#i think i have enough to make multiple batches though so im. going to be trying a bunch of different shit

[kijosakka]

conclusions: yeah i think i need to try a different brand 👎 its not BAD i mean ive had like 4 cups of it and definitely not what i thought earl gray would taste like but its just sorta weak and you can tell,, im gonna. finish the whole box though. and make cookies with it you know you can do that???

[irlkanamedate]

Trying this again and again with multiple attempts deleted and gone forever all cause i can not put together the words in a way that makes sense or is, in my eyes, remotely understandable. but maybe i shouldnt try to put everything together in a neat manner.

nothing i struggle with is neat or pretty or even comprehendable to people who dont struggle with this. and maybe i just want someone to at least acknowlage this. to just be heard. that and just get shit outta my head too.

From here on out there is just a general content warning for many very heavy topics and unsavoury mentions. Very serious warning.

i also dont want pity or for anyone to go im sorry. or for anyone to tell me how strong i am. i actually detest a lot of that a lot.

Anyway. My name is Aspen. I find it hard to exist. There is something deeply wrong with me i think. a lot just being speculation. Autism, DID, Psychotic disorder, EDS, being *Severely* suicidal. and probably more speculations. but nothing can be confirmed mostly cause im poor as fucking shit and america is a fucking joke and im a visiably asian queer guy living in fucking texas.

I technically was raised good i guess though verbal and phsyical abuse really fucked me up. among another form i dont really want to mention. then just struggling with simply existing. i felt ive always been noted to have something wrong with me since young (not that i can really remember much actually).

I struggled with school, making friends, understanding people, understanding cues. and sometime in elementry school i had a deep paranoid existenial crisis over the thought of death and how that scared me so much i just cried and cried and cried. and it sort of cemented the start of my deep rooted phobia of death. or rather the thought that there was nothing after it.

i held a lot of love in my heart for my mom at the time and the idea that she would be gone one day broke me. and it still does really especially now that im 27 and with a lot more people and things i love. i try not to think about it too much or else i really get thrown into a deep spiral of dread and fear that pretty much paralyzes me.

i still need to check out the things a friend recommneded to me to try and help cope with it.

and ironic enough with the phobia of death, i am deeply suicidal. mostly passive about maybe 90% of the time but still suicidal. i dont even remember when it started. for all i know its been my whole life given i struggled mentally the whole time. so pretty much ive struggled with this.... lingering idea. that gets tossed back and forth of wanting to live so so bad and wanting to die. and being passive about it well usually means i dont act on it. but its still there. its like a version of me thats mirroring everything i do but the only thing it can do is tell me to hurt myself, to end it, to just get it over with. and i guess thats most of my intrusive thoughts really. the urge to hurt myself or kill myself is near constant. and its been hard trying to just manage through that and exist especially in a world where it is already so so hard to just live.

and sometimes it does win. smaller batches of self harm. cuting, starving myself, lashing out at people i care about and ruining the relationship, isolating myself from everyone and jsut getting worse and worse. though sometimes i cant really help but actually want to do worse. i dont really. honestly the worst i have done is really starve myself for a good few days. really not good but hey thats being suicidal and deeply hating yourself does to you.

i do try to make the effort to maage it. games, friends, going out, various small fun things but sometimes shit just piles up and well. theres only so muc i can do at a time. this isnt even to mention the other shit that ends up adding to it.

ive come to realize how... unstable i really am as a person but i never had any realy frame of refrence to what was normal and what wasnt along with getting this idea that im fine and just not trying hard enough really ends up with me having such awful issues that i have no idea how to even handle myself. its so fucking frustrating actually. delusonal, psychotic, unstable mood, rejection sensitive dysphoria, probably some fucking personality disorder. i dont know. there is jsut something wrong. i just want to live. i just want to not struggle anymore.

theres people i fell out of touch with. or ran from, or jsut driven away or blocked. and i am so. deeply sorry. theres some now that i honestly cant muster anything to keep in touch because im scared. i miss my friends. im trying and trying but god theres so much. and i just. ended up with the habit to run cut it myself so it doesnt hurt as much. not that it doesnt hurt a lot but. man.

i feel myself losing steam on this and im not really making much sense. im going on tangents and its hard to really bring it all together.

but no matter how much i try, i just dont seem to get a break. not much of one really. i still try regardless but i am so tired.

im so god damn tired.

this isnt even to mention the fucking bastard that keeps living with us cause my mother is too fucking nice to just. get. rid. of. him. i shouldnt have to suffer years of his ass basically tormenting and harassing my mother and being an angry self entitled piece of shit. i shouldnt have to have had my hand broken becuase he got high and drunk and had a bad trip and was threatening to kill my mom. i shouldnt have to suffer living in the same house as a man to fucking threatened to rape me. who shows no respect at all to my mother and fucking laughs at her when she gets angry or gets aggressive. honestly sometimes i feel like it is better to just fucking kill him now than deal with any of that or anything else he has done anymore.

no surprise hes the reason for a lot of my recent really dangerously bad spiral where i really did consider just ending it all.

i am so tired.

i still kinda want to end it.

i still am scared of interacting with most of my friends again. im scared of reaching out to the ones that i havent spoken to in a bit. im terrified of fucking it up and hurting my partner all cause im so stupidly unstable and just unable to hold everything together.

and how pathetic it is i cant even make a call to a psychiratrist all cause im so violently incapable of making a call cause i hate it to the point it phsyically hurts.

not to mention the usually struggle with doctors also in not bothering to actually make effort listening to me.

not to mention inablity to work cause of being disabled and unstable.

i am gods favorite clown cause my life is a fucking joke.

but ill still try. to at least keep living. even when i hate it some days. even if im deeply suicidal nearly everyday.

cause i still have my cat. i still have some friends. still got games to finish and movies and shows to watch. ill still hate living sometimes but i really cant help but be in love with life.

i guess thats all i have to dump out of my head. cant think of anythign else to complain about.

[lanomin]

Alright my 2 cents on arcane, esp the last season bc I didn't rewatch the first and it's been too long

Rambling under the cut

Season 2 was rushed, everyone can agree on that. I'm not sure where the claim that the last episode was supposed to be 1.5 hrs came from, but true or not it would've helped a lot. I think they really should've just...not done any of the witch/black rose plot at all, or maximum just do mel breaking out, maybe only barely activating her powers? Idk it just felt so shoved in, and as cool as Mel is I really would've liked more focus on the other main characters. It really felt like execs forced the writers to make sure there was a clear plot connection from here to the next Noxis show.

Ambessa invading the city was under explained and bizarre, it took up so much time that really should've been used for every other storyline. And yet even with so much time dedicated to it I still barely understand why she did it? Was it using the gates to get to the black rose? General power takeover? Why didn't she just do this when she was still good with caitlyn? idk! It wasnt well explained!

It really does suck that the zaun/piltover class war stuff got benched, the first few batches of episodes really felt like they might actually hold some of the upper class accountable for their actions against zaun and there might be a little societal reckoning. But no, unfortunately the liberal to fascist pipeline character had to survive to date her class traitor gf. #jinxfireanothermissile #caitlynshouldvediedyesimserious

No actual hate to vi, I think she's a pretty good character that deserves better than caitlyn lol. But that's a whole other post needed for caitlyn as a character, I really think dying for like idk isha or violet should've been her redemption.

Extremely funny how that guy loris is just...no one? He's not a league character at all? And then he died? ok girl give us nothing. Also the rebound girl being a spy was just like...well ok. What did she do? How was her being a spy impacting the plot, or anything? And then she dies. Ok girl etc etc

Oh god you could esp feel how rushed writing wise this was with that sex scene, holy shit. I knew people didn't really like how it was handled but it really was just vi going "Hey I'm mentally breaking down bc I feel like Im responsible for losing my entire family multiple times due to my choices" and then her and caitlyn just fuck right there in the jail cell, no transition or dialogue that would make this a sexy charged moment lmao

I've seen some people say victors turn is ooc, and I think this is one of the hardest hit plotlines with not enough time. But i do disagree with this being ooc, I can absolutely see him going this way. I don't think him turning away from humanity is out of the question or even that far off of a possibility, but there really needed to be more examples than just jayce shotgun blasting him in the chest as the catalyst before he starts controlling hundreds of people. It wasn't bad, but I wish he got more time. Also I wish he got more time bc I'm deeply attracted to men who have dark bags and sunken eyes.

Hey speaking of Victor was it related that the character with the russian accent started making a communist utopia and talking about glorious """evolution""""? But ruh roh communist utopia too good to be true? Like is that too on the nose? Who can say

Jayce was just down in a ravine eating chaos rats for like 3 weeks, I guess it's fair he was acting weird and aggro and didn't try to talk to Victor more about what was going on before just assassinating him. Thank god for that beard though, sorry to be a hater but I thought he always looked goofy with how his lower jaw is lmao

Ekkos episode was so good like. No notes. Don't really understand why heimerdinger had to get evaporated but sure w/e, so maybe like 0.5 notes

I really liked jinx this season, like I know people have analyzed her writing much more effectively than I can but she really is the platonic ideal of the harley quinn archetype. It's so important for her character that even though her style is very quirky she as a character is still grounded and serious. Also I just really love her facial design features? Like looking at her in game model vs her arcane model is so wild bc arcane jinx looks like a real person vs in game that's a fantasy elf for how realistic she looks. I know that's the case for almost every character compared to their league counterpart but jinx always stands out to me for it.

The music is dog water. Truly incredible how it takes me out of the scene EVERY time a modern song plays. Yes even Enemy. Especially Enemy

But listen. Despite all my gripes with the 4/10 writing and the stupid music, the characters and visuals bump this to a 7/10, even an 8/10. I really can't think of any other media where the visuals and animation are so good I really can almost fully tune out the bad writing, it's incredible. Worth every penny spent on this show. Give Fortiche $500 million and a decade to work on their next show idgaf. I cannot believe any show, let alone a league show, looked like this, absolutely wild.

[naminethewriter]

Ich habe 558 Mal im Jahr 2022 etwas gepostet

60 Einträge erstellt (11%)

498 Einträge gerebloggt (89%)

Blogs, die ich am häufigsten gerebloggt habe:

@lost-in-thought-20

@edupunkn00b

@a-small-batch-of-dragons

@typically-untypical

@candied-peach

Ich habe 558 meiner Einträge im Jahr 2022 getaggt

#fic rec – 455 Einträge

#dukeceit – 57 Einträge

#intrulogical – 53 Einträge

#💙💚 – 52 Einträge

#💛💚 – 48 Einträge

#i love them so much – 42 Einträge

#creativitwins – 41 Einträge

#namiswriting – 41 Einträge

#i love them all so much – 33 Einträge

#💙💜 – 32 Einträge

Longest Tag: 108 characters

#i have written so much more about logan janus and remus that it's kinda unfair to compare them to the others

Meine Top-Einträge im Jahr 2022:

#5

Extra Service Chapter 1: The Guest

Finally! I had this idea over a year ago I think and yesterday I had the brilliant idea to just publish this story with chapters instead of making it a one-shot.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story about Remus forcing a stranger to do some self-care 💚

Here on Ao3

“Housekeeping!” Remus called as he knocked on the door to room 227. He received no answer, so he used his master key to enter the room. It was tidy enough, probably some businessman who was only staying for a night or two and was out to work. Remus liked those guys (as guests only though, he’d never get along with suit-monkeys on a personal level), they never brought much, didn’t really unpack and knew the rules that made his job easier. So he quickly fixed the bed, emptied the trash before moving on to the bathroom to replace the towels.

Honestly, being a hotel housekeeper was never something Remus thought he would be, even if it was only a side job to pay the bills. He wasn’t optimistic enough to ever think that his art would keep him afloat; at least not in his early career, his style was too unique for that. But when he thought of part-time jobs to do before his big break (if he ever had one), he thought of coffee shops, McDonalds, or other retail crap where he had to deal with Karens and other small minded assholes. He still had to deal with those here, of course, just not as much. Most of the rooms he cleaned were empty and he rarely was on food delivery duty. He preferred it this way. He didn’t mind the cleaning all that much, dirt had never bothered him. Janus had saved him by getting him this job, even if it came with strict rules. Remus could hold himself back for a few hours if it meant he could go batshit crazy with his art like he wanted to.

As Remus got back to his cart to dump the dirty towels in, he gave the room another once-over, going through his mental checklist to see if he forgot something and came up with nothing. So he closed the door and moved on to the next. Room 228. The last room on this floor. And a room that had been on his mind for a few days now.

Remus had taken up a couple more shifts recently. A co-worker had called in sick and Remus had a bit of a creative block so he had the time to spare and who was he to say no to extra cash? That meant that Remus had been here for four days in a row and that’s also why he knew that the guest in Room 228 had checked in three days ago and hung out the ‘Do not disturb’ sign. And hadn’t taken it back since. Meaning no one had been in there to clean and, as far as he knew, no one had restocked the mini bar or brought the guest food either.

Janus had told him not to worry about it. Apparently that particular guest had done the same thing multiple times before: rent out a room, locked himself in for a few days, collapsed for another and then leaving. What exactly he was doing in there, Janus didn’t know which of course peaked Remus’ curiosity. But that wasn’t the only thing that drew him to the door right this moment.

He had seen the guy checking in. He had caught his eye immediately, because not only was he devilishly handsome but also worryingly thin. The guy had taken his keys and moved straight to the elevator with such purpose that Remus couldn’t help but watch him go. And oh, what a sight it was. The guy had one fine ass. Luckily Janus had been the one to check him in, so Remus had an easy time asking him all about the mysterious man with the great ass. Of course Janus had refused to give him so much as a name. But he did tell him not to expect too much since the guy would isolate himself as soon as he got to his room. Which turned out to be true. 

Remus was now standing before the door, the number plate 228 glinting at him in the artificial light while he glared at it. He wouldn’t lie, the man’s weird behaviour and good looks had caught his attention no problem and he wasn’t above flirting with guests, much to Janus’ chagrin, but that wasn’t why he was here now. No, his main reason was that he was worried. The guy only had one small suitcase with him and the mini bar only held so many snacks and drinks, some of which were alcoholic. There was no way he was eating right in there and he was already so thin! Remus had watched his brother work himself to the edge of a mental breakdown before; he was not going to let this guy do the same, even if they were total strangers.

