#honestly the research has just gotten too big for the word limit

[maryse127]

Gonna be a fun weekend asking my dad for the money he owes me (that I keep forgetting to explicitly ask for because I hate asking for money even when it is justified) and also can you proofread my 10.5k words thesis :)

[cobwebbedcat]

Random Abandoned WIPS

MINORS DNI

Idia- hypno

You know Idia can tell when you’re the one knocking at his door. It may be that you’re the one who sees him most frequently these days, or that he’s developed a sixth sense for it. It’s become more of an announcement of your arrival, not so much a request for permission to enter.

You knock, then open the door.

“I want to try something weird” Idia blurts out.

He says it all in one big rush, like he’s been waiting hours to say it. He probably has. He says it too fast, too quiet, and at the exact same time that you say “how was your day?”

“What?”

“What?” Idia mirrors your question, his eyes wide, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

“No, what did you say?” you ask again as you close the space between the two of you, sitting next to him on the bed. Idia’s hair and cheeks flush pink.

“I just,” he starts, his hands reaching up to play with his hair nervously, “I want to try something new… it’s weird though, probably too weird and gross,” he bemoans.

“I’ll be the judge of that,” you take his hands in yours, stopping them from wringing at his hair. “I’m all ears, what do you want to try?”

Idia groans, bonking his head against your shoulder, “I want you to hypnotize me,” he whispers.

His suggestion takes you by surprise, but not for long. “Okay yeah, that could be fun,” you agree easily, wondering where he could have possibly gotten this idea from.

Idia shoots upright, grinning from ear to ear, “really?! It’s not weird or- or gross or like cringe or something??” You smile lovingly,

“Not weird or gross or cringe,” your thumb rubs circles against the skin of his sweaty hands. “Do you mean you want to try hypnosis in bed? In a sexual way?” Idia nods. “Sure, we can try it.” Idia’s grin widens at your words, showing off all his sharp teeth, and then he pulls you into a giggle-filled kiss.

Idia runs you through his extensive research, using infoduming as a way to not only convey how you’ll be able to hypnotize him, but—more subtly—his limits and desires surrounding it.

You sit through his mini demonstration, dutifully taking note of his rambles. One thing leads to another, and now Idia looks dazed and sleepy in front of you on his bed, his yellow eyes blown wide and blue lips parted. He’s hypnotized, fully relaxed and pliant for you.

“Do you feel okay?”

He nods slowly as an answer to your question. You smile, bringing a hand to run through his long hair.

“Let’s get you into something more comfortable, yeah?” Idia nods again. “Can you stand?” you ask gently, watching as he rises to his feet without hesitation. He doesn’t cave into himself or fidget like he normally does; all tension has left his body.

You leave him to stand for a moment, returning with a soft sweater and a long flowing skirt.

“Would you like to wear these?” you ask, holding up the garments for him to see. Idia nods. “You can use your words you know,” you tell him lightheartedly.

“I like those,” he tells you honestly, which causes you to let out a pleased hum. It’s very rare for him to say exactly what he’s thinking, with no embarrassment nor hesitation.

“Good, thank you for telling me,” you say as you begin to help him out of his clothes. He’s so different like this, not even blushing as more of his skin is revealed to you.

“So beautiful,” you hum, running your hand along his skin, watching his nipples harden. Playfully, you pinch one gently before returning to clothing him.

Once Idia is fully clothed in the outfit, you sit in a comfortable chair and guide him onto your lap. You place his hands on your shoulders, kissing the inside of his wrist lovingly, before bringing your hands to his hips and staring up at him.

“How do you feel?”

“Pretty,” he hums softly, “I feel good, and" he pauses for a long moment, "I feel safe.”

You can’t help but coo at his honest words, rubbing comforting circles into his hips. “You look pretty. Can I kiss you?” Idia nods lazily in response to your question, letting his eyes flutter shut. You press your lips against his, kissing him sweetly at first, but quickly pressing your tongue into his mouth.

Idia is pliant in your lap, opening his mouth for you, letting you curl your tongue along the roof of his mouth, then suck on his tongue. When you pull back, a string of saliva connects your lips.

“Can I touch you more?” you ask softly.

“Yes, please,” Idia groans, his eyes still closed tight.

“Watch me, let me know what you like, and what you want,” you instruct, letting your hands slide from his hips under his sweater, so you can palm at his stomach. Idia opens his eyes once again, staring down at you per your instructions. He has the hint of pink flush tinting his cheeks and the edges of his hair.

“Ah, I like that,” he whines softly when you press your thumb against one of his nipples. You grope at his chest from under the sweater, leaning in to kiss his neck. Normally he’d be squirming, whimpering, and maybe clutching onto you or hiding his face. Now, he makes soft sounds, accepting your touches easily, watching you like a hawk.

“Can you hold your top up for me baby?”

Idia’s body moves slowly as he grabs hold of the hem of his sweater, and lifts it so you can see his chest in full view.

“There we go,” you move your head to take one of his nipples into your mouth.

“Oh,” he gasps softly as you lave your tongue over the hardened bud, sucking and nibbling at his skin. “I like that, I like your mouth,” he babbles. With your mouth full, you let your hand travel south.

He’s hard, his bulge tenting the skirt, and you squeeze him over the fabric. “Ah,” he moans, “yes, I like that.”

You pull off his chest, “wanna cum?” Idia nods, a soft “yes,” falling from his lips. “Off my lap, and stand for a moment,” Idia does as he’s told, watching you as you slip off your pants, and sit back in the chair. “Straddle my leg, you can rut your cock against me and let me watch you get yourself off,”

As though he is moving in slow motion, Idia returns to your lap, wrapping his long legs around your thigh. He’s still holding his top up for you, as you’d not told him where to put his hands.

“Here,” you take his hands in yours and place them on your shoulders again, allowing him to be more stabilized on your leg. You then take his skirt, and bunch it up around his hips, so you can watch his cock rub against your skin.

“Go ahead,” you groan. Slowly and shakily he begins to grind himself against your thigh.

“Hah, I like this,” his pink tinged hair falls in front of his face, and you go to tuck it behind his ear.

“Tell me more,” you say as you hold onto his legs.

“Feels good, I like you watching me,” he gasps, “like feeling my-my dick stuck in the panties, making them wet, they feel so-oh soft.”

“You look so good,” you groan, cutting him off. “Go faster, let me see you come apart for me.”

Per your request, Idia picks up the pace, grinding helplessly against you, chasing his pleasure.

---------------------------------

This was going to be about Vil, but I never got around to writing enough that you can really tell it's about him lmao. Monster reader

“Oh dear,” you muse softly, looking at the creature writhing on the forest floor. It’s human, beautiful, it's leg broken, bone protruding from skin.  

At the sound of your voice its head jerks to look at you, purple eyes wide with terror. Tears have streamed down its cheeks. It looks truly miserable. 

“It’ss okay,” you hiss softly, hoping your common tongue isn’t too rusty. You haven’t had to use it in a while. “You’re too big for me to eat,” you tell the human, something that you hope will be reassuring.  

The human is petrified with fear, you can smell it on him, despite your reassurance. You slither towards it, assessing the situation further. 

“I can help you,” you tell it, “let me help you?” 

The human stares at you for a long time, so long you wonder if common tongue shifted in the time that you spent not speaking it, and the human cannot understand you. Finally it nods, and you lean down, carefully scooping it up in your arms.  

“Just closse your eyes, I’ll get you all fixed up.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------

1995 Rust, piss

“Pull over,” Rust says, taking a drag from his cigarette to punctuate the sentence.  

He’s in the passenger seat, looking out the window at rural Louisiana, in the middle of fucking no where, just past Sulphur. He’s got you driving, accompanying him on some goose chase to interview a family member who lost someone some time ago. You hope to god it leads somewhere, because you’ve been driving for hours, trying not to fall asleep. You wonder what would be worse, these miles upon miles with no one around, or standstill traffic.  

“What? Why?” You ask, running your tongue along your teeth then swallowing a glob of saliva, because it’s the first thing you’ve said in a half hour and your mouth is remembering how to form words.   

“Hav’ta pee,” he mutters, just under his breath. You hum in acknowledgement, and keep driving.  

Rust must think you’ll pull over soon enough, that you’re looking for a rest stop, or an off road, but he told you hours ago that he wanted to be quick, get there before noon. Minutes pass, silence and empty open roads.  

A full half hour goes by, which is longer than you’d expected him to hold out. He’s started to bounce his leg. He says your name, sharp, articulated, no room for argument, “pull over.” 

“There’s an empty bottle down there, detective,” you gesture down to his feet and Rust makes a noise that’s all-incredulous shock.  

“What the hell,” he grunts, glaring daggers at you. You want to look over at him so badly, but you keep your eyes glued to the road, “you insinuating that I oughta piss in a fuckin’ bottle?”  

“Didn’t know you to be shy, Rust,” you hum softly. He stares at you for a while, but eventually, out of the corner of your eye, you watch him lean down to grab the empty bottle by his feet.  

“Fuckin’ hold this,” he huffs, passing you his cigarette. You take it between your fingers, holding it near the cracked car window, so the smoke can fly right out.  

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Monster Malleus, yandere

“Ah, you’re awake.” 

And your head is killing you. You groan, bringing a hand to cover your eyes, a painful throbbing making you regret waking up. Slowly, you manage to open your eyes and take into account your surroundings. 

You’re in a cave, illuminated only by a fire flickering in the middle. Much of the floor is covered in blankets, fabrics, and animal skins, which explains why you slept so soundly. The rest of the floor is covered with what first looks like litter to you, but you realize, as items sharing likeness are separated into groups and sections, that someone has been collecting things here. Then you notice him. 

“Hi!” you squeak out, mostly out of surprise, feeling like you’ve been caught somewhere you’re not supposed to be– but where are you, and how did you get here?

“Hello,” the man speaks softly, but his voice carries through the cave to you. He’s got long black hair, with two very pretty and very sharp horns poking out of the top of his head, piercing green eyes, scales littered over his skin, sharp nails, a pair of black wings, and a tail to match.

“Dragon,” you state bluntly. The man smiles, slowly moving closer to you. 

“Yesss,” and there’s a forked tongue to match, “you don’t appear frightened. Do I not ssscare you?” 

“Guess not,” and maybe you should be more scared, but for whatever reason you’re not. 

“Good,” he purrs, sitting himself down next to you, “My name is Malleus, and I have no intention of hurting you. I sssuppose you know, if I wanted to, I would have already. Rather,” he considers you carefully, “I sssaved you, you know.” 

You raise your brows at that, trying to recollect what you were doing before you got here, and drawing up blanks. 

“I watched you get lost in the woods,” that sounds about right, “you’re not very aware of your sssurroundings. You were being ssstalked by a werecat, did you know that?” you purse your lips. You did not know that. Mallues takes your silence as answer enough, and continues, “you were crossing a ssstream and ssslipped,” he grins from cheek to cheek, showing off his sharp teeth, and reaches a hand up to touch where you can only imagine a large bruise has formed. 

“Ssso clumsy,” he murmurs softly. “I brought you home, ssso you weren’t made into a meal for that vile creature,” he scoffs, his hand still gently touching your head. “You will ssstay here until you feel better,” he states, and you ignore the fact that it’s not a question. 

“Thank you, Malleus,” at the sound of his name coming from your mouth, the dragon smiles, flushing gently. 

From there, Malleus offers you some tea for your headache, and it begins to dissipate as you drink. With your pain relieved, the two of you are able to talk for hours, learning all about each other’s lives your likes and dislikes, everything that comes to your head, until your eyelids droop and your speech slurs; he’s fantastic company, but you get the impression that he doesn’t talk to people often.

As you lay down on his nest of fabrics and blankets, Malleus wraps a tail around you, holding you tight. 

Days pass and Malleus takes good care of you. You’re aware that he could have left you to the fate of the woods surrounding you, and you’re overwhelmingly grateful that he didn’t. 

Despite your gratitude and the comfort you find in both Malleus and his home, you do miss your own house. You’ve brought this up subtly, and each time he insists you should stay just a day longer. 

“Malleus, I need to go home,” you tell him firmly, fully healed and itching to go outside again. Malleus pauses, his hand hovering over one of his many many trinkets that he’d been showing you. 

“You can’t,” he stresses, “it’s not sssafe out there.”

His hand wraps around your arm, “Please, just a little while longer, until the werecat loses your ssscent, and finds sssomething else to entertain him,” his grip is firm, his nails digging into your skin. 

“Okay,” you mumble, unsure of just how long it will be until that happens, and a bit unsettled by the moment. “Okay,” he seems reassured, and his grip loosens, but he still holds onto you as he continues talking to you about his collection. 

That night Malleus holds you tight, coiling his tail around you, clinging to you. His eyes glow in the night, staring you down intensely. His voice is hushed and achingly tender as his fingers trace your skin.

“You understand why I cannot let you go,” you nod, “it’s just ssso dangerous, do you sssee that? Isss it not enough to know that things that want you out there? Isss it not enough to be hurt out there, and healed in here? You’re ssso soft, you’re ssso weak. I would take sssuch good care of you,” he practically whines, nuzzling his face into you and continuing his ramblings. 

You run your fingers through his long hair and Malleus chitters something in a language you’ve never heard before, leaning into your touch. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Trans masc Cater, yandere

Though he knows he’s alone in his dorm, Cater makes sure the bathroom door is locked, before he slips out of his pants. Opening his phone, he returns to a picture he practically has memorized.

The photo in question is one of him with you, an impromptu selfie that Cater feels blessed to have. He’s stared at it for hours, because if he can forget about reality for a moment, it feels like a picture a couple might take. He zooms in on your face, sighing dreamily as he imagines you there with him now.

In his fantasy, you’d be kissing him. Cater has thought about you kissing him every day since he met you. Your lips would be so soft, and you’d moan when he licks against your lips, silently asking for permission to deepen the kiss. He wants to suck on your tongue. He wants to devour you.

Rubbing his thighs together, Cater imagines what it’d be like to have you grinding your hard dick against him. He wants you to be so in love with him, so aroused by him, that you get hard and needy just from kissing him. Cater brings his free hand up to his chest, massaging his tit the way that he thinks you might. You have bigger hands than him (he knows this, because in class a couple of weeks ago he’d asked you to press your hand against his as a way to compare (and that was an event that he’d jerked off to for days)), but that doesn’t take away from his fantasy.

He swipes to another picture of you, one that he’d taken from afar. You’re blurry, but handsome all the same. Cater whines, and plops himself down on the toilet, reaching a hand between his legs. He presses at his inner thighs, slowly working his way to his pussy, like he imagines you would do. He thinks that you would gather his slick on your fingers, that you’d tease him for being so wet already.

Cater wants you to degrade him for having the pictures, he wants you to tell him that he’s a slut and a pervert for taking pictures of you and jerking off to them. But he knows you’re not like that, you’re too kind and sweet to him.

He then brushes them against his clit, and shudders at the sensations.

Cater imagines what you would think, seeing his pussy for the first time. He touches himself lightly, as he thinks you’d be gentle due to your curiosity. In his fantasy, you tell him that his dick is pretty, that you want to taste him before you fuck him.

Spreading his legs further, Cater begins to really play with his pussy, imagining that your fingers are touching him, that you’re kissing his thighs, and taking his clit into your mouth. He moans your name, pressing his fingers into his eager hole. He opens and curls them, shakily swiping with his other hand to another picture. This one is of you in your P.E. outfit, wiping the sweat from your forehead.

Cater moans your name, his pussy clenching hard around his fingers. You look so hot in the picture Cater can’t stand it. He was practically drooling when he’d fumbled to take a picture that day. He’s lucky you didn’t catch him. Using his thumb to rub his clit, he fucks himself quickly with his fingers. The fantasy playing out in Cater’s brain shifts rapidly, and now you’re fucking him.

Most of the time Cater takes it slower, he imagines the foreplay as being more drawn out, that you would make him suck your dick, or that you’d fuck his tits first. He likes to imagine you cumming on his face, marking him up as yours. He wants so badly for his body to be the reason for your orgasm.

...

Coming down from his high one thought spirals through Cater’s head. You’re not his now, but you will be.

[incorrectcoldflashblog]

Answer the Questions and Tag 5 Fanfic Authors

Thank you so much to @kitkatt0430 for tagging me <3

1. How did you get into writing fanfiction?

Well, I got back into Coldflash in a big way a couple years ago, and kind of got frustrated not really seeing anything new in the tag, lol. Desperation is usually my biggest motivator to do anything. If I had unlimited new Coldflash fics coming out, I probably would never have written my own tbh.

2. How many fandoms have you written in?

Just the one. I used to do translations for a different fandom, though, so maybe two depending on if translating counts.

3. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

My own? Only a year and a half. Translating, maybe roughly ten years.

4. Do you read or write more fanfiction?

I probably write more now, but you wouldn’t know it because I’m such a slow writer!

5. What is one way you’ve improved as a writer?

Oh, I feel like my English has definitely gotten better since I started writing regularly. I always felt obligated to put a little disclaimer at the bottom, like please be nice to me, this isn’t my first language, lol. I feel a little bit more confident about it now (although I still obsessively google every sentence and word).

6. What’s the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

I mean, thanks to Chapter 4 of What Happens in Vegas I know now way more than I ever needed to know about tornado sirens, considering we don’t have them in my country, lol. I also ended up doing extensive (and totally pointless) research about the ancient Sumerian city-state of Ur (located in the South of what is now modern-day Iraq), which is where Len/Cold was supposed to be from in my AU where he was a genie. For those who are unaware, Ur fell in about 2000 BC and had a very famous poem written about it. Here is the cheery opening of 11 stanzas of misery:

For the gods have abandoned us

like migrating birds they have gone

Ur is destroyed, bitter is its lament

The country's blood now fills its holes like hot bronze in a mould

Bodies dissolve like fat in the sun. Our temple is destroyed

Smoke lies on our city like a shroud.

blood flows as the river does

the lamenting of men and women

sadness abounds

Ur is no more

7. What’s your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

I always appreciate when people point out the parts they liked. But honestly I’m happy for people to comment at all, especially on older fics :)

8. What’s the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

I don’t know that anything I’ve written can be considered fringe, lol. I do have a Lisa/Iris WIP, which I assume would be more of a rarepair, but I only have one scene written for it so who knows if I’ll ever finish it. I guess the Genie AU was kind of strange.

9. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

Longfics ;-; God, I’ve gained so much respect for people who can do that consistently for 60+ chapters, or over multiple fics in a series. My longfic isn’t even that long, comparatively, and I still feel like I will never get it done.

10. What is the easiest type?

One-shots, my beloved.

11. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

On my laptop. I just use Word and I prefer to write in the morning, which isn’t super ideal because it only leaves me the weekend to really get into it.

12. What is something you’ve been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

I’m too nervous to start more longfics at the moment because I feel like two is my absolute limit but I’d love to be able to write both the TATBILB-inspired fic I had in mind and the Future Fic that I sometimes play around with. I’d have to finish at least one of my longer projects first, or maybe try to get the whole thing written before posting it but I’m usually too impatient to do that!

13. What made you choose your username?

My username is captainicecube and I picked it because it’s roughly how Captain Cold was translated in the French dub. They translated it as Captain Glaçons (Captain Icecubes), which always makes me laugh whenever I think about it because it’s so stupid XD

Tagging @crestfallercanyon @joanthangroff @tiger-in-the-flightdeck @softboydepot and @moriavis

[nyxocity]

Fic Writer Questions!

Thanks to @redmyeyes for the tag!

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

82, although that's not even close to my actual total. There's a bunch on LJ that have never been transferred (all shorter works)

2) What’s your total AO3 word count?

1,780,805 (over 2mil on LJ)

3) How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Mostly three, plus a couple dips into a few other pools. X-Men Comic Book fandom, Buffy & Angel fandom (they kinda count as one since it's the same universe), and Supernatural & SPN RPF. Dips have included Dragon Age, Firefly, a tiny bit of TVD, a Sons of Anarchy crossover.

4) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

This is tough if I go by numbering. Homework Verse has the most kudos scattered across all parts, but Stranger Than Fiction has the most as a single story. Anyway...

Homework Verse (J2 RPF, 200k+ words) - My very first RPF fic, Supernatural or otherwise. Two of my online fandom friends basically TOLD me I was going to write Teacher/Student J2, and I kept protesting that I drew the line at RPF. They didn't care. 200k later, here we are. This story was a game changer for me; it made me fandom famous. I still love those boys with my whole heart, and they still talk to me sometimes.

Stranger Than Fiction (Sam/Dean, 50644 words) - This story idea took root immediately following the episode The Monster at the End of This Book. I quit the Big Bang I'd already begun writing for that year (which was Who Watches Over Me, which I finished and posted for BB the following year) to write this story. It just took hold hold of me and took over. I wrote it in 6 weeks and it was easily the most fun I ever had writing anything--I cackled like a madwoman most of the time.

