#also throwing this in the proper tag in case someone sees it and can confirm

[sansevierias]

i saw this post on r/cyberpunkgame asking if there's any m/m or f/f npc couples in the game, and the replies are saying that yes there are. but i swear to god, i haven't seen any. and i have really paid attention to it, there are only straight couples in my game. is it bcs i'm on ps4? bcs my game def has some problems loading the npc models sometimes, for example i may get the same character a lot in a small area and even in specific npc groups. but the couples are always m/f.

[wakaoujisenhime]

Just once - Choso x reader

Synopsis: At a party you get roped up by your classmate Momo to conduct a summoning ritual for a demon she assigns you. Though unwilling, you still comply and do as instructed. Unfortunately for you, the ritual you hoped to debunk as pure nonsense unexpectedly worked out...

tags/warnings: Choso x reader ✅ blood kink ✅ (slight) blood/knife play ✅ (and for the more sensitive readers a tw.) a more or less detailed description of skin being cut open ✅ more erotic than nsfw ✅

A/N: I just needed an excuse to write for my main man Choso and thanks to @seijorhi and her Deal with the Devil collab I found the opportunity! Please enjoy and make sure to check everyone else’s wonderful works out as well!! (〃ω〃)

.wc 5.4k

━━━━☆ ━━━━☆ ━━━━☆

Booming music, colorful and constantly changing LED lights, people who were either drunk or high, in some cases even both, surrounded you. Such a sight wasn’t unfamiliar to you since most university students celebrated their monthly parties in the same fashion. You weren’t a regular participant in these events, but tonight you just wanted to let loose and dance the stress, which had accumulated this past week, away.

After doing what you came for, you went up to the small bar, ordered a drink, and disappeared into the crowd to look for someone you were familiar with. And truly, you spotted two familiar faces in one of the gigantic room’s corners. The pair you were now walking towards consisted of Megumi and Momo. It was truly rare to see these two together let alone see them talking to each other while others surrounded them, but you figured that in such get-togethers nothing was impossible.

“Hi there you two, how are you doing?” you asked the moment you joined their small group. 

Megumi greeted you with a small nod and a rather tortured expression that was most likely supposed to represent a call for help, but before you could find out more about that, Momo took a hold of both of your hands and squeezed them slightly as she said: “(Y/N), you’ve got a perfect timing as always! We were just discussing our summoning plan and we needed one more participant, so pleaseee could you do us the favor and join us?”

To clear up your obvious confusion, the black-haired young man explained to you that the group, which surrounded you, had talked about the occult before they reached the topic of demon summoning rituals and eventually ended up wanting to try different ones out themselves. 

You found it rather funny that someone like Megumi had been caught up in such a talk, but it wasn’t surprising, considering that he had two tattoos, which resembled some kind of triangular runes on the back of his hands, dressed entirely in black, and had a rather dark and gloomy aura that surrounded him. Though many people avoided him, thinking that he was really scary, you knew that he was one of the nicest people you’ve come across and that his mood was heavily influenced by his rather lively best friends who often embarrassed him in public, just so that he could remain by their side.

Momo on the other hand was notorious for her fascination with the occult and supernatural phenomenons in general. Not only was she always dressed in a stereotypical way for those who shared the same fascination as her, but she also preferred to make it known rather than hide it. Threatening people to curse them if they annoyed or attacked her in any way, openly experimenting on self-made voodoo dolls, and carrying various charms with a questionable appearance as accessories for her backpack were some of her many daily characteristic features she displayed. The two of you weren’t especially close, but you were one of the few who understood her true intentions and beliefs that were hiding beneath her many layers.

“I’m not quite sure if I’m the best fit for this...task, maybe you should pick someone else” you finally said with an apologetic smile on your lips, but the blond simply brushed your refusal off with a wide grin.

“Oh, nonsense! There’s no such thing as the ‘perfect fit’ in stuff like that, anyone with an intention of summoning is enough!”

And with that, you were now one of the participants.

After basically being forced to comply, your group sat at a remote table and discussed the upcoming procedures. Throughout the entire talk, both you and Megumi simply chatted with each other and half-heartedly agreed to anything the others asked of you. By the end of it all, you two were stuck with individual books about the entities you were supposed to summon.

“So, who did you get?” you asked after taking a glance at your own rather thin book.

“Apparently, I’ve been given the privilege to attempt a summon of ‘The King of curses’, what about you?”

You couldn’t help but giggle at the sarcastic way the young man had quoted his book’s title and answered that yours didn’t even have a fancy name like that, and just went by “The Blood Devil”. 

The two of you stayed at the party for another half an hour during which you basically complained about your individual lives and then slowly but surely made your way back home…

——

With a somewhat relieved sigh, you remove your shoes from your feet and throw them in the corner of your entryway. Your hands massage the back of your neck slightly while you slowly make yourself on the way to your bedroom. It was no secret that you were fatigued enough to just drop everything and fall asleep right then and there, but your conscience nagged you like some kind of parental figure, whispering one order after the other until you just gave up and decided to do everything the proper way.

After leaving your bag on the chair next to your desk, you quickly get rid of your slightly sweaty clothes and enter your bathroom to take a much-needed warm shower, in hope that it would help you relieve some tension. And it did.

A couple of minutes later you exit the steamy room and start getting ready for bed. Just as you were about to turn off your room’s lights, the book Momo had given you caught your attention. After motionlessly standing in one spot for what felt like half an hour, you cursed your curiosity and took said book out of your bag, and began skimming through its contents. 

You didn’t intend to read more than necessary, just the first page which warned you of possible risks should’ve been enough, but the moment you had continued past it, it was as if you couldn’t stop yourself anymore. This book that supposedly held dangerous information on how you’d be able to summon some kind of otherworldly entity seemed like some kind of fairytale collection to you. 

The first chapter talked about some kind of man who had made use of a woman and her unborn children, a pretty disturbing and inhuman act that you skipped for the most part. Next in line was a whole chapter dedicated to these nine unborn and mostly undeveloped children, the tragic story of them getting locked up in jars, and how only three of them had managed to gain some kind of stability (if you can even call it that). Finally, the third and last chapter before the entire ‘How-to-prepare-the-ceremony’ segment focused solely on the eldest brother and how he’d successfully escaped his dire fate and had become the being known as the ‘Blood Devil’.

Now that you had reached the end of the introductory phase, the preparations for the ritual awaited you, and even though you hadn’t intended on trying your luck with summoning the same night you had received the book, you decided to just do it as quick as possible so that Momo didn’t feel the need to bother you daily with how far you’d gotten.

Shortly after you had gathered the needed materials and had prepared the requested furnishings for the ceremony. With the booklet in one hand, you once again checked whether everything you needed was fulfilled.

Four candles, a small table, a bowl, a kitchen knife, and some salt...Ok, that should be all

Looking at the items before you, you couldn’t help but wonder whether this ritual had indeed some kind of truth behind it and wasn’t just one of many parodies. 

With this slightly uneasy feeling, you once again took a look at the list.

𝙵𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚍/𝚍𝚊𝚛𝚔 𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚎𝚜, 𝚊 𝚠𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚔𝚢 𝚊 𝚜𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎), 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚠𝚕 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝟹𝟶𝟶-𝟻𝟶𝟶𝚖𝚕), 𝚊 𝚔𝚗𝚒𝚏𝚎 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚠𝚊𝚟𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚍𝚎), 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚍𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚝 (𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚝)

For a ritual to have such specific instructions, it’s quite...unusual, isn’t it? 

The required items weren’t the only detailed requirements you had to fulfill, secondary things that mainly concerned the atmosphere were also important to consider. Things such as the right room temperature, the dark lighting of the room you’d use for the ritual, the exact sequence of preparing the summoning circle and its unique symbols, and many more were enumerated just below the first bulleted list.

You set your worried thoughts aside, deciding to just humor this ritual and complete it to the best of your abilities, because the satisfaction you’d feel after this summoning ceremony fails despite you doing your best, would be indescribable. And with that, you began preparing everything step by step, double and triple-checking the book for confirmation until everything was ready.

With a sigh of satisfaction, you take a step back to admire what you had just spent half an hour on. You had placed the table in the middle of your room, the red candles positioned on each of its edges, on top of the wooden surface you’d drawn the circle as good as you could with your slightly trembling hand, and lastly, you’d placed the bowl on the floor in front of where you were to kneel with the knife on top of the rim of the receptacle.

Here goes nothing…

You kneeled and put the book beside you. With slightly shaky hands you took the knife and cut a horizontal line along your palm, as expected it stung a little but the pain wasn’t something unbearable. Slightly fascinated by the deep red color of your blood you watched the liquid slowly roll down your hand and drip into the empty bowl, staining its white material. As instructed by the book you poised in that position until your wound started to congeal and that was when you were finally allowed to relax yourself and continue. 

Next up you had to pour the collected blood over the salt circle and retrace its lines and patterns as precisely as you could, which you did. Now that this step was done as well, you looked at the completed handiwork and sighed to yourself, dreading the thought of having to clean all of this up later on.

You took another glance at the instructions and couldn’t help but cringe internally at the next and supposedly final step.

Alright then, let’s get this over with…

“With this humble offering I, (Y/N)(L/N), hereby summon thou. Oh, Devil of blood please, hear this mortal’s desperate plea and allow me to bear witness to thyn unique countenances that thee possesses.”

And with this the ritual was complete.

You remained motionless, waiting for something to happen, but everything stayed the same and you couldn’t help but embrace that internal relief inside of you which was silently thankful for the failure. 

Just as you were about to get up from your uncomfortable pose and begin to clean everything up, the candles’ flames suddenly went out before your very eyes and without your influence. With slightly wide eyes you scanned everything before you. You knew that you had closed the windows before even starting the ritual, so that eliminated one possible reason and at the same time, the most rational one. 

As nothing else happened you decided to simply blame it on your imagination and slight paranoia, but that’s when the faint sound of bubbling liquid ruined that small ray of hope you’d held on to. You slowly looked down at the bowl which was filled with your blood and you could’ve sworn that the deep red substance was slowly rising until it overflowed. 

All you could do was back away from the red puddle which was steadily growing and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

“W-What the hell is happening?” you asked yourself in panic as your wide eyes observed the way your blood began forming something, or better said, someone.

The mass before you began to take form and it was then that you noticed the knife which was lying a few inches away next to the inhuman heap.

Driven by nothing but adrenaline you began crawling towards it and just as you were about to reach for the blade, something similar to a hand took a hold of your wrist. You jumped back in shock and fell rather uncomfortably on your bottom as you looked up to the blood-covered thing, watching its appearance slowly contort into that of a human.

And there before you stood a tall man with shoulder-long dark hair, a rather tired expression on his face, and his most prominent feature, a dark stripe running horizontally across his nose bridge. His eyes were focused on you for the first few seconds, then he began looking around as if to take in his surroundings.

“Where am I? …were you the one that summoned me? …what is it that you require me to do?” he asked in a monotone voice, not giving you even a second to collect yourself. Your panic didn’t allow you to form any rational thoughts, let alone answer him properly, and all you had in mind right now was to run away from whatever this person in front of you was.

The man watched how pale your face had become and simply stood there motionless, as you sloppily got up and sprinted out of your room’s door. He cast his gaze down to the knife you had intended to pick up and cracked an ever-so-small smile before leaving the room himself. 

Meanwhile, you had reached your front door and were hurriedly trying to unlock it, but the multiple bolts and your trembling hands were set on making you fail such a simple task. 

When you finally turned your keys for the last time, a big hand slammed the wooden door shut. The weight that pressed against your back made it unable for you to move away, so you simply leaned your forehead on the door in defeat, knowing fully well who had stopped you in your tracks.

I’m finished…

Now that the man behind you had rendered you more-or-less immobile, he decided to take a proper look at you and your body. His eyes traveled slowly along every curve, no matter how small or voluptuous, until something far more interesting caught his eye. Your injured and slightly bloody hand that still bore the cut you had to inflict on yourself for the ritual and even though the wound had begun to slowly close, it was still bloody enough for his preferences.

He removed his palm from the door and slowly let it slide down from your shoulder to your slightly trembling hand. The way his long fingers wrapped around your wrist made you shudder and as if that wasn’t enough, he also had to slowly turn you around so that he didn’t hurt your arm or dislocate your shoulder.

Now that you were facing the man, you couldn’t help but stare directly at him and the way he inspected your wound. His gentle touch contradicted his looks as well as every thought you had about him, but that animalistic glint you noticed in his eyes failed to hide his true nature.

With utmost care he let his fingers glide along the cut and if it weren’t for the unpleasant sting, you wouldn’t have noticed that with this small motion he had peeled off the thin layer of blood, which was trying to close up your wound. Despite your slightly agape mouth, no words were uttered, I mean, how could you? 

The man in front of you had reverted that small amount of red crust to its original liquid form and then by some magic turned it into a wonderful red ruby that resembled a bonbon. His dark eyes peered right into yours and didn’t even waver in the slightest as he slowly brought the red stone to his lips, gave it an experimental lick, and finally swallowed it.

D-Did he just…?

Judging by the satisfied expression on his face you thought that he would finally step aside and at least introduce himself or give you some sort of explanation as to what he just did and why, but no. The way he did nothing else and simply waited for some kind of reaction, annoyed you and it didn't take you long to act accordingly.

 “Now that you’ve got what you came for, would you mind moving out of my way?” you asked in a rather unfriendly tone, one that completely contradicted your earlier fear of this still nameless entity. 

Your behavior not only surprised the man but yourself as well. Summoning a literal demon wasn’t your typical everyday occurrence and yet you couldn’t quite comprehend it. The fear that should’ve rendered you immobile was good to non-existent and you figured it was thanks to his surprisingly tame and innocent behavior, so it was only natural for you to be in the illusion of holding the reins, right?

And that arrogant behavior of yours only escalated further as you managed to push the man to the side and finally get away from your front door. 

Being as naive as you were, you turned your back to him and not even a second later your entire body’s movement was shut down. No matter how hard you tried to move your legs, hands, or even fingers, nothing seemed to work - no, on the contrary, it appeared to you that the more you struggled against this seemingly invisible force, the harder it became for you to breathe.

“If you don’t want to collapse and die, you’ll need to seize all of your movements for the time being,” said the lean man in a low voice, and the moment his eyes met yours, you could’ve sworn that the corners of his lips shot upwards for a split second before he continued, “…since you’re already aware of my abilities, I’ll skip most of it and directly tell you the two most important things you’ll need to keep in mind from now on.”

Without waiting for any type of signal that could’ve represented your answer, he closed the distance between you two, and this time he got so close that you could practically smell him. Contrary to your expectations his scent was fairly faint and by no means unpleasant. If confronted with the question of what he smelled like, you’d have to say it resembled that of burning wood.

You watched helplessly as the man showed you the slightly bloody knife you had used for the ritual and that’s when the long-awaited fear suddenly overcame you. With widened eyes, you followed the blade which was mere inches away from the center of your chest, and the moment you felt the small tip pierce your shirt a silent yelp escaped your lips.

Not fazed by your obvious fear, the man proceeded with whatever he had in mind and moved the knife until it had reached your shoulder, cutting the thin fabric along the way. In response to his cold fingers that glided along your exposed shoulder and collarbone, goosebumps peppered your skin. Your heartbeat quickened and you didn’t know whether this was because of the fear of what he’ll do next or because you were kinda curious about what’s about to come.

Still unable to move a single muscle there was nothing left for you but to watch and feel how the blade was pressed against your skin until it had cut through it. The fact that he’d cut so close to your heart made it hurt more than your harmless cut earlier, but as if that wasn’t painful enough he began to slide the blade up until its tip had reached the top of your right shoulder.

Your throat dried up, muffling the scream you so badly wanted to release. A stream of warm tears ran along the curves of your cheeks and dripped down to your cleavage, where a rather thin but bloody line had split your skin open.

“I can control your blood flow and if I so desire, I can make you move your limbs according to my wishes…to put it simply, by summoning me with your blood, you made yourself my marionette.”

His expressionless eyes followed the many thin blood droplets that oozed out of your wound and just before they were able to stain your clothes with their deep scarlet color, he extended his finger, positioning it mere millimeters away from your skin. Through half-closed eyes, you watched in awe as your blood was being drawn to the fingertip of the man like a magnet and slowly turned into the same gem-like form from before. Your injury still hurt, but as you dared to take a slight glance at it, you noticed that all the blood was gone, sucked up by the finger of the demon, and turned into a shimmering stone that was once again swallowed like candy.

——

Some weeks passed after that surreal encounter and since then you’d been more or less forced to live with the entity you’d summoned. On that night he’d introduced himself as Choso and despite your desire to either send him back to wherever he came from or simply throw him out, neither option was going to end well. According to the man himself, summoning rituals were easier to conduct than the ones to banish demons back into the abyss. You would need to take several precautions into account and in Choso’s case, you’d have to fulfill nearly impossible tasks, such as collecting 20 liters of blood from pure-blooded siblings or finding and freeing one of his many siblings. 

Your second option of throwing him out was dismissed almost momentarily after he’d told you that he can’t survive without consuming someone’s blood; ideally, he’d only have to take a small amount of your blood once a week, but if you insisted on kicking him out, then he’d have to attack random people and since they didn’t summon him, the amount of blood he’d have to take from them would be fatal.

Living with a demonic entity was surprisingly pleasant, but you knew that this was most likely because of the man’s personality and that if you’d summoned someone else, it would’ve most likely ended up way differently.

He was taking his role as the eldest brother very seriously and despite not being part of his family, he treated you very lovingly and even willingly took on most of the homework, but only that which he was familiar with, such as sweeping the floor or washing the dishes. Whenever he behaved like that, you found it difficult to remember the fact that he was some type of devil and sometimes you even caught yourself thinking how you wished he’d stay with you forever. It was good to have someone living under the same roof as you, someone you could more or less trust with your possessions, and someone to lie down next to in the evening.

But despite these few perks you noticed how your health slowly started to deteriorate. Simple tasks such as homework, reading texts, or concentrating during lectures; things you usually mastered almost effortlessly, became more and more difficult with each passing week, and the reason for that was none other than Choso. 

Being his weekly food source didn’t come without any risks. 

He’d warned you that the amount of blood he’d take from you and then consume, won't be automatically regenerated by your body and that if you refused his help, you’d slowly die away. Being the rational human you were, you didn’t believe him, thinking that something like your blood being slowly taken away by him was sheer impossible, so you refused his offer of help even before he’d properly explained it.

A mistake you slowly came to regret.

This morning you had felt as if someone was constantly hitting your head with a thick book, your body felt so heavy that your usual walking speed had decreased drastically and because of it you were ten minutes late for your first lecture.

You figured that your appearance must’ve been quite horrible, since your usually uninterested teacher, Sir Nanami, actually stopped mid-sentence to ask whether you were feeling ok and whether you wanted to go to the nurse’s office for a while. You wanted to brush it off, but as soon as you shook your head, your vision blurred and you felt like you were losing the ground under your feet. Luckily, your seat neighbor Maki reacted quickly and held onto you before you fell from your chair. Anything that occurred afterward was lost to you and the next time you came back to your senses, you found yourself on your bed, wrapped warmly in your blanket.

“What…happened?” you asked half loud, not expecting an answer, as you slowly sat upright, leaning your back on your bed’s headboard and letting your eyes roam around the familiar surroundings.

“You lost consciousness during your class,” said a silent and gentle voice, “thanks to our…contract, I felt that you were close to collapsing, so I followed the scent of your blood and when I found you, I took you back home.”

While you were processing the information you were given, Choso slowly walked towards your bed and kneeled next to it, placing one of his hands on top of your own, softly caressing it in the process. You couldn’t help but crack a small smile at the gesture and sighed as you imagined how he must’ve entered your classroom, ignoring everything and everyone and simply coming to your seat, taking you in his arms, and leaving, as if it’s the most normal thing to do.

“I told you to be careful, didn’t I?” His sudden question caught you off guard and all you could do was look down in shame. Seeing you look so sad and crestfallen reminded Choso of his younger brothers and he instinctively reached for the top of your head with his free hand and softly petted it a few times before caressing it. Being comforted by a demon-like that truly did wonders. For once you ignored the fact that it was partially his fault and savored the moment.

“I know that you didn’t want to hear about it, but in view of your wellbeing I’m obligated to tell you about a way you can minimize the harm done to you” he paused and took a short breath before continuing, “if we make a proper deal with each other, I’m allowed to share a portion of my blood with you and that will make up for the amount I’m taking…but it’s not risk-free.” 

This time it was you who had to take a long breath, a futile attempt to make your heartbeat calm down. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to you that a deal with the devil contains several risks, but the fact that Choso was willing to tell you about them, relieved you in a way. Before reluctantly accepting his offer you requested a more detailed explanation for your own mind’s peace. According to his words, the danger of consuming a demon’s blood was very addictive, and if not done properly, the human risks becoming entirely dependent, meaning, they would prefer blood instead of real food or water. 

The thought of not being able to eat and drink what you loved scared you of course, but the wish to gain a sense of normality back in your life prevailed and you eventually caved, telling him that you’d agree to his terms and drink his blood just once and never again…

At first, everything seemingly worked out. Your focus was back and you could once again dedicate yourself fully to university and friends. You were happy…but not for long.

One week passed and your throat began to feel raspy and dry. Accompanying these uncomfortable feelings was the undying urge to constantly drink something and whenever your drinking bottle was empty, you’d get really nervous and start nibbling on your lip. But the worst part of it all was how you’d caught yourself, thinking about wanting to bite Choso and lick the blood right out of the wound like some kind of vampire.

“What the hell is wrong with me..?” you thought to yourself while you gently let your hand run along the man’s head. He looked up at you for a mere second before he continued to enjoy his “meal”. A small and barely visible blush adorned your cheeks as soon as you realized what kind of situation you found yourself in right now. 

The man, whose head you had just caressed, was kneeling between your thighs, a small portion of your plush flesh between his teeth. He bit down until they pierced through it and drew blood. All the while your eyes followed every ever so small movement of his’s until the big red droplets of blood caught your attention. The two of you observed how they slowly grew larger than Choso’s teeth marks and finally began dripping down your slightly raised leg.

With an unexpected smile, the man bent down and licked the blood from your skin before it stained anything. Your breath hitched for a moment and usually, you’d either look away or close your eyes while he got his weekly portion, but this time you couldn’t help but downright stare at him as he sucked on your small wound. It shouldn’t have surprised you to see someone enjoying themselves when they eat, even if that someone was a supernatural entity, but this was the first time you had properly looked at Choso while he consumed your blood and for some reason, your heart started beating faster than ever before. 

You bit your lower lip as you watched how his slightly longer tongue slithered over the bloody marks on your thigh and the way he sometimes planted a soft kiss on it made you shiver from pleasure. Your body became gradually hotter, resulting in you having to breathe harder, and the slight red that had tainted your cheeks had now taken on a deeper shade.

“C-Choso…I need your blood, please” you stuttered out of nowhere in between your labored breaths.

At the mention of his name all of his movements seized and the man’s eyes slowly moved up to your reddened face. After what felt like minutes of pure silence, he let go of your leg, licked his lips, and removed the scarf around his neck. 

While he was getting himself ready for you, you looked at his pale skin and the black markings, which resembled Kinesio tapes that athletes sometimes used, running along it. 

Your impatience got the best of you and without wasting a second you got on your knees and faced him while he began looking around for something. Meanwhile, you were unable to focus on anything at all. Your eyes wandered from his face, down to his neck, along his collarbone and shoulder, and then back to his face yet again.

That something he searched for turned out to be the knife you’d used for his summoning ritual. He handed you the blade with the same stoic expression as always, but instead of taking it, you slapped it away and next thing you knew, you had wrapped your arms around his torso and had buried your teeth deep inside of his shoulder’s skin. The only reaction you got from him was a simple flinch as a result of your sudden embrace and nothing more, no sound, no sigh, nothing. 

But as of right now this was the last thing that occupied your mind, all you wanted to do was drink this man’s blood and finally quench the thirst you’d been suppressing for so long.

“That’s it, (Y/N)…satisfy your thirst…give in…don’t be afraid, it’ll only do you good” he cooed seductively in your ear as he let his big hand softly glide along your back.

With a devilish smile, he listened to the hungry way you lapped up the blood from his multiple shoulder wounds that you’d inflicted within a matter of seconds.

Satisfied by your behavior, he gently patted your head and closed his eyes, relishing the feeling of your wet and slightly rough tongue. 

If it weren’t for your indescribable hunger, you would’ve noticed the red glint in Choso’s usually dark and soulless eyes…

Now, you’re mine…

[allsassnoclass]

unmute: 2011

Hello friends here is chapter 1 of unmute, aka the off-screen prequel!

Fic tumblr masterpost

Read on AO3

warnings for this chapter: there is one mention of alcohol and there is one slight instance of homophobia (a microaggression)

thank you to bella @clumsyclifford for reading this over for me

Luke first meets Ashton on a normal Friday afternoon.  They’re in Luke’s garage to give Michael’s granny flat a break, the door open to let the spring breeze in to occasionally ruffle their fringes.  They’re messing around with a blink-182 song just for the heck of it when a bike skids to a stop on the sidewalk.  Luke doesn’t even notice at first, too caught up in positioning his fingers correctly on the fretboard and getting the words right, but once they finish singing someone outside starts clapping and Luke startles bad enough that his cheeks immediately feel like they’re on fire.

