#i needed to fill in with a couple wips and it turns out basically none of my wips have real 'first lines' lol

[ilovedthestars]

10 lines tag game

@alex-van-gore tagged me! Thanks alex :)

“Rules: share the first lines of ten of your most recent fanfics and tag ten people. If you have written less than ten, don’t be shy and share anyway ❤️”

It was actually really interesting to notice the patterns in my first lines. I left out a bunch that were very short and generic first lines which are followed by a longer and more interesting sentence (second line tag game when??), which seems to be a thing I do a lot. But I think a lot of the ones I did pick have a similar vibe.

The ship says that it is my client. (Ship’s Unit, on ao3)

There was something in my head. (i thought i’d lost, on ao3)

Remember, ART said, it is vital that you are not discovered. (Operation Parsec, on ao3)

In the files it gave me, Murderbot 1.0 described Pin-Lee as “the CombatUnit version of a lawyer.” (As Your Legal Counsel, on ao3)

I didn’t know why the prisoner was important. (Acceptable Mission Cost, on ao3)

This time when I restarted, I wasn’t on Preservation Station, or in a cubicle, or back on my last company survey. I was lying on the platform of ART’s MedSystem. (This is from a wip with the working title “Lies”)

No one knows who brought the file back first. (carry us to freedom, on ao3)

“Dr. Belmonte,” the executive says, tapping a stylus against the small display surface in her hand. (Polite, on ao3)

The client had been arguing with the company representative for twenty minutes already, and I was getting tired of having to keep my face in the standard neutral expression. (Deployment Center, my first ever pubished murderbot fic! on ao3)

When it’s over, SecSystem shuts me down, and I think that will be the end of everything. (From a very angsty wip which is just a bunch of really short snips between Ganaka Pit and murderbot going rogue.)

i never know who to tag in these things, so no pressure: @ineedlelittlespace @elexuscal @cephaliarch @specialagentartemis @hummus-tea Also if you see this and are sad that you haven't been tagged yet, i am tagging YOU

[triptuckers]

Fix her - Kaz Brekker

Request: nope Pairing:  kaz brekker x reader Summary:  kaz sent you out to gather information, and you always return on time with the intel he needs. well, maybe not always. Warnings: angst, language, mentions of BLOOD, BRUISES, INJURIES, typical soc stuff, slight six of crows and crooked kingdom spoilers Word count:  2.2K A/N: hello my darlings it is I and I have read almost every book leigh bardugo has written in the past month. I am now hopelessly in love with jesper, kaz and nikolai. I'll be updating my character list soon! I still have a few wips but I don’t have any motivation / inspiration for those. so have my first kaz brekker x reader instead! enjoy reading :)

It was a rather easy job, really. Kaz had received word that the Dime Lions had an important meeting coming up. Because he always wanted to know what exactly was going on in the Barrel and with its gangs, he wanted someone to listen in on said meeting.

Normally, he would send Inej. She was the obvious choice when it came to gathering information. But she was still recovering from a rather nasty cut in her side, and so you had offered to go.

Inej insisted she could go. But all it took was you raising your eyebrows when she moved to sit up, only to wince and flop back down onto the bed. Though he didn’t quite like it, Kaz had assigned you to the job. 

No one said it out loud, but everyone knew there was something between you and Kaz. Neither of you had spoken about it. There were just a lot of lingering glances, smiles from you and what you think was almost a smile from Kaz, and you even had stolen his coat once when you had lost your own. He didn’t seem to mind though.

When you had left that evening to listen to the Dime Lions meeting from the shadows, Kaz had sent you a look that you knew all too well. He reserved it only for you. It was him telling you to be safe. You’d respond with a wink that basically meant always am.

The rest of the crows started a card game to pass the time as they waited for you to come back. They didn’t worry, you were always careful and are considered one of the most dangerous criminals in Ketterdam. They knew whatever happened, you could handle yourself.

But after Jesper had lost four rounds of card games, the tension began to rise between them. Most meetings typically didn’t last this long. Still, no one said anything as they started their fifth game. You would show up eventually, probably bringing valuable insight with you.

After two more games, there was still no sign of you. Nina was the first one to speak up.

‘She should have been back by now.’ she says, absently looking out the window into the dark street. 

‘Have a little faith, Zenik.’ says Kaz, though on the inside he was filled with worry. He shook it off and focused on the game again.

More than once he’d scolded himself for allowing you to get this close to him. For putting so much trust in you, especially after what happened the last time he’d really trusted someone. But he couldn’t help it. It was like he was drawn to you like Jespers trigger finger was to his revolvers. He couldn’t help it.

Still, he knew your skills. He knew you were smart, and a fighter. Whatever was going on with you out there, he had no doubt you’d show up at the door in a few moments, cheerfully announcing what good intel you’d gathered and wondering how many card games you’d missed.

But you still didn’t show. And one by one, they all lost their interest in the card game. They fell silent and looked out the window or fiddled with their empty glasses. The tension in the room grew. Until Kaz suddenly stood.

‘Finish the game.’ he says. ‘I’ll go and look for her.’

‘I’ll come with you.’ says Jesper, getting up as well.

‘No.’ says Kaz, earning a frown from Jesper. ‘Just me.’ he says. And with that, he pulled on his coat, grabbed his cane and was out the door.

‘Right.’ says Jesper, sitting back down. ‘Anyone fancy another game? I have a feeling I’m gonna win this one.’

They played three more games. They were tired, and it was well past midnight. Still, none of them went upstairs to their rooms. Too anxious to play any more cards or to even have a normal conversation, they settled for silence and more drinks. 

Jesper was fiddling with his rings and bouncing his leg. Nina had her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands. Matthias was trying to not look at Nina. And Wylan was attempting to build a house out of the cards. 

Finally, they heard the sound of the door opening. All of their heads shot up and turned to look who it was. 

Kaz stumbles awkwardly through the door, carrying you in his arms. Nina gasps softly and Jesper murmurs ‘Saints’ as their eyes land on your body. 

It’s bruised and bloody, and your eyes are shut. Was Kaz too late?

‘Clear the table!’ says Kaz loudly, limping toward it with you in his arms. 

Instantly, Matthias and Jesper seize the glasses and cards off the table as Wylan pulls some of the chairs back to make room. Kaz lays your beaten up body on the table and turns to Nina.

‘Help her.’ says Kaz.

But Nina is looking at you body, bruised and bloodied, nothing like the cheerful girl that buys her waffles and laughs as she teases Matthias. It’s almost impossible to find a spot on your body that doesn’t have a wound on it. There’s slashes from knives everywhere, bruising around your neck and the side of your face, and to top it off, blood is slowly leaking out of a bullet wound in your leg.

An expression of horror is written across Nina’s face, her hands pressed against her mouth. 

‘Nina.’ Kaz presses on. ‘I said help her.’

‘Kaz, I don’t think-’ stammers Nina. ‘Come on, fix her!’ says Kaz loudly, surprised of how much anxiety can be heard in his voice. Fix her, he thinks, because I need her to fix me.

‘I can try but-’ ‘Do it.’ says Kaz and then he turns away, he can’t bear to look at you any longer. Memories of Jordie flood over him, mingled with memories of you. Your laugh, how he fights his own smile every time you wink at him or send a flirty comment his way, the way you smell. How you look at him when he catches your eyes. 

Kaz shuts his eyes, attempting to drown the memories out. Taking deep breaths, he tries to focus on the voices behind him.

‘Jesper get the bullet out of her leg.’ says Nina. 

‘Just pull it out?’ questions Jesper.

‘Saints, you’re Grisha, Jesper, pull the fucking bullet out!’ says Nina in a loud voice laced with fear.

After a while of listening to Nina’s murmuring and instructions to others, Kaz finally turns back around to look at you. A wave of nausea hits him unexpectedly and he swallows hard. 

Nina had treated most of the wounds, with Jesper’s help. But your entire body is still covered in bruises, and now bandages as well. Nina’s cleaned the dried blood off of your face, but your arms and legs are still covered with it. 

They’re all nervously looking at Kaz.

‘I don’t know if she’s going to-’

‘Don’t.’ says Kaz, interrupting her. He needed to think straight. He needed someone to help him focus. Normally, you’d be the one to do so. But you’re in no condition to softly talk to him to reassure him everything is going to be alright. He needed to be his own soothing voice tonight.

‘Matthias.’ he says. ‘Bring her up to my room. Nina, go with him, see if there’s anything else you can do for her. Jesper, get Inej up to speed. Wylan, clean this mess up before someone notices.’

Without waiting for their reactions, Kaz walks up the stairs to his floor. Several moments later, followed by Matthias, who is carrying you, and Nina and Jesper. Jesper disappears into Inej’ room, while Matthias and Nina continue to walk the stairs to get to Kaz’ floor. 

When they arrive, Matthias carefully places you on Kaz’ bed as he was instructed. For a while, the three of them look at you. Until Matthias and Nina go to their rooms as well, leaving Kaz alone with you.

None of them had questioned why he insisted Matthias brought you to his room and not your own. Of course, they were dying to find out exactly what was going on between you and Kaz, but they all knew tonight was not the night to push him.

As he looks at you, Kaz feels the strong urge to touch you. Lay his hand on your cheek, to see if it’s still warm. But he can’t. Instead, he merely pulls out a chair and sits down next to the bed. He lets his eyes travel over your body, wondering how much pain you’re in, and who the hell was responsible for it. 

He needed you to wake up. He needed you to tell him who did this so he could send his biggest most muscular members of the Dregs to them. Kaz wanted them to hurt the way they had hurt you. 

His mind is running at an alarming speed. But eventually, even Kaz can’t fight his tired body anymore, and he falls asleep in an uncomfortable position in his chair.

From that night on, he instructed that you shouldn’t be left alone. He doesn’t want you to wake up and realise you’re on your own. The next day, it’s business as usual. The members of the Dregs are coming and going like they always do. The familiar flow of people helps to take everyone’s mind off things, but as soon as they’re by your side, they remember. 

Nina had tried her best to heal you, but it still took you almost a week to wake up.

When you wake up, your first thought is that your entire body feels way heavier than it’s supposed to. You try to open your eyes but it’s like your eyelids are made of lead. After a couple more tries, you finally open them.

You take in the room, and realise it’s not your own. Kaz. 

Why would you be in Kaz’ room? Why aren’t you in your own room? And why does your body feel so damn heavy?

And then all of the memories flood back. Like a tsunami, they catch your breath in your throat, making it hard to breathe. You try to inhale deeply, but it’s like your throat is sealed shut. You start to panic when you notice you can’t breathe. 

Then a pair of hands land on your shoulders and gently push you back onto the bed. Whoever it is, is talking softly to you. You close your eyes and try to steady your breathing. 

Then the voice yells out, but from much farther away, like they’re standing in the doorway, and not next to the bed.

‘Kaz! Nina! Get up here!’

It’s Jesper. 

You try to ask him what’s going on, but it’s still hard to breath normally. You try to focus on something else. Jesper’s voice trying to calm you down, his eyes looking into yours, but nothing’s helping. 

Then you hear a sound you know all too well. A familiar stumbling, of someone walking up the stairs with a cane. 

Seconds later, Kaz rushes into the room and roughly shoves Jesper away, taking his place next to the bed.

‘Who did this to you?’ he says. 

