#did he wear those to try to hide his identity from people in his hometown

[nonovyabuisness]

WHAT

[mars-commissions]

Kaito x Kei Fluff Commission

2k words

Kaito stopped his motorcycle in front of Kei’s house, removing his helmet to let his short blonde hair breathe, the spiked locks swaying in the breeze. His roots were notably darker than the rest of his hair, seeing as he liked to dye it a lighter tone to match his golden eyes. If you came closer to him, you’d notice a small smiley-face earring on his left ear. He stood a bit below average height and was clad in a black button-down shirt, brown capris, and hiking boots. With no access to a place to clean his clothes, they were a little dirty, but he managed to look presentable to the best of his ability.

It wasn’t Kei’s house exactly, but an abandoned house he and Kaito had been squatting in for a few weeks. It was a long story, but that was their current situation. Kaito had been out all day going to stores to find anything he could use to repair or use to do maintenance on his motorbike. Who knew, what if they’d have to leave town and go somewhere more rural, far from any stores? They knew they wouldn’t be able to stay in one place for long, but at least they had each other.

The two boys were only seventeen but had experienced things that you wouldn’t normally have to go through at that age. Most of their peers weren’t running from the cops after breaking out of prison, they were at home sleeping or staying up all night to study. After all, they were only teenagers. They should be in school too, but they didn’t have much of a choice. The idea of being on the run constantly felt pretty ordinary to them at this point.

It especially wasn’t a foreign idea to Kaito, seeing as his dad was a convict and a distrust for a system was all he had ever known. He never trusted the police as a child and was taught to be clever like his father. The reason why the two boys had been separated, to begin with, was that Kaito’s dad was a felon. Kei had cut him off as soon as his mom told him. He regretted it now, but Kaito had moved on and accepted Kei’s apology.

He patiently waited for his boyfriend to come out to go on a ride with him. It was fairly late into the night. Kaito had chosen to ride at night because there were fewer cars and it was peaceful at night. They also were at a lower risk of getting caught and sent back to jail. Kaito going out for the day was one thing, but the two of them in public in broad daylight was just asking to get arrested again.

Kaito was cautious and made sure to wear sunglasses inside of stores when he didn’t have his motorcycle helmet on. It wasn’t the best disguise, but it was better than nothing. But at night, they’d be as free as birds, able to go anywhere they desired within the city with a low risk of being discovered. The door to the abandoned house opened and Kei sprinted over to him, hugging him. Kaito laughed it off, slipping his helmet onto Kei’s head.

Kei was taller than Kaito, but only by a bit and was a lot scrawnier. Kaito was the strongest of the two, but Kei made up for it with his intellect. Kei had short black hair which could be seen through the visor of the helmet. He had been wearing his signature outfit; a white t-shirt tucked into plain black pants. He too didn’t have many options for clothes and had to make do with whatever he had with nothing but the clothes on his back.

“I missed you all day, I was so worried.” Kei grinned.

“I did too. I don’t mind if I get hurt if we end up in an accident, but I don’t think I’d ever been able to forgive myself if something were to happen to you,” Kaito said as he adjusted the various buckles to fit Kei’s head.

It had been a while since they had reunited and the two had started dating very quickly into their reconciliation. They were inseparable. Kaito was very protective over Kei and wouldn’t dare let anyone lay as much as a finger on his beloved boyfriend. Kaito was shorter by a bit but would take anyone down if it meant his boyfriend would be protected. He sounded like he was very strong, but he had a soft spot in his heart for Kei. No matter how hard he tried to hide behind a rough exterior, he’d always be loving to Kei, even if they were fighting, which seldom happened.

“Ok, weirdo, don’t get all mushy on me,” Kei teased, bringing up his old nickname for his boyfriend.

“Not my fault that I care about your safety. You mean so much to me.” Kaito smiled, getting on his motorcycle.

Kaito patted the space on the black leather seat behind him, letting Kei sit with his arms wrapped around him. He rested his head on his shoulder, shutting his eyes and giving him a tight squeeze, letting out a sigh of comfort. Kaito blushed, smiling to himself. He loved when Kei was affectionate because it gave him a sense of reassurance. It was as if it were Kei’s way of telling him that all of this being on the run stuff was worth it if it meant that he would get to be with him. He knew that of course, but it was the heartful reminder that he needed.

“Where to?” Kaito asked.

“I’m not sure, just take me anywhere.” Kei shrugged.

Kaito started up his motorcycle and began to gain momentum. He stayed at a reasonable speed, cruising down the barren streets. The roads were empty, aside from a few parked cars on the side of the road. They had intentionally chosen this location to hide in temporarily, because of how close it was to their childhood homes. It was for nostalgic purposes, rather than being a safe place to hide. They were sure they’d be caught sooner, but maybe the police assumed they had gone elsewhere. It might have been the last time they got to see their hometown and they wanted to make the most of it before it was too late. He stopped in front of a playground, pointing at it to draw Kei’s attention.

“I remember going to that park as a kid with you before we stopped talking,” Kaito said.

The playground was empty without a person in sight. The colourful structure was lined with ladders, slides, and monkey bars for children to play on. There was even a swing set. The metal chains holding the swings up squeaked as the wind passed through them, making them rub against each other.

“I remember playing here too. I’m really sorry for cutting you out of my life all of those years. I still feel a little guilty about it sometimes. I thought you hated me for the longest time.” Kei sighed, burying his face into Kaito’s shoulder.

“Don’t feel bad about it. You were just a kid and didn’t understand. I’m so glad you came back eventually.” Kaito reassured, starting his motorcycle back up.

“I’m glad I did too,” Kei said in agreeance.

The motorcycle continued to take them to their next mystery location. They passed by the houses of the suburban area before they slowly turned into shops, indicating that they were out in a more public area and would need to be extra careful. Kaito stopped the motorcycle in front of a convenience store, parking it so they could go inside. Before they could go in, the two boys put on hats and sunglasses. They looked a bit odd to be wearing them at night but was for the sake of concealing their identities, even if it meant looking a bit unusual. Kaito opened the door for Kei as they made their way inside.

“Let’s get slushies and drink them on the curb,” Kaito suggested.

“Sure, why not. I feel like we deserve it after all we had to go through.” Kei laughed, shaking his head at Kaito.

“Yeah, I don’t think running from the cops is something most people have to do every day,” Kaito said softly, not wanting to alert the cashier that they were convicts.

They filled up their slushie cups with soda-flavoured slush and headed to the counter to pay. As he made small talk with the cashier, Kei paid for their slushies and snacks they grabbed on the way out. They could’ve easily shoplifted, but getting caught and sent back to jail over a cheap chocolate bar wasn’t worth the risk, even if it meant saving a few bucks.

Sitting on the curb next to where Kaito had parked the motorcycle, they began to eat, chatting about being kids like they were old friends. It was dark out and the only illumination that allowed them to see was the light seeping through the windows of the convenience store. Blue and red light emitted from a large neon sign that informed passersby that they were open, but it wasn’t bright enough to shine on Kaito and Kei.

“Kai, I just wanted to say thanks for saving me back there. You were so willing to help me even though all I’ve ever done is pushed you aside.” Kei thanked, peeling the wrapper of a chocolate bar.

“You’ve thanked me for helping you a hundred times already. Give me a piece of chocolate and then we can be even.” Kaito said, holding his palm open.

Kei carefully broke off a piece of his chocolate bar, handing it over to Kaito, who had eaten it in mere seconds. They sat in comfortable silence as they both chewed on the chocolate pieces. Kaito inched over slowly, trying to break the space between him and Kei on the curb.

“I’m worried that if you sit too close to me, someone might see,” Kei said, biting his lip nervously.

“It’s two in the morning. I think it’s a lot more severe that we just busted out of prison than the fact that we’re dating. I’m proud to have you as my boyfriend.” Kaito smiled.

“I guess you’re right. And no one’s around to see this.” Kei blushed, leaning closer to Kaito and softly kissing his cheek.

Kaito put his arm around Kei so he could rest his head on Kaito’s shoulder. It was a little chilly since it was late in the night, so cuddling made it easier to share their body heat so neither of the two would get cold.

“Nope. I can promise you that only I saw that. And even if someone did, they’d just be happy for us. And if they weren’t, I’d fight them for you.” Kaito chuckled.

“I don’t think there’s anyone else I’d rather be on the run with. You know so much more than me, I’m more book smart when it comes to intelligence, but that means almost nothing out here.” Kei sighed.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, I think you’re smart,” Kaito assured.

The two snuggled on the curbside as the sky went from dark and full of stars to a light reddish-orange. Clouds dotted the sky, now more visible that the sun was peaking over the horizon ahead of them. The picturesque cityscape left the two in awe. It was bittersweet to have to leave the city so soon, but they knew they wouldn’t be able to stay long. The city was beautiful, but it was too risky and they’d surely be caught lurking there. Out in the middle of nowhere was their only option.

“So,” Kaito murmured, ”What do you say we get out of here before we’re seen?”

“Yeah, let’s get going.” Kei agreed.

And just like that, the boys were back on Kaito’s motorcycle, looking for somewhere new to crash.

Message me if you’re interested in commissioning me!

[keplercryptids]

3, 24 for z'ress, 9, 10 for mahety, 6, 8, 14 for both

answering the ones i haven’t already!

3. does z’ress paint their nails? do they wait for them to dry fully afterwards?

i think z’ress paints their nails the way i paint mine: sporadically, when the mood strikes, and very meticulously. you gotta wait till it dries!!!

9. where does mahety look when she’s the only one walking down a road?

mahety is never quite sure what to look at if there’s no people around. so i feel like when she’s alone, she’s still just looking out for people lol.

14. is your character more likely to wear a necktie, a bowtie, or a bolo tie? (if any at all)

z’ress will wear a necktie or bowtie if ingot forces him to. but that’s a big “none of the above” from mahety. how will people see her beautiful necklaces if she’s got a tie on?

god the rest is going under a readmore because it’s so long. i’m a monster and i can’t be stopped.

24. what made z’ress the angriest they've ever been?

oh, god. do i go with the obvious answer here and say, “the hoard killing his brother”? but that doesn’t actually feel right, because that was so wrapped up in grief and pain. their anger was really just a mask. i can think of two recent examples that have made them just....impossibly, close-to-the-edge angry. 

1. when ildan threatened and extorted the party on the way back from thar tharum. z’ress thought those days were over. he thought he was done with his fucking bullshit dad forever. he thought he’d never have to run from him again, or be afraid, he certainly never thought that his friends would be in danger because of ildan fucking matyl! and to have that flipped all at once, to have his friends actively in that kind of danger and to not be in control of any of it. yeah. he was pissed, to put it lightly. 

2. very recently, right now, at ingot’s family. z’ress is trying his best to hide these feelings. his goal right now is to be #1 Supportive Boyfriend and to center ingot’s feelings and make sure he’s okay. and also make sure lucien gets out of this alive, z’ress is extremely focused on that. but beneath all that, in quiet moments when he lets himself just feel whatever he’s feeling, he’s furious. he wants to march right back into that house and kill them all, honestly. he hated them long before this but hate doesn’t even really touch on it now.

8. how did your characters feel when they left home for the first time?

mahety was essentially voted out by the elders to go on her pre-leadership journey. she wanted to explore the world, but on her own terms, and maybe with a cousin or her dad or something tagging along. she didn’t feel ready, and so she tried to push it back or skip it altogether. she was a little bit afraid of the world. but the elders pushed for it and so she left kind of in a huff, lol. she felt worried, and small, and for the first time in her life, alone and a little incapable. it didn’t take too long for her to get comfortable but the initial leaving was definitely very scary.

z’ress...god. z’ress’s hometown is technically porthcawl, but that isn’t truly where he grew up. he spent time there, sure, but "home” was a boat, “home” was sailing up and down every river in the country. being a pirate was z’ress’ whole identity. it was all he wanted to be, all he knew how to be. and so when his dad kicked him out, when he was banished from his crew and left for dead, he refused to accept it at first. he assumed ildan would calm down and take him back. this wasn’t the first time ildan had done something like this, you know? maybe not to this degree, but close enough that z’ress thought if he just gave him some time, of course ildan would take him back!

so z’ress made his slow, injured way back to porthcawl to basically beg for his life back. ildan refused, of course, and not only that, but it was then that he took out the bounty on z’ress’s head for treason. this essentially blacklisted z’ress from being hired by any other crew. and still, he tried for a year to continue being a pirate. it took him a long, long time to accept that it wasn’t going to happen. tess actually pointed out one time how reluctant z’ress is to burn bridges, and yeah! in their mind, they burn bridges easily but in reality, they definitely don’t. this was a bridge that took a long, long time to burn.