Who Watches Over Me (J2 RPF, 96591 words) - This story was, at the time, the toughest thing I'd ever written. Little did I know that would become the norm and not the exception, as I began to write more complex stories. It was by far the longest story I had ever posted all at once in its entirety (rather than chapter by chapter) and I had no idea if people would like it. Fortunately a lot of people did.

Like Staring Into the Sun (Sam/Dean, 23243 words) - Ah, my very first hardcore Wincest fic. I remember writing the first chapter of the story (meant to be a one shot honestly), and just sitting there, at 5am, being terrified to post it. It was twisted, dark and intense and SO porny I was scared people might think I was weird. There wasn't anything like it out there at the time. As it turns out, people loved it so much I ended up writing eight more parts.

Like a Fish Out of Water (Sam/Dean, 59498 words) - I have a lot of love for this story. It didn't come to me easily, but it was fun to write. I remember smiling a lot and just having a nice, warm cozy feeling the whole time. I had no idea if anyone was interested in reading this many words of what amounted to a dramedy curtain fic

Of course there are other stories that I feel deserve love, but I can't argue with these.

5) Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I do. And by that, I mean I try. I don't always succeed in answering them all, but I answer as many as I have time and energy for. Life is busy and there is writing to do as well. I read every comment I get (multiple times) and I feel guilty for all the ones I don't answer, because they mean SO MUCH TO ME. Like you took time to leave this beautiful, well thought out comment, or even a keysmash, or a heart, in response to something I wrote. That means the world.

I WISH there was a reaction function for comments on Ao3, so I could heart things, or laugh in response. Replying with emojis without words feels weird. So yeah, a reaction function would be amazing. But in the meantime, I do my best.

6) What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Hmm. Probably A Touch of Evil. Interestingly, it's also a HAPPY ending, so there you go lol. It's a serial killer love story with a happy ending that comes at an exorbitant price.

8) Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

I'm not sure why the OG post skips from 6 to 8 lol . So, yes, I have written a few minors crossovers. Mostly Faith in the SPN verse with the boys, nothing too crazy, because she fits right in. But for long stories, I have written all of ONE crossover. It's Dean Winchester/Jax Teller (SPN / Sons of Anarchy). My crossovers so far have tended to make sense to crossover, so I don't think any of them are crazy.

9) Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. I got some hate on a Buffy/Xander fic back in the day. I got really excited and had fun with it. Like yeah, now I'm SOMEBODY! You're no one til someone hates you lol Most of that was people who were haters of the ship, or were like, gross, they're like brother and sister (they weren't, they were FRIENDS). I've gotten nasty comments here and there on some of my SPN fic. My favorite was the person who accused me of having a "Top Dean Agenda". I STILL laugh about that one. I don't respond to that crap.

10) Do you write smut? If so what kind?

Have you MET ME? LOL If I ever post a story without smut just put me out to pasture, because I'm done. And all kinds. Het, Gay, PWP, Plotty porn, mostly super kinky but some vanilla (but intense). I used to challenge myself regularly to see if I could up my kink game--like hmm, but could I write THIS? I haven't written really kinky sex in a long time, though. Might be time to do that.

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Several times. Who Watches Over me was stolen by someone and converted to One Direction Lourry fic. Literally just did a name change. Someone else stole a bunch of my one shots and passed them off as their own. I know there were a couple other instances but I only vaguely remember. I never got too deep into it, most of the time the people who discovered the theft already told everyone else too, and the plagiarist had been hammered by them so hard that I didn't have to step in before they took it down.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes. I used to get requests so often that I just posted my usual response in my profile for people to read instead of replying. Definitely into Russian and Chinese for most of the stories listed with most kudos above.

13) Have you ever co-written a fic before?

A few times on one shot fics. SO MUCH FUN. I love co-writing with people.

14) What’s your all time favorite ship?

Sam/Dean. Easily. Hands down. I just love their unique relationship, bond and love so much.

15) What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Well I finally finished A Touch of Evil after posting 3 chapters in 2009 and never touching it again until 2017. And I never thought I'd finish that. So never say never, I say. That said, there's the third and final part of my X-Men comic book epic that remains unfinished by about five (shorter) chapters, and it HAUNTS ME. But I don't think I'll ever finish it.

16) What are your writing strengths?

NOW we get to the hard questions. I'm really good at dialogue, bouncing banter back and forth between characters, and I have a sense for how long a scene should be. I just KNOW when it's going on too long, even if there's more that needs to be said, and I try to tighten it up in that case.

A friend of mine once told me "Porn is my gift". I don't write as much of it as I used to, but yeah, I shine in that area.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

So I always reach a point after writing so many words in an unpublished fic where I'm like, I have no idea if this is even any good/makes sense/hangs together etc. Beyond that, I've been writing for so long that I've had so much practice that I've strengthened a lot of my weaknesses. I'm sure I still have some, but I don't FEEL them like I used to anymore. That said, there are things I simply will not write. Like historical pieces. Because I would research the fuck out of every detail trying to get it perfect and then I would still doubt myself completely.

18) What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I mostly try to avoid it, because there's no way I would ever get the language correct. I usually write it in English and then explain that they're saying it in another language. Like, "What are you doing?" the man asks, speaking in Chinese. Then reiterate in the continuing dialogue in various ways that they're speaking in Chinese.

19) What was the first fandom you wrote for?

X-Men Comic Book fandom. I was reading a lot of Remy/Rogue fic back in 1996-1997, and one day I was like, you know what? This person did a pretty good job on this story. It's not great, but it's pretty good, and if they can have the guts to put it out there, then I can do it, too.

20) What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

This is a tough question. I don't love all my children equally, but I love them all a lot in different ways lol

Remembering favorite is different than which one I think is BEST... Homework Verse is probably my favorite. I was learning so much about writing then, I was really growing, and discovering, and pushing my limits. Those characters lived and breathed in me, I swear they spoke through me from some alternate universe. They feel so REAL to me. There's so much of what I've learned in life in that story, like really, big, life changing ideas and understandings that happened to me that I put into that story. There's so much of me in that story, and yet there's so much of THEM, too. It's their story, but it's also mine. It's raw and not entirely perfect and it feels like home to me.

--

So that's it, that's my piece. I feel like EVERYONE has been tagged since it took me 3 days to have time to do this, but I'm basically tagging any of you writers out there who haven't done this yet!

[tomhollandnet]

Vanity Fair: How have you been doing this past year? I mean, what has life been like in these COVID times for you?

Tom Holland: I got to say, Richard, I’ve been very fortunate during these difficult times. For me, my career hasn’t really halted. I’ve been lucky enough that I’ve been able to continue working. I made a film called Uncharted with Mark Wahlberg last year. I’m currently shooting Spider-Man 3 at the moment. So I’ve been very lucky.

It put a pause for a while, and I went home and we locked down in London, and I had a few months where I was sort of kicking about the house. But all in all, I’ve had a great time. And I’ve really enjoyed the jobs I’ve been working on. And I definitely recognize how lucky I am to be working, when so few people are at the moment [and are] really, really having a hard time. So I’ve been very lucky, and I’ve been enjoying myself.

And now you have this whole different kind of work, promoting Cherry and kind of getting the word out about that movie. I have a bunch of questions about this big epic. But I’m curious in terms of, what’s the origin story? Obviously you’ve worked with the Russo brothers pretty intensely for the past few years. Was it just kind of an automatic collaboration?

Yeah, basically as simple as that, really. I mean, I was working with Joe and Anthony on Avengers: Endgame. And Joe took me aside and said, “We’re making this film. We want you to be the lead. It’s a small, independent film.” He didn’t tell me what it was about. He just sort of told me that he wants me to be in it. And I was honestly just touched that they wanted to work with me. Of all the people in the business they could work with, I just felt really honored that they’d chosen me. And then when I finally got the chance to read the script, I was even more blown away, because I finally recognized the opportunity that had been handed to me.

As a young actor, you’re always looking for ways to challenge yourself. You’re looking for ways to push yourself you haven’t been in the past. And I think we could probably agree that this film achieves both of those goals. So as soon as I read the script and I knew that it was the Russos making it, it was a no-brainer, and it was a very definite yes.

It definitely does feel, I mean, in terms of its content and its style, even, like a big change for you. Do you at all view this as your first grown-up role, or your first adult role? I mean, is that how you kind of look at a project, or is it more just, this specific thing interests you?

That’s an interesting question. It depends what you mean by an adult role, but my agents and I are very strategic in choosing our moments, and trying to be really clever with when we decide to take that next step into becoming an adult and making films about real people and about real problems and getting messages across. And we did that a little bit with Devil All the Time, the Antonio Campos movie. That was kind of the first step, but Cherry is the big step. And that was why it was so daunting, because I haven’t done a film like this before. And I was nervous to see how the world would see me in that light and as that character. Obviously, the film hasn’t come out yet, but I am very apprehensive as to see how people respond to my work in this film.

There’s a lot of intense stuff in Cherry. What was, to your mind, when you read the script, the most daunting thing? What were you most scared to shoot?

I think it was probably the emotional aspect of the film. Physically, I knew I could do it. I knew I’d be able to do that. But emotionally, I’m very lucky and lived a very charmed life, and I’ve been an actor since I was 11. So I haven’t really had to deal with much trauma, or sorrow, or grief, or things like that. So I was worried that I wasn’t going to be able to maintain that level of emotion for a four-month period. That is where the Russos became so valuable, because they were my safety net. That’s where Ciara Bravo was so valuable. She was my partner in crime, and she’s absolutely astonishing in the film and a great friend. And I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have had her to help me throughout this process. So I think for me, yeah, the thing I was most daunted about was maintaining that level of emotion.

What kind of prep did you do? I think actors who are very good actors, they can fall into the trap of when they’re supposed to be acting high or on drugs or something, there can be a sort of showiness to that, as sort of theater. And something that’s really, I think, immersive and bracing about Cherry is that there’s none of that. It feels entirely credible when these characters are in these lows of their lives. Did you talk to soldiers, addicts, anything like that, in prepping to shoot?

Yes, absolutely. We did loads and loads of research. I mean, I must’ve sat down with 30 different people who are all veterans, who are all medics, all suffering from PTSD and substance abuse. And for me, the more information I could get about a problem that I knew so little about to begin with, the better. I worked with nurses. We worked with someone who was running a rehab clinic in Cleveland, and he became our consultant and would be there on set with us every day and would show us how to shoot someone up and show us how to cook heroin, or explain to us the feeling of what would it be like if you mixed a bit of crack with heroin.

There’s a scene in the film where I go to rob a bank, and I shoot up in the car just before. And he said to us that day, “You would never do that before you go into rob a bank.” But if you put a bit of crack in there, it would totally change your attitude and your physical prowess, I guess. So having people on set like that to kind of guide us through the process was so valuable.

I think I’m a bit older than you, and these characters are about my age. I was in college in the early 2000s, and 9/11 was my first week of college. And people in my hometown, well, my neighborhood in Boston, a lot of them were lost to opioids, either killed, or went to prison. And you’re younger, but did you see any parallels between this kind of half-generation removed and your age, the Generation Z? Do you think that a lot of these things are still kind of ongoing?

Yeah. I mean, arguably the opioid epidemic is worse now. And it’s affecting far more people. I think one of my favorite things that Joe said, Joe Russo, is the opening of the film is these swooping shots over Cleveland. We fly over Cleveland, and we see thousands and thousands of houses. And that is to convey to the audience that, yes, we’re telling the story of two people, but really, we’re telling the story of millions of people. This is one story amongst millions. And I really hope that this film can shed the light on a problem that’s invisible, and a problem that is mostly fought in the shadows. People are very ashamed to talk about their addictions and that sort of thing. So I hope that this will shed light on that problem, and people will change their attitude towards people who are suffering from addiction.

It almost feels surprising that there hasn’t been something about this very epic subject matter. What were the conversations like on set about the film’s style? I mean, it is pretty stylized. Did you feel that in the shooting, or is that kind of all added after the fact?

Absolutely. I mean, the Russos changed their way of shooting time and time again while we’re making this film, from different lenses they were using, from different styles of lighting, from different performance techniques. They would frame us sometimes very differently throughout the film. So we were very much aware of the different type of chapters we were trying to make.

Was that a real head-shaving moment in the film?

Yes. Well, we’d already shaved my head, because we were shooting prior. But what we did is we had about a week’s worth of work where we just allowed it to grow, and then he shaved it down to a one. But I actually loved having a shaved head. It was so nice. It was so refreshing to wake up, get out of bed and realize that your hair was already done. It was one of the only luxuries of playing this character.

Yeah. I let my hair get too long during quarantine, and then said, “Screw it. I’ll get the shortest haircut I’ve gotten in years.” And it is liberating. You just wake up, and you’re done.

Totally.

You’re on set, filming something else now, in very changed times from when I think Cherry was filmed. What is it like being back on a set? I mean, I’m not asking for spoilers or anything, don’t worry, but just in terms of the actual day-to-day of filming a movie with all these new restrictions, how has that experience been?

I mean, I love being on set. It’s where I feel most at home. It’s obviously limiting, with COVID, and we’re having to be very careful and very responsible in the way that we behave. There’s certain protocols that we have to follow, to make sure that we maintain this level of safety for the cast and crew. It can be a little tedious at times, but it’s so necessary. And we all recognize how lucky we are to be working right now. So it’s a necessity that we don’t mind taking on because, as I said, we’re also lucky to be here.

[writingblock101]

Test Day (Jason Todd x Reader)

This means I have officially written a quarantine fic. What a weird time to be alive. I also hit 500 followers so thank you for that! 

Request for anon: Fluff #7 “Oh, would you look at that? There’s nowhere to sit besides my lap.” with Jason

Word Count: 1,900

Tags: @idkmanicantenglish

When your alarm went off, you wanted nothing more than to turn it off and curl up against Jason’s warm chest and pretend you didn’t hear anything. But instead, you had to be a diligent student who actually studies so you quickly shut off your alarm and try to creep out of bed, but Jason already heard your alarm go off. 

“No,” He mumbles, wrapping his arms around you tightly. 

You sigh, leaning back against Jason for a moment, relaxing in his hold. 

“I need to study,” You tell him. 

“Five more minutes,” He mumbles into your neck. “It’s too early to study.” 

“Any time before 11:30 is too early for you,” You remind him. “My test is today, I’ve got to cram.” 

Jason grumbles, tightening his arms around your waist. 

“Jase, come on,” You start trying to uselessly wiggle out of his grip. “I’ve been procrastinating this whole week.” 

He sighs but releases his arms. You climb out of bed, but turn and pull the blankets over Jason’s chest again and kiss his head. 

“Go back to sleep,” You tell him. 

He waves you off. 

“Yeah, go study for your test,” He grumbles. 

You can’t help but giggle at his grumpiness but quietly creep out of the room and brew a cup of coffee. Once setting yourself up at your kitchen counter, you begin the long haul of learning as much organic chemistry as possible. While you weren’t completely helpless, the quarantine forced your classes online and completely destroyed your motivation. You’d been lightly studying throughout the week, but today was grind day. 

An hour later, Jason emerges from your bedroom, still looking sleepy and a little grumpy.

“Nice sweatshirt,” He comments, pressing a kiss to the side of your head then pours himself a cup of coffee. 

You grin, tugging on the strings of Jason’s hoodie that you’re currently wearing. It’s warm, big, and smells like Jason. Honestly, at this point, it’s providing more emotional support than physical comfort. 

“I’m surprised you’re up,” You comment, glancing at the clock over your oven which reads: 8:09 AM. 

Normally, you and Jason didn’t even acknowledge the outside world until after 10 o’clock unless absolutely necessary. 

“I don’t like sleeping in an empty bed,” He admits to his coffee. “I don’t sleep as well.” 

Your heart flutters at the comment, but you ruin the moment when you look back at the practice test open on your screen. Oh, you’re still here. You squint your eyes at the old tests as if it deeply offended you (which is has by existing, thank you very much). 

“Did you eat breakfast?” Jason asks. 

“Not yet.” 

Jason nods then opens the fridge and begins making eggs while you keep cracking away at old tests. He wordlessly sets a plate of food down next to you, kisses the top of your head, then sits on the couch to quietly watch TV and enjoy his breakfast. 

A few hours pass as you keep doing practice problems and drawing figures and formulas on your little whiteboard. You’re starting to feel better about the test, but you’re still unsure. Knowing your professor, he’ll ask a question that you have all the information to solve, but no idea how to do it. Your stomach grumbles and you decide you should probably eat lunch. 

When you get stressed or “in the zone”, your brain tends to shut off your appetite. You’d never noticed it until you started living with Jason and he pointed it out after watching you study for a final. Luckily, he’s helped you become more aware of it. 

Speaking of Jason, he disappeared back to the bedroom about an hour ago, probably to read a book or do research for his next mission with the Outlaws. As a thank you for making breakfast, you fix him a sandwich along with your own and walk it back to the bedroom. 

You find him on the floor, one of his dresser drawers open, surrounded by shirts. He brightens when he sees you walk in with food. 

“How’s studying going?” He greets. 

You shrug, handing him his plate. 

“It’s going. I’m starting to feel better about it, but there’s still a lot to go. What are you doing?” 

“Cleaning out some stuff,” Jason looks at his various piles. “I never really built my wardrobe back up after I came back, so a lot of this stuff doesn’t fit me.” 

“Are you going to order some new stuff online?” 

Jason frowns. 

“Maybe? I don’t like buying clothes online.” 

“You don’t like buying clothes period,” You correct with a smile. 

“After all this is over,” Jason vaguely gestures to the air. “I’ll be more than willing to go clothes shopping for at least the first week when quarantine ends, so I’ve gotta make it count.” 

You chuckle. 

“We’ll go on a shopping spree,” You promise. “Well, I gotta keep studying--” 

“Wait, why don’t you eat lunch with me?” Jason asks. “Take a break?” 

“This is me taking a break,” You gesture to him. “I gotta keep going.” 

“Come on, babe, you’ve been studying since 7 this morning. You can afford to stop and eat lunch.” 

“The longer I wait to get back to it, the harder it’s going to be to start,” You shrug. “Sorry, Jase.” 

He frowns, watching you leave the room to keep studying. 

Two hours later, you’re still going strong-- strong as in you’re still looking at the material, but you keep getting the same style question wrong and you can’t figure out why. 

“Okay, an amino has one nitrogen, so you add one, but an amide has one site of unsaturation so you subtract two which then makes it 2n+1,” You scan the possible formulas. “None of these answers have odd numbers,” You groan then flip through your notes, knowing you’re not going to find the answer because you’ve been looking for it for the past fifteen minutes and still found nothing. 

Jason emerges from the bedroom again. 

“Hey, babe, how’s it going?” He asks, getting something to drink out of the fridge. 

“I can’t figure out how to do these stupid problems,” You groan. “I could do them on the last test, but now I can’t do them with amino or amide groups because Dr. Meades never told us the corrected formula.” 

Jason frowns, and rounds the counter, looking at the various scribbles and cross-outs on your whiteboard and open notebook. 

“Maybe you should take a break,” He suggests, rubbing your back. “You’ve been going at it now,” Jason pauses to look at the clock. “For roughly seven hours.” 

“But my test is in three hours. I’ve gotten figure out how to do these problems because there’s always five of them on the test and if I mess up one, I’m going to mess up two,” Your jaw tightens as you feel the burn of tears building in your eyes. 

Oh, hell no. Organic chemistry is NOT going to make me cry. While you care about your studies, it’s not enough to make you cry. You take a deep breath, blinking a few times to force back the tears of frustration. 

“Some fresh eyes might help. Just take a few minutes to shut your brain off,” Jason tries to urge you but you brush him off. 

“I’m okay, I promise. I’m going to see if I can find some example problems,” You start typing on your laptop again, scrounging old tests. 

Jason frowns but leaves you to work. 

Two hours later, you get up to go to the bathroom. You stare at the blue walls of your bathroom feeling drained and exhausted. You hate organic chemistry and you hate online classes. Why are you even taking this class?! It’s stupid! 

After washing your hands, you glance at the clock on Jason’s nightstand-- one hour until you take your test. Sighing heavily, you walk back out to the kitchen to continue studying, only to find every seat at the kitchen counter and small dining table have been taken by a varying amount of objects including but not limited to: a tall stack of folded laundry, a pile of what you were guessing to be Jason’s shirt rejects, a stack of plates from the cupboard, and Jason’s ammunition bag that he takes on missions. 

You stare at the chairs then glance over at Jason only to notice he stacked your textbooks and DVD collection on the loveseat while he is pointedly sprawled across the other couch. He casually reads his book, pretending to not notice you. 

“Hey, Jason?” You ask. 

He hums in response. 

“What is this?” 

Jason looks around the room then sets his book down, placing a hand on his cheek in mock surprise. 

“Oh, would you look at that? There’s nowhere to sit besides my lap.” 

He opens his arms invitingly and you can’t help but laugh. 

