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christ-h0le · 3 years ago

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The Weight of Gold

Summary: Imagine if S.Coups was Robin Hood and he takes a nap in the woods but in the woods there were bad boiz.

Genre: Fantasy

Words: 1.5K

Part 1 of TBA

This is for the #caratcreatorwriter event with some buds (new friends). Thank you @seungkwns for hosting, and thank you @coupsnim for being my partner. Please look at their blogs as they are better than me.~

With heavy eyelids our hose-clad protagonist laid down his head to rest. The still and peaceful sounds of the lush woods were too enchanting to ignore. As the wind rustled through the leaves of the Sherwood Forest S.Coups slept.

A simple carpenter's life kept him safe. Like the sturdiness of the nails and wood he worked with, his job gave him security and sureness. Once out in the forest he was a different man. He could finally be a man unshackled from a world where worth was weighed in coins, and if you didn't have enough...

Sherwood Forest offered him a sanctuary. It was a place where possibilities were endless. Around one weathered rock he could be free. Behind that gnarled oak he could live at peace. Life could be different in the woods. The calluses on his hands didn't have to be used to keep him a productive member of society. Instead, they could help him climb the tallest of trees where he could feel the wind rushing through his shaggy brown hair.

It was always hard for him to get a good night's sleep within the bleak walls of town. At night while laying in bed he'd stare at the ceiling with unsleeping eyes. His ears would pick up his own doubts bouncing off the masonry. Thoughts of his humdrum existence would infiltrate the time he could finally escape. Luckily when the daylight shined there was hope that even in the mud-baked village he could be happy. His hard work would pay off. He could live free. With no taxes to pay he could afford an extra loaf of bread. He would have enough money to take a day off of his grueling work and enjoy a good drink with some friends. Tax collectors wouldn't have that happen. Just last week he witnessed a collector, Kwon Soonyoung dressed in expensive furs, push down his neighbour after they refused to give up forty percent of their earnings. Forty percent! It was despicable the way the rich treated the poor and it was obvious that they skimmed the top before giving them to the king. How else could they afford striped animal furs otherwise? Their guilty pockets were lined with the sweat of the villagers. With his sweat. Maybe without the expectation of that heavy levy S.Coups would rest easy in his bed at home.

In the Forest Seungchol slept. Even at midday he could sleep easily under the leafy canopy and the foliage-filtered sunlight danced on our hero, devoid of all worry. How quickly did the peacefulness of nature disarm him? It took only a few minutes of his eyes being closed before our main character was fully and deeply asleep. His shoulders relaxed and his body sunk lower into his leafy bed. With a steady breath and a relaxed face he slept peacefully and soundly. Better than any sleep he could hope to have in his own bed.

The sun moved across the sky but S.Coups did not stir. In the distance a robin called out to its mate but Seungchol did not wake. Bees bobbed from flower to flower, dizzy with nectar but he kept sleeping. Not a single fear crossed his unbothered face. The only thing on our peaceful protagonist that changed were the shadows as minutes and hours passed. Without the worry of Soonyoung demanding his hard-earned wage he could sleep without fear.

There was more to fear in the woods than tax collectors. Though the Sherwood Forest brought Seungchol peace and tranquility it was filled with the unknown. Behind each mossy stone there was the chance of an angry boar, a crazed hunter, or greedy brigands coming and fucking up his beauty sleep. There was the chance he was the second guest to that bed of leaves. With no ceiling to stare at, unknown eyes could instead look at him. Where the only noise was the breathing of S.Coups how could one not stop and listen? In the woods one was not always safe and this soft man with not a single worry on his beautiful face, was definitely not safe.

A flock of fowl fluttered up into the sky as a branch snapped. People were drawing near. The glow of a torch was growing ever brighter as the strangers made their way through the dense brush of the woods. Handsome faces appeared through the foliage, ruggedly sexy but harsh in the glow cast by the fire they carried. Then they saw him sleeping there all peaceful-like. With closed eyes Seungchol didn’t stand a chance to see the equally sexy, and equally hose-clad men draw near. S.Coup’s was too busy staring at the back of his eyelids to see all the shenanigans. It was obvious they were planning something by the way they were whispering and nodding to one another; a plan that was devious at its best and horrific at its worst. With light steps a handful of the group crept up, the soft earth cushioning the sounds of their steps. They closed the distance between them with care, not wanting to wake our sleeping carpenter ahead of schedule.

However the time would have to come when both parties’ fates would forever be intertwined. Our mysterious brigands couldn’t be quiet for much longer. With only a few steps between them and their target one of them made his move. His hands reached forward; one palm covering the inevitable shout that tried to escape S.Coup’s throat, the other hand brandished a short knife which he held to the now very awake man’s neck.

“If one word comes out of that pretty mouth of yours I’ll cut you down faster than you can blink.” said the man. By the way he held the knife, S.Coups was convinced he’d be able to follow through. Not that he could say anything at all with his mouth covered up. He could only nod his head to show he understood and pray that harm wouldn’t fall upon him.

He was wide awake and took stock of the situation.

Seven men surrounded him in total and each man bared a weapon. Most held knives but one man at the back had a bow with an arrow notched, another could be seen with a hatchet. Being woken up this was worse than rude, It was terrifying.

S.Coups couldn’t focus on the others for too long as there was a more pressing issue. That issue was a cold piece of sharpened metal pushed firmly against his throat and the man who held it there. His wide eyes looked up at him and saw a beautiful man staring back. The villain had a long and straight nose and a freckle under one of his eyes. If he wasn’t being held up, S.Coups would think he was handsome.

The firm hand that held him silent softened and withdrew but the eyes of his captor kept him pinned to the forest floor.

“Now.” DK started, moving to a standing position. His partners changed formation and circled S.Coups. “Give us all your money and we’ll let you live.”

This day DK, sometimes called Dokyeom or Seokmin by his friends, stood tall and proud, happy to be leading his crew to victory in apprehending their target. He commanded the band of merry men only by name; the rest of the crew was capable in their own rights and if anything, they all shared responsibility in the group. Truthfully the only reason DK was leader was because he had won a bout of rock, paper, scissors. Luck was with his back then as well as now. They were about to get paid.

“You heard what I said. Give us all your money.” he said kicking Seungchol, laughing all the while. His pals laughed along with him, joining in on the fun.

When you lived in the woods poor and with very little food it felt nice to have power over someone sometimes. Kicking people wasn’t everyone’s definition of fun, but being able to afford a warm meal and a brew under a roof was worth doing some deplorable things every now and then. They looked at the man on the ground expectantly, they were all ready for money.

“I don’t have anything,” Seungchol said, covering his face with his hands for protection from their kicks. “Check my coin pouch if you don’t believe me.” He didn’t want any trouble. He might be able to outrun the average man, or win against one person in a fight, but against seven he stood no chance. All he wanted was to get away out of the dark woods and back to his gloomy, but safe, bed.

DK pocketed his knife, and leaned forward to search S.Coups. “You’d better not be tricking me,” he said harshly. With no pay in hand DK wouldn’t be kind, but even less so if he was being lied to. If there was one thing worth less than a broke person, it was a liar. The crew he was with was permanently broke but they all had trust for one another, and that was a beautiful thing; a group of criminals with no monies that called each other friends.

With no consideration for comfort, Seokmin roughly searched S.Coups, looking for any traces of wealth on his person. It didn’t take long for his hands to find the coin pouch. It didn’t take a genius to see that it was empty. “So, our victim was telling the truth,” DK thought. With a sigh, Dokyeom stood up and turned to his crew.

“Guess this guy ain’t very cash money. Looks like we’ve got to kill him now.”

#caratcreatorwriter #seventeen #svt #seungchol #scoups #svt fantasy #svt fluff #fanfic #dokyeom #seokmin

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apothecarinomicon · 3 years ago

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Spring week 4 part 3

After my hectic experience with the marshbloom, I decided to take a day for myself. Greenmoor isn’t anywhere near the ocean, but Meltwater Loch is big enough that I figured a day spent there could be considered a beach day. And after the couple of weeks I’d had, boy did I need a beach day.

But anyone who’s read this far ought to be familiar with my luck by now. There’s a lot to record, but I’ll try to get it down in order.

────⊱⁜⊰────

It was a beautiful day—clear blue sky, warm air, and (at least when I first arrived) no one around at Meltwater Loch. I spread out a towel on the beach and laid down for a good session of sunbathing. I’ve never been one for tanning, but simply laying doing nothing while being warmed by the sun and cooled by the breeze felt absolutely decadent.

After a while of simply existing, I became aware of the sound of a bird calling above me. I cracked my eyes open and recognized the large forms of a pair of gull-drakes flying overhead. Gull-drakes are a strange hybrid, both reptilian and avian. Their torsos and wings are feathered, while their heads, tails, and talons are scaled. They do have beaks like gulls, but their tails are prehensile like their alleged draconic ancestors’. I say ‘alleged’ because no one knows how the hybrid gull-drake came into being. The sheer anatomy and scale discrepancy between the average seagull and the average dragon fossil (they were much larger in ancient times than the pocket-sized lizards we have today) seems to rule out any cross-breeding. Additionally, the typical combination of traits displayed by gull-drakes is too awkward and ungainly to be the result of natural selection. And yet, there have been records of the gull-drake’s existence for just about as long as there have been records—the third-oldest surviving written document, in fact, is a bestiary which includes them along dozens of other species, most of which are now extinct.

Nature is a strange thing.

Digressions aside, there was a reason this caught my attention. Gull-drakes are scavengers, and have been known to leave catches uneaten while they go out to hunt for more. It’s just an evolutionary quirk—they prefer to feast only once per day. This means that, as they leave their nests unattended, some other opportunistic creature could come by and steal their catch.

It’s easy to identify a gull-drake nest, too—they tend to be very large, and are often positioned balanced atop large, pointy rocks. If a gull-drake catches you stealing, though, it’ll chase you and squawk at you and try to peck you until you drop the stolen goods and flee. They’re not too smart, though, so hiding in nearby foliage (say, a patch of large ferns) will fool them easily.

All of this to say, I managed to get myself a shock fish without a rod, all while only getting chased a little ways by a jealous, stupid bird.

────⊱⁜⊰────

As I returned to my towel, I heard an unusual sound—the put-put-put of a motor. Machinery of that kind is a fairly new invention, and unless you know how to make it, very expensive.

The woman driving the boat certainly looked like she knew how to make a motor. She was dwarven, with russet hair and a long beard, both held in thick braids. She was (as dwarves are) rather short—I'd estimate maybe one-and-a-fifth meters tall, and nearly as wide—with large hands and feet, and limbs thickly corded with muscle. She wore dark green coveralls and had a fairly heavy-duty fishing rod held in one hand so that it rested on her shoulder.

She shut the motor off as she neared and called out to me, asking if I was the village witch. I said that I was, and she told me that she was friends with my crocodilian patient. She thanked me for helping him, and said he would have been a goner without my potion-making skills. I demurred just a bit, saying I wasn't the only healer who helped him that day. She scoffed and dismissed my humility outright, saying that I might as well have been the only one—that without my care the village doctor wouldn't have been able to do anything.

She introduced herself as Janneth Hillhorn, and I told her my name in turn. She asked what I was doing out by Meltwater Loch and I told her I was taking a day off. She let me know that her cottage was just around the other side of the lake, near Glimmerwood Grove and right on the border of Blastfire Bog, and that I should feel free to stop in any time. I thanked her.

At this point, there was a tremor in the water. It couldn't have been an earthquake because the land wasn't shaking, but the water abruptly became much more active. Ocean-like waves crashed into the shore and Janneth held tight onto the sides of her boat, doing her best not to capsize. I would have been quite alarmed in her situation, but Janneth barely seemed preturbed. I asked something along the lines of "what the blight is going on?!" As the water settled, Janneth told me that this was a common occurence on Meltwater Loch, a quirk that—many said—was due to the emotions of its guardian sea-dragon, Bàs Bàta. I found this explanation rather silly, reminiscent of an old wives' tale. I'd never heard of a sea-dragon before, and given that the name ‘Bàs Bàta’ directly translated to "boat death," I figured it was just a local story told to frighten children and dismissed it out of hand.

Astute readers should be growing worried for me right about now.

Janneth offered to give me one of the fish she'd caught as a thanks for helping her friend. I initially refused, but she insisted. She looked through her basket and pulled out a dentist crab. The gel their claws produce is good for the mouth and plenty else besides, so I accepted and thanked her. She thanked me right back and said (perhaps jokingly?) not to run afoul of Bàs Bàta while I was out by the loch. I forced a laugh as she sped away.

Once she was out of sight, I collected some claw gel from the dentist crab and released it back into the water.

────⊱⁜⊰────

There was another rumbling as I made my way back to the beach, and as it abated I saw something bob up to the surface of the water close to the shore. It presented itself, et cetera et cetera, I waded in to see what it was.

I scooped it out of the water and found myself holding a glass bottle, like the kind that rum or sweet wine would come in, sealed with a cork and containing a rolled-up sheet of paper. Of course, I opened it immediately. I found that the sheet inside wasn’t quite *paper,* but something more slippery—maybe made of seaweed? It did have writing on it, though. As I unfurled it, a few things that looked like pebbles fell out. I barely managed to catch them before they hit the surface of the water. I put them in my pocket for safe keeping.

The writing on the note was as follows, with no spelling changes by me:

Let it be known that I fink this whole exercise is stupid. And pointless. And probly meant as some kind of sick, twisted punishment. No one but little kids believe in terrafolk, so I don’t know why the instructress is making us do this.

Even if anyfing could live above the water, there’s no way its advanced enough to read. How would it get all the minerals it needs wivout processing the water?

But anyway. I guess I ave to fulfill the prompt.

Me name is Genoveva, I live in the I.S.A.C.S. (that's short for 'Isolated Sovereign Aquatic City-State, but we all just pronounce it like 'Isax") and I’m in the fifth year of me education. I hate me name. I wish I could ave somefing exotic like a John or a Steve or a Sarah, but I’m stuck wiv boring old Genoveva. If you’re somehow able to read this, that must mean you ave schools on the surface, too. Wat ar they like? Ar they as boring up there? We all ave to sit in a circle and listen to the instructress drone on and on and on.

I live wiv me merma and me perpa and me two baby brothers. Do you ave family? I've got loads of cousins too.

On the rubric it says I ave to include a small gift, so I'm putting some fossil fish scales in wiv this letter. I found em on me way to school this morning and there not of use to me, but I figure you probly don't ave fish on land so maybe scales ar valuable up there.

If you're inclined to write back (no pressure), you can just pop your note in the bottle and put it back into the water. It'll find its way to me—there's magic all around, don't you know.

Signed,

Genoveva Galbrait, 5th year

[An accessible version of this letter can be found here.]

The letter obviously has some pretty complex implications. An entire society under the surface of Meltwater Loch, entirely unaware of the world above the surface beyond fairy stories? What must life be like down there? What kind of society must they have? How do they supply food? Get rid of waste?

What resources might be available there that can't be found on the surface?

I decided that somehow I was going to find a way to visit ISACS, and learn everything I could about it. I bet that would impress the University of Arcbridge. I wasn't sure how I would breathe under the water for long enough, but I was determined to find a way.

Take your final guesses now what happened next.

That water-quaking started up again, this time stronger than before. Waves crashed against the beach where I stood, and I felt a great vibration in my chest and in my head.

And then, it broke the surface of the water.

Giant and blue-green and serpentine, Bàs Bàta rose up before me. A blighting sea-dragon, it stood straight up in the air at least twice as tall as my cottage—and that was just the part of its body I could see. Its head was shaped like the tip of an arrow, with three great spikes sprouting out of the back (the outer two longer than the middle one). It let loose another deep roar, dousing me in spittle. It thrashed about, causing great waves to crash onto the shore, and through my shock I realized its movements might be less characteristic of anger than of pain.

My suspicions were confirmed when it roared again: one of the fangs right near the front of its mouth was missing a chip, and had a great crack running nearly all the way up to the root. That had to hurt. I'd never treated a non-humanoid before—or, for that matter, a cracked tooth—but I realized even past the moral obligation to help, there was no way I could access the underwater city-state without calming Bàs Bàta down.

I found out later, after I'd scrambled away from the lake and sprinted back to the cottage, after wiping the saliva off of me and getting at least some of it in a bottle for potion use, that the saliva was actually a really useful ingredient in treating shattered teeth. As it turns out, it's a pretty strong painkiller. Unfortunately, I knew I'd need more than just that to make a cure, and with the sheer size of Bàs Bàta, I suspected I'd need to make more than one potion.

That will have to be a longer term project, then, because the events of my relaxation day have worn me out. I've got to get to bed. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

⇦●〇●⇨

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ezrasarm · 4 years ago

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Oh man it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. Thanks for tagging me @moonlight-prose!

Nickname: I go by Moose on here but Snache is one I’ve had from family for as long as I can remember. Otherwise I just get lame shortenings of my name a lot 😂

Pronouns: she/her

Star sign: Sagittarius (I never know how to spell that)

Height: 5′7

Time currently: 7:44am it’s coffee time babyyyyy

Birthday: December 20th

Favorite groups/bands: Too many to choose from!!! Pearl Jam, Temple of The Dog, Mad Season, The Frames, CCR, The Band, Steppenwolf, CSNY, The Walkmen, anything with Jack White in it because hes in a lot of great bands, Cream, The Decemberists, Death Cab For Cutie, Fleetwood Mac and many more that I’m missing

Favorite solo artist: Mick Flannery, Hozier, David Keenan, Glen Hansard, Eddie Berman, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Rodríguez, Father John Misty, Laura Marling, Joni Mitchell, Lisa Hannigan, god I know I’m missing so many amazing ones too

Song stuck in my head: Boys in the Better Land - Fontains D.C.

