#Can we pretend the book ends on page 82

[serenhob]

Just spent the last 10 minutes sobbing over 'Of mice and men'

Why George? WHY?????

(I mean I know but I'm still upset)

I loved Lennie, he is my favourite and I relate to him so much (he also heavily reminds me of my sibling). I understand that Stienbeck was being realistic but Idc

New Canon: they all got their farm. George grew all his crops, got his animals and little farmhouse, Candy stayed and helped in the house and Lennie tended to the rabbits, fed them all the alfalfa they could ever need 😭😭😭😭😭

[katherinewilliams221b]

For A Greater Good 15/18

not my gif just the text. Origins

Summary: Kate Williams, young healer and member of the Order, joins Durmstrang’s staff at Dumbledore’s request. Her mission? Find a   Death Eater and survive long enough to tell the story. Set in 1996.

Pairing: Charlie Weasley x ofc/mc

Masterlist

[Part 1] [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]

[Part 6] [Part 7] [Part 8] [Part 9] [Part 10]

[Part 11] [Part 12] [Part 13] [Part 14]

--

Her pulse failed every time she held a quill to write to Charlie; her eyes stung whenever she closed them. At one point she started to feel a constant pressure on her right temple, and it didn’t abandon her during the next weeks that followed her discoveries.

Kate lay on her side in bed, with her arms tucked against herself, protecting the cursed paper that was causing her nightmares, and curled up in a ball. That was her default position every day since then.

She stared at the candle on her table, the only source of light in the room and in her mind. The fire danced and twisted, hypnotising, captivating.

She thought of being somewhere else, with someone else.

What kind of person you must be to fool one of the greatest wizards alive? Dumbledore wasn’t any saint of her devotion, but… he must have known, right? He had to… or perhaps not.

Her breathing was slow and even, she concentrated on it; in and out. In and out. If she kept her eyes opened they stung, but if she closed them… it was worse.

And just like every other night, the candle consumed itself, leaving Kate in total darkness.

“Don’t give up hope.” She had told her students when they saw that none of the umbrella flowers had teeth. “We still have time.”

“We don’t have time! Exams start on Monday and the AEDA is in less than two weeks from now!” Jon had exclaimed.

“What have we done wrong?” Greta had asked.

“Focus on your exams. Remember that you can have your notebook with the greenhouse notes, so make sure it’s complete. I’ll take care of the flowers.”

She didn’t know how. The migraines had intensified, the parchment she hid under her uniform burned her skin every day, every hour, it was a reminder that she had to get out of there as soon as possible. But she had made a promise, and she had to keep it: those plants would have teeth like her name was Kate Williams.

And there, lying in bed unable to see around her, she discovered what had gone wrong with her project: Dark Arts.

After that revelation, Kate went to the library daily to visit the botany section. Corentin deliberately avoided her, being aware of the rumours about them. They had spent a lot of time together these past few months, and inevitably, the castle residents would wonder why.

Deaf to the gossip, the bat kept one eye on the library and one on Kate. Unaware that her friend had her back from above, the young witch devoured pages and pages about crossbreeding, the only activity that kept her from thinking about the list.

 The day before the Herbology exam, Kate was sitting at her usual table going over all the ingredients for the potion she had found. With Jorgensen's help, maybe she could grow those fangs.

Voices made her look up. Before long, an unusual commotion where they were standing deafened those looking for a quiet study area.

She saw Corentin, in his bat form, swiftly descending towards the shouting, and followed his path with her eyes. Two of her students, Vivien and Jon, were arguing heatedly, surrounded by their friends. The librarian didn't have to say a word; he just transformed into a human right in the middle of the two, glaring disapprovingly at them until the children dispersed.

Unwilling to perform her duties as an authority figure and scold her students for misbehaviour, she dipped her quill into the inkwell and began copying down the ingredients she would need. She had barely written two of them when movement out of the corner of her eye distracted her.

At a glance she recognised Vivien, who was deep in thought, and pulled a book out of her backpack grumbling to herself. The girl dropped it on the table with a thump.

"Has he been bothering you?" Kate couldn't help but ask. She didn't look up from the page she was reading. She managed to catch a few words in Vivien's mind, but they blended into each other in a swirl of acidity.

"He's been hounding me all week to study with him. He won't leave me alone." Kate put down the quill then and watched as Vivien pretended to read. "I hope after this he gets the idea."

"He won't bother you anymore today." Kate said after a while, "Remember the exam will be in class 82. You'll do fine." Vivien nodded as Kate gathered her belongings.

After asking Corentin's permission to take the book, she walked over to the table where Jon Hopkins was ogling Vivien in the distance, surrounded by his friends.

"Gather your things," she said without greeting, "You've found a study partner."

The boy looked at her as if she had six arms and as a protest began to form on his lips, Kate interrupted him, "It's non-negotiable. Come on, I don't have all day."

The group around Jon pitied their friend as he reluctantly advanced in front of the young teacher outside the library.

"I have to study." He complained as they made their way down the hallway.

"You will accompany me to see Professor Jorgensen and then to the greenhouse. You will study there while I experiment."

"What if I don't want to study?" He challenged. Kate just shrugged.

"Much better. You'll help me with my duties in the greenhouse and with the umbrella flowers. I recommend you find the will to study. I have a lot to do today."

"But why?"

"Maybe then you'll understand what it feels like to have unwanted company."

 Kent Jorgensen gave Kate the ingredients without complaint. She had expected more resistance from him, had even prepared a speech to get the professor to agree, but it hadn't been necessary. She supposed he would want to maintain some diplomacy between them with a gesture that wouldn't set off the time bomb that could destroy professor Angelov's career and life.

Once in the greenhouse, Jon sat in the seat furthest away from her and leaned his elbows on the table pretending to read his notes while Kate waved her wand back and forth.

An array of pots, bottles and boxes surrounded her and with a sigh she set about preparing her potion.

The concoction was composed of a mixture of compounds of both plant and animal origin that Kate had never used before and when mixed together, it flooded the greenhouse with a putrid smell.

After two hours, a small explosion of a suspicious liquid, one miscalculation and several incorrect consistencies, Kate managed to obtain the muddy-looking concoction, which she had to leave to steep for fifteen minutes. It was time for the key part of the process: introducing the desired characteristic into the potion.

Jon looked up from his notebook wearily and watched in disgust as Kate cleaned the inside of a geranium's mouth before pulling a fang out of one of them with forceps.

"Why did you say 'sorry' to it?" The boy asked. Kate looked at him in confusion, waiting for him to elaborate further. "You apologised to the geranium." Kate tsked.

"Well, I just knocked his tooth out. He must not have been amused." She set the tusk down in a glass bowl and proceeded cleaning her workbench.

"You're strange... I mean..." Jon stammered out a few words at the look on Kate's face, who misinterpreted her frown as anger. "It's just... you're good. And kind. Like Professor Mawut." Kate smiled.

"Thank you very much, Jon." She raised an eyebrow and added, "But you're not getting rid of me today." He pursed his lips and returned to his notes.

Movement through the glass of the greenhouse caught her attention and squinting she caught a glimpse of Mer Yankelevich hurrying over the bridge towards the forest. Libor Marek was at her heels.

Marek grabbed the teacher's arm and something he said stopped her in her tracks. After a while, Mer released her grip and retraced her steps towards the castle, leaving Marek watching her from a distance.

"Professor Marek is very brutish." Jon commented, having seen the scene as well. Kate tilted her head, agreeing with the comment, and proceeded to grab the fang with a pair of tweezers. She dipped it into the potion and waited as the tooth disintegrated on contact.

"What do you think of Professor Yankelevich?" She asked absently. Jon grimaced and shrugged.

"She's okay, I guess. She's been pretty angry lately, though."

"Angry with you?" Jon shrugged again. He glanced over to where the two teachers had been having the conversation and turned back to Kate. "Professor Marek has been arguing with her a lot," he whispered, "I don't know why... it's almost lunchtime..."

"Great. I'll finish this and we'll eat together." Jon let out a frustrated sigh and rested his head on his fist. "We shouldn't pry into their business." Kate grimaced hearing herself say that.

She swirled the potion with her wand six times to the left and then eleven times to the right. With each twist, the liquid grew thicker and thicker until it hardened so much that the wand had become trapped inside. But she was not to let go of it, no. The instructions clearly stated that there had to be contact with the wizard for at least five minutes.

Practically breathless, she watched as the stone began to crack from the centre of the wand, slowly breaking into a brown powder. She sighed in relief at the desired result and wiped her wand on her overalls.

After adding water, the end result was a bowl of what appeared to be, but nothing could be further from the truth, soil.

She excitedly sprinkled some of it on all the pots of umbrella flowers, and after watering them, covered them all with a leather tarp.

"Tomorrow we'll know if it worked."

 --

Kate watched her students work through the test she had prepared for them. After nearly an hour and a half, she stood up to relieve her stiff muscles. She walked between the rows of children sitting individually and checked out of the corner of her eye that they were only looking at their parchment. A small, fleeting smile broke out on her face, proud to see that most of the pupils were writing with admirable concentration. Some of them, like Micael Angelov, had supplemented their writing with small sketches.

When she reached the end of the class, she went the other way and leaned against the door.

“You have fifteen minutes left,” she remarked, glancing at the clock.

Young Angelov was the first to stand up. Securing his backpack over one shoulder, he handed the parchment to Kate with a shy smile.

“How did it go?” She checked that he’d written his name and looked up waiting for his response.

“Pretty good.”

Kate nodded with a smile and stepped away from the door to make way for him. A voice whispered her name behind her back and Vivien appeared to hand her her exam paper. Kate repeated the question.

“Very good! It was easy... although I didn’t remember you were going to ask about our herbarium... but I was able to answer them. Professor Williams, are you coming to the Glow-bug shower?”

“What’s that?” she whispered, indicating to Vivien to do the same.

“Professor Rhode explained to us that every year thousands of glow-bugs appear and light up all the mountains. It’s Thursday night. According to her, it’s very exciting.”

 Apparently, Astrid was right. In her healer’s uniform, spelled to withstand the cold, and her hood hiding her ears and forehead, Kate made her way through the crowd in one of the castle towers. She found a gap near the stone wall overlooking the quidditch pitch and rested her hands on the stone.

It was the one night of the year when students were allowed to roam the castle at midnight, on the occasion of the very particular event that was about to take place.

She raised her hand to her neck, adjusting her cloak to protect herself from the cold, and looked up. A blanket of infinite dots stretched above them. The stars guarded the terrain from high above, and with no clouds, they were perfectly visible from any point. Despite the voices and the shouting, there was something about watching the sky that left Kate in awe and isolated from the rest of the world.

She took a deep breath, imagining Charlie next to her, stretched out, side by side on the lawn of the Burrow, hands casually brushing and competing to prove who had been paying more attention in Astronomy.

“It’s bright out tonight,” a low, husky voice brought her back to the present, “At least it’s not a full moon, in which case they’d be unnoticeable.”

She looked down to find Professor Marek standing next to her. She raised her eyebrows, “I didn’t think seeing glow-worms would interest you, Professor.”

“There are many things that interest me, Miss Williams, not just winning duels.” he replied in a monotone voice. “I didn’t know you‘d be interested in this sort of thing... always stuck in that greenhouse of yours with dirt on your fingers. Have you had enough of flowers and leaves?”

Kate huffed, but didn’t take the bait. She merely averted her gaze to her left, where another tower of the castle contained the same number of people as there were around her. Marek also looked around, but didn’t move his feet from the ground. Kate suspected she would have an escort during the event. The question was, why?

The torches on the stone walls around them suddenly went out, raising the murmurs and impatient exclamations of the children. Kate and Marek turned their heads as they heard Professor Yankelevich’s shriek, pleading for silence.

“I remember you were good with protective spells,” challenged Marek

“I can defend myself.” The professor nodded and looked at the tower next door waiting for the signal. A light from a wand announced the teachers were ready to begin.

“We’re going to create a bubble around us, make sure it’s not too high.”

Numerous wands rose into the air, coming from different parts of the castle. A silvery layer began to form over their heads, spreading at full speed through the air from the highest point of the castle to the ground. Once every stone and corner of the place was encircled, the colour of the dome faded until it was completely transparent, invisible to the human eye.

There was a collective urge to hold one’s breath. The anticipation was beginning to be palpable, and even Kate noticed how her body leaned forward, as if to concentrate better.

A tiny spark came into view in the mountains. It was an intense white light, but very small, so small that after a few seconds it disappeared. The general disappointment dissipated as dozens of lights began to scatter in the distance, then hundreds, and before long, the stars seemed noticeably extinguished by the cascade of glow worms drifting in the wind.

Kate had only ever seen one glow worm in her life; in a Care of Magical Creatures class where Kettleburn had brought one inside a jar to show how some people used to use them as lamps. The problem was, and also the reason the teachers conjured up a protective bubble, glow-bugs were deadly.

“Takes your breath away, doesn’t it?” commented Marek without looking away.

She nodded, mouth half-open, gawking at the scene before her eyes; the glow-worms were slowly approaching through the air, carried by the breeze to their heads. The creature comprised a transparent shell that resembled the shape of a Muggle light bulb. Inside was the worm, curled in on itself and emitting an incandescent light.

Several of them bounced off the invisible barrier, creating an almost hypnotic effect on the onlookers. The entire castle was under such a blinding spotlight everyone was forced to squint or shield themselves with their hands.

The worms had scattered within moments; some had strayed into the forest, some into the mountains, and the rest had descended the cliffs, leaving the castle in its usual gloom.

Kate turned to Marek the moment the torches were lit again. A particular, never-before-seen gleam decorated the professor’s eyes, which, as the seconds passed, transformed his gaze into a deep, watery unhappiness.

Marek pulled himself together quickly and as much as Kate longed to know the reason for such emotion, she kept her mouth shut and waited patiently for some dry, cutting remark to ease the tension.

“I don’t know my parents. They died when I was very young.” He proclaimed instead. She stood still, afraid to shoo him away like a bird perching in one’s window to say hello. Despite there being so many people around them, the rest of the teachers were ordering them back to the dormitories, giving them some ironic privacy. Marek was staring off into the distance, “But I have a memory, a very vivid one, of a situation like this. It’s like an anniversary for me, I don’t know what, but that’s how I see it.”

A cruel idea flashed through her mind, one that she was dying to spit in his face, but for the sake of their diplomatic relationship she held back inside her. Her eyes began to burn, and she cursed to herself for being so emotional lately. She carved a frown into her forehead to keep her tears from spilling.

“My adoptive parents never knew where I got such a story...”

“And despite...” she couldn’t hold back, her words would be hurtful and she knew it, but she blurted them out to his face all the same, “And despite not knowing your origins, which may well be non-magical, you make a point of despising those who are different from you. You could be a muggleborn.”

Marek peeled his eyes from the mountains and looked at her with his characteristic sternness. The facade had returned to his face and his heart was shut tight.

“No,” he hissed, “my blood is clean.”

Mer Yankelevich was pushing the last student into the building when he made eye contact with Kate. Surely she had been watching the entire exchange, she thought.

Professor Jorgensen appeared through the door at that instant, averting his gaze to Kate and Marek and then to Mer, intermittently. He closed the door behind him and both professors approached them.

“You’ll never be completely sure of that.” Kate shook her head at his comment, wondering why she’d been so concerned about his feelings. The professor turned sharply and without a goodbye, stomped off to enter the castle and disappeared from sight.

“Is Libor all right?” asked Yankelevich.

“He looks really obfuscated, but that’s usual.”

Kate took a step back, suddenly feeling irrationally cornered.

“He’s been acting strangely for some time now, and an unpredictable Libor can be dangerous.” said Mer.

Jorgensen turned to her, “To my mind, Libor is not an irrational creature...”

“Believe me, I know him well. We should stay away from him for a while, let him clear his head.”

“I don’t understand what you mean, Professor,” Kate said, a little upset. Mer walked over to her, holding her gaze.

“If you spend more time with us, you’ll understand that it’s better to give Libor his space. By the way, the year is coming to an end. Will you still be the Herbology teacher next year? From what I hear, Rhode is thrilled with you.”

“And so are the kids.” Jorgensen pointed out, also interested in knowing Kate’s response.

“I haven’t discussed it with Rhode yet...”

“But you’d like to stay on?” insisted Yankelevich.

“It’s been an interesting opportunity, of course, but...” The conversation was entering swampy territory and as eloquent as Kate could be, she was struggling to find the right words. In the end, following her mother’s advice, she opted to speak a truth. “I’m very lonely.”

“Ah,” nodded Jorgensen, “That’s the effect Durmstrang can have, yes. I bet you’re eager to get home as soon as possible, wherever that is.” Kate nodded slowly, recognising a small, complicit smile on the professor’s face, making her remember their talk months ago.

“Exactly.”

Yankelevich hummed, inspecting Kate closely. Uncomfortable with the interrogation and impatient to regain the safety of her room, she said a hasty goodbye and headed for the door leading to the stairs, leaving Jorgensen and Yankelevich in the starlight.

