#daina knew exactly what she was doing
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darkartistyt · 2 months ago
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Excuse me why is deathscyther kinda cunty with this pose
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meowstix · 2 years ago
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BEYBLADE CHARACTERS AND WHAT I THINK THEIR MUSIC TASTES WOULD BE
it's exactly what it sounds like. i'm gonna be including both bsb and burst characters here, and obviously it won't be even close to every character (hell there were even a couple who i wanted to include but i just couldn't figure out their vibe or atleast, how to put it into words) so yeah. feel free to add on i guess
BAKUTEN SHOOT BEYBLADE:
takao: ok there's a really specific vibe here but i cannot quite pin down what exactly it is. doing a quick look on wikipedia it appears to be either pop punk or emo pop or just something adjacent to that. society if i knew shit about music genres
kai: once again there's a really specific vibe here but i don't know how to put it. mirror of the world from guilty gear strive hope that helps
max: i say this as someone who once had an owl city phase for a few months, he listens to owl city
hiromi: on one hand she feels like someone who would buy into the miku hype but also going by her reaction to an actual idol singer (as opposed to miku, who is literally just a product) she probably wouldn't? either way i think she'd listen to some of the more well known vocaloid songs, or atleast the more well known ones that aren't super dark
team WHO, yes all four of them: these guys listen exclusively to bdg's halloween cover albums and nothing else
kane: i was doing some stuff today, not today as in the day i'm posting this but as in the day i wrote this bit, and through one hell of a Timing Moment i was inexplicably hit with the thought of "kane weezer listener"
brooklyn: i feel like he'd listen to syudou probably? gut feeling tm, again it's another case of a very particular vibe
BEYBLADE BURST:
valt: WE GOTTA. NUMBER ONE VICTORY ROYALE YEAH FORTNITE WE BOUT TO GET DOWN
daina: as someone who has never listened to my chemical romance. would it be fair to say he probably listens to my chemical romance
orochi: not quite lofi hip hop beats to study to but like, something adjacent to that. like it's still chill but not, like, hyper-chill
naoki: fun fact i keep forgetting this guy's name. anyway he listens to lemon demon
clio: i haven't listened to a lot of fake type, it's not really my taste but i have given it a shot in the past and yeah clio gives off the vibes of listening to their music
suoh: i'm so sorry but he listens to smiling anime person covered in blood music. "what the fuck does that mean" you just need to trust me on this one.
phi: he just straight up does not listen to music. i don't know what his problem is but he just does Not.
gwyn: he seems like he'd be like "yeah this is my favorite song" and then it's just like morse code or some shit like that.
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honeyedquiet · 4 years ago
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clueless
a small psa: im really bad at titles. 
anyways, this is an imagine i wrote for my friend when she was sad so i figured i’d post it here as well. that being said, it has a name and not y/n because it was for her but feel free to read it however you’d like!
word count: 3.5k
warnings: not much, maybe a curse word here or there? possibly bad plot line, and a few typos
clueless- james potter
When James usually expressed how clueless he was, it was not entirely true. In transfiguration, when Professor McGonnagall went over a bout of hard-to-follow information and he said he had no idea what was happening, he usually had a slight idea, but just didn’t know if the idea was necessarily correct. When Filch, the greasy Hogwarts caretaker who always seemed to be on his and his friends’ asses, asked him who set off dungbombs near the Slytherin common room entrance and James told him of his innocence and cluelessness, he was far from being truthful. When Snivellous angrily asked James earlier that week where he had hidden all of his underwear, James confessed profusely that he did not know where his underwear went-- for the record, he didn’t; he merely stole the underwear while Sirius hid them. But, when he said he didn’t know how to handle the certain predicament that he was in currently, he truly meant it. 
When James first realized he was in love with his best friend, Sirius’, sister, Diana, he tried to simply ignore the feelings. It was easy to do at first; she was a year below them and Sirius wasn’t necessarily keen on spending all of his free time with his younger sister when all of his friends were performing pranks, sneaking out of school, and torturing that poor, greasy Snivellous. James, at first, feared that this method of bottling and stuffing his emotions deep, deep down into the pit of his stomach would not work, but it seemed luck was on James’ side for once in his life. Diana obtained the opportunity to travel abroad, to Beaubaxtions, which was in France-- which was far, far away from James-- and prayed to the Gods that all hope of keeping his friendship intact with Sirius was not lost. Of course he was saddened and upset by the news-- he even cried about it when he heard, although he would never admit it to anyone no matter how many times Remus brought up him crying alone in the boys bathroom one night in attempts to talk about it-- but he knew it would most likely be for the best. Sirius never took kindly to those who fancied Diana; he was rather protective and would threaten the people that Diana showed romantic interest in-- without her knowledge, that is. So, he knew that Sirius would most definitely not take kindly to his best mate taking up a fancy for his younger sister. 
The time that Diana spent away allowed a period of time for James to attempt to “heal”. He tried to forget just how much Diana’s smile light up even the darkest of rooms, how her laugh was so contagious he didn’t believe it was possible for anyone to remain frowning if she was laughing, how her voice was commanding and soft at the same time, how her eyes lit up when she was talking about something she was passionate in, how gorgeous she looked that one day where he, Remus, Sirius, and Peter went down to a lake near Sirius’ house and Diana tagged along-- she was wearing a gorgeous blue bathing suit that complemented her glowing skin perfectly-- In other words, he just tried to forget her. He knew it would be best for him, being as Sirius wouldn’t have a reason to kill him, and for their friendship, since friends technically don’t attempt to kill other friends. 
He tried, he so desperately tried to look for someone else to pour his fancies into and occupy his late night thoughts, but he couldn’t find anyone that matched Diana. 
Although he was having trouble finding a “replacement” for Diana, his technique of bottling and storing his emotions had worked fairly well; they only came out in longing thoughts as he lay awake in the Gryffindor common room, staring at the dormitory ceiling. 
All of his progress, if you could call it that, vanished the moment she came back. It was the summer leading into his and Sirius’ seventh year, Diana’s six and she was coming back, finally, from France to return to Hogwarts. 
Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter all were on the blank spot of grass in the Potter residence’s gardens, their brooms scattered about the neatly trimmed, flowering bushes. James was laying on his back beneath an old oak tree, his black hair plastered slightly to his forehead with sweat, a slightly frustrated look on his face, his chest moving up and down with remnants of heavy breathing beneath a black tee shirt, and, in his hand, resided a golden snitch that wriggled to get free of it’s captor’s palm. Sirius was hovering a few feet above the ground, his broom beneath him, with a quaffle in his arms and a stupid smirk on his lips. Like James, he was also breathing heavily. Remus was above James in the oak tree, serenely lounging along a sturdy enough branch. A book was in his hands and his eyes moved rather quickly across the pages and his eyebrows were furrowed in slight curiosity and confusion. Peter leaned his back against the tree, his plump red face adorned with sweat and an eager smile. He looked between Sirius, Remus, and James excitedly, awaiting Remus’ verdict on what caused Sirius’ confident smirk and James’ frustrated composure. 
Remus sighed and closed the quidditch rule book, shaking his head before speaking. “Sorry mate,” Remus started, a light hint of his own smirk as he regarded the confident Sirius. “James was completely in bounds. There’s nothing in the rule book that says he can’t distract you.” He finished. 
Sirius huffed in his usual “this is stupid, everyone here knows i’m right.” way as he descended to the ground beside James. “Don’t think that because you beat me you’re a better player than me,” Sirius pouted, of course just playing-- everyone knew James was the best player out of all of them and had beaten them all multiple times in two versus two to prove it. “I think you just pulled a blinder,” He huffed. 
James rolled his eyes, a smirk just breaking through his feigned frustrated composure before he shook his head. “Not a blinder, just skill-- Which none of you, but my good ol’ chum Remus here, seem to have.” He gloated, letting the snitch free and fly a few feet in front of him before he sat up, caught it, and laid back down against the grass. 
“Oi! I’ll have you bloody know that your mum was saying different last night when-” Sirius was cut off by the door opening to the garden and his life flashed before his eyes; he didn’t dare to turn around, fearing Mrs. Potter had heard him. 
However, it was not Mrs. Potter. The appearance of Mrs. Potter in the doorway wouldn’t have made James’ heart stop mid-beat with his mouth slightly agape. The appearance of Mrs. Potter in the doorway would not have made his hands clammy and resting knees weak as his mind began to race. And Mrs. Potter most certainly wouldn’t have caused such destruction on the glass jar that resided deep within him that housed the longing, perhaps dangerous, thoughts of Sirius’ sister. The appearance of Diana, however, most certainly would. 
And it did. 
It was like everything and nothing changed about her at the same time. She was still the same girl he knew since the end of first year and the same girl that he had seen off with Sirius on a train to France exactly a year ago-- but she was still different. The way she carried herself was more confident and airy, however even in the split second he saw her, he could recognize her ability to knock into anything within a mile radius. She seemed more refined and collected. Elegant and angelic. Ethereal. Thoughts raced his mind, going a mile a second as he tried to contain the cracking jar within his mind. 
He felt like he was on auto-pilot mode as he greeted her, an appropriately wide smile on his lips, however he knew he jumped up too quickly and hugged her just a little too tightly. He asked her questions a little too excitedly, looked at her a little too long. 
That night, he debated on writing his will. 
He had it bad; he knew he did. Remus now knew he did as well, being as he forced it out of him just a day after Diana arrived and with every day longer that she was with them, the more the jar broke. He tried his best to play it cool around her, to simply act how a brother’s best friend should act. He tried, he truly did. He also truly felt guilty when he failed. 
The more days that passed, the harder it got for James to act in a way that wouldn’t tip Sirius off to even a hint of James fancying Diana. Part of him hoped to be as far away from Daina as possible, so he would not make a stupid mistake of getting caught admiring her, while another part of him wished to be alone with Diana: to kiss her plump lips, to hold her cheeks in his hand, to moved his skilled fingers across the buttons of her shirt while he held her against-- 
“James! Did you not hear anything that I just said?” Sirius grumbled as he stood from the couch they were currently sitting on. 
“Sorry, not really. I think I’m getting a bit of a headache.” 
Remus made a face and James sent him a harsh glare. He didn’t need Remus fucking this up. 
“I said that I’m going to go to Diagon Ally with Remus and leave you with the she-devil until we come back with her new stupid jersey,” Sirius huffed and Diana laughed from her spot on the couch. 
Just hours prior, Sirius and Remus lost a game of Wizards Chess to Diana and were then obligated to get her new quidditch jerseys as a winning prize. 
“Make sure she doesn’t tear up the place so mum isn’t mad at me. We all know how dogs can get,” Sirius’ laughter was broken by Diana getting up with an exclamation of distaste at Sirius calling her a dog. 
James wished he would have taken a portrait of how scared Sirius looked at his sister before pulling Remus into the fire pit and using the floo powder to escape her wrath. 
Now, the thoughtless side of James had gotten it’s wish. He and Diana were alone, only separated by a coffee table between them. 
Over the next few hours, things were going fine. He had busted out some of his Firewhiskey to “add a little fun into the mix,” but it was mostly to calm his nerves. He didn’t know what he was to do. Should he ignore her or go to his room? Or should he do exactly what the thoughtless, careless side of him wanted him to do and indulge in his fantasies that he stayed up many nights forming. 
The firewhiskey seemed to make that decision on its own once they both had a few drinks. They weren’t drunk or impaired, so to say, merely tipsy and very, very close now. James just realized how close they were exactly. 
Diana was rambling about something to do with Beauxbatons, he didn’t exactly know what being as all of his focus was split into two things: her lips, and resisting the urge to place his lips on hers. Something else caught his focus and the three way split was too much for his jaded brain to handle so he lost grip on his control. As a consequence, his hands came up and cupped her cheeks, placing his lips on hers. 
He had felt extremely guilty about kissing Diana that night, although not because she didn’t like it, he knew she liked it very much, but because he betrayed Sirius. Though the guilt subsided more and more with each time that found a spot to indulge in each other. They took a chance of any privacy they could get: midnight rendezvous, sweet early morning kisses, “quidditch lessons”, anything being as Sirius staying with James now left little moments of privacy to them where they had not feared of the tall, black-haired boy that they both adored to dearly walking in on them. 
Now, being at Hogwarts, things regarding moments alone with Diana were easier and more difficult at the same time. It was easier to sneak away from Sirius under the guise of extra lessons, hanging out with another friend, extra studying, but yet it was harder because he also had to make sure he had the Marauder's map with him. They were officially dating now, and had been for a few months, but had chosen to keep it secret until they could find the right time to notify Sirius that his best friend was now dating his sister. 
The predicament in question was brought along by a rush of passion, and carelessness. Diana had been teasing James all day relentlessly, sending him notes of what exactly she would like for him to do to her in the midst of class, mumbling in his ear in Potions as he tried to follow the directions that were scrawled on the board, putting her hand on his thigh during lunch, sitting on his lap in the deserted library during their shared break. All of this led to James ending the day with a large and very uncomfortable hard-on, which seemed to impair his judgement. He had rushed off after quidditch practice to go find the very girl that caused his problem, but had failed to check if he had the map. 
