#I’d suffer through another degree for this

[cable-knit-sweater]

Someone write me an AU pls thank you

[honeypiehotchner]

The Gambit (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- part nine

Back on my bullshit of cranking these chapters out, so here's another one!

Warnings: Hotch being...kind?, oh no they're warming up to each other (kind of), just kidding they have their moments of arguing, dramaaaa

Hotch was in his early twenties when he first heard about The Strangler’s case. It made national news, after all, once a connection was established between the cases showing up in Georgia and California. Two opposite ends of the United States, and The Strangler struck in both for over a year — maybe longer, though it was never confirmed.

Hotch was still in law school, then. He remembers reading about the case, one of the first few times he had heard of the BAU. He never studied the case closely; he didn’t have the time. And, honestly, when it comes to the cases the BAU has handled over the years, Carson Adkins is not the strangest.

His is interesting to study because of how long he evaded the authorities. The women he strangled to death were not his only crimes. Numerous traffic violations, domestic disputes, mental distress calls, and even one illegal possession of a firearm littered his record in the midst of the strangulations. Yet none of those led to his capture like they should’ve. 

Truthfully, none of the murders across Georgia and California were solidly connected before he turned himself in — only because he wanted to find you.

Hotch understands, to some degree. If anything ever happened to Jack, he’d do everything in his power to find him and make it right again. That’s exactly what Richard Monroe did for Lila, too. 

What he can’t understand is why you wouldn’t disclose this to him. Him, of all people, your Unit Chief. Why couldn’t you tell him? Why did it have to come to this?

Hotch knew, deep down, that whatever was hidden in your file would have to be discussed once he found out what it was. He just wasn’t expecting it to be something like this. Something he has no idea how to go about bringing up to you.

Because it does have to be discussed. Whether you like it or not— whether Hotch likes it or not because he knows it will only start a fight, it has to be discussed. At least so some common ground can be reached. A heart-to-heart doesn’t need to happen, but he needs to be aware of where your head is.

But it can’t happen now, while you’re on this case. The women and their families are suffering here, and that’s the top priority: catching whoever is doing this.

Once the unsub is caught and you’re all back in Quantico, Hotch will bring it up. Not because he wants to, but because he has to. He has no choice.

+++ 

After the wine with Rossi, you sleep probably the best you’ve ever slept on a case. You even wake up before your alarm, giving you time to shower and get dressed, and head downstairs to snag some breakfast before it’s time to meet the rest of the team.

You expect to be the first person downstairs, but you’re not. Hotch is there. And he looks like he’s been there for hours.

“Well,” you pull the chair out across from him, dropping into it with a huff. You cross your arms over your chest, all while Hotch is scowling at you. “You look like shit.”

He doesn’t even grace you with an answer. 

You shrug your jacket off over the back of the chair, leaving him to go grab something to eat. You return with a muffin, fruit, and two coffees.

Hotch’s eyes snap to yours when you set the coffee down next to his half-empty one.

“You’re gonna need another one if you’re gonna get through today looking like that,” you answer, taking a sip of your own. “Couldn’t sleep?”

Hotch averts his eyes. “No.”

You watch him as he slowly chews the remaining bites of his fruit. “What’s wrong with you?”

His eyes flick back to yours, another glare settling in. “Nothing.”

“Okay,” you hold up your hands in surrender, unwrapping your muffin. “Just thought I’d ask.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” he says. “How’d you sleep?”

“Fine,” you shrug. “Why?”

“Just thought I’d ask.”

Now it’s your turn to glare. “Don’t hurt yourself,” you mock.

Slowly, the rest of the team filters downstairs to grab their own breakfast. You’re grateful for the extra company, especially Emily and JJ. You gladly leave the table with Hotch to join them at the next one over. 

You can feel Hotch watching you, and he only stops when Rossi sits down across from him, asking him the same things you’ve already asked him. His answers stay the same, though less defensive, of course.

You turn your back to him, helping Prentiss figure out where she should go for her next Sin to Win Weekend. Your vote is on Miami, but she’s leaning toward Vegas for this one.

It’s almost time to leave when Hotch’s phone rings, and all conversations halt. Bad news, most likely.

Hotch’s face gives nothing away, but you know it won’t. It’s not in his face. It’s in his shoulders, and they tense when he hears the news. You know exactly what he’s going to say before he says it.

“They’ve found another body,” he says as the call ends. “Let’s go.”

Chairs screech as everyone stands and heads for the exit. Morgan leads, no doubt going to drive like he always does. You’re just a few steps away from the table when you hear Hotch call out your name.

You turn, preparing for a small lecture about how you should behave today in the field, only to find he’s standing there with your jacket in his hands.

“You left this,” he says quietly, passing it to you as he catches up.

Huh. You must’ve forgotten to grab it when you switched tables. You fall into step beside him. “Thanks.”

He doesn’t reply as he walks ahead, getting in the driver’s seat of the other car. In your confusion about his behavior, you slide into the passenger seat of Morgan’s.

You don’t bother asking Morgan if he thinks something is up with Hotch too, but the last thing you want to hear right now is how you and Hotch are warming up to one another.

Because you’re not.

You’re not warming up to him. He looked like shit, so you pointed it out. He doesn’t normally look like Death beat the shit out of him for fun overnight. How could you not say something?

Who knows what’s up with him. It’s not your business anyway.

Morgan’s phone rings and he digs it out, pressing to his ear. “Yeah.”

You don’t know why he doesn’t put it on speaker, but you make eye contact with Reid in the rearview and shrug. 

“Alright, yeah,” Morgan says with a nod. “We’ll do that. Got it. Bye, Hotch.”

You figured it was him. “What’s up?”

“They’re going to the scene, he wants us to head to the precinct and call Garcia to see what she has,” Morgan explains, casting a quick glance at you. 

You don’t miss the glance. “What?”

“Nothin’,” Morgan shrugs, turning toward the precinct while Hotch’s car goes straight ahead. “You two looked cozy this morning.”

You scoff. “Right.”

“It’s true,” Reid pipes up from the backseat.

“Hey!” You turn to look at him in pure betrayal. “Seriously?”

“What?” Reid looks just as perplexed.

You huff as you turn back around. “He was already downstairs when I got there, and I got there early. He looks like shit. Like he didn’t sleep.”

“He looked fine to me,” Reid says, having no idea he’s just put another nail in your coffin. 

Morgan grins.

“Don’t you dare,” you hiss, pointing an accusatory finger at him.

Morgan only raises one hand off the wheel. “I’m not.”

+++

If anyone asks, Hotch told you, Morgan, and Reid to go back to the precinct because it’s part of his usual divide-and-conquer method for cases. 

It has nothing to do with the fact that the officer sounded shaken up on the phone, meaning this one must be bad — and after researching more of Carson Adkins’ crimes last night, Hotch doesn’t want you anywhere near this one, not if it’s as bad as the officer made it seem on the phone.

You’re liable to shut down again and that’s not what he needs. He needs you focused.

The area is crawling with police cars as some officers try to corral a growing crowd of locals. To make matters worse, Hotch sees a news truck pull in behind them.

JJ spots it too with a deep sigh. “Got it. No comment.”

“Thank you,” Hotch replies with a nod.

Hotch, Prentiss, and Rossi flash their badges at the officers holding the perimeter before they’re let underneath the crime scene tape. The unsub left the body outside the elementary school. Next to the playground, for god’s sake.

They have to find him.

“Do we know who she is?” Rossi asks an officer.

“No,” he shakes his head. “But the coroner took her prints, so hopefully we’ll find her in a database somewhere.”

“Time of death?” Prentiss asks.

“Said somewhere between three and five a.m.”

Deputy Harris is standing off to the side, staring at the children’s swings and slides with a set jaw. Hotch makes his way over silently, noting the redness in the deputy’s eyes.

“We’re going to find who did this,” Hotch assures him quietly.

“We better,” Harris says, voice hoarse. “Who dumps a body at an elementary school? What if someone hadn’t found her before the kids got here? I—” He shakes his head. “School is canceled for the day, I called the board a minute ago. I don’t want any kids here.”

“Understandable,” Hotch nods, and probably for the better. They’ll need to investigate the area and it’s best if there are no children even inside the school to witness the commotion. “That was the right call, Deputy.”

“Thank you,” he says, turning to shake Hotch’s hand. “You’ll find him?”

Hotch accepts the handshake with an even firmer nod. “We will.”

He leaves him to return to where Prentiss is kneeling next to the body, studying the strangulation marks on her neck.

“It looks almost like hands and something else were used,” Prentiss says quietly. “Almost like…”

“Like he wasn’t strong enough to do it on his own this time,” Hotch finishes. “Like she fought back.”

Hotch finds the coroner talking with Rossi, waving them both over.

“Did you swab under her fingernails?” Hotch asks.

“Not yet, but I can at the lab,” the coroner replies. 

“What are you thinking?” Rossi asks.

“That she fought back,” Prentiss says, standing up and taking her gloves off. “There’s some bruising on her face as well, it looks to me like they got into it before he strangled her.”

“Alright, I’ll keep it in mind and I’ll call you when the results are ready,” the coroner says, turning to instruct his men to begin loading the body. “If her prints come up anywhere, they should be sent to you soon.”

“Thank you,” Hotch says to him, already digging his phone out of his pocket to call Morgan.

+++

When you get to the precinct and find out exactly where the unsub dropped this body, your heart plummets. 

You don’t know if it was your dad’s preference to drop bodies outside of schools. All you know is that he did it often. If it wasn’t train tracks or behind a gas station, it was outside a school.

You have no clue why. There never seemed to be any rhyme or reason to it, just like this one. The others have been on back roads, dirt roads, or in the woods. Never outside an elementary school, next to the playground, for fuck’s sake.

Pictures slowly filter in as the detectives upload them. You, Reid, and Morgan stare at the laptop screen, three pictures of the woman’s body, all zoomed in.

You take a walk to refill your coffee, ignoring the way your knees feel shaky as you move. 

You’re fine.

Just— First, a case where the daughter of a serial killer is kidnapped and her father willingly turns himself in to help find her, and now, a case where the unsub is strangling these women to death and dumps a body outside a school? You knew when you first got into this profession ten-odd years ago that you’d come across cases that bring up bad memories. It’s inevitable. You’ve long accepted the fact.

But two, back-to-back, with similarities that hit far too close to home… It’s putting a bad taste in your mouth, and you don’t know why.

It’s probably nothing.

It’s not like you can mention this to anyone. Maybe to Rossi, but you know what he’ll say. Either that you’re just feeling on edge with the similarities, or worse — he’ll tell you that you have to bring it up with Hotch.

And you are not doing that. Not over some irrational, sour taste in your mouth that you have no backing for. Reid said it himself, this isn’t a true copycat. It’s just another unsub who strangles women to death. Unfortunately, there are plenty of them out there.

It doesn’t mean anything. 

You return to the conference room with fresh coffee and a somewhat calmer head (fake it ‘til you make it, right?). Morgan gives you a questioning look, but you ignore him.

Garcia’s voice comes through the speaker of the laptop as she tells Reid she’s just waiting for the identity to come through from the fingerprints before she can start digging. 

Morgan’s phone starts ringing in his hand. This time he puts it on speaker. “What’ve you got, Hotch?”

“We think our unsub used something in addition to his hands this time,” Hotch says.

“The girl fought back,” Morgan replies absently, his eyes flicking over to the now-printed pictures from the scene. 

“What are you thinking?” you ask in general, sliding one of the photos over.

“Not sure yet,” Hotch says. “The coroner just loaded the body, so hopefully in a few hours we’ll have some answers.”

“He might’ve used a wire of some sort,” Reid starts to ramble. “It’s common for—”

But you don’t hear him, your fingertips tracing the bruises in the picture. “He used a belt,” you say without meaning to, pressing your fingers into the picture, as if you can feel her neck.

“A belt?” Hotch inquires. “What makes you so certain?”

“The bruises,” you say quietly. Morgan won’t stop looking at you.

“The bruises are too faint to tell,” Hotch says tiredly. “The coroner—”

“It was just an idea,” you snap, pushing the picture away and glaring at the phone, hoping Hotch can feel it through the device. “It’s not like I was there to see him do it.”

Everyone goes quiet. You ignore Morgan’s watchful gaze and turn toward the whiteboard, deciding to review the other information. 