Now determined, he let his lips twitch into his trademark manic grin he always wore whenever he was set on something. Roman said it made him look like a mad scientist while working on his paintings or statues, paired with random patches of paint or dust on his clothes and skin and honestly, Remus didn’t mind the comparison. He snatched the ‘Do not disturb’ sign from the doorknob, placing it on his cart for the time being before knocking.

“Housekeeping!” He waited for an answer but none came. He put his ear against the door, trying to make out any sound from within but the door was too thick. He tried calling again. Still no answer. He pushed away the images of a lifeless body and the smell of rot his brain produced. The guy was probably fine, definitely not dead. Maybe passed out. Probably just really focused. Roman had done that, too, back then. Didn’t hear him no matter how loud he yelled. Yeah. The guy was fine. He must be. Because even if Remus was a fan of horror and gore, he didn’t really want to find a dead body at work. Especially since it would be on Janus’ watch and he had worked too hard to get his position to get demoted just because one guy couldn’t take care of himself.

Pulling out his master key again, he carefully opened the door and peaked inside. Immediately his worries were proven wrong, the sound of fast typing reaching his ears. The guy was definitely conscious. ‘Unless, of course, someone else had broken into the room!’, his brain supplied. ‘Could’ve killed the guy and was now trying to get info out of his computer like in the spy movies!’ Remus could feel his adrenaline rise in a weird mixture of dread and excitement. He shook his head. ‘No! Concentrate! The guy is overworking himself and you’re here to stop that!’, he reminded himself. He quietly pushed the door open further.

The room was dark, despite it being early afternoon. The curtains were drawn close and only one lamp close to the table (or was it a desk? Remus wasn’t quite sure what exactly the difference was) was emitting a soft light. The guy was sitting with his back to the door, illuminated by the screen of his laptop on which he was furiously typing. Remus was quite sure he hadn’t paused once since he entered the room, again something that reminded him of Roman’s worst days when he thought that every little break was equal to failure. Remus couldn’t see what exactly the guy was so focused on, he was completely blocking the screen from view. Not that it really mattered to Remus what it was. It could wait for a few hours. No, it HAD to wait. It was clear to him that this man was not in his right mind and needed to take a break RIGHT NOW. He just needed to get the guy’s attention.

Making noise had already proven to be fruitless. Remus had been extra loud the second time he called. Touching the guy suddenly was probably a bad idea. His reaction could range from punching Remus to him having a heart attack or something. ‘Both sound like great options! He doesn’t look like he has any muscle but what if he was actually fucking strong?! And if he had a heart attack, you could see someone die! Up close and personal at that!’ Again, Remus pushed those thoughts away, though he filed the first idea away for later. That might be something he could work with somehow. No, the best way to get the guy’s attention would probably be through sight. But he was so focused on his screen that Remus would probably have to wave his hand right in his face or pull the laptop away, both options again putting him back in punching distance.

Remus let his eyes wander as he thought (he could take his time; the guy wasn’t noticing him anyway). Finally they landed on the curtains and his grin widened as he had an idea. Sudden, bright light would definitely do the trick! But in order to get to the window front and open said curtains, he would need to pass the table (desk? Whatever!), placing the guy between himself and the door. Bad plan if the guy turned out to be an actual spy or some shit. ‘That would be super exciting though,’ his head supplied. He rolled his eyes at himself. ‘Obviously.’

But there was one more bright light at his disposal that he could utilise from his position. The ceiling lights whose switch (again, obviously!) was by the door he was standing in. ‘Wait! How hasn’t he noticed the light coming in from the hallway? If he doesn’t react to that, will this even work?’ Remus hesitated for a second, glancing over his shoulder. The light in the hallway wasn’t all that strong. While the windows were big, it was pretty cloudy outside and the lamps were shut off. The lamp in the room should be much brighter, plus it was pretty close to being directly above the guy. It should work. ‘And if it doesn’t, I can still get within punching range,’ Remus thought. ‘Hell yeah!’ his head cheered back.

So Remus placed his hand on the light switch, eyes trained on the guy to watch his reaction, and flipped it.

As soon as the light hit his eyes, the guy flinched so badly that he almost fell out of his chair. He sharply turned his head upward and practically recoiled like some cliché vampire when his eyes met the bright light directly. He also let out a sort of painful… hiss? Maybe? That’s the best comparison Remus could come up with (it sounded adorable though, in his opinion at least). The guy cursed under his breath (at least Remus guessed it was cursing, he couldn’t quite hear him, but it made the most sense), rubbing his eyes. He recovered quickly though and finally turned towards the door and, of course, Remus, enabling him to get a good look at the guy.

And what a sight it was. His ebony black hair was tousled and clearly hadn’t been washed in days. His dark green eyes were open wide, but his pupils were tiny pinpricks. The glasses he’s wearing were crooked and weren’t hooked behind his left ear properly. He was still wearing the suit he had arrived in, without the jacket. The tie was hanging so low, it almost came undone and the shirt was wrinkled by now. All in all, Remus couldn’t remember the last time he had felt so attracted to anyone. If ever.

The sexy stranger seemed so surprised by Remus’ appearance that his mouth opened and closed a few times before he managed to speak which gave Remus a few seconds to give the room itself a once-over. It was a complete mess. The missing suit jacket and the suitcase were both lain over the bed. The suitcase was opened, and its contents strewn around the room, mainly some clothes and papers. The mini bar wasn’t closed properly but most likely empty since the (also empty) bottles and wrappers were scattered around the room. The tabledesk (‘Ha! Made a new word now!’) was also littered with papers and books, the laptop in the middle of the chaos and its charging cord buried beneath the paper. And then Remus was hit by the smell and oh boy was it unpleasant! Good thing Remus was the first one in here, he could appreciate a good stench. But it was not something befitting the hotel, so he knew he had to get rid of it soon.

“Who- why- how-?” the stranger finally started to sputter before he took a deep breath to compose himself. “Who are you and what are you doing in my room?” he croaked out, voice raw from apparent misuse. Remus was pretty sure he was attempting to glare at him but it was hard to take him seriously with how obviously tired the guy was.

“Housekeeping!” Remus called again with a wide grin. The guy blinked at him a few times, then slowly eyed him sceptically but seemingly concluded that he wasn’t lying (which, you know, he wasn’t).

“I hung out the sign. I was not to be disturbed,” he said through gritted teeth. Remus just grinned wider.

“That was three days ago, so it expired today!”

“I have never heard of such a rule existing.”

“Of course not! I just came up with it after all!” The guy stared at him as if he’d grown another head. ‘Maybe we did! You should check!’ his head called excitedly. ‘I don’t have an extra head.’ Remus answered sharply. He couldn’t afford to get lost in thoughts right now. He probably only had this one chance to get through to the guy and he was not going to waste it!

“You… just came up with it?” the guy asked slowly.

“Yeah!”

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

31 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 30. April 2022

#4

Self Care Can Include Many Things

Loceit Week comes around once more 😍 I’m so excited to see what everyone comes up with! There will be quite a few references my entries from last year, look forward to that 😊

Thank you @loceitweek2022 for organizing this! 💛💙

Here on Ao3

Masterpost | Loceit Week 2022 Masterpost

Summary: Janus and Logan have a project to work on. But they also need to take a break sometime. Janus knows an opportunity when he sees one.

Janus arrived in front of his project partner’s house two minutes before their agreed meeting time. Normally he wouldn’t have bothered with being punctual but Logan was annoying about stuff like this and he wasn’t up for a lecture, so he left his house early. He locked up his bike and went to the front door, ringing the doorbell. Less than two seconds later a child’s voice loudly called:

 “I’ll get it!” Then quick footsteps approached. Patton, Logan’s younger sibling opened the door and started grinning as soon as fae saw him. “Janny! Did you come to play? Can we play Mario Kart? I practiced and now I’m super good!” Janus chuckled but shook his head.

“I wish I could, Pat, but your brother and I have a project we need to work on today.” Patton started to pout and Janus quickly gave faer a pat on the head as compensation. “If we finish quickly we might be able to play a bit later. Or I’ll come over again in a few days, that okay?” Fae continued pouting but nodded.

 “If you pinky promise!”

 “Alright, if you insist.” Just as they linked fingers, Logan appeared behind his sibling.

 “Salutations Janus. I see Patton coaxed you into a pinky promise, I hope fae didn’t ask for anything unreasonable.”

 “Did not!”

 “No, fae didn’t. I just promised to play Mario Kart with fae sometime soon so fae could show me how much fae improved, right?” He grinned down at the child who nodded in agreement.

 “Very well then. Patton please go back to your activities now; Janus and I have work to do.”

 “Okay, but you need to finish quickly so we can play!”

 “I will make no promises.” Apparently Patton had expected as much since fae ran off without another word. Janus laughed quietly.

 “Visiting your house is as delightful as ever.” Logan sighed.

 “I would have preferred to go to yours but my parents are both out and Patton cannot be left alone for such a long time yet.”

 “I understand. Then shall we?”

 “We shall.” Logan led him into the house and up the stairs into his bedroom where he had already prepared enough space to work, materials they could use for their research as well as snacks and drinks. The perfect host like always.

It didn’t take long until they were both seated and comfortably at work. Logan had gone to the library to get them reference books which Janus found a bit unnecessary, they were only supposed to prepare a twenty-minute presentation on self care for health class, citations not needed. But Janus also knew Logan well enough to know that that wouldn’t stop him from doing so and he didn’t mind as long as Logan didn’t force him to read through those books. He preferred online articles.

 They had agreed to work in silence for the first fifteen minutes and then present to each other their findings and after that narrow down the examples they wanted to use and research more. Logan started, talking about how important a healthy diet and drinking a lot of water were, as well as dental hygiene. Janus listened patiently even as Logan’s explanation turned more into a rant that went slightly off topic but if he was being honest, and he didn’t tend to be often he just knew to tone down his sarcasm in front of Logan and his sibling (both often got confused with his way of speaking), he could listen to Logan talk about anything for the rest of the day. His crush on the bookworm was not really a secret but Logan was very dense when it came to romantic relationships. He hadn’t been aware of their friends’ relationship until Roman and Virgil kissed right in front of him and even then he needed to ask for clarification.

 Janus was patient though; he was waiting for an opportunity to make his move and he had a very good feeling about today.

 Logan eventually stopped himself and blushed a bit when he realised how much he’d been talking.

 “My apologies, I didn’t mean to ramble.” Janus waved him off.

 “I don’t mind. You made some fascinating points.” Logan’s face got even more red.

 “Thank you. For listening I mean.”

 Janus good feeling increased ten-fold as a plan formed in his head. He grinned.

 “No problem, Logan, I truly enjoyed myself.” He delighted in seeing Logan’s ears turning red now as well.

Vollständigen Eintrag ansehen

48 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 26. Juni 2022

#3

Don’t Think About It

Stream-of-thought fic based on this little writing game!

My prompt was “Wait, what do you mean, you kinda like me?” which game me Virgil vibes so here’s the first Prinxiety fic I’ve ever written. Enjoy 💖💜

Here on Ao3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Wait, what do you mean, you kinda like me?” Virgil was red like a tomato, staring at Roman like he’d grown two heads. The other avoided his eyes, just as red.

 “It means that I would like to go on a date with you. Only if you want to of course!” Virgil felt like his brain stopped working five minutes ago. There was no way Roman was interested in him, they barely got along as friends!

“If this is a prank I will put you in the hospital, princey,” he growled, his fight or flight instinct kicking in but Roman held up his hands.

 “I would never joke about matters of the heart Virgil! That is a line I would never cross!” Yeah, that was fair. Virgil took a deep breath, trying to calm down. He shouldn’t go off like this, he knew Roman better than that and knew his words held true.

 “I know, sorry.” He sighed. “But you can’t spring shit like that on me out of nowhere.”

 “I mean, I was flirting with you for the last two weeks, I figured you picked up on it.”

 “No, you weren’t,” Virgil denied, flushing red again. Had he been that dense?

 “Oh yes, I was.” Roman laughed nervously. “But it’s fine that you didn’t notice, I tried to be more subtle than usual so I didn’t overwhelm you.” Great! Now Virgil was flushing for a different reason. Sometimes he hated how accommodating Roman could be. But before he could apologize, Roman kept talking. “And I don’t need an answer from you right away, take your time to think about it, I can wait a little longer.” He turned to walk away but Virgil grabbed his arm without thinking.

 “Wait!” He froze, not quite sure himself what he was about to say. Roman looked at him expectantly and the light hit his hair in a way that made it look really soft and his green eyes were shimmering, and damn Virgil was gay.

 So he thought: fuck it.

  “Let’s go. On a date,” he breathed out before he could stop himself. And as a smile made its way across Roman’s lips he couldn’t even think to regret it for one second.

85 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 21. Mai 2022

#2

Logan Lost

A while ago, @thecrowslullaby sent me a horrible challenge to start a cooperative story with the prompt

"What do you mean you misplaced [them/him/her/etc.]"

While it was intended to only be the start, I had a solution in mind, so I thought why not share that! So here is my version of the story but here is the last addition to the original thread.

I also made it a Loceit story, a little thank you to Crow 💛💙

Here on Ao3

“What do you mean you misplaced Logan?!” Janus exclaimed, staring disbelievingly at Remus who shrunk a bit under his gaze.

“I wanted to show him my new castle so we went to the imagination. I took the lead and told him about my process, you know he likes to know the steps, but when I turned around he was gone! I went back the whole way calling for him but nothing!”

“So you’re saying he’s on your side all alone?!? How many monsters do you have roaming around out there?!”

“He should be fine! All my creations know he’s not to be harmed, same as you!”

“What about injuries! Tripping hazards! Cliffs! Spikes! You have those everywhere!”

“Well, what do you want me to do?!”

“Find him obviously!”

“I tried!”

“Try harder!”

“What are you two yelling about??” Janus grimaced for half a second before turning to face the other twin with a forced smile.

“Nothing important. Remus simply… misplaced something that’s rather dear to me on his side of the Imagination. I was just asking him to retrieve it,” he hissed, glaring at Remus, daring him to say anything more specific on the matter.

“And I was telling him it’s not that easy,” Remus shot back, pouting a little. Roman looked between the two warily.

“Must’ve been something rather important to you if you yell like that,” he commented. Janus simply shrugged, not willing to say anything else. “I could help look if you tell me what it is.”

“As much as I appreciate your kindness, my prince, it is my understanding that you are not very welcome on Remus’ side and constant monster attacks would be more distracting than helpful, I’m afraid.” Roman frowned.

“Remus can just tell them off, right?” He turned to his brother. Janus stared pointedly at Remus but he didn’t need to worry.

