#I DON'T HAVE ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY I CAN'T WAIT FOR IT TO BE AVAILABLE NEXT YEAR I'LL BE GRADUATED

[bookwyrminspiration]

*through gritted teeth* haha no don't cancel the one available session of that class I really need you're so sexy

[chahnniesroom]

hoju (home)

pairing: bang chan x female reader

summary: even though chan has been living in korea for so many years, he still considers australia to be home. when he finally has the opportunity to go back and visit, he can't wait to bring you along and introduce you to the people and places that he grew up with.

word count: 4.3k

warnings: none :)

a/n: hoju (호주) is the korean word for australia.

this was a request from my sweet 🦦 anon! thank you for the inspiration, i had fun writing this and i hope that it meets your expectations. sorry that i did not write this in chan's pov 😅 as usual, please let me know if there are any typos or mistakes because i didn't have the chance to proofread 🥲

read it on ao3 | masterlist

Chan has been acting strange lately. Not enough that you're worried, just a little bit suspicious. He's never tried to hide what tabs he has open on his phone before and he's looked deep in thought quite a few times, but when you ask what he's thinking of, he changes the topic quickly. You're curious, but trust that Chan will talk to you when he's ready. Still, you can't quite ignore all of the changes in behaviour.

It's the same tonight. When you look up during dinner, Chan's just stirring around the noodles in his plate, only taking a bite every so often. You frown, trying to think of if you've done anything differently to prepare the food in a way that he doesn't like, but it tastes the same to you as usual. You rule out a lack of appetite, as he had just commented that he was starving while you were cooking.

“Is everything okay?” you ask hesitantly, after a few more minutes have passed.

“What?” Chan looks up, startled by the sound of your voice. “Oh no, everything's fine! Just… thinking.”

“Is it about work? Did something happen?” You know that Chan has been busier than usual this month, the boys have some time off in a few weeks and everybody is scrambling to get things finished in the meantime. You've also requested vacation at work, although so far you and Chan haven't planned anything. In fact, he's been a little bit cagey when you've brought up the topic. You try not to think much of it and really, it's just nice to be able to spend extra time together.

Honestly, you wouldn't be surprised if Chan has found out that his break has been cut short or even cancelled. It's rare that they’re able to have more than a few days off at a time which is why you had been so shocked when Chan had let you know that they didn't have schedules for a period of almost three weeks.

It would provide an explanation to everything that you've observed the past few days, you know that he would try his best to fix things before he had to tell you the bad news.

“Well-”

“It's okay if you found out you can't take time off,” you reassure him. “I understand that it's all up to the company and sometimes they change their mind at the last minute. I can just let my work know and take my vacation another time, I'm sure they might even be happy if I'm still around next month.”

“No!” Chan says, his eyes wide in panic. “We still have time off! Don't worry about that. It's actually- How would you feel about visiting Australia with me?”

It's your turn to stare at Chan in shock.

“Australia?”

“Yeah, it's been a while since I went back and-” Chan breaks eye contact, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I thought it'd be nice if I could introduce you to my family, in person.”

“You want me to meet your family? In Australia?” you repeat, dumbly.

“Only if you feel comfortable!” Chan says hurriedly. “I looked into tickets, but didn't book anything yet so it's totally up to you. I also wanted to check if my family was available beforehand and it's pretty good timing actually. If you don't want to, then it's totally fine, I'll probably go for either way and I think Felix is also considering it. It's just that we've been together for a while now and I've met your family and I know that my mom basically considers you to be her daughter-”

“I want to go,” you interrupt, not wanting Chan to spiral further. “I was just surprised, I guess, but of course I want to accompany you.”

Chan brightens at that, then grabs his computer, unlocking it and opening up a spreadsheet. As it loads, he reaches for his chopsticks and takes a huge bite of food. You can't help but smile fondly at the sight of his cheeks bulging with food as he chews, relieved that his appetite is back.

“I didn’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but I was looking at flights, and I think that if we leave on a Tuesday, it might be best. It means we can enjoy the weekend here and still have time to pack everything,” he explains excitedly. “It'll be less busy at the airport too, which will be nice, and it works out well with my parents’ schedules anyway.”

You hum in acknowledgement, content to follow along and take mental notes as Chan reads out everything else that he's thought of so far. He continues planning for the rest of the evening, trailing behind you as you clean up and do your nightly routine, only stopping to help you when you do the dishes and put away the laundry. It's cute how animated he becomes, putting together a long list of all the sites and restaurants that he wants to show you.

You can tell that he's still thinking of it as the two of you curl up in bed that night, every so often you feel him jolt behind you and turn to reach for the little pad of paper and pencil that he often keeps on his nightstand.

Eventually, you turn over and squint at him. He doesn't even pretend to be asleep.

“Hi,” he whispers. “Sorry if I'm keeping you awake.”

“Sleep,” you murmur tiredly. “We have lots of time to plan, get some rest for now and we can talk more tomorrow.”

Chan starts to protest, but you just nuzzle closer, pulling his hands to wrap around you. As you drift off to sleep, you can feel that Chan has finally relaxed too.

—

The two of you spend the first day of break slowly, sleeping in and having a lazy meal of bibimbap from all the banchan taking up space in your fridge. You only venture out of the apartment for dinner, going to your favourite local restaurant that you visit so often that the owner starts making your meals the second that the two of you step through the door. The next couple of days are also easygoing, consisting of shopping, watching dramas, and eventually preparing for your trip.

Throughout the drive to the airport and making your way through security and to your gate, you can tell Chan's a bit on edge even though you and Felix try to assure him that everything will be fine. The three of you are in incognito mode, wearing hats, face masks, and plain clothes but Chan’s still scanning your surroundings the whole time. You, on the other hand, can't help but be excited, bouncing at his side so much that he loops his arm over your shoulders to try and calm you down. Felix is more relaxed and laughs at the stark contrast between the both of you, even filming parts of it since he’s getting footage for a vlog. Luckily you know that any content with you in it is likely to be edited out and don’t bother to hide your eagerness.

While Chan is used to travelling often for concerts and other overseas schedules, you've rarely visited places outside of Korea and have certainly never flown business class. You squeeze Chan's hand when you see your seats, thrilled at the idea of having so much leg room and a divider between the two of you that can also be fully lowered. It keeps you entertained for the whole time before the plane takes off, taking pictures together and reclining your seat up and down until the seatbelt sign turns on.

The flight is over 10 hours, so it doesn't take long before you move your attention to browsing the menu that's available and scrolling through all of the movies on the in-flight entertainment system. Shortly after the dinner meal is served, you start to doze off. Wanting to make the most of the experience, you insist to Chan that you'll be able to stay awake to watch another movie with him, but only make it through the first 30 minutes before you wake up to a dark screen.

You blink up blearily as a flight attendant starts making their way through the aisles, handing out customs forms for everyone to fill out. When you receive yours, you stare at it for a few seconds before realising the problem is not the fact that you're still adjusting to being awake.

“Oh no,” you whisper in horror, causing Chan to glance over at you, concerned.

“What happened?” he asks.

“I didn’t think about practising English before this trip,” you reply, distress leaking into your voice. “The last time that I wrote anything in English was when I was in secondary school… I'm not going to survive in Australia!”

“Hey, it's not an issue, I'll be with you the whole time! You don't have to worry about any of that. And you know enough conversational English to get by, I know you do,” Chan says soothingly.

You refuse to be comforted, burying your face into your hands.

“How am I going to face your parents when I barely know anything other than ‘hi, how are you?’” you moan. “I'm not even going to make it through customs! They're going to arrest me when I can't answer any of their questions!”

You know that you're exaggerating, but it makes Chan laugh so hard that tears gather in the corners of his eyes. You try to keep up your act, but end up dissolving into laughter too at the way that Chan is trying so hard to stay quiet, not wanting to bring attention to you two.

Contrary to your fears, you manage to deplane, get through customs, and collect your luggage without any major issues. You had a moment of anxiety when Chan and Felix split up from you since you have to go into the lineup for foreign passports, but you are somehow able to fumble your way through the conversation with the border officer without being detained.

Felix splits up with you shortly after, you see that his tiredness from the long flight melts away the second that he sees his family. He gives you and Chan both a quick hug to say goodbye before running out to meet them.

Chan lights up in a similar way when he finally spots his parents. They're waiting in the pick-up zone and waves the two of you over quickly. You barely get the chance to say hi before Chan’s mother is enveloping you into a hug.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you,” she says warmly. “Come on, let’s take you home.”

The drive is fairly short and it feels like no time at all before you’re approaching the house. The second that the front door opens, you hear a distinctive scrabble of claws against hardwood before Berry shoots towards Chan, tail wagging furiously. Chan immediately kneels down to give her better access, laughing when she stands on her hind legs to lick at his face.

Once she’s finished with that, she turns to you, barking curiously before moving closer. You stick out a hand for her to get an idea of your scent and try not to jump when you feel the cool, damp press of her nose against your palm. Whatever Berry smells, she approves of, giving you a few quick licks before running back to Chan.

“She’s so cute!” you exclaim, pulling out your phone so that you can take a picture of the reunion. You don't think that Chan even hears you, caught up in talking to Berry, giving her kisses and allowing her to do the same.

“I'll help you with your bags,” Chan's father says from beside you, easily lifting them out of your hands and motioning for you to enter the house. You exchange greetings with both of Chan's siblings as you remove your shoes, familiar with them through video calls and the one time that you met Hannah when she was travelling in Korea.

Chan’s family recently moved so this was also Chan’s first time seeing the house in person, the two of you trailing behind Chan’s father as he gave you a brief tour of the first floor before leading you upstairs. When you get to the guest room that you'll be staying in, Hannah pops her head in.

“Chris doesn’t spend enough time in Australia to have his own room in this house, so you guys are in this room.” She eyes you for a moment and based on the mischievous smile that’s growing, you can guess what she’s about to say. “Y/n, if you get sick of him, then feel free to stay with me instead!”

“Hey!” Chan complains, not even looking up from where he’s unpacking his bag. He grabs onto one of his shirts and chucks it at Hannah, but she easily dodges, throwing one of her slippers at him in retaliation. It hits Chan right in the chest and he looks at her in disbelief. He abandons his task in favour of chasing her throughout the house. You don't follow after, but you hear as their yelling and laughter echoes through the halls.

It’s refreshing to see Chan at home, no matter how comfortable Chan is with the rest of the kids, he’s still the leader of the group and the oldest member and the dynamic of their relationship reflects that. Even though it has barely been a few hours, you’re relieved to find that Chan has left behind the stresses of being an idol and can instead just be a son and an older brother.

His parents are hilarious and kind, it’s easy to see how Chan’s personality is a reflection of the environment that he was raised in. During dinner, you laugh at the way Chan pouts dramatically when Chan’s father pretends to forget about Chan when serving the food and how he groans in pleasure when he finally gets to taste his mother's cooking after so long. Hannah and Lucas continually crack jokes as you eat, especially if they're at Chan's expense and he pretends that he doesn't find them funny.

—

One afternoon you find Chan fiddling with the camera that he’s brought with him. You step up behind him, resting your chin on his shoulder and wrapping your arms around his waist.

“Are you planning on filming tonight?” you ask, knowing that Chan was always careful to alert everyone in the house beforehand.

“Not today,” he replies. “Probably tomorrow, when I take out Berry for her morning walk. Did you want to join?”

“Of course!”

“I was thinking of going right after breakfast, before it gets too hot out,” he says as he pulls out the camera battery and fits it into the charger.

“Anywhere in particular you wanted to go?”

“Mmm, maybe by the water? There's a path that's not too far away. I don't want anything that's too close to the house, you know?”

“Good idea.”

“Are you planning on putting it into a vlog?” you ask curiously. "You haven't been filming much.”

"Actually…”

“What? You're making me nervous.”

“I was hoping to use it for a music video,” Chan says sheepishly.

“What?! I'm not qualified for that!! I can't- you need to find someone else-”

“No no, it's going to be fine! It's for a record, not like, an actual music video.”

“I don't know,” you say, still feeling hesitant.

“I promise, I'm going for the casual vibes and it's either you or like, my eomma, and I guarantee that you would do a better job.”

“Okay,” you say reluctantly. “But I can't guarantee it'll come out well.”

“Thank you! I know it'll be great,” Chan says, showering you with kisses in gratitude until you're squirming away.

—

The next morning, Chan’s parents are out, leaving all the kids to prepare food on their own. It's a little chaotic, but you manage to cobble together a decent meal. It's a lot of fun to see how Chan and his siblings interact without their parents around to mediate. You're amazed by how similar the three are, not only in appearance but also the way they behave.

Although much younger, Lucas shares a strong resemblance to Chan, especially once he smiles and shows off matching dimples. They quickly disappear once Chan reaches out and musses up his hair playfully as you’re all cleaning up.

“Chris, stop it,” he complains, pushing his older brother away before trying to fix the strands that are all over the place. It only encourages Chan to move closer, wrapping his arms around his brother and lifting him into the air. When trying to wiggle free doesn’t work, he turns pleading eyes to you, knowing Hannah wouldn't step in to help. “Noona! Get him to let me down!”

The two of you had been awkward the first time you had been left alone, it hadn’t helped that Lucas’ Korean could be considered conversational at best and your English was significantly worse, but you had quickly grown close through attempts to tease Chan. Now, it’s easy to treat him like the little brother you never had.

You approach quickly, trying to avoid Lucas’ flailing limbs, and reach out to poke at Chan’s waist. He twitches away from your touch and when you persist in prodding at all his ticklish spots, unwinds one of his arms to swat at your hand.

The distraction is enough for Lucas to break away and he quickly moves out of reach. Instead of chasing after him, Chan turns his focus to you. You back away nervously, but find yourself with nowhere to go. Chan grabs you and easily slings you over your shoulder, ignoring your shrieks of protest.

“Betrayed by my own girlfriend? I should have known that introducing you to my siblings would just be asking for trouble,” he growls in your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

“Hey! Where are you taking me?” You look to see if his siblings are going to rescue you, but they must be trying to avoid Chan's wrath as you don't see either of them as Chan brings you up to the guest room.

“I am enlisting your help,” he says casually, as if he wasn't carrying you up a flight of stairs and dropping you on the bed. “I would like your advice on what to wear for Berry's walk.”

“Ooh,” you say. “Very important business then, I'm honoured that you would ask me.”

It doesn't actually take much time to get ready, the two of you change into clothes for the heat and you just have to convince Chan that he doesn't have to try to do his hair or makeup. The second that you mention to Berry that you're going for a walk, her tail starts wagging non-stop and she even fetches her leash and drops it in front of you.

Chan doesn't give you much direction for filming, just hands you the camera and tells you to capture whatever you want. The two of you walk hand in hand through the neighbourhood, Berry happily exploring the area. As you get further away from the house, you let go of Chan, motioning for him to continue walking as you turn on the camera and get used to it.

By the time you've reached the waterfront, you're feeling more confident and have a better idea of what you like. You try out different angles, feeling a little bit like paparazzi, and after a few minutes, even try directing Chan too. You let him keep going, wanting to see how far away he'll go before he realises that you're not following. He's almost a block away before he turns back.

“You’re smiling, did it come out okay?” Chan asks as he jogs back towards you.

“Yeah, it was great! I was just thinking that Stay are going to go crazy over this,” you tell him.

“They do really like it whenever they get to see Berry,” he says thoughtfully, picking her up and scratching her head. You burst out laughing at that and Chan frowns in response and goes as far as to cover Berry’s ears, insulted on her behalf. “What? Don’t laugh at that, it’s true! Berry is just so cute.”

“I’m not saying that they don’t like Berry, of course they do. I was more referring to the fact that the video is… domestic. Very boyfriend.”

“Ooh you think that's what Stay are interested in?” he asks. “What about this?”

He gestures for you to lift up the camera, and once you're recording, grabs your hand to pull you along behind him. You let out a small noise of surprise as he tugs on your arm, struggling slightly to keep everything steady and ensure your hand is out of frame. At your sound, Chan looks back slightly and bursts into laughter.