Why did the unsub need help with this victim? Was he tired? Was he caught off guard? Was she stronger than the others he preyed on and he didn’t anticipate that?

You don’t hear the rest of Morgan and Hotch’s conversation as Morgan takes him off speaker after your little spat. Probably for the better.

You have got to come down from whatever edge you’re on before Hotch gets back here. You’re practically begging him to ask prying questions when you’re acting like this.

Thankfully, neither Morgan or Reid bother with asking if you’re okay.

Unfortunately, Rossi doesn’t get the same memo when he returns with everyone else.

“Anything standing out?” Rossi asks as he comes to stand next to you, facing the board. His hands are stuffed in his pockets, relaxed. 

Your arms are crossed over your chest. “No.”

He chuckles. “Wanna take a walk?”

“No,” you repeat, narrowing your eyes at the board. “Why did he need to use a bel— something to help him this time? What was different?”

Rossi shrugs. “Maybe she fought him and he wasn’t expecting it. Maybe he’s getting sloppy.”

You hum.

Rossi lowers his voice as he leans toward you. “You’re sure it was a belt?”

You remember being twelve years old, watching the same bruises form on your mother’s throat after your father had stormed out and took the belt with him. He didn’t kill her, no. Just came close. Would have if you hadn’t walked in.

“Yes,” you say back, just as quiet. “Only a belt bruises like that.”

Rossi nods slowly. You know he wants to mention that the bruises are too faint to fully tell. You know he wants to mention other things. But he won’t.

Just behind you, standing with his back facing the both of you, Hotch listens. You both lowered your voices, but not low enough. 

You have insight into this case that could be valuable, and you aren’t sharing, not with everyone. Only with Rossi. Why him?

Hotch isn’t jealous; he’s curious.

And he can’t do a damn thing about it, at least not right now.

[fandomnerd9602]

Midnight

Stepsister!Wanda x Reader

For @lifespectator and @aloneodi

It all started the day your mom brought home her new boyfriend, Django, and with him came his daughter: Wanda Maximoff.

You could feel something stir within you the moment her eyes met yours and she gave you a shy smile. You could practically feel your heart beating out of your chest.

You and her were 12 at the time. You get like you weren’t old enough to like girls yet.

That was roughly seven years ago. Django and your mom married, making you and Wanda step siblings. You thought that being siblings now would’ve made your heart not look at her in that way anymore. And yet it persisted. No other girl in middle school or high school could compare to her.

Wanda, for the most part, didn’t date either. She was an introvert to the highest degree. She opened up to only two people in her life: you and her best friend Natasha.

Well she did start to date when you and her got to college. Her boyfriend was Vis, a foreign exchange student from England. He seemed proper enough but you hated him for taking Wanda away from you. The only times you ever saw Wanda was on weekends and in between college classes but he was always on her hip.

And so that brings you to New Years Eve. You promised your mom that you, Wanda, and Vis, who had never met your folks, would be home for the New Year. That didn’t mean that the three of you couldn’t stop off at a little college get together for the night first.

The party was loud, you couldn’t see or hear much over the mixture of music and voices. You tried to stay close to Wanda. This really wasn’t her forte.

“Come on Wanda,” Vis’ English accent tried to entice her. “It’s new years, what other way is there to celebrate?”

You turned and saw Vis trying to get Wanda up the stairs to one of the bedrooms. You gritted your teeth as one of your friends dragged you off for a split second.

The next thing you knew, you lost sight of both Wanda and Vis. Your heart broke to think that Wanda could’ve really been with someone else.

And then you caught sight of Wanda, tears streaming down her cheeks as she bolted out the door and into the cold. You turned to see Vis already making out with some other random chick.

You ran out into the blistering cold. That Vis was a jerk, making out with some other gal that wasn’t his date. You wanted to sock him in the jaw but Wanda was your bigger concern.

“Wanda?” You nearly shouted into the cold December air. You found her a few feet in front of you, crying her eyes out.

“Hey Red” you gently approach your stepsister and wrap an arm around her. She immediately turns around and buries her face in the crook of your neck.

“Take me home” she mutters against your skin.

You nod and guide her to your car. The ride home was quiet and somber. Wanda tried to wipe away a few fresh tears.

“I wouldn’t give it to him” she muttered.

“Huh?”

“He wanted to-and I wouldn’t.” She tries to say through her tears. “So he went off with another girl.”

“You did good” you reassured her. “Vis was a jerk”

“Papa would’ve hated him”

“I hated him from the moment I met the guy. Accent or not, Vis was no gentleman” you muttered. You even did a mocking accent earning a giggle from your step sister.

You guide her back into your family home. The clock on the mantle read ten minutes to midnight. Wanda settled onto the couch. You went and brewed some tea for her.

You brought in two mugs of piping hot tea. Wanda blew on hers a little. “Sorry I ruined your New Year’s party” she whispers.

“I’d rather be with you than let you suffer alone” you take a sip.

“Almost midnight” Wanda gives you a shy smile, “sorry you didn’t have someone to kiss”

“None of the gals there interest me” you shrug.

“What? You need to find yourself a girlfriend. You’ve never had one. Middle school. High school. Now college? Why?”

You take a deep breath, “because no girl can compare to the one who loves Florence and the Machine, Harry Potter, and old black and white sitcoms…”

Wanda gasps and then begins to tear up as you continue.

“The girl who gave my darkest days hope. The one whose smile lights up my world. The girl I’ve been in love with since I wasn’t supposed to like girls”

Wanda wipes away a few tears, “Vis wasn’t the one I loved. You are. I just thought it was too crazy…you and me…but we’re older now and…and…”

You gently wipe away a tear from her eye with your thumb and pull her into your arms. “Wanna be my New Years kiss?”

“We’ll” she giggles, “there’s no one else around so…five…”

You laugh, “four”

Her pupils dilate. Her eyes show only adoration for you. “Three”

“Two” you pull her closer.

“One” she whispers as you pull one another into a gentle kiss.

The sound of distant fireworks ring in the new year. But it didn’t matter for you and Wanda. You finally had the love of your life in your arms.

“My detka,” she sighs as she pulls back. She looks at you, you look at her. She giggles before immediately kissing you again. Her lips were like the sweetest thing you’ve ever tasted.

What would her father or your mother think? It didn’t matter right now. You’ll take it one day at a time.

But for now, it was a new year. Full of new possibilities and new adventures awaiting for you and Wanda Maximoff, the little witch who always had your heart.

[itsnotjustgibberish]

The Anthology.

My HMSonas! I’m not really sure how to start with articulating their lore storyline-wise, but here’s some character info for now. Also PLEASE feel free to send asks or prompt discussion [as long as it’s not like literally psychoanalyzing me lmbo) and the sort I’d love to share [: ]]

The Heart: Harp. A being of stagnation, but consistency. They have held the hands of the host and led them along for years; that repetition has led Harp to undermine the true level of agony they and the other thirds have experienced. The normalization of pain makes it difficult for them to verbalize it, whether current or remnants. Comfortable, but overwhelming.

The Mind: Muse. A being of unpredictability, but potential. They not only keep the host moving forward, but allow them to reach greatness; they work impressively hard at the cost of neither taking breaks nor giving perceived failures grace. They thrive in self-directed apathy, and are an easy victim of sunk cost fallacy and perfectionism. Motivating, but exhausting.

The Soul: Zinn. A being of contradiction. Full of hope, and a source of relapse. Suffering through constant inner turmoil as they grieve the past self that was ignored and berated, while going silent as the current thirds suffer. Desperate to move forward and consistently love themself{/selves}, but the draw of enmity is such a tempting call as synapses fall ill again and again. They find it easier to be kind to the others while in a state of depersonalization {they would never treat another the way they treat themself}.

D3ar: Also known as c!Dear. Characterized for lore, not to be confused with my other oc Dear. A personification of mental illness, and self deprecating/hurtful ideation. They are not their own person, if you can call it a person at all. Not something to be sympathized with, but it is not inherently malicious; it exists to fulfill a psychological niche, but grew to an overwhelming degree. Exists in a separate segment of the psyche that is isolated from HMZ… at least, they did until Zinn wandered too far, and ended up indefinitely separated from their other thirds. Harp and Muse are not aware of D3ar’s existence, and—initially—Zinn wasn’t either.

[ifortom]

Bad Decisions - T. H. (3)

frat!Tom x Reader - Fake dating AU

Chapter Summary: Friendships are made, questions are answered, and hearts race.

MASTERLIST

W/C: +5K

• DAY 3

"Hey, newest hot topic on campus." You heard it as soon as you left the classroom.

Amber positioned herself by your side as you walked down the university hallway.

"Hey! Is that what people are calling me now?" Amber laughed lightly.

"Well, being seen swapping spit with one of the star players comes with certain consequences." She said, slipping her arm through yours. "Where are you headed now?"

"Uh, I thought I'd grab lunch and then probably head home. I need to catch up on some things I let slide over the weekend." Amber smirked.

"I bet you made good use of that time." You looked at her, wide-eyed. "Oh, stop it! I bet you and Tom spent the whole Sunday snuggled up together."

"Actually, I was nursing a hangover. He suffered having to listen to me complain and swear I'd never drink again."

"That won’t be the last time you’ll have to deal with a hangover if you keep going out with us." She smiled. "Can I join you? I’m starving, and I’ve got some assignments to do too. I’d love the company. Plus, your genius brain could help me out, if you’re up for it, of course!"

You pretend to think for a moment, pouting as if you're contemplating her idea, even though you already know the answer.

"Hmm, I don’t know..." She stops abruptly and stares at you, her caramel eyes pleading. "Alright! No need to look at me like a lost puppy," you say, laughing.

"My lost puppy eyes have gotten me far in life. Where are we going?"

"I was thinking of going to Joe's, do you know it?" She shakes her head. "No way! You're about to try the best carbonara in the world. Let’s go!"

"I have to admit, I haven't eaten this well in a while." Amber said while rubbing her belly.

"I told you."

Despite what people say around campus, Amber is one of the easiest people to talk to that you've ever met. Maybe it helps that you share a lot of mutual interests, but the way she keeps the conversation flowing, never letting an awkward silence settle between topics, proves once again that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

The girl with long red hair has a strong personality and big dreams. College wasn’t one of them, but for her parents, she pushes herself harder each day to keep going. She told you that ever since high school, she's had a passion for music and even joined the choir, but she always heard she had no future in it. Harsh words from people who should have been supporting her.

To her parents, a degree has always mattered more than genuine happiness.

She didn’t go into much detail, but she said she joined the cheerleading team to stay at least a little closer to what she enjoys. She knows the girls she hangs out with don’t have the best reputation, and as a result, she carries that same label. But she says she doesn’t care, that she’s happy with what she does, has fun, and has met some lovely people.

You don’t completely agree with the last part, since several people she hangs out with have proven not to be so great after all. But Amber has more contact with them than you do, so there’s not much to discuss.

During lunch, you gave her your full attention, but at the same time, you wondered why she wanted to spend this time with you. It wasn’t something you had imagined would happen. To you, she was just another girl you made friends with at a party, someone with whom you’d never exchange words again, like so many times before.

But Amber also seemed genuinely interested in what you had to say, asking about your major, what motivates you, and your interests.

She walked you back to your apartment and sat down on the floor near the coffee table, with a book and notebook open as she worked on an assignment. You sat down next to her, focusing on the page in front of you.

An hour later, Amber slammed the book shut and poked you with the tip of a pencil.

“I’m bored.”

"You know that phrase is something I hear regularly? In this same position."

"Do you have a lot of study dates?" She says, raising an eyebrow.

"It’s Tom, actually. We spend a lot of time studying together, and after a few minutes, he gets tired and says he’s bored."

"You two spend quite a bit of time together, don’t you? That’s how you got close."

"Yeah, you could say that. We worked on a project together and became friends. It ended up being a routine for him to be here."

"And now you’re dating."

"Oh, we don’t have a label yet. We’re... testing things out."

Amber watched you for a moment before speaking.

"Can I be honest?" You nodded. "It isn't strange to see Tom bringing a girl to one of those events and joining our group for the night. But most of the time, it doesn’t go beyond that. One night. You're his friend first and foremost, and you know how he behaves."

Amber sighed and looked at the table in front of her, her gaze unfocused.

"I don’t want you to end up like one of those girls. I know we barely know each other, but I like you, and I pushed aside my ego to get closer to you because... you seem real. It’s ridiculous, but I don’t know what I’m saying anymore."

