#cant express the acidness of it fully

[firstofficerkittycat]

holy shit i completely forgt about my tmp spock acid trip rock n roll suicide thing.........................................................................

[solemnty]

i feel lost for the first time in a long time. the type of lost that used to drown me. the type of lost that would swallow me whole. it hasnt been since probably freshman year of college that i feel this type of lost. i dont know how to describe it other than a gnawing in my sou and an aching that i cant get rid of in my throat like acid burning. why does my mom not want to face me or talk to me. i think thats the beginning of the end. of family looking away from you. maybe i have too much focus on the goodness that other people are too lazy or determined to ignore or desert. maybe some people dont want to have the determination that i do. i can never fully express myself without pushback. its weird. people trying to control me and tell me how i am. its fuckin retarded. everyone trying to impose on me how i should be when i know what reality is and what we are. is there really no one like this that i can find? is goodness that deprived? i think so. i know so. because of you God. i will never succumb. give me your best satan. you will go down. i will defeat you. and you will tremble before your God. this is a declaration of war against you. i dont care what you reign down on me but God will put you in your rightful place you disgusting piece of garbage. you will never win. Christ Jesus is my one and only savior and he will be the way. he is the way. the truth. the light. so yeah. get raped and pillaged satan. i hope your shitstain of an existence burns for all eternity.

wear white always

marry alec

live in missouri

[princecharmingwinks]

i cant believe you said you dont write for fandoms!! these are ending up AMAZING! have another fail date for you to make better: we went four-wheel driving over the dunes out bush, we took my car but he drove because he's done the route before. we were the second car in the convoy and because my car is a little smaller than the others it couldnt make it up the last dune! it nearly made it over before sliding back into the sand and ended up half buried! (1/2)

(2/2) the rest of the group had to drag and push us out with planks and chains etc while we were stuck inside because no way in hell i was opening the door to let the sand in! so three wheels in the sand, waiting on our rescue, irl it was a bit awkward but im hoping you'll rewrite a better ending <3

Awww concussed dragon, you are sooo sweet! Thank you! Your unique failed dates are great to work with. Alrighty, let's get into this one! So the pack got big in this one and while most don't have lines, I liked the idea of everyone being there (or almost for anyone I missed haha). I left some of the couple combos up to interpretation so feel free to ship at your leisure.

---

The pack, after much pestering from a certain human/spark, were finally going on their camping trip. The alpha had finally conceded when Stiles had shot him a pout and hopeful eyes. Derek had reluctantly agreed and ignored the snickering of his betas in the corner of the room.

On the morning of the trip, everyone was pairing up into groups of drivers and passengers so no one drove alone and there were less cars.

Derek and Stiles were the last members out of the rebuilt Hale House. Derek had been locking up and Stiles was finishing off some wards to ensure there were no unwanted visitors while they were away. He was still learning to harness his spark but small wards of protection were easy enough. Defensive magic was easier, offensive was another story.

Stiles threw his bag into the back of the jeep and glanced around.

"So, who's joining Roscoe and me?"

Erica snickered, "Derek."

"What?" Stiles and Derek snapped in unison. Well at least Stiles had a punctuation mark, Derek's not so much.

"I'm with Danny, Lydia and Jacks." Kira spoke up. "Scott, Malia, and Isaac are with Allison."

"I'm obviously with my boy." Erica jumped onto Boyd's back, who was used to his girlfriend's antics and easily caught her. "And Theo is meeting us there after picking up Liam from work. Everyone's paired up so that just leaves you two."

Stiles felt his heart flutter but managed to keep his voice even as he spoke, "Alright Alpha My Alpha, let's get going."

Derek didn't say a word as he slid into the passenger seat of the jeep. Everything would be fine.

Everything was not fine. Stiles was definitely going through a quarter life crisis at the realisation most of the pack were in couples. How did he not realise that? When had it become a prerequisite to start dating a pack member? And now it was just Stiles and the alpha. The alpha he had been in love with for years. Great...

"What's wrong?"

Stiles was pulled out of his internal panic by said alpha's soothing voice. Derek had softened over the years, showing care and concern for each member of the pack. He now bought scent-free nail polish for Erica (so the acid smell didn't upset all the were's noses), stocked Isaac's favourite gummybears and even hugged Kira willingly at her university graduation. Derek Hale was a softie.

"I'm fine, nothing wrong here, no sir." Stiles prattled. Even he heard the blatant lies without supernatural healing. He glanced to his side and was greeted by raised eyebrows.

"Ok, so I may have just realised how paired up everyone in the pack really is."

"Except us."

"Yeah," Stiles sighed. "Except us. Do you ever think about that? Like, why you haven't dated anyone since..." He trailed off. Derek didn't have the best track record for his love interests but he hadn't even been on a date for more than 3 years.

Derek looked out the window at the scenary, they were driving into the sand dune part of the journey, and for a moment Stiles thought he wasn't going to answer.

"I've been waiting."

Stiles blinked. Huh?

"For someone so smart, you're really clueless sometimes." Derek huffed, glancing back at Stiles.

"What have you been waiting for?" Stiles dared to ask. They had paused to allow Allison's four-wheel-drive to roll up the last sand dune, waiting for their turn. Roscoe would be the last time to make the climb.

"I thought it was my imagination at first but then you kept coming around and..."

It was Roscoe's turn now and Stiles slowly prepared for the final climb of the dune. He tried to keep focused on the task at hand, allowing Derek to speak his thoughts. You never rushed the alpha when he was being vulnerable.

"I know you kind of like me?" Derek voiced it as a question but all Stiles heard was sirens in his brain. Derek knew? Stiles' foot slid off the peddle and they immediately started rolling backwards, fast.

"Shit! Shit, shit shit." Stiles acted quickly but it wasn't enough. Roscoe descended the sand dune and sank, refusing to move. Sand on either side of them blocked the bottom of their doors. They were officially stuck.

Stiles rested his head on the steering wheel and slowed his breathing. There were multiple crises going on but most had solutions.

The others would work out they hadn't made the climb soon enough or Theo and Liam would find them on their way through. So either way, Roscoe being stuck wasn't a massive deal. The real dilemma was Stiles' outed feelings for Derek.

The same Derek that was eyeing Stiles with concern as he called Kira to request some assist. Stiles heard him hang up before the sound of a door handle being jiggled. He snapped his head up.

"Whoa there sourwolf, there is to be no sand storm in this car, thankyouverymuch." He reached out and tugged the alpha's hand away from the door.

"I figured me getting out and pushing was the preferred option to sitting here with you in a state of panic at my assumption."

Stiles pulled his hand back. "What?"

"Look, we can just forget I ever said anything, alright? I get I'm not the most desirable crush to have. It's probably just familiarity and your sense of loyalty that's fueled your scent around me anyway. Don't worry about it."

Stiles shook his head, "Oh no you don't. You opened that can of worms and I'm no coward." The spark met Derek's gaze. Had he been planning on ignoring his feelings for the alpha? Sure. But was he going to run away from a moment like this? Nope. Stiles Stilinski was a lot of things but after running with wolves and other supernaturals for most of his life, he knew when he needed to tackle something head on.

"Now, before you go down your rabbit hole of I'm-not-good-enough crazy talk, I've got something to say."

Derek nodded like the soft alpha he was and turned to face Stiles more fully.

"You, Derek Alexander Hale, are amazing. A little on the martyr side but that's because you are so protective of your pack. I'd be crazy to not fall in love with you. That's right, love not like. I've been in love with you for years but how was a kid like me going to catch the alpha's eye? I didn't want to ruin our friendship. This," He gestured between them. "This is important to me. I don't want to ruin it."

Derek released a sigh of relief? Stiles couldn't read his eyebrows which was disappointing when he was the most expert at interpreting the alpha's facial expressions.

Then Derek was darting forward and claiming Stiles' lips in a searing kiss. Stiles went with it, almost unbelieving that any of this was happening.

Derek eventually pulled back and rested his forehead against Stiles'.

"Worth the wait." The alpha whispered, grinning, bunny teeth all on display.

"Two way street here. You could've said something too. How long have you liked me?"

Derek blushed and it was only because they were so close that Stiles saw the pink of his cheeks and ears.

"I've always liked you, even if I didn't always show it. But love? I think I've loved you since you woke me up on an elevator floor by punching me. You could have left without me but you didn't."

Stiles pouted, "Since then?"

Derek raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong?"

Stiles pushed Derek back and clumsily crawled across the gear stick to straddle the alpha's lap.

"We could have been having the best sex of my life for years, Derek! Years! We've got a lot of making up to do." Stiles dove in to kiss Derek this time. The alpha happily drew Stiles in closer, curling his arms around the spark's slim waist.

A knock on the window, interrupted their make-out session. Boyd's face appeared with judging eyebrows to rival Derek's.

"Heard you needed a hand." Boyd spoke loudly with a smirk as Derek's hand moved away from Stiles' ass to rest safely on his back.