[asiaberkeley]

Afghan is beautiful

I am a half Afghan woman. An Afghan-European American. An Afghan American.

Admittedly, it took me awhile to offer up this information in the aftermath of 9/11 when Afghanistan became synonymous with terrorism in the eyes of many Americans. Taking pride in my heritage suddenly and painfully became controversial.

People didn’t know about my Afghan-ness though because I had my mother’s surname and not my Pashtun father’s: Hotaki. Also, I didn’t wear any kind of head covering because I was raised Catholic. It was easy to hide and pass for completely White.

My late father, an aspiring doctor and med school student who spoke six languages, left Kabul with his family before the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan as a child. They were the lucky ones. He spent most of his life in Germany where many Afghans have sought refuge. One of my fondest memories is flying kites with him and my Irish-Swedish-French American mother in the Munich Public Gardens as a child. There was no wind that day and we dragged the kites in dizzy circles…laughing together...just as I imagine him now when he was a boy: kite flying in the streets of Kabul.

Since my father died when I was six, I returned to my mother’s hometown of Boston with her in 1996. I was later left to contemplate what it meant to be Afghan in a place with very few Afghans compared to Virginia, California, and New York. In college, as an Asian Studies major at Wellesley College and later at the University of California, Berkeley, I often corrected people who said that Afghanistan is in the Middle East and not in South-Central Asia. I wondered why it seemed that no one had received much education on this country’s history or people outside of reading the popular Khaled Hosseini novel, The Kite Runner, especially since we have been at war—fighting together with the Afghan forces against the Taliban in the longest war in American history.

Many Americans don’t realize that the attackers on 9/11 were not Afghan. The attackers did seek a hiding and meeting place in Afghanistan, however. But those facts shouldn’t matter. Because it doesn’t matter what ethnicity, race, or nationality someone is if they commit a crime and it doesn’t matter where they were hiding. The guilty party does not represent all people of their background or country just like Hitler does not represent all Germans or all of Germany and El Chapo does not represent Mexico or all Mexicans. Similarly, the latest mass shooter in El Paso doesn’t represent all white American men.

After former President Trump pondered out loud the mere possibility of a concocted plan to kill 10 million Afghans and wipe the country off the face of the earth – presumably through the use of nuclear weapons – I have thought more about what it means to be Afghan American today. And it’s not because of those unimaginably cruel musings which add insult to injury in the homes of all Afghans traumatized by decades of war. Indeed, nearly every person who is not a white man has been made to feel worthless, subhuman and criminal under the rhetoric of the former Trump administration...so Afghans are not alone.

But Afghans were alone in the discussion of their genocide in 2019. I have contemplated my identity even more because not one leader or politician in America of any background spoke out formally against those disturbing statements. (And it doesn’t matter if this was an actual plan of his or just an imaginary scenario dangling in the recesses of his mind.) What does the national silence mean?

After 9/11, Afghan American author of West of Kabul, East of New York and Destiny Disrupted, Tamim Ansary, went viral with an email he sent.  In it, he wrote:

“The Taliban and Bin Laden are not Afghanistan. They’re not even the government of Afghanistan. The Taliban are a cult of ignorant psychotics who captured Afghanistan in 1997 and have been holding the country in bondage ever since. Bin Laden is a political criminal with a master plan. When you think Taliban, think Nazis. When you think Bin Laden, think Hitler. And when you think “the people of Afghanistan” think “the Jews in the concentration camps.” It’s not only that the Afghan people had nothing to do with this atrocity, they were the first victims of the perpetrators. They would love for someone to eliminate the Taliban and clear out the rats nest of international thugs holed up in their country. I guarantee it…Some say, if that’s the case, why don’t the Afghans rise up and overthrow the Taliban themselves? The answer is, they’re starved, exhausted, damaged, and incapacitated.”

After 2001, my family warned me that just telling people I was Afghan may offend or anger them because they may have lost a loved one on 9/11 or they may have had a son or daughter deployed to Afghanistan. In middle school, a classmate told me I was from the land of the terrorists after I proudly showed her an autographed book I received from an Afghan British writer, Saira Shah, called "The Storyteller's Daughter." My American cousin, a veteran, was later deployed to Afghanistan and brought back a burqa which I showed to my classmates in high school to teach them about the Taliban’s oppression. Contrary to what they may have assumed, what they saw was not traditional Afghan clothing. Traditional Afghan clothing, banned under the Taliban, is colorful, intricate, deeply hued, bright and beautiful. Google it.

A year has passed since Trump discussed wiping Afghanistan off the face of the earth. After it happened, I regularly checked Twitter and the news to see if any of our nation’s leaders denounced those remarks. I called my Governor, Congresspeople, and many others asking if just one would put out a statement to support Afghans and Afghan Americans against talk of our annihilation. The Governor’s office simply said that he did not put out a statement. I still haven’t found any. However, some Americans did speak out on social media. Thank you.

We have studied the long-lasting horrors of the U.S. nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in our classrooms. I thought we concluded as a nation that something like that could never happen again. That not a single person in power thought it worth it to speak out against the possibility of the U.S. committing another nuclear genocide bewilders and frightens me. Is it controversial to say out loud that Afghans civilians do not deserve to die en masse? Are Afghans so vilified in our society that it’s a public risk to defend us?

If you still blame the Afghan people for 9/11 even if only on an subconscious level, think again. Many of the Afghan people are suffering in ways you can only imagine in your worst nightmares. They are not responsible and took no part in this. Like the poor souls who were killed in the Twin Towers, Afghans are survivors and casualties of terrorism as well. Afghan women have lost their entire families. They have been abused and pillaged. Men, women, and children have been bombed and maimed. Their history, including the rich Buddhist Silk Road history of Afghanistan, has been destroyed by the Taliban and others.

Discussing our nation's capability to conduct nuclear genocide of an entire people and country is an affront to all humans.

So I suggest to all of our nation’s leaders who have remained tight-lipped in the face of the unspeakable: Take time to learn something you don’t know about Afghanistan. Perhaps that could start with the story of progressive Afghan Queen and feminist Soraya Tarzi who asked, "Do you think, however, that our nation from the outset only needs men to serve it? Women should also take their part as women did in the early years of our nation..." Or it could be about the life and death of iconic Afghan singer Ahmad Zahir. You could learn about the courageous resistance of Afghan women and girls throughout history or visit that Afghan restaurant you were too timid to enter and try a sweet pumpkin kadoo dish.

As the war in Afghanistan, a war based on lies and deceit, may be coming to another tragic end with even graver implications for the women left behind who have fought so hard for equality,  maybe it’s finally time to read another book that is not the Kite Runner... and most importantly, time to look deep inside of ourselves and question the possible anger, hate and bias that has developed towards the Afghan people after the catastrophic and traumatizing events of September 11, 2001.

*See the Washington Post’s Afghanistan Papers which deemed that the American military did not know what it was doing there and that the war was based on lies and deceit. Government officials misled the American public about the war. The war has cost the lives of thousands of American soldiers with many more wounded as well as 100,000+ Afghan civilians killed or hurt. Many of the American troops have returned with PTSD. 30% of the Afghan casualties were children.

Sources

https://apnews.com/a2a8d7a4f89ec0515379dc4d4a38b56a

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/documents-database/

[destieltropecollection]

Destiel Trope Collection 2019 Day 9: Coffee Shop AU

rain is falling, looks like love | @alullabytoleaveby Rating: General Word Count: 5536 Main Tags and Warnings: coffee shop au, student!cas, barista!cas Summary: “Um. I didn’t order this.” Cas shrugs.“It’s on the house. Consider it a thank you for your patience.” Dean snorts. “Thanks, I guess. Although I’ve never been much of a muffin man. Honestly, I’d prefer a piece of pie,” he says with a winning smile. Cas determinedly doesn’t fall for it. “Beggars can’t be choosers, Dean. Eat your muffin.” -- OR: Cas works at a coffeeshop, Dean is a customer, and they're both ridiculously in love with each other.

...And One Awkward Barista To Go | @isolemnlyswear-iamsuperwholocked Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 2113 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - After College/University, Coffee Shop Employee Castiel, Post-High School, High School Crush, Tumblr Prompt, Based on a Tumblr Post Summary: Dean finally got out of his hometown to go to college, but when he comes back on break he passes the cafe where he first met his old crush, Castiel, and old memories make him go inside...because what are the chances he'll even still be there, anyway?

Noveltea & Coffee | @rustling-pages Rating: Explicit Word Count: 50064 Main Tags and Warnings: Magical Realism AU, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining Summary: Dean once thought his literary themed coffee shop ‘Noveltea & Coffee’ would be a better, more satisfying source of income than working as a mechanic. He thought people would come for the good coffee and stay for an even better book selection. He also thought he’d be running it with Sam, but that didn’t happen. Now he’s stuck with a bad mood he’s emoting all over the place, a lovingly created coffee shop no one ever frequents and a soul full of worry for the brother he no longer talks to. When Castiel – a defeated librarian turned accountant – comes stumbling in during a November downpour, things change so drastically for the better, it might as well be magic…

Not So Alone Anymore | @pherryt Rating: General Word Count: 4211 Main Tags and Warnings: a/b/o dynamics, omega!cas, omega!dean, alpha!michael, web designer!dean, Mpreg, abandoned!dean, Misunderstandings, Pining, Confessions, Cas owns a coffee shop, Angst and Fluff, Pups, past michael/dean Summary: Suddenly alone and pregnant, Dean’s resigned himself to raising his unborn pups by himself after Michael skips out on him for greener pastures. Along comes Cas. They get off on the wrong foot but maybe Dean isn’t so alone anymore...

Nobody's Fault But Mine | @peanutbutterjelly-pie Rating: General Word Count: 6139 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Bakery, Misunderstandings, Mistaken Identity Summary: Castiel just should have listened. He seriously should have. But instead he found himself hypnotized by those beautiful green eyes and he totally missed the most important thing in the process.

50 Last Dates | @reaperlove77 Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 1379 Main Tags and Warnings: pining Dean, clueless Cas, Humor, fluff, coffee shop au Summary: It was Dean's guilty pleasure, watching scruffy guy dump his various boyfriends, a real life soap opera. He really, really wanted to get to know blue eyes better, but come on, Dean doesn't date shady. But there's more to the story than he expected.

Autumn in His Eyes | @DesiraeLovesDestiel Rating: Explicit Word Count: 50464 Main Tags and Warnings: Bar Owner Dean/Artist Cas, Humor, Fluff, Angst with a happy ending, Smut, pining, minor character death, Summary: Castiel worked his ass off to escape his family and make a name for himself in the art world and now C.J. Krushnic was one of the most sought-after artists around. After years of abuse from his dysfunctional family, he was finally living as he pleased and answered to no one other than himself. Until his older brother, Lucifer, was arrested and found guilty of multiple homicides. Now the name C.J. Krushnic was synonymous with sex, lies, and murder. Castiel, exhausted and stressed by the constant paparazzi and speculation into his own psyche, goes into hiding, moving into an inherited property of his beloved grandmother’s in the cozy little town of Bear Claw, Vermont-where he meets one Dean Winchester. Dean, though not without his own baggage, is a kind and generous soul who unlocks something in Castiel. Seemingly not put off by his surliness-in fact, Dean seems to enjoy it- the kind bar owner reawakens Castiel’s muse, making him want to open up about his past and who he is. But Dean is too bright to deserve all of Castiel’s dark and the artist is determined not to let them become anything more than good friends. But Castiel soon learns that Dean has other plans.