“I could, but I’m not gonna. It’s too much fun. Plus I don’t think I could stop myself from stabbing you in the back when you least expect it.” His grin was wide and made Roman shudder.

“Fine, fine. Don’t say I didn’t offer. Good luck to you then.”

“Thank you. We better be off then. We wouldn’t want to miss dinner and make Patton worry.” Janus moved to grab Remus and pull him toward the portal but Roman spoke up again.

“Wait! Have either of you seen Logan? I can’t find him and I need his input on the next script.”

“I haven’t seen him since breakfast,” Janus said, trying to stay composed.

“Remus?” A pause and Janus prayed that Remus could keep his impulses under control.

“Haven’t seen him in a while,” he chirped finally. Technically the truth, Janus thought before again pulling Remus toward the portal.

“Sorry we couldn’t be of help, Roman, but we must be off now. Good luck on your search!” he called over his shoulder, shoving Remus through the gate and quickly following after before Roman could protest.

***********

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90 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 31. März 2022

Meine #1 des Jahres 2022

Coffee shop AU, enemies to lovers, "Get out of the way before I murder you" <3

I’m done!!! Thank you so much for the request, this was a lot of fun 🥰

Also I tried not to make this Intrulogical but the sentence just fit Remus the best and then I couldn’t stop myself ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Anyway, here it is:

Science Can Bring People Together

All heads turned as the door of the coffee shop burst open.

 “What the fuck did you do, Croft?!” Remus yelled as he stalked towards the counter where Logan, Roman and Remy were currently working. The people in line hurried out of his way except for one blond-haired woman.

 “You can’t just come in here and cut in line!” she exclaimed.

 “Get out of the way before I murder you!” The growl made even the Karen shrink in on herself and Remus passed her by without any more protests. When he finally reached his goal he hit his fist against the counter and pointed at Logan. “I want an explanation, Croft. Now.”

 “Remus, calm down, we’re working! Can’t this wait ‘till later?” Roman interjected, casting worried glances towards the other customers. Remy on the other hand, despite being their manager, watched the scene with interest. Logan raised an eyebrow before turning to his co-workers.

 “I will make the orders while I talk with Remus. Business will not be disturbed further. Step aside, Remus.” He received a growl instead of an answer but didn’t even flinch. “I will not tell you anything if you cannot act civil.” They stared at each other for a few seconds before Remus clicked his tongue and moved two steps to the left. “Thank you.”

 Roman, despite not seeming sure of the situation, went back to serving customers. He wrote the orders down and passed them to Logan who started the process of making a cappuccino to go before addressing Remus again.

 “What is it that you want from me?”

 “I want you to tell me why the fuck Mrs Linn called me into her office today to offer me a seat on the team for that stupid science contest!” Logan raised an eyebrow.

 “Adam’s parents will not allow him to participate because of his bad grades in English and Spanish. We were a teammate short so I recommended you. Did Mrs Linn not explain that to you?”

 “Of course she did! I wanna know why the hell you would do that? You hate me!” Logan held up a hand to pause their conversation while he called out the finished order.

 “For Sylas and Delilah!” A broad-shouldered man came to get the cups while Logan continued with the next coffees. He made quick eye contact with Remus before speaking. “I do not hate you, Remus. I certainly do not appreciate a lot of your… actions but I do believe you to be a very smart individual. When Mrs Linn informed us about Adam’s situation she asked if we knew anyone who could fill his spot and I felt that you are the best option we have.”

 “Why?” Remus still looked sceptical. Logan hummed, considering his next words while operating the coffee machine.

 “First and foremost, as I already stated, I find that you are an intelligent person. Second, you possess ingenuity that is heavily lacking in the rest of our team. And lastly, the theme of this year’s contest is ‘Deep Sea’ which I know to be a special interest of yours.”

 “Slow down! What makes you think I’m intelligent or ingenuitive? My grades are shit.”

 “I am aware. However, grades do not reflect a person’s intelligence but their ability to thrive in the school system. It takes more than just intelligence to do so. For Maddie!” He placed another cup on the counter before moving on to the next. “For example that Rube Goldberg machine you used for your prank on the football team last year was a very clever construction that not just anyone could have built. You have a talent for science but the environment of our school is unable to support you to explore it as such.” Remus just stared at him until Logan called out the next order. The line at the counter was thankfully getting shorter.

 “Thanks for acknowledging my undiscovered genius“ – Logan rolled his eyes – “but why would this science competition be any different than class? Mrs Linn doesn’t like me.”

 “I do not believe that to be true. She certainly is not a fan of yours but when I recommended you she was not that put off by the idea. Otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed, after all. But beside that, Mrs Linn is only our supervision, not our instructor. She prevents us from injuring ourselves. The topic of the project and how we approach it is entirely up to us. At least as long as it’s within the budget.”

 “What about the others then? It’s not just you and me, right?”

 “Of course not. But I will handle them, no need to worry.” Remus furrowed his brows.

 “The hell’s that supposed to mean?”

 “That I will ensure that they do not bother you.”

 “How?”

 “I have my ways.”

 “You’re starting to kinda creep me out, Croft.”

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109 Anmerkungen – Gepostet 23. Februar 2022

Hol dir deinen Tumblr-Jahresrückblick 2022 →

[turtle-steverogers]

she is very long so. enjoy😌

- Steve n Bucky going to the bodega down the street from their apartment. it’s open till like 4am and they go at all hours. sometimes they’ll go separately but they always go together when they go in between 12-4 am and no one who works there questions why

- they get a cat that they treat her like their child. it’s Alpine ofc😌 steve loves her so much but he knows it’s Bucky’s Cat and he’s fine with it

- you know how some siblings or partners or friends can communicate with their eyes and basically have telepathy? they totally have that and it annoys the shit out of every single person they meetjdksndks. someone will be talking to them and they will just make eye contact with each other bc it reminded them of an earlier convo they had or they both got annoyed by the other person or it reminds them of an inside joke or something and it just irritates EVERYONE. no one is able to intercept it and it’s just a thing that no matter what - even though they don’t mean to - you’ll feel a little left out when you’re with steveandbucky. it just comes with the gig. i like to imagine that depending on if it’s an au or not, its either really obvious or not. like in an au then yes it’s obvious they can have non verbal conversations, but if it’s not an au then it’s not entirely obvious bc they’re enhanced humans and they know how to hide their secret conversations. but everyone they talk to is essentially an enhanced human or has special abilities so it’s obvious to them and they catch them in the act LOL. if they’re interacting with regular people then it’s not very obvious though

- DATE NIGHT!!! yes they’re old yes they have date night. when they go out it’s usually to places in their neighborhood, but a lot of the time they like to stay in bc. they’re old men <3 steve is better at cooking and bucky is better at baking bc you can get creative with cooking and steve likes that more. he enjoys baking a lot too but he thinks bucky’s stuff tastes better. whenever they stay home though there’s ALWAYS a movie. always. they alternate choosing but there is always a movie to watch. bucky usually falls asleep nearing the end and steve plays with his hair😌 he rolls his eyes cause it happens every time but he actually likes when it happens bc he can braid strands of hair together

- pet names oh my god. so many pet names. every single one. mainly from bucky. steve uses them but maybe like two. he favors sweetie and buck and that’s it really. sometimes he uses hon. bucky though oh my god. every single pet name under the sun. so many variations of doll you wouldn’t believe - baby doll ofc, dolly, stevie doll. sweetheart. sweetness. blondie. pretty boy. hot stuff. stevie. baby. hon. honey. sunshine. angel. it’s just so many. and it’s like very sickening insane twisted etc but hot at the same time. most people are like jeez barnes do you ever shut up… but most of these people secretly think it’s a little hot theyre thinking damn where is that affection for me…. i need me a bucky barnes :| steve is the only smitten kitten outwardly even if he huffs and puffs sometimes but it’s obvious he enjoys it. like they are so annoyingjdkssn for real they aren’t a pda couple really but the petnames….. so many. so so so many it’s sickeningly sweet but bucky dgaf! steve is his sweetheart his dolly his baby his angel so he’s going to call him these things!

- steve knows his body is what is considered “perfect” but he still is insecure about it around most people and bucky knows this so when steve lounges at home in bucky’s boxer briefs and his own tee shirt or he kicks off his pants when he’s too hot at night in bed bucky is reminded of just how much steve loves him and feels comfortable around him which is something he always strives for - to make steve comfortable. not baby him because steve bitches at anyone that does that to him but to make him feel comfortable

- and on the subject of feeling comfortable i imagine that they always check in with one another but it’s very subconscious they hardly realize they do it. like steve will bitch at bucky to pick up his shoes from their doorway or to clean his hair from the shower drain but the next second he will ask him if his back still hurts from being kicked by sam and from where steve AND alpine scratched him (in very different ways)

- steve is the sweater husband and bucky is the sweatshirt husband. they trade off a lot but that’s just how their closets look

- steve takes a liking to crop tops 😌 but ONLY around the house bc again he’s really truly only comfortable around bucky. he wears em with boxer briefs or sweatpants but you can guarantee that the briefs and sweats usually just end up on the floor 9 out of 10 times

- hair ties everywhere. they can be found on the floor in the laundry in their bed in the couch on top of the fridge on their fire escape. they are literally everywhere. steve just picks them up and puts them in the bathroom but they always make their way back. he doesn’t say anything to bucky until he finds alpine chewing one and she ends up smacking herself in the face with the hairtie

- their fridge is always full with leftovers and food from sam or clint’s or whoever’s house or takeout. they always eat it all but they get and make a lot of food so the fridge is always full

- subconsciously bucky always has a hand on the back of steve’s neck. like it’s not ENTIRELY a possessive thing but he used to do it a lot when steve was small because it was easy and it was comfortable. for him and just for him and steve. it was like swinging an arm around steve’s shoulders or putting a hand on his shoulder. it was just natural and easy so he did it. a part of him back then prewar did it possessively too, but he always tampered that down bc steve wasn’t his. now he does it without shame

- steve really likes tofu and vegan meat, non dairy milk like almond and soy, and overall a lot of non dairy vegan foods, and a lot of fruits. he gets made fun of for a lot specifically about the vegan stuff but his reasoning is that there’s so much food accessible for people with allergies in the future that he wished existed a hundred years ago so he’s going to try it and stick with it if he likes it. people shut up after that

- he also tips a little more than he needs to everywhere he goes. everywhere. like it’s cool when steve rogers walks in to a restaurant bc he’s a superhero or whatever but its REALLY cool because he leaves a generous tip and that’s what really makes peoples day

- before they get legally married they are still very much married. like “i packed you lunch, meet me at the restaurant instead of me going to pick you up bc it’ll take longer, i got takeout let’s bitch together while we watch shitty reality tv, let’s bitch at EACH OTHER through the phone in public, let’s send each other ugly pictures of each other or funny texts while we’re right next to each other, i’m out with a group and you’re not there and i say multiple times ‘i miss steve/bucky’, let’s yell at each other from opposite ends of the apartment instead of getting up to see each other, steve i’m going to fuck you on the couch bc our room is too far, etc.” they are just very much married without the documents and legalities and it’s very obvious

okay all of these were ABSOLUTELY wonderful and im really going to restrain my urge to respond to each and every one but that might be futile

-okay YES they definitely go to that bodega at all hours, and usually it's for normal things when they go separately: milk, cereal, toilet paper. but when they go in the middle of the night, they almost always purchase some like odd assortment of candies and deli meat. also, they're always in their pajamas. like bucky's in plaid pj pants and a star wars sweatshirt, and steve is in like 5" shorts and a huge crewneck and they're both in slides and they definitely only speak russian to each other when they're in there after hours

-yes alpine! they also have a dog, that is more steve than bucky's!! his name is norman in my headcanon (and a couple of my fics) and he is best boy

-okay i need more of this in my general stucky life: steve and bucky being like,,, best friends as well as lovers and being so seamlessly close. like yeah, they definitely talk with their eyes, or just one glance, or half-sentences ("hey, did you ever get to--" "yup, on the way home. it was so--" "yeah, good. glad to hear") and they know exactly what the other is saying.

-yes to the date nights!!! and when they stay in to watch movies, they make Tons of popcorn. and they Have to make separate batches, because steve will Only eat his with like half a bottle of that powdered white cheddar on his

-YES we share the same fucking headcanon for petnames on god

Steve: love you, buck:)

Bucky: love you, pumpkin

-Steve definitely has body dysmorphia, probably even post serum (I have lots of thoughts on this, that might be a different post) and yeah, Bucky definitely knows its Big that he feels comfortable enough to be exposed around him (and he's even more honored that steve lets him be intimate with him, because that's really hard for steve, too)

-yeah! and easy check ins like "ur stomach still bothering you from last night?" "oh, no it was just a little bug turns out" or like "my head hurts:(" "i have meds in my bag. you want?" "yeah, just two" or like subtly checking on injuries, yeah

-yeah the sweater versus sweatshirt tracks tbh i picture steve in a lot of crewnecks so yeah

-STEVE IN CROP TOPS STEVE IN CROP TOPS and i raise you they're often ones he's cropped himself and he's also painted on! or bleach painted!! and theyre so cool and bucky never wants to make a big deal out of it, but he's so proud of steve for expressing himself like that

-ALPINE SMACKING HERSELF ALKFJALSDKFJA also steve always has a hairtie on HIS wrist in case bucky forgets one for himself

-they also always have Steve Staple Foods cuz i headcanon steve as a picky eater (adhd!steve + serum enhancements, it's down to a formula) so they have a lot of Kraft mac and cheese and easy heat up meals and lunch meats around for when he's having bad food days

-OMG and steve absolutely MELTS i raise you, too, bucky will especially hold the back of his neck when he needs to get steve to Chill Out. so like if he sees him stressing he'll put his hand on the back of his neck and squeeze and literally feel the tension drain from him or like if steve is having a panic attack, he'll hold the back of his neck while they breathe together

-yes and also any time that steve is Choosing food for himself and feeling motivated to eat it, it's a win, so people learn to back off there, too

-yes! he tips generously, but never awkwardly or offensively. he's also super kind and patient to food service workers!

-this last point is so perfect i cant. like yeah, back to steve and bucky just being,,,, the best of friends. ugly selfies galore, shoving their feet in each other's face, flicking each others ears. and yes, all the fucking gossiping. on the phone gossip, venting, fun gossip from around work. they talk about it all. and it's so great for them

thank you again for stopping by! your thoughts are impeccable!