“Wow, you guys are really good!” the cutest boy that Luke has ever seen says.  Even from this distance, Luke thinks he can make out dimples at the corner of his smile.

“Thanks, mate!” Calum says.  The cute boy gives a thumbs up and pedals away, and Luke tries to trade the embarrassment of being caught singing with the boys unexpectedly for the pleasant burning of the compliment instead.

It happens again the next week.  The boy comes to a stop on his bike at the end of Luke’s driveway, and Luke notices him right away this time.  He sends a small smile as he finishes the chorus and the boy beams, bopping his head along.  When the final chord fades away, he claps, compliments them again, and then is off.

“Huh,” Michael says as the boy bikes away.

“What?” Luke asks.

“I’m pretty sure we’re Facebook friends.  We met at a party.  His name’s Ashton.”

“Invite him in next time, then,” Luke says.  It ends up being futile, because Michael’s parents let them back in the granny flat after that and there’s no more practicing in Luke’s garage following school.

-/-

He runs into the cute boy again unexpectedly at the movie theater.

It’s embarrassing, because Luke had just been minding his own business waiting for popcorn and hoping that he doesn’t see anyone he knows when a few boys from his school spot him.  Normally this would be fine, but Luke just got a haircut that he hates and he’s wearing his really dorky glasses, and these boys aren’t exactly bullies but they’re also not the nicest.

“Hey, Hemmings, how are you going to be a rockstar with those glasses?” one of them says, and the rest snicker, and Luke can feel himself closing in on himself instead of putting on his thick skin and acting like that doesn’t bother him.

“Maybe he’s trying to be a trendsetter,” one of the others says, glancing at him quickly.  The boys scoff and Luke knows that he should say something, but he’s desperately hoping that Jack appears from where he ran off to the bathroom instead.

“Popcorn for the guy in the awesome green glasses,” someone says, voice strong and melodic, and when Luke turns it’s not Jack that’s come to his rescue but the cute boy, fringe sweeping across bright eyes and tan skin, wearing the uniform of the movie theater and holding out a tub of popcorn across the counter.

“Thanks,” he says, stepping forward to take it, and the boy smiles widely at him.

Luke had been right.  He does have dimples.  And straight teeth.  And his eyes are hazel.  His name tag says Ashton, so Michael wasn’t lying about having met him before.  Luke wonders what he was doing when this party took place.

“Don’t listen to them,” Ashton says.  “With a voice like yours, they’ll be eating their words soon.”

“I hope so,” Luke says, and then, because Michael says they have to advertise the band better, “I’m in a band.  We’re called 5 Seconds of Summer, if you ever want to look us up.”

“I’ll do that,” Ashton says.  “I’ll admit I’ve been disappointed when I bike by that house and you guys aren’t practicing.”

Luke’s heart does an excited little twirl at that, because Ashton seems genuine.  Luke knows that the band is okay, otherwise he wouldn’t have put anything out on YouTube or let Michael and Calum invade his channel, but it’s nice to hear it from someone who isn’t an immediate family member.

“We’re practicing at Michael’s now,” Luke says.  “Maybe--”

He stops, because that’s a silly idea.

“What?” Ashton asks, tiling his head slightly.

“Well, we haven’t done any official gigs yet so I can’t invite you to those, but it might be good to play for someone else who’s not related to us, if you wanted to sit in on a practice or something.  But you don’t have to!  It’d probably be weird and I don’t know if Michael and Calum would be okay with it, although neither of them minded you watching from the driveway…” he trails off, chewing his lip.

“I’d love that!” Ashton says enthusiastically, startling Luke out of the unfortunate swirl of thoughts centering around how awful it is that he’s still so awkward.

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Ashton says.  “If your bandmates are okay with it, of course, but I’d like that a lot.”

“Oh.  Cool.”

Luke is trying to figure out if he should give Ashton his number, or ask for his, or how to go about coordinating this when the popcorn is snatched from his hands.

“Come on, Luke,” Jack says.  “Movie’s starting.”

He doesn’t wait for him, just sets off for the theater, and Luke scrambles to orient himself and follow.

“I’ll have Michael message you on Facebook!” he calls over his shoulder, throwing out a wave.  Ashton calls back a confirmation and returns the wave and then goes right back to smiling at the next customer and preparing concessions.

“Who was that?” Jack asks once they take their seats, thankfully before the previews have started.

“His name’s Ashton.  He likes the band.”

“Wow, a fan,” Jack says without the proper amount of enthusiasm Luke thinks being in a band that has real fans out in the world should warrant.  Luke elbows him and snatches the popcorn bucket, but not before Jack grabs a handful to stuff in his mouth.

Luke rolls his eyes and settles in for the movie.  When they leave afterwards he looks for Ashton, but doesn’t see him behind the concession counter.

-/-

Their next rehearsal dissolves pretty quickly into Michael and Calum playing video games while Luke pretends to do his homework instead of watch them.  He has a few assignments that need to get turned in to keep his grades up to his mum’s standard, but Michael and Calum are loud and vibrant and very, very distracting.  Luke is laying on the floor to avoid any stray elbows that get thrown, but he can’t let his guard down just in case.  As such, he’s done exactly half of a math problem.

When there’s a quiet moment he clears his throat and says “Hey, you guys remember Ashton?”

“The guy who was watching from the driveway?” Calum asks.

“Ashton from the party?” Michael adds.

“Yeah,” Luke says.  “I ran into him at the movie theater.  I think we should invite him to sit in on some practices.”

“Why?” Michael frowns.  Luke shrugs.

“It’ll be good to play in front of an audience, even if it’s just one person.  He seems cool and he likes the band.”

“Are we ready for that?” Calum asks.  Luke shrugs again.

“We already put out stuff on YouTube.  How much different can it be?”

“Yeah, but we mess up a lot before we upload the videos,” Michael says.  He looks at Luke critically, squinting in a way that makes Luke want to retreat like a turtle, except he can’t even effectively do that because it’s spring and he’s in a t-shirt.  Then Michael grins, wide and teasing.  “Does he really like the band, or do you just have a crush on him?”

Luke feels a blush flare up on his face, the type that stings.  

“Fuck you, I’m not gay!” he says, and a voice inside his head screams liar!  He stamps it down viciously.

He isn’t gay.  He might be bi, but that’s not relevant right now and he’s not going to make it relevant for a while, not when he doesn’t have to.  All of the boys at their school are tools, so it’s not like he’s going to have the chance to explore that side of himself here, anyway.

Maybe if the band actually goes somewhere he will.  But then again, maybe having a bi member would hurt them.  Maybe he’ll end up keeping this between him and the poster of All Time Low in his room forever.

Either way, it’s not relevant right now.  Luke likes flirting with girls and holding their hands and the few dry kisses he’s had, so he’s just going to focus on that.

“Aw, you do have a crush,” Michael says, catapulting him back to the real world, and his tone is teasing but it still makes Luke panic.  It’s not even true, because Ashton is super cute and he seems nice but that’s not-- Luke’s not trying to get to know him because of that.

“Are you jealous?” Luke asks, switching tactics because the more he fights against them the more Michael and Calum will clamp down on this line of teasing like dogs sinking their teeth into a particularly good bone.  Michael wrinkles his nose and recoils.

“Ew.”

And yeah, that stings a little, too.

Calum gets a look on his face that typically means he’s up to no good.

“I think I need to meet this Ashton guy,” he says.  “See if he’s any good for our little Lukey.”  He reaches over to ruffle his hair and Luke swats his hand away, which leads to a small tussle that ends in half of the pages of Luke’s textbook getting folded over.

“Fuck you guys,” Luke says once he has Calum in something resembling a headlock, a little out of breath but triumphant.  “He just seems cool.  I don’t have any cool friends and thought it’d be nice.”

“Hey,” Calum complains, then jabs him with his elbow and escapes.

“He says he’s free on Saturday,” Michael says, looking at his phone.  “I don’t want him at our practices until I know he’s okay, so we’re going bowling.”

“No one who goes bowling is cool,” Calum says.

“Shut up, Calum,” Michael says, then begins the next round of their game with no warning, leaving Calum scrambling to get ready.  Luke huffs a laugh and tries to get his textbook back to rights, even though he knows he won’t be getting any more homework done today.

-/-

On Saturday, Luke feels inexplicably nervous.

He shouldn’t, because Ashton isn’t special.  He’s just a guy that they met and now are going to hang out with a little.  Luke has already botched one conversation with him and survived, and he’ll have Michael and Calum with him this time for backup.  Besides, if it turns out that Ashton is awful they simply won’t ever invite him over.  If it turns out that he’s not, Luke could have a new friend.

He has friends.  He’s not an outcast at school or anything, and Michael and Calum are amazing most of the time, so it’s not like he’s hurting for friends.  Still, another one would be nice, and he really does think it could be good to get an outside perspective on their music.

His mum drops him off in front of the bowling alley where Michael is already waiting, running a hand through his fringe in a way that makes Luke think he might be a little nervous, too, which is unfortunate because Michael is typically the most boisterous out of them and Luke was counting on him to drag him through this if it starts to go sour.  When necessary, Michael is really good at muscling through uncomfortable situations for the sake of Luke or Calum.

“Call me when you’re done,” his mum says.  “Have fun.”

“Thanks,” he says distractedly, already partially out of the car.  Michael immediately brightens when he sees him.

“Hi,” he says.  Luke waves and jogs over.  “Cal’s going to be a little late and I have no fucking clue when Ashton’s going to show up.”

Oh no.  What if Ashton doesn’t want to come in general?  What if he changed his mind and doesn’t think the band or Luke are hot shit? Then not only will Luke be sad, but Michael and Calum will never let him live it down.

“Mate, you look like you’re going to be sick,” Michael frowns.  “Don’t barf on me.  Are you okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Luke says.  “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“It was your idea,” Michael says slowly.

“Yeah.  Maybe it was bad.”

“Luke, he’s just some guy.  It’s not like we’re proposing marriage.  It’s not like he might join the band or anything.  Relax.”  He knocks their shoulders together, throwing Luke off-balance and then catching him with a hand on his arm when he doesn’t bounce back right away.  Luke shrugs him off.

“I know that,” he says.

“So why are you being weird?”

He’s about to try to muster up an answer when someone calls their names.  Luke whips around fast enough that Micheal has to steady him again, but Ashton either doesn’t notice or doesn’t care, because he continues steadily walking towards them and his smile doesn’t waver.  Luke waves and hopes that that negates the fact that he just almost tripped over his own feet.

“Hey,” Michael says when he’s close enough.  “How’s it going?”

“Good, good,” Ashton says.  He rocks on his heels when he comes to a stop, and Luke feels inexplicably nervous again.  It’s different from seeing him with a driveway or movie theater counter between them.  Here there’s no distance or buffer, just Luke and Michael and Ashton.

At least his shirt is a pretty ugly purple.  No one can be too intimidating when wearing a shirt like that.

They exchange pleasantries until Michael suggests they go inside and get themselves sorted while they wait for Calum to show up.  They step into the air-conditioning and Luke immediately feels more at ease.  He loves bowling alleys.  He loves the gaudy carpet and the loud music and the weird lights and the funny shoes and the stacks of neon bowling balls by the lanes.  He especially loves this particular alley because he can pinpoint the carpet stain where he spilled his coke while here with his family then didn’t tell anyone so it had time to set before it got cleaned, or the lane they used when Calum broke one of the bumpers because he doesn’t like bowling without them but threw the ball too hard.

“Can I tell you something?” Ashton asks while Michael is paying for the lane rental and getting shoes, leaning close to be heard over the music and crash of pins being knocked down in the background.  He’s got his hands shoved in his pockets and a little smile on his face, and Luke is instantly convinced that he’d probably let Ashton say whatever he wants and hang off his every word.

“Sure,” Luke says.

“I’m shit at bowling.  I don’t remember the last time I actually played.”

“It’s okay.  Calum is, too,” Luke says.  “That’ll make him like you.  We’re not using the bumpers, though.”

Ashton frowns.

“Do you usually?”

Luke gets called up to the shoe rental before he can respond.  While he’s kicking off his sneakers Calum arrives, prompting another flurry of greetings and introductions and small talk, then they finally all head to their lane and can begin the game.

Ashton is not nearly as bad at bowling as he had implied.  He’s not great, and Luke is glad that the only real competition he has to worry about is Michael, but Calum still decidedly comes in last for their first round.  He vows to take Ashton down for the second, which isn’t likely, but Luke likes the teasing it prompts between them.

Conversation flows naturally with none of the awkward pauses or weird adjustments that Luke had been preparing himself for.  Honestly, it’s extremely easy to get along with Ashton.  He fits into their little group seamlessly, cracking jokes and asking questions and keeping up with their topic changes like he’s been doing it for years.  Luke’s not sure if he’s stopped smiling the entire time they’re bowling, and his smile is great.  It takes over his entire face, wide and infectious, and Luke has to remind himself to stop staring multiple times.

It’s still not a crush, but Ashton is cute, okay?  It’s an objective fact.  Luke is allowed to notice cute people without having a crush on them.

After their time at their lane is up, Luke’s stomach grumbles and convinces them all to stop by the Macca’s next door before they have to call their parents.  Luke wants to order one of everything on the menu, but he settles for some chicken nuggets and hot chips.  All of them get a large fry, so Luke is pretty sure he’s going to get to eat Calum’s leftovers since he won’t have to fight Michael for them, anyway.

“So Ashton,” Michael says once they’re sitting.  “Luke says you’re a fan of the band.”

“Yeah, you guys are pretty good,” he says, then pops some chips in his mouth.

“Do you play drums?” Calum asks around his own mouthful of burger.  “‘Cause that’d be convenient.”

“No, I wish,” Ashton says ruefully.  “I’m not very musical.  My forte is visual art.”

“Really?” Luke asks.  “Like, drawing and painting and stuff?”

“Yeah,” Ashton says, straightening up.  “I want to study it after school.  I actually really want to go to college in America for it.  I’ve been looking at places with scholarships for international students.  They don’t start their school years until September, so I could work full time for most of the year to save up since I graduate in December.”

“Wow,” Michael says.

“That’s cool,” Luke says, because yeah, wow.  Luke can’t imagine leaving behind everyone he knows to go to a different hemisphere, but Ashton seems excited for it, eyes shining.  He must really love art.

“If you guys ever make it to America, hit me up,” he says.  “I’ll be in the front row at your show.”

“When,” Michael corrects.  Ashton grins at him.

They manage to almost finish their meal before Ashton gets a text from his mum requesting him home.  As soon as he’s gone Michael turns to the other two, fast enough that Luke’s a little worried he’ll get whiplash.

“That shirt is fucking ugly.”

Luke and Calum dissolve into laughter.

“What?  Am I wrong?” Michael asks.

“No, it’s ugly,” Calum says around giggles.  Luke nods around his own laughter and Michael leans back in his chair, satisfied.

“Besides that I like him, though,” he says.  Luke feels warmth blossom inexplicably inside him, pleased on Ashton’s behalf.

“Me too,” Calum says.

“Yeah, me three,” Luke says.  Michael nods decisively and Luke’s heart starts beating a little bit faster in anticipation of their next band practice.

-/-

When Ashton arrives for the next band practice, Michael, Calum, and Luke are all playing Fifa in the granny flat.  Michael’s mum must let him in, because one moment Luke is in the zone and the next there’s a prickle of awareness giving him goosebumps and Ashton is there, existing in his periphery.

“Hey Ashton,” he says, not breaking eye contact with the screen.  Michael and Calum ganged up on him for this round and Luke is determined not to lose.

"Hey," Ashton says.  "What're you guys doing?"

"Fifa!" Michael says in his best sports-announcer voice.  Calum scores a goal and crows right before the game ends, throwing his hands up.  Luke considers throwing his controller but settles for a very loud groan and scrubbing his hands over his face instead before taking his first good look at Ashton of the day.

He's not wearing the ugly purple shirt, but rather a green v-neck that hugs the tops of his arms and ensures Luke can see his collarbones.  Luke tries not to make it obvious that he's looking at Ashton's muscles, following the line of his arms down to bracelets knotted around his wrists and a black book in his hands.

"You can join Luke's team," Calum says.  "He sucks though, fair warning."

"Hey!  I do not!"  He tries to smack Calum, but he has to reach over Michael to do it, which means both of them shove him away and he almost topples over.

"I don't play Fifa," Ashton says.

"What," Michael squawks.  Luke stares incredulously, but Ashton just shrugs and adjusts his fringe before flopping down on the ottoman.

"I don't really like Fifa.  I'm not big on video games in general, but Fifa isn't one of the ones I play."

"We can't be friends anymore," Michael sighs dramatically, falling backwards with an arm over his eyes like a fainting maiden.  Luke pokes his stomach to make him jolt.  "How can you not like Fifa?"

Ashton shrugs again.

"I just don't."

"You're lucky you're not actually in the band," Calum says, brandishing his controller.  "This would be grounds to kick you out."

"It's true," Luke says.  "The only band rule is that everyone must like Fifa.  That's why we haven't replaced Michael yet."

"Hey!  There wouldn't be a band without me!"

Michael tackles Luke to the ground, knocking the wind out of him with an oof.  He flails, but Michael digs his fingers into his side, making him shriek.

"Ashton!  Calum!  Help!"

Ashton sighs, then turns to Calum, who shrugs.

"I'm not getting involved in that."

"Betrayal!" Luke calls between giggles, uselessly kicking at Michael but unable to make satisfying contact.  Michael finally relents once Luke feels like his lungs are about to burst from the lack of a good inhale.  He pants on the floor for a few more moments, then heaves himself to sitting and runs his fingers through his hair to set it back to rights.  Ashton gives him a wry smile.  Luke ducks his head, cheeks still flushed from the tickling.

"Is this how band practice usually starts?" Ashton asks.

"Only when Luke's being annoying," Michael huffs.  Luke flips him off.

"Well, we do usually start with Fifa, yeah," Calum says.  "Sometimes we just hang out instead of practicing, which is probably why we're still kinda shit."

"Hey," Luke says.

"Yeah, hey," Michael frowns.  "Don't shit-talk the band."

"You guys do it all the time!"

"Not in front of a guest," Michael says, gesturing at Ashton.  "Besides, we're never going to make it out of Sydney if you keep believing we're bad."

"I didn't say we were bad, I said we're kinda shit.  You can be a good band and still be kinda shit."

Luke frowns, but Michael launches into a quick rebuttal before he can and Luke decides to stop following.  He glances at Ashton and shrugs.  Ashton smiles, pressing his lips together in a way that Luke hopes means he's holding back a laugh instead of being uncomfortable.  His eyes are dancing too much for it to be a bad thing, though, so Luke returns his smile full force.

It's nice to have someone else here for when Michael and Calum go off on their tangents.  Luke never feels left out or anything, but sometimes it's obvious that they have their own language and dynamic bred from years of history that Luke is still catching up on.  They all understand each other in different little, intricate ways, but it's nice to have someone to share his own secret smiles with when the others are in their own world instead of him staring off into space and waiting for them to jump to a conversation he can be involved in.

Ashton drums his fingers against the black notebook in his lap, drawing Luke's full attention to it while the others squabble in the background.

"Hey, what's that?" he asks.

"This?" Ashton asks, holding it up.  It's a hardcover, with thick black loops binding it together.  Luke nods.  "It's my sketchbook.  I figured it'd be better to have something to do than just stare at you guys while you practice."

"Can I see?" Luke asks eagerly.  Ashton pulls the book closer to his chest, a small subconscious movement, smile cracking with nervousness at the edges.

"Not yet.  I'll show you when I have something good, though."

Luke deflates, but nods.

"They're unfinished," Ashton explains.  "They're messy.  I don't try very hard with my sketches, and I want your first impression of my art to be a good one.  Sorry."

"It's okay," Luke says.  "I get it."

Luke doesn't point out that showing him the sketchbook would probably be like Ashton sitting in on a practice, because maybe Ashton’s not there with him yet.  He wants to reach that level, though.  He wants to sit on Ashton's bed and leaf through his art with him, letting Ashton explain what he wants and drawing his own ideas from moments of silence.

"Hey," Michael says, clapping his hands a few times.  "Are we going to practice or what?"

Luke rolls his eyes, because he wasn't the one arguing with Calum about whether their band is bad or shitty, but goes to get his guitar anyway.  He takes him time tuning it, waiting for the others to get ready as well, and Ashton gets comfortable, lounging back.  They bicker a bit about what song they want to do, but not as much as usual because Luke made them all talk about it at lunch so they don't look like fools in front of Ashton, although it's probably much too late for that, and the first play-through is always a little rough, but it's fine.  Ashton's gaze is a gentle weight on his shoulders, and Luke smiles while he sings.

-/-

Luke waits anxiously by the door, glancing out the window every so often to see if he can spot Ashton making his way up the block to Michael's house on his bike.  He's coming straight from work, and they delayed practice a bit today so that he could be there for it.  They've started factoring Ashton's schedule into their practices a bit more, and Luke likes it.  It's maybe not as productive, but band practices feel better when all four of them are there.  Having Ashton sitting in the corner bent over his sketchbook or, in more dire cases, doing homework and revising for exams puts Luke more at ease, and even though he claims not to be musical he has good suggestions for dividing up parts of songs and is willing to tell them when they can do better.

He always phrases it that way, too.  Not "that wasn't good," but "you guys can do better."  Luke likes that he has standards for them.  He likes how sure he is that the band is worth something.

"Luke, sit down," Michael says, picking up another piece of pizza and trying not to lose all of his toppings on the way to his mouth.  "Waiting for him isn't going to make him appear faster."

"I'm too excited to sit," he says, snagging another piece of pizza for himself.  They're supposed to leave some for Ashton, just to be polite, but at the rate they're going that won't happen unless Ashton pulls up right now.

"I still can't believe it," Calum says, awestruck.

"Me neither," he says.

"I can't believe they said yes," Michael confesses.  "I hoped they would, obviously, but I wasn't sure if they would like the YouTube videos."

"This is big," Luke says.  "Like, this could be life-changing."

"Yeah, you said that earlier," Calum says.

"Because it's true."

The doorbell rings and Luke scrambles to standing, basically sprinting to the door to answer before anyone else and effectively cutting off the rest of the conversation.  He throws the door open wide, greeting Ashton with an exuberant smile that he tiredly returns.  He's always a little tired after a shift, shoulders slumped and everything worn at the edges, but Luke's glad that he still comes over when invited.  Luke likes to think that they rejuvenate him a little.

"Hi," he beams.

"Hey," Ashton says.  "You're in a good mood."

"Hey Ashton!" Calum calls from inside.  "There's one piece of pizza for you if you want it before Luke or Michael take it!"

"Oh," Ashton says, perking up.  Luke steps aside to let him in and follows him to the main room.

"Pizza?" Ashton asks, sinking to the floor and taking the offered piece while Luke takes a spot next to him.  "What's the occasion?"

Michael, Calum, and Luke exchange giddy looks, excitement palpable in the air until Luke can't take it anymore and blurts, "We have a gig!"

Ashton freezes, looking at all three of them before one of his signature grins splits his face.

"No fucking way!" he exclaims.  "Seriously?  Where?  When?  Holy shit, congrats!"

"December third at the Annandale Hotel," Michael says.  He's practically vibrating.  Luke thinks the three of them are probably holding enough energy to power a small city right now.

"A real gig," Ashton breathes.  "I'll be there, obviously."

"Obviously," Luke repeats.  "We can't do our first official gig without our biggest fan."  Ashton gives Luke a smile, the type that makes something warm blossom in Luke's stomach.

"Do you know what you're going to play yet?" Ashton asks.

"No, we just found out today," Calum says.  "We were going to try to make the setlist tonight."

"And we still need to find a drummer," Michael says.  Ashton hums.

"Do you have anyone in mind?"

They all shake their heads.  The Drummer Issue, as it has been officially dubbed by the band, is becoming a bigger and bigger thorn in their sides.  They feel good as a three-piece, but you can't play a gig without a drummer.  Michael fills in on percussion sometimes when they really need it, but he likes guitar much better and it's a little late to make him learn how to be a proper drummer when they don't even have a kit to use.

"I might be able to help," Ashton says.  "One of my friends plays drums.  He's not looking to join a band or anything, but he's a quick learner and could probably play at the Annandale at least if you don't have someone more permanent by then."

"Who is he?" Michael asks, reaching for the laptop they upload all of their covers on.  "Pull up his Facebook."

He elbows his way between Luke and Ashton so he can lean over Ashton’s shoulder and Luke scoots over to Calum instead, content to munch on his pizza and leave them to do whatever internet-stalking Michael deems appropriate.  Michael's approval is the hardest one to get in the band, so if he thinks the guy looks good they'll probably end up using him, and Ashton's recommendation carries a lot of weight.

"A real gig," Calum says reverently, staring at his pizza like it's the greatest gift in the world.  Luke knocks their shoulders together and continues leaning against him while the other two talk.