Bean's | @lemonsorbae Rating: Teen & Up Word Count: 6787 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff Summary: When Dean had returned home from his third tour in Iraq, he’d begged the universe for a mundane life. No more guns, no more Arabic, no more shitty showers and MREs; Dean just wanted quiet.

Cakepocalypse! | @mittensmorgul Rating: Mature Word Count: 64145 Main Tags and Warnings: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Post-Episode: s13e23 Let the Good Times Roll, Baker Dean Winchester, TV producer Castiel, Alternate Universe - Reality Show, 13.23 coda fic and therefore canon, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, Angst and Fluff and Smut, but mostly fluff with a dash of crack.. Summary: “What the hell you tryin’ to sell me?” Dean asked, folding his arms across his chest. “Not selling, Deano. Buying. Or at least, renting for the duration of a limited season run,” Gabriel said, as Dean’s frown deepened. “Have you ever dreamed of being a Hollywood superstar?” Dean laughed outright at that and shook his head, turning around to pick up his coffee again. “Man, no way in hell. You got the wrong guy.” Spoiler alert: He did not have the wrong guy.

The Angel Cake Challenge | @almaasi Rating: General Word Count: 8132 Main Tags and Warnings: Canon Universe, Fluff, Romance, Team Free Will 2.0, Day At The Beach, Mistaken For A Couple, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Food as a Metaphor for Love, Public Displays of Affection, Pet Names, Endearments, First Kiss, Closeted Dean Winchester, Coming Out, Openly Bisexual Dean Winchester, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Good Omens Summary: There's a kooky gay couple sitting in this little beachside bistro, at the table next to Dean. Dean's biggest mistake was telling them they looked cute together. Now they've noticed Cas, and they're silently encouraging Dean to be as openly affectionate as them. Dean didn't sign up for this challenge. But now? Hell, he's in it to win it.

Purple Horse in a Coffee Shop | @almaasi Rating: General Word Count: 8437 Main Tags and Warnings: Fluff, Crack, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Office, Pride Parades, Coffee Shops, Horses, Colorblindness, Pride, Workplace Relationship, Agender Castiel, Asexual Castiel, Wizard Castiel, Bisexual Dean, Prince Dean, Pansexual Sam Summary: Nobody expects to see a purple horse at a Pride parade. So, naturally, Dean Winchester is surprised to meet his office co-worker and long-term crush, Castiel, riding atop a magnificent steed - and dressed in full wizard regalia, no less. Somehow, Cas thinks he (and his decked-out horse) are wearing grey. They visit a coffee shop with their friends and family, trying to get to the bottom of this mix-up - and apparently the purple horse is coming too. “One medium black coffee with two sugars; one macchiato; three small soy lattes; one large decaf with a caramel shot - and ten apples, please.”

[thethistlegirl]

Character Analysis: Angus MacGyver (Wunderkind AU Version)

@tomminowrites asked some of us writers if we’d be willing to use a character analysis sheet (Original by @the-right-writing) to analyze Mac as a character. I did two of these, the first one is for Mac as he is in canon, and this one will be for him in my AU Wunderkind) 

Some of these will probably be similar or identical to the last ones, but there’s still enough difference to warrant a whole new post. Prepare for the angst...and darkness... 

Tagging my Wunderkind folks because I can... @bands-space-and-monsters-oh-my @boozy-the-ghost @dickgrysvnwrites (don’t know if you read the fic or not but I know you read the last post like this) @impossiblepluto @telltaleclerk @sassysarcasticlove @silentheartedone @patriotproblems

What would completely break your character?

At this point it’s more a question of what would re-break Mac, because he’s already been broken by everything life’s thrown at him. Any number of things would be able to tip him over the breaking point. Losing another person he’s close to, being sent back to prison, losing the trust of the few people who actually seem to treat him like he’s worth more than just being seen as an ex-con; any of that would send him into a spiral. 

What was the best thing in your character’s life?

Bozer’s friendship, Pena’s mentoring (while it lasted) and his new team have been the few bright spots in Mac’s life. Jack is slowly becoming the most important part of Mac’s new world, but he’s hesitant to let another father figure in, because one abandoned him and one was killed, and he’s not sure which of those options is more horrible to think about happening to Jack. 

What was the worst thing in your character’s life?

Mac’s not sure if James leaving, Jerry Bozer’s death, Pena’s death, or his entire two years in prison are the worst part of his life. He kind of sees it as a cascade effect, where James leaving set everything else in motion, so if pushed he’d probably say that was the worst thing. But prison gave him the most lasting nightmares and trauma. 

What seemingly insignificant memories stuck with your character?

Mac remembers what he was wearing the day James left. He thought turning ten was the coolest thing that could happen to a person so he actually wore a nice little button down shirt and failed miserably to try and tie one of James’s much too big ties on. He waited all day to ask James to help him fix it, refusing to let Harry retie it. A few years later, when no one knew, he burned the tie on the Bozers’ grill. 

Mac remembers the last song he heard Jerry Bozer play. Jerry was practicing his guitar set for his friend’s band one night when they were at the house, and Bozer complained he couldn’t study with the music going and made Jerry go upstairs to his room instead of playing in the living room. The last song Mac heard drifting down from the stairs was “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. 

Mac remembers what the prison showers smell like. Just the smell of mold or cheap soap (he’s run into something similar in some hotels on missions, and nearly had a panic attack right there) is enough to take him right back to some of the worst moments of his life. 

Does your character work so that they can support their hobbies or use their hobbies as a way of filling up the time they aren’t working?

Mac is lucky enough now to have a job that lets him do what he loves. When he worked as a mechanic after high school, though, he had the day job to support both the Bozer family and his nighttime vigilante work. Mac’s never been great at functioning in a nine-to-five style world, and he would have suffocated in an office job. He needs to be working with his hands. 

What is your character reluctant to tell people?

Mac is afraid to let anyone see how afraid and broken he is. He doesn’t want to admit that he has PTSD, partly because he’s ashamed of the reasons why and partly because he doesn’t want to risk being seen as a burden. He thinks that maybe, if he just pretends all the traumatic things never happened, they’ll just slowly fade away. 

How does your character feel about sex?

Mac has nothing but bad experiences with sex. He never had a girlfriend in school, and as soon as he started being a vigilante he didn't want to put anyone else at risk by being associated with him. He never wanted a casual relationship, because of his abandonment issues. Now, though, he’s not sure he could ever be intimate with anyone, because he associates sex with pain, shame, and fear, since his first experiences were in prison. Even someone casually flirting with him can make him nervous, if they seem too pushy, because other prisoners often said the same things, mockingly. 

How many friends does your character have?

Not many. Most of the people from his hometown saw him as a delinquent troublemaker and want nothing to do with him now that he’s got a record. He still talks to Mr. Ericson, but he didn’t initiate that. He’s got Bozer, who’s determined to stick up for him, but their relationship is strained by Bozer’s guilt and Mac’s unwillingness to open up. He considers Jack and Riley friends, he’s not sure what he thinks of Cage, because as nice as she is, he knows she’s potentially manipulative and that scares him. He would never call Thornton a “friend” but he appreciates that she treats him well. 

How many friends does your character want?

Not many. In Mac’s experience, the people he cares about leave or get hurt. He doesn't want to risk either of those happening, and it’s easier to feel safe in a small friend group. He’s not sure letting Jack and Riley into that was a safe decision; he’s afraid one or both of them might be hurt on a mission if he makes a mistake, or might decide to bail on him.

What would your character make a scene in public about?

Mac hates drawing attention to himself, and he’s terrified that if the police showed up they’d find something to accuse him of. He hates arguments and raised voices and will give in in almost any case rather than fight back. The exceptions would be seeing a crime happening, or if someone attempted to hurt one of his friends, or if he was about to be sexually assaulted or killed. Mac won’t risk drawing attention to himself unless it’s a seriously terrifying situation. 

What would your character give their life for?

Mac will do whatever it takes to protect innocent people. He wasn’t worried about what might happen to him as a vigilante, because he thought it was better for him to be hurt or killed, since he was willing to be, than for it to happen to someone else. 

What are your character’s major flaws?

Mac is afraid to let anyone care about him. After losing so many people, he wouldn’t exactly say it in as many words, but he feels cursed. He’s also a bit of a pessimist and tends to give up on his own situation fast. He can find a way to fix anything around him, but he doesn’t really see any way of his own life getting any better. He sees himself as beyond repair, and thinks that’s how everyone else sees him too. 

What does your character pretend or try to care about?

When people complain about the small things that go wrong in their days. Mac can’t help but feel a little spiteful when someone complains about traffic, or the weather, or some other minor inconvenience. He thinks that if he can manage to not complain about the absolute hell he’s been through, other people can manage not to moan about having to pick up the slack of someone else’s job or about who left the coffeemaker out of water. He tries to politely listen and nod but some people at the Phoenix get on his nerves in a big way.

How does the image your character tries to project differ from the image they actually project?

Mac’s tried to be a lot of things. He’s literally worn the mask of a tough, streetwise vigilante, he’s tried to pretend to be a model son so James might actually like him, and in prison he tried to be quiet and blend into the background so no one would single him out. Once he's out, with the team, he initially tries to pretend to be a bit hardened and callous, but that doesn’t last long, since nothing he does can hide the vulnerable boy who just wants to be loved and treated kindly. It’s rare that people are actually fooled by whatever Mac tries to pretend he is, because his true nature is such a big part of him that it naturally shines through. 

What is your character afraid of?

Mac is deathly afraid of heights; he fell out of his treehouse once and had to find a way to get home on a broken ankle because he knew James wasn’t going to come looking for him. Ever since then he’s had nightmares of falling with no one to catch him. He’s afraid of losing the people he loves, as well. 

A very tangible fear that affects his day to day life is a fear of people being physically too close to him. Anyone brushing up against him, especially his legs, is going to make him immediately anxious and defensive. 

What is something most people in your setting do that your character thinks is dumb?

Mac is absolutely terrified when he’s riding in the car with someone who doesn’t obey traffic laws. He doesn’t want to have them get pulled over and have to interact with a cop at all. He doesn’t understand why people think it’s a good idea to blatantly break the law, or why they seem to blow off getting a ticket or even worse, sometimes talk back to the officer. He understands why Jack breaks traffic laws when they’re in the middle of a mission, but other than that, it scares him. 

Where would your character fall on a politeness/rudeness scale?

Mac has never been that great at controlling his smart mouth. It got him into trouble with his teachers, with James, and in prison. But he can’t seem to avoid making snarky remarks. He thought it was going to make Jack angry, but Jack actually seems to like the banter, and it’s becoming a routine where Mac doesn’t actually mean it and Jack finds it amusing and retaliates, also not meaning what he says. 

[yourcroweater]

C o r r u p t 

Summary: Giulia grew up without knowing her real father’s identity. And now, after 25 years she knows his name and exactly where he is. She leaves everything behind as she heads to Charming to get to know him -- Alexander “Tig” Trager. She didn’t receive the welcome she expected from him, or the Sons of Anarchy and it’s enough to make her want to go back to Oakland, her hometown. But a certain Scot convinces her to stay for a little longer. Will she stay and hopefully create a relationship with her real father? If not with him then with Chibs Telford?

A/N: Yet another Sons of Anarchy fic -- also another Chibs fic (no, I never get tired of those). Keep in mind that this story takes place in season 5 of SoA, which means spoilers if you haven’t finished the series. I know the summary is pretty vague but I didn’t want to reveal too much of Giulia’s story there. The first chapter is set in Oakland, giving you a bit of backstory on her and her connections. She may not have been raised by Tig but there’s a lot of similarities between the two. Somewhat of a freak with a love for bikes and inappropriate jokes. The quote in the beginning is from a David Bowie song, Cat People. I altered it a bit so it could fit better with the character.