--

[Part 16]

A/N: Not a very exciting chapter I know, but still important. The end is near my friends.

--

Tag List: @eldritchscreech @meteora-fc​

@cazreadsstuff 

@the-navistar-carol​

@am-i-space​

[helltalia-inc]

RULES + LIST OF CHALLENGES

RULES 

1. Pick a challenge from the List of Challenges;

2. Create whatever you want, as you want;

3. Use the tag #helltalia-inc and @ with the name of the page;

4. And don’t forget to have fun!

Not that hard, right?

 More info:

· There are no language barriers here, so feel free to use the language that you feel the most comfortable to express yourself;

· Bad behavior will not be tolerated;

· Feel free to use any characters and any ships;

· Take attention to tag your ships, any warming or triggering content;

· And for the last, but not least… support the “CONTENT CREATORS”!

 LIST OF CHALLENGES

(This list will be updated occasionally. Feel free to search for the number of the challenges, for example like #1, or #20, I made sure to tag every work with the number of the challenge. So, if you want to see the works related to each challenge, you just have to search in the page by the number. And, of course, feel free to use the challenges to inspire your future works.)

 1. Favorite Character

2. Egg Themed

3. Books + Favorite Trio

4. Your living country + his national flower

5. Crossing the line with the Star Wars Universe

6. Pajama Party + Female Characters Only

7. Revenge the Hetavision

8. Wedding dress

9. Child’s Day

10. Recycle, Reduce, Reutilize

11. Nordics appreciation challenge

12. LGBT Respect Day

13. “If you meant it, kiss me”

(Just to record it: starting from here, it was added as option, the “challenge quote”) 

14. National Animal + The Country where you live / “No matter where I go, my heart will always be yours”

15. Healthy Food Habits/ “But loving you had consequences”

16. World Day of Friendship/ “It’s okay if you don’t like me. Not everyone had good taste.”

17. REVENGE FIFATALIA/ “I’m so sick of lying. I have to tell you…”

18. ROCK IN HETALIA / “the music is the language of feelings”

19. Stuck on a desert island/ “I’m so sorry I kissed you, my mouth just slipped”  

20. ICE CREAM AND WATERMELON/ ”I wouldn’t do that if I were you”  

21. Pirate and Mermaids AU/ “That’s the summer when we first met”  

22. Aquarium park / “It is easier to pretend we are strong; it is much harder to admit we are weak; a true friend, by loving every part of us, teaches us to love our weaknesses”

23. Crossover with one of your favorite movies / “The two of us, we’re the best kind of disaster. Apples and oranges. Well, more like apples and machetes.”

24. Alice in the Wonderland AU / “I really did think you were cute when you were jealous.”

25. Improvised Olympic Games out of Season/ “I’d find you whenever you were.”

26. Ancients Countries Appreciation Challenge / “Chaos isn’t meant to be understood”

27. University AU / “Never say “Goodbye””

28. Color’ (or body or personality) swap / “Puns are the highest form of literature.”

29. Crossover with Sesame Street or The Muppets / “I’ve missed you. But it seems like you’re not happy to see me.”

30. Alter Ego AU / “If it wasn’t for you, I wouldn’t have even come here tonight.”

31. Your favorite writer + his respective nation / “I wanted to end the world, but I’ll settle for ending yours.”

32. Candle in the dark / “I’m pregnant”

33. Orchestra AU / “You can run, but you can’t escape”

34. Trapped in a maze / “Can you keep a secret?”

35. Wingtalia / “Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off”

36. Space, stars, moon / “You’re better than you think.”

37. Villain AU / “I don’t want to sleep alone today. Will you sleep with me?”

38. African nations / “You promised that we would always be together… now, how I’m supposed to live without you?”

39. Love potion / "We didn't realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun"

40. Treasure hunt / “The only thing you’re good at is fake crying”

41. Asian nations / “You can see me?”

42. National desert / “Nice try. Better luck next time”

43. Death note AU / “How long will you keep me waiting?”

44. Kabedon / “What is your problem?”  

45. Siblings / “Don’t just say nice things, give me advice.”

46. The 7 deadly sins / “Take that stupid grin off your face”

47. Reincarnation AU / “We have only one chance at life. And I want to live a life with no regrets.”

48. Autumn / “You said I could do whatever I wanted.”

49. Red apple / “I want to crush anyone who dares to touch you. I want to hide you, monopolize you.”

50. Hot chocolate / “It’s too late now.”

51. Tarot Cards / “Take your hands off of me.”

52. Summon Demons /”Have I done something wrong?”

53. Ouija / “That’s the one thing I regret the most in my life.”

54. Underworld / “If you want, we could swap secrets.”

55. Supernatural creatures / “Close your eyes and listen carefully.”

56. Hunter / “Even though it isn’t a big deal now, it will be later.”

57. Shadow / “You helped me become who I am.”

58. Bloody sunset / “If you took well care of it from the beginning, then none of this would’ve happened.”

59. Ghost mansion / ”What the hell do you want from me?”

60. Mysterious box / “It’s not extreme, it’s the most effective way.”

61. Scream / “What makes you think I’ve changed?”

62. Evil laugh / “I thought I knew you better than this...”

63. Superstition / “There are times when it’s dangerous to approach something or someone when you don’t have sufficient knowledge about them.”

64. Roses / ”My understanding is that faith is something that one builds up through actions.”

65. Destiny / “I don’t want to live like that.”

66. Coincidence / “Growth always follows hardship.”

67. Broken heart / “They want me to find happiness more than anyone else.”

68. The wedding day / “You don’t have to worry about me anymore.”

69. Slow dance / “It’s better to spend the rest of my lifetime alone, than being stupid and crying over someone who broke my trust.”

70. By my side / “Time flew by.”

71. Holding hands / “I gave you a chance to pretend that nothing happened.”

72. Friendzone / “I won’t run away this time.”

72. Rejection / “Sorry, I let my emotions get the best of me.”

73. Forever alone / “If they’re your friends, they’ll understand and be happy for you. Just like how you were for them.”

74. BDSM / “Whatever you choose, I’ll respect your decision.”

75. Dirty talking / “You’re just taking advantage of the people around you.”

76. Love letter / “Money and Status... you’re nothing without those things.”

77. First love / “Seeing you happy means the world to me.”

78. First time / “Friendship isn’t about whom you have known the longest, it’s about who came and never left.”

79. Crush / “I’m in a threesome with anxiety and depression.”

80. Decorations / “Just fantasizing about it isn’t enough for me.”

81. Presents / “You just have to work hard to turn it into a reality.”

82. Traditions / “Anger cannot be dishonest.”

83. Family Dinner / “Relationships are like glass, sometimes it’s better to leave them broken than trying to hurt yourself putting it back together.”

84. Friends / “I’m glad I at least left an impression on you. Though apparently, it’s a negative one.”

85. Figure skating / “The mirror is my best friend because when I cry it doesn’t laugh.”

86. Snowboard / “The saddest people have the brightest smile.”

87. Ski / “I don’t think we wasted a single second.”

88. Hockey / “I wish I knew I was in the good old days before they became the good old days.”

89. Snow globe / “Those who are already dead don’t care about those who are still alive.”

90. Acts of kindness / “People only listen and believe in what they think is entertaining.”

91. Aurora Borealis / “If this is for the best.”

92. Church bell / “The more envy you show, the worse you look.”

93. The little match girl / “Whatever you do, I’ll never be disappointed in you.”

94. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / “When people brag so openly about their past, if often means, that they have nothing to brag about now.”

95. Heart made of ice / “You should be ashamed of yourself.”

96. Message on a bottle / “I never truly fell in love with anyone.”

97. Bubbles / “This is all very suspicious... extremely suspicious.”

98. End of the world / “I was afraid kindness would make me weak.”

99. Halloween dolls / “No hard feelings but I hate you.”

100. Redemption / “I should apologize for this. But I won’t.”

101. Femme fatale / “Do you think you can handle it?”

102. (more challenges will be added eventually. If you want, send your challenge’ suggestions to the Ask Box)

 Note: Most of the quotes aren’t mine and have no source.

[bennyboyjones]

THE GETAWAY (Ben Hardy FanFic) Prologue

A/N: Hi! So, here is the prologue to my Ben Hardy  AU Fanfic! There are currently several chapters written, which you can find on Wattpad if you click on the link below, but I’ve decided to also upload it here as well. It might be a bit behind, but you’ll still get all the chaps eventually. 

What it is: basically, a girl from a small town who is bored of her life decides to take a trip to Nice where she runs into ben, who is also running away from some shit and some romance ensues. 

Word count: 1.6k

In this chapter: just some background to get us started. You probably don’t have to read this to understand what comes after, but it will help you understand the main character better. 

WATTPAD LINK IF YOU WANT TO READ AHEAD

Here we go:

prologue

I brushed my thumb over the twenty year old bonds clutched between my fingers. My eyes swept over the bank tellers, my weight switching back and forth from my right to my left foot. These people were taking forever; I figured it would be slow since it was a Monday morning, but apparently this was when all of the housewives did their banking. I had been next in line for the past fifteen minutes and as time went on, my nerve was steadily draining out of me. 

Last night, after a bottle of wine, I sat on the floor of my bedroom and reached under my bed for the manilla folder that held the contents of what I would consider the best six months of my life.  The folder was worn, soft, had both coffee and wine stains, and looked way too aged for something that had only come into existence a year ago. I placed my glass next to me, on the equally stained gray carpet, and pulled out endless postcards, bookmarks, pamphlets, plane tickets, museum and park and exhibit passes, and polaroids. I sifted through them, running fingers over my best friends’ smiling faces, rereading postcards to my family I had already memorized, focusing on guides to museums in Copenhagen, Paris, and London as if studying them could magically teleport me back. Instead, I was stuck here, in Rye, a small town that I was so, so bored of. 

I had lived here my entire life, and so had my parents. We went to the same elementary school and high school, we lived a thirty-second drive and a five minute walk from where my dad grew up. Everyone I had gone to school with had parents who graduated with or around the same time as mine. I felt so suffocated by sameness, by the ordinariness, and was terrified of repeating the pattern of monotony. 

When it was time to go to college, I was sure I would end up in New York City—somewhere not too far, but far enough, different enough from everything I wanted to get away from. When I was in high school, I decided that I was made to live there. For nine months out of the year, I’m a New Yorker—but during the summer I’m always back in Rye because apparently it’s financially irresponsible to take out loans to dorm over the summer and I can’t afford an apartment on a waitress’s salary, nor do I have the time to take up a second job and go to school full time, so Rye it is.

I only ever missed New York seasonally, but I missed London all the time. 

I missed living in London. I missed walking the three blocks from Queen Mary to the Co-Op to grab mushrooms, flapjacks, and a bottle of wine. I missed sitting on the Central Line at 11:30pm drunk, with Sarah and Annie on our way to our favorite club near Tottenham Court Road. I missed walking to Rinkoff’s hungover and grabbing a cronut. I missed Brick Lane on Sunday mornings. I missed a past life. 

For the past year, I’ve been saving up to get it back. When I came home last June, I worked a waitressing job at a small restaurant on our main street, as many doubles as I could—six days a week—and I refused to spend a single dime of it. I worked part time the past two semesters and saved as much as I could, but metro cards were expensive and a girl needed to eat, and also have a social life, and instead of “throwing away” my left over aid money on spring break vacations like my friends did, I hoarded that $1,231 and pretended I wasn’t bothered by the Miami Beach pictures even though I knew I was missing out. 

London was expensive, that much was clear; the only way I survived six months on $6,000 was because my financial aid paid for my housing and tuition, traveling around Europe while living in Europe is cheap, and my mom was sending me $100 a week for groceries because she was worried that all the jokes I made about not eating so I could afford to party (or financial drinking, as it’s been called) were serious (they were, and often the money that was supposed to be meant for groceries went to more fucking around—you only go abroad like that once in your entire life and I was so not going to waste it). And still, despite the weekly allowance from my mom, I still came home with $82 left in my bank account. Towards the end of the six months I was barely hanging on financially. Basically, what I’m saying is that I knew going back was going to cost me a lot of money, especially since I knew I wouldn’t have the same kind of help that I had the last time around. 

So, I saved and refused to do the math to figure out how much I would need to go back to London for at least two weeks. Well, last night, I did the math—and, oh boy, I am not going back to London until I have at least a few thousand more dollars to my name. That crushing disappointment is what led me to that manilla folder. 

The past few months, going back to Europe was all I could think about; I was graduating in December and this was my last summer to really do whatever I wanted before I had to be a real adult. Granted, I was planning on going straight into grad school, but the statement still stands. 

I took another sip of the cheap-ass red I regretted buying before grabbing my photos from Nice. I slowly went through them, and my eyes misted at the landscapes, the crooked self portraits taken on both disposables and my barely functioning digital, the photos of food, and coffees perfectly placed next to pages of my open journal. 

It was the one place that I had gone alone, in the middle of January, for only three days. It was a trip I took out of convenience (student visa issues) and I had only chosen Nice because it was both relatively cheap and small, but it ended up being my favorite place. The place I named first when people asked where I went, the place I talked about the most, and the place that meant the most to me. 

I put the photos down and opened my laptop. I opened a tab for SkyScanner, one for AirBnb, and one for TripAdvisor and started doing the math.

Flight: $1,214 (round trip)

AirBnb: $2,056

Other Expenses: $3,000

Approx. Total: $6,270

I knew how much I had in my savings and knew I had bonds somewhere from my baptism or some other religious sacrament I was forced to endure that I could cash for some extra money. I had enough for three weeks, but didn’t have much of a financial cushion should I need it. 

I downed what was left in my glass and booked my trip. I felt my hands shaking as I took them off my keyboard to rest them on my cheeks. My face was flush from both the wine and the excitement. I wiped my feet against the carpet, the nervous sweat on their bottoms making me uncomfortable. I was never one for impulsivity; I was a planner, a control freak, a perfectionist—a full blown virgo for fuck’s sake and the longer I sat there, staring at the confirmation page before me, the more nauseous I felt. I refused to let the regret set in, the doubt, and the fear. Instead, I stood up, hopped down the stairs with my empty glass in hand, and upon refilling, announced to my mom that in three weeks time, I would be on a plane to France. 

Earlier this morning, she rifled through the safe in the back of her closet in search of the bonds. When I told her about what I had done, she didn’t have much of a reply—she simply raised her glass to me and muttered a soft, “Jesus Christ”. I knew she was slightly concerned, but also excited for me and I really couldn’t have asked for a better reaction. She was a supportive mom, always, no matter how questionable her children’s choices were (and mine and my brothers’ choices were always questionable). 

Once she found them shoved into an envelope from the ‘90s, I got in the car with my younger brother and went to the bank. 

“You need to chill out. You’re going to make everyone in there nervous if you go in there all shaky and sweaty. You’re making yourself look like a criminal,” Noah said as he put his crappy car in park. 

“I’m just nervous. I know this is a stupid idea, isn’t it? I should just keep saving and go back in, like, another year when I really have the money, don’t you think?”

He rolled his eyes, “No. I think you need to do this now. It’s all you ever fucking talk about, and honestly, visiting you last year was the best thing I’ve ever done and it was the happiest I saw you. Just stop being a dumb bitch and go in there and get your money.”

Ignoring the “bitch” comment, I pushed the car door open with a loud creaking and clutched the bonds so tight they folded in my hands. 

When it was finally (finally!) my turn to be helped, I stepped up and handed the bonds over, crumpled and slightly damp with sweat, “I’d like to cash these, please.”

[kweebtrash]

Want It With You (M)

Pairing: Johnny x OC

Genre: Harry Potter AU, Friends to Lovers AU, Smut, Fluff

Summary: Johnny is a sweet and caring Hufflepuff Prefect that has a way with animals and wants to be a Magizoologist. Alomena is a Slytherin who would rather spend her time in the library and in the greenhouses taking care of plants and helping them grow. They were an unlikely pair that everyone thought was strange but they were brought together by their half muggle blood. A secret room in the upper levels of the castle gives them privacy to hang out and forget about the stresses of school life. But after Alomena has a rather...interesting dream about Johnny she realizes that maybe they're more than just friends.

Warnings: brief talks about death

Features: Sweet/soft sex, shy and awkward moments, oral, fingering, riding, a bit of nipple play, a lot of caressing and kissing,

Word Count: 8.6k

A/N: This was for a smut prompt request (please dont request more at this time). the following prompts were requested.  53. we’re not just friends and you fucking know it, 55. what? does that feel good?, 57. if we get caught i’m blaming you.” 58. we have to be quiet,  59. tell me again, 60, you have no idea how much i want you, 61. say it. 62. if you dont like my teasing then why are you moaning, 67. i really want to kiss you right now. 82. friends dont do this kind of shit!