“So concentrated, you’re so cute,” he giggles.

“Of course,” you grumble. “I want it to turn out nice.”

“Thank you,” Chan says sincerely, no traces of laughter in his voice. “I really do appreciate it a lot that you're helping me with work even though we're on vacation.”

“Hmm,” you say, turning away from him. “You're just glad that you didn't have to ask Hannah, because she would make fun of you the whole time.”

“That's not true! I mean, it is true that Hannah would do that, but that's not the only reason.” Chan uses your connected hands and pulls you close. “I also wanted to spend time with my favourite person in the whole world.”

“You're lucky I love you so much,” you sniff, still pretending to be annoyed even though you've practically melted into Chan's hug. “Now stop getting distracted, I thought it would look nice if you walked along the sand and there's nobody there right now.”

—

The rest of your time in Sydney is a whirlwind of activities. Chan is determined to take you to all his favourite places in the city and you eat more food than you thought possible. Chan’s family, and sometimes Felix and his family, accompanies you two for a majority of the outings and your initial hesitance interacting with them is replaced by fondness, eased by the way that they treat you like one of their own.

You even have a chance to meet some of Chan’s childhood friends, ones that he kept close with despite the long distance. It feels strange to eat dinner with them. Although they do their best to make you feel welcome, they have a lot of history together and you find yourself struggling to keep up with their conversation, not just because of the language barrier but due to references to people, places, and events that you're unfamiliar with. Regardless, you're glad to finally know the people that Chan grew up with and you love seeing how happy Chan is to be reunited with them.

It’s also nice that while you're meeting so many people, you don't have to hide your relationship at all. In Korea, you and Chan are more careful in public. It’s not totally a secret that you’re dating, but you are more on the cautious side due to the popularity of Stray Kids and inevitable scrutiny from fans. In Australia, Chan has no such reservations, excitedly introducing you as his girlfriend to everyone. It never fails to make you blush, feeling shy, but secretly pleased.

Wherever you go, Chan keeps you close to his side, linking your hands or looping an arm around your shoulders. Throughout the day, he presses kisses to your head or cheek. The first time he does it, you look up at him questioningly. He just shrugs, saying that he’s happy and well, you can’t argue with that.

You don’t want your vacation to end and you know you're not the only one. You and Chan have both procrastinated packing your luggage until the last possible moment, and when you finally do begin, Berry seems to sense it. She starts hiding all of your things- Chan's family members finding them lodged in one of the couch cushions or in her dog bed- and curling up inside your suitcase, making it practically impossible to continue packing.

When Chan enters your shared room and pauses when he sees you staring into the suitcase helplessly. You wave him over so that he can look inside.

“She’s too cute! Look at that little face, how could you disturb her?” you ask.

Chan has no such reservations. He reaches in and gently lifts Berry out, cradling her against his chest so that she can’t jump back in.

“Berry, do you want to come to Korea with us?” he asks patiently. When she licks at his face in reply, he groans and pretends to lower her back into the suitcase. “Ah, I guess we have no choice but to bring you! I think we can sneak you in with the rest of the souvenirs that we’re taking with us.”

Despite Chan’s promises, Berry ends up staying behind, not even joining you on the drive to the airport. You’re lucky that you decide to leave well before your flight is expected to depart as you end up taking almost half an hour saying goodbye to everybody.

You know that you’re going to treasure these memories for a long time and you’re certain that Chan will too. It’s amazing that even though you were only in Australia for a couple weeks, it already feels like a second home.

read it on ao3 | masterlist

[k2ntoss]

okay, so, adding onto your, as of this moment, most recent post, just picture it: you catch onto the fact that jason gets all smug seeing his handiwork on your nails when you jerk him off, and decide to surprise him by going out and testing literally every possible red nail polish available until you find the exact perfect shade that matches his helmet, and giving it to him as part of his gift for some occasion or another (personally I'm thinking either his birthday or Christmas, anniversary could work also)

but like, just imagine how thrilled he would be and how eager he would be to get that colour on your nails, and how impatient he would be for them to dry so he could see them in action, yknow? 👀👀

-🦊 (also omg i have my own tag now?🥹)

allow me to tell you that since you're the first "formal" anon with an emoji you are indeed my favorite, plus i'm always happy to see you around here bc you feed my delusions so thanks 🦊 ily, so yes you have your own tag

jason had to get used to his birthday being a little different since he started dating you, he had a reason to celebrate now and it was lovely, since he woke up you would shower him in details and little gifts and he loved to feel like a spoiled child because he felt all the love you had for him.

this year it wasn't different and his day was filled with things he liked a lot until he had to leave on patrol for a while so it was the perfect opportunity for you to prepare his last gift. it had been a while since he found out he liked painting your nails just to see artwork when you wrapped your hands around his dick, it simply made him grin proudly because it was his girl pleasing him and showing off her pretty nails, done by him so you decided to feed that little monster in jason's head. a whole week going into every store you saw to get the perfect shade of red that could match his helmet, carrying a pic on your phone just of the color to compare it until you found the one.

as soon as he slid into your apartment through the window he noticed the lights of the living room on which meant that you were there waiting for him so he made his way there. as soon as he saw you he took off the helmet, holding it under his arm and giving you a wide grin "isn't it past your bed time, princess?" jason asks teasingly as he walks towards the couch to sit next to you.

"no, it isn't because i have two last things for the birthday boy" you reply with a mischievous smile, handing him a small white box tied with a pretty red bow that he didn't wait to undo just to open the little box.

the smile that crept to his face was enough to know he was thinking about the reason behind the red nail polish bottle he was holding between his fingers, his eyes fixed on yours before he leaned in to kiss you but he stopped as soon as you tilted your head "are you gonna give me your pretty hands or do i have to ask?" jason's voice drops low and it makes a shiver run down your spine and even lower between your legs because you know what he wants.

"isn't it past my bed time? maybe we should wait until tomorrow morning so we can sleep" you reply, pushing jason a little just to build a little more of that pretty glint of need and desperation on his eyes and you let out a chuckle when he shakes his head, hair going messy and his white strand mixing a little with his jet black hair.

"you don't expect me to wait, right? give me your hands and let me see how they look when you use them on my cock, baby" jason's words make you swallow hard before you lay your hands on his thigh so he can start painting your nails and he's quick without messing it not even a little bit and you can't help but smiling when he's blowing on them to dry the nail polish.

"someone is getting a little impatient" you tease him which only earns you a low growl from his lips, he's impatient and needy because you can already see the outline of his half hard dick under his tactical pants and how his chest heaves under the chest plate so you blow a little too on your nails. jason stares at you, he even counts into his head how many minutes he has to wait until his trained eye sees the paint is dry.

"down on your knees. now" he almost barks the order as he spreads his legs to let you sit between them on the floor just to be met by his helmet placed between his thighs "put your pretty hands on the helmet, baby" jason says and you do so, his blood is boiling at the sight because the shade is exactly the same and his hands go a little clumsy when he decides to undo his belt and the buttons of his pants, taking away the helmet just so your hands can start to stroke him over his boxers.

there's soft grunts escaping his lips even if you're not touching him completely yet but he's so turned on by the color on your nails he can't really help it. leaning in he grabs your hips to move your body until you're sitting over his heavy boot, the rough material making you tremble ever so slightly "be a good girl and sit pretty there for me, yeah, love?" his voice is low and he smirks when you are the one sliding your hand under his boxers to wrap your fingers around his hard dick, nodding at his words.

for jason there's nothing hotter than his girl but seeing you like this, getting him you know he likes to use with you makes him feel so good, the way you always seem to guess what he would enjoy a lot is like touching heaven and having you know, kneeling in front of him while you jerk him off sitting on his boot feels like the perfect birthday gift. your hand going up and down his length with the right amount of pressure before your thumb slides up to play with his tip drives him crazy, he thrust his hips a little just to urge you to keep going at the same time his hand holds your chin slowly guiding two digits into your mouth "don't you have anything to say to me, baby?" he asks with a smirk as his thumb presses your tongue to mess up with your words.

"happy birthday, jay..."

[black-arcana]

LACUNA COIL Is Putting Finishing Touches On New Studio Album: We Are 'Super Happy About The Result'

Italian metallers LACUNA COIL are putting the finishing touches on their new studio album.

Earlier today (Wednesday, July 24),LACUNA COIL bassist and main songwriter Marco "Maki" Coti-Zelati took to Instagram to share a photo from the studio, and he included the following message: "Getting closer to the end of the new album. I'm super happy about the result and super proud about my fellas! Few more days of editing, arrangements and mixing then finally we will be ready for the mastering. Thank you guys".

Last month, LACUNA COIL announced the departure of guitarist Diego Cavallotti.

Cavallotti, who joined LACUNA COIL in 2016, initially as a fill-in guitarist following the exit of Marco "Maus" Biazzi, later said in a social media post that "this decision is not the result of my dissatisfaction or desire to explore new opportunities."

When LACUNA COIL announced Cavallotti's departure on June 17, the band wrote in a statement: "As we step into a new cycle, writing and recording our next album, we are parting ways with Diego 'DD' Cavallotti. We thank him for the many unforgettable moments shared over the years and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

"All future live plans remain unchanged and the new songs are taking form, we can't wait to share them with our fans."

LACUNA COIL recently completed the "Ignite The Fire" U.S. tour with support from NEW YEARS DAY and OCEANS OF SLUMBER.

In April, LACUNA COIL released another new single, "In The Mean Time", featuring Ash Costello of NEW YEARS DAY. The song's title is a reference to the mean times the world is living in, as well as a reference to the state the band itself is in, between cycles.

Last July, LACUNA COIL released the official lyric video for a new track called "Never Dawn". For the song, the band partnered with CMON, the renowned board game publisher behind the popular game "Zombicide".

In a recent interview with Brazil's Sonoridades Inc., LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia spoke about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2019's "Black Anima" album. She said: "I can't really tell you a lot. I can tell you that we are progressing very fast. We are almost, like, 100… We completed, let's say, the demoing. We still have to record the rest of the songs, but we will soon — probably after the tour, after the [May 2024] North American tour. And if everything goes as projected, before the end of the year [it] will be released. And that's already a big news, because we always say, 'We don't know. Maybe.' … I absolutely love the songs. I'm part of the process. But I'm very pleased."

Asked if "Never Dawn" will be on the upcoming album, Cristina said: "I think it will be. I think it will be, 'cause it will make sense. And it also fits with the other songs — it really fits with the other songs. Many heavy songs."

LACUNA COIL has spent some of the last couple of years promoting "Comalies XX", the "deconstructed" and "transported" version of the band's third album, "Comalies".

"Comalies XX" was made available on October 14, 2022 via Century Media Records.

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Comalies", by performing it in its entirety at a one-night-only concert on October 15, 2022 at Fabrique in Milano.

"Comalies" was originally released on October 29, 2002 through Century Media Records. The LP, which featured the band's breakthrough single "Heaven's A Lie", has reportedly gone on to sell over 300,000 copies in the United States alone.

[drsoulblast-official]

The Fifth SoulBlast Newsletter is here!

What's new?

The SoulBlast team has increased in size once more with rewind_time and Daymations as the newest additions since the last newsletter! Here's what one of our newest team members has to say to introduce themselves:

"Howdy! I'm Rewind. I'm a concept artist who just joined the team after having followed the au on Soundcloud for a good while. I can't wait to see where the au goes next, and I hope you'll stick along for the ride."

SoulBlast Has New Lore?

Terra has recently created and written a multi-paragraph explanation for the new lore of Hex (Swatch), featuring a backstory of many colors in varying tones!

Applications are open!

The SoulBlast team is still currently looking for team members, with all positions being open! Artists are definitely needed, but every opportunity is equally open and can be accessed in the upcoming-team specific Discord

"We don't have a single finalized design despite this AU being over 2 years old." - Terra (terra is not joking when saying this)

The SoulBlast songs are back! Again!

After the few newsletters that were changed for their own reasons, such as the one made for the Nintendo Direct, we finally return to form with a Music Teaser of the team's newest battle theme with its usual placeholder name!

Partnership Status Update

As it's not something that's been made clear yet, just like how open Team Member positions are currently, to say that Partnership opportunities with other Undertale/Deltarune are always available for projects like SoulBlast (and for SwilTaett too because the NEWSLETTERs here are written by @imaginary-regret-608 because of m and Terra working together on both projects) unless said otherwise beforehand!

So there's stuff QUOTED from Terra, but what's he been up to since the Nintendo Direct?

“Terra here. I don’t have very much to say yet again, as not much has gone on. As you may have read above, I created all of the lore for Hex the other day and we’ve made some more progress on one of the songs. As seen above, this song has a more "cinematic" style, which may make more sense once we release the full thing. Once we get more designs finished we can do thumbnails and other things, allowing us to finally post songs.”

Was Alternimo even IN the last newsletter? No? Well he's here now!

“Hey, it’s Alter, back again with yet another newsletter section (podcast ah intro). Getting straight to the point, I’ve been trying to pick up my work pace on stuff (though I get really paranoid that things aren’t made right when they absolutely are, so that definitely doesn’t speed anything up…I’m sure some of you get the feeling). SoulBlast-wise, to be honest, not much has been done, Terra’s been writing some lore that I kinda not really help out with. Deltaswap-wise, progress has been going pretty good…I’ve been starting to revise some dialogue to account for the finalized lore, and I’ve begun designing Berdly! His ref sheet (alongside the edits to Noelle’s ref sheet) will be coming hopefully within the next month or so, so keep an eye out for those! (DM me if interested in my Deltaswap take.) Anyway, that’ll conclude this little Alter update. Terra and I have SoulBlast thinking to do…so, uh, here’s to hoping I evade succumbing to his insanity once more????”

That's all!

Go check out our stuff below! The next newsletter will be posted in 2 weeks (since it’s biweekly)

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@soulblastau5574?si=fuh6MJy1Hgd4FVaT

SoundCloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/UVadRL6CSVdqxkRv9

Discord: https://discord.gg/3bAtNkxH2P

[lea-heartscxiv]

SK8 ~Golden Week: Showing Spain. The big party~ - 05/05/23 (May 5th in Spain ~ Last day) [Part 1/2]

Ainosuke as promised day they celebrated his birthday (Sunday in Spain, during afternoon where in Japan it was May 1st) is showing a bit of Spain to everyone in Golden Week, and this was last day, day 5.

You can read below cut line part 1 of 2 or complete on our Blogger where you can see too extras of Day 5. (From me and @van-yangyin)

Blogger: English | Español

You can read below cut line ↓

Everything written at the end with this * symbol, is Spanish conversation.

Thursday night, Olé family came to visit the guys. José sat down with Ainosuke in front of the campfire to talk about the last full day they would be in Spain.

José: Well, let us schedule tomorrow, you won't regret it.*

Ainosuke: As we talked about that time.... You don't have any bulls available, do you?*

José: No, but if you promise me that will come back to Spain again, we will try to contact a friend of ours, although what you tell me you want to do is very reckless!*

That said, after talking for a while longer, they said goodbye and went to rest, so that they would be fully energized the next day.

Friday, May 5th in Spain. Everyone was with renewed energy, especially after the previous day's off-camera evening. They woke up at 6:30 a.m., got dressed and at 8 a.m. José and the rest arrived to guide and take them to various places.

They arrived at the first stop and first thing they did was to go hiking. Magdalena told them that last time she couldn't show them the nature of her village as she would have liked and today was a good day, since the weather was nice, it was neither hot nor cold.

Reki: Do we have to walk?

Langa: Can't we go skateboarding?

Miya: My legs are sporty, but I don't know if they can stand walking for a long time...

So they walked along and found a small pond.

Miya: It's hot, can I put my feet in it?

Kojiro: But take your...

Miya: Great!

Kojiro: Shoes...

And not being able to do anything else, Kojiro let it be.

Langa took the opportunity to review a bit of Japanese history.

Ainosuke: In year 794 the imperial court founded a new capital Heian-kyo, Langa-kun, do you know what the capital is called nowadays?