"Amber, it’s okay." Your hand found hers and held it. "Take your time."

"I and Tom are friends. He’s one of the few people I can really talk to, you know? Like I said, the people I hang out with aren’t bad, but Tom is genuine. He doesn’t hide, and he is who he is, even if people talk about him." Her eyes returned to your face, and you finally noticed the tears forming. "And he talked about you. He told me how much you support him and what you do together, how you talk about everything and really listen to each other."

"I never had the chance to get to know you before, and my fear was that you would treat me poorly because of who I am, even knowing you wouldn't do that." She took a deep breath to regain her composure. "And when you showed up at the party and I got to talk to you, I understood Tom. I understood why he keeps you around. And today you took me to lunch at a new place, brought me to your home, and helped me with an assignment that isn't even part of your course. And we barely know each other."

"Amber, I did that because I like you too. It’s all good!"

She sniffled and released your hand, bringing them to her face to dry her tears.

"That was intense, and now I’m embarrassed." She started to get up, and you followed her. "I need to go."

"Amber, wait. You don’t have to leave."

"Y/N, I need to." She quickly packed up all the materials she used back into the bag she was carrying. "That was more than I expected."

Knowing you wouldn't be able to change her mind, you just watched as she gathered her things.

"Amber, wait." You tried one last time as she approached the door to leave. She paused but didn’t look back. "Do you want to go shopping on Friday?"

Her shoulders trembled slightly, and she turned to you with a shy smile on her face.

"I would love to."

Tom was sitting at his desk in his room while you were lying on his soft comforter on the bed.

"Were you two out to lunch together?" he asked.

"Yeah, she asked if she could join me, and I didn’t say no. It was actually pretty nice."

"Until she freaked out in the middle of your living room."

"It wasn’t a freak-out." You sat up on the bed defensively, staring at him. "She vented. I didn’t understand much, but the emotional weight of her words… it was a lot."

"Amber is pretty straightforward."

"I don’t think so. She still has a lot bottled up inside her, and I don’t think she’s going to share it anytime soon."

"Y/N, she’s not a patient. Don’t overanalyze."

"I know that," you replied. "She said you two are friends. Has she talked to you about her parents?"

He raised both hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Let’s stop right there. That’s not our business."

"Ah, okay, sorry." You flopped back onto the bed, arms spread wide. "But did you know she said you talk a lot about me?"

"Did she?" He stood up from his chair. "What did she say?"

"Nothing too specific. But I think it’s problematic because you’ve created a fantasy of me for her."

"Me?"

"Yes! I’m not that special, and the way she talked… you really need to watch your words or it’s going to seem like I’m the center of your universe."

"Ha! You would like that, wouldn't you?" He gets up from the chair and sits on the edge of the bed.

"That's your life wish, Holland. Not mine," you joked back.

"So you think you’re that special, huh?" he says.

"I know I am. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t be right here now, and you wouldn’t be talking about me to other friends."

"You hurt my feelings talking like that. I don't have such a cold heart." he says, placing his hands over his chest.

"Aww, poor thing. Tommy gets his feelings hurt when he hears the truth." You reply, pouting and sitting again to face him properly.

"Why are you so sassy, huh?" He says, laughing and leaning closer.

"Life taught me to be this way."

"Stop that," he says, chuckling. "A few hours with Amber and you’re already just like her."

"We're friends. We have a date together on Friday!"

"I don’t know what to think, but I’m glad."

"Yeah, it's going to be fun," you smile.

"So, I've been thinking… actually, I heard some comments today about last Saturday."

"Yeah, I heard about it too. Apparently, you can still be the talk of the campus at any occasion."

"Oh, Y/N, you know not everyone cares about that. The ones who talk the most are the ones close to you or who want to be."

"I know, I was one of those people, remember? You can be sure I didn’t care at all about what you did or didn’t do until we had to work together."

"Yeah, if it weren't for social psychology, we might never have even exchanged a hello." That wasn’t exactly true. "Anyway, it turns out everyone thinks it was just that. Just a fling."

"Hm, what do you suggest?"

Tom smirked and pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Time to make it Instagram official."

"How do you want me?" you asked, and he stared at you, a new smirk appearing. "Not like that, you perv! You know what I meant."

He laughed and got up, offering his hand to help you up from the bed.

"I'll lead you," he says.

You both walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window in his room, the sunset bathing the space in natural light. Tom positioned you in front of him and wrapped one arm around your shoulders.

"Okay, now turn your face to the left. Pretend you’re distracted." You did as he asked.

Tom's free hand held the phone in front of both of you.

"Got it. I think we have the picture for the official announcement," he said a moment later, pointing the phone to catch your attention.

In the photo, Tom's face was resting on your head, his arm wrapped around you while you pretended to look at something in the distance.

"Tom, do you think this is good?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"This looks so forced."

"What a lie. I've never taken a more perfect couple photo." You put your hands on your head when you heard him say that.

"Thomas… you've never taken a couple's photo in your life!"

Tom might have posed with countless girls at parties and other events, but none of them carried any deeper feeling.

"Well, it's what we have." He clicked a bit more on the phone screen. "Done, I even tagged you. Are you going to repost?" He said just as you heard the sound of a notification coming from your phone on his bed.

"We should have taken another one."

"Y/N, then it will look forced. It needs to be natural."

"Ha, and you think this is natural?"

"Stop complaining."

You huffed and returned to his bed, grabbing your phone and opening the app.

"Hey, it's okay if you don't want to repost it because you didn't like it…" he says lightly.

"That's not it, Tommy." You meet his gaze, lowering your phone. "It's just that all my acquaintances are going to see it. And it will be real. My family, friends from home. I know that was the plan and what we agreed on, but I just don’t know…"

Tom moved closer to you and cupped your face in his hands.

"Hey, any time you want to stop, that's fine! I’ve already told you I’m not going to force you into anything. Just say the word, and it's over."

You let out a breath and rested your head against his chest, and he wrapped his arms around you in a comforting embrace.

"You too, Tommy. At any moment." You said, your voice muffled by his shirt pressing against your face.

A few seconds later, you slipped out of his arms and reposted the photo, blocking and silencing your phone immediately afterward.

"See? That wasn’t so hard. We’ll deal with the consequences later." He laughed softly. "Now let’s go, we need to get there early if we want to leave early."

Even though it was a Monday, Tom had managed to convince you to go out with some of his friends to celebrate the start of the new game season. The only condition you had set was not staying out too late. They had decided to meet up at a bowling alley for the night.

When you both arrived, Harrison and his date for the night Jessie along with Tyler, and his girlfriend Mabel were already there, having reserved a lane for the game.

Harrison started the game, followed by Tyler and Mabel, who asked her boyfriend for help with the only move needed in bowling. Next up was Jessie, who made the same request to Harrison—good first-date strategy.

"Ok, smartiepants, your turn," Tom said turning to you, pointing to the lane.

You got up from the couch in your section and walked over to the platform to choose the ball you'd use.

"Tommy, you're not being very smart right now," Tyler said, pointing in your direction.

"What do you mean?"

"Be a gentleman; your girlfriend is about to bowl. Don't you think you should help her?"

Tom laughed loudly. "My girl? Oh, she doesn't need help. She knows what to do."

And as if you sensed his words even without hearing them, you knocked down all 10 pins in one go, making him shout in celebration.

"That's what I'm talking about!"

The night continued, and Harrison emerged as the winner of the game, receiving victory kisses from Jessie. Before heading out, everyone decided to grab a quick snack at the same bowling alley.

After a while of laughter, you said goodbye to the group and everyone went their separate ways.

"I have to admit, these people aren't so bad." You say as you buckle your seatbelt and Tom starts the car.

"Yeah, Tyler and Harrison are my closest friends, which is why I wanted you to come tonight. I know some of the guys on the team can be jerks, but a few of them are worth it."

"The girls were really nice too, even with their performance of not knowing how to play and getting all cozy with the guys," you say, laughing.

"I don't know about Jessie, but Mabel has been with Tyler for a while, so it's likely you'll see her again," he replied.

"Hm, I wish Amber had come," you said, looking down at your hands in your lap.

"Haz said she was busy, that's why she couldn't make it."

"I see…"

"Hey." Tom called your attention, placing his hand over yours. "Don't think too much about it; that's Amber for you. She has a strong personality and is very intense. And she gets scared by things she can't control."

A few minutes later, Tom parked in front of your apartment.

"Have you checked your phone?" he asked, and you shook your head in response.

"It's been on silent since we left your place."

"Y/N, I'm here for you. You know that."

"I really appreciate you, Tom. I know you have your reasons for being part of this craziness we've gotten into, but seriously, thank you."

"Anytime, smartiepants." You smiled at him.

"I'm going now."

Before you could open the car door, Tom held your hand. "Wait, Y/N."

"What?" You looked at him.

"I need to ask you… about the party, what happened at the party." he said. "I don't… what was that?"

"Tom, I'm not understanding."

"We… we kissed."

"Oh, about that." You looked away. "I know you didn't expect it, but… when I came back from the bathroom with Amber, everyone was saying you had gone somewhere with Taylor, and when I went to look for you, I bumped into her, and she started saying all sorts of things, and I wasn't exactly in my most sober state either."

He didn’t respond and let go of your hand.

"I know we hadn’t agreed on anything, but it felt like the right thing to do at the moment. I needed to prove that we were together there."

Tom continued in silence, staring at the road ahead.

"I'm sorry. We talked briefly about this, and I thought…"

"So it was an act?" he asked. "Just to prove we were together?"

"Well, yes. It’s not what we usually do when we’re together," you replied uncertainly. "But Tom, if that bothered you, let’s set some boundaries. It's funny because you joked about it yourself and…"

"No, it's fine. You don’t need to. Just… I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" he said.

"Alright, drive safe," you said before getting out of the car and watching him drive away.

As you lay down and finally allowed yourself to check your phone, you felt a mix of curiosity and apprehension.

Notifications began to pop up on your phone, and you quickly realized that the repost of the photo with Tom had generated a lot of attention. Messages from friends and acquaintances started flooding your feed, and you couldn’t help but smile at the positive reactions.

Your sister replied with a simple "WTF?"

You couldn’t avoid feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness. Your relationship with Tom was becoming more real every day, and it brought a whirlwind of emotions.

Among the messages, one notification caught your attention: a direct message from Amber. “I saw the photo! I’m so happy for you. Let’s talk soon?”

You smiled as you read the message and felt relieved. But one notification, in particular, caught your attention even more.

Sean: Seems like I wasn’t wrong after all.

Seeing that message from Sean made your heart skip a beat. You hadn’t expected him to reach out, especially not like this.

TAGLIST: @feelinglikeineedlotsofnaps @un06 @lnmp89 @hoodharlow @let-me-luve-you @erule @smoofine @smile2345 @itsdoni @helen-on-earth @kagtobis @appleypi @jennifersworldsblog @marajillana @hufflepuff-n-fluff @aol19 @milasexutoire @watarmelon212 @miniaturetreecollectorfan-blog @twsssmlmaa @drquinnzel0217qqqqqqqqqqq @purplerose291 @princessria127 @jackiehollanderr

[waywardstation]

One last store update! After this I will begin sending emails to a subscriber list.

You can input your email of choice for my shop newsletter into this google form here.

A quick summary of some things:

I was unable to finish orders by printing their shipping labels by today, despite what I said last week, because of health issues that had to be addressed instead.

More of my product order was messed up, had enough items to fulfill every order but I’ve been left with ZERO extra stock on a couple items to put into my shop after.

I got enough interest in the Halloween keychains and stickers so I will be making them.

Full explanations below ^^

I have now packed every single order and reviewed all of their contents. However I was unable to send them out today as at some point last week I became very unwell. I’ve been going downhill for a while but it has never gotten to this degree this fast before. I still don’t really know what caused it and so I had been unable to pack over the weekend and couldn’t get all the shipping labels printed for them today.

I will be printing these labels out and taking chunks of the orders to the post office over the next few days.

But the more I’d packed the more I’d realized more of my product order had been messed up. I had ordered extras of everything and yet some of the products that I ordered just BARELY fulfilled every order — I had to use some of the initial samples to fulfill every order but rest assured they are the exact same as the products in size and quality. I have exactly ZERO of some products left over for shop stock when I’d ordered 10-15 extra of every item (as well as TOO MANY of some less popular products that didn’t need all these extras) which sadly means a few items will not be in stock when I open the store back up. I may put discounts on the unwanted extras I received because of this.

