#I am not getting into that sort of trouble online for free

[charles-leclerc-official]

I, controversially, have opinions on which drivers would all but refuse the title if they won it just cause another driver swore/told the FIA to go f themselves, and which drivers would take it and claim until the end of time it's cause of their skill.

I do too, and tbh I feel like it's fairly obvious who is who

[monsterswithimagines]

Undisclosed Desires - Part 5

Joe Goldberg x female!Reader

Summary: Twenty minutes before he would have met Guinevere Beck, Joe meets you instead. You intruige him, but it will soon become clear that there is something off about you.

Words: 781

Masterlist

Let me tell you what I've learned about you these last two weeks.

I know at which store you buy your groceries (TV dinners and twizzlers), and that you spend far too much money on Starbucks coffee (a White Café Mocha in the morning, a Caramel Frappe sometime during the afternoon). You work in an office building. According to our friend Google, the building is shared by an online marketing agency and a large fashion retailer. I want to say you must be in fashion, but I'm just not sure.

What else? You didn't lie to me. You haven't made many friends here. During your free time, you drift through New York all on your lonesome, and you don't seem to mind it. You never seem to know exactly where you're going, and you don't ask anyone for directions. You don't talk to strangers at all - I was an exception, then, and that makes me feel good - and you get lost in crowds, and sometimes I want to approach you and pretend it's random, but I don't want that glassy, dreamy look to go out of your eyes. It's the same look you had the first time we met, before you found Stephen King.

There is so much you can find out about a person, once you know where they live. I'm finding out so much about you, (Y/n).

And yet, I’m having trouble finding an in.

You are not predictable. You don’t get your coffees at the same time every day and you never walk the exact same route twice. Getting breakfast at the same place two days in a row must have been a fluke, because I never catch you following any sort of routine except for when you go to work.

You never go to any other bookstore except Mooney’s, though. I wait for you there whenever I’m working, except for when I know you’re also at work. I feel like a puppy, and I don’t like it. This is what you’re doing to me.

My reward for all this waiting? Your smile.

You walk into the bookstore again, just like you did that first time only now your eyes immediately find mine, and you smile at me and I can’t help but smile back. You approach me, and you say: “Hey, Joe.”

“Hi, (Y/n),” I answer, copying your tone.

“So I was thinking,” you say, leaning your elbows on the counter between us. “We never hang out.”

“Oh?” I say. I can’t sound too interested, but I am, (Y/n), I am! “What do you mean, exactly?”

“We text, occasionally,” you say, and I can tell this is something you’ve practised. You’ve been thinking about what to say because you think about me. You’re obsessed with me. Why else do you come here so often, if not to see me? “And we see each other here, when you’re working. We should hang out some other time, when you’re not. Working, I mean.”

“That could be fun,” I say. Are you asking me on a date? “What did you have in mind?”

“Coffee?” you offer. “Or lunch.”

You are! You’re asking me on a date!

I can’t believe my luck, (Y/n). I’ve been trying so hard to find a way into your life and here you are, finally, opening the door for me. If I’d known it was going to be this easy, I wouldn’t have had to follow you around so much. But then, I’m glad I did, because it means I know to say:

“Saturday? One pm? We can meet here.”

“Yes,” you say, because you don’t work on Saturday and of course you don’t have plans. You pull a hand through your messy hair and you smile with your teeth and you add: “It’s a date.” And it is! It really is!

I’ve been working so hard, (Y/n), and it’s all seemed so impossible so far. But I should have known you were testing me. You wanted to know how long I was willing to wait. For you, I’d wait an eternity.

“Well, the books are calling me,” you say, leaning back. You tilt your head to the side. “Do you hear them?”

“For sure,” I say, even though all I’m hearing is happy music. “Go find your next novel to devour.”

You disappear into the stacks and I stare after you. I can’t wait for our date, (Y/n). We’ll get coffee and I’ll take you on a walk, one of those long walks you enjoy that have no specific direction. We’ll talk about anything and everything, and at the end of the night you’ll love me. You really will.

[kittievampire]

So long/odd request but hear me out

Mc and Lucifer are in a sugar-rotting relationship and brothers and undatebles react

Lucifer spoils Mc so much like…mammon gets in trouble he gets hung from the ceiling Mc does the same thing they get away scot-free Satan has been begging for a cat for eons nope! but Mc wants one of course. He gets them tons of expensive gifts and if Mc ever wants something they only have to bat their eyes at him. It's not like Mc is using him though they dot on him a bunch too. And whenever they get in a fight loud moans are followed within a few minutes (if you know what I mean) but feel free to ignore 💙

I was in the middle of class when I read this and I was WHEEZING

I am a firm believer in Lucifer spoiling the MC rotten and leaving his brothers to fend for them damn selves but denying any sort of favoritism

I only did the brothers this time, I hope that's okay 😭😭😭

Sorry this took so fooking long to make 🥲

Lemme see what I have in my bag, my dear~

Click here if you wanna request!

Warnings: Very suggestive, jealous bros lmao L

Enjoy.

You and Lucifer had been dating for a few months now. Though, one would think you'd just gotten together with the way the two of you treated eachother. Or maybe that you were newlyweds in your honeymoon phase.

Lucifer treated you like a goddess. There was constant praise and worship, he'd drop everything if you asked, and he'd spoil you rotten with his love. You would return the favor, of course. Every now and then you'd surprise him with a new cursed vinyl, which he'd listen to all night if not spending it with you.

However, the brothers believe that you're getting totally unfair treatment.

Mammon

Baby boy was spending a lot more money than usual

He was playing a new gambling game he'd downloaded on his D.D.D.

When Lucifer got home, he immediately scolded the second-born for a solid 45 minutes

He announced that Mammon was on "lock-down" and wasn't allowed to ask anything of anyone, nor was he allowed to spend money

He was hung from the ceiling

And Goldie was taken away, too

Mammon was pissed the fuck off

So, when he noticed you were spending a lot more money, he did tease you for being greedy

"Oi, human, ain't splurgin' on shopping supposed to be mine and Asmo's thing? Lucifer's gonna be on yer ass if ya spend too much. Just be careful."

He says this and is genuinely a little worried that he'd see you hung from the ceiling as well

Lucifer confronts you about it in front of Mammon

"My Love, may I know why you've been spending so much grimm recently?"

First off, Mammon didn't like how he started that

How come you got that sweet conversation starter?

What he got was, "Mammon, what have you been wasting your money on this time?!"

Though, he still suspected it'd go downhill, and that he'd need to jump in to protect you at some point

"Oh, just some things... I can't tell you what they are, but I promise this is a rare occasion, Luci." You said, gifting him a kiss on his cheek

Lucifer smiled at you. "Alright, as long as you're being responsible, I trust you."

...

WHAT?!

"WHAT?!" Mammon shouted, earning a slight jolt from you and a look of annoyance from Lucifer

"What, Mammon?"

The Avatar of Greed froze. "I-I-! Y-You—" He paused before letting out a small groan

"Nevermind. Forget about it, yeah?"

Leviathan

Snekboi missed roughly a week of school and wasn't attending his online classes

He was grinding this new game he got so he could keep his spot as one of the top players!

He just couldn't afford to take his attention off of his D.D.D. for a second, the price would be too high!

Of course, Levi ended up being scolded by Lucifer

"Your priority must be your studies, Levi, do you intend on dragging Diavolo's name through the mud?"

How Diavolo was relevant was beyond him

But, Levi still had to sit through a lecture

He also got his D.D.D. taken away from him for a week

Not only did he lose top-spot, but he lost a majority of his self-esteem as well

So, he was obviously worried when you started skipping as well

"Uhh, MC, I'm not sure you should stay home today. Lucifer's not too kind to those who slack off."

But, his warnings fell upon deaf ears

You decided to take a few days off, deciding that you just really didn't feel like going to RAD

You woke up with a migraine one day, couldn't get sufficient sleep the other, and you just took another day to catch up on sleep and what work you had

Leviathan actually tried to stop Lucifer when he saw him outside of your room

"Lucifer, maybe they were feeling really bad or something, I don't think punishing them is a good idea, please show mercy! They're just a human!"

"Quit your whining, Levi. Or do you want to be given the Mammon treatment?"

This made Levi yelp and cower behind him, watching as Lucifer knocked on your door

You answered it, and Leviathan bit his nails nervously

"Hey, Luci," You said, greeting him with a small kiss to the cheek

"My Love," He started softly. "Are you feeling alright? You haven't been attending your classes. Is something wrong?" He asked, a hand reaching up to caress your cheek.

Error 404 not found

Leviathan.exe has stopped working

You smile sweetly. "I'm okay, Lucifer, I just really wasn't feeling up for RAD these past couple of days. It's nothing to worry about, promise!" You say, quite enthusiastically.

...

NANI THE FUCK?!

Levi SWORE you were about to get bodied

But, no

Lucifer just smiled, chuckled softly, and left with an "Alright, take care of yourself, Love."

Bullshit

You're fucking hacking

Satan

Satan wanted to bring a cat into the HoL

Lucifer reminded him of how he brought more cats than were allowed and "turned the House of Lamentation into the House of Cats"

Very fucking salty about it, but ultimately got over it (for the most part)

He saw you bring a little feline home and immediately rushed to your side to help you take care of it

It was a stray with a few wounds from other cats

He helped you bandage it and feed it, all the goods

"MC, I must warn you that Lucifer isn't exactly fond of pets... Let alone cats," Satan said, stern gaze meeting yours

You tilted your head in confusion. "Why is that?"

Satan was a bit hesitant to tell you, so he gave you the shortened and sweet version

"We had a bit of a cat problem a while back, he just really doesn't like cats. Dog people, am I right?" He scoffed

"Satan, what did I say about bringing in cats?"

