#felt like painting again. super messy and quick but i like it anyway :'3

[robinsnest2111]

Collab time with @sweetjijisama once again!

She did the sketch and I slapped some funky colours on top~

Based on the skateboard scene from the first Jungledyret Hugo movie. Because Childhood Nostalgia <3

[ygboysygbby]

Can of Coffee

Bobby/Kim Jiwon Scenario

Request: 16. Bobby please✨

Prompt: “You look like an idol.” “Who?” And then you mentioned the name of the guy who’s talking to you.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry!”

“It’s fine...” 

Saturday night, around 11PM to be precise. You sighed deeply as you looked down to what used to be coffee in your grasp, spilled as you got out the convenient store. Just your luck, a guy decided to go in, very quickly too, when you went out the door. You had not even sipped the coffee yet. Thankfully, it didn’t ruin your shoes but it was still an unfortunate event. 

“Why is this person not looking at me?”

Standing in front of you was a guy quite taller than you. His hair was messy, almost looked like he just got up from bed, with his baggy pants and sweaters, layered with another jacket. A dark grey face mask was covering his face. You could barely see his eyes with how messy his hair were, and also, the looking away thing. Him looking away seemed more of trying to hide his face, rather than an expression of embarrassment or shyness. 

“I’ll buy you a new one very quick—“ 

The guy quickly moved to ran back in the convenient store, it seemed like he was in such hurry and distressed, but you called him. “Wait,”

Silence. 

“You look like an idol.” You blurted without thinking. “But I couldn’t quite put my finger on who...”

“Who?!” The guy replied quickly. There was a hint of nervousness in the tone of his voice, but you couldn’t really tell why. 

“Uh, you know that guy from ikon? What was his name again...” You hummed. “B.I? No, the other one, Bobby... Yeah, Bobby!!!” You laughed at your own words. “Sorry, I’m a little random sometimes.”

“Uh...” The man awkwardly looked at you. “You still want the coffee? I mean, I don’t mind buying you two even.”

“Nah, it’s alright. I have plenty of that cheap-brand coffee at home anyway!” You laughed. 

“I insist.” 

You widened your eyes in amusement for a second. “Alright then, make it two, but the other one’s for you. How’s that sound?”

“Cool.” He shrugged and started walking back inside the store, with you following him from behind. 

**

“So, what’s your name anyway?” You asked out of the blue when both of you reached the cashier. 

The guy looked back at you for a good second, almost like the question you asked was so unbelievable.

“What? Oh... you thought I was hitting on you, huh?” You rolled your eyes. 

“What?! No! I mean...” He shook his head, thanking the cashier after, as he grabbed the two cans of coffee. “Wanna sit down for a while? I mean, if you’re not in a hurry that is...”

“So, now YOU are hitting on me?” You folded your arms, grinning. 

He finally broke into a laugh. His eyes turned into crescents. “My name’s Jiwon.” He said as he handed you the coffee. 

You grabbed the can and told him your name. “I have a day off tomorrow anyway, so... yeah! I don’t mind sitting down for a while.” 

“Alright.” He said casually, but immediately stopped his tracks. “Wait, does my name not ring any bell to you?”

“What bell again?” You laughed while pushing the store door open for both of you. 

“Forget it.”

“You know what? I like your sense of humor, I think it kinda matches mine!” You laughed again as you sat down. “I like people with dry jokes!”

“Sure.” He laughed too and took the chair next to you. “What do you do anyway?”

“I’ve just graduated from university three months ago, but I decided to take some short course this summer before I jump into the work field.” You explained. “You?”

“I don’t really know if I should tell you what I do for a living...” He chuckled. 

You gasped quietly. “Don’t tell me you’re some kind of drug dealer or something???”

He laughed, this time, out loud. “You’re so funny, I swear to God.” 

For some odd reason, your heart skipped one beat. 

“Don’t avoid the question!” You almost stutter. 

“Hmm...” Jiwon rubbed his chin, thinking. “Let’s just say I work in the music industry...”

“Wow!!!” You beamed. “What are you, some kind of music composer? Writer?”

The guy laughed again and shook his head in disbelief. “You could say so.”

“Which entertainment are you working for? SM? No, AOMG? You kinda look like someone who could be friends with Jay Park!” You said excitedly. “Sorry, it’s the caffeine, I get a little too excited sometimes.” You giggled. 

“I don’t mind.” Although you couldn’t see his face through the mask, his eyes turned into crescents again. You knew he was smiling. “No, I don’t work for AOMG sadly.”

“What a bummer! I was about to ask you to introduce me to Gray too!!!” You joked. 

“You like hiphop?”

“I guess? I never really take too much time to memorize all the artists’ names though.” You shrugged. “The only guys I recalled clearly were Jay Park and Gray, and I guess, those two guys from ikon that I said kinda looked like you earlier.”

He suddenly cleared his throat. “Uh... Enough talking about me, you mentioned about taking a short course?”

“Oh, yeah, I’m taking some digital illustration class around four to five times a week.” You replied excitedly, totally oblivious that the guy you were talking with, was changing the topic. 

“Awesome.” He said, amused. “You uh, draw human and stuff? Or just you know, cartoony, or I don’t know... I really don’t know too much about art.” He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I’m focusing on fashion illustration, and also some advertising. Occasionally I do paintings too, but that’s just purely to waste some time...”

“Ah, I have a friend who’s super into painting as well!” He said with excitement, that he at least knew something. 

“Oh? Do you have their Instagram or something? Can I see their works?”

Jiwon cursed silently. He really did not think the words that escaped his mouth through. 

He couldn’t exactly show Mino from Winner’s Instagram account, can’t he? 

“Wait... I— Oh, thank the heavens!”

“Huh?”

He took his phone out from his pocket, and swiped through his gallery for a while, before showing it to you. 

“He sent this to me a few days ago, it’s his latest and I don’t think he has posted it online yet.”

You took your time to analyze the artwork. “Hmm... he has a very distinct style, it’s colorful yet dark at the same time.” Your eyes were still fixated on the phone. “I like it though, it seems like it has a deeper meaning.”

The lad smiled at you secretly. Admiring how passionate you were talking about art, that made you seem even more attractive.

**

Time passed by so quickly. Both of you were so indulged into the conversation, that was basically pure random talk, that you did not realize that it had been almost three hours since you dropped a can of coffee to the ground, and a stranger with messy hair insisted on buying you another can. 

“Whoa! It’s already this late?!” You were shocked when you saw your watch. “Yah, we should probably head back now...”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He sighed. “I have to admit though,”

“Admit what?”

“I kinda don’t want our conversation to end this early... You can say I’m hitting on you all you want!” He giggled. 

Another beat was skipped. 

“You know what... yeah, it’s mutual!” You giggled too, but a blush crept onto your cheeks without you realizing. 

It seemed like he was grinning from eye to eye, you could not really tell because of the mask. Speaking of the mask, he had not been taking them off since you first met him, making you curious of how he would look without it. 

“Where do you live? Is it far? I can take you back home if you want.”

“I-It’s okay, I can just take a cab.” Did I just stutter?

“My place is nearby and I don’t mind.” He said, shrugging. 

“No really, exactly why I don’t want you to do so.” You refused politely. 

“Then I’ll pay for your cab?”

“No, Jiwon... you don’t have to—” 

“I insist, again.” He winked. 

This time, you were sure your heart was about to stop. 

Just the luck, a cab immediately drove by, and he quickly called it. “Give me your number.” He suddenly said. 

“I thought you wasn’t going to ask.” You smirked playfully, but deep down, your heart was doing a backflip. 

“So I can pay you back on the cab!”

“Does that mean I’ll see you again in the future?” You hummed, liking the idea.

“Yeah...” He folded his arms. “Probably, most probably.”

“Alright.” You cheekily grinned after you typed your number on his phone. “Umm, I’ll see ya?”

“I’ll text you later.” He waved. 

The whole trip back to your house, you could not stop smiling to yourself like an idiot. You literally felt like you were a high schooler again. It had been quite some time that you had not met a somewhat “romantic” encounter, if you could call it that. 

You were too smitten, that you actually forgot that until you both bid your goodbyes, you still had not see the face behind his mask. 

Just a few minutes after you arrived home, with a little unsettled feelings because of the face mask thingy, a notification popped up on your phone. 

“Hey! Arrived safely? I forgot to... you know, show you my face today, didn’t I?” Followed by a grinning emoji. 

You wasted no time in replying back. “What are you gonna do about it then? Send me a selfie?” You teased. 

A minute later, another notification popped up again. 

“I hope this doesn’t seem like a catfish lol. You can call me Bobby too, if you want!”

You did not expect him to actually send you a picture. 

Nor did you expect him to look that handsome. 

Also, you didn’t exactly expect him to be... 

ACTUALLY BOBBY FROM iKON???

Bobby is just doing the social distancing y'all, that’s why he didn’t open the mask 😂😂😂

Jokes aside, I hope everyone’s staying safe and healthy. Please don’t just go outside because you’re bored at home like... I’m so sick of those kind of people :(

I hope this story could at least cheer y'all up even just a little bit! <3

[franboos]

I don’t want to be your friend i want to kiss you neck

a vds college roommate fic

written by @gucciboner and me <3

word count: 1617

chapter one, part 3/3

chapter one, part 2

find the entire first chapter on a03

“Get off.” Lucas murmured, roughly trying to scrub the yellow paint off of his hands. One of the downsides of wanting to be an artist, his hands were constantly covered in either paint or pencil smudges.

He enjoyed his first week of school a lot. He met a lot of new people and all his teachers are very relaxed. This place is really going to feel like his second home, just like Sander told him.

He quickly fixes his hair in the mirror, it always gets messed up when he’s painting, before walking out of the bathroom. Sander send him a text when he was in class, asking him if he wanted to hang out at his apartment after school. Lucas said yes, he liked Sander, and wouldn’t mind getting to know him better.

Sander was waiting for him outside, leaning against the building.

“You ready to go?” He asks a soon as he sees Lucas.

Sander’s apartment isn’t far from the school, a 15-minute walk at least. They talk about their day for a bit and Lucas tells a story about the girl from his class who knocked over a supplies cart, breaking several glass jars and spilling paint water all over the classroom floor.

“I felt really bad for her, she almost started crying.”

They’re walking through a part of Antwerp that Lucas hasn’t seen yet and he makes a mental note that he really needs to drag Isa with him to explore the city this weekend. Maybe Jens could show them some cool spots, since he has lived in Antwerp his whole life. So has Friso but Lucas doesn’t like him as much.

“Robbe just texted me,” Sander says, shaking Lucas from his thoughts.

The infamous Robbe. Sander had told Lucas all about his boyfriend on the first day they met.

“He says he invited some of our friends over as well, is that okay?”

Lucas shrugs. “The more the merrier.”

“They’re kind of idiots though, I’m warning you.” He says, making Lucas laugh.

“I have a lot of experience with idiotic friends, so I think I’m gonna be just fine.”

Sanders stops in front of a relatively small apartment complex. “here we are,” He takes his set of keys out of his pocket and unlocks the door. Once the door is closed again Sander leads them up the stairs. The apartment is on the third floor, which are more stairs than Lucas would have liked to climb, he’s embarrassed by the fact that he’s slightly out of breath when they reach the correct floor.

Sander unlocks the front door for them “After you,” he smiles. As soon as Lucas steps into the narrow hallway he can hear loud voices coming from somewhere inside the apartment.

“You’re home,” at the end of the hall a head pops out of the doorframe.

The guy, Robbe, Lucas assumes, because Sander beams at the sight of him, steps into the hallway and greets Sander by wrapping his arms around his neck and pulling him into a kiss. So definitely Robbe then.

Lucas stands there, awkwardly, looking anywhere but the two of them.

“And you must be Lucas?” Robbe asks, once he pulls away from Sander. “I’m Robbe.” He stretches his hand out to Lucas.

“Yeah, I figured,” He laughs and shakes Robbe’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Sander has told me a lot about you.”

Robbe’s cheeks turn slightly pink and Sander presses a kiss to his temple.

“Positive stuff I hope…” Robbe says, shyly looking down.

“Of course baby, always.”

Robbe looks back up and gives Sander another lingering kiss but he doesn’t get the change to deepen it since Sander starts talking again.

“Let’s go meet the rest shall we?” Sander claps his hands together and turns around, walking through the doorway that Robbe appeared out of earlier. Lucas and Robbe trail behind him.

The living room is slightly messy, In the left corner stands a small desk that is covered in what seems to be some of Sanders drawings. The windowsill is covered in plants, a few vaguely turning light brown. A big light blue rug covers almost the whole floor. And a big L shaped grey couch stands in the middle of the room, facing a tv, with a matching chair next to it. This definitely looks a lot more organised than his student residence.

“Everyone, meet Lucas,”  Sander excitedly announces to the three guys sitting on the couch playing video games, too focused on whatever game they’re playing, to lookup.

Lucas immediately recognizes one of them as Jens.

“Wait,” Jens says, rapidly pushing the buttons on the controller, “too busy killing Aaron.”

“What the fuck,” Lucas is taken aback by the fact that his super cute roommate is sitting on Sanders couch, so he mumbles it more to himself than anyone else but Jens hears him anyway and looks up, the surprise also clear on his face when he sees Lucas.

They look at each other for a few seconds, not saying anything, until Jens shakes his head slightly. “What are you doing here?” He pauses the video game, earning a groan from one of the other guys.

“Wait you two know each other?” Sander asks from where he’s standing next to Lucas.

“Yeah,” Lucas says, never breaking eye-contact with Jens. “We’re roommates.”

Sander laughs, “what a coincidence.” He plops down on the couch, tugging Robbe along with him.

After Lucas sits down as well, across from everyone in the chair,  the other two guys introduce themself as Aaron and Moyo. They talk for a while and Lucas finds out that Robbe and Jens have been friends the longest out of all of them. They tell Lucas all about their youtube channel, about the time Moyo and Aaron pranked Jens by faking that Aaron was under hypnosis and making him steal a handbag. Lucas laughed and Jens pouted adorably at him. According to Robbe, their best video was the one where he and Moyo tested their makeup skills on Jens. When Lucas asked to see it, Jens was quick to say no because “it was really really bad.”

Their whole friendship dynamic reminds Lucas a lot of his with Jayden and Kes.

“So Lucas,” Moyo shifts on the couch, turning all his attention to Lucas. “Is there a girl back in Utrecht?”

“If not, we can totally hook you up with some hot ones,” Aaron grins sheepishly. “Oh maybe Noor,” He hits Moyo on the arm excitedly.

Lucas lets out a snort, “That’s alright Aaron, girls aren’t really my thing.”

He watches the confusion take over Aaron’s face. It takes him a few seconds before he understands what Lucas means. “Oh,” he says with widened eyes, “we can totally help you find hot guys as well.” He looks around at his friends. “I’m sure Sander and Robbe know some.”

“Dude,” Moyo groans, shaking his head.

Robbe, who is basically sitting in Sanders lap at this point, just rolls his eyes at Aarons comment.

“Do you have a boyfriend then?” Jens, who has been quiet ever since Moyo’s question, asks while he clenches his jaw, his attention fully on Lucas.

“Nope, I’m very single,” Lucas says while looking Jens straight in the eye.

Jens tries to casually nod and he gives him a small “Ah okay”, but Lucas sees some of the tension from Jens face disappear. Did he just care if Lucas has a boyfriend or not?

No, he must be seeing things. Jens was just curious. That’s all.

“So, beside from Sander and Robbe, are any of you dating?”

“Surprisingly enough, only Aaron,” Moyo says, “but that is just because I haven’t found someone I really like. I could get any girl I want you know.”

Jens scoffs, “yeah sure dude, are you confusing real life with your dreams?”

Moyo looks annoyed but the other boys start laughing.

“Are you guys just living with the two of you or with more people?” Moyo asks pointing to Lucas and Jens.

“You want to know if we live with any girls, Moyo?” Lucas says, “you could just have asked politely.”  

Sander, who sits next to Lucas, gives him a fist bump while laughing.

“No, I’m genuinely interested.”  Although he doesn’t sound so convincing.

“We live with two other guys and two other girls, who one of them is my best friend. They are all pretty cool, so that’s chill.”

Moyo tries to casually nod without looking interested in getting to know any of those girls.

“Well moyo, if I were you I would do something with this information as soon as possible, because Jens already got hit on,” Lucas says while first looking at Moyo but then switching his gaze to Jens.

“Ugh, Luc. I don’t like her okay.” His eyes stare so deep in Lucas his eyes, like he is really trying to make clear that he would never do anything with her.

It is silent for a second. Lucas sees Robbe and Sander looking at each other while exchanging non existing words. He can’t figure out what their trying to tell each other, must be some weird boyfriend telepathie.

Moyo breaks the tension. “So, you guys should really show us your place one day!”

“Yeah, but we should first make the living room at least look a bit more presentable.”

“I agree with you on that,” Jens says with a laugh.

The boys kept talking for a while but then started gaming again. Lucas could get along quit good with the boys. He did not just meet Sander his friends, but also Jens’. And for some reason, it felt important that he liked jens friends, and that they liked him.

[seasonofthegeek]

Chances Like Leaves: Magic

Written for @adrinino-november

Parts 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5:

Though he knew exactly what was happening, Nino still wasn’t prepared when he answered the door and Adrien was standing on the other side because he realized too late that he hadn’t seen Adrien in years. Adrien with human green eyes and tamer hair and wearing a white hoodie and jeans. Adrien with no mask or ears or tail or bell. It shouldn’t have felt so different to see him like this, but it did and the breath left Nino’s lungs in a rush.

“I, uh, sorry. Did I come over too fast?” Adrien shifted from foot to foot awkwardly and ducked his head enough for his bangs to swing down and cover part of his face. 

“No, uh, no.” Nino shook his head. “I just...nevermind. Please come in.” He stepped aside and let the other man enter the apartment.

“I decided not to bring the wine,” Adrien said, glancing around. “I didn’t want to end up falling asleep on your couch and putting you out. I’m a lightweight after a long day.”

“Maybe we can do the wine another time. Uh, the casserole should be warm. I’ve had it in the oven.”

“Okay, cool, I’m starving.”

