#i wanna try the grey thing with some other colors too. gives me more variety

[orcelito]

Trying out a new thing with my nails. Color changing white/red over a base of grey. I really like how it turned out

[vreedleedleedle]

Excuse me. If you don't mind me asking (and if you do you can ignore this post)

But as someone who's admire your art skills from afar I'd like to ask for some advice.

I might wanna try to design a female space rat (whatever Argit's species is).

Like I wanna try an attempt at a female but I want to try to avoid mostly falling into the same pitfalls that a lot of Female "versions" of Animal characters do (being too overtly feminine, softer, rounder, etc)

But at the same time I don't want to just slap a bow on Argit and call it a day

How should I go about designing a female Argit that looks visually distinctive from him, without having to resort to making her design scream "GIRLtm"?

I’d recommend looking up how different mammals that resemble argits species handle sexual dimorphism and choosing what traits fit the vibe you’re going for. Honestly of all the Ben 10 aliens to get tiddies in omniverse, it should at least be the space rodents and not the space frogs or chameleons.

I think since Argit has a long torso with short legs (in both uaf and omniverse, it’s a consistent trait of his) then I don’t see why others of his species would be that different. It’s not stated in canon whether argits species has litters, but I think either way wider hips might be a beneficial trait for giving birth. If they do have litters, that would kind of explain all the torso length though, because short legs would lead to slower running from predators.

Argit’s sharp teeth imply that his species are carnivores/insectivores, but (because we see Argit eat omnivore food) are able to process carbs and are omnivores nowadays. I don’t know if his species evolved to use their teeth to select for mates the way our primate cousins do, but in that case his species would have lost that trait when they became sapient like we did because they impeded with socializing. Therefore I think the sharp teeth are a diet thing rather than a fighting for mates thing, and the quills are a much better defense against predators so it’s not that. Therefore, I think a woman of his species would still have sharp teeth when she opens her mouth, but whether we can see them sticking out when the mouth is closed would simply be a design choice. Not having them be visible could make her look more feminine without getting too weird, but it’s your call.

I think giving her pink clothes for no reason other than Girl would be a little unrealistic for an alien, but I get the feeling everyone gets that by now lol. Some pink wouldn’t be bad if it fit the design and had other colors to go with it, but I think you could have a lot more fun if you tried some wild card colors, or just colors you personally like or colors that fit her personality. It’s a futuristic setting so she would certainly have access to any dye and any textile she wants. I think eye makeup (as in mascara and maybe a powder) could work if that’s something your character would wear, but lipstick, foundation, and liquid eyeliner would probably look weird on fur.

Also I think it’d be cute if you referenced some real life fancy rat coat patterns. There’s lots of pretty varieties and rats are so cute to look at anyways! Argit’s grey fur color calls to mind a lack of sunlight and constant stubble, so if that doesn’t fit your character’s personality I’d pick a different fur color.

If the character you design is meant to be a nicer person than Argit, then by all means go for soft and round shape language. If she’s meaner then go for more aggressive shapes. I think the association with women and round shapes is because women are associated with kind personalities and kind personalities are associated with round shapes. I think if round shapes fit your character use them. Perhaps having the quills take on a more floofy shape would achieve that look.

[puckinghell]

Mittens | Tyson Jost

Summary Requests: you never wear mittens so i knit you a pair and leave them for you to find as a gift from an anonymous person because i’m shy

and

your family ditches you for the holiday so i take you home with me, except my family thinks we’re dating now, and i don’t know how to tell them that we’re not Word Count: 3.8k Note: this is dedicated to @thesmutpeasant‘s knitting behaviour

---

When you finished your PR degree, you wouldn’t have said that working for a hockey team was your ultimate dream. You didn’t even know hockey. But working for the Avs has pretty much been the best time of your life, so far.

Where else could you spend an hour of your work day talking about Christmas gifts? 

So far, the boys have decided that for Christmas, Gabe needs to get some hairspray, Z needs a new wardrobe, and Mikko needs a girlfriend.

“What about Tyson?” you ask JT. “Have you gotten him a present yet?”