Langa: Mmmmh... *shakes his head* I don't remember right now.

Ainosuke: Kyoto. Langa-kun, if you ever need help in your studies, you can ask me.

Reki lay down to look at the clouds while feeling breeze in air.

Reki: Next time I go on a trip I'd like to go to Los Angeles or Canada with Langa.

And Kojiro, Hiromi and Kaoru started talking.

Kaoru: Come on Kojiro, you must admit that that shirt suits you very well, everything that has something of mine on it, is perfect. Even if it's worn by a gorilla and deformed on your body.

Kojiro: Kaoru, saying this doesn't make it any better....

Kaoru: Well, I "proudly" wear the design of the shirt to promote Sia la Luce.

Kojiro: Where we are now, it's not like it's going to do much promotion...

Kaoru: But it's green, I can camouflage myself. And with my pink hair it matches very well.

Kojiro: Santa Madonna.

Hiromi: «Here we go again... They look like a married couple with many years of marriage and they've only been married for a year and a half.... Oka... I miss you...» - thinking.

Kojiro: Oh, wait. Nicola sent me a message.

Kaoru: Nicola... 

Hiromi: Kaoru, you seem to be more jealous of Kojiro talking to men than to women...

Magdalena: We should continue on our way.*

And between Magdalena's explanations with Ainosuke and Carla's translation and continuing along the road, they finally arrived where she wanted to take them to second and last place.

Magdalena: I don't know if any of you have a farm where you live or your grandparents have one, but I would like you to have the experience of helping with animals in another country.*

Ainosuke translated what Magdalena told them.

Kaoru: Let me, at Kojiro's grandfather's farm sometimes we had to feed them.

Kojiro: I don't remember it in the same way... It was just me who...

Kaoru: Who begged me to feed them, of course. 

He started feeding them.

Kaoru: Shit! I mean... *ahem* It's okay, relax... All right, you just need to relax...

Kaoru: And now that she's relaxed we'll try again. See? I have practice...

Reki on the other hand was helping Albert to spray the plants, who had previously taught him the best way to do it.

Reki: This is fun! Not as much as skateboarding though.... But it's also relaxing.

Inside the house José was teaching Tadashi how to make "Olé's pancakes".

Tadashi: Mr. José, I would like to make a special request. Since you have offered to teach me how to make your pancakes, I would like them to be a special shape...* «Although Ainosuke-sama does not say so, I know he likes Hello Kitty...» - thinking - Could you teach me how to make pancakes in the shape of Hello Kitty?*

José: Hello Kitty? What's that?

Tadashi: Wait, I'll look it up on Internet and show you.

José: Sure! It's that kitty that Pilar likes so much. In the shape of Hello Kitty, that's done. I've made that dessert for my granddaughter so many times.

And when they finished making it, they called everyone to eat.

Carmen: «Jose says that Señorito Ainosuke's secretary has helped him, how good it has turned out.*» - thinking. Señorito: Like Young Master.

Ainosuke: «This was Tadashi's doing.» - thinking.

Hiromi: It looks good!

Ainosuke: Tadashi made it, of course it looks good.

Carmen: Hey, niño! You all are very good in different fields, what else do you know how to do? If you weren't his secretary, we would hire you here in a heartbeat.* Niño: literally translated as kiddo, affectionate way for some older people to call a person younger than themselves.

Tadashi: Nothing special, I just like to serve my master.*

Carmen: You love him very much, don't you? If you get married, you must to invite us to your wedding.*

Tadashi: *ahem* Of course...*

Carmen: Or are you already married?*

Hiromi: «It's as good as the sweets Joe sometimes makes!» - thinking.

After finishing eating, Ainosuke went outside because he also wanted to try what Kaoru did in the barnyard. Although on the way we can see how Reki is finishing his meal while still spraying the plants.... He seems to have taken a liking to it.

And Ainosuke made friends with the rooster right away.

Ainosuke: This is easier than Cherry made it look. Why lie, I'm perfect in everything, and in this I couldn't be less.

Reki went after Ainosuke and just like him, made friends with the rooster the first time. It seems that at the end Kaoru the expert, was the most inexperienced of the three, either that or the hen he addressed was as stubborn as he was.

Then it was Langa's turn, who also wanted to pet one of the hens or roosters in the barnyard. And just like all the others, the rooster let himself be petted the first time. Could it be that rooster is the docile one and they all are heading the same one?

Kojiro obviously didn't want to miss the opportunity, his grandparents had a farm.

Kojiro: My grandmother would like you very much, I'm sure you are punctual in the morning to wake up the day.

And finally it was Miya who also had no problem. Hiromi and Tadashi didn't want to participate. The former because:

Hiromi: I can't go as Shadow right now!

Miya: Why do you want to be Shadow?

Hiromi: Be.. Because... *yelling* Because it gives me courage!

Miya: Well, it didn't cost you anything to yell at me with courage....

As for the second one:

Tadashi: My duty is to protect Ainosuke-sama from any danger. I can't afford to waste my time on that kind of thing.

Once everyone had finished feeding the hens and roosters, it was time for them to rest in their coop. They went to the entrance to go back home and celebrate the night before the next day arrived, when they had to get ready to leave. And this time they drove all the way to the entrance.

~Continue in Part 2~

[randomactsofpigeon]

Personal. Apparently I can't write until I get this off my chest so

My grandfather died a few weeks ago. We weren't close and it wasn't unexpected, though the final hours did come on a bit suddenly. He was my last living grandparent which feels a bit weird. My father--his son--is shattered, which is expected. I'm a bit angry at him though because when I saw my grandfather last summer, my dad completely monopolized him and I'm angry at myself too because I knew that would probably be my last opportunity to talk to him and I still let it happen. My dad doesn't have any emotional intelligence. Like I do love him but I've literally be in tears in front of him and not had him notice.

My dad's siblings are mainly assholes so somehow we're not having a funeral until June 17. I'd already promised my father we would go so I'm going, even though it feels...ridiculous, to wait that long. Apparently embalming will keep him fresh enough for two months which is horrific in its own right and reinforces my own desire for green burial but that's a whole other thing. My sister is backing out, who was going to be my sanity during all of this. My grandmother's funeral was an absolute shitshow and I'm concerned about that happening again. Exhibit A: My brother and his wife haven't told their 5-year-old that he died, and she's still talking like he's alive and ALSO attending a family event this weekend, where her five-year-old cousin is VERY AWARE he has passed and likewise talking about him often. That's not going to end badly or anything. Plus whenever my family gets together all of them talk about how they love their identical iphones and nespressos and blissfully child-centered lives and I'm just standing there like the odd thumb out like I've been since I was a kid. And my mom cries if I point out how much I always feel left out and like I don't belong in this family. But I'm not sure why she thinks I should feel any other way when, whenever I try to share any kind of relatable experience, everyone just pauses a moment to erase the contribution from their minds and changes the subject.

I'm totally burned out from this proposal at work that got dramatically sped up when we decided to partner with another company, so instead of the hybrid schedule I'm supposed to be working due to my depression I've been full-time in office, and having to mask...everything in a workplace takes so much energy it's unbelievable. I was looking forward to a break but my former coworker, who took over my work when I changed jobs, also had a death in his family and I'm literally the only other person who understands his work well enough to do it so I'm filling in. Surprise surprise his proposals are due on the 17th. When I'm in Mass for a funeral. Lovely.

One of my foster kittens, who is now 6 weeks old, is stubbornly not weaning. I don't even know what to do at this point. I've tried all the advice that's available online and offline.

I'm living in a shitshow of a house because work has me too burned out to keep up on anything. My plants are dying. I feel so effing useless.

And like I probably shouldn't put this one on tumblr because I don't want to be pathetic but like... I FINALLY got myself back together enough to start writing Lab again and hardly anyone is actually reading it. I got a bunch of welcome back comments on the first new chapter, which was nice, but like nobody came back to read it after. I got next to no comments on the second new chapter. And I don't blame people for feeling burned by the long gap or moving on or being in a different place where reading is not a priority. I really, truly don't. But it also fucking sucks. I thought I was passed this superficial crap as a writer but it has really knocked the wind out of my sails about something I was super excited about, even if I thought I was mentally prepared for it to happen.

I'm just so exhausted I want to cry and vomit. But I'm trying to start my big place exchange fic anyway because I don't want to go back to not writing again. It wasn't a good place to be.

I just feel like I'm failing literally everybody in my life right now, people, readers, pets, plants.

[uridestiny]

The Warrior of the Moon Chapter 11: Nostalgia

Previous chapter:

https://www.tumblr.com/uridestiny/740509042899910656/the-warrior-of-the-moon-chapter-10-my-first?source=share

As I got further away from them, I explored the terrain of Gridania, the 6 years that had passed since the last time I was here hadn't really caused much change, which I found really reassuring, but before I could go any further someone pushed me and we fell on the ground.

The blow caught me off guard, I didn't even have the opportunity to dodge or see who hit me, when I changed position to sit on my knees I looked at who the reckless person was who pushed me. A Hyur man with brown hair and bright blue eyes who was wearing really unusual clothes.

¨Ah sorry! I hadn't seen you there." He said sounding nervous, he seems to be the same age as me, and he also seemed awkward getting up.

"It's nothing, just be more careful next time." I told him and got up from the ground first, then I approached him and extended my hand to help him up.

"Thank you and sorry for that again." He ran a hand behind his head scratching his hair a little, clearly looking uncomfortable.

I looked at him from head to toe and noticed that he was just learning how to use healing magic due to the simple looking magic staff on his back.

"Are you a conjurer?" I asked out of curiosity, especially since his clothing didn’t fit that of a Gridania conjurer.

¨Ah! Not exactly, I am an adventurer and I am learning the art of white magic so I can become an excellent healer.¨ His voice changed noticeably, he now had a bright smile on his face.

“I understand.” I also smiled at his contagious enthusiasm. ¨But... What is an adventurer?¨

¨Ah, well... I can't give you as much of an explanation as Mother Miounne did, but I can try to explain it to you in my own way.¨

¨Adventurers are people who are dedicated to helping the people of the city, it can be anything, an errand, freeing an area from monsters or simply listening to someone's words, but we don't do this for free, no, in exchange for offering our strength or support also pays us in one way or another.¨

"Are they basically mercenaries?" I asked.

“Eh yes, but unlike the mercenaries who work independently, in each city state of Eorzea there is an adventurers guild which gives us the tasks and jobs that are available to us and continue to grow. You may eventually be recognized for your great deeds and find treasures to great fortunes, although Mother has told me that it is dangerous, it is also very exciting!¨

Suddenly he paused.

"Wait, when you asked me what’s an adventurer, does that mean you're not from around here?"

I nodded.

"If you don't mind me asking, where are you from?"

¨I come from Sharlayan, you are from around here, right?¨

He pointed to himself proudly. "Of course, I was born and raised here in The Shroud¨

Then his eyes shone again. “Wait, that means you might need my help!”

I rolled my eyes, I didn't really need anyone's help to be able to look for my brother. I shook my head and tried to calm him down.

¨Wait, I'm fine, I've come to this city before.¨

¨Yes, but how long has it been since you came to Gridania?¨ He asked me.

¨The last time I came was 6 summers ago...¨ Before I could finish speaking he took my hands and showed a soft smile.

"Then it means you still need help."

Because of the way he looked at me with his bright, hopeful eyes, I no longer had the courage to say no.

Then he let go of one of my hands and began to guide me through the city, really some things had not lost their touch after years, while other buildings and shops seemed new to me, however, they didn’t affect much in the nature that continues to grow around.

He first guided me through the closest building , the Carline Canopy , the main building of the adventurer's guild, we entered it and as he guided me around to go down the stairs, he raised his hand in greeting to an Elezen woman, I did the same and she seemed surprised to see me.

When we went down he showed me where I can buy the tickets to take an airship, then he guided me up again, but instead of going back the way we came in, we left through another door closer to the stairs and walked out through a wooden hallway.

However, I felt a little uncomfortable while he was holding my hand, especially since I had just met him.

¨Hey wait, if you're helping me right now I don't have a way to pay you.¨ Then he stopped and looked at me with the same smile as when he offered to help me.

"Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out later."

¨Wait, I don't even know your name.¨ I pulled my arm to stop him from continuing walking and despite his fragile appearance, the strength in his arm is also considerably greater than mine.

He stopped and looked me in the eyes, I think that was when he finally realized that he hadn't even given a proper introduction or at least asked me where I wanted to go. He spends a few seconds looking at me before recovering and speaking again.

¨Elwin Meteor, at your service miss¨ Finally he let go of my hand and gave a small bow.

"Now that I think about it, I didn't ask you where you want to go. Do you have any particular place you want to see?" Even after being taken aback by his lack of experience, he didn't seem to have lost the attitude of wanting to help others.

I sighed at his enthusiasm, but it was clear that he still seemed willing to support me.

"I'm looking for the headquarters of the Order of Twin Adders, do you know where is it?¨ I asked defeated.

¨Ah! That's not too far from here, I can take you right away!¨ He took my hand again, but this time he didn't pull my arm hard, instead he had his grip on me very gently.

We leave the Carline Canopy back as we moved along the grass and dirt path, right next to the building I found some men dressed in a curious way while they were taking care of some chocobos in their stables; I almost laughed when we walked past this man in costume and Elwin raised his hand in greeting. The most unusual thing about that costume was the huge chocobo beak on his head.

I looked to the right and saw a beautiful tree surrounded by a simple stream, it really looked charming combined with the populated landscape here, as well as some tents where there are merchants and friendly-looking people. But when they turned to greet Elwin, their expressions changed slightly when they saw me.

I didn't find it surprising, the inhabitants of Gridania have always had a certain distance with foreigners or people they don't know, Adrien had told me that's how they are at first, but when you let them get to know you the air of tension goes away. I simply must give them time to get to know me and let them know that I have no ill intentions towards their people or the forest.

Elwin probably didn't treat me like that because by agreeing to be an adventurer he has to help anyone who needs it.

It didn't take us long to get to the place, I practically didn't know the place when I arrived, a part of me was grateful because Elwin accompanied me here, probably if I had been willing to ask any of the locals around here, they wouldn't have helped me much.

¨Here we are, at Adder's Nest¨ He paused and looked at me. ¨If you allow me to be curious, why did you need to come here? Do you have any official business with Elder Seedseer?¨

Before I could respond I heard a familiar voice approaching.

¨Destiny?¨ I looked up and saw Adrien, a big smile formed on my face, I let go of Elwin 's hand and ran into my brother's arms.

¨Adrien! It’s good to see you!¨ I hugged him tightly although I could feel myself pushing him too much and he almost fell backwards.

"I'm happy to see you too, dear sister." He held me tightly, preventing us both from falling to the ground. "Don't tell me you and Aaron came here just to see me?"

I stayed silent, trying to think of what kind of excuse I could make up or just tell him the truth.

¨Well... You see...¨

But before I could say anything else, my brother looked at me from head to toe and then focused his gaze on Elwin.

¨Who is he?¨  His smile faded when he saw how Elwin recoiled from the intimidating look Adrien made.

¨G-Good afternoon, I'm E- Elwin, I'm an adventurer.¨ He bowed formally and then seemed ready to leave. ¨W-Well, I think everything is in order so, take good care of yourself miss!¨

Before I could say anything else to Elwin, he turned around and ran back the way he came. And then, I remembered that I hadn't even been able to pay him for helping me.

¨Wait!¨ I shouted but he was already too far away to hear me.

¨Destiny, do you have something to tell me?¨ Turning around I saw how Adrien now had his arms crossed on his chest with a serious look, at this point, I could easily mistake him for Aaron.

I had no choice but to explain to him what I did to get here and my reasons for coming to see him in Gridania. When I finished telling him everything, he ran a hand through his messy hair and looked at me worried.

"I told you not to worry about me, I can take care of myself."

¨The letters are just mere words brother, I wanted to see you and see for myself that you are okay.¨ I insisted, defending myself.

¨That's no excuse for you to have come here alone. How do you think Aaron and I would feel if something happened to you on the way here?¨ His eyes showed his frustration. "You just turned 16 summers, you are now a woman, but you are still very naive and careless."

