#i promise my day job is one that does not allow me to forget that

[pinehutch]

Thinking about how being the person you want to be requires — at least for me — conscious, deliberate practice, and sitting with discomfort, and dialoguing with that discomfort, and sometimes actively pursuing the discomfort —

And how I don't seem to have the kind of internal measurement apparatus that tells me when the discomfort is constructive and generative vs when it's destructive and unsustainable —

And how these two things, taken together, are implicated in so many of the times of Big Suffering Feelings for me.

There's an answer to this that probably rests in what I've been seeking anyway: healthy, intrinsic self-esteem, and the belief that I'm as deserving as anyone else just because I exist as I am. But then again, one of the things that I know I value is the ability to self-determine (to the extent we can). Like, my luxury gay space communism utopia is one in which we (collectively) have organized so that we (individually) are supported in the fulfilment of ourselves and what we can give to the world.

I want to feel okay with who I am and like it's okay to want to be someone a little different. I suspect this is actually very possible for 'normal people,' whatever those are, but the thing about executive dysfunction is that motivation machine broke.

It's so rare for me to want something in a way that feels like going towards, instead of moving away from. I want to succeed at this in order to appease that; I want to submerge myself in something to avoid the pain of something else. When I want something for itself, for the joy and delight it brings to me, it's frightening both in terms of that vulnerability and in terms of what achieving it would mean. How disruptive it would be.

I'm in a bad spot this weekend, because Operation Gradually Increase Activity appears to have backfired and I'm mostly immobilized with a knee issue. It's a beautiful Saturday in late summer and I'd quite frankly I'd like to be eradicated, immolated, utterly removed and replanted, because I've spent most of 2023 feeling ashamed of how I tried to take (force?) an Anais-Nin-risk-of-blossom when the soil conditions weren't right and it seems like that ruined what needed to be tended.

I've felt amused, delighted, tender, touched, flattered, loving this year, but the last time I remember feeling happy was, I don't know, two months ago? Maybe more? It lasted for about half an hour, and I fell asleep.

In a notebook, I have a two-page spread laid out with different dimensions of my life, and what I'd like them to look like, and when, and the degree to which each of them is substantially different from what my life currently looks like is something I haven't shared with anyone. None of them are about having, all of them are about living and doing but really, it's about creating the conditions in which I know I tend to feel happy.

I know that all of this means I should be getting back on the gratitude practice wagon, that I should be taking more hot girl walks (when I can, uh, walk again), that I need to resume the doing of happiness. The awful thing about adulthood, at least for me, at least since age 35, has been that there is never enough resilience* rebuilt before the next thing falls apart. The next grief, the next disaster, the next loss, the next impossible task. I assume we all live this way, and I just happen to be bad at navigating it.

Thank god there are still words, though. The word machine is not broke, it is a vintage model and the motor turns over every single time I turn it back on, eventually. Thank god we can sing about our calamities; it doesn't erase them, but at least it makes music.

[amirasainz]

Hi literally get so excited when you update! Can you write one where charles x alexandra x reader where charles and alex are away for an event and forget that it's the reader birthday ans only remember when someone tells them birthday it and they try and make it up to her.

Hi loves. I hope you enjoy this little piece. Let me know what you think. Comments are always apreciated!I'm sorry,but the Sydney Sweeny picture was perfect, so I had to include it😉

Also, question (and please answer me that in the comments), does anyone read what I write before the story? Like the little message here? I'm just curious❤️

Enjoy reading and send me requests!!❤️

-XoXo

The Birthday disaster

You couldn’t believe it. They weren’t here. They didn’t call, text, or even send you a freaking letter. Your own boyfriend and girlfriend forgot your birthday. And not just any birthday, it was your 21 birthday. Instead of celebrating with Alex, Charles, and all of your friends in a vibrant club, you were sitting on the balcony of your apartment. Despite the cold wind hitting your bare skin mercilessly, thanks to the cute short dress you wore today, you couldn’t bring yourself to walk back inside.

Of course, your friends tried to get you to come out with them to celebrate your birthday properly. But it just hurt too much, and to be honest, your mind was too tired and sad for any kind of festivity.

When Charles and Alex first informed you about the event hosted by one of Alex’s friends, they eagerly asked you to join them. Unfortunately, your job didn’t allow you to tag along, which both of them understood. However, they promised you that they would return today at around 5 o’clock. To be honest, you thought they had something special planned for your birthday. But last night, at around 11 pm, you received a text from Alex, informing you that they would be staying longer in Venice, where the event was held.

At first, you thought this was some kind of joke. Maybe they wanted you to think that they weren’t able to celebrate with you, only to surprise you with a birthday party. But sadly, when you woke up this morning, nothing happened. Throughout the day, there was complete silence between you and them.

Your group of friends, who had been with you a few hours ago to at least celebrate your birthday a little bit, tried to convince you to go out and party with them. Before you could agree, you got a notification from Instagram. You were tagged quite often in a post showing Alex and Charles at the event. They looked so happy and carefree, making you feel even more numb.

Despite their best efforts, your friends left after half an hour, after you reassured them with phrases like “Yes, I will take care of myself,” “Yes, I will call you if I need anything,” and “No, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m completely fine.” They knew you were anything but fine; however, they also knew that you needed to be alone right now.

So here you are, sitting alone in the cold with your only companions being the vodka bottle you brought with you and the relentless wind hitting your skin. “Happy fucking 21st birthday to me, I guess,” you muttered to yourself, staring out at the sea.

“Oh my god, Lisa. You truly outdid yourself,” complimented Alex, her friend. And it was true. The event was filled with beautiful flowers and lights, giving the room a fairy-like appearance. The soft glow of the lights reflected off the petals, creating a magical ambiance that made everyone feel like they had stepped into an enchanted garden. Charles, who stood next to his girlfriend, only brought her closer to him and said, “Yeah, I have to agree. I’m 100% sure YN would have loved it.” “You are so right, love. I wish she was here with us,” agreed Alex, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness.

“Wait, I’m confused. So there is nothing wrong between you guys and YN?” asked Lisa, her brow furrowed in confusion. Alex and Charles shared a look with each other, both of them equally puzzled. “No, why would there be anything wrong with us?” Alex replied, her tone defensive. “Oh, I just thought you had a fight and this is the reason why you are here and not with YN today. But I must have been wrong…” Linda’s voice trailed off, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. She shared a look with her partner Mary, both of them realizing the gravity of the situation.

“Wait, stop. Pause. Why would we be with YN tonight? You invited us to your event and we are here. I don’t get what’s going on right now,” said Alex, her frustration mounting. It felt like Mary and Lisa knew something she and Charles didn’t. Mary, who was now also becoming more annoyed with how the two of them acted before them, didn’t take any nonsense from Alex.

Without hesitation, she looked straight into Alex’s eyes and told her with an ice-cold voice, “Well, we weren’t expecting you to show up today because we thought that you would be busy celebrating YN’s 21 birthday today. But from the looks of it, it seems like you forgot your own girlfriend’s birthday. So don’t talk to us with that rude tone of yours. At least we remember each other’s birthdays.” With that, Mary took Lisa by the hand and left, leaving Alex and Charles standing there in stunned silence.

Alex and Charles were left behind, both staring at the space where the couple used to be a few seconds ago. Both of them felt a wave of guilt and shame wash over them. How could they forget their own girlfriend’s birthday? Turning on their phones, they saw the flood of messages they had received from not only their fans but also their friends, YN’s friends, and their families. Each message was a painful reminder of their oversight.

“We messed up so badly,” muttered Charles, looking at Alex with a pained expression. The woman could only nod, still speechless. Charles took her arm and gently but firmly led her out of the room. “We have to go to her. ASAP,” Alex told Charles, who was already a step ahead of her and had their jackets in hand. With that, the couple left the event, both feeling a deep sense of remorse. How could they forget their girl’s birthday?

As they hurried to their car, Alex’s mind raced with thoughts of how to make it up to YN. She knew it would take more than just an apology to mend the hurt they had caused. Charles, too, was lost in his thoughts, thinking of ways to show YN how much she meant to them. They both knew that they had a lot of making up to do, but they were determined to do whatever it took to make things right.

At around 1 am, the couple finally arrived home. The ride back had been silent, the air in the car feeling oppressively thick, making it hard to breathe. They parked their car in the garage and, without hesitation, jumped out of the vehicle, racing towards the elevator. The few minutes it took to reach their front door felt like an eternity, each second stretching painfully.

When they entered the apartment, everything was shrouded in darkness. A figure sat on the balcony, barely visible in the dim light. Charles immediately sat next to YN, while Alex kneeled in front of her. YN didn’t even look at them before taking a gulp from the nearly empty bottle of vodka. “Hey love, I think you’ve had enough for tonight,” whispered Charles, gently trying to take the bottle away from the now 21-year-old girl.

YN shook her head, her voice trembling as she reminded them, “No. NO, you do not get to tell me what I can and cannot do. Not after you forgot about me.” “Baby, we didn’t forget about you,” Alex tried, her eyes already filling with tears. YN only laughed, her own tears streaming down her face. “No, Alexandra. You do not get to tell me that after you forgot my birthday, and you certainly don’t get to cry.” “Ok, let’s all calm down,” Charles attempted again, his voice soothing but firm.

“No Charles! I don’t want to calm down. You both forgot about me. You two promised me that something like this would never happen to us. You promised me that you would always love me. You promised me that the age gap didn’t bother you when we started dating when I was 19. But look at us. You already broke one of your promises. How can I be sure that you won’t break another one?” With that, YN broke down in tears. Her whole body shook with the force of her sobs, her head held in her hands.

Charles and Alex immediately moved to comfort her. “YN, breath. We are so freaking sorry. I guarantee you, we didn’t mean for something like this to happen. We were all so busy with our jobs and social lives that we didn’t mean to forget something so important,” Charles began, his voice filled with regret.

Alex took YN’s head into her hands, gently wiping away her tears. “We love you more than anything in this world. You are our air and our heart. And we will apologize for the rest of our lives if we have to,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. YN only whispered, “I love you guys too.” Alex didn't hesitate before kissing her girlfriend. after a moment the they pulled apart.

Charles turned her face towards him, speaking softly, “And we didn’t lie when we told you the age gap didn’t bother us. And we certainly didn’t lie when we promised you that we would always love you, ok?” After YN nodded, Letting Charles also kiss her. This kiss was filled with as much love as Alex, just a bit more urgently but still gentle. After their kiss, the three of them cuddled close to each other, finding solace in their shared warmth.

It would take some time before everything was alright between the three of them again. But for now, sitting together and watching the city lights flicker in the distance was the perfect way to start healing.