JT laughs. “No, I haven’t, but I think someone should get him a blanket or something. He’s not good with the cold.” “Hey, fuck you!” Tyson yells from the other side of the room. “It’s freezing here, we can’t all be cold blooded like you!” JT huffs. “He says that, but he’s dressed like he lives in California or something. Never wears a hat, or gloves. And then he complains about the cold all the time. One night he even asked if he could have my duvet.” “That was in Winnipeg, and you know how cold Winnipeg is,” Tyson protests. “Besides, I asked you to cuddle me warm first, but you said no.” It’s teasing, and JT rolls his eyes, but you know Twitter is gonna explode at this. “Thanks boys,” you say, putting down the mic, and the cameras finally leave the room. “What do you want for Christmas, Y/N?” Tyson asks. Out of all the boys - although you would never admit it - you like Tyson the most. He’s always chatting with you when the cameras turn off, and he asks you things like he cares about the answer. You’ve become friends, in the past few months. He’s also really cute. You shrug. “Some sleep would be good,” you say, because it’s been a long road trip, and Tyson laughs. “Same.” --- The next morning Tyson brings you a cup of coffee to the plane. “How is she gonna sleep on the plane now?” Burky teases, and Tyson turns bright red. You make sure to take a picture of Burky from an unflattering angle in retaliation on Tyson’s behalf. Not that it necessarily makes Burky look any worse - that guy doesn’t have bad angles - but it’s the thought that counts. You sleep on the plane and keep yourself busy during the day, but when the evening rolls around, you sit in your quiet apartment and busy your hands as your mind winds down. Knitting may sounds like a grandma hobby, but it calms you down, thank you very much, and it means you’ve always got a personal gift for someone. For Christmas, your grandma has asked for a scarf, your mom wants a hat, and your aunt asked if you can knit a romper for your few months old niece. You have no idea how to do that, but surely you can figure it out. However, today, you don’t really feel like knitting any of those. Knitting those requests feels a little too much like work, right now, and you wanna knit just to knit. You don’t even realize you’re knitting mittens until you’re halfway through the first one. You don’t need mittens; you’ve got a good selection of them, a wide variety of colors. You remember your talk with JT and Tyson, yesterday. There’s someone who needs them. --- It’s weird, that’s something you’re sure of. To just give Tyson a Christmas gift, a handmade Christmas gift, and not have anything for the other guys. They would chirp you to hell and back and you’re not sure you’re ready for everyone to know about your teeny tiny crush on number 17. However, you can’t deny the fact that you knitted these mittens with only one person in mind, and it would feel weird to give them to anyone else. So, one morning, when Pepsi Center is still dark and there’s nobody around, you put them in Tyson’s stall without a note and decide to never think about it again. Which would be easier if you’re not the one having to do pregame interviews that day. “So, the Blues are obviously the reigning Stanley Cup champions...” - EJ pulls a face and you can’t help but agree - “how can you make sure you take the two points here tonight?” “Probably score some goals,” EJ says with a deadpan voice and a wide toothless grin, and you’re about to yell at him for being an awful person to interview when there’s a loud noise on the opposite side of the locker room. “Ah, sick!” The entire room turns to Tyson, who is beaming with excitement and looking at the mittens in his hands. “Someone got me gloves!” “Those aren’t gloves, those are mittens,” Cale says wisely. Tyson stares at him for a few seconds, then obviously decides to ignore him. “There’s no note,” he wonders out loud, and you really, really hope your blush isn’t too noticeable. EJ’s eyes are a little too fixed on your face. “Maybe it’s a secret admirer,” Mikko offers. “Maybe it’s someone who’s just as sick about you complaining about the cold as I am,” JT says. “Where are my mittens?” Z ponders. “You’re not getting any, you don’t deserve them,” says Nate, and Z goes to put him in a headlock. The boys start arguing about why they do or do not deserve mittens and EJ turns back to you. “So,” he says, “any more questions?” --- The boys win in OT and there’s excitement radiating through the locker room. You’re not doing the postgame; Lauren is, but you follow her around anyway, mostly because you love the locker room after a win. The happiness is contagious, and you find yourself smiling all evening. Most of the guys have gone home when Lauren packs up her final stuff. “What a game to end with before Christmas, huh?” she says, giving you a quick hug. “Merry Christmas, Y/N!” “You sure you don’t want to come?” JT’s voice is filled with enough worry that it catches your attention. You pretend to focus on packing your bag, the door slamming shut behind Lauren as she leaves. It’s just you, JT and Tyson, now. “Nah, man, it’s okay.” Tyson sounds a little down, which is not what you would’ve expected, after he scored to put them into OT earlier. “You’re with your girl, and I don’t wanna be a third wheel. I’ll be fine.” “But you can’t be alone on Christmas.” JT is clearly indignant. 