I hung my head at Adrien's scolding, I really knew this would happen even if Aaron ended up finding me first. I clearly understood their concern about me, especially because by accepting me under their roof in that time... I was not well, physically and mentally I wasn't. But 6 years had passed, and I have grown, I have learned and it was thanks to both of them that I decided to make a decision for myself for the first time in years.

“You haven't heard what the people of Sharlayan whisper, have you?” I whispered, sounding annoyed.

¨Everyone knows about the conflict with the Garleans and there are disturbing rumors about the descent of Dalamud, every day the red moon is closer and it is terrifying to have it hovering over our heads, Aaron complains bitterly about our conflicts with the Garleans and always saying that it was a mistake that If you became a soldier, you just... I don't want to wake up one day and know that you're gone…¨

I was on the verge of tears at that moment, I didn't want to think about it, but I wanted him to come home to Sharlayan, with Aaron and me...

Suddenly I felt Adrien's hand gently caress my head.

¨You know I can't go home and abandon everyone here.¨ He tried to calm me down and then hugged me.

The warmth of his arms reminded me of the last day my father and I were together, the fear intensified in my heart, thinking that this would probably be our last hug again; I squeeze Adrien in my arms when he tries to separate himself from me.

"Destiny, I have to go." Adrien raised his voice a little when he made another attempt to separate himself from me, then I started to cry.

¨Destiny... I have to attend to a mission, it's urgent. We'll talk about this later.¨

Now this time it was me who forced him to separate by pushing him.

¨What will happen if there is no later?!¨ I screamed angrily, finally breaking down as I remembered all those bad experiences I had in my childhood and my helplessness to save my father.

Adrien had his eyes wide open, clearly surprised by my abrupt emotional outburst and reaction to his words, I couldn't continue looking at him and lowered my head, I really felt terrible for having yelled at him; I realized that losing my temper like that wasn't helping me at all, it made me look like a scared little girl instead of the grown woman I should be now.

Then I felt Adrien's hand on my shoulder and he said in a firm and serious tone.

"If there will be an later, I'll see you tonight."

I turned around, and saw him running away towards the safety of Gridania. I stood for several minutes, contemplating the exit gates of Gridania and mentally debating whether I should follow him or not.

[fantasticcloudcreation]

[silly rant don't bother reading]

Ok so I briefly had a thing with this guy and then turns out he had a gf /they had broken up before we hooked up and then we texted for like a few weeks and then I guess they got back together (there was a brief time he mentioned they were going poly which I was like ok and then never heard anything about it / ran into him at a gig a few months ago and he was like yeah she's not into it I'm like ok not surprised let's just hang out and not be weird haha and he was like yeah totally, then never heard back from him lol.) Anyway! Yesterday caught her snooping on my Instagram lmfao! She accidentally liked a post and then immediately unliked it but I still got the notification haha. Wondering what inspired her to be thinking about me yesterday, how she found my account etc. Anyway then I took that opportunity to snoop on her and like, she seems nice idk people are weird I don't really understand a lot of them but you know some people are into certain things 🤷‍♀️ I like myself and my vibe lol. Anyway the silly thing is that she had a few posts further down like bikini posts /clearly sucking in but still like showing ribcage etc, another one like a ~dramatic photoshoot ~ talking about being insecure with her body etc. Idk I don't understand people. Like I'm out here ranting about feelings on Tumblr which is one kind of weird haha but I'm not gonna be out there posting bikini shots on Instagram talking about feeling insecure like I Am insecure that is why my body rarely makes an appearance on public channels 😂 Also, thinking about how I've gained 20 pounds and can't wait to lose it. Always thinking about it. Never goes away. Like I can eat normally now /can't even restrict like I used to even if I wanted to/ but dang can't wait to lose 20 pounds... Not sure how I'm gonna do it this time around now that I can't do the restriction thing anymore. Looking back I realize it was 60% Adderall / 20% dance classes / 20% college thesis stress haha. Anyway maybe next year will be a new year with new methods - active job, minimal food, etc. Plus 5 years older than when I hit my low weight so that makes it harder. Plus alcohol vs weight etc. Cigarettes might help, idk. Anyway. Silly that that's always on my brain these days. Wish I was skinny like I used to be. Oh well.

Anyway, still thinking about this guy, I feel like we had potential, wondering if I should try to reach out and text him again or wait til he decides to reach out to me... Wondering if he's over the whole thing already. Maybe they're super happy together idk her posts make it seem like she's super into with him but from the very brief things I heard from him idk if it's totally reciprocated 👀 but that was months ago so who knows! Life is weird! He's cute but I have so many other options idk how to keep up with them all! Why am I always interested in the unavailable ones! That's funny actually it's like the less available someone is the more I find myself liking them. Fear of commitment etc. Plus the thrill of the chase etc. Anyway. Long rant about nothing. Still kinda holding out hope for this guy but if it happens it'll happen and if not I'm still just doing my own thing. Hopefully I can lose 10-15 pounds in the meantime 😂😋

[nanamis-bigtie]

I'll be home earlier than was told :D so blog will be back to writing action earlier than I predicted! I have some paid work to finish first, but overall I can announce the following:

- unless something happens in my private life, the cocktail bar returns on 7th January and, as I promised, will be open for next 2 weeks, until 21st January

- this will be the last opportunity to request ANY One Piece character; since the first regular opening this year, I'll (following @heyitsdoe's example) introduce a list of characters I write and don't write for - some pretty popular characters will get some restrictions, so, make sure to leave an order at the cocktail bar once you have an opportunity

- from this year as requests I'll accept only bullet headcanons and short fics (ficlets); longer fics (scenarios, usually texts over 1.5k words) will be available only for special opportunities or as commissions

- I plan an event for celebrating 2nd anniversary and 4k followers (I'm only 121 followers away from it, so, I predict it will happen relatively soon) and it will be, most likely, the only event this year, aside from annual kinktober, kissing prompts event and, if we will find a common ground, a shared event with another writer :) want to focus more on personal projects and give y'all more freedom of requesting, since I will ban some characters from my writing list

As always, askbox is open for interacting! Don't hesistate to send an ask, if you want to talk about something or if you have some questions or concerns to adress 💕 Love you all and can't wait to open year 2022 from the writing side!

[chuuulip]

Another Earth

Pairing: August Walker (werewolf) x Female Reader (red ridding hood)

Warning: 18+, PWP, Oral (M and F receiving), Unprotected Sex, Multiple Orgasm, Slightly ABO Universe, Rough Sex

Words: 7434

Summary: After a failed attempt to sign up for the Halloween haunted house to meet your Superman, the last minute ticket turned your night upside down as you were stuck in another earth.

A/N: Unbeta! Any grammar mistake will be on me. Divider by me 😆 This is for @jtargaryen18​ Halloween challenge, and I’m pretty late! Sorry for that life has been busy xD I still have another one in progress (the Andy barber one) and hopefully can post it soon! Thanks to @navybrat817​ and @venusdemonroe​ for giving me the idea for this story and help me discuss what a werewolf August Walker would do in this lol. Actually I wanted to mention a lot....of things but I guess it would be too much for a one shot lil but anyway Happy reading!!!

***

This year's Halloween event was mental. Several big haunted houses are hosted by celebrities. To name a few, there's an Avengers Tower haunted house, The Hall of Justice League, The X-Mansion, and even Walking Dead one. 

 You knew it wasn't easy. All of them have a huge fandom. The ticket was sold out immediately when it was open for sale, like 3 months before Halloween, and you were terribly upset. You were whining for a month straight to your boyfriend. Or more like your sugar daddy. He was patient and wealthy, but he knew he can't satisfy you enough, so he usually did everything he could for you. But that time, you just have none of it. The relationship, if you could ever say that, fell out immediately because you were unreasonable.

 You really wanted to go to The Hall of Justice League and maybe meet Clark Kent. The obsession started because he always visited your dream and mostly engaged in the steamiest dream ever. It's been your wildest dream, really, to have that body blanketed yours, in a really not innocent way.

 Just one day before Halloween, you finally secured one ticket for The Hall of Justice League haunted house. Of course, the first thing you did was scream. You had been on their waiting list since the ticket sold out, but you really lost hope since last week. But now, you celebrate it with a bit of a jump and constant scream.

 "What the fuck?" Your only housemate barged into your bedroom. Face annoyed.

 You stopped your silly jumps and looked at your housemate. With a broad smile, you hug your housemate and shake her body, "I got it! I got the ticket for The Hall of Justice League haunted house! Can you believe that?"

 The redhead hugged you, and both of you jumped in a circle. "Oh my gosh...I can't believe it! Congrats!!! I really hope you will meet your Kryptonite." she gave you her suggestive smirk.

 "I mean...a girl can only hope. But this is a charity event. I don't think he will be available. What if it's all a decoy and I only meet his wax figure?" you pouted at your friend.  

 "Well, at least you have the opportunity to see it yourself. But remember, behave, young lady, don't let him if he's there, I mean, witness your brattiness."

 "Aye...aye Captain!" you giggled but immediately gave your housemate a military saluted.

 That night you dreamed of those big blue eyes and his firm, fantastic arms on yours.

 ***

 Dress in your red riding hood costume, you patiently sat in the backseat of the Uber car. Well, maybe a little bit impatient, since it's already 11pm. 

 Everything just went down the hill since morning. You can't seem to find your Poison Ivy costume. Not to mention that you were late for work that morning. Your boss was a bitch since she seems annoyed at you every time the male employee or investor became too friendly with you. 

 Who can blame you? You were just good at acting all cute to them, and it's not your fault that they mostly thought you were a cute little employee. 

 You check your wrist. The expensive rose gold watch from your ex sugar daddy elegantly pointed at 11.30 pm. You sighed, "do you know how long I will arrive at my destination? It will close soon."

 "Hopefully, in 10 minutes. Dunno why it's jam-packed." Said the Uber driver.

 You huffed in exasperation, but there's nothing you can do. You arrived very last minute, like 15 minutes before the haunted house closed. Wearing black stiletto boots, you carefully made a small run into the stairs. The booth was stationed to the far left of the building. 

 "Good night, little red riding hood; you are lucky because we are almost closed. Can I see your ticket, please?" A man dressed as Edwar Scissorhands greeted you at the far left of the building. 

 You fished out your smartphone from your small basket bag and showed him your barcode. He scanned it and looked at the monitor in front of him. "Hmm, here for a kryptonite, aren't you." He eyed you up and down and smirked at you. "I hope you have a spooky night, little girl." 

 You smile at him and sashay your way to the entrance. Apparently, they makeover a warehouse into a vast real-life Justice League Hall. Like in the comic. A white half-circle exterior completed with two giant pillars at each side imitated the picture you only seen in comic books. It looks so magnificent. 

 You entered the door after you scanned your barcode at the scanner next to it. The whooshing noises startle you a bit, but you were too excited and step in immediately. 

 The inside was bright with a black marble flooring that shone bright; you even can see your reflection. There's a different section of the silvery door like in most sci-fi, alien invasion movies. So futuristic, so clinical. 

 You darted your eyes and found where you needed to go. A small rectangle monitor with a very digital clock font in it showed you 'Krypton' words. Without hesitation, you did a little run and waited in front of it. The small rectangle monitored turned to green, and it shone. It startled you, but you let out a sigh of relief when it just scanned your body from your head to toe. 

 "So much for a haunted house." You muttered. 

 When the door opened, you stepped in. It was a glass elevator. You circled your eyes and found everything was dark. When the elevator ran, bringing you down several floors, the surrounding changed. 

 Once, the darkness engulfed you like you were being shipped to the deep ocean, but it changed dramatically. Your eyes darted in awe as you drank on the scenery. The scenery of what you would call the imitation of Planet Krypton. So beautiful yet so harsh. 

 When the elevator stopped, the ding noise pulled you to the present. With excitement, you grabbed your smartphone and took several pictures of the scenery. It was just so surreal that a haunted house would make something like this. But you remember how expensive the ticket was.

 "This three grant haunted house better give me a chance to fuck a real-life Clark Kent." you cackled. 

 There's a weird tower with a green light on top of it. You assumed some futuristic objects were supposed to be 'kryptonite' as it floated sparsely in most parts of the supposed Krypton. A bit further, you could see a white crystal-like triangle building. Oddly enough, it reminded you of the Louvre Pyramid. This one just full of crystal-like pillars crisscrossed it. 

 Didn't want to waste your time, you decided what path you should choose. It wasn't easy. Your stiletto pierced to the weird substrate like mud but also crystal-like as if it's ice. Carefully, you mind your footing while again stayed alert. There's this odd feeling of being watched. But you reminded yourself that you were in a haunted house, so it's understandable.

 You let out a loud scream when suddenly a mummy appeared behind one of the floated crystals. "Holy shit, I didn't see that coming." you try to slow down your breath as you clutched the white ruffle shirt under your red corset.

 When you feel that you can walk again, you try to do it faster. Several times it looks like the Krypton had shifted in its light as if the sun rose and shone, but the next five minutes, it set. Made the scenery look like it was illuminated by the crystal alone, like a lamp.

 When many ghost-like mannequins showed up, it got scarier and scarier, and you immediately lowered your hood to shield you from some view. Your eyes perked up when you finally saw the path to the Fortress of Solitude. It was more like an icy bridge with a dark pond surrounding it. 

 As your right foot stepped onto the bridge, a loud noise of a clock surprised you. It struck once and counted until it stopped at the twelfth. It was so loud it's voice echoed. You can even feel it under the sole of your boots. 

 Stunned for a moment, your mind suddenly set on alert mode when the water from both ponds on each side of the bridge rippled. A dinosaur-like head appeared from both ponds. It has a single protruding horn. It opened its mouth and let out a loud growl. A blast of wind came out of it like a thunderstorm. It has sharp teeth like sharks that you assumed could quickly rip your body apart if it sank on yours. 

 "Holy shit. This is— this is a joke, right? It's not real?" Body trembled in fear; you ran your life out to the Fortress of Solitude. The monsters crawled up out of the water. Its slithered movement mimicked a snake, but it didn't have any problem crawling up without things to latch on. 

 You screamed as both of the monsters chased you. Run as fast as your legs allow you. This haunted house event might be too much for you. When you can see an oval object that looks like it can be a big mirror or a huge door, your gloved palms immediately bang on it. "Open the door!" You screamed. When the door finally opened, the two snake-like monsters that chased you suddenly disappeared.

 "Oh— oh my god. Oh my god…," you chanted as you let yourself drop down on the floor. 

 "I see you finally make it." 

 Your face turned to the left. In front of you, stood up tall and proud, Clark Kent with his superman costume. He's just so big. If you compared your tiny body to him, you definitely, nothing.

 You replied to Superman's bright smile with a scowl. Slowly you got up from the floor and cleaned your skirt. "Isn't that just too much? What if I fell to the pond? I can't swim, you know?"  

 He seems surprised, "apologized my lady. It was something the organizer will handle. I don't think they mean any harm."

 "Yeah...yeah… right." you walked closer to the hero and already fished out your mobile phone. "So… what did I need to do now I meet you, Superman?"

 "Hmm… most attendants ask for pictures. Some of them spent time just talking with me. Since you are the last one, you can take as many pictures as you like and of course. If you have any questions about my protection for the earth, I will gladly answer it." The tone in his voice was more soft than authoritative. 

 Think of not sabotaging your Halloween any longer; you tried to forgive the silliness of the whole new level of scary from this haunted house. It's hard not to show off your brattiness in this kind of situation. Still, you reminded yourself that he was someone you weren't familiar with—practically a stranger.

 Gave him a sweet smile, you took several pictures with him. At one time, you tried to bat your eyelashes at him and asked for a picture where you sat on his lap. You spent a solid 15 minutes talking to the handsome alien. Your fingers touched his biceps here and there. You knew that he knew what you were implying, but he didn't refuse you either. At least not blatantly.

