#Don't worry about matching length. I just wanted to set the scene

[pushspacetocontinue]

Eclipse - Villain Verse thread for icangiveyouanything

@icangiveyouanything

The interviews had been a perfect start to getting his messages across to the world. People liked him, as much as it felt strange to admit to himself. Audiences were receptive to what he had to say as he answered questions. Of course, he had to pretend he was just as confused as everyone else when it came to his miraculous recovery from the long coma. Not everyone could know the truth about how he was given this second chance to save them all from themselves.

Not yet anyway.

It was a quiet day for the time being. He sat on his balcony, a small smile on his face as he watched the sunset with a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. But then he felt a familiar presence in the air, and the smile grew just a bit wider.

"I think we have an old friend visiting, Misty."

"Meee..."

[ofanswereddreams]

NIGHT TRIUMPHANT. A private, selective RHYSAND from Sarah J. Maas' ACOTAR. 21+ only. Written by Amy (she/her/hers.) Established May 2024.

carrd | memes | pinterest

There are different kinds of darkness. There is the darkness that frightens, the darkness that soothes, the darkness that is restful... there is the darkness of lovers, and the darkness of assassins. It becomes what the bearer wishes it to be, needs it to be. It is not wholly bad or good.

MAINS: @wickedpeachie, @ofbloodshcd, @darkslautr, @moondevoured, @firehcart and @stareternyl

All graphics by @unknownfaed

A Note for Personal Blogs: Please DO NOT reblog my posts. It clogs up my notifications, and since this blog is for roleplaying, I need those free for thread replies. I'm cool with liking or commenting, but please don't reblog.

A Note on Politics: I'm just going to state this plainly right off the bat so no one misinterprets where I stand. I have never voted for Donald Trump, and I am angry and worried about the politics of the USA. However, I also do not want to discuss politics on the dash or see a lot of political content. You won't find me posting about it here either. The reason is that, due to my particular upbringing, the MAGA cult has already infected and torn apart my family relationships and caused stress to my in-person friendships. I'm already politically active in my personal life, and I discuss politics all the time on my other, personal social media. Tumblr has been (until recently) my one place of retreat from the stress of the USA's crazy, turbulent politics. I believe everyone has the right to express themselves and to set their own boundaries. I am not here to judge anyone for making different choices than I have. This note is merely to clarify my own perspective and set my own boundaries.

Content & Age Requirement: I'm well over 18, so this blog will have NSFW themes. (Given Rhys' background of SA, that's... unavoidable.) I usually just match the limits of my writing partner, so if you want to do a fade to black, I'm good with that. Since I'm over 18, I won't be writing with anyone UNDER 18. If you don't list an age on your blog, then we're not writing together. End of story.

Activity: I work full-time in an office, so my activity is usually limited to weekends (for replies at least.) I'm in Pacific Time or Mountain Time depending on time of year. I'm on Discord every day, so feel free to ask for my username. I actually prefer to plot/chat there vs in Tumblr DMs.

Writing/Formatting Style: I default to multi-paragraph, but I care MUCH more about the quality of your reply than the quantity of it, so DO NOT WORRY about length. As far as formatting goes, I don't do anything fancy. I likely won't be able to use GIFs or icons, because I'm a brat who chose an unusual FC for Rhys. Vivek Dhiman hasn't done any movies that I can find, just modeling, so photo resources for him are slim.

Plotting & Shipping: Y'all this is one of my fave things about the RPC!! I love to trade headcanons, discuss plot ideas and just generally squeal over our muses. Feysand is one of my all-time favorite couples, so... they will be endgame for me on this blog. I don't see him as having had other serious relationships in his 500+ years in Prythian, but if you want to be a past fling, feel free to toss it at me.

Interpretation & Lore: I've read all 5 ACOTAR books (the middle 3 multiple times), and I just finished the Throne of Glass series. I read CC1 and the first part of CC2 before giving up, but then I read all the crossover scenes in CC3 just so I can understand the Prythian lore. I subscribe to the theory that all 3 worlds are connected/are in different points in time. I adore all the theories and regularly consume them on TikTok. Can't wait to consume and contribute to them on Tumblr too muahaha. ANYWAY specifically for my interpretation of Rhysand, I... find the ACOSF pregnancy plot line to be unreasonably illogical (you can regrow wings and raise people from the dead with kernels of power, but you can't handle a fucking c-section?!) It strikes me as a way to sideline Feyre in the plot and a cheap "redemption" for Nesta with regard to the sister she has now spent decades abusing. I also find Rhys' character arc (bending back towards secrecy and keeping major revelations from Feyre) to be odd and confusing. However, since the ACOSF plotline for Feysand almost entirely revolves around things happening with Feyre's body, I will accommodate my plotting and interpretation around it to the particular Feyre I'm right with. Her body, her choice, after all.

Mains, Dupes, Exclusives & Selectivity: I'm open to having mains or affiliates. I'm not ever going to practice exclusives. If you're a single muse Rhysand blog, I won't be following you, but I don't care if you follow me. If you're on a multi, and Rhys is one of them, I'll follow if I plan to write with you. I AM selective in who I write with, so if I don't follow you back, it just means I don't see our muses being able to interact.

Interacting with Me: If you're interested in writing with me, don't be shy! Send me a meme, like a starter call, or come chat with me on Discord. I actually prefer to do a little bit of pre-plotting for a starter call response.

[shecallsbs]

Why ahoy there!! Thank you so much for stopping by my blog! ✨ I'll do my best to keep this as short as I possibly can!! ☺️

I'm Nova, (she/her), and welcome to my Friday Night Funkin' rp sideblog!! I'm pretty new to a lot of this, even if it isn't my first rp blog- but I'm so excited to write with you!! Here are some of my most important blog details:

This singlemuse blog is for Lauren Dearest, better known as "BS"- she's an OC set in the Friday Night Funkin' Universe! Lauren and the Dearest family she belongs to were made by me, but Friday Night Funkin' sure wasn't!! ☺️

I have two other rp blogs for different fandoms!! You can also find me at @ellegaard, and @ourladyoflight !! ☺️

This is a sideblog so I can get to my inbox easier- my main is @novatheastropirate, and it's what my likes and follows will come from!! ✨

I'm always open to learning what I can do better! If there's ever anything I can change, like making certain things easier to read, formatting things better, or triggering things, I'm always willing to listen!! I want to make sure that this is fun and safe for others, too. ☺️

I'm not a minor, but I'm also under 21- and I'm not willing to do NSFW or explicit scenes!

Mun ≠ Muse!! If she's poked or prodded too much, or if she's being threatened, BS might say or do things that come off a bit snippish- but that'll never, ever reflect my feelings towards you!! (I love leaving little notes from myself in the tags too, and you'll always be able to distinguish between us- but if you're ever worried, I'll never be upset or angry if we talk about it! ☺️💜)

My writing style is really fluid, and I can match lengths- I always try to have at least two paragraphs!! (I can also get really verbose too- so if my replies look like a MLA research paper, please don't worry about having to match it!! ✨) I try to respond as early as I conveniently can, and communicate when I might have delays- especially in cases of exam seasons, or life being life!

I love plotting, shipping, and even just saying hello!! (I also love listening to people talk about their muses!!!) I’m pretty much always reachable through Tumblr’s DM system- and if you’d like my Discord, we can talk there too! 💜

I think this is just about everything!! If you ever have any questions about writing with me- especially in terms of shipping, or anything else- my DMs are always open, and I'm always excited to meet you! Stay peachy, and thanks so much for giving me and my writing a shot!! 😊✨

(Art Credits:

Animated Blog Banner Art, Profile Picture Fanart, and Roleplay Assets: Self-made! ✨ @novatheastropirate

Blog Theme Credit to @/starlightthemes!!)

[tempesttragedya]

@ichorcoded / @comaliesvii​ gets Ezra in Cyberpunk bc I’m just in a silly, goofy mood

Dark bags rest beneath tired eyes, but when he catches a glimpse of himself in the nearest broken shards of glass, at just the right angle, Ezra might almost believe that it was the shadows playing a trick. What are most certainly not tricks, however, are the small signs of aging across his features - nearly eight years without a mirror; could he be blamed for staring just a little? 

Tilting his head this way and that, finding the familiar and the strange for a long few moments before attention turns back to the hotel he hoped might provide refuge for the night. 

Glass crunches under stolen Arasaka militia boots as they step forward, eyeing the opening provided by such destruction. Shards still stick out from the window frame, a potential danger - the last thing he needs is some infection to off him after years of the Corpos trying their hardest to achieve the same.

Pulling off his sweater, the former streetkid instead wraps the clothing around their arm to knock the remaining pieces of glass from their steadfast positions and onto the ground, allowing him a clear way of entry into the building. 

Light shines unfettered into the room, revealing a messy looking bed but otherwise clean area. It appears unoccupied, and he is too tired to check beyond first glances - the bed is far too tempting... And so he falls into it, and, swiftly, into a deep sleep. 

[shroudedhero]

@xxaberrationxx​

Kurai had been nervous ever since he’d been accepted into U.A. Truthfully he’d passed the actual battle part of the entrance exam by the skin of his teeth, since he was still figuring out how to best combine his skills, but once he’d gotten a few points, he’d just hidden in a dark little space until the time was up, and until his other quirk had deactivated again. It was enough to pass, and he wasn’t trying to stand out. That wasn’t really his thing.

But he’d passed, by some miracle, and yet, honestly, he was wondering if he was even going to make it. With his quirks.. Was he really even allowed to become a hero? Even if he’d been accepted..

His first day as a proper student though eventually rolled around, and he was extremely nervous, because there were so many people. He was like a mouse trapped in a box, and being chased by a cat, and it was everything he could do not to panic. It also didn’t take him long to find his favorite hiding spot, wedging himself between the vending machine and the wall, having somehow skirted his way past all the students in the hallway mostly unnoticed. Class wasn’t starting yet, and he needed to calm down.. 

He curled up in a ball on the floor, in that shadowy little corner, taking deep breaths, trying to calm his racing nerves. Breathe.. Breathe.. This is what he wanted. More than anything else, he wanted to be a hero. He wanted to prove he was nothing like his family, that he cared, that he was good. He didn’t care about being the strongest, or most well known, he just wanted to be seen as good, and be able to actually help people.. 

