every third fucking barista has a gold record and then flopped. Congrats you’re well on your way to being a 4th rate barista, I’m sure your father is so proud.” 

Even as it left your mouth, you knew the dad line was too far.

You stare at each other for what feels like an eternity, your words hanging in the air. His jaw twitches but doesn't clench. You briefly think to apologize but part of you is still stunned by what you just said and part of you doesn't want to prove his point about caring what he thinks. He considers your statement for a beat more and then finally, he chuckles darkly. He stalks past you without a word and slams the bathroom door.

You stalk toward the bed and grab a pillow to scream into. It’s barely been a full 24 hours and you’re convinced you’ll have the drummer of 5sos dead within another 24. You’re pissed at him for being cocky and hot... wait, what the fuck? You’re pissed at your friends for putting you in this situation. 

You forgo the glass and grab the bottle of vodka, setting up on the balcony because at least it’s cooler than the room, and you seethe.

You instinctively start to text Sierra to vent about the incident but ultimately decide you and Ash have done enough damage to everyone's morale for the night. You settle for absentmindedly playing a game on your phone to take your mind off things. You eventually hear Ashton back in the room but you promise yourself you're not going to be the one to apologize first. He has to come to you. And it’s just easier if the two of you let it cool for a minute. 

He comes out to the balcony, watching you shotgun straight from the bottle. He drags a chair to the other side of the balcony. “I know you know that was a cunty thing to say,” he says quietly. “You’ve definitely got a way with insults though.” 

You don’t respond because you don’t know how, but you exchange a glance in acknowledgment.

You both sit in silence and while the tension between you is thick, you're still able to find comfort in the relatively cool night air and the unspoken truce. You zone out, questioning if this trip is even remotely salvageable and how to proceed with Ashton from here. After a while, you look down at your phone and notice the time, you've been out here longer than you thought. You glance over at Ash, who's scrawling away in some sort of journal, with those goddamn headphones on again.

You stumble over to him and tap what your brain notes is an unreasonable large shoulder, "Hey,  's late."

“Careful, Princess,” he says, pulling his headphones off and resting them on his neck, he checks his phone for the time. “Yeah, it is. Let’s get you to bed.” He breathes, standing quicker than you thought any person should. 

He holds your arm, walking you to the bed. You know you’re drunk but you can’t help the words that spill from your lips, “Should stay in tha bed.” You don’t let him go as he gently pulls from your grasp. 

“You're drunk and we’re both likely to be pissed in the morning. I’ll get you a water,” he mentions, walking away. 

You do everything in your power to stay awake for the 90 seconds he’s away and you latch back onto his larger than normal forearm when he comes back. “Don’t leave me alone,” you whimper.

His gaze focuses on your hand on his arm and then shifts to your face, which he searches carefully. "You're not serious," he declares.

"Bed's closer t’window, can leave it open." You sit up and take a sip from the water he sat on the nightstand. "You'll be more comfortable. No big deal." You shrug and lay back down as if this offer was the most casual conversation you've ever had. To be honest, it probably was one of the more casual conversations the two of you had ever shared. 

“I’m not staying because you asked,” he clarifies. “I’m staying because that breeze can’t be beat.” 

Ash climbs in the bed in just his underwear and he scoffs a little when you strip off your shorts and tank top, leaving you in a sports bra and panties for bed. “Why are you constantly taking your clothes off in front of me? Sobriety might do you some favors,” he grumbles, getting comfortable on the other side of the bed.

"Doing you a favor by letting you see my bangin' bod," you drunkenly giggle. "And please, I've seen your naked torso more times on this trip than I've seen my own." You blow a raspberry that goes on for a little longer than you intended, given your inebriated state.

“Well you definitely take care of yourself.” He agrees, ignoring your childish behavior. 

You plant a pillow between the two of you and turn off the lamp, “Night ‘Shton.” You murmur, cuddling into the bed. 

“Night.” He stares at your back in the dark for a while. Not understanding this new feeling creeping up, or caring why the hell you look so good. It’s not the first time he’s seen you like this, but it is the first time he’s wanted your attention.

You wake up a few hours later, dying of thirst. You spot the water on your nightstand and lunge for it a little too quickly and your head starts to spin. As you gulp it down, you remember you invited Ashton to stay with you and your eyes dart to the other side of the bed. The moonlight pouring in from the open balcony shines on his near naked form and it's a sight to behold. You look him up and down, though you're not sure why. You think to yourself how much easier it is to find him attractive when he's not speaking.

You admire him for as long as your drunk brain can handle, before drunkenly texting what you think is just Sierra -he’s pretty when he’s quiet- and you barely put your phone face down on the table before passing back out. 

Your drunk brain processes your slight attraction and the fact that you begged for him to stay better than you’d ever let your sober brain and it creates quite the dirty dream about the man sleeping next to you. Your brain reminds you just how much of a man he is and how easily he’d toss you around. 

You’re awoken by your own moan and open your eyes to see Ashton staring at you from the next pillow, eyebrow cocked.

"Sleep well, princess?" He smirks.

You shove your pillow over your face, half out of embarrassment, half out of necessity because the sun shining into the room is BRIGHT and your head is pounding. "It's too early and I'm too hungover for you to use that tone of voice with me, Irwin."

“Not very often I have girls moaning in bed before I’ve even touched them,” he says, sounding bemused. 

You groan and reach for your phone, closing one eye and turning down the brightness before unlocking it. You realize the text you thought you sent to Sierra also had Luke, Michael and Crystal on it. Luke commented about you getting soft for Ashton, which vaguely enrages you around your headache. 

“Not like I’m moaning for you,” you quip, slowly moving toward the bathroom. 

Ash is still laying on the bed when you return. “Still fuckin hot,” he grumbles. 

Your phone buzzes and you look at it, Luke had forwarded a text from the hotel, - heat warning in place, advising everyone stays inside, hydrated and cooled.-

You throw yourself back on the bed in disbelief. "This can't be happening."

Ash turns on his side to face you, a little closer than you'd like both because of the heat and because of the dream you had. "What's the matter, princess?" He says with a teasing lilt to his voice.

"Stop calling me princess," you grumble and shove your phone in his face.

“Yeah, I already saw. Don’t worry I plan to escape this room as soon as humanly possible,” he admits. “Just waiting for Cal to get his lazy ass up.” 

“Are you ever just like... nice to anyone?” You shove your face back in the pillow. The sun really is too bright and you can’t take it.

"Are you ever just like... not super judgmental?" He mocks, getting out of bed and pulling the curtains shut for you. "I've been pretty nice the past couple nights putting your drunk ass to bed. You thought I was nice enough when you begged me to sleep in your bed."

“I didn’t beg for anything from you. And I’m more than capable of putting my own drunk ass to bed... you just think you’re better than everyone because you got sober when you realized you couldn’t handle your alcohol. Seriously, if the worst fuckin thing I’ve done is offer you a spot In my bed where it’s more comfortable then that’s worlds better than the damage and destruction you’ve undoubtedly caused in your drunk state,” you spew.

"You're unfuckingbelievable, you know that?" He shakes his head. "There's no WAY anything I've ever said to you has warranted some of the shit you've said to me recently. You always gotta take it too far, always gotta get personal. And I’M supposed to be the asshole?"

“Just shut the fuck up, Ash... I can’t. I’m done. I don’t have the energy. This trip was supposed to be relaxing.” You groan, plopping the pillow over your head.

"Cool. Good talk," he says dismissively and heads for the shower.

You stick your middle finger up in the direction he headed off. You sigh loudly when you hear the water turn on. “What the fuck happened,” you ask yourself, exasperated, thinking over the last couple days and how the day before you and Ash had been chill for at least a few hours. “I just need to shut my fucking mouth,” you decide. “The only way to salvage this trip now.”

You must have dozed off again because the next thing you know Ashton is standing over you -shirtless in those athletic shorts again, goddammit- and poking at you with his room keycard. "The fuck?" You say with only moderate interest.

"Oh good, you're up," he jokes. God, he's insufferable. "Cal and I went downstairs and they've closed the restaurant dining rooms but they're still offering room service. I need to know if you want breakfast."

“Yeah... pancakes.” You wave him off. “..Bacon and hash browns...” You murmur out, going back to sleep. 

A short while later you wake to the smell of maple syrup. You drag yourself out of bed and follow the scent to where Ash is sat on the couch, already eating, full breakfast spread out on the coffee table. "Gee thanks for letting me know the food was here," you snipe without thinking. Dammit. You've already forgotten your plan to keep your mouth shut.

Luckily, as you've learned is the norm, he's preoccupied with something on his phone. "Uh-huh," is the only response you get.

You grab your plate and get a water out of the fridge and then sit at the end of the coffee table furthest from Ashton. 

“I hope it cools down some tomorrow,” You mumble, mouth full of food. 

“What was that? Speak up princess,” he says pointedly to you. 

“I just said I hope it cools off. So we can go back to the beach tomorrow,” you shrug, digging into your food.

"You mean we all didn't fly all the way over here to sit in our hotel rooms with broken AC?" He mocks for no apparent reason.

You roll your eyes but keep your mouth shut, not looking to give him the benefit of another snarky comeback.  You eat as much of your plate as you can manage before heading off to shower. To your slight dismay, he’s still sitting on the couch on his phone when you get done. 

“Ash.” You mention quietly, his head tilts up but his eyes don’t leave his phone. “Do you think you could do the aloe again?” 

His eyes snap to you and he stares for a minute before nodding. “Uh... yeah,” he agrees. 

You grab the bottle and sit next to him as he does your back and your shoulders. “Sorry I always take it too far,” you apologize.

He breathes out forcefully and you can feel it on your neck. It gives you goosebumps. He seems to be choosing his words carefully before landing on "Just seems like you don't think about some of the stuff you spit out in anger." His hands stop working over your skin. "I talk shit and yeah I get you think I'm an asshole, but I have never nor would I ever say anything to you as disrespectful as some of the things you've said to me," he says with a quiet firmness.

You nod, because you know he’s right and you chew on the inside of your cheek for a moment, thinking carefully on your own words. 

“I know. I don’t have an excuse. You get under my skin and it’s always guards up with you. Sometimes we’ll be just fine and then you’ll turn on a dime, like last night at dinner. Easier to push you away and keep you at arms length than to let my guard down because I don’t know when you’re gonna snap.”

"Right because this continues to be exclusively my fault," he says condescendingly and sits back on the couch.

You take a few deep breaths and then get up, leaving him to sit while you go change. 

You come back out, sports bra and lounge shorts and look at him. 

“I’m just trying to be nice. It’s my fault too, I know that. I was explaining why I get that way. I know I’m like that, and I’m working on it. I was just trying to clue you in on a trigger.” You sigh and then head back to the bed, collapsing on it.

He bounds over to you, not ready to let this go. "Sorry to break this deluded narrative you've constructed, princess, but 'I'm only a bitch because you make me one' isn't a trigger, it's an excuse and a weak one at that." 

His face is flushing and his chest is bright red. You know he's getting heated and you know it's not just the tropical climate of the room. 

"You've been like this with me from the second you met me, it's like you never had any intention of liking me and fuck getting to know me." He raises his voice, "If I'm such a shitty person then why are literally all of your friends friends with me? You ever think about that, sweetheart?"

“Well that's a two way street, Irwin,” you huff out. “You’ve never tried to get to know me either. So before you come over here acting like you’re any better than me, remember when you point a fucking finger there’s three pointing back at you.”

You stand to square off with him, like the fight is going to get physical. You know better than to think Ash would lay a hand on you but you’re prepared for anything in this moment. The blood is rushing in your ears again.

"I never said you were a shitty person," he says lowly, stepping closer to you. "I just said you were a judgemental, inconsiderate hypocrite and I don't like you."

“I’ve never said you were a shitty person either, I just think you’re an asshole with entitlement issues that definitely needs to take a look in a mirror when slinging his insults,” you say quietly, also stepping closer to him.

"Sounds like we have a lot more in common than we realize then," he challenges, staring you down with fire in his eyes.

“Seems like if either of us had taken even five minutes to consider the other, then maybe this all could have been avoided.” You don’t waiver, standing your ground. “And maybe, we could have spared our friends.”

It seems like he's about to move somehow even closer to you but the sound of his phone buzzing on the coffee table cuts through the tense air. "Finally something we agree on," he mutters under his breath as he stomps away to check it.

You let out the breath you didn’t know you were holding. You realize it was in anticipation but you don’t know what you were waiting for.  

You collapse back on the bed, grabbing for your phone. You make a mental note of how his phone is more important than any person in front of him and you slink back into your normal feelings about him.

A couple hours pass of you dutifully ignoring each other with your phones. But the heat is unrelenting and eventually the scorching sunlight starts pouring in directly onto the bed. Even with the curtains shut, the warmth is sickening and you have no choice but to find another place to relax. 

Obviously the balcony is out of the question until the sun sets. You huff to yourself and head for the couch where Ashton is sprawled out.

“Can I sit?” You ask. 

“Your space is over there,” he says pointing to the bed. “This is my space and it’s probably best we keep the two separate.” 

“It’s too hot over there, even with the curtains closed,” you whine. 

“It’s what you wanted,” Ash cocks an eyebrow and doesn’t move a muscle.

"Are you fucking serious, Irwin? You're being a child, just move over."

He looks directly at you and stretches his large frame even further down the length of the couch. 

"Sorry, Princess. No room at the inn. Think I saw a cot in the closet."

“Selfish prick.” You mumble, turning to walk away. 

But that gets him up. “What’d you just say?” He asks, tone sharp. 

“I called you a selfish prick,” you whip around, saying it louder.

"Aww, did Princess get her feelings hurt because someone finally won't cater to her every fuckin whim?"

“Literally nothing about this trip has gone my way. You show up last minute and I have to share my fucking room with you because there’s nowhere else for you to stay? Excuse me for thinking for a minute that you might be fucking polite enough to accommodate me a little. Thankless asshole.”

"Didn't realize you were so affected by the mere presence of me," he says with a dark cockiness. He gets in your face. "And I'm gettin real tired of hearing you call me an asshole, Princess."

“And I’m getting real fucking tired of your condescending ‘Princess’ nickname, so I guess we’re both just fucked here.”

"Ohhh I think the name suits you just fine, Princess." He's impossibly close to you now, practically nose to nose. "Unrealistic expectations for everyone and everything. Particular. Judgy. Demanding. Keep waiting for you to tell me to bow down, Princess.”

“I doubt you're good at anything that’d require you to be on your knees, including bowing down.” Your eyes narrow. 

“Shouldn’t I say that to you?” He snorts.

"Well then we'd have to add 'liar' to the list of your many offenses." 

“Can’t make claims like that without backing them up.”

You roll your eyes. "Is that the only way to get you to shut the fuck up for once? Figures," you sneer. You involuntarily lick your lips and you regret it the second you do, he definitely notices.

“Blow. Me. Princess.” He enunciates.

You're not sure where this audacity comes from but you grab at his crotch. OH. He's more than half-hard in your hand. Your heart is pounding from what you assumed was anger but you're now realizing may be something else. You lean into his ear, hardening cock still in hand and challenge breathily, "Make me."

He inhales sharply, “Gladly.” He pushes you to your knees, pushing your hand away so he can drop his shorts, he does a couple quick tugs to get himself fully hard before pressing his tip against your lips. “Open.” He quietly demands in a way that says not to fuck with him, so you do what he asks.

He taps his cock up and down, over and over your open lips. You make a point of maintaining direct eye contact with him when you jut out your tongue defiantly, catching on a vein, making him groan.

You grab it from him and he easily lets go, curious of what you’ll do. You lick the underside from base to tip and slowly rub your hand over his length, placing sloppy wet kisses along the shaft to slick him up more.

You start suckling at the head, hoping to coax out some precum and you'd never admit to it but you accidentally let out a small moan when you feel the substance on your tongue. By the way Ash is tangling his hands in your hair, you can tell he's getting impatient. "Figures you'd be a fuckin tease," he critiques.

You slowly lick the tip a few times before taking him in your mouth, hoping it will shut him up. You slowly work your mouth up and down his cock, not really trying to take all of him, but enough to keep him quiet. Your eyes are still locked on his as you palm his balls.

He bites his lip and you wonder if it's because he's trying to hold back a snarky comment or a moan. You wonder why you care. Rather than unpack that thought, you decide to press your luck and take him down further. He's larger than you realized and he hits the back of your throat before you're ready and you gag. He grunts approvingly. 

Of course he does, you think to yourself, annoyed.

His hand tightens more in your hair and he pushes you further, silently encouraging you to take his cock in your throat, so you do. He lets out a loud guttural moan. 

“If I’d have known the way to shut you up was to put my cock down your throat, we would have done this years ago.” He gently caresses the side of your face.

You wish you didn't lean into his touch but you do. You wish you didn't like the weight of his cock on your tongue as much as you do but that's another thought entirely. You quickly determine you like this experience much more when your mind is quiet so you focus on making him moan loud enough to drown out your thoughts. 

You confidently bob your head on his cock with the occasional detour to tongue at his balls. You make sure your methods are as loud and as messy as possible. He's easy to read, you know what he likes without you being told.

Your jaw aches a bit from having your mouth open that wide for him but it’s a minor inconvenience for hearing his moans, tasting him. Shutting him up. 

“I was wrong about you,” he murmurs. “You can suck a cock.” He smirks and you flick his thigh.

You give him a good suck just to hear his breath catch before you pull off. "And I was wrong about you," you pant, wiping your mouth sinfully. "Turns out there is one thing about you I don't mind." You flick your tongue over his slit to punctuate your point. 

He snorts and looks down at you, yanking your hair so that you meet his gaze. "Tired of you running that goddamn mouth of yours, Princess. Mind if I fuck it?"

“Wish you’d fuck something around here,” you saltily reply.

“I promise I’ll find another wet hole to ruin as well.” He grips your hair in both hands and guides your mouth back on his cock. He gets a couple slow test thrusts in to get you used to it before he starts full force face fucking you. It doesn’t take long for him to grunt and fill your mouth with cum and he holds you on his cock, without being in your throat. “Swallow it,” he demands.

You moan around him and do as he says, though you intentionally let some dribble out of your mouth, mostly to be defiant but also because you think that's something he'd like to see.

“Cheeky little fuck," he murmurs, wiping the cum with his thumb and pushing it into your mouth. “Better than I thought you’d be for a pillow princess.” 

“Not at all a pillow princess and you'd better be returning that favor.”

He clicks his tongue and pulls you up off your knees. "There you go with your demands again, Princess," he says, stripping you naked in record time. "But I'll definitely do you a favor, sweetheart. I'll bet you've been dripping for me since you first got those pretty lips around my cock."

“Try when I first got my hand on your cock.” 

Ash looks at you, gropes both of your tits and pinches your nipples, pulling them a bit. You let out a little whine and he smirks and drops to his knees, quickly hooking one leg over his shoulder. He flicks his tongue along your clit before licking around your opening. “Very wet... Princess likes to suck cock.”

"I like doing things I'm good at." You hope it comes out as confident as you intended but an accidental whine swallows the last word of your sentence.

Ash pulls his face away and chuckles. He slides his hand up your thigh and lightly rubs your slit with his fingers before applying pressure on your clit. “I’ll give you credit, you were good at it.” He smirks, quickly pushing the two fingers in and then pulling them out with a bit of a twist, at an agonizingly slow pace. He watches your face and feels you get a little wobbly on one leg so he grabs you, pushes you back onto the couch. He wraps his arm around one thigh and pushes your other to spread you. He continues the slow pace with his fingers and rolls his tongue over your clit. 