A real gig.  Luke has always put a lot of weight into being in a band, but there's something more official about it now.  They're a real band, not just a band to themselves and a handful of people on YouTube, but to people who will see their name on the marquee and everyone who enters through the doors that night.  5 Seconds of Summer is going to get a chance to play in front of a real crowd, not just Ashton.  This is the start of something huge, he can feel it.

If he had to pick anyone in the world to share this moment with, he’d pick the three people in this room right now.  Luke leans his head against Calum’s shoulder and lets himself imagine the possibilities.

-/-

The night before they're meant to perform at the Annandale, Luke can't sleep.  He tosses and turns, trying to find a comfortable position and failing, flipping his pillow over to the cool side and readjusting his covers and still staring uselessly at the ceiling.  The clock on his side table reads 3:43, red letters blinking mockingly at him as every second ticks by.  He sighs, turning back to look at his ceiling.

He could try to text Michael or Calum, but he doesn’t want them to know how anxious he is, stomach already tied in knots with over twelve hours before the performance.  They might be dealing with their own nerves and he doesn’t need to add to them, or they might be fine and think he’s being stupid.  He could keep laying here, but the longer he does that the more he starts thinking about how everything could go wrong.

What if he forgets the words?  What if his voice cracks?  What if he doesn’t tune his guitar properly and everyone cringes at the first strum?  What if he loses all of his picks?  What if a string breaks?  What if no one even shows up and it’s just the three of them and Ashton’s mellow drummer friend playing to an empty room and then no one lets them do a gig ever again?

He could try texting Ashton.  He might not even be awake, but if he does reply he’d probably say something reassuring that would have Luke’s shoulders unclenching and quiet his racing mind.  Ashton is good at stuff like that, but he doesn’t say things unless he means them.  If he tells Luke that things are going to be alright, things are probably going to be alright.

He grabs his phone from the nightstand, squinting at the brightness.

Luke: U up?

He cringes when he realizes how much that sounds like a come-on.  Whatever, it’s not like Ashton expects him to be doing that, so hopefully he’ll brush it off.

He’s about to try willing himself to sleep again when his phone lights up.

Ashton: yeah whats up

Luke: nothn whats up w u

Ashton: nothing lol. u excited 4 tmrw?

This is his chance.  Ashton has given him a clear opening and all Luke has to do is tell him that the thought of going out onstage is giving him a stomach ache and he’s going to die if he doesn’t get to sleep soon.  Ashton might think he’s silly and dramatic and a baby, but if Luke works himself up any more over this he’s not going to be able to look at his guitar tomorrow, let alone pick it up, and he needs to be able to do that.  He can’t let the band down.

Luke: scared

Ashton: y? u guys r going to kill it!

Luke: what if i suck

Ashton: u dont ur a rockstar! i have gd taste in bands u deserve this opportunity& will be awesome

Luke: what if im not

Ashton: its ur first gig youll only get better frm here uv put in 2 much work 2 b scared u will be amazing

Luke: what if no 1 shows up

Ashton: ill b there! u can play 2 me ppl will come

Luke takes a deep breath.  Ashton’s probably right.  This is their first gig, and he seems convinced that there will be others.  Even if they bomb tomorrow or it’s only Ashton in the crowd, they can bounce back.  They’ve put a lot of work into the band, and he can’t let one shitty performance define them, especially when he doesn’t even know if it’s going to be shitty yet.  Ashton seems to think they’ll be alright, and Ashton is usually trustworthy.

Luke: thx

Ashton: no prob :)

Luke looks at his clock again and wonders if this will be enough to let him sleep, but something niggles at his mind.

Luke: y r u awake rn?

Outside, one lone car drives down the street.  Luke tries to imagine himself in the center of some big city like New York or Los Angeles instead of a suburb outside of Sydney.  He tries to imagine Ashton at a college town in the United States, living in a dormitory with all his friends and staying out late regardless of if he has classes in the morning.

Ashton: cant sleep sketching instead

He sends a picture with it and Luke waits patiently for the image to load.  When it finally does, he's greeted with a horizontal photo of Ashton's sketchbook, yellow light from a lamp barely illuminating the page.  It must be the scene outside Ashton's window, an empty street with houses lining the pavement and a rough sketch of a streetlight at the end of the block.  It's just graphite against creamy white paper, but Luke wishes he were seeing it in person so he could trace his finger over the lines.  They're rushed, but confident and bold.  Ashton has shaded most of the page to give the illusion of nighttime, and Luke imagines him sitting at his window, glancing up every-so-often for reference as he recreates what he can see on paper.

Luke: wow ur really good!

Ashton: <3 ty

Luke bites his lip, trying to figure out something else to say.  After a few minutes of silence, Ashton texts first.

Ashton: get some sleep luke. see u tmrw

His stomach sinks, but it’s probably for the best.  He’d keep talking to Ashton all night if he could, but he needs to sleep.  He has a gig tomorrow.

Luke: gn

He puts his phone down and lays back in bed, taking a deep breath.  To avoid thinking more about tomorrow, he tries to imagine what other creations could be in Ashton's sketchbook, black lines drawing themselves on the blank canvas of his mind until he finally falls asleep.

-/-

Luke paces anxiously as well as he can in the cramped “backstage” space.  They're about to begin the set, and it's just as nerve-wracking as he thought it was going to be.  Ashton's drummer friend is a picture of calm, twirling his sticks with a bored frown, but Michael and Calum are both jittery, too.  Calum is picking nervously at the bass he's holding, about to make his official debut as a bass player, and Michael keeps tapping his foot restlessly.

There's a few people here.  A group of girls is huddled by the stage waiting for them to start and Luke is supremely grateful that they showed up, but it brings up a new set of anxieties.  They're playing original songs for the first time, and it's one thing to be able to sing a cover, but it's another to present people with new material and ask them to like it.  They can't let these fans down, no matter how tiny the crowd might be.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and Luke digs it out.

Ashton: break a leg rockstar :)

Luke doesn't have time to reply before the lights are dimming, the crowd is cheering, and he's following Michael onstage.

The show is amazing.

Like, objectively it's probably not, but Luke has the time of his life anyway.  He's shaky and nervous for the first minute, then he actually looks up and sees Ashton standing off to the side with a camera in hand, million-watt smile on his face, and suddenly things are easy.  They mess up and they're awkward and they give it everything they've got.  The crowd is small but mighty, the music is messy but sincere, and Luke starts to figure out how to be a rockstar on a tiny stage in a hotel in Sydney, Michael and Calum blossoming into their own stars next to him.

He tears up a little during "Everything I Want," which should probably be super embarrassing, but mostly he's just happy.  He can't believe people came.  He can't believe this is real and not a dream.  He can't believe he's lucky enough to do this with his two best friends.  It's only up from here, and Luke already feels like he's on top of the world.

When they take their bows and exit the stage, Luke is buzzing.  He pulls the other two into a hug, the kind that’s so fierce it feels like he’s suffocating, and they all laugh and cheer and maybe Luke cries a little bit again.  He tearily thanks their drummer, who looks marginally less bored now that the show has actually been played, and accepts hugs from his parents and pats on the back from his brothers.  He talks to a few of the fans that have lingered and even signs his first autograph, which is insane to think about.

When he finally has a spare moment, he finds Ashton and throws his arms around him.

"Hey!  Amazing job!" Ashton says in his ear, holding him just as securely.  Luke tucks his face in his shoulder and squeezes.

"I thought you wanted to be in the front row," Luke says once he makes himself let go.

"I figured I'd let the other fans get a chance.  I have a front row seat at every practice, so it only seemed fair.  I got some good pictures, though."

He holds up his camera and Luke brightens even more, if possible.  He feels like he's glowing brighter than the stage lights already.  He feels like he's probably glowing more than all of the stage lights in all of the big stadiums around the world combined.

"Can I see?" he asks.  Ashton doesn't get a chance to answer before Michael and Calum appear in an enthusiastic, all-encompassing storm, pulling both of them out of their corner because Karen promised to buy pizza in celebration and both of them were too nervous to eat before and are starving now.  Luke is, too, and he tugs Ashton to follow them out to the cars.

"Wait, shouldn't this just be band and family?" Ashton says, dragging his feet.

"Don't be stupid," Michael says, taking his other hand and helping Luke pull him forward.

"Yeah, you're basically part of the band," Calum says.  "As much as our temp drummer, anyway, and Mum invited him along."

Ashton's drummer friend declines, so it's just them and their families.  Ashton sits sandwiched between Luke and Calum and Luke's mum jokes about that side of the table needing four pizzas just for themselves.  When the adrenaline finally wears off part way through the meal, Luke slumps against Ashton's side and sighs contentedly.

He's pretty sure this is the best day of his life.

-/-

Ashton graduates in mid-December.  Luke texts him a quick congratulations, but they don't see each other until a few days after.  The band decided they need to celebrate (or maybe they just want the excuse to get ice cream along with the usual pizza), but Ashton spends a few days hanging out with friends from school and his family.  Luke thinks it's ridiculous that they have to wait almost an entire week to see him, but they decide to all stay over at Michael's when they do, so Luke can't pout too much.

They pick Ashton up instead of making him bike over, which they make a big deal out of as his graduation present.  They leave the passenger seat open for him, at least, so he doesn't have to squish into the back, and he graciously thanks them with a lofty voice, like a king talking to his royal subjects.  They make a big deal out of ordering Ashton's favorite pizza, too, which is just one of their usual orders, then grab some chips and pass around goon and put in Iron Man, because Ashton wants to watch the Marvel movies and Michael has all five of them.  The wine goes down easy in the way cheap wine usually does, and soon Luke has a pleasant buzz, enjoying the way the room fuzzes at the edges from his place squished between Michael and Calum on the sofa.  Ashton is alone in the arm chair, and Luke wishes he were squished in here with them, too.

Calum dozes off first, so after Iron Man 2 they set up blankets and sleeping bags.  Michael claims the couch because it's his house, so Luke watches Thor from the floor, propped against the front of the couch so he can see the TV better, Calum on one side and Ashton on the other.  Calum falls asleep again quickly, and near the end of the movie Michael starts breathing deeply, the kind of breathing that's close to a snore.  During the credits Luke blinks at Ashton and finds him already looking back.

"Hey," Ashton says.  "Want to watch Captain America?"

Luke nods.  Ashton carefully picks his way over to the TV, crouching to exchange the DVDs.  Backlit by the screen, Luke can see the way his hair is starting to get slightly wavy at the ends now, hours and hours since he last straightened it for the flat-iron fringe they all sport.  Luke wonders what his natural hair is like.  He likes that he's going to get to see it in the morning, but that also means that Ashton is going to see his bedhead, too.

"Hey," Luke says quietly when Ashton returns.  "The others are asleep."

Ashton glances at them, then grins.  "Do you have a marker?"

They give Calum a mustache, which is hard because the smell of the marker right under his nose keeps making him shift, then giggle their way through drawing a dick on Michael's cheek.  Ashton clamps a hand over Luke's mouth at one point when Michael hums and moves, and both of them hold their breath until he settles again, smacking his lips.

"Shhhh," Ashton says in his ear.  Luke shivers at the proximity, then nods.  Ashton moves his hand, so they continue to give Michael a few more doodle-tattoos before deeming themselves done and returning to their sleeping bags.

"They're going to hate us in the morning," Luke giggles.  Ashton snickers next to him, and they turn back to the movie.  It holds Luke's attention for the beginning, but now that he's aware of it, Ashton's presence as the only other one awake takes up the room.  Luke hears his huffs of laughter and every rustle of his sleeping bag hidden between the dialogue and backing soundtrack.  When he grins, it's still bright even though the TV is the only thing illuminating the room.  It creates weird shadows on his face, valleys of black amidst the blue-lighted highlights, but it doesn't make him look strange or unfamiliar.  If anything, it assures Luke that he'd be able to recognize Ashton in any context.  He’s not the artist out of the two of them, but he wonders if he’d be able to draw Ashton from memory.

"Are you going to miss us when you're in America?" Luke asks.

Ashton drags his attention away from the movie to look at him again.

"Yeah, of course.  You guys are some of my best friends."  Luke tries not to show how happy that makes him.  Sometimes he thinks that Ashton must thing that they're all stupid and immature kids.  Ashton has graduated and has plans for his life and takes care of his family.  Luke draws dicks on his friend's faces when they fall asleep.

"You're one of my best friends, too," he says.  "I'm really glad you talked to me at the movies."

"I'm glad you invited me to go bowling."

"It was technically Michael who did that," Luke says, ducking his head.

"No," Ashton says with a small smile.  "He sent the message, but I know you told him to."

Luke hums and settles deeper into his blanket.

"Are you going to miss me when your band makes it big and you're on tour all the time?" Ashton asks.

"Yeah.  I think I'm going to miss you a lot."

Luke can already feel the phantom pain deep in his chest where he's going to miss him.  He once again wishes there was some way for Ashton to stay with them without sacrificing his own dreams.  It's strange; he's so excited for the band to take off, but now that it's a real possibility that their dreams are coming true and they'll move on to bigger and better things, it hurts a little.

Well, it hurts to think of leaving his family, and it hurts to think of Ashton leaving him.

"Besides, you're the one who's getting out of here,” he says.  “5sos has still only played one gig."

"You're going to be huge," Ashton says.  He states it calmly, like an accepted fact.  It's in the same way he'd say that the sky is blue.  "You'll get out of here and get to see the whole world a thousand times over."

Luke nods, curling into his blanket a little more.  On screen, Steve asks Bucky if he's ready to follow Captain America into the jaws of death.  Bucky says, Hell no.  That little guy from Brooklyn who was too dumb not to run away from a fight... I'm following him.

"Are you scared of leaving?" he asks quietly.  Ashton stays silent for a long time.  Luke watches him blink in the dim light, eyes toward the TV but too still to be watching it.

"I'm more scared of being stuck here forever," he confesses eventually.  "I love Australia, but... I don't want to turn into my mum, and I don't know how to prevent that unless I get out of here.  I love my family, I really do.  You know that, right?"  Luke nods.  "I love them, and I feel like I've always been taking care of them.  Even just wanting to leave is selfish, but filling out the applications for the schools was awful.  I felt so guilty, but... I don't know.  Australia has a great art scene that I probably should focus on instead, but I keep thinking about America.  If I don't go, I'm going to spend the rest of my life regretting it."

Ashton traces a thread on his blanket.  Luke wants to take his hand.

"I don't think it's selfish," Luke says.  "You can't let your entire life be determined by them.  They understand, right?"

"Mum does," Ashton says.  "I don't think Lauren and Harry get why I want to go so far away."

He sighs.  It feels heavy in the darkness.

"It doesn't matter yet, anyway.  It depends on if I even get into any of the schools I applied for and if we have the money.  I've been saving as much as I can, but it might not be enough.  America is so fucking expensive."

"You'll get there," Luke says.  "If our band is going somewhere, you definitely will, too."

Ashton shoots him a grateful smile.  Luke wants to tuck it in his pocket.  He's already saving pieces of Ashton in preparation of when they'll be halfway around the world from each other.

"Next year will be good for us," Ashton says.  "2012 is going to be a big breakthrough for us both."

"Yeah," Luke says.  "I believe you."

They watch the rest of the movie in silence.  When the credits roll, Luke realizes that Ashton fell asleep while he was distracted by the story, eyes closed peacefully next to him.  It’s strange to see him so relaxed and still, like some sort of marble statue.  He rarely stops moving when he’s awake, but here all of the stress lines he carries with him are smoothed out.  Luke didn’t know that they were there, but now the absence of them is obvious.

The movie menu screen reappears, loud music and bright colors startling him.  He grabs the remote and turns off the TV, plunging the room into darkness.  He tries to get comfortable, tossing and turning a bit on the floor and adjusting his blanket a few times, then closes his eyes.  Sleep doesn’t come easy, and he stays awake for a long time listening to Ashton, Calum, and Michael breathing.

[mocha-sim]

For a while now I’ve wanted to write out a post concerning where I stand on the whole issue with YanSim and its developer (in short: neutral, leaning heavily towards the negative side, but I like the potential of the story and characters). There are a lot of problems and I really want to throw in my two cents

This might not be necessary, but I need to get it off my chest, and hopefully make some people think about other points of view

Warning: long post ahead

1. Six years and still in development

I can really see both sides here

On one hand, six full years without even one rival - the single most important part of the game - and a game still full of placeholder assets, and terrible code on top of that, is pathetic

On the other hand, Yandev is working with only a small team of volunteers and himself, who (no matter what he claims) knows very little about game development (from what i’ve seen, he’s made one before, but it looks like a very small-scale and basic fighting game, unlike YanSim which is much more large-scale and has a lot of features)

Professional game teams do have full, high-quality games made in less than six years, but that time is also a product of game company employees being extremely overworked. Lately I’ve seen a lot more people talking about this issue, which is good, but isn’t it hypocritical to not also apply that logic to Yandev?

Again, though, I’m not sure how much time he spends actually working on the game - to me, it seems like he spends a lot of time on discord, reddit, etc. even if he does only stream for a few hours every night. Maybe the “harassment” that’s “slowing down game development” wouldn’t be such an issue if he didn’t spend so much time online interacting with these people?

2. The writing and characters

I’m not a huge fan of how the game’s story is handled, either

I don’t think it’s 100% fair to cast a final judgement with the game the way it is now - Osana not being out is in no way a good thing, but it also means that there hasn’t really been any opportunity for story or character development yet, especially for the rivals. That being said:

I feel like there’s a lot of wasted potential with characters’ individual stories and with the game’s story as a whole, like the “Aishi curse” - I just can’t think of many good stories with a main character who’s basically an empty husk. If Ayano had emotions from the beginning, and actually had to struggle with them, she could be a much more interesting character. There doesn’t even need to be a magical curse for it to run in the family - the way children are raised has a serious impact on the person they grow into. If Ayano is raised by a crazy, abusive stalker of a mother, she may well turn into the same thing.

Taro, too - he has so many contradicting character traits. He yells at Ayano for “scaring him” when she’s carrying a box cutter or laughing, but has the courage to run right up to a murderer and take off their mask?? He doesn’t care about reputations for Osoro or Oka, but won’t love Ayano if her reputation drops too low?? We’re told that he’s “friendly and respectful”, but we’re never shown that part of his personality. On top of that, we’re not really given a reason to like or pursue him as the goal of the game - when he’s not interacting with Girl of the Week, he doesn’t really do anything except sit by the fountain and read. I feel as though Taro should have a routine that involves interacting with other characters and gives us more of a feel for the personality we’re told he’s supposed to have

Raibaru as a whole makes no sense and feels like a satellite character to Osana. In Osana’s shoes, I would want to have a word with her about personal space. There’s not a lot to say about her aside from that, because... she doesn’t really do anything except follow Osana around all day and shut down the player’s attempts to kill her. She feels more like a soulless obstacle than a character

I think there should be more true pacifist options than just matchmaking - even the befriending elimination route will, in Yandev’s own words, involve someone getting hurt. If we’re supposed to have a choice on whether or not to hurt and kill people, there should be more variety in our options

3. The game’s code sucks/it’s poorly-optimized

Yeah.

I don’t know much about coding but the amount of awkward stretching/bending limbs on corpses, clipping through walls, low fps, etc. makes this obvious. It was definitely a bad move on Yandev’s part to start a project like this without at least taking a coding/game development class or something

I think the best course of action for Yandev would be to get a professional programmer on board after Osana is released and spend a few months fixing the game’s code before he starts work on the next rival

4. The character models are just stolen Unity models

They are just unity models, but not “stolen” at all - YanDev paid for them.

That being said, they’re sort of ugly and inexpressive, and personally i’m hoping they get replaced soon

5. The characters are all minors

They’re not. It’s in flashing red letters on the screen when you open the game. I can’t help but feel like the reason people keep insisting that the characters are minors is so that they can feel like heroes for defending them or something

It doesn’t make a lot of logical sense, but there’s still plenty of time for this to be fixed. I think it was recently confirmed that Akademi is called an “academy” now and won’t be referred to as a high school again

Imo YanDev should just change it to a post-secondary school, since that’s probably the most seamless way for all the characters to be adults

One last thing I want to say on this is that, when it gets brought up, I often see people use the excuse “the age of consent in Japan is 13″. 1: it isn’t - the Japanese government lets each prefecture decide its own age of consent, but 13 is the minimum. As far as I know, no prefecture has set it below 16. 2: even if 13 was the age of consent, that doesn’t mean we should accept and defend it as “part of a different culture”. It’s still pedophilia. 3: Japanese people actively protest against things like this

6. The uniforms are middle-school uniforms/don’t look like they belong in a prestigious school

Yeah

However there are multiple uniform options, and it looks like the default uniforms will be completely changed in the final game

7. Panty shots

YanSim is an 18+ game, but there is such a thing as too far

I’ve seen people who tolerate it, but I haven’t seen a single person who actively likes the panty shots and would complain if they were removed. Imo the part that makes this bad is the fact that we, the player, actively have to point our camera up a girl’s skirt and take a photo of her underwear with it being in full view; the whole way this works makes it obvious that the feature was put in there for titillation more than anything else, and it just feels uncomfortable. If it were more like Uekiya’s key-stealing minigame where all we have to do is push a few buttons, the whole gross/uncomfortable aspect could be taken away and a lot of people would probably be fine with it

It would also be better to replace it with an expanded version of the phone-stealing feature: this would let the player get “points” for students of both genders, plus it would still make sense to gain more points for certain students, like the student council or the bullies. Maybe you could even steal teachers’ phones under certain circumstances?

8. YanDev is homophobic

Again not too sure on this one

Iirc, most of the comments people bring up on this are from years ago when he still went by EvaXephon

But speaking as a wlw, I think some of the ways I’ve seen him talk about f/f relationships are pretty creepy. And on top of that, he seems to be considering adding a “female senpai” option to the game, but no male player character? (though i guess i can see the point of view that a male mc would need a lot more new voice lines, animations, etc. while the senpai follows a mostly fixed routine and would only need so many. still, it seems wrong to have one without the other). I hope I’m wrong about this but his support of the LGBT community seems mostly focused on the L and more for his own entertainment than any actual support

9. YanDev is making more money than he should (and handles it poorly)

His Patreon may be dropping, but his YouTube channel is raking in even more money with 2M+ subscribers, and he’s making even more money from things like merch and donations... all while apparently still living with his parents (which i don’t find hard to believe). He’s also apparently bought 2 switches and a sex doll instead of using the money to hire the help he desperately needs with his game

Assuming he really does still live with his parents, I fully support the petition to get his Patreon suspended until he at least finishes Osana. Most game devs don’t make any money off of their games until they’ve finished it completely

10. YanDev wrote rape fanfics

So I did briefly check his old ffn profile some time ago, and as far as I could see everything had the proper ratings and warnings

Tagging/warning/rating is a fanfic author’s only responsibility to you. You make the choice on whether or not to read it. If everything is appropriately tagged and you read it anyway, that’s on you, not the author. If you are mature enough to be on the internet unsupervised, then you are mature enough to curate your own experience.

Fiction is the place to explore controversial themes and topics. It doesn’t mean in any way that a content creator would condone the things they write about in real life

11. YanDev steals art/assets

He does, and still hasn’t apologized for the DLC rivals thing. In fact he made a post defending himself for it, and even compared himself to Andy Warhol in the process (lol)

I’m not sure but I think I heard something recently about him continuing to do this type of thing (the grass, etc.). In which case we should continue to put pressure on him until he credits the creators of whatever art/assets he stole. Art theft is inexcusable

12. The fanbase is mostly kids

This is unfortunately true, and it’s a big problem (i’ve had to deal with it myself on my youtube channel)

However I would personally say that this problem is outside of YanDev’s control. Kids seem to be drawn to edgy/violent things, or things they shouldn’t be allowed to see (just look at Call of Duty). I put the blame for this on the parents who aren’t monitoring their kids’ computer activities. As for YanDev, he’s not a babysitter and it’s not his responsibility to censor his content for kids who shouldn’t be viewing it in the first place

Underage or not though, he should really avoid calling his fans things like “fuck kittens”. Even from the perspective of an adult that’s super creepy to hear

13. The character designs suck

Some are alright, others are absolutely awful

I think that, in a game built on anime tropes, characters should be allowed to have unnaturally-coloured hair. I mean, a lot of characters in anime do have weird hair that you wouldn’t see in real life (seemingly without any dye), and it can add a lot of personality to their designs

But some YanSim characters push that too far. The science club is the worst of the worst imo, despite being otherwise one of my favourite clubs. The neon streaks are ugly, and what’s up with the visors? Why are they allowed to wear those outside of club time? Why do they wear them during club time, as opposed to actual goggles or something? (i have this issue with a lot of club accessories, imo the accessories are unnecessary in the first place)

The bullies and the light music club also take things too far. Their designs are crowded, hard to look at, and out-of-place. Nothing against characters with multi-coloured hair, but there’s a time and a place and a “prestigious” school setting isn’t it

(also, slightly off-topic, but why does almost every “intended couple” look like they could be siblings?)