You’re just standing up when Tyson gives JT a playful shove. “Go, Comph. Go have a fun Christmas. I’ll be chill here.” JT rolls his eyes but gives Tyson a quick bro hug. As he’s leaving the locker room, he sends you a smile, a “happy holidays” and then he’s gone. You turn to Tyson. 

“You’re staying here for the holidays?” Tyson shrugs as he puts on his coat. It’s not nearly thick enough to be a winter coat, and he’s not wearing a scarf. He does however, take the mittens and put them on his hands. “My mom is on a cruise and Kacey is celebrating Christmas at her boyfriend’s house. Everyone is leaving me alone this year.” He’s trying to sound light, like he’s joking, but there’s a sharp edge in his voice that tells you it matters more to him than he’s willing to let on.

Something squeezes in your chest. Nobody should be alone on Christmas. “My family is coming to my apartment on Christmas Eve to have dinner, do you want to come?” You blurt it out before really thinking it through; it’s probably gonna be hard to explain to your parents, that you’re suddenly having a guy over for Christmas, and maybe Tyson will think it’s weird that you’re asking him: you just heard him tell JT no, so why would you think he wants to come hang out with you? But when you brave looking up at him, Tyson is smiling widely. “You sure?” he asks. “Is it not too much trouble? I can help you cook if you want. Or, you probably don’t want that, because I suck at cooking, but I can do whatever else you need me to do. I’d bring gifts for all your family, of course, and…” He’s rambling, and it’s cute. “Tys,” you interrupt him, and you can’t help how fond you sound. “They’ll love having you around. My dad is always saying it’s not fair, four girls and one guy, and my sister is bringing her girlfriend, so I could use a partner in crime, too.” “Okay, that’d be awesome,” Tyson says truthfully, “thanks so much, Y/N.” He smiles at you brightly and then puts on his mittens. “Dude, these are so warm, I love them.” You nearly promise to make him a hat and scarf too, but then you figure you might’ve exceeded your maximum amount of weird for the day by inviting him to Christmas dinner, so you quietly follow him out to the parking lot while he excitedly chatters about Christmas movies. --- It’s the morning of Christmas Eve and you’re this close to having a mental breakdown. Your house is a mess; you figured you didn’t need to clean it, your family has seen it all, but now Tyson is coming and you would like him to not think you’re the biggest slob in the world. Also, there’s the fact that an extra mouth to feed means more food necessary, so you have to go to the store and get more groceries. All in all it means that when your doorbell rings, you’re still wearing an old Avs hoodie and leggings, and you’re pretty sure there’s cookie dough in your hair because you decided you needed dessert after all. It’s not like Tyson gets to sin all the time. Christmas is as good an excuse as any. “Hey,” Tyson smiles. He’s looking annoyingly nice, wearing a grey jumper and dark blue slacks. As soon as he sees the state of you, he frowns. “What is that in your hair?” “Cookie dough,” you tell him honestly. “You look nice.” “Thanks,” Tyson grins proudly, “I Facetimed Kacey to pick out the colors.” He walks into your apartment like he’s been there a million times before, pushes a bottle of wine into your hands and starts unpacking the bag with presents he brought, putting them under the tree. “Am I early?” “A little,” you admit. “I, uhm, kinda still need to shower. You know, get the cookie dough out of my hair.” You think about it, for a few seconds, then decide that you can trust Tyson with this one thing. “Can you take the cookies out of the oven in 10 minutes so I can shower?” Tyson nods, throws you a thumbs up and then parks his butt on the couch like that’s where he belongs.

It makes you feel... things.  And, well, you might take a little longer to get ready – putting a little more effort in your make up and hair than you would’ve if it had just been your family -  but the last thing you expect when you come back in is for everything to be ready. Except it is. There’s candles lit on your coffee table and the presents are all under the tree. Your mom has a glass of wine in her hands and greets you with a “honey, there you are!” Your sister and her girlfriend aren’t there yet, but your dad is standing at the dining table with Tyson. The dining table is fully laid and Tyson has a half eaten cookie in his hand. “Sorry,” he grins, when he spots you. “They just looked too good not to touch.” You must’ve been staring at the scene a little sheepishly, cause your mom laughs. “You okay there, honey?” 

