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sakamakisaywhat · 3 years ago

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Hi💕💕can I request a headcannon of the S boys attending university with their s/o . What is their major and such stuff. Thanks💕💕💕

Marisol: OMG I love this ask! Bear in mind I'm not American so this is from my very European experience of higher education haha

____________________________________________________

SHU

- Shu studies Business and Management at an elite university because his parents tricked him into taking the entrance exams - Never does any work but consistently pulls 1sts in every single thing he hands in - Half of his classmates think he’s a legend and aspire to be him, the other half hate his guts and sincerely hope he fails - However, nothing was more shocking than the time you shared a class with him and by some miracle convinced him to attend with you every single week - The professor caught himself looking out of the window repeatedly just to check that pigs weren’t flying - Don’t misinterpret his presence as him actually paying attention, though - he spent the entire hour trying to distract you by sending you dirty texts in the middle of class - Shu doesn’t do any extracurriculars because he’d honestly rather sleep, but has been to a couple of events that you’ve dragged him along to (would never admit that he enjoyed the experience though)

REIJI

- Reiji is that one hot young PhD student you have as a lecturer once and becomes an icon in your year group - He's got a bachelor's and a master's in Law and Economics and his doctorate focuses on something arcane like the history of European taxation and its relation to the politics of Russia - Employers are practically lining up outside his door, but degrees are like trophies and you bet he's going to have all of them (or at least more than Shu, anyway) - Despite how stingy he usually is with his notes, which are probably more comprehensive than the course textbooks, whenever he sees you struggling over a concept he’s always on hand to give you some one-to-one “tutoring” - Even if you’re studying something he doesn’t know about, Reiji will literally go to the library for a week just to learn about it - He can’t have himself looking bad in front of his future spouse, after all - When you ask him about it he never admits it and always says that it’s something he’s learning for some project (you question the validity of this claim often but don’t have the heart to call him out)

AYATO

- Ayato studies Sports Science, there can be no debate - Also captain of the university's basketball team and puts 100% of his effort into that rather than anything that actually affects his degree - Does his dissertation analysing himself and adds loads of unnecessary comparisons between his basketball style and LeBron James, also emails his lecturers videos of him shooting hoops afterwards to really cement it (still passes though...somehow) - Ayato is the king of living life on the edge when it comes to grades - You’ll have to sit him down and give him a very strong incentive to persuade him to study, since he hates it so much - Hell, even looking at the textbook makes him feel itchy - if you didn’t know better you’d think he’s allergic to it - When he manages to pass the year, you better believe you’ll be an honoured guest at the most legendary campus party of the year

KANATO

- Kanato studies History of Art - That one kid that's always really obsessed with studying representations of death in the 1900s, also everything he does involves pictures of naked women in strange positions - Kanato has a decent work ethic and doesn’t skimp on studying when exams are near, but when he doesn’t get the grades he wants, he’s prone to anger - You become an expert in calming him down, but also an expert in helping him with his essays in order to avoid the situation in the first place - Kanato isn’t the biggest fan of going to clubs or most extracurricular activities - he’d much rather spend his weekends locked in his room with you than in a hall of smelly, sweaty bodies - But the one time you did manage to drag him out to one of Ayato’s post-game parties, he got roaringly drunk, nearly undressed you on the floor of the basketball stadium, then promptly threw up inside the university’s varsity trophy cabinet - You and his brothers unanimously agreed not to take him to a venue that serves alcohol ever again

LAITO

- Laito studies Modern Languages, specialising in 19th century French Literature - He’s actually really good at his degree without studying that much, which works out incredibly well for him considering that before he met you he spent 90% of his time in the club - Laito vehemently denies that he got a 95 in his first year because he slept with the professor rather than from his natural genius, but you’re not so sure - The two of you love going out together and have developed something of a reputation on campus - You’re banned from a third of the student accommodations because of how many times some poor assistant has caught you going at it in a cupboard or someone’s bedroom - You have no idea whether Laito is a member of about twelve different clubs or just knows every single person on campus, because he’s always getting invited to some sort of event - But you both treasure the evenings spent eating student discount pizza in front of Netflix - after all, what is university for if not that?

SUBARU

- I don't know why, but Subaru definitely studies something like Biology - One of those people that always talks about how much they hate their degree but every time you walk into his room past 1 a.m. he's studying some weird science thing - No matter how much you tease him he always denies it, and grumbles about being “forced to be here” by his parents - Subaru is definitely a nocturnal student and the only way you get him to actually get up and work during the day is if you bribe him to study alone, just the two of you - He also doesn't ever attend any of his classes no matter how much you nag him about it - A member of the boxing and MMA clubs but never goes to the socials, he only goes to sparring sessions so he can beat other people up - If you saw him blushing because he caught you cheering for him outside the ring, no you didn't see that, that was... uh... his opponent's blood

#Shu Sakamaki #reiji sakamaki #ayato sakamaki #laito sakamaki #Kanato Sakamaki #Subaru Sakamaki #headcanon #anon #sakamakisaywhat

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firelord-frowny · 3 years ago

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! so, last year i was a performer at the Color of Music festival in tennessee, which is basically an organization that seeks to celebrate black classical musicians (look em up, they’re a rad organization if ya feel like Supporting Something New). they pay a good chunk of money to all the performers, pay for our hotel rooms, and offer a hella decent travel stipend (and you don’t even HAVE to use it for travel if you don’t need to. You can just pocket it and spend it on whatever else you feel like!).

and they invited me back this year, and it’s gonna be in south carolina, and i’m just

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

because i don’t think i’m anywhere NEAR comfortable enough with the current status of the plague to go around traveling and staying in a hotel room that i’ll have to share with a strangerrrr. :(

i know i DEFINITELY do not want to get on a plane, but also, I didn’t have to get on a plane last time either bc one of my frands who was also going to the festival was already planning to drive there, and so he let me come along with him. Soooo on the off chance that he’s gonna do the same this year, i imagine he’d let me tag along again.

But then even after i get there, hypothetically, there’s still the matter of the hotel room. I’m absolutely not willing to share a room with someone whose level of covid-carefulness i’m unfamiliar with. Sooo, I’d have to shell out money for my own room. which, the festival lasts for, i think, a whole weekend. and i’m not totally sure that the cost of paying for 3ish days in a hotel wouldn’t cost an impractical amount of what i’d even earn from the festival. i mean, i think south carolina in general is a bit Less Expensive than the region i live in, so maybe the cost wouldn’t be quite as high as i think it would, but still!

So, I guess maaaaaybe, if the cost would be impractically high, i could maybe possibly ask the festival directors/managers/whatever if they could book a single-bed room for me, and I would pay for it? Bc i’m SURE they get some degree of a discount for hosting such a large event, so it might cost less for them to book a room for me and then i’d just pay them. And like, ordinarily, i don’t think i’d daaaaare request that sort of ~special treatment~ bc i’d fear that it might make me seem Uppity or High Maintenance. But I think they’d prolly understand where I’m coming from, given the fact that there’s A Plague. And like, even if they can’t make that accommodation for me, I don’t think they’d be put off at me for asking. And I guess it helps that I have a friendly acquaintance in one of the festival directors, and he’s always been super nice and understanding, so I think i’d feel comfortable bringing it up with him.

BUT THEN, even if i AM able to have my own room, there’s still the matter of traveling to/from the rehearsals and performances. Performers are transported to/from the hotel and rehearsal and performance venues in charter busses. And uhhh I hella DON’T want to be stuck in close quarters with dozens of people for any duration of time.

That would leave me with uber/lyft/whatever, which, i’m still not keen on that, but i would DEFINITELY prefer that over being on a bus with several other people.

or, i could possibly maybe ask my frand or one of the other attendees if they’d mind driving us around in their vehicle in exchange for a few bucks??

SIGH!!!

but, the festival doesn’t take place for a few more months, soooo maybe hopefully the plague will be a bit less of a hazard by then???

#i KNOOOOOWWWW that it's supposedly more-or-less safe for vaccinated people #to return to normal activities #but i'm also wary of the fact (or at least i THINK it's a fact??) that The Scientists are still gathering data #on when or if booster shots will become necessary to maintain immunity #i'm also wary of the possibility that additional significant mutations may pop up #and that it's possible that the currently available vaccines don't perform as well against them #and like #i am GLAD AND THANKFUL that things are nowhere near as harrowing as they were a year ago #and i'm no longer in a constant state of anxiety #i'm no longer super worried about being exposed to covid in my day to day life activities #but i feel like i need to understand more about how the level of risk might change on a long-term basis #before i'll feel comfy participating in any Super Large Events.#like #i feel okay in smaller groups in larger spaces #but i don't feel totally okay in large groups in proportionately smaller spaces

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readingsbylibramc · 4 years ago

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synastry chart reading for @ladyestrella

hello! welcome to your reading. I'm going to give you a quick overview of what I'm going to analyze about your synastry chart: in-depth analysis of house overlays with major aspects, potential of the relationship, soulmates indicators, possible marriage indicators, possible issues and struggles of the relationship, intimacy and physical attraction, what they feel when they see / think about you, in-depth analysis of fate, love and marriage asteroids. of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask! my dms are always open. now let's get into the reading!

PARTNER A: she/her | aquarius sun, leo moon, pisces rising

PARTNER B: he/him | pisces sun, aquarius moon, pisces rising

PARTNER A

- personal planets -

🌞 partner a's aquarius sun in his 11th house

this could be the type of relationship that started off as a friendship, or at least that feels like a friendship. you and your partner don't focus on doing cheesy, romantic couple stuff, but you also enjoy having fun together like two friends. you may attend parties and events together, you may go out with your friends and get along with each other's friends pretty well. you may socialize more as a couple, perhaps even more than you two usually do. this placement can also indicate that you two met thanks to your friends for example, or maybe online, or even at some sort of social gathering like a party, a concert, etc. basically, a place crowded with people. the 11th house is also about long-term goals, and hence your partner may see you as a dream, as something he wants to last. you two may have a long-term, stable relationship, you both want this relationship to work and to last as much as possible. in addition, this placement may also motivate both of you to achieve the best in life, you may drive each other to be successful and achieve your goals, or perhaps one of them may even be of help to the other to get a reputation, a job, etc.

partner a's aquarius sun conjunct partner b's aquarius neptune: I would say that this placement isn't too bad, but not great either. first of all, neptune is a karmic planet, therefore we're certainly talking about a soulmate connection here. you two are probably very spiritually connected, you just get each other, and you probably feel a level of comfort when you're with the other that almost feels too good to be true. you see your crush as a dream, he totally fits your ideal of partner, your standards. in fact, you may often find yourself daydreaming about him and vice versa, it is a very sweet and romantic placement that makes it seem as if you're living in a fairy tale. you are both very intuitive, you're able to easily understand whether the other is happy, sad, angry... I feel like, with proper communication (which I assume this couple has), this aspect can be way more positive than negative. the negative side of this conjunction is that you may fantasize and idealize each other too much, you may create a version of your partner that only exists in your head. because of that, you may not acknowlege his mistakes, you may constantly blame yourself instead of him and vice versa. but again, your chart mostly has positive aspects, so I don't think these bad effects are much prominent in your relationship. now that you're aware of this issue, you can also try to solve it after all.

🌙 partner a's leo moon in his 6th house

this placement is also kind of neutral. in fact, the 6th house isn't really a romantic house, but with the moon here I think it can bring some lovely aspects as well. the moon is all about feelings and emotions, while the 6th house is the house of health and routine. that means that in your day-to-day life, you could be very affectionate with each other. you may be into physical contact and cuddling, and you may basically be sweet with each other on a daily basis. you feel extremely comfortable with each other, you feel at home when you're together, and hence you can both be yourselves with the other, you don't have to worry about being judged or misunderstood. you're also both very considerate of each other's health, both physical and mental. for instance, you could try to protect each other from eventual dangers, and if one of you actually gets sick, then the other is ready to take care of them. you could also be very considerate about each other's mental health, and combined with your heavy neptune influence that makes you two very intuitive, you may often psychoanalyze each other. in the worst case, you may feel as if you needed to 'serve' your partner, you could become very accommodating because of him. as a result, your partner could possibly take advantage of your kindness, but this is quite of a stretch of course. your chart is mostly positive, so I wouldn't mind that much about it, but I'd still keep my eyes open if I were in you.

partner a's leo moon opposite partner b's aquarius moon: you two are same and different at the same time. you may understand each other's feelings, ideals, emotions... you may even share them in a certain sense, you see eye to eye on a variety of topics, but you may still find yourselves bickering each other, there could still be some misunderstandings between you two or even disagreements. especially since this opposition happens on the proud line of leo - aquarius, you two may get particularly irritated when someone tries to contradict you, and hence this could be a cause of conflict in your relationship. try to be more open to each other's opinions and points of view, and if you don't share them try at least to understand them. communication is key to get along, force yourselves to discuss more and argue less if you truly care about the health of this connection.

