#edit just put both the spam man drawings here.

[bionicboxes]

THE SMOOTH TASTE OF [NEO]

[delicrieux]

☆ﾐ 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚊𝚢 "𝚘𝚑"

PART 8: CAT BOYS 

... it’s late into the night and y/n is streaming with one of her new friends, sykkuno. running on caffeine and redbull is apparently not enough because she falls asleep on his shoulder 45 minutes into their cyberpunk gameplay. at that exact moment, twitter goes up in flames.

─── corpse husband x reader, sykkuno x reader (because i was threatened by thirsty anons) ─── soc. media + written fiction!  ─── word count: 1.8k author’s note: here it is...what yall been asking for. literally had to add a new part for this but i loved this idea sm i couldnt just nOT NOT do it. i tried writing this with the same energy as the smau lmao so expect chaos as always. hope you enjoy it and as always lmk what u think! hopefully yall wont go too feral, but tbh thats prolly too much to ask for xx EDIT: srr for the fucky format tumbler dot com is being lame 

ultimate masterlist.  ҉  myso masterlist   ҉   previous.   ҉   next.

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Such a back and forth continues for the better part of the day as you get ready. Corpse only whines a bit when you forget to text him back - you are packing, and your prestigious cat ears you bought from Amazon for 10$ deserve exquisite care - which only fuels your seemingly bottomless hunger for mischief, leading to you sneakily ignoring him more. When your phone lights up with a message, you giggle, giddy with excitement. Your laughter only gets louder and more erratic, to the point where Rae had busted down your door and threw her Hello Kitty plush at you - one you’d gotten her, mind you! - and told you to just “Shut the fuck up!”

Ungrateful. You know not everyone can appreciate your sense of humor, or stand your hyena like cackle, but that was uncalled for and you told her as much. Noting the mess your room is in (more than usual, that’s for certain), she leans onto the door frame, crossing her arms over her chest, pretty brown eyes twinkling curiously, “Where you off to?”

“So I had this idea-�� You start, but are promptly shut down with a raise of her palm.

“Already know it’s a bad one.”

Insulted, and hurt, you clutch your heart. As if she had not mocked you enough today, “Rae...The hell, that’s so mean...” You mutter, face scrunching into a soft frown, “I only wanted to tell you what me and Syk thought of.”

“Oh?” Intrigued, she raises a brow, “Continue.”

“Gee, thanks for letting me this time.” You mumble, rolling your eyes, “So. We thought we’d stream together. The catch? In the same room! We’ll be playing Cyberpunk. Gotta cash in while the hype is still up.” You add, making her snort, “And, ya know, the whole cat boy business...We’ll be wearing matching cat ears. Admit it, I’m a genius.”

She’s quiet for a moment, mulling over your words; you can practically see the gears in her head turning. She glances around the room, then briefly at you, strangely apprehensive. “You sure that’s a good idea?”

Well, that is definitely not what you expected her to say. You figured it’d be more along the lines of you’d be one ugly cat. “Huh?” Is all you manage to stutter, “What do you mean?”

She gives you a look, one all people give when something is so plainly obvious, “Y/n. You do know the stans will go wild, right? And you do remember our conversation involving Corp-”

“Nope!” You exclaim cheerily with a bright smile to match. You don’t want to think about that. The relationship between you and Corpse is strictly platonic, and besides, seeing Twitter loosing their shit is always funny, and you never miss an opportunity to mess with your fans. Sykkuno is also a good friend, albeit a new one. This supposed flirting from Corpse’s end Rae deduced was nothing more than her projecting her feelings onto the situation. She always liked shoujo anime and was probably thinking one was happening right in front of her. Not a chance. Corpse was just being a friendly crackhead. Your energies mesh beautifully.

Like, beautifully in a strictly friend way. Absolutely nothing more than that.

She gives up, naturally, arguing with a wall would be more productive than arguing with you. You’re such a (Zodiac sign).

“Well,” She mumbles, ticking her head to the side, leaning off of the door frame and turning to leave, “Don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

Your grin melts as soon as she leaves. Glancing at your bag, you shove your last necessities in with newfound hesitance. 

Nothing bad will happen, right?

...Right?

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It is well past the generally set “appropriate” time to hang out, but since quarantine, what is appropriate anymore anyway? You’ve never been in Sykkuno’s apartment, but now that you’re here it’s...strangely him. Every corner seems tailored to his specific requirements. It’s cozy, and pleasantly warm - it’s a bit chilly in LA, as surprising as that is.

He’s even shyer than you remember him being. And a whole lot more awkward, but in an endearing way, a way that makes you want to laugh and try to reassure him that it’s just you and he has nothing to worry about. While you hung out only once, the history you share is rich and tender. From him following you on Twitter and subsequently prematurely ending your stream, to kidnapping a stray cat affectionately named Juan. His long lost brother, Juan (no the Second, just Juan), lives in your Minecraft server. 

His stream room is sadly bare. There’s an appalling lack of merch or fairy lights. Not even led-lights. It’s a good thing you brought your own. As you try to decided which color would be best - his signature lime green, reminiscent of his adorable Among Us astronaut, or, perhaps, mischievous violet? - he boots the game and tweets out a quick “streaming with y/n in ten mins! come one come all!” 

“You should probably tell your fans, too.” He mumbles, looking somewhere above your shoulder. You settle with cherry blossom pink. Glancing at him, you shrug.

“Ah, do it for me, please?”

“Oh!” He hiccups, “Uhm, I wouldn’t want to pry and I don’t know your password and-”

“It doesn’t have a password.” You had removed it, knowing something like this would happen. Bless your foresight, you did not want him to know it was demonspiitinmymouth. Before he could protest further, you rush to the nearest mirror to put on your cat ears and make sure they aren’t crooked. You look absolutely adorable. The cat boys in your dms will go feral. Hell, you might just go feral looking at yourself! Sykkuno is not ready. No one is. This will be a stream to remember.

When you return (with flourish of course), he’s anxiously fidgeting by his computer, his own little cat ears, one’s he wore for the Halloween stream, peaking out from his silky brown hair. You have to suppress a squeal. When he catches you gaze he gives the kindest, sweetest little smile.

“They, uh--” He points at you, then decides it’s rude to point, bringing his hand back to his lap, then clutching his mouse, lastly releasing a sound stuck between a chuckle and a wheeze, “suit you, uhm, a lot!” He finishes with a resolute nod, quickly spinning in his chair and away from you.

This is the reaction you desired. All is going according to plan. Is this what God feels like? If not, then you pity her. She’s missing out.

Taking a seat next to him - he had been gracious enough to haul you a spare chair from the kitchen - you draw closer, and he, instinctively, shrinks away with another nervous chuckle. 

“You have, uhm... I-I didn’t look!” He quickly chimes. You raise a brow, “Uhm, unopened messages? From Corpse? He texted you when I was tweeting! I didn’t mean to look, I’m sorry-”

Instantly, you recall the famous vine with the scandalous “daddy chill” line, though refrain from saying it aloud. You love havoc, but you’re not evil (Rae would ardently disagree with you, though). Instead, you just shrug, “’S fine, don’t worry. I’ll text him back later. Let’s start?”

He nods, but doesn’t look at you. Granted, you don’t think he glanced at you even once since you returned, “...Okay. Ready?”

“Ready!”

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You’re much too immersed into the game and Sykkuno’s twitch chat to even check what’s happening on Twitter, but your estimated guess is that everyone’s going crazy. The stream chat is unruly as well, but missing the signature Twitter spark. Most of the chaos is bravely lead by your fans. Sykkuno’s, much like the man himself, are too nice to scream so unabashedly.

Perhaps you excitement had been a bit too taxing, perhaps drinking 5 coffees and 2 energy drinks today and not enough water are to blame for the sudden drowsiness you’re feeling, but you can’t focus on the swimming chat or the abundance of cut-scenes at the starting point of the game. You steadily draw nearer and he, more composed in front of his audience, doesn’t react. About ten more minutes of hoovering by his shoulder and muttering soft commentary, and you feel yourself slipping.

The last coherent thought you have is a few choice words directed at caffeine itself for having the opposite effect of you at the worst time possible.

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You float in oblivion for perhaps ten minutes at best. Once you awake with a startle, you shower Sykkuno in shy apologies and he quickly reassures you that it’s fine and that he didn’t mind at all!

“Though,” He adds after a thoughtful pause, “not sure if it was very, uh, comfortable?”

His stream chat spams uwu and variations of similar kind. The stream continues for a few more hours before the both of you wish everyone a good night. 

While you planned on wreaking absolute havoc, this sudden falling asleep was unexpected. You pondered the consequences of such an innocent, unplanned act whilst ubering home, fearing to check your phone which by now was blowing up with not only Twitter notifications but also Rae’s angry messages that vaguely read “what the fuck y/n”. Within the past two hours she had left 57 messages on all platforms collectively, including 7 calls. 

Corpse’s last text was over three hours ago.

Now that’s strange. Worry festers quickly. Briefly glancing at your surroundings - the pretty glimmer of passing street lights, neon signs, familiar buildings - you decide that it’s time to check what kind of nuclear explosion you’ve caused.

Your heart drops to the bottom of your stomach as you scroll past the hundreds of tweets and mentions. Scan through Rae’s messages. 

You had failed to prepare ahead. Every explosion of such kind is followed by nuclear winter. And Corpse’s lack of messages feels especially cold.

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Not you smiling like a fucking idiot reading his last message! You shrink into the backseat, afraid the driver will accidentally look into the rear-view mirror and see you a bit too happy before asking questions. Good news? Yeah, but it’s not like it’s his any beeswax! In the words of Rihanna, just shut up and drive. 

This argument had not yet happened, but you’re preparing, just in case. 

As you think up of potential scenarios, your eyes drill into Corpse’s goodnight text. You’ve looked at it enough. Time to turn the phone screen off. Leave the app, at the very least. When the screen dims you instantly press on it to wake it up. This is embarrassing. Maybe the deadly amount of caffeine really did mess you up, big time. Your heart races in your chest, painfully almost. You feel a bit sick. Worst of all, you can’t stop smiling.

A notification from Rae makes you snap out of it. Ah, one more demon to deal with. 

However, before you talk to her, you really need to tell Twitter that you’re not with Sykkuno. And apologize to Sykkuno as well. 

At least Corpse doesn’t hate you.

Fucking hell, just exit the chat you idiot!

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tags (in italics is those i couldn’t tag! make sure all’s ok w your settings!) : @littlebabysandboxburritos - @fairywriter-oracle - @tsukishimawh0re - @ofstarsanddreams - @bbecc-a - @annshit - @leahh19 - @letsloveimagines - @bellomi-clarke - @wineandionysus - @guiltydols - @onephootinfrontoftheother - @liamakorn - @thirstyfangirl - @lilysdaydreams - @pan-ini - @mxqicshxp - @tanchosanke - @yoshinorecommends - @flightsandfantasy - @liljennyx3 - @slashersdream - @unknown-and-invisible - @sinister-sleep - @fivedicksinatrenchcoat - @mercury–moon - @peterparkerspjsuit - @unstableye - @simonsbluee - @shinyshimaagain - @ppopty - @siriuslystupid - @crapimahuman - @ofthedewthesunlight - @mythicalamphitrite - @artsyally - @corpsesimpp - @corpsewhitetee - @corpse-husbandsimp - @hyp-oh-critical - @roses-and-grasses - @rhyrhy462 - @sparklylandflaplawyer - @charbkgo - @airwaveee - @creativedogs - @kaitlyn2907 - @loxbbg - @afuckingunicornn - @fleurmoon - @yeolliedokai - @truly-dionysus - @multi-fandom-central707

more tags are in the comments bcs tumblr only allows me to tag 50 people max 💙

[scrivenger-grimgar]

sup fuckers!! guess who made an entirely new branch of subplot and worldbuilding for the Accidentally A Criminal Kokichi AU that literally doesn’t involved kokichi at all and may just be an explanation for why the Games didn’t happen, but got carried away and now its like an entirely separate story arc that happens????

this bastard right here! hi how ya doing folks and @the-sleepiest-salami , how ya doing tonite?

so yeah, this part actually centres around class 77 (sdr2) but i need to get some things out of the way for context i think

(edit: god this post is long and its only the first part of 8-10 posts explaining this entire mess)

kamukura izuru and hinata hajime: they are a plural system. hajime is the illegitimate child of Hinata Tajima, the Ultimate Entrepreneur, but his parents are Hinata Ayako (Tajima’s trophy wife) and an unknown man of Thai origin based off of DNA testing.

Tajima is very demanding, expects perfection from hajime, putting him under a lot of stress. he has the mindset that Talentless are tools for the use of the Talented, so when his son turns out to be both not his son and talentless he becomes incredibly distant and neglectful while still expecting perfection from Hajime so as not to damage his reputation.

Izuru is a result of the stress put on hajime, and while some aspects of him come from the conditions hajime was put under, he is his own person. hajime & izuru switch depending on the situation and the people they’re around.

Hajime fronts around Ayako and most of the mansions’ servants, being standoffish and prickly, but also more emotionally open and active. izuru fronts around Tajima and his guests, being more passive(-agressive) and quiet.

they are equally observant and analytical, just for different things; izuru focuses more on skills and actions, watching and learning different things, whereas hajime observes people themselves, their emotions and motives.

they get sent to a boarding school at 12 and suddenly they dont have to switch for people and they’re thrown off. they have to sort out a schedule for themselves. hajime gets monday-wednesday-friday, and izuru gets tuesday-thursday, and they sort out weekends between them.

at this point some of the staff notice “hajime”’s ability to copy skills from others, and some of them don’t have the best intentions. at 14 hajime and izuru are sold off by a staff member to the Howards’ Foundation, who are running the Hope Cultivation Plan, quietly endorsed by Hope’s Peak Academy’s principal, Kirigiri Jin, with the funds taken from reserve course students’ buy-in.

the scientists are fascinated by izuru’s strange ability, and start showing him ultimate level material, celebrating when he copies it at a grade just underneath ultimate level. the scientists start to shove as much information into izuru as they can, trying to turn him to their Ultimate Hope, that that quickly exhausts izuru, leaving hajime to front.

hajime is subjected to several inhumane “stimulus” to attempt to draw izuru out, which obviously doesn’t work. eventually, around six months of this izuru-learning/hajime-hurting cycle, izuru and hajime find an opportunity in an unlocked door while hajime was fronting. they escape, with new medical trauma, a collection of new scars, and a deeper bond shared between izuru and hajime.

while the school noticed his disappearance, Tajima didn’t even bother checking his spam emails, and literally had no clue that his kid(s) were essentially kidnapped. hajime quickly identifies the one teacher that sold them out and izuru quietly disposes if him two and a half months later.

when they are 16, Tajima pays for their spot in HPA’s reserve course. seven months into the year, 16 reserve course students vanish into thin air, only 8 reappearing four months later in a small town on the Canadian east coast. one month of recovery, where they all refuse to speak on the matter, they are sent back to HPA.

Kirigiri Jin dies three weeks later due to a Necrotising Fasciitis infection in his mouth. his half sister, Kirigiri Yuno, the Ultimate Vigilante, takes over his previous position as principal, and instates several new tests for identifying talents, since some can be hard to spot.

11 reserve course students are found to have ultimates:

Naegi Makoto, Luck

Naegi Komaru, Computer Science

Kuzuryū Natsumi, Marksman

Shirazu Sato, Journalist

Ito Kyūsaku, Puppeteer

Hinata Hajime, Logician • Izuru, Mimic

Josei Hinami, Spirit Medium

Ozakura Kanji, Hunter

Kaname Shōgo, Animal Tamer

Taneo Tohi, Field Medic

OK FUCK YEAH ONE PART DONE, 7 TO GO

i’ll elsborate on the 16 reserve disapearances later, but i think u know whats going on...

also, NO, if this were a game, hajime would not be the protagonist! Natsumi would be our protagonist, with Sato as the antagonist, and hajime/izuru as the opposite-sex-helping character (like kyoko, chiaki, or kaede).

[frillshark-fr]

How do you get people to always buy your dragons? Genuine question

i was gonna say something like “haha i have no fucking clue” but that would be a lie i think about this a lot actually so i might have some insights i’ve been breeding dragons as my primary activity on FR since i started playing FR (in 2014...) and people have only started actually buying dragons from me consistently like, 5-6 months ago, despite 2-3 attempts at running a genuine hatchery onsite that always died due to lack of interest & not really being worth the effort. 

so ive thought a lot about what the hell is happening now and why my dragons are suddenly consistently selling and I think ive come down to these being the main points of advice i can give: 1. make friends! be friendly! don’t be weird! be a cool and fun person to interact with! 2. post consistently. post your dragons consistently. post about other stuff consistently. just be an active member of the community 3. POST YOUR SHIT IN THE “#FLIGHT RISING” TAG. THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY TRUELY HELPFUL THING I SAY IN THIS POST 4. make pairs that are sexy as hell and be openly proud of them. make dragons and pairs that you like, not what you think will necessarily sell. people can tell when you like stuff and being genuinely passionate about something, whatever the fuck it is, will get other people passionate as well longer versions/explanations under the cut because man this got a mile long. i wasn’t kidding when i said i think about this a lot and i am so sorry if you wanted something concise and useful

1. to be a little glib. i am mutuals/friends with more clout in the FR community than I do kjdshfdsfdhjhkfdf shoutout to everyone who draws their dragons really good on a regular basis because i am riding on your coattails to sell my dragons. i love you this was never my intent, obviously! DO NOT BEFRIEND PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU THINK YOU WILL GET STUFF FROM THEM IT’S JUST A REALLY BAD THING TO DO TO PEOPLE!!! i wouldn’t be friends w/ people if i didn’t genuinely like and get along with them! no amount of pixel cash is worth putting up with people you dont like or abusing people you admire!  but i’d also somehow feel wrong to just... neglect mentioning this factor. idk it’s probably a self-esteem thing sjdkgfhdsf i just Don’t feel like my #success has been totally out of my own effort because its not like im #hustling or whatever i just posted dragons and stuff happened

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2. being consistent! just. posting consistently! posting Every Hatchling I Have and Talking About Them On Tumblr!  Once I had a couple nests just sell super fast likely due to aforementioned clout, i was emboldened to just post more of my nests more often and I swear this has more effect than anything else. i just needed the self-esteem boost to Start Doing That posting consistently makes ppl follow u for ur content which gets even more people to look at your dragons which gets more people to buy your dragons.

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2a. Also just post a lot in general, even if you aren’t necessarily posting about your dragons for sale. it definitely helps! just be friendly and active and people will come

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3. post your shit in the tag. not in “#dragon-sales” or “#fr-dragon-sales” or anything weird like that because I don’t know if anyone actually looks at those, but people definitely browse “#flight rising”. no matter how many followers you have, more people will see your content if you post it in #flight rising than if you just chuck it into the void. 

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3a. however! do not put links into the post if you want it to actually show up in the tag. tumblr is cool in that it doesn’t actually matter that much when you post something, the same way it really matters on twitter bc twitter has algorithms that decide for you what it thinks you want to be seeing whereas tumblr just shows you everything in chronological order. if you post something into the tag at 1am... it will still be there at 2pm when people log on and start scrolling.

the only thing tumblr seems to consistently hide from a tag (and possibly a dashboard, but idk) are posts with links in them, as a half-assed attempt to limit spam. instead of linking to your sales tab/to the dragons directly in the post, reblog it with the links instead. to reduce latency between a post going up and the links being available, i type out the links in the initial post, cut them, post the thing into the tag, then very quickly reblog, paste the links, and post the reblog jdhfsdf. i don’t know if that benefits anything really? but it can sometimes take me a while to type links, so if i posted, pressed reblog, typed up all the links, then posted, it’d be like ~15 minutes where someone may see the post, think “oh i would like to buy those dragons”, then can’t find the link, think “oh well, i will just find it later”, scroll on, and just... completely forget about it. so uh. go quick?

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3b. the armchair sociologist in me also thinks self-reblogging has the added benefit of like... you know how people are more likely to tip a barista when a dollar is already in the tip jar? or how people are more likely to take one of those little tabs on a flyer if one of them is already missing? i think that works with notes, too. i don’t know why i think that or why it happens i just swear once a post gets 1 note, suddenly it gets Even More Notes, and if it doesn’t get any notes for a while it will sit at 0 notes until the end of time. so giving yourself 1 obligatory note makes people more likely to interact. i think

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4. all of these are hard to quantify but this one is especially so: have cool and unique dragons. make your pairs sexy as hell. don’t put all your eggs (hah) into the one basket of selling dragons that are technically “popular”. we have all seen triple white/triple obsidian/triple orca/triple any other popular colors and cherub/pere/stained or wasp/bee/glim pthahlos or whatever. they’re pretty! we get it! but everyone has had one and everyone has had those pairs and market for dragons like that can be super oversaturated. try to break free from that and sell dragons that people can only get from you. I can’t tell you what to do though bc that rly depends on you. make pairs that you find exciting or interesting and people will feel that. i have a very specific theme and aesthetic that i don’t feel like is especially common on FR and i am genuinely very enthusiastic about it. marine shit is my Thing:tm: both on and off FR and dragons are one of my many ways of expressing that   if you have a Thing:tm:, either some fr-centric aesthetic (like being super into plague or earth or light or something) or something more general (such as any of the -punks or -cores)... just fuckin roll with it honestly. if you’re goth? make got h dragons. like scene stuff that looks straight out of a middle school in 2010? rock that hot-topic lair. outdoorsey type? make dragons that look like you’d meet them on a hike in the woods. it really works with anything!  people can tell when you really love something and i know that seeing someone really love something, even if it’s not necessarily MY thing, makes me really excited too!! 

