#and unfortunately she has no idea how much of a toll her antics have taken on poor maya Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[masonscig]

dom avalos of tangerine dagger 🍊🗡️

yes dom uses the band’s instagram like a diary. yes she is a private person. she exists

template

[biaswreckingfics]

To Be Replaced: Part 1

Pairing: Baekhyun x Reader

Genre: Angst

Word Count: 2.5k

“I’m so sorry, babe… You know I want to be home more than anything, but it’s unfortunately not up to me…” your boyfriend sadly tells you through the phone.

“I know, Baek… It’s okay. It’s just one more week and then you’ll be right back home with me.” You hide the sadness you’re feeling from your voice, so he doesn’t worry about you and feel guilty for the toll his career sometimes takes.

He suddenly whines in your ear. “Why does a week feel so long all of a sudden?”

You listen as your boyfriend of three years continues to pout into the phone. Of course, you were sad that he was going to be gone longer than the two of you had originally planned, but you had learned long ago to be understanding in these types of situations. You’ve grown used to dealing with traveling delays when it came to your boyfriend’s schedule. He was an idol and he was certainly “booked and busy”, and often being pulled in eight different directions. You had learned to just go along for the ride to make it easier on him.

This time it was no different. EXO had just wrapped up another world tour, and SM had found time to schedule more appearances for them before they came home. The only upside you could find in this scenario was more exposure for the boys and more interviews for you to watch online which is exactly what you would be doing in your now open week.

“Oh! Babe, I gotta go. There’s this stylist here who has shown me some really cool design ideas, and I think we’re going to collaborate for Privé! I’ll call you later! Love you!”

Your boyfriend suddenly hangs up and you pull your phone away from your ear to look at it. A small smile finds its way on your face thanks to your boyfriend’s antics. Privé was his baby and he had been eager to find inspiration for a new line for his clothing company. Fortunately, it sounded like he had finally found some.

A week later

You pick up the throw pillow on the couch and fluff it up for the third time while you wait for your boyfriend to arrive home. It was an anxious habit you had somehow developed. Whenever Baekhyun was gone for long periods of time, you wanted him to come home to a neat and tidy apartment. It lowered his stress levels and opened up time for the two of you to be together instead of worrying about a dirty house.

You at least hoped he was coming home today. You had hardly spoken to him in the past week, assumingly because he was busy with schedules and trying to finally catch up on sleep. The last you heard; his plane was arriving at 5pm. Which was 20 minutes ago, you note as you look at the clock on the wall.

Your phone rings and you pull it out of your back pocket and check the caller ID. A smile crosses your features as you glance at the name before answering the phone.

“Hello, Oh Sehun.”

“Hey, we’re just about to leave the airport and I’m already thinking about food. Want to go get dinner?”

“My boyfriend, who I haven’t seen in months, is about to be home. I promise you; dinner is the last thing on my mind right now.”

Sehun makes a disgusted sound in your ear. “I definitely don’t need to hear about you and Baekhyun’s dirty sex life. A ‘no’ would’ve been fine.”

“I wasn’t…” you sigh and glance around the apartment while trying to find patience. “Whatever… No, thank you, Sehun. Please, eat something delicious for me.”

You can almost hear the smirk in his voice when he says, “There’s a joke there… but I’ll let it slide this time. Let’s get together soon, okay?”

“Absolutely, but before you go… Baekhyun is with you, right?” you can’t help but ask.

Sehun pauses at your odd question before slowly asking, “Where else would he be?”

You sink down on the couch once you hear the question he bounces back at you. Obviously, Baekhyun would be with them. “Sorry, dumb question. I just haven’t heard from him in a while, so I wasn’t sure what his schedule was.”

“Why haven’t you heard from him? Did you guys get into a fight or something?”

Your head jerks back in confusion. It was rare for Baekhyun and you to get into an argument, and as your best friend, Sehun knew that.

“No? He was probably just too busy to call.”

Sehun snorts. “I doubt that. We had more free time than any of us expected. Horrible planning on SM’s part, but I won’t bother you with the boring details right now.”

Your brows furrow as even more confusion fills you. What did he mean they had more free time than expected, and if that was the case, why hasn’t Baekhyun called or texted you? You quietly voice your thoughts out loud and Sehun hears you.

“I mean… he was with Maya a lot, but I assume he would’ve talked to you too?”

You lean back into the couch and run the name through your head before coming up empty. “Who’s Maya?”

Rustling from Sehun’s end fills your ears before you hear the sound of a car door shutting. Chanyeol’s deep voice is heard in the background before Sehun responds.

“She’s some designer that was working with one of our stylists. She offered to help Baekhyun design some things for Privé. Didn’t he tell you?”

You hear Chanyeol ask why Sehun is talking about Maya before it must click into place who he is talking to, and he’s suddenly yelling hi to you.

From the sounds of it, the boys knew who she was, so she must be legit. Good. You were happy Baekhyun had someone to help him come up with some new designs. Hopefully, she can help him bring his visions to life, and help him design something really cool.

Sehun and you stay on the phone and talk for a while until you hear keys fumbling against your apartment door. Your heart shoots into your throat and you jump up from the couch in excitement, telling Sehun you have to go and hanging up while waiting for Baekhyun to enter. You hadn’t physically seen your boyfriend in months, and you couldn’t freaking wait to have him back in your arms.

Baekhyun pushes open the door and before he can get all the way inside, you’re running for him and throwing your arms around his neck. He lets out a noise at the impact, but his arms quickly wrap around your waist and he squeezes you tightly.

“I missed you, love.” He mumbles in your ear.

You lean back and find his lips, mumbling a quick “I missed you too” before finally kissing him. The kiss turns more passionate than you intend and Baekhyun blindly closes the apartment door with his foot before turning around and pushing you against it.

“God, I missed the way you taste.”

“Well, I’m right here, Baek, and I’m all yours.”

His eyes darken with lust as a mischievous smirk grows on his face. “Good, because we have a lot of missed time to make up for.”

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

A few hours later, Baekhyun and you are laying tangled up in your sheets and catching each other up on everything that had taken place the past couple of months. You told him about the boring things that happened with your work and family, and he shared with you the antics his members pulled while on tour.

When he tells you about Maya, you take in his excitement and the way he’s animatedly talking about all the ideas they were able to come up with, with a smile. It’s been a long time since you’ve seen Baekhyun this excited about anything, and it was nice to see that light in his eyes again.

“I’m telling you. She. Is. A genius. I don’t know how she came up with half of her designs, but I’m so happy she offered to help me.”

The way Baekhyun speaks about her makes her seem larger than life, and almost out of this world cool, and the way his heartbeat speeds up because of how excitedly he is talking is nice. Did it bother you that he was talking so eagerly about another woman while the two of you were naked in bed? Maybe the slightest twinge of something was there, but you were more happy for him than anything else.

“I’m happy you got a chance to work together. It sounds like she helped you out a lot.” You smile up at him from where your head was resting on his chest.

“Oh, we’ll have plenty more chances.” When you stare up at him curiously, he continues. “She’s been hired to be one of EXO’s stylists.”

You pause, slightly surprised with the information. “They hired her just like that?”

“I gave her a good recommendation.” Baekhyun shrugs underneath you. “She’s already said she’s willing to keep working with me, so now we’ll have even more time together.”

You stare up at him and take in his beautiful features. When he looks down at you, his glowing face smiles and he kisses your forehead. You can see his excitement at the fact that he gets to continue working with her and you couldn’t be happier that he found someone else he can bounce his ideas off of. He could only ask your opinion so many times before your ideas became stale, and you knew next to nothing about high fashion, so she would be way more helpful than you could ever hope to be.

The next day, you join Baekhyun at a shoot he and the other EXO members had scheduled. You found it hard to believe SM couldn’t give them at least a couple of days off before making them work again, but the selfish part of you was happy because now you could see all the guys at once.

As soon as you walk in, there’s a flurry of movement as directors and lighting men work to get everything set up. You stick close to Baekhyun like usual to stay out of everyone’s way, and quickly spot the guys hanging off to the side on a couple of couches. Baekhyun and you walk hand-in-hand in their direction before a beautiful blonde intercepts you.

“Hey, Baek. I have some more designs for you to look at.” The strange girl flashes a blinding smile at him as her hand comes up to grip his arm. She pulls him in a different direction without so much as a glance at you and he immediately lets go of your hand to follow her.

You stand there stunned as you try to figure out what just happened before looking over at the pair to see them lost in their own world. Judging by the words she spoke, you assume the girl is Maya, but you couldn’t know for sure because Baekhyun didn’t introduce you. It was almost like he forgot you were even there.

You shake it off and continue your trek over to the rest of the guys who all greet you the second you’re within earshot. You see an open spot next to Sehun and immediately drop down into it, catching his attention.

“I see you met Maya.” He dryly comments.

“Did I?” You respond, using as much sarcasm as you can muster. Could you call what just happened a meeting?

Sehun glances over to make sure he was talking about the right person and looks back at you with a roll of his eyes. “They were like that the whole time abroad too. It’s like she’s fucking sticky tape.”

You look back over at Maya and take a better look at her appearance. She was gorgeous with long legs that seemed to go on for miles. She gave off European model vibes like she was putting “I’m too sexy and cool, so don’t talk to me” in the air. You feel a twinge of insecurity and immediately stamp it out. Sure, she is gorgeous, but Baekhyun loves you and you had no doubts about that.

“She looks like a model.” You comment causing Sehun to snort.

“She was a model. I guess she decided designing was more her passion.

Oh…

You spend the rest of the day hanging out with the guys or playing on your phone. You had hardly seen Baekhyun since you got here. Maybe a quick “hi” once or twice before Maya was pulling him away again, so you were beyond relieved when the crew was wrapping up for the day and Baekhyun suddenly appeared next to you.

“Hey, babe. Sorry I’ve been so busy today. You were probably bored out of your mind.” He says while he leans over the couch and hugs you from behind.

“It’s okay.” You pat his hand before standing up and walking around the couch to him. “The guys kept me plenty entertained… but I’m ready to finally be with you...”

He pulls you into his arms and gives you a tight hug that you want to stay wrapped up in forever. However, you’re pulled out of the moment when you feel someone’s hand graze your arms as they touch Baekhyun’s lower back. A throat clearing has you and Baekhyun looking behind him, and you meet the eyes of none other than Maya.

Baekhyun quickly moves over to your side and wraps an arm around your waist before turning to face the newcomer. “Hey, Maya! There’s someone I want you to meet. This is Y/N.”

Her expression is unreadable as she looks you up and down like she’s appraising you.  “What do you do for the company?”