 "I apologized, my dear, but I think it's already time." Superman gently put you back on your feet. You gave him an upset face, but you knew it's time to go home. You bid the handsome man goodbye and sneaked a kiss on his cheeks. There's a twinge of pink on his cheeks, and you jump triumphantly at that reaction. Of course, behind his back.

 Following the word of 'exit' behind the piles of the crystal-like shape props, you opened the door. The scenery in front of you caught you off guard. The harshed white tundra scenery was replaced by now dark, almost jungly like one. Unconsciously you stepped back and turned your body to come back to the exit door. How shocked you were when it vanished. Disappear without a trace.

 As far as your eyes could see, it's only darkness and mist. Only the full moon aided your visions. The exhalation of your breath came out like a plume of white steam. It's definitely colder here than the fake Krypton one. The cold air seeped into your skin quickly as if you were actually in the deep of a forest. 

 With a loud sigh, you walk straight. You tumbled and fell down on your knees as your boots got caught with something: either roots or a massive branch. 

 Tired and frightened, you screamed loudly. You weren't sure if this was the continuation of the haunted house or not, but what you want right now just to be back in your apartment and soaked in a warm, relaxing bath. 

 "Get me out of here!" you yelled again. There's a lot of sounds as if a lot of people stepping on branches. A screeching sound of an owl surprised you, but you tried to follow its direction with your ears. 

 There's no way you will wait here and do nothing. Oh...my phone! You fished out your smartphone, but it showed no signal. "Shit!." you muttered. 

 The sounds from a far away crept closed, and you knew it. "You can do it! There's nothing more frightening than that monster snake." tried to encourage yourself; you stood up and slowly navigated. You followed the noises that now closer, like an animalistic growl. It was so intense you can feel all the goosebumps rise up your skin. 

 You weren't sure how long you have been walking, but you stopped suddenly when there's not only a pair but like 7 pairs of reddish eyes glowed in the dark. 

 "Come here, little lamb. Don't follow that voice." a vaguely familiar voice distracted you from stepping forward. 

 "Who the fuck are you, and why you get in my way just now." your voice came out hoarse. There's a twinge of fear in it, and you knew it. You felt like backed down wasn't the best option you had right now.

 "I said, come here, or else I can't even save you when they get you." 

 You stilled as if you didn't hear him talking to you. "Wasn't this still one of the tricks from the haunted house? To let the people scramble in fear?" 

 "Are you out of your mind? Come here right now, or I left you to death. They will either rip you apart or play your body like a ragdoll before one of them eats you." 

 You screamed in horror as one pair of red eyes slowly came out. It's huge. Almost four feet of canine shook its fur. 

 You were hyperventilating right now. Body rooted to the ground as you were surrendered. Welcoming your fate. 

 "Fuck!" 

 You heard a curse from behind your back. Maybe the stranger gave up and left you alone to be eaten by the wolves. 

 The scrunched sound of leaves crushed was loud. Suddenly you felt strong arms hauled you upside down. 

 Your eyes faced the skin of someone's back. You craned your neck a little bit to get a better view of the wolf. Screamed escaped your lips when you saw not only one but all of them, in a pack, chased both of you. 

 "Stay still." The stranger yelled. 

 Did the best thing to not get thrown out by his weird, fast speed, you secured your thumbs in his belt loops. He ran, escaped the pack inside the deep of what looked like a pine forest. 

 You weren't sure how long you ran with him, but you felt that he's finally slowed down. 

 When the thud thud sound reached your ears, you opened your eyes and saw that the stranger walked up a stair.  

 You felt nauseated when he suddenly put you to sit on something that was apparently a countertop. The rushes of blood that circulated through your body made you regain your sense of surroundings. 

 "Where am I?" you didn't mean to add an ungrateful tone in your sentence, but it was too late.

 The stranger eyed you like you were some sort of ungrateful bitch, which maybe you are. "At my cabin," he said flatly.

 You haven't had time to look at him in the forest, but now, under the actual lighting inside his house, what you saw might instantly make you drooled, which you already did right now. Stand up in front of you, a shirtless beefy tall man that's definitely more than six feet tall. He has short dark brown hair with a somewhat thick mustache that's complemented by a stubble. The front strands of his hair were loose and slightly curled. Looks likely due to all the running.  

 The sudden chill of air made you shiver, and he didn't miss your reaction. He left you for a minute and came back with a rug. The sudden heat from it, when he draped the fabric on your shoulder made you let out a gasp of satisfaction. 

 But the next thing you know, he ripped your stocking. You were shocked, eyeing him in horror. "What the fuck are you doing?!" You threw whatever things that's on your reach. The loud sound of glass hit the wall, and the strong grip on your wrist instantly made your stop.

 "Be still!" His azure irises left no room for confrontation. When you felt a sting on your knees, that's when you realized that he just pressed some gauze on it. Likely soaked with alcohol first. There's quite a prominent stain of blood on your legs, and it almost made you nauseated. 

 "If you stop acting like a brat, you'll heal faster." He looked at you with that cocky smile of confidence. "Understood?" 

 You just nodded at him. He continued to clean the blood and inspect the wounds. The position where you were sitting right now made it easier to study him carefully. 

 Although you felt the temperature decreased significantly, the beefy stranger in front of you appeared very sweaty. 

 Immediately your gaze ran down to his neck and continued its way to his chest and his abs. The unmistakable bulge under his pants made you squirm unconsciously. You were in a haze of fear and lust; you definitely insane. 

 "Wha— what's your name, sir?" 

 His strong gazed felt as if his eyes alone can subdue you. Maybe he has these laser eyes like Cyclops, your inner thought buzzed with speculation.

 "August. My name is August Walker. What's your name, little lamb?" 

 How dare this man call you a little lamb? You cleared your throat and told him your name and where you were from.

 "New York? It's pretty far from here." He patched you up nicely. The water-resistant gauze looked really neat pressed on your knees and some on your shin. You were impressed.

 When your eyes returned to August, you gave him a smile that you hoped looked like a smile of gratitude. Not the kind of smile you always presented to any potential partner in bed, sultry, and flirtatious.  

 "I— I haven't said anything but— thanks. Thank you for saving my life." Your left fingers instinctively pat his right arms. The feeling of his skin startled you. It's warm; in fact, it felt like he had a very high fever.

 "Are— are you alright? Your temperature feels off." 

 "Don't mind me. Just take care of yourself." 

 You knew there's something off with him, but you weren't sure if you had a clear mind to think right now. Not with the wolf pack outside and his words on New York being far away from here. Where the fuck am I? 

 "I… I have a—,"

 "I suggest you stay here if you don't want to meet them."

 "But I…,"

 "You can use the bedroom there," his hand pointed to the door on the far end. "Feel free to use anything you want. Just don't come to the basement. I will meet you after a couple of days, and we figured things out." 

 His authoritative voice and dominant persona immediately made you want to counter his suggestion. The funny thing was, looked like he sensed it.

 He approached you, face just inches away from you. Your eyes immediately glanced away from the delicious plane of his sweaty chest. His fingers drew your chin up, so both of your eyes were at the same level. "Do what I said, understand?. Thrust me; you don't want to know the consequences if you violate my suggestion."

 Suggestion, my ass! Your inner mind ready to throw insults at him, but you quickly held it back. In the end, you nodded at him obediently.

 —

 That night you were restless. But in a weird sense, you felt comfortable staying in that cabin. The first night after August left you to your own devices, you had been pretty careful. Not touched a lot of things except food and items that help you with your long bath. 

 His cabin was quite spacious. The interior was a mix of something slicked and modern with an equal touch of classic. Tried to look homey. Not to mention his bathroom, it's super luxurious and made you feel at home instantly. Reminded you of your ex (sugar daddy's) bathroom. 

 Since you couldn't find another bedroom in that cabin and you don't feel like sleeping on the couch, you slept in his bed instead. After all, he said you can use the bedroom there. Still wearing your red riding hood costume, you slipped under the soft comforter. 

 After that, you woke up feeling a bit groggy. Aimlessly wandered around the kitchen, you weren't sure what to do first. Tried collecting your bearing, you tried to make a coffee. Or any equivalent things of it. Everything felt different; you just knew it. When the only thing you could find was several jars that you assumed were granules of tea, you brew it. You sat on the sofa that faced up a lake. The wall was made of glass, making everything well seen. 

 You walked closer and gazed at the vast pine forest in front of you. The trees were tall and big, so majestic. Somewhat it's different from the pine trees you usually see. The lake in front of you looked like it had two different colors, fusion together with weird looking fishes and plants that should grow on the land instead of water. Where the fuck am I? 

 The next day, you woke up feeling a little bit refreshed. You changed your slutty costume into one of the clothes you found in his closet. It was so soft and comfy. You knew when things were from high-quality material.  

 You continued your days by drinking your tea, ate whatever breakfast you can munch, and read a book that has these unusual fonts. You were sure it wasn't in the alphabet, but one day you absentmindedly swipe your fingers on some of the pages, and the font changed. Hell, it even translated into English in an instant. You were definitely impressed. 

 One thing you are sure of was, this place was strange. Wherever you were right now, it didn't look like it's on earth. Or the earth that you knew. Why were you so calm? Because you already freak out. After you freak out, you also wondered, did the haunted house event organizer realized that they were the culprit behind what the fuck happened to you right now? Did your housemate recognize that you weren't home for days? Or maybe she thought you fuck the Superman or perhaps found another sugar daddy? It was so absurd yet so real.

 The last two nights, you were struck in awe as your eyes were spoiled by two moons. Two fuckin moons. It was always quiet at night, but you heard all the howls that you suspected likely from the pack of those giant wolves.   

 It was pretty late, almost midnight. You finally found your small bag hindered under the sofa that evening. Now…, now you had some time to check it. The first thing you checked was if there's a signal. Definitely no signal at all. 

 You curled up on August bed while swiping the pictures on your phone. When you scrolled your pictures with Superman, you realized why August seems familiar. It was none other than August having quite the same face, the same build, even somewhat similar voices with Superman. 

 "Fuck...maybe I should ask August if he would like to be my Daddy while I'm here." Imagining him spoiled you with gifts and other physical attention made you chuckled at yourself. 

 Your fingers instinctively crawled under the gray long sleeve shirt you borrowed from his closet (again). Your brain projected an image as if it was August's hands that ran on your upper thigh. Find its way quickly to your wet core. Two fingers slipped under the black lace panty. The panty that you need to wash daily due to no other replacement available. Left you a couple hours with only his buttoned-up shirt without anything underneath. 

 The sound of a loud howl startled you. It was as if it circled you in close range. Moved as fast as you can, you snatched the oversize robe on you. Your eyes tried to creep behind the curtain in the bedroom. 

 You knew the owner of this cabin stated that you can't go to the basement. You wouldn't be so lucky if that giant wolf found you first and broke in. Although you haven't been really out of the cabin, you tried to inspect a little bit and found it odd that this cabin was apparently a treehouse-style cabin. How come there's a basement in the house.

 You exit the bedroom and go to the kitchen when you last saw August a couple nights ago. Next to the slick wooden cabinet was a particular thing that looked like a door. The surface of your palms works like a stethoscope, felt as if something with pressure from your hands. You tried not to get disturbed by the nonstop howl outside. When you hear something as if the door was shifted, you immediately step back. 

 "Oh my, finally…," you slipped inside the small door when it opened automatically. It was a small narrow corridor-like, and it was dark. Walk inside carefully, you follow the path that leads you to another door. The metal door let out a weird creaked as you pushed it open. 

 "Didn't I tell you not to come down here?" 

 Shocked was evident in your face when you heard his rather gruff tone. You step over, closer to where he sat, that looks more likely an even bigger size of the bed than the one he had upstairs.    

"Don't —,"

 He warned you, but you being you, could never obey orders. Although challenging, your eyes finally adapt to the only natural light from the glass wall. That said, you were totally confused as you can see the lake parallel to your eyes. 

 "What the… wait, how there's even a basement down here? Last time I checked, the cabin is a treehouse?"

 "It's camouflage. No one can't see it or enter from outside."

 "Holy… why there's a three moon?" you switched your gaze from the moon to August. Curiosity got the better of you when you saw his irises were now pale blue. You can still see the outer form that is August, but something was off. 

 A gasp escaped your lips as August rose up from the bed. The powerful moon shone his feature. He was taller, bulkier, and dangerous as he stalked towards you slowly. Your heart thumped erratically as you were cornered. Back supported by the glass wall as now you can see August in his other form. 

 "Holy shit. Wha—what are you?"

 "Told you not to go here, and you just can't listen, little lamb." his smirk turned maniacal as he looked at the fear on your face. His white fangs, longer than usual. His fingers also look unusual, claw-like. 

 "Are you— are you a werewolf?" 

 "Well...you can say that. I'm half human half wolf if you are curious." 

 "So why— why did you save me?"

 The tip of his nose inched closer to yours. You held your breath when his warm skin touched you. It moved to your left cheek and stopped near your ear. "I'm curious," he whispered.

 "I haven't really met a pure human in the same age range. So I have followed you since I saw you step out of that door. I follow you until you meet the other wolf pack, and I decide to help you instead of fulfilling my need." 

 "What need?" you asked him, dumbfounded.

 "This," he pulled away from you, his claw-like finger pointed out below his hip. Focusing on the long and hard appendage that was unmistakably, his cock.

 "Oh—I- I'm sorry?" you gave him your best apologetic face. Eyes seemed eager to stare longer, but you gazed away quickly. Wait, why did you apologize to him? You cleared your throat, "I— I actually not sure what I should do to help?" tilted your head to the right, you looked him in the eyes, almost challenged him.

 Despite almost getting eaten by wolves, August's menacing presence didn't really scare you. Maybe the fact that he was still human and less scary made it easy for you. Not to mention he's hot too, with all his glory. 

 His somewhat evil chuckled sent shivers down your spine. "If you really wanted to help, I think you know what to do, don't you?"

 "W-wait—is—does this mean we 'mate'?" you gave him a somewhat weird expression. "And—and you bite me, give me marks that I'm yours? And knot me, and I will have a litter of puppies, and I become your omega—,"

 His pale blue eyes stared at you as if you grew two heads. It softened immediately as he smiled. Broad one showed you a set of white teeth with extra long fangs. 

 "Oh, my little lamb...what have you read?"

 "Err— Omega verse? Fanfic?"

 He blinked. Gave you a quizzical expression.

 "It's— it's erotica. Where mostly the character you know—," you darted your eyes away from August. "—mate, err have sex. Mostly was written very explicitly."

 "Go on." He said.

 "They are wolves, scenting, imprinting. An alpha mates with omega, and it's been told in a variety of plots possible. Sometimes two alphas fight too." You were breathless. You didn't realize you explained it to him in a quick, incoherent way. 

 You staggered backward as he came closer, forgetting that you already cornered. His long fingers reached out to the white robe you put on you. Although his fingers had claws that looked alarming to you, his hand still skillfully unfastened the robe.

 "That's a bit of an exaggeration, I think. Pack and hierarchies usually form just for a mating season; they hunt together for food and shelter in the winter. We might be scenting people, I guess. After all, we have a very sensitive sense of smell. But no, we don't bite our mate." He took off the robe from your body, left you only with his grey buttoned-up shirt.

 "Well...I love that you are wearing my shirt as if you are mine already."

 You purse your lips at him. "Why aren't you in a pack? Isn't it a mating season?" 

 "I mostly can control myself during the full moon. That's the advantage of being half-human. I don't need to transform myself into a wolf and be in a pack. But I am an alpha if that's what you are curious about."

 "Can-can you turn back to your human form? Not like—you know, you aren't in your human form, bu—," your words were cut off by his thumb on your lips. 

 "You talk too much, aren't you, little lamb…," August leaned down and touched his lips to yours. Your first reaction was to freeze since you were afraid of his fangs. But his surprisingly soft lips coaxed you relentlessly, making you surrender as you closed your eyes. Opening your mouth, his tongue sneaked past your lips easily. His fangs poke at your lower lips, but it didn't hurt.

 The non so innocent kiss became more desperate. Your once shied tongue now dances together with August. Your once clasped palms that were situated on top of your chest now scraped at his shoulder. 