You run your fingers through his hair and breathe deep. You'd be lying if you said he didn't know what he was doing. He catches your clit between his lips and sucks hard. You shudder and tug at his hair harder than you mean to. For a split second you think to apologize but he lets out a groan indicating he didn't mind the pain one bit. He sucks over your clit again and you pull even harder just to hear that noise.

The back and forth continues until he draws out a very loud moan from you. You don’t even think twice about the fact that your friends' rooms are around yours. “Fuck, Ashton, yes!” You whine.

He pulls back to nip and suck marks onto your inner thighs. "That's the most positive thing you've said to me this entire trip, sweetheart, I like it." He lifts your leg and pushes his fingers in as deep as he can. "Princess gonna do me the honor of cumming for me?"

“Please make me cum for you!” It sounds desperate even in your own ears but you can’t seem to care about it. 

His smirk is definitely making you more wet at this point and he notices. “So slippery in here. Can't believe I finally found a way to make you agreeable," he taunts, slowly thumbing your clit.

You hate that his cockiness is threatening to send you over the edge at this point. "Ash... God, Ash, please," you plead.

“Alright alright... don’t need you begging me just yet.” He brings his mouth back to your clit and sucks hard so you’ll yank his hair. His fingers are pumping at an ungodly pace. 

“Yes fuck right there, like that.” 

Your chest is heaving and Ash thinks he likes the view. “Can you be any louder?” He teases.

"Give me a reason and we'll see," you manage to pant out.

He sharply slaps your inner thigh, over one of the marks he'd already left, fingers grazing your pussy as he does. You do indeed, cry out louder. 

"Don't get smart with me when I'm about to make you cum, sweetie, you won't like the outcome. I promise you," he warns.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, please make me cum,” you whine. “Ashton, please!” The whine is loud and the moan when he goes back in with three fingers is obscene. He pushes you until you fall over the edge, chanting "Ash" and tugging his hair while he slowly licks over your clit.

You whimper and writhe as he expertly works you through your orgasm, easing the curling of his fingers as he feels you finish pulsing around them. He dutifully cleans you with his tongue until you're pushing his head away, too sensitive to take any more stimulation. 

He lifts his fingers to your mouth and traces one across your lips, coating them in your juices. You look directly at him as you lick them carefully, groaning at your own taste. You keep the eye contact going as you reach for his hand and draw the rest of his fingers into your mouth, sucking them clean.

“Naughty little slut, aren’t you?” He comments, watching in awe. “Be surprised if our friends didn’t just hear that little show.” 

“Like I give a flying fuck," you murmur, pulling his fingers from your mouth.

He smiles as he runs his hands over your tits, giving them an appreciative squeeze. "Gotta tell ya, Princess, I'm finding that you're full of surprises."

You sit up and reach for his cock, which you're pleased to find already hard for you again. "Gotta tell ya," you mimic his smarmy cadence. "I'd rather be full of this." You give him a squeeze for emphasis.

He grins and gets in your face. "Greedy too?" He places his hand over yours and you begin slowly stroking him. "My kind of girl." You feel his breath on your face and you wonder if he's finally going to kiss you. You wonder why you want him to.

Instead of waiting on him, you push slightly forward and press your lips to his and the kiss quickly gets deepened. 

When you come up for air, he cocks an eyebrow at you, “Couldn’t take anymore of your talking.” You shrug. 

He pushes forward and kisses you again. “I want you over the fuckin couch,” he growls. You know he means business, so you quickly turn.

His first priority is to land a hard smack on your ass. You probably should've expected it but you yelp loudly nonetheless. Satisfied with both your reaction and the red mark decorating your ass cheek, he delivers a blow to the other side to match.

“Fuckkk me," you moan, wiggling your ass in front of him.

"Oh is that what you want from me, Princess?" He teases, running his cock over your thighs and ass, everywhere except your throbbing core. You hear a whine you don't recognize escaping your throat when you feel drops of precum drizzling onto your skin.

"Even with my ass in the air for you, you've still gotta talk shit," you groan in frustration.

He slicks the tip through your folds and you press your face against the back of the couch in anticipation. “If you fuck half as good as you lick, I think we can be friends," you smirk. 

“All you need to worry about is if you can take my cock.” He lands another smack to your ass. 

“My throat took it just fine.” You look over your shoulder and wink at him.

"Alright, alright, that's enough out of you," he starts to push in and you gasp at the feeling. He snorts. "My throat took it just fine," he mocks, sinking in more.

He does a couple shallow thrusts before pushing in further. You push your hips back to meet him, taking his cock all the way. 

You moan loudly, “Never been so full in my life.” 

Ashton spanks you again, ensuring he's gonna be leaving your ass red and sore. He gives a couple slow thrusts and then stops. “You want this cock, Princess? Get it.” He lands a smack to the other side of your ass.

You take his challenge, finding a rhythm as you throw yourself back on his cock. He watches, fascinated at the sight of his length disappearing inside you again and again. He holds your hips tight enough that you'll undoubtedly have bruises. "You look real good fucking yourself on my cock, Princess," he groans.

“Feels phenomenal," you breathe. You brace your arms on the back of the couch and look back at him while you take his cock. “Fuck yes, Ashton,” you pant. 

He takes mercy on you and grips your hips tighter, deciding to take over for you. He pulls one leg up, rests his foot next to your thigh for more leverage and starts to pound into you.

The noises filling the room are obscene: heavy breathing, skin slapping against skin, the slick sounds of your arousal, the endless moans, groans and curses pouring from both your and Ash's mouths.

He pulls you by your hair up against his chest and roughly turns your face so he can sloppily kiss you. He pushes your face away when he's done. "All our friends definitely already heard you cum for me, think this time I can make you scream loud enough the whole floor will hear?"

“I don’t care who hears us at this point, I just need to cum on your cock,” you breathe. “Please," you ask nicely, tossing a smile over your shoulder for him. 

The grin that graces his face says it all. He goes harder still. Your quiet whimpers quickly escalate into loud moans of begging.

He smacks your ass a few more times as well as your upper thighs for good measure. He presses into the already forming bruises on your hips. "Pleeease... Ashhh... Fuckkk," you whine, each word at least two syllables longer than usual. 

He yanks on your hair and leans in to calmly command, "Cum for me, Princess. Wanna feel you all over my cock."

It sends you over the edge and you lean heavily against the back of the couch while he continues fucking you through your orgasm. His pace increases and then you hear his breath catch and you feel him cum inside you. He stays tucked against you for a minute. He shallow thrusts all the way in once more so you’ll remember how it felt. 

“Holy fuck,” you groan. 

Ash pets your hair and pulls out. You instantly feel the cum dripping down your thighs. “Don’t move,” he warns. He comes back moments later with a washcloth and cleans you up. You stay in position, panting over the back of the couch because you're unsure if you can even move at this point.

He runs a hand down your back with surprising tenderness. It's then that you realize how goddamn sweaty you are because of course you had to decide to have the most intense fuck of your life in a room that feels like it's on the 4th floor of hell. 

"You ok, Princess?" Ash asks, sounding a bit unsure of himself. It's so unlike him. You're kind of into it.

“Yeah… it's just fuckin hot and now I’m fucked out. And I fuckin love it," you mumble against the couch. 

“Wanna grab a cool shower... together?” He asks, ready for you to bite sarcasm at him. 

“You might have to carry me, legs aren’t working,” you chuckle. 

He stands and gestures for you to climb into his arms, "Well then, Princess, your chariot awaits."

You roll your eyes but you notice you don't feel your blood boiling as much as it usually does when he calls you that. You shift on the couch, he scoops you up and carries you into the bathroom, sitting you on the counter while he gathers towels and turns on the shower.

Once you’re under the cool water you relax and regain some composure. Ash gently grabs your chin and softly kisses you. “Gonna be honest, that’s not at all what I expected from you," he states and then fits your lips back together.

You raise an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? You spend a lot of time wondering what kind of lay I'd be, Irwin?" You tease, softly biting his lip.

“Well no... not really. Maybe a couple masturbatory fantasies about hate fucking you, but you were tied up and gagged for those…" he explains, gently rubbing his soapy hands over your red ass and bruised hips. "Just with who you’ve been to me, I didn’t assume you’d beg to cum on my cock."

You smirk, "Tied up and gagged, huh? Well let's put a pin in that conversation..." 

He shakes his head and grins at you.

"To be honest I didn't expect to hear those things come out of my mouth either," you admit, pausing to hiss when his fingers brush over a particularly sore mark. "But to be fair, based on your past behavior I didn't see you as the type to gingerly clean me up after you came inside me."

“I’ve got a thing for after care, not really a 'fuck em and leave em' type of guy,” he shrugs. 

“What are our friends gonna say?” You wonder.

“I have no idea but I’m betting both of our phones are buzzing off the hook right now," he laughs. 

“No doubt about that... so are we going for round two later or was this a one time thing?” You smile playfully.

He purses his lips as if deeply considering it and you briefly wonder if you'd gotten too comfortable and embarrassed yourself but then he presses you up against the shower wall.

"Like I said before, such a greedy Princess," he teases before crashing his lips into yours with a groan.

After a short makeout, you end your shower and the first thing you both do is go to your phones. Ash snorts. “Cal just sent a bunch of the side eye emojis,"  he announces. 

“Crystal and Mike want to know where I am because something is definitely going on in my room,” you giggle. 

You change into your shorts and a fresh bralette and Ash pulls the black athletic shorts back on. He gives you a quick kiss but is interrupted by a knock at your door. He answers it as you settle on the couch. 

It’s Luke and Sierra. Luke seems chill but Sierra pushes her way into the room and looks astonished she sees you on the couch.

"Hey sweetie," she greets you with what sounds like surprise in her voice. 

"Hey guys," you start but you can tell their attention is focused elsewhere, eyes darting around the room and exchanging wide-eyed glances with each other.

Ash shoots you an amused look but you subtly shake your head at him, waiting to see where this goes.

“Hey… just wanted to check on you guys. There was a lot of noise coming from what we thought was your room.” Sierra looks confused. 

“What kind of noise?” You ask. 

“Sex noises, moaning, ‘fuck Ashton that’s so good’,” Luke mocks, eyeing the two of you. 

Sierra playfully jabs him in his side and he yelps. "Or you know, something like that," he offers half-heartedly.

Ashton, barely keeping in a giggle, says with concern, "Oh I definitely didn't hear anything like that, did you Princess?"

“No... don’t think so, Ash. We’ve just been watching TV,” you explain to the suspicious couple. 

“In here? In this room? Together?” Sierra clarifies, so much doubt in her voice and on her face. 

“I swear we heard someone moaning Ashton’s name. Asking him to make her cum. Begging, really,” Luke muses with a smirk. 

There's another knock on the door and Luke opens it. It's Cal, having walked over from across the hall. “Ok so did you guys hear that too?” He asks.

Luke stands in the doorway discussing the mystery with Cal while Sierra bewilderedly studies your faces.

You bite the inside of your cheek to keep from laughing when you hear Cal thinking out loud, "But how would he get a girl in here without her knowing?" 

"No, man, she's been here the whole time."

"The WHOLE time?"

"Apparently."

"Well... I mean… Maybe… No..."

Sierra’s eyes narrow at you, “It was the two of you.” She determines, looking between you and Ashton. “You two hooked up...” 

“You said I was crazy for suggesting that!” Luke laughs. 

“I didn’t think she’d do it.” Sierra laughs in disbelief. “Holy shit.”

You realize Michael and Crystal must have visited Cal's room to discuss the incident because he shakes his head and announces behind him, "Mike, you were right." 

You hear a shout of "Yay! No, wait, ew that's weird. Not yay" mixed with a quieter "Whyyy?" that must've come from Crystal.

You didn't think you were the blushing type but you feel your cheeks getting warmer and you hope everyone will assume it's the heat. But Ash notices and starts waving your friends out of the room, "Ok folks, show's over."

"So we're right then?" Luke teases.

"Get the fuck outta here," Ash playfully shoos him away.

Luke and Cal shuffle out while Sierra turns back and mouths "Oh my God?" at you and mimes for you to text her.

As Ash shuts the door behind them, you flop onto the bed, exhaling loudly. He laughs and climbs on next to you. He kisses your shoulder reassuringly. "You good?"

You turn to face him, "Yeah, they're just. A lot sometimes." He snorts in agreement. "Fuck, they're gonna be so obnoxious about this, what should we do?" You ask, curious for his opinion.

"Well," he starts but then kisses you long enough that you begin to wonder if he forgot he was in the middle of a sentence. He pulls away and looks at you mischievously. "I say we give them about 15 minutes to settle back into their rooms and then we really give them something to talk about."

Tag list: @cocktail-calum @1dthewantedlove @youngblood199456 @lustingforwunder @calumsphile @neso-k @rosecoloredash @radmcqueen @justayoungandwisefangirl @itsnotmyblood  @lietoash @pushthetide21 @5sosfanficrec @therealmrshale @fallfrxmgrace @lukashemmos @justarandomgirlthatyoudontknow​ @5sos-microwave @madbomb​ @sweetheartmendes1000​ @literally-anythin​ @lfwallscouldtalk​ @clemmingstylins0n​ @ccnicole02​ @lustingfor5sos​ @buteverythingiscopacetic​ @rosesfromcth​ @bodaciousbonzi1996​ @ashtontotheirwin​ @captainam-erika-trash​ @xxgendurvikixx​ @jazzyangel242​ @bluebabycal​ @rhiannonmichellee​ @iovehemmings​ @glitterycalum1205​ @katcontreras​ @cashtonasfuck​ @ificanthaveu​ @kindahoping4forever @here-for-the-uproars​ @canterburyfiction​ @opheliaaurora​  @queer-5sos​ @banditocth​ @gigglyirwin​  @glitterycalum1205​ @rebelwith0utacause​

gc tags: @sublimehood​ @sugarcoated-pain​ @5sosnsfw​ @angelbabylu​ @aspiringwildfire​ @irwinkitten​ @lashtoncurls​ @myloverboyash​ @singt0mecalum​

masterlist || ashton || calum || luke || michael

wanna be tagged? go here

[lizworlds]

❤️ - “  My Love,   is actually  my Twin Flame  “ - ❤️

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐ ⭐

“ My Love,is actually my Twin Flame “

                            ---written by:  🦂 Zayn Whyaeipi 🦂 

                                                                              8/27/2021

A Twin Flame, (Yin & Yang) often known as a "mirroring soul," is an intense embodiment of connection which is believed to be a person’s other half.

It’s based on the belief that one soul can split into two bodies. A twin flame connection will be both challenging and healing, which has been one of the significant aspects. The love story with twin flames created in the stars (literally). From their previous life experiences to their early physical meeting, and indeed throughout the turbulent stages of their relationship, everything about them was destined on a soul level.

When twin flames meet, either or both of them may be in a relationship with someone else. We refer to this person as a karmic partner. Usually, the Divine Feminine is single, while the Wounded Masculine is in a relationship with another (karmic partner). It can, however, happen in any circumstance. A teacher is the karmic mate of the Wounded Masculine. His/her job is to help the Wounded Masculine prepare for the Divine Feminine.

There will be a significant difference. If you represent the lighter side of the TF (Twin Flame) or the yin and yang dynamic, your light will shine on your twin flame’s lower shadow aspects that are living in that darker, denser energy, as well as the things that your twin flame does not want to face and the things that your twin flame is repressing. The Universe uses the karmic for the highest good of the TF (Twin Flame) Union.

( Image source: https://theworkingsinglemom.com/experiencing-tower-moments/ )

The Wounded Masculine may take a long time to settle this karma and part ways with the karmic partner because of soul/karmic contracts (lessons to learn). This is because karmic energy is heavy, and that he or she is still dealing with it. It’s a powerful sign that he/she further needs healing. Therefore, it shows that he or she is in his or her wounded masculine.

As a result, there’s a good chance things will turn messy. Many wounded masculines will have to go through "tower moment after tower moment" (a period when everything seems to crumble apart) before they fully discover what is best for their highest good.

As twin flames, the energies that come from third parties have a direct impact on their connection. For that matter, all relationships are affected to a degree by third-party or outside energies.

( http://www.thelesbianmafia.com/home/wp-content/uploads/feminine2.jpg )

Many times, the DM doesn’t value the relationship the way DF does. The divine masculine has repeatedly overstepped divine feminine boundaries. Breadcrumbing could also have endured by the Divine Feminine out of desperation energy to unite with her wounded divine masculine. She may have allowed deception, lies, and deceptive behaviors. Perhaps she put up with his/her back-and-forth with his/her karmic partner, anticipating s/he’d change his/her mind and choose her/him.

However, once the Divine Feminine has fully awakened, her intuition is so precise while she’s on the verge of healing. She understands she is worthy of becoming the only one in her divine counterpart’s realm.

The Divine Feminine will eventually realize that she is worthy of someone who recognizes both her greatness and her worth.

She desires to be with someone who treats her with love, respect, honesty, truth, and tenderness on an equal level.

She won't put up with anything less.

She isn't accessible for such nonsense.

It's a matter of all or nothing.

( Image source link:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/855050679224598923/  ) 

We perceive the spiritual dimension as the need for: life's meaning, purpose, and fulfillment;

We know it in the spiritual realm as the ascent of one’s consciousness.

How many Spiritual Dimensions are there?

-3rd Dimension: "The Realm of Pleasure"

The 3rd dimension, We see physical things in our reality that take up space in the 3d or third-dimensional mind. Besides 3d and 5d, several physical objects can appear in 4d and 5d. Since we believe what we see, we believe the 3d only exists because of cultural indoctrination. It’s really restricting and prevents your mind from expansion.

* Ascension of conciousness involves :

(Materialism, Victim mentality, and Control, Status, Ego association, Service to self, Fear-lower emotions, Linear thinking  )

-4th Dimension: "The Realm of Time "

The 4th dimension connects the third and fifth dimensions. We know this dimension as spiritual awakening, and it begins through meditation to open the heart chakra. You can feel present in this realm by placing your hand over your heart. If you’re ever in 4d, you’ll notice that you’re quiet and still inside. You will feel happiness, love, and gratitude. As a result, in order to ascend from the 3rd to the 5th dimension, you must first go through or have at least experienced the 4th dimension.

* Ascension of conciousness involves :

(Understanding, Aligning with purpose, Synchronicity, Seeking answers, conscious being, more compassion, more connected, expanding consciousness )

( Image source link:  https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/514465957427019990/ )

-5th Dimension: " The Realm of Unconditional Love "

The 5th dimension is the dimension of love. You are in the space of unconditional love. To be in the area of love and light, you must remove any mental or emotional blockages such as fear, rage, jealousy, hatred, guilt, suffering, and so on. It is a very pure sort of love in which there are no boundaries to love. Telepathy is known in this dimension. Time overlaps, giving the impression that everything is happening at the same time.

* Ascension of conciousness involves :  

(Service to others, Purpose based, High Frequency, Abundance, Unconditional Sharing, effortless, Universal knowledge, aligning with the divine, authenticity )

As your soul sought answers, your ascension process began. Your Higher Self is well aware of this, and it is their responsibility to reveal it at the time when you are ready to have your Twin Flame experience and accomplish the ascension process. The Twin Flame experience is something that not everyone has chosen to have in this lifetime.

In this lifetime, not all twin flames are destined to meet. This all depends on your original soul contract and what you both agreed to learn and grow on a soul level.