🗣 partner a's aquarius mercury in his 12th house

this placement makes you extremely empathetic in regards of your partner. you probably can tell what’s going on in his mind pretty well, you may complete his phrases, you may basically read his mind. you know when he’s happy, when he’s sad, when he’s angry, when he’s lying... he’s an open book to you, he can’t hide. perhaps, you may even make dreams about him and viceversa. you could often find yourself daydreaming about this person as well. on the other hand, there are a few problems caused by this placement as well, we’re still talking about the 12th house after all. first of all, your partner is a pisces dominant: he’s lonely, secretive, private... he doesn’t like showing his real nature to others, he feels uncomfortable revealing all of his secrets, his mind. having someone that understands him so deeply, while it can impress him in some way, you may catch his attention, but at the same time he may as well be annoyed by it. he may start feeling overwhelmed from this lack of privacy, he may want to run away as this relationship could start being unhealthy, especially for him. or perhaps, he may actually be looking for a relationship of this kind, an intense, transformative relationship, therefore he may actually appreciate it, but it depends on what he wants from a partner. his pisces venus makes me think that he would feel at ease with such a strong connection, but again, it all depends on his personal preference. last but not least, this placement can also make the two of you quite paranoid; your partner may often feel as if you’re hiding something from him, and that could interfer in your bond of course.

partner a's aquarius mercury conjunct partner b's aquarius jupiter: this placement is extremely positive, especially in your chart! you two need to communicate to sort out your misunderstandings and disagreements, and thanks to this aspect you two are able to have a decent conversation. when you discuss with the other, you are able to broaden your horizons and learn about new points of view, of theories... you can become very open-minded together, you may help each other discovering new ideals and opinions. you could talk a lot, perhaps even through texts, communication surely isn't lacking between you two. it's a very encouraging and non-judgemental relationship, you're able to talk about literally anything without being laughed at. in addition, jupiter also brings lots of fun to your talks; you may often make jokes and laugh together, you're able to have light-hearted conversation that brighten up the mood of both of you. together with your sun in the 11th house, you may even come off as a couple of friends rather than a couple of lovers.

❤️ partner a's sagittarius venus in his 10th hous

with this overlay, there's lots of admiration from both parties. more specifically your partner probably looks up to you, he agrees with your ideas and he's fascinated by your drive. he may be very attracted to your looks, to the way you treat people, to the way you present yourself, he may even see you as superior to him in a certain sense. with this placement, if you and your partner get together he'll surely treat you like a living goddess!! this admiration is obviously mutual, you're also attracted to your partner, you may see him as a stable point, a safe spot. of course, since the 10th house is also the house of career and work, this relationship could also be beneficial for each other's jobs and goals. you are probably very emotionally supportive of each other's dreams, or perhaps you may even help each other in a more concrete way. overall, you may appear as the perfect couple when you're together; you're probably not afraid of pda, and hence you may have lots of eyes on you. luckily, though, I don't see you attracting much jealousy or any kind of malicious feeling.

partner a's sagittarius venus sextile partner b's aquarius moon: this placement is absolutely lovely! you two are probably very romantic individuals, and if you're not, you're at least able to bring the romance out of each other. you are very affectionate, you may enjoy physical contact and cuddling, you probably express your love for each other through gestures. comfort and ease just flow easily between you two, it's a very powerful aspect that makes you two love each other's company. you could be the type of couple to spoil each other, maybe in gifts, or even in compliments. it's that type of relationship that boosts each other's self-esteem. you could also be the type or couple to call each other sweet names, such as 'baby', 'honey', and so on, this kind of things. this is also another placement that indicates that you two could be quite devoted to each other, you're always there when needed and vice versa.

partner a's sagittarius venus square partner b's pisces mars: I wouldn't say this is an extremely negative placement, but still there could be some major problems regarding conflicts. you and your partner may not see eye to eye regarding love and sex, you may struggle to meet each other's wants. for example, you may desire more romanticism from your partner, and your partner may want more physical attraction from you. you may tend to act submissive around your partner, he could make you feel like a teenager, while your partner adopts a more bossy, stereotypically 'manly' behaviour. while this may be attractive and 'safe' for both of you, it could actually become a boring relationship that doesn't bring anything new to both of you. you are very different, you most likely have differents needs and wants that you expect from a relationship, making it difficult to work of course. but again, you're not doomed: your venus is sextile your partner's moon. that means that, with time and growth, your partner will eventually start to understand you and your point of view. basically, at first it may be hard to feel healthy while being in a relationship of this kind, but as time goes by, you'll both learn some major life lessons that will improve your love life. even if this relationship doesn't last, you'll still get out of it with loads of maturity and experiences.

☄️ partner a's pisces mars in his 1st house conjunct the ascendant

this placement makes you literally crave your partner. it probably was instant attraction, you couldn't help but stare at him when you first met him. you find him extremely attractive and sexy, you probably love having physical contact with him, even just placing your hand on his shoulder is fine. you're probably attracted to his look, it's what first caught your attention, but also to his drive, his goals and aspirations. you see your crush as someone very bold, leader-material and extremely passionate about everything they do. I feel like you could be the one to take the initiative in the relationship, you may be the one to ask him out, you could take the lead during sexual moments, and overall you're very direct and blunt in your approach, you probably don't care about looking so obviously into him. your attraction to him makes you so energetic that you actually pass some of this energy down to your partner; that is, if he's shy for example, you may literally make him want to step out of his comfort-zone. you motivate him to take action and improve himself. the only problem that comes with this placement is that a lot of competitiveness could arise. you, the mars person, may even try to 'control' your partner, you could be overbearing. for example, you could interfer in his studies / job, or maybe you answer for them... this type of stuff. it's important to respect your partner's boundaries and viceversa, or it's a total turnoff, especially since this conjunction happens in the respectful and dreamy sign of pisces.

partner a's pisces mars conjunct partner b's pisces sun: as I've already mentioned above, this relationship is a total self-esteem booster. you find each other extremely attractive, you two fit each other's standars of attractiveness. in fact, this placement indicates lots of sexual chemistry between you two. one thing sure, this relationship certainly isn't boring; even though you may sometimes argue over dumb things, as there's quite a bit of competitiveness between you two, there's also lots of passion. you could possibly be the dominant figure in the relationship, or at least your partner sees you as a very hard-working, assertive and ambitious person, and he probably admires you fondly for that. he could be your #1, he may encourage your energy even more. it's a very powerful aspects that allows you two to suceed, not only in this relationship but also in your day-to-day life. just be mindful that you can easily avoid childish arguments if you want.

partner a's pisces mars conjunct partner b's pisces venus: in astrology, this is considered to be the ultimate physical attraction aspect! in fact, you two probably find each other very attractive and magnetic. I don't think this connection started off as a friendship, and if it did then it was probably unbearable, as the attraction and chemistry between you two is just way too much to handle. you two most likely are a very touchy couple, not necessarily in a sexual way but you find it hard not to stare, touch each other; physical contact is key in this connection. this is another placement that makes me think that you are the dominant figure in your relationship, you could be the one to approach this person first for instance. in general, you tend to be the one who takes the initiative in any context. your partner appreciates your partner, and he may feel romantically attracted to you, you probably fit his ideals when it comes to looks, personality, etc. this placement probably makes this relationship so intense and magnetic that it will be hard to forget, even if you two don't end up together. this is certainly a soulmate / twinflame connection, especially with your neptunian energy. I'm sure you're both going to learn a lot from this connection.

PARTNER B

🌞 partner b's pisces sun in her 1st house conjunct the ascendant

your partner probably thought that you were very attractive when he first saw you. you may meet his ideals of beauty, he sees you as his type of girlfriend. he likes the way you move, the way you speak and present yourself, or even just the way you look physically, he may like your face and body. he may even be more straight-forward and approach you first, he may often spoil you with compliments and you don’t step back from them. you appreciate the way he looks, or even stare at you. actually, you may even crave his attention. your partner, aside from admiring you deeply, may even take you as a role model, he may desire to be like you, especially in your way of approaching the world. same thing goes for you: you also appreciate the way your partner lives his life, his achievements, his goals, his ideals, and so on. luckily, there aren’t other negative placements that interfer with this mostly-posiitve aspect. in fact, this aspect could possibly bring a feeling of competition between you two, as instead of admiring and appreciating the other, you may start hating yourselves because you think the other is better.

🌙 partner b's aquarius moon in her 12th house

this is probably one of the most spiritual and karmic overlays you two have in this chart. this partner may probably uncover some part of your life that you can't see, that are hidden to you. probably, it will be issues regarding your emotions, your feelings, maybe even childhood matters. it could even be quite traumatic at first, as this person is so intuitive that seems to know everything about you, he pushes the right buttons making impact. talking to this person is like talking to a psychologist, he knows perfectly what's bothering you and how to deal with it, it's certainly a very healthy aspect if you accept to be helped. you may be more introverted around your partner, exactly because you feel quite exposed of your insecurities, of your secrets, but as time goes by you'll start seeing each other as a place of comfort. being with and venting your feelings with your partner becomes something ordinary for you, it's totally natural thanks to this feeling of ease. this feeling is actually mutual, you guys look as if you have a psychic connection together, and this placement also indicates that you probably share some past lives together.

🗣 partner b's pisces mercury in her 1st house conjunct the ascendant

with this placement, you probably also fell for your partner for the way he talks, he exposes his thoughts, his choice of words. you may even be literally into his voice, you like the way it sounds, you thought it was attractive when you first heard it. you may even see your partner as someone smart and intellectual who has a way with words, someone that can achieve whatever he wants thanks to his witty intellect. you may also enjoy his sense of humor, you probably don’t force your laugh when you’re around him because you find him genuinely entertaining. as for your partner, he may also be into the way you think and talk, he could be fascinated by your ideas and creativity. in addition, mercury is all about curiosity, and hence he may be curious to get to know you. when you first met him, he felt this sudden urge to get to know you, he could’ve been the first one to randomly approach you, and he started making random questions just to hav ìe a conversation with you. even more simple things like “What is your favourite food?” looks fine to him, as long as he learns something new about you, he cares about this kind of stuff. this placement can surely make good friendships, as you two are able to have an amusing conversation, even though it may be more casual rather than deep. you probablty wouldn’t talk about the meaning of life with him, to make it simple, but rather about your hobbies, your passions.

❤️ partner b's pisces venus in her 1st house conjunct the ascendant

this placement indicates that you most likely find each other extremely attractive! you probably fit his beauty standards, you find him very charismatic and charming, it's hard for you not to stare at him. basically, he's your type. also, aside from being into his looks, you may also be fascinated from the way he presents himself in general: you may like his fashion sense, his manners, the way he approaches people, the way he speaks... bascially, everything about the outer him, it was likely love at first sight, or at least you instantly felt strong attraction to this individual when you first met him. also, this placement also indicates that you may inspire your partner in an artistic way, and viceversa. for example, let's suppose you like writing; you may feel inspired by your partner to write books about him, or perhaps poetry or song lyrics. you see your partner as someone aesthetically pleasant, basically as a piece of art. this feeling is mutual. overall, you both feel flattered and loved by the other, you may often compliment each other and that will be a complete self-esteem boost for both of you. feeling loved by your partner and viceversa inspires you to love yourself, and as a result you feel more beautiful.

