#i CAN finish it today im pretty sure if im efficient about things

[astranauticus]

grits teeth. i will finish it today. i will

[kkanabel]

random little things that i never included: (my first ever published headcanons! omg!)

for my first mouthwashing fic:

co-pilot mischief pt i, ii, iii (but these can be mostly understood even w/o reading the whole fic)

curly switched over to one-armed push-ups after regular ones didn't work anymore.

he doesn't have any proper weights while on the tulpar, so he'd just have to do.

but even while he was trying to work out to clear his mind

he still thought about how it'd be so much more efficient if while he was doing push-ups, you were on top of him-

you once saw "caught" him while he was doing these push-ups and you were so confused about it

because why was he so embarrassed??

like yeah, curly, sure you were doing push-ups, so why are you blushing so hard??? what's the problem with that ??

you didnt get it bc u didnt even do anything yet

and youd be thinking later like "aight let's see what's on today's menu... hmm im feeling like 'accidentally' bumping my ass into curly's crotch today!" just to try and get him to be more flustered

blushing curly~

idea from one of my ao3 commentors: (big thank you to hanisia for the idea <3)

God this was so amazing I might need the aftermath 😭 the fact you mentioned the lead asking if they could walk later sounds funny, I would actually die to read about that situation happening and Curly just being there to help us out to make sure nobody gets the idea😭😭

both of you waking up the morning after and you can't really feel your legs & youre sore everywhere

sure, curly was sore ESPECIALLY in his legs & ass from all the thrusting, but you were... nearly bedridden

he felt so, so bad

he was so apologetic like "hon, i'm so, so sorry. i made such a mistake i- i can't believe i did this to you. please feel free to kick me." he says, panicked, eyes all shifty and guilty.

you rolled your eyes "really, curly? your way of making it up to me is domestic violence?" while trying not to laugh and he's like

"domestic? wait. you want to be official..? like,,, partners?"

like THAT'S WHAT YOU FOCUS ON?

you cant find it in yourself to correct him. he looked overjoyed-

a little spark in his eye you've never seen before. his pretty, plump lips curling into a grin with such joy

he's absolutely ecstatic at just the idea that you'll be official with him.

even when you let him finish insid-

multiple times-

HOW COULD YOU SAY NO ?

but anyway

youre still mf bedridden

so you both have to come up with some explanation for the crewmembers.

by "you both", i mean curly. it's just curly. it doesn't matter much to you. you dont need to talk to anybody--especially because he refused to let you move an inch after that whole... all night non-stop f***ing situation.

so you just get to lay back & relax as you hear the voices of your newly-crowned partner, curly

and your crewmates

and it's just "our well-adored co-pilot has mentioned that they will be unable to work for the next couple days due to the flu."

they all look at him in horror

...swansea, of course, is the first person to say anything. "damn it captain, we all heard you last night. we don't mind--we're actually damn glad that you both finally fixed the level of tension--but if i wake up one more time to those disgusting noises, i will lock you in the cockpit until you starve."

....curly didn't even refute him

anya, ever the sweetest person: "congrats, captain curly :)" and doesnt say much else and walks away as if she mf knew from the start that you two had something going on.

hell, she seemed like she knew that he had something for you before YOU even realized

daisuke is just like "what are they talking about? what happened, captain curly?" and poor daisuke is just thinking like "hmm, maybe there was some sorta commotion. my dreams were louder than usual."

and curly can't even bring himself to tell the truth before swansea steps in and whisks away the confused guy to the utility room for his internship activities.

curly, ever the guilty and remorseful gentleman, brings every meal to you while you're still in his bed, recovering.

he scrounged up an instant mac and cheese that he gave you from his own secret stash. WITH EXTRA CHEESE.

even figured out how to make a ponyexpress-given-ingredients-only noodle soup for you. using nutrient packs and random canned items.

it was pretty good, too.

helped you shower & it took everything in him to not just take you again in the bathroom

you wouldn't have been opposed, but recovering was proooobably the best course of action.

when you come back, anya gives you the eye at breakfast. you could see it written all over her face when she said:

"i hope to see you in the medbay soon so make sure that you're recovering properly."

translation: you need to tell me everything.

AND YOU MOST CERTAINLY DID

a/n : first ever headcanon shared bro what did i do okay or am i like going too in-depth bc im writing this the same way i normally do w my notes before i write a fic (except my real notes are way more chaotic & vulgar) lmk if yall wanna see that stuff for fics ive alr posted LMAO like a behind the scenes or sum

co-pilot mischief ✫ curly concerns ✫ chapter uno

captain curly x teasing!reader

curly panics when he realizes he's attracted to his co-pilot. a mixture of professionalism and fear of making you uncomfortable are keeping him from pursuing his feelings. so, when you find out that he has a thing for you, you tease him to see how long it'll take for him to give up.

directory/m.list next chapter ⇨

words: ~3.5k

t/w: sexual references but no actual yucky (yet), reader being lowkey sadistic, cute curly <3, gn!reader/pronouns but reader wears a bra

a/n: hi. been obsessed with this video game recently—well, especially with Curly (go figure. i like fictional men). i needed to make something self-indulgent bc i just like this man way too much. and because i just want to make a world where none of them have to suffer. enjoy~ 

~jambalaya does not exist in this world~

Planned Shipment Duration: 382 Days Elapsed Transit Time: 292 Days

It had been over nine months aboard this damned ship, and Curly was just short of going mad. Not the kind of madness that came with sleep deprivation—he’d conquered that particular beast long ago, his body numb to the restless nights. No, this madness was quieter, more insidious, burrowing into his mind and refusing to leave. It trailed him through the claustrophobic halls of the Tulpar, slipping into the smallest crevices of his day-to-day. The worst part was, he knew exactly what caused it.

Or rather, who.

His co-pilot. The bane of his existence. The source of his sanity slipping through his fingers like sand.

Curly groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands, his calloused palms dragging over stubble. The cockpit was bathed in the green glow of the ship’s display panels, casting long shadows over his hunched figure. For once, he was alone. His co-pilot was off—God knows where—and he was left to grapple with the gnawing frustration that never seemed to diminish. It wasn’t the kind of irritation that burned; it simmered, steady and unyielding, until it became part of the fabric of his thoughts, melting like wax into his very being.

He could see their handwriting on the little sticky notes scattered around the console, each one an infuriatingly sweet reminder to stretch, drink water, or take a break. He tried to ignore the way those notes made him feel a little lighter, even when he wanted to crumple them up out of spite. Then there were the meals—hot, fresh, and left beside him during the long hours he spent poring over ship diagnostics on days he’d forget to come to the main lobby for food. Like clockwork, they arrived, a silent reminder that someone out there cared. Too much, in fact.

It wasn’t the fact that they’d climbed the ranks with startling efficiency or that they were nipping at his heels for his own position. But the issue wasn’t their competence. Hell, he’d been the one to recommend them to the crew. No, the problem—the real problem—was that he didn’t mind the notes. Or the meals. Or the way their laugh lingered in his head long after the joke had ended.

That was the crux of it: he didn’t mind. He cared too much.

Curly growled under his breath and pushed himself out of his chair, dropping into a push-up position before the thought could take hold again. One. Two. Three. The strain burned through his biceps and shoulders, grounding him in something tangible. In the beginning, this ritual had worked. Twenty push-ups, and he’d feel clear-headed enough to get back to work. But now? He was well into quadrupling that number, and the haze in his mind hadn’t lifted.

“Damn it,” he muttered, shifting to one-armed push-ups. Sweat beaded on his brow, but his thoughts remained stubbornly fixed.

It was their fault. The way they lingered in his peripheral vision during late-night shifts, always a step ahead of him. The way their presence filled the cockpit, electric and steady, as if the entire ship ran on their quiet energy. He hated it. He needed it.

Curly collapsed onto the floor, the cool metal pressing against his flushed skin. He rolled onto his back, staring up at the dull ceiling, and exhaled sharply. But it wasn’t their fault. It was all his.

Because no matter how many push-ups he did or how hard he worked, he couldn’t seem to outrun the one truth he hated most: he was falling for his co-pilot, and there was no way to make it stop.

It all started so innocently.

A couple of months ago, when Curly’s sleep was deteriorating thanks to the unholy cocktail of chronic insomnia and the Pony Express directive of “only indulging in five hours of sleep a night,” the signs of wear were becoming impossible to hide. His dark circles deepened, hollowing out his features, and the number of minor piloting errors he made began creeping upward. He hated slipping up, especially in front of the crew. But you had been there, catching the mistakes before anyone else could notice, your tone warm and forgiving as you covered for him without a single reproach.

“How many hours of sleep did you get last night, Captain?” you asked, glancing at him with a knowing arch of your brow. The question was less accusatory and more concerned, which somehow made it worse.

The third time you caught him in the cockpit, chugging yet another cup of bitter instant coffee, you sighed with exasperation. He barely had time to process what you were doing before you nudged him toward the door with a bottle of melatonin clutched in your hand.

“Rest, Captain,” you said firmly, standing your ground in front of him with a tilt to your chin that tolerated no argument. “Don’t go abusing yourself—and caffeine—like that. Do me a favor and take one of these with some water. I’ve got the ship tied down.”

Before he could retort, you physically pushed him through the doorway and locked the cockpit door behind him. He stared at the bottle of melatonin in his hand, blinking in confusion, his mind too fogged with exhaustion to properly argue. He barely made it to his quarters without bumping into a wall. Still, he heeded your demand.

When he woke up hours later, groggy but undeniably more refreshed than he’d felt in weeks, he returned to the cockpit to find the door unlocked and you sitting in his chair, nursing a steaming cup of water between your hands.

The smile you gave him as he walked in—small, gentle—made something in his chest falter, like the ship had hit a pocket of turbulence. He ignored it, chalking the reaction up to gratitude. “Thanks,” he muttered before reclaiming his chair.

That should have been it. A one-off moment. But it wasn’t.

The next time was when you came bounding into the cockpit, an excited glint in your eyes, holding a bundle of old films scavenged from storage. “Look what I found!” you exclaimed, dropping them onto the console as if they were treasures unearthed from a sunken ship. The crew’s old stash of classic movies. You suggested a movie night, and by the weekend, everyone was gathered in the living area, dressed in mismatched pajamas as per your insistence.

The fake day-and-night screen in the living room had been converted into a movie screen (thanks to a favor from Swansea), and you’d somehow transformed the cramped space into a cozy theater. The crew was laughing, the air thick with the buttery aroma of popcorn—smuggled aboard in direct defiance of Pony Express regulations. Swansea lounged in a corner, throwing popcorn into his mouth with perfect aim, while Daisuke and Anya shared a bag of candy bars, their laughter ringing out during the film’s funniest moments.

And then there was you, looking at the rest of the crew, a relieved smile on your face from seeing them having fun and relaxing.

You’d curled up on the couch with bunny slippers, wearing an oversized t-shirt that reached down to your knees. Curly found himself staring at the way your legs curled up in front of you, the smooth skin catching the flickering light of the screen. He shook his head and willed himself to look back at the film, feeling an odd mix of discomfort and… something else.

It wasn’t just your legs that had caught his attention. He watched your shoulders relax as you looked at the others having a good time. From your shoulders, his eyes slowly trailed up to your neck,

There was the lace halter bralette peeking out from the neckline of your shirt, delicate and intricate, its strap circling your neck like a whisper of fabric. He’d overheard you mention it in passing to Anya once, saying how they were more comfortable than traditional bras. Cute, you’d said. Anya had agreed wholeheartedly, and the two of you had launched into an entire conversation about comfortable alternatives, leaving him both bewildered and hyper-aware of the intricacies of brassiers.

That night, you’d tied your hair up, sweeping it off your face and revealing the curve of your neck. He hated how his eyes kept trailing there, lingering too long on the strap of your bralette before snapping back to the screen.

What was wrong with him?

The laughter of the crew filled the room, but Curly’s focus was elsewhere. He watched the way your shoulders relaxed as you leaned back, your smile warm and unguarded as you looked at the others enjoying themselves. It had been a rough couple of weeks, but in that moment, you looked so at ease, like you were carrying everyone’s joy on your shoulders and doing it gladly.

His gaze drifted again, following the line of your neck up to your jaw and almost to your lips before he froze, his chest tightening with realization. He was staring. Stop it, you creep. His heart thudded in his chest, the weight of his guilt sinking in. The last thing he ever wanted was to make you uncomfortable, to let you see just how hopelessly he was starting to lose control of his own feelings.

And yet, even as he looked away, forcing his attention back to the film, the memory of your smile lingered in his mind, burning as brightly as a star in space.

Later that night, after the crew had dispersed to their quarters, Curly lingered in the living area. The faint smell of popcorn still hung in the air, and empty mugs cluttered the low table, remnants of the impromptu movie night.

He hadn’t planned to stay, but you were still there, stacking empty bowls with practiced efficiency. You hummed softly as you worked, the sound low and content.

“You don’t have to clean up,” he said, his voice startlingly loud in the quiet.

You glanced at him over your shoulder, an easy smile spreading across your face. “Neither do you, Captain. Yet here you are.”

Curly looked so charming, sweeping up the crumbs from the ground with a bashful smile. He rubbed the back of his neck. “Force of habit, I guess.”

He stepped forward and started gathering stray candy wrappers. You didn’t protest, and the two of you worked in companionable silence. The only sounds were the soft clink of mugs and the occasional hum from the ship’s systems.

“Thanks for tonight,” he said suddenly, his voice quieter. He kept his eyes on the mug in his hand, turning it absently. “I think… the crew needed it.”

You paused, a little surprised. “Needed what?”

“A break. A reminder that things aren’t always so…” He trailed off, searching for the word. “Mechanical.”

You laughed softly, and the sound was warm enough to make his chest ache. “Even machines need downtime, Captain. And so do you.”

He glanced at you, his resolve faltering as you met his gaze head-on. Your eyes were steady, soft, and full of something he couldn’t quite name. For a moment, the ship felt too small, the air too thin.

“I guess I’ll work on that,” he said, forcing a crooked smile and dropping his gaze.

As the months passed, his little problem only got worse.

It started as little things.

The way Curly’s voice would soften when he said your name, like he was tasting it before letting it leave his mouth. How he always seemed to position himself between you and anything remotely dangerous during routine checks, even if the “danger” was just a loose panel or a slightly sparking wire. You noticed those things before, but they hadn’t meant much to you at the time.

But lately, you’ve started picking up on more.

Like how he fidgets whenever you lean over his chair to point something out on the cockpit screen. Or how his ears turn red if your hand brushes his when passing tools or data tablets. At first, you think it’s funny—how someone so competent and in control can get so flustered over little things. But then, there’s the moment in the Main Lobby.

You’re digging through one of the upper cabinets, on the hunt for something sweet, when you hear his boots scuff against the floor behind you.

“You’re always after the chocolate in the vending machine,” he says, leaning casually against the counter like he isn’t watching you a little too closely.

“And you’re always after the coffee,” you quip, holding up a ration bar triumphantly.

“Touché.” His lips twitch into a smile, and you can’t help but notice how his eyes linger on you just a moment too long before he turns to grab his mug from the shelf.

It’s not unusual—this kind of back-and-forth—but as you open the bar and break off a piece, you catch him glancing at you again, almost like he’s about to say something. He doesn’t, though, and the moment stretches long enough to feel... significant.

That’s when it starts clicking.

The lingering looks. The slight hesitation in his voice when he talks to you. The way he goes out of his way to make sure you’re comfortable, even when he doesn’t have to. The realization settles in your chest, warm and a little thrilling.

Does Curly like me?

Your mind starts replaying recent moments with a new lens. The way he always pulls you aside first to explain changes to the schedule. How he always offers to carry extra supplies during inspections, even when you insist you’re fine. That time he casually gave you his jacket when the living quarters were colder than usual, like it was no big deal.

“Earth to you,” Curly says, snapping you out of your thoughts. He’s holding out a water pouch, his brow slightly furrowed. “You zoned out there for a second. You okay?”

You take the pouch and give him a smile. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

“About what?”

You tilt your head, studying him, and your smile widens when he shifts under your gaze. “Nothing important.”

It’s a lie, of course. You’re thinking about him—about how he looks at you when he thinks you’re not paying attention, about how he tries so hard to act unaffected when you’re around.

And for the first time, you feel a little wicked. If Curly likes you, why not have a little fun with it?

Curly knew something was off the moment you walked into the cockpit.

It wasn’t just the way you greeted him, your voice light and playful as always. It was the way your smile lingered, like you were holding onto a secret you couldn’t wait to let out.

“You’re up early,” you said, dropping into your seat beside him.

“Could say the same for you,” Curly muttered, keeping his eyes on the console. He was grateful for the excuse to look busy, though the screen in front of him was just a diagnostic report he’d already read three times.

“You’re always so serious, Captain.” Your tone was teasing, but there was something else beneath it, something that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He didn’t respond, didn’t trust himself to.

The silence stretched, and just when he thought you’d moved on, you leaned closer—close enough for him to catch the faint scent of whatever soap you used.

“Hey, Curly?”

His stomach flipped. “Yeah?”

You paused, drawing it out, like you were savoring his anticipation. Then, with a sly grin, you said, “You’re staring.”

“I’m not—” He froze, his heart skipping a beat. “What?”

“You are,” you insisted, your grin widening. “You’ve been staring at that same report for the last ten minutes. What’s so interesting about it?”

Curly’s mouth went dry. He scrambled for an answer, but his mind betrayed him, replaying every fleeting glance he’d stolen of you earlier that morning. How long had you noticed?

When he didn’t respond, you leaned back in your chair, smug satisfaction written all over your face. “Relax, Captain. I’m just messing with you.”

But you weren’t. Not entirely.

Because as you watched the tips of his ears turn pink and saw how his jaw tightened, you realized something. Something that made your pulse quicken and your lips curl into a wicked smile.

He likes me.

And now that you knew, you couldn’t help yourself.

Curly swore the ship’s cockpit had never felt this small before.

You were now hovering just over his shoulder, leaning in to inspect a blinking diagnostic alert on the screen. The proximity was maddening—he could feel the warmth radiating off you, the sleeve of your Pony Express jumpsuit brushing against his arm every time you moved.

“Hmm,” you mused, tilting your head. “Looks like a minor power fluctuation. Nothing to worry about, but we should log it for the next maintenance check.”

He nodded stiffly, trying to focus on your words instead of the fact that your hair was so close it tickled his cheek. “Right. I’ll, uh, take care of it.”

But when he reached for the keyboard, so did you. Your fingers grazed his, and you both froze.

“Sorry,” you said, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes. A playful smile tugged at your lips, and he didn’t trust it for a second. “Didn’t mean to get in your way, Captain.”

“It’s fine,” he muttered, turning back to the screen. But his fingers trembled slightly as he typed, and he cursed himself for it.

“You know,” you said, leaning against the edge of the console, your voice deceptively casual. “You look good when you’re focused like that.”

He nearly choked. “What?”

“I said you look good when you’re focused.” You shrugged, like it was the most normal, casual thing in the world. “It’s kind of intimidating, actually. In a good way.”

His face burned, and he fought the urge to bury it in his hands. “I—uh—thanks, I guess...”

The smile you gave him was nothing short of devilish. “You’re welcome.”

You stayed there, watching him a little too closely, and he could feel his pulse thudding in his ears. Finally, he risked a glance at you, only to find you tilting your head with mock innocence.

“Everything okay, Captain?”

“Yeah,” he said quickly, focusing hard on the screen. “Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Oh, no reason.” Your voice was light, teasing. “You just seem a little... tense.”

He stiffened, embarrassed and confused as to what you were doing but powerless to stop it.

“You know,” you continued, leaning a little closer again, “you really should loosen up. It’s not good for your health to be so serious all the time.”

“I’m not—” He cleared his throat. “I’m fine.”

“Hmm.” You studied him for a moment, and then, with a mischievous glint in your eyes, you added, “If you ever need help relaxing, Captain, just let me know.”

He froze, his brain short-circuiting at the double meaning behind your words.

Before he could stammer out a response, you straightened up, patting him lightly on the shoulder. “Anyway, I’ll leave you to it. Don’t work too hard, okay?”

And just like that, you were gone, leaving him alone in the cockpit, his heart racing and his mind a chaotic mess.

He groaned, burying his face in his hands. He was doomed. Absolutely doomed.

From the moment you saw Curly’s ears turn red, his fate was sealed. You’d never imagined the stoic, dependable captain could be reduced to such an adorable mess, and now that you’d seen it, there was no going back. It was just too cute—the way his bravado would falter, his words stumbling over themselves as he tried and failed to maintain composure.

Normally, Curly was all broad shoulders and easy charm, his commanding presence impossible to ignore. But you’d discovered a crack in that armor, a secret button that turned him from the ever-confident leader into a flustered, helpless schoolboy. And oh, what a delightful button it was to press.

You’d always found him attractive—how could you not? He was responsible, dependable, and unfairly handsome. But for the longest time, you assumed he’d only ever see you as his co-pilot, someone to rely on professionally but never personally. Yet now, the way his gaze lingered a moment too long, the subtle flush on his cheeks whenever you got a little too close, told you a very different story.

It gave you a strange, heady sense of power, and you had absolutely no intention of letting it go to waste.

A small, wicked thrill ran through you whenever you imagined the possibilities. What if you teased him just enough to make that carefully controlled exterior crumble? What if you pushed him to the edge, until he couldn’t hold it in any longer? Your mind wandered to a particularly wonderful thought: Curly, unable to take it anymore, bending you over the console with a heated, desperate confession.

You shivered, the fantasy almost too delicious to bear.

And so, your mission began—not to reject him, but to push him. To tease and torment, to watch his resolve unravel thread by thread. You weren’t cruel, not really. You knew he’d crack eventually, and you planned to reward him handsomely when he did. But until then?

Until then, you’d savor every stolen glance, every stammered reply, every moment he tries and fails to hold himself together.

After all, what was a little mischief between co-pilots?

a/n: let me know what y'all think! biggest thank yous to those who have written curly x reader fics thus far, y'all fueled me lmfao.

oh yeah.. smut.. eventually...

taglist is open! lmk if you want to be on the taglist for just curly/mouthwashing characters or if you want the news on alll my fics... also might be accepting requests hehe! i can't guarantee that i can do em, but i'll accept ideas!

thanks for reading! <3

btw. not beta read, please let me know if there are any typos or inconsistencies stay safe & hydrated as always!

(and go to sleep if you're reading this super late. don't be a curly. take care of yourself! (i say, writing this at midnight))

crossposted on ao3

directory/m.list next chapter ⇨

[sithisreadingcorner]

Hi Sithi, how are you ? I'm Sab :) 🦆 You did a reading few years ago which was pretty accurate (omg time flies 😭😭) so I'm here today to ask you if I may have one please. My dob is still 11/10/1995. I don't have a particular question however I'm seeking a guidance regarding my upcoming year if you don't mind. Thank you for it and I do wish you a nice day 👀👁️

Hello Sab and welcome back! Thank you im good, I hope the same for you as well Time really flies huh?! Im so glad that the reading was helpful back then, I do remember it. One of the first ones on the blog. You know what is funny... I get lawyers, especially those who are just about to finish studies/start their career, literally all the time. An almost disproportionate amount. Maybe it's my fate to help budding lawyers along the way 😂

Although you technically sent this for September, since your birthday is coming up soon I thought I would make this more detailed than usual as an early gift 🥰

queen of swords. deconsecration wheel of fortune. death (sowing) XIII. DEATH "Death is the card of becoming. It signifies an imminent and difficult transition – the conclusion of one phase of life and the beginning of another. Inevitably, something gets lost during the transformation, but something else will rise and take its place." IDIOT: "Permanently reduce your intelligence by 1d4+1. You can draw one additional card beyond your declared draws." [Practice the art of persuasion. Enjoy rigorous intellectual discourse.] RHETORIC

Based on the cards, what I think is that you are kinda at a point in life right now where you are more or less satisfied with how things are going, or at least you are complacent about it. Not everything is going the best way it could, but your place either feels comfortable, or you feel like it would be too much work to get them in order, so you just kinda let them be as they are. You are in a maintenance mode, basically. And this is generally speaking completely okay, you don't have to do literally the most every day of every month. But it would be really good for you right now to "tighten the ship" so to speak.