A/N pt 2: WE GON PRETEND HOGWARTS A COLLEGE BC I DONT DO THAT H.S. AU SHIT. Johnny and Alomena are both 21+ and also this time line is in present day rather than the late 80′s/90s of the original story. Alomena is a Herbology major, Johnny is in Care for Magical Creatures. Also i feel like this sucks??

My Masterlist 

Request Masterlist

I was holed up in the library as usual, studying my life away. I didn't mind it all too much. Learning new things was my favorite past time and I loved to expand my mind and drink in information. I also particularly devoted to reading about plants; their uses, their poisons, and what potions they could make. It came with being a herbology major after all. I scribbled my quill pen against the piece of parchment that I had jotted several paragraphs worth of notes onto. It was at times like these that I wished I could go back home and be reunited with my laptop. The wizarding world thought so little of muggle technological advances but typing on a keyboard was way less annoying and definitely faster than having to dip a pen in ink every three seconds. I did miss the muggle world; it was hard being half muggle, half wizard. From the judgment, to the prejudice, to the feeling like I was in the stone age, it made me homesick more often than not. I typically tried not to get too much into my feelings about missing home but some days were harder than others. I flipped the page of the thick text book I was reading and sighed deeply, getting ready for another chapter. Just then I felt fingers jab at my sides making me sit up straight.

"Gotcha!" 

I looked up at the tall figure hovering behind my chair and rolled my eyes. "Johnny, be quiet! This is a library." Johnny was my best friend, you could say. He, too, was half muggle, half wizard and we had somehow bonded together during our first few years at Hogwarts. He had been a complete failure at herbology and took it upon himself to greet me so loudly and passionately that it scared my introverted being to the core. He then begged and pleaded, almost groveling on his knees, for me to help him pass the class. I found him utterly annoying and I knew right off the bat that he was a damn Hufflepuff. They were my second least favorite house, Gryffindor being the first. Some would say that was very stereotypical of a Slytherin but I wasn't one to frolic with energetic people. Johnny however was the exception and I had developed the biggest soft spot for him.

"Aw c'mon, weren't you at least a little scared?" He pulled out the chair beside me and plopped down, giving me a big cheesy grin.

"You know nothing trivial like that scares me so I don't know why you even try. Aren't you supposed to be off doing prefect things with the children?" I glanced down at the badge that gave him more responsibilities than most students here. Usually, he had to tend to the younger students that were just joining Hogwarts and be their mentor. He had a certain following and they seemed to enjoy his presence, taking to his bright personality quickly. The female students most certainly took to him too. He was the talk of the halls and it didn't matter what house they were in, every girl found Johnny to be utterly charming. I admitted to myself a long time ago that I did find him attractive and that his awkward laugh made me crack a smile every so often. I enjoyed his height and the comforting hugs he gave that warmed my body perfectly. And I especially enjoyed the time we spent in our secret room.

Our secret room was a small closet tucked away in a hallways on a floor that seemed deserted. The level was closer to the roof of the castle and barely a soul traveled through. We had no idea what it the room was for or why it was there. There hadn’t been any protection or disguise spells when we had first encountered it and it wasn’t an entrance to a secret passageway. It was just...there. There was a lone window that gave view to the quidditch practice field. I took no interest in watching the players but Johnny did every once in awhile. His other best friend, Jaehyun, was captain of Gryffindor’s house team and Johnny was his number one supporter. Other than watching Jaehyun practice, Johnny and I spent many nights curled up in the blanket fort we had created, projecting movies from our cell phones which we cherished so much. That was also a secret of ours, never revealed to the other students that were forced to live in the past. Those nights made me feel a little less homesick and like I wasn't alone.

"Nah, not until later on during patrols. I'm free right now and if you're not too busy shoving your nose in some musty old books we could," He lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. "Sneak away."

I perked up a bit at the idea. "How are we going to get up there without anyone noticing? Usually we go at night."

"We've gone a few times during the day, it's not that hard. Take a break and come with me."

He was a pro at convincing me to do things with him. I closed the textbook and used my wand to return it to its proper home. I gathered up my writing supplies and looked around, taking caution to monitor that no one would catch onto our plan. "Let me put this in my room and I will meet you up there, ok?"

He kissed my cheek and got up from the chair. "Awesome! I'll see you there." He left the library, only tripping slightly on nothing but air in his usual clumsy fashion. I made my way to the Slytherin door, saying my password to the painting and sliding through. I had to face my biggest enemy-the common room- just to get to my bed which was the furthest away in the girls dorm area. I always had to dodge around students that were hanging out to avoid socializing at all costs. I was deemed as an outcast, even in my own house. It never felt that I was quite welcomed so i busied myself in the library and the greenhouses. Plants made me the most happy. They didn't (usually) talk back to you, though they were great listeners. Taking to plants also put a scarlet letter on my back as the “house crazy” but that didn’t matter. Communicating with plants was important to me, another form of escapism and a way of honing my craft.

I dumped my supplies off and exited the space with some curious stares coming my way but I was mostly ignored. Bit by sneaky bit, I traversed to the secret room, looking over my shoulder in constant fear of getting caught. I managed to get there unnoticed and shuffled my way through the door, shutting it gently behind me. “I’m here.” I said, sighing a breath of relief. Johnny was already laying down in our blanket fort, robe and sweater vest tossed aside with his sleeves rolled to his elbows. He was reclined against the pillows with his hands behind his head as he smiled at me. “Come here, we have some episodes to catch up on.” He patted the space beside him and i sunk down onto the pile of blankets, smoothing out my skirt as i laid down. He removed his cell phone from his pocket and loaded up our favorite tv app. He used his wand to help project the show in front of us, giving us a better view. I settled against him, resting my head on his shoulder and holding onto his wrist. Occasionally, we held hands but lately that simple motion was making my heart palpitate and my stomach quiver with anxiety. I settled for his wrist as it helped me feel a bit more secure with my emotions. Hours passed so calmly that I somehow managed to fall asleep during our fourth or fifth episode. 

The dream I had was so vivid that it was frightening. Johnny had been on top of me, naked and looking into my eyes with a sweet smile on his face. He was thrusting into me, slowly and gently, cooing sweet words into my ear and running his hands all over my body. I held onto his strong arms, gasping and moaning every time a jolt of pleasure wracked through me. He was stunning and glowing in the candle lit area of our room. His lips morphed into his own moans that were like baritone notes in a symphony of pleasure. He was perfect in every way and I hated it. This wasn't supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to dream about my best friend like this. It was improper and way past weird. But my mind continued, ignoring my rational will to halt the lust filled thoughts. His lips were on me then, full, warm, with a feeling akin to the happiest memory I had. He was so full of love which only added onto me fear. My heart skipped beats and drove me to never want to leave from my place beneath him. I wanted to stay in my dream forever.

“Mena!” I heard my nickname in the midst of my dream and snapped up, gasping deeply. The room had darkened as it was now nighttime but Johnny had apparated a few candles to illuminate the space. I saw his face, half casted in shadows of the flames as he looked at me with concern. “You were making kind of weird noises in your sleep. Are you okay? Was it a nightmare?”

My whole face flushed and I couldn't bear to face him. I panicked and quickly scrambled to my feet. “I-I have to go. I-I’m sorry, Johnny!” I grabbed onto the door handle and ran as fast as I could, not even daring to look back at him. I heard him calling out to me but I didn’t stop until i made it back to my dorm. I threw myself onto my bed and stared up at the draped canopy as i tried to get my heart to stop racing. What the hell was that? How could i think about Johnny in that way? I had never thought of anyone like that before. It was completely out of left field. I covered my face that felt like it was burning, wanting to scream my lungs out. What was I going to do now? Had I been moaning in my sleep? Did he suspect anything? My mind was a jumbled mess and i figured a hot shower and some rest would solve it. I closed the canopy curtains so i could undress and felt the recognizable feeling of wetness on my panties. Oh come on! I ripped off my underwear, almost falling onto my face in the process, and slammed them onto my bed. This was not going to happen. Not now and not ever. I pulled on my robe along with my slippers then grabbed my shower caddy. I was determined to wash away this embarrassing dream from my mind completely.

Except I couldn’t. With the emptiness of the bathrooms and the cover of the water pouring onto the tiled floor, I dug my fingers into myself, panting as i tried to recreate how full and thick Dream Johnny felt inside me. Not only did I have a wet dream about my best friend but now I was touching myself to thoughts of him too. What was I thinking? Well, right now, I was thinking of getting off as fast as I could and furiously rubbing my clit to get me there before anyone caught me. I remembered the peaceful face he made while he was inside me, gently biting his lip with eyes closed, eyelashes dusting the tops of his cheeks, and the sounds he made. It had been right in our blanket fort, making it so much more special. It was intimate and everything I had ever wanted to experience. It felt like it made up for the few encounters I had with other men that left me unsatisfied and unimpressed. But Johnny was different. He cared about me and per my dream, I knew he was devoted to making me feel good. I know I would want to pleasure him as much as possible too. Anything to hear his deep groans in reality.

When I came I had to brace myself against the shower wall to try and stay propped up on my shaky legs. My head was now under the stream of water, dousing my curls and making them cling to my face. It snapped me out of my lustful vision and made me realize that I needed to get it together. I held my dirty fingers under the water, washing away the cum and telling myself that this was just a one time incident. No more, no less.

--

It was difficult but I hadn’t seen Johnny for a few days, mostly because I was still too embarrassed to face him but also because he was suddenly getting more busy with his responsibilities. I missed him dearly but I felt like I had no idea how to approach him anymore without visualizing him naked and on top of me. I spent my time doing what i did best-avoiding people in the greenhouse. I was  wrist deep in dragon dung as I worked to repot some Venomous Tentacula. I was all alone in the greenhouse, just the way i liked it. I was free to hum a tune I created in my head while I looked over the plant, making sure it liked it's new home. "Hopefully you'll grow a little bit better here. You hated that terribly dry spot in the corner, didn't you? I know, sweetie." Even the most fussy and volatile plant could calm down under my voice.

"Talking to plants again, huh Ms. Crowley?"

I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Johnny walking towards me with his hands behind his back. I stood up straight as my heartbeat quickened. I wasn't expecting him to show up but it was a habit of his to come unannounced.

"U-um what do you want?"

"To give you my peace offering." He held out a small packet of fluxweed seeds. "It's not special but I know you love making healing potions."

I set my dragon hide gloves down on the table and removed my apron. I took the seed packet and looked up at him. "What do you mean by peace offering?"

"Well the last time we were together I figured I did something wrong with the way you ran out so fast. You haven't talked to me since soooo...here I am."

"Oh….nothing was your fault." I suddenly felt like an idiot for making him think I was mad at him. I just needed time and space to get my head on straight but one look into his honey colored eyes and i was instantly transported back into juvenile thoughts of romanticism. "I'm not mad, I promise."

"Sweet! I was seriously worried for a second. But now that that’s over with, can I interest you in a date?"

"W-what?!" I dropped the seeds instantly and fumbled to catch them. Johnny managed to get them when I failed and chuckled.

"I meant do you want to hang out? I’ve missed you so much.”

I tucked a few curls behind my ear and stared down at my dirt covered uniform shoes. “U-um...that sounds good. D-Do you want to meet in our room?”

“Actually, i was thinking we could be a little bit more adventurous.” He said with a mischievous smirk.

“Oh? What do you mean?”

“The Forbidden Forest.”

That certainly peaked my interest. I was a fan of the flora while Johnny was a fan of the fauna. Being a future Magizoologist, he was always eager to discover what creatures hid within the forest and which ones he could make friends with. He thought all creatures were cute no matter what they looked like and he had the ability to tame the wildest beasts in a heartbeat. We were similar in that fact. Passionate and with a certain knack for handling what most people wanted to stay away from. Though of course the forest was obviously forbidden sneaking in was all part of the fun. I smiled and nodded in agreement. “Let’s do it.”

“Ok, meet me there when the moon’s the fullest. I’ll leave you some signals so you’ll know where I’m at.” He kissed my forehead and gave my arm a little squeeze. “I’ll catch you later, ok? I told Jaehyun I would watch him practice today.”

“Did you mean get annoyed at the crowd of girls that scream every time he pushes back his hair?” Or squeal when you sit in the stands? I thought bitterly.

He chuckled. “Yeah. it’s not my favorite thing to do but he’s my friend and he needs me.”

“Have fun dealing with your bleeding eardrums. I’ll see you later.”

He gave me another one of his signature smiles and zipped out of the greenhouse, leaving me to clutch the little packet of seeds to my chest. It was just hanging out, like we always did. Nothing special. I just had to keep telling myself that. I set the seeds on the desk, sighing deeply as I slipped my gloves back on. Getting back to work was the best way to keep my mind occupied and away from all thoughts surrounding Johnny.

After a few hours in the greenhouse, i went back to the dorm to shower so I didn’t smell like soil and poisonous flowers. As i finished dressing in a warm green sweater and black leggings, i stared out the dorm window. The moon was hiding behind a few sparse clouds but it was full and heavy, beaming a perfect cast of light over the castle grounds. I bit my lip wondering if it was the right time to leave. It was driving me crazy just waiting. I got up and tucked my wand in the band of my leggings and crept through to dorm, trying to make as little noise as possible. With how much I crept around I might have as well been a burglar or a spy. I knew the paintings would try and rat me out and possibly the castle ghosts as well so I tried to take the path with the least possible amount of snitches.

Once I hit the castle grounds I decided to play it a bit safer and use a Disillusionment Charm to blend into my surroundings. It was way past curfew and I couldn't risk any repercussions for leaving the dorm, especially to go to the Forbidden Forest. My eyes caught sight of a tiny Bowtruckle that beckoned me to follow it. It must have been Johnny's "sign". I kept a few steps behind it, afraid that I might crush it. It finally lead me to a small clearing where I saw Johnny petting a giant Thestral. I fell back, shocked that such a creature would be within the forest and also because...I could see it-Johnny could see it. Thestrals only revealed themselves to people who had faced death and accepted it. It hurt my heart to realize he had gone through pain and anguish but he seemed so comfortable with the extremely rare creature, even placing a kiss on its skeletal nose.

I use Revealio to uncast my Disillusionment Charm and slowly got to my feet. If Thestrals didn't find a person worthy or a non threat they would attack in an instant and I certainly did not want to die today. "Johnny!" I whispered harshly. The Bowtruckle ran to him and tugged on his robes before crawling up to his shoulder. He turned towards me a gave me a warm smile. 

"Come here." He beckoned. "She won't hurt you."

"How do you know that for sure?! Thestrals are-"

"Loyal, kind, and are very helpful. She trusts me and I trust her. Just like you speak to plants, I speak to creatures and she definitely understands that you're no threat. So come over here " He extended his large hand out to me and I tiptoed towards him, avoiding eye contact with the bat winged creature. Johnny took my hand and gently set it on the bridge of the Thestral’s nose. "There you go. See? She's not so bad."

He was right. In fact the creature seemed to enjoy the attention and bucked its nose towards me, brushing against my cheek. I chuckled nervously and continued to pet her, flinching when she outstretched her wings. They were way bigger than I anticipated and still intimidating. Johnny held onto my waist when i took a step back and swallowed hard. “Do you want to go for a ride?”

“What? Like...on her?! I thought it was illegal to ride them? We’ll get in trouble with the ministry!”

“Don’t be such a goody two shoes! Besides, we can’t fly but we can ride it like a normal horse, that way we don’t get caught. Here, I’ll help you up.” Johnny grabbed a hold of me as if I was a mere toddler and he was unaffected by my weight. He set me on the back of the Thestral before getting on himself and grabbing onto the mane. She started trotting slowly and i could feel every movement of bone beneath me which was a strange sensation. I gripped onto Johnny tightly, burying my face in his back. I didn’t want to seem like a scaredy cat but I also couldnt help it. “So...what happened?” He asked as he steered us through the winding trees.

“What do you mean?”

“You can see the Thestral which means...you know. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to but i thought I’d ask…”

“Oh…” I realized he was talking about me seeing death first hand and thus removing the creatures invisibility. “It was my sister. She was hit by a drunk driver and at first I was scared of seeing her body at the funeral. It was hard to accept that she was gone. I was only 6 and barely understood death back then. Everyone in my family kept telling me she was asleep but I knew she wasn’t just asleep. Eventually as I grew older, I found out more about the circumstances of her death. I was mad at my family for lying to me. I started visiting her grave soon after and I talked to her every time. It seemed like the flowers and grass around her grave began to grow when i spoke. That’s when I kind of knew I wanted to be in Herbology when I got here.”

He nodded solemnly and sighed. “I understand completely. I lost my mom when I was about 12. I delayed my studies here because I didn’t want to leave the muggle world. I felt like I would be letting go of the memories I had with her if I did. But I knew she would want me to experience this side of myself. That’s when I eventually asked if I could be accepted as a student.”

“I would have never imagined you had gone through something like that. You’re always so cheerful and happy. Everyone loves you.” I said softly.

He scoffed. “Yeah, well...it’s not always easy to pretend, but I do. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there are times when I’m genuinely happy and enjoying my life but there are also time where I dont want to be here and would rather be home. That’s when I hang out with you because you understand how i feel. I really enjoy when we’re together...like a lot.”