“Jason--” You start to say, not moving toward him, despite the tempting offer. 

“No,” He cuts you off. “You have been studying all day. You need to take a break and you’re going to take it now.” 

“My test is in an hour.” 

“Honestly, if you don’t know it by now, you’re not going to know it for the test,” Jason tells you bluntly. “You’re going to be fine. Please, just take a break,” He looks at you pleadingly. 

You glance back toward your laptop which you notice Jason had shut then sigh and walk over to Jason, letting him pull you down onto the couch with him. You land between his legs with his arms wrapped tightly around you. 

“You’re going to do great,” He promises. 

You snort. 

“It’s organic chemistry, “great” does not exist in its vocabulary.” 

“Shut up, it’s going to be great.” 

“I got a 66 on the last test,” You remind him. 

Jason pauses for a moment. 

“You’re going to pass,” He fixes, making you laugh. 

“There we go. That’s the realistic prediction I need to hear,” You grin, tucking your chin under his head. “I just want the semester to be over.” 

“Yeah, I know doll,” He kisses the top of your head. “But you can’t keep trying to do your classes like this.” 

“Yeah, I know,” You sigh, playing with his fingers. 

You two stay like that until it’s time for you to log on and take your test. And what do you know? Jason was right, you did pass. 

“Told you,” Jason grins, kissing your cheek as he looks over your shoulder at the screen. 

“Yeah, yeah,” You roll your eyes, closing your laptop. 

“I’m just saying that you should listen to me more,” He points out. 

“Oh really?” 

“Uh-huh, cause clearly, I’m a genius.” 

“A genius you say?” You turn your chair so you’re facing Jason. 

“Yep,” He grins, stepping between your legs while your arms go around his neck. “I could put Tim out of business.” 

“I’m sure,” You roll your eyes. “You’re very humble about it too.” 

“Oh of course,” Jason flips his hair dramatically. “Not only am I a genius, but I’m also smoking hot.” 

You start laughing, shaking your head. 

“You’re a dork,” You grin, kissing Jason. 

“Yeah, but I’m your dork,” He murmurs against your lips. 

“Damn right,” You grin. 

The quarantine sucks, but at least you have a good company. 

I had a test on Tuesday, can y’all tell? (I did pass) 

[mosh-4]

listen (ii)

harry styles imagine mini series

part ii to listen - harry has a soulmate (soulmate au)

series masterlist

a year had passed since you had last seen Harry. you followed him around on social media, catching up on what he was doing from various fan accounts. the music between the two of you had been quiet. it occasionally would become louder, and then, you would find out through social media that he was spotted traveling. it made sense.

over the past year, you filled your time with your research. for a 25 year old, you were quite accomplished in your work with your research team. you were conducting a second study on neuro-criminology. you spent most of your days analyzing brain scans of criminals while you listened to the gentle melodies brought to you by the one and only Harry Styles.

--

over the year, Harry finished his tour and went onto traveling around the world writing music with friends. he had just gotten back to malibu after traveling for months. he liked being home. he could hear you much louder now.

he hadn’t stopped thinking about his soulmate ever since his show in (city near your hometown). was that her that night? he would never know. it upset him to think about it. he wondered if things would have been different if he had actually got to talk to you that night. would you be with him now? would you be the last person he saw before he fell asleep? would he wake up every morning to see you? would you drink coffee with him on saturday mornings? would you tell him about your day? would you share your life with him?

it clouded his mind. thoughts of what could be. it reflected in his music. that was clear to everyone he worked with. there was a sadness that it held. he was left all alone while the people around him lived happily with their soulmates. part of him envied them.

how could he miss someone he’s never met?

--

             “oh my god. do you play?”

you laughed. your friends were very drunk. you had all traveled to some fancy resort in florida for a weekend summer road trip. it was nice to get to see anyone since you had all been so busy with your careers.

             “(y/n/n),” Eva slurred as she slid next to you on the piano bench. “will you please play for us?”

you rolled your eyes.

             “for you,” you paused turning to look at her. “anything, but you have to buy me another drink.”

Kath laughed as her soulmate threw her arm around her. Eva got up from the bench before taking a drink order from everyone. you were definitely the fifth wheel on this trip.

             “just play us something, you dork,” Kath shouted drunkenly.

you stretched your fingers across the piano keys and began to play a melody that your dad had taught you.

--

Harry was in the shower when he heard it. he thought a shower would help him think. he was having some writer’s block.

that’s when he heard you. he heard your melody. he immediately jumped out of the shower. he had to write it down.

in a towel, he sat at his piano. the melody was simple so he was able to figure it out. he grabbed his phone and began to record a voice memo as he sung along with the melody.

             “i’m in my bed. and, you’re not here…”

--

in october, Harry released ‘lights up’. he smiled to himself as he heard you listen to it over and over again.

unknown to him, you would listen to it as you did your work every day. your co-workers would laugh at you as you bopped and mouthed the words to the song whenever it came on.

Harry couldn’t wait until he would hear you listen to the album.

--

in december, Kath got an odd job in L.A. the music company she worked for wanted her to help work a private event that would be open to a limited audience. she had to help keep the event under wraps while it was going on.

when she arrived, she was shocked to find out who this event was for.

the one and only Harry Styles.

it was his spotify secret album listening party. she knew his album would drop soon. (y/n) had warned her about it.

Kath never expected to hand yellow raincoats out to fans. she never expected to ride in a shuttle with the fans. she felt like she was experiencing the whole night like she was one of them. the group was led to a house where the really party was going to begin. Kath was supposed to help everyone keep a low profile. no one was allowed to tweet about it until it was over so she had to keep an eye on everyone.

             “hey,” one of the caterers pulled her out of her thoughts. “do you mind running this backstage? one of the special guests has requested it, and i’m swamped out here.”

the caterer was holding what seemed to be a glass of water. it was such an odd request for her, but she agreed anyway.

             “sure.”

Kath took the glass from the caterer and made her way to the backstage. a puppet show was to be given in a half hour on this stage. this water was probably for one of the puppeteers.

             “is that for me?” a voice stopped her.

she turned to look at them. it was Harry. she had to take a deep breath to calm herself down.

             “did you ask for a water?” she asked him.

             “i did. i talked to one of the caterers,” he started.

Kath handed the water to him.

             “it’s for you then. sorry, the caterers got swamped.”

             “thanks,” he said taking the glass from her. “how’s it going out there?”

Kath nodded to him with a small smile.

             “it’s going really well. it’s super cool. everyone is loving all the detail and stuff.”

              “that’s good. i’m glad,” he said before taking a drink. he cleared his throat before speaking again. “are you with spotify?”

             “sort of,” Kath said leaning against the door frame of the back room he was in. “i work with a separate music company that works as a subset of spotify.”

Harry nodded.

             “cool, cool, and i didn’t catch your name.”

             “it’s Kath,” she said extending her hand to his.

he shook it.

             “nice to meet you, Kath. i’m Harry.”

he took another drink as Kath broke the silence.

             “can i ask you something?” Kath started. “i know you don’t know me, and i really don’t know you, but would it be okay if i ask you something?”

Harry raised an eyebrow before setting his glass down.

             “of course,” he responded. “it’s okay.”

Kath took a breath. she had to know. she had to know for you.

             “have you found your soulmate yet?”

Harry was quiet. he knew where this was going. this happened all the time with fans and other prying people. everyone wants into his personal life. in some cases, honestly most cases, people claimed to be his soulmate all the time, and he felt like this was just another one of those times. nevertheless, he began the conversation.  

             “no,” he sighed. “i haven’t yet.”

he was waiting for her to give the big ‘i’m your soulmate and i’ve always loved you’ speech.

             “this is going to sound kinda odd.”

great. he knew where this was going. he just wanted her to get it over with.

             “but, i think my best friend is your soulmate,” she said.

she cringed at how ridiculous she sounded.

Harry was confused. why would she advocate for her friend like this.

             “oh,” he started. “is she-uh-is she here?”

             “oh god, no,” Kath said interrupting him. “she doesn’t even know that i’m working this. she doesn’t even know that i would even have the chance to talk to you. she’s states away. she’s working tonight-”

             “oh.”

             “yeah.”

             “why do you think she’s my soulmate?” he quietly asked.

Kath took a breath.

             “i think i started believing that when you were on your second tour with one direction. our other best friend and i would listen to you guys all the time. it drove her crazy. she said that it sounded too familiar and that she could hear it all the time.”

             “hear it all the time?”

             “yeah. she could hear your music all the time. we later found out that the songs she heard followed your exact set list of your take me home tour. it was the same with all of your other tours, too. she heard it every night that you guys performed, and don’t get me started about the concerts we went to. she always had this horrible ringing in her ears, except the last time we were at your show. she was fine. i think it had something to do with being in the front row, you know?”

Harry rubbed his face. he couldn’t believe it. Kath continued to ramble.

             “plus, she always knew when you would be releasing new music and stuff-”

             “excuse me,” another voice spoke out.

Harry and Kath turned to them.

             “Mr. Styles, you are needed on stage in two minutes.”

Harry immediately stood up.

             “uh,” he stammered. “thank you. i’ll be right there,” he said to the worker before turning his attention back to Kath. “do you mind if we continue this later? like, can we go somewhere and talk about this later tonight? i really want to hear more about your friend.”

             “of course,” Kath nodded to him. “i’ll give you my number.”

             “great. thank you.”

after getting her number, he walked onto stage and began to puppeteer a puppet of himself. he then went on to introduce his album to his fans.

--

you sat at home as you watched some Netflix. your puppy curled up next to you on your couch as you sipped on a small glass of wine. it had been a long day, and you needed to relax.

you paused your show as you heard music in your head. it was the new album.

you smiled as you curled up further in your blankets to listen.

--

Kath watched as Harry danced with fans to his new music until the next song came on. the beginning melody made her blood run cold. it was (y/n)’s melody.

how would he know that?

Harry turned to glance at Kath who was standing in one of the corners of the room as the song played. she had a shocked look on her face as she looked around frantically until her eyes landed on him. they locked eyes. her eyes bugged out of her head as he gave her a little smile.

her reaction confirmed it enough for him. she recognized the melody. she knew who actually wrote it.

Kath’s eyes watered as she listened to the lyrics of the song. it was so heart breaking to know how much pain he was in, and it hurt her even more know that that was her best friend’s favorite piano melody. they longed for each other.

Harry watched as she wiped a tear away. his heart swelled in his chest before he turned his attention back to his fans.

--

Kath received a text a little after 11 pm.

             unknown: hi. it’s harry. would you still like to meet?

Kath quickly typed a response as she unlocked her car.

             kath: absolutely

she saved his number into her phone.

             styles: great. i’ll send you an address.

Kath followed her gps until she arrived at a small café. she quickly parked her car before making her way inside. Harry waved to her from one of the back tables.

             “hi,” she waved back before taking a seat.

             “thanks for meeting with me,” he said. “can i get you something?”

             “no thanks. i’m okay for now.”

             “okay,” he said gripping his cup. it looked like tea. “so should we get into then? do you have any questions for me?”

             “i do actually,” Kath started leaning forward. “where did you get that melody for ‘falling’?”

             “oh,” he said leaning back in his chair. “why do you ask?”

             “because that’s (y/n/n)’s song. she plays it all the time. it’s one of her party tricks.”

             “and (y/n/n) is your best friend? the one you think is m’ soulmate?”

             “yeah, her name is (y/n),” Kath said before redirecting the conversation. “so how did you hear that melody?”

             “my soulmate.”

Kath nodded before leaning back in her chair. Harry watched her with a calculated glance.

             “can i ask you a question, now?” Harry asked.

             “sure.”

             “what is the significance of the ‘gummybear song’?”

Kath let out a boisterous laugh. Harry hated that song growing up, but now it helped him figure out his soulmate. it was the one question that stumped everyone who seriously claimed to be his soulmate.

             “that song,” Kath laughed. “it is the bane of her existence. she hates it.”

she wasn’t giving him the response he wanted.

             “why?” he asked calculatedly. he wasn’t going to give her any hints or allude to what he knew about it.  

             “she had to listen to it every morning for 6 years straight until she started bringing her ipod to school. one of the little girls in her carpool was obsessed with it. she cried and cried if she didn’t hear it on the way to school,” Kath laughed. “she came to school every morning wishing that she had jumped out of the moving car and walked. now, why do you ask about that?”

Harry smiled to himself. he got her.

             “i had to listen to it too.”

             “oh nice,” she said. “i’m sorry you had to endure that. it was miserable for her too.”

             “so you mention you went to a couple of my concerts?”

             “oh yeah. we near (the city near your hometown) so we went to all of those shows. the concert for your solo tour was crazy.”

Harry thought for a moment until it clicked. that was the show he saw her. the show he wished he stopped so that he could get to know her. the show that he lost the mystery girl from the front row.

             “i think i remember that. you said you were in the front row, right?”

             “yeah, you gave a water bottle to her. Eva and i-oh Eva is our other friend-we freaked out when you did that because of course (y/n) had some suspicion that you were her soulmate. she didn’t want to admit it to everyone. her family thought she was crazy.”

Harry sat in shock as he thought back to that night. the girl he gave the water to. the girl he watched the entire show. the girl he fell in love with, but never spoke to.

             “so that was her?” he asked Kath quietly.

             “mmhm,” Kath nodded. “do you want to test to see if it’s her?”

that hadn’t crossed his mind, but he definitely should. he didn’t really know if he could trust Kath. he had just met her after all.

             “here, i’ll play you a song, and you can text her from my phone and ask her what her soulmate is listening to,” Kath said placing her phone on the table between them.

             “okay,” he nodded as he watched Kath scroll through her music until she landed on a song.

             “ready?”

             “yeah, let’s do it.”

Kath hit play as the sound of the ‘gummybear song’ filled their ears.

             “text her,” Kath said opening your messages.

Harry texted her the question, and the two waited until she responded.

--

it was 1 am when you received a text from Kath.

             kath: what’s your soulmate listening to?

the annoying repetitive chorus of the ‘gummybear song’ filled your head. you rolled your eyes in frustration as you typed back.

--

Kath’s phone lit up from a notification from you.

             you: the mother effing gummybear song

Harry’s eyes bugged out of his head. he couldn’t believe it.

             “oh my god,” he choked out.

he found her. he was shocked. it took him almost 26 years to find you. he rubbed his hands over his eyes thinking that this all might go away. he must have read it wrong. he reread your text.

             “so that means?” Kath asked him.

she wanted him to say it.

             “she’s my soulmate.”

Kath squealed in excitement.

             “i knew it,” she shouted throwing her hands up in the air.

the two stayed in the café until it closed talking about you, your family, your job, your friends. he wanted to know everything about you.

his soulmate had a name. her name was (y/n).

--

it was thursday, one day until the album release. Harry sat in another café waiting for Kath to arrive. they agreed to meet again. he watched as Kath entered the café and went to the counter to order herself something.

he smiled as he heard you listening to some old rock music. he wondered what you could be doing right now. were you working? were you getting breakfast? he didn’t know, but he wanted to. he wanted to know you. his heart could burst with how much he wanted to be with you.

             “hey,” Kath drew him out his thoughts as she took a seat at the table.

             “hey,” he greeted her with a smile.

             “so i was thinking we could call (y/n/n), and i could introduce you to her,” Kath suggested as she placed her bag down on the chair next to her.

             “really?” Harry asked before taking a drink of his tea.

             “yeah. i don’t think she is super busy today.”

             “right. okay. what does she do again?”

             “she’s a neuroscientist working with a research group right now.”

             “right.”

             “so do we want to call her?” Kath asked raising her eyebrow.

Harry was stalling. he was nervous.

             “yeah. sure. let’s do it,” he nodded. “should we go somewhere a little more-” he stopped to look around the café. people slyly watched the two of them. “-secluded?”

             “sure,” Kath said as she eyed the people watching them. “do you have a place in mind?”

minutes later, Harry and Kath sat in his range rover in a secluded parking garage. Kath’s phone rang waiting for you to pick up.

--

you sat at your desk going over paperwork as you ate your lunch. your phone began to ring. you had an incoming call from Kath. you smiled as you answered your phone.

             “hey, Kath. what’s up?”

--

Harry smiled as he heard her voice. Kath had her phone on speaker.

             “hey, (y/n),” she greeted. “are you busy?”

             “nah. i’m on my lunch break. what’s up?”

             “not much. i’m just sitting here with your soulmate.”

--

you sat frozen. you had stopped breathing. why would she joke about this?

             “Kath, you know that’s not funny,” you sighed.

you were too tired for this.

--

             “i’m not joking,” Kath defended. “i’m being deadly serious. he’s sitting right next to me.”

             “and how do you now that for sure?”

Harry didn’t blame you for being skeptical. he was at first too.

             “he was the one who was listening to the ‘gummybear song’ last night when i texted you.”

             “Kath.” they heard you pause and sigh. “i don’t know…”

             “c’mon,” Kath started. “what if we facetime you? you can see for yourself.”

--

you rubbed a hand over your face and sighed once more. you didn’t know what to do.

             “i guess,” you agreed. “facetime me.”

you waited as the call turned into a facetime. Kath popped up on your screen. you could tell that she was in a car or something similar.

             “(y/n/n),” Kath cheered as she saw you appear on her screen.

             “hey,” you gave her a wave as you propped your phone up against your laptop.

             “say hi to your soulmate.”

you watched the screen as it turned to the person next to Kath.

it was the one and only, Harry Styles.

--

Harry laughed as he watched your jaw drop. he shyly smiled at you. you were beautiful.

             “hi,” he said giving you a little wave.

             “hi,” you said while copying his wave.

             “y’all are too cute,” Kath interrupted. “awkward, but still cute.”

             “heyyyy.” “heyyyy.”

Kath laughed at your both as you tried to defend yourselves.

--

you locked eyes with him.

             “how do you know for sure?” you asked him.

you had to be sure. you weren’t going to let yourself get your hopes up if he turned out not to be your soulmate. you had your suspicions, but you had no way to really know. it could have all been coincidental. you couldn’t just trust yourself with this. you weren’t going to let yourself get crushed like that.

             “you can test me if you want,” he shrugged.

             “okay,” you said reaching for your headphones.

you plugged your headphones into your laptop and pulled up your playlist. you placed your headphones over your ears and hit shuffle.

--

Harry heard the soft melody of the song play through his head.

             “work song, hozier,” he said confidently.

             “mkay. how about this one?”

he heard a new song play.

             “jackie and wilson, hozier.”

             “okay, and this one?”

that’s when he heard it. the song she played for him a couple years ago. it was his song. the song that he wrote.

             “i love you, alex and sierra.”

--

you sat at your desk with tears in your eyes. you had a hand clasped over your mouth in disbelief.

             “well, (y/n/n), how’d he do?” Kath called over the phone.

you cleared your throat willing away the tears.

             “3 for 3. he got them all correct.”

             “so that means?” Kath asked motioning for you to say it.

             “you’re my soulmate,” you said as you stared into his eyes.

--

Harry smiled at you with tears welling in his eyes. he was so happy that he found you. you knew him now.

you both spent the next hour talking about anything and everything.

             “when can i come visit you?” he asked.

             “i’m free until christmas, you know, beside going to work.”

             “great, okay,” he started.

Harry scrolled through his calendar. as he did so, it became very apparent to him that he was fully booked from now until after new year’s.

Kath saw his scrolling of endless events until it stopped in mid-january.

             “you know what?” she started. “december is just so busy with the holidays and stuff. why don’t you both just meet up sometime in january?”

             “uhhhh…okay. that works, i guess.”

she sent him a wink, and he gave her a grateful nod.

--

january it was. you had to wait until january to actually meet your soulmate. it was frustrating. you talked to him on the phone every day. you texted, occasionally facetimed. he was so close now, yet still so far. it was infuriating.

you had to bear christmas by yourself as you watched your cousins laugh and celebrate with their soulmates. you were the only recipient of multiple backhanded comments from your aunts that lived out of town. ‘why haven’t you met your soulmate yet, (y/n)?’ ‘you’re getting to old to be single, (y/n).’ ‘why don’t you just settle down with some nice boy, (y/n)? you don’t need a soulmate, (y/n).’

you were growing tired of the nagging. you just wanted to see him. you wanted to spend christmas with him. would he sit by the fire with you? would he laugh with your cousins? would he drink coffee and eat cookies with your grandparents? would he share his life with you?

you missed him. absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

--

on january 14, Harry sat in an airport. a blizzard had delayed his flight. he brushed his hand through his hair. it was frustrating. he was a three-hour flight away from you, and all that way keeping him away was this stupid blizzard. it didn’t help that everyone was obsessing over the fact that it was the biggest snowstorm they had ever seen. he was growing tired of it. he just wanted to see you.

his flight was delayed until 8 pm so he had five more hours until his flight. he was growing incessantly bored. he downloaded about 7 pointless games on his phone just to pass the time. one of them was getting quite addicting, but nonetheless, his attention fell elsewhere. he scrolled through his instagram instead. he found pictures of you and your family from the past holiday posted on your page. he smiled at a picture of you holding a baby, which must have been one of your relative’s. there was another picture of you standing with your friends at a bar. you were wearing the ugliest christmas sweater he had ever seen as you smiled posing with Kath and who he assumed to be your other friend Eva.

his heart longed for you even more. he decided to take his mind off you. he put his headphones on before listening to his playlist. at some point, he must have fallen asleep because he was awoken by something bumping into his leg.