 Your eyes fluttered open as August nipped down from your jaw to your neck. Forgotten, you even close your eyes in the first place. His claw-like fingers unbuttoned his shirt on yours without difficulty, left you only in your black lace panty. 

 The feeling of temperature as if dropped significantly made you glued your body to August. Smooth skin of your chest pressed to his hot hairy one, seeking warmth. One hand secured behind your back while the other palm on your ass. Massage the globe there. 

 "Ohh…" you gasped as you felt his finger on your clothed core. 

 "Hmm… wet already, I see." he let the pad of his finger move up to your clit, while the movement of the claw added sensation to your already. Seeing your reaction, he repeated it a couple times. Made you a mess with only one of his fingers.  

 Arched your body a little bit, you were thrilled to see his expression. Traveled your hands down from his hairy chest; your eyes still focused on his face, while your palms found their way to his hard cock. 

 "Oh, so big…," slowly at first, you ran your hands at the tip of his cock. Even without looking at it, you knew it's definitely bigger than any cock you've ever seen. 

 Eyes widened as your hand slid down to the base. The other weighed his balls. "Holy…," your eyes looked down, stared in awe at his cock. 

 "Careful little lamb, you drooled on it."

 "Who's not?" You eyed him in disbelief.

 August let out a weird laugh, "I expect you to worship it, then." He looked at you with a bemused expression as you quickly worked on his length. Stroked it up and down repeatedly. 

 You go down on your knees, eyes crossed as you focused on his slit that oozed pre-cum. Unconsciously, you stuck out your tongue and brushed it on his slit. Wrapped your right hand at the base of his cock, your gaze rose up to meet his. Left handheld on his upper thigh for support as your lips covered the heat of his cock. You bobbed your head calculatedly as you accommodate him halfway. 

 "Such a good little lamb for your wolf, aren't you." August's right hand was at the back of your head as he nudged you none too gently. Made you choke at his cock, and pulled it out from your mouth. You gazed at the mix of your saliva and his precum in awe. But it didn't last long as August pulled you to your feet and picked you up. 

 He climbed up on the bed with you and laid on his back. He situated your hips and pulled it closer, so your opening was hovering on top of his face. On all four, for him. August was rewarded with a yelped and a moan as his tongue licked your clothed core. 

 The sound of fabric being ripped made you turn your head to the right. "That's my only pa— ohhh," your protest died right away as his tongue lapped your opening. The feel of his claws as he spread your ass cheeks added wonder to your pussy. 

 Trying to keep yourself busy, you swallowed the head of his cock for a starter. His cock was too big for you; your mouth can only allow half of it. Diligently, you tried to move your tongue while you suck on his cock, hands slid up and down. Feeling all the veins that encircled his length made you shuddered.

 August bucked his hips as you put one of your hands to massaging his balls. The action made you gagged as his cock entered further than before. But it didn't take a long time for you to stop due to his sudden attack on your pussy. 

 His tongue was not lapped at you anymore; it rammed inside your wet core like a starved man. You squealed as the end of his fangs scrapped at your now wet pussy. The pressure on your clit as the pad of his fingers made a circular motion left you breathless. It drove you to your high faster than you ever experienced. A surprised scream left off your lips as his tongue scraped your most sensitive part. Your body quivered as your inner walls spasm, hands held on his cock as you ride your high. 

 "Ohh— my god, ohh—my god—," you can still feel the kitten licked as August feasted on it. 

 "Ahh—that' s—that's good." You let your head rested on his left thigh. 

 "Now, for the main course." August's gruff tone pulled you back from your hazy state. His hard cock was evident on your right hand. 

 You felt your body shifted position, and now you were on your back. August spread your legs wide and shifted his position. The feeling of his heavy cock on top of your pussy made you nervous but also excited. Unconsciously you nibbled your forefingers while eyes traveled down to his long and hard cock. It made an up and down motion on your opening. You can feel your wet pussy clenched in frustration, ready to be filled. 

 "August please…," still nibbled at your fingers, you gaze at the wolf on top of you, one elbow supporting your upper body. He's so big, literally and figuratively. If you can't come back to your world, so be it. You didn't mind staying and being his plaything as long as he wanted you. 

 "Please, what my little lamb?" You pouted at that. You definitely weren't a little lamb. If anything, you should be the succubus. 

 "Please put that in me—," you writhed underneath him. 

 "Please put what?" His big body tower over you. His pupils dilated and only left a small ring of pale blue irises. His clawed fingers move up and down your thigh.

 "Ple—please, ohhhh, put that cock inside me! Fuck me, my wolf— nhhh—," your plead was answered when August suddenly pushed the head of his cock on your opening. 

 The back of your head fell to rest on the thick pillow as the intrusion of August's cock sent a surprising jolt on your body. You knew he's big. But when his cock finally spread your lips open and entered you, the overwhelming sensation was something you still didn't expect. 

 "Ohh— so big—," your pussy clenched immediately when August tried to push deeper but also slowly. The noticeable ridge of his vein scraped at your inner wall deliciously. With closed eyes, you gripped the edge of the pillow as you mumbled about how full you feel right now. 

 "Work your clit for me. Yes...make that tight pussy cream on my cock."

 "Oh—like this?" Your fore and middle fingers slowly pulled the hood and made a circular motion as August asked. 

 "Yes… Just like that…."

 It didn't take you long enough to feel the fast buildup on your lower belly. Something that never happened before. "Ohh—yes—I'm going to cum, my—ahhh," you work your clit faster as August cock made a shallow fuck inside you. 

 "Yes, cum on my cock, my little lamb. I want to see your pretty face when you cum for your wolf." His wolf tone deliciously affected your body. His growl sent an extra twitch on your clit. And you lose it when he thrust all the way inside your wet pussy. 

 You scream in ecstasy as your pussy quivered uncontrollably on his hard cock. You feel so full. The feeling of his cock all the way inside you made your brain feel as if it was submerged. Forgotten that you ever closed your eyes, you were rewarded by a sly smirk on August werewolf's face. His eyes were now all dark. His hair loosened, made the curls of it fall to his forehead. 

 "I see you enjoying yourself, my little lamb." His claws caressed your thigh gently.

 "Nnn—of course, I ahhh—I am." A little movement from August made you aware that his cock still inside you. Hard as a rock. 

 August lifted up both your knees and secured it with his hands. You lifted your upper body with your elbows as he retrieved his cock from your wet core. You gasped when you witnessed August pulled it out, inches by inches. Left only the head inside you.

 You moaned when he pushed again. Stretched you like no one else ever had. He did it slowly, knew that you still adapt to his girth. But the feeling when the tip of his cock scraped your most sensitive part every time he thrust inside you, you were tripped to your high even faster than before. 

 The moan of pleasure became incoherent as August sped up his pace. Repeated syllables of ahhh and ohhh accompanied your plead for him to fuck you like you were a female wolf. Released his pent up frustration to mate. 

 Both of you fuck like an animal who just needs to reproduce. Lust clouded the atmosphere in the room. Moaned and growled were sung like a prayer under the moonlight that shone its way to the basement. 

 His balls slapped against your ass every time he plugged in inside you. Sweats trickled down your body, and it looked even animalistic in August. His werewolf form was so majestic that you just wholly let him own you. 

 His feracious fucking looked like almost to its limit. The buzzed on your lower belly was ready to explode, but you held it.

"Fuck!" He growled.

 "Uhh—uhh—uhh—cum in me. Yes—cum in me, my wolf— filled me up with your thick hot cum!" You pleaded like a bitch in heat. 

 August slammed his cock deep inside you as he screamed and let out a long howl. The feel of his warm cum inside you triggered your orgasm. You wail as your inner walls contracted and squeezed his cock. Spurt and spurt of his cum filled your womb to the brim. Something that you never allowed any of your partners to do in the past. 

 You didn't realize that you lock both your ankles behind August ass. But also you sensed something changed. August was draped on top of your body, head sneaked at the crook of your neck. Still, in a haze caused by the release of oxytocin in your bloodstream, you missed the way August kissed turned into something more. He bit you. 

 The still clouded brain of yours pop-up an image of you becoming August omega. His only mate. Bear a litter of pups for him and live happily ever after in his house, in his world. Your pussy unconsciously clenched at his cock that was still inside you. You never really said this to anyone, but you imagine you live in another world since the first time you ever read a story about omega verse. 

 You mewled when the biting stopped. Maybe August bit you just for fun. When he craned his head up to look at you, something was different. His eyes turned back to his azure color. His fangs now short, back to its regular human teeth, and his body wasn't as hairy as he's before. He's practically not in his werewolf form anymore. 

 "You changed? Why?"

 He looked at you with his quizzical expression. "You wanted me to return to my werewolf form?" 

 You glanced away from him and kind of embarrassed to declare that his werewolf form was way hotter than his human form. Not that his human form wasn't hot either. Damn, you definitely bang him every time you can, but his werewolf form just made you curl your toes in an instant. 

 You cleared your throat and looked him in the eyes, "I like it very much."

 "Well...the full moon is still in the sky for quite some time. Are you ready for the next round, my little lamb?"

 "Yes, my wolf." You purred seductively at him and witnessed in delight his transformation before your eyes.

***

Comment, like and reblog are highly desirable! Spread the filthiness lol 💋

[one-boring-person]

Only Traitors Consort With The Damned (Part Nine)

The Lost Boys x reader

Warnings: violence, blood imagery

Context: The first of the SRS has arrived, but thankfully not in large numbers.

A/N: hopefully I'll have a more Halloween-esque part to this out next weekend, so stay tuned for that!😁💛

Masterlist

A shiver runs through my body as I move silently through the back streets of Santa Carla, my hand resting on the gun holstered at my hip, gloved fingers tapping lightly on the deadly weapon as if in anticipation, my muscles taut and ready to spring into action. Unsurprisingly, a cool wind is blowing through town, the late October chill easily seeping into my new, stolen black denim jacket, the new outfit the boys found for me acting as a suitable disguise, seeing as the SRS uniform from before is a little too conspicuous, though the chains rattling quietly by my thigh are a little distracting, and the studs adorning the variety of clothes are a little superfluous, but it does it's part well enough. Thankfully, I got to keep my boots, so at least I'm not getting blisters from any new ones.

Biting my lip, I turn down yet another deserted alley, quickly scanning it for danger, noting the lack of people instantly, though there are a few cars and bins sitting by the surrounding walls here and there, each of them providing sufficient cover for a person, or multiple persons. Slowly, I edge forwards, watching the surroundings for any movement, aware that there could be danger at any moment, my heart pounding as I clock the lack of sound in the area, suddenly aware of the fact that there are no working streetlamps on this particular strip of alley, leaving it completely cloaked in darkness. Uneasy, I stop still, feeling the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Very carefully, I take off my gloves, placing them in my pocket as I listen closely to the eerie silence, watching the dark space in front of me, hoping to catch anything, should it come closer.

My head snaps round in the direction of a muted footstep, my fingers wrapping around the stock of the gun, pulling it from its holster and smoothly cocking it, flicking off the safety as I turn towards the noise. Mechanically, I lift the weapon a little higher, calming my racing heart before I step over towards the car the noise came from, holding my breath as I try to make out any shapes in the suffocating blackness, finding it nigh-on impossible to do so.

As I approach the car, I lift the gun higher still, edging around the seemingly abandoned vehicle, keeping my eyes trained on the space in front of me, my training kicking in as a dull calm spreads through me, keeping me from moving erratically, everything around me filtering out as I round the bonnet of the car.

A sudden blow to my upper back throws me forwards into the wall ahead of me, the air leaving my lungs as I collide with it painfully, tears springing to my eyes as my nose makes contact, the gun falling from my hands. Recovering quickly, I duck down before the second punch can come, a stifled yelp of surprise escaping my attacker as their fist connects with the hard surface, their knuckles most likely cracking from the force, causing them to reel back a little, leaving me time to spin around and jump back upright again. Without pausing, I swing my fist round into their exposed ribs, feeling the bones give slightly under the impact, my other hand coming round to land a hard blow to their descending face, their body whipping to the side in response. I move closer, intending to grab them, only for them to suddenly lunge forwards and shove me up against the wall, fists pummeling my sides, low grunts of pain leaving my lips as I grab their shoulders, but to no avail.

After a particularly well-aimed punch to the centre of my collarbones, I have to suck in a sharp breath of air, wincing as pain explodes through my chest, rendering me momentarily incapable of retaliating, giving my attacker the perfect opportunity to grab my hair and throw me away from the wall, my body violently crashing into the car bonnet as they drop me there, pain quickly spreading through me as I make contact. Under my weight, the windscreen cracks and shatters, shards of glass digging into my back as I skid over them, my attacker advancing on me with a newfound confidence, my eyes swiftly spotting the knife in their hand. Ignoring the blood pouring from my nose and mouth, I quickly roll to the side to avoid a sudden downwards thrust of the blade, dropping off of the car and onto the floor, going to get up, only to be stopped by a hand grasping my hair again, yanking my head back and pressing the knife to my throat. Eyes going wide, I take hold of their arm and press against it, feeling the icy sting of the blade just cutting into my skin, panic starting to well up in my body as I fight against their strength, only to find them slowly overpowering me.

With one last push, I drive an elbow backwards, catching them in the knee with enough force to make them buckle a little, giving me the chance to duck out of their grip and throw them onto their back on the floor, swiftly pinning then down as I grab my own knife from my pocket, wincing as they manage to use their's to leave a long gash down one of my arms. Putting my knife to their throat, I press down until they stop struggling, the two of us breathing very heavily as we calm ourselves, both waiting for the next move.

When nothing happens, I go to lean back slightly, only for my captive to suddenly write underneath me, kicking me backwards a little so that I have to stretch out my arms to keep myself upright. In doing so, however, I manage to lodge my knife in their thigh, a scream of agony tearing itself from their lips at their self-inflicted wound, blood starting to ooze out from around the base of the weapon, colourful curses and swears aimed at me accompanying the whines and whimpers of pain that follow. Climbing off of them, I swiftly grab their wrists and use the rope at my belt to tie them together, ignoring their pleas and begging, the voice now distinctly male as they try to appeal to my better nature, seemingly forgetting that they just tried to kill me.

I don't look at their face, turning to their newly sustained wound, thinking things over, before making a split decision. Pulling another rope from my belt, I tie it around the top of his thigh, pulling it tight to stop the bleeding, choosing to leave the weapon in place as I work, eventually telling him to shut up as he continues to ramble on.

*

"Who the hell is that and why the fuck is he here?!" David growls at me as I eventually manage to drag the Scout into the cave, a trail of dirt mapping out the path I used as I manoeuvre my way around the messy interior.

"This," I start, dropping the man's legs as I find a better source of light, "Is a Scout, someone sent to find me before the rest of the Clean-up Team arrives. He's here because we're taking him hostage."

Kneeling down beside the now-unconscious man, I turn my attention to the knife protruding from his leg, quickly deciding how to go about this. Taking hold of the Scout's knife, I carefully cut away the fabric of his trousers around the wound, gently testing how tightly the knife is wedged into the muscle, before dropping the weapon in my hand and grabbing a piece of nearby cloth.

"A hostage? Why are you taking a hostage?" David continues to interrogate me, scowling at me as I yank the knife from the wound and use the fabric to staunch the flow of blood that rushes out.

"So that I have some leverage over them when they come for me, though I'm not too sure how well they'll react to this." I muse out loud, only now realising that the platinum blonde vampire across from me is having a hard time controlling himself, "Sorry, I forgot that this would be difficult for you guys."

A small part of me is glad that David is the one who volunteered to stay behind tonight to keep watch with me, given that he seems to have the most self control (apart from Dwayne) when it comes to blood; if it was Paul, the Scout would be dead by now.

David just huffs, sitting in his wheelchair sullenly as he waits for me to finish, blue eyes watching me as I examine the wound.

"Hey, do you think you could get the med-kit from my rucksack, please? I need to stitch this or he'll bleed out." I ask him quietly, hoping he'll agree.