James was able to sneak Diana into the common room and to the boys dormitory, being as girls can enter the boys yet not vice versa, and was pushing her against the wall in an instant. Lips, teeth, and tongues were all gnashing together passionately and needingly as he fumbled his way to the bed, Diana locked in his arms. He was on top of her the moment she hit the soft padding of the mattress, his fingers fumbling with the buttons on her shirt while hers were doing the same to his shirt. It was not long until they both were naked except for Diana’s panties and James’ boxers. James kissed down Daina’s body, admiring it and savoring it with each kiss before he reached the hem of her underwear. Without a second thought, his hand moved beneath it and tugged it down her legs, throwing it to the side of the bed before kissing up the insides of her thighs, nearing the crux where he knew she wanted him to be so desperately. His fingers worked small circles against her clit as he nipped teasingly against the soft skin of her thighs. His mouth slowly drew nearer to her slit and he slowly- 
The door opened quickly and James almost threw himself back, nearly tumbling off the bed, and scrambled to grab hold of the blanket to cover Diana up. He straightened his glasses that had fallen in the scramble to see who was in front of him and his heart dropped. 
Sirius. An angry, heaving Sirius, mind you. 
This is exactly the predicament in question that he had no idea how to handle. ‘How do you explain to your best mate that you’re in love with his sister after he found you buried between her legs? Well, i’ll definitely find out tonight,’ he thought. 
Sirius was angry, his eyes not looking at Diana as she didn’t dare to move from James’ bed, but they were rather fixed on James. Sirius drew nearer to James and he expected the punch before Sirius even drew back his fist. Just because he expected it, however, does not mean that it didn’t necessarily hurt which damn, it did. James stumbled back, holding his jaw, although he didn’t fight back. He knew he deserved it. He only fought back when Sirius took his wand out and James disarmed him, knowing that the last thing either of them wanted was McGonagall coming up, seeing them hurling spells at each other, James half naked, while Diana Black, a Hufflepuff, lay in James’ bed, completely naked. It would be too many detentions than what it was worth. 
It took awhile for Sirius to calm down enough to stop squirming against the body-binding spell that Remus had to put on him. By this time, Diana was dressed and sitting on the edge of James’ bed, her fingers fumbling together anxiously as James rambled off apologies. Remus released Sirius from the spell but kept his wand away from him and a hand on his shoulder. 
“What the bloody hell, James! You’re my best mate! You shouldn’t be shagging my sister,” Sirius yelled and James felt the same pit of guilt in his stomach as he had that first night him and Diana kissed. 
“Look mate, i’m sorry, I am but-” 
“There’s a but to this? You think I'm going to let you keep shagging my sister?” Sirius yelled in disgust. 
“No! Well-” 
“You have a lot of fucking nerve, Potter. Seriously, my sister!” Sirius outraged. 
“It’s not nerve, I’m trying to explain-” 
“I’m not asking you to explain, i’m asking you to stop shagging my sister and-” 
“I’m not Shagging your sister, it’s-” 
“What do you call being-” Sirius almost couldn’t get the words out over a gag, “literally buried between my sister’s legs?” 
“I’m not saying that I wasn’t shagging her but-” 
“So you were shagging her, this is ridiculous, i-” 
This time, it wasn’t James retorting to continue the bickering, it was Diana finally speaking. 
“For the love of Merlin, just stop! Sirius, I love you, but you can’t act like I'm yours to keep safe and take charge of. James and I weren’t just shagging,” She started and James felt nauseous. Diana took a gulp, looking at her brother’s angry face. “We aren’t just fucking. We’re dating.” She finished and the room fell silent. Even Remus was shocked. 
“You two are dating?” Sirius asked, now completely breathless by the news. 
James so greatly wanted to turn away and say no, to turn back the last hour or so and just take care of his boner himself instead of greedily and carelessly meeting with Diana unplanned. “Yes,” James finally spoke and he thought Sirius was going to pass out at once. We have been for a few months. We just didn’t want to tell you because,” He motioned to his now bruising cheek, “ We knew that you wouldn’t necessarily take it the best.” He reasoned, trying to rid his voice of anything that would cause Sirius to throw a fit again. “I’m sorry you walked in on us, it was careless on my part. But I promise I’m not just fucking her. I wouldn’t disrespect you nor her like that,” He said truthfully and Sirius, although still red in the face, was now listening. “It’s not just a short fling either,” James looked from Sirius to Diana and back to Sirius. He gulped slightly, knowing that the only way that he could make Sirius truly believe that he wasn’t just using his sister was to tell him something that he hadn’t even told Diana yet, although he knew it before the relationship. 
“I love her.” He finally said and he saw Sirius deflate for a moment before sitting back up. He stayed quiet for a while and so did everyone else in the room. “You love my sister.” Sirius finally said, as if confirming it and James nodded, his eyes trained on Sirius. He didn’t want to see whether Diana was disgusted or accepting of his feelings. “I do, I really do. You know I won’t hurt her,” Those seemed to be the right words to say, being as Sirius gave a soft nod. 
“Alright,” Sirius mumbled, scratching the back of his neck. “I guess I can’t do anything about it, either then right?” He asked, as if he was hoping for one of them to say that there was a phrase he could say to undo the feelings that they both clearly had for each other. 
“No, nothing,” Diana spoke up and James finally looked at her. Relief welled in his chest when he saw the bright grin on Diana’s face, telling him that she returned his feelings. 
It was a long while and after an equally long talk that Sirius finally stood, not fully accepting of the relationship but he wasn’t mad at either of them. They had talked things through, mended the slight crack in the resilient friendship between James and Sirius, and repaired the slight crack in the wall left from Sirius pushing James into it before James finally walked Diana out of the common room and back in front of the Hufflepuff entrance. 
He was about to bid her an exhausted goodnight before he was caught off guard by Diana’s kiss to his lips.  
“I love you too,” 
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episomalvector · 3 years ago
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 *  RULES  : share  five  songs  that  represent  ur  muse  !  just  repost  ,  don’t  reblog  
Tagged by: @king-crane​ & @ridgydig​ Tagging: WHOMEVER WISHES TO DO THE THING.
So, there’s probably some explaining I could do into these-- but this post is a little longer then I thought it was going to be already. I suppose either I (in time) will take the initiative and deep dive into these-- or if anyone else wants me to? Let me know and I’ll expedite them.
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“Father  x Mommy” by Creep-P ft. Dex, Daina (mashup)
I’m still here- we’re still here. I’m still here- in plain fear. Terrified of what I’ve become-- But I’m sure this is something I’ll overcome.
Mommy knows best but why am I a mess? It’s unnatural-- I’m unstable. She scratched me- ruined my beauty-- Just a small blemish but mommy is still pretty.
(Mommy always loves you. Mommy’s always here. Is mommy pretty? Please don’t shed a tear. Mommy’s pretty. Mommy is happy. You are pretty as a gem-- I hope this will end well.) Mother knew best but father took her place-- I’m sorry dad. I’m sorry dad. I’ve gone mad. I’ve gotten sad. Didn’t listen to my father-- These lessons are a bother.
Mommy always loves you. Mommy’s always her. Is mommy pretty? Please don’t she a tear. Mommy’s pretty. Mommy is happy. Precious little angel-- mommy is not stable.
(Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy--) They’re dying. I’m drowning. Please help me-- Father, please... I’ll be good now. I’ll be a good boy! I’ll open my eyes-- Father, please!
(Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy--) Have you learned your lesson? Yes I have. Will you disobey me? No I won’t. Have you learned your lessons? HAVE YOU LEARNED MY LESSONS? Father, save me!
Mother knew best but father took her place-- Father knows best. Father knows best. Father knows best. Father knows best-- oh!
(Ignorance is your bliss- arrogance is your sin. My eyes are arrogant-- I promise it won’t happen again. Father--) Will you love me?  Please adore me... Please leave me be-- mommy’s still pretty!!!
(Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy. Mommy--) Each day’s a lesson-- my sanity has lessened. Today’s his day-- but I’m afraid. A mess. A  mess. I’M IN DISTRESS But I’m not like the rest since father knows best.
(Precious little angel-- Mommy is not stable!) Mommy always loves you-- mommy’s always here. Father knows best! Father knows best-- Oh! Mommy’s so pretty-- I feel the end is near. Ignorance is your bliss. Arrogance is your sin. Mommy’s pretty! Mommy is happy! My eyes are arrogant! Precious little angel-- Mommy is not stable! I promise it won’t happen again... Mommy knows best! Mommy knows best-- ...FATHER.!!!!! Mommy knows best! Mommy knows best!
(Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! Mommy--) On his one day-- his one day to listen to him! Each day’s a lesson-- my sanity has lessened! Today’s his day but I’m afraid. I hope this ends well.
Mommy always loves you-- mommy’s always here. Father knows best-- father knows best-- Mommy is pretty-- I feel the end is near! Father knows best-- father knows best-- Mommy’s pretty-- mommy is happy! Ignorance is your bliss. Arrogance is your sin. Precious little angel-- mommy is not stable! My eyes are arrogant! I promise it won’t happen again! FATHER!
(Mommy knows best! Mommy knows best--) Ignorance is your bliss. Arrogance is your sin. (Mommy knows best! Mommy knows best--) My eyes are arrogant! I promise it won’t happen again! (MOMMYMOMMYMOMMYMOMMYMOMMYMOMMY) FATHER!
(MOMMYMOMMYMOMMYMOMMYMOMMYMOMMY) It won’t happen, father! Is mommy pretty?
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“Turn My Flesh Inside Out” by Britney Spears x Simon Curtis (mash up) 
Said you're gonna be here in a minute-- Sitting in the mirror getting pretty. Gotta look my best if we're gonna break up-- Gotta look my best if we're gonna break up!
I can hear you knocking at the front door Аnd I know exactly what you came for. Try to say goodbye but it's hot and heavy! Try to say goodbye but it's hot and heavy! We can get a little crazy just for fun-- just for fun! Don’t even try to hold it back-- Just let go! Tie me up and take me over till you’re done--Till I’m done! You’ve got me fiendin’ and I’m ready to blow!
SO COME ON! Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my flesh Get undressed, t-taste the flesh  (Baby shut your mouth and turn me inside out!) Bite into me harder, sink your teeth into my Flesh Baby, you know what I want right now Hold me up against the wall Give it till I beg, give me some more Make me bleed, I like it raw Like it R∆ R∆ R∆ Push up to my body-- you're the only one who ever drove me crazy 'Cause you know me inside out!
I know that we probably shouldn't do this-- Hold my arms above my head-- And push my face into the bed-- Cause I’m a screamer baby, make me a mute! You put your hand upon my neck and feel the pulse (beat beat beat beat) It’s like a trigger, get me ready to shoot! You touch me and it's breaking me down Breaking me down... Breaking me down... Breaking me down... Breaking me down...
SO COME ON!
Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my Flesh Get undressed, taste the flesh (baby shut your mouth and turn me inside out) Bite into me harder, sink your teeth into my Flesh Even though we couldn't last forever Baby, you know what I want right now Hold me up against the wall Give it till I beg, give me some more Make me bleed, I like it raw Like it R∆ R∆ R∆ Push up to my body, you're the only one who ever drove me crazy 'Cause you know me inside out!
Hold me down and make me scream-- Lay me on the floor! Turn me on and take me out-- Make me beg for more!
SO COME ON!
Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my flesh! Get undressed, t-taste the flesh! (Cause you know me inside out) Bite into me harder, sink your teeth into my Flesh! (Pass the test t-taste the flesh-- cause you know me inside out!) Hold me up against the wall-- Give it till I beg, give me some more Make me bleed, I like it raw Like it R∆ R∆ R∆ Push up to my body, you're the only one who ever drove me crazy 'Cause you know me inside out!
Push up to my body, sink your teeth into my flesh! Bite into me harder, sink your teeth into my Flesh! Hold me up against the wall-- Give it till I beg, give me some more! Make me bleed, I like it raw! Like it R∆ R∆ R∆--
-------- “Cold Lights” by The Birthday Massacre
The wrong place at the right time-- With blind faith and false pride. Blood lips and black eyes A face of fire. Since I first met you All those words I confess to. Since I first met you This small world hasn't got room. Lost days, bright nights Bad trips and joyrides She burns in cold lights A face of fire! This time, I'll forgive you. So many lies to live up to. Those eyes cut straight through. Feels so right when I let you. Since I first met you-- All those words I confess to. Since I first met you-- This small world hasn't got room. This time, I'll forgive you-- So many lies to live up to. Those eyes cut straight through-- Feels so right when I let you.
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“Monster Love” by Professor Shyguy
Look at the stars-- see how they’re falling. Feels like something is crawling through my mind. Look at me now I feel like I’m changing-- Something restraining-- Feeling alive. That look in the skies. That look in your eyes-- What is that look in your eyes?
You must have something I see-- I need-- An empty body if you know what I mean. I’ll take you places that you have seen-- But in a different light I’ll make you my queen. If you can see past all things I’ve done in my life. Til’ now. Promise I will find a way to make you proud. I understand that you might have doubts-- But promise me you won’t find a way out.