Nino pulled the dish out and scooped them each a serving without much commentary. He looked to the dining room table that was still covered in miscellaneous items from the move and frowned. 

“I eat most of my meals on the couch anyway,” Adrien offered. “If that’s what you’re used to too.”

“Yeah. Sorry. I still haven’t gotten this place straightened out.”

“Must be a lot of work with a kid.” His followed Nino back into the living room and waited for him to take a spot on the couch before he sat on the other side.

“It is,” he admitted, “but it can be pretty great too.”

“Is she liking school any better?” 

Nino gathered a bit of food on his fork and blew the steam away. “Yeah, thankfully. She really likes her teacher and she gets to paint on Fridays. She loves to paint.” He shook his head with a little laugh. “She paints with her hands but hates being messy so I constantly have to wipe her hands every minute or so when she does it here. I’m glad they’re willing to do that with her at the school.”

“That’s awesome.”

“Mmmhmm.”

“Do you guys have a pet?”

Nino blinked in surprise. “What?”

“A pet,” Adrien repeated.

“Ah, geez, Kid. Don’t try to guilt him like you have all your other foolish friends.” Plagg appeared from Adrien’s hood and floated over his plate to smell the food. “Marinette always adds the right amount of cheese.”

“Go get some. There’s plenty.” Nino nodded towards the kitchen and Plagg eagerly let his nose lead the way. 

“And use a plate!” Adrien called. There was a snort of derision in reply and the man wrinkled his lip in disgust. “Sorry.”

“I have a four year old who sticks her fingers in everything and then wants to put her hands on my face. A kwami in the casserole isn’t going to bother me,” Nino chuckled. “I see he hasn’t changed a bit.”

“Infinite beings don’t much, I guess. Have you gotten to visit with Wayzz any?”

“No. I’ve been thinking of asking Marinette if I can see him, but I don’t know.” He scratched the back of his neck in a nervous gesture. “He’s been asleep for so long. It feels silly to bring him out just so I can say hi.”

“I’m sure he would like to see you again. I know I am.” Adrien ducked his head again so the hair covered his face.

Nino worried his lip. He never remembered him doing that before, as if he was trying to hide. It made him wonder what had happened to make him react like that.

“You did call him a liar and told him you didn’t need him in your life anymore,” a nasty voice in the back of Nino’s head reminded him.

He tried to ignore the voice and cleared his throat. “You were asking about a pet?”

Adrien’s face lit up. “Yeah! Well, I don’t know if you knew or not but I run an animal shelter.” A soft blush painted his cheeks. “Well, I have help, of course. I’m not super business savvy, but Mylene and Ivan partner with me. They both went to business school after graduation and know all kinds of cool stuff to do with the place. Mostly they let me be the face and work with the animals and volunteers.”

“That sounds awesome, dude.”

“It is! You know I never could really see myself doing anything but working for Gabriel.” His whole body stiffened and his lip curled. “And honestly, even after everything went down, I still didn’t know what I could possibly do, but the shelter was losing funding and would be shutting down and I had all his money that I didn’t really want so...” 

“That’s amazing.”

Adrien ducked his head again but this time his hair didn’t fall to cover his shy smile. He knew how to manipulate it then. That was the Adrien that felt familiar. Nino made note of that. “Thanks. I really love it.”

“So is the next step you asking if I want to adopt a pet?”

“Well, it is part of my job.” He gave him a beaming smile. “Does Keira like animals?”

“In theory. She doesn’t usually like them in reality though. Dogs are too loud for her and cats don’t warm up to her quick enough for her liking. We had fish and she liked them for a minute but then she got bored and they eventually died.”

Adrien frowned. “Hmmm. Maybe you guys could come by and see how she does. No pressure, of course.”

“Don’t believe him,” Plagg called from the kitchen. “He’ll try to send you home with half the shelter.”

“I will not!” Adrien winced. “At least not on your first visit.”

Nino laughed. “I’ll ask her if she wants to go sometime this week after school.”

“That’d be great! We have playrooms and everything so we could try one at a time with her and see if there is anyone she enjoys. We have this really sweet dachshund that just wants to curl up in someone’s lap and sleep.”

“I’m not making any promises that we’ll bring one home,” he warned him, “but we can at least come by. I’d like to see the place.”

“I’d like that too.”

And just like magic, Nino knew they were friends again. 

Buy me a cherry coke?

[embarrassingsmartphonegame]

Anything (Chapter 3) - Nik Ryder x f!MC

Summary: After surviving an attempt on her life, she discovers there are worse fates than dying. And they’re all ice cold.

Warnings for this chapter: a few swear words here and there, some mentions of violence

Links to previous chapters: one // two 

Nik Ryder, ace Nighthunter, cursed and limped back to his apartment after a long night. Damn feral threw him against a tombstone before he managed to stake it through the heart. Whatever, each feral he hunted came with a pretty penny from the new local vampire kingpin, so he couldn’t complain. He ran a hand through his hair, the usually blunt edges longer and softened and thinned over time, as he went to open the door of his loft. Sunday night crept up slowly to Monday morning, and he estimated that he had at least a few hours before he had to go track down a ghoul terrorizing a tourist boat. Absentmindedly, his thoughts drifted to his next few jobs of the week, his schedule nice and packed the way he preferred it to be.

But as he was turning the key and opening the door to his dark living room, his deft ears picked up on a soft rustling sound originating from the couch. His right hand automatically flew to his crossbow strapped to his back, and he loaded and cocked it expertly as he stepped into the darkness cautiously, preparing himself from whatever monster that somehow managed to break into his place. He elusively side stepped a broken plastic curtain rod on the ground to get to the light switch. The veteran Nighthunter flicked the lights on and pointed his weapon.

“FREEZE!” But he dropped his crossbow with a loud thud. Shock painted his rugged, tired features and his mouth dried at the familiar chocolate brown eyes opening and meeting his.

==============================================

She dropped her bat. Leah groaned and pinched herself hard on her forearm. This had to be another bad dream. It was definitely not the first time she saw her father in a dream.

“Leah, this isn’t a dream.” A wise, comforting voice tilted out of the Fae in front of her. He looked exactly as she remembered him in Lamrian. Tall, regal, exuding an aura of kindness and inherent goodness...and he was supposed to be dead. But there he was, standing in the middle of her small, messy apartment in the middle of bum-fuck-where-the-hell-do-you-live-again Wyoming. His robes even glimmered lowly under the artificial white light of her living room, no evidence of a Bloodwraith attack left. He held his arms out wide towards her patiently.

“That’s what you said in the last dream too…” she replied quietly, taking a few careful steps towards him. As bewildered as she was, she was always respectful in her dreams of him, especially when they didn’t involve his death being replayed over and over again. A part of her never wanted to wake up whenever she got the pleasant ones. To her surprise, what she thought was an apparition reached out and enveloped her in his warm arms, and she knew instantly from the wholeness in her chest it was real. Her arms found his waist and she hugged him back desperately, tears running down her face for the second time that night. They stayed that way for God knows how long. Her father simply held her and let her take all the time she needed, and she was grateful for that.

“But...but I don’t understand.” Leah finally pulled away to meet his gaze. “You’re dead. Wait, does this mean I’m also--”

“No, you’re not,” Lord Elric reassured, wiping away a few tears from her mascara-stained raccoon eyes. “But I did come back here as a final gift to you, albeit temporary.”

“Does this mean you’re a ghost?”

“No, we Fae are different. I’m here for a quick visit. I’m touching you, aren’t I?” A rare smile passed over her features before she started crying again, more emotions in her chest that one night than in the previous three months. 

“I’m so happy to see you.” They sat down on her old, lumpy couch. It was strange to her, seeing a Fae lord sitting in her small living room on a couch the most unappealing shade of beige possible, even if he was her father. He sat up straight and addressed her, never letting go of her hands.

“It brings me great joy just to see your face again, my daughter. I needed to come see you tonight.” She winced at his words, wishing that she hadn’t gone out that night. Her father deserved better than seeing her in some trashy club dress that she hadn’t bothered to take off before flopping on her bed alone. She ran a hand through tangled, dirty hair in a pathetic attempt to smooth it out.

“But, Father…why are you here? Wouldn’t it be a better use of your time visiting Lady Thalissa or anyone else watching over Lamrian?” Leah questioned, guilt threatening her consciousness for the billionth time since Lord Elric died and left Lamrian for Lady Thalissa to get back on its feet. Her kind, loving stepmother was unfortunately on her long list of people she couldn’t face.

“I’m here because I wasn’t able to be your father for very long on Earth, but I’m now able to be your father for a little bit now.” A warm yet sad smile was etched on his face, and his gaze became reproachful. “May I offer you some guidance? You seem lost.”

Leah sighed; her life was such a wreck that her father literally came back from the dead temporarily just to tell her that. Great. “You’re not wrong. This probably wasn’t what you had in mind when you found out you had a daughter. I didn’t tell you that my life is really just a useless degree and a dead end job in Wyoming and that I don’t really speak to my mother, so she doesn’t know that I know about you. I’m sorry for disappointing you.”

“Leah, you’re my daughter and I love you. You could never disappoint me.” Elric stroked her hair, affection crystal clear in his actions. “I don’t care what job you have, as long as it fills you with joy, and I can see this doesn’t. And I loved Jacqueline, but I can understand why you’re not ready to speak with her.”

“This job...hell, this entire life...doesn’t give me joy. And I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t know what I wanna do with my life! It’s pathetic; I’m 25 and have absolutely no direction as to where my life is going!” At that point she knew she was most likely still drunk, since the words spilled out like a waterfall. “Oh and can I just say that you’re the only one that gets this isn’t just about Nik? I was already thinking of leaving my job even before I went to New Orleans! My life doesn’t revolve around a man!”

Elric nodded, listening intently to her babbling. “So then what changed?”

“I died.” She hated saying that. “I literally died. And I don’t exactly know how I came back to life. I’m getting really tired of my existence being a mystery. I’m just...tired. I wanted to go back to my life before I found out monsters were real, but I feel absolutely nothing.”

“You feel...nothing?”

“It’s hard to explain. I try to feel something, anything,” she continued to confess. “But I can’t...at least, not since I came back.”

“My daughter,” Elric began and squeezed her hands. “You can’t run away from what happened. You can’t run away from who you are.”

“But I don’t even know who I am anymore! A half-Fae who apparently can die and come back to life but can’t use my damn powers?!” she replied, agitated and stone cold sober at that point. 

“But you do know. You do know deep in your heart who you are and what you want, and how you’re going to get it.” Elric met her gaze again more firmly, and she squeezed his hands tighter, sensing that their time together was almost out. “It’s a matter of if you are willing to follow your heart. And I know that my daughter is strong and willing. All I want is for you to be happy; that’s all. I hope you let Thalissa know I love her and will wait patiently for her.”

“I don’t know if I can ever go back to Lamrian. It hurts too much since you’ve been gone.”

“That’s okay. But I hope you know that you will always have a home in Lamrian.” Elric’s form started to become thinner and more transparent, his hands gaseous and cold as Leah desperately tried to hold on for a little bit longer. “I love you, Leah.”

She choked on her own tears. “I love you too, Father.”

Eventually his form completely dissipated, and he returned to being only a memory in the deep recesses of her mind. Her apartment was cold and empty again, but her chest felt warm, alight with a new resolve. Leah heaved herself off her couch and opened her laptop.

==============================================

‘Leah...this is fucking ridiculous, even for you.’ The plane landed in Louisiana a few hours later. Leah hastily typed out an email to her boss that she needed to fly out of town for a sudden death in the family, knowing that it probably wouldn’t matter anyway if she decided to keep wrestling down that all too rational voice in her head and face all her fears. She checked her phone as the taxi took her to her last-minute motel, the streets of New Orleans whizzing past her like the reel of an old movie. She briefly considered texting Katherine and Cal that she was in town, but there was one stop she had to make before doing anything else.

“Best to rip the Band-Aid off first,” Leah muttered to herself after dropping her luggage off at her motel and making her way to what she heard was the best tavern in town. The door clinked open and she took a spot at the bar next to what looked like a man and a woman conversing with an equally human bartender. But she knew better.

The bartender quickly excused himself to serve his next customer, and his eyes widened in shock as he saw Leah’s face. “Leah?”

“Leah!” Ivy noticed her, squealed, and pulled her into a hug. Krom waved shyly as Garrus beamed, his hands flying to make a concoction for her. “Long time no see! How have you been?”

“Honestly…” Leah felt extremely awkward yet happy to be talking with the three supernatural beings she called friends. “Really shitty. Like, super shitty. So shitty that I’m running back to the place that literally killed me once and I don’t even have a job or plan. My life is already a series of bad decisions, so this is pretty in character for me.”

Garrus smiled and slid a pink-purple-blue-sparkle drink to her. “Well, at least you now have a drink at the best bar in town! Ever thought about bartending? That’s why you came here first, right?”

“Not that this isn’t the best bar in town,” she said as she took a sip, the alcohol immediately going to her head. “But I’m actually here for a reason. This is going to sound really, really weird considering what happened...but I need to talk to Nik.”

“My mortal…” Garrus’ handsome face suddenly looked faraway and mournful. Leah held her breath, preparing for the worst. “He’s been working...a lot. More than usual, I’m afraid. Never has time to spend with his old buddies here. And he always looks so sad, so tired.”

Ivy interjected. “We tried talking to him a few times, but he’s always so angry now too. Once I made the mistake of mentioning you and that Bloodwraith looked like a puppy in comparison.”

“He says he’s fine, but he’s clearly not,” Krom’s timid voice rang out from the next stool over, and he placed one of his stone hands over Garrus’. “He actually reminds me of me when I broke up with my ex.” 

Yikes. None of that sounded good. Leah felt immediately responsible and she sagged down on her stool. Her hands found her head, and she pushed her hair back, fighting the urge to yank on her strands in punishment. “Does he still live here? I need to at least apologize.”

“Yes he does, and I think he’s coming back from a job soon.” Garrus walked from behind the bar to the stairs leading up to Nik’s loft. He pulled out a key and unlocked it. Leah raised an eyebrow.

“Uhhh isn’t that...illegal?” ‘And really creepy?’ 

The Fae shrugged. “We supernatural don’t really follow the laws of the human world. Now go inside and wait for him.”

Ivy and Krom each sent her an encouraging grin and she walked up to his apartment. When she closed the door behind her, she immediately noticed how the apartment looked exactly the same as how she left it, but with less upkeep. Leah wordlessly picked up a cracked plastic curtain rod on the ground, surprised that it was still in the apartment, let alone still on the ground. She smiled and set it back down, remembering the first time she woke up in his weird, wonderful apartment.

Leah sat on the same couch and practiced in her head what she was going to say to him. Butterflies soared in her stomach as she waited in anticipation. At some point she turned the lights off since the light was worsening her headache. But minutes soon turned into hours, and she was eventually fast asleep, the past few days catching up to her. It was only when she heard the shout of a veteran Nighthunter and clang of a crossbow dropping to the ground that she woke up.

Brown eyes met another pair of brown eyes that coupled with a sheepish, awkward half-grin. “...Hi, Nik.”

==============================================

A/N: Surprise, I’m alive! So sorry this took so long; school has been keeping me busy and I’m still trying to strike a balance. (I say as I post this at 2am after being at school for 14 hours today.) As always, all feedback is welcome and appreciated. Hope you guys enjoyed it and the next update should hopefully be out sooner than this one rolled out!

Tagging: @furiouscloddonutpeanut @nighthunterkatherine @saivilo @samara-rani @god-save-the-keen  @xxdangerouscapri15xx @inlovewithrebels

[fresh-outta-jams]

Signed, Sealed, Delivered - Part 11

Namjoon x Reader Author: Admin Mo Summary: You’re in college when your soulmate mark shows up, an address. You figure sending a letter couldn’t hurt. Warnings: Some swears, soulmate fluff. Word Count: 1.8k

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, Epilogue

You thought four months would take forever to trudge through. You thought every day would be hell, burning even worse than the one before, building, building, building until you’d finally get on the plane to go see Namjoon. Instead, it was like a crescendo. You and Namjoon were talking every day like normal, sending letters back and forth every week or so. He’d update you on things that were happening over there, what he and the boys were up to that day. He’d tell you how much he wished you were there with him, but that he knew you had classes and that he believed in you.

You sent him dumb things on Twitter. He sent you dumber things in response. Many memes of his face were sent back and forth. You’d thought months ago that it wasn’t possible to love him any more than you did already, but you found that the more you talked to him, the more you found to love.

Namjoon was very, very excited about the approaching tour. Very excited.

“Jagiya, look at this cute couple outfit.” He sent it to you while you were Skyping. Your phone pinged another time, an additional image coming through. “Or do you want this one instead?”

“Joonie, I told you, you don’t have to buy me any clothes. I can just bring stuff I have and we can figure out stuff that matches.”

“But baby, we can get soulmate shirts…” He had been spending a little too much time online shopping recently. “It’ll be so cute.”

“Okay, but don’t go overboard.”

“Alright. Oh, also, I was trying to figure out some fun things for us to do, so I think we’re going to go to Disneyland when we’re in California and then I got us Wicked tickets for when we’re in New York. The Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is really nice…”

“Why are you so perfect?” You grinned at him. He grinned back, his dimples prominent and begging to be poked. You swore as soon as you saw him you were going to pinch those adorable cheeks of his.

“I just want my jagi to have fun.”

“I don’t need all of those things to have fun. All I need is you.”

“Ughhh, jagiiii.” His cheeks reddened and he covered his face. “I thought we had a no-cheesy contract.”

“Excuse me, sir? You are WAY cheesier than I could ever aspire to be, what with your adorable matching couple outfits and the most romantic itinerary I’ve ever heard.”

“Okay, okay…” He chuckled. “That’s fair.” His eyes trailed over your features, stopping at your lips before flicking back up to your eyes. You looked amused, if he wasn’t mistaken. “Sorry, I just...want to kiss you so bad.”

“I know, baby. But we just have a few weeks now, right? It’s so close I can taste it.”

“Yeah…” Namjoon smiled softly. “So close…”

***

Little did you know, your first meeting with Namjoon would be a little sooner than even you expected. Your boyfriend, bless his heart, had been busy at work cooking up a little scheme that he hoped would make you happy. According to your friends from school, he KNEW it would make you happy.