While I would expect by default to receive the products in the quantity that I ordered, I also understand that I ordered hundreds of products all in one order, and that is only one order that is being fulfilled out of the many other orders they get daily. I myself did not count out every single product to check because of the sheer amount of everything that was ordered — I had ordered over 500 keychains alone to fulfill the preorders and the entire order has taken up a full room when all spread out. But I still did not count beforehand and would only find out once I’d run out of a certain product, so I accept this is partly my responsibility too. This should not happen again as I never expect to make an order this big again, I had only done this for shop startup, and I will be making another order to restock these products. But it’s still sad it happened.

I apologize for this and I appreciate all of your patience once again. I am explaining all of this as I believe you are owed information about what is going on seeing as you’ve put money into this, and I myself said they would all be sent out by Monday. I just want to be transparent ^^

And one last thing — many of you wanted Halloween merchandise, so I will be moving forward with that! (I’ve decided they will not be glow in the dark though, as I’d have to make every vibrant color instead transparent for the glow to come through, and I believe the designs would suffer too much without these colors)

I have ordered from this manufacturer multiple times before over the years and they’ve always gotten it right with more reasonably-sized orders, so I am confident these will not have the same problems as this preorders period has.

Thank you again very much for your support and understanding up to this point!! <3

[ciaossu-imagines]

Can you do the following prompts for the Nekoma boys:

which character is a showoff

which character skips/skipped classes often

which character takes the scenic route more often than the most direct route

which character has the most irrational fears

which character is the most fearful of commitment

C

Of course I can! Thanks so much for the request and I hope you’ll enjoy my thoughts 😊

Which Nekoma boy is a showoff

Taketora, Haiba, and Inuoka all have a habit of showboating here and there. They all have very big personalities, which contributes to that bad habit. I think Haiba’s the most prone to being a showoff without knowing or realizing that that is what he is doing. He’s completely unaware, in large part, of how he can come off to others. He doesn’t realize he’s being loud, too excitable, or drawing as much attention as he does and even when he is the center of attention, it’s something he relishes in and doesn’t see a problem with. Taketora is the one most likely to show off on the court. He likes being acknowledged for his skills and he wants people to see and cheer for all the hard work he’s put into being such an integral part of the team. Inuoka is another accidental showoff – it’s just all his personality.

Which Nekoma boy skips/skipped classes often

It’s not something that’s happened often at Nekoma, because Taketora takes his position on the volleyball club really seriously. If he skipped too many classes and his grades really fell badly or he was hit with too many ‘bad behaviour’ remarks from his teachers, he’d be booted from the team and that’s not something he would let happen. However, I think in his younger years, especially junior high, Taketora did skip classes that he struggled in or ones where he hated the teacher. To him, he was going to fail those classes anyway, so what was the point in being in them? I will say I can also see Kenma skipping a class here or there, but his marks never really suffer. He’s very intelligent and because he makes good marks, his teacher’s don’t really complain.

Which Nekoma boy takes the scenic route more often than the most direct route

I do think this is definitely Kai. He is one of those people who enjoys taking life a little slower. The only time he likes things fast paced is on the volleyball court. To him, when you just take life at a slow pace, when you allow yourself little detours just to see where they lead or because they look beautiful, it’s when you discover amazing and beautiful moments in life that can’t be replaced.

Which Nekoma boy has the most irrational fears

To me, it’s Shibayama. It’s something that was really more pronounced when he was younger and very early in the series. I think Shibayama has not only some shaky confidence in his skills, but I think he has a degree of social anxiety and some poor self-confidence. This was especially prominent in his childhood years and through middle school. He was always kind of afraid that he wouldn’t measure up – as his parent’s son, in school, in the eyes of the other students. He was always a little afraid he’d mess up in school, say the wrong thing, that he wouldn’t prove interesting enough, funny enough, that he wouldn’t have the right interests, that he’d flub his words or accidentally do something embarrassing. Like, what if he's talking to someone and getting along really well with them and then out of nowhere, he lets out a big fart? What if he stumbles on his words and says something horrible? He's the type who would get shaken and think about it all day if he said 'you too' to a restaurant worker who said 'enjoy your meal.' I think by the time he does get to high school, he’s found ways to combat some of those fears, though they’re still kind of there. The more time he spends on the volleyball team and around his teammates, who show they truly like him and who support him, the more those fears melt away.

Which Nekoma boy is the most fearful of commitment

Romantically? I’d say it’s Inuoka, who doesn’t like to settle down into a relationship at all quickly. He likes to be able to date around and it’s rare for him to settle into a solid, committed relationship. He worries that, the moment he does, boom, his perfect soulmate will show up in front of him and he’ll be unavailable to get to know them. Professionally, it’s Kenma. It’s part of why he has so many different things on the go in the future. He doesn’t like to box himself. He wants alternatives and lots of options so that anytime he gets bored, he can easily pivot to something more interesting.

[hana-bobo-finch]

welcome back to another post of me being indescribably angry about wasp haters. If you hate wasps just for existing, you get zero respect from me. If you think wasps should be exterminated, you get subzero respect from me, and also a small amount of pure unadulterated hatred. You don’t have to like wasps, hell I can’t say with confidence that I wouldn’t reflexively swat at one if one came near me, but ffs the amount of vitriolic hatred I see towards them is insane. Even when they’re doing nothing wrong people hate them and it makes me so mad. You can see a picture of a nice little wasp having a snack and the comments are all about how they hate wasps and want them dead. I hate you all!!! I’m probably a little too mad for how little it matters in the grand scheme of things but whatever. Wasp hate makes me SO mad, it’s so unfair. How the fuck can anyone possibly say that an entire species should go extinct just because they’re mean sometimes?? And I say “mean” in the sense that they can be aggressive, they’re not actually mean, they don’t sting people because they find it to be so much fun and they just love witnessing human suffering. They are insects??? They aren’t serial killers who enjoy suffering??? They’re territorial creatures??? Do not care how pissy you are that you once got stung, I sat on a wasp when I was like 4 and I’m not out here trying to kill every wasp I see. It’s not the wasp’s fault that a dumbass toddler sat right on it. Literally every creature out there is fucked up by human standards in some regard, but you don’t see people rallying to kill all dolphins or whatever because that would be, rightfully, seen as insane!! How can it ever be driven through these people’s skulls that killing off an entire species is bad and that creatures aren’t evil?? I could go on for hours but I will not. wasps are great and I will love and defend them forever. If it were summer and the wasps were out, I’d be taking so many pictures of these precious gifts to mankind, but nooooo, it’s winter, and there’s a polar vortex going through so it’s like 10 degrees out. but just you wait wasps. once June hits, I am coming for you with a DSLR camera and a sugary drink for you to enjoy. at a respectable distance.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

Find the word tag

I'm going through them I'm going through them

Anyway thanks @aziz-reads!

My words: start, taste, large, change

Your words: talk, current, stick, jealous

Tagging @thepeculiarbird @blind-the-winds @little-peril-stories @buffythevampirelover @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @ohnomybreadsticks @dyrewrites @writeouswriter @writeintrees @verba-writing

Keep reading for:

Gwen runs (admittedly justifiably) away from Jedi and Carmen

Raissa makes an announcement :)

A short little scene of Robbie being a little shit

Arm wrestling discussion

Start - from The Secret Portal Part One (Gwen POV)

Thinking about them filled a deep, righteous fury as Dr. Asghar reached for the door. She let go of my left arm, so I jabbed my elbow into her gut. She yelped and I broke free. The time I spent running paid off when I shot down the hall, the balls of my feet carrying me across the gray tiled floor. I silently thanked the gym coaches forcing us to run thirteen laps. I heard Dr. Asghar and Dr. Moon run after me, but I didn’t stop. I had a good head start and was faster. I reached the vase I’d seen and gave a mental apology for knocking it over. Dr. Asghar swore loudly as I skidded around the corner and ran down that hall until I realized I reached a dead end. I whipped around but saw Dr. Asghar and Dr. Moon at the start of the hallway. I froze. “Where’d she go?” Dr. Asghar asked, panting. “I don’t know,” Dr. Moon said. He looked around. “She had to have turned here. Her powers must have activated.” I stood there in confusion. Looked behind me, looked back at them. What powers? How could they not see me? I decided not to think too much about it and be thankful that they couldn’t while trying to make my heavy breathing quiet down. “Let’s go back to the lab,” said Dr. Moon after a moment, turning around. “She could be demonstrating several abilities. I can name four off the top of my head.” He smiled. “Actually, seven! I’m curious to see which one it is.” Dr. Asghar huffed, but followed her colleague back around the corner. “Sorry about the vase,” I heard Dr. Moon say. “Who cares? It was my uncle’s. Good riddance!” I heard a sound that implied Dr. Asghar kicked a shard of the vase that bounced off the wall. “Eight!” I heard Dr. Moon exclaim. I could almost hear Dr. Asghar roll her eyes.

Taste - from The Secret Portal Part Two (Jedi POV)

“Hello, Alium,” the girl said. “What you are currently seeing is being broadcasted across every holoscreen in the world. No, there is no way to turn to another channel. My name is Raissa Kamanzi, and I am an Inutilia.” Murmurs began to ripple throughout the room. I found myself sitting up straighter, listening to every word this girl had to say. Rin and Jeong-Suk had turned in their seats to watch the broadcast. “I speak to you to bring a stop to how my people have been treated,” Raissa continued. “First, I want to tell you about myself. I was a certified genius at age three. I got a degree in dimension mechanics when I was twelve years old. I managed to hijack every holoscreen in the world for you to hear my message. There is nothing useless about me. There is nothing useless about any of us. My people are frankly sick of being treated as such. We are tired of the segregation, the attacks, and bigotry targetting us. You have no idea how much pain and suffering you have caused.” “Turn this damn thing off!” a Quinque man shouted as he stood from his seat. “Go back to Druz’ya Sem’i!” “So we have banded together,” Raissa continued. “We have decided to give you a taste of your own medicine.” “Did you hear me?!” “Sir!” an employee shouted. “We cannot change the channel!” “Turn off the holoscreen!” “I appear before you today to announce the existence of our new organization: The Refuga Alliance.” “No!” a Tribus woman shouted. “She has every right to speak!” “We renegades have risen up to take back what we have been denied our whole lives: power.” “I won’t stand here while some nullock spats propaganda!” “Together, we are working on ways to combat your powers, combat the prejudice, and evolve into better versions of yourselves.” “Do you hear her?” the man continued. “She’s threatening our very way of life!” “You will no longer be special. You will finally be able to feel what it’s like to be Inutil. Useless. You have relied on your natural powers for too long. Now you will finally be able to taste the consequences.”

I swear I've had to find "taste" a million times lol

Large - from The Secret Portal Part One (Robbie POV)

We turned a corner and went to a large door near the end of the hall. Dr. Asghar pressed her hand to the doorframe and the door slid open. We were now inside a room full of computers. Dr. Asghar walked behind one, leaving me in the center and Akash off to the side, and Dr. Moon stood in the corner watching her. “State your name,” Dr. Asghar said, putting what I assumed was hand sanitizer in her palm. “As in first name?” I asked. “Or first and last? Or full name? Or possible nicknames? Or—” “Enough!” Dr. Asghar said through gritted teeth. “Full name.” “Robert Benjamin Stafford.” “Age?” Dr. Asghar asked, not even touching the monitor. “I literally just said that I was thirteen.” “Date of birth?” “C’mon, man, that’s pers—” “Didn’t you literally just say that you just turned thirteen?” Dr. Asghar looked at me through her glasses. “Date. Of. Birth?” I sighed. I considered giving out a fake one, like yesterday, but decided against it. “May 2nd, 2010.”

