#i love them but omg every day is a headache within another headache

[creative-crybaby]

Yep I was talkin bout sakusa n da twins with reader. I was thinking a bit of a yandere too cz that just slaps the cherry on top. Do tell me your thoughts on this.

bruh just thinking about it sounds life-draining--imagine actually being in that situation 💀💀💀

The Miya twins are already such a handful--now add the yandere element to them. Atsumu's known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, which will include his need for your constant attention and his temper growing short should you try to fight him off. But at least he's predictable.

Osamu appears level-headed in comparison; I think he's harsher with his punishments. He doesn't need to blow up in your face because his bite is bigger than his bark. That's only if you disobey, of course. Play along and he'll be just a tiny bit lenient with you, especially when his twin's involved. Atsumu, on the other hand, makes sure to bask in your pliancy through taunts and physical closeness that's almost suffocating.

And then we have Sakusa. I could see him as somewhat similar to Osamu, what with his silent aura. Though I feel like he'd at least offer a warning glare should you even think about standing up for yourself. Regarding leniency, it's even rarer coming from him. And since there's already such a messy dynamic between the Miya twins--disagreements on how to handle you, not willing to share, etc.--I feel like there's that opportunity for Sakusa to jump in. Not to say he doesn't lose his patience (looking at you, Tsumu), but it's different sharing your beloved with someone who you've been with since day one.

That said, I'm curious about the Osamu and Sakusa dynamic. There could be a silent agreement between them regarding their level-headedness, but that's as close to any peace you'll be getting.

At the end of the day, they're all still yanderes. They'll share you because they have to: you're their soulmate. That isn't to say they won't try and be selfish whenever they can, clawing their way to have you all to themselves. Never hurting each other, mainly arguments over who's hogging you for too long or if their methods work/have gone too far.

It's only when you try to escape do they all work together, and it's times like those you look at your soulmate mark (or however you're told about your soulmates--seeing colour for the first time, feeling a certain sensation, etc.) and wonder if this is the gods' idea of a cruel joke. A sick setup where there could've been a mistake with the soulmate assignment: it's possible for you to have more than one soulmate--surely there's someone else who has the same symbol as you and there's some crazy misunderstanding with the three you've been trapped with.

But that's not it. A joke normally implies a punchline, and you've been stuck on that hook for too long.

[nemo-of-house-hamartia]

HELLO NEMO!

First of all, let me give you coffee and second of all, long time not written so buckle up for my usual novel.

I absolutely adore the “you are my peace” kind of trope(?) it just hit the spot and I love how you fitted it with Mephistea (and I think it also fits especially well the assassin’s creed franchise main protagonists (and some maybe more than others but I digress) but of course every traumatized/tragic backstory bbg blorbo also fits well within this trope) But omg do I love the way Mephisto looks at Aranea in that post!

For that epiphany of yours : it was brilliant.

For the Hellion Family idea : it’s perfectly chaotic and do you think there would be as much chaos when Cleric!Dottie is first introduced to them ? (I’m talking about everything is on fire in the room and that one guy arriving with pizza level of chaos if you understand the image I’m referring to) Also, can we say that Jacob pestering could also be linked to being the middle child and this seeking more attention ? And is everyone in the Hellion Family comfortable being/going along their day naked ? (And how did Jacob even convinced(seduced really) poor poor Cleric!Dottie to even join the chaos) Maybe someday Jacob would somehow notice how exhausting and taxing his family energy is for Dottie (who was just so trying to escape/hide from some of the chaos) and maybe built a calm safe space just for her (and also hoping to butter her up more to his case lol) I’m also really happy that you could finally tie the quote that inspired the monicker “morning star” to Dottie !

and listen telenovela Hellions Family would be something I would watch religiously cause the chaos is unmatched lol

I also feel that Mephisto would need a really stiff drink to even try to counterbalance the headache his children induced and maybe(hopefully) let him keep his glorious mane intact for a couple of hours before he inevitably needs to spend another eternity on his hair care routine. Oh ! And Do you think that haircare could be something Mephistea do together to unwind ?

And I’m really excited to meet Ravenna (and to know from what corner of the virtual universe Lucanis comes from too)

And I also thought about Mathias and Dottie while listening to the song “Je l’aime à mourrir” by Francis Cabrel and I just thought the lyrics fitted them so well with all the trauma and torment both went through. I can just imagine Dorothea learning guitar in secret and then singing this sweet sweet of a potato Mathias and maybe this could become a song he (and she) could then sing to their children to describe how much love they have form them and each other. (Here is a link to the song with English translation of the lyrics : https://youtu.be/iXPJA_3zNZE)

I also had a thought about Fedelucia, since she likes to read so much, I thought that Lucia could transmit her love for reading to Petruccio so he could then discover the world in his own way through books. As for the feathers, maybe Lucia helped Petruccio make something out of the feathers Ezio brought him in order to gift them to Maria. If Federico hears about it, he might gift his youngest brother something with an eagle feather, maybe just an eagle feather tailored to write and some paper with a note saying something along the lines “so you can board on your own adventures” and thus maybe inspire Petruccio to write his own stories.

Hope you have a good day xx

HELLO THERE, "HELLO NONNIE"!!

(so many hellos to give around!!)

FIRST OF ALL, DEAR GODS, THANK YOU FOR THE COFFEE (goddamnit, I truly needed it so much. Woke up far too early to run all errands, and now I got one heck of a headache, so this coffee is HEAVEN SENT)

lemme reciprocate with a good croissant

SECOND OF ALL, IT'S SO LOVELY TO SEE YOU BACK, omg lemme just dive into this poststopper of a ask (my favourites lololol)

Lemme answer you paragraph by paragraph (so buckle up, this is going to be an equally long answer!!!! like, truly long olololol)

I absolutely adore the “you are my peace” kind of trope(?) it just hit the spot and I love how you fitted it with Mephistea (and I think it also fits especially well the assassin’s creed franchise main protagonists (and some maybe more than others but I digress) but of course every traumatized/tragic backstory bbg blorbo also fits well within this trope) But omg do I love the way Mephisto looks at Aranea in that post!

Ngl, the whole "You are my peace" trope, combined with an artwork of my favourite couple soundly asleep in each other's arms is probably, without doubt, my most favourite thing to draw AND write. Combine that with the soothing atmosphere of a nearby lagoon, with the light reflecting onto the water and scattering around, and you got my personal Paradise and safe space, because it honestly helps me calming down a lot, especially during my bout of anxiety, when I cannot keep it under control When I drew that for Mephisto and Aranea ( but truly, for Jottie, Mottie, Ardynia etc. etc.), I just loved to imagine all sort of tender emotions that their black hearts could still feel, at least for one another, because they truly are each other's peace and safe space, when the world outside is just too much to face. And you are right, it fits SO MANY characters from AC as well!

For that epiphany of yours : it was brilliant. For the Hellion Family idea : it’s perfectly chaotic and do you think there would be as much chaos when Cleric!Dottie is first introduced to them ? (I’m talking about everything is on fire in the room and that one guy arriving with pizza level of chaos if you understand the image I’m referring to) Also, can we say that Jacob pestering could also be linked to being the middle child and this seeking more attention ? And is everyone in the Hellion Family comfortable being/going along their day naked ? (And how did Jacob even convinced(seduced really) poor poor Cleric!Dottie to even join the chaos) Maybe someday Jacob would somehow notice how exhausting and taxing his family energy is for Dottie (who was just so trying to escape/hide from some of the chaos) and maybe built a calm safe space just for her (and also hoping to butter her up more to his case lol) I’m also really happy that you could finally tie the quote that inspired the monicker “morning star” to Dottie !

I KNOW, RIGHT??? Like, my brain birth all kind of ideas all the time, but this one actually STRUCK ME LIKE A FREAKING LIGHTINING, BECAUSE HOLY HELL (no pun intended), HOW DID I NOT THINK ABOUT IT FIRST???? Jacob and Dorothea as Cambion and Cleric????

I am still reeling into the thought of it, because it opens up to so many fun/sensual/soft possible scenarios for them! And also, I get to *FINALLY* play Dorothea's more impish and straightforward side - aka, how she would be had she not received a very strict Victorian education from her mama and papa - and let me tell you, she is a toughie. Like, her and Jacob in this whole BG3/DnD AU are the true definition of "Looks like he could kill you: it's a cinnamon roll" (Jacob). "Looks like a cinnamon roll: she could kill you" (Dottie).

And omggg YES.

IT WOULD BE PANDEMONIOUM, WHEN DOTTIE IS BROUGHT DOWN TO CANIA. A WHOLE ASS PANDEMONIOUM. Precisely as the image you were describing lololol, which is why, I think, Jacob would try to steer clear of his family knowing about Dorothea for as long as he could, because OH GODS, he would never hear the end of it, especially from Zaynab and Raphael (to say nothing of Mephisto, though he would be more amused by the fact that his own son is actually following in his steps more than he likes to admit lolol).

AND YES. Nudity is not that big of a deal among the Hellions (the reason being because sometimes I am just too tired to draw them clothed tbh. If I draw them all naked it's because I don't have the energy to draw their overlycomplicated garments lol) but there are varied degrees of nudity they are willing to show, so to speak. Like, Mephisto and Aranea usually are naked when together, but they do not go around Mephistar stark naked all the time. In general, they are all big on seduction and temptation, so they all live up to whatever they imagine would elicit a reaction into the object of their obsession.

BUT YES, IN GENERAL THE HELLIONS' FAMILY IS NOT BIG ON CLOTHING LOL. (expect when they have special occasion. Then they go the opposite direction and POMPOSITY BECOMES THE KEY WORD). So, yes, I like to imagine that poor Dottie, while equipped with the divine blessing of Lathander, has a hard time actually withstanding all the chaos in Cania, and Jacob would take notice of this and try to create a safe abode for her (which, I like to imagine, was suggested to him by Aranea herself, since it was exactly what Mephisto did for her when he brought her to Cania after she signed his contract), where she can just rest away (and be the victim of Jacob's clumsy attempts to actually seduce her into signing his contract - gods, the man is persistent lol).

AND OMG YES: Jacob's own pestering behaviour DEFINITELY stem (in this AU) from the fact that he literally is the middle child, so he was kinda overseen, what with Raphael's theatrical personality, and Zaynab and Karim being the only children born out of the love Mephisto harboured for Aranea. (good gods, my poor bebe Jacob, I need to draw him a sad cambion blorbo and Dorothea comforting him😭😭😭)

AND YES. I HAD THAT QUOTE HANGING ON MY HEAD EVER SINCE I CREATED THE NOIR!AU (where Dottie is actually a fallen angel), BUT I NEVER GOT THE CHANCE TO USE IT ON SOMETHING THAT I SHARED HERE!! so when I drew the artwork, the other day, I was like OMG YES. THIS WILL BE PERFECT.

P-E-R-F-E-C-T.

and listen telenovela Hellions Family would be something I would watch religiously cause the chaos is unmatched lol I also feel that Mephisto would need a really stiff drink to even try to counterbalance the headache his children induced and maybe(hopefully) let him keep his glorious mane intact for a couple of hours before he inevitably needs to spend another eternity on his hair care routine. Oh ! And Do you think that haircare could be something Mephistea do together to unwind ?

HONESTLY. I wish I was faster/the day had more hours/I had more hands/was a better artist to be able to bring more artworks about the Hellions. HECK, I WISH I WAS ABLE TO DO ANIMATION, SO THAT I WOULD MAKE CINEMATIC OF SOME SORTS.

OMG THAT STIFF DRINK, YES.

Poor Mephisto, whenever I think of him, all I can think about is that gif of Scar from the Lion King, because that's his default face whenever his children are around lol

Because despite his children being all adults by now, they are all very childish between themselves, especially the youngest three ( I do headcanon that, while Raphael is supposedely around 5000 years old, given or take, Jacob, Zaynab and Karim (and Azriel as well, if I settle to make her the youngest of Mephistea's children) are much younger and comparatively closer in age (like, I hc that Jacob is around 300 years old, while Zaynab and Karim are around 150 years old), which means that they are the more prone to actually cause trouble. Also, Jacob and Raphael do have a sort of rivarly in terms of who will succeed their father - if ever- so they are constantly stuck in constant competition.

Regarding Mephisto and Aranea sharing their hair care routine to unwind, the answer is YES.

I can definitely imagine Mephisto just sinking into his mattress, while massagging his temples because THE PERSISTENT HEADACHE WON'T LEAVE HIM ALONE.

Cue to Aranea just coming into the room with soft pace and humming and old Zakharan song, bringing all that she needs to just take care of her husband's glorious leonine mane.

And she would gently brush his curls, sometimes humming, sometimes chatting with low voice about all things related to the two of them, so that Mephisto can just unwind and ride out the whole sensory overload that his progeny has caused him with their shenanigans (because between the two of them, I do think that Aranea has a higher threshold of tollerance, compared to Mephisto, so I think she is the one that usually initiate the unwind for him, and once he is anchored back into tranquillity, he takes care of her with naked cuddles and soft love making).

And I’m really excited to meet Ravenna (and to know from what corner of the virtual universe Lucanis comes from too)

I am still in the process of learning Dragon Age lore and whatnot, so for now all I have is just some initial ideas for both Ravenna and Lucanis. BUT. for what I am envisioning for now, she is a spitfire, he is on the quieter side and he is very much his wife lololol Like, I am leaning toward much more sweetness and smluffness, so to speak! I kinda need it, to counterbalance the angst (which, I am sure, will be plentiful once Dragon Age The Veilguard comes out lolol).

And I also thought about Mathias and Dottie while listening to the song “Je l’aime à mourrir” by Francis Cabrel and I just thought the lyrics fitted them so well with all the trauma and torment both went through. I can just imagine Dorothea learning guitar in secret and then singing this sweet sweet of a potato Mathias and maybe this could become a song he (and she) could then sing to their children to describe how much love they have form them and each other. (Here is a link to the song with English translation of the lyrics : https://youtu.be/iXPJA_3zNZE)

HOW DID YOU FIND THIS SONG????? IT'S PERFECT.

PERFECT FOR THEM. OMG I HAVE BEEN LISTENING TO IT WHILE ANSWERING THIS ASK, AND IT'S JUST SO PERFECT????? THE LYRICS FIT THEM TO A T, and dear gods, the thought of Dorothea learning how to play guitar just so that she could serenade Mathias (WHO WILL MELT FROM ALL THE LOVE HE HAS FOR HER FML)....

AND THEN, THEM SINGING IT TO THEIR CHILDREN, SO THAT THEY TOO WOULD KNOW HOW MUCH THEIR PARENTS LOVE ONE ANOTHER???

oh my heart.

MY HEAAAAAART.

Like, Sophie, Valerie, Rosaline and Sebastién would ABSOLUTELY be sitting there and drowning Papa Mathias and Mama Dorothea with questions and whatnot, while I can so imagine Léonie and Lucien just rolling their eyes and saying EWW LOVE COOTIES NOOOO. PAPA MATHIAS, TELL US STORIES ABOUT KILLING TEMPLARS IN PARIS.

Absolutely adore this whole concept, omg it melted my heart, THANK YOU FOR SUGGESTING IT.

I also had a thought about Fedelucia, since she likes to read so much, I thought that Lucia could transmit her love for reading to Petruccio so he could then discover the world in his own way through books. As for the feathers, maybe Lucia helped Petruccio make something out of the feathers Ezio brought him in order to gift them to Maria. If Federico hears about it, he might gift his youngest brother something with an eagle feather, maybe just an eagle feather tailored to write and some paper with a note saying something along the lines “so you can board on your own adventures” and thus maybe inspire Petruccio to write his own stories.

OK, FIRST OF ALL YES.

YES. YES. TO EVERYTHING.

OMG I READ "PETRUCCIO" AND MY WHOLE HEART JUST WENT OUT OF THE WINDOW.

THAT SWEET KID. I ADORE.

You know, in my version of the story, he ends up marrying Fiammetta, Lucia's own sister? Like, the Auditores in my AU cannot seem to resist the Barbarigos' daughters lololol. Now we need to combine a matrimony between Francesco and Claudia, and they are all settled!

BUT I AM DIGRESSING. BACK ON TRACK.

BECAUSE OMG YES. YES. I CAN SO IMAGINE LUCIA READING TO PETRUCCIO, DISCUSSING STORIES WITH HIM, BRAINSTORMING AND WHATNOT, AND ENCOURAGING HIM TO ACTUALLY WRITE DOWN ALL THAT HIS IMAGINATION ALLOWS HIM TO.

And I am just melting at the idea that Lucia would help him create something out of the feathers Ezio brought him, and Federico would take note of it and of the fact that books have become a passion for Petruccio, and he would gift him an eagle feather to write his own adventures.

Gods, Petruccio would actually cherish it for all time, and I imagine him being so hesitant to use it, because it would become such precious gift and memory of his eldest brother. And I imagine that, when eventually Lucia and Federico get married, he would compose something for them to read on their wedding day, as a thank you for all the love they showered him with.

GODS I LOVE THIS. APPROVED. IT'S CANON NOW.

Nonnie, thank you SO MUCH for this ask! I had so much fun answering to all your point, and truly, thank you for allowing me to blabber about it all and infodump.

It made me so insanely happy, it felt like the best cup of coffee in the world <3

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

TRULY THANK YOU! <3

[goat-mama-breezie]

Ahahaha..this is long overdue (it’s been in my docs for over a week, why am I like this?), but I’m rather proud of it, so I guess it’s time to post, haha!

Anyway, here is a Fieya (Fin x Kaeya) stargazing fluff piece I threw together a while ago!

Gonna try to put this under the cut since it’s kinda long...

EDIT: omg I can’t believe I forgot to thank @witchhazelbagel and @zombiep79 for reading this over for me before I posted 💜🙇‍♀️ I’m so sorry 😅

“Where are you taking me, Kaeya?” Fin asked, shifting her weight to where she could see more of his face from her spot on the knight’s back. The man in question tossed a playful glance to his lover before responding.

“Why, only the best stargazing spot in Mondstadt. It’s not much farther,” he replied, turning his gaze back to the path they traversed. He gave her bare thigh a soft squeeze. “Trust me, you’ll love it.” Kaeya couldn’t stop the soft chuckle from escaping him when he felt Fin tighten her hold around his neck.

She felt so blessed to be with Kaeya outside the city walls. The pair had been rather busy with their separate lives and had little time to spend together recently. It was Kaeya’s idea to take her stargazing on their rare night together and Fin had agreed to go easily, even though she knew she wouldn’t get to bed until way past her usual time. She didn’t care to lose a few hours of sleep to spend time with her knight. She could always sleep in tomorrow.

With a happy sigh, Fin pressed a feather-light kiss to Kaeya’s cheek and grinned. He could only see her smile from the corner of his eye, but it made his heart flutter nonetheless. “I don’t doubt that,” she spoke softly against his skin. When she leaned back to look at the surroundings, she hummed. “This is Stormbearer Point, isn’t it? Is this where we’re going?”

“My my, Finnie, aren’t you impatient this evening?” Kaeya teased Fin with a gentle jostle of his arms to bounce her.

“Hey! I can’t help that I’m excited!” The knight chuckled again when he loosened his hold on the traveler’s legs, causing Fin to wiggle a bit in protest. “Wait, what are you doing?”

Kaeya lowered Fin to the ground gently, turning to finally face her once her feet hit the ground. “It’s time for a bit of climbing, Sweetheart. Hope you’re prepared.” Fin glanced around to see the typical scenery of Stormbearer Point to be rather empty. The hilichurl tower that was usually infested with archers was barren, leaving the area in a calming quiet. She could only assume the “climbing” Kaeya spoke of was in reference to the ladders climbing the tower ahead of them. Her gaze shifted to meet the Captain’s blue eye before her tongue poked out of her mouth.

“Jokes on you, I like climbing.”