He was oblivious to the other students walking around, most not noticing that he was there even as they came and got their drinks or their snacks from the machine, and he was fine with that. Small space.. Dark space.. Safe space.. Safe... 

He wasn’t supposed to, he knew that, but he felt like the world was spinning, and so just around himself, in the smallest possible space, he encased himself in a little ball of complete darkness, and the noise faded a little, muffled by his quirk. 

He closed his eyes, and hid his face inside of his arms, tucking tighter into a ball, not realizing one student had lingered longer than everyone else had.

[fagbxyss]

@joyriders-rp

Noah was still a senior in high school. He was 18, but he still had to graduate. This semester, however, he'd picked up a couple of on-campus college courses - one being at the local art school.

Noah had always had a fascination for art - drawing specifically. It was something he'd always been passionate about. And this class had quickly become one of his favorites. So much so, that every time the class ended, Noah found himself disappointed.

He packed up his belongings and stood up from his table. That day, Noah was dressed in a black hoodie with a pair of basketball shorts. The boy always seemed to wear something that would show off his ass. And a pair of basketball shorts with a jockstrap underneath did just that. Noah just liked the attention it got him.

He made his way toward the front of the classroom and stopped at the teacher's desk. "I just wanted to say something before I take off. Thanks for all your hard work with this course, Mr. Burke. I really enjoy it." The brunette began to laugh at himself. "Wow, I sound like such a loser - talking about how much I enjoy school." He continued laughing for a moment. "Well, I'm off. But again, thanks. I hope you have an awesome weekend." He said with a genuine smile before turning and walking off, his back facing the man as he headed toward the exit.

[mayafeylovesburgers]

Village Expectations | @theamazingchickenman

The train ride was always a long one.  Two hours.  Two hours that separated her village from the rest of the world.  And for the first hour, Maya was her normal, bubbly, talkative self.  As the buildings seemed to pass them by, the trees began to slowly take over the scenery.  The trees seemed to swallow up the buildings.

And along with it, Maya’s bubbly chatter, as well.

There was half an hour left on their journey.  Maya took a quiet breath.  Nerves.  They were getting the best of her.  Deciding to try and push it away, she turned to her feathery travelling companion, placing a big smile on her face.

“Thanks again for coming along with me, CM!  I’m excited to show you around!  Well, I mean, I’m hoping that I’ll have time to show you around, what with the preparations for the festival and stuff.  There won’t be any rides or anything like that.  It’s a pretty traditional festival.  Lanterns, food... that sorta thing.”

“Oh... and the presentation of the future master of the village.”

[amytaylcr]

at the new hanover medical center with @aubreytaylcr & @weston-taylor

By the time news about the latest tragedy to hit those near and dear to her reached Amy, dawn was already breaking through on the horizon. She had spent a blissfully ignorant night at her family home, babysitting Jake and bonding with the little boy that still saw her as a stranger, and not someone who was a true part of the family. To his credit, he tried to get to know Amy and wanted to hear about where she’s been, and she found it easier to tell him things about her past than she did anyone else. Kids didn’t judge as much, right? None of that held any importance when her phone rang at five AM, pulling her out of her peaceful slumber with urgency and demand that unsettled her insides. Nothing good ever happened at that hour, and it was with dread and a shaky voice that Amy responded to her father’s call, already imagining a scenario in which Aubrey had ended up in another accident, due to her downward spiral because of the first. But it wasn’t her sister’s name that left her father’s lips. It was the name Maya Chang whispered in a hushed and tired voice that had Amy jumping out of her bed and packing up to go to the hospital, just in time as their father came back to look after the clueless boy sleeping soundly in the next room. 

Her father had relayed the cliff notes to her before she was on her way, driving down the empty streets to the hospital, foot applying pressure on the gas pedal all along. She hadn’t been in town long enough to get to know Maya as well as she would have liked, but she knew her well enough to understand the chaos that would ensue, and the heartbreak both the young woman and her brother would suffer through. They had a long way ahead of them, undoubtedly, and Amy cursed at the higher powers dictating their lives─ would they ever get a break? As soon as she set foot in the hospital, Amy moved on muscle memory alone, legs carrying her down the same hallways she had walked during Aubrey’s stay there. Back then, at least she was welcomed with better news, a more optimistic outcome in sight. This time around, she was greeted by grim faces of firefighters and policemen that swarmed the waiting room. None of them were her brother or sister, so Amy pushed on, searching for one of them or at least someone who could send her in the right direction. It didn’t take long until she spotted her two younger siblings, sitting down next to each other, silently staring ahead. What was there to say, anyway? There was a tension in the air, one that wasn’t the sole result of the accident, but they still looked more like a family than Amy ever did with them. She was the piece of the jigsaw puzzle that just couldn’t fit anywhere, hard as she tried. But now wasn’t the time to think about her own role in all of it, and she dragged her feet closer to the two of them, speaking in a soft voice that was bound to startle them.

“Dad just called, I heard what happened,” she began, chewing on her lip as tears already began to form in her eyes. "Are there any news?”

[fleshadept]

giffing tutorial

hiii so here's a walkthrough on how to make your gifs clean, crisp, and colorful :-) it's literally so much fun, it's one of my favorite hobbies, i hope y'all enjoy too!!

first off here's what you're going to need

photoshop

this gif sharpening automation

a clip you want to gif! preferably in the highest resolution you can find, 1080p is generally my minimum

adobe premiere (optional, but nice to have only for step 1)

let's get started!

step 1: creating your clip

first off, we need a shorter clip than the average tv episode or movie length. choose a scene or shot you'd like to gif. for this tutorial, i'll be giffing a scene from NOPE (2022) as an example.

now, this next part is semi-optional, it just depends on how smooth you want your gifs to be and what access you have to other platforms.

most movies and TV shows are filmed at a framerate of 23.976 frames per second, while youtube and other online videos tend to be 30fps. you can check the framerate of a video file by right clicking > properties > details

however, if i clip out a scene using the built-in windows video trim tool, it will create the clip at 30fps, causing it to lose some smoothness and look just slightly choppier. and giffing is all about trying to minimize choppiness one small step at a time.

here's where premiere comes in. if you have premiere, go ahead and open it up and create a project. i have one just for gif clip exports. if you don't have premiere, you can either retain the framerate by importing the full original file into photoshop (step 2) or clip it and just work with it in 30fps. no worries either way, in the grand scheme of things it's not that big of a difference and we can still make the gifs super pretty.

open up the full file in premiere's source monitor and locate the section you want to clip. use the mark in/mark out buttons (or the "i" and "o" hotkeys) to select your clip range

then hit ctrl+M or File > Export > Media to export your clip. premiere will automatically set the export settings to match the framerate and resolution of the source clip unless you've used a different preset recently, so make sure the preset menu says "Match Source - Adaptive High Bitrate," name your file, decide where you want it, and hit export.

step 2: importing into photoshop

you're going to import your clip into photoshop by selecting File > Import > Video Frames to Layers, then picking which clip you want to gif. as you can see in my screenshot, i have this set as a keybind* to alt+shift+ctrl+i to make it faster

this will cause a menu to pop up where you can select the part of the clip you'd like to import into photoshop. now that the maximum gif size is 10mb, you can do pretty long gifs, depending on how much movement is in the clip. generally each gif can be a few seconds, but it's up to your discretion.

the clip markers aren't very precise, so don't worry about getting too perfect with the clipping here, you can shave off frames as you please throughout the rest of the process. when you have your range determined, hit OK and it'll bring us into photoshop proper!

*to set a keybind, go to Edit > Keyboard Shortcuts

step 3: prepping for coloring

each frame of the clip will be imported as an individual layer. it's subjective, but i've come to like my gifs having a range of about 40-140 frames, depending on how long i need them to be.

you want to make sure your workspace setting is set to "motion," so you can see the frame timeline across the bottom of your screen, like this:

you can select this workspace setting with the dropdown menu in the top right corner.

next up, scroll to the end of your timeline and shift click the last frame, selecting all the frames. click the carrot next to the number under the frames (the number in my example is "0.04") and select "other" to change the frame delay. i normally use 0.05 or 0.06, depending on how slow and dramatic i'd like the gifs to be. for this one, we'll do 0.06.

now hit "C" to open your crop tool. if you want those nice big gifs people make a lot, i'd recommend putting in 4:3 into the ratio bar at the top. you obviously don't have to crop at all; it depends on how you want it to look. hit enter when you have your crop how you like it to complete the action

select Image > Image Size or hit alt+ctrl+i to change the size of your gif. no matter what cropping you have, the width of your gif (if you want it to be the only one on its horizontal row in the tumblr post) MUST BE 540PX!! this is tumblr's ideal width for an image post** and will keep it from stretching or compressing when you post it. so go ahead and type "540" into the width column and hit enter.

now, make sure all of your frames on the timeline are still selected, go to the hamburger menu on the top right of the timeline, and select "Flatten Frames Into Layers"

go to the layer panel on the right (NOT the timeline), scroll past all the layers labeled "Frame [1, 2, 3, etc]" until you hit the first one labeled "Layer [number]." click the first layer, then scroll down and shift click to select all the layers labeled "Layer," and hit backspace or the little trash bin icon to delete them. we only want the ones labeled "Frame" now.

click the "Convert to video timeline" button on the bottom left of the timeline, right under the first frame!

so your screen should now look like this:

shift click the last frame (at the top) to select all your frames, right click any frame in the layer panel on the right, and select "Convert to Smart Object." this will compress all your frames into one dynamic layer photoshop knows is supposed to move.