You blink a couple of times at her indifferent tone while Baekhyun gives her a weird look.

“Y/N’s my girlfriend… I told you about her on tour.”

Her face changes and you see the exact moment a mask slides into place. She gives you a fake smile while she waves away Baekhyun’s words.

“Oh, right. The girlfriend.” She lets out a light giggle that sounds completely out of place. “I guess I just had other things on my mind when you were talking about her.”

You stare at her as her and Baekhyun continue to talk and try to ignore the bad vibes you were getting from the introduction you just had with her. So many thoughts ran through your head, but you take one look at Baekhyun and decide to keep them to yourself. He looked happier and more relaxed than he has in a while, and you didn’t want anything to ruin that.

You couldn’t be happier that he has found someone to share his passion with… but a part of you was incredibly bummed out that it was no longer you.

Tagging: @gyukult @marovekian1 @making-me-blush @softforqiankun​ @sebootyforlife​ @nothingbutadeadesceane​ @cardtak​ @brie02​ @jungkooksworld18​ @insta1010​ @suhappysuho​ @purple-bell​

[dj-yukio]

So I let my head run, and now I’ve got part 3 of the ghost swap au

I’m starting to realise how dark this can get in a second

Part 1 and 2

- Scratch ends up bringing Molly to school again at her request, though recently he’s been considering making a bit more money to afford a few more furniture in his house

- Compared to what the McGees have, he has like a hammock in the attic, his box of clothes, and whatever the old owner (the McGee family) left behind years ago

- From Libby’s perspective, it feels like she’s been supernaturally lucky lately

- First, there are the gym mats to catch her from falling down the stairs, and then Andrea’s sandwich flew out of the window into her hands right after a bird stole her lunch? Yeah, that’s not normal

- Next thing she knows, she starts hearing a voice next to her ear, who keeps asking her to elaborate on her personal work

- Her first thought to this is, unfortunately, not ‘there is a ghost here’, but ‘these years of being alone have finally taken its toll on me and I am clearly going mad because I’m hearing voices’

- The thing is, Molly isn’t being malicious, so it’s not like hearing this voice is a massive concern that needs to be addressed right now. It’s more like having a phone buzzing but you can’t figure out where it’s coming from, so poor Libby’s really more confused than anything

- Then she gets things on her table that she’s pretty sure no one would give her, like a flower or her homework which fell out of her bag. She assumes someone is pranking her even though the voice explicitly says that it’s them

- She ends up talking to this voice like it’s a normal person when she’s alone, because it’s a bit of a comfort to be hearing someone else than her own thoughts, and talks about her feelings of being alone out loud with this voice (only when she’s a hundred percent that there’s no one else around, talking to yourself is not a good look for the school outcast)

- If you’re wondering why Molly didn’t just pop up and reveal herself, Scratch told her to get whoever she wanted to be her friend comfortable with her presence first. He meant it in the ‘don’t scare people with your antics first’ but it’s also not like she didn’t take his words into consideration since she’s trying to get Libby used to the idea of a ghost next to her

- Eventually, while Libby is trying to clear her thoughts in the bathroom by washing her face, she casually mentions that it would be nice if this disembodied voice in her head was an actual person so that she would feel less awkward talking to them, which Molly takes as the prompt for revealing herself

- Cue top ten pictures taken before disaster

- To Libby’s credit, she doesn’t shout or anything, instead falling on her backside as she watches this spirit before her do some flips as she’s super excited to finally have someone as a friend

- For the record, this is also why people actually run away from Molly when she greets them in the house, because when she’s super excited, she looks a lot larger than she actually is (like Scratch when he’s shouting at Molly to leave), and her smile gets zero points since it looks hella more terrifying. She hasn’t seen a mirror to realise how terrifying she looks when she greets people.

- Also how the property price keeps plunging since “monster with a freaky smile that wants to eat me” cannot be doing great for PR

- Though now that there’s someone living there, it’s causing questions as to what this homeless looking man is doing in the supposedly haunted house

- Really makes you consider how much Scratch is unwilling to budge from his house if this was the first thing he saw going into the house

- Molly ends up helping Libby to her feet, who ends up shaking her legs in fear as she tries to comprehend the insane situation that’s happening

- To be fair, she’s taking it quite well in stride. First she realises that she’s been talking to a monster, and then has to come to terms that ghosts are real, and now she’s having a genuine heart attack because she’s befriended a ghost and she really wants to swear but she’s too terrified to do so. I doubt a lot of people would have that exact reaction even if they say they do

- Anyway, that’s how they end up walking to Scratch’s house since Libby is too afraid to say ‘no’ to this ghost

I haven’t quite decided if Andrea goes to the bathroom and faints because of ghost Molly since it’s a different day when all this is happening, or if Molly and Libby end up just hanging out like this so suggestions or add-ons would be appreciated. Regardless, that’s how they end up as friends a little earlier than when Howling Harriet happens, though whether that one even happens would be kind of interesting

(It’d be kind of funny if, in the pursuit for cash, Scratch gets a part-time job as the counsellor, so all three of them go to the camp, and most of the plot points occur aside from the deviation that Scratch cannot believe that he’s been left alone to take care of 3 tweens [and a ghost]. Molly and Libby end up seated at the back of the van away from the other two, though most of their interactions are on a book or phone after Libby had the realisation that she could just write her answers down without looking like she just lost her mind. Given their previous experience, it’s actually a bit awkward since Libby is trying to get over the ‘the voice that I’ve been hearing the whole of yesterday belongs to a ghost. A person who died. Who is called Molly’ thing. Molly is happy to be chatting with someone that isn’t Scratch openly.

He ends up being the one to prompt Libby into talking at the campfire because clearly she’s not going to otherwise when the other two are taking charge. When Howling Harriet appears, both Libby and him assume that it’s Molly’s attempt to make friends [do recall that she does look scary when she wants to meet friends] and try to talk her down when she appears next to them. So they end up screaming and trying to drive back

They unfortunately do not have Geoff who is peacefully sleeping at home, which means that Scratch ends up slamming against the van doors trying to get the other camp counsellor to open and drive, only for the camp counsellor to be like “well deal with it”.

Scratch: IT’S AN EMERGENCY LADY

Counsellor: It’s your job to deal with it.

Scratch: THE POLTERGEIST?!??

Counsellor: Whatever

The idea of Scratch being like “oh no we need a responsible adult” and then realising “oh no I AM THE RESPONSIBLE ADULT” will always be funny to me)

I’m kind of hanging onto the second option because a) I doubt that going the ‘Libby is no longer an outcast’ route is really going to change anything, I mean, Molly is a ghost there’s some limitations there, plus this requires Molly being aware that she can possess people, also it’s not like anything particularly changes for Libby aside from that status update, and the other thing being that Molly wouldn’t have any incentive to change the current status quo since she’s not on the receiving end

And b) without the McGee family, most of the episodes can’t happen in the vaguest sense of the plot, so there’s no point in staying on the canon plot path, but what we can get is Scratch looking at this poor, traumatised-looking child that his roommate has brought in and being like “welcome to the club kid”

And that’s how the school outcast ends up befriending the local garbage man, with no one knowing about the third party looming behind them

Also there’s like reasons why Libby retains her seat as Molly’s 2nd best friend (we all know the first is Scratch) in this AU

- As the school outcast, I feel like it’d be nice for her to have a friend, since in this AU she would be quite miserable since nothing changes for her

- Canonically, she has quite a good grasp of what a ghost would be like (if we take Scratch’s words to heart) although we have no clue if she happens to have read a book about them that was accurate or if her headcanons of ghosts just happen to be on point. This means that she actually would have the know-how that Scratch doesn’t with regards to how to treat ghosts

- Honestly having a ghost best friend that protects you from your bad luck seems like a great deal in exchange for your friendship, and I think we all know that she just needs that break

- She would also be more interested in finding out more about Molly’s history compared to Scratch, which can be a plot point to help further this AU wherever it’s going

I have no clue where I’m going, like this started off as ‘funny AU where we ignore the ramifications of a young child dying and give her a father/brother figure where they go on sort of cute adventures according to canon’ and now I’m here like ‘canon has abandoned me because of this one tiny detail and now I have to sit in the hole I’ve dug and consider how to move forward’

[cherry-valentine]

Summer 2021 Anime Season

What I’m Watching:

Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid is one of the cutest, sweetest series I’ve seen in a while. The plot sounds rather dark, following a young duke who has been cursed by a witch so that anything he touches, from plants to animals to people, will die. Touching through clothes has the same effect. This naturally isolates him, to the point that his own family have shunned him and he’s forced to live in a separate home out in the woods, with only two servants who are kind (or crazy) enough to stay with him despite the danger. One is an elderly butler who takes on a fatherly role, and the other is the beautiful, busty maid named Alice. And this is where a show that could have gone really dark brightens up to an adorable romantic comedy. Alice is not the least bit afraid of the duke’s curse, and her teasing, cheerful disposition practically forces him to open up. Speaking of Alice, I really enjoy the way her character is handled. Just as the show could have gone dark, it also could have gone sexist and gross. Alice is very busty, as I mentioned, and the show does have some fanservice, but the WAY this fanservice is done makes all the difference. Alice is a flirty character who always seems to be an enthusiastic participant in whatever fanservice we see, rather than being an object to be leered at. She’s very much in control of her body and her sexuality, which I appreciated. Also, there’s a lot of restraint on display here. There are so many ways they could have ruined this by going too far, but they didn’t. The fanservice is restricted to some cleavage shots and Alice occasionally flipping up her own dress to display her stockings. It comes across more as “sexy fun times” than “male gaze oggling a woman”. Because Alice is an interesting and well-written character in her own right. On the surface, she’s unflappable, facing a dire situation with limitless patience and optimism. But we get a few small, brief glimpses of the emotional toll it all takes on her, which is refreshing. The duke himself is a fun character, forever flustered by Alice’s antics but clearly not wanting her to stop. There are some amusing side characters as well. The animation has been criticized quite a bit, as it’s CG. It’s not the best looking CG animation I’ve seen, but it’s far from the worst. For a simple, cute show like this, it’s fine. Recommended if you like romantic comedies with a somewhat dark setup.