I was a monster, baby, til’ you forgave me-- Now take me and never let go. We could rule the planet-- like we began it. Just me and-- just me and you grow! Oh oh-- Oh oh-- Forever and ever. Oh oh-- Oh oh-- Oh oh!!! I was a monster, baby, til’ you forgave me-- Now take me and never let go. We could rule the planet-- like we began it. Just me and you growing, growing, growing... growing, and growing, and growing, yeah!
The world around me feels new-- brand new. Can I discover every corner with you? Then maybe get us a pet or two-- Let the world come to us until we’re through! Should have calmed it’s by the nature I see your eyes have shown me that Maybe we’re gonna make it! But I don’t want to take it alone. So just let me play Grant. Through you the chance to stick together-- Like one on two--three--four.
I was a monster, baby, til’ you forgave me-- Now take me and never let go. We could rule the planet-- like we began it. Just me and-- just me and you grow! Oh oh-- Oh oh-- Forever and ever. Oh oh-- Oh oh-- Oh oh!!! I was a monster, baby, til’ you forgave me-- Now take me and never let go. We could rule the planet-- like we began it. Just me and... just me and you grow...
I was a monster, baby, til’ you forgave me-- Now take me and never let go...
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“Good In Red” by The Midnight
Called a curse in the cradle-- Loving mother, unstable-- Daddy gone, under the table-- But you found a song in your heart. So you learned how to fight, how to starve, how to survive. When the others blocked your light you learned to see beyond the stars
The curse of small desires-- Easily acquired-- It's time to set your gasoline heart on fire.
Kill your demons, kill 'em dead! In your mirror, in your bed-- In your heart, in your head-- Don't you look good in red? Slay your devils, kill 'em all! Take your throne, paint the walls! And if you make it out alive, hold that bloody head up high.
Don't you look good in red? Don't you look good in red?
Is there more beyond those plains? You cut your hair, changed your name-- Left a note as you escaped-- To thine own self be true. But there was no gold in those hills, no platinum in those pretty pills Just werewolves tossing dollar bills and the wine dark sea of Malibu.
The curse of small desires... Easily acquired. It's time to set your gasoline heart on fire.
Kill your demons, kill 'em dead! In your mirror, in your bed-- In your heart, in your head-- Don't you look good in red? Slay your devils, kill 'em all! Take your throne, paint the walls! And if you make it out alive, hold that bloody head up high.
Don't you look good in red? Don't you look good in red?
No one's coming to save you! No one's coming to save you! Swing that sword that you made-- With the pain that they gave you-- Like the pain is gonna save you!
Kill your demons, kill 'em dead! In your mirror, in your bed-- In your heart, in your head-- Don't you look good in red? Slay your devils, kill 'em all! Take your throne, paint the walls! And if you make it out alive, hold that bloody head up high...
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cecehathaway · 7 years ago
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Made From Love | Para
Tagging: Will & Dorothy Turner with mentions of Daina Ivanova ( @drdaina ), Ryan Andersen ( @ryan-andersen ) and Alex Temple-Price ( @alex-temple ) Location: Manhattan General Hospital Time Frame: Late afternoon into the late night/early morning, December 14/15, 2017 General Notes: Welcoming Baby Turner after a unique start to Dorothy’s labor.
Dorothy was doing her best to breathe through her most recent contraction but through the pain, she felt worried and anxious with the amount if time she, Alex and Ryan had been stuck. She was passed off from the paramedics to the hospital staff who had been waiting to receive her and take her up to Labor & Delivery while her friends were made to stay behind in the waiting room. Everything seemed to happen rather quickly from there with her being transferred from the gurney to a hospital bed in a delivery room and changed into a gown. The nurse hooking her up to an IV and monitors for herself and the baby was one Dorothy was only somewhat familiar with because they were new but she appreciated their mindfulness when she experienced another contraction. Through the pain of it, she shut her eyes and turned one of her hands slowly in the air as the fingers repeatedly made a fist. Her other hand gripped the bed’s side rail and she breathed through it as best as she could. As the pain subsided again and the nurse quickly finished prepping her, Dorothy opened her eyes to find her husband standing near the door. Relief came to her face, as did a guilty smile. “Hi,” she said to him.
Will had been at the hospital for over an hour, his mind and body on edge with each passing minute. Dorothy had texted him that she was on her way to the hospital and he had left the bakery immediately headed towards the hospital. But the longer he waited with no sign of her, the more concerned he became. He was about to try her cell for the hundredth time when the doors swung open and he met Alex’s eyes. They explained what had happened and while Will understood, he didn't have much time to react as he followed his wife to their room. He stood back as the doctor's did what they needed and only when they had left did he finally speak. “The subway? Really? An Uber would've been faster.” He smirked, shaking his head.
“Well, you tell our son all of the good stories so I had to have one for him too,” Dorothy joked to him. The hand hooked to an IV came to rest on her bump without disturbing the monitor strapped across her stomach but she lifted her free hand just slightly to wave him closer. “Honestly? I thought that I was going to avoid getting stuck in traffic by taking the subway. Figures I would end up stuck anyway, right?” She didn’t know exactly how long she, Ryan, Alex and the other subway goers were stuck down there. It felt like hours but whether it actually was or not could have been affected by her sending a handful of people into a frenzy with her labor. “I’m just so glad I didn’t give birth down there.” With a bit of a smile, she added, “Next time if I’m at home and you’re not I’m just calling you to come get me.”
Spotting a stool in the corner of the room, he sat down, using his leg strength to push himself to her side, the seat easily adjusting to where he was eye level with her. Grabbing the hand not hooked up to wires he kissed the back of it before chuckling at her words. “That might be true but I'm not so sure you needed to act out the story.” Will said, looking around the room. “I'm sure Quinton would love to hear that story at every get together. Mom hates traffic so I was born in a Subway car.” He teased, putting his other hand on her belly. “Seriously though, you're okay?” He asked, letting out a sigh of relief when she nodded. “It should have been me with you. The one day I decide to go in for a few hours, this happens. You couldn't wait until tomorrow huh buddy?” He asked, leaning in to kiss her belly.
Dorothy watched him roll closer on the stool and smiled when he kissed her hand. She chuckled a bit, “Oh gosh...if that happened, I would just save it to tell him on every one of his birthdays and ask him why he couldn’t wait until we were at the hospital.” She knew full well that it was all out of everyone’s control but it was still nice to be able to joke about it now that she was far, far away from the subway station. Hearing Will’s question, Dorothy gave his hand a quick squeeze, “I’m okay now. All things considered since these contractions are the worst physical pain I’ve ever had.” She then gently shook his hand with hers, “Hey, those are dangerous words. He might listen to you and drag this labor out until tomorrow.” But her hand moved from her belly to briefly comb through Will’s hair. “I was really scared on the subway though,” she admitted before briefly biting her bottom lip. “It was really important to me that we did this together, and it never occurred to me before that that might not happen until I was stuck.”
Knowing that his son could be born any minute had him on his toes. He didn't want to miss a second and he certainly didn't want to prove everyone right about his fainting. He told himself he would be fine and that today wasn't about him. It was about Dorothy and Quinton. The two loves of his life. It was his job to make her as comfortable as possible and to prove to her he could be strong. “Oh gosh if you do that he may never forgive you. Kids don't like it when our parents kiss or when we are told embarrassing stories so we may be dealing with a little rascal.” Will teased, his smile widening slightly. “Is there something I can do to help?” He offered, hating the idea of his wife being in pain already. He still wasn't sure how he was going to stay put together once the actual process started but he’d deal with that when it happened. For now, he simply kissed her forehead and offered her a warm smile. “Yeah, I was worried something might have happened but I stayed calm and told myself you could handle anything and hey, turns out you can. Not that I doubted you but you stayed calm and you made it here. And pretty soon, we’ll finally be introduced to our son.”
Dorothy smiled, “Well he’s going to have to deal with both because I’m not going to stop kissing you, and he’ll get millions of kisses from me. And what kind of parents would we be if we didn’t have a couple of embarrassing stories about our kids to tell?” Her smile started to grow into a grin but she could feel a new contraction growing. Before it became too much for her to talk through and answer Will’s question, she shut her eyes, slipped her hand out of his and began rotating her wrist in slow circles while her fingers resumed opening and closing into a fist. Her other hand clenched at her belly while she took breaths in through her nose and out of her mouth--her lips forming a small “o” each time she exhaled. It was difficult not to hold her breath through it but she had some practice on the subway. She listened to Will’s assurance that he had been calm through her being missing for their appointment, and wordlessly nodded when he reminded her that their son would be here sometime soon. Nearly half a minute later, the contraction started to wane and she opened her slightly watery eyes again. When she could talk again, Dorothy told Will, “I don’t want to rush into getting any of the pain medicines. I know I won’t be able to do all of this without any of it, but I’d rather put off getting any of it until I really, really need them.” From the numerous times she led the parenting workshops, and from having some of her own patients, she knew how important ti was for her to do her best to communicate so that if she were ever in too much pain at some point, Will could relay what she might want. Her fears in that area were minimal though, being at her place of work and knowing that Daina was her doctor and would likely be in to see how far dilated she was soon.
Will laughed, his dimples becoming more pronounced as he sat beside his wife. Despite the rocky start to the day and his freak out earlier, the time had arrived, or would soon, and he wanted to be as calm and collected as he could be. He definitely didn't want to prove everyone right and pass out during the birth of his son. “Well that's good because as his parents, it is our right to make him grossed out by PDA and take embarrassing pictures of him to show to his girl or boyfriends, his prom dates, and his future spouse and I'm looking forward to it all. I mean, obviously that'll be a long way away but its never too early to start planning.” He teased, watching comfortingly as her face changed and he grimaced. He couldn't imagine what she was feeling but he wanted to be supportive. Resting his hands in his lap, he watched as she took steps necessary to alleviate some of the tension and pain she was currently feeling and he had a slight worry that it might not work. He had to remind himself she was a nurse, did that for a living, and would obviously know the proper techniques of pain management. And then it was over and Will could breathe again. He didn't like seeing her in pain at all but knowing that it would all be over soon and they'd be holding their son, he knew she would agree it was all worth it. “That makes sense. Can I at least get you some water or something? A cold rag for your face?” He offered, not wanting to nag or be annoying but also wanting to help in the areas he knew he could. As he ran to the sink for a washcloth, the door opened and in walked their friend Daina. He offered her a warm smile and a nod. “Hey Doc.” He said, nodding in her direction before ringing the rag out and coming over to wipe the sweat from her brow.
Seeing Will’s dimpled cheeks and smile while hearing him laugh brought a smile to Dorothy’s face that made her own dimples show--as they often did. “Yep. He’s going to learn the laws of the parents over time.” As she worked through enduring the contraction, she did her best to breathe through it. Once it passed and she was able to talk to Will again, she told him she felt a little warm. Seeing Daina come in made Dorothy smile; she rolled her eyes playfully at Will’s greeting to her and did as she was told while being checked for how far dilated she was. Her eyes were to the ceiling during the exam and when Daina finished and informed her that she was five centimeters dilated. Halfway there, Dorothy thought to herself, rather impressed she had made it this far without any pain medication, but another contraction came on that felt more intense than before and had her re-thinking that she would be able to go much longer without something to help manage it. She heard her being asked if she wanted something for it and even though it was too much agony to speak an answer, she gave several small nods. Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were firmly shut as she did her best to breathe through it, the ache from the muscles causing her to tune everything else out for the time being. When it came to pass, she started hearing her own words echoing back to her with what she said to Will only moments ago about the medicine. While she wanted that to be her plan, she knew that if she had gotten much further along, it would be too late for an epidural to be effective, so she ended up asking for it as soon as she could speak again. Daina left to put the order in with the anesthesiologist on duty, and during the time they had to themselves again, Dorothy remembered something and looked to Will, “Crap. Honey, we don’t have our bag--the outfit we picked out for Quinton’s in there, and I had a surprise in there for you.”
“Let’s just hope he doesn’t grow up to resent said rules. That’s what happened to Heather. She didn’t like being told what to do and so she rebelled. Nothing crazy, thank goodness we lived in a small town, but she knew how to go looking for trouble. I rescued her from many a situation and instead of being grateful, she would get mad at me.” He smirked, shaking his head. “But I know deep down in her own way she was appreciative.” Will had read in the many books leading up to today that the best thing to do in this situation was be supportive. And quiet. And just reassure her that everything was going to be fine. He knew that last part would be hard given that he wasn’t in fact sure if he was going to be fine but he didn’t have to do anything at that moment as Daina walked in and set about doing what she did best. He felt relieved knowing that their son was going to be delivered by someone he knew well, someone he trusted, and it made him smile hearing about how far along she was. “That’s progress.” He smiled, knowing that they still had a long way to go in the meantime. Sitting down on the stool, he wiped his wife’s brow again and waited for the contractions to pass. In the meantime, he just talked to her softly about anything and everything he could think of to try and distract her from the pain he figured she was in. When he heard her asking for the pain meds, he scooted closer to her, grabbing her hand and squeezing her hand. “You need anything from me?” He was about to ask when she broke through and mentioned the bag. Quirking an eyebrow at her he let out a soft snort and shook his head. “Babe, I’ve had that bag in the car since you packed it. I didn’t look inside but while you slept, I took it to the car so I knew we wouldn’t forget it.”