**540px is ideal for one image in a row, 268px if you're putting two gifs next to each other, and 160px for three in a row.

step 4: COLORING <3

if you downloaded that gif sharpening tool i linked at the top, find it in the folder it downloaded to and double click to import it into photoshop. this should open the "Actions" tab, which essentially allows users to program in a series of actions in a certain order that they can make photoshop execute when you hit "play" on the action. for example, i had one that essentially did all of step 3 for me before my computer died last winter.

anyway, make sure your smart object is selected in the layer panel, open up the actions tab, select "glossy sharpening," and hit the play button. this is a nice sharpening tool i like that takes out a very difficult step, but if you'd like to play around with your own sharpening settings and get it how you like go ahead!

here's what it will look like after executing the actions.

now, remember what i said about the framerate in step 1? here's where that comes in. if your clip is in 30fps, you can skip this part because photoshop defaults to 30fps motion editing. if your clip (like mine) is in 23.976fps then click the same hamburger menu we clicked for "Flatten Frames Into Layers" before and click on "Set Timeline Frame Rate." Choose the correct framerate from the drop down menu and hit OK.

now for the best part: customizing your coloring!! go ahead and click the folder icon in the bottom right to create a group in your layer panel, but don't put your base layers in here. this is going to be for your color editing layers.

the icon right next to the group icon, the circle with a clear half and an opaque half, is now your best friend. this gives us our adjustment layers. the first one we're going to use, and by far the best one, is levels. levels is magical.

levels basically works by you telling it what "white" and "black" means by selecting pixels in the image. generally you want to use the "white" eyedropper to select the brightest pixel you can find and the "black" eyedropper to select the darkest.

this has the amazing power of being able to smoothly lighten or de-fog or clarify images. now, darker images are always going to be harder to make look good, and there's only so much you can do. but that "so much" is endlessly expanded if you mess around with levels, especially if you layer levels layers on top of each other, then right click > Blending Options > and mess with the fill opacity.

note: the levels layer i'm editing is at 28% fill opacity and 71% regular opacity, which is why it didn't entirely deep-fry the image when i clicked on a mid-grey with the white selection eyedropper.

after messing around with levels until i'm satisfied, i'll add a "vibrance" layer and boost it until it looks good. i also like adding a "color balance" layer and playing with it. for this one i'm adding a bit of blue to the shadows and a bit of cyan and red to the highlights. it's also been trendy lately, especially in gifs of people talking, to add a "hue & saturation" layer and desaturate the yellows by a lot while emphasizing other colors, like here:

after you have your colors how you like, i recommend toggling the visibility of the group a few times to see what you've done! it's so satisfying to look at the change between the base layer and the coloring you've made.

step 5: text

i try to keep my text pretty standard, but you can get creative with it as you please. to add text you can hit "T" to toggle your text tool or select it from the left tools panel. when you click to add the text it'll create the layer starting from wherever your playhead is, so make sure you move it on the timeline to line it up with the start of the gif. drag the end of the text layer on the timeline to make sure it's the same length as the gif so you don't get empty frames when you export. i like 18pt text, and i use the font Gadugi, but i've also used Calibri before.

caption colors for gifs come from broadcast caption colors, meaning that the first person to speak is given white captions, the second person is given yellow, and the third is given teal, although you can do whatever. i normally use:

1st person: #FFFFFF

2nd person: #fcbe11

3rd person: either a more muted orange or a soft teal

you also want to make sure your text is centered by clicking the center paragraph toggle on the top of the screen while your text layer is selected. using the move tool ("v" or the tool on the top of the toolbar) you can center on the guidelines photoshop gives you. i generally like my text pretty much as close to the bottom as it can get without getting cut off.

once all that's sorted, go over to the "fx" button on the same row as the adjustment layer and group/folder buttons. we're going to add a stroke and drop shadow.

the stroke adds an outline. i do 2px, postition set to outside, normal blend mode, 100% opacity and solid black (#000000)

the drop shadow is more malleable because it depends on how the text looks based on the scene it's overlaying. i tend to change it up to make the text the most legible i can, but here's the settings i start from:

step 6: exporting

to export as a gif, go to File > Export > Save For Web (Legacy) or ctrl+shift+alt+S. this will bring up a menu to configure your export settings, and will tell you how big the gif is going to be (in megabytes) after the export. as mentioned earlier, you want it to be less than 10mb. if you use the beta post editor, try to keep it under 9.8mb because for some reason the beta post editor tends to thing gifs that are almost 10mb are actually over the limit.

you can see the gif size in the bottom left, 6.507mb, so we're good to go. if your gif IS to big you can go back into the timeline and shorten it by dragging the edges of the timeline layers. if you drag the base layers (the ones labeled "Frame [x]" and "Frame [x] copy") the group above it will conform to that length, but the text layer will not, so you have to manually drag that layer too.

make sure the settings in the top right panel match mine to avoid export errors, and in the bottom right make sure it says "Looping Options: Forever" or you'll have a gif that will only play once.

to double check that you like your gif and see it properly, you can click "preview" in the bottom left. this will open a tab in your browser to view it in its final size and playback speed. if you don't like it, you can go back and tweak it however you want.

so that's that! we've got a gif.

i know this may seem like a lot, but once you get in the groove (or make some automations or keybinds!) it gets a lot faster and the satisfaction of making a good, pretty gif is so nice. i happened to choose a really dark scene to gif for this one so it's not my best work but it was just an example lol.

[aashi-heartfilia]

The character arc of Ochako Uraraka

I think the biggest problem with Ochako was thinking of her feelings as a burden to other people. She just doesn't wants to be a bother to anyone and that's why whatever she has to say or what's going on her mind isn't important to her and she just keeps bottling it all up.

Pretty ironic when you remember the fact that she wants to become a hero who can lift the burden of other people.

I think, it emerges from her own household where her parents worked so hard just to keep food on the table. By the Bonus Material that Horikoshi added it can be seen how far she's willing to go to save money i.e. how far she's willing to go to not be a bother and while wanting to help her parents is a very good thing but going on extreme lengths to do so and then giving birth to a new set of problems definitely isn't.

.

.

.

Instances of Ochako's bottling up her feelings:

She doesn't even talks about herself. She told Izuku in the Cavalry Battle that it's better to team up with people you're friends with but later revealed that how bad and ashamed she felt for relying on him. The problem here is also that she's too critical of herself. She knows her limits (after her brawl with Bakugo, she knew she lost because she didn't have a back-up plan, in season 5 also she admitted that she should have been a bit more calm) and while that is a good thing, she just overvalued other people way too much.

Even after her battle with Bakugo when Deku comes to check if she's okay, she pretends as if nothing happened and all his worries were for nothing. Because again, it was her loss and she wouldn't want Deku getting bothered by it. So she just puts on a fake cherry smile and wishes Deku luck for his match only for him to overhear her crying in her phonecall with her parents.

She has strong feelings, opinions and motivations but she wouldn't let anyone be bothered by it. She has a side that gets jealous, that is insecure, that is strong willed but she wouldn't let it show.

Another big instance is when she refused to go for the Bakugo Rescue in Kamino. She knows Bakugo well to understand that he wouldn't like receiving help from people he looks down on. She thought too much about what Bakugo would think and it all ended up in vain when Izuku and gang went anyway and saved Bakugo from the LoV. Just like Asui at that time she felt sad and maybe ashamed but she never said anything like that during that time and yet it was brought up again in the recent manga.

Why? Because it was yet another example of her ideology that her opinion is not necessary which is wrong since her take on this matter was damn important!!

Despite her own second thoughts on the matter she suggested how Bakugo who was the victim, would feel about all this and that lead to Deku deciding that it would be Kirishima to offer help.

Her biggest development in the Pro Hero Exam?

Come to think of it, it was one of my least favourite arcs because how less of Ochako it had. Most characters in MHA learn from their mistakes but ever since her battle with Bakugo it felt like Ochako was never making any mistakes and suddenly been reduced to nothing but a love interest. This scene right here is also probably one of the most misunderstood or misinterpreted scene in MHA.

Ochako decides to completely her feelings away for Deku might have been a good thing on the short term basis but if we look at the impact it had on the larger scheme of things, we can see how big the concequences were. She thought that again, her own feelings are very unnecessary and just a burden on Deku and his Hero career and even for herself, so she decides to put it all away but it's just partial as stated by Toga in chapter 288.

"When you keep bottling it all up it only grows on the inside"

Which is true because ever since the pro hero exam it feels like despite not admitting to herself or Deku, her crush has only gotten stronger like seriously Chako, you say that you don't like him and yet to keep that All Might Keychain safe and close for your dear life!

So yeah while it might look like a character development on her part, it was one of the biggest mistakes Ochako has made in the entire series! And she was forced to face the consequences of it when Deku left UA and she couldn't do anything anymore. She was forced to face all of it and finally admitting how much of a dummy he is!

Some moments of realisations

One of my favourite thing about MHA is how realistic the characters are written. Despite Ochako not admitting her feelings much often, she does have her own moments of truth.

Before her brawl with Bakugo she admitted that they were all rivals and she wants to get stronger too.

After the Bakugo Rescue she admits that they were all uneasy.

After Sir Nighteye died, she admits to herself that she wants to save people.

In season 5 she admitted how dangerous hero work is and acknowledged how Deku's power hurts him too.

She has a parallel to Bakugo in a way that goes around announcing his motivations to the whole world while she cannot even admit it to herself. She looks up on other people so much that she doesn't looks at her own strength and while idolizing Deku had its own merits, what about her own capabilities?

After Sports Festival she went to learn some Martial arts because she needed more combat experience.

After the Black whip incident she attaches grappling hooks to her costume which gives her more mobility in air and ability to grab people and things from distances (obviously) giving her much needed ranged moves.

But where is her mastery over Zero Gravity?

Where is her use of her actual power?

Their is a big reason why the name for Toga vs Uraraka 2.0 was "Miss Candid vs Miss Shut away". Toga here is the candid one! She is honest because she has learned it the hard way (during her quirk awakening) that the transformation is only external. She tries telling that to Ochako but well, wrong place, wrong time.

Despite being the more Frank person of the group Ochako is not honest to herself and even Horikoshi has stated in his bonus Material that she has no hidden sides to her *wink* *wink* What's the meaning of this?

Obviously, Ochako has a secret side. A dual personality of some sort, that is not the cherry girl we're used to seeing on regular basis. The one that is insightful, brave and doesn't give a shit about what other people have to say and we finally witness it after the war arc when Deku leaves UA.

Now that is not to say we haven't have seen that side of her in pieces even before the war ended. She has shown her sheer wit and determination in Ocha vs Bakugo.

She shows her thoughtful side in season 5 when she acknowledged how hard it is to be a hero and her philosophy on saving other heroes in need.

We have seen it all in tiny bits and pieces though she herself thinks of them as something insignificant, as something not necessary. She just goes along with everyone and never truly admits to the situation because that will lead her to admitting her own flawed thinking.

During the war arc, both her philosophy and her Candidness were put to a test and she was made to face the harsh realities of war. She saw Toga crying, she saw casualties, she saw heroes giving up, she saw the society and the hero system fall apart right infront of her and for someone who originally wanted to do it as a job it was an especially important moment that Ochako had to witness.