Vanitas no Carte is based on a manga by the woman who did Pandora Hearts, so you have some basic idea of what you’re getting into: extravagant period costumes, gothic European scenery, dark and violent themes mixed with goofy humor, and a very complicated web of character relationships. This series features a vampire society that’s being plagued by “curses” which turn the vampires into mindless beasts that can only be saved by mercy killing them. That is, until a human named Vanitas shows up with the power to cure the “curse bearers” using a legendary book that most vampires doubted the existence of. He teams up with Noe, a kind and naive yet physically very strong vampire who has been tasked with finding said book and determining whether its power is real. The result is a bizarre buddy comedy with touches of gruesome violence and gorgeous art. Of the two protagonists, Noe is my favorite. He’s sweet and good-natured, naive but not stupid. He has a disturbing back story (as most of the characters do) but he can still look at the world with excitement and wonder. He also has a hilarious and adorable cat named Murr. Vanitas, on the other hand, is an insufferable asshole. And I don’t mean in the fun way. I mean he literally makes the show hard to watch when he’s onscreen. I normally like the smug bastard types in anime, but Vanitas really pushes the limits of my tolerance. In an early episode he forces a very deep, very long kiss on a woman he has rendered immobile and unable to defend herself, groping her all the while. I found the scene very troubling, and was even more troubled when I read the comments on the episode, almost all of which calling the kiss “sexy” or “hot” or, worst of all, “romantic”. It’s extremely obvious that the woman did not want or enjoy the kiss, but aw, she was all blushy and embarrassed afterward, so it was a cute scene, right? Ugh, no, gross. The woman, named Jeanne, was established as a very powerful, badass vampire. Yet she’s quickly reduced to a red-faced, crying mess by this absolute garbage character sexually assaulting her in front of several other characters. The whole scene was so bothersome I almost dropped the series entirely, because Vanitas never faces any consequences for this act. He just grins smugly after it’s over. However, I kept watching because, aside from Vanitas, the show is amazing. The art and animation are breathtaking. The plot is highly interesting. The characters, Vanitas excluded, are compelling. And then we have Noe, who is pretty much the opposite of Vanitas. Honestly, if Vanitas was the only protagonist, I would have dropped it, but he’s one of two. So... recommended, but with caution. Your mileage may vary on how much Vanitas you can stomach.

Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi is.,. not something I expected to enjoy. It has a visual style that reminds me of Kill la Kill, a show I absolutely loathed. The overall vibe of the show is a little off-putting for me, but somehow I got myself hooked on it. The basic set up is that, hundreds of years ago, giant monstrous demons roamed the earth. All the gods of the earth got together, defeated the demons, and sealed them away, leaving one young god named Rin behind to watch over the seal and train newly born gods to fight, should the seal ever be broken. Flash forward to the present day, where Rin has only been able to train a very small number of gods because most of them can’t handle Rin’s absolutely brutal training (it mostly consists of her murdering them over and over and letting them regenerate, as they’re essentially immortal). Unfortunately, some demons have come back, and they’ve taken the appearance of humans. This revelation motivates some of the younger gods to resume their training with Rin. And that’s about all I can say for the plot without getting into some bizarre subplots. There’s a lot I don’t like about the show. I’m not crazy about its cartoony look given the subject matter. I don’t like that there’s basically a whole subplot that revolves around human women being repeatedly raped (side note: rape is never graphically shown, though it is made extremely clear what is happening and we see the lead up to it, also this is a rather small subplot that gets little attention after the first episode). And I absolutely hate that a character involved in this subplot, who encourages it, is presented as a character we should actually like. But! There are some things I really enjoy about it as well. I think the setup is really cool. The gods, and their role in the world of the story, are super interesting. They’re practically indifferent to humans, not even taking the slightest bit of interest when one country invades another and slaughters innocent civilians, because to them, it’s like a human intervening when one animal fights and kills another in the woods. So long as humans aren’t completely wiped out, they don’t get involved. Which is a neat concept. I also like the battles, which are frenetic and a blast to watch. And I totally love Rin, who is just a straight up badass in every single way. She’s one of those ridiculously overpowered characters we sometimes get in anime, most of which are usually male. Rin is so absurdly powerful that other absurdly powerful characters are terrified of her to the point that the mere mention of her name triggers panic attacks. Watching her fight is pure joy. Also the music is great, with an absolute banger of an opening theme. Recommended if you like wild, imaginative action anime and aren’t triggered by rape.

Carry Over Shows From Previous Seasons:

To Your Eternity Boku no Hero Academia Shaman King

Best of Season:

Best New Show: Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid

Best Opening Theme: Heion Sedai no Idaten-tachi

Best Ending Theme: Vanitas no Carte

Best New Male Character: Noe (Vanitas no Carte)

Best New Female Character: Alice (Shinigami Bocchan to Kuro Maid)

[freckled-words]

For The King - Part Three

Are you READY for the beginning of some Dragon King antics? Cause I am stoked to get your thoughts on this chapter. This is where I picked up the actual idea that Anon was requesting ah ha ~

Edited by @the-wild-ego​

PART ONE / PART TWO

By the third year of your duty as the King’s personal servant, you had confirmed a suspicion you’d had of him when you were a child.

Fierce, greedy, and cruel as he could be, King Phantom still had moments of vulnerability. It was these moments that you saw the truth of why he’d wanted to keep you at his side. He was wanting companionship.

Not the romantic variety of companionship, that was certain. There had been numerous attempts by courtesans, noble daughters and sons, and widowed royalty to woo the Dragon King. All had been treated with disdain and were dismissed. 

One particular incident involved a cocky prince being thrown out of the palace. From the roof. Into the flesh eating fish moat beneath. ( King Phantom received a letter from the newly appointed Princess of that Prince’s kingdom in thanks, along with a small chest of treasures.) 

As much as you wanted to move on with your life, and pursue your passions away from servitude, you never once considered asking for your freedom. 

At night on your cot, when you asked yourself why that was, you answered with, “My being here might make a difference one day.” Given that the King had not changed his disposition in the centuries of his rule, you didn’t think it possible, yet it was still a hope.

************

“Y/N, come here.”

You’d been dozing in the back corner of the throne room while the King addressed the citizens concerns.

The last had just left, and the guards had followed along to close up the large throne doors. It was nearing noon at this point and the rest of the day would normally be spent with the King lounging or looking over reports from his generals and spies. King Phantom sincerely didn’t care just how much you knew about the goings on.

Going to his side, you reflexively asked, “Yes, my King?”

“Tell me, in your own words, what would cease my people’s constant complaints? Dealing with their petty problems grows more bothersome by the day, as of late.” King Phantom shifted in his throne, angling himself to have a clear view of your expression. After that day when you had spoken frankly to him as a dragon, he found he rather enjoyed seeing your moments of genuine expression and hearing your thoughts. It was refreshing after being praised or cursed for hundreds of years.

This had, indeed, left you bewildered. Here was the King asking you, the servant, on how to handle the common people. 

Trusting the King to keep his word about ending your life quickly, you told him bluntly, “For starters, and I ask your forgiveness, but you did ask, you could be less of a jackass your Majesty.”

King Phantom rolled his eyes, “I’ll continue acting as I please. Give me another.”

Your posture relaxed and you looked down at the expanse of the throne room’s vast hall, “What if you didn’t have to listen to the complaints? Instead you assigned an advisor, or appoint a group of people that know the city best to handle the people they know? If there are any major crimes or blood feuds, then you step in.” 

With a few years in attendance to the King’s meetings with the people, you’d noticed that he didn’t care enough to give fair judgments. Often leading to bigger feuds or issues a few months later. If people that knew the locals, and knew the King’s laws best, were put in charge less problems could arise.

King Phantom mulled this over. It would remove a majority of the complaints in the morning, if not all together, and free up his time for more leisurely activities. 

He flicked his hand in a sign of dismissal and conjured a small orb in his palm. This spell allowed him to summon people he needed, which at present, was a scribe to write down letters of summoning. 

You went to the kitchen from there, to see if you could beg the cook for a small tidbit. It wasn’t quite noon meal time yet, but you’d eaten a smaller breakfast that morning. Not by your own choice, of course, you’d been pulled away by the King demanding you help him choose which tunic to wear that morning. 

You were in luck, the cook was in a good mood and was happy to give you a roll and a handful of grapes. 

You ate and walked back towards the throne room, as it had been plenty of time for the King to get his ideas in order and deal with whoever needed dealing with. 

As you passed an alcove, you heard hushed whispers. Being unfortunately curious, you pulled back against the wall and listened.

“I swear it will work!” Insisted a man.

“For all that she paid for it, it better. Or she’ll be taking her gold back out of our hides! How are we supposed to use it?” Questioned a second man.

“I’ve got an in with a sweetheart in the kitchen. She’ll sneak it into his noon meal.” Explained the first man.

“He spells all his food, if anything is poisoned it burns up!” Complained a third man. There came a sound of flesh hitting flesh, and a muffled “Ow!”

“Keep your bloody voice down and listen you sod. That’s why I’m saying it’ll work! The witch I bought this from brewed it up special, it’s not going to burn up. He’ll think it’s safe, and ta-da, the monster King is dead.” The first man proclaimed smugly.

You’d heard enough. Spinning on your heel, you hurried back the way you’d come. 

You had to warn the King. Regardless if that supposed poison would truly work or burn up, you didn’t want to take a chance of it succeeding. 

You couldn’t identify the three men talking, meaning they were either new to the palace, or were usually not within your sphere of interaction. They’d sounded like men that didn’t have the smarts to come up with an elaborate plan, and they’d mentioned a woman’s involvement. If a group like that were investing their money in killing the King, then they’d have plans that could spell trouble for the rest of the Kingdom after.

He wasn’t in the throne room where you left him. Spotting a page cleaning up, you asked if he’d seen where the King had gone. The page said he heard the King muttering about food.

Your heart crept up your throat. He’d gone to the dining room, which was nearly the other end of the palace. If you didn’t reach him by the time he’d tested his food, you may be too late.

All sense of decorum was tossed aside as you ran as fast as your legs would carry you. A bell tolled from the city center, alerting everyone that it was the point in the day when the sun was at its peak. Time for the noon meal. 

Any palace personnel you passed in your mad dash stopped what they were doing to watch. They would often rely on you to know of the King’s mood. To see you in a state of panic, told them that something must be terribly wrong. Any not in the middle of completing a necessary task, abandoned their work and hurried off to warn others.

*****

King Phantom took his seat at his large table, and surveyed the food waiting for him. He ate light in the mornings, heavier at noon, and heavier still at night. There were plates loaded with dried meat, cooked meat, cold meat, and stewed meat. Despite popular belief, he did enjoy fruits and vegetables as well. Leading to bowls of plump grapes, sliced apples, peeled oranges, soups loaded with onions, broccoli, carrots, and peas. Potatoes cooked in various forms were a favorite. And of course, a vast array of desserts ranging between pies, puddings, cakes, and a recent treat that’s been quickly becoming popular, caramel candies.

By reflex, King Phantom flicked his hand out and sent a shimmering wave of red power over the food. 