[hobiwonder]

Bloom | 01

Genre: Hybrid!Namkook. fluorescence by @jincherie​ AU 

Pairing: foxhybrid!Namjoon x Reader x bunnyhybrid!Jungkook ;(

Warnings: language. mention of hybrid trafficing/being sold into sex trafficing, fluff holy shit, angst, Smut (future), very cuddly and shy jungkook, stuttery shy BOYS. I really just wrote this for me.

Words: 5k+

Summary: In a world where humanity is increasingly motivated by how much cash can be made off of... well anything, you’re a human and hybrid rights lawyer. You will do anything to save the ones that never had a choice  right from the date of their conception. Even if that means, adopting two hybrids that you absolutely did not mean to. 

a/n: hello hello im back from the dead iuhbIUHBUYBGUY okay so, yes this isnt baby baby but i am a bit behind on that so i really hope posting this instead can satiate my sluts for a few more days until i have that done. I have a lot of this written so I will post this on a semi-regular schedule. rest of the schedule i posted will stay the same. it’s just baby baby that’s kicking my BUTT!!!! Lastly, I started writing this before Goo Hara passed away. Opening this document made me a little sad and also happy when i remember Hara and her love for eco-friendly fashion. I guess, this is kind of a tribute to her? anyhow, I hope you guys like it. please please please, validate me. :>)

"Y/n they're going to be sold to this man who works for a black market. What do I do? Oh god. I-I didn't know our company was into that business."

Your best friend is nearing the point of tears and you can understand her frustration. "Listen, Hara, take a deep breath and tell me when exactly this is happening."

A deep breath is taken as you'd suggested, before you hear Hara's voice again through the phone. "Okay... Okay. I was just told by Minseok that there is an auction for the remaining two from the past failed batches. Apparently two others have been adopted and the rest have been pawned off somewhere. I'm not sure. From our division of the company, these two are the ones that have not gone for further testing to be open to the regular public. A-And so now there is a super secret auction happening tonight. It's not open to the regular public as you already know but staff members are able to attend. What do I do y/n? I can't afford them. I have my own to deal with. These poor boys will go to some horrible owner who will use them f-for god knows what."

Now Hara was crying. Openly and brokenly for the possible fate of these 'failed' hybrids that her company had produced. This was a sticky situation and even you, a Human and hybrid rights lawyer, had limited ideas as to what could be done on such a short notice. But you were not about to give up.

"Hara, don't. They will not be bought by some hybrid trafficker okay? I won't let it happen. I will... I will at least try. It's my job, remember?"

Your optimism is convincing enough. And you wholeheartedly believed that something would give. These big corporations had their toes in everywhere and you didn’t yet know if they had already had a designated buyer on the black market they pawned their hybrids off to. Where there was money to be made - no company had morals rigid enough to stop themselves from the temptation. You already lived in an age where human trafficking was no longer a cause for activism or big debates. Not when more species - man made or not - had been created to take advantage of.

“Okay yeah. You’re a badass lawyer, you must have something up your sleeve right?” Her voice is shaky but you confirm with an enthusiastic nod she can’t see.

“Of course! I’ll kick their asses. Surely this can’t be legal? No blackmarket is. Let me have a look at what can be done. I’m assuming you can bring a plus one tonight?”

“Yeah I-I was given a ticket. You’ll be coming with me right?”

“That’s why I asked, silly.” Her relieved chuckle brings a smile to your own lips.

“I’ll see you there. Don’t give up hope until I do, alright?”

“Okay... You’re right.”

_____________________________________________________________________________

“Fuck this. Fuck my life.” The curses escaped your mouth left and right as you looked over the dozens and dozens of papers splayed out on your oak desk.

Even your comfortable office chair couldn’t stop the knot building up between your shoulder blades. This was bad. Really bad. Corporate law allowed unfit materials to be sold to third parties. What these third parties did with those materials - the company of origin was no longer liable for. In short: These hybrids were going to be bought by someone sketchy with a crystal clear profile and no paper trail unless someone bid higher and bought them.

None of these bastards were rookies. They had solid paperwork where necessary and it would be near impossible to prove their illegal activities when all of them took place on the dark web. A place that opened up more threats and risks than solutions. No legislation covered hybrid rights that weren’t even registered yet. Whoever bought them would have to register them and then the hybrids would be able to receive the minimum protection they had a right to.But you can bet your father’s company that whoever bought them will never register them. Essentially these hybrids will be wiped out from the system.

Fingertips tapping against the wood, each passing minute was precious time lost. it was already 5pm. You had to leave for the dreaded auction in less than an hour and hour and yet here you sat in your chair. Hands itching to do something other than pick up the phone and tell Hara that you were at a loss. What could you do? Who would take them? You didn’t know anyone that was ready to add not one but two hybrids to their household. And ones that were not fully approved to be released. You couldn’t just lie and pawn them off to just anyone. Then you would not be any better than the company trying to get rid of them.

Sighing, you pack up the papers and documents you had initially thought would help. They were of no use anymore. All you could do was go and offer support to Hara. Or Maybe you were going because you still had hope that there would be someone who would save those hybrids. Hope was a dangerous thing for a woman like you but you had it. This was no time to wallow. So you smooth your skirt, touch up your makeup and put on your heels that had men double take.

Maybe you could scare and/or seduce these people in changing their mind?

You laugh at your absurdity, glancing in the mirror one last time before you leave with stacks of files in your hands. You could at least stall them.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“Y/n! Thank god you’re here.” I’m not so sure about that. Though you opt for a gentle smile and meet her embrace enthusiastically.

You can hear the sniffles coming from Hara who has her head buried in your shoulder. “Hey, no crying okay? No matter what happens.” The comment has her pulling back just as quickly.

“What do you mean? You have a plan for tonight r-right? Y/n..”

How could you do this? Lie to her? This was not fair on her. On anyone really. It wasn’t your fault and neither hers for whatever would happen tonight. She needed to know what to expect. As much as your heart clenched and ached to say the words you were about to; it was important to mentally prepare for the worst.

“Hara... I couldn’t find anything.” Your frown is apologetic. Trying to convey how really truly sorry you were but it doesn’t stop the tears from brewing up in her eyes.

“Oh.. I thought- thought they had a chance y/n.” You reach out for her hand, wanting to alleviate her hurt as soon as possible.

“I will at least try to see who will buy them okay? Don’t worry. We can keep an eye out on who gets them. They will be alive at least, right?” Your attempt at finding a silver lining doesn’t make her look any more reassured than you felt.

Glancing at your watch, you motion towards the building. “Come on. Let’s go before they try and kick us out.”

Hara nods, numbly leading the way towards an auditorium where several people had already taken their seats. You’re not sure how many people you were expecting, but it definitely wasn’t... this. There were at best 10 people here. All ten seemingly looked like they knew each other. This could only mean one thing. That this sale was to some degree, arranged. As in, multiple buyers were from the same company posing as separate customers to maximise their chances of acquiring the hybrids.

“Hara, have you seen any of these people before?” Your whisper has her craning her neck to have a good look at all of the men sitting in the front few rows.

“No, I don’t think so.” Her furrowed brows turn to you instead, “Do you recognise any of them?”

Shaking your head, you follow her down the stairs to sit in the row behind the last pair of buyers who were sitting.

“Whoever they are... they don’t look like they are all strangers.” Hara is gripping on to your arm when she hears you, visibly nervous once again. “I’m just speculating, okay?”

Your attempt to ease her, once again, is not enough. But you don’t try again since you don’t even believe your own words. The auctioneer however, stops you from thinking further about the impending events of the night. The man stands in a lab coat, glancing at his watch before he brings his mouth closer to the mic on the dice.

“Let’s begin gentleman... and ladies.” He seems to be surprised to see you and Hara sitting at the back. And before he begins further, he motions someone. Another man approaches the auctioneer and listens carefully as the other whispers. A few seconds later, his eyes fall back to where you sat with your best friend.

Hara’s grasp on your arm tightens once again when the man heads to your general direction. On instinct, your back straightens, posture more solid than before so as to not give anyone the wrong impression that they can mess with you unwarrantedly.

“Excuse me Miss.?”

“Yes?” Your curt reply surprises him but he recovers fast, glancing towards Hara before talking to you again.

“Are you a guest of Ms. Hara?”

“Obviously.” Your unwavering gaze visibly unnerves him. It was obvious to anyone there but you had an idea this was some sort of test.

“May I see your ticket please?” His bogus smile annoys you more than it should. Nonetheless, Hara is fishing out the ticket from her purse and showing the man. He inspects it longer than he should and finally walks back to the auctioneer to let him know you had the right to be here.

“Who would do that if they weren’t running a hoax?” You ask Hara before you can stop yourself.

“Alright. Apologies for the delay. We will now begin. As you are all aware, we are auctioning two of our very elite hybrids from a rare batch. They have not progressed to the next stage of screenings and tests due to some technical difficulties. Thus, we are here to give them a chance at a new home rather than a painful end.” He looks in the audience for effect. Euthanasia is what he meant.

“These hybrids are fully functional however lack a few abilities they were initially designed for. Due to these technical issues deeming them failed to proceed, they are available for purchase at a much lower cost than what they are sold for on the market.” The auctioneer looks so smug the urge to smack his across the face is almost irresistible.

“Right, bring them out Wonho.” Everyone is watching carefully, waiting for the ‘failed’ hybrids and you don’t know what you were expecting.

Not what you see though. Definitely not. Because the two - tall - hybrids entering the stage are not what you expect. Peach and silver tones greet your eyes as well as incredibly sculpted faces.  The peach haired hybrid seems to cling to the silver haired one. The man leading the two hybrids seems to be frustrated with their slow pace, giving the peach haired hybrid a little shove and there is only so much you can do to not yell at the top of your lungs for him to get his hands off of them.

The man sighs, letting the two hybrids to just stand in the middle when the peach haired one does not stand apart from the other hybrid. While the shorter of the two hybrids - and much, much shyer - looks around anxiously at the people in the auditorium, the silver haired one has his features set in stone. His eyes don’t look alarmed, they don’t seem scared. He just looks numb. He stares ahead at the people sitting in front of him while the peach haired boy visibly shakes, breathing fast and eyes flitting across every surface. He takes a step back, hiding part of his body behind his silver haired companion for comfort.

“There you have them. The peach haired specimen is a Oryctolagus cuniculus or - a bunny in more simplistic terms. The silver haired specimen is an arctic fox, Vulpes lagopus. Both hybrids are off a rare species and very sought after on the market. Due to technical issues, once again, unfortunately, we are only able to sell them in a pair. They are useless on their own.”

The candid way the auctioneer speaks of them has your blood boiling. But what gets you more is the laughter that sounds in the auditorium. Did these assholes think they were funny? The hybrids - entirely human or not - were present in the room with them. Did they not have any ounce of respect for them? Hara was not faring any better. Watching with a frown as chatter continued among the buyers. The bunny looked even more disturbed, looking around at every man in the front few rows - before his eyes landed on you.

The gasp that leaves you is abrupt. His pained expression holds your gaze, eyes wide and chest heaving. The bunny jumps when the auctioneer speaks again.

“We will now start the bid at $1000. $1200 anyone?” Several hands go up before the auctioneer raises the price to $1400.

Bald, greasy men exchanging glances and crude remarks as they talk amongst themselves. Your heart is thumping, your blood thinning. With each passing second, your throat seems to be closing up. There was nothing you could do to save them, was there? The further the price went up, the more panicked and distraught the bunny looked, gripping his fox companion harder, hiding behind him even more. The silver haired fox looked much like what you had stopped Hara from looking only this morning. Hopeless. His mouth was set in a thin line - just taking in the scenario in front of him. It was obvious he saw his fate before his very eyes and instead of futilely hoping that someone would save them - he stares his aggressors in the eyes.

“Brilliant! We’re at $3000 for the gentleman in the first row. Anyone for $3500?” The said man looked positively smug, sitting with his legs spread lewdly. Most likely sure that no one would contest that price.

Definitely not you.

“$4000.” Your voice yelling above everyone else is even foreign to your own ears. An outer body experience as you watch yourself look the auctioneer straight in his eyes, daring anyone in the room to go higher up on the price. But most of all, you watch the silver haired hybrid’s gaze waver for the first time - looking at you in such surprise like it was the first time he was noticing you.

“Ah... Anyone for $4500?” Only one other hand goes up. The man that had been the prospective buyer before. His face is ballooning with the amount of blood that’s rushing to it.

“Y/n? What are you doin?!” Hara’s frantic whispering flies over your head as you call out once more.

“$6000. Final offer.” You look at the other men in the seats beneath you, challenging them to dispute your offer.

The atmosphere is tense, thick with the tension brewing inside the auditorium and yet you don’t shy away from the angry glares being shot your way. A minute passes. No more offers.

“Sold to Miss?”

“Y/n.”

“-Miss Y/n. Thank you all for participating.” The loud chatter is instantaneous as the auctioneer motions the other lab rat to, assumably, gather the hybrids and their things.

“Y/N! Oh my god.” Hara has all but engulfed you in a tight hug once more. Shaking you slightly out of your own shock. This was not what you had planned but it was done.

She finally pulls back, checking you over like you were ill. “A-Are you sure about this? Oh god, okay we need to head up to the podium.”

Just like she doesn’t wait for your answer, you had not waited for your own either. You hadn’t even asked yourself the question before you had so blindly bid on the two hybrids. You’d been waiting for someone to save them. Someone to come barging in and take them away from these cruel people. Never in a millenia had you thought that someone might be you.

“Here you are Miss. You can deposit a check right now or eftpos the payment. Up to you.”

Benumbed, you take out your phone to open the phone banking application. When you’ve made sure there are sufficient funds transferred from your savings account, you wave your card in front of the auctioneer wordlessly. From the corner of your eyes, you can feel the two hybrids watching you. You wished they had at least let them wait in some sort of waiting room and not witness the jarring experience of several people bidding over them.

“Excellent! The transaction has been approved and a receipt will be emailed to you if you can fill out this form here.” Glancing at the hybrids standing a few feet away from you, clutching a duffle bag each, you try and put down your details as fast as you can.

They had already looked like they wanted to be as farther away from this place as possible and the feeling was mutual. Hara was beside you the whole time, waiting for any cue from you to provide some sort of support or whatever you needed her to do. And if your tongue worked - you would thank her as you filled out the space on the form asking you of your email address. It was sickening how easy it was for you to just... buy them! Would they not do a security or police check on you? Make sure that these hybrids are going to at least a safe home?

