#Look it is a lot easier to spot the signs when living with the person and you have done the same thing

[bwabbitv3s]

Oh yeah no I agree. The reason Danny knows in this instant and thinks it is obvious is because he has a couple unfair advantages and a few months of observations. First being that both Batman, Bruce Wayne, and the others from the Justice League are trying to help him and know about him being from another dimension and trying to get home. So he knows for sure there is some kind of connection between Bruce Wayne and the Justice League, at the very lest Batman has to think he is trustworthy.

Second it is kinda a bit hard to separate out the stuff Bruce Wayne secret benefactor of the Justice League who is helping a dimentionally displaced teen, from Batman the greatest detective that protects Gotham and is helping the JL in helping a dimentionally displaced teen. There is enough overlap that when concussed and sleep deprived at 7am while having breakfast with the new ward it is kinda easy to slip on a couple details.

Add in that Danny is living in the home of Bruce Wayne who needs to keep his night life persona secret from the additional blue eyed black haired teen is hard. Plus no one else in the manor has practice in keeping secrets of being vigilantes from the others living there last that long either.

It take about a month tops for Danny to get suspicious. Dealing with Vlad and other ghost overshadowing other people and messing with him means he is very sensitive to the moment stories don't line up. That along with his own experience trying to hide this sort of thing from his own family for ages helps. After that it takes another before it becomes Batman and Bruce Wayne might be the same person or Bruce Wayne is Batman's sugar daddy.

It’s been months since he’s settled into life at Wayne Manor. It’s hilarious that they don’t think he knows about their obvious nightlife (and that’s coming from someone whose hero name was just their last name spelled differently) but they don’t know anything about his own past as a vigilante. To be fair, a dimensionally displaced Ghost King wasn’t really on the board for reasonable guesses. Danny Fenton blinked innocently at Duke, blue eyes watery and oh-so-trusting of his adopted older brother when Duke claimed that his bruising came from getting caught in Ivy’s attack on the busses today.

(“Oh my god he’s so trusting and pure what the hell?” He heard Steph whisper to Dick, who nodded emphatically.)

“Oh man, you should get some rest. You guys are seriously unlucky, you know? Do you need to go to the hospital?” Danny asked Duke, his core trilling as he allowed himself to fuss over a member of his ‘fraid.

“Nah, man. I’m good. I think I’ll take a nap and sleep it off.”

“Okay. Oh, here!” Danny fumbled for his bag, grabbing his prescribed pain meds- for his chronic pain, but they don’t actually do anything for him since his ectoplasm burns away most of it- and handed it to Duke. “Take one, and only one. Those bruises look nasty.”

And then Danny gave him the puppy dog eyes and Duke folded, because Danny knew that he wasn’t supposed to hand his meds out but these situations were kind of the reason he claimed chronic pain to being with (even if it was true and his hands shook with aftershocks).

“Thanks, Danny. I feel like death warmed over.”

Danny laughed, the opportunity to mess with the family sparking in his head. “Yeah, I’ve died before. Wouldn’t recommend it.”

With that, Danny threw Duke an easy going smile and walked towards his room, bag on his back.

From his peripherals, Danny watched Jason drop his bowl of snacks, Dick’s pale face, and the concerned and shocked look of everyone else. Except Damian, who just kind of scowled thoughtfully. Tim looked like he was going to rip Danny apart like an interesting puzzle, Cass sat up straight (and he made sure every micro expression he caught on others stayed unconcerned on his own body), and Duke froze.

He snickered- well out of regular earshot- as whispers and whispered shouts rung out after he left the room.

He can’t wait to drop the “I know you’re vigilantes” bomb on them. It’ll be hilarious.

[scififettuccine]

A Wild Fix: Part 1.5?

Pairing: Platonic!Butcher x Supe!Reader

Summary: 3 weeks into your alliance with The Boys, you and Butcher go through the Vought Database. Butcher being curious about a Supe he's never heard of leads him to put together a plan that's less than safe. But does he listen to your warnings? Of course not.

Word Count: 1.2k

Warnings: Exposition, mentions of casinos, mention of suicide

Notes: Hey ya'll! Long time no see! You're probably wondering what the fuck this is. As you may have noticed I haven't posted anything in a few days. This is because when I got into writing Part 2, it became A LOT more complex and involved than I intended, including new characters and a sharp left turn in the story line that I didn't plan. Considering the results from the pole, I figured no one would really be mad if I did this. Part 1.5 is A LOT of exposition, setting up the actual second installment of the series. I could have made Part 2 longer, but it was way past how many words I wanted to have in each installment. I didn't want to call this an actual part two, because this alone isn't long enough to qualify as its own part, so...✨1.5✨ As you can most likely tell, I'm not following the canon plot exactly, I find that to be EXTREMELY boring. I know it's something that some people don't love, but at the end of the day it's creative writing and I enjoy doing it. Here is a link to Part 1 if you missed it! The official part 2 of A Wild Fix will be out very soon, but for now, enjoy this expositional interlude from our good lad, William Butcher.

It was safe to say that, since your first meeting? You and Frenchie didn’t get along very well. You had been running with The Boys for almost a month now, yet the two of you couldn’t agree on a single thing. But honestly? That didn't really matter to you. He didn't seem like the kind of person you wanted to be close with, anyway.

You had adjusted pretty well to this double standard of life, working for Vought, and working with The Boys. You were very careful, and there hadn’t been any close calls…yet. As for adjusting to the basement hideout? That didn't necessarily get any easier. You had carved out a little spot for yourself in one of the less occupied corners, just big enough to set your computer down, and maybe put a cup of coffee off to the side. And at the moment, that's where you sat. Working out time to help out wasn’t very hard. You were a member of The Seven, yes, but due to your powers, you were more of an alternate. You still went to meetings, and you still lived in the tower, you just weren't sent out as much. Butcher had requested that you dig into a few things for him in the Vought database. The Vought database had become available to you since you signed the contract with the company. It didn’t contain anything majorly world shattering, just some more detailed info on every Supe that had ever been involved with the company, including deceased, and currently active Supes. The info pages almost reminded you of trading cards, you laughed to yourself at the thought. It almost made you wonder why Vought hadn’t cashed in on some sort of trading card game.

“Something funny, love?” Butcher asked. You could see him approaching from behind in the reflection of your laptop screen.

“Yeah, actually…” You said, beckoning him over. Butcher crouched down next to your chair, looking at the computer screen. “Don’t those stats kinda look like trading cards? I mean, even the way it’s set up. Surprised Vought hasn’t cashed in on that yet.” Butcher raised a brow and leaned a bit closer to the screen, letting out a small ‘hmph’ sound. 

“You’re not wrong.” He examined the screen for a moment. “So you can see every Supe that's ever been involved with the company?” You nodded.

“For the most part, yes. But usually if there's anything they need to hide, the Supe goes to whoever runs the database and asks for that piece of information to be taken off of it. It’s actually in the contract somewhere, in the fine print, if I remember.” Butcher gave a small hum of acknowledgement.

“So if I had to guess, Homelander doesn't even have a file?” He asked. You narrowed your eyes towards the screen as you clicked out of the file you were on, and searched Homelander’s name in the top bar. When the file came up, you clicked it. Low and behold…? Not much. Just his in-company stats, The Seven logo, showing his affiliation with the group, and the year he had been signed onto the company. 

“Yeah…nothing much. Most of The Seven are like this, actually. If I remember correctly…” You clicked out of Homelander’s file, and clicked on the search bar again. You went to type in ‘Maeve,’ but Butcher stopped you, placing his finger over one of the file cards on the screen.

“Who’s that bloke?” He asked. You raised a brow and moved his finger out of the way. He had been pointing to a file card for the Supe named Mixer, who belonged to a new Vought owned Supe team that had been gaining steam recently…Residency. Vought had always sort of branded it as the new age Payback, but it was more of a marketing thing. The Supes on the team were legit, powerful, and some of them popular…But it definitely wasn't anything close to Payback. Mixer, admittedly, was one of the more known Supe’s on the team. He had been a musician first, gaining popularity from his young start in the industry. And as soon as Vought could get its bloodstained hands on the poor guy? He was signed on. Now? He had a residency at Planet Vought Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, and a spot in Residency.

“That's Mixer. He’s around my age, I think…Super popular in the music industry.” You explained, clicking on his file card.

“You know’im?” He asked. You shook your head as you scrolled through his file. 

“I met him at a convention a few years back, around this time of year actually…He seemed kinda full of himself. He has a residency now, though, kinda ironic, at Vought’s casino in Las Vegas.” You explained. Butcher nodded, clearly thinking.

“How is it ironic?” He asked.

“Mixer is part of a Supe team too, but the team is called Residency. So I thought it was kinda funny that he had an actual residency-” Butcher cut you off.

“Another Supe team? Owned by Vought?” You nodded.

“Yeah. It's him, Klepto, Bloodshot, Laugh Track, Void-” Butcher cut you off again, before you could even finish naming the members.

“The convention you met him at…Was it a Supe convention?” 

“Yeah. But not like the crazy fan ones. It's by invite only. All of Voughts Supes go, it’s a huge event. They invite new, upcoming Supes, and Vought investors. It’s a 3 day affair. They usually hold it at the Casino location that's here in the city, though, not the one in Vegas.” You turned your head to look at him, narrowing your eyes. What was he thinking?

“You said it was around this time of year?” He asked, turning the laptop towards himself so he could scroll.

“Yeah, usually towards the middle of fall…Why do you ask?” You raised a brow.

“I’m assuming you're invited?” He asked, the smirk on his face growing.

“Yeah, like I said, most contracted Supes are there. Annie is going too, we kinda have to…You’re not thinking what I think you are…right?” You asked, narrowing your eyes once again.

“That's exactly what I’m thinking, love.” He chuckled and stood up. “A whole casino full of Supes and Vought officials? That's practically an information gold mine. And with your connections? We’re bound to uncover something. Do you get a plus one or anythin like’at?”

“I’m pretty sure contracted Supes get two guest passes, but this is out of the question, Butcher. Digging at a Vought run Supe convention? It’s suicide for anyone involved.” You said, closing your computer. This wasn't a good idea, not even in the slightest.

“So if both you and Hughie’s girl go, that's four guest passes between the two of you?” He asked.

“Yes but-” Butcher cut you off before you could protest.

“Just enough passes for Hughie, MM, Frenchie, and meself. It’s settled, then, love.” Butcher gave a smug smile and patted your shoulder. You cringed internally. Butcher wouldn’t take no for an answer…and you didn’t favor the idea of being on his bad side.

 If you were caught, no, if any of you were caught snooping around at this convention? You’d be dead before you could leave the building…or worse.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And that's the end of my exposition bomb. Again, Part 2 is coming very soon, and I'm sorry that I had to break it up like this. This series became more involved than intended, as you can probably see. More information regarding Residency and its significance is to come👀 Stay tuned to get back to your regularly scheduled Frenchie x Reader content <3 Adieu!

teeny tiny taglist: @llynx7 @stinkysam

[hotdogdynamitezzz]

~ Astro Observations ~

Saturn is known as the protector planet as it rules over barriers, restrictions, delays, limits & any protection that can be forced. Look at your chart to see where you will experience the most setbacks yet are protected. For instance, I've noticed someone with Saturn in the 6th house is very hard working and often puts in twice the work to get places, but they can experience setbacks with their colleagues nitpicking or criticizing them. But they are usually protected, their hard work pays off, or they always thrive. I see A LOT of famous people with Saturn in the 6th house.

Libra risings like people who are like themselves or else they completely avoid those who are obnoxious and aggressive as it appalls them. Yet, I commonly see them drawing in these individuals at the same time. Best rising for enemies to lovers as the main protagonist just doing their thing unbothered until an aries rising shows up lmao.

I notice the type of people we are attracted to reflect our 1st or 7th house in some way. For instance I have Venus in 1st and I always attract Aries rising & Mars in 1st house people. I noticed the same for someone who had Moon in their 1st house commonly attracting Capricorn risings or those with Saturn in their 1st house.

The sun sign is actually very important in your chart and isn't just some hocus pocus bogus crap found in magazine horoscopes. From my observations I've developed a theory that Mutable signs adapt using their sun signs qualities they usually start off HATING but find it necessary to utilize for their own personal power. Cardinal Signs seem to dislike their sun signs qualities and chase after everything using THE OPPOSITE qualities of their sign. It's when they use their sun signs qualities to their advantage they will find their initiations successful. While fixed signs struggle the most to master their own sun signs qualities as it sticks with them through and through, they relate the most to their sun sign as these qualities are something inate they use to identify themselves. However, they struggle to figure out how to use their qualities in a positive light as they can easily get stuck in a cycle.

Ex, a lot of Virgo euns hated cleaning or organizing themselves using lists as they were younger but later adapted because of the many health problems this sign usually experiences so found it necessary

Ex, Cancer suns tend to ignore their emotions and lash out at others being deemed insensitive so they focus on Detachment when really they should be utilizing their magnetism and intuition through human connection as they are the sign with the most power over others emotions.

Ex, Aquarius suns struggle with seeing the use of collaboration with others opinions and applying their innovative thoughts towards real life skills. They can get stuck in a constant pattern of not feeling accepted or heard. But mastering their creative thinking and differences to use positively will give them the most recognition.

Conclusion:

Mutable sun sign = Adapting to your Qualities

Cardinal sun sign = initiating your Qualities.

Fixed sun sign = Mastering your Qualities.

This is also why imo it's the hardest to spot a mutable sun sign as they're usually farther away from Adapting to their sun signs qualities until they've gotten more experience in life. Usually looking at the general themes in their life can help you identify them the easier.

Ex, Gemini suns are focused on developing communication skills and confidence in their socializing capabilities.

Ex, Pisces suns usually deals with people taking their dreams for granted and is most likely influenced by a harsh or strict environment.

In Solar Return Charts the most common house placements tend to be the 1st House, 6th House, 7th House and 10th House. ESPECIALLY 1ST & 6TH HOUSE! This is because most of our years are focused on the tangible and everyday aspects of our lives which is ruled by the 6th house, our public person and career is the 10th House, and focusing on ourselves is our 1st House.

If you're a student I frequently see 3rd, 5th, 6th, 8th & 9th Houses filled in solar return charts. The 3rd/5th/9th Houses are all about acquiring skills, learning from what's in front of you, hobbies and pleasure, and higher knowledge or lessons to be taught that bring about movement in your life. I also included 6th house because that's our daily life + physical health while the 8th house is about our mental health so it makes sense why students often have that house filled...

Wanna find out how to turn your creative thinking into a weapon and utilize it for success? Pallas (2) can show what you're naturally gifted at intellectually.

Pallas is the asteroid representing Athena goddess of war, strategy, knowledge & creative thinking. I've seen this asteroid work wonders tbh. My friend has it in Libra 12th House and she's a visual artist mastermind. She can piece any aesthetic or visual together like a puzzle.

If you want to manifest any desires, look at your 11th house! This house rules our wishes and what is rewarded after we've put hard work into it. Finding direction will be much easier to achieve if you look at your 11th house and what it's telling you to work for. Basically I've seen Pluto in 11th = earning power over people, Saturn in 11th = earning respect and titles, Venus in 11th = earning love or money (wealth indicator), Neptune in 11th = earning a prophecy, deep undivided loyalty & glamour, Mercury in 11th = earning your name to be widespread, knowledge & fast results.

I'd say Mercury in the 11th is a big "viral celebrity" placement as they can easily do something and everyone knows their name overnight. Also good for scholars!

The 12th house is also known as the house of Loss. Your planets, sign & rulership could determine what you end up sacrificing or leaving behind. For example, Cancer in 12th could often leave their homes or roots, they usually experience family loss early too. Scorpio in 12th house loses their fear, finances & secrets easily (beware of who you let talk to you). And Sagittarius in 12th house can lose their freedom, knowledge acquired, and faith in others.