I squeezed myself to him tighter and was grateful that he couldnt see my blushing cheeks. My brain was swirling with a culmination of thoughts and feelings. I had finally come to accept the fact that my feelings were past that of friendship. I was starting to fall in love with him after seeing him in a new light. But i knew I was just a companion to him. He saw me as a place of comfort, not as a lover. I had to accept that sooner rather than later. After all, I really didn’t want to ruin our friendship with awkward revelations and confessions. We had a moment of silence between us and I could only hear the echoing of the plants and nightly creatures that surrounded us. We were getting further away from the moonlight too and the forest was becoming increasingly darker.

“I’m going to turn back now. I have to do another round of patrolling soon anyway.” He said.

“Ah, ok. I understand. I actually liked this. Even if I thought she was going to kill me."

"Nah, never. They're gentle and even though I can see and talk to her, they train all the Thestrals here so I'm not actually that special."

"Of course you are, Johnny. You have a way with her that no one else does. You're incredibly special." I straightened my spine so I could rest my chin on his shoulder and kiss his cheek but I missed as he turned his head in the opposite direction to guide the Thestral. Instead, my lips pressed against the warmth of his neck, making all three of us jump up. The Thestral squaked and reared herself up almost throwing Johnny and I off.

"Whoa girl! Calm down! I'm sorry I pulled your mane! It was an accident!" He pet her wings that were now extended and flapping, whipping up dangerous winds before lowering himself to rub her neck. "Ssshhhhh, I've got you. It's ok."

I held onto Johnny tighter so I wouldn't fall off and soon enough she settled down until all four hooves were on the ground. "I-im sorry. I-i didn't mean to um…"

He said nothing, only clicked his tongue as a signal to get her to turn in directions he wanted. I was astronomically embarrassed and had no idea what to say. I joined him in silence again until we reached the entrance of the forest. He helped me down and we said goodbye to the Thestral. I actually hoped I could see her again. "Do you need to be walked back to the castle or will you make it there by yourself?" He glanced down at his watch and shut off the beeping alarm that had begun to sound. He was going to be late for patrol.

"No, no. Don't worry. I'll be fine. Besides the night is nice. I wouldn't mind the sneaky stroll back." I laughed.

"Ok, cool. Thanks Mena! I'll see you around!" Without another word he apparated himself to get into the castle as he would have far less repercussions than I would have if I showed up in my dorm instantly. There wasn’t another word of the kiss incident so I figured we both put it behind us...hopefully. When I finally made it to my room safely I set my wand on my bedside table, closed my canopy, and discarded my clothes for my pajamas. Staring up at the canopied ceiling I couldn't help the gushing smile on my lips. If I thought about it, the whole thing with Johnny was a little romantic. Basically an evening horse ride though a private forest with no one else around. Was it actually a date? He had said so before in the greenhouse but quickly changed it to "hang out".

No Alomena. Friends don't do this kind of shit! They don't think about each other in that way. We are strictly friends! However, tonight was the second night that I touched myself to thoughts of him.

--

We had somehow began to spend more time together, if that were even possible. Our secret room was frequented so much that we added more pillows, candles, and blankets to our sacred space. We even managed to transfer some muggle electronics into the room; a tv and old video game set up for optimal entertainment. Rainy days were spent with me reading a textbook and Johnny sleeping on my lap, my hand running through his hair. It was serene and utterly perfect but I was digging my own grave. The longer we spent time together the more I found myself have sweet dreams (and not so sweet dreams) about him. I dreamt of his lips on mine, my hand being overwhelmed by his, my head against his chest, hearing his awkward little laugh as the result of something I said. I had it way too bad.

I had been planning, for weeks now, on ways to tell him. So much so that I could barely concentrate on anything else. I was distracted in classes and even lost a house point or two for messing up during lessons (which was bullshit by the way). It was eating me alive and I would rather have my body turn frigid and soulless by a Death Eater at this point. There was a night where I couldn't sleep at all. I felt sick to my stomach and my chest burned. I kept playing flashes of possible rejection and destruction of our friendship in my mind. I was scared shitless but it had to be done. I was over feeling like this. I prayed that I wouldn't lose my best friend. I was getting ready to text Johnny to see if he could meet me at our room but he beat me to the punch which surprised me. We had the same idea. He most likely wanted to hang out, which made me even more nervous and sick. Nonetheless, I got up from bed and pulled on my comfy sweater over my pajama tank top and shorts and began my creep crawling to the upper levels.

When I arrived at the door of our room, things seemed way to quiet. “Johnny? Are you here?” I whispered against the door. Suddenly it opened and he pulled me inside, setting me against the back of it. His hands were above either side of my shoulders, pinning me between him and the heavy wood.

“We have to be quiet. If we get caught I’m blaming you.” He hissed.

“Get caught? Why would we get caught? What’s going on?” He was making me more anxious than I already was. I watched as his adam’s apple bobbed with a heavy swallow that was followed up by a sigh.

“Look, I have to tell you something. Something important and I dont know how you’re going to react.”

“You’re freaking me out. Please just tell me. I can’t really take it tonight. I’ve been feeling weird all day.”

“Me too.” He agreed. “I can’t...I can’t...God, I just...I really want to kiss you right now.”

I was stunned and couldn’t move. My entire body felt a heavy fire wash over me and my thought processing shut down. He...he had been feeling the same thing I was? I had been too nervous to tell him and too afraid of losing our friendship but here he was wanting to kiss me? “But J-Johnny...we’re friends and I don’t-”

“We’re not just fucking friends and you know it! I know you feel something for me too. It’s been happening for weeks now. Tell me you feel the same way, Alomena. Say it.”

I swallowed hard and avoided his eyes. “I don’t want it to ruin our friendship. What if something goes wrong? It’s whats been keeping me away from you all this time. I don’t want to lose what we have, Johnny. I dont want to ruin the good memories we’ve made. Besides, you’re more outgoing. You can have any girl you want.”

“Alomena, you have no idea how much I want you. You and only you. I feel the most comfortable with you. We have a connection and I know it’s scary to jump into a relationship but I don’t think our friendship would be ruined. I trust you…” He let his hands slip from above my shoulders to rest on my hips. He pressed his forehead against mine and breathed softly against my lips. “Tell me you want me too. Please.”

“I do, Johnny. I do.” I finally confessed. It felt like a car had been lifted off my chest and I could finally breathe again. I wasn’t scared anymore. In fact, I was so happy. Happier than I ever imagined I could be. My best friend was now the love of my life and wanted to be with me. I reached up to cup his face in my hands and closed my eyes. “Kiss me.” I whispered.

He didn’t hesitate. Not one second. The moment his lips were on mine, our bodies were crushed together against the door. He was overwhelming me in the best way, covering me with heat and desire. I moved my hands down to his chest smoothing over the school uniform he still wore. He had probably just finished his patrols right before he texted but I did find it a bit naughty that he was fulfilling the age old school fantasy in a way. I felt his tongue pry at my lips then, catching me off guard as to how much he filled my mouth. He became curious about my body and no longer kept his hands on the safety of my hips. He was diving beneath my sweater and tank top, his slightly calloused skin flush against me and closing in on my breasts. I pushed him away then, crossing my arms protectively over my chest as he took a step back. "Johnny!"

"O-oh...I thought maybe you would want to...i-im sorry. I wasn't thinking." He hung his head low and fussed with his hair nervously. 

"No, I'm sorry. I just...it was a lot at once."

"It's ok! It's ok! I don't mind waiting. I'm fine!"

I made my way over to the blanket pile and sat down, looking up at him. "Maybe we could go a bit slower?" 

His eyes widened and he nodded eagerly. "Yes. Yeah. Sure. Absolutely."

I giggled at his dorkiness and grabbed his hand, pulling him down beside me. "Do you think it's gonna be weird? Seeing each other naked for the first time?"

Johnny shook his head. "No. I've been dreaming about this." He quickly covered his mouth. "I mean not in a creepy way! I just- it so happened that-!" 

I pressed my finger to his lips. "I've dreamt about it too and maybe did some things I wasn't supposed to do."

"Like um…" His fingers danced across the smooth skin of my thigh before resting between them. "Here?"

I nodded and nibbled on my lip. "It's embarrassing to say now."

"No, please. Don't be embarrassed. I find it...incredibly sexy. I'm honored " He laughed.

I grabbed onto his tie gently and pulled him closer. "Have you done it to thoughts of me?"

"Oh totally. All the time. You are super hot in your uniform skirt."

"Johnny!!" I hit him playfully.

"Well it's true! I can't help it! I think your gorgeous. Is it okay if I see you now? You know without ...clothes."

Now it was my turn to duck my head. "You first." I said, hoping he would stall but he was way more confident than I was. His tie was cast aside then his button up and tank top underneath. My breath stayed trapped in my lungs when I saw him and I whipped around, trying to calm myself. I had no idea that he would have such a toned stomach and solid biceps like that. When the hell did he find time to work out?!

"Mena? Should I stop?" He asked, concerned.

No no no. Don't stop. Don't stop, please. But also if he looked like that up top what the hell did he look like down below? "U-uh, it's fine I just didn't think you would look like that is all."

"Look like what?"

“Like...all hot.” I cringed at my own awkwardness while Johnny just laughed and pushed me down gently. He propped himself up on his elbow and pushed my curls behind my ear.

“You can stop me at anytime you know that right? Even if I am really hot.”

I covered my face with both my hands and groaned. “Shut up!”

“Mena, you’re not a…”

“Oh god no. Just that, I haven’t really had any amazing experiences and it’s kind of lowered my expectations. No offense. Also it hasn’t happened in awhile…”

“Hmm,” He nodded. “Well then I just have to change that, don’t I?” He tucked his fingers under the waistband of my shorts and pulled them down, watching me for any signs of hesitation. My breaths were a little heavier but i diverted my eyes to avoid focusing on the way he was being so cautious with me. He wasn’t bombarding me or trying to get this over in a moments time. It was as if he wanted to drink in every ounce of me. He pushed my sweater towards my shoulders, nodding at me to help take it off. I tossed it beside us and instantly wanted to pull the blankets over me. “I didn’t think you would be this shy, especially around me.”

“I-i’m...just a little nervous is all.”

“Do you think i’ll hurt you or something?” His lips were now trailing from my knee and up my inner thigh in teasing kisses. He parted my legs gently and let his hand caress the skin of the other.

“Not at all! I don’t want to mess up either and make it not great for you.”

He popped his head up for a moment. “Don’t worry about me. I want you to relax.” He tugged on my panties and i lifted my hips an inch so he could pull them away. And there I was, bare and in front of my best friend that I had dreamt about for weeks. Now that the moment had actually come I had seized up with nerves but I was glad he was setting the pace. Lord knows I would have been the one fumbling around as if I were a Hufflepuff. He opened my legs wider so his broad shoulders could fit between them before adding a hesitant lick to my lower lips. My body jerked instantly and i gripped the blankets beside me. He settled his arm over my hips and prodded his tongue against me again, making lazy strokes and modest sucks. It felt...amazing. Such a simple act of taking the time to think about what I wanted made me flushed with eagerness. I tried to hide my giggle behind my hand but Johnny noticed.

“What? Does that feel good or…?”

I cupped the back of his head and smirked. “Very good. More Johnny.”

He had an excited smile before he dove back in with the strokes of his tongue, increasing speed. The tip would flick beneath my clit before sliding over it and taking it between his lips. He hummed around it which provided a tingling sensation that made me squirm. I bit onto my lip and tried to roll my hips beneath his anchored arm but he wouldn't let me budge. Over and over he tendered to the sweet area, occasionally dipping his tongue inside me and eliciting moans from deep within my chest. He was teasing me, I could feel it and was a squirming mess. "Johnnnyyyy," I whined. "Cut it out."

"Oh? You want me to stop?"

"Don't stop...that! But stop your teasing! It's annoying. I would like to get off at some point."

"if you dont like my teasing then why are you moaning?" He smirked.

I glared down at him, annoyed by his cockiness. "I'm gonna kill you."

He sucked his teeth and shook his head in disapproval. "Typical Slytherin. You're the one who said you wanted to go slow."

"Yeah but…" I pouted. "I didn't expect it to feel this good."

"I've got more planned, don't worry." He kissed above my clit then worked his lips over my stomach, nudging my tank top upwards like he had done with my sweater. I grabbed the hem and pulled it off before arching my back and pressing my chest towards him. He wrapped those daring lips around my nipple while his hand morphed over my other breast. Mewls were tumbling from my lips as I felt him press into me. He nudged his hips against my thigh and made the fullness of his uniform pants brush against the top. I worked my legs between his, settling myself against the center of his pants and making him groan deeply. "A-are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

He popped his lips off me and looked away. "Um...no actually. It feels…"

"I can touch you, um, if you want now."

"P-please?"

I nodded and wiggled out from under him. "Ok. I can do that." I pushed my hair back and reached for the zipper of his pants. "Is that all...like...you in there?"

He sat back on his elbows. "Well it's not my wand that's for sure."

I shoved at him playfully. "Stop! You jerk!"

He laughed and took my hand in his, kissing the back of it. "Is it...too much, you think?"

I unzipped his pants and wiggled them down, sucking in a breath when I saw how his boxer briefs clung to his form. "I hope not. My mouth is a little small so I hope I don't fuck up."

He shook his head and encouraged me to free him. I discard his underwear by his pants and lowered myself to the heavy heat between his thighs. I was nervous to say the least. He looked intimidating yet I was dangerously curious to have him inside me. I placed a few kitten licks to just his head, hearing him hiss softly. He laid back against the pillows and let me try to stuff his tip past my lips. It wasn't easy but he seemed to accept how my lips wrapped around him. Slowly, my tongue worked around the circumference, tracing ridges and sucking every so often. I broke my suction from him to drag my tongue up and down his shaft adding a bit of moisture so my hand could roam comfortably. He breathed out my name and dug his fingers into my hair when my thumb pressed into a particularly sensitive spot by his base.

It was my turn to smirk and tease him. I preferred to offer him strokes and lengthy licks rather than sucking on him completely. "Now who's being the tease?" He growled.

I shrugged and giggled. "Payback, Johnny." I sucked at the beads of precum that formed at his tip, not really enjoying the taste but being a bit satisfied at the way it coated my tongue. He guided my hand towards his balls, blushing as he would have rather showed me than say it. I lowered myself to them to grip them gently, adding pressure little by little so I would make sure not to hurt him. His stomach flexed along with his toes, curling tightly as his lips parted to groan. That sound was devilish and angelic at the same time. It made my heart flutter but I also knew it was pure sin and I yearned to hear more. I kissed his thigh before crawling up to his face. I planted a kiss on his lips and settled my wetness right over him. "I want to hear that sound coming from you all night."

He hiked my legs up high to his ribcage and moved his fingers behind me, stroking my slit and gathering the cum he left behind. "I'll trade you." He worked a single finger in and that was enough to make me bury my face in his neck. "Each one you give me I'll be sure to return the favor. How's that?"

I mewled softly and nodded, wiggling my hips back against his finger as I wanted more. My clit brushed over his shaft as I did so making both of us shyly moan out into the confined face. Soon enough another one of his slender fingers filled me, curling slightly and drawing more out of me. I cried out and gripped onto his free hand, entwining our fingers together so I felt like I had some stability. He bucked his thighs to work me forward so our lips could crash together again. Those kisses were going to damn me to hell with how addicting they were. He had a way with moving his full lips smoothly over mine and coaxing my tongue to meet his. Occasionally, he would give it a little suck which made a moan reverberate between us. "Do you...think you might be ready?" He asked during a small moment where we separated for air.

I looked down at him, searching his eyes for the gentleness and patience he always gave me. It was there, beneath his hormones running amok, and gave me that sense of comfort I had with him. I pushed his hair back and smiled, placing a quick kiss on him. "Yeah, I think I am. Oh, do you have a uh...um…"

"Oh! Ye-yeah. I kinda brought one with me just in case."

"You were planning on this from the start, weren't you?!" I pouted.

"I said just in case! I didn't know it was gonna turn out so well. But you're glad I have one, aren't you?" 

I rolled my eyes and scooted off him. "I guess so...jerk."

He chuckled as he tore into the wrapper before sliding the condom on. "C'mere, silly…" He worked himself over me this time, making me victim to reliving my dream and staring up at all his beauty. This was the moment I had thought about, that I touched myself too, that I craved. All of my churning feelings that had driven me crazy for weeks lead up to this and it was finally happening. I didn't know what to feel but it was definitely a culmination of excitement and need. My fingers wrapped around Johnny's strong biceps as he guided himself to my entrance. His eyes were flickering from his cock to my face, gauging if everything was still alright. I gave him an encouraging nod and he pressed against me, pushing through just a bit. 