I could probably make a whole separate post on the character designs in YS, but I’ll save that for another day. (i’m just very passionate about character design)

14. YanDev has collaborated with porn games 3 times now

Once I could overlook (after all, the characters are 18+ and YS is already not for kids) but a third time? Seriously? And so soon after the last one?

Not only do I have mixed feelings about Yandev doing crossovers when his game isn’t even in the demo stage yet, isn’t this game supposed to be taken seriously as a horror game? I can’t think of a single other horror game that has willingly put its characters in porn.

Also I can’t help noticing that he advertises the porn game crossovers a lot more than he did with that one Dark Deception crossover. Did he ever even mention that one? I only ever saw it on the Dark Deception Twitter

15. YanDev is rude to his fans

I don’t have a lot to say against this one. As far as I’ve seen, he is, and he doesn’t take criticism well at all (just look at the subreddit - yes, a lot of the things that were removed deserved it (unfunny cum chalice jokes, etc.) but there have also been completely innocent questions, fanarts, jokes, and fanfics that have been removed. Not to mention mods going through peoples’ post history and banning them for being active in r/Osana. Both he and his mod team seem insanely paranoid)

I think he’s going to have to grow a thicker skin and stop censoring critiques if he wants to get anywhere with this game. Not just fans who bring up tiny details that might need changing, but also big, glaring issues like the code and character designs and such. He also doesn’t seem that professional for a game developer who wants to be taken seriously

That being said, if you’re the type to spam the discord server/subreddit/fan communities who have nothing to do with Yandev like the amino, you deserved that ban

16. YanDev defends pedophiles/the “sex license” thing

“No adult ever has any excuse to do anything sexual with a child. As soon as you touch a kid, you have crossed the line from being someone with a mental disorder to being the worst scum imaginable. Having a mental illness is involuntary, but touching a kid is a choice. If you have a mental illness, I feel bad for you. If you violate a child, I feel disgust and contempt for you, and I think you deserve the death penalty.” -From YanDev himself on this page

The sex license thing is also debunked on the same page: the whole conversation was taken out of context and the hypothetical “license” was supposed to be something that only an adult could meet the requirements for

17. “Corona-chan”

This was a really insensitive move to make in the middle of a pandemic, and I agree that the design was racist

However, YanDev listened to the fans’ complaints and removed the easter egg a day later, plus gave an apology. I think that this was the best thing he could do in that scenario and idk what else people are expecting him to do about it

18. YanDev’s general portrayal of high schoolers

Honestly, it’s not 100% realistic (especially in some of the dialogue. you know what i’m talking about)

I’m surprised that more students don’t seem to have friends outside of their clubs. It seems like all the students mostly stick within their club/group - walking to school together, spending their breaks together, etc. A lot of the ways the characters behave are very robotic, like walking in a perfectly straight line everywhere they go

That being said, a lot of the things i’ve seen criticized in regards to this are not part of the problem. By the time you’re in high school, you’ve probably hit puberty. It doesn’t make a character automatically sexualized if they have bigger breasts (though some designs in the game are over-sexualized, like a few certain staff members)

19. Muja, Mida, and Hanako

Let’s start with Hanako: Yandev has already said that she’s not romantically interested in her brother, she’s just insanely clingy and doesn’t want him to get a girlfriend out of fear that he’ll forget about her. If you still insist that she’s in love with Taro, then that’s on you

Muja and Mida I have mixed feelings on.

If every student is 18 or older, meaning that the first-years are 18, that makes Taro, a third-year, 20-21 years old. If Mida and Muja are in their early 20s as Yandev has said, that means that the age gap isn’t an issue. However, it’s still wrong for a teacher or a nurse to pursue their student/patient

I don’t think Yandev should need to spell out “hey, Mida and Muja are not good people” in flashing neon signs. The game is rated M and anyone who’s old enough to play it should be able to understand that without it being said. If you need morality in fiction spoon-fed to you, you probably shouldn’t be watching/reading/playing anything rated above PG

On the other hand, YanDev has a nasty habit of making these things into a joke, which is really insensitive and creepy. Like saying that Mida’s favourite food is “the spit of a younger man” (yikes), that she’s tried to seduce her own students 69 times (haha 69 so funney right guys XD), or that whole confession scene mess. It’s less of a problem with Muja, but it’s still there. As much as the audience shouldn’t need everything served to them on a silver platter, issues like these should still be treated with respect, not made into gags

20. Yandev wastes time on “Easter eggs”

I have to agree that he does spend time implementing unnecessary things sometimes (like the abc challenge), but as far as I know the Easter eggs are what he does in his spare time while waiting for assets from volunteers. However: snap mode, which was hyped up for years, turned out to be a flop with zero purpose, disappointing a good portion of the fanbase.

21. Love Letter

So far I’m really liking the look of this game: I like the models and the school environment they’ve shown, and it seems like they’re doing a lot of things in better or more interesting ways than YanDev, like not outright telling us who the rivals are. I don’t think it’s fair to accuse them of “stealing” anything, when it seems like most of the assets the games have in common are the things they bought from the Unity store (Love Letter even changed the base Unity model to have a more appealing look)

I'm glad to see that they actually listened to criticism from fans on things like Setsuna’s design (I love her newest look and I hope it’s the final one). From design alone she’s already a more interesting protagonist, and she looks like the sort of character you’d actually enjoy playing as

Not sure I totally buy the claim that it was all done in two weeks, but even if it was over the span of months, that’s still miles better than YanSim’s six years

Knowing that Dr. Apeis has already ditched one project I’m staying open to new information on this, but as of right now I’m looking forward to playing the demo!

Overall: A lot of the hate against the game and the dev are unnecessary, but some is justified and we shouldn’t blindly defend everything he does (seriously, you can admit that the character designs are shit. no one is going to stone you for it).  There are a lot of improvements Dev could make, both on the game and on his behaviour towards fans.

I think that the biggest improvement would be for the game to just stop taking itself so seriously. At this point, it’s so full of memes, cringy google translate names, excessive edginess, and gags that it may as well just be a fun ridiculous anime game instead of a serious horror game. I feel like taking this approach could make it more successful (plus, it doesn’t really have a lot of horror elements aside from the gore)

There are a lot of cases of people taking things too far. Like spamming YanDev with explicit gore/animal abuse, trying to swat him, spamming volunteers with weird porn, trying to hack into volunteers’ accounts (including bank accounts), etc. That is going way too far, no matter how awful or pathetic you think a person is. If you are doing these kinds of things, you are doing more harm than Dev or his volunteers

Attacking YanDev’s appearance is unnecessary and not related to his behaviour or skills. Same with the chalice memes

However, I’ve seen a lot of YanDev’s defenders lashing out against “gremlins”, lumping all of them in with the kinds of people who do these things. If you check r/Osana, you’ll see that most if not all of the people there condemn this behaviour: the gore and porn spammers are a loud minority (and i’m willing to bet most of them are the basement-dwelling losers from KiwiFarms and 4Chan)

Attacking and/or spamming fans who are just trying to enjoy the game is also unnecessary. Someone liking a video game you don’t like is not doing you any harm. Be mature and move on

I’m not sure if some of what I’ve said above is 100% accurate so if anyone actually read this and has evidence against it then feel free to add

I think that’s about all I have to say on that. Again, i don’t know if it will change anything in the fandom but i really just wanted to get this off my chest

[jinmindeulle]

crowned ∣ jwy (2)

all i have is you

pairing: jung wooyoung x reader ft. san

word count: 1.8 k

genre: royalty au, prince!wooyoung x dressmaker!reader ∣ angst, fluff

warnings: minor swearing

a/n: if you want to be in the tag list so that you don’t miss the updates, just comment down below and i’ll happily add you! ♥

Are a pair of jeans comfortable? Where are we going? Why so early? What does Wooyoung want to show me? And why can’t anyone know about this?

Those and a million more questions cross my mind as I wait for the prince to show up. According to my watch, he should’ve arrived here six minutes ago, but coming from Wooyoung it really does not surprise me.

Just when I am about to go back to look for him, sure that he has forgotten our meeting, his slender and well-dressed figure appears on the corner of my eyes. He seems to be in a hurry, running in my direction with a bag on his back and a pair of dark sunglasses on his head.

“Sorry for the delay!” he says with almost no air, trying to catch his breath again once by my side. “The maids were asking about last night and didn’t want to let me go.”

“It’s okay, Woo. Just thought that you fell asleep and forgot about today” I laugh quietly, taking out the bottle of water that I loaded on my own backpack so I can give it to him. He accepts it without second thoughts and swallows half of it.

“Thanks, y/n, and no, I could never forget about today. Are you ready? We’ll have to walk a lot”

“Can you remind me once more why I said yes?”

“Because you love me” he smiles, returning to me the bottle and walking right where the forest begins.

“Right” I sigh, speeding my pace so that I can be by his side.

We take the path that, according to what I heard from the maids, leads to a small village which is famous for its fresh fruit and vegetables. As I hardly ever leave the confinements of the palace, I’ve never been there. Especially with Wooyoung, who’s all the time accompanied by some of his guards if he leaves, and as far as I know, he rarely goes to nearby villages.

Actually, spending time with Wooyoung was a really hard task to accomplish. He’s required at the royal court at least six of the seven days of the week, and I have work to do as well; the Queen’s dresses and King and Prince’s tuxedos are, unfortunately, not done by magic. Being free at the same time so that we could exchange at least a word was a rare situation.

There was a time that I thought I hadn’t seen him for two whole weeks, and he then confirmed it when coming to my own chambers in the middle of the night just to see me.

⤷  Five months ago

“What are you doing here, Wooyoung?”

“You know that it’s been exactly fifteen days since we last saw each other, right?” he raised an eyebrow, leaning in the frame of my door. “Haven’t you missed me?”

“Of course, I have, Woo. It’s just that I’ve been so busy with the festival’s gowns that I spend at least ten hours in my sewing room and I barely go out to eat!”

“Well, I think that you just need to slow down. Nobody’s going to kill you if you don’t have the gowns ready by next week.”

“Are you fucking serious, Jung Wooyoung?” I stare at him with wide eyes, not believing what I’ve just heard “They could fire me! Me being a friend of yours doesn’t mean they won’t hesitate in taking my things out first thing in the morning, I literally work for your family! And let me remind you that it’s the royal family!”

“They won’t, y/n. I can talk to them so you can have a proper meal instead of just eating cookies.”

“How-”

“I just asked the maids.” He interrupted me, pointing inside the room with his chin. “Can I go in or we’re just going to stay here talking till morning?”

I sigh and let him in. He throws himself in the right side of my bed, patting the space left beside him for me. After turning the lights off, I do as he says, hoping he can just let me sleep after a whole day of sewing and cutting through silk and gauze. Well, those are my wishes, not his.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” he whispers, shifting in the bed so he can look at me. He supports his weight with his arm, and his head with his hand. “I am happy to see you.”

I turn around mimicking his position, but as I am extremely tired, I decide to rest my head on my pillow instead. “You know that I am.  It’s just that I had a really long day and I need some sleep. But you can stay here, though.”

“Will do” he murmurs, taking some strands of my hair off of my face, his fingers lingering on my cheek. “But before you drift off, I want to set a time in the morning when we can daily meet. Just in case this happens again”.

“Mhm” I nod, closing my eyes. “Does 8 a.m. work for you? I usually get started in the sewing room by nine” I yawn, engulfing myself deeper in the soft covers.

“Yeah, that’s perfect. See you then, beautiful. Sweet dreams” I feel a kiss on my forehead, and I sigh in contentment.

“Sweet dreams, Woo.”

Present time ⤶

And ever since, we’ve been seeing each other everyday at 8 A.M. in front of the lake that floods down the enormous palace’s backyard. We usually have breakfast there, and after sharing that beautiful and meaningful time together, we say goodbye so we can get to our things.

I realize that we’ve been walking for almost an hour and neither of us has said anything. That’s when I decide to ask what I fear the most. “How was last night?”

I hear him let out a frustrated growl, and I come to think that sometimes I ask the worst questions in the worst of times.

“She’s horrible. I mean, not physically. Her looks are okay, I guess. But I didn’t like her at all. She thinks she’s here to practically own me, y/n.” he stated, frowning. “I don’t even remember her name. I already knew that I didn’t want to get married, but after last night I just confirmed and reaffirmed my wish for my life to stay like this for a long time.”

“And what does the King say about your wishes?”

“He couldn’t care less” he says, grabbing my hand to pull me closer to him. “All I have is you, y/n. That’s why I wanted to take you here.”

With his free hand, he takes some branches out of our way and a happy squeal bursts from his lips. I stare at the little cottage that stands in front of me with wide eyes, taking in every possible detail before I turn around to look at him with the same expression. “What is this, Wooyoung?

“It’s my house, y/n” he sighs with the happiness that he’s lost ever since he received the marriage news. “Welcome to my home sweet home.”

“What?”

He does not reply, and ignores the three thousand questions that I throw at him as he pulls me to the front door, taking the key from his left pocket and opening the door with ease, without letting go of my hand.

“Let me get this straight” I stop on my tracks after he releases me inside the – surprisingly pretty and cozy — cottage. “You do own this” I state, and he nods while taking off the backpack. “Since when?”

“Three years ago? Yeah, more or less since then”

“And why exactly do you own this when you have a whole huge ass palace to live in?”

“That’s why I brought you here, y/n. There’s so much for you to know. Sit down please, we don’t have much time left.”

The answers that I need are about to come, so I just follow his instructions and sit on the couch in front of him. He slowly breathes out, making himself comfortable and staring at me while explaining every detail.

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve known that this was about to come. The arranged marriage thing.” He quietly starts.

“When I was eleven, my eldest cousin, Donghyun, had his own. After the ceremony was over, he shoved me to the side and told me not to accept that fate. He wasn’t happy, and he has never been happy with that union. Every time we saw each other, he continuously asked me not to do that to myself. Three years ago, I decided that he was right, and that I was not taking the crown’s bullshit just because they wanted me to. With Donghyun’s help, I bought this cottage, arranged it into my own little world, and just used it from time to time when no one needed me at the palace.”

“And what does this cottage have to do with the marriage?” I ask out of curiosity, unable to connect the dots by myself.

“I don’t want that life, y/n.” he whispers loudly enough for me to hear him, hanging his head low, staring at the flower vase in front of us. “Father wants me there just so that I can rule one day. And that’s not who I am. I don’t want to have a whole ass kingdom doing as I say just because I say so. What if I take the wrong decisions? What if I am not enough and I do poorly as the King?” he asks no one, shaking his head ‘no’. “But what matters the most to me is who I spend the rest of my life with.” He sighs, and returns his gaze in my direction. “I don’t want that horrible girl, y/n. My life would be miserable if I not only have to run this kingdom by myself, but I also have to share my bed with someone I don’t love. With someone I won’t ever love, because someone else owns my heart ever since I met her.”

That last sentence broke my heart. Not just for me, but for him too. He didn’t love me, he loved someone else. And he wasn’t allowed to spend the rest of his life with her as he’d like to.

“Wow, that’s a lot to take in.” I answer quietly, trying not to let the tears go down my face. “But I think that you’re extremely brave for what you’re about to do. I mean, I believe that you’re not thinking straight and you have a lot of things to take into consideration before you do this, but it’s your life and your decisions after all. Running away with her is… what you should do if you feel like it’s worth it.”

“You don’t think I’m doing the right thing?” he huffs in disbelief, shifting on the couch. “Would you still believe that even after telling you that all this time, I was planning on running away with you?”

part three: not destined →

Here’s the second part of crowned ♥ I’ve already sorted it out and there will be three more parts plus the epilogue!

If you are reading this, thank you so much for being here, it means a lot to me ♥ Leave your comments, suggestions and ideas on the comments below!

Happy reading!

⇢ jinmindeulle

[sharinluna]

Chapter 15 Gavin Analysis - The Name of Faith

NOTE: Please read this in PC because in mobile tumblr app the chapter quotes are not shown properly.

1. In Need of Something to Hold.

I put down the phone and stared blankly at the ceiling and my unchanged room, trance-like. It felt like if I closed my eyes, I’d still be able to feel that weightlessness of falling. I felt the ginkgo leaf on my wrist and tried to drive this surreal feeling out of my head. Then I just kept telling myself, that’s all in the past. That my life had returned to normal, that I could go back to the same, peaceful life.

Gavin: Did you have another nightmare?

Maybe because of all I’d been through, I found myself less and less able to control my emotions.

At the beginning of chapter 15 Yōurán is showing signs of depression, revisiting her trauma and having doubts of reality due to repeated nightmares. It doesn’t occur to the readers right away since we’re viewing the story from a distance. But having prophetic dreams and visions constantly is bound to shake your sense of what’s real and not. It must be really stressful.

To deal with this she is using Gavin’s ginkgo bracelet as an anchor to hold her steady.

The gingko leaf on my wrist glittered in the moonlight, like it was sighing in relief too. My heart slowly settled back down.

Yōurán: It’s because of you that Gavin is always able to sense me, isn’t it…?

Gavin: That’s not it. I can find you whether you have that or not.

The truth was in the game profile all along.

NOW I can finally say this without spoiler tags. For those of you who thought Gavin’s tracker was creepy: There is no tracker! He just made that up because he was too shy to give you the bracelet and say “I made this because I love you.” He is nothing but a sweet, sweet boy.

Anyway, remember the significance of the ginkgo bracelet to Yōurán. Because I will bring that up at the end of the analysis.

2. You saved me and I saved you.

Gavin: Without you, this Ferris wheel would’ve stopped construction long ago, and those people wouldn’t be back to living their lives. You saved them. And you saved me. Don’t let yourself feel that you’re useless. I was falling, and you caught me again.

If I had to coin a phrase that explains Gavin and Yōurán’s relationship it would be “mutual salvation.” This is a relationship where the two people save each other. And in here “saving” doesn’t just mean saving your life from physical danger. It means enabling you to go on with your life, to giving you a purpose to keep going.

When Yōurán thinks back about their fall from the TV tower, I couldn’t help but notice some interesting parallels from Gavin’s Campus Date.

Feeling that he was falling rapidly, Gavin reached out his arms trying to grab something. Suddenly a heavy, rapid, surging melody sounded. It’s like the world has no use for me. If I die, they’ll be happy, right? The piano melody suddenly rang out in several harsh, heavy notes. No, it’s not true. His life didn’t need validation from his so-called father, his so-called friends. - Campus Date

I couldn’t help but think of that moment in despair. But it wasn’t until that moment when Gavin caught me that I realized, I was scared to death. I didn’t want to give up this place, all these people, and the bonds I’ve formed. So I grabbed on for dear life. - Yōurán reminiscing Ch 14

Campus Date is when Yōurán saved Gavin and caught him from falling. The same thing happened to Yōurán at the end of chapter 14.

They were both falling with nothing to hold on to. They both felt they were going to die and had no hope left of living. But something caught them in their fall. Yōurán’s piano for Gavin, and Gavin’s wind for her. After that they both realized that they wanted to live. Their reason to not give up on life is each other.

But it’s interesting that Gavin’s and Yōurán’s reasons for not wanting to die are quite different. Gavin said that his life doesn’t need validation from other people (mostly his father.) This led him to be pretty much detached from others and living like a lone wolf. He found his reason for life by breaking free from other people. Even when others mistake him as violent and scary, he doesn’t care. His own faith and principle that came from Yōurán is what matters

On the other hand, Yōurán said she didn’t want to give up the bonds she’d formed in her life. To her, attachments to other people are important. Not just the LIs. Her work colleagues like Kiki and Willow. Family and friends, her viewers, even the people she just passes on streets. The bonds she formed with people she’s met, places she’s seen, tether her to the living world.

The importance of “bonds” is a key element to explaining Yōurán’s nature and her actions throughout the whole story. Why she constantly throws herself to danger for other people. She is “bonded” to them. Connected to them in a way that reaches down to the core of her existence.

3. STF’s Dark Side

I already said this in chapter 14 analysis. The Special Task Force is not what it appears to be. It is supposedly an organization that upholds justice and protect the citizens. But, in chapter 14 Leto asked Yōurán - who is despite her Evol a plain citizen who hasn’t received any sort of training - to go to the source of danger without offering any back up or protection. Any military or semi-military group that’s asking unarmed citizens to do such kinds of things are using them as tools to maintain order.

And when Gavin gets in contact with his friend Litton it’s confirmed that the STF has done more dirty work.

Litton: No matter how big or small their crime, they all died. Cause of death undetermined, while at STF, and their cases were changed to someone else. Sounds impossible, but with enough patience, cunning, and authority… like the Commander perhaps.

Every Evol offenders Gavin arrested were killed, regardless of the weight of their crimes. Without going through a trial and without receiving a proper sentence. Their death is kept secret from the world as if they were assassinated.

Extrajudicial killing is when a person or group of authority kill a person without following due legal process like respecting the person’s rights to a trial. What they did is not execution, it’s murder.

Leto to Yōurán: STF has been monitoring the boy you encountered today. We guess that it’s an attempt from Black Swan to get close to you. We need you to gain this boy’s trust and possibly protect him to a certain extent.

Now, Leto is trying to get to Litton through Perry, using Yōurán. Baiting her that Perry is related to her father’s death.

Gavin: I don’t know why the Commander said this is related to your father’s death, but this mission isn’t simple at all. You’d best stay away from the boy.

Yōurán: I won’t accept. But I think this boy really does have something to do with the truth I’m after. So, I want to go see him, on my own terms.

She decides to approach Perry for the truth, but rejects Leto’s offer. She is unaware of STF’s dirty secret, but her “strong intuition” is telling her not to trust Leto’s words completely.

Since Lucien who is the smartest person in this story advised her to “trust her instincts.” When she has a gut feeling about these things, it’s usually right.

4. The Loss of Faith

  Litton: Gavin, what if one day everything you believed in turned out to be a lie. What would you do?

Gavin is a man who believes in the most ideal concept of justice. He chose his job in order to protect Yōurán and to ensure that the world is a good place. Because Yōurán is part of the world and the world is part of her. But he is not keeping justice just for her. Rather, the reason started from her and spread to the others.

Gavin’s Summer Loving call demonstrates this perfectly.

Gavin: (When asked why he saved a strange girl on the streets) I just acted on instinct. … In that moment, I suddenly thought of you. I thought, could there ever be a situation like this, you in danger, and me unable to be there? So no matter who the girl is, I would hope someone would stand up and help her.

Yōurán inspired Gavin to become who he is, but that doesn’t mean that his identity is borrowed or not his own. He said he acted on instinct without thinking. It was in his nature to choose to live like this, and Yōurán’s presence helped him discover that.

Litton: I thought I was serving the faith, but now I know my faith was stained with blood. Later I understood. Faith is what you have when you don’t want to know the truth. We were just executioners, that’s all we were.

Slow-gathering doubt, sudden truth. It hit him like a tsunami, assaulting his once unshakable faith. His right hand started tremoring suddenly. A black wind surged up, slight and sharp, slicing through the rain and scarring his hands. Beads of blood rose from the wound and were washed to the ground by the rain. Gavin clenched his fists again, and the blood oozed out, but no wisps of wind surged.

However, in chapter 15, Gavin’s belief of justice and right and wrong is shaken. Enough for his Evol to be unstable again and fail him.

He lost his faith of justice. He lost his faith in his Evol. He even lost his faith that he could protect Yōurán.

5. How to Overcome the Wall Between Us

Yōurán: What happened?

Gavin: It’s nothing major. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of it.

Yōurán: Maybe I can’t help you, but I at least want to share the burden with you.

A stinging feeling welled up. I thought after last time, Gavin wouldn’t hide things from me again. I thought he trusted that we could face the truth and take on everything together.

I understand why Gavin is like this, but I also feel the hurt of Yōurán. After what they faced together in chapter 12, this feels like a step back in their relationship.

Gavin: You don’t need to see Perry anymore. I’ll send someone to look after him.

Yōurán is looking after Perry for mainly three reasons. 1) She believes that Perry is related to the truth that she’s looking for. 2) She is naturally a caring person and took compassion on him. 3) She related to him because she has experience of missing her dad too. Looking after Perry came to have a personal meaning to her.

Gavin: My agreement before (about Perry) was on the precondition that you’d be safe. But now, the situation’s changed.

Most of the time, Yōurán respects Gavin’s wishes when he insists that she step back to be safe. But, she’s not going to back away when she suspects that he is not being completely honest with her.

Yōurán: Gavin… you’re hiding something again, aren’t you?

In that instant, a swirl of complicated emotions flickered in Gavin’s eyes. I felt as if I’d been punched in the chest. My heart ached. I almost couldn’t take it.

Gavin: There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. But this thing… I can’t let you.

An unspoken barrier of silence and stubbornness had been erected between us.

Gavin and Yōurán usually agree with each other about everything. But this is a topic that they cannot agree nor compromise. So they avoid each other instead of talking things out. Maybe they’re afraid that having an argument about Perry will lead to a fight.

As someone who comes from an abusive family Gavin is extremely careful to avoid any situation where he might be violent to her. Like yelling at her or getting angry at her during a fight. Yōurán firmly believes that Gavin will never hurt her. But right now, Gavin cannot believe himself.