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4a. never show fear. people can smell fear. never be like “well this one isn’t that good” because suddenly now you’ve planted the idea that it’s ugly in other people’s heads when they may have really liked it had you not accidentally suggested to them that it’s an ugly dragon. people are EXTREMELY suggestible to even VERY minor cues so be always a little bit bolder than you think you should be you’d be surprised at how many times ive been like “eh, this one’s kind of a dud, i’ll probably have to exalt this one when the auction expires” and then that hatchling is the first to sell. never ever ever ever decide what other people like for them. always act like your dragons are the hottest shit in all the land and Believe It. this is what people mean when they say “fake it till you make it”

- 4b. also, idk if it’s true of everyone but it’s really off-putting to see someone having serious pity-parties for themselves, on sales posts or otherwise. ive had bad experiences with people who are uncomfortably quick to self-depreciate (because they were using their genuine self-hatred to manipulate me or my friends), so i might be a little more trigger-happy about avoiding this behavior than others, but don’t weaponize your sadness to guilt people into doing what you want. it’s really not cool.

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okay i think that’s my entire manifesto on how i do dragon selling. anon i am so sorry im sure you were expecting like “believe in yourself :)” and here i am dissecting dragon selling like it’s a frog in a science class

edit: AFTER ALL THAT I STILL THOUGHT OF ONE MORE THING. It’s not really a Point, just a Reminder:

i don’t post about all the times i have to exalt dragons that don’t sell. you are seeing me being very selective about what i post. you dont sit and stare at my lair or click through offspring lists or check old sales posts. there are a lot of times where someone just doesn’t sell. even now when i’m selling stuff pretty consistently i will still sometimes have dragons that don’t sell for seemingly no reason. even dragons I think are sure to sell will sometimes just... not. and that’s ok! you gotta just be.. ok with that. it’s par for the course. i typically list dragons for 7 days on the AH, give them a couple more days after their auction expires (partially because i forget, partially to give them a grace period for people to pm/ask me about them), and then exalt them after that point. w/ some dragons that i don’t think got a fair shake for one reason or another (such as the sales post not showing up in the tag or something) i do a little clearance (like the halloween dragons i recently posted) but for the most part if they don’t sell, i just exalt them. 90% of the time i don’t even bother to level them up i just press the exalt button and call it a day. it’s fine

[whats-the-wish-of-your-life]

Every First, Every Last (Part 2)

Even in his old immortal form, he had always detested this young man. Maybe because he could hear his thoughts and how they refuted his actions towards Dong Kyung. How he acted indifferently, while in his heart he was completely smitten by her.

What a hypocrite, Saram thought to himself as he took a deep sigh to alleviate his annoyance.

To his amusement, the young author then approached their table.

"Noona!" Park Young greeted Dong Kyung with a big smile. And a bear hug.

Dong Kyung could only lightly rub his back in response while avoiding Saram's glare from across the table.

"Jagganim. Glad you could make it," she greeted him when he finally pulled away.

Saram could barely keep his temperament in check. Especially when the young author had the audacity to sit next to his wife.

"I asked my manager to fix my schedule for this," Park Young said proudly. "And I don't have to wear a mask since I am here as a donor."

"You should still wear a mask because your face is hideous," Saram interjected with a smirk.

Park Young just snorted at his disdainful remark. "You should wear glasses. You obviously have poor eyesight. Probably because you're old," he retorted.

"Do you want to wear a cast? Because I can crush your bones. But I'm a doctor, so I can also treat you after. "

"Do you want to wear handcuffs?"

Dong Kyung could not bear to just watch the ridiculousness in front of her. So she belligerently stood up from her seat causing the two gentlemen to fix their eyes on her.

"Ya! Do you want to wear a leash, both of you?" She erupted.

"Ani."

"Aniyo."

Both men responded almost simultaneously.

"Now the two of you, make nice with each other," she glared.

"Mhianada," Park Young was the first to apologize.

Dong Kyung then turned to Saram who then gave her a questioning look. But he quickly understood when her eyes narrowed.

"Mhiane," he muttered without actually meaning it then took a slug of beer.

"I'll go back to my table now, noona. I just really wanted to greet you," the young author said, then stood up and slightly bowed his head before walking back to his table.

Dong Kyung then moved to the chair beside Saram, who was obviously still fuming while chugging his second bottle.

"Ya, you can't drive anymore with that amount," Dong Kyung pointed out. "Give me the keys."

So he fished out the car key from his pocket and handed it to her. "Yeogi."

The fundraiser took more than half of their day but both of them had so much fun during the auction of first editions from popular authors who attended the event. Saram's inner bookworm was so excited to get his hands on some new books. While Dong Kyung received a copy of Park Young's first novel to be published in print. She was delighted to say the least, but her husband didn't exactly share the same sentiment.

When they got home from the event around five in the afternoon, Saram went straight to the shower to sober up. Dong Kyung just washed up in the small bathroom and changed into her house clothes, then went to the kitchen to fix a quick dinner.

She decided to cook instant ramyeon for her tipsy husband, some egg rolls and spam gimbap, since they were the quickest to make. Saram stepped out of the shower 15 minutes later and joined her in the kitchen.

"Are you sober now?" Do Kyung asked as she stood in front of the stove while watching the ramyeon simmer.

"I wasn't drunk at all," he responded while taking out a bottle of water from the fridge. He then walked towards Dong Kyung then leaned his back against the kitchen island behind her.

Dong Kyung turned to him and only then did she realize that he had nothing on except a towel around his waist.

"Are you going to eat dinner without a shirt on?" She quipped, after giving him a once-over.

"Are you hungry?" Saram asked, ignoring her question, then took another gulp of water as he tipped his head back, while looking at her down his nose.

For some reason, his question got her all flustered. Not to mention the way he was gazing at her without blinking.

"Food is ready."

"You didn't answer my question," Saram muttered, then put the water bottle on the kitchen island. He then took a step closer and gently pulled and pressed his wife against him, as he reached for the stove knob behind her and turned it off. He then put his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer as he leaned back on the kitchen island again. "Are you hungry, Dong Kyungie?"

Dong Kyung looked up at him, a little distracted by his still damp and messy hair. Her eyes followed the driblet of water that trickled down his temple, down to his jaw and how it briefly hung there before it trailed down his neck.

"Yes, I'm hungry," she answered, when finally, she managed to hold his gaze.

Saram's lips broke into an indelicate dimpled grin. Here he was, thinking he was sober, when he was clearly intoxicated by his love for his wife.

He had been aching to hold her all day while they spent hours outside with other people. And now that they were alone together at last, that ache had only grown into a burning greed.

So he lifted her from the floor and raised her to the kitchen island. Dong Kyung was quite delighted with how she could look at him squarely now without having to crane her neck.

"Happy?"

"Eoh," Dong Kyung nodded with a cheerful smile. "Do you...want some ramyeon?"

"I'm starving, Dong Kyung," he said with a rasp, while eyeing her lips with a hungry gaze.

Still at a loss, whether she should fix him up a bowl or kiss him, Dong Kyung decided to go for the latter.

She cupped his face with her hands and her husband closed his eyes in anticipation. She then planted a kiss on his forehead, then slowly moved down his nose, then both of his cheeks, then the corner of his lips.

But Saram could not hold out any longer. Using his index finger, he gently angled her face so the next kiss landed on his mouth and he welcomed her lips with ardent greed. His thumb swiftly tugged at her bottom lip, making room for his tongue to slide into.

Dong Kyung held onto his bare shoulders, while he held onto her waist. It didn't take long before he had to pull away to draw a quick breath. He took that brief opportunity to lift her sweatshirt off of her then pulled down her pyjamas, before plunging back in, with a new resolve to make her just as breathless and needy as he was.

His mouth started wandering down her chin, as his hands traveled around her back to unhook her bra. Dong Kyung tipped her head back when his mouth began to trace her neck, his warm breath making her skin blush a delicious shade of pink.

He then buried his face between the delicate mounds of her breast and licked the dip all the way back up to the base of her neck where he lingered for a bit more. He quite enjoyed the feel of his wife's chaotic pulse whenever he pecked at that area.

He decided to explore how far he could stretch his restraint by deliberately keeping his hands off of DongKyung's breast. He then hinged her thighs around his waist and swooped her from the kitchen island. He was determined to leave a trace of their lovemaking everywhere in this house. Surely, he couldn't leave the couch off the list.

Reenacting their position from their interrupted shenanigan this morning, he made DongKyung straddle him again. Only this time, it was just that towel restraining him aside from his wife's underwear. Even the slightest move she made was creating a delightful friction.

To his surprise, Dong Kyung suddenly pulled away from kissing him. She then looked him in the eyes as if making an important decision, before she finally dismounted from his lap.

His brain went into an overdrive when like a shot, she kneeled between his thighs and divested him of his precious towel. Her eyes widened in surprise when he sprung stiff and proud upon exposure.

"It's not like it's your first time seeing me," Saram nearly laughed at Dong Kyung's reaction.

"Not this close," she retorted while looking up at him.

Her gaze from that position created some interesting sensations all over him, making him breathless.

Dong Kyung then lightly gripped him by the shaft and gave it a gentle stroke which made him tip his head back against the headrest of the couch and groan a little louder than he intended. It was all the push she needed to keep going a few more times. Every move her hand made was rewarded with Saram's resounding moans that filled the spacious living room. And when her hand reached the swollen head, Saram grabbed her by the wrist.

Was this the extent of his restraint?

"I can't take it anymore," he panted then pulled her up. He then maneuvered her so she was sitting on his lap again, then planted a swift wet kiss on her mouth. "Ride me, honey."

Dong Kyung stared at him for a few moments. She had that same look in her eyes as if she was pondering a very important decision.

This was the first time he asked her to take control and it was wracking her nerves for that reason. Not to mention that he wasn't exactly average in size.

Ottoke? I can do this, right? She thought, giving herself some much needed peptalk.

Although he couldn't read minds anymore, Saram could tell that Dong Kyung was nervous about his request, just by how dilated her pupils were. He was getting ready to draw back and take her to the bedroom instead, when she suddenly moved and properly positioned her knees on either side of his thighs.

"Are you sure?" He inquired, unable to hide the need in his voice.

"Eoh," she nodded. "I know you'll be careful."

Saram smirked smugly at his wife's confidence in him. "I really can't promise you that right now."

And with that statement, he pushed the crotch of her underwear to the side and rubbed the head of his penis against her slit. Both of them groaned at the sudden contact.

He then guided her on how to sit on him properly, as she held onto his shoulders. They were both gazing at each other intently, eyes wide and breaths hitching in anticipation. And when finally, he could feel her wet opening slowly swallowing him, he pulled her by the waist and pushed himself deeper with a sudden jerk.

Dong Kyung whimpered weakly as she propped herself against him for support. Saram helped her keep a steady pace by meeting her halfway as she moved up and down on him, every inch of him gliding delectably in and out of her.

Her whimpers quickly turned into a series of moans when Saram started to fondle her breast while he suckled on the other. He needed a distraction from all the sensations quickly building up in his groin.

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: Rumor Has It {7}**

Chris Evans x Famous Reader Uriah “Riah” Tyler

Warning: Plot, Cursing, Mentions/talk about miscarriage, HEAVY Angst, Moderate SMUT, Grief, Slight NSFW

Word Count: 7.1K

Summary: You and Chris have been married for four years after a whirlwind romance. You are both happy and trying to navigate marriage in the public eye while balancing your successful careers. In the entertainment industry, not everything is as it seems, the flash of a camera lens impairs vision. As scandal and flashing lights put a strain on your once fairytale marriage is it possible your Hollywood marriage can stand the test of the rumor mill?

**Inspired by a video seen of Chris and his co-star Ana De Armas on their press tour for Knives Out at TIFF where she kept touching his chest and face standing about five inches apart.

**Loosley Edited/Proofread**

**Very Interactive**

Thank you guys for reading!!!! If you enjoyed this please LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG. 😊 ❤️  ❤️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

How do you sleep when you’ve single-handedly destroyed your marriage? You don’t. You wander aimlessly around the house thinking of should-haves and could haves. You think of every little thing that you did that was not right. You worry that because your hair is brown, and your man likes redheads that you were doomed to fail. You worry that you are the root of your problems and you worry that you’ll wake up to hear that your husband had driven into a light pole and died because of you.

  So, what did you do? You called him every thirty minutes but every time you called the response was the same, radio silence. He didn’t reject your calls; he simply just didn’t answer them. To you that was worse, it meant he saw your calls coming in but chose to ignore you. You found his secret stash of weed and decided you’d use it to mellow you out. You only meant to smoke one joint, but by the time nine rolled around you were on your second one and watching reruns of The Cosby Show.

   “Why can’t I have a marriage like the Huxtables?” Your cell phone rang, and you jumped from the couch and frantically looked around for where you could have put it. You looked in the kitchen, the living room, the hallway, and still no phone. By the time you found it in the bathroom on the sink, you’d missed two calls. It rang again, and you quickly answered it.

“Hello? The sound of your agent’s voice came through over the phone, and you groaned.

   “No, Shane, it’s fine. No, I--fine. I’m in Boston, so send it to this fax. Okay.” You hung up the phone and groaned. You’d been on go for months, and right now you just wanted to shut everything and everyone down. The last thing you wanted to do was look over yet another prospective script that would sign you to a movie that would take you away from your marriage, or what was left of it. You could hear the fax machine going off and dropped back onto the couch and back to your depressive thoughts and your tears.

  Without knowing you dozed off and woke up to your phone ringing. As quickly as you could, you eased onto your elbows and answered your phone without checking the ID.

   “Hello?”

   No voice came through. It was dead silent, so silent it made you think it was either spam or a bad connection. “Hello?”

   Then you heard a sigh. “It’s me.” You sprang up to a seated position and pressed the phone to your ear as if that would improve things. Relief flooded through you. Relief that he was okay, relief he didn’t sound infuriated like last night. You didn’t dare speak. You didn’t know what to say, and you were afraid that if you said anything else, it would set him off. You knew you were on thin ice. “Can you meet me somewhere?” His voice was low, raw and gruff. He sounded like he did when he either hadn’t slept or had just woken, the deep voice that always made you shiver. He sighed again. “Uriah.”

   “Yes, yes, anywhere.” Chris took a deep breath then released it and recited an address that you jotted down. One that was no familiar to you. “Where is this?”

   “Pack a bag.” That was the last thing he said before he ended the call. You sat there staring at the address you’d written that you knew was at least thirty minutes away. You were confused, and for a split second, an irrational fear filled you. Pushing it to the side you went upstairs to pack a bag which consisted of a few changes of clothes, your toiletries, and everything you needed your hair, face, and body. By the time you’d packed, taken a quick shower and dressed thirty minutes had passed then you were off.

   After fifteen minutes of driving, you realized you were leaving the hustle and bustle of the city and its closest neighboring towns and your interest piqued further. Once you got on the freeway you were confused as to where in the world the GPS was leading you. Traffic wasn’t bad, and you were grateful for it, you hated being stuck in traffic which is why most of the time you had a driver driving you. As you looked around at the other drivers each lost in their own thoughts and current situations you missed the simple life. The life you led before you got discovered and signed to Elite. You used to be able to walk around the city no hat, no sunglasses and just walk through the crowds with no one stopping you or snapping your picture. You used to take the subway and the passengers pressed into the overcrowded train like sardines in a tin would be none the wiser because you were just a regular girl. Now all that was different and with your rising star came a slew of other challenges.

   When you’d met Chris, you were in your third year with Elite and had just premiered your breakout role in your first big-budget film. You were in Paris for the Victoria’s Secret show where you killed the runway the night before. You saw him across the restaurant gleamed in candlelight and his beard and hair looked auburn. You found yourself mesmerized by the way his eyes uniquely shone. When his eyes met yours, you almost choked on the white wine you were sipping. Everything and everyone around you faded away, and you lived a lifetime in the seconds your eyes were transfixed on each other.

   Your attention was drawn from him, and for the remainder of the dinner with your respective parties you both occasionally glanced at each other and smiled whenever your eyes met again. You were the first to leave. The following day you saw each other in the market. You were deliberating between a bouquet of lavender or bunches of pink tulips, and you saw him across the flower cart inspecting some sunflowers. He hadn’t noticed you yet, and you took the opportunity to get a good look of him in daylight. You immediately thought he was gorgeous. You saw him smiling and wondered if he knew you were gawking at him, so you busied yourself with making your decision. His proximity was hard to get over. By the time you looked up he was gone. The flower cart owner handed you a perfect, pink Peony then nodded off to the side where he was standing. You took the flower, smelled it and nodded your head then walked off, away from him.

   A week of chance encounters ensued, and every time you were sent a perfect pink peony. You began to wonder if he just walked around with one in case he saw you. Every time you got a flower you always walked off. By the end of the week, he finally approached you in the open field that overlooked the Eiffel tower carrying a full bouquet of peonies and a core melting smile. By the time the sun rose the next day the two of you still had yet to go back to your hotels or tire of each other. Instead, you sat on the steps of one of the many bridges in Paris and shared a box of macaroons. Two days later, the two of you were in bed together, and two days after that you were off exploring every island and almost every country in Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean.

  He’d asked you to marry him in Paris at the same restaurant you’d first laid eyes on each other and the next day married on the Eiffel tower with the perfect view of the sunset, precisely four months to the day you first saw each other. It was perfect. Love, at first sight, was possible, you lived it. A loud honk broke you out of your memories. You saw a long stretch of road before you; you were holding up traffic. Quickly you continued on your route and tried not to worry that you wouldn’t share any more days of happiness with him.

   Another twenty minutes passed, and you were surrounded by trees that were lush with leaves that were changing between green, orange, and red. The way the sun caught the foliage made your breath hitch. You loved the countryside. When you turned onto a stretch of land that was surrounded by nothing but trees and wood you began to worry. Had he brought you all the way out here so your screaming wouldn’t draw prying eyes? Did he bring you all the way here to serve you with divorce papers? Could he have had them drafted up that quickly?

   “You have arrived,” the monotonous sound of your GPS announced. Before you was a jaw-dropping house dropped in the middle of the most beautiful piece of land you’d seen in a long time. You slowly approached the house gaping at its beauty, from the way it was built it looked like a farmhouse. About twenty feet away was a huge barn and miles of land. As you rolled to a stop in front of the house you stared out the window to the left out to the property, it looked well maintained and so peaceful. After killing the engine, you stepped out as the breeze picked up. You took a deep breath and enjoyed the smell of country air. You slowly walked along the dirt and gravel path and remembered a conversation from long ago.

   Chris’ voice started the memory; “Dream house, and go, don’t leave any detail out.”

   “Okay, no detail left out. No one around for miles, I want to scream your name as loud as I want without neighbors wondering what is going on.”

   “Or wondering how I’m ruining your cervix.” The two of you giggled like school children who were doing something naughty in secret.

   “Okay, no one around for miles. What else?”

   “Um, trees, lots of trees, lots of green as far as the eye can see.”

   “Uh-huh, so seclusion. Next?”

  “A dirt and gravel driveway. I don’t know why just something about it screams traditional.”

You were standing there staring at the dirt and gravel driveway completely lost to what was happening around you. You spun around to gaze out to the open view and all the trees you could ever want, and there was no one within eye view. Pressing your fingers to your lips you heard the trunk shut. Chris stood there in a pair of worn dark jeans that had patches of paint, a worn blue t-shirt that hugged his biceps like a second skin and boots that looked to have been put to the test to see if Timberlands were the most durable as they claimed.

   From the corner of your eye, the flower bushes caught your eye.

   “Huge flower bushes in every color imaginable, pinks, blues, purples, reds, flowers everywhere.”

   Your eyes scanned the exterior of the house, going over every detail. As you did your voice from your memory rang out as it listed every detail that you wanted. Every single one of those details your eye fell to and you became weaker and weaker by each one. You pressed the palm of your hand to your stomach and tried to calm the butterflies.

   “Wh—Wha—What is, what is this? Wh-where are we?”

  He didn’t answer; instead he nudged his head as if to say come on then walked ahead to the smooth terra cotta stone walkway that led to the double French doors. You almost fell to your knees and bawled. Chris opened the door and walked inside, but you stopped at the threshold complete frozen with the sight before you.

   “What else?”

   “Dark wood floors, floor to ceiling windows everywhere, twenty-foot-high ceilings. An amazing stone fireplace, wood beams.”

   You slowly walked inside and looked around at everything you wanted. When you got to the living room, you were floored staring at the stone fireplace. The stones went from the beautiful dark wood all the way to the high ceiling where you saw wood beams that matched the floor. On the ledge of the fireplace were two blown-up pictures, one a photo of you and Chris from your wedding in Paris and another from your wedding in Boston. Fresh tears sprang to your eyes as you stared at the documentation of the happiest days of your life.