"What's Erica doing?" Stiles asked, leaning over Derek to squint at the blonde chatting wildly on the phone. Derek focused his hearing.

"Turns out I'm not the only one who was waiting." Derek grinned, "And everyone apparently owes Lydia money."

They did eventually get Roscoe out of the sand dune thanks to the advantages of going camping with multiple supernatural creatures. By the time everyone was settled in the camp and Erica had informed Theo and Liam on the events of the day, Lydia was a very rich woman.

Stiles couldn't complain though. Not when the alpha was snuggled between his legs as Stiles sat on the log and Derek roasted them marshmallows. Apparently no one trusted Stiles near an open flame following the incident with that vampire clan. Stiles combed his fingers through Derek's hair and looked around at the pack. This camping trip was the best idea ever.

--

Ok so I must confess I do not camp like...ever and have no idea how four-wheel-driving works so please forgive any major errors in that department. I tweaked things a bit from your prompt sorry. I just couldn't imagine Stiles letting anyone else drive Roscoe. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for popping in!

[snow-wind-and-all-we-will-find]

Hi! My names arthur and im working on improving my word and building my story, which currently has no name haha! I have a myriad of characters who ill try to list out and give brief descriptions of, aether is technically my main character and some of the characters who are up for question are dead in canon. But you can still ask them stuff, itll just be set before death.

When asking characters questions, rememeber to include the name, their age if theres diffrent ages, i dont mind repeated questions, but if you see the question try not to ask it again lol. If you cant find it with a quick scroll just ask it, although i dont know if this blog will even get that big.

Aether

He comes in three evolutions lol, technically, theres four but idk if i would count 7 year old aether.

Ages: 13 yo - colder, hasnt gotten used to emotions, there are two to this as well, pre-rev and then post-rev 13 yo aether, remember to specify lol.

16 yo- a bit more out there, still kinda disconnected and figuring things out, a bit more defensive

22 yo- lax, hes sorta figured shit out, hes not going to go grazy, hes just gonna be chill lol.

!The gaggle Ghosts!

Yurei

Her personality is very, ehhh, becuase i havnt done work with her, and i havnt completly figured out who she is fully yet, shes 18 yo when aether is 22 yo

18 yo- pretty oblivious, somehow still a bit cynical, very nice and sometimes motherly

Kakoku

Few thousand- mean, likes to bully yurei as he huants her, lowkey a simp for yurei but he wont admit that. Kinda cynical and likes to bring others down, generally a bully

Tamashi

19- emotionless, has to be a really strong emotion to make her emote, tends to stray away from other people, likes to be alone, blunt

Gunnar

A few thousand- sweet, warm and welcoming, tries to be very fatherly and a trusted figure, is very busy most of the tiime unfortunatly though.

!The greek gang!

Argus agapov

16- unstable, pretty baby, protective over friends and family

Mythos agapov

23- whore. He also loves his family, lowkey, hes a trad wife

Perceus

15/16- timid, intrested in posiosn and acids, generally quiet, likes to eat leaves, scaredy cat

Diogenes

14- germ of phobe, kind of a brat, more just a bitch, will yell at you if he sees your hands were dirty from gardening or something while you’re walking to the sink, other than that hes fine, picky eater

Herodotus

15- disorginized, trys his best, likes to write stuff down, helps plato with his writing and grammar in general, gullible, likes record data, has a nice typewriter with tha good clicky clack

Plato

8- sweet baby boi, loves his older brother (socrates), idolizes him even, not a good idea though. He writes down everything socrates does, sometimes he imitates his brother as well.

Socrates

17- dumb of ass, also just dumb, held back a grade, feral child, bites alot of people, soft aestechic but hed stab as a warning

Heracles

30- also dumb of ass, loves cars in that ‘mah babeh’ kinda way. Hates motorcycles, he thinks they’re ugly. Chaotic but he utilizes it to be the weird and cool uncle/cousin thing

Zeus

46- too tired for this shit, is a dad, went out to get milk, jk jk, dissapeared for a hot few years, probably got captured by some gang dunno, it happens. Very serious, would make the dumbest jokes with his brothers with a straight face

Hades

50- lowkey the neglected middle child, soft goth lookin ass, loves his kid, tries his best to raise his kid, sometimes gets help from esme

Poseidon

57- proud stay at home dad, buff but does the typically wifely duties, makes sure his children get enough love, nutrience and care

Lillith

54- very active, the money maker, kinda soft, both her and her husband poseidon are so just in love with their kids, dote on them constantly, very extroverted, always makes time for her kids

Esme

51- tired of zeus’ shit, does her best to make sure no one dies, still treats mythos as her ‘little baby boy, tired mom vibes.

!the Eden gang!

Eden is a fictional country that i slapped onto the globe. It is where aether is from, technically aether is apart of the eden gang as well. Everyone here, if they have an age option, the first age option is the age they are when aether is 13, and the second will be when aether is 16 unless stated otherwise

General kyelli

49- fatherly, thinks of most of the gang as his children, calls everyone ‘son’, as a general rule. If you ask for another nickname, he will do his best. Has a bad knee, and is kinda of bad at existing physically

52+- fatherly still, loves almonds, always has a bag of almonds, dont test him. Enjoys travel, might adopt people he meets along the way, still has pains but now he sees doctors, wants to stay active

Indigo

13- sweet, optimistic, always looks on the brightside and tries to see the good in others. Little heater, understands that sometimes fighting is the only option

Akrano

16- lively, very loose and relax, can get serious when needed though, always making jokes and trying to lighten up the mood

19- a bit more, mellow. Still quite lively and childish, but with two signifigant-others you have to settle down sometimes

Ekrano

16- lively, more stern than akrano and kinda worried, but ultimatly also very loose and bright

Lilliana

16- serious, seemingly colder towards everyone, gets along great with psycho-lops, makes him new eye-patches to pass time, actually just very monotone and blank most of the time, although she does care

19- she doesnt change much, she got a bit more expressive, likes babysitting howl

Psycho-lops

16 1/2- always looks determined, actually kinda scared of conflict, likes to help out with healing though, very proficient in it as well, sounds intimidating while talking about how cute puppies and kittens are

19/20- still the same, is considering studying medicine and medical practices to become a doctor.

Bark

17- bright, incredibly lively, loves to joke around and tease and sometimes bully the others, targets aether primarily, hangs out with his brother most of the time, he can fight for himself but he likes the backup, especcially since he is kinda glass-jawed, being that hes a twig

Bite

17- quiet, intense eyes, always sounds vaugly confused when he speaks, deep voice lol, likes to train, doesnt understand barks need to tease others, likes to read to the children

20- quiet, intense eyes still, more so nervous sounding, slightly paranoid, cluastrophobic and cant stand dusty places, usually in his house or at the docks, doesnt really go anywhere else

Hanelle

17- loud, headstrong, adamant about her opinions, gets along well with bark, she tries alot to be intimidating, not a twig, but not very big, pretty friendly and sociable

!the band of pirates!

Aklea

A few hundreds of years- kinda bored seeming, loves blood, technically cannibal, but not really since he isnt human, to an extent. Despite being fine on the ocean, he gets very car sick very easily. Actually quite nice, very easily triggerd into violence, especcially by something that could be used as a good murder weapon, blood makes him jittery and more lively

Nerone

21- calm, too calm, deals with akleas bullshit wonerfully, he just stands there, blank smile on his face as aklea beats the shit outta someone, unintrested in most anything, likes to draw, but hes a much better pastry chef.

!the shakespears!

Midem(pink boi)

33- lively, loves to work with kids, very creative, likes to make things, mainly art, mainly carvings. Often make little minitures of scenes from midens writing, loves his twin, does anything it takes to fund midens intrests. Very loving to those hes close to

Miden

33- calmer by alot lmao, pretty introverted but he can hold a long conversation without becoming too drained, enjoys writing and making stories, also makes plays for fun, runs off little sleep cuase he stays up so late to write, and gets up early to write.

!gods!

Gideon

9 billion- confused boomer, loves his ‘children’, hates to be hated, always tries to help in anyway he can, despite making them, always curious into what mortals are doing, loves the universe he created and does anything he can to protect it

Merik

7 million- sore loser, does get a little salty, ultimatly bounces back and becomes a very good sport, always will adopt tactics, whatever it takes to win within the rules, keeps most all of his trophies from random feats hes done

Ventus

5 billion - calm, straightforward, tends to disregard others and do things himself, likes to sit on cliffs and watch the ocean

Kyle

Hes been around since 776 bc- very loud, lively, bright, tries his best to educate people on proper form, workout regime i intesne, doesnt allow others to take it, makes custom workout regimes for free, owns a gym, dude bro but hes nice, baby

Horo-sha

Her age technicaly is not accurate, shes like, 2 billion? Since dima was made right after her death. But since her history still lives, ima count it

5 billion but older than ventus- bitter, violent, former god of justice, fucking dead haha, hates mortals, primarily humans

Dima

Also not super accurate, hed only be a few centuries of being an active god before being sealed, but since hes technically, concious and has cognitive function hes counted

3 billion- mean lol, likes blood and gets even more violent when it starts getting messy, ‘new’ god of justice, uh, pretty bad at it like the last one, but worse, will kill over slight misdeameanors, everythings a crime smh

!misc!