Last movie you watched: Oh god I don’t even know. I was watching snippets of Prospect for my infographic but I think the last one I watched all the way through might have been Unbreakable

Last show you binged: Star Wars Rebels because I’m addicted to Star Wars content apparently 😂

When you created your blog: My original one? I think it was 2015 but I didn’t really use it that much until 2016 and this one was exactly one year ago tomorrow! Spooky timing there!

Last thing I googled: Jaig Eyes

Other blogs: I have a fair few. My main is @just—a—snail, I have an old Pearl Jam fan account called @pearljamstuff which I haven’t been very active on lately, I have a semi-abandoned studyblr @mokastudies that I pop up on every once in a while when I decide I want to attempt being aesthetic™️ and this one for all things Star Wars and Pedro Pascal related

Why I chose my url: I found the idea of Ezra’s sentient arm off voyaging the world and blogging its life story funny so I rolled with it 😂

Do you get asks: Sometimes! And I love them but I’m afraid I’m slipping behind on replies cause I’ve been tangled up in school work and when it gets full (which in my book is anything more than five asks) I get freaked out and avoid it. It has nothing to do with you guys I’m just irrationally afraid of it at the moment

How many people you are following: almost 400 😂 because all of my very random interests in side blogs are connected to one main it’s a little messy and I’ve gotta clean it out cause it’s no longer a representation of my interests

How many followers: 1,200 👀 i don’t understand it either

Average hours of sleep: My cat ensures that I have a very consistent sleep schedule. I’ve gotta be up between 6:30 or 7 otherwise he thinks he’s gonna starve to death. I’d say it’s usually between 6-8 depending on how late I stay up scrollin’

Lucky number: I have no idea but when I thought about it the number 7 just popped up in my head so I’m gonna roll with it

Currently wearing: Sweat pants and a hoodie cause I just rolled out of bed

Dream job: People keep asking me this and I don’t know. Anything in a creative field sounds good to me. I think it would be very groovy to write screenplays though

Dream trip: A road trip around the ring road in Iceland or a tour through Ireland and the UK because I have a lot of friends over there that I miss dearly

Favorite food: Does coffee count? I have no idea, I just generally enjoy most food. Any kind of pie, a good Thai green curry, anything I can top with cilantro and lime—this all sounds simultaneously very vague and specific. The short answer is give me food and I’ll be happy.

Favorite song: I can not for the life of me try to answer this question but at the moment I’m really into a cover of Dear Prudence by Jerry Garcia

Top 3 fictional worlds to live in: I love this question! Star Wars, Prospect, Asgard but not even like the marvel comics one like the crazy one from actual Norse mythology cause shit gets wild in there

Tagging (but hey, no pressure): @ghostlyshadow @kiss-evans @alwaysbethewest @rebelhan @clone-rambles

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sophrosinn · 4 years ago

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indescribable

synopsis: Fashion photographer Bakugou Katsuki’s world got irrevocably changed when he inadvertently met Uraraka Ochako, whose fiery eyes are strangely familiar to him for some reason.

prompt: je ne sais quoi, a French phrase which literally translates to “I do not know what.” It is commonly used to describe a certain quality that cannot be adequately put into words.

word count: 1,628 words

note: Shout-out to @vanaera and @senfleurs for being the bestest friends a girl could ever ask for. Seriously, I hope you both realize just how much your words have motivated me to continue writing.

If you have noticed any inaccuracies, please let me know. Also, I am unsure as to whether or not to continue this. I guess we’ll see in time. Comments and constructive criticisms are highly appreciated! ❤️

—

Under the bright stage lights, as if it was only natural, Katsuki’s eyes found hers immediately among the sea of hopeful faces. She, with her soft pink ensemble, doe eyed look, and short but curvy physique, stood out in the crowd of skinny figures dressed in the fanciest clothes with practiced smiles and brimming with confidence. It was ironic, to say the least, that it seemed that his eyes automatically singled her out when there was nothing remarkable about her appearance: a simple white buttoned top with cut-out shoulders tucked into her pastel green flowing skirt. Her eyes, though, were different from her otherwise inconspicuous get-up. They sparkled with unflinching determination, almost breaking through the surface of her fragile mask of composure. It was a look of pure challenge, taunting and daring, and fuck, it looked really good on her cherub face. Not one to back down from challenges, Katsuki stared right back, unable to stop the feral grin from breaking out on his face.

This should be interesting, he thought.

“You, round face, at the back,” he called out, resolutely, as if there could never be any other choice than her (and perhaps, there never was). His voice reverberated against the four walls of the studio room, halting all the quiet conversations and nervous ramblings among the participants at once. “With the orange headband and grass skirt.”

Everyone turned to look at him, for this was the first time he had spoken after he was introduced ten minutes ago. not that he needed any kind of introduction. He was Katsuki Bakugou, a photographer whose name has long been circulating in the fashion industry for having featured in and worked with various famous magazines. His parents have long since established the family’s reputation by creating the most glamorous and avant-garde designs to grace the catwalk. While Katsuki chose a path for himself, opting instead to work behind a camera, he did not stray too far from his parents’ influence.

Nonetheless, in spite of his wish to separate his career from his parents’ connections, he quickly rose to fame for being a Bakugou. Katsuki, being his usual self, did not bother to prove himself to anyone else. After all, his photographs, which were more than enough to showcase his abilities, never failed to capture the candidness and reality beyond the fabricated portrayal of the world of fashion.

And now there he was, inside a spare atelier in his parents’ building, searching for a suitable candidate for his next project. Given his work history, it was not unusual that out of all the stunning women occupying the same room as him, he chose her.

She, who must have been unconsciously looking at him, but was actually intensely focused on something else. Because the second he pointed at her form, she froze. As did everyone else, and a beat of unnerving silence passed.

Her eyes went wide in bewilderment, surprised at the sudden attention. When she answered, it was meek and hesitant. “M-me?” She pointed at herself, and under the scrutinizing eyes of the other hopeful attendees, she reminded him of a gazelle about to be preyed upon by a pack of hungry lions.

It was fucking hilarious to Katsuki, the duality with which the girl held herself. Just a moment ago, he glimpsed a vexed goddess, looking every bit as someone rudely awakened from her eternal slumber. Now, it’s gone, and there’s barely a trace of her left in this fragile girl.

“Yes, you,” he replied, “what’s your name, round face?”

Ah, there it fucking was, he thought as he was regarded with that same blazing look in her eyes. But as quickly as it came, it was gone underneath her lids as she closed her eyes. She took a deep breath before replying in a steady voice, “Ochako Uraraka, sir!”

Although he was expecting it, he had to admit that he was surprised to hear the strength in her voice. From that distance, he can almost see her fists clenched at her sides.

“Uraraka,” he breathed, amused at how strangely natural it seemed to roll off his tongue. “Follow me then.”

Uraraka immediately nodded, squeezing in between the women standing in front of her, before following Bakugou who’s almost out the door. However, Kirishima, Bakugou’s optimistic friend and close companion, stopped him from leaving by asking: “but what of the other girls?”

“Escort them to the exit, and make sure they don’t loiter and find any of the old hag’s stuff lying around. It’s almost fashion week, you know how fucking chaotic it gets.”

“Got it, Bakubro.” Kirishima saluted him, about to turn the other way when he immediately stopped. “Even if I’m so not your assistant.”

Smirking, Bakugou crossed his arms and raised one of his eyebrows at Kirishima. In return, Kirishima stared at him unnervingly, and by the looks of it, it seemed like an unspoken conversation was ongoing between the two men.

In the end, Kirishima sighed good-naturedly, putting his hand on Bakugou’s shoulder. “This is why they say you run your assistants dry,” Kirishima quipped, shaking his head at Bakugou before he turned to the side, smiling brightly at Uraraka. “Nice to meet ya, Ms. Uraraka! I’m Kirishima! Play nice, Bakubro!”

With that, he winked at Bakugou and took off.

“That dumbass,” Bakugou muttered, walking out the door and motioning for Uraraka to follow him.

In the silent hallway, Uraraka cleared her throat awkwardly. “Uh, Bakugou-san? Sir?”

He grunted in response.

“I just want to say thank you for choosing me. I know I’m not that pretty as all those other girls, and given that I just came from the province, I probably wouldn’t know what to do but I promise I will do—”

“Tsk.” He clicked his tongue and ran a hand over his hair in frustration. Apparently, this girl has not seen any of his works; when did he ever choose a conventionally pretty model? He, honest to God, never cared for looks; his photographs attest to that fact. “Don’t be fucking daft, I didn’t choose you because you’re pretty.” He paused and turned around, intending to let his words sink in.

At the same time, he also took the chance to look over her form (average height, chopped angled bob cut for her brown hair, functional clothes), which, as he noted beforehand, were nothing out of the ordinary. He gazed at her face, and as he did, he was once again greeted by those fiery eyes—that same look which demanded his attention. There was a fire burning just beyond the surface of her brown irises, as bright and dazzling as the afternoon sun, when her face twisted in irritation. He was pleasantly surprised to see that. But in just a blink of an eye, the look was gone, replaced instead by embarrassment as she averted her gaze away.

Bakugou internally groaned. Dumbass wears her fucking heart on her sleeve. How. Wonderful.

“You’re right, I'm not pretty,” she eventually whispered, quite dejectedly if he must note.

“Listen, it’s because I am not looking for someone pretty—if I were, you wouldn’t be my first choice. And goddamn, are you blind or something? You are pretty.” At that, she jolted in surprise and stared at him, dumbfounded at the sudden compliment. Fuck, even he was shocked at himself. “Not beautiful, just, pretty, urgh, fuck off,” he immediately amended which earned him a giggle.

“Really?” she cheekily replied, and he ignored her in favor of maintaining his cool.

“Here’s the thing, the fact that you’re here means that you thought you’ve got what it fucking takes to succeed in this line of work.” She nodded, opening her mouth, perhaps intending to contradict him but he wasn’t quite finished chiding her. “And goddamn, you do. Don’t waste my time and my fucking trust, which I don’t freely give to just some random extra, if you’re just gonna spout some nonsensical bullshit about your appearance or whatever fucking absurd things you’ve got going inside that head. I’ll say this only once: this industry is not for the bitch ass whiny pissbabies, and if you think you are one of those, then fuck off and don’t return.”

Fucking hell! So much for cool.

He took a deep breath, releasing the tension in his shoulders, before he turned to look at the round-faced newbie whose face’s—wait, what the fuck, are his eyes deceiving him or does she really have the guts to outright laugh at his face?

“What’s so funny, huh?”

Uraraka spluttered, covering her mouth to stifle her giggles but it was for moot. He watched dumbly as she tried to stop her laughter, eyes crinkled with tears flowing down to her rosy cheeks. Frozen still, immobilized by the ringing sound of her carefree laughter in his ears, Bakugou had the sudden urge to reach for his camera and immortalize the breathtaking moment.

“You, Mr. Bakugou, sir! Thank you for your words, as harsh as they may seem, I mean—that was your attempt at bolstering my confidence, right?”

“Fucking—call me Bakugou. Don’t add any ‘sir,’ makes me feel goddamn old.”

“Well, your scowl certainly makes you look like a grump,” she offhandedly commented.

“What?!” he barked. This chick was really testing the limitations of his short fuse, huh?

She immediately jerked upright at the tone of his voice. “Nothing, si—I mean, Bakugou! E-he.”

He exhaled through his nose. “What-the-fuck ever, I’m out of here. Tell that red-headed idiot,” he pointed at Kirishima who’s running to catch up to them, “your contact details. Or don’t, see if I care.”

“Don’t worry, Bakugou,” she called out behind him, “I won’t give in! I'll have you know I'm tough!”

He didn’t doubt her one bit.

#boku no hero academia #bnha #mha #katsuki bakugou #ochako uraraka #bakugou x uraraka #kacchako #bakuraka #kacchako fluff #bakugou imagines #bakugou scenarios

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enthusiasticsobrietyabuse · 4 years ago

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Parent Manipulation Part 2 - Originally posted in 2005 OnTheEmmis.com, a Meehan Program Survivor Website and Discussion Forum. (ICECAP is the former incorporation of enthusiastic sobriety programs, it has since dissolved due to the effectiveness of OnTheEmmis.com)

So what’s the harm?

Well, it’s a dishonest way to make a living, for starters, and that is the very least of the harm done to people.

Let’s start by looking at the staff.

ICECAP has several lines for the skeptic who attempts to question the professionalism and integrity of their general staff.

“I may not be a doctor, but I’ve had my face in the ground long enough to know what the dirt looks like” is the sort of catch-phrase one may encounter when asking about ICECAP staff qualifications. The idea is one borrowed from Alcoholics Anonymous, that only a drunk can help another drunk. AA has been widely successful in rehabilitating alcoholics based on this principal, in which the catalyst is that one’s experiences lends him/her the ability to identify with the ‘alcoholic who still suffers’.

Further, the staff of ICECAP claims to function therapeutically from the platform of Alcoholics Anonymous principals and spiritual conditioning. The reason for all of this is so the ICECAP staff and methodology has a credible ‘foundation’ to justify its hiring and facilitation of non professional counselors. In short, AA is a household name, and is widely recognized as something that works. ICECAP uses this fact as a springboard for its operations.

The big problem with that idea is that ICECAP programs are not in any way similar to, affiliated with, kind of like, or even remotely in any way like AA. Alcoholics Anonymous is a non-profit self-help environment which has many safeguards cemented into its foundations that prevent any sort of ‘ego’ or for-profit interests from plaguing its members. Specifically, what AA refers to as ‘The Twelve Traditions’ are rigidly adhered to and aggressively enforced as guidelines to keep the AA name from anything that would divert the program from its primary purpose. The only similarity between ICECAP and AA is that they both have their members often form in a circle at the beginning and at the end of their meetings. Beyond that the two are apples and oranges.

Anyone who spends more than six months in both programs can easily see the canyon of differences that separate the two programs. The truth is, ICECAP drops the name of AA when it is convenient for them to do so, and rarely if ever gives the program any real credence.

“We are not AA, we are not trying to be AA, and we don’t play by the same rules as AA” (-direct quote- Michael C. Stonebraker, director and board member of ICECAP).

Ask ANY graduate from ICECAP, and they will tell you that a common dilemma that nearly every graduate experiences after leaving ICECAP and moving on to AA is that they are troubled with the inherent differences between the two groups philosophy’s for recovery. After years of ICECAP meetings, they are confronted with having to adjust to an entirely different program. In fact, most would say you are not off the mark if you suggested that it would have made just as much sense for them to graduate ICECAP into a monastery, or a school for lion tamers; instead of AA. They all have about the same in common: nothing.

Shouldn’t a program that claims to operate out of AA’s principals lend an easier transition to its clients from its rooms to AA itself?

I am painting this picture to illustrate that there is really nothing holding much water in ICECAP’s claim that its staff has credibility to function with kids from ideas that it ‘borrows’ from AA. To whatever extent a particular staff member of ICECAP attends or postures themselves as AA members, they do not deliver the principals of AA in a therapeutic manner to their clientele.

So what does that leave them with? Not much. The average ICECAP counselor is a high school drop out with no college or accredited training whatsoever. If asked for their credentials, they will respond with an array of phrases and ideas, all of which are meant to lead one away from any real answer. They will suggest with confidence and bravado that since they ‘come from the same place’ as their clients, they have an ‘edge’ in dealing with them the rest of the ‘professional’ community doesn’t. All of this can be very convincing to a parent, especially since their child seems to have taken so well to the given staff member. Again, this is ICECAP using the ‘unorthodox is better’ angle to begin the process of manipulation.

If long hair, dated language, concert t-shirts, a pretty face and a proletarian understanding of AA principals were all it took to rehabilitate a drug addict, then the world would be free of drug addiction tomorrow. The problem is that that is pretty much the only thing the average ICECAP counselor has going for him/her in terms of professionalism. They are funny and good looking. They know how to say ‘dude’ without looking like an old nerd. Kids love them and worship them. But they are INEPT AT ASSISTING THEM TO RECOVER FROM REAL DRUG ADDICTION!

So what then, does the average ICECAP counselor provide for a kid, if not sound professional guidance into the world of recovery?

Here are some of my observations on ICECAP provisions:

Kids in ICECAP are subjected to enormous pressure to take on the identity of a ‘dope fiend’. The ‘dope fiend’ model is constantly being illustrated to newcomers by staff and group members. It begins with traits that a lot of teens possess…rebellious action/ideation, foul language, ‘shock value’ expressionism, etc. But the irresponsible thing that ICECAP does with kids is that it sets them up to feel inadequate if they do not measure up to the complete profile of ICECAP’s ‘dope fiend’. The reason that this is such a bad idea is because the majority of ICECAP clientele are NOT ‘dope fiends’. If your kid is in ICECAP for any period of time, you will see a mental, physical and emotional change in them. Most parents (especially the ones who have invested thousands of dollars into this) view this as a good thing. If the changes in the child were not for the worst, I would agree with them. However, these changes include almost invariably the following:

Separation from school/education/career

Increased use of tobacco. Non-smokers will be encouraged to take up smoking (bizarre, but true).