“No offense to Heather but I don’t want to think about Quinton growing up to be mostly resentful or rebellious towards us. For now… I just want to think about him being healthy, strong and smart.” It was all she could truly ask for at this point and she knew Will wanted the same even as they talked about their son’s future. She appreciated the gentle support from Will, being quite literally by her side and helping to keep her cooled off as the work through her contractions brought on a flux in her body temperature. When she was able to speak up again and mentioned their overnight bag, Dorothy’s look of worry soon turned to one of relief and happiness for her husband’s preparedness. It was a rather large bag and only now as she searched the room did she notice it a short distance behind him. It probably would have been smaller had she not included the kit but it was important to her and she was very grateful for Eric helping her put it together. “I added more to it, with some help from Eric if you want to take a look inside.” As she mentioned it, she thought a few weeks back to all of the items they thought up on a list, and all of them having ended up inside with their clothes, toiletries the decorated folder, and Quinton’s homecoming outfit: an ‘ugly’ Christmas sweater, Will’s new dad t-shirt--and a long-sleeved shirt to wear underneath in case it was too cold--a pair of Christmas socks to match the pair she had packed for herself, a small but thick throw blanket; all eight of Will’s Star Wars movies, a few Disney movies, an activity book of miscellaneous crossword puzzles and word searches, a deck of cards, pens and pencils, a large page of Skittles, and a sealed envelope with Will’s middle name written across the middle in Dorothy’s half-cursive handwriting. As she encouraged Will to open the bag, there were a few knocks on the door, followed by a couple of nurses and the anesthesiologist whom, to her surprise, had been her brother-in-law, Victor. Dorothy smiled at him and started to greet him but another contraction interrupted her. He assured her that they would set the epidural as soon as the contraction was over, knowing she was going to have to sit up in order to administer the initial injection to her spine. While she waited for the pain to pass and did her best to breathe through it, Victor spoke to Will, his British accent being the only speaking voice in the room at the time to explain, “I’m unsure how much you may know or have been told about epidurals but with us administering it from her spine, I’m going to have Dorothy sit up here in a moment, and you may want to sit in front of her and encourage her to continue to breathe.” Dorothy knew how epidurals worked but she couldn’t remember if she had told Will or if he had read up on it or what, but the pain from the contraction was subsiding, and the nurses had come to her bedside to help her sit up, adjust her tubes, straps and monitors and bring both of her legs over the side of the hospital bed where Will was seated. She bowed her back as much as her rounded belly would allow while her backside was being prepped for the medicine, but she lifted her head to look right in Will’s eyes--a bit of weariness in her pair. “I think I’m going to try to sleep after this, if I can. There’s a good chance this is going to slow things down a bit.”
“Yes, to good health and a strong heart and mind.” He spoke, a small smile forming on his lips. It was always challenging to figure out what to talk about in a setting such as this, because on the one hand he wanted to distract her from the pain but on the other hand, he didn't want to end up saying the wrong thing either. Luckily for them, they were comfortable with long silences, there was no awkwardness, no need to speak, and while some might find that weird or strange, it was just how they were at times. You can say a million things and never speak. Seeing the look of panic on her face at the mention of the bag, Will knew he'd made the right decision by packing it into the car immediately after it was done. Given how scatterbrained he would no doubt be on the big day, he was certain to walk out without it so while he'd been clear headed, he had grabbed it and packed it into the trunk. Hearing her go through the list of things inside of it, he was glad she hadn't decided to pack a bunch of perishables because it had been sitting in the car for well over a week. Grabbing the bag from the corner of the room, he brought it over to sit in front of him, his fingers fiddling with the zipper as he pulled out the bag made especially for him. Looking up at her and smiling, he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. “Thank you for this. You didn't have too but I love it nonetheless.” Just as he was about to rummage through the goodies, there was a soft knock on the door and Victor walked in. After a brief acknowledgment, he listened to what was going to happen and nodded, cautiously scooting over to the side of the bed, grabbing his wife's hands as he looked up into her eyes. “I'm here okay? You're beautiful and you've done great so far. I know for a fact I wouldn't be nearly as strong were our roles reversed. Just take a deep breath and look at me.” He whispered, squeezing her hand, his other coming up to rub the back of it as the needle was injected into her back. The sharp intake of breath from her made him wish he could take away her pain but just as soon as it started, it was over. “I think that's probably best for you. You've been doing so good and now you get to relax and sleep. I'll wake you up if and when the doctor's arrive.” Will countered, reaching up to rub her cheek. “I love you.” Smiling, he let her get situated back in the bed, ditching the rolling chair for one more comfortable as he let the doctors finish up. He grabbed his goody bag from the counter and went through it, making a mental note to thank his wife again when she woke up.
Dorothy was momentarily watching Will open the overnight bag to find the ‘Dad’ kit for him. She smiled at him and his kiss to her hand, “You’re welcome, honey,” but when Victor came in and began preparing for the epidural, her attention shifted. After doing what she could to help the nurses with her sitting up, Dorothy placed her hand back in her husband’s and nodded at his words. “Okay,” she replied to him with a few nods. Her inclination was to look down but she knew she would be more likely to focus on the needle that was about to go into her spine, so she listened to Will and lifted her brown eyes to meet his sage pair. She softly gasped from being injected with the numbing anesthetic but it was notably more audible by the second needle; the numbing didn’t seem to help any more than novocaine for a cavity filling did. Unable to help herself, Dorothy squeezed her eyes shut but did her best to remember to breathe, especially as another contraction came on during the process. She managed a few small nods to Will when he agreed to her resting and promised to wake her if necessary. Once the epidural was in place and Victor handed her the device for her to periodically administer more of the anesthetic, he explained about her needing to occasionally rotate her position in the bed if the pain starts to feel worse on one side of her body. She appreciated his thoroughness explaining it all, not just for her but for Will as well; soon, after everything was in place and she was laying down again, Dorothy offered the remote to the room’s small TV, and then tugged her blankets up to her chin. She wasn’t counting on getting a very restful sleep but anything she could get was bound to help once it came time to push.
Will wasn’t used to not doing anything but as he watched Victor and the rest of Dorothy’s team help her prepare for the long wait, he felt useless. He felt like there was something he should’ve been doing, anything to help his wife feel more comfortable. But he was just a baker. Good with dough and not much else. Holding his wife’s gaze as the needle was inserted, he gave her hands a gentle squeeze, hating that she was in so much distress but knowing that it would also be over soon. Once it was done and the instructions left for what they needed to do, he watched as everyone slowly left, leaving the two of them alone for the time being. Will had no idea how long it was going to take, wasn’t sure if it would even be today but he wasn’t going anywhere. Not when his wife had taken such great steps to prepare him for the long wait. Hearing the soft breathing coming from the hospital bed next to him, he smiled, bending down to plant a soft kiss to her temple before sitting in the more comfortable chair. He grabbed his laptop bag and The Phantom Menace, popping it into the DVD player on his computer. For a distraction for his wife however, he managed to find a soft classical music channel and he set the remote down next to her so the soft piano tones could hopefully help her get what little bit of rest she could before the hard part was to start.
Once Will had the remote, Dorothy closed her eyes and pulled the sheets and blankets up on herself. She was starting to get a bit drowsy as the epidural kicked in, gradually subduing the contractions enough for her to possibly get some sleep, but before she got too comfortable, she looked to Will and asked, “Hey, can you grab my socks and put them on me? My legs are going numb but I do feel a little bit cold.” As she rested against the thin pillows, Dorothy poked a finger out from underneath the blankets and to point to the room’s television and told him, “You know, you can put the movie in there? I don’t mind. And it can spare you from having to hold your laptop.” Shutting her eyes, she tried hard not to focus on the jitters and all of the questions she wondered about; what would Quinton look like, would he look more like Will, more like her or neither of them; was this going to be an easy labor or a difficult one, and most importantly: was she ready? She carried an abundance of knowledge, mostly because of her job, and she had a little bit of hands on experience from a little babysitting in college, and more recently from spending time with her nieces. Those were temporary situations though. Quinton was going to be fully reliant on her and Will. They were about to be his parents. They were responsible for his wellbeing, and would be the first influences and teachers in his life. It was impossible not to think about any of this as she laid in the bed, eyes shut and appearing to be asleep. It felt like hours had passed before she actually fell asleep. The discomfort from being in the hospital bed didn’t make that much of a difference for her, considering she was used to napping at the hospital during extensive shifts, and with everything on her mind, Dorothy’s sleep was rather restless. The afternoon turned to evening, which swiftly became nighttime. A couple of nurses had come in and out during her sleep, but they did their best not to disturb if they could help it The only times she really stirred in her sleep was to press the button administering the medicine for her. It wasn’t until she was being checked on by a doctor covering Daina’s break that Dorothy had teally woken up again. The doctor confirmed that she was dilated eight centimeters and guessed that Quinton would be born early into the next day. Hearing that brought a sleepy smile to Dorothy’s face as she looked to Will. “We’re getting closer. How are you doing over there, honey?”
Will had just gotten settled into the movie when he heard his wife’s groggy voice in his ear. He offered her a warm smile and nodded, setting the laptop down on the stool before rummaging through the bag for the matching socks she’d packed. He chuckled at the look of them and shook his head, walking over to the foot of the bed. He slowly pulled the covers back, grabbing one of her feet and slipping the thick sock onto her ice cold foot. “Damn babe, they’re freezing.” He smiled, slipping the other one on before gently rubbing them to warm them up quicker. “There you go, love.” He whispered, pulling the covers back over and tucking them underneath her legs. “You sure? I don’t want you to go into labor during a jedi fight scene, although that would be pretty awesome.” He teased, leaning over to kiss her forehead. “But okay. I’ll put the accommodations to good use.” He chuckled, grabbing the DVD from his laptop and putting it into the player on the TV. Grabbing the other pair of socks, he kicked off his shoes and slipped them on, shaking his head at the silliness of it but still loving that she had thought of him. Grabbing the spare pillow and blankets, he pulled out the hideaway bed, and stretched out, his eyes on the screen as he listened to his wife’s steady breathing and tie fighters buzzing through the air. He was getting so caught up in his movie marathon that he almost didn’t realize the time shift from day to night. It wasn’t until his stomach started grumbling that he realized just how late it was. Keeping the movie playing, he quickly slipped away to go grab a bite to eat. Half an hour later he found himself wandering the halls, his body immediately drawn to the nursery. He stood outside the window, the soft smile playing across his face as he looked at all the newborns. It hadn’t fully sunk in that this was it. There were no more false alarms, no more waiting. In just a little while, his son would be here, lying in that room, being taken care by the best doctors and nurses in New York. Running a hand through his hair, he let out a sigh, not wanting to be gone too much longer, and quickly returned to his room. He changed out the DVD, glad that the story of Anakin was now over, and put in A New Hope. He had just returned to his seat when a doctor walked in and woke up Dorothy. Hearing the news that Quinton would be here soon, his heart thumped in his chest, his excitement building as he looked over at his wife. “I’m great. Actually just went to get something to eat. What about you? Are you hungry? Thirsty? Can I get you anything?” He asked, his questions all spilling out at once.
Slowly blinking, she watched Will set his laptop aside and rifle through their bag for her socks. She cast a grateful smile when he found them and got up to pull the festive socks on her feet. Her brows sloped together when she heard him comment on how cold they were. “Are they? I mean I feel a little bit cold but I can’t feel it that much… thank you, honey.” Dorothy’s eyes fell shut soon after and her lips curled at the corners when she felt his kiss to her forehead. “Mmhm..I’m sure. It’s why they’re in your kit. Plus these TVs can’t get too loud, so enjoy.” It surprised her that she was able to drift to sleep; the pain from the contractions wasn’t completely gone but it was significantly dulled thanks to the epidural, and she slept well enough to have been oblivious to Will’s brief absence from the room before she woke up. When she did and the doctor checked her progress, Dorothy felt her heart leap with excitement and anxiousness. As she asked Will how he was doing, a couple of the nurses had come in and out of the room, preparing it for the delivery to happen any moment. One wheeled in a hospital bassinet while the other brought in a cart full of materials and tools for the process. She watched a little bit of it but her attention was soon back on Will. She smiled at him, appreciating his attentiveness, but shook her head. “Thank you, cowboy. I can’t really eat anything besides jello or popsicles until he gets here, but maybe a little water?” One of the nurses overheard and offered to get it for her and Dorothy thanked them as they left the room. Her gaze lingered on the bassinet, thinking about how before the weekend was over, Quinton would be in there. The longer she gazed at it, the more she thought about that fact until a question arose for her. “Oh, honey I don’t think we went over this with a birth plan for Quinton but after he’s born, we have the option of having him stay with us until he and I are discharged, or he can stay in the nursery.” The nurse returned with a small plastic pitcher full of ice water and two small cups, and once she set them on the tray beside Dorothy’s bed, she left again. “I’d like him to be here with us,” she explained and paused only to yawn, “but if you would rather he be in the nursery, I’m okay with that too. I’ve no doubt he’ll be safe and sound either way.”