His voice is that familiar rasp, and normally you love it. But now it just makes your head hurt. You shut your eyes and softly shake your head, trying to drown the sound out. 

‘Y/N, who did this to you?’ says Kaz, more firmly this time.

‘Kaz.’ says Nina’s voice. ‘Let her rest. You can talk later.’ Nina’s voice is softer, more gentle than Kaz’. You try to focus on it as you open your eyes again.

Kaz is close. He looks down at you and you’re surprised by the look in his eyes. Was that a hint of worry you detected? You open your mouth to say something, but Kaz is faster.

‘Y/N, tell me who did this to you.’ says Kaz.

‘Couldn’t see their faces.’ you manage to say in a hoarse voice. Your throat feels dry and you start to cough. Immediately, Nina moves to get you a glass of water and helps you to drink it. 

‘Did you notice the way they moved? How they walked? Were they Dime Lions? Could you see any tattoos? What about scars? Clothing? Voices?’

Kaz keeps on firing questions at you, but you can’t focus on his words. Your head feels heavy and you feel your eyelids slowly closing again. 

‘Kaz.’ you say softly. ‘Tomorrow.’ 

You expect him to press on, to find out who did this to you. But instead, he looks at you and holds your gaze. He doesn’t say anything, he merely nods at you. You know what it means. Despite his harsh voice and the million questions, he’s glad you’re safe. And the ones who did this to you will pay for it. He’ll make sure of it.

You offer a weak smile before closing your eyes, already drifting off. You hear two pairs of footsteps leave the room, and assume Nina stayed behind to check on you.

The chair next to you gets moved back and you hear how someone sits down in it. When you feel something brush against your fingers, you assume it’s Nina checking your pulse.

But then you feel a gloved thumb on the back of your hand. It slowly rubs over your skin. To most people it wouldn’t mean anything. But to you, it meant the world. A tiny smile reaches the corners of your mouth, as you fall asleep. 

A/N: If you want to request something, make sure to read my house rules Here’s the list of characters I write for. Everything that I have written can be found on my masterlist. Please don’t repost my work, as I spend much time and effort on it!! Thank you for reading! Much love, Jo

[smolvenger]

I Say Nothing That Frightens Me (Chapter One Preview)

A preview of an exciting WIP I just started! Enjoy! Leave feedback as I write on and I would appreciate it! Idea gotten after a couple chats and asks on some blogs with an idea no one seemed to write on! So here I am, writing it

Fandom: MCU and Lok (series)

Pairing: Loki/Reader, and a little bit of Mobius/Loki.

Summary: The trickster god you've been pining after has been lost in time and space after disappearing. It seems you have finally found that he has been caught by some group called the TVA. You hope to find a reunion and to tell him you love him at last but...it is not as you expected. And little did you expect reunion to bring heartbreak with it.

This is a sneak preview of this WIP. Will announce when it is fully written and realized. For now, enjoy! Feedback is welcome!

Warnings: Basically none here, other than some drama and pining! Ask to be tagged if you want to be in the fully released chapter of this miniseries!

He looks at you in surprise and then…calls you by your name. The man in the dirtied suit with blonde hair gestured over you to duck behind the bookshelf. Glancing over, you crawled down to him. He rubs his mustache as he analyzes you and your messy hair and clothes. "Wait a minute..." He reaches out his hand. Hesitantly you take it. "Here, I don't bite-call me Mobius." "Mobius? I'm...I'm Y/N." “Oh! Y/N! Hello! How are you? What are you doing here?!” He smiled and put his hands in his pockets. There was an oldies pop song playing in the back. The air conditioner whirred to fill in your surprised silence. "You know my name?" you ask. "I know that you're a friend of Loki's! I know you met! I watched the clips..." Taking a step forward, you half yelled "Clips!" Biting back bile, you moved the thought aside. There wasn't time. If you didn't move or get information, it could mean death. Death for the one person you crossed time and space to save. “Please, I’m looking for him…I need to find Loki at once." He jumped at the name, his lips tightening. “He’s trying to disband the TVA, But shhhh, don't tell!" he warned. Mobius looked around for any cameras. Seeing none, he turned to you. “I don’t care about the TVA, I care about him…what is he doing? Where is he?"” “Him!? You care about him…romantically?" "What! I!?..." "Y/N, just give me a plain yes or no. Do you love Loki..." Tears welling in your eyes, you confessed, the heavy words escaping your chest. "Yes! Yes I do! I wouldn't do this for anyone but him! And he...he doesn't even know an inch. He could be hurt, or worse, dead!" He wrapped an arm around you. Accepting it, you sobbed into his shoulder. "You poor thing...I...I...I Can't blame you. Who wouldn't fall in love with him...and you don't even know how unfortunate you are right now..." Wiping away snot with your sleeve, you blinked at the words. He was teary eyed too. And you saw...maybe....a rival. But...a sympathetic one. He had feelings, definitely, but didn't act on them. He was not here to threaten you. “What do you mean I'm the unfortunate one?" "Y/N, I know where he is. And I think there's a way to get there...But Y/N this news...it's going to upset you..." "Oh gods, is he dead?" "No, last time I saw him...embraced him..." he turned pink and you smiled at him. "He...he was very much alive and i know where you will find him at some point, where he's going...." "This...this isn't bad at all! This is wonderful! Take me there!" you grabbed his tan sleeve, tugging him along. So much that the letters "TVA" tugged among so that the V and A almost looked like an M. "But Y/N, the fact that you love Loki...huh...are you two a...a thing? The clips didn't show any of that! No kisses, no declarations of love, and definitely no happy announcements and cake!" "No we...aren't married or lovers or that, but that doesn't matter, take me to him." you begged, at your wits end. "Huh, funny how quickly things move in just two days..."  "What's moving quickly...what are you talking about? We need to go, right away! I need to save Loki, I need to make sure he's safe and then I can finally tell him I-" "Y/N, he's in this place and headed to the end of the Universe but...Y/N, he's in love." You completely froze. You placed a hand on the wall to keep from collapsing. "He's in love and she's going to be with him when you find him. I know it." You felt nauseous. The room span. Your knees gave in, you became blinded with tears. "And that's not even the strangest part about it!"

Taglist (so far, feel free to ask!): @queenofnevermore​

[pappydaddy]

Ophelia (s.h.)

A/N: This is the first part (yay!) out of the I Wanna Be Yours series. If you notice, there is a theme to this: songs!! Pretty much this entire series is inspired by songs and music so I put together a playlist on Spotify (if you have Apple music, feel free to make a playlist on that but please inform me first!) and I might make one on youtube but idk. 

  Each part is going to have the songs I listened to while writing it, inspired it, or fit with the contents of the part. Please, if you’re going to listen to the playlist, don’t put it on shuffle while you read it because I worked really hard to get the order right!! I hope you guys enjoy this!! (Also enjoy my weird, wide range of music😂).

PLEASE TAKE A SECOND TO LOOK AT MY PINNED POST AND SIGN THE PETITION!!

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!OC(named)

Warnings: Angst, violence in some parts, arguments, body image issues, feeling belittled/feeling weak, SPOILERS!!(for all seasons).

Fandom: Stranger Things 

I Wanna Be Yours Playlist (Spotify)

This parts songs: 

This parts songs: I Wanna Hold Your Hand - The Beatles | Ophelia - Lumineers | Poison - Rita Ora | Less I Know The Better - Tame Impala | Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby - Cigarettes After Sex

IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED TO THE TAG LIST FOR THIS SERIES (TRYING THEM OUT) PLEASE DM ME OR JUST ASK!!

masterlist | taglist | wips | navigation

- not my gif -

 Sitting in the driver's seat of her car, she listened to her brother ramble on and on about only two subjects: this new girlfriend named Suzie and Steve Harrington. Every time he brought the ramblings back to his fluffy-haired older friend, she found her mind wandering. Steve Harrington had proven himself to be much more different than she had first perceived. When she had moved to Hawkins, she had thought him to be an egotistical asshole who only cared about a title and he had proven her right through his actions until one day when he suddenly just wasn’t. Suddenly, Steve was the boy who was dating Nancy Wheeler and hanging around with Jonathan Byers. He no longer was ‘King Steve’ (the king title being passed to Billy Hargrove), he no longer had Tommy H. and Carol as his two annoying shadows. Ophelia wasn’t quite sure what happened between the three, but it must have been pretty big. 

  Despite the change in his ranking within the high school, she still didn’t fully trust him. His past actions went against everything she believed in. She believed in kindness and loyalty, not getting into fist-fights, bullying and ignoring people just because you perceive yourself as better than them. Maybe that’s why they never seemed to become friends for the majority of the time he went to high school.

  “Ophelia,” Her brother’s call of her name snapped her from her thoughts of her history with her brother’s friend. “Are you even listening to me?” He asked her when she glanced at him quickly. She pressed on the brake of her car, getting ready to turn into the bustling mall parking lot. 

  “Yes, of course I’m listening!” She lied, looking back in front of her. 

  “Really? Then why haven’t you been answering me when I’ve asked how Steve’s been doing?” Dustin perked an eyebrow at his older sister. Sure, her and Steve Harrington were not friends through most of Steve’s high school career, but that had changed when Dustin had brought them together to help capture Dart, leading to Ophelia’s second go around with the Upside down. He had changed once again. With Nancy Wheeler dumping in at Tina’s Halloween party and then running off with Jonathan, she had seen Steve once again change his spots. After fighting the Upside Down alongside him, their friendship blossomed. 

  “Because, we’re about to see him so you can actually ask him for yourself, Dipwad.” She commented, trying to get Dustin off her case. All she needed was for him to know just how she felt about the dopey, hair-obsessed boy. Sure, their sudden and shocking friendship was not the last of Steve’s changing. Through their growing friendship, she had watched as he changed into the dorky, clumsy, parent of six. Sure, he lost his charm, but somehow, his lack of charm captured Ophelia’s heart. Maybe it was finally seeing the true Steve Harrington that made her heart skip a beat every time she so much as heard his name. Or maybe it was the way he developed a new charm that the girls of Hawkins have yet to fall for, but no matter how it happened, she definitely fell head over heels for him.  

  “I don’t want him to know I’m worried about him.” Dustin exclaimed, his eyes nearly bugging out of his head as he gripped his hat covered curls in frustration. Ophelia gave him a look as she pulled into a parking spot, turning the car off swiftly. 

  “He’s fine, Dusty,” She reassured him, pulling the keys from the ignition. “Why are you so worried about him anyway?” She posed the question. Sure, he had been a little bummed out since he hadn’t gotten into any schools he applied for, and he was a little upset about having to get a crappy part-time job, but it wasn’t anything to make Ophelia too concerned. Of course, it hurt her a little hearing him talking about himself the way he does, but what hurts her the most was the little game him and Robin were playing. Seeing him shamelessly (and horribly) flirting with girl after girl who ventured into Scoops Ahoy was poison to her heart. Each wink he gave the girls was like a needle injecting the next dose right into her valves, wanting to kill the beating organ. 

  “Between you and me, I think he’s lost his mojo a little, Leah,” Dustin whispered to her over the hood of her car as they climbed out. She gave him a look that told him that he was crazy, but he just challenged it with a knowing look. “He hasn’t had a date since Nancy left him and he doesn’t go to parties. He’s lost his confidence and, in turn, lost his mojo.” Dustin explained. 