The most copied people tend to be Scorpio risings, Pisces risings, Pluto in 1st house, Neptune in 1st house and 12th House placements. That's because with Scorpio energy in the 1st house their identity is literally exploited and used for power dynamics (legit had my friend catfished a bit ago and she has an 8° sag rising with Pluto in 1st conjunct her ascendant). And Pisces energy around the 1st House because people have no barriers with you and feel entitled to take your identity. It can almost feel like a sacrifice of themselves for Pisces rising or those with Neptune in 1st house (ex, Marilyn Monroe & Kim Kardashian, it's not a mistake they both have Neptune in 1st house).

Differences between the angular houses cuz I know we get these mixed up easily:

Your 1st house = How you identify yourself in the world.

Your 4th House = Your roots and how you grow into the world.

Your 7th House = How others identity you, your close connections.

Your 10th House = What you're known for, your reputation.

The houses of legacys are 4th, 8th & 10th. This is your history and how you make your mark on the world, how you will be remembered, and your title in the word.

8th house placements is what we knowingly gatekeep from the world, and the house rulership tells just as much if it's empty. Rich people usually have Jupiter in the 8th house because they are quite literally gatekeeping their wisdom, knowledge, gifts & MASS amounts of power. They also receive money randomly sometimes and have fabulous luck with stocks or investments.

Usually people with Moon in the 8th House tend to be reserved with their deepest emotions and family life. They can often take the longest to open up or trust others as they're used to being blackmailed or having their emotional security taken away from them.

Countries' rising signs MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. Russia has a Scorpio rising (known for intelligence agencies, spies, and cold environment...also destruction of the USSR), the USA has a Sagittarius rising (known for freedom, boldness & diversity...also aggression lol) & Britain is a Libra rising (country known for its fashion, etiquette and tea, its so libra LMAO)

Sun sextile Mars is the best aspect for a natural leader. You know how to utilize your individuality to stand out during competition and you also naturally bring out shining qualities in the people you lead. You take challenges to your ego with ease and although passionate you still remain assured and unbothered by threats. Also high sex drive is present here

A lot of psychics have Moon sextile Neptune because they access otherworldly feelings subconsciously without blockages. And are both Water and Fire dominant. Water rules unconscious and flowing emotions, while Fire represents intuition and gut feelings hence "follow your heart" being their motto.

In general looking at your Moon placement is THE MOST important when figuring out your intuitive abilities as the Moon is the unconscious mind & your personal feelings and behavior. You could determine what suits you best with this!

Ex, Mercury aspecting Moon does well with Tarot & Oracle or any divination that requires pattern connections and using your hands

Ex, Pluto aspecting Moon might be able to talk to ancestors, spirits, and gain information about dangerous events

Ex, Venus aspecting Moon would be great for Glamour magic, Love spells, WEALTH MANIFESTATIONS, and herbalism!! TEA READINGS LOL

I need to stop with Libra & Tea �� istg Tea is ruled by Libra & Neptune BUT THATS JUST MY INTRUSIVE THOUGHTS COMING THRU.

I don't necessarily believe in everything I listed or think it's all good practices like Love magic but I wanted to help you develop an idea of how each planet can be connected for practical use.

I feel like Uranus is actually a hard planet to understand and sometimes value in everyday life because it's just so...out there LOL. Like it's described as sudden surprises, rebellion, electricity, revolution & eccentricity. It's just a hard planet to relate to in general because it's the opposite of conformity so applying it in your life is umm confusing to say the least lol.

Basically I look at Uranus as sudden ups & downs, where we grow FAST but where we get knocked down BAD too. I literally think cancel culture would be ruled by Uranus ngl LOL. It's unpredictable and awakens or shakes up whatever it aspects.

So Uranus aspecting Venus would cause a turbulent love life, a somewhat Detached or Hypersexual character, Very wealthy and a visionary in fashion or with money. But alsoooo struggles to maintain relationships or struggles A LOT with self love.

TW but I've often seen those with Uranus in 2nd & 6th House struggle the most with body dysmorphia and weight fluctuation. Your health can always spike up and down too. It's because these houses rule over our self-worth, body and physical health. Therefore, sometimes it can really shake your eating habits up which would obviously cause a struggle in your mental health.

However I've also seen some of the MOST inflated egos come from people with Uranus in 2nd House. Again the unpredictability and sudden Shockwave to your confidence with Uranus can literally make you feel like God or sunken. It's VERY drastic.

Oppositions to the Ascendant, also known as Conjunctions to the Descendant are qualities we possess that others DON'T accept us for and often make us feel insecure. Lilith Opposite Ascendant would probably be heavily shamed for their promiscuity and manipulative behavior. While Uranus opposite ascendant would be ridiculed for their Weirdness or Intelligence. People would label them as crazy lol�� (totally not me).

Also if you have Uranus aspecting the Ascendant or Mars you are VERY clumsy and accident prone LMAO�� your movements literally come off as a shockwave to others and everything around you. It's just one step and all of a sudden a whole clothing rack comes falling down. Uranus does rule Natural Disasters so...are we even surprised?

When looking at your Solar Return Chart it's not just Pluto to be concerned about BUT CHIRON. This asteroid is the wounded healer meaning it will detail the wounds you have to recover from and face that year. Chiron also highlights where we feel or are literally rejected so...check that fr.

The saddest Chiron placement imo is in the 1st & 4th House. Because your identity and self expression is rejected with the 1st house, while in the 4th house you could be outcasted by your own family and feel blocked put from any form of emotional security.

An example of what I think is a good example of significant Chiron energy would be Selena Gomez and her Venus conjunct Chiron at a 1° orb in Leo 1st house. Basically it shows up as her body being rejected, women rejecting her, and her own creative projects or indivuality feeling rejected. She probably is very self-deprecative because of this as she never feels her appearance or identity is good enough.

Chiron in 1st House people also get copied lots...just sayin

Women tend to be VERY jealous of those with Venus or Moon aspecting Chiron because they view that individual as wounding their views of femininity and project their insecurities onto them. The women with Venus/Moon aspecting Chiron placements are seen in general as being too vulnerable or soft which are stereotypical feminine qualities a lot of women can feel resentment towards brought on by the ✨️Patriarchy✨️

Marilyn Monroe also has Venus conjunct Chiron...��

So does Jessica Alba, Olivia Rodrigo and Kurt Cobain.

Their lovesick songs PLZ what's more Venus conjunct Chiron than that�� excluding miss Alba lol.

The same goes for women with Sun & Mars aspecting Chiron. Men are usually jealous of their success and degrade them because they see them as a threat to their masculinity.

Fun fact: The 4th House rules over the Father while the 10th house rules over the Mother in family astrology. Although I generally always saw the Moon sign as the most accurate representation of the maternal figure in your life but I found the above on astrology websites.

I also found some sources saying the 10th house actually rules your dominant parent? It's a whole debate on Google but it did say the 10th house rules the Mother in my astrology books so...idk I see it. Let me know in the comments your thoughts!

And to end this off, let me know your rising sign degree and I will try to guess your favorite colour to wear lol

[callsign-mayhem]

too sweet (part 1)

Pairing: Jake "Hangman" Seresin x Female!Reader Word count: 6.4k CW: Use of Y/N, occasional swears

As Natasha's lifelong best friend, you've always known her crew was off-limits, especially one cocky aviator with a killer smile: Jake "Hangman" Seresin. But when you take a writing retreat to sunny San Diego, a break that was supposed to help you escape distractions, you find yourself sharing late-night conversations, beach bonfires, and undeniable chemistry with the one person you've been strictly forbidden to date.

This is a multi-part fic.

As soon as your plane touched down in San Diego, you were switching flight mode off and texting your best friend. It had been almost six months since the last time you saw her, and your patience had worn thin not long after the second week of her being gone. Now, you were practically bursting with excitement. As a result, you’d become one of those annoying people who got up as soon as the seatbelt sign went off, standing in the aisle with your carry-on even though the steps for the plane hadn’t even been brought onto the runway yet. 

Once you eventually got off the aircraft, you ran as fast as possible with a backpack and a carry-on suitcase, not stopping until you reached passport control. Once past that particular hurdle, it was onto baggage claim. Being a full-time writer afforded you much more flexibility and freedom than most other people, especially your best friend. This was why you usually visited her and not the other way around. Since it had been so long since you last spent time together, your ticket to San Diego was one way. It seemed as though Nat was setting up shop in Fighter Town for a while, and with your latest manuscript almost ready to be sent to your editor, you were taking the opportunity for a much-needed change in pace and scenery. 

The airport was busy, and you were swarmed by people from your flight trying to spot their bags on the carousel. This included the screaming set of twins and their dishevelled parents seated two rows behind you. 

They were still screaming, and you were briefly reminded why you didn’t want to have any children yet. Not that there was any chance of that happening, anyway. You’d been single for so long that it was a basically a personality trait at this point. 

When you spotted your suitcase, you ran to meet it and hauled it off the conveyor belt less than gracefully. The arrivals lounge was an assault on your already overloaded senses, and dragging two suitcases wasn’t making it any easier. But when you got closer to the exit, you saw Nat’s black Suburban parked right out front, and all the stress dissipated. 

When you barelled out of the doors and onto the sidewalk, she jumped out of the car with a huge, uncontainable grin. Her hair was freshly cut and styled, and her skin glowed beneath the Californian sun. 

North Island looked good on her. 

Bags be damned, you ran into her arms, almost knocking her over. She still smelled of citrus and vanilla, which was to say that she still smelled like her family home where you’d spent most of your childhood. You’d had a couple of boyfriends in and just after college, but their hugs had never lived up to Natasha’s. There was nothing more comforting to you in the entire world.

‘Lieutenant Trace in the flesh!’ You squeaked. 

‘Y/N Y/L/N, bestselling author. It truly is an honour.’

Reluctantly, you let go so you could take her in. ‘Those FaceTime calls just weren’t cutting it anymore.’ You told her, smiling. ‘You look good, Nat. Better than good.’

‘I think this place agrees with me.’ She replied. ‘You look like you need a holiday.’

‘Wow, thanks.’

She laughed. ‘You know what I mean.’

‘I know.’

She glanced at your luggage with a raised brow. ‘Let’s get what appears to be everything you own in the trunk, and then we’ll get on the road. ‘Kay?’

‘I know it looks like a lot, but you know I like to be prepared.’

You took the smaller case, and she took the bigger one. ‘For what? Moving states?’

‘My ticket is open-ended.’ You explained. ‘Once I get my manuscript in next week, I’ll be free as a bird until my editor is ready to shatter all my hopes and dreams.’

Natasha eyed you somewhat disbelievingly. ‘You’re saying you might be staying a while?’

‘If that’s okay with you, yeah.’

‘Let’s see how long it takes me to get sick of you.’ She jibed.

‘How do you know I won’t get sick of you first?’

‘Because I’m a delight.’

On the way to Nat’s apartment complex, she pointed out landmarks and told you about the latest happenings. You were mostly caught up since you spent every other evening on FaceTime, but it was always different when you caught up in person. The two of you always remembered other details you’d forgotten about. 

The drive from the airport to Nat’s apartment on Island Avenue took just over fifteen minutes, and before you knew it, you were being shown to the guest room. She’d moved in a little over a month ago, after being told she was being stationed in Fighter Town indefinitely along with some of her crew from a super secret mission she’d been involved in. Nat told you more details about her work than she probably should because even if you had someone to tell, you wouldn’t. Your friendship wasn’t like most other female friendships, where you think your secret is safe until it’s not. The two of you trusted one another wholeheartedly because there genuinely wasn’t any reason not to. 

The guest room was as tidy and organised as the rest of the apartment. With Autumn just around the corner, she’d adorned the double bed with pumpkin throw pillows and a dark red teddy blanket you immediately wanted to crawl under. You were thoroughly exhausted, but you knew neither of you would be going to sleep anytime soon.

‘I put my desk in here,’ she told you. ‘Since I knew it would be your room. That way, you can write while I’m on base.’

Even after all these years, things like this still warmed you. ‘Thanks, Natty.’ You said, reverting to your childhood nickname for her. ‘I appreciate it.’

‘You hungry?’

‘Practically wasting away over here.’

‘I thought you might say that. Wanna go out or order in? I can take you to this amazing restaurant I went to with some of my team a few weeks ago. It’s right by the beach.’

‘Sold.’

An hour later, you were sitting in the outside area of a trendy new steakhouse. You were so hungry after your flight that you doubted you’d have noticed if the food had been awful. Nat enjoyed her brisket immensely, so it couldn’t have been bad. 

‘So,’ you said, around a mouthful of food. ‘Tell me more about this new squad. Better than the Black Aces?’

‘They’re so different, they aren’t comparable. But they’re pretty awesome.’

‘Any of them particularly awesome?’ You asked, waggling your eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes playfully. ‘No, no, and no. Even if there were, I wouldn’t do anything about it. I don’t date navy guys.’

‘I still don’t understand that.’

‘I don’t like to shit where I eat,’ she said simply. ‘Or rather, I don’t like to let men shit where I eat since usually they’re the ones doing the shitting.’

You nodded in understanding. ‘Am I gonna get to meet any of the famous Daggers?’ 

‘Yup. Tonight.’

Your stomach dropped. While you were definitely up for meeting them, you were a little nervous, especially since it was happening so soon.

‘Tonight?’ You echoed.

‘Friday nights, we always go to The Hard Deck after work. I’ll come back to the apartment first, change and then we can head over together.’ 

You hoped you were doing a good job of hiding your nerves. Nat would never let you live them down. 

‘So not only am I meeting the famous Dagger Squad, but I’m also gonna experience the highly acclaimed Hard Deck on the same night.’

‘Don’t bother wearing socks, ‘cause they’re gonna be knocked right off.’ Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

‘The novelty might have worn off for you, but this is big for me. I listen to you talk about these people and that bar day in and day out without understanding. I’m finally getting to put faces to names my best friend doesn’t shut up about. It would be like you stepping into one of my books and meeting all the characters.’

‘Okay, when you put it that way, I understand why you’re excited. But you gotta promise me one thing.’

She was suddenly all serious. ‘Anything.’ You replied earnestly.

‘Do not let Hangman charm you. I’ve already told him you’re off limits, and I’m saying the same to you. He’s bad news.’

You knew all about Hangman from Nat’s stories. There were only a few where he was one of the good guys. As a writer, you were all too familiar with the good girl falls in love with the bad guy trope, and as tantalising as it was to read about, you knew better than to fall for it in real life.

At least, you’d like to think so.

‘You don’t have to worry about that. He sounds like an asshole.’

‘You say this now, but he’s a charmer, and you’re vulnerable.’

You threw a chip at her. ‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘I mean no offence when I say this, but it’s been a while since you dated anyone, Y/N. I’m not saying you’re naive, but I know he’ll lay it on real thick just to mess with me, and I don’t want you to fall into his trap and get hurt.’

‘You think he’d pretend to hit on me just to get under your skin? This guy sounds even worse than I thought.’

‘You can never be too sure what his intentions are. Safer to assume that he has an ulterior motive.’

‘Well, thanks, Nat. Now I’m really nervous.’

‘You’ll be fine. I’ll be there to yank on his leash if he starts barking too loudly. And Rooster is always looking for an excuse to take him down a peg.’

In true best friend style, Natasha had emptied your suitcase in search of the perfect outfit for you to wear to The Hard Deck. Thankfully, she’d settled on one of your favourites: a black velvet romper with bell sleeves covered in little silver moons and stars. You didn’t have to debate whether to wear your hair up or down because Nat had already decided for you and was almost done curling it. You applied a thin layer of lip gloss in front of her vanity mirror while she worked her magic. You’d gone easy on the makeup since you often felt self-conscious when wearing a lot. 

‘Okay, done.’ She announced, running her fingers through the curls. 

She’d done a great job, better than when you did it yourself.

‘Thanks, Nat.’

‘You’re welcome. You look drop-dead gorgeous.’

In her skinny jeans, white tank and leather jacket, you thought Nat looked like a sexy biker chick, and you told her so. 

‘Anyone would think you’re in love with me.’

‘So what if I am?’

You decided to get an Uber since neither of you wanted to stay sober to drive the other home. You spent the whole journey fretting that the Daggers wouldn’t like you. Maybe they’d think you were boring because you weren’t in the Navy. Perhaps they’d think being a writer wasn’t a real job (it wouldn’t be the first time someone had told you that). Or worse, maybe they’d think you weren’t good enough to be friends with the highly decorated fighter pilot who was your best friend. 