To his disappointment, the only thing to turn to ash were the bowl of caramel candies. He’d really been looking forward to trying them. A servant immediately cleaned away the bowl of ashes, and a dish with a raspberry chocolate cake took its place. He cast the spell once more, and the cake came up clean. 

Having taken up the mantle of King, Phantom had learned the proper etiquette expected of his rank. Which meant eating his food in a certain order. He pulled the nearest bowl of stew towards himself and breathed in its savory scent. Potatoes, beef, carrots, peas, onions, corns, and a dash of spice seasoning to give it a kick. Exactly how he liked it.

Behind him, one of the kitchen maids twisted the handkerchief in her apron pocket. She’d taken a guess at which bowl the King would reach for first, and her guess had paid off. Her man would be pleased with her. 

King Phantom filled his spoon with a chunk of beef and broth, and raised it to his lips.

“YOUR MAJESTY, STOP!” The spoon was slapped from his hand, the bowl was swept off the table. The broth splashed across the wood floor, splattering on chair legs and the base of the table.

The servants present froze in place, not daring to even blink.

King Phantom could only stare in genuine shock as his servant collapsed to their knees, gasping for air as they struggled to breathe. 

The sound of sizzling drew his attention to the mess on the floor. Wherever the broth and food pieces had landed, now eroded from their poisonous touch, leaving blackened holes in their wake.

He’d just about swallowed poison that had managed to withstand his magic. This was a working that would have certainly ended him, as anything that could withstand the magic of a dragon could kill that dragon. 

The food had been laid out before he had arrived, which would make the perpetrator safe from his scrutiny. Or so they’d hoped.

He snapped his fingers and the bowl’s sides took on a ruby glow showing where fingers had touched. Turning in a circle, he scanned over each person present in the room. He stopped when he faced the maid that had taken up the station behind him. Her hands were clasped in front of her, giving him a clear view of her now glowing fingers.

Advancing on her, he demanded, “Did you place the poison in my food? Speak truth, wench.” Another flick of his hand and his shimmering magic covered her.

She pressed a hand over her mouth, fighting to keep her lips still as she furiously shook her head in denial. 

King Phantom slapped her hands away, and pinned her to the wall with a hand to her throat, “Speak!”

Gasping, she broke into tears, “Y-Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Guards, take this filth from my sight.” He threw her to the ground and left her to the guards that immediately swarmed on her.

In this time, you’d finally calmed your breathing. Getting to your feet, you met your King’s infuriated gaze. You hadn’t anticipated this, causing you to take a startled step back, “Y-your Majesty?”

“How did you know? Were you part of this? Were you working with that waste of life to get rid of me and changed your mind at the last second?” He stepped closer, looming over you with his anger barely in check.

You lifted your hands up in defense, “No, Your Majesty! I overheard some men talking about it! I came here as quickly as I could!” 

When you lifted your hands, King Phantom saw a swatch of black across your palm. You showed no sign of pain, did you not realize it was there? If you’d known the poison would cause a reaction to flesh, you would have merely stopped him from eating, not thrown it as far from him as possible and risk being splashed yourself.

Even with that conclusion made from his observation, he recalled your expression as you’d slapped away the spoon. Pure, unfiltered panic and determination. You’d been set on saving him and had run yourself ragged to reach him. 

His anger evaporating, he took hold of your hand. You stiffened, never having been touched by him before. His grip was firm, ensuring you didn’t pull away. A flash of pain hit you as you finally registered the magical burn, causing you to hiss and give an involuntary jerk. 

“Hold still.” He demanded quietly, as he held his other hand over yours. 

You did as told, biting your bottom lip to have something to distract you from the pain.

A shimmer of power dusted onto your skin. The blackened patch took on a ruby glow. The pain immediately ceased, allowing you to watch as the glowing spot shrank, leaving behind fully healed skin. 

King Phantom didn’t release your hand until he’d turned it over to inspect for any missed places. 

You poked at the place where the magical burn had once been, and muttered an awed, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“You said you overheard men speaking of the poison, did you see their faces?” King Phantom asked, putting a hand to your shoulder and guiding you out of the dining room. 

You obeyed, walking where he directed, and shook your head, “No, I didn’t get a chance. Once I heard of their plot, I took off at a run to reach you.”

“Show me where.”

[sparda3g]

Tokyo Ghoul:re Chapter 143 Review

(Long Post Inbound)

A long time ago, Tokyo Ghoul Part 1 reached its conclusion and I wasn’t there to see the “fireworks.” From what I was told, it got fans incredibly uproar to the point of hate overload, burning volumes, and wishing for Ishida to be buried. I wish I was joking. Not everyone would experience the very moment; that is if someone is willing to retry. In the midst of chapter 143, the same number where the first part ended at, all pieces are in place and it’s only matter of the outcome.

Have I not matured enough nor self-behaving well, would I have fallen to the mass hysteria. This chapter is a nightmare.

The amount of feeling throughout the chapter is one that I haven’t felt in a long time. I dare to say that the last time I felt this way was the Golden Age Arc climax from Berserk. It can be lessened if the next chapter goes a different way as in taking the only “good” path. Regardless, the earth shattering moment is still striking hard. It’s that experience of falling to the plot twist that sucked out your air; it’s hard to say another word.

Let me get out of the con first. Honestly, it’s more of nitpick than anything, especially when you realized the real effect of its narrative approach. It was teased pretty badly with the thought of Suzuya versus Kaneki to happen in all of its glory. The beginning felt so promising with the conflict they both share to protect. It got intense when Suzuya and Hanbee use Arata Armor, and Kaneki goes Kakuja. Unfortunately, that was done off-paneled. I would like a flashback to show the battle, now that the chapter did its purpose. It’s unlikely, so that’s a shame. The rest is history.

The monologue from Kaneki about his life in a nutshell is pretty deep and tragic. Making a decision in life has always been a fearsome moment of anyone’s life. Many times, you can’t go back on it and you have to stick to it for the rest of your life. One choice can be your major downfall. Kaneki has always been miserable since chapter 1. If he hadn’t met Rize and became interested, he could have avoided the path we are witnessing today. Even if he accepts his path, there’s no way for him to deny the thought: “It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.”

This hit me hard. I tend to avoid the leader position because the decision making for the team would always lead me to be the fault. I also have tons of experiences of not able to choose the “better��� choice, and I believe everyone would one way or another feel the same way. Kaneki can’t seem to win because of his screw-up and heavily pressured moments. Now he wants to make it right and protect his people.

Naki being “asleep” is an ominous scene that would only become the start of the tragic downfall. Miza reporting to Kaneki about his condition left me hurt. I was hoping that he would make it out alive, but he did the best he can. Miza taking care of his body is saddening based on how much she already lost. If only he can surprisingly wake up like before, but I do think this is the end. You did well, Naki.

The amount of hype buildup with Kaneki stepping up to protect is staggering and a bit of hopeful. The sheer determination he has is fully realized; he will put an end to this massacre. As that part was being build, Suzuya and his motivation has finally come to light. According to Furuta, CCG Operations have taken a lot of toll on their finance, including the birth of GOAT. Because of it, Shinohara’s life support will be unplugged to cut the cost and Suzuya is obviously fazed by it. Whether Furuta is telling the truth or not, he pulled a convincing argument to reach Suzuya.

The amount of hype has grown tremendously from these two flashbacks. Kaneki and Suzuya have firing determination to win to protect the ones they loved; even if they have to fight each other. The single line from Suzuya to Kaneki is strikingly deep and sad. Gone with the best friend status, killing each other is the only solution to save. The Wills were mentioned, only increased the intensity. Someone is going to lose and someone will pay the price. As said before, Suzuya and Kaneki practically go to their final form; it’s a borderline deathmatch. The hype is extraordinary. But…

Ishida is a borderline asshole.

The quick shift to Kaneki’s sudden defeat is jaw dropping for better or worse. I was left feeling lost and couldn’t say anything but grasping for air. “What the hell just happened” kept on repeating through my head. The scenery has shifted drastically; almost the same caliber as the infamous Red Wedding scene. The mood is very haunting with Kaneki’s monologue; trying to understand what’s going on yet can’t compute anything. It’s clear as day: Suzuya won the battle; Furuta won the war.

What amazes me is the plot twist doesn’t rely on a trap like “I have a large cannon waiting for you to take,” or “behold, my true bio-weapon that is Dragon!” Instead, it relied on the mind game. Furuta may be a jokester, but he’s actually slick and dirty as shit to understand the environment. He knew how Kaneki would react based on his history. He knew what type of guy Kaneki has always been. If Kaneki were to change, he could have changed the course of everything, but in reality, he hasn’t. Even as a leader, he still has the same tendency to protect his loved one alone. The most important key is how he never intended to change the world, rather stick close to his friends for his needs. Furuta recalled him back to Anteiku and looking it over, he’s right.

People around him tried to tell him that he cannot react the same way he has always done in the past because he’s their leader. When your status changed, you have to change. Ayato did tell him to rely on people to help him, which took Kaneki long to respond back. Kaneki is trying his hardest to keep things his way, including not able to kill people and not eating human flesh. This series doesn’t hold back on reality check-up. It’s not Shounen; you must get in with the time. While it’s a downer for not seeing the fight, I would forgive Ishida for the strong effect of the transition. It’s a shocking and gut-stabbing revelation to his major downfall. It’s as if we are witnessing Saw movies twist; all it was missing was the theme song.

What if Kaneki did get his food? Would he have been strong enough to remain conscious of his action in Kakuja? Could he have lessened the army if he simply kills many of them? Should he have asked everyone to help him to protect the people? Should he have stick to his ideas to his grave? If one remains the same, it will become predictable, and in war, it’s never the option.

A truck load of salt is added on the wound with Hajime returning back with two heads: Shio and Rikai. The image of that playful banter back in the last arc is now haunting me like a plague. The imagery of little kids beheaded is disturbing enough, was it really necessary to show them off to Kaneki. It is worth noting that Hirako, Yusa, and even Ui remain missing from the scene. Their condition is unknown for now, so maybe it’s a key to say they will return for the next part. It all ends with the title that says it all: Game Over. Un…be…livable.

The worst part is the artwork is top notch here. The design of both Arata, especially 2 looks awesome; the most badass display I have seen yet. Kaneki in Kakuja looks vicious and badass as well. It’s like watching two tyrants about to collide. The next page with Kaneki downed is jarring. The effect is a perfect stab to the gut. How everything crumbles bit by bit is brutal to watch. I can’t believe that damn shot of Kaneki’s sign of lying with his hand on his chin happened again when telling Hinami that he will be behind her. People want tragic; well, you sure got a full course.