Ivan

24- softspoken, from imperial russia, died young, he no longer feels his face is his own, has a mask that he likes better, has the sickness, but since he was human it killed him, can control it post mortem, is strong enough to be seen, but weak enough he can go invisible and go through solid objects.

More ocs will be added when i remember them, or create new ones, characters i dont really have built at all are not included

[that-gt-and-vore-stuffs]

What about Davey messing with spot?

I like your style, Anon. Let’s see what I can do with this >:)

As always, Vore under the cut

Going full momma bear for his boys wasn’t something new to Davey. The last time it had gotten this bad though the Delanceys had avoided him out flat for a whole month. Even now he could scare them off with just a toothy grin or “absentmindedly” tracing a path down his throat. Seeing them pale and back away never failed to bring a smile to his face. He earned quite a bit of respect for that too. Not many Newsies could do that. Only two that he could think of in all honesty: himself and Spot Conlon.

He and Spot weren’t on bad terms at all. At least, that’s how it seemed. They talked on occasion, could get along better then Spot and Jack, and both had the brains to keep their respective gangs in line. Not too long ago though he had an exchange with the leader of Brooklyn he never expected. One that stuck with him.

————

“So how’d you do it?”

“Huh?”

“Scare Th’ Delanceys that damn bad. How?”

Davey looked at the leader of Brooklyn with an expression that seemed a mix of conflicted and embarrassed. Oh boy. A nervous laugh sounded in his throat as he pulled at his tie with a finger like he was suffocating because of it. “Oh it wasn’t anything all that special.”

“To scare the Delanceys that bad? Bullshit. It takes a lot t’be able t’make those two pale like ghosts. So how’d ya do it?”

Oh boy. Spot seemed serious. That wasn’t good for him. He knew the shorter boy wouldn’t stop until he got an answer and he wanted to walk out of this without a bruise or a broken limb. Wasn’t this perfect? “Y-you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Really now?”

“Yeah. It sounds cra-“

“Then show me.”

Davey pales a bit. Oh. Oh no. That was a bad idea. “I-I don’t think I should-“

“They wasn’t physically hurt at all. I can take it. So show me.”

His throat bobs as Davey gulps. Spot really....this wasn’t going to end good for him. No sir. “I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t do it here at least. I-It takes preparation and such. About a d-day or so.”

“I didn’t peg you as one for such elaborate plans, Dave. Though, I suppose I should ‘ave. You ain’t like Jack-Be-Nimble Jack-Be-Quick after all.”

Davey laughs, the nervous undertones sticking out like a sore thumb. “No, I’m not.”

“Well then, think you’ll be able t’show me tomorrow? Seein’ as ya ain’t got that school shit or whatever over th’ weekend.”

Oh perfect. He isn’t going to drop it. Just his luck. “I.....I suppose so. But, I should warn you now, anything that I say or do is solely acting. So please don’t take anything personally.”

“Why? Insultin’ part of it?”

“Yeah. And some other things I wouldn’t do to anyone if they didn’t deserve it. But....you’re asking and I’m not going to deny you.”

“Good choice, Dave.”

“Heh. So I’ve heard.”

One spit shake later and Davey was practically put on the execution list. The clock was ticking....

————

His time was up. Shit. Shitshitshit. This seemed like an even worse idea now that he was here, looming over a unconscious and tied up Spot Conlon in the dark of the night, in the abandoned warehouse, with an empty stomach and a death wish for doing this. One he was certain was going to be fufiled thanks to this.

The first sign of movement and consciousness he slipps into character. “Well....looks like someone’s finally awake. Took you long enough.”

The last thing Spot expected was to wake up shrunken and tied with seeming expertise. Or for Davey to be over him in such a manner. “What Th’ hell is you talkin’ about David?! What’d you do to me?!”

“Oh don’t act suprised. You asked for this. I thought it was obvious what you were getting into when you decided to do what you did.” The sickeningly sweet tone and smile fit almost too well on his face. Like he was designed for this.

For a minute Spot is ready to try and fight the taller boy, despite his size. Then it all comes flodding back. Right. He did ask to see this. Davey was acting. Damn, kid could act. He seemed like a completely different person. Guess it seemed fair he only threw his hat in the ring with this acting show. To fully understand what this was about. How bad could it get after all? He made sure to flash Davey a look of understanding before starting to fight his bindings. “What th’ hell do you mean?! I didn’t ask for shit!”

That look....Spot remembered. Thank god. Davey doesn’t dare drop his act though. That same psychotic laugh from that night weeks ago rings through the room. “Oh sure you didn’t. Then why do I remember what you did so vividly? I am simply....teaching you a lesson.”

Holy shit. Now Spot was staring to see why the Delanceys were so scared. Davey seemed straight insane! He was more then grateful for it only being acting. “I ain’t in need of no lesson, nutjob! Let me the fuck go!”

A hand slammed down next to him, making him jump. He really was small...

“Oh I don’t think I will. Not for a while....” As he talks, keeping his tone sweet and speed slow, he brings his other hand up behind the leader of Brooklyn. When all seemed calm he quickly took hold of the boy and hoisted him into the air. “My my, and I thought you were short before.”

“Thats low.” Spot can’t help the little out of character comment that escapes him with a smirk before he drops it and starts to squirm in the seemingly giant boy’s grasp. “What‘s that supposed t’mean?! You’s is gonna let me go, that clear?!”

“Oh I don’t think you want me to do that now, Spot. Not when a drop this far could break one of your legs. Or snap your spine. But enough talk. I’ll get to my point.” Here’s where his improv skills were going to get put to the test. He wasn’t excited about it. “I have a offer for you. A deal if you will. You agree to leave me and my boys alone and I’ll spare you. Disagree.....well I am very creative when it comes to fun executions.”

Spot feels his blood chill. Davey was acting, but damn did this feel real. “Prove it.”

“Oh? Much feistier then those brothers, I see. Well....I could snap each of your limbs one by one and leave you to die. I could crush you under a hand or foot. I could strangle you like a snake with my hand. Need I go on?”

Oh. Those.....he could actually do those. That. That made him uncomfortable. More aware of his size. “N-no. You don’t haf’ta. So I just have t’leave Manhattan alone?”

“Yes. That’s all I ask.” Davey shoots the boy a borderline insane toothy grin. “Do we have a deal?”

Silence. You could hear a pin drop.

Tension. You could cut it with a knife.

“Deal.”

“Goodie! Now do stay still. This will only take a moment.” Davey doesnt wait for a response before he snaps off the bindings with his teeth. He sets Spot on the ground. Just like with the Delanceys when the boy tries to back up he slams a hand down.

“Now where are you going?”

This wasn’t done? Oh boy. Just what did Davey do to the Delanceys? “Leavin’. I agreed t’ya deal.”

“Oh...why are all who I shrink so naïve?” Davey doesn’t wait to snatch the tiny back up. “I’m not done yet. I just like to see my captives have hope, only for it to be crushed.”

“W-What th’ hell is that supposed t’mean?! What else could ya want wit’ me?!”

Davey doesn’t have to say a word, his stomach growling seemingly on cue. “Well...you see, setting this whole thing up and caring for a bunch of Newsies is enough to make you forget the simple things. I’m just...so hungry and you look, dare I say, absolutely delicious~”

Spot freezes. Oh. So that’s what Davey did. What he ment when he said he wouldn’t believe him. And he was too far to turn back. Oh no. “I....I’m not some meal for you, ya psychopath!!”

“Oh don’t look so down. It’s not like it’ll hurt you. I just need something to fill my poor stomach for a while until I can get something to eat.”

“How Th’ hell is EATIN’ ME ALIVE not gonna hurt me?!”

“Well the Delanceys are still walking around, aren’t they? What I used to shrink you...see, it makes you immune to things like stomach acids. Convenient, isn’t it?”

Another insane laugh rings out in the warehouse as Spot processes this. “Oh Spot. I tried to warn you. Tried to tell you not to poke the bear. Now you can deal with the consequences. So do me a favor and don’t fight until you get to the bottom like a good meal, alright?”

Spot isn’t allowed to get a thought out before he’s dangling over Davey’s maw. A yelp of alarm sounds from the throat of the shrunken Newsie. This....Davey was right, but....this was bad. He wants to fight, he really does, but for the first time in years he’s frozen in fear.

Davey’s grip steadily loosens until the boy is plummeting strait onto his awaiting tongue. The jaws around Spot snap shut, trapping him as the tongue underneath him starts to lick him over and toy with his frozen body. He can’t move. He’s paralyzed and it’s scary. No. Terrifying.