By the time the Uber driver pulled up in front of The Hard Deck, your stomach was tied in knots, and you were gasping for a shot of something strong to give you a confidence boost. Despite your overwhelming sense of anxiety, you were able to appreciate how incredible The Hard Deck was. Adorned with lights and overflowing with all different kinds of people, it was the kind of place that felt almost dreamlike. Music spilled out through the open doors and windows, and the surrounding area thrummed with a near-tangible electric current. 

Natasha looped her arm through yours as you headed into the bar, and you were grateful for the physical and moral support. Inside, it was a hubbub of activity. The wraparound bar—which had at least five people behind it—was surrounded by people. The crowd was at least three people deep; as soon as a bartender finished serving someone, there was another to take their place. You’d done a brief stint as a bartender just after college, and while you’d never worked somewhere quite this busy, you had a pretty good idea of how they were feeling. 

A Bon Jovi song blared from a jukebox you couldn't locate. A large pool table and a mounted dart board stood in the far corner of the bustling bar. This appeared to be where Nat was leading you. A group of aviators—some still in uniform from the day, some not—stood around the pool table. 

Your heart was in the base of your throat. It was beating erratically. 

‘Ready?’ Nat asked, flashing you an encouraging grin.

‘Ready as I’ll ever be.’

When you reached them, those who had been immersed in their game stopped, and the others let their conversations die out. All eyes were on you, and you briefly wondered if something was on your face. 

‘Guys, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is my squad.’ Each one beamed at you as they swarmed around you to shake your hand or hug you. ‘For better or worse.’ Nat said.

The tall, handsome one with the moustache and the Hawaiian shirt you knew to be Rooster playfully poked Nat in the ribs. ‘Hey, you know it’s for better.’

‘Depends on the day.’ She shrugged.

‘Y/N,’ Rooster smirked. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’

He had to reach down to wrap his arms around your shoulders. He smelled of sandalwood and sun lotion, and you’d already forgotten Nat’s reasons for not wanting to sleep with her squad members. 

‘All good things, I hope.’

Before Rooster could respond, a strapping blonde guy with a movie-star smile cut in. ‘Better than good,’ he said with a southern drawl. ‘I feel like I’m meeting a celebrity.’

The squad collectively rolled their eyes. ‘This is Hangman.’ Nat sighed. 

He held out his hand, and you took it. ‘Jake Seresin.’

‘Pleasure.’ You replied. 

When you finally worked up the courage to look into his eyes, you saw chaos swimming in the blue depths. He smiled at you as if he knew what colour underwear you had on, as well as all your darkest secrets. He was disarming, and you’d always made a point to steer clear of men like that.

‘Oh, the pleasure’s all mine, darlin’.’

‘Alright, Bagman, that’s enough.’ This voice belonged to one of the shorter guys with a buzzed head and a much nicer vibe. ‘You’re gonna scare her off.’ Instead of hugging you or shaking your hand, he kissed your cheek, and you felt a surprised blush creep across your cheeks. ‘I’m Mickey, callsign Fanboy. Welcome to North Island.’

‘Thanks, Mickey. It’s nice to meet you.’

‘This here is Payback, but you can call him Reuben. I’m his backseater.’

‘Hi,�� you grinned, starting to find your feet and your confidence. ‘I hear you’re quite the pilot.’ 

Reuben glanced at Nat, apparently pleasantly surprised. ‘Damn, you say nice things about us behind our backs?’

‘Not all of you.’ Nat shot a pointed look at Jake. ‘But yeah. Don’t sound so surprised.’ 

Coyote—AKA Javy—was less intimidating than Jake, but you could tell they were privy to something you weren’t. Your mind flicked back to the conversation you’d had with Nat earlier, and you were starting to understand what she meant. Maybe they had some kind of awful bet on who could bed you first. Either way, you planned to be cordial but not engage with them any more than you had to. 

Last but not least, you were introduced to Bob, Nat’s backseater and perhaps the team member she spoke most highly of. You’d been desperate to meet him for months, partly because Nat had told you he had a really funny side to him once he came out of his shell and partly because you wanted to thank him for keeping your best friend alive.

‘Y/N, this is Bob Floyd. My WSO.’

In one hand, he held a half-empty cup of peanuts. The other, he held out to you.

‘Bob, it’s an honour to meet you. Thank you for looking after Natty. I didn’t need to meet you to know that there’s nobody else I’d rather be in the sky with my best friend.’

Bob blinked at you behind his wireframes, dumbfounded by your kind words.

‘Uh, thanks, Y/N. I’m just a Weapons Systems Officer. Phoenix is the hero, not me.’

‘Don’t put yourself down. Your job is just as important, if not more so. I know she won’t mind me saying that.’

‘I agree,’ Nat said. ‘I’ve told you before, Bobby; you gotta give yourself more credit.’

Bob flushed. His eyes remained fixed on his peanuts. ‘Well, thank you. It sure means a lot.’ 

With the initial introductions out of the way, you could relax. Payback and Fanboy headed to the bar to get a round of drinks in while you made yourself comfortable at one of the tall tables. Rooster and Bob joined you and Nat while Coyote and Hangman resumed their game of pool. They’d been playing doubles with Payback and Fanboy, and it was their turn. 

You found yourself staring at Hangman as he leaned over the table and expertly sank three balls—one after the other—into the pockets. Not that you’d ever admit it out loud, but he was gorgeous. Walking, talking Texan Ken dolls weren’t usually your type, but it was impossible to deny Jake’s appeal. Maybe it was because Nat had explicitly told you not to look that you found your eyes wandering back to him, even as Rooster launched into a story about a recent mission. Didn’t something always feel more endearing when you weren’t allowed to do it?

When Payback and Fanboy reappeared, each with a tray of drinks in hand, you could finally refocus your attention. 

‘Tequila shots!’ Fanboy gestured with bravado.

‘And some beers to chase them with.’ Payback finished.

You giggled, reaching for your shot. There was enough for everyone to have two, and you made a mental note to get them both back. Hangman and Coyote sauntered over at the mention of hard liquor. It was difficult to ignore Jake when he came to your side of the table and reached over you for his shot. Was he making a point, or were you hyperaware of him after your warning from Nat?

‘What’re we toasting?’ You asked.

Rooster’s eyes twinkled as he raised his near-overflowing shot glass in your direction. ‘To old friends and new.’

The whole squad echoed his toast and downed their shots. Bob coughed and sputtered, and Fanboy smacked him on the back encouragingly, only making him cough more. Your stomach ached from laughing, and you weren’t even drunk yet. 

One shot of tequila, and you were already wondering if there were any apartments for rent close to North Island. 

As the night progressed and you got tipsier, you found yourself playing some kind of game with Hangman. The rest of the squad seemed totally unaware of it, for which you were incredibly grateful. If Nat or Rooster caught so much as a whiff of attraction between the two of you, you were sure they’d haul your ass home and sit you on the naughty step. You’d only known Bradley for a few hours, but you’d hit it off immediately. You understood why he and Nat were so close. He’d already adopted some kind of brotherly responsibility for you, and apparently—before your arrival—he and Nat had made a pact to protect you from Hangman at all costs. Super dramatic, but you were sure it was warranted. 

Of course, this approach had the opposite effect. You found yourself drawn to him for reasons known only to the almighty. Nat and Bradley had said (not in so many words, but still) ‘fuck around and find out.’

And here you were, fucking around and finding out. 

He was standing at the dart board nursing a whiskey on the rocks. Payback was taking his shot while Fanboy egged him on from the sidelines. It seemed that the two pairs had a mission to thrash each other at various bar games, and you sincerely hoped that Payback and Fanboy won at least one round of something by the end of the night just to see the smug grin wiped off Jake’s pretty face. 

As for the game the two of you were playing… Well, you’d started that. He’d caught you staring at him after the second round of shots, and the look he’d given you in response had been incendiary. More for something to do with your hands and mouth, you’d taken a sip of your cocktail (courtesy of Bobby Floyd) and looked away again. You’d looked up again a little while later and caught him staring. You’d raised your eyebrows, and in response, he took a long drink of his whiskey before mouthing ‘bet.’ Thus, your little drinking game was born, and you hadn’t even had to speak to each other.

Whenever one caught the other staring, the guilty one had to take a drink. 

You were more than tipsy now, so you silently promised not to look at him for a while lest you end up on the floor before 10 pm. 

‘So, Phoenix tells us you’re about to finish another book.’ Bradley said, bringing you back to Earth.

‘Yeah, I’ve just gotta mess around with the ending, and then it’ll be good to go. That is until my editor tears it to shreds.’

‘Did you always want to be a writer?’ Bob asked.

He’d come out of his shell significantly since you walked into The Hard Deck earlier that evening. The two shots had helped since he wasn’t a big drinker. They’d gone right to his head, and his cheeks were stained pink. Bob was sweet and kindhearted and had a knack for making you feel seen and heard in the conversation. You’d never met a man who was so attentive before, and you got the feeling that Nat and Bradley had an agenda, what with the knowing glances they shared whenever you went off on tangents about music and different novels you’d both read. 

Bob was perfect. Bob wouldn’t break your heart. Out of all the guys in The Hard Deck, he was the one who made the most sense to you. 

But Bob didn’t have you shifting in your stool whenever he looked at you as warmth pooled in the bottom of your tummy. 

‘For as long as I can remember, yeah.’ You responded. ‘Most people thought I was insane for choosing a liberal arts major in college. They’re notorious for leading you absolutely nowhere, but I was persistent, and now here I am.’ 

‘Not many people are successful enough to live off their writing, even if they get published.’ Nat added proudly. ‘She’s a one-percenter in the writer world.’

‘You know, I’ve actually read one of your books.’ Bob said, smiling down at his Corona Light, suddenly shy. 

This was the kind of moment you always dreamed about as a kid: meeting someone and finding out they already knew your name because they had a copy of one of your books at home. 

‘Seriously?’ You leaned forward. ‘Which one?’ 

‘Fourth of July.’ 

You were taken aback. Fourth of July wasn’t the book you were best known for, but it had been your favourite to write. It was literary fiction, and few people had the stomach for it. After publishing it, your agent practically forced you to write something on the opposite end of the spectrum, more for sales than anything else. 

‘What did you think?’ 

‘I thought it was extremely provocative. You know the kinds of books you think about for months when you’re finished?’

Your smile was so big, your face ached with it. ‘Yeah, I know the ones you mean. You really think that?’

‘I do.’ 

‘I don’t even know how to respond to that. I’m so happy.’ You gushed. ‘So I’m just gonna buy you another drink.’

Bob chuckled. Nat and Bradley shared another knowing look. ‘You don’t need to do that.’

‘I want to. Besides, it’s my turn to get a round in.’

You floated up to the bar on cloud nine and made the order in such a daze that you didn’t notice Hangman slide up next to you. 

‘I’ll be paying for this round, Penny.’ He drawled. 

Your head snapped up. He still had that shit-eating grin on his face, and you couldn’t decide whether you wanted to slap it or kiss it off. 

‘I can pay. It’s my turn.’ You insisted.

Jake waved you off. ‘You’re the honoured guest.’

‘And it’s my turn.’ You repeated sternly. ‘Plus, I’m buying Bob an extra drink as a thank you.’

Jake recoiled slightly, a bemused grin on his face. ‘For what?’

‘He gave me some great feedback on one of my books. The one I’m the least proud of. Nothing in the world beats that feeling, so I want to thank him.’

‘Trust Bobby to have read your work before knowing who you are. I bet he’s mighty pleased with himself.’ Jake ruminated. ‘He’s not the one trailing behind for once.’

You frowned deeply. ‘That’s not very nice. Bob seems like a great guy. He probably doesn’t seem like it to you because his ego isn’t the size of North Island.’

Jake laughed. ‘And you think mine is?’ 

Penny was smirking to herself as she poured all the drinks, and you had a feeling she’d probably back you up. 

‘I think it’s probably quite close. You and Bob don’t speak the same language, so you think he’s beneath you.’

‘Come on, I don’t think he’s beneath me. You’re making me sound like a dick.’

No, actually, I think you manage that quite well on your own.’ You quipped.

Jake staggered back, clutching his chest, feigning hurt. You laughed despite yourself. His energy was contagious like that.

‘So, are you gonna let me pay for my round?’

‘How about I pay for the round, you just pay for Lieutenant Bookworm. You know, to save your conscience.’ 

‘Fine,’ you said, rolling your eyes. ‘But I’m gonna get the next one. I’ll just wait until you aren’t paying attention.’ 

Jake glanced at your lips so quickly that you would’ve missed it if you’d blinked. 

‘Good luck with that, sweetheart.’ 

You opened your mouth to respond, but no sound came out. He’d disarmed you yet again, and you disliked feeling so helpless. It was almost as if you were at his mercy, and he knew it. Jake Seresin didn’t need any more power than he already had. 

He paid Penny and took the tray of drinks over to the table. You hadn’t ordered any shots because you wanted to remember some of this night, and it was probably a good idea because you could no longer walk in a straight line. Jake went right back to the dart board, and you took your seat at the table.

‘What was that about?’ Nat asked, voice laced with concern.

‘He paid for the round, even though I asked him not to.’ You took Bob’s beers off the tray and set them before him. ‘I got these, though.’

‘Thanks, Y/N.’

Bradley’s eyes were boring holes into Jake’s back. ‘It’s rare for him to do something nice without an ulterior motive.’

‘Well, that’s easy. His ulterior motive is getting in Y/N’s pants.’ Nat growled.

‘Okay,’ you said with a sigh. ‘Let’s change the subject. I’m sick of talking about him already.’

Although Bob didn’t speak as much as everyone else, you felt he noticed more than they did. You could tell he saw right through you. You just hoped he wouldn’t say anything to your best friend. 

You felt truly alive, as if the electrical current surrounding The Hard Deck had been injected directly into your veins. Your first meeting with The Dagger Squad had gone incredibly well, and they’d exceeded your expectations tenfold. It had only been one day, and you already felt like you’d made some friends for life. You were beginning to understand why Nat looked so healthy, why she seemed to be glowing from the inside out, the amazing people, the energy of North Island, the beautiful weather. These things separately were better than any multivitamin, but together? You felt as though you’d drunk some kind of magical elixir that would permit you to live forever. 

You wouldn’t mind living forever if you got to stay here permanently. 

Was it too soon to be thinking this? Did you care? 

Penny had called last orders, but nobody was ready for the night to end. Your exhaustion had worn off long ago, and thankfully, you were experiencing a rather mighty second wind. Somebody had suggested going back to Nat’s for some more drinks. Reuben’s place was the biggest—a three-bed detached house right on the outskirts of North Island—but nobody wanted to Uber that far, so you settled for Nat’s. Her apartment was the second biggest, spanning two stories. You knew she’d received a considerable inheritance a few years ago, and paired with her Navy money, she was well-off. It helped that her finance-managing skills were impeccable. She’d been the one to help you invest and save money from your first book deal when you’d wanted to blow it all on an expensive trip to New Zealand. 

It took two Ubers to get you all to Island Avenue. You carpooled with Nat, Bob, Bradley and Reuben. Mickey pulled the short straw and had to jump in with Jake and Javy. To be fair, they weren’t bad guys; you just knew their type and weren’t accustomed to it. 

Back at Nat’s, everyone was assigned a job. You and Nat set about turning all the fairy lights on, putting more chairs out on the generously sized balcony and finding throw blankets for those who got chilly. Bradley was connecting his phone to the Bluetooth speaker and queuing songs since he insisted he had the authority in that particular department. Bob was hovering, suggesting more songs for him to queue, arguing that he had just as much authority as Bradley did since they had similar taste in music. Reuben and Mickey went through Nat’s drinking/board game selection, picking out a few to keep everyone occupied. Dangerously, Javy and Jake had declared themselves bartenders. On the way back, they’d stopped at an off-license and grabbed a wide selection of booze to add to what Nat already had stocked in her kitchen. They’d set themselves up on the kitchen island and were attempting to make homemade cocktails. 