This whole chapter was downright brutal from start to finish. Part of me thought I was sleepwalking because I read this early in the morning and I got few hours of sleep. Re-reading it again, I still can’t compute on what’s going on. The reaction from the fans at this time is clear as day: shocked, confused, and angry. If this is what it was like with the first part, well, now I know.

I honestly don’t know if the next chapter is truly the final chapter of the series at this time, but it does signify part 3. If so, I called it but damn, this is pretty messed up. I am still bewildered on what just happened. There are plenty of key moments that just shot across my face. The only part left is the last clean-up with Touka. This is the chapter that is going to tear down the fanbase and all Ishida can do is laugh and bounce around with his massive kintama because of this antic. If the next chapter is the last, then that’s fine. End this nightmare.

[asktheboywholived]

Hi TT :), I just went on your marauders threads masterpost and none of the links worked. Honestly it might be my computer (I have a super nasty virus atm) but then it might not be. To give you an idea, every time i scroll over the links the typing cursor comes up (y'know the one with the lines that highlights stuff) I've refreshed the page quite a few times and nothing seems to be working. I will carry on refreshing and see if it will work, but for now I just thought you ought to know :)

(( OOC: Yeah, I’m not sure what’s going on there. :P I’ll try and get that fixed… but in the meantime… let’s see if this works:��

MARAUDERS THREAD MASTERPOST:

THE MARAUDERS:

SCHOOL YEARS:

Yer A Witch Lily!

After receiving her letter from Hogwarts, Lily wants to tell Petunia, however the conversation quickly takes a turn for the worst.

Love At First Sight

Lily Evans is the most perfect girl James has ever seen! Maybe if he pulls some smooth moves, she’ll fall for him… and maybe not.

Love At First Sight (Baby Marauder Version)

Just A Little Crushed

Frank and Alice have a chat, and it goes south quickly.

Unwanted Attention

Alice is cornered by a persistent Gryffindor who can’t seem to take a hint… or a blatant NO.

Wanted Attention

Frank has a question for Alice… and he’s beyond nervous to ask it.

Lily’s Birthday

Severus wants this birthday to be special. Lily’s worth the effort.

Shower Encounter Part 1

The Prefects bathroom is the nicest bathroom in the school, so of course Lily wants to use it… but it looks like James Potter forgot to lock to the door.

Knock it off!

James just doesn’t know when to quite being obnoxious… but Lily is more than willing to help.

Don’t Sell Yourself Short:

Sirius finds Remus fretting over a new scar after the full moon.

Part 1

Part 2

Shower Encounter Part 2

Lily is about to get some sweet, sweet revenge.

Au-Naturel

Sirius has some female admirers, and they have a bad habit of “finding” his clothes and wearing them… but what happens when he has no clothes left?

Drunk Antics

Lily may have celebrated a little too hard after Gryffindor’s latest quidditch victory.

The Rat

Peter seems very comfortable in his rat form… until Mrs. Norris shows up.

Keep Away

James and Severus were rivals from the moment they set eyes on each other, but they both have a common interest… and that scares James.  

Question for Evans

James tries to pull the moves on Lily, but her reaction is less than favorable.

Snape’s Worst Memory

Severus says something unforgivable… something he’ll forever regret.

Runaway:

Sirius’s home-life has taken a turn for the worst… and the only place he can go is his sanctuary… the Potter’s.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Sugar Rush

After getting his hands on some cupcakes… Sirius is a little hyper.

We Will Rock You

The marauders are only mild sports fans…… mild.

Bromance

James and Sirius are the bestest of bros.

Meet the Blacks

Andromeda is engaged to a muggleborn, and the only member of the Black family she trusts enough to tell is Sirius.

The Yule Ball

The night didn’t turning out how Lily had envisioned, but James has a knack of showing up when she’s feeling down.

Sass Off

Dorcus and Marlene are dating… but Dorcas can’t help but feel that maybe Marlene’s feelings still reside with her old crush.

Blood Moon

Sirius, fed up with Severus, has told him about the Whomping Willow… during a full moon. James may be the only one who can save him.

You Fool Of A Black!

After rescuing Snape, James confronts Sirius about his dangerous little “prank”.

The Werewolf In The Shack

After Sirius tells Snape about the whomping willow and everything goes to hell… Remus starts to remember what happened.

The Shunned:

Sirius made a big, big mistake, and now he’s paying for it.

Part 1

Part 2

Merry Christmas Werewolf McWerewolf:

There’s a full moon on Christmas, and the Marauders want to spend it with Remus… but after Remus uses every form of persuasion he can think of, begging his friends to enjoy Christmas with their families, they begrudgingly agree to head home for the holidays.

However, as Sirius gets ready for the Potter’s Christmas party, he can’t stop thinking about Remus.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Remus Doesn’t Know Shit About Quidditch:

Looks like something is going on between Remus and Sirius… and Lily is going to get to the bottom of it.

Part 1

Part 2

Sectumsempra

Severus hasn’t forgiven James for saving him… and he’s been working on a little something… something just for Potter.  

Joining The Order 1

The war is starting to hit home, and Frank wants to make a difference.

Drunk Antics Part 2

When the boys get ahold of some “fire whiskey”… things get a little crazy.

Sore Loser

James just cost Gryffindor the match, so, of course… he’s going to bitch about it.

The Monster Under the Bed

Remus has an unexpected, and very unwelcome, late-night visitor.

Can’t Sleep

Remus and Sirius are no strangers to nightmares… and after a particularly frightening one, Remus can’t get back to sleep.

You Wish

Like father like son.

She Likes Me… She Likes Me Not

Lily has a confession to make… a confession that Severus never wanted to hear.

Smitten

James and Lily have gradually become friends… but James still can’t help but want more.

Just Friends:

James Potter has been chasing Lily Evans, the girl of his dreams, for 7 years. However, after a heart-to-heart with Sirius, James realizes that Lily may never return his affections, no matter how much he likes her. Maybe… it’s time to move on.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Wallflower 1

The Yule Ball has come again, and Lily has finally said yes to going with James… there’s just one problem… James is sick.

Wallflower 2

The Yule Ball has come again, and Remus isn’t attending… or at least, that’s what Sirius thought.

A Visit With Evans

James has never been in a real, muggle house… and even better, it’s Lily-Freakin-Evan’s house… this day could not get any better!

The Talk:

James and Lily are having some fun at Lily’s place… but what happens when the parents come home early?

Part 1

Part 2

Dirty Little Secret

Remus has always been ashamed of his scars, and done his best to hide them… but he can’t hide them from everyone.

The Black Plague:

Sirius doesn’t get sick very often… but when he does…

Extra

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Mother Dearest:

After receiving unexpected and devastating news, James and Sirius must learn how to accept their grief.  

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Career Counseling:

The school year is coming to an end, and it’s time for the marauders to start thinking about their futures… but with a war looming, what kind of future can they hope for?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Check Me Out

Now that Lily sees James as more than a friend… she can’t help but notice other things too… particularly how good James Potter looks in that shirt.

Freaky Friday (NSFW):

After an terrible potion mix-up, Remus is going to have to survive a few days walking around in Sirius Black’s body…

Alright… he can handle this.

What he can’t handle is the fact that Sirius is now in his body… and embarrassing Remus seems to be his top priority.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Mirror, Mirror (Extra):

Part 1: Remus

Part 2: Sirius

FIRST WIZARDING WAR:

Put A Ring On It:

James is sweaty and nervous… Why? Because he’s about to propose to the girl of his dreams.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Joining The Order 2

Now that Frank is part of the Order, it’s his job to welcome new recruits… but he certainly wasn’t expecting to greet THESE recruits.

Four-Eyes

Desperate times call for… a really terrible good sense of humor.

Surprise, It’s A Baby!

Lily is pregnant… and… WHO IS THE FATHER!?

Surprise, It’s Another Baby!

Alice has a little secret.

The Hunted:

Sirius and Remus find themselves in a trap… and Remus isn’t prepared to face the person who set that trap… his very own monster under the bed.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Cry Wolf

After being released, Fenrir returns to the Den to find Bellatrix waiting for him… Looks like there’s no better time than the present to put his plans into action. Unfortunately, those plans revolve entirely around Remus Lupin.

Seed of Doubt

Sirius receives an unexpected and unwanted visit from his less-than-stable cousin, and what she has to say may lead to some budding doubts concerning Remus Lupin and his loyalties.  

Dream A Little Dream Of Me Part 1

The fear of war is growing… and now it’s starting to seep into Sirius’s dreams.

Nothing To Lose… Everything To Lose…

The war is taking its toll, and with mortality at the front of everyone’s minds, Sirius can’t hold back anymore.

The Downward Slope

Remus crashes at the Potter’s for the night, but he didn’t know Sirius was going to be there as well. Things have… changed… since the last time they met.

Dream A Little Dream Of Me Part 2

Sirius has been cold and distant. Now he’s made his way into Remus’s dreams.

Power Play:

Crazy just got crazier. Bellatrix isn’t used to having her authority challenged… Fenrir doesn’t care.

Part 1

Don’t Shoot The Messenger

Marlene is gone, and someone has to tell Dorcas.

What Do You Want?

The war is destroying everything… including Sirius’s faith in Remus. But his feelings are still conflicted… and when Remus confronts him, which path will Sirius choose?

The Kids Are Alright Part 1

With babies on the way, Frank and James are feeling a new weight on their shoulders. This war has taken on a whole new meaning.

Having Second Thoughts:

The Marauders are in the middle of a war, and Lily is about to have a child. What were they thinking!?

Part 1

Part 2

Bed Time For Harry

James and Lily haven’t slept in what feels like weeks. Having a baby is exhausting… but Harry just went to sleep. Maybe now they can get some shut eye.

Foreplay

Harry and Sirius are asleep, so it’s time for the adults to play. But… James and Lily seem to have a hard time being “sexy”.  

Super Moon:

Being a double agent is tearing Remus apart, and when he gets trapped with Fenrir during a full moon, things take a turn for the worst.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Thrice Defied:

The war is taking its toll on the marauders, and James and Lily narrowly escape Voldemort’s clutches for the third time.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Liar, Liar:

Remus’s life has spiraled out of control, and now the only thing he can do is throw himself back into the war… but spying for the Order is a dangerous job, and Fenrir knows something that Remus doesn’t know.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Little One:

Remus has been caught in Fenrir’s twisted web since he was a child… But Fenrir has finally become bored of his little pet, and Remus is about to come face-to-face with a true monster.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Dark Times Series:

James and Lily are in a deadly game of hide and seek, and the seeker just found them.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

POST DEATH:

It’s Too Late To Apologize

Severus finds the Potter’s home in ruins. Lily is gone… and she’s never coming back.