The vampire rolls his eyes, but stands and gets the kit anyway, handing it to me with a grunt. Thanking him, I take out a needle and thread, sterilizing them both as I prepare them for use, removing the makeshift bandage from the wound and leaning in to start sewing the edges shut.

"Where did you learn to do that?" David asks suddenly, breaking the silence.

"This? I learnt on the job, a few years ago. Some werewolf caught me with its claws when I got too close. I had to stitch myself up, so I learned from the experience." I explain dismissively, remembering the incident well.

"A werewolf?" The vampire questions, seemingly confused, "Where was that?"

"Somehwere in Texas, I think. I don't really remember the specifics. Why?"

"Oh, I wasn't aware that there were still werewolves in this country."

"Really?! You can't possibly think you're the only supernatural beings left in the U.S?" I ask, incredulous.

"I've been stuck in Santa Carla for as long as I can remember, so I wouldn't know." He chuckles in response, "What're you gonna do with him when he wakes up?"

I shrug.

"Talk to him, interrogate him. I just need to know how close the SRS are to finding me."

"How close do you think they are?" David queries quietly.

I sigh to myself, sitting back on my heels as I finish the job.

"Honestly, I'd rather not think about it."

Part Ten

[lezliefaithwade]

A Breath of Fresh Air

The summer after my first year of theatre school, I was sleeping on the living room floor of my cousin's apartment in Toronto, trying to figure out what to do with my life. My cousin had been an actor before he became a quadriplegic in a car accident, and as I unadvisedly bemoaned my unemployment status, he said something like, "Seriously? You're complaining about your life? Don't make me burst a colostomy bag." He was right, of course. I wasn't in a wheelchair, though I did have a stepmother who had rendered me homeless because of her dislike for me. She was always saying things like, "Your hair can't be as ugly as that hat you're wearing." Or simply refusing to invite me to things like Christmas dinner. I always admired people with families. My boyfriend at the time was one of five kids who were always doing things together. Their house was always full of noise and activities. Even as a shiksa, I felt more at home there than with my stepbrothers and sisters, who never lost an opportunity to point out that I was weird. I wanted to stand up to them, but not wanting to cause my father any grief, I held my tongue and sought refuge elsewhere. It occurred to me that perhaps I was using the theatre as an opportunity to say things through characters that I couldn't find the courage to express myself.

The Toronto Star was still open on the kitchen table, and I rummage through the Want Ads, that dirty part of the newspaper near the back where complete strangers will soon become complete assholes in your life by forcing you to work menial jobs in humiliating uniforms for minimum wage.

"Find anything?" my cousin called from the bedroom, where two attendants helped wash and dress him.

"Social services are advertising for camp councilors to work with emotionally challenged kids."

"Oh yeah," He said. "That might suit you."

I'm not sure I knew what he meant but, I was beginning to think I'd outgrown my welcome. My cousin probably would have encouraged me to join the circus if the option had been available. Knowing my living room days were numbered, I thought it best to make an effort and apply.

I had no experience teaching drama—no experience working with kids and no experience going to or working at a camp. Despite all that, I was hired. It's worth noting that it's probably not a good sign if you get a job with no qualifications whatsoever.

My official position was Drama Councillor, and I prided myself that with only a year and half of theatre training behind me, I was well equipped to help others benefit from the wealth of my experience. I imagined myself, Maria Von Trapp, teaching children how to sing while they looked at me adoringly. Somehow, I conveniently blocked out the rebellious early stages she experienced and skipped straight to the good parts. Also, I might add, forgetting about the Nazis and having to climb over a mountain. Still, visions of me biking around camp with a group of happy campers behind me filled me with a sense of self-satisfaction.

As I packed my knapsack with deet and a secret stash of Twinkies, I thought of how only three weeks earlier I'd been in New York walking through Central Park and savoring Cappuccinos at outdoor cafés on Columbus. Now, here I was, ready for something different. The wilderness, I imagined, would be a welcome change—fresh air and loons instead of smog and sirens. I thought smugly about my classmates sweating behind visors at take-out windows shoveling fries into cardboard cups or wrapping sandwiches in tinfoil. Thumbs up to adventure, I told myself. The fact that I'd never once in my life enjoyed the great outdoors didn't factor into my mind. All of this changed with each accumulated minute of the 391 Kilometer drive north.

It was late afternoon when I arrived at the compound. Overcast, sullen, it was a place so secluded you'd need flares to find it. It had that distinct aura of someplace time forgot. A place left behind and neglected. In the brochure, the sun was shining, flowers filled the meadow, and you could practically hear laughter floating off the page. What I was looking at bore more of a resemblance to a situation in a Stephen King novel where camp councilors discover a pack of hungry teenage zombies have lured them to a seemingly idyllic retreat. Situated right in the heart of black fly country, I spent most of my days swatting insects so big they seem Jurassic.

During our orientation, child care workers warned us that children with mental health needs tend to run away - a lot and to keep strict attendance records and all eyes on them at all times. "These kids are resourceful and clever," they cautioned. I couldn't imagine being so determined you'd risk your life by escaping through the woods that surrounded us, but then again, I'd never been around children who weren't allowed cutlery before either

I shared my cabin with three other women with who I had absolutely nothing in common. Delia, a humorless 27-year-old cooking instructor who answered every question with a monosyllabic grunt, Jennifer, a 26-year old tennis instructor with massive blond ringlets who talked so quickly she sounded like a record on high speed, and an older aboriginal woman named Sunny who made us all dream catchers and offered advice about how to heal ourselves on days when we'd feel spent. "Remember, these kids need us," she said while purifying our cabin with sage. As I glanced around my assigned bunk, taking in the spider webs and loose floorboards, I had that sinking feeling that comes when you know you've made a terrible mistake. Before long, I was eating copious amounts of peanut butter on stale bagels amid a never-ending supply of starch. I'm not sure who thought it was a good idea to feed children with challenges like anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and eating disorders copious amounts of sugar and carbs. It certainly did nothing to help them or me.

On the first day of class, I sat everyone in a circle. "Welcome to drama class," I said with a smile. "Let's begin by sharing with everyone a little bit about ourselves. Anything at all you'd like us to know?" A hand went up.

"I'm Tracy, and I hate my stupid ass brother. He can go straight to hell."

"Okay," I said, "That's a start. Who's next?"

Another hand. "I'm Jonathan, and this place sucks so much I wish it would burn to the ground!"

"Fair enough. Anyone else?"

"I'm Jo. I'm schizophrenic. So sometimes I'm Rachel and Julia. You'll know the difference because Rachel has a British dialect, and Julia talks slang."

"O-kay." I glanced at the social workers who sat on the edge of the room and looked at me with an expression that basically said, "We can't wait to see what you do next."

"Let's write a play," I suggested. "Write anything you want. Once you're happy with the work, I'll shape it into a cohesive piece that we'll rehearse and then present at the end of the season talent showcase."

The kids liked this idea. The showcase was a big deal. It was an opportunity for them to blow off some steam and express themselves to friends and family in a creative way. My only stipulation was not to use profanity. As the weeks passed, I was impressed with how well they all threw themselves into this project—all except Eric, the oldest boy in my 12 to 15-year-olds. Eric often wandered around the rehearsal space, unfocused and sullen.

"Any ideas for your piece?" I ask, checking in to see if I could help.

"I'm thinking," he'd say and then pace.

With three weeks left in the summer, I took my well-deserved week off to decompress. My boyfriend came up from Toronto and drove me to his parent's house at Post and Bayview, where caterers were preparing the tennis courts for an outdoor party. I walked into his mother's living room, and she gasped. "What happened to you?"

I didn't blame her. I hadn't spent much time looking at a mirror the past four weeks, but one glance at the large one in their bathroom told the full story. My hair was ratty; I had scabs on my knees, bruises on my arms and legs, and I was sunburnt. I was wearing a vintage skirt and blouse that was probably more Value Village than vintage and a pair of worn, scuffed purple moccasins; in essence, I was wearing slippers on my feet.

"Please take her to the mall and at least buy her a pair of shoes," his mother said, handing me her credit card and then rushing off to make sure the stuffed alligator would float in the pool. That week I ate my way through rugelach, hamantaschen, brisket, and bagels while his family watched me with awe and disgust.

Back at camp, the smell of burning insect repellent greeted me along with the news that the sailing and tennis instructors were sacked for disorderly conduct. Never mind, I had renewed energy and a sense of purpose. There were costumes and props to make. Sound and lighting effects to create. And we needed to rehearse. It was only a tiny stage somewhere on a remote camp in Northern Ontario, but the excitement was palpable. I was excited. This would be the best talent show ever, and my kids were going to blow the socks off everyone there!!!

"Eric," I said, "How's your piece coming along?"

"I finished it," he mentioned casually

"That's great. Can I see it?"

"I want to surprise you. You're going to love it, though. I promise."

I patted myself on the back. Eric had a breakthrough. All my encouragement and patience had paid off. Perhaps I'd helped him have a developmental breakthrough.

"Can you tell me what it's about?" I asked.

"The Beatles."

"Great. Okay," and left it at that.

Talent Night arrived along with parents and family friends. The lights dimmed, the kids performed, and the audience enthusiastically applauded as each "Mighty Mite" or "Spirit of Paradise" breezed across the stage, acting out skits about fairies and monsters and assorted escapades. Finally, it was Eric's turn. Out he came, looking serious and theatrical. He cleared his throat and addressed the audience.

"This is called, The Beatles Last Recording Session. By, Me."

Three of his closest camp friends filed out and took a space on the stage. The audience was silent.

There was a dramatic pause, then the piece began.

"Fuck you, Ringo,"

"Fuck you, Paul."

"Fuck you, George."

"Well fuck you, John."

Then they bowed and left the stage.

Personally, I thought it was kind of brilliant. Needless to say, I wasn't showered with accolades about my teaching methods or the effect I had on kids. I left there having no catharsis about mental health except that giving people the opportunity to express themselves without censor is probably a lot healthier than insisting they stay quiet. I admired the honesty displayed in the kid's work. If only, I thought to myself, I could be half as brave. Wasn't that what I was spending time and money learning how to do?

A week after being home, I found myself packing, once more, for school in New York. Our term letters had arrived with instructions on where to buy character shoes, leotards, copies of The Children's Hour, and Death of a Salesman. The camp already felt like it was 391 kilometers away - soon to be 659. My father drove me to the train station with my stepmother beside him; she was there, no doubt, to ensure I boarded.

"You going to be okay?" my father asked, giving me a hug and slipping a $50 bill into my pocket.

"She'll be fine." Elsie chimed in. "You don't have to worry about her. Let's go."

But I wanted my father to worry about me. Not all the time and to the exclusion of all else, but certainly the appropriate fatherly amount.

As I settled myself on the train, I watched my stepmother pull from father from the platform to the car and thought of Eric's brilliant play. Under my breath, I whispered the immortal words of the Beatles, "Fuck you."

#stepmother #mental health #children #young people #summer camp

[chosenkeepersworld]

The Curses We Inherit - Chapter 10

Original Work

Date Posted: August 28, 2021 (Tumblr)

Word count: 1, 169 words

A/N: Work is unbeta'd but I do hope you'll still enjoy reading it. Comments are always appreciated! And if you can't wait to read what happens next, this story is also up on Wattpad (under the username ChosenKeeper0971) but with way more chapters, I appreciate your support there too!

Thank you so much, I hope everyone is having an awesome day and happy reading :)

Masterlist / Part 9

Luckily there were no other incidents as they arrived at their next stop.

Danika had little opportunity to give in to childish whims back in the States, but being surrounded by people she considered friends she allowed herself to relax more and unconsciously did things that she always wanted.

One of which happened as they approached the sign welcoming them to a new town, upon seeing the large signboard Danika gasped and pressed her face against the glass, trying to read it before the car passed.

Jac and Krysa glanced at the back seat, saying nothing but sharing a smile.

It was a getting late in the afternoon prompting Krysa to bring up an issue "It'll be late by the time we leave town, we should find a place to sleep and then leave at dawn"

This was met with different responses. An excited exclamation from Danika and a disbelieving 'huh' from Jacqueline. "Find a place to sleep? Why don't we just rough it?"

"Rough it? As in camping and stuff?" Danika asked

"Yup" Jac looked at her

Danika hesitated and Jac sighed in response then looked to Krysa "Have I been away too long that you can no longer go without the comforts of a warm bed and four walls?"

"I am not thinking about me and it's just one night. We'll make up for it in the morning"

Jac silently mulled over Krysa's words "As long as you two are okay with wasting the night then I'll be okay with it too" the brunette grumbled.

The car was silent after that, tension was ever present as they entered town and made their way to the closest rest stop. Lucky as they were the trio were able to find an inn. It wasn't a big place but quaint and cozy looking, the trio parked the car and went to check in. They were able to get two rooms across from each other, Jac and Danika are to stay in one room while Krysa is to stay in the other, the shorter blonde assured Danika that she would be fine staying alone and Jacqueline could only agree with her.

Once Krysanthe left, Jac leaned closer to Danika and whispered "She's terrifying when she's angry and she can kick butt when she puts her mind to it"

Danika nodded then her eyebrows furrowed "Why are we whispering?"

The girl chuckled, the white tips of her mahogany hair swayed as she did so "There can be times when Krysa can hear what people say about her even though she's at a distance where it would be difficult to hear someone say anything"

"But through walls?"

"Anything's possible" the brunette then stood up "Anyway, rest up while you can we'll be going into town to talk to someone that might know where Rhian might be"

"She would at least tell Krysa if she were going to leave right?"

The brunette nodded "She did, Rhian tended to have a lot of out of town meetings for her businesses, she didn't leave often when Krysa was still a kid but when our favorite florist got older Rhian left more frequently more without a word to anyone"

The youngest O'Brien stared at the other woman with a soft, thoughtful look on her face "So Krys must worry a lot about her then?"

"Yeah but Krysa's used to it. Life goes on, kid. You can't stay stuck worrying about people or situations out of your control you have to keep moving forward."

An hour or so later there was very loud and constant knocking on their door. Jacqueline bolted up at the sound and Danika's eyes snapped open, both girls had dozed off and the sudden sound of knocking had snapped them out of it "Get up, get up ladies! We still have work to finish!" Krysanthe called out from behind the door, the two girls heard her footsteps fading as she walked away from their door.

Jac groaned and fell back on the bed, rolling to her back and burying her head into her pillow, Danika turned to the brunette trying to go back to sleep and heaved a sigh.

It took a while for both girls to get their things together then went downstairs to see Krysa sitting in the lobby with a cup of tea on the table, bent over scribbling something down on a notebook.

Danika seated herself next to Krysanthe while Jacqueline sat on the couch across the two blondes "What's that for?"

Krysa lifted her head, her hazel eyes bright with excitement "It's a list of Rhian's contacts and partners, she gave it to me so I could help her make calls in case she was out of town or had another meeting"

The blonde beside her raised an eyebrow "Is that why we're here?"

"I went through the call logs back before we left the shop. The last call Rhian made was to one of her partners here in town and they talked about the auction. We know when the auction is happening and where but not any other details"

"How are you going to get that info?" Jac asked

"I'll handle that don't worry" she waved her off "And in case they ask why you're with me just tell them you're helping bring some things for Rhian"

"Alright" Jac shifted in her seat getting more comfortable in her seat "While I am always up for trickery and deception-"

"That is not what we're doing" Krysa denied

Jac only gave her a look of disbelief in response then continued on "I do have some concerns"

This was surprising to Krysa, she'd know the brunette for years and never, not once, heard Jacqueline say she had concerns. If there was ever something the small blonde could compare her friend to it was wind. She never expected such hesitancy.

Krysa motioned her to continue "If you start to get a bad feeling you get the heck of there, info or no info. Your safety is what matters, so don't get any ideas"

That was fair.

"And one of us has to go with you" she paused for a second thinking it over "Actually no I will be the one coming with you"

"Okay now that is ridiculous. I can handle this!"