He couldn't help but laugh at just how ridiculous and adorable the Christmas socks were. “Babe these are crazy, you know that right?” He teased, as he put the on her cold feet. “Let's just say if I was passed out in the bed and you touched me with those, I'd jump up so fast.” Chuckling to himself, he knew that she might now appreciate the jokes but he was willing to do anything to try and make her feel like she wasn't about to push a baby through her vagina, even if she was. After he was sure she had dozed off and was sleeping soundly, he went back to his movie. He wasn't even sure when he had nodded off himself, or why, he never slept during Star Wars but the exhaustion of the day had finally caught up with him. He wanted to be awake for it all in case there was something he needed to do for her but he couldn't deny that between the preparation over the past few weeks and the holiday orders at the bakery, he hadn't been sleeping so getting some shut eye to the sounds of space was kind of funny to him. Waking up to the sounds of movement in the room, he felt his heart leap at the sight of the bassinet being pulled into the room. Letting the movie continue to play, he nodded at the nurse who offered to get his wife some water, he followed his wife's gaze over to the small bed that would hold his son when he arrived. It was hard to believe that the day was finally here, that whenever he was ready, Quinton would be here, and Will would finally be able to lay eyes on the child he already loved so much. After the nurse brought her the water and left the room, he let his mind focus on her question. While the idea of putting him in the nursery seemed like a good idea in retrospect, not having him in the room with them didn't sound like a good idea either so tearing his eyes away from the bassinet, he focused on his wife. “He's not going anywhere. He can stay here with us. If something happens, he'll be just as safe here, like you said.”
“You saw your Christmas sweater, right? I think they match quite nicely. Besides, tis the season! You’ve got to do something a little crazy for accessories like socks,” she stated with a sleepy smile. She was starting to nod off as Will told just how cold he thought her feet were but she was lucid enough to crack another smile at him before slipping into unconsciousness. At whatever point that she woke up again, Dorothy did what she could as instructed and was happy to hear about the progress thus far. She was feeling some pressure with the contractions but was certain the epidural was dulling it greatly. Once she and Will were alone again and she asked him what he wanted to do once Quinton was here, Dorothy reached for the remote to sit herself up in the bed while watching Will think over her question. When he answered, her smile returned slowly but brightly. “That sounds great, honey. We’ll have to make sure we let Daina and the nurses know after he’s here.” One of the nurses soon returned with paperwork to be filled out--just the birth certificate application since the hospital already had essential information from from Dorothy being employed there, so it was less fork them to have to worry about. The nurse gave it to Will and explained that it didn’t need to be filled out right away but the sooner, the better. Meanwhile, Dorothy poured herself a cup of ice water and sipped some of it down, only just realizing how dry her mouth had become. She looked up at the digital clock on the wall while pressing the medicine button again and mused in between sips, “Well, it looks like Quinton’s going to be born on the fifteenth after all. Which reminds me… Ryan and I were going to surprise you and Eric. Ryan and I got the four of us tickets to The Last Jedi and were going to make you and Eric dinner.” She scrunched her nose and pouted a little, and then the look vanished. “I don’t know if this is the universe’s way of saying I’m not meant to surprise you, but maybe you three can go see it sometime next week.”
His nose scrunched and he nodded, his dimples becoming more pronounced as he pictured it in his head. “I did yes. And it's quite ugly. In only the best way possible. I plan to wear it to work as soon as I return. Speaking of, are men allowed to go on maternity leave as well?” Will laughed, shaking his head. “As the owner, I could just not go back at all. Quinton will be worth it.” He teased, laughing softly. “I suppose I'll have to get some crazy socks like this for my Secret Santa because it is so hard to shop for people I don't know much about. Hell, I have a hard time buying for you and we're married.” Grinning, he sat back down on the chair and focused back on the screen as she slept. When a few hours had passed, the nurses came in with some paperwork and he signed where needed and made sure to tell them that Quinton would be staying with them. As the time ticked off, he was growing more and more anxious and as the movie ended, he debated going for a drive to take his mind off the negative thoughts currently plaguing him but then he heard Dorothy's voice breaking through. “Wait you were? Honey that is so sweet. I'm sure I would have been very surprised! I am surprised but I also can't be sad because the birth of my son is worth missing Rey and the Porgs. We can postpone it until later. Next week is a possibility if they can peel me away from you and little Quinton” Bending down to kiss her, he shook his head. “Don't give up. I'm sure it'll happen one day.”
Dorothy smiled, “You can wear it whenever you want--now, if you so desire. Eric thought it was a good addition to your kit, since it is that season, plus I know how cold the hospital is and how much you hate being cold. So all of the warming things were added for those reasons.” She then giggled at Will while shaking her head. “Paternity leave, baby. And you do have that privilege of a more flexible schedule than me. I won't be back to work until the end of February, and then after that, I have a month’s-worth of baby bonding time that I can spread out over the course of a year. Other than that, I'll have to be careful with my time off.” She knew that at some point, she and Will would have to talk about what they were going to do once her leave was up, but at the moment, Dorothy was too tired. She slept and after she awoke again and was checked on how close she was to delivering, she set her mind to that, sipping her water while Will filled out the birth certificate application for their son. Once she had the opportunity, she also signed and reviewed it to make sure all the necessary places were filled out. Her recalling the surprise left the pout on her face until she spoke up again. “If you end up feeling up to it, you should go and see it. Besides, it would only be for a few hours, and you said yourself about not knowing people very well. That might include bonding some more with Quinton’s godfathers, right?” Not long after, Dorothy yawned and wondered if she might get some more sleep. Unfortunately her attempts to do so over was short-lived through another passing hour as she was starting to feel pressure to push. Pressing the button for the medicine didn’t help ease the feeling any and as much as she put off saying anything out loud, her face was scrunched tight from trying to fight the feeling. Frowning and letting out a sigh from the growing return of pain and, Dorothy. The remote to her bed and television functioned as a phone as well; she blindly groped about he edge of her bed for it while moaning, “Will, can you call Daina?” Her fingers didn’t come in contact with the phone but she gave up and feebly pointed over to the whiteboard on the wall where the current staff’s names and extensions were written, along with Dorothy, Will and Quinton’s names. Dorothy was gesturing to the phone extensions but she soon let her hand fall to her chest and set her focus on breathing as deeply as possible again.
Knowing that seeing him in the ridiculous sweater might make her feel better, he nodded, walking over to their overnight bag and fishing it out. For good measure, he also grabbed the other pair of socks and slipped them on, thankful for the no slip grip on the bottom. Gosh, would he be a sight come delivery time. Slipping in on over his T-shirt, he stood back and let her look him over. “Well? How do I look? Don't be jealous if the nurses come by more frequently because of this awesome sweater.” He teased, walking over to plant a gentle kiss to her nose. “But don't worry love. I only have eyes for you.” Knowing that she'd taken enough thought to pack him a few things in a bag meant for her and Quinton meant a lot and as the bells jingled on the shirt, he laughed and sat back down, his eyes darting from his sleeping wife to the Star Wars movie playing. It would be easy for him to hand over the reins at the bakery to his General Manager and let her run the store, he wasn't quite sure if Dorothy would be as keen to let him take all that responsibility. He had no qualms about being a stay at home dad because owning the store meant he made money regardless. And he could still bake, just at home for his family. It would be something they could discuss later but to him, it seemed better than putting their child in daycare or hiring a sitter. He wanted to be as present in Quinton’s life as he could be. “We’ll play it by ear, babe. If nothing else, we can just go out for drinks to celebrate and I'll catch it when I have time.” After a few hours of sitting, he got up to walk the halls, letting his wife rest while they waited to see when Quinton wanted to be born. Soon after his return he heard the uncomfortable grunts from his wife and he headed over to her side. At her command to call Daina, Will nodded, hitting the button on the remote as well as heading to the nurse’s station. “Hi yeah. We, um, we need Doctor Ivanova. I think my wife is ready to have our son.” He tried to stay calm but inside he was freaking out. It was time to meet their son. Their Quinton.
Through the pressure bearing down in her body and the discomfort that came with it, there was a surreal moment happening in her mind over the fact that Quinton would finally be here. They would be leaving the hospital with their son. All the months of waiting--the morning sickness, the mood swings, the aches and cravings and excessive naps all allowed her to grow a miniature human, made from hers and Will’s love. The elation and anxiousness eclipsed the physical ailments but only for a moment. Dorothy really wanted to push but knew she had to resist until she was coached to do so by Daina. Thankfully her friend showed up soon after Will made the call and prepared to check Dorothy’s cervix. Dorothy shut her eyes and focused on her breathing as best as possible but when Daina confirmed that it was, indeed, time--she was 10 centimeters--Dorothy’s breath hitched and her eyes flew open. She tried to make sure she didn't go floating away with her excitement and leave behind a bundle of nerves for everyone else to deal with; meanwhile, Daina and the nurses did some final preparations for the delivery. While that happened, Dorothy looked to Will, biting her lip a little. She felt like she should say something to him but she didn't know what to say; her mind was all over the place. One of the assisting nurses came to one side if Dorothy's bed, opposite Will and helped sit her a little more upright while telling Will, “Hey dad, if you wanna help out, you may want to hold her leg out of the stirrup. Just hold it steady towards her chest--it’ll help Dorothy.” As the nurse took Dorothy’s other leg to do the same, Daina began coaching Dorothy, letting her know to start pushing in the next contraction. Her nerves were more rattle than ever but she had to believe that she could do this. Quinton was coming one way or the other and she needed to do her part getting him here. Her hands held onto the bed rails and as the pain and pressure soon swelled inside her again, Dorothy lowered her chin to her chest and bore down with a determined look. She pushed for as long as Daina counted and when she had a break, she let out a heavy sigh mixed with a pained whimper. Epidural or no epidural, from the time she had gone into labor to now was the most physical pain she had experienced in her entire life. It was taking everything in her not to say, or try to say, just how much it all was hurting but she had to literally and figuratively push through the pain, especially as another contraction hit. Dorothy took a deep breath, pinned her chin to her chest and pushed again, her mind becoming one-tracked even as Daina let them know Quinton was crowning. The encouragement for just a few more rounds of pushing barely registered in Dorothy’s ears or mind during her second break. The work was causing sweat to bead along her neck and hairline; a sheet of sweat was soon covering her forehead as she caught her breath again, just long enough to assume her position start pushing again, gripping tight to the single-most important objective of the night.
This was it. In just a few, what minutes? Hours? No not hours she'd already done the hours part. In just a few minutes, my wife will be delivering our son. The idea popped in his head and for a few quick seconds, he froze. Everything leading up to this day, from the scare, although he didn't see it that way. More like a false alarm. From the false alarm to the botched surprise, the baby shower to the late night baby book cramming, it had all been preparing him for this moment. Looking down at his wife, he felt a sense of relief, mostly for her but also to know that they'd made it through it all. Quinton Michael Turner would be born in just a little bit and all of their planning, all the preparation, will have been worth it. Holding his wife’s hand while the doctor's confirmed that it was indeed time for her to start pushing, he smiled down at her, planting a soft kiss to her forehead. At the nurse’s urging, Will grabbed her leg, giving it a quick rub as he held it steady. He kept his eyes focused on his wife, the bundle of nerves in his gut giving him reason enough not to look. Sure he'd seen it before but this part wasn't pleasant for either party but mostly Will. Breathing in time with Dorothy, as they'd been instructed during the classes, he kept telling her she was doing great and to keep going. Looking back, it probably wasn't helping and if he'd been in her shoes, he would have been more angry about it but she stayed quiet, focusing on pushing rather than hurting him. He felt awful, sad even, that he couldn't do more to help ease the pain but knowing that they were in the best place for this put his mind at ease. When Daina announced that their son was crowning, his heart beat wildly in his chest and he smiled down at his wife. The sweat dripping off her forehead and down her face gave him pause as he grabbed a towel with his free hand to wipe it away. “You are doing so good, love. Just a little bit more and he'll be here. Our son. Quinton.” He whispered, kissing her forehead. Holding her leg tight, he watched as her latest push brought their son's head out and he couldn't help it, he let a tear slip from his eye. “Oh my…” He didn't have time to finish before she was pushing again, his eyes darting back and forth between the two most important people in his life.
Dorothy didn’t know where the stamina came from but she kept going, even though she felt like she wasn’t making much progress with all the pushing. The urge to sob was strong and she about did when she cried out from the pain and exhaust of it all. It had taken subsiding contraction for her to momentarily calm down from it, at which time she became aware of Will breathing in time with her. As he dabbed her forehead, Dorothy looked over at him--a mix of determination and worry on her face and the shakiness from crying still in her voice as she breathily demanded, “Don’t you pass out on me, Bartholomew.” Her grip on the side rails tightened as another contraction started and she was urged on by Daina to push again. With all her might, she did as she was told and although she was mostly focused on just that, she did hear that his head was out; she was almost done and Quinton was almost here. She had gotten one more break and then began pushing again. An undetermined length of time passed before she felt a new weight on her chest and stomach. Disbelief hit her that it was all over until she heard his cries. She opened her watery eyes and looked down as one of the nurses started to wipe Quinton clean. Dorothy still hadn’t quite made out his face but she fell back against the pillows behind her and reached up to wipe her eyes. She was so overcome with the bundle of emotions in her that she hadn’t yet found her voice to say anything but just listen to Quinton’s low but new and persistent cries. While Daina clamped his umbilical cord and stayed attentive for the passing of the placenta, the nurse cleaning Quinton off asked Will, “Do you wanna cut the cord, Dad?”