[losersroom]

hi hello it's max. uhm so that ask bout brodsfabes mpreg fic idea (especially the whole baby trapping part) stayed on my mind all day and reallyyyyy got me thinking. so. i, at least, feel like it would be pretty easy to tell who's on birth control in omegaverse cause idk maybe it would change the omega's scent a bit. of course if it didn't it would be easier to baby trap and all but the idea of brods knowing that fabes is lying to him about being on birth control and going through with it anyways just kinda makes my brain all staticy. almost maybe going through with it in a "you wanted it that bad and here's the consequences of what you wanted" and all that. but uh. anyways not to ramble in your inbox but of course i'll eat anything you post lol

HI HELLO

(cw: breeding talk. i'm not putting this under a cut because it's After Dark hours over here but you've been warned)

yeah like. the thing is. brock and jonas aren't together in this scenario, right. there's a vibe, they both feel the attraction, but during the regular season they're both on suppressants all the time and it holds the instinctive alpha/omega desire back. and jonas has always thought, well, he's the veteran, he's older, he has to be responsible- he's an alpha, and this omega rookie is his responsibility to protect, like a sheepdog given a lamb to watch. his job to make sure no one takes advantage of his partner. his job to make sure brock can be safe on the ice and in the locker room as an unmated omega and not have to worry about having his extremely promising career derailed by heat and pregnancy, the physical complications of it, the problems that come with having to take months and months off while the body changes and then heals and maybe never works quite the same way again. and anyway, he's swedish. when his career is over and brock is still in his prime, jonas will be going back to a foreign country, and brock wouldn't want to go with him. it would be unfair to claim someone that he couldn't keep. he's used to letting go of things he wanted but that wouldn't work out for him anyway- with matt, with suter.

but brock does not want to let it go. he doesn't want jonas to go back to sweden and for them to never see each other again. he is convinced that jonas is his One True Alpha and that fate convened to put them together just like in the stories and he wants that man's baby. so like, maybe it's the end of the season and they've been mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, again. and maybe nothing matters. so maybe brock is going to go off his suppressants and show up at jonas' apartment drenched in the scent of his heat, and just... see what happens. so it's less like, lying to him, and more like hoping jonas gets drunk and stupid enough off his scent to forget all the reasons why this is a bad idea and fuck him anyway

but now that you mention it the version where they're both pretending he's on birth control even though they're both very aware that he's not is also. that's a lot. like they're allowed to want it if they pretend they're ignorant of the consequences. jonas getting off a little on how much brock wants to be bred, to arrange this whole charade about it. a+

[kwonzoshi]

Here is my contribution for Day 2 of Wille’s month. The prompt is ‘Summer.’

@youngroyals-events.

He didn’t know how he did it but Wilhelm managed to convince his parents and the royal court to let him spend the summer with Simon. Of course Malin had to be there but if there was one thing about her, she knew how to be discreet, and was always down to help him surprise his boyfriend. He exited the sleek sedan as Malin grabbed his enormous suitcase that held every single thing he could possibly need for his vacation. He fixed his hair before knocking on the door, smiling as Linda greeted him. They embraced and exchanged pleasantries as she welcomed him in, letting him know that Simon was back in his room playing his online games with Ayub and Rosh.

He made his way down the familiar hallway after taking his suitcase from Malin. He couldn’t help but grin as he listened to the sweetest boy he knew spew obscenities at the people he was playing with.

“Ayub, I swear to FUCKING god if you get killed one more time I’m forfeiting the game. I promise you.” A moment of silence followed by, “No no no Rosh you can’t defend his playing, not today. He’s fucking up our KD. He’s died THIRTY SEVEN times and only killed TWO… THIRTY SEVEN DEATHS!! TWO KILLS!!” Simon exclaimed, hands shaking. Wilhelm chuckled as he quietly stepped into the room, sneaking behind an unsuspecting Simon. He wrapped his arms around Simon’s waist and pulled him against his body, causing Simon to yelp.

Simon whipped his head around, jumping to his feet, “WILHELM?!” he said, shock covering every inch of his face “What?!” He yanked his headset off, completely forgetting about the game or the anger he felt towards Ayub’s shitty playing. That anger was replaced with surprise, joy, and love. “What are you doing here?!” He asked, his face immediately breaking into a smile that could outshine the sun.

Wilhelm beamed back, reaching a hand out to grab Simon, “I convinced my mom to let me spend the summer with you.” He said quietly as he pulled him into his arms, Finally… he thought to himself, inhaling Simon’s scent. He continued speaking into Simon’s neck, “Part of the deal was that Malin had to come with and we have to travel with the royal driver but…” he planted soft kisses on Simon’s jaw as he spoke, “we…”, the kisses traveled up his cheek “have…” then up to his ear, “the entire summer together.”

Simon’s head fell back, as his body shivered. “Wait…” he said, barely above a whisper, “we-” he cleared his throat but that did nothing for his head, “we’re spending the summer together?” Wilhelm pulled back to look into Simon’s eyes, a bright smile on his face.

“Yes,” he responded simply, allowing his hands to toy with Simon’s curls. “Weren’t you the one that said that you didn’t want to have yet another boring summer? I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen”

Simon smiled, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s neck, “Yea.. that was me. So… what’s the plan, then?”

Wilhelm wrapped his arms around Simon’s waist, pulling him close once again. He leaned forward slightly, “How does…” he whispered in Simon’s ear, “...Paris, sound?”

Simon jerked back, his chocolate brown eyes frowning up at Wilhelm’s honey ones. “Paris?!” He repeated, dumbfounded. “Yo-you’re taking me to Paris?”

“Oh, käresta, I’m taking you all over Europe, we’re just starting with Paris,” Wilhelm kissed Simon’s furrowed brows, “You better start packing, we leave in the morning.”

“Wille, you know that I can’t just… up and leave.” Simon said, brows still furrowed. “I have to get a job and with Sara being gone, I can’t just leave my mom by herself.”

“Simon… you should know me better than to think I didn’t have a plan in place for this.” Wilhelm responded, gently cupping Simon’s cheek. “After everything that’s happened, I made sure to make arrangements for your mom’s safety. That was priority number one. She’s had a guard tailing her day in and day out, even if she didn’t know it. I’ve made sure she’s safe.” He let his thumb caress Simon’s cheek.

“Really?” Simon said, unable to hide his surprise as his brows raised.

“Yes, really.” Wilhelm gave him a small smile. “I also already talked to Linda and she’s okay with you going. She said that with the settlement money, things will be fine. She doesn’t want you to have to keep sacrificing your summers if you don’t have to.” At Simon’s glare, he raised his hands in mock surrender, “her words not mine, I swear. She also wants us to get her souvenirs. Magnets, keychains and all of that corny stuff.”

Simon’s expression softened, excitement slowly creeping in. “She’s really okay with this?” Wilhelm nodded, resting his hands back on Simon’s waist.

“Now, get to packing and get excited cause we’re going to the city of love.” He planted a soft kiss on the tip of Simon’s nose before pulling away.

Simon laughed at Wilhelm’s emphasis on the word love, shaking his head as he stepped out of their embrace, grabbing his suitcase from under his bed. Wilhelm watched as he packed, admiring how neat Simon was. For the first time in a long time, Wilhelm was looking forward to his summer vacation and it was all because he was going to spend it with Simon.

They made their way through Europe, just as Wilhelm promised. Starting with Paris, where they ate croissants , eclairs and kissed under the Eiffel Tower, then making their way to Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Italy. All in that order. Wilhelm spared no expense for Simon, buying him everything he asked for. Simon had never been spoiled like this and he was letting himself enjoy as much as he could. Not that Wilhelm allowed him to protest. They had the best time traveling together, buying the corniest souvenirs for everyone and making unforgettable memories.

[thecoffeelorian]

Chapter Title:  Interrupted

Word Count:  1,431 words

Brief Description: Captain Howzer x Female Reader, Captain Howzer x Chandrilan Reader (Singular Love Interest). A continuation of the first chapter in which the Reader's younger sister is forbidden to marry until the Reader does...but instead of both women living the single life forever, one day, a Trooper appears and changes everything.

AO3: Link Here

Extra Notes: If anybody's read this before and is still waiting for Chapter 3, that chapter is on its way. If not, welcome, and the link to the previous chapter is below.

Previous Chapter: The Challenge

The No-Pressure Tag List: @trixie2023 @littlefeatherr @ceejay3636 @red-plaidedandcladed @sunshinesdaydream

@crosshair-lover @sunshinefanfictioninsp @offspringsdaughter @liliskywalker @the-fruitpunch-clown

@nerfpuncher @burningfieldof-clover @angrypaperearthquake-tbbb-main and anyone else still interested in my writing after so long.

“Whoa!”

You catch yourself in time before you walk straight into the man, and automatically start thinking of the best apology to give him. Though there are undoubtedly many people out and about in the streets this time of day, nevertheless, it wouldn’t be good of you to forget your basic manners. Not when you’re so close to making your escape, and more or less doing your best not to attract too much attention.

However…

Once you’ve looked up into those dark eyes properly, it’s only then that you notice him. That same focused, wary look that you must have seen at least half a hundred times within the last few years. The face of one Mandalorian warrior reflected in the faces and lives of thousands, only this time, it’s not just one more Trooper passing you in the street.

“Apologies, ma'am. Afraid I didn’t see you zere.”

No, this time, that Trooper’s focused on nobody else but you…and despite your own stubbornness and bad temper, you feel yourself start to get just the slightest bit warm.

“No, no, the fault is all mine. I’m the one who got distracted.”

Warm, and under his scrutiny, and curiously not ready to throw the nearest chair at this Trooper’s sudden appearance. Not like you would have done in the presence of a less interesting, more infuriating fellow. How strange it seems that things can change so quickly.

“Well…I guess the both of us should be careful, huh?”

“Most likely!”

Nevertheless, now that you’ve gone and broken the ice between yourselves, it almost seems wrong for you not to get a full sighting of him before you part ways. To try, if you’re able, to figure out what sort of soldier he was on the various battlefields around the galaxy.

Whatever color armor he might have worn before, though, you can’t exactly tell.

He seems to have abandoned his usual gear in favor of civilian clothing, for he’s got on a set of gray pants and shirt, a simple black belt, and a pair of matching black boots. Hardly the sort of getup that promises, 'Look out, I’m a literal human weapon’…but then again, the war with the Separatists has recently been decided, so maybe all the soldiers involved can move on from this.

Or so you hope.

“Whereabouts are you headed, soldier?”

“The same place everyone else is going, ma'am. Out into the galaxy to seek my fortune.”

You and me both, you think to yourself, taking a quick mental note of the telltale scarring upon the right side of his otherwise unmarred face. Though this one seems friendly enough, other people, or droids, or perhaps even wild beasts seemed to have disagreed with his existence entirely, for any one of them could have been responsible in taking their aggression out upon him.

In spite of what he’s gone through, however, he seems to be keeping his spirits up. Yes, this appears to be the face of a Trooper who could easily be off to his first real job off the battlefield, if not also a variety of other things, that war itself wouldn’t have allowed him otherwise.

A shame you don’t have the option of sticking around, though, because unfortunately, along comes the first of three notifications over your commlink to remind you that the early boarding process has begun.