Tag list (I’m tagging everyone I tag on A Little Wicked, if you wish to be removed of this taglist tell me, same goes if you want to be added): @telford-ortiz-teller @telfords-glasgow-smile @jaaxsoadeaanspn @i-was-made-of-nutella @i-am-the-luna @teller-telford-old-lady @make-things-beautiful2 @meggzz21 @sam-samcro @dmagicreality @telfords-glasgow-smile @i-like-it-heavy-so-i-can-panic

Chapter 1

“see these eyes so blue

I can stare for a thousand years

colder than the moon

well it's been so long”

“Happy birthday!” people said in unison as I opened the door to my parents house. I blinked, my jaw going a bit slack as I took in the view before me. I turned to my mother, finally piecing together why she insisted we dropped by her house before going to the restaurant. She used the excuse that she wanted to change her dress -- she insisted with me that her outfit was ‘too casual’. Safe to say I had never -- in all my 24 years, well, 25 now -- seen my mother dressed as anything close to casual. The woman walked around like it was damn fashion show.

My mom grinned, white teeth and red lipstick before pulling me into a hug.

“Surprise, principessa,” she said in the hug. I hugged her back, a smile spread over my face. “Hope you don’t mind the detour.” Her italian accent was faint after so many years in America. She was true italian, unlike my stepfather. His family came from Sicily, where my mother was born, but he was born and raised in America.

“Are you kidding me? I love it,” I reassured her, pulling away to show her my smile. I didn’t love it to be completely honest, but my mom did, and, although it was my birthday, I wanted to see her happy. I wasn’t one for extravagant parties and those were very common, seeing as I grew up among the Italian Mafia.

I walked into the packed living room with my mom on my side so I could greet everyone who had bothered to come to my birthday. It wasn’t a surprise all the families were there -- Abruzzi, Buscetta, Palermo -- it would be disrespectful if they didn’t appear to Jimmy Cacuzza’s stepdaughter’s birthday. Jimmy was the head of the families, people owed him respect. I wasn’t mafia, not officially, but I owed him respect too, unfortunately.

Jimmy may have raised me but we didn’t exactly get along. We never got that father-daughter relationship, not even close to it. My mother had me before she met Jimmy and they got married right when I turned two years old. I never met my real father and my mom, despite my insistence over the years, had never told me who he was. I gave up when I was 16, thinking that well, if my mom didn’t want to tell me who he was and he never wanted to meet me, he wasn’t worth it anyway.

So I had Jimmy growing up. He never allowed me to call him dad -- I tried when I was around 10 and he shut me down fast. I should only refer to him as Jimmy or sir. I always chose to call him Jimmy. I’d be caught dead if I gave him the satisfaction of addressing him as sir.

Still, shitty father figure or not, I owed him a few things. Like a roof over my head, good food, the clothes, the makeup, I even bought my bike with his fucking money. No, I didn’t have a Mafia Princess credit card (that’s what I chose to call it) -- though I knew the Palermo daughters had them -- but I worked for Jimmy on the regular and he payed me a large amount of cash for my services. I lived very comfortably for a woman my age -- I owned a large loft in one of Oakland’s tallest buildings. My room had a view for the whole city, my clothes weren’t expensive but they were of good quality. All bought with blood stained mafia money. Ain’t life fun?

“Happy birthday, Giulia,” Jimmy boomed, crossing the living room with my half-brother on his ankles. He opened his arms to me and hugged me, planting a kiss on my cheek.

“Thanks, Jimmy. Really, this means a lot,” I smiled after he stepped away. I don’t know whose idea it was to throw me a surprise party but I wasn’t lying when I said it meant a lot.

I may not like mafia parties but having one thrown for me was impressive, especially one thrown on Jimmy’s home. I was his stepdaughter indeed, but I didn’t carry the Cacuzza surname -- all I had to show was my mother’s maiden name, Lucchese -- Jimmy didn’t have to do this for me, especially not at his own house, and the fact that he did showed that he appreciated me. If not me, then the things I did for the mafia.

“You’re almost as old as Mom now,” my brother said as way of greeting, stepping forward and wrapping his arms around me. He had turned 18 only two months ago but he was already taller than me. Being 18 meant that he could get involved in mafia affairs now, he’d be on his way to become a made man.

“Show some respect, Vito,” my mother complained but she smiled as she spoke. My brother and I laughed but we soon stopped when Jimmy smashed his lips against my mother’s mouth.

The night carried with women talking, wives and daughters separate from their husbands and sons. Laughter only got louder after too many glasses of wine, we only shut up to stuff our faces with food -- which I was more than happy to do, Jimmy owned a few italian restaurants and the food in these parties were magnificent seeing as they always catered.

I was on my way to the bathroom, already a bit tipsy, when my mom pulled me into a corner of the corridor. I knew she had something to tell me the moment I set eyes on her. It wasn’t gossip though, her brows furrowed differently. It was serious. I noticed she had also chosen an empty hallway to do this -- she didn’t want anyone to hear what she was about to say.

“What is it?” I blurted out.

“I needed to give you this,” she held out a folded napkin between her long red nails. I took it, frowning as I moved it around to unfold, but my mom covered my hands with her own. I looked up questioningly at her. “This my birthday gift to you. I only decided to give you this 10 minutes ago and I’m still not sure if I’m doing the right thing in doing so. But you deserve to know, Giulia.”

I stared at her, trying to figure out what the hell she was talking about. My mom stood very close to me as she spoke and she was giving me this look, like I was supposed to understand what she said. Like she was sharing a secret.

A little too late, it clicked.

“Why now?” I asked, my hand closing around the napkin.

“I tried to keep you away from the things your father is involved with. Your real father,” she added, indicating the napkin with her chin. Hearing her confirm what was on it made my heart jump with excitement. Twenty five years later -- too long, but I finally had my father’s identity in my hands, quite literally. “Didn’t make much difference,” she scoffed, “I know Jimmy pulled you into the mafia, he won’t tell me shit and I’m smart enough not to ask but I know you… take care… of some things for him. I can’t change that anymore, you’re a woman, you make your own choices. But I tried, Giulia, I did try to keep you away from violence.”

“You married a mobster, Mom,” I replied lightly. “Plenty of violence there.”

She shook her head, a few strands of her light brown hair falling from her hairdo.

“Yes, I know. But at least with Jimmy I can pretend it doesn’t exist. I get to hide in this house and play housewife, wear Versace and drink wine. That’s not how it works on the kind of life your father leads,” her dark eyes wandered away from me, as if she was remembering something. Apparently, my real father was as much of a criminal as my stepfather. Great. Crime runs in the family. No way was I gonna come out normal. Not that I ever thought I was normal. Most people thought I was a freak. “One more thing. H-He doesn’t know about you. I never told him I got pregnant.”

The truth sank in slowly. I grew up asking my mom about my real father. Asking her who he was, how she met him, why he wasn’t around, why he didn’t reach out. Only thing my mom had told me was that I looked like him, which wasn’t really a surprise -- I looked nothing like my mother. I simply had to look like my dad. While my mom’s skin was naturally bronzed, mine was pale; her eyes were of the darkest brown, while mine were from a very clear electric blue; my lips were wide and a bit shapeless, while hers were defined and small; my hair was dark and thick, always cascading down my back on large curls.

All my life I pictured what my real father looked like of off my own appearance and now I’d get to meet him. I had wondered about him, what was he like? Was he gentle? Funny? Did he make dad jokes like dads so often do in movies? Was he stern? How tall was he? And most of all, why did he ignore me? That’s what my mom told me -- that he had never wanted to meet me. Turns out it was a lie.

“You let me believe he didn’t want me,” I finally declared, cutting daggers with my eyes as I stared at my mother. I put out the coldest exterior I could manage, not wanting to show her how hurt I really was. Acting cold was well within my set of skills, but that was it, only a skill. I was cold about certain things, had to be with what I did for a living, but feelings? I couldn’t be cold about them, I felt everything. But right now, drunk and still startled and angry, I could only manage cold. Otherwise I’d explode into yelling and crying.

My mom winced as if my words stung. I hoped they did.

“I’m sorry, Giulia. I really am. Shouldn’t have kept this from you. But try to understand… your father and I… we didn’t date. We, um, had sex a few times and that was it. He was in the middle of a divorce, his ex was trying to keep his daughters away from him, things were difficult. I couldn’t tell him I was pregnant. I didn’t want to do that to him and I’d seen enough of his life to know that I didn’t want the same for my child.”

“I have sisters too?! What the fuck, Mom. You kept a whole family hidden from me,” I accused, trying to keep my voice down. “You lied to me! Jesus. Fuck.” I stepped away from her, shaking my head. My mom and I were the greatest of friends, we shared everything with each other. Having her lie to me about all this made me feel incredibly betrayed.

Her eyes welled with tears as she looked at me, her lips trembling.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I thought you’d like to know. Jimmy loves you in his own way but he’s not your father. Never could be,” he pressed her lips together when her voice faltered. “I wrote where you can find him. His name is there, too. I hope you two can get along better than you did with Jimmy.” She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek before disappearing down to the hallway.

Alone in the hallway I tried to summon the tears that had been threatening to spill but they didn’t come. I took several breaths to calm myself before opening the napkin and reading it. Teller-Morrow Automotive, Charming, California. Alexander Trager.

Wow, was my first thought. My dad has a cool name. I suddenly felt like I was 10 again. Trager. That was my last name. I smiled, despite my anger. It also sounded like my father was a mechanic, besides being a criminal, that is. My mom had hinted enough at it.

I wasn’t disappointed that he was a criminal, to be honest. Didn’t matter to me. I grew up among criminals, I myself was one, and I knew they could be good people. It’s not like I ever imagined my dad to be something cool like an astronaut or a rock star (I totally did).

My mom deprived me of 25 years without a father, I wasn’t wasting any more time. I was taking my bike tomorrow and heading to Charming, wherever that was.

“Giulia,” Jimmy called from behind me. I stuck the napkin down my dress’ cleavage and turned around to meet him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, great. You need me?”

“I do, actually,” he cast me a meaningful look. Really? On my birthday? “Meet me out front in five.”

“Watch your feet,” Jimmy warned, grabbing my elbow and pulling me back slightly. I stopped myself just in time from stepping on a puddle of blood. Would have ruined a perfectly good pair of heels.

I looked around the scene and sighed.

Jimmy had broken me away from my party only to take me to a warehouse on the other side of Oakland. It was dark in there, except for one yellow light that dimly illuminated the two corpses lying right in front of me. They didn’t stink and their skin still looked rosy -- dead in less than an hour I’d say. The blood was still probably warm. Both men lying on the ground had received gunshots to the head, large caliber by the looks of it -- their heads were practically blown off.

Mafia business truly never stopped. Jimmy had been on the party the entire time while these two men were gunned down -- probably on Jimmy’s orders, or maybe their deaths weren’t supposed to happen, not now, not here at least. Didn’t matter. What mattered is that Jimmy wanted them gone and that’s why he brought me to the crime scene. I was a cleaner.

I’ll admit that wasn’t my first career choice. I wanted to be a doctor growing up, but my grades had always been shit and I didn’t put too much effort in my studies. Couldn’t get into med school even if I wanted to. Veterinary was my second choice -- I loved animals and I was never squeamish about blood. I got into college, was in my second year, things were going well when it happened. It was an accident, but it happened.

My mother accused the maid of stealing her jewelry and they got into an argument at the top of the stairs. According to my mom, the maid tripped and fell down the stairs, breaking her neck. Jimmy was out of town with my brother, my mother and I were the only people at home. I called Jimmy to explain the situation and he sent his cleaner.

This cleaner, Tommaso, was an old guy -- he had so many wrinkles that it was hard to distinguish his mouth from the rest of his face. He could drop dead at any moment, all frail and weak looking. I knew he wouldn’t be able to, erm, dispose of the maid without help -- she was a very a large woman -- so, despite my mother’s protests, I volunteered to help. Tommaso explained the process to me and he was pleasantly surprised to see how unaffected I was by the whole thing.

I understood I should be affected by it and the fact I wasn’t affected, meant that, perhaps, there was something wrong with me. My logic was pretty simple, though: the body was just a shell, how it was disposed of wasn’t important. Tommaso took it upon himself to teach me how to clean -- after having Jimmy’s approval. Tommaso was dying, he knew that, and he wanted to leave someone capable of doing his job after he was gone.

Tommaso died three years ago and I’ve been doing his job since. I dropped out of college, figured veterinary school could be put on the background for a while.