Satan lowkey jumped a bit and turned his head

The fuck did he come from, bro is teleporting or some shit

You immediately hold the kitty close to your arms, looking up at Lucifer with doe eyes

"Luci, I'm sorry! I was the one who took in the cat, but he was hurt! Please, can we just keep it for a little while, at the very least?" You begged, the black cat in your arms meowing at Lucifer

Satan sighed. He was about to tell you that it was no use, that Lucifer couldn't be bought or reasoned with on this topic. That may have been his fault and he was sorry, but there was absolutely no way Lucifer would budge on this-

"Fine."

...

...

Um

What

Satan sat there dumbfoundedly before the two of you as you continued to converse, trying to process the events that had just taken place

Lucifer said yes

To you

For a cat?

Huh...

He was upset for a mere moment, but then a light bulb went off in his mind

Perhaps he could use this to an advantage

Satan's definitely going to try and get you to be a wild card whenever him and Belphie are pulling pranks on Lucifer

Just so the eldest will be a little more lenient

Now he knew Lucifer's weakspot

He found himself laughing maniacally in his mind as he realized just how much him and Belphegor could do with you as a cushion whenever they'd get in trouble

Asmodeus

"But, Lucifer, all of products in my favorite cosmetic brand are going on sale today! I have to get every single one of them or else I'll be..." Asmodeus gasped

"Trashy!!" He cried out, practically leeching off of Lucifer's arm as he continued to beg

"Asmodeus, no! You and Mammon are both on lockdown for the rest of the month! Now, get off of me!"

Lucifer managed to pry his younger brother off of him and slammed ether door shut to his office, leaving a near-on sobbing Asmodeus in the library

That's when he heard you

"Lucifer, must you always be so rough on your siblings?" He heard you ask, making him gasp and sigh dreamily. "Oh, darling, you always come to my rescue when I need it!" He said, his voice not loud enough to penetrate the door

"MC, I suggest staying out of my family matters. They have nothing to do with you."

Asmodeus could tell from the other side of the door that an argument was likely about to ensue

However, when the two of you started raising your voices, he could also sense some... Arousal?

"Oh!"

"Oh."

It wasn't long before he could hear your moans and whimpers from the other side of the door, lewd slapping noises making him step back a bit

Asmodeus couldn't help but giggle a little

He honestly didn't mind this as much as his brothers did, he found it really entertaining that the two of you endulged in his sin after such a heated argument

Asmodeus approves 👍💖

Beelzebub

Poor baby gets scolded so often for raiding the fridge, especially late at night

He's usually told to go to bed, and that these late-night trips to the fridge aren't good for him, all that

He couldn't help it, it was his sin! That was no fair!

Lucifer ended up putting him on lockdown after 11pm, meaning no trips outside of his room whatsoever

Beelzebub would usually try to get some snacks into his room before that time, but he usually ran out rather quickly and was left with a rumbling stomach

That's when you came in, holding two arm-fulls of snacks

Quietly, you pushed the door closed with your foot

You knew Belphegor was a heavy sleeper, but you still wanted to be quiet anyway, so as not to wake the Avatar of Sloth

You saw the gluttonous ginger perk up when he saw you

"MC?"

You smiled, dropping down the snacks before him

"Lucifer didn't say I couldn't raid the kitchen. I figured you'd be hungry, so I got you some snacks."

Bro bear-hugs you

He lowkey almost breaks your spine with how tight he holds you

"Thank you, MC! Can I call you sister, please? Get married to him quick so I can call you sister!"

You blushed at this comment, chuckling softly

"I'm working on it, I guess," You choked playfully, patting his back

"Beel, I need to breathe."

Not really all too jealous

A bit sad, but he gets over it when you bring him food

Lucifer never says anything about it tho when he finds out you're the one who's causing such a snack shortage

Belphegor

He was constantly scolded for pulling all kinds of pranks on Lucifer

There was that time he threw his D.D.D. in the trash, lit his coat on fire

All harmless things

So, when he catches you attaching a can of whipped cream to... Something in the fridge, he immediately raises a brow at you

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Ahhh, just setting up a little surprise," You chuckled out

At first, he thinks it's for Beelzebub, but Asmodeus had taken him shopping with him earlier with the promise of free food afterward

"For..." Belphie trailed off, hearing footsteps nearing the kitchen

Immediately you close the fridge and take your seat in front of a plate of food you'd made yourself earlier. "Sit down," You whispered to the Avatar of Sloth

As he shuffled to a seat next to you, he realized what you were up to and put a hand over his mouth

Lucifer walked into the kitchen, greeting you and the youngest with a smile and a "Good morning."

You picked up a piece of the pancakes in front of you with a fork, putting it in your mouth and humming to yourself. "Luci? Could you pass me the butter?" You asked softly

Lucifer nodded, turning and opening the fridge

Immediately, whipped cream sprayed all over his face, some falling onto his chest

Belphegor bursted into a fit of laughter, immediately giving you a high-five and wiping a tear from his eye as he clutched his stomach

"Oh, that was good!" He choked out in between laughs

Lucifer turned to look at the youngest, wiping off a large portion of the whipped cream on his face

"Belphegor, did you do this?"

You snickered beside him, looking up at Lucifer

"I thought you'd like a snack, Luci~" You hummed out, giggling softly

Belphegor mentally prepared himself for a 45 minute lecture

There was a pause, making him shift a bit in his seat as his laughter died down

Suddenly, Lucifer began to laugh

It started out small

Then, his laughter boomed in the room, bouncing off of the walls

"Huh,"

This confused the fuck out of Belphie

Like, ummmm what

"You've gotten me, MC, well done. I needed that laugh." He said, walking over to you and wiping some whipped cream off of him, putting it on your nose

He dismissed himself, saying he was going to wash this off of him

Belphegor was silent for a moment

"Hm?"

"You get laughter and boops after pranks and I get lectures and scoldings... Favoritism at it's finest. The Anti-Lucifer League could make use of this."

He'd explain more, but he was getting too sleepy

Shit was fun asf to write, thanks for requesting

I hope you enjoyed this, anon!

[idoodlestuffsometimes]

DRAWING BACKGROUNDS: TIPS AND TRICKS

So many people are afraid of drawing backgrounds and I think it's a shame, so here's some tips and tricks, because I'm not perfect at it myself but I think the hardest part is really just knowing where to start.

First off: Perspective

Yeah, yeah, that's the scary word. But I promise you, once you're familiar with the basics, backgrounds are a LOT less intimidating. Don't get discouraged if WHEN you have trouble with it. Even professional artists struggle with it. I promise you, screwing it up is good and normal. That's how you learn after all!

Now I'm not going to go into detail on how to do it here, because honestly there are a thousand and one free resources online and in libraries that can explain it far better than I ever could in a singular broad-strokes tumblr post. But I AM at least telling you you should familiarize yourself with these basics:

Important Terms: Horizon Line: A horizontal line across your canvas, showing your viewer's eye level and providing a location for most of your vanishing points. Vanishing Point: Integral to drawing in perspective. The sides of a 3D object get smaller as they become farther away from the viewer in space. This point is where the parallel lines of a side eventually meet.

The Basic Types of Perspective: One Point Perspective: Good for drawing things that you're looking at straight on. Two Point Perspective: Good for drawing things at an angle. Three Point Perspective: Good for drawing things the viewer is looking up or down at, especially at an extreme angle.

[Click images for ALT descriptions]

And if you're comfortable with these and serious about improving your skills for use in storytelling, I also might suggest looking up:

4 Point Perspective: Great for extra wide or tall shots and for camera tilts if you're doing an animation or animatic. I think some other names for this in animation include "banana pan" and "warp pan."

5 Point Perspective: Fish-eye lens. Good for all your angsty anime boy slipping into madness needs!

Some perspective tips I wish someone had told me earlier:

Objects' relation to the horizon line is constant. A super helpful tip to remember when placing a character or object in space is that they will always (assuming they aren't changing in size or moving up or down) have the same relation to the horizon line no matter how far or close they are. If your horizon line is at shoulder height for your focus character in the foreground, any character of the same height in the background will still line up with the horizon line at the shoulders.

How to pick the distance between your vanishing points: 2 pt perspective uses 2 vanishing points, 3 pt uses 3, etc, etc, but how close should they be? Well, first of all, for anything that isn't one point perspective, one or more points will usually be off the canvas. Super annoying, I know, but the closer your vanishing points are, the more warped your drawing will become. Second, a helpful thing to know is that choosing the distance between your points is basically the illustration equivalent of picking your camera lens! Photography buffs will know that wider (shorter focal length) lenses show more space and make the distance between foreground and background more dramatic, while longer focal length/telephoto lenses are flatter, and more focused and intimate. The same is true of vanishing points that are closer (shorter focal length) or farther apart (longer focal length).

2 point/3 point/etc doesn't actually mean you're limited to that many points total on your page. this one confused me a lot when I was getting started, lol. A lot of examples will show you drawings of nice, neat cities or something, in which all the buildings are facing the same way in order to demonstrate perspective drawing. But in real life, buildings don't all face the same direction. They're at all sorts of different angles. So how do I do that??? Answer: Just because you're drawing in 2 point perspective or whatever doesn't mean you... have to actually keep your 2 points in the same spot. You can move them around, just keep them the same distance apart, so you're not screwing up your camera lens.

Other Tips:

Use reference! The instant you try to draw a house, you're going to forget every house you've ever seen. That's just how it goes. Buildings are complicated. Do yourself a favor and collect a few reference images first, buddy!