Change - from The Secret Portal Part One (Akash POV)

Sammy’s cheeks glowed, her smile bright. “I got in! I got in!” “The Elite Crew?” I asked, referring to her studio’s advanced dancing team. Sammy bounced on her toes. “Yes! Yes, I did!” “Holy shit, that’s awesome!” said Robbie. “Congrats, Sammy.” “Hell yeah, it’s awesome!” said Liam, appearing in the doorway beside her. “I won the arm wrestling match because her phone went off with the news.” “Doesn’t count,” said Sam. “You’re catching up on Diamond Mode, anyway.” “Yeah, but now I’m catching up by one point less.” “It’s only fair I get a point. Now you can beat me in Diamond Mode, I don’t stand a chance in any other mode, so I have to take any win I can get. Besides, we have the rest of our lives for you to obliterate me in Diamond Mode.” “But what if you get better at Diamond Mode?” “Squirt, diamond can’t get harder than it already is.” “What if you find something harder than diamond?” “That’s impossible.” “We’re in an alternate dimension, Liam.” “Touché. But Alium doesn’t have anything harder than diamond, either.” “There’s a whole multiverse out there, though,” said George, taking a bite out of whatever granola bar he was eating. “Besides, an extremely powerful shapeshifter could theoretically shift their skin into a substance harder than diamond. However, that is unheard of. Also, if Sam gets so good at Diamond Mode Arm Wrestling, I suggest you change to weight-lifting and see if she can throw you when you’re dense or otherwise heavy elements.” Liam and Sam looked at each other. “That could work, Squirt. Excellent idea, George.” George lit up, but he hadn’t swallowed the granola, so his cheeks were puffed out. Like a chipmunk or something

[lovingdabeessss]

So, in response to this:

@tumblingxelian that’s really interesting!! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the different times grim have shown up through the historical perspective and lens!! Specifically on the appearance within the collapsed mine in atlas, an appearance I’ve always found really interesting because it’s sooo remote of a location. My personal theory based on this and others and just general love of the thought is that when it comes to extreme long drawn out emotions or huge mass tragedies, grim will be compelled to stay there for an extended amount of time depending on the extent of the tragedy even if there’s no more negative emotions being produced afterwards or just no people entirely Unless possibly a big enough tragedy occurs somewhere close by drawing it more then where they are

Thank you, I am glad you found my take there interesting!

So, broadly speaking we know that Grimm are drawn to negative emotions. When Mercury's leg got shot, we see Grimm becoming alert all over. We also can argue that Blake on the ship to Kuo Kuana was something of a Grimm lure as the Sea Feilong was drifting beneath it and seemed to become more agitated as she did. Plus as V2 established, it was expected that the White Fang would radiate negative emotions and steadily lure more Grimm towards their general area at the very least.

There's other examples but what I take from this is that while Grimm are drawn to all 'negative' emotions to one degree or another, they seem more... Just drawn to or otherwise aware of stuff like sadness, or subtle dread.

While it seems to be stuff like anger and rage that really gets them active. Not that a Grimm won't attack a sad person, just that they are less likely to be drawn in large numbers to sadness or act as aggressively on it.

Overall, I think the more 'hysterical' or extreme and intense the emotion is, which usually coincides with panic or rage than anything else.

Heck, we also saw Tyrian fall to despair near a Grimm and while it did eventually go for him, it seemed to take a bit to work up to it, compared to how quick on the draw they can be when someone is angry.

As a result, stuff like slavery and prisons, despite causing long term suffering can be sustainable, if still not often advisable.

IE, they are much easier to pull off in an area where the prisoners and slaves would be a minority compared to the comparatively happy citizens.

Meaning such things in small towns would be harder likely making banishment, denial of entry or swift executions more common. & it would discourage stuff like group punishments, torture, or like, executions designed to cause fear, as all those will create major emotional spikes. While in contrast, sadness or long simmering frustration while something of a draw, aren't enough of one to completely undercut the systems.

As to your idea, that is fascinating and given the magical nature of Grimm, Remnants souls and the overall setting. I could very easily see emotions... Clinging to a place so to speak. Or otherwise leaving such a big impact on the nearby Grimms psyche that they remain drawn to the location regardless.

Sorry for not having as much to add there ><

YEYAHHAHSHSHHSH AWESOME THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

Ok ok ok on this these are all awesome points I love this so so much yeah it’s so interesting to think about how they would deal with things like prisons especially

Maybe in places like atlas they’d keep the prisons in atlas due to it being so up in the air which less grim are naturally to keep in away from people? Maybe that’s why the mine is so far from people?

Maybe other places keep them farther from general society? Maybe underground? I wonder what affects the grims ability to be drawn to negative emotions?

Your so so right about the banishment thing that’s so true I wonder if any out of kingdom societies were formed based on that? (And promptly destroyed they don’t often last long)

I think that when it comes to emotion panic and desperation are the biggest draws of grim because of how consuming and consistent of an emotion it is but your SO right about anger that and hate are a big bright flag to grim for sure when it comes to sadness I think the biggest threat is meltdowns just total collapse crying sobbing meltdowns bring grim FAST which are a big common thing in huge tragedies or traumatic events/loses

And YEAH I think that there’s definitely something kinda magical to emotions in the Rwby world sense the grim are drawn to it it must have something to it that’s kinda tangible so maybe the thought it could linger places isn’t to far off!!! Right!?? Maybe? Idk I’m just having my fun little theories

Thank you so so so much for this response I love it I love a analysis on top of my analysis thank youuu

[kagedbird]

Cicero Loves You, Listener!

TESSDE AU - Dark Brotherhood route

~ [First] ~ [Next] ~ [Prev] ~

This was going to be… rough. To adjust to.

Something inside my stomach wanted to puke at the thought of being in a den of murderers, but I felt like my hands weren’t clean either. I couldn’t remember if I was like them or not, so I wasn’t sure I had any right to judge.

Not only that, but the Night Mother chose me. That clearly had to account for something, regarding my life. Right?

Either way, I was definitely treated like an outsider by the rest of the ‘family’ despite my supposed position. Only two people outside of Cicero really cared that I was Listener and addressed me as such— that being Babette, the vampire, and Festus Krex, the older man. Both were old enough to remember and adhere to the ‘old ways’ of the religious creed, but not everyone was so quick to fall back to the ancient ways.

Astrid especially. I could feel her cold, distrusting glare everywhere from the moment I stepped out of Mother’s sanctuary. She was clearly waiting for me to make a misstep, of any kind, so she had an excuse to take me out. Cicero warned me plenty enough to not linger near ‘the harlot’ for long.

It was mean, but hearing Cicero call her a harlot definitely made me snort. I had to ‘suffer’ through him trying to get me to do it repeatedly during meal time, much to the despair of my aching sides.

At the moment, I was seated next to Gabrielle as she stitched the last threads into the cloth of my new uniform. I was to match the others in their red and black colour scheme. Something inside felt fond at the colour duality— maybe I’d worn this before? Did I used to belong to another sanctuary?

Those three men in my dreams certainly didn’t wear the colours or anything regarding the family’s design…

I’d dreamt of them repeatedly since the first time. Flickers in time that didn’t really make sense, feelings and emotions I couldn’t really grasp. I think past me was infatuated with them, to some degree. Or she just held a lot of love for them in her heart.

Would they like this new me? Did they still exist?

Perhaps I could ask Night Mother where they were…

“You’re very quiet.” Gabrielle said suddenly, startling me from my thoughts. Curiously, I looked up to her in question, and she smiled. “Sorry. I suppose I was expecting another one like Cicero— er, the Keeper. Loud.”

“I can be.” I said, slowly shrugging. “But I feel like I’ll be threatened with another knife if I am.”

Gabriella laughs, a tinkling sort of sound leaking from her lips. “I think you might be right. I do apologize for it. I for one am glad we have another woman. It’s nice to have some company.”

I smile, feeling assured by her comment. It didn’t feel like she had any ulterior motives to tack on either. Just genuine want for camaraderie.

“Have you been recovering well, under the Keeper’s care?” She asked curiously, eyes flicking back down to her work.

“Yes. Cicero is very… attentive.” I settled on, glancing at where he was in the sanctuary. He was tending to Mother right now, oiling her preserved body.

I didn’t envy the task, I’ll be honest. Not to be disrespectful in any way. But it was… mildly unsettling, as was everything in regards to this guild.

“Attentive is a word for it.” Gabriella huffed quietly. “Just say the word if you need a hand, okay? I don’t mind at all.”

“Thank you. I might take you up on that.” I nodded. “I’ve been feeling this sharp pain in my thigh for a while, and I worry something isn’t healing right.”

“Oh! I’ll see to it after this.” Gabriella said, nodding firmly.

“Thank you.” I murmured, settling my back against the rough chair. It was nice to have a companion other than Cicero. You could only talk about the same five things so many times before it became tiring.

Gabriella’s smile widened as she swiftly stitched the pants in her lap. “Cicero said you were a polite one. I can only wonder how long it’ll last here.”

“Pardon?” I asked, confused. “...Does no one thank anyone here?”

“Well, of course we thank each other,” Gabriella admits, looking a bit sheepish. “But… no offense to you or your position, Listener, but you are… new.”

Ah.

“I’m sorry you all get third degree.” I offer simply, dipping my head respectfully. “While I’m still… lightly disquieted about the tasks that are given, I’m sure they aren’t given without thought. Otherwise, we’d just be killing anyone and everyone, wouldn’t we?”

“As much as Sithis might enjoy having so many souls brought to him in the Void, if everyone were to die, no one would be alive to kill.” Gabriella remarked dryly. “So, yes, you’re right on that one.”

“And…” I pause, looking around to make sure no one would hear, sheepishly glancing back at the elven woman. “...Everyone does their best to remain respectful of the dead, right?”

“Well… I cannot attest to everyone,” Gabriella admits, but gives a small shrug. “I certainly try to. Death is but the time to sleep forever, in the Void, after all. I assure that everyone has a good rest when it’s their time.”

“That’s all I can hope for.” I murmured, squeezing my shorts tightly. “Death isn’t something that should be taken lightly. Murder isn’t to be done lightly. I… I don’t remember what I’ve done, but I don’t feel clean. But I do know I had to have had my reasons. Regardless of the hefty price that was paid.”

Gabriella turns to me and stares deeply into my eyes. I do my best to maintain the eye contact, letting her search for whatever she wished.

“...How strange for the Night Mother to choose someone so… estranged to killing.” She eventually murmured, eyes tight. “One would think she would settle on a serial murderer. Or someone with the taste for blood.”

“Maybe she looks for restraint.” I offer. “You said it yourself, with everyone dead, there’s no one alive to kill.”

She hummed, keeping her stare for a few moments longer, before turning to the clothes on her lap once more. With a flourish, she tightens the thread and cuts the remaining string off, smoothing the cloth down.

“It’s done. Shall we adjourn to your room to see about your leg?”

“Yes, please. Thank you.”

She chuckled again, standing tall and helping me stand with a smile across her lips. “Ever so polite, Listener.”

“As if you’ve been nothing but kind yourself.” I countered with a grin, enjoying her laughter that followed.

“I wonder.”

I followed after Gabriella, slow as I was with a limp in my gait, and entered into the sanctuary with a wave to Cicero.

“Hello Keeper.” Gabriella greeted cooly.

“Hello, hello! And hello to you, sweet Listener!” Cicero said, smiling wide. “Come to pay respects to the Night Mother?”

“Maybe after Gabriella checks my leg,” I offered, giving him a weaker smile in return. “It’s been burning a lot lately, and I’ve been worried—”

Cicero gasped, looking down right appalled. “And you have not mentioned this to Cicero? Your dutiful, helpful, dearest Cicero?!”

I shrunk slightly, feeling properly admonished, and forced myself not to scuff my foot. “I… feel more at ease with a woman checking, Cicero. No offense to you or your capabilities at all. I just…”

Cicero stared heavily before letting out a dramatic sigh and turned back to the Night Mother. “Woe is me, dearest Mother! If only I had been born a woman, so as to take proper care of our dearest Listener! Woe, I say!”

I smiled wider, feeling a little more at ease at his goofy speech. “It’s just my leg, Cicero. You’ve helped with literally everything else, and I’m very grateful. I don’t want to keep having to lean on your kindness though.”

“So the Listener keeps saying.” Cicero sighed again, wiping his hands on a dry rag. “Perhaps the Listener should be the Keeper instead with how often she keeps poor Cicero.”

I laugh, shaking my head. “I would be a poor Keeper indeed. That job is yours, hon. You do a great job of it, and I know Mother is grateful for your efforts.”

“She is?!” Cicero squawked, turning to me sharply. “Has she said? Has she? Oh please, dearest Listener! Tell poor Cicero what she has said!”