   When you turned, you were alone. You walked out the room and marveled at everything you saw, pictures and paintings lined the walls to give the home the lived-in cozy feeling despite its grandiose size. You stopped unfolding the kitchen before you and what a kitchen it was.

   “I want windows everywhere to look out to the view of the beautiful land that isn’t populated. I want to feel the peace from the outside in.”

   You gasped sliding the door and stepping out to nature itself. Fall was quickly approaching, and this view and this house fully embraced it and gave you every advantage to really enjoy it. You glanced around at everything from the eight-burner stove, to the butcher's block island and the booth like seating in the corner. It was perfect, everything you’d wanted.

   Over the next twenty or so minutes you took in every room of the house slowly marveling at everything you saw. Every detail was as you’d described to him years ago down to the paint color on the wall and even the balcony in the master bedroom and the tub in the master bath. As you scanned the upstairs, you noticed a piece of paper on four of the doors. The first was labeled with “little princess #1”, then the second read “little princess #2”, the next said “little prince #1”, and the fourth said “little prince #2”. You both had said you wanted at least four children and you’d call them little princesses and princes.

   “You’re my queen Dragonfly, of course they’ll be princes and princess.”

  You hugged your midsection again and realized why you’d done it so often over the last months. You were missing a piece of yourself. Leaning against one of the walls, you allowed yourself to cry as quietly as you could. You’d pushed it aside for months refusing to acknowledge it, refusing to let the grief consume you. You’d been successful and had been able to work through it, but now you saw you hadn’t worked through anything. After drying your eyes, you continued walking and saw another door with a sign on it that said, “Oops prince/princess #1”, and a door across from it that read “Oops prince/princess #2”. You laughed through the tears.

   “I can assume there will be at least one surprise baby, I mean it’s us,” Chris joked.

   By the time you made it back downstairs, and to the backyard, you were sure you were going to pass out. You stood there staring out to the greenhouse that was perfectly set up. He knew you had a knack for gardening when you had the time, and you’d said you wanted a space for it that the cold Boston winter wouldn’t ruin. You closed your eyes and took several relaxing breaths. By the time you’d found some semblance of calm you felt him behind you and every nerve in your body fired off.

   “I promise Dragonfly. I will give you everything you want and more.”

   You found some courage and turned; he was leaning against the stone of the house and looking out to the distance with his arms crossed before his chest.

   “What is this?” You knew, but you kind of didn’t know why.

   “It was supposed to be a gift.”

   “My birthday is not for weeks--.”

   “I know it wasn’t meant to be for your birthday. It was supposed to be for the day we found out we were going to be parents. It was going to be a gift for that.” You felt even more horrible. It was your fault he didn’t have the baby he could see in one of those rooms. You looked down and tried to avoid his eyes.

   “Chris, I’m sorry, it’s my fault--.”

   He quickly closed the distance between you and wrapped his arms around you in a comforting embrace. You sighed out and instantly felt as if every piece of stress and worry melted from your being. You were reluctant to touch him afraid that as soon as you tried, he’d move. You inhaled his masculine scent that reminded you of all the best parts about fall, apples, leaves, pumpkins, and spices. He also smelled of the cologne you had made especially for him last Christmas. You nuzzled your cheek to his chest and wanted to stay there forever, no need to food, water or anything else.

   Chris pulled away, then sighed out. “Let’s talk.” He walked further out onto the back patio, and he sat down and waited for you. It was time to face the music, time to bear your heart and soul to your husband. Taking a deep breath, you sat in one of the rocking chairs, rocking chairs you’d specifically said you’d wanted on the back patio to look out to the beauty that mother nature gifted. You didn’t know how to start, didn’t know what to say, didn’t even know if he wanted you to say anything.

   “You could have told me, Uriah. You didn’t have to go through that alone. You shouldn’t have gone through it alone.” The gentleness of his words brought the tears, and there was nothing you could do to stop them, so they fell freely. It was hard. The first week was the hardest. Your doctor had told you there would be blood, but you weren’t prepared for how much blood there was. Then when the clots began passing you lost it and cried for days without getting out of bed. The memories flooded you, and you did your best not to bawl out loud. You cleared your throat and blew out the breath you held.

   “I should have told you; I know. I’m sorry. It broke my heart, and I only wanted it for a few hours. You’ve wanted this for years. I thought if it broke me, then it would do far worse to you.”

  “What’s the rest of it?” You scoffed; he knew you well.

   Taking a deep breath, you looked to him and saw he was already watching you with a solemn expression. You knew he was holding back his grief trying to be there for you. You fell in love with him because of his compassion for others, how he always put others before him. You wanted to be open with him, wanted to trust in the possibility that he’d married you for more than the prospect of children, and that if you couldn’t give them he wouldn’t leave you. As you opened your mouth to confess it all the thought flashed into your head that he might very well blame you for the miscarriage. He might grow to resent you for it. You knew you already blamed yourself.

   “I didn’t want you to look at me differently.” It was a half-truth.

   “Different? How?” His full attention was on you now with his body turned as well.

   “I don’t know Chris, just different. I don’t know what I was thinking then.” Chris sat quietly studying you. You felt as if any second he would see through you and call your bullshit and the end of your marriage. You knew how much he valued truth, and honesty and you’d fucked that up several times. You knew he was at his wit’s end with you.

   Sighing you took it there; “I didn’t want you to blame me and hate me for it.” Chris quickly crossed to you and sank to the floor before you, clasping both your hands in his oversized ones.

   “Blame you? God Riah how could I ever blame you for this? You didn’t do anything for this to happen. Look at me, Riah.” You lifted your head and glanced into his eyes that were filled with so much emotion. Fresh tears rolled down your cheeks, and Chris quickly wiped them away. “I don’t blame you. I’m angry that you didn’t tell me. We’re in this marriage together, we both said vows before God, we made promises to each other, and I meant them with everything in me. I love you dragonfly.” Your nickname made more tears flow, and a sob escaped your throat.

   “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” the words spilled out of you amidst your sobs. Chris pulled you into his strong arms. You finally released all the pain you’d held in over the last month and a half. He didn’t speak or move; he just let you cry, and it was what you needed.

   Twenty minutes later, Chris’ shirt was soaked with your tears and snot, but he didn’t seem to care. You pulled away from him, your body finally free of the violent spasms from your sobs. You wiped your face then sunk your hands into your hair and held it down then stood and stepped away from him. “I’m gonna clean myself up.” Without another word you walked inside to find one of the bathrooms. Once inside the half bath in the hall your reflection scared you. Your eyes were red and puffy as was the majority of your face and your nose had trace smears of snot. After you washed your face with cold water you used one of the hand rags and did your best to make yourself presentable again. Instead of walking out after you’d finished, you just stared at yourself. There were close to a million things running through your head, so many feelings and thoughts you had no idea how to tune them out. You looked around the bathroom for the first time and smiled remembering what you’d told him.

   “I want one of the bathrooms just to be pure ridiculousness, it has to be a guest bath. It would be the funniest thing; they would think we were the most ridiculous couple.”

   Yours and Chris’ laughter echoed in your head, and you began to laugh as well. The intricate gold branch and leaf wallpaper was beautiful, but it was bold and way more luxurious than either yours or Chris’ taste. As you spun around the room you fell more in love with it. He did amazing, you thought. You walked out and to the kitchen where you heard clattering. Chris was there in his white undershirt cooking.

   “When did you buy this place?”

   “Two years ago. It was an old rundown farmhouse ready to be torn down, but the land was perfect. So, over the last few years, we’ve been rebuilding.”

   “We?”

   “Me, Scott, my dad, some friends, and some work crews.” Your jaw dropped.

   “Don’t look so surprised, you know I’m good with my hands.” He smirked your way, and you blushed. He continued doing what he was doing, and you looked around the kitchen once again. It was your dream kitchen; everything was how you wanted down to the color of the backsplash.

   “Who knew you listened to me and remembered that far back.”

   “I listen to everything you say, and I remember everything.” A few moments passed with the two of you staring into each other’s eyes before Chris looked away and back to the vegetables he was chopping.

   “Do you like it?”

   You scoffed because he had to be kidding. This place was amazing, and your dream come to life. It was everything you’d ever wanted.

   “I love it; every single inch and square foot is incredible. You guys did amazing.” He smiled and nodded.

  “You can keep exploring around there is still plenty to see, or you can come be my sous.”

   You smiled. In the early days, months, and years of your marriage, you always cooked together. It became tradition to prepare dinner together if you were together and it always proved to be a good time for you to talk, laugh and just be silly together. It had been almost a month since you’d done it. You took off your long cardigan and walked to the sink to wash your hands. When you turned to him ready for instruction he smiled. “Where do you want me?” Chris stepped to you.

   “Forever and always by my side dragonfly.” Your heart raced, then he pressed a soft kiss to your forehead before he turned away and went back to work. He gave a few instructions, but you didn’t hear them, all you heard was the pounding of your heart in your ears.

   Cooking together was just as great as you’d remembered it to be. After him showing you around the kitchen and where things were, you moved together with ease. While he worked on the vegetables, you began on dessert, surprised to see the fridge was stocked. He told you about the process of building, how much he enjoyed getting dirty with it and doing all the construction stuff. You saw small inspired smiles on his face and enjoyed listening to every detail of how he’d orchestrated the build and keeping it from you. As you talked, some normalcy felt to have returned, but you could feel the talk that still had to be had weighing on things, and you knew he felt it too. Neither of you pushed the other to speak before they were ready, and you were grateful he was being so gentle and understanding about things. It was a drastic one-eighty from last night and the days you’d been at odds.

   By the time the two of you sat to dinner in the booth seats you, the sun had set behind the trees bathing the entire sky outside the house in a beautiful magenta. You knew why he’d chosen this land. You ate quietly just watching the beautiful colors of the sunset and the backdrop that nature provided. It had been months since you’d felt anything close to calm and this was the first time.

   “Thank you. This is—more than I can could have ever dreamed up. I love it here.”

   He gave you a small smile and nodded as he finished his beer. “Me too.”

   You sloshed around your wine in the glass and watched the candlelight reflect through the pale gold liquid before you gulped the remainder down. When you put the glass back to the table, Chris raised the bottle and refiled your glass. As he poured you watched him. “Do you want a divorce now?” Chris’ actions stilled.

   He held the bottle in midair and watched the liquid empty from the bottle before he slowly put it to the side. He took up his napkin and wiped his mouth, then put it down onto the table. All his movements were slow, methodical as if they were actions, but he was using the time to properly formulate speech. Each second that ticked away that he didn’t respond your mind crafted some horrible future where you were a divorcee, and then Bravo or VH1 would approach you with some offer to be on the next season of Ex-wives of Hollywood. You’d no doubt be the ex-wife who was secretly bitter and depressed and lonely because she didn’t want the divorce, but she had no one else to blame but herself. So, during the day she’d play the badass boss bitch, and at night she’d cry in bed in her negligee and fur heels and six to nine bottles of wine. It was almost certainly your future; you could see it.

   The sound of Chris clearing his throat was what snapped you out of your Ebenezer scrooge ghost of futures to come vision. His fingers were steepled underneath his chin, and he was just staring at you with a very unreadable expression on his face. “Do you want a divorce?”

   You felt like you were going to throw up the dinner you’d just had then pass out in the vomit. Part of you said to play it cool and not show how scared you were, but the other part said throw everything out on the table. The pounding in your head made it impossible to think or focus and you decided to listen to your heart and just speak. “Of course, I don’t want a divorce. That is the last thing in the world I want. I love you so goddamn much, but—but if you want a one then I will respect your wishes and give it to you.” The words made you sick. It would kill you, but you’d do it.

   “When I asked you to marry me, do you remember what I said?” You took a shaky breath and held it before you nodded.

   “Tell me.” Tapping into that strength your parents said they saw when you were a child you forged ahead.

   “My life—your life has become exponentially better since meeting me; you’d never been happier and never met anyone like me and had never felt that way about anyone in all your life. You don’t know how you made it through life without me and now that you have me—you can’t imagine ever spending one more day without me in your life. You want to grow with me, build with me, fall even more in love with me and grow old with me surrounded by our four planned and two accidental children. Will you make me the happiest, proudest, most grateful man in the world and spend the rest of—our lives with me?” you dabbed the back of your hand at the tears that spilled out. He nodded.

   “I meant those words and nowhere in them did I say spend four years of our lives with me. I said the rest of our lives. Four isn’t nearly enough, dragonfly. So no, I don’t want a divorce. Hell, even if you wanted one, I would fight with everything in me for you—for us.” You covered your mouth as relief washed over you. “Divorce is not the answer for me—it’s never going to be the answer Riah. Do you understand? When I said till death do we part, I meant it, and nothing is going to change it.” Sniffling, you nodded and wiped your tears away and tried to get a hold of your emotions. Silence filled the room, and neither of you moved, or even continued to eat the scraps on your plate.

   After a few minutes, he stood and took your plates and busied himself with the after dinner clean up. After a few minutes of watching his movements, you got up and walked around the property taking everything in. Although it was now night and darkness took over the entire property was bathed in the light of hanging lanterns and draped pepper lights and it gave the most romantic glow. You saw a lake and smiled.

   “I want a lake; my very own lake and I want a pretty deck that has enough chairs for our umpteen-‘leven kids, and we’ll all sit out back on summer nights, and you’ll teach them to fish.”

   The deck as you wanted was right there, and you saw plenty of seats just waiting to be sat in. Turning to the right you saw a beautiful cherry tree and a hanging swing. You smiled and walked to it, the final piece falling into place.

   “There better be a swing that overlooks this lake so we can watch the sunsets when we’re seventy thinking about how perfect our life together had been.”

   You sat down and felt as if you’d finally come home. You watched the water dance and got lost in your feelings and thoughts. Your father did say he was a good man; you knew that or else you wouldn’t have married him. Your mind flitted to the conversation you still had yet to have. Closing your eyes you took a deep breath, held it and smiled sensing him.

   “I see you found the piece de resistance,” Chris said as he sat beside you.

   “Oh yeah and what a piece de resistance it is.”

   “Is it as you imagined?” You looked at him and bit your bottom lip.

   “No. It’s so much better.” Chris looked to you and smiled that smile that always made your stomach do loopy loops.

   “What’s the answer?” He nodded fully understanding your question, then looked back out to the lake. He didn’t speak, and neither did you for a long while.

   When the air grew colder, and the breeze picked up the two of you made your way back to the house. Chris locked up, and then the two of you slowly walked upstairs. Once outside the master bedroom, he opened the door for you so you could walk inside. You walked to the balcony that overlooked the lake and sighed at how beautiful and peaceful it was.

   “I’ll um—I’ll give you the bedroom, I can take one of the other rooms.” Your stomach sank. In all your years together, you never slept apart when in the same city. Last night was the first time, and you didn’t want to do it again. You were disappointed and hurt that he wanted to. You looked down and nodded then turned your back.

   “Goodnight,” you responded. Soon after he repeated the same and you heard the door close. Trying your best to stifle your cries you hopped in the shower and took a quick one. Once you climbed into bed and laid down the moonlight bathed the bed and you laid there mesmerized by its beauty. You couldn’t help but feel incomplete. You looked beside you to where Chris should have been and missed him. You walked to the French glass doors that separated outside from in and put your forehead to it. The cool glass helped to slow your racing thoughts. You felt like some innocent teenager who was scared to say what she wanted and go after it. That wasn’t you; it had never been.

   “Riah.” You spun around at the sound of Chris’ voice. There he was in a pair of sweats, and a white undershirt and even that made your heart race and your belly flutter. “Sorry, I didn’t knock.”

   “Why do you need to knock it’s your room too.” He nodded and looked down.  

   “Earlier, did you not want me to sleep in another room?” You bit your bottom lip again then found the courage.

   “We don’t sleep apart. Remember?” Chris nodded then rubbed his head, sending all his luscious locks in disarray.

   “I remember, I just thought you’d want your space after everything. I didn’t want to crowd you. I want to—give you what you need—be how you need me to be right now.”

   He meant well, you knew it. You didn’t know what to say to him about anything and didn’t know what to do. You knew one thing, you needed him.

   “Come to bed?” He studied you trying to grasp your meaning. After a few moments, you walked to him, held out your hand and waited for his decision. Without a thought he took your hand, and you led him to the bed.

Once there, you lifted up the hem of his shirt, and he allowed you to pull it off. After the first time you’d seen him shirtless in person you always thought he should just remain shirtless. He was beautiful to look at. You traced your hand down his chest to the waistband of his sweats. As you hooked your finger in you took notice he wasn’t wearing any underwear. Glancing back up to him you noticed his eyes hadn’t left your face. He just stood there letting you take the lead. You pulled his sweats from their precarious location on his hips and kneeled on the bed taking his hand to lure him to follow. He didn’t object and took his place before you. His hand cupped your cheek and softly caressed your cheek.

“I love you, Uriah.”

   “I love you too.”

   You loosened the ties of your robe and let it fall from your naked body. The two of you kneeled on the bed before each other with the moonlight casting a milky glow over your bodies. Neither of you moved or spoke; there was no need for words. Slowly you traced your hand over his chest taking in every ab indentation and each definition of his pec muscles. Once you made it to his face you reveled the feel of the softness of his hair, then the smoothness of his bottom lip and the slight wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Chris took your hand and kissed your palm before he placed your hand back on his cheek.

   You brought his face to yours and softly kissed his lips. The kiss was not one of passion or yearning. It was a kiss of gentleness, one that said how much you missed him, and it was a sentiment he returned. You could feel his pain in the kiss. A pain you shared. Chris deepened the kiss and pulled you flush against his body and wrapped his hands around your waist. You tasted salty tears and sunk your fingers into his hair and gripped his strands. For the first time, you realized that the pain you’d tried to push down these last weeks was a pain he was feeling now. He was grieving right along with you.

   You lied down on onto your back and looked up at him. Chris slowly looked over your body. You opened your legs, and he settled between them as he hovered over your body. You reached up and wiped a rolling tear. He turned his head and kissed your palm again before he dipped down and claimed your lips again. This kiss was an urgent one tinged with something else. You pulled him close, and he buried his face in your neck and cried. Holding him to you, you allowed your tears freedom and cried with him.

   “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, dragonfly. Forgive me.” Chris kissed your neck, then your collar. His lips moved to your chest, and down to your breast, his tongue lazily circled your nipple and awoke a gentle heat within you. He pulled his head back quickly and searched your eyes. You knew what he was asking. Nodding your head, he kissed you again and returned his lips to your breast. He brought his mouth lower to your belly, and he stared at it. His hand possessively circled it before he kissed around it. Your tears streamed form your eyes, and a strangled cry escaped your throat.

   Chris moved lower and kissed your sex before he began slowly pleasing you. Your back arched and your fingers dug into his hair holding on to him praying to God that you would be able to come back from this. The pleasure he brought you felt different than all the times before. Before it was an unquenchable fire that consumed you and never relented, now it was a slow burn that comforted while it maddened. You gasped loudly and pulled at his hair feeling your orgasm rage through you. Again, Chris nestled between your legs and slowly connected your bodies. Both of you sighed feeling your connection strengthen. He didn’t move; instead he stared deeply into your eyes and rocked you to your core with how much you saw hidden behind his blue orbs.

   When he began rocking into you, your skin peppered with goosebumps and the tightening in your belly was another sign you were close to claiming your pleasure. Chris pressed his body to yours, and you took the initiative to roll onto him. Once you adjusted you rotated your hips to the motion of the letter “c” and then rocked back and forth. Chris’ hands flew to your hips and squeezed then rocked you to the pace he wanted. Throwing your head back you tried to focus on the sensations he was giving you. You tried to equally allow all you were feeling to come through. When you looked back to Chris you could tell his complex emotions were warring as well. You lowered your body to his and buried your face in his flesh and inhaled his scent--a scent you loved. Without knowing a sob escaped you and Chris’ arms wrapped around you.

   “It’s not your fault Uriah.” Those words felt like permission to let it all go, approval and reassurance all at once. Your crying became louder until Chris rolled you back onto the bed and wiped your tears as he stroked the fire within your veins to a blazing inferno. You dug your nails into his skin and held on to him as his movements became less controlled and more desperate. Chris’ grunts and moans were soft. You bit your bottom lip and let out a high pitched wine when he sunk into you to the hilt and broke the dam of your orgasm. The two of you clung to each other as your bodies shook from the power of your release and what you’d just shared together.

   After several long moments, Chris rolled off of you onto his back and the two of you laid there staring at the ceiling in silence each trying to catch your breath and lost in your thoughts. Chris pulled you close to his side, and you nestled your cheek onto his chest as you’d done thousands of times. You could head the rapid thumping of his heart and closed your eyes as you focused on it. Chris’ fingers languidly drew patterns on your cooling skin breaking you out in goosebumps everywhere he touched. The intimacy of the moment made you feel closer to him. A closeness you hadn’t felt since the night in Australia where you finally decided to start trying for a baby. You were so lost in the quiet of the moment and your thoughts that you didn’t hear Chris say your name.

   “Uriah?” You opened your eyes and sighed. “Hmm?”

   “Let’s go to therapy.” Tilting your head up to meet his eyes, you listened with your heart to everything his eyes said. You nodded.