There will be some really big changes coming into your future, that I interpret as immensely positive, but they are also quite drastic and you can only really take advantage of them if you are prepared for them beforehand. I think several areas of your life could benefit from a more organized approach, but that is probably a lot to change at once and it's my understanding that the area where this would benefit you the most is at work (though I'm not completely sure, so if you feel like this resonates differently you are probably right). Let me say an example. I don't know if THIS WILL happen but I feel like it's at least a realistic example of the kind of thing that MAY happen. Your boss is considering promoting someone at work to an extremely advantageous position, and they are thinking between you and another person, trying to decide. You would be the preferred candidate, and you WOULD be great for this position in theory, but your boss would like you to demonstrate that you have the organizational skills for such a leadership position as well. They dont tell you that though directly, they just kinda keep an eye on you, and you are just kinda coasting by at work at this moment, just straight up bing chilling. And to be honest, if you got the position today, you wouldn't be prepared for it either. So the other person gets promoted, and you will probably never even know that you were considered. But if you got your shit together a little, even if it's not perfect, your boss could see that you are trying and improving, and would eventually choose you.

Now, mind, I still want you to have a healthy relationship with your job situation, and get enough rest, and so on. What you need to do, is work smarter, not harder. Try to get your things in order, and make them more efficient. Change your routine today, and you will have plenty of time to get used to it and grow from it. The only thing that there is to it is that you gotta sow those seeds today so that you can enjoy the harvest at a later time. I don't think I can say anything more specific than that, but I will say one thing. The changes, though they will be drastic, what they will NOT be, is sudden. I think that the signs are gonna be there well beforehand, even if subtle. So keep your eyes peeled, pay attention to details, and especially to those things that people hint at but don't say. The information you gain will be quite helpful to you later. 👀

september readings (7 of 8)

tips? 💗

[vhsrights]

Ever since I saw them posts about JJ have short hair??? Like a pixie cut??? Wanna do me a solid and tell me your thoughts on Emily’s first (and maybe subsequent) reaction when JJ walks into the bullpen? Assuming they’re not together already.

OH OH BRILLIANT THOUGHT WHILE IM WRITING THIS: JJ with short hair AND a leather jacket. I feel like PG definitely had a hand in this new change in JJ...

for sure i gotchu! :) this was one that i have been wanting to do for a while. (edit: so i know that you only asked for my thoughts but i got really excited and into it so i turned it into an OS) <3

Dashing

Pairing: Pre Jemily - talked about

WC: 4.8k words

Summary: JJ with short hair, and what it does to Emily :) [bullpen and team night out version; pre jemily] (like a prelude to gnc jj)

It happened on a Thursday afternoon. JJ had been shaking all day, but Penelope had convinced her that it would be okay. The blonde locks that she had been identified with for so long felt even heavier against her shoulders. She made sure to stay hidden away in her office, thanking her lucky stars that they were off case rotation. Her fingers consistently found themselves back into her hair, twisting and twirling them relentlessly. If JJ could have simply willed her long hair away, she would have. She restlessly twirled the pen in her hand for several hours, making little headway on the mountain of files by her. Her eyes kept darting over to the screen of her computer monitor, feverishly checking and rechecking the time.

5:45 pm. That was when the appointment was set for. JJ wished that she would be able to simply forget about it until then. Maybe if she did, she would actually get more work done. She texted Penelope, who was out for coffee on a break, to get her some too. Soon after she got the caffeine, JJ was able to shut out the rest of her thoughts. The boost alone drove her to finish files at triple her previous rate. Maybe that was also the adrenaline. Her phone broke her trance-like consciousness when it began to beep incessantly. She had set an alarm to go off 45 minutes before her appointment, enough time for her to wrap up at the office and calm her nerves before she made the short 10-minute drive to the barbershop.

Feeling her heart pound harder in her chest, JJ sat back in her chair to ground herself. She decided that getting up before she had a grip on her emotions was not a good idea. JJ let her eyes close gently and her mind began to wander. In her head, JJ saw the faces of those that she had met as this version of herself. They had all changed her, for better or for worse, and the memories began to flow in. It started with her mother and father. They had given a life that she couldn’t have been more appreciative of in the early years, forgoing the memories of harsh words and other negative acts. Moving on quickly, the next face flashed before her eyes. Roslyn.

Her sister had been her saving grace before JJ could even comprehend the idea. JJ had always looked up to the girl. Roslyn was phenomenal and JJ could only imagine how far she would have made it if she had still been alive. Roslyn was the one that had taught JJ how to braid her hair, wash it, and even curl it. Roslyn had curled her long blonde hair for the first time when she watched her get ready for the homecoming dance. It had only been one clump of strands but the way that her sister had so gently handled her locks left JJ in awe of Roslyn’s caring nature. After Roslyn left, JJ held onto her hairstyle, scared to let go of it as it sometimes felt like her only tie to her older sister.

Her college best friends, partners in the Academy, Hotch, Reid, Rossi, and so many more came and left in her thoughts. It was like her thoughts were forming their own little presentation of what JJ was getting rid of today. Some had more important roles than others but she had to remind herself that today wasn’t getting rid of anything but her hair. She was still JJ, but this felt more real. She wouldn’t have to avert her eyes in the mirror as much, and it would help to match her appearance more closely to how she felt inside.

Eventually, her mind came to the inevitable. Emily. Emily was something to JJ that she couldn’t describe. JJ loved Emily, but it wasn’t just that. Over time, as she had gotten to know the woman, JJ had come to truly understand her. It was the kind of intimacy that relied on the briefest of eye contact, all thoughts conveyed in body language alone. She couldn’t tell Emily though. It was too risky, and no matter how bold JJ was, Emily was a whole new world. She pushed away the thought that Emily would hate her haircut. If Emily rejected the haircut, it would feel more like she rejected who JJ truly was. But she would never do that. Right?

No, Emily would never do that. She couldn’t, because then JJ didn’t know what she’d do. Trying to distract herself from the increasing anxiety, she tried to remember their Girl’s Nights and separate hangouts where Emily would mindlessly run her fingers through JJ’s hair. It was how she calmed JJ, and the experience itself felt like home to the blonde. Glancing down at her watch, JJ realized that she got a bit too tied up with her imagination and saw that it was 5:25. Grabbing her things in a frenzy, JJ quickly headed out of the bullpen. She caught a glance of Morgan, eyebrows raised in bewilderment. JJ waved the team off, not slowing down on her way to the elevator. Hotch already knew that she was taking the early day so she was set.

JJ shot a text off to Garcia before driving off, telling her to check her office for anything that JJ might have forgotten and that she was going to her apartment after the haircut. Throwing her phone into the passenger seat, JJ drummed her fingers against the steering as she pulled out of the parking lot. She drove to the barbershop and reached in 7 minutes. Emily and her crazy driving skills would have been proud. Exiting the door rather quickly, JJ ran her fingers through her hair one last time.

This was goodbye.

She fidgeted with her fingers the entire time she waited for her appointment. JJ rocked her body gently, forward and backward, grounding herself in the steady rhythm. After some time, a person wearing a short-sleeved, cuffed button-down and a large black apron approached her. Their hair was cropped short, the sides shaved to a small length to let the top flow over their forehead. It was perfectly what JJ wanted. She felt her face grow hot at the realization that this was actually happening. JJ was going to do the big chop.

“Hi, Welcome to the Queer Barbers’ Guild. My name is Tay and I can help you today. JJ, isn’t it?” Tay held out their hand as JJ stood up, initiating their quick handshake.

“Uh, yeah. I had said over the phone that I wanted to cut most of my hair off. Actually, I would like exactly what you have. If that works?” JJ took quick strides to keep up with the barber, hearing the bustle of the shop as they got closer to the chair.

Tay chuckled, nodded, and gestured for JJ to sit in the seat. They pumped up its height, adjusting it to their work position. She sat down eagerly, feeling energized as the moment of the cut drew nearer.

“So are you looking to do a wash first today? I can definitely do my cut on you, so it’s just whatever you want. I would have to say though, I think you’re going to look rather dashing.” JJ blushed and failed to respond.

Dashing. Not pretty.

“I haven’t washed my hair in a few days for this haircut, so that would be nice. Thank you.”

JJ sat back in the chair and let Tay drape the apron cover over her. They combed through her hair slowly, getting tassels out and examining it for the cut. Once it was all brushed out, they measured out lengths and showed them to JJ in the mirror. JJ soon came to an idea of what she wanted.

Tay led her out of the chair and over the washing room. She sat down and made herself comfortable. JJ tried to solidify those last few moments in her head as the last memories she had with her long hard. The warm water began to run over her scalp and she forgot what else was running through her head. Before she knew it, the wash was over and she was back in the hair cut chair.

Now was the time.

They dried her hair and combed through it again. JJ closed her eyes. She was scared of what would happen. What if it wasn’t right? How would she undo the damage? She then felt a chilled glass against her fingers. Slowly peeking one eye open, she spotted some kind of alcohol in Tay’s outstretched hand. Curious, JJ looked up at the barber.

“To calm your nerves. Don’t worry, I’ve done plenty of these chops myself and I had my own. Trust me, things are only going to get better from here. So, here’s to relaxing. You earned it.”

“Thank you. Really, thank you.” JJ couldn’t explain her gratitude as she took the glass.

Maybe everything would be okay.

JJ relaxed and Tay began to gather her hair for the big chop. Tay carefully sectioned her hair, making sure to constantly check the length. Then, the time came. Tay lightly tapped her on the shoulder, indicating that they had the scissors at the ready. All they needed was the go-ahead from JJ. The blonde took in one last deep breath, giving them permission on her exhale.

The first cut was the most jarring. JJ could feel the hair being cut, its strands tugging at the sharp shears. She let out a gasp and everything happened too quickly for her to process after that. The hair fell left and right, leaving her head feeling instantly lighter and freer.

Tay worked incredibly efficiently. They managed to keep checking in with JJ as they deftly cut her hair. Soon, it was gone. The buzz of the razor sent a jolt up JJ’s spine but Tay quickly reassured her. They made light passes and cut down the hair on the sides and back. It was still nearly half an inch long, but that was exactly what JJ wanted.

“There you go. All done, JJ. What do you think?” Their voice cut through the haze of JJ’s thoughts and she turned her head, examining her new look.

The long hair was gone.

JJ had short hair now. It felt like a high, like one she’d never felt before but would never let up again. She ran her fingers through it, marveling at the softness and sleek nature of the look. She looked pretty fucking dashing. JJ turned around and looked at Tay, struggling to keep her tears at bay. She shouldn’t be on the verge of crying. JJ chastised herself internally.

“I- I don’t really have the words to thank you right now. I know that I shouldn’t be so emotional over a haircut, but you made everything perfect.” JJ held her head down, trying to hold back the tears.

“Of course. It’s no problem. For the emotions, believe me, I was a sobbing mess when I got my first big chop. You can always ask for me when you come to the Guild. Thanks for coming, and we can go up to the front for payment now.”

JJ paid and left the establishment. She was still dazed, not sure if everything was real. Her fingers found their way back into her hair several times, simply running through it as she made her way to the car. Her watch showed 7:03 pm as the time and JJ pulled out her phone. Her fingers quivered as she typed out her text to Penelope. She didn’t want to text her friend a picture of herself, deciding to keep the hair a surprise until she arrived at Penelope’s apartment.

Jayje (7:03 PM): Got the haircut. Pen this feels fucking crazy. I almost cried in the shop because of how nice my barber was and how I look. Heading over now.

PG (7:03 PM): AHHHH im so excited for you!! i already know that you look hot as fuck babes.

JJ smiled and set her stuff aside. She was off to Penelope’s apartment. The analyst had told her that she had a surprise for her.

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

JJ pulled up to the analyst’s apartment. The sun was still high in the sky outside, and she could hear the chirp of several little birds off in the distance. Penelope was waiting for her. Taking one last deep breath, JJ walked towards the front door. It was part of a little archway to a quaint apartment but it could have been the door to the White House with how nervous JJ was.

She shivered as she rang the doorbell. Here goes nothing. Reaction number one, how bad can it be? Penelope had already been anticipating JJ’s arrival so the door flew open mere seconds later. She appeared in the doorway, beaming with energy. Then she laid her eyes on JJ.

“OH. MY. GOD. JAYJE. YOU LOOK AMAZING.” Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight of JJ.

Penelope dragged JJ into the apartment faster than the blonde could respond to her statement. She was bubbling with excitement, super ready to give JJ her present. Penelope began to give a preface before they reached her couch. On it, sat a medium-sized silver bag. Tissue was popping out of the top and JJ was drawn to it. Penelope noticed her eyes on the present.

“Go ahead. Open it. I got it for you because I think it definitely matches your new vibe and that you ARE wearing it to team drinks tomorrow. Emily won’t be able to take her eyes off of you!”

JJ paused.

“What does Emily have to do with this?” She looked back at Penelope, her forehead scrunched in confusion.

“You’re joking, right? You can’t seriously ignore the tension between you two. It’s Miss Darking and Brooding and The Badass Baby Blonde. You two are a power couple! Unless, you aren’t madly in love with her and would be fine with me setting her up with this other friend of mine…”

“Okay, okay. No setting Emily up with your friend. She’s mine, thank you very much.” JJ spoke confidently, knowing that Penelope could see right through her bravado.

“I’m sure she is. That’s why you asked her out. Oh, wait…”

“Fine, so I haven’t asked her out. I’m just terrified. She’s Emily.”

“Yeah, and you’re JJ. Plus, now you have that super butch look so you can ask her out tomorrow. But not until you open the gift!” Penelope pointed at the glossy bag once more.

JJ rolled her eyes and turned back to the bag. She slowly pulled out the tissue and spotted dark fabric underneath it. Reaching inside, it was cool to the touch. JJ pulled out a black, leather jacket. It was sleek with 4 zippers, 2 collar buttons, and seams that traced around the jacket.

JJ thumbed it and fell more and more in love with it as she took in the jacket more. It was perfect. This jacket, combined with the haircut and the way that Tay complimented her earlier, felt like an amalgamation of the person that she was supposed to be. JJ wasn’t the girl that hid behind her femininity and used it as a weapon to get her way. In fact, her femininity did more against her than it did for her. Pushing that thought out of her head, JJ turned to Penelope.

With tears in her eyes, she hugged Penelope. She hugged her with all her might. She couldn’t describe the feeling in her head. Later, she would come to find out that it was gender euphoria. But in that moment, every positive emotion felt weak in comparison to the explosion of happiness in her mind.

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JJ had opted for her pantsuit for work on Friday. Her normal skirt suits just didn’t fit who she saw herself as in the moment. Whether that would change or not, she didn’t know. It felt powerful, and with her hair coiffed up, JJ was unstoppable.

The elevator doors dinged open and she hesitantly took her first step. The big glass doors of the BAU seemed daunting now, and it made JJ feel small. She felt insignificant and her breath partially caught in her throat. Looking over at her watch, JJ realized that she was almost late. Deciding that the time to wait was over, JJ took confident strides forward. She pushed the doors open and made her way to her office until something stopped her.

Derek’s voice boomed out in front of her. Reid and the rest of the BAU men were sitting at his desk and their eyes lifted up to meet hers. It took all of JJ’s strength not to turn on her heel and bolt. But she loved this haircut, and it made her confident; so she had to act like it. Slowing up her stride, she detoured over to the group. Derek had called out to her, commenting on the haircut.

All of them were genuinely curious, stating their approval multiple times. JJ even got a fistbump from Derek and a wide smile from Spencer. Hotch’s usual morose expression lightened up. They talked about how she had wanted to get it, the differences from long hair, and the overall confidence boost. It was invigorating. More than anything else, JJ felt her heart swell at the sheer support from her teammates. They joked about her being one of the guys; and though right now it was short hair, JJ could feel that it was just the tip of the iceberg.

They eventually got to the topic of where she cut it and JJ casually mentioned the barbershop. At that, Derek’s eyes lit up. He was always one to preach the benefits of a barbershop, offering the argument that it was a place that created a sense of family. He asked if it had been The Queer Barber’s Guild, to which JJ had nodded her head. His interest peaked, Derek asked if it had been Penelope’s recommendation. To that, JJ nodded enthusiastically again.

“Yeah, she’s always loved that place. Babygirl got me hooked on it too, right after I came out. They’ve got some really cool bi stuff in there. Who did you have? Was it Tay? They’re my bro, and a top notch barber.”

“I did have them. They made things so easy. I’m definitely only going there from now on.”

JJ and the group carried on their conversation for a little longer when she heard a squeal behind her. She turned partially to see Penelope clacking over in her yellow heels. She had a huge smile plastered on her face, and was obviously excited for JJ.

“Jayje! You look even better today than you did yesterday! So what’s going on, are we talking about the QBG because, my god, do I love that place!”

Everyone giggled and they continued the conversation. Penelope watched as JJ’s eyes shifted around the bullpen ever so slightly. Of course. JJ was looking for the only missing member, arguably her favorite one. Emily. Penelope held back her laugh yet could help but to smile at the blonde’s little search. She leaned in close to JJ and tapped her on the shoulder.

“She’s in the break room.” JJ tried to fake obliviousness, but she knew that she’d been caught.

“Thanks PG.”

Casually excusing herself from the conversation, JJ left on the behest of “files that she needed to tend to”. She didn’t care if anyone bought the excuse. In her mind, the only place for her to go was the break room. JJ wanted to show Emily the “new her”. Of course, it wasn’t new, but she felt different. Trying not to give things much more thought, JJ arrived at the break room with a quick pace.

She noticed Emily at the coffee counter, stirring her mug. JJ was overcome with something at the sight of Emily. Not even thinking, she leaned against the doorframe and called out to the brunette.

“Got enough for another cup?” Her voice was nonchalant but her heart was pounding in her chest.

Emily perked up at the sound but didn’t turn around. She finished stirring her coffee and began turning around before starting to speak.

“Jen! Oh, shoot, I just used the last of it for my cup.” Emily spoke cheerily as she brought the mug to her lips.

Then her eyes landed on JJ.

Emily completely froze, nearly choking on her coffee. Her eyes widened as they took in her friend’s new look. JJ looked hot. There was a pervading silence between them, but neither could break their trance for long enough to say something. Emily looked over the short hair on JJ’s head, inspecting it almost. She noticed how it’s varied length set off the blonde’s angular features. Emily could almost feel her knees go weak but held it together.

Neither knew nor cared to time how long they stayed like that. It somehow hadn’t reached the point of awkwardness, but both JJ and Emily’s minds were overactive. At some point, JJ managed to point back at the coffee pot. Emily jolted up and moved to the side, breaking her haze. Her gaze instead landed on their best friend in the distance, who was giving her a very enthusiastic thumbs up. Penelope Garcia really was something.

Emily rolled her eyes and turned back to JJ. She was setting things up for a new pot of coffee and the brunette couldn’t help but to watch her intently.

“So, uh, Jen. The haircut. You look amazing. It really suits you.”

“Thanks, Em. I just got it yesterday and I already feel like a whole new person. It’s a bit strange, but honestly, I love it.”

Emily smiled dopily, attempting to hide her grin behind her sips of coffee. They spoke for a little longer before the coffee was nearly done brewing. The small talk was comfortable, though not the kind of conversations they usually had. It was workplace appropriate because that was what JJ and Emily were, colleagues.

“Okay, I’m gonna head back to my desk. I’ll see you at team drinks tonight?” Emily patted JJ’s arm and turned to leave.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” JJ blushed and the two ignored the giddiness they felt.

After leaving the break room, Emily made her way to Penelope’s lair instead. She definitely had some thoughts about JJ’s new look.

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Hotch, Reid, and Rossi were the first to arrive. They were known for their punctuality. The bar wasn’t crowded just yet, the Friday night crowd was beginning to flow in. They had all changed into more casual wear, except for Rossi. The men made small talk until Derek and Emily drove in nearly 15 minutes later. They had hung out before and just decided to ride in together.

Emily and Derek’s arrival immediately added more pizzazz to the event, spurring them to order the first round of drinks. Things were lively after a crushing week at work and the BAU was ready to let loose. Not long after Emily had placed their drinks order, JJ and Penelope arrived.

JJ was wearing a white Tshirt, ripped black jeans, vans, and most importantly the leather jacket. She drowned out any thoughts of doubt with the idea that this was her family and that soon they would be intoxicated enough to simply not care. She trailed slightly behind Penelope’s eager steps but they eventually reached the table. Hotch spotted her first. He gave her an approving nod, a barely noticeable smile gracing his expression.

Emily spotted her next. Before she could stop herself, Emily’s breath caught in her throat and she gasped. JJ had left her speechless for the second time that day. Her gaze passed over every part of JJ’s outfit. She felt her face get hot and Emily shoved her hands in her pockets. By that point, JJ and Penelope had joined the group at their table but Emily had yet to say a word.

“Wow, Jen, you look amazing. That leather jacket is perfect. It’s a very hot look, but also very you.” Emily couldn’t help her awkwardness but the compliments just kept going. She couldn’t find a way to stop herself.

JJ's thoughts staggered with the compliments but she was able to thank Emily. Penelope simply watched the entire interaction with a smirk plastered on her face. After that, the alcohol took no time in arriving at their tables. They all downed those drinks quickly and went after another round. After a couple rounds, JJ pulled Emily out to the dance floor. They let the music take them over, relinquishing their thoughts to the rhythm on the dance floor.

They spent an unknown amount of time dancing, not caring about anything besides themselves and dancing. But soon, that magic started to fade and the women returned to their table. Derek was standing at the table’s side, having noticed the way that JJ and Emily stood closer as they drank more alcohol. Having a brilliant idea, he spoke up as JJ and Emily took a bite of the chips they had ordered for the table.

“JJ, Emily, I have an idea. Why don’t we play a little game? You two are the strong ladies of the BAU, including my Babygirl but right now I’m focusing on y’all. How about the two of you arm wrestle? I want to know which of you is stronger.”

“Derek, we’re both drunk. That’s not a fair game, even though we know the winner would be me.” JJ’s body swayed lightly, but Emily quickly stabilized her.

“I’m down. At least, I’m no chicken.” Emily spoke in a teasing tone, stealing a glance at JJ.

“Oh, no you don’t. Okay, let’s do it. I’m in.” JJ nodded enthusiastically, invigorated at the idea of a challenge to beat Emily in.

They cleared the space and let JJ and Emily get ready. Both did their own ridiculous warm ups, obviously exaggerating it. They set their arms down and were ready to begin when JJ stopped.

“Wait. What are the stakes?” Emily responded, saying something that she’d wanted to do for a long time.

“If I lose, I’ll take you out on a date. If you lose, you have to take me out on a date. How’s that sound?”

Her proposition shocked the entire table. They’d all been waiting for JJ and Emily to stop tiptoeing around each other. This was just not how they expected things to unfold, albeit it would make a great story for the future. Sober JJ and Penelope would have a field day with this.

“Deal.” JJ was drunk too, but that was an offer that was too good to pass up.

With that, Derek set the two up to begin the match. It was very evenly matched in the beginning. Neither woman budged, focusing very hard on their end prize. The team’s eyes shifted from JJ to Emily, and back again. Their grip was strong but no progress was being made. By the time that they had hit the 20 minute mark, Emily could feel the fog in her brain begin to clear up.

At that point, she took a closer look at her opponent. She watched the way that JJ’s blue eyes locked onto their hands, checking for even the slightest of hesitations. She saw the way that JJ’s clothes hung on her body, giving her an air of confidence that made JJ infinitely hotter. Finally, Emily looked back up to JJ’s hair. It’s long, straight stands dropped over her forehead and framed her face well. Emily lost herself in the thought of running her fingers through the silky cut.

That was when she felt the cool, hard wood of the table. Emily’s eyes widened and she looked down. There it was. Her hand was pressed against the surface, pinned underneath JJ’s.

“I win! Guess you have to take me out on that date, chicken.” JJ teased Emily, getting closer to the brunette’s face.

“I get to take someone as dashing as you out? Well, I might have lost but this seems like the better prize.

JJ’s heart soared at the compliment. The way that the word ‘dashing’ rolled off of Emily’s lips made her feel ecstatic. It wasn’t like when men called her pretty after buying a drink. This hair really was working wonders.