Once they reached the tower itself, Kaeya held out his hand, offering the ladder to Fin first. “After you, Angel.” He smiled with his eye closed and Fin snorted.

“You just wanna look at my butt while I’m climbing.”

“Perhaps.”

Fin snorted again, ascending the ladder, not actually caring if Kaeya stared at her ass. “Pervert.”

“You love me. Nice butt, by the way.” Fin reached the top of her ladder and stuck her tongue out at Kaeya again.

Kaeya went first on the final ladder to make sure everything was in place before helping Fin up the last rungs. “Thank you,” she breathed as she stood up straight, keeping her hold on Kaeya’s hand to intertwine their fingers. When she noticed the neatly placed blankets and picnic basket on top of the tower, she gasped, looking at Kaeya with wide eyes. “W-what...Kaeya, you did this?” She only squeezed his hand tighter when he nodded.

Her eyes moved over the area again, taking in the perfect setup for stargazing. Kaeya had thought of everything; there was one large blanket spread out on the platform with several folded blankets set nearby. In the middle of the blanket were a basket and a bottle of wine. A Cecelia and a Calla Lily were placed on top of the basket. When Fin looked up, it was the perfect view. The sun hadn’t yet fallen below the horizon, but it was low enough to cast a golden glow over the whole area. It was beautiful.

“Do...you like it?” Kaeya’s question was soft and Fin could almost feel his nerves when he asked. She didn’t hesitate to tightly wind her arms around him in an almost bone-crushing hug.

After a few seconds, Fin released her hold on the Knight to stare at his face with as wide a smile she could muster. “I love it, Kaeya, just like you said I would.” The smile that grew on Kaeya’s lips made Fin’s heart race and it didn’t help when he tugged off his fingerless gloves to cup her cheek gently. “Thank you, Honey. Who knew you were such a romantic?” she teased.

An airy laugh pushed past Kaeya’s lips and he pinched her nose gently with his free hand. “You wound me, Angel. Don’t you know it’s me you’re talking about?” From within his grasp, Kaeya could easily see the soft red flush over Fin’s cheeks as she rolled her eyes. His eyes flashed over her facial features quickly, caught in a spell under her gaze. A calloused thumb caressed the apple of the traveler’s cheek before he met her eyes. “Have I told you how beautiful you are today?”

Fin’s hair swayed gently when she shook her head. “How about you tell me while we look at the stars?'' She offered to take a step back. “I hope you packed snacks. I’m hungry.” Turning to the basket and flowers, Fin sat on the blanket, patting the spot next to her for Kaeya to sit as well. She gently picked up the flowers as the Captain sat, resting his hand behind her. As soon as they were comfortable and somewhat snuggled up, Fin stuck the Cecelia in Kaeya’s hair before weaving the Calla Lily into her own. “There. Now, show me what you packed us?”

Kaeya had come prepared for Fin to be hungry because she often was. He packed lots of different cheeses, some sausage, and some fresh grapes picked straight off the Dawn Winery vines. Fin had to scold him a bit for that one, saying “Diluc makes money off those, you know”. Kaeya didn’t seem too fussed, responding with a “He can spare a bunch or two. He won’t even notice they’re gone”. The Captain had also brought a bottle of wine and a pair of glasses.

“Kaeya, I’m not so sure wine is a good idea for me…” she muttered, only able to vaguely recall how she acted when under the influence, but it was hard to forget the raging headaches she’d get the day after.

“Don’t you worry, Sweetheart. I told you I came prepared, didn’t I?” He asked before pulling a tiny glass, much smaller than a typical wine glass, from the depths of the basket. “This one’s small enough, don’t you think? Enough to have some fun, but not too much to regret it.” Fin grabbed his arm and laid her head on his shoulder.

“You really did think of everything. Thank you, Honey.”

The pair shared their snacks, talking about both everything and nothing as the stars finally made themselves visible. Being so far from the city allowed nearly every star in the night sky. “It’s so beautiful,” Fin said softly. Being curled under a blanket and snuggled into Kaeya’s side made it hard for her to hold her consciousness, but she didn’t want to sleep yet.

“Not as beautiful as you, Finnie.” She turned her head slightly to see him better, unable to hide her flushed face at his sudden compliment. He met her gaze briefly before closing the space between them, lips brushing in a chaste kiss against Fin’s. When he pulled back, hesitant as he was, he smiled. He smiled a genuine smile and Fin swore it was far more beautiful than what Kaeya thought he saw in her. ‘You’re prettier,’ she wanted to say. “Would you like me to point out some constellations?” Fin nodded eagerly before directing her gaze to the sky. Her eyes followed Kaeya’s fingers every time he pointed to a new collection of stars. “That one there is the lion. See how it arches up a bit there? Over there is Ursa Major, and then that one there is my personal favorite, Pav-”

“Pavo Ocellus, right? Isn’t it a peacock?”

“..you know my constellation?” Kaeya’s face showed pure shock. He never would’ve guessed that Fin knew what his constellation was called, nor what it looked like in the sky, so surprised was an understatement.

Fin turned to face him again, her sweetest smile resting on her lips. “Of course I do,” she said in a very matter-of-fact way. “I...may have asked Lisa about it after you mentioned bringing me stargazing, but I love you, so...I want to know as much as I can about you, Kaeya.”

The Captain didn’t know how to respond. His heart was pounding and his face felt hot, and he knew he probably looked just as silly as he felt. He also knew that Fin didn’t care how silly he looked, she still looked at him as if he was everything she’d ever need. He felt...Kaeya didn’t know how to describe it. All he knew is that he wanted Fin to look at him in that way forever. Her eyes held all the stars and in the moment he leaned in for another kiss, he knew he was trapped eternally under her spell. Once their lips met, however, Kaeya learned that he didn’t mind being trapped if Fin was his captor.

[barkadasesh]

"RIGHT DESTINATION"

“Breaking news: Deadly viruses that can be a cause of death of a single person for over a week

are spreading within the not known city here in our country. It is the cause of apprehension

around the said city especially in Cupang that set as the nearest place to it”.

Three months earlier…

JOSH: “Hi guys! I miss you all so much! I’m taking my leave as my past operation has

succeeded. Christmas holidays was coming. I’m here in my hometown. What’s our plan?

I clicked the send button. And after a minute my phone rings, at first I wonder who it is, so I

quickly answered it and found out that Vanessa is on the phone. Another five faces pop up in

the screen, my heart was very overwhelmed as this conversation is a treasure and memorable

because these people are not only my friends, yet a family. They speak one by one, gave their

schedules and free time for us to plan our next travel, hang out and for the celebration of

Christmas Eve.

MARVIN: “Bye guys! Hope to see all of you soon. I am just busy these past months because

bunch of patients arrived and I know you all understand me since it is our duty. Love you all!”

Minutes after Marvin said those words, we ended the call. So me after I realized that sun is

about to set, I prepare my meal. I cooked my favorite adobo dish, but since I’m alone because

my parents passed away when I’m in college and my siblings have their own families. It will be

my meal for two days. I used to go here in the place where I grew up for the memories that I

want to remember. I can say that those experiences here are unforgettable, since it was the

reason why I continue life and still reaching my dreams, especially to serve my fellow

countrymen. It is the reason why I’m a professional doctor and has a mission to cure and protect

people around me with my full capacity and ability.

Around four in the morning I woke up, I packed my things and ready myself for a long ride travel

because this day we will be going to the place where many people dreamt of. We will go to

Palawan as we decided to have a vacation there. At 6am we arrived at the airport, we also have

our tickets and waited for our flight. Jewel volunteers herself as our tour guide since it’s her third

time going to Palawan.

JEWEL: “So guys! Don’t worry about this vacation. I assure you that this will be going to be our

best vacation ever. I’m handling the hotel and all of our destination in Palawan, but for now just

relax and wait for our flight.”

As the excitement sparks on what Jewel said, the only reaction we gave to her was laugh, smile

and a sign of approval.

VANESSA: “Noted sis, we know that you will take care of us and what else that we became

doctors, if we weren’t aware in the word care.”

JOSH: “Yeah, I agree. That’s true.”

After those discussions and conversations, the time has passed and our flight is about to begin.

We picked the long abreast chairs in order to support each other and share our snacks. I offer

the sweets and chocolates I have to regain some energy along the whole travel time. I always

have candies and mints when I have a long ride because it makes me feel alive and energetic,

especially when I feel dizzy and sleepy. I also offered my extra jacket with them.

JOSH: “Hey everyone? I have here an extra jacket, just tell me when you need it.”

CAMILLE: “Bro, can I barrow? This jacket of mine was slightly thin and I’m freezing right now.”

JOSH: “Yeah sure! Don’t worry about it. You’re all free to use my stuffs here.”

MARCO: “Thanks bro! You’re truly a reliable and one of a kind person I have ever met.”

CAMILLE: “Yes, I agree with you bro Marco.”

Due to a cold temperature brought by the air condition, almost all of us fell asleep. We woke up

before the airplane landed on our destination. After a few hours, we arrived at the hotel where

we will be staying to have some rest before we start the true resting point and relaxation. We

also took our lunch so we can arranged our things and clear up all we need in the remaining

time. We will stay here for almost 2 weeks and the only thing in my mind was to enjoy every

moment and unwind myself from the challenges of life. Time was ticking so fast, every single

day was the most special day of my life. The waves are so relaxing, the sunrise and sunset was

incredible, the places and the foods are so good and most especially the people are nice.

We really enjoyed staying at Palawan, 2 weeks is worth relaxing for us. Me and my friends has

each own memorable experience, for sure we will go back to this place. On the last day of

staying at Palawan, we had a sharing of our different experiences in life. We had a sharing for

us to connect to one another and hugged each other before we leave this place. As we are in

the plane, we are watching television and breaking news flashed about virus spreading in the

city of Alabang.

“Breaking news: Deadly viruses that can be a cause of death of a single person for over a week

are spreading within the city of Alabang. It is the cause of apprehension around the said city,

especially in Cupang that sets as the nearest place to it”.

“Reporter: According to the experts, the virus is an airborne that can give severe rashes to the

skin if not prevented or given first aid kit”.

CAMILLE: “We need to hurry! I think a lot of work and patients are waiting.”

VANESSA: “For sure we had a lot of work to do.”

Our plane landed in the airport and waved goodbyes to each other. Before I go home, I went to

the convenience store to buy some food stocks and necessities. As I came home, I had a

headache probably because of the jetlag. I went to sleep to rest because I don’t feel well. The

next day, I woke up with a heavy feeling and feel cold, that is why I decided to go to the hospital.

I message my friends to inform them that I am in the hospital, I am not feeling well. The doctor

took some test on me and they found out that I am one of the carriers of the deadly virus. I was

isolated, given first aid kit and told me that no one can visit me unless cured.

“Breaking news: Asian Hospital has one new confirmed case of the new deadly virus. According

to the doctor, the patient went to Palawan and the last place he went is a convenience store

near his house. They say that he got infected in the convenience store”.

MARCO: “Hey guys! Did you hear the latest news? It’s him.”

CAMILLE: “OMG! I knew it! Based on the descriptions of the reporter I know it’s him.”

VANESSA: “I also had goose bumps when I heard it’s in Alabang, he is the one near on that

place.”

On the next day, my friends planned to meet to talk about helping a friend. But the others didn’t

agree and back out because they know that they could risk lives if they help a friend.

CAMILLE: “I agree to help, his our friend so it is just the right thing to do.”

MARCO: “I’m sorry guys but I couldn’t risk my life just to help a friend.”

VANESSA: “I would like to help but it may risk my life. I had a lot of things to do.”

JEWEL: “It is our job to assist patients caused by virus. So why can’t we help our friend?”

“Breaking news: Increase of confirmed cases and death amidst the virus spreading in the City.”

Jewel and Marco assists the patients. Vanessa contacted his connection and other friends in

helping the invention of vaccine. Camille is talking with the government regarding their needs in

fighting the virus and looking for a cure. Marvin assists his friend in the hospital. After all the

arguments and realizations, they decided to help their friend and their community in order to

prevent the spreading of the virus. After a month of struggles and challenges, with the help of

people’s kindness, they invented a cure. A day after, they started to vaccinate the people to

their community, however, a bad news came to them and startled them because their friend

died.

Month has passed and things get back to normal, this is the only chance they had to visit the

grave of their friend.

MARVIN: “Hey Josh! Long time no see. What happened was terrible.”

JOSH: “Yes, it’s true, especially for what happened to our friend. Yet, it is a pleasure to tell the

story of his life. ”

MARVIN: “Yes his life is worth living. But I can’t accept that Vince will leave us too soon.”

JOSH: “Vince’s life story was unforgettable, memorable, and inspiring because he is one of the

best persons and family that we ever had.”

VANESSA: “Let’s just pray for the soul of our friend. We did everything that we can to save his

life and the others.”

CAMILLE: “His inspiring story will be remembered.”

JOSH: “The most important thing right now is that we achieved the right decision and

destination of our lives, I know that Vince is happy and proud at this moment on what we did.”

For the last time, all of them wished that his soul will be at peace and bid goodbye to their

friend.

-END-

(Short Story by Joseph Osal)

[luvdsc]

Hey Cat!! I hope you're doing well as always ! 💖 AHHHH huhu I closed the form last Sunday since I've collected enough responses dy! (NOOOOOOOO ToT) I got a total of 221 responses at the end of the week, which is 3x the amount I initially needed! :o I'm beyond grateful and appreciative ToT I've cleaned the data and have proceeded to run some data analysis, but I ran into an issue whereby the scores on the subscales are equal (it has never been reported in past studies! :O) so I'm waiting for my supervisor's feedback on how to proceed. Hopefully it's nothing too serious ToT

Hehe finance is interesting indeed! I just started reading a book on finance for young adults (Rich Dad Poor Dad) and I look forward to learning more from the author's tips! The Coursera introductory course has also made financial terms a lil more familiar, even though it's just the basics and it's really helped w my financial literacy 🥺 I can push myself to study but it's also the numbers and calculations I'm worried of cuz I am rly a nong (idiot) when it comes to numbers * - * it runs in the genes I guess AHAHAHAHA my mom and sister aren't good at numbers either keke

Aww I'm glad yr professor made financial accounting enjoyable and a fruitful experience for you! Some lecturers / professors rly just have that spark in them to inspire ppl and I'm blessed to be surrounded by a bunch of em in the psych department!🥺😭 it truly makes a difference and I'm sure we both are living proofs of that!

After debating for a while, I've decided not to take a minor mainly because I'm so tired HAHAHAHAHAHA and I'll just do my own self-studying and exploration whilst working! Go out and explore the world, live life! Whilst ironically still staying in my room because of the COVID-19 situation in our country (cases are abt 20+k every day :') ) My proposal has been finalized and it's been accepted! It's just that some elements of my proposal is also part of my actual report, so I have some guidance to refer to in terms of structure! :3 and yes don't worry! I got plenty (sometimes a lil too much) rest during the sem break whilst remaining productive! Plus, I got to catch up w some friends and had game nights (maybe too much of game nights hehe) and movie nights w my friends which was truly refreshing! Also cuz I might not see a lot of them again after we graduate so we gotta cherish every moment 🥺😭

I'm a freelance graphic designer for my uni's newsletter! Occasionally, they'd ask us to create both the content and design! I'll place the link to my recent work below if you wanna check it out! UwU I'm trying to incorporate the same practices during sem break in my last sem (current sem) too! cuz yes mental health is so so important and I'm just tired of being academically tired you get me? :(

What makes me most trilled abt learning abt psychology is how to apply it in daily life too! I find it so fascinating and awestruck at how relatable and within reach these things are like wow we can be influenced in such ways?? :o can be both good and bad but imma stick w seeing it as the development and evolution of us humans UwU

Also, the vaccine has fixed my sleep schedule HEHE (another perk of getting vaccination :3) I got some rly good rest and managed to reset my usual sleeping time, thank you science ToT oooo I see I see, we've had cases of nurses injecting empty syringes hence the recording :( but GHIOGHWEOGIOHW I could never do that, I can feel the liquid entering me as it is so that's good enough ToT (* plays Love Talk * I can feel it coming)

OMG YOUR ART PIECES ARE SO BEAUTIFUL, ADORABLE AND ELEGANT! 💖🥺🥰 it must've required a lot of hard-work and effort AHHH thankiew for showing me yr work!! it's truly unique in its own manner despite it's simplicity UwU is there a reason or backstory to yr chosen theme and objects? :3

I just Googled Somi Somi and omg that's such an UwU ice cream AHHHH 💖🥺😭 ice cream is my fav food of all time and it looks like an ice cream haven omg imagine eating it after a loooong hard day's of work ToT and OMG THE SATISFACTION OF EATING THAI MILK TEA ICE CREAM ON A HOT DAY YASSS 😋🤤 hehe if you get the chance to try milk & biscoff, do try it! It's amazing !😍 and ooo i haven't tried alcoholic ice cream before but I will one day!! :3 my alcohol tolerance is rly low though, will I get tipsy over alcoholic ice cream? We shall see UwU (i can only drink half a bottle of apple cider before my face gets red and I start getting a lil tipsy + headache)

and lovie....knowing yr school schedule now...OURS IS DEFINTELY BRUTAL OMG a 3 month long sem break huhu that's only the total amount of sem breaks we get in a year ToT i thought uni was hard but not that hard ToT

Always glad and honored to have you onboard! and AHAHAHAH the contractions about to start soon 👀 I enjoy talking to you huhu you're such a sweet and supportive person 💖🥺🥰😙 huhu for my period cramps, I've been having them since I was 12 ToT my doctor prescribed me some panadols but sometimes I can't even swallow them cuz I'd puke them out ToT I've settled w heatpacks to reduce my reliance on medicine, but I finally got some upgraded and safe to eat medicine from my gynae! She said it's fine to take it every month to keep my womb healthy and apparently my ms. lil uterus is suffering from inflammation, hence the super crazy bedridden cramps :( the upgraded medicine worked for a while, but after time it kinda didn't help either :/ but I realised that exercise rly does wonders to reduce the cramp too (gynae also recommended exercising) so i take walks and do my back stretches more frequently now! my period in the previous months (2 months ago) have been almost painless and bearable, it's so weird not seeing my bedridden ._. when I was in high school, there would always be a day in every month in which I don't attend classes, and that's solely because of my cramps. It just isn't worth suffering in school, plus we don't have a sick room :/ I hope the pain continues to subside! ToT

And ayy internship is also working experience, yr advice would be of great help to me regardless! 🥺 oh yes, I always remind myself that interviews are similar to the speaking test I took for my Cambridge English exams! That kinda help calm my nerves down a lil, but w nerves comes bigger smiles, so I guess it takes on a rather practical form of coping mechanism (sublimation) AHAHAHAHA

WAAAA WHAT A QUEEN you got an offer from every interview?? I aspire to be like you! 💖🥺🥰 huhu skill wise I believe I have lots to prepare esp in terms of case studies, and I perform rly poorly on certain assessments (*ehem * esp those concerning numbers) so I took the chance to study a lil during sem break too ToT but noted on that! I will work on that too and try to maintain that me element in interviews and overall just be myself keke

That's all from me for now! Imma wait for my supervisor's feedback and journey on w my last semester. Bon voyage! Link to my recent work: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTBqGzjr6sN/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link Other works: https://www.instagram.com/p/CPpv-IyM7Gi/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link https://www.instagram.com/p/CL55EG-MbL2/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

hi hello honey bee !!! 💓 omg i'm so sorry for the belated response, i finally got on my laptop 😭 i'm gonna put my response under the cut since it got a little long 🤧

omg 221 responses !!!!! that's so many 🙀 congratulations aaaaa it's amazing that you were able to get 3x the data you needed !!! was it difficult to run data analysis? were you able to solve the issue with the equal scores on the subscales? i hope it didn't create too much additional work for you ):

omg yes finance is really interesting! i enjoyed the classes i took for it :') how is rich dad poor dad? did you learn a lot from it? i know it was a book my prof recommended, but i never got around to reading it 😶 did you learn any helpful tips? and ooo i'll have to look into coursera! yeah, there's quite a lot of terms for finance, and it can be a little intimidating paired with all the math formulas and such, but it's pretty useful imo! how are your financial studies going so far? 💕 omg nong is such a cute word?? i would never think it meant idiot asdkfhlkajsdf omg my whole family is good at numbers and really like math, but i didn't like it 😭 my mom made me study it a lot everyday though rip are the financial calculations getting easier for you as you practice more hopefully?