I winced and dug my nails into his skin. He had to make miniscule thrusts before his head filled me completely and almost made my body collapse into the blankets. He shushed me gently, adding kisses everywhere and nuzzling my neck. He whispered sweet nothings to get me to relax and not focus so much on how he was stretching me further than I had been before. He knew it would be a bit uncomfortable for me and tried his best to take his time but I knew he needed that release as much as I did. "It's ok," I whispered in between kisses. "Please Johnny. Please."

He shifted his hips forwards adding inch by inch until he settled in as much as he could go. I felt a heavy warmth in the pit of my stomach and the sting of my body trying to accomodate, pulling me closer to him. He didn't move until I relaxed my lower half and sunk down more onto his shaft. By the way his brows furrowed and eyes squeezed shut I could tell that me wrapping around him was driving him insane. That first full thrust was enough to dive us into an abyss of never ending fever. His fluid movements became less and less overwhelming and more pleasurable to the point where I felt confident to roll him over and straddle his hips again.

"M-mena?" The look of surprise on his face was priceless. It was like his eyes didn't know where to even begin looking but was fixated on the way my body looked above him. I planted my hands on his chest and worked my hips in little circles, driving him deeper inside me. "Fuck, you look so gorgeous."

I flipped my hair over my shoulder and smirked at the boost of confidence he was giving me. I had to admit, taking control like this was enticing. Just as much as Johnny liked me on top of him, I loved the way he looked beneath me. He moaned louder as he tossed his head back against the pillow. His hands clutched at me, encouraging me to bounce rather than roll my hips. His own snapped against the back of my thighs to plunge deeper into my depths, making me feel all he had to offer. His moans shifted into haphazard breaths and growls that I never expected from him. I gripped his chin and pulled him into another heated kiss. He took the opportunity to force his hips harder, drawing out pathetic whimpers and whines.

I clenched tight as I felt an actual orgasm building inside me. It was the first time a man was helping me achieve it and it made Johnny seem like a damn godsend. That fact that he shifted his hand between us to massage my clit had me in love with him even more. That attention made my body shudder deeply and beg him not to stop. He chuckled as I got too loud and tried to shush me so I wouldn't draw any potential attention. I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth to silence myself as my body crackled with electricity. I wanted to scream out his name as my body caved in and shuttered with my harsh orgasm but I swallowed it down. I collapsed onto him in a heap of heavy breaths and he squeezed me into a bear hug. "I got you…" he said softly.

He always did. Always took care of me, even now during the first time we got together. He was perfect in every way. As I calmed down and enjoyed the way he rubbed my back, I came to the realization that he was still lying in wait inside me. I lifted my head from his chest and kissed him. "I want you to feel good too."

Johnny kissed my forehead lightly. "Would it be okay if I did it from behind? I kinda...like that."

"Of course. Whatever you need, Johnny." We shifted into the position, my back bowed deeply and face buried into a pillow that I clutched tightly. The sound of us crashing together had me blushing but the way he plowed rougher into me had my being rosy with ecstasy. I sunk my teeth into the pillow and fisted the case tighter, taking in the rougher side of my best friend that I had never seen before. This underlying secret turned me on even more and I willed him to keep going until my knees gave out and I couldn't walk. He pressed his chest into my back and reached out to grab both my hands, holding on tightly. My name was mixed in with staggered breaths and slightly deeper moans that showed him unraveling and seeping into the barrier that separated us.

I tried to keep us up but his weight and my weakening frame wasn't enough and we fell against our blanket nest. It was oddly comforting to be crushed beneath him though it was getting harder to breathe. "Johnny?"

"Hmm?" He hummed sleepily.

"You're crushing me."

"Oh! Sorry!" He pulled out gradually leaving a bit of my cum to flow out of me. I snapped my legs shut and curled up quickly, hoping he didn't notice. He discarded the condom beside us with a knot at the top to tend to later and spooned me tight, pulling the covers over us. "Are you comfortable staying here?"

"I'd rather be here than in the dorm with no privacy. I like our little spot."

He nodded against my hair and held onto my hand once more. "Maybe next time we can try to do it in the Forbidden Forest."

"Do you want to die??! What kind of proposition is that?!"

"I'm kidding! Kidding! But I wouldn't mind finding some other secret spots to call our own." I could already hear the smirk in his tone.

"Oh yeah, you're my boyfriend now and the pervert jumps out."

"Boyfriend?" He questioned.

I looked back at him. "Aren't we-?"

"Yeah but it just…" His cheeks flushed and he hid against my shoulder. "It's just nice hearing it finally."

I giggled and reached back to ruffle his hair. "Oh Johnny...you're such a hufflepuff." 

[thevoidwell]

100 Reasons to Love Vivia Nihar

Inspired by @wrongshatteredrealms and their post about 100 reasons why Destin Karn is their favorite character from Shattered Realms.  This post took a while to make, but Vivia really deserves it.  It’s quite long, I warn you.

1. She loves her country even after everything the people in it put her through

2. She is a feminist icon

3. Her nickname is “Little Fox” and that’s just adorable

4. She’s so strong in spite of her mental health issues

5. Her mother committed suicide and she still manages to go past the place where it happened all the time without breaking down each time

6. She just cares about Stix so much and would die for her

7. When she realized just how much Serafin has been manipulating her, she tried her best to do something about it

8. She is a pirate princess who also happens to be a lesbian, and honestly you can’t get any cooler than that

9. “Do I look like I care about plums?”

10. “Now would be the right time for the gardener to complain about his plum trees”

11. She has that habit of patting the sides of her face like she’s checking to make sure her mask is in place

12. She calls Merik “Merry” and it makes me laugh every time

13. She’s the Chosen Daughter of the VOID WELL, which nobody thought existed

14. The lack of patience she has with the vizers is amusing, but she takes it to an art form with Serrit Linday and it’s priceless

15. Her annoyed internal monologue about how it seems like five thousand servants have stopped to talk to her, interrupted only by another servant coming to talk to her before she mentally changes the count to five thousand and one

16. All the pining for Stix in her POV chapters with the constant repetition of “Too good for me”

17. When she saves Merik’s life by showing up out of nowhere and cutting off Garren’s head

18. When, upon cutting off Garren’s head, she gloats by saying “Come back from that”

19. Even when Merik constantly misgenders Cam in Windwitch, Vivia still has a hard time believing he’s a girl

20. Later in Bloodwitch when Cam is introduced as a boy, Vivia immediately believes it (Merik, take lessons from your sister)

21. Her own brother thinks she’s intimidating and trying to have him killed, but she really just needs a hug

22. “I could have just as many titles if I wanted”

23. The way that as soon as she realizes Stix is missing, she goes into an absolute panic because what if something happened to her???

24. How she gets chills when Vizer Sotar calls her “My Queen” because no one’s ever called her that before

25. She put in so much work for the under-city but got recognized for none of it

26. She came up with a really awesome speech but didn’t get to say it

27. When Cam is talking about Paladins and magical doorways in Bloodwitch and externally Vivia is like, “Yeah, okay” when internally she’s basically saying, “What in the world is he talking about - ”

28. She completely tricked Merik into believing that the boat miniature was actually representing a Dalmotti trade ship

29. She also tricked Merik into believing that she believed him when he lied about where the miniature was

30. When she’s just so done with Linday in the council meeting and she keeps mentally making her ideal punishment for him even worse

31. Until she’s thinking about how he should be drawn, quartered, eviscerated, and burned to ashes and she gets distracted from the actual meeting

32. How flustered she gets when Stix kisses her on the cheek

33. How she constantly refers to that moment as “the kiss” even though it wasn’t a real kiss because it was so emotional for her

34. She quite literally jumps into a valley filled with seafire to save the people of Lovats

35. When Merik saves her from dying as she plummets through the valley of seafire, she acts like it’s an everyday occurrence and proceeds to just go about her business

36. She has a hard time trusting Cam at first, which makes sense, but as soon as he mentions the message that Stix sent her, Vivia immediately trusts him because it’s better than risking the chance that Stix might not need help

37. “You may lower your water�� “Oh may I?  I’m so glad to have your permission”

38. She has plans to put more women on the High Council once she’s officially queen

39. When Vivia, a person who has never had a real conversation with Safi, knows within about five seconds that the reason Safi wants Marstok to trade with Nubrevna is because of Merik

40. Over the course of Bloodwitch, she goes from barely interacting with Vizer Sotar to going to talk to him for literally everything and asking for advice and help

41. Anybody could say any random thing and she’d find a way to connect it to the fact that Stix is perfect and amazing

42. When she gets the message from Vaness suggesting a meeting over trade, she just starts laughing because she thinks it’s a trick, then when Stix says she should go she’s like “okay”

43. That kind of infuriating thing where she writes a message to Vaness via the Wordwitched paper after telling the empress she got home safely and we don’t get to know what she said

44. “You can keep [the pencil].  I have others” “As do I.  We’re not that poor”

45. How she bickers with Vaness for well over two pages about whose fault it was that the Truce got broken and who needed help more

46. When she thinks Merik is dead, the extent of her reaction is pretty much “Aw, that’s too bad” but when Stix goes missing for a day, she’s in an utter panic and asking Vizer Sotar where she could possibly be

47. How she learns to stop apologizing to Serafin and stop feeling guilty over the things he does to her

48. When she’s anxious over something, she stops and remembers [insert advice from her mother].  It doesn’t sound like a lot but when you remember that the whole country thinks her mother was insane and you remember their mother-daughter relationship, it’s sweet

49. That moment in Bloodwitch where her thought process is basically “I like how Stix always calls me ‘sir,’ it shows we respect each other but not in terms of royalty...wait why is she calling me ‘Your Highness’ now, does she not think we’re friends anymore?...oh thank God she called me ‘Viv,’ we’re friends for sure”

50. Nubrevna needed food, and it wasn’t getting food, so she just decided to steal it

51. She’s unbelievably calm when Merik holds a pistol to her head

52. She tries so hard to stop the Fury but doesn’t realize that the Fury is a reincarnated Paladin who happens to be pretty much immortal

53. For all those times Merik thought about how she treated her crew like servants, you don’t see her chaining people to the deck for 10 hours at a time

54. She is shameless about her piracy because she knows it’s for the greater good of Nubrevna

55. When she orders the generals to do something and they refuse, and she realizes that her crown was taken away and she hadn’t even been there for the vote like...poor Little Fox

56. When she has that realization that Jana had managed to bear with the shadows instead of nurturing them as Serafin had, and that made her even stronger than him

57. “Vivia was ready to be Queen” yes!!!

58. No matter what Merik does, chances are her response would be “ugh” or rolling her eyes because they are Siblings™

59. She doesn’t have as many of the action or fight scenes as the other characters, but I’m still always so excited for her next chapter because she’s just so amazing

60. When she decides it’s time to stop trying to be a good daughter and start trying to be a good ruler

61. When she mentally agrees with Vizer Sotar that Cam’s “door” is, in fact, a wall

62. When she’s simultaneously annoyed and impressed by how much clay and water Vaness put out before their meeting to make her feel safe against the empress’s Ironwitchery

63. That trick she does with the water at the meeting with the vizers

64. She reminds the High Council that it was Jana and not Serafin who signed the Truce, so he should not get the credit

65. When she stands up to her father and says that there is no way he’s fit to lead an army after having almost died

66. “I decide who holds the title of Admiral and I haven’t appointed you”

67. When she basically tells Serafin that he’s a pathetic soldier and he exaggerated all of his accomplishments, like Vivia, you tell him

68. The internal jealousy when she thinks Stix is seeing someone else

69. When she canonically thinks that Vizer Sotar is the only one on the council who has a fully operational brain

70. She does such a good job of pretending that Merik is dead at his funeral

71. For all she was talking about how the meeting with Vaness would be pointless, she actually stayed in touch with the empress and it’s a good thing she did

72. For that matter, she didn’t give up on Vaness’s negotiations when the empress had to end their meeting abruptly to talk to Habim

73. She isn’t physically described too much in the books, so the reader gets to have their own image in their head of what she looks like, more or less

74. Even though she’s proven to be good with a blade, most of the time she honestly doesn’t need one because of her Tidewitchery

75. When she sends Linday off to do something menial just so she can have a moment alone, but (unfortunately) he barks at some servant to do it instead, and she has to put up with Serrit Linday for even longer

76. When she internally calls Linday “slimy”

77. She stays so remarkably composed while the vizers tell her that her throne has been reclaimed by Serafin, even though her life is falling apart

78. She still goes to Jana’s garden sometimes

79. Most of the country thinks she is weak because she’s a woman and because her mother committed suicide, but omg Vivia can GET THINGS DONE

80. When Vaness dropping the pencil is actually reassuring to her because it means that she’s a human and not 100% perfect, 100% of the time

81. Her friendship with Stix is just amazing - so much mutual respect and support

82. Her self-esteem is nonexistent, but Stix trying to boost it always seems to make her day

83. She worked so hard to get the food for Nubrevna that it was so heartbreaking when she realized it was all for nothing

84. For that matter, the same goes for her efforts for the under-city

85. In Windwitch she mentions how she hates spiders, but later she gets a spider off Merik when he doesn’t notice it’s there #SisterlyLove

86. After Stix kisses her on the cheek, she literally just stands there because she’s just so 😍 overwhelmed 😍

87. When Serafin jokes about Vivia possibly having arranged for Vaness’s death and she’s horrified at the idea but externally is like “yeah...ha ha ha”

88. When she was a kid, she found an abandoned room in one of the palace wings and she decorated it herself and called it her fox’s den, which is the cutest thing ever

89. When she realizes that the Void Well is the Void Well and she knows she should bring her father down to heal him but some part of her doesn’t know if she should...she’s just so confused and, I repeat, really needs a hug

90. That moment where she’s so busy that she doesn’t try to put on a façade and Stix actually notices and she’s just so touched

91. When Vivia decides that even though she doesn’t know Cam, there is no way she’s going to stand there and do nothing while Garren cuts off his finger

92. When she has no idea what just happened but she’s glad she saved Merik’s life, so this one time she has no regrets

93. When she is so overwhelmed by all the negative things happening that she thinks to herself that this must be what drowning feels like, and it’s just so painful to read

94. That moment in Windwitch where she’s so scared that something might happen to Merik or her crew and she feels like she’s somewhere between Serafin and Jana and she doesn’t know which side is the better one, so she makes that decision to save the city even though she thinks it’ll kill her

95. When she manages to start over with Merik and put everything in the past

96. How all of her irritation towards the vizers goes out the window whenever she talks to or thinks about Stix

97. How she’s so frustrated by Vaness at first but by the end has a lot of respect for her

98. The way she acts in front of the council in comparison to the way she acts when she’s alone

99. She’s part of Vix, an amazing ship!!!!

100. In conclusion, Vivia is such an incredible character and deserves all the love in the world.  Thank you for reading 🙂

[thisguyatthemovies]

Hard act to swallow

Title: “Swallow”

Release date: In theaters and streaming March 6, 2020

Starring: Haley Bennett, Austin Stowell, Elizabeth Marvel, David Rasche, Denis O’Hare, Laith Nakli, Zabrina Guevara

Directed by: Carlo Mirabella-Davis

Run time: 1 hour, 38 minutes

Rated: R

What it’s about: A young wife with a seemingly perfect life starts swallowing inedible items and then must confront her past.  

How I saw it: It’s hard to say, really, what aspect of writer/director Carlo Mirabella-Davis’ psychological drama “Swallow” is the most difficult to digest. Is it?

·        The phony smile that wealthy homemaker Hunter Conrad (Haley Bennett) forces herself to wear, one that doesn’t begin to cover up her deep sense of turmoil and sadness.

·        The way her husband (Austin Stowell as Richie Conrad), father-in-law (David Rasche as Michael Conrad) and mother-in-law (Elizabeth Marvel as Katherine Conrad) minimalize Hunter, reducing her to trophy wife status. The men don’t let her finish her sentences. Katherine Conrad reminds Hunter how fortunate she is to have married into money.

·        How her husband pretends to be the perfect spouse and then turns on Hunter whenever it fits his needs. He tells her she can’t make mistakes even if she tries. A moment later, he is belittling her for having damaged one of his silk ties with an iron.

·        The way Hunter can’t or won’t stand up for herself and express her own needs.

·        A painful-to-watch scene in which Hunter confronts her past and her estranged biological father.

·        The final, sad, remarkably casual and divisive final scene.

·        And, oh yes, watching and (worst of all) listening to Hunter swallow a marble, pushpin, battery, pages from a book, potting soil and … I’ll save the worst for later.

Hunter, a timid woman who busies herself by picking out drapes, preparing Instagram-worthy meals and cleaning out the pool at her and her husband’s elegant home overlooking the Hudson River in upstate New York, suffers from pica, a psychological disorder characterized by an urge to eat indigestible items. Pica is linked to emotional trauma, family issues and pregnancy (Hunter learns she is with child early in “Swallow”). Those afflicted with pica are believed to be seeking comfort and control over their lives. Hunter thoroughly enjoys eating inedible items; she seems contented, and her smile is more sincere. She also takes great pride in retrieving the items from her bowel movements, cleaning them and putting them on display. Yes, that happens.