I knew people thought I was freak for doing a job like this and I knew it was wrong. I never came up with excuses for the shit I did -- I could be arrested for it and I knew that by cleaning bodies I was depriving a lot of families of proper goodbyes and of peace. To be honest, I avoided thinking too much about this part.

Sounds easy when I put it this way but I had dreams about talking corpses sometimes, blaming me for their restlessness. Only thing keeping me levelheaded was going to church and asking God for forgiveness. If no one could forgive me, then I hoped He would.

“Nothing says ‘happy birthday’ like dead bodies,” I muttered, crossing my arms and  glancing at Jimmy.

“Yeah, hoping this could compensate the dead bodies,” Jimmy said, pulling an envelope from inside his tailored suit and handing it to me.

I accepted the envelope and opened it. There was a large quantity of money inside, way larger than I usually received.

“How much is in here?” I asked, unable to conceal my admiration.

“12k. I know you charge 4k per body, the other 4k are my birthday gift to you,” he replied.

“Wow,” I stared at Jimmy, still awestruck. “Thanks, Jimmy. You needn’t have.”

“Course I did. You help this family a lot. You keep quiet and you don’t go nosing around. My way of saying thank you, Giulia,” he smiled approvingly. I rarely ever found myself on the benevolent side of Jimmy Cacuzza, not that he was an asshole to me but he tended to be indifferent. This was as close as I would get from a real compliment. “Now, what do you need? I’ll have my guys go pick up whatever you need,” he pointed at the three guys stood by the entrance.

I looked at the scene before me again. This would take a good few hours. I’d have to clean all the blood and make all traces of it disappear, pluck out the teeth from both corpses and finally dissolve the bodies -- the longest part of the process. I’d get out of there by the crack of dawn. I’d get bored and hungry while I worked but at least I’d become 12k richer by the end of it.

I listed all the materials necessary to dispose of the bodies while one of Jimmy’s men took notes on his phone.

“I’ll also need a change of clothes, cheap ones that can be burned later. Shoes too. And oh, if you could stop by Taco Bell and grab me something to eat it’d be great, I’m starving,” I finished, placing a hand over my stomach.

Jimmy and the guy gave me funny looks, glancing quickly between me and the dead bodies. Bet Jimmy was regretting giving me that extra 4k.

“It’s just work. Like having lunch on your desk. Except I don’t have paperwork,” I tried to explain. Judging by their faces, it only made them think I was an even bigger freak.

Well, I didn’t care. It really didn’t bother me. Part of me detached while I cleaned so I didn’t have to think about what I was doing. I got back to being myself after I was done. Easy-peasy.

[whoisjinhwan]

100 reasons to love yuta

that smile™

did i mention he invented smiling??? Amazing

his PERFECT smile its by far the best smile ive EVER seen in my life. not to be dramatic but yutas smile has cured any sickness i have ever head and have yet to have not to be dramatic but every time i see yuta smile and get that twinkle in his eye my heart grows three times in size not to be dra

his boldness. hes very straightforward its so refreshing

the way his eyes get so wide when hes surprised or enthusiastic im SOFT

HIS BEAUTIFUL BIG CHOCOLATE BROWN CAT LIKE EYES !

his lips i… gtg. theyre perfectly heart shaped

his insane versatility. give him a fuckign Clown Concept complete with hair and makeup, he’ll pull it off. no printer just fax

hes so witty despite not being 100% fluent in korean its amazing bc these comments just roll off his tongue

his charisma…. God Tier. he puts it out there that hes That guy

he moved to korea from japan and learned korean so fast that he gave taeil an identity crisis wow

yuta saying OKAY OKAY all the time thats the Nakamotto™

all (2) of his lines in firetruck

his hair is so luscious if sm ever tries to cut it i will personally Go Off

how does he look so good in yellow?????? he really did That

middle part!yuta

his medium/high pitched speaking voice? yes

HIS SINGING. his voice is so soft and sweet what an angel. i always have to prepare myself before his parts in songs so that i dont get a stroke bc his voice flows like liquid gold its so entrancing and addicting that got long and gross really fast in conclusion : give him more lines!!!!!!!!!

cherry bomb yuta focus ver. truly a smash hit legend deal with it

hes so dual hes like the human embodiment of sin but hes so GOOD. honestly how does he do That

the way he loves skinship it KILLS ME hes always holding someones hand, has his arm around their shoulder, etc.

hes highkey a sweetheart have u seen the way he takes care of his members?? how hes always right there next to them, comforting them, just overall being super sensitive

how he acts with the younger members

his friendship with hansol

taeyong said he makes all the other members feel confident :)))

yuta saying “good job” and praising winwin 25/8

accidentally holding taeils hand

when ice cream was found yuta gave winwin the first bite

yuta ft sword protecting taeyong while he barbecues

cooking assistant!yuta

how hard he tries to include all the members during interviews

hes so precious he named winwin winko im ugly sobbing

SAVAGE YUTA!!! yuta doesnt fuck around he knows whats up this boi rlly roasted his own company for not giving him enough lines King Of Being Petty he roasts better than this oven im about to stuff myself into

his love for his heritage. he always mentions japan in his interviews like “im from japan, can I speak japanese, back in osaka…”

nct life in osaka : tourguide!yuta wandering around his hometown with his members having the time of his life made me softer than it needed to

the famous takoyaki prank #fail it was tragic

yuta tightly holding taeyongs hand in the haunted house? cute !!

yuta trying to wink but actually just…. blinking? cute!!

yutas love for ferris wheels? cute !!

THAT cherry blossom pic. call moma i think theyre missing a masterpiece

i could listen to him speak japanese all day amsr whomst???

hes such a tease like its not an nct video unless yuta tries to flirt with the camera

@stylists stop giving him jackets!!! he doesnt WANT them

his rap in open the door, a religious experience

he grinded on a minion i think about this every single one of my waking hours How To Bleach Your Eyes

he has chicken breasts in his backpack?? what a frekkin weirdo…..

“we dont speak, thats alright” + that ONE HAND MOVE in 0 mile

his accent when he speaks english

his cute way of saying words he doesnt know how to pronounce

hes always given the hardest parts in choreo like the lifting parts in firetruck and he does it well even when hes hurt :((((

he way he talks. he has so many opinions like when he was on abnormal summit every time he spoke it was iconic, we love a woke king hes just. so Good With Words

he admires his dad more than anything in the world

his gaze/stare ohohohohoohoho my gosh!!!!!

this ?? boy ?? really ?? signed with sm as a vocalist, trained as a rapper, and now has the role of a dancer in nct 127? what is this talent, is he like… real?

his LAUGH! the way his shoulders rise and his eyes turn into crescents… wow

his airport fashion! looks after looks after looks after looks af

he is the single most Extra person ive ever seen with my own two eyes

that one time on nct life in paju when they were playing soccer and he… PUT THE BALL INSIDE HIS SHIRT TO SNEAK A GOAL??? i think abt this a lot

cant whistle for shit

he once said he doesnt smile in airport pics bc he wants to look cool?????????? a Whole Scorpio

clumsy!yuta opening a fridge and dropping a jar of spam on his foot

calling taeyong tsundere

“healing smile but I can do killing too”

“i dont cook but im a good cook”

cooking!yuta being confident that hes first place but then being eliminated

his cover of touch my body by sistar. Legendary

he played soccer for 11 years so he can singlehandedly murder everyone when it comes to sports its so Sexci

bUT he doesnt have the strength to do winwins morning exercises

he literally said his favorite destinations are rest stops because he can eat and relax

yuta in haarpers bazaar ended every other model on earth thats the Tea

when he wore that shirt with barack obama on it… thats Woke

his skin!!!!!!! always got that Glo. anastasia who??? becca whom?

he needs to wear muscle tees forever bc a r m s, im crying, can you hear my tears

YUTAS HANDS !!!!!!!! YUTA WITH HANDS!!!!!!!!! YUTA WITH VEINY HANDS!!!!!!!!!! THE HANDS OF YUTA

his fanservice he! really called us princesses and is always throwing up hearts this is an attack!

slytherin!yuta with a milk mustache in universal studios

supreme anime connoisseur 

his drawing vs haechans drawing??

hes Highkey gay for winwin

mountain man? manly man? Who Know

forgot his own groups name???? New Culture Technology headass….

when he wears earbuds at the airport and looks like hes in a kdrama like what is he listening to? asking the Real Questions

yuta + lemon, a Tragedy

skater!yuta

yuta playing ping pong in nct life and getting super hyped up for no reason at all

when he runs his fingers thru his hair. gravity? idk her.

his favorite accessories are earrings and he always wears the ones his fans gift him

all his reactions are a1 wow, god of cute expressions

yuta eating happily makes my heart so full like do you see those cheeeeks!!!!

cherry bomb era… hes really a whole meal i am well FED

HEADBAND!YUTA

his shoulders = yes

the way he gets so nervous when he has to give a speech in tokyo dialect bc hes from osaka

if he were to be reborn he said hed want to be a woman my heart is BURSTING

he gives good advice. i love how he turns his own experiences into life lessons i love my Wise Boyfriend

“what kind of food is not important, who youre eating with is important”

people give yuta so much shit bc of his chin but i love how confident he is with himself. “you guys saw my teasers right? i was sexy wasnt i?” “i dont look for the camera, the camera looks for me” its so heartwarming bc hes That guy and he k n o w s

he said his ideal type is someone who knows the word “pain” like hes so much more than the smiley playful persona he has on camera if u dont think that super scorpio hides a shit ton of feelings and insecurities get off my lawn

hardworking!! hes improved so much as a dancer and hes always trying his best to make ncts broadcasts entertaining it makes my heart blush i LOVE him

he, nakamoto yuta, the light of my whole life, exists. hes Out There, living. i love being blessed everyday imagine not loving yuta thats :/ not relatable

[letmewritemylife]

Lara Johnson (Part 1)

Try to tear us apart but know that we'll wear our scars. - I Prevail (Scars)

A/N So, I've finally decided to post all my Instagram fics here on Tumblr to give a sense to this blog and don't just repost other people's stuff even though it's far better than mine. As a side note, sorry if you find any mistake but English isn't my first language and I suck at it.

TRIGGER WARNINGS Mentions of violence, death, abuse, blood, self harm, attempts to commit suicide. I don't think I'm too graphic, but be careful nonetheless.

In 1982 Alan Brown, a brilliant scientist from the suburbs of Boston, published some revolutionary studies about an unknown substance he had discovered and worked on for a couple of years. This substance, which he planned on calling after himself, seemed to have the ability to manipulate matter and was originated from a parallel dimension unknown to anyone else.

Despite the great value of his work, no one seemed interested in financing his studies, until Mark Feige offered him fifty million dollars to work with his team of scientists. Just before signing a contract with the man, Brown realized his discovery was not only revolutionary but also extremely dangerous. He understood having so much power over the structure of the universe itself was too great risk, so he left the country after burning down all his work. 

Unfortunately for him, Mark Feige, businessman and head of one of the greatest terrorist organisations in the world, the Agency X, wasn't used to be denied something. His men found Brown even before he left Massachusetts, killed him and stole the last piece of unknown substance existing: a piece that was no bigger than an almond and that Brown had foolishly decided not to destroy. After naming it Substance Y, Feige used it to bring all of Brown's works back to reality. For the following year, scientists from all over the world were hired by Feige to study the Substance Y in hope to use it on his agents and get some sort of advantage on S.H.I.E.L.D, Feige's greatest enemy.

In 1983 Sean Ward and Emily Clarke got to lead the newborn Project 58 after they discovered Substance Y's radiation could be used on people not only to make them physically and mentally stronger, but also to give them powers such as matter manipulation, creation and destruction. It looked like Substance Y wasn't affected by any Physics or Chemistry law.

Tests on humans started in 1984 thanks to two volunteers, Abraham and Sandra Houghton. In less than a hour, they both became stronger than any other man or woman alive. But everything comes with a price. Abraham developed several anxiety problems and Sandra went crazy with power. Knowing she and her husband were the first enhanced humans after the well-known super soldier made her feel invincible. She forced Feige to test the Substance on children too and promised to give the scientists a child to work on.