They ended the night with a kiss before Emily climbed out of the rideshare and walked up the apartment. JJ ran her fingers over her lips as the car pulled away. Best decision ever.

tag list: @ssa-jareaus @coramvobis @altsvu @hotchshoney @morcias @jelle-jareau @dragisthegame @ssakayprentish69 @dimitrescus-bitch @jay-writes-jemily @bridget19 @hmm-wanky @emilyprentissfangirl @tokoblade @temily

[nyx-aira]

Magical Bitching

Summary: When a new magical threat arrives in NYC Dr.Strange and Wanda need some magical help but Loki and Agatha in one place can only mean one thing, chaos and the start of a beautiful friendship

A/N: You can't imagine how much fun I had while writing this :)

Tag list: @escapetodreamworld @midnight-lestrange @king-star @ynscrazylife @booklovinbi @mysticfalls01 @adorkwithaplan @nathaslosttheirshit @agathaharkness-simp @paulawand

To say that Strange was busy was an understatement. He was currently fighting and evil interdimensional being that somehow  had managed to get to New York, interrupting his Sherlock Holmes marathon.

The thing could be described as a big glibbery blob that could fly through the air and spit fire, to say he imagined his afternoon a little bit different wasn't really a surprise. He wasn't alone thankfully, Wanda fighting alongside him. The young witch had recently moved into the Sanctum, training her powers under his and Wong's guidance. Even though they were both pretty strong the blob was becoming more and more of a challenge, splitting into mini blobs if you hit it with the same spell twice. It was very annoying. So he did something he swore he would only do if there was no other option. He called for Loki.

After their, let's call it a disagreement, they had sorted out some kind of truce, deciding the fabric of the universe was more important than their personal differences.

He and Wanda were just fighting a horde of mini blobs when they started turning purple, crumbling to the ground and fading into nothing. They turned around to see Agatha fling another dozen of the annoying blobs against a building, crushing them against the wall.

He looked at Wanda who was staring at the other witch in disbelief, shock the prominent emotion on her face, annoyance not far behind.

"Did you call her?"

The young witch asked, Sokovian accent present. Something he had noticed that happened when she was emotional or annoyed.

He was about to answer when they saw green sparks dancing around another small army of the annoying creatures, capturing them in a magic barrier and crushing until there was only interdimensional alien goo left.

"No I called him."

Strange answered with a sigh, pointing to a building to their far right where Loki just teleported, throwing a couple magical daggers at the slime monsters.

Wanda dropped her head into her hands, staring at him in disbelief.

"Great now we not only have to fight that stupid blob thing but also have to deal with grumpy and petty."

He lifted an eyebrow at the nicknames and shot her an amused look.

"Who is who? "

She just wanted to answer him when they saw another horde of blobs heading their way. Looking at each other they nodded, ready to attack.

Flying high in the air Wanda shot some energy blasts in their direction, giving Strange the opportunity to catch them and send them back into their dimension. She was about to round the corner when she saw something flying towards her, turning around she brought up a barrier to defend herself but the attack never came as Agatha landed not far from her, using another spell to open a portal the witch flung them in its general direction, the portal catching them and making them vanish. More blobs started to appear and Wanda realised that the situation was getting more and more out of control.

She was ready to attack the remaining creatures when she heard a roar, whipping her head around she stared at the new creature that just appeared on top of a nearby skyscraper. It kinda looked like a dragon with for two sets of wings and tentacles, spitting some kind of toxin and fading in and out of existence. Wanda groaned, their day wasn't bad enough already with the blob thing, a fancy dragon squid wasn't really some she needed today as well.

Agatha floated next to Wanda, bored expression on her face. It wasn't something she hadn't seen before. These kind of creatures were annoying, sure, but nothing she couldn't handle if she needed to.

Deciding that she did not need to get toxin stains on her new outfit today she turned to Wanda, already regretting what she was about to say.

"You and Strange handle our new guest, I'll handle these fuckers."

Shocked at her offer Wanda turned to her, raising an unbelieving eyebrow.

"You want to help us ?"

"Don't think too long about it or I might change my mind."

Groaning Wanda shot her one last glare before she flew away to help Strange.

Looking around Agatha decided that chasing after each of the annoying creatures was too much of a hassle. She looked around to find a good spot to catch as many of them without doing much work. Spotting a suitable tower in the distance she flew towards it, blasting a couple blobs out of her way as she arrived on the top.

The sight that greeted her was almost comical, there sat Loki, on a beach chair with sunglasses on his head sipping a colourful cocktail, every now and then flicking his hand to catch a blob that got too close to the tower, flinging it towards a portal he had opened not far away.

He lifted his shades as she approached him, snapping his fingers to let another chair appear, nodding his head towards it.

She laughed at the gesture, settling down in the surprisingly comfortable chair, conjuring up her own glasses to block out the sun.

"Never imagined to see you in New York again Trickster."

He only snorted at that, flinging another blob into the portal, a green 178 popping up over the interdimensional gateway.

"Never say never."

Agatha chuckled, flinging a couple creatures towards the portal as well, a purple 154 lighting up. She grinned, she wasn't that far behind.

"I don't understand why heroes always have to be so dramatic, its far more entertaining this way."

The god commented, refilling his drink and conjuring some pastries, grabbing some for himself before he passed the floating tray in her direction.

"Exactly, they are always so extra, always so much drama."

Agatha remarked, grabbing a strawberry cupcake, absently flinging a couple blobs into the portal.

"Strange look out!"

Wanda was panting, she had a cut across her cheek and her suit was burned in a couple places, the toxin and fire having gotten to her at one point.

Strange ducked a blast and ran towards her, shielding himself as he yelled something she couldn't understand over the noise of the battle.

The count over the portal just reached a tie when Agatha had finished her cupcake, tossing the wrapper aside she looked at the tray, deciding which one to try next.

"The lemon cake is divine, you should try it."

Loki supplied, taking a bite from his chocolate covered strawberry, adjusting his shades as they had slipped down his nose a bit.

She took a slice of the lemon cake and refilled the drink the god had offered her as the count had reached 1000, plopping some more ice cubes into the cocktail, it was a hot summer day after all.

Wanda jumped over some rubble, running for cover as she was chased down the ally by not less than 20 slimy creatures. Sometime in the last hour she had broken her wrist, the dull ache in her hand nothing compared to the burning feeling in her legs. She had ran more than ever in her life today. Yelling at Strange who was running besides her to keep going the slid behind some garbage cans.

Panting she looked at him. He was missing an eyebrow and his right sleeve, his boots melted to his trousers from a pretty hot fire ball from one of the creatures.

"The weather is quite nice today, don't you think? "

Agatha remarked, taking a sip of her cocktail, adding more ice as most of it had melted already. They had conjured a sun shade as it got hotter, the temperatures pushing 30⁰C

"A little bit to hot for my liking but it's definitely nice."

Loki answered, taking a bite out of his ice cream. He had change into a sleeveless tunic, pulling his hair into a messy bun, his boots having been replaced by flip flops. He flung his hand towards the portal, a green 735 popping up.

"Seems like im winning Ms. Harkness."

Agatha just laughed as she twisted her hand, sending some blobs into the portal, the purple 737 making her shoot the trickster god a triumphant smile.

"Don't get cocky dear."

Agatha had changed her outfit as well. Now spotting a purple flower dress, the fabric flowing around her knees, sandals instead of heeled boots. They had exchanged the pastries for ice cream at some point, Loki opting for mint and chocolate as Agatha chose blueberry and raspberry. They were just about to decide whether or not to order pizza when they heard a loud bang and smoke started to form a couple blocks in the distance.

Lifting his shades to have a better look on what's going on Loki shot a questioning look in her direction.

"You think they are alright? "

Waving him off Agatha took another bite from her ice cream, settling back in the chair.

"They'll be fine."

"Run"

That was the last thing Wanda heard before all hell broke lose, the building behind them catching fire and the toxin starting to react with it.

Strange grabbed her by the hand and they portaled out of the collapsing building.

Landing roughly on the concrete a couple streets over they groaned. Wanda by now having lost her right boot and part of her jacket. Strange didn't look much better, having lost a chunk of his hair to the fire and a broken ankle thanks to a fall from the third floor. It really wasn’t their day.

Loki and Agatha were just debating whether two servings of bread rolls were too much when an orange portal opened. They turned their heads away from the menu to look at the new arrival.

It was Wong, wearing beach shorts and a hawaii shirt, dragging his own beach chair through the portal.

"The Sanctum is safe, these idiots just don't know how to fight efficiently."

With these words he plopped down on his chair, accepting the menu Agatha offered him.

"Alright we can order two servings of bread rolls now but this won't work without a salad."

Loki commented, scrolling through the menu, debating whether he should order a caesar salad or the tuna one, both sounded delicious.

Having meanwhile conjured a fire pit and some blankets, as the sun was starting to set, they had dragged a table from the Sanctums dining room onto their rooftop. It was surprisingly easy to find a restaurant who delivered on top of a building if you offered to tip a little bit more.

"What do you think, red or white wine?"

Agatha asked as she held up two bottles. She had moved to the table already and had kicked her feet up on the table, watching the sunset as they waited for the food to arrive, distant bangs of fighting heard in the distance.

"I'll take the red wine."

Loki commented from where he was standing, arranging the fairy lights around the roof top. You needed a nice atmosphere to have a nice dinner party after all.

"I think the pizza arrived, I'll be right back."

With these words Wong opened a portal and stepped through it, leaving Agatha and Loki to their own devices. The god was painting his nails, nail polish floating in the air as he carefully applied the second coat of midnight black.

Meanwhile the witch had leaned back in her chair, wine glass in hand as she absently played with a ball of purple energy, illuminating the whole table in a purple glow.

"Today has been a great day, I really needed a day off."

She commented, taking a sip of her wine, taking her feet off the table as Wong appeared with their food, unpacking the pizza cartons and sorting through the food.

Wanda and Strange were done. They had finally managed to defeat the dragon squid thing, the blobs having disappeared a while ago. She had wrapped an arm around his shoulder as he had problems walking with his injured foot, her own wrist hurting like hell.

They were exhausted, smelling like dead dragon and smoke, covered in interdimensional goo and first degree burns.

"This has been a fucking nightmare. "

The sorcerer supreme commented. Wanda just nodding her head, too exhausted to say anything.

"I'd like to make a toast. "

Agatha groaned at Loki's statement, hitting her head on the table. They had had clearly to much alcohol, Loki bringing out some asgardian liquor, Wong bringing some alcohol from his home and she herself conjuring a bottle out of her ever-growing wine collection.

Loki was leaning against the table, having to hold onto it for support. Wong wasn't much better, feet kicked up on the table, glass in hand, refilling all of their glasses with what he call the best liquor you can get on earth.

She wanted to disagree but had to admit it was quite good. Getting up from her chair she raised her glass.

"And what are we making a toast on?"

Loki winked at her, raising his glass as he helped Wong up, the other man the most intoxicated of the trio.

"To this beautiful day and this beautiful friendship. "

"No no no, to magic and bitching about stupid people. "

Wong interrupted, talking about their animated discussion on who had to deal with the most shit.

The two men started arguing, on what they would speak their toast on. Groaning Agatha snapped her fingers, catching the attention of the two sorcerers, lifting her glass she spoke, a little bit more slurred than usual.

"To bitchcraft and the imbeciles we have to deal with on a daily basis. "

"To bitchcraft. "

They all echoed, raising their glasses.

"Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

Wanda asked Strange as they stepped out of the portal onto the rooftop, watching the trio speak a toast.

He just shook his head and pulled her back into the portal.

"I think we both got hit in the head one too many times. "

[midnightsnyx]

Consequences - Matthew Tkachuk: epilogue

summary: you absolutely hate Matthew Tkachuk so it’s just your luck when you wind up pregnant with his child.

a/n: this is the end! i don’t even know where to start! i wanna say sorry real quick for how long its taken me to post the epilogue. i just wanted it to be as perfect as i could manage for you guys! 

i want to thank every single person from the bottom of my heart who read this little series i wrote and took the time to like, reblog or send me a message! it truly means to world to me and i hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as i did writing it. 

so thank you all, so, so, so much! 

also, here is a poll that @hannahmb​ did up for me because im literally a grandma when it comes to some stuff and it’s ideas for the next series im going to write.

anyways i’ll stop rambling now lol

- allie 

Epilogue

“Henry Eli Tkachuk!” You yell. “Get your little butt down here right now.”

The patter of tiny feet echos through the hallway and you watch your five-year-old slide into the kitchen, nearly crashing into the wall. He’s as clumsy as his father, which you didn’t think was possible.

He looks at you curiously, eyebrow raised and hands on his hips - the spitting image of Matt.

“Yes, mama?”

You point to a plate of cupcakes on the countertop. “There were twenty cupcakes here ten minutes ago.”

“Yeah.”

“There are only fifteen now.” You raise an eyebrow. “Do you know what that means?”

“That someone was hungry?”

“Henry.”

“Mama.” 

“Who ate the cupcakes?” 

He shrugs his shoulders and giggles before running off towards his bedroom. It’s possible that he ate them but there are seven other people in the house who could have. You can eliminate at least three, maybe four out of the seven which is why you find yourself calling out to your husband and his other half. Unlike Henry, Matt actually crashes into the wall when he comes running down the hallway. Though to be fair, you’re pretty certain that Brady pushed him. 

“Yes, dear?” 

“The cupcakes.” You raise an eyebrow, eyes darting between the two Tkachuk brothers standing in front of you. “Who ate them?”

“Not me,” Brady says, hands raised defensively. 

“I didn’t either!” Matt says and you’re pretty sure that one of them is lying but then Johnny walks into the kitchen, two cupcakes in one of his hands, and is taking a bite out of another one.

“Dude, these are-”

“Johnny!” The three of you exclaim at the same time. 

“What?” He mumbles around a mouthful. “They were just sitting there.”

“They are for Nell’s birthday!” 

“Ellie’s birthday party is today?” He asks in confusion and you sigh, shaking your head. Why did you think it was a good idea to invite a bunch of constantly hungry hockey players to your three-year-olds party? 

“Everyone, out.” You say, waving your hand dismissively. They all clear out with the exception of your husband who slowly walks towards you. 

“Will you hit me if I touch you?” He jokes and you roll your eyes but let him wrap you in a warm hug. The two of you have come a long way, you’re the perfect epitome of enemies to lovers story but you wouldn’t change anything. Especially because of what you’ve gained along the journey. 

“How’s the bun in the oven?” He asks and you pull away, raising an eyebrow.

“I hope you mean the baby and not Eleanor's birthday cake because I think it may have burned.” 

His eyes widen and he rushes over to the oven, pulling the cake out. Luckily, you caught it in time and there’s only a little black on top that can be brushed off.

“Why didn’t you just order one from the store?” He asks, picking up a cupcake and taking a bite. You sigh, realizing that you’re going to have to make more due to the fact that everyone is eating them.

“Homemade cakes are the best.” You answer quietly and he just nods his head, not questioning the vagueness of your answer.

“Attention everyone! I found a wild child in the backyard!” Brady calls, walking in the kitchen with your toddler sitting on his shoulders. She’s laughing loudly, clinging onto his hair. 

Curls as wild as Matt’s and eyes just as blue, Eleanor Ruth Tkachuk graced the world with her presence 3 years ago. After Henry, you weren’t sure you wanted more than one kid because life with just him and Matthew was absolutely perfect but you didn’t know that it could get even better until she arrived. 

“There’s my princess!” Matt says, taking Nell from Brady. She happily goes with him, grabbing a hold of his hair too. You watch your husband wince but the look of pure love in his eyes when he looks at her isn’t like anything you’ve ever seen.

“Warrior Princess.” Brady corrects and Matthew nods seriously. 

“Daddy, cake!” She squeals, pointing to the cupcakes and reaching towards them. Matthew spins around and starts walking away to get her attention off them. “Let’s go find nana.” 

You watch the two of them walk outside, hand unconsciously resting on your belly. Baby number three was kind of an accident. You and Matt weren’t exactly trying for another but you weren’t doing anything to stop it. You both decided that if anything was meant to happen, it would. And it did, obviously but you weren’t surprised because you’re pretty sure Matt secretly wants an army of Tkachuk’s due to the number of times you’d had sex before you became pregnant again. 

But it didn’t bother you, the idea of a bunch of mini you and Matt’s running around. It certainly wasn’t something you really envisioned in your future and you never realized how much you really wanted a family until after Matt.

“How’s Brady Jr.?” 

You grin at Brady who’s leaning against the counter.

“Still not named Brady Jr.,” you say, starting to get the cake ready to be decorated. “But he’s doing great.” 

Brady smiles and opens his mouth to say something but Chantal walks in the room, cutting him off. 

“Honey, go help your father finish decorating.” She says, shooing him out of the room before starting to help you get the last of the food ready. The two of you work efficiently and in silence, something you’re used to when getting things done with Chantal’s help. You’ll never be able to thank her for everything she’s done for you since she came into your life. Being with Matt meant gaining an entire family who was the most tight-knit, caring, and encouraging family you’ve ever known. 

They didn’t have to accept you as easily and quickly as they did and you’ll always be grateful for them. 

. . .

Long after the birthday party settles down after the kids are asleep, Henry curled up with his head in your lap and Nell tucked in Matt’s arms, and all the adults sitting around the fire pit in the backyard, you take a minute to reflect on how much your life has changed in the last six years. Longer, if you count how long you’ve actually known Matt. You never would have guessed that this is where life would have led you, how crossing paths with Matt changed you as a person, and changed your entire world forever.

How you learned, loved, and gained so much in these past years. 

How lucky you are.

“What are you thinking about?” Matt whispers, nudging you gently. You turn to look at him, his eyes warm and smile gentle.

“You. Us.” 

“All good things, I hope?” He jokes and you smile, pulling him close so that you can kiss him softly.

“Always.” 

[skinnyghosttears]

May 16, 2021

1:55 am

Just finished to exercise, Im not exausted but I want to burn a lot tomorrow and I also have a lot of stuff to do, so I dont want to be in pain.

I made a list of all the thing I have to do so I'll be too busy for binge (well, I hope so).

I will not weight myself tomorrow and I really want to try to not weight myself until my grandma will not be here, maybe it will push me to do good because idk how much I weight. But still, Im just thinking about it because I know myself and I need to know.

The plan for today is of 399kcal, Im sure I'll change the dinner but I want to try and stay as low as I can. I cannot skip dinner but if my parents will not be at home for that time I can just eat some vegetables.

At this point I know I risk a binge both if I restrict or not so at least I can try my best. I need to find something that can distract me from food in an efficient way. I'll think about it because I really binging too much lately and Im stuck at this weight. Its not even because of my metabolism, Im just dumb and I hate myself for this.

Btw, I need to be more positive. Its a new day (well, yes and no, I have togo to bed), I can do good. I'll maybe try and cut my hair but Im scared to do a mess lmao.

4:28 am

I cant sleep tonight. I feel so bad and I regret that I hitted me so much because my leg is purple rn and Im scared mom will somehow notice before all of this will go away.

8:28 am

Slept less than 4 hours, damn it will be interesting today :')

At least I can do stuff at my pace and take a nap if I cant continue. Im gonna drink some water soon so I will not weight myself.

3:11 pm

Almost did all the things I had to, I dont have enough energy for exercise as much as I wanted but it will be fine if I dont lose control. I'll use the cyclette in a min and after that I will probably finish the half banana I left from lunch, but Im not hungry and Im not craving anything so maybe I can avoid it.

7:51 pm

Avoided the half banana, I just finished dinner but now I feel the hunger so much and Im trying to figure out what can I eat without fucking up everything. I burned 1000kcal on the cyclette plus all the stuff I did at home, so Im pretty sure ot will be fine if I reach 500.

9:04 pm

Decided to reach 550kcal, Im gonna burn again something on the cyclette and then I'll shower. God Im so tired but proud, I did good today.

11:50 pm

Ended with 716kcal of food and over 1430kcal burned. Not so proud as I was before but at least I didnt eat half of the kitchen. Its really hard when you can go to and grab food without anyone noticing.

I want to try for real to not weight myself for some days, at least until I'll feel really hungry and no bloated at all.

[love-killed-the-superstar]

yo im back at it again, this time for cassunzel week!! these ficlets will all take place in the same fic-verse as my cass week fics, which you can read here!

CASSUNZEL WEEK DAY 1 - HOMECOMING

On the day of her 22nd birthday, Rapunzel is radiant.

She must have known the surprise party was coming – how could she not, what with the whole of Corona buzzing with anticipation? – but still, she shrieks with delight all the same as the room erupts with cheer. She’s changed a little since the last time Cass saw her; her eyes sparkle a little brighter, her shoulders are less tense. Her happily ever after was only just beginning with Cassandra’s departure, but now – now she’s truly at peace.

Despite her initial decision to join Eugene and Lance at the front of the room in order to greet Rapunzel, Cass finds herself looking for a place to hide. Part of her doesn’t want Rapunzel to notice her right here and now, with the whole of the kingdom watching. She’s excited to greet her, of course, and give her a hug (maybe more, if her nerves cooperate), but… she just doesn’t know how to act with everybody else there. The new nature of their relationship isn’t exactly public knowledge, after all, and the last thing she wants is to cause some sort of uproar on Rapunzel’s birthday of all days.

So she hangs back, for once grateful at how tall and broad Lance is in comparison to her. Rapunzel begins to gush about the decorations, running over to hug her parents tightly, before making her way over to Eugene to give him the hug and kiss he’s earned for being such an efficient party planner.

“Well, I can’t take all the credit, sunshine,” he rambles, looking all too pleased with himself. “Everyone helped make this place a success. Oh, but I can take credit for keeping a certain someone – pardon the pun – under wraps…”

Cass considers leaving him hanging, but the second-hand embarrassment would be too much, even with Eugene getting the brunt of it. So she awkwardly side-steps out from behind Lance and gives a sheepish wave. Rapunzel’s face, set in confusion at Eugene’s awkward trail-off, morphs into one of pure amazement as her eyes meet Cassandra’s.

“CASS!!” She launches herself at Cassandra at full speed, leaving her winded from the impact.

“Oof. Hey, Raps. Ha, long time no see.”

Rapunzel’s arms wind round her tightly, scooping her further into the hug, and Cass returns it a little stiffly, glancing around as the rest of the party watch on in amusement. Lance is grinning like a fool, issuing a double thumbs-up, while Eugene simply offers a lopsided grin and a nod that she’s guessing he’s trying to equate to a sense of approval. The queen’s lips quirk up into a mile, but otherwise gives nothing away, while the king clears his throat and stares at the floor.

“Eugene said you couldn’t make it!” Rapunzel cries. “He said you were probably scaling a mountain or sailing between kingdoms or dodging a bounty hunter!”

“Oh, did he now? Dodging a bounty hunter, Fitzherbert, really? Unlike you, I don’t make enemies everywhere I go.”

“With your delightful personality, that genuinely surprises me,” he retorts, grinning all the same.

Ignoring him, she turns her attention back to Raps and pulls away to face her. “Well, regardless, I’m here now . Happy birthday, Rapunzel.”

Rapunzel reaches for her hands, entwining them, and for a moment Cass feels a horrific sense of deja vu – standing in the moonstone’s chamber, Rapunzel’s hair a swaying golden beacon, their fingers laced and faces close, such a tender moment and all the while, intense betrayal and anguish and hatred is tearing through her, clawing to get out–

But this isn’t then, this is now. And she is beautiful.

Rapunzel beams at Cass, but there’s a flicker of recognition in her eyes that roots them to the spot, just for a moment. She feels it too, Cass realises with a sinking feeling.

But in an act so defiant, as though to challenge the power of that awful memory, Rapunzel draws Cassandra’s gloved hands up to her lips and kisses them, just for a moment. Cass is pretty sure she can hear the king’s jaw drop in disbelief, but she’s far too shocked herself to glance over at him to confirm that. Rapunzel, oblivious to the surprise of those around her, quickly drops their hands and slings an arm around Cass’s shoulder, grinning from ear to ear as she turns to address the crowd.

“Thank you all so much for coming, and for celebrating my birthday on this fine day! Now,” she says brightly, “shall we let the celebration begin?”

From over the resounding cheer of the crowd, Cass hears Eugene burst out laughing behind them.