You and Nat found a moment of solitude in her room when she was searching for some sweats to give Mickey, who was still in his uniform. 

‘So it’s going pretty well, huh?’ She smiled. ‘You like the squad?’ 

‘Hell yeah, I do, they’re a riot.’

She opened her wardrobe door, smirking knowingly. ‘Who’s your favourite?’

‘Don’t have one.’ You said, a little too quickly.

‘I know you’re lying. Just tell me.’

While she rooted around in her wardrobe, you gave it some thought. You didn’t have a favourite because you liked them for different reasons. Bob was genuine and intelligent, and he understood your writing almost as well as you did. Bradley was vibrant and interesting, and he made you feel safe, as if you could be yourself unapologetically. Same with Mickey and Reuben. You liked the fact that Javy was sure of himself without coming across too cocky (mostly).

And as for Jake. Well, you didn’t have the words to describe how you felt about him. 

Nat poked her head out of the walk-wardrobe. ‘Well?’

‘I like them all, Nat. But if I had to choose, it’d be Bob.’

She smiled. ‘I knew it.’ 

‘Knew what?’

‘You have a thing for Floyd. And he has a thing for you.’

‘Jesus Christ, Natty. No. Not like that.’

She’d finally found sweatpants and a T-shirt that she didn’t mind lending to Mickey. When she came out of the wardrobe, she wore a cunning expression.

‘You wouldn’t date him? I think he’s perfect for you.’

How were you supposed to tell her that the reason you wouldn’t date him was because Jake caused a swarm of butterflies in your stomach? How were you supposed to tell her you were crushing on the only guy from her whole crew she’d warned you off? 

There was only one answer to that: you couldn’t. 

‘I didn’t come here to date. Why would I start something here that I can’t finish? I’ll be back in New England before the leaves change.’

‘Everything is always so poetic with you. But you’re right,’ she relented. ‘Bobby is someone you have a quick fling with, anyway. He’s too nice, and I don’t think that’s his thing.’

You gestured as if to say, ‘there you go.’ 

‘Shall we get back out there and see what havoc those two dickheads are wreaking in my kitchen?’

‘Let’s do it.’

It turned out that they were wreaking a lot of havoc. There were open spirit bottles everywhere, and the kitchen island was lined with shots. Not only that, but a selection of cocktails surrounded the bottles. You didn’t know what any of them contained, and honestly, you were scared to ask. 

‘Ladies,’ Javy said. ‘What’ll it be?’

‘Something that’s not gonna put me on my ass after two sips?’ You offered.

He looked at the selection of drinks with a pained expression, and you laughed. 

‘I’m guessing that’s not on the menu?’

‘Er, no…’

‘Okay, give me something sweet.’

Jake stepped around the island and came right up to you. He was so cocksure that it should have been cringe, but it was just incredibly sexy.

‘Here you go, darlin’.’

Natasha and Javy laughed, but you couldn’t stop looking at him. He was drunk, but there wasn’t a hair out of place. If you hadn’t watched him throw drinks back all night, you would think he was sober. 

‘Nice. Does that work on all the girls?’

‘I haven’t tried this one before.’ He winked.

‘I’ll take whatever concoction that has the most vodka in it. No whiskey.’ 

Your swift change of subject didn’t phase him in the slightest. ‘Anything you want.’ 

When he handed you a drink and your hands brushed, you had to glance around to see if Nat noticed. Because if she had, she’d have seen you linger for a moment before you turned around and walked away. 

After a few particularly vicious rounds of Cards Against Humanity that had you all creasing on the floor, you took yourself off to the bathroom. Bob and Javy were talking about heading home. Bradley and Mickey had called dibs on Nat’s huge, L-shaped sofa for the night, and Reuben was trying to convince Nat to let him top-and-tail in her bed. While they were arguing, you headed inside and up the spiral staircase to use your bathroom without worrying about a drunken aviator trying to get in.

Or at least, that had been your plan. 

You reached out to grab the door handle, and someone’s hand closed over your own.

‘Jake?’

You turned around, your back against the closed door, and he moved in front of you, his chest flush against yours. 

‘What’re you doing?’ You breathed.

‘You’ve been givin’ me those come-to-bed eyes all night. I assumed that’s where you were headed.’

He leaned in closer, but not so close that you thought he was going to kiss you. 

‘I thought you were suspiciously quiet when everyone was talking about sleeping arrangements.’

‘Mhm, so you were thinkin’ the same thing?’

You shook your head, but your smile was a dead giveaway. ‘Even if I wanted you to, you couldn’t spend the night here. Nat would crucify both of us.’

He leaned even closer. You could smell the liquor on his lips now. ‘Who says she has to find out?’

‘I can’t do that to her. It’s disrespectful.’

He regarded you thoughtfully. ‘Come on, Y/N. Take that halo off for one night.’ 

Bravely, you nudged his nose with yours. When he tried to kiss you, you pulled back. His expression was a mix between hurt and challenged. 

‘I’ve been warned to stay away from you, in case I get hurt.’

‘Well, that’s funny,’ he responded, closing the space between you. ‘Because I’ve been warned to stay away from you so I don’t wake up and find my balls missing.’

You laughed. ‘Nat threatened to castrate you?’

‘That she did.’

‘I suggest you go home and sleep in your own bed then.’

His lips were basically touching yours now. ‘You don’t really want that.’

You reached up and put a hand on the back of his neck. The first kiss you shared with Jake Seresin was exactly how you imagined it would be. There was no softness, no easing you into it. One minute, you were talking, the next, you were tasting the whiskey sour he’d just finished. He had both hands on either side of your face and was kissing you more intensely than you’d ever been kissed in your entire life. It was raw passion and desire—you could feel how needy he was. 

When he pushed against you, you felt his hard-on through his Levis, and a small whimper escaped your lips. You found yourself grinding against him, hoping for any kind of friction to ease the tightness in your stomach. 

When he pulled away, you followed his mouth and kissed him again, but he stopped you soon after.

‘What was that about me going home and sleeping in my own bed?’

You groaned. ‘Don’t make this hard for me.’

‘You’re the one making things hard, sweetheart.’ He smirked. 

‘I’m gonna go down first, and you’re gonna follow me a couple minutes later. That way, nobody will be suspicious.’

He shook his head in disbelief, but he was grinning like a fool. ‘You’re seriously not gonna let me stay?’ 

‘I told you, it’s disrespectful.’

‘So what, then? That’s all I get?’

You flashed him a devilish grin of your own. ‘For now.’ 

A/N: This is the first part of this series. There shouldn't be more than two or three parts. For some reason, I struggle to write one-shots; it always turns into a series...

[adapembroke]

Is Chiron the Wounded Healer or the Gifted Teacher?

When Chiron's wound is discussed in the astrology community, it is usually with a pitying tone. "Poor Chiron, he was an amazing healer, but he was hamstrung by the wound he couldn't heal." At best, it's implied that his suffering interfered with his ability to do his best work. At worst, it's implied that he might not be a great healer after all if he couldn't even heal himself. The Chiron wound is seen as a problem spot in our chart. Pluto wounds can be transformed into a source of power, but Chiron is a gaping sore that never heals. Everything we accomplish in the area of the life where Chiron lives is accomplished in spite of Chiron's influence, not because of it.

I've written before about how there is more to Chiron than the wounded healer archetype. I believe the wound is only a small part of his story, and if we reduce him to the wound we lose the part of the story in which he is the wise mentor adopted by the gods. At the same time, there is valuable medicine in Chiron’s wound, and it would be a mistake to diminish the wound to the point that he is no longer the wounded healer.

What if Chiron's wound was the same as his power?

In the myth of Chiron, we are told that Chiron is accidentally wounded by Heracles. This is an especially tragic accident because Heracles was Chiron's student. In some versions of the story, it is even said that the arrow that wounded Chiron was given to Heracles by Chiron himself.

If we take this story literally, this was a tragic accident, but what if we see the arrow as a metaphor?

It is a common cliche that we stand on the shoulders of giants. A good teacher makes the path of learning easier to walk and prevents students from making costly mistakes. This guidance has the potential to save the student valuable time. They might learn the material faster than the teacher did leaving them time to make their own discoveries and grow beyond their teacher's skill.

A teacher should celebrate a student's success. They should recognize that the teacher themselves went far because they stood on the shoulders of their teachers, and they would encourage their students to go as far as they can possibly go, creating taller shoulders for the generation that follows.

In practice, this isn't usually what happens. Students are pushed to move on before they learn all that a teacher can teach them for the sake of the teacher's pride. Instead of surpassing the teacher, the student is artificially held back, so the teacher will always be seen as superior.

In the story of Chiron and Heracles, Heracles wouldn’t have been able to wound Chiron if Chiron hadn’t been a good teacher. It is Chiron's skill as a teacher that enables Heracles to wound him. It's like that common trope in martial arts movies, the moment when student finally bests the teacher in a duel. His greatness came from his ability to overcome his pride and teach Heracles everything he knew about being a warrior, even if it meant that Heracles could wound him in combat.

What does Chiron’s wound mean to you?

Viewed through this lens, the wound of Chiron looks very different. Painful as the wound is, it is no longer a tragedy or evidence of failure as a healer. It is actually a sign of success as a teacher. Like the Norse god Tyr, Chiron puts his values before his own interests. He gives his students everything he can to see them succeed, even when it costs him personally. In your chart, Chiron points to a place where you have the potential to be a great teacher. Chiron’s house is the context in which you are being called to teach, and Chiron’s sign tells you the lessons you are called to teach. Teaching these lessons might not come naturally. You’ll likely have to face a lot of rejection in that area of your life first, but if you are willing to swallow your pride and give with an open heart, you’ll give a valuable gift to the next generation.

Would you like to explore what Chiron means for you personally? I would love to talk with you about it! Book a reading with me and let me know that you read this article and would like to talk about Chiron.

[yantalia545]

Platonic! Yandere Allied nations with a younger sister who went missing

England: 

Since that day you disappeared Britain had been kicking himself over the matter of being such a horrible big brother. He was too distracted at the time with America leaving him, but he still should have kept a better eye on you. You were still only a child. Losing America was already a bruise to his ego, but your disappearance was certainly a blow to it.

For a long time, Britain was certain that America or one of the other nations took you as a means to to get under his skin. He was hostile towards them for a long time because of it and often got into a lot of fights. When he did finally calm down, that’s when the water works showed. 

He was broken without you and America by his side anymore. There were many nights where Britain would wake up with a panic sweat and tears streaming down his face. Some nations that felt pity towards the man, mostly Canada and France,  and would help look for any clues of your whereabouts. As the years rolled by with no sign of you, everyone began to give up. England himself nearly gave up when he finally found you.

He was just milling about his day by the local market when he saw you. You were much older than when you first disappeared and England had to do a second take to make sure and that he wasn’t losing his mind. But when he weakly called out your name and you responded, England dropped everything and b-lined straight to you. He normally would mind what people thought of him but right now that didn’t matter. He couldn’t care less about all the weird stares he was receiving right now. All that mattered was that you were right here in the flesh and not some imaginary trick.

You were obsoletely terrified. You were just trying to remanence in your past by visiting one of the places you used to go with your brothers as a child when you were spotted by the one man you’d never hope to see again.

You see, you may have only been a child, but you still saw all of the horrible things that Britain was doing to you all and wanted to get away from it. Unlike America though, you were too small to fight Britain head-on and chose to slip away while Britain was distracted. 

Remember, you’re not like normal children. You’re a nation who’s lived for many years even as a child. You can understand and process things differently.

You’d awkwardly tired to act like everything was okay while slowing slipping away from him again. You thought you would have gotten away with it too before England grasped you wrist just a little bit too tight.

“Where are you trying to go, Biscuit? Aren’t you happy to see me again? I’ve looked everywhere for you.”

Russia: (not a child in this one but still younger than Russia)

“You’re going to tell your big brother everything you know and I will handle it.”

Russia isn’t a fool. And he most certainly doesn’t like when people think they can mess with him and his family and not lose a finger or two. The two of you were very close before your disappearance so he knows for a fact that you did not run away. Someone stole you. Stole you from him of all people. They were going to pay.

To say Russia is pissed is an understatement.

Russia wastes no time and knows many people. He will find you eventually, and when he does, he’s going to make sure that the one responsible for your abduction knows who they’re dealing with. Apparently, it is easier to hide when the person who took you is someone who works for Russia. They had intel on what Russia knew but eventually they slipped up trying to cover up some evidence of your whereabouts.

It was quite a scene when Russia found out. He beat the guy pretty harshly and even broke quite a few bones before dragging him by a broken ancle to your whereabouts. Once Russia knew you were safe he made an example out of the vile creature that dared to put their filthy hands on you. Apparently, the disgusting oaf abducted you when they claimed to have feelings for you and you turned them down flat. For that, Russia was going to give him an extra special treatment.

Your abductor will be publicly executed by Russia ripping the man’s heart out with his own bear hands. Not before ripping each distrusting finger that touched you, of course. ^J^ The entire gruesome scene will be globally broadcasted to make it clear that no one is to every mess with you or anyone in Russia’s family ever again.

Russia will also make sure that this can never happen again by never taking his eyes off you. No matter how much you try to fight it you’ll always be within his reach, even at meetings. He never cared about what the others thought of him so seeing the weird looks everyone gives the two of you as he practically hovers over you all the time doesn’t faze him one bit. This is just the things you do when you love your family. If anyone says other wise, then Russia will only assume that they’re planning something and will only hover over you more. Maybe even get his other sisters involved in looking after you too. After all, they want to do what they can to look after their sister too...that and try to calm Russia down from killing everyone...

China: 

Did you really go missing or is that just what China is telling everyone? 

Japan’s rebellion against him really opened his eyes about younger nations. Rather they’re young or old, they still shouldn’t be underestimated. Steps should be taken to make sure everyone is well aware of their place. And your place is with him.

China is a man with the biggest inflated ego known to man. He tends to think he’s above everyone else since he’s much more experienced and wiser than most; His younger siblings especially. Japan attacking him so viciously really tore China apart. Mostly because he didn’t even know what had happened before it was too late. In such a short amount of time, China went from having everything and everything he could ever had wanted under his thumb on minute, then the next, he had nearly gone broke and lost one of his precious territories.

The man is not stupid. He is well aware of the fact that you held a special kind of bond with Japan before he left to the point where he’s become painfully jealous. With Japan leaving, China couldn’t take any chances that you’d seek to run after Japan and leave him, or god forbid, Japan coming back and trying to take you from him.

These few things in mind would cause China to bring up a lot of insecurities that he had been ignoring for quite some time now. He had always desired to be greater being to someone who’d look up to him, and in return, receive his never-ending love and dedication. However, it seems to one way or another no one can ever live up to his expectations. 

But maybe he can force you to.

If being open and honest won’t give him the affections he’s always dreamed about, then maybe if he were more stricter and harsher will do the trick.

Being as sneaky and collaborative as he is, It wouldn’t be too hard to make it look like you had somehow mysteriously disappeared. Even if his resources were severely damaged from the war with Japan. He’d even put on a show in fount of the others and show how much sorrow he feels after loosing you just to throw everyone off. Japan may be able to see a bit more clearly through the lines than everyone else, but there wouldn’t be much he could do since his resources would also be scarce from war.

Once that it established, China will begin on recuperating you to be how he had always wanted you to be without the annoying interruption of others. You are to be respectful of him. He is your dear older bother who loves and provides you from the harsh world. Without him you are lost and vulnerable with means of survival. If you ever think otherwise, China will gladly take one of his gifts away from you and see just how much you need him; Taking away food, water, and time outside being his main sources of punishments. He prides respect above most things in life. With respect comes power. Without it, and you have none

America:

It was a pretty traumatic experience for the both of you. America just couldn’t comprehend what happened exactly. One minute the both of you were having a little quality sibling time together, then the next you were gone.

He had only wanted to be the best big brother ever by surprising his little sister with giant ice cream cones when you got out of the bathrooms. America swore he only took his eyes off the bathroom entrance when he went to pay for your ice creams but when he waited for more than ten minutes for you to come out, it was already too late.