Sandra's plan were ruined by some repeated attacks by some rival organisations, which led to a one-year gap before her son Jonathan Houghton and his little sister Lara, who wasn't even born yet, became the first children to be experimented on with the Substance Y. Forced out of her mother's belly when she was no more than a fetus, Lara was exposed to an insane amount of radiation and kept alive in an artificial machine.

When she was born on 10th November 1986, Sandra was informed Lara had not passed the tests that were supposed to confirm the effectiveness of the scientists' work. Considered by everyone just a failed experiment, the little child was given up for adoption and adopted by her parents' neighbours, Robyn and Ashley Johnson.

Robyn, a chef in a little restaurant in the centre of the city, and Ashley, employee of a bank not far from her husband's workplace, knew nothing about the baby's already tragic past, but still decided to leave their hometown in favour of New York City, where the two had found a better job not a lot of time before.

The Big Apple got to see Lara growing up in a happy and supportive family, completely unaware of her origin. She was just like every normal girl, with a great passion for science and martial arts, until everything scientists believed about her turned out being wrong. She was only fifteen when she casually found out she had inhuman abilities on the control of matter. Scared and horrified by her newfound powers, she hid them from everyone, starting from her own family, in a desperate attempt to forget about them, to get rid of them by simply ignoring them.

Constantly living in fear of being discovered, Lara developed several anxiety issues which led in high school to repeated bullying. No one, not even the leader of the bullies group Nick Millain and his sidekick Jonas Feige, could imagine the girl they were always making fun of was actually stronger than all of them combined. Years passed, Lara went to college to study chemistry hoping to become a researcher, still haunted by her hidden powers and her bullies. 

Everything changed one day when Nick and Jonas assaulted Lara, pulling her hair and making fun of her. Alone in the school library with her assailants, Lara tried to push them away but accidentally knocked Jonas out with her powers. Nick stepped away with a scream, calling her a monster and saying he would inform the police about her actions. Devoured by rage, Lara punched him in the face and threatened to kill him and his friend if any of them had ever told anyone about that afternoon.

The following day Jonas disappeared. Some people said he had joined a gang in the suburbs of the city, others said he had simply quit school. Nick, on the other hand, moved to another city, finally leaving Lara alone. Those events convinced Lara even more that she couldn't control her powers and made her decide to hide them even better, controlling all her emotions to avoid instinctive reactions.

When Lara brilliantly got a degree, she accepted to work for the Stark Industries. She hated that job and she found her boss rather annoying, even though she rarely saw him, but she needed money to pursue her studies.

One day, while Tony Stark was visiting her laboratory, he saw a purple aura around her fingers. Curious to find more about it, he called her in his office and interrogated her until she admitted the truth. Tony then did something that would completely change Lara's life. He proposed her to become some sort of testimonial for the Stark Industries, using her powers to promote his company. Insulted by his proposal, Lara refused, but Tony went on trying to convince her for weeks, months, until Lara came to hate him more than her own curse.

Lara came to the conclusion she couldn't go on like that, she needed to stop Tony's annoying behaviour. She met him in an isolated place and threatened him with her powers, but lost control of them and almost killed him. The destructive magic she had hidden for too long took over her and destroyed her face, leaving deep and painful scars and making her faint. Tony ran away, believing her dead. 

None of them knew that someone was spying them. Frank Linch, trainer for the Agency X, recognized in Lara the signs of the old Project 58 and brought her unconscious body to his hidden basement away from the city.

When Lara woke up, he offered her to train her and give her a work for the Agency X. Lara had no other choice: going back to her family would have meant being arrested for attempted murder. She accepted, but asked Frank to inform her parents and tell them she was doing some stage for the Stark Industries. Frank never actually told Lara's parents anything, afraid Tony would find her or someone would take Lara away from him.

Lara's training with Frank was one of the worst and most useless things had Lara ever experienced, forced to work all day long with someone who knew nothing about her powers. Furthermore Frank took advantage of her over and over, abusing her for a whole year until she found out the truth. Discovering she was missing, Lara got mad at Frank and when he tried to attack her she took one of his eyes out of the socket with her powers, before running away.

Back in New York, Lara was told her parents had gone missing as well and the police had found evidences of their death. Blamed by everyone, including herself, for what had happened, Lara mourned her family for a long time before realizing she couldn't go back to her past life. It was 2010, Tony had just defeated Ivan Vanko and Justin Hammer, her parents were dead and she had no one to go to. 

After deciding to give up her powers forever, Lara covered her scars in any way she knew, created herself a new identity and joined the Agency X as a normal agent.

Amanda Ross, the woman she had become, proved herself stronger and smarter than most of her colleagues, becoming one of the best agents in her department. She met Elize Shinn, daughter of the Head of Department. Elize had been forced to work for the Agency by her father, but lacked every skill needed. She was too soft and kind to kill, she didn't have the need to get revenge that her father admired in Lara.

Despite their huge differences, the two women became great friends and Lara even confessed her who she really was and what had happened to her. After hearing her story, Elize tried to convince Lara to quit the Agency before it was too late. "You're more than some killing machine, Lara. I believe you have, deep in your heart, the ability to do beautiful things for this world."

One day during a mission, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D tried to shoot Lara, but Elize took the bullet for her. The hit was, unfortunately, lethal and Lara could do nothing but see her friend bleed out in front of her, blood soaking her trousers as she knelt next to her. Elize's father didn't cry a single tear for his daughter, who had proved herself unable to meet his standard of perfection long before.

It was Lara who cried all the tears the cold hearted man had denied Elize. She refused to do anything for days, feeling like she had stolen the life from someone who deserved it much more. She took the blame for what had happened and was haunted for months by her friend's ghost.

Her heart seemed to heal when she met Alex Main, a kind young agent who worked in her same department. She fell completely for him and was blinded by what looked like the most heavenly love she had ever felt. But Heaven's not on Earth and Lara would soon learn it. 

After a period of time in which Alex had been no less than an angel, he showed his true self. It all started with sporadic insults, evil comments, exaggerated jealousy, verbal abuse, possessiveness. It ended with repeated torture, daily violence, hate sold as love and death masked as life. 

Alex's violence tasted of cocaine and alcohol, blood and spit. Lara couldn't go anywhere without Alex, not even on missions. Smiling at any other man meant having her face crashed against the sink over and over. Complaining was always followed by knife cuts, sometimes light stabbing. Rape and torture became Lara's closest friends. And she prayed, she prayed to die more than once, but Alex seemed to only get entertainment from dragging her to the edge and then leaving her there, broken and torn apart.

It was not like she couldn't see what their relationship had become. She knew that wasn't supposed to be love, she knew that wasn't supposed to be okay. But she was afraid. She was afraid no one would listen to her if she spoke, she was afraid people would come after her. As time went on, a devilish voice inside her head made her believe she deserved it, she was paying for her sins.

Elize's words and her attempts to redeem Lara dried, strangled by Alex's sick conception of love in the same way as he did with his girlfriend's throat almost every night. And Lara became angrier, full of a rage she couldn't use against her executioner. All the hate she couldn't set free in the hell she lived in, she channelled it into crueler and crueler ways to kill and torture rival agents, sickenly eager to feel the way Alex felt every day with her.

All until one day during a mission Alex decided his human toy wasn't worth his attention anymore because he had found a better one. And what better way to get rid of an old object than to burn it down? He locked Lara in an empty office in the basement of a S.H.I.E.L.D base and set to whole building on fire, leaving with his new oblivious victim. When Lara understood what was happening, she felt the last pieces of her heart somehow breaking again and piercing through her flesh. With an inhuman effort, she escaped, although physically and mentally hurt.

Aware of all the pain the Agency X had brought her in just five years, she stole a car and moved to a cheap motel near Philadelphia. Desperate and alone, Lara had a violent breakdown. She screamed, cried and hurt herself over and over, until she reached for the mirror and threw it to the ground. Holding its sharp pieces in one hand, she decided to end the torture her life had become. She covered her arms, face, legs in deep cuts, her face stained with tears and her body with blood. When she closed her eyes, she hoped not to open them anymore. The light of midday woke her the following day and made her realise she was not only alive, but also that her wounds had been closed by some obscure force, probably her own powers.

For the following two years she lived dozens of lives all across the USA, all different but all characterized by one common event: attempted suicide. Lara didn't want to live, she hated herself so much that she couldn't stand to look at herself in the mirror, but somehow she always survived. There was always something, someone to drag her away from the edge, as if not even death wanted her. She tried to shut her conscience down, drinking until she passed out, getting high on the worst things, cutting her skin to pass time. Anxiety and panic attacks became more and more frequent, almost normal.

In 2017 she went back to New York and, since she missed working as a chemist, she found a part time job in a lab. There she met Alissa Ibberson, smart and extrovert woman who made it her mission to become friend with Lara, even though her colleague had pushed her away every single time.

Alissa wanted to find more about Lara, about her past and the reasons why she was the way she was, but she wasn't the only one interested in her. When she found out a little too much, she got to meet a team of agents from the Agency X, who forced her to give them Lara's location and then killed her, making it look like a suicide.

Alissa was pushed on the train rails right in front of Lara, who recognized the man who had done that terrible gesture: Frank Linch. As she ran after him, Lara was stopped by Ben, Alissa's brother, who accused her of being the cause of his sister's death because of her behaviour. Lara tried to defend herself, trying to explain to the policemen she had nothing to do with it, but Ben attacked her.

And it happened. She instinctively reacted by pushing him away with her powers. In less than a minute, she had five guns pointed to her head, people all around her murmuring and whispering insults, Ben still screaming nonsensical words at her.

But she didn't want it to end like that. It wasn't her fault for what had happened. She attacked the police with her powers, hoping to escape and finally be able to find Frank. It quickly turned into a fight.

She fought like a scared animal, who attacks because it's afraid of being killed. Furthermore Lara had no idea what she was doing: she tried to push someone out of her way but she involuntarily threw him meters away, she tried to stop the fire she had caused but it only became bigger. It was her against herself against the police.

The mess she was creating didn't go unnoticed. Lara was just about to leave when she was thrown to the ground by some golden, sparkly spell she had never seen before. When she sat up looking for whoever had cast the unknown spell, she saw a tall dark haired man walking towards her with golden circles around his clenched fists.

She quickly got up and tried to shoot fire at him, but he stopped her attack easily.

"Who are you?" The sorcerer asked after temporarily immobilizing her hands.

She threw him a deadly gaze. "That's none of your business," she spit out angrily before pulling a knee to his shin.

Freed from his spell, Lara had to face another sorcerer, shorter than the first one and with shorter hair. Fighting such powerful wizards for a long time without even knowing what she was doing was hard, but it was even harder trying not to kill anyone in the process.

Lara stared at the Asian sorcerer with terror in her eyes when she involuntarily threw him against a window and fear took the place of blood in her veins when her attempt to push a policeman away made the ground under him open in a huge hole. Stepping back, she tried to run away but was stopped once again by the tall man.

"Let me go, you idiot," she screamed against the chains he had conjured. "I'll… I'll kill if you don't." She tried to steady her voice in a futile attempt to sound confident.

"Not until you've told me who you are and what you want." He got no response but some grunts as Lara tried to fight his spell. "You can try as hard as you want, you can't fight magic that way."

Lara raised her eyes to him and clenched her teeth. "With you, it worked just fine." She threw a quick glance to the her surroundings. "But I can arrange something," she added before pushing the man against a wall and making a building fall on him. As soon as she was free, she ran away towards Frank's house.

The small building was north of the Bronx, the dark wooden door wide open. Lara stepped into the living room, the tile floor covered in dirt and garbage. She carefully avoided a can of beer, then a syringe, clothes covered in food and blood stains, balls of paper everywhere. The woman moved across the house, inspecting every room, every corner, but finding no one, nothing but chaos. 

Exiting in the backyard, Lara leaned with her ear against the broken door of the small tool shed between the barbecue and the dried hedge. Slowly stepping in, Lara found herself surrounded by gardening tools and nothing more. The floor creaked under her weight as she looked around herself. She hissed in pain when her foot met the sharpness of a piece of metal, hidden between floorboards. Hesitantly reaching for what seemed to be a handle, Lara opened a manhole she had never seen before and carefully went down the ladder.