   “Yeah.” He released a relieved sigh then kissed your forehead, and the two of you fell into a comfortable silence as sleep finally washed over you.

~~~~~~~~~~~

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[the-regal-warrior]

Cadre Weaponry: Part One

Okay, so I know I’ve been teasing my new AU for a while, and it’s finally finished. This story was an absolute monster to write, and I wanted the whole thing to be finished before I posted it. It’s the longest story I’ve ever written - and it’s the only one I’ve ever finished. The official word count is 34,341 words.

That being said, it will be posted in six parts, starting tonight, with one part a night. I really hope you all like it, because it has meant everything to me.

Before I get into it, I’d like to give a brief shoutout to the following people: @city-of-fae @tangledraysofsunshine @nalgenewhore @musicmaam and @highqueenofelfhame

The five of them have put up with me talking about this story for probably a month now. They helped me figure out characters, they edited, they let me bounce ideas off of them, they let me spam them with updates, and, most importantly, they encouraged me to keep going. I love you all so much, and I’m so grateful for all of you.

Summary: Welcome to Cadre Weaponry - the shop for all your weapons needs, both antique and modern! Join the boys of the Cadre as they become friends and tackle this thing we call life. Maybe, just maybe, they’ll even find love along the way. 

Warnings: Not a whole lot, although there might be some language. There will be smut in later chapters, but nothing in this one, as this is the introductory chapter.

.

PRESENT DAY

Vaughan walked through the front door, eyes sweeping through the store as he made his way to his office. Gavriel was at the front desk, watching over the till and keeping an eye on the few customers who were browsing the aisles this early in the morning. Along the far wall, Fenrys was helping one man as he looked at the swords, no doubt answering any questions he had. Rowan and Lorcan were both in their offices - the former on the phone with a customer and the latter typing away on his computer. Connall, it seemed, had yet to arrive, but Vaughan had no doubt he’d be in soon.

Vaughan just grinned to himself as he sat at his desk chair, tapping the spacebar on his keyboard as he settled in for another day. The screen flashed to life, the store’s logo flashing as it prompted him for his password. 

Cadre Weaponry. 

If someone had told him seven years ago this is what he’d be doing with his life, he would’ve never believed them.

But here he was, doing a job he loved and working with his five best friends. It hadn’t been the easiest of journeys to get to where they were, but they’d made it.

SEVEN YEARS, FOUR MONTHS, AND EIGHT DAYS AGO

Connall followed his brother into their first class of the morning, already dreading the next hour and twenty minutes. Even though both he and Fenrys were business majors, and this was a business class, with one of his favorite professors, he wasn’t looking forward to the class.

Their professor had announced the major project for the entirety of the semester - creating their own mock business - at the end of the last class. Usually this would be a project Connall was all about, but then the professor had dropped the other shoe.

It was a group project.

It wasn’t that Connall didn’t like working with other people - hell, he and Fenrys were partners for every project they could have partners for. It was more the size of the group that deterred him. Groups could be no smaller than four people and no larger than six.

That was a lot of people to rely on for a group project. Especially because their professor had informed them that the group with the most developed project by the end of the semester would be asked to present their work at a conference with investors. 

Casting his eyes around the room, he sized up his fellow classmates as possible candidates for members of his group. 

Across the room, Fenrys was already in a conversation with Rowan Whitethorn, who had been his best friend for years. Clearly, he was already a member of the group.

That left one more spot to fill - no way Connall was dealing with more people than was strictly necessary. Huffing a sigh at his possible options, his gaze finally landed on Vaughan Osten. He and Connall had met as freshman in a required math course, and though he wouldn’t call him a friend, Connall trusted his work enough to ask him to join their group.

Resigned to his fate, Connall just sank into his seat and turned his gaze back to the front of the classroom, waiting for their professor to start the day.

~*^*~

As soon as the professor announced that everyone should split up into their groups, Vaughan caught Connall’s eye across the room. Nodding once, he hauled his bag over his shoulder, making his way to where Fenrys and Connall were pushing desks together to form a table of sorts. As he navigated the other students frantically trying to put groups together, he was waylaid at the feeling of a hand on his arm.

Turning, he found himself staring up into the displeased face of Lorcan Salvaterre. It wasn’t that Lorcan was necessarily upset to see Vaughan - that was just his natural expression. The two of them had met in a basic web design class they’d both taken last year, and they often worked together when it was necessary. 

“Hey,” Lorcan started, his voice sounding like he didn’t use it that often. “I thought we could work together on this thing?”

Vaughan hesitated. He already had a group, although he didn’t actually know how many people were in it. He figured the least he could do was take Lorcan with him and see if there was a spot for him. “Sure, sure. I’ve got a group in mind, but if we’re lucky they’ll still have open spots.”

Lorcan nodded once, and began following Vaughan to the far side of the room. When they got to the table the brothers had pushed together, Connall raised an eyebrow at the sight of Lorcan standing next to Vaughan. 

“Who’s this?” Connall grumbled, not pleased with the thought of adding another person.

Vaughan only grinned, knowing that Connall didn’t mean to be rude. “Lorcan Salvaterre, meet Connall Moonbeam. Connall, don’t worry, he’ll carry his own weight.”

Connall only huffed and turned to face his brother, who was standing there with Rowan Whitethorn and Gavriel Lionheart. Rowan he’d expected - he and Fen were thick as thieves - but Gavriel was a bit of a surprise. 

Sensing his brother’s rising frustration at yet another unexpected group member, Fenrys only said “Gavriel’s a friend of Rowan’s. He’ll put in the work, don’t worry.”

Connall didn’t look pleased, but he gestured for them to pull up more desks and sit down anyway.

~*^*~

Fifty minutes into the class, and they’d quickly established what everyone could bring to the project. As business majors, and children of business owners, Fenrys and Connall would obviously be heading up the project. Gavriel, as an accounting major, was put in charge of handling their business’s finances. Vaughan would handle all of the advertisement and marketing plans, since he was a marketing major.

Rowan and Lorcan were a bit more removed from the business side of things, but they both had their places. Rowan was a communications and graphic design major, so he would work with Vaughan on marketing schemes, as well as design the company’s logo and bring anything that needed drawing to life. Lorcan would also be assisting Vaughan, as well as designing a website for the mock business they were meant to be starting. As a computer science major, he was easily the most skilled in things like coding and programming.

The six of them had all of the work divided up quite nicely.

What they didn’t have, however, was a business to start.

They couldn’t seem to find any common ground, anything that interested all six of them enough that they could dedicate such a major project to it. They kept tossing around ideas, but they were always shot down, either because it wouldn’t give everyone enough work for the project, or because someone didn’t know enough about the topic to make it work, or for a million other reasons. 

They were in the middle of arguing over the latest failed idea - a food truck - when their professor stopped by to check on their progress. Lorcan was against it for the sheer fact that he wouldn’t have enough to do - food trucks didn’t exactly need websites - and Gavriel didn’t know enough about the workings of food trucks to be comfortable with the financial aspect of the project.

“How’s it going over here guys?” the man asked, though by the smirk on his face, they figured he knew it wasn’t going as well as they’d hoped. 

Glancing around the group once, Fenrys finally settled on, “well, we know what everyone’s going to do, but we don’t actually have a business idea.”

“Instead of trying to find an idea right away, why don’t you spend some time finding things all of you are interested in. I’m sure you’ll find something.” With that, their professor just smirked at them once more and walked over to the next group.

~*^*~

Twenty minutes later, they still didn’t have a business plan that everyone could agree on, and they were running out of time. 

“Gods above, Mom and Dad didn’t tell us starting a business was this difficult.” Connall nodded at his brother’s words, thumping his head down on the desk with the final pitch of his head. “They always just said they wanted to open a store to sell antique weapons, so they made it happen.”

“Wait,” Gavriel broke in, his eyes widening ever so slightly with whatever idea had crossed his mind. “Your parents sell antique weapons?”

“Yeah?” Connall replied, his confusion evident in his tone. 

“Could we do something like that?” 

Rowan and Vaughan nodded along with Gavriel’s words, clearly fascinated by the idea.

Lorcan thought about it for a moment before replying. “What if we expanded upon your parents’ business?”

Fenrys raised a questioning eyebrow, and the others looked intrigued as well, so Lorcan continued, “we could design a business that sells not only antique weapons, but modern ones as well. That way it wouldn’t just be a project about your parents’ store, but a new business, with a wider variety of products.”

They all shared a look before grinning, hurrying to jot down a few brief notes in the five minutes that remained of the class.

SEVEN YEARS, ONE MONTH, AND FIFTEEN DAYS AGO

Gavriel watched Connall out of the corner of his eye as their professor returned their projects. He’d returned all but two - theirs being one of the two - and Connall’s fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were turning white. The professor was speaking briefly to each group as he returned them - they’d all presented their projects during the last class, having turned them in the week before, and now they were just waiting to see which group had won. Their professor had informed them that he’d announce the winning group after all the projects were returned.

Needless to say, the six of them were fairly nervous, although Connall seemed to be freaking out more than the rest of them.

Gavriel couldn’t help the small snort that escaped him  as Connall dropped his head onto his desk and groaned quietly when their professor turned to the other remaining group, clearly intending to leave them for last. Fenrys, it seemed, was used to this behavior from his brother, as he just started flicking the back of his head until Connall lifted his head and shot a glare at his brother. 

Hissing a harsh “cut it out, asshole” at his twin, Connall turned to face the rest of the group just as their professor walked up to them, a smile on his face. 

“Boys,” he started, setting the large stack of papers that was their project on the table between them, “this was one of the best mock business projects I’ve seen in a very long time. The idea to take what you knew about an already existing business and apply it to your project really improved the quality of your work. Every part of the project was well-planned and incredibly detailed. I’m pleased to inform you that your project is the only one I’ve been able to give a perfect score.”

Grinning at them once more, the man turned to face the rest of the class. “I’m pleased to announce that the group who will be attending the conference is The Cadre.”

Chuckles rang out across the classroom even as the boys celebrated their hard work. Over the course of the semester, the boys had gone from classmates to friends, and people had given the nickname after seeing them together so often. It was especially common within this class - since their classmates saw them in the library constantly, and it helped that they had given their mock business the name “Cadre Weaponry,” but it was a name that was beginning to stick outside of class. 

Casting a look around his group, Gavriel smiled and accepted the high five Rowan was offering him. Connall looked like he could finally breathe, even with Fen’s arms wrapped around his neck as he hugged him quite enthusiastically from behind. Vaughan was clapping Connall on the shoulder, and Lorcan, by far the quietest and most reserved of the group, was just smirking at their antics - though he did accept the fist bump Rowan offered him.

SIX YEARS, TEN MONTHS, AND TWELVE DAYS AGO

Lorcan shoved his hands into his pockets, his fingers digging into the fabric in an attempt to keep from pulling at the tie he had been forced into by Connall early that morning. Lorcan had claimed that the suit jacket - “monkey suit” had been his exact wording - was more than enough, but Connall had disagreed.

Now, the conference was nearly over, and all Lorcan wanted to do was get out of the ridiculous contraption and back into his standard jeans and t-shirt combo.

Sighing when he realized he still had another hour left, Lorcan let his gaze travel over the five guys he was finally starting to refer to as friends, surprised once again by how they’d gotten here. 

When they’d first put this group together, it was more out of sheer necessity than anything else. The first couple meetings had been a little awkward, everyone trying to figure out how to work together and things like that. But they’d quickly settled into an easy routine, and by the end of the assignment they were all fairly good friends. Winning the spot at the conference had required them to stay in touch after the class was over, though something told Lorcan they would have remained friends anyway. 

Now, here they were several months later, pitching their business idea to investors - many of whom had seemed interested enough in the idea that they probably would have offered financial backing if the six of them had actually been considering trying to get this business off the ground. 

It was just as Lorcan was contemplating this that a couple walked over to them, looking mildly intrigued by the display they’d put together. Readying himself to have to explain their proposal for what felt like the millionth time that day, Lorcan was taken aback when the woman pulled Connall into a hug, the man standing beside her clapping Fenrys on the shoulder. 

Fenrys reached out to wrap an arm around the woman as he said, “guys, I’d like you all to meet our parents. Mom, Dad, these are the guys - Lorcan, Rowan, Vaughan, and Gavriel.”

There were handshakes all around as the Moonbeams introduced themselves to everyone. Finally, their father cast a glance at the display behind them before saying, “the boys were telling us about your project, and we’re fairly intrigued. Do you think you could tell us more about it?”

The six of them shared a glance before launching into their proposal, this time with more emphasis on their own individual roles, since the Moonbeams knew the basic premise already. 

Once they had finished, the couple shared a look before Mrs. Moonbeam asked them something that left them all so shocked it was a minute before anyone could reply. 

“Have the six of you ever thought about turning this project into an actual business?”

Seeing that all of them were too stunned to reply, she elaborated. “I’m sure all of you know that Fenrys and Connall are meant to be taking over the business once they graduate?” When they all nodded, she added, “well, what if all of you came to work for the business, and turned it from what it is now - Moonbeam’s Antique Weapons - into Cadre Weaponry - a store that sells antique weapons and modern firearms and weapons?”

Gavriel, ever the logical one, was the first to come up with a response. “Even if we all wanted to, how would that work? In this scenario, the one outlined in the proposal, we’re all part-owners. But, you’re giving the business to Fen and Con, so would we be working for them?”

Connall looked pensive when he added, “well, you could always buy into the business. We would be the owners to start, but then you could buy your share of the company.”

“And while it would just be the two of us listed, we would just be owners in name only,” Fenrys continued. “We would all share the responsibilities of owning the business, and then you just buy your share whenever you can.” 

Vaughan chuckled. “It sounds like you have this pretty well thought out already.”

Their father nodded his head at Vaughan’s words. “When the boys started telling us about your project, we were pretty taken with it. We asked if they thought you’d want to actually bring the business to life, and we started planning how all of it would work, in case you did.”

Rowan, who’d been fairly quiet throughout the whole conversation, finally piped up. “I mean, it’s not a horrible idea. With the six of us, we have all the components to make the business a reality.”

Gavriel and Vaughan nodded along, but Lorcan still wasn’t sold. “Gavriel and I are the only ones graduating this year - the rest of you still have a year to go. What exactly are the two of us meant to be doing while we wait for you lot to graduate and Fenrys and Connall to take over the business?”

“Well,” Mrs. Moonbeam cut in, “you’re more than welcome to come work for us. You’ll have a steady job for a year, which will help you make money to buy your share of the company, and you’ll have a chance to familiarize yourself with the business.”

“And,” Mr. Moonbeam added, “the rest of you are welcome to work summers and breaks with us as well, and even weekends during the semester if you want. Fenrys and Connall already do, but we could use the extra help.”

Everyone looked like they were convinced that this could actually work when Rowan brought in another point to the contrary. “As great as that sounds, won’t all four of us have internships to do next year? It’s not like we’ll have time for jobs if we’re all learning how to navigate entirely different companies.”

Their parents looked thoughtful for a moment, clearly trying to decide on whether or not to say what they were thinking. Finally, Mrs. Moonbeam seemed to decide it would work, because she said, “we’ve already talked to the university about the boys doing their internship with us, since we’re the company that wants to hire them upon graduation. I’m sure we could do the same for you and Vaughan.”

“Plus, if we showed them your project and told them that you were planning to actually make it a reality, I’m sure they’d have no problem with it,” Mr. Moonbeam interjected. 

The six of them were silent for several minutes, all of them clearly thinking about whether or not this was something they wanted to go for. Lorcan knew it would be hard for him to buy his share of the company - he’d never had much money, and the little he had went toward helping his mom pay the bills - but he desperately wanted to find a way to make it work.

He’d just come to the conclusion that he was willing to try when he heard Vaughan say, “well, I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m in.”

Fenrys and Connall were quick to nod along with him, grins splitting across both of their faces.

Gavriel nodded too, adding, “I’m in as well.”

“Count me in.” That was Rowan, grinning as he spoke.

As one, all five of his friends turned to face Lorcan, their expressions hopeful. “What the hell,” he settled on. “Let’s make this happen.”

FIVE YEARS, EIGHT MONTHS, AND TWO DAYS AGO

He couldn’t believe it. He’d graduated college only a few days ago, and Rowan Whitethorn was already a business owner in everything but name. He’d spent the last year learning how the company worked, familiarizing himself with all the aspects of owning a business and slowly working to implement the necessary changes that would allow for the sale of modern firearms and weapons as well as antique ones. 

All of the permits had gone through, everything that needed to be approved was approved. They’d even gotten new stock in, but they had decided against displaying and selling any of it until the twins were in place as the new owners and the company was entirely run by the boys. 

The Moonbeams had handed over the company to their sons the day before, the brothers now the official owners of the company. Their second order of business had been to call a meeting - that Rowan was currently on his way to - to discuss the remodeling of the store. The first had been to shut down the store for a week to allow them the time to get everything in place.

He’d just climbed out of his beat-up Bronco when he heard the tell-tale sound of a motorcycle pulling into parking lot. Vaughan pulled into the spot next to him, a wry grin on his face as he climbed off the bike. By the looks of it, they were the last to arrive, since Lorcan’s truck was parked next to Gavriel’s, and he could just see Connal’s Jeep and Fenrys’s motorcycle parked around the side of the building.

“So,” Vaughan smirked, mischief sparking in his eyes, “what do you think our new bosses have planned for us today?”

“I haven’t a clue, but you’re going to milk the shit out of them being the official bosses for as long as you can, aren’t you?”

Vaughan just winked as he pulled the front door open, Rowan following him into the store. From what he could see, only the front half of the building was in use, rows of antique weaponry on display with the till in the front corner and some desks along the back wall, which he assumed served as the offices.

It was around one of these desks that everyone else had gathered, so he followed Vaughan to the back of the store, mind already whirling with ideas of how to best use the space the building provided. 

“Morning, boss.” Vaughan tipped an imaginary hat at Connall before doing the same to Fenrys. “And to you as well, boss.”

The twins just flipped him off in unison, nodding to Rowan in greeting. Gavriel barked out a laugh next to them, the rest of them soon following suit. 

“So, what brings us all here at six on a Saturday morning?” Lorcan, it appeared, was not happy about the early hour of the meeting.

‘Well,” Fenrys started, looking around at the group of friends gathered around him, “we were thinking we could get started on some renovating and reorganizing today. Connall and I have some ideas we wanted to run by all of you for how best to organize the space, but we want your input too.”

When everyone seemed more than ready to start, the two of them quickly launched into their plans. Apparently, the back section of the building that wasn’t in use consisted of several smaller rooms that were being used for storage - particularly for the new stock that they hadn’t put out yet. Fenrys and Connall thought it would be a good idea for each of them to have their own office, since they would each be in charge of different aspects of running the business. Even with them needing six offices, that still left three rooms for storage in the back, and moving the desks out of the front would give them plenty of extra space for the firearms and weapons that hadn’t been put out yet. 

They had also started planning what the new floorplan of the store would be, but they wanted everyone’s input on that. After a long discussion, they all finally came to an agreement on what the best plan was, with Rowan drawing out the layout as they went.

“Now,” Connall piped up after they’d finished, “we have one more surprise for you - a final gift of sorts from our parents.”

He disappeared into the back, so Fen added, “I remembered how much we all loved the business logo Rowan designed for us, so I hope we still feel the same way.”

Connall came back in carrying a huge sign, which he turned around to show them. Displayed in bold letters, using the logo he’d designed, were the words “Cadre Weaponry.” Rowan was in complete shock - he couldn’t believe he would get to come to work every day in a store that he would eventually be part-owner of, and that he would get to see his own design staring down at him while he did. 

Once everyone had finished admiring the sign, they were quick to get to work, knowing how much effort it was going to take to get this place open in a week. Reorganizing the store would come first, and then they were each in charge of their own offices. Lorcan was also in charge of getting the new website up and running, and Rowan had to design the new business cards. Gavriel had to familiarize himself with the books, and Vaughan had to start marketing the new business so that word about all their new products would reach the public.

They had a lot to do in a week, but Rowan was more than up to the challenge. 

FIVE YEARS AND ONE DAY AGO

Fenrys couldn’t help the grin that broke across his face as he walked through the door. This place, this business - it was everything he’d ever dreamed of for so long. It was more, even. And getting to share it with his best friends - well, that meant everything. 

And as of today, it was officially shared among the six of them. It had taken some time, but they were all officially owners of Cadre Weaponry.

Rowan had been the first to become an owner, after Connall and himself. The Whitethorn family was wealthy, and between his graduation gifts and a loan from his parents - a small portion of his inheritance taken early - Rowan had become an owner about a month after graduating college. 

Gavriel had followed soon after, using the money he’d saved up after working for the Moonbeams for a year to cover part of his share of the business. For the rest, he’d taken a loan out, after spending the previous year and a half building his credit in order to qualify for the loan.

Next had been Vaughan, who had purchased his share three months ago. His grandfather, who’d saved up a small fortune during his life, had passed away and left most of his savings to Vaughan. The first thing he’d done with the money was buy into the business, making him the fifth owner. 

And now, today, Lorcan had finally saved up enough after a year and a half of working to be able to become a part-owner. 

Clapping his brother on the shoulder as the door swung shut behind him, Fenrys rounded the cash register, dropping the blue gift bag he’d been carrying onto the counter. “Morning, guys!”

“Well, you’re certainly chipper,” Connall quipped, the only other one of the guys who knew why Fenrys had made them all come in for an early morning meeting.

“Yeah, especially considering how early it is.” Gavriel yawned to punctuate his point.

Rowan gave him a skeptical look. “Seriously Fen, why are we all here this early?”

“My friends, today is a very important day here at Cadre Weaponry.” The rest of them grumbled at his theatrics, but Fenrys just adopted a shit-eating grin and continued with his speech. “As of today, Cadre Weaponry has six owners.”

He paused as the others weighed his words, Connall smirking next to him. Lorcan just looked mildly pleased with himself, at least until the other three turned to face him. Then his cheeks turned slightly pink, and he ducked his head, even as they all cheered and moved to pull him into congratulatory hugs. 

While they were all celebrating, Fenrys took a moment to study his companions, taking in the changes that had occurred since they’d met in college. Rowan’s tattoo, which had covered his entire left arm, now sprawled down onto his hand and crawled up his neck and onto the side of his face. Likewise, Gavriel had added to his chest tattoo, continuing the design up onto his throat and the sides of his neck. Lorcan and Fen had both added to theirs as well, both of them now having full sleeves. 

And many of them had gotten piercings in the few years they’d been friends. Fenrys himself had gotten his nose pierced, and Connall, who’d gone with him, had walked out of the tattoo shop with a pierced septum. And Vaughan, always the wild one, had shown up a week later with a tongue piercing.

Fenrys couldn’t wait to see what changes the next few years would bring.

Once everyone had finally let him go, and Lorcan was sufficiently pink in the face, Fenrys handed him the bag he’d set on the counter. “Welcome - officially, anyway - to the business, Lorcan.”

Lorcan just nodded, and with a whispered word of thanks, he took the proffered bag. Pulling tissue paper from its depths, he smirked when he realized what the bag contained. “Thanks, Fen, Con,” he replied, grinning at them. “Shall we go put it up?”

The others leaned forward to see what was in the bag, laughing when they realized it was the same thing they had all received. It was a plaque for Lorcan’s office door that read “Lorcan Salvaterre, Owner.” All of their doors were labelled, but Fenrys and Connall got them new ones with “owner” added to it when they officially bought into the business. 

Connall grinned, the expression a mirror of the one on his brother’s face. “I think that sounds like an excellent idea.”

.

Tags: @highqueenofelfhame @city-of-fae @musicmaam @throne-of-ashes-and-beauty @tacmc @tangledraysofsunshine @lordof-bloodshed @how-to-be-a-bad-ass-be-me @nalgenewhore @bookrebelwordwarrior @sleeping-and-books @froggy-waddles @mis-lil-red @keep-a-bucket-full-of-stars

As always, if you would like to be added to my tag list, please let me know - oh, and let me know if you want to be added to my permanent tags or just my tags for this fic!

Thank you all so much for reading - part two comes out tomorrow night!

[neondnp]

my ii m&g experience ♥

(long rambling and pic spam ahead)

arriving + waiting in line

prior to and upon arriving at the venue, i was SO incredibly nervous to the point that it nearly overpowered my excitement. my heart had been racing all week and my stomach was in knots. i’d been anticipating this very day for almost a year and i was absolutely terrified that something would go wrong. i kept having thoughts like, “what if there’s a ton of unexpected traffic backed up for hours and i miss the meet and greet?” “what if there’s something wrong with my ticket??” “what if i forget something important and i’m denied access?” “what if i DIE before i get there!?” luckily, none of my delusional fears from my panicked state of mind came true and most of my anxiety disappeared after i was given my wristband.

meeting and conversing with the lovely new friends i made in line put me at enough ease that my ability to comprehend the intense reality of the situation was beginning to vanish. everything was too dreamlike to feel real. was i really mere minutes away from meeting my idols??

suddenly, everyone started screaming. i looked up and saw phil standing at the rail. i nearly had a damn heart attack!! that’s phil! he literally looks like an angel! i heard dan’s voice from the other corner and turned around to see him right above us! that’s dan!! he glows! o m g !! there they are!! in person! holy s*** that’s actually them!!! whatever they said to us either completely went over my head or was entirely forgotten because i don’t recall any of it. this was the most surreal moment of my life.

shoutout to the girl on twitter who filmed some of this and caught my reaction after they waved and left lmao

i guess this is what my mind being completely blown looks like??!?

my adrenaline was through the roof, but i was too stupefied to feel emotional yet. my throat was drying as the line in front of me gradually got shorter. the lack of air conditioning upstairs didn’t help. i was close enough to talk to marianne (a queen, btw) about what i wanted to give them. i had a letter from a friend and two of my ii themed d&p drawings that i made into magnets. she told me she would keep them and give them to dan and phil after the meet and greet. disappointing, but understandable. i wrote my name on the magnets but they won’t have a clue who i am. oh well. here’s what they look like:

before i knew it, it was my turn to meet them. a friend i met in line agreed to film my meet and greet but was too nervous to do so once we approached our turns. although it sucks to not have footage, i fully understand having anxiety. she’s very sweet and i’d never want to cause her any stress.

the actual meeting and greeting:

before i get into the personal details and talk about my interaction with them, i’ll describe their irl voices and appearances. 

i’d say they sound exactly the same in person. they don’t necessarily look any different from how they do in pictures and videos, just more radiant; especially phil. his hair somehow looks even darker irl and there’s an indescribably beautiful contrast between his black hair, vibrant eyes, and pale skin. it makes him look otherworldly. his features are sharp. dan’s stubble is actually quite prominent, even from a distance. his features are soft. there’s not really much else to say about his appearance; he’s just as gorgeous in the flesh as he is on a screen. they were just as tall as i expected them to be so i wasn’t alarmed by their height. it did, however, feel different to look up at them and see them from a new (significantly lower) angle as opposed to seeing them from an eye-level camera angle. the same can be said about viewing them on stage from a close orchestra seat.

now, onto the good part! i wish i could remember more details, but meeting them was such a blur that i didn’t feel like it even happened at all until the next day (more on that later). most of my dreams are more vivid than this memory is. my brain was majorly lagging from the moment i was far enough ahead in line to be off the stairs, and my entire consciousness seemed to exist in some alternate dimension when i walked toward their direction to be greeted. i remember one or both of them saying, “hiii!” and dan saying “thanks for coming to see us!” i remember phil instantly opening his arms and asking if i wanted a hug. i think i said, “hi! yes i do!” i remember it being so much easier to talk to them than i thought it would be. words came naturally despite having very little awareness of what i was saying and—due to being in such a daze—completely forgetting to say any of the important things i’ve always wanted to tell them. they were both so warm, gentle, and welcoming. i was too out of it to realize this at the time, but looking back, they treated me like i was an old friend of theirs; like i was someone who mattered. that warms my heart. they genuinely care about making us feel comfortable and relaxed.

dan did most of the talking. i don’t remember what either of their hugs felt like, but i do remember dan giving me one of his awkward “dan hugs” lol. dan and i were both wearing striped shirts and he said that we were “totally coordinated with our stripes” which made me WAY happier than it should have, but oh man i was BEAMING. “we are!”

when phil asked if i’d like to have something signed, i took out a print of the two portraits i drew of them. “yes, can you sign my art please?” after handing the print to them, dan said, “oh my god did you draw these??” and i responded with something dumb like, “i did! it took me like my entire life but yeah!!” i really wish i could have seen them react to my drawings, but i didn’t think to look at their faces when i showed them. in fact, i’m not even sure if i made eye contact with them at all. they complimented me on my art but i don’t remember what they said. i'm not 100% certain, but i think dan called it incredible.