The decline of a coherent or educated vocabulary. This is no joke. There is a rigid ‘dummied up’ dialect spoken by every member of ICECAP.

The encouragement of illegal behavior (curfew violations, trespassing, vandalism, underage smoking, etc.).

Limited exposure to outside influences. Music, films, books, clothes, sources of education, hairstyles, jewelry, where you get a cup of coffee, tattoos, leisure activities and more are all mandated by ICECAP doctrine.

Maladjusted/confused sexual behavior (more on this later)

One dimensional thinking/ apparent inability or unwillingness to think diversely or with any complexity.

Extremely narrow elements of thoughts applied to a very wide range of ‘life factors’, or; every problem life presents seems to have the same two or three things as an answer/rationale.

Constant fear of being ‘fucked up’, or ‘spiritually bankrupt’. ‘Negative’ actions by other people are consistently the result of these things.

Inconsistent/erratic emotional responses to seemingly normal situations.

Why would a kid willingly subject themselves to this?

The hook for teens is fairly obvious: Their parents leave them alone, they no longer have to go to school, they are allowed to smoke cigarettes, swear, and die their hair indigo blue if they want to, and there is usually a large enough pool of attractive peers to make the whole idea of ICECAP treatment not sound so bad.

Ask any current group member, and they will tell you that they do not feel controlled…that it is their choice to attend ICECAP. They will defend their positions with feverish resolve. They will claim moral high ground and a better way of life as what motivates them to ‘keep coming back’. Tell them that they are brainwashed, and they will respond by saying ‘well, maybe my brain could use a little washing…considering how sick I was’. Tell them they live their life in a ‘bubble’, and they will respond by saying ‘if this is a bubble, than I’m glad I’m in it…compared to the sick world I was a part of before!’

Two things are happening here: First, the child is offered nearly unlimited freedom, which in most cases is like a dream come true to them. What fifteen year old would turn that down? Second, instead of providing competent therapy or treatment, each kid is given this ‘dope fiend’ model, and as long as they adhere to this model, than they are ‘ok’. Everything that made Johnny ‘Johnny’ will be whittled away as he progresses through the ranks of ICECAP. He will attribute the changes to ‘getting rid of old behavior’, or ‘changing old tapes’, when in fact he is being herded and molded in a way that only a program facilitated by foolish, irresponsible amateurs can handle.

The sickest thing about this to me is the way they are manipulated by ICECAP into such devotion. The adolescent is such an impressionable creature, and everything that can possibly be used to woo them is carefully applied by ICECAP.

In Bob Meehan’s book, ‘Beyond the Yellow Brick Road’, there is a chapter called ‘The Teenage Psyche’. This is another decent chapter in this book. I’d encourage anyone to read it, because it perfectly illustrates what I am saying. If there is one thing that Meehan certainly has his finger on the pulse of, it’s what will attract a teenager. The ‘dope fiend’ model in which Meehan’s programs are forced to operate out of because of their gross lack of sound professional tools combined with the fact that ICECAP targets kids who are NOT ‘dope fiends’ creates a crippling environment for teenagers who would have otherwise just gone on with life.

Why would Meehan build his programs on such weak foundations professionally? To me that’s simple: Cheap labor. It’s not so hard morally to build a staff out of a bunch of negligent weirdoes like Mike Weiland, when your real aim has nothing to do with helping kids in the first place.

I believe that Bob Meehan has had two objectives from the very beginning. One was to satisfy his enormous ego, which he had never been able to accomplish prior to these programs. More importantly and certainly more dangerously, he wants money. It is no coincidence that every single person on the ICECAP payroll has been farmed from the group. These kids spend years trying to live up to those they believe (because they are told) are the most spiritually evolved humans on the planet (staff), and then picked to become the next generation of over-worked, under-paid servants of Bob Meehan’s empire.

Who pays the price? You, and more importantly…your kid.

And what of the rare occasion that a true addict walks through the doors of ICECAP?

It’s even worse for them. Many of them die.

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prettywordsyouleft · 5 years ago

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Her Name

noona-clock said:

congratulations on hitting this milestone! i'm so proud to know you and grateful to get to read the work you share with us. for my request, i would like to dare you to revisit the spiritual connection universe -- yes, with jae. but... while he was still alive. 😮have fun!!!!!

Pairing: Jae Park x OC

World: Spiritual Connection (read HERE)

Genre: period au / strangers to lovers / romance / fluff

Warnings: none

A/N: I’ve decided to keep the Spiritual Connection world to just one Y/N and so when I got this dare, I knew we needed to bring in an OC. I’m very happy that I’ve managed to connect this to another special story I’ve written in this world as well! I hope you all enjoy!

Word count: 4173

“You love that guitar a lot, huh?”

Jae glanced down at the instrument in his lap and he ran a hand over it fondly. Nodding once, he looked up and smiled. “It was given to me by the love of my life.”

Taking a gulp of the ale placed down before him, Jae looked in the retreating bartender’s direction before turning back to the men he sat with. “So, what’s the deal with her?”

“With who?” Sungjin, his new boss, asked and then glanced over Jae’s shoulder to one of the only females in the tavern. She shot him a polite smile before picking up a cloth to wipe down the bar counter. “Ah, you mean the tavern owner’s daughter.”

“Now you don’t go messing with her, you hear!” the young man on his right announced loudly, already feeling the effects of the alcohol he had half downed from his mug. Jae shot Wonpil a smirk, clapping a hand over his shoulders playfully.

“Looks like you’re a little too intoxicated to do anything about if I did.”

“But you won’t,” Brian concluded, catching Jae’s attention. The four others Jae sat with seemed rather protective of the girl which was why he was interested.

That and she the most stunning set of eyes he had ever seen before.

“I’m not about to be indecent with her!” Jae protested, raising his hands to defend himself. “I simply wanted to know what the deal with her was.”

“You mean the reason she didn’t greet you,” Dowoon mentioned and Jae nodded, furrowing his brows a little. At least the youngest had also noticed it. When Jae entered the tavern for dinner to celebrate his first full week at the estate with his new co-workers, he had seen her and greeted her warmly. She had merely nodded, turning away and darting off immediately as if he had frightened her. Jae couldn’t see how, he was just the average sort of type around here. Even if he was new to this village, nothing about him stood out other than his height. And he was certain being taller in life didn’t suddenly make him someone to be wary of.

“That’s B,” Sungjin told him, lifting his mug to his lips and gulping some of his ale down before continuing. “The tavern owner’s daughter. That’s all you need to know.”

“B? Is that a nickname?”

“She doesn’t talk,” Brian continued, shooting Sungjin a look when his friend placed a hand over his arm. The pair didn’t verbalise their thoughts, challenging one another with their gaze instead. It intrigued Jae; he had expected the secrets to be back on the farm he had been ploughing the fields of all afternoon for planting saplings. Brian nodded softly in the young woman’s direction. “She hasn’t for as long as I can remember. So you just go about being polite to her and leave it at that.”

Over the course of the next month, Jae did just that. He would greet B upon entering the bar, and thank her whenever she brought over his drink. Soon, Jae started sitting up on the stools by the counter, attempting to make conversation with her. It wasn’t as well-received as he expected. Yet he wanted to try since no one else ever did.

“The weather outside is nice today,” he mentioned after thanking B for his drink, and she smiled, nodding her head slowly. “Have you been outside to see it yet?”

Again, she responded by moving her head, this time shaking it from side to side.

“Do you like the sun? It gets pretty sticky when working out in it yet it’s nicer than the lashing rain,” he continued, and B shot him an exasperated look. He realised she must’ve heard when Brian told him all about her being mute. Still, just because she couldn’t talk didn’t mean he didn’t want to converse with her.

“Are your eyes brown or hazel?” he asked next and B emitted a noise, Jae’s eyes widening with surprise. It was a groan and he began to laugh heartily, her lips twitching with amusement. Turning away from him, B clenched the counter in her hands to steady herself before turning around and smiling forcibly.

Jae returned the gesture, albeit much more relaxed. “You know, I’m just going to keep annoying you right?”

She nodded curtly and he grinned. “Great, now that we have that establish- HEY, where are you going?!”

“You’re an interesting sort of person, Jae,” Brian told him as he slapped a hand on his shoulder with a chuckle, jerking his head in the direction of the girl who disappeared. “And just because you keep persisting doesn’t mean B won’t teach you a few lessons along the way.”

Jae was certain B’s smile grew wider every time she saw him. Today was no different, looking up from drying off a stack of mugs to give him a generous grin when he stepped up to the counter. Without even asking for a pint, she spun around to get him one, placing it down in front of him happily.

“Why, thank you, B.”

Tipping her head in answer, she turned back to the task at hand. She then whipped around when she noticed he was uncharacteristically quiet, a little breath leaving her when she saw what he was up to. Jae glanced up from the paper and ink pen he had, smiling at her again. “Oh, are you wondering what I’m doing? Well, no one has told me that you can’t read. Just that you’re no good at talking. I get that but you know, there’s only so many nods or shakes a man can take before you make him bust out some ink.”

Blushing, B tried to look away but the longer she watched the man scribble down words upon the paper, the more intrigued she became to read them. Jae noticed her avid attention, smiling to himself as he continued to write down all the questions in his head. When he was done, he then spun the paper around and held the pen out to her.

“Alright, it’s your turn.”

Slowly, she reached out for the writing tool and then started to circle her answers; even writing down a couple of notes herself. Jae was entranced, listening to all the little huffs of air she let out as she thought or how smiled to herself at some of his questions. It was all very simple stuff, but he could tell she was touched by his efforts. Finally, she placed the pen down and pushed the paper back to him.

“Let us see,” he announced, picking up the paper to read it. “Not much for the outdoors but you love a good book, got it. Oh, you like music?”

B nodded, pointing to the tiny stage in the corner where a lone guitar sat. Jae glanced at it and then went over to fetch the instrument. He strummed at it gently and B’s eyes widened. “Clearly you like music after all. Would it be improper of me to brag that I know how to play?”

He heard a scoffing tone and Jae glanced up at B as he tuned the guitar a little before playing a short melody. Her initial disbelief morphed into one of awe, and as Jae continued to play, the punters in the tavern all began clapping along in time. Jae only had eyes for the woman before him, her expression saying more than it had ever done before. Her eyes were alive with the music, her smile the loveliest to cross her face. She was finally charmed by him when he ended the song; Jae started to feel faint with how strong her eye contact was for a change. It was as if he had just fuelled passion into B with the one song he had played. If she was going to look at him like that, then he would play the guitar for her as long as his fingers worked.

“Well, how was that?” he breathed and she energetically bobbed her head back and forth, eyes twinkling with excitement. Jae tried to cool the rush of colour to his cheeks at her avid praise by turning back to the questions he had written for her. He had never needed a reason to be literate or play the guitar before but he was thankful his father was a teacher and insisted upon it even if his family wasn’t well off.

It had definitely paid off today.

Frowning when he noticed she hadn’t answered one of his questions, Jae spun the paper around and pointed to the empty space. “B, you missed one.”

Peering at the paper, she then let out a sound that he almost considered laughter. It distracted him momentarily, and he had to blink rapidly to catch the action from the woman. B tapped the side of her nose as if to say it was a secret, and then smiled, waving him off when Sungjin stood from across the room and announced it was time to head on home.

Still, Jae was determined to get her full name. Now that he knew she could read and write, he began to write letters to her in his spare time, handing them to her whenever he could. And soon, B started to respond to them, slipping folded paper over the counter from under her apron as soon as she saw him.

He would take those letters out when he was on a break from the manual labour of working the land around the estate, resting in the shade of the trees surrounding the gardener’s cottage he and his friends lived in. B had quite the humorous side to her and for someone who didn’t have much to say – or at all – she would often write triple the amount he could ever muster.

Jae was definitely infatuated, even her handwriting was the prettiest he had ever laid eyes upon.

He was certain he had done enough now to warrant that of her name, or at least a date. And so, on the day of rest when the affluent were in the chapel in town, Jae slipped into the servants quarters kitchen, collecting a basket that the cook had kindly prepared for him. And after his long walk into town, he approached the back of the tavern and knocked on the door that belonged to the home attached to it.

“Why if it isn’t the musician man,” a jolly man answered, and Jae chuckled awkwardly, trying to peer inside to see if B was around. “Are you here for me daughter?”

“Would it be alright to take her out, sir?”

“Well, if you can convince her to leave the house then she’s all yours,” the man bartered and Jae laughed, waiting as the father called out to his child and much to Jae’s dismay, he didn’t call her by her full name. When B appeared, rather flustered as well, Jae’s smile increased.

“Come out with me.”

She glanced down at her dress and then back up at Jae, who held out his hand for her to take. Lifting her hands in motion to tell him to stay, she then dashed upstairs with a whine, soon returning in a different dress and with a hat over her hair. Once they started walking, Jae turned to B and grinned. “You know, you didn’t have to change for me. You look lovely in everything. Besides, I’m just a gardener and only have four sets of clothes.”

B’s skin was rosy from his compliment and then she shuddered a little, Jae recognising it to be a dry laugh. He grinned and nudged her gently before holding out the basket he carried. “Shall we go down by the lake and share a meal?”

She nodded and they headed towards their destination, Jae’s hand itching to hold onto hers. He let it swing near hers, outstretching his fingers so the tips brushed against the back of her hand. She flinched upon the first contact and then smiled, letting him know it wasn’t as frightening as he thought it might be for her. Slipping his hand into hers, Jae grinned, laughing bashfully as his heart thudded in his chest. He didn’t think anything could feel any better than this.

But he had been wrong.

Lunch was full of chatter – at least on his behalf, and the food seemed to please B a great deal. He had then produced a book from inside the basket, proclaiming it to be his favourite that he had brought with him from home when he came to work at the estate. And instead of letting B take it to read, Jae opened it to the first page, clearing his throat and started to read aloud.

He read until the afternoon grew too warm and he felt her body slump into his side, deep breathing indicating that she had drifted off to sleep. Jae peered at B under her hat, taking in her peaceful expression.

Even though he knew a lot about what she liked through their letters, he still had so many questions.

Why didn’t she talk? He had gathered only a little more information quietly, finding that it was ever since her mother’s death that the young woman hadn’t spoken as opposed to being born unable to converse with others. It spurred on little fantasies, Jae often wondering just what her voice would sound like. After all, if there was nothing wrong with her vocal cords, then surely with some encouragement and trust, she could speak again.

Jae hoped he would hear the woman sleeping on his arm say at least one word in his lifetime. But then again, he was content with what he had with her already. Wonpil had been adamant that no one had ever tried nearly as hard as Jae to communicate with B and that had made the fellow man sad. Jae knew everyone meant well, they weren’t overlooking her. It was just easier to converse back and forth in this world with spoken words.

To Jae, B had spoken enough already. His heart was full, and he knew he couldn’t feel this way about anyone else. B had him captivated and he hoped with how relaxed she was around him now that she felt the same.

Still, Jae often tried throughout their budding relationship for two things; at least one word and preferably it being her name.

“Come on, B!” he cried as he splashed water at the woman from the lake, her head shaking rapidly as she smiled on the edge of the water. “Get in here!”

Dashing away, Jae leapt out of the water and came after her, encircling arms around her waist and drawing her back towards the water. She squealed and he laughed, pulling her in far enough that she was sufficiently wet when he was done. B gasped at her predicament before flinging water back at him, Jae opening his mouth incredulously which she only filled with more water thrown his way.

And then he heard her first proper laugh in his company. He became still in the water fight, listening to the way it sounded. It was unrestrained, like a beautiful melody floating around the lakeside. When B realised what had happened, she stopped short, growing concerned, almost ashamed. Jae merely stared back at her.

“No, don’t leave,” he murmured when she went to get out and B stopped moving away, Jae shuffling along in the water so he was back in front of her. “You can laugh in front of me. You needn’t hide it.”

She didn’t dare look him in the eye and Jae simply lifted her chin up, forcing her to look ahead in the very least. “It was beautiful. You’re beautiful.”

And then he kissed her.

He had expected B to resist and pull away, but as soon as she grasped that his lips were on hers, she met him with an unexpected hunger, nearly knocking them both over in the water. Jae gripped at her body as the kiss deepened, tongues moving together as one. With a deep breath, he went in for a second kiss, then a third, until both were breathless, falling apart only mere millimetres from one another’s lips.

With a smile, Jae brushed her hair away from her face. “I love you.”

Her eyes flashed with emotions, her swollen lips spreading out into the biggest smile. She leaned in to kiss him briefly in response, Jae knowing that she was already speaking volumes with him in this setting. Her love meant everything to him.

As did her laughter. Ducking down to splash water at her suddenly, he began to play again, listening to her shriek and giggle until they both abandoned the water to bask in the afternoon sun. It was his turn to rest against her, placing his head in B’s lap as she tenderly stroked his hair.

And just as his eyes closed, he was certain he heard her whisper his name.