☄️ partner b's libra mars in her 7th house

with this placement, the admiration I've talked about above is most likely mutual; in fact, you also feel interested in your partner because you see him as someone assertive, an action-taker, someone surely bold. you may start craving this partner, not necessarily in an obsessive way but in a way that makes you two kind of rush things in the relationship. for example, you may start dating very fast, or perhaps since the 7th house is also the house of marriage you nay rush your marriage, but this is kind of a stretch so make sure to only take what resonates. this placement also indicates that your partner could possibly take advantage of you, they may become very dominant in the relationship and you could end up depending on them, but I don't really think it's the case of this connection. as I've already said above, there are other aspects that indicate that you're also respected in this relationship, therefore I feel like you may be able to balance and compromise with each other to get along, especially since mars is placed in the cooperative sign of libra. at least, this is another placement that indicates that there's loads of passion and sexual attraction between you two that will hardly fade, they are probably the main features of this connection actually.

ASTEROIDS & CO

partner b's virgo north node square partner a's sagittarius venus: I feel like with this placement you two are both very attracted to each other romantically speaking, there was instant affection between you two. yet, as time goes by, you may start feeling as if something is missing, it could be your partner above all to think this. he may feel as if he needs to explore, experience something else. you, on the other hand, you may start feeling as if you were always the most invested in the relationship, as if you were always the one to try to improve it in some way. because of that, I wouldn't say that this relationship is meant to be long-term as you may grow out of each other, but never say never! it's just a negative aspect in a bunch of positive placements, and remember that you can achieve anything you desire with proper communication.

and this is the end! thank you for booking a reading, let me know if you have any questions :) - libramc xx

- not corrected yet -

#astrology

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lalainajanes · 5 years ago

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for the prompt list: 12. “Welcome back. Now fucking help me.” / 1. Coworker AU / 16. "Sit in my lap" :D

Thank you! I was thinking the other day that I’ve never really done a musicians AU which is silly. So I made that happen here though it’s probs stretching “coworkers.”

The Beat Goes On

When Caroline steps on the bus, she stops immediately, only halfway up the steps. She surveys the scene – Kol, Marcel, Klaus, plus about a half dozen fans. Her eyes turn murderous. She hitches her bag higher on her shoulder, yanks her suitcase up the rest of the way, and storms through the living area. She’s whipped the curtain that hides their bunks closed behind her before Klaus can snag her attention.

A pity. He’d been hoping for her help.

He’s in no mood for company either. Partying all night is such a rockstar cliché – and completely unrealistic considering they need to be on the road in a few hours, then unloading their gear in the next city a few hours after that.

It’s their first headlining tour. They can’t quite afford a complete crew. It’s going well, with most shows sold out. They’ve had to put in a rush order for more merch. Klaus has high hopes the next outing will be a little more luxurious.

Higher hopes that one day they’ll have more than one bus. He’s willing to share with Caroline. Preferably something with an actual bedroom – not the claustrophobic stack of cots they’re currently enduring.

He can’t complain too much. Their current accommodations are far superior to the unreliable van and dingy motels they’d piled into on their first tour. They’d been the first of several supporting acts, had considered themselves lucky when they’d turned a profit by the end.

That profit had bought some decent recording equipment, the EP they’d put out after doing well on Spotify. A better tour had followed. Then another. Press, photoshoots. Then interest from a few labels.

Klaus has only spent a few nights of the last few years in his own bed. He has no regrets.

He sets his beer down, stands. Pretends not to notice when one of the women who’d been inching closer and closer swipes it immediately.

He’ll have to check eBay tomorrow. See what the going rate for his saliva is. He doesn’t bother to excuse himself.

Caroline’s stowing her belongings. Klaus would bet they have the cleanest tour bus in the history of the music industry. Caroline’s a bit of a psychotic neat freak. Over the years she has doled out vicious punishments when a “Close Cohabitation Survival Rule” (there’s an extensive list - laminated and prominently posted) is violated.

Kol had been the slowest to learn. To drive the lesson home, Caroline had snipped out the back pockets of every pair of trousers he’d packed. She’ then hidden all of his underwear. Had bribed, threatened or cajoled every man on tour not to offer a spare pair.

She’d timed it flawlessly, Kol hadn’t had time to run out to a shop, and they hadn’t been significant enough to have anyone they could send on an errand. Kol had done a show with his arse – clad only in a pair of Caroline’s lime green lace boy shorts, hanging out of a ruined pair of jeans. The pictures appeared online within minutes, Kol will likely be answering questions about his preference in underwear for the rest of his natural life.

Caroline’s plots had done the trick. Their belongings tend to stay organized, their floors are never sticky, and the bathroom is perfectly sanitary.

Her bunk’s curtain is closed, but Klaus sees a faint glow, knows she’s not asleep. He yanks the curtain aside.

He’s willing to risk stoking Caroline’s anger. He’s exceedingly good at soothing her.

Caroline glares and tries to pull the fabric out of Klaus’ grip. “Go away.”

He gauges how much she means it, finds little heat in her tone. And she shifts over willingly when he climbs in next to her, lifts her legs so he can curl his under them. Caroline had showered at the venue, had her hair braided and off her face. She wears an old pair of sweats (his) and a tank top. Klaus attempts to coax, “Come out and have a drink.”

Caroline’s nose wrinkles, “Pass.”

“One drink.”

“I’m tired. It’s crowded.”

Weak excuses. “You’ll miss the show.”

That piques her interest. Caroline hates to be out of the loop.

“What show?”

“Our lovely manager should arrive shortly, shouldn’t she? Why else would Kol have three girls who’s name’s he hasn’t bothered to learn draped all over him?”

She twists her head to stare at him, and Klaus is sorely tempted by how close her mouth is. It would be so easy to close the minuscule gap and press his lips to hers, to stroke the spot on her neck that always makes her eyes roll back and her hips shift close.

But they don’t do that anymore.

“Are you telling me,” Caroline says slowly, disbelief etched in every word. “That Kol’s concocted some teen soap style plot to make Bonnie jealous?”

“I did try to tell him it was unwise.” Though, if he’s honest, Klaus hadn’t tried that hard.

Caroline presses the heel of her hand to her forehead, a frustrated groan spilling from her throat. “I have been trying so hard to convince Bonnie he’s serious. He’s going to ruin all my hard work.”

“All the more reason for you to come out, hmm? Can’t have all of your most excellent matchmaking going to waste.”

He’s not even upset when she elbows him in the stomach because he knows he’s won. He slides out of the bunk, and Caroline twists, “I need to find my phone and stall Bon,” she mutters. Her tanktop slides up as she rummages through her blankets, and Klaus clasps his hands behind his back because the urge to run his hand over the smooth skin of her hip might be stronger than he is.

He has a plan, well thought out, and practically foolproof. He cannot rush. Caroline pauses when she notices Klaus watching, balances on her elbow, and shoves his shoulder with her free hand. “Get out there. Make sure no one does anything too stupid.”

“No promises.” Klaus knows better. He’s known Kol since birth. Reckless acts of stupidity are one of his brother’s specialties.

Caroline’s found her phone, has settled on her stomach. She’s frantically texting, so Klaus exits.

He immediately notes that several bottles of liquor have made their way out. That more people Klaus doesn’t recognize have joined them. Kol’s lost some clothing, has got one arm raised high, splashes of what Klaus is reasonably sure is bourbon splashing down, onto his bare chest.

It has all the makings of a disaster.

Unfortunately, for some reason, Caroline is slow to appear. Kol’s at his jittery, exuberant drunk stage, unable to sit still or focus on a topic for longer than a few moments. He’s telling stories that are only half true, gesturing wildly. A few of their visitors are enthralled. Marcel had slipped outside with a few people, Klaus hears his laugh drift in through the open door occasionally.

Two women have boxed him in. They don’t seem to mind that he has no interest in the conversation they insist on prolonging. They giggle delightedly at his clipped answers. Klaus has already taken photos, signed skin. Has his fingers crossed their not the type to rush off to a tattoo parlor.

When Caroline emerges from the back, Klaus has a moment of déjà vu. She barely notices Kol; her attention focused on him, and the people invading his personal space. She’s furious again, more so, Klaus thinks.

He’s always been confident in his plan but won’t say no to the ego boost her obvious jealousy provides.

It’s a small space; she’s in front of him in a few steps. Klaus smiles up at Caroline, grabs her wrist. She appears confused for a second – it’s been ages since he’s touched her in front of another person.

He hasn’t attempted it since being photographed, having the images splashed all over social media and picked apart, became a real possibility. Caroline had begun shying away once the tweets and the Instagram comments had started coming in. Some positive, a lot negative. Klaus had followed her lead. Had figured he’d let her get used to the fame, that he’d just have to convince her that they could be together publicly without ruining what they have privately.

He drags her hand to his mouth, distracts her by pressing a chaste kiss to the back of it. He hears a gasp to his left, but he doesn’t care, tugs harder until Caroline loses her balance.

She lands in his lap, and one of the women leaps to her feet with a yelp. Convenient, as it gives Klaus more room to maneuver. He wraps his arm around Caroline’s waist and settles her more comfortably, her side resting against his chest. He pitches his voice loud enough to be heard clearly by everyone in the room, “A bit clumsy tonight, aren’t you? It’s fine, sit in my lap.”

The woman who’d swiped his beer bottle is either drunk enough not to mind her tongue or unconcerned with basic manners. “Are you two?” She lifts a hand in a gesture that’s both vague and slightly lascivious.

Caroline squirms, but Klaus squeezes her hip, cutting off her denial with a whisper in her ear. “You took ages. Welcome back, now fucking help me.”

She pinches his stomach in retaliation. Klaus holds back a wince. Caroline ignores it, turns on the charm, smiling warmly at their nosy questioner. “Nope. We’ve just known each other for ages. Spent way too much time in tight spaces. Not a lot of boundaries when you’ve spent months crammed in a van, you know?”

Klaus could comment about the private time they’d managed to enjoy in that van occasionally but Caroline’s fingernails are sharp. He doesn’t mind wearing their imprints, but he’d prefer to earn those marks pleasurably.

“So, you’re just friends?”

“Bon-Bon!” Kol shouts, interrupting Caroline’s response.

(Probably a good thing. Klaus isn’t entirely sure he trusts himself to stick to his timeline if Caroline tried to claim they were just anything while sitting on his lap and wearing his clothes.)

He’s surprised when Caroline settles back against him, rather than leaping to his feet. Pleased, too. Her arm drapes around his shoulders, her fingertips tangling in his necklaces. She watches the scene unfolding in front of her.

Her touch is familiar, missed. Klaus closes his eyes to enjoy it while he can.

#klaroline #klaroline drabbles #from the prompts list I reblogged earlier!#I need to write fluff #sorrynotsorry

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rotationalsymmetry · 4 years ago

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It’s not that it’s not effort to:

Make the Christmas cookies vegan

Find a gluten-free, sugar-free dessert option

Decide your event is going to have a sign language interpreter, even though you’re not sure anyone who needs one will show up

Make sure the venue is actually wheelchair accessible

Figure out how you’re going to make the zoom meeting accessible to someone who can’t deal with the chat function AND to someone who can’t hear AND someone with sensory processing issues...

Figure out what to do when one person can’t be separated from their service animal and one person can’t be around dogs due to allergies

Figure out a decent sexual harassment policy and make sure people know about it

Make sure your board of directors, panel of speakers, website content writers and editors, etc, actually represent the population you’re trying to serve

Get your newsletter translated into Spanish

Not schedule your event on someone’s holy day

Make sure you’re pronouncing your student’s name right

Make sure the books you have available to the kids at your after school program don’t only feature white children

Get your coworker’s new pronouns right, and quickly

Not ask the woman who answered the phone if the woman that you’re trying to reach is her “roommate”

Get the accessible voting machine set up, even though last election no one used it and chances are no one will this election either

Etc

It is a lot of effort, and it’s effort that’s conflicting with your other goals, as an individual, as an organization. And it’s a work in progress and you’re not going to get it perfect.

I’m not going to pretend that it doesn’t take effort, consideration and often money. It does.

It’s just that the harm caused by not doing those things is much greater than the cost of doing them.

I’ve been on both sides. The inconvenience of accommodation, as real as it is, is nothing compared to the harm of needing accommodation and not getting it.

(And I know technically these aren’t all “accommodation” issues. They all seem like the same thing to me. Inclusivity, maybe?)

And there’s also: there is a difference between someone genuinely trying their best and failing, and someone half-assing it or quarter-assing it and acting like they’ve done everything they could conceivably do and more. When you *know* a person or organization is not really seeing the harm they’re causing, or they see it but don’t care, then it causes that much more harm.