You were aware of the long process of hybrids that were ordered from the company. The company had a thorough process of making sure their clients were reputable and trust-worthy. That they wouldn’t do bodily harm to the hybrids but that was a facade so these companies wouldn’t have to spend money in compensation if a client had abused their hybrid in any way and had not been satisfied with what they had ordered. It was a guise. These people didn’t give two shits if the hybrids were not of expectation and couldn’t make them money.

“Am I done here?” Your tone was curt and the auctioneer could sense it.

The fact that you’d fished out more than enough cash for some ‘failed’ hybrids - he was interested in you as a potential future client. You were aware that hybrids of their breed went for $5000 - maximum. The previous greasy bald man had been close to closing a deal for $3000 until you had butted in. So obviously, they were going to kiss your ass.

“Yes Ma’am. That’s all we needed. The hybrids are good to go. Their bags have their guidebooks with them. Thank you for shopping with us.” his bright smile makes you want to hit him with your designer bag.

But even this leather was too good to be wasted on these assholes. “Y/N? Please look a little more friendly. You’ll scare the bunny away.” Hara is speed walking besides you, trying to convince you to soften your stance when you stop right before the bench they had been sitting on.

“Follow me, boys.” You’re not rude. You don’t sound mean either. But you don’t particularly sound like you wanted them. And as much as that was the truth to some degree, you didn’t not want them.

The silver haired hybrid hesitates - watching you with wide, curious eyes. Not the harsh way his eyes had scanned the room before but not exactly friendly and enthusiastic like the bunny. The bunny that was currently tugging on the silver fox’s sleeve wordlessly. His doe eyes silently ask his friend to follow you. But when his feet stay rooted to the same spot, you can’t help but sigh.

“Is there a problem?” A moment’s silence. Then finally the silver haired boy shakes his head, grasping the bunny’s hand and follows you out of the building.

Hara is gripping your hand, relieved tears in her eyes and you can’t keep looking. Because you couldn’t promise her that you would take good care of them. “Thank you Y/n. You didn’t have to do that but... but you did. You’re a good person and these boys are lucky to have you.”

Her eyes are earnest. You know she means every word and she can sense your inner turmoil at your own ability to take care of them. The boys can’t hear you both talking since they are standing near your car, obediently waiting for you. Taking a look at them huddled in the back seat, you turn back to Hara.

“Thanks Har. I will try my best. They deserve a shot at a normal and secure life. I won’t let you down.”

“And you,” she cups your face, making you look back at her. “You deserve love too. I have seen the bunny hybrid in the lab. He will heal all your wounds too. Please be happy and patient with them, okay?”

You nod, a smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes but genuine nonetheless. “I’ll see you later. Love you.”

You just wave her goodbye, standing until her car pulls away. Looking back at the two boys waiting patiently in the car - you take a moment to gather yourself.

“Fuck... fuck. Fuck!” You don’t scream out loud. not really. But anyone walking by would be able to see you were stalling something. That something is going to your car and then going home.

Taking a deep breath, you decide to bite the bullet and face the reality. Getting in the driver’s seat, you look back at the two hybrids watching you from your rearview mirror. Giving them a small smile, you notice the bunny hybrid’s shoulders relax a little.

“Let’s go home.” Your voice is light and airy. Hoping to put them at ease. They were yours now.

You were their saviour.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“Home sweet home.” Letting them pass you, entering the condo, you let them take in their surroundings.

The bunny is still latched on to the taller hybrid’s flannel, hiding behind him when the fox hybrid comes to stand beside a couch. Both of them look at you - as if waiting for you to allow them to sit. The silver haired fox is holding on to the bunny’s hand, watching you with a dour look.

“Go on.” You head motions towards the comfortable three seater couch. “Have a seat. No need to be shy.”

Of course, you want to palm yourself after your remark. Of course they were shy. Well, the bunny mostly. The fox looked to be very suspicious and not exactly friendly. Though you could understand his apprehension. He was about to be sold to some very nefarious people. He seemed to be a bit older than the bunny and had a look of ambiance that only came with experiencing harsh times. Your heart felt for him.

The bunny doesn’t wait too long, sitting on the couch - well plopping is more like it - whereas the fox takes his time, battling with himself if he should or not. When you keep watching him, waiting for him to sit, he thankfully gives in and sits besides his friend.

Once you can tell that they are comfortable - as comfortable as they can be, you ask your first question. “So, what are your names?”

You smile at them gently, letting them know you are their friend. At least hoping that they can conclude that from the fact that you told them about their new home on the car ride over.

The bunny’s eyes are wide, face heating up as if you asked him a rather scandalous question and not just his name. Your heart skips a beat when the lovely blush blossoms across his face that’s hiding in the fox’s shoulder.

“Well? Can you tell me, bun? What’s your name?” Your question being directed to the bunny only makes the blush more visible. You could see his face reddening further in embarrassment and the colour being rather more visible on his neck too.

The smile doesn’t diminish from your face. Not even after seeing the way the fox is almost glaring at you but you were positive that the bunny wasn’t hiding because he was afraid of you.

“J-Jungkook. ‘m J-Jungk-kook” The answer proves to be too much for him to mumble, lips catching his plumper bottom lip as he peeks at you through one eye that isn’t hidden in the fox’s shoulder.

“Jungkook. That’s a lovely name, bun.” Your smile widens when you see the corners of his mouth stirring up a little at your compliment.

Your heart was so full. Never did you think you would feel these dizzying emotions at a pretty boy merely muttering his name. His name. If this was your reaction at finding out one of their names, you were not going to survive getting to know them before you went full mother-hen mode on anyone that tried to harm them.

“What about you, hm?” Your smile is a lingering effect of just looking at Jungkook’s adorable blushing face and you don’t let it falter even if the fox hybrid is visibly more aloof.

‘Be patient with them y/n.’ You remind yourself of Hara’s words over and over.

“Namjoon.” The smile halts briefly at the deep timbre of his tone. You had not been expecting him to sound like molten chocolate and sweeter than honey. You realise you wanted to hear him more. Hear him speak about mundane topics over and over because that’s how good he sounded to you.

“Namjoon.” the name rolls off your tongue smoothly, just like his voice. You’re still watching his face, waiting for any sort of reaction even if it’s not as endearing as Jungkook’s. Just something. But his face remains passive. A slight twitch of his lips but that’s it. The pessimistic part of your brain convinces you that it could have been a frown and not a smile that he’s fought away.

But you needed to remain positive.

“T-That’s… a very nice name too.” He doesn’t look convinced at your reply though. Namjoon continues to watch you and now you’re the one blushing from the heat of his stare.

Jungkook is watching Namjoon just as cautiously as you. Like he expected him to be like that. Austere and unwilling to be forthcoming with information about himself. Telling yourself that he’ll adjust with time, you opt for a smile that’s sent Jungkook’s way - making the bunny hide behind Namjoon again. Almost like when a child is cautious and shys away from a stranger they meet. That’s what it was.  A childlike innocence to Jungkook which awoke every instinct in you to protect him. Maybe that’s why his eyes had convinced you that you needed to take them home with you.

“Okay boys. I’ll show you to your rooms.” Furrowing your brows at the way Jungkook clutches Namjoon harder with panicked eyes, you turn around to look at them again.

“You don’t need to stay in separate rooms if you don’t want to, okay?” Namjoon regards you with a look before nodding - eyes cast down once again.

“Good. You both are very quiet but that’s okay - I can talk enough for the three of us.” The wink that you send Jungkook’s way only has him sputtering with embarrassment as the lovely rose tints his full round cheeks.

“But you do have to tell me when you are not okay with something, alright? I can’t read your pretty little heads.” As you say the last few words, your hand reaches out to shuffle the bunny’s peach hair.

What you don’t expect, is him flinching away so violently that even you are startled, taking a step back. Jungkook is hiding behind Namjoon completely now, shaking and you want to reach out. Say sorry and take it all back.

“I’m… I’m so sorry. I didn’t-”

“Hey, kook, it’s alright. It’s okay.” Namjoon’s voice reverberates through the quiet hallway, soothing the bunny’s shaking frame, whispering gentle assurances and you’re about to choke up.

What happened to him? Who did this to him. For him to be this scared. Watching Namjoon hug the shaking bunny tightly, sniffling away in his chest, only makes you feel more guilty at your brash treatment. Were you coming on too strong? God you were so out of your depth.

“I didn’t mean to scare you Jungkook. Honey..” You’re trying your best to reach out to him but the way Namjoon stands between you and him like a wall - it’s obvious he was waiting for something like this to happen. He was cautious of you and now his beliefs have been reinforced to not trust you or whatever nonsense he’s thinking.

You couldn’t blame him though. You really couldn’t.

“Please be careful, miss. He’s not a toy.” Namjoon’s voice trembles. Just the way - you now notice - his bottom lip does. He’s holding back tears and you really don’t know what to do. Except try your best to take their pain away.

“I’m.. I’m really sorry Namjoon. I didn’t mean to upset him.” You open the door to the room quickly, making sure there are blankets and pillows on the bed before coming out to tell them.

“Take him inside Namjoon. I’ll… I’ll leave you two alone, for now. Let me know if you need anything?” Namjoon merely nods, not being able to look you in the eyes but the bite of his lip tells you he’s trying to hold it together.

Jungkook’s hiccups catch your attention and you pull yourself out of your self-pity session. Only wanting to make sure that both of the hybrids are comfortable and just not feeling the way they are right now. Gesturing your head forward again, you nod at Namjoon when he looks at you one last time before heading into the room. The bunny holds onto Namjoon tightly, letting him walk into the room and when they are fully in - you close the door behind them. Giving them their privacy and also because you had a feeling they needed to be by themselves to really understand their current situation. That you were their new owner and this was their home.

A permanent home.

[puttingfingerstokeys]

Hat Trick

in which Johnny Cage is... himself. Featuring the Shaolin Rowdy Boys. Formatting is for losers. 

faraday cage implied, shaolin rowdy boys too obviously.

Prevented timeline

“Yeah, yeah, your hat’s cool an’ all, but honestly, Raiden’s got you beat,” declared Johnny Cage, wrapping a towel around broad shoulders, mopping the sweat off his brow. Kung Lao shook his head and clicked his tongue.

“Lord Raiden’s hat is not a weapon,” he said as Liu Kang walked into the SF locker room area. The Shaolin monks had been asked to come and provide special training for the new batch of recruits and they had just finished for the day.

“It does not need to be,” Liu Kang reminded his friend, sidling past Kung Lao to the locker he was borrowing. Sweat glistened upon his muscular back and Johnny made a conscious effort to keep his eyes on the man with whom he was conversing. If Lao noticed, he said nothing. He was not blind. Even well into their fifties, all three men were at the height of their strength, power, and if you asked Johnny—no one did; it was a bad move in general if one did not have time—looks.

Johnny shot Liu Kang a set of finger guns, brow cocked. “See? He’s got it. Dude shoots LIGHTNING!”

“Correction,” supplied the humbler of the two monks, his fist full of clean clothing, “Lord Raiden is lightning.”

Johnny waved this off as if to say “tomato-tomahto”.

“Anyway, what I really wanna know is how he keeps that lid on,” Johnny Cage continued, stripping his clothing off thoughtlessly and tossing it in the “dirty” bag. This, at least, he had learned—long ago, he had learned this, in fact, when Cassie was just a kid and she complained that his dirty things did not belong in the duffle bag with his clean things; something about cross contamination or “just plain gross” or something—and had held to for many years. What was once an unruly jerk, to put it mildly, had become a responsible father… mostly. He still had his idiosyncrasies.

“He is a god,” said Liu Kang, shrugging and moving past Kung Lao once more, opting to strip closer to the showers. Johnny, he knew, liked to strut. Neither of them begrudged him this, however, as it was his home territory.

“That’s a shitty explanation,” said Johnny, shooting Liu a look as the monk disappeared around the tiled corner to the showers. Lao and Johnny thought they heard a low chuckle before the shower started up and steam began to roll from that doorway.

“Do you have a better one?” Kung Lao asked, closing his temporary locker, fist also closed around his clothing. He too intended to disrobe elsewhere. Johnny by  now was in compression shorts and nothing else. It was about to be nothing, period, as one thumb hooked over the elastic. The word “CAGE” was embroidered on the waistband and for half a moment, Kung Lao wondered who had put it there for him, like a child who forgets his clothing at a friend’s home. It then occurred to him that Johnny Cage was a very wealthy man and had clothing lines—multiple—with his name stamped all over them. Vanity, Kung Lao thought, making a face of disapproval.

“Yeah, I do—I’ll just ask ‘im.”

Kung Lao had heard and seen much when it came to Johnny Cage and his obvious interest in the god of thunder. He and Liu Kang had agreed to keep it between themselves, though if anyone could not see it, they were blind as Kenshi… though he had seen it as well—something about the man’s heartrate when the god was nearby. This, however, was for some reason right up there with the time he had heard Johnny Cage refer to Lord Raiden as “thunder tits” with no consequences.

“You cannot just—”

“PFFTH not with that attitude,” said Johnny and then shouted—his voice echoed violently in the tiled room and Kung Lao winced, “HEY—Raidude, you on this frequency or whatever? I got a question!”

Kung Lao, fully expecting nothing, jumped again as a muffled clap of thunder once more rent the now-steamy air. Whatever it was had occurred outside, naturally, but was loud enough to pull Liu Kang’s attention and he poked his dripping head around the corner, long hair draped about his shoulders, a quizzical look upon his face. “Was that…?”

It was.

Ducking slightly under the economized entrance of the locker room, the god of thunder entered without pomp, circumstance, or ceremony. “I have an answer, Johnny Cage, and I am grateful that you did not whistle this time. It is… abrasive.”

“Of course it is,” Kung Lao grunted under his breath. Raiden regarded him momentarily and the monk covered himself, though he was not nude. Liu Kang’s head stayed where it was, though he seemed to want to shrink back into the showers. His cheeks were red and it was not necessarily from the heat. In fact, of the three mortals, only Johnny Cage was not blushing.

“Hey, I said I wouldn’t, right? Anyway—whatever, I got a question… Your hat,” he said, gesturing toward it. “How’s it stay up there?”

Raiden touched the brim briefly and looked puzzled, brows knitting, as if he had never considered this. The two monks watched, wide-eyed. Johnny gestured.

“So, can I knock it off?” He figured he would at least ask this one. Sucker punching a god was both dangerous and difficult, even a friendly one.

“You may attempt.”