America wasted no time in beginning his search for you. You’ll be placed on a nation wide search as thousands chip in to look for you. Being as big as he is, America will have access to tons of extra resources that most can’t even imagine; Cameras, secret agencies, even news coverage. There is no limitation to what America will do to find you. He was your big brother. Someone who swore to protect you from all the evil of the world. He just has to find you! 

America is going to be the most heartbroken over you disappearance. Over the years, America had gained a lot of power that many of his peers resented him and even try to undermine him often. He felt as if you were the only one who  gave him the true sense of what family is. 

He will have many sleepless nights. Most nights, he can be found out looking for you under and over any place he can reach. America feels as if he can’t rest until he finds you. 

Many had doubted that he could properly take care of you when he first discovered you. They said he was too arrogant and childish to raise a nation such as yourself. He wanted to prove them wrong; Show them that he was more than a screw-up. Now however, he can’t help but feel as if they were all right all along. If he just stayed by your side and watched over you better then you wouldn’t be missing right now. God only knows what horrible things could be happening to you. Are you cold? Hungry or scared? This fear is eating away at America more and more with each passing day.

The day he hears that you’ve been found, America drops whatever he’s doing and races to your location. He doesn’t care if he was right in the middle of a world meeting. America will race to the nearest airport and fly over to you.

It doesn’t matter what happened. The person who caused this horrible nightmare was going to pay. Of course, America does care to keep a positive image for his people, unlike Russia, but will still get the message across that no one is to mess with either of you.

Your story will displayed for all of the world to see. It’ll be all anyone can talk about for at least a month! Everyone will know of your abductor and of your daring brother who searched day and night to look for you. Your kidnapper will be sentence to life in prison to the public, but once the camera to their cell “malfunctions”, America will let loose on the bastard for all the pain and frustration they caused him.

On the more positive side of things, your story will bring attention to a serious issue of children going missing world wide. No nation will rest until America instills his new missing children’s project into their very way of life. Not they the others would have much to abject by. Who wouldn’t want to better their nation by creating a safe search system for missing children? And if this is what it takes to finally calm America down, then so be it. Although, don’t hold it against him for making a specific program just for you that not a lot know about. (o゜▽゜)o☆

France:

Another mess, but partially at fault here. 

You see, France never wanted to you to be scared of the world. He knew that he wasn’t raising an ordinary human and you would need to be adjusted to meeting new things constantly without being afraid. Without realizing it though before it was too late, France’s sugarcoating made you a bit too naïve of the world; Even for a young child such as yourself.

You blindly followed an elder lady home one day after school without ever feeling a sense of danger. You didn’t even think much about when the old woman called France your father, not brother. (no matter how much he pushed for you to call him father, but besides the point T^T). She told you she was filling in for him for the time being and that was that. 

Meanwhile France was losing his flipping marbles looking for you. The man couldn’t function again until you were by his side again. You were his darling little princess, and he, your darling knight who would show you all that the world had to offer. There’s no way he can go on in life without you in this life! You were his life!

Please note: While the others may have turned yandere from all the trauma and paranoia your disappearance caused, France was already starting to show signs of obsessiveness before this whole mess happened. He would spend any free time he had spoiling you and on the rare occasions he couldn’t be with you, France would bring you up in any conversation he could; Much to everyone’s annoyance. 

Despite France wanting to raise you to not be afraid of the world, France still kept the others from seeing you. Even from England and Canada. He was just so fearful of someone else seeing how amazing you are and luring you away from him. France saw it happen to so many other nations nations when they were younger, there’s no way he’s letting that happen to you!

On the day that France does finally find you, all hell breaks loose. When France catches wind of old lady keeping a strange little girl from apparently nowhere, he quickly springs into action. France demands that the person spreading the rumor tells him everything they know before speeding off to wherever this alleged old lady is. 

Turns out that the old woman who took you had a granddaughter that looked just like you who passed away recently. The lady is a bit old, and therefore a little mentally unwell, and mistook you as her missing granddaughter by mistake. Thankfully, you were never hurt or mistreated. France found tucked away in a well decorated room while she was away for the time being. 

France couldn’t care about the senile old woman. All that mattered was that you were unharmed and safe in his arms once again. He was crying tears of joy and forgot all about that woman as he left her torn up home. You were back with him again and France was sure he would do whatever it took to make sure no one can take you away from him ever again.

Canada:

He knows for a fact that you didn’t die like everyone claims you did. You were at war with Russia and now he’s being coy by occupying your country and pronouncing you dead. 

Things are complicated to say the least. Canada didn’t know if he hates America or Russia more at the moment. America was the one who pressured you to fight Russia in the first place. All because of some petty disagreements that they have to somehow drag everyone else into. It’s all America’s fault and it seems like he doesn’t even care. Wouldn’t he at least feel some remorse for dragging his own sister into his own mess? As your brother, America should have known that you’re not as powerful as you used to be. 

You’ve always been the big sister that constantly went out of your way to protect your brothers. You’d lie to England and France so that you could take the blame for something either him or America did, supported each of them through their own independent movements, heck, you even supported them now! You’d give them the clothes on your back if it meant protecting the two of them. It most certainly led you the situation you’re in now, but that was always something Canada looked up to.

He wants to be like you and burst through the doors to save you but he knows he doesn’t have the man power or resources to do so. Even America was having a hard time keeping up against the man for that matter. But that doesn’t mean Canada is just going to sit around and do nothing. 

Canada is expectantly good at spying. (Mostly because no one ever notices him). He’ll suck up his hatred for America for the time being and chip away at Russia’s morale in any way he can. This has nothing to do with his brother. Canada only cares about bringing you back home again. He doesn’t care who he has to step over along the way. Not even America.

Once Russia does finally fall and you come back home, Canada is going to keep a tight hold on you. He’ll help your economy heal while keeping you far away from anyone that can influence you ever again. If you try to leave, then Canada will play the pity card and weep about how much the war effected him and how he’s scared of loosing you again. 

If that still doesn’t work and you still want to leave then Canada will be forced to pull his own strings. He didn’t want to do this to you, but push is coming to shove. He’s not someone to underestimate. Canada is not just a shy little boy that everyone thinks he is. Just like America, he can be a forced to be reckoned with and will pull any means to keep you with him.

You’re not as strong as you used to be. The war against Russia really shows. He needs to take the step up as your brother and protect you. you’ve spent so many years doing the same for him. Canada only wants to repay the favor. So just let him, okay? Or he can always make another example out of you.

[toliveforthehopeofitall626]

The Beginnings of a Backstory

Mirio followed as you lead him into your apartment. It wasn't an absolute dump by any means, but it definitely wasn't what any normal person would call nice. It was technically speaking a studio, the kitchen, living room, and bedroom all connected in one big space. You had a couple of cheap, paper dividers that blocked off your bed from the rest of the living space. You walked into the makeshift room and started packing a few clothes into a bag. You didn't have a lot of clothes, enough to get by, which was pretty much the theme of everything in your life. The less possessions you had the easier it was to move around. It was probably a result from never having a stable living space as a child, but there was no way you were going to even begin to unpack all of that, especially not at this point in your life. 

As you packed your bag you watched Mirio begin to explore the small apartment. He didn't make any faces or show any signs that he didn't like the place or was judging it. You didn't think he would, but it was always a possibility, especially after you saw the beautiful home he lived in. 

"How long have you lived here?" He asked as he came back over to you. 

"Oh, just about a year now. I used to live closer to the college I attended but they were raising rent prices so I had to find something that I could afford to live in while also still being able to get groceries. It was pretty difficult. This was the cheapest place I could find that wasn't too far away. Sure, it used to be an hour bus ride to get to my classes and I had to live off of instant ramen for most of the time I've been here, but it's mine and I'm proud of it." You rambled a bit again as you finished putting your things into a bag. The last thing you grabbed was your laptop and carefully slipped it into its case. "Alright I've got everything."

Mirio turned to face you with the same smile you've become to find comfort in. "Great! Let's start heading back. Maybe we can pick up some pizza on the way home. I'm sure the others would be stoked to not have to do any cooking tonight. What kind of toppings do you like?"

You went to pick up your bags, but Mirio beat you to it, carefully slinging both bags over his shoulder. He really was such a gentleman, wasn't he? "I'm not super picky, anything that doesn't have onions or peppers on it I'm fine with. Though my favorite is pineapple and ham" 

"I'm glad you're on the correct side of pineapple on pizza argument." He joked as the two of you left the building. You made sure to lock the door before following back down to the car. You slid into your seat and frowned as your keys fell out of your pocket and onto the cement. You reached down to pick them up when you saw a flash of blue off in the alley way. You squinted a bit as you looked at the spot before shaking your head and grabbing your keys. It must have been your brain playing tricks on you. 

"Everything okay over there?" Mirio called out to get your attention. 

You nodded and slid back into the car. "Peachy keen." You flashed a smile over at him to reassure him that you were fine. "Just dropped my keys but I've got them now, so we are good to go."

The drive back, including your pizza stop, was filled with lighthearted conversation. Nothing too terribly serious. You'd had your fill of serious talk for the next few hours after borderline trauma dumping on Mirio before. The two of you pulled up to the house. You offered to carry in the pizza's seeing as Mirio wouldn't even let you carry your own bags. "Hey everyone, we're home." Mirio called out as you walked inside with him, splitting only when you headed to the kitchen to set pizza boxes down. 

It wasn't long before you heard footsteps coming into the room. You looked over and smiled as you saw Nejire and Tamaki walk in. "Mirio said you don't like pineapple, Nejire, and that Tamaki eats... to put it nicely, non typical toppings due to his quirk, so we got each of you your own pizza, that way everyone is happy." You opened up the boxes to show the others. 

"Hey, hey, those smell great!" Nejire pulled some plates out of one of the cabinets and came over. She set them down on the counter before putting a couple slices on her own plate. Tamaki followed her lead as he got his own slices. Mirio came into the room, now bag free, and walked over to the rest of you. 

"Boy I'm starving." He looked over at you. "Aren't you going to grab a plate? Don't be shy. You're our guest so you should have gone first."

You shook your head in response. "Oh no it's okay, you paid for it so really I could argue all of you should go first." You picked up a plate, grabbing a slice for yourself before Mirio grabbed some for himself as well. 

The four of you walked into the dining room and took seats around a medium sized table. Big enough for you all to have your own elbow room but not so big to make things awkward. The room was quiet as the four of you started eating. A bit of awkwardness floated in the air before someone finally spoke. More light small talk was carried out. A few jokes here and there. It was nice. You weren't used to having other people to talk to around you. Though you spent most of the time listening, learning and getting to know them. Which meant the majority of the conversation was held between Mirio and Nejire. 

You noticed that Tamaki seemed pretty uncomfortable, which wasn't unexpected. You felt a bit of guilt over the fact that it was your fault he couldn't be comfortable in his own home, and a part of you began to worry that it wasn't okay for you to stay. Maybe you could try and talk to him one on one later. Try and make yourself seem less scary. 

"So y/n Mirio said you just moved here a year ago, where did you live before?" Nejire's voice pulled you back into the conversation at the table. 

You shrugged your shoulders. "Here and there. I was moved around a lot as a kid between this family and that. It wasn't until I reached college that I had a consistent home and even then, it was just the campus dorms, until scholarships ran out and I had to find off campus housing. It's really crazy how hard it is to find a permanent place to call home is."

"My parents have lived in the same home for my entire life, I used to wish for the opportunity to move or change anything." Mirio spoke as he finished off his dinner. 

"It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Who knows maybe if I had a normal family, it would be different, but when you're bounced around between homes and families for so long, you never get the chance to get comfortable and make friends." You didn't realize you had begun dumping on them again. What was wrong with you? It's not like you knew any of them super well, you can't just constantly vent all of your life's problems to people who are still practically strangers to you. It was almost like having people in your life, even if they were only temporary friends, made you comfortable enough to let all of these problems you'd bottled up out.  

"Well, sunshine, you don't have to be alone anymore." You stared over at Mirio for a moment before he clarified. "Because you have us as friends now, and you have your own apartment. You can finally let yourself put down roots." He smiled as he began to collect everyone's empty plates. 

"Oh well that is if I can find an apprenticeship or a job that pays well enough for me to stay." You responded back, not wanting to rain on his parade but you wanted to be rational. "I missed my interview, and it was already so hard to get that one, let alone to try and set up another."

"They have to be at least a little understanding; it's not your fault villains broke onto their campus and kidnapped people." Nejire spoke as she stood up. 

You stood as well and followed Nejire into the living room, both of you taking a seat on the couch. "This is a school for very rich kids of rich and snotty parents. They wouldn't care if I was dying in a hospital somewhere and that's why I couldn't make it. The second I was marked as late or that I didn't show up my chances were shot. I'll have to try and find something else soon. It's why I brought my computer with me, so I can still job search while I'm here."

"Well I'm sure that it will work out for you." She smiled sweetly. "Now do you like movies?"

"I love movies." You responded as the two of you got comfortable on the couch and started searching for something to watch.

[crmsnmth]

September Sky Chapter Nine, Part 3

And all my shaking anxieties dropped as soon as my arms were around her. They'd be back the minute our embrace was ended. But that brief physical touch seemed to almost reset me. Like she was rebooting my head. I wasn't complaining. That slow and building panic at least got knocked back a little bit.

"You're sure you're ok with this? I mean, we can always stay here and watch horror movies," she asked as she led me up the stairs to her apartment. I could hear music from the other side of the apartment door. I didn't recognize it though. From out here, it just sounded like muffled noise.

I didn't reply right away, contemplating on taking her up on the offer. I couldn't do that now. Sure, I was panicking inside, but I was holding well on the visual front. Cool as a cucumber.

"That's a very tempting offer, you know," I said. She turned to look at me from a few stairs above me.

"It's up to you if we go."

"Seriously, it's cool. It's not that big of a deal" The man in my head just put his hands in his face. I had the option to get out of this, and I just wouldn't do it. It's madness.

"Ok, if your sure," she said, leaning down to kiss my cheek. Even after some time, it was still like being struck by lightning when i did get to feel her lips. Who am I kidding? It was even when she barely touched me. And it wasn't showing any signs of stopping.

She opened the door, and the music suddenly got a whole lot louder and cleared. We stood in the kitchen, as music I didn't know filled every spot in the air. It was good though. I liked it, nodding my head as Addison dragged me through the apartment and into the living room. Adam was sitting with Eileen on a small white love seat. Adam nodded at me and I nodded back. I wouldn't say we were at the point of being friends yet, but we were on our way.

"Hey Chirs!" Eileen on the other hand was loud and crass, and the few tines I had talked to her were interesting to say the least. There was no "don't say that" button in her head. Her mouth moved faster. It was a delight, and I absolutely loved talking to her. She refused to let me stay in my shell. It was just the way she was. She was a party pretending to be a person.

"Hey," I replied, waving my hand slightly. Addison pushed me over to an old and dusty armchair pushed at an angle next to the loveseat. I sat down in it , and sneezed immediately after. Dust. Addison dropped down onto my lap. My weightless feather.

"Pre-game?" Adam asked holding a pint of Jack Daniel's. When in a pinch it'll do the trick.

"Of course," she said while laughing at the same time. Breaking the words with ha-ha's. She unscrewed the cap and took a quick pull of the bottle, making a face that said straight whiskey was not her usual drink. She then handed it to me. I shrugged and took a swig off of it. When in Rome.

The bottle continued in it's circular journey, as we all made small-talk. It was getting easier to shake off the hard shell for a while. I would've never believed anyone if they told me something like this could happen to me. Actual social interaction. I mean, different from my coworkers or with Chad. I didn't really know these people, but they seemed to accept me and let me in their circle. On the outside, I laughed and joked around can had meaningless conversations. On the inside I was shaking and terrified. I pushed though because of the girl sharing a chair with me. I squeezed her hand softly, saying the words I wanted so badly to say to her. I wonder if she knew yet.

"No offense, dude, but you don't seem like the type of guy who goes to parties," Adam said, passing the slowly emptying bottle of whiskey to Eileen.