Her husband finds out about her disorder when Hunter is rushed into emergency surgery after a battery she swallowed is discovered during an ultrasound. He, of course, reacts with anger and virtually no understanding. His family hires a therapist (who is expected to relay everything Hunter tells her to her husband) and a nurse/babysitter, Luay (Laith Nakli), a burly man who fled Syria after tiring of war and believes part of Hunter’s problem is she has too much time to think because she isn’t dodging bullets.

Hunter is resentful of Luay at first, but the two form a bond. And they share easily the most tender moment in “Swallow.” When Hunter becomes violently ill after eating potting soil, she crawls under her bed. Luay finds her there, slides under the bed and tells her “you are safe here” while holding her hand. Unfortunately, Luay falls asleep. When he awakes, Luay finds Hunter in excruciating pain after she swallows a … wait for it. Richie and his parents try to get Hunter to voluntarily enter a psychiatric hospital, threatening her with divorce. But with Luay’s help, she escapes to the freedom she has been longing for and eventually finds the control missing from her life.

Bennett (“The Girl on the Train,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Music and Lyrics”) does a superb job of tackling a multidimensional character. She is convincing as the compliant wife, the tortured soul and the liberated young woman. The inclusion of Nakli as Luay was a brilliant call by Mirabella-Davis. Nakli provides the only moments to even border on comical, and he adds warmth to a film that otherwise would have none. Stowell, Rasche and Marvel do what they can with their stereotyped rich jerks roles.

Suffice to say “Swallow” is not the most pleasant of films. The sound of someone swallowing metal objects is, even though it is being faked in a movie, excruciating. Mirabella-Davis, in his narrative feature film debut, deserves credit for tackling such a challenging topic. “Swallow” is high-risk filmmaking. It hits a lot of familiar notes in the current spate of feminism films (Richie Conrad is, of course, suitably over-the-top misogynistic), which most often seem to take place among people of wealth and privilege because, apparently, we enjoy watching people like that have problems. The ending represents a freeing moment for Hunter, though not everyone will be cheering. But “Swallow” is at the least an interesting film, one that can be, in a twisted sort of way, enjoyed if you have the stomach for it.

My score: 82 out of 100

Should you watch it? Perhaps. How do you feel about watching (and hearing) someone swallow a miniature screwdriver?

[f1g]

this a compilation of all of the moments in the dr.STONE manga that senku and gen share together! they're sorted in order by chapter, and they include descriptions and links to the panels. at the end, there's a section with some random fun facts/crumbs/observations that don't quite fit into the main list that are nice to know. many thanks to ukyoxchrome for helping assemble this list! now let us proceed under the cut to contemplate why exactly they are boyfriends and how cute they are... (as one would expect there are major manga spoilers throughout this whole post so read at your own risk)

Chapter 12 - gen first appears on the psychology book cover in a flashback! senku proceeds to stomp all over his quiz

Chapter 23 - gen introduced in the flesh when he arrives at ishigami village and asserts his status as resident cola man. senku recognizes him from way back when (omg) and calls his book trashy and we get these panels of gen being a sad ferret

Chapter 24 - senku calls gen a “capable fake magician”, gen is impressed by senku making a generator

Chapter 25 - in order to help senku with his generator for the first time gen works his psychology stuff to manipulate someone (kinrou and ginrou) into achieving one of senku’s goals

Chapter 26 - first big sengen moment. gen gets beaten up by magma, senku and gen have, uh, this moment i'll let the pictures speak for themselves. the tenderness... the intimacy. god

Chapter 38 - gen returns during the tournament, senku and gen team up so that chrome can burn magma

Chapter 40 - also a huge chapter for sengen. gen blushing and being tsundere while thinking about senku, some banter between them, and FINALLY colaman gets his cola oh my god look how happy he is

Chapter 46 - teaming up against hyouga and co look at their faces at the end ahh and also gen being cute and waving back while he returns to tsukasa

Chapter 47 - senku makes a katana, something gen suggested in chapter 24

Chapter 48 - gen officially defects to senku's side and at the end of the chapter there’s a cute drawing of gen and senku wielding katanas together

Chapter 51 - senku makes cotton candy, gen wants to taste it. also, a gay-coding moment where we are yet again reaffirmed that senku is not interested in girls

Chapter 53 - gen calls senku cool, and is impressed by senku’s light bulb. senku and gen stand by the christmas tree and gen realizes it’s christmas

Chapter 54 - gen invites senku to see the new year’s day first sunrise with everyone and asks senku how many days he has lived, which leads to the birthday party.

Chapter 55 - gen starts planning for the birthday party

Chapter 56 - gen's surprise birthday party! gen says he liked senku before he met him! gen uses “好き” which can be used in confessions in japanese!!!!! best chapter.

Chapter 57 - senku drags gen by his hood into the lab and gen doesn’t understand anything. senku tells gen he expected him to be smarter lol

Chapter 59 - gen remembering senku's birthday again and figuring out that they should go visit byakuya's grave

Chapter 60 - senku is looking through his telescope and he can literally sense that it’s gen at his door oh my he is so gay… then a total hell yeah motherfucker moment

Chapter 61 - senku and gen talk alone together for a bit until chrome busts in. senku says that gen’s lillian impression is good. epic brofist ensues

Chapter 63 - gen and senku communicate with each other via morse code. it is revealed in the volume 8 bonus content that senku taught it to gen himself TT_TT

Chapter 65 - gen escapes from ukyo and RUNS back to senku. just before, senku thinks “if gen doesn’t come back before then, it’s game over” he doesn’t even mention chrome or magma haha

Chapter 66 - popularity poll results are out, gen is in third place and senku is in first place, they appear in a color page together (with kohaku in second place). gen and senku make the phone call to convince nikki to join senku’s side, bantz ensue idk

Chapter 67 - senku and gen wear modern japanese school uniforms while nikki is yelling at them in this gag, very cute. Gen is surprised by senku wanting to build a car. also in one translation senku says “stan” and gen says “yikes”

Chapter 68 - gen notes how excited senku and his pals are over building a car several times

Chapter 70 - cover page has senku riding the tank and gen inside it. gen is impressed by the paper that senku made

Chapter 73 - gen and senku team up as lillian weinberg and sebastian the interpreter. gen calls senku “senku-kun” (the only time he has used an honorific that wasn’t “-chan” for someone)

Chapter 74 - gen cries because senku doesn’t know how to negotiate with people

Chapter 75 - senku and gen are in the tank together while they take over the cave of miracles

Chapter 76 - gen calls senku “hella prepared”

Chapter 77 - Senku and Gen try to make a weapon to defeat tsukasa. Gen touches snake shit for senku. (kat’s note: That is real love lol)

Chapter 82 - gen mirin senku’s medical adhesive making

Chapter 84 - ukyo talks to gen about his decision to defect from tsukasa, gen stares wistfully into the distance and says “senku, huh…”. really makes you think pic (kat’s note: HE LITERALLY SAID “SENKU” FOR NO REASON OH MY HE IS SO GAY) (macklemore’s note: in the pic it’s a little different as it’s a different translation but in the viz one he does in fact say “senku, huh...”)

Chapter 86 - gen and senku just, being on the absolute same wavelength here. effervescent

Chapter 87 - more scheming ft. ryusui, devilishness ensues. up there in the most iconic sengen moments

Chapter 88 - gen does his thing w the cards, more shenanigans. Wonderful

Chapter 92 - gen pretends that senku has made a camera so that they can get the extra revival fluid from minami

Chapter 93 - senku says “that mouth of yours is really too much, mentalist!!” lmao

Chapter 94 - senku tries to quiz gen on the discovery of the sagara oil field

Chapter 95 - gen mirin senku’s motorboat. senku and gen are both on the boat together. gen also interprets morse code again in this chapter

Chapter 97 - ukyo and gen have another little discussion about senku, gen stares wistfully into the distance yet again. what did they mean by this

Chapter 98 - senku finally makes paved roads for gen

Chapter 99 - senku and gen conspiring to get money from ryusui again

Chapter 100 - gen is the last one to go on the boat, senku calls out to him and tells him that they need his skills, gen goes up really close to him and says that he would rather stick with senku’s group because that would be the safest bet TT_TT

Chapter 101 - gen is curious about where senku is, he goes to where senku is (with ruri) and literally just falls asleep next to him. later on gen has a question about soyuz he calls for senku

Chapter 103 - senku chooses gen to go to treasure island with the team of 4

Chapter 104 - senku and gen get a color page together, and they work together to deduce that amaryllis is around

Chapter 105 - senku needs to use the tear gas contraption that is on Gen’s back. gen understands immediately and becomes senku’s table hfsdjkf

Chapter 106 - they realize the thing amaryllis is talking about is the petrification beam after she describes her flashback.

Chapter 110 - gen calls senku cute as a girl

Chapter 113 - gen has his moment in the spotlight, general banter between them, modern au thing with them in the chapter cover page

crumbs

now here are just some panels and observations that aren't critical in the development of their relationship but are nice to note regardless

Chapter 26 - senku noting that gen isn't quite dead yet and senku helping hoist gen up into the hut lol

Chapter 39 - in the viz translation gen calls senku “my dear senku” i just think that’s really cute

Chapter 45 - just this omg why is senku so pretty

Chapter 52 - senku says that gen is good at impressions (this is also foreshadowing for when gen impersonates lillian weinberg)

Chapter 56 - just a few more crumbs from this chapter

Chapter 58 - gen saying "tewwible" i think this is great

Chapter 60 - being cute together. i am addicted to that "long day, huh?" panel

Chapter 84 - in the cover page, you see senku with basically the entire cast in front of him, and gen is the only person behind him. really makes u think. gen really is senku’s right hand man huh :’’)

in general, gen is shows just being really impressed by senku’s stuff which isn’t really matched by any other named character

in conclusion sengen is cute and canon they are chaotic good bfs and are in love thank u for coming to my ted talk. the world needs more sengen content

[takemethroughrio]

Get to know me 1. Name - Jimand Mamaa Adoley Allotey

2. Age - 21 (22 on the 22 Of May)

3. City that you live in - At the moment its Canterbury

4. What do most people not know about you? - Surprisingly that my name is a compilation of my parents name which are, JIMMY AND AMANDA= JIMAND.

5. What do most people know you for? - that I'm into theatre?? Lol i dunno..

6. Hobbies - MUSICAL THEATRE, BECAUSE MUSICAL THEATRE IS LIFE, lol

7. What are your passions? Jesus, Musical Theatre, Movies and Tv Shows.

8. What do you search for in a significant other? umm gotta be funny, compassionate, be my friend, Jesus, TBH i hate questions like this cause well you never know really.

7. What are you most proud of? maturing in my personal life, overcoming my insecurities and the hate i had for myself, my growth with my general theatre skill, my A level grades lol and lastly possibly how happy I am in compared to the last 2 years of uni.

8. When was the last time you had a significant conversation with someone you love? last week sunday, with my mum.

9. Have you ever collected anything? What was it? yep, a delivery to new look, i think it was just a bunch of clothes. 

10. List 10 things off of your bucket list-

• win an Oscar • win a Tony • Be in a Disney movie • play A Marvel or Dc character • sing For hillsong • jump out of a plane • learn how to ride a motorcycle • meet Beyonce • meet Lin Manuel Miranda

11. What was the last thing you learned? my lines for my show.

12. How many relationships have you been in? well tbh id say one really 5/6 year long relationship but i did have 4 “high-school boyfriends” 

  13. Turn ons- good smell you know like cologne or aftershave (it just gets me going) love a man who smells good, kissing my neck.., a guy who can sing and play an instrument, oh and sincerity.

14. Turn offs-  SNORING, No sense of time, being a dick, smelling bad and late replies.

15. Favorite food - A white chocolate crepe with strawberries. 

16. Favorite drink - cold ( Sprite)  Hot ( Chai Latte) Alcohol (Strawberry daquiri) 

17. What is the best birthday gift you have ever received? um a tumblr page dedicated to me, it was really cute..

18. Are you optimistic or pessimistic? In between really but i am more of a pessimist. 

19. Do you sleep during class? sometimes lol 

20. What is the most expensive thing you own? a chanel bag. 

21. What is the cheapest yet most useful thing you own? my hairband.

22. How many times a day on average do you check your phone? lol too many to even count...

23. Text or call? Call

24. Opinion on long distance? y'all were right.. 

25. What is your definition of success? BEING HAPPY IN LIFE. 

26. Favorite song? everything and anything BEYONCE.

27. Favorite artist? BEYONCE.

28. Celebrity crush/crushes? dylan o’brien, chris pratt, tom holland. 

29. When was the last time you read for fun? last year.

30. Favorite flower? cherry blossoms

31. What is the best gift you could receive right now? MONEY

32. Any guilty pleasures? probably singing in the shower and imagining performing, also nothing ever beats that white chocalate crepe with strawberries.

33. What is one thing you would like to change about yourself? my pessimistic and how i overthink things.

34. What do you search for in a friend? sincerity. 

35. How many times have you said "I love you" in the past month? Too many times lol i love my friends and family legit say it whenever i say bye. 

36. Where did you last go other than your room/home? um i was on campus earlier? lol 

37. Why do bad things happen to good people? because life is beans

38. In your opinion, what hurts more? Being left out or being stabbed in the eye? being left out.

39. How many green shirts do you own? about 6

40. Do you like anime? YASSSS

41. What do you invest the most time in? THEATRE( MUSICAL THEATRE AND PLAYS) 

42. What was the name of the last book you read? The alchemist 

43. What's the difference between loving and liking someone? love is unconditional, no matter what you do they have a spot in your heart, its not by choice also it just happens, whereas with liking someone well that is a choice.

44. Where are you most productive? probably in my sitting room or my bedroom.

45. List 3 things you enjoy doing with friends. - watching movies or tv shows, random adventures or trips, drinking and dancing with them lot.

46. List 3 things you enjoy doing alone. - showering, sleeping and reading. 

47. Do you believe world peace will ever exist? nope

48. Do you have any allergies? yep 

49. When was the last time you cussed at someone? this morning.

50. What was the last promise you made? LOL something crude.

51. What was your last dream about? travelling actually with friends. 

52. If you won a trip to Hawaii and you could take 5 people with you, who would those 5 people be? Eli, Mum, Dad, Ben, Josh.

53. How many countries have you visited? 6 

54. What is your favorite medium of art? (Music, dance, painting, etc.) has to be Musical Theatre.

56. When was the last time somebody complimented you? Last night.

56. If you switched bodies with someone, how would you recognize yourself? look for the small one.

57. Do you consider yourself mature? yup.

58. How many days in your life do you think you have wasted on tumblr? probs 700 there bouts. 

59. What is your favorite quote? Carpe diem.

60. If you started a new religion and you had to create 3 rules or commandments for your new followers to live by, what would those 3 rules be? let there be peace, love and happiness.

61. What is your greatest accomplishment? Atm sticking with my passion and following it. 

62. Do you believe in the death penalty? No.

63. What are your goals for life? to make it on the west end, broadway, hollywood and to also worship in a church.

64. What do you think your soulmate is doing right now? lol living life.

65. If you could live anywhere, where would you live? The place can be in an imaginary, fantasy, or the real world. - probs the marvel universe.

66. What were you like in 2013? depressed. 

67. Do you have a job? nope.. but working on it. 

68. Tell us a story about your childhood best friend.- SHE IS THE BEST THING TO EVER BE CREATED AND WE STILL ARE BEST FRIENDS, SHE IS MY HEART MY SOUL, MY OTHER HALF AND CONTINENTS MAY KEEP US APART BUT WE BLOOD AND WE SHALL BE BESTIES TILL THE END OF TIME. 

69. If you could change one thing about society, what would it be? the hatred that exists.

70. How many all-nighters have you pulled before? too many.

71. Is tumblr your favorite website? If not, then what is your favorite website? Twitter. 

72. What is the craziest thing you would do for a million dollars? strip naked and run around lol y'all won't think il be crazy when I'm balling.

73. Does money equal happiness? no.

74. How many times have you experienced true happiness in your lifetime? 3 times when I gave my life to christ, every time I worship and every time I'm on stage performing. 

75. How many times have you experienced true sadness in your lifetime? 4 times in my life. 

76. What is the funniest joke you have ever been told? lol too many to write up

77. When was the last time you looked at the news? last sunday.

78. If you could say one thing to the world, what would you say? fix up guys. 

79. What is your favorite animal? eagle.

80. If you could earn a million dollars by pretending to be dead for 3 years, would you do it? lol bye guys, i am going into hiding. 

81. What is one thing that everyone is bad at? COMMUNICATION.

82. What time do you normally sleep? How many hours of sleep do you usually get? lol 2-4am and usually 5-12 hours. 

83. Does age necessarily equal maturity? i don't believe an age has a specific maturity level, people gain maturity at different ages. 