If Liu Kang’s sharp ears were not full of suds and deceiving him, he would have sworn upon the jinsei itself that Raiden’s voice contained a hint of genuine amusement. They watched as the god of thunder even dipped his head, ever-so-slightly, to make the blow easier. Like lightning, Johnny’s hand shot out and both monks remembered suddenly why he was a valuable ally. The hit was charged with just a little of what he called his shadow energy, to give a little more impact. The hat did not move.

“OW.”

“All right, all right… you’re not fuckin’ with me; I get it.” Johnny waved it off, as he waved much in his life off, until something about the hat caught his eye. “Hang on.”

Raiden straightened; this time, open amusement played across his face. Johnny held his wrist and anticipated a bruise, even with the shielding of his power. He watched as Raiden raised a hand to the ornate jingasa and lifted it effortlessly, bringing it downward for Johnny's inspection. All three sets of mortal eyes were upon it, as if anticipating something mystical to occur. Kung Lao was kicking himself for never considering asking the god about his clothing, but then… when had the occasion arisen for such a conversation? It had not in fact arisen just now, either. Johnny simply did not care. Sometimes, Lao envied him this.

With deliberate slowness, then, knowing how dangerous it was to get close to Raiden. Certain proximities were safe, but those were much more intimate than he was comfortable attempting with two other people in the immediate area—and he did not yet know this secret, anyway. He laid his hand on the hat and felt the buzz of electricity through it, from the god of thunder.

“Is this…?” His voice softened, such that Liu, with the shower on behind him, almost could not hear. He did, however, hear it and the tone in which it was delivered. Kung Lao was already edging toward the door to the showers and ended up buffeting his friend out of the way and back into those showers, to give the other two some space.

“Your gift? Yes.” The answer was simple, might almost have sounded casual or pat, if anything Raiden ever said could sound that way.

“Did you… put that thing on just ‘cause I called?”

“It is one of my most precious possessions, Johnny Cage; thus, I wear it frequently.” Raiden replaced the beautiful jingasa and straightened. “If I cannot further satisfy you, I have matters to which I must attend at the Sky Temple.”

Johnny could think of some serious, further satisfaction, but kept it locked away tight, in a deep, dark corner of his mind and heart and shook his head. “Hate t’see you go, big guy,” he said, once more shooting finger guns at something that should not be finger-gunned, “but I love watchin’ you leave.”

“Indeed.”

And with that, the god of thunder, Earthrealm’s protector, departed, first through the doorway of the locker room and then via a bolt of lightning. Johnny stood for several moments, hands on hips, before shucking his shorts and sauntering into the shower area only to see Liu Kang and Kung Lao, huddled close together, clearly whispering. The whispers echoed, but were also stifled by the water. He rolled his eyes and ignored them, wondering when they’d see what everyone else saw. Idiots, he thought,��ah, but they’ll get to it eventually.

[cockbiteproductions]

multiples of 8, except in the misc section. all even numbers for the misc section

200: My crush’s name is: well well well this question again. you’re not getting anything out of me!!! they fucking use this website!!!

192: I am allergic to: nothing. but i found out like yesterday not everyone gets dermatographia and im kinda annoyed. what do you mean your skin doesnt get red and puffy the moment you touch it......

184: Xbox or ps3: xbox solely because of ah

176: Last YouTube video watched: my watch history says this, which is a scene from a show called billions. this scene in particular is about my favorite character asking about their introduction scene with their former mentor figure that they quickly outranked and asking why they were picked for the internship that lead them down this [entire shitpath].

168: Luck: [long sigh]. [puts on clown makeup].

[obi wan voice] im my experience there’s no such thing as luck. 

[rian voice] luck? there’s probability plausibility and actuality. luck is superstition. luck is lazy math. [winston voice] that’s what i always say.

160: Soul mates: again souls arent real..... nor do i believe that people are “meant for each other” on any sort of cosmic/larger level. you are more compatible with people based on your upbringing and your interests and your values and those are adaptable over time though some people are so different that they will never get along and other people match/complement each other incredibly well.

152: Phone or Online: lmaoooo this questionnaire once again showing its age. throwback to when these things weren’t synonymous. online for sure. what am i gonna do with a phone? talk to someone with my fucking voice? i think not.

144: Oranges or Apples: to eat by themselves? probably apples since they are easier and less of a mess. and apples are more consistently better than oranges. oranges, it’s easy to get a batch that just sucks. juiced? probably orange. i love me some fuckin orange juice. but i like apple cider more than orange juice.

136: Hillary or Obama: lmaoooo again.. the age of this. 2008 or 2012. going to guess 2008. obama but not like. enthusiastically. while he was certainly better than [what we got going on now] he still bombed the hell outta some countries......

128: Manicure or Pedicure: ive never had either but i would probably be more comfortable with a manicure. people touching my feet would make me ticklish.

120: Gay Marriage: the only type that should be allowed. sorry straights youre no longer allowed to get married. /s obviously.

112: Facebook: oh BOY are you fucking ready. are you???? im starting the readmore NOW because this is going to be something. i doubt anyone except robots maybe will actually read my deranged pro-privacy anti-facebook/social media/surveillance rant but im angry every time i think about it and if i were a more important person than a rando on the internet with a keyboard im sure facebook would hire someone to kill me one day.

FUCK FACEBOOK. FUCK THAT SHITTY ASS WEBSITE THAT AT EVERY TURN HAS BEEN REVEALED TO HAVE HORRIFYING PRACTICES OF DATA COLLECTION.

but before that, they need to pay some goddamn fucking taxes. they are profiting off the data of billions of people and getting away with paying SO LITTLE back. 

you ever hear about deepface? no this is not the beginning of a prequel meme. deepface is facebook’s facial recognition technology and facial recognition is fucking terrifying. that shit is as good as humans at facial recognition at this point. does that not scare you? that a bunch of computers can figure out if this photo contains you or not? it’s one thing if humans recognize each other, but another thing when computers who can process data almost infinitely faster than humans can are able to do it. the scale and speed at which these fucking nightmares operates is hard for us to imagine and so we are all not scared enough of what they can do. this kind of technology is so deeply privacy violating it’s hard for me to stress it enough. every image of you ever uploaded on the internet could possibly be put through facial recognition tech. and with the fact that there are cameras literally everywhere at all times now at this point it’s so fucking possible that if desired, someone could find out where you are at all times. and that gets SO scary when used by governments. are you comfortable with your government knowing where YOU are at all times? yes? what about if tomorrow your government is overthrown by a group of radicals you completely disagree with? you still comfortable with that? facial recognition is kind of a fucking pandoras box that we are opening and now that we have the technology available to us, unless we actively take steps back from it, it WILL eventually/already is being used in malicious, intensely privacy invasive ways.

and everything in that above bullet point goes for ALL DATA COLLECTED ON YOU, EVER. everything you’ve ever said on facebook is probably put through some multi layered neural network fucking robot who is learning how to understand what humans say on your input and also cataloging things about you as a person. it is doing SO MUCH more than reading the exact text of what you are saying and then picking up on keywords. neural networks are an attempt to copy how humans think by making an artificial version of a brain basically. in simple terms it’s a map of points and connections and you feed it data for a while and tell it what the desired outcome should be. it will adjust those connections and the weight of those points based on your data and expected outcome. that change in connections and weights is how it learns. then after a while it has fed on enough data that it will begin to expect what your desired outcome is. now imagine millions and millions of connections and points. it’s fucking huge. you ever hear about how we don’t know how machine learning/deep learning/neural networks works? this is that. it’s because they are so large and they have changed their weights and points so much that we no longer understand how it makes its decisions. ml is on a deeper level starting to understand what you mean when you say words. like a human. and can pick up nuances humans cannot because of its perfect memory. do you understand how scary this is? do you? i really do not know how to express this better how absolutely buckshit wild and terrifying the idea that everything i say online can be scraped and put through a robot and a profile on me and who i am and my ideals can be gathered almost instantly. how hard would it be to write a scraper that goes to my blog and grabs the text of every post in my talk tag? and then there’s free and open source nlp software (or you can pay for it) and you can feed in everything ive said on this blog ever. you can go to my facebook. you can go to my twitter. you can find my profiles on every online platform ive ever used and take everything ive ever said and determine what kind of person i am based on that. and then you can then make further distinctions based on that data. (sidenote: facebook wouldnt have to scrape the data on my profile, it’s all in their databases already. they have everything ive ever posted on public or private, on my old profile i’ve deactivated, every photo ive posted or been tagged in, everything ive ever uploaded to their servers or have been associated with.) and someone or robot can make decisions about me based on that data. it could just be am i likely to buy [this product] or it could be something much more like am i a threat? am i dangerous to you, the person using this data about me? what are my politics? what are my views on [this topic]? are they too extreme? should i be denied [real life thing] based on what this machine has determined about me from my data online? not to sound fucking crazy, but you ever watch that episode of black mirror? nosedive? and its system where you can rate interactions with people? how this one girl was trying to increase her ranking so she would qualify for a cheaper price on housing? how we’re already starting to see things like this in real life with china’s social credit system?

call me a fucking wack job but i think it’s so deeply creepy that we have digitized so many aspects of our lives and leave machines we no longer understand how they make their decisions to analyze every bit of data about ourselves.

by the fucking way facebook tracks data on people WHO DO NOT USE FACEBOOK. FACEBOOK TRACKS DATA ON PEOPLE. WHO. DO. NOT. USE. FACEBOOK. are you scared? i am.

i’ve been thinking about this tweet from @/malwaretech on twitter from a few days ago. text: On a serious note, social media tracking is more extensive than you may think. For example: those Facebook 'like' buttons you see on every website? They call home. If you're logged into your FB account, it records that you visited that web page, even if you don't click 'like'. doesn’t that sound a lil fucked up to anyone else? that facebook knows that i visited that webpage even though i did not tell it? that it will use that data to build a better profile on what my interests are and that it will use that data to better sell ads to me? i’ll be honest i am unsure of if facebook sells that information to other vendors. i think that might be not allowed but i wouldn’t be surprised if that data somehow got into the hands of people who arent facebook.

the fact that for the longest time you could NOT get your data deleted from facebook? that even if you deactivated your account facebook would still keep all of that in their shit ass servers forever? as far as i know, that’s changed now, but i would not at all be surprised if the next day it was revealed that facebook was Actually Keeping all that info anyways

the fact that by default facebook’s privacy settings are set to allow anyone to see most info about you? just this whole opt out culture is so fucking wack. it should be opt in. your privacy settings should default on the MOST PRIVATE and it should be up to you to ACTIVELY SEARCH OUT how to change them to public. it is ON FACEBOOK to actively cultivate privacy but of fucking course they don’t.

lmao cambridge analytica politics russia brexit trump. i don’t have the energy to even open this fucking can of worms but i will say that again, another layer of deeply fucked up that political campaigns can use that data to try to coerce or influence elections.

do you remember when in 2019. yes twenty. fucking. nineteen. 2019. two thousand and nineteen. 2019. i dont know how more to stress how recent but late this is. 2019. facebook admitted that it and instagram were still. STILL. STILL. S T I L L. storing passwords as plaintext? meaning your password that is “password123ilovedogs” is stored AS “password123ilovedogs” in their database. it is STANDARD AND EXPECTED PRACTICE that websites store SECURE hashes of passwords (not like fucking. md5 or something) meaning you do a bunch of fucking “irreversible” math on the password and store that instead of the actual password itself. so the db would be storing “298!79v@w8W#R;3,f9jf” instead of your actual password. anyways face. fucking. book. was storing passwords as plain text. which means if they ever have a data breach on their passwords db then all that data inside will just be your actual goddamn password. your actual goddamn password. what the fuck? what the fuck? and we still use this website? we? me? i use this website daily? i use this website on a daily fucking basis and allow it to continue to collect information on me? im so goddamn angry.

the fact that now in this day and age you are considered weird for not having any social media? super fucked up. the fact that employers will check your social media and if you don’t have one that is somehow a red flag? weird as hell. why must we participate in the world’s largest data collection scandal ever just to be a member of society? i cannot choose to opt out. facebook collects data on me even if i do not have an account. society expects me to have some form of social media and if i do not then that i am the weird one for it. if you choose to live a life of trying not to be tracked it is almost impossible. can you live your life in modern society without an email address? without a smartphone or laptop? there is an expectation that every person is available to communicate with digitally and if you find the practice of data collection abhorrent and don’t want to use websites that do so, then you’re the weird one who has a LOT of society’s services unavailable to you.

im not going to even touch on the psychological effects that facebook and social media have on people other than to ONCE AGAIN, say they are very real and deeply fucked up.

by the way check out haveibeenpwned. enter your email and it’ll check against databases to see if your email has been on recent dumps. i have been. lately there have been a few older accounts of mine that have been breached and it’s terrifying.

fuck jesse eisenberg man he fucked over spiderman crazy

fuck faang. fuck big tech. fuck data collection. btw edward snowden is a hero. fuck all of this.

104: The future: man we’re in for it. i am not optimistic about it at all. too much tech progression / not enough foresight / expansion/globalization of the world / global warming / political and economic issues are all coming to a head to make the world a fucking disaster.

96: Changed a diaper: never done it! i am not around children often.

88: Something I will really miss when I leave home is: having a vague idea of where things are locally. im very bad with directions.

86: The thing that I’m looking forward to the most: answered already.

84: People call me: yeesa, apparently. i have a fair amount of nicknames but i just call myself teresa.

82: I have gotten a speeding ticket: sure haven’t though i deserve one

80: The first person i talked to today was: soph​ because she wakes up at a normal goddamn time so i’ll sometimes have a text from her from a few hrs ago

76: Right now I am talking to: milo and a discord server im in for a group of friends i made when i was applying to college. though i havent responded in quite a while since i went on my angry facebook rant.

74: I have/will get a job: well i HAD a job for the beginning of the summer when i was a TA but i do not any more as that was first summer semester only. hopefully in the fall i’ll have a job as a TA again but who knows. and then after that when i graduate i hope hope hope hope hope i will have a job lined up.

72: Today: woke up. made a plum smoothie. played minecraft. took a nap. here i am. it’s all very riveting.

70: Next Weekend: it’ll happen for sure. odds are i will be waking up and eating food and coming on the internet and chatting with friends and doing a bit of writing and trying to learn a bit more html.

68: The worst sound in the world: answered already.

66: People that make you happy: will roland lmao. 

64: My friends are: well it’s basically the same people i tagged in my last post on people who make me happy.