Almost in all cases fights are detrimental in relationships. But you can never not go on without a fight in your life. And among couple fights the silent non-fighting war is the worst one.

I thought Gavin and Yōurán would have to lash out and yell at each other to solve this, even if they have to upset each other. But I was wrong. There was a way to overcome this without resorting to verbal abuse.

Gavin: The moment I saw you fall from the tower was the first time I wasn’t sure if I could protect you. But then I was unable to control my Evol, unable to take you somewhere safe…

And herein lies the root of the problem. With his unstable Evol he lost his confidence, his faith that he could protect her. It wasn’t that he couldn’t trust her,

Gavin: Even without Evol, I can still protect you. Trust me, okay?

He couldn’t trust himself. Losing his faith, he is desperately clinging on to  Yōurán for her faith.

 Gavin: I trust your precognitions. Put your trust in me too.

This was his absolute faith in me, and his absolute reassurance for me.

Gavin and Yōurán saved each other. They try to protect each other. They inspire each other to become good and brave. They also put their faith in each other.

6. Her Growing Powers and Precognitions of Impending Tragedy.

When Perry ran into me, I was holding his shoulders. Last time beside the hospital bed I held Gavin’s hand. And those sudden flashes of visions all happened afterwards, one after the other. Could it be that… because I touched them, I can see what’s going to happen to them in the future?

Yōurán’s power is known to be precognition at this stage in the story. But her visions foretelling the future comes to her involuntarily. She had no control of her powers and she couldn’t start seeing visions whenever she wanted to.

Now, her powers have awakened enough for her to practice some level of control and agency. Physical contact enables her to see other people’s future. Before this, she could see other people’s future only if she was directly in the picture.

Also, she can see not only the future but also the past from her visions. In chapter 12 she already saw young Gavin in her visions being terrified in front of a fire that killed his mother. In chapter 15 she actively used her powers to figure out where Perry was taken. In small steps her powers are growing.

No matter how uneasy I felt or how sure I was of my new ability, I chose to believe Gavin anyway.

Maybe she should have believed in her growing powers more. The LIs keep telling her that everything will be fine but her foreboding sense of calamity has never been wrong before.

I can see people’s futures, but since it hasn’t happened yet, maybe I can change it?

Well… this game seems to have a depressing tendency to lean towards fatalism… as she would soon find out in the future to her dismay.

7. Doing the Right Thing.

Countless gun barrels were trained on us. A team of armed units surrounded the entire warehouse. On their chests, STF special ops badges glinted in my eyes. For a split-second, I felt that all of these men before us were like devils. I wanted to ask them why. Why would harm a little kid. How could sworn protectors turn into ruthless executioners?

Gavin: I will not let another child die in front of me.

The concept of right and wrong is subjective, but harming innocent children is a big NO that cannot be compromised. At least to me. Child protection is one of the most important things in humanity. If a society needs to neglect, exploit, or abuse children to keep going perhaps that society shouldn’t exist.

Leto: It was my order.

Gavin: You don’t have the authority to do that!

Leto: The special ops team has its reasons. I don’t have the obligation nor the time to explain it to you.

Gavin: But you have the obligation to explain the first rule of STF code. Every single bullet is fired for justice!

Gavin: I’ve put 76 Evol offenders behind bars. And all 76 have either died or disappeared. If anyone believes in that justice, then those people will answer to me.

Gavin: From now on, there is no more Agent B-7.

Mostly, the government is the one who decides what is right and wrong by law. But what if the government is wrong? Do you bend? Or do you defy? I love that Gavin chose the latter as his answer. He is standing up to the corrupt, authoritative, dictatorship government to pursue what is truly just. A path that is not by any means easy to walk on. Gavin is the Captain America of MLQC.

Yōurán: Gavin, don’t use your Evol again! You’ll be injured!

Uh…. but you should probably keep in mind the current state of your Evol, Gavin…

8. The Name of Faith

“The Name of Faith” is also the title of Chapter 15.

Gavin: The dangers aren’t just coming from the dark, but from the world we thought we once knew as well.

That the danger is from STF. For Gavin that would mean… the faith he once kept, the justice he once upheld, it all crumbled in this instant.

Gavin: I’ll take you to a safe place and then go back and take care of all this.

If we were to put a name on Gavin’s faith. It would be Yōurán. The Name of Gavin’s Faith = Her.

9. Against the Light

(Against the Light is the name of Gavin’s chapter 15 karma)

In the next instant, I saw Gavin’s solitary figure standing all on his own on the horizon. Half a second later, he disappeared out of my sight, like I would never see him again.

Yōurán: Are you going to leave without saying goodbye?

Gavin: Not at all. I made a promise to you.

I saw a cold, gleaming object taken out, pointed straight at Gavin. My body moved faster than I could think, and I shielded Gavin. Something sharp pierced my skin. The intense pain almost forced me to cry out. The next second my ginkgo bracelet split and slipped off my wrist. I snagged it in my hand.

After she foresaw Gavin disappearing, she shields him and gets shot instead of him. But it wasn’t enough to change the future she saw.

Gavin: Don’t let go!

All I could do was hold on to Gavin with all my might and let him focus. I was getting hotter and felt like my blood was rising to my throat. … I couldn’t breathe. I had no strength…

Yōurán: Gavin… Don’t… leave…

I used what strength I had to clutch Gavin’s clothes. The ginkgo leaf bit into my palm.

Gavin: I’ll be back soon.

In that moment, the image of Gavin receding away from me appeared once again.

Yōurán: No… don’t…

An indescribable fear gripped my heart. With my last ounce of strength, I grabbed Gavin’s hand. Don’t leave. Don’t go over there. Don’t walk off like in my vision alone and suffering. Don’t let it be like that again, walking off without even looking back.

Gavin: I won’t leave. I promise you.

With my last scrap of will, I clung to the bracelet that connected us.

Even when she got shot and is feverish, she tries to hold on to the bracelet and Gavin. Words like “don’t let go”, “clutch”, “cling to” is used to describe her desperate will to grab onto this object that means so much to her life. Remember what I said about the bracelet at the beginning? The meaning of the bracelet is revisited again, full-force.

Gavin’s Father: Gavin, weakness is the original sin. You go back with me and accept the NW Plan. This is the order you were born to accept. You and your brother are both no exceptions. Gavin, you have no choice.

Gavin’s father is using Yōurán’s life to threaten Gavin into accepting the NW plan. This is something that is so against Gavin’s idea of justice and morality.

Gavin: …You’ll keep her safe?

I never thought that seeing someone stripped of their will and pride could be such a painful sight.

But he accepts it. Everything was taken away from him. He cannot lose the only thing that’s left to him. Yōurán means that fateful autumn day at the campus with winds and piano music. Yōurán is the source of all his faith and purpose in life.

In the name of faith, Gavin is walking down the path against the light.

Yōurán tries to clutch on to Gavin like she clutches on to the bracelet, but she can only watch helplessly as her vision comes true before her eyes.

10. The Only Thing Left to Hold

I lowered my head and saw the bracelet on my hand shining exquisitely, but I couldn’t find the crack from before. It was like I had made up the whole thing.

Gavin left, leaving the bracelet behind. Her mental state is back to the beginning of the chapter 15. Empty, alone and doubting whether anything is real.

The gingko bracelet was her connection to Gavin. It gave her reassurance and courage to carry on despite the hardships. It was what anchored her down to be stable.

Now, the bracelet is only a faint reminder of Gavin’s absence and his echo of promises.

[blog-sliverofjade]

Of Doms & Subs 4: Bribery Will Get You Everywhere

Pairing: Angus Hopper x OFC

Summary:  What's a submissive female to do when she fights her nature and goes on the run as a Lone wolf to avoid being assimilated into a pack?

Word count: 2315

Of Doms & Subs Master List

Sleeping in was something I used to enjoy.  Nestled in warm sheets while the world outside continued to turn, safe in a cozy cocoon.  After the Change, it was no longer so peaceful.  Although the house was decently soundproofed for humans, I could hear water running as someone showered.  The buzz of an electric razor.  Clinking of dishes in the kitchen.  After ten minutes of hiding with a pillow over my head, I gave up and burrowed out of the nest of blankets.  I was just pulling my shirt on when Mickayla knocked.  A thrill of pride ran through me for recognizing her scent.  I was getting better at this!

“Mornin’,” I called out and she came in at the tone of invitation in my greeting.

“How was your little adventure last night?” she grinned.

“Mortifying,” I grumped while tugging a brush through my hair.

“So if I tell you that there’s a betting pool on when you’d make a break for it we can see if werewolves die of embarrassment?”  Her grin deepened to flash a lot of pretty, white teeth.

“How about you give me a cut and I don’t throw my dirty, wet socks in your face?”  I started to reach for the duffel full of dirty clothes.  She laughed and handed me a couple of bills, which I stuffed into a pocket without counting.  “Next time let me know, I’m not above taking a fall.”

“There’s going to be a next time?”  A perfectly plucked eyebrow rose.

“Eugene and Seattle aren’t all that far.”  I turned away to wrestle my hair into a ponytail.  One look in the mirror confirmed that there was no hiding the marks from Angus’ bite, so might as well own it.  “I’m sure I could get a babysitter to come with.”  There, that barely had any bitterness to it.

“Don’t think of it that way,” she shook her head so that the blonde waves swayed back and forth.  “Think of it more like sexy bodyguards.”  I laughed in spite of myself.  “Speaking of which.”  There was a glint in her sea-blue eyes that suddenly made me very suspicious.  “You’ll want to swear off humans for awhile until you get used to your new strength.  Don’t want to break your toys.”

I stared at her in confusion until comprehension crashed over me, immediately followed by a furious blush.  “That is certainly not an issue.  Happily single since the divorce became final last year.”

“Ah,” said Mickayla knowingly, and I belatedly remembered with no small amount of chagrin that she was a therapist.  “That’s why you’re so determined to not get involved with a pack.  Too much commitment.”

“Ugh, it’s too early for psychoanalysis,” I groaned, rubbing at my face.

“Come on, cranky pants, let’s get you some breakfast.  New wolves are kinda like kids.  If they’re cranky, do they need food or sleep?  Antsy?  Then they need to go run off some energy.”  She linked her arm and in mine as we set off for the kitchen.

“Gee, thanks for that glowing comparison,” I said snidely.

“And in your case, maybe caffeine.”

“Give me tea and nobody gets hurt,” I pronounced solemnly.

“Threatening bodily harm before nine am, are you sure she’s submissive?” asked a man who had come out of a room behind us, also evidently on the hunt for breakfast.

“Watch this.”  Mickayla fixed me with a glare and before I even knew it my neck bent against my will till my throat was bared to her.  And she hadn’t even drawn on any power.  I glared at her from the corner of my eye and my face grew flaming hot.

“I wanna try,” he said.  I met his dark brown eyes with no small amount of anger that he thought he could control me so easily.  “How?  I’m more dominant than you,” he sputtered at Mickayla in confusion.  She laughed and wrapped an arm around each of our shoulders.

“She doesn’t know or respect you, Brian.  Neither her or her wolf are gonna roll over for some stranger unless he seriously pulls rank.  Do you think Alan would for just any old wolf?” she asked the somewhat forlorn wolf.

“Who’s Alan?”  At the stairs, Mickayla released us and led the way down with Brian in back so that I was sandwiched between them.  It seemed automatic, like their instincts to protect subtly guided their movements.

“Our submissive and resident quack,” Brian answered.  I automatically started to bristle at labeling any healer with such an epithet.  That thought was pushed out when it occurred to me that if they had both a submissive and a female, then they probably had no need of another.

“I’d like to see you call him that the next time he has to patch you up,” she said dryly.

The kitchen was sized and equipped to feed a small army.  Come to think of it, was there any difference between that and a pack?  People moved in vaguely organized chaos, piling plates with bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and various baked goods before moving to the dining room on the far side.  Mickayla reached around someone, who was busy wrestling the Danish that he wanted from the rest of the basket, grabbed two plates and handed one to me.  Being small meant I could easily dart around and through people to get in and out quickly, but I had no idea what the protocol was for seating arrangements so I stuck close to Mickayla and Matt, who’d joined us.

I had never seen a dining table so big, at least a dozen people were already sitting and there was room for more.  It was obviously custom made.  The kitchen also had a table that was pushed up against the main one so that everyone could be seated.  I gave Mickayla raised eyebrows in question.

“You get our fearless leader’s right hand side.  Normally that’s Tom’s, Angus’ second, but since he’s not here you get it as our honoured guest,” she said with only a hint of teasing.  I gave her a grateful look before taking the seat in question.  I stifled my surprise when she and Matt sat to my left.  Evidently they were high in the hierarchy to sit next to the second, which I thought was a silly term when Beta would have made much more sense.

“Shane and Matt will be ready to hit the road by 10:30,” Angus said casually after I’d made some headway into my meal, trying my best to ignore him.  Why he thought I’d be safer with two strange werewolves than on my own, I would never understand.  But Matt couldn’t be all bad if Mickayla had married him.

“So soon?” I asked just as casually as I liberally doused my hashbrowns with salt and pepper.  “I thought I might stick around and get to know ya’ll better.  If I have to give up my job, there’s not much of a reason to go back to Oregon right away.  Unless that would be an issue?”  Put two or more intelligent beings in a room together and politics could spontaneously erupt in a vacuum.  Visiting a pack in another state before even meeting the one back home could potentially cause more than an eruption.

The room went eerily silent as the others waited to see what their Alpha would say.  Most of them seemed to be mildly surprised and curious.  I was pretty sure they had all noticed the mark on my neck, but no one had said anything nor given it a second glance.  Despite the weird fluttery feeling of fear in my chest, I managed to actually look him in the face.  Not the eye, of course, but his strong chin, which was one of his few physical aspects that said Alpha.  Maybe that was because I always had trouble seeing men with weak chins as dominant.

“The Eugene Pack was hard-pressed to welcome you on such short notice, so no feathers will be ruffled.  And despite what that crazy lone wolf might have put in your head, you are free to travel.”  He gave a small smile that eased some of the tension that had somehow crept into my shoulders.  I was no Helen of Troy, but the apparent rarity of submissive females and the territoriality of werewolves could create a powder keg waiting to go off.  As much as I enjoyed yanking his chain, any fallout could affect both packs and they didn’t deserve that.

Mickayla made a “gimme” gesture at Brian, who sat a few seats down from her.  He sighed and handed her a twenty-dollar bill.  “Haven’t you learned not to bet against my mate yet?” Matt shook his head.

“Hey, didn’t she only go out with you because of a bet?” Brian retorted.

“Yeah, and even though I won, I still ended up losing,” Mickayla said with mock ruefulness.  The banter and round of chuckles said that it was an old joke.

“Speaking of sore losers,” I said to her with a pointed look, “I have some wet, dirty socks in dire need of a wash if there’s a washing machine I could use?”

“I’ll show you where we keep our poor beleaguered beast chained up in the basement,” Shane offered as he stood up with his empty plate.  I followed suit since I was done as well.  Mickayla surreptitiously slipped me a tenner as I passed, which immediately went into my back pocket.

“Don’t scare the poor girl!” someone called out.

“Eh, she’s seen your face and it hasn’t run her off yet.”  The teasing faded only slightly as I tagged along behind Shane.

“O captain, my captain,” Mickayla said without a trace of mockery.  There never was with her.  “If I may beg an audience?”  I nodded with a small smile that conveyed exactly what I thought of her false formality.

“Since it’s our duty to woo the new girl, some of us were thinking of showing her around town,” Mickayla said once we were ensconced in my office.  I had a suspicion that the others she was thinking of had no inkling of their implication in her plotting yet.

“Considering how she navigated rush hour traffic to evade Tom, I’d say she knows the area pretty well.”  Neither the wolf nor I liked the idea of Ellie leaving our sight.  I propped one hip on my desk without a care that it put my head slightly lower than if I were standing.  Like most of my wolves, she was taller than me anyway and she had never been anything other than proper.  Oh sure, she would skirt the bounds of propriety when the situation allowed for it, but never in a manner that would call my authority into question.

“It might be good for her to get out and see that we’re not as draconian as that John made us out to be.”  Translation: prove to her she’s not going to lose all of her freedom or she’ll bolt again.

“If you are going to manipulate me, you’re going to have to do a better job than that.”  While her point was valid, I was not about to let her think I would cave so easily.

“You can talk at her until you’re blue in the face, but she won’t understand the benefits of a pack until she sees it,” said Mickayla.  “She’s only staying because the evil that you know is better and partly to tweak your tail.”  I raised an eyebrow at that observation.  “Ellie’s a modern woman suddenly thrown into submissive wolf mentality and those instincts scare the daylight out of her.  So she’s going to make us all work for it before she settles down.”

“Dominance is dictated by a person’s nature before the Change,” I shook my head.  “She’s submissive because she was as a human.”

“I think her ex-husband did a number on her, or maybe John, or both,” she said with a small frown, which I mirrored at the thought of what might have happened to her.  “That’s why she’s so prickly with any male who tries to play power games with her, like verbally bitch-slapping the guys last night.  If she can relax where there aren’t so many wolves, she might tell me more.”

“What do you have in mind?” I asked after regarding her thoughtfully for several beats.  Part of that time was spent contemplating tearing apart Ellie’s ex.

“Hit Pike’s Place until she realizes she’s not ready for so much public.  One or two of us should be able to help her keep control.”  Mickayla’s smile was far too predatory to belong on the face of a therapist.

“One of the biggest tourist traps on a three-day weekend?” I asked in disbelief and gave her the look that idea deserved.

“She still thinks of herself as human and she’s likely to screw up pretty badly until she sees that.  The sooner we get that out of the way, the sooner she might calm down,” she pointed out.

“Take Matt and Shane with you,” I sighed and waved at her to go.  Not only were they good muscle, but they were both married, even if Shane’s wife was human.

“Technically this is pack business, especially since she would work well with Alan, both as a medic and a sub.”  If she’d said anyone other than Alan, my hackles would’ve gone up.  Their temperaments, although both being submissive, weren’t suited for mating.  And I got the feeling that Ellie liked her men dominant, despite what she may say.  I affected a much put-upon sigh, drew out my wallet, selected a credit card, and passed it to the blonde.  She accepted it with both hands, kissed the simple ring on my middle finger, then flashed a smile and a wink before dashing off to find her charge.

[serpentsortias]

what are some of your favorite drarry fics?

anon!! i have so many favs because this fandom is mad talented but! i tried to include ones that i never really see in fic recs (i made a few exceptions aha). someday i’ll have a proper list of recs but for now here’s just a few (as well as my thoughts):

All Must Draw Near by Saras_Girl

summary: Harry doesn’t have time for rumours; he has a shop to run. Which is just as well, really

thoughts: this is a really really cute advent fic that i really love! it features draco and harry as close friends who run a shop together and harry is painfully oblivious to the fact that he and draco are practically a couple already. also the original character introduced (and her furry friend) are great, i love it when fics introduce original characters that i end up loving.

you open always (petal by petal) by birdsofshore

summary: Harry’s not the kind of person who pays for sex. He really isn’t. Until he is.

thoughts: uh very different vibe from the last fic but really really good. i’m usually not one for these types of fics but i really enjoyed this one and harry’s obliviousness really hits hard in this one lmao. i also really liked the addition of grimmauld place’s house magic!

Draw a Line from Your Heart to Mine by CreateImagineWrite

summary: Being Harry Potter’s best friend isn’t always fame and beating off raving fans. It’s also the anxiety of hearing your best mate’s been cursed by another Dark Lord, or love potioned by some crazy woman. Or having his boyfriend you knew nothing about turn up on the Burrow’s doorstep. Crime/Mystery fic.

thoughts: ohh i love this fic so much. it’s told through ron’s pov which i really really love because of how his thoughts on draco change as the fic progresses. also that twist! a must read in my opinion

The Stars Above Us by 606, create_serenity

summary: It started as an innocent day out taking Teddy to visit the local observatory. Somehow it became so much more.

thoughts: i am a huge sucker for any story that features astronomy or a character working at an observatory so it was just the star on the tree to see draco working at one in this fic. also! teddy is in this fic! and i just adore fics that involve draco interacting with teddy.

Inter Vivos by lomonaaeren

summary: AU. The Parseltongue incident in second year caused a more violent explosion in Gryffindor House than anyone could have foreseen. Harry, trying to withdraw from everyone except his two best friends, finds himself helped by people he couldn’t have foreseen either, first Snape and then Draco Malfoy. Sometimes, all it takes is one sudden impulsive throwing of a stone for the ripples of change to spread through several lives.

thoughts: i really really love canon rewrites for this particular ship especially and this is one of my fav ones that i’ve read so far. i really love how it takes place over a series of dates and ahh little draco just wanting to be a part of a genuine harry potter adventure! it’s adorable, really

The Lesson of You by thecouchsofa

summary: Harry likes kids. That doesn’t mean he’s ready for a small boy to turn up on the doorstep of Grimmauld Place insisting that Harry is his father. That was weird enough, but the child identifying Draco Malfoy as his other parent was something Harry had no bloody idea how to handle.

thoughts: holy shit i LOVE this fic so much. i had been wanting to write a fic with this sort of premise for a while but my plans sorta fell through when i lost my notes (oops haha) but i found this fic which is just so so great! harry and draco’s relationship development is adorable and ahh little ollie is adorable with how he inadvertently teases both harry and draco haha

In Pieces by dysonrules

summary: Harry returns to Hogwarts as the new DADA instructor, only to find his teaching efforts thwarted by a very familiar ghost.

thoughts: not to expose me and my inherent belief in the eroticism of a ghost (im 99% joking) but this fic is fantastic. the longing was really tangible and i am happy to confirm that it ends happily!

Everything That Happens is From Now On by trishjames

summary: After surviving a brutal assault, Draco tries to navigate the tumultuous waters of his mind, and embrace a bit of love and trust in his life. After all, the smallest steps forward can begin to heal the most fractured of souls.

thoughts: as you can tell from the summary, please read the tags and author’s notes before reading! i usually avoid fics of this subject matter but this one was really well done and draco’s process of moving on from the incident is written so well in wonderful, subtle ways that are just Clear to the reader and i really appreciate that

The Art of Our Necessities by dcfg21

summary: After being Turned by a vampire, Harry descends into reckless and dangerous behavior. The Ministry and the Vampire Council devise a way to keep the former Savior on a leash, and his fangs to himself, by forcing him to take a Consort.

thoughts: ohhh this fic is good and features a really jaded harry after the war as well as a draco who’s mostly there out of convenience for himself but it develops into something much more. i rarely ever see vampire!harry fics which is something i’ve a bit of a weakness for if i’m being honest

the strength to stay by violetclarity

summary: Draco and Harry are the best Senior Aurors in the DMLE, which is why they’re working the case about Wings – a dangerous new potion that sends users into a dreamscape from which they may never return. When Harry is kidnapped by the group behind Wings, Draco takes it upon himself to go after him, and is forced to confront the reality of Harry’s feelings for him, which he’s been ignoring for years.

thoughts: this fic features chubby draco which is ahhh something i never see in drarry fics. it really hurts to see how draco views himself and i think it’s a very relatable feeling to be so self-deprecating that even in the face of obvious interest, you still feel as though it isn’t possible for someone to feel that way for you. this story is also part of a series from the author so go give that a read as well!

[courage-a-word-of-justice]

HGPC 17 - 21 | Koi to Producer 2 - 6 | Appare 5 - 8 | Fugou Keiji 4 - 6

...only just realised I was missing some tags. They should be there now or soon.

HGPC 17

Why do I get the feeling the Sawaizumi family will be held hostage one day…? (Maybe I’m just being negative?)

The episode title mentions Chiyu by name, so I wonder why the translation didn’t…

Customer service! You can’t get away from it, even in COVID times…! (Impressive!)

Hmm…you can actually read part of the booking for the Smiths in the book if you know the kanji.

I thought the Smiths would speak in English, but they actually speak in fluent Japanese if the word “susume” was any indication.

Ah, Sukoyaka sweet buns! (from the other episode about the festival)

HGPC 18

Don’t burn down your house with scented candles, kids!

Also remember to use your knees when lifting heavy boxes! (<- says a charity store volunteer, who does this stuff on the regular)

These days the mascots usually have a human form. I wonder if this is implying that particular direction…? (I woke up today and was craving a certain oneshot I’d read during my scanlation days…if it is, it would fill that niche nicely.)

I wonder if the kids will recognise this Ashita no Joe parody…?

HGPC 19

“…since you were young?”

Oh! Element of Wind again!

Koi to Producer 2

This almost feels like Victor is assigning a school project to Protag-chan…it’s a bit sad, really.

It’s nice they let Protag-chan have a personality.

It’s fine if you can’t read the katakana, but Gavin’s name is Haku in Japanese, so it throws out the immersion somewhat…also, I know I shouldn’t be complaining – I’m the target audience here – but do these guys look kinda similar or what…? (partially kidding)

High school sweethearts, huh? “Childhood friends” is my favourite angle of a romantic relationship, but it gets so overused by harems it comes around to being boring…!

I-Is this Stand My Heroes…?! (LOL…?)