yessss omg i absolutely agree with this!!!! like you can just feel when a professor loves to teach and is genuinely so excited to talk about their subject, and it just makes the most boring horrible subject into something you learn to enjoy and hate less :') and i'm really happy to hear you have tons of professors like that in the psych department 🥺💗

that's great to hear!!!! 🌷🌷 i'm glad that you're prioritizing yourself and your health, which is so much more important than taking on a minor. what fun subjects have you decided to explore and self study so far? 💞 oh my gosh, the rising cases are so high?? i hope it's gotten better there for you ): are you able to go outside yet?

big congratulations on your proposal being finalized and accepted, lovebug !!!! 🥳🥳 i'm very proud of you and hoping one day i can read your published studies in a scientific journal :') aaaa i'm so glad to hear that you got to rest and enjoy your time with your friends!! i definitely feel that omg i regret all the times i skipped out on movie nights or game nights with my friends because now we're all scattered across the country and the only way we can have them again is over zoom calls 🤧

I SAW YOUR DESIGNS AND THEY'RE GORGEOUS OMG I LOVE THEM SO MUCH !!!! 💖 I'M IN AWE AAAA IF PSYCH DOESN'T WORK OUT, I HOPE YOU BECOME A GRAPHIC DESIGNER 🤩🤩💖 and yes i totally get it ): i really felt the academic burn out when i was in college and it was really difficult at times 🤧 but i hope it's going better for you nowadays, sweetpea 💝💝

omg yeah i absolutely agree !!!! whenever i read about psychology, i keep it in the back of my mind and then when i see something irl that relates to it, i'm like :O amazing. it's so cool to learn about different psych tricks too and see how it works when you test them out yourself and whatnot. and it's really crazy to see how the human brain is so easily influenced at times ??? it truly is an amazing subject !!!

ah what a great side benefit of the vaccine - a better sleep schedule 🤩 i'm happy to hear that your schedule has been fixed 💘 and omg what ??? they're injecting empty syringes wth ????? 😭 that's absolutely horrible, are they getting sued?? lmaooooo that love talk reference askdfhlaksjd

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR KIND COMPLIMENTS 😭😭💗💗 there were many late hours spent in the art studio to finish them, but i'm really happy with the end products :') i thought light bulbs are an interesting subject to do, and my prof said that cutting out circular objects or sculpting them is the most difficult since they're made up curves and not straight lines and i was like ok bet i'm gonna do it aND I'M SO GLAD I DID BECAUSE I REALLY LIKE THEM 🥺 and i love honey bees !!! that's why i decided to paint them and we were supposed to paint them in a combined style of two artists so i tried monet's impressionist style with the short brush strokes and pop art triptych style like marjorie strider 💕

somi somi is sooo good and i just had it again a couple weeks ago :') omg ice cream is your favorite food? :o and YES ice cream is so satisfying after a long day of hard work, like it's such a nice reward to look forward to at the end of day ✨ aaaaa i have to try thai milk tea ice cream one day now !!!!! it sounds amazing 🤩 and YES i must look for places that sell milk & biscoff ice cream !! i have milk ice cream from somi somi, but i need to try to combined flavors 💘 i don't think you'll get tipsy over it !!! it's a really faint taste of alcohol, like i didn't even notice it at first, and i don't think they put very much of it in there! aksljdfhals omg you're a lightweight :o at least that means you save money on alcohol LOL i need like nine shots to get drunk 🤧

your school is too hard 😭 you need more than just 3 months of break !!! 😡 we get a week off for thanksgiving in fall semester and a week off for spring break in spring semester too and then the month long winter break and three month summer break. and we have the one day holidays off too like labor day, memorial day, etc. i can't believe they give you so little time off after working so hard???

asdfhlkajshdlksja loool are the contractions over yet? has it been born? what's the current status, doctor? 👀 i really enjoy talking to you too !!! i'm very sorry for the late responses, work is really taking over all of my time, and i never have enough time to get on my laptop to reply to my asks 😭 and thank you for saying such kind things about me 🥺🥺💝 oh my gosh, i'm so sorry to hear that you have such terrible cramps 😭 i can't even imagine going through that - mine are nowhere near as horrible 😖 do the heatpads help a lot? i'm relieved to hear that you were prescribed better medication though! but yeah, your body does eventually get used to the medication and you have to continue taking stronger meds for it to work, but that's not a very healthy solution /: but i'm really glad to hear that exercise has been helping out a lot!! 💖 hurray for almost painless and bearable periods 🥳 i'm sorry to hear that you had to go through that in high school ): that sounds absolutely horrible 😭 periods are just awful, but it's like i'm grateful that i have my period because that means i'm not pregnant, but also please go away aslkhdfaklsj

omg what was the speaking test for the cambridge english exams like? :o it sounds so formal and a lil intimidating askdjfhalsd do you know of any psych tricks that can possibly help calm your nerves? :')

aaaa yes i did !! i was really surprised that i got an offer from them all because at the time, i was not in the right major and i think i was one of the most underqualified applicants 🤧 one person who interviewed me asked why i withdrew from my engr physics class and i explained it in a kinda funny way but in my head, i was like "oof i'm not gonna get this offer anymore" but then he laughed at my response and told me about how his prof told him he should drop a guitar class he was taking because he was doing very poorly and we bonded over that aklsjdhfkals omg how do interviews for psych jobs go? do you have to discuss a lot of case studies? do they give you a list of possible case studies they'll ask about? :o what sort of assessments do you have to do? good luck on all of your interviews, honey bee 💛 i'm rooting for you, you're gonna do amazing !!!! 💘

omg what did your supervisor say about your case study? and how is your last semester going? are you almost done now? 🌸 (also how have you been? what have you been up to? thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed messages for me, i'm really excited to see all the fun updates in your life, lovebug 🌷🌷)

[twokinkybeans]

Company Chapter 2: Yule

Moodboard made by Kim <3

Peter goes back into the woods, pushing through cold and snow to uphold his end of the deal. What will happen during the time he and Oberon spend together?

Warnings for this chapter: Mentions of chronic/incurable illness (May’s diabetes), death (specifically Uncle Ben’s), etc. Bullying, Peter drinks like 5 cans of energy drink (within two hours, so that ain’t healthy), magic and folklore, mischief, fluff and angst. Sexual tension, growing bonds. 

Go to the Masterpost for all the teaser poems and chapters!  Read Company - Chapter 2: Yule on AO3 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Took way too long but I made it work, omg!! Am posting from a different browser now, aha! Thanks to everyone who’s already shown this fic so much love! <3 I hope you enjoy!! - Lien

... Oberon stayed true to his word. On November 4 th , Peter woke up to hearing May’s chipper humming in the kitchen. He stared at his ceiling for a while, simply listening to her sweet voice. He could hear the bacon sizzling in the pan, the smell of grease stinging the insides of his nose. A shaky breath fell from his lips as he blinked away the tears. The corners of his mouth curled up in a lopsided smile while he squeezed his eyes shut and silently thanked the Fae. It soon appeared May still had diabetes, as Oberon had said she would. She still had to watch what she ate, but whenever she needed medication of any kind, the next drawer or cupboard she opened contained exactly what she needed. Two Tylenols next to the water glasses when she had a particularly bad headache, insulin in the cutlery drawers before dinner… It was all awfully convenient, yet – strangely enough – no one questioned it. The large grocery store around the corner always seemed to have a discount running on the exact products May would need for her healthy cooking and soon enough May became energized again. Life returned to her and it suited her well. She was able to go back to work as a nurse and now, on December 21 st it was Peter’s turn to hold up his end of the deal. … “Oberon?” Peter calls out weakly. He feels so small surrounded by the tall imposing trees of the crowded forest. All is white, covered in snow, and Peter’s breath condenses in front of him, before he hides the bottom half of his face in Uncle Ben’s worn scarf. He squints, trying not to let the cold cut his skin, and wades through three feet high packs of snow. It’s three o’clock in the afternoon. He barely slept last night because of his nerves and after a near-full day of colleges, he’s already quite exhausted. “Oberon?” He tries again, using his gloved hands at his mouth to concentrate the noise. Peter turns as he walks while looking around, trying to find the figure, hugging himself to keep warm. After a long time of searching, Peter sits himself down against a tree with his legs pulled up. How could he ever find Oberon like this? It’s already starting to get dark. His eyes are still strained on the forest around him. He’s quietly frustrated with himself for not arranging a meeting point with the Fae. Maybe Oberon forgot? It’s cold. Peter’s feet have gone wet in his old sneakers and he shivers aggressively. This is no use. Freezing himself to death will do no one any good, but he also doesn’t want to leave. That would mean he didn’t hold up his end of the deal of spending time with Oberon, which will result in May losing access to her medication and newfound luck. Maybe if he- “ Puck ,” a voice whispers in Peter’s ear. The young man yelps startled and crawls away from the tree, looking up wide-eyed at Oberon, now towering over him. The Fae laughs gratuitously with his hands on his hips. When he’s done, he leans forward with a cocked head and a cheeky grin. “Found ya!” Peter scoffs amazed at the man’s mischief and scrambles to stand up. His breath is unsteady through his shivers. “Y-yeah,” he manages to push out with a grateful sigh. “You found me.” Now that Oberon gets to have a closer look at Peter, his smile falters. “You are cold.” It wasn’t even posed as a question. The Fae simply knows. It is rather obvious with Peter’s thrifted and weathered outfit. Peter is slightly stunned by the statement and his eye is drawn to the man’s body. He’s wearing an odd combination of weather appropriate and weather inappropriate attire. He is covered, but the fabric looks awfully thin. Peter nods weakly at Oberon’s comment and the Fae immediately pushes into his space, not allowing Peter to step away from him by caging the student between himself and the neighboring tree. “How long have you been searching for me?” The man’s eyes are intense, worry shaking his irises as he holds their gazes locked. “A while,” Peter says truthfully. “More than an hour.” He sucks at his teeth. “Maybe two.” Not even a second later, a flame appears between the two of them. Its warm glow envelopes Peter immediately. “I am so sorry,” the Fae confesses with twisted brows. “I was expecting you later today. Much like last time you visited. I never meant for you to go cold.” Peter blinks a few times, processing Oberon’s words before replying. “It’s okay. You found me.” A small smile creeps up on Oberon’s face. His voice is soft. Gentle. “I found you.” They stay there for a minute, simply staring at each other as their faces are illuminated by the pleasant heat of Oberon’s flames. “Would you…” Oberon’s voice trails off as he still looks into Peter’s eyes. The young man nods absentmindedly, no clue what he’s agreeing to, but it feels right, somehow… Wait. Peter coughs loudly to help himself snap out of it and he steps away from the fire. From Oberon. “Are you alright?” “Yes!” Peter yelps, startled by the crack of his own voice. “No! I mean-“ He nearly stumbles over again and it takes him a few seconds to regain his composure. “What did you want to ask?” Oberon opens his mouth and closes it again, seemingly taken aback by the question. “Did I…” He frowns and then nods. “Right, I- My house-“ he points away from them in the direction he had initially appeared to have come from. “It’s warm there.” “I shouldn’t follow you,” Peter says bluntly. He already nearly fell for whatever just happened- something that even Oberon didn’t realize he was doing, based on his reaction. “No, you’re right, you shouldn’t…” Oberon purses his lips and then makes another gesture with the hand that holds the flame. “But I do think it’s better to spend those twenty-four hours somewhere comfortable rather than out here, right?” “I think it’s safer for me if we just make a fire here,” Peter ponders out loud. The Fae’s face pulls together in discontent, glancing over Peter’s soaked pants. “No.” “No?” Peter parrots with a scoff. “You’ll freeze to death. I won’t have that.” “But-“

“And there are other Fae out there who aren’t…” Oberon looks away for a second to think his words over and sighs audibly. “…Like me.” Peter scoffs again. “Like you?” “Well-willing.” Peter frowns and pulls his head back a little. Oberon takes a deep breath and explains: “It is winter, Puck. This time of year, Fae who are part of Winter Court are particularly in their element.” He moves his flame from one hand to the other. “You should count yourself lucky no one else found you before I did.” Peter has read up on the different Courts, but didn’t expect them to be real. The Winter Court is considered to be malevolent and is often described as cruel and evil. If they are truly real, then Oberon was right. It would’ve been very bad for Peter if he had run into another Fae. Oberon breaks Peter’s train of thought. “For your sake, we have to go to my home.” Peter takes an uncertain step backwards, holding onto himself and eyeing Oberon with distrust. This might as well be a ruse to get Peter to follow him forever and that is not what he is here for. The Fae sighs agitated. “Fae cannot lie, Puck,” he says, raising his eyebrows. “I promise you that I have no ill intentions towards you and that I will not trick or harm you.” Peter’s features relax for as much as it is possible in the shivering cold. “You promise?” He wishes he sounded more confident. Oberon steps forward again, reaching out his flame-free hand for Peter to take. “I promise, with all my heart.” …

“So,” Oberon says as he rubs his hands together, squeezing the flame before giving it space again. Peter stares at the man’s feet as they walk. Where Peter wades through the snow, Oberon simply saunters on top of it, as if he weighs nothing. A thousand cheeky Lord of the Rings references lay locked in the back of Peter’s throat. He keeps them there, knowing the Fae probably has no idea what it is anyways. “How is your aunt faring?” Peter takes a bigger step, the snow becoming deeper and deeper with every travelled distance. “She’s doing well again,” Peter replies with a smile. “All thanks to you.” “Ah-ah,” Oberon tuts, glancing back at Peter over his shoulder. “Thanks to you .” The man points at Peter. The young man presses his lips on top of each other, clutching his upper arms in an attempt to keep the heat inside his coat. “If you had not gone looking for me, I would not have helped.” “I mean, yeah, but you did all the hard work.” Peter frowns, looking down at where his feet disappear in the snow. They ache with every step and he quietly hopes he gets to keep all of his toes “You could’ve said no.” The student stops and cocks his head. Oberon halts his walk as well, turning to look Peter in the eye properly. The wind picks up and it plays with Peter’s hair. He scrunches his face together at the cold air pushing against his skin. “Hard work,” Oberon scoffs, shaking his head before continuing his trek over the snow. “Subjective.” “It’s true, though!” Peter tries to rush after him, but the deep snow isn’t really working in his favor. “You, young man, need to give yourself more credit.” “Do I?” The Fae laughs out loud and spreads his arms. “We will be spending many hours together, Puck,” he chuckles, not looking back at Peter this time, but Peter can practically hear his giddiness. “I might just teach you a thing or two. Nobody knows self-love as I do.” “It’s not about-“ “How are you doing?” Oberon interrupts him, swiftly steering the conversation away. “Still cold?” “I-“ Peter pauses and purses his lips. He has no idea how far they still have to go until Oberon’s home and though there is something unsettling about the uncertainty, the Fae is disarming. Charming . Peter reminds himself that’s the whole deal about Fae. He’s supposed to make Peter feel comfortable enough to let down his guard- to slip. But he won’t. He can’t afford to lose like that. He can’t afford May to lose him, after everything they’ve been through. “Yeah. Still cold…” “And?” Oberon asks cheekily. “And what?” “Sounded like there should be an ‘and’ after that. And well, you know, something else, whatever your subconscious wanted to say.” Peter scoffs at Oberon’s bluntness and shakes his head. “Alright, fine, I didn’t sleep much last night so I’m tired.” The second the words leave his lips he grabs his mouth with his gloved hand. Why did he say that? Didn’t he literally just tell himself he shouldn’t let down his guard? “You’re… Tired?” Oberon sounds like someone just told him he won the lottery, which only fills Peter with dread. “I mean, not really-“ Peter tries, but the damage had already been done. “You’re tired.” The Fae says one more time, confirming it for himself- both of them. His tone immediately changes to something soothing and Peter isn’t sure yet if he likes it. “That’s alright. I did not expect you to stay awake for me for a full day.” “I’m not sleeping tonight.” “Sure, you won’t.” “No tricks,” Peter reminds Oberon quickly, sucking at his teeth at Oberon’s sass. “As promised.” Oberon shows Peter a kind smile. “It is alright to be wary of me, but as I said, we will be spending quite some time together. The last thing I want for you is to be uncomfortable. Neither of us would enjoy ourselves if you fear your time with me. If you need rest, I would like you to take it.” “I know, but don’t you want me to be awake?” “I asked for company, Puck.” As Oberon says it, the flame in his hand burns a little brighter. “As long as you are with me, the clock ticks. Awake- asleep, it makes no difference.” Peter gently shakes his head, glancing at the shoulder straps of his energy drink-filled backpack. “Not gonna sleep.” “We’ll see, Puck,” Oberon sighs content. “We’ll see.” … Somehow, the rest of the walk is pleasantly silent. It’s not long before a hidden cottage reveals itself among the trees. It looks about ready to fall apart, yet it’s apparently still sturdy enough to survive the dire weather conditions. Oberon opens the door and lets Peter walk in first. “This is me,” the man says shyly. Peter looks around in awe. The space is more like a workshop than a home, but it’s still cozy. Quaint. There’s a fireplace in the corner and the room is lit by a few candles. Peter nearly dares to call it romantic. “Is… Is it alright?” The Fae holds his hands together, waiting for Peter to comment on his home. Peter simply walks around the space, admiring the clutter and the little knick knacks, the herbs hanging from the ceiling and the collection of pillows and blankets on the floor near the fire. “It’s lovely,” Peter sighs breathlessly. A proud smile spreads on Oberon’s face and he immediately moves to what Peter could only describe as some kind of stove. “I’ll make some tea, to warm you up.” “Actually,” Peter interrupts, almost feeling bad about it. “I shouldn’t be taking anything from you, so I brought my own food and drinks.” The young man pivots where he stands, showing his backpack and tapping the side of it. “Well, you should know it’s not smart to refuse anything a Fae offers you.” Oberon cocks an eyebrow, smiling victoriously. “Aha!” Peter exclaims softly with a grin, raising his index finger. “You haven’t offered me anything. You just said you were going to make tea to warm me up.” “Well, I-“ “And since I have enough food and drinks with me to last 24 hours, I’ll be alright, thank you.” Peter swings the backpack off his shoulders and puts it down with a thud and a cocky smirk. “Such a smart boy,” Oberon laughs. “Then I will just make myself tea,” he pauses, eyeing Peter from the side. “While also trying to figure out how to get rid of that backpack.” “You wouldn’t dare,” Peter chuckles. Mischief sparkles dangerously in Oberon’s eyes. “Oh,” he sighs, licking his lips. “I would.” … After a little while of casual conversation and exploring the Fae’s humble home, Peter sits down at the fire. The snow on his clothes is starting to melt, so he decides to unzip his coat and take it off. The temperature here is pleasant anyways and his shoes are already drying by the fire. He shuffles a bit, quiet frustration rising in his chest when his arm gets stuck in the coat. “Hold on,” Oberon says softly, kneeling behind Peter and raising his hands. “May I help? No need to return with a favor of your own.” Peter stares forward, jaw tightened, trying to find anything untrustworthy in the Fae’s words. The frown on his face fades when he realizes there’s probably nothing wrong with what Oberon said. Probably. Peter nods carefully and twitches when he feels the Fae’s warm fingers against his neck, curling around the collar. Hiss shoulders slack and he lets himself be taken care of. Oberon also takes off Peter’s worn scarf and studies the holes in it for a few seconds. Then, he stands up swiftly, hanging the coat over his work chair, in Peter’s line of sight. Peter is startled when the man is suddenly behind him again, fingers gently caressing his shoulders. “What are you doing?” Peter whispers, trying to pretend the gentle kneading doesn’t feel like actual heaven to his stressed muscles. “I am helping,” Oberon simply replies. “You- but the coat?” Peter can feel Oberon’s grin in his neck, paired with his hot breath. It sends shivers down his spine. One hand pushes through Peter’s hair and Peter can’t help himself as he lets it fall back when the Fae’s hand has gone all the way through. “Never specified it was just about the coat.” Shit. The Fae massages a little harder, eliciting an unintentional gasp from Peter. “So tight…” Oberon whispers. Peter is slowly turning to putty. He wants to fight the attention, but he can’t help how good it feels to have his knots kneaded away. “So tired…” “Mm…” Peter’s head lolls forward and the sudden weight he has to catch has his eyes fly wide open. He gasps and pulls away from Oberon’s gentle hands, panting and shaking his head. “Wha-“ The Fae exclaims surprised. “You said no tricks!” Peter calls out offended. He then scrambles to snatch his backpack and clutch it to his chest, wrapping his legs around it as well. “You promised!” Oberon’s face drops. Peter expected him to be frustrated that his evil plan didn’t work out, but instead, he spots fear. “I didn’t mean to-“ “You did! You were-“ Peter pauses to wave one hand haphazardly in Oberon’s direction. “-doing something to me.” “…Giving you a back rub?” Peter opens his mouth to give Oberon a snarky reply, but nothing comes out. He presses his lips together again and frowns with a pout. “I cannot lie, Puck, I can guarantee you that I used no magic.” “But…” The student looks around the house, searching for answers. “Maybe you did something else?” “I did not.” “No… No herbs? In the air?” Peter sounds uncertain and based on Oberon’s loud laughter, the scene has become rather amusing. “Are you hearing yourself?” Peter immediately makes himself smaller, embarrassed. “No, Puck, I assure you; all I want for you is to be comfortable. You are obviously exhausted. I am trying to help you unwind.” The Fae stands up to go back to his stove, where the water he put on is nearly boiling. He grabs a pot from the counter and fills it with the water. “As promised-“ He looks up at the dried herbs on the ceiling and takes bits from a few, smelling them before tossing them in the pot as well. “-no magic. No tricks. It’s just you and me here.” “Then why did you seem so happy when I told you I was tired?” Peter shuffles where he sits, slowly relaxing his muscles again, but still eyeing the Fae – who now walks back to where Peter sat earlier to sit down himself – cautiously. “Because I am weird and find sleeping humans fascinating, next question.” Oberon obviously doesn’t want to linger on the subject, which makes Peter want to ask further all the more. “Elaborate,” he says simply. Oberon scoffs, placing the pot down in front of him on the small table. “Okay, then,” Oberon sighs deep and turns to face Peter. Their gazes lock and the Fae rolls his shoulders before continuing. “Your face. 42 muscles, right?” “Right.” “They’re engaged and stressed. You tighten them for all of your expressions, for when you speak…” It’s quiet for a second as he ponders his next words. He uses his hands to enunciate. “Your smiles and your tears are all accompanied by the use of your muscles.” The Fae repositions himself where he sits, crossing his legs and leaning in slightly. “When humans sleep, they lose all tension. They relax and drop their masks.” “You think I wear a mask when I’m with you?” “You wear worry. I wish for it to fade.” Oberon cocks his head the other way, his expression is soft and kind. “It fades when you sleep.” “You’re saying it as if you don’t sleep.” “Fae do not sleep. Well,” Oberon pauses and sucks at his teeth, nodding left and right as he looks up. “Not like humans. We can sleep and we do, but we don’t need it like humans do.” “So…” Peter looks down at his backpack, pressing his chin into it. “You want to watch me sleep?” He scoffs softly, but smiles. “That’s kinda creepy.” “Hey, I already said I’m weird.” Oberon shrugs casually and pours himself a cup of herb-infused tea. “You are very pretty, Puck.” The compliment catches Peter off guard and it has him sit up a little straighter. “Last time we met, when you cried, all I wanted was for your sorrow to leave. It is why I agreed on our deal- why I suggested company.” He puts the pot back down and gently nudges it away from him. He curls his fingers around the cup, holding it tightly. “I am a lonely man and you are a kid in dire need of some time to let go.” Peter’s shoulders relax again and he looks down, now awfully aware of the frown on his face. A frown Oberon just said he wants gone. “Lonely…” Peter mutters before looking back up at the Fae again. “You said there are others like you out there? Don’t you spend time with them?” Oberon immediately averts his gaze and takes another sip from his tea. “No.” He doesn’t say anything else, which naturally causes Peter’s curiosity to grow. “Why not?” Peter leans in slightly, placing his backpack next to him and scooting a little closer. “That is not important.” “Mmmmmmmmmmmm-it kind of is,” Peter says cheekily. Oberon pulls a face and cocks his head. “How so?” “Well, if you and I are – and I quote – ‘spending a lot of time together,’ then I think it’ll benefit both of us if we’re honest with each other?” Oberon immediately grins. “Then how about you start by telling me your name?” “Ha-ha,” Peter laughs sarcastically. “I meant it as in; you know all about me after last time, it’s only fair I get to know you too.” “I will tell you Puck,” Oberon sighs. “Just… Not yet. Not now.” The sparkle in his eyes surprisingly returns. “Besides, you are infinitely more interesting.” Peter scoffs. “Am not.” “Are too.” “How old are you?”