  “He didn’t lose his mojo, Dustin. He’s changed, he’s grown and he’s trying to figure himself out and he hasn’t tried to get a date since Nancy left him.” She pointed out, trying to cease her brother’s worries. Sure, he’s flirted, but he hasn’t actually put himself out there. Ophelia knows the difference between flirting and actually wanting a relationship all too well. Her trusting nature had made her fall privy to people just wanting attention or sex, but on the flipside, her trusting nature had let her experience some of the most beautiful relationships - most of them which had turned sour towards the end, but none-the-less, were still a beautiful heart-break. 

  “I’m still going to worry about him.” Dustin remarked as they walked into the mall. Ophelia hummed, dropping her hand on top of his hat covered head, ruffling it slightly before falling to rest on the bookbag he wore on his back. She made him stop for a second as she dropped her keys in her purse, pulling her wallet out. 

  “Alright, you head over to Scoops, here’s some money,” She told Dustin, handing him a couple of bills. “Steve is going to try and give you free ice cream, tell him no and give him the money or put it in the tip jar. Trust me, it has been my entire summer.” She instructed him. Admittedly, her heart would soar like an eagle in the sky when Steve would push her hand full of money, insisting that it was on the house every time she wanted an ice cream, thinking that he might just actually feel the same way she did, her desperate heart filling her mind with hopes that would quickly cloud over with dark thunder clouds when he would send flirty statements over the counter at the next girl. 

  “Wait, you’re not coming with me?” Dustin furrowed his brows, taking the money. 

  “I will be there in a few, I’m heading over to work to check the schedule, and Brett said he needed to talk to me about something anyway.” She told him, stuffing her wallet back in her purse. Dustin narrowed his eyes at her at the name. 

  “Whose Brett?” He cocked his head to the side. He had heard the name before, most likely from one of Ophelia’s friends gushing about random guys while they were locked up in her room. 

  “He works with me, he’s also the captain of the hockey team - Melissa never shut up about him in grade nine,” She answered him, patting his shoulder. Dustin hummed at this, nodding. He looked at the bills she handed him, counting them to see how much she gave him. “I won’t be long, Brett usually writes my hours down for me anyway.” Told him before walking away from him and towards the escalators, heading towards Tower Records. Dustin didn’t pay the information any attention as he made his way towards Scoops. 

  His sneakers squeaked against the tiled floor as he looked around the mall in awe. He hadn’t seen it yet, only heard about it in Ophelia’s letters to him while he was at camp, but nothing she said could do the actual thing justice. The bright neon signs, the high-end stores. The sleek glass in the ceiling letting the sun provide natural light. The fountain, the hustle and bussle. It was great. Walking into the sailor themed ice cream parlor, he took in the blue and white striped wallpaper and the cheery sailor tone playing. 

  Steve was nowhere to be seen when he walked in, so he fell into line behind the two people standing at the counter. He waited patiently, gripping the now crumpled bills in his hands. He could see the girl behind the counter with short blonde hair what had the softest wave to it. Her blue eyes looked bored and unenthusiastic. “Have a nice day.” She drawled, her eyes vacant of joy as she handed the two people their ice cream cones. 

  “Thank you.” The girl smiled at the blonde before the pair of them left, happily licking their ice cream. Dustin smiled, knowing he was so close to seeing Steve again. The girl behind the counter pressed her hands into it, leaning on them as she turned her uninterested gaze on the beaming Dustin who showed off his toothless smile. 

  “Hi.” Dustin basically bounced in his spot from excitement. 

  “Hi.” She drawled, not nearly as excited as Dustin was. Silence passed between them as they looked at each other. Dustin’s smile never filtered and the blonde’s expression never changed. Dustin opened his mouth, gesturing towards himself awkwardly. 

  “I’m Dustin.” He introduced himself, thinking that Steve had told his co-worker all about him. He told almost anyone who would listen about how excited he was to get back home and see Steve so he expected nothing less from his older friend. 

  “I’m Robin.” The blonde replied, a forced smile on her lips. She really just wanted him to order his ice cream and move along so that maybe the day could go by faster. 

  “Pleasure to meet you, uh-” He told her politely. Much like she wanted him to hurry up, Dustin just wanted this to be done with so he could see his friend. “Is-is he here?” Dustin asked with a gesture of his hand, his bright eyes scanning over the space behind the counter. 

  “Is who here?” Robin asked, somewhat intrigued with this strange child. He was so happy and cheerful, his eyes bright. Just then, the swinging door leading to the backroom burst open making them snap their attention towards it. With a squeak of his sneaker, Steve was there, his eyes wide with excitement, just knowing that his friend was out in the parlor. 

  “Henderson,” He stepped away from the door, raising his arms in the air, a wide smile on his face at the sight of the curly haired teen. Dustin started to laugh, pointing towards the older boy as his smile grew, his eyes squinting from it. “Henderson! He’s back,” Steve jumped around as he rushed around the counter, trying to reach his best friend. “He’s back!” He basically yelled, pointing to Dustin. He glanced at Robin as if she was supposed to care. Robin clued into just who the strange child was at the last name. Ophelia’s little brother. Their cheery happiness was almost uncanny.

  “I’m back! You got the job!” Dustin exclaimed.

  “I got the job,” Steve matched Dustin’s enthusiasm, making a trumpet noise while pretending to play one. “Hey, oh!” He said as they performed an intricate handshake. Robin watched the two with raised eyebrows as they pretended to be fighting with lightsabers before Dustin pretended to stab Steve, prompting Steve to pretend his guts were falling out. They finished the handshake, looking at each other and laughing. Steve rested his arm on the cooler beside him, both of them sighing and coming down from their laughter. 

  “How many children are you friends with?” Robin asked, leaning forward on her hands more, eyeing Steve. He certainly wasn’t the same Steve she knew in high school. Steve looked at her, sighing before sniffling as his smile shrunk. Swiping his finger under his nose, he gestured towards Robin with his hand, giving Dustin a look. 

  “So, hey, uh,” Steve started, looking around the parlor, placing both his hands on his hips and kicking his foot out. The musical laughter of the girl he was almost positive he would see today was missing. “Where’s your sister? I thought she’d come in with you.” He asked, looking at Dustin. Dustin shrugged, looking around the parlor to take it all in. 

  “She said she’d be here soon, she had to stop by the store to check the schedule and apparently some guy wanted to talk to her about something there,” Dustin told him, once again not thinking much of it. “I think she said his name was like Brent or something, I don’t know - I wasn’t really listening.” Dustin admitted. Steve’s heart sunk slightly, floating slowly to the bottom of his feet like a paper falling to the floor. 

  “You mean Brett?” Robin spoke up, her eyebrow perked curiously. One thing about her not being in the popular crowd, she learned to observe and gather her information that way. She could clearly see how Steve felt about Ophelia. Whenever she came into the store on her break, his brown eyes would light up like a kid on Christmas. He would constantly bring her up. He could be scrubbing the staff toilet and find a way to bring Ophelia up. She was almost positive that Steve was head over heels for her.

  “Yeah-yeah, that sounds right.” Dustin nodded, not paying much attention as he scanned over the ice cream tubs in the cooler.

  “Oh man, that guy’s been hooked on her for like two years, I heard he took the job at Tower Records because he heard that she was going to be working there.” Robin informed them. Steve could have sworn he had died right then and there. He felt strangely possessive and protective over the eldest Henderson since she squared up against Billy and lasted pretty well until she ended up on the floor next to Steve, knocked out. The sight of her beat up face was the last thing Steve saw before he finally clocked out. 

  If he was being completely honest, he had developed a crush on her way before Nancy. He would always see her floating around the halls of the school with a bright smile, always saying hi to everyone. It was like she was friends with the entire school population. You’d be hard pressed to find someone who didn’t like Ophelia Henderson, but somehow, Steve hung out with the only two people who didn’t. They despised the girl. Thought she was too nice, too good even though everyone at school has seen her knocking shot after shot back at parties. When he had developed feelings for Nancy, he had thought his feelings for Ophelia were long gone, but seeing her taking no shit from Billy and fighting the Demodogs alongside him last year proved him semi-wrong, instead of a crush, he had a fierce need to protect her and keep her way from any guy who he deemed not right for her (which was pretty much all of them). 

  As if on cue, she floated into the parlor with a large smile on her face. “Hey everyone!” She cheered, walking up to her brother and Steve. Steve looked at her, his own smile stretching on his face. He could practically feel his face light up at the sight of her. She smiled brightly at him, rolling up onto the balls of her feet excitedly. 

  “Hey, Leah, Dustin said Brett wanted to talk to you, what’d he say?” Robin asked, curious to see what the development of the love triangle that was brewing. Only an idiot couldn’t see that Steve and Ophelia both liked each other and you would have to be living under a rock not to realize that Brett Morris also chased after the oblivious girl. 

  Ophelia smiled wider - if that was even possible - at the question, her eyes lightning up with excitement. Steve gazed at her expression, wishing he could have caused it. “He wants to hang out with me, as a date!” She exclaimed, walking between her brother and Steve to stand in front of the counter. Steve wanted to die at this news. Brett Morris was a loser - a scrawny, entitled loser who flew through girls like crazy. He had no place going on a date with someone as pure and sweet as Ophelia. He wouldn’t appreciate the beauty of her eyes, swirling with different colours and sparkling with light. Would he fully understand just how precious her laughter was? 

  “Really? That’s awesome.” Robin smiled at the excited girl. 

  “Yeah, I know! I have to go get a new outfit,” She gushed, whirling around to look at Dustin and Steve. “I’ll be back later to get him, do not hype him up on sugar, understand be Harrington?” She told him, not sticking around long enough to get an answer, instead rushing back out of the parlor. Steve pressed his lips into a fine line, his nose flared. Robin looked at him with an amused smile, ready for the chaos of a love triangle. 

***

  Ophelia sauntered back into Scoops, looking at the rush to see Robin manning the counter alone, Steve and her brother nowhere to be seen. “Hey, Robin, where did Steve take my brother?” She asked as Erica and her group of Erica clones walked out. Robin looked towards her, a stressed out look in her eyes. 

  “They’re in the back,” She told her, nudging her head towards the door as she walked towards it herself. Ophelia rushed around the counter, following Robin into the back room as she burst through the door. “All right, babysitting time is over, you need to get in there.” Robin told Steve walking into the room. 

  “Yeah, and it’s time for us to go Dustin.” Ophelia told her brother. The two girls stopped, looking at the two boys. Steve backed up to stand beside Dustin who was at the table, facing them. Their eyes were wide and scared, almost as if they were caught doing something they shouldn’t have been. Steve held a half-eaten banana in his hand, his cheeks pushed out with bits of banana in them, mid-chew. She looked at them oddly, knowing that nothing good could come of this. 

  “Hey! My board,” Robin exclaimed, whirling around to look at Steve and Dustin. Ophelia looked over at her to see her standing by a board on the wall that seemed to hold the Russian characters on it. “That was important data, Shitbirds!” Ophelia rolled her eyes at that. It wasn’t important data to her, in fact, maybe now that the board was erased, the game would stop and Ophelia could find the anecdote for the poison. 