The Man Who Loses Everything:

Remus Lupin’s world has come crashing down around him. Everything has been taken away from him… everything except…

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Just When You Thought It Was Over

Frank and Alice have been captured, and Bellatrix is out for blood… or worse.

The Cursed

Frank and Alice will never be the same.

The Nightmare

Lily was the love of his life, and Severus will never see her again, except in his dreams. But this isn’t a dream… this is a nightmare.  

The Depths of Hell

There is an island, where the inhabitants have been forgotten, left to a fate worse than death…

HARRY POTTER ERA:

A New Era

Remus has been trapped in Hell since the fall of his closest friends, the people he loved… and now, after years of struggle, he’s on his way back to Hogwarts.

Awkward Reunion

The Order has a new member… and Remus hasn’t seen her in years.

Potty Humor

Tonks really shouldn’t have eaten that…  

Never Be The Same:

After escaping from Azkaban, Sirius goes into hiding with Remus. However, twelve years apart, twelve years of false accusations, twelve years of torture… have left gaping wounds that may never heal.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

The Veil:

What happens to the people we leave behind?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

King’s Cross

What lies on the other side of the veil?

You Could Be Happy:

“Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.” A story about a werewolf, a metamorphmagus, and finding happiness.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Metamorphmagus

Tonks has a little surprise for Remus.

Turntable

Tonks has spent the night with Remus for the first time… and now she has the house all to herself… so obviously a bit of “exploring” is in order.  

Fatherhood

Remus is now a father… and it feels strangely familiar.

The Kids Are Alright Part 2

With the war hitting closer to home, Neville pays what may be his final visit to his father.

I Open At The Close

The Marauder’s final moments.

JILY AU’S:

James Deer

Lily can’t believe it… James Potter is an animagus?

Apologies

James thinks it might be time to make up for being an ass.

Truth or Dare (Jily)

Lily and James are stuck at Hogwarts for Christmas… but they find a fun way to pass the time.

Hormones

Lily can’t stop crying… and James is a flustered mess.

The Art Of Seduction

James pulls out his best moves… which are kind of like everyone else’s worst.

REMADORA AU’S:

What’s in My (Pockets)?

Tonks likes jackets… and stealing other people’s jackets… well, one person in particular.  

The Whole Package

Remus has it.

Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks

These jokes never get old.

Memories

A picture is worth a thousand words… but pictures can’t replace what Teddy lost.

Resurrection

Teddy decides to take a walk in the forbidden forest after a restless night… and he finds something on on the ground, an item long forgotten…

FENTRIX AU’S:

Power Play (CONTINUATION):

Crazy just got crazier. Bellatrix isn’t used to having her authority challenged… Fenrir doesn’t care.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

And They Called It… Puppy Lust

Fenrir and Bellatrix have an… interesting relationship.

WOLFSTAR AU’S:

MODERN AU’S:

Snap Chat

Remus receives a bizarre snap from a total stranger… turns out that stranger has a pretty face framed by some nice, black hair. He might be okay with this.

BYOB (NSFW):

Remus is working as a bartender at a Gay Club. He’s witnessed a lot of… interesting stuff… But nothing has come close to Sirius Black.

Part 1 (Video):

Youtube

Vimeo

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Bloopers (Video):

Youtube

Vimeo

God Save The Queen:

Sirius has been acting strange lately… he keeps taking off at night, and Remus could have sworn he was wearing makeup… Sirius Black is hiding something.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

HP UNIVERSE AU’S:

Truth or Dare (Wolfstar)

Sirius gets wrapped up in a game of Truth or Dare… and ends up biting off more than he can chew.

The Morning After (A continuation of “Can’t Sleep”)

Sirius has a bad habit of unconsciously stripping when it gets too hot at night… and apparently Remus does too. This may become a problem if they keep sharing each other’s beds after nightmares wake them up.

The Morning After The Morning After

Remus is starting to have a hard time falling asleep… weird things seem to happen when he falls asleep in Sirius’s bed.

The Morning After The Morning After… The Morning

It’s time for Remus to get even… maybe.

Distraction

Remus is having a hard time paying attention in class with Sirius sitting across from him.

Amortentia

Things just got a little awkward in Potions class.

Fetch:

Sirius can be such a brat… but so can Remus, especially when chocolate is involved.

Part 1

Part 2

DYAC!

Damn you auto correct…

Wrong Place, Wrong Time 1

James recalls walking in on a not-so-pleasant scene.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time 2

Remus and Sirius are having a moment… but they forgot to lock the door.

Midnight Meetings

It’s getting harder to have some alone time in the dorm… so the boys take their shenanigans to McGonagall’s classroom. Bad move.

Long Hair Don’t Care

Remus grows his hair out, and Sirius can’t handle it.

What Doesn’t Kill You, Leaves A Scar:

Remus has always found his scars ugly… but Sirius is determined to show him otherwise.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

If You Wannit Come n’ Get It:

Sirius stole Remus’s hat… and Remus is trying to get it back… creatively.

Part 1

Part 2

Freudian Slip

Uh………… Whoops!

That Awkward Moment When…

You end up accidentally comparing dick sizes with your best mate.

Never Give a Werewolf Alcohol

James is going to be a father! Sirius and Remus have stayed up to celebrate… but Remus has had one to many drinks, and Sirius is enjoying his drunken companion so much… that he might just let something slip.

Plastered

After getting very a little tipsy, Sirius receives an unexpected… and very unwelcome… visitor.

Bellybutton Ring (NSFW):

Sirius has had a little too much to drink… As a result, he may be showing off more than Remus is comfortable with.

Part 1

Part 2

Polaroid (NSFW)

Sirius just got a new camera, and Remus has become an unwitting model.

Sleepy Pups

Sirius can’t help it… he just loves to cuddle.

Candy Cane (NSFW)

It’s Christmas and Sirius is enjoying his new candy cane a little too much. That insufferable git.  

Baby It’s Cold Outside:

Remus is being a grinch, so Sirius is going to get him into the Christmas Spirit… and maybe get a little sing-a-long out of him as well.

VIDEO

BLOOPERS

Up or Down? (NSFW)

Sirius revels in the fact that he can make Remus flustered… using nothing more than his hair.

Don’t Play With Fire (NSFW):

Remus always becomes more aggressive as the full moon draws closer… He has always struggled to control it. But what happens when Sirius decides to threaten that control?

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Extra

Never Be The Same (Alternative Ending):

After escaping from Azkaban, Sirius goes into hiding with Remus. However, twelve years apart, twelve years of false accusations, twelve years of torture… have left gaping wounds that may never heal.

Part 1

Part 2

Moving On 1

Remus has found someone who makes him happier than he’s ever been… someone who makes him feel safe.  

Moving On 2

Sirius has been locked in a cell for 12 years… and now that he’s out maybe things can pick up where they left off… or, maybe, nothing will ever be the same.

NSFW Wolfstar

Exactly what it sounds like.

DARK SIRIUS AU’s:

After being sorted into Slytherin, Sirius Black’s life takes a complete turn. He never befriends the marauders (in fact, he becomes James Potter’s greatest rival), and he continues to grow up in an abusive home environment, with nowhere to run. Where will this path lead him?

Cornered Animal

A greasy little bird told Sirius a monstrous secret about Remus Lupin… So of course… he’s going to use this information to his advantage.

Betrothal

Sirius and Andromeda used to be close… but with years of abuse and no where to run, Sirius has become a different person. Can Andromeda get through to him, or will he continue down his self-destructive path?

Brotherly Love

Sirius has been through a lot with Regulus. He’s the only one in their crazy family that he can bring himself to care for… but caring just leads to hurt.

It’s A Trap!

Remus is sent on an Order mission to an abandoned mansion… when he arrives, he quickly realizes he’s not the only one there.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

TUMBLR PROM SERIES:

Ginny Weasley

James Potter

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

Frank Longbottom

Part 1 (James and Sirius)

Part 2 (Sirius and Remus)

Part 3 (Sirius, Frank and Alice)

PROGRESSION SERIES:

Progression Of Fralice

Progression Of Jily

Progression Of Wolfstar

[anavoliselenu]

Heart of stone chapter 15

It was another glorious Fall day in New York and I relished the feel of the sunshine on my face as I exited the subway terminal. Last nights storm had cleansed New York of the humid and sticky air, leaving a clean freshness in its wake. Shakira was blasting through my ear buds. And yes, my hips weren’t lying as I sashayed into Wally’s for my shift.

 It was such a cliché, but I didn’t care. I felt confident. Sexy. And lighter on my feet than I had in years. Nothing could ruin my mood today – not even the stress I felt over quitting my long-time job.

 “Hey, Melanie!” I waved to a fellow coworker that was working the register.

 “Hi, Selena!” she called back while scanning groceries for a customer. “Mr. Roberts was looking for you a few minutes ago.”

 “Do you know where he is now?”

 “I think he’s back in his office.”

 “Thanks!” I said cheerfully with a beaming smile.

 As I was making my way back to Mr. Roberts’ office, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I fished it out and read the incoming text. I smiled to myself when I saw it was from Justin.

   Today

 7:51 AM, Justin: My office. 3pm.

   Barking orders at me already?

 Unconditional obedience or not, that wasn’t any way to start a conversation – especially after the evening that we had shared.

   7:54 AM, Me: Good morning to you, too.

 7:56 AM, Justin: You have to fill out some paperwork so I can get you on the payroll.

   Pleasure at night. Business by day. Check!

 I knew that this arrangement with Justin was going to be a slippery slope, one that I’d have to navigate carefully. I just didn’t realize how icy it would be.

   8:00 AM, Me: Sure. But I work until 5.

 8: 02 AM, Justin: Leave early.

   Yes, Master! Geez…he’s so demanding.

 But rather than lash out and let his brusque temperament ruin my good mood, I continued to placate him the best that I could.

   8:04 AM, Me: I’ll talk to Mr. Roberts about it. I’ll text you if I can’t get out early.

   I waited for a response. When I didn’t get one immediately, I pocketed the phone and continued towards Mr. Roberts’ office. Whether this was Justin’s way of separating our business and personal lives, I couldn’t be sure. But if he thought that he was going to snap orders at me like I was some sort of dimwitted lackey, he had another thing coming to him. Hopefully it wasn’t the latter. Either way, I would deal with him later. I had more important business to get out of the way first.

 I approached Mr. Roberts’ open office door and gave it a light knock to signal my arrival.

 “Hi, Mr. Roberts.”

 “Selena! Glad to see you. I was hoping you’d pop into the office. I have to talk to you about a few things.”

 “I needed to speak with you as well,” I told him anxiously.