“Older than you think I am.” … By the time Peter’s clothes have finally dried, he is laying on the floor, staring at the ceiling. It kind of feels like he’s floating, surrounded by all the pillows and blankets. He’s comfortable and warm, yet also buzzing with his fourth can of Monster. He’s been chugging them one after another and part of him regrets raising his blood pressure and heart rate like this. Peter’s hands are folded into one another, resting on his stomach as he blinks in an attempt to keep his mind straight. Colors slowly fade together and the room seems to be vibrating. He can hear the beat of his heart thrumming between his ears and an occasional twitch prevents him from getting too comfortable. Oberon has left Peter to do some chores in and around the room. They talked for a few hours now and the man seems to understand Peter’s social battery has drained. Peter’s almost surprised how easily their conversations came when he let down his guard a little. Oberon seemed to stay true to his word and refrained from pulling any tricks. Now, he shuffles around the space, letting Peter alone with his thoughts. They have to stick together for the deal to work out, though. It’s not long before Peter swallows and closes his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing. Maybe starting that fifth can was a mistake. The room spins, even when his eyes are shut. He mumbles and his embarrassment about the situation makes him unsure if he wants Oberon to hear it. “I’m gonna-“ He can’t even finish his sentence before rolling over and catching himself, pulling up to hurl. Oberon is immediately at his side, offering a bucket for Peter to spill into. “There, there…” Oberon says softly, helping Peter through it by gently placing his hand on Peter’s head. “Was already wondering when your body would reject that chemical sugar bomb.” Peter squeezes his eyes shut and hides his face in the bucket to prevent Oberon from seeing his embarrassed red cheeks. He takes a minute to breathe before coming back up. He glances at his left and spots a wet cloth. He stares at it for a little bit, unsure of whether or not he can touch it. The Fae read his mind. “Take it. The water on it is warm.” Peter scoffs into the bucket in an attempt to conceal another gag. “What’s in it, chloroform?” Oberon chuckles above him. “If I really wanted you to sleep, you would’ve been out hours ago, Puck.” Peter smiles and shakes his head, but he does move to grab the fabric and clean his mouth. It takes a minute before Peter’s head is cleared again. He takes a shaky breath and turns to be met with Oberon’s intense stare. The Fae is leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees and hiding his mouth behind his hands to hold his head up. Peter raises his eyes questioningly, to which Oberon responds with a deep sigh as he sits up straight again. “What do I need to do to gain your trust?” Peter immediately looks away again, pressing his lips on top of each other and shaking his head slightly. “Dunno.” “Alright, alright,” Oberon says as he raises his hands and shuffles where he sits. “Remember that promise I made? The one where I said I wouldn’t trick you?” Peter’s eyes flick back and forth between the fire and Oberon. “Yeah…?” “I cannot break that promise, Puck. It would harm me if I did.” Oberon sniffs and shuffles closer to Peter, who can’t find the strength to move away. “Let me reiterate: I promise you that I have no ill intentions towards you and that I will not trick or harm you.” Oberon sucks at his teeth and raises his eyebrows. “Ever.” He glances at the fire, crackling softly, and continues. “That includes food and drink, song and dance, monologue and conversation. I will not use my magic to inflict pain on you, nor do I have any interest in your true name. I do not want it, though I may jest. I only want your company.” Sincerity drips from Oberon’s lips and it takes a second for Peter to realize he’s staring at them. At how plump they are, how soft they look… He blinks and turns away again. “I believe you.”

“Then rest.” “No.” “Argh-“ Oberon lets out a frustrated groan. “Your stubbornness is endless.” He stands up and makes his way back to the kitchen area to shuffle around some stuff. “I- I just don’t want to sleep, okay?” Peter crosses his arms and puffs. “Can’t you help me stay awake?” “Didn’t I literally just say I wouldn’t use magic on you?” Oberon shakes his head with a chuckle. Suddenly, he pauses his movement. “It is not me, is it?” His grin grows wider and he pushes his tongue into his cheek. “You don’t want to sleep because of you .” Peter’s eyes widen in shock and he opens his mouth to say something, yet nothing comes out. The giddy sparkle in Oberon’s eye returns and he rushes to kneel next to Peter again. “What is it? Do you snore? Are you embarrassed because you snore?” “Wha- no, I don’t-“ “Oh!” Oberon interrupts with his exclamation, smiling brightly with his palms on his cheeks. Then, he leans in, until Peter is sandwiched between Oberon and the wall. His excitement is endearing, yet Peter fears what Oberon will say next. “You talk.” Peter breaks eye contact and looks down, not wanting to face the Fae. “You talk,” Oberon repeats in a whisper. Luckily for Peter, Oberon notices his discomfort and moves back, returning the space to Peter. “Why does that bother you? Many people speak when they sleep.” Peter tightens his jaw, keeping his lips sealed. “I can keep filling in the blanks if you want, I am quite good at guessing. Or you can tell me yourself and we will find a way around it together.” Oberon’s remark has Peter sit up in surprise, dropping his shoulders. “Names.” This time, Oberon is taken aback. “I talk about my friends a lot. My family…” Peter pulls in his legs to hug himself. “I don’t want to give you names.” Oberon nods, pursing his lips. “I understand.” He sniffs and raises his eyebrows. “Though, I do need you to understand that empty names do not have any effect.” “But they aren’t empty, they are people I know,” Peter counters. “But I do not know them.” A corner of Oberon’s mouth curls up. “There are so many people out there with the same name,” he explains. “You could exclaim any name, Jane, John, Patricia, Peter-” Peter’s entire body stiffens at the mention of his name. He’s quietly grateful that Oberon looked the other way as he was going by his list. “As long as I don’t know the face attached, there’s no need to worry.” Peter looks at Oberon with big eyes. “Promise?” The Fae responds with a kind smile. “Promise.” Oberon moves to shuffle around some of the pillows and blankets on the floor to make a small nest. It looks comfortable, but right now Peter could go for anything, really. “Now, please,” Oberon practically begs. “Take your rest.” He gestures at the makeshift bed. “Sleep.” This time, Peter didn’t have to be told twice. He shuffles past Oberon, feeling the Fae’s eyes press into his back. When he reaches the spot, he doesn’t even lay down anymore- he just drops himself onto the soft, plush pillows. He vaguely hears Oberon speak, but his mind has already stopped processing the words as he drifts into a dreamless sleep. … Peter wakes the next day, head still groggy, to find Oberon completely focused on sewing something. The young man moves to sit up straight and then realizes what exactly Oberon is sewing. “Hey!” He exclaims, moving to grab it from Oberon. The Fae expertly twists around Peter’s hand, preventing Peter from ripping it from his grip. “That’s Uncle Ben’s, don’t touch that!” The second the words leave Peter’s lips, he grabs the bottom half of his face to shut himself up. Oberon looks at him surprised. Something sad seems to wash over the Fae- something… Knowing. “Has he passed?” Peter drops himself back into the pillows, sitting with his legs crossed. “He has,” Oberon confirms for himself. “I am sorry for your loss.” “Thanks…” Peter mumbles, eyes still strained on Oberon’s skilled fingers threading the needle through the scarf. “I don’t have a lot of him left, that scarf is important to me.” “It seemed like it would fall apart any minute. I am merely sewing up the holes,” Oberon says. “With thread made of the feathers of a Phoenix.” “Wha-“ “Now, whenever you wear it, you will not be cold, as the flames of the firebird will keep you warm.” “I thought you said no magic.” “I promised I would not use my magic on you ,” Oberon quips. “This is a Phoenix’s magic that is being interwoven with a scarf that you might happen to wear regularly.” Peter groans and lays back down again. “You finding ways around your promises isn’t going to make me trust you more.” “I did not do anything funny when you were asleep, if that’s what you mean. I watched you for a while, but you did not speak much. You mentioned May a few times, which may or may not be the month.” Oberon’s pun is paired with a wink and Peter opts to wave away the fact that Oberon literally watched him sleep. “You said ‘Ned’ once. Told them to hand you a 2x4, whatever that might mean.” Peter scoffs a laugh. “Legos,” the student mumbles. “What was that?” “It’s a standard Lego brick. You can build things with that.” “For leisure?” Oberon seems to be finishing up the scarf, tying some last knots. Peter hums in agreement. “I guess you could say Legos are toys.” Oberon smirks, but still does not look up. “I also do enjoy playing with… Toys.” His voice is a little darker, resulting in a shiver running down Peter’s spine. “The toys being humans?” Oberon eyes Peter with a grin, but before Peter can remark on how, once again, saying things like that isn’t helping Oberon’s case, Oberon stands up and hands Peter Ben’s scarf. “It is done.” Oberon’s smile is warm, as is the fabric that he places in Peter’s hand. Peter studies the scarf, amazed at how the holes- even the big ones- have been fixed completely. If Peter didn’t wear that scarf every single day, he probably wouldn’t even be able to tell where the holes used to be. The fabric seems to emit heat, as Oberon had hinted it would. Peter smiles at it and brings it to his face to smell his uncle’s persistent cologne on it. “Thank you.” His voice sounds muffled in the wool. “You’re welcome,” Oberon replies simply. “I do not need or want anything for it in return. Good afternoon, by the way.” Peter sits up straight immediately. “A-afternoon?” “You slept long and deep. I did not want to wake you; your rest seemed needed.” “How many hours do we-” “Four-ish.” The Fae stands up. “Would you like to go for a walk?” “I- yes,” Peter scrambles to stand up, giving the Fae an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, I-” “You kept me company, Puck. As I said, that is all I want.” Oberon smiles. “Though, now you are awake, I intend to make the most of it.” The Fae grabs Peter’s coat and hands it to him. He then turns to the door and opens it. The ice cold wind that enters, forms goosebumps on Peter’s skin. He instinctively wraps the scarf around himself and is surprised to find that it is not just warm around his neck. The scarf warms all of him, even though he is not wearing his coat yet. He looks up at Oberon wide-eyed. The Fae smiles wide at him. “The wonder in your eyes warms me, as the scarf warms you.” He then nods at the snow-white world outside. “Shall we?” … “So,” Oberon starts after a short, silent walk. “Your uncle was important to you?” “Is,” Peter corrects him. “He and my aunt raised me to be who I am.” Peter hides his face behind the scarf as he steps through the snow. Once again, Oberon walks over it, while Peter wades through. The magic of the scarf now keeps him dry and warm, unlike yesterday. “There is no way he could ever not be important to me.” “And he passed suddenly?” Peter doesn’t necessarily enjoy the interrogation, but he feels bad for sleeping so long, so he indulges the Fae. For now. “Got shot by robbers,” he mumbles. “Sounds like there’s more to it,” Oberon adds insightfully. Peter isn’t just going to tell Oberon the whole thing, though. The man didn’t want to tell Peter about his past just yet either. “Don’t,” Peter pushes out. Oberon stops in his tracks, while Peter continues his strides. “Let me guess,” he speaks louder to have his words bridge the growing distance between the two of them. “You think it is your fault.” Now, Peter halts too. “It was,” he mutters to himself, before shaking his head and continuing his walk. “Hey!” Oberon shouts suddenly, causing Peter to turn back surprised, only to be met with a force that makes him lose his balance and fall into the snow, ass first. He yelps at the cold hitting his face and gasps for air. The Fae had thrown a snowball at him. Peter blinks once. Twice. Then, he chuckles, leaving his worries behind to grab some snow with his hands and press it together. He scrambles to stand up just in time, so he can dodge a second snowball coming his way. He nearly stumbles over, but manages to throw the ammunition he just made back at Oberon. “Gotcha!” Peter cheers victoriously when he hits his target in the chest, but quickly rushes to run away, laughing. “I will get you for that!” “You started it!” Peter yelps as he dodges yet another snow ball. They chase each other for a little bit, until they both spot the town with the train station in the distance. “Oh, we’re here?” Peter asks, looking back in the direction where they just came from. Oberon nods as he joins Peter with his hands on his hips. “That’s not actually that far.” “I made it not far.” Peter frowns at Oberon’s words and looks up at him confused. “Made it?” “My home cannot just be found by anybody. I decide where it is when.” Peter nods, understanding yet also not understanding. Fae magic is strangely convenient. Trying to figure it out might be a little too ambitious for him for now. Maybe they could talk about it more extensively next time Peter comes over. Peter inwardly scoffs when he realizes he’s already looking forward to next time. Both men are startled at Peter’s suddenly growling stomach. “You haven’t eaten yet,” Oberon states. Peter chuckles nervously as he eyes his backpack. “Only got two more energy drinks in there. Don’t think I’ll ever wanna chug a can again, though.” “That poison does not count as breakfast,” Oberon laughs. “Would you like to go into town and buy something?” “Don’t have money,” Peter says, quickly deciding to add: “On me right now.” To make it seem less suspicious. Oberon knows better, though. Peter isn’t rich at all and before yesterday he had spent all of his cash on the cans of Monster to keep himself awake. “I have money.” Oberon smiles and starts walking towards the town, before Peter could protest. “Come on, my treat.” … Not much later, both Peter and Oberon walk out of the bakery with some fresh croissants. They sit down on a bench nearby and Peter gratefully devours the food. He isn’t sure if Oberon simply eats along because he genuinely wants to, or to just be polite. Peter doesn’t really care about that, though. He’s glad he gets to eat some proper food again. He’s also glad he managed to loosen up a little more around Oberon. The man is genuinely nice and now that Peter has the promise to rely on, he can finally relax a little… “YO, PENIS PARKER!” Time stops. Peter’s eyes widen and he turns his head to where the familiar voice came from. “Parker?” He hears Oberon mumble under his breath and he wishes he could just disappear. Peter stands up quickly and nearly drops his breakfast. Oberon stays seated, simply staring at his food with a scowl on his face. “The hell are you doing here, Penis?” Flash swaggers towards them. For once, Peter is grateful for the nickname. However, his bully did manage to give his last name to Oberon. “Thought you were broke.” “Train travel is free, remember?” Peter says through gritted teeth. “Ah, right, you travel by train,” Flash scoffs. “Like all the other commoners.” He rolls his eyes at Peter’s balled fists. “Still, though. Didn’t think you’d ever go here of all places.” “Why are you here then?” “None of your fucking business, Penis.” Flash then bends sideways to look past Peter. “Who’s the dude you’re with?” “My- eh, my uncle-“ “Your uncle?” Flash’s condescending laugh rumbles through Peter’s entire being. He hasn’t seen Flash since high school, yet the asshole still manages to make him feel so small and insignificant. “You mean the dead guy?” The air is knocked out of Peter’s lungs and his voice is shaky when he speaks again. “N-No, he-“ “Quiet.” Oberon’s words cut through the conversation like a sharp knife. He stands up collected, but his eyes are icey. Nothing like what Peter has ever seen before. His warmth has disappeared. A strange cold- colder than the actual temperature outside- seems to seep from his body and he slowly passes Peter to look down at Flash. The usually so confident bully flinches at Oberon’s presence. Part of Peter is glad there is literally no one else on the streets right now. “What’s your name, kid?” Peter’s eyes widen and he immediately steps between them. “Flash- this is Flash.” Oberon’s ice shifts to Peter, who freezes where he stands. “I do not want a nickname. Not this time, Puck.” “Ugh, why is everyone in your family weird?” Flash groans and turns back. “If he even is your uncle and not some guy you’re selling your body to for cash. We all know you need it.” “ Flash ,” Oberon seethes. “If I hear one more foul word from your lips, you will regret it, I promise you.” Flash scoffs, but Peter knows it’s more than an empty threat. “Whatever, dude.” Flash turns. “I was leaving anyways. Have fun, dickwads .” Flash saunters off and Peter barely dares to look at Oberon. His eyes glow bright and blue, and the ice that Peter had only felt up until now, now grows from Oberon’s crow’s feet to his hair. The Fae raises his hand in front of him with a clenched jaw. Peter wants to stop him by grabbing his arm, but judging by how the ice also grows from the tips of his fingers and up his wrists, it looks like Peter might lose a finger or two if he tried. “Oberon?” Peter tries quietly. “I promised, didn’t I?” He growls. His voice sounds off. Dark. Peter turns his head to look at Flash, who is still walking away. He does seem to have a quickened pace, which was probably because he could also feel Oberon’s intimidating magic. “Please, don’t hurt him-“ Peter begs. Oberon shifts to look at Peter surprised, seemingly realizing what he’s doing. He takes a deep breath and drops his arm, the ice on his skin receding back to wherever it had come from. “I-“ Oberon furrows his brows. “I haven’t used that kind of magic in years-“ He seems genuinely taken aback by his own actions and Peter finally dares to move in to grab his upper arm. “It’s okay, I- I’m not scared.” “You lie,” Oberon sighs. “I don’t want to be the reason for more hurt, that’s all.” Peter takes a breath, pushing the memories of his uncle’s death away. Oberon rolls his shoulders. “I did make a promise, though. Some mischief needs to be done.” “Any… Harmless things you can do to him?” Oberon glances at Flash in the distance again, thinks for a second and then nods, grinning wide. “I have a little something in mind.” He brings up his hand again, but holds his palm up instead of down this time. “No matter the grip on the shoes you wear, may you slip, slide and trip whenever you swear.” A cold breeze carries the spell that appears in Oberon’s hand towards Flash at the other side of the road and nearly immediately he yelps and lands on his butt. Peter can’t help but chuckle and turn to face Oberon again, who looks at him with a proud smile. “That alright?” “Perfect.” … The last few hours flew by. The two men finished their croissants and continued their walk through town. They talked and talked, skillfully evading sensitive topics about their past and the odd, cold magic Oberon had conjured earlier. Peter was grateful that, even though Oberon now knew it, he didn’t mention Peter’s last name. He is still afraid it might come back to haunt him one day, but for now, at least Oberon is respectful about it. As he said, he doesn’t want Peter’s name. He just wants his company. After the twenty-four hours pass, Oberon drops him off at the train station. “Guess this is it for today, huh?” Peter says quietly, pushing his hands into his coat pockets. “I promise I’ll sleep less next time.” “Oh, dear,” Oberon laughs. “We take our promises seriously, Puck. Might be wise to set an alarm next time, then.” Peter laughs. “I will, I will. As easy as it is to just sleep through, I still don’t think it’s fair to you.” “Company, Puck,” Oberon smiles as he moves in to grab Peter’s hands and hold them to his chest. “All I want is company.” His breath is warm on Peter’s lips and Peter absentmindedly licks them. He’s surprised to find himself disappointed that he couldn’t taste the Fae. “When do I see you again?” He doesn’t dare to break eye contact with Oberon. The Fae is so close to him. It’s overwhelming, yet he can’t move away. “Imbolc,” Oberon whispers. “February 1 st .” “That’s a long wait.” “I’ll count the days.” Oberon smiles, finally stepping back from Peter to give him some space. He hopes nobody saw them standing like that. Otherwise they might’ve thought what Flash did. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he says politely with a curt nod before stepping through the gates. “Of course, Puck. Until next time!” Oberon waves. When Peter raises his hand to wave back, a woman passes in front of him. When she steps out of his field of vision, Oberon has disappeared. In the train back to New York, he mulls over everything that had happened the past twenty four hours. “I’ll count the days,” Oberon had said. “Me too, Oberon,” Peter mumbles as the train makes its way into New York City. He closes his eyes. “Me too.”