And finally her breaking point was when Deku leaves UA. It wasn't the only thing that changed her forever but rather the series of events that followed the events of war but it had to be one of the most shocking ones.

After the kids make an epic return in chapter 319, we see the true side of Ochako Uraraka. The real one that is not faking things just for the sake of keeping the environment tension free. She is still a figure of reassurance for her fellow classmates and family but she is no longer thinking too much about how other people would think, infact she doesn't give a damn!

She is calm, determined and decisive.

She was the major advocate in bringing Izuku back to UA and it just only goes to show how far she has come, both as a hero and as a person.

[pushspacetocontinue]

A Bust Up (closed for theotherrookie)

@theotherrookie

He really didn’t want to put up with this any longer. He was fed up with this strange entity bothering him. 

Sure, it had started harmlessly enough. It had been flicking lights, randomly turning off his television, and occasionally knocking things off his shelves, but now it had gotten violent. 

He was left bruised, it pushed on his ribs and tried to squash his lungs. His head had even violently bashed against his bed frame. He could only be thankful it hadn’t targeted Misty.

So he was sitting now, his phone in his hand. He was certain the spectre hadn’t followed him. He called the number that he had found while looking for a solution and waited an answer.

[boldlyvoid]

Amoreena | chapter eleven

chapter eleven

main summary: Heaven is a real place and it's located exactly 14.6 miles away from the FBI, Quantico Headquarters. Off behind a small park, under a fantastical willow tree surrounded by wildflowers, in every colour young minds can imagine.

Don't forget, heaven also comes with angels.

Chapter Warnings: Y/N POV: details of what happened to Stephen, her grandmas cancer, and very detailed explanations of how babies are made (as biologically accurate and not very graphic as possible) this is an angsty trauma filled chapter that made me cry a lot just writing it so I'm sorry in advance

word count: 3K

from the beginning <3

June 13th, 2010

There’s a knock on her parent's door at 4 in the morning, Y/N’s sound asleep on the couch back at her grandma’s, awoken by said grandmother as she hears all the noise beyond the porch. There are 2 cop cars at the main house, worry starts to settle over them.

She puts on a pair of shoes, taking her grandmother's hand in hers as they begin the early morning trek up the road, anxiety seeping in deeper and deeper as they get closer to the lights illuminating their driveway.

Her father is talking to an officer on the steps, her mother is crying behind him. “We’re so sorry for your loss,” the officer says and Y/N’s blood runs cold, numbing her from the impending despair.

“What happened?” Her grandmother asks, rubbing a hand along Y/N’s back in preparation for the worst.

“Evan was in a car accident,” her father says softly, knowing that Y/N knows Stephen was with him tonight. She breaks away from her grandma and without thinking she’s right in the officer's face.

“Which one of them died?”

“Ma’am,” it was never a good way to start the worst conversation of her life with that word or in that tone. She felt like a '40s housewife learning her husband wasn’t coming home from the war, only he wasn’t even her husband yet.

He would have been on next Saturday.

“I’m sorry, Stephen was pronounced dead on the scene,” he says the worst sentence she’s ever heard, and now she’ll never forget it. “The passenger side took the worst of it, once again, I am so sorry for your loss.”

She’s surprisingly calm, managing to whisper, “thank you,” before she’s walking off into the field, pushing everyone's hands away as she travels as far as he feet will take her.

She ends up at the willow tree by the pond as soon as the sun is rising, it happened a lot earlier in June than the rest of the year. The birds singing, the wind blowing against the leaves making them carry a tune in harmony together. The world is still spinning, life is moving on, but how?

She sat there against the tree for a while, picking blades of grass and weaving them into a chain, soothing her brain as she makes a pattern. Giving her hands something to do so they stop going numb, it’s the only thing that really reminds her that she's real, that she’s controlling the twists and tucks, the shape and length and the fact that it was created at all.

Ending the life of the single blade of grass as she picks it, never to be whole again. Snatched from its happy place, where it grew loved and surrounded by other matching green strands as they blew in the wind.

Then she's pulling fist full after fist full of grass out of the dirt, her hands covered in mud as she shouts, throwing handfuls of grass and dirt towards the pond. The once blue water starting to turn cloudy; disrupted and upset with her anger as it swallows her weapons, but it doesn’t make her feel better. All she did was disrupt the earth, changing the way this once beautiful patch of land used to look. She couldn’t help but sob, realizing that she was like this field now and her beautiful green pasture was disrupted, overturned and ruined.

The life that flowed through her died along with the love of her life.

“Stephen was pronounced dead on the scene,” the words echo in her mind in a constant circle like she’s stuck in a tin can.

It starts to reverberate, getting louder and louder as the same 7 words all run around in her head. Bouncing off the walls, smacking her down again and again as she hears them over and over and over… she’s holding her hands on her ears, shaking back and forth, sobbing when she feels someone wrap their arms around her.

She doesn’t open her eyes, instead, she's rushing to push them off of her, struggling out of their grasp as she fights them. Finally, she loses, being held in her brother's embrace as they both cry, he barely has a scratch on him when she finally looks at him.

she’s never been physical in her life, but she punched him right in the face. Her twin brother, best friend in childhood and the person she’s known the longest in her life. He held her close in the womb, crying if they separated as soon as they were born, she loved him deeply and yet she hated him something fierce at that moment.

“It wasn’t my fault,” Evan cries, “we were stopped at a red light, Y/N!”

“I don’t care! He was supposed to be my husband!” She swats at him, smacking his arms again and again as he tries to hold them back, holding her so tightly as she basically screams bloody murder in the field.

All she can see is his face, her beautiful happy Stephen. The first time she ever saw him, standing under a street light in Boston, papers in his hand and wonder in his eyes. The way he looked up at her, the glow of the light making a halo glow over his head.

She should have known he was too good to be true. Always destined to return to the heavens, he was truly angelic with his big emerald eyes that were only the tiniest bit yellow on the edge of the pupil, the way her name sounded on his tongue like a blessing coming true.

They buried him 2 days after what was supposed to be their wedding. Disrupting another beautiful patch of earth to hide him away forever, she placed a single rose on his casket, she never said goodbye and she never planned to.

“See you later, superstar,” she patted the glossy black box once last time before sending him down into the earth.

—

September 2012

This fucking willow tree and 7-word sentences…

“What do you mean you have cancer?”

Her grandma let a tear slip from her eye, “I’ve got colon cancer, honey, the doctors said I have another 2 years, maybe 5 if I'm lucky.”

Every time someone sat beside her in this one spot, she learned the worst information in the world. Sure Evan didn’t mean to kill Stephen, doesn’t mean she’s talked to him at all in the last year. with Grandpa dying only a few summers back, her favourite house cat now buried in the yard, she can’t lose her grandma now too.

“Okay,” she starts to plan in her head, her eyes about ready to jump out of her skull as she tries to think of all the things they need to do before it’s too late, “let’s go to England, let’s blow my bank account, you can’t leave me without going to England with me? We were supposed to get tea and pretend to be the queen and princess?”

She couldn’t stop the tears, her whole body heaving as she sobbed into her grandma’s dress, “you can’t leave me too!”

“Your grandfather and I have a fund for you, you were the last baby we got to raise when your mom went back to work, I want you to use it for that baby we talked about,” her grandma’s voice is barely a whisper, softly getting the words over her vocal cords as the tears joined Y/N’s on her dress.

Without another word, she took her hand and walked home, getting in her car together and heading to the closest fertility clinic, she booked her first insemination for February, pre-paying for a round of IVF hormones and everything to start in January, she had 3 months to plan.

Finding the perfect donor was the only hard part. She had 3 different books to choose from with all the clinics in the DC area sharing 1 sperm bank. She finally made her decision 3 weeks before they were set to get her pregnant when they updated the books.

Sample 2319, male 30’s, healthy, high IQ, 6’1, brown eyes, brown hair (curly). “Sounds a lot like Stephen,” her grandma agreed, saying his name for the first time in over 2 years, she knew this was her guy.

—

June 14th, 2021

Peeing on a stick shouldn’t be as terrifying as it is.

She hasn’t been this nervous since the first time Dr. Collins inseminated her. Laying back on the table at a weird elevation to make sure she got pregnant, her whole body tense as she thought of the possibilities of her future child.

Sample 2319 sitting in a cup not too far from her face as she prepared for a man she barely knew to put the semen of another man she didn’t know, inside her. She only picked this guy cause he was smart and tall, no health issues to report and the number made her think of Monsters Inc.

In her mind, she made a baby with a man she named mike wazowski, not knowing his real name was actually Spencer Reid and he was only just down the road at Quantico the whole time. It was the weirdest day ever, and then it became the second-best day of her life

Nothing could top holding her baby in her arms for the first time. Her grandma and mother beside her as they all cried, the perfect purple baby screaming on her chest as they tried to wipe the white gunk off her tiny body. her sweet little coos, seeing her swollen eyes open for the first time, the silence that overcame her as they made their first introduction to each other. Her little person, the love of her life, her wonderful Amoreena.

Her cry was perfect, like music to her ears she wanted to hear her little voice as long as she could because it meant she was alive and real. She was healthy and beautiful and the most perfect bundle of joy she could have ever made.

Now she was hiding in the bathroom to pee on a stick while her 7-year-old had breakfast in the next room. Oh, how times changed, but one thing remained the same, she was finding out alone again. Only this time she meant for that to happen, it was exactly 4 days since her period was supposed to start and it wasn’t there, neither was Spencer.

He had something to do that morning, but he’d be meeting them later that afternoon, it was Amoreena’s last day of kindergarten after all. She wanted time to either enjoy the thought of having another baby or cry in peace because for once it didn’t work, giving her a week to recover before trying again.

Amoreena was a miracle, the easiest IVF baby they ever made at the clinic, apparently. If she was pregnant this easily again it was a sure sign that he was Amoreena’s father too, only he could get her knocked up while not even trying.

She didn’t remember pregnancy tests taking this long, she flipped it over and walked out of the room, unable to think of anything else while she waited for 3 minutes to pass. Amoreena noticed she was being weird, studying her mother's movements as she paced the hall outside of the bathroom door.

“What are you doing?” She asked, curious as ever as she twirled lightly in her new princess dress.

“Can you keep a secret?”

“Always mom, I’m the best secret keeper in all the kingdom, remember?” Amoreena smiled, holding onto her leg as she stared up at her.