Will had known from the get go that his wife was strong and able to handle pretty much anything thrown her way but watching her now as she strained and pushed, he felt helpless. There wasn't much he could do besides tell he how good she was doing and even then he didn't think it mattered much. Wiping her brow again, he tried to concentrate on anything other than the baby crowning between her legs. He felt queasy, yes, but that was normal for this part of the process. It was different when it was an animal giving birth but that was his son and as much as he hated seeing it, he focused on the process, willing himself not to faint and prove everyone right. At his wife’s words, he looked at her and nodded, eyes staying on hers. “I'm good. I'm just sympathetic to your plight.” He grinned, watching the final seconds leading up to Quinton’s arrival. One final push and he was out, his constant cries quickly filling up the room. Watching as the nurses wiped him off, he got caught up in the moment and almost missed the woman speaking to him. “Huh? Oh right. The umbilical.” Grabbing the scissors with shaky hands he stuck the metal where she pointed and paused, looking up at her. “It doesn't hurt right?” He asked, his nerves quickly dissipating when she shook her head. Cutting the cord that would separate him from Dee, he chanced a glance at their son, emotions high as he sat back, eyes attentive and focused as they whisked the newborn away to finish cleaning him up. Looking over at his wife, he smiled, fresh tears forming in his eyes as he leaned in to kiss her. “He’s perfect. Absolutely perfect.”
Quinton was here. Even with his cries and the slight bustle of the two nurses assisting Daina through the birth, it felt so surreal. Yet it was also the most invaluable moment of her life to date. Dorothy briefly shut her eyes and pressed her lips into a soft smile. When she opened them again and wiped a thin stream of tears away, through cloudy eyes, she witnessed Will cutting the cord and then he was whisked a short distance away. She looked up at Will and met his lips with a returning kiss and when he spoke up, Dorothy smiled. “Of course he is,” she replied sweetly and tiredly. “I can’t believe he’s finally here…” She smiled a little more and in what seemed like no time at all, Daina was bringing a swaddled and cooing Quinton over to the new parents while the nurses finished cleaning up the room and preparing to move them upstairs from Labor & Delivery to Recovery. Quinton was offered over to Will first but while he was being passed to his father, Dorothy caught a glimpse of his chubby, rosy cheeks and dark wisps of hair peeking out from under his pale, striped cap. She tucked her lips in, still smiling and then whispered, “He’s so beautiful, honey.” Her eyes fell half-lidded and she relaxed back against the pillows again, exhausted from the labor but too overjoyed to sleep at this time. They were told that the family would soon be moved upstairs and were allowed as many visitors as they wanted for the remainder of Dorothy and Quinton’s stay. Dorothy knew this and was sure that once their family and friends knew, that there would likely be a parade coming through. She didn’t mind it, but for now, she basked in this moment--just her, Will and Quinton, their new family.
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astressedwriter · 7 years ago
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Jason Todd
Maya is Cassie’s best friend and Cass asked her to come to this Gala, and let’s just say the bat boys were shocked.
“Come on, Please Maya?” Cassie begged her best friend, more like sister, through the phone, “You know I hate going to these things alone.” Maya sighed,
“Alright, fine. But you owe me Cass.” Cassie cheered, making Maya laugh,
“Of course! Bye Maya!”
“Bye Cassie!” Cassandra danced around the room in victory. She didn’t have to suffer alone! Cassie rummaged through her closet looking for the dress she picked out, she let a little cheer when she found the dress she was looking for.
She picked the shoes Steph recommended.
Cassie turned heads when she casually strolled down the stairs, looking absolutely stunning. Dick walked up to his younger sister, offering her his arm, she accepted.
“Is your friend coming Cass?” Dick asked, Cass looked towards the door, smirking,
“She’s here.” Dick followed her gaze and froze. Maya was standing there with a smirk on her red painted lips, knowing she turned heads. Her outfit was nothing less than Cass expected, a bold plunge dress with lace up knee high boots. 
Cassie released Dick’s arm and hurried over to Maya, embracing her friend in a hug.
“You came! Now we can suffer together!” Cassie exclaimed, making Maya laugh.
“That’s what best friends are for! Now, come on. I need a drink!” Maya laughed, but Jason came up behind her, not knowing it was Maya, whom he had a past with.
“Are you sure you’re legal?” Every fiber in Maya’s being froze, she slowly turned around to face him. Jason froze as well,
“Come on Cass, now I really need that drink.” Maya mumbled and pulled a confused Cassie away.
“How do you know Jason?” Cassandra asked, Maya sighed. She didn’t want to do this, not now, not really ever.
“We have a past. Not really a good one.” Maya winced, remembering her fight with Jason. Cassie furrowed her eyebrows, she was curious by nature but she knew better than to push her best friend.
“I’ll tell you later.” Maya mumbled when she reached the drink table, but she nearly spit the drink out when she saw Roy Harper. She quickly set down the drink and ran over to the red head.
“Roy!” She yelled, grabbing his attention, his eyes widened and he barely caught her as she jumped.
“Hey Maya.” He laughed, setting her down. “So, I’m guessing you saw Jay?” Maya locked her jaw, moving it side to side,
“Yeah. How’s Kori?” Maya changed the subject, Roy knew what she was doing but allowed her to do it anyway.
“Good, she’s bored, not having a boy toy.” Roy replied, Maya laughed, yeah that was Kori.
“How’s Daina(Black Canary)?”
“Haven’t seen her in a year.” Roy’s face morphed into one of shock,
“Where have you been Maya?” Maya’s face fell into a frown,
“With the League of Shadows. That’s how I know Damian.” Cass finally caught up to Maya,
“Hey Roy.” He nods, “Maya, you’re dad is here.” Cassie was rightfully scared of Maya’s reaction. Maya and Oliver didn’t exactly leave off on a good note. Maya and Roy shared a look,
“Tell Bruce that we’re sorry.” Then they hurried out the back door, waving to Alfred. They hung out at the back of the Manor. Jason was Roy’s ride and Maya was staying the night with Cassie afterwards. Then the screaming started, Maya and Roy shared another look. Roy pulled his bow from God knows where and Maya pushed the button on her suit. It was alien tech, acquired by her uncle Hal. Maya started floating, she actually doesn’t have any powers, it’s her suit, she’s just good at controlling it. Maya appeared behind the Joker, colliding her knee with his back, allowing Harley to hit him in the face with her bat. Yeah, Maya got Harley to help get the Joker back into Arkham. Maya knew that Harley was being hurt and abused by the Joker, so she promised Harley that the Joker would stay alive, just in prison.
“Thanks Harls!”
“No problem Eli!” Then Harley ran, she was still a criminal after all. Element was Maya’s superhero name, hence why Harley called her Eli. Roy was doing hostage removal, helping them out into the streets and the Wayne’s were having to play their part, not being able to slip away to get their costumes. Maya ducked behind a statue, morphing back into her civilian clothing, letting Roy take her over to Cass. They dramatically hugged, which the press loved. It took three hours for everyone to clear out, but Maya, Jason and Roy who were still hanging around. Maya was waiting for Cassie to be ready to go to sleep, laughing at Tim and Damian who were bickering.
“Where’d you get that gear from?” Bruce asked Maya, who gladly told them she was Element, and that she knew who they were.
“Oh! I haven’t properly introduced myself!” She exclaimed, jumping up and sticking her hand out, “My name is Maya Queen, daughter of Oliver Queen and Black Canary, god-daughter to Barry Allen and Hal Jordan.” Bruce, shocked, slowly shook her hand.
“I guess that’s how you know Roy.” Bruce says, putting the pieces together easily. She nods, smiling at the red haired boy mentioned.
“And how do you know Jason?” Cassandra asked, making both Maya and Jason glare at her.
“Roy introduced us.” Jason said tightly, gritting his teeth. Maya nodded, though she looked about as comfortable as Jason.
“Do you have the canary screech?” Tim spoke up, Maya laughed, but nodded.
“Can you…?” Maya placed a glass on the other side of the kitchen, then she screamed.
“You definitely have the screech.” Tim stated rubbing his ears, his comment caused all of them to laugh. They talked for another hour, Maya not noticing that Jason kept staring at her.
“Well, I’m tired. You ready to go Maya?” Cass asked, standing up and stretching.
“Yeah, goodnight guys!” Maya waved at them before following Cass up the stairs.
Alfred was very surprised when Maya was sitting in the kitchen, sipping coffee at 5:30 in the morning.
“Good morning Miss Queen.” Maya winced at the use of her last name,
“Good morning to you as well Alfred. And please call me Maya. Can I help with breakfast?” Maya offered, Alfred stared at her with surprise. It’s not that no one had ever offered, but he expected her to be a stuck up rich kid, like her father.
“Of course Miss Maya.” She smiles, standing up.
Cassie woke up, looked to her left and saw Maya gone. She got up, quickly brushed her hair and walked down stairs to see Maya helping Alfred make blueberry waffles. Cassie grabbed a cup of coffee and naturally started helping as well. Maya smiled at Cassie, who smiled back. Slowly the rest of the Batfam trickled in, with Jason and Roy last, who decided to sleep over last night. Maya didn’t even look at Roy before handing him a coffee with two sugars and waffles with exactly one cup of syrup on them, but what surprised the Wayne’s was that she could the same for Jason, one black coffee and 4 waffles with ¼ a cup of syrup on them, she didn’t even think about and neither did he, accepting the plate and sat down. Cass watched the interaction silently, observing the fact that both Jason and Maya both acted like they had done this before.
They all ate breakfast, laughing and joking like a family, then they slowly dispersed, leaving Jason and Maya who offered to clean up for Alfred. It was an awkward silence until Jason broke it,
“I’m sorry you know.” Maya scoffed, making Jason stop what he was doing and grab her arm,
“Maya, I am sorry.” Maya looked up at the ceiling, blinking away the tears.
“That doesn’t change the fact you did it Jason.”
“I know. And I’m sorry.”
“I forgave you a long time ago Jay, but I can’t ever forget what you did.” Jason looked at the floor,
“You cheated on me, with my best friend. You left me alone, until I met Cass. Jason,” He looks up, “If it wasn’t for Cass, I would be dead.”
“No. No don’t say that.”
“It’s true Jason.” Maya noticed the tears streaming down Jason’s face, frowning she wiped the tears away with her thumb, “Hey,” She tilted his head up, “It’s okay Jason. I’m here and I’ve forgive you.” Jason took a deep, shuddering breath.
“Can we try this again? Please.” He begged in a whisper, putting his hands on her waist, she unconsciously leaned into his touch. She slowly leans in, pressing her lips to his. When she pulled away she spoke,
“Yes.”
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meiluka-enthusiast · 5 years ago
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Curtain Call part 2
—Wednesday, October 31st, 20XX—
—SeeU—
I felt sunlight shine into my room, and the next thing I knew my eyes were opening. "Mew..." I sighed softly, hearing the cat ears unfold on top of my head. Although I hadn't been altered too much, there was a fair amount of technology in my body. Sometimes I liked it, sometimes I wasn't sure about it, and sometimes it made me want to rip my hair out.But oh, well. I couldn't really do anything about it anyway, my manager had already done what she could.
Yawning softly, I stretched my arms above my head and relieved my limbs from stillness. Pulling back the covers and getting off the bed, I felt the coolness of the floorboards on my feet. I could see my reflection in the mirror on the other side of the room- my hair was tangled and messy, and my eyes half-closed still.
I had an average room, not too small or too large. It was about a square shape, with pale yellow walls, a white ceiling, and hardwood floors. The room originally had carpet, but I didn't want to have to vacuum anything so we had it pulled up. There wasn't much furniture either-just the bed, dresser, nightstand, and the small bookshelf. The dresser was in one corner of the room, facing the side wall and next to the window. On the other side of the window was the bookshelf, against the back wall. Next to the bookshelf was my bed, and the nightstand beside it. The window was covered by thin white curtains that Piko had helped me make, he was a surprisingly good sewer.
Thinking of the day's activities, I headed over to the dresser to choose my outfit. Today would be surprisingly average, considering it was Halloween. We all had school, as normal, and then we would go home for an early Curtain Call meeting. Asuka, who was one of our managers, was bringing pizza and we were having dinner together before "stealing" candy, as Gakupo called it.
"SeeU! You up yet?" Flower was knocking on my door, it seemed I had taken too long getting dressed.
"Yes, Flower! I'm almost ready!" I grabbed a hairbrush from my dresser and hurriedly brushed my hair, then tugged on my clothes and went out the door. Flower was standing in the hallway, her hair a mess as always. She was dressed in a grey T-shirt and ripped jeans, and her sneakers were untied. I sighed softly at her and went downstairs to join the others.
"Hey, See! How'd you sleep?" Piko called out to me. He was wearing a white button-down shirt and black pants. I was slightly surprised that he called me See, he didn't often use that nickname.
"I slept okay, how about you?" I smiled and took my lunch bag from the fridge, and we all began to walk to school together.
--7 hours later--
"See...Can I talk to you for a moment?" Piko looked at me nervously, then at the floor.