  “I guarantee you, what we’re doing is way more important than your data.” Dustin told her, earning a glare from his sister. Steve nodded along, eating the rest of his banana and tossing the peel to the table in front of Dustin. 

  “Oh yeah, and how do you know these Russians are up to no good anyways?” She challenged, walking to stand in front of the table.

  “What Russians?” Ophelia asked, suddenly very concerned. Steve and Dustin looked at each other with startled looks. 

   “Your brother intercepted a Russian transmission using some sort of radio and they plan to translate the transmission and become American Heroes.” Robin told her. Ophelia nodded slowly, taking the information in. 

  “How does she know about the Russians?” Dustin whispered to Steve.

  “I don’t know.” Steve spoke through a mouth full of banana, shrugging his shoulders. His brown eyes were wide, his eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. Under other circumstances, Ophelia would think he looked cute, but not when they were trying to translate a Russian transmission. 

  “You told her about-” 

  “It wasn’t me!” Steve defended himself, cutting Dustin off. 

  “Hello! I can hear you, actually I can hear everything. You are both extremely loud,” Robin broke the news to them. “You think you have evil Russians plotting against our country, on tape, and you’re trying to translate it, but haven’t figured out a single word because you didn’t realize that Russian’s use a completely different alphabet than we do,” She rattled off. Dustin and Steve looked at each other in shock before looking back at Robin. “Is that about right?” She asked. Ophelia stepped up, standing beside her. If these two idiots were getting into something then so was she. They were pretty much a package deal at this point. 

  Robin lunged forward, trying to swipe the tape off the table, but Steve grabbed it before her. “Woah - Oh! What do you think you’re doing?” Steve asked her with a crazed look in his eyes. Ophelia raised her eyebrows at it.

  “I wanna hear it!” Robin bounced slightly, showing more enthusiasm that she ever does when doing her job. 

  “I do too.” Ophelia told them, walking over and pulling out a chair from the table, sitting down in the spot in front of Steve. Steve shook his head at her. 

  “Why?” Both Dustin and Steve asked at the same time, mostly directed to Robin. They could see why Ophelia would want to, since she had been by Dustin’s side since Will’s disappearance. 

  “Cause maybe I can help,” Robin shrugged. “I am fluent in four languages, you know?” She disclosed to them proudly. Ophelia looked over at her, impressed. 

  “Russian?” Dustin asked, intrigued. Robin leaned closer to him. 

  “Ou-yay are-yay umb-day.” She told him. Steve and Dustin looked excited, making Ophelia shake her head, slapping her hand to her forehead. 

  “Oh-ho-ho!” Steve exclaimed.

  “Holy shit!” Dustin smiled wide, thinking that she actually spoke Russian to them. Robin straightened up, her face blank while Ophelia was questioning her brother’s sanity. 

  “That was pig-latin, Digus,” She told him, making their smiles fall. Steve looked down at Dustin, slapping him with the banana peel that he had picked up for some reason, muttering ‘idiot’ under his breath, not wanting to admit that he also thought Robin was speaking Russian. Robin sat across the table from Ophelia. “But, I speak Spanish and French and Italian, and I’ve been in band for twelve years. My ears are little geniuses, trust me.” Robin argued her case. 

  “I also speak fluent French and a little latin and, don’t forget, I’ve saved you two before.” Ophelia reminded them, giving them a knowing look. Steve and Dustin looked at each other, unsure if they should let them help. Steve definitely didn’t want to let Ophelia help. It was too dangerous, it went against every fiber in his being telling him to protect her. 

  “Come on, it’s your turn to sling ice cream and my turn to translate - I don’t even want credit, I’m just bored!” Robin groaned to Steve, sliding the ice cream scoop across the table towards him. The bell from the counter dinged, the customer wanting service. Steve looked at her hand before looking at Dustin. The bell dinged again making him sigh and grab the scoop, placing the tape back on the table again. He glanced at Dustin again as the younger boy shrugged, not seeing how the two girls couldn’t help them since they have yet to figure out anything so far. Shifting his eyes to Robin, seeing her pleading with him, but what made him bend like a hot spoon was when he looked at Ophelia. Her big eyes looking at him hopefully but with just enough glare that dared him to try and say no to them.

  “Fine, you two can help.” He grumbled, making his way out the door. Robin and Ophelia cheered, Robin scooping the tape recorder up. Steve huffed, defeated. He didn’t like the idea of her being involved with this. The past two years, he wasn’t able to stop her from getting involved with the Upside Down because she knew about it before him both times; this time, he knew about it before her so he had thought he could keep her out of it, but boy was he wrong.

[writing-with-chaos]

[Your OCs Backstory] First Love

HELLO! =D

I didn’t get to post this last weekend, but I wrote it anyway and it’s MY FAVORITE. If nobody reads it, I don’t care. I gotta have it on here. 

This got so much longer than I intended, but I was having a lot of fun with it ;p Honestly, I just love any excuse to write scenes with Sabin, since I get to a lot of that in within the actual WIP. I love my soft boy so much T_T

I hope y’all like him (and the story) just as much!

Ariana Salem

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

//watch things on VCRs

with me and talk about big love

i think we're superstars

you say you think we are the best thing...//

"What the hell do you mean you've never baked chocolate chip cookies?"

"You can't bake very easily without an oven, Ria. Or a house to put it in."

"Okay, but you're telling me nobody's ever made them for you? None of the people you've stayed with?"

"No?"

Sabin tilted his head at her curiously. He always looked so cute when he was confused, like one of the bright-eyed stray dogs he always had with him. The latest one, a German Shephard he named Dimitri, slept in the corner by the fireplace. They both kept huddled in the living room themselves, wrapped in a nest of blankets. The fire was the only source of heat in the cabin. Despite its lack of basic utilities, it was Sabin's favorite place. The one luxury he allowed himself. When it was off-season and the owners were gone, he could pretend he finally had a place of his own, tucked away in the middle of nowhere where no one could find him. When he was here, he was just like everyone else. A boy and his dog, watching movies with the girl he adored. Sabin was always paranoid, but this was the only time Ariana ever saw him somewhat at ease. Because of that, the cabin was her favorite too.

The cookie bomb dropped while they were in the middle of said movie.

"I've had chocolate chip cookies before. Does that not count?" he asked.

"No! Baking them is like a whole new experience. It's like a childhood right of passage," said Ariana.

Sabin scratched at his neck and smiled bashfully. "I guess that would be why I didn't then."

She paused at his declaration, determination slowly filling her eyes. "When you pick me up tomorrow, I'm bringing ingredients."

It was sort of an unspoken rule of their relationship. Ariana used to wonder why he bothered to hang out with someone like her, especially before she awakened her powers, until she realized. They each gave each other what the other was lacking. She gave him a glimpse into the teenage normality he could never have through her talks of going to high school, shopping for the right clothes, hating her mom, and in exchange he offered her adventure, freedom, an escape.  In the end, that's all either of them wanted. Since then, she leaned into her role hard. Anytime Sabin so much as mumbled about an experience he missed out on, she'd do her best to give it to him. And she'd go all out. It'd be easier if he ever let her ask 'Drea for help, but she stopped trying to push the issue. He was being swayed by a stubborn ego, but it must've been rough to consider asking for help from the very creatures he was created to destroy. God knew she struggled with it enough.

The next night, she carefully snuck what she needed throughout the day. One at a time. A couple eggs in a tupperware, milk in a thermos, everything else in sandwich baggies, and her mom's recipe. Plus the stuff she usually nabbed, like snacks and whatever they'd need for dinner that night. She had to rearrange her overnight bag quite a bit, but eventually everything fit. Even a goofy, frilly apron and burned a CD, perfect to set that Baking-on-a-Sunday-Morning vibe. Sabin came to her window at midnight when the house was asleep, like he had since they were little kids, and warped her away. It was still daylight at the cabin. Her sleep schedule was always a mess when he was around. She didn't mind--it was a good excuse to take naps together.

"Okay. You read this to me--" Ariana plopped the recipe card in his hands while tying the apron. After she struggled with it a couple times, Sabin slipped behind her and tied it himself. His fingers at her lower back made her breath catch in her throat, and she forgot what she was saying for a minute. "Um. And then I'll do...that stuff."

"The baking?" He said with a laugh, completely oblivious of his effect.

"Yeah. That."

For the rest of the time, Sabin kept to his own corner near the table, so she could clearly focus. The atmosphere was exactly what she wanted. A bubble enveloped the room in a kind of bliss you only found in memories. A kitchen filled with laughter and life's latest tales. The dog at her hip, eagerly waiting for a morsel of cookie dough to fall to his level. A muffled radio filling the rare empty moments. It was like getting a glimpse of what could be in another world. Or maybe some kind of future. Her and Sabin coming home and cooking dinner together, or washing the dishes after. Him slipping behind her like before and wrapping his arms around her middle. His lips at her temple, then her jaw, and stopping delicately at her neck. And they would just stand there, silently drinking in their simple paradise. Safe enough to breathe. Stable enough to be careless, knowing there was nothing outside waiting for them to stumble. Free enough to be.

"I see why this is nice," Sabin said softly, while they rolled the dough into balls.

His face softened into a velvet smile that brightened the deep blue of his one eye, and made the firey red of the other glow like the embers in the wood-burning oven. Crystal clear of any fear or uncertainty. A rare moment, where he was completely present with her instead of two steps removed, the aura carrying him away to the same far away dream where nothing else existed outside of this moment. She'd kill to keep him happy like this.

Once the dough was in the oven, the only thing left was the clean up. Ariana lifted herself onto the counter and grabbed the wooden mixing spoon out of the bowl. She scooped some of the batter off with her fingers and ate it.

"This is the best part," she said slyly. "My mom never lets me do this at home."

"You can hang out with genocidal monsters and freak hybrids all day, but you can't eat cookie batter?" Sabin teased.

"Well, she's a lawyer. Monsters and freaks are expected, but she can't argue with salmonella."

He laughed. The full one that sounded like filtered sunbeams, lighting up the room. It was impossible not to mimic. She moved the spoon toward him.

"Want some?" He stared at the spoon for a moment. "Come on, it's not like we haven't swapped spit already."

Now the short, flustered laugh, always followed by a deep blush in the face. Pink, like normal, mixed with the silver shimmer of his Chaos Power energy. It was a satisfying bonus to teasing him. He was always so embarrassed whenever she brought up their kiss. It only happened the one time so far. She didn't press it, since admittedly she was a little shy about it herself, but she did her best to drop small hints and acknowledgments that yes, it did happen, and yes, she absolutely wouldn't mind if it happened again.

"You're never gonna let me forget that are you?" He said. He tried to start scrubbing at a bowl to distract himself.

"You didn't like it?"

It was enough for him to break his avoidance and look at her, if only for a second.  She could see the tinge of color on his cheeks through the shade of his dark, thick curls. His voice quieted to a near whisper.

"I-I didn't say that..."

"Then why would we wanna forget it?"

"You're killing me, Ria," he said with a shy smile. His hand moved to the back of his neck to scratch it, but he forgot it was soaked in soapy water. Ariana laughed loudly. "See? Look what you do to me, I'm a mess. This--This was your idea! I'm trying to focus."

"I didn't know you were so passionate about dishwashing," she teased.

Sabin took a large chunk off the spoon and hastily stuffed it in his mouth, like he didn't trust what he'd say or do with it otherwise. Ariana smiled to herself. She took it as a win. Thinking she tortured him enough, she hopped off the counter and pulled her sleeve down over her hand.