The room she entered was little and smelt of rotten meat. When she turned on the neon lights on the ceiling, they emitted a wobbly light, their noises as loud as her steps on the broken tiles. She looked around herself, wondering where she was. Moving her hand on they greyish counter, she found her fingers covered in dust. 

Then her eyes were caught by a big wardrobe-like freezer, the white iron doors stained with what Lara wanted to believe was just red dye. She barely touched the cold handle, curious yet scared of what a psychopath like Frank could ever side in such a place. The moment she opened the doors, a scream came from behind her.

Lara couldn't believe her eyes. The light coloured doors hid two frozen and unstably placed bodies that not only fell down on the woman, but were also easily recognizable. They were her parents. The two bodies tortured and mishandled belonged to the people Lara had never stopped mourning, to the people she had loved more than anyone else.

"I- I can explain." The voice behind her had never been so obnoxious to her ear.

Holding back tears she got up and stepped towards the man, towards Frank. "So it was you all along." She was trying to calm down, to stop her magic from taking over again.

"They were in our way, I- I couldn't just go and tell them you had joined a terrorist organisation. I did it for you," he stuttered, slowly stepping back.

Lara clenched her jaw, shooting daggers at him with her eyes. "You did it for me? You DID IT FOR ME?" She screamed, clenching her fists by her sides. "You killed them, you killed my family and I took the blame for it. I blamed myself for what you had done." She was tearing up, tears filling her eyes, ready to burst out. "You'll pay for it," she said, her voice just above a whisper.

Her hands freed a purple energy, some sort of magic that slowly, so slowly began devouring Frank's skin. Centimetre after centimetre, his body was destroyed by fire, ice, acid, iron and everything Lara's rage could conjure. The room was filled with screams and crying, blood covering the floor and staining the woman's boots. She hurt him and she medicated him just to torture him longer, more harshly. 

She finally took Frank's life only after almost an hour, letting his dead body fall on the floor, as destroyed and torn apart as her inner self. Having lost control of her powers, she let magic destroy the room around her slowly but tirelessly.

Stepping back, she let out a scream before kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down her face. The foundation that had covered her skin dripped down her cheeks, revealing the bloody mess her face had become. Anger and sadness melt in a desperate, ugly cry, occasionally interrupted by screams and death begs.

"What happened?" An uncertain voice echoed in the destroyed room.

Lara looked up from the floor to meet the sight of the tall sorcerer she had met at the train station. Breathing heavily, she didn't dare looking at him in the face. "I thought you were dead."

The man slowly stepped towards her, who instinctively got up like an animal surprised by a predator while it was laying under the sunlight. 

"I could help you," he said calmly.

"I don't need your help." Her voice trembled. "You can't take this away from me," she added, "no one can."

The sorcerer's eyes darted to her fingers, that were now covered by a weak purple aura. Everything happened fast. Lara tried to use her powers to cut her chest open, but the man stopped her and immobilized her to the floor with his magic and his body.

"What the f*ck do you want from me?" She screamed at him, trying in vain to move the sorcerer from on top of her and free her hands from his tight grip.

"Now you listen to me," he said, completely ignoring her question. "Why didn't you kill me?"

Lara shrugged. "Do I look like someone who knows what she's doing?"

The man sighed. "You stopped that building from collapsing on me. You could've killed me but you didn't. There must be a reason why."

"I wouldn't trust her too much if I were you, wizard. You'll end up just like her friend over there." The deep voice of a man drew the two's attention to the other side of the room. An agent was standing there with a gun pointed to the sorcerer's head, surrounded by other four people.

The sorcerer stood up as golden circles formed around his hands. "Do I know you?"

The agent smirked. "No, but she does." He threw a glance at the bloody mass that once was Frank and then turned to Lara. "You better come with us if you don't want us to get rid of you and your friend."

Lara got up, looking attentively at the agents forming a circle around them. "Kill me then."

A blonde woman attacked Lara with a knife, but she punched her in the face and pulled a knee to her stomach. She nudged the following agent, before another one wrapped his arms around her from behind, immobilizing her. She headed him and turned to face him, punching him on the jaw. When he tried to punch her back, she stopped his hit and turned his arm around just enough to earn a suffocated scream of pain from him. Looking behind herself, she found the other agents had disappeared. She heard a hiss and turned just in time to see the guys she had fought falling down golden portals.

"I took the liberty of sending them to the closest police station," the sorcerer commented.

She nodded not convinced. Looking just beyond where the agents had been, Lara met the sight of the two very well-known corpses and felt tears coming to her eyes again. "Whatever. You're the sorcerer, not me." Her voice cracked for the first time, but she didn't dare admitting it. 

The cold air coming through the open manhole sent shivers down her spine, her dark shirt not warm enough to protect her from the cold of the incoming winter. She took a deep breath and brought her hand to her mouth, trying harder and harder not to cry, not again, not in front of a total stranger. 

"I'm sorry." The sorcerer whispered, getting closer but not too much.

Lara blessed the distance between them that wasn't allowing him to see her tears. "It's okay, I'm- I'm used to it," she answered, her voice rougher than usual.

"You don't deserve to." 

Those words hit Lara like daggers. She suddenly turned, clenching her fists hard enough to feel her nails digging in her palms. "How are so sure?" She screamed, completely ignoring the fact that she was destroying all her attempts to mask her sadness. "You have no idea what I've done 'cause if you did, you wouldn't be here with me." She buried her hands in her hair. "My parents are dead because of me, as well as hundreds of other people, and you act like you know how it feels, but you really don't." She took a deep breath. "Or at least I hope so," she concluded, her sad tone cracked by an incoming rave of emotions.

The man let out a breath before crossing his arms on his chest. "And that's where you're wrong. I perfectly know how it feels not being able to cope with losses and taking the blame for what you can't control."

Lara breathed out a laugh at the impossibility of what he had just said. He didn't look like the type of person who had done a lot of things to be guilty of. "Listen, it was kind of you coming here and pretending you actually cared about a total stranger, but now you better go." She crossed her arms on her chest. "Unless you want to end up like any of these people, of course."

"And what if I wanted to help you?"

She threw him a confused look. "I'm sorry?"

He stepped closer to her. "You heard me. You're obviously not okay and you have obviously no control over whatever your powers are."

She sighed. "And how are you going to explain the police you want to be my therapist, mister-?"

He was fast to reply. "Doctor Stephen Strange, and you don't have to worry about that. Do you want me to help you or not?"

She stared at him for a second, examining his face. Was his offer too good to be true? Probably, but his blind confidence in his abilities made it convincing. What other choices did she have? Waiting for a bunch of incompetent agents to kill her in her sleep and throw her body in the nearest river? She didn't want it to end like that. She wouldn't have allowed it.

She shrugged. "I seriously doubt it'll work, but okay, if it makes you sleep better." 

She looked for a moment away from him, unsure whether she should tell him her real name or not. Go on pretending or give up the role she had played for too long? Could she trust him with her name, something she had hid from everyone for years, desperately trying to bury a life that she herself had destroyed? 

"I'm Lara Johnson," she finally said, deciding to shut down the devilish voices in her mind for once.

[earl-of-221b]

驱魔录

Qu Mo Lu － Part 2 of Translations, 2016 chapters, chapters 15-19

Treacherous Sea.

Chapter 15

Follow bubbles right to left.

(Lanterns blinking on boats out at sea.)

Girl: “Grandad, the rain’s gotten heavier again. Are we still able out to sea tomorrow?”

Grandad: “No, no going out on these waves. A typhoon is coming. Let’s clear up and go.”

Girl: “Grandad, on that rock ledge — I think there’s someone there.”

Stranger, standing on rock: “This water splashing upon my body, I feel none of it. But then why is it that it feels so familiar?”

Girl and Grandad: “Young man, don’t do it, don’t do anything stupid! Hey, you, hurry and get down, it’s so dangerous!”

—

Girl: “Hahah, so you weren’t trying to end your life, phew. Sorry for the misunderstanding.”

Grandad: “Judging on your smooth skin and unmarked body, you must be from of a family with money. A young master, right?” *Cough, cough.*

“Yingzi, go find some clean clothes for him to change into.”

(Yingzi is the name of the girl.)

(As the stranger changes into new clothes, he shows a glimpse of his intricately tattooed back. A lotus flower is in the middle.)

—

Chapter 16

(A cult-like gathering. Note: keep in mind that any magical/religious terms used in this comic has no relation to christianity. The word ‘priestess’ here is used to denote someone who has contact with the sea gods.)

Priestess: “In this unwell world the gods are angry; us mortals are suffering! I have received word from Tongling Sea-God, his highness, just now. If we want peace and mercy there is only one way, there is no other choice. You should discuss about it amongst yourselves.”

Civilian: “Priestess, even the sky has forsaken us this year. This time the typhoon will stop us from being able to go out to see for many days!”

Head Fisherman: “Are you saying we have to sacrifice again? It’s not as if we have limitless fifteen-to-sixteen years old girls in this village.”

Multiple Civilians: “Yeah, Old Head.”

“But Head, You — your Yingzi, isn’t she at that age now? If you can’t we’ll…”

“Yeah, yeah…”

(The Head Fisherman is the grandad of Yingzi.)

Head Fisherman, middle bubble: “No! Yingzi’s parents are all gone. In this family, I’ve only got this one niece left.”

Multiple Different Civilians: “Head Fisherman, you can’t be so selfish like that! This is for the sake of our entire village.”

“Yes, it’s a great responsibility.”

“You have to do it for the lives of everybody. It’s for the best.”

—

(In the house.)

Yingzi: “Achoo!”

Stranger: “Ying…”

(At fish.) “Oh.”

Yingzi: “Ok la. You don’t have to stare at me like that, with that silly look. Last fish on the plate, you eat it.”

(Bowl and chopsticks fall and break.)

(Yingzi holds out her hand to the stranger as she’s taken away.)

—

Stranger: “I’ve never understood. Being a mere puppet to be used like me, what’s the point of living at all?”

“Maybe the meaning of my life is to do battle and kill enemies. But then what’s the meaning of fighting?”

“I remember now. The meaning of having to fight is to protect the people that I want to protect.”

“It was like that in the past…it will be like that in the future.”

(Yingzi is tied as a human sacrifice to a post.)

Stranger: “Yingzi…”

“Don’t be afraid. I will protect you. Just like before — like the people of Chen Tang Guan.”

(Chen Tang Guan is the ‘stranger’s’ hometown, a great city. The golden bracelet he wears on his wrist enlarges into the Universe Ring 乾坤圈.)

—

Chapter 17

This chapter is left to right.

Priestess: “Are you…you’re really the Marshal of the Central Alter, great god…”

“Th…Third Prince, Nezha.”

(Nezha breaks the bonds, freeing Yingzi.)

Civilians: “The Great God has descended! Help us!”

“Great God, please save us!”

(Nezha looks down on them with disdain.)

Civilians: “AH….”

“Save me please!”

Yingzi: “No…no.”

Yingzi, clutching onto Nezha: “Help them. I’m begging you, please help them!”

“They were forced to do this.”

Nezha: “You mortal humans’ weakness and smallness is not an excuse to do evil.”

“No…”

(He summons the Fire-tipped Spear 火尖槍)

“Humans are just like this…”

“Gods. Humans. Demons. They all have their own code and ways to follow. If you do something wrong, then you have to pay the price.”

“Demons are so…”

(Nezha takes down the sea monster with his spear in a flash of gold.)

“And Gods and deities are so…”

(Nezha’s silhouette.)

“Now that I’ve shown my true form, I’ve got nowhere left to hide.”

(Gold lightning crashes from heaven.)

“Anyhow, I’ve committed many sins. Doesn’t matter if I add one more to the lot.”

(The golden pagoda, recognisable as Nezha’s father’s prison. It is used especially to subdue Nezha. The pagoda falls to imprison him.)

“At least I could protect those that I felt like protecting.”

(Nezha, holding hands with Yingzi.)

“At least I truly lived my life as my own for once…”

“The fish you cooked was really delicious…if there was…”

“...a next time…”

“.……”

End.