Danika stared at the duo while they continued arguing, she then reached into her bag for her phone. The heiress blinked when she couldn't feel the shape of the little gadget surmising that she left it in her luggage bag.

She tapped Jac's shoulder and asked for the key; without stopping the argument the brunette handed the key to their room. Danika made her way, letting out a breath of relief when she reached the stairs.

They eventually left the inn, keeping to Krysa's original plan, nothing happened on their way out but on Danika's way back to her friends there were two housekeeping employees giggling about a pair of guests, she paused when she heard their description of the two and an uneasy feeling settled in her gut. The description of the two men were familiar, too familiar to make Danika comfortable.

If they who the heiress thinks they are, her plans might be in some serious trouble.

****************

Krysa's plan went as well, she charmed Rhian's associate and got what they needed. Of course the short blonde immediately wanted to make more plans but Jac insisted they needed to celebrate their success. The florist wanted to argue but the look on her friend's face made her relent.

One night of fun before they went back on the road wouldn't be so bad.

Jacqueline being the person and traveler that she was, liked to enjoy her nights to the fullest before leaving again at sunrise. Meaning she knew all the good spots to party. But in consideration for her companions she chose a place that was tamer than her usual preferences. Krysa wasn't the type of person to enjoy giant crowds and Danika, well, it was clear the heiress did not have any experience with anything outside of what her father wanted for her.

The pub was close enough to the inn that the trio could just walk over, there were still seats still available when they arrived. Krysa moved to reserve their seats, Jac went over to the bar to order them something and Danika rushed to the comfort room to relieve herself.

It's been a good day, all things considering, Danika mused silently coming out to see more people streaming in, she moved so people could access the door. She paused watching the people enjoy themselves, laughing and drinking unabashed, making a mess and not freaking out about it. It was definitely a site for someone who had only seen stuffy 'gatherings' of high society.

"You saw those two at the bar, right?" Danika heard a giggle from her left, there were two girls whispering to themselves "I have eyes, which means I can also see they mean trouble. Handsome, clearly but definitely trouble"

One of them sighed "I see what you mean. The one with dark hair and blue eyes looks so serious and clearly he has money. And so does his friend especially with that odd tattoo on him"

Danika froze, there is no way that those girls were talking about the same people from the inn. It would make everything so much harder.

Her attention was then caught by some kind of ruckus happening in one area of the pub. Danika moved forward to see what was going on and there they were, the dark haired man with short, cropped hair, tall and grumpy looking. The gray-blue tattoos on his arms standing out on his arms, his eyes glaring at the crowd in warning and beside him, staring down at Krysa, who looked as shocked as Danika did, was a man with long dark hair, half tied up, bright blue eyes with an odd softness to it that Danika, in all the years she'd known him had never seen before, was Faolan, Danika's most beloved cousin.

[fatoomie2801]

his queen | kyoya tategami

💫 preview 💫

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Tsubasa and Kiara made their way to a cafe near the stadium after collecting their belongings, the moon glowing iridescently above them. Once they found a cosy spot, they walked inside, ordering their drinks of preference, and sitting down beside a window, allowing themselves to relax after the intensity of the tournament.

"Your coffee, sir," a waitress spoke to Tsubasa as she placed a mug of warm coffee on the table in front of him. "And your iced tea, miss."

"Thank you," Kiara and Tsubasa smiled at her before turning their attention to their drinks.

"Why would you order an iced tea?" the boy questioned, taking a sip of his warm coffee. "It's cold outside."

"Says the one who's walking around with a sleeveless shirt," the girl remarked, causing Tsubasa to chuckle and almost spit out his drink. "I don't drink hot beverages," Kiara finally answered, earning a puzzled look from him. "They just make me feel sick. I don't know how else to explain it."

"Understandable," he spoke, returning to drinking his coffee.

"Ah," the girl began, turning to face Tsubasa. "I forgot to thank you for earlier."

"Hm?"

"When you helped me out with that battle I had outside town."

"Oh, that."

"Yeah. Thank you so much for that."

"No worries. People like that should be disqualified as bladers. It's not right to corner someone and outnumber them like that just for points."

"I agree."

The atmosphere became silent as the two resumed taking sips from their drinks, gazing out of the window at the pearly white moon above.

"So, what made you get into beyblading?" Tsubasa enquired, breaking the silence. Kiara's gaze shifted to the boy seated next to her before returning to the moon. She hesitated momentarily, which Tsubasa noticed. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about it."

"No, no," Kiara began. "I'll tell you." She paused for a short while before speaking again. "I've been searching for my brother for a long while and I was hoping I could find him through beyblade."

"I see," Tsubasa spoke, his golden eyes focused on the girl beside him.

"It's been so long and I haven't gotten a single lead, so I was hoping that maybe through Battle Bladers, I'd be able to battle him again. He's sure to have become incredibly strong by now," Kiara continued, taking out her bey pointer. "I only have 20,000 points though. That's nowhere near enough to get into the tournament."

"You'll be fine," Tsubasa placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, causing her to face him and meet his golden eyes with her own. "You still have two months left until qualifying tournaments end, so join as many as you can and aim to win so that you can find him." Tsubasa's warm smile and kind words softened Kiara's heart and increased her motivation to gather enough points to join the nationwide tournament. The boy's eyes widened in realisation as he took out his phone and searched something up. "I just remembered. There's another tournament in the neighbouring city in two days. They're awarding another 5,000 points for the winner."

"What?" Kiara gasped. "Really?"

"Yeah," Tsubasa confirmed, looking up at the girl. "If you win, your points could go up to 25,000."

"It's a perfect opportunity!" Kiara exclaimed. Seconds later, Tsubasa noticed a puzzled expression plastered on her face. "Won't you be joining too?" she asked.

"I'll sit this one out," he informed her, smiling as he took out his bey pointer and presented it to her. "I already have 39,000 points, so I'll be fine. I'll go with you and support you from the audience, okay?" Kiara was extremely grateful for Tsubasa's actions and couldn't thank him enough for giving her the opportunity to gather such a large amount of points. The two of them finished their drinks, paying for them before leaving on their journey to the next city over. After reaching the outskirts of Klegan City, Kiara heard the screech of an eagle and looked up to see the same feathered creature from earlier circling above them.

"So you do have an eagle friend," Kiara concluded. Tsubasa chuckled, confirming her assumptions. "That's the coolest thing ever, you know. I want one. Where can I get one?"

"I met this one in a forest when I was about 6 years old and when it was just a baby. It's been a long time since then. Plus, these eagles are really not easy to find," the boy commented, looking up at his eagle friend as it descended and perched on his shoulder. Kiara's eyes widened as she gasped in excitement.

"Can I touch it?" she questioned.

"Sure, go ahead," Tsubasa answered. The girl's hand slowly made its way to the eagle's head, making contact with its soft feathers as she stroked it.

"Man, I can't wait to tell Gingka about this!" she squealed. The redhead's name caught Tsubasa's attention.

"Gingka?" he questioned.

"Oh, he's my best friend. Do you know him too?" the girl asked.

"I met him at a tournament about two weeks ago," Tsubasa informed. "He seems to be a strong blader."

"Yeah, he is, for sure," Kiara commented, continuing to stroke the eagle's head. "So, who won the battle? I'm assuming you both ended up facing each other at some point."

"He did," Tsubasa admitted.

"I'm not surprised," the girl smiled. "He really is a strong blader."

"I didn't use all my strength on him, though," Tsuba remarked. Kiara's eyes widened in shock, her hand moving away from the eagle, allowing it to ascend back into the sky.

"No way," she spoke. "You're saying you could defeat Gingka if you had used all your strength?"

"I could," he answered. "But we'll never know."

The two continued on their journey, stopping in a nearby forest in order to light a fire to keep warm, and also get some rest. Soon enough, the sun had risen once again, marking the start of a new day. Both Kiara and Tsubasa woke up and continued making their way to the next city. Upon arrival, they headed straight for the stadium and signed up, a day in advance, using that extra time to practice for the tournament. Through practice, Tsubasa gave Kiara tips and tricks for techniques to use when battling, mostly advising her to use her senses, and also informing her that she needed another defensive move.

"Another one?" Kiara questioned. "Isn't Majestic Evanesce enough?"

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the rest of chapter 7 is available on wattpad:

[multifandomfanficss]

A Summer Job in Gotham

Prompt: The OC is Jim’s cousin and she starts her summer job filing papers at the police station. She meets a couple familiar faces along the way.

WARNGINGS: Abusive Father

"Are you fucking kidding me?! You're so stupid!" I wake up to hear my father screaming at my mother. Another morning I wake before my alarm to the sound of my parents fighting. Actually, it's more like my dad fighting and my mom listening. This isn't the first time and I know it won't be the last. I get out of bed and run straight for the bathroom, turning on the shower and slipping out of my clothes. I step into the hot water and close my eyes, taking in the nice feeling. I spend a couple minutes just enjoying the feeling before I begin to wash my body and eventually my light brown hair. After washing a turn off the water and step out of the shower. I wrap a towel around me and go to pick out my clothes. I just grab a pair of jeans and a long sleeve shirt. Keep your outfit simple and you won't be noticed. I wait for my dad to leave the house for work and then I go downstairs to get some breakfast. I grab some bread and quickly start to butter it, until I see my mother trying to choke back tears. I hug her. "You really shouldn't let him treat you like that." I tell her. "It's okay, Andi" she tells me. "It's not okay, mom! You need to stand up to that asshole." I inform her. "Andrea Lee Clark! Watch your language!" She exclaims. "I'm sorry mom, but it's true." I respond. "Please don't forget to talk to your cousin about that summer job after school." She reminds me. "I won't." I promise. I kiss her, grab my breakfast, and rush out the door to the bus. I hop on the bus and take the first available seat I see. I look out my window, watching all of the miserable people doing their daily business on the streets of Gotham. I see both the poor, living in pain, and the filthy rich, not giving a damn. It's disgusting how nobody seems to care. We go through our lives putting one thing first and one thing only. Ourselves. When we put others first it's only because WE feel pain. Not the other way around.

The hours tick by as sit in my full school. I just want it next week. The last day of my senior year can't come any faster. The last bell rings and I rush out of class, practically run down to my locker. I can't be late to meet my cousin at the precinct. I stuff the homework into my bag and throw my science text book into my locker. I then throw my backpack over my shoulders and close my locker door. I exit the school and begin my short walk to the police station.

When I arrive the whole place is buzzing with action. I look around for my cousin. An officer approaches me. "May I help you, miss?" She asks. "Yes, do you know where I can find Jim Gordon?" I ask. "Right this way." The woman offers a smile as she walks me to his desk. "You can wait here. He should be back any moment." She informs me. I thank her and she disappears to do her job. I take a seat in his chair and open the file in front of me. It is full of pictures and statements from people from the circus. I look at the outside of the folder again and read aloud the title. "Jerome Valeska." I say quietly. "Interesting, right?" I hear a voice come from behind me. It makes me jump. I turn around to see my cousin. "Hey, Jim. You scared me." I say giving a smile. "Hey, Andi. Glad you're already looking at the Jerome files. I need you to go through and find every other file we have on him." Jim informs me. "I didn't even do a job interview yet." I say laughing. "We're short staffed and could really use somebody as quickly as possible. A woman named Kristen Kringle will train you." He responds. "You'll just being doing filing and stuff like that." He adds. "Okay. Also, why do you need the Jerome files?" I ask. "We need to copy them and bring them down to Arkham." He answers. "Come on, I'll show you around." He offers. He leaves his desk and I follow.

Jim shows me around the precinct. He ends to tour at my office. We walk in to see a pretty woman in a cute outfit with a pair of glasses. She has her brown hair tied up and she is surrounded by officers who are trying to flirt with her. It's actually less of a flirt and more of a sexual harassment. "Don't you think you men should be getting back to work?" Jim interrupts them. They all awkwardly leave the room and Kristen appears to look more relaxed. "Hello, Detective Gordon." Kristen speaks. "Hi, Kristen. This is Andrea-" He begins. "Andi." I interrupt. "You're going to be training her." He finishes. "Okay. Nice to meet you, Andi." She greets me. "Her first assignment is to find all the files relating to Jerome Valeska. Do you think you can help her out?" He asks. "Sure thing, Detective Gordon." She responds with a smile. "Well, I guess I'll leave you girls to it. Andi, you know where my desk is. Bring me the files when you're done." He says. "Good luck." He adds before exiting the room.

Kristen and I mostly make awkward small talk as she teaches me to learn my way around the files. I mostly don't pay attention to her. I enjoy spending my time reading through the rest of the files on Jerome Valeska and the circus. The room has a boring feel to it until I hear a knock on the door. I look up to see a tall man with dark brown hair and big black glasses. He fiddles nervously with the file he's holding "Ms. Kringle, I have a file for you." He says excitedly. "Thank you, Mr. Nygma." She responds. He glows at the sound of his name coming from her lips. "Edward Nygma." He says putting a hand out to greet me. "Andi Clark." I say shaking his hand. "So, Ms. Kringle... What is harder to catch the faster you run?" He asks. "I don't know." She responds. "Your breath." He says pleased with himself. I begin to laugh and he smiles at me. "Mr. Nygma, would you please do me a favor?" Krista asks. "Anything!" He responds in excitement. "Would you please give me some time to work with Ms. Clark? I was told that I have to train her." She informs him. "Of course, Ms. Kringle. It was nice to meet you, Ms. Clark." He says as he exits the room. "Nice to meet you too Mr. Nygma." I say as he walks out the door. "Thank God he's gone." Krista says quietly. "Why? What's wrong with him?" I ask, displeased. "He's just creepy." She responds. "And his riddles drive me crazy? How am I supposed to know the answers?" She asks. "Just give him a chance. He seems sweet and to be fair his riddles are pretty good." I say with a laugh. "Well then you like him so much, you date him!" She says a little angry. "He's way too old for me and he's not really my type anyway." I tell her truthfully. "Why don't you date him?" I add. "He's too nice. I don't deserve a nice guy like that." She begins. "And to be completely honest he's a little boring for my taste." She says the last part a little quieter. "Whatever. I'm sure whoever he ends up with will be a very lucky lady." I say finishing off the conversation and getting back to work.

As soon as I finish finding all of the files and learn my job along the way, I pile them in my arms and carry them to Jim's desk. Normally cases don't have this many files, but the collected statements from every person in the circus, as well as some of the audience. That's more witnesses than usual. I approach Jim's desk and place the files on top neatly. "Ready to go?" He asks. "Go where?" I respond. "To Arkham. We gotta drop off the files." He says in a matter-of-fact sort of way. "Alright. I'll grab my jacket!" I say practically running back to my desk in excitement. I have a pretty good feeling that this isn't a normal thing so I can't pass up an opportunity like this. I grab my jacket and quickly walk back to meet Jim. Then we hop into his car and drive off to Arkham Asylum.

"A few rules before we go in." Jim begins to speak as we approach the gates of Arkham. I nod. "Don't make eye contact and don't speak to them." He orders me. "Yes, sir." I say with a laugh. We stop at the gates and a security guard opens them for us. We park his car and enter the large building. On our way to the office we pass what appears to be like some sort of cafeteria. There are many people locked in the room doing various activities. Some are speaking to each other and others are keeping to themselves. I scan the room and that's when I lay my eyes upon him. The reason I'm here. Jerome Valeska. His hair is slightly messy, but still looks good and his smile is large. He laughs like a mad man, which makes sense because that's what he is. A crazy, barbaric madman who killed his mother. Then he turns his head. His eyes lock with mine and the corners of his mouth turn up into a large grin. He approaches the metal fence between us and wraps his fingers through the holes. "Hello, Gorgeous." He says to me. I refrain from speaking, but I can't look away from him. Jerome looks down to my hands to see the files and then looks back up to my face. "Are you here just for me, doll face?" He asks with confidence. I just keep my mouth shut as instructed by Jim. "Surely a lady this beautiful would have a loud mind. Why don't you let some of those voices in your head out to play? Speak to me." He orders. Then I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up to see Jim standing behind me. "Let's go." He says quietly as he pulls me away from the red headed maniac.