Consider details (like architectural style, amenities, and materials) Your building will look more like a building when you keep in mind that buildings have gutters and door knobs and light switches and paneling and stuff, and aren't just boxes with roofs on them. Again: reference! You will forget electrical sockets and baseboards exist immediately. Art brains are dumb.

Use details and texture to fill in negative space Giant stretches of blank space tend to be boring and distracting. Put a few suggestions of wood grain or something on that wall back there, bud, just don't overdo it.

Line weight Darker, thicker lines draw more attention, look heavier, and look closer to the viewer than lighter, thinner lines do. Take advantage of this to draw the viewer's attention to your focal points, de-emphasize less important details, and imply depth. It's up to you to decide how you want to use this and what your style is, especially once you start getting into combining or replacing it with shading, values, and color, but a helpful rule of thumb is to try reserving your thickest lines for focal foreground characters and use thinner lines on backgrounds, especially details in the far distance.

Perspective guides If you're drawing digitally, take full advantage of any perspective tools you have access to! A lot of art programs lately have begun adding perspective guide features that let you set up vanishing points and then literally guide your hand as you draw so you stay in perspective. Some of these include Procreate, Clip Studio Paint, and Adobe Fresco. (still sadly none in Photoshop as far as I'm aware, what the heck, Adobe!). Check through the settings of yours to see if it gives you any perspective guides or other similarly useful tools. They're 100% worth it! And for god's sake, if you've got any skew or perspective warp tools, draw your complicated shapes flat and then warp them instead of spending an hour on it! Don't make my mistakes!

[ggomos-maribat]

9 | in which nights are spent, kisses are missed, secrets are laid out

Part 9 of No Mr. Wayne You Can't Adopt Me! | Masterlist

"Hello? Damian?" Marinette tucked her phone between her ear and shoulder as she continued sorting out the files. "Listen, something came up at the office today and Mr. Wayne won't be able to meet you for dinner outside. Sorry, it was an emergency. He said he'll postpone, though! I'm marking his calendar right now."

"Hm. I'm on my way to the restaurant and I believe it's already reserved," said Damian. "Will you be occupied as well? Why not come in place of Father?"

Marinette paused, slowly registered what he had offered, and then smiled. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

"I suppose so, yes."

"Really? Didn't you say for it to be a date, one has to harbor some sort of romantic feelings for the other?"

"Yes, I did say that."

Marinette couldn't help the laugh that escaped her. And her reddening cheeks. Kwamis, was that him trying to flirt? When did Damian learn how to flirt?

"Well, are you free?"

"Yes, I am in fact." Marinette practically burst into her boss' office and shoved the remaining documents into his hands. "At seven, right? I'll see you."

She packed all her things in a hurry and sped home on her motorcycle to get ready. Though Bruce would oppose this 'date' of theirs if he knew, she didn't want to miss the opportunity. I'm already off the clock anyway. Let's just hope Bruce won't come crashing our dinner.

***

"Thank you for accepting the invitation on short notice."

Marinette had to admit, Damian cleaned up well. Since the restaurant was on the fancy end, he wore a simple button down that complimented his eyes. Marinette herself had only changed into a red blouse but kept her office skirt.

"I would've been in bed with microwaved dinner and my laptop if you hadn't invited me anyway," Marinette beamed as she took a seat. "Still, I didn't expect you to actually invite me."

"I thought you needed a break from your work," said Damian. "The company seems very busy nowadays. And you're still taking your online courses, aren't you?"

Marinette could've melted on the spot. Damian was always the support behind her like that. At first there were only little gestures: updating her if any of his siblings might come to the office and cause trouble; telling off his father for making her do extra work; dropping off snacks for her when he visited. Soon they became comfortable with texting each other regularly.

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "There will be a big event two weeks from now, so everyone's trying to meet deadlines."

"Are you getting enough sleep?"

"Yes, Damian."

"Eating enough?"

She rolled her eyes playfully. "I am, mom."

"Has Father been bothering you too much?"

"It's just the usual," she said. "Actually, I think he's careful not to give me more work because he knows I tend to overwork. You don't need to worry, okay?"

Damian lowered his gaze, staying still for a moment. "You're like Pennyworth," he told her. "People like you . . . you help out people like Father at the expense of your wellbeing. I've seen it take a toll on Alfred sometimes—he is still human after all. I thought you needed a break from all that."

He looked up at her. "If you're taking care of everyone, who's taking care of you?"

Marinette just stared. There were some tears prickling at the back of her eyes but she didn't dare let it take over. Damian had hit close to home without meaning to.

"Ah, you're right." She noticed that her voice was thick. Oh fuck, fuuuck the tears are spilling. "Sorry, I . . . sorry."

"Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I . . ." She took a deep breath. "I just remembered something. Before, I used to do a lot of favors for a lot of people too. My parents, my friends, even acquaintances. Sometimes I never noticed how many things were already on my plate and so I end up so stressed out trying to please everyone."

To save Paris. To keep the city from crumbling under my watch.

"If you do feel stressed out, I'm here."

"What are you trying to say?"

"What I meant earlier. I . . ." Damian's expression contorted, as if he were looking for the right words. "I've been trying to sort out my feelings recently and I want you to know that I care a lot about you. More than in the sense of friendship."

He likes me back. He actually reciprocates. Marinette's heartbeat stuttered.

"But you know my contract, right?"

"Yes, that is why I won't ask you to—well—enter into a relationship with me. Your job is on the line after all."

Looking to her side, Marinette saw twin doors leading to a spacious balcony. She needed to talk with Damian properly, and it was best they had some privacy. She turned back to him. "Do you mind if we step out?"

Damian quietly told the waiter and ordered the chef's recommendation before leading her to the balcony. Marinette took the liberty of closing the doors and then turned to him. "I just want to get some things out of the way since you confessed to me."

"I know about you," she said in one breath.

"Know about what?"

Marinette subconsciously fidgeted with her hands. "I know. I know everything. Mr. Wayne is Batman, you're Robin, your siblings are the other vigilantes."

He fell dead silent, which worried her a little. Was it a bad idea to tell him that after all? Kwamis, I should've kept my mouth shut. Now he's going to look at me differently and take back his confession and tell his father and I'll be fired from my job and forced to live in the streets forever blacklisted by Gotham's vigilantes—

". . . I see," he finally uttered.

She twisted her fingers. "Are you upset?"

"I don't know . . ." Damian stepped forward. Closer to her. "I shouldn't have underestimated your intuition. I also shouldn't hold it against you since Father's identity is glaringly obvious at this point."

"I trust you, Marinette," he added softly while taking both of her hands in his. "If you know about me, about my family, but still return my feelings then I shouldn't complain. I was afraid I'd need to tell you myself and you will see me differently."

Her eyes widened. "What? No, that doesn't make a difference! I mean, uhm, it makes me understand why you always look tired in the morning or why you're concerned when I go out at night. I'd never think it makes you a bad person."

"What if I told you I've killed people before?"

She bit her lip. "Um, can I tell you another secret?"

He nodded.

"I know your mother."

Damian's eyebrows shot up. "My mother? You know . . . everything that I did?"

"Yes." Marinette drew out a slow slow breath. "Yeah I, uh, I know her and it may or may not be because of my time in Paris as a magical girl saving Paris from akuma attacks."

"Ladybug. That was you?"

"Basically."

"And mother was . . ."

"My teacher of sorts."

She let him take it all in but couldn't read his face. Is he too shocked? Amazed? Sad? Angry? Betrayed? Is he going to walk out of the restaurant?

"I wanted to tell you so you know fully what kind of person I am," she quickly supplied. "I don't like keeping secrets from people I'm close with after hiding one for so long."

"It . . . it all fits, I suppose," said Damian with a squeeze to her hands. "You're a hero."

"Former hero," she shrugged.

"You still are. It must've been hard to shoulder that responsibility."

"You have no idea." Marinette chuckled.  " . . .So?"

He blinked. "So?"

"You still, er, like me?"

"Of course I do. Nothing will change." Closer. Closer. He pulled her gently closer to him. "What about you?"

"I like you a lot. I really do."

His lips look . . . inviting.

"But?"

"There's no 'but'." She shook her head. "That's it. I like you."

His head lowered down to hers, gaze flickering downwards. He was so close, close enough for her to feel his breath fanning on her skin. But at the last second, she pulled away.

"Sorry we can't." She looked up at him apologetically. "Not yet."

"Oh . . ."

Instead of a kiss on the lips, Marinette tiptoed to press one on his cheek. "It's okay. I'll get this to work out." She squeezed his hands. "Trust me."

bonus deleted scene: here

[talvin-muircastle]

Your Mission: First, Take Care Of YOU

This has been simmering in my head for a bit, so time to get it out and onto your screens. I warn that this will run a little long and get into some unhappy topics. It's important. It is important for you. We are heading into some rough seas, and there are some things you need to think about going forward.

I am going to lead off with a cautionary tale from, oh, about thirty years ago. It's not the main topic of this post, but it illustrates it quite well:

At that time, the Internet was still a wild frontier, in ways those of you in Gen Z just can't even imagine. Some of you Millenials will remember it, of course. The Law had not really woken up to what was happening, and most people were not on the Internet. Where I lived, many people did not own a personal computer. They used one at school or work, but didn't have one at home, and laptops were rare and expensive things (and HEAVY), and smartphones just weren't.

So, those of us who got onto the Internet in a serious way were, by definition, not in the mainstream, for the most part. I was college-age, and an admin on a MU*. Some of you may need to look that up, but basically, imagine something sorta like Minecraft, but it's all text-based, and you created the world around you as you went.