Originally the plan was that you would fly to Korea and one of the members of the BTS Staff would be there to take you to either BigHit or the dorms, depending on where the boys were at the time. Namjoon, however, had other plans. It just so happened, that your exams fell on the Thursday and Friday of exam week, which meant you would be cooped up in the library for the three days leading up to them.

RM_fan_94: Okay, so she’ll definitely be in the library, right?

GracieGirl: Definitely. For sure.

Lilyyyy: Agreed. There is literally nowhere else she will be for Monday-Wednesday. Except maybe to grab food really quick, but usually during exam week, she just gets food from the tea place at the library.

RM_fan_94: Okay, perfect.

RM_fan_94: I’m so nervous…

Lilyyyy: Awwwwww!!

GracieGirl: Don’t be! She loves you so freaking much, Namjoon!

Lilyyyy: Yeah, we should know lmao we hear about you all the time.

RM_fan_94: awwwww, does she really talk about me all the time??

GracieGirl: Y E S

Lilyyyy: More than she talks about literally anything else ever.

RM_fan_94: Okay, I gotta go, she’s calling in a few

GracieGirl: Byeeeee!

***

“Dear Namjoon,

I cannot wait to see you. I seriously cannot wait. It’s eating me alive. I check my phone every five minutes, hoping five hours have miraculously passed. I think honestly, the only thing keeping me sane at this point is my homework and my final film project.

I keep thinking about how the minute I finish my last exam, I’ll be on my way to the airport to see you. Well, not the MINUTE after I finish, but a few days later, at least. Ugh, it seems so far away.

I’m working on my final film project now, and I actually like how it’s turning out for once. This is the first project I think I’ve ever felt confident on ever in my life and I can’t wait to send it to you when it’s finished. It’s due soon, though, so I don’t think I’ll have time to send it to you before it’s due. Either way, I think you’ll really like it.

Also, I’m bringing my camera on tour so I can capture all of our cute couple moments and make a montage. I cannot wait for that either. I’ve never even been on a plane before and now I’m flying across the world to see the love of my life. It’s like a fairytale, it really, really is.

I think it would be AMAZING to go to Ilsan and meet your family (and your dog!!). I’ve been wanting to meet them for basically forever. Your sister sounds super cool. And I think it’s adorable that you kiss the Petoskey stone every night but because you think it’s embarrassing, I’m definitely going to tease you about it.

Lily and Grace are helping me re-dye my hair tonight so it’ll be nice and fresh and bright pink for you. I’ll be sure to send you lots of messy selfies of the process because honestly, it’s hilarious, and you’ll be awake anyway.

I love you so, so, so much,

-(Y/N)”

***

“Hyung, are you sure you want to do this?” Jungkook held the brush over the little bowl, hot pink dye dripping from the bristles. “It’s not too late to go back.”

“I’m sure.” Namjoon nodded. He was seated on the toilet lid, a towel draped around his shoulders, hair newly bleached. “Jin-hyung always does whatever he wants with his hair.”

“And then he gets yelled at.” Jimin laughed.

“I want to match. It’ll probably only last a few days anyway. Pink washes out quick.”

“I should know.” Jungkook shook his head, memories of his brief stint of magenta resurfacing.

“Just do it.” Namjoon sat up a little straighter.

Jungkook looked to Jimin and Taehyung, who each shrugged as if to say ‘hey, it’s his funeral’, and then brushed the dye onto Namjoon’s bleached-blond hair. Well, there really wasn’t any going back now.

***

Namjoon ruffled through his very, very pink hair, smiling at himself. God, he was an idiot in love. The things he did for you… And yet, staring at his reflection, he had no regrets. In fact, he would do it again just to see the look on your face.

Speaking of which…

His phone was ringing. Shit. Shit. God, he had to answer it, didn’t he? And of course it was a FaceTime from the one person who couldn’t know he had pink hair yet.

Looking around his room, he grabbed the first hat he could find, a black beanie, and slipped it onto his head to cover up the new hair. Then, he plopped down into his chair and hit accept call.

“Hey baby.” He let the words roll out, all casual. As though he hadn’t just dried off his hot pink hair.

“Hey Joon, what’s up?”

I just dyed my hair hot pink, so there’s that… “Not much. Working on some songs and stuff. You?”

“I just woke up and I missed your handsome face.”

“Well aren’t I lucky? God, I missed your voice.”

“What’s up with the hat?” You smirked, looking at the black beanie hastily thrown on top of his hair. “I mean, it’s cute, but…”

“It’s uh...”

“Oh, new hair. Alright, got it.” You dragged your pinched fingers across your lips, zipping them shut. “No leaks here.”

“Thank you, jagi.” He breathed in relief, watching as your adorable features twisted in curiosity.

“It does, however, make me wonder…” You trailed off, tapping your lip with a little pink-painted finger.

“No sneak-peeks, baby. I’m sorry.”

You pouted, pretending to be upset. “Okayyyyyy…” Immediately, you brightened. “Guess what!”

“What?”

“We learned a dance in my K-Pop club the other day and guess what song it was.”

“I’m stumped.” He grinned, tilting his head, waiting for you to spout whatever BTS song you and your friends had learned.

“We learned Baepsae and I got to learn your part!”

“Awwwwww that’s so cute!”

You nodded excitedly. “It was so fun. I can’t wait to show you.”

“I can’t wait to see.”

“How many days until I get to see you?”

“A week, baby.” A lie. Perhaps the first Namjoon had ever told you. He hoped the pet name he used would cover it up well enough. After all, you shared a soul. Maybe you could tell when he was lying to you, even if it was a little innocent lie like this one.

“Ughhhhhhh that’s seven days too many.”

“I agree.”

“I want to kiss you so bad, Namjoon.” You groaned. “I need to be in your arms. Immediately.”

“I know, baby. Believe me, I know.” Though the four months had gone by, it wasn’t like it hadn’t hurt him to have to wait and wait and wait. The temptation to come see you over your Spring Break was almost crippling, and had he not had to do promotions, he would have been on a plane ages ago. “But it’s soon now. I love you a lot, alright?”

“I love you a lot too.” You nodded, watching the way his dimple poked in when he smiled softly at your words.

Namjoon yawned and stretched. “Alright, jagiya, I have an early morning tomorrow, so I have to get some sleep now. But I love you so much and I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“I love you too.”

And then he hung up, grinning. You had no idea what was coming for you in the next few days...

Tagged: @iie-wakarimasen, @ffantasylandd, @jooniefluff, @chimchimsauce, @mrs-saeyoung-choi, @theprinceoftheundead, @angyexoxo, @copenhagenspirit, @lovelylittlekittn, @lilgaga98, @iminlovewjjk, @feed-my-geek-soul, @loveandwitch, @recoveringflowerchild, @demonic-meatball, @maddieisaacs, @scissorsandtonfas, @carirosesg, @backtonormalthings, @local-mochi, @faliwi, @spoopyela, @nanie5, @ingenu--e, @undiscovered1personality, @andalos, @calspixie, @filtermono, @huhuehuey, @mikey-girl12, @lilliaflurr, @hypophrenium, @sitkafay, @spiicyari, @andeerwilson, @btswerewolfaus, @oyasumi7, @mycurrentusernameisalreadytaken, @gangstavixsta

[michaelmalloryfanfic-blog]

fic update: o thou, destroyer named - chapter v

they are like two wounded animals, circling one another, waiting to see who will strike first

. millory au .

post links:

chapter i // chapter ii // chapter iii // chapter iv // chapter v // chapter vi // chapter vii // chapter viii // chapter ix //

ao3 links:

chapter i // chapter ii // chapter iii // chapter iv // chapter v // chapter vi // chapter vii // chapter viii // chapter ix //

chapter summary:

Time to call Zaddy Zatan! Also I know I said Mead would be in this chapter but it was taking too long to get through this part. Next time. It's short but I promise, it felt like fucking dying trying to write this part.

a/n:

guess which bitch knows how to use google translate! fun times. anyway latin is fucked. this ain't beta'd and super short but I had to finish grad school apps. I'll get around to beta-ing this chapter eventually. Aaaaaaallllsooooooooo. So I know that in the show, Michael calls his zaddy on the phone like...right after his interview with Mallory but just pretend that its happening now. You know I’m a dumbass who can’t remember shit right? You think I give a fuck????Also. I’ve finally got an end to this fic and lemme tell you, I can’t wait to emotionally ruin someone’s day.

With a soft tug of the hand he has in his grasp, Mallory rises to her feet. Even in her black, sensible heels she barely reaches his shoulders when standing. Her hand in his own is completely encompassed. She is such a tiny thing. He tucks her hand into the crook of his arm with a careful tenderness that she thought him incapable of. It is as though he was handling a porcelain doll.

Michael had always been fascinated with dolls. Once, when he was still small and able to be manhandled, Constance had taken him to a toy store and he had instantly gravitated towards the brightly colored figures. Their tiny smiling faces matched with their impassive, lifeless eyes, they felt somehow familiar. But it was their smallness that had enraptured him, how easily they fit in his hand. He wanted to touch every part of them, run his fingers over their smooth, blushed cheeks, feel the sleekness of their artificial hair. Something that would hold still and let him pour over it, let him devour it.

But Constance would have none of that. She had shaken the precious thing from his greedy hands. When he resisted she had delivered a swift, teeth-clattering slap to his face. It had shocked him so thoroughly that he did not even cry out. Constance espoused something about him being “goddamned queer” then she had yanked him out of the store.

They enter the darkness of Outpost 3 and Michael takes the lead. The ink blackness of the hallways are an ocean and Michael is a shark. He moves without hesitation, Mallory tries to keep up. Once or twice, she trips over her feet. Ever the part-time gentleman, Michael pauses whens he stumbles and waits patiently for her to gather herself. Everytime, she glances up at his apologetically but he never returns her glance. He is focused on the journey forward.

It takes them five more minutes of walking before a faint glow comes into view illuminating the end of the hall where it turns both left and right. The light comes from the right and when they turn the corner a door comes into view. The door they come to is like many of the doors in Outpost 3, tall, pitch black, with shiny golden door knobs. On both sides, a candle with in a simple glass fixture around it had been lit. Mallory has passed doors like these many times in the past year without much notice but this door, she is certain she’s never seen this particular door for above it there are words, carved ominously into the stone wall and painted in black.

Homo homini lupus

Mallory reads over the words over and over. The Boundary in her head burns and grows brittle at the sight so she turns away from the words above the door. It is Michael who disentangles their arms. He takes her hand in his own, again so gentle it turns her stomach and places it at her side. Then he opens the door.

The first thing that Mallory notices when they enter the room is the heat. The door leads into a short, narrow anteroom and from there it opens into a blazing circular chamber. The room is crowded with candles. They line the walls, are placed here and there on the floor along the perimeter. Besides that, the room was empty. It is so bright and warm beyond the door that it is almost unbearable at first. Mallory has only known darkness and cold for over a year now and all this heat and light makes her feel feverish. Her skin crawls and she hesitates to enter. Langdon enters at once with ease. He has no fear of the light. Michael glances back only once to smile that secret smile at her.

“So skittish of the light, Mallory darling,” he says over his shoulder. “Come here, you fickle creature. Come to me.”

And she goes to him. Not just because he calls her a creature or darling but also because she is suddenly aware of how cold she is. She feels so utterly cold and not just now or during the year she’s spent in Outpost 3. She’s been cold her entire life. Mallory isn’t stupid she knows that there is something missing in her. She thinks that something must have been taken from her and left her a Mallory is like a wind-up toy that was built missing a sprocket and though she can still walk around, sing her tune, the bulbs all light up but something just doesn’t click.

Harmatia, whispers the thing in her mind and Mallory pushes it down.

She passes through the doorway, the Latin words passing overhead. She makes quick work of the antechamber and to her surprise, she finds Langdon undressing. He stands in the center of the room with his back to her. First is his long, black coat. As he works the fine dark buttons, he speaks.

“Did you know that years before the initial bombfall, this place used to be a boy’s boarding school,” he says still facing away from her.

He observes the room as he finishes with his buttons. The chamber is about ten feet in diameter and it has a ceiling so high that it is lost in darkness even with all the light down below.

“The rooms you’ve been sleeping in, the kitchen, the lounges, they all used to be part of the school.”

“Is it normal to have a school underground?” Mallory drones, years of working for the young, rich, and vapid has made her adept at meaningless small-talk.

“Don’t ask stupid questions. You know it isn’t.”

He shrugs off his coat and it falls to the floor.

“What kind of school was it?” she replies, unperturbed by his admonishment.

She stares at his coat on the floor, crumpled and dejected. Years working as a personal assistant to wealthy socialites has given her a discerning eye. It’s obviously an expensive piece, well-made, expensive cotton but he tosses it off as though it is nothing. Mallory considers picking it up, folding it neatly over her arm and waiting patiently aside for him to continue. It’s a compulsion. Coco had been a thoughtless, messy individual but she also hated mess. She’d undress in a hurry, tossing designer and couture pieces about only to turn around and vehemently ask Mallory why her John Galliano gown was on the floor. However, Langdon gives no indication that he expects to pick up his coat or anything else.

“A finishing school of sorts,” he says as he starts on his shirt, the cuffs, which is as fine and dark as his coat. “It was very exclusive, clandestine .”

“A big, black cylinder sticking out of the ground in bumbfuck California reads as clandestine to you?”

That causes him pause and he twists his upper body just a bit to look at her fully. His mouth is a pressed, straight line and he arches one eyebrow. For a second, she thinks he’s going to admonish her again maybe even hit her. Towards the end, the Purples had become less squeamish about physical displays of displeasure. She had seen, more than once, a Grey laid out on the floor by a Purple. End of the world will do that to people. But, he is impassive only for a second then a wicked grin splits his mouth and he laughs.

“It isn’t exactly subtle is it?” he says once he done laughing at her. “But then again, I wasn’t consulted when they were drawing up the blueprints.”

Mallory is a little taken aback. For some reason, laughing just didn’t seem to be something he was even capable of doing. Her surprise must show on her face because he laughs a little harder after seeing her. He seems younger than the gruesome figure who had first arrived in Outpost 3 a few days ago. When he had first arrived, he had been singular. A grim emissary, Death riding in on his horse. But now she is watching as his eyes crinkle at the edges as he smiles at her. He looks like a boy. How old is he really? Early twenties, maybe mid. They could be the same age.

“Do you know what this particular room was used for?” He doesn’t wait for her answer. “Disciplinary action.”

He shoulders his left sleeve off and then the right. This too is dropped to the floor besides the coat.

“You saw the plaque above the door? Do you know what it means? I don’t imagine they offer high school level Latin in Nowhere. Homo homini lupus, Man is a wolf to man.”

From his pocket, he produces a knife. It fits perfectly in his hand and he opens it slowly. The blade is strange, rounded and black. Its finish is matte, like charcoal in the candlelight.

“Man is a wolf to man,” he repeats and turns to face her, knife in his right hand.

This is the point that anyone with an ounce of self preservation should know to make a run for it.

“A fancy way to say, ‘dog eat dog’.”

He’s still smiling when he plunges the knife into his left wrist and Mallory’s jaw drops. He drags the blade up until a red line splits his arm all the way up his bicep. Then the blood begins the pour from the gash. It’s so red and bright against his golden skin. It falls like water, so quickly that she thinks that this cannot be real, this cannot be right. He hardly seems to notice and gives the other arm the same treatment.

This fucked up. Mallory knows this. This. Is. Fucked. And she should be horrified. She should scream or run, do something other than gape at the sight of him, arm bathed almost entirely in red and dripping, his eyes like alight with a kind of frantic energy. And yet, she doesn’t feel or do any of these things. Her breathing is labored and her heart rate has picked up and yet, she feels somewhat at east. Something about all that blood, she’s drowning in it. She’s not anywhere near afraid. No, she's fascinated.

He begins to speak.

“O pater foedus impius, Et meas, quas fudi sanguinem meum, in gloriam.”

The air thickens as he falls to his knees.

“Corpus iacentis ad pedes.”

Spreading his arms out wide, palms to the floor, he begins to bow. His head dipping low.

“Mea est anima tua.”

With that, he is completely folded in on himself. His arms are stretched out in front of him, bloody palms laying flat against the stone floor. Though not especially muscular, Langdon is certainly on the taller side. His shoulders are wide. He cuts an imposing figure but now he is laid out before her. It is strange to see such a large man made to seem so small and humbled.

Silence falls and Mallory is vaguely aware that perhaps Langdon may be in trouble. His body is still, blood still seeping out of him. It drips onto the floor. The human body can only lose so much blood before it’s K.O. She knows she should do something. Pressure on the wound. Elevate the limbs. But then, something rumbles through the room, not a sound, not even a physical feeling. It is something in the soul and growls. Her stomach drops. He begins to speak again but this time is different. His voice is harsh, nearly cracking. He is impassioned.

“Audi me, Pater. Audi fili tuorum fidelium. Quaerite me sapientia tua et ductu peregit opus in hac hora mea. Invoco te. Invoco te.”

The air seems to go still. What was once a room crackling with energy, is suddenly drained.

“Invoco te,” he demands.

As soon as the words leave his mouth, all the flames of the candles flare. They climb up to nearly a foot tall then roll back down. His head snaps up, eyes completely dark. She gasps. His mouth drops open as if he is stunned as well. He is seeing something beyond her.

“Father?” he says like a child.

The flames flare once more, higher than before and Mallory shields her face from the heat. A gust of wind rushes past her and then she is floating in darkness.

“Langdon?”

Nothing. Every candle has been extinguished and she had been plunged into pitch darkness. Her first instinct is to turn back towards the antechamber. If she can make it to the door, there should still be light outside. She turns and reaches out, trying to find a wall, the door, anything but her hands find nothing. She steps forward and slips. She hits the floor hard and cries out. A warm, metallic taste blooms in her mouth. Her tongue teeth ache. The floor is wet, sticky beneath her hand. She knows what it is. The smell hits her and the taste is in her mouth. Mallory closes her eyes and tries to concentrate. She remembers the candles on the wall, the candles on the floor. In her mind, she reaches out.

Please. Please.

Invoco te, whispers the thing in her head and she feels warmth seep into her.