Can we not with 1st person cam…?

As cute and dorky as this stuff gets…how does Gavin never get found?! Does nobody ever look up in this city?!? (I thought Evolvers were meant to be a secret…?)

GPS tracker? That’s no better than large corporations using your location data…Isn’t that creepy…?

Hold on, when did she get his phone number? You would assume it was before this entire chase after the boy happened, but still…?

LOL, the English on the board.

This anime is gonna cause me some frustration, but it gives the good stuff in roughly equal measure. It seems to omit the fact you interact via phone with your bois for intimacy (in the game).

Koi to Producer 3

LOL, that’s so clearly Gavin…

By googling, you find out Uptown and Queens are in New York.

Ohmygosh! Did the creators know I love the trope where only people with superpowers can move in certain circumstances?!

Uh…his name is Kira in Japanese? Did someone read the katakana wrong?

Pictured: Depressed bishonen eating bad pudding. (…That joke sounds better in my head. I forgot what meme I was meant to be parodying there, but I had a meme in mind.)

Lemme guess…this man (I dunno if it’s one of the previous bishies with an identical face or a new one) is looking for MC-chan. *sigh* Update: Yep, just Victor again. To be honest, I don’t like anyone who calls harsh words “their sign of love” – love should be honest and upfront. That’s how it becomes heartmelting.

Koi to Producer 4

Okay, in order, it seems to be hexadecimals, Javascript (you can tell from the “const”), some kind of profiles which are apparently for human lab rats (which seem to have some kind of nonsense filler text), a DNA model and DNA bases (ACGT).

The text on the screen says something along the lines of this being an official broadcast of this man’s arrest and this man was a genetic researcher. Obviously, if I wanted to put more attention into what it meant, I would, but I won’t sweat the details this time (because it doesn’t seem to impact the plot).

The guy’s name is Minor because minor key (geddit?)…that’s my guess.

I started playing the game due to this anime, if you didn’t know, and I unlocked an expert in ch. 2. I thought he was Minor, but turns out his name is Spine (an older man).

The diary, true to form, contains details about either one case or several cases, two involving children. The bottom of the 1st page says “if it’s fake, I’ll laugh”.

Hey, I once told Crunchyroll I wanted an anime about hacking (so is this a dream come true? I reveal all in the next sentence!). Hackers don’t congregate like this…they’d be too conspicuous, even with the secret hideout!

The code in the top left appears to be…C? I think? (Note they declare “unsigned int”.)

Kiro sometimes reminds me of Masayoshi (SamFlam)…it puts a derpy smile on my face.

*blah blah blah I’m Key* - Wuh…? F*** you, Kiro!!! (There is such a thing as piling too much cool stuff on to a character, y’know – I’m guilty of it in my own writing.)

3684 isn’t a very safe password (says someone who once aspired to be in cybersecurity).

What bugs me is that Simon is a perfectly fine name…it’s just a bit boring. Kiro/Kira I get (a bit), but Lucien/Simon…? *shrugs*

Ohh! Based MAPPA! Thank you for making this adaption look great!

Koi to Producer 5

Oh, I got an SR in the game recently and it has a line like, “Only a fool stays up all night to do others’ work. Victor talks like that a lot…

The sign so obviously says “Renka”, meaning “love flower”. “Loveland” really is a step down from that…

Where’s Gavin’s guest badge…?

“Happiness Noodle Store”…?

“…the end of our first year…”

If this weren’t a Chinese work by origin (or Japanese work by translation), I’m sure Protag-chan would have gone after Gavin, despite being told the contrary.

Kanya = Minor. I’ll take a note of that.

One of the books behind Minor says “Gale Start”…hmm…

That GPS tracker is still unintentionally creepy, IMHO.

Koi to Producer 6

…oh. (dejected) Probably a beach episode or something.

What the actual heck was going on with Lucien…? It’s like he was having a tiny stroke there…

Lucien’s power is listed as “???” in the game. I thought he was an aura-reader when he said “show me your colour”, but that shield thing he did means he might just have various psychic powers…? *shrugs* We’ll find out eventually.

Running in heels is hard…

LOL, that’s so clearly recreating a CG from one of the cards.

This is the 2nd time this has gone pseudo-isekai. As much as I like to joke about it…I fully expect someone to be sent to another world at this point.

I couldn’t possibly see Victor on any kind of game show, come to think of it.

Appare 5

This guy’s middle name is “Rich”! That’s silly!

A boombox from the 19th century…makes sense, somehow.

I only just (?) realised Al has a tiny tie on his usual outfit.

Back to the beginning already…just start!

Appare 6

…I just realised Appare mouths “I got it!” in the OP.

Al Lion (sic…?)

Isn’t Sofia in that train…? Update: She might have been, she might not. Hard to tell when they don’t confirm.

This series seriously could’ve done with a dub…Even with weird hokey Hetalia accents, it would be good stuff.

These bunches of people at designated points…reminds me of the book I was reading while in Japan. The Long Walk by Stephen King (part of a compilation). It still gives me shivers down my spine when I remember it.

This “leave in the middle of the night” thing reminds me of the Amazing Race.

“Valley of Despair” is made-up, but Death Valley exists. It’s one of the hottest places on earth, hence the name.

LOL, Kosame scores himself one (1) prarie dog and two (2) Hototos.

I thought Appare was being inconsiderate at first…but he’s being considerate, in his own way.

Oh! I didn’t realise, but Saito Soma is Al.

Appare 7

“It’s not one plus one, but one times one!” – LOL.

Hybrid engine? In the 1900s? Hmm…

LOL, I think Al just did a hadouken.

This stuff’s like an animated Galaxy Brain meme! It’s amazing!

I managed to successfully predict – without watching ahead – Appare would catch himself with his traps.

Kosame with his hair down…is rare. Not exactly attractive because we have to care about the racers rather than lust after them (and the artstyle actually prevents me from doing so, because it’s deliberately quite cartoony), but it’s rare.

Appare is surprisingly childish…that’s what makes him more than a Sheldon Cooper, I think.

The spelling of the place is actually “Ely”, if Google-sensei is any indication. C’mon, subbers! You’re American (most likely)! Can’t you put in the legwork (or the Google-fu) to discover what place in Nevada this is?!

Subbers make characters say “shit” a lot in this show, hmm? (contemplative)

Now this evil guy here *points to screen*…that’s hair I like.

Appare 8

I just love this OP…don’t you?

I like how the steam/gas boat/car has Chinese numerals on its dial.

Kosame means “small rain”, so “heavy rain” is obviously to contrast that.

The Hototo joke never gets old.

I thought I just saw someone leave the saloon…

Nice hair + terrible face = bad equation.

I can almost imagine the wee-oo-wee-oo-ooooooo…wah-wah-wahhh…(You know the one sound snippet, right? The one theme from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly - or whatever movie it is – that maybe involves a tumbleweed rolling across the screen, and then a huge shootout? If you don’t know it, play a sample on this Wikipedia page!) playing in the background.

It’s convenient the prarie dog didn’t appear when Hototo (old) had his revenge spree.

I noticed there’s a bit of a mark under Kosame’s left eye…it suggests that he’s been crying (or maybe it shows tiredness from the race…?), but it’s not that noticeable.

So that’s the real Gil…and tose were his henchmen that threatened to hang everyone bar Kosame. Got it.

(notes to self) So, for charting a course with Appare Ranman!, it’s Los Angeles -> Death Valley -> Ely -> Denver -> ??? -> New York. Got it.

Fugou Keiji 4

“Daisuke-sama” isn’t “Lord Daisuke”, it would be “Sir Daisuke”, I think…but “lord” has a proper translation in Japanese.

The truck has a Shinagawa licence plate. Anime really does like Shinagawa, huh? (Based on ID: INVADED and this.)

I think it’ll be interesting to see Kambe handle this without HEUSC.

The board for Sanchome (which is equivalent to a suburb…or a county, I guess?) has posters saying stuff like “take your dog poop home” and “let’s protect the environment!” (technically, it says “let’s protect the region/area!”, but that doesn’t translate right. There’s even a flea market. Still, those posters don’t have any big hints…not that I know of so far.

I kind of forgot that dude was the gardener for Kambe’s house…er, mansion.

I noticed a poster in the kouban says haru (spring) on it. That’s probably the same one that Haru’s name is signified by, assuming that’s not in combo with another character or few.

Oh great…the sister is an overbearing one.

Ahh…he doesn’t like natto. So that’s the problem. Daisuke is childish (like Appare)…Note I don’t like natto either, but I wouldn’t run away from home (or similar) because I was fed natto.

I noticed Kambe uses shinseki (which doesn’t refer to close family). “Relative” is a correct translation of that word, I just wanted to check that word was the right one for the context.

There’s a green tea bottle by the sink…I don’t think I’d mistake that shade of green for anything else.

LOL, I didn’t think we’d actually get to see Kambe with his hair “down”, so to speak. It’s…an interesting look, for sure.

Oh my gosh! It cost him (Haru) $15!!! (LOL, cheapskate…says the cheapskate…*suddenly droops and stops laughing*) Update: Sorry about the sudden downer there. I was having what the kids these days call a “woke moment”…at least, I think that’s how they use that term.

…I’d watch that crime drama. It’s funny.

Just realised Kato has an older model of phone than Kambe does.

This episode was kinda like a Tokyo Sonata kind of thing, huh? The sensational in the middle of the not-so-sensational…”sensational” for this show, anyway.

Those kids look like the ones from Erased.

*lightbulb goes off in brain* What if the dog went to Kambe’s…?

Can Suzue actually hear HEUSC while Kambe is using it…? $2.46 though…that is cheap, in comparison to the ham.

This was the cheapest episode so far (about $550)…probably because it was an insight into Kato’s life, more than Kambe’s.

Fugou Keiji 5

The flag seems to be based on Cameroon’s (which is in Africa, not America) and the “Arita Kinen” seems to refer to Arima Kinen, meaning this episode is set around Christmas-ish. Credit goes to Kambe Zaibatsu on this show.

I-It’s a Humvee!

Polyadoll (sic)…?

The Poliador guy speaks perfect Japanese…(?)

The star! It’s a key thingy!

I thought Kamei was the 1st Division dude with the reddish hair. Turns out it was the blonde…? Update: Redhead is Hoshino.

Ummmmmm…he was reading porn…? Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh…okayyyyyyyyyyyyy…

…oh, the costs for Kambe’s tuxedo are on there. So’s the cost for repairing the bike Suzue rode.

Fugou Keiji 6

I never knew there were so many money proverbs to be used as episode titles…

What is Kambe doing with his hands…? He’s not even using the computer.

Imura seems to use a Windows 10 with Cortana on the taskbar.

HGPC 20

What’s with all the Naruto running this episode…?

HGPC 21

(no notes, sorry!)

[darkwalk]

Trading Stories

Hey guys. Writing for the Together AU has been hard recently, mostly because there’s a lot of violence in the story (a lot of riots at one point) and it’s pretty hard to write that when there are riots going on in real life. I’m not sure if it’s disrespectful to write about them when they’re happening for real. I also don’t want people to have the impression that I’m encouraging the violence.

At the moment, I’m on the third chapter of the second draft (and wow, my writing is so much better with another draft.) and thought I’d share a part of the rough draft - it’s a conversation I wrote nearly a month ago that will get changed later. 

This seemed a bit relevant for the present time. Warning: Long post, a dead body, and references to violence/class differences.

.

.

Trading looks, the adults sighed but surprisingly, didn't seem upset with Orion. Even the Glitch Mob mech just shook him helm tiredly. Something of Orion's thought process or apprehension must have shown on his face as an older femme chuckled at him. “Aw, don't be like that mech. We ain't gonna bite chou 'cause yer runnin' with Jazz's crews. We already knew yah were with 'em anyway. Yer symbol ain't exactly hidden.”

“I wasn't sure if you would be upset that Jazz hasn't solved all this yet or not. The other gangs seem to be laying all the blame at his pedes.” He admitted, having forgotten the symbol on his shoulder. To be fair, the glow paint barely showed under the dust and grime coating his frame.

A couple people actually snorted at his admission. One gestured broadly, a little wobbly and out of sorts. “They don't get to- get to throw blame when they ain't doin' no better. Honestly, what they gonna do? Only so much you can fight when they're sendin' so many enforcers down here.”

“Could be worse.” Someone added solemnly, making a gesture over their spark.

Several others copied the gesture to ward off bad luck. Another settled morosely against a broken crate piped up. “It ain't ever been this bad before though, has it? They never got down this far.”

“How often do riots like this happen?” Ironhide asked.

Orion glanced at him. He'd have thought the mech would stay quiet to avoid notice but the Ironhide appeared calm. The locals didn't seem to care that he wasn't one of them either. Perhaps being with a mech under Edgerunner protection gained him some leniency. Or the fact that he'd helped save them.

A shaky old mech, unassuming as could be, straightened in the creaky chair he'd snagged and took on a storyteller's voice. “Not as often as you'd think. The worst ones were a real long time ago, back when the Darklight didn't even have a name an' was a lot smaller. The lawmechs didn't like how many of us there were an' how we were growin' so they'd march in to make sure we weren't breakin' the law none. An' if folks got dead or disappeared during that time, well, who were we gonna tell about it?”

Ironhide face shifted, turning from exhaustion to quietly concealed rage as some of the younglings scooted closer to listen in and the old mech continued. “That's why we started buildin' down instead of up. They don't like when they can see how many of us there are. Not that any of us here were around then, ah don't think.” 

He looked around the group with a smirk. A few people chuckled and some of the younglings exaggeratedly shook their helms 'no'. Orion stifled a grin.

“They've only tried barging in a few times, since the beginning.” Sitting with her back to a pole, a larger femme stroked the unconscious face of a mech settled in her lap. Surprisingly, Orion could see wings on her back. They were big enough that she could have been a shuttle and he couldn't help but wonder how a flight frame came to live down here where mostly cargo and racer frames roamed. “I don't think they ever got further than the second level.” She looked at the old mech for confirmation. Grimly, he shook his helm.

“No. They never have.”

“You were in the last one?” The youngling with the missing arm piped up, looking at the big femme. “Mah creator was but he didn't tell meh much an' he's dead now.”

“Hmm,” She shifted to get more comfortable and nodded, “Last one was a good hundred vorns ago or something. Don't rightly remember. But it was way before your time. It was bad but not bad like this 'cause they only did the surface. I know a couple patrols tried coming down here but they didn't make it back up.”

“Anybody remember that goodie shop, on the corner of Hololite Square by Fracture's shop?” Asked the old mech.

A number of sighs answer him. Someone hummed, “Daybreak an' Cinnabar's place?”

“Oooh, I remember them.” The Glitch Mob mech smiles, “They had the best oil cakes around. Even better than anythin’ in Polyhelix.”

A youngling asks,“They're dead?” The little frames had steadily and sneakily gotten closer to the group as the adults talked. Orion noted most had cuts or cracked plating, faces lean and hungry looking. But at the moment, they were distracted by the old stories.

“Yeah, surface level during the last riot.”

“Didn't even fight none.” Growled the flier femme. “Everybody knew those two didn't get involved in no street fights or gangs or nothin'! Weren't their fault they didn't have the creds to get a shop in Polyhelix proper!”

The conversation almost stalled as no one had anything to say to that, so Orion brought up something he'd been wondering. “Is Fracture's place really that popular? A lot of people seem to know him.”

That sent a wave of chuckles around the room. The lounging mech outright laughed, high and sharp. “Darlin', everybody knows Fracture! He's the reason we got crystals growin' outta ever crack, hole in the wall, and even our own platin’ if we don't watch 'im close enough! That mech keeps plantin' seed crystals everywhere.” Orion startled, unsure if the mech was exaggerating or not.

“It's like he's tryin' tah turn this place into a fraggin' garden!” Another moaned.

The old mech snorted. “At least some are edible. Free snacks right there.”

“Yeah, he puts tags by those so folks know if they can eat 'em.” A mech nodded in agreement. “Primus, I love the hematite shavings in plain energon. That's good stuff right there.”

“Reverie.” A younger mech whispered, looking at the old one in the chair. They glanced back at the mech on the floor and the group fell silent as everyone took in the deactivation gray plating. Reverie slowly got out of his chair, joints creaking as he crouched to lay his helm against the downed mech's chest plates. After a moment of waiting, he straightened and shook his helm.

“Yah did a good dance youngling. Safe journeys.” He murmured to the body.

Everyone shifted, mouths thinned back to grim lines. The Glitch Mob mech pursed his lips. “We don't got a name, do we?” When several mechs shook their helms, he added, “Whose got claim to his subspace then?”

Ironhide jerked, turning to stare wide opticked at the mech. All the others around them frowned and looked at Reverie for guidance. It seemed surviving long enough to become old in the Darklight earned one quite a bit of respect, even if they couldn't fight anymore.

Although Orion wouldn't have bet that the old mech couldn't fight. Out of everyone in the room, he was the only one with out any injuries. Everyone from Ironhide to the younglings sported at least minor wounds. Reverie ignored the energon staining his legs as he reached into the dead mech's subspace and started pulling out supplies; mainly normal items like knives, a few guns, a couple cubes of energon, credits and some random shinies.

After a long moment to look it over, he turned to the smallest frames in the room. “Younglings, come 'ere.”

They did not 'come here'. In fact, a few near the edges started inching away, as the entire lot of them scowled mightily and flicked their optics around the room like they’d been setup. Reverie's mouth ticked up in amusement but he gestured again, and moved back a little from the body and the loot. “Come 'ere. You bigger one there, get the guns, Armless gets first dibs on a knife,” Orion tried not to make a sound at the terrible nickname, “an' ya'll share the rest. Especially that energon. 'kay?”

No one seemed to disagree with Reverie's decision, even if a few adults frowned sadly at the energon. They all knew none of them really had a claim to the supplies. So they shifted back out of the way and let the wary younglings inch forward. After grabbing the loot, they skittered back behind the props and eyed the adults while they examined their new treasures.

Reverie chuckled sadly and nodded at one of the other adults and the body. “Help me move him to the side a bit, yeah?”

None of this was out of the ordinary for Darklight folks, as far as Orion was concerned. He'd seen much the same when a few of Tumult's crew had fallen in a shootout during that gang war with the Crowncutters. Supplies couldn't be wasted so they went to whoever the deceased was closest to. In the Edgerunner's case, most had gone back to the gang's general supplies and the personal items to the dead mechs’ friends. He'd gotten the impression though, that this might not be the way people in other places did things, especially from the way Ironhide had startled.

A quick look at the mech gave Orion a sudden feeling of relief. He looked thoughtful, instead of offended and about to say something about it. Perhaps he was learning one couldn't just snap at Darklight people demanding answers to their weird behavior.

He didn't expect the question that came out of the Iaconian's mouth. “You don't consider yerself Polyhexian, do yah?”

The group glanced at each other, surprisingly mellow about the question. Perhaps they'd had enough fighting for the day. Smiling grimly, the shuttle femme answered, “No. Polyhelix don't want us, and never has. Even if they claim this area as part of their city. Why should we call ourselves what we ain't?”

“At least Darklight knows Darklight.” The lounging mech sighed softly. “Even if some of us don't have the accent an' some of us don't have the neon an' glow on our plating.”

“Remember...remember that time, that they tried tah tax us?” The possibly drunk but probably concussed mech snickered.

Someone snorted. “If they wanted tah tax us like Polyhexians they shoulda treated us like Polyhexians. Instead, they built a Primus-damned wall.”

“They actually tried to tax the Darklight?” Orion gaped. “Seriously?!”

One of the femmes laughed, “Yep! It didn't work at all-.”

[misssophiachase]

Meet the Mikaelsons (formerly called Reality Bites) Chapter 5 - We Are Family

On FF and AO3

Playa Palmilla, San Jose del Cabo

"He’s so frustrating, do you think if I killed him and buried his body in the woods anyone would notice?”

“Given he’s Klaus Mikaelson I think so, Care,” Bonnie offered through the phone speaker.

“So, did you see him naked in the shower at least?” 

Caroline had to stop for a moment, not because she’d seen him naked or in the shower given she was too busy sabotaging his hot water supply but because there was a small, niggling feeling at the back of her mind that wasn’t averse to seeing him in that way. Not that she'd ever admit it aloud.

“Of course that would be your initial response, Kat,” she muttered wryly, once she'd recovered from those rogue visuals. “He is driving me crazy. First, he orchestrates the seat allocation change on the flight, then the accommodation and now dinner with the Addams Family.”

“You work with them every day, it can’t be that difficult.”

“Not all at once, Bonnie, and I usually have a whole crew of buffers to stop me from killing them but tonight it will just be us.”

“Like one big happy family.”

“Not helping, Katherine,” she growled.

“Look, I’d be more than happy to play buffer with Elijah Mikaelson,” Katherine purred. “My buffering skills are second to none.”

“I think you’re onto something,” Caroline murmured, wondering why she hadn’t thought of it sooner. “How would you both like to come to dinner? I’ll invite Enzo too. Klaus Mikaelson thinks he can mess with my life, well I’m going to do the same thing and play him at his own game.”

"You realize he's your boss, right?"

"The network is my boss and last time I checked he's co-producer," she muttered, still annoyed he'd taken half her job. "Anyway, in a few more weeks I won't have anything to do with him or his crazy-ass family so quite frankly I'm going to do what I like. Now, are you in?"

"Caroline?" She heard him call through the door. "We need to leave for dinner."

"Keep your panties on, Mikaelson," she replied.

"Stop thinking about my knickers and get your cute, little butt out here, Forbes."

"Are you sure you two aren't getting it on?" Katherine asked through the phone, reminding Caroline they were still on the line. "Because if you're not that's as close to foreplay as two people can get."

"Collect Enzo and get your asses to this dinner otherwise I can't be responsible for my actions," she growled then disconnected the call.

Caroline smoothed down her dress, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes momentarily to regain her composure. Just because she wasn't used to big, family dinners didn't mean she couldn't do this. She did work with them all at varying times so it should be easy enough.

Her eyes fluttered open, Caroline telling herself that it was only a couple of hours then it would be all over.

Opening the door, Caroline wasn't expecting him to look quite so handsome in a white, linen shirt buttoned low on his toned chest and fitting, khaki pants. Obviously the cold shower didn't dampen any of his appeal or her attraction to it. Why did he have to look like that? And smell like that? His spicy aftershave was infiltrating her nostrils and she was struggling to concentrate on what she was supposed to do next.

"Wow, you look.." she finally focused on Klaus, catching his dazed expression. 

"It's a dress," she replied, knowing full well she chose this white one on purpose because of how well it fitted her and highlighted her Californian tan. 

Not that she was trying to impress him but if she was forced to eat with the Mikaelsons then she had to look at least mildly presentable amongst all of their designer clothing. 

"It's beautiful," he murmured, the intensity in his eyes making her blush mildly. 

"Well, it's not designer but it'll have to do."

"I've always thought designer clothes were overrated," he admitted. "This shirt is actually from the Gap." She gave him a look which clearly said she knew he was lying. "You can, uh, check the tag if you like?"

"I'll pass on that," she shot back sarcastically. "You obviously haven't been to the Gap lately, but nice try to make me feel included, Mikaelson."

"Just because I haven't been shopping there lately doesn't mean I don't want to go there, Forbes," he chuckled. "Now, let's get going before my mother tells us off for being late and missing Grace." 

"You say Grace?"

"No, but I got you," he laughed. She rolled her eyes in his direction and then they set off for his mother's private villa.

"So, just in case you were wondering, my mother hates coriander, I think you call it cilantro, she’s incredibly paranoid it’s in the food even if it isn’t. Elijah’s pet peeve is anyone who doesn’t observe proper decorum when it comes to table manners and cutlery placement. Rebekah is incredibly fussy about food.”

“Trust me we’ve seen that particular trait daily on-set,” she murmured knowingly, feeling bad for the catering team all over again.

“She has a thing about separate food items touching. Fruit salad is case in point,” Caroline couldn’t help but giggle at that point.

“Defeats the purpose of calling it a salad I suppose,” she observed. “And Kol?”

“Kol has this horrible habit of licking his knife and talking with his mouth full. Henrik is the one you have to look out for though.”

“Innocent, little Henrik?”

“Don’t let him fool you, love. While being the nicest of all the Mikaelsons, many family meals have ended with at least someone throwing food at someone else." 

“Who knew Henrik could be so mischievous? And you?”

“I don’t like peas.”

“Everyone hates peas, that is nothing,” she snorted. 

“Okay, you’ve got me.” 

“Let me guess you help Henrik do the throwing?”

“Not every time,” he admitted. “Just when Elijah is being pompous and Rebekah precious and Kol immature.”

“So, most times then?” He smirked at her knowingly. “Are these all jokes too?”

"All truth, I couldn’t come up with all of those quirks if I tried. Plus, I swear on my Gap shirt," he teased. Caroline liked the fact that the Mikaelsons seemed like a normal family even if they didn’t let anyone see it publicly. 

"So, why did you feel the need to tell me that? Worried about my white dress getting dirty because of a rogue, food fight you may or may not have started?"