             “trevor,” a voice called.

Harry opened his eyes to find a little boy, who had to be no older than two, holding onto his leg.

             “i’m so sorry,” a woman said reaching to pick up the child. “he likes to run sometimes. i’m sorry that he disturbed you.”

             “hey, no. it’s no problem,” he said straightening up in his seat.

             “are you on the next flight to (your hometown)?” she asked as she bounced the little boy in her arms. “if you don’t mind me asking?”

             “no, i don’t mind. yeah, i’m on the next flight,” he answered. “are you?”

             “yeah, heading home after visiting family. you?”

             “i’m going to see m’ soulmate,” he smiled.

the woman smiled and nodded.

             “that is a special thing.”

he nodded in agreement.

             “it is,” he said. “it really is.”

their attention was then torn from each other when their gate announced that it was boarding early.

             “i better get back to my husband. again, i’m sorry if he bothered you. have a safe trip,” the woman nodded.

Harry nodded to her as he bid her a safe trip as well.

after boarding the plane, he soon found himself buckled into his seat as the plane ascended into the air. he slipped his headphones on as he closed his eyes.

3 more hours until he could be with her.

--

around 11:30, Harry found himself in an uber driving to the address Kath gave him. he watched as the snow fell upon the town. everything seemed so quiet and peaceful. the trees were covered in a gentle frost, and the local shops had their christmas lights shining brightly in the snow.

he soon arrived at a small house in a small neighborhood just outside of the city. he got out of the car and thanked his driver before grabbing his bags. he stepped onto the sidewalk and admired the home. white christmas lights gently framed the house, and he could see a small christmas tree in the front window. unlike most people, she kept her decorations up even after the holiday. he admired that.

--

you were sitting on the couch when your dog started barking out the front window. rolling your eyes at your overdramatic dog, you paused your show and went to inspect what she was barking at. it was almost midnight, and for her to be barking at anything this late made you weary.

that’s when you saw it. well, him not it. you stared at the man standing on the sidewalk outside your house at 11:56 pm on a tuesday night.

this was no stranger though. you quickly ran to your front door tripping over the blanket you had wrapped around yourself with your dog following right behind you. she barked ferociously at your sudden outburst, and you threw open your door.

you stood there on your porch stunned.

was this all a dream?

--

Harry stood at the bottom of your porch with a gentle smile on his face. you were wrapped up in a large thick blanket. it practically swallowed you up. the snow fell gently around him.

             “hi.”

             “hi.”

he watched as you combed a hand through your hair. you looked away from him placing a hand over your mouth.

             “are-are you real?” you asked tilting your head to the side.

your eyes prickled with tears, and Harry saw you squint your eyes at him. unknown to him, you were trying to will away your tears.

             “i’m real, love,” he smiled with tears in his own eyes.

             “okay,” you choked out as you launched yourself off the porch into his arms.

.

.

hope you enjoyed! - mosh

taglist: 

@winchesterwife27 

[purplesurveys]

1167

surveys by emptyliketheocean

Brand of cigarettes you smoke? I don’t smoke cigarettes, or at least I never buy my own packs.

Should you be trusted with a person's life? Idk, that’s for them to decide.

How's your life in general? I lost two relatives from Covid this week alone. So, not very dandy. Still in shock. Waiting for it to all finally crash down so I can grieve and mourn properly. Scared of more losses and hoping there aren’t any more to come.

Have you ever put lipstick on anything besides lips? I don’t wear makeup, but when my friends have put some on me in the past there were a couple of times they dabbed lipsticks on my cheeks.

Have you ever picked a fight you knew you would lose? Metaphorically speaking, yeah. I don’t get into physical fights.

What's something you think is crazy about the world? The concept of centibillionaires and the fact that there are multiple ones who exist.

What do you think about religion? I think the only upside to it is how it has helped save lives for some and how it serves as a guide for others to spread good in the world. Like if your religion has given you purpose and strength, that’s great. But ultimately, I’m not a fan and I most definitely don’t think religion is necessary to be a kind person. In fact, I think it works the opposite...most of the homophobes, misogynists, pro-lifers, and sexists I know are from the Christian faith. Cringe.

What about when religion causes violence? Well I definitely have a bone to pick with this lol. The only reason the Philippines is predominantly Catholic today is precisely that when the Spanish arrived, they used violence to forcingly convert Filipinos - who were then living in peace with their own culture, government, and religion system - to Christianity. And now we’re ‘celebrating’ 500 years of Christianity in the country this year, which was always so off to me because why are we celebrating colonization lol????????????? But anyway, yeah, that is another issue I have with religion. I want nothing to do with it.

What color is one of your hats? I have an off-white summer hat but I have literally never used it in public because it’s huge and it’s 100% going to draw attention.

How do you feel? My shoulders are sore and I’m feeling slightly irritated because of them. I’m also starting to get a bit hungry.

Have you ever gotten in trouble for laughing? A few times.

Something that makes you smile: Free food.

What do you think about surveys with lyrics as the title? Surveys with random lyrics usually end up being the ones with interesting questions, so I actually am more likely to check it out.

Do you have any clothes with small holes in them? Maybe one or two.

Do you think the way you live is really okay? I think I am already quite fortunate with what I have considering what others don’t, so it’s definitely been a while since I have complained about anything during this whole Covid situation, living-situation-wise. Even though we’ve lost a few things, like having to sell one of our cars and with my mom being retrenched, we still get by and have a roof over our heads with working water and electricity and a stocked pantry; and I make enough money to hand a portion of it to my parents twice a month and still treat myself with things I want. There is nothing to bitch about.

Do you know anyone other than a cop who has ever owned a cop car? No.

Have you ever felt fire? No, but electricity, yes. I’ve been shocked before but that was also my own fault lol.

Have you ever seen a person light themselves on fire? Jesus no.

Have you ever used crutches when you didn't need them? Yes. I used to horse around with Katreen’s crutches when she injured her legs in 3rd grade, when she wasn’t using them.

If you had 15 beers you would be: Dead.

Are you as bored as I am? No, I’m good.

Why are you taking this survey? I feel like it.

What would you say if a person asked you why your face was so messed up? “How do you want me to react?” Easiest way to shut a person up and passive aggressively tell them to watch what they say.

What would you do if your first love asked you back out? Be very confused and ask why the sudden decision.

What's your home life like? It’s very routine, due to having to stay at home. I work a 9–6 on weekdays, follow that up with dinner, and use a few hours to scroll through social media until it’s time to sleep. Then on weekends I use the free time to recharge by taking surveys and watch videos of whoever and whatever I’m interested in at the moment. Just waiting for all of this to blow over so I can finally do the things I’m meant to be doing.

Do you have a talent that you don't do anything with? I don’t write a lot for myself these days. I do write frequently for work, which is great - press releases, event scripts, all your PR essentials - but I don’t get stimulated enough since everything is written in the same tone. I really should pick up a notebook and pen soon...

Do you know anyone that is a lesbian? Yes. Not that she’s in my life anymore.

What do you think about your mom? I think she tries her best. But I wish she were more emotionally in touch. And that she starts being politically correct.

What do you think about your dad? He’s worked hard and continues to, and I appreciate all his efforts; and I can’t wait to be able to buy him all the things he wants.

Which parent do you respect the most? Who do you think? Hahahaha.

Is there anything someone could lie to you about that you couldn't forgive? I suppose, like cheating.

--

Who do you love unconditionally? My two best friends.

Pick an element. Oooookay? Zirconium.

Have you ever wasted a great amount of time and felt horrible about it? It always feels that way on weekends these days because there’s only so much that can be done while stuck at home because of Covid. But I do try to justify it by telling myself I already work too hard during weekdays so it’s ok to bum around at home and do nothing, because using the time to recharge is still productive. 

What is something that's been said about you that isn't true? My mom has said a lot of hurtful things directed towards me that I internalized for a very long time, but I’ve since gained the strength to no longer let those words get to me.

Who do you want with you when you're scared? Anyone who can be calm while I’m not.

Know any bands that not many people have heard of? Many of the punk bands I listen to are virtually unknown on this side of the planet.

Do you have any advice for people in general? Don’t be racist.

What's something you like to do in the summer? Complain about the heat.

What's something you like to do in the winter? We don’t get winter here, but I’ve always thought I would love snow if I ever saw it, and that I would probably make a lot of snow angels and play snowball fights.

What do you think about marijuana? I don’t have a strong opinion on it as it’s still a very taboo topic where I’m from and I’ve also been lacking on research. I do know people who use it for recreational purposes and I’ve never been against that.

Do you wish anyone death? Just politicians.

Have you ever felt like you weren't getting anywhere with a person? Yes, it felt that way for a long time. I just was too afraid of confrontation to do anything about it.

What do you feel for the person you first fell in love with? Resentment and a whole lot of nothing.

Where are you? I’m in my bedroom.

Are you waiting for something? Hmm, not necessarily.

Who is someone you just think has a hole in their brain? People who still think Covid is a hoax.

A candy you like? Gummy anything.

Does any part of your body hurt at the moment? My shoulders and neck, hence the neck pillow I’ve since put on while taking this.

Explain how you got the last bruise you had. I honestly have no clue. I currently have a big black circle on my right thigh that just suddenly showed up, and I can’t recall a time I must’ve hit it somewhere.

Are you tired? A little bit because I got up as soon as I woke up, but I wanted to maximize my free time this Sunday before another work week starts. Last Friday would be our last non-working holiday in a while and we’re not getting another one until August. :(

Explain how you got a scar you have. A distant cousin hurled a glass jar towards me when I was 3, during a family reunion. He initially went for my eye because I guess he wanted to blind me, but he missed and ended up hitting my eyebrow instead. My mom has since banned him from talking to me ever since, and I don’t think I’ve ever even seen him since the incident.

Have you ever owned anything illegal? Illegal copies of movies I’ve torrented, sure.

What do you dream about? The most random scenarios. I’ll get the occasional nightmare, but those only happen when I’m going through a period of depression.

Do you ever daydream? Not anymore these days.

How do you feel about vegetarians? I don’t really think anything of them. There are days I’ll particularly feel for them because there aren’t a lot of restaurants with good vegetarian options where I live, though.

A fruit you like: Avocado, in very limited options.

Have you ever seen a person eat a bug? Only bugs that were already prepared a certain way and meant to be eaten; but I’ve never seen a person that just picked up a bug off the ground and went straight to chewing. I imagine I would freak out and gag.

Something you worry about too much: How much is in my bank account.

How do you feel about smoking? I hate how the smell clings to your clothes and all your things when you’ve been smoking or when you’ve been around people who smoke. I also wince when people pose with their cigarettes just to look badass and cool; but as someone who’s since picked up vaping as a habit, my once-intense hatred for smoking and smokers has since changed lol.

If you had to move out of state, where would you go? I would move to a big city. Somewhere noisier and with a lot of lights and foot traffic and general activity.

What is your favorite vampire-related movie? The Twilight Saga hahahahahaha

Is there a person you keep coming back to? My best friends, I guess?

If you're listening to music...Give me a lyric from the song you're listening to. I’m not listening to anything.

[notruercolors]

Lady Liberty

NOTICE: This is original content therefore owned by me. Any reposting or otherwise stealing this content will be reported and possible legal repercussions. 

June 10, 1913

England

 Under Siobhan’s feet clicked on the stone bridge. She had been trying to sneak up on her friend but her shoes gave her away. She huffed under her breath. She hated the small heel on her shoes. It always made loud noises when she ran. She didn’t understand why her mother was so determined to have her wear dresses and fancy shoes. She’d rather run around in her brother’s overalls or shorts barefoot. Apparently, it isn’t ladylike; ladylike was becoming her least favorite word.

  “These shoes are horrible. I hate them,” huffed Siobhan as she sat on the ledge of the stone bridge where her friend was fishing from. He kept his eyes on the water and chewed on his lip as he casted the line back into. Siobhan rolled her eyes with annoyance.

“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never worn shoes like that,” chuckled Siobhan’s friend. Siobhan had an urge to push him into the water. She could hear mother’s voice That’s not very ladylike. Little girls should be polite, sweet, and most importantly silent. She kicked another stone with the toe of her shoe.

 “Lewis you are honestly the most annoying person in the world,” grumbled Siobhan. Lewis raised an eyebrow but then the fishing line tugged and commanded his attention. He reeled in the line to find a fish, it was the tiniest thing Siobhan had ever seen. She could hold back her laughter. Lewis scowled as he dropped the fish back into the river.

 Siobhan’s smile slowly faded as she had yet to tell Lewis the big news, life changing news. She had waited until a week before she left to even mention it. Her parents had spoken of it for two years. She kept hoping they’d change their mind. She looked down at the water below her feet.  She admired the fact the river would be there day today, tomorrow and the day after that. She wished she could as be like the river. Always in the same predictable place.

 “What’s that face for?” asked Louis as he re-casted after catching a metal can. Siobhan took a deep breath. She had to tell him. It was bad enough she had waited this long.

           “I’m leaving,” blurted Siobhan. Louis curved his eyebrows trying to understand what she meant. He didn’t understand the meaning of what she had said.

 “What do you mean?” Louis asked. Siobhan could feel her heart pounding. Her mind was racing with realistic and unrealistic outcomes. She wanted to escape but she didn’t have anywhere to go even if she had she knew she had to tell Louis.

  “I-I-I’m moving,” stuttered Siobhan. Louis stared down into the river. He kept silently for a long time. He knew he had to let himself fully process it before saying anything. If he didn’t he would say something stupid, again.

“Where?” asked Louis. He refused to look up from the river. He couldn’t look straight at her to admit he was losing his best friend.

           “America,” replied Siobhan. Even though, Louis was looking down at the water she could see his face fall. In all the ten years of her life this twisting and turning feeling in her stomach was the worse. It was really happening, wasn’t it? She was going to leave to move to a

  Louis didn’t speak for several minutes. His nails dug into his palms as he put down the fishing rod. Catching fish suddenly wasn’t that important anymore.

“How long?” Louis asked.

 “How long?” she repeated. She knew deep down what they meant but she didn’t want to say the truth.

 “You know what I mean,” grumbled Louis.

“Dad first mentioned it two years ago during Christmas. I heard him talking to my mum one night after I was supposed to be in bed,” she said. The furrowing of Louis’s eyes, scrunching of his nose and the way the tip of his ears turns slightly pink she knew he was angry. Her eyes felt moist and stung.

 “Two years….and you didn’t tell me until now. I-I-I can’t believe it,” stuttered Louis venom in his voice. Just the tone was enough to petrify Siobhan let alone the fact his blue eyes were stormy with anger and his expression hardened much like her father’s when he was angry.

“I’m sorry. I---just hoped it wasn’t true,” replied Siobhan. Her heart was pounding. She felt cold yet clammy. Her world was spinning faster than it ever seemed possible.

 “Sorry! Oh, I’m sorry I kept the fact I’m moving to a different country from my best friend! Sorry doesn’t cut it!” snapped Louis. He couldn’t hold back his temper. Siobhan swung back over the side of the bridge trying to escape the tension. Louis picked up his fishing pole line and pursed after her.

“This is why I could tell you,” whispered Siobhan. Every word he said felt like the time her brother had punched her in the gut. It hurt so much.

 “No, it’s because you are a coward! All you care about anymore is being ladylike! You are not my friend! You—you are just a stupid girl!” yelled Louis his face turning red from lack of breathing.

“You don’t mean that Louis,” said Siobhan choking on her words a bit. Her lips trembled. Part of her wanted to punch him, another part run away, and the last part wanted to cry.

 “I do too,” snarled Louis. She broke down into tears running away fast as she could in the ridiculous shoes her mum had put on her. Siobhan couldn’t take it anymore and broke down into sobs.

Louis sat on the bridge until the sun had slid slightly down in the sky. His words sunk in. He leapt to his feed. “How could I say that? She’s annoying, yes. But she isn’t a coward. And she is my best friend.” He mumbled to himself. He started to run towards her house.

 He ran to her house and knocked on her door. No one answered so he peaked into the windows. It was dark inside. He remembered Siobhan’s mum saying she was going to the store, so she locked the door when they left this morning. Where did she go then? What if she fell into a creek and gotten hurt? Her brothers were surely going to kill him if he didn’t find her. He took off into the woods looking for her.

The sun was hanging low in the sky when he returned to her house. He was certain he was going to have to tell her mother that he had lost their only daughter. They were certainly going to hang him from her toes from a tree or some other horrible punishment. He heard laughter from behind the yard. He crept behind the bushes to see Siobhan and her older brothers playing hide-n-seek in the backyard. He stood there a few minutes but slowly turned around careful to not make a noise. He rather not be beaten up by her brothers for making her cry and he had been a terrible friend. He kicked the dirt up in the road as he walked home.

________________________________________________________________

This was a random write meaning no set plot or character development. I’ve always loved historical fiction. I grew away from the genre over time as it limited the topics I could touch upon based on cultural limitations of society at the set period. This is still my favorite historical fiction piece I’ve written. It should be noticed that Siobhan is Welsh but has been in England most of her life if that is not completely clear while Louis has lived in England his entire life. In the orginal Siobhan used a mix of Welsh and English but I edited out the Welsh recently because it took away from the story and came from goggle translate, as I’m not Welsh nor do I know the language, so I didn’t trust what it actually was. I’d seriously would love to talk to some Welsh people for some research for this story one day. Reading it again stirred up some ideas. I would only pick up this story again if I was able to find some great research sources to make me feel like I can do the topics I chose for this story justice. Anyways, I wanted to share this because I haven’t posted any writing since I took my fanfics down. It was too the point I created only extreme AU’s and at that point isn’t it just an original story using existing names. I know some ex-fanfic writers have to feel the same way.

[3starsquinn]

Study Mary || Connor & Orion

Timing: Weekend of 10/17, right before Rio’s birthday

Setting: The Scribrary

Parties: Rio and @connorspiracy

Summary: Rio gets the chance to show off the Scribrary to Connor so they can try to research Bloody Mary. Their search yields minimal results.

Orion has grown accustomed to this. Apparently, the friends that he had been making around town were all just involved in the supernatural as he was. Rio had lists of things he needed to look into at the Scribrary, why not had a ghost of legend come to life to his queue. He pulled into a parking lot on the campus where he was supposed to meet Connor and sat in his car until Connor got there. “Hey!” He waved, “So the building is in the woods behind the campus. Cars can’t get there anymore, so it’s a bit of a walk. The place isn’t exactly… modern. I’ve been trying to clean the place out but it’s really outdated. You ready?”

Connor had several Go Pros on him, along with his regular camera and phone. He didn’t know exactly how much Rio wanted him to film, if anything, but he was curious about this place, and was interested to get it on camera. People made documentaries about crappy things all the time. Why should this be any different? “What, no state of the art streaming set ups in every room?” Connor shook his head. “You should be ashamed,” he teased, giving Rio a wink. “Alright. Lead the way then. Blanche and Adam mentioned you’re kind of the book bloke, so I figured if anyone can find something on Bloody Mary, it’d be you.” He followed wherever Rio led, interested to see the place where Rio housed his books. “Isn’t it a pain in the arse coming here all the time? You ever thought about digitalising it?” 

Orion led the way through the woods. The terrain wasn’t perfect, but it had been worn down from the myriad of trips that Rio and some others had taken to the place. Although he had been more open and willing to show the place to people he still kept access pretty limited. As it was, he had only actually shown a few people how to get into the building. Everyone else needed an escort. “Ha ha. Very funny. I haven’t really gotten the chance to set up internet yet. It’d be a bit difficult to explain that to Spectrum.” Regardless, he appreciated the compliments from Blanche and Adam. He wasn’t sure he believed the kind words, but it was still flattering nonetheless. “I’m pretty used to the hike now, actually. Before I moved in with Winston I sort of lived here for a bit. Unofficially.” Rio’s favorite part about showing the building off to people was getting to the empty clearing where it sat shrouded by magic. “Actually Winston and I are working on digitizing it! They’re building a website and everything and I’m working on moving things over but… well you’ll see for yourself. It’s a lot of stuff to switch over.” Rio moved towards the rotting tree, using the same method his uncle had shown him so many years ago to make the building visible. Once he was done it was as if an invisible fog began to lift as the building slowly became visible. “So uh- The building looks old but I promise it’s safe. The library is a little cleaner than the rest of the space.”