“Your dad and I tried to make a baby,” she whispered, petting the litter hairs on her forehead as Amoreena looked up at her, her first little baby. “I’m waiting to find out if it worked, but we can’t tell anyone in case it didn’t, okay?”

Amoreena’s eyes were wider than she’s ever seen them, her mouth opened slowly as she understood the words in her mind. She didn’t look happy or surprised, nor upset or worried. She looked confused, “how?”

She laughed then, shaking her head as she lifted Amoreena into her arms, she would have to know soon anyway. “You know how every month mummy has a bad week where she bleeds and her tummy hurts?”

“Yeah?”

“When people with our parts grow up they make little tiny eggs but we don’t lay them like chickens do, they stay inside our tummies and wait to become babies and if they don’t we have a period and release all the stuff our bodies saved up that month to make a little person. You’ll have one soon too in a few years, probably when you're 12 like I was, and when people with a penis get old enough they’re able to help us make the babies like roosters help the chickens. Our bodies are really special and make some really cool things when we try to,” she explained it in the most simple farmhouse way she could.

“Like when the goats are all born in the spring and they just show up?” She tried to clarify, understanding it at the basic level.

“Kinda, you’ve seen the photos of you in my tummy and how aunty Shannon’s stomach grew when she had your cousins, I’ll get really big like that too if I’m pregnant, the baby will grow for 9 long months till they’re nice and healthy and then we’ll have another person in the family,” she couldn’t help but smile as she thought about it.

“How do we find out?”

She opened the bathroom door then and carried Amoreena inside, setting her down on the sink and pointing at the upside-down test stick. “We create a special hormone when we’re pregnant, it’s something that can be detected in our pee!” she explained it like it was magic, watching her get excited instead of grossed out.

“So I peed on that stick and if it has 2 lines I have a baby in my tummy, if not then your dad and I have to try again.”

Amoreena picked up the test and looked at it, keeping it out of her mothers sight as she did so, “there’s two lines,” she lit up waving the stick lightly as she squealed.

Y/N wrapped her up in her arms and twirled her around, “you’re gonna be the best big sister ever!”

“How do we tell dad?” Amoreena’s soft voice whispered in her ear as she snuggled into her shoulder.

“I have an idea,” she whispered back before carrying her back into the kitchen.

Her All About Me project was sitting on the counter, ready for Y/N to drive her into school today. She set Amoreena down on the floor to watch her as she took some tape and taped the stick to the bottom corner of the project. “Pass me the marker, please?”

Amoreena ran to the counter to get it, coming back and placing it in her mom's hand before leaning in to watch what she was writing.

“I’m going to be a big sister sometime next February!” Amoreena read the words as her mother wrote them, unbelievably excited.

“Your dad can read that at the ceremony tonight!”

“I thought you said we can’t tell anyone yet?” Amoreena questioned her, like always.

“Your teacher can know, the other kids won't know what it means, it’s just important Spencer sees it, but we will wait to tell nanny and poppy, okay? Sometimes the babies don’t always stay, it’s sad so we keep it a secret until they’ve got a tiny little heartbeat in there,” she didn’t want to scare her, but she knew it was always a possibility.

“Then we try again,” Amoreena smiled, “It’ll be easier now that you don’t need Dr. Collins to help you, how did you even make me without Spencer?” She didn't use his real name often anymore, only in times when she wasn't referring to him as her father.

She sat down then, pulling Amoreena into her lap so she could hold her while she thought of the right words. “So we have eggs, but people with penises have something called sperm. When adults, and I mean adults you have to be at least 25 to have a baby it’s the rules,” she teased her slightly, ticking her arms.

“Adults have sex, babies are made when someone with a vagina and someone with a penis get together. But when you don’t have a partner with a penis to help, sometimes they’ll donate their sperm to the doctor's offices to help people like me make their perfect little families all by themselves.”

“Interesting,” is all her little mind can say, she has learned so much in one day, Y/N was surprised she was still listening and surprisingly still for once. “Is it a boy or a girl?”

“We won't know for a while,” she smiled, holding Amoreena closer to her chest. “How do you feel about all this?”

Amoreena was quiet as she thought about it, “is Spencer the guy who gave the doctors the sperm for me?”

“We think so, but we don’t know, why?”

Amoreena looked at her softly, “it wouldn’t be fair, I know he said I don’t need a father but why do they get to have him for both?”

“I think Spencer is your father, you’re just as smart and wonderful as he is, there’s no doubt in my mind that you’re his baby too. but if you want to know if he isn't, when you turn 18 the doctors will tell you who it is, it's completely up to you to find out,” she whispered, the tears starting to fall down her cheeks as Amoreena tried to wipe them away.

"I like thinking he's my father, so he is." Her mind worked in the most wonderful way. Y/N couldn’t help but hold her close as she lightly cried, “I had a dream yesterday that I had 8 sisters,” her voice was so soft and innocent as her tiny hand cupped her mother's cheek.

She gasped lightly at the words, remembering Spencer’s panic in the middle of the night last night, how scared he was to leave her all alone with 9 babies and no one to help her. They knew something that she didn’t yet, cheaper by the dozen seemed less like a dream and more like a prophecy.

“I’m so happy to make your dream come true,” Y/N whispered, “I promise I’m happy, the baby just makes me emotional.”

Amoreena placed her hand on her tummy then, “I love you, baby.”

Y/N stuck her tummy out as far as she could, “I love you too, big sister,” she said in a funny voice to make Amoreena laugh, leaning back in the chair as she held her.

And just like that, getting pregnant with Amoreena was bumped into 3rd place for the best day of her life. Sharing the moment with her and no one else was perfect, insuring she knew that she was just as important moving forward as the little person she was growing this time.

tag list: @shemarmooresfedora @spencers-dria @spookyspence @reidsfish @manuosorioh @mochionly @samuel-de-champagne-problems @jswessie187 let me know if you would like to be added as well!!

[orangeyougladitsbondage]

Our first scene...

I had met her through some friends and we hit it off instantly. She was so beautiful and I couldn't help but get lost in her eyes as we talked. This talking led to an exchange of phone numbers and the first text from her later that night. The text was nothing special just a simple "Hi this is Megan, really glad to have met you today". I responded that I was glad to have met her too and then we fell into a rhythm of talking via text every few days.

Then one night that texting turned into a phone call and a sly joke about being tied up with work led to an interesting conversation. Megan told me she had always had an interest in kink but was always scared to bring it up with her previous partners. I told her I had slight experience being a Dom but that I was a switch meaning I play both sides of the dynamic. Megan seemed extremely curious and we decided to do a dinner date that Friday.

That day seemed to take forever, I mean don't they always? You get excited for something and then it seems the thing before that event takes forever? You could just sit there and stare at the clock but that just makes time freeze. So I tried to focus on work but it was harder than it should've been to do so. But finally it was time to leave work and I rushed home to get ready.

A quick shower to freshen up, brushing my teeth and then picking out what to wear. I decided on a nice button up with a vest, not too fancy but also not under dressed. My phone went off it was Megan "Hope you aren't planning to skip out on our date now, not gonna get cold feet with it being only an hour away are you?". I responded "Definitely not a chance of that happening, see you soon".

The ride to the restaurant I just played some music that keeps me calm. Dating with anxiety can be hard because the anxiety triggers my overthinking and only leads to bad things. Well not exactly bad things it just leads to me overthinking how things could play out and being scared to do them. So I played a Playlist I made that keeps those thoughts at bay. And before I knew it I had arrived at the restaurant. Now the one thing I've learned is it's always best to be early even if your date isn't just shows what you are there for is important.

Time again slowed as I waited for Megan to arrive. Car after car pulling in and the thoughts of did she get cold feet begin to sink in. Overthinking sucks so much I wish I could get rid of that part of me but alas I can not. Finally I see her walking towards me and it must've put a doofy smile on my face because she just laughed and said "what?". I just said "I am glad you made it" as I opened the door to the restaurant and followed Megan inside. I told the maitre d the name on the reservation for two and they sat us at our table.

A drink and some food later and the conversation finely made its way to kink. I asked Megan what her interests were. She admitted she really liked the bondage aspect, seeing people helpless but smiling. She also really liked the different gags but she had never tried any. I asked Megan if she had any experience with impact play and she told me she had been spanked before but not much else but that she would love to try more. I asked if she had any experience with being submissive or dominant in her past relationships. Megan stated she always seemed to take the submissive role in her eyes but that both roles interest her.

The conversation went back to normal from there just talking about our days and plans for the coming week. The check came and I paid for the meal while Megan covered the tip. I walked her to her car and wished her a safe drive home and I left smiling the entire walk to my car. But that was where our conversation stopped until later that week anyway. Wednesday I get a text that says "so I really enjoyed dinner and our talk and I'd like to explore things further with you".

Now this had me blushing at work do I asked when Megan had free time and we could set something up. Megan told me her weekend was free and I asked about her Friday night. She was free so we decided we would do another date Friday night and if she still wanted to she could follow me home and we could have a scene. But before we do that we had to discuss limits and how we wanted to scene to play out.

So via text we discussed how Megan would like our scene to play out. She said she would like to be bound and I told her I had some cuffs that can help with that as well as some hooks in the ceiling that they can be attached to. She also stated she would like to try some impact play but nothing too crazy this time. I said never anything too crazy your limits determine what we do and how long we do it. I asked if she wanted to try using a gag and she quickly replied yes and I said ok and listed the options I had.

I have a ball gag, a ring gag, bondage tape and well a clothes pin. Megan decided on the ball gag which is always a lovely choice in my opinion but you'll hear more on why soon enough. And then we discussed safewords and signals for when she was gagged. The safewords chosen were the traditional red, yellow, green and for the signal we went with her opening and closing her fist multiple times. I advised we would do a test run before we got into the scene just to make sure we were both on the same page.

The next two days of work went by like a snail and I don't think that is at all surprising. But as the time began to tick down Friday the excitement in me built. Again I drove home and freshened up this time just wearing a button up and the drove to the restaurant for date number two with Megan. Now I know only two dates and you're thinking me and Megan are about to have sex. And to some that may be the point of bondage or bdsm sure but not to me. And if you think back no where in our scene discussion was sex mentioned so that was not on the table for me at all.