“Um…” I blink in surprise, but feel myself soften at his urgency. He’s been without her voice and as her Keeper for so long. Like any child, he’d long to hear her praise…

“My dearest Keeper… though he longs to hear my voice, it does not belong to him. He is the Keeper after all.” Mother’s voice rang in my mind, making me snap to her coffin. The subtle red… “His loyalty, above all, brings his Dread Lord father and I the greatest of joy. As all of our children do.”

I smile, feeling my heart squeeze a bit. Reassured by this… matronly comfort that settled in my chest. It soothed an ancient ache I couldn’t recall. I’m not sure what, but it was definitely nice to hear the subtle compliment to myself.

“...She says you’re a wonderful, loyal Keeper. And that she and Father are proud of you.” I said softly, finally turning my eyes to see Cicero blinking back tears with a fervent relieving grief. A mixture of emotions swirling on his face as his hands clenched tightly by his sides, scrunching up the rag in his right hand.

I felt the urge to go to him. I wasn’t sure if it was Mother’s prodding, or a sense of my old self ushering me, but I strode forward and brought him into a tight hug, rubbing his back softly.

“Silence has ended, my Brother…”

“Welcome home.”

[clumsiestgiantess]

Chapter 22 of The Other-world Universe; it’s villain time, baby! >:)

all chapters listed here

[Round two: Knockout]

A blaring horn woke me with an awful cacophony of noise.  I wasn’t sure how long I’d been asleep, but I was sure that there wasn’t an alarm clock for me in the other-world.  “Ahh!  What’s going on!?” I yelped, sitting up in an instant with my hands over my ears.  “Finally, she’s awake,” an exasperated voice grumbled nearby.  Looking to my left, I found a truck parked right beside where my head lay a moment ago.  No wonder its horn had been so loud.  

"Wh- Why are you here?" I asked Mr. Stoll as he paced a bit further away from me, "I thought you said I could have some time off."  "Well, that was before I knew about this," he grumbled, messing with something in the truck.  "We received a radio broadcast this morning.  At first we thought it was more refugees, and in a way I guess it is, but.. well..  If I could just get this thing to-"  I saw another figure inside the truck do something to the machine Marcus was messing with, and soon a harsh voice played out over a speaker system inside.

This is Nicholaus Albane, head overseer of the Inter-reality Multiuniversal Research Division.  We know a human of our own size is with you.  She has displayed extraordinary power.  Unfortunately, it has been used against my scientists and has hindered my progress towards our goal.  I cannot allow that to happen again.  

There was a brief pause as static rippled over the radio.  Anxiety built in my stomach, making me nauseous.  If she is not present at our camp, or you fail to bring her to us at 34.5 degrees latitude and 28.4 degrees longitude…  Terrified cries suddenly burst through the speakers — too faint to be anything but other-worldian.  Everyone in this town will die.  Then it will be your turn.

My message to the unnaturally-powered human:  Do not resist.  You can not overpower the twenty or so staff present here.  Your tricks are amusing, but this isn't a game; no one's laughing.  There are lives at stake.  Come within the hour and the people here will be spared.  If you don't show up, I can personally guarantee that after every one of those little creatures dies, you’ll be next.  There was a sudden click, then the radio cut to static.

My stomach churned awfully as I realized what the scientist was saying.  They were holding an entire town hostage just to capture me.  If I came, they would undoubtedly drag me through a portal and lock me away somewhere, but if I fled, thousands would suffer the consequences.  Before either of the other-world people could say anything, I promptly rushed into the woods behind me and threw up.  There was too much going on, and way too suddenly; I was terrified.  Everyone’s lives depended on me.  But you already knew that.  Their lives already have depended on you.

I desperately didn’t want to turn myself in.  I.. can just.. leave.  All I had to do was concentrate on a thought and I’d be home — far far away from anything here.  The people from the portal wouldn’t be able to find me to punish me for not coming.  But what would happen if I really left?  I'd be leaving so many people to die if I did.  I couldn’t do that.  What kind of awful coward of a person would that make me?  Not the kind I’m willing to be.

Eventually, I returned to the field where Mr. Stoll stood, slightly startled.  The other person cautiously stepped out of the truck and looked up at me pityingly.  It took me a moment to recognize it was Ivan.  “We have no choice,” Mr. Stoll began, “We have to send you to their camp.  Not to comply with their orders, of course.  You’ll go there to fight them off with your gun, and whatever you need him for,” he said, nodding towards Ivan.

That’s right, with Ivan here I’ll have intangibility.  I can escape with that.  I took a shaky breath of air to calm myself and think straight.  I have to at least try to help them.  I don’t want anyone to die on my behalf.  But if worst comes to worst, being intangible can help me avoid getting hurt or captured.  “Alright,” I agreed solemnly, my voice shaking slightly.  “I’ll go.”  

Mr. Stoll immediately shoved a paper of sorts at Ivan and said something along the lines of ‘don’t screw this up’ to him.  “This map has the camp’s location and the route there plotted on it already.  The kid will take you.”  “Wait, we’re leaving now?” I asked, confused.  “I haven’t gotten ready.  Erica isn’t here, and-”  “They said come within the hour.  Forget about her and get going,” Mr. Stoll growled the same time Ivan said “We don’t have time; we have to leave now.”  I guess they were both right; I had to get there before it was too late, but I couldn’t help feeling a twinge of longing.  I wanted Erica there.  Her presence would be one small comfort in the midst of all the chaos, but there was no time.

Carefully, I let Ivan settle onto my hands before lifting him up to give me directions.  I strode with as quick a pace as I dared with my small companion.  Every once and a while he would give me new instructions.  Otherwise, the trip was deathly silent.  Fear and anxiety kept a capsule of quietness in the air at all times, only further increasing the tension.  

My heart broke a little as I left sight of the Cavern Town.  My magnetic sixth sense was pulling me back the direction I'd come.  It was a somber trip, just me and Ivan wandering towards the faint smell of machinery and upturned earth that grew stronger with each step.  The moment the scientist's camp appeared on the horizon, I hid nervously with my invisibility.  If there had once been a town there, it was impossible to tell.  The entire area had been cleared to stake the base of the scientist's tents.

What will they do to me if I’m taken?  If this is how they treat defenseless strangers who aren’t even taller than their hands, I don’t want to know what might happen to me — the person who can possibly stop them from doing it.  "Hey," Ivan said softly, looking up at the empty space where I'd been a moment prior.  "I'm really sorry about all this.  I don't think it's right for these people or mine to put this much pressure on you.  The only reason I'm here is, well..  Ok, Mr. Stoll forced me to come to the field, but I came with you because I knew you would want your intangibility.  Unfortunately for me, that means I need to tag along."  Though I couldn't hear it, I felt him chuckle lightly, "In all honesty, I wanted you to have at least one reliable getaway plan, because I knew you'd be a lot more scared without one."

Despite our dire situation, I managed a small smile.  Ivan actually cared about me; he wasn't here simply because Mr. Stoll or the overseeing scientist had frazzled him with the threat of annihilation.  His presence guaranteed a small piece of safety for me, even if it was at the expense of his own.  

I tried to calm my breathing like Erica had told me the last time I got scared by the scientists.  "So, do we have a plan?" Ivan asked hesitantly.  "Let me see if I can scout things out a bit closer.  I am invisible, after all."  “But I’m not...” he replied nervously.  I thought for a moment, “I’ll have to stash you in my pocket, but I’ll be sure to let you out before I go intangible, alright?”  Ivan nodded slowly, looking like he already regretted his decision to come along.  

Slowly, I slid him into my pants pocket and headed silently towards the scientists’ camp.  This one was a lot bigger than the previous setup I’d walked into when I first introduced myself.  There were three large tents about 20 feet long set up in a row along a small river.  On the other side was a huge tarp structure that looked like a circus tent, only it was a dead grayish-white color and seemed much more foreboding.  As I slunk into the edges of the campground, I peeked under tent flaps as people walked between them.  

The first tent held a plethora of strange machinery.  There were towering sets of humming boxes that flashed with blinding light every so often, and racks of glowing tablets lined the back wall.  Some things were still fairly recognizable, like a water dispenser and monitors showing the charted region of the land the scientists had discovered.  I held back a shocked gasp and waited a moment for someone else to walk through to give me another look at the monitor.  The amount of land pictured on the screen was worrying.  Is that a map of the land they’ve discovered, or the land they’ve already taken for themselves?  I hoped it was the former.

Moving on to the next tent, I found some sort of storage room piled high with crates.  It was empty of people.  These tents didn't seem all that impressive.  If I wanted to find out what was really happening, I'd have to get over to the large tent on the other side of the river.  I call it a river only because it would be that size to the other-world inhabitants.  To me, it was easily traversable.  The scientists hadn't even bothered to build a real bridge across.  A few slabs of rubbery plastic material were thrown across it to form a path just wide enough for one person to walk over.  

I couldn't go over the makeshift passage, though.  If someone were to walk across at the same time, they'd probably bump into me, and there were people crossing it constantly.  Workers zipped in and out of all the tents across the field.  They weren't even donning the 'hazmat giant' attire, just plain clothing — like they were simply going about a normal job.

Once I made my way over the river with a large step, I crept up to the main tent's entrance.  The tent flaps were held wide open, but I couldn't see much of what was happening inside.  I waited until the coast was clear, then slipped through the empty opening.  My mouth dropped open in shock as I took in the massive space.  I thought they'd flattened the town that was here — cast it aside to make room for this camp — but that wasn't the case.  The entire town was corralled in the large space beneath the tarp ceiling.  It looked like a model train exhibition, or something similarly fake.  I mean, who would corral a real city full of people behind a glass pen built for displaying things?

One quick glance around the gigantic room and I spotted eight or nine scientists working on various projects involving the town, which was fenced in on all sides by thick waist-high glass panes.  There were divots for people to step into the town, and clearings where scientists could examine the buildings more closely.  However, the barriers around the openings were still far too high for any other-worldians to even dream of getting over them.

I stepped over one of these openings and knelt down inside.  I'd assumed the other-world people were caged up somewhere, lying in wait as bait for me.  However, as I peered at the tiny town, I could see small figures dash by windows, boarding them up in an attempt to keep the giants out.  Everyone and everything was left pristinely untouched by the scientists.  I doubted it was out of kindness.  They wanted a perfect replica to study, and that was all.  The moment they finished whatever it was they were doing here, everything would probably either be torn down or taken away through a portal somewhere, never to be seen again.  I shuddered at the images that drifted through my mind.  

While I knelt there, one of the scientists wheeled a machine over and hooked it to a track that sat on the rim of the glass wall.  After a few moments, it flared to life and began making a slow circle around the entire ring.  What is that thing?  I didn't have a clue what most of the scientists’ machinery did, but as the flat metal piece drifted in my direction, it let off a blaring alarm.

The scientist who'd placed it on the track examined it for a moment, then looked directly at me.  I hesitantly stood up, unsure if I'd been spotted.  They then called over a few of the others in the room, and soon everyone was staring at the invisible spot where I stood, looking back and forth between me and the machine.  My pulse quickened; I could feel it in my chest.  Easing my hand into my pocket, I slid Ivan out and hid him behind one of the buildings as soundlessly as I could.  I had a feeling that I was going to need my intangibility soon.  Suddenly, one of the scientists cried out.  "It's her!  The anomaly is here!  Get the overseer!"

I slid into intangibility and raced out of the enclosure to an empty part of the tent as everyone stampeded out.  As much as I didn’t want to get any closer to where the scientists would be, I really didn’t want to stay in the little town.  I could all too easily flatten it trying to fight or run from the portal ‘giants’.

Just as quickly as the scientists fled, a new team of 'giants' appeared.  This group wore distinctly armored clothing.  A few were equipped with futuristic weapons that looked somewhat similar to rifles.  There were a lot more people here than I thought.  I turned hesitantly to visibility, but clung tightly to intangibility — latching onto Ivan so desperately I would’ve been clinging to him if he were still physically with me.  The crowd parted, revealing a tall, thin man with taunt muscles and eyes that were unmistakably golden-yellow.

He sized me up for a moment, then smiled almost welcomingly.  "I see you got my message," he observed, gesturing to my arrival.  His voice was undoubtedly the same one I'd heard over the radio.  The overseer looked between me and the captured town for a moment, then laughed haughtily.  "You were trying to save these tiny creatures?  How sad.." he mused, "That's just not going to happen.  But you'll be joining them on their trip through the portal very soon."  I tried to shake off his subtle threats and focus on what I came there to do.  I had to put a stop to this.  