62: My School: you tryin to doxx me? it’s alright. not the best for my major. and also stupidly trying to reopen for the fall because theyre greedy and idiots. it was like my 5th choice school but it is what it is.....

60: I lose all respect for people who: already answered

58: Your hair color is: black as fuck. im east asian.

56: Favorite web site: controversial but archive of our own dot org i guess. i believe in their mission and like how they have advocated for fans and have created a fan-owned space on the internet. they’re not perfect but i overall support them.

54: The worst pain I was ever in was: answered already

52: My room is: a time capsule of what i liked in late middle school/early high school.

50: Where would you like to be: im fine where i am. maybe visiting friends though. i would like to Hang With Them and Do Fun Activities.

48: Ever been in love: who’s to say....... what is love? (baby don’t hurt me). but for real the concept of love is weird to me, especially romantic love. i don’t know. i’ve certainly obsessed over people. i’ve noticed i kind of “pick people” to have crushes on. i can’t really say why. but then it creates a feedback loop of i pay more attention to them -> i think more about them -> i like them more. so i’ve made conscious decisions that have lead to me obsessing over people.

46: More guy friends or girl friends: girl but that’s just because people in fandom spaces tend to be women and most of my friends ive made through fandom.

44: One person that you wish you could see right now: kaity is coming to my town but we cant see each other because of a pandemic so im kinda fucking miffed about that. i didn’t get to see maria before she left my state so i’m also miffed about that.

42: Have you made a list of things to do before you die: lmaooooo no. i would just like to be satisfied with my life. would like to see friends. do fun things with them. 

40: Last person I got mad at: idk im not generally a mad person. mark zuckerberg probably.

38: I wish I was a professional: as in i suddenly have all the skills and talent needed to be a professional? i think a director &|| writer tbh. i would love to have the Creative Vision necessary to come up with dope ideas AND translate what i have in mind into real life. i would love the ability to be able to tell compelling stories that mean a lot to people.

32: Athlete: lmao if it was 2008 or 2012 i would ahve said ryan lochte but nevermind. idk. maybe katie ledecky.

24: Movie: am not much one for movies...... star trek 2009.

16: Book: i don’t know how to read.

8: Yankee candle scent: idk about yankee candle specifically but i love the smell of apple. 

[jerek]

@kairi-sky im so sorry dncnf i SWEAR acacia gets to kick keiths ass soon it. keeps happening

-

lance nodded at acacia. they were nearly done packing the last of their things— save for one important belonging.

“i can have hunk and pidge out of your way. keith, allura, and romelle you’ll have to avoid— i think they’re suspicious about you.”

acacia’s eyebrows furrowed, their eyes narrowing. “i can do that.”

“good. it’s just… you and holly, then?”

their face softened. “yeah.”

“alright. just… make sure you remember i’m always ready if you need anything.”

“thank you, lance. i hope we see each other soon.”

“me too, acacia.” he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around them for a brief moment. “me too.”

—

“oh, acacia.” allura piped up. “hello.”

“i’m just here to grab my tablet.” their voice was soft. “i left it here earlier.” they pushed past the two other alteans, reaching out to the side of the couch where the tablet laid.

and then, once they had it, they turned to leave.

romelle interrupted— “you’re acacia? i’ve heard of you— but i don’t remember you. where are you from?”

“earth,” they answered.

“but… you’re altean.” romelle tilted her head.

“well, my mom was from the colony. she left and went to earth.”

romelle’s eyes narrowed. “i was told there was no safe place for an altean beyond the colony. was that untrue?”

acacia’s eyes were cold and bright. “he hasn’t touched the colony in decaphoebs. haven’t you noticed?”

“they were managed by sentries. he visited, but as the sentries became more common…”

“he’s saved my life multiple times. i can’t hate him like you do.”

romelle was silent. allura, too, was silent behind her.

“i have to repay him somehow,” acacia quietly added.

she left the room after that, silently, and again romelle and allura were left alone together.

“...i will—“ allura paused, took a breath, and then continued. “i will have to check on him.”

—

shiro rested his head against the wall.

every so often, his mind would slow. not to the point he could speak, and not to the point that if he could, he could convey his pain—

but enough for him to form his own thoughts.

keith, he thought to call. he thought to tell him everything, he thought to apologize.

he thought to open his mouth, and when he did, all that came out was a snarl.

he was so… tired, and yet he couldn’t sleep.

at least he was too fatigued to hurt anyone.

an ashen violet palm settled on his head. where it touched his shaved scalp, he could feel the rough and yet gentle texture of bandages.

“if only you had never been involved,” a voice called to him through the din. “you truly deserved none of what came to you.”

shiro was still. his eyes, the glint dim but present, met lotor’s.

“tell your fellow paladins i was honorable enough to free you of your burden.”

the only sound he could manage— a low growl. he growled at lotor. he expected a strike to the back of the head— something quick, like what did acacia in. he was a frail human, the same way he felt— it would be all too easy to hit a vital nerve and shut everything down.

but it would put fire in the paladins. it would drive them to carry on what he had started with them.

he closed his eyes.

thud.

—

keith sat in the cell with ametrine.

“i’m sorry you had to see that.”

ametrine nipped at a red spark that had landed on her nose, part of the residual, shining fog that hung around this place.

“...you know, when everyone says talking, i think they mean speech. but… you might be talking to me right now.”

keith held a juicebox in front of ametrine, and with her deft little paws she scooped it up from him and began to drink from the straw.

“maybe you’re telling me you don’t speak english,” he said— giving a short laugh. “or that you’re more interested in the juice.”

keith fidgeted, running the tip of his index finger over the tip of his thumb in small circles.

“or… well, whenever i’m quiet with someone, but i’m not mad at them— it just means we get each other.”

she had stopped drinking. she set the little box down in front of her, stared up at keith’s hand as it moved— half-full though the juicebox was, she seemed distracted from it.

keith stopped, his fingers going still. “...don’t mind me.”

ametrine raised her two paws up to her chest. the digits curled in, forming what looked like strange half-fists.

then, she pressed them against the ground. a series of small pops rang out— cracking joints.

she promptly returned to her juicebox, and keith laughed again. “i told you—“

thud. thud.

both of them were silent.

thud. keith looked up.

—

“you’d think he would find some other way, you know?” lance’s gaze settled on his work— cooking up a batch of sedatives powerful enough to keep shiro from vomiting, but mild enough for a human to take without dying in the process. his mind, however, was far away. “everyone’s already on edge, and that didn’t help.”

“i tell myself the same thing every night.” coran scrawled notes, unencoded, into a digital screen- his handwriting was enough to obscure it. “i ask why a machine i built functions poorly, or why a medicine i used didn’t work as i planned.”

lance tipped one vial into another, capping the mixture and then swirling it gently in his hand.

“but the truth is… all i really can do with the past is learn from it. it may bother me as long as it wants regardless, and i may have to live with that. that’s why i make sure to prevent what may come before i cure what already has.”

lance was quiet for a few seconds, and then he smiled.

“like shiro throwing up?”

coran wheezed into laughter. “exactly. i think his medicine’s finished,” he said, eyeing the bottled liquid lance held as he opened the laboratory’s doors. “now, remember he’s going to try to spit it back at you. do you recall the tricks i taught you?”

“yep. i don’t think they’ll work, though.”

“well, you’ve not been here for ten thousand years—“

lance may have laughed at that, but he had just looked up.

shiro sat, silent as usual—

but lotor’s bed was empty.

—

“what did i tell you, keith?” lotor spat the name as if it were poison. “to learn from me.”

silently, keith activated his communicator. the others were offline, but he could hear the faint sound of allura being startled— then, settling into soft, patient breaths.

“one day, if fate wills it, you may kill me. but here and now, i am your only true peer.”

keith shrank back, away from the barrier. “whatever you want, you’re not getting it.”

“i want you to hear me.” lotor smiled. “is that so difficult?”

keith stared at him, holding ametrine tightly in his arms.

“you and allura have already won.”

before him, lotor changed. the rage that lit his smile faded into resignation.

“do you not know that?”

keith was silent. the two stared at each other for a moment, and quietly, lotor continued.

“my ship could have wiped out voltron, if the need arose. allura helped add the capability to fuse my central sincline with the two belonging to my generals— i was equal in power to you, because of her.”

“she… did that?”

“in the interest of more surely defending the universe, at the time.”

“she would’ve told me—“

“and i suppose you would have told her if you planned to take a similar risk?”

lotor took a moment to glance down at ametrine.

“if none of us can trust each other, keith,” and he said the name more reverently now— “nothing can be accomplished. i am willing to set aside our differences one last time on that principle.”

for a long moment, keith was silent.

then, he leaned forward— ametrine leaping down from his lap. “what are you planning?”

lotor walked forward slowly, maintaining eye contact with keith.

eventually, he was close enough to slowly tap the remaining claws on his right hand against the barrier.

“i plan to protect your homeworld.”

he stepped back, and extended that same hand to him.

[dreamyarcana]

Winter Memories

o h my god someone smaSH a freaking stop sign to my face next time i think of ever doing something like this again, i say as i already have an idea for next time. 

in all seriousness, I really, really hope you guys like this (even if it doesn’t feature your apprentice) because i put a lot of effort into this piece that’s a WHOPPING 2,150 words, aka more than I normally would >.> im so lazy, have you met me? 

i had an idea of doing a multi-apprentice fanfic for awhile now, and it turned into this. I don’t know how this would actually work in canon, and it’s more like kind of an au style where multiple apprentices kind of exist in the same ‘realm.’ how they got there and whatnot, is completely up to the reader’s imagination! to the owners of the apprentices, let me know if i need to fix anything, me making a mistake? more likely than you think

I have intentions of making a part 2 because there’s a few apprentices that I’d like to write for, so if I’ve already talked/asked you about that, don’t worry if they’re not in this one~

I hope you and enjoy and if you actually read to the end, I’ll love you forever because it i s  l o ng XD

featuring (in order of appearance): Darcy [ @murielswife ], Avohkii [ @nadias-bitch ], Aveana [ @devoraakss ], Wren [ @asra-memelord ], Uma [ @julianandgems ], and Isla [ my own ] 

The first thing Muriel woke up to was coughing in the middle of the night. Non-stop, soprano pitched coughing beside him. Darcy’s small body shook delicately as she gasped for breath.

“Darcy…” Muriel murmured, worried. He pressed his hand to he forehead lightly, and could feel the heat radiating like she was the sun. The former gladiator slipped out of bed carefully as not to wake his sick magician. He fetched a damp cloth as well as some water.

“Darcy, wake up,” he gently tapped her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, and an expression of confusion crossed her face.

“Is something wrong, Muriel?” Her voice sounded weak and sleepy. He nodded stoically.

“You’re extremely hot.”

“W-what?” Darcy could feel a blush rising in her cheeks. “...thank you?”

“As in temperature. You’re always beautiful, though.” Muriel reassured her with a kiss on her cheek.

“I love you, darling,” Darcy’s voice was musical to Muriel, even when sick.

“I love you, too.”

“What time is it? I think we’re suppose to head over to Asra’s later to see him and Is - she yawned, her pink lips making a round O - Isla.”

“I’ll make sure to let them know you’re sick when you’re back asleep.”

“Muuuuuurieellll,” she whined playfully.

“You need rest.”

“Okay, fine…” Darcy felt too exhausted to argue. Her smooth, small hands took one of Muriel’s rough, massive hands; she daintily placed it over her heart. Darcy curled up close beside him, the side of her flushed face pressed against his slow moving chest. Muriel waited until her breathing was steady before slithering out of bed to brew some soup and inform Asra.

When he returned by her side, all Muriel could think of was how lucky he was to have such a sweet and gorgeous magician that loved him. He dearly hoped she would feel better soon and swore to himself he’d take care of her until she did.

ღ

The early morning rays peeked through tentatively through the window as a thoughtful Avohkii dressed in the dim light. They felt as if their mind hadn't quite settled down that night - like it was a running, nonstop buzzing hum in the quiet air despite the fact they were surrounded by luxury at the palace.

However, Avohkii had an idea that previous night to surprise their cherished Countess. Walking down quietly to the palace kitchens, Avohkii’s mind remained pensive, with ideas before they settled down to work.

In the palace kitchens, there were pots and pans of every size, more spices than they could ever name, and an abundant amount of handheld tools from potato peelers to whisks to spatulas. It took them quite a bit to locate the ingredients required, but Avohkii was thrilled to be using such fine flour and sugar.

Even though they weren’t a professional chef, Avohkii enjoyed baking; they figured they could at least show the gratitude for everything their Countess had done for them.

ღ

The sweet aroma of the cookies wafted up to where Nadia was approaching curiously. The servants told her the most recently employed magician was currently doing something of interest in the kitchens. Avohkii glanced behind when he heard light footsteps approaching them; a gratifying, shy smile crossed their face their features. Her magenta eyes glimmering in amusement and happiness, Nadia returned the gesture. Reaching for their hands, she moved closer.

At that moment, the timer went off, signaling to take out the second batch of cookies. Avohkii held up a finger, telling Nadia to wait a second while he took the sheet out of the oven. Inhaling the delectable scent in amazement, Nadia watched the baker with great interest and admiration. With much joy, Avohkii fetched a cookie from the cooling rack and handed it to Nadia. She bit into it thoughtfully.

“This is absolutely palatable and most pleasing to my tastebuds,” she complimented. Beaming, Avohkii stepped closer to Nadia, who then added softly, “Avohkii, you...have some frosting on your lips. May I help you get it off?”

They nodded as Nadia moved in, softly biting their lip and wrapping her arms around them, allowing both of them to lose themselves in each other.

ღ

In another part of The Palace, another magician was busy at work. Aveana had been out in the early cold morning, attempting to accomplish things. Of course, Lucio, found a way to impede her efforts.

“Come with me, you look chilled,” Lucio slyly murmured in Aveana’s ear from behind her. She jumped slightly in surprise and turned, her large eyes meeting his. He stood arrogantly and with a smirk, his arms crossed confidently in the palace hallway.

“But, Nadia’s around,” she said, her voice low and worried.

“Do you really think I’d let her catch us together?” he scoffed superciliously, raising his eyebrows. She huffed and glanced down.

“Do you even know where she is?”

“Yes. She’s currently with Avohkii right now,” he replied, as if she should know this bit of information.

Ah, yes. Another magician Nadia had insisted on bringing to the Palace. She had long since grown a liking to him since, which gave Aveana and Lucio more chances to have secret rendezvous meetings.