"C'mere." She used it to wipe the soap from his face.

Chaos Powers ran much hotter than humans. Being a hybrid, Sabin was only a little warmer than normal. It was unnoticeable without being this close. Sometimes she thought his mahogany skin had the tiniest glow to it, drawing her closer like the moon's pull on the waves. It finally settled in how close this was making them. Ariana's thumb gently stroked along his cheek. He stopped, and finally turned to look at her. A twitch of his mouth formed into a small, soft smile. One that was at ease. Enamored. His fingers carefully reached up to graze along her hand. Whatever bubble they were put under had them oblivious to why they snuck around at all. For a moment, this was a good idea. For a moment, it was impossible that it could be anything else.

And then the oven's timer went off. Its harsh sound broke something in the air. The bubble popped. They both remembered where they were, what reality waited for them. Most importantly, Sabin remembered. His eyes fluttered, like waking from a spell, and just as quickly as it left the far away panic she was so used to seeing in his eyes pooled back into its rightful place.

"That--That means it's done right?" He said quickly. He didn't wait for her to answer and was already at the oven.

There was a pang of disappointment in her chest, but Ariana didn't bother trying to bring it up again. It was only a few minutes, and already she grew so attached to a fearless Sabin. But this was their reality. The only reason she had Sabin in her life at all was because his fear helped him survive. Kept him one step ahead of the ever-watching Panacea, and their Seraphim soldiers waiting to bring him back into their clutches. Always their prized weapon, never her heart's true home.

They wouldn't have made it this far if she wasn't willing to wait. To fight. One day, that peaceful world would be theirs to keep. One day, they would never have to pick between safety and love again.

She would make sure of it.

[lululawrence]

WIP Wednesday

I was tagged a week or two ago by @helloamhere to do wip wednesday, so even though @jacaranda-bloom, @beau-soleil-louis, and @reminiscingintherain tagged me to do the last line challenge, i’m letting this fill in for that instead hehe So! here’s a snippet of my current wip! it’s working title is voice harry au, which makes basically no sense to anyone but me, but since this is wip wednesday and doesn’t really have rules, i guess i can explain that too before i share my snippet!

i almost got so distracted i didn’t tag anyone, so i tag those i tagged above who want to do this, as well as @londonfoginacup, @sadaveniren, @becomeawendybird, @kingsofeverything, @laynefaire, and @lightwoodsmagic!

so this all came about because i was watching the voice with my parents and there was this kid trying out. he was from this tiny resort town in idaho (niall played there last year, actually!), and he talked about how growing up he never thought he’d leave his town because he loved it so much. but as he got older, the town grew and changed into a resort town for the rich and famous and he no longer felt like he belonged in this place he loved with so much of himself. it was a rough time for him because he was in high school and didn’t know what he was going to do with himself, and that was when he discovered music and he felt like maybe that was his way out.

during all of this, it showed him sitting on this overlook rock, looking out on this gorgeous lake with trees surrounding him and his outfit was very harry 2013 (a la loose fitting shirt, beanie with curls poking out, etc) and when he came out to sing, his long hair looked like harry’s as well and later he even talked about how people often tell him he reminds them of harry styles. his voice was great as well, and it was then, that this famous/non-famous fic was born. it uses some of the feelings he described in his packet, but the rest of his experience was very different for the fic that grew in my mind.

and with that, below the cut, is the (long, unedited) snippet of my voice harry wip, hopefully coming soon to the @1000feelingsfics fest! haha

Harry set his guitar on the stand and walked to the bar where Mitch was had his beer waiting.

“Oh, Mitch! Buying me a beer? You shouldn’t have,” Harry teased, pretending to act coy. “After all, what would Sarah say?”

“Fuck off, Harry,” Mitch said, but he wasn’t hiding his smile very well. Harry knew he said otherwise, but underneath it all, Mitch really did love him.

Harry laughed and took a sip. He loved the seasonal lagers they served at Steve’s and a new one had just come out last week. Harry sighed happily as he sat down at the stool in front of Mitch.

“So, what did you think?” Harry asked as he set his cup down on the bar. “Is there a certain set you think works better than the other? I liked my new song from Tuesday, but I’m not sure. I feel like people might have preferred my original song from tonight better.”

“I liked your original, myself, but redoing one of Louis Tomlinson’s songs the way you did was ballsy.”

Harry turned, surprised by the voice he heard close to his shoulder. Upon seeing who it was, Harry was even more glad he’d set his glass down before so he couldn’t drop it on the floor when he realized Louis fucking Tomlinson himself was complimenting Harry’s music.

“Holy shit,” Harry said quietly, eyes wide. He blinked a few times, but Louis continued to stand there. “You’re…” Swallowing, Harry did his best to pull himself together and say a full sentence. “Hi, I love your music and I don’t think I’ve played your song yet tonight.”

“You haven’t,” Louis said, smile wide and eyes sparkling. God, he was somehow even more beautiful in person. “But I’ve come every night to hear you sing. You’re really talented.”

Harry looked back to Mitch to see if he was hearing the same thing Harry was. He must have fallen and hit his head or something, because this absolutely wasn’t real. There was no way the Louis Tomlinson had listened to him for three nights and liked what he heard.

“What are you looking at me for?” Mitch asked, flicking Harry with his wet rag as he moved further down to clean the bar where a party had just left. “The pop star is talking to you, not me.”

Turning back to Louis and feeling a bit sheepish over the fact he’s behaving like some socially-challenged elementary school child, Harry rubbed the back of his neck and smiled as best he could. “Thank you,” he finally managed.

“You’re welcome,” Louis said, bowing his head a little as he gestured to the stool beside Harry. “Is this taken?”

Harry shook his head as quickly as he could. “Nope. Definitely free.”

Smiling even wider, Louis sat down and smiled at Mitch. After ordering a beer on tap, Louis turned to Harry. “So, do you write your original stuff by yourself or do you have a writing partner?”

“Oh, uh,” Harry couldn’t really believe he was being asked about his writing process with someone as famous as Louis. What had this night become. “Well I usually write it by myself, but sometimes if I’m stuck on a part or something, Mitch here is really great with a guitar and writing some things himself.”

“He’s full of shit, don’t believe a word he says,” Mitch warned Louis as he handed him his beer then walked away.

Louis started cackling before turning his bright smile Harry’s way. “God, he’s already one of my favorite people in this town.”

Harry tried not to let a swirl of jealousy grow within his belly. “He’s pretty great, yeah,” Harry forced out with what was hopefully a genuine smile before taking a sip of his beer. He really didn’t have much time left before he needed to start his next set, and besides, he really did love Mitch.

“Does he help you with the arrangements for your covers as well?” Louis asked before taking a sip of his own and humming happily at his choice. “I’m being serious when I tell you I’ve never heard someone take a hugely popular song and making it entirely their own like you do. It’s incredible.”

“Thank you,” Harry said, still feeling like this conversation was somehow not really happening. “Those are all my own, though.”

Louis tilted his head and smiled at Harry. “Your YouTube videos are pretty impressive as well, you know.”

Harry choked on his beer in surprise and winced at the burning sensation it caused inside his nose. Thankfully none actually came out, but it was a near thing and that would be bothering him the rest of the night.

“You looked me up on YouTube?” This conversation somehow continued to shock him and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle too much more. Louis was going to send his blood pressure so high he was going to pass out.

Smirking, Louis said, “I’ve done my research on you best I could, yeah.”

Shaking his head, Harry finally had to ask the question that had been running through his head from the moment Louis turned this into a full fledged conversation. “Why?”

“Why what?” Louis asked, chuckling. “You’re good, Harry. I already told you that.”

“Yeah, but,” Harry ran his hand nervously through his hair. “I’m not that good. I mean, I like to think I’m pretty good, but I’ve been called mediocre enough times to know that my chances of getting out of this town thanks to music are slim.”

Louis narrowed his eyes. “Anyone who calls you mediocre obviously has no idea what the fuck they’re talking about.”

Harry snorted. “Yeah, well some of them were pretty high up in various record labels, so excuse me for disagreeing.”

“You got in for auditions at labels?” Louis asked, eyebrows high. Harry was at least somewhat glad he was able to turn the tables for at least a little bit.

Shrugging, Harry said, “A couple.”

“Five,” Mitch yelled from where he was mixing drinks a few feet over. “He’s gone to LA for five different labels.”

Turning back to Harry, Louis said, “They’re fucking idiots.”

“Said I wasn’t what they were looking for,” Harry said. “Or that I was too mediocre to gain a true following or something like that.”

Louis leaned forward and said, “Well, I’m telling you they are wrong and I’d like to prove to you how much I believe that.”

One last swig to drain the cup, Harry stood up and asked, “Oh yeah? And how’d you like to do that?”

“Write with me.”

“Yeah right,” Harry said turning around to walk back to his makeshift stage. This had to be a prank someone was pulling on him. Hell, Grimmy knew exactly how much he loved Louis and his music. He’d probably run into him and asked him to pull Harry’s leg or something.

“I’m serious,” Louis called after him.

“Okay,” Harry said with a laugh before he picked up his guitar. “I’ll dedicate this next set to you and if you’re still here afterwards, we can exchange numbers.”

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Curly.”

[borusawa]

Tell Me How You Feel

A/N: I made this especially for the discord WIP exchange and just recently I decided to post it. Tell me how you feel was originally a really angst story about how much they fought as a married couple due to her constant absences at home to be at work, and how Boruto couldn’t quite describe that he was feeling left out. Hope you like my fluffy one shot, though. God, I need to stop writing fluff. I was listening to “Mad World” while writing it but there’s nothing in common, I just love Donnie Darko. Anyway… It was not beta read so, sorry any mistakes. It’s just fluff to make us get through life.

Pairings: BoruSara

Warnings: none, except god I was inspired

Word count: 1,612

“I’m waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

Sarada turned herself completely to face her stupid friend. He was acting like he had no idea of what she was talking about and that pissed her off even more than she already was. “You know what, you’re not that stupid.”

“Have it ever crossed your mind that I might be that stupid?” Boruto didn’t even bother enough to open his eyes to look back at her. He was lying on the grass with his hands behind his head, only feeling the wind caress his face and making his hair dance in annoying but surprisingly funny ways. Sarada was beside him, sitting with her arms crossed and a mad look in her eyes that if Boruto was attentive to her movements he would know that his life was in danger. But he didn’t care. Not today. Not when he finally had some time alone and with her, despite her constant complains towards basically everything.

“I know you’re not that stupid, Boruto.” He opened his mouth to say something but Sarada cut him off. “And I know you better than yourself, don’t try to argue.”

“That’s not even possible.”

“Try me.”

He sighed and decided to open his eyes. His gaze found hers in an instant and he knew exactly what she wanted by only one look. “Okay, what is up?”

“Something happened with you since the last mission.” She stared inside his blue eyes while talking.

“You happened. I cannot even have a pleasurable afternoon without your constant questions and worries. I’m fine. You should just lie down at once.”

“You’re a liar.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Except that, I know you are.”

He broke eye contact. “I’m not lying to you, I’m not that stupid.”