Connor followed, grateful he hadn’t worn any of his nicer clothes for this trip. “This town and its bloody forests,” he joked, grunting as a branch snagged on his jeans. “How’d you even find this place?” It didn’t seem like the sort of place you’d stumble on by accident. Which was probably a good thing, because having all this information out in the woods stuck him as pretty risky. “Winston’s your room mate, yeah? I think Blanche or someone mentioned they’re into computers and gaming and stuff.” He watched as Rio found the way in, raising an impressed eyebrow. “Damn, should’ve filmed this part so I can come back later without you,” he teased. “I’m not scared of rotting old buildings, mate. Look who you’re talking to.” He turned on the GoPro to take some shots, and pulled out his phone too for good measure. He’d probably set up a steady-cam when they were settled in. “Are there ghosts here? It seems haunted as fuck,” he snickered, but followed Rio inside, wide-eyed and impressed. “Damn, I could spend hours exploring this place.” 

“Well this building used to belong to a group of people called the Scribes,” Orion began explaining, though he didn’t want to focus too much on them and bore Connor to sleep, “They used to keep records of the supernatural. My uncle wanted to be one of them. He showed me this place when I was a kid.” Rio was actually surprised that Connor hadn’t met Winston yet given the way the town usually worked, “Yeah! I moved in with them and our roommate Ricky a few months ago. Winston’s a genius with all the computer stuff, way better than me.” Probably not the best resume seller when Connor had just officially hired him to help film and edit, but Rio tended to be painfully honest. Especially when it came to complimenting Winston. “Ha! Okay, yeah fair point. You are alarmingly unafraid of sketchy architecture.” Rio opened the front doors and made his way down the hallways, winding back through the building and towards the library. “Your guess is as good as mine, honestly. I’ve never seen but, but I guess I wouldn’t. You might like to hear that this place has a ton of rooms that are locked and I still can’t get open.”

Rio wiggled his eyebrows and grinned, clearly something that might pique Connor’s curiosity. At the end of the hallway, Rio pushed the big door open into the massive library, book shelves going two more levels and sprawling from floor to ceiling. “Yeah it’s uh- pretty crazy right? This is why I’m still working on digitizing” Rio shrugged but found one of the old work desks and jumped up on it, pulling his laptop free from his bag and opening it up. “But I do have the place mostly organized. My guess is we should start in the section about ghosts and spirits?”

"Oh yeah. I think I've heard of 'em. Used to safeguard supernatural knowledge, have big old archives and stuff. I guess that makes sense." Connor knew about ghosts, demons and the varying types of supernatural to the extent that was expected for someone who made his living filming videos about it, but when they made their way to the massive library, he was struck with the realisation that no matter how much he tried to learn, there'd always be more to know. The fact both excited and intimidated him. "This is sick, mate," he said, rubbing his hands together with enthusiasm as he scoured the shelves. "Right, where’s that section then? We should start with Bloody Mary, yeah? And then maybe possessions and polters, see if we can find something that'll help Nadia and my mate." 

Orion liked seeing people’s reactions to the place. It reminded him of his own reaction when his uncle had brought him here so many years ago. Rio had always been fascinated with books and learning, so his excitement wasn’t surprising. But he liked seeing how his friends reacted to the space. “Yeah, it’s pretty crazy.” Rio laughed, pointing over one of the tables, “I keep a hoard of snacks under the table over there. I got soda and junk food if you want to grab anything.” Rio would swoop by and grab something once he figured out exactly where they would start looking. Though he was far from ever completing his goal of completely digitizing the place, Rio had gotten the place fairly organized and had mostly made sure that things had stayed organized. To the point that Rio asked when people borrowed things they just returned them on the tables so Rio could be in charge of putting them back.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and there will be an entire journal labelled Bloody Mary. But until then I think we will just have to scour the section on spirits and hope for the best.” Orion wished he had something more concrete, but for now he could only hop up from the table and lead Connor towards the ghost section, taking a small detour to grab a drink before doing so. The ghost section stayed on the first floor, mostly because it was one of the more common ones he had pulled information for. Side effects of his friendship with Blanche no doubt. “Pull anything that looks like it might be useful and we can start going through them, okay? Some of the old Scribes kept journals and I’ll grab them just in case something like this has appended before.” 

"I love places like this," Connor enthused, hands running along the spines of the dusty books on the shelves. He could see why Rio and Winston were having a tough job digitalizing everything. "It's like a supernatural treasure trove. Do they have anything else cool? Old artefacts or anything?" His inner supernatural geek bubbled to the surface for a few moments before he remembered why they were here, and he gave a shrug. "Something cool to look into after we sent Bloody Mary Bloody Packing," he said with a goofy smile. "It can't all be doom and gloom." Connor had a knack for finding the silver lining in dark situations. He liked to think it was part of what made him fun to watch. 

"Ghosts and spirits and ghoulies... but first, snacks." He went to where Rio had pointed, a bag of gummy bears and Lays potato chips. He'd just have to wipe his hands before touching the books. He munched on Rio's offerings as he perused the shelves, doing his best to contain his curiosity and only dig out what they actually needed. "Here's one on Malevolent Spirits. Maybe she's in there." He placed it on the pile, along with whatever Rio had pulled. "Ghosts of Scottish Legend? Sure, why not." Within a few minutes, they had quite the pile to get started on. 

“Me too, obviously. I still have a whole makeshift bedroom set up just in case I stay here too late.” Orion laughed, happy to have another person to share the knowledge with. “This place has a ton of stuff that I still don’t know about, honestly. I’ve always just been too afraid to explore the place by myself. Plus some of the doors are magically sealed. I can’t get them open.” Rio hadn’t put much thought into trying to get them open, honestly. He was curious by nature, but that curiosity wasn’t nearly as strong as Rio’s fear of danger. Way too many things could be behind that door.

Rio didn’t waste any time once they had built their stack of books. Rio wasn’t much fun once he dove into research. He had an ability to completely block out the world while he was skimming the pages. Rio flipped through pages quickly, scanning for keywords that might give any inclination that Bloody Mary had shown up before. Bonus points if there’s a way to get rid of her. Or them. Did evil spirits identify with a certain gender? Rio wasn’t willing to interrupt his reading to entertain the question. He finally perked up from his spot once he had find something interesting, mindlessly waving his hand and smacking against the table top to grab Connor’s attention. “Hey. Look at this. This chapter talks about a female spirit that anyone can see. Not just mediums or undead. The description sounds eerily like how I would describe Bloody Mary.” He handed the book of to Connor to take a look at and see for himself.

"A bedroom?" Connor teased, giving him a playfully flirtatious snicker. "My book collection brings all the boys to the yard?" Luckily, Connor wasn't actually trying to get laid, so he didn't really care if his jokes were shit. "Damn. I'd make it a challenge to open those doors." A task for another time, definitely, but one Connor certainly wouldn't forget. "How'd you come to know about this place and be the designated book-lord, anyway?" he asked, still snacking as they worked through pages, and pages, and more pages. 

Interest piqued, hopes perhaps just a little bit higher than they'd been before coming in, Connor leaned in to get a closer look at the passage Rio was talking about. "Did they give her a name? I've looked up 'Bloody Mary' in a bunch of these indexes and most of them so far take me to passages that say she's just fictional." 

“Ha ha. Hilarious.” Orion rolled his eyes at Connor but laughed. He handled the shameless flirting surprisingly well, considering how he used to be whenever someone pretty so much as spoke to him, let alone flirt. But Rio supposed a lot of that anxiety was taken away once he had started dating Winston. “It’s more like a community room anyways. It let my Scribes have a place to crash if they were deep into research. The place has a bunch of bunk beds.” Something from Connor’s tone of voice told him that the room research would be coming up at another, less chaotic time. “My uncle knew about the Scribes. He was training to be one right before the Scribes bit the dust. He brought me here when I was a kid. I think I might have been the only one in town that even knew the place was here until I started to show it to people.”

“Um, give me a minute” Orion pulled the book back towards him to scan through further, flipping pages until he finally found the word, “A theory. Right here, he says that it has a lot of similarities to modern day myths about Bloody Mary. I don’t think this guy ever confirmed anything though.” Rio flipped a few more pages, “Looks like he did some sort of study. Tried to gather a bunch of people to see who could see bloody mary.” Rio passed the book off to Connor again.

Connor edged closer to Rio to get a good look at the book. “Lemme see that…” He replaced whatever book he’d been nose-deep in with the one Rio had been reading. “You know, I think this might be her.” He read through the rest of the page, his eyes zeroing in on something down near the bottom. “Oh, mate…” He pointed to the passage, reading it out loud. “The spirit targeted only those who had taken human life; those who were innocent were spared.” He flipped through to the next page, which was so heavily water damage that it was barely more than a blur. “Great. The part about how they got rid of her is gone.” 

Though it hardly helped many others in this town, Orion breathed a sigh of relief that Bloody Mary only targeted murderers. It was a bit of a relief to know that he didn’t have to worry about the ghost trying to kill him. Whatever confidence he had dropped when he realized that the same couldn’t be side for the majority of his friend group. He knew for sure that Winston, Blanche and Nell had been involved in the resurrection of Nell’s sister. He also knew exactly what they had done in order to bring her back. And Rio wasn’t naive enough to believe that Adam had never taken a life. The anxiety spiked again and Rio forced it down by focusing instead on Connor’s words. “Great. Water damage. Of course.” Rio sighed and slid off of the table to grab his laptop. “I’m going to see if there’s anything else in here by the same Scribe that wrote that. If we can’t find anything then maybe… try to find some sort of spellcaster? If this thing was summoned, maybe someone knows ways to reverse it.”

Connor’s throat was dry, his cheeks warm as the feeling of concern overcame him. “Does that mean those high school kids who’d summoned her killed someone?” he asked, mostly to himself. “Or maybe the rule doesn’t apply if you summon her. Like, you sort of take that risk upon yourself by bringing her into the world.” He pulled out his phone to take a photo of the pages, sending them along to Nell, Adam, Jasmine and Blanche. “That’s a good idea.” Unlike Rio, he knew nothing of any potential murderers among his friends, but his interaction with Adam down at the river stuck out like a sore thumb in his mind. Adam didn’t know if he’d killed that girl or not. He’d been too drunk to remember. It had been an accident, but maybe Mary wouldn’t see it that way. “We really need to find a way to get rid of her.”

“Good question. I’ve heard summoning stuff is dangerous anyways. Maybe they did something wrong and that’s how they ended up dead. Either way it’s sad.” Orion couldn’t imagine willingly being part of something like that back when he was in high school. But he didn’t know the context of their situation. Regardless, now Rio and Connor and whoever else was around were stuck with cleaning up the mess. “Well, I can tell it’s going to be a long night. Maybe I can talk Blanche into picking up a pizza and meeting us here. Turn this into a study party? I have lots of energy drinks. Plus beds if you want to crash part way through the night!” Maybe they’d get lucky and come across something useful.

[blackjack-15]

When the Boys Come Marchin’ Home — Thoughts on: The Creature of Kapu Cave (CRE)

Previous Metas: SCK/SCK2, STFD, MHM, TRT, FIN, SSH, DOG, CAR, DDI, SHA, CUR, CLK, TRN, DAN

Hello and welcome to a Nancy Drew meta series! 30 metas, 30 Nancy Drew Games that I’m comfortable with doing meta about. Hot takes, cold takes, and just Takes will abound, but one thing’s for sure: they’ll all be longer than I mean them to be.

Each meta will have different distinct sections: an Introduction, an exploration of the Title, an explanation of the Mystery, a run-through of the Suspects. Then, I’ll tackle some of my favorite and least favorite things about the game, and finish it off with ideas on how to improve it.

If any game requires an extra section or two, they’ll be listed in the paragraph above, along with links to previous metas.

These metas are not spoiler free, though I’ll list any games/media that they might spoil here: CRE; mentions of ASH’s mechanics; TMB.

The Intro:

Oh, thank Heaven, onto a game that’s fun to talk about!

Creature of Kapu Cave probably holds the title of ‘Most Maligned Nancy Drew Game’, at least in my mind; suffice it to say that while it has its fans, it’s most certainly not a fan-favorite. I’m not afraid of standing against the grain slightly here – not after my CUR meta, which is way more divisive than this one is gonna be — and saying that CRE is not only one of my favorite games (for mostly subjective reasons) but also just a solid, if not a stand-out, game in the series, far more deserving of praise than the title before or the title after it.

Yeah, next is ICE, and there’s no game more deserving to start out our “Odd Games” section than it. Yeesh. But that mess is still a couple thousand words away, so let’s dive right in.

The last of the Jetsetting Games, CRE cranks it up to full force by depositing Nancy straight into the beaches and jungles of Hawai’i, keeping the indoor locations to a bare minimum and even then limiting them to: a research facility dominated by plants, tents, caves, and a hilarious kitschy tiki shack.

Everywhere Nancy goes, HER is eager to point out that she’s on Hawai’i, and it’s honestly refreshing after being cooped up inside for all of CUR, most of TRN (my love for that game aside), and most of DAN. CLK had a mix of outdoor (mini-golf, tunnels kind of, car rides/chases, the barn) and indoor (the Inn, the Bank, Topham’s house) locations, but CRE blows it out of the water with just how much we see of Hawai'i, and how determined the devs were to keep Nancy — and thus, the player — out in nature.

CRE is a game where Nancy’s pre-professional-detective presence is actually fully justified; as a recent (and bougie) high school grad, she’s working an internship for a Dr. Quigley Kim, an etymologist studying the norsobeta oderata moth on the island and their odd shift in ~mating habits~.

In my good Christian game, no less.

While Quigley is far more interested in the norsobeta oderata moth going hot ‘n’ heavy than in her assistant, Nancy still gets a good education in frass, bugs, and what dealing with ‘professionals’ and academics is actually like. I can even handwave the ‘bugs’ idea rather than the humanities/history that Nancy is normally drawn towards, because Nancy’s the type of person to want to expand her horizons.

The Hardy Boys are, as ever, a bright spot in an already pretty sunny game. The switching between them and Nancy is a fun thing that the games haven’t really done before — at least not with this level of immersion and control — and it really makes CRE stand out as a game.

Finally, a point which should work in CRE’s favor: its detractors often point to the game as feeling rushed without a proper storyline. While I believe this negative statement to be (and hope to prove it so) mostly untrue, there is a persistent rumor that went around at the time of CRE’s release (and is still noted on the Wikia today) that CRE’s production was greatly rushed in favor of working on the new interface that would come with ICE.

While there’s no definite proof of this rumor, it does fit with HER’s general business practices (even before Pinch-A-Penny Milliken became CEO), and should probably be kept in mind while considering the outside forces surrounding CRE.

The Title:

Even detractors of this game have to admit that its title is pretty awesome, especially for this point in the Nancy Drew series (we’re about halfway, for those not keeping track at home, both through the series (#15/33) and through this meta series (#15/30, as this series will skip MED/SEA/MID). While the book it’s incredibly loosely based off of is called Mystery on Maui, The Creature of Kapu Cave is way more evocative as a title; the location still tells us that we’re in Hawai’i, the “Cave” addition tells us we’ll be spending most of our time outside, and “Creature” means a prowling presence stalking Nancy throughout the game.

In other words, it has all the elements to promise a really fun (and, at this point, unique) entry into the series.

While it’s not exactly part of the title, it doesn’t really fit anywhere else, so I’m going to take the time here to mention how wonderful the cover art is. It’s cohesive, well-segmented, and shows off the focal point (the entrance to the cave), the reel-in for the audience (the Hardy Boys) and the lurking danger (the volcano/lava). It works so well in tandem with the title that I feel like it’s worth pointing out here.

Now, onto what the title promises us:

The Mystery:

Nancy arrives bright-eyed and ready to work upon landing on Hawai’i, arriving at a place called “Big Island Mike’s Immersion Excursions” to get the keys to the car that she needs to drive to get to her professor — Dr. Quigley Kim — and to their base camp. The titular Big Island Mike, having other ideas, assigns her to complete a necklace for him in order to get the keys, saying that she’ll see that she’d rather do his Immersion Excursion than work for Quigley at camp.

Which, like, fair point. I’ll take Mike over Quigley any day.

Nancy has barely gotten to the beach (and received a call from Sir-Not-Appearing-In-This-Game and Marginal Boyfriend Ned) when she spots the Hardy boys, looking decidedly worse for the wear than in TRN (why is Frank’s hair so light???? WHAT DID THEY DO TO JOE’S FACE???) and promptly hangs up while Ned is still confused and asking questions.

I see we have another strong entry for Nancy’s “Girlfriend of the Year” nomination.

The three sleuths trade new information and Nancy finds the sea shells that she needs to make the ‘beginner’ necklace and get the keys from a reluctant Mike. Nancy sets off, car-having and confident, over the bridge and into the jungle – but not before hearing about Kāne ‘Ōkala, the ‘rough-skinned’ man, and his recent reappearance that can only spell bad news for the island.

The forces of Mystery – not to mention the tropical weather — seem to be dead-set against Nancy, as a bad storm and an equally bad man-made (or Creature-made, rather) disaster not only prevent Nancy from getting back to the beach and to safety, but also prevent her from meeting Quigley at their Base Camp, which has been ripped to pieces by someone — or something. Nancy has to survive the jungle, find Quigley, figure out what has sent Kāne ‘Ōkala on a rampage across the island — and, the most deadly task of all: sort frass.

Meanwhile, appearing on the very same beach where Nancy “Whirlwind” Drew talked to them are the Hardy Boys, undercover as vacationers at Big Island Mike’s Immersion Excursions to scope out his daughter Pua for their client Richard Aikens, as Pua is potentially being used for an ad campaign and they need to ensure that she doesn’t have any skeletons in the closet.

In other words, they’re vacationing with a side of snooping, all expenses paid. Jerks.

Because the writer is relatively competent, these two plotlines of course intersect, as Nancy finds out dirt behind the Mapus while Frank (and Joe, briefly, before he takes some hardwood to the head) finds the information Nancy needs for the titular cave, when he’s not busy making shell necklaces, trying out shave ice, and threatening random people via phone.

So because this game usually gets a lot of flak for its story, I thought — contrary to what I usually do in this section — I’d lay out the entire plot, point by point, so that it can be judged, rather than discarded based on some nebulous remembrance of its ‘nonsensicalness’.

We begin, pre-game, with disgruntled ex-pineapple grower Mike Mapu opening up his idea for a tourism business focusing on island living while the Hilihili Research Facility, headed by the CEO of Aikens Biotech, Richard Aikens, opens its doors as well. The connection between the two? The land officially granted to the Hilihili, it turns out, would go to the Mapus if the Hilihili were to go out of business.

Mike then hatches a plan; spread the word of a local folktale figure – Kāne ‘Ōkala — that’s returned and is wreaking havoc all over the island because the Hilihili’s research is killing the pineapples. While each little upset and natural storm adds to Mike’s claims, he needs something bigger — proof that the local pineapple crop is actually suffering.

Enter a shipment of fritillated flag beetles. The beetles start munching on the pineapples and their natural predator, the norsobeta oderata moth, noting that its prey is more plentiful and well-fed than ever before, begin eating and mating in unheard of numbers, drawing the attention of Korean-American entomologist and noted quirk Quigley Kim. Quigley quickly notices that there’s a little too much work for her to be able to just observe all day, and puts out an ad for a research assistant — an ad that reaches all the way to River Heights, Illinois, where Nancy jumps on the opportunity and a plane.

At the same time, Richard Aikens hears about a champion surfer who lives not far from his research center in Hawai’i and wants to use her in advertisements – provided there are no skeletons in her closet, of course. In order to find any trouble before it could cost his company money, he turns to ATAC, who send out Frank and Joe Hardy to start digging.

And that’s where the game starts.

Honestly speaking, this is a fine story — not as strong as some games, stronger than other games. The biggest problem I could see someone having with it is that so much happens pre-game — but that’s true of a lot of Nancy Drew games (CAP being the obvious standout).

Faced with the prospect of the Hilihili continuing to survive, Mike keeps spreading rumors and tries to prevent Nancy from reaching Quigley, who’s the one person who could foil his plans, as she’s studying moths who feed on the very bugs who are, themselves, feeding on the local pineapple crop. Meanwhile, Malachi Craven, secretive head researcher at the Hilihili and noted grouch, thinks that Quigley is spying on him (which she is, but we’ll gloss over that) and goes to her camp to confront her, tearing the place up in a fit of rage when she’s not there.

Thus, when Nancy happens on the crime scene and discovers an audio tape of whatever attacked the camp (which is really funny to think about knowing that it was Craven), coupled with the fact that Quigley is missing, the rumors of Kāne ‘Ōkala build even higher than Mike could have anticipated.

From here on, the story is as laid out in the game — Nancy and the Hardy Boys snoop, finding secret tunnels and lava caves, documents that Big Island Mike definitely shouldn’t have, Joe gets whacked into a concussion by a wooden head — the usual mystery stuff. While there are holes to be poked, they’re no more extreme than most other Nancy Drew games, and less extreme than most games that get put in the same pile as CRE.