Not from the blood. The blood has gone cold at this point, congealing beneath her hands and knees. It’s something else. Like the sun, like a fire. It is blooming in her chest like someone has breathed hotly between her breasts.

“Invoco te,” she whispers and opens her eyes to light.

Not blazing and bright like before, only a few candles have been lit but it’s enough to see the outline of the door in front of her. It is enough to see the blood on the floor. She crawls forward a little ways, she’s halfway through the antechamber when she looks back.

She could leave him. He is laid out on his side, facing away from her, completely still. There’s not much hope left for him. He’s close to being, if not already, bled out. He’s a lost cause. There’s no point.

Leave him. Let him die. Homo homini lupus.

But Mallory is no wolf. She is thinking of his eyes and how they crinkle at the sides. She is thinking of his mouth and how it smiles crooked. Of his laugh. Of his perfect face that is so boyish when unburdened by whatever grand role he is playing. She thinks of the way he said father.

Mallory slips and stumbles to her knees. She tries to stand but she quickly Her hands are covered in dark blood. Her knees and shins are even worse but she crawls forward.

“Langdon,” she hisses at him. “You have to get up.”

From where she’s standing, Mallory can’t tell if he’s still breathing.

“Michael?”

Her arms and legs wobble as she crawls forward. The potential that he’s dead is becoming more and more likely. The floor is slick beneath her but she continues forward. He’s less than a foot in front and she can see him clearly even in the dim light. His chest rises and falls and Mallory’s breath catches in her throat. Then it happens again and she bursts forward.

“Michael, can you hear me,” she takes his shoulders in her hand and after some effort turns him over into her lap. “We have to put pressu-”

The wounds are gone. There’s no trace of the long gashes he’d inflicted on himself other than the blood. The blood, it’s everywhere. On her dress, across his chest. His head is in her lap, somehow his hair, even coated in blood, is beautiful. The gold in it still shines true. They are a dark red pieta.

“Did you see?” he whispers.

Mallory is still dumbfounded that she missed his question. His hand on her arm is what shakes her out of her stupor. He is gazing up at her now. His eyes are back to their normal blue, so clear. He lifts his hand from her arm to ghost his fingers over her face streaking her red. Mallory balks. The bitter smell of blood fills her nose and turns her stomach.

“Did you see him, Mallory? My father?”

He sounds like a fevered child and even more so when he laughs at the sight of her face.

“It looks like you’re crying, tears of blood,” he murmurs as his eyes begin to flutter. “Don’t cry, Mallory.”

He sighs and his eyes roll back into his head.

“Help,” she whispers though her voice barely carries.

“Someone please help us.”

Aaaaaaand. yarp. It's fanfic writing month! so I'm gonna try to bust out as many chapters as possible for you guys. My goal is an update a week (not including this chapter). So drop me a line. I know I seem glib but honestly, your comments are the only thing keeping me going so lemme know yall are out there, yeah?

Next time:

Mead gets her say.

[ultraspideysense-blog]

In Dire Need of a Tutor (Peter Parker Imagine)

request: nope just an idea i had off the dome last week

short summary: you need a tutor for AP Physics…Peter Parker is your boy for the job. stuff happens from there LOL

word count: 1.8k

warnings: a little swearing but idk if people got a problem w that *shrugs*

A/N: lowkey not sure if anyone will like this lmao but this is going to be a 3 or 4 part series, so this first part is primarily to set the stage for the next part, which will have a larger focus on peter himself. if you’d liked to be tagged in future parts or my works in general pls lmk!

“Jesus Christ, Flash, you’re so full of yourself!” you exclaimed as you quickly gathered your notebook and shoved it in your backpack. You were beyond frustrated and infuriated.

AP Physics wasn’t your strong suit, but you’d be damned if you didn’t ace both the class and its subsequent AP exam. The more you worked, the more hopeless your quest to find a tutor seemed to become. Your friend MJ tried first and it didn’t work out. Then you had tried Flash when he had offered. He wasn’t exactly the ideal person you had in mind, but you were desperate. Too desperate.

“At least I’m not as hopeless as you, how do you not understand the most basic of formulas? You’ll need a goddamn miracle to pass this exam,” he replied arrogantly. You simply showed him the finger and exited the empty classroom he’d been tutoring you in. There were still a good 5 minutes left of lunch and you were in dire need of some junk food from one of the vending machines.

As you opened the door, you collided with another person, with the contents of your backpack flying everywhere. Textbooks, notebooks, pens, everything.

“Shit,” you both exclaimed simultaneously. “This day could not get any worse,” you muttered to yourself with a humorless laugh as you bent over to collect your things.

“I-I’m really sorry,” said the boy you’d run into. He knelt down next to you and was hurriedly gathering your things. Taking a quick glance up at him, you recognized him from somewhere, but couldn’t place which class.

“No, it was my fault,” you replied softly. “You don’t have to help me, it’s totally fine—“ you stopped mid-sentence as he handed you your latest Physics test that had fallen out of your bag, a big fat D+ adorning the upper right corner of the paper.  You felt your cheeks redden as you slowly took it back.

The two of you worked in silence until all of your things were gathered off of the linoleum floor of the hallway. Getting up and brushing your knees off, you were still slightly embarrassed he’d seen the test that you’d bombed.

“Thank you, uhm,” you paused, not really know his name.

“Peter…Parker. Peter Parker,” he introduced quietly, not quite meeting your eyes. They were looking down at the floor actually.

“Right..well thank you Peter. I’m Y/N Y/L/N,” you held out your hand for him to shake.

“I know, we have AP Physics together,” Peter stated. His cheeks reddened and his eyes widened as he continued, “I think, I mean I don’t know for sure.” He then quickly took your outstretched hand to shake.

You looked him over for a brief moment. Messy dark hair, but kind brown eyes. His t-shirt was a physics joke that, of course, you didn’t understand. But recognition slowly made its way into your features as your eyes widened.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry, we do have physics together,” you exclaimed sheepishly. He shrugged it off nervously.

“It’s okay, I’m kind of invisible,” Peter replied quietly. After a few more brief moments he extracted his hand from yours and handed you your backpack. As you were about to shuffle away awkwardly he grabbed your arm.

“I could maybe…tutor you in Physics if you want? I kind of overheard your situation with Flash and it looks like you need help.” You could tell he was referencing the abomination of a test he had seen while helping you clean up. His eyes widened again. “Not that you’re stupid or anything, quite the opposite, I just, uh,” he stammered. You smiled at him.

“No I completely get it, I’m desperate for help honestly. Would you mind tutoring me, Peter?” you asked sweetly. If you recalled correctly, he was quite smart, and never got an answer wrong when the teacher would call on him in class.

“Sure, okay,” he said, sounding a bit breathless. You thanked the Gods above and prayed that he would be able to help you pass.

Before you could give a response, the bell rang signaling the end of lunch. Quickly grabbing a pen from your backpack and Peter’s arm, you scrawled your number on his arm. Students started to fill up the hallways, walking towards their next classes.

“Text and let me know what times work best for you, I’m pretty much free all the time, bye Peter!” you called as you scurried off to your next class, leaving him staring at his arm with a dumbfounded look on his face.

~2 weeks later~

Peter had been tutoring you late in the evenings after his Stark Internship, which worked out since you two lived in the same building, him being two floors up from your apartment. And, you were actually starting to understand physics. There was another test tomorrow, and tonight Peter was supposed to help you do some last minute cramming.

You couldn’t help but notice how nervous he seemed every time you were over at his apartment, or how often he would blush when you’d scoot closer to him to get a better look at a problem or concept. Any time that your shoulders would brush you’d see him visibly stiffen or jump a little bit. You considered questioning him on it, but thought that maybe he’d quit tutoring you if you did. And lord knows you couldn’t afford for that to happen.

He’d told you in school earlier that day he might be a bit late, but you still made your way up to his apartment anyway and knocked on the door. His Aunt May opened the door and smiled when she saw it was you.

“Y/N! Is Peter expecting you?” she inquired as she gestured you in. Every time you were over in the past few weeks she was nothing but warm and nice to you, and unbeknownst to you shooting Peter suggestive glances every time he led you to his room for a tutoring session.

“Yeah, we have a test tomorrow, so we’re planning on some last minute cramming so I can actually retain this information,” you joked lightly. May gave you a reassuring pat on the back.

“With Peter’s help I’m sure you’ll definitely ace it. That boy’s as smart as they come, and cute too,” she replied with a wink. You blushed.

“Definitely true.” You didn’t specify which of her statements you were agreeing with, and she didn’t ask. Instead, she mentioned you were free to wait for Peter in his room and to help yourself to anything in the kitchen before retreating to her own bedroom.  

You opted to just take a glass of water and made your way to Peter’s room, taking a seat on his bed and pulling out some study materials. Though, about 20 minutes later while deep into a multi-step pendulum problem, the window slowly started creeping open. You froze, not knowing what to do or how to react to the situation and waited to see what would unfold.

A figure slowly came in and started climbing on the ceiling…climbing on the ceiling!! You threw your hand over your mouth when realizing that none other than Spider-Man was crawling on the fucking ceiling. His mask was off and your heart raced with anticipation as you craned your neck to get a clear look at the face.

As the figure looked down and outstretched their arm to slowly close the slightly open door, it hit you like a truck: it was Peter Parker, Peter fucking Parker was the Spider-Man. In shock with a million questions running through your head, Peter finally saw you as he made his descent to the floor, shock painting his features perfectly. After 30 seconds of silence you were the first to speak.

“What the fuck, you’re Spider-Man? How do you? Why do you?” your mouth kept opening and closing as more and more questions popped into your head. You got up off of his bed and started pacing around the room, slightly annoyed and extremely confused. “Do you even have anything to say or are you just going to stand there and ignore my questions?” you all but yelled. Peter finally sprung into action throwing a hand over your mouth, realizing the severity of the situation.

“Y/N please calm down, don’t hate me just let me explain, okay, just hear me out? Please?” he begged. He started making some hardcore puppy dog eyes at you and your annoyance began to falter. You removed his hand from your mouth and once again sat on his bed, taking a deep breath. “Fine, you have 60 seconds before I start freaking out again,” you said dramatically.

Honestly inside you knew that there was no reason for you to be this worked up, you’d only known Peter almost two weeks now. But you were just…scared for him. You brushed it off as normal human compassion as he took off his Spider-Man suit.

As he changed into some normal clothes it took everything in you to look away as he revealed his rock hard abs, you wouldn’t be surprised if your cheeks were insanely red. Heaving a sigh he sat next to you on his bed, his knee bouncing up and down nervously.

“I am…Spider-Man,” he started slowly. Yeah no shit Sherlock, you thought to yourself. But didn’t dare interrupt. 

“I got bit by a spider a while ago and I developed all these super human powers and it just sort of turned into this big thing, and pretty much every day I work hard to protect everyone in Queens and just be this friendly, neighborhood Spider-Man and I know I tell everyone I have this big Stark internship but it’s just I can’t tell people about this, not even Aunt May or else she wouldn’t let me do this anymore, and I just have to do this. I can’t just have these powers to help and look out for people and neglect to use them. And I’m so sorry about lying to you but it’s just…I couldn’t risk it. I really couldn’t,” he rushed out in one single breath.

You could see slight relief in his features as everything in his mind came out of his mouth. You felt for him a little bit, evidently having nobody to confide in about this major secret in his life. Before you could formulate a response you saw tears forming in his eyes.

“Oh, Peter,” you replied softly, pulling him into a hug. “Please stop crying, it’s okay, I’m not mad at you, you’re okay.” He was sniffling against your shoulder with his arms wrapped around your waist, as you stroked one of your hands through his hair. “Your secret’s safe with me, I promise.”

After a few minutes he had composed himself and looked at you deeply. “Thank you, Y/N.” You felt a shiver run down your spine at how genuine he sounded…but in a good way. Brushing it off, you wiped a few stray tears off of his cheeks.

“So…you actually know Tony Stark?” you asked, trying to change the mood. He laughed a little bit, causing you to laugh too. And the two of you spent the rest of the night talking about his Spider-Man lifestyle instead of studying.

[lavieendonna]

Brushwork || ArtMajor!Calum AU (Chapter 17)

Summary: An Art Major AU where Dallas - third year gawky art student at VCA -  makes a deal with Calum - her cute new neighbour and project partner - and they spend the entire year learning that the perfect masterpiece takes a whole lot of brushwork.

Date: 18 September 2017 Requested: not really no lmaoooo  Pairing: Calum + Dallas Words: 3.3K Warnings: some tense friendships here. Mali makes another appearance. Um. Yeah, i think that’s it.  A/N: This is not really up to a great standard, but I think I did well for someone with writer’s block! Please let me know what you think, I love getting all kinds of feedback! Big Love xo 

Ask | Masterlist | ‘Brushwork’ Spotify Playlist | Next Chapter | ‘Brushwork’ News

Chapter 17: ‘Yeah, You’re Right, You Should Probably Neck Yourself Now To Save Yourself The Humiliation’

I’d only moved about two feet to the right in my painting progress all fucking morning. It was 3 in the afternoon and we were on a late coffee/lunch break and Calum was trying his best to assure me that we were making good time and that we’d actually been super productive. But the paint on his neck and face and on my arms and nose said otherwise (there were a few minutes somewhere near 12 o’clock where we were tired and distracted and looking desperately for something to paint other than this damn wall and that stupid, faceless ballerina).

“Dallas, you need to just fucking chill, okay?” He said for what felt like – and I hoped it would be – the final time. He wasn’t really reassuring me anymore, in fact he looked almost frustrated as he rolled his eyes at me. I scowled at him over a milkshake that we were sharing. “We’re going to finish on time.”

“Fuck you.” I pouted. “Don’t swear at me.” Calum chuckled, eyes wild and fake-offended as he snatched the chocolate shake from my side of the table and sucking on the straw.

“Alright then, no more milkshake for you then.” He teased and I just offered a sidelong expression.

“Whatever.” I shot at him. “I didn’t ask for it to start with.”

“You literally paid for it.”

“… that’s not the point.”

“You’re a dick.”

And the conversation – if you could call it that – went on like that until we’d arrived back at the wall with a fresh shake that Calum paid for this time. It was strawberry and the pink colour looked like it belonged in a sex novel, the way Calum kept licking the residue off of his lips. I purposefully stopped looking at him after the third or fourth time because every time I watched him I would blush.

“What do you reckon?” I asked him through an almost defeated sigh. We stood about 6 feet away from the wall, side by side, and staring at our unfinished work. “How much longer do you think we need?” Calum hmmm’ed and ha’ed next to me for a moment, his face contorting to match his thoughts. To me it looked like this piece was never going to be finished. The dancer still had no face, her hair had no colour, the middle section was still predominantly only outlines – it was going to take a miracle for us to finish this on time.

“I think we can do it.” Calum said confidently. “If we both work on the background now we could be done in another couple of hours. The tutu detailing… is going to take another day or two, probably. But I can skip a couple lectures to get it done. I think.” He didn’t sound as convinced as I wanted him to be about this, but I took whatever I could get.

“Alright.” I looked at Calum and he offered me the milkshake. I was tempted to just take a sip as he held it to me, but I had this premonition of that ending in my choking on the straw and projectile vomiting all over the poor kid. I shuddered at the thought and just took the plastic cup like a normal person. “I’m going to kill myself by the end of this, but alright.” Calum rolled his eyes at me through a chuckle again.

“Such a flair for the dramatic.” He laughed. “Come on, I’ll do the bottom this time.” He started to head toward the wall and I shook my head as I followed behind.

“Uh, no.” I disagreed. “No, if I go up on the ladder I’ll die.”

“For fuck’s sake!” Calum practically wailed, his laugh musical and not at all offensive – though it probably should have been. “Is there anything in this world that won’t end in your untimely death?!” He looked at me over his shoulder and his brown eyes were swimming with tease but also bewilderment.

“No.” I deadpanned, face straight and completely serious. Calum eyes rolled one more time and I let myself smile just a little as he wandered over to his palette that he’d abandoned at the base of the wall, reapplying the paint with a little grin of his own.

I felt like I was in some sort of trance or a dream – this was all too surreal to be true. The most unbelievable fact was that Calum, by some miracle, wasn’t sick of me yet. This whole semester I had been waiting for him to realise how bat-shit crazy I was and head for the hills. But it hadn’t happened and I had the feeling that I was never going to get over that.

Around 20 minutes into the new painting session, a low whistle coming from right behind Calum and I pulled us out of our focus. Both of us spun around to see who was commenting on our unfinished piece of shit and to both of our surprise, it was my sister.

“Looking good, nerds.” She said with a relatively impressed grin, arms folded across her chest and her head tilted to the left as she continued to somewhat objectify our mural.

“How are we the nerds?” Calum said first. “Aren’t you in law school?” Belle replied with a wave of her hand and a cheeky smile that made Calum giggle and turn back to the wall.

“What’s up?” I took to asking, squinting a little bit in the afternoon light that was reflecting around the atrium.

As I gazed up at my sister – not for the first time in my life – I saw that she looked relatively dressed up. Black skinny jeans that weren’t ripped (actually, looking them, they were probably mine), tight fitting grey v-neck tee and her hair, as always, pulled back into its un-messy messy bun and large hoop earrings (that I was pretty sure she’d stolen from Polly eons ago) dangling from her ears. She’d done her makeup natural, but on point, and I could tell by the way that she’d stolen my good handbag and clung onto it for dear life, that she’d just been out.

“Where were you?” I cocked an eyebrow at my sister, curious. Part of the reason she rarely came to visit me at school was for the lack of things for her to do here. I wanted to know what she’d found to entertain her enough that she wanted to dress up for it.

“Oh,” She shrugged but offered a small, secret smile I think was only meant for herself. “I had lunch with Ashton.” I blinked back my surprise.

“Jesus.” I mumbled. “How did that go? Did you rip him a new one?” Belle rolled her eyes, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she shook her head at me.

“No.” She said pointedly. “We just… talked. Cleared the air.”

“I didn’t realise the air between you guys needed cleaning.” Calum commented – although I didn’t think he meant to on purpose because when I looked up at him on the ladder I could see a faint blush in his cheeks. But Belle shrugged anyway with a small, content sigh.