[smol-and-grumpy]

You already know this- I binged Dear Dean & I freaking love it! And per usual, i'm gonna squeal about how much i enjoyed it. I really can't help it- sorry! I just love it so much!

I'd imagine you went thru quite some research for it. Just a glimpse from the first chap & i could already tell it was some complicated writing. Lots of the terms were new to me, not to mention the codes and the ranks. Maybe its just me with my little knowledge bout it? But i doubt it was easy without doing your homework on it. Its also definitely an unfamiliar setting for readers. I mean- war?? I wouldn't know the first thing about what it was like. But somehow, you managed to paint the picture of it with so much detail that its *real*. Reading it, you managed to make me live in the scenes, feel the struggles, fear, angst & seriously- thats amazing. Its really quite an experience.

The plot is awesome too! I love the background you gave Jamie & the bond you set between her & her brothers. When i read parts with their interaction its just- home. Also the family you built within the platoon. You gave them character, made them real people.

I love how it began with letters between Sam & Dean. Needless to say, i think you potrayed how close they were perfectly. I already said it before; your Soft!Deans hidden behind tough exteriors are the best & i'm a sucker for him in this series too!

I guess its expected for you to eliminate characters throughout the story since your setup was in war but i'd be lying if i say i wasn't kept on the edge of suspense at the start of every chapter. Always a question of who'd survive & at what cost. Makes the whole thing so thrilling.. & heartbreaking. My poor heart!

I think my favourite part of the whole series is the period of time at which they were both together, even if its in war. They were there for each other- to look out for one another, to help, to simply *be* there. You can imagine how much it destroyed me at the last few chapters. I love their understanding & intimacy. Also their dynamic. Jamie with the attitude is such a win!

Anyways. I should be done with my incoherent rambling. Seriously tho. I love this series so much :) it kinda surprised me with how little attention it got. Its an amazing read & deserves more love. I hope i didn't gave you a headache with this essay lol.

Have a great day, Nat! <3

OMG @olichat

Thank you for this! You made my day!

And yes, I have spent many hours reading about it, many hours watching documentaries and WWII movies in order to keep an accurate timeline.

I remember you commenting “YOU DID NOT!” And I’m sorry but it was essential for the ending.

I have started on a sequel of it. It’s called With All My Heart, currently pondering about chapter 3 😊

And I must add that without the help of @themoonandotherslikeit I wouldn’t have been able to pull it off.

Thank you so much for leaving me this essay, it truly means so much that you took the time to write this lenghty review ❤️❤️❤️

[australian-desi]

Qurbaan Hua ~ Episode 5-9: Of IVF Being Horrible, Windchimes, Cunning Aunties and Disgusting Husbands

Gonna dive right in

Episode 5

Mans has gone from “me and Meera have been dating for 6 months” to screaming “I LOVE YOU MEERA” at the top of the mountain 

Time for another coincidance - it’s purnima so he’s going to go ask for a mannat and on this day different people from different faiths go to this certain place for their wishes and prayers - and we all know what that means

Also now that I’ve watched a few episodes, I have to say I really like the styling  for Chahat they’ve given her a mix of ethnic and western wear and the fancy clothes she wears are really pretty (so far) and I hope it stays this way

I am a complete slut for mannat scenes and this one was very pure

Why can’t these people say Saraswati, it isn’t that hard

Also it’s 2020, surely it’s time we understand just because a woman is pregnant doesn’t mean she’s disabled and needs to be carried everywhere

Also, Naveli (Anjali2.0 and Neil’s cousin) is superrr suss

SHE TAPED HIS FACE OMG IM MORE IMPRESSED BY HER BY EVERY MINUTE

And she’s given him meds to give to the people he interacts with coz he causes them headaches (and he’s held onto it the whole time coz Pehle Pyaar Ka Pehla Tohfa) 

Awww our OTP has ‘Bhags stamp of approval’ 

They’ve also touched her feet how cute

Episode 6

So Ghazala has ruined Chahat’s mum’s sharara and like this is what I mean they’ve written her horribly, like why would someone go out of their way to hurt a kid like that - her mother’s dead what more does she want

And daddy dearest has another pooja to attend so he’s said no to attending his daughter’s baby shower, something Neil is now salty about

For a doctor, Chahat’s dad is quite daft 

And for a pandit, Neil’s dad is quite mean

Nice touch by Ghazala by turning this whole thing on Chahat, and thankfully her dad believes her

Episode 7

So this Kamini wannabe of a mami has said that Saraswati’s baby is najayaz, and at this point I really have got to ask - how the fuck did she jump to that conclusion?????

Apparently coz she was barren for 8 years, so how can she be pregnant now, so something must be up 

The logic fails me here, IF SHE WAS BARREN/WAS UNABLE TO GET PREGNANT, HOW TF IS THE CHILD ILLEGITIMATE???

OMFLLLLLL SHE’S SAYING THAT COZ THE CHILD WAS CONCEIVED FROM IVF, THAT’S WHY IT’S ILLEGITIMATE 

I CANNOT

I’M SO CLOSE TO QUITTING 

DO THESE DUMBASS PEOPLE NOT REALISE THAT AN IVF BABY IS ALSO A BLESSING IN ITSELF, IT’S NOT 100% GUARANTEED TO GET YOU PREGNANT EITHER BUT IT HELPS 

By this logic they shouldn’t use annnnyyyy modern technology 

I understand Neil now, and why he’s so done with this bullshit

YAAASSS NEIL, GO FUCK THEM UP 

Look Chahat, I love you and all, but like listen to Neil when it comes to his crazy psychotic family

Also do not tell me like the Oberoi family, this whole family cannot have 1 smooth sailing function/party 

We love a sibling duo that had to raise each other because their parents were dead/useless 

I’m so fucking done, now not only does your doctor have to be of the same religion, he/she has to be from the same caste 

YEH DOCTOR DHOOND RAHE HAI KE RISHTA 

Neil’s trying to talk some sense to these people, but as usual, he gets shut down for talking sense 

OMG HE’S COME OUT WITH FACCSSSS AND HAS GIVEN HIS DAD AN ULTIMATUM - His daughter or his dharm 

Also by saying that if he’s so for modern technologies in other areas, why is he against iVF 

Omg daddy pandit finally got some sense - this was an exhausting feat

Poor tacky Kamini, unlike the og, this one’s plans always fall short 

Neil, take Saraswati and just get the fuck out of here, this dumbass mami has come with a plan and is not going to rest until one of these kids gets disowned 

Episode 8

So Vyasji in a twisted turn of events has accepted Neil’s gf, as long as their kundlis meet 

Let’s be real their stars ain’t aligning in this life 

Chahat is talking to her mother through this windchime she made with her mother’s jhumke (I guess its a coping mechanisms) about how she’s gotten a cake ordered and needs to pick it up

The windchime has told her that she needs to learn how to cook to get married 

Basically even if your Indian mother is dead, her ghost will still taunt you on your inability to get married even when you are a doctor 

She has decided she will marry a chef so that she doesnt need to learn how to cook 

The foreshadowing, the cluelessness

Omg Neil’s dad writes with ink and a peacock feather (why did I think this man would write with a pen like a normal person)

He’s literally whipped out a chart and started making Neil’s (ex)gf’s kundli RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF HIS DAUGHTER’S BABY SHOWER BECAUSE #priorities 

Anjali2.0 is literally sitting there praying as if Vyasji is sitting there calculating her Year 12 results and not a kundli

And we’ve got an “asambhav”, but we all knew that - Neil’s literally smirking coz he knew no matter what, the stars won’t align 

Omlll he’s inherited the whole “I write my own destiny” from Arnav 

“Main uss ladko ko kabhi nahi apnaunga” “Toh kya faraq padta hai, main usse apna chuka hoon” Boisss I really like this dude 

I wish I had this confidence but alas, I do not

And Neil has decided to leave the chat, go to Delhi and get married there, while giving everyone a fuck you (except his sister ofcourse)

Little does he know he isn’t even gonna make it to the bloody bus stand before he ends back here 

Anjali2.0 is begging her dad to stop him, but he’s talking about the stars and shit 

And right on cue Chahat and Neil are walking on the same bridge, none of them paying attention, they crash and just like that, the cake has fallen into the deep sea, adding to the pollution 

OMGG THIS MAN TOLD HER HOW ALL DADS ARE USELESS AND SHE GOES “oh hello, tumhe bohot saare childhood issues hai, lekin mere baba aise nahi hai ... woh mere liye taare bhi tod sakte hai” 

THIS IS WHY WE NEEDED A FEMALE LEAD IN THE MEDICAL FIELD - SHE UNDERSTOOD WITHIN 2-3 MEETINGS HOW FUCKED UP OUR DUDE IS 

and now he’s sarcastically congratulating her on her father because “aur ek mere baba hai jo hamesha taaron mein uljhe rehte hai, aur vaise tumhe tumhaare taare todne waale baba, bohot, bohot, bohot hi ziada mubarak” 

LOLLL SHE’S PULLING AND DRAGGING HIM TO GET HER THE SAME CAKE AND HE TRIED TO GIVE HER MONEY TO BUY A NEW ONE, AND SHE’S LIKE NOPE, THE BAKERY I GET THIS FROM IS CLOSED AND SO YOU WILL PROVIDE ME WITH A NEW CAKE 

Lolll I never knew he will be stuck here because of a cake 

AND NOW SHE’S TAKEN HIS BAG AS HOSTAGE AND HE’S LITERALLY SCREAMING THAT SHE’S LOST THE PLOT 

But personally, I feel she gained it 

Turns out the shop that she got the cake from, is his friend’s shop, and now he’s baking the cake himself because my man is also a pastry chef 

And he’s friend has left the chat because he doesnt want to get beaten up 

So it’s time for the kitchen romance.tm

Omg he told her he’s a chef and she’s so turned on 

OMGGGGGGG IM DEDDD 

But should’t she tie her hair #justsaying

Now back to the Neil’s crazy fam, where the only other person with sense, Anjali2.0 has also said to her dad, that Neil was always right about him 

Yesss gurlll, give it back to him

She’s telling him off how he forego his religious beliefs for her, but why can’t he do the same for Neil

I actually like her so much and the way she’s written

She’s also telling him how she tried to make sure that Neil never felt their mother’s absence (a responsibility she didn’t to take up), because her dad never let Neil feel loved 

OMG SIS SAID THAT BY BEING HEAD PRIEST, YOU HAVE FORGOTTEN YOUR DUTY AS A FATHER AND SHE DID NOT STUTTER 

Everyone is shook (including me)

I was not expecting her to give her father an ultimatum

So she said, that if he does not give Neil and Meera his blessing, he will see her dead 

OMGGG WHYYYAYFOIHFBEI THE ANXIETY 

Episode 9

We’ve begun with some cuteness regarding her rubbing flour all over face 

And like the idiot he is, he’s told her that her face is completely clean 

OMGGG HE’S GUIDING HER HANDS 

HOLY SHIT SISSS IS ALREADY IMAGINING HERSELF BEING MARRIED TO HIM 

Like same, but I also cannot 

Also I’m lolling at the fact she’s imagining their Nikaah, like his family won’t kill him for that

OMG THIS DICKHEAD HAS GIVEN THE CAKE HE MADE FOR HER DAD TO THE GAREEB CHILDREN LIKE SHE GAVE HIS SANGORIA TO THE GAREEB CHILDREN 

Awww I spoke too soon, she left the cake at the shop and he was just messing with her 

Guysss I really love their chemistry

He said that he won’t sit behind her, coz he doesn’t sit behind girls *rolls eyes*, but she’s not having it and reminded him that she beat him in a motorcycle race so he should suck it up

And they’ve had their first ‘accidental’ pressed up on each other fall 

A trope I do love with all my heart  

NOW HE’S COVERING HIS CHEST LIKE HIS IZZAT HAS BEEN LOOTED 

I’m hoping that Shyam1.5 isn’t as bad as his predecessors, but I do realise that is wishful thinking coz the couple scene where he talks to Saraswati was quite sweet

OMG THERE’S AN INTRUDER IN THEIR HOUSE AND I REALLY DON’T WANT SARASWATI TO GO CHECK, AND I’M FREAKING OUT 

She’s found Naveli’s earrings on the ground, Shyam1.5 and her are having an affair aren’t they

I FUCKING KNEW THAT NAVELI WAS SUSS AND SO WAS THIS HARAMKHOR SHYAM1.5 

I AM SO GROSSED OUT RN, WHAT IS SHE 10 YEARS OR MORE YOUNGER THAN HIM 

OMG HE’S ACTUALLY YUCK, LIKE SHYAM WAS YUCK BUT AT LEAST KHUSHI WASN’T HIS SAALI

AND WHAT TYPE OF COUSIN DOES THAT 

Saraswati please go fuck him up 

OMG OMG OMG YEH PADA THAPPAD!!!!!!! 

Well that’s another week done

[unholyhelbig]

omg haha that was completely my fault for not being specific! especially bc i like the other fic too! if you're considering writing a pt 2 to the one where hope is a surfer you definitely should bc that's my fav ❤️

Read on Ao3 | Send me more Legacies Prompts! | Read Part One Here

[a/n: Thank you so much for the love! As always, writing smut is not my strong suit, so go easy on me!]

Title: Braving the Storm [P2] 

Ship: Lizzie Saltzman/ Hope Mikaelson 

The warm summer wind curled around Hope Mikaelson’s legs, the thick scent of the sea pulled at every inch of her as she walked along the mostly vacant beachfront. The sky was cloudless and large water-washed rocks sat littered with seaweed drawn in from the storm. She reveled in the silence.

Her board had been broken and her keys were somewhere in the sand. Despite the warnings and her pounding headache, she took to searching the stretch of land helplessly. Palm leaves and different patio furniture that hadn’t been bolted down lay crumpled and broken. She had left Lizzie at the store, had flushed, and walked out because she couldn’t even justify what had happened.

Concussion or not, Hope Mikaelson wasn’t one to have a quick fuck in a stock room an play it off like it was nothing. She liked to have a connection, or at least a decent meal with a woman first. Hell- even a last name would settle the odd feeling in her stomach. But no, it wasn’t her.

She frowned and kicked weakly at a pile of sand that could have been a magnificent castle with a trapped princess and a valiant prince who would have been a woman all along; because only someone with the female sense could rescue a girl from a tower that large. Finding her keys was a long shot.

Hope had fastened a pair of fake lifeguard pants around her waist- the word was misprinted and the color was an abrasive shade of red. She flexed her toes in the wet sand and breathed in the overwhelming scent of rain and her own sweat, shockingly glad that Lizzie had forced her to down that much water. It eased the nausea in her stomach.

The world felt like it was on its edge; everyone still huddled in their homes either too drunk to see the light of day or too concerned with the power lines and rising water to venture past thresholds. She stared at the waves like so could see the clear line where it cut off, watched as rolling darkness hurried away.

“You’re following me now?” Hope didn’t tear her eyes away from the ocean.

“I figured if you dropped out of nowhere, you’d want someone around.” Lizzie grimaced before taking a breath “I don’t know how concussions work.”