…

As far as Coronan celebrations go (of which there are far too many to commit to memory, in Cassandra’s opinion), this is one of the more enjoyable ones. The king and queen’s birthday festivities are usually more of a formal affair - there’s typically a banquet held within the castle and a more general celebration held in the courtyard for the public. Rapunzel, ever the fan of blurring the lines, has managed to merge the two somehow. The end result is an enormous buffet-style spread, two dance floors accompanied with separate musicians (one in the throne room they were decorating earlier with a formal string quartet, and one outside in the courtyard with a rowdier folk band that often performs at The Snuggly Duckling), and a whole lot of chaos.

Well, at least there are no gophers to chase after.

Cass, for the most part, has been hanging around the edges of the throne room to keep a low profile. People have been side-eyeing her all afternoon, though whether it's from the affectionate interaction with Rapunzel earlier or the whole former-enemy-of-the-kingdom thing remains to be seen. Either way, it’s better to avoid engaging with people when possible. Out in the courtyard, Rapunzel and Lance are caught up in some complicated jig of sorts, light on their feet and faces flushed with exertion as they dominate the dance floor. This gives Eugene the perfect opportunity to side up to her, a spare tumbler of punch in his hand. Pascal rests on his shoulder, watching Rapunzel’s dance in a similar trance.

“Thirsty?” he prompts, holding it out to her. She takes the drink from him and utters, “Parched, just from watching them.”

He laughs, and leans against the wall. “So, are you glad to be back?”

“Sure. I mean, I’ve missed it all, more than I thought I would. But…”

“But let me guess, you mostly came back for Rapunzel?” he finishes. “And now you’re pissed because you’ve barely spent a minute with her since the PDA fiasco that sent you scuttling right into the corner?”

The accuracy stings, it truly does. She goes to protest, but both Eugene and Pascal fix her with knowing looks. Cass hangs her head with a deep sigh.

“That obvious, huh?”

“Well yeah, everyone knows that Rapunzel is your favourite person in the world,” he says with a shrug. “And I know public affection isn’t your thing, at all. Here, hold this for me.”

He holds out his own cup for her and she takes it, eyeing him dubiously as he reaches for a small silver flask in his jacket pocket. He sprinkles a few drops into his drink.

“It all just took me by surprise, that’s all.” Cass sips at her drink gloomily and hands his cup back to him. “I didn’t hate it.”

“Still, here you are. Miserable in the face of festivities as always,” Eugene sighs, nudging her with his elbow in amusement. He takes a sip of his seasoned drink, smacking his lips in satisfaction. Still perched on his shoulder, Pascal shakes his head in exasperation. “Whoo, that’s better. You know what that punch bowl needs? Some rum in it. You want some?”

“I’ll pass, thanks.”

She rolls her eyes at him, but tones down the aggression. After all, he’s right; why did she even bother to come back for Rapunzel’s birthday, if she’s just going to bring the mood down?

“I’ll… try harder not to be such a downer,” she offers.

“How noble of you. You know, you should just tell Rapunzel you want some time alone with her, she won’t exactly turn that offer down,” he points out.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not going to pull her away from the party, she’s having fun .”

“She has fun with you .” As the song comes to an end, leaving Rapunzel being dramatically dipped by Lance, she catches Eugene’s eye from across the floor and waves. He waves back, before beckoning her over.

“Don’t,” Cass warns. Predictably, he ignores her.

“Hey! What’s up, guys?” Rapunzel asks breathlessly as she bounds over. “Did you see our dance? Lance is a natural, who knew?”

“It was something, all right,” Cass begins, draining the last of her drink and setting it aside.

“Yeah, it was great! But listen, sunshine. Your girlfriend here,” Eugene says matter-of-factly, jerking his thumb towards her, “who has travelled many miles to be here today, is lonely. Now, you’ve danced with me and Lance and your parents and it’s been great, but our girl Cass here is more of the wallflower type, so why don’t you two find somewhere private and catch up, huh?”

“Eugene!” snaps Cass, mortified.

“Sorry, Cass!” Rapunzel apologises immediately, reaching for her hand. “I didn’t realise, I got so swept up in all the dancing and cheer-”

“Rapunzel, it’s fine,” Cass interrupts. “More than fine. It’s your birthday, you should spend it however you want!”

“Sure, but… if we’re being honest with each other, Cass, I would like some time with you,” Rapunzel admits, squeezing Cassandra’s hand. Cass squeezes back, before quickly dropping it. “I mean, since we can’t be all… you know, ourselves in public at this point.”

Guilt stakes Cass through the heart at that. She shouldn’t have let go so fast.

“Yeah. I’m sorry, Raps, it’s just still a bit-”

“Hey, no, only happy stuff today, please!” Eugene intervenes. He claps a hand on both their backs and begins steering them towards the back exit of the throne room. “Now, I think you two should duck out now, find a quiet place away from the chaos down here. Go talk. Give presents. Make out if you want, I don’t care. The frog and I can hold down the fort. Oh, but we’re setting off the lanterns in an hour, so don’t stay too long, okay? All right, have fun!”

And with that, the door swings shut behind them, leaving the two of them alone.

…

Eugene did them a favour, really. Cass will have to thank him later.

Walking through the empty castle walls in silence, they eventually find themselves climbing the small tower overlooking the training grounds; a spot they’ve spent countless afternoons in before, idly watching the soldiers train. Cass would silently watch on while pouring tea or adjusting a tray of watercolour paints, envying each and every one of them, all while pretending not to feel Rapunzel’s wistful eyes burning holes into her from behind. This time, after opening the trap door and helping her up, she holds Rapunzel’s gaze with equal yearning. God, it’s been far too long since she’s had Rapunzel all to herself.

The first thing they do, after the trap door slams shut, is kiss. It’s quick, and Cass still finds herself glancing around furtively in case of any curious onlookers, but they’re blissfully alone besides from one soldier posted at the edge of the grounds.

“He’s too far away to see anything,” Rapunzel remarks, already able to read Cassandra’s thoughts perfectly. “Now, can I kiss you again?”

The impatience in her voice sends a giggle rippling through Cass, and she nods, reaching for Rapunzel's waist and pulling her in for a second kiss; one that she can almost feel her smiling through. Fuck, she's missed this.

“So,” she says, leaning back against the wall as Rapunzel stands giggling before her, “good birthday, Raps?”

“Best birthday!” she declares sunnily.

“Oh, really? Best birthday? Better than escaping the tower and reuniting with your long-lost family?”

Rapunzel stops, and hums in thought. “Okay, fine, you’re right. Second best birthday.”

“That’s more like it.” Cass turns to stare out at the twilight sky ahead. “It’s a beautiful day for a birthday, Rapunzel, I have to say.”

“Isn’t it just?” Rapunzel sighs, scooting up beside her. “Every year I used to look out the window of the tower and stare at a sky like this. Even though I knew the lanterns set off at nightfall, I would just sit and watch the sky grow pinker and darker in anticipation for it. Even now, I have this… this jittery feeling in my chest.”

“Brings back some mixed emotions, huh?”

Rapunzel nods, her smile falling slightly. “It feels like a whole lifetime ago. I suppose it is now. Hey, what were my birthdays like for you, before I was here?”

Cass shrugs. “Castle life largely went on as normal, I guess. Your parents were sad, of course, so there was this air of mourning in the palace, even though the townspeople treated it more as a celebration of your life and the hope of your return. We would leave little messages inside each lantern, it was kind of a custom everyone followed.”

“Did you write me lanterns?” Rapunzel asks, turning to her with raised eyebrows.

“Everybody did, it’s not a big deal,” Cass starts, feeling the beginnings of a blush creeping in as she remembers the kind of things she used to write. “You remember all the lanterns we found on Terapi Island.”

“Yeah, but I never thought to look for yours! Do you remember the kind of things you wrote?” she probes, grinning from ear to ear. “Come on, Cass, tell me! It’s my birthday, you have to!”

Rapunzel bears those big eyes, ones Cass used to be able to say no to, and she curses that Rapunzel’s love has made her so soft inside.

“Fine. Ugh. Um, let’s see, I used to… okay, now don’t laugh.”

“I won’t!” Rapunzel promises, hand on heart, although her eyes are already beginning to crinkle in anticipation.

“You’d better not! Um. Okay, so when I was younger I had this… this dumb idea that maybe when I was older and stronger I could like – rescue you. Me and Max or Fidella would go on a lone journey, searching the lands far and wide for the lost princess, and we’d bring you home and I would, you know… be promoted to the guard.”

She cringes at the very fantasy her young mind used to entertain as Rapunzel squeals beside her.

“Oh, Cass! That’s just-”

“You said you wouldn’t laugh,” Cass reminds her with a grumble, burying her head in her hands.

“I’m not laughing , it’s just so sweet! You really wanted to bring me home?”

“Yeah. For a time. As I grew older and I was stuck doing maid duties, I kind of gave up on that particular dream, but then one day… there you were. And our lives got all mixed up after the fact.”

Rapunzel reaches over to rest her hand atop Cassandra’s, squeezing lightly.

“I’m glad they did. I don’t know what my life would be like without you, Cass, but I don’t regret it.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad,” Cass says wryly. “You’d still have Eugene.”

“I couldn’t picture my life without either of you,” Rapunzel insists. “Don’t act like you aren’t both equally important to me.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Cass reaches with her free hand to fish around in her pocket. “Hey, Rapunzel. Close your eyes.”

“Oh, okay.” She twists her face towards Cass and shuts her eyes, before pursing her lips expectantly. Cass rolls her eyes fondly.

“Okay, hotshot, not what I was going for. Hold out your hand.”

“Can I still get a kiss though?”

“Later. Hand, now.”

Cass takes out the bracelets she fashioned this morning from the blue stones of the lagoon and carefully fastens one around Rapunzel’s outstretched wrist. They’re nothing too special to look at, honestly; a little clumsier than the ones that Rapunzel originally made, for sure. The gesture will surely make up for it, though.

Rapunzel’s eyes open, and she gasps.

“You remade our lagoon bracelets?!” Rapunzel’s eyes are alight with amazement. ���But you hate making jewellery!”

Cass shrugs. She isn’t about to go into detail about what a pain in the ass it was to thread the bracelets, and the number of times she stabbed her fingers in the process. She’d thanked the stars for her gloves being so sturdy. “Ehh. I hate making jewellery most of the time. I can make an exception when it comes to you.”

“Cass, they’re beautiful! I don’t know what to say!” Rapunzel hugs her tightly, pressing several kisses to her cheek when she pulls back again. “But I thought you said they should be returned to sacred ground?”

“Well, yeah, I did, but I’ve, um… I’ve actually been studying a little Saporian on the road,” Cass admits sheepishly. “A bit of language, a bit of the history. Just to pass the time on rainy days when it’s hard to travel, you know? Anyway, I found a history book that spoke of Herz Der Sonne and General Champanier. Did you know, they each wore matching pendants until the day they died? Matching blue pendants, the historians say.”

“The lagoon stones,” breathes Rapunzel. Cass nods.

“They were most likely buried in them, so I reckon we may never know for sure, but…” Cass bows her head to avoid Rapunzel’s eyes as she adds, “Since the lagoon was where they fell in love, it’s understandable that the blue stones were significant to them.”

“Just like they’re significant to us.” Rapunzel’s voice is soft, barely above a whisper, and full of awe. Cass swallows and nods.

“I… I thought, if the people who discovered this lagoon allowed themselves to take mementos without the world ending…”

Rapunzel’s hands find hers in the fast-fading light, winding tightly together.

“I will treasure this, Cassandra, for the rest of my days. Hey, maybe we can get buried wearing these too?” Her voice is light, teasing, but beneath that airy joke is something a little more… personal. Permanent. It makes Cass’s heart soar.

Rapunzel leans in and kisses her softly. “I love them. I love you .”

Cass melts a little, at that. “Oh. Oh, I… Yeah. Me too.”

“Here, give me the bracelet.” Rapunzel takes the other bracelet from Cassandra’s outstretched hand and ties it around her wrist. “Now, maybe it’s not the most practical thing to wear it over the glove, but it’ll be fine for tonight. Here, now we match!”

They hold their arms up against the glare of the rapidly setting sun, watching the light gleam through the stones. They glitter like they do beneath the waves of the lagoon, if only temporarily.

“You know… You feel different now, Cass.”

Cass cocks her head to the side, trying to work out what exactly Rapunzel means by that statement as she watches dreamily as the sun disappears below the highest turrets of the castle, distorting the colour of the grounds below. Has she picked up some kind of accent on the road that makes her sound off to native Coronans? Have the facial scars distorted her appearance too much? Is she acting haughty, aloof, more so than before thanks to her time on the road?

“I’m different?” Cass prompts.

“Not in a bad way,” Raps laughs, eyes crinkling with her smile. Her gaze roams over Cass, fully taking her in, before she adds on decidedly, “It’s just the way you are now. I don’t think I could describe it fully, but the life in you, it’s so different to how you were when… when you were at your lowest. It makes me proud of the person you’ve become.”

Cass is stunned. It’s not that she didn’t expect Rapunzel to comment on this; no, she knew she would be praised in some form, because Rapunzel simply can’t help trying to uplift people whenever she can. But she hadn’t prepared for Rapunzel to cut to the heart of the matter so quickly. It’s foolish, she knows, to think that Raps wouldn’t be able to see the effort Cass has taken to become this new version of herself. It’s an image she can’t always keep up, but it’s something she has worked hard towards before feeling ready to show her face around here again.

Rapunzel being proud of her is, shockingly, the remedy that she’s craved since the moment she stepped through the gates.

“You think I’m different now?” Cass bleats uselessly, unable to stop that goofy smile from creeping in. Rapunzel grins and leans over, pecking her forehead quickly before retreating.

“I think you’re getting closer to your authentic self. And it makes me really love you.”

Cass laughs nervously, swivelling away to watch over the field down below so that hopefully Rapunzel can’t see just how flushed she’s become.

As they lapse into a comfortable silence, the rumble of footsteps begin to flood the corridors leading out onto the training pitch. Cass strains her eyes and realises, as light fills each corner of the grounds, that all of the partygoers are congregating onto the pitch below, each holding a lit paper lantern.

“So this is where they’re setting them off,” Rapunzel remarks. “We’ve been caught out. Just our luck.”

“Well, Fitzherbert could have been more specific,” grumbles Cass, without any real venom in her tone. After all, she still owes him one for pushing the two of them into some alone time in the first place. “I guess we should head down and join them.”

“I suppose,” Rapunzel says, almost sounding disappointed at having to cut their time short. “Hey, did you make a lantern this time?”

“Of course. It’s nothing fancy, though. You know that artsy stuff isn’t really my strong suit.”

“I don’t know, Cass. You did make us these bracelets, after all…”

Rapunzel, glancing between the slowly gathering crowd and Cassandra’s face, makes a split-second decision and kisses her cheek once more, before crouching down to pull the door hatch open. Damn, what Cass wouldn’t give for this to be a boat they could undock from the walls of Corona and sail off into the night, away from all these prying eyes. Anything to squeeze a few extra minutes out of this situation.

Fiddling with her hands, she pipes up, “...I could say the same about you, you know.”

Rapunzel pulls the hatch open and cranes her neck to look back at her, brow furrowed in confusion.

“What’s that?”

“About being different now? You’re growing into yourself too,” Cass continues, moving to sit down on the floor, away from the curious view of the gathering crowd below. “I remember how terrified you were at the prospect of running a kingdom, but just look at all this! Seems to me that you’ve really come into your own since I’ve been gone.”

Rapunzel sits back beside her, face glowing at Cassandra’s compliment.

“Well, I love this place! And now that the magic, sundrop, saving the world destiny is behind us, I have more time to focus on this destiny instead. Turns out, it suits me more than I ever believed it would.”

“I haven’t seen Corona this happy and at peace in a long time. Whatever Rapunzel Positivity you’ve been spreading to the people, it’s working.”

“Hopefully it’ll stay this way for a little while longer.” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear and peeks over at her, meadow-green eyes bearing into hers. “I’m so glad you came back, Cass.”

“I’m glad too. You really believed I wouldn’t fight tooth and nail to come back for your birthday?”

“I didn’t know how far away you might be!” Rapunzel points out. “If you were all the way across the continent I wouldn’t expect you to make it back in time, and you haven’t written to me in weeks!”

“Because I was travelling!”

“Well, I’d still like to know next time!” Rapunzel takes a playful swing at her arm and Cass dodges, unable to hold back her laughter any longer. It doesn’t take long for Rapunzel to follow suit, their heads resting together as they giggle in the semi-darkness. When at last they’ve run out of steam, Rapunzel peeks over the rim of the tower.

“I see Eugene. Looks like he’s holding an extra lantern.”

“Probably mine,” Cass offers. “Since everybody else is accounted for but us.”

“Guess that’s our cue to head down there, then.” Rapunzel begins to climb down the ladder, before stopping, just as her head pokes out the top of the door. “So, did you write a poem in yours, or…”

“I’m not telling you!” Cass insists, poking her nose with a grin. “If you’re lucky I’ll let you squint at it through the paper before we set them off.”

“Well, is it romantic?” Rapunzel probes. Cass smiles inwardly as she recalls the words she wrote for Rapunzel, short and sweet, knowing that they’ll wind up on Terapi Island with no one to read them but the lorbs.

I love you, Raps. And for as long as the sun shines, I will never stop.

“...Maybe.” Lowering her voice to a whisper, Cass adds conspiratorially, “But you can’t tell anybody.”

Rapunzel mimes sealing her lips. “It goes to the grave,” she says seriously. “Now. One more kiss before we go?”

Rolling her eyes, Cass leans down to bridge the gap.

[pandawritespoorly]

With Time: Chapter 13 - Confidence in Progress

Author’s Note: Here we are, posting more With Time! I love the response to the akuma in the last chapter, it was a ...unique thing to write. Anyways, without further ado, here's chapter 13!

Chapter Summary: Marinette talks with Fu quickly. The Quantics and Co. bake cookies.

First | Previous | Saturday

Marinette knocks on the door, waiting for the Guardian to open the door. 

She doesn’t have to wait long, she’s allowed in quickly, “Ah, Marinette, we’ve been expecting you.” Master Fu speaks calmly.

“You have?” Did she mess up that bad?

“When Wayzz and I saw that The Revealer lasted so long, we were certain it would not be long before Tikki or Plagg fell ill. It would seem Tikki is the first.”

“Given Plagg’s nature to take longer breaks, that is no surprise.” The turtle Kwami shows up above Fu’s shoulder. They walk into the same room where Tikki first got healed. Marinette lifts her Kwami gingerly from her bag and gives her to Master Fu, who nods and begins.

After the ceremony is finished, Tikki munches happily on a cookie in front of Marinette.

“Master?” She’s been debating this for so long, postponing and procrastinating as long as she can, but being here already, she has no more excuses. “Yes, Marinette?”

“I can’t call on Rena Rouge or Carapace anymore.” Given how she reacted to simply seeing Alya and Lila, there is no hope that she can work efficiently as a team with them anymore. She studies the floorboards, unable to meet his eyes. She failed to choose heroes well. He’s going to be so disappointed.

He sips from his tea calmly, “Why is that?”

“I- you told me to choose someone I can trust, and…”

“And you no longer you feel that your choices are worthy of that honor.” She would have phrased it a little differently, more along the lines of fearing the wrath of a betrayed friend, but maybe she can think of it that way instead. It feels better that way.

“...yes.”

“Very well. It is understandable to come along bumps in the road. You are a smart heroine, Marinette, I will trust your judgement.”

“But what if I choose wrong again? How many ‘bumps in the road’ will there be?” She doesn’t want to mess up again. Not after last time.

“Perhaps you should consider the actions of a hero. When I looked for people to become the holders of the Black Cat and Ladybug miraculouses, I considered their actions. You, as well as your partner, proved yourselves to already being capable of heroic acts, without the jewelry.”

“So I need to find people who… already act like heroes?” She finally meets his eyes, and finds nothing negative in them.

“Indeed. Being heroic does not require magic jewelry.” He pours more tea for himself, “You mentioned that Rena Rouge and Carapace would not be fighting anymore, but what of Queen Bee?”

That didn’t even occur to her. She’d not even considered Chloe, because the blonde had been less involved in the actions leading up to Marinette’s transfer. No, that isn’t entirely right. She’d been involved, but in a positive way. She’d been the one to bring her home on Thursday, calming her down in the bathroom.

She’d even apologized for her past actions. 

“I- I think there will be a new holder for the Bee miraculous as well.” “But…?”

“But I think that having the miraculous has helped Chloe change. For the better. I think that if I needed back-up and she was available, I would choose her. I trust her - more that Rena and Carapace.”

“So in the event that you require the assistance of the Bee, or if the new Bee holder is unavailable, you would allow Ms. Bourgeois to take up the title temporarily?” Master Fu looks to her for confirmation.

“Yes. I would.” She nods.

“I will inform Trixx and Pollen.” Wayzz floats up from his snack. Marinette feels bad, he and Nino seemed to get along well.

“I’m sorry, Wayzz.”

“It is quite alright, Marinette. I was aware from the start that the arrangement may not be permanent. I do regret that Nino made the choices he did. Perhaps this will be a learning experience for him. I can only hope.” 

Marinette smiles weakly at him and he flies to the Miracle Box. Her phone dings in her pocket.

“Perhaps you should be on your way. Unless there is anything else?”

“No, Master.” She starts toward the door, “Thank you.”

Once outside she glances around quickly before looking to her purse.

“How do you feel, Tikki?” The little Kwami looks a lot better, she’s sitting in the purse looking up at Marinette with bright eyes holding a cookie in her paws.

“Much better, thank you!”

“It wasn’t a problem, you were sick, I couldn’t leave you like that.” What if there had been another akuma? Tikki would have felt even worse after that, and that would be terrible.

“Why am I any different than you?” She knows the Kwami is thinking of her behaviour on Saturday, overworking herself to get her to the point that she got to. Marinette shakes her head. 

Why is it different? It just is. Tikki is the Kwami of Creation and Marinette is just some human girl. But she’s Ladybug, she’s a hero. Maybe it isn’t that diff-

Tikki makes surprised squeak and ducks back into her bag, Marinette glances up and sees Adrien coming this way. She’s still standing in front of Fu’s place and there’s no way she could leave without catching his eye.

He hasn’t noticed her yet, due to how intently he’s looking into his bag, seemingly talking to himself. Once he reaches the massage shop, he stops and looks to the door. He finally notices Marinette and pauses, staring at her in slight confusion,”Oh, uh, hey Marinette. What are you doing here?”

“I- uh, um, tea! My… maman! Yes, my maman wanted some tea and sent me here! For the tea!” she smiles convincingly, “Wh-what about you?”

“My uh, Chinese tutor, uh wanted me to come to him today, so… yeah.” 

She nods, that makes sense.

“Actually, Mari, how are you?” He cocks his head at her slightly, looking at her caringly.

“What?” Did she worry him somehow? How did she do that? Why did she do that?

“I, um, happened to be near your school during the akuma attack. I saw Alya and Lila… it looked like you had noticed them too? I just, uh, tried to distract them. They’re back at Fr- school now.”

Right. Alya. And Lila. Do they know? Do they know where she goes now? Are they going to find her? They’re going to find her at school tomorrow. They’re going to confront her, her friends will find out just how much she sucks, they’ll hate her too, because of course they would that’s what she des-

Adrien puts a hand on her shoulder, interrupting her spiraling, “Marinette.”

“R-right. Um, I’m good. I-I’m fine.” He looks at her doubtfully, but before he can say anything more, she continues,”Anyways, I should get this tea! Back to Maman! And you, probably need to uh, get tutored! For chinese! Ummm… yup! Bye!” She turns and hurries away, waving over her shoulder at him as she goes.

The rules. The rules. She can’t just disregard the rules.

 Rule #6: If asked, you’re doing good

 She’s good. Absolutely fine. Perfectly great. No need for anyone to worry about her. Her phone dings again. 

Right! She’d completely forgotten that someone had texted her. She’d ignored someone. They were probably worried about her now. Stupid.

 Rule #11:  Adrien, Claude, Allegra, Allan, and Felix have been nice enough to put up with you, don’t make them regret it.

 Or it’s her parents, who don’t have a choice in enduring her stupidity. Either way, she’d ignored someone for longer than necessary and now they’d either been forced to check with her again or they were finally letting her know that they’re done with her nonsense.

 Kid Mime: hey if u want to come over when ur dun u can!