#being a decent human being #accommodation #inclusivity #disability #social justice #political #treating people like people #list #long post #ha i didn’t even put writing image descriptions on the list #even though that’s what prompted this #strong opinions #swearing

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astrologysvt · 5 years ago

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Chan’s Ideal Type - Natal Chart Reading

Happy Birthday Chan~ 🎉 Thank you for inventing kpop 💛posted early cuz i managed to get it done in time for when it’s actually his bday in korea!

For ideal types, I’m not going to be doing specific placements of their ideal partner. Instead, I’m gonna be listing personality traits I think would mesh well with them, as well as focus on their needs and the kind of person who could meet them. what this reading cannot account for is the compromising the members would do on their end for their s/o. so just keep in mind this is only half of the whole picture!

someone very smart.

he’s a very communicative person.

he wants to discuss and have an exchange of knowledge and passion thanks to that aqua sun and mercury.

with a sag influence there is a desire to surround himself with knowledge, and i think he’d be very attracted to someone who could be considered a professional/expert in their field.

he’d not only really respect it, but it’d feel exciting to know and communicate with someone who is so deeply involved in a career/lifestyle different from his.

he’d love to pick their brain, and it would generally make him feel like his life is being enriched.

sag also adds a desire for travel as it expands ones perspective.

so derived from that, he may want to be with someone who is both not in the entertainment biz as well as someone potentially from a different country/culture.

chan is a really interesting mix being of very knowledgable and curious (aqua/sag), passionate and active (sag), dedicated and stubborn (aqua/scorpio), mixed with this very thoughtful and emotional influence (pisces/scorpio).

he has a very well-rounded chart (potentially tunnel visioned) but he’s a very sincere guy.

he’s present on almost all fronts, and isn’t very afraid of emotions or emotional intensity.

so he wants someone with a great deal of intelligence, as well as emotional intelligence.

he’s also very honest, and with this brings a very low tolerance for people who may be overly concerned with appearances.

this is due to his aquarius influence valuing individuality over conformity, as well as his scorpio mars that gives him a very keen eye for shallowness.

it’s not that he wouldn’t like someone who looked/dressed a certain way, but if he felt as though there was something blocking him from gaining his s/o’s full attention, or something preventing them from leveling with him -- that’d really frustrate him.

so with this kind of “truth-seeking” attitude about life, he’s going to want someone very upfront, honest, and unapologetic in how they carried themselves/acted with him.

not even in a sense of them being rebellious or super eccentric, he just wants someone who doesn’t feel the need to put up any fronts around him or has a perception of what they should be together vs. to others.

if he feels like there is a wall, he’s not going to have a lot of patience in trying to accommodate that in his daily life.

this is also emphasized by his pisces influence, but not necessarily in a discerning “ur being fake” sense.

he is incredibly intuitive in relationships because of his pisces venus, and this makes him conscious of other people’s energies.

so he’s very hyperaware if he feels like there is this wall, as it’d feel like there is this connection error to him. he’s very quick to notice if their energies are being withheld/directed elsewhere.

layers, on the other hand, are very different from walls.

his scorpio mars loves people with depth, both emotionally and intellectually.

his s/o should be very complex & have a bunch of different sides to them as he loves feeling like he’s delving deeper and seeing parts of his s/o only he can see.

his s/o should be very open to deep and philosophical conversations.

they should also be different enough from him that there is a feeling of discovery as they get to know each other, as well as a decent amount of friction/push back as this is very rewarding to a scorpio/aqua influence.

but with this sense of difference/friction.

it’s interesting because with a well-rounded chart like his, he’s obviously able to get along with people similar to him, while also having this ability to communicate and empathize with people much different from him as well.

and so, personally, i think there are a bunch of factors in dino’s chart that point towards him being attracted to those very different.

one of them being, with his rising in aries, this puts his descendent in libra.

i’ve been talking a lot about descendants but i haven’t really gotten too much into what they mean.

so your rising sign is very highly linked not only to your identity, but to your perspective and to your approach on life/people.

it’s the energy you excert.

with aries in his rising this makes him a very straightforward, ambitious, energetic, and excitable person.

his approach to life is very hands-on.

and so if you think about your rising as a kind of magnetic pole, on the exact opposite side of it is an energy that is intrinsically attracted to your rising sign in order to balance it out.

so on the opposite side of his rising you have this very diplomatic, intellectual, and easygoing presence through libra.

this is the descendent, which is also the cusp for the 7th house which is the house of love, marriage, and partnership.

so having libra in his descendent/7th house signifies an incorporation of external energies to the self through partnership.

to me, there are a bunch of different interpretations/applications of it in a reading, but i generally tend to read it as compromise.

i see it as what this individual most likely needs to take into account when sharing their life with someone else.

for chan, this manifests as him learning to be more diplomatic and thoughtful than he initially feels inclined to be.

it’d be about thinking “other” when he’s more focused on thinking “me.”

so what this means for an ideal type can kind of go in a bunch of different ways, but i think the most simplest reading would be that he’d more than likely be drawn/destined to be with someone who is going to force him to think.

he’s going to want to be with someone who forces him to stop before acting, and to take into account the general group as opposed to his own agenda.

teaching him to think more broadly than simply what he can immediately affect.

and this more or less loops in his pisces venus.

his pisces venus is a very gentle, loving influence to have in relationships.

he’s an ultra empath, generally really impressionable and easily swayed as he’s super inclined to try and understand others.

this is an influence that can kind of throw his truth-seeking scorpio through a loop, as his pisces can be easily swayed by romance and emotion.

this danger is especially relevant considering the idealist/optimist that his sag moon is that makes him maybe not the most discerning of negative intent if someone is charismatic enough.

so this is an influence that both needs to be reeled in as well as embraced.

his s/o should be as equally emotionally open and very privy to non-verbal communication through affection and that emotional intelligence.

he wants a relationship where they’re able to understand what the other needs without putting it in so many words.

they should also able to understand when each other needs space.

but with that, he’d also really benefit being with someone who is grounded/realistic enough in their perspective to ensure that he doesn’t get lost in this super compassionate/sensitive part of him without him needing to shut it off entirely.

i also think this stabilizing influence in a s/o other is really important for him with this pisces venus as he may have a tendency to get lost in thoughts/emotions.

he is such an individualistic person thanks to this aqua/sag/scorpio, but his pisces may come in and create a sense of disillusion where he can lose his grasp on what that means for him especially in relationships.

so someone who really and genuinely loves him for him, who isn’t going to incorporate a sense of self-doubt/consciousness in how emotional he is, while also truly encouraging him to go out there and do his thing.

they should allow him to be all the things that come easily to him, may it be passion or emotion, while teaching him balance and stability.

his s/o other should reinforce his sense of self, not dilute it.

and now that i’m writing this i want to make a point in perspective.

in relationships, no one should ever feel “diluted” or that they need to compromise on what being themselves means.

but for dino, since his perspective is so individualistic, there are certain circumstances that he may view as restrictive that to others will not.

lets say for a cancer influence, these people really like security, company, and are pretty comfortable with the idea of being someone else’s person as this gives them a sense of belonging/purpose. these “restrictions” add to their sense of self

for an aquarius influence, this may seem a bit off-putting as they want the space/freedom to continue to pursue being their authentic self in whatever way that may mean to them. for this influence, these definitely feel more like restrictions.

i think it’s also really interesting doing this reading because i really get the sense he wants to look to his s/o other for strength, guidance, and knowledge.

and for that reason i can see him wanting to be with someone older.

as much as he wants to offer these energies to someone else, he may find it much more exciting to discover rather than impart.

i also think this is shown in his rising/descendent.

with his rising being in aries, the first sign of the astrological cycle, this gives him a very young perspective.

then you go to his descendent in libra, and there is a sense of maturing in relationships that i think is very indicative of that “older” influence.

“older” in quotations mainly because i don’t think it indicates a large age gap but rather more so just a dynamic.

but overall, chan is just a super kind guy.

he wants a relationship filled with compassion and intellectual understanding.

communication is an absolute pillar and his s/o should agree on that.

there’s a desire in him for stability, and this could be implemented through push-back, discussion, and contrast.

and i think if i had to narrow it down to one specific thing he desires in a relationship, that’d be variety.

he wants to learn and grow in relationships, and for his world to be ultimately broadened.

#seventeen #svt #dino #chan #seventeen scenarios #seventeen imagines #happy dino day #kpop_future_dinoday #don't even know if these tags are even meant for tumblr #but my god will i use them

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hibiscus-tome · 5 years ago

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the long way home

It takes more than a few days before Yusuke can move into Kosei’s dorms for real. There’s paperwork to be done, a willing relinquishment of custody from Madarame to the school, before a space can be found and prepared for him at all — but it happens, and Yusuke moves into the dorms with little fanfare a month after his guardian’s Palace falls.

It’s small — smaller than the attic that Akira has come to call home — but it comes with a bed, a sink in the corner of the room, and a mini-fridge. There is a small café on the ground floor that sells boxed meals and packaged bread for less than what you’d expect to pay at a convenience store, and a member of the school faculty lives in the dorm building just at the end of Yusuke’s hall.

In theory, it certainly looks like a decent set of accommodations — more than Akira had when he’d first moved here — but something about it doesn’t sit well with him. It’s no small matter, after all, to be ejected from one’s home. It’s not a simple thing, to be torn away so suddenly from everything you thought you knew and loved, only to be dumped in a cold and isolated place where you can no longer rely on anyone but yourself.

But Madarame is not Akira’s mother, and the teacher that lives in the dorm is not Sakura-san, and what was once hard for Akira might not be so for Yusuke.

It’s awkward to ask, though, as they toe the line between comrades and friends. They fought together in that other world, sure — but friendship isn’t something that can happen so easily, even after a few weeks’ worth of sleepovers in Leblanc’s attic and a sentimental painting gifted to Sakura-san in thanks.

Still, Yusuke smiles. Between transferring small stacks of folded shirts from his duffel bag to the wooden chest by the closet, he says, “Thank you so much for helping me with this, Akira-kun. I couldn’t have asked for a better friend.”

It should be simple, to leave and rest assured that Yusuke will be fine in his new dorm room — and yet, Akira can’t help but wonder if, maybe, he’d unknowingly abandoned him to some terrible fate.

There’s more to Yusuke’s new living conditions, though — of course there is.

The first, perhaps the most important thing, is that Yusuke’s ability to continue living there free of charge is contingent on his scholarship. What Yusuke doesn’t say is that that scholarship can be taken away as easily as it had been given, should he fail to uphold the standard of a Fine Arts student that Kosei expects of him.

The second is that, between schoolwork and artwork that keeps a roof over his head, there’s the fact that now that Madarame’s freedom is gone, so, too, are his assets. There’s years’ worth of art, countless portraits and still lifes and abstracts that need resorting, relabeling, reorganizing as it becomes less and less obvious which ones are truly of Madarame’s own creation.

“Nakanohara-san has been a huge help,” says Yusuke a week after he moves in, when Akira goes to see him in his dorm with a tupperware container full of curry from Leblanc. There are two easels propped up by the window, but Yusuke works in a sketchbook, now, black dust smudged across the side of his hand.

Good, Akira wants to say but does not. That Nakanohara is going so far out of his way to help, now, is yet more proof that changes of heart work.

“We’re thinking of setting up a gallery,” says Yusuke, a wistful smile on his face. “For Hyuuga-san, Sensei’s pupil that committed suicide. It would take some time, though — we’d need to find and restore her work, find a venue, call her family from Yamagata, though who knows if they’d even want to come all the way here for something like this…”

For a moment, Akira wonders what it must be like to have been Hyuuga-san — at the mercy of a teacher who would claim her work as his own, so far removed from home that she had nothing — no one — else.

Madarame had confessed — collapsed to his knees on national television, sobbed apologies to anyone who would listen — but Hyuuga-san is still dead — and Yusuke and Nakanohara-san are still here, picking up the pieces and cleaning up after their teacher’s mess.

“Though time is limited,” says Yusuke, sharply. “There’s exams, the school art show next month, and perhaps we’ll be lucky and have another target by then as well…”

—the curry that Akira had brought over the previous week sits untouched in the mini-fridge.

“Yusuke?”

“What is it?”

But Yusuke looks so earnest, then, so ready to do more that Akira can’t bring himself to say a word.