Hope chuckled and glanced over; Lizzie looked effortlessly captivating in the sunlight. Her hair caught every turn of the wind and her eyes were bluer than the very waves they stared at. Her nose was red and raw and her expression was tired but content. It matched how Hope felt.

“It’s just a little headache, I’ve had a few.”

Lizzie lifted a perfect brow as if prompting her to continue, to fill the unwavering silence of their Eden.

“Before I started surfing, I skated. God, my mom was furious with the choice but knew there was no talking me out of something I was determined to do. She took me to a skate park and without any training, or practice, I took to it. I fell within seconds and she had to take me to urgent care for some stitches. I had a concussion then, too.”

“You sound like you’re stubborn.”

“The best people are.”

Lizzie smiled, and Hope couldn’t tell if it was more to her, or to the world.  Either way, she could feel her palms sweat and her throat tingle. There was an odd pull to Lizzie, one that made her feel like it would be okay to straddle in her a back stock room filled with cheesy t-shirts and multicolored rocks that they bought in bulk.

“I’m not like that,” Hope finally stumbled out.

“Stubborn?”

“No, I’m more stubborn than I’d like to admit. I meant… I’m not someone who plays into that whole surfer stereotype. I don’t just fuck random people because they saved my life, or whatever.” Hope’s cheeks felt hot and she averted her gaze.

Lizzie took a deep breath and turned until she could face Hope entirely, her arms crossed over her chest. “You’re thinking too much. You’re not the only one who got something out of that, you know? Don’t run yourself ragged over something silly.”

“Like morals?”

“Well, I suppose it depends on who you ask, but yes.”

Hope shoved her hands into the pockets of the cheap sweatpants and sighed “it doesn’t bother you in the slightest that I wouldn’t have given you a second glance if it weren’t for this hurricane and a rainbow umbrella?”

“Oh, should it? People don’t tend to notice a girl behind a counter when all they sell is novelty items. Why would someone who lives here have any reason to buy another shirt with the state they live in, embroidered on the breast?”

Hope weighed her options and her outlying guilt. Lizzie had a point- when she first moved here she was captivated by the glass-plated buildings and what they had to offer; the towels that were screen printed with images of sunsets, the key chains flashing with the most common names, and whatever neon toy was on the market.

“So, just sex?” She sounded out.

“Just sex, if that’s something you’re interested in.”

She pursed her lips and turned back to the waves, watching as they pulled a generous amount back out to sea. Hope had never had an offer like this laid out on the table, not so bluntly, anyway. There had been hookups and long term relationships. But never something just focused on the end goal of pleasure.

“Okay,” her voice was slight “Yeah, we can do that.”

Lizzie nodded, seemingly satisfied with herself, before turning and walking back towards the boardwalk. Hope hated the fact that she watched the entire way, and felt an odd type of ache in the bit of her stomach. But maybe that had something to do with the fact that she couldn’t find her keys.

It took two weeks for their small town to feel normal again. The stores had pried wet wood from windows and piled sandbags in sheds instead of at the edges of doors. Hope had been careful and calculated when it came to every visit to the beach after that.

She couldn’t deny the pull it had on her. She had gotten a new board and fished deep in her junk drawer until she found the spare key to the jeep. The beaches were full again and the waves towered enough to get some good days in- and still, Hope couldn’t bring herself to step foot through the doors of the small novelty shop.

She struggled to peel the wet suit from her skin, releasing the top zipper as her bare feet burned against the asphalt. She ignored the wandering stares around her, and the cooks behind the nearest restaurant as they puffed in smoke before slowly letting it fill the air.

Hope moved the rest of the wetsuit down and threw it in her trunk, feeling the stifling summer air against her mostly bare skin. She started to dig helplessly through her backseat in search of a large t-shirt or even a pair of pants.

“I can’t say I’m not enjoying the view.”

She straightened out, a flash of anger moving through her. Hope dug her nails into her palm and turned to face the culprit “Would you still enjoy the view if I- oh,”

Lizzie had a smug smile on her face, and Hope cursed herself for feeling that familiar rush of heat. “I haven’t seen you in a while. You’re not rethinking our deal, are you?”

“No, of course not, I’ve just been a little tied up is all.” Hope spoke too fast for her own good and Lizzie was quick to take notice, but nice enough not to say anything in the first place. She knew her cheeks were a soft pink but chalked it up to the sun that beat against them.

The blonde leaned forward, she smelled like sunscreen “How’s your head?”

“It’s fine.” Hope lifted an eyebrow cautiously “Oh, um, I mean- it still kind of hurts. Maybe you could get a better look at it… in my car.”

Lizzie schooled her stance and her smile twinkled as if she was just given an invitation for a massive masquerade ball complete with freshly clipped roses and fancy platters of food. Not the backseat of a used Jeep that had a healthy coating of sand on the floor.

Hope opened the door further, like a real gentleman and watched carefully as Lizzie climbed in before doing the same herself. And she hadn’t really thought this all the way through- because the riskiest place she had ever had sex was a few weeks back in the middle of a category five.

Now they were in the back corner of a parking lot that was surrounded by a weather-washed fence and the backs of a few shops. She suddenly felt like she was exposing more than Lizzie was- still in her work uniform of jean shorts and a t-shirt while Hope sported a black bikini, showing the full expanse of her stomach, arms, and legs. Lizzie traced every inch while Hope leaned forward and locked the doors.

“Your car is nice,” Lizzie managed

“It’s a piece of junk, but thank you for trying.”

“Come here.”

Hope allowed herself to be guided to Lizzie’s side of the car by the top strap of her suit. It hadn’t been hard enough to unloop it, but she was effectively in Lizzie’s lap, a tongue running over the roof of her mouth in a matter of seconds. She wasn’t sure which one of them moaned first, but it lit a fire deep that ran deep against her skin as Lizzie’s hands wandered.

Hope bit down softly on Lizzie’s lower lip before running her tongue over it and moving her touch to Lizzie’s jaw. “I’m in charge this time,” She spoke in a low snarl.

“And what makes you figure that?”

She moved to Lizzie’s pulse point, feeling it quicken under her lips “My shitty car, my rules.”

Hope didn’t’ hear a further objection, just a small whimper of pleasure as she looped her fingers around the bottom of Lizzie’s shirt and pulled it over her head. Hope hadn’t been one to take control before- the nerves of starting a relationship, or lack thereof, like this was teeming at the back of her mind. But not when Lizzie was under her like this. Exposed.

She unhooked the latch of her bra, throwing the flimsy fabric into the backseat with her wetsuit. Hope could feel her own heart rate rise as she got a good look at Lizzie; the way her skin seemed soft, breasts flawless in the early evening lights. She knew in that moment that she wanted to watch Lizzie unravel completely. She wanted to be the cause of it.

Hope kissed softly down Lizzie’s chest, nipping tenderly, her stomach heaving up and down with hot breath. “Stop teasing.” She hummed through clenched teeth, fingers digging into the leather seats.

The button to Lizzie’s pants were easily undone, and she eagerly lifted from the seat long enough for Hope to slide the shorts down to her ankles before they were discarded entirely among the sandy floors. Hope lowered herself, even more, running her nails against Lizzie’s sides.

“You know,” She spoke against Lizzie’s thigh, biting down soft enough to elicit a moan of pleasure, “I thought this idea of yours was pretty crazy.”

“Uh huh,”

Lizzie wasn’t listening, and Hope knew that. She was trying to scoot down the seat to bring Hope’s mouth closer. But the shorter girl had a good hold on each of her legs, moving just a bit closer to her sex.

“It’s starting to grow on me a little bit.” Hope ran her tongue over the little bite mark she had left on the inside of Lizzie’s thigh “Unless my priorities are all out of wack.”

“Hope, don’t take this the wrong way.” Lizzie moved her hand from the seat to the girl's chin, pulling her gaze up until blue met a deeper hue of cobalt. “I don’t care about your priorities unless one of them is screaming at you to get on with it, and fuck me.”

She blew out a puff of air and smiled “Message received.”

Hope returned back to her task, pushing Lizzie’s legs further apart before shifting the strip of wet fabric to the side. She breathed in the scent of lavender before running her tongue over Lizzie’s slit, just barely tasting her. The girl writhed beneath her and let out a shuddered breath at the quick contact.

She had reveled in the fact that Lizzie hated to be teased, ghosting her lips over her clit, hot and heavy. Hope knew what she was doing, knew how to trace little patterns, and suck with just the right amount of pressure until Lizzie shook under her touch. She dug her hand into Auburn locks.

“Keep going,” Lizzie husked, clenching her eyes shut to avoid staring at the fuzzy gray ceiling.

Hope followed the command, changing her pace as she ran her tongue over the small bundle of nerves in a steady rhythm until she felt Lizzie’s body fall rigid. Her own hair being pulled as Lizzie bit down hard enough on her bottom lip to draw blood, to keep from screaming loud enough to catch the attention of anyone who happened to be in the parking lot.

Her chest heaved, her mouth dry as Hope pulled away and moved her thumb against the corner of her lip, a satisfied grin on her face.  Lizzie was coated in an even sheen of sweat, her fingers grasping at her t-shirt. She pulled it over her head, finally catching her bearings.

“I might like you better when you’re not talking.” She sniffed, sitting up as she reached for her shorts.

“Thank you, I think?” Hope pushed herself onto the back seat, moving her hands against her knees to brush off the rest of the sand. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“I meant it as one. But maybe next time, can we do this somewhere that isn’t your car?” Lizzie moved an old energy drink can from where her back had been resting. “Not that this isn’t great, or anything.”

Hope scoffed and pulled that random shirt that she finally found over her head. Her skin was hot and the sand was scratching close to her skin. But it was better than the sudden blush that bloomed against her skin.

She smiled. “Message received.”

[whenimgoodandready]

You ever lost something in your life? Like a prized possession? Or a great opportunity that would’ve changed your life forever? Or even a loved one? I know I did, I lost all three of those! (mostly the third option). I had some nice treasures of mine that might’ve been misplaced, a lot of situations where I could’ve come out victorious and happy and even met some really nice people throughout my life only to lose them and never see them again. It’s sad. (sigh) That’s life, you love, you lost and it repeats. We must enjoy it while we can and if we do end up losing it, we still have our memories to look back on it and learn from our mistakes. Besides, we can still look forward to the new joys we’ll experience in life and if we’re lucky, we can keep it! Have our heroes learned to do that? Check it out!

Battle of the Miraculous

*Part 1:Heart Hunter-For the longest time, this was titled as “Loveater”, but now it’s just Heart Hunter....I don’t know why, maybe cuz of the copyright, I was just naming what was accurate. Anyways, it’s the Bourgeois’s anniversary and Gabe deliberately upsets the two by getting them into an argument over his present which is a type of “Get-Along sweater” and them becoming a giant Pac Man akuma that shoots/eats love cuz they seem to lack it between each other. They looked pretty stupid, I had a better image in my mind. I mean, it was built up to be this badass like villain that could destroy love and that got us all concerned for the love square and yet, w-we got a two-faced video game parody baddie! It’s a juvenile show, whattaya gonna do? Another thing is why the f*ck was Mayura in this! I thought Hawk Moth deliberately made it clear in “Ladybug”, which came after this, that she had to stop cuz it was worsening Nats health! (throws hands in the air) He doesn’t care, I give up with this guy, why the f*ck would I believe him!? HE’S MAD AND DESPERATE! F*ck Gabe/Hawk Moth! During that time, we see some nice moments of Lukanette, Adrigami and some Adrigaminette! We also see things we were dying for such as Marinette with her hair down (spoiled by “Cat Blanc” unfortunately) and Master Fu as Jade F*cking Turtle! Hallelujah! So they were savin’ that up for this finale huh, well, it’s about f*cking time! :P. This also marked as the death of the love square since Adrien/Cat Noir has finally learned to move on from Ladybug and pursue Kagami/Ryuko and Marinette/Ladybug considering the same for Adrien. Now you would think that since it’s the Bourgeois family akumatized, it would be the appropriate opportunity for Chloe to be given back her miraculous already, but she’s ignored yet again and this was the last straw for her. This can go about two ways: A.Ladybug refused to have Queen Bee cuz either she was exposed or she couldn’t stand her nagging her about giving her a miraculous or B.She chose Ryuko instead, despite her being exposed as well, either cuz she really needed her power to stop the villain or cuz she was trying to c*ckblock Adrigami (possibly the latter). The end I could relate to on Marinette breaking down over her full plate of responsibilities (and accidentally letting Hawk Moth know that Master Fu was the guardian when she forgot to detransform to meet up with him cuz she had a lot on her mind) cuz I’ve been through the same thing where I had to put up a tough front after making a huge mistake only to be unable to bottle it up for long and just burst into tears and have to be comforted by a loved one. It’s not easy and it doesn’t feel so good and you’re gonna need support to let it all out and let people know how you really feel.

—————————————

*Part 2:Miracle Queen-I had an entirely different look for Miracle Queen in my head, but the canon look for her was basically what you can call as “Malibu Stacy with new hat”....yeah....just like that....Lame. Hawk Moth manipulates her anger at being constantly denied the bee miraculous and it’s what akumatizes her willingly as her third villainess form. Since she was forced to give up her superhero duties, she went with the idea of “If I can’t be a superhero, then there will be no superheroes!” and uses her hornet army to brainwash everyone in Paris and have all the members of Team Miraculous (minus the dynamic duo and Bunnyx) to expose themselves. (sigh) Well, guess we won’t be seeing them anymore in the show.......I think. The thing about it is, we need to remember that Chloe having a miraculous didn’t make her a better person like Marinette/Ladybug hoped, it made her worse! Everything she did as Queen Bee was mostly to help benefit herself. Unless she starts learning to think of others before herself, she’s banished from Team Miraculous! At last, we saw Dragonbug and Snake Noir in their combined Kwamies and I gotta say, Snake Noir was an improvement from Aspik, least in this case he had his own power to help save the day with the snake miraculous instead of just the snake. Much better! Now in the end, Master Fu passed on his guardianship to Ladybug and by doing so erased his memory of the miraculous duties to keep them a secret and what made Hawk Moth give up when it got too much for him to handle. Ha! Ha! Loser! Farewell, Fu! You will be missed, Thank you! It’s implied in the end that Adrigami and Lukanette just might be canon now that the heroes have moved on, but it’s probably for their future character developements until the true ship becomes endgame *cough*theicecreamstheclue*cough*.

My final thoughts on this ep before the whole season here, after what Cat Noir learned in the previous ep, “Ladybug”, he finally got the hint that there was no future between him and his lady (which he also stopped calling her!) and that he should settle for what he can get. Marinette however, was reluctant to move on from Adrien as she’s still insecure about herself, but did so so she won’t interfere between Adrigami and make herself look bad for trying to seperate them (Pssst, it’s not permanent so you can calm down). It might be good for them though, they did a good job saving the day without all that love distracting them. Maybe they’ll be more competent than ever! Ryuko had come back! My friend was right! Lol! Here I thought she wasn’t gonna return! But is it serious now along with every other hero that’s been exposed!? (they’re on the poster for Season 4! (shrugs)). What we learned from Master Fu was when you pass on your guardianship, you lose your memories of what was related to it for safety reasons! Whoa! Now that it’s passed onto Marinette/Ladybug, does this mean she’s gonna suffer the same thing when she passes it on! That’s tearjerker worthy! :’(. Oh boy! As if balancing her social/love/school life and her superhero duties weren’t bad enough, she’s now the new guardian of the Miracule Box! Poor thing. Here come the headaches! Kinda feel bad for Chloe. Sure she was manipulated by Hawk Moth over her ignored hero duties by her own idol constantly, but she still willingly took the bait, after she refused the other time!, and now she renounced her worship of Ladybug and hates her as much as Lila does! How will this go next season? Well, rumor has it she’s getting akumatized yet again! (is this a seasonal running gag for her?). We are getting a new Queen Bee and I know damn well Chloes gonna hate that. However, maybe that means she’ll finally get that redemption arc the fans have been praying for? Fingers crossed. Gabe fixed the peacock miraculous though cuz he now has the deciphered notes Nat stole from Master Fu! Now he’ll be stronger than ever with Mayura! Don! Don! Don! This has been yet another “interesting” season. We got some answers, we got some questions still left answered and we got some new questions we need answers to! Let’s recap on went on:Lila is back and is finally a reoccurring character (only when we need the plot to be drivin’) and she’s gone to the dark side working both for Gabriel and Hawk Moth, we saw Thomas Astruc in animated form and the original concept work of “What-Could’ve-Been” for the show which is now a show-within-a-show using the “Ladybug PV”, we saw new villains and the new beings, sentimonsters, by Mayura and how they’re created/destroyed and some returning villains that came back stronger, new heroes from the miraculouses the fans predicted, Chloe was forced to retire as Queen Bee cuz her identity was exposed and now she too went to the dark side, we almost got the love square complete a few times before the reset button was pushed, we learned the history of Master Fu’s big mistake, Marinette and Kagami became friends, there’s gonna be a new Hawk Moth in the future! We finally saw the long awaited Cat Blanc that was major! and even (disappointedly) Felix (sadly no “Bridgette”) and much more. News from the next season, Luka and Kagami will be akumatized again, we’ll get new heroes, Kwamies, outfits and powers, we might still get the Halloween and Chinese Legend specials (Oh God! Please do!), there will be an episode with the the “OMG” factor as “Cat Blanc” and a new location called Swan Island! Sweet! Can’t wait! See you guys in the Fall when Season 4 comes out! I’ll be back with new ladybug frames for the reviews and gifs! Good-bye for now dear Miraculers!

[imtherealsebastiansatan]

Submission:

NOTE TO KEV: I know this is long. It got longer than I meant it to. You don’t have to post it if you don’t want to or you can even edit it. I just really needed to rant about it. But if you do decide to post it, can you please not include my username. My blog is a nice, peaceful little place where I can enjoy Seb and Marvel without the crazies and I would like to keep it that way. My God, Kev. How in the hell do you do it? Some anons literally keep going in circles. ‘OMG Seb is dating this woman, here’s everything wrong with her’ (and for the record, no I don’t like E and think she is shady af). 'Oh, and this is another person he’s close to that is awful, so therefore Sebastian must be just as awful. He’s dumb, he doesn’t care about anybody but himself, he’s everything wrong with the world. He’s cancelled.’ Good grief, people chill. Sebastian is human, like every single one of us. He’s problematic, he’s said stupid shit, and yes, he’s so focused on his life that what’s going on in the world passes him by. That’s okay. For some people, they have to shut it out. It’s the only way they can function. I’m not going to sit here and say he shouldn’t pay attention. He should. He can find one issue he’s passionate about and speak about it, but if you’re going to hold everyone else’s, including an ex-girlfriend who he broke up 2 years ago and her current whatever who has never INTERACTED with Seb, other beliefs against HIM then we’re all fucked, because I’ve also got people with strong, different beliefs than mine own around me. Guess what, I deal with it. I’ve also got people that pay attention but don’t speak about it to anyone else. Doesn’t mean they don’t have opinions, they just prefer to not discuss other things. Who hasn’t said something wrong or stupid? Fuck, just this last weekend I made a stupid joke to my niece. It took me all of 10 minutes to realize how fucking inappropriate it was, but I spoke without thinking it through and she’ll be the first to tell you that I’m the most progressive in my family of conservatives. It was a stupid mistake and you know what? She still hugged me bye, still told me she loved me, and missed me. This whole 'birds of a feather’ crap is just that, crap. Groups of friends join together because of similar interests or shared experiences, but they are not identical people. Friends are allowed to have different beliefs or see things differently. In Seb’s case, I can see him being the type that just deals with opposing views because these people have stuck around when even his parents didn’t. He trusts them in a business of sharks where he probably can’t trust a lot of people. They’re familiar and as we’ve talked about, Sebastian prefers the familiar. So yeah, he might agree with them or he might just overlook the stupid shit in favor of the things they do agree on or enjoy together. I’m not saying he’s one thing or another. What I’m trying to say is stop condemning this extremely private man for OTHER’S beliefs. We don’t know his views, beliefs, or what he pays attention to and other than Don’s, do we really know anyone else’s? Are they privileged? Fuck yes. I’m not denying that. Some of what they do is shady, stupid, and just ignorant, but again, who hasn’t? Though, Ellie and her duo of famewhores are a whole separate mess and headache. (I do believe that it was an attempt, didn’t work, and they are over, but that she is trying desperately to pretend otherwise because hey, how else is a run of the mill catalog model supposed to get attention). But I also think that Seb is smarter than people think. I think he understands and sees more than we think, within the world and the people around him. I think he just doesn’t talk about it, unless it’s a good day and his walls are down. Honestly, I love Seb and the Marvel movies have helped me a lot this year which has been exceedingly rough, but damn. I’ve seen a lot of fandoms, including the Supernatural and Teen Wolf ones, and have never seen supposed fans tear down their favorite actors over every single little thing. What I want to know is what is it about this man who from what I’ve understand is nothing but one of the sweetest, most engaging, gentlest actors in the business that so many people want to tear down? Has he murdered anybody, assaulted anyone, kicked a puppy or kid, burned down someone’s house? Can’t we just enjoy his work and him as he is?