"None taken. Call em like you see em." I said quietly. Even though they did bring me into the conversation, it was still easier to slip into observation mode. But I liked these people, at least for now, and I wanted to have a conversation. A real one that isn't just made up of one worded answers being pushed back and forth. I knew how it made me look. Like I was rude or inconsiderate, or maybe just very cynical.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Adam laughed. The bottle was in Addison's hands now, and I could smell the whiskey on her breath and in the room. It was almost overwhelming. Strong scents tend to mess with my head a bit. I used to get headaches from strong scents. Scents like a draining pint of Jack Daniel's. Addison handed me the bottle and I took a grimacing pull.

"It means your right. I'm not the party kind of dude," I said.

"Then why are you going?" Eileen once again proving she does not give a fuck.

I stopped and stared at the people in this room. Adam and Eileen were looking at me with the kind of curiosity reserved for strange animals. I swallowed hard, trying to figure out how to answer that question. I mean, the real answer was easy, Addison asked, and I obliged. For some reason though I felt like that's not the answer I was so supposed to give. The big problem now was that I couldn't think of any other reason. Fuck it.

"Addison asked me to tag along." I didn't even a single choice. There was no other way to answer. Addison smiled at me and kissed my forehead.

Adam, on the other hand, laughed and made a whipping noise with his mouth, which caused Eileen to laugh and say something to him that neither Addison and I could hear. If I had to guess, they were calling me whipped.

"Hey, fuck you guys. He's stepping out of his comfort zone and doesn't need you two to sit there and make fun of him for it." I couldn't tell if Addison was really angry or if she was just joking around. Either way, the laughter stopped for a second.

"Sorry, mom," Eileen said, rolling her eyes dramatically.

"Yeah, sorry," Adam said quietly. "Can I ask just one more question, mom?"

Addison's smile was breaking into a laugh. This whole mom thing must be some joke that I haven't made privy too. And that's ok. I don't need to know everything.

"What?" Addison's voice was exasperated, like she was tired of the joke.

"Is Chris going to be my new daddy?" Adam said with a huge grin.

And that's all it took. The entire room roared with laughter. Shared laughter. Even I was laughing about it. Maybe it was the whiskey or maybe, just maybe, I was getting comfortable around these new people in my life. And I'd better get comfortable around them. I'm kind of banking on Addison and I lasting. Can you tell someone your going to marry them someday, without having told them you loved them before?

"What time are we supposed to head to the CC?" Once the laughter stopped, Eileen asked.

"Well, the invite says seven, so I figured around like eight?" Addison seemed to know more about this CC stuff compared to these two. Maybe Addison was an activist. And the thought made me question how much I actually knew about Addison. A stupid intrusive thought. I knew her well. Enough to have fallen head over heels for her. Hell, my forehead was still shining from her kiss earlier.

[thechembow]

My First Urban Gifting Trip – Towerbusting Boston 6/7/23

June 29, 2023 - by Anonymous Gifter

It is an honor to have been asked by Sharon and Gabe to contribute to their blog! I live north of Boston and have been following their work for about five years. A year ago when New England was allegedly in the middle of a “severe drought” (which ultimately consisted of three months of little to no rain), I decided to start gifting myself, focusing on cell phone towers and arrays mainly north of Boston and into New Hampshire with very interesting results (significant rain and other sky and weather transmutation that has continued ever since). While I have gifted in rural areas, towns, and smaller cities, Gabe and Sharon for some time have been encouraging me to tackle Boston itself. An opportunity to do so recently arose. 

As usual, I turned my cell phone completely off during this outing, but I forgot to bring a piece of foil with me, so I didn't wrap it. This was the first gifting trip during which this happened, and time constraints didn’t allow me to find a store to buy some foil. I decided to put my trust in the power of the succor punch, a device made from a quartz crystal wrapped in a mobius coil and powered by a nine volt battery which scrambles location tracking data. 

The weather was basically cloudy and mild before, during, and after my trip, with the sun coming out during it a little bit. The clouds were all very puffy and there was no haze. It sprinkled a tiny bit a couple of times. The local weather people had been complaining about haze from the "Canadian fires," but I saw no such haze anywhere that day, nor did I see any "planes.” 

I used my AAA paper map and a list of places I had made in advance to go to in a grid pattern of one towerbuster approximately every quarter mile, suggested by Sharon and Gabe if one can’t see exactly where the cell towers are. The main issue I had was finding appropriate places to gift, since as a newbie city gifter I was always afraid that my potential spots could somehow get "unbusted." I was able to use a total of eight TBs, which took me an hour at a fast walk/slow jog. The massive rooftop arrays seemed to appear out of nowhere, but I of course couldn't see them if I was right next to a tall building. The grid strategy was definitely the right way to go unless there was something particularly nasty needing additional attention. Downtown Boston is comparatively dinky and was easy to walk in. Everybody was on their phones, so nobody seemed to care. I just had to watch out for the tourists taking pictures and all the security cameras, but avoiding them was easier than I had anticipated. 

I did not encounter any significant challenges, but I did experience something really cool. In searching for an appropriate spot to gift, I "accidentally" came across a very promising area. Since it was touristy, I wandered around looking for a good site that wouldn't get unbusted and finally discovered a place that looked ideal. When I moved away some leaves so that I could place my gift appropriately, I found another TB already there! I was so shocked that instead of deciding not to deploy my own TB, I just added it to the other one and quickly left. Needless to say, I was very excited to learn that there was at least one other person gifting the city! I assumed that this was a fantastic sign and that my own gifts could only strengthen what had already been put there. 

Even though I was not in Boston to have traditional fun, I did encounter some interesting entertainment. While near the State House, I heard someone talking and a cheering and clapping crowd. Approaching what I thought might be a political rally, I was instead graced by the presence of several drag queens on the State House steps about to perform! I was indeed tempted to watch this show, but quickly chose to go on my merry way, as I had more pressing matters to take care of. I finished my gridding by visiting a fantastic bakery with lots of bad-for-you sugary delights. 

I was curious to see what would happen weather-wise after my trip, as I had deployed only a small number of TBs. The day after, on the North Shore and into New Hampshire there was flat white haze with puffy clouds forming underneath, which ended up turning into a lot of 3D cumulus clouds with a little blue sky. The second and third days were more dramatic. The temperatures were on the cool side (50s and 60s). I observed threatening clouds – white clouds in front of dark gray clouds, dark gray clouds in front of white clouds – all 3D. There were no "planes" or messy white hazy stuff in the upper atmosphere, and there was blue sky in between all these clouds when you could see it. A thunderstorm came through and dumped a bunch of rain for 15-20 minutes, moving off very quickly, and more of the clouds described above continued to appear. Threatening weather travelled north to south from New Hampshire towards Boston, rather than the typical west to east pattern, bringing in blue skies. In general, a lot of transformation and transmutation! 

Overall, this urban trip has inspired me to consider additional city gifting. The greater Boston area is a true east coast epicenter of DOR activity – currently and historically – that ideally needs hundreds of TBs to neutralize fully. I will keep chipping away at it when I can and keep track of the results. Many thanks to Gabe and Sharon for their encouragement, advice, and TBs!

[ashleywool]

Hello! Saw the show on Sunday and loved every second! I'm also a non-union performer who is neurodivergent (ADHD with anxiety comorbidity though I suspect it could be something more) and I've lately been struggling with navigating the audition process and its characteristics (loud waiting rooms, disruption of routine, long travel days, over stimulation of NYC itself) with my how my brain works.

I also live a bit far from the city so I usually need to weigh pros and cons when deciding what to go out for. And I find I'm constantly weighing the effects on my mental state against the opportunities it could give me. Are their things you or your cast mates do to help accommodate during situations like that? Do you think their are accommodations that the theatre community could put in place in audition spaces to better include neurodiverse talent?

To be clear, the actual audition part of it never bothers me it's always the easiest part. I just find I feel completely fried by the time I get in the room because of what it took mentally to get myself there.

Either way How to Dance in Ohio is such a breath of fresh air and I hope it manages to find life after Broadway either on tour or in schools or maybe a spot off-broadway. It has so much more good to give.

Ooooof. I feel this. All of it. I'm originally from northern Westchester and I spent many exhausting commutes doing exactly this.

I would honestly say the best thing you can do for yourself is to join Equity if you are eligible. It's a better audition experience all around, you can sign up for appointments in advance on the member portal and view projects that accept self-tapes, AND it will get you in the room for better jobs.

If you aren't eligible yet or just don't feel ready to compete on that level yet, I'd recommend focusing more on local projects over the big NYC cattle calls. I don't know exactly where you live or what your regional/community theatre scene is like, but I do know that those theaters are the ones that are struggling the most right now and could use people who are passionate and want to build their resumes. It's a lot easier to get seen and get cast, you'll be able to keep your day job and not tunnel-vision your life around waiting on line for crappy nonunion tours that charge Broadway prices but pay minimum wage, AND you will likely meet a lot of people who will get to know you much better and more personally than a casting director ever could in a 2-minute window.

Keep in mind, also, that when you walk into a professional audition and a casting director looks at your resume, they don't care how much you were paid for a job or what kind of contract you were on. And they don't care how you got your Equity card. The only people who care about that stuff are bitter judgmental actors who need the gatekeeping to feel better about themselves (and no matter what your answer is, they won't like you anyway). The people who actually matter only care that you're on time, prepared, friendly, open to direction, and right for the role they need.

As for actually doing the professional NYC audition grind, here are some pro-tips:

-Opt for appointments and self-tapes over "open calls" whenever possible.

-CONTINUE being selective about the projects you go out for. Trust me, I did many years of the "throw all the spaghetti at the wall and see what sticks" method, and it doesn't work, and it will only burn you out more.

-Don't overthink your audition material. You don't need exact 16-bar cuts of ten different in your book for every style of musical theatre. You can do the "overdone" songs and monologues if they fit who you are and the roles you can conceivably play. It's New York. Everything is overdone. YOU are not overdone.

-Dress comfortably. Sounds obvious, but it took me way too long to realize that no, really, I do not have to wear heels to an audition. Be strategic with layers.

-Get a rolling suitcase over a backpack. Way less strain.

-Noise. Cancelling. Headphones. Also, make playlists of your "comfort" songs and your "motivation" songs and your "wind-down" songs and your "zone-out" songs so you have predictable, appropriate background noise to whatever you're doing--commuting, waiting in the holding room, eating lunch, etc. Preferably songs that are not from musicals and have nothing to do with whatever shows you're auditioning for. Auditioning is a job and you need a work-life balance there too.

-Do something else in the city unrelated to auditioning or performing. Go to a museum or a park or just a cute coffee shop where you can just EXIST and not perform.

I hope these help <3

[ask-hannah-blog]

(Woops thought I posted this last week!)

Interview with Cassidy Part 3

“Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah, I just had the farts! Giggles.”

“Oh, haha okay then… um we were talking about how your daily life has been affected.”

“Oh where to start? I crave sugar, I find regular t.v boring now.I have to cover up when I go out otherwise people will look at me like I’m a freak.”

“It’s true that you don’t look like a normal person, but you’re hardly the strangest thing out on the street.”

“That doesn’t help when you feel like a freak. Plus it’s not even really that when people react to how I look… I get all hot.”

“Oh!”

“I get embarrassed, or humiliated and that makes me horny. Then I get all clumsy, and my head gets goofy, and before I know it I’m tumbling into a garbage can honking like an idiot and having a tasty little O for my trouble.”

“Oh wow.”

“Things aren’t so bad by myself, but when I’m around people it’s like every part of me is trying to grab their attention.”

“Well I’m glad I took you to a crowded restaurant for lunch.”

“Yeah, heh it’s been a little tough. But so long as I’m focused on entertaining you I’ll be okay.”

“That’s an interesting way to phrase it. How are you doing mentally?”

“Well the human side of me is depressed, scared and disgusted. The clown side is excited and horny.”

“Horny?”

“Yeah. It’s like opening up a porn sight for the first time, and you just want to watch everything. Only the website is intrusive thoughts in my head, and the porn is clowns.”

“So like… juggling, and tents and…”

“Popcorn and corn dogs, and clown shoes it’s all really hot to me… and it’s like…”

“You’d rather think of that, than what’s making you sad.”

“Yes!”

“Yeah, that’s classic transformation stuff. It’s not that the new life is better, it’s just easier to give into those positive impulses rather than confront the reality of what you’re dealing with.”

“I’m just preserved in a perfect spot of being humiliated and disgusted by what’s happening to me, and really turned on by it.”

“Have you considered letting go?”

“Like going full clown?”

“Yes if you’re really suffering as you are now, I think you should be able to consider embracing your change without shame.”

“Do you want to be a clown?”

“Not yet but there will come a time where I will. Where I’ll want it more than the life I currently live. Are you there yet?”

“No of course not. I’m holding out for a cure.”

“Me too. Only you know when you’re ready to change. I just wanted you to hear that from someone. It’s not a sign of weakness, or perversion to embrace your changes, it’s the healthy course of these diseases.”

“Thank you, but no. I’m not ready to change.”

“I understand. Any sex?”

“What?!?”

“Any clown sex yet?”

“No! Omg how could you ask me that you’re a therapist!”

“I’m not your therapist, besides we’re obsessed with sex it’d be weird if we didn’t ask.”

“Haha, no none of that. Unless you found my rose.”

“Of course I count the rose, otherwise I’m not having any sex either and that can’t be right!””

“Pffft! *Giggles*”

*Giggles”

——

After that we just started gabbing. I paid for lunch and headed back to work.

I really grew to like Cassidy during our time together, and I’m hoping to see more of her. She gave me a lot of hope for the future. Even as far gone as she is she can still think clearly and wants to hold on to her life. Since the interview I’ve been getting a lot of messages talking about becoming a clown like it’s as inevitable as gravity, and there she is holding strong!

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 38 (SPOILERS)

"Don't ask me how three karpoi combined forces to drive an automobile." They can just... meld together into one bigger karpoi, I'm assuming. That's what usually happens when creatures are made of inanimate objects like fruit in popular media. They basically just do the trench coat thing.

"A gas leak. Leo Valdez had been right again." I mean, cave fumes... I can see that becoming a legitimate danger. But also, the cave-in excuse it literally right there.

"That was bee pollen thinking!" New idiom acquired

"if a ragged street person wanted to stumble toward a gas leak emergency" Oh, never mind. The gas leak excuse is for the Waystation, not the cave.

"I spotted more disabled bulldozers" See, this is what you get for not waiting a couple days to scout out the Waystation before attacking.

"Still... something was strange about [Olujime's] use of lightning." Yoruba demigod! Or demigod equivalent! Is the lightning coming from him or his unnamed weapon?

"'Sssssup?" "'Sssssarah,' I said, 'did you swallow a Germanus whole?'" "No." . . . "Well, perhapsssss." I love Sssssarah

"He killed a path into the building." Are a lot of people on our good side dead? A lot of people on our good side are dead, aren't they?

"Was the detached bronze wing of a dragon." How did they freaking wrench that off of Festus? That's quite a feat. Seriously, that's, um, that's metal.

"a demigod I didn't recognize" He must be from the Imperial household, then? 'Cause all the people on the Waystation defense team are Emmie and Jo, Leo and Calypso, Lityerses, the griffins and Festus, and all the Hunters and rescued prisoners, right? And if they were rescued, Apollo would recognize them.

"one of Britomartis's bouncing mines." One of her... bouncing... mines. I'm trying and failing to picture that. And failing to think of why that exists.

"but [Heloise] had died." This is really sad and probably not the time for such a question, but why did she not disintegrate? Griffins are biologically classified as monsters, right? And monsters disintegrate when dead.

"Heloise and Abelard's nest appeared to be intact" Thank the heavens! "no signs of the male griffin or the egg." Never mind. Who cares about the nest if the griffins using the nest aren't there? Find them!

"lay the severed head and neck of Festus, ruby eyes dark and lifeless." NOOOO not Festus! He's been through so much! You can't just kill him like this! Okay, okay, so this has happened before, so maybe his head is still operational, just asleep like when he crashed in The Lost Hero. And this time his body is still in the vicinity and probably not as damaged as last time. It'll be easier to stitch the parts back together this time. It'll be fine. He'll be fine. Festus will be fine.