Our emotional wounds are best provoked by our twin flame. This is because they are a part of us, and we are a part of them. Do not confuse this as being triggered, Twin flame triggers only lead you to a higher understanding of the connection. 

They experience similar wound patterns, and that they are our mirrors, revealing us what we require to heal. Ultimately, twin flame connections assist each person to heal through any difficulty. You’ll probably have a lot of soul mates. Soul mates are about completing each other. This is in line with the idea that with every expansion, some level of tension is to be expected, but then there’s only just one twin flame.  

NOT EVERYONE FINDS THEIR TWIN FLAME, BUT IF YOU DO, IT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A TOTALLY LIFE-CHANGING KIND OF LOVE. 

(  If you are reunited, your relationship has the potential to be once-in-a-lifetime. Nothing will ever be the same. )

( Image source link : https://dakotaearthcloud.com/product/marriage-sacred-masculine-divine-feminine/ )

The Divine Masculine counterpart is usually the one who awakens her (Kundalini activation). This can happen when two people communicate and are physically close to each other.

The Divine Feminine, triggers awakening in the DM, in a slightly different way and usually over a period of time. They intensify the divine masculine to connect to the Earth, nature, and the divine.

When your twin flames connect, they forge a connection that both grounds you to the Earth and to nature, as well as opens you up to higher beings and spiritual worlds.

( Image source: https://shop.cosm.org/products/oversoul-poster  ) 

The divine masculine and divine feminine, are both represented in twin flames. Both masculine and feminine energy exist in everyone of us. These energies have a significant impact on how we present ourselves in the world and in our interactions. Work, social expectations, trauma, past relationships, and other factors can lead this energy to be misaligned with our inherent nature, resulting in unnecessary tension, distance, and isolation. In addition, there is still a Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine polarity in same-sex couples.

Masculine qualities: Logic, Reason, Action, Firm, Survival, Loyal, Adventurous, Rational, Strength  ( Highlight:  analytical, competitive, and logical. )

Feminine qualities:  Intuition, Nurturing, Healing, Gentle, Expressive, Wise, ,Patient, Emotional, Flexible ( Highlight:  connection, emotions and flow. )

After the honeymoon stage, "you or your partner will be the one discovering unlikable characteristics, which will trigger anxiety, potentially causing the relationship to fall apart. This resemblance to a mirror is partly responsible for many of the dramas you’ll possibly experience with your twin lover. "Anything we’ve spent our lives ignoring or rejecting is suddenly in front of us," As you get to know each other, you may discover that you share the same traits about your upbringing, including being abandoned, or that you attended many of the same places at the same time.

About two years ago, number synchronicity started appearing for me before I met my twin flame, but I do not know what they are or what they imply. Then, for a week or two, this woman caught my attention because of an interesting event. Our meeting provoked my Dark Night of the Soul, which started the beginning of my (true) awakening journey, although I was in my pre-awakening stage when we met. After meeting her, (my twin flame ) I felt shivers down my spine. It’s bizarre on a cellular level. It’s as though I’ve known her throughout my whole life.

I felt a tremendous connection with her. I’d never really had anybody else before, in ways that I still can’t entirely verbalize.

I instantly recognized her as my wife when I met her, because I could hear those voices inside my head insisting that she was my wife in a previous life and will continue to be in the future. To be honest, I felt an immediate sense of peace; it felt as if I was her home. When my twin flame enters my life, I experience an immediate sense of relief, without knowing why.

The best part about having this kind of connection is having a home with somebody who embraces you for who you are on the inside and allows you to be entirely yourself. Everything clicks, whether you’ve been wearing make-up or just haven’t showered in days, and you couldn’t imagine having it with anyone else in your life like you do with your twin flame.

With my twin flame, her strengths are my weaknesses. We both help each other maintain a sense of equilibrium in our lives. They’re the sweet to my spice, the black to my white, and the yang to my yin. We are mirrors of the same and reflect each other's light or darkness, and this is why, at times, it becomes so difficult. The connection seems to match into my life, and you know it is genuine. It is the most beautiful and magical experience, and by far the greatest gift I could ever receive.

If you’re like most individuals, you’ve spent a significant amount of time praying and hoping for a meaningful relationship to appear in your life. You may not realize immediately that the person is your twin flame, but as soon as you do, you’ll stop seeking unrelated friendships and romances.

You know it’s important when your twin flame emerges. Now that they’re in your life, you feel like the wait is over.

When she’s with me, she makes my world feel bigger. When my twin flame and I are together, life opens up in various ways.

Whatever it may be, this mutual encouragement inspires you to expand your horizons by challenging what you previously believed to be impossible. We may have doubted our ability to achieve our dreams in the past, but today you know you can achieve what you’ve set your mind to. Perhaps because the twin flame energy has pushed us to it. 

Once you know your twin flame has your back, you can move forward with confidence and  they’ll know they have your support with everything. You can strengthen yourself emotionally and spiritually. They’ll improve as a person in perfect sync with your personal growth. You balance each other. You also help them stay aware of the world. They change as you do. They are, in many ways, your other half.

Your twin flame is the male or female version of yourself.

- End

❤️

All the Love - L

[sunareii]

wc: 2773

suna grits his teeth, the light's too strong for him to see. he close his eyes shut, having no intentions to torture his eyes at the glow infront of him that is brighter as his mothers cellphone brightness. a deafening sound screeches at his ears like metal scratching another metal, oh how annoying that sound is.

he squints his eyes slightly as if his default eyes wasn't squinted enough. he could see a person, a female he assumes by their figure alone whose back faced towards him but the luminescence made his sight blur, he couldn't identify who it is

voice echoed insignificantly, he doesn't know whose is it nor where it's coming from except the voice started to scratch him in the head displeasingly

rintarou! rintarou! rintarou!

sunas eyes blinks open once to be greeted by his mother scowling after he has bestir himself from a horrible dream. he could hear a small voice saying 'oh no' inside his head as it's definetely not the first time he woke up to an angry face

"do you have any idea what time it is?" his mother barked, her face continues to grimace at her son. suna sits up groggily and reached for his phone beside him

12:47 pm

"how many times to i have to tell you to not stay up late!" she berates before pulling his cushion up, causing him to fall a bit from his stance and gets hit with it

"ow─! you just hit me with a pillow!" suna winces, strands of his dark hair are all over the place

"better than a slipper or your face would look even worse than just messy hair" the mother threatens before leaving the territtory so casually like she had not scolded anything at his sons ears. senzo could only choke a laugh at the freaky scene that occured upon his room, he had identified his apathetic relative as a fellow who would only shrug their shoulders when being rebuked or insulted. suna is infact a 'take no shit' kind of man, he's just wholesomely a bit playful with his mother.

suna goes down the stairs slothfully as his body might not be running his blood yet and he took a bit too long to go to the dining room where his food rests on the table cold as a corpse

"if you have woken up ealier it would have been warmer" his mothers interrupts from the living room. suna rolls his eyes then sneers  at his mother from the room

'i wasn't even complaining but i am now' he thought as he opens the large plate that covers his meal, his boiled eggs as soggy as ever

he sits down at the at the table then started contemplating about his recent dream, was it even a dream? though it seems a bit vague but vivid when he was still in a slumber. suna reckons it was just another weird hallucination. he has quite plenty of those so this one is no special, except that this peculiar reverie didnt have any sort of plot unlike the time he dreamt about the miyas and some random player from karasuno that he'd only seen once have a bachelors party at a couple he had seen in a movie before while also drinking blue liquid which now is extremely questionable but that was just an example of the long list

suna hears a soft thump going down the stairs, he glance to see his cousin all dressed up for the day

"hey sen, are you going somewhere?"

"uh.. yeah, why?"

"can i go with you?"

"sure..."

senzo probably didn't sound sure himself, well that's because he isn't used to people wanting to join him to go outside or anything at all and he was receiving a small friendly treatment from a cousin he didn't knew existed and vice versa.

the two went out briefly after suna changing into some proper clothing for the day, the walk is quiet like the usual though they do give some comments here and ther. the sun sweltered upon them while two or three clouds wafts against each other.

"im going this way, is there a place you wanted to go?" senzo asks after an abrupt stop

suna truthfully didn't have a particular destination, he went with him 'cause he felt like it. they went far for him to just go back, he thought for a long minute before a specific location passes in his head.

"yes, actually

"i'll see ya later then" senzo says before walking away

suna felt awkward since his destination is far from where they had gone to

he doesn't know why he's making his way there, for fresh air? for the scenery? for someone?

suna halts as he sees a narrow space in the side of the hill, he figured it's also a path way up to the old patio he visited. he begins walking upwards and repents at his decision mid-way. the path is rocky and hard to stay still on because of the numerous inconsistent rock shapes. it doesn't help that there's a hot atmosphere around him as he continues to go up carefully.

sweat drips down his forehead, his tiny strands of bangs sticking along on it. the heat annoyed him as he reaches the top of the mountain hill, the sun beams directly at the crest where he now stands but once he finished catching his breath the brightest star seems to appear infront of him.

somehow the fieriness of this evening─the reason he's such a sweaty mess─suna doesn't seem to mind it anymore as he watches the the girl he had came across twice stand infront of him. she was there, like she had always been, tossing a ball over her head for who knows how long.

'wait, she does volleyball?'

i mean, he could see it but at the same time not so much?

though you were tad bit taller for an average height of a female and you don't look like you hold any outstanding physical attributes either but he can't really underestimate you that quickly can he?

sunas being remained unnoticed due to her keeping her concentration firmly. she tosses the ball up into the air, patently going to do a jump serve. from her evident zealousness you would be tricked that she'll actually spike or even jump with experience. she was slow and her legs looked stiff when she leaped, hell, she didn't even swing her arms in time, she barely even touched the ball.

'uhh.. that was an awkward serve' her attempt to serve was futile and funny even, suna can't help but to chortle instead of detaining it, his attempt to be discreet wasn't great either. she let's out a light gasp as soon as she heard him cackling from the side, she already was embarrassed at her shot but now that the same cute boy she saved from the market is a witness at her own frustration made her embarrassment go off the line than where it should be

"that was an impressive serve you just did" suna starts sarcastically whilst disturbingly taking little steps towards her. she could only scream her embarrassment deep on her palm, peeking her eyes through one of the gaps to see him, picking up the ball from the ground.

"how long have you been here?"

"long enough to see eveything"

"pleas erase it from your memory" she says blatantly as she finally regains her composure, suna shrugs at her as he hands the ball back to her, she unhesitatingly grabbing it back only for him to extend his arm up. the ball being too high for her too reach since the boy teasing her is intimidatingly tall.

"it's not that easy" suna replies as he looks down at the figure shorter than him giving him an irratating frown, "what do you know about volleyball?" she mumbles, her eyes looking elsewhere.

"alot of things" he remarks with a heavy stare. the girl infront of him  seems surprised and asked "do you play?" which he answers with a curt nod. the silence after that is conscious and creates a long stare-down between the two, in addition to that is the beating heat of the sun baking them from below like they weren't perspiring enough from the exercise they had done in such a time.

"i'll just take this back then" she says as her feet tip-toes close to his level, the tip of her fingers hardly brushing off the ball. suna just stands there leisurely as he watches the girl he doesn't even know struggle into obtaining her property back.

suna gazes down at her meek nature, her cheeks faintly glows a pretty shade of pink, her hair  cascading down her neck every now and then, the sun rays paints her skin too perfectly

suna smiles slightly as he pokes a little fun with her and having fun himself except to the part where he begins to feel her chest nudging his whenever she jumps and immidietly gave her her ball back smoothly. "here" he says before walking away from his agitation

she cocks an eyebrow at him when she turns around to face his retreating figure, his phone buzzed at his pocket, opening it to get a message from his mom and the second years groupchat, well maybe third years for noow on. yet suna couldn't be bothered to open either of them seeing as his mom just texted him some chores whilst the groupchat is just filled with the twins nonsense.

"could you play with me for a little while?" she asks reluctantly, dugging her nails on the air-filled ball

suna is bewildered at the instantaneous request but he figured it's better to take up on her behest than do his mothers errands anyway

turning his heel back, he meets her big eyes with his flat slanted ones and his actions seems to answer her offer

✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥

"what made you think playing straight under the sun was a great idea?" suna complains, panting heavily as the sun eventually plummets down. they stayed up on top for hours and instead of actually playing suna ended up teaching her the basics of volleyball for goodness sake she was an extremely slow learner.

"what do you mean? i like it up here" her tone filled with confusion as she questions him

"the sun literally fried us"

"you don't look that good to me"

"huh?" suna's brain is now all muddled by her statement causing him to give a repulsive look, she didn't seem too bothered by how she voiced her proclamation and only started walking down the stairs, suna following behind.

"you must be thirsty, i'll buy us some drinks, my treat" she announces as she holds out her baby blue colored wallet, turning left as they reached down the stairs, the vending machine is conveniently there aswell. "any preference?" she inquires only for suna to shook his head

"water is enough" he answers shortly

their drinks clank down at the bottom of the machinary and some gulping could be heard subseuquently. suna exhales lowly after drinking some refreshment. the wind passes and gives a cold whisk ontop of their skin, the sky is painted deep orange along with pale red. they soon walk in silence with the cold bottles, hers being a can of juice in their hands.

"can we play again?" she unexpectedly mutters shyly

suna glances at her, the tip of her ears turning incredibly red. "don't you have your own friends?" he mentions as he takes another sip. "i know quite a few people but only one or two are actually my friends and neither of them plays volleyball" she explains with her eyes shut

"if you're that wishful to learn the sport why not join your school volleyball club?"

she groans "i can't, my father doesn't let me join any after school activities"

"why?" sounding invasive only crossed his mind once she gave him an answer

"my dad is very strict, i need to be home before five he says" she mocks her father at the end of her sentence in a playful intention

"you're already pass your curfew, you child"

"you look the same age as me though"

"oh really?" they banter and it felt like they have known each other by a relatively long time. he enjoys her company it's fairly not too solemn and to him it feels nice to have a friendly jest with someone who won't intend to cause any issues unlike some two other people..

the usual tranquil in every interaction seem to be becoming consistent and recurring, they soon throw their bottles away in the trash bin sitting down the street like any other decent person

"so can we play again?" she asks the second time with a little more anticipation

suna didn't answer and only looks at her emotionlessly. does he really want to? she was nice but she's rather tenacious, there was a moment where he wanted to leave during the whole session. it seems the longer he stayed quiet, the more she  became impatient

"come on! the guys who plays at the public court always looks intimadating"

"and i'm not?" he snickers while his eyebrow rose

"well, i didn't have the ideal impression of you at first though but now you seem like a cool guy" she explains giving him a small thumbs up

"do you mean when you rescued me in the market?"

"no, earlier than that" suna thinks for a moment to the point of looking up on the dark sky before the memory finally getting into his head

"oh, you mean the birdnest hair? yeah i remember now" he teases with a little smile

"it's not like you looked any better with your own hair at the time"

"so─!" she starts a little louder than her monotonious voice before smiling at him keenly exactly how she eyed him the last time they met "how about it city boy!"

suna sighs and scrunched his nose at the nickname, he presumes because of his unfamiliar dialect "you're that persistent, and why city boy?"

"i never got your name after all this time, you know" nor did he ever got her name

suna looks down for a moment, he couldn't fathom what is wrong with him just telling her his name, it's not like he won't get hers when he answers.

"suna rintarou" he replies blankly

"suna rintarou?" she says questioningly, he nods his head

"suna rintarou... suna rintarou" she repeats in a breathy whisper as if engraving his name in her mind

"l/n y/n" she introduces herself back, "nice to meet you, suna" suna didn't reply much and only says "likewise" back and continuous the conversation where they have left just before the introduction.

suna rests his hand in his pocket, "you seem too willing to hang out with someone you only met thrice"

"i like you anyway so it's fine!" she beams a little too bluntly and it didn't help how she closed the proximity between them, literally doesn't intend to let him go off the question.

"sure"  he mouthed rather than openly saying it

"what?"

"i said i'll think about it" he claims as he turns his back to her to turn on the side of the sidewalks, "see you! you should know by now where to find me if you ever want to see me" she emphasized, waving her hands at him which suna imitated briefly before disappearing to her sight completely.

✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥

"curse you gate!"

the door slides open revealing her father staring at her expectantly waiting for her with his arms crossed just rught after she got inside the platform

"what's your excuse this time?" he awaits, his finger tapping his forearm

y/n stops her foot on the soft muck as she faces her humble abode. she struggles to open the gate as quietly as possibly but the damned steel gate really wanted her caught, huh?

"i.. was playing volleyball.." she says with all honesty as she step infront of the doorstep

"alone again?" his father assumes, he doesn't understand why she keeps sneaking out outside just to be doing things all by herself

"nope, with a newly found friend this time" y/n murmurs as she takes off her shoes before entering her home nonchalantly. she wouldn't mind getting in trouble for the day and her father takes note of her uplifted mood quizzically

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taglist (open!); @akaaaashit​ @sredamancy​

[only-here-for-jatp]

Operation: Appreciation Bash pt 2

Where the boys get all the love they deserve and I get to play with my favorite OTP: Luke x Dreambox

On Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26758780/chapters/65286793#workskin

The Boys felt more than knew that something was… different.

There were slightly longer and more frequent sidelong glances headed their way from Julie, Flynn and Julie’s family. They seemed to walk in on whispered conversations that quickly turned into something else when they would appear. Julie kept showing up late, never enough that it seemed like a big deal and she always had a reasonable excuse.

And yet.

There was something going on and the boys definitely felt out of the loop. If there was a loop. They still weren’t really sure. At one point, they asked Julie about it, but she just smiled her soft smile and reassured them that they were important and loved. If that hadn’t really answered their questions the boys didn’t notice until hours later when their confusion crept back in.

In truth, it’d taken them a week to notice anything and another week of noticing to ask about it, which worked out just fine for Julie and the Bash crew. Their plan was set to go into motion Saturday night, just a few days after they finally questioned Julie. She felt a twinge of guilt about how she was going to trick the boys, but she knew they’d forgive her. Eventually.

They boys were waiting on Julie for band practice Saturday when Carlos rushed into the room. She was abnormally late even for her and worry had started to settle in their gut. Carlos’ breathlessness and panic did NOT do anything to make them feel better. Especially once he said Julie wasn’t going to make it to practice since she was hurting so much she could barely move. Granted Carlos couldn’t see the ghosts, but when all of a sudden there was clashing of instruments and stuff getting knocked onto the floor, he figured he got the message across.

The boys looked at each other in terror as they scurried to get themselves out of the studio as fast as possible. It took them tripping over their instruments, creating a huge crash as Alex accidentally hit a cymbal, and knocking all of the songbooks off the piano for the boys to remember they could poof wherever they wanted to go. Soon though they were popping into Julie’s room. The sight of her curled up and moaning on her bed broke their hearts. She looked so small and they crept slowly to her bed, getting on their knees so they could reach out and be beside her.

She tried to reassure them that it was just girl stuff, but she didn’t look okay and she kept making these moans. The boys kept eyeing each other nervously, they didn’t want to leave her, and they heaved a small sigh of relief when she invited them into her bed with her for a movie and cuddles.

Luke climbed in first, moving so that he was sitting against the headboard with Julie laying in his lap so he could feel her chest rising and falling with every movement and bury his head in her hair. Reggie and Alex climbed in on either side of her. Wrapping tightly around her and each other.