[emeto-things]

My Emetophobia Story!

Hi my name is Abby and I’ve had emetophobia since 2011 when I was only 8 years old. It was the winter and the flu was going around. My brother got it, and for some reason he makes himself sick on purpose so he can feel better? Idk. Either way, my bedroom was next door to the bathroom. I woke up to the horrendous sound of g* and v*. I ran into my parents room and asked my mom what was going. She told me he was purposefully making himself sick and that everything was okay. After shaking and crying, I went to bed and couldn’t sleep because it made me so awake. I ended up catching the flu a couple hours later. I was so worried that I was gonna v* too and my mom could NOT convince me that it wasn’t part of the flu and he didn’t that on purpose. The whole time I had the flu I slept barely any, constantly worrying i’d v*. Thankfully I didn’t! After the flu was gone, I was back to my normal self. Until 2013, when I was 10. I was talking to a pen pal online and we decided to make a movie together. I was in charge of everything, and she’d call me everyday asking if I had worked on it. It stressed me out so much that I developed anxiety. Later that year, I was in the car and felt totally fine but had a scary thought of “what if I get motion sickness?” I had motion sickness when I was younger and I still might I just don’t wanna test it. I started to cry and shake uncontrollably and I didn’t know why. I guess that was my first glimpse of a panic attack but I didn’t know such thing existed back then. I realized my friend was not so much of a good friend after all and decided to cut ties with her. My anxiety kinda disappeared again. I then started to develop OCD. I would constantly check her social media’s and read our old messages obsessively to the point i’d Be sad that I left her. It took me monthsss to get over that. But I eventually did. In 2014, my fears got far behind me and I was having a really good life. I don’t remember having anxiety at all much that year. It was the best year ever to this day. In early 2015 when I was 12, I started having strange, violent thoughts. I’d be sleeping with my dog and get a random “urge” to want to shove him off the bed and hurt him. The thoughts scared me so much since I love him and would never want to hurt him. I started having them more. I’d have an “urge” to kill a family member or poison them. It made me so uncomfortable and scared and I thought I had a serious problem and was going to end up a serial killer. It wasn’t until a few months later I was researching OCD and found that those thoughts are an extremely common OCD symptom and that you’d never actually act on it. I felt so much better! I found out I wasn’t a crazy person! Now I don’t even have those thoughts anymore. I was going pretty good until April 2015. I had been in an art class for about 6 months, but I’m this particular day I went, apparently a sv* was going around but I didn’t know about it. And apparently someone in my class was s* and still came in. It was a very tight class with a lot of kids and we were all sharing the same markers and pens and pencils and one girl (I believe who was the s* one) coughed with her mouth open all the time and we sat literally right next to each other that I could feel her breath on me. I didn’t have emetophobia then so I didn’t get all freaked out. Besides, I didn’t even know anyone was sick! If I did, I wouldn’t have gone. Not because I was scared but because of common sense. (This part may be a little triggering but i’ll Try not to be. Skip this part if you want.) 2 nights later, I’m asleep. I wake up around 4am with a very bad feeling. I didn’t think I was s* I just didn’t feel good. I tried to go back to sleep but I couldn’t. I had a small stomach ache, I was kinda dizzy and my head felt really gross. I was also kinda hot & cold and kept having weird dreams every time I’d start to fall asleep. Since I had anxiety in the past, I figured it was just anxiety so I googled ways to calm down and then eventually, my stomach ache went away and I fell asleep. I was extremely tired & basically fell asleep during a small panic attack which is unusual. I woke up again at 7am and I remember my first thoughts were “omg I feel even worse than I did earlier” and I rubbed my head and felt kinda hot. Idk how to describe how I felt it was just horrible. I went on my iPod and went on twitter and was watching YouTube videos to keep my mind off of whatever I was feeling. I then suddenly just g*d. I went into my moms room and told her I had been feeling bad for a while and didn’t know why. She asked me if I was nervous about anything and I said no. I told her I hoped I wasn’t sick. We were counting the days of places I’ve been to see if it was a possibility for me to be sick. And when I said “I went to my art class the other day” my mom realized that could be a possibility but didn’t wanna say anything. She said she still thought I probably wasn’t s* though. I went back to bed and watched more YouTube videos. I suddenly got reaaaaaally tired and decided to listen to calming music. I put on a song and in the song, someone made a noise that sounded like a g* and that triggered my reflex since I was already feeling it anyway. I knew v* was about to happen but I kept on keeping it from happen. I even started to feel better. So I told my mom I was feeling better and would be downstairs for breakfast soon. I got dressed like I normally would, just feeling tired but not really s*. I went downstairs and got a banana and sat on the couch next to my mom. I ate two bites and started to feel s* again. She had on a cooking show which obviously didn’t make me feel any better. I told a joke to my mom that made me start laughing hard and then my headache and pain all came back. I went from laughing to g* within seconds and then it happened. I rushed to the sink, did my thing and then that was it. I ran back to the living room and started crying like crazy and screaming “what is wrong with me???” But thankfully I didn’t get s* again but I was just super tired and drained the whole day. But we had a birthday party at my house that night since I was feeling better. Since that day, everything has changed. The very next day, I started wondering about every bodily symptom that before then I would’ve totally ignored. Just thinking of bananas sent me into panic, my mom couldn’t watch her cooking show around me and the smallest stomach pain would send me into a panic spiral. Over the summer I got really busy and my phobia got pushed aside. I still worried about it more than I ever did before but I wasn’t panicking and I could get my mind off of it pretty easily. I even got to meet my favorite band (The Vamps) that summer! Which totally distracted me from everything. It was going pretty good until October 2015. I went to Starbucks and got a pumpkin coffee, and had a strange thought of “what if I’m allergic to pumpkin?” And I started to have trouble breathing (not because a health issue, it was my anxiety - but I didn’t know that then.) I calmed down, and the day went on like normal. That night, my family came over and I was in my room singing. I got extremely hot out of nowhere, so I ripped my boots, jacket and scarf off and turned on my fan. I got even more hot. Then my lips went tingly and so did my hands and feet. Then I started getting really dizzy. I ran downstairs to my mom. I had NO idea what was happening. I cried for hours and my grandma (who also has anxiety) helped me and told me it was a panic attack and how she has had them before. They really calmed me down, and after it was over I was so thankful and was glad i’d Probably never experience another one. I was wrong. The next morning, the panic symptoms came back and I was on the verge of another one. I had a panic attack everyday for around 2-3 weeks. I was miserable, tired and my nerves never got a chance to relax because any time I was almost calm, I would panic again. At the same time, my dad lost his job, my brother had a horrible cold that I caught (I’m not even telling that story because it’s too long. I didn’t v* though!!!) and my anxiety was the worst it had ever been. Christmas that year was a total blur because I was so sleep deprived and out of it that I honestly barely remember what happened. In 2016, my anxiety got a lot better. I was still very careful and worried a lot but I wasn’t panicking all the time. I developed OCD hard core though. I couldn’t do simple tasks like cleaning my room because I would have to refill a certain article of clothing 50+ times due to my OCD. My OCD would say “if you don’t fold it like this, you’ll get s*” so I listened to it. I feel like I was dead that whole year. My hair was dry and brittle and almost coming out because I stayed in the shower so long trying to get clean and I brushed my hair super hard because my OCD told me it was the only thing to prevent s* from happening. Thanks to a lovely girl online who helped me with OCD and the help of praying, my OCD went away almost completely!! I was so happy. This was in January 2017 when I was 14. My family had a stressful year though due to family problems. But around June 2017, my anxiety and emetophobia started to pick up again and it’s been bad again ever since. I worry about food and viruses more than I ever have and I’m starting to have panic attacks again. So sadly, that’s where I am now. 15 years old atm. My life is still pretty good I guess. I don’t have controlling OCD anymore, and since I’m older I’m able to think more logically than I used to. But I’m nowhere near recovery yet. Hopefully soon! Sadly, I can’t end my story on a positive note because I have recovered yet. But for all of you out there dealing with this horrible phobia, I know what you’re going through. You’re not alone. I know what it feels like to shaky uncontrollably worrying that any second you’ll be s*. I know what fake n* feels like. I know what worrying to the point you just want to sleep feels like. I know what it feels like to want to die than rather be s*. I know what you feel like! I’ve felt it several times and it’s horrible. But we can get through this together. We are so much stronger than we think we are and we won’t let this phobia beat us. I know it can be so controlling, but we can do it. Getting s* is soooo uncommon. People rarely ever v* and if they do, it’s because they were doing something us careful people wouldn’t. We are so careful that we have way less of a chance than people who aren’t like us - and even they won’t be s*!! Don’t worry. You will be okay. Remember all the times you’ve felt this way and been scared all for nothing. Each time you have a panic attack, it makes you stronger. And remember not to google your symptoms. Google doesn’t know everything and there’s a lot of liars and people who don’t know much out there. Some people probably post things just to scare us health freaks! You’re going to be okay. And you won’t be s*. Keep telling yourself that! You’re okay and we’ll get through this, together. Stay strong my loves!❤️❤️❤️

[tumblunni]

aaaaaugh that was a weird adventure of a normal thing seriously wtf how did I Almost Die from just trying to pay my electricity bills?? the electricity went out at midnight and I was having a WHOPPING GIANT MIGRAINE and seriously i suck at talking to cashiers on the best of days but now i have to call a taxi at midnight and sit there feeling awkward for like half an hour while the guy drives me several miles away to the only electricity place thats open 24/7 and like five minutes in i realized OH SHIT THIS MIGRAINE IS MORE SERIOUS THAN I EXPECTED but like i was trapped in a car and trapped in an awkward social situation! so i was here all dizzy and disassociating and like it felt like the window was a computer screen?? cos im nearsighted a lot and of course its gonna get even worse when i have a dizzy migraine of death doom. i was just so out of it with pain and tiredness and the car shaking me about and just it felt like i wasnt really there but i was still in my house just watching all this on the tv or something. i had to look down at my hands cos they were the only non blurry thing, i had to remind myself that i actually existed and wasnt somehow being erased from the world and replaced by a film reel of some guy sitting in a car?? So I am like Absolutely Fucking Nonfunctional here, and being acutely aware of how i forgot to wear my glasses and apparantly also my socks. Tho in my defense it would have been hard to put them on in the dark anyway! and seriously THIS POOR CAB GUY! like it seemed english wasnt his first language and i felt so bad cos like how can i make it clear that I am the one messing up here?? dude you didnt mishear me i really am slurring everything i say and forgetting half the dictionary. HE WAS SO NICE! I wish i could have like.. been able to register any of his individual faceparts as a coherant whole. I have problems with prosopagnosia even on a good day, but like whoa man i did not have the energy left to concentrate on what this guy even looked like. i feel bad cos i dont know his name either, im gonna remember him as just this big helpful shadow void with a nice accent. HOW DID YOU PUT UP WITH ME EMBARASSING MYSELF SO MUCH, YOU WONDERFUL CABMAN actaully wait do you call them cabs in america aa im sorry this post isnt very america translated i try and generally self-correct to america english cos i know like 90% of my followers seems to be america for some reason i do not understand HELLO AMERICDA FRIENDS TODAY okay so i was Dying in a taxi which is also called a cab, and the company was Capital Cabs which is very good and i love them and they have an automated system so you dont have to talk on the phone and seriously that cut like 50% of terror from this terror day SO ANYWAY I WAS DYING we go all over the place looking for the 24 hours electric place, and then for some reason they are closed?? there was a line outside and i think actually the doors got stuck and the cashiers couldnt get out??? what happened?? i guess i will never know cos i had to leave that mini story behind and find another electric hilariously we found one LITERALLY ACROSS THE ROAD there was THE SAME SHOP ACROSS THE ROAD FACING EACH OTHER MIRROR IMAGE WHAT like seriously fuck im already in a dizzy daze floating halfway out my own body like i didnt need any more evidence im currently in wonderland i want to know this story too, dammit! are those rival stores?? of the same brand?? somehow?? or are they owned by the same person?? because why?? is it like the area was so in-demand of small 24/7 shops that they had to make two within five metres of each other? or is it like they’re the same shop but they didnt have enough space to build the full size they wanted so they purchased two smaller land plots? or something? DID IT JUST EXIST FOR THIS SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCE OF ME NEEDING THE SHOP WHEN THE SHOP IS CLOSED “tumblr blogger tumblunni will show up fuckin migraine stoned on the 9th of november, as the prophecy foretold” omg i just mispelled prophecy as prophey and that sounds like a cute ass oc name holy shit ANYWAY im here dissacoiating my ass off and trying and failing to stick my debit card in the card machine and all the time im like FUCKIN OBSESSING over how sauboh is a really better name. Like faba is still a cute name but sauboh is a COOL name! no name is better than sauboh! and why u wanna this evil man have a cute name anyway?? when u be all cruel in the anime and sand off even the slightest non horrible edges he ever had, like seriously im unreasonably upset that everyone hates faba even more now. when will i get my sneaky science grandpa guy who is not evil for once but merely misunderstood and then i adopt him and hug him many and the all is resolved so yeah im fuckin haviung trouble focusing on what im actually doing jesus christ then i stumble into the store and i pay for my electric and im like ‘no no no fucking shit this migraine is WAY worse than i expected, im going to fucking die’ so i ask if they have any paracetamol but i cant remember the word for paracetamol and its all super embarassing. and like THE GUY LOOKS AT ME AS IF IM CRAZY. He’s all ‘ugh why would we have that, geez’. like wtf?? i mean i know i couldnt remember the name of it but i said ‘headache medicine’ so im sure he understood what i meant. i had a long rambling discussion with the taxi man about how weird that was, he was like ‘no, seriously EVERY 24 hour newsagent sells that stuff’ and i was like ‘no seriously he was rude to me for asking, like wtf’ and then i repeated the story about three more times cos i was currently in the throes of brain death in retrospect maybe the cashier thought i was drunk or something?? or high? i mean you cant get high from headache pills but i dunno maybe they mix badly with booze and he thought he was saving my life. i like to think the best of people! i wish i hadnt jumped to the grumpy conclusion during that moment and then whined like a lil bitch to this poor cab man and seriously he was SO NICE! he was like ‘dude seriously we’d have to drive anothr five miles to find another newsagent shop, im trying to save you money’ and he tried to give me some of the paracetamol he had in his wallet and i was like YOURE SO FUCKIN NICE IM DYING, I COULD NEVER ACCEPT THAT but also in retrospect probably that was a good decision cos even if the guy seemed super nice and trustable its like Good Life Policy to not take medicine from people you don’t know. I am 100% sure tho that he actually was genuine and wasnt gonna fuckin murder me with fakeacetamol HE WAS SO NICE! HIM AND HIS NONDESCRIPT FACIAL REGION! why cant i remember ANYTHING about this man oh and also I was able to give some money to a lady on the street!! i don’t know if she was actually homeless, she said that she had some trouble with a hotel booking or something so she was just stuck sleeping outside for the night. i cant remember if she had any luggage so i cant verify if the story is true, it just made me really sad wondering if it WASNT true and its like she needed to lie or people wouldnt give her money?? like seriously homeless people are the most vunerable yet theyre the ones people have the least sympathy for! wtf having to like like ‘i need the money less’... anyway i also couldnt remember her face and was kinda slurring my words to death and i didnt have much money to give but aaaa i hope i helped!! so yeah fuckin SMASH CUT to the next newsagent place and seriously i swear i blacked out for a minute cos it was just like wow we’re there in 48 seconds yet the clock says a bunch more miles and THEY HAD PARACETALMOL AND I WAS FUCKIN CRYING IN A SPAR MART thenk u cashier man who was probablyh very confused at this guy with no socks also for some reason my mind was wandering to the topic of what i’d do if i got misgendered in a cinema, like holding this fuckin entire fictional argument with this manifestation of my own self doubt WHAT EVEN INSPIRED THAT THOUGHT PROCESS so i’m nigh passing out and the nice cab man takes me home and he tries to make me pay less than the fee on the clock and im like NO DUDE IT WAS MY OWN CHOICE TO GO 2 PARACETAMOL SHOP seriously he was SO NICE why cant i remember his faaaaaace and i usually like to give a tip to the taxi guy even though tipping isnt really a thing in my country cos just i feel like Being Nice Is Nice and i want to thank them for their nice but i DIDNT HAVE ANY MORE MONEY LEFT so aaaa i was only able to give him an extra £0.50 but thank you taxi man i hope you have a good night and good life and the universe rewards you for helping a migraine fucked bunbun this eve and now ive shoved medicines in my fave and im just waiting for them to kick in and i know i should eat something but i feel so nauseous aaarglefargle also nice taxi man told me a story about how the same thing happened to him once except the electric went out while he was in the shower. So he just got blasted by cold water AND had to stumble down the stairs in the dark, and then friggin buy electric while his ears were still fulla soap. Whoa dude your bravery in face of embarassment exceeds my own! i love you platonically mr cab man thanks for making me feel less nervous and such while i was Die so yeah hopefully i will be less die soon ok bye also sauboh is a best name and i need to steal it for an oc or something NINTEND U LET IT SLIP AWAY

[callsignbaphomet]

1-60 for Jelani (i believe thats how u spell it omg im sorry im AWFUL w names)