A number of kids did find their way onto the 'Net: more and more people were getting computers, and America OnLine was sending everybody in America a CD-ROM, and so were other companies whose names I can barely remember now. So teenagers and even younger kids were coming into our MU*. Banning them was impossible: they'd just lie about their age. So, instead, I took on an extra role of "KidWiz" (admins were "Wizards") and met them where they were. Adult areas and activities were clearly marked as offlimits, and we told them that if we caught them there, they would be in trouble. We worked to make the place welcoming to them.

Of course, this soon attracted predators. There was a rumor at the time that "Talvin" had some sort of AI monitoring chat (please, we can't get AI to work right now, nevermind in the mid-90s!), because they learned that I, or one of the others, would show up very quickly to kick them off. And we did send one to prison. There was no AI: I gained the trust of the teens, and even recruited a few of the older and more responsible ones to the Staff that handled things in areas they could access, and they were sick of being stalked like that, so as soon as somebody showed up looking for "jailbait", one of us Adults heard from one of the kids and BAM! To the moon!

As I had gained their trust, they started bringing things to me. Then, as now, the adage was, "If something happens, tell an adult" but, sadly, our little corner of the early 'Net was one of the few places the Adults would actually listen. There are more options, now, and better ones, but it's still a problem. I could go on, but that's a different post.

I wasn't very much older than they, but I had had similar experiences, and I did what I could. I listened, I advised, I found resources (toll-free phone numbers, they didn't have live internet chat and texting then), and I have to say my Tortured Young Geniuses (as I called them) tended to turn into adults to be proud of. One of them, I have a collection of his published works on my shelf.

Now we come to the cautionary part of this tale. I know, I took a bit to get here. Context really matters.

One evening I got an alert that we had a New Kid. I went out to meet and greet (and watch for telltale signs this was an adult trying to pretend to be a kid to get access to kids, they usually gave themselves away).

A short while later, I was on the Staff channel begging for someone to please come take this kid off my hands. That led to an All-Hands-On-Deck situation. They had seen me deal with kids dealing with abuse, kids talking to us as they were *in the process of* committing grievous self-harm, kids with situations that would make you sick to hear about it. If I was that panicked and out of my depth, this must be bad. Talvin?! What's wrong?

I had a meltdown. This was...a normal young teen. She wasn't here looking for help, she wasn't struggling with her orientation or identity, she wasn't depressed and looking for understanding, she was a "normal", healthy kid who just heard about us and came to see what we were all about. Get her away from me before I break her or something, I have nothing in common with this kid and I have no idea what to do with her!

One of the young adults took over and showed her around, made introductions, while the rest of the Staff cornered Talvin and had an Intervention!

I had gotten so focused on my "mission", my activism and the good I was trying to do in the world that I had ignored my most valuable resource: me.

We weren't using the phrase "touch grass" back then, but the idea is much older than our language: Talvin really, really needed to go outside and touch some grass.

I got more help, after that. I got told to go spend some time doing the things I had come there to do originally. To have fun. I was not abandoning my responsibilities--or rather, I had abandoned other responsibilities. A responsibility to myself.

I have not stopped being a mentor to young people in the thirty years since, though that MU* is long gone. I have gotten wiser, there are more and better resources, and of course the world has changed. Some for the better, some for the worse, some just different. But I have not forgotten the lesson of that night, though I am ashamed to say it was not the last time I ignored that wall and ran face-first into it.

We live in troubled times. There are a lot of things that will need to be done, that will need people with courage and empathy to face them. We have to take care of each other. Just do not forget to take care of yourselves.

Don't believe the tropes about Heroism. Don't throw yourself on a (metaphorical) grenade. Movies and historical narratives are full of stories about heroes who threw themselves on a grenade to save the team. Here's a bitter pill to swallow: almost always, if someone is throwing themselves on a grenade, it is because nobody planned properly for how to deal with grenades. And they knew there were going to be grenades. Put up netting, dig a trench to kick the grenades into, maybe this battle wasn't a good one to fight then and there.

Grenades are cheap, and people are expensive. If you throw yourself on a grenade, you are wasting yourself, traumatizing those around you, and telling the other side they just need to keep chucking in grenades until your side has nothing left. Too often, that sort of heroism is when somebody was stupid and somebody else got the movie rights.

You have a right and an obligation to take care of yourself first. Don't spend every minute of your time in the battlefield. You are not betraying the cause if you go watch a movie you love, or spend time playing a game with your little toy robots, or go to a live show with a DJ spinning Jazz tunes from across the decades, or whatever works for you. You are taking care of yourself, that you can better take care of others.

You not only do not have to be a grim soldier stereotype, you are failing if you do. I have known, I have lived with, people who were in the military Special Ops community. Hollywood wants you to think that they are all stern-faced John Waynes. Truth: most of them have low and evil senses of humor and a love of puns that rivals my own. One of them sat me down around the same time as that story and told me that if I didn't develop a sense of humor, the cops were going to be sniping me out of a clock tower someday. Yes: Talvin used to be known as someone with no sense of humor. If that sounds scary, well, you don't know the half of it. You would not have liked me back then, and that's fair: I didn't like me either.

You can laugh. You should laugh. In times such as these, Joy can be an act of Defiance. The man who played his cello in Sarajevo, the Auschwitz survivor who danced in the gates to the camp, they refused to allow their joy in living to be defeated. That is not abandoning responsibility or failing to show solidarity: it is a victory. Pride started as a riot, but it continued as a celebration of joy and pride. No one is defeated until you break their spirit. Laugh. Dance. Play. These things, too, are part of the fight, and they renew our spirits. And those who are wavering on which side to support will see the side that is spewing Hate, and the side that is proudly and defiantly spreading Joy, and how shall they choose between them?

Continue the fight for justice, and equality, and a good and decent world for us all. That will require some sacrifices, but don't make pointless sacrifices. Virtue signaling doesn't work: or rather, it does, but not for your side.

Please, take it from someone who has been there: if all you can see is the fight, you are not seeing the big picture, and you are not taking care of yourself. Step away, get some R&R. Take care of yourself.

We love you, and we need you. And you need you too.

[ben-marco]

feel free to delete or not answer, i dont expect a therapy session in response to this ask and i definitely dont ask with hopes of getting a free diagnosis of ramcoa trauma online

do you have any tips for trying not to feel like im lying to myself whenever flashbacks and memories / emotions / etc of possible ramcoa trauma pop up? theres no external confirmation about anything, like our parent/s not remembering us going away for a couple days for example despite us remembering being away from them for days at a time and i feel like im going bonkers 💀

This is a tough one for many survivors of OEA (and for many survivors of abuse in general, honestly). Know that you are certainly not the only one.

What helped me was knowing that when memories like that bubble up, it's likely because a part felt safe to share them with me. If I had entrusted someone with such sensitive information, it would be very upsetting to me if they responded with "That's not real, you must be lying!" But...it can often be easier to respond with disbelief than it is to respond with patience and comfort. I get it.

When memories come up, even if I as a host/ANP don't necessarily immediately believe them, I try my best to keep my kneejerk disbelief to myself. I thank the part for sharing them ("I understand this must have been very difficult for you to share with me. That must have taken a lot of courage. Thank you for sharing" or some variation) and then, if I'm in a position to do so, I try to engage in something that's grounding or stabilizing, and I ask inside if anyone needs anything or if they would like to join me in getting grounded together. Sometimes I get a response (sometimes the response is from the part who shared the memory) and sometimes I don't, but either way I try to take a moment to do something that makes me feel grounded and safe and present. And just like I thanked the part, I also tell them that we are safe now, and things are different these days.

What matters here, in the moment, is not necessarily whether a memory is true, false, or anything in-between. What matters is that a part has entrusted you with that memory and needs to feel safe. Sorting out what's true or false can come later, and a trauma-informed professional may even tell you that it doesn't matter as much whether it's true or false as much as it matters that you are suffering from it. Whether a distressing memory is "real" or not, you still remember it and you still experience distress from it. That is what matters.

I know it's difficult and painful to deal with being handed these memories but really the most important thing you can do is take a deep breath, thank that part for sharing, and then do something that reinforces the fact that you are safe now.

In the front of my journal, I've written down a few communication questions that I like to use during flashbacks or when I'm "sent" memories by EPs or traumaholders. I am not always able to use them, but I've found them helpful for the events when I can use them. I'll leave them, and some other resources, under the cut.

Communication questions for flashbacks. When asking these, I find it's important not to take an interrogatory tone-- remember, you don't want the part to think they're in trouble for sharing with you. If I can't ask these questions in the moment, I also find it helpful to reflect on them after the fact.

"Is there a reason I'm being shown this flashback? Is someone sending this to me?"

"What are you trying to communicate?"

Is someone else in a flashback and got close to front?" (If so, grounding is extra important here)

"Do you feel unsafe about something else happening in our life?"

"Is this your way of reminding me we aren't supposed to tell anyone?"

"Are you trying to keep me from doing something? Why are you afraid of me doing that?"

"Did something trigger you that I don't know about?"

"Did someone inside order you to share this memory with me? You are not in trouble. I want to talk to them, not you."

"Are you feeling ignored? Are there other ways you could get my attention without re-traumatizing me?"

"Are you oriented to the present? I know it's 2024 (or the present year), but do you? How can we work on getting grounded together?"

"Am I being reprimanded? Can it be shared with me what I did wrong? Let's talk this over."

Of course these can be added to or changed as you see fit. They are from this article by Beauty After Bruises and I've been copying them into my journals for years. You may find other parts of the article helpful as well, as it discusses grounding techniques and other flashback coping tools.

The CTAD Clinic's YouTube channel might also be helpful, and if you'd like to make a grounding box or learn about making one, MultiplicityAndMe has a wonderful video about that.