(Who is he, to take this power away from him after all that Yusuke has done to find it in the first place?)

“… never mind.” If there’s something in his voice that’s oddly strained, Yusuke says nothing.

—but Akira wakes, later, tangled in his bedsheets, his nightshirt clinging to his chest with sweat as his heart hammers painfully in his chest and he can’t breathe.

“What’s wrong?” Morgana asks, prodding him with his paw. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Nothing,” Akira answers in a shaking voice. “It’s nothing. I’m fine. Go back to sleep.”

“Liar,” says Morgana, but there’s no bite to it.

Akira sits up, gingerly, and reaches for his water bottle on the floor. He sips at it listlessly, waits for everything to settle, and tries very hard not to think about what it means, that Madarame is gone but so, too, is Hyuuga-san, and Yusuke is still picking up after them — that Yusuke still can’t rest, even though most of the danger has passed.

“Madarame confessed,” says Morgana, “… so what’s the problem?”

Akira doesn’t respond — but in the space between his heart slowing down and his ribs releasing their chokehold on his lungs, as he lies back down, the answer comes to him — in the uneaten curry sitting in Yusuke’s mini-fridge.

Naturally, it all goes to shit one Saturday when Akira comes home from school and Sakura-san asks him, one hand clutching his phone tightly and the other running through his hair, “Hey, kid, you heard anything from Kitagawa lately?”

Their last Mementos trip had been the previous weekend, but Yusuke’s last response to the group chat had been days ago — and now that he thinks about it, Yusuke had looked awfully tired back then. Something clenches unpleasantly his gut as he hastily calls out of work and dumps Morgana in the attic before racing towards Kosei.

“Yusuke!” he shouts, knocking on the door with one fist. A student in a deep blue school uniform stares wide-eyed at him, and his heart stutters in his chest for a moment at the prospect of this student he doesn’t know calling the security guard or the police.

Akira takes a deep breath, and tries again. “Yusuke? Please open the door.”

This time, Yusuke does respond — and his face is drawn and pale when he answers the door, shadows collecting under his eyes and his uniform rumpled. How long has he been wearing that uniform, Akira wonders? How long has it been since he last slept? Since he last set foot outside his room? “Oh, Akira-kun…” says Yusuke in a haggard voice. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

Akira swallows, and ducks his head. “I know. I’m sorry.”

But then Yusuke smiles, tiredly, and says, “Don’t be sorry.” He opens the door a little wider, and steps out of the way so that Akira can come inside.

It smells too strongly of paint. There’s half-finished canvases strewn about, half-finished sketches in pages torn out of his sketchbook littering the floor, a mess of pencils scattered across the unmade bed, a bowl of fruit by the window that’s started to go bad.

The cups of instant ramen sit untouched in the corner of the room.

“Is there something I can help you with?” Yusuke asks, and Akira notices, too late, that Yusuke is leaning too heavily against the chair where his hand rests. What if he were to pull that chair away from him? Would Yusuke fall? Could he stand at all without holding onto something?

Akira clenches his jaw, and resists the urge to tell him about the call that Sakura-san had received from the school — that Yusuke hasn’t been seen in class for days, with no word from him on why he was out to begin with — and Yusuke is not the same person now as the person who had threatened to call the police to get them out of Madarame’s shack, not remotely, but Akira can’t quite shake the worry that it could very easily happen again, comrades or maybe friends or no.

“I just…” he starts. His voice cracks a bit, so he clears his throat and starts again. “I just wanted to see how you were settling in.”

“Oh!” says Yusuke, his eyes brightening ever so slightly. “Thank you very much for your concern, but I’ve been doing well. A bit busy, perhaps, but it’s nothing that I’m not used to.”

Perhaps, if he were someone like Ryuji or Ann, it would be easier to say, then, that this isn’t doing well — but Akira is not Ryuji or Ann, and so his frustration goes nowhere but further down, into crescents his nails leave in the palms of his hands as he clenches his fists so tightly that it hurts. He’s not quite sure which is more disturbing — that Yusuke apparently sees nothing wrong with this situation, or that he’s convinced that holing himself up in his room and throwing everything to the wayside in favor of working endlessly is normal — no, not just normal, but expected.

“Let’s go out,” is what Akira settles for, in the end. His voice is on the verge of shaking, and he has to take a moment to remind himself that his anger is not at Yusuke but at Madarame for putting him in this position, at Kosei for not noticing, or maybe noticing and yet doing nothing. “There’s this ramen place nearby that I’ve been meaning to try out—”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry,” says Yusuke, closing his eyes, “but I really need to finish this up first.”

The worst part of it is, apparently, that Akira can’t tell what it is that Yusuke needs to finish between the endless canvases and sketches and the rotting fruit by the window. “It’s fine,” he says. “We’ll be quick. Just a dinner break, and then—”

“Really, Akira-kun, just give me a few moments and then—”

“Yusuke, enough.” The words are out before Akira can do a thing to stop them, and he regrets them immediately when Yusuke stills before him. He takes a deep breath, and tries again. “When was the last time you ate something?”

Yusuke averts his eyes. “That’s not important.”

“How could you say that?” He doesn’t mean to shout, but it’s hard to look at Yusuke now and not wonder if, somehow, he’s gone back to that desolate old shack that Madarame had tricked him into thinking was the only home he’d ever need. But Madarame is gone, and he can’t reach Yusuke here, and Yusuke should know that he shouldn’t still have to—

“I’ll eat once I’m finished with this,” Yusuke says, coldly. “I can’t afford any distractions right now.”

It’s not about the food — not really — and yet, when Akira grabs Yusuke’s wrist, then, the only thing he can think of is that he needs to get him out of this room, to that ramen place down the street where it is warm and there will be food — Yusuke’s pride and ridiculous work ethic be damned.

“Akira-kun, I said no.”

It shouldn’t shock him as much as it does — but Yusuke’s voice is low and shaking, and his expression is frighteningly cold, and Akira finds himself recoiling before he can think to control the reaction.

“I’m not trying to distract you,” he says, and hates how his voice shakes. Something heavy presses up against his eyes, but it would be the worst thing in the world if he were to start crying over this, of all things. Yusuke has yet to raise his voice, but he’s cold, too cold, and it sets Akira on edge anyway. If it were Ryuji or Ann here instead, they would know exactly what to say — but they’re not here, and Akira has never been good at dealing with these sorts of things on his own, but for Yusuke he has to. “I just… You should eat something. Before finishing whatever it is that you need to do.”

He’s right about this — he knows he is — so why does it feel like he’s messed this up beyond repair?

Yusuke sets his jaw, and turns away. “Leave,” he whispers.

“Yusuke, I—”

“Or I’ll call the security guard.” And that, too, shouldn’t hurt as much as it does — but Yusuke knows why that would be the worst possible thing to say to him. Akira had told him why, that first night in Leblanc.

This, a rational part of him speaks with Joker’s voice, is no different from before. It’s the same tactic that Yusuke had employed, earlier, to get them out of the shack that Madarame had tricked him into thinking was the only home he’d ever need. It’s more of a dismissal than an actual threat, meant to piss Akira off enough that he’ll leave Yusuke be, just this once — and if he were a stronger person, maybe, or if Joker were in control all the time, then Akira would see this for the obvious tactic that it is.

—but he’s not. He’s just Akira, and without Joker’s mask, he’s powerless against raised, angry voices and cruel words from the people he wants to call his friends. He releases him, then, and doesn’t say a word as he turns on his heel to leave the room — doesn’t say a word to Sakura-san, even when he asks how Yusuke is doing once Akira sets foot back in the café — doesn’t say a word to Morgana as he curls up under the blanket, and wraps his arms around his torso, and asks himself what the point was, of stealing Madarame’s heart, if it’s done nothing but hurt the person they wanted so badly to save.

For a long time, Akira doesn’t move. He sleeps, maybe, but even that is hard to tell for sure. The hours pass slowly, sluggishly, as he continues to curl into himself under the covers and thinks about everything and nothing.

It’s stupid, to let something like this affect him so much. He hardly has any right to feel this way when it was his fault to begin with: he was the one to push Yusuke, after all — but Yusuke hadn’t been eating, and he hadn’t been sleeping, and was Akira supposed to just sit there and let him continue driving himself into the ground? Was Akira supposed to encourage him to keep doing so?

Madarame’s gone, but what good did that do Yusuke? Yusuke, who had been forced to leave the only home he knew, whose art had always been his entire life but somehow never quite so much as it is now — and wasn’t it supposed to be the opposite? Wasn’t it supposed to get better for him once Madarame was gone?

(What good are the Phantom Thieves, if they can’t even do this much?)

The sun feels a little warmer than it has in the past few weeks — and Morgana headbutts him gently in the back and says, plaintively, “Maybe you should eat something.”

If he had the energy to do so, he’d laugh at the irony. But he’s not particularly hungry — hasn’t been hungry since well before he went to Kosei — and so he pulls the covers over his head with a weary sigh and continues to lie there in a miserable heap.

“Akira, come on.” Then there’s a weight on his shoulder, two paws kneading into him while two more press uncomfortably into his bicep. “Just tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing,” he answers reflexively, and maybe it would be more convincing if his voice didn’t sound so hoarse. “I’m just tired.”

“Liar. Something happened with Yusuke yesterday… I’m right, aren’t I?”

—and he really, really wishes it could be that simple — but how is he supposed to explain that, maybe, they should have just left Madarame alone? Madarame needed to be stopped yes, but not if it meant destroying Yusuke’s life in the process. Maybe Yusuke would have gone on for years, making art that Madarame would then claim as his own, but maybe that would have been better than this uncertainty — he’d have a roof over his head, and food in his stomach, and someone he could call family, instead of this scholarship that could be taken away so easily should he fail, and with it the only home he has left.

—and they did this. It was the Phantom Thieves that so utterly upended his life like this.

There’s a light jingle as Morgana springs from atop him and makes his way… somewhere. Akira’s too tired to look — but then moments later, there’s the sound of heavy footsteps and more jingling, and then all of a sudden, Sakura-san’s voice snaps, “Hey, kid, what did I say about letting your cat downstairs?”

At that, Akira bolts upright and is immediately rewarded for it with a sudden throbbing at his temples. “Mona, what the hell?” he chokes out through clenched teeth. It would be a losing battle to argue now, though, so he closes his eyes and sighs wearily, as Morgana jumps back onto the bed and claws his way onto his lap. His head hurts, and his throat is painfully dry, and he wonders if it would make Yusuke laugh, to know that Akira has failed so spectacularly at the very thing he was trying to get him to do earlier. “I’m sorry, Sakura-san. I’ll… pay more attention next time.”

(—not that there’s a guarantee that there will even be a next time, but it’s an old worry and one he has more than enough experience quieting.)

Sakura-san looks at him with a strange look, caught somewhere between irritation and… worry? “Shit, kid,” he mutters. “Thought you were just tired… wait here a minute.”

Then Sakura-san stalks back downstairs, and Morgana settles into a vaguely loaf-like position on Akira’s lap. “You are a bad cat,” he says, glaring.

“I’m not even sorry,” Morgana retorts.

Akira sighs, wearily, and repositions his pillows behind him so that he can comfortably sink back into them without having to lie all the way back down. It wasn’t always like this, he thinks as he runs his hand absentmindedly down Morgana’s back. It’s hard to conceptualize a time when he hasn’t been tired, but it doesn’t usually get as bad as this — then again, he’s never had to deal with things like traveling between worlds and changing hearts before. Nor has he had to deal overly much with people who call themselves his friends — whose friendship isn’t contingent on them participating in the same clubs or sitting near each other at school.

—but friends are supposed to make you feel better, aren’t they? Even more so, friends who’ve very nearly died for you — and yet, the thought of them hurting, of being powerless to stop that hurt, of maybe being the person to put that hurt there — it’s too much.

Sakura-san returns then, a tray tucked in his arm that he then sets down on Akira’s lap as Morgana slides off towards the wall. Akira blinks at the curry and rice before him for one long, dazed moment, a polite refusal reflexively working its way to his tongue, and Sakura-san says, “Nope, none of that. We’re nipping this in the bud before it gets really bad.”