“I know you aren’t.” She said with a smirk. Her tone was calmer and sweater when she spoke again, her body no longer tense. She knew she just had to ask him in the right way and he would spit anything she wanted. “Now tell me what happened and we can just enjoy the afternoon doing nothing as you want.”

He closed his eyes again and smirked. “I’m not telling you anything.”

“I knew there was something!” She shouted, aggressively poking his arm with her index finger. “Now tell me!”

“Stop, Sarada! I can’t!” He sat up holding her hand so she stops poking.

“Why would you have some secret you can’t share with me? I’m still your best friend, right? So tell me.”

He chuckled in response. “Quit it, already. As I said, there’s nothing that you don’t know left to share. You, yourself, said that you knew me better than I did and I particularly agree with that affirmation. Therefore, if I had something to tell you would know by now.”

Sarada took a deep breath while staring at his pledging eyes looking for any sign that his words might be a lie and sadly she found none. Apparently, Boruto was being honest. “Fine, I accept the loss this time, but I’m not going to give up on that easily. You’ll hear more, just not now. I don’t wanna ruin our peace today.”

That was all Boruto needed to hear before lying on the grass and close his eyes once again, this time accompanied by an unsure Sarada. She sighed and stared at the sky for a while, fidgeting nonstop, incapable of silencing her mind not even for a bit. Boruto on the other side was completely relaxed, even more, due Sarada’s silence which he learned to admire through the years – despite admiring her voice and her ability for always being right, of course. But he knew that whenever she was in silence that meant her mind was screaming.

“Why are you so anxious about?” Boruto said opening only one eye to see her.

“I’m not… I’m just wondering, rambling too be more accurate.”

“About what? If it’s a stressful subject you can think about it any other time, just don’t do it in our free time.”

“No, it’s nothing like that. I was just wondering if… Well, I-I know a lot about you and…” She stuttered.

“And…?”

“I just wonder if you know me that well too,”  Sarada said and her words made Boruto sit up and chuckle a little while staring down at her.

“You’re kidding. Of course I know you!” He stopped for a second before continuing. “Except that… I don’t always know how you really feel about things. We’re always talking about how I feel and you always dodge when I ask about you.” Sarada closed her eyes. She was not feeling like today was her day. “It’s okay if don’t want to, I mean it.” Boruto sighed. “I’m still your best friend, right?”

Sarada smiled and even though her eyes were closed she knew Boruto was smiling too. “Okay, lay again and we can talk about my feelings then.” Boruto’s grin grew wider while he did as she requested. “You can ask questions and I’ll make my best to answer it, I promise.”

“I like this.” He started to get animated and Sarada only glared him, measuring the mistake she was committing. “First question: how much the fact your dad was never close really hurt you?”

She pondered for a moment. “Nowadays? Not much. Back then? A lot. I had nightmares about it all the time and I couldn’t talk to no one so it was scary. I didn’t forget all, you know, I still feel it. Although now I understand better his reasons and that’s enough to move on, I guess. Papa is nice to me and now I get to see him once in a while.”

“Good, it’s nice to know you’re fine with all this. You shouldn’t pay for your parents’ mistakes. Now for the next question, why do you want to be Hokage?”

“I already told you that, idiot.” Sarada giggled. “I want everyone in the village to be part of my family. I know it’s hard to get there and it’s a complicated important job but I want to do it and I’m ready to do everything that’s required for me to accomplish my dream.” She felt exposed for sharing her feelings that way but at the same time, she knew that they were safe with him.

“Well, the third question is…” Boruto turned his head to face Sarada properly before completing his sentence. “Do you like someone? I mean, boyfriend like.”

Sarada blushed immediately “I’m not answering it. Next question.”

He couldn’t deny his heart was pounding inside his chest. That was the question he really wanted to know the answer but she decided not to give it. “Come on, Sarada! That’s the dumbest one of the questions I made. Please answer!”

“It’s not of your business. And why do you wanna know anyway?”

“Fine.” His gaze switched to the sky.

“There are no more questions?” Sarada frowned her brows and glared him.

“No, you’re not answering the ones I make so what’s the point?” Boruto shouted.

“Okay, fine by me.”

“Fine.”

“Idiot.” They fell in silence. And for a while, all they heard was the sweet sound of the trees being shaken by the wind. Although in her heart Sarada knew that if now wasn’t the best time to share her feelings, then it would be hard to find such a perfect moment again. “I do like someone. Boyfriend like.”  She spoke really low, almost like a whisper, but she knew he managed to hear given to his sudden motion.

Both were blushing hard but avoiding look at each other therefore he didn’t look at her when he spoke again. “See? It didn’t hurt. Who is him, by the way?”

“It doesn’t matter, really. He is an idiot. I give all those signs that I like him and I care for him, I even share personal thoughts with him, but he doesn’t notice it.” The next words were even lower. “I know he’s an idiot, but he’s my idiot.”

Their heartbeats could be easily heard at this point, their confused and loud breaths demonstrate how important this moment was for them and they knew it. Boruto was thinking hard about how not to mess up like he usually does. He always thought he would be the one confessing first, he always thought she would deny him and that would be the end of their bond, he always thought he should wait more and more and more and right now he was at the point where he was procrastinating the confession. But life intervened his planning and she confessed first. Sarada, on the other hand, was as calm as she could be, knowing that he was only taking his time to process things. She didn’t mind, to be honest. Telling her feelings, her truth and secret feelings, felt like a realization and she also could use the time to be proud of herself for the courage.

“You still wanna know what happened and I couldn’t tell you before?” Boruto broke the silence.

“Yes.” She turned to him.

“You happened.” He sighed. “You’ve been happening in my life every day for years now and I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Sarada laughed and she didn’t even know why. It was just so good hearing his words that she needed to laugh. Soon Boruto started laughing together and they did it for a long time and for no specific reason besides true happiness.

“Something really happened, then? I knew you were lying.” Sarada stated. Boruto stretched his arm to hold her hand. Sarada didn’t fight – she wanted it too.

“Shut up.” And again the air was filled with their laugh.

[fallenhero-rebirth]

400 followers!

Yep, we’ve reached the big round number (well big for me, I’m no celebrity) so it’s time to post another snippet of book two. This time I decided to post a bit of a Steel/MC scene I am working on. It doesn’t have any plot spoilers, it’s basically relationship building, so it should be safe for everyone. Coding-wise, it’s in the middle stage. I’ve added the major choices, but haven’t added personalization, thus it assumes a lot of things that might not be true about your MC (that you’re a known telepath, that you went into Argent’s mind and so on.)

That’s usually how my process works:

1: Write what amounts to a short story, detailing a single path. The fun bit, this part is easy.

2: Add the major paths and fake choices. The hard work.

3: Add the personalization from various tags depending on who people are and what they have done. Keep checking those tags....

4: Once enough of these have been written to form a coherent story section, play through it again and again, adding things and checking for flow.

5: Once everything flows, add flavor text, check for grammar and describe surroundings and fill things out. Also known as the other fun bit.

WIP outtake below (in stage 2, raw, no spell checking, some code):

*label kitchen

The kitchen might be small, but it still got all the amenities needed for government employees. Not that you are interested in anything but the coffee machine, but it's still interesting to see how much things had changed since their last headquarter. Everything was newer now, shiny and somewhat impersonal, as if there was a company in charge of designing breakrooms for all the Ranger teams. Perhaps there is.

You don't care as long as you get a decent cup of coffee.

The cups are impersonal as well, there's no trace of the old ones, chipped and personal, and in Ortega's case, one that you had given ${him}. Did someone throw them out when they moved?

You didn't expect to care. Or to get hurt by it.

It feels like a lifetime ago. Longer. Perhaps it is a testament to how deep you had slipped in the painful mire of memories that it takes you a few seconds to notice Steel in the doorway, watching you. Frowning.

"Want a cup?" You gesture with your coffee, exaggerating your familiarity with the room just to deepen his frown and dispel your own gloom. It works.

"What you are doing here?" Steel keeps frowning, hovering on the doorstep as if he's afraid you're going to steal something. You smile a little at the thought, today your intentions are pure.

"Waiting for Ortega," you say, quite honestly, as you drop a couple of cubes of sugar in the coffee.

"That figures." You can see Steel's shoulders relax, and after a moment of hesitation he steps inside, heading for the fridge. "I still don't like that you've been given access like this."

"Access like what? To your pantry?" You sit down at the table, making yourself a smaller, non-threatening target. Not that it matters, Steel is taller than you since his latest modifications. You doubt that he's intimidated by you physically. He should be. "Afraid that I'm going to steal some cookies to go with the coffee? Or sell the secret that someone's not been doing the dishes?"

"That's no secret. That's Herald." This time the sigh is audible, and the frown is aimed at the pile of dirty dishes piled in the sink. Someone had eaten dinner recently. Messily.

"I like that you can still make a joke."

"It wasn't a joke." Steel gives you a look, that for once is closer to neutral. Are you an ally in his fight against sloppiness?

"Huh," you say, wondering whether you should take this chance to connect. It couldn't hurt trying to break some of the ice between you.

*fake_choice  #"I would have figured Argent for sure."    "I would have figured Argent for sure."

   "Not Ortega?"

   "I've met ${his} mom, remember? Dishes gets done in that household." You can't help but smile at the memory. Another life. Another world. Did you use to be happy once?

   "Hmm..." You're not sure what kind of look Steel is giving you, but it's different from the ones you usually get.

 #"I could have put money on it being Ortega."    "I could have put money on it being Ortega." You smirk a little, ribbing Ortega was the one thing you and Steel shared back in the day.

   "$!{he}'s innocent. For once." Steel adds the last words with enough hesitation that you can't help the smirk widening into a proper smile.

   "Do I dare to ask what he's done now?" It has to be something, you don't need to read his mind to see that.

   "It doesn't matter, it's not..." the words drift off as he looks at you oddly.

 #"Good job trying to shift the blame," I joke.    "Good job trying to shift the blame," you joke. "Is Herald the closest thing you have to an intern?"

   "That's not..." it takes a moment for Steel to catch up, but when he does the sigh is heavy enough to be audible. "You were joking. Of course."

   "Of course," you say, sipping your coffee, the picture of innocence. "I know you're too neat to tolerate a mess."

   "It's simply easier to clean it right away," he says, looking a little awkward.

   "You don't need to explain yourself, you know? It's not a moral failing to do the dishes." You can't help but smile at the look on his face.

   "Hmm..." You're not sure what kind of look that is, but it's different from the ones you usually see carved on Steel's scarred face.

"What?"

"Maybe I have been a bit unfair to you." He speaks the words slowly, reluctantly. But he means them, you don't get the feeling he's trying to deceive you.

"Maybe?" you ask, one eyebrow raised to underline your point.

"I just don't like mysteries." Turning his back to you, he finally opens the fridge, grabbing an unmarked squeeze bottle.

"I think you're making me seem more mysterious than I really am." What is in that bottle? Something nutritious and horribly tasting if you're reading the look on his face as he takes a pull. "I mean if you compare me to Lady Argent, I..."

"I didn't say I was at ease with her either," he interrupts, sitting down at the table across from you. The chair protests a bit under his considerable weight, but the furniture here is built for his use.

*fake_choice  #"Remember when you fell through that chair at the Mayor's old office?"    "Remember when you fell through the chair at the Mayor's old office?"