Kid Mime: were mking cookies

 HE LOVES US: I fear they may burn down the building.

HE LOVES US: ...

Felix: Marinette, excuse me for a moment to exact revenge on Claude.

 The Mom Friend: dont worry

The Mom Friend: there fine

 Oh. They weren’t mad. They didn’t hate her. 

Yet.

Maybe she should go? They wouldn’t hate her for it if she’d been invited. They were making cookies, that would be fun. 

You’d get in the way. You’ll be that killjoy that gets too specific about the recipe.

“You should go!” Tikki has made her way onto the girl’s shoulder, “Cookies are fun!”

Tikki likes cookies. She would go for Tikki. That’s okay, right? It’s not selfish if you’re going for someone else?

 Patiserie Princess: im on my way

 ---

 As soon as she knocks on the door, it opens and she is whisked into Claude’s kitchen, where chaos is likely about to ensue. There are, presumably, all the ingredients necessary out along with a few measuring cups. There’s a bowl on the counter that might be meant for mixing all the ingredients, but it’s probably too small. The stove has a pot on it but the stove is off. Claude already has some flour on him, despite the flour being closed. Allan is taking out a few more ingredients, while Felix sits at the counter with tea, content to watch for now. It’s probably a good choice considering his black clothing would display any and all flour that lands on it.

Something is placed on her head. She looks up to see Allegra beside her.

“Thank goodness you’re here. Claude decided I’m in charge and I don’t know what I’m doing. You’ve got the hat so you’re in charge now.”

“M-me?! Are you sure I should?”

“You live in a bakery, and regularly assist in baking goods for sale. Of all of us you will be the most capable of directing us in creating baked goods.” Felix sips his tea as he says this.

“Yay! Marinette’s here to save us!” Claude throws his arms in the air as Allan puts the last of the ingredients on the counter.

“Hey, ‘Nette.” he looks at the chef’s hat, “So what do we do?”

“I don’t know, uh… where’s the recipe?” She still wasn’t convinced that she is the best to be in charge. They’ve never seen her as a leader, are they sure they want her to do this?

Allegra hands her a sheet of paper printed from a website. Marinette skims it quickly. It’s pretty good, but being raised by two bakers she makes some small adjustments in her head. Used to correcting recipes at home, she grabs a pen and quickly scribbles them onto the paper. Something in her switches, and she steps back with a mindset she hasn’t used in her civilian life since before. Her friends see the different expression - a new one for them - and smile.

“Alright, so first we’re going to need to melt the butter. Allan, I’m going to need to you turn the stove to a medium heat and keep an eye on it. Once it is boiling, stir it constantly until it is an amber color. At that point let it cool for twenty minutes.”

She hands him the two sticks of butter and turns to Claude and Allegra, “You two should measure out and mix the dry ingredients.” She hands them the corrected sheet, “And you’re going to want a bigger bowl.” She approves their new bowl, taking the old one with her as she clears a space a little away from the others to cut up the pretzels.

While they’re all distracted by their tasks, there’s a knock at the door. Felix stands and opens it, allowing Adrien into the kitchen. He starts to speak, but stops abruptly as he takes in the scene before him.

At this point Allegra and Claude have finished mixing and are just talking. Marinette has mixed the chocolate and butterscotch chips and pretzels together in a bowl. She’s standing at the stove with Allan and they’re talking as well. Felix has returned to his tea and none of those involved in the baking have noticed him yet. A timer beeps and Marinette straightens.

“Alright, the butter is cool now. Allegra, can you put the eggs and vanilla in with the butter? Allan can you do the brown sugar? I can mix it, and Claude, you can mix in the stuff in the other bowl when we get to that point.” Marinette is entirely in her element, having been raised on recipes that were probably more complicated than this one. She knows what to do and is easily directing those around her to include them all in the process.

Adrien hasn’t seen her so comfortable and confident - especially when directing others - in, well, a while now. It’s nice to see. He decides against interrupting and sits next to Felix to watch.

Father wouldn’t allow him to join in such a messy activity anyways.

Soon enough, the cookies have been put in the oven and Marinette sets the timer for them. She takes the hat off her head, “There! All done! I told you that it wasn’t that complicated!”

“That’s ‘cause you actually knew what you were doing!” Claude exclaims, hugging her.

“I am still certain that without your presence Claude’s kitchen may not have survived this experience.” Felix stands to put his mug away and the others finally notice Adrien.

“Oh hey, Adrien. When’d ya’ get here?” Allan sits at the table with the blond.

He shrugs, ”A little bit ago. I didn’t want to interrupt.”

“You could have said something, if you want to join.” Marinette has yet to flip back to her normal state of mind. She’s channeling her Ladybug mindset for public situations.

“Father wouldn’t have wanted me to.”

At this, Marinette gets a defiant tone and her expression changes to yet another new one for all but Adrien, “Well y-” She cuts herself off abruptly, remembering herself and slouching slightly, “Well that’s unfortunate.”

“I think that you should do what you want. He’s not here to stop you.” Allegra sits as well.

“Last time I tried that we were chased through Paris by a mob of fans.” The others are confused, but before any of them can question further, Marinette drops her head to the table.

“Ugh. I still can’t believe I was in my pajamas that whole time. How did I forget to change into my clothes before leaving the house? Aaaaaah.”

Adrien snorts at that and Claude slams his hands onto the table (but gently), “Storytime?!”

“It was on the news…” Adrien supplies, wondering if that would jog their memories - if they’d seen it at all.

“Don’t remind meeee…” Allan pats Marinette consolingly. Her head is still on the table.

“It’d still be more fun to hear it from you guys.” Allegra leans forward excitedly.

Adrien shrugs, deciding to start with the news footage. He pulls it up on his phone and puts it in view of all of them. Marinette sits up to watch it, cringing every so often.

“Anyways that’s just the early stuff-”

“So not even all of it, you didn’t even see my brilliant disguises.” Marinette covers her face with her hands.

“It turned into an akuma attack eventually.”

“You got dropped off the side of a building…”

“He what?!” Allan interrupts them, “Were you okay?”

“You guys lead very eventful lives...” Allegra adds.

“Ladybug caught me. Also her cure would have fixed anything anyways.”

“Still.” Allan shakes his head. Marinette’s point goes unspoken. What if it didn’t fix everything? What will happen when she inevitably messes everything up and can’t reverse the damage? People shouldn’t trust Ladybug so much.

“I don’t think that our lives are that eventful…” Marinette tries to draw their attention away from Ladybug. It’s hypocritical, but as much she wishes they wouldn’t trust her hero alter-ego so much, she fears the day when everyone realizes how useless she really is.

Well, maybe useless is a strong word.

“The lives of spectacular people are always eventful! That’s what happens when you’re talented Mari!” Claude throws his arms in the air excitedly and she blushes.

“Well, if the heroes of Paris recognize ya’ by name your life has gotta’ be at least kinda’ interesting…” Allan chimes in.

Marinette shrugs noncommittally. She wouldn’t mind telling them those stories, but they involve her old classmates and to think about them too long would make her feel bad - which would be against the rules - one of the newer ones.

 Rule #12: Don’t do anything that could attract an akuma to you.

 She’d already messed that up earlier, but she hadn’t seen it coming. Alya showing up with Lila had been a surprise.

You should have realized that she would have shown up at an akuma attack you idiot.

To be fair though, Alya was only part of the problem, it was Lila’s presence that had really pushed her over the edge.

No. No excuses. The whole point of her rules is to have her accept these things as facts. If they’re facts, then she shouldn’t feel bad, thereby making her safe from akumas. She can’t just follow them whenever she pleases - that’s not how rules work. She’s been breaking the rules a lot recently, especially when she got sick. Maybe it would be for the best if she re-read them tonight. For the sake of reminding herself.

She’d memorized them, so she hadn’t read them in almost a week.

“What should we do while the cookies are in the oven? Board games?” Claude suggests.

“Sure!” Allegra clears the table to make room for whatever Claude drags out of his room. He brings a few different things out. It’s impressive just how many things he manages to carry at once.

“Okay! I got Jenga, Suspend, Sorry, Sleeping Queens, Dixit, Coup…”

“That’s a lot of games at once, Claude.” Allegra looks at him doubtfully, “Do you two even know how to play some of these?” She looks at Marinette and Adrien.

Marinette nods, but Adrien shakes his head.

“The only board game I’ve played is Monopoly. I hadn’t even played that until a few months ago…”

“Welp. Claude’s gonna’ introduce ya’ to all of his.”

“You bet I am!” He punctuates this statement by dropping everything at the end of the table.

Eventually the group settles into their games, and when the timer goes off, Marinette takes the cookies out to let them cool, turning the oven off before joining back into the game. They play a couple different games for a few hours, eating the cookies while they play. Marinette slips a couple in her purse for Tikki.

“These taste like friendship!” Claude declares.

“They’re pretty good.” Allegra says, then notices Adrien hasn’t had one yet, “Do you want one Adrien?”

“Well, uh,” he rubs the back of his neck, “Do you think I’m allowed to? Father…”

Before the rest of them can respond, Marinette hits her palms to the table, looking at Adrien intensely, whispering conspiratorially, “Rebel.”

The group laughs when Adrien eats a cookie quickly, seemingly having been entirely convinced by this.

Eventually it’s starting to grow dark outside, and it’s time for them to leave. Claude shows them out.

“Farewell, friends!” The other five smile, waving goodbye as they leave. Once they’re outside Marinette wraps her coat around herself tighter, hissing at the cold.

“You gonna’ be good ‘Nettie?” Allan cocks his head at her.

“M’ house isn’t that far.” The girl sticks close to the rest of them, which doesn’t seem like it would do much good. Her miraculous condition makes her extra sensitive to heat in the winter though, so for her it’s a little better - she can sense their body heat. It’s entirely unconscious, but she always can tell where a heat source is. It’s not super useful when she’s too tired to move, but at least it means she typically falls asleep on the warmest person.

“We’ll walk with you - just to be safe.” Allegra wraps an arm around the shorter girl’s shoulders, who leans into her.

They carry on their conversation as they walk, dropping off Marinette first. She goes straight to her bed, as does Tikki. Before Marinette can sleep, she forces herself to sit up, remembering her promise to reread the lists.

After she reads them she thinks that maybe it had been too long since she read them last, seeing as now she felt bad and that is the whole thing she’s trying to avoid. 

She goes to sleep afterwards, because she’s still tired. She can think about the lists again in the morning.

---

Author’s Note: That definitely wasn't an excuse for her new friends to put her in charge of something while still allowing her to stay in her element. No,of course not. They're just helpless in the kitchen.

The recipe is here, if you're interested. I baked it with a friend a bit ago, and it was fun. They turned out pretty well, but I feel like a bakers' daughter such as Marinette would have adjustments to make.

Did I give Claude some of my own favorite games? Yes, yes I did.

Thanks for reading, and constructive criticism is welcomed in the comments below! The comments are my favorite part of this!

First | Previous | Saturday

[gg-astrology]

TWICE Im Nayeon - Overview

Hello! 💕 I’m back at it again with a TWICE overview!! 💕 Today I’m trying to work on Nayeon, Jeongyeon and Dahyun!! 💕💕 By the time I’m done with Nayeon’s though-- it’s quite late ;; So I’ll probably finish Jeongyeon and Dahyun’s tomorrow!! 💕💕💕 But please-- have a Virgo cutie pie today!! 💕💕💕

Masterlist  | Momo | Mina | Sana | Jihyo | Jeongyeon | Dahyun | 

Disclaimer: For unknown Birthtimes we’re going to use the standard 12.00pm --and as always, please read with your own discretion! 💕

September 22nd, 1995

Virgo Sun (3rd Decan/Taurus)

god don’t you just love a Virgo sun goddess??💕💕

Especially in the third decan -- the Virgo/Taurus Venusian beauty is such a joyful chill lovely being

Out of all the decans-- Virgo/Taurus may be the more social of the bunch, not overly social like a buzz buzz butterfly, but gracious and sociable. 

People approach them because they feel comfortable to be around-- they may look after you, but they also expect you to look after yourself. With a certain Venusian quality to them-- they may be adept at taking care of others in a nurturing way as well.

Caring-- basically, but not like-- naggy about it. Atleast not necessary, there’ll be moments sometimes where it comes out because they DO care about others and can’t help but worry for them-- but generally-- they may be the chillest-- willing to let things slide, but also stubborn in some area as well. 

Criticality is still there but it isn’t super prominent-- it comes out when it’s necessary, good listeners and a comforting shoulder to cry on. 

The type to tuck your hair behind your ear and put an arm comfortingly around your shoulder as they sit with you while you cry. That’s the kind of Virgo/Taurus decan is for people sometimes (*depends on other things as well)

Besides this-- Virgo in the 2nd decans also tend to be quite jovial. As in-- they’re fun loving, peaceful. Exudes a certain serenity to them despite the on-going anxiety/restlessness they feel as a mutable sign.

 Sometimes you can’t even tell they’re anxious about something because they give so much stability/structure to others that people are distracted away from it.  

Unlike the seriousness of Virgo/Capricorn decan or the curiousity/intellect of the Virgo/Virgo decan --- Virgo/Taurus tend to focus more on the self. Self-satisfaction, self-stability. Finding happiness in the small trivial things in life (maybe a butterfly, something they’ve seen today) -- it helps with curbing some of their anxiety but also to find balance. 

With the grace of Venusian decan they can often have an optimistic ‘I can do it!’ attitude. It’s a joy to be around--- because Virgos are essentially workers, they like to be productive. 

This sense of positivity to their general attitude/disposition certainly helps with landing them in many roles bc others react well when they seem co-operative/enthusiastic about it!

Y know-- like it’s their disposition. Besides being a ‘solid’ person to depend on bc of how calming/straight-forward thinking they can be (looking on what to do/step-by-step for the future) the type to go ‘ok, let me see if you’re feeling ok first. Then we can work on what to do next together’

Virgo/Taurus decan combines efficiency with hard-work. They aren’t afraid to work hard or put in effort in order to get to a stable/solid ground again. They’re loyal-- first and foremost. So if you think they’re going to ditch you you thought wrong.

They’re earnestly the type to help you up a semi-difficult hike, offering you their hand so you can get on the same level and work your way up together. Trusting and dedicated-- it’s that solid/stable core beneath their positive personality that makes them so likeable to many people.

Nayeon’s Virgo Sun in the 2nd decan can also be the kind of person whom-- when confronted with a problem, takes the time to process different perspective of how to approach it. 

Virgos pay attention to the details-- and in this case the details have more to do with a ‘situation’ at hand and how to tackle it. They aren’t looking at the result, or what would become after. They’re looking at the thing ‘solid’ thing they can grasps--- the problem/situation/thing that needs to be solved-- and then work on the process of resolving it in the way that they can.

Honesty and personal integrity comes with this placement--- as with many other Virgos-- those with Virgo Sun places a high expectancy to be as honest and ‘pure’ as possible. Pure-hearted in a way, they don’t want to be misunderstood or place other’s expectations too high/low unless they can take it/come through with it for them. 

Disappointment-- not just from themselves but from others around them is a harsh thing to take. So they set their own margins and work on succeeding in what they can do, working on things step by step until they can achieve the ‘overall’ picture as a ‘success’. 

With Mercury and Venus influencing her Sun -- there’s an expectancy and general happiness at ‘serving’ others. More so than the other decans-- this is about social/personal responsibility. Their actions influences those around them, and taking too much/too little is something they may be aware of. 

It’s about the equilibrium y know? Like Taurus-- imagine the bull minding it’s own business grazing on the field. It’s not hurting anyone unless threatened, and if it sees something that threatens it it doesn’t back down. 

Being considerate of others, if you want others to be considerate to yourself is also a thing they may be attuned with. Subconsciously or not-- there’s social etiquette or expectancy they agree with/work within in order to create a ‘system’ that benefits everyone. 

It’s about being fair and playing fair in this case-- where they can see, how certain action/inconsideration may hurt others so they hold back from doing so. They’re socially conscious in a way that they may not notice-- often it may just be intuitive (Mercury/Venus) and how they’re naturally picking up on these things without realizing. 

Trust that with the combination of Virgo/Taurus -- if something is seriously wrong/hurting/against their own values. They’re the type to politely point out why in a critical and straight-forward manner. 

Most of the time, they’re mild-mannered and peaceful. But that doesn’t mean she’s a push-over. She knows when and when not to do something-- she just has strong social nuance to her as well (people smart, but more like sociable smart. Naturally popular as well) 

Because she does have this Taurusean decan with her Virgo Sun--- there’s a strong inclination for Virgo/Taurus to seek pursuits that allows their creativity to shine through, or show them in a good light. Fashion, make up -- certain ‘materials’ that can enhance/showcase this creative pursuit is also something that may also interest them as well. 

Nayeon’s beautiful singing voice might also be attributed to how many Mercury decans and Venusian influences she has in her placements. 

In her sun-- that talks about the self, ego, purpose, esteem/confidence-- finding a ‘purpose’ for yourself also attribute to being able to be creative and non-restrictive. 

Virgos typically have pretty clear voices, depending on other things as well-- they can also have different shade/ranges to them. 

With Virgo/Taurus in her Sun (and in her context) -- there’s a steady-marching beat to her progress upward. Virgos-- like every other Virgo decans, may have a certain personal standards and assessment of quality (external) to them. With Taurus in the mix-- it’s finding quality of life. 

The main focus/goal of Virgo/Taurus is to find a high enough quality of work/life/personal philosophy that allows them to prosper at a ‘stable’ pace. It’s not about biting off more than you can chew, or putting herself in a place where she doesn’t have any ‘stability’. That’s a no-no since her anxiety would sky-rocket with how unstable her life is (and without support/socially as well -- Venusian sign after all) 

It’s about finding personal contentment--- pushing from the internal out (nocturnal signs) starting with a good ‘thinking/mind-set’ that they can carry and revisit/re-energize from whenever they feel lost/unbalanced. 

This internal ‘good mindset/thinking’ also helps with keeping the person humble, trying hard, friendly and not get big-headed. 

Taurus curbs some of Virgo’s over-thinking and stress/worries that can be obsessive or pointless. It’s a breath of fresh air that decisively cuts off terrible habits (that she might still have) and open your perspective. 

Simple questions like ‘Am I happy?’ or ‘Am I doing what makes me happy?’ --- simplification of things, certainly helps Virgo Suns out alot. Don’t overcomplicate it.  

Besides this-- Virgo/Taurus can also be very very patient/tolerant people. Not to the extent that they TAKE everything you throw at them, but if it’s working towards a purpose that is personally fulfilling to them (light at the end of the tunnel) -- they can take a lot of pressure before they break (given that they have enough stability/nurturing around them as well)

Honestly, I’d say having the girls around her is such a big part of what keeps this Virgo from not being lonely. 

Loneliness is always a thing that most Virgos suffer from. Isolated obsession/thoughts and can quickly become their personal demons sometimes, and increase anxiety/darkness inside of them that can affect their entire disposition quickly (like poison in the vein, spreading quickly). 

Virgo/Taurus takes a lot of things on their own, but don’t let them be alone. Don’t let them be lonely or lost in their own over-bearing thoughts by themselves. Sometimes they can sink too deep too fast, getting ‘stuck’ in their own ‘what do/to do = despair’. Mutables are sensitive--- make sure to look after them too. 

Last few notes on Virgo Sun in the Taurus decans-- they are amazingly warm-hearted and generous. Protective of those they love, but also appreciative of their efforts and ‘nature’. They’re the type of people (she’s the type of person) who doesn’t like pretenses or pretentiousness. 

Approaching her truthfully as you are --- with your shyness, nervousness, etc. Is endearing and shouldn’t be seen as a flaw. Because they’re so accepting and generous-- they’re selective with people who come to them. People who are willing to listen, to let down part of their shield and let themselves believe that there’s love, hope and betterment in the world (this they can teach them, but only if that person lets them.) 

Most of all--- they’re simply looking for people who are open and receptive. People who are just themselves, isn’t hiding or lashing out at others unnecessarily. 

Isn’t putting on airs--- god, people who put on airs or ‘pretend’ to have/be something they’re not probably piss them off the most. Most Virgos wouldn’t even engage with them-- and that’s the same with Nayeon here. 

You might think certain ‘pretenses’ like ‘let’s go on this holiday’ or ‘lets do something together’ is unnecessary--- but for Virgo/Taurus sometimes this is just a way to find fulfillment and emotional bond with people. 

Given they aren’t the most emotional of people (by themselves, often logical/rational people more than you realize/when it comes to serious decisions) but this is engagement. 

It’s something that creates memories or experiences with people, it’s something that isn’t showy/out-there but can make a huge difference in the dynamic if you indulge them or allow them to do this with you. They literally never ask for anymore more than just--- experiences with you, good memories and getting to know you better. This is all they ask for. So let them do it with you. 

Leo Moon (3rd Decan/Aries)

Lovely!!! 💕 They are so lovely I love Leo Moons!! 💕💕💕💕

Leo brings a certain stability to the Virgo Sun above-- if all else fails, this Leo Moon will shut down everything else in order to get Shit Done even if it’s themselves/their own emotions (compartmentalize/internalize emotions sometimes) 

Charming, affectionate and loyal --- Leo Moons don’t give themselves enough credit even when they deserve to be loved the way they want to be. 

They are rather romantic, and sometimes they can often re-enact something out or speak to inanimate things if their other placement/aspects fit into that as well (kinda like, self-expression by themselves that makes others who observe them kinda go ????) 

Leo is also a fire-moon, so self-expression is a big thing for this people. Particularly, when it comes to performing/performance-- these people may naturally attract people to them because of how naturally alluring they are. 

Alluring as in their vitality and liveliness-- in the third decan of Aries-- it’s about will-power and ‘standing out’ even when they’re not doing anything. 

Aries as a cardinal sign ‘leads’ others naturally-- it helps Leo’s ‘stability’ in a way that-- if others are lost/lose track of what to do-- this Leo/Aries can naturally ‘show’ them where to go/what to do even without doing anything ‘out of the norm’ themselves.

It’s -- well, Leo Moons aren’t always out-going by themselves. It’s more to do with comfort and personal fulfillment. They don’t have to be the center of attention-- even when they’re loud-- it doesn’t mean they want attention to be on them. 

It’s more to do with how comfortable they are with the people around them, with themselves. How empowered they feel by the situation/environment or those around them/themselves. 

It has to do with self-empowerment, how receptive people are to them. Because they can be sensitive and shy if people aren’t receptive to them-- and may often hold themselves back because of that as well.

The Lion isn’t the one who demands people respect them/abide to them. They rule by just being themselves, by being selected. They have a sense of self, but also has a respect for the public opinion as well. And Leo people are the same as well. 

With that said-- there’s something to be said about Leo Moons because they like to be comical when they’re comfortable. They make expressions (self-expressive) they make jokes, they co-operate with you if you ask them for help with anything. 

They’re generous people-- and with the Moon ruling emotionality, being able to offer a slice of happiness/joviality to others and being able to ‘give’ certain help fulfill a sense of Leo pride as well 💕

Often times, you might find yourself with a Leo Moon friend who although they stick to themselves-- is actually rather down-to-earth and chill to hang out with. Most Leo Moons don’t hold themselves above others, it’s just the impression they give off that deters people away sometimes. 

But Leo Moons are people who re-affirms you, who gives you courage and strength, who looks you in the eye and tell you they believe in you. 

They’re the type to celebrate your victories with you, cheer you on and genuinely encourage you to get out of your shell/insecurities. They can be insensitive when it comes to themselves-- but they are always supportive/encouraging when it comes to small victories with your progress as well.

The ‘noble’ nature of Leos when applied to social realms/people around them has more to do with how they protect and nurture those around them. Almost like a guardian, although childish/silly by nature-- they embody both of the kiddish side and the side that understands responsibilities as well.

Leo is a social sign y know, they have a domain they look after-- the people they care about, their joys/support-- these people mean alot to them. And their appreciation/acceptance of the Leo’s natural playfulness is something Leo Moon can be sensitive about.

The ‘controlling’ side of Leos that has to do with their fixed/fire nature-- the side that may be a little possessive or protective of others-- comes when it applies to themselves. 

If they themselves feel needy, feels threatened, feel unappreciated or undeserving of something. They grow frustrated and sometimes-- they retain that energy inwards into personal frustration.