dan offered to take the selfie so i handed him my phone and we all got close and smiled for the camera. i noticed from other people’s meet and greet pics that phil had a tendency to lean his head in next to fans, but i’d of course forgotten about this detail. i was so weak later on when i saw how close our faces were in the group photo, w o w !! i asked if we could take individual pictures as well and dan said, “of course!”

this is the part i remember the most clearly. taking individual pictures was almost like hugging them again, only better because i was a little more aware—i was almost able to actually process it this time. looking at them you’d expect to feel nothing but firmness and bones, but they’re both delightfully squishy; especially dan. they’re two tall adorable teddy bears. dan fondly said, “thank you philip” when phil took our picture and it was the cutest thing. after the pictures were taken, i thanked them for about the tenth time. i remember saying “thank you” and “thank you so much” to almost everything they said and did. i probably would have thanked them if they accidentally stepped on my foot or dropped my phone. they told me to enjoy the show and i thanked them once more. i wished them a good show and at some point i think i said, “it was really nice meeting you.” we waved and said our goodbyes to each other.

and then it was over.

wait, it’s over. what the hell just happened?

i literally forgot everything on the spot.

everything happened so rapidly and it ended before i had even begun to take any of it in. i really wish i could have absorbed the moment more. i wish i could have said more. this may sound silly, but none of it felt real. it didn’t initially feel like, “aah i just met dan and phil!!” instead, it felt more like, “...did i really meet dan and phil? wouldn’t i have remembered meeting them if it really happened?” i was so disappointed in myself. how was i that spaced out the whole time? i expected a more emotional experience, but it was all so surreal that i wasn’t even in touch with reality, let alone with my emotions. i didn’t know how to react, so i blanked out into a strange semiconscious state and i hated myself for it. 

i went on to realize that meeting them was indeed a very emotional experience; i just needed to fully recover from my daze for it to hit me. while most of my memory is still a blur, several small details came back to me the following day bit by bit. it was enough for me to look back on and miss. it took me days to recall everything i wrote about above. i did cry. i was emotionally impacted, just not right away. it had to catch up with me. meeting them was absolutely amazing. looking at my pictures and signed artwork elates me. i actually met dan and phil!

even though i didn’t say what i wanted to, i’m grateful that i managed to talk to them at all. i was so sure i’d either stumble over my words or end up speaking in my stupid high-pitched nervous voice. i was also afraid i’d cry in front of them and i didn’t. it went smoothly and i survived. i have a few regrets, but i still loved it. i loved them.

i’d do it again in a heartbeat.

yes i was very extra with the editing but these pics mean a lot to me and i wanted them to look the best they could

what i didn’t get to say: 

@danielhowell @amazingphil thank you for inspiring so much creativity, motivation, and passion within me. you guys are the reason i wanted to start drawing again. you’re the reason why i stopped immediately giving up. you’re the reason i’ve met so many spectacular people and became part of such a diverse and extraordinary community. you guys give me a reason to smile. i love you, thank you for everything ♥ - alexis

[andallhisausterenhost]

After Action Report: Abate the Edge of Traitors

After going to all the effort* to write a fluffy intro to this battle, I then have had zero interest in writing a fluffy after action report. I think the problem is taking unpainted miniatures - it’s a bit hard to get worked up or invested in the death of Senor Greyskin and his trusty sidekick, Lady Dull Metallic, when I could instead get really into the clash of arms between, say, Brother-Veteran Hitoshi, warrior of the Mantis Warriors, and Matthias the Vicious, the dread serial killer of Nužudymas, cultist of Qyn Kraugeriškas, pirate-slave of Malachi the Surly, ya know?

It doesn’t help that @littlemangsofwar​ has some of the worst luck in recorded history.

My writer’s block is especially frustrating when Mangs puts a great deal of effort into his lists. Task Force Vengeance is fully named, from Librarian Cassiel down to the Land Raider Redeemer Purity Rolling.** I need to step up my game, both in terms of painting and in terms of, you know, writing. Things.

Anyway, this clash was really fun on paper. Mangs’s Dark Angels list is pretty mechanised, featuring a Nephillim Jetfighter (Caliban’s Wrath), a Predator, Razorback, a Rhino, scouts, a pack of Deathwing as well as officers. It’s not the most optimized list for 8th edition Dark Angels, as they actually really want to stand very still and get free re-rolls, but it is cool as hell to look at.

The Ravenwing were just here to scout the battlefield, then peeled away for another, more important mission elsewhere (he didn’t actually include them in the list! A mistake we’ve all made.).

I had a really bizarre list, swelled with unpainted units to try and match @littlemangsofwar​‘s cool Dark Angels. In the centre of the board, I massed my marines in cover, as well as some slightly forward scouts (including the new snipers and the Crusaders, who took up stances around an old console in the ruins). I had some attack bikes waiting in reserve, hidden behind buildings. On the right flank, the Radical Inquisitor took up position in his commandeered Razorback, behind a Tactical squad and some... uh... ash-camouflaged Assault Marines.

The blocks are actually a Daemonhost containing a warp spirit of Order, which I have some very cool ideas on, but they can wait until I paint more of the Inquisitor’s band of acolytes. The new Blackstone Fortress actually has a bunch of models that I was planning on converting for his gang, so that is going to be very hard to resist.***

I also had two squads of Ratlings, led by a Squat commander and accompanied by an Astropath, part of the Inquisitor’s extended retinue. The Mantis Warriors marching into battle accompanied by xenos, a daemonhost, and semi-humans! Not a great look, but they were here to fight the Dark Angels, who themselves have a less than savoury reputation.

We played a variation of Cleanse and Capture, which I’ll drop below the cut. Essentially it was the same scenario but we each had some bonus Tactical Objectives we wanted to achieve to give the thing a bit of flavour.

The objective markers were intended to represent archaeological sites that may contain information on + + + REDACTED BY INQUISITORIAL EDIT 7532/ω + + + which obviously the Dark Angels also sought.

I know I just wrote a lot of words about the scenario, but I’m afraid that I’m not up for a prolonged blow-by-blow of the game, so here are some highlights:

Despite a tremendous amount of possible mortal wound output from my three squads of snipers (two Ratling and one Mantis), I only killed about three Tactical marines from them all game. Of course, Ratling squads are only 45 points, so it’s still not a bad choice.

Early in the game, my attack bike with a multi-melta swung out and nearly one-shotted the Predator Silencer. In anger at this, @littlemangsofwar fired nearly his whole bloody army at the little bikers, only finally killing them with a plasma rifleman who then died in the explosion. What heroes.

There he is, tucked behind that barricade there.

The advanced (and second-most recently painted) sniper scouts that were holding the objective in the ruins were brutally cut down in a single round by a combination of Redeemer flamers and a Dark Angels Tactical Squad. Said squad would then hole up in that ruin for the rest of the game, sniper fire plinking off their power armour and holding my Assault Marines at bay.

The Inquisitor and his minions did very little. I’ll admit that I strongly dislike their rules in the Index - they get almost no character and kind of encourage the worst kind of spam. Take lots with plasma guns! Each one man unit is an Elite choice! And you can’t have cool models with twin swords or twin pistols actually count as those weapons! Lame.

Purity Rolling gets assaulted by the Mantis Warriors officer cadre.

In a pitched fight that goes to show why tanks don’t like urban battlefields, Purity Rolling got swarmed by my entire HQ and my teleporting Terminator Squad and got chipped to death. I was very lucky, getting off that 9″ charge, and it did come down to the power sword of the Sergeant, but it was still brutal.

Brother-Apothecary Jiyuna wimping out and refusing to charge Purity Rolling which is fair enough, really.

@littlemangsofwar kept the pressure on my Devastator Squad, but his fucking appalling dice rolling in this game meant that they lasted most of it. I don’t believe they did anything useful, but they just kept absorbing his fire.

pew pew

Beneath the Devastators, in the same ruins, were a Tactical Squad, which got assaulted by one of the Dark Angels Tacticals. The battle was fairly even, frustratingly, for several battle rounds, despite the assistance of my Brother-Apothecary Jiyun, Lieutenant Khan Nguyen Thi Kim, and the abhuman company commander in service of the Inquistion. The latter had a powerfist! He didn’t hit once!

His brothers cut down around him, Brother-Sergeant Kiraman fights against overwhelming odds.

An absolute beast who would. not. die. This caption refers to Kiraman, and not anyone wearing green, white, or blue. Jerks.

In the centre, my command squad and both units of Terminators kept wailing on one another for several turns. Between adroit use of psychic powers and @littlemangsofwar‘s gross luck, I came out on top, although my First Company warriors were annihilated to a man.

A glorious melee.

Chief Librarian Ahazra Redth channeling the Warp.

On the right flank, there is nothing much to report. Caliban’s Wrath was pretty wrathful, taking out my Inquisitor’s Razorback. Scouts and fire from various other tanks took down most of the acolytes, including the Slann and the exiled Aeldari ranger, but the Inquisitor himself was able to channel the powers of the warp and take out the scouts. The glowing cubic forms of the daemonhost did something between ‘nothing’ and ‘waste time’.

A rhino burns in the distance as Mantis Warriors Tactical Marines advance.

Overall, this game wasn’t as much fun as I would have liked. Don’t get me wrong, @littlemangsofwar is always cool to hang out with, but his luck was just so awful. It’s no fun watching your opponent roll ten dice and get two hits. 

I was using Raven Guard rules for the Mantis Warriors, as I do feel that it’s the best feel for their hit-and-run tactics in the fluff, but it’s also a very strong Chapter Tactic. Certainly light-years better than the terrible ‘you hit harder if you charge out of cover... for some reason’ rules they are reputed to have had two editions ago.

Hopefully, the next time @littlemangsofwar and I have a full game of 40K, our luck will even out. We did have two Kill Team games on Sun 28 Oct, and those went very differently!

I’ll leave you with at atmospheric**** photo of Squad Nakir of the Dark Angels...

Final score: Victory, Mantis Warriors. (Dark Angels withdraw.)

Men of the Match: Attack Bike with multi-melta. Toughness five, four wounds, baby!

Lesson to Remember: Dark Angels infantry get to re-roll ones if they don’t move that turn.

+ + + Thought for the Day: By the manner of their death we shall know them. + + +

Scenario: Maelstrom of War scenario Cleanse and Capture (see p.230 of the rulebook).

Modifications:

Terrain:

As traditional, whoever gets there first places terrain; second-comer can choose deployment side.

Placing objectives:

As I'm picking the scenario, you can choose whether to place the first or second objective. You may also choose which deployment type (p.216) we want to use.

Tactical Objectives:

As written (that is, we generate Tactical Objectives until we hold three), but we start with some at the beginning of the game in addition. Unlike regular TOs, we can't discard these, but they don't count against the maximum of 3 anyway.

You (Dark Angels) will start with 13 Confess! and 14 Seize and Interrogate in addition to rolling up/drawing three more.

I (Space Marines) will start with 12 Honour Your Chapter and I also have a made-up version of the Dark Angels 14 Seize and Interrogate by the Inquisitor (see below) in addition to rolling up/drawing three more.

(special) 14 Seize and Interrogate by the Inquisitor   Score 1 victory point if any enemy CHARACTERS, DEATHWING UNITS, or RAVENWING BLACK KNIGHT UNITS were slain by an INQUISITION unit in the Fight phase of this turn. If your opponent’s Warlord was slain by an INQUISITION unit during the Fight phase of this turn, score D3 victory points instead.

First Turn:

Rather than whoever finishes deployment automatically getting first turn (which can be brutal in this edition), I suggest we go with the system used in the Chapter Approved scenarios:

The players roll off, and the player who finished setting up their army first adds 1 to their result. The winner can choose to take the first or second turn. If they take the first turn, their opponent can roll a D6; on a 6, they manage to seize the initiative, and they get the first turn instead!

Everything else is the same as a standard Cleanse and Capture: Warlord, First Blood, Linebreaker; highest victory points is the winner; 5 turns and then start rolling for extra turns on a 3+; etc etc.

* Literally like five minutes before going to bed. ** A great blend of the sorts of names US soldiers give to their tanks and the 40K hellverse. *** Ratlings!!!!! **** Bad.

[devilinheadphones]

2017 Year In Review - Tumblr Edition

It’s really here, isn’t it, guys? 2017 is nearly over, 2018 is nearly here. I’ve wanted to make a post about this for a couple of weeks now, but this and that has happened and I finally have a little bit to really get this out there. I want to take this time to look back on people I’ve met and/or talked a lot with this year, ones who have really brightened things up when things have gone from bad to worse over 2017. I guess it’s more a callout “thank you” than a real year in review, but oh well. Also I’m typing this up on my laptop and I almost exclusively use Tumblr mobile so bear with the blandness of this. Let’s just jump right into it! Putting a read more cause this is kind of a long thingy

@galecsybuns - Where do I even begin? I know i didn’t meet you this year, but talking to you has certainly helped me out across all the crazy shit happening this year. I know it isn’t all too often, but I’m alright with that. You’re a good friend and I’m happy to have gotten to know you like I have. Maybe next year we can actually see each other! P.S. Your art is still rockin, don’t ever be afraid to spam me with what you’re working on; I’d love to see it and admire how cool it is! I’ve actually still got that drawing you made of me with my headphones and the “HECK” hoodie, it’s up with other important things that remind me of good friends. Here’s to another awesome year of friendship!

@sinish-tem - My guy, you’re certainly an interesting friend. It was kind of surprising to see someone ask me of all people about what Kingdom Hearts was, but I’m happy you did, because a great friendship blossomed from that question. Granted, when I was first answering, I was running on about two hours of sleep and pure excitement, but it seems to have worked out well enough. You’re not annoying or pushy or any of that stuff. You’re a good, loyal friend who has a lot to say and even more to ask, and that curiosity is what drew me to you. I may not always get back to you in a timely manner, but I promise I see everything you send and tag me in, you’re not ignored! I’ll probably end up doing a lot more videos and live streams this year, maybe if timing works out you could join me? I’ll have a lot of Kingdom Hearts content since KH3 is coming out, look forward to it!

@cutegirlmayra - I started talking with you waaayyyyyy in the beginning of this year, kinda crazy to think about because it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long, but here we are! I know we haven’t talked much recently as when we first met, but that doesn’t mean I think of you as any less of a friend! It always warms my heart seeing your writing prompts or just general opinions you have of Sonic related things. Maybe we can talk some more soon? Miss you bestie~

@sweets-paradise - Also didn’t meet you in 2017 but I love when we talk about things we enjoy and when I see your art and generally just whenever you’re on my dash or in my notifications. I hope you’re doing well and that we can both get even more excited together for the Klonoa movie, whenever that does come out. You know I’ll be hitting you up here or on twitter! Hope things are going well for you, friend.

Next up, I wanted to use this part to mention some people I’ve followed this year who maybe I haven’t directly interacted with, but have helped me out indirectly for the content they post.

@markiplier​ - I just had to say it, buddy. This man somehow brings a smile to my face any time I watch one of his videos, and I definitely needed some smiles this year. Thanks a ton, Mark.

@speeps-highway​ - Sonic Adventure is my favorite video game of all time, so getting to learn more about it or seeing previously exclusive content makes me happy, like I’m finding a whole new layer of fun with the game. I’ve seen a couple of your videos on YouTube, keep up the awesome work.

@drawloverlala​ - If it isn’t obvious yet, I love Sonic the Hedgehog. This person here made one of, if not my top favorite AU for Sonic, and the art is simply stunning. I go back to it just to admire the style and detail put into it, and discovering that you were the artist this year made me jump with joy because I already loved your other pieces before that.

@momoppi​ - Also only talked a bit here and there, but the art you make is beautiful and gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling whenever I see it. Thank you for creating what you do, you’ve helped out in more ways than you could think.

@miracletails​ - I found out you’re like best buddies with Ria, and seeing you guys interact on Twitter always manages to make me smile. Your art is also adorable and I just wanted to make sure I said that for the billionth time because y’all are great friends and I’m happy I found you through her. Hope your life is going well, friend.

@sonicthehedgehog​ - What a crazy exciting year it’s been for the blue blur. Here’s to another 25 years of fast fun! Can’t wait to see what’s next!

Whew, that’s quite a bit of people from this past year. And that’s only people I mostly interact with here on Tumblr! Sorry if I missed anyone, I’m very exhausted from this year and those were the only ones I could think of off the top of my head! If you wanna talk more, don’t be shy to hit me up on here! Or if you use other media instead, just drop a message with your name and preferred media choice and I’ll hit you up there! To everyone I’ve met through this site, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I wish you all the best in 2018 with whatever you choose to do, so from me to you, HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

-Josh

[moreracquetball]

Youtuber AU Headcanons

(Lowkey inspired by a post by @whizzerbrowne who brought the idea to my attention and it has since dominated my brain). Let’s just get started:

(This got way too long, yikes. I had to include a read more line)

~ Three Youtubers: Jason, Cordelia, and Whizzer.

Jason

Type: He’s one of those younger, newer youtubers. He started when he was nine, and he talked frankly about stuff like divorce (bc his parents were going through a divorce at the time) and being an introvert and being autistic and being Jewish and dealing with a difficult relationship with his parents. He has trouble really talking to people so it was like really easy to just sit in front of a camera and start talking at them. Side note: this was totally Mendel’s idea as a therapy exercise that actually worked, okay? And (as we’ve seen in the musical), Jason has this raw honesty and wit to him that is very funny and real to watch. As he’s gotten older, he’s started talking about other things - like not such heavy topics. He talks about the things that he’s hyperfixated on (baseball, chess, the emoji movie, etc), and though his content is pretty erratic and all over the place, people just love his commentary and he’s amassed millions of followers in just a few years??

He also vlogs /a lot/, which is how his audience got to know Trina, Mendel, and Marvin.

Trina - Everyone literally adores her. She is v nervous and awkward in her cameos in Jason’s videos, but she is also very honest and vocal about her opinions and calls herself the Cool Mom even though Jason’s like “Mom, you don’t let me stay up past ten even when it’s not a school night” and Trina’s just “A Cool Mom can’t still care about your healthy and well-being??”

Mendel - As a one-off, Jason asked his followers to submit questions to Mendel the Psychiatrist for a collab idea with his stepdad, and his pieces of advice were kinda off the wall and funny and it quickly became a series and one of Jason’s most popular series ever. Some people are convinced Mendel is just playing a character so Jason has to be like “no he is actually like this. You have to believe me.” Also: Mendel gets a snapchat that everyone follows. He uploads grainy pictures of like trees and makes puns and constantly spams his story with pictures of Trina with captions like “look at how pretty she is” and “how did i get so lucky” and “rare photo of an actual goddess.” 

Marvin - Tbh, the audience’s reaction to Marvin is a little more mixed, esp at first. Jason had talked a lot about his difficult relationship with Marvin and his “Draw My Life” video did stir up some contempt for Marvin’s selfishness. But like, over the years and through small snippets of cameos, it is generally believed that Marvin has changed and grown up a lot and is like an amazing (but dorky) dad. His cameos in Jason’s videos are the best bc it shows how eerily alike those two are and at one point Marvin briefly talks about internalized homophobia and toxic masculinity and hints at the stuff that he is’t proud of, and everyone - no matter their outward opinion of him - has like a little crush on him. Also, the videos with Marvin and Mendel both?? Their petty arguing gets like millions of hits every time.

Jason also totally does all the trend/tag videos but also has like that sarcastic, almost ironic vibe at first but he ends up really sincerely liking it. 

Jason also does like monologues of his thoughts and opinions while also doing mini skits in between and he is iconic and a jack of all trades really.

He is very articulate and seems so mature but like any hate whatsoever does get to him a lot. He’s learned how to deal with his self-doubt and ignoring the trolls better than he had when he first started, but every once in awhile it still gets to him.

Also??? Remember that Roast Yourself Challenge trend??? Jason did that, and it was on the top page for like a solid week. He went too hard and too real.

Cordelia

Type: Totally like Hannah Hart’s Drunk Kitchen, are you even kidding me?? That it totally Cordelia. She drinks and talks about current events and makes really bad food puns and it is Everything. She also branches out after awhile and starts doing like satirical how-to videos. Lowkey once she tried to make a wry, parody version of a beauty vlogger how-to and she ended up having so much fun with it and her after make-up looked ballin, so she starts doing make-up tutorials, too.

She’s also very very proudly gay and out. Like, her username is literally lesbiancaterer. But she still gets like comments on her videos saying “are you straight?” or “her boyfriend must be a lucky guy” and it just makes her go “????? How could I ever make this clearer?” (once, in a collab with Marvin, one comment said “ahh, her and her bf are such #relationship goals” which then launched a very satirical, very deadpan boyfriend tag video with her and Marvin that made it abundantly clear just how fucking gay those two are).

Charotte first got introduced very very early in her videos bc once during a drunk kitchen, Cordelia cut her finger with a knife and called for her girlfriend and Charlotte went into complete Doctor Mode and started treating her immediately. Cordelia is a little tipsy at that point and starts blatantly flirting with her and calling her “my doctor” and that video’s comment section is just keysmashing and the phrase “my doctor.”

Cordelia does not try to hide her relationship in any way. She and Charlotte have done all those cute couples tags and Charlotte is the star of Cordelia’s social media and vlogs. Now they are #relationship goals.

Cordelia actually got into Youtube bc of Jason and everyone was like lowkey shocked when it turned out that these two popular but different youtubers knew each other and cameo in one another’s videos a lot and Cordelia is like “he is literally my godson, guys. Ofc I’m gonna be around him and support him.”

Whizzer

Type: Ohhh boy!! Whizzer is def the kind of youtuber that has been around on the platform since circa 2007 - are you even gonna try to fight me on that??? He is a fashion channel (also has like a series of the youtube version of fashion police) but also like a major storytime channel bc he’s been around and tells the craziest but realest stories of all time. He is also quickly considered The Gay Icon^tm of Youtube.

He is definitely one of the biggest youtubers on the platform but he also lowkey feels too old to still be on here and has that like Shane Dawson kinda feel of like keeping it real about youtube drama and rebranding himself and learning from stupid old videos when he was still like a shit 20-something that was lowkey problematic. 

He stans so hard for Britney Spears and Carly Rae Jepsen and he got Carly in one of his collabs and he could not stop smiling and fangirling and he is literally all of us.

He is very, very vocal and honest about his sexuality and sexual history. He has a lot of Body and Sex Positivity videos and speaks very bluntly about the importance of self-esteem and body image and safe sex.

(One of his most popular videos is the one with him candidly speaking about having HIV and he talks about his mistake with unsafe sex and all the terrible stigmas around the topic. He talks about how it’s both a physical and emotional struggle, and he also talks about treatment and awareness and prevention and seeking emotional help to combat depression).

He arranges a collab with Jason bc they are alike in that they always speak candidly about issues and struggles and have like the exact same sense of dry, almost scathing humor. Whizzer meets Marvin bc Marvin is like “Jason, there is no way you’re meeting a strange man who you met over the internet. I am definitely going to be the one that goes with you.”

(Awkward moment when Marvin and Jason get to Whizzer’s apartment, and Marvin and Whizzer’s profiles light up with one another from one of those websites like Grindr). Whizzer has like lowkey commented on Jason’s videos before with lewd comments about his hot dad, but like this is so not what Whizzer had been expecting?? Yeah, at the end of Whizzer and Jason’s collab video, Whizzer puts like a small blooper reel and it’s him continually flirting with Jason’s dad (who’s behind the camera) and the Internet suddenly has a new fave ship.

(Marvin and Whizzer totally messaged each other and hooked up like the next day).

But like, they keep the budding relationship very underwraps bc they both really don’t want it to affect Jason’s channel and neither really think at first that their whole arrangement will go anywhere close to serious because Whizzer has never been in love or had a steady boyfriend and Marvin cannot hold a relationship either even after his divorce.

But of course they fall in love, and of course the internet knows something’s up. Whizzer keeps vaguing on Twitter about the new man in his life with weird tweets like “I can’t believe I’m deliberately sleeping with a man who UNIRONICALLY knows every word to Allstar” and “get you a man who always sends that courtesy ‘thank you.’ text after you send him a dick pic.” And when Whizzer vlogs, he always makes sure to keep the camera trained on himself but you can see that his eyes are always looking away as he’s like smiling at someone who does not want to be on camera. Also, Jason’s weekend vlogs have cameos of Whizzer in them now.

They mess up when in one of aforementioned Jason’s vlogs, there’s a grainy clip of Marvin and Whizzer in the background and Marvin kisses Whizzer’s cheek. The internet loses their minds

(After nine/ten months of dating, Whizzer and Marvin abruptly break up and neither really acknowledges it. However, weeks after their break up, Whizzer decides to make a story-time video about this fucking asshole boyfriend that broke up with him over a chess game. He wanted it to be like both petty but also very funny because that is such a ridiculous story, but like when he’s editing it, he notices himself being like on the verge of tears in some parts and being overly bitter and tense, and he never uploads it and he realizes that he isn’t over Marvin like he had said he was).

(However, Whizzer does end up making a story-time video later about how Jason’s baseball game brought him and Marvin back together).

After they get back together, they’ve worked out their issues and are couples goals now and they do not hide their relationship and Marvin makes cameos in both Whizzer and Jason’s videos/younows and it is incredible.

Through Jason and Marvin, Whizzer and Cordelia meet and they become best friends. They collab all the time and they complain about queer struggles and they talk about their relationships and get drunk on camera and be weird, loud idiots and those videos get tons of views.

And Whizzer gets candid about how he’s always felt like alone in the world and hasn’t really had the opportunity to rely on anyone but himself but through Jason and Marvin, he meets Cordelia and Charlotte and Mendel and Trina, and even though they might not get along all the time and some people are closer to other people, they’re all his family and he never thought that he’d really have one that close before. It’s one of his most vulnerable videos.

The most successful videos on all three’s channels are the collabs of the three of them together: Jason and Cordelia and Whizzer. And they become like one of those Youtube cliques that collab all the time and tweet about each other’s videos constantly and always hang out with one another at all the events like Vidcon and Playlist Live. 

[galitballi]

My First Post Tag #MyFirstPostRevisited

Happy Sunday to all my wonderful readers, I hope you are all having a nice day and a wonderful weekend My mom is starting today her chemo session again, so I am waking up at 4:30 am so I will go pick her at 6 am. After that, I’m arriving home and I have tons to do before the Passover Holiday starts tomorrow.

I saw this fun tag over at E. E. Rawls Blog and I really wanted to do this tag This fun tag was created by blog hop hosted by Sarah Brentyn, and here are the rules…

Obvious rules:

No cheating. (It must be your first post. Not your second post, not one you love… The first post only).

Link back to the person who tagged you (thank them if you feel like it or, if not, curse them with a plague of ladybugs).

Other rules:

Cut and paste your old post into a new post or reblog your own bad self. (Either way is fine but NO editing.)

Put the hashtag #MyFirstPostRevisited in your title.

Tag…um…ten two twelve five (5) other bloggers to take up this challenge.

Notify your tags in the comment section of their blog (don’t just hope they notice a pingback somewhere in their spam).

Feel free to cut and paste the badge to use in your post.

Include “the rules” in your post.

Completely silly rules that I’m making up as I type:

Drink a glass of wine, a bottle of beer, cup of coffee, a mug of herbal tea or whatever floats your boat after you hit “publish”. (In other words, toast yourself. Go you!)

Read the post out loud in a Mickey Mouse voice.

My First Post

This Is Me (24.10.2014)

    It’s hard to put me in a specific box, or in a few lol

But the truth is that I am a lot of things and in this blog, I will share about many things as well.

1. I am a wife (to a wonderful man).

2. I am a writer and an aspiring author.

3. I am a book hoarder lol (I read a lot).

4. I am a geek, a nerd or what other names you want to call it.

5. I draw, doodle, write songs, play music and I game a lot (a lot).

6. I will write in this blog when I will write, but I will try to write a few times a weeks (I will try).

Thank you for reading my post ❤

Wow, lol (I copied it as it is) I see a few spelling errors, and it’s really weird to see my first ever post. Both I and my blog have changed a lot. I hope you enjoyed this flashback, I know I did

Now for my 5 nominees:

Karen from Confetti and Curves

Pheonix from Pheonix Grey

Heena from Heena Rathore P.

Kate from Kate M. Colby

Kate from Kate’s Vanity Blog

And YOU! If you liked the tag and want to give it a go, count yourself as tagged and don’t forget to link your post so I won’t miss it

As always, thank you so much for reading ❤

Let’s chat on:

Twitter / Instagram / Facebook / Tumblr

Filed under: Blog, Blogging, Tags Tagged: #MyFirstPostRevisited, Blog Fun, Blog Tags, Bloggers, Blogging, Coffee n' Notes, Fun, My First Post Tag, Tags, Writer from

[shianhygge-imagines]

REQUEST: Divine Intervention [Ravus/Reader] AU

Edit 1: Guys, I would appreciate it if you didn’t spam that person who sent me the request, okay? It was my mistake, I am sorry. 

You all wanted Ravus... so here’s Ravus :3 If you were wondering why I wasn’t posting much... it was cause of this, lol (8 pages) The ideas put into this is a chain of events. The butterfly effect. How different Ravus’s story would be if something didn’t happen. The alternate universe of my Ravus Headcanon. And I shall graciously take those cookies, thank you! :3

|Masterlist Link|

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had listened to the young Oracle, and you had carefully considered her words, yet you had only smiled and continued on your path away from gates of House Fleuret.

You loved Ravus, yes. But you refused to be a second priority to him. Your pride and your heart could not let you continue on this path. And a voice whispered in the back of your mind, soft, rumbling, yet irrevocably male, but it’s always been there. Ever since you were young.

The Fallen Prince, in his heart, seeks only a vengeance and to protect his sister. Should you turn back from your decision, you seal his fate. But should you stand firm, have comfort that the one you love may be saved.

So you kept walking, back straight and head held high despite the tears that gathered at the corners. You didn’t know if you could trust the words. Didn’t know if someone was trying to deceive you. All you knew, was that Ravus had to change his ways, and you couldn’t be there to help him.

You left. Not just the place you had called home for your whole life. Not just Tenebrae. You left to go to Lucis. Far away from the man you love.