Satisfied with his work, Davey brings a hand to his throat. A soft yet strong gulp tugs the leader of Brooklyn down, his hand tracing the path all the way with each swallow until he feels him drop into his stomach. His tongue snakes out over his lips, ending with a satisfied sigh. “Ah~ Now that is much better.”

Spot isn’t ready to be met with a pleased gurgle as he drops into the chamber. Finally he can move and he’s able to start to fight. The hitch in the breathing of the giant lungs above him signals something. Something he’s so very glad to hear.

“S-Spot?! Are you ok in there? I didn’t hurt you right? Did I go overboard? I’m sorry if I did I just get too into character and I can’t-“ Davey cant help but drop the act and start to ask the shrunken boy in his gut a million and ten questions and the presses against his form.

Spot yelps as he’s pushed back by the pressure of Davey’s hand from the outside. At least Davey was back to himself. “I’m fine Dave. Physically fine. I....I now see why you didn’t want to show me. And why the Delanceys are scared stiff of you.”

Davey’s usual nervous laugh sounds deafening as it shakes the chamber holding Spot. “Yeah....that. And could you speak up a bit? You’re really muffled.”

Spot’s fighting calms down, him relaxing against the wall that’s oddly comfortable. The only thing that’s strained at the moment is his voice but he can take that. “O-Ok....so, you’s is gonna spit me up, unshrink me, an’ then we go our separate ways, yeah?”

“Uh.....” Davey knows he should but...it’s so nice to be full again after a day of not eating and he doesn’t really want to go to bed on a empty stomach. It wouldn’t hurt to just... “not yet.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Well, I wasn’t lying when I said I was really hungry. Missing a day’s worth of meals then also running around with the boys does a number on a empty stomach. “It’s not like you aren’t safe after all.”

“Dave, are you tryna say you ain’t gonna let me out?”

“Um....y-yeah. Sorry...?”

This is where the fighting picks up again. Davey’d be lying worse then Pinocchio if he said he didn’t miss it. A hand started to rub at his belly again, almost like he was trying to get Spot to move.

“Lemme guess. You’s wasn’t lyin’ bout the squirmin’ thing either?” Spot’s tone is somewhere between annoyance, anger, and amusement. This was certainly something.

“They....it feels nice....” Davey sheepishly admits. It does feel nice to have a squirming meal under his skin.

“Well ain’t that good for my case!”

“It really isn’t.”

“Oh trust me, I know!”

They talk for a while more, Spot having to constantly yell at the top of his lungs for Davey to hear him. After a while a yawn echoes around Spot, followed by the swaying of the chamber hes in as Davey stands up.

The taller teen forces himself to his feet, a hand rubbing at his gut all the while. Boy is he lucky that his prey never seems to make a bump in his flat stomach. Makes it easier for him to hide his special “punishment,” though he’s certain the boys of Manhattan know. “Hey Spot? I’m getting pretty tired and am gonna head back to the lodging house for the night. Do you think you could keep it down?”

Spot seems silent. He’s not but after so much shouting he needs a break. The fighting says all he has to though.

“Alright then, as long as you don’t manage to wake up any of the boys.”

Slowly Davey stumbles through the sleeping city, a hand over his stomach at all times. Back at the lodging house, trying to get through the mess of boys and to his shared bed for the night with a squirming meal in his stomach again. He really couldn’t think of a better way to end his night. With a few pats to Spot he snuggles down for the night, leaning into Jack’s sleeping presence without thinking. Once he’s drifted off he leaves Spot to himself. It’s awkward but eventually he tires out. Not long after, the leader of Brooklyn finds himself unconscious listening to the sounds of the boy’s body around him.

/Note to self: If David tries to avoid a topic, don’t press him on it./

[lgchunji]

✧ .・゜゜trainee mission 004, rap performance; i hate performing

     no one will even remember you.      you’re going to be great!      well, did you practice hard?      you’re already the bestest!!!      what if they laugh at you?      agh. . .      hunji took a deep breath. he felt his stomach turn over, like after a meal meant for two being swallowed all at once. he could not pay attention to the other performers. he could not pay attention to anyone at all. the room spun. his head spun.      hunji took a deep breath. he wobbled whilst sitting down. his insides all spun and spun and spun. his head rolled around to whatever rhythm was around him. it spun. he spun. he felt something coming up in his throat-

     “chwe hunji?”      he looked up. he gagged. his eyes were wide. he swallowed what was in his cheeks and nodded.      he slowly stood up like newborn giraffe. in the silence of the room, he bent down, with vascular, shaky hands, grabbed his water, and sipped. just a little sip to get the acid out from his mouth. his stomach churned sour milk. he swore he had not eaten all day. why was it acting up?      “chwe hunji, with haste.” they asked. hunji nodded. he could feel himself panting. sweat beaded on his head. he took to the middle of the room. a microphone, and a stand, perfectly at his height. his knees, beneath his layers of clothes, wobbled with his head.      for weeks he had been preparing. since he heard he would be performing, he worked hard day in and day out. the song, streetlight, was second nature to him now. he sang it in the car, on his jog, and in his sleep. he rapped. he sang. he mastered the music. at one point, it had become so easy, he made a quick remix of the chorus to keep his brain entertained.      he wore what he always did. his brown shoes, his dark blue jeans, his white button-up, a brown vest over it, and an orange-brown jacket on top. the shoes gave him an extra inch of height. the jacket was only a few inches from the ground but was left unbuttoned. his round, brown glasses truly made him look like a grandpa. he even had a scarf earlier in the day that was orange and brown plaid. he had to remove it as to not choke on his own vomit.      he was mentally prepared. he was physically comfortable. why did his stomach churn? why did it squeeze? it felt like a heart, pumping in and out in and out, swishing his insides to and fro. he could feel something rising. the song began.      he could hear the cracks. the little aches, the little sounds of the music. he swallowed. he put his head down. his forehead touched the mic. he closed his eyes. how could he bare anything when everyone was looking?      hunji took a deep breath.      “like a streetlight.”      it was the first time he ever sang in front of anyone-      “like a streetlight.”      -except his mother and sisters.      “after the end of a lonely day,      “standing vacantly. . .      a deep breath.      “in the middle of the lonely night,      “and try to smile brightly.”     he gently held the mic with two hands. everyone else puffed into ash. he only heard music. his eyes were shut tight. tight, tighter, until they stuck themselves in that position. his voice warmly embraced all who heard it. his voice was slow, melodic, and full. it was so full. it was so, so full. it was his song. it would carry him.      he squeezed the mic. his eyelids began to peel apart from one another. he looked ahead. where had the judges gone? there were empty seats around him. he leaned in closer he dropped one hand from the mic.      “i don’t want anyone to see how incredibly weak i am.      “to the people who relied on me, that’s a contradiction.      “acting strong, acting like i’m not hurting, acting like nothing is wrong,      “i just wanted to be someone else’s strength.      “i cant be the reason that they lose strength.”      i can’t be the reason that mom died.      “i don’t have the courage to make 'you can reply on me' the other way around,”      because then who would she have?      “the pain silently grows locked in a room in my heart without a way out.”      he gasped for air. he threw his hands down and scorched all before him with a fire in his eyes.      “when you hold it in as much as you can you grow numb to it,      “i guess i can still take more because i can still hold it back.”      his neck and ears were pink.      “a bandaid over a wound will always fall      “i put this on in a rush but it really fell off quickly.”      he gestured to his head.      “the rain water pools on top of this worn roof,”      he slid his hands down his front.      “and it knows me all too well, slipping in through all the cracks,”      he grabbed and yanked his own hair, one hand on the mic.      “i need someone before i collapse.”      the desperation in his voice rose,      “ask me again if i’m okay, please, anybody-.”      he ripped the mic from the stand and stepped aside. he hardly sang but cried for help,      he looked a judge in the eyes,      “like a streetlight,”      he hit himself in the heart as hard as he could. me, me, me.      “like a streetlight,”      he moved to the trainees on his left,      “in the middle of the lonely night, i still just look bright.”      then the ones in the back,      “at the end of a lonely day, “      and the kids along the right,      “standing vacantly. . .”      he stood up straight and his nose became red. he slowly turned to the judges. he stood on the other beside of the mic stand once more.      “in the middle of the lonely night, i try my best to smile brightly.”      his lips frowned. were they even listening? can you even hear me?      he lunged forward,      “unable to rely on anything,      “i chose to only rely on myself,      “by now that i’m shaking,      “who can i even hold on to for support?"      he gasped like he was drowning.      “in front of the shoulders i’d rested my hands on,      “my shoulders are now drooping even further, but,” he grabbed his hair. he spun away from the judges, “who cares?"      “i cant let it out,      he begged the trainees to listen,      “i cant let it all out,”      why weren’t they moving?      “and the pain i couldn't let out starts blaming me,”      was no one hearing him?      “when i keep breathing this,” his hand shot to the sky and he sang to god. no one else was listening.      “-stale air, it goes beyond being unconformable and im left gasping for air,”      his entire being drooped to earth.      “i end up bothered by things that shouldn't matter,”      “and they end up mattering even though they shouldn't.”      he turned to the judges. where else was there to go?      “even though peoples eyes aren’t on me their gazes sting,”      “thinking they might keep watch and see the expression ive kept hidden slip out,”      a true, honest, look at the trainees beside him. he stared.      “im afraid, yeah, im afraid.”      he stood straight. his head stared forward but his eyes fearfully shut. he shook his head. he looked down as his back-up, pre-recorded self took his place.      why am i even doing this? why am i here? mom’s gone. the girls are fine. no one likes me. i don’t like anyone. i hate performing. i HATE performing. i’ll never debut and i’ll never make money and i’ll never be happy but isn’t that just life. . . it’s my turn.      “like a streetlight,”      no one listens.      “like a streetlight,”      and it’s okay.      “in the middle of the lonely night, i still just look bright,”      he looked up. he opened his eyes. the pre-recorded vocals joined him.      because someone has to listen. someone will know. someone has to know.      “at the end of a lonely day,”      his voice rose.      “standing vacantly. . .“      can someone hear?      “in the middle of the lonely night,      “i try my best to smile brightly.”      it’s okay, hunji, i can hear you. you’re doing amazing. is there anything you want to talk about?      hunji’s eyes welled up. his face reddened and he scrunched his nose.      “like a streetlight,      “like a streetlight,      “in the middle of the lonely night, i still just look bright      “at the end of a lonely day,      “standing vacantly. . .      “in the middle of the lonely night      “i try my best to smile brightly.”      he moved around the room, begging someone to listen. there were clear streams running from his eyes. his lips were already puffy. his voice was still smooth. he shouted with the song, as he rehearsed, but it was so, so, fully different. he shouted accusations to the world. to an empty corner of the room, where no one could turn away, he begged,      “like a streetlight,      “like a streetlight,      “in the middle of the lonely night, i still just look bright      “at the end of a lonely day,      “standing vacantly. . .”      a weep.      “in the middle of the lonely night      “i try my best to smile brightly!”      and with a frown on his face, sweat in his hair, and his organs depressed, the song came to an end. he took a deep breath. his eyebrows furrowed. his eyes drilled into the piles of ash that slowly rose to form humans again. he was angry enough to scream and those who held the future in his hands and he did not at all care.      he turned to them. a small applaud came from the other kids. it was much quieter than the other claps other trainees got. he half-bowed, eyeing all those in charge. image be damned, he had something to say. he would never regret his performance.      “thanks.”      he put the mic back. he took his seat. his stomach was too exhausted to move. everyone knew everything; what was there to toss and turn over?