They can lash out sometimes-- but most of the time you might just see them being pouty/whiny or sulky. They may try to ‘lighten’ the topic even if it hurts them more than they let on. 

Being ‘too’ emotional is still a thing they are wary of (fire signs and vulnerabilities smh)-- so if they feel like their burdens are affecting others emotionally as well-- they may sometimes freak out bc they don’t know how to go about it from there ksjdnkj

It’s cute... but also like, they can be a little demanding and needy too. They seek to ‘do right’ by people-- and that can become judging/trying to nudge others into a better direction for themselves the way they see it. 

Leo Moon ultimately wants the best for someone they care about-- but sometimes they can be focused on ‘getting them out of this situation’ that they can miscalculate the long-term effect/consequence of it as well.

Kinda like.... this is a problem, the person is crying because of it. Leo Moon moves in to comfort and pull/nudge them to get out and solve that problem--- but the problem isn’t resolved with just face-value sometimes. 

It might need a little more introspection, a little more self-evaluation. There may be reason why it lingered as long as it did for that person without the Leo Moon realizing that y know?

Some problems aren’t for them to solve-- but for the Leo Moons themselves, their own happiness and resolving immediate issues works best for them. Long-term problem/situations can be resolved over time-- they are a fixed sign after all. 

If hurt by a situation-- they can sometimes retain or get hung up on it because it hurts them emotionally. With a fire/fixed sign, sometimes it’s about how they use that fuel to empower them forward.

There’s a natural inclination to ‘do’ things in order to move away from it, but they also need to learn how to resolve things fully within themselves. 

They might not realize they are constantly referring/acting back on the problem in a cycle without resolving the issue that started everything, communication sometimes-- is something that they avoid because they want to just move past/be chill with everything even when it bothers them.

Kinda like if you had a bad experience with this one person--- you move on but you don’t forget. Yet somehow, the people around you realize you’re hurt about this more than YOU realize it. Your actions/words are sometimes referring back to that situation/experience.

Self-awareness is something the Leo can learn and benefit from. Because they can sometimes retain things without realizing-- and thus, learning how to take notice and be aware of their emotional burdens regarding social/others is also crucial from them.

It’s that urge to ‘make things right’ with Leos that makes them stay ‘stuck’ in a problem sometimes. It builds up frustration as well-- whether it’s from lack of action/progression or from unresolved issue/something they have to deal with. 

Ok anyways... let’s talk about Leo/Aries again ksjsknk with Leo in the Aries decan-- these people can be quite daring as well. 

With the power of Mars behind them, they are mischievous sometimes and also ambitious when they put their minds to it. Competitiveness should be done in fair-sports, and they’re someone who enjoys encouragements from others who are their ‘equals’ to motivate each other to do better and better each time.

Kinda like camaraderie-- in good sportsmanship it happens where you grow to be self-confident in yourself when you have good encouragement and competition around you as well. 

It’s that built of trust, respect and reliance on each other’s strength that lifts up the Leo/Aries Moon on it’s own. They believe in other people’s strength, and when people believe in their strength that’s independent from them (self-reliant) they prosper best and shine bright as well. 

They believe in the good hard grind-- since working hard allows them to relax and be less stressed as well. A good day at work means that they’ve shown/given their best/what they’ve got. The reward at the end-- is just simply good feelings and enjoying each other’s company without jealousy and pretenses. 

These people are more active than they realize-- with Aries as their decan, they sometimes don’t realize their sociability power is alot more than they give themselves credit for. On off days-- they can sometimes spend period of time adventuring with friends, take a chance, travel. See things. 

Leo Moon also loves learning, new things, experiences. They’re enthusiastic even if it’s low-key, but genuinely curious about growing/seeing new sights and places and people that they haven’t seen/met before. They’re much more ‘daring’ than they realize this way as well skjnskjkss

One thing that should be note-- is that Leo/Aries would want to see whatever they put their effort/hard work into bear fruits and actually manifest into palpable thing. There’s no happiness in something that flunks and fails-- they like results. 

Their fiery part can sometimes surface a lot more when they see something going wrong despite their efforts into it --- the controlling part of Leo comes out full-force, managing and organizing the process until they can get the ‘result’ they wanted.

With tremendous power-- it comes to say that they may often prefer those who are clever and insightful. Scorpios in particular-- tend to soothe this Leo/Aries nature better because 1) they are just as intense and 2) they understand their work-ethic, yet they are much cooler emotionally than the Leo as well. 

It’s a sense of balance-- since Aries/Libra would talk about that as well. But finding someone who ‘complements’ or balance the enthusiastic Leo Moon well with their insights and temperament makes it easier for the Leo/Aries to ‘be themselves’ and move forward the way they want-- 

They ‘trust’ the other person will be able to match them independently as well, and they don’t have to ‘slow down’ or ‘hold back’ with them.         

Libra Mercury (3rd decan/Gemini)

We’re finally at the meat of the placements, with Nayeon she gives off a lot of Venusian vibes because she has it in her Mercury and ALSO her Venus (1st decan there)

Besides this-- it also complements her Virgo/Leo combination as well. As someone who’s genuinely curious about others, and often an excellent listener --- she knows when to give advice and when to NOT. 

This is important, because most people don’t know when to NOT give advice. A part of being good at communicating is knowing what others need -- and in some cases, learning how to NOT give an opinion/advice is more helpful to the overall progress than doling it out anyways. 

It’s not about ‘predicting’ what others want/need to hear-- whether we think it’s the cold harsh truth or soothing helpful words-- Libra is about being truthful and honest. 

It’s not about holding the self back, but rather having the space/time to process and learn from different perspective in order to make a decision in the end.

It’s organization and effective planning essentially-- before you decide to ‘tackle’ or ‘do’ something about a situation --- you might want to see it through and get a clear plan out first.

As a cardinal sign and ‘doing things’-- Libra in this sense is more about gathering information and processing them. 

‘Action’ doesn’t always have to be palpable like how we see Aries/Capricorn do it-- ‘action’ can also be ‘pre-action/planning’ and internal action taking place. 

With Libra Mercury -- there’s always a consideration for ‘others’, what’s it like in other people’s shoes? How would they see it, how would they feel

A lot of the Libra’s indecision has more to do with being ‘thorough’-- or rather, as ‘thorough’ as they can get (perfectionist streak) 

They like to weigh perspectives, often times they can also fear retaliation/feedback to an extent --- if someone starts pointing out something that ‘attacks’ them (the consequences/repercussions)-- they feel guilty about not putting that into consideration (that’s on their work-ethic) 

On the other hand, they work extremely hard to be thoughtful and considerate-- going the extra mile to make sure it comes across the way they want it to be. Crafted, mindful. 

Their intention is there-- but if the consequences/repercussion happens (being attacked or not being heard, things escalating) then they’ll have to resort to different tactics--- persuasion and manipulation to get what they want (charm)

It can be minor-- or it can be dangerous. But there’s also a sense of passive-aggression sometimes in the way they direct this outwards. 

Persuasiveness is only half the thing, the other half is compulsion and sometimes that requires ‘intent’ that stems from passive-aggressiveness.

Sometimes-- it can just be being Diabolical. If you think your Libra friends are nice, think again. They know what they’re doing behind the scene even if they aren’t overt about it.

@rkkive just described this to me:  ‘presenting it to them as a better option; ‘why have this when you can have that?”’

That pretty much describes persuasion tactics they sometimes use. Whether it’s jokingly, serious, just for fun or whatever purpose its for. Sometimes its just a point of strategy--- nothing personal, it’s just how to come out on top after all (don’t like losing)

Whilst people talk a lot about Libra’s ability to compromise-- more prominently is in their ability to NOT compromise but rather switch tactics. Distract, divert or smarter/less-overt way to get what they want without letting people know that their feathers are ruffled. They’re immensely smart-- but it’s up to your own wit whether you ‘catch’ them or not. 

For all the saying that Libra is peaceful or ‘pushovers’ -- sometimes they’re just plain bratty. 

There’s no denying this-- the ‘peaceful’ aspect is more about ‘equilibrium’ and frustration with the lack of it can cause a lot more mayhem and diabolical nature to come through. 

They’re only ‘pushovers’ as much as they just let people ‘think’ that about them-- whilst they know there’s inner power/control in how they work/present certain things to get what they want in the end. 

They like debate, they like Winning. You think Aries are the only ones who can fight? Think again. Libras are also fighters but only when the fight is in their court. Why try to fight in someone else’s when you have a better chance winning in yours? It’s strategy (think smart)

Anyways-- Libra/Gemini decan are very chatty, sometimes they’re just easy to talk to. People might approach and think they’re close, reveal things to them without Nayeon even asking. 

The effect of Venus/Mercury honestly gives you a person who essentially--- finds themselves in the middle of ‘locals’ telling them their stories without even asking for it. There’s an easy-going nature and trust-worthiness about her because of how ‘truthful’ she seems-- reliable and dependable by others.

Yet at the same time, for the Libra/Gemini themselves-- they may be taken off-guard by ‘why’ people are telling them these things because to them-- they are just being cordial y know?

When there’s Gemini involved, gestures can sometimes be used to communicate efficiently (if Leo Moon brings excitement, sometimes it’s in her motions/showing excitement as well) rapid conversations over long-period of time is common for people of these decan. 

Whilst Libra of other decans can sometime tire or need rest-- Libra Mercury in the 2nd decan can talk for looong period of times if they’re genuinely interested and kept stimulated by their conversation partner. 

Part of why Nayeon is so well-loved is how well she presents herself right? She’s a smart lady, tactful and funny. She knows when to be uplifting, comforting, when to be respectful. She knows boundaries bc she has them herself, and she understand/relies on others to support her as well.

Partnership is a big part in Libra’s behaviour-- no it doesn’t always mean it has to be ‘romantic’ or ‘clingy’ -- it just means you rely on others for mental rapport as well as your own. That you become ‘strength’ to others in some ways-- because Libra Mercury may often find themselves helping others more than themselves/disclosing parts of themselves sometimes. 

With this said, Libra Mercury is a good placement because her head is screwed on to follow rational, logical reasoning rather than emotions/feelings the heart sometimes. 

Her distance-- the gathering of perspective-- also serves to make a ‘bigger view’ plan of action to those involved/could benefit from. 

Instead of behaving brashly-- she may be more of the type to argue to wait, or strategize/plan better before moving forward with something (voice of reason/patience). 

This rational/logical part also means that sometimes-- she’s ‘colder’ than we see her as well. Knowledge is power, and sometimes you have to be able to make ‘cold’ decisions in order to move/progress forward. 

With the combination of Virgo/Libra-- I don’t doubt she’s much more logical, critical and rational than she lets on (a smart lady!) 💕   

Libra Venus (1st Decan)

Next we’re onto the lovely Libra Venus!! 💕 With Libra being domicile here, AND in it’s first degree-- Nayeon gets the full effect of Libra in her placement 💕💕💕

Kindness and charitable quality is often a hallmark of these people-- although less loud and more understated than Sagittarius/Piscean/Jupiterian usually (charitable/generousity) -- the ‘kindness’ that Libras shows to those around them and their social/environment often touches the heart of others.

They’re subtle, down to earth. Often times they garner admirers to them because of how chill and ‘next-door’ type they are. These people often comes across as someone who you can meet in your everyday life, accessible yet mentally and emotionally occupied skjksnks

As in -- YOU might think you stand a chance, but in reality these Libra Venusian are kinda pre-occupied already with their mental engagement. They’re an air-sign, air cardinal even. If you think they’re going to wait around for you to ‘catch’ them then you thought wrong.

Their air-ness gives them a mental kind of engagement. To love a Libra you also have to have their interest first, before they capture yours. A part of what Libra’s like is that they aren’t limiting themselves-- so if you think you’re good enough for them, whoops maybe you thought wrong because they haven’t seen everything you have to offer.  

Certain things like your mannerism, your lack of thought, certain actions can turn them off just like that. It takes a while for relationship to build and develop-- at least to the point where they’re ‘alright’ being with someone. This is the realm of the mind-- how are you supposed to Know you like someone until you can see them clearly for who they are, how they act, or any little thing that might piss you off??

Think logically--- don’t be blinded by your rose-googled vision. Some people let traits of their lovers slide because they were pre-occupied with loving them already, but that might turn out to be more of a ‘trouble’ point when the rose-google leaves y know? The Libra Venusian makes sure that they aren’t compromising themselves, that this person really isn’t going to piss them off or annoy them in the future. 

You have to have a certain stability/certainty in order to ‘trust’ someone. And a Libra ‘trusting’ you and being with you in a relationship is only the first step to them opening the door for feelings to bubble up, y know?

That’s like.... you’re doing prep-work, ‘intro to liking’ course instead of falling into a relationship right now immediately. These things takes time and effort-- co-operation and concentration. You have to be on equal grounds and understanding with the Libra.

And yeah, maybe it’s not the most romantic thing if you’re a very gung-ho romantic person who has a lot of feelings. But trust that it has it’s perks-- if a relationship doesn’t work out, then the ending will be mutual/less hurtful. And if it continues-- then it’ll be stable, strong and grounded/balanced in how you work together. 

It’s not all cut and dry-- you just gotta learn how to appreciate the quality they bring to the relationship as well. They ARE kind and often fair to you, and they ARE willing to listen, learn, adjust and accommodate you with their generosity. They just aren’t ‘fooled’ by the rose-googled vision. So you have to accept that about them as well. 

Their willingness in particular --- is a quality you should consider as part of their best trait. They’re willing to try things out for you, with you. They’re willing to listen and possibly work things out. As long as you have the same kind of decency, respect and gentleness they show you. Alot of the time they can appreciate what YOU bring, just as long as you appreciate what they bring (complement yours) as well. 

Being dismissive of a Libra’s effort and strength-- their subtle charm and offers is something they WILL probably be offended by. The thing above about ‘decency’ is important--- because often times, the Libra WILL have visions for where the relationship is going and what to expect. 

They’re planners and analyzers-- if they feel like you’re hurting them, out to hurt them or is taking advantage of them somehow/not pulling your weight-- they WILL become passive-aggressive and more resentful as well to retaliate (mirror/reflection). 

I really can’t understate how much Libra Venus will share with you -- personal, objective, anything really. If they trust you, and like you-- they will be generous with you to the point where you essentially have someone who cares about you in a way you’ve never had before (partnership) 

This isn’t like a motherly/fatherly or sibling ‘nurture’ -- this is a partnership nurture. Where you’re on equal grounds, there’s no ‘familial’ relationship to rely on. They’re just-- great at making sure you know where you stand with them when this is the case.

With the combination of Leo as well-- Nayeon may often be a good nurturer as well as someone who likes to be nurtured. This in essence is ‘sharing’ -- sharing of affection, sharing of thoughts/rapport and trust. This is how she self-expresses her affection for others-- being considerate, taken care of. 

Being thoughtful and mindful, complementing each other in ways they ‘make up’ for each other. It’s about that partnership--- and appreciation for what SHE has (Leo Moon) that the other person DOESN’T have that makes them ‘fit’ together well. 

Scorpio Mars (1st Decan)

Ooooof we’re finally here at Scorpio Mars!! 

With Scorpio Mars-- there’s a high concentration power, self-will and self-drive. Sometimes they can be prone to ‘shutting down’ everything else and working on something-- tunnel-vision can sometimes be common in Scorpios

In Mars (where Scorpio is domicile) whenever they’re stressed they may also keep to themselves. Quiet-natured although not necessarily stressed, just collected. You can tell when a Scorpio Mars is concentrating because they become less talkative, more focused on action/doing and that’s usually a sign that this Mars is working here.

There’s no need to be so flashy or wordy when you just have to put your money where your mouth is. With Scorpio Mars-- it’s more about demonstration, doing, ‘proving’ that they can achieve the final product. Not to gloat in anyone’s face or anything like that-- but rather for their own personal satisfaction instead.

See-- because Scorpio is a water/fixed sign, there’s an essence of ‘deep-rooted’ ness to their nature. Work hard, be conscious. Put in effort. It’s intuitively driven in a way--- the part where they’re essentially the Terminators and doesn’t stop until their battery runs out. 

Self-control is something that --- whilst they DO have (in the context that they’re self-contained) they’ll need to learn when ‘done is done’ and not get frustrated at themselves when they literally DON’T have to exert themselves so much to get the result.

In this case-- it’s more like the satisfaction of working harder but not necessarily smarter. These Scorpio Mars can be in it for the Good Grind-- and essentially, when they FEEL like they haven’t done ‘enough work’ to ‘deserve’ something, they get frustrated for this reason alone.

They WANT to grind-- that’s the thing. They’re closeted gym rats without talking about it. Whether it’s desk-work, research, essays, gym, work out etc. When it requires concentration it becomes ‘work’. 

And ‘work’ in this sense isn’t the Capricorn thing where its WORK work-- this is work in the sense that they want to put their power/energy into it just for the sake of self-expression, of being able to do so and ‘work’ on something. This is a love for the PROCESS of working, not necessarily the result. They LIKE ‘working hard’ -- that expulsion of energy and getting/grabbing a result from their own power.

Y know, like instead of seeing it as something that would eventually float up to them without doing anything-- this is more about the power to DO something in order to get it. To not wait around for it to happen but rather-- be in CONTROL of the situation and get shit done about it.

With Scorpios it’s like they seek external control through bringing the internal out. Compared to Taurus-- who seeks internal control through the external. They are in essence-- oppositions in this case. 

That’s why when the Scorpio Mars are the quietest-- when they’re cool and controlled on the external is when they’re keeping themselves from dealing out the final blow. And that’s when they’re essentially the scariest as well-- because Scorpio will Not mince itself up for others. 

They can be quite competitive-- and possessive-- but quietly so. They don’t necessarily feel ok with airing their dirty laundries or every feelings they have. Especially ones that they’re aiming to ‘overcome/achieve or win’ over. 

This plays a lot in their concentrating power as well-- as they can sometimes be ‘obsessed’ with something and put their concentration on that instead. There may be phrases where she just gets into THIS thing in particular and binge on it. Things like that can happen as well. 

Since they’re intuition heavy-- sometimes they can close their eyes and just pick from gut-feelings as well. If all else fails-- if their Libras gets too much, their Virgo too buzzed and their Leo has left the building--- this Scorpio Mars makes the final decision.

As a singleton in her chart-- everything else might be measured against this Scorpio Mars as well. As in -- her Virgo, her Leo and her Libra will have to measure up to this Scorpio Mars that can be prominent in her self. Sometimes secretive, self-controlled/contained and somewhat will-full. She’s much more stubborn (Leo/Scorpio) than she realizes.  

Conclusion

Not only is she so lovable-- she retains a youthful energy to her (child-like) because her Sun is opposition to Saturn (Pisces)

There’s three things to talk about here, first is that ‘no im an adult but im a YOUNG adult’ energy about her-- yes, responsibility and all that. But it emphasize the fun-loving part even more. There may be rejection of authority/regulations along the line-- making her quite the troublemaker/mischevious playful person she is as well

Second is that Virgo/Pisces opposition-- with this, her natural self-expression/showing vulnerabilities and emotionality is actually a little in conflict. As in-- she may be hyper-sensitive sometimes, but may not always like that about herself (mutable) sometimes working through this means confronting what Saturn in Pisces means. 

People with Saturn in Pisces may often have had their creative self-expression stifled/told that it’s not what others wanted in the past. Thus, they stifle themselves going forward. In Nayeon’s case-- it might be to do with her singing abilities as a part of her creative expression (or the way she dress, present herself, her artistic work, whatever people nit-picked her on) --- they’re sensitive people. And thus-- sometimes it carries through into adulthood and insecurities about themselves. Feeling uncomfortable showing certain vulnerabilities/range of expression can also be common for these people as well.

Third--- is Sun/Saturn opposition which can often make someone a little more self-conscious of themselves. They may sometimes think a problem is a big spectacle that made them super embarrassed cause everyone’s laughing at them/saw it-- but is actually just them being harsh on themselves and less ‘serious’ than they think it is. They may also dwell a little on the insecure side-- a little hesitant to do things because there’s so many oppositions/consequences and they’re not an extremely confrontational/offensive person. 

For the people with these placements--- allowing yourself to work through the blockage by self-affirmation and truly believing that you ‘deserve’ things is important to you. Your Saturn is holding/restricting your ego (the Sun) to a degree where it can sometimes be unnecessary. So working through that is important

There’s a fear of unblocking that and then finding out she isn’t so ‘humble’ anymore-- but these people also have to realize ‘confidence’ isn’t the same as ‘arrogance.’ They fear themselves the most-- their behaviour, of how people view them. Perhaps not realizing they were being ‘arrogant’ when they really weren’t (and should stop listening to people who tell/project their insecurities onto them)

Nayeon is also--- super smart?? like she has her Sun/Pluto (sextile) and Sun/Uranus (trine) but what’s holding her back is her own modesty/parenting herself (Sun/Saturn above) -- she can quickly resolve issues, figure out a puzzle, is quick-thinking when she wants to be (Virgo after all) 

Her Moon is square to Pluto-- which can often exemplify this Leo Moon nature a lot. We see it in her persona, who she is. How playful and cute she is, affectionate and lovable. This is Leo Moon when it’s comfortable (which I’m glad she is!) at the same time-- there’s a distinctive private/public persona in which ‘controlling’ certain emotions and personal feelings is concerned. 

She can be tumultuous sometimes, heightened emotions and lash out. Even when she doesn’t realize it-- because her Leo Moon/Scorpio Pluto is pretty strong-- it can create a very dynamic person who pushes/aggresses others even when her Libra keeps her back in other context/time. 

Because her Mercury is square to Neptune/Uranus (Capricorn) -- she can often times take on a route that’s more ‘Capricornion’ sometimes-- that is, grounding herself in the root making things seems ‘objective’ or ‘favourable’ in the sense that it better business moves. Libra in essence can ‘adapt’ certain things to use with it’s tactic/intent-- and in this case, sometimes it’s using it’s foe as a point of attack/technique instead.  

Alrighty 💕💕💕 That’s all for the lovely Nayeon!! 💕💕💕 I hope this makes you feel like you got to know her better, and kinda-- help out with understanding her a bit more!! 💕💕💕💕 Tomorrow I’ll have Jeongyeon and Dahyun out!! 💕💕 

[justaflipfloppingpotato]

The M3thh34d visual novel, process thread

Monday, September 23, 2019

So, yesterday I decided that I'm going to be changing tmh into a visual novel instead of a comic. I'm not that sure how I feel about this decision but i KNOW I'm gonna have a lot more done quickly and efficiently, I'll be able to tell my story completely without cancelling anything. And since renpy coding is the simplest thing in the galaxy I have a feeling this will be super fun too.

Oke, just some clarifications for myself.

I'm going to write all of the stories code first.

Then I'm going to draw the sprites and backgrounds as needed

Then I'm going to work on major art pieces for it like title pages and large stuff etc

Now for mobile users who won't be able to play, don't worry. I'm planning on posting a play through on my yt channel and I'm going to post the script here with all of the photos and visuals for those who would rather read on their own turn.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

OK, so since school is kind of keeping me busy I wasn't able to do much besides figure out how basic GUI and options editing worked.

Added some about information

Fixed transitions

Added a default text speed of 18 characters per second

I also taught myself how to turn the game into files to download, also figured out a system of how people will be able to download the files without actually having to install it from itch.io, gamejolt, etc.

As far as scripts are concerned I have essentially added dialogue for the entire prologue (though I may edit it because I feel it may go by too fast)

And up to the whisper scene in part 1 (which is around a bit into part one,)

I'm also deciding that I'm going to be posting this thread on Friday/saturday and adding more to it as we go.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Alright! Things I got done:

Added LOTS of dialogue, pretty much around halfway done with chapter 1

Completely rewrote to prologue, its a bit clunky so im gonna need to edit it later to make the dialogue flow better, but for this medium of storytelling its kind of necessary to change it how I did

Brainstormed son sprite pose ideas, I realize I'm probably gonna need some tweek-twitching sprites so that's something I'm going to get on once I start the drawing process

Also found out that typing these things: [] make the code wonky so I can't type [REDACTED] kind of a shame but that's fine

May or may not be using to much of the pause function, but Its not bothering me so I guess when I get someone to test it (yes u heard me, I'm gonna let people test it once everythings,,, y know,,,, playable) and I get some thoughts I'll know how it is

Through this whole process I realized how easy making a simpl e visual novel truly is, and now I finally know how to tell my stories in a way that's both fun and easy!