So I arrived at the restaurant and this time me being dressed down a bit but Megan did not. Megan arrived in a lovely purple dress that hugged her curves in all the right ways. My gosh I couldn't help but freeze as she got closer and just take in the beauty in front of me. All I could say was wow as I opened the door and followed her in. We ate and as we did I made sure to tell Megan not to rush herself we have all night ahead of us and rushing to eat won't help. I know this from experience as rushing to eat absolutely ruined a scene in which I was the submissive. Take your time let your food settle and don't worry about time I said and smiled.

I think this helped Megan relax as she slowed down and we just had a wonderful dinner and chat. One of those chats about nothing in particular but both parties enjoyed it. I couldn't believe that I was lucky enough to get a second date with her let alone the honor that would be her submission later that night. On this night no drinks were had by me I just wanted a clear head for the nights events which I think is important when I lead a scene. So finally the check came and I asked Megan if she was sure about how she wanted this night to go.

Megan smiled and said I'm very sure and she grabbed the check and quickly handed it back to the waiter with her card. Now that is a simple move but oh I definitely took it as a power move by her. She just had this smirk afterwards that drove me wild. I left the tip and said alright you can either follow me to my place or we can come pick up your car tomorrow your choice. She then decided to follow me home and I thought to myself as the drive began how lucky I was.

The drive felt like forever but it was only maybe 20mins tops. When we got to my place we went over safewords and the safe signal and made sure we were on the same page. Then I brought up aftercare because this is a extremely important piece of the puzzle. I wish I had learned this in a better way but I think our bad moments teach us to be better. Knowing what the other person needs for aftercare is extremely important. And I can say based off experience I will never do another go with the flow scene again. Because it led to me not knowing what a partner needed and them not telling me what they needed but saying I failed.

Hearing from someone you cared about that you failed because you didn't have all the information. That is the worst feeling and one I was not going to repeat with Megan. So Megan being new, she wasn't sure what her aftercare needs were but we agreed on cuddles to start and we would go from there. So I went into my room bringing out cuffs, my ball gag and a length of rope I attached the rope to one of the ceiling hooks. I then sat next to Megan and had her put her hands front of and I secured to cuffs to each wrist. "Now we can do this with your lovely dress on or we can take it off, whichever makes you more comfortable" she smiled and leaned in next to my ear. And with a whisper she said "Oh I am making you take this dress off so you can see whats underneath" and with a giggle she stood in front of me and turned around.

I stood and slowly lowered the zipper on the dress. Then slowly slid the dress down her arms and then down her body. Underneath the dress she was hiding a lovely matching purple lace set. I couldnt help be admire her ass for a moment as I let my hand slide down it. "Wow, you came dressed to impress today didn't you?" I said with a smile as I spun her around after having he step out of her dress. "Well you only get to do your first bondage experience once may as well amaze you the first time right?" She quipped with a smirk.

I giggled and agreed with her as I clipped the cuffs together. "Are you sure this is what you want?" I asked and she confirmed that she did. I walked her over to the hook and had her turn around so I could put the ball gag in her mouth. Once the gag was in place I had her turn around and connected the rope to the cuff chain. "Well look at you all helpless and oh my already drooling" I said with a smile as I wiped up some of the drool leaking down her chin just to show her. She turned a lovely shade of red on her cheeks and I could see the smile in her eyes.

I stood there for a bit just watching her lightly struggle and test the bonds that held her. Now for me I really like gags because they lead to drool which I really enjoy for many reasons. But the other thing I really enjoy about gags is the muffled talking and moans made by the wearer. So as Megan began to struggle I enjoyed watching her slowly drool more and more and the cute little sounds she was making. Watching the drool slowly cause more and more of a shine down her chest.

I went and grabbed my flogger and then turned on the TV. "Well you seem very content there, so I'll let you go about your struggle and see what's on TV." I said and giggled. Megan tried to say you're mean but all that came out was mumbles. "Awwwww you poor thing you have to speak up if you want me to understand you." I started a random show just to make it seem like I wasn't paying attention all the while I kept watching her hands for any signal that she was done or needed to stop.

A few minutes and plenty of drool down her chin later I stop watching TV and walk over to her. "Are you doing ok?" I asked and she nodded and I asked "would you like to do some impact play with this?" As I slid the flogger over her chest. She thought about it for a moment before nodding and mumbling out a "yes please". I start with a few hits watching her to gage her reaction and making sure it's not too much. "Would you like me to do more?" I ask and she nods. This process continues for the next several minutes, me continously asking if she is ok and would like more.

I stop when her butt has the same shade of red as her cheeks did. I quip with a giggle "Awww seems your underwear isn't the only matching set you have now is it?". I untie the cuffs from the rope and then take the cuffs off of her. I then unbuckle the gag and slowly massage her jaw. "Are you ok?" I ask and she says "more than ok that was amazing". I hug her and tell her how proud I am of how she did there and that she took it all so well. I then grab a cup of water and a paper towel.

I hand Megan the cup of water as I slowly clean up the drooly mess she had on her chest. Then I grab a blanket and wrap it around her shoulders. "Would you like cuddles?" I ask and she nods a yes and I lead her to my bedroom. We lay there in my bed for about the next hour and Megan actually drifted off to sleep for about 45 minutes of it. When she awoke I grabbed her a quick snack and some more water. I told her again that I was so proud of how she handled that and asked if any of it was too much. She told me that she felt it was perfect and asked if she could stay the night as it was now 11pm.

I told her that she absolutely could stay and we sat there just talking about how the scene went. She told me that she enjoyed all of it including the impact play and would love to do more in the future. Now it was the next sentence that excited me a bit. Megan turned and smirked at me and said "maybe next time you'll be the one bound and I'll get to make your cheeks match" I began to blush unable to hide the fact that I would absolutely love that and she smiled at me and then kissed my cheek. "I will take these red cheeks as a yes to that then" she said with a smirk as I cuddled her and we both drifted off to sleep.

[thebrownbabywitchisback]

A Relationship Reading For Those Meant To See It!!!

I originally made this spread to help predict when an upcoming romantic encounter would take place and what the nature of the relationship would be like. However, I have found that this spread can work well with deity, familial, and friendship readings. So, as you read this, broaden your expectations, as the spread is not limited to romantic relationships!

Also, before we get started, I want to ask that if you relate to any significant portion of this reading, your feedback would be incredibly useful and appreciated by me!

1) Who is the person in question? 4 of Swords, Ludo

The 4 of Swords can represent someone who is wise and isn't afraid to move slowly. This can be a very positive attribute. It shows that they are someone who works at a steady pace and isn't afraid to follow someone who knows a little better than them. This doesn't mean that they are perfect. Like Ludo, we are all capable of lashing out at the wrong people as he does upon first meeting Sarah. However, once this person can identify that a person means no ill-will, they have no problem putting their trust in them.

This person might have a history of trauma. They might have gone through troubles regarding family, work, financial, or health troubles recently. Because of this, sometimes they prefer to work out their problems alone. They like to step away and really evaluate what's going on with themselves and determine the best way to tackle their problems themselves. This is nothing against you, by the way. Some people just work better alone when it comes to these kinds of things. Personally, I feel like it's okay to check in on this type a person. A simple "Are you okay?" or "Is there anything I can do to help?" is fine, but if their answer is that they are okay and they prefer to be alone, it is best to respect that.

2) How does this person see you? 9 of Wands, Jareth and Sarah

The 9 of Wands suggests that this person sees you as resilient and strong--No matter what obstacles life throws your way, they find you still standing and they admire that about you.

This card, however, also comes up when a person has trouble setting boundaries. Being admired by others can be great, but it could also often put you on the receiving end of jealousy or high expectations. Some people might try to attack you or they might not understand that you are a human and not perfect. This could mean the person in question might have trouble understanding personal space or realistic expectations when it comes to you or it might mean they recognize this in others who surround you.

It is interesting that Jareth and Sarah in the ballroom scene is pictured on this card, as Sarah has high expectations for Jareth (as he rants about later in the movie) and Jareth has trouble when it comes to boundaries with Sarah--So, this might be something to keep in mind with this person.

3) Where or when do you meet/does this person have the strongest influence over you? 8 of Pentacles (reversed), Wise Man

You likely will meet/have met this person at a time when your focus was self-improvement. This card could also mean that this person is there to cheer you on when you find yourself at this point. This card also tends to suggest not to strive for perfection. A teacher once told me to always strive for excellence rather than perfection, because perfection is impossible while excellence is obtainable. This person might be there to let you know when you are working too hard and they might try to divert your attention away just to encourage you to take a break. It could also be you that does this for them or maybe both of you fulfill this need for each other.

I think the Wise Man's words fit perfectly with this card: "The way forward is sometimes the way back. Quite often, it seems like we are not getting anywhere when in fact, we are!"

Don't work yourself too hard when you feel like you are not getting anywhere. Don't feel afraid to step back for a while or retrace your steps when you feel lost. You'll get to your goal soon! Try not to worry too much about it.

4) What is the nature of your relationship? Queen of Cups, Sara

I LOVE that this card showed up for the nature of your relationship. This card means that one or both of you is really passionate and caring. Obviously, this is a good quality for a relationship. One or both of you has really good intuition and can sense the needs and feelings of the other person. One or both of you is incredibly giving, but you also recognize when too much is too much. Judging by the appearance of 9 of Wands, however, I'm going to guess that this more describes the other person in the relationship.

The appearance of Sarah on this card, I think, is fitting, especially with the scene she is in. She might follow her heart in searching for Jareth in the masquerade, but when she is given a reality check by the chime of the clock, she knows to break away. Ultimately, at the end of the movie, she defeats Jareth by the phrase, "You have no power over me!"

I think this is important to keep in mind in your relationship. One or both of you might be passionate about caring for the other, but that doesn't make the other person a doormat. It is always important to establish boundaries and respect them!

5) What are the obstacles of your relationship? 5 of Swords (reversed), Jareth

This card reversed indicates to me that one of your main obstacles might be that one or both of you is/are very opinionated. Perhaps things can get so heated that one or both of you will argue to the end with hopes of "winning" the argument, but this is no good. In these situations, there is no gratification in winning, as someone is going to likely end up hurt.