 “You first. What can I do for you today?” he asked. He leaned back in his chair and offered me a warm smile, causing the wrinkles in the corners of his eyes to deepen.

 He appeared to be in excellent spirits. It was a nice change, as Mr. Roberts’ smiles had been few and far between, and I dreaded the idea that I might ruin his good mood. However, I knew there wasn’t going to be an easy way around this. Rather than beat around the bush with small talk, I blurted out my reason for coming to his office.

 “I think you know already that I received a job offer from Turning Stone Advertising. I’ve decided to accept it. This Friday will be my last day here.”

 “Yes, I know it is. That’s one of the things I wished to discuss. I spoke to Mr. Stone about you in great detail this morning,” he informed me, taking my announcement in stride.

 It irked me that Justin had taken it upon himself to talk to my boss about my end date, but a part of me wasn’t the least bit surprised that he had beaten me to it.

 “I’m really sorry for the short notice, Mr. Roberts. It’s just that Ale – er, Mr. Stone was insistent that I start right away,” I told him, glad that I caught my slip up in time. If I had any hopes of gaining respect from my future coworkers, I had to be extra careful not to use Justin’s first name.

 “Don’t fuss over it – it’s no big deal. Do what you have to do,” he said easily with a sweep of his hand. But his easygoing attitude seemed false. I knew my boss pretty well, and despite the relaxed smile on his face, I could sense his wariness. And his disappointment.

 “I can stay a bit longer if you need me to – maybe work in the evening when I finish for the day at Turning Stone,” I offered, feeling terribly guilty. He had been under so much pressure, and I had just become an addition to his mounting troubles.

 He got up from his chair and moved around the desk to where I was standing.

 “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m happy for you. Really, I am,” he assured me.

 I looked at him doubtfully.

 “Are you sure? I mean, I could help you train my replacement.”

 Mr. Roberts took a deep breath and shook his head.

 “Look, I don’t mean to sound so dismissive. I thought that if I acted like your departure was no big deal, it would make leaving easier for you. You’re not one to make rash decisions, and I know that your choice to leave Wally’s wasn’t something that you considered lightly. Anyone with half a brain can see how incredible this opportunity is, Selena. But I will admit, it’s going to be hard to lose you. You’re like family.”

 I was immediately rendered speechless as memories of my time at Wally’s flashed before my eyes. Mr. Seymour, the sweet little old man that I delivered groceries to. The company picnics. Mr. Roberts’ funny antics and constant teasing jests. Even Jim McNamara’s pestering. They were my work family, one of my few constants in a city full of chaos, and I would miss every last one of them.

 I had spent the last six months worrying over bills and about getting a better paying job, that I hadn’t even thought about what I’d be leaving behind. I fought back the sting of threatening tears, knowing that in the end, I was making the right choice.

 At least I hope I am.

 “It’s time for me to move on, but I will miss everyone at Wally’s a lot,” I told him truthfully. “I’ll be back to visit – you can count on it!”

 “You’d better – and often too. My wife and I will miss seeing your face around here. I haven’t spoken to her about this yet, but I know she’ll share my sentiments.”

 Another pain of regret struck me when I thought of Mrs. Roberts. Both she and Mr. Roberts had been so kind to me over the years and I should have told them both together.

 “Please tell Mrs. Roberts that I apologize for not telling you both at the same time. I just couldn’t put this off. Mr. Stone actually wanted me to start sooner, but I had to tell him no. I didn’t want to screw anyone here at the last minute.”

 “I appreciate that, and thank you for being so thoughtful. Although, I’m somewhat inclined to push you out the door right now. Your talent is wasted on stocking shelves. I’ve always known that,” he said, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze.

 “I’m nervous about this new job. Thanks for your vote of confidence.”

 “You shouldn’t be nervous. You’re going to do great things, kid. I’m proud of you,” he beamed. “But for now, while I still have you here, a lot of deliveries came in over the weekend and the receiving department is a wreck. Could you head back there and help sort things out?”

 “On it!”

 I gave him a thumbs up and headed towards the office door to start my shift. But then I suddenly remembered Justin’s request, if one could call it such.

 “I do have a small favor to ask before I get to work, Mr. Roberts,” I said, turning back to him.

 “Anything.”

 “I’m going to have to leave a little early today. Mr. Stone asked me to meet him at Cornerstone Tower at three o’clock so that I can fill out a bunch of new hire paperwork.”

 “Not a problem at all. In fact, I have a two o’clock grocery delivery scheduled for Mr. Seymour. It’s just a small one. You can take it to him, and then be finished for the day. Just let me know if you need anything else this week.”

 Walter Roberts was usually pretty easy going. However, with the limited staff at Wally’s, allowing me to leave a few hours early was a lot to give, even for him.

 “Why are you being so agreeable?” I eyed him suspiciously, pausing by the door.

 “Selena, do you realize what Mr. Stone did for this company? For my family?”

 “Um, no not really. I mean…I know that Wally’s was in a tight spot financially, but I don’t know the specifics.”

 “This past year has really taken its toll on me and the Missus. Haven’t you noticed how much less hair I have now versus a year ago?” he joked. But his face quickly turned serious once more, his easy smile turning into a grim line. He looked tired and seemed to visibly age right before my eyes. “We were in jeopardy of foreclosing on most of our properties. Sales have been down, and operating costs have escalated. The cost of keeping the shelves stocked, payroll, and building expenses got to be too much on top of the loan payments. Safety, product, and labor laws had to be first priority. The mortgages became second. Unfortunately, that wasn’t something the bank was willing to understand. So, to make a long story short, Mr. Stone stepped in, bought all of our buildings, and assumed the mortgages. He relieved a big portion of our overhead expense by doing this.”

 “I don’t get it. How was taking on Wally’s debt beneficial to him?”

 “I don’t know all the details on his end, but I do know that he was able to renegotiate a few things with the bank, and now Wally’s will pay rent to Stone Enterprise. He’s not a stupid man by any stretch of the imagination – I’m sure he’s making money off the deal. But he looked at the bigger picture first, when many turned their heads the other way. He considers Wally’s to be a staple in this city, and saved hundreds of jobs. And for that, I will forever be grateful. If Justin Stone hadn’t come along, many people, including me, would be looking for a new livelihood.”

 “He’s a good man,” I murmured. I smiled to myself, remembering all the articles I read about his charity involvements. Wally’s wasn’t a charity, but Justin was their benefactor in a round about way.

 Mr. Roberts eyed me apprehensively, and he seemed to be contemplating his next choice of words.

 “Yes, he is a very good man. But I’d be careful with him. He can be somewhat authoritarian, Selena. I’m not sure if he’s the right man for you,” he warned.

 I stared at him in shock.

 Am I really that transparent?

 “Don’t worry about me, Mr. Roberts. I’m sure I’ll be able to handle Mr. Stone,” I said, albeit halfheartedly. “Now, it’s about time for me to get some work done around here.”

 I gave him a small wave and quickly headed out the door before he could give me any more insightful observations. This was not a discussion I was going to have with my boss, as he had no idea how loaded his words actually were.

I had mused over Mr. Roberts’ warning all day long, as I cleaned and organized the receiving dock at Wally’s. And by the time I arrived at Cornerstone Tower shortly after three o’clock, I wasn’t entirely convinced that Justin was the right man for me either. In fact, he was wrong for me on so many different levels.

 Levels.

 I punched the button for the elevator in Justin’s building, and repeated the word over and over again in my head. It was a reminder of the unfinished business between Justin and I – the list. I could never give him all the things that he wanted. I may be open to some, but definitely not all. I had to be upfront with him before things went any further.

 When I reached the top floor, I found Laura Kaufman sitting behind her desk. She shot an icy glare in my direction when she saw me and I felt a little ashamed. The last time I was in this building, I left in a rush and had rudely ignored her. I smiled politely when I approached her, attempting to make up for my abrupt departure.

 “Hello, Laura. I’m here to meet with Mr. Stone,” I said, reaching out to shake her hand.

 “Yes, he’s been expecting you. Down the hall, first door on the left,” she said dismissively, completely ignoring my outstretched hand.

 Okay, maybe I deserved that.

 “Er…yeah. Thank you.”

 Obviously having no chance at polite conversation, I turned and made my way to Justin’s office. It was easy enough to locate, as the etched gold nameplate on the frosted glass door was a gleaming beacon to all who passed.

   JUSTIN STONE

 Chief Executive Officer

   I gave three short raps on the door, before pushing down on the handle to let myself in. Justin, appearing every bit the part of a polished business man, sat behind a desk of black mahogany surrounded by enormous windows that revealed astonishing city views. He was leaning to one side of his high backed chair, chin resting on his fist. He actually looked more suited for the pages of a Giorgio Armani catalogue, rather than a CEO of a multibillion-dollar corporation.

 “Hey, good-lookin’. Sorry I’m a few minutes late.”

 Justin glanced in my direction and tossed me a single nod.

 “I’ll get you the paperwork in a minute,” he said, before turning back to his computer. He seemed to be in the middle of something. Rather than disturb him, I made myself comfortable in the chair across the desk from him. I waited for him to finish what he was working on, and used the opportunity to look around at the surrounding space.

 Like his conference room, the office was sophisticated in style, boasting a posh interior design with every modern amenity that one could want in a workspace. It made me eager to see the offices at Turning Stone Advertising.

 “You have a really nice office,” I appreciated.

 His only response to my compliment was a slight grunt. I frowned curiously at him, wondering what was up.

 The phone on the desk buzzed and Justin quickly snatched up the receiver.

 “You better be calling me with a date and time, Steve,” he said irritably into the phone. After a moment, his face turned sour. Whatever the person on the other end was saying, it couldn’t have been good. “I don’t care what the excuse is. Find another underwriter to get it done. And if you don’t, then I will. I want this deal closed by the end of the week.”

 He forcefully put the receiver back on to its cradle, turned back to his computer, and began furiously typing on the keyboard. After a minute, he stopped and appeared to be studying whatever was on the screen. His jaw ticked, while his thumb tapped a steady beat on the desktop. I had never seen him look so agitated.

 “Is everything okay?” I asked cautiously.

 Justin looked up from his computer in surprise, almost as if he’d forgotten that I was there.

 “Everything is fine. I just hate delays.” And with that, he picked up the receiver again and dialed a number. “Laura, get ahold of Joshua Swanson. Tell him to check his email. I want a progress update by the end of the day.”

 He’s on a warpath over something…

 “What happened?”

 He eyed me strangely, but didn’t answer my question. Instead, he got up from his desk and went over to a file cabinet.