… Sakura-san added chili powder to this. Akira can tell, because it cloys at his throat if he breathes in too deeply, too close to the plate. The first bite burns; the second is better. Warmth blooms as it goes down — in his chest, in his stomach, in his fingertips as his appetite finally rears its head and he finds himself able to take another bite, and then another.

(… it should have been like this, with Yusuke.)

“So,” says Sakura-san, just sharply enough that Akira can already tell that this isn’t going to be a pleasant conversation. “You went to see Kitagawa yesterday.”

“Mm.”

“How’d it go?”

—only there’s nothing that Sakura-san can actually do about this. Sakura-san can’t go back in time and force Madarame to be there for Yusuke. He can’t force Kosei to pay attention, to do something about the boy that wastes away in its halls in the name of art. He can’t open the art world’s eyes to the fact that the artist they praised so much should never have been Madarame.

Sakura-san sighs wearily, and sits down at the edge of the bed with his back to Akira. “That’s too bad… I figured there’d be an adjustment period, but if he’s this bad off…”

Akira pushes a lump of potatoes onto the rice with his spoon. “Can he… stay here?”

“I don’t have another attic I can give up, kid,” says Sojiro. “And even if I did, what good will that do him?”

Better than that dorm, Akira can’t quite bring himself to say. Better than anything anyone has ever deigned to give him.

“But you know, kid,” says Sakura-san, “you can’t help people that don’t want to be helped. You try and do that, and they’ll just get frustrated and push you away… and then it’ll be worse than if you hadn’t done anything at all.”

“How could you say that?” It comes out harsher than he intended, and the rational part of him wonders if Sakura-san will be angry.

Sakura-san hums for a moment, before asking: “What was it like for you, when you first moved here?”

This, Sakura-san should already know: that it was perhaps the scariest thing Akira had ever done, to agree to live in a place where he knew no one, so far away from the only home he knew — when his mother hadn’t said more than a few words to him in months, when he couldn’t be sure she could ever look at him again — when he was dropped suddenly, without warning, in that other world and forced to fight.

“What did you need, back then?” Sakura-san asks.

He thinks back to those first few days — the sickening feeling of being yanked between worlds, the splitting headache as Arsene literally fought his way out — how things like power hardly mattered, no matter what Ryuji had said, when Akira was still here, seemingly abandoned. He hadn’t been abandoned after all — he sees that now — but it remained hidden back then, behind the principal’s disapproving frown, and Kamoshida’s sneer — and Sakura-san’s half-hearted I won’t hesitate to throw you out if you cause trouble with or without the roof he put over Akira’s head.

He’d wanted to go home back then, hadn’t he? But that’s not what he needed — he needed someone, anyone, to remain by his side as everything threatened to spiral out of control.

“If I had to guess,” says Sakura-san, “I’d say Kitagawa needs about the same right now. He needs to want it, too, but that’s not something you can force so easily.”

Akira sets the spoon down, and lets his fingers curl around the covers. “What should I do…?”

“The only thing you can do,” says Sakura-san, “is to wait for him to come to you.” Then, he raps his knuckles, almost but not quite scolding, against the top of Akira’s head. “And not wreck your health in the meantime.”

“Sorry…” Akira mumbles.

Sakura-san smiles, and it’s surprisingly gentle. “Trust him,” he says. “He’s going through a lot right now, and it’s not something you can do much to fix… but he’ll be back. And when he does, he’s going to need you.” Sakura-san’s eyes drift towards the window — there’s a bird perched just outside, small and brown and pecking at something under the glass — and says, “Oh, right, speaking of which…” Then he rises from the chair at Akira’s bedside to grab his wallet from his back pocket, and fishes out a small handful of bills. “Here, for the bathhouse,” he says, setting them down underneath Akira’s phone on the floor. “Go nuts with one of those special aromatherapy deals, or whatever.”

“You really should, you know,” Morgana chirps from his loaf-like position.

Despite himself, Akira lets out a breathless laugh. “Thanks,” he says them both. “Sorry again for the trouble.”

“Next time will you actually tell us what’s wrong before it gets this bad?” Morgana chastises him.

“Take care of yourself, kid,” says Sakura-san as he starts to head back downstairs.

“I’ll try,” says Akira, to both, and it’s the most he can promise for the moment but it feels like enough.

The time comes soon, too soon, as Akira peers out from the school rooftop the next day to find a red-faced Yusuke at the school gates, out of breath and clutching a plastic bag tightly in one hand. “He didn’t say he was coming over here today, did he?” asks Ann.

“I don’t think so?” Ryuji answers, but raises his arms over his head to wave at Yusuke anyway.

In an instant, whatever Sakura-san had told him the previous day evaporates from Akira’s mind, and something hard settles uncomfortably in his gut. “Go to him,” Morgana says, quietly, and oh, he can’t do this.

—but Ann smiles at him, oddly understanding even though he has yet to say a word to her or Ryuji about what’s happened, and plucks Morgana out of his bag. “C’mon, Mona,” she says. “Let’s get some sashimi.”

“Sashimi!” Morgana cheers.

“Oh, so it’s okay if she takes you for sashimi, but if it’s me or ‘Kira then it’s sushi or bust?” Ryuji shouts, and it’s the last thing Akira hears before the door to the stairwell shuts behind him. His heart thunders in his chest, and it’s not from the exertion of running across Shujin’s campus because he can’t get to the gates fast enough—

—but Yusuke is still there. He holds the plastic bag out towards him, and says, “Here, ramen. From—From that place you’d mentioned.” Akira looks to the bag, at the small puddle of leaked broth at the bottom because at least one of the containers in there hasn’t been closed properly, and can’t find the right words. “I realize that this is an odd time,” says Yusuke, “but you were particularly adamant about eating at this place in particular, and I have yet to eat lunch today—”

Yusuke’s eyes go wide, then, as he clamps his free hand over his mouth. “It’s okay,” Akira says, and tries to smile but doesn’t succeed all the way. “Let’s go somewhere else?”

Yusuke does smile, though, and Akira wonders if this is okay after all. “Yes, of course.”

They end up going to a park, seated side by side on a bench. Yusuke lets Akira have the un-spilled ramen, while he lets his container sit in the plastic bag on his lap as he breaks his chopsticks apart and starts to eat. And for a long moment, Akira sits there and eats with him, saying nothing.

The ramen, miraculously, has yet to completely go cold. It’s still too cold outside to not wear his blazer, but the sun has yet to set and the air is warm. For a moment, Akira lets himself wonder what summer will be like, in the city — if the Phantom Thieves will find another target, or even, simply, if he will make it through those months at all — if Sakura-san will catch him, should he fall, or if he’ll still be able to look at Ryuji and Ann and Morgana and even Yusuke, months later, and call them friends.

Yusuke looks down at his now half-full bowl, and lets his chopsticks fall to the side. “I owe you an apology,” he says in a low voice. “You’ve done so much to help me these past weeks, and yet I still… I still…”

Akira exhales slowly, and stirs his noodles with his chopsticks. His mother would yell at him, if she were to see him now, but the spirals that form in the broth as the noodles swirl about are oddly soothing. “It’s okay,” he says.

“It’s not okay—” Yusuke starts.

“I pushed too hard,” says Akira. “I made you uncomfortable. That’s on me, and you had every right to get upset.”

“I just…” Yusuke says, his voice cracking. “I just… thought it would be better.”

—and there’s no easy way to tell him that it isn’t going to get better so easily, even with Madarame’s heart changed. It’s not fair, and it should be easier, but it’s not.

“I hate him,” Akira admits through gritted teeth. “I hate what he did to you, and I hate that just by getting out of your life, he’s made things so difficult for you. I hate that he can’t do more to fix this mess because he’s the reason it exists in the first place, and I hate how it’s still you that has to pick up after him.”

He stirs, and stirs, and stirs, and he’s going to ruin his ramen at this rate but he can’t bring himself to stop. “Akira-kun…” Yusuke whispers.

“You’re right,” Akira continues, and he hates the way his voice rises in pitch. “It should be better. But it’s not, and it’s his fault, and I hate him.”

“… I don’t know if I agree,” Yusuke admits, quietly. “I should, but I don’t know.” He laughs, bitterly. “Sometimes, I wonder if maybe I painted an inaccurate picture of him to you all… but you saw his Palace, the same as I did, and yet…” His grip tightens around the takeout container, and his hands shake ever so slightly. “Right now, all I have left is this scholarship. I can’t deny that I would never have had even this much without Sensei’s guidance… that I can’t waste this opportunity that he’s given me.”

“You owe him nothing, Yusuke.”

“And I can see that, now.” Yusuke looks to him, then, his brow crinkling with something caught halfway between a frown and a grimace. “But if it were truly that simple, then there wouldn’t be this… this…”

Unbidden, Akira thinks of his mother coming home at the end of a long, long day — of the dinner he’d made splayed between them as they talked about everything and nothing. When was the last time she was able to look at him with anything but disappointment? When was the last time he was able to look at her and feel anything but grief?

—and he has yet to tell Yusuke any of this, but he’d like to think that there’s a part of his new comrade, friend, who understands regardless.

“… homesickness?” he guesses.

Yusuke hums, considers it. “Yes, I suppose that’s correct.” Then he laughs, bitterly, again. “It’s sad, isn’t it? We can’t go home again. We don’t even have the option to do so.”

Sad is one way to put it — but Akira’s had months for that solid ache to congeal in his chest. For Yusuke, though, the wound is still fresh.

Slowly, he tips over to the side, his head falling lightly onto Yusuke’s shoulder. “I’m here if you need me,” says Akira. “Whenever you need me.” It’s not enough, not even close — and if it were Ryuji or Ann here instead, they’d have better things to say — but they’re not here, and it’s no excuse for Akira to not try.

—and as Yusuke lets his head fall on top of Akira’s, something in the both of them releases. “Thank you, Akira-kun. Thank you so much.”

#persona 5 #p5 #akira kurusu #yusuke kitagawa #shukita #tw suicide mention #tw depression #tw panic attack #fic

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nitewrighter · 5 years ago

Note

OP of the daphne post! for the 50th scooby doo year, i beseech you to write a thing, please

Well it is October, and I do like being beseeched, and I have been reading “Your Favorite Band Cannot Save You” and watching Dario Argento movies…

Obviously this means it’s Hex Girl time.

—-

The five of them were bunched up in the back of the Mystery machine. Daphne was touching up her makeup (and Shaggy’s) in Fred’s rearview mirror. She had given herself a combination of runny mascara and fake blood running down from her eyes, while Shaggy had a “slashed open” cheekbone and exposed teeth prosthetic on his cheek.

“Like… it’s totally cool if you want to bail,” said Shaggy.

“No judgment,” said Daphne.

“I’ll even drive you home,” said Fred, wearing a Led Zeppelin shirt (Why was it always Dad bands with him?).

Scooby slumped his weight against Velma in solidarity.

“Guys, I’m not made of glass–and the more you keep saying that, the more psyched out I get,” said Velma.

“I know, but it’s baby’s first rock concert!” said Daphne.

“What did we establish, D?” said Velma.

“…That we would stop calling it ‘baby’s first rock concert,’” said Daphne.

“But the way you and Shaggy talk about it, it sounds like a religious experience,” said Velma.

“It is,” Daphne and Shaggy said at the same time with a near sigh in their voices.

“Like, it’s a religious experience for the church of Kensington Gore,” said Shaggy.

“Cheesy horror movie stuff?” said Velma.

“Cheesy horror movie stuff,” said Shaggy.

“So I want to see it,” said Velma, sitting up with some determination, “If I can handle that skunk ape case last week, I can handle crowds.”

“Ugh,” Daphne shuddered, “Don’t remind me of the skunk ape case. I can still almost smell it sometimes.”

“Like, glad to hear it though,” said Shaggy, holding out an open palm to her. Velma glanced down to see two foam earplugs in his hand, “Trust me. You’re gonna need them.”

Velma kept the earplugs balled up in her fist as they all clambered out of the back of the Mystery Machine and locked it behind them. It was a brisk first-cold-snap-of-Fall evening in Colesville’s derelict metropolitan district. There was a robust shopping center with a decent-enough couple of apartment buildings, and some “We’re totally not gentrifying your town” boutiques and gastropubs, but for blocks out from there was a smattering of half-aborted real estate developments and boarded up buildings. The gang headed toward the theater and Velma stuck to the interior of the group as punks and goths, leathermen, horror geeks, and even a handful of steampunkers trickled across the streets toward the theater.