I made my way in front of the captured town in a slow, decisive march, planting myself between the group of ‘giants’ and the glass walls behind me.  “This isn’t right,” I announced to the crowd, “Trust me, I’ve been in denial myself.  I didn’t even believe this world was real.  But I know better now; these are real people, these are real lives you’re destroying.  It has to stop.  It’s not right for you to do th-”  “That’s where you’re wrong,” the man from the radio cut in, putting a hand up to silence me.  

“We have every right to be here.  We discovered this world, so why shouldn’t we take it for ourselves?”  I huffed, “But there are already people living here!”  “Too bad for them,” he replied nonchalantly.  “Do your people know the expression ’survival of the fittest’?  Surrender or die?  Kill or be killed?  Don’t your people also claim land from others for themselves?”  “Well.. yes,” I stuttered.  “That’s all we’re doing,” he explained calmly.  “So pick a side.  Before we decide for you.”  “But that’s not-!”  “Pick.  A.  Side.”

I know who I’m going to stand with.  I have to help the people of the other-world.  But if this becomes an all-out war over land, am I ready to stand in the middle of it?  I inhaled a deep breath to calm my nerves, steadying my position in front of the town.  “I’ve already made my decision,” I remarked coldly.  The cruel overseer only sneered.  He turned swiftly on his heel and stepped to the threshold of the tent.  “Capture her,” he ordered, “and slaughter the town.”

The tent became a blur of motion as the group fanned out.  Some people headed into the town through the glass openings, while others advanced towards me.  I pulled out of intangibility and grabbed my new weapon — immediately firing at the people who tried to attack the captured town.  Dodging the oncoming shots, I rushed around the side of the glass barrier.  I flinched as bullets of glowing hot metal stuck fast in the glass.  Thankfully, the enclosure barrier seemed thick enough to protect me.

As the three people with weapons reloaded, I quickly switched to multi-shot mode and decimated one side of the glass wall to allow everyone from the other-world a potential escape.  Turning on my pursuers, I fired off another round and they all scrambled out of the way as explosions tore open the sides of the tent.  The other ‘giants’ clearly hadn’t anticipated that I could fight back with a weapon of my own.  

Someone gave a signal and those without weapons disappeared out of the torn opening.  As I held off the rest of the group, a flood of other-world townspeople made their way out the shattered hole in the barrier.  Tearing open the side of the tent with a few explosive shots of my gun, I followed the group from behind, still facing my oncoming attackers.

Once everyone evacuated outside, the ‘giants’ tried to surround us, but I stopped them with a shield smoke bomb.  By the time the haze cleared, I’d cast a protective dome over the whole group, trapping them inside.  Just as I turned back to the other-world civilians, a keening noise split the air — sounding like a higher-pitched gunshot.  I flinched expecting to be hit, but nothing happened.  Then, a shocked cry echoed inside the barrier.

Turning back around, I saw one of the people lying on the ground inside.  They’d tried to shoot the barrier to escape with a smaller firing weapon, but the bullet, or whatever the weapon shot, had ricocheted off the wall and hit him instead.  The others inside began panicking as they realized that there was no way out.  Before I could address either of my problems, another one emerged.

The group that had left earlier returned, armed with lightweight shields and more of those strange futuristic guns.  I fired off a few quick blasts as the new group charged me, shields raised.  My light bullets seemed to have no effect on the shield material.  The force of the multi-shot explosion caused my attackers to falter, but that was all.

I put the gun away and went intangible and invisible.  Come on Alexis, think!  What else can you do to-  Oh!  Of course, my abilities!  Racing forwards, I began taking them out one by one, using invisibility to attack unexpectedly and intangibility to dodge anything they threw at me.  I was doing fairly well until one of the ‘giants’ figured out my strategy.  He slid past my invisible arm as I aimed my weapon, grabbed it, and threw me to the ground, knocking it out of my hands.  I lay there stunned, shock chasing away the powers I'd clung to a moment prior.  The force had knocked all the air from my lungs and all the thoughts from my head.

Gasping for breath, I couldn’t stop two of them from hoisting me up to drag me off.  When they did, I was able to see the group of other-world people I’d saved, giving me some much-needed encouragement.  The Cavern Town truck fleet had arrived.  All of the survivors were being loaded onto the vehicles, headed safely back to the protected town in the valley.  Despite my dire situation, I’d managed to save them.  

My body surged with new life once I realized that my job was complete.  I slid into intangibility so I could escape the men's grasp.  However, they still held me fast.  What’s worse, they’d also seen the other-world civilians escaping.  I tried again to switch over to intangibility, but I realized that I had been dragged too far away from Ivan or anyone else I could latch on to; I had no way to get out.  Panicked, I jabbed one of them in the ribs as hard as I could.  He let out a surprised yelp of pain, and I tried to writhe my way out of the second person’s grasp, but it was no use.  The second man stuck his leg out beneath me just as I broke away, and I fell face first into the ground.

Blood dribbled out of my nose, but before I could do so much as wipe it away, I was dragged upwards again.  I thrashed in their grasp, but it only earned me a violent kick to the stomach, sending me right back into the dirt.  My fight to escape became a desperate animalistic struggle.  After a few more escape attempts where I was immediately thrown back to the ground, the butt of one of the men’s rifle-like weapons struck the side of my head — ending my struggles.  I was still half conscious, but my vision had gone black for a few minutes as the men continued dragging me off.

Once I could see and think again, I glanced back over my shoulder to see the other-world people.  The caravan was speeding away.  I'd distracted everyone enough that they no longer cared about them, but I noticed with a pang of terror that I'd almost been dragged all the way to the river crossing.  One of the tents on the other side had a portal inside it.  

Digging my heels into the ground, I tried desperately to get away.  If I could just find anyone to latch onto, I could escape.  However, I could barely stand anymore.  All I could do was try to slow my captors down, but that was starting to annoy them.  Finally, after my fourth or fifth attempt to get free, the man I’d hit turned on me.  His hands suddenly wrapped around my neck with a crushing grip on my throat.  I gasped fearfully, clawing at his fingers.  Faintly, I heard the other person comment: “We’re supposed to bring her back alive, Rowan.”  “I’m just putting her to sleep,” he growled in reply as more pressure forced my windpipe closed.  Seconds away from passing out, I thought ruefully of my family back home — how they’d never know I died here.  The force on my throat vanished, and I fell onto carpeted flooring.

It took me a long while to recover enough to figure out what happened.  My thoughts had taken me home.  The house was empty.  I vaguely remembered my family planning to go somewhere without me after I turned them down.

I sobbed in relief, hesitantly sitting up from my spot on the floor.  How am I so stupid? I chided myself internally, I could’ve escaped to my world any time I wanted!  Laughing numbly at my mistake, I yelped at the pain it caused me.  I couldn't make a single noise without my throat closing up or burning like it had been rubbed raw.  Slowly, I got up, nearly stumbling back down to the ground, but I grabbed a nearby chair for support.  I made my way to the basement kitchenette and gulped down water.  It hurt my throat, but I was desperately thirsty.  After my more primal needs had been taken care of, my adrenaline high wore off, and I quickly spiraled into fearful recognition.

The scientists, the townspeople, the hostages — it was all too much.  I had barely escaped with my life even with my gun and my powers.  The people from the portal world attacked in a group too big for me to handle; I couldn’t defend myself from all of them at once.  My first fight was a fluke.  I only won because the scientists hadn’t expected me.  This time, they called me there.  This time, they wanted me to fight them.  I should’ve known that they’d figured out a way to subdue me.  I’d only escaped because I remembered I could return to my own world with a thought.  If it had taken any longer, I would’ve been choked unconscious — stolen away to the scientists’ world.  And Erica had to watch everything happen.

I saw her out of the corner of my eye after getting thrown painfully onto my back during the fight.  She stood in the middle of the field, closer to me than the group of fleeing other-worldians but still far enough away that none of the soldiers could easily get her — staring in horror as I was thrown down again and again.  Weak and barely able to stand, I fell onto the couch feeling like I was dying.  Maybe I am dying.  I would disappear from the other-world never to be seen again.  Everyone would think I abandoned them, but in reality, I was just dead.  

For a few hours, I lay on the couch in agony, finally managing to get up for some pain reliever across the room before heading right back to lay down some more.  I can’t fight the people from the portal.  I have no choice but to leave.  I’ll run away and never go back.  The other-world residents can’t convince me to return if they can’t get to me.  My stomach sunk with guilt, but I reasoned that if I went back to fight, I would either get kidnapped, end up dead, or both.

Wait, I can’t leave Erica!  I’d already made the mistake of abandoning her along with the other-world.  I’ll have to separate the two…  I’ll have to take her with me.  Surely she’ll also want to get away from her apocalyptic world.  Especially now that the 'giants' are on the path of destruction.  I moved to lay on my side, staring at the empty spot where the table once stood.  The noises of my family returning home sounded from the floor above me.  My dad came down to see me, so I hurriedly covered as much of myself as I could with a blanket, trying to hide all my injuries.  I made an excuse that I wasn't feeling well, and he left me alone.  I was internally shocked at how sick I actually sounded.  My throat was still rugged after the forced attempt to squeeze it shut.

Several hours later, after the pain subsided to something more tolerable, I returned to the Cavern Town.  Well, a cutoff of the valley near the Cavern Town.  I couldn’t bear to go back there and be expected to keep protecting it.  

Sitting there in subtle secrecy, I thought through what I would say to Erica once she undoubtedly found me.  My brain kept thinking in circles from I can’t leave to I have to leave over and over again.  About a half-hour later, I felt Erica’s presence begin to get closer.  Sure enough, a lone truck turned down the cutoff to face me, stopping just short of where I sat. Erica stepped out and looked me over, agony distorting her features.  Both of us faced eachother in silence before she finally spoke.

“Alexis, I’m so sorry…”  I shook my head, stopping her from saying much else.  “Don’t apologize Erica, none of this is your fault.  It’s neither of ours.”  “You-” “I’m leaving.”  “What?!”  She blanched, stepping towards me slightly, almost pained.  “I- I mean I understand why, but.. You’re really leaving?”  "Yes.  I can't keep living here like this.  I'm leaving, and I'm taking you with me."  Erica suddenly halted in her gentle approach.  "Wait, but.. this is my world, my home.  I don't know if I can just.. run away with you."  

"Of course you can!  It's not like you have anything left here to care about.  Just come with me, then we'll both be safe!" I begged.  Erica's expression clouded over in a mixture of emotions that passed so quickly I couldn't read them.  "And what then?" she asked tiredly, "I can't live in a world that's at least thirty times my size.  You get to go back to your normal life, but what about me?" I flinched as I heard more trucks heading down the cutoff.  "Please, we’ll figure it out later, but we have to go now."  I reached out to scoop Erica up, but she sidestepped my outstretched hand and backed away.  "No!  Stop it!  You can't just grab me and take me off to your world, that's kidnapping!"  Clouds of dust sprawled out near the entrance to my little ravine.  The trucks were almost there, I had to run before they forced me to stay.  Anxious to flee the world and its people, I cornered Erica with both hands and held her tight — disappearing quickly into the air just as the trucks came into view.  The next thing I knew, I was kneeling in the basement, Erica still trapped in my hands.

[madamlaydebug]

“Suffering and joy teach us, if we allow them, how to make the leap of empathy, which transports us into the soul and heart of another person. In those transparent moments we know other people’s joys and sorrows, and we care about their concerns as if they were our own.”

~Fritz Williams

“Phoenix rising from the ashes.” This phrase popped into my head recently, and I wasn’t sure why until I did the research. As the story goes, the phoenix is a mythical bird with fiery plumage that lives up to 100 years. Near the end of its life, it settles in to its nest of twigs which then burns ferociously, reducing bird and nest to ashes. And from those ashes, a fledgling phoenix rises – renewed and reborn.

And now I get it. This is the story of my life in the past few months – especially the part about burning ferociously. Life presented me with some challenging circumstances that left me just hanging on. And now, sanity has returned. I look out with fresh eyes. The fog has lifted, and the dark clouds have moved on.

My experience is not unique – it happens to all of us at some point, it’s a part of the human journey. But this was my time, and I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned along the way.