After Julie sent off a quick text to Carlos that the coast was clear and making her boys promise they wouldn’t leave her even for a second, she melted into their warmth. Her tiny act was definitely worth whatever grief they would give her for it later. They deserved everything that was coming to them tonight. After all, they were her protectors, her family, and the best cuddlers she’d ever known. Basking in their adoration, she snuggled in close and drifted off into a peaceful nap.

Julie awoke to the sound of her phone going off. Groggily she tried to recognize the ringtone, her dad maybe? She started to move to pick it up only to discover at this point she was literally buried by the boys. She was still mostly lying on top of Luke, but Alex and Reggie had scooched closer and closer until they ended up literally on top of her.

Grumbling she tried to squirm herself out from under the boys, but that seemed to make them hold tighter. She groaned and warned the boys that it was her dad and she needed to pick up the phone. Reluctantly they pulled back just enough for her to reach over and grab her phone. She gave a couple of affirmations and then she hung up again. Speaking softly to her very out of it bandmates she let them know how much she adored them and how much better she was feeling, and maybe they should try and sneak in a band practice before dinner?

At the thought of playing Luke perked up, but he still refused to let go of the girl in his lap. She could still see the small traces of concern and she reassured them that she was feeling just fine and they had a gig coming up soon. They needed to practice. Slowly, and with a great deal of complaining the boys followed Julie out to the studio. They knew they could have poofed, but they wanted to keep an eye on her. Just in case.

Julie smiled at her ghost boys as they followed behind her. Maintaining contact at all times, whether it was gripping her hands, arms, shoulders or tugging at the back of her shirt. Soon enough, they were outside and the boys’ eyes widened at the sight of Carlos, Flynn, and Ray standing outside the doors of their studio. Each person took turns explaining that because of the positive impact they’d made on each of their lives, but most especially on Julie’s, they thought something special was in order. The boys kept glancing at the small Bash Crew and each other in turn with smiles tugging at their lips and tears brimming in their eyes. Julie laughed, a small burst of joy coming out as she gently extricated herself from the boys, joining her Bash Crew in thanking the boys for everything.

They were definitely crying by then and their smiles lit up their whole faces as they nudged each other in small excitement. The Bash Crew through the doors opened and the boys went still with shock. The decorations and food that clearly exclaimed Party!! Brought them so much joy, but it was the additions to the studio that gave them pause.

A Julie and the Phantoms banner hung on the wall and surrounding it were dozens of picture frames filled with memories from their arrival. Julie’s cross that she’d tried to use to defend herself was there as well as tickets and backstage passes from their gigs. There were pictures of each of them individually, but also them playing as a band. Luke trailed his fingers over one photo that was sitting on the piano of him and Julie at the end of edge of great.

All of them though, came to stand in front of the largest print, which took up a good chunk of wall of them all standing at the front of the stage together. It was from the Orpheum and you can see the sheer joy and exhilaration on their faces. While the boys were enamored, the rest of the Bash Crew slunk out, leaving Julie and the boys to celebrate.

They spent the next couple of hours laughing and being wrapped up in each other. The movie projector and furniture had been arranged for a movie and video game night and they all took turns losing to Reggie at Mario Kart. Although they couldn’t eat the cake, the boys did discover they could shove it into each other’s faces and soon a cake fight ensued. The boys spent a good deal of time going after each other, Alex’s height coming in handy, but soon they all turned on Julie. In the end she was covered in more frosting then all of them combined.

The evening was winding down as she used the bathroom to clean herself up a little, but she had one more surprise left in store for them. In all of the excitement, the boys had failed to notice the sheet covering the coffee table near the couch which hadn’t been moved for the sake of movies and video games.

She dragged the boys over as they stammered that really, they didn’t need anything else. That all of this meant so much to them, but Julie shushed them as pushed them down. They stared a little confused at the sheet and even more confused at what lay underneath it.

There were four little wooden boxes sitting on the table, and a package of paint pens. One was a deep mahogany wood color, another was sleek and stained black, and a third was white- Just like Julie’s. The last was set a little farther away from them all and while you could tell it had originally been a light brown color it had been dusted over with purple, pink, red, and blue, the colors intermingling.

Luke figured it out first and soon he was nearly vibrating with excitement. He reached out and carefully traced over the lid of the mahogany box, pulling it close to him. Reggie figured it out next. His fingers danced over the lid and he opened and closed it a few times in awe. Alex just stared at the white box.

Julie whispered softly that she’d wanted him to know that it could be anything he wanted. There would be no color or shade that couldn’t be added. But more than that, she wanted him to know every time he looked at it that he was connected to her and that she was thinking of him. Alex looked up at her and smiled, immediately reaching for the markers.

Julie tapped the fourth one and told them how this one was for the band together and she opened it for them to see that it was already starting to collect polaroid’s and lyrics. At that, the boys stood up to hug her close. Luke refused to put his new box down, even to hug her. Julie laughed as she joked that maybe now with their own dreamboxes, they could leave hers alone.

She quickly had three pairs of ghost eyes on her and Luke with his signature smirk let her know, “Not a chance.”

[yukipri]

Hi. Can I ask about Sabolu/ AceLu #40

Thanks so much for sending this in! Sorry it took a while, my response is LONG ^ ^;;;

40. Describe their first time (if any).

Oooh boy, here goes

AceLu + SaboLu, in that order. 

This ended up being LONG, so this is just Part 1, Ace & Luffy -> AceLu version. I’ll make a second post with SaboLu! *SWEATS*

Mostly lead up on Learning about the Existence of Sex, as well as slight non-graphic mention of sex with the younger party age 17 at the end.

~~

Contrary to gossip among Ace’s more raunchy crew mates, there was nothing sexual going on between him and Luffy prior to Ace leaving the island. There weren’t really even any pre-pubescent growing-up episodes, or weird questions.

The reason being, neither of them had any clue what “sex” was.

Clueless Luffy aside, one might assume that Ace at least would have known. He certainly looks and acts like he does, and Luffy certainly assumed Ace Knew Things.

And of course Ace acted like he Knew Things! He’s the Big Brother after all, and he has his pride, and when tiny dumb lil Luffy stared up with his sparkly eyes, all admiration and expectation, of course Ace had to have an Answer.

And before, Sabo was there, laughing quietly when Ace turned to him in wide-eyed panic while Luffy was facing the other way. And Sabo would explain, simplified but not mocking of his brother’s ignorance, and Ace would turn around and boast about his knowledge to Luffy while Sabo snickered in the background.

So, when one day, Luffy sees a pair of frogs on top of each other, he turns his ever inquisitive eyes on Ace, and asks, “Ace, what’re they doing?”

And Ace turns to ask Sabo, and…

Sabo’s not there.

Hiding the stab of pain (which would turn into a full three hour bawling session if Luffy noticed), Ace thinks. What would Sabo say? What’s the Smart Right Answer?

“Luffy,” Ace says. “Look, the frogs started the pile for you. They’re asking to be stacked. So we should find more frogs to stack!”

Luffy accepts the explanation with glee, especially since it comes with a quest! And so the brothers spend the next hour finding additional frogs to stack on top of the first pair Luffy found, who croak indignantly at having their activity interrupted.

It continues like this, and seven years is a long time for two boys with little to no guidance to find misunderstandings to pile together, much like they piled together random animals they found in the middle of copulating (Look Ace! This morning, some boars wanted to be stacked! And look there, the bears want to be stacked too! The brothers certainly had no idea they were creating unwilling animal orgies).

When Changes began happening to their bodies, Ace makes up additional, well, Bullshit.

While Luffy accepts Ace’s words as the Real Grownup Truth, some part of Ace should have remembered that it was all stuff he’d made up in place of actual facts from Sabo. But as the years passed, he’d come to accept them as How They Are.

Their ignorance certainly isn’t just the boys’ fault. They live with bandits after all, and there’s certainly plenty of vulgar talk going around. But if any of the bandits try to explain in any greater detail when Ace starts showing mild interest, Dadan thwacks them, daring them to imagine facing Garp’s wrath when the marine discovers they’d corrupted his darling grandsons.

Makino and the Mayor come by and help with their education, but it’s mostly things like manners, how to read, and how to fix their ripped of clothes. Stuff like their Bodies is something they left to family.

But unfortunately Garp, of course, also avoids The Talk, because of all the many responsibilities he’d avoided in the raising of his grandsons, this is certainly one he’s especially keen to avoid. He gives Ace an incredibly vague explanation to “If you do the Do, make sure to wrap it!” before disappearing, leaving Ace to mutter to himself, “Wrap what?” An even more garbled and meaningless version is passed from Ace to Luffy.

Ace leaves the island at seventeen, confident and strong, and completely oblivious to much of what the world has in store.

Shortly after he leaves the island, Ace meets his first crew mate, one ex-med student who goes by “Masked Deuce.”

To Deuce, Ace looks like a fine roguish young man in his prime, his chosen Captain, and Deuce hates to admit it, but definitely popular with the ladies. At their first island together after escaping the deserted island where they met, Deuce is proven right when the ladies hanging around the brothels crowd out to wave and call at Ace. Deuce wonders darkly if they’re going to make a stop, but Ace just waves cheerfully back, and they continue on their way.

“They sure don’t look very sleepy for people who want to sleep so much!” Ace laughs, and Deuce thinks he’s one to talk. But they head back to their raft with supplies and without further incident. That’s when Deuce has his first Bad Feeling that something may be amiss.

A few years later, after they’ve joined Whitebeard’s crew, a drunken Deuce will screech that one day, he should get to bash Monkey D. Garp’s face in. Garp OWES it to him!!! After what Deuce went through, after realizing how freakin’ EMPTY and beyond neglected some parts of Ace’s education had been!!! The Whitebeards are lucky, because the Ace today exists because of Deuce’s suffering!!!

Because Deuce realizes quickly that when Ace heard that ladies want to “sleep with him,” he thought it was an offering to nap together. When Deuce asked with mounting horror whether Ace knows what sex even is, his Captain responded with the most blinding pure smile and enough confidence that Deuce almost believed him, “Naked wrestling!” When Ace saw animals copulating (and in one memorable case, a random human couple in the alleys), he took it upon himself to generously stack a third, and if possible a fourth creature on top.

Forget knowledge of the Act, Ace didn’t even know that some people, well, had Different Parts down there. And Deuce groaned and restrained himself from bashing his head against the mast, because why would he? According to Ace, he grew up 95% with mostly just himself and his precious lil bro Luffy. He knew a grand total of two women, Dadan and Makino. The former, the thought of whom naked made Ace pale, and the second, who only stopped by occasionally but certainly had no reason to uncover herself. Ace didn’t know what a textbook was, and squinted when Deuce desperately asked if he’d at least seen porn magazines.

Sure, some women have biggish chests, but so do fat people, and Ace’s chest isn’t so bad either if he says so himself. So of course Ace had no reason to assume anything else was different.

Deuce remembers the agonizing incident where he’d hired a few hookers to help educate Ace. The ladies had been cackling non stop, Ace had cheerfully announced, “Ah, I see, so they’re like Fishmen! Similar, but with a few different Mystery Parts.” And Deuce couldn’t even applaud Ace’s open-mindedness, because he was too busy wanting to dig a hole for himself to die in due to mortification, cursing how the subject of his embarrassment didn’t even share a sliver of his shame.

Ace slowly filled the gaping holes in his knowledge with help from his crew (mostly Deuce), taking his own ignorance in good stride and laughing brightly with each new discovery.

But the thing that concerned Deuce most, was every time Ace Learned Something New, he’d scratch his head and mutter, “Oh shit, that’s not what I told Luffy.”

Deuce is extremely concerned for one Monkey D. Luffy, and occasionally mutters a prayer for the unfortunate youth who had apparently obtained the vast majority of his worldly knowledge second hand through Ace.

But despite now having knowledge of sex, Ace still doesn’t particularly express any interest in trying it himself. He continues to just wave at the ladies and even men who want his attention, just as cheerfully as he had in the beginning.

When Deuce cautiously inquires why, Ace just shrugs. “You’re supposed to do it with someone you love, right?” And Deuce doesn’t really have the heart to tell him any different.

~~

Three years after Ace sets out for sea, Luffy follows.

The brothers’ reunion comes faster than expected, for which Ace’s grateful, because not only does he get to see his precious little brother again, he also has the chance to maybe correct some of the things he’d told Luffy growing up before Luffy spends too much time in the outside world.

And so when night comes in the desert in Alabasta, Ace takes Luffy aside and they go a ways away from the men’s tent where Luffy’s crew sleeps, far enough away that the fire Ace lights on his arms to keep them warm can’t be seen, and their voices are washed away among the dunes.

They’re catching up Ace wants to hear all about Luffy’s adventures, yes, but Ace also feels responsibility to clear up any misunderstandings he’d caused. And his crew had warned him, including his new Whitebeard family, that it might be dangerous to leave a little brother as adorable as Ace claimed in such complete ignorance.

Ace insists that Luffy is strong and can beat up almost anyone who wishes him harm, but their words still catch on something that makes Ace feel a weird twist of something in his gut. Would Luffy know what kind of intentions are behind a wandering hand, a lecherous sneer? Wouldn’t Luffy also assume sleeping just means napping? This is a new kind of potential danger, something that Luffy’s definitely not aware of, and the thought of it sneaking up on Luffy unawares makes something dark and ugly rear in Ace’s gut.

But a lot of Ace’s complicated doubts and fears are swept away by the desert winds when Luffy crawls into Ace’s lap and leans back against his chest. Luffy likes human contact, he always had, but Ace used to like to pretend he didn’t (they both knew otherwise), so Luffy usually wasn’t clingy unless he was feeling especially vulnerable. 

Luffy’s thin, rubbery arms wrap tightly around Ace’s torso, and his grip is strong, but vibrating, somewhere between shaking and tension. The flames on Ace’s arms sputter out, and Ace carefully puts his own arms around Luffy, now more open with himself than he’d been three years ago, and accepting of how he craves this too, and had felt starved of Luffy’s affection during their time apart.

It can’t be more obvious how much Luffy had missed him, and Ace feels the same.

Luffy’d grown over three years, from a gangly child who still worried Ace, to a still gangly but strong young adult who’d already begun earning a name for himself as a pirate. His lanky body fits perfectly in Ace’s arms, because even though Luffy’d grown, Ace’d grown too, and Luffy still feels petite in contrast.

Ah, Ace thinks as he squeezes Luffy tightly, burying his face in his little brother’s neck and drowning in his familiar scent, allowing himself to openly display his affection in a way he’d only done a handful of times on the island. Luffy practically purrs, leaning back and nuzzling Ace’s cheek, practically begging for more attention.

Something stirs in Ace’s gut as Luffy’s lithe form squirms against his bare chest, pushing fruitlessly against Ace’s unbudging arms before deciding that it’d be easier to just contort himself so he’s sitting facing Ace. And then suddenly their eyes are meeting, and Luffy looks so happy, and Ace thinks oh.

Someone I love.

Ace leans in to press their lips together, and Luffy is curious but doesn’t hesitate to push back and attempt to imitate.

It never crosses Ace’s mind that this is something that he shouldn’t be doing with Luffy. They’re Brothers, yes, but the word can mean a lot of things. Ace is Brothers with all the Whitebeard pirates too, and they’re undeniably a family and their bond means the world to him. The brother he shares with his crew is a bond of shared admiration for their leader, a bond of family through how they all see Whitebeard as their chosen paternal figure. It’s about a shared goal, a shared experience, a shared choice.

But brother in that context is different from brother with Luffy and Sabo. With Luffy and Sabo, their brother means an unbreakable bond, of connection that is stronger than anything they were born with, something that overcomes Ace’s hatred for his blood father, Sabo’s disgust for his heritage, and Luffy’s own missing parents. It means a willing and deliberate promise of permanence, a steady and stable treasure that will continue glowing at their core no matter how they change and grow.

It means love, Ace thinks, and knows Luffy feels the same.

~~

“So Luffy, that thing the frogs were doing?”

“Yeah?”

“This is what they were doing.”

“Oh, okay! So they were feeling good.”

“…Yeah, they were feeling good.”

Ace leaves it at that.

~~

(and then the war happens. And their first becomes their last.)

~~

*COUGHS* or DOES it?

ANYWAY, barely a “first,” but a long rambling rant, ty for reading

Get to know my Shipping Preferences & Ships Ask Meme

[nestfield3]

The Price Of Arbitration.

Arbitration Matters.

Content

Keep It About The Youngsters: Informing Your Children Regarding Divorce 1

Welcome To Kids First Arbitration.

Do Not Be Reluctant To Contact Us.

Supervised Or Sustained Contact.

At Mediate UK 90% of customers that go on to joint mediation have the ability to reach an agreement with arbitration. The conciliator will certainly ask you to check out all the options that you have, they will certainly assist you discover possibilities of concession and look for a means to move you both ahead. Mediation centres on arrangement as well as compromise and if those 2 aspects show up, there is every hope of an arrangement. For you to be able to get to a contract, you must both have a will and a wish to reach an arrangement. In such circumstances, the mediator will certainly look for the trick that unlocks a means forward.

If you are a solicitor as well as wants to refer clients for Household Mediation in Portsmouth or South East Hampshire please contact us. " In my view the debates for the proposition that the 1995 Act does not apply to mediations about cross-border kidnappings have the side". 11.35 The option of embracing a MIAM style technique in Scotland has the advantage of making parties knowledgeable about the schedule of ADR as an alternative to court. Nonetheless, study by the UK Government published in 2015 recommended that the applicant just went to a MIAM in 19% of situations. 11.32 The benefit of utilizing ADR is that as discussed in the introduction to this component, it may be quicker, more affordable, extra versatile and less stressful than litigating.

Keep It Regarding The Youngsters: Telling Your Kids About Divorce 1

The well-being of the child must be the court's top priority when choosing. Restricted actions order-- stops a person doing something with or to a youngster, for instance to stop a parent taking a kid abroad, or from picking a kid up from institution. The court will certainly encourage you to reach a contract, yet if you can not it might be essential for the court to release an order.

Investor-State Mediation - Developments, Opportunities & Challenges - Lexology

Investor-State Mediation - Developments, Opportunities & Challenges.

Posted: Tue, 05 Jan 2021 15:17:20 GMT [source]

To benefit one of the most from mediation, you must assemble an agenda, which details the points you desire to talk about during the arbitration process. If https://mediationeurope.net/germany/areas/ is tight, or you are on a reduced earnings, there might be neighborhood law groups near to where you live. Lots of have regular lawful surgeries, where you can review your situation with a qualified solicitor. If this happens, the conciliator will sign the required court type as well as the instance can then be heard by a judge or a magistrate. If you are not qualified for lawfully assisted mediation you will certainly be expected to pay ahead of time before each arbitration session. Payments can be made in cash money at the office, by card over the telephone or online. Please do not quit me having contact with expanded member of the family who are very important to me.

Welcome To Youngsters 1st Mediation.

The moderator will be independent, even if they run from a solicitor's workplace, as well as won't take sides. Mediation can assist you and the various other moms and dad resolve problems without going to court. Requesting a court order typically takes longer and also might be more expensive and also difficult. Arbitration might just be a chance to talk with somebody independent about your parenting circumstance.

In some cases arbitration is not effective and also in such situations, the moderator will certainly discuss what other choices are readily available to solve the conflict, such as settlement. During the preliminary arbitration session with your ex-partner, the moderator will certainly discuss the guideline and what is expected of everyone in the mediation space. This info is documented completely in a paper called Contract to Moderate. After having experienced the file, you and also your ex lover will be asked to sign it, if you accept the terms. In the previous four months you attempted arbitration but it had not succeeded. An approved mediator has to validate this and also validate that mediation is not the very best method for you to resolve your conflict.