word count (not including lyrics): 1,192 word count (including lyrics): 1,702 points: +6 lyrics, +3 notoriety

[aaaaagaronia]

jacki, hand her over

SORRY THIS IS LATE NJDKFCD

shes the tallest of the lil trio but most of that height is neck and and painfully stretched out leg

if she wasnt infected shed be shorter than isidora but not by much jdknshj

shes in her 40s!! i havent officially picked an age for her yet

she was an interpreter! which really came in handy ever since her jaw decided to disconnect from the rest of her skull so thats how she communicates

isidora doesnt fully understand ASL but theyre kinda able to pick up a rough understanding of what shes trying to say

gib cant understand a thing but hes trying his best

jacki cant really run more like shuffle really fast

she actually doesn’t have a lot of acid build up dnjfhjds its more viscous in consistency so its kinda Wack 

she doesnt mind it tho! means theres less acid being spilled everywhere dnkjhfcsd

her sense of smell is,, nonexistent at this point and her vision kinda blurry but shes trying her best

she doenst really sleep but she just kinda rests standing up 

shes the most patient with gib but also the most concerned about isidora because they decied getting the “im not going to express any threats to my well being” gene

[superjumpintomyheart]

Love [Pearl x Marina]

In which Pearl has a hard time coming to terms with the fact that she knows how to love others, but not herself. Slightly angsty but some heartwarming fluff at the end to balance it all out. 

-

For the first time in almost her entire career, Marina was tired of hearing the same techno beat coming from her turntables as she tried to create something fresh to go with Pearls new rap. The key was all wrong and the timing was off, there was one note she couldn’t decide if it needed to be sharp or flat, so needless to say, she was getting rather frustrated. Writing songs usually came to her and her partner naturally, but today was just an off day for the octoling. She sighed and shook her head and looked to Pearl who was on the other side of the sound booth, headphones secure on her head and paper in hand ready to give it another go. But the motion Marina had given her told her they should call it a day now.

Pearl nodded somewhat disappointedly and exited the soundproof recording room, coming out to the other side where Marina was sitting with all the equipment. “I can’t get this one right, nothing is matching up with your rhymes, I think I should scratch the whole thing and start over tomorrow,” she sighed and put her head in her hands.

“Keep the base of the beat,” the inkling commented. “That part sounds good, it’s the fillers that are killing it.”

“I know, I’ve scrapped the fillers three times today though, and nothing has come out right.”

Pearl looked down for a moment, trying to think of what other options they had. “Don’t scrap anything you have now then, we’ll be back tomorrow and we’ll see what we can do about it.”

Marina nodded and stood to her feet, turning off her equipment as she did so. Off the Hook was blowing up in the music industry, they were idols in Inkopolis now, and there were bound to be some octarians down in Octo Valley who were a fan of them because of Marina’s presence. She was glad she could bring some of her culture to the music they wrote, and a lot of that came out in her beats, so getting it just right was something that could quite often be difficult. Finding the perfect balance between inkling music and octarian music was a challenge. Pearl usually ended up being her saving grace, so she figured that she was right, and a good nights sleep would help get her back in the game.

“Let’s go home then,” she said once everything had been turned off and saved. “Can’t wait to lay down after all this.”

“You’re excited to lay down? I was sitting in a stool the whole day, my back is killing me!” Pearl complained, bringing a hand behind her to rub at her lower back.

The taller girl laughed softly, covering her mouth a little as she did so. “Let me rephrase, I’m excited to lay down with you.”

Pearl gave Marina a fond smile, when they were in the studio, they were music partners not romantic partners. But once they got out and the stress of creating just the right sound for their band was gone, they were able to just enjoy each other like regular couples could. It made her happy when they got out after a hard day like this and her usually reserved girlfriend would express her frustrations but claim that Pearl would help her through it just with some simple actions or words. She felt needed, loved, important... words she didn’t hear too often. She must have really gotten lucky to get a girl as sweet and loving as Marina to be hers, someone who could make her feel special without having to say it.

“I am too, ya sap,” the inkling responded. “Got enough energy in that supposedly exhausted body to super jump home or do you need me to carry you back the long way?”

Marina rolled her eyes at the joking question, “I’m fine, Pearlie, don’t worry.”

The pair walked out of the building together and super jumped back to their penthouse, which did take a lot of energy out of them, but they planned on going straight to bed. Once they were inside, Marina slipped off her boots and removed her headphones while Pearl took off her shoes, heading to their bedroom to finish undressing.

The room was obviously a mix of their two styles, pink and teal accessories displayed along the top of a dresser, a Squid Sisters poster hung next to a window (despite them both knowing Callie and Marie personally, the two still fangirled over them whenever they released new music or announced an event), and various other things. Somehow, it fit perfectly together, as if their differences were what made them so special to each other. And maybe that wasn’t too far from the truth.

As Marina sat down on the end of the bed, Pearl stood in front of her between her legs, her hands gently pushing aside the octoling’s tentacles. It was almost uncharacteristic of her to be so... soft, but she knew it was what her girlfriend needed when she got down about something.

“Don’t worry so much about it babe,” she whispered and gave the DJ a short yet sweet kiss on the lips. “It’s gonna work out, it always does.”

Her hands moved down from Marina’s shoulders to the zipper on her top, asking silently if she could help undress her. It wasn’t meant to be taken in the wrong way, she meant it as a completely innocent action, they were both too tired for anything else. When the taller girl gave a bit of a shy smile and a nod, Pearl undid her zipper and slid the leathery material off her shoulders and arms. It would get thrown into (or near) a laundry basket along with the rest of their clothes, and get washed over the weekend.

The octoling lifted her hips off the bed to allow Pearl to slide off her shorts and leggings, which left her almost completely nude save for some underwear. Pearl grabbed her oversized pink and cream colored hoodie from the closet behind her and pulled it over Marina’s head. While it was oversized on her, it would just fit loosely on her girlfriend.

“Good?” She asked, to make sure she didn’t need anything else.

Marina nodded softly and smiled, “Can... I help you too?” It was a simple request, one that she shouldn’t have gotten flustered over, but she couldn’t help the teal tint that spread over her cheeks. After all, she had done it before multiple times, but seeing her Pearlie like that, it never failed to get the ink in her body flowing.

“Don’t even have to ask, Mar,” she teased lightly.