Summer came and went, yet Jae’s romance with B only deepened. For his birthday, B gifted him his own guitar, in which he would carry on their dates wherever they went, singing and playing music for her to clap and laugh along to. She seemed to enjoy it the most when he would just make up random lyrics on the spot the most, her smile brighter than the moonlight above them as he walked her home.

And whilst he loved his gift, he still didn’t know her name.

It wasn’t without trying. He had attempted to list off names that started with B until she was giggling so much she almost stopped breathing.

“Won’t you ever tell me?”

She shrugged, giggling again as he groaned loudly.

And when he dropped her off at her front door, he left her with a parting kiss, expecting that to be all he would have to think about on his way back home. Instead, he almost dropped the guitar in his hand when he heard something behind him. “Jae!”

He didn’t even get a chance to turn around, B’s body colliding with his as she hugged him from behind. He was winded for multiple reasons, stunned into silence with her voice ringing in his ears.

“Jae,” B repeated, nestling into his back. And for the next few minutes, she kept saying his name, each one sounding stronger than the last. His heart was soaring so much he was certain he would fly home tonight.

“I love you,” he told her when she finally stepped back and B nodded, blowing him a kiss as she kept backing away, turning to go inside her house. And once she was up at her window, she threw it open to wave him off, Jae kicking up his heels before racing off to get home before curfew.

“Beatrice.”

B shook her head, as she wiped down the mugs. Jae crossed it off his list, continuing with three others before he said the next name.

“Becky.” He watched as she stilled, a small smile crossing her lips before she shook her head again. Jae leaned over the counter, noticing the look in her eyes. “Becky. It’s Becky, isn’t it?!”

However, his lover shook her head, avoiding his gaze now. Jae laughed. “B is for Becky. Now here I thought I would feel more than this after figuring out your name.”

Turning around so fast that she almost dropped the mug in her hand, B reached for Jae’s pen he had with his paper, scrawling down a rapid sentence. He read it and laughed. “You can’t say that’s not your name, you responded to it. Becky suits you! You’re my Becky.”

“And you’re her Jae, huh?” Dowoon cooed when he came over to get a refill, his older friend now swatting him off. Dowoon then pointed to them both. “When’s the wedding? You two suit each other too well.”

Jae glanced at B blushing in front of him and then smacked his friend on the arm. “Why would you go and say that, look how uneasy you have made her! And what do you think I’m working towards? I need to know her name before I ask her to be my bride.”

They both jumped when there was a large clatter of noise; Jae leaning over the bar to see the mug B was drying had now broken into pieces on the ground. He rounded counter to reach down and scoop up the mess before she could. Instead of staying around to humour his statement, B darted out the back to her home, shutting the door behind her. Jae followed her out and banged on it, calling out to her loudly.

“I’m sorry, okay?! I didn’t mean to frighten you like that with my intentions. Won’t you just come out?!”

He heard shuffling inside behind the door, hopes rising when it unlatched before him. She didn’t fully appear, her hand thrusting out a piece of paper for him to take. As soon as he did, she shut it again, peering out through the window beside the door nervously.

“Why can’t you just come out and let me talk?” he breathed in frustration, unfolding the paper hastily, stopping when he saw what was on the page. Looking up at the woman watching him, Jae took a few deep breaths, licking his lips in anticipation.

“Rebecca.”

Although he now had the knowledge of her name, it had become quite the habit to call her B still. Becky had become his favourite though since she reacted to it so openly. It clearly had been a loving nickname of hers that she had been used to hearing until everyone stopped referring to her with that name. And although Jae still had no understanding of why everyone seemed to have forgotten her name over the years, he was all too happy to have now three things to call her by.

“And soon to be four, my love,” he breathed after kissing Becky tenderly, the tears in her eyes indicating how well he had done at proposing to her. “When do you want to get married?”

She pondered his question and then held up four fingers, Jae leaning down to kiss each of them before chuckling. “Four days, okay. We can do that.”

She slapped his arm as he laughed, tilting her head to the side with a reproachful expression. “I knew you meant four months. Though I could marry you in four hours, no, in four minutes if the clergy was present in the church right now.”

Becky grinned, nuzzling him and letting out a content sigh. “L-Love.”

“Love?” he repeated when he recovered from the surprise of hearing her speak again, his future wife now hiding her face with annoyance. He knew it had become such a habit not to speak that it was so difficult whenever she tried. Prying her hands away, Jae smiled warmly. “I love you too.”

Becky let out a breath, relieved he knew what she meant without the full sentence. “Love.”

“Forever, until death does us part,” Jae confirmed, unaware that those words would soon haunt his very existence.

“You must have loved her endlessly.”

Jae nodded, strumming lightly at the instrument before he got up and put it away. Returning to the side of the new resident at Seaside Manor, he attempted to smile. “It’s a shame I can’t remember what she looks like. It’s been so long. I half-hoped when she passed on that she would come and find me.”

He blinked back his emotions, clearing his throat awkwardly before looking in the direction of his companion. “Anyway, enough about me. What about you? You haven’t told me about your life story yet.”

“Well, you haven’t even asked me what my name is,” she mentioned with a giggle and he frowned, perhaps it was from revisiting the ghost of his past that made it feel too familiar. Still, for someone as beautiful as the woman beside him, Jae realised he should have expected her laugh to be just as sweet.

“Okay then, what is your name?”

“I actually don’t know.”

Jae laughed at the preposterous situation. “Then why did you ask me if I knew?!”

“Because I know that guitar,” she started, smiling at Jae before reaching out to cup his cheek tenderly. Her touch flooded his senses, bringing forth images over a hundred years old to the surface. He gasped, feeling foolish that he hadn’t realised why he had been so attracted to her when she arrived with her living companion earlier in the week. It was just like the first meeting all over; she truly did have the best pair of eyes he had ever seen. Her smile continued. “And I know you. So tell me, what is my name?”

Jae leaned in, kissing Becky passionately before he captured her face within his hands.

“My love.”

_________________

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at-the-exd-of-everythixg · 4 years ago

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Ok uh DND HEADCANONS aka welcome to fantasy queer eye

Ava: A tiefling paladin. Bonar Fidea ("BONER?" "Shut the fuck up Sal.") Is sworn to her mission to protect the group of travellers she's met. Especially when faced with a particular half orc,,,ahem, Bonar is intent on doing good, not for the cost of gold, but to perhaps wipe her hands of bloodshed left over from a suffocating war that she refuses to talk about....just a shame that the rest of her party doesn't agree with the motives.

Mimi: Dwarf fighter named Viet Clearwater ("'Cause she drags her enemies through the fucking mud!"). Dwarf milf -

("wait," Lace squints and Mimi grins. "How is she a milf??" "WELL. You know that thing where a woman gets out of the fire and shakes her head? That's that." Everyone waits for a moment before nodding appreativatevly.)

- who worked in a blacksmiths for many years before meeting Sal's character and ending up joining his kid onto becoming fantasy bounty hunters for a few months before meeting the others. Viet's personal mission is to get a beach day yet each plot ends up derailing her from it each and every time.

Finn: Druid Elf called Roisen-Mae Maylar who worked in fantasy Greggs before Bonar robbed them and Roisen-Mae was the one who was sent after her due to him being "the new guy". Long story short, Roisen-Mae realised he was underpaid and joined Bonar in her avenging for justice, quickly realising that "justice" was conceived of breaking into places and killing people in order to free others. Roisen-Mae kinda wishes he could go back to Fantasy Greggs but...he likes the feeling of adventure in his blood, likes helping people in such a freeing manner.

Sal: Elvish Bard named Chester. Out here playing the top hits of "I want thy love" and "I was created for loving thee." With the backups of Wulf's character. Realised that he could get more cash and that there was...fuck, there was something magic about his voice that struck the monsters and mysterious assassins often sent after the party for some reason.

("Wait so you're some sort of siren?" Pascal had begun to laugh as Sal sqwuaked in indignation. "No! Its- its magic! Shut up you solar piece of shit!")

Sure, murder wasn't was Chester was expecting. But fuck if it ain't gonna be fun (skksks ngl I'm...half wondering if Sal would let his dnd character be in love like I am with him and me being ace sksk)

Mahogany: No character since they struggle with grasping the game but they usually have someone sitting on their lap while they watch everyone play and suggest actions. Sometimes they're allowed to be monsters but often Mahogany is just there to get some cuddles.

Pascal: Orc rogue named Solgrindr The Rugged. 100% he's here to get jacked and each mission allows him to gain One Ab. His guns are huge but his heart is even huge-er and Solgrindr speaks with a fiery passion to sell his training regime and to collect a million fantasy numbers. Since. U know. Solgrindr has earned these by now.

("So you're a Chad?" Mimi squints and Pascal lifts up a hand in offense before Sal interjects. "YEAH PASCAL YOU AN INCEL?" Pascal cried a minute later. He just wanted to be ripped, was that too much to ask?)

Solgrindr is but a man of his whims and what's a bigger whim than a fiery battle and an even hotter romance? ("His sole goal is to romance Chester." Pascal says, smiling viciously when Sal chokes from across the table.) Its just a shame he hasn't been able to live up to his full power yet...

Edith: A half-orc paladin called Yanag Broifstïgnäh who is...basically a carbon copy of Edith but no one's gonna exactly argue with a 6'something Norse angel who everyone excluding Wulf and Dae, are attracted to her. Yanag fights with the same ire and power anyone else would have done to protect her party entirely. She gets a magical axe that apparently washes her into an entirely new and powerful form only once every game.

(Finn frowns, tilting his head curiously. "You made Edith into a magical girl?"

Doe blinks and for a moment, Finn shudders when his own eyes meet his. "Yeah. Is that what that's called? Coolio.")

Yanag saves and romances a woman with every town they go to, but it raises questions when she seems to deny their affections, just as its suspicious how black tar-like veins seem to spread on her the more she uses this power.

Wulf: A human ranger called Bob Greenson. Your average, typical human man who just so happens to believe in fate and adventure! He shall charm everyone and fight the good battles!

("So." Ava squinted and Edith tried to not smile. "He's playing as himself...but a human man?" Her question seemed to get a rough snort out of Edith and a slight nudge of the shoulders. "Aye, but 'tis what makes the man happy I suppose.")

Of course, Bob is on a strict mission to product review as many weapons as he possibly can for his company, Weap'n'throw, while perhaps finding a few good spots to camp out for the ol' family? How's it goin' neighbour? Sure there are some sale issues, what with everyone wanting to murder Bob, but what sales pitch doesn't come with a bit of haggling, hm? With his mighty band of sales assistants, please speak to Chester on aisle three for magical trumpets!

Adonai: Dungeon Master! It's a relief to be themselves and to still be able to interact with the games and everyone else. Doe was worried at first that they would have been left out while everyone got to be something different. They would have joined, but the idea of yet again forming a whole new identity, trying to find the balance and shifts...it sounded exhausting. They couldn't handle it.

Ava patted them and told Doe that they didn't need to be someone. They could think up the scenarios and risks and Joys. It wasn't often that they got an opportunity to take over and simply have fun with risking Mimi's life or trying to create romantic scenarios between Edith and Ava. Doe takes great pleasure in being the DM and it isn't uncommon for them to modify their body for certain campaigns.

Lace: A half-elf wizard named Elvish Presley (Everyone groans. Mahogany weeps. Edith demotes her Valkyrie ways. Sal becomes a nun.) Elvish is interested in learning all sources of magic and why their world works. Is there anything connecting them all? A reason for them being here? Elvish is determined to find out, no matter what the cost...mostly of himself though.

Whether he admits that he wouldn't allow his team to get hurt or not, that is entirely Elvish's thoughts and feelings alone. Quick! Put that healing spell away! We can't let these people know that we feel and yearn! But little does Elvish Presley know, everyone is aware that he is a giant nerd with a giant heart that weeps when Bonar rescues him from the angry orgre who's wagon dealership they ruined in a quest.

Dae: A dragonborn ranger named Torpa Armani who dreams of becoming a famous writer-

("Th-that's bas-basically what y-you do anywh-anyway." Morde squints as Wulf grins while Dae flushes and shakes his head. It's a weak argument, to hear your clone try and deny the elaborate romance novels he writes about his friends.)

-But! Sometimes you just get whisked away onto wild and heart melting adventures. Its hard to ignore how good it deeps to help other people with their problems. It seems that Torpa may just be finding out that there's more to life than romance or tragedy books for them. Especially if they seem so insistent on carrying a weapon and being willing to put their trust and faith within other people once more after being outcasted for who and what they are.

Peach: A tiefling ranger named Puddles Skipclear. Puddles was once a water nymph, but had been cursed into a more physical form that didn't allow her to touch water. She is bound to dry lands until Puddles is able to break her curse. Unfortunately, Puddles doesn't even seem to know what curse bounds her and changes her for possibly forever.

(Morde is quiet for a moment, not meeting his clone's eyes guilt makes his eyes and body dim and slouch. Dae does the same towards Mordecai and everyone tries to ignore the guilt that isn't there's suddenly shifting around the room.)

She likes the people she has chosen to travel with. They're silly and their quests don't always work out, but they're honest in helping Puddles and she wants to trust in them when they say that they will help her remove her curse. They're all rather different from her water sisters that faded away and slipped out of Puddles' too physical fingers, but she's begun to have high hopes about what this mission could mean for her along the way.

Mordecai: Orc rogue named Vecivus Brogun, who is a well renewed theft despite his size. Parties could only dream of having him upon their sides. It's easy to steal things from countless people, but it's harder to steal the secrets. Especially when such a strange party seems to hold so many of these secrets. Some of them have simple ideas and wants, but others?

Oh, there's mystery to them and contrary to what others believe about orcs, Vec is far more easily aware and shifty than most. If only the others would realise these and help him out with a few gigs...after all, is it so bad to steal from a dragon if said dragon had so many riches that he would have hardly noticed if a few went missing?

#headcanon #the leather bound angel (ava)#ocean powerhouse (mimi)#he has a heart made of cotton (finn)#he speaks of holy fates (pascal)#the living stardust (sal)#the monster of forgotten midnights (mahogany)#she was a rose with soft thorns (edith)#riding the wild winds (wulf)#he will set your fears free (lace)#diamond of the rough (dae)#dusk filled head (mordecai)#underwater garden (peach)#G OOO D THIS TOOK AN AGE

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mychemicalficrecs · 4 years ago

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Gerard Works in Comics

A New Design For X and Y by DeadFreddie, Frank/Gerard, 6k, Explicit. Frank Iero is the frontman in a successful band called Leathermouth, and Gerard Way is a comic writer working for DC. When they meet at one of Frank's shows, their mutual respect for the other's work becomes something a lot more personal. Oh and Frank's a trans guy and Gerard's nonbinary because I'm Trans And I Make The Rules.

Mixed Bathing at Home by Bexless, Frank/Gerard, 7k, Teen And Up Audiences. it is a pointless AU where gerard writes comics and frank is in leathermouth, but there is no mcr. gerard gets his toe stuck in a faucet and frank rescues him.

Transatlanticism by tabulaxrasa, Frank/Gerard, 21k, Explicit. Gerard's a comic book writer living in London. Frank works for a record label and has a band in New York. The problem with meeting in the middle is there's a whacking great ocean there.

They Came From Outer Jersey! by thatsfinewithus, Gen, Frank/Gerard, 25k, Rated R. New London Fire is an elite fringe government force assigned the task of protecting the earth from some of its more interesting threats: those from beyond the atmosphere or even the universe. They've handled dangerous cases before, but they've never seen anything like...ZOMBIES FROM SPACE. Vampires, long hunted in lore and legend, are now the earth's only saviors. There is little information as to who sent the creatures until Mikey Way, head of the NLF, finds out more by being abducted. Is it too late for him? Is it too late for the earth? Find out how six vampires, one government general, and one frustrated comic book artist save the earth in...THEY CAME FROM OUTER JERSEY!!

Still Crazy After All These Years by noxeir, Frank/Gerard, 822 words [WIP], Not Rated. Frank doesn’t think it’s crazy. He doesn't know. Maybe he’s crazy. Maybe he’s crazy to still love his English teacher. Former English teacher, he corrects himself. Frank has just resigned himself to the fact that he's hopelessly in love, but with the wrong person when then the local comic shop has a signing with Gerard Way, and Frank can’t not go.

Like sticking a fork in an electrical outlet by aliceboleyn, Frank/Gerard, 6k [WIP], Mature. Gerard is a successful comic writer in desperate search for inspiration and Frank is a dissatisfied 26 year old attempting to express what's inside him. A poem which sounds a lot like a cry for help will tie them together, for, after all, destiny does work in mysterious ways.

Don't Try (Please, please, please try) by semataryeyes, Frank/Gerard, 5k [WIP], Explicit. Gerard is living in New York City working for a company writing comics while nursing a drug habit on the side. He breaks up with his long term boyfriend, Bert, causing him to go to the only person he knows won't refuse him, his brother Mikey. Little does Gerard know that Mikey has a roommate, and he is everything pure in the world bundled up into the enigma that is Frank Iero.

A Pale Galaxy Colliding In Crystal Balls by theloudestgraves, Frank/Gerard, 11k [WIP], Teen And Up Audiences. Frank knew Mikey had an older brother. His name was Gerard, and apparently he was out of art college and working for a comic book company. Frank never expected to meet him, and he guessed he was alright with that. But one day, Mikey said, “I think it’s time you met Gee.”