Do Not Be Reluctant To Contact Us.

Make it easy for me to take things I need when I hang around with my other parent, such as institution work, PE sets, garments, publications, video games, phone etc . Don't make me feel guilty regarding hanging out with my various other moms and dad. Child assessment supplies children the opportunity to place their sights onward within a neutral environment in a way which ensures they do not really feel responsible for making decisions. If you are represented by a solicitor at court it will certainly be more costly, with most household solicitor firms pricing estimate upwards of ₤ 5,000 for your situation.

Monitored contact can be through a kid contact centre or at the home of an additional person, or under the supervision of one more person. Education i.e. which school the child will go to, gain access to for the other parent to info concerning efficiency, moms and dad's evenings, participation and so on . Presently any individual who intends to claimLegal Aid, will just be able to get access to Legal Aid if they attend a MIAM, with an approved family mediator, unless there are extraordinary cases of evidenced domestic physical violence. At Children 1st Arbitration Plymouth we believe that most people, if provided the best assistance as well as possibility, can reach their own remedies to the issues as well as or difficulties that they are encountering. Family members mediation is a way of fixing conflicts which arise in the past, throughout or after separation or separation. Required to sort Monetary concerns consisting of Home, Pensions, assets, financial debts? Helping you reach arrangements that serve to both of you and will certainly permit each of you to proceed with your life.

Monitored Or Sustained Contact.

This is done by speaking through and exercising all concerns surrounding your divorce or separation, whether it be before, during or after the occasion. Now that you have actually acquired a much better understanding of the expenses involved in the separation/divorce process in regard to arbitration, you may be feeling unclear and overwhelmed. This area lays out the complying with steps that you need to currently require to aid you in going ahead with separation and also mediation. If you do not certify, nonetheless, our trained moderators will be able to help you in working out how to pay these costs in a manner that is best for you. We are an award-winning company with seasoned arbitrators approved by the Family members Mediation Council.

If you concern an arrangement, your mediator will certainly need to create this up, and there is normally a charge for this. You probably have actually thought this, yet divorces are constantly less expensive if you can avoid court. If the proposals are approved by you both, these are then written up by the family members arbitrator right into a Parenting Plan or a Memorandum of Understanding with an Open Financial Declaration. Family members arbitration is very organized as well as adheres to a specified process. By going to arbitration, it can aid you and your ex-partner get a divorce quicker. This is generally since you are communicating, whether it be in shuttle bus or in person. Your separation schedule quite depends upon just how you as well as your ex-partner work together.

The Length Of Time Does A Collective Separation Take?

There are most likely to be expenses included, as you can not get legal help for household issues unless you have suffered domestic physical violence, or very hardly ever-- your situation is "extraordinary". Mediation relies on 2 individuals intending to solve their disagreement, despite the fact that they have extremely various perspectives at the beginning of the procedure. Some programmes are created to aid you gain abilities that will assist you negotiate in a calm as well as favorable way. Figure out as long as feasible regarding each kind of service so you can choose the one that finest fits you as well as your situation. If you continue with arbitration, it typically accompanies the other parent over a number of sessions.

What is an example of mediation?

The definition of mediation is a process of negotiation in a relationship to resolve differences. When a couple is divorcing and they work with a neutral third party that helps them resolve divorce issues and divide up assets and property, this is an example of mediation.

If there is a threat to life or the safety of the person making the court application, or their family or their residence is at danger. If the court application you are making, is linked to a matter which is already in the household courts and also in which you are entailed. Household mediation is a completely voluntary procedure, so no person is mosting likely to make you participate in.

You or your wife, partner or ex-partner can not access an arbitrator's office, because among you has a special needs. Nonetheless, it needs to be remembered that if the arbitrator can give the appropriate lodging, after that you will certainly both still be called for to participate in the conference.

If you make an application to court, you will require to have had a MIAM for an approved arbitrator to be able to sign the relevant certificate to allow your situation to be listened to. Depending upon the scenario as well as ages of the kids, the Cafcass Officer might talk directly to the youngsters to get their sights and input. The plan should work for both moms and dads-- if it doesn't, there is little motivation for both moms and dads to either consent to the plan or apply it consistently. mediators Ireland ex pats is versatile to cover anything that you desire covered as moms and dads. There are particular things that a court takes into consideration when deciding what's in a child's benefits. The court considers all the scenarios of the situation and not simply the checklist, yet it's the starting point. When choosing whether to make an order, the court must think about whether it would certainly be much better for the welfare of the youngster to make an order than not make an order.

The arbitrator will certainly likewise review with you what you wish to achieve and also address any type of inquiries that you may have regarding the process. We after that established totally free initial individual meetings which will certainly last about half a hr for both of you to learn even more regarding mediation without incurring any significant costs. We generally write out and after that talk with your ex-partner to engage them in the mediation process. If you are just talking about youngsters's matters then 2-3 joint sessions is typically enough to deal with matters.

New mediation program for landlords and tenants, emergency aid to renters, to be provided by Housing Initiatives of Princeton - - Planet Princeton

New mediation program for landlords and tenants, emergency aid to renters, to be provided by Housing Initiatives of Princeton -.

Posted: Wed, 16 Dec 2020 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Nonetheless, if a joint arbitration session has happened then there is a ₤ 45 cost including VAT for the solution to finish the kind. The arbitrator will certainly after that prepare a written agreement tape-recording the decisions that you have made together.

[mary-macdonald]

“ With everything that has happened to you, you can either feel sorry for yourself or treat what has happened as a gift. Everything is either an opportunity to grow or an obstacle to keep you from growing. You get to choose. ” —  Wayne Dyer

nickname→ mare bear, mar, mary current age → twenty faceclaim → sydney park birthday → march fourteenth, nineteen-sixty alliance → order of the phoenix occupation→ bartender / aspiring social worker

— she has been described as ;

+ hardworking, magnanimous, insightful - overprotective, headstrong, anxious

— biography ; tw violence, tw death

Siobhan and Thomas had nothing very exceptional to their name, small town farmers, yet they felt truly blessed. They made a home and shared it in their own way. Instead of choosing to start a "traditional” family, they opened their home to children from all walks of life through the local foster care system. While the MacDonalds left a mark on almost a dozen of foster kids, four of those kids found their forever home. Liam and Kayleigh made a strong impression, twins in their terrible twos and Siobhan knew she couldn’t give them up to another family for adoption. Hercules came into the chaotic home a few years later, an intelligent and somewhat awkward preteen. Mary had bounced around foster homes since she was two weeks old. Left at the church by her biological parents, she never had a home. At least, not until she found herself at the MacDonald’s farm. For the first time, she had found a place that felt like home. She had been their final addition and only after a few days of having her at home, the couple knew there was no next stop for her. The MacDonalds appreciated everything they had in their lives and taught their children to do the same. Mary and her siblings were all treated with love and respect. Weekends were filled with football matches, farmer’s markets adventures, volunteering as a family, and hours of exploration in the fields behind their backyard. The only strict rule in their home was “you eat, you cook”, a rule which sparked no objection from Mary. From a young age she was poking her nose onto the counter to see what her mother was doing in the kitchen. Siobhan and Thomas did their best to teach their children that happiness and success did not come from money, it came from the bonds you created in the world.  The minute she was old enough, Mary played both baby sister and older sister. Taking strongly after her mother, she would check on her siblings well being constantly. Despite their annoyance with their baby sister following them around, no one ever denied how adorable she looked with her play doctor kit. Nothing too strange had ever happened to the small family, at least until Mary’s Hogwarts letter arrived. Mary’s little eyes opened wide at the site of mail for herself and what she read in the inside only heightened her glee. There was a lot of ruckus in the MacDonald home that night. Her brother’s accepted the explanation rather quickly, claiming there had always been something magical about Mary. Kayleigh had some reservations but warmed to the idea over the next few weeks. Despite the shock, Siobhan and Thomas - after some convincing from a ministry official that magic was indeed real - assured their daughter that they loved her, magic and all.  That September, Mary left Ireland for the first time. She was filled with butterflies at the thought of the unknown and of leaving her family behind. After all, it had taken her years to find home. The idea of leaving it, being alone in a new world entirely, terrified her. The giant castle walls and ever changing pathways did little to ease her anxiety. Feeling small, Mary wandered over to the Gryffindor table where she quickly found a second home. With a gentle push from her peers, her vibrant smile and warm energy quickly drew positive attention from her classmates. Before the holidays approached, Mary had expanded her family infinitely. Mary barreled into friendships, quickly turning acquiescence into friends she would call family. Her own family had been a collection, a mish mosh of people who had found each other. This was no different in her eyes and after a few months, it was clear how desperately some of her peers needed that found family.  Class became her least favorite part of Hogwarts. She always got above average marks (well, except for dueling) - she was a naturally intelligent girl - but class could hold only her attention for so long. She spent a good amount of her free time exploring the castle. Adventure called out from every corridor, out onto the grounds. She dived into every day asking herself one question; what she could stick her nose into next? Her favorite spots quickly became the kitchens, the small hidden couch in the back of the common room, and the pitch. Her little hideaways where she could get a little peace and quiet in between adventurers. They also served as places to hide, in later years, when her blood status drew her negative attention.  In the summer between her second and third year, Mary’s family took a big loss. Liam, the youngest boy of the family, passed away at seventeen. Losing him almost tore the family apart. The first two months of summer were filled with quiet, the once serene areas of her home filled with uncomfortable tension and pain. Mary found small places to hide and grieve alone behind their home, but this was truly the point in her life when she took it upon herself to take care of those around her. She put the pain of her family before her own. She tried her best to fill the shoes of being the oldest child, despite always being the baby. Her mother’s strong will, however, was in the end what got her through that awful summer. MacDonald’s were strong, she would tell Mary, and we will survive. And they did. They all held on even tighter after that summer, to everything. Mary had seamlessly become both the idiot child and the mama bear of the lion’s den. She had a knack for getting into trouble and an even better knack of getting out of trouble, something that infuriated some of her housemates when she got out of a well deserved detention. Mary was extremely affectionate with those she considers her friends, whether it be holding their hands in the hallway or curling up beside them on the couch. She was never one to shy away from affection. Unapologetic, she was never afraid to be loud or take up way more space than one would think the small girl ever could. This brought more trouble to her than she could imagine. Once she realized the prejudices held in the wizarding world, she did not shy away from voicing her opinions. Her parents had taught her to never stand for injustice. She talked about muggle culture constantly and she did not skip a beat in the face of bullies who had enjoyed trying to tear her down. The faces of the first year muggleborns was more than enough motivation to be brave. 

In her fifth year, hwoever, she became a target of Mulciber. A rather nasty bully who had a problem with how she carried herself. For a few months he quietly tortured her, threatening to harm her closest friends if she said anything about it. She slowly withdrew from everyone around her, losing the light in her eyes almost permanently. Only about three months before his graduation her sixth year did the torture stop. Mary was found unconscious in the astronomy tower. Word traveled quickly and before long everyone knew. Despite the negative attention Mary fought viciously to regain her confidence and spark. She would not be a victim – she was a survivor. With the help of her friends over the next year Mary built back her strength and sense of security. She still suffers from flashbacks and nightmares at times, but through support she learned to get back on her feet and live again. Mary spent her last year at Hogwarts trying to create a new normal and to enjoy every moment she had with her friends. Her grades picked up immensely and she had even jumped near the top of her class. Mary even tried out for the Quidditch team, making seeker after years of practicing on the pitch. Not naturally athletic, a majority of her free time was spent on the pitch getting skilled enough to join the team. When not on the pitch, Mary joined her friends once more in partying and prank wars - assisting Marlene in getting back at Potter any chance she got. She would never tell Marlene, but occasionally she would help him as well. After all, all’s fair in love and prank war. Her life returned to some semblance of normal - at least, as normal as she could find. The nightmares from her past still haunted her and the fear of the future that waited after graduation proved more daunting than her memories.  As the inevitability of war grew, Mary focused less and less on her career path. Her thoughts turned to the war. Mary never once questioned her decision to join the Order. She saw her family once after graduation, wishing them goodbye until the war was over for their own protection. One of the hardest decisions she had ever made. Since graduation, she has worked as a bartender for at The Leaky Cauldron. Her night owl nature plus her people skills helped her excel while she had the freedom to dedicate time to the Order. She has taken classes and wants to eventual work in the Ministry as a social worker. She specifically wants to create a better program for integrating muggleborn students to Hogwarts and providing assistance for their families. She hasn’t committed to the career path yet though and most likely won’t until the war is done. Her main focus now is protecting her friends and innocent bystanders. She spends her free time reading on all subjects, specifically defense against the dark arts. Her loft has become a rest stop for order members, despite the place being small she welcomes the company. There is always a place to sleep, and a warm meal for anyone who needs one. Her friends are her family and she is doing all she can to keep them alive and emotionally stable. As one could imagine, the task is daunting as they scramble to recover from the loss of their leader. 

[seakungarrggpu421]

10 Reasons You Need To  Quit Stressing About Tvp Oglądalność

Top Application Worldwide for Q2 2019 by Downloads

Finest Picture & Trending Video Clip Application in 2020.

Podcast Addict is an outstanding podcast app for podcast fans. It includes practically every podcast you can consider. Furthermore, it has a effective and straightforward UI, a lot of organizational features, lots of playback and download features, as well as a single-cost costs variation.

It's an easy, very easy means to have a look at your debt as well as start repairing things if needed. It is among the extra underrated totally free Android apps.

Best Android Analysis & Information Applications.

You either go into the number showed in the application, a two-digit number shown by the solution you're attempting to verify or just strike Admit the popup notice. Kaspersky for Android bundles on-demand malware scans and also energetic internet protection. Furthermore, it applies a host of anti-theft functions consisting of remote find, lock as well as wipe, as well as the capacity to sound an alarm system. You can also lock apps behind a PIN as an added preventative action in case your phone obtains swiped.

The business most definitely has some of one of the most valuable applications available. Additionally, they have some up as well as arrivals like a to do checklist application that is slowly improving. They are likewise working on straight Android display mirroring on Windows 10 and also a few other valuable things. Cortana feeds on this listing as well, yet it's simply typical as far as virtual assistants opt for now.

Google's Viewpoint Benefits application agrees to give you Play Installment plan in exchange for responding to studies. Surveys will be sent to you about as soon as a week, occasionally regularly, and also will typically focus on locations you have actually been as well as points you have actually seen.

Top 21 Many Made use of (and also downloaded and install) Mobile Applications.

You'll discover it on every type of computer system in every type of setting, and currently it's available absolutely free on Android. Word plugs into Microsoft's cloud framework to maintain your documents in order, yet its primary marketing point is that this really is Word.

Thank you for checking out! Right here are some last application listings to look into! 10 best to do listing applications for Android! (Upgraded 5 best Android apps for screen recording as well as various other means as well!

One treatment is to get smart devices official site from suppliers which enable the uninstallation of bloatware - as an example, Huawei and also Honor. Or acquire mobile phones which only feature a couple of third-party applications, like Google or Lenovo. It is, as a result, beneficial to look through your app checklist and also erase the pre-installed apps. The most convenient means to do this is by ordering the respective app in the application drawer and afterwards drawing it onto the application details icon.

What are the best apps to have on your phone?

More than two million apps are available on the App Store.

Credit rating Karma is not 100% precise, however it gives you an excellent suggestion of what's going on. The notifications likewise allow you know if a brand-new account was opened in your name. Additionally, Intuit (owner of Turbo Tax obligation) purchased Debt Karma for $7.1 billion in very early 2020 so there might be some changes to the application moving on. YouTube is possibly one of the most helpful app on mobile.

Watch out: This phony coronavirus tracking app is a malware catch.

TickTick is amongst the best to do checklist applications on Android. You can make lists, share tasks with other people, organize your tasks in different methods, get tips, established persisting jobs, and also more. There is a pro version, yet it adds points like calendar assistance as well as various other added features. The cost-free variation of this is far above what most other to do list apps offer. It's also clean, very easy to utilize, and it's great for little teams or family use.

Beginning living very easy with 20 apps that will do life for you.

What are the latest apps for Android?

Google Play Services and YouTube are the top two most downloaded apps.

You can browse podcasts by classification or search for them independently. You can likewise set download rules, create playlists conveniently, and also it sustains both Chromecast as well as SONOS in addition to Android Auto and also Use OS. The UI isn't one of the most sophisticated point we have actually seen. However, the app makes up for it by hitting essentially every various other box we could consider. Pocket Casts, Doggcatcher, and CastBox are various other excellent alternatives in this space, however we like Podcast Addict the very best.

What are the best free Android apps?

Subway Surfers Was the Most Downloaded Game of the Decade Success came from many different places as each of the most downloaded games came from a different company. Clash of Clans and Candy Crush Saga stand out as the only 2 apps to appear on both the top apps by downloads and consumer spend lists.

[kindness-ricochets]

Prompt: “Let’s get wasted and then go piss on his grave.”

Fic-a-day February, day 11! I’d like to preface this by saying that I assume in 10 years’ time, Nina Zenik will be very busy indeed, but I can’t imagine at what because, well, Leigh Bardugo is freaking brilliant. So I just kinda... had Nina visit. 

Warning - Character death (but it’s Jan Van Eck so it’s good news, everyone!)

Technically this is in my House of Van Eck series ‘verse, but only because Jesper and Wylan are raising his half-sister. Because I am soft for ‘characters learn to be parents’ fics.

----------

A flawed man, that was what they said. He had been a flawed man. Still, such a brilliant one. He had a mind for business, unmatched, truly. Few held fond memories of Jan Van Eck as a man, so they reminisced about his trade deals. He had such a sharp mind. “Yes,” Wylan agreed, “and I do understand. Though for all his flaws, he was my father.” “Of course.” The parlor at the Van Eck mansion had seen more traffic these past days than in years prior. There were flowers strategically but liberally placed, kept fresh through Fabrikator craft. Tulips, mostly. Such a man of Kerch was Jan Van Eck, what other flower would rightly honor him? A portrait of the man himself sat on the mantle, wreathed in black ribbon. It was a much younger portrait, from his better days. How Jan would have surely wanted to be remembered, according to Hiram Schenck.