“I like to make sure,” the other girl replied, looking down slightly before she reached up to slide the zipper down Pearl’s dress. Once it was unclasped at the bottom, she pushed it off of her shoulders and, again, couldn’t help the blush on her cheeks. Before she got too shy, she finished undressing her small girlfriend by pulling off her leggings and tossing them aside as well. She had to stand up from her position on the bed to look for something of hers that Pearl could wear to sleep in, even though they slept right next to each other, the inkling liked to be surrounded by Marina in every way possible—which meant stealing quite a few sweatshirts and other things of hers.

After doing a brief scan of her more comfortable clothing items, she pulled out a black to teal gradient sweatshirt (with no hood, since the last time she let Pearl sleep in a hoodie, she woke up complaining about a sore neck from sleeping on it wrong) and helped the smaller girl get into it. Marina kissed the crown of Pearl’s head, “There,” she said in a quiet voice, barely above a whisper, “all done.”

They both chose to sleep without pants or shorts on most nights, it always got too hot between the two of them, and between cooling off and cuddling, they both favored the latter. Besides, neither of them minded the extra skin on skin contact, it felt nice and like they were more connected to each other in a way. So, with each other’s clothes adorned and their eyelids droopy, they crawled into their decently sized bed and turned off the lamps on the sides, sending the room into darkness.

“Marina?” A soft voice asked a few minutes after settling into bed.

“Yeah Pearlie?”

The inkling cuddled into the octoling’s side, “Do you think things will ever get better, the people’s opinions of me?”

Pearl had always been fully aware of the hate towards her, how she was ugly and nothing more than a Callie wannabe. How her raps were terrible and Off the Hook would be great if it was just Marina, and some days stuff like that really got to her.

Marina turned her body to allow herself to wrap an arm around her girlfriend, pulling her in closely, “You cant ever make them stop completely, some squids just won’t change. Trust me, I know a thing or two about that. But... if you find the people who like you for you, all that hate, it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“What if those people don’t even exist?”

“Well, I can tell you now that they do exist, even if it’s just one person,”

Pearl smiled and scoffed, “I don’t think you count Mar.”

“I’m your girlfriend, I should count the most,” She retorted, bringing a hand up to play with the smaller girl’s tentacles.

“Okay,” the rapper sighed, “so you count the most, but you’re still just one person. Everybody else... they love you, all our fans are here mainly for you and your beats. I bet if we took out all of my parts in our songs people would say our music is so much better, they would rather listen to you spin turntables for sixty minutes rather than listen to me rap for three.”

Marina frowned, not sure how else she could prove that people really did love her and her raps. Sure, a lot of the inklings (and octarians) liked how Marina looked more than Pearl, but she heard plenty of good things about the rapping portions of their songs. Color Pulse, Ebb and Flow, Acid Hues, all those songs wouldn’t be the same without Pearl’s voice on them. She shook her head lightly, “I’ll prove it to you one day, people do love you, right now let’s just get some sleep.”

Though her thoughts were still filled with hate, Pearl agreed and let herself relax in Marina’s arms. It felt like hours before her breathing became steady and her eyelids no longer fluttered open, even the octoling had fallen asleep before her. As her mind started to clear and she felt herself drift off, she sighed and whispered to her sleeping lover one final sentence before she fell asleep.

“I wish you could, Mar. I really wish you could...”

-

It had been a week or so since their conversation about Pearl had occurred, and she seemed to be doing okay. Nothing was off when she was announcing stages, she still waved hi to fans that passed by their window, and she hadn’t brought it up again during their free time. Marina was still worried about her though, how could she not be? Even now as she was playing a round of turf war to try and ease her mind, thoughts of her girlfriend still floated in and out while she splatted the enemy team with her Splat Brella.  Speaking of Pearl, she usually joined in to play with Marina, but she had opted out this time, saying something about wanting to get a new pair of Duelies before she went in.

When the match ended and the results had been displayed, the octoling set out to find Pearl and make sure she was alright. But as she exited the lobby, she was stopped by a girl inkling with light blue tentacles that were tied up in a bun.

“Hi Marina, so sorry to bother you but I’m such a big fan of Off the Hook and I was wondering if we could take a picture?” The girl asked timidly, which reminded Marina a whole lot of herself.

“Oh, uh sure!” She said with a shy smile. “What’s your name?”

“Parker,” she replied. “I know it kinda sounds like a guy name...”

Marina couldn’t help but frown at that, “N-no your name is... really pretty I think, it’s unique.”

The inkling wore a hopeful grin on her face, as if she hadn’t ever heard something like that before, and the singer wondered what kind of good she had just done in her heart. Parker pulled out her shell phone and turned it sideways to fit them both in the picture, she smiled and Marina did her and Pearl’s signature pose with a smile as well. The picture was snapped and the girl checked her library to make sure it had come out alright.

“This looks so amazing! Thank you for letting me snap that pic,” she put her phone away and turned to the pop star. “Where’s Pearl?”

Marina looked out across the square, “I was actually just going out to find her, I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“Oh, I was really hoping I’d get to see her,” she replied in dejection. “I like you guys both, but I think her rapping is so cool, I want to write my own rhymes like that one day, your band is such an inspiration to me.”

“Really?” The DJ said with excitement, “Pearl’s rapping has inspired you that much?”

Parker laughed nervously, “Well, you too—Off the Hook wouldn’t be the same without either of you guys—but Pearl drops the sickest bars and I’ve loved her raps since your debut concert.”

“Cod, Pearlie would love to be hearing this right now,” Marina mumbled and grabbed her weapon she had just been using in the last round of turf war and started to make her way to Sheldon’s shop. “I’ve gotta go, but it was really nice to meet you, if I see you again I’ll introduce you to Pearl!”

The blue inkling waved at her idol, “Tell her she’s my favorite if you can!”

The octoling waved back and gave a thumbs up, bee-lining for the place she hoped she’d find Pearl. When she walked in, she only saw Sheldon polishing a few different guns.

“Marina! Good to see you, what kind of weapon are you looking for?” He exclaimed and put away the stuff on his counter.

“Oh, well, I’m not looking to buy today... I was just wondering if you had seen Pearl lately,” she questioned.

Sheldon shook his head, “Haven’t seen her, I would have remembered if such talent entered my store.”

“Clam it,” she muttered, “thank you for telling me, I’ll see you next time Sheldon.”

“See ya around!”

-

Marina felt like she had looked everywhere, her friends list told her she wasn’t in a match, she checked all the shop owners to see if they had her stop by, she even asked Murch if he had seen her in the square. But, all of it was to no avail. She decided to head back home and check if she had just come back instead of playing at all, and she could have sworn her heart was going to beat out of her chest as she unlocked the door.

The living room was empty upon her first glance into their penthouse, as was the kitchen and dining room area. She headed down the hallway to where their room was and quietly opened the door. Inside, sure enough, there was Pearl—a sleeping, tear stained, exhausted Pearl. The blinds hadn’t been shut, which lead Marina to believe her girlfriend had been in here crying and accidentally cried herself to sleep. Her heart ached at the sight, the inkling still in her pajamas from the night before and the blanket draped only halfway around her.

Marina tiptoed to the window that still had sun peaking through it and closed the blinds, sliding a teal curtain over it for good measure. Immediately, the room was a lot darker and more pleasant for sleeping, so she slipped off her shoes and shorts (a different pair than the ones she usually wore, all her current clothing was her turf war gear) leaving on the short sleeved shirt. She fixed the blanket so it was covering all of Pearl’s body and slipped into bed beside her. Just the octoling’s presence was enough for her girlfriend to roll over into her arms, even asleep she craved the attention.

“Oh Pearlie, my precious Pearlie...” she whispered and held her girlfriend close. “If only you knew how much they loved you.”

It felt like forever until Pearl woke up, but Marina had stayed in bed with her the whole time she was napping, she wanted to be there when she woke up. The pink inkling shifted once she started to wake up, confused by the weight next to her. Her eyes peaked open and found the dark skin and tentacles of her partner, she wasn’t there before she fell asleep...

“Marina,” she said and the octoling shook her head.

“I know.” She stated simply.

Pearl didn’t know what else to do besides shrink back down into the bed, as if she was suddenly exhausted again. Her reason for staying home was to get out all her stupid feelings without worrying her girlfriend, but she screwed it up and made her worry even more. What was she supposed to say to that, sorry? No, there wasn’t an excuse for her actions, she was trying to push everyone out and deal with it on her own, but none of that ever worked out, she should’ve known better. Marina was probably mad, disappointed, upset, she hadn’t said anything else and the tension was killing her. She was pondering if she should’ve said something more when the other girl’s voice spoke up.

“There’s a girl, big fan of ours, light blue tentacles and a messy bun with the freshest gear I’ve seen, her name’s Parker, she wanted a picture with me today. After we took it she asked where you were, and she told me all about how your rapping inspired her to write her own. I went to look for you and she told me to tell you that you’re her favorite.