Still…at this same time, it’s got to be all for the best.

“So, I…should be going now, I’m afraid. I don’t want to miss my shuttle.”

He hasn’t taken his eyes off of you since you first began to speak. He’s making it just a little bit harder for you to pull yourself away, because as soon as you do, there’s a very strong chance you’ll begin to understand that you’re well, and truly, alone.

Or could it be that you haven’t been able to take your eyes off of him…?

“Of…of course, Ma'am. You be safe out zere.”

He finishes his sentence with a quick salute, after which you feel yourself snap back to reality. It’s time for you to go. He might be staying on this planet for some time yet, but you’re not, and it’s time for you to go. Right now.

“And you as well. Soldier.”

Hefting your own bag a bit higher on your arm, you’re turning yourself away and very nearly marching the rest of the distance to the space port. You need to leave this planet before you begin to think too much about staying behind, about abandoning the few friends who have already gone ahead of you and are waiting for you, and about giving Briana something to mock you with if she ever found out you might be as weak as she is around members of the opposing gender.

Not that you will, of course.

No, secret meetings are more of her thing, so naturally, she can have them. Whatever it takes for her to keep on being “the good girl” of Chandrilan society, keeping all of its traditions from the cradle to the grave, and more or less feeling safe in that curse of a Binding she seems to love so much.

You, on the other hand, are making your own way in the galaxy.

A way that begins just as soon as you’re away from this stifling rock, on course to Naboo, and well out of the atmosphere before Father knows you’re gone. It’s this way that guides you through various patches of other fellow travelers, a seemingly random mix of humans, Rodians, Trandoshans, and Twi'leks, with a handful of Jawas and Mon Calamari hovering around the edges. There’s even two or three Clone Troopers talking heatedly amongst themselves somewhere around the center, though you can’t exactly make out their words. Probably debating the politics of the day, or current events, or asking themselves just how that Chancellor Palpatine fell down the stairs, for all that you know.

As for you, you’re careful to get into the line for your flight out, all the while keeping your head down. Just in case.

Right on time, you think, patting the side of your bag just to reassure yourself that nothing’s been lost or stolen. So far, everything’s still there, which is a blessing in itself. Nothing’s holding you back in that regard, all right.

The sooner I’m away from this stuffy planet, the better…

Then again…it’s not until you just happen to glance to your right that you begin to notice the other travelers around you a bit more. This blue Twi'lek, for one, waves wistfully at a group of her friends before slowly turning and walking to her waiting ship.

That green Rodian, for another, chats away over a commlink to family members, their smaller faces reflecting a bit of his own features even through the blue light.

And third, there just happens to be a Human woman hugging her parents goodbye not twenty feet away from where you stand, their tearful farewells evident solely by their expressions alone.

In other words, they’ve all had someone to see them off on their respective journeys…but because of your own escape, that’s the one thing you’ve had to go without. Nobody’s around to give you a goodbye hug, or wave to you one more time before boarding, or even to ask if you packed an extra poncho for Naboo’s wetter rotations.

Is this a sign, then, that no one will miss you if an accident should befall your ship, or someone steals your holo-pass, or Force forbid, you’re stolen away to an Outer Rim planet to do the bidding of some petty warlord…? Just how angry, or bitter, or apathetic would your family be if the worst happened to you, but they learned about your abandonment of them well in advance and thought your fate a deserving punishment?

There’s no way for you to tell, unfortunately. You never really had so much of an inkling of Force sensitivity, so any hopes of predicting your own future are well out of your reach.

Instead, it seems to be just you, your bag, the line of other passengers ahead of you, and—

“—You there. Traveler.”

…And the sound and sight of a second Clone Trooper standing not six inches away from you, one hand motioning you forward.

Clearly, whatever brought you and that first Trooper to the same spot at the exact same time—the Force, mere chance, or sheer dumb luck—well, it just might not be done with you yet.

“Please step out of the line, ma’am. There’s something we need to discuss.”

[elisysd]

4. Vultures spinning up above for what's left of me

Masterlist - Previously - Next

It was a nightmare. It couldn’t be true. Ethan felt like living in a haze, he could feel his heart beating loudly as if it wanted to jump out of his chest. He wanted to throw up. He had always been careful and responsible. It couldn’t happen. It just couldn’t. It was impossible. He was trying to remember who that girl was but he had no idea. There came a time when, for him, all girls looked alike. Did it make him look like an insensitive asshole? Maybe. Did he care? A part of him did. A tiny, tiny, little part. But a part that was not big enough to make him want to change. It was not his fault if girls came to him and flirted. Who was he to refuse the attention? But he had always been clear with them. They shouldn’t expect anything else from him other than a good night of sex. That was it. He didn’t have anything else to offer. His job was too important for him to throw it all away for a girl. He didn’t know how to love someone, nor did he want to learn. It was just not for him. And he was okay with it.

“Ethan, do you hear me? Are you still here?” his agent asked him.

“Yeah… yeah. I’m still there.”

“I was saying that we should release a statement. What do you think?”

“No. It would give credit to the story and it’s the last thing I want. Maybe if we wait and let the storm passes through, it will die down.”

“I’m not sure Ethan… It could really tarnish your reputation.”

“But she is lying! I know she is. I’m a lot of things, but I’m not stupid enough to forget about protection.”

“If we don’t do anything, it’s going to be a mess with the media…”

“Let it be.”

It was his final decision. He was used to tabloids anyway. How bad could that be? But if Ethan was not scared of the media, he was scared of another person in his life. As he was about to board on his flight for Qatar, the name of his mother appeared on the screen.

“Ethan Christian Verstappen! You have some serious explaining to do!” Kat Verstappen screamed aver the phone, making Ethan pulling the phone away from his ear.

“I guess you see the rumour…”

“Don’t tell me I’m going to be a grandmother soon. I’m too young for that!”

“I promise you, you won’t. That girl is lying. I met her once; we had fun and that’s it.”

“How many times did we tell you, with your dad, that your antics would get you in trouble one day? You never listened. If you settled down, the issue would be fixed!”

“I don’t want to settle down, mom.” sighed Ethan.

There was a silence on the other side of the line.

“What does she want, if she is lying, then?”

“I don’t know. Maybe she is salty about the fact that I don’t want a relationship and she is trying to manipulate me to destabilize me? I don’t know… It’s fucked up, mom.”

“But what if she is not lying?”

“You didn’t raise me to be a coward. I would take my part of responsibilities. But it won’t come down to this. I promise that she is lying. You have to believe me. I need to know that you and dad believe me and that I have you in my corner.”

He was expecting his mom to answer but it was his dad voice that he hear.

“I’m going to call my lawyer. If this girl wants to mess with us, we are going to show her that she chose the wrong family.” said Max.

And Ethan knew it would all be okay.

The flight to Qatar allowed him to sleep a little, he was feeling exhausted after all the events of the last twenty-four hours. And he needed to recharge his batteries before the weekend. He was dreading the press conference. He didn’t want to go since he knew how his story was blowing up in the press. He just hoped it would all die down soon. But fate had sometimes its twisted ways and as soon as he landed, he received a text from his team principal asking him to come by to the hospitality as soon as possible. And seeing the tone of the text, Ethan knew he was fucked.

When he finally arrived, he was expecting the meeting to be a short one with only a few people. He was not expecting to see the whole team of media officers not only from Maserati but from Lamborghini as well. He sat at the opposite of the table, feeling like a prisoner waiting for the final court decision. Ashley, the Maserati PR officer showed him silently the different front pages of tabloids as well as her laptop where were displayed thousands of tweets. Ethan gulped. It was no good.

“And that’s just the top of the iceberg, Ethan.” she said when he finished to read everything.

“Because there are more than my entire reputation and name being dragged out in the mud?”

“Can you stop being selfish for once, Ethan? You are not the only one that has to deal with the aftermath of the scandal. Montorelli is threatening us to back down from the sponsorship agreement if sanctions are not taken. Not only them, but a few others brands as well because they don’t want to be associated to us if you are still there.”

It didn’t take long for Ethan to understand what they were implying.

“You want to fire me?”

“We can’t. That would create more drama than it’s already the case, considering who your father is…”

“So what? What are you going to do about it?”

“The question is what are YOU going to do about it, Ethan? We talked a bit about it and we think we have a solution.”

Ethan didn’t like where it was going, but he sucked it up and listened to what they had to say.

“Listen, everyone loves a good bad boy redemption, right? So we were thinking of finding a nice girl, maybe a model, someone cute and friendly that people could relate to. A girl next door. And it would bring more sponsors and different ones, that could be good for us.”

“I don’t want to fake date anyone.”

“You don’t have the choice, Ethan. The situation is bad.”

He sighed, taking his head between his hands. It was a nightmare; he was going to wake up.

“And what about Carla? Is she really pregnant? What are we going to do about her?”

“We are going to find out the truth, don’t worry. We will keep you up to date as soon as we have info. So, now that it is settled, we thought about some girls…”

“No. If I have to do this, I want to at least choose the poor girl that is going to get dragged into it.”

It didn’t really seem to please the team but Ethan didn’t care. They ended up accepting, giving him a week to come with a plan or they would not give him the choice. Ethan agreed and left the meeting room with a pounding headache.

Most of the questions directed to him were mentioning his recent scandal. As hard as he tried to ignore them and saying that he was not there to talk about it and that it was not the right time, they kept coming at him to the point that he was seriously fed up.

“I would appreciate if we could talk about something else, like the race. My lawyers are doing their jobs to solve this thing. I just know that I didn’t do anything wrong, so I know that the truth will come out sooner or later.”

Of course, it was all what the paddock was talking about and Julia couldn’t ignore it. Wherever she was going, she could hear Ethan’s name being whispered. Even if she wanted to ignore them, she couldn’t. She managed to find, Romy on the Thursday, just after she was done with her interviews. She was sipping on an ice-tea, her sunglasses resting on the top of her straight blond hair. As soon as she saw Julia she smiled brightly and waved at her. Julia sat next to her and and put on the table her phone and her badge.

‘So how does it feel to be back in a paddock?” Romy asked her.

“It feels good! A lot of work to do but I’m excited about it.”

“Yeah, I saw that the Skoda was not performing well…”

“That’s a way to put it nicely. The car is shit; you can say it.”

“I don’t want to offend you.”

Julia shrugged, playing with her bottle. They kept on talking a little, catching up on what they were both doing and how Romy was feeling now that the season had started. Even if she was now starting her third year, just like Ethan, at Audi, she was still victim of way too many misogynistic remarks from journalists but from other teams as well. She could try her best to downplay them and act as if it wasn’t hurting her, Julia knew better. For most of the paddock, Romy was there only because of her last name and because Sebastian had pushed for her to have a seat when he accepted the role of Team Principal. Rumour had it that he even threaten Audi to refuse, if she wasn't there. So for many, Romy didn’t deserve to be here even though she fought nails and teeth to get where she was.