Get up, get out and be social (Frerard) by Rachel_Carter, Frank/Gerard, 5k, Not Rated. Gerard is working on an art assignment in a coffee shop where he meets Frank, a pre-med student. When Frank gives Gerard his phone number, their relationship develops.

stitched up heart by 10rings, Frank/Gerard, 2k, Mature. Gerard was born unlike most, he doesn't feel entirely normal until he meets the short tattooed cashier at his local grocery store.

It's Raining Men (Hallelujah) by thisishowidisappear, Frank/Gerard, 849 words, General Audiences. Frank is getting sick of being single. Luckily for him, the perfect guy is just around the corner. Or, you know, up a tree

Hold On Tight and Don't Look Back by romanticizingchemicals, Frank/Gerard, 48k, Explicit. The whole concept of "love at first sight" is ridiculous. Absolutely untrue. Blasphemy, Okay, maybe not for Frank and Gerard. Gerard Way is an aspired comic artist, with a desire to do big things. Living with his brother, though, really prohibits him from making much of a change. Frank Iero is a man of many talents; from guitar to singing to working his several jobs, Frank really is a "Jack-of-all-trades". He's just recovered from a very abusive relationship, but hides its effects very well. When the two meet, you have your average love story. But soon enough, that relationship evolves into something more. Hopeless crushes and glimpses of each other turn into something both of them could have never imagined.

Cruise ships and comic books by Leah_Red, Frank/Gerard, 2k, Teen And Up Audiences. Hermit comic book artist Gerard Way decides to finally get away from home and go on a cruise, where he finds that one of the staff has a look that's too amazing to not draw.

Two Dreams Came True that Day and Gerard hadn't even Known about the Second One by wellthisisprettyrisque (collettephinz), Ryan/Brendon, Frank/Gerard, Ray/Mikey, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, 5k, Teen And Up Audiences. Gerard Way had been one of those types-- One of the few people who had been in complete and utter denial concerning the apparent “death” of Cpt. Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America. Gerard Way had known, without a shadow of a fucking doubt, that Captain America was still (somehow) alive, and then, lo and behold, he was right. Now his brother, Mikey, was dating a robotics engineer that worked in Stark Tower and Mikey had invited Gerard to tag along in an official tour of the building and everything inside and rumor had it that Steve Rogers was actually living in Stark Tower and Gerard was absolutely fucking certain that his dream of meeting Captain America-- alive and in the flesh and not a museum exhibit-- was about to come true. (and let's be real, a celebrity-crush on Steve Rogers has to be the healthiest celebrity crush you could ever have on anyone)

The Hairdressers!AU by messitallup, Frank/Gerard, 11k, Explicit. Gerard really, really didn't need his hair cut okay, it was fine. In his opinion anyway.

Schizophrenia {A Frerard Story} by Shadow_Hunter_8, Frank/Gerard, 14k [WIP], Teen ANd Up Audiences. Gerard Way and Frank Iero have been dating since high school. Their lives seem perfect. Gerard is a comic book artist, while Frank works as a teacher. Their love for each other is so strong, they're sure that nothing can tear down their relationship. Then Gerard gets diagnosed with schizophrenia. Frank, having taken a psychology course in college, is determined to take care of Gerard instead of sending him to an institute. But as Gerard's condition worsens, will Frank be forced to admit that he isn't prepared to care for him?

Trying To Escape The Inevitable by Transboywitcher, Frank/Gerard, 60k [WIP], Mature. Gerard is an absent minded comic artist who looses his daughter in the supermarket. Frank is an over worked check out attendant with too many bands and too little sleep who helps him find her. Somehow idiots fall in love. ~“You know this happens all the time right?” Frank asked, ducking down to check under the produce bins, he’d found a whole group of kids eating a packet of skittles colour by colour under there once, like some kind of weird new age lord of the flies shit. Supermarkets man, you saw fucking everything.~

The one where Frank's a journalist and Gerard's an artist by theghostofvenom, Frank/Gerard, 6k, Teens And Up Audiences. Frank's a journalist and has to interview a Mr. Gerard Way; comic book artist. They fall in love over a cup of coffee.

Like a Fish Out of Water (You Drown in the Air) by art_brutal, 6k, Mature. Gerard's a washed-up comics writer more in thrall to the party circuit than creating art. It's going to take something or someone extraordinary to turn him around.

Half Of Something Else by fleurdeliser, tuesdaysgone, Frank/Grant/Gerard, 58k, Explicit. Frank left New Jersey for LA because of music, and staying was always just a means to an end. He never anticipated that the industry where he'd get his foot in the door would be comics, or that he'd be working as the one and only Grant Morrison's personal assistant. Comic artist Gerard Way is both a reminder of the place he left behind and a chance for something more. Problem is, Frank has started to see Grant as much more than just a boss…

The second one (or: Adventures at JerseyCon) by mwestbelle, Bob/Gerard, 20k, Explicit. Bob is a good personal assistant (the best) and he definitely knows better than to fall in love with his boss. But when your boss is the goth-pop comic master of our time, Gerard Way, there's more to the job than keeping a datebook. There are appearances to shepherd him to, showers to make him take, and deadlines to remind him to meet. And, really, he's so earnest, it's not that surprising that a crush might develop. Just at tiny one.

#frank/gerard #ray/mikey #frank/grant/gerard #bob/gerard #alternate universe #comics #fic rec list

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let-them-eat-rakes · 5 years ago

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SCP Tale: "The Young Man"

(hi! this is another scp tale. this one is about the origins of scp-106, "The Old Man." i will try to pump more scp tales out consistently, so keep an eye out!

-let them eat rakes)

Nobody could like Corporal Lawrence. That's not to say that nobody tried, or that he was somehow unfriendly, merely that he was one of those few that seemed to be “wired” differently. However, in the trenches of World War I, normalcy was at best a relative term, and one that had minimal relation of life, such as it was. Lawrence fought, listened to orders, and didn't disrupt the other soldiers, and that was all that was required. So what if people felt increasingly uncomfortable around him? In a place where the flesh rotting off your bones while you were still alive was the base-line of concern, a little personality conflict ranked several levels below a paper cut.

Lawrence, for his part, dealt with it as he always had. That is to say, remained totally unaware of the avoidance. The same way a man blind from birth cannot mourn the memory of color, Corporal Lawrence couldn't bemoan a lack of company. He was quiet, as he had nobody to talk to, and still, as he had nothing to do for long stretches of time. The enemy trench, less than a mile away, had gone silent for several days, letting boredom and nervousness sink in even more than normal…coupled with the unease that seemed to radiate off of Lawrence like heat waves.

The worst part was that there was no distinct reason to dislike the corporal. He was a plain man, average height, average build, bland of voice and action. Nobody could recall him raising his voice in joy or anger. He did have the occasional odd mannerisms, however. He tended to stare a beat or two longer than was acceptable at people. He rarely slept as well, and bunkmates said he would mumble in his sleep almost constantly. The content of those nocturnal ramblings, when they could be understood, were often odd, and potentially unsettling. One private moved to another barracks when he heard the name of his daughter pass Corporal Lawrence's lips, followed by a bubbling, muffled giggle.

It was strongly theorized that he was sent over the trench by his commanders more out of a desire to have him away than for his minimal combat skill. He and fourteen of his fellows were sent across the nightmarishly scarred waste of the no-man's-land between the trenches, to reconnoiter the enemy trench, and secure it if possible. Many seemed to hope that Lawrence would have the opportunity to prove his devotion to his country by making the ultimate sacrifice for it.

It was while he was gone, that three-day gap as the men held their breath, waiting for a surprise volley of shells, that someone started asking questions. Where as before, it was almost taboo to speak of Corporal Lawrence, since the departure of both him and his “aura”, rumor seemed to descend with the passion of the denied. Nobody remembered him ever talking of home. No sweet-smelling letters came, no soggy, dirt-streaked letters left. He mentioned his dreams often, and griped sometimes with the men over missed foods or pleasures, but never with any real passion.

Questions started to float among even the higher levels of the command. Nobody was able to actually find his station orders. He'd come in with a squad of reinforcements transferred from France…but there was no paperwork. The rest of the reinforcement squad had never seen the man before he'd been lumped in with them the night before the trip, along with the snips and scraps of other squads decimated by the Germans. Whispers filtered among the grunts of the corporal being a curse. Nearly every man who'd shared a bunkhouse with him had gotten trenchfoot, and the rooms he haunted always seemed to smell more musty and sickly-sweet, even for the trench.

The men sent over the no-man's-land with Corporal Lawrence heard and cared for none of this. Just another man among many, all with death certificates awaiting a stamp that could fall at any moment. They moved fast and low, from crater to crater, slipping over slick mud and barbed wire, the only thing that seemed to grow in that blasted waste. Charging the last spurt and into the trench, they were greeted not with the harsh bark of German orders and rifles…but a dense, close silence. Preparing for ambush, the men started to filter out into the tunnels and halls of the trench.

The men, already nervous, were not calmed by their investigation. The trenches stank of mold, sweat, and a thin undertaste of rotten fruit. A vile, cloying slime seemed to have pooled in every divot and crack, sticky as glue and itchy on the flesh. In a world where rats and insects would try to snatch food from your mouth even as you ate, they saw nothing alive, not so much as a fly. An armory lay in chaos, munitions spilled on the ground, rifles tossed like pick up sticks. A mess hall had been reduced to ruins, the tables and chairs piled in the center of the room, charred and twisted, the rations seemingly stamped into the dirt by many feet. And still, nothing, alive or dead, was found by the increasingly anxious solders.

Private Dixon found the first body, and managed to cry out before vomiting.

They knew it had been a man only because nothing else of that size could have been there. It lay on the floor of a barracks. The entire floor. The flesh of it had been…smeared, somehow, spread like butter over the rough dirt floor. Bones, already looking pitted and rotten, stuck out at random angles, like dead trees in a still swamp. The skull rested on one of the highest bunks, facing the doorway, ten gleaming white fingertip bones crammed into the cracked eye sockets. As one man went to examine it, he found the back of the skull had been crushed open, the rotting, sagging sponge of a tongue stuffed into the otherwise dry cavity.

More remains were found, each seemingly more unsettling and strange than the last. A ring of hands in a sandbagged watchpost, ten of them, fingers interlaced like a basket, the wrists ragged and broken. Two men in a tunnel, skin leathery and thin as mummies, eye sockets staring and empty, mouths locked impossibly wide, their clothes mere rags under an oily black scum. The latrine sent even the hardiest back, gagging and shivering. Overflowing with excrement and offal, gobbets of meat bobbed and oozed in the foul sludge… the whole surface dotted with what looked like thousands of clean, slick eyeballs, nerves and tendons fanning out like goldfish tails.

Corporal Lawrence was the first to find the hole, the other men loudly debating the better part of valor and their rapid withdrawal from the nightmare trench. It was small, in a section of fresh digging, the start of a new arm of trenches projecting closer to the enemy lines. No more than four feet across, it seemed to be the accidental uncovering of a natural chamber, the empty blackness of it defying investigation. Private Dixon, recovered and blessedly numb from his previous ordeals, saw the corporal prod the edge with his boot, then crouch to peer in…then suddenly slide in head-first before the private could so much as utter a shout of question.

The private was a good soldier, and rushed to the perceived distress of his fellow. When questioned later, he could provide little illumination as to what happened over the two minutes Corporal Lawrence spent in the hole. He could see nothing, the light of a torch seemingly gobbled up a few feet into that dense blackness. There were sounds…the rustle of movement over loose stone or rubble. An odd liquid shifting, a dry rustle that made him think of the insect husks he'd used to collect in the summer. As he shouted for aid, there was a sudden upwelling of a repulsive stench, like a reptile house gone sour and old, and his fellow soldiers found him retching helplessly beside the hole when they came around the turn.

It was as they rushed to Private Dixon's aid that the hand emerged from the hole. They stopped and raised rifles as one body, roaring for the owner of that pale, trembling hand to identify himself. As they watched, another hand joined the first, followed by the pale, shivering head of Corporal Lawrence. He was streaked and smeared with a tarry black ooze, hacking and coughing thinly as he hauled his body up beside that of the gasping private. As they moved to help the men, the corporal vomited up a heavy stream of the same repulsive slime that coated his body in smears and globs, his curled, shuddering body voiding more of it into his saturated, fouled pants. They were hesitant to touch him, finally doing so after the seemingly endless river of grime stopped pouring from him. He was insensible, eyes rolling and wide, body as limp as a boned fish.

The men quit the trench with all speed. Half-dragging the corporal, they ran with no thought to cover or death, only escape. They crossed in record time, falling into their home trench like so much cordwood, gasping and shivering, one man known to have bludgeoned a German to death with a brick curled on the floor in a sobbing heap. The commanders moved quickly, isolating the men and trying to calm the most lucid for a report. What spilled out would have been immediately dismissed as lies and hallucination were it not for the earnest, pleading stares of those reporting. Command calmed them with explanations of battle fatigue and strange gas weapon tests…and shared silent, focused stares as the cowed men were ushered out.

Corporal Lawrence had little to report. Of his time in the hole, he could (or would) say little. He stated that he had slipped, and fallen into what may have been some long-blocked underground pool, or perhaps a buried latrine. Of the sounds and smells reported by the private, he had nothing to say, only that he had struggled a short time, then managed to get back out just as the men arrived. Truly, he seemed none the worse for wear. In fact, he seemed in better spirits than many had remembered ever seeing him, favoring the commanders with a wide, giddy smile as he was dismissed with a warning not to discuss the events.

The corporal proved a changed man over the next few days. He was more talkative, but quickly had men wishing for his old, unsettling silence. He rambled about the joys of close spaces, of creation and destruction that seemed to spring up all around them. About human pleasures missed, the dimensions and ages of which made some men threaten Corporal Lawrence with a quiet and ignoble death…which only seemed to stretch the near-constant smile on his face even wider. Private Dixon, one of the corporal's bunkmates, whispered to a friend that he had woken once to find the corporal standing over him in the night, his eyes as bright and flat as silver dollars. They found the private the next day snarled in the barbed wire, his intestines spread nearly ten feet around him in every direction.

Not one man from that trench survived the Great War, although few died in battle. A wave of sickness took the trench a few days after Private Dixon's death. A strange wasting sickness, it seemed to eat the flesh like acid, men waking to find previously healthy flesh eaten down to the bone, oozing and blackened. A sergeant was found in a latrine, beset by a living carpet of rats. They refused to quit the body even when shot, and attacked several men before the body was recovered. Relief finally came, the bulk of the men being sent to various hospitals, many wasting away before they ever reached a bed.

Corporal Lawrence was remanded to a French mental ward, transferred after several complaints from the hospital proper where he was first sent. It seemed his behavior hinted at a growing mental imbalance, culminating with an attempted sexual assault of a nurse, which ended with the loss of three fingers from her right hand, and the vision in her right eye. The corporal would rant quietly to the other patients, whispers about endless halls, pursuits in the dark, flesh laid out like pages of a book. It was dismissed as so much war fatigue, even as his behavior grew less violent and more unsettling.

He vanished several times from the ward, only to appear several hours later, as if nothing had happened. When pressed, he would begin to sing “My Bonnie Lies Over The Sea” in an endless monotone until the doctors left exasperated. Others on the ward clamored to be transferred from the whispering madman. A stale, musty foulness seemed to sit in the air wherever he stayed, and incidents of infection and the strange, consuming sickness that had beset his home trench seemed to follow him like a cloud. Numerous attempts were made to transfer the man, only to be met with bureaucratic confusion. No records were found of the man. No entry papers, commendations or incidents, not even a birth certificate. Through it all he sat, for hours on end, cross-legged on his bed, occasionally humming tunelessly, or rambling off the names of his ward-mates between short, bubbling giggles.

Corporal Lawrence and eighteen men vanished one November night, between a five minute nurse rotation at three in the morning. The room reeked of rust, oil, mold, and sweet rot. Thick, black swaths of crumbling ooze coated the beds and several of the walls, wide patches of it smearing and eating into the floor. Of the men, there was no sign, at first. As they searched, one nurse shifted a bed aside, only to shriek and nearly trip across one of the sunken, reeking depressions on the floor. In a tight, perfect spiral were what appeared to be hundreds of teeth, resting neatly on the floor. After counting, they accounted for the total of all the teeth of every living soul in that ward…but one.

The corporal was never found, nor were the men. The incident was swallowed by the constant barrage of horrors from the front, and forgotten with ease. Stories of a cursed trench wandered across the front lines, often squelched for being bad luck. Still they came…stories of strange deaths, of disappearing men, found days later, alive, but broken and twisted beyond comprehension. Stories of a strange, dark figure stalking the bomb-riddled towns of Europe.

This may be the only known image of Corporal Lawrence ever recorded, taken several days after his return from the hole in the German trench.

#scp #scp tale #scp fandom #scp foundation #scp 106 #the old man #the young man #tale #posted from a pile of leaves #let them eat rakes

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0poole · 5 years ago

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Some Retrospective Thoughts on Gen 7

Galar’s making me go nuts. You already know. Let’s look back on Alola because why not. I feel like I have stuff to say about it. Also, I just watched the last episode of the Alolan Anime, so there’s that.