[rats4brainzzz]

Hellooo!!! Step Right Into My Little Corner Of The Internet!

My Name Is Ollie And Welcome to the weirdo zone!!! I love to draw, Create, And Be Cringe On Here!!

I Use He/Him Pronouns STRICTLY and Am a Questioning Aroace Spectrum Dude.

If you find brainrot unbelievably annoying and stuff, LEAVE NOW. I don’t use it all the time but I find it funny bc I’m a immature dude.

This is a safe place!! Be unapologetically you!!! Judgement free zone!! :3

@ratmanzzart <<<< Art Sideblog

@the-ratzz-are-talking <<<< Yapping/Spam Sideblog

I can be a slow poster sometimes!! Please be patient with me for I have a lot of trouble with anxiety and need a break every once in a while!!

I HATE Dming. It makes me anxious and im just not very comfortable with it usually. I prefer to interact through asks and posts but please just no dming unless it’s something very important or if I’ve personally allowed you.

( I can also tend to leave conversations very suddenly online, I’m sorry but please know I’m usually just busy and I’m not trying to ignore ya!! )

MORE STUFF AND DNI BELOW!!!!! >:D

DNI!!! >:(

Homophobes, Racists, Zionists,Proshippers, NSFW, And Any Sort Of Hate And Bigotry.

PLEASE DO NOT SEND DONATION ASKS. If you want to know why I don’t take those, fell free to send in a ask about it!!

I do make sugg3stive jokes but I’m just a silly guy and none of those jokes are serious.

I DO POST ABOUT POLITICS!! I mostly just reblog shit since im so dumb with how politics work but yeah just be aware about that.

INTERESTS!!! ( Roughly From Biggest To Smallest ) >3

-Will Wood/MCR ( Both basically equal )

-The Magnus Archives

-LITWTC

And A Bunch Of Minor Ones Lol

EXTRA INFO!!! :0

I also write!!! I don’t usually promote my works on here for I am very shy unless they’re a collab fic or I really want to. But you can go check me out over at ao3 by asking for my user personally!!!

I HAVE A VERY HARD TIME KEEPING ONLINE RELATIONSHIPS TOGETHER!! I can get anxious and worried online very easily so if you want to be mutuals or chat just PLEASE keep this in mind.

TONE TAGS ARE ALSO VERY IMPORTANT!!!

ILL UPDATE THIS POST A LOT SO JUST KEEP THAT IN MIND AND ENJOY THE SILLINESS!!

[obsidianpen]

With all the negative discourse around Tomarrymort I just wanted to share how your writing - particularly NG, helped me through a tough time. I first came across NG not long after my grandmother died. I was having a lot of trouble dealing with my grief. So, being able to immerse myself in such a compelling and well-written story really helped at that time. I am the kind of person who delves deeply into fiction and reading NG helped me take my mind off real life events (not to mention I was inspired to start writing Tomarrymort myself).

💙 I think you stated something really nicely here that gets at the heart of why so many people have so many feelings. Fanfiction - or really any fiction writing - is just that, not real, an opportunity to get out of your own head and away from your own problems and into someone else’s story. People can get really emotional about the stories they cling to that way. Totally understandable and I can see why people have strong feelings when the story maybe doesn’t go a particular route. Feelings of all kinds are valid.

broadcasting your negative feelings by shit talking the author/content creator is not. thats why this is all so upsetting to me, and why I’m certain it bothers so many other people out here writing and posting for free online. I don’t really care if someone likes or doesn’t like what I’m writing - to each their own - but for people to be sharing what they see here on another platform just to btch about how unsafe and hurt they feel, for things I haven’t even written??? As though a creators exist solely to cater and coddle them, specifically? I’m the one who feels legitimately unsafe, and hurt. Writing fanfiction used to be my safe space, and readers like that are the ones making it hostile and scary. Guarantee no one writing 100k+ quality fics is out there being that entitled and shitty. It breeches a sort of social etiquette and respect for the people who are spending so much time creating that used to exist, but more and more seems to not matter to people. I think that’s what is the most disgusting. Ugh I almost wish this had never been brought to my attention at all because it’s really annoying. I’m sure I’m like two days I’ll be over it but I’m still feeling bothered atm.

ANYWAY back to you. Sorry for that tangent. I’m glad my writing has helped you and inspired you, that’s what it is all about 💜💜💜

[multiplicity-positivity]

CW Wishing to not exist, self-loathing, self-deprecation, mentions of discrimination.

I don't often confess what's on my mind publicly but after some consideration, I intend to share my struggles as a factive and I hope others like me can relate to some extent just to feel less alone. I'm fully aware of this, mind you. I can mend with my woes myself so essentially I'm not asking for advice! Regardless, others online might want to hear encouragement, I humbly request you to place it under the cut, please. Thank you.

-

As an active member of the system, being a factive makes it so much harder to be here as myself without feeling ashamed and guilty of my existence. It's funny how people (especially singlets) try to spread positivity and encourage others to "just be yourself!" They don't know what they wish for, they can't even handle someone who shares the same name and face of a person they're obsessed about. Your ignorance and lack of kindness and compassion toward factives is truly showing—you're being selective of who deserves to exist, friend.

I'm insecure because I don't share the same quality of skills and talent as my source. I feel like a failure most of my days at the front, even if it's sunshine and rainbows within and outside the system.

No one knows who I am, not even my name except for very, very few trusted individuals. I'm a ghost in the crowd. I'm a shadow behind the rest of the system who are openly proud of our plurality. It's... ironic, I feel. And I had to... pretend as another headmate when I wanted to share something... I feel it's a crime. Although the system isn't troubled by this as long as I'm safe and comfortable, I feel like an imposter all the same.

I know I should shut up and get over it. Move on, please. It's not that deep, surely! It's childish to whine about little things! But I really wish I could greet friends without putting a mask on.

I know it can't be helped to exist this way. I've been here many times before. But I feel sick of myself. I feel so small... and weak... and stupid.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't me.

🖤

🫂

You’ve requested for no advice, and asked for general encouragement for fellow factives under the cut, and we are more than happy to respect your wishes!

But to any factive who may find themselves in 🖤’s situation, our heart goes out to you. We are so sorry to hear that you are struggling so. It is so unfortunate that, in our society and even within the plural community itself, many factives feel afraid or ashamed of being themselves and expressing themselves in ways that are affirming for them.

We do not think it’s a small or minor thing for factives to not be able to be themselves. We are hoping for a future where every system, and every headmate, can feel free to be themselves and live their lives authentically. And this absolutely means factives, with all sorts of sources, from all sorts of backgrounds, and with all sorts of beliefs.

If there is anything at all we can do to make our space safer and more welcoming for factives, do let us know, any factives who sees this. We care about you and we want to see you through to a future where you can be open about your identify, if that is what you want for yourselves.

🖤, you may not see this, but thank you for sharing your experiences here. The more factives in difficult situations speak up about what they’re going through, the more others may feel like they’re not alone. Your words resonated deeply with a factive in our own system who shares some of your struggles.

We truly do hope that things get easier for you and all factives who are facing similar struggles very soon. We’re wishing you all the very best!

[thisismeracing]

https://www.tumblr.com/thisismeracing/733756361805004800/which-we-wanna-talk-about-first-tugging-on-lewis?source=share

ok but lets talk about how mick would absolutely learn how to take care of hamilton!reader's hair

this man already sorts hamilton!reader's rice for her so its not far off that he would learn another way to take care of her

i think he also does it because he wants to know how to take care of their potential kids hair if they get hamilton!reader's curly hair

FAMILY HAIR DAY

MICK, HAMILTON!READER, AND THEIR LITTLE TODDLER

AND TODDLER SCHUMACHER-HAMILTON IS GETTING THEIR HAIR DONE BY ONE PARENT ON EACH SIDE OF THEIR HEAD

or

pre-shumacher-hamilton kids: lewis and mick doing the back of hamilton!readers hair while hamliton!reader works on the front

ok imma stop there

(i think the sickness has gotten to my head because i went on about schumacher-hamilton babies, im going to go cough up my lungs now)

☕

every time I reread the rice scene my heart goes kjdgdsfjiodhjdskjhkdsjg

the way he's obsessed with her I would bet the thoughts about their kids' hair would come later on. It would start when they got to spend more time together, he would watch attentively her hair routine, what she did before and after bed, how she washed her hair, and so on. Mick finds it therapeutic to watch her go around each step, he'll ask her questions here and there, to which she'll explain, and some time into the relationship she'll ask for him to do some of those, such as wash her hair, or help her detangle it. And I just know homeboy will be all happy she's trusting him and they're sharing yet another moment, he'll def open YouTube and start watching tutorials on how to braid, and some details that he may have let slip and he doesn't wanna keep asking her. Next thing hamilton!reader knows Mick has half of her products in his apartment because "I saw it online and well, I just wanted to save you the trouble of always bringing and taking your bottles of hair product..." and she won't tease him about it because she too got some of his stuff for her house (THIS REMINDS ME OF THAT SCENARIO YOU SENT ME FOR AN EXTRA KJSDKJGDSG) anyways, they'll end up having spa days before or after racing weeks, whenever they can, and their schedules let them, and it'll go from hair care to skincare. And when they're all fresh and smelling as good as ever, they'll lie together either in bed or on the couch, turn on their playlist, and take a nap (you can bet Lewis will pretend to be jealous about this new tradition because you two too have your hair care day every month or whenever you find a free time in your schedules).

TODDLER!HAMILTON-SCHUMACHER DKGJSKGJSDG I AM CRYINGGG THIS SCENARIO WOULD BE SO CUTE!!!!!