From the corner of her eyes, she could see Ethan and a bunch of other people that she supposed were a part of the media team.

“How much in trouble do you think Ethan is?” Julia asked.

“Big trouble from what I have heard. Poor Ethan, he doesn’t deserve that.”

“Poor Ethan? Are you for real? I’d say that something like that was bound to happen. I’m surprised it took so long.”

“I’m sure he is innocent. He might be stupid and a bit of an ass sometimes but he is also loyal. I don’t think he would be the type to abandon a child and the mother if it was true. So if he says that it’s not true, I believe him.”

“Not really convinced.”

“You are biased Julia… You hate his guts. It has always been this way, for as long as I can remember. I don’t even know when it all started exactly.”

Julia took a moment to think about it. If she was honest with herself, she didn’t remember either. She only knew that it had always been this way.

“It’s like that, anyway. We don’t like each other it won’t change.”

Julia knew that the cars wouldn’t achieve a miracle during the race. Her only hope was that they could both finish the race without any technical issues but even that was apparently too much to ask. A problem with the engine forced both of the Skoda to retire early during the race and it was needless to say that Wilhelm was furious. He was so angry that no one dared to move or even breath in his direction, to scared to be the target of his wrath. Julia was trying to not care about him and was focusing on the screen in front of her, trying to see what they could extract from the data when she felt him approaching her.

“You’re useless.”

“Sorry?” she said, taken aback by how rude his tone sounded like.

“Why did we hire you, if at the end of the day your dad can’t even provide us with good engines? You were supposed to be an addition to this team because of your connection with Ferrari and all of that for what? We can’t even finish a race!”

“It’s not my fault. If you can’t make a viable car, it’s your problem. I’m here to help improving it but I was not part of the making process.”

“Listen Julia. You are nothing in this team. You just started and don’t think for one second that we hire you, a girl, for your engineering skills. The only thing that made you stand out from other candidates was your last name, so we could potentially get some help from Maranello.”

It hurt. It shouldn’t but it did. Everyone was looking at her, Niels and Noah included. It was not this way that she planned on telling them about her father, if even she was planning on telling them. It seemed like no matter how hard she tried, no matter how much effort she was putting into making people forget about her father, they couldn’t see past it. She was feeling tears prickling behind her eyelids and she stood up, excusing herself. She needed some air.

“Hey, Julia…” she turned around to see Niels approaching her carefully. “I just wanted to tell you that it was not nice. What happened inside.”

“Do you mean, the misogyny, the belittling or the humiliation?” she sniffled.

“All of that, I guess. I didn’t know that Charles was your dad….”

“Does it change something?”

“Well, no. Of course not. It’s just that now I feel a bit stupid about telling you that my dream team was Ferrari and with my fanboy moment about your dad. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable.”

“I’m used to that, Niels don’t worry. I’m way past it.” she reassured him.

“Good to know. I hope you know that whatever Wilhelm said, it was not true. Everyone can see that you are hard-working and you are the only one who cared about what it felt like to be in the car and to drive that car. If he was giving you the time and space to grow and to improve, you would be a valuable member of the team.”

“Thank you Niels, that’s really nice of you to say.”

“We were thinking of going to a bar tonight with Noah to drown our sorrows in a few shots of vodka. Want to join us?”

She nodded. It would do her good and maybe she could actually try to make some friends. Niels was a nice guy.

“I can see that you are a bit sad and I don’t like seeing people sad. Can I give you a hug? I’m a huger.” he asked.

She half-smiled and opened her arms for him and he didn’t hesitate to squeeze her.

They met later in the lobby of the hotel to go to a bar near it. It was a VIP place, something Julia was not used too. She had never been a party girl and she started to regret to have said yes. But it was too late now. When they walked in, Noah spotted immediately Kyle and Ludwig that were there too and decided to go to them. Soon after, Julia recognised Ethan with them and gulped. She quickly pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Romy as a SOS to ask her to join her. She knew that the Schumacher would never said no to a party. Even more if Julia was there.

Ethan wanted to forget this day and if he was being totally honest, he wanted to wipe out this week from his memory. Pretend it never existed so he could go back to his old ways and life. He sighed and tensed up when he saw Julia approaching his table. She definitely was the last person he wanted to see. He wanted to enjoy a night out with his friend without feeling judged by little miss perfect.

He ended up P15 which was his worst position ever. He din’t even listen to his team when he got out of the car and skipped the meeting. He did his best with staying polite to the press while wishing he was somewhere else. So here he was, in a bar, a place he would have loved to be just a week ago but right now, he was not having fun. As Julia was taking place at the table opposite of him, he made it clear that she was annoying him. He snorted before drinking a gulp of his whiskey and Julia, clearly hearing him, rolled her eyes.

Ludwig who was sitting right next to Ethan noticed the interaction. He was vaguely remembering her but failed to pinpoint the exact moment they had met in the past.

“I feel like we met, before, no? I’m Ludwig by the way, but everyone call me Lud.” he asked her.

“Maybe you’ve seen me around, I work for Skoda.”

“Yeah? That’s why you’re here with Noah and Niels, I guess then. So, what made you want to work in F1?”

“Well, I’ve been following the sport for quite some time now and I guess that it came naturally. I mean, I’ve always known that this is what I wanted to do.”

Ethan leaned against his chair, playing with his glass, before looking at her straight in the eyes.

“What she is failing to mention is that daddy is Ferrari Team Principal, so it helped. Right, Joolsie?”

“Shit, you’re Charles Leclerc’s daughter?” exclaimed Ludwig making everyone looking at her.

If a look could kill, Ethan would be six feet under by now.

“But why are you working at Skoda and not Ferrari, then?” asked Kyle, mingling in the conversation.

“Maybe I don’t want to? Maybe I want to deserve to work there and not have the easy access, like some people.” she snapped, staring at Ethan.

Fortunately for her, Romy arrived and all eyes were on her when she sat down loudly next to Julia and hailed a waiter to bring her his strongest drink.

“P4! P fucking 4! Fucking Ferrari! Fucking Martin and his nasty overtake! I could have won if it were not from him overtaking me like that! We all know that he should have gotten a penalty, it was not fair to squeeze me between the barrier like that!”

“Beware Schumy, we have a Ferrari spy, she is going to tell everything to daddy.” said Ethan.

“Can’t you just shut up, for once in your life?”

“Okay, kids… we are all collectively taking a deep breath and try to enjoy the night.” came Noah between them to try to avoid making the situation worse than it already was.

The next hour was boring for Julia. Romy was busy flirting with Kyle, while Noah and Niels were playing pool. The asked her she wanted to join but she preferred declining the invite, not being a fan of the game. As Ethan was talking to Ludwig, she felt alone. She excused herself and went to Romy, telling her she was going back to the hotel, to which the blonde nodded, way too occupied with the Lamborghini first driver. She waved slightly in direction Ludwig who was busy trying to cheer Ethan up as the young man was still brooding, complaining about the race and the scandal.

“Of course.” he exclaimed as he was seeing her leave the bar.

“What?”

“What about Julia?”

“Julia? What are you talking about, mate?” Ethan laughed, not understanding what his friend was trying to say.

“The PR relationship? What about Julia? It’s perfect.”

“I won’t fake date Julia, Lud.” groaned Ethan.

“But think about it! You hate her guts and she feels the same. No reason for her or you to fall in love and end up with a broken heart in the middle of the process.And it makes sense from a marketing point of view! You are Ethan Verstappen, only son of a legend of his sport. She is Charles’ daughter, the one who restored Ferrari glory! Two legends! The fight between them on tracks, we grew up watching them! They are iconic! You guys are basically royalty and you know that the media eat that type of shit! They love that! Imagine the PR.”

Ethan took a minute to think about it. On paper it looked great, he had to admit it but there would be no way, they would achieve to make it believable for the rest of the world.

“She would never agree.”

“Never say never, there must be something that could make her change her mind, no?”

“She hates me.”

“Ethan, do you want to lose your seat next year or do you want to fight to keep it?”

“Of course I want to fight!”

“Then, you know my idea is the best you’ll get.”

It hurt him to admit it, really it bruised his ego, but Ludwig was right. Julia might be his only hope if he wants to keep everything, he fought so hard to get. But now, he had to find a way to convince her to get onboard and he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Author's note: So.... what do you think Ethan will do? Do you think Julia will agree ? What do you think about the other characters?

I can't wait to read your thoughts about it, so don't hesitate to leave a comment or an ask, as well as reblogging and leaving a like. It helps a lot for the story to find its audience. I also have a taglist for this story, so if you want to be added so you never miss a chapter, let me know.

Taglist:

@herondalism @aundercover @musingsbyshreya @karmabyfernando @reengard @mycenterfold @smoooothoperator

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

You're forgetting that Eraser is an enabler. Yes, Bakugo should be held fully accountable for his own actions, I completely agree with you there. But Eraser is his homeroom teacher. It's his job to discipline Bakugo when he does something wrong and not allow him to continue that behavior. Instead he does nothing as Bakugo repeatedly attacks a fellow classmate. He assumes that Midoriya is just as responsible for them not being able to get along. He has CONSISTENTLY treated Midoriya unfairly, especially as opposed to Bakugo.

Who's the one always defending Bakugo? Eraser. Who's the one who paired them together for the final despite Bakugo repeatedly being violent toward Midoriya? Eraser. Who's the one who did nothing to correct Bakugo's behavior despite promising to? Eraser.

Either Eraser is an idiot who genuinely doesn't believe that there's a power imbalance between Midoriya and Bakugo, or he's aware of it and sees no problem with it and doesn't deign to do anything about it. You can understand how neither of these options do him any favors

I'm not saying he isn't an enabler.

I'll acknowledge that my preferred version of Aizawa is mostly fanon because I like him better when he's a good man and a good father figure to the kids. But I know that he enabled Bakugou.

It's why in every five I write the backstory is that Aizawa doesn't read teacher comments and he assumes based on Bakugou’s attitude that he was treated like a villain. Because it gives us a reason why Aizawa does defend Bakugou. As for Izuku: I think Nezu never included the activation date or even Izuku kept it quiet out of fear. He never tells ANYONE when he got his Quirk for a long time. So I can actually understand why Aizawa would think Izuku is lazy in that situation. I think Aizawa is a fucking idiot for not looking into it further, but that's me.

However I can't remember Aizawa ever blaming Izuku for the fights with Bakugou. I literally can't. He blames them BOTH for the after curfew fight which is highly unfair but it's not solely Izuku. I've rewritten enough of the series that I can see how unfair Aizawa is BUT with his personality I can't understand why. It feels incredibly out of character to me that a guy who hates when people coast on their Quirks and acts like a bunch of entitled dicks would give Bakugou a pass. Hence my headcanon.

Aizawa does enable Bakugou: and it's WILDLY out of character even early on. This is why I think Horikoshi either: a) wants Bakuhou around the most and will make everyone OOC to do it or b) is being forced to keep the guy in due to popularity.