“I won’t impose,” said Schenck, rising to leave, “I’m sure you want to be with your family, but for all our differences, I hope you know I respect you as a peer. Should you need anything in this painful time, you are welcome to reach out.” “Thank you,” Wylan said. “I appreciate your visit and I know my father would as well.” Actually, he did not appreciate it. The pained smile Wylan gave as a maid showed Schenck to the door was the most he could manage. Schenck had said horrible things about Wylan. Called him an imbecile, a dreamer, a stain on his father’s reputation… and Wylan still might have overlooked that, but for what he said about Jesper. About their relationship. Wylan held himself together as the footsteps faded. It had been a terribly trying time. After his father’s passing, he did all he was meant to do, showed the respect any father deserved of his firstborn. The front door shut audibly. Wylan threw himself onto the settee with a sigh. Ignoring the tea and cups that had been brought out for his visitor—propriety and all that—he grabbed a cookie and stuffed it in his mouth. “Mmf. At least this farce is delicious!” He couldn’t exactly tell Hiram Schenck to get stuffed, so Wylan simply accepted his good intentions. Wylan had always harbored his suspicions about Schenck—the man had been close with Jan and if anyone knew the truth, any part of the truth, it was him. But Schenck had shown no signs of it and Wylan didn’t ask. He reached for another cookie. They were delicious. Unfortunately he had opened his eyes to retrieve one and caught sight of the portrait. Wylan couldn’t help it: he winced. Then he glared. How dare he! How dare Jan, after all Wylan had done, after Jan had finally had the decency to die—how dare he look with such judgment? Wylan raised his middle finger to the portrait and held it there while he ate his cookie, eyes closed. “Wylan Lodewijk Fahey!” Wylan scrambled to sit up, dropping his salute to his father, eyes snapping open. Apparently while he had bid his father a fond farewell (said fondness applying exclusively to the farewell, not to the father), Jesper had returned from work, their little sister in tow. Both stood in the doorway, Jesper’s hand over her eyes. “My middle name is not Lodewijk, as you well know.” “Sure, sure. Go on.” The last was to Neely, who climbed onto the settee beside her brother. “We played a game at school,” she announced. She did not like most games. “I’m sorry, sweetpea. Can I hug you?” She nodded. “Plus it was okay, because I said I didn’t want to play because I was too upset, and then I pretended to cry about my papa who died. I was very convincing, the miss let me go inside and sit quietly, so I did the maths work like you showed me. I was very convincing, Wylan.” “I believe you.” He hugged her. “And I know this hasn’t been easy.” She hated lying even more than he did. Besides, she had never even met Jan Van Eck—Wylan had seen to that! Alys thought of taking her once, when Neely was an infant. For Jan’s birthday, Alys had said. Wouldn’t that be nice for Jan’s birthday? Wylan hadn’t the heart to tell Alys it was a horrible idea, she was so sweet, so excited. Instead, after two days of fretting, he had paid Kaz to create a “firepox outbreak”. Then gone back later to, as Jesper put it, kick up a mighty little fuss because he assumed the outbreak would be faked. Wylan still didn’t know or want to know what nefarious deeds Kaz executed with that little plague as his cover. Turning to Jesper, Wylan asked, “And how was your d—what in Ghezen’s name are you wearing?” Jesper’s shirt was… was… white! He huffed indignantly. “It’s almost the same as yours, Mister Complainy-Trousers.” “Exactly!” “Yeah, one of the kids vomited on me.” “You still love it, though, don’t you?” “I do. Almost as much as I love you.” -------- After a few days of receiving visitors, Wylan and Jesper left Ketterdam, bringing with them a couple of packages that looked suspiciously like a painting and a preserved body. Wylan had spoken privately with Mister Radmakker and explained that he would very much like for his father to be interred at the lake house, as he believed it was what Jan would have wanted. Luckily Radmakker hadn’t known Jan well. He found the younger man’s devotion to his deceased father truly touching. Jan, he had said, was lucky to have had a son like Wylan. They had brought more than a body and a painting to the lake house, of course. “I never thought it would happen,” Jesper said. “I was starting to think all that evil had pickled him.” Wylan laughed. They sat in front of a fire they only borderline needed, but it was nice. It was soothing and beautiful, and made the room smell delightfully of woodsmoke. “But now he’s gone,” Jesper added. He just liked saying that. “Hear, hear.” Wylan raised his glass and took a sip of wine. “Never thought I’d learn to like wine.” “You’re just a stubborn bastard who likes learning things,” Jesper said, mock derisive. Wylan laughed and leaned against Jesper. “Thank you for loving me anyway.” “Thank you for being easy to love, sunshine.” “You two are ridiculous,” Inej announced, seating herself beside them with a glass of wine. “Inej!” Jesper set down his drink and hugged her. “It’s so good to see you, darling. I missed you.” She reached up to kiss his cheek. “I missed you, too. And you.” She offered her hand to Wylan, who squeezed it in greeting. Perhaps it should have bothered them that someone had come into their home and poured a glass of wine without either of them noticing, and had it been anyone else, they would have been bothered. But this was Inej, the best and most trustworthy friend they had. Both were just happy to see her. She tipped her glass. “Congratulations on the death of your father.” “Amen,” Jesper said. “I’ll drink to that,” Wylan agreed. And he did. The following day, they built the pyre. All three of them collected wood. They built a pile with it and laid Jan Van Eck’s preserved, wrapped body on top of it, then built it up higher, burying him in flammable materials. Only at the very end did Wylan place the portrait on the sticks. He used great care, choosing the optimal placement for it. “You’re so weird,” Jesper said. “I love it.” “I’m glorious.” “You are.”

“I learned from the best.”

“You did.”   The Grisha brigade arrived not long after. They had caught a ride up from the river and looked mildly disheveled—or well-jogged, however one chose to see it! “Zenik!” Jesper shouted. “You made it!” “Wouldn’t miss it, Fahey!” “That’s also my name now,” Wylan reminded her. Legally, it was not. For the business, for the Council, Wylan had kept his name. It was professional. Instead, he had legally changed his middle name. “Whatever, baby merch,” Nina retorted, pulling him into a hug. “I’m so glad you could make it.” Jesper had moved on from hugging Nina to hugging Hanne, who was still getting used to his exuberance. Wylan wasn’t sure why—Jesper was only a bit more exuberant than Nina. Perhaps he was simply more stubborn about it. “I am forgetting all my Kerch,” said the third of the new arrivals. Wylan rolled his eyes. “No, you haven’t, Nhaban.” “Maybe I have.” “How do you put up with him, Aude?” Aude shook their head. “Thank you for inviting us, Wylan.” “Oh, you’re quite welcome.” “But… I think… maybe Nhaban and Nina were playing a joke?” “No, no, this is a party to celebrate my father’s death.” “Oh. I see.”

“He was a very bad man.” Nhaban’s partner was Suli. They were the newest addition to the group, less comfortable with the others than Hanne, probably because Hanne and Nina had been together for almost a decade now, just like Jesper and Wylan. Aude had only been with Nhaban for a little over two years. Still, they had officially become his longest-ever relationship. Looping his arm through Aude’s, Nhaban said, “I’ll be very useful here! I am an Inferni, after all!” It had taken him a long time to be proud of that, even after he reached the Little Palace. He had wanted to be a Fabrikator, like his father, and how could anyone fault him for that? They were all happy for their friend that he had come to appreciate his gifts. As afternoon wore into evening, the gathering became a proper party. Drinks were passed around. Snacks were consumed. Nina goaded Jesper into starting a round of filthy songs, then got herself drunk enough to join in. Even Inej wasn’t kind enough to pretend to like Nina’s singing. They started the fire with the branches. Although he wanted to see the portrait go up, Wylan wanted it to feel natural. He couldn’t explain why, but found it very satisfying when it happened. Kaz had arrived sometime, as subtle as Inej—helped by a rowdy group of revelers—but with less desire to announce himself. He was just there to watch a corpse burn. Wylan’s memories were vague by the next morning, flashes of incident. There had definitely been kissing. Fjerda was slow to change. So was Kerch, but they were fairly isolated and any criticism was likelier to land on Wylan, who genuinely did not care. So Hanne and Nina had enjoyed one another to the point Wylan was actually surprised they bothered to take it someplace a little more private. Nhaban had indeed enjoyed playing with the fire that consumed Jan Van Eck. He was fairly certain Aude had gotten extremely drunk. Jan had burned. Jan had burned and burned and burned, the pyre blazing well into the night. And he… “Ghezen,” Wylan whimpered. He had been drinking. “Mercy.” He head Jesper chuckling beside him. Their bedroom at the lake house wasn’t as lavish as the one in Ketterdam, but it had plenty of space and a soft bed. A smaller bed… secretly Wylan preferred that. He knew the trappings of wealth still appealed to Jesper, but a part of Wylan couldn’t help imagining sometimes having to share space with Jesper, but a smaller space, like the narrow cots that passed for beds in the Barrel. They would have been practically on top of one another! But this morning he wasn’t worried about that. He was too busy trying to understand why the sunlight sliced into his brain like a scalpel. “Did I… Ghezen. The whiskey.” “Indeed you did, merchling,” Jesper confirmed, making no effort to hide how this amused him. Villain. “Indeed you did.” Light through the window blurred, or his eyes did, and he remembered the pyre… he remembered… “Oh, no. Did I… shout at him?” Still amused, Jesper confirmed, “You did.” Wylan nodded. Okay. That was embarrassing, but not the worst thing. Nodding, though—nodding was a bad idea. He made a note to do no more of that silly thing. It made his brain rattle. “Oh—oh, Jes—did I—I kept my trousers on, didn’t I?” Wylan asked, turning quickly to face Jesper and just as quickly regretting it as the world spun around him. He had never felt this way before and he hated it. Wylan moaned and pressed his face into his hands. “You kept your trousers on,” Jesper confirmed. Thank you, Wylan thought to the Saints, to Ghezen, to whoever kept him from humiliating himself last night. At least until Jesper continued, “You got your lad out, though.” “No!” Wylan whimpered. Jesper laughed. “Wy, it was hilarious! Oh, come on, no one looked. Kaz, Inej, and Hanne don’t want to see that, Nina probably would have looked but Hanne had her busy, and Aude was giggling at the stars. And I didn’t need to look.” That didn’t exactly make Wylan feel better about exposing himself in front of all their friends. What had he been thinking…. But he knew. He knew what he had been thinking. This is why they came out to the countryside. They were scarcely going to desecrate a corpse in the middle of Ketterdam. He needed to know, though. “Did I piss on him?” “You pissed on him,” Jesper confirmed. Then he broke. He cracked up, laughing so hard he actually fell back onto the pillows. Wylan still had his face in his hands, his blush all but blistering his palms, but he felt the jolt of Jesper hitting the bed. “It was beautiful. Bottle in one hand raised in a toast, other hand at your crotch, pissing on the smoldering ashes of your father. Trust me. It was amazing. The send-off Jan Van Eck deserved. Now, come on! Get dressed and we’ll ask Hanne to take care of your head.” “Yes,” Wylan agreed. Yes, having the Healer banish this seemed very appealing indeed! “If she’ll forgive you for whipping it out.” Wylan yelped in outrage and hurled at pillow at Jesper, who laughed himself silly at how badly Wylan missed. If it hadn’t sounded painful for his bruised brain, Wylan would’ve laughed, too.

[ibrahimkhalilof]

What's the easiest way to make money online?

In this post, I am gonna tell you 10 Easiest way to make money online

1.Start a Blog 

Starting a Blog is the best way to earn money online.Many bloggers earn millions of dollars through their own blogs like Shoutmeloud and Wpbeginner.You can earn through your website in many ways like: Affiliate marketing, Sell your own product, Sell Online Courses. By this ways you can earn millions of dollars through a website.Firstly, you have to Start a Blog. I have already written an article on it if you want to start a blog you can read it How to Start a Blog in 2020.

2. Affiliate Marketing 

Even if you don't have your own products or services to sell, affiliate marketing gives you a chance to earn strong commissions through a series of one-time sales (or ongoing monthly sales). Online merchants provide you with an affiliate website (or a simple affiliate tracking link) and marketing support – all you have to do is promote the company with your link via social media, search engines or perhaps ideally your own website or blog (see above).With all of these methods we're discussing you'll want to be sure to build your email list so you can continually follow up with your subscribers and generate additional sales.The great thing about affiliate marketing is you don't have to create your own products, you don't have to provide any customer support, and you don't have to create your own marketing materials.All you have to do is pick a profitable market, promote the products as an affiliate and earn a commission anytime a sale is made. Affiliate Marketing is one of the fastest and easiest ways to make money online.Even if you are offering your own products and services man people choose to also promote other people's products as an additional income stream to what they are already doing.

3. Start Your Own Ecommerce Website

Another great opportunity to make money online is with an e-commerce website/store.This is where you are selling physical products from your website. The most common (and hassle-free) way to do this is via drop shipping; where you simply take the orders on your website and use a third-party source that manufactures and ships the products for you.They key thing you'll want to do is focus on one specific niche and be a specialty store that just caters to that market, don't try to be all things to all people like an Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs and more.Speaking of Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs and more, though you may want to tap into other websites such as, Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs and more. As a way of reaching additional people you want to be sure that you have your own web presence with your own store so that you have 100% control over your business.

4. Online Publishing (E-books)

Regardless of your current occupation and lifestyle, there is probably a book inside of you that's screaming to get out. Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) platform has given thousands of people a chance to become published authors and earn money. It may also serve as a way to get noticed by more established and traditional publishers.Not only can you sell ebooks on platforms like Online Shopping for Electronics, Apparel, Computers, Books, DVDs and more; but you can also sell ebooks directly from your own website as well. This allows you to sell your ebooks at higher prices and get all of the profits.You can also repackage multiple ebooks into larger "packages" or use the ebooks as a foundation to sell higher-ticket online courses or even coaching and consulting services.Publishing ebooks is a great way to make passive income, grow into bigger projects, and establish your authority as an expert in your market.With simple to use tools, access to outsourcing graphics, cover design, etc. anybody can self-publish a book and have the same professional presence and credibility as a big publishing house.For many people, the idea of writing a book can be intimidating but keep in mind that if you are writing ebooks that you're selling on your own website or publishing to Amazon Kindle you can write shorter books that are more focused on a specific niche or issue... you don't have a write extremely long books that take months or years to crank out.

5. Online Surveys

Online surveys are one of the easiest ways to earn extra cash. Brand name corporations and market research firms are desperately seeking people's opinions on products and services and will offer good remuneration for it. Depending on their complexity, each survey can be worth five, ten or more dollars.There are many reputable survey companies to choose from, but you may want to limit yourself to 3-5 in the beginning. Stick with the survey companies that give you plenty of surveys to take and pay a decent amount and stop using the services that don't end up being worth your time.You also want to avoid illegitimate companies; as this field is widespread with scam opportunities that will take a lot of your time and pay you very little money or even scam you out of your money.Though you're probably not going to be able to make a full-time income taking surveys it is a realistic way to make a couple hundred extra dollars a month.

6. Online Freelancing

If you have specific writing/journalism skills or are adept in various IT/software domains, freelancing may prove to be a lucrative source of secondary income. Increasingly, companies are implementing a content marketing strategy and turning to outside sources for specific assignments, and if you can prove your worth there will be more work available. Even simple skills like data entry may be to your liking, provide you can offer at least 5-10 hours weekly.All you need is a computer with an Internet connection and the desire to build a respectable clientele. Chances are that these opportunities will allow you to gain valuable experience and skills that will prove valuable in your existing business and professional career.If you're already writing ebooks in a particular niche market (see above) then why not make your services available for other companies; as you already have the expertise to take on the niche writing assignments.Though it's not really a passive income stream, doing freelance work is one of the fastest ways to generate income.

7. Coaching and Consulting Online

With the low cost of communication and technology, you can connect with anyone around the world.If you're already making money selling information online via Kindle books, affiliate marketing, or your own information products as mentioned above then you definitely have the opportunity to add coaching and consulting online as a source of revenue.This isn't nearly as scary is it sounds if you've never done it before. Most people who are buying from you would love the opportunity to speak with you to answer specific questions and get personalized advice.With tools like Skype, video conferencing, and webinar technology you can offer one-on-one calls, group coaching calls, and small mastermind meetings.A simple Kindle book or ebook sale can lead to a high-end client who wants to pay to work with you one-on-one.Offering coaching and consulting is one of the highest price methods of generating income.

8. Start Your Online Business Today!

Think about it, making money online is surprisingly easy once you set your mind to specific income goals. Ideally, the activities that you choose to engage in are fun, exploit your talents and interests, are worthy of your time, and offer fair compensation.As the Internet continues to evolve, opportunities to earn supplementary and full-time online income will grow. The very definition of work in an information-based economy is evolving, with traditional full-time jobs disappearing in favor of different arrangements (e.g. self-employment, flexible schedules, changing skill sets, etc.). In this respect, giving it a try can open up new career and business options.

9. Create Online Courses to Productize Your Knowledge

If you’re already an expert in a topic—either through your current job, freelance business, or coaching—you can package that knowledge into a high-value course and sell it for years to come.And while building, launching, and marketing an online course does take a considerable amount of upfront effort, their earning potential is through the roof (especially compared to a lot of the other online ways to make money we’re talking about).Courses and other knowledge products like e-books, are what’s called passive income. That simply means that once the upfront time and effort is put in, with just a bit of regular upkeep and marketing you’ll be able to continue to sell and make money from them for months and years.So, how do you go about putting together your course? One of my favorite online course success stories comes from Bryan Harris of Videofruit, who built and launched an online course in just 10 days that made him $220,750!At the end of the day, you’ll need to attract some sort of audience to sell your online course to—and if you can do that well, you’ll be on the path to building a very long-term sustainable online business for yourself.

10. Launch a YouTube Channel to Entertain and Educate

While YouTube recently changed its monetization program, if you’re able to hit their new minimum bar of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of view time in the past 12 months, it’s still an incredible place to make extra money online.YouTube is arguably the world’s second largest search engine (after Google) and is the third most-visited site in the world. In 2017, almost 5 billion videos were watched on YouTube every single day!Rather than making money through subscriptions, YouTube channels are based on a traditional advertising system. Meaning the more viewers you get, the more you make. Once you’re approved for the Youtube Partner Program and can start including ads on your videos, with every 1,000 views, you will make approximately $2-$4. Which might not seem like a lot, but if you have 100 videos with 5,000 views a month each, that would be $1,000–$2,000 already. Just imagine if your videos start hitting millions of views!You can optimize your videos to rank higher by experimenting with attention-grabbing descriptions and previews as well as using relevant tags. You need to stand out and make people want to click on your video.As you start regularly putting out content, you’ll hopefully start to build a bit of an audience. But to start seeing real money from YouTube you need to market your videos elsewhere. Share your channel on Twitter and Facebook. Distribute videos anywhere else you can think of. Also, interact with comments and build a community around the videos you’re making so people will share it with their friends.Once you hit the 1,000 subscriber/4,000 hour threshold, you can start monetizing your videos by selecting “Monetize with ads” under the Monetization tab of your channel. While it can take a while to build up a decent following for your YouTube channel, it can be a lot of fun to do as well as become a steady source of extra income.

[wearesorcerer]

Crossblooded: Abyssal/Shadow

This one is by request of @i-am-the-incendiary-anarchist. If anyone else has a combo they would like me to analyze, just send me an ask.

The short version of this one (flavor aside): Abyssal is primarily focused on Strength-based melee attacks, while Shadow is entirely about Stealth. Focusing on both as-is would be a detriment unless you’re planning to be an Eldritch Knight (or some other gish build). However, if you pick one over the other (in IA’s case, Shadow) and use the other more as a supplement, then you’ll end up with a couple of interesting benefits.

General

There’s basically no overlap between these two bloodlines, which makes this a tricky wicket. It’s not precisely a candidate for the Eldritch Heritage feat chain, however, as you can use one bloodline to shore up issues with the other.

The closest to an overlap is in summoning. The Shadow bloodline provides shadow conjuration as a 9th-level bonus spell and its 20th level ability adds the benefits of Augmented Summoning to that spell. Abyssal’s arcana applies to spells of the summoning subschool, which shadow conjuration is not, but its 15th-level ability (summon an additional creature of the same kind whenever you summon a creature with the Demon subtype or the fiendish template) would because “summon” isn’t quite the same thing as “summoning subschool.” Yes, you’re going to be at an extremely high level before you see any benefit of this overlap.