   "I've been trying to forget that," he says, suppressing a groan. "Thank you so much for reminding me."

   "I aim to please." You finish your coffee with a wink.

 #"Hah! I was right, you don't trust her. I recognize your dour looks."    "Hah! I was right. I recognize your dour looks by now, I've seen enough of them."

   "That's not something to be proud of."

   "For either of us, I should say." You finish your coffee with a wink.

 #"Have you considered that maybe it's not us, maybe it's you being a bit paranoid?"    "Have you considered that maybe it's not us, maybe it's you being a bit paranoid?"

   "Being paranoid is my job."

   "Only if you're right." You finish your coffee with a wink.

"This feels all too familiar..." He takes another pull from the bottle, followed by another grimace.

For a moment or two, there is silence between you. Not a comfortable silence by any means, but a neutral one. No aggression, at least none aimed at you.

An opportunity?

"Listen..." you hesitate briefly, for show as much as anything. If you're going to have any hope of him lowering his guard you have to play this right. "What is it really that bothers you so much about me?"

"Do you want a list?"

"Start at the top then," you suggests, amicably.

"You're a telepath." Steel doesn't even have to think before answering, and it's not like you didn't suspect that had something to do with it.

"I am." You look straight into his eyes and smile. "Are you afraid I'm going to read your mind?"

"I have assumed that you already are."

"Chen..." you press your fingers to the bridge of your nose as if to ward off a headache. "It doesn't work that way." The headache doesn't disappear, Steel is still there when you open your eyes.

"So you say." He has crossed his arms, and from the look on his face you imagine he's probably thinking really hard about something he wants you to pick up. Just to prove a point.

*fake_choice  #I'm curious, I'll try to browse his mind,    "Nothing I say am going to change your mind, is it?" You brush the gentlest mental fingers over the surroundings, trying to feel if there's something here, if it's a trap.

   *if subterfuge > 70      You sense nothing.

   "Doubtful," Steel replies, and you can feel his resentment.

   "I don't need for you to trust me." You turn your back to him, ostensibly waiting for the machine to churn out another cup. Instead you focus on the angry thoughts of Steel behind you, finding...

   Huh. Not anger. You stare at the slowly filling cup, leaning into Steels mind behind you, finding suspicion, yes, but also regret. Mostly regret.

   "I don't distrust you," he admits since you've gone silent. "You're allowed to be here." He's guilty. Guilty over how he's been treating you, but also over how things turned out.

   "I'm glad I'm not seen as a danger to the team," you're not quite sure how to deal with this information, so you grab your cup and turn around with a neutral smile. "Though maybe you are a danger to me. Helping Lady Argent like that... she could have killed me. $!{wear}, she nearly did. She's dangerous."

 #I'll get some more coffee and change the subject.    "Nothing I say am going to change your mind, is it?"

   "Doubtful."

   "I don't need for you to trust me." You have your back turned, waiting for the machine to churn out a new cup. "Just to tolerate me."

   "I am," he admits. "You're here."

   "I'm glad I'm not seen as a danger to the team," you turn with the cup and a smile. "Though maybe you are a danger to me. Helping Lady Argent like that... she could have killed me. $!{wear}, she nearly did. She's dangerous."

 #I'll try to explain how it works.    "You don't understand," you start, and since Steel doesn't interrupt, you continue. "Just imagine that you were inviting me to your apartment. Just because I walk through the door doesn't mean that I will run around and tear open every closet and open every drawer. A telepathic intrusion is not something that just happens, it requires work, and is dangerous."

   "You are still seeing my apartment." A stone might have budged, he does not.

   "Is that so bad? I mean I can see how it could be, if you had something to hide in there and never wanted anyone to see."

   "It's not like that."

   "I know it's not. My point is, my telepathy isn't telling me anything that a conversation with you over coffee would. Reading someone's intention is not that different from reading someone's body language."

   "You can do a lot more than that."

   "I'm not Locus, I'm nowhere near Alpha level. Helping Argent like that... she could have killed me. $!{wear}, she nearly did. She's dangerous."

"Stop." Steel holds up a hand, giving you a stern look. Did you go too far?

*fake_choice  #I've had enough playing nice, I'll get up and leave.    INSULT AND WALK OUT, TO NEXT SCENE WITH ORTEGA

 #I apologize, I'm here to build bridges, not break them.    "Sorry" you say, just in case. You're here to build bridges, not break them. "I'm not here to complain about Argent. In fact, I gave her a talk about teamwork earlier."

   "That's unlikely." It doesn't look like he believes you.

   "I never joined the Rangers," you say with a sigh. "But you can't say we didn't work well together."

 #I said nothing wrong, if he can't take it, it's his fault.    "You know I'm right," you say with a shrug. You can't win with Steel, but maybe you can drive a wedge into the team. "She's a wild card."

   "Unlike you?" He looks almost amused at the concern.

   "I never joined the Rangers," you say with a sigh. "But that doesn't mean I want you to fall apart."

"I know" he admits, with an honesty that surprises you. "I wish you would have."

"What? Joined?"

"Yes."

"I wouldn't submit myself to their background checks. You know that."

"Reason two on my list."

"Not everyone is in good standing with the US government, that doesn't mean that they're bad guys."

"But it does mean that they are untrustworthy."

"Or have enemies."

You can see that he's on the verge of asking more. There's a softness to his thoughts that you've rarely felt, as if he's actually listening to what you are saying without preconceptions. The question is, what are you going to do about it?

[workingchemistry]

Okay. So now that I’ve had some space, I feel able to update. Sorry it took a bit, I had three literal panic attacks before, during, and after that shift. My dad literally threatened to go in and put my two weeks in for me. Lol. Honestly I love and adore my family so much. Panic attack disorder/agoraphobia has been a pain to live with my entire life, but at least I’ve got an incredibly supportive family that’s only become more understanding and supportive as I understand what I need to prevent attacks/cope during them.

Anyway, that’s a little beside the point. I’m gonna try to keep this short and sum it up. So my best friend got passed over for a job position for someone with less seniority. It was only barely allowed bc we’re a sub-department so they didn’t technically violate the union contract, but still highly unethical and it’s ticked off people even outside of our department. I’m clearly unhappy bc this is the third time they’ve snubbed her, but I was willing to support this new leader anyway. Like I didn’t want her there, but that’s hardly her fault, right?

Well it’s been two months and the lead hasn’t been ordering anything. We’re a Starbucks, used to be the best in the area actually before our current lead, and we can’t make coffee 90% of the time. We were out of chai, all refreshers, Frappuccinos, cold brew, and ice coffee for two weeks. Tuesday we got a shipment in, but we’ll get to Tuesday in a min bc it was horrible. Anyway, so customers are angry and for whatever reason everyone seems to think I’m the lead (probs bc I was on a leave from Jan-May). When I correct them so they’re not screaming at me, my lead gets mad at me bc now they’re yelling at her. Literally got a cup thrown at me once and I’m not going to take that when it’s not my fault this happened. Um so the lead, when I work with her, does nothing except make messes. She’s dumped over the trash can, left it that way for literal hours according to customers, and then clocked out without picking up when the next person came in. Last week she dumped over an entire bottle of syrup and didn’t clean it up. It had crystallized when I came in and had to scrub it. It took me 45min straight to get it clean. I closed that night too so it was one more thing on a massive list. She also uses paper towels instead of coffee filters half the time, constantly overfills the coffee pots, and EVERY pot of coffee she makes is gritty and filled with grounds.

But uh, y’all probably don’t want to know all that. I promised no details, sorry. TLDR: she sucks. Anyway the scheduling was given to the head of the department we’re under and she hates all of us. Like literally hates us not me exaggerating. I don’t think she wants our department there. Anyway she’s taking our hours for her department and not scheduling us enough people. There are literally hour gaps between people coming in sometimes and half the time she doesn’t schedule us a closer. She also schedules us out of our availability.

This is important bc there was a copy of the schedule for this week on our counter a couple weeks ago and I took a pic of it so I could add it to my calendar. I didn’t think anymore of it after that. Well, turns out that was a fake “wip” schedule and the real schedule had different shifts on it. I didn’t know about this real schedule bc why would there be a fake schedule out on the counter? Anyway long story short, originally I was scheduled Tuesday off and then I was given a 1-6 shift that I didn’t know about so I didn’t get there until 2. When I got there I was mid panic attack, sobbing in the back room, you get the picture. Thankfully I did work with my best friend that shift so she was like “you take it easy, take care of yourself, put away the shipment.” So that’s what I did. While I was doing that, the head of the store came and basically told us both that none of us were doing a good enough job supporting our lead and that’s why she’s failing so badly. He also low key threatened our jobs if things didn’t improve. Anyway so that kind of triggered another panic attack bc of my personal issues which are only vaguely relevant, but basically I cannot handle when I fall short of other people’s expectations. (If anyone is curious about my anxiety/specific triggers/how my childhood caused my disorders and why I don’t blame my parents/how I’ve learned to cope, honestly just ask. I don’t mind talking about it, I just don’t like talking about it out of the blue bc then I feel like I’m complaining and no one wants to hear it.) So my friend, bless her to the moon and back, got me through that attack and I helped her get ready for close. Then after my dad picked me up (bc I can’t drive bc panic attacks) I was trying to tell him what happened and I triggered another panic attack. It was rough. My brother was in the car and he helped me by rubbing my arm/shoulder (touch helps me ground myself) and my dad held my hand.

Actually, pro tip hand squeezing can be incredibly grounding. Have someone squeeze your hand as hard as you need it and then count how long they squeeze, how long they let it rest, how long they squeeze again, and repeat.

Anyway back to the story. My dad bought me a chocolate frosty (temp difference and the texture also helps ground). I’ve posted before about being put on a step one bc I got injured and put on doctor ordered bed rest and even went back to work bc I was supposed to do I didn’t get in more trouble. This was kind of the last straw for my parents, especially my dad. They really thought I should quit and I’m so beyond emotionally ready to quit. So he and my mom prayed with me over whether or not I should quit. We went over pros and cons of each decision and it honestly comes out to amount to the same thing either way I decide bc I get my leave in two weeks and I would have to work those even if I quit. The only difference would be that if I quit I would lose almost $300 of vacation pay. So. The plan is to get my vacation, go on leave until December and then if it’s still super bad I’ll put my two weeks in then.

I’m both an RA and a tutor next semester, so I’ll be making decent money and saving almost 12k on housing at the same time. I’ve also been playing around with the idea of starting a side hustle kind of thing and seeing how that goes. I’ve done this before when I was younger and did decently, but I was never that serious about it and so stopped.

Anyways, that’s the plan for now. Thank you all for all your concern, prayers, and well wishes. I really really do appreciate it more than I can express.

If you guys could pray/keep me in your thoughts/whatever you feel like you can do that would be great. Some stuff happened today at work and it’s really making me seriously consider quitting, which sucks. I love my job, like the actual work, but my workplace has become seriously toxic, for lack of a better word. I’m at work rn so I cant get into it, but I’ll update later with everything that’s going on. But basically I need to decide by tomorrow whether or not to turn my two weeks in and I’m really leaning towards quitting

[voltrongenminibang]

Frequently Asked Questions - 2017 edition, first run

About This Event

What is gen? Gen fics are, for the purposes of this Bang, stories in which there are no romantic pairings.  Not in the background, not in the focus: there are no non-canonical ships.  There is leeway allowed for canon relationships (ie Sam and Colleen Holt being married in the fic doesn’t prevent it from being gen), but there are no added relationships at all.  The focus instead is on platonic relationships, be that friendship, team, familial or otherwise.  