I've been thinking about making h&h, a never-before-seen card deck au I made like a year ago and never posted, the mythical creek au and a monster au all into visual novels! This is a perfect way for me to stay focused and make stuff!! I'm v excited and happy!! (Let's hope this stays this way because u all know me by now!!)

I may add some complex choice decisions after I get the base game script finished but I have no idea how the story would play out to an alternate ending? Idk I'll have to think about it maybe :p

Anyway I've also been thinking about voice acting in it butttt if I had that they're probably just gonna be mini sound bites like "hmm" or "gah!?" Just stuff from the show probably.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Life is cray and I'm in pain! Here's the shit I got done today!!

Added slightly over 50 lines worth of dialogue

Slight edits here and there about other things

Also im trying to build tweeks character and persona for chapter 1 and I'm finally getting that done

Y know, a really fun thing about visual novels is that I can add as much dialogue as I want without worrying about how crowded it looks

Like, text boxes on comics are NIGHTMARES to add, like u don't want to have a full paragraph of words for one panel! Because no one will want to read it.

But with vn's all you have to do is write dialouge now and then worry about expressions later

No clunk, only funk B)

Also thinking about his ark, now that I'm fully working on scripts and and the story I can finally focus on how to add the hashtag foreshadowing for the uuuuhhhh twist :^)

Anyway I'm having fun and I'm pretty much half way done with chapter one. After I get it done I'm going to reread it and jot down changes until I'm happy with it then I'm going to move on to chapter 2 :DD

Friday, September 27, 2019

Ok!!! Finally done for the week, here's what I did today:

Added an additional 70 lines of dialogue, I now have just over 300 lines

Finished chapter 1

Added a scene where tweek doesn't know how to pronounce hypothermia, that's not important just want you all to know that was a thing

Its been so fun working on this so far, I'm planning on testing it over the weekend to see what dialogue tweaks and grammar/spelling stuff I need to fix. Once that's done I will be continuing onto the chapter 2 script!

I will update this thread on Fridays, I might add some mini weekend updates whenever the time calls for it.

I hope you all are excited as I am for this! Its the first time in a long time that I've felt this sure about a project before!! :DD

[finn-nelson-for-the-win]

The Good Life: Chapter 5

Hello, my lovelies! Another week, another chapter of this story. I don’t really have too much to say before this chapter, so I suppose I’ll just get right to it.

Need to get caught up? The Good Life: Ch1, Ch2, Ch3, Ch4

If you want to be added (or removed) from the tags list for this story, just feel free to let me know!

@pink-royaute @believethaticanandiwill @milllott @likeashootingstarfades @i-dream-of-emus

The Good Life: Chapter 5

The bell to the lift chimed as the metal doors slowly slid open, signaling that they had reached their desired floor, and Finn stepped aside to allow Rae to walk out first.

“I still can’t believe that we’re on the fifth floor of the building!” Rae mused as she looked over the railing outside of the lift that overlooked one of the busy city streets.

“It’s a good thing neither of us are scared of heights, huh?” Finn joked as he adjusted his grip on the large box he was carrying in his arms.

Finn and Rae turned left after exiting the hallway with the lift, already becoming familiar with navigating the building after following the same path numerous times.

When Finn stopped in front of one of the doors, he turned to look at Rae, who was lagging behind slightly as she walked leisurely to take in the view from the top floor of the building.

“Do you have the keys, Finn, or do I?”

“I do, but I can’t get to them with this box,” Finn replied.

“Do ya want me to take the box from you?”

“No, it’s pretty heavy,” Finn replied with a slight grunt as he adjusted his grip on the box to prove his point, “but can you get the keys out of my pocket?”

“Er, sure...which pocket?”

“Back left pocket of my jeans,” Finn said as he angled his body towards her so she could easily reach his pocket.

“Alright,” Rae replied as she hesitantly reached her hand into the pocket of Finn’s jeans to grab the set of keys.

“Uh, sorry,” Finn replied sheepishly when Rae pulled the keys out of his pocket and it elicited an unexpected giggle from him, “that tickled more than I expected.”

Rae laughed and shook her head, but stepped in front of Finn to unlock the door and allow him to walk inside first.

Once inside the door, Finn walked into the large open space that would eventually resemble a living room and placed the box he was carrying beside the other tall stacks of boxes.

“Was that the last box?” Finn asked over his shoulder as he restacked some of the boxes to reduce some of the clutter.

“Indeed! Who knew that between the two of us, we’d have so much stuff?” Rae asked with a laugh as she looked around the room at dozens of cardboard boxes that had been piled haphazardly around the room.

“I don’t know about you, but I’m very proud of how efficient we were today. We got all your stuff and my stuff packed into the moving truck and got it all brought up to the apartment all in a matter of hours!”

“That’s pretty impressive! We make a good team, huh?” Rae asked as she walked to stand beside Finn and bumped his hip with hers playfully.

“We absolutely do,” Finn replied as he wrapped an arm around Rae’s shoulders and pulled her slightly closer, “I think we deserve to reward our hard work. We should order some takeaway since we have no food here yet and then after we’ve eaten if we feel up to it, we can start unpacking boxes. What do you think about that?”

“I think it’s a great idea. I’ll order and you can go pick it up, if that’s alright with you? What do you want to eat?”

“Of course! I don’t have a preference, I’m just starving and would like a lot of food,” Finn added with a smile as he walked away.

Rae called in their takeaway order while Finn reorganized the boxes against the perimeter of the room to ensure that they had a clear path to walk around without tripping.

“Alright, our order should be ready in less than half an hour. I ordered from the Chinese restaurant just down the street because their online reviews looked really good. I hope that’s alright with you.”

“It’s great, thank you. I’ll leave to go pick it up as soon as I find my keys again,” Finn replied with a nervous chuckle.

“Your keys are on the kitchen counter,” Rae replied with a fond smile at Finn’s forgetfulness, “Do you want me to try to find some plates and utensils in one of these boxes while you’re gone?”

“Yeah, that’d be great!”

Once Finn grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone off of the counter where he had left them, he left to go pick up their takeaway order.

Rae searched through the stacks of boxes trying to find whatever she thought Finn and she would need to eat their takeaway and before long she heard the door unlock and Finn walking through the door.

“Sorry if I took longer than you expected. I, uh, wanted to--what is this?”

Rae beamed with pride at the look of surprise on Finn’s face when he walked into the living room to see a small lamp on top of a short stack of boxes to subtly light the room as well as a pile of pillows and blankets strategically arranged to make the floor more comfortable to sit on, since the couch they had bought online wouldn’t be delivered until next weekend.

“I was looking for the boxes with dishes in them and I got a little carried away,” Rae replied with a shrug as she walked up to take the bags of food from Finn.

“Well it looks great! I thought it seemed appropriate that we mark the occasion today with a drink,” Finn replied as he pulled a pack of beer from one of the bags Rae had placed on the kitchen counter, “so I picked this up too. I know it’s not champagne or anything fancy, but...”

“Don’t worry about it. Champagne is disgusting anyways,” Rae replied with a chuckle as she continued unpacking the bags of takeaway containers onto the counter.

“We can go ahead and serve ourselves food and then I also have my laptop here if you wanted to watch something or listen to music while we eat.”

“I don’t feel like paying close attention to anything, so maybe we can just put on some music?” Rae suggested.

After they had served themselves plates full of various entrees, noodles, and sautéed vegetables, Rae sat down on the pile of pillows and blankets as Finn grabbed his laptop to put on one of his many playlists to listen to in the background.

“It’s crazy to think how quickly everything has moved. I mean, less than a month ago I was panicking about how I was going to find a roommate and a little over a week ago we were barely starting to tour potential apartment!” Rae mused as she ate.

“No kidding! If you’d told me over a month ago that I would have moved out of my Da’s house and be living with you, I wouldn’t ever believe it,”

“Oh wow! Thanks, Finn!” Rae scoffed.

“That’s not what I meant! I just meant that I wasn’t serious about moving out until I found out how badly you needed to find a roommate. Even when I first suggested it, it was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. I couldn’t even fathom why you had agreed to be my roommate, if I’m being honest.”

“Well I’m glad that this whole thing worked out as well as it has so far!”

“Me too, Rae!” Finn replied as he lifted his can of beer into the air in cheers.

The pair continued eating and talking until both were completely stuffed and pleasantly buzzed on cheap beer.

“Wow,” Rae began after a long yawn, “I’m so exhausted!”

“I know what you mean! After lifting all those boxes, I’m sure both our arms are gonna be sore tomorrow.”

Rae leaned over to place both of their now-empty plates on top of one of the nearby boxes. When she sat back, Rae angled her body so she was leaning into Finn’s side.

She looked over at him, silently asking if that was okay, and while he looked a bit surprised, he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arm around her in a loose embrace.

“I don’t want to unpack boxes tonight. I have the day off of work tomorrow as well, so I’ll unpack tomorrow while you’re at work.”

“I can’t let you unpack everything alone! I’ll play hooky from work and stay here to unpack with you,” Finn replied.

“You don’t have to!”

“No, but I want to.”

“Alright,” Rae replied with a small smile as she allowed her eyes to slowly drift shut as they continued talking and listening to music.

When Finn stood from the ground and grabbed the dirty dishes to wash, he looked back to see Rae curled up on the pile of blankets, scrolling through her phone.

“Did you want another beer before I put them in the fridge?” Finn asked from the kitchen after he had finished washing their dishes and setting them aside to dry.

When he did not get a response, Finn walked out into the living room and was surprised to see Rae asleep on the pile of blankets, snoring lightly.

Finn chuckled quietly, walking back into the kitchen only long enough to turn off the light and returned to the living room.

Finn grabbed Rae’s phone from beside her face where she was laying down and set it on the box closest to her so she could easily find it in the morning.

With all of their larger furniture being delivered over the next week, Finn and Rae had already determined that they would be sleeping on the floor for the foreseeable future, so Finn simply unfolded one of the blankets that Rae was not laying on top of and covered her up with it. Finn considered his options for just a moment before shrugging and laying down on the pile of blankets and pillows in the space beside Rae and allowed the dizzying combination of exertion and excitement to lull him into a state of much needed sleep.

A/N: Yay! Move-in day is over and Finn and Rae are OFFICIALLY roommates! I know this point took a while to build up to, so I made a point to make this chapter extra cute and show how quickly Rae and Finn are getting used to the idea of living together and how adorably domestic these two idiots are even though they’ve only lived together less than a day.

The cuteness has only just begun and even just based on the chapters that I’ve already written or mapped out, there is a lot of fun shenanigans in the upcoming chapters. I know the last couple chapters have been super dialogue-heavy between Rae and Finn (idk how y’all feel about this...I LOVE to read/write dialogue-heavy stuff, but it may not be everyone’s cup of tea), but in the future chapters I’m bringing the gang back and we’ll get to see how the gang feels about the Rae/Finn living situation now that more time has passed.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter and as always: Stay awesome, my friends! :)

[leah-halliwell92]

Talk of the Future

Chapter 2

I spent many a day speaking with Lord Elrond about the ins and outs of what could happen in the next sixty to seventy years or so with the rediscovery of the ring of power. I didn't go into too much detail but enough for him to be informed about what the future held...and some much needed information on the betrayal on a certain white wizard.

But besides my then routine, and warmer/friendlier, chats with him my life had become routine. Wake up, get dressed, eat, wander the grounds, and more often than not spend time reading either in the library or in my chosen bit of greenery or lake view to end the day with Lord Elrond with tea. Not a bad routine, and to be honest its a routine I've been craving for for some time. But like all things that are longed for, I'm looking for a more active part of this new life. And no I'm not expecting to be thrown back to my world or time, so Im trying to make myself as familiar as I can with this "new" world not only to survive but thrive if at all possible.

Did I mention that Lord Elrond's sons are a force all their own? Because they are and have made it their life mission to train their newest little sister. I can still hear Elrond's quiet laughter at his son's antics... as well as what they planned to do with me when I asked if I could possibly try my hand at archery, hand to hand and fencing.

I'm not going to lie they are so much fun to do after working out to build up muscle has been done. It took me nearly a year of what I know as cardio training, endurance training and muscle training to even lift a proper sword never mind that elven swords tend to be easier to handle than those made by the other races on Middle Earth. But even then muscle memory needed to be built on. How to hold a sword, dagger, bow and the tension needed for the arrow to fly from the bow intended for the target aimed at.

Two painful, yet fruitful, years later and I am skilled enough at hand to hand to handle my own and a proficient sword's woman. As for archery, IT hates me not the other way around. I am efficient enough at it to the point I can shoot and kill or hit a target but not quick enough to do it as most elves I know. I was teased incessantly for it by those that believed themselves so high and mighty as to think I didn’t understand what they were doing. 

I was making my way to my room when I hear a kind voice call, “Kess.”

I turn and am met with the Lady of the Light herself, “My lady Galadriel.”

I stop and give her a small bow in respect.

“Rise child,” she said with a kind smile.

I did as she said.

“So you are the child my son has been speaking to me of,” she says with a knowing grin, “Elrond believes you know things of things that have come to pass.”

I nod minutely and force myself to make eye contact with her. 

“Are you available to sit with me for luncheon and tea today?” She asked kindly.

I nod with a curious look on my face and watch as she gives me a knowing grin and walks away. 

Changing my route I make my way to find Elrond and inform him of the day’s change of plans. 

He looked just as curious as I felt as when I told him of who I was going to be spending my lunch hour and rest of the afternoon with. 

This done I went about my post training routine of showering and dressing...generally making myself presentable again. 

“Hello there,” Elladan said as he and Elrohir settled in one at on each side, “Finished with your training session already?”

I give Elladan a knowing look, “I don’t know why you insist on archery training when you know I will probably die in battle should I focus on archery as a fighting tactic.”

The boys laugh and Elrohir says, “But it is a handy skill to have. Even if you are not good at maintaining a continuous shoot and reload streak you have deadly aim and that is something that is and will come in handy in the battle field.”

I hummed and nodded knowing that he was right and there was no point in contradicting him.

We walked on talking and laughing until I spotted a couple of pretty elven ladies out of the corner of my eye near the archway of the hallway on my right hand side. 

“Maybe I should go find My Lady to join her for luncheon,” I said coming to a sudden stop.

Elladan and Elrohir stop and look at me with twin furrowed brows.

“Are you certain?” Elladan asked.

I nod and start turning in the other direction when one of the women come strutting in and block my path. 

“What a coincidence running into you?” The dark haired elf maiden said.

I start to shrink into myself knowing what was coming next.

“Yes it is,” Elladan said his voice light but closed off, “We were escorting Lady Kess to my father’s study for luncheon and afternoon tea.”

I felt Elrohir at my back and looked to the side to see him looking at the archway I had spotted the Elleths. 

The air became stilted and thick as the five of us became quiet. 

I look to the side at the vine covered veranda and at the last second decided on  a mad escape plan.

I walk to the veranda and take a look at the scenery that lay at my feet. 

“But we were going to invite to tea,” the same dark haired Elleth said a fake grin and malice in her eye.

“She has already made plans,” Elrohir said warning in his voice.

I gave a deep sigh and sat on the veranda as the elleth spoke with Elladan and Elrohir. I took the opportunity to make sure they were busy talking to the boys before throwing my legs over and jump to the terrace beneath the hallway figuring it better to ask for forgiveness than permission when wanting to leave the vicinity of two ruthless bullies.

“How...nice of you drop in,” the Lady Galadriel said from behind me.

I felt my neck and face bloom into a heated (embarrassed) blush that led me to again lower my head and mumble out an apology for invading her rooms in such a manner.

“No need to worry,” she assured me kindly, “And you are stronger than they  perceive you to be.”

“They see me as weak because I am mortal,” I said my gaze still focused on the ground.

“They fear that,” she said putting a finger under my chin and pushing my face up to meet her motherly gaze, “They fear the strenght that lies beneath the surface and the light and fearlessness you carry in your heart.”

I give her a watery grin as tears gather in my eyes.

“I’m not strong...” I mutter brokenly.

“Why ever not? You are in a foreign world away from your loved ones and comforts,” she said warmly “that is enough to render a being powerless to their surroundings. And you carry within you the knowledge of what is to come. You carry within you the knowledge of the fates of many as well. Something a great number of beings would consider to be a burden...I cannot reassure you that none of which you know will not come to pass. However I know that my people see which you carry and feel slighted and even jealous with the grace with which you carry it all.”

Forever Tag List: @sdavid09, @fizzyxcustard, @patanghill17, @fandomgalcentral, @imagines-for-multiple-fandoms, @theimaginesyouneveraskedfor, @disneymarina, @thegreyberet, @red608, @evyiione,  @arwenaminmaeleth, @deepestfirefun, @inkededucatednnerdy 

Love and War List: @hails270105

Hobbit Tag List: @jotink78​

[eternalsterekrecs]

can you recommend some soulmates au fics ?

Well, you should definitely start with our SOULMATES tag! After tag, check all these new recs we have for you (there are so many of them)!

SOULMATES

An Unpredictable Amount of Turtles by skoosiepants

Stiles says, “I have a five year plan. A five year plan to popularity that will tank the minute I meet this guy.”

“I feel like you’re exaggerating,” Scott says, but Scott has a katana-wielding badass waiting for him at the other end of the rainbow, and Stiles has terrariums.

Or—

A soulmate au with turtles and angst.

Honey, Can’t you See (The Bloodstains on my Teeth) by Loup_Aigre, TroubleIWant

“Mr Stilinski.” Deaton’s usually impassive face betrays a hint of surprise today, maybe even disappointment. “You haven’t changed your mind.”

Stiles tips his chin up, smiling against his irritation. “Nope,” he confirms, so cheerily it bites. They had arranged this weeks ago, yet Deaton was apparently betting Stiles wouldn’t go through with it in the end. Fuck that. He doesn’t know what it’s like out there, not really. He can afford to hold himself aloof and uninvolved, knowing his druid power is enough to keep him safe in this little office. Stiles can’t. Scott’s pack has got to protect this whole town, and Stiles’ spark isn’t enough to protect all of them while they do it.

The thing is, magic isn’t like the fairy tales. It’s blood and risk and sacrifice. Nothing comes without a price, and anyone who tries to say different is baiting a hook to gut you on. Stiles knows that, has known it since he was a kid and his mother started training him for the inevitable day when he’d need to fight for his life.

That day had come four years ago when she died, and it hasn’t stopped yet.

Of Soulmates, Pseudonyms and Misunderstandings by halcyon1993

Ever since he asked his mother one evening why she had his dad’s name tattooed on the inside of her left wrist, Derek has dreamed of finding his soulmate. There’s only one problem—the name that appears on his wrist on his eighteenth birthday is something he can’t even read.

Weave Soft Spells Over My Sight by AgnesBlue

Derek had blossomed steadily over the past year, growing into his ears and turning even more handsome, if that were possible. But instead of going out and melting the panties off the girls, suddenly he was coming to Stiles all bashed in, demanding that he patch him up like Stiles was some freelance nurse. It was a familiar pattern by now.

AU in which Stiles has been living with the Hales for a few years as their assistant and friend. He needs to deal with Derek, who keeps coming to Stiles with bruises and cuts to be treated, while trying to figure out what the elderly alpha of the Hale pack is up to.

Sometimes It Just Works by MellytheHun

“Fic where, in a fit of post-break-up, drunken depression, stiles throws together a truly pathetic love spell (really, Lydia would be so unimpressed she’d probably disband their weekly magic lessons) in an attempt to find the perfect partner.

But, like everything else in Stiles’ life (and as proof to how much joy the universe gets pulling one over on him) everything goes horribly wrong and instead of the feathery light, rose petal path he’d been expecting to appear and lead him to his true love, a half naked man with harlequin biceps and a beard that could rival most lumber jacks appears in his minimalist studio apartment looking grumpy and endearingly confused.

Cue Stiles’ imminent freak out that includes shoving the man in his hall closet because “Oh my god, I manifested a burly mountain man out of thin air!!”

When really, the spell had just transported Derek from whatever secluded cabin he’d been holed up in for the last few years right into Stiles’ life.”

all else perished by keskasi

There are only so many times a person can fall before the world becomes a vertical blur. Life, Stiles has found, is much the same way. There are only so many times a person can be born, live, and die before the epochs start to smear into one long, eternal day. Or night, as the case may be.

soulmates tbh series by bleep0bleep

Stiles is probably the world’s greatest cynic about soulmates. He couldn’t care less, except that he’s just found his.

Your Mark on my Skin by afullrevolution

Everyone had a mark scrawled somewhere across their body. A name, usually a signature to represent their soul mate, their one and only true love. Stiles has known who his mark belonged to since the third grade. He doesn’t understand how Derek can be so oblivious.

i feel you in every heartbeat by warlocks

Suddenly his entire body felt tingly and sensitive and he could swear gravity had failed on him just then; he couldn’t feel the chair he was sitting on, or where he’d planted his feet on the floor, or the clothes he was wearing, or the pen he was holding, and then his vision started blurring and morphing into a picture of some place that was not his classroom.

“Oh, shi—”

“—it,” he finished with a different voice.

Or, the AU in which, on their 22nd birthday, a person will switch bodies with their soulmate and is left to figure out whom they’re temporarily inhabiting, and how to get back to each other. But because Stiles is Stiles, he forgets that it’s his birthday, and the bodyswap takes him by surprise.

Soul-Mark by PaigeRhiann

His wolf purrs happily because it has taken eighteen years and getting his family killed to finally discover the name of his promised. The person he’s destined to be with. Or, as Werewolves call it – Mate.

“Genim S.” He repeats

“That’s a really fucking weird name” Laura snorts, turning back to the movie.

“Yeah, it is” he nods.

And I Never Thought I’d Ever Say Forever by suchfun

“That was stupid.” He bats the kid’s hands away and rearranges the items in the bag. He’s mixed canned goods and dairy, does this kid even know how to efficiently pack a bag? “The TiMER is a gift.” He says it automatically, because that’s what his mom says. That’s how he was brought up. That’s what he’s supposed to think.

He used to believe it, back when he was sixteen and idealistic, before he actually got his TiMER, back when he was so sure that his soulmate would be Paige. Back when he believed in the romcoms, in his mom’s books, in the elaborate advertisements for TiMERs—the ones with all the interviews with loving real life couples, with testimonials to their effectiveness and their ability to make you happy and fulfilled, with guarantees of an improved quality of life and even life expectancy. Back when he thought meeting his soulmate was an inevitability, not a slim possibility.

Colors by PencilTrash

Soulmates AU: When soulmates visit the same place on the same day, they can see color in the places where the other has been. It allowed you a world full of color for one single day. A day.The universe was cruel like that.It gave soulmates a single day to find each other and seal the bond between them permanently or the color would vanish forever… and so would the bond.

(im)Perfect System by theroguesgambit

Stiles has always felt pretty lucky about his soul mark. After all, how many conversations tend to start with “This is private property”?

(Apparently more than you’d think.)

Countdown by actingup

0000d 00h 00m 37s

He always imagined meeting his soul mate would take forever; that time would slow down and he would see them walking towards him, he would know without a doubt who it was. It might have been someone he’s seen before but never talked to, or it might be a complete stranger that he never would have guessed. He didn’t imagine it in front of about a hundred people, maybe two-hundred, at a Dolphin show.

Soulmate - Delayed Reaction by Verya

When a person turns eighteen their soulmates first words to them appear on the inside of their dominant wrist. Of course it had to be the week when Stiles broke his hand!

Mental Synchronization by kits_lightning

“All at once everything is different, now that I see you

Now that I see you.”

Stiles ended with jazz hands and Scott laughed and took the seat across from him.

“Keep laughing, buddy. I haven’t forgotten Isaac’s two month obsession with Taylor Swift before you two met.”

“We agreed never to bring that up again.”

~*~*~*~*~*~OR the Soulmate AU where you sing when you’re soulmate does.

i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) by yodasyoyo

Stiles is six years old when he first hears Derek’s voice in his head.

Or what happens if you have a soulmate bond, in a universe where soulmate bonds don’t exist?