But to say he ONLY blames Izuku is wrong. He's just never punishing Bakugou which isn't good. I won't deny Aizawa is a dick the first while before becoming more open. However: he's not the one at fault for Bakugou’s actions. Bakugou would have figured a way out to bully Izuku no matter what. He'd have gotten sneaker and meaner over time. That's what abusers do. He'd have hit Izuku in places people can't see and he'd have done things to mess with him.

Aizawa did enable Bakugou. But to have him receive a horrible punishment when Bakugou gets off Scott free is my issue. If Aizawa is fired for not doing anything, Bakugou should be expelled. If Bakugou just needs anger management, Aizawa just needs therapy.

To me, Aizawa honestly thought Bakugou just needed guidance. He never threatens Izuku with expelling him after the first day. He pulls logical ruses, does train Shinsou over them and isn't a great teacher but NO teacher at UA is a good one. Vlad King certainly the hell isn't given he hasn't cracked down on Kendo or Monoma for their shit. Power Loader isn't for not stopping Mei from her antics. Present Mic and Midnight could have done something to. All Might isn't a great teacher either.

Aizawa is an idiot who got blinded by his own beliefs. Bakugou is a child who was hurt by society and needs guidence while Izuku is the old version of Kirishima: a well meaning guy who pushes to much. That's what Aizawa thinks I believe. That's what he is to me. Someone who honestly has the best intentions but fucks up.

But again: the issue will always be the unequal punishment for Bakugou when he is the sole person at fault. He didn't need an enabler the very first day: he attacked Izuku no matter what. His actions are his own.

[orchdaria]

short mun introduction here. hi, hi! i'm autumn (she/they, 21+) and i bring you not only my baby aera here, but also moon taeho (@mooninkd) & ahn kiha (@srnscng) so feel free to contact me on any of them! i also have discord upon request ♡

short muse introduction here. kim aera. 25 y/o. a nurse practitioner at cheongdanhae clinic and a resident! she was born and raised in yuseong bay all her life and honestly she has never known anything else nor she does really want to (for now anyway) even though she might claim otherwise. here is her profile and here is her pinterest!

answer the following prompts, either ooc or ic!

when did your muse first arrive in yuseong bay?      as said before, aera was born and raised in yuseong bay! she once dreamed of doing med school in some big city (seoul) just like her big sister that also went there for her university degree and have her little young adult adventures, however in the end she gave up the idea because of certain circumstances in her life. not that she's sad about not leaving yuseong bay anymore!! actually she wholeheartedly sees it as her home; she likes her job and she likes the house that she lives in, she likes (esp!!) the stray cats on the bay and she genuinely doesn't see herself living somewhere else (at least for now).

what does an average day look like for your muse?      she wakes up around 7am, has a cup of homemade matcha latte (recipe from her mother! she wanted to consume caffeine in a "healthy" manner so aera grew up with more matcha than coffee in her life) while attending to the small garden that she has (that was also her mother's!), talks to the plants a little bit so they can grow well and then goes back inside to have a proper breakfast, talks a little with the picture that she has of her parents in their little altar. then she gets ready goes to work after a cheerful i'm going now but i'll be back in the evening! goodbye to them so she's at clinic at 9am. as promised is only back around dinner time; usually she's too tired to cook so she buys dinner on the way or shamelessly stops by the place of one of the elderly couples/people that saw her grow up and knows that they'd never refuse to feed her (as a matter of fact they're more than glad to do so!), besides the company always does her good. then she goes home to watch some drama while doing some crocheting, especially if she didn't have any other opportunity to do so during her day (like having a slow day at work or anything like that); goes to bed around 10pm the earliest, 11pm to 12am the latest.

where can your muse usually be found?      besides work (rip aera and her 10 hours shifts), she can also be seen around the pier around mid afternoon, even more so during the colder seasons, trying to put sweaters (that she made herself) on the cats of the community they have in yuseong bay; goes to daeyanghwa florals every two weeks or so (or when she wants to treat herself a little) to get gardening supplies or new seeds/flowers for her garden and goes to lemon martes almost weekly for groceries because she always forgets one thing or two even with always having her groceries list with her— also enjoys the farmer's market to see the stalls and encountering a familiar face or two. once in a blue moon, she can also be seen in the recreation center trying to start some working out routine that she drops after a day or two.

how does your muse feel about hanhwa resort?      it's a little complicated because as much as she loves the fact that it's bringing attention to yuseong bay and allowing new people to go in and out of the town in a frequency that was never seen before, aera can't help but also feel a little resistant to how it's changing the town that she has known since she was young, after all, she was never good at dealing with change to begin with and if she really stops to think about it, she gets anxious about her own lifestyle being affected eventually (esp because of the higher prices that are only getting even higher); on top of it, she doesn't like the overall way that the resort treats the rest of the city, either like they're an annoyance to their business or as if they were part of the entertainment that they were providing.

is there an aspiration for your muse to stay in or leave yuseong bay?      as said before, aera isn't very good with changes and she has lots of attachments with the town so she has more reasons to stay than to leave. even if she does say that she dreams of a life out of it (and romanticizes the hell out of it), deep inside she feels like the calm and quiet life of a small town like yuseong bay suits her the most and she doesn't genuinely sees herself anywhere else for now. but then it's hard to say how much those desires is from the way she decided to deal mainly with her grief and how much is from a personal desire/want or even if it really matters in the end.

answer the following, ooc!

list your muse’s three favorite songs.      in no particular order: red velvet - about love ; twice - cruel ; taeyeon - time lapse.

describe your muse’s wardrobe.      cute scrubs, mostly very light/pastel colors, a combination of feminine and comfortable. loves loves to wear oversized sweaters/cardigans (and alikes), even more so when she learned how to make them herself and that's why it's not unusual to see her with rolled up sleeves of whatever she's wearing so her hands are usable, also adores short overalls and high waist bottoms (skirts, shorts, jeans, etc etc), sneakers over anything else but does own a couple of heels for any "fancier" events even if they're very rare.

what is a color, word, and emoji that you feel describes your muse?      lilac, daydream, 🐣

three strong likes and dislikes for your muse.      really likes crochet, rom coms, matcha bubble tea / really dislikes interrupted naps, almonds, iced americano (and/or most iced coffees)

three positive and negative traits for your muse.      positive traits softspoken, dutiful, caring / negative traits fanciful, unambitious, naive

three talents and shortcomings for your muse.      talents has a good memory, high tolerance for spicy food, queen of small talking/starting conversations / shortcomings doesn't know how to say no even when she wants to, can't whistle, trusts people that she shouldn't

what is a book/tv series/movie/video game character that you feel your character relates to?      she gives off the same energy as honda tohru from fruits basket.

a relevant goal or arch for your character to overcome.      TW DEATH & GRIEF it's been six years since her parents passed away and even though she swears that she's over it, aera obviously isn't. she's still incapable of letting them go. of course that she isn't as depressed as she was during the highest point of her grieving process, but she's also sort of lowkey in denial while clinging to small things that she feels are the only things that she has of her parents (i.e. her house which ends up stretching to yuseong bay as a whole, the necklace she is always wearing that is from her mom's, even her love for match only developed after her mother died, etc etc) so i wished that she'd genuinely move on and cling to her parents' memory in a healthier way/in a way that doesn't stop her from doing things that could want but (maybe) convinces herself that she doesn't (like leaving yuseong bay even if for vacation). END OF TW.      also she's almost ridiculously afraid of ending up alone/feeling lonely so hopefully she'll overcome that and make healthier friendships/be taken less advantage by people just to make them stay 🙏

extra bits !

started crocheting as a way to deal especially with stress related to getting her nurse license and now it's become a habit/hobby, it isn't really unusual to see her crocheting somewhere, even during work if it's a slow day; part of her love language became offering/making sweaters or scarves or keychain sized amigurumis for the people that she cares about (including the community of cats in yuseong bay).

once in a blue moon she gathers enough stuff to sell that at the farmer's market in a very small stall, but it's extremely rare since she has a full time job and usually gives away anything that she makes that isn't for herself anyway.

has a driver's license because her sister insisted that she at least learned how to drive just in case, is pretty ok at it but has no real interest in getting a car for herself.

has a good relationship with her sister even if it'd be easy to assume that they're strained (i.e. big sister doesn't visit often unless it's some special event like chuseok or anything relating to their parents', aera doesn't visit her at all because that would mean leaving yuseong bay, their different personalities, etc etc). they still care for each other and even though big sister can be a little pushy in trying to get aera to move on from the things that she feels like aera needs to, she means well and tries to tone it down when/if aera calls her out in it.

is always wearing a delicate necklace with a pendant of a single (real) pearl that used to be her mother's. the story behind it is that it was aera's father engagement present to her mother, it was even said that he fished that pearl himself and then asked to make a necklace out of it; it's unsure how true this story is but aera believes it wholeheartedly.

had a very serious relationship (wc coming soon!!) that ended up badly and now she's also scared of falling seriously in love again, instead she is more fond of the idea of love and her feelings are completely about the image/idea of the target of her affection that she has in her head instead of the real person, thinking that this way she'll protect herself from genuine feelings + still enjoying her romanticized (and somewhat shallow tbh) idea of love. big consequence of it is that she has at least one new crush every day and then ghosts anyone who shows genuine interest to her.

would love to adopt a cat (or any pet tbh) but feels like her lifestyle is too busy to be able to properly take care of any other living being that isn't the plants in her mother's garden so instead she tries to look after the kittens and any other strays that she meets on the street but then again never fully commits to it.

[chalkrevelations]

Rolling into part 4/4 of this week's Dangerous Romance, and I have done a superhuman job of maintaining my emotional equilibrium so far, first repeating grimly to myself through gritted teeth that Kanghan is a teenaged boy who has some fear and grief to process when he turned on Sailom immediately after promising that they would get through this together, and only threatening once to reach into the screen to strangle him when he pulled out that completely noxious little speech about "poor people" and what they'll do for money, because yeah, fuck you and the coddled little gremlin that's rearing its ugly head back up again. That's actually something I might be going back to at some later point, because I think it's maybe related to one of the deeper themes of the show, but for right now, just let me tell you, it's not looking good in the preview for 4/4, because no, Kanghan, you don't get to turn him out into the street like an abandoned dog and then have a single. fucking. word. to say about what he does to survive after that. You may be allowed to have his back by rescuing him from dangerous situations, but you do not get to say a single. fucking. thing. about how he ended up in those situations in the first place, particularly if it's in anything even approaching an accusatory tone or a raised voice. (I know what's coming, and I'm breathing. I'm breathing. I'm breathing.)

Three days ago, you wouldn't have given a rat's ass if your dad got shot, and the only reason you do now is because of Sailom. Who was also - let us not forget - the one person out of everybody who didn't want Saifah in the Sukprasert house in the first place.