~~~~~~

He was on his knees, kneeling with a pool of glass around his feet. Ravus had seen his sister speak with you, and saw you stand at the gates to his home before turning and walking away. Many have come to believe that Ravus was cold and unfeeling, a determined and no-nonsense commander, but it was only half true. Somewhere, buried, was that kind and compassionate boy from eleven long years ago, but only those near him could find that boy. You had been one of the only ones who could still see the best of Ravus, could still see the hurting boy crying out for those he’s lost. And Ravus had loved you for it. He’d loved you for the longest time. Fifteen years of love and he had still managed to push you away.

His hands were cut up from gripping the shattered glass frame of an old picture. It was a photograph that the two of you had taken long ago, there was a smile on your childish face as Ravus gave you a chaste kiss on the cheek. You had been 13 years old and he 14. It was a year before his mother was killed, and it was a happier time. And suddenly tears found their way down from his mismatched eyes, landing on the picture. He’d driven you out with his selfish ways, had taken his anger and frustration out on you. And now you were gone.

There was no one to blame but himself. He had been blind. Had assumed that you would be by his side forever. But what was his vengeance worth now? He’d known that his loved ones had disapproved of his blaming King Regis, that they believed that he should have directed his anger at the Empire instead. But he had been stubborn. But what good was his blaming King Regis now if it meant losing you. It was worth nothing.

So with a sob, Ravus stood and rethought about his goals, lamenting that he had to lose you before he could see how foolish he was.

Though he still cried because, “I never had the chance to tell them that I love them.”

~~~~~~~

It was challenging, moving to another nation and start anew, but the people were kind, and you found a new calling, not as a servant to a royal family, but as a Hunter.

Fighting had never been important in Tenebrae, and many in Lucis could probably get away with not fighting. But as the nights grew longer, and more daemons appeared, that voice urged you to learn. Take up the blade to protect the light. He had said solemnly, though you’d decided to refer to him as Sage, or Sagesse. Sage never spoke to you but to direct your actions, and you had come to learn that when the voice spoke to you, it was best to listen. Especially if you were traveling. You’d learned the hard way what happened if you didn’t heed Sagesse’s advice.

It was on your way to the Chocobo Farm that you found the ruins of Costlemark Tower, and you had wanted to explore the ruins, expecting it to be full of weak daemons given that the centipede-like creatures outside were easily killed. Sage had told you immediately to camp or continue to the Chocobo Farm and to forget about the Tower ruins.

Instead, you had ignored him and ventured forth, watching as the ruins opened to you once the sun set. You only needed to descend to the first room before you sprinted out of there, only to be met with a Red Giant at the entrance of the ruins. You would have perished from your stupidity if Sage wasn’t kind enough to guide you to the campsite, where the glowing blue runes protected you from the Red Giant and a few Mindflayers staring you down.

So, lesson learned. You always listened to Sagesse from then on.

You’ve tried to hold a conversation with Sagesse a few times, but it didn’t seem that he wasn’t all that interested in what you had to say, often keeping silent no matter how much you thought or spoke aloud. But he kept you safe, so you suppose you shouldn’t bother him too much.

But his guidance led you back to your beloved.

~~~~~~

In leaving Tenebrae, you had diverted Ravus’s path away from his and your original fates. An early death, turned into a daemon and forced to obey. And you, left a widow in a world of darkness, forced to watch the people around you succumb to the darkness before perishing yourself. Your decision to leave had left scars on both yours and Ravus’s heart, but it had been for the best.

Reconsidering his actions and feelings, Ravus no longer sought after the Ring of Lucii. Instead, he placed his efforts in assisting his little sister with fulfilling her duty as the Oracle. Yes, perhaps it was inevitable that King Regis would perish by Glauca’s sword, and Insomnia reduced to ruin, but Ravus had not lost his arm that day, and would, therefore, not need a magitek prosthetic. And when Lunafreya was killed by Ardyn, Ravus would immediately defect from the Empire in order to assist Noctis traveling with the young Prince and his friends to Gralea to retrieve the Crystal. But most importantly, Ardyn would no longer be able to turn Ravus into a daemon.

Your love for Ravus would have killed him, but in walking away, you had saved him.