This card can also mean that one or both of you has had some struggles in your life recently and the trauma from those struggles is following you into this relationship. Judging by the 4 of Swords showing up to represent the other person in your relationship, my guess is that this likely describes them. These past traumas might present a challenge to your relationship. Since this card could also suggest the opening of an old wound, I think it's best if I give you a warning: At some point, you may do something to trigger this person and their reaction may match that of someone who has been triggered! This doesn't mean that you do it intentionally, but their reaction might cause discomfort and tension. Your initial reaction might be to get angry at them. Words might be said by one or both of you and things might be done by one or both of you that are regretted later. If you both are mutually interested in keeping the relationship moving forward, it is best for you both to cool off, talk through your problems, and most importantly apologize and discuss how you can handle the situation better in the future.

It's fitting that Jareth appears on this card. He's a very charming character who is obviously interested in Sarah. However, he is constantly putting Sarah in danger because he believes this is what she wants, which explains his exhaustion by the end of the movie that Sarah isn't responding positively to the way he shows his interest in her.

6) The outcome of the relationship. 10 of Swords, Jareth

Yikes! It looks like someone is going to get hurt at the end of all of this!

The 10 of Swords comes when something is going to end in pain. Someone is going to be or feel betrayed. It also might suggest that your initial reaction to this pain is to curl up and accept the role of victim. I think this is okay, because when we are hurt, we are the victim. However, even if the other person hurts you, this card is encouraging you to pick yourself up, learn from your mistakes and the mistakes of the other person, and move on as a stronger person with more life experience. And of course, this is not going to be easy, but you will eventually move on a better person.

Keep in mind that you might be the one doing the hurting too, so it's important if this is the case that you take time to allow yourself to acknowledge what you did wrong. It can be easy to poin the finger and play the blame game, but doing this helps no one (especially yourself). The feelings you have surrounding this are important to keep in mind when moving forward. Think about how it feels to hurt another person and to see them hurt, and know this is not something you want to repeat again.

Again, don't be like Jareth. At the final showdown between him and Sarah, he is quick to point fingers and point out everything he feels that she did wrong and how everything he did to put her in danger was for her. Obviously, as an outsider, we can see this is incredibly manipulative. Don't do this!

Also, I want to add that I don't believe card readings are ever set in stone, so even though this spread *today* says this relationship will end in pains, there is always a chance that something could interfere and change the outcome. However, it might also be good to keep this ending in mind to soften the blow if it eventually does happen. Another option is if you want to maybe avoid the potential pain to keep this person at arm's length. Ultimately, you have to decide what is most comfortable for you moving forward. Go with what your instincts say first and *maybe* consider what this reading says.

[tornbetween2loves]

Arcana Unbound: All It Took Was A Moment

This is a collaboration between myself and @innerpostmentality It is a TRR AU set 25 years in the future from the current TRR timeline. The story focuses around the children of the TRR characters.

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Pixelberry, except for our amazing OCs. We claim all of them as our own.

Warning: Parts of this series may contain erotica and scenes of violence. It should not be read by anyone under the age of 18.

Tagging: @darley1101 @gardeningourmet @speedyoperarascalparty @hopefulmoonobject @bobasheebaby @carabeth @sawyeroakleyscowboyhat @riseandshinelittleblossom @stopforamoment @scalpeljockeybrycelahela @furiousherringoperatortoad @indiacater @sirbeepsalot @alesana45 @strangerofbraidwood @museofbooks @furryperfectionlover @ao719 @blackcatkita @kennaxval

Word count: 3488

Featured pairing: Aeneas and Sarissa, Xiphos and Calais

Arcana Unbound masterlist

Four thousand years ago gods and magic shaped and ruled and were plentiful in the world. Man and all the creatures were shaped and marked by it. Then things began to change. Gradually those things of magic diminished and the things of science took precedence until magic became a myth tucked away safely in children’s fairy tales and skilled entertainer’s parlor tricks.

It’s been a thousand years of progress unmarked by true magic.

 …………………….. Things are about to change.

Sarissa stood outside the door of Calais’ room, her mouth dry and her palms sweaty. She raised her hand and knocked softly. “Calais? It’s Sarissa. Are you awake? Can we talk?” She pressed her ear to the door and tried to make out the incoherent mumbling on the other side. A few moments later the door opened. Calais stood there yawning and rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She yawned and gestured Sarissa into the room. The girls sat down next to each other on the bench at the foot of the bed. “Calais, I’m sorry for being so angry. I shouldn’t have reacted like I did. I was surprised.” She paused to collect her thoughts.

Calais wrapped Sarissa in a big hug and relaxed into her shoulder. "Please don't be mad."

Sarissa sighed as she wrapped her arm around her friend. “Why didn’t you tell me, Calais?”

"Cause it wasn't going to happen. I didn't want your pity. There wasn't a point. He didn't even see me when I was there."

She shook her head. "Yesterday was just weird."

“Tell me about it. Weird is not the word.” She sighed deeply. “It is obvious to anyone with half a brain that you and Xiphos are crazy about each other.” She looked into her eyes. “I’m happy for you, Calais.

"I don't know what happened." She shook her head. "Aeneas was goading me about participating in the social season. And I was trying to get him to give it a rest. So I told him I already liked someone." She rolled her eyes. "That was the wrong move. Because then he was like a dog with a bone. I wouldn't tell him who it was and he knew I hadn't told the person I liked and he said I had to tell them. When Aeneas gets his stubborn up he doesn't let go. So I knew I had to tell him. One minute I was telling Xiphos that I liked him but I knew he liked Aeneas... " She shook her head. "And that he had been running away from that. And the next thing...."

She looked at Sarissa with a wondering expression. "Your brother is amazing. I'm so sorry I upset you."

Sarissa smiled and looked at Calais, her eyes sparkled. “It’s okay. Your brother is amazing too.” She spoke softly and her cheeks flushed a deep red. She shifted her eyes to the floor. “When Leo and I found you and Xiphos in the stables I didn’t understand how two people could be so utterly smitten with each other in literally a day.” She lifted her head back up to meet Calais’ gaze. “But now I understand.”

Calais pulled back and looked at her, one brow lifted. "Aeneas?"

Sarissa smiled sheepishly as she nodded. Her cheeks were still pink. “Calais, I couldn’t even explain it if I tried. I’ve spent all these years keeping Aeneas at arm’s length, I was so sure that he would be the king I would protect with my life. All it took was a moment. One moment completely changed my entire outlook on life.”

She smiled thoughtfully. "I know exactly what you mean. But I wasn't sure. You know Leo has a total crush on you. And Aeneas doesn't let himself get close." She shakes her head. "Though I knew something was up with him last night when he practically walked into a door to go get something for Xiphos to take to you." She giggled. "I hadn't seen him do that before."

Sarissa couldn’t help the blush that spread across her cheeks. “I really can’t even explain it. Being with him just feels so.....” She struggled to find the right words. “Perfect? Meant to be? I don’t know, maybe I’ve gone mad.” Both girls giggled. “Aeneas said that Leo was a better catch than him. He tried to push me away. But he may have met his match in stubbornness.”

Calais got a soft loving look on her face. "I hope so. He deserves someone who can love all of him. The man as well as the prince, the king he will someday be. I know that it's not going to be easy Sarissa." Her dark eyes locked with her friends. "It's not just that Aeneas will be king. It's that he also wants to be king. He has this construct in his head of the perfect king and he dedicates himself to fitting that model. Sometimes it means he sacrifices his desire to fit that." She sighed. "It's not always a healthy thing. I hope you can make him see that he can be happy and still be a great king."

Sarissa smiled at her friend. “I hope so too. He tried to push me away last night and something I said got through to him. Not sure what but he opened himself up and let me in.” Her smile faded. “But I’m scared, Calais. I’m scared he’ll shut me out and I won’t be able to get him to let me back in.”

"Hey" Calais hugged her. "This whole thing is scary. I.." She trailed off.

Sarissa wrapped her arms around her friend. When she hesitated she pulled back to look in her dark eyes. “What is it? You know you can tell me anything. Anything.”

Her voice was very soft. "I truly don't know if I'm strong enough for Xiphos, Sarissa. I... "she shook her head and her voice was flat. "There was someone... and I thought he cared for me. But it was all lies. Just lies. Just bragging rights. He, he.." Tears ran down her cheeks silently. "Fucking princess bull shit. All he wanted was to say he'd fucked the princess of Cordonia. Got pictures too. So if I went to anyone they would mysteriously wind up with the press." She burst into tears.

Sarissa’s mouth dropped open as she wrapped her arms around Calais. “Oh I’m so sorry. That’s awful.” She pulled back, anger flared in her grey eyes as she looked at her broken friend. “Tell me who he is. I’ll kill him myself. Then you won’t have to worry about pictures.” Her eyes softened a bit as Calais looked up at her and shook her head slowly. Sarissa sighed and wrapped an arm around her friend’s shoulder to pull her close. Her voice was soft and quiet, close to Calais’ ear. “You are one of the strongest people I know. I would be more worried about my brother being strong enough for you.”

Calais shook her head and sniffed then reached over and grabbed a tissue from her bedside table. "Your brother..." She dabbed her eyes. "He was supposed to be... safe?" She laughed. "Too beautiful to be true. Too popular to ever really notice me. Just a fantasy. A dream to love me, just me when no one else could see past the mark and the tiara. I knew he was obsessed with my brother. That just made him safer." She shook her head and looked up. "Oh God... I was so dumb."

Sarissa smiled gently at her friend. “I haven’t yet spoken to Xiphos, but I could tell when he came to my room last night that he has changed.” She wrapped her arm around Calais’ shoulders. “My brother is not as shallow as everyone makes him out to be. He has a big heart and truly just wants to find someone who will love him for who he is, not because he’s ‘Cordonia’s most eligible bachelor’. I think you both are a lot alike. You’re well-suited for each other.” Her smile faded and was replaced by a serious look. “I’m very sorry I reacted like I did. But I want you to know I’m happy for you both. I think you’ll make each other very happy.”

"I never thought he was shallow." she looked down. "I thought he was drowning himself in sex to try to forget Aeneas." She smiled softly. "Aeneas never saw Xiphos’ attraction to him. I'm not sure he ever saw anyone's attraction to him. Or maybe it was because he could never tell if it was him or his crown. Or one but not the other. He's not like Uncle Leo. He's never going to abdicate. Well maybe in 30 years or so. You have to realize that, Sarissa. I don't think Aeneas would ever do a 'fling'." She laughed, "It wouldn't surprise me at all if he's the only virgin left in the family."