Also, I'm assuming there's a gigantic puzzle piece we don't know about yet that's going to come to light whenever we get a flashback to the conversation that Name and Saifah had after Name said he'd need Saifah's help for his last job for his hardcase boss. I guess we'll get the flashback when we find out that Grandma Ging was right about Saifah all along. How she can so consistently be right and still manage to raise two perfectly horrible boys in two generations who picked up zero skills from her on how to avoid being a rich prick is something that has me throwing my hands in the air.

Speaking of which, I think this explanation for Kanghan's dad's behavior was ... unsatisfying, Show. First he's Papa Bear, then he's Mama Bear, and Sailom has to come along and play Baby Bear to get Expectations For Kanghan (tm) Just Right? Come on.

Two thumbs up, though, on proving me right to have some faith in you when I said weeks ago that everything was NOT solved and that you were going to circle back around to Kanghan's bad behavior and worst impulses. I have not wanted to put this brat through a wall so bad since Ep 2.

On to 4/4, I guess.

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Something about Nico, he will always choose violence (when it comes to Ara) -Danny Words: 2,204 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Sign of the Times' -by Harry Styles

XXXII: *Sobbing* I'm Fine!

Leo is waiting for them at the top of the gangplank, he grins and waves at the group, then his eyes focus on Frank and her. The moment she reaches his side and Leo has to look up to meet her gaze, he flushes to a cherry tone Ara has never seen on his face.

He speaks in a strangled voice. "Ares?"

"Mars. I don't know, I doubt it matters," Ara says, self-conscious about their height difference. "How does it look?"

"You could crash my skull with your thighs," he blurts out.

Hazel gasps, fanning her face scandalized at his comment. "Gods, I hate you," Nico groans, guiding his flustered sister away from them.

Ara hurries past Leo and goes to her cabin to check her reflection, her breath hitches at the sight: she looks exactly like Arachne's tapestry minus the cape and hair. Yesterday she had baby fat around her face, her abs were a soft belly, and now she looks like a high school senior who never misses a workout. Arms toned and longer legs—she barely fits in the mirror, since it was designed for a girl that was 5'3.

"Holy crap," she breathes. Someone knocks on her door, and she finds Nico standing there, waiting to be let in. "I'm tall," she states in shock.

"Congrats. What was the fight about? The one you had with Lily?"

Ara knows this will bring an argument, but if it doesn't happen today, it'll happen at an even worse time. "I told her we couldn't trust you."

Nico visibly tenses. "I'm not surprised."

Ara turns to face him properly. "I had a good reason, you know what I'm talking about."

Nico's eyes darken. "My dad forbade me to talk about it. One of your patrons—your main patron, or did you forget?"

"How can I? Ever since that day, I've been the babysitter of his little prince."

"I told you I wanted no part of your stupid camp, but it was you who promised—"

"You needed a place to live—"

"You expected everyone to act like I don't creep them out."

"Oh, cry me a river," Ara walks past him. "I've got more important things to do than to listen to the same complaints on repeat."

"Crap!" Ara struggles with the damaged oar, she hisses when it scratches her palm. "Leo, I forgot my gloves, can you toss them over?"

Leo seizes her Octopi bag and rummages through its contents. "You didn't grab them? That's basic gear, Ara."

"I don't do basic," she responds.

Leo looks over the railing. "Say what?"

"It's like maths," Ara squints when she looks up. "Unnecessary."

The boy holds onto the handrail as he leans in dramatically. "You think is what?"

"Oh no..." She mumbles and tilts her head. "My scolding senses are tingling..."

Leo scowls. "Get your ass back here—and be careful."

He doesn't reprimand her like, ever, not even tries to, but his job is the one thing he takes seriously, so Ara climbs back on deck and dusts off her hands expecting the berating of the week. 

Leo spots the scrape on her hand and searches for his tool belt. "You almost lost an arm last December and you think being careful is unnecessary?"

"Oh, that was different," Ara watches Leo heal her. "Silly things—"

"Silly?" Leo looks up and his eye twitches. "Fixing the oars and giving Festus an upgrade ain't like changing the batteries of a TV remote, sweetheart. And maths? You need maths!"

She laughs nervously. "You okay?"

"Arae Jackson, that's negligence!" He exclaims. "Is this why they call you Dr Frankenstein back in camp?"

"Oh, you know about that?" She asks unbothered.

"That's it, you're not allowed to work on the repairs."

Her mouth opens in shock. "Leo, you know I'm a good repairperson, don't do this!"

"You heard me," he tries to take the harness off her, muttering grumpily. "Don't do maths, seriously..."

"Hey! Stand back!" Ara keeps him away. Leo is smaller than her now and he was never strong to begin with. "I'll finish the task whether I'm wearing the harness or not!"

"You're not helping yourself!" Nico speaks out of nowhere, both teens looking up to see him at the top mast.

"Stay out of this!" Ara seizes Leo's wrist. "Stop!"

It's kind of cute, seeing him angry over this. Reminds her of Mike a bit, which makes her feel kind of guilty. "Promise you'll be careful in the right way, not yours!"

Ara rolls her eyes. "Can I have my gloves, then?"

"Put them on before you go back," Leo crosses his arms. "I don't understand why Beckendorf made you Cabin Nine's right-hand girl if you ignore safety procedures."

"Beck had the knowledge, I had the spirit," she puts the gloves on with an amused expression. "Anyway... I need insulation stuff—the spongy one? And Industrial glue, and the..." She makes a gesture as if holding something and puffs some air out of her lips. "To fuse the bronze to the hull..."

"Insulation foam, industrial glue, metal welding kit—and bronze-welding rods to reattach the frame to the hull," the boy turns to get the goods.

Ara beams. "And welding goggles."

"'Course," Leo grabs stuff from his toolbox, the rest are from his magic belt. Ara stands there waiting. "Anything else?"

"Your hand in marriage?"

"Dang it, woman! You can't make me forget how irresponsible you are by love-bombing me!" Leo exclaims, handing the tools to her.

Ara puts the goggles on. "Seriously, Cabin Nine kids can tell what I'm talking about after a few tries, but you don't even think about it, that's awesome."

Leo looks away to hide his blush. "Your brain works similarly to mine, that's all. It's why we're attracted to each other in the first place."

It's nice to hear that's what Leo thinks about their situation. "We're soulmates." She says it so matter-of-factly that it makes Leo light up as much as the sun. Ara clears her throat and steps back. "Well, I'm going..."

"Yeah," Leo mumbles, a little smile playing on his face. "I'll be watching, my soon-to-be fiancé."

Above them, Nico groans again, but they both ignore him.

Leo has long forgotten he's supposed to be checking Ara's work while installing Festus's upgrade. Instead, he's just eyeing her, trying not to be obvious, but doing a terrible job.

He can't even hate the fact that she's taller than him by a lot. She's the only demigod that looks god-like in his eyes, Ara's beauty grows with every blessing, no smudge of dirt she gets from her hard work can take it away. When she moves, her body gets framed by the dying sunlight in a way that makes Leo lightheaded.

She's wearing the hair tie he made for her, holding her shiny brown locks in a loose braid, and the way she scrunches up her nose in concentration, the tip of her tongue poking out... The more he looks, the more his heart races. 

She was once out of his league, now she's out of everyone's orbit. She's skillful and experienced, and Leo has a hard time understanding why she would love someone as inconsequential as him.

"You should be careful."

Nico's voice comes to remind him not everything is perfect. Leo jumps out of his skin and swears in Spanish, he glares at the tall boy standing behind him. "Dude, can you not do that?"

Nico doesn't apologize before adding to his comment. "Ara's fool's gold."

Leo frowns. "What?"

Nico glances at the girl, he's angry at her for trying to convince Lily, his only friend, to stop trusting him. Two can play the same game. "She looks good, then you get closer and realize it's all pretend. You call her a doll, right?" He laughs shortly. "That's accurate. Ara likes playing with boys like you."

Leo's fists start to smoke. "Don't you mean boys like us?"

Nico's taken by surprise, a creepy smile forms on his face when he understands what Leo is insinuating. He won't clear up the misunderstanding, Leo has the same arrogant air Ara has when challenged, and is always far more entertaining to watch those kinds of people trip over their feet.

Nico steps closer. "I can get under her skin like no one else. Have you ever asked her why she loathes having me around? You should. She doesn't like to be questioned, so you'll get to see the real Arae."

"She's the General," Leo replies tensely. "You're not supposed to question her, smartass."

Nico's smirk grows. "I see why she likes you." The boy turns to leave. "Ask her."

"I know why she hates you," Leo says confidently, which causes Nico to laugh again.

"No, you don't," he reaches the stairs. "Ask her about the curse."

Ara takes a look at the finished product. "Good as new, right?"

Festus blows out steam and Ara recoils, feeling the air around her get hotter when he does that. She takes off the goggles and dries the sweat off her brow. 

"I'll take that as a yes."

The moon is high above but very thin, so Ara has a bit of trouble finding her way back to the deck, she doesn't notice Leo until she's right under the handrail. The boy's watching in silence with a scowl on his face. 

She jumps over the railing landing on both feet, then dusts off her hands, and nods at Leo. "Hey."

He walks over to the control board. "Hey."

"I'm done," she announces proudly. "I was very safe the whole time."

"Good job," he checks the monitor. "Festus's stable, so are the oars." 

Leo looks at her doing a quick scan. Ara is covered in sweat and grime, her cheeks are flushed... he can't think of any girl who would look better than she does like this, but Nico succeeded in his attempt to plant a seed of doubt, and Leo can't shake off the feeling that Ara has been lying to him about something.

Besides, he once overheard Percy and Ara talking, and her brother mentioned an old crush she used to have on Nico... Leo panicked and sneaked back to his cabin after hearing that, but the words stuck in his brain and he couldn't take them out.

Ara sighs. "I promise to be careful from now on, I'll use a calculator and everything..."

Leo's seen the way she looks at him lately, like it hurts to be near him. At first, he thought it was guilt because she'd decided to leave her camp, but now... What if the love's fading out between them?

"I..." he starts quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat. "How do you feel?"

"Great!" She smiles. "I'd missed it, getting my hands dirty reminded me of home, it made me feel useful."

"You're always useful," he replies. "But you definitely have a natural aptitude for mechanics."

"I was fated to," Ara replies casually. "Thank you for letting me do this."

"You don't have to thank me. You're the General."

"Yeah, well..." she continues, now trying to ignore his weird vibes. "I'll go take a shower before dinner."

Leo blurts out the first thought in his mind. "I didn't know someone could make me this stupid."

Leo would rather jump into Tartarus than tinker with something that doesn't need fixing... but what if it does? Sometimes a machine doesn't look broken, but it malfunctions anyway. He can't deny that their relationship feels... unbalanced. A creation jumpstarted without all the necessary precautions, and there's a buzzing coming from it that Leo can't identify, but it's making his skin crawl.

Ara is unsure of where this is going. "What's wrong?"

He can't think when her eyes are on him like this, he has this urge to make her smile, and he doesn't know where that comes from. Sure, he loves making people laugh, but with Ara... it almost feels like an obligation.