“It did, and now it is, and I think we’ll be okay now.” She said with a small nod and I smiled up at her gently.

“That’s awesome, B.” I told her.

“Yeah.” She said, and dare I say it, she was almost back to normal. “Yeah, we’re going to go out for dinner tomorrow night so it should be like old times.” She smiled pretty wide again and while my heart was bursting and I was happy that my sister was finally feeling better, I couldn’t help the hesitation and slight fear for her too.

“Oh.” I stammered a little under my breath trying to find my footing and the right words to say that wouldn’t offend anyone. “That’s, um. Yeah cool. Did you… I mean, did you tell Polly yet?” I could feel Calum looking down on me with that curious eye, wandering about my motives – and quite honestly, I was wandering about my motives too. All I knew was that Polly’s heart would break if she knew that my sister was going on a date with the boy she was borderline in love with, but also that Belle would never intentionally hurt Polly that way. I just wanted them both to be okay.

“Eh, it’s fine.” Belle waved her hand again, her demeanour stiffening a little bit but her tone jumping a couple of octaves. “She’s fine.”

“Fair enough…” I mumbled out. “Are you headed off now?” My sister nodded and she come over to kiss my cheek quickly before she turned on her heel and quickly sped off with my jeans and my handbag.

“That was weird.” Calum commented. I just nodded, staring after my sister with a small frown.

“Always is with her.” I muttered, turning back to my palette and brush.

 X

 I was starting to notice that Mali took longer to answer the phone than any normal human did. I wasn’t overly bothered by it – phone calls tended to give me extreme anxiety, so the longer I could put them off the better. But Calum’s sister was on some other wavelength where messaging or texting just wasn’t an option. I would text her to ask a really quick question and then all of a sudden, she was calling me 5 seconds later to answer and then I would hang up at 1 in the morning after talking about the role of push-up bras in the Twilight series for a couple hours. Seriously. That actually happened. It was weird.

I threw myself back onto the sofa, legs dangling off of the arm rest as I stared up at the ceiling, my heart kind of doing flip turns in my chest because Mali had just finished rattling off some of the things that Calum had said to her in the past 24 hours. That’s why she told me to call her – Calum had told her that he was super nervous about our date.

“Honestly, I feel like I should be more nervous than him.” I confessed. “I am more nervous than him.”

“You don’t know that.” She said very matter-of-factly. I could almost picture the dead-eyed look she would shoot me with if she was here.

“I do know that,” I fired back. “Because it’s true. I’m going to shit myself, I know it. I’m terrified.”

“What for?!” She yelled into the phone. “You told him yourself, there’s nothing to be scared about.”

“Actually,” I began my correction. “I told him there was nothing to be nervous about, I didn’t say anything about being scared. Secondly, I lied.”

“Thirdly, you’re an idiot.” Mali interjected and I could hear the frustration oozing from her voice the same way Calum’s did. “Seriously, don’t you ever get sick of being so… paranoid?”

“I’m not paranoid.” I pouted.

“Oh, whatever, you are so.” She chuckled. “DJ, if Calum didn’t like you already he wouldn’t have asked you out.” I sighed, eyes closed as I tried to let Mali’s pep talk work its magic.

“I know.” I said quietly. “I just… I really don’t want to fuck this up. I fuck up pretty much everything else in my life so it would be a nice break if this was the one thing I don’t ruin.”

“Don’t worry.” Mali was almost begging me now. “Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” I scoffed, but I didn’t interrupt. “I can honestly tell you that even though Calum is just as nervous as you, he really likes you and he’s excited. He really likes spending time with you.”

I couldn’t help the little smile on my lips when Mali said that. And I didn’t blush either, so I guess that was a big step for me.

“I know.” I ended up saying carefully. “He told me.”

“Well, there you go!” Mali said cheerfully. “He’s confident when he’s with you, and I haven’t seen him like this in a long time. You’re going to be okay.”

Weirdly enough, I felt better. I never expect to when I confide in my friends about my problems – which is dumb, I know, but it’s like every time I go in to these conversations completely expecting the other person to tell me, ‘yeah, you’re right, you should probably neck yourself now to save yourself the humiliation’ it feels just that little bit better when they don’t.

 I sat up with a jolt as I heard the front door being unlocked. It was Polly, obviously, and it made my heart race for a whole new reason because for some reason I felt like she was about to walk in on me doing something illegal or dirty. According to her version of the Friendship Agreement, talking to Mali about my boy problems probably was illegal and dirty. Did I have time to do anything about it, though? No. Because Polly had this amazing talent of barging into any room she ever entered.

“Hey, I brought – oh, sorry.” I watched with secret panic as Polly, in all of her beauty and grace, dumped a bunch of plastic bags from Riot! on the floor in front of the kitchen counter and a Pizza Hut box on top.

“I gotta go.” I said quickly into the phone, not waiting for Mali to say ‘goodbye’ before I hung up. I would call her back later to explain – or, at least, I would text her saying that I would call her back to explain and then not do it. I offered a tight-lipped and hopefully non-suspicious smile to Polly who just looked at me kind of awkwardly.

“Uh, hey.” I said as cheerfully as I could muster.

“Sup…” She drawled out slowly. “Who were you talking to?” For a split second, she narrowed her eyes at me as if she knew my dark secret – not that I’d been overly secretive about my ability to make a new friend that I actually liked or anything. But Polly’s dagger eyes didn’t last long anyway, so I just cleared my throat a little bit and decided that maybe this wouldn’t go disastrously wrong if I told Polly the truth.

“Oh, um.” I coughed one more time. “That was Mali.”

“That’s Calum’s sister, right?” Polly’s eyebrow rose gently and I just gave a small, slow nod.

“Yeah, um.” I gave a soft chuckle. “I wanted to, like. Talk to her. About Calum.” Polly just stared at me a little blankly for a moment or two, and it was a little frightening because I couldn’t for the life of me tell what she was thinking. Usually I could pick up on however Polly was feeling based on a single twitch of her nose but something was different this time. Her eyebrows furrowed together ever-so-slightly and the corners of her mouth turned down just a fraction, but it was like there was so much going on in her head that I couldn’t read her eyes anymore. I’d never felt this way about Polly before. It was off.

“You talk to her about Calum?” She asked, finally breaking the silence. I gulped, her quiet and hesitant reaction not exactly what I was expecting.

“Yeah.” I said again. “She and I… I dunno, it’s just…?” I frowned, because I was starting to feel like Polly was after a specific explanation but I couldn’t really figure out what that was or if I could even give that to her. Polly frowned too. I gulped again.

“I thought…” Polly gave a seemingly frustrated sigh as she cut her sentence short, walking into the kitchenette and switching on the kettle.

“What?” I asked, standing up from the couch and wandering around the other side, leaning against the back. Polly shook her head, taking another moment to exhale kind of loudly and shake her head while she chose her words.

“I just… I thought we were going to start telling each other stuff.” She finally spat out, not really looking at me and just focussing on making herself a coffee. “I thought…” She took another breath and there was a moment where I was actually scared I’d hurt her feelings.

“What?” I prompted her gently, not liking the way she kept speaking in half-sentences. The taller girl let out the breath she’d been keeping in and finally looked at me, her eyes less clouded this time – which slowed my heart rate significantly, thank God.

“I just don’t know why you keep not talking to me about your love life.” She said, and I was pretty sure I saw a tiny small twitch on her lips but something in my gut was telling me my brain was tricking me into seeing what I wanted to see. “I’ve been invested in this since day one, remember?”

I gave a tiny chuckle, scratching the back of my neck sheepishly but shrugging at the same time.

“I know, it’s just –!” I couldn’t stop the chuckling, and that was probably bad because this felt like a relatively serious conversation. “Mali has different intel than you! She’s his sister. And he tells her everything, so I just… I wanted to know stuff Calum wouldn’t have told you.”

Polly rolled her eyes but managed to force out a small laugh.

“You underestimate my relationship with Calum, you know?” She said and I smiled, rolling my eyes too as I crossed my arms over my chest. “How’s B?” She changed the subject and I blinked again, because I didn’t realise she knew that Belle had been here.

“Oh, yeah, she’s… Well, she’s B. She was a bit upset, but she was pretty good when she left this afternoon.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Dad’s anniversary is coming up and she just needed someone to talk to.”

“Fair enough.”

“She made peace with Ashton, too, which is good.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, they’re going to dinner tomorrow night.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Polly was being weirdly quiet and her sentences were tapering off again. It was weird, and the sudden tension in the room and… animosity rolling off of her shoulders towards me; well, needless to say, it was freaking me out a little bit.

“Pol?” I paused to let her decide if she was going to answer me.  

“Mm?” She hummed, and I could feel the wall she was putting up as she abandoned the coffee she was making and started gathering her things from her handbag.

“Does my sister going out with Ashton bother you?”  I asked carefully, watching as Polly froze, eyes glazing over. She looked like she was shutting down, and it scared me because she’d never done that before and I had no idea why she was doing it now.

“No.” She smiled at me, but it didn’t reach her eyes – in fact it was icy, the kind of smile that held sarcasm and annoyance behind it. “No, it’s um. It’s cool, I’m happy for them.”

“Are you sure?” I prodded, grimacing because this whole conversation felt the way as the one we had years ago before she punched me and broke my nose. “You just seem so… off?” Polly just shook her head.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She said quickly, like she was saying it just to shut me up and moved on. It stung. And I was annoyed and confused because she was icing me out, and while it had happened once or twice it was never like this and never lasted this long. “I’m gonna go see Ash. Don’t wait up.”

And with that, she left, hot pizza still on the counter and her shopping bags still all over the floor. I was left standing there feeling like an idiot.

[jennphotoblog-blog]

Less is More and Instagram Beauty

Hello all! In this post, I wanted to cover some observations I’ve made regarding beauty photography. There are many ways to shoot a specific look, but I thought why not share my thoughts on some reoccurring trends in the field.

LESS IS MORE

We all know the cliche “Less is More”, but nothing could be more true when it comes to beauty…at least, beauty photography. I often get asked from fellow photographers who are starting out shooting beauty (however, I still consider myself starting out as well!…fun fact: I have been shooting beauty for only a little over a year now so I still have lots to learn!) if there was one tip that I could share. My biggest tip would be to think in terms of Less is More. Take your concept and simplify it as much as possible. Oftentimes people assume that in order for an image to be considered beauty, it has to include a green lip and blue eyeshadow and huge false lashes and glitter and crazy hair and blush and and and…. *breathe*. Take ONE aspect and focus on that. If you want green eyes, then just do green eyes and keep the lips and skin clean. If you want to do a bold lip, keep the eyes nude with maybe a quick swipe of mascara or some natural-looking falsies. The nice thing about shooting neutral shades is that you are able to play around with both lips AND eyes without it looking too heavy. One benefit of keeping things simple is that it helps the viewer stay focused on one area of the face. Don’t overwhelm your viewer by highlighting too many areas within the frame…it becomes too chaotic.

 Some examples of too many things going on at once:

 Now, if you want to go crazy and do black lips or a bright eyeshadow, you do you girl. But remember that simple can be just as powerful- if not more - as going over the top.

 Here are some examples of bold looks executed in a clean and simple manner:

 (image by the talented Ben Hassett)

image

 (Image by Ruo Bing Li)

image

 (Image by Ben Hassett)

 These images obviously still pack a punch visually, but they have a very high-end, minimal feel.

 Again, go crazy! Have fun with colors and paint strokes and glitter! But remember to pace yourself and keep your audience interested in one focal point.

  INSTAGRAM BEAUTY VS. EDITORIAL BEAUTY

 Another trend I’ve noticed is the Instagram makeup artist (often times these are talented freelance makeup artists who practice on themselves) posting images of gorgeous eyeshadows and sharp eyebrows. While this look is very popular, I wanted to bring this up because there is a stark difference between this particular look vs. what is expected of an editorial beauty photographer. I have noticed more and more photographers and makeup artists approaching these types of looks and using them for beauty editorials. While this is definitely a subjective matter, I don’t see this becoming a trend in major publications or beauty campaigns. What do I mean by this?

 Example of Instagram Beauty

Clearly these are 2 completely different looks, but the execution and style is distinctly different. The modern trend of sharp eyebrows and heavy glam is not something that I predict will catch on in the editorial world. With that said, I find it best to keep the beauty looks for editorial creative and fun! Not something you would necessarily wear out and about. Editorial gives you the opportunity to play around and be messy! Don’t stick to the cookie-cutter eyebrows and thick lashes. Try starting natural and glowy and moving up to something edgy and crazy (while still keeping in mind Less is More). Keep the ultra-glam eyeshadows and lashes for the club or a night out on the town. One look that ALWAYS looks great when starting out shooting beauty is just a simple red lip and just a little mascara. No eyeliner or blush. This is a modern take on a classic look, and is flattering on pretty much any face.

“Fresh Finish”- Concept Development

This is my first post of my new BTS (behind the scenes) blog!! I hope that through this blog, myself and fellow photographers alike, will learn and grow through my experiments and..ahem..mistakes. In this blog, I will be sharing photos, lighting diagrams, concept building and random tidbits relating to shoots! Now, lets get on to the nitty gritty..

 For this first post, I want to focus on the concept building of a shoot. This isn’t the most exciting part for some…but for me it is almost like a high. When a concept is developing in my head, my excitement is comparable to the feeling a child gets on Christmas Eve. I love it!

 I recently shot a personal editorial that I titled “Fresh Finish”, focusing on 4 different skin finishes: matte, natural, glowy and wet. Usually when starting out with a concept, the idea develops from either an outside influence or image that inspires me. The funny thing about inspiration is that it can totally change direction once you get going with the brainstorming process. Inspiration can also come from literally anywhere, and this instance it came from photos on h&m’s home line:

See? I told you it could come from anywhere. Anyways, what intrigued me about these photos is the use of different elements to create a soft, tranquil backdrop for the bedding. I wanted to take this idea and apply it to beauty (my main focus of work), so I thought it would be neat to create a story matching skincare to a different backdrop: wet look on brushed metallic, matte on woodgrain, natural on crinkled paper and glowy on soft draped cotton.

 I passed the idea by my friend and one of my primary makeup artists Jadyn Ngo, who loved the idea! Next step was to research images for makeup/hair/model/vibe to create a moodboard. Many of you will know this, but if you are like me (who moved to LA without any clue what a moodboard was lol), a moodboard (or storyboard) creates a mood and showcases different looks to show the client/team when putting together a shoot. A moodboard helps develop the story more and guides the team into creating looks more accurately based on the overall theme. I usually find that Pinterest or beauty/fashion specific sites like fashiongonerogue.com or whowhatwear.com are great places to get inspiration photos. I also like collecting clippings from magazines like Harpers Bazaar and Elle for makeup ideas.

 Here is the moodboard that I put together for this particular shoot-

Usually my moodboards will be a bit jumbled and chaotic, but with this shoot I felt it was important to separate it by looks so that on the day of the shoot I wouldn’t suddenly have a brain fart and forget which look goes with which backdrop. As you can see, the images aren’t just for the makeup and hair stylist, it is also a good preview for the types of angles/poses I’d like to go for. I also like to add in brief descriptions of each look to pass along to the agencies when I’m reaching out about testing with them. Agents get TONS of emails, so I want to make sure I stand out from the rest by creating a story that is not only well thought out and unique, but also beneficial to the model and the agency. When I moved to L.A., I had the aspiration to continue shooting conceptual work that I was used to shooting in Arkansas (conceptual in this case meaning extremely outlandish and creative, oftentimes pulling from surrealism or theme specific ideas). I quickly learned through one rejection after another that not only was conceptual work not wanted in the model’s portfolio, it was actually almost impossible to book any work because no one wanted it. I had to readjust and refocus my sights on something that would allow me to get work in L.A….and here we are! Anyways, a moodboard is crucial to a successful shoot. I think I have shot maybe 3 shoots since moving here without a moodboard, and each have been a little confusing when it comes to describing looks and mood.

 After creating a moodboard and sending it out to various agencies, an agency will either say yes and send me a “package” of models who are available and testing, or will politely say that they are not interested in the concept not send a package. When a rejection does happen, it is hard and painful, but don’t give up! Keep pushing on, think of reasons why the concept may be a bit too specific for the agency, and try again.

 From there, a model is selected based on the look I’m going for, a date and time for the shoot is made and a callsheet is sent out with all of the info for the shoot. Here is what my callsheet looks like:

 From there, I get confirmations from everyone on the team and then we are good to shoot come the shoot date!

 Preparation for this particular shoot was crucial, as I had to purchase the specific materials for each look (which again were metal, wood, cotton and paper). I began at Home Depot and picked up a large piece of brushed sheet metal and a large piece of wood that had some beautiful grain. I bought the fabric at the craft store, as well as a large roll of craft paper. When I got home, I realized I wanted the fabric and paper to be a beige rather than stark white, so I tea stained the materials to the desired color. After soaking the paper in the tea, I laid it in a wrinkled pattern on a drying rack, which created some awesome texture. In the end, the metal didn’t really work out so much because the light reflected way too much in it, despite changing the location of the light. So in the images, the backdrop looks a bit flat in the wet looks, but thats okay! I am taking it as a learning experience and will keep practicing with different methods of shooting on metal. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to share!

 Here is the finished product. I wanted to put the images in a layout similar to what you would see in a major magazine, so I created a titlepage and little captions for each look (thanks to Jadyn for the help!). I am super pleased with how all of this turned out, and I can’t wait to share more concept processes with you!

 I hope some of this was of some use to those of you curious about what I do, or are pursuing photography yourself! Thanks for reading :)

   “Fresh Finish”

 Model: Emily Tender @ Nous Models

 Makeup/hair: Jadyn Ngo (jadynngo.com)

 Photography: Jenn Collins (jenn-collins.com)

  BONUS PHOTO

 Jadyn and model Emily preparing a look, while Bandit looks on adoringly. :)

[blahblahblippyblah]

Solangelo: First Day of Camp

This is my first Tumblr post, and it’s the first part of a little series I’ve been writing about the adventures of Nico and Will after Blood of Olympus and into Trails of Apollo. The first chapter is mostly fluff with almost everyone in the Heros of Olympus series. I promise lots of Solangelo to come.