Resistance is natural

When life threw me a curve, I longed for the turmoil to be over with. I wanted to pick myself up and move on. I tried hard to create a plan, to know what I didn’t know, to gain control. I was so busy trying to make things happen that I overlooked what was actually happening.

I ignored my feelings and resisted the present moment. Yes, me, the one who writes aboutwelcoming all of our experience with a loving, open heart. I was doing everything but.

Finally, I realized my approach wasn’t working. I stopped trying. I let myself be frustrated and impatient. I admitted that there was so much I didn’t know, and I let go of figuring it all out. Life was messy, so I suspended my fruitless attempts to clean it up.

And this was the beginning of the fire, as there was space for feelings and reactions to surface.

Things happen in their own time

When I look back I see that I had very little control over what happened. The seasons of my experience had to run their course – severe winter storms, cold and darkness, then the seeds hidden from view beginning to sprout (very exciting!). The best I could do was ride the waves, which I did with varying degrees of success.

Forgetting and remembering joy

When darkness descends, joy is blotted out, buried, seemingly non-existent. Everything weighed like a heavy burden, all my activities felt like obligations. When I realized that I had forgotten joy, I created a “want-to-do” list. Every time I found myself wandering around in a fog, my job was to pull out the list and do something enjoyable or productive. I organized closets andtook walks, finally starting to see the beauty around me.

And I focused on others – being a good friend, showing up for someone in need.

My self-care didn’t suffer. My diet stayed healthy, and I kept up with yoga. But some people going through hard times can benefit from paying special attention to the basics of daily living – good diet, exercise, limited alcohol.

Staying close to the bone

Things started to shift when I made the commitment to find direction in my moment-to moment experience. The big picture was way too nebulous, but I realized that in each moment there was a kernel of truth, a clarity, a “yes” that showed me my next step.

I recognized that this guidance had been there all along, but I was too caught up in trying to find solutions to see it. When I let go of paying so much attention to the stories running through my mind, of trying to control, of avoiding strong feelings, much to my surprise, I found the groundedness I was looking for – the truth in every moment.

Support was essential

At the beginning, I was going it alone, and I wouldn’t recommend it. Eventually, I reached out, allowing the vulnerability of asking for support. It came in so many beautiful, unexpected ways, but I had to let people know I needed it. And a few sessions with a therapist offered some very useful insights.

The clouds do part

“This too shall pass” were empty words to me. I looked into the future, and all I could see was confusion. My negative mind had taken over, and I couldn’t see my way out.

But the clouds do part in their own time. The human spirit is resilient and wants to find its way home to wholeness. I see this over and over in my work. I facilitate a bereavement group at a retirement community for people who have lost their spouses after sometimes 50+ years of marriage. You can just tell when someone walks through the door that they will announce they no longer need the group. They are renewed; they have gone into the darkness and found their way through.

One day I realized that I was happy, and soon after, I saw that I was thriving. I had been through the fire and emerged whole and clear, with doors opening in so many wonderful ways. The sad and frustrated stories in my mind had fallen away, and the emotions that had captured me softened. I can breathe freely again.

Eventually opening to the lessons

When people said I would look back and appreciate this time, all I could do was groan. When I was in the thick of it, it seemed like it would never end. And now, with the sun shining and flowers blooming, I can reflect on what I have learned.

Let things happen.Give up trying to control.Don’t pretend you know what you don’t know.Stay close to what you know is true in the moment.Feeling bad isn’t wrong – it’s just how things are sometimes.Take good care of yourself.Engage with others.Reach out for support.When the time is right, feel the emotions.Get perspective – learn what not to do next time.

[praline-elegy]

Sry I’m new to this fandom (fence) rly but I have a few of these:

#4-Kyle

#6-Harvard

#7-Thomas

#9-Nate

#10-Jesse

#11-Sungchul

#12-Marcel

#16&17-Scott

#20-Nicholas with seiji

Anon is requesting headcanons from this prompt meme.

4 - Driving: Kyle crosses me as the kind of person to be cocky and for good reason. I think he’d get his driver’s license as soon as he turned 16 and actually be a good driver. I could also see him as the type to test well when getting his learner’s permit, but suddenly be faced with the reality of how scary driving is once he’s behind the wheel. So he’d either be one of the first or very last out of his friends to get his driver’s license (but still first for the learner’s permit).

6 - Hugging: Harvard crosses me as either really awkward or really generous with hugs. Perhaps generous with friends and awkward with acquaintances? With arms like that there’s no way he wouldn’t give a great hug, but whether he likes to give them really defines the quality of the embrace.

7 - Kissing: I think Thomas would be shy with romantic pda but would be all for it if it was familial (parents or his brother Aster kissing his cheek or forehead). In private, I think he’d love kissing to an embarrassing degree, to the point that he’d turn pink if he got walked in on, even if nothing below the belt was happening. A very shy kiss-fiend if you will.

9 - General physical contact: Nate is a very friendly character, so I think that his welcoming nature translates to his touch. He’s very comfortable with casual physical intimacy. Because of that, I think Nate could get away with being touchy-feely with people he has a crush on (but whether he’s brave enough to is another question). I also think that he suffers a facet of “nice-to-everyone” syndrome, where he’s so casually physical with everyone, the person he crushes on won’t notice the difference because “Nate does this with everyone.”

10 - General physical appearance: Jesse’s aware that he’s conventionally attractive. He knows it and he lives it. He likes his blonde hair and blue eyes, but sometimes he wonders what he’d look like with more of his mom’s features. Everyone tells him that he looks like a copy + paste of his father when Robert was his age, and at first he reveled in that knowledge, but as he got older he felt a bit confined in that image. He’s probably considered dying his hair to match his mom’s in the past, but never quite went through with it. There’s a box of brown dye sitting in the back of his closet that he bought when he was 15. He’s either never told anyone this, or only told Seiji this.

11 - Wardrobe: While I love Sungchul, I don’t have any concrete opinions about his wardrobe. He probably owns a bunch of good quality basics (like egyptian cotton or pure cashmere) and the only graphic tees that he owns are from Halverton or ones that he’s received from participating in sporting events.

12 - Jewelry: I don’t really think about Marcel too much to have thought about it, but he either crosses me as someone who doesn’t wear any, or wears a couple of rings on his fingers.

16 - Anger: Scott’s a very friendly kind of guy so I imagine he’d be the type to have a simmering kind of anger. The quiet kind that doesn’t happen often but when it does it’s really bad. Scott’s emotions often turn to exasperation or frustration rather than anger, so most of his friends (except a select few) have ever seen him mad, and when he is, he’s furious.

17 - Soft spot: Scott has a soft spot for cats. There’s an outdoor cat that often visits his house and Scott has a dedicated pile of cat treats in his pantry for her. He turns into pudding when it comes to her. She hopped onto his back and laid there once while he was doing push-ups and he Did Not Move until she got off (luckily Scott was already laying prone on the ground, otherwise planking for more than two minutes would’ve been miserable). (He’s also pudding for his crush/boyfriend, but I’d also argue that anyone would be soft for the people they love).

20 - Nicholas’ relationship with Seiji: I like to headcanon that Nicholas is touch-starved and the moment that Seiji finds out, he tries to touch Nicholas more often in meaningful ways. A squeeze of the bicep for comfort, shoulders pressing together to acknowledge the other’s presence, massaging the cramp out of Nicholas’ hand after fencing, and then lingering there after the ache is gone. Intimacy in small gentle touches.

[pallastrology]

my ‘23/24 solar return chart

hello :-) it was my birthday this week, i turned 27, and i wanted to take a look at my solar return chart for the year ahead. i found it really insightful but a little daunting, and thought writing about it would help me find more clarity. i’ve inserted a picture of the chart below so you can take a look; if you see anything interesting, i’d love to hear about it! when analysing my chart for the year, i noticed two recurring themes, which, to my mind, are balance and healing.

the concept of balance comes up again and again. it makes sense to me that this would be an issue; my life is very chaotic right now, with a lot changing both internally and externally. i am having to adapt, which is proving quite the challenge. there’s a lot going on in the seventh house of my solar return chart, with a stellium consisting of the sun, mercury and venus (as well as lilith, juno and pallas). with so much activity here, i’m seeing themes of communication, connection and contracts. my sun conjunct pallas tells me i will need to trust my own abilities and develop my intellect and intuition, while its square to vesta in the fifth house tells me i will need to think about what is best for me in the long run, not necessarily what lifts discomfort temporarily. something a little lighter is happening with mercury, forming a trine to jupiter; a placement that will hopefully serve me well as i start my first year of university. it implies generosity and tolerance, a way with words, a lust for knowledge and aptitude to languages and cultural studies, though it can get lazy at times. venus conjunct juno and sextile mars in the eighth house indicates that my relationship is reaching a new level of comfort and maturity, without missing out on fun or intimacy. venus is actually almost exactly at her natal position, which is interesting to me; makes me think of something coming full circle, or a lesson being repeated somewhere.

lilith features quite strongly in my solar return chart too, being in the anaretic degree, in the busiest house, in her natal sign like venus. i was struck quite quickly by the fact that she is connected to neptune and pluto by quincunxes - forming what would be (if she were a planet) a yod aspect. although not technically a yod, i believe this is still an important pattern to look at. it indicates a time of painful realisations; illusions being shattered and my relationships with myself and others changing drastically. the balance i need to find here is in accepting reality without letting myself be crushed by it, and learning to keep my emotional self safe without resorting to extremes. this need to balance the pain of healing with the pain of suffering repeats again with a mars-chiron opposition; do i walk into the line of fire or run away from it? the key here lies with venus (coming full circle…), as we can see that mars is sextile and chiron is trine the planet of love. forming a relationship with my wounds, treating them with kindness and care, not running away or pushing my way out of the pain but not exhausting myself from it, is the way forward.

another interesting aspect pattern forms between the moon, in airy aquarius and the first house, jupiter in taurus and the third house, and ceres in scorpio and the eighth house. again, i see themes of balance and harmony coming up in relation to healing. this time, it looks specifically at caring for my loved ones’ emotional needs without losing track of my own. there isn’t a clear “out” with this pattern; while the moon and jupiter form a harmonious connection, it doesn’t extend to ceres. this makes me think that this will be a recurring theme with a bit of a power struggle involved, which makes sense; we can’t control when we or others need more TLC, after all, and it doesn’t always work out that we take turns.

looking through the chart as a whole, i think that the year ahead is all about balance and connection; shattering illusions without crumbling under harsh reality, stepping into my own power and wisdom while allowing my nurturing side to take pride of place, embracing emotional intimacy without neglecting the material world and its demands… healing looks to be a big theme too, but an ugly, painful kind of healing. it looks like i will have to shed a lot of layers this year, and come to terms with a lot in order to tune into the repressed and neglected parts of myself and come out of it more of a whole individual. the search for myself goes ever on and on, i suppose.

i hope this post was interesting to read 🩵

kira xo

[flock-talk]

Hi, I’ve got an odd question for you! Do you think parrots would gain anything from being around much smaller bird species, such as finches or diamond doves? Not having actual contact as I wouldn’t want a larger parrot beak being around much smaller finch bodies, but I’m wondering if any enrichment would be gained from just being in cages near each other? Like being to hear and see each other without actual contact. My parrot is a quaker parrot (please give Toto a smooch for me) and we are moving into our first ever house in January and I’m really worried that he’s going to suffer going from having the interaction with my family to only having interaction with me, and I’ll be doing full time work and full time school. Obviously I will do everything I can to give him time and attention, I was just curious if he would gain any enjoyment from being around some smaller birds, since they would require less one on one time from me. Just curious on your thoughts, hope you and all your critters are doing well!!

Really depends on the bird on that one

To some extent seeing another bird around can potentially help things like confidence, helping them feel safer when “alone”, etc. to some extent it may provide some level of enrichment as something visually stimulating with some degree of possibility that they may try to converse or interact through vocalizations

But there’s also a decent risk for things like territorial stress kicking in, resource guarding, general feelings of being threatened, feeling like you’re replacing them/ new bird taking you away from them. Especially with an already stressful adjustment period adding another bird on top of that would place an increased risk for the bird to be perceived more as a threat than a friend.

I’d be tempted to say that the benefits of adding a second non parrot bird with the primary function of entertaining the existing bird would be better met by things like a running TV, video calls, window access, and a radio/ music playing. Along with things like increased foraging enrichment, enclosure size, and other species appropriate activities!