He struggles to form a proper sentence. "I think you're lying to me."

Ara pales, which is not a good sign. "What?"

"You wanted to jump off the cliff," he continues. "And you tried to leave us when Reyna cornered us at the Fort—"

"Leo—"

"Let me finish," he presses anxiously. "You weren't surprised when Nemesis gave you that weird warning, and you've been acting even weirder since we rescued di Angelo—"

"I—"

"Don't lie to me," he demands. "Your prophecy mentions a curse—The curse of love. Does that mean—"

"This is Nico talking," Ara's eyes darken. "I thought he was ending his shift, but he came to taunt you, didn't he?"

Leo feels like throwing up, but more than that, he feels insulted. "So what if he did?"

"He wants us to get into an argument," Ara steps forward. "Don't let him do this!"

Leo steps back. "Then answer my question."

Unexpectedly, her eyes brim with tears. "I can't."

Some part of him that he's not even aware of triggers, Leo is too distraught to think, his heart is breaking. "You said promises were important to you, but you're not keeping yours."

"There are things that I need to keep under control," she speaks with a trembling voice.

"What things?" He asks bitterly. "Me?"

"Don't say that!" She squeezes the gloves in her hands. "We've failed too many times, Leo. I can't risk it. As your General, I'm telling you to stay out of it."

Leo doesn't like how she says that, her voice weighs like it carries centuries of painful memories, and it sounds like Ara thinks Leo will ruin her plans, and that stings.

"Chiron was right," he says aghast. "Your ambition blinds you. No matter what the outcome is, it's never enough, is it?"

Ara can't stand another second of that conversation, so she abandons it, and Leo doesn't stop her.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

@siriuslysirius1107 @ask-giggles1303 @asnyox-the-hoarder @im-planning-something-look @bandshirts-andbooks @coolninjapaper @thewaterlily @whenisthefall @1randomcomic @you-bloody-shank @sunflowergraves @owlalex44 @taylordaughter @typicalsolangelolover @writingmia @espressopatronum454 @slytherinnqueen @orbitingpolaris @obxstiles @ellipsisspelled @thepixiechicksh

[rosyandraw]

I'm doing a rereading because a long time ago I promised you I would come back with all of my thoughts but then life got in the middle and I lost my phone notes but whatever 🌷✨🎀 I'm back! 🎀✨🌷

Hihi lovely girl!! it's me your Berry anon 🫐🫐 how you doing?? I read you quit your job and that you wrote a whole book? WOW I'm so happy for you.. hope everything is wonderful.

Now.. I came here because before my re reading of nmfy I decided to reread Deliver which is the first fanfic I read from you (I loved it 💛💛 I honestly come back to it every Christmas)

But well my point was that I love your writing and I especially love your Damens. I think no one does modern aus Damen like you do 💖💖 he really feels like if Capri was a romcom / contemporary novel then that how they would be but even more for Damen... soooo i was wondering which one between deliver and nmfy do you think its closer to canon possiblities? and which one did you enjoy writing the most? Haha 👀👀👀

Well that's all for now this time I will come back with an even longer ask of me talking about nmfy last chapter 👀😍 this time I'm for real 😬

Kisses, kisses your now and forever Berry anon 🫐🍒🫐

(can you believe it's been so long that I finally have an actual berry emoji?🫠)

Ps: if you don't feel like answering my question just forget about it haha I just got curious 🧐😘

YAAAYYY!!!!! Omfg I was wondering where you had gone, I hope everything is okay and that you’re living your best life!!

As always you are way too nice and I love you for that haha, what have you been doing with yourself?

OMG YES I WROTE A BOOK! Do you Beta read? I can send it to you after this last draft is done if you would be into dark queer fantasy that’s a little bit ACOTAR x Captive Prince x Kingdom of the Wicked and fancied giving me some feedback haha

Omg you’re too sweet, you don’t have to do that haha! Oooo great question

I think in Deliver there is a recklessness to Damen that Damen could never allow himself in canon due to his position when in Akielos, but which he rolls with pretty easily when he’s “just a slave” in Vere so I leant into that more a bit more. The stakes are lower so his drive isn’t the same and that obviously effects his view of himself and the world.

The NMFY Damen does have a lot of responsibilities so he has stricter rules to live by. He’s still done some bad stuff but he is dedicated all the same. The Auguste stuff has made Damen less blind to the world around him than he is in Canon though. I still think NMFY Damen is probably closer to Canon. For example I can, and have, imagined NMFY Damen punching Laurent in the face like he did at Ravenel lmao. But Deliver Damen would never. But idk, what do you think?

It means a lot to me that you love the way I write contemporary Damen. I think mostly because he’s reduced almost every single time to just Laurent’s Love Interest. Or he’s made into a himbo or a misogynistic prick and I’m just… I fucking hate the reduction of Damen’s character lmao so I’ll always strive to write him as a person (and a crazy nuanced one at that, the way we see in Canon). So thank you, that means a lot to me.

So lovely to hear from you my dear, you always make my day brighter  💕 💕 💕 💕

[diamondangelkitten]

Vierapril Day 28: Present

Alira puts a cup of tea in front of each of the girls as they meet to discuss the current state of affairs. “So, Wuk Lamat is wanting us to go to Tural and we’re currently able to tag along without agreeing to actually be on her side?”

Aurora nods, “Erenville is being quite mum on the topic. He seems to want to talk about it, but I really don’t think he’s allowed to say anything.”

“I’m surprised you’ve had much time to talk about it at all,” Alira quips with a wink.

Aurora narrows her eyes, but doesn’t comment. Annabeth sits back, crossing her arms, “We also need to talk about the other person who’s been following us.”

Alinea shakes her head, “I’m positive she’s following Wuk Lamat, but I don’t think she’s a threat at all.”

Alira thinks, “From what I briefly saw of her, she seems to be tailing Wuk Lamat. Maybe she’s a guard? She seemed tense when the rest of y’all were fighting the bird on the Isle of Haam.”

Aurora hums, “I can ask Erenville about that. I did forget to ask him about it prior,” she blushes.

Alinea smiles, “No harm done. I’ve asked Estinien to go on ahead. See if he can’t also scout out what Thancred and Urianger are up to. But, that does leave an open question.” Her voice drifts off, and Alira raises her head to see all three girls looking at her. “Oh no, what now?”

Annabeth takes a breath, before stating their request, “Won’t you consider coming with us? Sibbie, Sid, and Rielle are welcome to come too! Please reconsider.”

Alira is stunned. “You want me to bring my 4 year old with us? We fight monsters and gods!? I’d be worried about her all the time. It’s not safe. We know nothing about Tural or what we’re walking in to.”

Annabeth nods, “I know, but I promise we’ve thought this out. Aurora already has Erenville who’s giving her as honest as he can view of what’s going on. Alinea has Estinien on the ground, plus, Gaius and Allie are even coming along this time.”

“What?”

Aurora chimes in before Annabeth can respond, “Yea! It turns out Rex and the others have taken jobs in the New World, so they can also provide us a real local’s perspective. Allie wants to see them again and it’s not like a lot of people in the New World would know what Gaius looks like directly.”

Annabeth nods at Aurora, before continuing, “Aurora’s right. So Allie would love to help Rielle take care of Sibbie. Plus having Sid as another fighter could always come in handy, and Aurora’s dad is the one taking us to Tural, so she’ll be safe on the journey over too.”

Alira puts her face in her hands, elbows on the kitchen table, sighing. “Alinea, you agree with this?”

“I do.”

Alira sighs, looking up at them. At that time, Rielle comes running into the house with Sibbie on her hip who seems to be laughing. “What’s wrong?” Alira asks, picking Sibbie up and inspecting her.

“Well, one, the whole of Ishgard already seems to know where you’re going on your next adventure. Two, I’m pretty sure Sibbie can cast magic already.”

All the girls turn to look at Rielle. “Are you sure?” Alinea asks.

“Well, we’ll be finding out soon. Aymeric’s on his way here.” All four girls tense, before hustling and bustling to try and clean up Alira’s house a bit.

Alira answers the door before Aymeric’s second knock. He enters with Handeloup and settles in. “My apologies for the intrusion, but I stopped by the Fortemps Manor where Lord Charlemend and Captain Carvallain were there conversing with Edmont Fortemps. I happened to overhear that you all, apart from maybe Alira, may be heading to the New World soon?”

Rielle looks at the girls and she can see how ramrod straight Alira’s back is. She knows that none of the girls particularly care for politics and know that this is a very difficult situation to be in. Alinea decides to answer, “We cannot say anything yet for certain. But we have been sent a request and we are in the process of determining if we will be addressing it.”

“It would be wonderful to have an envoy of Ishgard for the meeting there, but alas, there was also much talk of the Scions disbanding. Reports around the city states seems to indicate that you are maybe handling this request as a group.”

Aurora gasps, but before anyone can ask her why, a small fire starts on the hem of Lord Aymeric’s cloak. He jumps, before he and Handeloup try and contain the fire. “Whatever was the meaning of that?” He doesn’t sound upset, but extremely confused.

Alira shakes her head, “I have no idea.”

Aurora, however, tilts her head, “I think I know.” She looks to Sibbie in Alira’s arms, “I do believe your daughter can cast magic and is very prone to the emotions of others.”

Alira looks to Rielle, before looking to the girls, “I’m very sorry Lord Commander, but now is not a good time. Please call again tomorrow and we’ll have more answers for you.” He starts to protest, but before he can there’s another draft of smoke from the hem of the cloak, and he takes the hint, with Handeloup close at his heels.

As soon as they depart, Alira turns to the girls, “So, we’re joining you as a family. Help me pack up. We’re leaving now for Sharlyan.”

[powerofmettatonneo]

Happy Birthday Jason!/An Announcement + Bonus Content

After half a month of no updates on What Measure is a Non-Human, I finally have one! And, since y'all have been dedicated enough to follow my Tumblr, y'all get to be the first ones to know (all one of you currently; hi IYP! Thanks for all the support!).

I've been hard at work writing the story, but not spending as much time editing it as I would like, so I'm currently sitting on two-three chapters. This is because the mental downtime I have at my job gives me a lot of time to think of ideas that I want to immediately write down before I forget them, but the physical time I spend there takes away from the time I can spend editing it. I could hypothetically release them with less editing done on them, but I want to hold myself to a higher standard of what I release into the world and do genuinely enjoy the editing process. However, with that all being said, I have three days off in a row, and I'm going to use this chance to buckle down and try and get them ready for publication by Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, I can't promise anything, but I do have other news that I can make assurances on.

I've decided that Valentine's Day is Jason's birthday. I wanted to give most of the major characters birth months, at least, just for chronological cohesion; I chose this day in particular for Jason because I have personal history with the day that, when combined with the fact that he's the mc of a romance story, made it the perfect day for him. In celebration of his birthday, I have written out a 7k word prequel one-shot all about the confession/first kiss that I will be posting on Valentine's Day, come hell or high water.