Yes I know about the spelling mistakes. I wrote this on my phone since I’m currently doing field work, and my laptop doesn’t have Internet.

Warning contains fluff of Percabeth, Jasper and Frazel.

First Day of Camp

Nico walked into his cabin and slid down the closed door. He titled is head back and smirked. Today had been the one of the best days of his demigod life.

It was his first day out of the infirmary. He has spent several days there under the watchful eye of Will Solace while he recouped from using too much underworld magic. He had almost faded into the shadows permanently. That morning Will gave him one last check and said he was good to go, and not to push the shadow traveling. “That means staying at camp for awhiel” Will smiled with a smug face. Nico attempted to smile back at Will. He hadn’t smiled in so long it felt unatural. The healing son of Apollo had been so nice to him the past 3 days.When Nico ate lunch or dinner Will would pull up a chair beside Nico’s bed and talk to him about pretty much everything. He wanted to try and show him he appreciated everything he had done.

His smile must have been pretty awkward looking, because it made the smug look fade off of Wills face and turned to pure amusement. Crinkles appeared around his blue eyes. His skin was tan, it made him look like he was glowing. He had lots of freckles across his nose.The bright blonde hair didn’t help with the glowing. Maybe all children of Apollo glowed. Nico caught himself staring and lowered his head. Will was very good looking, and sweet, and kind, and funny, and kinda annoying. Kinda like apollo now that Nico thought about it.

Stop thinking like that he thought to himself. Will was way out of his league.

“Thanks for everything Will” Nico said.

“No problem. It’s what I’m good at. Healing demigods. I guess my siblings got the lame gifts from my dad” he joked. Nico did his awkward smile again, “I’ll see you around”

“I’ll see you at the campfire tonight. Promise to save me a seat?”

“Sure. I’m not much for the campfire though. I don’t sing.”

“Don’t worry about that I’ll sing enough for both of us”. He gave a dazzling smile. Nico felt himself flush a little. “Anyway, see you” Nico said as he jumped off the bed, and hurriedly grabbed his sweater leaving the limfimary.

When he got outside he could see that the sun was almost all the way up. Campers were already beginning to head down to the dinning Pavillion. Nico followed suit.

For breakfast he had some eggs over easy, toast, chocolate milk, and some orange slices. Pretty much his perfect breakfast after McMuffins. He scanned the dinning Pavillion and then went to sit at the Hades table. When he sat down and was about to dip his toast in his eggs Jason came and sat across from him with Piper.

Nico smiled again. He liked Jason. The guy was pretty much the only friend he had at camp. Wow he was now up to 1 really close friends. He was gonna have to pace himself as to not get too popular. He smiled at his own joke. “Sword practice with me and Percy after lunch? If the big three cabins team up could be alot of fun.” Jason offered sounding excited.

“Sounds great. I’d really love to get back into practice” Nico said.

“Then if you want Nico the Aphrodite cabin is helping rebuild some cabins do you want to help?” Piper asked.

“Ya, sure I guess.” Nico didn’t know how he could help. He wasn’t that great of a decorator, especially compared to the aphrodite kids. Nor was he as good at architecture as the Athens kids.

Piper smiled. Nico felt himself smiling again this time he didn’t need to force it, it just happened.

Piper then went on telling Nico and Jason about her plans for making the new minor god cabins Jason had promised to build feel more homey.

After breakfast Nico followed Jason to the sword arena. Percy must have been there already there his bag was laying on the bench. They looked around and couldn’t see him. Mrs O'Leary was in her corner eating a large bowl of food. She looked up as they walked in and wagged her tail excitedly. Nico walked over and scratched her ear as she went back to devouring a truck load of kibble. “Huh, I wonder where Percy is? He can’t be far” Jason thought out loud.

Jason went to open the equipment storage room to grab some new dummies and quickly shut it again.

“What?” Nico asked.

He walked forward and opened the storage room door before Jason could stop him. Percy and an Annabeth where leaning against a hanging punching bag very much entangled. They where trying to hope away from each other but with no luck. Percy’s feet were tangled in a celestial bronze net that had fallen on the floor. Annabeth tried to push him off but all of Percy’s weight was against her. Eventually she managed to push him down sideways and quickly brushed her hair with her finger to fix it so it didn’t look so messy. She lowered her head and made a small cough. She quickly got out of the areana without even in ‘Hey, sup?’. Percy looked up from the floor at Nico and Jason. His face was really red but he smirked proudly. He stumbled up and kicked off the net.

“So it would be great if you didn’t tell Chiron about that”

Nico nodded with a smirk.

“Fine I won’t tell Chiron, but I kinda have to tell Piper. She’ll just love that” Jason chortled. “Whatever there Mr.Perfect. Maybe it would do you some good to break the rules once and awhile. I’m sure Piper would appreciate that.” Percy tried to chirp with a half irritated half amused voice.

“What happens between Piper and I is between Piper and I…. and probably her mom” he said.

He didn’t seem very thrilled about that last part. One if the downside of dating a daughter of the love God. “Annabeth tells Piper everything so she probably already knows” Percy said.

“Let’s save Percy some dignity and get to practicing.” Nick said with a smirk as well.

Sword practice left Nico feeling sore and extremely sweaty. On the bright side he had managed to beat the snot out of Percy after losing embarrassingly to Jason the first round. Percy seemed pretty tired. Nico wondered if it had anything to do with sneaking around early in the morning to snog Annabeth.

At lunch Nico sat with Frank and Hazel. The twelfth legion was leaving after lunch to head back to New Rome. Hazel and Frank were so cute with each other. Frank held her hand under the table hoping that Nico wouldn’t notice. When Nico turned around he noticed out of the corner of his eye that Frank would sneak kisses on her tempel. He was so happy Hazel had found the big gallout. He may look like a buff war commander, but he was rally just a giant cuddly teddy bear with her. It made him feel better about staying at Camp Half Blood. Frank would keep her safe. Not that she needed Frank. She was perfectly capable of cutting down anyone who angered her. But it was his sister and you just never get over the feeling of wanting to protect your siblings.

Nico patted Frank on the back and kissed Hazel on the cheeks and said his goodbyes. “Hopefully I’ll see you sooner than you think. I’ll stop by new Rome whenever I can shadow travel again.”

Nico then headed towards the cabins. There the Athena kids had set up a bunch of tables that had building instructions and plans laid out. Annabeth was talking the Piper about the plans. She pretended the closet incident hadn’t happened. But Piper gave Nico a smile and rolled her eyes.

“So Nico we were wondering if you wanted to help the Hermes kids rebuild the celeing on the Zeus cabin.maybe you can scare them into being prodictive” Nico nodded.

“I can do scary”

The Hermes kids were the most unorganized bunch of half bloods Nico has ever had to work with. Only a third of the cabin did any work at a time. Most of the time they were trying to prank each other by sneaking fake spider down backs, flinging paint at each other, and trying to steal things from unsuspecting passers-bys.

“I have a better idea. How about we make other peopel do the hard work” Nico said to Annabeth.

Connor Stool came over and said “Anything to make this go quicker. I don’t think I can keep getting paint thrown I my mouth”

Nico concentrated. He felt to see what was far below him. Hmmm some bones of a squirrel, farther down something that felt like a drakon, then BINGO. He raised about 8 ghostly skeletons. Where they came from he didn’t know. Sometimes he felt as if skeletons just showed up whenever he was looking for them.

“Do whatever Annabeth here says to fix the cabin” he ordered. He looked over at Annabeth.

“There all yours” Anabel smiled as if she was impressed. The aphrodite kids a d some of the Hermes kids looks scared yet interested. Annabeth started giving out orders.

Nico sat down against a tree and watched as his skeletons took over the build. Summoning those skeletons had made him very tired. Probably a repercussion from overusing his powers. His head swam slightly. Piper passed him down some water.

After the build was complete the skeletons crumbled back into the earth. One left a giant blue patch in the ground when he melted from the bucket of paint that the Julia Fiengold had ‘accidently’ dropped on it.

At dinner Nico grabbed a burger and some fries. He dropped half his fries in the fire saying a quick prayer to his dad. As he was walking back to his table a bunch of campers waved at him, and said hey. One guy from the Hepheastus cabin even fist bumped him. Nico felt awkward and uncomfortable again. He wasn’t use to people being so nice to him. Maybe coming back from a super dangerous quest made you instantly popular?

He ate quickly and then went back to his cabin. He quickly changed and showered. Then threw on a black wool sweater. The sun was setting and it was getting cold. He headed down to the campfire. A few people were already there. Nico looked around for Will but saw no blonde hair among the group. Then he quckly looked down at his feet. What was he doing getting all excited to see Will. He was being stupid. Jason and Piper came up behind him. Jason sat beside him and Piper sat down in the grass. She laid her head against Jason’s knee.

She started humming a song Nico didn’t know. It was kinda catchy yet sickening (like all campfire songs). Once she stared humming most of campers stopped taking and started listening. Although she didn’t mean it her charm speak often wove into her singing making everyone want to stop and listen. Jason stared playing with a piece of her hair.

“We don’t even have to try, it’s always a good time” Jason chimed in out of tune. Piper smiled widely. The sun had gone down and her face shone beautifully in the fire light. Jason leaned down the kissed the top of her head and she began to sing too. “Whoa-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, whoa- oh-oh” Soon others had joined in. An Apollo kids pulled out an acoustic guitar. How cliché Nico thought as he moved his head to the rythm. Never on beat tho.

Soon they were singing clasic campfire songs. The ones that were super annoying yet really fun to sing.

About two songs in Will Solace sneaked up behind Nico and plopped down beside him. There wasn’t much room and he ended up knocking some Ares kids backwards off the bench. The Ares kid looked pretty mad, but then they decided to get revenge later and went and sat with some pretty Aphrodite girl. Butterflies stated flapping in Nico’s stomach once Will sat down he was squished in so he was touching Nico. Nico was having trouble calming those stupid butterflies.

“You said you would save me a seat” Will teased.

“ I did. But I wasn’t going to tell that big Ares kid to go somewhere else”

“I’m just poking fun at you. No big deal. So has anyone started Bohemian Rhapsody yet?” he asked.

Nico didn’t know what that meant. “UMmm I don’t think so yet”

“Great” he smiled “It’s the only song I’m any good at. Don’t have the natural music talent like my brother”. He pointed to the guy with he guitar.

Will was right he wasnt a good singer. But he sang so enthusiastically it didn’t matter.

At one point during a song called 500 miles Will placed his arm around Nico’s shoulders. Not on top of his shoulder like Jason would do to annoy Nico. No w Will’s arm was around his shoulders. His hand was lightly holding his arm on the other side. Nico stiffened. He didn’t like being touched. Will kept holding him. At the corus everyone started bouncing up and down in their seats. Will took this time to pull Nico a little closer while everyone one was per occupied. The buttefflies that had begun since Will sat down started doing backflips. Nico tried to relax and let Will pull him a little closer. He looked over at Will. He was practically shouting the corus like everyone else.

“ DA DA DAH!” one side would shout. “DA DA DAH” the other side would shout back.

Will noticed Nico looking at him form the corner of his eye. He gave a small side smile at Nico. Nico turned red and tried to join in the shouting that was passing off as singing. He was slightly behind so that he would be still going for half a second after everyone else. Jason had been watching the whole exchange. He winked at Nico. Nico threw him a face.

As the night drew in Nico got very tired. It had been a very long day. Sword fighting and summoning the dead took alot out of a person. His head nodded slightly as he fought to keep his eyes open.

Eventually during the song We Are Never Getting Back Together he noded off so strong his head rested on Wills shoulder. Once the song was over he snapped out of it and jumped up.

Will shook him slightly. Smiling like an idiot. His face was glowing in the camp fire light. “Can I walk you to your cabin before you fall asleep right in the middle of the sing along?”

Nico nodded, and got up with Will. They walked beside each other towards the cabins. It was pitch black away from the campfire. Nico had no problem, but he noticed Will kept tripping slightly when the ground went uneven. His hands had retreated to his Hoodie pocket. They seemed to be clenching and twistung in one another. Once they got to the Hades cabin Nico went to say thanks and goodnight, but Will spoke first.

“UMmm hey Nico. I was wondering…… UMmm I mean if you not busy… Or maybe not interested. ….. But I was hoping….. UMmm mm. I’m kinda stupid at this…. UMmm. would you like to spend the day with me with me tonorrow its the day off… And UMmm. I kinda wanted to spend it with you…. I mean if u want…. UMmm if your interested that is?”

Nico paused for a moment. The butterflies in his stomach had migrated to his throat making it hard to talk.

He managed a weak “ya…..Id love to.”

Will smiled then quickly turned and practically ran back to the campfire. Nico walked into his cabin and slid down the closed door. He titled is head back and smirked. Today had been the one of the best days of his demigod life.

It took him a little while to come to his senses and head to his bed . Maybe camp wouldn’t be so bad after all.

[artificialqueens]

This could happen 3/3 (Trixya) - Toki

AN: Here it is. All the smut, angst, fluff and graphic scat play you were waiting for, with an extra smut epilogue for anyone who hates me for all the edging. Thanks for reading my fiction guys, here’s part 1 and part 2 if you missed them, enjoy! xxxxxxx

Trixie slammed the door of her Uber a little too hard as she got out. With a wave and a quick apologetic smile, she shouldered her bag and turned towards the house she’d just pulled up to. She’d better be sure about this.

Sent: I’m here.