Author Notes: Third Prince’s story was supposed to end here. But then everybody seemed to be so glum~~~~

Translator Notes: I heavily suspect that because the author gave Sun Wukong that awesome big billowy red cape (like the movie) he couldn’t give Nezha his Red Armillary Sash 浑天绫 because it’ll look too similar hahahahahahahahhahaa!

—

(More Translator notes, can skip: The story of Nezha is pretty well known and readers would be able to guess his identity from the hints given in the first chapters.

(An important part of Nezha mythology is the ‘Havoc in the Eastern Sea.’ The people of Chan Tang Guan begged the Eastern Dragon King for rain and depending on the version, the King either snatches children to eat or the people put out human sacrifices, etc. After one of Nezha’s friends were taken, he goes to upheave the sea kingdom and cause trouble for the King. Nezha gets into a fight with the King’s third son. Nezha is, like, 7 years old when he murders the King’s third son, prompting a huge siege over Chen Tang Guan by the King and his dragon brothers in revenge. They create devastating tsunamis, typhoons and floods.)

(Nezha’s father Li Jing thinks that Nezha has shamed the family and doomed Chen Tang Guan. To save his people, and in the ultimate show of filial piety, young Nezha takes his father’s sword and commits suicide. Li Jing burns down Nezha’s temple that was created after his death, saying that he’d been nothing but trouble for the family.)

(Nezha is then bought back to life by his teacher, Taiyi Zhenren, from the roots and essence of a lotus flower. He becomes a deity after rebirth, becoming the ‘Third Lotus Prince.’ Li Jing and Nezha then have a terrible relationship and have many fights. Because Nezha was more powerful than Li Jin, the gods give him a magical golden pagoda than can grow and shrink — created to subdue Nezha.)

(Nezha is always depicted as a young child with two hair buns, but in this comic he looks much older. The images of Nezha in the rain on the sea, as well as the tattoos of the lotus on his back, evoke his past.)

—

Chapter 18

(The title page shows Nezha’s Universe Ring and a lotus.)

(People are praying in a temple.)

(Yingzi has been praying to/for Nezha.) (Read left to right, up down.)

“Excuse me, Madam.”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “Please, Madam, stop just a for a moment.”

Yingzi: “What’s the matter, Young Master?”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “Forgive my forwardness…”

Yingzi: “This…”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “The bracelet you wear on your wrist, may I ask where it comes from?”

“Madam, please don’t misunderstand. It’s just that your bracelet is much like something that an old friend of mine has. It reminded me of them, so I asked.…”

Yingzi: “Young Master. This bracelet is also my good friend’s. Once he comes back, I’ll like to return it to him…”

Young Jiang Liu’er: “No matter. It was this monk that misjudged. Sorry for the trouble. Sanzai (‘there is good’).”

“Farewell.”

(Young Jiang Liu’er’s eyes glow fiery gold.)

Young Jiang Liu’er: “Looks like our dear friend is the same person ay…”

“Just that this one parting ended up being five hundred years…”

—

Chapter 19

(Sun Wukong in armour with his feather crown, perched on a rock looking up at Heaven’s gate.)

(Clear skies and boats peacefully out at sea.)

Head fisherman/ Grandad: “Yingzi, recently you’ve been running to that temple non-stop…”

“The bloke is a heavenly deity, are you still thinking he’s going to come back?”

Yingzi: “Alright, Grandad, stop talking about it…”

(Yingzi looks out, seagulls fluttering away above, seeing something.)

Yingzi: “Is that…”

Yingzi, after something descended onto her boat lightning fast: “Why is it…you, Young…Young Monk?”

Sun Wukong, in the form of young Jiang Liu’er: “Madam, we meet again.”

“This one here is that old friend of mine I was talking about. But right now I have some errands to run. I’ve got to leave some trouble in your hands…”

Yingzi: “Ah…okay…”

—

(Eyes open.)

Yingzi: “You’re awake.”

Nezha: “Yingzi…”

“How could this…”

Yingzi: “Don’t move. I’ll tell you, it all went like this….”

(She tells him what happened.)

Nezha: “…A monk…”

Yingzi: “Before he left he told me to give you this…”

(She holds out the pagoda, the only thing that can imprison Nezha.)

“He said he was borrowing it from someone. And that ‘you can give it back when you feel like giving it back.’”

Nezha: “….”

Yingzi: “That friend of yours — is he a really strong god…? How did you guys meet?”

Nezha: “He…is very powerful. But he’s not really a god or deity. Us two fought a match back in the day, five hundred years ago.”

In Heaven -

Li Jing, Nezha’s Father: “Oh Jade Emperor! That demon monkey stole my seven-jewelled pagoda!”

“And…and beat me up in the process, you must—”

Jade Emperor: “What! That demon monkey came up here?! Where is he now?”

Li Jing: “After he hurt me…he…he just left.”

Jade Emperor: “Oh, so it’s like that…Then that’s good. That’s good.”

End.

Author notes: So I drew a sequel. Got to put some stress on Sir Li Jing and the Emperor la.

Translator notes, can skip: (Tbh I can’t read what the extra bit is, sorry. It’s congratulating someone on something.) Five hundred years ago when Sun Wukong was wrecking havoc in heaven, Nezha was a marshal sent down with the army to apprehend him. In the book, Nezha fought Sun Wukong one-on-one and lost.

In the 1999 journey to the west tv show and 05 lotus lantern they added an incredible addition where Nezha and Sun Wukong fight but they bond over each other’s skills and their mutual making-fun of the Eastern Dragon King, whom they both dislike. Sun Wukong invites Nezha back to his mountain to enjoy a hearty meal and they stop mid-fight to do just that. Then Nezha waves goodbye and runs back to Li Jing and the army at the end of the day after the hang-out, looking fake-disheveled, pretending to have suffered a defeat. They tell no one of this and no one ever knows. (I really really like this addition hehehee.)

[thetaffyman-blog]

Book Title: Nami and the Taffyman

PART I.

                 I have learned that when you love someone, you should express your true feelings for her while you still have the time because in the end you will regret the chance you didn’t take. This is what happened between the characters Taffyman and Nami in the story. It was too late for the Taffyman to express or reveal his feelings for Nami only then when he discovered that Nami was about to get married with someone else.

                  This scenario happened in one of my classmate and friend in school. Let’s hide his real identity by naming him Mr. “A”, who fell in love with Shane, his best friend. They’ve been friends for about a year now.  Shane didn’t know about Mr. A’s feelings towards her. Mr. “A” feels hesitant at first to express or reveal himself to Shane because of their friendship. He is afraid that Shane might stay away from him so he chooses to hide his feelings for a long period of time.

               One night, here comes a time when Mr. A finally planned his confession to Shane so he texted her if she’s available to go out with him for dinner in a certain restaurant. Mr. “A” was so delighted that Shane immediately accepted his invitation. He groomed himself and bought a bouquet of red roses that will be given to Shane. Everything was well prepared according to Mr. “A’s” plan. When he was about to go, he suddenly received a text message from Shane saying that she is cancelling her dinner with him because something urgent came up. Mr. “A” was so sad that night.

                 The following day, I saw Mr. “A” in school and I asked him if how’s are they going with Shane. He told me about what happened that night and I was shocked. He also told me that he preferred not to confess his feelings for Shane anymore because during that night, it was also the same night when Shane meet-up with her suitor Mark.  Mr. “A” also found out during those times that Shane says “Yes” to Mark so they are now officially together. < Oh how sad!  I feel like crying >

                 I wonder why Nami is fond of wearing jade-green rubber shoes. What was the significance of that shoe in her life? Does the color of her shoe symbolize something about Nami?

                 If I was given chance to reconstruct the ending of the story, It would be best if Nami is married to Taffyman.

 PART II-A   DIARY ENTRIES

 May 20, 2017

Dear Diary,

         Today was a spring time in our village. I was working as housemaid in the house of Mr. Cholsu and his family. Their house was situated enough up on the mountain so I enjoy the view of the mountain slopes from the window of the kitchen as well as the view of the sea and a few city streets at the same time. I could hear from time to time the sound of hens out pecking in furrows. The people in our village were mostly laborers who managed to live somehow from day to day.

My daily routine starts early in the morning preparing breakfast for the family as well as taking good care of their  two children, Yongi and Yuni. While I was doing the household chores, I heard again the local taffy peddler singing above the rhythmic clacking of his shears, “Taffy, I’ve got taffy! Pretty, tasty pumpkin taffy! Maidens eat it and find their man; young men eat it and find their girl”. His daily visit in our village was the only one big pleasure and one real delight of the bored children in our village. This Taffyman always sang the same familiar song everyday but to the children it was always cheerfully new and exciting.

         Even before the Taffyman made it to the village itself, the children would already be clustered at the head of the path, waiting for the Taffyman. When he laid open the taffy for them to see, the children would gather around him. I noticed Yongi and Yuni, was also there mingling with the Taffyman and the rest of the children so I let them play with them also so I can finish the chores. My day ended very exhausting because I washed a huge bunch of clothes and piled-up dishes. Oh! Wait its already 5pm. I have to prepare dinner now.  Till next time Diary! Muah!

Loving You,

Nami

 May 25, 2017

Dear Diary,

         Today was the most irritable and embarrassing day for me. I felt so irritable because of Yongi and Yuni. I just came home from the market when I found out that the kids sold my favorite shoe to the Taffyman and exchanged it for some taffy.  This was the first day and the first time that I pinched the kids because of my anger. It was not my attitude to hurt them but today, I did lose control of myself.

I immediately run out of the house and decided to wait at the Spring Valley Hill where the Taffyman usually passing by, selling his taffy.  When he arrived, I confronted him about my jade – green shoes but he pretended not to know anything about it. What more irritating was that he just laughed at me.  Oh damn! That guy was the most irritable man I’ve ever met!

I was about to yell at him when suddenly a bee interrupts. It flew thrice in a circular motion above my head while buzzing. I tried to shoo the bee away but unexpectedly it landed in my bosom. I shouted out of fear when the Taffyman quickly cupped the bee by his hands in my bosom. I’m surprised with what he did .Our eyes met for the first time. That moment was so awkward. I immediately vacate the place without saying a goodbye to the Taffyman. Yuck! It was the most embarrassing moment of life!

Bye diary! That’s all for now!

 Loving You,

Nami

 May 26, 2017

7:00am

 Dear Diary,

         This was the saddest day of my life.  It’s been three years since my father last visited me here in my workplace. I thought his sudden visit was because he just missed me but I didn’t expect that he came here for other reasons.  When I was in the kitchen preparing our food, I’ve heard my father’s conversation with Mr.Cholsu and his wife about me getting married to a bachelor in our place. Upon hearing those words, I suddenly think of Taffyman. I can’t deny to myself that during that awkward scene happened between us the other day, I felt in love with him. The question is, does he feel the same towards me? How I wish that Taffyman would suddenly came up here in Mr. Cholsu’s house and take me away. I don’t want to get married with someone who’s totally a stranger to me.  

I was so sad.  Even if I try to argue with my father, there’s nothing I can do now because he has already made up his mind. Father already told Mr. Cholsu that we will be leaving immediately this afternoon back to our hometown.

@4pm

         All the things are packed and ready to go. I feel hesitant to come out in my room. I wish to see taffyman before I go so I could tell him about my situation. Maybe if he knows, I would discover that he has feelings for me too.

         Father is calling me outside. He said it’s time for us to go.  Honestly, this whole idea of marriage is absurd. If only I could escape this whole craziness, I’ll surely go away but how?

@5pm

Father and I already left. I did not see taffyman at all. Maybe I was just so assuming to think that he has feelings for me. I should have forgotten him. These are all for now Diary! Bye!

Loving You,

Nami

 PART II-B

*One of  my favorite part in the novel is when Nami and the Taffyman first met. I’ve drawn that scene.. Please click the link below:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1874042059516040&set=a.1461646084088975.1073741830.100007307927179&type=3&theater

(Picture: Courtesy of Yours Truly GFA)   =)

Publishers note: This blog only serves as our school project.  All details supplied here are opinionated  so please don’t take this seriously. THANKS =)