“Abandoned theater…” said Velma, “No huge fire or collapse risk there.”

“The Hex Girls are upcyclers,” said Daphne with a shrug.

“And Thorn is a hardcore stickler about how her gigs turn out–makes sure the building is totally safe for all of her lighting, makes sure the exits are clearly marked with a well-organized evac plan, has top-of-the-line bouncers, and all the available refreshments are exclusively vegan.”

“The little fried tofu brains are really good,” said Shaggy, “Did you know the human brain has the same consistency as tofu?”

“Silken or firm?” said Velma.

“…I don’t know,” said Shaggy.

“But don’t worry, the Hex Girls know what they’re about,” said Daphne as they showed their tickets at the door. The doors opened and the gang stuck close to each other as they entered a buzzing, throbbing crowd of fans that collectively referred to themselves as “The Hexed.”

The bar area was fenced off from concert-goers below 21, and was so densely packed Velma hardly understood the appeal anyway, and the gang took their place in the crowd a ways from the stage. The theater itself was ornate–pretty well cleaned-up for the concert with a garish peacock green and magenta geometric color scheme decorating the walls that was probably considered very glamorous back in 1978. It was dimly lit and all the seats had been taken out to accommodate the more rough-and-tumble concert venue. The velvet curtain was down, moth-eaten as it was and Velma watched as Shaggy fit some mutt muffs on Scooby before resuming his hold on Scooby’s harness. Scooby sat on his haunches, his tail thumping on the floor. if they weren’t covered by the muffs, Velma would have guessed his ears were pricked.

“He’s been to these too?” said Velma.

“Oh he loves them,” said Shaggy, scratching Scooby under the chin.

“The dog’s been to more concerts than me,” muttered Velma, not really audible over the murmurs of the crowd. The lights at the front of the stage dimmed and sent the theater into complete blackness and a sudden silence swept over everyone almost unsettlingly. There were a few nervous giggles and a handful of scattered “Whoo’s” from around the theater but mostly an almost electric silence. Then the speakers hummed and Velma put in her ear plugs in anticipation. The curtain lifted to a black stage, then the backlights lit up red reveal a group of about twelve girls, only a little older than they were, dressed in red shift dresses standing on bleachers behind a mass of black-cloaked mannequins still in shadow. The girls’ heads were bowed. There was a brief ripple of applause but the silence from the stage prompted more silence from the crowd. For a moment Velma thought the twelve girls on the bleachers were blindfolded, but they slowly raised their heads and opened their eyes. A thick horizontal stripe of black was painted across all of their eyes.

“Are those the Hex girls?” Velma whispered.

Daphne said, “Ssh!” on instinct then caught herself, looked at Velma and whispered “no” before jerking her head back toward the stage, terrified of missing anything. Then the twelve girls started singing, completely unaccompanied by any instruments or beat. It was high and choral and perfectly harmonized, fit for a cathedral.

“Mater Suspiriorum, Tenebrarum, Lacrimarum

Dominae, Dominae Dominarum–”

The choir was apparently micd up so that Sopranos, mezzo sopranos, and altos were coming form different speakers. The result was the music folding around them like water sloshing around the room.

“Oh classic,” said Shaggy

“Am I missing something?” said Velma, “Are the Hex girls… catholic?”

Shaggy snorted. “Nah. Nah, they’re not.”

“Ignis,” the chorus kept singing, “Vestis, Amissio Amictia—”

“For the record, I know Latin and none of this makes any sens–” Velma started.

“Vacuus VACUUUS!” The choir’s volume suddenly peaked and there came a thunderous drum beat that hit Velma like a kick in the ribs.

“DUSK!” One audience member hollered, “DUUUUUUSK! The crowd swelled with cheers as a white spotlight stabbed through the dense red light shining on the chorus to reveal a cloaked drummer hidden amidst the mass of mannequins on the stage. The drummer kicked off a heavy beat that throbbed through the whole crowd.

“Hex girl?” said Velma but Daphne was already bouncing up and down, pounding her shoes into the cement floor with the beat as she headbanged with the beat. Velma took that as yes.

The chorus kept up their latin nonsense as the drumming picked up even more and suddenly a ripple of stained-glass-shattering organ cut through and the crowd went wild as a second white spotlight shined down on a keyboardist in a cloak among the mannequins. A wail went up from the crowd and suddenly the bodies around Velma started shifting and dancing as Dusk intensified her drumbeat to match the manic organ music of the keyboardist.

“I LOVE YOU, LUNA!” one girl shrieked from the wings and the keyboardist made a quick finger gun out to the crowd, without missing a single key as she played, prompting even more screams. The keyboardist and drummer hammered away, their sounds crashing against each other as the choir kept up its vocalizing, then with another thunderous drumbeat the sound suddenly cut, and the crowd stilled, a few cheers and yells rising up in anticipation as a deep, rippling woman’s voice came over the speakers.

“You think this is magic?” Her voice seemed to engulf the room like smoke and Velma looked to Shaggy who mouthed along with the voice’s words of, “I am not a magician.”

The choir let out a single long note of vocalization, an “Ahhhhh” of ecstasy that climbed in volume as all the mannequins on the stage were lifted off by thin, near-invisible cables like puppets or corpses on gallows, now hoisted out of sight and revealing one cloaked woman at the center of the stage, holding an electric guitar. The choir fell silent then, leaving Velma feeling as if she was leaning over a cliff, suspended back from falling like the mannequins now swaying out of sight and not knowing what would make her fall over the edge.

“Thorn! Thorn! Thorn! Thorn! Thorn!” the word pulsed up from the crowd like a terrified heartbeat.

“We have three names, but you know us by one,” said woman with the guitar.

“Hex! Girls! Hex! Girls! Hex! Girls!” the chant was half manic, half call-and-response rippling around the theater. Velma looked to Fred, who she assumed was just as clueless as her in this manner and he just gave her a smile.

A white spotlight shined down on her. The woman cast back the hood of her cloak and flipped her hair out, long and black, and grinned. Velma wasn’t sure if it was the spotlight that bleached her or if she was wearing makeup or if she just woke up looking like a beautiful moon-white victorian woman that was probably dying of consumption, but she didn’t care.

“THOOOOOORN!” a wail came up from another section of the crowd.

“How’s everyone doing tonight?” she murmured dreamily into the microphone.

The crowd went absolutely apeshit as the choir exited the stage and Thorn just grinned.

“Let’s give another hand to the Colesville Choir, they’re going to hell for this,” said Thorn with a smile. A ripple of laughs and applause rose up from the audience.

“Oh, I like this group, don’t you like this group, Luna?” said Thorn, looking to the keyboardist.

“I like this group,” said Luna, still playing.

“Dusk?” said Thorn.

The drummer looked up to give a sly grin. “On the fence,” said Dusk, still hammering away at her drumset. Another ripple of chuckles went though the audience again.

“I think we should give them something nice, what do you think, Hex Girls?” said Thorn, casting off her cloak to reveal a dress that was halfway between Elvira and Stevie Nicks, slinging her guitar over herself.

“I guess,” said Dusk, pausing to take off her own cloak for a more punkish outfit. Luna shrugged off her own cloak to reveal a gauzy number and prompt another shriek of “LUNA, I LOVE YOU!” from that same girl up in the wings. Dusk clacked her drumsticks together three times before changing the beat.

The crowd cheered and Thorn struck down on her guitar as the next song kicked off and Velma felt the world get blasted away from around her. Thorn started singing and Velma’s legs turned to jelly beneath her. It was a deep, buoyant voice that creaked and pitched in all the right places. There were a few brief flailing seconds where Velma tried to rationalize the effect of the music–faster music was known to increase heart rates and breathing, so the buzz in her head was normal. Totally normal.

The crowd shifted then, faster than Velma could really anticipate, and suddenly an area had cleared out slightly to accommodate bodies now flying at each other as the beat picked up, catching and flinging each other against the walls of the crowd, and clotheslining each other. Velma looked desperately around for Shaggy, Fred, even Scooby, but couldn’t make them out from the crowd that now walled her in to the mosh pit. Thorn was singing, and even with the plugs in her ears dampening the sound Velma could feel her voice snaking around her insides–she could feel Dusk’s drumbeat rattling her bones–or maybe that was the skinny punk who just slammed into her before continuing on his reeling way.

“GUYS?!” Velma shouted. Another body slammed into her and her glasses got knocked off.

“My glasses!” Velma shouted on reflex and nearly moved to bend and feel around for them before she was slammed again, stumbling.

Thorn was now rendered from a beautiful vampy songstress to a sexy black and white blur, not that Velma could appreciate it now caught between thrashing bodies.

“Velm!” before Velma was really sure what was going on, Daphne’s arm was hooked in hers (She was about 60% sure it was Daphne–again, it was dark and now blurry—it smelled like Daphne, at least.) Velma was yanked down briefly, than yanked back upright, then pulled into what she could only assume was a dizzing spin around the mosh pit, still hooked in Daphne’s arm, before being flung into the wall of the crowd and caught by several strong arms. She thrashed instinctively before she heard Shaggy say, “Velm! Velm! It’s us!” She looked up, saw Shaggy’s face half bloodied and shrieked before Daphne put her hands on her shoulders.

“It’s okay! It’s okay!” said Daphne.

“My glasses!” said Velma, “I need my–”

Daphne put Velma’s glasses back on her face. Velma blinked a few times.

“I saved them, don’t worry,” said Daphne.

Velma furrowed her brow at the large crack running through one of the lenses.

“Mostly saved them,” said Daphne.

“You okay?” said Fred.

“Yeah–yeah just a little—Shaggy! Your face!” she looked over at Shaggy.

“Prosthetic,” said Shaggy, peeling the bloody bit off his face, “Remember?”

“Shaggy!” said Daphne.

“I’ll put it back on in the bathroom,” said Shaggy, shrugging, “We really did try to grab you before the pit broke out. We were calling for you but…”

“Earplugs,” said Velma.

“You survived baby’s first mosh pit!” said Daphne, clapping and hugging Velma.

“Daph!” said Velma, half muffled into Daphne’s Hex Girls tee.

“Sorry! First mosh pit!!” said Daphne, holding Velma at arm’s length again. She looked worried for a second, “It’s–It’s totally fine if you don’t want to stay for the whole concert now. You don’t have to force yourself to–”

“No!” said Velma a bit too suddenly, looking back at Thorn, now dropped to her knees for a guitar solo, arching her back and craning her neck upward as the mosh pit continued thrashing. Velma cleared her throat, “I mean–The music’s really good.”

“Right?!” said Daphne, excited.

Velma looked at the mosh pit, “And I’ve tasted blood,” she said, adjusting her cracked glasses, “I’m staying.”

That slightly manic smile split across Daphne’s face and it prompted a nervous giggle out of Velma that wove itself neatly into the buzz of adrenaline now running through her body.

“Oh Dinkley,” said Daphne, ruffling Velma’s hair, “We’re in for a night.”

Scooby howled with the next wail of guitar.

#fightin’ daphne au #scooby doo #hex girls

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shootybangbang · 5 years ago

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I just really need a jealous Arthur Morgan in my life, pls write this, any and all details are up to you

In which you waste a perfectly decent glass of champagne [Part 1]

setting: mayor’s party in st denis. reader is negotiating trade routes for cocaine on behalf of Angelo Bronte

note: this is unedited, feel free to add constructive criticism or corrections

———

Arthur clenches his jaw when Fussar takes your hand and raises it to his mouth. Through the chatter of the crowd, he can dimly make out fragments of your conversation.

“… in Colombia, though the cost of product is…”

“… could be persuaded, if Signor Bronte wants to make the investment himself.”

“… more than willing to make accommodations for…”

Fussar leans in close to whisper something in your ear, and you laugh in a manner he’s never seen before, tilting your head to the side and demurely covering your face with a red paper fan.

———

There’s only two ways to get men to take you seriously in this world, you’d told him once. Either discard your femininity entirely or play it up as much as you can. And with some men you’ve got no choice but to turn on the charm.

———

Though he knows you’re only going through the motions, the sight of you so coy with another man nonetheless has him simmering with an anger that makes him feel like a muzzled dog, full to bursting with a barely constrained urge to violence.