Cell reception wasn’t great, so Trixie found the doorbell and pushed it a few times. The house was a huge stucco thing propped up by arches and palm fronds. God knows how much it cost. The driveway was edged with weird sculptures made out of secondhand car parts. A voluptuous statue of a naked woman with a tiger head made out of chrome sprawled against the wall by the front door. Classy. Pounding music flooded out as the door was suddenly wrenched open by Katya, lit cigarette in mouth and already dragged up and stripped to the waist, sporting a few bold pink handprints on her chest. She looked tanned and strong, pausing for just a second to strike a pose against the doorway with a foot tucked up below her, cigarette now between her fingers as she tossed Trixie a trademark Vogue stare, her hand carelessly on top of her head. “She arrives.” She replaced her cigarette. “She’s late.” She dropped the foot and reached for Trixie’s hand, tugging her inside. “She’s gonna love what we’re doing today.” Trixie let her friend lead her into the vaulting interior hall of the house, glancing at the predictably gauche decorations of slashed canvases and repurposed bike tyres with distaste. Katya ignored her, chatting happily about their plans for the day. “He’s a guy called Tiger Timmons. I met him on a plane when I went to Boston a few weeks back. He’s an art photographer and he really liked what we did with our other shoot with Aaron and I was thinking,” she paused, glancing back with a hopeful smile, “time for Palm Springs Part 2.” Trixie let out a sharp laugh as the photoshoot flooded back into her head. They’d tucked, taped, Trixie with both hands over her junk anyway and Katya giddy and sprightly and playful to every dumb extreme. How she’d squirmed on Trixie’s lap and pulled herself close against Trixie’s muscular chest and pricked her with her scruffball half-grown beard while she tried as hard as possible to push her pointed tongue into her friend’s mouth. It had been so stupid and hilarious. Now the thought of Katya’s dick near her, tucked or not, chair between them or anything or nothing or- “Trixie?” “Yeah. Palm Springs Part 2. Right.” “Like I was thinking we could do a sort of..” Katya struck a pose again. “Something like a Painted Ladies thing. A grotesque exposure of our naked selves trapped in the thick, slimy juice of the twisting psychosocial riddles of drag.” She always rattled on like this. “A portmanteau of our fragility and sensuality in the midst of the fakeness of our craft. It’d be so funny. It’d be SO funny.” “Okay, so what? What are you thinking?” The pair emerged into what was obviously the studio of the house. A large white room flooded with light from the wide windows lining two of the walls, huge endless landscape paper roll, stools already set up under powered lights. A table by the side covered in props, including a small pile of pigments and powders. By the lights stood a shortish man with a long black beard and a baseball cap. He glanced up from adjusting a tripod as Trixie and Katya entered, wiping his hands on his black leather pants as he straightened up. “Hey! I’m Tiger.” “Trix. Nice house.” “Thanks. It belonged to my parents, I just inherited it. I just filled it with my crap.” Tiger gestured at the props table. “You can get ready over there, just clear some space. I’ll be with you in a sec.” Despite the terrible furnishings, Trixie found herself liking him. He had a touch of honesty that hinted at some buried social anxiety, something she could immediately sniff out and relate to. She headed for the prop table, pulling up a stool and trying to ignore a plastic pighead as she made a clearing. As she pulled out her usual makeup bases and started to lather her face with primer, she listened to Katya and Tiger chatting about their plans. “So I want it to be like a serious photoshoot. But it’s not.” “Right. So high contrast, black and white?” “No, we did black and white before. I was thinking like, something colourful but tasteful. Like a 1995 Anne Sullivan Vogue spread. Like a Home and Country exposé on drag queens in your garden. Like the promo shoot for a some kid who just ran away from a broken home to release a pop album.” Trixie laughed as she brushed cream contour onto her cheeks. Katya continued, encouraged. “I want it to be like you just got Miss Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel herself into the studio for the first time after they split up and you sat them both down and you offered them the keys to an orange juice plantation farm and you told them they could have the perfect country life like two yokels from Brokeback Mountain if only they’ll let you get one photo of them making out.” Tiger didn’t even blink as he adjusted his aperture settings. “Got it.” Katya glanced over at her friend, who was already lining her eyelids in white. “Trixie, don’t get too perfect. It’s gonna get messy mama. And you hate when I smudge your makeup, but I’m gonna smudge your makeup, and you’re gonna need to be prepared for that mama.” Trixie compared the symmetry of her carved out sockets. “Oh don’t worry, I’m only doing it quick. I’ll be ready in ten. This is my got out of bed drunk, but the bed was onstage at a club, but everyone’s blind so it doesn’t matter look.” It sounded like Katya was planning a makeup makeout. Was she trying some kind of stomp down the boundaries thing? Was it that now she knew Trixie wanted her, she was making sure she was playing on Trixie’s home turf, in drag? The one place Trixie held as a stronghold of excuses for rejection? It was super possible. Katya overthought absolutely everything, found meaning and symbolism in obscure little places. It didn’t really matter. If this was some transient attraction, a point on a spectrum that threatened to slip off the apex and drop dead in two weeks, at least for now Trixie knew she was going to finally get to kiss Katya with a mouth full of want, need, desperation. They’d kissed a few times before, on and offscreen. Katya had insisted on a kiss after a show once, and on a long slow session just short of making out when Trixie was drunk and they were tangled up on the sofabed at her Boston apartment. Trixie thought about the harsh brush of her beard again. The smoke from her teasing lips. How they’d been so completely kissable and soft right until she’d remembered she was kissing her comedy partner idiot friend, pulling away rapidly with a feigned yawn and a quick ‘goodnight’ to cut the moment short. But Katya was right. Things had changed. Now she was hurrying, trying to get the glue of her eyelashes to stick to her hastily applied makeup. She blinked a few times, cursing the left clump as it fell onto her cheek. Katya was across the room, chirping along at Tiger. God, hurry up. Her lips were already anticipating Katya’s. There had been so much leading up to this. So much waiting. So many of Katya’s casual propositions that now felt appealing. So many moments to think about. A whole three years of backdated Trixya to repurpose for their romantic history. Trixie is rewriting her past. “Ready!” She stood up, both eyelashes affixed. Katya spun round to follow her. “Let’s get you dressed, mama.” Trixie gestured at her bag. “I bought some pink dresses, but I don’t wanna get them dirty.” “Oh girl, that’s fine.” Katya reached out and tugged Trixie’s t-shirt up with both hands. “Let’s get this off.” Trixie complied, arms up. She felt the cool sting of the air hitting her chest. A tiny moment of pride flowered inside her as Katya’s eyes flickered over her muscles, now quite a lot more defined and tanned than the last time she’d seen them. “Mama,” Katya glanced up to meet her eyes, voice a little low. “You look so good.” She’d said this stuff so much before, and Trixie had brushed it off with a quick thanks a thousand times. But now Katya’s approval crashed into her and left her feeling so completely wanted. She watched as the blonde lifted a hand to run her fingertips in a straight line down from her collarbone, over her chest, down towards the smooth lines of her abs. She needed to keep things moving, every touch threatening to overwhelm her better judgement and find her pinning Katya to the wall, pushing her tongue down her throat. Keep it going. “So now what?” Katya dropped her shirt on the floor. “Now whatever you like. It’s about our colours. Our feathers.” She dipped the fingertips so recently pushed against Trixie’s bare skin into a pot of yellow pigment nearby, bringing them together and trailing a squiggly line from Trixie’s nipple to her belly button. “You look good in yellow. Maybe white, too.” Trixie glanced around and quickly found a cup of white powder. She presented it to Katya, who took a palmful and blew it over her abs. It looked pretty good, actually. Sasha Velour would’ve approved. “Oh! Royal blue! Yves Klein realness mama.” Trixie found herself hastily sprinkled with a few flicks of the intense blue pigment, and Katya nodding with professional approval. “Wig?” “Fully wigged. I wanna see you wigging out mama.” Trixie quickly unpacked one of her coiffed blonde curly updos and pinned it to her scalp band with an expert hand, eyes on Katya as the skinny blonde adjusted her own standard cropped blonde wig. “Ready, ladies?” “Ready!” The barechested pair walked to the centre of the room, and Trixie suddenly felt very much at home. She was under the lights with her comedy partner, World of Wonder style, the shirtlessness unusual but everything else slotting into place. She absentmindedly reached out to brush a spare glob of eyelash glue from Katya’s cheek, tutting in an almost motherly way. Tiger was playing with the lighting settings, a fan in the corner was droning lightly, and apart from the lack of a Red Bull in her hand this could absolutely be another regular day of filming UNHhhh. Except Katya was being uncharacteristically quiet, and when Trixie glanced over to check why she found her friend staring very intently at her, zero trace of her usual humour or wit in her eyes. She was sporting a very small smile, but zero mirth. She did that sometimes. Stared a fan down, right before breaking into an enormous grin. But not quite like this. “Why are you looking at me like that?” This better not be how it is from now on. Give Katya an inch of power and she’ll take it all. Katya didn’t respond to the question. She did however give Tiger a nod. “We ready, papi?” The photographer turned his baseball cap around on his head and leaned in to the viewfinder of his camera, finger on the trigger. “Whenever you’re ready, ladies.” “So for our shoot Trixie,” Katya’s eyes were trained dead centre into Trixie’s. “I want you to do whatever you wanted to do to me this morning.” “No way. Not on camera.” This is nuts. “Career suicide. Once we un-unrequite the whole Trixya thing the fans’ll lose interest. We talked about this.” Katya grinned. “We’ll say it’s art, mama. And you have to tweet about it and say I made you do it.” “It’ll never work.” “Can you imagine how insane they’ll go? We’ll never have to advertise anything ever again.” And now she was leaning a little closer, and Trixie took a second to relish the last straws of power that she could clutch at. “Katya, I think this is a bad idea.” “Okay. Then we’ll do it anyway, and maybe never release the photos, and we’ll make ourselves a coffee book to jerk off to when we’re old. It’s fun. It’s art. Now mama.” Her voice was nothing but a growl. “Can I have a small kiss?” The last string of restraint snapped. Trixie reached out and wrapped both hands around the back of Katya’s head, pulling her in as she heard the shutter begin to click away. Their lips crashed together, crushing each other hard with the release of three years of sexual tension that’d grown inch by inch over every moment of their careers together. For once she didn’t care about her pink lipstick, she didn’t care about Katya’s red, she wanted their colours muddied and slippery and smeared all over their faces while her lips searched for the real texture of Katya’s below all that paint. Katya pulled back just a fraction and then uttered a tiny groan as Trixie pulled her in for a second kiss, one eyelash bending up over her brow, the other already hanging onto her cheek. The shutter was insistent but quickly drowning away under their breathing as they for once really truly started just full on making out. It felt so good, she was so soft and responsive, lips so fucking kissable. Trixie couldn’t help but slide her tongue into her mouth to find Katya’s, heart pounding as they pulled each other closer. The pace was heavy and slow and strong, her favourite. She was already getting hard. Katya lifted a hand to her face, thumb pushing up against her cheekbone, fingers curled under her jaw to pull her in. Trixie could feel her makeup smudging halfway down to her chin, wondered if her wig was starting to slide off, but really knew nothing except for the feeling of a knot of excitement unraveling in her stomach as she felt Katya slip her other hand down to the small of her back. She felt the hard tug of Katya’s insistent fingers, she felt the electric skin contact as their bare chests grazed against each other, the gritty powder smudging into a rainbow of colours. She felt the explosive charge run up and down her entire body a few seconds later when their dicks began to touch, to rub together through their pants, moaning up against Katya’s mouth as she felt how hard they’d both become. “Fuck,” Katya whispered against her lips. “Oh my god.” Trixie breathed in, hard. She broke away from Katya’s mouth for just a second to glance behind her, gauge how far the wall was. She wanted to pin Katya down. Take fistfuls of that golden skin and cram them into her mouth. Kiss every part of her. Suck her neck into a mess of bruises. Sink fingernails into her ass. Swallow her whole. Katya had already dropped her lips to Trixie’s neck, dragging her teeth through the makeup applied there. She began to suck at Trixie’s skin forcefully, but quickly grew impatient and slid her tongue out to lick a hard line up the side of Trixie’s jaw while she dragged a hand up the back of her head through her short hair. She grabbed her earlobe between her teeth and began to suck, hard. My fucking knees, thought Trixie. I’m gonna fall over. My fucking.. fuck. Trixie slid her hands down Katya’s back and grabbed an ass cheek in each hand, squeezing hard, pulling Katya in closer with her strong arms until their dicks were grinding together, painfully swollen. Katya responded by groaning into her ear in a way that made her legs want to buckle. She lowered her head to kiss Trixie’s neck again, trailing downwards in a ragged line to her collarbones, to her chest, to her stomach. She dropped to her knees and snaked a hand around to grab Trixie’s ass, bringing the other upwards to trace her erection with urgent fingers. She began to tug at the front of her jeans, yanking them open and unzipping her fly with a smooth movement, reaching straight in and grabbing a fistful of Trixie’s hard dick through her underwear, tugging it towards her open mouth. “Uhh, guys?” The moment broke open as Tiger cleared his throat. “You uh.. you want me to continue?” Trixie slammed both hands onto Katya’s head to stop her from turning to face him. “Yes. Don’t stop. Oh my god.” She had no idea who she was talking to. Katya was aggressively sliding her tongue up and down the entire length of her erection through the material of her underwear. She knew exactly who she was talking to. Trixie glanced down as Katya glanced up. Their eyes met, wordless intent passing between them instantly. “Tiger,” Katya said quietly, not breaking eyecontact, “I’m gonna need you to fuck off.” In the corner of her vision Trixie saw the photographer shift his weight uneasily. “Thing is my neighbours can see in here, they’re out there right now, and it kind of looks like I’m shooting porn, and they’re my family friends..” “Don’t you have curtains?” Trixie knew he didn’t, but she was desperate. Katya had hooked her fingertips into the hem of her underwear and was teasing them down, the material full of promises against her skin. “No, they’re getting fitted next month. So we kind of can’t really do this.” “Can they definitely see in?” She was buying time, silently begging for more as Katya tugged her underwear lower and lower. The blonde queen leaned in and began to lick a line from the base of her newly exposed dick down onto the shaft. Trixie’s heart was going to stop beating. Her entire body was a fucking arrow pointing straight towards Katya’s mouth. Tiger lifted a hand to shield his eyes from the mid afternoon sun. “I think so. I can see them. You better stop.” Katya slid a hand fully around Trixie’s erection and began to tug it free. “Think of something, Tiger.” At last, she freed Trixie’s dick from her underwear and quickly brought the tip against her tongue. As Trixie moaned she slid her straight into her mouth, hand on her ass to pull her against her face. She was sucking hard before she could even get halfway down the shaft. Trixie bucked her head back, her wig giving up and flying off completely. “Guys, please.” Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck your neighbours! Fuck them! Fuck me! Fuck me! Over the roar of her mind Trixie pulled herself away from Katya, right out of that mouth that felt so good. Katya glanced up at her, both hands wrapped hard around her dick. “What do you want, Trixie?” You. Now. Trixie pulled away completely as Katya’s hands fell, tucking her erection into the waistband of her pants as she tugged them back up. Katya rubbed her mouth against the back of her hand and rose to her feet. Her makeup was a complete melted clown mess, eyes icy blue through two hard punches of black makeup. Trixie glanced down at her pants, her heart shuddering at how incredibly visible her erection was through her shorts. Katya’s arms hung by her sides, eyes trained on Trixie’s face. The shutter began to click again, somewhere far away. “Katya,” Trixie reached for her skinny wrists. She pulled her close, hands finding her hips. “You. I want you. But not here.” Like the sun coming out, Katya threw her arms around Trixie’s neck and leaned in to kiss her hard. She was so genuine. So lighthearted and fun. Pure soul living right in the present, every single second. “Barbara,” she whispered against her lips, “I fucking promise.” “Promise what?” “I’m gonna eat every inch of your ass.” Trixie laughed, careful not to break their kiss. “I’m gonna swallow your entire dick.” “I’m gonna fuck you to death.” “I’m gonna let you.” Katya let out a peal of laughter, startling Trixie. She pulled her in for the tightest hug before planting one final kiss on her lips. “That was fun. I have to go.” She pulled herself away and turned towards the prop table, reaching into her pants to retrieve her phone. “Fuck, it’s six. I need to meet someone for something.” She tugged a pack of facewipes out of her bag and grabbed a handful before tossing the rest to Trixie, scrubbing her makeup off quickly with both hands. How did an hour pass already? Trixie took a couple of wipes, not daring to peek at the mirror mounted on the table. She began to clean her face off in neat, efficient strokes. When she reached her mouth she winced slightly, reaching up to gently touch the swelling of her lips, purple and bruising from the fierceness of Katya’s kisses. “Don’t worry mama.” She turned at the sound of Katya’s voice to find the blonde queen tugging a shirt over her head, pulling her black baseball cap on and shouldering her bag. “It’s still us. Nothing’s changed.” Katya, I can’t believe I’m fighting every inch of myself not to tell you straight up that I could spend every second of my day with you and it wouldn’t be enough. I want you like I’ve never wanted anything and I know I won’t feel better for a very long time because you’re so distant even when you’re in my arms with your tongue down my throat and nothing ever seems to happen fully because that’s the way our lives are, and this universe and the way that everything is means we will never be even one percent of what I need us to be for this to turn out okay. And this is all what I thought I’d feel if I let anything happen and this is why I promised myself I never would and I still don’t know why I broke that promise but I’m going to keep breaking it because you’re standing there and looking at me with those eyes and I really don’t know what’s happening to me but you’re rewiring me and you don’t even know it. “Something’s changed.” Katya flashed her a grin. “See you at the venue.”

Sent: Where are you? (seen)

Sent: I’m in the dressing room (seen)

Sent: I just got done on stage (seen)

Sent: You’re on after me right? (seen)

Sent: Katya? (seen)

Katya is typing

From: Katya Hey it’s me

From: Katya Violet

From: Katya Katya left her phone w me

From: Katya She was on before u tho

From: Katya She had to go on early cause of the mixup with the bags

From: Katya I’m at vip if you want a drink

Sent: No thanks. (seen)

Trixie fought a hard wave of jealousy as she dropped her phone onto the dressing room table. So Katya had been in the building. With Violet. Not with her. Didn’t come and find her. Found Violet. Hung out with Violet with all of this totally unresolved, no idea how many live wires she had in her hands. This is why. An insistent long-buried little voice at the back of her mind reached out of the darkness to fold its arms around her as she sat miserably, staring at her reflection in the mirror. This is why you don’t cross the line with her. She’s dangerous. Great, now she was feeling sorry for herself. This had all been an enormous mistake that had kicked off the second she’d allowed herself to feel lonely at that damn venue the night before. She’d opened up a piece of herself and Katya had been around and why hadn’t she stopped her falling in? “Feeling okay, girl?” Alaska’s low voice penetrated her thoughts. The glamourous queen was putting the final touches on her makeup, eyes on Trixie’s glum face in the mirror. “You look saaaad.” “I guess I’m just missing home.” Alaska nodded to herself, eyes returning to her lipstick. “Where’s Kattie? She always cheers you up.” Trixie winced. “She’s the last person I wanna see right now.” Alaska didn’t pick up on her tone at all. “I know she can be sort of..” She paused for a second. “Fucking annoying sometimes, but that’s just Katya. It’s her energy. It’s a special thing.” “Yeah, I know.” Trixie sighed. “You should try letting her in some time,” Alaska kept on, oblivious to her friend. “In fact, I was thinking about letting her in myself.” Trixie’s eyes travelled to her face, stone cold. “Real subtle, Alaska.” “What? A girl has needs. I just need someone to distract Violet first.” “Happy to help.” Trixie quickly finished up her makeup removal routine, zipping her wig into her bag. She glanced around in a vain attempt to find her venue assistant. She gave up. “Alaska, can you get the guy to pack everything in this pile when he comes back?” “Sure. I heard we have a new bus.” “Great. I’m gonna go claim a bunk then. Say bye to Katya if you see her.” “Will do girl.” It was petty, and she knew it. But at least no one had really picked up on it. Trixie straightened up with a quick stretch. Time to go. She grabbed her phone off the table and swiped it on.