“When I stopped by Sheldon’s place, he told me he would have remembered seeing you come in because you’re so talented. For cod’s sake Pearlie, even Murch was telling me how much he likes your spin on the songs. People. Love. You. I don’t know how else I’m supposed to get that into your head, all those squids are just immature and trying to poke fun at you. So please... believe me when I say I love you, believe me when I say other people love you too. Do you think I would have been able to make it on my own here as an octoling without a partner like you? I couldn’t even imagine it, and all of this... the success, the songs, the fans... they aren’t just here for me. I can guarantee you that.”

Pearl looked up at Marina who’s eyes had glossed over with tears, and she felt so... so stupid for letting this all get to her. She was starting to think that Marina was right, people did love her, but she had gotten caught up in all the bad things people were saying, she didn’t stop and open her eyes.

“Mar,” she tried again, her voice cracking slightly. But she didn’t continue, she couldn’t, the tears had returned to her and before she could stop them, they were spilling over her cheeks like waterfalls. She tried to keep her sobs quiet, she always hated the sound of her own crying, but it reduced her ability to breathe clearly and Marina was gently wiping the tears away with the pad of her thumb and she couldn’t keep back her feelings anymore. She let herself gasp and shudder and cry like she needed too, all while in the safety of her girlfriend’s arms.

Pearl didn’t say anything else, all that was needed to be said was said. So as her tears turned into stains and her gasping turned into quiet, shaky breaths, Marina began to sing quietly to soothe the inkling. Their own songs were a little too upbeat for the moment, so she decided to sing the Squid Sisters’ song Fresh Start. It seemed fitting for the moment, and it was slow and melodic, perfect to relax to. She sang the melody for the most part, only dipping into the harmonics when she felt it sounded nice or for effect. She lengthened the song with some improvised Octarian singing as well, it was mostly just a translation of the original version but she added in her own stuff as well. Pearl had always enjoyed her singing, and if she couldn’t sleep she would ask her to sing to help her fall asleep, and while the goal wasn’t sleep this time around, relaxation was.

“I’m always here for you, Pearlie,” Marina whispered when she was finished with her song, not sure if the inkling was even awake to hear her. “Always.”

-

The rest of the day was spent cuddling in bed and lounging around the house, all means to record were put off until tomorrow when they had free time after work. Marina had advanced quite a bit on the song she was having trouble on a while ago, it still didn’t sound quite right, but she wasn’t concerned about it too much that she needed to record at that very moment. Her only concern was Pearl and her mental health, her physical health too, but not as much. She didn’t ask or mention any more of what had occurred earlier, she just hoped her words made a deep enough impact to help the inkling see what was really going on around her.

Pearl on the other hand, didn’t like the silence that Marina was giving her. The extended periods of time without talking made being in her mind unbearable, especially with all the thoughts that were bouncing around in there. But she couldn’t start up a conversation herself, if she opened her mouth, all her thoughts would spill out into words and she didn’t need to deal with any of that right now. She just wanted noise to fill the silence and her girlfriend to kiss her until she forgot everything bad about the world and herself. That wouldn’t be too much to ask, would it? Once again, she was afraid of trying to speak, but... maybe she didn’t have to.

As the pair were laying in bed together about an hour or two after their talk, Pearl wiggles herself free from the octoling’s arms and the blankets surrounding them. Her bare legs were hit by a burst of cold air, but it didn’t bother her enough to put pants back on, especially since she’d just get right back into bed.

She didn’t glance back at Marina when she walked over to grab her phone from its place on the dresser, but she could sense there was some confusion coming from her. With her phone in hand, she set up their wireless speaker and connected her phone to shuffle through various songs by all their favorite artists (yes, including themselves). She’d be able to adjust everything from their bed, but she made sure that the volume was at an appropriate level and that they started on a good song.

When she set the phone down on the table next to her side of the bed and crawled back under the covers, Marina simply looked at her with those big, innocent eyes and offered her arms to cuddle into. But when Pearl shook her head, the DJ cocked her head to the side slightly.

“What’s all this for?” She asked, but didn’t receive an answer immediately. The inkling looked like she was debating something, but it was hard to tell what was going on in her mind lately.

The answer, when she did finally get one, was not what she expected. Instead of an explanation, Pearl had just tilted her head downwards and pressed her lips firmly to Marina’s. She wasn’t complaining, just a little confused, but if this was what Pearl wanted then she’d be happy to give it to her.

Her tentacles curled up and swayed slightly as they kissed, indicating that her ink was definitely pumping a little bit. Not too much, but the element of surprise was what had really got her. Pearl began to shift her body so it was now on top of Marina’s, her small frame resting on her girlfriend’s much taller one.

“Just kiss me,” the inkling muttered as she separated their lips momentarily. “That’s all I need.”

“You could have-“ before she could finish her sentence, Pearl was back to locking their lips and Marina swore she felt a smirk on the girl’s face through the kiss. The spontaneous make out session seemed to brighten Pearl’s mood a little, like the kiss was the best medicine for her.

“Next time you’re sad, could you tell me where you’re actually gonna be? I was worried about you,” Marina told the inkling, looking into her eyes as they both took a moment to breathe.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I just—“ didn’t want you to know how I was actually feeling. “I just wanted some time to think.”

The rapper couldn’t keep the eye contact, she felt strange and uncomfortable under her gaze, so her golden eyes darted off to the sides and looked down, anywhere but the blue and pink eyes staring back at her. She didn’t know why she hadn’t told her girlfriend, maybe it was just in fear of how she would react, or something to that extent. Despite feeling bad, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about her feelings to anyone at all, she had never been the type to be open like Marina was. It was just the way she was raised, she learned to deal with things on her own, including her mental health. She had been able to take care of herself, she didn’t need to rely on other people to get better.

“That’s okay, just tell me next time okay?” Pearl nodded.

A broken bone will heal on its own, but without something to help it properly heal, the injury only gets worse.

-

After a concert Off the Hook had just performed, the duo were out signing CDs and posters and anything else the fans had for them. They were able to take pictures with some and make quick small talk with others, hearing stories about how they came to love the band and their music, most of them saying they had loved them ever since the debut concert. As they reached the end of the line, a girl with light blue tentacles tied into a bun approached them.

When Marina recognized the inkling, she gasped and ran to hug her, “Parker!”

Parker smiled in shock, surprised that her idol had remembered her from that one day in the square, and her other idol was standing no more than five feet away from her. To say she was a bit star struck was an understatement. The octoling let her free from her embrace and turned to Pearl, waving her hand and motioning for her to come meet the fan.

“Pearlie, this is Parker, probably your number one fan besides me.”

The inkling waved a shy hello to the rapper, blushing a vibrant blue and fiddling with her CD. She glanced up every now and then to try and make eye contact, but it was quite the challenge as she choked out her words, “Um, I really, really look up to you guys—you especially because I want to write my own raps and you have been such an inspiration and influence to my writing and style, I just wanted to say that you’re my favorite rapper in probably the entire world.”

Parker laughed nervously at the end, but she did mean every word she said. She loved Marina as well, but knowing the octoling encouraged her to tell Pearl she was her favorite took a bit of the nerves away from her. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to feel like she didn’t like the other equally, so the support was a big help.

“Well kid, I’ll tell you it’s tough out here in the music biz,” Pearl replied casually, hoping to lighten the mood. “But don’t let it get to you, I... I let it get to me and things didn’t turn out so well. You have to stand your ground, and I bet with your rhymes you’ll be taking our spot in no time.”

“Really? You think I’ll do that good?” The inkling asked, her eyes full of hope as she looked up to the pop star.

“Sure you will, one day when you make it big, we can do a collab together and drop the freshest lines Inkopolis has ever heard.”

Outside, Pearl was her usually calm, collected, laid back self, but on the inside she was freaking out. It was so refreshing and reassuring to hear something like that, she was an inspiration, she meant something to somebody. She glanced at Marina, who was beaming at the two inklings, her tentacles curling in excitement.

“Would you mind signing this for me then?” Parker pulled a pair of studio headphones and a marker out of her backpack. “I use this when I’m recording, so I thought it would be cool to have my idols sign it, for like... good luck maybe?”

Pearl took the marker with a smile, “it’s no problem squiddo, I’d be happy too, and I’m sure Marina would too.”

After she signed her name, she passed the marker to the DJ so she could sign on the other side, adding a little heart along with her name. Cod, with their current status those things could go for a lot of money online, but she got the feeling the blue inkling would keep them as her own treasure forever.

“Hey, I heard last time you got to take a pic with Mar, but not me, so let’s make up for that right now,” Pearl offered, receiving agreement from the other two.

They passed Parker’s phone to a security guard who was nice enough to take the picture for them, and posed for the camera. Parker was in the middle, Marina to her right and Pearl on her left, both of their arms around her. They were all smiling as bright as the sun, and happy as could be.

They took the photo and a few more just for good measure, and bid farewell to Parker, who had to get back to her place before it got too late. As the inkling walked away, Marina couldn’t hardly contain her excitement anymore and hugged Pearl tightly while spinning her around. “I told you! I told you they loved you, baby!” She exclaimed, probably a bit too loudly if they still wanted to keep their relationship secret.