Now, onto the characters that make up this mystery!

The Suspects:

Starting us off with the sheer force of his personality is Mike Mapu, otherwise known as Big Island Mike. Provider of Big Island Bucks, lover of shave ice, purveyor of varying degrees of fish bait, and our Big Bad for this game, Mike is a larger-than-life figure who controls much of the game, keeping the Hardy Boys busy, trying to delay (or even prevent) Nancy from getting to Quigley, and keeping telltale documents closely guarded — yet in plain sight.

As our suspect, Mike is honestly a decent choice — I would say he and his daughter are the two best out of our cast — and I have no problem with his actions within the game leading up to the climax. While the climax itself could use some work, Mike’s actions and his plot to achieve his goals make sense, track well, and honestly his plan is pretty well thought through. Mike, unlike a lot of suspects, takes 3 people (4 if you count Pua’s help) to take him down, rather than the Lone Nancy, and I honestly think that says a lot about how well he pulled it off.

His daughter, Pua Mapu, is at the center of the Hardy Boys plotline. A champion surfer on the brink of achieving stardom through advertisements, Pua only cares about surfing and getting ready to surf, but helps out with her dad’s business anyway giving surfing lessons, paying excursioners for necklaces, and even gives out fishing tips.

Pua’s our resident non-entity suspect, but has a bit more of a place in the story given her relation to a far more interesting suspect and her being the lynchpin in the Hardy Boys story. She’s the reason that Mike is actually found out; Nancy by herself couldn’t have gotten where she would have needed to go in order to solve the mystery, and the Hilihili probably would have folded before she could have gotten proper documentation, let alone confronted Mike.

As a suspect? Pua would have been an interesting choice, honestly; the bulk of her dad’s decisions would have been shifted onto her, and he would have been her (moderately uneasy) support. Her motive is already present in the game; if her dad inherited land, that means money, and money means she wouldn’t have to waste her time giving out fake money for fish and necklaces and could instead focus on surfing 24/7. A simple motive for a game where so much happens before Nancy and the Hardy Boys get there, but a good motive nonetheless.

In a very real way, Richard Aikens’ absolutely dumb decision to use the daughter of the man who would inherit his land should he fail for his advertisements is what saved his research facility; had the Hardy Boys not been there to snoop around Pua, most of the plot wouldn’t have had the chance to happen.

Specific to Nancy’s storyline is Dr. Quigley Kim, an entomologist who’s far more on the “observation” than the “research” side of academia. Drawn to Hawai’i to observe the norsobeta oderata moth’s unusual mating season, she hires Nancy to…well do to basically everything except the actual observation, has a tendency to ramble, and hates the nasal sound of her voice in recordings (because the recordings render it truthfully).

Quigley is missing for the first bit of the game, and is usually the suspect the player will meet last, so she has a bit less time to be suspicious — not that she’s a prime suspect anyway. A bit kooky, a whole lot annoying, and absolutely wrapped up in her work, the only thing Quigley’s actually guilty of is spying on Craven (and she never gets in trouble for that anyway).

While I appreciate the slight nudge she gets into the Non-Culprits who do Bad Things that Nancy Discovers, Quigley’s probably the weakest member of the club, and thus doesn’t feel subversive enough to be actually interesting.

As a culprit, Quigley would have been an odd, weak choice; as an entomologist, she’d have no reason to destroy the local pineapple crop, as the pineapples are in the food chain that she’s studying. The game never really goes out of its way to make her seem overly suspicious, which I find a point in its favor, as no player was going to believe it anyway.

Rounding us out is Dr. Malachi Craven, a short-tempered plant scientist with horrible plant allergies — irony at its finest. Brilliant, irritable, and egotistical, Craven refuses to work anywhere that’s not at least halfway solar powered, has been thrown out of a conference of his peers for calling them “hopelessly deluded morons”, and is on non-speaking terms with his brother (though he has a soft spot for his niece).

Craven is the obvious suspect in this mystery, as his bad-tempered and secretive nature is what really gives the rumors of the Hilihili tampering with the local pineapple crop its running shoes. Had the lead scientist been anyone even a bit more amicable, Mike’s plan likely would have fallen through — but since Craven keeps so close a watch on the facility and is so harsh to deal with, he unknowingly plays right into the rumors.

As a suspect, he would have been rather pointless; there’s enough “evidence” against him that the authorities would have already gotten involved, found out he was harming the crop — for what reason, who knows — and stopped him before Quigley could even start her moth project. As it is, he works as a competent distraction, as well as a character who’s slightly more sympathetic than I think he’s really intended to be.

The Favorite:

The Hardy Boys, as is the case with nearly every game they’re in, deserve a spot in this section. Ignoring the design choices that were, all in all, definitely for the worse (2006 was an ugly year, kiddos), the Hardy Boys are light, bright, and entertaining. Playing as Joe and getting whacked by a wooden head is great; playing as Frank threatening the man who whacked his brother is great; all their little mannerisms that separate them from Nancy and each other are well done, and the voice acting is top-notch.

And the fact that they bring with them the chance to change the User Interface (UI) and make it a pretty color is fantastic too.

I actually think the swapping mechanism is done better here than in ASH (note that this is one of the only times you’ll hear me say anything negative against ASH), because you’re only swapping between Nancy and a Hardy Boy, not a possibility of four different people. It’s a lot easier to keep track of things when each character is limited to a certain area, though I do love that the different responses that suspects would have to different people in ASH is sort of beta-tested here in Pua’s different responses to Frank and Joe.

I love the location that was chosen for the game; Hawai’i is the spot of not a few Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew mysteries, and it was cool to have a game that works in both the jungle and the beaches, rather than choosing one over the other.

I might be in the minority, but I actually really love Dr. Craven as a character. He’s got a bit more depth than most suspects even at this point, and you can tell he loves his niece despite his relationship with his brother.

My favorite moment in the game is honestly Frank’s gangster moment when he calls up Johnny Kuto, ready to kill him for hurting his brother. It’s a great moment of voice acting, a great brotherly scene, and a whole lot of fun to see Frank (and Joe, but Frank in particular here) having the mettle be an Agent, regardless of his age.

My favorite puzzle probably ties between the shave ice logic puzzle (I’m always here for a logic puzzle, as readers of this meta series already know) and frass sorting. I never really got why other people disliked frass sorting, as it’s an easy and fun puzzle to me. Bring on the frass.

I’m also going to add in here my love for the minigames in this game — specifically making necklaces (fishing is fun too, but I prefer trolling for shells). It’s fun to find the shells, to snorkel to find more (and move the plot along, of course)…I just really enjoy the Immersion Excursion part of this game, and would totally go on one in real life.

In a very stupid way, I like laughing at how horrible Nancy is as a girlfriend in this game; not only does she refer to Ned in the tutorial part as “a really good friend of mine” rather than “my boyfriend” (seriously Nancy what the eff) but she also abruptly hangs up mid-conversation on Ned when she sees two people that she thinks might be the Hardy Boys. It’s almost absurd how bad of a girlfriend she is in this game, and I like laughing at it.

#NedDeservesBetter2KForever.

Lastly, there’s a bit of dialogue that I love in this game – I know, CRE isn’t even a Nik game, so I was shocked too — when Frank’s listing all the things he’s found out for Nancy that will enable her to get into the titular cave.

He finishes his list and then says “oh, and I also saved the whales and brought about world peace”. Nancy responds with a teasingly dejected “Darnit, I was gonna do world peace”, and Frank answers her with an amused “Sorry, you have to do bug stuff”. It’s a fun, funny moment, and it’s nice to hear Nancy/Frank banter, no matter if you ship them or if you prefer them as friends. Shout out to, as always, our good ol’ boy JVS for his great work with Frank this game (and another hooray for the inimitable Rob Jones as Joe).

The Un-Favorite:

My least favorite moment in the game would probably be listening to all of Quigley’s recorded data; they weren’t really trying to make her nasality subtle, and boy does it get unbearable really, really fast. The fact that this is the stand-out worst moment in the game says a lot about how much I personally enjoy this game, and how inoffensive even the ‘bad’ stuff really is.

Well, mostly. See below.

Rather than frass sorting, as seems to be ubiquitous in the fandom, the little stealth section is by far my least favorite puzzle in the game. It’s nerve-wracking, timed, mandatory, and makes you rely on tiny visual cues to win it — in other words, it’s my worst nightmare when it comes to games.

I’ll include the endgame puzzle in here too, though I like it better than the stealth puzzle, just because it’s honestly a bit of a letdown. Nancy and Frank are in lava caves — cool — with currents that lead there – double cool — and the final endgame puzzle is lava mahjong? It’s a poor way to end an otherwise engaging game, even if it doesn’t prevent me (like other puzzles that have been and will be featured in this section) from replaying the game.

The Fix:

So how would I fix The Creature of Kapu Cave?

First things first, I’d change Joe’s entire design for this game. I don’t know why they chose “caveman Jesse McCartney” as their guiding star, but it was an unbelievably poor choice. Sure, Frank’s hair is a bit light, but considering they keep him dark brown for the rest of the games rather than the black hair he had in TRN, I’d be fine with just tinting it a bit darker and focusing on the Enormous Wrong done to Joe Hardy.

The other thing I’d fix is the endgame puzzle. While that style is done well other places in the series (TMB being the obvious example of the tile-style endgame), it really doesn’t fit CRE, and it makes the ending feel like an anti-climax. Even a trip through another set of currents would have been better, though honestly even a final confrontation just through speaking to Mike would have been better.

Other than that, I don’t think I’d change anything else. Sure, there are puzzles and moments I’m not too fond of, but I don’t think that the game suffers from having them in it. Honestly speaking, as long as the player pays attention to the story and tries to put it together rather than just waiting for the final scene, The Creature of Kapu Cave isn’t an impenetrable mystery nor a poorly written game; it’s just a mystery with a beautiful location, fun games, and entertaining puzzles to soup it up.

Oh, and the Hardy Boys, of course.

[bestillmyslashyheart]

a soul bruise

“Hey, this is something.”

Liz looked over at Kyle wearily. It was late and they’d been digging through Project Shepherd files since early that morning. It was rare that she, Kyle, and Alex all had a day free so they’d taken advantage of it to see what research they could get done.

“Something to help Max?” She sat up straighter.

Kyle winced and shook his head apologetically then paused and shrugged. “Maybe? I don’t think so but I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

“What is it?” Alex didn’t get up from his seat at the bank of computers, merely turning in his chair to look at Kyle.

Kyle glanced at him then back at the papers in his hand. “There’s a report here about a connection.”

“A connection?” Liz prompted when he paused.

“Yeah. Some of the prisoners at Caulfield exhibited signs of an intense connection with another. Um,” he flipped a page, “it says a pairing would be able to communicate telepathically to an extent and share strong emotions, even pain.”

“Okay, that’s something,” Liz sat up. “How do we form a connection? If Isobel or Michael can communicate with Max somehow he might be able to help them tap into their healing powers.”

“Where is that information?” Alex turned around, his fingers poised over the keyboard. “Kyle?”

“Uh, File 263, section F.” 

The clatter of keys filled the air for a moment. “Got it.” Liz looked over at the monitors as Alex pulled up the electronic copy of the file. The photocopy wasn’t as good as the original but the big screen let them all look at it at once. She got up from the table and wandered over, Kyle close behind as he scanned through the pages. They were silent for a few minutes as they all looked through the report.

“Here, page 34,” Kyle exclaimed. “It says pairings were formed...oh.”

“Oh?” Liz turned on him. “What do you mean oh?”

“It’s not a choice,” Kyle looked up at her sadly. “It says interrogation revealed that bonds are formed at birth and cannot be severed.”

Her stomach dropped. “Fuck, okay. Um- Max and Isobel have a really close bond as it is, do you think they have this bond?”

“Not unless they’re in love,” Alex replied slowly. He didn’t turn around.

“What?” Liz looked to Kyle but he seemed just as confused as she was.

“Page 38,” Alex told them and Kyle flipped to the page. Liz glanced up at the screen but the words were too faded for her to read so she peered over Kyle’s shoulder. “It says the bond was only apparent between romantic couples.”

“Researchers were able to detect the existence of the bond due to the close nature of certain prisoners who exhibited signs of an intense romantic and sexual relationship,” Liz read out loud. “Studies were conducted to determine the extent of the bond. It was determined that separating the two halves made both parties abnormally sullen and prone to violence while placing them together resulted in increased docility of both specimens. It is recommended that they remain together whenever convenient so as to have increased opportunity to study the connection. Note: the death of one half of the bond will result in the near immediate death of the other.” Liz stopped reading and looked around. “Well, um, that doesn’t sound like Max and Isobel.”

“No,” Kyle agreed quietly. “Sorry. I thought it might be something.”

“It’s okay,” Liz assured him. “It was worth a shot.” She sat back down at the table and pulled her own file back in front of her. “Still a lot more to go through.” They all quietly got back to work. 

A while later, Liz shut her file and stared at the wall, a thought that had been tickling the back of her brain begging to be let out. “How would they know?”

Kyle and Alex turned to look at her. “How would who know what?”

“The aliens. How would they know if they had that connection? Most, if not all, of them possessed telepathic abilities as it was. So if the sign of this connection is being telepathically linked to another, then how would they distinguish between their partner and everyone else in their species?”

“Does it matter?” Kyle asked gently.

She shrugged. “Maybe Max and I…” The only time they’d ever been telepathically linked was after Max marked her but she pushed that thought aside. “Most of the prisoners were older, right? The connection could have built over time.”

“They were both aliens, Liz. In all cases.”

“Maybe that’s just because they hadn’t had contact with any other species,” Liz argued. “What are the other signs?”

Kyle sighed but she heard the clatter of Alex’s keys as he pulled the file back open. Liz pushed away from the table and came to stand behind Alex’s chair. A moment later, Kyle came up next to them. Together they searched the pages displayed on the many screens until, “there!” Liz pointed to the far left screen and Alex brought it front and center.

They craned forward to read it. “There are limited physical signs of the bond that can be seen by a third party. Extensive interrogation of the specimens has revealed that the touch of a bonded will leave a mark on their partner. A discoloration of the skin, similar to a bruise. The deeper the bond, the darker the mark. We have observed such marks in three of the pairings suspected of being bonded. Reports indicate that the marks are only visible to third parties in cases of extreme bonds. In its early stages, only the two parties involved can see the marks. So far, no human has ever reported such an occurrence but it is as yet unclear if it is possible for a specimen to bond with a human. Be alert for any reports of phantom injuries or bruises.”

Alex tensed under her hand as she read but Liz ignored it. Kyle turned to her when she finished. “Well? You and Evans ever leave mysterious bruises on each other?” Liz shook her head and backed up a step, unable to look away from the screen. “Okay then. Back to the drawing board.” He laid a hand on her shoulder as he walked back to the table.

“Actually, I think I’m going to call it a night,” Liz finally looked away. She gathered up the files she’d been going through and set them aside. 

“Night,” Kyle called. “Get some rest.”

“You sure know how to charm a girl, Valenti,” her lips quirked upwards in an attempt at a smile and Kyle responded in kind. She grabbed her jacket and her purse but stalled for a minute. “Can I have the file? I want to show it to Isobel and Michael, just in case.”

Kyle nodded understandingly and started to hand it over but paused halfway. Both of them looked over at Alex who hadn’t moved. “Any objections?”

“It’s about them,” Alex sounded strange. “They have a right to know.”

Liz took the file from Kyle. “Don’t stay too late.”

---

It was almost a week before Liz had the chance to sit down and talk to Isobel and Michael. They’d stopped by the Crashdown for dinner and Liz let them stay past closing. She cleaned up before escaping up the stairs for the file.

“Hold on,” she came back into the diner as they were standing up. “There’s something I want to show you.” Isobel and Michael looked at each other then at her. “It’s from the Project Shepherd files.”

“Alex said he’d let us know if you found anything…” Michael trailed off, his shoulders tensing as if preparing to get angry.

Liz waved him off. She had no idea what was going on with them and she wasn’t about to get in the middle. “It’s nothing really, just some information about your people that I thought you might want to know. We found it a week ago and I took the file,” she held it up, “to show you two but I haven’t had a chance to talk to you both since then.” She gestured at the chairs they’d just stood up from and they both sat. Michael didn’t look mollified in the slightest.

“So we were looking for a way to maybe communicate with Max and we found out that your people have this connection that forms between two people.” Liz held out the file and Michael took it. “From what the reports say, these bonds are formed at birth and they can create like these psychic links between two people.”

“Max and I?” Isobel asked as she craned her neck to look at the file.

Liz shook her head. “The bonds are always found between two people with an intense romantic and sexual relationship. So unless there’s something you two haven’t shared…” Isobel scoffed. “That’s what I thought.”

“What about you and Max?” Michael asked as he flipped through the pages. “You’ve communicated telepathically.”

“Only through the handprint.”

“So? Max has never left a mark on anyone else before. Maybe that’s part of the bond.”

Liz sighed. “The only physical indicator of a bond is a discoloration of the skin on contact. If you have a bondmate or whatever then your skin should change colors when they touch you and it’s the same for them. As the bond strengthens, other people will be able to see the color but in the early stages only you and the other person should see it.” Michael tensed, his fingers gripping the pages too tightly.

“So what is this bond?” Isobel asked as she tugged the file from Michael. “Just a means of communicating telepathically?”

Liz eased into a seat as she shook her head. Michael hadn’t moved since Isobel took the file. “Honestly? It sounds trite but I think it’s like a soulmate? It forms at birth, is accompanied by intense romantic and sexual feelings, and creates a link between your minds. Some of the reports said a pair can have entire conversations without saying a word, they can share emotions, and they can share pain.” She cleared her throat. “It also says if one dies, the other one immediately follows.”

“Has a human ever been bonded?” Michael sounded strange and Liz looked over at him worriedly.

“Uh, not that Project Shepherd is aware. If a bond ever did form with a human it’s unlikely that they would have had any contact with one of your people to even know it. I mean, unless one of you were bonded to a human.” Or Noah, she thought, but didn’t say.

Michael stood up suddenly, his chair skidding loudly across the floor. “What the hell, Michael?” Isobel jumped. Michael didn’t answer, his attention fixed on something on the wall behind Liz. Without a word, he rounded the table and was out the door in a few large steps. Liz and Isobel whirled around to watch him go, mystified.

“Do you think he-” Isobel started to ask when a shout from outside cut her off.

“Alex!” Michael’s voice was loud enough to be heard clearly from inside. The two women stood and looked out the window in time to see Alex freeze in the middle of the street, clearly having just turned around to walk away. Michael chased after him, his legs eating up the distance in long strides.

“Uh,” Liz stuttered. “Maybe we should not-”

Isobel scoffed. “Yeah, no.” She crossed the room and perched on a table under the window, not even attempting to be subtle. Liz hesitated for a second before joining her.

Outside, the two men were clearly arguing but not loud enough to be heard. At least, not from inside. So they watched in silence.

Michael was gesturing wildly while Alex stood stone still, his face impassive. He seemed to be content to let Michael tire himself out. Sure enough, when Michael stopped talking a minute later, Alex started talking. Liz got the impression that even if she’d been outside and a block closer, she wouldn’t have been able to hear what he was saying. But that was okay. His words were clearly only intended for one person.

Alex stopped talking and for a moment it looked like they were frozen in some odd tableau before Michael reached up and cupped Alex’s face, his thumb stroking his cheek. He left it there for a breath before pulling away. Liz couldn’t see his face but his shoulders sagged in what look like relief, or maybe wonder. In response, Alex raised a shaking hand. It hovered next to Michael’s face for a moment before he cupped the back of his neck with the other hand and placed his first hand squarely over Michael’s face. He pulled it back after a second, his face lighting up before he started laughing. 

“I guess that answers that question,” Isobel muttered.

“What question?”

“If humans can have the other half of the bond. If we have bonds.” She paused. “If Alex is a little bit of an asshole.”

“Hey!” Liz jumped to defend her friend. Isobel shot her an amused look.

“He just put a handprint on Michael’s face.”

Liz opened her mouth then closed it and shrugged. “It’s not like anyone else is gonna see it.” Even as she said it, though, she looked over and saw the faint outline of a handprint on Alex’s neck. “Oh my god…”

Isobel whirled. “What?”

Alex saw them watching and grinned before grabbing Michael’s shoulder and turning him to face them. 

“Oh my god!” Isobel exclaimed and started laughing. They were nearly a block away and yet, even from this distance, there was an unmistakable handprint outlined on Michael’s face.

Liz couldn’t hold back her own laughter as Michael rolled his eyes and turned away from them. He and Alex looked at each other for a few seconds before going their separate ways. 

A minute later Alex’s truck pulled out onto the road and he headed out of town towards his cabin. Liz blinked and suddenly Michael’s truck was following on Alex’s heels.