Second Chances by rootbeer

“A lot of times the ‘markings’ were common, simple things you said to strangers all the time. ‘Excuse me’; 'thank you’; 'hello’. Some got extremely romantic things like 'it’s you isn’t it? I’ve been waiting for you’ or 'Wow you’re really pretty’. And they were always the first words their soulmate would ever say to them.

Of course, having 'You are the fucking worst kind of person in the world’ tattooed down your side, didn’t bode well. How fucked up was Stiles Stilinski that even his fucking Soulmate hated him? High School had been a special kind of hell when all the kids learned what his tattoo said—despite his best efforts to keep it a secret.”

and i thought it only a dream by bleep0bleep

Derek only started getting the dreams a few years ago, and he knows what it means, his soulmate is younger than him. Laura teases him incessantly about it, but Derek doesn’t pay her any mind. The dreams are fuzzy at best, he only has a fleeting glimpse of plaid shirts and laughter and a pink mouth.

As Laura and he start on their roadtrip back to California from New York, the dreams start to get clearer. Every state they cross, Derek can see the outline of his soulmate get more defined, knows that he has brown eyes, a gorgeous smile and fluffy hair that looks soft to touch.

[dragonasheswrites-blog]

The Heaven We Didn’t Choose, Chapter 8: In Which The Internet is Invoked

...And Sans nearly loses his edgelord club membership card. 

First: Chapter 1: In Which a Child Makes a Friend

Previous: Chapter 7: In Which Skeletons are Explained

Next: Chapter 9: In Which Dog Marriage Saves the Day

Click here for the story overview.

The next day went about as well as Sans expected.  He was once again woken up by the flurry of alarms reminding him of Undyne’s impending invasion of the apartment, but he made sure to have Attie up and dressed in ’training clothes’ before she arrived.

It was worth the extra effort.  Undyne had calmed considerably, having apparently slept at some point, but she kept eyeing him with a very...intense expression.  Attie demanded enough of her attention that she didn’t say anything, but he felt an overwhelming sense of foreboding.

Either Frisk had made good on her threat to talk to Undyne about Boss or Sans had messed up on his paperwork again.  Possibly both.  He was betting on the former, though, especially since Boss hadn’t come back to the apartment the previous evening.

This meant that Undyne wound up giving them a crash course in breakfast...literally.  The kitchen looked like a war zone by the time they were finished, with globs of oatmeal across the ceiling, floor, and stove top.  The oatmeal itself was full of dark brown flakes that made Attie wince every time she took a bite.  He made a mental note to look up an oatmeal-making tutorial on Youtube; there had to be a more efficient way to do this.

“No paperwork today,” Undyne said once she’d scarfed down her own portion of oatmeal.  “The queen’s doing the morning visit before she meets with the...well, with...important people.  We’re also moving her room and posting a guard outside.”

Sans blinked at her, slowly.  “...What are you talking about?”

She growled.  “Frisk.  The ambassador.  Queen Toriel is going to see her this morning to assess her status.  You,” she gestured to both of them with a strange figure eight motion, “stay here.  You can see her this afternoon if you get the all-clear, but text me first.  We’re relocating her to a more defensible room and posting a guard.  Make sure you bring your ID, ass-clown, or you’ll be locked out.”

“Don’t lock me out!”  Attie said, grabbing Undyne’s arm.  “I wanna see my mommy!”

“Oh, you can go on in just fine, punk; the guards won’t bother you.  They’re just gonna make sure no one gets to see your mommy without permission.  If a bad guy tries something funny they’ll beat ‘im up!  It’s for security, right?”

“Cool!”  The girl bounced in her seat.  “Can I be security for Mommy too?  I wanna beat up bad guys!”

“Haha!  You’ve gotta train a little harder than THAT if you wanna be in the Guard!  Ready?”

“Ready!”

“I’ll be here,” Sans said, staring intently at the last globs of oatmeal in his bowl.  “You guys have fun.”

Being lifted by his skull was a new and special kind of painful, he discovered.  Also, Undyne’s grin was even more terrifying close up.

“You’re not getting out of training THAT easy, nerd!  A little exercise never hurt anyone!”

Attie made a mad dash for the living room, screaming about training and friendship and how wonderful everything in her little life was.

The next hour and a half could only be described as torture.  Sans didn’t know a whole lot about humans and fish-monsters (or whatever Undyne was), but he was very certain that skeletons were not designed to bend in some of the ways she was trying to make him bend.  He could feel the strain on his joints; he was sure he was going to dislocate something.  It didn’t help that the stretches were interspersed with periods of intense movement, pushing his still-sore bones well past their limit.  He hoped Boss never found out about this; the big guy had enough punishment ideas to last him a lifetime.

He collapsed onto the couch when Undyne finally stopped.

“That was a GREAT warm-up,” she said.  “Now for the REAL training!”

Sans debated crawling under the couch.  There wasn’t a lot of space under there; his skull and ribcage would be a problem...

She laughed at him.  “I’m just kidding, NERD!  Don’t you know how to take a joke?  Hey, hey Attie, look at this loser!  He can’t even do a little exercise!”

“Mr. Sans isn’t a loser,” Attie solemnly reminded her.  “He’s a asshole.”

“You BET he is!  Anyways, make sure he doesn’t fall asleep, huh?”

“Okay!”

His phone went off.  Oh, right; he hadn’t texted Frisk all morning.  He’d get on that.  Just as soon as he could feel his arms again.

“Mr. Sans?”

His vision started going...a little fuzzy…

“-ey?  Hey?  Can you hear me?”

Sans looked up at Undyne.  She was looking a little worried or angry, one of the two.  He wasn’t sure why; he hadn’t actually passed out, had he?  “‘Mfine,” he mumbled into the couch cushion.

“Yeah, no, punk.  Attie, go grab me the bottle of green juice in your fridge and a cup.  Sans, talk to me.”

“‘M fine."

She huffed.  “You’re an idiot.  No, listen to me: you’re an idiot.  Anyone knows to speak up when they’re being pushed too far.  Except you, I guess.  Do you know what’s happening?  Your magic levels are so low you’re losing HP.  Slowly, but still.  You’re literally killing yourself.”

“Thought a little exercise never hurt anyone.”

“Yeah, a little exercise.  We didn’t even do much, really.  Heck, Attie’s had more exercise over the past few days than we normally do in a week, and she’s just fine.  You?  You collapsed under your own lack of magic.  We’re not even practicing magic, beyond whatever’s holding you together and making you move!  You’d have to do...well, pretty much no exercise at all on a regular basis AND be super low on magic to get to this point.”

“Sounds ‘bout right.”

“And that’s why you’re an idiot.  Oh - thanks, Attie.”  She took the bottle of juice, poured some into the cup, and pushed it towards Sans.

He managed to get himself upright and tipped... most of the juice into his mouth.  It tasted like something that was brewed in a froggit’s armpit, but he did feel better after.  “...What is that stuff?”

“Magic-infused sports drink.  Good for the body AND the SOUL!  The Royal Scientist came out with it a few years back.  You never heard of it?”

“It’s disgusting.”

“I’ve seen what you leave behind at your sentry post; you have no right to criticize anyone else’s eating or drinking habits.”

Fair enough.

“Also, next time we do this, frickin’ tell me when you’re about to collapse, would ya?”

“Gee, didn’t know you cared.”  Also: next time??

“Oh, I don’t.  Someone needs to watch this little punk, though, and she seems kinda fond of you.  Stars know why.”  She ruffled Attie’s hair.

The kid grinned widely.  “It’s ‘cause he feeds me hot dogs and lets me do fun science and lets me color and takes me to see my mommy.  And he didn’t let Mommy die and he helped me beat Mr. Papyrus and stuff.”

Sans eyed her.  “...Right.”

“I told Undie all about the fight with Mr. Papyrus!  I have her phone number in my phone and I was texting her last night when I was supposed to be sleeping.”

“‘M I gonna have to take your phone away at bedtime?”

“Noooo!”  She flopped over onto the couch next to him dramatically.

Undyne laughed.  “Well, since you’re not about to dust, I’ll be off.  Drink another glass of that stuff, asshole.  Attie, make sure he does.”

“Okay!”

“And Vice Captain Papyrus will be back sometime this evening.  If he scares you at all, even just a little bit, you tell this worthless lump here to get you out and you text me.  Okay?”

“Okay!”

“Oh, and a word of advice, Sans?”

He raised his head a fraction.

“Walk around a little.  You’ll be even worse off if you don’t.”

The very atmosphere seemed to deflate when Undyne left.  Sans felt like melting into the couch cushions and just...not moving until Boss came back and kicked his lazy butt into gear.

“Come ooooon!”  Attie whined, grabbing the back of his jacket and trying to drag him off the couch.  She was succeeding.  “Undie said you have to keep moving!  If she says so then we have to do it!”

“Noooo.”  Sans dug his claws into the couch, trying to anchor himself without leaving obvious rips that Boss would scream at him for.

His phone went off again.

He reluctantly disentangled himself from the kid enough to sit up (though she wound up clinging to his back) and pulled it out.

Frisky Dreamer 9:22 AM Sans, I’m waiting for a check-in.

Frisky Dreamer 9:42 AM I’m calling Undyne if I don’t hear from you in five minutes.

You 9:44 AM Undie just left We were doing morning torture

Frisky Dreamer 9:44 AM Explain.  Now.

You 9:46 AM U know the stretching and the posing and the running in place that kindve thing The usual stuff undie likes

Frisky Dreamer 9:46 AM Training?

You 9:47 AM Yeah that

Frisky Dreamer 9:47 AM Don’t call Captain Undyne’s training ‘torture,’ or I’ll tell her you called her “Undie.”

You 9:48 AM U got it

“Oooh, ask her if we can come see her this afternoon!”  Attie said, leaning over his shoulder.

You 9:49 AM Kid wants to know when we can come see you this afternoon If ur up for it

Attie dragged him off the couch when no answer came immediately.  He reluctantly shuffled his tired bones around the living room a few times, but gave up when his phone remained silent.  “Uh, you’d better change your clothes, kid.  Maybe your mom’ll text us back later.  She’s probably busy, remember?”

“Oh, yeah!  Granny Ree’s visiting her this morning, right?”

“Right.  So let’s see if we can find something your mom’ll approve of, okay?”

“Okay!”

Attie wound up in a yellow and white striped shirt and jeans.  He mentally reviewed the fashion lessons from the morning before.  It looked...pretty good?  Jeans went with everything, right?  He couldn’t tell if the yellow was supposed to be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for Attie’s skin color (all of that had gone clear over his skull) but Frisk wouldn’t have bought her kid a shirt that looked bad on her, right?

...Hopefully?

He snapped a picture and sent it to the overbearing mother, hoping for the best.

Schoolwork went better than the day before.  Sans was still mostly lost, but a few subjects (mostly Math and Science) weren’t too different from what he’d been taught in the Underground.  At seven years old, Attie wasn’t doing anything too complicated; he was able to follow along and help out fairly well.

It reminded him of teaching Boss, really.  The sad structure that passed for a school in Snowdin had burned to the ground around the time Sans graduated (in a completely unrelated incident, not that he hadn’t been tempted), so Boss had been deprived of a few years’ formal education.  It had been challenging to get an excitable babybones to sit still long enough to do a page of multiplication, but he’d done his best.

His best, he knew, wasn’t great.  It was probably the reason Boss turned out the way he had.

Attie, at least, was used to the routine.  She knew to check her list of schoolwork (Undyne had left it on the counter this time, and had removed the one she’d pinned up with the knife) and found her assignments based on the numbers associated with each subject.  It boggled Sans’s mind.  Teaching kids at home was, apparently, something humans had simplified greatly.  There was a whole system of what to do each day and everything.  It made remembering to text Frisk a little easier, too; he just shot off a text as they finished each subject.  Attie did the same, happy for an excuse to use her new phone.

Lunch was hot dogs, again.  Attie, predictably, demanded that Sans eat his all in one bite.  He initially refused, but...well, the thing she did with her eyes was growing on him.  He caved and swallowed his hot dog whole.

He didn’t sit still long enough for Attie to take a picture of him doing it.  She did her best, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Ding!

Frisky Dreamer 12:58 PM Sans, what exactly are you teaching my daughter?

You 12:59 PM Nothing were just having lunch

Frisky Dreamer 12:59 PM So bragging to a young girl about how you can swallow weiners is normal for you?

Sans squinted at his phone, trying to make sense of the message.  He knew ‘weiner’ was another word for ‘hot dog,’ but...he felt there was something he was missing.

You 1:00 PM Kinda i mean i run a ‘dog stand Dont really talk to the customers but sometimes onell wonder y a skeleton needs food Where r u going with this?

Frisky Dreamer 1:02 PM I can’t decide if you’re naive, stupid, or far more creepy than I ever gave you credit for.  Where is Attie now?

He looked around.  The kid was at the table doing more Grammar.  He snapped a picture.  

You 1:04 PM *1 picture message sent

Frisky Dreamer 1:05 PM Okay.

You 1:06 PM Kiddo what the hell is going on

Frisky Dreamer 1:07 PM You can’t do that anymore.  And stars, keep Attie from talking about your ‘hot dog trick.’

You 1:08 PM Uh y

Frisky Dreamer 1:09 PM BECAUSE I WON’T HAVE YOU INVOLVING MY DAUGHTER IN YOUR DIRTY PRANKS!!

Yep, he was definitely missing something.

You 1:10 PM U high again?  I have no idea what ur talking about

Frisky Dreamer 1:10 PM Stupid it is, then.  Look it up. NOT around Attie.

Sans double-checked that Attie was studying and not peeking over his shoulder, then opened the web browser on his phone.  He typed in ‘eat a weiner.’

Oh.  OH.

...Humans were disgusting.

You 1:12 PM So uh what the hell U humans r crazy Like what even Y would u do that with ur mouths With all ur gross fluids Thats unsanitary Like wow

Frisky Dreamer 1:15 PM That’s about the reaction I was expecting.  So NO MORE, OKAY?

You 1:15 PM I may never eat a hot dog again What the hell Y didnt anyone say anything Like do people think im some kind of weirdo for working at a dog stand Like theyre just in the store with other food Is that normall Is tht what huans do

Frisky Dreamer 1:17 PM Oh, you sweet, innocent child. You have no idea.

You 1:17 PM Y do humans destroy everything good This is a travesty against Science Like y

Frisky Dreamer 1:19 PM Sans, calm down.

You 1:19 PM O ok Uh So No more dogs for the kid

Frisky Dreamer 1:20 PM They are just normal food.  Deal with it however you want. It’s just that said food happens to vaguely resemble part of the human anatomy that a little girl DOES NOT need to know or think about. Just watch your words, okay?

You 1:23 PM O so im off the hook

Frisky Dreamer 1:23 PM Not hardly.

“Mr. Sans?”

Sans quickly pocketed his phone and looked over at Attie, holding her Grammar workbook to her chest.  “What’s up, kid?”

“Are you okay?”

“Uh...fine?  Why do you ask?”

“You’ve been texting for a long time now.  And you look kinda sick.”

“Heh, yeah?”  He gripped his phone, wishing he had some of that...what did humans call it?  The stuff that makes you forget stuff?  Brain bleach?  “Your mom was just telling me that ‘dogs aren’t good for ya.  So I guess that’s out.  For now, at least.”

“Awwwww.”

“Yeah, me too, kid.”  He was never going to live this down, he realized.  

“Say, uh, you done with your school?”

“I’m done with Grammar.  It was easy today.”

“Yeah, uh, great.  What’s next?”

Sans fought for focus the rest of the afternoon.  It wasn’t so much that humans apparently had some weird kinky ideas about what to do with their gross squishy body parts and fluids (though that was part of it); it was the fact that he’d lived on the surface for seven years and had never come across such an idea.  Did humans think it was weird that a monster had a hot dog stand?  Why had no one said anything to him?

Oh, right.  He was a rude, violent asshole who hated people.

That...probably explained a lot.

Still.

“Can you help me with art today?”  Attie asked.

“Uh, I’m not really an artsy guy, kid.”

“It’s okay.  Everyone can do art.  Making art is a way of showing other people how you see the world; that’s what Mommy says.”

“That sounds…” kinda whimpy, actually, “...cool?”

“Yep!  And today I’m feeling spikey!”

“Wait, what?”

“Do you have toothpicks and glue, Mr. Sans?”

As it happened, Sans found an unopened jumbo box of toothpicks in the back of a drawer.  Attie found glue...somewhere.  He wasn’t sure he wanted to know where.  “What now?”

“Now, we build stuff!  Here, can you hold this?”

Over the next hour or so, Attie glued toothpicks (and half of Sans’s fingers) into a spiked wooden death trap.  It was actually a little impressive.  The design was basic - a pit trap with spikes in the bottom - but the pit cover had working hinges that allowed it to drop open in the middle...once he disentangled himself from it.  They’d found a pair of old bottle caps, and gluing one on each side of the pit cover gave the two halves enough of a counter-weight to reset themselves each time.  She found a bag of grapes in the fridge and amused herself with rolling them over the top of the pit and watching them fall to their squishy deaths on the toothpicks below.

There wasn’t enough force to actually impale the grapes properly, but it was the thought that counted.  For a seven-year-old, she was well on her way towards carrying on the proud monster tradition of death traps.  Not for the first time, Sans wondered if he should be worried.

Then the kiddo surprised him.  She’d been rolling grapes onto the death trap, watching the cover open and close, and out of the blue she asked why it worked the way it did.  Sans hadn’t expected that, not from a kid her age, but gave her an overview of the physics.  She was trying to understand, he knew, but her eyes glazed over halfway through his explanation.

“...Well, that’s enough for today.  We’d better head out if you wanna go see your mom.”

“Okay!  Can I bring my deadly death trap of grape death?”

“I...think that’d be a bad idea.  You don’t wanna scare the humans, do ya?”

“Yep!  I wanna scare ALL the humans!  Well, except for the people at the Embassy.  They’re nice.”

“Oookay.  You don’t think the doctors are nice?”

“Nnnope!  They give you shots and take your temper’ture and do things that make your soul feel funny.  They try to bribe you with stickers but Mommy said that she got candy as a kid and that’s way better than stickers.”

“Eh, fair enough.  Put your shoes and jacket on and we’ll go terrorize some doctors.  Uh...without your death trap.”

“Aawww!  Why?”

“Think of it as...a challenge?”

Attie whooped a wild war cry and charged off to find her outerwear.  She really was like a little Boss in some ways.

He was sure he was forgetting something.  What had Undyne said?

Oh.  Right.

You 4:42 PM Hey undyne im gonna take the kid to see her mom

Capn Undie 4:44 PM HANG ON ASSHOLE

There was a long pause, and Sans took the time to retrieve his ID from where he’d left it in the pocket of his other pants.  He hated disturbing the sanctity of his laundry pile but showing up without identification to one of Undyne’s checkpoints was always unpleasant.

His phone gave a loud ping.

Capn Undie 4:53 PM You’re cleared with security.  Room 249, down the hall and around the corner from the old room.  BRING YOUR ID and we’ll have no problems, got it??

You 4:56 PM Got it

Capn Undie 4:59 PM And don’t even THINK about causing trouble or I’ll have you KICKED OUT.  You can sit outside while Attie does whatever she does visiting her mom.  I’m sure there’s a kiddie chair we can grab for you.

Sans narrowed his eye sockets.  “Hey, Attie?  You ready to go yet?”

“Not yet!”  Attie appeared with her shoes on, holding her jacket.  “My laces were being doo-doo-butts,” she said conversationally.

“...Right.  Okay.  Hey, why don’t you grab that death trap after all?  And some grapes; we can show yer mom how it works.”

“Physics!”  Attie screamed as she stumbled off to find her creation.

Sans grinned.

[jadgroup10]

Week 1

Amzar’s Reflection:

This week, we were tasked at finding a team to work as a production team for an artist. Me, Jovan and Derrica made up my production team.

So we got started brainstorming on what songs we wanted and in turn, who was gonna be our artist. After discussing it, we decided we wanted someone who was versatile with vocals. A couple people fit that but in the end, we decided to go with Tiara.

From there, we started trying to come up with songs that could work for Tiara. We went from idea to idea. First, trying to write lyrics based on a concept. Then to listening to songs for inspiration. From all of this, we all ended up having different ideas as to what the song could be so we came to a certain conclusion.

We would all try to write lyrics and melody for our song. We would then reconcile on Monday to discuss what we might use

Jovan’s Reflection:

Today was the first day coming back to PROW from the Semester break. It was a little daunting because I wasn't ready to get back into production groups. The confrontations made it uncomfortable. But after the lecture, Leon said that Friction is good because it creates sparks which might lead into something good.

On to working on the mission. Firstly we wanted to pick an artist that we wanted to produce. For me, after thinking I realised that I wanted to produce Tiara. I think her authenticity really struck me. She's someone who has a lot of potential and I felt that she has what it takes to be an artist. My teammates also readily agreed that we should have Tiara as our artist.

After choosing our artist came the doing part. We needed a direction for our 2 songs. Our team was really willing to explore things that we didn’t try before. It might have been ambitious but we wanted to try to make an R&B ballad style song. Something that we thought could compliment Tiara’s ability to show emotions through her voice.

It was pretty sad because as much as we wanted to write meaningful lyrics, we couldn’t. Derrica had suggested that we each write a song to see if there is anything we liked. Personally, I wasn’t too much of a fan because I felt unsafe about having no common theme. But remembering what Leon said, I was willing to give it a try. My theme initially was to write about nightmares and how it could keep someone awake the whole night. I didn’t manage to come up with a lot as I just hadn’t found lyrics that flowed. I did try to make a lyric palette, but something just felt off. I have yet to find out why this method didn’t work out. But the most probable cause is that I wasn’t in the right state of mind when I did my lyric palette. In the end, I only came up with 1 verse, 1 hook and a bridge, which I wasn’t proud of.

Next after the aimless brainstorming session, we moved on to putting together the production Schedule. I think this is the part that really had me going. I was pretty concerned that we wanted our songs to be completed over the weekend. I decided to work backwards and in my opinion we had more than enough time to let the writing and arranging drag on. I tried to relay this to the team but I think they really felt like they were pressed for time and wanted the song writing process to be as minimal as possible.

Overall, after the check-out with Roger, a few things he said actually spoke to me. Firstly, we are focusing too much on details at such an early stage. I agree, even though it’s good to have a genre and all, we shouldn’t allow that to confine our creative ideas. Secondly, we need to put in more consideration for our artist. No doubt Tiara is capable but we have to ensure that whatever we produce will compliment her as much so as to give credit to both the artist and the song. Thirdly, Roger reminded us that trying new things is good but we also have to evaluate the effectiveness of the new method. Eg; us trying to write 3 different ideas, it could be good and bad.

For my own evaluation, I felt that I was really overwhelmed. I think working with someone as equally hard-headed like Derrica is a good way for me to learn to compromise. And I’m really thankful that I have Amzar to rationalise. I think our team has potential but we just have to find that eureka moment where everything clicks. But for me, I want to follow the production schedule as closely as possible, but I am also scared that we are overworking ourselves. I know that the production schedule is a flexible guide, and I did give room for what ifs. So if we are really stressed out, we can still have some allowance.

Derrica’s Reflection:

the first session of prow wasn't too taxing,i kinda had a feeling that the mission will be something like that so i wasn't too shocked or anxious. My prow group is pretty okay, i don't mind working with them because we kinda know our own strengths so its kinda efficient as we know how we can contribute. We started by making our production schedule and settling all our admin stuff first, we discussed on what we wanted to do.   Then we started to write our lyrics and i suggested to write one song each because i at first i thought it was more efficient, we had to continue at home cuz we couldn't finish at home. I realised i was kinda wrong because sometimes when we write out grp mates might not agree because they may not relate to the songs we write, and in the case of our group like 3 of us who usually write lyrics ourselves and have our thinking and expression and so its q important to us in a way? like we would want to produce a song we can relate to. So like in the end we decided to write the songs together because we will be able to better relate to it and won't have like any problem with producing it. we are a little behind from our production schedule but i think we still can catch up to our plan. I think this week is pretty ok i won't say its very productive but our group already settled our goals and what we want, we settled the admin stuff and like our roles already so im sure like when we start doing the production and stuff it will be very efficient and i have faith that my group will do ok maybe i can be more open to opinions because i felt i wasn't very open during discussions i was still q engrossed in my own ideas but like this is a group production so i cant just think about myself i have to make sure i can cater to the whole group