Mick's phone would be full of braiding tutorials and pics because his kid would definitely ask for some new types and he wants to do it too, they'll definitely create some kind of tradition where they'll braid their baby girl's hair, and then hamilton!reader's hair too. Lots of snacks, giggles, and music while they're going about it.

After the rice situation Lewis wouldn't even be surprised Mick knew how to braid hair kfjskgjsdgkj

i think the sickness has gotten to my head because i went on about schumacher-hamilton babies, im going to go cough up my lungs now/// BESTIE I LOVED IT AKGJSKDGJSK ily <3 take care!!

Read KOMH here

[ask-hfttmnt]

WELCOME TO THE BLOG!

RULES:

NO NSFW!! Keep things at least PG-14. We are mostly minors, and even then I don't think any of us wanna hear inappropriate nonsense. It's just plain gross and uncomforting.

No heavy flirting!! Jokes and little things are fine, but too much of it all the time can make us uncomfortable, especially since we are all teens.

ABSOLUTELY NO TCEST, PROSHIPPERS, LEORAI SHIPPERS, ETC! GET THAT SHIT OUT OF HERE AND STAY OUT!! Please and thank you <3

Be respectful, please! No one here wants to deal with total jerks and haters. Don't like this? Keep to yourself and leave. We aren't forcing anyone to stay.

Be patient with us! We are sometimes busy and don't always have the time to respond or the motivation to be online.

No spamming! We will get to you when we can. If we don't answer something, it's because it's either unrelated, breaks the rules, or we just haven't seen it yet.

Lastly, have fun! No need to be shy. We try to be as friendly as possible (most of us at least).

[[MORE BELOW CUT]]

INTRODUCTIONS:

💙"Wusup! Name's Leonardo, but you can call me Leo or Leon. I'm the cool leader in blue and the oldest Hamato brother! I'm also the most handsome, haha! Feel free to stick around and chat."

💜"Greetings. I'm Donatello. Some of my other names include Donnie, Don, Dee... you get the gist. I'm the brains of the group because SOMEONE around here needed an education. I'm the second oldest and sadly "twins" with Mr. Massive-Ego. If I'm not busy, I'll talk I guess.."

❤️"Sup. I'm Raphael. Or just Raph works too. I'm the muscle among my brothers. Don't let my size fool you, I happen to be the middle child. So... yeah."

🧡"HI HI HI HI! I'm Michelangelo! Or Mikey, Mike, Michael, Angelo... whichever works! I'm the youngest brother and most playful and creative! I love to meet new people, so don't be shy!"

💛"Hello there! I'm April O'Neil, but just April works! I'm a close friend of the turtles and have been for some time now. If I'm not busy at work, I'll try to answer what I can!"

🩶"Yo! This is the one and only Casey Jones. I'm an athletic guy who likes to do my part in keeping this city safe from all sorts of trouble. If I'm not busy, feel free to swing by and chat!"

🩷"Hiii! I'm Angelica Jones, but you can call me Angel or Angie too if you want. I'm Casey's younger sibling, and he thought it would be a good idea to have me try and talk to people, so here I am! I'm not very chatty, though, but I will try my best to respond to what I can."

💚"Howdy, I guess. Name's North. I'm honestly just here because the others wouldn't shut up till I agreed to do this. Ask whatever, just know I won't answer something I deem too personal.."

🖤"Sup laddies and lassies. The name's Shep. North dragged me into this as well, so ask me anything I suppose. Just don't get all hurt if my answers are too brutal for ya."

TAGS:

#that blue dude = Leo

#donniepedia = Donnie

#big red = Raph

#mike n ike = Mikey

#april showers = April

#hockey talky = Casey

#little angel = Angie

#sly fox = North

#shepticeye = Shep

#other talks = anyone else getting involved

#yappin = just talking about random things (rambling)

#friendly chats = answering the ask box

#arts n crafts = showing off drawings or projects

interactions = interacting with other accounts (mostly reblogs)

OOC:

Hello! I'm the mod for this blog and the creator of this AU! This is an RP blog based on my own TMNT AU known as Hunt for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Any other RP blogs, feel free to interact if you want!

My main blog is @rosewashereyt and my tmnt blog is @rosey-mango

#rose is here = ooc related stuff

If you see things in double brackets [[---]], it's ooc as well!

Shep is an OC that belongs to Sunny aka @atiredweirdo

Any interactions with him go through Sunny first, just fyi!

[blueindigo17]

hi writeblr!! it's nice to meet you!!

I’ve had this blog for years but never posted anything bc to be honest I was a little afraid of tumblr when I first joined, but recently I decided that since I like talking about my wips so much to my friends/family irl, why not blog about them? I also want to find some writing mutuals, since I like hearing about people’s stories just as much as I like telling them about mine. Feel free to interact, follow, message, etc. I love making friends :D

About me <3

I go by Blue or BlueIndigo online, so feel free to use either of those :)

My pronouns are she/her

I’m 19, which also happens to be my favorite number :)

I have five (sort of six?) wips and over a hundred characters. I may have a problem.

I am a BIG swiftie (favorite albums are 1989 TV and TTPD), and I listen to a lot of Sabrina Carpenter, Conan Gray, Olivia Rodrigo, 5SOS, The Scarlet Opera, Chappell Roan, and Gracie Abrams.

I love reading!! My favorite books are Carrie Soto Is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid (my fav author) and She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen.

I've played ukulele for a few years, and I recently started learning guitar. there's a greater than zero chance I might post any music things in the future. ig we'll see.

I have a thing where my wip titles have to make good acronyms or I don’t use them. idk why either.

I can and will talk your ear off if you let me lol. #blueindigo says things for non-wip related stuff <3

tag games are an ABSOLUTE YES my personal brand of yapping is answering questions

I like to write…

Realistic/contemporary fiction

Young adult/new adult

LGBTQ+ characters

Coming of age

Romance

Friend groups/found family

otherwise just people being people :)

More about my wips below !!

My WIPs

Never Have We Ever (NHWE)

Tags: #wip: never have we ever #wip: NHWE

Summary: Liz has the best friends a girl could ask for. Harley, Mikey, and Natasha have been her people since elementary school, and Trevor and Amanda since middle school. Their whole lives, things have been pretty much the same. Same kids in their classes every year. Same streets between the same houses. Same, same, same. At the end of her freshman year of high school, just about when Liz is wondering how much same she could possibly handle, she catches Trevor’s eye as he laughs at someone’s joke, and something deep inside her lights up. Something she doesn’t know what to do with. Something she can't push back down once it comes barreling up to the surface. So much for same. After that, things can’t stop changing. And not just in her own life—her friend group starts pulling apart at the seams. Harley begins withdrawing from everyone with no explanation. Mikey gets in bigger trouble with his dad than ever. Natasha only has a year before she has to move off to college. Amanda is stuck between the person she is and the person the world wants her to be. Trevor seems to have gotten off easy, but Liz can’t be around him for more than a minute without falling head over heels all over again. In this collection of short stories, Liz has to wonder if the change of pace she thought she wanted is worth it. Sometimes it’s hard to be brave, and she’s never been the most open to change, but unfortunately, that does not stop it from happening. The only question is: what is she going to do about it?

Genres: short stories, realistic fiction, young adult, coming of age, contemporary Themes: found family, first crushes, dealing with change, growing up, maintaining friendships Characters: Liz Stanton 🩵, Harley Wilson 💚, Mikey Miller 💛, Natasha Knightley 💜, Trevor Marshall ❤️, Amanda Hamilton 🩷

NHWE is my oldest WIP, started on December 16, 2019. It’s been on ice lately, since the plot has gone through so many changes that I haven’t known what to do with it in a while, but one of my goals with posting about it is to warm myself back up to it. I think writing that summary was a good place to start. Wish me luck :D

The Together List (TTL)

Tags: #wip: the together list #wip: TTL

Summary: Audrey is in her first month of college. Within three weeks, she’s moved out of her childhood bedroom and into a room with a window that seems to open on its own and a door that creaks loud enough to wake up the whole floor, she’s stumbled into a friend group that seemed to pull itself together like drawstrings, and she’s gotten a job at an adorable independent milkshake shop with her roommate and one of her new friends. What more could she possibly ask for? The world, it seems. Audrey has a list ten miles long of all the little things she wants college to be. One night, she starts listing them out loud. Her friends—Logan, Lennon, McKinley, Aspen, and Levi—chime in with their own after a moment, and before anyone knows it it’s been three hours and they haven’t stopped. They aren’t even sure whose idea it is, but they start writing it down. Every box on this ridiculously decorated list will be checked off by the end of the year, they swear. Someone makes an Instagram account as a joke, but by the first post it’s become as serious an endeavor as they’ve ever had. They wouldn’t call themselves local celebrities, but they certainly wouldn’t correct you if you did. The thing about fame at this age, even at small amounts, is that it's bound to go to someone's head...

Genres: realistic fiction, young adult fiction, new adult fiction, coming of age, LGBTQ+ fiction Themes: LGBTQ+, friendships, fame, college, becoming an adult, relationships Characters: Audrey Marshall 💙, Logan Levine 🧡, Lennon Adler 💛, McKinley March 💜, Aspen Brady ❤️, Levi Jackson 💚

TTL was created on August 18, 2021. I saw a post on Pinterest of someone's summer bucket list and that sounded like such a fun thing to do with friends that I had to write about it. Two and a half-ish years later, TTL has also gone through many changes, so I'm sort of trying to refresh it now. I'm very excited to see where it takes me!

(Fun fact: the main character, Audrey, is the older sister of Trevor from NHWE!)