[supernaturalfreewill]

Your name: submit What is this?

Words: 3,377 Cas x Reader Warnings: NONE! Requested by anononymous!

“Dean! Can you help me?” You flashed him a pleading smile and glanced down at the duffel bag sitting on the floor by the door to the garage. “I can only drag this thing…”

He shook his head at you. “You’re bringing all that again?” he asked, gesturing to the old bag. “Jesus, did you put the whole library in there?” The duffel bag was clearly stuffed and you had had a difficult time zipping it closed.

Sam came up behind you and took the strap from you, hauling it up onto his shoulder. “I got it. Ignore him,” he said.

You followed the brothers out to the Impala, talking around Sam to Dean as he made his way to the driver’s side. “You know, you didn’t complain about me bringing all this when it saved your ass in Missouri last week. Or Washington DC last month when you stuck your hand right into that purple dust and got that weird rash. Or Nashville when you got poisoned by that witch. Or when we were in Nevada on that vamp case and you needed info on that weird herb and the internet failed you and—“

“Yeah! Okay! I got it! It’s just—the thing weighs a goddamn ton. I’m sure just having the thing in the trunk kills our gas mileage,” Dean retorted.

Sam let out a scoff. “You mean, the gas you buy with credit cards that you’ve scammed?”

“Hey! Limiting emissions, Sammy! Climate change! Come on, college boy…”

Sam rolled his eyes and scoffed again. “Dean, if you really cared about emissions you would have stolen a Prius by now. And don’t call me that. We both know I didn’t graduate…”

You quickly rerouted the topic away from Sam’s college days. That would only put all of you in a dark mood. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be complaining if I was asking you to load that cannon or something into the trunk,” you pointed out, sliding into the back seat.

“Grenade launcher,” Dean emphasized, starting the engine to a rolling purr. “This isn’t the 1600’s.”

“Whatever,” you retorted.

“Alright. Let’s get this show on the road. Cas said he’d meet us at the motel,” Dean said.

You felt your cheeks warm involuntarily just at the mention of the angel’s name. “Is—is he planning to stay for the whole job?” You tried to sound nonchalant but Sam turned partially around in his seat to give you a small knowing look. The warmth in your cheeks bloomed and you looked away out the window.

“Yes. For some reason as soon as he heard you’d be along he decided he could grace us with his presence,” Dean replied. His green eyes glanced at you in the rearview mirror and all you could do was clear your throat a little anxiously and keep staring out the window.

Dean let out a gruff laugh. “‘Oh’. That’s all you’ve got? Jesus, you’re worse than Sam…”

“Shut up, Dean. Just drive.” Sam retorted.

“Don’t be mad because I speak the truth!”

“You know one of these days I’m going to actually work out the statistics and you’ll suddenly realize that if you swing 100 times and only hit the ball 25 times, your batting average still sucks. Out of the two of us, who had a drink thrown in their face this past weekend? Hmm?”

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, Sammy. Which is why your batting average is basically ZERO. Also, a baseball analogy? Seriously? How the hell do you even know anything about baseball? When most kids were playing T-ball Dad was teaching us to shoot handguns…”

For some reason, the continued bickering of the Winchester brothers made you smile. They only bickered when things were good, when things were safe. You’d come to subconsciously recognize it as a signal you could relax, and before you knew it you had drifted off to their snarky exchanges, the hum of the tires and engine, and the drone of classic rock.

_ _ _ _ _ _

“Hey,” Sam’s voice was soft but loud enough to wake you. You appreciated that. Dean probably would have blasted the horn and scared the shit out of you. “We’re here.”

You sat bolt upright, suddenly very awake and very aware that you probably looked like you had just slept in a car smashed against a window for two hours because—well—you’d just slept in a car smashed against a window for two hours...

Sam must have seen the bashful expression on your face and the attempts to tame your hair because he smiled. “Cas isn’t here yet.” He climbed out and you followed.

Gear was hauled in out of the trunk, including your “entire library” of books. There were just some things you couldn’t find online. You treasured the volumes you had collected, some obscure and rare, and saw it as your significant contribution to all the jobs that came knocking. You didn’t hunt and you didn’t want to hunt, but you loved books, and you knew how to research anything and everything.

Sam and Dean immediately sat down to strategize in their room and you went in to your room next door and opened the door that linked the two. Another day, another hunt. You began to unpack your books and organize them into piles. No harm in being ready, right? Dean yelling your name from the other room interrupted you.

“Y/N!”

You rushed over and immediately saw the familiar silhouette of Cas in his trench coat, standing in the doorway to outside. He pulled the door shut behind him.

Your cheeks involuntarily grew red. Ugh. You hated that. Every time you saw the angel you immediately felt jittery, like you drank too much espresso. “Oh. Hi, Cas,” you said. Your voice was shy and quiet and the angel gave you a small smile.

“Hello,” he said. “It’s good to see you again.” Cas nervously stuck his hands into the pockets of his coat.

The Winchester brothers stood by silent with amused smiles on their faces, watching the exchange.

“Yeah, it’s good to see you too,” you answered. A silence settled for a moment and Dean’s eyes whizzed between the two of you.

“Well,” he said, “Sammy and I need to pound some pavement.”

“What can I do?” you offered, grateful for the distraction from your shyness. “Anything you need me to dig up?”

“Actually, nothing yet,” Sam said. “We’re not even sure where to start. That’s why we need to go talk to some of the witnesses, you know, chase a few leads down.” You nodded. “We’ll give you a call if we come up with anything you can get going on.”

Cas’s deep voice spoke next. “Whom should I question?” he asked.

Sam and Dean exchange a glance with each other and Dean rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Uhh… actually, Cas, we were thinking you could just wait here for now.”

His brow furrowed. “You don’t want my help?”

Sam sighed. “Well, it’s not that exactly… It’s just—your still new at interviewing people and this one is a bit of a sensitive subject and…”

Cas looked disappointed for a moment. “Oh. I see.”

Sam looked at Dean with obvious guilt and Dean immediately had an idea. “Cas, we were actually hoping you’d stay here with Y/N. There’s clearly something going on here and we don’t know what it is yet. It might not be safe.”

Your heart leapt. And then there were the nerves!

Cas’s face immediately brightened and his posture straightened out of the slight slump that had settled over his shoulders. “I can do that.”

Sam nodded in agreement and patted the angel on the shoulder. “Good. That’s good. Thanks.”

Dean nodded in agreement. “Phew! Yeah, that’s a relief. That will be a big help. Then Sam and I won’t be out there worrying about what trouble someone has gotten themselves into…”

”Hey!” you objected.

The angel looked over at you and you immediately felt your cheeks turning pink and you had to look away. Those blue eyes… you felt like you were going weak at the knees. “Honestly, Dean, I think you’re much more likely to get into trouble than Y/N,” Cas said.

Sam let out a guffaw and slapped Dean on the back. “I second that. Come on. Let’s go,” he said. “We’ll see you later,” Sam said with a wave.

Dean smirked at the angel. “You two be good. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” he said giving Cas a pointed look and a grin, which the angel completely missed the meaning of. He followed Sam out and the door shutting behind them was the punctuation on the realization that you were now going to be alone with Cas for an extended period of time…

Your nerves manifested in a fidgety energy and you needed to do something to busy yourself before Cas noticed. “Uhh… I’m just gonna finish setting the books I brought out,” you said, jutting a thumb back over toward your adjoining room. Ugh. You were such a chicken.

Cas nodded but then looked a bit lost. “Um. Would you—would you like some company?”

”Yeah. Yeah, sure. Thanks…” You started into the adjoining hotel room and Cas trailed in behind you, noticing how your hair seemed to shimmer and change hue as you moved through shadows and into the light.

Suddenly he couldn’t figure out what to do with his hands. He put them in his pants pockets, and that felt strange, so he took them back out. Then he put them in the pockets of his coat… and then he straightened his tie, and smoothed the front of his suit coat. Why was this suddenly so difficult?

You crouched down onto the floor beside the big duffel bag and started pulling out more books and putting them into loose stacks.

Cas smiled at the way you handled each volume—gently, with care and love. You had a tendency to smooth your hands over the cover as you set them down, as if you were making sure no dust clung to the leather and paper. Cas miraculously found his nerves diminishing. He moved around to sit at a chair beside the table. “Can I help?” he offered.

You looked up at him and smiled. “Sure. Thanks.” You held out a book to him. “This one goes on that pile with the blue one on top.”

Cas accepted it and placed it as instructed, glancing down at the title and smiling. “You have a good collection,” he said.

You laughed. “Maybe too good. Dean was complaining about me lugging it around everywhere.”

Cas accepted another book from you and furrowed his brow. “He shouldn’t. I believe you’ve used these to help him many times.”

“That’s what I said!” Your eyes sparkled as you looked at the angel. You suddenly felt a lot more at ease, even though sitting there in front of him on the floor, your fingers almost brushing as he accepted the leather bound books from you, felt strangely intimate.

“Oh, oops. This one doesn’t belong here,” you said. You climbed to your feet and placed it on the bedside table. Cas smiled at the fond look you gave it.

“How many times have you read that?” he asked. Your cheeks colored and you let out an abashed laugh.

“Uhh… well, I used to read it once a year. So… a lot.” You picked up your copy of The Hobbit and turned it over in your hands. “Reading it feels like—” You couldn’t think how to put it into words. “It feels like coming home. No matter how many times I read it, I discover something new every time.” Cas was looking at you with a small smile on his lips and earnest admiration in his eyes.

“I’d like to take you somewhere I think you will love,” he said. His shyness then caught up. “If—uhh—if you’d like.” He could only wonder at his own daring for a moment.

You gave the angel an appraising and curious look and set your book down again. “Alright… Now?” you asked.

He nodded. “Yes. Wings are good for that,” he said, standing and stepping close to you. “Um… unless now isn’t a good time.”

You smiled at his sweetness and shrugged. “What am I busy doing?” You glanced down at what you were wearing. “Do I need anything? Is what I’m wearing okay?”

Cas smiled. “You look wonderful. Like always,” he said. He stepped closer to you and his hand hovered briefly halfway to you. He was nervous to make contact with you. “Ready?” he asked.

You nodded and gave him a slightly nervous smile.

”Just close your eyes for a moment,” the angel said, and you obeyed. Then Cas’s hand gently alighted on your shoulder and the next instant you could feel that you were in a vast space. There was an earthy smell and a coolness of spirals of moving air against your cheek. Cas’s hand lifted off your shoulder and his deep voice spoke softly from beside you. “Keep your eyes closed. Just for another moment.”

You nodded. You heard his footsteps retreat a short distance and then the veil of darkness beyond your eyelids lifted somewhat. You could hear Cas return and sense that he was again beside you. “Alright. You can open your eyes,” he said.

It took a quick second for your eyes to adjust but the next moment you let out a gasp and a hand flew to cover your open mouth. You were standing in a grand theater, elegantly painted and carved and adorned with gold leaf. But the space was filled with shelves and shelves of books. “Cas, where--?” You gave him a questioning look and he smiled, sparks in his cobalt eyes reflecting those in yours.

“Argentina. El Ateneo Grand Splendid. It was a performing arts theater, and then a cinema, and now a bookshop. One of the world’s most beautiful, I’d say,” he said, his eyes lifting up to take in the painted ceiling.

You looked about you, bewildered, and your feet immediately began carrying you toward the nearest shelf of books. Your fingers ran along the paper and leather spines. “It’s incredible.”

Cas trailed a couple feet behind you, a smile on his face purely due to your enjoyment. Your passion made you radiant. “I like it best when it’s closed and empty,” the angel said from behind you. His voice was deep and smooth and sweet, like buckwheat honey.

You turned to look at him and grinned. “It’s amazing. Thank you so much for bringing me here,” you said. You pulled a book from the shelf in front of you and turned it over in your hands.

“I’m glad you like it. I had a feeling you would,” he said.

You replaced the book in your hand and butterflies flitted to life in your stomach as you looked at Cas. You gulped at the nervous tightness in your throat. “You know about my favorite book. What’s yours? What does an angel like to read?”

Cas looked suddenly bashful and shuffled his feet. “I have many favorites,” he said.

“But if you had to choose one?” you prompted him.

You smiled at the lines that appeared on Cas’s forehead as he was in deep thought. Suddenly his eyes lifted to yours again and the blue in his irises was staggering as always. Your heart pounded faster in your chest.

“This way,” he said, turning and heading deeper into the shelves. You followed him until he stopped near the back of the theater and he pulled a small paperback from the shelf, holding it almost gingerly in his hands. The cover was black flecked in white. You could almost see how he was remembering the writing and maybe even hearing it echoing in his head. “Here,” he said. “This is perhaps my favorite.”

You took the book from him, and this time your fingers did brush the angel’s. A shock of electricity shot up your arm. “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra.” You turned the book over and examined the back cover. “I haven’t read it,” you said.

Cas suddenly realized that he was standing very close to you. You were the only two in that immense space and yet all he wanted to do was be closer. “It’s very—” he hesitated, how could he describe that novel? “—human.”

Your eyes flitted upwards and caught his. You saw reflection and perhaps a little sadness in his face. You weren’t sure what gave you the courage, perhaps the sweet gesture of Cas wanting to share that place with you, or maybe seeing the depth of his feeling about the novel in your hands finally overwhelmed your shyness, but you arched up onto your tiptoes and kissed him.

Both of you seemed to be equally surprised and star struck as you pulled away. Your eyes were wide and your lips fell a little open. “Um, s—sorry—“

But Cas was kissing again you the next instant, more deeply, with a hand on your lower back pressing you in closer to him and his other hand gently on the side of your neck, his fingers in your hair. He pulled away and you fell back down onto your heels, but the angel’s hand was still on your lower back.

You both blushed and you bit your bottom lip and let out a shy laugh. You looked down at the book still in your hand and back up at him. Cas’s eyes were searching your face.

“Was—was that okay?” he asked you.

A laugh bubbled out of you and you nodded. “More than okay,” you said, only able to shyly look down toward your feet. The angel’s hands slipped from you, but they left behind a warm, tingly feeling. You slid “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena” back on the shelf and ran your fingers down the spine one more time.

Now you were brave enough to weave your fingers in between Cas’s and you spent the next hour wandering around the theater turned bookshop hand in hand, still exchanging shy looks with flushing cheeks. Finally, when it was time to go, Cas gave your hand a gentle squeeze and the next instant you were back at the hotel. Your trip to El Ateneo felt almost like a dream, but the way you kept catching Cas looking at you as you finished sorting your own books told you it had been real.

_ _ _ _ _ _

The case had finished up (relatively) uneventfully and you were settled back in the Impala, headed for the bunker. Dean was behind the wheel and Sam was in the passenger seat scribbling some notes in his hunting journal. You were almost through the city you had stopped in for gas when you suddenly sat up stock straight in your seat.

”Dean! Stop up here!”

”What? Why?” He already started moving the Impala toward the curb, however.

Sam laughed and turned to look at his older brother. “Book shop,” he said, turning around to give you a knowing look.

“Seriously? Oh, come on… we’re gonna be here forever… Y/N, I have a broken rib and all I want to do is sleep that hunt off in my own bed.”

You unbuckled your seatbelt and gave Dean’s shoulder a friendly squeeze. “I have something specific in mind. It will only take me a moment. I swear.” You leapt out and rushed into the bookshop.

In a few more minutes you returned with a small book in hand. Sam turned around in his seat to read the title as you opened it and started reading. “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” he read aloud. “Huh. Job read or fun read?” he asked you.

You smiled at him and settled back more comfortably in the back seat. “Special read,” you said. “It comes highly recommended.”

[hiddenhearthwitch]

📓College Witch Tips📓

I’ve gotten a lot of asks for college witch tips and small living space witchy advice. I wasn’t practicing while I lived in the dorms but I did start practicing(in secret) while I was rooming in a studio apartment my sophmore year of uni so I figure it’s sort of similar. Anyways, I hope this helps someone out there ~ 🧡

🕯️So, no candles, I totally get that and it’s a fucking bummer. You can always get fake candles though! There’s such a wide variety of picking between pillar sizes, tea lights, or you could even get ones where you pick the color so you can use it for any spell. 

On another note, have you tried string lights? It doesn’t matter if they’re fairy lights, Christmas lights, or bulb strands. I had a specific set of white strands that went around my part of the room and whenever I want to do a spell/feel magical/etc. I would turn them on ~ bonus you can get fake ivy and flower garlands at the Dollar Store to braid with them and it’s suuuper cute.

💧Water magic is a pretty sneaky go to! No one is ever going to be suspicious of water. You could leave a water bottle out near your window “on accident” for Full Moon water! There’s two big areas I think of so let’s break it down!

Bath magic! Everyone has to shower at some point. Without anything else, pure hot water is wonderful for a pure cleanse of your energy, mind, and body. @beau-witchery has a wonderful post on shower magic you can find here. You can also bring some of your crystals or something you want to charge into the bathroom with you(assuming you have private shower stalls) and let the steam from your shower charge them! You can even sprinkle some salt on the shower floor to help you release negativity and feel charged.

Water bottle magic! This is super universal tbh and I use it for so many things. You can put crystals in your water bottle to charge your water with whatever you need. Red jasper for strength and vitality, quartz for charging and cleanings, amethyst for magic and protection, rose quartz for beauty and love, etc. There are a lot of water soluble crystals so please do proper research first. I would inherently recommend not using anything under a hardness of seven, so do your research!! You can also put in fresh herbs or slices to fruit to enchant it with corresponding properties or to boost your energy.

📚Speaking of research, it’s a fundamental part of magic and college! Use your university library! They’ll definitely have books on the alchemy of plants, gemstones, and I’ve been able to find a few on magic at each uni I’ve visited so give it a look. You can also check out your local library and check to see if your library has an online database for e-check outs. The Akron Public Library has a huge database for online books, PDFs, and articles to “check out” and read online. See if your library or one in your county does as well - it’s typically the main library.

♌Sigil/stave magic, I know this is probably the most recommended thing for college witches but they’re honestly so helpful. You can design your own sigils/staves or use one that other witches have created.  Here’s a link to a tumblr tag for college/student based sigils. 

Now what to do with the sigils? Well, this is up to you. You could stitch or draw a “sigil to stay safe” on the inside of your backpack, draw a motivation/focus sigil inside your notebooks/binders, draw a good grade/”I’ll do well on tests” sigil on your pencil pouch or draw it on the side of your pencil! There’s so manyyy things you can do, just be creative and don’t feel obligated to do it one way just because someone else is.

🌱Plants may not seem like your first choice since you live in a  dorm but there’s a lot of small, low maintenance plants out there. You just need to know where to look. Keeping a plant in your room can help keep you grounded, feeling closer to your craft if your nature/plant based, and generally help keep the energy and air pure. You can also keep plants around for their metaphysical properties ~

Here is an online database to find local plant nurseries. I always suggest going through a nursery vs. a home or grocery store because the workers actually know how to upkeep the soil, when to water them, feed them, repot them, etc. plus I find they tend to have less root mold or disease when coming from a nursery. Some suggestions for small and low maintenance witchy plants would be: lucky bamboo, air plants(specifically Tillandsia maxima, Tillandsia bulbosa, Tillandsia ionantha, and Tillandsia chiapensis), small breed cacti and snake plants.

🔮Crystals don’t always have to be a giant slab of quartz on an altar. We’ve already talked about how you can use them in your water but you can also, carry small tumbled ones in your pencil pouch, wear them as jewelry, put them in your planters if you have plants, and so much more! You’re not limited to the “traditional” use of crystals. Think outside of the box! If you want to labradorite to keep you safe on campus make a key chain to hang on your bookbag or something like that! Some of my favorite crystals in uni were amethyst(memory), clear quartz(knowledge, cleansing), rose quartz(self love), labradorite(magic/protection), and sunstone(joy, knowledge).

☕Drink magic kind of ties in with water bottle magic but it’s more varied! Drink coffee or black/green tea in the morning to start your day off with grounding. When making your coffee or tea draw a sigil on top with your spoon before stirring. If you’re using honey draw it on the bottom of the mug first. Stir counterclockwise to bring in positivity. Use the properties of your tea, coffee, or creamer in your morning magic.

✨Enchanting would work with just about anything. You could enchant your backpack to keep your grounded, your pencils to keep you motivated, your doorway to ward off negativity, etc. If it’s an actual item you’re enchanting I used to do in secret by using water. For example, I enchanted my favorite sweater to help me feel motivated confident by using the machine cycle as a way to cleanse it + instill positive energy and the dry cycle as a way to infusion act and warmth. I mumbled some words about motivation and stuff when loading the clothing in. You could also use warm water to “clean” a water bottle, gemstone bracelet, set of earrings, etc. as a way to enchant something. 