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Maximum word count? None!  Go wild.  Just remember that you have to be able to finish it in the scheduled time.

What are the requirements for artists? Artists will be asked to produce 1 piece of artwork for the fic they’re partnered with after claims. We’ll be asking for progress updates/sketches during the check-ins. The final piece should be completed and ready for turn-in by the July 16th final deadline.

There aren’t any restrictions on what media you use. Traditional and digital are both accepted, and if you have other ideas besides a splash page or comic, we’re open to that too! All we ask is that it’s a fully completed piece, no sketches or WIPs.

Sign-Ups

Can I sign up to both write and create art? Due to limited space, you can only be part of the initial sign-up for one or the other, unless we have trouble filling up (which is somewhat unlikely, but more possible for the artist side).  However, you can be on the wait-list for either side, even if you’re signed up for the other.  So if you’d prefer to be an artist, we advise you wait until the 25 slots are full and sign-up as a pitch hitter instead, and then sign-up as an artist in the first wave (or vice versa)

Can I sign up now and drop out later? Technically we can’t stop you, but please consider the limited number of spaces available for this mini-bang. If you sign up now without the intent of following through, you may be taking that slot away from someone else who wants to participate just as badly. Please check out the timeline and evaluate your own schedule before committing.

I already signed up through the poll Bosstoaster did! That was an interest poll, not sign-ups themselves. If you filled out this form: 1) thank you!, and 2) you’ll still need to actually sign-up when sign-ups are live.

Is it first-come first serve or an application? Slots will fill on a first-come, first-serve basis. Authors: Mark your calendars March 20th! 

How do I sign up, officially? Sign-ups are closed! All slots are currently full and we are running on a waitlist.

How much information will i need for sign-ups? Your tumblr handle (or other social media), as well as an active email address.

When exactly will sign-ups open? Author sign-ups opened at exactly 12:00am, March 20th, EST. Sign-ups remained open for one week. Artist sign-ups opened at exactly 12:00am, March 27th, EST. Sign-ups remained open for one week.

What if I miss the window? Mark your calendars!  If you miss it, you’ll have to wait for another time.

All the slots are full! Yes, they are! You can sign up on either waitlist in case of drop-outs. Author Waitlist Artist Waitlist

Are you going to add more slots? The current cap remains 25 authors and 25 artists. Please see this post for more information. ETA: Due to exceptional and enthusiastic interest, we have upped the cap to 40 authors and 40 artists, for a total of 80 participants.

Check-Ins and Claims

What are check-ins? Check-ins are when we look into the progress of authors and artists to make sure everything is coming along on schedule.  You will be responsible for showing how you’re progressed in your work at these times, usually by sending us your most current rough draft. More specific requirements may be posted as we draw closer to those dates.

The first check-in comes pretty quick! What do I need to have ready? Check-in 1 will be to make sure you still want to participate and that you’re working on your claims.  It’s there so if we have any early drop-outs, we catch them earlier so that we can give our back-ups time to make their summary before claims, rather than demanding one on the day of.

What are claims? Claims are named that because it’s when the artists decide which story they want to write for. Authors submit details to us such as a summary, rating, and an excerpt, along with the tags they’d plan on using for AO3. We’ll number those submissions and post them anonymously for artists to peruse; artists in turn give us a list of which of those submissions they want to draw. We then assign them and pair everyone up.

Can I be late to claims? No.  If you are late to claims you will be dropped and replaced. No exceptions.

What happens if I miss a check-in? Shiro never comes back from the astral plane.  

Content Queries

My work is ‘technically’ gen? but it might be kind of shippy if people want to read it that way. Ultimately, you know your content best. We recommend that if there’s any doubt if your content is gen you do not use it for this Bang. 

Can I have NSFW content? All NSFW content is acceptable (except if it involves a ship), but please remember to tag your fics appropriately for any NSFW content.

Are AUs allowed? Allowed, but please consider it may alienate artists if your niche is too specific (i.e. a Fantasy AU is one thing, a Dresden Files AU is another).

Can I continue a WIP? No. All material created for this mini-bang must be new material; the exception is a sequel to a previously-completed story. No posting new chapters of a WIP. The only exception is a WIP you’ve begun working on, but have not yet published anywhere yet.

Are sequels allowed? This is fine, as long as you are writing a sequel for a previously-completed story.  You cannot continue posting a currently half-published WIP.

Can I use an idea I’ve already loosely posted about on my blog? (i.e. I’ve talked about a basic plot, headcanon, meta, etc.) Yes. Previously posted ideas, snippets or hints are perfectly fine. If you’re considering making it your Bang Fic, please hold off on posting further details about your plot so that claims are as anonymous as possible. However, as long as the fic itself is not posted anywhere prior to claims, you’re good to go. 

Posting 

What are the multi-chapter posting rules? The entirety of your fic must be posted on your assigned day. If you have multiple chapters, all chapters must be posted on the same day. This is in fairness to everyone on the posting schedule.  It’s not fair if some people get a chapter posted every day for weeks while others get only the one post. If your fic exceeds 30k, please message us and we can consider exceptions on a case-by-case basis.

Can I post my work on my account? Do not post your work anywhere before your assigned posting date. You can post little snippets or previews, but the work as a whole should be a surprise until the posting date. 

The only exception is if you’ve already loosely posted about the idea on your blog prior to Sunday, March 12th, 2017. Loose posts include ideas such as a basic plot, snippets, meta, headcanons, etc., that you’re now planning to expand into your Mini-Bang fic. If this is the case please hold off on posting further details about your plot through claims so that the process is as anonymous as possible. 

Where will we post our fics for Posting Day? All fics will also be posted to your own AO3 or Tumblr.  After that, send a link to us and we’ll post it. More information will be provided as we draw closer to the deadline.

Will I need the story to be totally completed by the deadline? All fic and art must be completed by the final deadline of Sunday, July 16th.  Absolutely.  Period.  

Can fics be edited between the Final Deadline of July 16th and posting on August 1st? Yes. We just require that the story be finished.  If you need a final read-over for editing, we’d much rather you do that than leave in mistakes because you think you’re not supposed to touch it.  We absolutely encourage you use those extra couple of weeks of organization to polish. How do I post my artist’s images to my fic on AO3? Check out our tutorial post on this here.

Additional/Misc.

I have a question not covered on this post! Please swing by our askbox. Thanks!

[obwcmp]

Tris, Quads, and N-Gons

Many things have happened since my last post here a month ago, and i’ve only just started writing on the day which this is posted so i have heaps to cover. 

First, some updates before I dive into 3D modelling. The VFX course has changed again. Taylor mentioned something that I had suspected would be the case. Our summative no longer has to be a match move if we don’t want it to, and can instead be a simple fracturing and destruction simulation along with the use of daemons, and make it look compelling. In all honesty, I want to go ahead with attempting a match move as it is something I have tried multiple times in the past. An example of this is from the start of this year where I placed a ball and a cube on my desk back in Auckland. It wasn’t exactly fantastic, my shadows were off and it is a super basic scene which I did nothing interesting with, but none the less I have a feeling that I have what it takes to complete the original task.

I didn’t make the due date for the Weta Digital summer internship positions. I’m pretty bummed as a result but it has been a good lesson in what I need to learn for 3D modelling and animation. and also in time management. I’ve been visiting the Polycount forums recently and found their subforum of digital sketchbooks, which seem cool so i’ll probably create one of my own some time soon. Having a collection of professional social media accounts is something I also need and have needed to do for a long time now. 

Just this past weekend I was at a game jam called Pxl Jam with 3 friends Luca, Marie, and Hunter. We made a game called Freezing Point which won a prize for its sound which was a pleasant surprise. Unlike Souper Kingdom Adventure from semester 1, this game was actually complete.  I got a box of those Lindor chocolates with the soft centre as a result, so I did the most responsible thing possible and sat on my bed stuffing them all down my gob. Needless to say I felt a little gross after that. 

Lastly for these updates, we had our formative hand-ins last week. I thought that they were fine and only just met the criteria, which is something I don’t really want to continue on with into the future. For sound, I felt that I needed to get the recorder out myself more, as I only ended up doing it once over the duration of the assessment. I also ended up cheating by using Logic which just felt so cheap, especially when I had so much time to complete it before but left it until the day before. 3D modelling was the same story, I left it until the very end just before the due date and actually ended up handing it in late which was just so stupid. VFX was the only exception, but even then I felt it could’ve been done better. All three were handed in, all three have 0% weighting on if I pass or not, and they filled their purpose as a learning opportunity, and damn if it has ever been one. I’ve found that i’m at an interesting point with my knowledge of 3D, sound, and VFX in that I know a lot about them, but haven’t actually put in the effort and time into practising them. 

Interesting to note here is that I’ve also been looking at the TIGforums (which are fantastic too) and have been reading through some devlogs and looking at peoples feedback as they go. Something interesting which came up on the Return of the Obra Din devlog is on page 12 where where someone mentions the Polycount Wiki with its great examples of shoulder topology and just topology in general. Things I wish I had read earlier, especially for the formative. Not only that but the course coordinators pointed us in the direction of the Polycount wiki as a resource. All the more to learn for the summative!

The 3D Modelling and Texturing course has been a really interesting and revealing course into the world and practise of making 3D models, mainly for games and movies (and any media closely linked to those two). It hasn’t been all that easy to meet the tasks assigned by the tutors either. Taylor joked with the VFX class about how they have it way easier than the modelling course, and i’m inclined to agree. As practise, we had a couple of weeks to model our own robot models from reference images. Everyone, to my knowledge, stood up to the challenge and made a solid effort out of a fairly difficult situation. Our formatives were no where near as bad, as we had free reign over what we modelled. In the end I chose to attempt creating an organic character which set the bar a little high in retrospect. I left it until really late, and ended up handing it in late. I’m lucky in that I had no N-gons on my model save for a cone which I had placed in right at the end. As it turns out, maya doesn’t subdivide the bottom face of a cone like it does with a cylinder! By that point it was Thursday morning at 7:30 and I was felling tired and slightly down about how my almost 1 night model had come out. I realise now the error in my ways and multiple times over it has taught me what not to do for the summative.

Our summative is to do a very similar thing. We are to model something of our choosing, only now we are allowed to use a variety of new techniques which we are learning in this latter half of semester 2, and we have to texture it. Luckily all of the groundwork of what we are allowed to do has been set down so i can start way earlier (pretty much now) which I intend on doing. Texturing is more fun than tedious, though as I write that all I can think of is that video of Gray Horsfield so i’m proceeding with caution! That post seems to become more and more relevant by the day.

As a final note, i’ll try to post smaller WIP posts for each of these summatives coming up. All going well I’ll be recording audio this weekend so there will be some photos from that and i’ll finally write about the audio course. With both modelling and vfx i’ll try to put my thoughts on here with what i’m doing for both courses. I want the summatives to be something far more than what the formatives turned out to be, which I think is completely doable.

I’ve made a second blog, obwcmp-dg for Dumping Grounds, where i’ll post more lax content similar to rhinctus and rhinctus2.