Pear laughed and hugged her back, “Okay, okay, Marina you gotta quiet down, there’s still a few fans around.” She warned her of the bystanders who were fairly far away, but most likely still in earshot. Even if they weren’t, it was still a good idea to be quiet just incase the paparazzi was around.

“Right, sorry,” the octoling apologized and let her lover out of her grasp. “But this is what I was talking about, people adore you, you just have to find their voice in the crowd.”

“I really would like to see Parker again sometime, maybe hear some of her raps too,” Pearl said with a smile as they made their way to the backstage area and their dressing rooms.

“Should’ve gotten her friend code,” Marina commented.

“Clam it, I didn’t even think about that,” the rapper sighed at her lack of thinking ahead, oh well, they’d hopefully see her again one day in a turf war or another concert.

Once they were ready to leave, they thanked the staff and crew members for all their hard work and super jumped back home together, absolutely exhausted for the night. Pearl went straight to their bedroom to get undressed with Marina following just a few steps behind. They look less time getting dressed this time, practically dancing around the room together as they avoided getting in the other’s way. Once they were ready for bed and they had curled up with each other under the warmth of their blankets, Pearl kissed her girlfriend’s cheek.

“You think we’ll finally get that new song done tomorrow?” The inkling asked hopefully.

“I think so, we just need those final recordings done and we should have ourself a new hit.”

There was silence for a moment while Pearl debated on speaking her mind again, sharing her feelings still wasn’t her thing. After a few minutes of convincing herself to squid up and just say it, she whispered—just in case Marina was already asleep, “Thank you for showing me what love really is.”

And after a minute with no response, the rapper figuried the octoling was sleeping and did her best to fall asleep herself. That was, until she heard an equally soft voice whisper, “You’re welcome Pearlie.”

She was so in love with Marina.

[twelvebyseventyfive]

Alternative Bordeaux (2) Château Falfas, Côtes de Bourg

Véronique Cochran is the proprietor of Château Falfas, which she runs with her husband John. This estate is beautifully situated in the Côtes de Bourg, with 20 hectares of vines planted on gravel, clay and limestone soils (with limestone bedrock), running down to the Gironde esturary on a gentle south-facing slope. The dominant feature of the soil, though, is the clay, which can be quite deep. The nearest village, Bayon, is where the Garonne and Dordogne rivers meet and the estuary begins. ‘It is like a little sea, with tides,’ says Veronique. ‘Every 6 hours oceanic air comes in the vineyards breathe it.’ There is also a 15 hectare woodland on the property, which she describes as a ‘treasure.’

Veronique Cochran

There are two main stories about this estate that bring it into the Alternative Bordeaux story. The first is that this is a great example of a good terroir in an unfashionable part of the region, capable of making excellent wines even though traditionally wines from here don’t sell for much. The second is that Falfas is one of the pioneers of biodynamics in France. Since 1989 the vineyards here have been farmed biodynamically.

Limestone

The chateau itself was built in 1612, and the cellar was constructed in the late 17th century. Her mother and father had a vineyard in Montreuil-Bellay in Saumur (Loire), and her father, François Bouchet, was one of the first to apply biodynamics to vineyards (his book, Biodynamic Agriculture: how to apply it to vineyards, is a standard in the field). He died in 2005, but her brother Matthieu Bouchet works as a biodynamic consultant, and counts Château Palmer as one of his clients. François consulted for Château Pontet Canet when they made the transition.

Veronique’s brother runs the family estate in Saumur and this has been farmed biodynamically since the 1960s, which makes it one of the earliest biodynamic wine estates in the world. She grew up there, but was more interested in art than wine. She studied art and movement in Paris, where she met John, who was an American lawyer working there. Both changed careers to move to Bordeaux to run a wine estate. They arrived in 1988 and looked at several properties. ‘This place touched our hearts,’ says Veronique. ‘It’s a special place, serene and discrete. The situation is quite special.’

This is enough preparation 501 to treat 20 hectares

‘I said it would be run biodynamically,’ she said. ‘At first he wasn’t convinced, but I had the energy to do it and it wasn’t long until he was convinced,’ recalls Veronique. ‘Rapidly he saw it was a very global approach; something very deep, permitting the expression of place and respecting the harmony of plants and soil. We built it with our feet on the ground and our heads looking at the cosmos.’

The Cochrans have worked closely with Biodyvin. She says that research, commissioned by Biodyvin and carried out by Philippe Olivier Coulomb in the southern Rhône, shows that biodynamic farming results in thicker skinned grapes. ‘I believe in my fruit,’ she says. ‘I know it is strong enough to be balanced in the fermentation process without sulfur dioxide additions.’ After harvest, fermentation is with wild yeasts. Veronique makes a pied de cuve each year but says she never needs it. However, she does add sulfites before bottling. ‘I’m not a partisan of low sulphur. It permits the wines to travel and to be stable.’

‘I’m convinced that biodynamics is agriculture for the future,’ says Véronique. ‘I see more and more demand for it. Some people are frightened by things they can’t understand, and things that are not visible, but I believe that life is not visible.’

  Three cuvées are made. The young vines see no oak; Château Falfas gets a year in barrel; and the old vine reserve gets 20 months in new oak. ‘The barrel is a new period of ripeness for the wine,’ she says. ‘It is not adding anything; just time.’ Production is 80-90 000 bottles per year.

THE WINES

Château Falfas Les Desmoiselles de Falfas Rosé 2014 Bordeaux Saignée rosé. Sappy and detailed with a nice spiciness. Some apple notes, with cherries, spice and herbs. A bit of animal wildness, too, with a strongly savoury character. Gastronomic.

Château Falfas Les Desmoiselles 2015 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux When it’s at specific gravity of 1000 the wine is taken out of the vat and finished in the vat without the skins and the seeds. Add some sulphites (tiny amount, gas form) just after malolactic. Total is 45 ppm. Very supple and fresh with lovely pure fresh cherry and raspberry fruits. So supple, fresh and delicious with real elegance and lovely pure direct fresh fruit and a subtle chalky edge. Delicious. 91/100

Château Falfas 2010 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux 55% Merlot, 30% Cab Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 5% Malbec. The first vintage I vinified myself because my husband died in spring 2010. Supple, sweet cherry fruits with a bit offresh blackcurrant. Juicy and sappy with a bit of grip. Fresh and leafy with a bright personality and good acidity. Vibrant and vital with a lovely green edge. Lovely digestible wine. 92/100

Château Falfas 2011 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux Grippy, dense and structured with firm, fresh, gravelly blackcurrant and blackberry fruit. Lovely acidity here and some greenness, integrated into the savoury, tightwound fruit. Savoury, structural and dense, this is a very gastronomic wine. Chunky but still has harmony. 91/100

Château Falfas 2012 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux Pure, sinewy, dense blackberry and blackcurrant fruit with good structure and acidity. There’s a lovely precision to this wine, with some fruit purity. Peppery and dense with real focus and depth. Has a lovely harmony to it. There’s a generosity to this wine with some sweetness to the fruit, but also good structure. A lovely wine with a long future ahead of it. 94/100

Château Falfas Le Chevalier 2008 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux 75 year old vines, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon, very small grapes and low yield. Aged 22 months in new oak barrels. Sweet vanilla oak on the nose. Fresh red and black fruits palate with a strong overlay of new oak, with coconut and vanilla notes sticking out a bit. 88/100

Château Falfas Le Chevalier 2009 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux Supple red berry and blackberry fruit here. Fresh with some fruit sweetness, and also some spicy, cedary oak. Appealing mid weight fruit but the oak isn’t quite fully integrated yet. Fine-grained tannic structure suggests a harmony to come. 89/100

Château Falfas Le Chevalier 2011 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux ‘I changed from the Radoux barrels because they gave a lot of presence of oak, so I only now work with Raymond, with medium toast,’ says Veronique Cochran. ‘I am trying to make sure the barrel is a prop to lift the wine and not to cover it.’ Supple and finely spiced with some peppery detail, good acidity and nice tannins. Quite savoury and cedary with lots of presence but also good balance. Still quite tannic and worth waiting a few years for it to peak. 91/100

Château Falfas Le Chevalier 2012 Côtes de Bourg, Bordeaux Fresh, direct and supple with good acidity and structure as well as fresh red cherry and blackcurrant fruit. Supple, juicy and yet with some savoury seriousness. This is quite tannic, shows some cedary oak at the moment, and it has lots of potential for development. There’s a finesse here as well as sternness. Lovely wine. 93/100

from Jamie Goode's wine blog http://www.wineanorak.com:/wineblog/bordeaux/alternative-bordeaux-2-chateau-falfas-cotes-de-bourg For Fine Wine Investment opportunities check out Twelve by Seventy Five: http://www.twelve-by-seventy-five.com/