"Sure, what is it?" I blushed a bit. What I really wanted was for him to ask me out...although I was sure he was gay.
"I, um, I should have said this a while ago...I love you, See...I really want to date you..." He turned red and looked down.
"Piko..!! I love you too!!!" I hugged him tight. "I'll be your girlfriend...if you want...but, why would you want to date me? I thought you were gay..." I felt my face go red when the words were out of my mouth. What if he got offended?! He probably would...
"I'm bisexual," he said with a shrug. "But really, SeeU...I like you. A lot." He entwined his fingers with mine, and we began to leave the school building, happy with each other.
"Hey, SeeU! Piko! Wait up!" Miki and Dex called to us from the doors of the school building.
"Hey Dex! How's it going?" I called back to them, stopping to wait.
"Well, I um...Miki's my girlfriend now, so it's going pretty well." He blushed a bit and took Miki's hand, and she smiled brightly at him. The four of us joined into a group and started to walk back to our house.
--------
Curtain Call started at 5:30 PM that evening, just as always. Today our managers were ordering pizza and we had all agreed to bring some candy, since it was Halloween. By the time I got there, everyone else had arrived. I could tell that everyone was split into couples- Meiko and Luka, Gakupo and Kaito, Daina and Flower, Dex and Miki, and Piko was on his own. I set my bag of Skittles on the candy table and sat down by Piko. At that moment, our managers Asuka and Hinata stood up and clapped to get our attention.
"Hi guys, good to see you again!" Asuka called happily. "We'll begin our evening of fun shortly, but first Hinata has an announcement."
"That's right, I have an important and shocking announcement. So hold onto your hearts." He took a deep breath and then smirked. "All of you are going on tour tomorrow. Well, starting tomorrow."
Dex fist-pumped. Flower growled a bit in protest, and Daina smiled. "None of us have ever gone on tour before, have we?" Miki asked.
"Exactly. Your first tour. Congratulations, everyone!" Hinata grinned, then gestured to the pizza table and the cooler full of canned drinks. "Now let's eat pizza and have some fun. Happy Halloween!" I got a slice of pepperoni pizza and sat down by Dex and Miki. We didn't have much to talk about, but Piko sat next to me and leaned on my shoulder. For some reason, I never noticed how thin he was.
"Piko, how much do you eat every day?" I asked him softly.
"Um...I...I don't know..." he murmured.
"Piko! You have to eat!!" I exclaimed. "Please...."
He shook his head. "I'm not hungry..." I felt myself start to tear up. I could honestly be so emotional sometimes.
"See...Don't cry..." he said quietly.
"I can't help it...Of course I'm going to cry if my boyfriend is anorexic!!" I stood up and ran out of the room before I started crying for real. My feet started to carry me towards the bathroom, but then I ran into someone.
"Hey, SeeU. You okay?" he asked softly.
Kaito.
"I...I need a hug..." I mumbled softly. In an instant I felt his arms wrap around me and I just leaned into him. He was always a good hugger, just like Piko...
"Did something happen between you and Piko?" he asked.
"Not really, but he's...he's anorexic..." I replied.
"Yeah, that...Miki and Daina have been trying to help him with that." Kaito smiled a bit and ruffled my hair. "Don't worry. He's eating more than he used to, so we're making progress."
I sniffled a bit and nodded. "I need to go rinse off my face." Standing up, I went into the bathroom and hid in a stall for about half an hour.
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theatricalwriter · 8 years ago
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It’s Me: Billy Cranston X Reader
Prompt: You and Billy were best friends before he started to blow you off when you made plans. You notice he starts hanging out with other people, and you do the same thing in return, but your “new friends” aren’t exactly the nicest.
Requested: No
Word Count: 2,903
Warnings: Sad Billy, semi-strong language, psychical violence
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You and Billy had been best friends since you were children. You and he both went through the same torment from other kids and at school, so you found solace in each other’s company. He loved having a friend to be there to help him with his boards or just having a friend at all. You loved how well he listened and how he supported you in everything you did, something you did in return. It was the same thing with you two, and the thought of that changing terrified you beyond belief… But that’s when it began to.
After a potential alien invasion a short while back, you began to notice that Billy was acting somewhat different. He told you that he wasn’t feeling well enough to go out to your usual places and that he was working on something that you couldn’t see yet. You respected his privacy, but it then became more than that.
Even in school, you noticed Billy was starting to hang out with different people, people you never would’ve imagined. Jason Scott, the ex-quarterback; Kimberly Hart, the queen bee with a fallen status; Trini Kwan, a girl you didn’t exactly know very well; Zack Taylor, who you didn’t see much in school for one specific reason due to his cliché bad boy claim.
There was one day at lunch where you saw your best friend seeming so happy with his new friend. Your heart sank as you thought about how much joy Billy was brought by them in your absence. Your mind wandered to such a dark place that you hadn’t realized you were standing directly in the center of the lunch line, staring at them with despair. It took someone beside you to nudge you to show you that those ahead of you had already moved away.
“O-Oh, sorry.” You mumbled an apology as you felt your face heat up.
You grabbed your piece of fruit and hurried over to the register to pay for your meal.
That’s when you were faced with a tough decision. You usually sat with Billy, but you hesitated for the first time. Were you to go over and potentially mess up the good vibes between the five newly-found best friends? Or were you to go find some lunch table corner and sit by yourself? You chewed on your lip in thought as you pondered your choice.
“Hey,” A female voice called, pulling you from your thoughts. “Hey, Y/N!”
You turned around and saw three girls you recognized from your homeroom class. You quickly placed names to faces and remembered that the shortest with the blonde hair was Jenna, the darker-skinned girl with the stunning brown eyes was Daina, and the tallest and one with the evident authority over the other two was named Heather. You weren’t popular, but you were keen enough to the school’s social status to know that these were the queen bees of the school after Kimberly Hart lost her throne.
“M-Me?” You stammered.
“Yes you, silly.” Heather playfully rolled her eyes. “You are the only one here named Y/N, right?”
“Right!” You lightly smacked your head with your free hand for being so stupid in that moment. “I’m sorry, it’s just… you never usually talk to me so it’s kind of a change, I guess.”
“We see your little predicament over there,” Daina pointed her chin towards the table where Billy was seated. You felt a twinge of pain for a short second, but you returned your focus back to Daina who said, “Thought we might just help you there.”
“Really?” Your face brightened before a thought ran through your head. “Wait… why? I’ve never done anything for you before.”
“Wha-? Since when do you need to do anything for us to be nice?” Jenna asked.
“But you do require one thing,” Heather stated, walking around you in a circle. “You’ll just need to fix a few things.”
“What kind of things?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.
“How about this? Come over my place after school and I’ll show you.”
You figured out what they had meant later that night.
When you walked into school the next day, most who knew you barely recognized you. The girls had swamped out your old sneakers for an adorable pair of pink heels, which hurt like hell but you smiled through the pain. Instead of your usual casual outfit, you wore a blue dress with a pink blazer that matched the heels on your feet. With the outfit Heather lent you, a couple pieces of jewelry to pull the piece together, and just a little makeup on your face, it made you feel like… well, someone new.
With your new appearance and friends, life seemed pretty good for a while. People who never spoke to you once were now flirting with you. You were even able to help your new friends with their schoolwork while they helped you get new outfits and stay away from any continuous fashion statements that can apparently occur if you wear too much of the same kind of clothes. But while you were living it up, someone who you knew for years was starting to feel as though he’d lost somebody important in his life again. He tried to talk to you, but whenever he got the chance to see you, you were with those mean girls. It was about five days before he finally got the chance to talk to you.
“Uh, Y/N-!” You thought you heard Billy, but someone else had beaten him in getting to your locker.
“Hey, Y/N!” Heather smiled, stepping in front of Billy, who seemed so defeated that he started to walk away without you noticing.
“Oh, uh, hey, Heather,” You saw the others and nodded, “Jenna, Daina. What’s up?”
“We’re heading to a party tonight at Martha’s and we just wanted to know if you wanted to tag along.” Jenna said.
“Oh, what kind of party?” You smiled, feeling a rush of joy that you were going to your first high school party.
“A study party!” Daina said matter-of-factually.
“Oh…” Your smile faded, as you were slightly upset that it wasn’t going to be an actual party with alcoholic drinks and cute guys to make out with.
“Well, are you in or not?” Heather said, almost deviously. She smiled with those red lips of hers and glanced over at Freddie Vaughn, a cute guy who seemed to have been flirting with you a lot lately. “And little Freddie will be there…”
You bit your lip. You looked over at Freddie and saw how adorable he looked as he laughed with his friends with the sunlight from the glass door of the hallway hitting him like he was an angel descended from above. In the heat of the moment, you couldn’t help but say that you would attend.
In lunch, you heard someone call your name from behind you. You turned your body around and saw Billy rushing up to you with an overjoyed look on his face. You couldn’t help but lovingly smile at him when you saw him.
“O-Oh, hey, Billy. What’s-uh, what’s up?” You looked to the floor before glancing back up at him. “It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah, why is that?” Billy questioned. “You haven’t been around a lot lately…And you look different, too.”
“Uh… yeah, I guess so.” You sighed, looking down at your green pumps on your feet.
“Oh, so listen! We’re going to play some video games at my house tonight,” Billy began speaking quickly. “And my other friends really want to meet you so I was wondering if you wanted to come over and-”
“Wait, wait, wait…” You cut Billy off. “D-Did you say tonight? As in tonight, tonight?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Oh, God, Billy. I’m sorry, but I’m going out to a party tonight… I didn’t know you were doing anything like that.”
“But I wanted to tell you-”
“Y/N,” You saw Heather, Daina, and Jenna standing behind you, giving Billy an odd glare and you an expectant look. “Are you coming to the table or not?”
“I’m sorry.” You whispered, an apologetic look on your face as you turned to walk back to your table with your friends, leaving behind a saddened ex-best friend.
You couldn’t help but think about Billy and just how hurt he looked as you walked away from him earlier that day. You chewed on the eraser of your pencil as you scanned over the A.P. Biology packet Jenna had given us, saying that she needed help on figuring out the structure of a plant cell. Funny thing about that was that while you were trying to figure that out, Jenna and the others were off talking about nothing with their pencils down and their packets being neglected as they were pushed to the side. You glanced at the packet, going back to see what Jenna had already done for answers and sometimes fixing the errors she made previously. That’s when you began to catch onto what was really happening...
“Hey, Y/N!” Heather shouted, taking a sip of her soda.
“Hmm?” You hummed, not looking up from the packet.
“Who’s that boy you always used to hang out with again?”
“Billy.” You plainly responded.
“Ugh, that’s the kid’s name!” You heard Freddie say with disdain. “I swear all that stupid kid does it mess around with those stupid pencils and say the dumbest shit. He can’t even take a joke, for crying out loud.”
“Tell me about it.” Daina rolled her eyes. “I have him in my math class and couldn’t figure out that I was being sarcastic when he asked me if I had taken notes while he went to the nurse to fix his bloody nose after a fight when they were clearly right on my desk and I said no. Can you believe him?”
“Idiot…” Heather laughed. “Can’t even fend for himself.”
“Excuse me?” You snapped.
“What?”
“You realize he's autistic, right?”
“Your point?” Heather sneered.
“My point is that his brain can’t register sarcasm or humor. Just because he can’t figure that out doesn’t make him an idiot. And just what the hell do you mean ‘can’t fend for himself’?” You started to stand up and take a defensive stance. “He only had a bloody nose because of assholes like you and that jackass bully who decide to take advantage of him just to let her damn aggression out! He’s sweet and caring, meanwhile you jerks are just shallow and obviously highly manipulative if you think I’m just going to sit here and do the work for you while you sit on your asses and do nothing!”
“You know, Y/N, the more you keep talking to more I’m starting to think that you actually like-like this boy.” Heather replied, getting in your face.
You were taken aback for a moment. You thought about what she said for a split second before you realized something you never realized before. And from that realization, a fluttering feeling erupted from the pit of your stomach.
“Well, you know what? Maybe I do! Maybe I do like him more than a best friend!”
“I’m not surprised,” She smirked. “It seems like something a bitch like you would do. Aim for the lowest of the low and hope that you’ll find some comfort in that.”
You couldn’t take it anymore. You brought your fist up in blind rage and let it collide with Heather’s perfectly defined nose. You heard the sound of her nose breaking and the others gasping at your sudden action and felt a sense of pride and fear swept through you. Mostly pride, though.
“Do me a favor and never talk about or to me or my best friend ever again.” You said through gritted teeth before storming out of the room. But not before you punched a certain someone where the sun don’t sun, just for extra measures since he had started it.
You walked all the way back to your house that night. When you got home, you changed out of those heinous clothes and into the ones that felt more you… You finally felt like yourself again, but a thought crossed your mind in the form of an all too familiar voice.
“We’re going to play some video games over at my house tonight! And my other friends really want to meet you so I was wondering if you wanted to come over!” Billy’s voice echoed in your mind.
You glanced at yourself in the mirror, sighing quietly, “I hope this is a good idea.”
You headed down the street to Billy’s house, thinking about what you were going to say when you got there. Billy would no doubt ask questions as to why you decided to come, and it was inevitable you would have to talk to his new friends, which scared the living Hell out of you.