Fucking drown Commodus again. Or, like, decapitate him as I'm assuming he did with Festus. Listen, Commodus bby. You're really hot, but I stopped being able to excuse your actions after the first pointless execution. (After. I didn't like that Nero look-alike Cleander, anyway.)

"Calypso raised her bare hands, martial arts-style" When I tell you I'm literally guffawing- Thalia's got her bow drawn and Jo has the gun and Lit's got his sword AND THEN WE HAVE CALYPSO WITH HER BARE FUCKING HANDS I CAN'T-

"a bleeding diagonal cut" Are they not invulnerable? Are the Triumvirate members not invulnerable? Wait, is it just like the Hunters' immortality where they live forever and don't get sick but they can still die in battle? Why did it take me so long to realize? Okay, time to move on and pretend this embarrassing moment never happened.

On the bright side, defeating the Triumvirate is looking considerably less impossible now.

Wait, do they bleed blood or ichor?

"a gold spatha" Eyyyy, like Hazel! Where's his horse? Oh no, please don't tell me the horse is dead too. This is turning out to be a chapter with a pretty high body count. Remember "things were looking up"? Yeah, you see? Slow motion disaster is what this whole chapter was.

"Villainy!" Hold on. Hold on. Wait a moment. This is the cheesiest line I've ever seen said to a villain. There's no way- No, this is exactly what Apollo would say. Color me corrected. It's just, I can't take this seriously. You get it, right?

[zhongrin]

I got permission♡♥♡♥

Alright so my head has been filled with many school au with the genshin man

Imagine a rival to lover where the genshin men is a transfer student and stole your place in the academics throne.

Also I'm soo sorry but somehow this turn to some brainrot dump, I swear I was just going to do some light brainrot but it suddenly became a whole hc instead (and if you wondering yes I have a bias I'm so sorry I can't help it when I'm thingking of any genshin men, my hubby he's always come up and take most of the brainrot instead of anyone else)

Alhaitham who's just causally take your 1st place and all of this attention by not even trying (man is already a A+ student, and bless with faces of art). Him Who's not bother with you at first, before you start to match his exact score, him who's annoyed that he has to share the number 1 rank with you. Him who like to see your reaction when he score a whole 0.1 point higher than you, it was a bother hearing your claim of 'I will take you down! You'll see!' Or ' hah, I'm just going easy on you!! I would've drop you to 2nd place if I were serious!' He knew very well that's not the case and you've try your best. But he was also the one suddenly become petty (being all pouty and more snarky with his word with you) when you score just a bit higher in some exam, suddenly he's is intrigued with you who label him as your sworn enemy, he was the one now to search for you (discrete and with a lot of fabricated stuff saying it's more easier for him to find you than "seeing you running along the school ground like a madman" for him) and compare his score with you. You wouldn't notice but in times you need reassurance he will willingly without a doubt, help you study in his own way of pointing mistake and make sure you got the right material for the exam(along with his little touch up note he slide in the material).

Now imagine a transfer student zhongli, he won't be in 1st on the very first day. But I can assure you it's because he's still trying to be comfortable with his new environment. Once he's comfortable enough he will start to climb his way up without a sweat, and you cant even hate him for it. Man is a walking archive, hes sound like he live for Ages with all of the knowledge he has retrained in his head. Zhongli will be the type of rival to step down if you look down after seeing you look devastated, but once you told him not to hold back.....he won't. A gentleman who will now sit beside you during lecture to help you beat him yourself, him who share his note with you when you forgot to brought yours, him who would tutor you after class (if you accept that is) when he realize you were struggling in one of the class. And you really can't seem to hate him for doing all of this thing, not when he radiates a innocent aura when he offer you help. A sign he's not doing it to mock you but simply just to help you. before you know it, you have become close enough to rely on each other, with you coming to him everyday to chat with him, listening to his story, studying with him and all sort of stuff. Before he know it he become attach to you, starting to calling you dear from time to time when your alone (definitely caught you by suprise the first time ( not him saying "why not, you are dear to me " in his handsome face and smile) you ask about the endearment he calls you), him having to always care for you and look out for you, and him beeming with happiness when he know you near with him, he's only wait for time for you to fall and show sign of acceptance to him before he can tell you what he feel about you.

Now for the worse type of transfer student, wanderer. He's the type of guy who will take the 1st spot because he can, the type of person who will not even give a care in the world when everyone is either flocking at him for his beuty and smart or hated his gut and blunt talk. Oh no, he has no interest in that, but then you came up to the picture, saying he was your sworn enemy. Trying soo hard to beat him in a test, talking back at his snide remark with other snide remark, challenging him to try harder when he realizes your catching up to him. Reminding him that he's not the only one who say something snide at people, having fun seeing you banter around with snide remark along with exposing each other flaw (in line of course, won't be there to say something that would hurt each other for real) for the whole class to hear. Oh he's very much intrigue now, not only you were now catching up, now he also has to protect his pride from your snide remark about him. He see you as his rival now, from time to time you and him would fight over who would get the highest score, who has grown taller than before (we know who at this point lmao) and seeing who has the better physics. It wouldn't get long before he start to anticipate seeing you all work up with his high score, or when you have the brightest smile when you beat him slightly in a test. Him who suddenly become more soft (without you knowing) with you, constantly tormented you for having eye bags while he look like a panda himself. with how he start to study seriously for you to not catch up with him, him who would scold mock you for not having time to eat breakfast because of studying while he grumply place a cafeteria meal in front of your desk with your favorite drink. Him who suddenly glare at anyone who talk to you, taking all of your attention from him, him who suddenly keep bringing 2 lunch when you stop bringing yours because you want to focuse on study, he who would grumble how he didn't have 2 lunch because he me made on purpose for you but because his little sister make too much ("why would I made a lunch for someone who can't even take care of themselves, hah! Be grateful my sister made a mistake! I'm simply treating you like a dumpster for my sister overflowsbad food" (obviously a lie ;) ) and he who would make sure you keep up with class with how he kick your legs to wake you up or how he would oh so gracefully lend you his note book when you forgot to bring yours. It was a clear image for the class how wanderer have seen you as someone more than just a rival, for now the class only have to wait for him to be brave enough to confess or you to finnaly notice and confess (the class even bet who will be the first to let go of their ego to finnaly confess)

crying and sobbing at al haitham and zhongli. esp zhongli bc that kinda sound so similar to my own crush-slash-rival back then sobsob.

we used to compete for 1st place throughout the years of school and i've only managed to beat him once - and boy that felt so good. he congratulated me and everything too so it was a bonus >:) the cutest thing was that we'd always sit together on classes (our school allowed free seatings) instead of sitting together with our friend groups and everyone would tease us for it but we never cared. he was super fun. we'd geek about FMA together and he'd show me his drawings and stuff. and he'd get sulky whenever another guy patted my head or pull on my arm and i'd get sulky whenever he talked to this girl who's also good at english to ask questions instead of me- jfc my romance life back then was so adorable what tf happened it's so dry now orz

(healthy) academic rival is my secret weakness aughskfjkdjdks these are all so cute... i hope yall who's still at school can have these endearing moments. ik the general trope is that school sucks and it's hell, and depending on your circumstances that's probably true. but from my experience, i still feel feel like making lasting connections is much more easier in school environment. i miss my school days. i hope you all can enjoy it at the fullest while you're there. you can't rewind time, after all.

[vera-deville]

Request! Marinette becoming a wereladybug (oneshot)?

02/23/2023 - 02/28/2023

Pairing: No pairing! Just a one shot about Marinette/Ladybug.

Word Count: 1,533

Warnings: Being bitten by a weird ass ladybug; Season 4 spoilers; Marinette's in love with Adrien

Gender: Gender Neutral

In which Marinette gets bitten by rather odd ladybug.

This was definitely not what Marinette had signed up for.

One day, she was clumsily getting ready for school, and on her way, she had to drag an old man who was caught up in his own little world onto the sidewalk before he was hit by an oncoming vehicle on the road.

This resulted in her dropping many of the macarons her father had lovingly prepared for her first day of school, and she was running a bit late.

Time skip to quite some time later, and now this once (relatively normal) teenager was now juggling a very busy life. One filled with school, with friends, with love, and most importantly, with superheroes.

She was now the famous Ladybug, the protector (amongst a few others) of Paris, the guardian of Paris, the...there were honestly so many names that she couldn't keep track of them all.

And after many ups and downs (and everything in between), Marinette seemed to have her life sorted out, calmed down, and easy to manage for the most part. She fell into a sort of routine, juggling the duties of a school student, an artist, a good friend, and a superhero all together rather efficiently.

For once, she wasn't incredibly overwhelmed every single day.

And that's why they call it the calm before the storm.

It was just like any other day. Mr. Ramier had been akumatized into Mr. Pigeon for the umpteenth time in their lives, but had successfully been saved from wreaking more pigeon-related havoc upon the bustling city of Paris (filled with people who had far better things to be doing that worrying about a man floating around on a flock of pigeons). Of course, school was still in progress, and of course, Adrien still looked as perfect and sweet as ever.

Alya had some new videos to post on her blog, and she asked Marinette for feedback regarding the videos, because who better to ask the quality of videos about Ladybug than Ladybug herself?

It still took some getting used to in regards to the fact that Alya was now one of the very select few that new her secret superhero identity, as well as the fact that she was now much more open about asking her stuff for the Ladyblog. It was sweet, but almost surreal. Like she was a third person watching two people interact, when in actuality, she was one of them.

Confiding in Alya had been a nerve-wracking decision to make, without a doubt. And while it did present certain cons, the pros were far too good to ignore. Things were much easier now, much more convenient, especially since she could trust her best friend so much. Alya was a life-saver. Literally.

And it was at moments like this where she desperately needed Alya.

On the way home from school, Marinette stopped by some flowers in the sidewalks that looked particularly beautiful, and found herself inspired to sketch out a few designs. And that's when she noticed the little splotch of red, striking against the pinks and yellows of the flowers.

Marinette had a sort of affinity for ladybugs. This was a given, seeing as she was the holder of the ladybug miraculous.

So, in a moment of fascination, Marinette included the tiny beauty in her sketches, and as she was furiously sketching out a particular design, she felt a spot on her arm tickle. Whipping her head towards the direction of the sensation, Marinette noticed that the ladybug was now on her arm. And looking closely at it, she noticed that this particular ladybug looked a little different from other ladybugs.

It had a primarily white head with black spots. Most ladybugs didn't have that. And unlike most ladybugs, it had a more orangey hue rather than red. It was also much bigger than the ladybugs she was used to seeing. Plus, it had lots of black spots. The ladybugs she usually saw only had seven.

Shaking her head, Marinette tried to get the last details in her sketch before she headed home. Key word being "tried."

Marinette felt a sudden and sharp pain and tried to locate the source of the pain. It felt like a sharp nip, and oddly enough, it was from where the ladybug was sitting on her arm. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the thing had bitten her.

Lightly yelping, Marinette swiped the ladybug off her arm (albeit gently, as she couldn't bring herself to injure it gravely) and studied the now red spot on her arm. The nip was still stinging, although not as bad as before.

She didn't even know that ladybugs could bite-

After reaching home, Marinette noticed that the itching that accompanied the bite had gotten worse and when she took a look at the bite, she almost yelped once again.

The redness had spread and it seemed like rashes were also a thing now. Worried that she was having an allergic reaction, Marinette was about to tell her mother about the weird ladybug when she heard screaming.

Rushing up to little terrace, she saw an akumatized villain on the loose, wreaking havoc (as they do).

Letting out a sound of frustration, Marinette exclaimed, "d, spots on!"

The transformation sequence felt...odd. But unfortunately, Ladybug didn't all the time in the world to dwell on it, as she currently had something to do. Swinging her way to the scene of the akumatized victim, she was met with Chat Noir.

"Hey Bugaboo~ Woah-"

Frowning, Ladybug asked, "what?"

"Love the new style Milady!" Chat Noir replied.

"What do you mean new style?" Ladybug asked.

Confused, Chat Noir pointed out the antennae sticking out of her head, the wing-like flaps she had that were hanging off her shoulders, and the orangey-tint to her once blood-red costume. Shocked, Ladybug opened her yoyo to see if Chat Noir was just messing with her, but alas. The one time she sorely wished her crime-fighting partner was joking, it had turned out to not be the case.

Ladybug could feel herself spiraling and before Chat Noir could voice his concerns about her not looking too good, Ladybug told him that she had some things to figure out, but first, they had an akumatized villain to take care of.

And just as usual, the unstoppable duo dealt their hand and had restored peace to Paris (definitely not for long, since Hawkmoth had apparently never heard of a break). Chat Noir questioned Ladybug once again in regards to how she was doing and if he could help in any way.

Smiling, she assured him that once she figured things out, she would tell him herself.

Chat watched the love of his life swing away, smiling, but clearly worried about her. Looking over the beloved city he called home, he called it a day and headed home.

Back on Ladybug's end, she'd entered her room through the rooftop and immediately ran to the mirror to study her appearance. It was so odd. There was no particular reason for her to have her superhero appearance change so suddenly, and she had no idea what could have spurred it.

Reaching for her yoyo, she dialed Alya and told her to get to the bakery stat. Within some time, Alya was in Marinette's room, confused but also very fascinated by the new look her best friend now donned.

"I got bitten by this really weird ladybug today, and I had this sort of allergic reaction some time later, and now, EVEN MY SUPERHERO COSTUME HAS BEEN INFLUENCED BY IT!" Ladybug ranted.

Alya asked Ladybug to de-transform, that way they could figure some things out. So, Ladybug said, "Spots off."

Marinette felt a little weird. The scent of baked goods was always present in her house (seeing as they did live right above their bakery), but for some reason, the smell seemed even more stronger. So strong that she gagged a bit. Another thing she noticed was that her eyesight was a bit blurry. But the blurriness went away as soon as it came (luckily).

Alya asked her strange questions. And after experimenting for a number of days, the two girls had reached a conclusion. Marinette now had superpowers that were not related to her miraculous. And it was most probably due to a bite by a really weird ladybug. One that could have been radioactive for all they knew.

Alya explained to Marinette that there was this comic series that she had been obsessed with for man years now where the main character had been bitten by a radioactive spider and then he gained real-life superpowers as a result of it. And a lot of the things that he had matched with the things Marinette had. Heightened senses (minus the eyesight; at times it would get blurry) seemed to be the most easily recognizable change in Marinette.

It took some getting used to, but Marinette had the kwamis and Alya (and later Chat Noir once she explained the basis of her situation without getting into the details to him). Besides, it's not like her blood started to smell foul whenever she got a paper cut or anything like that, right?

Author's Note: Alright, so this request has been lying in my inbox for months and I felt really bad about not having completed it, but it still remained in my inbox for a very long time.

I decided enough was enough, and got started on this fic, and ended up finishing a few days later.

I gotta admit, I had no idea what to do with this one, (similar case with the Luka as a weresnake fic), so I went the Spiderman route. A (probably) radioactive ladybug bit our dear Marinette, and now she's got some interesting abilities (I especially struggled trying to think of some).

Because of that, I don't really like the way it turned out, but I still ended up completing the fic. If it's not up to your standard, let me know and I can make another one!

Now the part where Marinette notices the ladybug sitting on her and looking a little different to the ladybugs she's used to seeing has a particular reason for existing. The ladybug that bit Marinette is supposed to be a Harlequin ladybug. They're an invasive species in some parts of the world (including France) and they do in fact bite. Some species of ladybug can't bite, but these can. They can be painful (depends on your pain tolerance), but the bites don't pose a threat unless you're allergic to them.

Native ladybugs are (typically, depending on where you're from) black on the underneath and have black legs, but Harlequin ladybugs are orange on the underneath and have orange legs. The Harlequin ladybug (Harmonia axyridis) actually threatens the population of the European ladybug (Adalia septempunctata) due to many different factors ranging from not leaving enough food for the European ladybugs to straight up having cannibalistic tendencies and eating the eggs and larvae of other ladybugs and insects.