"Well, that," he began, sending her a small smile as they walked. "And because I felt a little bad about crashing your flight and making you stay at the villa.” 

“So, you admit you were wrong?”

“Easy tiger, I never said I was wrong. Klaus Mikaelson is never wrong.”

“Oh, puh-lease, enough with the ego and the use of the third person,” she complained.

“But I thought it would be helpful with our work. Also, I’m a little worried you’ll try that cold water trick on me again or dagger me in my sleep tonight.”

“I suggest you sleep with one eye open if that’s the case,” she said, only half-jokingly.  “I’m curious about this supposed work we’ll be doing. I mean the location team has been here for the past week setting up, the pre-production work is done, the crew has their instructions, the cast has their scripts, even if some don’t like to use them,” she raised her eyebrows at him accusingly.

“You never know when something will come up,” he replied mysteriously.

“If that’s your attempt to talk dirty…”

“I can’t help it if you misconstrue everything I say,” he teased. “I heard you used to work in research before you went into producing.”

“I did,” she confirmed. “What kind of research do we need exactly?”

“Well actually…”

“If it isn’t my two favorite producers in the whole world,” Kol singsonged, patting his brother on the back affectionately as they walked up the front path together.

“Maybe because we are the only two you know, knucklehead,” Klaus growled. 

Caroline was used to his younger brother’s weird sense of humour and she was busily trying to work out what Klaus needed and why it included her. Maybe it had something to do with the bride-to-be but, for some reason, it seemed more personal than even that. 

“Shouldn’t you be kissing in a tree with sweet Caroline by now, brother?”

“Shouldn’t you be acting your age by now, Kol?” 

“I don’t kiss in trees just for your information, Kol. I much prefer places that are comfortable and clean,” she offered. Kol’s eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of his head at her brazen response. 

“What a coincidence, love,” Klaus growled, his heated expression not lost on her. “Me too.”

As they walked inside and approached the rest of the family, Caroline realised she was going to have to find out later about this mysterious research project. 

First, she had to get through dinner with the Mikaelsons.

30 minutes later..

“Are you sure there’s no cilantro in this?” Esther asked the waiter, inspecting the plate of food suspiciously. Caroline noticed Klaus smirking in her direction and had to stifle a laugh. 

“We’ve been through this already, mother, it hasn’t touched anything, trust me I asked for all ingredients before we ate,” Rebekah drawled, knocking her head on the table in frustration. 

“Manners, Rebekah,” Elijah chided. “And, Kol, I’m taking away your knife if you’re going to do that. And Henrik,” he admonished, before the young boy could even speak. “Don’t you even think about starting a fight, this is a $5,000, Armani suit.”

Caroline couldn’t believe just how accurate his observations of his family were. Having said that though, Klaus had been relatively quiet until now. She thought it was due to the fact the other Mikaelsons were taking centre stage but something didn’t seem right given just how chatty he’d been with her earlier. 

“I’m sorry we’re late.” She looked up to see Enzo, Kat, and Bonnie being ushered in by the villa staff. “Someone had to change their outfit ten times.” Caroline eyed Katherine knowing who the guilty party was. 

“Of course not, sit down,” Esther fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Waiter, get these three some drinks and whatever this food is supposed to be. I hope none of you are allergic to cilantro.”

“And keep the drinks coming,” Rebekah muttered tapping her glass impatiently, her attention squarely focused on Enzo. Caroline wasn’t sure what Enzo had done to Princess Rebekah but obviously it required extra alcohol.

“Thank you for inviting us,” Bonnie smiled sweetly. Kol who’d been busy inspecting his facial features in the reflection of his butter knife stopped short, perusing their new dining companions curiously. 

“Of course, anything for Caroline,” Esther said, patting the chair next to her for Enzo. He gave her a brief look which meant ‘you owe me.’ 

She could feel Klaus staring intently in her direction, his crimson lips pursed tightly.  Maybe inviting them behind his back was immature but she’d been so worked up about his constant need to interfere with her plans. 

“Nice suit, Armani right?” Katherine asked, placing herself next to him. When she said she’d buffer she really meant it. 

“Yes,” he answered. “And who might you be?”

“Katherine Pierce,” she sent him a dazzling smile. “It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Ms Pierce,” he replied stoically. Caroline never knew anyone who could be so immune to flirting as Elijah. But knowing Katherine’s persistence he would soon know.  

“Who do we have here?” Kol asked, sidling over to Bonnie. “Are you a friend of our sweet Caroline?”

“Yes, I’m Bonnie,” she replied simply. 

“Well, I’m Kol,” he said confidently. “Although, I’m sure you’ve heard of me already.”

“Yes, your reputation precedes you,” she murmured quietly. Caroline could tell by Kol’s puzzled look he wasn’t sure if she meant that in a good or bad way. Maybe being kept on his toes like that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. 

“Can you pass the salt,” Enzo asked Rebekah politely after their meals had been delivered. She didn’t respond at first, just finished the rest of her drink in one go. Enzo gave Caroline another look which clearly meant ‘seriously?’

“Here,” she pushed it toward him her gaze purposely not meeting his. 

“Well, that would be great if I wanted pepper,” he muttered. “There is a difference.”

“Rebekah don’t be rude to the good doctor,” Esther chided. “I’m sorry about my children, they have everything they could ever want except for manners. Their father and I tried but obviously you can’t have everything.”

Klaus remained quiet, his gaze now downward. Caroline wondered if it was still because of her surprise guests or if it was something more. She didn’t want to care but, at the same time, for some reason she really wanted to know. 

[icypantherwrites]

Voltron Season Seven: Thoughts and Reactions

As you can see, I am out of hibernation mode ;p Just finished up a bit ago.

My thoughts in no particular order on season seven. Prepare for a few unintelligible spazzes and random questions that like, why were these not answered? Oh Voltron writers, you and your plot holes. Tagged with all of my previously mentioned ones so here goes!

Okay, so Adam? As much as I didn’t care for how he wasn’t supporting Shiro, I was excited by his role and inclusion in the story! Also, haha, I laughed because I named the one character in my Keith and Shiro backstory Adam and he’s a pilot too, haha. They definitely aren’t the same one because mine was a jerk, but I love that somehow I still got that name. (or maybe that’s how he and Shiro got to talking after Shiro confronts him for what he said to Keith? hehe. Look at me ;p)

But then. When they were mobilizing to fight the first wave I’m like, is Adam a pilot? And then we saw him and then his ship blinked out… gosh. Shiro at the wall with his name broke my heart. There’s a lot of regret there. Definitely something I wish had been further explored, but I’m not surprised they didn’t. There’s a lot that has been skipped over already.

So… Shiro has a disease that gets brought up once, never impacted him at all in the first six seasons and… never mentioned again? Er… what was the point of that exactly? (clone body not have the illness?)

Oh baby Keef. I cheered when he punched Griffin. Glad to see Griffin has grown up since then. But uh, can someone confirm for me the new cadet pilot with the glasses. Is her name… Wasabi? Usagi? And while I adore my Keith backstory this one was endearing too. And his dad died in a fire? Gosh. I had a feeling after the fireman refs but to hear it confirmed. Sad.

Where did Axca go? Like, she left the base with the Paladins and they have no resources to provide her a ship. So…? I’m curious with her popping up at the end behind Krolia and Keith at the grave… interesting. Once it was disproved that she wasn’t Keith’s twin I thought she might be Krolia’s sister but no mention when they met so… hmm. Curious and curioser. (does she like Keith? Hehe ♥ I admit I think they’re pretty asthecially pleasing together and I love Axca’s new design.)

Veronica is a fucking badass. As soon as she showed up on screen I’m like, that’s Lance’s sister. My sister was like, no, and I’m like, uh, her name is Veronica, coloring is the same including the blue eyes and in that really crappy family projection photo from season one there was a relative in a military uniform. Damn, I love her so much. Almost cried when I thought she died (twice xD). Also, her teasing Lance about Allura and her little smirk smile there? I died. So fucking cute.

This is my personal preference but I did not care for the game show episode at all, nor the “reason” behind it. There were a couple cute moments in it (all of them choosing each other to leave and I winced when Lance kept being called the dumb one and could taste the angst) but overall, my least favorite filler. And this coming from someone who adores game shows xD

The “lost in space” episode also wasn’t high on my list. I loved the idea of it and them forming a circle (that was so flipping cute) to stay together with the check ins (and a note to Keith and Krolia’s time together) but the words exchanged? I get it and didn’t mind but they never *really* resolved it. Not really. And some pretty hurtful things were said. Also, the fact they have almost fatal oxygen depletion based upon Keith’s indicator and their weary lines under their eyes, but then they literally bounce back full power to fight? Just throw the realism out the window. Just like the castle of lions losing all oxygen in a matter of hours two seasons ago xDD

How have we ever survived without the space wolf? Seriously? I’m bummed his name is not Yorak but I’ll take Cosmo. Very cute! Love how keith is waiting for the wolf to name himself. Oh, sweetie.

The Blade of Marmora luring with the Druids was delicious. Loved that bit. Glad Kolivan made it out. Wasn’t surprised when Krolia left the main cast; it was getting crowded and given that the writers have difficulty managing characters on a regular basis at times the more the less merrier.

On that note, loved Romelle in the first episode but she practically disappeared for the rest of the season. Disappointed. Thought her and Hunk were hilarious.

Same token bummed Matt was offscreen for most of it. But again, see above.

The three year time gap was interesting. Never really explained well either; pretty much I think a way for earth to get completely overrun by Galra. On that note, loved all of the Sam episodes, think the new pilots are pretty neat additions. Particularly love… Usagi? Wasabi? Kinkade too; a man of few words and I adore his name. Iverson too was a pleasant surprise and I loved his apology to Keith later and his constant backing of Sam. Also, Collen is a badass too. I do have to give credit to the writers; they make some amazingly strong female characters and it’s such a breath of fresh air (from watching YYH it was a stark reminder how things have changed over the years in terms of representation across the board on many things).

But one woman I did not care for was the Admiral. Boo hiss. I also hate that I called her turning on them as she was adamant throughout the entire thing about protecting earth in “her way” and I was waiting for this move. She did save the Paladins lives but she endangered them in the first place so… I acknowledge her desire to protect earth but am disappointed in how her character was played out. (and honestly, why the fuck would she trust Sendak to keep up his end of the deal? Why? Bit of weaker writing there).

Speaking of characters… where’s Haggar? At the end with the giant robot my sister and I were arguing who was driving it; I was Team Lotor and she was Team Haggar. Nada to both of us. Very interesting with that result too;  how was one Altean doing all that? Hmmm. And with the colony missing something is definitely up.

The Hunk family feels I was not expecting and loved them. I was glad he didn’t endanger the team anymore after he found his parents were not accessible, but dios I felt so bad. It’s hard especially to see Lnace and Pidge with their families and he with none. Loved his and Keith’s moment too. ♥ Keith was particularly awkwardly sweet and I loved it.

And Lance’s family! Gosh. Him hugging his niece and nephew broke my heart and then his being mobbed by his family stomped it into the ground with love. So. Beautiful. My boy has his family and I am so so happy.

Speaking of the families! Haha, I’m excited that I was write in that both Lance and Hunk’s families are stateside and I am going with my headcanon of Arizona (Garrison location) given how they were *right there* to be rescued. My childhood besties idea for Lance and Hunk when Lance immigrated over is still well and strong!!!

Back to Lance. I was so so so excited to see him getting some really nice shots and pieces in this season. The sword (c’mon broadsword, let’s see you come back too), the giant cannon gun, the amazing sniper shots (hoshit don’t get me started on that part, I love good sniper cover and damnnn ♥) his attempts to seat everyone in Lions (whoops xD), his stepping up to really support Keith and be second in command... just so much good stuff for my boy ♥ I was freaking out when Red didn’t come right away in the summoning thing after he and Veronica went under fire, but I’m like, Red always does things differently. And then she came in like ajdfkajfklda right when Lance was closing his eyes and thinking it was the end and just, so good. Great timing on that part.

Shiro’s new arm… loved the angst and pain as first one didn’t calibrate xD I’m terrible. I will admit I’m not sold on the design; very bulky and I dislike that it’s not attached; that’s not a proper hug! But I am happy he has one so will go with that.

Er, this is getting long. Last few.

How was Shiro breathing in space in fight against sendak? Someone, please tell me. But also yesss, loved that the two of them had a final fight. Brings back memories. When Keith saved him I really wanted a throwback to the “as many times as it takes” but alas, no go.

On Sendak… is he the main big bad? He sure has quite the Galra fleet. How do Ezor and Zethrid’s turn to piracy factor in? Was expecting something else with Lotor given their mentions of him early on. Is space just one giant war out there right now? We never really found out any details and here I was expecting Axca to fill us in.

The Atlas turning into its own Voltron was super cool. Loved all of the fight scenes although I admit I get bored with all the constant blasts so would have liked those shortened down and more character stuff, but it is a show geared for little kids so… boom boom pow.

The very end speech via Shiro had me on my toes as I didn’t think any of our team died but I was legit slowly starting to panic that somehow the new cadets were going to be the new Voltron pilots because ours were unavailable Phew, not the case! Loved the little hospital scenes popping around, particularly Lance’s nephew wearing his helmet and then Keith waking up to Krolia there. Oh, and Matt getting a hug from his mom! (and that ponytail! ♥ I love guys with a nice ponytail, mm, weakness).

Overall giving this season a 7/10 rating. Not my lowest, definitely not my highest. Very much appreciated though having a longer season to watch.

If you have thoughts feel free to comment on the post! I will not be posting any asks with spoilers in the ask until next Saturday though so best way to get a response is comment here. What did you all think of the season?

[waqasblog2]

GDPR - Let's all calm down a bit, shall we? - SEO, Content Marketing & Website Design

GDPR is getting to be like Y2K preparations.

It seems everyone is talking about it as if there will be Armageddon on the 25th May unless we all run around burning files and throwing hard drives off cliffs just in case the rozzers find someone's email address on them.

I was at a gin festival recently (great by the way, I'll tell you about it sometime), and people were talking about it at the bar.

Give it a break already!!!

Something more important than GDPR is happening on the 25th May, I'll be bothered about that.

What this article isn't

There is approximately one cubic gazillion of articles claiming to be the ultimate guide to GDPR, and I bet you've read a few and still don't understand them.

So, I'm not going to get into that here. This isn't a comprehensive GDPR marketing guide.

Instead, I thought what might be useful is a “cut through the crap” set of very short, succinct points that will give you some sort of idea about the whole process and what, if anything, you need to do about it.

Mostly, though, I'm hoping to stop a few people destroying their email lists because some guy in a suit said they should.

If I'm not compliant by the 25th May, will I be fined £17 million and sent to rot in jail?

NO!

Let me explain why:

There are consultants currently travelling the country telling everyone, usually on their first PowerPoint slide, that the fines that the ICO (the UK organisation that will implement GDPR) can punish you with are mahoosive; up to 4% of turnover or 17 million quid.

You can imagine that ACME window cleaning Ltd with two employees is positively quaking in its boots at this revelation, but it's nonsense.

In fact, the ICO themselves are getting a little hacked off with it.

I quote, from their own blog:

Myth #1:

The biggest threat to organisations from the GDPR is massive fines.

Fact:

This law is not about fines. It’s about putting the consumer and citizen first. We can’t lose sight of that.

Focusing on big fines makes for great headlines, but thinking that GDPR is about crippling financial punishment misses the point

GDPR gives the ICO more clout to punish people, yes, and it gives them the teeth to act when companies fail to follow the rules, but they're not going to be knocking on your door in the middle of the night threatening to take you to a cash point.

Last year they concluded 17,300 cases. 16 companies got fined. And none were fined the maximum available to the ICO.

The sort of companies that get fined are the ones that systematically or blatantly break the rules.

For example, ignoring people's requests to be removed from mailing lists and continue to email them on a huge scale.

The ICO wants to educate, so rather than throwing fines about willy-nilly, they'll work with the companies to ensure they're doing it right and help them stick to the rules.

Is it illegal to send marketing emails under GDPR?

Seriously, this is just nuts.

I've had more than one person say they're going to cancel their MailChimp account because they won't be able to email people anymore.

Let's make it clear:

But I need their consent, yeah?

Yep. Just like now. The important thing with GDPR is that they need to know exactly what they're signing up to.

You can't imply or assume consent anymore.

Make it clear what they're opting in to

When someone gives you any of their details such as email address, phone number etc., you need to make it really clear what it is they're opting in to and what you'll do with that information.

For example, if someone downloads an e-book from your website, you need to give them the option of also signing in to your mailing list. You can't just assume that because they've downloaded the book that they're also happy to receive your other emails.

To be fair, this has been a grey area for a while, but GDPR now makes it clear.

It's going to affect a lot of websites, for example, those that only let you read the rest of an article after you've signed up, but that's OK, they'll cope.

You probably can't just email them because they've bought from you

It's the same with online shopping.

You can send them transactional emails, that is, emails that are triggered by their purchase such as order confirmation, invoice and dispatch data, but you can't then start bombarding them with marketing emails unless they tick the box saying they're happy to have them.

(Note: This is actually covered by PECR, which is additional regulation, that suggests that you can contact your customers for legitimate reasons. A reason might be you want to offer them something. Just make sure they can opt out, you’ll be fine.)

Again, this is a grey area that's being tidied up, but many shops have been doing this for years, it's no biggie.

You can't have pre-ticked boxes or confusing consent

Some stores are a bit naughty, and right at the bottom of the order form there will be a tick-box with a sentence next to it saying “We will occasionally send you marketing emails, but if you'd rather not be pestered, un-tick this box.”

You can't do that anymore, which is a good thing.

This goes hand-in-hand with tick boxes that aren't especially clear, for example, ones that give multiple reasons or say things like

“By ticking this box, you do not allow us to remove your email address from our lists or maybe email you on a regular basis. If you do not wish us to not email you regarding things like this and such, then dance a merry jig while smoking a peace pipe.”

You must make it easy for people to unsubscribe

It needs to be really simple and completely fool-proof.

Ideally, a link on every single email that says “Unsubscribe” which takes them to a page that says “Sorry to see you go, you're now unsubscribed.”

Maybe give them a question to ask why, but that's it.

Close browser, job done.

Some people grind my gears by taking you to a site which you then have to log in to first (i.e. reset password because I forgot it) and then choose a complex set of tick boxes before being released from their vice-like grip.

One click dude, no dick moves.

How about getting consent for emails again, do I need to do that?

In most cases, no.

I've had a flurry of emails from companies saying “Due to GDPR, we need to get consent to keep sending you emails.”

The only time you'd need to do that is if you got the email through nefarious means in the first place.

For example, if I filled out a basic contact form on your site and then you started emailing me.

That's wrong, it's always been wrong, and now it's even wrongerer.

But if I signed up via your newsletter sign-up form, you do not need to ask me again.

Honestly, you don't.

If you got consent in the past, you have consent now.

Also, there's still a grey area about business to business. It seems you don't need consent anyway for this (there are exceptions, stick to the basics and you'll be OK.)

Also (2), do you use a proper mail client like MailChimp or ActiveCampaign or Aweber?

Well don't worry about it, there's an unsubscribe button at the bottom of the email. When people click this, they're unsubscribed, and they can only get back on the list if they specifically ask.

All cool.

Are there any scenarios when I might have to get consent again?

Other than that, you're probably OK. I'm saying “probably” because I don't know where you got your filthy list from, and I don't want you using this blog as an excuse. If you were bad with data in the past, clean it up.

Should I email everyone to get re-consent anyway? Just to make sure? I'm scared…

Oh please, grow some.

Yes, of course you can. Send out that email.

What's your current open rate? 20%?

And click through rate? 8%?

So, just working this out on the back of a fag packet, if I had a list of 800, I'd end up with 13 left on it when I've gone through this utterly pointless exercise.

Stop it.

So what should I do?

If you're a huge company with lots of employees, go get yourself a consultant, they'll help you in exchange for some dollar.

There are different rules for large businesses, and you might have some work to do, so go do it.

If you're a small business, you need to follow some basic steps:

The first is to check out the ICO website which explains everything in detail, it's all you need.

If someone tells you something is “what you need to do”, then check with the ICO, they're being incredibly pragmatic about it all.

Secondly, don't lose sleep over it.

Thirdly, check your mailing list. This next bit is a bit in-depth, so I've decided to give it a new section.

How to make sure I'm not breaking the law and will, therefore, go to jail or have my house repossessed

If you systematically scraped email addresses from the web, typed them in yourself from the Yellow pages or in some way got your mailing list using nefarious means, then delete them all.

However, if you fall into one of these categories, read on:

Still with me?

Audit your mailing lists

Where they from? Can you split out all the ones that opted in via your sign-up form? Good, do that, tag them or add them to another list.

This is the list of people who absolutely, positively wanted to sign up. Good, we're done. Leave them alone.

Got some others you're not sure about?

OK, put those in another list or tag them “we're not sure” or something, we'll work on these guys next.

Send out an email

The mistake everyone is making here is emailing everyone and saying “you need to sign up again” when they don't.

If they signed up before, that's fine. They gave consent and therefore that consent passes into the GDPR era.

So let's just tackle the ones we're not sure about, and rather than asking them to sign up or not hear from you ever again, let's do it another way. Let's give them an option of opting out.

Create an email something like this:

“Hi Geoff,

By now you've probably heard about GDPR and the new rules regarding email marketing and the correct way of getting consent.

Well, we're sure you were asked nicely if you wanted to receive our emails, but we can't be absolutely certain.

It might be that you downloaded something from us, or we met you at a networking event and you said it was fine, in which case, we're all good.

However, If you don't want to receive any more emails from us, then please click the button below to unsubscribe instantly from our list.

You won't need to do anything else, it's all automatic.

If you don't mind receiving our emails, then do nothing, but remember you can unsubscribe at any time.

Thanks for your time!

Keep this in mind

I'm not a GDPR consultant or a lawyer. This advice comes to you from someone who has read the documentation, but your situation might be unique/different.

However, there's no excuse for many in the industry to use scare tactics to get you to do something and propose knee-jerk reactions that might end up in your losing a significant part of your business.

As with everything, be sceptical of what you're told.

Investigate everything and then do what is right.

What if someone complains

Someone is bound to complain. There's been so much publicity about it, there will be people looking for companies to trip up so they can get the feds on them.

Don't panic.

If you're using a good email system (we recommend: ActiveCampaign) then all unsubscribes are handled automatically, you're safe, but if not, and someone requests to be removed from your lists – do it immediately.

As long as you're on the ball, delete people's data as soon as you're asked and be open about what you do with the data you keep, then you'll be OK.

Is this everything GDPR is about then?

Absolutely not.

GDPR is a huge deal for many companies and it covers vast swathes of regulation, that's for others to deal with.

I just wanted to clear up some misinformation about it that's doing the rounds at the moment and make sure that a bunch of companies that are doing everything right aren't forced to the wall by over-cautious consultants.

If you need more advice, find a good consultant.

There's one who reads this blog, he'll be in touch to tell me his contact details, as soon as he does, I'll pass them on!

This content was originally published here.

[junker-town]

Everything you need to know about Antonio Brown’s long, strange offseason

Here’s what you need to know.

[Editor’s note: On September 10, Brown was accused of rape and sexual assault. Here is what we know about the allegations so far.]

Antonio Brown’s offseason was unlike anything in NFL history. One of the most accomplished receivers in the league had incident after incident, which led to him changing multiple, frostbitten feet, uproar over a banned helmet, potentially illegal recordings, arguments with management, and a second trade.

Here’s everything that happened to get to that point.

November 2018 - March 2019: It all started in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers were on the verge of transitioning to younger players. Le’Veon Bell sat out the year after refusing to sign his franchise tag, opening the door for James Conner. Brown was the lock to be the team’s No. 1 receiver entering 2018, but he watched as promising rookie JuJu Smith-Schuster stepped up and showed potential to be the team’s new star at the position.

Brown was still getting the lion’s share of targets and opportunities from Ben Roethlisberger, but reported years of frustration boiled over entering the final week of the season.

Brown felt as though he was routinely blamed when the Steelers lost, especially by Roethlisberger. This reached a tipping point on Nov. 25, 2018, following a loss to Denver. It was the team’s third loss in a row, essentially killing their chances to make the playoffs — and Roethlisberger publicly blamed Brown’s route running for the loss. The quarterback would later apologize for his actions on local radio, saying:

“I genuinely feel bad about that and I’m sorry. Did I go too far after that Denver game? Probably.”

Brown and Roethlisberger allegedly got into an altercation during practice, and Brown refused to play in the last game of the season with the Steelers still having a chance to make the playoffs. It incensed management and fans enough that it was unclear whether the relationship could be repaired. Brown requested a trade following the season.

March 9, 2019: Enter Oakland.

After a bizarre 24 hours when it looked like Brown might head to the Bills, it was finally Oakland who pulled the trigger on a trade

The Raiders, who had been shuffling deck chairs on their Titanic since Jon Gruden’s arrival, were in dire need of a No. 1 receiver. The trade-happy front office sent Amari Cooper to the Cowboys in a surprising midseason deal, ratcheting up the pressure on finding someone other than tight end Jared Cook and receiver Jordy Nelson to throw the ball to. Knowing Cook was entering free agency and Nelson would be 33 years old at the start of the 2019 season, the Raiders traded a third and fifth-round pick for Brown, which at the time was seen as a steal for the seven-time All Pro.