You would not see Ravus again until after the world had been sent into permanent darkness.

~~~~

You had been with the Hunters for a whole year now, although Dave had reluctantly took you on as his apprentice. Sagesse had directed you to the Hunter’s Headquarters very thoroughly after you had agreed to help “defend the light,” and you found yourself asking for training before your knew it. In the beginning, Dave had you on for a trial period given that you’ve only ever use a chef’s knife before. He quickly found that he should never let you near a melee-type weapon unless he wanted someone who wasn’t the enemy killed.

In the end, you took up the crossbow because you were absolute shit at close range combat. And with that settled, Dave eventually started sending you out on small missions. Killing Abar eventually came to hunting minor daemons. And while you’d gone solo for the longest while, Dave eventually had enough faith in you to lead a team of hunters when the world was thrown into permanent darkness. It wasn’t a mistake to have you lead a group of hunters, but it was a mistake to send your group of young hunters to fight a group of Sir Tonberries.

You watched with abject terror when a Sir Tonberry cut through another of your six man group. You had been sent to retrieve a stranded group of civilians, but the intel had been wrong about the number of enemies involved. It was reported that there were only two Sir Tonberries, which could have been dealt with slight difficulty, but not four Sir Tonberries plus Hobgoblins and two Nagas.

Clicking your tongue in thought, you dove out of the way in order to cover your teammates, “Vergil, Seb, take Devon and run back to the truck. Isa, Kelsey, I need you two to escort the civilians to the truck. I’ll draw the daemon’s attention.” You shouted, dodging the strikes from a Sir Tonberry to flip and shoot at the Naga. Your teammates start to protest, “I don’t want to hear any complaints! It’s either most of us get out of here, or we all die.” That shut them up, you grimaced before taking off your dog tag and throwing it at Vergil, who caught the metal thing with a fearful look. “If you’re fast enough, you’ll get back to me on time with reinforcements. If not... “ You didn’t finish your sentence, instead opting to push your teammates away. “Go!”

“We’ll be back, Y/N!” You could hear Isa shout back at you, but you don’t respond, too busy trying to buy them time.

Always willing to sacrifice, Y/N. You could hear the taunt in Sagesse’s voice sometimes, as much as he would like to simply be an unfeeling spirit. There is not much to feel for, mortal. And then he goes and speaks like an all knowing being, and then you aren’t quite sure whether you heard the first part at all. Tail to your right. You roll to the left, dodging the Naga’s tail before moving away from the Tonberries and Hobgoblins closing in. Hopefully you could survive an hour.

~~~~~~~~

After assisting Noctis in infiltrating Gralea, Ravus had gone back to Tenebrae to assist with the evacuation of his people, using Aranea’s airships to fly the surviving citizens of Tenebrae to Lestallum, where he worked to secure a safe home for his people. But with the influx of refugees from Accordo, neighboring towns, and Insomnia as well, space became tight. What more, with the limited space, there were a limited amount of Hunters who could protect those unwilling to fight. So Ravus found himself traveling with Gladiolus, Prompto, Ignis, and Aranea to the Hunter’s Headquarters a few months after Noctis was pulled into the Crystal.

He didn’t know what he had been expecting, a large and secure building perhaps, but it was not the open yet well-lit outdoor space that the Hunter Headquarters actually was. And least of all, Ravus didn’t expect the utter panic as various individuals hurried to and from, escorting civilians from a small truck. There was crying, but most of all, screaming. From what he could make out from the various voices speaking at once, a group of hunters had gone out to retrieve a stranded group of civilians at a nearby campsite. Their intel had been wrong about the types of daemons surfacing around the area, and were not prepared. And in order to get their job done, the group leader had sacrificed themselves as a decoy for their team to get out.

A noble act. Ravus thought, his heterochromatic eyes darted towards the dogtags that a young woman named Isa waved around.

“We have to go back and save them!” Isa demanded with a stomp of her feet.

The man she chased looked to be in his late thirties to early forties, hair closely shaved, and stern looking. But when Ravus took the time to look at the man more, there was an air of authority and subtle kindness. The man thought for a moment, eyes hard before shaking his head, “We can’t afford to send out more Hunters for your leader. I’m sorry, Isa.”

“But it’s Y/N!” the woman emphasised, drawing a surprised look from the leader, “Dave, Y/N was our leader during this mission.” When the older man didn’t move, Isa drew herself to her full height, a less than impressive 152cm, but she still went to sternly cup Dave’s face in her hands. “Y/N L/N,” Ravus’s eyes widened in shock at the leader’s full name. “Dave, you trained Y/N, and I know you have a soft spot for them. And if you have any love for me, or for Y/N, you’ll let me gather a team to go after them.”

The older man let out a long suffering sigh before relenting, “Fine.” though he quickly pulled Isa into a kiss. “Gather whoever is willing.” Dave’s eyes soften for a moment, “But come back to me, Isa.”

The younger woman smiled fondly, brown eyes twinkling with love, and nodded, “You know I would walk to the ends of Eos to get back to you.”

And it is at that point that Ravus turns away, feeling like he should not bear witness to the privacies of the couple. Instead, his mind is filled with thoughts of you. His beloved that he had pushed away two years ago. And now, he was so close to finding you again, only to be under threat to lose you again. No. The former Prince shook his head and stomped over to his new friends. He could not lose you. Not again.

Gladiolus noticed the stormy eyed man approaching their trio and directed a worried look at Ravus. “Is there a problem?” Ever since Lunafreya’s death, Ravus had joined them on their journey, and while it was strange to have a man who used to be the enemy on their team, they had all tried to be civil with one another. But as it turns out, Ravus was actually a man that Gladio could respect.

Ravus clenched and unclenched his right fist, his head bowed slightly, “There is to be a mission to retrieve the escort team’s fallen leader. And I have decided to join the effort.”

Ignis, though his world was still dark, could imagine the high commander’s posture given the tone of the man’s voice. It was dire, but not as subtle as when they first encountered one another at the Imperial base nearly a year prior. A life was in danger. “Do you require our assistance?”

“-Wait just a minute.” Gladiolus interjected, much to Ravus’s annoyance. He had wanted to keep details sparse so that they could leave immediately. “I want to know why you care about this mission.” When Ravus didn’t speak, Gladio could only go on, “You know the team leader, don’t you? What I don’t understand is how that person could be important to you. Don’t get me wrong, we will go with you, but I just want to know why.”

The former Prince let out a heavy sigh, his face still stern, but his eyes softened ever so slightly, “Y/N L/N.”

Prompto cocked his head to the side, blonde hair rustling with the motion. The gunman recognized the name, “Dave’s apprentice? That’s the leader’s name?”

“Yes. But I knew Y/N long before they came to live in Lucis.” Ravus’s eyes darted towards Isa as she left Dave, watching as the young woman asked around for volunteers to help retrieve you. “We were friends in our youth, and I lo-... I’ve come to hold them quite dear to me.” Ravus cursed himself for nearly saying his feelings.

Meanwhile, Gladio and Ignis were not fooled, having heard Ravus’s slip up. Though both hid their smirks well. Instead, Gladiolus strolled over to the older man and clapped his shoulder, shocking Ravus. “Well. We should go join the retrieval team, then.”

As the younger men left to go speak to Isa, Ravus stood in deep thought. He had thought that he lost everything. He had failed to protect his beloved sister, yet he had succeeded in bringing Noctis to Gralea as well as bestowing King Regis’s glaive to the now sleeping prince. And he had pushed you away two years ago when he should have kept you by his side. Now, he had a chance to find you again… Ravus brow set into a determined stare, and he marched with confidence towards the truck, which Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto had piled into. “Wait for me, Y/N.”

~~~~~~~~

There were various hisses and cries from below you, but you could only wince. Your wince was heard by your tiny companion, who only purred and cuddled into your side, careful to keep its weapon away from you. Seriously, it was the cutest, yet deadliest little thing, a product of a stupid decision you made earlier, but you didn’t regret it. Simply having a tiny Tonberry cuddling up to you was adorable.

The little thing had wandered into the battle and had tried to attack you along with its more powerful counterparts… and then the Hobgoblins, for whatever reason decided to gang up on the little one. And seeing how the Sir Tonberries and Nagas weren’t going to help the little daemon, you’d run over to rescue it, getting jabbed in the side by a Sir Tonberry before you sprinted to a cliff face and climbed, putting your new friend in the hood of your cloak as you climbed… and after a while, the Tonberry actually warmed up to you… but now you were stuck.

“Corvo, we’re in some deep shit.” You muttered, pulling the tiny green daemon into your arms. It only purred, nuzzling its snout under your chin. “And Sagesse hasn’t been speaking to me at all.” you pouted, wondering where the miracle voice in your head had gone.

“Keu?” The Tonberry tilted its head to the side in question.

You merely sighed and pat your little friend’s head gently, “Never you mind, Corvo. Let’s just concentrate on surviving, savvy?” But not only ten seconds after you spoke, you saw the unmistakable headlights of a hunter truck rolling down the road. “Well, damn. They actually came back for me, Corvo.” Your little friend cooed in worry. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure they don’t hurt you.” Corvo gave out a happy purr before hopping into your hood, holding out it’s lantern to light the area around you.

The daemons below had noticed the truck’s return and had left the area below you to surround the truck. You couldn’t make out the individuals that came to rescue you no matter how much you squinted, but you started climbing down regardless, wincing occasionally when you irritated the wound at your side.

Once you were down, you gently pulled Corvo into your arms and ran towards the truck. You had lost your crossbow earlier, but you were better off without it, running without any weight carrying you down. “We’re almost home free Corvo.”

You were nearly to the truck when you saw the group that had come to rescue you, and you nearly tripped when you saw the white haired man fighting alongside the Prince’s companions. Ravus. You screamed, a high pitched stressed sound akin to a mix of a behemoth and a daggerquil, and even Corvo looked up at you in alarm. Though you probably shouldn’t have screamed, because the next thing you knew, you felt a deep pain in your back before falling. From the floor, you glanced back to see a Sir Tonberry advancing towards you, and little Corvo trying to protect you. Suddenly, a bullet collided with the Sir Tonberry, and you were lifted by the arms, though in your daze, you managed to call out for Corvo, catching the little Tonberry in your arms as it jumped into you.

You blinked in and out of consciousness, the darkness creeping at the edges of your vision, but the last thing you saw were the worried and scared heterochromatic eyes of the man you love.

~~~~~~~

Ravus held your unconscious form to him tightly as he boarded the truck, the other hunters fending off the daemons behind him. His body trembled in fear when he examined the deep cut in your side and the burned slash on your back. He’d heard you scream at him. Saw your shocked face and the Sir Tonberry that crept up behind your back. But try as he might, had wasn’t fast enough to warn you, wasn’t fast enough to protect you. There was a small coo from the Tonberry latched onto your form, it’s tiny fish tail tucked between its legs as it showed its worry. It was a strange thing, having a tame Tonberry protect you, but Ravus was grateful for the little daemon’s help nonetheless.

“You succeeded where I nearly failed, little one.” Ravus cautiously pet the Tonberry, “My thanks.”

~~~~~~~~

You woke up to the soft beeps of a heart monitor and the soft coos from Corvo sleeping on your chest. Blinking the sleep out of your eyes, you moved to sit up from the medical bed, aware that various tubes were attached to your arms and that the room lights were dimmed slightly.

“Y/N.”

Your head snapped to the left and it took everything in you not to look away from the tall white haired man across the room. It had been two years since you’d seen Ravus. The last time had been… you averted your eyes… If you are unable to stand by my decisions, then I don’t need you by my side. Leave. The unforgettable cold stare of his blue and brown eyes was still ingrained in your mind. What were you to say to a man you loved, but didn’t want you by his side? You couldn’t come up with anything, so you settled with a, “Hi.”

Ravus furrowed his brow at your response. He didn’t know what he was expecting when you awoke, he had pushed you away and hurt you those years ago after all. But he didn’t expect you to be unable to meet his eyes. Unable to speak to him. Once upon a time the two of you were as thick as thieves, never withdrawing from the other’s company. And now, because of him, everything was so different. What does one say to one that they have wronged?

Remember what you told me, big brother? “Go to Noctis. Show him the truth of your heart.” Perhaps it is high time that you showed Y/N the truth of yours.

He could hear his sister’s voice as if she were still alive, still standing next to him, wise beyond her years and smiling encouragingly.

You heard his quick footsteps, and quickly turned to face him in alarm, but he had pulled you into an embrace, careful not to squish Corvo, who rested on your lap. His left arm wrapped around your shoulder, and his right came up to hold your cheek. And you’d only a few seconds to stare into his eyes before they closed and his lips were pressed against your own. You barely had enough time to kiss back before he withdrew, and you saw that he was shedding tears. “Why-?”

Ravus cut you off with another kiss, deep and pure, muttering against you, “Please don’t leave me. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, Y/N. I’m a fool for pushing you away. Forgive me.” He gripped your shoulders tightly as the tears fell, his face losing its sternness as he confessed, “I love you, Y/N. Forgive me for not seeing it until I had pushed you away.”

And you kissed back. Because you had loved his man for so long, and to hear him tell you that he needed you by his side, that he loved you back… There were no proper words, only actions.

“I love you, Ravus. I won’t leave. Never again.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There is a rumor that the Astrals loved to play with the lives of mankind. That among their beloved playthings and pawns, they often chose favorites. Ramuh favored the Prince of Lucis. Titan and Shiva favored Lunafreya. And Ifrit favored Ardyn. But what of Leviathan and Bahamut? Leviathan held no love for man, and therefore held none in favor. But Bahamut... once in a millennia, Bahamut would come to favor a human, though only through proving their worth. But just this once... He had chosen two. One Ravus Nox Fleuret and one Y/N L/N.

~~~~

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-fi!

[connecticut-seo-adwords]

The 13 Best SEO Posts of the Year

When I'm not hectic at WordStream, speaking about wonderful unicorns on social media, speaking at market events, or composing, I read. I wish to keep up to this day on whatever SEO, which suggests I dedicate hundreds of hours to reading every year.As another year comes to a close, I wish to share my leading picks for the best, must-read short articles of the year.While there

was (as always) a great deal of news in the SEO industry, my objective here isn't really to highlight news stories or "ways to" kinds of posts. My selections aren't simply based on social share numbers or see counts ­– & shy;-- I wanted to highlight posts that either offered initial research (we need more of it!) or strong opinions that offered really fascinating insights about SEO.These SEO posts

were the unicorns that stuck out in a sea of donkeys in 2016. Away we go!Surfacing Included Snippets From Around The

SEO And SEM Market, And Exactly What I Found out Along The Way Did you understand WordStream is the king of highlighted bits?

Crazy however real! That's what Gabe discovered when he examined several of the most influential search marketing blog sites and publications.WordStream got

featured snippets for keywords including [boost website traffic], [outgoing marketing], and [just how much does Google AdWords cost] In addition, Gabe looked into and shared his findings on featured bits that appeared on Google's blog sites

, along with other fantastic sites including Search Engine Roundtable, Browse Engine Watch, Online Search Engine Journal, and PPC Hero.Because featured snippets are so exceptionally powerful, they ended up being a brand-new fascination of mine in 2016. I committed an entire column to featured snippets on Moz in November( and Gabe was an exceptionally useful resource! ). My post includes a few of my own research about how engagement rates may affect which snippets Google selects.We Examined 1 Million Google Search Results Page. Here & rsquo; s What We Discovered SEO What elements associate with

very first page search engine rankings? To discover, Dean did a brilliant analysis of a million Google search results.Although many of the findings won't be incredibly unexpected to experienced SEOs (links, topically pertinent material, and a quick loading site matter, duh!), it's constantly crucial to constantly evaluate our presumptions, because search behavior and Google are constantly evolving.One interesting thing Dean discovered was a"really little relationship between title tag keyword optimization and ranking & hellip; which may reflect Google's relocation to Semantic Search."

RIP Google PageRank rating: A retrospective on how it messed up the web This year SEOs were forced to bid farewell to public PageRank-- the number in between 0-10 that Google appointed to pages based on their

value. And, as Sullivan put it:"Excellent riddance."Sullivan states the

checkered history of PageRank and how it caused the rise of link spam and dubious SEO tactics. It's an excellent read and includes an essential bit of guidance:"Don & rsquo; t fixate on ratings, either Google & rsquo; s ratings

, for the remaining few weeks they & rsquo; ll be around, or third-party scores. For some, they can be a helpful way to focus. For too lots of, they can end up being a fascination that pulls away from other types of SEO work that can be done."What’300+Content Marketing Campaigns Can Teach You About Earning Hyperlinks Libert analyzed project data from a sample of 345 campaigns that released in between 2013 and 2016 to discover out exactly what factors increase content & rsquo; s capability to earn links. They found her agency's greatest unicorns had 4 things in common: Highly psychological Broad appeal Contrast Pop culture-themed Emotion is substantial, whether it's in Pay Per Click or SEO. The very same feelings that make individuals share make individuals click.8 Old-fashioned SEO Practices That Are Not Efficient Many SEOs are living in the past, as Fishkin mentions in this edition

of White boards Friday. Are you guilty of focusing on keywords over clicks? If so, stop concentrating on the number of keywords you can pack into your title tag and begin attempting to increase how numerous clicks you get."I'm essentially trying

to create a message, like I would for an AdWords ad, that is

less concentrated on just having the raw keywords in there and more concentrated on drawing the click. This is a much more efficient method ..."You also don't have to produce separate pages for every keyword version. This is OLD SEO thinking that has to die!How 16 Business are Controling the World's Google Search engine result Are Google's

search results page varied? Perhaps not as diverse as they seem.ViperChill dives deep into how 16 big business are dominating the SERPs in some of the most popular markets.10 Illustrations of How Fresh Material May Influence Google Rankings(Upgraded)We understand it

is very important to produce appropriate content that motivates clicks, is memorable, and generates engagement. However

does freshness matter? As with many things SEO," it depends."Essentially, Shepard's post offers a good suggestion why it is necessary to keep your material upgraded:"Your objective should be to upgrade your site in a timely manner that advantages users, with a goal of increasing clicks, user engagement, and fresh links. These are the clearest signals you can pass to Google to show that

your site is fresh and deserving of high rankings."We do that the time here on WordStream. We want users who come to our pages to get the best, most accurate information, so you'll frequently

see under our headings the data we last upgraded each post.Are Links Still a Powerful Ranking Element? (New Study)Hyperlinks still matter for rankings ! Pet dog bites man? Well, not quite.Enge assembled a truly interesting(and data-backed )study that basically concluded that links matter, however building links alone might not be enough to assist bad content.What all of it means: You require UNICORNS (a.k.a., high-quality content ). No quantity of links will help donkey content(i.e., content nobody clicks on or engages with) rank.When and How to Pay attention to Google's Public Statements About SEO Google's employees are under a ton of pressure whenever they speak with people in the SEO market. Sometimes they misspeak; in some cases they do not inform you

everything(because they cannot!); often their words end up being misinterpreted; in some cases their word is blindly held up as gospel.So, with that in mind, Fishkin put out a Whiteboard Friday discussing this really topic. Because it can be hard to know which statements from Google you must rely on. Fishkin used us a few handy recommendations: Consider all the methods that the declaration could be real while the surface-level information is technically wrong.Give declarations some time to be modified or modified.I like data and I like experiments over opinions and

public statements.(YES!! All this!) The Future is More Content: Jeff Bezos, Robots and High Volume Publishing This is a must-read for anyone doing material technique. Rayson's post on BuzzSumo is my choice as THE leading post of 2016. Quality or amount? Yes! The future of content includes both.It doesn't matter if your content is long or short-- you should specify great content based upon your engagement rates(the top 1 to 3 percent of your material, or content with 3-5x or more higher than average engagement rates). Your heading dictates your material success/failure many of the time. Length isn't a discriminating characteristic

of high-engagement content.But amount plays a huge role. You need to audition lots of things and atomize unicorns into lots of unicorn babies(associated material ). If done right, you end up with both the quality and quantity you need.11 Battle-Tested Ways to Raise Your SEO Click-Through Rate [Infographic] Understanding that clicks and click-through rates matter a lot? OK good.That's why I signed up with forces with the amazing Brian Dean of Backlinko to develop an incredibly easy-to-follow infographic that gathers the 11 most reliable ways to enhance your natural CTR.The Wonderful Content that Gets Links and Shares-- New Research Material that supplies original research study and insights is one of five types – of posts that draw in great deals of links and shares. That's why we frequently aim to produce research-based posts utilizing the huge quantities of WordStream data we have gain access to to.In Rayson's view:"Frequently updated research study material ought to belong to any material technique. It develops your authority and can become cornerstone material that is referenced by your industry.

My one caution is that the research study needs to be extensive and serious to have credibility. That can take time to build. "Other popular types of posts, according to Rayson: reliable material that responds to popular concerns; strong opinion posts and political posts; material that leverages a trending subject but that also offers practical insights; authoritative news content on brand-new items or advancements.6 SEO Experiments That Will Blow Your Mind All set to get your mind blown? This post is a collection of all the insane SEO experiments we ran this year.One big style this year was the impact of engagement on organic search rankings.

So, for many years I entered search of responses to six SEO concerns: RankBrain and/or other maker learning components within Google's core algorithm are increasingly fulfilling pages with high user engagement. This is type of a big deal-- so pay attention to it in 2017! PERK: This Legendary Flowchart Will Assist You Choose Whether to

Pay Attention To SEO Advice Satire alert! This"epic"flowchart, which appears on parody SEO website WTFSEO, is funny due to the fact that it's true.Should you pay attention to that SEO advice you check out on the Web? Now, at last, you have a way to tell!Oh, and it should go without stating, however anything that appears in a Larry Kim

"finest of the year "post is totally worth paying attention to. If for any reason you're in doubt, consult the above flowchart!;)Your Leading Picks?Did I miss any of your preferred SEO posts of the year? Share your favorites in the comments!