🎮You don’t need an altar to be a witch! I don’t know where this misconception came from but honestly fuck it. If you would like an altar anyways and can’t have one out in the open you can set one up inside one of your drawers, a shoe box, or even a jewelry box. You can make small portable one’s with Altoid tins or other small boxes like match boxes! If you’re tech friendly and want too, you can say fuck it to all of the above and just make an online altar via a tumblr blog, pinterest board, etc. 

Bonus: do you like vidya gamez? You can do a lot with altars to both deities and for witchcraft in video games. You can build an altar in Minecraft or the Sims. You can build homes dedicated to your craft and gods in Skyrim, Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing, etc. be creative! 

💖The rest of these suggestions are small things anyone can do to feel more connected to their craft or “witchy”. It can be really hard to feel connected to your craft or like a witch at all when you don’t have time or energy because of school, work, depression, etc. So these are just some of my favorite low effort suggestions.

Meditate in bed for five to ten minutes before getting up!

Put cute witchy stickers or washi tape in your agenda, notebooks, etc. use colors and symbols to correspond with your intention

Go for a walk! It can be around campus, your local graveyard, tbh you could just use your walk to class as a chance to feel connected to nature and refresh your energy.

Witchy!! Playlists!! Seriously, get jammin’.

Star a grimoire or bos! It can be a word doc, tumblr blog, or an actual notebook. Whatever works best for you. ✨

Meditate! In the shower, on the way to class, when you wake up, when you’re making breakfast, whenever. Find a few minutes a day when you’re by yourself and focus on calming your thoughts.

Use ambient videos on youtube to help ground you and feel more connected to your craft. Basic ambiance w/moving video links: Forest w/waterfall, Woodland, Night, Ocean, Rain & fireplace, Nighttime train ride, Sunrise, Wheat field, River, Campfire, Swamp, Snow

Wear colors that correspond with your magical needs.

Hide your pendulum as your necklace or just use your favorite necklace as a pendulum!

Look on amazon, clearance racks, and thrift stores for tapestries and blankets to hang up that make you feel witchy! 

Wear scented oils ~ different intentions for different days

Pls love yourself and remember I’m sending you so much love

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[coffeegirl-world]

Week  15

2. Do you think ideas and concepts by artists can be dangerous? How?

To me this is not a question I can just give a yes or no answer to… I feel that it is very dependent on the situation. In the article we see that studies show how TV shows can lead a child to use aggressive behavior. Correlational studies went on to show that there may be another leading cause as to why children who grew up watching violent cartoons and shows were more prone to violence and aggression. They have looked at the theory that possibly the people who are more aggressive simply like those kinds of TV programs more. “There is no definitive answer. But all scientists agree that statistical correlations between two phenomena do not mean that one causes the other.” Just by looking at social media we can see how that definitely has its effects on people and causes them to act out and maybe even be destructive to our society and others. Being that art is embedded in our social media, the concepts that the artist is portraying can have effects on the viewers. Now this depends on what the artist is going for in their artwork, but persuasion can be a very dangerous thing. When artists create pieces, they are going to receive of course mixed emotions relating to what they were trying to say through their art. “There is, in fact, virtually no evidence that fictional violence causes otherwise stable people to become violent. And if we suppressed material based on the actions of unstable people, no work of fiction or art would be safe from censorship.”

3. Where should the line be drawn with censorship?

I think that there would be many angry people if the government went around banning a good portion of the world’s entertainment. I think that it would be near impossible to take all this away from citizens without there being outbreaks of people becoming angry and violent. In the article- WHERE DO THE EXPERTS AGREE? - you can clearly see that no one really has an exact idea of what all would be banned. I red this and knew that many would be very angry with having censorship with this programs too. “

If we accept censorship of violence in the media, we will have to censor sports and news programs.”

I feel that we have gone too far without having that much censorship thus if we ban many things, that it would be a blow to our country to take away peoples right now that have gotten used to having a fair amount of freedom. More than likely if it will be an issue taken up in the future it will cause more issues than it will be solving, at least for a while after coming into effect.5. Is there a parallel to be drawn in the United States with freedom of speech and art content? In your own words, how far does that go, or how much of our right to free speech should it cover?

I think that if the government were to lock down and put more laws/rules on the Freedom of Speech Right than I believe that it would change both whether they were trying to do that or not. To me I see them very similarly, they are both to have a freedom of expression just one by word and the other by visual representation. If you think about art it is not just things that you hang on a wall or is to be displayed in a case.  Art is incredibly broad and is not defined only to paintings and sculpture. Art can be music, literature, nature, poems and so much more. To me that is the beauty to art, that there is no one object/material that can be defined as art. Art is not limited to one certain object, it is determined in the eye of the beholder how they wish to view and interpret things.  We can also see that the ACLU article groups the two topics closely together and makes statements saying they are in the same category that researchers look at when studying the possible issues that come out by having freedom of speech. At the end of the day, as it stands now legally, “A free society is based on the principle that each and every individual has the right to decide what art or entertainment he or she wants -- or does not want -- to receive or create.” I do agree that there are a lot of issues in our society revolving around violence, but honestly, I am not sold on the fact that because of the art we see, because of the shows we watch, that is why people can become violent. I think that more than all these other things, contributors that can cause someone to become violent. Possibly a big factor being the people we grow up with. Being that if you grow up with an abusive family member or you are close to someone that is an alcoholic. I feel that there is a higher chance of someone becoming affected from living conditions.

[zenithlux]

Cadence - CH 9

Welcome back everyone! I really hope you enjoy this update, and I’ll see you later for my second to last Hanami Week post!

Catch up on the story here!

In which Vergil meets Diadona, and learns a bit more about Roxy’s strange problem.

I can’t feel my senses I just feel the cold All colors seem to fade away I can’t reach my soul

Frozen - Within Temptation

----------------

In hindsight, Vergil’s thirty-minute timeline was more of a formality than an actual constraint. His trip to Fortuna took ten minutes tops, as he hadn’t even needed a portal to sneak by the two dozing security room guards in the train station. There were a decent amount of boxes, but finding her name was easy enough. Roxanna Montgomery. Had she ever mentioned a last name? Not that he could recall, but it did sound familiar…

He filed it away for later. Maybe Dante would know something.

But that would require talking to his brother about her. So… maybe not.

“Fighting” the Behemoths- if one could even call the slaughter such a thing - had taken even less time than retrieving the boxes. And, as expected, he’d absorbed their essence in the blink of an eye. That then led to thoughts on just how exactly this unknown demon woman planned to take it from him, which made him wonder what exactly he had gotten himself into. 

But I don’t know who else to call. 

Vergil sighed in resignation as he retrieved the boxes from the safety of the closest rooftop. Unfortunately, he’d never received the message with her address. He did remember a vague mention of it from a few weeks prior. Which might have been helpful, if there weren’t five different “haunted” apartment complexes in the area (honestly he didn’t know why humans in need of shelter couldn’t get over such a foolish notion). And without Roxy’s address, (what was taking her so long?) all he could do was wander between each of them, searching for the incredibly minuscule smell of Aki that would likely go the other direction because of the wind. 

Wonderful. 

Finally, he found it; the only apartment in all five complexes that had the lights on. Vergil blinked up the stairs with ease, balancing the boxes in one hand to knock.

“Come in, come in.” A voice said before he could. “We don’t have all day.” 

Roxy’s apartment was larger than Vergil expected with a modest amount of furniture and a television that Dante would envy. The floors were made of light wood and partially covered with a dark blue rug decorated with intricate swirl patterns. The walls were painted a matching dark blue, but the numerous, brightly colored paintings and the wall of windows brightened the room considerably. Vergil might have examined it more, if Roxy wasn’t unconscious on the couch with Aki mewling in pure sadness on her lap. 

“About time!” 

Diadona was much shorter than he expected, with the top of her head barely reaching past his stomach. She was another elder demon for certain, though it was impossible to know exactly how old. Her human-self looked to be around 60 with short gray hair pulled back into an overly tight bun, glasses that she most certainly didn’t need, and far too many wrinkles. Vergil wondered if she always adopted this look, or if it was just a formality for Roxy’s sake. Which then led him to wonder what her actual…

“Did you kill the creatures?” The woman said, her voice sharp. 

Vergil blinked, mind reeling back to where it was supposed to be. “Of course,” He said simply. “Now how do you intend to take it from me?”

The woman rolled her eyes as she pulled an absurdly long needle and syringe from her pocket. Of course, that pocket was far too small for something like that… so maybe she’d just made it on the spot. “The simple way, of course.” She said as she beckoned to him with spindly fingers that were a touch too inhuman. “I’ll take it right out of your bloodstream.”

Vergil’s eyebrow shot up. “I’m not sure that’s wise.”

Dia huffed. “Why? Because you’re a big scary demon yourself? Please.” She beckoned again. “If anything, your blood will only make her stronger. A win-win, wouldn’t you say?”

Vergil didn’t have an answer to that. Foolish, was the first word that came to mind. What demon in their right mind would willingly give their blood to anyone, much less an archdemon? Or, more importantly, what demon would willingly give their blood to a summoner?  He knew from limited research that was an easy first step into pact making. He could even sort of recall his mother mentioning it when he was much younger. Of course, it didn’t mean they were making one… but it opened up the possibility.

Whether it was his expression or his hesitation, Dia laughed. Except her human voice mixed with some strange cackle of a demon he couldn’t quite identify. A bug? Maybe. A dragon? Maybe. Some crazy, witch thing? A strong possibility.

Did it matter?

“Do you honestly think she’d force you into a pact?”

“What?”

“Even if she wanted to do such a thing, I don’t think her body could handle it.” She shook her head with an irritated click of her tongue. “Now are we going to keep standing around staring at each other, or are you going to let me heal her?”

Begrudgingly, Vergil rolled his sleeve up, glaring at the woman as he did so. It was a useless gesture, but at least it made him feel better. She just rolled her eyes again and grabbed his wrist. Except he sorely underestimated the strength in such a small body, and nearly fell flat on his face when she yanked him closer. “Hold still,” She snapped before muttering something in a language he didn’t understand. He did, however, know it wasn’t anything helpful. 

But then his eyes flickered to Roxy, and any response he might have had vanished in an instant. She was so… pale. Had she been that pale when he walked in? Was she breathing? She had to be… right? Aki was still there - the poor creature was butting the top of his head on her chin over and over again - so she was alive. But…

“She’s close to stasis,” Dia said, her voice filled with nothing but worry. “This happens from time to time. She usually has a caretaker around but…” Her expression turned sour. “Let’s just say I’m glad she was able to call me in time.” 

“Stasis?”

Dia nodded as she tied a small piece of fabric above his elbow. “How much has she told you?”

“Nothing about this.”

Dia sighed. “This should be her story… but…” She glanced back at Roxy. “This is what she refers to as an ‘episode’” Dia turned her attention to his arm, searching for a vein. “I call it stasis because that’s what it is.” She grumbled something under her breath, but all he could pick up on was “humans” and “avoiding the problem”. “Nothing can prevent it, but she needs demon essence to recover. If she were by herself, then she would have to stay like that until her body recovered naturally.”

“How long does that take?”

Dia shrugged. “The longest I’ve seen is three months.”

His eyes snapped to hers. “Three months?”

“I broke her out of that one too,” Dia said. “Hold still.” 

He hadn’t even noticed the needle pierce his skin. “Her last caretaker quit, right?”

“Taylor?” Dia’s scowl turned murderous. “I never liked that woman. Flighty. Greedy. Did you know she convinced Roxy to pay for years of medical bills in exchange for her help?” Vergil wasn’t certain why Dia thought he would ever know something like that, but she continued on anyway. “Then she left her stranded, less than a month from stasis, because she needed something more ‘stable’ and ‘predictable’.” Dia huffed as she practically ripped the needle from his arm. It healed in an instant, but how she knew it would (or if she even cared) was beyond him. “Come here before I wake her up,” She said. “I’ll apologize to her for talking to you later.”

After a small, almost curious step, Vergil realized that Roxy’s skin wasn’t pale; it was frozen. His mind raced through memories of V, trying to piece together what could possibly be happening. The closest connection was his crumbling body, but that hadn’t been linked to the familiars. Though he’d argue that none of them even compared to Kuro. Nightmare had been a mostly mindless conglomerate he could summon from time to time. Griffon and Shadow were more like Aki; small familiars that didn’t require much. But Kuro...

Was this the price she had paid for such a creature?

“Stasis,” Dia repeated. “If left unattended, the ice will imprison her. Then there’s nothing I can do,” She gently pulled Roxy’s arm from under the blanket, turning it over in her hand as if handling the most fragile glass imaginable. And maybe she was. Vergil didn’t want to think what would happen if she moved too quickly… or if Roxy herself were found or handled too roughly… or if she was left alone for too long...

He shoved those thoughts aside. Why bother worrying when Dia clearly had things under control? He barely knew her. He shouldn’t be concerned about such things. He...

His mental image of Griffon snorted in pure disdain. And you think I’m the moron.

After resting Roxy’s arm back on the armrest, Dia tapped it gently with the tip of her finger. A quiet crack echoed in the room. Another tap. Another crack. The process was agonizingly slow, but Dia continued on. By the fifth tap, a thin layer of ice broke away, shattering to dust on the ground. Vergil swore he heard a quiet gasp, but he wasn’t certain. Aki pushed his head against Roxy’s cheek. That time, he didn’t pull away, and a sad chirp echoed in Vergil’s ears as if the little griffon had proclaimed it from the heavens. 

It was then that Vergil wondered if Roxy was aware of it. She left her stranded a month from stasis, Dia had said. So Roxy must have known about it. But if she did… why didn’t she tell him? Sure, he wouldn’t have been much help over the last few days, but Dante would have taken a job like that in an instant. “Gather up some demon bodies?” Dante would have probably said. “You’ve got it! I’ll drop them at your doorstep tomorrow.” His brother wasn’t really one to ask questions over such a thing (even though he probably should… but that wasn't the point).

What would something like this feel like? What would any of this feel like? Was she awake? Trapped in her body until it knocked her out? Did she know time was moving? Or was she asleep, trapped in some kind of dream? 

Did she feel… anything at all?

Did he even want to know? 

“Hold on, Rox,” Dia whispered. “You’ll be out of this soon.”

The world seemed to go silent as the needle punctured her skin. The noises from the town slipped away. Dia went impossibly still, and Vergil was certain she’d stopped breathing all together. The blood left the syringe slowly, but Vergil could see trails of ice branching back down Roxy’s arm in a rush to close the hole Dia had made. And when the blood was gone and Dia pulled away, the ice snapped closed again. More slipped over her cheeks. Lines of blue magic scattered in all directions. 

Was he too late? Was it not enough? Was…?

Then, Roxy’s eyes snapped open. A single gasp of air was all it took for the world to come back. Ice shattered in all directions, vanishing into the air as if it had never existed. She jerked upright in a panic as her hand flew to her chest. Aki tumbled to the floor, but the flustered noise he made was twinged with a chirp of what Vergil assumed was relief. Roxy’s eyes flickered a pale blue. Kuro’s, Vergil realized. So she could channel the dragon’s power without summoning him… but maybe not willingly. 

“It’s alright, Rox,” Dia said as her hand cradled the younger summoner. Roxy’s gaze snapped to hers, and her heartbeat quickened to an unnatural level. But Dia only smiled, rubbing her now entirely human thumbs along Roxy’s skin. “Everything’s fine, you hear me?” And while Roxy said nothing, Vergil heard her breathing slow. Her eyes drifted closed as she squeezed Dia’s hand. When she opened them again, her heart was steady and her eyes were back to their usual green hue.

“That was faster than I expected,” Roxy said. “I thought I had… a little more time.” She sighed as her gaze flickered to Vergil. “Less than thirty minutes…” She said, and Vergil wasn’t certain if she was talking about him, or her stasis. It probably didn’t matter. At least, not at the moment.

“I’m sorry you had to see this.”

Vergil stared at her. A million different questions swirled in his head, right alongside a few choice words to chide her for being so foolish. But all that came out was, “What?”

“That mixture I gave you was quite potent,” Dia said proudly as Aki hopped back into her lap. “And with the blood of Sparda’s kin…” She shook her head with a sigh that sounded almost nostalgic. “You’ll be good for a few months, at least.”

“A few months?” Vergil said. “That’s…”

“Quite impressive!” Dia said, cutting off his less than enthusiastic reply. “You should be proud!’

“Proud?” Vergil said. “I have the most…”

“Powerful demonic blood there is?” Dia said, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Afraid there are quite a few demons that would disagree with you.”

Vergil huffed. “And they’d be wrong.”

“Probably.” Dia waved him off. “Doesn’t matter.”

And Vergil might have argued with her more, if Roxy didn’t look so miserable. For a brief moment, that annoyed him more than the demon-turned-grandmother. “Is a few months not enough for you?”

Roxy flinched, and Vergil bit back a quiet groan at how utterly terrible that sounded once he’d actually said it. It didn’t help that Dia was glaring at him with the intensity of a thousand suns, probably wishing she could smite him for such a statement. “It’s very generous,” Roxy said. “And I appreciate it.” But her voice was so, unbearably quiet. So sad in a way Vergil hadn’t heard before. And he realized very quickly that he hated it with a burning passion.

Why did it bother him so much?

Why did he feel this… obligation to help?

He forced himself to sit beside her, but not before casually moving a few of the pillows between them. He heard Dia snort in the background, but he didn’t pay her any mind. “How does this work?” He said. “All of…” He paused. “Kuro. You. The stasis.”

Her head rose slowly, but the confusion was evident in her eyes. “Wh-what?” She stammered. “You… You want to know? But…” Vergil wasn’t certain if her expression was one of shock,  disbelief, or something else he couldn’t read. Regardless, it slipped away when she took a long, deep breath. “Are you sure? It’s not the most…” She trailed off, head tilting in thought. “Glamorous of… situations.”

“Seems marginally better than calling me ten minutes before you turn into an ice sculpture.”

She paused, flummoxed. “That’s a rather dramatic way of putting it. But you’re not entirely wrong.”

“I believe,” Dia said, drawing out the statement for an extraordinarily long time. “That it’s time for my departure. You can handle it from here, right?” She raised her eyebrow at Vergil. When he simply stared back, she said, “She needs to hunt once she can walk again, and...” She paused, glancing at Roxy. “When was the last time you ate?” Roxy’s mouth opened for a split second, but she quickly closed it and looked away. Dia sighed. “And maybe make her some soup.”

Then she was gone in the blink of an eye, leaving only glimmers of green magic behind. “She does that, a lot,” Roxy said. “Though she’s usually kind enough to knock when she visits.”

“Considerate.”

Vergil didn’t know how to explain the peculiar feeling in his chest when she giggled “Could be worse,” She said. “Her last husband was the worst.” A curious sparkle returned to her eyes, and Vergil didn’t have the heart to stop whatever story she was about to tell him. “He’d never left the Underworld before meeting her. So, when she visited me for the first time, she brought him along. Next thing I knew, he’d eaten all of my food, most of it uncooked, and was trying to convince Aki to tell him where I got it from.” Aki growled, his tail flicking upward in annoyance. But Roxy just smiled and brushed through his fur. He purred as he nuzzled back into her lap, annoying demon husbands forgotten entirely. “The second time, he ordered two dozen pizzas, and paid with my card.”

“... And you’re certain this wasn’t Dante?”

“Is he a big pizza guy?”

“That’s putting it mildly.”

She laughed again, but Vergil saw her eyes flutter as she attempted to hide the following yawn. “I should probably talk to him a bit more, huh?”

Vergil scowled. “That’s not…” He trailed off, averting his gaze. 

“Not what?”

“You need to rest.”

“Now you’re dodging the question.” But even she relented after another yawn and sunk back into the cushions. “I’ll probably be asleep for… awhile. But Aki knows when to wake me up.”

“You can’t hunt like this.”

“I mean once the feeling in my legs comes back…”

“I will stay,” He said. “And you still owe me an explanation.”

Her eyes drifted closed. “How much do you really want to know?”

Vergil paused, but not for long. “Go to sleep.” 

“Because you need some time?” He glared at her, not surprised when her lips curved into a soft, and very tired smile. “If you need anything,” She mumbled. “There’s plenty of food, tea, and coffee. There’s the T.V, of course, but I’m assuming you’d be more interested in the books... in the room down… the…” She slipped into sleep before she finished. 

“Insufferable,” Vergil muttered. Aki chirped something akin to an agreement as he nuzzled against Roxy, tail flopping to the side. And Vergil might have pondered what exactly he was trying to accomplish here, had an all too familiar ringtone not gone off at that exact moment. He answered it begrudgingly, fully aware that ignoring his brother would only make things worse. 

“So, Verge,” Dante said without any form of pleasantries. Vergil could imagine the grin on his brother’s face. “Out with sunshine again?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Well, technically...”

“I’m on a job,” Vergil said. “I’ll return once it’s done.”

Dante laughed. “Sure sure, whatever you say. But does it at least pay well? Because we could really use some money for…”

Vergil hung up. 

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