 “Here’s the salary and benefit information for you to look over. It includes a severance deal as well,” he said coolly, unceremoniously tossing a manila folder onto the desk. “After you read it, you’ll need to sign a few things near the back.”

 He sat back down and returned to whatever task he had been so engrossed in. I was rather taken aback, his frosty reception perplexing. I squirmed uncomfortably in my seat. Between Justin and Laura, I was beginning to think that there was something seriously wrong with the water at Cornerstone Tower.

 “I think I offended Laura the last time I was here,” I stated casually, trying to do something – anything, to break the tension that was in the room.

 “Don’t worry about her. She can be fickle sometimes, but she’s extremely efficient, which is why I keep her around,” he absently waved off, not looking away from his flat screen monitor.

 Something wasn’t right, and it wasn’t just his frustration over a delay. He was acting different towards me. Cold.

 Is this the way he planned on separating our personal lives from work?

 I watched him for a moment longer before picking up the folder, the click of the mouse the only sound that could be heard in the room. I opened it and pretended to peruse the contents, but I wasn’t really seeing them. I flipped through the pages, chancing furtive glances at him, in an attempt to decipher the real reason behind his mood.

 “Justin, what’s wrong?” I finally asked.

 “Nothing is wrong,” he dismissed, again not bothering to glance up. More silence. Another click-click.

 Maybe he got what he wanted last night and now he’s done with me.

 I fought the familiar internal battle between my insecurities and basic common sense. It was a real struggle not to imagine the worst.

 I’m not my mother…it’s better to ask than assume.

 “Look, I understand our arrangement, but do you really need to act so rigid towards me? I mean, we’re not exactly strangers anymore.” I received no answer, just a few more clicks. After several minutes of listening to nothing but his tapping on the mouse, my patience slowly diminished, and self-doubting instincts began to override all rational thoughts. In the end, conjecture won out. “I’m sorry, but am I interrupting something of vital importance here? Or is it that last night you got your quick fuck and this is your way of saying sayonara?”

 He looked up sharply, eyes piercing through me like knives.

 “First of all, you’re not a quick fuck. I don’t want to hear you say anything like that again. Ever,” he spat out. “Secondly, you left last night.”

 Ohhhh, so that’s what’s got his panties in a bind…

 “So what if I left? I had to work today and I didn’t have any clothes with me. I had to go.”

 And that was the truth. Partially.

 “You leave when I say you can leave.”

 “Oh, is that how it is? Well, let me tell you –,” I started before he abruptly cut me off.

 “There were important things that needed to be discussed last night. I only dozed off for a few minutes. That did not entitle you to make an impromptu exit,” he boomed. I felt myself wince. Justin was not the type to shout, as his quiet authority was enough to get any point across. He must have realized how loudly he was talking, because when he began again, his voice had noticeably lowered several octaves. “Did you talk to your roommate last night when you got home?”

 “Um…no. She was asleep when I got in. Why?” I asked, completely thrown for a loop by his question.

 “That’s one of the things that I wished to speak with you about last night. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to find that you were gone,” he added with a frown.

 “You wanted to talk about Allyson?”

 “Not Allyson. My privacy. Remember what I said about keeping my affairs quiet? You cannot tell your roommate about us.”

 “It’s going to be sort of hard to hide, Justin. I do live with her after all.”

 “I don’t mean about the two of us being together. You can obviously tell her that much at least. I’m referring to what we do behind closed doors.”

 I raised one eyebrow at him in surprise.

 If I told Allyson the truth about you, she’d hull my ass to a shrink so fast that my head would spin. She would think that I had lost my damn mind.

 I loved my friend, but I knew that she’d never understand. Allyson could not know about Justin’s naughty bedroom antics.

 “Oh, no worries there. I won’t tell Ally,” I quickly assured him. But after I spoke the promise, I immediately felt a small pain of guilt over not being truthful with my best friend.

 “Nobody else can know either. I’m very serious about this. I am often in the public eye. What I do, what I like…it can be viewed as dirty laundry by most people. I would prefer not to have it aired.”

 “Oh, and here I thought I might call the gossip columnist from –,” I stopped short when I saw his face pale. “Justin, I’m only kidding. I’m not the kiss and tell type. Even with Ally. My sex life is nobody’s business. You can relax.”

 “Don’t joke about this, Selena.”

 I put my hands up in mock surrender.

 “No more jokes. I promise.”

 He leaned forward on the desk and pressed his forehead against his palms. Shaking his head as if to clear it, he eventually looked back up at me. He seemed calmer, yet there was a certain level of torment in his eyes.

 “I’m not one to lose my head like that, Selena.”

 “It’s fine, Justin. You seem like you’ve had a rough day. Don’t think twice about it,” I blew off.

 “No, no. It’s just that…I tend to forget myself with you sometimes. In all honesty, I don’t think that you’ll go running your mouth about us. I’m just pissed off that you left last night. I wanted you to stay. I’m sorry for raising my voice the way that I did,” he apologized, catching me by surprise with his admission.

 “I suppose I owe you an apology as well. I’m sorry that I slipped out on you. And since we’re being honest with each other, it wasn’t that I didn’t have a change of clothes – although, that was a small part of the reason. I’m just trying to keep this thing between us as simple as possible. I thought that staying at your place would only complicate things.”

 “Only if you allow it to, Selena.” He smiled wryly at me. “If you’re going to be my submissive, you’ll be doing overnights.”

 Whether or not I was going to do overnights was subject to debate, one that I didn’t want to get into at that particular moment. I had just gotten him to calm down and I didn’t want to rile him again. Besides, it was my submission, or rather his freaky-deak ideas about what he expected me to do, that really needed addressing.

 “Yeah, about that. I’ll try to keep an open mind about overnights,” I began. “But first, we need to go over the list that you wrote. However, I’m not sure if this is the most appropriate place for talking about it.”

 “For Christ’s sake, Selena. Forget the stupid list! That’s negotiable, and doesn’t even begin to explain what I expect from you.” He got up from his chair and came around to where I was sitting. He pulled me up to my feet and placed his hands firmly on my hips. His heated eyes zeroed in on mine. “The list is only words on paper. Being in a dominant and submissive relationship means more than textbook terms. It’s a lifestyle – one that I want to teach you. For your sake, I’m going to take it slow. As for the overnights, you’ll have to stay at my place if you want to learn. And I’m serious when I say, you’ll have to stay over often.”

 “I don’t see why I have to spend the night with you in order to learn anything, Justin.”

 “It’s my job as your Dominant to see to your every want and need. I can’t very well do that when you’re not with me. We got off to a more conventional start than what I am used to. But that ends now. You’re staying the weekend with me.”

 “It would have been nice of you to ask, rather than order –.”

 He placed a finger over my lips to silence me.

 “Remember lesson number one? Unconditional obedience. You want to learn, don’t you?” he asked, but it wasn’t really a question. It was more like a challenge.

 I could feel the heat coming off of him, his body so close to mine, yet not quite touching. His eyes burned into me, blazing with desire. I slowly let out the air in my lungs that I hadn’t realized I had been holding.

 “Yes,” I finally answered hesitantly.

 “Good. Then here’s another lesson for you. When you are in my home, you will be naked. Always. Unless I command you otherwise. Since you’re so focused on my list, you’ll remember that nudity was written on there. I want you easily accessible to me at all times.”

 My eyes widened and I couldn’t respond to him if I tried. All words had escaped me. I wanted to argue that I couldn’t always be naked, yet a part of me relished the idea. It was so easy to get wrapped up in his words. His fantasies. It was so simple to get lost in the haze, my thoughts constantly muddled in the depths of those sapphire eyes.

 I shook my head to clear the fog, the practical side of me winning out yet again.

 “Look, I know you said to forget it, but we really need to discuss that list. Last night was beyond amazing, but I know that you went gentle on me. I’m afraid of what’s coming next. If I’m going to do this, it’s important that we talk about it.”

 “I knew that’s how you would feel,” he said, shaking his head in resignation. He stepped away from me, leaving a cold and vacant space that was once fiery hot just seconds before. He leaned over his desk and plucked out a sheet of paper that was buried under a pile of folders. “That’s why I brought the damn thing with me today. I figured that I wouldn’t be able to convince you to drop it.”

 “You brought the list here?”

 “Are you surprised?”

 “Well…yes. I mean, what if someone saw it!” I exclaimed, mortified at the thought of Laura stumbling across a list of taboo sexcapades.

 “Don’t worry, Selena. Nobody enters this office without my knowledge,” he said, laughing at my outward shock.

 “I just assumed, considering your concerns over privacy, that we would keep our personal stuff a little more discrete.”

 “And we will, for the most part. Come on. Let’s sit down and get this over with.” He motioned me to follow him to cushy leather loveseat at the far end of the room. Once we were comfortably seated, he spread the list out on the low glass table that was in front of us. “We’ll go through this together, one thing at a time. You can cross off anything that is off limits and then we can discuss anything that you would consider.”

 “You want to go through this here? Right now?”

 “I do. And when we are finished, we put this away for good and you’re all mine. Deal?”

 “Why are you doing this? You clearly have certain expectations. Why would you consider altering them for me? What if I say that I can’t do any of these things?”

 He looked up sharply, tearing his eyes from the paper and fixing me with his steely gaze. For a moment I could see right through him, all of his turmoil and indecision transparent. He wasn’t used to changing his ways. Yet, there was certain amount of savagery in his expression as well, and I believed it to be the driving force behind sorting out his uncertainties.

 “There’s something about you, Selena. I don’t really know what it is – I only know that from the first moment I saw you, all I’ve thought about is burying my cock inside you. If I have to make a few adjustments, trust me when I say that I’m willing to do so. However, you get today only. After we go through this, I won’t coddle you any more.”

 His tenacity was inspiring, and I was suddenly overcome with a feeling of determination. I had to do this. I didn’t want to be a scared timid girl, afraid of the shadows that lurked in the night. I wanted to explore the dark edges of desire. With him. And I wanted to please him.

 “Do you have any highlighters around here?” I asked.

 “Ah, I might?”

 The perplexed expression on his face was almost comical, forcing me to clarify my obsessive need for organization.

 “My OCD is kicking in. I mean, I’m not really OCD. I just need to color code this stuff, okay?”

 His confusion was slowly replaced by amusement, making me fully aware of how silly this all was, despite my crazy need to have some sort of framework outlined for this relationship.

 “Let me see what I can find,” he obliged with a slight chuckle.

 Justin went back over to his desk and began rifling through a drawer. I took a minute to scan the list again. I thought about the night before and the way he had worked magic on my body. I certainly enjoyed last night, ropes and all. I was sure that was only a sampling of what he could make me feel.

 I need to keep an open mind.

 With both pain and pleasure.

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