If there were a feat (probably metamagic) that would allow you to treat Illusion (Shadow) effects as Conjuration (Summoning) ones, you’d gain the benefits of the Abyssal bloodline’s arcana as soon as you learned shadow conjuration, which would be amazing. I am not aware of such a feat, but I have barely started to peruse third-party material and am finding all sorts of tasty trinkets, so it’s possible that there’s something that would do this out there.

Bloodline Features

Bonus Class Skills: Stealth and Knowledge (Planes), natch. Stealth is useful in most campaigns anyway, so it’s good, and Knowledge (Planes) will become mildly relevant when using summoning and shadow conjuration.

Bonus Feats:

Abyssal - Augment Summoning, Cleave, Empower Spell, Great Fortitude, Improved Bull Rush, Improved Sunder, Power Attack, Skill Focus (Knowledge [Planes])

Shadow - Acrobatic, Blind-Fight, Dodge, Quick Draw, Silent Spell, Skill Focus (Stealth), Stealthy, Weapon Finesse.

As I said, Abyssal is heavily Strength-focused and Shadow is heavily Dex-focused. IA’s build is mostly Shadow, from what she has said, so feat-wise you’re probably not going to want much from Abyssal besides Augment Summoning (which won’t apply to Shadow spells) and Skill Focus (Knowledge [Planes]).

Bonus Spells: 3rd - cause fear/ray of enfeeblement, 5th - bull’s strength/darkvision, 7th - rage/deeper darkness, 9th - stoneskin/shadow conjuration, 11th - dismissal/shadow evocation, 13th - transformation/shadow walk, 15th - greater teleport/power word blind, 17th - unholy aura/greater shadow evocation, 19th - summon monster ix/shades

The only spell on these lists that isn’t a Sorcerer spell is unholy aura, which in this case I wouldn’t take because you’ll want greater shadow evocation. It’s a little odd that greater shadow conjuration isn’t a bonus spell, but that leaves you open for greater teleport, which is always useful (not that power word blind isn’t). Since this is more Shadow supplemented with Abyssal than the other way around, the only bonus spells I’d take from Abyssal are cause fear (because ray of enfeeblement doesn’t stack with itself) and maybe bull’s strength (because chances are you’ll already have darkvision as a racial trait and will be wanting See in Darkness anyway). Dismissal is fun, but you’ll want shadow evocation first anyway.

Arcana: creatures you summon via a spell of the summoning subschool gain DR (1/2 sorcerer level, minimum 1)/good, but it doesn’t stack with any DR they might already have; gain a circumstance bonus on Stealth = [darkness] spell’s level for 1d4 rounds.

The Abyssal bloodline’s arcana is one of the few things that points that bloodline towards summoning: it combos with the class skill (eh), Augmented Summoning bonus feat (which you need Spell Focus [Conjuration] for anyway), and 15th-level ability. The rest of the bloodline is about Strength.

While the Shadow bloodline’s bonus spells are primarily from the Shadow subschool and do not have the [Darkness] descriptor, that’s not a difficult issue to work around. The arcana synergizes with the bloodline’s 9th-level ability, could with the 1st-level ability (if it weren’t crap), and would with the 3rd-level ability if you could find a way of turning darkvision into See in Darkness.

Bloodline Powers:

1st: Two claws for 3 + Cha mod rounds (1d4 slashing; 5th - magic weapons; 7th - 1d6; 11th - +1d6 fire) or shadowstrike (melee touch attack that deals 1d4 + 1/2 Sor level nonlethal; targets without low-light vision or darkvision are dazzled for 1 minute). Take the claws: unless you find a way to upgrade dazzled to blinded, shadowstrike is worthless. You can deal nonlethal damage with weapon attacks (not sure about spells or energy attacks), so this is a restriction, and dazzled is the least effective condition in the game.

3rd: Electricity resistance 5 and +2 on saves vs. poison (+5 and +2 at 9th level) or Darkvision +30 ft. (+60 at 9th). Unless you’ve managed to gain the See in Darkness ability without a range limitation, the Darkvision is much less situational. Further, if you opt for the Abyssal’s 20th-level ability, the 3rd-level one becomes a dud.

9th: +2 inherent bonus to Str (+4 at 13th, +6 at 17th) or Shadow Well (hide in plain sight as long as you’re within 10 feet of a shadow besides your own, 1/day [+1 use at 17th and 20th] use a standard action to transpose yourself and a willing ally within 60 ft. [or at 13th swap two allies each within 60 ft. of you] as dimension door if all targets are in dim or lower light). Both of these are useful. An inherent bonus is the sort of bonus you get from wishes or tomes, but they usually cap at +5. Hide in Plain Sight is a lot of fun, but is fairly easy to get through prestiging, and the rest works like benign transposition (a 1st-level spell), but with slightly better range (but the lighting restriction).

15th: As mentioned, the Abyssal one adds a single duplicate summoned creature whenever you summon a demon or a creature with the fiendish subtype and works with the Shadow bloodline’s 20th-level ability. The Shadow bloodline’s 15th-level power is enveloping darkness (1/day deeper darkness that also entangles; you are immune to it, freedom of movement works as normal), which is crap for this level. (At a lower level it would be awesome.)

20th: Immunity to electricity and poison; Acid, Cold, and Fire resistance 10; and telepathy 60 ft. or +20% more real shadow conjurations and evocations and any creatures so created gain the benefits of the Augmented Summoning feat. Immunity is no laughing matter and this capstone gives you immunity or resistance to most of the major damage types and then gives you telepathy, but all of these are more easily gained through items. The Shadow bloodline’s power is better, especially since you don’t need to take either Augmented Summoning or Spell Focus (Conjuration) to benefit from it.

I’d go Abyssal (claws)/Shadow (Darkvision)/Shadow (shadow well)/Abyssal (added summonings)/Shadow (shadow master).

Since shadow evocation is on the table, I’d also recommend the Bloodline Mutation “Blood Havoc,” which adds one point of damage per die rolled for damaging spells from your bloodline or from schools in which you have Spell Focus. If you can convince your DM to let Crossblooded and Wildblooded stack, get the arcana from the Brutal (Abyssal) wildbloodline (one target takes +2 damage from spells that deal hit point damage).

Miscellany

From what I’ve gathered from this and IA’s description, the character should be a Tiefling, but could easily work as a Fetchling, Wayang, or similar. I’d go with Tiefling because it has the most support and you can take Improved Fiendish Sorcery to gain an additional +2 bump on class abilities (the wording allows it to stack with Fiendish Sorcery, so you’re talking Cha +4 for any class ability; that might include spell save DCs).

If you’re not taking the See in Darkness alternate racial instead of darkness 1/day, you can get it via the Fiend Sight feat (if you take that twice). Personally, I’d take the alternate racial, since I’m not sure your bloodline arcana will apply to your spell-like ability under PF rules (it would under 3.5 rules, but I think PF went out of its way to quash Warlock-enabling builds), though there are racial feats that make use of that SLA. Either way, See in Darkness negates the 3rd-level ability from the Shadow bloodline and would be more useful (it’d work with the bloodline arcana, for instance). If the Abyssal bloodline’s resistances don’t appeal (for a Tiefling, you get the bonus against Poison and your Electricity resistance would improve at 9th level), the Blood Intensity mutation works well with Blood Havoc.

The Shadow bloodline practically demands something like Arcane Trickster (Shadowdancer, Unseen Seer, etc.), but that would cost you your late level bloodline powers. If you do decide to go that route, I’d find ways of getting needed class features (e.g., Sneak Attack) without multiclassing and then finding feats to boost your effective Sorcerer level for determining what bloodline powers you have (like Magical Enigma). The UndeFEATable series has several feats for Arcane Tricksters; you’d absolutely want Devious Bloodline (bonus spells) and Greater Devious Bloodline (power of bloodline powers), but you’d need more than just that. (It almost begs to have another feat in the series -- Supreme Devious Bloodline: add your Arcane Trickster level to your Sorcerer level for determining what Bloodline powers you have.)

There are undoubtedly other options out there for such a character. Check around; you might find something interesting.

[thesportssoundoff]

Antoine Griezmann Joins Barcelona, Does Not Put Out Another Documentary

-K.A.-

After about what could be only described as a year of keeping the world’s worst secret, releasing a documentary saying he was leaving Atletico Madrid, and then being caught in limbo because FC  Barcelona wanted to play fuck fuck games and not pay the full amount of his release clause in one lump sum of 120 Million Euros, Antoine Griezmann has finally moved from Madrid to the confines of Barcelona where he will expected to join a creative, fluid and attacking strike partnership that could rival anybody in the world.

Barça and Grizi almost linked up in the summer of 2018, but as depicted in his ill-conceived, will-he-stay-or-will-he-go TV special, “ La Decision”, a blatant rip-off of a LeBron James-esque documentary that worked out so well for James that the French International had to mimic it; the Frenchman decided to stick it out in Madrid for at least another season. This time, there was no way Barça were going to let the 28-year-old get away.

Along with ensuring Griezmann’s place at Atlético for last season, the aforementioned TV special appeared to have almost cost Grizemann his dream move this summer. Many people in and around FC Barcelona, reportedly including several big-name players, were annoyed that Griezmann had snubbed Barça in such public fashion the season prior. Because let’s face it, telling the girl that you want to marry that you still have feelings for your ex wife tends to put a damper on things. Those lingering annoyances were behind the reports that Barça’s dressing room was against the club pushing to sign Griezmann again this year, especially when it became clear that the players’ old friend and former teammate Neymar might be available, even if Neymar might be a rapist who can’t stay on a field, and who he himself snubbed Barca three years ago.

Nevertheless, cooler heads prevailed (that or the reported maybe it was the secret pre-contractual agreement between the parties that stated if either Barça or Griezmann broke their promise to join forces this summer, then the offending party would have to pay the other a penalty fee), and today Barcelona announced that they’d gotten their man. Still, there’s questions to be asked.

It’s difficult to analyze the situation on the pitch without knowing where Barcelona plan on going from here. On one hand, Griezmann is a fantastic player, in the conversation as a legitimate third-best-player-in-the-world, and immediately upgrades a Barcelona squad that has been desperate for an elite, prime-aged forward since Neymar left in a blaze of Paris-tinted glory a couple of years ago. Griezmann is clynical in front of goal, is precise with his passes, lives for link-up and give-and-go combination play. Because of that? He would appear to be a perfect fit chemistry-wise with a club that demands all of those attributes from its attackers. Not since Neymar left Barcelona for Qatari blood-money and the death of the best version of Luis Suárez has Messi had a teammate who could compliment him with scoring, creating and controlling the pace of play the way Griezmann will be able to from day one. 

On the other hand, Griezmann has no natural place in the Barça starting lineup, and he doesn’t solve any of the more structural issues that have seen Barcelona’s recent decline or issues. Griezmann rose to prominence as a winger at Real Sociedad, providing a constant goal-threat when playing in tandem with Carlitos Vela, but he became the giant he is today when he  finally placed in his best position in the hole right behind the main striker as either a second striker of a False 9 while playing for Atletico Madrid.

In truth?  Griezmann could return to his spot out wide at Barcelona and replace Philippe Coutinho or Ousmane Dembélé out on the left wing in the 4-3-3 Barça used most of last season, but putting him way out there would waste his best abilities as a player. As we saw in the World Cup, Griezmann is at his best when he has the ability to create, open up space and either create the opportunity for teammates or make that opportunity for himself. The problem at Barca however, is that a strike partnership of Lionel Messi, Antoine Griezmann and the re-animated corpse of Luis Suarez lacks the ability to open up and create space because you have two guys who do pretty much the same thing in Messi and Griezmann with a striker who is absolutely past it when it comes to being an elite-level striker.

That said? Barcelona could use Griezmann’s addition as a way of phasing Suárez out of the starting XI. One of either Griezmann or Messi could play centrally, slotting in the hole and creating for his teammates while the other one takes up one wing, and Dembélé camps out on the other wing as the world’s luckiest afterthought. On paper, this is a great idea because you can switch both Messi and Griezmann throughout the course of play and create a fluid attacking line, but you still lack the elite-level striker that both of these guys thrive on. Griezmann was at his best when he had a poacher like Diego Costa in front of him to bang in his creativity. Messi was at his best when Luis Suarez was 15 pounds lighter and still gave a shit.

Still, all of this is being written and said before I even consider the elephant in the room, which is the strong possibility that Griezmann will be joined in Barcelona’s ugly, knockoff-Croatia-looking checkered kits by the prodigal son himself, Neymar. 

Neymar is dissatisfied with life in Paris and after continuously crashing out of the Champions League, getting continuously hurt and seeing his star drop to the point where he is slowly fading from the conversation as one of the top-five players alive, a return to Barcelona would be a godsend for the Brazilian. 

Neymar coming “home” would probably necessitate Barça adopting the Suárez-less system mentioned above, swapping Dembélé out for Neymar as Messi and Griezmann rotate in a fluid, ever-changing forward line. As a collection of talent that trio would be historically amazing; as a well-fitting collection of complimentary figures, it could potentially be awkward, with three guys all extremely good at doing essentially the same exact thing.

Barcelona signing Griezmann is exciting and promising and all that, but without knowing where Barça go from here, it’s still unclear of how wise it is and how successful it could prove. If Barça succeed in bringing Neymar back, then you’d probably bet on the outrageous gifts of that trio to overcome any potential fit-related weirdness - even if they’re doing so in the most hideous uniforms currently known to man.

If Barça fail to get Neymar, you’d have to imagine they’d go after a new striker who’d hopefully be more of the kind of all-around center forward an attack built around Messi and Griezmann would seem to cry out for, in which case the addition of the French World Cup winner could be close to ideal. 

And even if they don’t sign another forward at all this summer, and go into the season with Griezmann slotted in where Coutinho and Dembélé had been playing, you’d still have to make them legitimate contenders, if not favorites, to win the Champions League.

He’s too damn talented to not make a difference, and even after a year of fuck-fuck games, Barcelona got their man and are unarguably better for it.

[spnfanficpond]

January Angel Fish Awards

Every month all of you fantastic writers work your asses off to post some truly incredible stories. Our Angel Fish Awards are the way for all of us, as a community of writers and readers, to lift each other up and give praise to those who have captured our attention and deserve a few kind words.

The monthly Angel Fish Awards are peer-nominated, meaning ANYONE IN THE POND CAN NOMINATE ANY POND MEMBER’S FIC. While the Pond was founded to support the Guppies, everyone in this community deserves to be showered with love and feedback, and we hope that by opening this up as a Pond wide system, we’ll be able to share the love as far as it can go.

NOTE: WE’VE BEEN HAVING OCCASIONAL PROBLEMS WITH ASKS GOING MISSING. Please use the Submit button when submitting your nominations. If you like, you can also send a message to Michelle or Mana to check and make sure we got your submission.

And we’d like to make a special shout out and say thank you to Ana and Kenzi for your total of 15 Angel Fish Nominations this month! The two of you together nominated 14 authors and the kind of passion for reading and reciprocating your feedback is exactly what we love to see. Thank you both for sharing so much love this month! 

WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, HERE ARE JANUARY’S ANGEL FISH AWARDS!

Nominated by @sorenmarie87

The Pact (series) by @coffee-obsessed-writer

Jen’s fics are always so well written and detailed to a point where it feels like it could actually happen.  Not to mention her characterization is on point.  This fic in particular is different from what I’ve read before and everyone should give it a chance. 

Nominated by @littlegreenplasticsoldier

How You & I Will Be (series) by @katehuntington

I’m nominating this fic, which (fair disclosure) I beta’d becuase it does a really really really really great job of fulfilling the brief it set out to achieve: making you cry.

It’s a story of unrequited love between Dean and the reader and it’s doomed, from the outset.  Kate unpacks nearly every angle and moment and hold them up for you as they burn away, right in from of your eyes.  Ruby-level patience.  Nice at brutal.

So if you like your angst and tears, have at it friends.  Cheers, Ali.

(TW for major character death.)

Nominated by @rosieakacanadianspnhunter

Thunder Rolls by @amanda-teaches 

I'm not afraid of thunder, but I definitely felt the fear. I'd totally pretend to be if it meant Dean would distract me this way! I loved the addition of Dean telling the reader what his own biggest fear is! Hot!

Nominated by @percywinchester27

The First Bite  (oneshot) by @shy-violet-soul

Firstly, can I just say that I am absolutely in love with their work? The writer is so sure of what they want to say and know exactly how to say it. And that is a rare thing, when no word is unnecessary. I absolutely fell in love with the characterization of young Dean and Sam. And the OCs are enchanting. Don’t remember the last time I fell in love with an OC so quickly! And the husband-wife duo in the fic are simply adorable. The context and background of the story paint a lovely picture. And Dean… damn that boy breaks your heart. All in all would recommend it 100% Go check the author out!

  The Babysitter (series) @mrswhozeewhatsis

I never thought I would ever commit to a 65 chapter series, but damn! this one felt like a couple of pages, and even after it ended, I was running around my room, screaming like a zombie with “MOREEEEEEEEEEEE.” This could have very well been a parallel world in itself. Like another reality that Jack could create a rift to, where the Winchesters are happy. They have this sister/mother/friend figure in their lives who is absolutely awe-inspiring. She is tender, good and badass but oh so realistic with her feelings. I go back and read the timestamps a lot and my fav chapter where they are in the hotel room at the very end and prank the hell out of everyone else. I was in splits the first time and still am. This doesn’t white wash John, but brings out the best in him. JUST. GO. READ IT. You are fucking welcome!

Living With Regrets (series) by @thing-you-do-with-that-thing

The pain!! OH GOD THE PAIN!! The author can personally attest to how I hounded her over this series in her IMs. The timing of each chapter is so perfect that it just leave you with the right amount of angst and desperation for the next chapter. I wanted to push both the characters together and close the door behind them so they could just fucking TALK!! I am emotional about this okay? Also while I wanted to hug and cuddle the little OC, I wanted to strangle and murder the other one!! This series brought out quite a lot of passion in me, one that I didn’t know I had the capacity of feeling over a fictional work, still does. It is an adorable little world that you all should definitely be a part of! Go…go….go!!

Silk and Rough Velvet (series) by @blacktithe7

SARV was the first long series I attempted to read. Also the first AU. It altered my life. Rockstar!Jensen suddenly became a real thing. Y'all have no clue how much this series had awed me. Even now when I mention the series to a third party, my first reaction is - “You haven’t read it? What are you doing with your life?” It has the perfect amount of love, angst and fluff. Gosh! It is the freaking best! Most days there are no words. Today is one of them!

Series Rewrite (series) @torn-and-frayed

A true masterpiece! I don’t know how do you even begin to attempt something like this. The reader is inserted in the rewrite SO FLAWLESSLY!!! SO EFFORTLESSLY that it is crazy! Like what even??? I mean she has a personality of her own. And as strong a presence as Sam or Dean. More importantly, she does not undermine the relationship of the brothers. Does not take away from their moments, all the while creating her own bonds. I love that she is in love with Dean. But damn, I love what she has with Sam, too. The author manages to perfectly capture the essence of the rewrite in the best way possible. Excellent job!

Fresh Start (series) by @like-a-bag-of-potatoes

This one is unique in it’s uncomplicatedness (that isn’t a word, but deal with it) Like whoa, the reader is so fucking relatable! I am sure all authors can relate when they make a reader super-strong, super-understanding, super-witty. This one is just super-relatable. And that is the hardest fucking thing to do! The OC is charming AF, and the underlying pain of a dead lover is significant. It is not in your face, it is not too underplayed, but it’s subtle and THERE. Kudos at having achieved the perfect balance of everything. It is rare and awesome! Read this ONE!