84. What is your favorite clothing store? probably new look or zara.

85. In the winter- beanies or gloves? beanies.

86. Would you rather have wings or a fish tail? wings

87. If you had the power to erase one person from the world so that nobody remembered him or her except you, would you do it? nope 

88. What do you fear the most? spiders

89. How many digits of pi can you recite? can't

90. If you could travel back to one year and relive it again, which year would it be? 2001

91. Describe yourself in one word.- energy

92. Describe your last victory.- beat depression.

93. What is the weirdest thing you have ever seen? lol i can't even pin point i see too much weird shit on the daily.

94. What is something you will never forget? getting lost in disney land at the age of 5.

95. Would you rather forget all of the past or remember everything in vivid detail? remember.

96. Have you ever broken a bone before? nope.

97. Is it harder to love or to hate somebody? hate. 

98. Coffee or tea? tea.

99. What are some little things that you do that have changed your life in a positive way? don't compare myself to people= no more insecurities= love myself= no more depression = HAPPY JIMS.

100. How many hours have you spend on tumblr today? well this has taken a bloody hour and 30 minutes to do lol

[woltemath]

1. Who was the last person you held hands with? My best friend's son, Alrik
 2. Are you outgoing or shy? A mix of both
 3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? I have a small group of people that I'm always happy to see
 4. Are you easy to get along with? That depends on you
 5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? He would, he definitely would
 6. What kind of people are you attracted to? Generally nerdy men, but at the moment no one 
 7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? No
 8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? My friend Tarì, she's about to move to Oregon
 9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? Nah
 10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? Probably Quentin
 11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? "She's probably my least favorite, but I'm still early on in the show" sent to my best friend discussing Sense8
 12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now? How Far I'll Go, Spirit in the Sky, Bleeding Heart, Its Over Isn't It?, and I Won't Say I'm in Love
 13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? Ohh yeah..
 14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? Not really but I don't deny their existence either
 15. What good thing happened this summer? We're going to see!
 16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? Last person to kiss me was Derek and he did it as a joke, so nah
 17. Do you think there is life on other planets? There's no way that in the entire universe that we're the only planet with forms of life on it, so yes
 18. Do you still talk to your first crush? No, but Derek is close with him.
 19. Do you like bubble baths? I like baths with bath bombs
 20. Do you like your neighbors? No, they leave me and I pretend that they don't exist
 21. What are you bad habits? I'm terrible at procrastinating
 22. Where would you like to travel? Disney world/land!!
 23. Do you have trust issues? No, but I'm wary
 24. Favorite part of your daily routine? Going to sleep
 25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? Right now, my forehead because it's got a rash 
 26. What do you do when you wake up? I check how much more time I have to sleep
 27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? I'm fine with my skin, as is
 28. Who are you most comfortable around? Bryan and Tarì
 29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? Nope & not interested
 30. Do you ever want to get married? Sure, if the person is right for me
 31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail? It is if the ponytail is on top of my head 
 32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? Tom Welling & John Krasinski
 33. Spell your name with your chin. Slec 
 34. Do you play sports? What sports? I like playing Volleyball and Baseball
 35. Would you rather live without TV or music? Oh yikes, if I HAD to pick, I'd live without music but probably not for very long
 36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? 😏
 37. What do you say during awkward silences? I usually take that opportunity to leave 
 38. Describe your dream girl/guy? Someone who makes me laugh, is nerdy, and has hobbies that I can learn. Doesn't hurt if they have freckles and glasses and kind of look like Clark Kent
 39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? Barnes & Noble and Target
 40. What do you want to do after high school? I've been out of high school for 9 years
 41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? Depends on the circumstances.
 42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? I probably don't want to talk
 43. Do you smile at strangers? Only when I'm clocked in at work 
 44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? I'm more curious about the ocean depths
 45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? Hunger
 46. What are you paranoid about? My expired license plate 
 47. Have you ever been high? Ya
 48. Have you ever been drunk? Oh ya
 49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? Nothing comes to mind 
 50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? Gray
 51. Ever wished you were someone else? I've never wished to be a different person, but I have wished to live under different circumstances
 52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? Maybe a better build
 53. Favourite makeup brand? Err
 54. Favourite store? Barnes & Noble
 55. Favourite blog? I don't have a favorite
 56. Favourite colour? Red
 57. Favourite food? Tacos
 58. Last thing you ate? Spaghettios
 59. First thing you ate this morning? Cherry Pop Tarts
 60. Ever won a competition? For what? Not that I can recall? I made top 10 in a knife throwing competition
 61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? Nope
 62. Been arrested? For what? Nope
 63. Ever been in love? Nope
 64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? It wasn't anything special, a girl kissed me at the end of our theater date, we saw Water Horse
 65. Are you hungry right now? I'm always hungry
 66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? I have one friend from Tumblr and she's great.
 67. Facebook or Twitter? I use Facebook more
 68. Twitter or Tumblr? Tumblr
 69. Are you watching tv right now? Ya
 70. Names of your bestfriends? Bryan & Rebecca
 71. Craving something? What? Ice Cream
 72. What colour are your towels? Blue & Green
 72. How many pillows do you sleep with? One
 73. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? There's one on my bed but I don't sleep with it
 74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? Two
 75. Favourite animal? Otters
 76. What colour is your underwear? Not currently wearing any 
 77. Chocolate or Vanilla? Vanilla 
 78. Favourite ice cream flavour? M&M Cookie Dough
 79. What colour shirt are you wearing? Gray
 80. What colour pants? Black
 81. Favourite tv show? Friends
 82. Favourite movie? I Love You Man
 83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? Mean Girls
 84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? Mean Girls
 85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? Probably Gretchen
 86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? Bruce the shark I guess
 87. First person you talked to today? My coworker and friend, Shannon the cannon
 88. Last person you talked to today? My brother Brendan
 89. Name a person you hate? Trump
 90. Name a person you love? Paul Rudd
 91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? My boss Christian
 92. In a fight with someone? Nah
 93. How many sweatpants do you have? I don't any sweatpants
 94. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? I think 3 or 4
 95. Last movie you watched? Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
 96. Favourite actress? Aubrey Plaza
 97. Favourite actor? Paul Rudd
 98. Do you tan a lot? I've never tanned
 99. Have any pets? 2 cats, Arabella and Leonia (Arie & Leo)
 100. How are you feeling? Hungry
 101. Do you type fast? By no means
 102. Do you regret anything from your past? Occasionally 
 103. Can you spell well? Usually 
 104. Do you miss anyone from your past? Once in awhile but there's usually a reason that I left them there
 105. Ever been to a bonfire party? Ya
 106. Ever broken someone’s heart? Not that I'm aware of
 107. Have you ever been on a horse? No, they're demons 
 108. What should you be doing? I have no where to be
 109. Is something irritating you right now? My new bosses incompetence
 110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? No
 111. Do you have trust issues? No
 112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? Arie
 113. What was your childhood nickname? Snert
 114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? Ya, lived out of my home state for like 5 years
 115. Do you play the Wii? I have
 116. Are you listening to music right now? I'm watching Steven Universe, so ya
 117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? Ya
 118. Do you like Chinese food? I LOVE Chinese food
 119. Favourite book? Redwall
 120. Are you afraid of the dark? Nah
 121. Are you mean? I'm perceived as mean
 122. Is cheating ever okay? Never
 123. Can you keep white shoes clean? Never had to
 124. Do you believe in love at first sight? I don't have an opinion on it really
 125. Do you believe in true love? Ya
 126. Are you currently bored? Nah
 127. What makes you happy? Otters, Tacos, People I like, and alone time 
 128. Would you change your name? I'd like to lose part of it
 129. What your zodiac sign? ♐️ Sagittarius ♐️
 130. Do you like subway? It's alright
 131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? I don't believe that
 132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? Wasn't this question already asked?
 133. Favourite lyrics right now? "War and Glory, Reinvention, Fusion, Freedom, Her Attention"
 134. Can you count to one million? I'd probably mess it up
 135. Dumbest lie you ever told? Can't recall? I don't really have many opportunities to lie
 136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? Open
 137. How tall are you? 5'9"
 138. Curly or Straight hair? I have straight hair
 139. Brunette or Blonde? I'm a brunette
 140. Summer or Winter? Summer
 141. Night or Day? Day but like.. early afternoon
 142. Favourite month? October 
 143. Are you a vegetarian? No, but I did Meatless Monday's for a year
 144. Dark, milk or white chocolate? Milk Chocolate
 145. Tea or Coffee? Tea
 146. Was today a good day? It was a busy day
 147. Mars or Snickers? Snickers
 148. What’s your favourite quote? "Do no harm, take no shit"
 149. Do you believe in ghosts? I love ghosts
 150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? "So, in a very short time, with the help of the gods, the stones cast by man became men, and those by woman, women"

[lost-your-memory]

100 questions

So I was tagged by @writerinthedarkabyss so here’s my take at this. 1: Is there a boy/girl in your life?

Nope

2: Think of the last person who hurt you; do you forgive them?

I’m not sure I’m there yet but I will forgive them, eventually.

3: What do you think of when you hear the word “meow?”

My six cats, wanting food

4: What’s something you really want right now?

Peace of mind would be nice

5: Are you afraid of falling in love?

Not afraid no, but certainly not looking forward too. It’s a mess.

6: Do you like the beach?

It’s a tricky question. I love the sea and the ocean but I don’t like sand beaches. I’m all for cliffs with nice edges. 

7: Have you ever slept on a couch with someone else?

Yeah, in every meaning of the term.

8: What’s the background on your cell?

A Supercorp picture, I changed my theme recently and I haven’t find a nice Supercat one yet.

9: Name the last four beds you were sat on?

Mine, my sister’s, my grand mother’s and an hotel’s one.

10: Do you like your phone?

HELL YEAH, I bought it for the camera and it’s LIT.

11: Honestly, are things going the way you planned?

Ah. No.

12: Who was the last person whose phone number you added to your contacts?

Probably the one of a Tumblr buddy, to chat on Whatsapp

13: Would you rather have a poodle or a Rottweiler?

Rottweiler. I don’t like tiny yappy dog.

14: Which hurts the most, physical or emotional pain?

Emotional pain. I am pretty insensitive when it comes to physical pain and it doesn’t last. Emotional pain leaves invisible scars that never heals. 

15: Would you rather visit a zoo or an art museum?

Both is good but it depends of what kind of museum, to be honest.

16: Are you tired?

I just woke up but it’s going to be a long day ...

17: How long have you known your 1st phone contact?

Forever.

18: Are they a relative?

Yeah, it’s my mother. She’s my savior.

19: Would you ever consider getting back together with any of your exes?

Been there, done that, never again.

20: When did you last talk to the last person you shared a kiss with?

A few weeks ago but it was a bet and it didn’t mean anything, we just laughed.

21: If you knew you had the right person, would you marry them today?

Nope. I don’t believe in marriage and anywa, if I’m happy without, then no.

22: Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

I wouldn’t mind, since it was a bet. She’s a great kisser.

23: How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now?

Just my watch, if it counts.

24: Is there a certain quote you live by?

“Ne prenez pas la vie au sérieux ; de toute façon, vous n'en sortirez pas vivant.” - Bernard Fontenelle (Roughly translated into English : Don’t take like too seriously, you won’t get out alive no matter what)

25: What’s on your mind?

Domestical chores, Supercat prompts, a thesis I need to finish and thoughts about getting a job.

26: Do you have any tattoos?

None.

27: What is your favorite color?

Navy blue

28: Next time you will kiss someone on the lips?

Whenever it happens, I guess

29: Who are you texting?

I’m not texting at the moment but I’m part of a supercat groupchat and they are all awesome.

30: Think to the last person you kissed, have you ever kissed them on a couch?

Uh ... I think so? Either a couch or the floor next to one.

31: Have you ever had the feeling something bad was going to happen and you were right?

Story of my life.

32: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talk to?

I do.

33: Do you think anyone has feelings for you?

I have literally NO IDEA.

34: Has anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes?

Yeah, it happens on a regular basis. I don’t know why, my eyes are pretty much ordinary.

35: Say the last person you kissed was kissing someone right in front of you?

I would totally cheer. 

36: Were you single on Valentines Day?

Yeah

37: Are you friends with the last person you kissed?

Friend is a big word but yeah we get along.

38: What do your friends call you?

Gane.

39: Has anyone upset you in the last week?

UGH. PEOPLE. 

40: Have you ever cried over a text?

Uh ... Maybe, but if I did it was good tears. 

41: Where’s your last bruise located?

Around my left knee.

42: What is it from?

I bumped into the side of a door. It hurts.

43: Last time you wanted to be away from somewhere really bad?

Two months ago I think, when I went through something of a depression.

44: Who was the last person you were on the phone with?

My sister, I was telling her where to wait so I could pick her up.

45: Do you have a favourite pair of shoes?

Yes, an old pair of All Stars blue Converses that I have for like 8 years now.

46: Do you wear hats if your having a bad hair day?

I only wear a hat in summer, to protect my head from the sun.

47: Would you ever go bald if it was the style?

Buh. No idea. Probably not?

48: Do you make supper for your family?

I can’t really be trusted in a kitchen, aside for making desserts or breakfast.

49: Does your bedroom have a door?

What kind of question is that. Yeah.

50: Top 3 web-pages?

Tumblr, AO3 and probably Deezer or Google Doc at the moment.

51: Do you know anyone who hates shopping?

Myself. Unless it’s for books or video games. 

52: Does anything on your body hurt?

I have a sore leg and backpain but it’s nothing abnormal for me.

53: Are goodbyes hard for you?

Nah. It usually means I’m going to enjoy coming back.

54: What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself?

Uh ... Water, I think? Or orange juice maybe.

55: How is your hair?

Clear brown, with lighter strands here and there. Not long but not pixie short either. 

56: What do you usually do first in the morning?

Groan. Check my phone. Groan again. Force myself to get up and then have breakfast.

57: Do you think two people can last forever?

I don’t, not in this world anyway.

58: Think back to January 2007, were you single?

I was 16 ... Probably not, then.

59: Green or purple grapes?

Both is good.

60: When’s the next time you will give someone a BIG hug?

I a few weeks maybe, when I will see my grandma again.

61: Do you wish you were somewhere else right now?

Nah I like where I am but I wouldn’t mind being traveling the world. 

62: When will be the next time you text someone?

Probably this afternoon, going to pick up the sister again.

63: Where will you be 5 hours from now?

In front of my computer, writing or pretending to do so.

64: What were you doing at 8 this morning.

Having breakfast with my mother.

65: This time last year, can you remember who you liked?

Yeah. I wasn’t single then.

66: Is there one person in your life that can always make you smile?

If cats count, then yes. If not, probably my mother.

67: Did you kiss or hug anyone today?

Not yet but it’s still early.

68: What was your last thought before you went to bed last night?

I was honored and excited about an upcoming collaboration.

69: Have you ever tried your hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end?

Yep, story of my life.

70: How many windows are open on your computer?

Right now, 8 but it’s because I’m doing research.

71: How many fingers do you have?

I don’t care what they say, thumbs are fingers so 10.

72: What is your ringtone?

My phone is on vibrate mode all the time.

73: How old will you be in 5 months?

Still 25, on the verge of turning 26.

74: Where is your Mum right now?

Downstairs, getting started with the chores. 

75: Why aren’t you with the person you were first in love with or almost in love?

Because life happened. She’s still around as a dear friend tho.

76: Have you held hands with somebody in the past three days?

Oof, yeah.

77: Are you friends with the people you were friends with two years ago?

Unfortunately no. Well, some of them are still around but the most important ones left. 

78: Do you remember who you had a crush on in year 7?

... IRL crush, yeah. Virtual crushes, like too many to remember no.

79: Is there anyone you know with the name Mike?

Nope.

80: Have you ever fallen asleep in someones arms?

Yes but I usually do the spooning. 

81: How many people have you liked in the past three months?

Four or five, something like that.

82: Has anyone seen you in your underwear in the last 3 days?

Yes and two people actually tried to steal mine. 

83: Will you talk to the person you like tonight?

... Uh ... I don’t know.

84: You’re drunk and yelling at hot guys/girls out of your car window, you’re with?

My friends or my sister and her boyfriend, they are the party people around.

85: If your BF/GF was into drugs would you care?

I would care and I would try to help until I’m forced to remove myself from the picture. It happened and well, it’s okay to put yourself first sometimes. You have to.

86: What was the most eventful thing that happened last time you went to see a movie?

I was with a kid and she was scared so she climbed onto my lap and cuddled with me. It was sweet. 

87: Who was your last received call from?

My mom, to tell me to get downstairs. She is downstairs.

88: If someone gave you $1,000 to burn a butterfly over a candle, would you?

This is sick and no.

89: What is something you wish you had more of?

Hum. Wisdom.

90: Have you ever trusted someone too much?

Yeah.

91: Do you sleep with your window open?

Hell no, not even in summer, mosquitos are MEAN.

92: Do you get along with girls?

Oh gosh. 

93: Are you keeping a secret from someone who needs to know the truth?

Nope, not anymore.