Anywho, putting aside all that, I'd like to let you all know that I am currently experimenting with the formatting of my fics. I've had a distinct pattern or style of format, but after talking to a few friends (special thanks to @reshi-galaxy and @moldy-cheeto), I've decided to make some changes with the formatting. I'd like to add that right now, it's a bit of a experimental phase, and I'm trying to figure out what formatting I like the best, and I hope you all like it too!

[blackbutlerfandomnerddomain]

Zora Midyoria:

Full name: Zora Toshi Midyoria

Pronunciation: zO-rah TOW-SHiy mid-or-ia

Meaning of Name: Zora means "sky" or "dawn" while Toshi means "talented"

Hero/Villain Name: Empty Sky

Nicknames: Toshi, Ra-Ra, Sky

History of Nicknames: All from close fiends and friends who simply gave him the nicknames

Aliases: None

Nationality: Japanese

Quirk: Gravity Poll - It's like a mix of his mother's Quirk and his grandmother's Quirk though he can use telepathy to bring stuff to him, but he can also make someone limbs or body grow heavier or lighter when controlling their magnetic poll after touching them.

Birthday and Astrology Sign: November 4th, 21XX, Scorpio

Age: 15

How old do they look: 13-14

Gender: Male (he/him)

Orientation/Sexuality Preference: Gay

Birth date: November 4th 21XX

Birth place: Musutafu, Japan

Appearance: Eye color: Dark brown

Eye shape: Round

Do they wear contacts or glasses?: Used to have glasses when he was a child but grew out the need to Hair: Curly dark green hair

Height: 5'3

Weight: 89 lbs

Body build: Lean yet semi built

Body shape: A small rectangle

Complexion: Beige

Blood Type: B

Handedness: Right-handed

Hand type: Delicate

Nails: Short and clean

Movement: Slightly slouched but head held up high

How do they walk: A bit fast walking with his arms to his side

Posture: Slightly slouched in the back but his head held high more aiming in his head

Flexibility: Pretty decent

Speech Mannerisms: Calm but does have a issue with a stutter and saying "um" when nervous

Scars: None

Birthmarks: One medium-sized pink scar on the lower slightly off centered to the right smudge on his back that some people who've seen it say it looks like a cloud

Piercings: One ear piercing on his left ear

Tattoos: None

General face structure:  Looks a lot like his father which both knew well

Defining physical traits: His birthmark, his freckles, and the small pink dots on his finger tips

Clothing: Uniform: He wears the typical UA uniform with bright pink-purple sneakers

Casual outfit: A black band tee and washed blue jeans

Preferred outfit: Same above

Hero/Villain costume: A dark green body suit with black and white patterns and some white and black harnesses on his legs, arms, and chest and torso, a white mouth mask and black boots

Equipment / Support Items: Like father-like-son he has simple equipment to help him move easier and not caused too much harm like leg and torso support

Characteristics:

Personality: He's very much like his father, timid and sweet but very loyal to the bone.

Big Five personality traits: Loyal, "geeky", sweet, brave, honest

Most prominent personality trait: Loyal

Best traits: Loyal, smart, nice, sweet, honest

Worst traits: Can't really say no openly and suffer as a doormat but is growing

Likes: Comics, Star Wars, lab days, his family and friends, Tsuki Bakugo Dislikes: Being put on the spot, when someone attempts to try and be rude or creepy to his sister, when his things go missing

Quirks:  (not the superpower but little silly things they do) He chews on his pencils. He did it with pens too for a while until it broke and he had to rush to the hospital in fear of ink poison Fear: Not being good enough, needles

Hobbies: Researching, jogging, cooking

Skills/Talents: He's very good at cooking Strengths: He can run pretty fast and has some pretty fast movements in fighting Weaknesses: His sister, his notebook

Reason to keep on living: His family

What is their self-image like: Pretty low on self-esteem

Coping mechanisms: Vanilla scented candles or lavender scented oils, his dad's old hoodie

Favorite things: Sunflowers, amusement parks, astrology

Health:

Physical: Pretty decent

Mental: Low self-esteem

Emotional Stability: Low self-esteem, truama

If faced with crisis, what is their go-to: Fight

Nutrition: Pretty healthy

Habits: Twirling marbles between his fingers

History, Background, and Future:

0-4: He was born at the Fall from No.1 Pro-Hero Deku and his wife Pro-Hero Uravity and has living very happy and calm as any other child would with his sister being born a year later

5-8: At five his "step-mom" and sister's mama Himiko Toga was released from her "hospital stay" and gets happily taken cared by her. By age 7 he starts worrying about how his classmates got their Quirks but not him and even suffered a breakdown after a doctor said there's a chance he'd be Quirkless

9-11: He still hasn't fully gotten his Quirk but has felt something different about himself over time, doing research on Quirks much like his dad did, dreaming of going to UA too. When he was 11 years old he made these "friends" who belittled and picked on him for grades and their enjoyment of seeing him upset and was too scared to speak up on any of this to his family or teachers.

12-14: At 12 one of his bullies/"friends" confessed he found his sister attractive and was demanding he introduced him. He said no since that's a line he draws and proceed to get beaten up and heavily bullied for three days straight until he used his Quirk to scare them away from his sister when she went to help after accidentally seeing one of the beatings. He proceed to finish his middle school years online and suffered with trauma of the incident

15-Present: With all his hard worked and good words of teachers about his grade he got in to UA without a issue, made friends pretty face with childhood faces or understanding

Did they like their upbringing: Yes

How has their upbringing shape them: Pretty open minded though has slight issues

What did they enjoy most about their childhood?: The amusement park visits with his family

What did they hate most about their childhood?: The middle school years and anxiety that he'll never have a Quirk

Current Dream: Make her family proud, become a hero of any form

Long-term goals for Future: Become a hero and get married

Home: Lives in a two story home near campus though he sometimes stay at the dorms half the week when he's not at home

Home Life as a Kid: Supportive and full of love

Home Life Now: Supportive and full of love

Quick Family background: Any Friends: Kohaku Usagiyama, Rose Takami, Mitsuri Ashido-Sero, Tsuki Bakugo, Hoshiko Bakugo, Arashi Jiro-Yaoyorozu, Chiharu Jiro-Yaoyorozu, Hachi Kaminari, Gou Iida, Sakura Todoroki Any Family: Izuku Midoriya (father), Ochako Uraraka (mother) Himiko Toga (step-mother) Yuzuriha Midoriya (sister)

Full name: Yuzuriha Nori Midoriya

Pronunciation: You-zu-ri-HA No-Ri mid-or-ia

Meaning of Name: Yuzuriha means "to be humble" and "leaf" while Nori means "peaceful"

Hero/Villain Name: Heroine Peace

Nicknames: Yuzu, Yu-Chan, Nori

History of Nicknames: Yuzu and Yu-Chan were given by Zora when they were very little

Nationality: Japanese

Quirk: Free and Borrow: With Free it's like Uravity's Quirk where she can make herself and others she touch with all her fingers float in a certain distance, but with Borrow if she touches someone using their Quirk she can use said Quirk instead for a certain amount of time give or take how powerful it is, a much more tame version of her mother's Himiko Toga's Quirk. Down side if she lifts things too heavy with Free or having too much Quirks using Borrow

Birthday and Astrology Sign: May 5th 21XX, Taurus

Age: 14

How old do they look:13-14

Gender: Female (she/her)

Orientation/Sexuality Preference: Bi-Sexual

Birth date: May 5th

Birth place: Musutafu, Japan

Appearance: Eye color: Yellow

Eye shape: Narrow around

Do they wear contacts or glasses?: No Hair: Brown and short with two streaks of color, one blonde (left) and the other green (right)

Height: 5'2

Weight: 89 lbs

Body build: Slim and muscular

Body shape: Hourglass-fit

Complexion: Beige

Cup size: A-B Cup

Blood Type: A

Handedness: Both hands

Hand type: Small and gentle

Nails: Short and always painted

Movement: Pretty strong and dense jointed but calm

How do they walk: Fast walking and sometimes has her arms swing

Posture: Straight and as some say "intimidating"

Flexibility: Pretty flexible

Speech Mannerisms: Has a tough tongue

Scars: None

Birthmarks: None

Piercings: Three piecing on her left ear and four on her right ear

Tattoos: None

General face structure: Is told to look a lot like her father but with certain traights perfect of her mothers, is told to be very pretty

Defining physical traits: Her eyes and the two streaks of color in her hair Clothing: Uniform: Wears the UA girl uniform

Casual outfit: A pink purple tee-shirt with a black jean skirt with grey leggings

Preferred outfit: NA

Hero/Villain costume: A white turtle neck body suit that cuts her sleeves, leaving her arms bare, a black shirt tailed skin tight black jacket that reaches her hands in finger holes that is held in four silver buttons, black gloves with transparent white bubble dots on her finger tip's inside, a green harness on her torso and silver leg support harnesses, a green and white mask that covers her eyes with pink eye goggles over, and a green mouth mask that resembles a bubble over her mouth

Equipment / Support Items: She has leg supprot

Characteristics:

Personality: Very loyal and distance as well as kind and considerate, curious, geeky, tough, and has a sharp tongue

Big Five personality traits: Tough, loyal, curious, sweet, doesn't take shit from anyone

Most prominent personality trait: Strong

Best traits: Loyal, smart, kind, brave

Worst traits: Hot-headed, too tough, distance

Likes: Very spicy wings, her mama's cooking, spa trips, the amusement park, training, her friends, her family, her "uncle Kaachan", her "uncle Shiggy" Dislikes: Any old papers of her mama or her "uncle Shiggy", losing over cheating or something small

Quirks:  (not the superpower but little silly things they do) She gently pulls the longer parts of her bands when she's angry and needs to calm down before she blows up Fear: Being left behind, accused of being evil or mean

Hobbies: Training, singing, writing

Skills/Talents: Singing, writing Strengths: She's a good runner without Borrowing a Quirk, despite her "distance" nature she's able to have a lot on her side Weaknesses: Zora, her moms and dad, when she uses either Quirk too much

Reason to keep on living: Her family

What is their self-image like: She doesn't care what others say much but does get bugged when someone "jokes" she could be a villain

Coping mechanisms: Her stuffed animal or spending time with her family

Favorite things: Manga, video games, red peony, volcanoes

Health:

Physical: Pretty healthy

Mental: Decent, maybe

Emotional Stability: A bit bellow average

If faced with crisis, what is their go-to: Fights

Nutrition: Pretty healthy though she forgets to eat sometimes

Habits: She MUST eat along side or in distance of her family members, she always wants to join Zora's teams or projects as she "protects" him a lot, she hides her manga collection

Family History:��She adores the grandparents she have

History, Background, and Future:

0-4: Yuzuriha was born a year after Zora using a special science practice Himiko and Izuku agreed on where they take Himiko's egg and Izuku's sperm and Ochaco will carry the baby full term, something happened which resulted some psychical and Quirk DNA mixed with her code. She was always a very happy and bubbly girl who loves and adores her family

5-8: She grew very attached to "Uncle Shiggy" and "Uncle Kaachan" over the course of her being in kindergarten and elementary school as they help her work out and feed her geeky interests She got her Quirk during one summer when she was about to turn nine.

9-11: She slowly began to notice things different with Zora over the course of being one grade behind him and would often try and cheer him up not knowing what else to do, during this time she was told by a mean classmate about the crimes of her "Uncle Shiggy" and Himiko Toga with said classmate not knowing she's her mom.

12-14: She finally gets informed of her brother's bullying and starting training her Quirks strong until she was warned by her entire family that she'll pass out and get so sick in a coma if she over does it. Since then she vowed to protect Zora and her family no matter what, and if that means being a hero than so be it

15-Present: She practiced both Free and Borrow easy over the year of breaks as she also got her grades up a lot with many research until she gets accepted to UA along side Zora, working hard to get in the same class as him even!

Did they like their upbringing: She's happy with it

How has their upbringing shape them: Loyal and protective

What did they enjoy most about their childhood?: All the summers with her family happy together free from the world's bad stuff and mean eyes and words of strangers

What did they hate most about their childhood?: The bullies of her 4th year of elementary and Zora's bullies

Current Dream: Work hard and become a pro-hero to protect Zora and her family

Long-term goals for Future: Become a pro-hero and protect her family, if she gets married and have kids than sure

Home: She lives in the dorms half the week and at a two story home near campus with her family

Home Life as a Kid: Full of love and care and supportive

Home Life Currently: Supportive and full of love and care

Any Friends: Kohaku Usagiyama, Rose Takami, Mitsuri Ashido-Sero, Tsuki Bakugo, Hoshiko Bakugo, Arashi Jiro-Yaoyorozu, Chiharu Jiro-Yaoyorozu, Hachi Kaminari, Gou Iida, Sakura Todoroki Any Family: Izuku Midoriya (father), Ochako Uraraka (mother) Himiko Toga (mother) Zora Midoriya (brother)

[placeholderparagon]

Things That Make Me Doubt Being A System

1. Having Really Good Communication

I haven’t actually ever heard of a system like us in this respect, when we were little we were incredibly empathetic and between all of the christian teachings of ‘Put others first’ and ‘Treat others like you wan’t to be treated’ and in particular Horton Hears A Whos’ ‘a persons a person no matter how small’ we (knowingly or not) became very good at communication and sharing the body. 

We talked to each other all the time and it was not very often (infact literally I only know one(1) alter whose ever fronted fully alone) that we had less that 2-3 of us near the front when we were younger because we relied on each other and trusted each other more than we trusted ourselves. we wanted people to be nice to us all the time so we tried very hard to be nice to people all the time especially each other. This led to alot of trust and respect and very good open communication (though it did break down almost entirely once we found out we were a system and were working on actively achieving what we used to have without trying)

2. Being Good At ‘Co-Fronting’

I hate this one in particular because I’ve seen so many “Signs They’re Faking The Disorder” with this being on of the main ones. 

We managed to get it to an art of fronting, having up to 20 of us aware of what was going on at once, all giving advice and emotional support. we would have at least one soother, one booster (our name for alters who raise the vibe and give high energy) alters who didn't feel, alters who did feel and would be restrained while feeling for the body so we didn't create an outburst or shutdown entirely by neglecting our feelings. Alters who were aware of every surrounding factor physically, alters who would have lists for everything going on in our friends lives so we wouldn’t overstep any boundaries or be ignorant to their feelings, alters who were  incredibly book smart, and alters who were just there to have fun with the rest of us while we were working destress us so we didn’t have to clock out of the front sooner than we could. 

It took years to perfect it and once we did pretty much everything in life became so much easier, some of us consider this ‘functioning-multiplicity’ though in many ways it was very unhealthy it saved so much pain for us, and at the very least, aside from the horrendous anxiety and depression, it made fronting fun. It became something we looked forward too because it was a way to hang out, it made life less scary to be scared with a friend. Even those of us who were unaware of being a system knew to an extent, even if we didn’t know what we were aware of. It also helped our memory having so many alters around to remember and cover each others blank spots.

3. We Can’t Unmask (or a lot of us at least)

(Hi I switched in cuz we got a little dissociated, idk who i am but i know im not whoever was writing before lol) 

Because of how good many of us are at fronting with others, not only do we now find it near impossible to front alone, we have no clue who we are outside of the headspace,,, like ever. In order to fight the disassociation of having so many of us in the front at once we, instead of fighting it, leaned into it. 

We became comfortable with becoming the hazy, mushy, blur that is uncertainty of being in the front. Not knowing where you end or someone else begins or if you even are who you thought you were. Not knowing where you are but having a vague feeling that some part of you does know and trusting it, leaning into the unknown into the mess into the whatever the fuck it is and finding it safe. 

Now when I’m in the front I’m so terrified of being seen that I lean into whoever’s around me to find the comfort of not knowing, I can’t be hurt if I don’t know what hurts or what there is to attack. I don’t know who I am and I don’t know what I’m like in the body unmasked and quite frankly I don’t think I want to know. 

Losing yourself and wrapping yourself in someone else is so much better that being alone and vulnerable

I have a feeling were going to be adding more onto this when others come out and rock up with their own insecurities but for the 2 of us who did write this is probably the biggest things for us