Whenever I first think back to Gen 7, I think “Eh, it was alright. Nothing special, I guess.” The Pokemon were decent, apart from being almost universally slow, apart from like 3 speed demons, the starters weren’t much, the story was alright, the location was alright, etc. etc.

Then, I ACTUALLY think back, and I realize… I have no idea why I was thinking that. This generation was actually amazing.

First of all, they finally put the motif of the Sun and Moon into game types. It’s definitely a breath of fresh air after they tried to use the fucking dimensions in 3D space for titles in Gen 6 (Loved that gen too, but seriously “Life” and “Death” would both be more fitting and not as strange. Maybe they don’t want “Death” as a title tho). Really fits in with how naturally themed everything is too, which is obviously for the best, since this is the most “natural” game to date. Even though we technically already had an America-based region in Unova, Hawai’i is so unique in its own right it definitely fits for a region. I’m usually the type who doesn’t like super overt themes in things, and kind of just wants a very generalized experience, but it’s probably for the good of everyone that they don’t actually follow through with that idea.

Probably the biggest thing to come out of this generation is the new habit of them posting short little videos on Youtube revealing new Pokemon/features/etc. Obviously they were super trigger happy with them then, but now it seems they’ve taken a step back a little. I do love this idea, though, because it actually hypes me up more than anything else ever could. I remember before, even though I was kinda-sorta trying to follow the updates on Gens 4-6, I never really felt like I could, and even though I was going to get the games no matter what, now I realize I really want to know what I’m getting into.

I remember exactly where I was for some of the major announcements. For the starters, I was in my high school geometry class, where I watched and re-watched that video dozens of times just so I could keep looking at them. I started off on Rowlet’s side of course, but once I realized he was getting all the attention and ol Popplio was getting basically none, I changed my allegiance and stayed there to this day. Ignoring the fact that I don’t really like any of the final evolutions enough to actually use them in game, I LOVE Popplio himself. It’s seriously a shame that he didn’t become some clown seal like everyone was speculating. Unlike how it seems, I really, really like “normal” clown characters (as in, not “horror” clowns), so he could’ve easily become one of my favorites in that case. Decidueye is definitely my favorite of the final forms, and Incineroar I think is still underrated. Sure, whatever, he’s bipedal, and it’s weirder than it otherwise would be, but for some reason I love how his mouth was an actual modeled mouth and not just an image slapped on there like most Pokemon. It really made him more expressive than the average Pokemon. Plus, the animation for Darkest Lariat is really cool, with his hands flashing against a flat back background for a second before actually doing the move. Even better, it’s great meme potential when hacked onto other Pokemon, like Wailord.

I don’t remember if Solgaleo and Lunala were introduced in that first trailer too, but either way I love both of them. I was a bit more drawn to Solgaleo at first, but Lunala has since grown to be one of my favorite legendaries of all. The starry wings, golden rims, and white skeleton-y body are such a great combo. And yeah, sure, Solgaleo would’ve been more fitting as a fire type or whatever, but since stars form the heavy metals that make it onto planets it’s fine. I won’t accept that Lunala should’ve been a dark type, though. The Moon is a major embodiment of light in the night sky, so if anything it shouldn’t be related to darkness. As for Necrozma, I love his base form a lot. It’s such a strange look, especially how the back of his head is transparent. It’s the perfect “evil prism” pokemon. I really just wish Ultra Necrozma had more detail to him, though. He looks so flat for such a major figure in the games… At least he had a good battle and an even BETTER theme song, hot damn

Guess that’s a good transition to talk about the music, and I guess tangentially about Team Skull, since they were probably the best possible departure from the usual “Evil Team” formula. Them just being random hooligans causing trouble instead of a formal organization trying for world domination is a good change of pace, as pretty much everyone agrees… It wouldn’t have been so great if they didn’t at least try to incorporate rap/trap music into their themes. They’re probably the most music-oriented Team canonically speaking, so they’d have to have a great theme. Also, the idea that they feel left behind by the traditions of the Trials really makes sense, since something so important in their culture would definitely make someone feel left out if they couldn’t get through it.

Other themes for the more calm situations, like Hau’oli City’s night theme, are also extremely good. I didn’t even realize how much I loved that track until I heard Insaneintherain’s cover of it. It almost sounds like something out of Steven Universe, for how pleasant it is (apart from the piano). Lillie’s theme still gives me the warm fuzzies every time I hear it, too. I don’t think a single game before this has ever done the credits so well, too. Apart from the fun artwork, the last shot of Lillie and the game’s legendary actually just kills me every time. She’s such an adorable, pure soul, it’s crazy to think that when she was first revealed, we thought she was the secret supervillain of the game, just because she looked kinda peeved in her official art. We weren’t far off, though, with the Aether Foundation and all. I love both the calm theme of the Paradise itself AND their evil battle theme. Even though one is obviously an evil theme, it does feel like it came from the same source. Same goes for Lusamine’s theme. I really love the Aether Foundation as a whole too, where we can now have “Good” Foundation archetypes to counter the Evil Team archetype. Plus, their designs all involve white with gold accents, which is basically my brand. I tried to design my own Aether outfit the instant I saw them, since I love their look so much.

As for battle themes, I love how jazzy Galdion’s battle theme ended up. It made him so much more interesting than just a generic edgelord. The Elite Four’s battle theme might actually be the scariest theme to date for some reason, and yet all I can picture when listening to it is Acerola bobbing joyfully back and forth… Basically the same way, the Tapu battle theme is also pretty crazy, with tribal chants in the back of it. The Tapus are probably the coolest group of legendaries in the game, considering how unique they are, with their oddly wooden shells that represent animals. It really makes them feel like spirits brought about by the people of Alola themselves, instead of just some being that came out of nowhere. Probably the one theme that is the most nostalgic (yes, I know it was only 3 years ago, you can still feel nostalgia damnit) for me is the Kahuna battle theme. It was probably just some random comment on Youtube, but somewhere someone said that it was the perfect theme because it starts off intimidating, but quickly switches into a super fun melody, because ultimately, the Island Challenge is for fun. I just love that. I’m always looking for “Fun” stuff in pretty much everything, so I like a theme that represents that. Also, it’s just super catchy, and even expanded upon in Pokemon Masters. Let it be known that Hapu is the best Kahuna by the way. She cute. Also, watching her become the Kahuna is the best world building you could possibly muster up for this kind of setting.

Of course, I’m intentionally leaving out a certain group…

You know what I think of when I think of Hawai’i? Pearly white sand beaches… Palm trees… Fruity drinks… oh, and let’s not forget fucking interdimensional aliens.

The Ultra Beasts are the exact type of thing I’d want to insert into the Pokemon world, and that’s why I love them. They’re so weird in the best ways possible. When they were introduced in a trailer, I had the same reaction as I did with Type: Null. They put him up on the screen for a bit and was like “Haha here’s ‘Type: Null,’ okay next” like EXCUSE ME? YOU CAN’T JUST SHOW ME A POKEMON CALLED “Type: Null” AND NOT EXPLAIN WHAT’S GOING ON. Of course, that’s kind of what the games were for, but it was seriously a shock to the system to see Pokemon with code names instead of actual names. You also can’t convince me that Pheromosa wasn’t designed after Lusamine, and to a lesser extent that Xurkitree wasn’t designed after Guzma. I think it’s canon that Lusamine styled Lillie after Nihilego in her crazed state, but the uncanny likeness between those other two is pretty darn notable. I think from the first batch, Celesteela was my favorite of them all, being like a rusted copper rocket ship or something, who can even smack you with her two giant rockets. Also, Pokemon directly based on folktales are always welcome, no matter what. Meanwhile, with the Ultra games being the first sequels to introduce brand-new Pokemon, Blacephalon easily took top spot. I did say I liked clowns, didn’t I? Plus, the biggest evidence that he’s best boi is that in the anime when he appeared, he didn’t even try to attack anything. He just wanted to show off (specifically, believe it or not, by moonwalking… Whoever’s idea that was needs a raise). I also love detachable heads, which is a great idea to mix with clowns, and I guess also fireworks in this case… I just love him. I really hope that there will be future instances of Ultra Beasts, since it’s apparently super easy to just make them however the hell you want them, and since you’re not limited to a region’s natural environment. Lord knows whoever designed Buzzwole didn’t have any limitations. Exploring his, and really all of their worlds in USUM was extremely fun. It’s a damn shame Blacephalon and Stakataka (again, what a name) didn’t get the same privilege.

As for the Pokemon as a whole, like I mentioned, off the top of my head I don’t feel super crazy about many of them, even though that’s a total lie. Shiinotic appealed to my inner mushroom-character-lover so much that I basically designed a character that looked identical to him. He’s easily the best mushroom Pokemon to date, where he looks pretty cute while also being just slightly creepy enough, with those souless eyes. The concept for Araquanid is amazing, where he’s a reverse Diving Bell spider. I might’ve designed him a bit differently, but he still looks super cool. The ideas behind Oranguru and Passimian are also cool, since we haven’t delved much into intelligent ape Pokemon enough. Wishiwashi is another great concept, and probably the best fish Pokemon in my opinion because of it. Lurantis and Minior are total cuties, the latter being one of those Pokemon that isn’t always in the forefront of my mind, but the instant it is it reclaims its place as one of my all-time favorites. Golisopod and Kommo-o are two of the coolest Pokemon designs to me, the latter being my all-time favorite Pseudo-Legendary. Vikavolt looks awesome, despite being deceptively slow. Dhelmise looks weird until you realize it’s actually insanely large (like, Wailord large). Mudsdale is just an all-around good-looking horse. Oricorio also looks really cool, especially in her fiery form. Tsareena is, well… Tsareena… That’s not even including the adorable Magearna and Marshadow, who are in generational limbo… Also, I think Mimikyu might be the overall best addition to the franchise ever. No Pika-clone could ever compare.

I mean, specifically as far as a single Pokemon goes, Mimikyu is definitely the best addition to the franchise. Meanwhile, as far as concepts go, the absolutely HUGE idea of Regional Variants is the best addition. Again, I remember where I was when I heard the announcement: it was some sort of weird fantasy house, with a ton of cool details in it to make it look like a setting in some movie or something. It was awesome there, even if we were staying for only a night or so I think. Either way, the concept of different Pokemon adapting to different conditions in the region is the most perfect way to bring attention back to older Pokemon, and I’m so glad they seem to want to keep the idea for all future generations too. It’s especially fitting for Alola, since it’s a super remote island. I love how goofy Alolan Exeggutor is, especially because everyone else seems to love his goofiness too. Same sort of goes for Dugtrio, since his hair is actually based on a real thing… Marowak becoming a spiritual fire dancer is definitely the best possible iteration for him. My favorite might be the colorful Alolan Muk, though, even if Alolan Vulpix is infinitely cuter and better than fiery Vulpix in every way. I cannot be convinced otherwise.

Also, she’s a perfect fit for Lillie, so I guess I’ll use that as my transition into talking about the characters/anime. I’m just gonna be real with you. I’m not going to hold back. Alola has some of the cutest girls in the entire franchise. But first of all, let’s divert that train and instead lust after a man who is easily the hottest professor in the games yet, Kukui. What self-respecting researcher wouldn’t wear his professor-mandated lab coat without any undershirt? He needs his bulging abs as target practice for his Pokemon’s moves, people. He needs to let them breathe. Also, I was kind of enamoured with Sycamore before him, but you can’t deny the tinted skin gets to you a little. Burnet’s a lucky gal, let’s just say.

Okay, now that we’ve established that my pants don’t discriminate, we have to talk about Wicke. So now that that’s covered, can I just say I love Mina? I’d say she deserves more attention, but she was the only Alolan to make it into Lets Go for some reason, so I guess she’s well off? First of all, I love hippie-esque girls (idealized hippies, at least), so that’s a major plus… I mean, I should probably stop using the word “cute” altogether because it applies to every girl in the game, but yeah. Lana’s highly deserved spotlight in the anime made me love her too, where she was a perfect combination of extroverted while still more soft-spoken. I don’t know if that kind of characters’ an anime trope, but lord knows it’s not in western media, so I love how unique her personality is. Her interacting with Mallow and Lillie in cute, girly ways felt so wholesome. If the anime’s anything, it’s wholesome.

One sec, though. I have to mention that I really like Hau. He’s obviously the one pinned as “Boo, he’s not a giga-asshole! That means he’s bad!” because I guess the fandom’s hive mind has collectively agreed that the only good rivals are assholes now. Like I said before, this stuff’s more about fun now. Hau’s a fun friend to fight, to the point where you beat him as the Champion you kinda feel bad for knocking him down so much. You feel bad because you like him, you know. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier but even though he isn’t entirely difficult himself, the trials in these games are actually both a difficult and interesting challenge. A 2v1 where you’re at the disadvantage is a great boss battle idea, especially with the strategies set out by a Pokemon’s different abilities and moves. Probably the best was Totem Lurantis, who of course summoned a Sunny Day-based Castform to activate her Chlorophyll and buff her Solar Blade, while adding a diverse fire type into play. It was really difficult, to be honest. Those who say it wasn’t either got lucky or have insane standards that cannot be met because they’re Pokemon Veterans who know every little thing about everything. I’m pretty much in that camp, and I still had to actually plan during the fight. Same goes for Totem Araquanid in USUM. I literally had to poison (not toxic, base poison) stall that guy because I couldn’t do anything to him otherwise. He was pretty much one-shotting everything I sent out, anyway, so I had to stall however I could. You can’t argue that that means it was “easy” because I knew how to beat him. It’s only “easy” if you can just send out pretty much whatever and do whatever and still win. Then there’s the Rainbow Rocket episode in USUM, which is just crazy… There’s not much to say that isn’t obvious there. It was fun seeing the villains that were victorious in a different dimension.

Anyways, for the anime, I also have a similar stance. It really seemed like the only people who started off hating it were anime nerds who had no concept of an in-between frame. I will say that it was a step down from XY/XYZ though, but those seasons’ quality was unusually high. Compared to the animation quality of every other season, it was so much better. First of all, I really don’t even like “anime style” that much, so a slightly more western style was very welcome. Like pretty much every show ever, the animation quality is seriously high where it counts, so there’s not much to be said about that, but I’d say the overall animation quality is a step up in general. The more simplified style only really looked weird in Ash because we’re so used to his more pointy style. Every other character looked totally fine, in my opinion.

As for the story, I will say I would’ve wanted the scope of the plot to be much larger, like how with the other seasons Ash was going on an adventure, whereas here it was very contained, and centered around the Pokemon School. But, still, like I mentioned, I did enjoy the casual wholesomeness of it all. Not only do I just like mindless fun, but it made the crazy shit feel even crazier. The episode where Faba was trying to catch Nebby is a perfect example. It begins with a nice fun game of all the Pokemon and people jumping rope and having a good time, with some slapstick humor with Faba failing to capture Nebby. Then he does, and shit goes down. First of all, he’s torturing the little thing. Then, ASH (not his Pokemon, Ash himself) tackles Faba. Tell me, what other season had humans fighting other humans? I honestly can’t think of a single time when fighting was done with fists and not Pokemon (although surely I’m forgetting something, there’s gotta be at least one other example, right?) Then, Lillie re-experiences her past trauma of almost being abducted by Nihilego, except now her mom gets abducted in her place… Like, what happened? It was so cute a second ago. That’s always the selling point for any cartoon, for me. Stay casual for a decent amount, then break it with some uncharacteristically high tension. The same goes for the segment where Ash goes into Guzzlord’s post apocalyptic dimension. As for mega-feels, It’s great that they made Litten/Torracat an actual character instead of just some random Pokemon, with Stoutland and whatnot. The episode where they go into Tapu Fini’s mist and Mallow meets her mother, and Torracat meets Stoutland just destroyed me. It was strategically remedied by Lillie and Gladion not seeing their father, suggesting he’s still alive. There were some really great episodes in the season, for sure.

So, yeah… Alola was a good time. Don’t deny it. Galar’s gonna be great too. No game’s ever going to be perfect, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be fun.

#pokemon #rant #rambling #gen 7 #alola #thoughts #opinions #ultra beasts #aether foundation #team skull #poole

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theangstyantichrist-blog · 6 years ago

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Oh, If You Only Knew (Michael Langdon x Reader)

plot: “Sojourn” Michael crashes at your place instead of the lady who takes him in. You only have one bed so he has to sleep with you; He gets a little close and he wakes up with a unexpected hard-on up against your ass

warnings: Dom!Michael, Fem!Reader, Blowjob/Face-fucking, Choking, Unprotected Sex, Sexual Intercourse, Rough Sex, Spanking, Cumshot

word count: 1.7K

You never were one to fit in, as cliche as it sounds. You didn’t really have many friends and you barely spoke with your family ever since you began practicing Satanism. If someone would have asked you a year ago if you felt like your life was pretty good, your answer would have been fuck no. During the earlier years of your life when you used to live with your parent(s) they force fed you all the Catholic bullshit constantly, yet seemingly nothing good ever happened to you. Subject to what your parents believed, being a follower of Satan had some serious perks. First, you were able to live in a pretty nice home all to yourself with all the essentials like a pool and hot tub out back and the most advanced technologies Satan had to offer. Plus your sex life wasn’t too bad either for only being in the world 18 years. All sorts of celebrities would end up in your bed one way or another, but oh, if you only knew what was to come. One night,you were preparing to attend another black mass, which wasn’t a lot to ask for all the glory you’d been soaking in over the past year ever since you sold your soul to the devil.