The Violet Sisters Club (TVSC)

Tags: #wip: the violet sisters club #wip: TVSC

Summary: The Violet Sisters Club, a world famous all-female pop rock band, is facing a very public lawsuit from a former hotheaded manager over their most recent album. Following the conclusion of their case, lead singer Naomi Tyler, drummer Inez Wilde, guitarist Chrissy Cameron, and bassist Francesca Sheridan escape to the luxurious Overlook Estate, a privately owned rental property on an island off the southern coast of California. Here, they can spend the summer out of the public eye, writing songs they don’t need to worry about releasing and letting the public wonder what they’re up to as they let the tension out of their muscles. With a property four times the size of Alcatraz Island and a beach over a mile long, the Overlook offers the band a respite from the go, go, go of touring, the privacy invasion of paparazzi, and the exhaustion of being micromanaged every minute of every day. Four pools, seven hot tubs, the aforementioned private beach, a high tech recording studio (just in case), a few golf carts just to get around the property and a Jeep to get to town. It’s unimaginably expensive, it’s incomprehensibly big, and it’s everything they need. But this escape may not be the relaxing California beach paradise they imagined. Soon, it becomes hard to hide how much the stress of fame was eating away at each of them—emotions run high, patiences run thin, days run long, nights run longer, and the strength of the band is questioned as the girls’ insecurities and anxieties bubble to the surface after a lifetime in the spotlight.

Genres: realistic fiction, contemporary fiction, literary fiction Themes: fame, music, romance, found family, secrets, breakups Characters: Naomi Tyler (lead singer, songwriter) 💜, Inez Wilde (drummer, vocalist, songwriter) 🩷, Chrissy Cameron (guitarist, vocalist, songwriter) 💙, Francesca Sheridan (bassist, vocalist, songwriter) 💚

TVSC was created on February 5, 2023, but the characters have been around almost as long as TTL. Initially, I created the Violet Sisters Club as a fictional band that would exist within The Together List, but at some point I couldn't get the idea of a TVSC-focused novel out of my head. I'm glad I never did, because some of my favorite ideas I've ever had have gone into TVSC. If I could have one wish, it would be for all of TVSC's songs to be real so I could listen to them without having to write them first.

Now That We Don’t Talk (NTWDT)

Tags: #wip: now that we don’t talk #wip: NTWDT

Summary: There are two important things to know about Hazel Henry and Saiah Bradford.  One: They kinda-sorta hate each other after they broke up last year at prom. (The same prom that ended with the school almost burning down and Hazel's twin brother's best friend going to the hospital. Bad memories all around.) Two: Someone on the planning committee for their senior class trip must be out to get them, because when they arrive at the hotel, they find out they’ve been assigned to the same room. This should have been impossible; Saiah requested to be paired with her best friend, Tory, who's going to have some explaining to do later, and Hazel would bet her life on the fact that she requested a room alone. Now, for the next two weeks, they’re both stuck in the same narrow room with its little square bathroom and practically-nonexistent privacy. The air conditioner turns on at random times, they seem to be paired together for every single scheduled activity, and perhaps worst of all—their friends all seem to find this situation absolutely hilarious.  But it’s just two weeks, right? It’ll be over before they know it, and soon they can both go back to pretending their relationship—and each other—never existed. Right? Right? Happy senior year to them. 

Genres: realistic fiction, young adult fiction, contemporary fiction, LGBTQ+ fiction, romance Themes: reconciliation, romance, friendship, forgiveness, guilt, regrets, family, growing up Characters: Hazel Henry 🩷, Nick Henry 💙, Saiah Bradford 💚, Tory Whitehouse 💛

NTWDT was created on October 18, 2023. Hilariously, I came up with the plot after making Hazel and Saiah in the Sims, and I literally couldn't stop thinking about them whenever I wasn't playing. As I do with every character I create, I became obsessed with them, and now here we are. And in case you're wondering, yes, I named it after the Taylor Swift song lol.

Trouble In Paradise (TIP)

Tags: #wip: trouble in paradise #wip: TIP

Summary: Sixteen years ago, Joe Alexander and Ben King drove across the US in the pursuit of Joe's true love. Today, Joe is preparing to move out of his and his ex-wife's house and drive across the country once more, joined by his daughter, Bryce, and his best friend/his daughter's biological father, Ben. It's all familiar—the long stretches of empty fields, collapsing onto a cheap hotel bed for the night, never being able to decide where to stop for food—and yet, Joe has no idea what he's in for.  This is a story of two cross-country road trips, and the lives that one woman is able to ruin in between. Joe Alexander and Ben King have both lost their entire worlds to Lilly Alexander. But the ones they’ve gained after her might be—in some weird, unconventional way—a little better.

Genres: realistic fiction, contemporary fiction, adult fiction, literary fiction Themes: reconciliation, moving on, guilt, parenting, cheating, manipulation, mental illness, past sexual assault Characters: Joe Alexander, Ben King, Bryce Alexander, Lilly Alexander

TIP is technically my newest WIP, since I came up with the full plot earlier this year (February 13, 2024). I've had the vague idea of it for just over a year, but I didn't quite know what to do with it until recently. It's definitely more mature with its topics than my other wips, as you might be able to tell by the themes, but I really like the concept and I've had a lot of fun plotting it so far, even if it's a little out of my comfort zone.

(Fun fact: the original title way back when the characters didn't even have last names was High Infidelity, after the Taylor Swift song, since I thought it was so thematically appropriate.)

···

OKAY I'm pretty sure I have officially run out of things to say. If you made it all the way here, thank you so much for reading! Like I said earlier, feel free to interact any way you like :D

This post is sort of a masterpost for all my wips, but I'm also doing posts for each wip separately so I can go into more detail. Those are/will be linked in the title for each wip.

Thanks again for reading, and have a good day/night !!

―BlueIndigo <3

[cyberphuck]

So Corn Bag Salesman replied to me again but then immediately blocked me before I could see it (because I was asleep, dreaming of how much I love being unconscious) meaning that their large follower base was able to see their rebuttal and insults, but that I would neither be able to read it for myself nor reply in kind, which is sort of exactly one of the reasons they’re claiming they’re so mad about the post: they had left the keyboard to go do all of the special inclusive things that they do every single day, like pushing blind people into traffic and I victimized them by posting online before they could gaslight Razz in private some more.

So I am going to do their favorite thing and post some more screenshots this time without my scribbled commentary, but still highlighting certain important passages so that people don’t have to try to wade through the bricks of text, and so you know which particular parts I’m replying to. 

Before we begin, I would like everyone to know that like the corn bag salesman, I am also autistic and a huge piece of shit so I feel we are speaking on even ground here.



And yet here we are.

Being autistic does not mean that you can’t also be a big meanie. I am living proof I want you to know that I never went to your blog to investigate exactly who you were or make a deep dive into your posts or even glance at your header because I do not give a shit about any of those things. I do not give a shit about you. Our paths have never crossed before now. You sell bags of corn. I do not have any need for bags of corn but even if I did, you would not be the first person I would think of to purchase bags of corn from.

I would also like to explain to you, since you are autistic and have trouble interpreting things that you read that aren’t very straightforward, you have never seen me angry. Other people reading this have seen me angry, and I think at this point several of them are thinking that you got off lightly. So far I have been explaining to you what you did wrong, how my friend was affected by it, and our “befuddlement “as to why you continue to absolutely refuse to rectify the situation.

But, whatever I would like to now draw your attention to the part, highlighted in red, which reads “super precise, and meaning only what he actually says.”

Here is a paragraph of the corn bag salesman meaning exactly what he says. The salesman would claim that they never said or even implied that Razz was stupid or incompetent, but here is a whole bunch of words implying that Razz is stupid and incompetent. Remember, the salesman says exactly what he means here, so when he says that it’s not his responsibility to explain things to his customers, even if they don’t understand the terms of a sale that they cannot fully read, and nor will he apologize for it, he means that precisely.

Also, I’ve noticed that he uses the word baffled to try to imply that he’s just innocently confused and nothing is his fault. If you have some free time, try going back to look at the other screenshots of his posts and count how many times he’s used the word baffled instead of some other more appropriate phrase like “shit smacked”or something . this doesn’t have anything to do with anything else, I just thought it was interesting. I wonder if he does this to people in real life.

Moving on.

The problem here that I am expecting the corn bag salesman to solve is that they said something that hurt my friend and I would like them to apologize for it. Or at least acknowledge that the wording of their sales email may have been difficult to interpret. I am not looking for a non-apology that said something like “I suppose that the wording may have been difficult to interpret if you are too stupid to know that pants don’t go on head” which is what we have received so far.

Next, they gaslight everyone by saying that Razz expected to receive a free product, implying that they are only complaining because they wanted to get something that they were not entitled to. I would like to remind you all that this entire debacle started with the misinterpretation of a buy one get one free sales email. Razz bought one. They want to know when the “get one free” part happens. The corn bag salesman has not fulfilled their part of the deal, and they are trying to get people to believe that Razz is running some kind of devious corn bag grift.

(I did not need your permission to make as many snide comments as I want, but it is appreciated, thank you. )

Again, implying that Razz is running some kind of scam instead of rightly wondering where the other part of their shipment is: the part that they thought they were going to get as a result of buying one of the bags of corn. The corn salesman wants you to believe that the wording in the sales email was painfully obvious, but what it said was “no code needed.” That’s all. Razz misunderstood what that meant and sent an email asking about the second bag of corn. They thought they were going to get. That is also all. 