Yeah, that's how you spell his name. I'm terrible with names as well, it's why I gotta keep repeating them or I'll forget lol1: What is your character's biggest fear?Migraine attacks. He gets them at random and after countless tests no one has any idea what sets them off or why. Besides the immeasurable amount of pain that can cause him to blackout, his blood pressure spikes and he gets really bad nosebleeds and what's worse is that after a migraine attack his night terrors and sleep paralysis act up even more which makes him freak out and often ends with him being sedated.After migraine attacks he's hit with some very heavy insomnia that can last a week and some odd days, which brings a whole new mess of problems and risks: the fast and erratic heartbeats, the schizophrenia-like symptoms, imbalance of hormones, memory loss, headaches, microsleeps, hallucinations and so on. The only thing that sorta helps is a chemically induced coma.2: What is your character's favorite memory?When he was a kid Loke and Alfr would always take him everywhere and would constantly play with him. Alfr was kind of like an older sibling to him. One time Loke and Alfr set out to take some supplies to another village which was a 4 day trip and they took Jelani with them. Just four days with his brother and his brother's boyfriend travelling by themselves.3: What is your character's least favorite memory?During a raid his paternal grandfather was gravely injured and as much as Jelani tried to help he still died in front of him.4: Does anyone have a crush on your character? Is your character aware of this?Currently Mason does. Jelani knows but he is not going to do anything about it. He's married.5: Describe your character's dream date.Something simple. Out to eat, find a nice and tranquil place to just talk until sunrise.6: What is your character's sexual orientation?Pansexual.7: How does your character feel about their name?What's not to like? He was named after his maternal grandfather, the name means "mighty" and it only helps to boost his already elevated ego. He probably woulda ended up being named Ragnvaldr but his dad insisted that his mom name him.8: Does your character hate anyone? Why?Lucian. Out of jealousy he turned the other celestial beings against Jelani and a whole drama started that ended in war and billions dead. TBH Jelani shoulda known better but he had a short temper back then.Hróarr. The man that killed his paternal grandfather. He became Hróarr One-Armed after Jelani and Loke crippled his arm to the point where it had to be cut off.Angelus' entire maternal family. Kinda obvious as to why.9: How does your character feel about religion?He doesn't care for it much in terms of being "really devote", not exactly his thing though he does respect it. However, he does not respect the concept of Christianity, he doesn't trust it. But he has no problem with Christians themselves as long as they don't come at him with "drop paganism it's wrong" or those that use it as an excuse for pushing forward hate.10: Would your character ever kill someone?That's practically his job. Most of the threats they face HAVE to be taken out. When he was younger he and his family were dedicated to wiping out related threats.11: How did your character meet their best friend?He was born lolJelani considers his older brother his best and closest friend.12: How would/does your character feel about roller coasters?He loves going on roller coasters! The scarier and faster and bigger the better!13: What would your character die for?His brother, husband, family and close friends.14: What is the cutest thing your character has ever done?He was too nervous to propose face to face so he grabbed Maya (Angelus' pet ferret), tied a ribbon around her neck with the ring on it and sent her to Angelus. He didn't exactly ask, Angelus kind of asked him if that's what he meant and in the shiest whisper he confirmed that that's what he meant.15: What music genre would your character listen to?Black metal, symphonic metal, death metal. Metal!16: What other fictional characters remind you of your character?I don't wanna compare any OC to other fictional characters. Sounds stupid but I really don't like that.17: Does your character have any irrational fears?Absolute darkness. Not like the night or just a dark hall. I mean absolute darkness where you can't even see your own hands in front of you.18: How would your character feel about having their life recorded?Pissed off. He likes his privacy.19: What is your character's deepest, darkest secret?Okay, tl;dr. When Morris, Loke, Jelani and Trevor got Angelus away from his abusers Angelus made Morris promise not to hurt them. Morris never did, only because he thought it would make Angelus' guilt and mental state worse.Skip to 2 centuries later and by sheer coincidence Angelus bumped into Lexington who was the most abusive towards him. Lexington just took him with him and tortured him. Why? Idk he's an abusive predator who hated his nephew more than anything else and the thought of Angelus still being alive and happy pissed him off.So after they found Angelus Jelani and Loke found out it was Lexington so Jelani went to find him. Spent a week torturing him and then killed him. He dropped what remained of Lexington at Angelus' grandmother's place and warned her that if anyone of them ever came near him again he'd personally kill her entire family in front of her and then turn her over to some Slayers.Angelus doesn't know Jelani did that. The only one who knows anything is Loke.20: What is the most surprising thing about your character?He sleeps with a nightlight on because of night terrors that he never outgrew.21: Is your character flexible?Physically? Personality wise? Not really for the first. Yeah for the second one.22: What is the worst thing your character has ever done?Started a war that ended in the deaths of millions of celestial beings, almost destroyed an empire, led to his and thousands of other's exile.23: Is your character morally gray or black or white?Gray. V E R Y gray.24: What prejudices does your character have?None. He and his brother were raised to treat others as they'd like to be treated, to treat everyone with respect, that prejudices are harmful and why, and to be honest if he had any prejudices he wouldn't have been accepted into the organization much less been made second in command or even eventually end up as first in command.25: Would you want to hang out with your character?YES!26: What is your favorite headcanon for your character?Wouldn't this make it canon? Lmao.Anyway, been playing with the idea that after his arc he begins to try to tap into his abilities which some include magic so he switches between male and female just for fun.27: What would be the worst way for your character to die?Dying knowing that his brother or husband or family or close friends were in danger but he wouldn't be able to do anything about it.28: What pet would your character like to have?He actually has a female ball python named Slinky.29: What would be your character's favorite food?Sushi.30: Would your character have any hobbies?Reading. He reads a lot. Also video games.31: What social media would your character use?Most likely Twitter and Instagram.32: What does your character look like?Cheapo rundown. Well built, very tall, long black straight hair that he's not really fond of since he feels it just sits there and looks dull as hell, blue eyes, really dark skin and has a strange mark on his lower left side that looks like a burn. It's a sigilbut he doesn't know that until his arc.33: In what ways is your character like you?Stubborn and competitive.34: What is cliche about your character?Metalhead that's really into satanic aesthetic and imagery just for the shock factor.35: What is unique about your character?I guess the fact that he is a Maker (god of all gods) of the primordial pantheon.36: Does anyone want to harm your character?So many enemies over the centuries. There's a lot of people that wanna kill 'im but Lucian NEEDS to if he plans on keeping the realm under his command.37: Do people have justified grudges against your character?Check the previous answer.38: What role does your character play in their story?He's one of the main characters.39: What would be your character's niche on Tumblr?He would probably last three minutes on Tumblr. See what a dumb mess it is and then deactivate.40: What would be your character's favorite school subject?History and science.41: Would your character want to have any children?He's thought about it but not really.42: What would be your character's dream career?He's been doing what he's been doing for so long that nothing else would be as satisfying or even worth it.43: What is your character insecure about?Not being good enough. Messing up so badly that it would cost someone their life.44: What is your character proud of?How much he has climbed within the organization. He was the top agent for centuries which landed him a place amongst the three leaders and not just any, once Morris steps down he'll leave the organization in Jelani's hands.45: What would your character change about themselves?He'd prefer to have his mother's hair. Most likely different eye color because he's had it up to here with comments like, "Oh, wow, that is so rare on someone like you."46: Would you want to trade places with your character?God, yes, you have no idea.47: What fandoms would your character be in?He wouldn't be in any fandom. He'd peak in a little bit every once in a while but he'd never go into it.48: How would your character type?On mobile he's pretty fast. Keyboard not fast but not slow either.49: How does your character stand politically?You know the side that's NOT xenophobic, racist and downright horrible unless you're a rich, straight, cisgender, white male? Yeah, that one.50: What is your favorite thing about your character?Despite the fact that he's so powerful and capable of taking care of himself in practically any scenario he still needs his older brother.51: What is your character's favorite animal?Otters.52: How would your character act in gym class?Would participate but wouldn't go all out.53: What clubs would your character join?Book club and anything to do with video games.54: What is the saddest thing about your character's life?I can't think of anything. He's one of my OCs that's had it relatively good.55: Would your character do the Ice Bucket Challenge?Why do something idiotic when you can just donate the money directly?56: What's one of your character's quirks?He's a bit of a neat freak, everything has to be clean and tidy in his apartment.57: How would your character feel about feminism?He IS one. Without it a lot of things wouldn't have happened to make life livable for many people, himself included.58: Is your character dorky or more athletic?More dorky.59: What is your least favorite thing about your character?His ego can be jarring.60: If you could title your character's life, what would you title it?Lol I couldn't think of anything.

[jamest-kirk]

I seriously can't get enough of your Almost Human AU. If you could do another one (or maybe turn it into a fic) I'd love you forever omg

I’d love to turn it into a full fic, but I never complete anything in my life, hence the short bullet point stories haha.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

Leonard’s head is pounding when he wakes up. Not from alcohol; he doesn’t remember drinking excessively earlier that night. Jim’s presence usually takes away the need to drink a lot. A few beers is enough while they walk, bicker, or just relax together. Though Jim doesn’t drink, and that kind of takes away the pleasure of drinking in company. No, this headache isn’t from drinking. If the blood trickling down from his head to his face is any indication; it definitely wasn’t caused by drinking. Not just that, there’s a faint beeping ringing in his ears, and when he reaches out, he becomes increasingly aware that this isn’t his bedroom. He’s outside, in the park. And there’s a bomb strapped around his neck. “Good evening, agent McCoy,” a voice rings from the phone strapped to the bomb - filming his every second. “Nero,” Leonard says, “I take it you’re no longer in jail.” “Smart. You smart enough to dismantle that bomb, too? Don’t think so. You have 20 minutes, and the world’s watching.” “You know I’m just going to lock you up again,” Leonard says, his fingers reaching out to feel the thing around his neck. “What, from the afterlife? Good luck with that.”

Leonard isn’t calm. He’s anything but. The fact that he’s didn’t wake up in the morning in his bed is concerning enough, let alone the fact that there’s a bomb strapped to his neck, and he has no idea where Jim is. But the world is watching him through that stupid phone that’s filming him. He thought he captured this man before - who traps people into this life-or-death game and has the world watching them, placing bets debating who should be next. Of course, considering Leonard put him behind bars, he would be the first to go after now that Nero’s out. “Bones!” Jim calls out so suddenly Leonard nearly jumps, though his voice is such a relief. “Jim,” Leonard sighs a little breathlessly when the other approaches him, “careful.” “I swear to God, I’m away for one night and you get a bomb strapped to your neck,” Jim says, slowing down once he gets closer to the park bench Leonard’s sitting on, “can’t leave you alone for two seconds. Who’d you piss off this time?” “Nero,” Leonard says, “his real name, it’s all in the files in the precinct. I locked him up before.” “Clearly didn’t do a good job at that,” Jim replies, “let me have a look.” “Jim, you have to get to a safe distance.” “Let me have a look,” Jim repeats. “Jim,” Leonard insists, “I only have two minutes left.” “Exactly,” Jim says, “let me have a look.” 

It doesn’t help that Leonard’s fingers are pretty much shaking by now. He never particularly feared death before, but this is different. It feels like he has someone in his life again - which takes away that otherwise sacrificial behavior he had before. “Jim,” Leonard says when there’s less than 30 seconds left, “you should go.” “No,” Jim says, his fingers still working on the bomb, “it’s you and me, Bones. ‘til the end.”

When Jim pulls the bomb off and stops the timer, Leonard isn’t sure whether to laugh or cry, or both. Jim reaches out and cups Leonard’s cheeks. “Are you okay?” he asks, and Leonard nods. Jim tilts Leonard’s head just lightly, examining the wound on his head. “What took you so long to show up here, huh?” Leonard says, and Jim laughs, leaning in to press a kiss to Leonard’s lips.

Little do they know the consequences of that display of affection, though. It isn’t exactly allowed to be in an actual relationship with androids. But Jim is different. Jim has a soul. It’s consensual, he doesn’t get treated like a second class citizen, Leonard thinks. But he is, and Leonard receives a less-than-friendly talking to about this at work. It’s not that his captain really cares, but the law is the law. To make matters even worse, Jim is quietly doing research with  Leonard on Nero’s whereabouts when a few colleagues pass by and both catch them bad-talking the recorded events of just the day before. Leonard visibly tenses, but Jim rests his hand on Leonard’s shoulder. “Don’t,” he warns him, “not worth it.” “You always let a robot tell you what to do?” one of the agents says, and Leonard grits his teeth. He could have shrugged it off on any other day, but he hasn’t closed an eye last night because he nearly died, and now this guy is giving him shit. So before Jim can stop him, Leonard’s in front of the guy and punches him in the face.

It doesn’t end well. Leonard gets suspended, Jim is permanently reassigned to a different agent. "What is wrong with you?“ Jim insists when he comes home. “Nothing,” Leonard replies. “Bones, your pulse is racing, you’re clearly angry. You punched a fellow cop in the face-” “He was disrespectful to you,” Leonard interrupts. Jim sighs, sitting down next to the other. “You smell like alcohol,” he says, and Leonard shrugs. “Bones,” Jim continues, reaching out to cup Leonard’s cheek and tilting his head to make the other face him, “who cares what the other detectives think? You’re a good agent, you’re wasting your own time and that of potential victims when you’re sitting here doing nothing. I don’t care about being treated like a ‘second class citizen’, I don’t.” “How can you not care?” Leonard asks, and now it’s Jim’s time to shrug. “I don’t know any better.” “That’s just wrong,” Leonard says, and Jim smiles. “That’s coming from the one who told me he’s not attracted to ”robots“ and prefers his partners alive.” Leonard huffs, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Jim’s lips. A little drunkenly so, but soft none the less. Jim slowly pulls away. “You gonna admit you behave this way because you didn’t close an eye last night? You almost died. Not being able to sleep is normal, just admit you’re scared.” Leonard rolls his eyes at that, pushing Jim further away. “Never.”

Jim works with agent Sulu now. Leonard’s not very close with him, but Sulu treats Jim with respect and Leonard follows their case from a distance - quietly pleased when they rescue a group of kids being taken hostage. Leonard’s bored out of his mind all by himself, though. He needs to have something to do, and so he goes back looking for Nero. First he just checks those streaming websites he’s used before, and then he gets Spock to try and track him down. “I can help,” Uhura says, and Leonard raises an eyebrow. “Shouldn’t you be with Pike?” “I rather work here,” Uhura replies, before throwing him a sympathetic smile, “I’m sorry you got suspended.” “Yeah, well,” Leonard starts, but in lieu for an actual answer, he just shuts up and glances at the computer screen. Just by touching the tablet, Uhura downloads all of Leonard’s findings to her own hard drive, and Leonard and Spock mostly just quietly wait while she works. “You keeping more pretty ladies in this basement, or what?” Leonard asks, and Spock raises an eyebrow. “Uhura wants to be here. At least I don’t boast my illegal relationship to the public by showing public display of affection while my own potential death is being livestreamed.” “You watched that video, huh?” “Leonard, the whole country’s watched that video.” “Strange,” Uhura says, and that brings both boys’ attention back to her, “I’m tracking all the CCTV in the city, but the only potential match I get is currently in the precinct.” Leonard frowns, instantly reaching out for his jacket. “He’s after Jim.”

He’s not after Jim. Jim’s just an insignificant android, after all. Leonard finds out that, instead, he’s after the whole precinct. By the time he arrives, all the doors of the precinct are locked and barricaded, and all the police men and women are trapped inside with a ticking time bomb. “Jim,” Leonard says through his phone when the other picks up, “what’s happening in there?” “People tried to disable the bomb, but whoever touches it gets electrocuted. I’m not sure what to do, Leonard.” “I’m going to find Nero. In the meantime, try and find a way to disable the electricity. Make sure no one else gets hurt.” “Be careful,” Jim says, and Leonard smiles. “You too.”

He does find Nero nearby. He’s always within earshot of the crime scene and this time isn’t really any different. Leonard struggles to overpower him, but he manages.  A gun pointed to the back of Nero’s head isn’t enough to actually disable the bomb, but after Leonard shoots both his legs and leaves him unable to run, he’s ready to comply. He releases the barricades that keeps his colleagues trapped inside, and it allows them to flee outside while actual bomb disposal experts manage to diffuse the thing.

Jim doesn’t even care about the law when he sees Leonard again. He pulls him into a tight hug, and Leonard is happy to accept that. “You okay?” Leonard asks, reaching out to run his fingers through Jim’s hair, and Jim nods. “I’m fine. Most people are fine. What about Nero?” “He’s going back to prison. For a long time, this time.” Leonard says. 

“You saved a lot of lives today, McCoy,” his captain says, and Leonard shrugs lightly. “Just doing my job.” “No,” she replies, “not your job, because I had to suspend you.” “I understand why you had to,” Leonard says, “I’m not asking for my job back, I just-” “Tough,” she replies, “I expect you in the office on Monday.” She smiles, and so does Leonard. “I’m… assuming I’m going to be assigned an MX, then?” “No, I think Jim’s good for you,” she says, “I won’t say anything if you don’t.”

“Were you scared?” Jim asks when they’re at home. “Of what? You dying? Please, I was hoping for some peace and quiet,” Leonard says, and Jim laughs. “I know that’s not true, because the last time that happened you literally found my maker to bring me back.” Jim sits down next to him, slowly sliding an arm around the other’s waist. “Not a teeny, tiny bit inside of you was worried about losing me?” He continues, and Leonard smiles almost fondly, reaching out to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m not nearly as afraid of losing you in a work related accident, as I am afraid of losing you because of these backwards laws,” Leonard finally admits. Jim reaches out, the hand on his waist running through Leonard’s always-messy (these days, anyway) hair. “We won’t let that happen.”

[annisaagettar]

Review: Springboard

Back days when I was at the event of Big Bad Wolf I failed to find Malcolm Gladwell’s books as I later thought that books sold there were those kinds of ‘non-bestseller’ or ‘non-popular’ ones to which Mr. Gladwell’s books don’t belong. So I find this book by G. Richard Shell. My eyes just fell in love with the cover: white with a little colorful part. Its publisher is Penguin group too so even though no bestseller labeled there,  I decided to grab it as I thought it won’t be that disappointing. It even came to be the first book I read once I was home.

Mr. Shell is an author as well as a lecturer, and I find that’s why his writing style feels like a textbook which is in sequence and shows the readers how to be success step by step. Thankfully the way he delivers the ideas is like many my favorite authors, telling stories and finding what lessons we could draw from it. So I enjoyed until the last page.

My favorite part by far is a topic about finding meaningful work that is mentioned as an inner dimension to success. Every one of us defines and means it differently and indeed no precise definition of what a meaningful work is. Yet we can seek it—if we think we haven’t met such work yet—by considering these seven foundations to reflect job or carriers we land.

1.      Personal growth and development

2.      Entrepreneurial independence

3.      Religious and spiritual identity

4.      Family

5.      Expressing yourself through ideas, invention, or the arts

6.      Community—serving a cause, helping people in need

7.      Talent-based striving for excellence

Reading this part, of course, I straight reflect on my current job. Being part of a new and dynamic startup business is really challenging indeed and sometimes gives me an omg-my-head-is-going-to-explode headache, due to targets we should achieve and issues we encounter every minute. Yet I realized wholeheartedly that I love what I’m doing today in spite of such a headache.

As a student of agriculture back years in college, I learned that the sector encounters several issues which one of them now I have chances to solve through my current work. And it makes me happy and enthusiast to run my day each morning I leap out of bed. Besides, the most important matter actually is the value I try to create by helping those in need of solutions which in my case are farmers.

It’s kind of my effort to implement this beautiful hadith of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, “The best of people are those who bring most benefit to the rest of mankind.” I’m thankful, yet hopefully won’t stop here and will continue to strengthen my shoulders to explore more my own self in search of the meaningful work. Simply, my journey hasn’t landed yet.

Mr. Shell then tells the readers that meaningful work could be derived from an intersection of three overlapping circles: the jobs that will pay you something, the jobs that use your talents and strengths, and the jobs that ignite your passions and sense of purpose. I was told also how Steve Job made significant values in his life. He loved to remember death. 32.850 is the number of days if we were lucky enough to be given the age of ninety. This is he said,

…the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything—all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure—these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. You are already naked. There is no reason to follow your heart.

And this reminds me of another hadith of Prophet Muhammad once he’s asked who the wisest people are. He answered,

…the one who remembers death most often and the one who is well-prepared to meet it. These are the wise: being honorable in this life and dignified in the Hereafter.

Meaningful work, I know it’s not easy to find and feels just like the trial and error process of observation. We should sharpen our capability in many areas and don’t give up in the midst of storm, obstacles, and boredom that might come along with the process. Stumble and fall? No matter, we just need to get up, take the lesson and rerun. Don’t be indolent. Tired is a certainty, therefore refreshing and recharging is okay to do sometimes along the journey.

After all keep looking forward what the important and precious matter within our own selves. Everything we need might right in our backyard if we will only take the time to look. Also, reflecting what our purpose in life will help us to understand ourselves better and eventually lead us to find what matters that truly meaningful are.

I rated this book four stars anyway. If you need something to accompany you while enjoying coffee or waiting sleepiness comes at night, it can be a good friend to you for sure.