You threw on a flowy black dress that was a bit too short for your taller figure but you knew He wouldn’t care. Leaving through your garage door, you were still gawking at how nice your car was [imagine it to be whatever car you want]. When you finally drove down the alleyway and parked it was almost time to start. You shuffled in along with some other young believers and took a seat towards the back. You turned over and saw a guy around your age, but you’ve never seen him before. You couldn’t possibly have missed a face as handsome as his. He seemed a bit off kilter, dirty, and his clothing was torn in a lot of places. He had tears welling in his eyes and you felt for him. I’ve been there, you thought. The Black chorus began singing in Latin that you still couldn’t interpret even after a whole year of attending these masses. A bucket was being passed around and you threw a couple dollars in, and then handed it to him.

“I don’t have any money right now,” he said, looking up at you.

“Or any food, from the looks of it,” you said feeling bad for the poor guy, “How long has it been since you ate?”

He sunk his head into his palm and sighed, “What’s it to you?”

“Just trying to help out a fellow believer.” You said with a smile. He smiled back but still seemed unwell.

“Hey, you know what?” You began, “You can come stay with me if you’d like, I only live a streets away and I make a killer lasagna.”

He took a moment to wipe away his tears on his sleeve and answered, “That’s actually really nice of you.”

When the service ended, you walked side by side to where your car was parked. When both of you were finally situated you began the short drive to your house. I am such a dumbass, you thought. You couldn’t believe you never introduced yourself as well as ask for this mysterious guy’s name.

“I’m y/n by the way,” you threw out, “and you are?”

“Michael,” he replied, not giving any details or background about his life and who he truly is.

“Sooo why exactly did you just magically show up here in the dank streets of Los Angeles?” you questioned, “More specifically attending a black mass.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure I can ask you the same thing,” Michael said sharply.

“Hey I asked first!” you whined, cause the curiosity you had was eating you up.

“My father told me I am not his son and abandoned me, and my mother attempted to kill me.” Michael explained with sadness and anger showing through his bright blue orbs.

“Fuck that, my parents suck too but they never went that far,” you replied, “Well you’ve got me now so I hope that counts for something.”

Those words put a smile on Michael’s face which made you very happy as well. Even though you consider yourself a Satanist, you still had a big heart. You pulled into your driveway, parked the car, and Michael followed behind up to your front door. You felt around your purse until you touched the cool metal of your pentagram keychain, and used it to unlock your house.

“Michael, the bathroom is upstairs to your left. I will get dinner started and bring you some clean clothes,” you told him, “It should be done as soon as your out of the shower, you’re a little dirty.”

Michael shook his head and laughed sarcastically, “Ha-ha, real funny.”

Once all the ingredients were put together you popped the lasagna in the oven and head upstairs quickly to find something for Michael to wear. You went to your dresser, opened the drawer and got out one of your bigger bed shirts. You loved the comfort of men’s clothing so sometimes you bought them to wear around the house. Unfortunately, you didn’t really have any pants that would fit Michael, so you had to give up your boxers you typically wore to bed. You went back down the stairs to check on the food and it was ready. That boy must be starving, you thought.

“Speak of the devil,” you said, “No pun intended.”

You finished up dinner and he kept thanking you profusely, but honestly, you didn’t mind being with Michael one bit. After, you cleaned up the table, you grabbed his hand and led Michael to your room. Michael sat down on your neatly made bed.

“I’ll be right back, just need to get changed and ready for bed,” you said, “Hope you don’t mind sharing a bed, I don’t really have anyone else living with me so there was no need for other beds.”

Since Michael had your boxer shorts, you stuck with wearing a loose t-shirt and some skimpy underwear. As you walked back in the room, Michael was already fast asleep, and snoring lightly through his soft pink lips. You climb in bed as quietly as you could, being careful not interrupt his sleep. When you finally fell asleep beside him, dirty thoughts about Michael ran through your head.

－

You noticed something hard pressing against your ass. Your tired eyes fluttered open to see something a bit shocking. Michael was grinding against you in his sleep and his breathing was sporadic and heavy. You felt yourself getting aroused too, it was almost sinful, the two of you. Still in mid-grind you increased the friction by pushing your body against him. Still not waking him up, you decided to pull down his boxers, seemingly against your better judgement. His dick was so big and restrained from boxers that it hit his lower stomach. If you’re being honest, he was so much bigger than you expected. You grabbed his cock and rubbed the tip, spreading around his precum. Michael stirred and opened his eyes slowly.

“Well, goodmorning, sweetheart.” Michael groaned.

“I hope this is okay.” You replied with butterflies in your stomach, “I’ve fucking wanted you since I laid eyes on you.”

“Fuck, yes. More than okay.” Michael’s breath hitched.

You then pulled the boxers down a bit further and placed your mouth on the tip. Michael bucked his hips to further his cock into your mouth and grunted. He stood up by the side of the bed as a way to better the pleasure your mouth gave him. Michael pulled off his shirt, well in this case yours, and tossed it to the other side of the room. You bit your bottom lip harder than you meant to because man, is he a snack. That being your cue, you removed your shirt, revealing your already aroused nipples because who wears bras to bed. Especially, if there happens to be a guy in your bed and a chance of sex. As soon as Michael saw your bare chest, he did this incredibly sexy thing with his tongue and you leaned forward hungrily for a kiss. Michael grabbed the side of your face, practically begging to fuck you. The two of you broke the kiss and you once again attached your lips to his dripping cock and swirled your tongue in all the right places. As you bobbed your head up and down, you took the rest of it with your hand. Unexpectedly, Michael began thrusting and fucking your mouth, motioning for you to go deeper and making you gag slightly due to his above average size. You could tell because of this that he hadn’t had any action, if any at all, for a long time. He vocalized his pleasure very audibly, and you were glad you seemed to be doing a good enough job. Michael tugged at your hair hinting that you can stop now. He had other things he’d rather do to you.

“Flip around, I want to see that lovely ass of yours that I’m now so very fond of,” Michael demanded.

Michael placed a very firm slap onto your ass, making you yelp from the mixture pain and pleasure. He lined himself up with your entrance and didn’t bother to start things off slow. Taking you from behind, he gave it to you long and hard. Moans flowed from your lips louder than ever before. His palm smacked across your ass again, this time being a little harder than the first. They’re definitely bound to leave marks. Michael pulled out for a moment and switched positions, leaving him on top and you on the bottom. Quickly and immediately, he was back inside of you again. He wrapped his ring-clad fingers around your throat squeezing it as he continued pounding into you. Your breath hitched in your throat and your stomach twisted, knowing you were near your breaking point. Apparently Michael was close too, this being evident since his thrusts were becoming sloppier. Your hands gripped your bed sheets tightly and you moaned so loud from your orgasm that the neighbors definitely could hear you, but you honestly couldn’t care less. Michael pulled out, ready for his release and you sat yourself up to look at him in all of his antichrist glory. He released his cum onto your chest and a bit of it marked the bottom of your chin.

“Holy fuck,” You said, short of breath, “You can stay as long as you want, Michael.”

Tags: @icylangdon <3

#michael langdon #michael langdon x reader #michael langdon smut #ahs apocalypse #american horror story #apocalypse

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sbwritesshit · 6 years ago

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Finn Blackthorne

BASICS

FULL NAME: Phineas Jonah Blackthorne NICKNAME(S): Finn BIRTHDAY: July 10th, 1985 SPECIES: Werewolf, Zalman Pack (~4 years) RELIGION: Atheist ORIENTATION: Heterosexual OCCUPATION(S): Watcher

APPEARANCE

FACECLAIM: Bob Morley EYE COLOR(S): Brown HAIR COLOR(S): Dark Brown HEIGHT: 6’2” BODY BUILD: Average PIERCINGS: None TATTOOS: None DISTINGUISHING FEATURES: Large scar on his left side from the attack. It has faded for the most part, but there’s still some light puckering.

BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: Cheshire, CT FINANCIAL STATUS: Middle class PRIMARY MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: Walking/running EDUCATION LEVEL: Master’s in Environmental Architecture LANGUAGES: English

RELATIONSHIPS

BIRTH ORDER: Youngest SIBLINGS: Melchor, older brother FAMILY: Sean (father), Rosamie (mother) SIGNIFICANT OTHER(S): Mari (deceased) CHILDREN: None PETS: None

PERSONALITY

MORAL ALIGNMENT: Lawful Good MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE: ISFJ, The Defender HOGWARTS HOUSE: Hufflepuff POSITIVE TRAITS: loyal, kind, committed NEGATIVE TRAITS: rash, can be closed off, jaded

MISC

ELEMENT: Earth TROPES: Arbitrary Skepticism Broken Bird Worth Living For

BIOGRAPHY

A nice job, good friends, a lovely girlfriend, Finn had the world on a silver platter, but not for lack of trying. Growing up in a small town in Connecticut, Finn was taught all the wonders of New England life; the woods, the rivers and creeks, how to survive a cold winter and how to enjoy the warm summers. Born to a lower class family was never a sore spot for the boy growing up, all it did was add to his determination to make something of himself. His parents were always there for him, pushing him to succeed, but never adding too much pressure. It was the ideal life and Finn never asked for anything he couldn’t make sure he could achieve himself. By the age of 24, Finn had put himself through school and was on track to become one of the most promising young architects of his year. Growing up with such proximity to nature, Finn knew he wanted to study Environmental Architecture, a degree that made his “hippie” parents ecstatic. Being offered a dream job in a great firm, Finn decided that in a few months, he would propose to his girlfriend, Mari, on the front steps of the house he’d made for them. Everything was falling into place for a fairytale life.

It was spring when Finn and his friends decided to take a last minute camping trip to celebrate Finn’s passing of the NCARB exam. He was now a fully licensed architect and had the groundwork laid for a perfect life. The first day of the trip was uneventful, ordinary outdoorsy activities filled with laughter, booze, and friends, nothing short of bliss in the familiar woods they’d all grown up in. The next morning, however, things took a turn for the worse. Sometime in the early hours of dawn, Mari’s best friend, Kris, had gone wandering off with her boyfriend. Figuring they were having a private tryst in the trees, Finn and Mari thought nothing of it. For a few hours, they lounged in the woods, took a swim in the lake and hiked up to the top of the mountain and back, only to return to silence. Getting worried, the pair grabbed their flashlights in the fading light and separated to search for their friends.

Finn would be lying if he said he didn’t feel something off the moment he separated from his girlfriend and looking back, sees that moment as his biggest regret. In a matter of no time, the woods were blacker than black and teeming with unfamiliar sounds. Always the hero, Finn plunged further into the darkness to find his friends, only to turn back the moment the scream reached his ears. The campsite he returned to was straight out of a horror movie. Blood and gore everywhere, bones and flesh laid out like some satanist’s fantasy. None of the sights compared to the smell, though. Rotting flesh mingling with a sickly sweet smell of what Finn could only guess was a fresh kill. He’d never been a hunter and–after this, damn him if he ever would be. Thinking – hoping – it was just some bear’s meal, Finn slowly walked toward his own tent, praying his satellite phone was still there. Instead he found his beloved, torn apart and mangled, some thing gnawing at her stomach.

The next thing Finn remembered was waking up, miles away from the campsite, a throbbing pain in his left side and his camping buddy next to him, looking like he’d just dragged himself out of hell. Finn came to learn that he’d been bitten and nearly killed by what his friend said was an enormous wolf, bigger than anything he’d ever seen, but he was alive. Unable to come to terms with the amount of loss he experienced in such a short time, Finn left his friend, his town and his job behind, leaving his picture perfect idea of a future die in those woods. He drove until he ran out of gas and walked even further until he found civilization. It wasn’t until days later when he tried to get out a message to his parents that he even realized he was stuck. The once boisterous and outgoing man was now more fearful and tentative, but he couldn’t stifle the need to protect. Since finding himself in Ashbourne, Finn learned about what he had become – a werewolf. The knowledge transformed him into more of an introvert and while he tried to keep himself away from anyone he might hurt, Finn found a family in the Zalman pack. The new pack showed him that he could have a new future here. His condition wasn’t a death sentence, and despite the fact that he was trapped in this town, he could have a life. Finn couldn’t protect Mari anymore, but maybe he could keep his new home safe.

#m: finn #tw: death #v: ashbourne #finn bio

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silknscribbles · 6 years ago

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WIP Prep Tag!

Another one @queenie-dragon tagged me in! I’m shook because I also have a protag named Silas (in a short story I wrote). Tbh it’s a killer name for a MC. Also, your entire WIP sounds amazing and I love all of your character names.

And now, here we go!

FIRST LOOK

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch).

☾ A small town at the foot of the San Juan mountains, once a railroad and mining town but now a major tourist attraction and ski destination, is plagued by a series of suicides and murders. As more and more people on the outskirts of town turn up dead, deputy Mitch Baker begins to uncover the dark history of the town and is forced to question just what exactly is preying on its citizens.

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

☾ I really think Ridgway fits best as a standalone novel. I have no idea what its word count might be!

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

☾ bloody knuckles

☾ cigarette smoke

☾ police sirens

☾ watered-down whiskey

☾ the smell of leather & gunpowder

☾ foggy pine forests

☾ native folklore

☾ animal skulls with the flesh stripped of

☾ old ski lodge in the woods

☾ rusty trestle bridges

☾ coyotes screaming

☾ crime scene tape

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

☾ I have always loved Stephen King and many of his books contributed to my ideas about the feel for Ridgway, but there are no books that singlehandedly contributed to my ideas for it.

5. Share 3+ images that give a good feel for your novel.

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

☾ Sheriff’s Deputy Mitch Baker. He’s 31 years old and has spent his entire life in the small town of Ridgway, Colorado. It’s where he met and married his childhood sweetheart, Charlotte, and where he buried her. He has a daughter, Ellie, who is eighteen months old at the time the novel begins.

Mitch had a bit of a rough childhood with an absent father and a skittish mother, and found himself taken under the wing of the local sheriff, David Milton, after getting into one too many brush-ins with the local law. Eventually, Mitch became the deputy and now spends time keeping the peace in town.

7. Who is their closest ally?

☾ David Milton, the kindhearted sheriff who took a liking to Mitch and wanted to help him. The two are now like brothers, though Mitch also regards Dave as a father figure of sorts.

8. Who is their enemy?

☾ Mitch doesn’t really have an enemy. At the start of the novel, he exists in a state of apathy towards most of the world. He butts heads with some of the money-makers in town (especially those seeking to buy the old ski lodge in the mountain) but doesn’t have a sworn enemy.

9. What do they want more than anything?

☾ He wants his wife back, and he wants answers about her death.

10. Why can’t they have it?

☾ The truth is not the answer that he wants, and so he demands more.

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

☾ That he won’t be able to raise Ellie without Charlotte. He would die for his daughter and he loves her more than his own life. He doubts his own ability to be a father to her as well as doing his job.

12. Draw your protagonist (or share a description)!

☾ I can’t draw people for the life of me, but Mitch is of average build (a bit on the muscular side) and stands at 5′11″. He has brown eyes and brown, straight hair that he keeps short. He normally has a light beard and keeps himself well groomed. His hands are pretty scarred from taking (and giving) beatings throughout the years, and he has a scar on the outside of his left calf from taking a stray bullet a few years ago.

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

☾ Life v. Death - Man v. Self

14. What is the external conflict?

☾ Greed v. History

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?

☾ The death of his daughter, Ellie.

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

☾ Now why would I tell you this? ;)

17. Do you know how it ends?

☾ For the most part. I have to tie some loose ends.

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?

☾ The destruction caused by human greed. Nature does not belong to us.

19. What is a recurring symbol?

☾ Nature as a force, the dark of the woods.

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)

☾ Ridgway, Colorado in the mid ‘70s! The town is relatively small and many of its buildings are historical. It features lots of railroad tracks and a few old coal mines, as well as a quarry. It sits at the base of the San Juan mountains and an old ski lodge lies on the edge of town.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

☾ A few, yes! I know how the first murder will play out, as well as the first time Mitch sees the being responsible for the murders. I also have a few more scenes kicking around up there that I don’t want to give away.

22. What excites you about this story?

☾ The mystery and the challenge of it! I want to be scared of myself and scared for my characters. I want to play around with monsters and mythical forces and the idea that we as humans are only very small beings in a very big and very old wilderness.

23. Tell us about your usual writing method.

☾ I like to right either early in the morning or in the evening. I normally put on a chill playlist (usually instrumental only) and have a glass of Pepsi Zero with ice. Then I open up a google doc and marathon write or do sprints for as long as I can.

And I’m gonna tag (don’t feel pressured to respond!): @cogwrites @genderpunksap @juliawritesbooks @pens-swords-stuff @she-writes-love @honiewrites @kdaziz @theforgottencoolkid @adulting-n-writing @indievixen @telning @skyfootsteps

#ridgway #wip tag #about ridgway #my novel!

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useyourrwords · 6 years ago

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January in Review // I Cried, Laughed, Ate Pasta, Celebrated My Birthday & Completed TWO Read-A-Thons/Challenges

January was…A lot.

This past month has been crazy, to say the least. A lot of highs and a lot of lows but I’m getting through it so that’s something!

January contained so much in such a short time that I still can’t believe it’s over!