Source

http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/12/28/best-seo-posts-of-the-year

[occupyscifi]

The passion project

“You know, I still remember the moment the idea hit me” Will Wheatley stood on a podium, above a pool with the Silicon valley skyline behind him and all the people he respected and trusted in front of him. Will had e-vited everyone he knew, used the latest apps for spamming people who casually called themselves his friends and all the other people he had been boring the shit out of for the last six months as he had pursued his passion project “and you don’t need to laugh, because I’d been using the Ynspire app” there was a faux groan from a man in the audience and laughter around him. Everyone knew Bill Patton, CEO of Ynspire industries and creator of the app that made people want to make apps had been a big influence on Wheatley “and it just hit me, out of the blue” he grinned “because I know all of us have been in that bind. We wanna run our business. We need to get our passion project off the ground. But we need people. Only the people are asking too much. Funploy changes all that. Funploy finds you the cheapest people to do the quickest service. You want someone to iron your clothes? Usual guy cost too much? Funploy keeps you updated in real time so you get the most competetitive price possible” Will grinned as behind him stats of happy customers grinned back “this is the ultimate app for anyone who wants to make sure that their bottom line really is as close to the bottom as possible. For the little guy running a business trying to compete in a world of big beasts. For the mom and pop stores struggling to get by, to the young entrepreneurs out here in the valley today with barely enough cash to cover their rent – Funploy brings you the best workers for the best price – guaranteed!”

There was a polite smattering of applause and a few whoops from Will’s pals in the audience. Will looked around proudly. This evening was the culmination of two years of sleepless nights, of hard work, of burning through his savings and that of his parents with only this image lighting up his head. An app that would bring employer and employee together. Where when a worker woke up they could scroll through a list of employers as easy as a Tindr profile to find their day of work, no strings attached. Where employers left in the lurch could find anything from a PA to a bartender to a lawyer as easy as hailing an uber. Will knew it was an idea that would change the world. His only worry was that someone else would get there first, hence the sleepless nights spent coding, AB testing. Debugging. Dealing with the million and one problems that were part and parcel of every startup going back to the two Steves in a garage trying to change the world with a computer named after a fruit.

“now, ladies and gentlemen, before we get to the entertainment” Will gestured at the live band, a group who’d scored background music on a Pornhub-HBO miniseries and were on the verge of bigtime success. However before  that they’d been just a lo fi post hip hop nobodies who’d lived for free in Will’s spare room. This was the favour being repaid “does anyone have any questions?”

A sea of hands, some from known investors. Others from his friendship group, planted to ask friendly questions. However Will was feeling bold, and instead went for an actual journalist – the last of a dying breed and the human equivalent of using a polaroid camera or a VHS recorder.

“Shelly Ming, LA times” said the journalist, her e-glasses large and serious and channelling Margot Kidder era Lois Lane “this is a very slick startup you have here, and its already proved its success in California”

“sure has” said Will “next stop, the world”

“but how do you counter the criticism that you are creating nothing more than an app for undermining unions, destroying long term contracts and turning even white collar work into  zero hour no guarantee work for hire? You offer no employee protection, no rights, nothing” she paused “how do you counter the charge that you’re nothing more than a modern day robber baron?”

“Hey” said Will, his arms outspread “we’re a startup. My entire team is a couple of guys in a coffee shop. I’m no sweatshop owner or GM farmer” he looked incredulous “come on, this project is my passion. It isn’t about the money, it’s about changing the world”

That was the tagline that they’d be writing up the next day, the journalist realised looking up at Will’s earnest and plump face. That this was a project born of a passion to change the world for the better, a classic Silicon Valley dream made reality. Not to become rich, nor powerful. But just to see a human need and fill it. that was what Ynspire was all about, and that was what Funploy was about. It didn’t matter that Funploy gave its user (never employees, employees had legal rights. Users did not) lower wages by far than the national average, or offered no long term guarantee of work. It didn’t matter that it was driving employment agencies out of business. What mattered was that it made the world just that little bit more efficient, and therefore just a little bit better.

What was worse, as Shelly watched Will leave the stage, was that Will believed it all.

 “you know, I’m not like that” Will had cornered the journalist by the edge of the pool where she had been trying to get a shot on her ancient Nikon of the reflection of the water and the circulating investors and brogrammers that were partying. Shelly looked up to see Will’s earnest face, slightly sweaty in the warmth.

“like what?” she said, straightening up.

“like them” he said, twisting a beer bottle in his hands. It was a GM craft beer, made from an entirely unnatural substance but by a pair of Oregon based farmers. Shelly had tasted it earlier, it had been as if someone made liquid donuts with a dash of milkshake. Not really her thing, she drank Bud because that was what hardcore journos should drink. Will gestured at the investors, at Patton who was laughing away with one of the Uber brothers over some complicated glow in the dark cocktails.

“well, pretty soon you’ll be rich like them” said Shelly “you should enjoy it. you worked hard, after all” there was an edge of sarcasm in her voice that Will ignored.

“I didn’t do it for the money. I’m serious. I didn’t” Will look intently at the pool “I don’t know if you know what it’s like. Having a passion” he looked at her Nikon, at the complicated pockets on her jacket with extra lenses, extra film. All the unnecessary accoutrements when you could wear a pair of glasses that could get better pictures that could be immediately tweaked, edited, improved and uploaded by software “okay, maybe you do. So you should understand” he looked her in the eye, his wide face serious “you gotta remember, I didn’t have any guarantees when I began this. I didn’t have no big investors. No mom and pop trust fund. I worked during the day doing any work that would pay me a dollar – hell, half the stuff I put into Funploy was based on my experience working like a dog. Not knowing if I was gonna have a job in the morning”

“well now we all get to experience that uncertainty” said Shelly, raising her bottle of Bud in salute while she stowed her camera away in its padded bag “thanks man”

“come on, its not like that” Will looked over at the investors who’d helped make his dream a reality. He lighted on Patton “all I had was a dream, and you know nine out of tern startups fail. That’s why it was so important to have Ynspire, else I would have given up long ago” he looked back at Shelly “even so my odds of success were hella low. If I’d just wanted to get rich I’d have gone into something safe. I didn’t need to take a massive risk on a new app. I did it because I thought I could make things better. You know I used to hang around with brocialists? That was a big influence, I didn’t wanna be some libertarian asshole. I didn’t wanna be some Peter Thiel or Lucky Palmer type fucking people over for money…”

“and yet here you are” said Shelly, her eyebrow raised. She nodded at Patton “you know, you aren’t the first guy to use Ynspire to make an app that makes people’s lives worse”

“what do you mean?” asked Will “Ynspire doesn’t tell you what to do. It’s like Eno’s oblique strategies. It’s a method to help inspire creativity and to take you from idea to reality and beyond…”

“yeah, I’ve heard the tagline” said Shelly. She was starting to feel a bit light headed. She didn’t like these places, but if you were going to be a serious journo you had to follow power around. Like Hunter S Thompson and the presidential elections. Being in the belly of the beast made better journalism, and it also attracted better sponsorship – especially is she got kicked out for being drunk and rowdy “just, like I say. You aren’t the first. Lotta people using Ynspire end up coming up with the kind of apps that are one step away from illegal. Like that guy who created the militia app, or the one for spotting illegal migrants….”

“lots of different folks use Ynspire” said Will defensively, thinking of the other apps he knew people were making “besides there’s a friend of mine making an app so’s people on the poverty line can find the cheapest deals without having to trek to the nearest megamart. That can save people dollars who haven’t got two to rub together”

“and yet that app isn’t here, is it?” said Shelly, looking around “and do you think it would get this kind of investment if it was?” Will opened his mouth to argue back but realised she was right. He’d seen the app his friend had been working on, and both of them had worked just as hard. Only Will had got lucky when his friend had not. At the time he’d thought it was just the luck of the draw, and that in the end you never knew how the wheel would turn. Now he wasn’t so sure.

“look, just do me a favour?” said Shelly, itching to go off and shoot some of the techbro’s now they were a bit drunk and more likely to say something horribly misogynistic “when you get super rich, just use some of that money to help people, okay? Maybe your friend’s app, yeah?”

With that she was gone, and Will was left even more uncertain.

 “umm, hey Mr Patton?” Will asked the investor timidly “could we…could we have a word?”

“sure dude” said the investor of Ynspire grandly, his face flushed from cocktails and the adulation of the brogrammers present. Will lead them both over to a deserted end of the pool. The band were just finishing up and there would be some pitches by lesser developers, hoping to score drunken investment from one of the wealthy people present.

“so, what’s on your mind, bro?” said Patton. He was in his middle fifties but his trim shape and surfer like affability made him look two decades younger. That and the fact he could afford to blow a few hundred grand on cosmetic enhancement.

“its just….my app” said Will, he picked at the label of his beer which featured a picture of what the brewers imagined the taste would look like if you visualised it -  a hellish Wonka like confection with overtones of kids cereals from the days before the sugar ban “I just get the feeling. I dunno. That maybe its not what I want”

“how’d you work that out man?” said Patton, looking confused “you got a solid gold app. Its gonna be a smash. You worked damn hard to make it, you went the distance. You lived that app. How could it not be what you wanted?”

“its just….just when I used Ynspire, it just seemed a great idea. Now I’m not so sure. I mean, did I do the right thing?”

“look dude” said Patton, his eyes looking heavy and his voice slightly slurred “you wanna know the truth?”

“what truth?” asked Will, confused

“it’s a lie, okay?” Patton looked sly, watching for Will’s reaction “the passion project shit. Ynspire isn’t what you think it is. It’s not some life guide to help you fashion your dreams into reality. It works the other way around”

“umm, what?” asked will, unsure if this was a joke. Patton had a reputation in the valley for his odd sense of humour.

“well, it isn’t about turning your idea into a passion project. What it really is about is seeding a bunch of ideas we dreamed up but don’t have the time or resources to bother creating and getting you guys to slave away making them a reality”

“I don’t…” began Will, his lip trembling “I don’t know what you mean. I really believed in Funploy….”

“you didn’t. You don’t” said Patton “you were tricked into creating apps that fucked over other people. I mean come on, an app that allows employers to aggressively employ only the lowest paid workers? That makes ordinary folks fight to the death just to get paid a basic living wage? That isn’t anyone’s passion. Not unless you’re a sociopath”

“but…but its about getting the best results for employers” protested Will “and giving working people the freedom to…”

“no, no its not” said Patton “its about getting you to work like a fucking dog, thinking that you’ve had this great idea that’s going to change the world. Instead it’s an idea dreamed up by some executive on Wall Street that if they tried to pull would get them on the front page of the NY times and probably lynched on social media if they launched it themselves. But because you’re a  young guy running a startup everyone gives you a free pass. Because you have passion” Patton gave a twisted grin.

“but…but it was my idea” Will stood on the edge of tears, his beer bottle forgotten in his hand. For all his protests some part of him knew that Patton was right. It had been spooky how easily the idea had come into his mind, of course putting into practice had been all his own hard work. All those sleepless nights. The relationships it had ruined, the friendships it had cost to get the app first into alpha and then beta. The schmoozing it had taken to get it a favourable rating in the apple store “okay. Maybe not. But it was my hard work”

“sure” said Patton, patting Will on the arm “just keep telling yourself that, buddy. Your hard work, and you’ll get the reward. Well a decent cut of the reward anyway”

“what do you mean?” said Will, his confusion now turning to cold anger

“who do you think we bothered to invest in your app?” Patton said, knocking back another tequila and laughing “who took it from just some guy’s idea to a realistically funded prototype?” Patton tapped his chest “we did. Because it was our idea in the first place. You just worked on it, just like every other poor sap in this world. No one gets to own anything. Well, no one but us”

Will bunched his fists, imagining sinking one of them into Patton’s smug face. But then he struggled to control his temper, not least because it wouldn’t look good to punch a major investor at his own launch party. He was also curious.

“how’d you do it?” said Will, letting a fake smile move across his face. He’d hustled enough times to know how to fake it “cause I’m guessing a good chunk of the apps you’ve invested in have been your own ideas, right?”

“oh, its simple” said Patton, his face a picture of drunken malevolence “everyone who wants to be a bigshot developer downloads my app. Because they want access to quick cash and the buzz from other startups, right?”

“yeah, sure” said Will

“well, because no one ever reads the terms and conditions they don’t notice the small print. That the app doesn’t turn off, even if you delete it. we loaded it with subliminals and peripheral software so that whenever you look at your phone its sending input to your eyeballs. You can’t help but absorb the information. Advertisers use it all the time, only cause all of them do it doesn’t work right. If both Coke and Pepsi are equally hitting you with subliminals they cancel each other out. But for people already looking for that big idea that’ll make ‘em richer than a Zuckerburg? Its dynamite”

“wow, that is cool” said Will, already looking in his e glasses for the source code of Patton’s app. Naturally it wasn’t exactly legal to come by, but as a partner of Patton’s he had more leeway “imagine having that much power”

“it’s like having a permanent hardon bud” said Patton, staggering slightly as he tried to dance near the pool “and talking of hardons” he looked at one of the geek girls whose presence was meant to convince everyone that the famous Silicon Valley sexism was a thing of the past. Patton was about to prove this very wrong “I’m gonna sexually harass some of these chicks. Don’t get too cut up, not everyone can have great ideas, right?”

“yeah” said Will, who was already leafing through Patton’s code “I won’t get mad” will was trying to hide a smile. He’d had another idea, and this one he was pretty sure was his own. Because if Patton could subliminally lace his Ynspire app with ideas then Will could do the same. But Will had a more revolutionary intent, he hadn’t forgotten his time with the brocialists. Maybe this time he could change the world for the better.

[todokori-kun]

Did someone say suffering? SIGN ME UP.

(I think I’ve heard of it before but I have no idea what it’s about other than the fact that there are obviously terrorists involved lol)

Poor Hisoka. So much unnecessary hate.

I have something to recommend real quick too: could you search ‘Hisoka Schwing’ and then ‘Kyousou Requiem’ on youtube? The infamous ‘Schwing’ scene will show you why Hisoka is a trash pile, Kyousou Requiem is Hisoka’s character song from the anime and will show you why sometimes, rarely, Hisoka can be cool (or rather, he has a very nice voice and you can actually enjoy the song. Unless you’re waching the video with English subs. Then you’d probably get too distracted by the lyrics).

The troll side of me is really looking forward to your reaction XD

TYSM again <333

Really? I mean, if you’re ok with me spamming you and ranting about stuff (basically what I always do but still) I’d love to send you more pics.

That sounds really cool :D

Yay :) tbh though I have a weird definition of PG-13 LOL when I’m watching stuff with my sister PG-13 is anything that’s acceptable for her to watch if I cover her eyes at certain points/make sure to talk about things with her, and when I’m watching stuff alone PG-13 is anything that doesn’t have any sexual content (sexual references are ok though) and has no extreme violence/gore. That’s pretty much it XD

I think I read on the site that Rod is recommended as the first route? So maybe I’ll start with him :)

I WILL RESIST (we both know I won’t be able to though. Queen Luna knows my weaknesses.)

Yeah, Riza would be impressed. I think she’d wonder how on earth her idiot son managed to get such a beautiful, sensible young lady to like him LOL

Evans…would probably be a bit less impressed. If Roy managed to prove to me that he’s genuinely in love with the queen, though, I might give in. It depends on what he does though. If he mentions miniskirts or that on hold song I’m throwing him out. Like-

Roy: “LUNA, I THOUGHT YOU SAID SHE WAS SHY AND SWEET”

Luna: *stares at the wild Evans* “Sorry bae, but right now you’re on your own.”

Evans: “Colonel Mustang, you should understand that my anxiety makes me nervous around human beings, not trash.”

Yeah, I remember that 4-Koma Theatre thing XD All of FMA’s extras are pretty hilarious.

Tbh any relationship with Evans involves a LOT of awkward silences and going round in circles until SOMEBODY decides to step in like ‘nah you’re not getting anywhere like that here let me just give you this convenient push so you fall into each other’s arms’

(Also: I recently imagined what it would be like to be Kimblee’s s/o. I don’t know why I did that. It was a terrifying thought.)

Ok, ok, since we seem to talk about shipping each other with fictional characters a lot, I thought I’d leave a list of who I ship you with from various fandoms-

Oreo Cookie

Nishiki, for some weird reason?

Roy

Greedling (I STILL HAVEN’T WRITTEN THE GREED/LUNA HCs. I’LL SEND THOSE IN A SEPERATE MESSAGE)

Lust

Soma and maybe Sebastian? Like he’s way too trashy for the queen but still

Loki

Thor

Maybe Pietro? But he’s dead so ;-;

Jean (from AoT)

Armin

Hange?

I still care about a lot of people (other than Urie there’s Saiko, Nishiki, Kimi, Shuu, Naki, Yomo, Uta(?), Eto, Ui…) but yeah, I’m worried for Urie even if I’m sure he’s not going to die. 

I’m super excited for Ishida to reveal more of Rio/Shikorae’s backstory! He might actually play a bigger role in the plot now? And I really want to know how he ended up like that because his game design looks a lot more ‘normal’, for lack of a better word. Also I don’t think he talked in emojis in the game.

Yeah, tbh I feel sorry for all of them ;-; can Yomo and the rest really kill them/harm them? They’re CHILDREN.

Yep, the sketches are rough and messy because I was just doodling to vent my feelings ^^;; the black sketch does look a bit better than the blue one, though (at least I think so?). I’m glad you liked them :D and yes, they’re suffering. Naomi more than Tatsuo, though. The only way Tatsuo could suffer is if he was unsure of Naomi/Shuu/Mirumo’s safety or if someone cut off his wine supply.

Hm, looking forward to seeing what it’ll change to next time :) this one really is super cute though <3

(btw, an extremely random and maybe slightly creepy question that you don’t have to answer:

What do you do/how do you act when you’re angry?)

Oh yeah, there’s plenty of suffering there. It also has a really good soundtrack! My personal favourite is probably this one: Ís (it has a link so you can listen to it :3 ) Yee, it’s a pretty depressing anime. When i finished it, I stared at ny wall for solid 10 minutes thinking about what I just watches. You also cry a lot while watching it, especially if you’re like me (I never cry at live action movies, but anime het me really easily)

I am scarred for life. Wow. That guy is bigger trash anything I can imagine. Just. That’s so creepy >_< Getting turned on by the thought of fighting a boy that doesn’t look older than 13.  Also, the song is nice, his voice is nice, but then I saw the lyrics. “Your (something) makes me moist.” I don’t even watch the anime, but I am done with him on too many levels already.

I’m scared already… I’m absolutely fine with you sending me more of your drawing! In fact, I’d be more than happy to see them ^^ 

Oh wow, those are interesting definitions of pg-13. I think that pg13 means you can swear once or twice. Tokyo Ghoul has a lot more swears than that XD I’m curious, though, have you ever watched any anime with your sister? If so, which ones? You mentioned her reading kuroshitsuji, minus some arcs, but what about the anime?

Ah, Rod might be a good start (asshole). I hope you enjoy his route ^^ Tell me your impressions after it!  Also, (one last (hopefully)) word of advice, pace yourself. Don’t be like me and finish all the routes in 2 days. That’s too much suffering and emotion packed into 2 days XD

AHAHA WILL YOU THOUGH? 

O/////////=

After I read that burn, I literally sat here for about 5 minutes, just staring at the screen. 

That was absolutely savage.

Who says the silences have to be awkward? I’m a pretty quiet person, yet whenever my friends are over and we’re silent, it’s never awkward. We just enjoy the silence. 

That’s why you have me huehuehuehue I’ll be your wing(wo)man! 

Honestly, I’d write some Evans/Kimblee headcanons, but I honestly can’t imagine that man in a relationship. I tried, I really tried. 

Ara, that’s a lot!  Funny how you should say Nishiki, since he was actually my favourite, along with Shuu before Urie came along. You know me too well ^^

No, no, there’s honestly no need for that! You’ve already written so so much for me!

Tbh, I feel like one of the rare people in the fandom who don’t like Sebastian. I don’t find him hot, attractive or anything similar. In fact, he’s among the characters I dislike the most XD  Rip pietro. Why did you have to say goodbye?

Hange and I would probably have a more platonic relationship filled with weird experiments and titan research. I’d also participate in giving the titans horrible names just for the lols :P

I’m worries for everyone. Mainly, their mental health. I’m always worried about that when it comes to TG, though.

I wonder what’ll happen with him… Hopefully Ishida does make him a good character ^^

So. Much. Suffering. Well, cut of his wine supply, that’s probably the least suffery thing you can do to him XD

It might stay this character (very likely), change to a character from CP (also likely (help)) or something entirely else. We’ll just have to wait and see ^^ 

When I’m angry, I mostly rant inside my head and… I do schoolwork… Yep, I’m a nerd. It does help me vent, though, because it takes my mind of of things. When I don’t have schoolwork to do, I watch cutesy anime, because those can always make me smile.  I also listen to angsty music sometimes ^^;;

Aaalso, I recently (today) realised how to make proper aesthetic edits! So, uhm, here are some I made! I’d like your opinion on them ^^

((I tried to put 4 put the other 2 wouldn’t load =3= I’ll try to include them in my next answer ^^))

Masquerade ball:

Blue one ((Actually inspired by you)):

((Idk if you’ve read this, but the other two decided to load, huzzah!))

Living Legend Ballerina:

And the one where I decided to be conceited and made one for myself XD

If you have an idea for a specific character, or something, just say so, because I wanna practice and ideas are welcome!