The wine glass he’s holding makes a small krk sound. When he looks down, he realizes he’s been gripping it so hard that he’s given it a hairline crack spanning from rim to stem. Arthur hurriedly sets it aside on a nearby table piled high with hors d’oeuvres.

“Careful!” he hears you call out.

He looks up in your direction and watches you only barely manage to sidestep a drunk man tottering his way towards the hedge maze. Fussar makes an indignant noise and puts a hand on your shoulder to guide you away.

You jump when he touches you, immediately dropping the flirtatious facade and adopting an expression of genuine discomfort. The sight of it makes Arthur forget all the decorum expected of him, all the ridiculous little rules of the venue itself, and he finds himself shoving his way through a huddle of old men, rational thought abandoned in favor of the hot rush of instinct that surges through him now.

You’re laughing nervously now, facing away from Fussar and glancing towards the crowd.

Somehow, you spot him. He can see it in your face, in your sharp little inhale and the way your eyes widen in shock. Then, pulling yourself back together with a little shake of the head, you deliberately bump your arm against a passing busboy so that the flute of champagne you hold in your left hand spills down the front of your dress.

“My dress!” you gasp in manufactured dismay. “Oh no, this’ll stain — and this dress is only a rental… I’m so sorry, Colonel, please excuse me.”

“No, no — allow me,” Fussar says, drawing a handkerchief from his coat pocket.

“I’m afraid not,” you say, already stepping away. “I think I’ll need to use the powder room for this… how terribly embarrassing, you must forgive me…”

You shoot Arthur a meaningful look, nodding your head towards the manor before gathering your skirts about you and briskly walking away.

[this is probably gonna turn into smut bc everything i touch either turns into porn or Red Dead Depression]

[have an arthur/reader request? feel free to send me an ask.]

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan/reader #arthur morgan/oc #red dead redemption #rdr2 #fic #my work #followthefreedomtrail9 #ask

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virmillion · 5 years ago

Text

Ibytm - T minus 35 seconds

Masterpost - Previous Chapter - Next Chapter - ao3

Words: 1,132

Logan bounces the baseball in one hand, riffling through the venue packet with the other. “Venue packet page seven?” He tosses the ball to Virgil, way too high.

Virgil lifts his arm and snaps it out of the air without looking, focused on his own stack of papers. “Too showy, not to mention that price. Even with your new position, that’d be a serious dent in our pockets. I like page three better, anyway.” He tosses the ball back.

Logan flips to page three, belatedly remembering he was supposed to catch the ball first. As he pulls it back toward his chair with his foot, he reads over the paper. “Decent price point, but it’s kind of far.”

“Everything is kind of far. We don’t exactly have a means of transportation outside of walking.”

“I’ll add it to the list.” Logan makes a note on his clipboard before turning to an impossibly large set of windows on his computer. “Do we even want to have it outside? It’s getting kind of cold.”

“Better a breeze than some stuffy church situation.”

Logan nods and adds that to the growing list of general concerns. “That forest one might look nice, especially if we do pictures by the changing colors.”

“Sold. I’m definitely an autumn.” Virgil raises his hand and waves his fingers, prompting Logan to pass the ball again. “Hey, can you turn off your do not disturb mode? I want to show you a video.”

“Because you’re obviously too far away to walk over here and show me,” Logan mumbles. He elects not to mention how he didn’t know his phone was on that mode to begin with. Almost instantly after tapping off the little moon symbol, an absurdly long list of notifications slams into his phone, all at once. Missed calls, missed texts, missed emails, messages on the snapchat (a phrase Virgil hates), and even new messages coming in dated as having been sent in just the last couple seconds. Logan realizes it might be prudent to turn off his ringer. He realizes it too late, but at least he realizes it, so maybe that can count for something. (It doesn’t, by the way.)

“Okay, I swear I only sent you the one video.”

“No, this isn’t all from you.” An expression somewhere between total confusion and total resignation crosses Logan’s face as he reads over the list of names. Alex, Cassidy, Roman, Joy, even Miss Katie-Lee and Mr. Jolenta. Not to mention all the snapchats and twitter messages from the former bunch. He pulls up the emails first.

“Huh. Apparently the crew doing the fumigation was checking out our vents and they found some trace asbestos in them.”

“Isn’t that only dangerous in, like, super high doses?”

“I’m getting to that. They kept looking—to see how bad it was, I guess—and they found some of the structural integrity of the building itself is in pretty bad shape.”

“Well, that is very not good.”

“For several reasons.” Logan switches over to the texts, all of which are pretty much the same information with less formal language. One or two ask why he isn’t answering, but far more than he would’ve anticipated ask what he’s doing with his newfound free time. “Why does everyone want to know what I’m doing with my time off?”

“What time off?”

“Oh, did I not read that one out loud?” Logan ducks as Virgil chucks the baseball at his head. “Watch it, I’m very breakable!”

“Not to mention frail. Just read to me about your time off.”

“Right, so the crew brought up this bad news, and Miss Katie-Lee decided it was cause enough to close the building down.”

“Yikes.”

“Yeah. Sounds like she’s been looking into moving us anyway, find a better office. Some place over by the old Borders bookstore?”

“Right, that abandoned business park.” Virgil messes around on his phone for a minute and sucks a sharp breath through his teeth. “Oof. Solid twenty minute drive with no traffic. You can’t walk that far to work and back every day.”

“It’s not particularly ideal,” Logan agrees, now scrolling through the voicemail transcripts. More reminders about the relocation, the time off, people asking if they can have his first desk pick slot now that he won’t have a reason to work alongside the interns anymore, those same interns worrying about no longer being ‘The Fifth Floor Squad,’ and still more people asking about his free time plans. “Sounds like moving will take about two weeks.”

“Starting when?”

Logan checks the timestamp. “Yesterday. Wow, these people text fast. I’ve got, what, fifty unreads after a single day offline?”

“I mean, most people do tend to be on their phones pretty much constantly. You’re the exception, not the norm.”

Logan looks back over all the people pestering him about his free time. At least he’s not the only one at a loss for activities when there’s no work to be done. “What if we got married next week?”

“I—what?”

“Us. Next week, when I don’t have any work schedule to interfere. We could do it. We could go get married.”

“We could go get married,” Virgil repeats slowly, clearly not comprehending the words coming out of his mouth. He says it again.

“Think about it,” Logan insists. “My parents are barely an hour’s drive away, I don’t really have anyone to invite outside of my work colleagues, we just need to correlate your side.”

Virgil blinks, and though he nods to himself, his brow furrows as though he still doesn’t quite get it. “My parents are both loaded, so they shouldn’t have any problem flying out for a day or two. I’m sure they could spot my siblings the travel budget.”

“Plus, it’s not like we have to go through all the venue and reception setup, right? Who says we have to?”

“I guess just us.”

“Exactly! Our parents make four, plus your siblings is nine, my colleagues top out around twenty, Patton and his daughter and maybe her mom to twenty-three—I really think we might swing it under forty people. Heck, we could just hold the reception at a restaurant, if they’re willing to accommodate that.”

“We could go get married,” Virgil whispers, but his eyes are much brighter now. The matter-of-factness from Logan, the reality that this is an actual thing they can actually go out and do, it’s all finally sinking in.

“We could go get married,” Logan says, and he doesn’t try to hide the growing smile on his face. Virgil bounds across the room and falls over Logan’s lap, wrapping him in a suffocating hug. For a long moment, they simply hold each other, until Virgil picks up Logan’s notepad.

“Well, future husband. Let’s get started, shall we?”

#labhwrites #mine #i'll bring you the moon #ibytm

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lily-liegh · 6 years ago

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So lately I’ve seen several posts about how expensive conventions have become and how this is limiting attendance rates bc fans simply can’t afford to go. And that’s valid bc conventions should be accessible to people and you shouldn’t have to starve all weekend just so you can go to a con and maybe buy two pins. There’s something wrong with that.

But there’s also something wrong with people arguing that conventions should have dirt-cheap prices or even be free. And I think people just don’t realise how expensive it is to run a convention. (Time-consuming is another fact altogether, but not a part of this post).

Conventions are expensive to run. As someone who have helped run a con for several years, including participating on the financial committee, conventions occur massive costs. And it’s not necessarily the fault of con-goers to know a con’s budget and expenses, but dismissing ticket prices because “cons just want your money and don’t care about fans” puts a lot of shade on many conventions that have higher ticket prices because of what they are offering.

So let’s run through some expenses a typical convention might have.

Primary costs:

The venue itself. Con staff must take into account the size of their convention and whether the venue will accommodate this attendance. The larger the convention, the larger the venue - you may even need multiple venues. You’ll also need to consider location - is this accessible to your general population (near public transit)?

Printing costs. Tickets, event schedules, posters, advertising - that all costs money to print, and depending on the size of the event and attendance, you might need to print several thousand, hundred thousand, or even a million copies so as not to run out.

Advertising. You can advertise for free on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, but you’re also probably going to put up flyers around the city - and that’s not always free to do. If you’re advertising outside of the city too, you might be paying for transport to get out and advertise. For larger conventions, billboards and larger signage are often rented and have a monthly/yearly fee. And a website. And upkeep for the website.

Security. The more people you have gathered in a place, the likelihood something is going to go wrong. For smaller conventions, you might just need a couple designated people to make sure attendees are treating themselves, each other, and the venue respectfully. If you’re convention has 50,000 or more people, you’ll probably need to hire security. Bad stuff happens.

Moving/storage. You won’t have the venue for the entire year, so likely you’ll need to transport all your equipment (tables, chairs, indoor/outdoor advertising, etc.) to the venue. You’ll also need a place to store the equipment for the rest of the year.

Entertainment costs:

Guests. For many conventions, this is one of the largest expenses simply because guests are not cheap and you are hosting them. You are paying for them to come to your city, visit your convention, and host panels. Thus, you are paying for every aspect of their trip. Therefore, this includes:

Hotel. If you want to make a good impression to your guest, you get them a nice hotel close to your convention. Depending on where you con is located, this could be quite pricey.

Food/drink. Again, you’ll be taking them for dinners, as what convention has time to cook their guests meals, and you should not expect guests to cook (and many hotels don’t have kitchens).

Travel. If you couldn’t find a hotel close by, you’ll probably be driving your guests to and from the convention.

Entertainment/leisure. In most cases, guests don’t stay at the con for the entire duration. They need breaks and leisure - and as their hosts, you’ll likely take them around to attractions in your city. This won’t always be a large expense, but it’s nonetheless a factor con staff must consider - and if you have multiple guests, how will you be entertaining all of them?

Sound/lighting. For every panel you go to, there are probably hundreds of wires, lights, speakers, projectors, and other equipment needed to make the panel run without a hitch. Some cons have all this equipment; others don’t, in which case you’ll need to buy/rent it. That shit’s expensive.

Giveaways. Often cons give away prizes at special ceremonies. In some cases, these items can be gifted to the con and regifted to attendees. In many more cases, the conventions purchase these prizes out of their pocket.

And many more costs, and sometimes budgeting for large expenses the convention might save up for (a large display, powerful cleaners because you often have to clean the venue spotless after the con).

Conventions are expensive.

There are ways to save money, such as not putting years on your advertising and merchandise (that way you can use it for multiple years); inviting local talented guests who would already have food/boarding and do not need to be flown halfway across the country/world; and seeking prizes and donations from local game and fan shops in exchange for perhaps giving them a table in your Artist and Vendor Alley and some free advertising.

But even with saving money, you won’t get a cheap or free convention if you expect that very same convention to host multiple guests, including overseas guests; have a large-scale event spanning multiple venues; have prizes, raffles, and other such attractions; and run seamlessly and efficiently on a shoestring budget.

Yes, not all cons price their conventions effectively. Some are for-profit and cashing in on your interest.

But many more cons are not-for-profit, locally run, and/or trying to provide you what you want while also considering what they can actually afford.

And without decently-priced ticket prices, the convention’s largest revenue, cons can’t give you shit.

#conventions #anime conventions #me post #lily has an Opinion #i've seen this misdirected hate all week and i get part of the frustration #but you need to understand that good conventions aren't free #they have expenses too #and your ticket often funds that #so while it's a difficult case when fans can't afford to go to the con #at the same time demanding above and beyond entertainment for free is simply ridiculous #when cons have a hundred other expenses to consider

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