You knocked on the door, Billy’s mother greeting you with a joyful smile, just as she always did.
“I was wondering when you were going to show up, Y/N. It felt weird for Billy to have friends over without you, you know.” You both laughed. “They’re all right downstairs, alright?”
“Alright,” You took a deep breath. “It was nice seeing you, Mrs. Cranston.”
“You too, sweetheart.”
You heard laughter and cheering coming from the other side of the basement door and your heart rate picked up. You pursed your lips when you opened up the door. Carefully walking down the steps, you saw Billy and his four other friends huddled around the television while Billy and Jason Scott tried to beat each other in Mario Kart while the other three were cheering them on. For a second, you had gotten so used to not wanting to disrupt their festivities that you forgot to even announce your presence.
After Billy has won and Jason accepted defeat, Billy turned to look at the others when his gazed landed upon you. He jumped from his seat in surprise, for nobody had heard you come in and he swore you said you would be somewhere else that night.
“Y/N…” Billy said.
The four others turned to look at you, seeming just as shocked as Billy since you were so quiet in coming in. You blushed in embarrassment when you felt their gaze on you. You awkwardly waved and said a small “Hey…”
Billy saw that you were no longer dressed like you were attending a fancy tea party and grinned while stating, “It’s you.”
“It’s me,” You nodded. “Not Heather, or Daina, or Jenna… Just me.”
“I thought you said you had a party to go to.” Billy moved from around the couch.
“Well, I did. But, they were acting like jerks and said… some things. Besides, it was lame anyway. All we did was study and how boring is that, am I right?” You spoke, hoping your hesitation would go right over Billy’s head, which it did.
“Very much so.” Billy nodded. “I’m sorry for not being around as much…”
“Same here, Billy. I’m sorry I ignored you like that. It was wrong of me.”
“So this is the Y/N we’ve heard so much about.” Zack Taylor stepped up. “Billy, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
“Right! Everyone, this is Y/N!” Billy wrapped his arm around your shoulder, something he hadn’t done in a long time. You felt the blood rush to your face, but despite the feverish feeling, you genuinely smiled at the gesture.
Billy’s new friends were actually a lot nicer and cooler than you had thought. They didn’t treat you any specific way and when you saw them interact with Billy, you could see that they really loved having him as a friend. Just knowing that Billy was content with them and they were content with him made a warmth grow inside your chest. In addition to that, you found that you had the same interests with them as well, making the experience all the more fun on your part too.
Later on, after Jason, Trini, Kimberly, and Zack had left, you sat on the couch with Billy laughing with each other as they went over their fond memories from only an hour ago. You stopped laughing for a moment and soft spoke up.
“Hey, Billy?”
“Yeah?”
“Let’s promise each other something, okay? Let’s promise that we’ll be honest about how we feel from now on.” You hoped that by making this promise, you wouldn’t have to hide your feelings about being excluded from stuff like that ever again. “Pinky-promise?”
“I promise.” He said, looping his pinky around yours.
You and he both nodded awkwardly, looking away from each other. You both had the same thoughts rolling through your head, and the silence of the room was getting to you both, forcing one of you to do something. You were the first one. Your hand slid over to Billy’s. Your fingers intertwined with his, your palms touching.
Billy looked over at you, and you looked back at him with a fragile smile gracing your beautiful features. He looked nervous but felt comfortable once he found reassurance in your eyes. No words were exchanged between you two after that, but he knew what your seemingly insignificant gesture had meant. Right then and there, you were completely honest with one another.
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Sabine Guérin ✖ 36 ✖ Corsetière at Dentelle Noir ✖ Sexuality Up To Writer
‣ BIOGRAPHY ↴
The granddaughter of Daniel Guérin, who was a famous French anarcho-communist author, Sabine was brought up in a small family, full of opinionated people. Her grandfather constantly encouraged them to express themselves and explore the various changes in society. She was close to him during his final years, listening to him rattle on about the Spanish War and how he witnessed the important political movements throughout history. Sabine loved hearing his stories, laughing whenever he made jokes or gasping whenever he told her of his adventures. His books were the family’s pride and treasure. Her parents, were milder in personality, opting to lead normal lives and moved away from Paris.
Her mother, a talented seamstress, taught her only daughter how to sew. Their weekends together meant they spend time in thrift stores, finding old dresses and other items to turn them into new pieces they could wear to parties or other gatherings. Sabine grew up to be sharp and talented in sewing. She went to Esmod, Paris after high school and learned from the best designers. Inspired, Sabine decided to do her postgraduate studies in England, more specifically Central Saint Martins which has a plethora of famous alumni. It was there where Sabine found her love for lingerie and designing it, perfecting her art in corset making. Sabine then decided to work for François Tamarin at Aux Corsets de Montmartre – an exclusive corset maker who received the Un des Meilleur Ouvriers de France in 2004.
Learning from the best meant hard work, miserable working hours and getting shouted at constantly. Her employer was a kind, talented man with a bad temper. Still, Sabine was resilient just like her grandfather and even though she often found herself wanting to shoot a sharp remark his way, she’d remind herself of her mother’s gentle ways. After a few years there, Sabine moved to London to work for Agent Provocateur. She lived comfortable in London for a few years and there, she met Daina Lee. He was the perfect gentleman, always putting her needs first. For a while, Sabine was wary of him, unsure of his background, what he worked as. He simply told her he was a florist and true enough, he was. Still, he kept late nights and Sabine wasn’t too sure if this perfect man of her dreams was just a florist or something more. She couldn’t seem to find out more about his family – he insisted that he was an orphan with no one else to depend on except for himself. Despite the shady beginnings, Sabine fell in love with him hard. They eventually moved to Central London together, engaged.
They made plans to have a family together, deciding to look into neighborhoods which were more family friendly in the outskirts of London. Her career was progressing well and Daina began to bring in more money from his job. Everything was peaceful and quiet till their house was robbed. No one was hurt in the process but Sabine was upset that most of the jewelry she inherited from her grandmother was gone. Then there was the eerie note stuck onto the kitchen cupboard with a sharp knife that said, “Your time is up.” Shaken and terrified, Sabine called the authorities, had them search for clues in her house until Daina arrived home. Upon finding out about the note, Daina’s face grew pale and grim. He didn’t say much thereafter although Sabine knew it must have something to do with what he was actually doing and it was definitely not as a florist.
It wasn’t a surprise that Daina was gone the next morning. He had convinced her to stay at a friend’s house outside of London and he left the house in a hurry. Sabine never heard of him again despite her attempts to find him, calling their contacts and asking if they knew where he went. The only thing that she could get was the fact that Daina Lee wasn’t his real name and that he was a fugitive from Germany. Although it wasn’t exactly a surprise to Sabine, the fact that a person was after him and her safety has already compromised made Sabine worry. She wanted to move back to Paris but was afraid that Daina might have revealed where she was from to whoever it was that was after him. Afraid, Sabine decided to move away from Europe, searching for job opportunities elsewhere that would not only appreciate her talent but also keep her away from future threats.
She came into contact with a Los Angeles-based lingerie boutique who made custom orders. It was difficult to find such stores in the States and the search for an experienced Corsetière was much needed. Sabine didn’t waste any more time and applied for it. She flew to Los Angeles a week before the scheduled interview and was accepted almost instantly due to her portfolio. Dentelle Noir reminded her of her beginnings but at the same time, it was something new. The array of customers and custom orders kept her on her toes and Sabine found herself feeling at home and safe. She joined the network to extend her clientele as well as to find more friends.
‣ CONNECTIONS ↴
Dentelle Noir connections are HERE
‣ DETAILS ↴
FC: Eva Green Ethnicity: Sephardi Jewish, Swedish, Breton, and French Availability: OPEN Negotiable: Yes Gifs: 506 . 400 . 155+
main rp . rules . nav . faceclaims . APPLY
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dansekritikerrorsla-blog · 6 years ago
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Texts from workshop in Bergen: David Barlow
A high pitched screech in the dark. I put my hand in front of my face and can see nothing. Another cry, dolphin-like, followed by the sound of limbs sliding across the stage. The blackout is sustained as we then faintly begin to perceive a figure pass before us back and forth. Lights slowly fade up, and from this penumbra a young woman undressed from the waist up is revealed. Wearing jeans, she stands stock still and with laser focus eyes the audience. These are the opening moments of Daina Ashbee’s POUR. After removing the jeans with kabuki-like precision, the dancer is nude, and for much of what follows we encounter a kind of birthing process, painfully human, but also animal, as her body shifts through sculpted contortions on an ice-blue floor that’s covered in liquid as viscous and slick as amniotic or menstrual fluid. It is a stark homage to the mysterious agony (and jubilee) of being embodied and alive.
This woman’s curiosity about self-discovery is resolute, she must know how she relates to the ooze that puddles along the platform. Perhaps she herself is the primordial muck of creation that can now observe itself through consciousness and form. And when elements of percussion are added from the methodical thump thump thump of arms and elbows, then hips, chest, belly, buttocks and legs, the naked urgency of it all forces me to see past the smooth curve of the dancer’s breasts or slope of her thighs and pelvis to something more acute: an unflinching testament to the female essence that refuses to be objectified — Look closer, look closer, and see me as I am, see all of me, all of me as I am.... Then sometimes the faintest hint of a smile begins to curl at the corners of her mouth, suggesting a well of elation that may bubble beneath the frozen surface of her metallic gaze.
Two weeks ago, three hours north of Bergen, I borrowed a fishing rod at the cottage of a friend. I hadn’t gone fishing in 20 years, and was excited. In the early morning I walked down to an inlet fed by the Sogne Fjord and cast my line. The first fish I caught, a pollock, was small, maybe the size of seven sardines, but surely big enough to eat. I had forgotten how brutal it is to grip a fish’s body while removing the bait hook from its mouth, and then to see it helplessly writhe and flop on the grass, reaching out and fluttering its fins, gulping at the cold morning air. I said, “Oh honey, I’m sorry...” That’s the thing, it’s not enough to simply catch the fish, you’ve then got to kill it. Or throw it back in the water. But I’ve never had much regard for sport fishing, it’s like having fun at another’s expense, no? It’s cruel — maybe not as cruel as trophy hunting, but it’s still cruel. So I rapped its head against a rock to knock it out, but the fish wouldn’t die, and now I winced at the thought of its slow suffocation compounded by a series of unnecessary concussions. “Tortured to death,” I thought, “Shit, I should’ve brought a hammer, to really get it done right,” but no, that would be way too vulgar and murderous. What to do...? I picked up the fish and walked back toward the cottage. Then noticing another choice spot, I quickly cast the line again, I couldn’t help it, and now there was a second pollock, bigger than the first. There’s a thrill that comes from feeling those staccato tugs on the rod, it’s so unavoidably satisfying and ancestral to haul out even the smallest morsel of prey from the water’s depths. But enough, I decided, enough killing, no more....  We went up the hill, I and the two pollock squeezed together in my hand. They could see me of course (do we ever really appreciate the fact that they can still see?), and I wondered what a strange and terrifying thing I must look like to these two quivering creatures who to me had the wide eyed panic of captured pixies, or hobbits clutched in the wooly paw of some giant ogre on his way back to his cave and boiling cauldron. 
On the cutting board in the kitchen, both fish were still very much alive, staring out at this alien world. I really wished they had eyelids to close, and as I cut the knife through the head of the first fish, the second one wildly flipped about, as if it knew exactly what was happening, and what was to come. Maybe they were speaking to each other through the invisible signals we animals are always chemically and energetically sending one another. There was more blood than I thought there’d be from something so little and aquatic. Then as I put the knife to the second one’s gills, it stopped twitching, resigned almost, looking up and saying, “Just get it over with, monster...”
Whole pollock cooks fast on a buttered skillet, and I recommend adding chopped garlic and salt to the braise before drizzling on a bit of lemon, followed by a garnish of fresh parsley or cilantro. Gently slice along the belly, then pull the fine needles of spine neatly away from the flesh, and savor. Eat slowly, this honors the life you took.
In our current period of #metoo reckoning, the dancer’s vulnerable figure reminds me of the fish, especially as she lies on her stomach and slaps her stitched legs on the wet deck like a mermaid’s tail. But in her case, she’s no defenseless victim, she’s fierce and insistent. It may at times be uncomfortable or even tiresome to watch her pounding her pelvis on the floor, but it must not be ignored, for it is as sensual and primal as an open wound. And the sheer force of will (and muscle) it must take for her to fuel these repetitive gestures is as unapologetic as it is exacting. We are invited to join in the struggle with her, and to learn patience. (Is that not also what it means to be alive, to learn patience?)
Finally, she slowly stands as if she has just grown legs and emerged from the sea, and screams from her gut, a scream that rips through her vocal chords like shrapnel. She screams again, a collective cry of giving birth and being born, of blind determination, of grief, pain and pleasure, and of time itself. And now a realization that’s been pressing at the edges of my conscience suddenly floods the rest of my head and heart: that even though I may not have committed the kinds of deeds for which other men have recently been accused, it is no less incumbent upon me to be accountable to, and to take in the totality of, all that it is to be the feminine, and Devine.
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