The third car on this train full of shit gravy contains the corn bag salesman scolding me for making a nasty post “in the middle of the night “when they would have no chance to respond or defend themselves. The salesman‘s reply here is on their blog, on a post they made while I was sleeping, but I could not even see from my regular account because they had blocked me. I feel I have found a kindred spirit in that the corn salesman is just as much a fantastic asshole as I am. Bravo. I encourage you to embrace the fact that you are a comically bloated possum on the asphalt simmering away in the summer heat filled from asshole to nostrils with dumb shittery, and never try to claim that you are anything else. Don’t let anyone dull your sparkle. 

There is a final email exchange between Razz and the Corn bag salesman. The salesman‘s first email in that exchange is pretty much just more of the same as what we’ve already gone over, some of it Word for Word, so I’m not going to try to pick it apart here, but I do have screenshots in case someone wants to accuse me of cherry picking. What I do want to post is Razz’s final email to them and their final reply.

So that’s what we’ll do, I think, because honestly, both razz and I have infinitely better things to do with our time than argue with an idiot over bags of corn. I hope all of you reading this also choose to “go away” from any business dealings with the corn salesman.

I wish I had some of those really good chocolate chip cookies, they’re kind of thin, and have crispy edges. They’re crunchy and also very very good. By the way, your mom got me two more dicks for Christmas so now I have nine. 

[hospitalterrorizer]

diary455

12/24-25/24

tuesday - wednesday

happy christmas,

today has been good basically, my gf started off rather depressed though, because she's had to go out so much it's left her very tired but after eating food and going through the day more, sleeping a bunch more too, she started to feel better, i think after i cooked dinner basically.

i wanted to do some stuff today, i didn't really get to though, i wanted to draw but it's too late now, and i wanted to read but i couldn't because her brother invited us out to free food... so you can't say no to that + tomorrow more free food... tonight was korean bbq, which was fun. i didn't want to eat too much so i just sort of cooked for everyone, i wonder how much that is an appeal for people, sort of filling out the fantasy of taking care of others, which is a strange thing, paying to have the ability to service others or feel like you are helping or serving them in some way. i don't know. but i guess for myself that feels gratifying as something to do. it feels odd, or i guess more accurately, dumb, to want to do that for my gf's brother... lots of reasons i've been through re: that but the new one is his 18 yr old girlfriend. it's a messy situation and i have no clue what to do, probably nothing, right? it's classically speaking, not my problem, but i feel bad, i feel like i'm supposed to do something? i can't though. or, i'm afraid of pissing him off, i really am, i don't know why. it's like scary to me. i don't think he'd hit me but i hate the idea of him feeling betrayed, isn't that silly though? it's not like i've ever been with him, i just also never want him to feel awful or bad, because that never leads to anything good, for him, or anyone outside of him. this is the stupid thing i feel troubled over. not really stupid i think, but it's nothing i can intervene in. they've been together for a week, two maybe? she says 'i love you' like 10 times in the span of 5 minutes, tomorrow i'm going to meet her. i'm worried she'll be an insane hyper online teenager, some signs point yes, my gf says that her brother says she's kind of an insane racist and also says the word "faggot," a lot. i don't know what's going to go on there, mostly though i'm worried about him ruining her life, in some number of ways. already talking about having her move in with him, already talking about their future, she just totally loves him. he talks about how she does what he asks without question, which makes me feel insane, and it gets to men's general fucked up entitlement, where he works this miserable job, and so he says things like 'work hard like me god will give you a pickme,' and that's disgusting and also in the face of that what am i supposed to do, in the face of her probably really loving him and seeing nothing wrong here, am i to be like, he is a serious fuck up and sometimes an awful person you need to be careful? who is going to listen to me, generally, and why would she listen to me specifically, why would she listen to his sister, even? it feels like there's no way to help, her life is like awful already too. i don't know.

outside of this, tomorrow seems freaky because our friend's friend who is going to the movies with us just got broken up with by my gf's friend in china. i imagine he blames us because we find him annoying, well beyond annoying, difficult and weird and touchy and loud and stupid and blah blah blah, not that stupid... just like trapped in some prison he's created for himself socially, where he's just one way and that's all he can do. i just feel like he's gonna be pissed at us but she was right to break up with him and i feel bad for ever suggesting that they get together, i didn't know better then.

despite these things i imagine tomorrow will not go as bad as i've imagined it could. i imagine such insane things, and such violent tensions between people. no matter what as long as i have my gf and we go home together we'll be fine, and time will make whatever goes wrong fine too.

tomorrow's gonna come and i will see, like that movie, come and see, there might even be a nazi, who knows with this supposedly racist 18 year old girl who has a miserable life and has no lifeline but my gf's brother.

here's something else to distract from that oncoming nightmare, pictures of myself from today, i didn't expect to go out but i thought this was cute:

now it's 2 am... gotta sleep soon, oh, i edited writing today, a bit, need to go into that thing i just wrote and do more though i think, iron it out into something i can at least show people.

i guess the day after tomorrow everything will go back to normal roughly and i can just do the stuff i keep saying i will do, like draw and read and stuff. at least i'm not inactive re: writing, but that is always smoother basically, the bumps from writing all feel emotional basically, like, i'm so stupid, i'm a failure, no one will read anything i write, blah blah blah.

my gf is watching a kpop thing right now, this group itzy sounds insane... some song called mr. vampire horror (christmas version)... i will go over and look at that,

so,

byebye!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[cardcaptorsakura96]

And Then There Was Her

This is for Writing Workshop Week 2: Paying Attention that is being hosted by @bettsfic on @books

Summary: Lena makes her usual morning walk until she runs into an unfamiliar face

As Lena looks out her window, she sees that it is raining and sighs.

“It has been raining the last month since I have gotten to National City. Whoever said that it never rains in southern California must not have lived here full time.”

She came to National City to escape Lex with his constant manipulation and torture. She just wanted a fresh start outside his overbearing shadow. However, Lena had fallen into the same routine.

As she heads out, she notices the same old things. The gray sky emptying tons of rain on her shoulders prompting her to hurriedly open her red umbrella. As she walks, she sees the mail man trying to hurry from house to house with his parka not doing a good job of protecting him from the elements.

“I am surprised she hasn’t gotten a cold by now,” Lena muttered as she kept on walking.

After she passed the houses, she starts seeing the different businesses around town and her usual fellow commuters. There was the lady in the yellow raincoat and same colored boots walking while looking at her cell phone. She bobs and weaves around the other commuters.

“I still don’t get how she is able to read that thing without bumping into anyone,” said Lena shaking her head.

She hears screaming in the distance. It was the local butcher arguing with his wife again. The screaming always have to do with what the specials of the day are. Today, they were arguing about whether they should have a discount on spare ribs or cow tongue.

Lena shuddered and said, “Whoever thought cow tongue was a good idea?”

She breathes a sigh of relief when she reaches her destination: Noonan's. It was the best breakfast location in the area.

Once she got inside, she quickly got in line. She sees that the same three people are ahead of her today. A man in a blue suite talking on his phone about an upcoming court case, a man listening to his headphones, not really aware of his surroundings, and a young mother trying to wrangle in her toddler while she tries to place her order.

Lena decided to do what she always did when she realized she would have a long wait, read work emails. She was able to complete two by the time she gets to the register.

“Do you want your usual, Lena?”

Lena winced when she heard her name. She didn’t like that the staff had become overly familiar with her to call her by her first name. However, she knew she shouldn’t be surprised since she was in this place every day. Sometimes, she visited twice a day.

Lena sighs and said, “I do want the usual, but I also want to get the cake special that you were offering.”

“Oh, you mean the free birthday cake if you can prove that it is your birthday?

“Yup, that is the one.”

Lena didn’t usually celebrate her birthday. Her family found that sort of thing very trivial. However, this was her first birthday on her own and didn’t have anyone controlling her. She wanted to celebrate her independence and dammit she wanted to do it with cake.

“So, that special was very popular especially since we gave the option to order and verify your birthday online. All of our cakes are sold out for the day.”

“What!”

“I know. We didn’t think the promotion would do this well. We are extending the promotion to tomorrow if you wouldn’t mind waiting until then.”

“It would be too late then,” said Lena softly trying to hold back tears.

“It is always the same. Nothing every goes my way.”

“Actually, she can have my cake.”

Lena turned around and was stunned by who she saw. It was a woman with long wavy blonde hair and bright blue eyes that were unfortunately partly hidden by her glasses. She was wearing a pink wavy dress. The thing that stuck out to Lena was her smile. It could light up the room.

“Oh, I couldn’t take your cake,” stammered Lena.

“What is wrong with me. I never get this tongue tied.”

“It is no trouble at all. I had originally got this for my sister. Her birthday is today. I was supposed to meet her, but her fiancé surprised her with first class tickets to Paris last night, and they will be gone the next two weeks.”

“At least let me compensate you for the cake.”

The woman chuckled. It sounded like music to Lena’s ears.

“Honestly, you would be doing me a favor. Noonan’s cakes are good, but I doubt it will last until my sister gets back.”

The woman handed her over the cake.

“Thank you so much…. What is your name?” stumbled Lena over her words.

“My name is Kara.”

She held out her hand. Lena felt herself blushing.

“Idiot! It is just a simple handshake. Get yourself together!”

“My name is Lena.”

Lena felt her pants vibrating which jolted her out of the conversation.

She answered her phone and snapped, “What!”

“I am sorry Miss Luthor. There was an incident in the lab…”

“Say no more. I will be right there.”

“Of course, the one day I meet someone interesting I can’t stick around.”

Lena looked up sheepishly at Kara and said, “I ummm… have to run….work stuff. I umm… hope I see you around.”

She started blushing hard as she quickly exited the restaurant. She had never met anyone that has made her feel this way before.

“Is this what it feels like to have a crush?”

Lena mulled over that single thought as she walked to her job not realizing until she got there that she walked through the cold rain without an umbrella.