94: Does sex mean love?

That’s hilarious. No.

95: You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, is that a problem?

... Again, no, since it was a bet and I actually like the girl.

96: Have you ever kissed anyone with a lip ring?

No.

97: Did you sleep alone this week?

If cats count, then no but if not, yeah I slept alone.

98: Everybody has somebody that makes them happy, do you?

Yeah, cats and books and musics and sometimes, just looking by the windows can cheer me up.

99: Do you believe in love at first sight?

No.

100: Who was the last person that you pinky promised?

What am I, 5? Alright, that was looong and hard. I’m tagging @catherinegrant, @2009121723 and @lenaluthhor and of course anyone else who want to play ♥

[writerinthedarkabyss]

do all the 100 qs you posted... please

Sure, why not?  

SO I’M TAGGING ALL OF YOU PEOPLE. IF I MISSED ANYONE, FEEL FREE TO DO IT ANYWAYS. @racheltuckerrr @mgsawyer @villainousunsub @catherinegrant @villainousunsub @uniquelykaydt @lost-your-memory

1: Is there a boy/girl in your life?

Not yet but I’m starting to become hopeful which is never a good thing. 

2: Think of the last person who hurt you; do you forgivethem?

Yes, it’s all water under the bridge now.

3: What do you think of when you hear the word “meow?”

My kittens

4: What’s something you really want right now?

A Kitkat

5: Are you afraid of falling in love?

No, not really. I just never look forward to went it ultimately ends in heartbreak. 

6: Do you like the beach?

I love the beach but there are none where I live. At least not real beaches.

7: Have you ever slept on a couch with someone else?

Well yeah, I sometimes fall asleep during movie night with my parents

8: What’s the background on your cell?

A picture of my two best friends and I during New Years

9: Name the last four beds you were sat on?

Mine, my mom’s, my best friend and my brother’s

10: Do you like your phone?

Yeah but I liked my last one better.

11: Honestly, are things going the way you planned?

Not at all and I’m trying to not think about it.

12: Who was the last person whose phone number you added toyour contacts?

Study buddy from my Spanish class.

13: Would you rather have a poodle or a Rottweiler?

Rottweiler, no question.

14: Which hurts the most, physical or emotional pain?

Emotional pain. At least I know when physical pain will end and why it happened. Emotional pain is just too much for me. 

15: Would you rather visit a zoo or an art museum?

Art muesum all the way. (I’m actually going to an exhibit next weekend with a good friend)

16: Are you tired?

WHEN AM I NOT TIRED

17: How long have you known your 1st phone contact?

Since 7th grade (we were 12 years old)

18: Are they a relative?

Nope just a friend that I don’t really talk to anymore

19: Would you ever consider getting back together with anyof your exes?

Yes, but only one of them.

20: When did you last talk to the last person you shared akiss with?

Right after our last kiss, four months ago.

21: If you knew you had the right person, would you marrythem today?

No only because I think that marriage should be something celebrated and not rushed. 

22: Would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

NO NOPITY NOPE

23: How many bracelets do you have on your wrists right now?

None

24: Is there a certain quote you live by?

“We are who we pretend to be. So we must be careful what we pretend to be.” - Kurt Vonnegut

25: What’s on your mind?

Homework, a Supercat story I need to finish and the fact that I might have just royally fucked up my life.

26: Do you have any tattoos?

Yes, I have one on my shoulder. I’m planning on getting another one with my best friends soon.

27: What is your favorite color?

Royal purple or royal blue.

28: Next time you will kiss someone on the lips?

First I have to get the nerve to ask him out on a date.

29: Who are you texting?

My best friend and my dad

30: Think to the last person you kissed, have you everkissed them on a couch?

Yep, our first kiss was on his couch.

31: Have you ever had the feeling something bad was going tohappen and you were right?

ALL OF THE FUCKING TIME.

32: Do you have a friend of the opposite sex you can talkto?

I think so.

33: Do you think anyone has feelings for you?

Romantic feelings nope, sexual/lusty feelings then yes.

34: Has anyone ever told you you have pretty eyes?

Yeah, that’s the most common one.

35: Say the last person you kissed was kissing someone rightin front of you?

GOOD. Maybe then he would finally move on.

36: Were you single on Valentines Day?

Yep, same as every other year.

37: Are you friends with the last person you kissed?

NO AND I WILL NEVER BE FRIENDS WITH HIM. EVER.

38: What do your friends call you?

Cat, Catherine, Kitty, Freak

39: Has anyone upset you in the last week?

Yeah, a couple of people have.

40: Have you ever cried over a text?

Yes. I can’t help the fact that I’m a very emotional person.

41: Where’s your last bruise located?

Uhm, which one? I have several. I’m such a klutz that I wake up with bruises. 

42: What is it from?

I think it’s the one on my hipbone and it’s from banging into the counter.

43: Last time you wanted to be away from somewhere reallybad?

Last week, I really needed to get away from everyone and everything.

44: Who was the last person you were on the phone with?

One of my best friends because it’s her birthday today.

45: Do you have a favourite pair of shoes?

No, not that I’m aware of/

46: Do you wear hats if your having a bad hair day?

I try to, my mother makes me take them off in the end.

47: Would you ever go bald if it was the style?

Nope. I enjoy my long hair too much to ever consider it.

48: Do you make supper for your family?

Sometimes, although I prefer making breakfast.

49: Does your bedroom have a door?

Yes? 

50: Top 3 web-pages?

AO3 Tumblr and Youtube (and 8tracks)

51: Do you know anyone who hates shopping?

Quite a few people actually

52: Does anything on your body hurt?

Well lets see. My knee is still sprained. My lungs still hurt and I think I have a cavity because I have a toothache. So yes.

53: Are goodbyes hard for you?

If I’m pretty much forever parting ways with them then yeah. Otherwise not so much.

54: What was the last beverage you spilled on yourself?

Haha I hate this questionaire. It was wine a couple of hours ago.

55: How is your hair?

Always greasy and brittle. No I actually like it now.

56: What do you usually do first in the morning?

Cry because I have to get up. No, I check my phone.

57: Do you think two people can last forever?

I’s like to think that’s a possibility. I really hope so.

58: Think back to January 2007, were you single?

I was like 9. So… yeah.

59: Green or purple grapes?

PURPLE!!!

60: When’s the next time you will give someone a BIG hug?

Probs in a couple of days when I have dinner with a friend that I haven’t seen in so long.

61: Do you wish you were somewhere else right now?

Yeah, somewhere warm like a tropical island.

62: When will be the next time you text someone?

Uhm, probably right after this questionnaire.

63: Where will you be 5 hours from now?

Still her, in my bed. But sleeping.

64: What were you doing at 8 this morning.

Still here in my bed. But actually sleeping.

65: This time last year, can you remember who you liked?

Unfortunately yes. Wow I really make bad relationship decisions. 

66: Is there one person in your life that can always makeyou smile?

Yeah, there’s a couple of people like that for me.

67: Did you kiss or hug anyone today?

Nope

68: What was your last thought before you went to bed lastnight?

A thought that I can’t say for PG reasons.

69: Have you ever tried your hardest and then gottendisappointed in the end?

All the time.

70: How many windows are open on your computer?

Four

71: How many fingers do you have?

8 because your thumbs aren’t fingers. You sneaky little shit

72: What is your ringtone?

A Fall Out Boy song.

73: How old will you be in 5 months?

Just turning 19

74: Where is your Mum right now?

Downstairs in her bed, sleeping.

75: Why aren’t you with the person you were first in lovewith or almost in love?

Because we realized that we were better off as friends.

76: Have you held hands with somebody in the past threedays?

No, I don’t think so.

77: Are you friends with the people you were friends withtwo years ago?

My best friends are still my best friends. So yeah.

78: Do you remember who you had a crush on in year 7?

OH MY GOD WHY AM I LIKE THIS?? But yeah.

79: Is there anyone you know with the name Mike?

Yes, a few people actually.

80: Have you ever fallen asleep in someones arms?

Yes.

81: How many people have you liked in the past three months?

Two? I think

82: Has anyone seen you in your underwear in the last 3days?

Yes

83: Will you talk to the person you like tonight?

I’m still deciding if I should try to start talking to them again.

84: You’re drunk and yelling at hot guys/girls out of yourcar window, you’re with?

My two best friends who are even drunker than me because they’re such lightweights.

85: If your BF/GF was into drugs would you care?

He was that’s the problem. Seriously though like why do I do this to myself?

86: What was the most eventful thing that happened last timeyou went to see a movie?

It was just a great date with my boyfriend at the time.

87: Who was your last received call from?

My moma

88: If someone gave you $1,000 to burn a butterfly over acandle, would you?

NO!!

89: What is something you wish you had more of?

Sleep, money, patience, book smarts. The list is eternal.

90: Have you ever trusted someone too much?

One of my many faults.

91: Do you sleep with your window open?

Only in the summer.

92: Do you get along with girls?

Yes??

93: Are you keeping a secret from someone who needs to knowthe truth?

Yep and it’s not going to be good when I tell her the truth

94: Does sex mean love?

No, not by a long shot.

95: You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed,is that a problem?

YES! OH MY GOD. YES!!

96: Have you ever kissed anyone with a lip ring?

Nope

97: Did you sleep alone this week?

Yes

98: Everybody has somebody that makes them happy, do you?

A few things actually.

99: Do you believe in love at first sight?

Yeah, I do.

100: Who was the last person that you pinky promised?

I can’t remember??

[tanmath3-blog]

Doug Rinaldi has an amazing sense of humor and boy can he write a story. I recently read  A Different Kind of Slumber and let me say….WOW! I highly recommend it. He Is engaged to be married and he loves to tease her. Their messages on Facebook always make me giggle. Please if you don’t know Doug yet make sure to meet him and check out his books you won’t be sorry. I promise. Also, don’t forget to leave him a review! Please welcome Doug Rinaldi to Roadie Notes…….

  1. How old were you when you first wrote your first story?

I was in the 6th or 7th grade, so that would’ve made me… Hang on. I gotta take off my shoes. And… I was thirteen. My friend Thaddeus and I wrote a couple short stories together. One was about the cafeteria lunch ladies killing and feeding other students to us for lunch, succinctly called “The Lunch Ladies.” And the other one was called “One Dark Night.” No. For real. I have no recollection of what it was about. I think we drew up book covers in our notebooks for them as well. I’d kill to get a glimpse of those “masterpieces” again.

2. How many books have you written?

Currently under my belt, I have one short story collection called Purgatory Behind These Eyes. It contains sixteen short stories that I’ve written between 1997 and 2015. I have one novelette out, a ghost story with serial killer elements called A Different Kind of Slumber. Lately, I’ve been releasing short story chapbooks, 2-3 shorts per publication. Right now I have a two-story release titled With Great Vehemence: Two Tales of Vengeance. The other, Forever, Cried the Abyss, contains three more tales.

3. Anything you won’t write about?

I have no desire to write anything political or have any overt political leanings/opinions in my stories. None of that stuff really holds any interest for me. Everything else is fair game as long as it adds to the story and I can do the idea(s) justice with my words.

4. Tell me about you. Age (if you don’t mind answering), married, kids, do you have another job etc…

I am a 42 year-old man trapped in an 82 year-old’s body. Due to multiple issues with my back, I’m always in one sort of pain or another. Makes me walk like a pimp. No kids that I know of, but I have two fur babies.

At the moment, I make a living as a cubicle jockey doing inventory management for a medical supply company. It’s very low-key but it does occasionally afford me the opportunity to positively affect someone’s life. When they have an urgent medical need, I can assist by getting them the necessary product. I’d like to think I’ve managed to help a few people stay healthy. It also affords me the opportunity to get fatter. Sitting a desk 40+ hours a week isn’t very labor intensive. I wish I got those work out endorphin rushes people brag about; I’d might actually exercise more. But I don’t, so I don’t.

I am also a divorcee and, finally, after all these years since, I’m currently working on how to ruin my current fiancé’s life. I’m playing the long game. She’s a tough one, though… she digs me for some reason.

5. What’s your favorite book you have written?

I have a soft spot for all my releases and I am very proud overall of my short story collection. But my favorite things written to date are perhaps “Sybarites or Enmity of Perverse Existence” which is in Forever, Cried the Abyss and “City Morgue Blues” which is in my collection. Another fave would have to be my hitman story gone terribly wrong, “And the Hits Just Keep on Comin’.” That particular yarn was published in Smart Rhino Press’ Insidious Assassins anthology. It’s now featured in my revenge themed chapbook With Great Vehemence.

6. Who or what inspired you to write?

I had a friend back when I lived in Connecticut. We both worked for Barnes & Noble at the time. When we found out that we both liked to write, we started bouncing ideas off of each other and even started a writing group. He was as much a mentor as he was a collaborator. And that lit the spark and the hunger to write and create.

Besides him, I believe the stories in my noggin need to be told, the ideas need life. I write to free those ideas and to hopefully elicit emotions and responses from the reader. If the reader enjoys what I put down on paper, that’s great. But additionally it’s the catharsis of making the worlds and situations my characters experience become a reality.

7. What do you like to do for fun?

Generally, I’m a boring person to the naked eye. I call it being low-key… or lazy. I enjoy watching movies, listening to music, going to horror conventions, lounging with my cats. Every once in a while, my fiancé and I pretend Kung Fu fight with each other. More times than not, it ends with me getting hurt. So that’s always a fun way to pass the time. Other than that, I’m a big fan of sleeping and beer.

8. Any traditions you do when you finish a book?

I’ll have to get back to you on this one after I finish my actual novel. When I finished my first screenplay, I think I may have wept a few tears of joy. So, I can’t rightly imagine at this point how I’ll react once I finish the stupid thing.

9. Where do you write? Quite or music?

I tend to write mostly in my office at home. I prefer my desktop to a laptop. On the 3rd floor, it’s nice and quiet—except when Hicks won’t stop meowing. Other times, I’ll try to punch out a hundred words or so during lulls at work or on breaks. When at home though, sometimes I’ll listen to the silence (or Hicks), but mostly I prefer dark ambient music—stuff that just sounds like soundtracks to dreams. Not only is it soothing, there are no pesky lyrics to steal my attention away from the writing.

10. Anything you would change about your writing?

Perhaps the biggest change I would make is taking writing more seriously sooner. I had a rough time hurdling the basic grammar issues that I had failed to retain from school. I went to an art college, so there were no extra English classes for this guy. If I had started this journey earlier with a point to make it a profession, I might’ve been further along in that career… and more confident and disciplined.

11. What is your dream? Famous writer?

I’d be fine with making a modest living writing full-time. Or even if I was just supplementing my current income with word-monies, I’d be happy—happier than I am now for sure. I’ve always had a dream of seeing one of my stories on the screen. TV screen or Silver Screen, it doesn’t matter. It would just be an amazing feeling (as long as I stay off of the IMDb message boards). Another daydream of mine is owning and operating my own movie theater. Very expensive daydream…

12. Where do you live?

I live in an interesting little city north of Boston, on the border of Salem, NH. We just bought our first home together. There was just a huge Fentanyl bust here a few weeks ago. Very classy.

13. Pets?

I adopted two sibling kittens in 2010 and I love their stupid faces off. Ripley is a calico and sounds like a velociraptor when she purrs. And Hicks is a mutt who meows all the time for no reason. It’s nerve-racking, really. But I couldn’t see my life without them. When they die, I’m having them stuffed. Or have their skin boiled off and keep them as poseable skeletons.

14. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

The sense of not being alone even when you are. I may be sitting there by my lonesome (or with the mutant kitties), but my characters and plots are on the screen in front of me keeping me company. Writing is tough. Even without anxiety or depression, it’s an arduous, solitary, and sometimes thankless craft. But when the words flow from page to page and create a grand picture of what I see in my head and how I see it, it can’t be beat. After all the first and second drafts, after the edits and the beta readers, when you’ve sculpted the story down to its most straightforward, yet poetic and engaging, form, that’s where the joy lies for me. Regardless if I’m able to sell it or publish it somewhere, if I end up happy with it then that’s all that matters in the long run.

15. What is coming next for you?

Grim Death, probably…

But in all seriousness, I am working on finishing my first full-length novel. Tentatively titled White Island, it’s in the middle of its second draft. I’m hoping to get it done by summer the latest, then find it a good home.

Aside from that, I’m working on a short story for an anthology invite and I just had one short, “End Game,” accepted for the third book in an anthology series with a very reputable small press publisher. I’m hoping to make 2017 bend to my will on all fronts.

  You can connect with Doug Rinaldi here:

Website http://dougrinaldi.com

Amazon amazon.com/author/dougrinaldi

Facebook facebook.com/deviatedtruths

Blog dougrinaldiwriter.wordpress.com

Deviant Art Page goat-head.deviantart.com

  Some of Doug Rinaldi’s books:

Getting personal with Doug Rinaldi Doug Rinaldi has an amazing sense of humor and boy can he write a story. I recently read  A Different Kind of Slumber and let me say....WOW!