From: Katya meet me outside

Trixie’s head spun with how hard her heart flipped. She was immediately swallowed up in a torrent of want, need mixed with anger mixed with joy. Stupid Katya’s stupid careless three word text completely blew through her intentions, guards down, heart on, already at the fire exit door and pushing with all her might. Katya was standing in the darkness with her back against the wall, hand up to pull a lit cigarette out of her mouth and exhale into the night. “Hey.” Trixie took a moment to adjust to the darkness. “Hey.” She moved over to where Katya was leaning, noting how the blonde queen was studying her cigarette. She was still in drag, baseball cap pulled down on top of her short blonde wig, bag on the floor by her feet. Shoes on. Bad sign. A moment of silence passed between them. “What happened tonight?” Trixie asked finally, her voice suprisingly soft. Katya stared at her Camel, pondering the question. Finally she glanced up, and Trixie could find none of her usual humour anywhere in her eyes. “I can’t stay, mama.” Trixie exhaled sharply. “I guessed that.” She tried to sound nonchalant. Failed. Katya stubbed out her cigarette. “It’s not because of you. I really want to. But my agent called and I have a flight in two hours.” “Right.” “My Uber’s on the way. I wanted to say goodbye.” “Oh, cool.” Trixie’s anger rose, suddenly. “Avoid me all night and leave. Cool.” Katya blinked, forehead tightening into lines as she frowned in confusion. “Avoid you?” “Yeah! Avoid me!” Trixie didn’t even try to keep her voice down. “You spent the whole fucking time with Violet, you didn’t even get changed in the dressing room. Where were you?” Katya reached for Trixie’s hand and grabbed it, tight. Her eyes were two round blue pools of surprise, and she looked so vulnerable for some reason. Fuck. “I had to do my makeup on the way over here. There was traffic.” She forced her fingers between Trixie’s, intertwining. Locking in. “I hung out with Violet when you went on stage. I couldn’t find you.” “Why didn’t you text me?” “My phone was with Violet. Violet had it. What’s wrong? Why are you mad?” Katya’s face looked so sad in the orange streetlight. Trixie knew she absolutely hated any form of confrontation, avoided it at any cost. She knew this was hard for her. Good. But not really. Trixie sighed, anger draining away. She felt sort of crumbled down, like a little seaside town wrecked out by a slowly receding wave of hope. “I’m not going to see you again until September, Katya.” The little blonde queen slowly lifted Trixie’s hand to her mouth, pressing her lips to her fingers. “Trixie. I’m sorry.” “This whole thing’s been a fuck up. I wanted to spend time with you tonight.” “I know.” She couldn’t really stay mad, though. Katya looked so downcast, dead serious and all concern and eyelashes and skin and lips and suuuch a great dick somewhere under all of it. “And I’m really fucking horny, Katya.” “I know,” Katya’s voice grew a little stronger. Her mouth broke into a trace of a smile. “I’ve been thinking about you all night.” She reached out with her free hand, resting her fingertips against the side of Trixie’s face. “This still feels kind of weird, doesn’t it?” Trixie reached up to take her hand, bringing it up to her mouth to kiss her fingers. Their eyes met. And now they were standing with both hands clenched tight together, looking kind of idiotic. Trixie glanced at the alleyway door, half expecting someone to come out and disrupt the moment. No one did. When she glanced back, Katya was studying her face. “So am I allowed to kiss you? How does this work?” Trixie’s heart had started up again. She let go of her comedy partner platonic lover sexual friend’s hands. “I don’t know, Katya. This is really confusing for me.” “Mama, this is why nothing can change.” Katya slid her arms around Trixie’s waist. “You can’t attach feelings to me. We’re never in the same town, city, state, country, whatever.” She smells so good. “But I meant what I said when I said in a different life we’d be lovers. I meant that completely.” She’s right. She’s smart and right. “It’s not easy for me either, Trixie.” Katya’s eyes were filling up with her trademark joy again, and Trixie could feel colours flowing back into her as she spoke. “Do you know how hot you are?” Trixie let herself break into a smile. She lifted her arms to flex her biceps. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Katya laughed. “I’ve been trying to get with you since the day I met you, mama. That’s why this is hard for both of us. But it has to stay uncomplicated. So can I kiss you now?” “Wait. We need to figure this out first.” “Hmm.” Katya’s brow furrowed. “You know, it’s probably a two-way street.” “Meaning?” “We have to help each other. We can’t get feelings or anything like that, at least not while we still want to work together. Or work at all, cause you know how our schedules are, mama. But we can remind each other not to get too attached. I think it’ll work.” Makes sense. At least we can be honest with each other now. Katya’s phone beeped as her Uber pulled up to the nearby curb. Trixie ignored it. “But we can kiss?” “Let’s find out.” Trixie immediately leaned forward and pushed her lips into Katya’s. Fuck the lipstick, fuck this whole thing. The kiss felt incredible after the tension of the evening. Katya was such a pure creature of positivity, it was impossible to feel anything else around her for long. Trixie was just completely, utterly, head over heels attracted to every inch of her. It had kicked off hard, better late than never, breakneck lightning speed and strong as hell to make up for lost time. And if feelings couldn’t get involved, she’d just have to figure it out later. This wasn’t really the same kind of energy from that afternoon. The passion was there, but it was controlled. For now. Trixie found herself breaking into individual small little kisses, each so heartfelt. Katya’s phone began to buzz. She slowly broke away with a sigh, swiped it and brought it to her ear, half a grin directed at Trixie the whole time. “Yeah, I’m here. I have to smoke a cigarette though. If you wait I’ll pay you twenty bucks. Don’t move.” She’s so bold. The Camels were already out of her pocket as Katya extracted the last one from the pack and searched for a lighter. I turned her down so many times, but she’s always so brave about asking again. Trixie watched the flame as it spread into the cigarette, watched Katya’s slow inhale, watched the lazy light glow. The blonde queen’s eyes were just dark holes in the orange streetlight, her black makeup and heavy lashes a blur on her fragile face. For just a second, she looked lost. Lonely. She has nothing to lose. Katya dropped her cigarette away and brought her lips together into a circle, gently forming a lone smoke ring that travelled out into the darkness and faded as Trixie watched. I didn’t know she could do that. I don’t really know much about her at all. She dropped her eyes to study the way Katya was slowly tearing the empty Camel packet to shreds, the cardboard already an indistinguishable mess between her fingers. The first pack of cigarettes Violet and I bought her. And it hit her silently, like the unfurling of a flower in the night. Katya had no symbols. Held no treasures. Created no shrines out of moments, framed no icons, existed purely and always right in the present. That was just her. Her way. And all that dumb sparring with Violet was just jealousy. She’s a good person really. It’d be stupid to keep that up. Trixie made a mental note to spend some time with the brunette when she found her later. They’d patch things up. Always did. She glanced up to find Katya stubbing out her cigarette, turning to her with a very warm smile that lit up the night. “Don’t worry about any of this, mama.” “I wasn’t.” And Trixie realised she wasn’t. She realised her heart was beating at the right pace. She realised the tension of not only the last two days but the whole three years was simply missing from its familiar home in her chest. She could feel the rough brick of the wall against her fingertips and she could smell the summer night air even this deep into the city and she could absolutely 100% anticipate a future where she and Katya were finally able to relax in each other’s company. “I’ll text you. I promise.” Katya was leaning in for one very final kiss. Trixie lifted her face, closed her eyes, and felt her whole body begin to glow as their lips touched. They stayed there for what felt like ten long seconds, or minutes, or pretty much forever. And when they’d pulled away, said goodbyes, after Katya had turned to walk down the alley, after she’d climbed into the car and sped out of sight, after Trixie was settled warmly in her comfy new bunk, she smiled to herself as she remembered how Katya had looked just a little less lonely. Trixie is falling in love.

Epilogue

From: Katya [Image] Tap to download

Downloading

Sent: Oh my god (seen)

Sent: Hmm (seen)

Sent: That’s really hot. (seen)

From: Katya i told you he’s a good photographer mama

Sent: Are there more? (seen)

From: Katya [Image]

From: Katya [Image]

From: Katya [Image]

From: Katya [Image]

Sent: Stop (seen)

Sent: This is making me like (seen)

Sent: Really horny (seen)

From: Katya me too

Sent: We look really good together (seen)

From: Katya [Image]

Sent: Stooopppppp (seen)

From: Katya look how hard you got for me

Sent: Girl I’m not far off it right now (seen)

Sent: I’m on the damn bus (seen)

From: Katya you have a bunk though

From: Katya go get in it

Sent: Why? (seen)

From: Katya why do you think

From: Katya i want a pic of that dick, mama

Sent: NO (seen)

Sent: ok. (seen)

Sent: Image

From: Katya omg

From: Katya more more more more more more more

Sent: Image

Sent: Image

From: Katya i need you in my mouth

From: Katya right

From: Katya now

Sent: Mmmm (seen)

Sent: Your mouth felt so good. (seen)

From: Katya at tigers?

From: Katya what a fuckin asshole

From: Katya soo wanted to keep going

Sent: Yeah? (seen)

Sent: Then what? (seen)

From: Katya are we doing this?

Sent: Why not? (seen)

From: Katya is this weird?

Sent: I’m about to jerk off to you whether you like it or not (seen)

Sent: So I don’t care if it’s weird, keep going (seen)

From: Katya i wanted to suck your weenie

From: Katya and taste you

From: Katya wrap my hands around your dick and slowly jerk you off into my mouth and make you feel so good

Sent: That’s the longest sentence you’ve ever typed (seen)

Sent: Keep going (seen)

Sent: Katya? (seen)

From: Katya i’m getting on my bed

From: Katya thinking about you

From: Katya can you jerk off?

Sent: Yeah (seen)

From: Katya i’m thinking about your mouth

Sent: Coincidentally I’m thinking about wrapping it around your dick (seen)

From: Katya omg

Sent: I want you to start jerking off (seen)

Sent: And thinking about me kissing you (seen)

Sent: And getting hard against you (seen)

Sent: And rubbing your dick (seen)

Sent: Katya? (seen)

From: Katya don’t stop

Sent: I want you to think about me pulling your dick out of your pants (seen)

Sent: And putting it in my mouth (seen)

Sent: And sucking it til you can’t take it (seen)

Sent: What are you doing (seen)

From: Katya [Image]

Sent: Fuck (seen)

Sent: You’re so hot (seen)

Sent: Image

From: Katya what are you thinking about

Sent: You fucking me. (seen)

Sent: How it’d feel (seen)

Sent: I want your dick inside me (seen)

From: Katya holyy shit From: Katya oh my god that was fast

From: Katya that was so fast

From: Katya i just came so hard.

Sent: Same (seen)

Sent: That was really good. (seen)

From: Katya i can’t wait until we do this for real

Sent: When though (seen)

From: Katya september

From: Katya i’m taking you on a date

From: Katya as soon as you get back

Sent: Deal. (seen)

Sent: A real date? (seen)

From: Katya a datey date.

From: Katya fuck i can’t wait to kiss you.

Sent: Me neither (seen) Sent: ahhh this is so weird! (seen) Sent: nice though. (seen)

Sent: Where are you taking me? (seen)

From: Katya surprise

From: Katya you’ll love it though mama

Sent: I can’t wait. (seen)

Sent: I’ve got a song to play you. (seen)

Sent: I wrote it on this tour (seen)

Sent: It’s maybe about you (seen)

From: Katya i’d really like to hear it

From: Katya what’s it called?

Sent: it’s kind of a working title right now but (seen) Sent: This could happen.

[uncannycreativity]

How do you become a prolific artist? 8 secrets no one says outloud

Last month I attempted my first plein air painting in Montrose Park in Washington, DC. I was very nervous and had a lot of doubt: “I’m supposed to be an artist! I have a degree in art! I work as an art director and I’m a good painter. Why is this scary?!”

Whenever we’re doing something new, it’s still a test of wills. The same lessons come back to us every time. No one tells you it’ll be easy, yet they don’t exactly proclaim to you how hard being an artist can be. Here’s the final painting which is no masterpiece and at the same time I learned a ton and felt proud about it:

First time trying plein air! Learned a ton while doing it!

A photo posted by – Brian E. Young (@sketcheeguy) on Apr 12, 2015 at 6:53pm PDT

1. It’s okay to procrastinate

Prolific artists procrastinate. Procrastinating is a form of thinking. You’re doing one thing like watching tv or playing video games, and you’re distracted thinking you could be painting or drawing. It is okay to procrastinate. You’re still thinking about your art. Use whatever you’re doing to find inspiration. Write down any thoughts you might have.

I thought about plein air painting for years. Even had planned to last fall at a plein air painting event. It started to become a big deal in my head. I thought I needed the right supplies, the absolutely right event, the right motivation, and the right place. It turns out all I needed to do was go outside.

Try this: Write down your goals and ideas. While you’re procrastinating, while you’re in the super market, while you’re at work just stop for a split second and jot down the note such as “I want to paint trees.” “I want to sketch people.” You can use a cellphone app or tweet it or text it to all of your friends. Next time you’re finding yourself free and tempted to reach for your television remote, you’ll be more likely to know that you really would rather sketch and paint.

Read this: Awesome Secrets to Super Inspired Procrastination

“You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic.” Bill Watterson

2. It’s okay to be be messy

Prolific artists make messy sketches and thumbnails. I use stick figures in my thumbnails to quickly get ideas down. Stick figures are a cute and fun way to draw out an idea and not care if it’s a masterpiece. Even though I’m a trained artist with a degree in art and a job in art, I still use stick figures. These poses can be further developed into bigger and better drawings later. Once I see an idea as a concrete thumbnail, it really helps me to get excited about it.

When I worked on my first plein air painting, I quickly was disheartened by the composition I chose. I didn’t really think about it much. I didn’t do any planning. I just looked in a direction and started making marks with paint. That’s okay! I learned something from that! Next time, it would have been smart to take 60-seconds to scribble down a few different compositions. There is no mistake if we can’t learn from it.

Try this: Take 60 seconds to create 3 thumbnails before making anything “real”. You’ve heard this and yet you still don’t do it. I preach this for years and I still didn’t do it. Practice it, make it routine. It’s just a fun way to break the ice. Don’t look at it as a must, an obligation, or as pressure. This is the fun part where you get to be a child and not care about the result. Make them and ignore them. Make them and learn from them.

Read this: Acrylic Painting Tutorial: How to use thumbnails for inspiration

“We all have 10,000 bad drawings in us. The sooner we get them out the better.” Walt Stanchfield

3. It’s okay to fail

Prolific artists are persistent when facing failure. It’s only a failure if you give up without learning anything. Don’t give into your fear and doubt. Be persistent and decide on the next step. Be nicer to yourself.

After a night of painting, I often will feel discouraged. The painting didn’t look exactly how I imagined it could. The next morning, in the light of day I will look at it and say wow that actually looks pretty cool. It’s different yet something about it works. I’m ready to take last nights failure and make the adjustments needed to get the painting finished.

There is a lot I didn’t like about my first plein air painting. The composition is centered and uninteresting, the colors are brighter than I wanted, and I wish it had more depth. How do I know this? I know it because I tried. I tried and now have something physical to look at. Through those experiences, I’ll have a better idea when I try this again. And I will try it again.

Try this: Fail at something you’re afraid of. If you’re afraid to paint, then paint. I used to be afraid of asking for help at the grocery store. I know it’s silly, there are people there to help you and they’re friendly. Still I was afraid of it. Then I just learned to ask anyway. Whenever you’re afraid and you have all of the reasons that failure is possible, just do it anyway.

Listen to this: Face The Fear of Failure in 6 Steps: The Uncanny Creativity Podcast, Episode 31

“First forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” Octavia E. Butler

4. It’s okay to take breaks

Prolific artists take breaks and then just pick up where they left off. We retain information better when we have space away from it. Ever have trouble remembering something? The best thing to do is to stop focusing on that thought and return to it. What happens is that we focus on the idea that we can’t remember so much that we can’t actually process the memory. We often find things when we aren’t looking for them.

When we’re focused on the thought “I forgot”, “I feel guilty for forgetting”, or some variation, it just makes it that much harder to remember and reinforces our “I have a bad memory” persona. Let go of that! You walk away from that guy at the gym who’s name you forgot, then remember it that night while doing dishes. Yes, this has happened to me.

When I was painting outside in the beautiful park in Washington, DC, it turned out to be insanely helpful to just say to myself “Wow, this is a beautiful day and I’m lucky to be here.” See all that was around me and know that I’m inspired by it all. The memory of that is a good one. Practicing a bit of gratitude can help fix any situation or problem. There’s always a lot to be thankful for, don’t miss it!

Try this: Focus on one task for a block of time. Then take a break. One study shows the best in their field only practice for 90-minute blocks (PDF link). If you are going to return to the task after the break, try to take at least 20 minutes focused on anything else. Do your best to focus on your new task. If your mind wanders back to work, be nice to yourself and bring your attention back to what you’re doing now. If you’re taking your lunch break, you might just focus on the taste, sound, and look of your meal. If your break is another type of work, try to give it your full attention.

Listen to this: Picking Up Where You Left Off: The Uncanny Creativity Podcast, Episode 30

“Every person needs to take one day away.  A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future.  Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence.  Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.  Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.” Maya Angelou

5. It’s okay to have hope

Prolific artists are positive. Optimism boosts creativity. One of the easiest ways to find a silver lining is to understand what we are grateful for. Yeah somethings in life suck and you’re okay for feeling that way. At the same time, those bad things don’t have to outweigh the good things. A realistic approach is ultimately healthy and positive. Reaching an understanding on how to balance the good and bad thoughts you might have will put you into a better place to make decisions and not cave under pressure.

Now I have a better understanding of how my thoughts and feelings play out when I’m painting in a more public situation. I’m used to painting at home, by myself. The only critic I deal with there is me. Now I understand that the critic even when there are others in the park asking about my work is still just me. Only I give their words any meaning. Most onlookers in a park are probably wishing they were bold enough to be there. By painting, I’m already brave enough to do something that many people never tried. By even reading this article, you’re contemplating ideas that many people would be too afraid to even consider.

Try this: Learn something new. Look at a situation or experience you found challenging and use this as a chance to learn something new. Next time you’re in a similar situation, what will you do differently? The past can’t be changed and the future can.

Read this: You’re not an innovator and you never will be: 7 Reasons

“Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.” – Albert Einstein

6. It’s okay to have bad ideas

Prolific artists create first and judge second. Put an idea down, try it out, see what happens. It’s okay to be average. Your first idea is rarely your best. This is why we sketch (see number 2) so that we can work out the best idea. Even if your best idea was your first one, creating a few bad concepts can solidify your choice and help you feel stronger about your final drawing.

Try this: Brainstorm without judgement. Write down all of your thoughts as a quick list before starting on an intimidating or time-consuming task. The thoughts might be completely related or really stupid. Make a point to include the ones that usually feel very uncomfortable. Facing that discomfort and writing it down is part of the fun. It’s now just words on paper without any meaning.

Read this: 5 Steps to Having More Creative Ideas

“The way to get good ideas is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away.” Linus Pauling (Nobel Peace Prize winner)

7. It’s okay to improvise

Prolific artists make it up as they go along. We give up the idea of how we once thought it “should” be and move on to how to make things work. Every brush stroke is a fresh start.

I painted my trees, even as I realized the composition didn’t work. I could have left or just started over. Those would have been great ways to improvise too. I just chose to continue and that made all the difference.

Try this: Finish what you start. No matter how you are feeling about a project, rather than give up find a way to complete it. It might be as simple as signing your name and calling it done. Your usual next step doesn’t have to be the next step you take. Do something that isn’t obvious.

Read this: Can Improv Teach Us About Graphic Design?

“In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” Charles Darwin

8. It’s okay to ask for help

Prolific artists are part of a team. You have a support system, friends, family, coworkers, and a professional network who you can rely on. They may not even be part of your art, they just may help you be a whole person. The people in our lives help us by inspiring us, by helping us with conversations, by showing us love and affection. Having confidence in more parts of life helps us realize our abilities. Be prepared to not get the help you want and still be happy that there is someone who will listen to the question. Ask for exactly what you want and need.

By now you’re probably tired of hearing about how I created that painting. I didn’t do it alone, I am lucky enough to have someone in my life who enjoys painting as much as I do. We went to the park together and created very different work. It’s really nice to just spend time with the people you care about. At the end of the day, it wasn’t about painting at all. That day was about a new experience. Create experiences, not just things and not just images.

Try this: Reach out to someone you love. Provide help, a listening ear, or a fun night out and give them everything they might need. You’ll see how much others love your help and create friendships that will be there when you’re in need too. The idea of reciprocity isn’t to just trade, it’s to give. Create a generous experience together with those you care about. When you’re genuinely interested in others, there is a beautiful impact on those around you.

Read this: 6 DOs and DON’Ts for Killer Creative Teams: Confession of a bad team player

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?”  Martin Luther King Jr.

Brian E. Young is a graphic designer and artist in Baltimore, MD.

How do you become a prolific artist? 8 secrets no one says outloud was originally published on Uncanny Creativity