I actually wrote a first draft of the first kiss portion all the way back in December, right after the second chapter, and as a bonus for those of you who take the time to find this post, whether now or in the future, I'm going to share it with you. Most of it will be repetitive to the last bit of the finished story, so beware of spoilers I guess (but this is a prequel anyways so like do they even matter), but I have added enough to the final product to make it stand out and above. Really, this is largely just to archive it as I think it's interesting to see how any story evolves over time, much less my own, and I hope y'all feel the same way. See y'all on Valentine's Day, and without further ado, here goes the original first kiss scene (also fair warning, there's still no smut, but it does get more explicit than I've previously allowed it to):

…Hazel reached up and kissed him. Jason entered a state of shock, freezing in place. At first, his mind went completely and totally blank, but that quickly changed into a series of scattered thoughts as his mind tried to reconfigure itself. I'm being kissed. By Hazel. Who is a Pokemon. Oh Arceus, I’m being kissed by a Pokemon—and it’s one of the best things I’ve ever felt. As soon as he returned to coherent thought, however, the kiss ended. Hazel pulled away, and Jason could see that she looked… scared. The look in her eyes was the same that he had when he confessed his feelings to her. It hit him then; the kiss was her idea of a response, and he had just frozen in place like an idiot. He could imagine the doubts and fears rushing through her at his complete lack of a reaction. He also knew exactly how to alleviate them.

Jason narrowed the gap between them and restarted the kiss. He could clearly feel the surprise in his partner and just as clearly feel it melt away as she returned it. Her lips felt velvety against his as they both pushed against each other with all their might. All of the nerves, the adrenaline, the raw energy they were feeling was channeled into the kiss. They fell back onto the bed, Hazel on top, and didn't stop for a second. It felt like they were melting together, becoming one.

Hazel broke from the kiss, and before Jason had a chance to react, she dragged her tongue across his lips. She moved it down, trailing along his chin and neck, resulting in a small moan escaping his mouth. When she arrived at his shirt, she grabbed it with her teeth and began tugging at it.

“S-stop,” Jason gasped, lightly pushing his partner back. Hazel let go of his shirt and stared at him, a look of disappointment in her eyes. It hurt him to see it, but he had read enough ‘romance’ stories to know where this was going.

“I’m sorry, but we can’t do this right now,” he said, trying to let her down gently.

“Umbre,” she whimpered, looking down at her feet. She felt ashamed at herself for pushing so hard so fast and afraid of what her best friend would think of her for it. Or, she did, until the implication of those last two words hit her. She jolted her head back back up and was met with a worried smile on Jason’s face.

“I’m not saying never,” he started, “but I don’t think I’m ready for something like that yet, and I’m pretty sure mom would just straight up kill us if she found out.” Hazel just sighed at that, but even the vague hope of “not never” sent a small shiver up her spine. She laid down on top of him, enjoying his warmth. They sat there in a comfortable silence for a while, simply enjoying each other’s touch in the wake of the roller coaster of emotions they had both just experienced, and soon drifted off to sleep, not caring what tomorrow might bring so long as they had each other.

[Also, one final super extra bonus note: my beta only left one comment on this original draft when I showed it to her, and it was too funny not to mention: on the line "Her lips felt velvety against his", she simply wrote "I refuse to consider the mechanics of this", to which I simply responded "coward".]

[stellarmelodies04]

FACT About My Sona Why did she apply to a camp? she drop out of school many times but she graduated at high school she is not interested on collage instead she is looking for a job, she was hire as waitress but her jobs did not go well due to lack communicated, she found a promotion poster for camp willow that maybe she can learn from camp willow to communicated well and oh boy does she in for a ride :)

Why does she brought her own cats? she is an autism fragile, anxious when it comes to camping she does not like stranger eye contact she once join camping when she was elementary without her cats but she can't not sleep nigth at the forest she need someone to a company her her teacher promise to company her but forget leaving her scared but some camp counsler guard and company her to sleep well thats why she brougth her cats just in case

Apperance her face is chubby it can poke her, or squishing her face but she will gets anoying her hair are dark brown and her eyes are like big eye with brown pupil, she is geneticly america asia she has a lil fangs and average her boobs are averagely big, her tummy are sorta fat, her hands are average (sorry i can't draw hands well) but really soft like her legs has a uniform camp willow, pink jackets, blue jeans pants and brown boots

she smell like flowers perfume cause she been using that

if they kiss her it tasted like sour sweet mint and the mint was because she brush her teeth

Hobbies drawing she loves drawing she could draw for her friends probably drawing the forest nature she wanna be an animator one day singging she is nervous when singing on the stage her voice whould be very quite soft that you can't not hear what it said but when she sing alone her voice are beautiful she is a gamer playing among us and minecraft with her friends, she has this japan rpg underated game call Mo4, she has a game boy advance on her laptop playing pokemon emeralds, golden sun, zelda and the minish cap, sonic advance and battle swimming is kind of like her mother but not too pro just simple fishing her dad told about fishing before he was pass

Extra she has sketch book and pencil, she has her phone brand samsung and a cat chain, she has her handkerchife for sneezing and cleaning up, she wear a mask because her shyness she likes to have a mask

About her she is very shy and introverted getting crowd whould drain her but she try to intereacted, she is kind and caring, sometime when thing get intens like serious argument she gets the moods easliy get angry her famliy was rich after acident happen is now average

does she have any other language beside english yup she can speak indonesia, taglong, japan and spain she allow harper to learn italy

whats her relationship status she has been in a relationship she has a girlfriend tho she cheat on with a guy realize that she looks like her dads she learn that cheating is not good she broke up with them they still being friend so she single

Relationship camp counselor Harper at first it was strange but over time getting close to him she think that he is just some silly friends she is comfortable with him :) Gavin she was tired of gavin flirting but it becomes like having a little brother Sophie its like her bestie their both love butterfly and she made a lunch box for her Jazz its like a mother for her, she put a trust on jazz because is the one who lead the decision, she told about why she distance to dante dante when she first look at him she is not scared at all of what people think of him she think it looks pretty handsome and cute but when dante use his humor it remided about his dad so she distance to him, jazz told dante about why she distance

sorry for writing this so long I hope you don't mind also its 30% parts of me I'm not an America and I'm not in any relationship at all i have like none this is just my counselor mc sona for @campwillowpeak

[swingbakuraryou]

(If your memes don't expire, saw these and was curious)

Rhino: Is your muse wanted for something? What item do they value most? What is the bounty on your muse's head? (If they have one.)

Hornet: How patient is your muse? Are they easily perturbed? What sets them off the easiest?

Antler: Does your muse hunt? What do they hunt if they do? How often do they go hunting? Are they for or against it? Where do they go hunting?

I'm also kinda curious if he hunts for meat, sport, pelts, money, tradition, etc - IF he hunts. Kinda surprised that wasn't on there.

RHINO

"You're only wanted if they're confident that you've committed a crime. The Chief sure ain't helping me, and I sure ain't helping him. After all these years, he's made it clear that he doesn't know how to do his job well. But there's a little promise for him, the second he starts doing his job, I'll give him a little treat. But he won't get the whole prize until he's done. Compared to the other heads in town, I'm worthless, but to him it'll feel like winning the grand prize at the races." HORNET Showgirl: Ryou? He's as patient as a saint! He'll wait for days even months for the right moment! I think for one run he waited almost 4 months before grabbing the goods, and it was so worth it! All of us girls were so thrilled when he brought us those silks! Also! Also! He's always sticking up for us! He's always trying to be a gent even with the worst customers. Band member: I don't know if its patience or silently fuming. All I can say is stay the hell away from him when he has a hammer or a knife in his hand. Aka if he's making props on one side of the stage, you're working on the other side. He won't flip on ya, but its the energy that radiates off of him. Server: Swing's our cute little song bird, but his patience or more so tolerance, is poison. That smile might as well be a bite that slowly burns through your veins and by the time you start feeling it, you're already a dead man walking.

Jake the barman: That pisser has the worst temper in the whole god damn facility! Just a few months ago he trashed the entirety of the props store room! What set him off? Who the fuck knows. And if the wrong person so much walks through that door, forget the show and the music, the whole restaurant will turn into a battle ground. It only take one special person to mess with one of our staff and the idiot goes from lazy ass lap cat, to a spitting viper. And to answer your question, his old man sets him off the fastest. That man ain't allowed within 4 blocks of his place. He'll even letters from him is enough to send Swing into a mood that makes him look like he's ready to burn the entirety of downtown to the ground. He also doesn't fucking sleep, and he doesn't, he's worse.

ANTLER

"You wanna come, darlin'? We can go fishin'. I like trapping small game too. Mostly squirrels, rabbits, stoats, groundhogs, a few birds. What do I use them for? Meat's pretty good. Sometimes the fur and feathers can get a good price. The bones make good projects. Antlers are nice too, especially right after they fall off. Why? Getting out in the forest feels nice. Ain't no one around to yell at you or frame you, the only thing you're fighting is against nature and the animals around you. If I die out here....It's probably because of my own damn fault and I'm at peace with that possibility."

[renardsnoir]

Learning

DWC Day 4 : Children/Vision

@daily-writing-challenge

As soon as she unlocks the door to her office, Evelyn rushes in and heads straight for the chair where she jumps on it to spin it around. Iseult enters in her turn closing the door behind her.

"Don't forget the rules. No touching anything important, okay?" She says in a serious tone.

The little girl simply nods her head in response. If last year, she had the opportunity to discover her aunt's job. This year it is a part of the hospital environment which opens to her. After a long discussion, Iseult finally agreed to take her for a day to discover her job. This is the kind of day that her school organizes every year to allow each student to discover a profession of their family members.

"Did you remember to bring your things and your gown like I asked you to?" She asked softly.

Neither one nor two. Evelyn jumps out of the chair to put on her gown and take her notebook. In front of her enthusiasm and her excitement, Iseult can only smile. It pleases her to see her like this, she hopes that she will keep this energy for the rest of the day.

"So here's the schedule for the day. This morning I'm going to introduce you to the clinic staff, you can ask them questions if you want." She in turn puts on her nurse's uniform. "Afterwards, depending on the time, we will go to lunch and in the afternoon you will accompany me on my rounds. Do you have any questions, Evy?"

She looks at her, tightening her belt. Iseult gives her time to think. Evelyn remains silent for a moment before giving her answer.

"I don't think so," she shrugs. If not, could I ask you later?" She asks.

"Of course you can," she crouches down to her height. I promise you that you will discover many new things. Are you ready?"

Her face lights up, her future discoveries enchant him enormously. So they could start the day without too many worries.

Curious as she is. She asks question after question to the different members of the clinic. Noting the most interesting answers in her little notebook. Lunch goes well and the afternoon passes without her noticing. There is not a moment where she does not have fun during this day.

When the end of the day approaches, Iseult helps her to fill in her presentation that she will hand in a little later.