Aveana rolled her eyes at the Count.

“Now, do you think we’ll get caught?”

“...no,” she muttered.

“Exactly. Come with me.”

Lucio guided the magician through the festively decorated hallways to his bathing quarters. Raising her eyebrows in silence, she followed as he held the door for her, and then locked it.

Aveana had seen most parts of the Palace, but Lucio’s private bathing chambers was an area where the majority of people weren't allowed. Like the rest of the place, it had small holiday decor around. She could see her own reflection along with the fairy lights in the shiny floor, if she really squinted.

“Aveana,” Lucio’s voice was soft and inviting, in contrast to his usual demeanor. “There's only one thing I need this Christmas...and it's you.”

“...Lucio…”

Lucio’s golden arm wrapped around Aveana, drawing her closer to The Count.

“You're shivering, still. What ridiculous this did you do now, take a nap outside in the snow at dawn?”

“You're hilarious.” she answered sarcastically. “I was out getting supplies earlier, before the rush.”

“Clearly didn't dress warm enough,” snorted Lucio. “Perhaps I can help out warming you up.”

Aveana bit her lip as Lucio moved to slip off her clothes.

“...I'd like that.”

ღ

Wren felt tired and slightly put out. The previous week had been tiring as they had been required to meet with Valerius and the other members of the Court, much to their dismay. Additionally, to add to the exhaustion, Wren had used the extent of their rune magic in attempt to extract the falseness and lies as well as achievement spiritual strength. Portia had done her best to ease Wren through it with tea and small pastries, giving them a sympathetic smile.

Day after day, Wren found themselves spending more and more time with the inquisitive handmaiden. Her good nature and cheerfulness seemed to rub off onto Wren frequently - they found themselves to be more optimistic and determined because of her. Of course, between both's habit of snooping, the two bonded quicker than either normally would.

This particular day, the sky was a rare blue and snow twinkled invitingly outside. It was impossible for Wren not to be near the windows to see the day stretch across the horizon like a painting.

“Hey, Wren!” Wren glanced up to see Portia dashing towards them energetically. “Would you like to come with me to go sledding outside for a bit?”

“Sledding?” Wren asked, unsure what it was.

“Yep,” confirmed Portia, “It’s sort of complicated to explain, but you’ll see it was.”

Out of mere curiosity, Wren put on their winter wear and then followed her outside, unsure of what to expect. Sledding, apparently, was hopping on a board and riding down the snow on the ground, usually on a hill. Portia showed them the first time round how to and with encouragement, Wren tentatively got on with her and went down the next hundred times or so.

The magician enjoyed the rushing of air on their cheeks and through their hair, and couldn’t help but flush slightly when he held onto the handmaiden for balance.

Later, both returned, red nosed, flushed, and delighted with the day’s events. Portia gave a smile and a wave before disappearing to finish the day’s duties. Wren didn't mind; it give them a chance to reflect over that afternoon.

Privately, they wished they could save those memories to keep forever and ever.

ღ

“Here we are,” Uma announced happily, glancing up at the doctor. Today, she had treated him to a special place she had always treasured.

“It’s...beautiful,” Julian murmured, his eyes glancing around at the magnificent sight. Icicles hung like lights from tree branches which were covered in heavenly white snow. The muted sunlight reflected off the crystalline lake and caused the snow around to almost shimmer and shine. Privately admiring it, the doctor leaned down gently touched the frozen lake. Uma strolled over to a nearby bench and dusted the white powdery snow off of it, before setting her bag down. She slipped on the smaller pair of ice skates she had brought with her.

“It reminds me of The Palace.” she noted thoughtfully. “The frozen lake has the same elegance and refined manner to it.”

“Does it?”

“It reminds me of others magicians I’ve met at the Palace, previously. Some of them were shy and quiet, but you could tell they had so many thoughts and ideas running through mind always.” Uma’s tone was hard to decipher - there were traces of melancholy and a reflective nature buried in it; nevertheless, she shook her head and gave the doctor a bright smile afterwards. “Anyways, come with me on the ice.”

Julian’s eyes widened. “Is it... safe?”

“You would know more than I, Doctor.” Uma giggled. “Kidding, it’s safe. You can tell by the way it’s frozen.” She pushed off of Julian, skating a graceful circle before returning to him. The doctor slipped on the bigger pair she had left for him before cautiously approaching her.

Meanwhile, Uma had skated around the lake, gaining speed before slowing down to help Julian, who promptly fell on his butt, onto the ice.

“We’ll go slow,” she promised with a light laugh. And so they did together, just like they were dancing. The doctor suspecting she might be using a tad bit of her magic to help him, but it was much appreciated.

Once he had gotten the hang of it, Julian felt like he was flying - flying with his one and only, Uma.

ღ

Back at the shop, Isla was humming a sweet lullaby as she she always did when Asra slept on her lap like always. Her fingers weaved mindlessly in and out of his soft hair; she observed each breath the magician took as he napped quietly. The fireplace crackled in the background comfortingly as night fell outside.

She glanced outside, wondering what could’ve happened if she had chosen differently in the past. Shaking her head at herself, she pursued her lips. No, she has definitely chosen right. Glancing down, she beamed at the fluffy bundle of a lover she had.

“I love holding you like this.”

He opened one eye.

“I love it, too.”

Had she said that out loud? She glanced away bashfully.

“Ah, embarrassed? No need to be, Isla.”

“I'm not embarrassed,” she protested. Chuckling, Asra took her hand gently feeling the smooth skin; Isla leaned down to kiss his hand.

“Where do you hide your wings, hm?” Asra asked, his eyes glimmering in amusement. Firelight was reflected within his magenta eyes, and his lips were slightly parted. As she brushed his forehead, Isla’s features revealed confusion.

“My...what?”

“Your angel wings.”

“...Asra.”

“I'm serious.” He smiled up at her face teasingly, reaching up to touch her red cheek.

“Asra, you always make me blush so much.” Isla giggled, flushing. She bit her lip, batting her eyes playfully. “Am I allowed to kiss you?”

“Mm, I don't know. You might be violating the laws of angels.”

“Perhaps you should punish me.”

Asra’s expression changed into a rare one of neediness. “Perhaps I should, Isla.” He sat up and pulled her closer, his arms wrapping around her waist. Kissing her collarbone delicately, Asra gently pushed her to the floor.

Isla bit her lip; she couldn't be any happier than she was now.

Outside, the snow fell persistently everywhere - at the shop, the Palace, and even in the forest.

Whether they had spent the day indoors or outdoors, it seemed like everybody in Vesuvia was happy sharing winter memories with each other. No matter how old they would grow, no matter where they went, everybody knew this day had been unforgettable.

[mononouran]

@panonnes late birthday gift

There were many facts in this world that could never be proven false. The sky is blue, grass is green, Chat Noir loved Ladybug, they were both bisexual, Marinette had a thing for blondes, and Marinette Dupain-Cheng was late. Again. For the third time this month. It didn't help matters that her first class was chemistry with Madame Medlenive. The purple haired woman had a temper hotter than any fire and an attitude stricter than an uptight grandparent.           Therefore it was understandable, that when Marinette woke up and glanced at the time, she cussed a word that would make the innocent Chat Noir blush and stammer while scolding her. After letting out multiple merdes, she rushed through her morning routine, and made it to class in 7 minutes (it definitely did help that she lived right across her school). With three minutes until the bell rings, she ran into her class and caught sight of her best friend's fiery red hair.           "- with three minutes to go, Marinette Dupain-Cheng makes the final touchdown! She made it! Against all odds! Now, Nino, I think you owe me a croissant. Serves you right for getting against my best friend." Making her way though the class, Marinette caught snippets of Alya's commentary and apparent bet.           "You bet on me? I'm hurt. Anyways bonjour guys, I was going to ask you if you wanted to eat croissant and macaroons in the park at lunch, but seeing as you were getting on me, I'd rather eat them alone. Such a shame, my parents made an extra batch of chocolate chip cookies for us, but I guess I'll have to eat them alone." Marinette sighed as she faked a hurt expression. Immediately, three horrified faces turned to look at her. As of on cue, three looked at each other, and then at her, and then at each other again. The silence was broken when they all started pushing each other while talking to Marinette.            "Marinette! My favourite person in this whole cruel world! The only one eho treats me right here! Hey, remember how much fun we had as kids when we played together?"            "Shut up Nina. Marinette, my best friend. My one true love." At this Nino scoffed, but Alya continued unfazed by his reaction. "My bi buddy, remember how much fun we had on that one date?"            "Marinette! My talented cute fashion designing friend who happens to be an amazing baker, have I ever told you how much I love our Ultimate Mecha Strike tournaments and how much I appreciate and love you?"           Marinette couldn't help it. She lost it and burst out laughing. Her giggles invited her friends into joining her. Soon enough, they were all laughing in class. That was put to an end when Madame Medelenive walked into the class slamming the door with a sharp 'Bonjour'. Marinette spaced out after that, tuning every sound out except that of her teachr's, only glancing up every once in a while to take notes.  Therefore it was understandable that Marinette squeaked when Alya shook her after she failed to answer her.         "-inette? Marinette. Marinette!" The last sentence was shouted in Marinette's ears, nearly piercing her eardrums. "Ow! Ow! I'm here! Stop shouting," She whipser-shouted while rubbing her ears. She'd be lucky if her ears didn't ring for a few days. "Well, did you hear what Madame said? No wait you didn't, well, we're doing a project!  With partners! Remember last project?" Oh. Oh. Of course she remembered. She had been partnered with Alya, Nino, and Adrian! It was one of the few times she looked forward to chemistry. She not so secretly hoped that they would be partners again. Her hopes would soon be dashed.           "Today I want you to research Boyle's law, Gay-Lusaac's hypothesis, Avogadro's hypothesis, and the experiments that led them to make their conclusions. I will be grouping you into groups of two. You will have your lunch break to make a quick summary of your researches and you will have to write a paragraph on each topic and present it after lunch break. Therefore the rest of the day, until after lunch, is free for you to complete your research. Now here are the partners." Marinette hoped she'd end up with any of her friends, since the chance for a group project seemed to be thrown out the window to all four winds.           "Adrien and Nino." The two boys high fixed and Alya and Marinette looked at each other hopefully. "Juleka and Rose. Mylène and Ivan." The girls grew excited, all their classmates were being partnered with their best friends. "Max and Kim. Nathaniel and Lila. Chloé and Sab- One minute," Madame Medlenive muttered the last part under her breath and continued, "since Sabrina is absent, Alya you can go with Alix and Marinette will be with Chloé. Any questions?" Without waiting for an answer, she said, "Good. Now pay attention as this information will be vital for your research. Now..."           Marinette's mind spaced out again after hearing 'Marinette will be with Chloé'. It was true that the girl had changed her attitude last year. She wasn't annoying and bossing people around as much. Marinette suspected it was due to a certain model having a serious conversation with her. Still, they weren't exactly 'best of friends' but it was better than nothing, she supposed.  She'll have to make do with it.           Marinette had no idea how to handle this situation.           Lunch came much faster than Marinette thought it would -or wanted to, if she was being honest with herself. While Chloé was packing her tablet and books, Marinette took a deep breath and steeled her nerves before approaching the blonde.           "So, um, hey Chloé."  The girl received a glance and a nod in her direction. "Since the project is due today, I was thinking we can start it now at my house, if you'd like of course. I get it if you want to go to your place if it makes you feel more comf-" The rambling girl was interrupted. "Okay." Chloé was finally done packing her bag. Marinette blinked.           "So we're going to the bakery?" She asked. "Yeah. Daddy has a big meeting over at the hotel so its gkinh to be crowded. What are you waiting for, let's go." To say that Marinette was surprised with this change of attitude would be an understatement. She was more than shocked, she doubted words would be enough to describe it.           "I'm done. Let's go." The two walked in silence to the bakery. The fact that it was right across the street meant that the walk was short, it didn't give them enough time to sort out their thoughts. Unlike what the half Chinese girl thought, her companion wasn't as collected as she seemed to be.           In fact, if Chloé was anything, she was not collected at all in any way. In that moment, she probably was the furthest from calm and collected she ever was in her whole life. There were around two coherent thoughts in Chloé's mind, and they happened to be: I'M GOING TO MARINETTE DUPAIN CHENG'S HOUSE, and FUCK!          Chloé walked through the house as if in a haze, only looking at the pictures hung on the wall, focusing only on the baby pictures belonging to a particular blue eyed girl. It seemed to be seconds before the duo reached the bedroom. Chloé looked around the room. It was very... pink. No, it was very Marinette. She could see hints of the other girl's hobbies. Chloé was brought out of her thoughts when the petite girl started speaking.           "Okay so let's start. I'll get snacks later. Okay so Boyle's law is really easy, it basically says that the pressure and volume of a gas are inversely proportional. Avogadro's hypothesis might take some time though, and as for Gay-Lusaac's hypothesis, it isn't really hard so it will take less time than Avogadro. I think we should..."         Of course she had to be perfect in everything she does. Of course, heaven forbid, Marinette Dupain-Cheng had to be perfect in everything she does. God forbid she isn't an amazing designer, or a talented baker, or a wonder, person whom everyone loves. Therefore, it shouldn't be a surprise that Marinette is perfect in chemistry too. No surprises, she was talented in everything she does, she's smart and pretty and popular an - . "Chloé?" Shit. Okay Chloé, act calm and maybe she'll forge- "Are you okay, you look red." She inched in closer to the blushing blonde. Never had she ever thought that this would happen! Than anyone would catch her daydreaming! Especially the subject of said daydreams! She had to say something that would stop Marinette from being suspicious.           "I-it's nothing. I'm not used to the heat from your ovens. That just it.". 'That should throw her off my track.' Chloé was sure that she threw all suspicion away from her.           Marinette was confused at this point. When Chloé came over, she expected her to be cold and silent, not... that. She inched even closer to Chloé,  as if trying to see in her mind through her eyes. Chloé? @panonne @chiimei thank you guys for supporting me and encouraging me to post it. Im actually really happy you liked it :,) also panonne sorry for getting it late (don't kill me I love you girl). Hopefully I'll post part 2 by the end of June. Chi, thank you for supporting me, ily too. @re-unknown you probably don't remember but in April I wanted to write something but I was too much of a scaredy cat to post it so I didn't. But you still encouraged me to write it and you helped me a lot even though you probably didn't know. So thank you for everything ^^ Also @megatraven I think you would enjoy this..