Brown arrived in Oakland saying all the right things at his introductory press conference:

“I’m here to elevate everything around me. I’m here to just be a surge of energy, of positivity, and good force. A great teammate and to bring out the best of everyone around me cause we all know it’s not just about me.”

It seemed like a match made in heaven, then things started going wrong.

July 26 - Aug. 3: Missed practices, burnt feet.

The Raiders opened training camp on July 26, but Brown was noticeably absent. He was placed on the non-football injury list to open camp, with very little being known about why Brown wasn’t able to participate.

Then Brown posted on Aug. 3 that his feet had been severely frostbitten after failing to wear proper footwear during a cryotherapy session.

via @ab, Instagram

Brown’s feet looked bad, but the Raiders downplayed the severity of the injury. Brown saw a specialist, and by all accounts would be fine by the start of the season.

Aug. 9 - Sept. 4: The helmet.

Brown had a new gripe with the league less than a week after his foot injury was revealed. On Aug. 9, Brown filed a grievance against the NFL for not allowing him to wear his preferred helmet, a Schutt Air Advantage he had been using since his rookie season, due to safety concerns.

Brown refused to practice without his helmet and continued to fight the NFL to allow him to wear it. He tried finding the same model manufactured later in the hopes it would pass NFL testing, but that failed too. Brown filed a second grievance, which once again failed.

The Raiders were supportive of Brown’s grievance, standing behind the receiver in his cases against the NFL — but finally acknowledged that there wasn’t anything that could be done. Shortly after Brown announced he found a new helmet for the 2019 season, which came with a fresh new endorsement deal.

Xenith is excited to announce Antonio Brown has chosen to wear Xenith Shadow this season. When you’re the quickest receiver on the field, you need a helmet that can keep up. Read more about why AB chose Xenith Shadow at the link below. #XenithIsBOOMINhttps://t.co/okPWeoDU2m pic.twitter.com/bNLlZvZYLi

— Xenith (@XenithFootball) September 4, 2019

With a new helmet and his feet healed, Brown returned to the field and began practicing with the Raiders. But you know this story isn’t over yet — not by a long shot.

Sept. 4-6: Big fines, alleged slurs, heartfelt apologies, and secret recordings.

It seemed that everything was set and the drama was finally over. Gruden said Brown was “all-in” and announced he would be starting on Monday Night Football to open the Raiders’ season. Fans would get to see the player they’d been waiting on for six months.

Then Brown received a letter from general manager Mike Mayock, detailing that he would be fined for missing an Aug. 22 walkthrough, in addition to several practices. Brown quickly posted the letter on Instagram.

Antonio Brown posts his displeasure with fines from #Raiders pic.twitter.com/0OMhdwFu7K

— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) September 4, 2019

On Sept. 5, everything blew up. Brown allegedly confronted Mayock over the fines during practice, reportedly yelling at the GM and calling him a “cracker,” which Brown later denied.

Brown walked off the field allegedly saying “fine me for that,” and the possibility of being suspended by the team loomed. Suddenly the football world were asking whether the Raiders could actually cut Antonio Brown, their prize offensive player, just days before the 2019 season began?

On Sept. 6, Brown returned to the team and gave an emotional apology, which reportedly won his teammates back. ESPN’s Josina Anderson said the team captains stood with Brown, and Gruden was allegedly satisfied with the apology and expected to play Brown on Week 1. No suspension was handed down for the altercation with Mayock.

Seemingly everything was over and the beef was squashed — and then hours later, Brown posted this video.

The video, designed to tell his side of the story, featured a recorded phone conversation with Gruden. It presented Brown as misunderstood, with Gruden echoing this statement and asking him to just come and play football. The coach also questioned whether he wanted to be a Raider, which Brown confirmed, while also asking if the team wanted him. It was later revealed that Gruden was aware the video was coming out.

On @LeBatardShow, the producer of Antonio Brown’s hype video confirmed Jon Gruden approved the use of their phone conversation in video before it was released on social media #Raiders

— Dianna (@diannaESPN) September 9, 2019

Despite all this Gruden was still excited to have Brown on the team and still planned on playing him.

“Antonio is back today,” Gruden said. “We’re really excited about that. Ready to move on. He’s had a lot of, obviously, time to think about things. We’re happy to have him back, and I know Raider Nation is excited about that, too.”

Sept. 7: The end.

It’s unclear exactly what happened between Friday and Saturday, but it’s a moot point. Mike Mayock reportedly told Antonio Brown they were rescinding his $30.1M of guaranteed money for conduct detrimental to the team, which prompted Brown to say he wasn’t going to play for the team and demand his release.

Shortly before noon the team announced it was releasing Antonio Brown.

The Raiders have released WR Antonio Brown from the team today.

— Oakland Raiders (@Raiders) September 7, 2019

Also Sept. 7: The inevitable conclusion.

An immensely talented player with a penchant for being difficult to work with has just hit free agency 24 hours before the start of the NFL season. Which team could possibly be willing to take a risk like that?

Yup, the Patriots.

Antonio Brown and the Patriots reached agreement on a 1-year deal worth up $15 million that includes a $9 million signing bonus, per source.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 7, 2019

Brown wasn’t signed in time to suit up on Week 1 of Sunday Night Football, which hilariously enough was against the Steelers.

The Patriots reportedly wanted Antonio Brown all along. They allegedly approached the Steelers about a trade back in February, but Pittsburgh rejected it. Now the defending Super Bowl got their guy, and this wasn’t on a league-minimum outreach deal the team normally does.

The appeal here was obvious. The Raiders were never going to be good, even with Antonio Brown. The Patriots are the Patriots, and the only accolade missing for Brown is a Super Bowl ring.

Yes, Brown surrendered $30.1M in guaranteed money from the Raiders — but his contract was for five years. In fact, Brown was set to make $14.6M this season in Oakland, and now he’s making $15M in New England.

Sept. 8: Tom Brady offers to let Antonio Brown live with him

Tom Brady sure seems pumped about having Antonio Brown and wants to make sure Brown gets started the right way. Brady offered to let his new receiver move in with him until he gets comfortable in New England.

.@TomBrady has offered @AB84 to move in with him and Gisele until he gets settled in New England.pic.twitter.com/LrfqAMutl1

— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 8, 2019

Sept. 20: Patriots release Brown

The NFL opened investigations into numerous allegations of sexual assault against Brown, dating back to his time with the Steelers. There was no indication Brown would be suspended by the NFL, but the Patriots announced they were releasing the wide receiver and thanked him for his “hard work” while being with the team.

Sept. 22: Brown announces his retirement from the NFL.

Will not be playing in the @NFL anymore these owners can cancel deals do whatever they want at anytime we will see if the @NFLPA hold them accountable sad they can just void guarantees anytime going on 40m 2 months will see if they pay up !

— AB (@AB84) September 22, 2019

[storiesofwildfire]

𝑪𝑯𝑨𝑹𝑨𝑪𝑻𝑬𝑹 𝑺𝑯𝑬𝑬𝑻

            REPOST, DON’T REBLOG !

tagged by: @bifrostgold tagging: @bifrostgold ( lialo, two can play at this game ) and also @incrediblewithin because I can

author’s note: seeing as Smudge tagged me in the meme I tagged them in first and requested on of my ocs, I’m coming back at you with Saga this time.

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬

FULL NAME. Saga Lokidottir NICKNAME. None GENDER. Female HEIGHT.  5′8″ AGE.  She’s around 425 Aesir years old, putting her right between Sleipnir and the triplets in age. ZODIAC.  Scorpio SPOKEN LANGUAGES.  All-tongue ( a magical language that translates so anyone who hears or reads it can understand it in their native tongue ). However, she has picked up some individual languages along the way, mostly from her adopted mother, Loki. She’s especially good with the languages of the Old Gods despite her relatively young age.

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬

HAIR COLOR. Dark brown borderline black EYE COLOR.  Brown SKIN TONE. Light-medium BODY TYPE.  She’s rather lean, but has a nice, subtle hourglass shape  VOICE. Mezzo-soprano  DOMINANT HAND. Left-handed, though being a skilled sorcerer, she’s very capable with both hands but prefers her left. POSTURE. Saga carries herself upright in a proper position, but she isn’t still or inherently regal about it. She values good posture without looking smug or posh about it. SCARS. She’s sustained some pretty serious scars over the years from people lashing out at her. Because Saga specializes in a unique mixture of illusion-casting and mind magic, one of her most potent skills is casting illusions that bring another person’s worst fears to life. As a child, she did this on accident, unsure of how to control it or how to stop it from happening. This caused a lot of turmoil between her and the people around her and often caused others to associate her with the idea of fear. Because of this, she’s had some individuals react particularly violently. Some scars litter her arms from particularly harsh blows that she defended herself from by throwing her arms up. She also had a particularly nasty gash along her side as well as a small, barely noticeable cut running along her right cheek. TATTOOS. As of right now, Saga doesn’t have any tattoos, but she’s more than open to the idea of them! BIRTHMARKS. none MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S). Her hair would probably catch the most attention at first glance. It’s long, very rich in color, and usually bone-straight, creating an elegant-yet-intimidating visage. It compliments her talents rather well, but it stands in a huge juxtaposition with her personality. While many associate her with concepts of terror, she’s actually a very sweep and bubbly person.

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝

PLACE OF BIRTH. Asgard HOMETOWN. Gladsheim SIBLINGS. As far as she’s aware, she has no biological siblings. She considers Loki her maternal figure, though, an unofficially adopted mother, so to speak, so Loki’s children would be her adopted family to a certain degree. It’s important to remember that Loki and their children are Saga’s chosen family, though, and that Saga was not raised as Hel, Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Sleipnir’s sibling. PARENTS.  birth parents; unknown | adopted mother: Loki

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞

OCCUPATION.  As of right now, Saga resides in Helheim with Hel. While Saga is not dead, she willingly stays in the Realm of the Dead to assist Hel’s rule. She acts as a sort of advisor, caretaker, and occasionally fills in for Hel if she is needed elsewhere. CURRENT RESIDENCE. Helheim CLOSE FRIENDS. Because of Saga’s abilities and how early they manifested, her birth parents quickly left her at an orphanage, unsure of how to care for a child that literally manifested nightmares or even how to coexist with her. The other children at the orphanage as well as the workers also had a difficult time getting close to Saga and most were blatantly afraid of her. For quite a few years of her childhood, she didn’t really have real companions or friends, so when Loki took her under their wing, she became very invested in Loki and Sleipnir and later the triplets once they were born. Saga considers them her family but they are also her closest friends. From there, she’s branched into some of Loki’s other friends and influencers--like Asmund and Sigurd, who both helped nurture and train her magical control. RELATIONSHIP STATUS. While she has not openly confirmed or denied a relationship existing, there are some inclinations across Loki’s family and friends and Hel and Saga formed a romantic relationship. Neither of them has ever spoken on it or confirmed it, but they are closer than friends really ought to be and Saga... literally gave up her life in any living realms to stay with Hel, so... FINANCIAL STATUS. Technically speaking, being the adviser and companion to the Queen of Helheim means Saga doesn’t really need money. There is no real need for money in Helheim and she doesn’t give any weight to financial status. She gives up quite a lot to stay in Helheim, but she lives well and comfortably. DRIVER’S LICENSE. Cars don’t really exist where she’s from or where she lives so? CRIMINAL RECORD. Unless accidentally ( or sometimes purposefully ) tormenting people counts, Saga doesn’t actually have one. VICES. Despite her incredibly terrifying magic, Saga is a surprisingly open and positive person, often too much so. She’s repeatedly allowed herself to get hurt for believing in the best of people. She’s loyal to a fault as displayed by her willingness to live her entire living life with the Dead. While she’s very sweet and kind, she’s also fierce and if you get on her bad side? Let’s just say, you don’t want to be there. Her magic can also be as much of a curse as it is a blessing, as it’s gotten her in trouble and even harmed her on more than one occasion.

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.  Demisexual. Unless Saga has a very intense emotional investment in you, there is no sexual attraction whatsoever.  PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE. submissive | dominant | switch PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE. submissive | dominant | switch  LIBIDO. Average if she has someone she actively wants to be with. Nonexistent if there isn’t anyone she fancies.  TURN ON’S.  A true desire to reach out to her and embrace her as a person with valid feelings rather than compartmentalize her into a category. She values openness and understanding above anything else and if someone can look past what makes her terrifying to so many and see her, that’s usually what gets her. TURN OFF’S. Obnoxiousness, being too loud, being too pushy, being too judgmental, disingenuousness LOVE LANGUAGE.  Self-sacrificing to a fault, honestly. RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.  She’s the type of person to want to take care of literally everything so their partner didn’t have to. Work? Done. Chores? Done. Errands? Done. Setting up baths and meals and whatever her partner needs? Done. She’ll basically keep going until someone forces her to stop and take a breather, but she doesn’t mind. She’s a carer, it’s what she does.

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG. uh... I guess if I had to pick one, I’d probably go with something instrumental, like Shadows by Lindsey Stirling  HOBBIES TO PASS TIME.  Aside from studying, practicing magic, and reading ( several things literally all of Loki’s children do ), Saga spends a lot of time taking after her mum in music and art. She’s quite skilled at several incredibly difficult instruments, including one she shares with her mother, the violin. She’s also a wildly gifted painter, but that isn’t exactly surprising for an illusionist, is it? Saga also spends a lot of time decorating both interior spaces and exterior spaces, in hopes of making her and Hel’s home feel more like a warm and welcoming place rather than what someone would likely expect from a palace in Helheim. LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED.  Right-brained. PHOBIAS. Truly losing control of her abilities. For years, she suffered being unable to help her illusion manifestation, but the older she got, the more realistic her nightmares became, to the point that she wondered and feared if she could actually manifest them to completion rather than simply projecting the image of them.  SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL. Somewhere in the middle. She’s had a lot of blows to her self-confidence over the years because of how poorly other people have treated her. She tries not to blame them because she knows it’s not entirely their fault, but at the same time? It has definitely impacted her in the long run. Mixed with literally being abandoned by her own parents? You’d expect her to have worse self-esteem to be honest.  VULNERABILITIES. Her need to hold onto the only family she’s ever known, the fear she holds in her own abilities and how easily they’ve slipped away from her, sometimes getting lost in her own illusions leaving her unable to tell the differences between reality and fiction in extreme cases

[mirika]

This weekend I have been to Dutch Comic Con; my favourite out of the four we have in my country.

This time I am wearing my new Ladybug outfit from Miraculous Ladybug. Sadly my friend did not get her Chat Noir outfit ready to go, but it did not influence our fun.

I’ve added some DCC tags to this post in case people want to find photos of their own cosplay back; I can send you a full version.

Day one!

Saturday I went with two friends of mine. My annual friend, who I’ve been visiting Dutch Comic Con with every year and who will be joining me as Chat Noir, and my friend who I have been visiting other Comic Cons with. My friend who will be Chat Noir is in a photo somewhere at the bottom of day one, as that photo was taken at the end of the day.

I was very nervous about getting to the event on-time as the actress I wanted to see only had a morning slot (11.15 AM). As someone who has to take a two hour train and will have to take into account a line to get in, this was no joy. We made it though; we were inside at 11 AM. The actress is Emilie de Ravin and she portrays Belle in Once Upon A Time. I sadly did not get any clear shots of her.

But that is her! One of my two friends wanted a question answered, but not do it herself, so I got up and asked her what her most memorable behind the scenes moment was; she gave multiple answers.

After the Q&A we went shopping and took photos with other cosplay. Like last year, we could not shop within a single day! There’s too many shops. Not that I am complaining, but I had to remind myself every time I need to see everything before I do big purchases. That is why all I purchased was some sausages and a few badges. I planned to buy more badges!

I got two Miraculous Ladybug badges and one badge of Mei from Overwatch from the same vendor. I later turned back to where my former teacher was having her art shop and got the Lucio badge, who is also from Overwatch. It actually made me sad how so many shops with Overwatch items ignored Lucio’s existence; he’s not an unpopular character at all, yet he gets no love. Does he not look like a cheery fella on that badge there? We need more Lucio.

I planned to buy more badges the next day (an ace flag with a cat on it; it was too cute; and some others). I also saw a Balrog Funko for about 20 euros, which seems like a good deal. I was heartbroken the Lord of the Rings shop did not have a bust statue of Frodo (these are often 75 euros and I kept money behind for this); the only other options were 135 euros or higher in price. I figured I better go see what else the event has.

As for cosplay, I saw a fair amount of other Miraculous Ladybug cosplay! I saw many Chat Noir whom I’ve had to ignore because we were busy, so I only got few photos of the other cosplay. First is the lass who gave me chocolate!

She told me she was going to visit the next con as Adrien, but instead surprised me as Marinette. This is because her friend was going to show up as Adrien (from as far I understood) and it worked better due to their height.

This is her friend, who took a surprising pose;

I googled some anime blushing sprites to throw on my cheeks. You see, Adrien is in love with Ladybug, but does not know Ladybug’s identity. The person behind Ladybug likes Adrien, but does not know Adrien is also Chat Noir, who she does not fancy. It’s a complicated love thing, but this is the version that would work out. Adrien likes Ladybug, and Ladybug likes Adrien.

So this person hugged me and me, not knowing how to react in real life, came off quite well as Ladybug as she would not know how to react either, probably (if you know what her crush on Adrien is like, this is only fair). In my mind I thought I looked more surprised than the photo turned out to be, I guess I don’t control my facial emotions all that well.

Oh, and the chocolate the lass dressed as Marinette gave me!

Isn’t this fitting? It’s an adorable ladybug chocolate!

After that I found a Chat Noir cosplay. Apparently they were just about to ask me to have a photo taken when I walked up to them. Works for me!

I saw few more with the traditional leather outfit and I am truly bummed I missed them.

Instead, I found a couple of Fire Emblem cosplay. This is in my opinion rather rare. Look at this, I found an entire group of them.

I first noticed Gaius. I was able to confirm him because of all the candy he carries, haha. I asked him for a photo and slowly noticed it was a whole group of them!

I have to admit I am not familiar with Echoes of Valentia, so other than recognizing them as such characters I had no clear image of them (it helps I play Fire Emblem Heroes, and Alm is simply very recognizable as a main character). The left two folks are characters from Echoes; Lukas and Alm (correct me if wrong). The folks on my right side I could clearly recognize though, as I do play Awakening. Those are Tharja and Gaius. I kept wondering if I was not mistaking her for Rhajat, as Rhajat and Tharja look very much alike, but Rhajat wears different clothing and has much less of a role in the games.

I also saw a Robin cosplay from a few Comic Cons ago, but I didn’t bother him. I did bother Marth! Eh... yeah. That’s Marth, no one else!

I kept insisting on saying this as my friend has not played Awakening yet. No spoilers!

I wonder if she as well was comfortable with the mask; I liked wearing a mask. Even though no part of me is anonymous wearing it, I still have that anon vibe going on, and I liked it.

I also of course had to take a photo with a Mei cosplay. You know, from Overwatch.

She was actually the first person I took a photo with! I’m sad I never saw that Lucio cosplay again; the one that made me want to play Lucio in the first place.

When we were just leaving the building, I saw a version of Alice from Alice: Madness Returns, one of my favourite mindless hack-and-slash games. I already had my ponytails down (still not sure how I prefer my hair as Ladybug has ponytails, but my outfit is already a custom version so who knows).

I love it especially when I see Alice cosplayers who decide to go with another version than her regular dress or Hysteria mode. Not that those do not look awesome as well though; please don’t get me wrong. I would go for the regular dress if I would ever decide to cosplay her myself, at least the first time. It’s more accessible. How cool would it be to have all versions though?

Either way, after this we were really leaving... or so we thought. 

We got offered to take a photo for free and have it printed straight away. My friend, who will be Chat Noir, did not mind as well. We realized we had never taken a photo together despite annually visiting this event. Well, here’s the result!

Please don’t ask me who she cosplays again; my anime knowledge is horrible.

That does sum up day one though!

Day two!

On Sunday the floor was filled with a lot less people, which made shopping much easier. We arrived later this day as compensation for starting so early on Saturday. The first thing I did was pick up some items I had written down, which were mostly buttons, and bought an extra from the shops I had not seen the day before.

Those are a fair amount! I also bought new dice for Dungeons & Dragons now that I actually play it more than I usually do. They are glow in the dark and it gives more of a healer-vibe than my red dice (in D&D I am a cleric who wants to heal the world with her magic).

The buttons are from several different things. The first button is Mei from Overwatch again; this button was too adorable. I think I expressed to too many shops that Lucio is lacking though, and I hope they did not take offense as I did not mean it in such a way! The heart-shaped button is all the Digimon from the first season. The bottom left is a Pokemon button; I am not a huge Pokemon fan despite playing Pokemon GO like an idiot, but Ninetales is my favourite Pokemon and the Alola version of Ninetales and Vulpix are amazing. The last button in particular has nothing to do with anything in particular other than being a pride button expressed through a cat.

I also bought a flower crown from the shop I saw on Saturday. I bought it by the end of the day and I only had 10 euros of budget left; just enough for one flower crown. I wanted more, but I had to pick my favourite.

My friends and family both agree that this flower crown basically screams my name. Black and blue is my favourite colour combination and roses are my favourite flowers. In other words, it’s perfect!

That was all the merchandise. I had to make some tough calls; I did not buy the Balrog Funko despite being a very fair price and I had to say no to Digimon charms (though to be fair I think I have seen them cheaper elsewhere). I’ve never owned so many buttons in my life; I want a proper bag to show them off on now. That is for later.

Because there were a lot less people, there were a lot less people in cosplay, so my amount of photos is limited for this day. I also had to pass on a photo with another Ladybug and a Chat Noir because my mate was doing something else at the time and thus I could not take a photo of us (I don’t like doing selfies as I prefer the full costume shot). I did see a rather casual version of Chat Noir and once I read the text on their shirt I freaking loved it.

It was another case of “I was just about to ask you for a photo as well,” which I find flattering.

Oh, and as you can tell, this day I just decided to have no pony tails. No hassle.

We also went for a “pound it!” shot, but for the photo’s sake we did not do the full arm reach. It’s still a place full of people.

I like it when others come up with pose ideas as I never know what to do (if you look closely you will find I often just do the hero pose in most pictures).

I also bumped into yesterday’s Marinette again (who brought a different Adrien). We took some photos together, but she is the owner of those photos, so I am hoping she will send them to me. I’ve also given many hugs to her and Adrien despite not being much of a hugger, haha. We were inspired by a girl with a ‘free hugs’ sign (who of course also got a hug as she was almost at 200 hugs from strangers).

The other cosplay I took a photo with was Thor and Helya.

When I walked behind them I said to my friend ‘if that Thor actually has a beard I want a photo taken’ - saw their front and went right towards them, haha. The con was actually over, so I was lucky I could get a photo with them. Usually when a con is over people just want to leave, which I can totally get into. We look like a really awkward super hero squad since I look a lot happier than the other two, haha! 

That’s it for photos that I took with other cosplay, but one remarkable thing happened.

Someone dressed as Newt from Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. She made all the creatures herself if I recall correctly (see images below). A true craftswoman. This is why a couple of people (including yesterday’s Marinette) suddenly went down on their knees and bowed for her!

I think it is safe to say she was flabbergasted (but did end up owning it for the photo’s sake). I had never seen this before and she told me this had never happened to her before either. This was a true unique sight!

I am also very impressed with her creatures. She used felting for the tiger, that must’ve taken so much work as most people only use felting for small things. This lass deserves all those bows. I said that if I wasn’t in a skirt, I would’ve joined in as well.

That sums up my adventure. If I find any photos taken of me online, I will edit this post and add them to the bottom. Dutch Comic Con is always such a hoot!

Oh, and I hugged a furry. For some reason this was on my bucket list. I always wonder how they get their suits, sounds like an expensive (and exhausting to wear) business!

Other unrelated side note; Pokemon GO and Dutch Comic Con worked together, allowing all visitors (or other people in Utrecht) to catch the Unown letters that shape the words Comic Con (C, O, M, I, N). I thought this was an amazing twist, you should have seen me when I arrived Saturday. I opened the app and saw five Unown nearby. I went nuts and told my friends to GO TOWARDS THEM RIGHT AWAY without knowing this would be a weekend-long event. I think this is one of the few times you could have seen me that excited, haha!

DCC 2018 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) RCC 2018 - Mimi (Digimon) WDCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) ACC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) DCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) RCC 2017 - Mimi (Digimon) ACC 2016 - Hook (Once Upon A Time) DCC 2016 - Ladybug (Miraculous Ladybug) DCC 2015 - Sunday - Hobbit (Lord of the Rings) DCC 2015 - Saturday - Ellie (The Last of Us)

I have been to Elfia in 2015, but I cannot find this post. I was Donna Noble and I actually had a really bad day, which is why I have never returned to Elfia.