January’s TBR

Guys, I completed not one, but two read-a-thon/challenges this month! For someone who hasn’t participated in any before I count that as a double win!

I participated in the Late-A-Thon hosted by Destiny @ Howling Libraries and JanJamJar from the Devour Your TBR Goodreads group!

I was able to combine them both by using a TBR jar with the ARCs I wanted to catch up on in it.

So the books I put in my January TBR are all the books I put in the Jar.

I didn’t get all of them but I didn’t expect to.

│The Good Son│

│

│My Name is Victoria│

│

│Skylarks│

│

│Anger is a Gift│

│

│The Unbinding of Mary Reade│

│

│Rad Girls Can│

│

│The Boneless Mercies│

│

│What If It’s Us│

│

│Girls of Paper and Fire│

│

Read

Emoji order – format-representation-challenges/readathons-reading status.

The TBR Jar really worked in my favour! And it was great catching up on so many ARCS!

Each book I pulled out came at the right time and I think I might continue with the Jar until I’ve caught up on the ARC’s I have left from 2018.

│The Unbinding of Mary Reade│

│

│★★│Read Jan 8│

This one was fairly disappointing. I wanted a whole lot more than it had to give.

│My Name is Victoria│Lucy Worsley│

│

│★★★│Read Jan 11│

I actually really liked the twist in this but god damn was most of it boring.

│The Good Son│You-Jeong Jeong│

│

│★★★│Read Jan 25│

I—this just wasn’t great and it mostly just made me angry.

│Unbroken│Marieke Nijkamp│

│

I nearly finished this before the month was up but not quite.

│The Boneless Mercies│April Genevieve Tucholke│

│

This has been decent enough so far but I’m waiting for more.

Book of the Month

│Girls of Paper and Fire│Girls of Paper and Fire #1│Natasha Ngan│

│

│★★★★│Read Jan 21│

I loved it! It was so engaging for the most part!

│January Completed│ARC: 4│Owned: 0│Library Loans: 0│Reread: 0│Diversity: 4│Average Rating: 3★’s│

Haul

│Vengeful│Villains│VE Schwab│

│

Nearly didn’t get this one because I accidentally sent it to the wrong address but I visited my neighbour and I got it!

This was a late Christmas present to myself!

│P.S. I Still Love You│To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before│Jenny Han│

│

│Always and Forever, Lara Jean│To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before│Jenny Han│

│

These were birthday presents to myself!

Past Grey Reads

Book Review // Girl Made of Stars – I Am Broken

Book Review // Everything Leads To You – A Quite Love Story

Book Review // The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – What Do You Mean She’s Not a Real Person???

Film & TV

I’ve really not watched much at all because I just don’t have time! Or money!

I decided that the season 1 watch I did of Charmed was enough to give me the hit of nostalgia that I needed so I won’t be continuing it again anytime soon! I do want to get around to watching the remake soon though!

January’s TBW

│Mary Queen of Scots│

│

│How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World│

│

│Ralph Breaks the Internet│

│

│Charmed│

│

Watched

│Mary Queen of Scots│

│2018│

Josie Rourke│

Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden│★★★★★│ Fave Part: Literally all of it, it was so well done. And I loved that they portrayed Mary and Elizabeth as two women pitted against each other by the men around them.

I won tickets to see this at my local cinema so me and mum went and it was fucking brilliant!

│Hannibal│Season 2│

│2013│

Bryan Fuller│

Hugh Dancy, Mads Mikkelsen, Caroline Dhavernas│★★★★│ Fave Part: The fact it’s gotten more and more homoerotic.

I watched the same four episodes about four times each because I needed a fucking break but was being stubborn.

Also, my coworker had time to rewatch every episode in the time it took me to watch those four properly. She has work AND Uni. I have no idea how she has time to do it???

│Drag Race All Stars│Season 4│

│2012│

RuPaul│

RuPaul, Michelle Visage│★★★★│ Fave One-liner This Season: “Yeah, well some of us don’t have to force story-lines to get air time” -Farrah Moan.

Valentina has continued to live her full telenovela fantasy and it’s entertaining as fuck.

The judges need to stop sleeping on Naomi because the bitch is turning it out and they’re refusing to take notice… Except for maybe last week….But we don’t talk about that.

Manila is killing it as always and the period gown that she couldn’t wear on the show??? Iconic.

Also, I’m very excited to see Season 11!!!! So many queens that I’m looking forward to seeing!

│Jessica Jones│Season 1│

│2015│

Melissa Rosenberg│

Krysten Ritter, Rachael Taylor, Eka Darville│★★★★│ Fave character: Jessica obvs

I am struggling but only because the only time I have time to watch is when I’m fucking tired and ready for sleep. I’ll get there.

│Dumplin’│

│2018│

Anne Fletcher│

Danielle Macdonald, Jennifer Aniston, Odeya Rush│★★★★★│ Fave part: The fact Bo didn’t like Will despite her being fat, he thought she was beautiful as is.

This so easily could have been terrible and you literally just have to look to last year to see just how easy it would have been but this was so good and special and respectful and I cried so much while watching it and fucking Ginger Minj was everything and this is everything I wanted Sierra Burgess is a Loser to be and I’m so glad I finally got it.

Also, I have a huge crush on Bex Taylor-Klaus. So there’s that.

│Derry Girls│Season 1│

│2017│

Lisa McGee│

Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Louisa Harland, Nicola Coughlan│★★★★│ Fave character: Orla

This show is so fucking funny. I was struggling not to laugh out loud while my mum was giving someone a massage.

│The Haunting of Hill House│Season 1│

│2018│

Mike Flanagan│

Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Henry Thomas│★★★★★│ Fave sibling: Theo

This show is brilliant like everyone talked about how good it was but I just didn’t have time and then I put it on one night and didn’t pay any attention to it at all. And then I put it on when I had a self-imposed mental health day and mum watched it with me and it was the best decision I’ve made in 2019 so far, to be honest.

I binged watched it in just three days which is huge for me because I haven’t been able to binge watch anything that isn’t just short 20 minute episodes in short season in months.

Oh, and I want Theo to top me.

Youtube

I would say I need to stop watching YouTube because I watch so fucking much of it but I watch it while I’m doing other things like eating, doing housework, cooking and blogging. It’s the only way I can watch it without feeling guilty.

│VH1│Meet the Queens of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11│The Pit Stop: LaLaPaRUza w/ Katya│The Pit Stop: Jersey Justice ft. Kim Chi│

I am so ready for the new season!!!

Also, I love anything Katya and Trixie do.

And look at Kim Chi’s look, I die.

│Miz Cracker│Review With A Jew│

Review With A Jew has gotten PROFESSIONAL now and I just love Miz Cracker.

│Ladylike│Hot Takes—Jen Reveals Her Unpopular Opinion & Devin Reveals Her Unpopular Opinion│Kristen Goes to Montreal With No Clothes│

I am loving these hot takes because they’re just fun to watch and see the other ladies react as well!

I think the whole trip with no clothes challenge is a brilliant idea!!!

│Lily Marston│My Friends & I Read Your Assumptions About Me│15 Tools That Help My Neck & Back Pain│

I think the assumptions video trend is actually really a good idea because it allows creators to share a little bit more of themselves!

if you have chronic pain you’re gonna want to check out Lily’s video on the tools she uses to get relief!

│Buzzfeed Video│Mom In Progress—We Tried the 7-Day Vegan Challenge│

So in this video, they eat vegan cream cheese on toast with raspberries and it looked so delicious that I wanted to try it with other toppings. So now mum and I are obsessed with cream cheese and pepper smoked salmon on toast and I can’t stop.

Other toppings I’ve tried are;

Mango and raspberry jam (because raspberries are pricey)

Salami

Tomatoes (with salt and loads of pepper)

Shaved chicken (with salt and loads of pepper)

And next to try is peaches!

│Liza Koshy Too│The videos I never uploaded… until now│Why I took a break│

I love Liza and I love that she’s easing herself back into making videos again and so far I’ve loved them both!

│Chris Klemens│Telling Each Other What to Say to Strangers: Carly and Erin│

You need to watch this just to see Carly speak gibberish which honestly sounds like Simish and really did sound almost like another legit language.

│Sorted Food│Pass It On│

I will never not love this series. It’s YouTube whispers but cooking a meal.

│ElleOfTheMills│My Weight Loss│

I love anytime some talks openly about mental health and Elle is really delivering lately!

Music

I’ve honestly barely listened to any music this month let alone any new music.

│Camila Cabello│Something’s Gotta Give│Inside Out│In the Dark│

│Madison Beer│Dead│

│The Greatest Showman Reimagined│Never Enough (Kelly Clarkson)│This Is Me (Kesha)│Rewrite the Stars (James Arthur & Anne-Marie)│

Podcasts

│Race Chaser│

Alaska Thunderfuck & Willam Belli│★★★★★│

│Sibling Rivalry│

Bob The Drag Queen & Monet X Change│★★★★★│

│What The Tuck│

Nicole Byers & Joel Kim Booster│★★★★★│

I don’t know how to not become obsessed with things and apparently, that means listening to all the podcasts to get the backstage Tea on All-Stars 4.

Past Grey Watches

Grey Watches // I Wanna Bone Jude Law and Kate Winslet – The Holiday

Grey Watches // It Has To Be A Shit Show – A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding

Grey Watches // I Hate It So Much I Love It – A Christmas Prince

Blogosphere Highlights

│Krystin @ Here’s The Fucking Twist│ Top Ten: Mystery and Thriller Releases for Q1 2019!│

│Destiny @ Howling Libraries│BEST OF 2018: CONTEMPORARY!│

│Elise @ The Bookish Actress│ANOTHER 2018 FAVE, FINALLY REVIEWED! SAWKILL GIRLS BY CLAIRE LEGRAND│

│May @ Forever And Everly│My Most Anticipated YA Books Releasing January through July ft. a Lot of Asian Fantasies and Diverse Books in General!│

│Ellyn @Allonsythornraxxbooks│ HOW TO GET ON TOP OF YOUR NETGALLEY FEEDBACK RATIO│

│Silvia @Silvia Reads Books│All I Learned About Audiobooks: A Guide│

│Avery @Red Rocket Panda│HOW TO HYPE YOUR FAVOURITE READS│

│Abbiee @Abbiee│WRITING TIPS Transform a Messy Story Idea Into a Strong Outline (in 3 simple steps!)│

│Ilsa @A Whisper of Ink│How the HECK does one receive a physical ARC because I want one?! (I hear your cries and answer all your questions) Welcome to How To Request + Recieve ARCs│

│Simone @Simone and Her Books│My Review Process and Why I Write Reviews│

│Swetlana @The Caffeinated Bookworm Life│16 Blog Post Ideas To Help You Get Through (AT LEAST) A Month Of Blogging│

│Melanie @Mel To The Any│The Top 12 Books I Must Read in 2019│

Past Month In Review

Month in Review // Christmas is Over Thank Fuck – December

Month in Review // November – I Already Hate Christmas

Month in Review // July, August, September & October – New Post Series!

January’s Goals

Increase my walk time and maybe go for walks 6 days a week?

Start doing some floor exercises like crunches.

I need an exercise ball which I have but I don’t know where the pump is and I keep forgetting to ask mum where it is.

Read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Work out my new blogging schedule

Start working on my WIP

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAH

Fucking relax a bit

Maybe finish editing all my past posts???

A Month of Mayhem

I spent my birthday out!!! My mum took me to get my hair cut, we did some shopping, she gave me a massage and some Reiki which I needed!!! And then we went to Fasta Pasta for dinner and it was delicious!!! Oh and I even took photos with mum and didn’t feel gross and have a new selfie I took with snapchat with the fox filter and I think it’s v cute!!!

The last few years I’ve always gotten books as presents for my birthday but mum told me I had too many unread books so I had to choose something else…So I chose things for my reading! Because of course.

I got a pair of noise-cancelling headphones so that I can continue to read or blog or write uninterrupted instead of getting distracted every time mum’s massage clients come and go. Except mum keeps forgetting to check if I have them on before she goes to have a full conversation with me. So when I realise she’s doing it I just turn and look at her and she notices the headphones. I’ve taken to moving one of the earphones off my ear when I notice she’s in the living room but I don’t always notice.

My mum also got me my first book sleeve from Etsy! I spent hours finding one I wanted that wasn’t super expensive but good quality! It’s spacey and I love it. It’s great timing since I’m going to be reading more of my owned physical books this year and I don’t want them to get damaged by the three drink bottles in my bag for work YES THREE!!! and two are 1-litre ones and my bag is heavy. I HAVE MY REASONS!!!

I also bought myself far too many animated movies, some books, a curler, some hair products so I can use the curler I have still not used any of it yet shhhh, and a fitbit!!!!

I mean the fitbit was definitely the most needed one for sure because now I can actually track how many steps I’m doing a day and I’ve been doing pretty good! I’m hitting 8000 steps most days and even hit my first 10000 steps on the 16th which was exciting!

I went and did my tax finally and now my tax debt thanks work for not taking the correct amount of tax out for several years! is down to a very manageable amount! So that’s a relief!

My sister brought my nephews around for a visit and nephew 3 nearly got bit by a spider but nephew 2 saved the day! Other than that the visit was good! I love them so much and Nephew 3 is starting to walk!!!

My mum treated me to get my nails done professionally for the first time ever and I love them. My nails look like bullets.

I discovered where I could buy cheap hazelnut syrup for my coffee and then when I went to buy it saw they also have dark chocolate syrup as well so basically I’m just drinking liquid Nutella.

And I have officially been on this blog for a year!!! I’m so thankful for this community and even just this blog being a lifeline and a thing to focus my attention on when things have been shit in my personal life. I’m so glad I can call myself a part of this community and I look forward to many more years being a part of it!

I lost my bank card while doing my food shopping which was not great and very inconvenient since a lot of the parking I pay for work is cheaper booking online! But whatever.

I had a few emotional moments throughout the month but it was mostly just me having a little cry and then moving on.

I visited my other sister which kind of didn’t go great, to begin with. There was a whole thing, I had an anxiety attack and suffered a bout of paranoia and cried a lot but it all worked out in the end.

Once I calmed down we went to get my phone upgraded (this was already the plan) because I am anxious, my mum is busy, and my sister knows a guy that works there so I got well looked after! But then I had to go back another day because they didn’t have the phone that I wanted in stock.

We came back to her house and played Overcooked on the PlayStation which is always fun for us and I was in much better spirits when I left!

Until the next day when I was a mess again.

Look, I’m really great at handling big life-changing things as they’re happening. It’s a trait I inherited from my mum. The whole world as we know it could end and it wouldn’t look like I even knew something had changed.

It’s like my brain will just put the BIG THING in a box and shove it under a few things until I’ve gotten through it and then it’ll bring it out and say “Remember this BIG THING??? Yeah, now you gotta process it. Have fun.” Which is great until there are several BIG THINGS waiting to be processed and then I get hit with them all at once, which happens most of the time.

So then I break down over seemingly small shit. Its very clearly SO MUCH FUN!!!

So basically I spent that whole day crying and anxious and paranoid and had to call my mum to help calm me down and then my new phone was ready to be picked up and I didn’t want to bother my sister to go with me and I knew I needed to do something on my own to prove to myself I’m not totally useless so I went and picked up my phone by myself! Thankfully the hard part was over I am an absolute pushover and will be talked into buying anything even if I don’t want it so I just had to go in, they transferred my stuff over to the new phone and I was done!

It went well, despite the fact that the guy was having difficulty transferring my stuff over but I think he was a little unnerved by how quiet I am in person and especially with people I don’t really know, and I hate being THAT customer so I tend to just sit patiently and try and get my brain to shut up.

He kept commenting on how quiet and patient I was and trying to get me to talk but I hate small talk because I never know what to say. When we were finished he said he hopes I’ll become a regular customer and if I have any problems to come in and he’ll help me out!

I also made an appointment that day to get my mental health plan done so I can go back to seeing my therapist which, clearly, I super need!!!

Oh, and I also even mentioned to someone I know from my last workplace that I’ve been wanting to learn how to play d&d but didn’t have anyone to teach me and she said that if a spot opened up on a campaign she’d let me know!!!!

At the end of the month, I took a mental health day with my mum. We stayed home all day and did the bare minimum and it was so good! I sat and watched the Derry Girls and then mum and I watched half of The Haunting of Hill House and we talked about what anxiety and depression and paranoia sound like in our head and talked a lot about mental health and it was just really lovely even though it was emotional and I cried.

I know it kind of sounds like this month was a bit of a downer but overall it really wasn’t and it also didn’t feel like that. For the most part, I was happy and motivated and got a good amount of reading done and was productive! I even cleaned out my car!

Sometimes it’s easy for me to focus on just the negatives but I have to remind myself that even though I had some downer moments I am nowhere near as consistently down as I was just a few months ago and that’s progress! I just have to keep focusing on my health, both physical and mental and talking to my mum when I’m sad and talking through my feelings. I say that like it’s the easiest thing in the world when I am in fact Queen Of Not Reaching Out.

Past Month Ahead

Month Ahead // Happy Birthday To Me + Hiatus Announcement – January

Month Ahead // December – I Already Hate It

Month Ahead // November – New Post Series

January is done and dusted, bring on February!

What did you do this month? What did you read? What did you watch? What posts did you write that you’re super proud of?

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