Sarissa’s eyes went wide. “Aeneas? A virgin?” The color drained from her face. “Y-you mean....oh my god.” She shook her head and sighed deeply. She looked directly into Calais’ face with resolve. “I’m not interested in having a fling with your brother. I want to get to know him. I want to know the man behind the crown.” She paused for a moment. “You should know that I probably understand the pressures of the crown better than any of Aeneas’ other potential suitors. I think he deserves someone who can love all of him. The man, the crown prince and one day king.” She smiled hopefully at her friend. “I think I could do that. I could love him the way he deserves. If he’ll let me.”

Calais laughed softly. "Hey, I believe you. I wasn't accusing you of just wanting a fling with my brother. I was trying to assure you that if he's letting you in.... Well it's not a simple switch with him. I don't think he is going to turn it off. And if he's not.." She blushed, "If he's not as forward with you as you might expect. It's probably more just not being sure how to proceed. Being in uncharted territory as it were. I think he decided a long time ago that the best way to be certain there weren't going to be a slew of headlines about who he was involved with and the string of broken hearts and relationships and stories was just not to be involved at all. So he focused on his studies and his job and committed himself to the country and the people.

Sarissa nodded. “Well what happened this morning makes a lot more sense to me now that’s for sure.” Her smile faded as she looked at Calais very seriously. “So you mean to tell me I have to take the crown prince’s virginity?” Her face grew pale and her eyes widened. “I-I oh my....” She looked down wringing her hands in her lap. “I never thought...I mean I just assumed.....oh hell.” She tossed her hands in the air and looked at Calais sheepishly. “Never mind. Just ignore my stupidity please.”

Calais looked away and shrugged. "It should be someone who really cares for him. I think he's really lucky to have you Sarissa."

She frowned a bit. "I told your brother I want to sculpt him. He said I could.... Honestly part of me is afraid he's going to wake up and feel like yesterday was a leap off a cliff he wasn't ready for. I can still feel him Sarissa. Like he's part of me. And I love it. And it terrifies me at the same time."

Sarissa smiled at her friend. “I know how you feel. Have you heard from him yet today?” She looked down at her phone. “Actually never mind. I’m fairly certain he’s not awake yet.” She giggled. “I had the best time with Aeneas this morning Calais. I never realized your brother had such a good sense of humor. He’s really funny.”

Calais lifted a brow and used her most droll tone, "I laugh at him all the time. It builds character. Keeps him from getting the big head like he was the crown prince or something."

Sarissa raised an eyebrow at her friend. “Wanna come over? We could hang out and gossip about our brothers and when Xiphos rolls out of bed around 2 we can make sure he was ready to jump off that cliff yesterday.”

"Oooh That sounds wonderful! But I have to shower." She sniffed her shirt. "Somehow I doubt smelling like last night’s sea bass is really in the top 5 of how to get a guy to like you." She grins, "Remember you maybe. But not in a good way."

Calais hopped out of bed. "You want to pick something out for me to wear while I shower? That way I don't have to play head games with myself about 'Will he like this? Is this too much?'"

Sarissa giggled. “Sure. Although you would look good in a potato sack. I’m sure my brother would agree.” She walked into the closet, pulling out a selection of blouses and sweaters. She selected a pair of dark skinny jeans with a form-fitting off the shoulder sweater. Calais came out of the shower a few minutes later in a bathrobe with her hair wrapped in a towel. Sarissa held up the sweater. “I happen to know my brother has a thing for bare shoulders and collarbones.” She raised an eyebrow and winked at her friend.

Calais blushed and dropped her eyes. "I've never worn that. I like it. But it leaves my left shoulder bare..." She got a determined look. "You know what? I think it's time I wore it!"

She grabbed it and the jeans then went into her walk in and realized the mess she left in there the night before when she tossed her half packed suit case back in there. She frowned digging though her lingerie drawer picking out emerald green lace boy cut underwear and a matching bra. She donned the jeans and pulled the sweater on. The straps of the green bra were showing above the fold of the top of the dark maroon sweater and her birthmark swept down from her face across her throat, shoulder and down her chest disappearing below the cut of the sweater. She straightened her spine and went out to face Sarissa.

"What do you think?"

Sarissa smiled big at her friend. “You look amazing Calais. My brother will have to pick his chin up off the floor.”

"I feel a little naked." She laughed. "You better get me out of here before I chicken out and put on coveralls and a turtleneck."

She took the towel off her hair and it fell like a damp curtain down her back. She sighed. "This is going to be wet for hours if I don't dry it. Can you help me?" Calais’ hair unbraided hung to her waist. "I keep thinking about cutting it. It's just such a chore." She smiled. "Dad likes it."

Sarissa nodded and gestured for Calais to sit at the vanity. She combed her friend’s hair gently before reaching for the hair dryer and a round brush. “You better not cut it. Your hair is so soft, like homespun silk.” She turned on the dryer and aimed it at each section, pulling the brush through from root to tip. When it was all dry, Sarissa smiled at her friend in the mirror as she combed her fingers through the silky strands. “I have an idea.” She rifled through a drawer and pulled out a jewel-encrusted butterfly clip. She swept Calais’ hair to one side, securing it with an elastic. She flipped the ponytail over once and secured it with the clip. The ponytail fanned across her shoulder and collarbone, covering a large portion of the birthmark. Sarissa smiled. “How’s that? Feel a little better?”

Calais smiled at her friend and nodded. "Hey, Thanks. Thanks for listening. And still being my friend. I promise I'll be good to your brother. I really love him Sarissa. I.. I didn't think I could after." She shook herself and grabbed Sarissa's hand and looked into her eyes. "Just thanks."

Sarissa wrapped her arms around her friend and pulled her into a big hug. “I’ll always be your friend Calais. Nothing will ever change that.” She pulled out of the embrace and smiled. “I know you love him. I can tell you two have something special. I wish you every happiness.”

She blushed. "Let's go. Before I start checking my phone obsessively."

Sarissa blushed. “Ummm sure let’s go. But Calais I didn’t drive here. I came in the limo with Aeneas.” She smiled at her friend sheepishly. “Can you arrange a ride for us?”

Calais grinned "You know.... we could take horses. Your house isn't far from the palace."

Sarissa’s face lit up. “That’s a fabulous idea! Then you and Xiphos could enjoy a romantic horseback ride on the beach.”

Calais smiled shyly before she drug her out of the room and down to the stables. She smiled at Evan at the door and told him that they were going for a ride. Then they giggled all the way to the stables. In short time the horses were saddled and they were riding off down the service path which led to the parking lot. And then to the streets. She told the guard at the main gate they were going to Bastien's house. And he lifted a brow but let them go.

They drew more than a little attention. Two beautiful women riding horses in the streets of the capital as they chatted and walked along. Calais was recognized and she waved and smiled but didn't stop. And it didn't actually take that much longer before they were riding through the gates at the entrance to Sarissa's house. They tied the horses up to one of the yard lamps and went giggling into the house.

Calais laughed. "I thought the guard was going to stop us for sure."

Sarissa broke into a fit of giggles. “I don’t know how we managed to pull that off. I thought for sure we would be escorted back to the palace at any moment.” She turned around and ran smack dab into Bastien. “Oh! Daddy, I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.

He stood before them, arms crossed across his chest. He raised an eyebrow at his daughter. “You two rode horses through town all the way from the palace? Without a guard escort?” He narrowed his eyes at them. Sarissa shot Calais a helpless look.

Calais looked at Bastien and smiled then hugged him. "Uncle Bastien, I had Sarissa and we didn't stop. And we did tell the guard where we were going. I can call them and let them know we are safe or you can. I just wanted to get out for a bit. It's my fault."

Bastien softened a bit at the embrace. “Yes, I know you told the guard. He called me.” He looked pointedly at Sarissa over Calais’ shoulder. “You really shouldn’t be out without guards. However, I know that Sarissa would protect you with her life if necessary.” He smiled. “Next time just take the limo or call me and I’ll send a car.”

Calais fidgeted looking a little guilty. "So if I maybe wanted to ride on the beach later??? Please Uncle Bastien? I'll take Xiphos and Sarissa. And the dogs... Please? It's not planned so I don't think the beach ninjas will be waiting to kidnap us." She looked down so he couldn't see her grin.

Bastien sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don’t see any harm in a ride on the beach. As long as both Sarissa and Xiphos are with you.” He sighed deeply and looked into Calais’ eyes. He smiled gently at her. “Your father would kill me if I let something happen to you.” He saw the happiness in her eyes and sensed there was a change in her. “My dear, you look wonderful today. You are simply glowing with happiness. Has something changed since I saw you last?” Calais’ cheeks flushed pink as she exchanged a knowing glance with Sarissa.

She nodded and hugged Bastien again. "Yes. I sort of fell in love." She gave him another glowing smile before she grabbed Sarissa's hand and dashed off to Sarissa's room giggling.

She got on the other side of the door and covered her mouth over a squeal. "I know. I know. I told him the truth... sort of." Then she looked concerned. "Should I have asked his permission? I mean Xiphos is an adult. I don't want your dad to find out from paparazzi? But Xiphos should probably tell him don't you think? Oh my God... I don't want MY Dad to find out from paparazzi for sure. We need to have a plan..."

Sarissa’s eyes got wide. “Oh no, it would be awful if either of our parents found out from the press.” She smiled at Calais. “Aeneas already asked my dad’s permission.” She held up her index finger. “Hang on a second. You’re right, Xiphos should be the one to talk to both our parents. Wait here for a minute.”

[fagbxyss]

@gayslutsrp

It'd been a while since Isaac had been back to Beacon Hills. He'd graduated high school, he'd just turned 20 years old, and he was getting his start on being an adult while also continuing on as a werewolf.

He hadn't reached out to any of his old friends yet, rather focusing on getting settled into his new apartment and his new job. He'd just recently picked up a full time job as a manager at a local coffee shop. It wasn't his dream job or anything, but it paid enough for his lifestyle and it also allowed him to save up some money for college. Isaac was currently enrolled at Beacon Hills University.

Most of the time, Isaac spent his shifts in the back of the coffee shop working on manager tasks. But when things would get busy, he would eagerly step in to give the younger staff a hand - often taking over on the register. And that's when he spotted Scott McCall. "Dude!" He exclaimed happily, looking up to the other. "How've you been!?" He smiled brightly, looking deep into Scott's eyes, obviously very happy to see his old friend.