Close Every Door (series) by @jotink78

I have never known the sort of pain and angst that this series inflicted on me, I kid you not. I wanted to steamroll everyone,and everybody. If you caught me reading a chapter, there was a good chance that I was either feeling extremely murderous and was sobbing incessantly in the corner. I’ve said it before, despite being one of the kindest people, the author sure knows how to be cruel when it comes to writing. This series is sure to rip your freaking heart part, stomp all over it and out it back. BUT SO WORTH IT!!

More Than You Bargained For (series) by @luci-in-trenchcoats

Best bodyguard!AU I have ever read. It was fun and exciting without getting too palpitating, which is good because the chase and suspense were fantastically written. And the twist at the end, you’d never fucking see that coming. I bet!! I love how they slowly fall for each other even through all their differences. This one I couldn’t put down, it was so good. If you are looking for something to curl up with on a cozy and comfortable Saturday, this is your THING!! Don’t forget to curl in with a blanket and hot mug of coffee before you get started!  

Five years of Christmas (oneshot) by @deanssweetheart23

This is a life worth’s contentment packed in a single fic, neatly wrapped and gifted to you. The words have the softness of petals and the harshness of shards of ice that pierce you and then you die! But then come back later. The author doesn’t only make fiction out the words…. she makes poetry. It flows, straight into your heart. Now, you might think I am being cheesy, but read the fic and then come back. We’ll see who is cheesy then! But seriously, y'all need to get behind this. It is the freaking best. I am in love <3

Nominated by @ellen-reincarnated1967

Red String of Fate (oneshot) by @evansrogerskitten

Sweet, serendipitous, a bit heartbreaking, and an 'Ah ha! Yes!!!' ending!!! Honestly, I'd recommend everything on her masterlist, but I've been saving this one for a rainy day read and was not disappointed!

Nominated by @mrswhozeewhatsis

What Could Have Been (series) by @flamencodiva

Holy moly, this series is killing me. SO MUCH ANGST, yet there’s sweet stuff mixed in there, too. Every day, I look forward to seeing if there’s a new chapter posted!

The Cursed (series) by @saxxxology

This series was posted before, and Saxxxy edited it and reposted it, and it’s fabulous, now! It’s got an intriguing premise, Sweet and protective Sammy, and super hot Alpha!Sam smut! *shiver* It’s awesome! 

Her Saviours (series) by @bamby0304

This series is giving me a heart attack. There’s John, there’s Sam, there’s Dean, but John’s gone, and Sam’s recovering from Jess’s death, and Dean is sweet but has his wandering eye. It’s ABO, and there’s so much love and heartbreak and hormones that I honestly can’t wait for the next chapter to post!

Wishverse (series) by @crashdevlin

This series is a sequel to another series, A Hard Ten. After what happens in Hard Ten, the reader gets her wish and goes back in time, getting the chance to metaphorically turn left instead of right. It’s got sweetness and smutty smut and angst and everything you could ever want! Seeing how everything plays out is fascinating as hell, and I can’t wait to see where this ends up!

Nominated by @samsexualdeancurious

The Cursed (series) by @saxxxology 

This is a repost of one of the many fabulous fics that were lost when Saxxy’s blog got deleted, so a lot of people have already read it at least once. It hasn’t gotten many notes this time around, though, which is an absolute crime because this fic is just as amazing the second time around as it was the first.

Bitten (series) by @saxxxology 

I am head over heels in love with this fic. It has a perfect blend of angst, fluff, and smut, and I’ve been enjoying every word of it.

Tomorrow (oneshot) by @kittenofdoomage 

This fic is so cute! I love Dean so much, especially in this fic. Rhi writes him so well and every word out of his mouth is just so Dean is hurts. Also, I can guarantee most of us have at least felt the way this reader does, which makes this fic even more perfect.

Forbidden (oneshot) by @becs-bunker 

This fic murdered me. I am dead and writing this from my suite in Hell. Crowley says “hi” and that he agrees this fic is perfectly sinful. It’s not a fic for anyone who doesn’t like Wincest or Full House of Wincest, but it’s definitely a fic for me.

Playing Victim (oneshot) by @crispychrissy 

Ugh, yes. Gimme all the Sub!Dean/Dom!Reader. There’s simply not enough of that in this fandom and Chrissy nails it so well. Also, the gif she used? Should be illegal.

Three Kisses (oneshot by) @impala-dreamer  

I was dying by the end of this fic. A little angsty, a lot sexy, and then fucking hilarious. Rebekah writes Sam and Dean so well, especially Dean’s snarky big brother side, and I love it.

Nominated by @manawhaat

Let Me Carry You (oneshot) by @impala-dreamer

Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!!! Ugh, this fic hurts so fucking good. It’s soft, it’s brutal, it’s so sad it splits you at the seams and makes a home in the hole it punched in your chest. But most importantly, it gives you hope. There’s an honesty that’s written into this story, into Dean and into the reader, and that kind of love and care in crafting this short fic is all anyone could ask for <3

The Truth about Lust (series?) by @scorpiongirl1

Ho, ho, HOLY SHITBALLS! THE DUB CON! This entire thing rides my borderline of fuck no and fuck yes EXCEPTIONALLY WELL! Unf! The story is believable and the way Sam reacts to what’s happening to him is so on point. The remorse and apologies, the snarly growly creature of sex, the restraint and the care he takes for the reader when he literally is dying of lust...jesus fuck. It’s all so Sam. Read it and then go masturbate because, yeah. I did.

Headlights Off (drabble) by @samsexualdeancurious

Yowza, does this girl know how to write that Wincest! Fun, sexy, adventurous, funny. What can I say? It’s everything you want from a wincest fic. 

Free and Easy Down The Road I Go (oneshot) by @samsexualdeancurious

Wincest? Yes. Impala? Yes. Nipple clamps on a slightly subby Sammy? Fuck yes. Snarky, smug Dean giving a world class hand job? Oh yeah, you betcha. 

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE AWESOME WORK AND GREAT FEEDBACK!

As with the BFAs, these are not actual awards! This system is set up so everyone in the pond has a chance to share the love and promote a fic/author that has grabbed your attention. The more people that participate, and the more everyone remembers to submit their own fics after posting, the better this will be! :D

THANK YOU ALL AGAIN, KEEP UP THE AMAZING WORK, AND AS ALWAYS, HAPPY WRITING!

[taimebangchan]

Jikook Fic Masterlist

since i’m incredibly bored here’s a giant masterlist of all the jikook fics i recommend that you read :)

your little moon face, shining bright at me by cygnus (sunsprite). Words: 89824. Chapters: 16/16.  Jimin lives an unassuming life, working at the small and quaint coffeehouse known for its reoccurring open mic nights to showcase indie performers, while he juggles between who he truly wants to be and breaking the conformity his parents try to shape him into. It's dull and grey, full of sleepless nights-- dreamless, even, how he doesn't have much going for himself. His routine is all but a fixed, tedium cycle. That is, until Jimin meets someone interesting during one of their open mic nights.

We Can Be Golden, Why Don’t We Show Them? by hato96. Words: 37097. Chapters: 12/12. "Your eyes..I remember those amber eyes. Those same yellow-orange orbs that gazed at me before. You're the one who saved me."

Unknown Number by bananacookies. Words: 22384. Chapters: 16/16. J_Paaaark1 is following you. Par9J3333 is following you. Say hi! New follower! JImChim26. ChimChim26 has sent a friend request. Accept? Jiminie000 is following your snaps.

two sides; same story by namjoone. Words: 12569. Chapters: 4/4.  Okay, so maybe Jimin thinks his neighbor is hot. A little. Okay, maybe a lot.

Tonight We’re Okay by vvtaehyungvv. Words: 3236. Chapters: 1/1. Jungkook gets set up on a blind date with the most ethereal person he's ever seen, and starts to believe in fate because of him.

the waiting game by bonnia. Words: 6819. Chapters: 2/2.  It’s a waiting game. Jimin knows that Jungkook doesn’t have to come back, but with every little touch, every time Jungkook does, and every time Jungkook lies down right next to him, pressed up close, torturously warm and smelling like cigarette smoke and cologne, Jimin can’t help but feel like he could — would — wait years just for Jungkook to come back to him again. (Or: In which Jimin is a prostitute and Jungkook is his favourite customer.)

The President’s Son by AmeliaBedelia. Words: 55060. Chapters: 13/13. The man in the suit stepped forward. He bowed deeply, holding his position as he spoke. “Jeon Jungkook,” the agent introduced himself. “It’s an honor to serve you.” Jimin narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing the tall man once he stood back up to his full height. “Jeon Jungkook?” “Yes, sir.” Jimin cringed. “Sir?” he echoed in horror. “Don’t call me sir. That’s what everyone calls my dad.” The man nodded. “Yes, sir.” ----- Jimin's surprised when the death threats he's been receiving while attending university warrant additional security. But, he supposes, it only makes sense, considering his father is the president. You know, of the country.

The beginning by CloudLeopard. Words: 26319 Chapters: 1/1.  When Jimin takes a summer job at a cafe owned by Jungkook's mother, he has no idea that it's going to be the start of a series of life-changing events.

texas by honeyrolls. Words: 7937. Chapters: 2/2. Jimin gets a little too horny in Texas.

Tastes Like Victory by eumorious. Words: 170475. Chapters: 13/13.  "You fuck me, then snub me. You love me, you hate me. You show me a sensitive side, then you turn into a total asshole." Jeon Jeongguk's, a successful underground fighter, life collides with the damaged, vulnerable stripper Park Jimin who needs training on how to fight and defend himself against his clients. Jeongguk is the perfect candidate for the job.

Take the pain away by pastelrainbows. Words: 3788. Chapters: 1/1.  Soulmate au where your soulmate can take your pain as their own (under certain conditions). Jungkook has zero interest in soulmates. Jimin is all heart (and soul).

Surreptitious by Bangtanbananas. Words: 69152. Chapters: 11/11. Vampires and lycans have been at war for centuries. For Death Dealer Jimin, his orders had always been the same: hunt the lycans, kill them off. But when a young lycan named Jeongguk crosses paths with him, their worlds collide in a way like never before.

Smile by sweetmxchi. Words: 1274. Chapters: 1/1. I read a headcanon once that said Jimin talks to Jungkook in satoori to cheer him up and thought it was unfair that the other way around wasn't mentioned. or The one where Jimin is upset and Jungkook is having none of it happening while he's around so he goes to make his hyung feel better. or "Are you alright?" "Why are you speaking in satoori? To make me feel better? "Only if it's working."

Rose Quartz and Pink Opal by jiminanna. Words: 21472. Chapters: 1/1. “Everyone is born with either 1 or 2 small powers. If 1, then your soulmate has the other. They will swap the first time you see each other, and you will obtain both when you fall in love. If born with 2, you have no soulmate.”

 Relax, Don’t Do It by yoongidontdoit (sammyinnerdglasses). Words: 24078. Chapters: 4/4.  Jeongguk likes to party. Jeongguk likes to party hard. When he wakes up half naked in a Denny's parking lot, for the third time, he decides to commit to something for once and swear to be completely straight-edge for a full 90 days. That includes no partying, no late nights, and absolutely no sex. Easy until Jimin decides to crash land, literally, into his life.

Registered Alpha by Little_Dimples. Words: 12690. Chapters: 1/1.  Jimin has to order an alpha online. It's required that every unmated omega order an alpha during their heat so nothing dangerous will happen to them. Jimin honestly doesn't want one but he's turning 20 and his heat is scheduled to come in a couple weeks and there's nothing he can do. When his alpha gets there, Jimin doesn't know if he can handle him.

Red Wolf by TheMonarch. Words: 19790. Chapters: 10/10.  Everyone knows about the dangers of the woods. Jimin's father taught him about the monster that lurks there, a wolf. Jungkook, Jimin's childhood friend, is bitten by the wolf making him into the same monster. 9 years later how far will Jimin and Jungkook go to protect each other?

re: I Love You by bonnia. Words: 10658. Chapters: 1/?.  "Um, where exactly did you get that? My… my letter.” The contents of my fucking heart, Jimin thinks in despair. Jungkook looks at him like he’s grown a second head. “The mail box?” “Oh my god,” Jimin says faintly. “Is this really happening?” (or: jimin's world turns upside down when his secret love letters get sent out to all of his past crushes, and jeon jungkook makes an offer he can't refuse)

Pink Lemonades, Tattoos, and I Love You’s by sunrr. Words: 123721. Chapters: 25/25.  Jimin had his summer all planned out, until he was forced to go to his grand mother's house in Busan. He thought his summer was going to be boring and long, until he met Jeon Jungkook.

On Patrol by Ragi. Words: 129876 Chapters: 22/22.  Officer Jeon has his eyes on Mr. Adorable. Officer Min has a strange neighbor he can't seem to keep out of his life. Captain Kim finds comfort in his son's homeroom teacher. Well, cops need some loving too, right?

On Patrol - Season 2 by Ragi. Words: 124616. Chapters: 20/20.  Officer Jeon still has his eyes on Mr. Adorable. Officer Min is a little bit in love with his neighbor. Captain Kim finds comfort in his new family. It's happily ever after for everyone...right? I mean, really, what can possibly go wrong?

Never Judge A Book By Its Cover by whenIseeUsmile. Words: 25266. Chapters: 4/4. Thanks to Jungkook's idiot best friend, he drowned the books he borrowed from the library. Now, he has to work there to work off his debt. He doesn't really like the job but that one boy that always has his nose buried in his books makes his days much better. Or in which Jungkook meets bookworm Jimin and falls harder than he thought he would.

More Than Your Body by whenIseeUsmile. Words: 48670. Chapters: 5/5. Jungkook got an assignment to create a documentary about something he can get involved in and in the beginning, he had no idea what to do. However, when he sees Jimin dance, he knows what he wants. Or in which Jungkook is a film student and may or may not be a little obsessed with the silver-haired man he keeps seeing on his way to university.

more golden than a golden snitch by aborescent. Words: 4542. Chapters: 1/1.  Everyone knows that the first year Slytherin seeker Jeon Jungkook's biggest fan is not from his own house but a third year Hufflepuff named Park Jimin.

Little Soldier Boy (Come Marching Home) by MinatheLast. Words: 41595. Chapters: 8/12.  If you asked Jungkook what was home, he would say his mother's garden. If you asked Jimin, he would say the healer's tent. So what would happen if those two places were ripped away? Maybe two boys, who weren't quite ready to grow up, find a home in each other.

Just For Training [Re-Upload] by bangtanscreams. Words: 42303. Chapters: 23/23.  Jeon Jungkook, using his boxing alias, the Seagull, has recently beat his final opponent, the White Tiger, before entering the National Championship fight, located in the Jamsil Arena in Seoul. Park Jimin, a young masseur just beginning his dream career at the HYYH Club & Spa, and the Seagull’s die-hard fan, doesn’t expect he’d be working his magic on the boxer’s broad, and very naked shoulders, on his very first day of work. But Jimin performs his services with great enthusiasm, and Jungkook realizes that a daily full-body massage won’t really hurt his training.

International playboy (don’t answer) by blt_prf. Words: 95824. Chapters: 19/?. oH I FUCHKED UP I FU UCKED UP YOUR'E NOT NAMJOON yeah what I've been trying to tell you or the one in which Jimin manages to mess up everything in one night and accidentally texts the guy he has a crush on

in which Jimin overworks himself and Jungkook waits up for him by graesun. Words: 1144. Chapters: 1/1.  Jimin drags his feet toward the kitchen where the light over the sink remains on. He’s focused entirely on the fridge and thinking about downing one of his chocolate protein shakes when he spots Jungkook slumped over the kitchen table, his head resting on his arms and a blanket over his shoulders.

Imperfectly Perfect by whenIseeUsmile. Words: 205656. Chapters: 33/33. Jungkook just moved to Seoul and comes to a new school. He's quite naive and believes that there is good in everyone. He loves photography and always carries his camera with him. He thought his life wasn't going to change much, even though he had moved to Seoul. However, that changed, when he took a picture of a certain orange-haired boy with the brightest eye-smile he had ever seen. 

if you by amazingbees. Words: 20928. Chapters: 3/3. When Jimin was just a kid, there was a boy in his class. A boy named Jungkook. (Jimin & Jungkook go separate ways after high school. Hoseok & Taehyung won’t accept it.)

I’m Hella Obsessed With Your Face by sunrr. Words: 42547. Chapters: 6/6.  Jungkook never thought that he would see the boy he fell in love a few summer ago, ever again. Until he bumped into him at a party. (Sequel to Pink Lemonades, Tattoos, and I Love You’s)

i’ll show you how a real pro bends by calipha. Words: 29805. Chapters: 10/10. Jung Hoseok, star airbender of the Bulletproof Boys and crowd favourite for this year's probending championships is injured before a qualifying match. Not to worry though- Jimin and Taehyung are on hand, called in as last minute replacements. Shenanigans ensue.

Hate the way I don’t hate you by blt_prf. Words: 6575. Chapters: 1/1.  10 things Jimin hates about the new kid in his dancing team.

Good Boy by Narsha. Words: 94894. Chapters: 7/7.  Jungkook is homeless. Jimin is lonely.

Emotional Colors by WorldwideWriter. Words: 14214. Chapters: 1/1. An AU in which your hair color changes based on the emotions that you're experiencing. or Jimin has been way too obvious about his feelings lately and Jungkook is a hormonal young man who should know that taking off his shirt in front of Jimin is a bad idea.

Duty Calls by whalien101. Words: 11699. Chapters: 5/?.  “Everyone, greet our new team member!” “My name is Park Jimin. I look forward to working with you! Thank you in advance for your support.” He bowed, hoping his voice hadn’t betrayed any nervousness. Kim Seokjin, leader of Homicide Investigation Team 1, smiled at him approvingly.

Dilaab by ophixx. Words: 827. Chapters: 1/1. (NOTE: this is a teaser to a potential fic but I’m still very hyped for it) Prince Jungkook returns home once war is finished. But he's been out for a long, long time, that when he makes his appearance on the Jeon's manor, a little surprise awaits for the alpha. New servants being hired for the royal family, and a special scent. He doesn't know why, but the young male gets immediately addicted to it. However, the omega owning the scent is a new recruited butler, Park Jimin. From the moment they both meet, life in the palace will become a challenge. A prince and a butler should never, ever, form a bond.

100% by naxariis. Words: 8353. Chapters: 1/1. jungkook's one man mission to get jimin to finally top him.

Cherry on the Cake by pjmjjk. Words: 9131 Chapters: 1/1. “I can’t get hard.” Jimin thinks he misheard what Jungkook said for a minute but he keeps talking. “I mean I can get hard. But I just- I can’t get hard right now.” “Oh my god.” (Or, Jimin brings a boy with cherry hair home, everything is going well until he gets nervous and things become awkward.)

Basorexia by pjmjjk. Words: 9131. Chapters: 1/1.  “You think I won’t be able to get hard again?” “Well, we haven’t talked about it since last time. I don’t know if you’re ready, you haven’t told me.” “You’re right, but…” “But what?” “I wasn’t nervous before but now that you addressed the issue... I just… I don’t know, it’s easier if it comes naturally. I won’t be able to stop thinking about how I couldn’t get hard last time.” “Baby-” “It’s fucking stupid. I’m 22, I should be able to get a hard-on.” (Or, Jungkook is finally ready to try again.)