“Uh yeah,” you bring out. “I see you met Tyson?” Your mom’s face instantly brightens. “Oh yes, we have, but if you want to do proper introductions…” For a split second, you panic, because you don’t actually know how to introduce Tyson – a friend? A coworker? You can’t really say an unreachable crush – but you’re saved by the door bell. “Y/N!” your sister says, giving you a quick sideways hug. “Amy and I brought some extra wine, in case you didn’t have enough booze and we have to listen to dad talk about baseball all evening while sober…” She stops dead in her tracks as soon as she sees Tyson. “Oh, hello.” “Thanks, Meg,” you mumble. “We uh, have enough, probably, cause Tyson brought some too.” Meg turns to you, wiggling her eyebrows. “A boy that brings wine? Keep him around, will ya.” You’re about to tell her to shut up, when your mom stands up. “Time for dinner!” --- It turns out Tyson fits in with your family right away, and you’re not even halfway through the night when you realize your catastrophically big mistake. Seeing him like this, as if he’s an integral part of your life already, does nothing to help your massive crush on him. Because Tyson is perfect. He talks sports with your dad and interior design with your mom – “My mom used to redecorate our place every year or so, you pick up some stuff” – and falls into a flawless routine of teasing you with Meg. He tops up glasses, passes the salt without being asked, and every now and then he sends you a smile that has your stomach turn in your body. It’s not until after dinner, when you’re standing in the kitchen with your mom, cleaning dishes, that you understand your mistake has been even bigger than you thought. “I’m so happy for you, sweetheart,” your mom coos. She’s looking at you with fond eyes. “I was worried, you know, that you never introduced us to a boy or girl. I don’t want you to be lonely here in Denver. But Tyson is such a lovely guy. You can tell he really loves you.” You can… what? “Oh, no, mom,” you stutter, “he’s not… He doesn’t…” “Oh, but he does,” she interrupts. “I see it in the way he looks at you, you know. When a person really loves someone, it’s in their eyes. And Tyson looks at you with love. You deserve someone who cares about you, babe, and I’m just so happy you’ve got someone here in Denver, when we’re so far away. I just don’t want you to be alone.” And, fuck, your mom clearly thinks you’re dating Tyson, and you realize you still haven’t introduced him properly to your family, of course they think you’re dating, who brings home a guy to Christmas for platonic reasons? You know you should tell her that you’re not dating, you know that, but she looks so genuinely happy, and you know if you tell her now it’ll break her heart. Quietly, you sneak a glance towards the living room. Your dad laughs at something Tyson says while Tyson ruffles through Meg’s hair. She swats at him, and Amy is smiling. Every single one of them would be upset to hear that Tyson is nothing more than a crush that’s way out of your league. 

You know you have to tell them. But maybe just not tonight. Maybe, just for one Christmas, you can let them be happy. “Thanks, mom,” you force out a smile and your mom returns to the dishes. It’s not even a few seconds later that Tyson wanders into the kitchen. “Hey,” he smiles, “can I help?” He leans into you and puts a hand on the small of your back and your heart flutters and it’s innocent, sure it is, he’s just trying to be friendly, but your mom gives you a knowing look as she says: “Sure, you guys finish up here,” and demonstratively closes the kitchen door behind her, leaving the two of you alone. “Your family is awesome,” Tyson grins, as he starts to dry the dishes. “Meg tells me you guys go skiing every February. Me and Kacey usually try to go during bye week, Meg said maybe we can go together!” And something inside of you bursts. “My family thinks we’re dating.” Tyson frowns, puts the plate he was drying down. “Oh, really?” He doesn’t sound upset by the fact, simply curious, and you sigh. You’re gonna have to explain this one. “I guess I just didn’t really think to tell them who you are or like, what we are? And so they just saw that I invited a guy to Christmas and they assumed that we’re together. They absolutely love you, Tys, and they always worry so much about me having a boyfriend, and I just…” You pause; you know you’re turning red and it’s impossible to get out the words. “Hey, it’s okay,” Tyson says gently. He reaches out, his hand landing on your arm in a gesture of comfort. “You don’t have to tell them now. We can just… date.” He flushes. “Fake date, I mean. For tonight. Or, like, however long you need us to.” “Really?” you ask, relieved, and Tyson laughs. “Don’t sound so surprised. As if it’s such a hardship, to pretend to be your boyfriend.” He shoots you a wink, puts the final plate away and wanders back to the living room. Leaving you absolutely stunned, wondering what just happened. --- “Gifts!” Meg says, clasping her hands together. “The true meaning of Christmas!” Your mom gives her a disapproving look, but even your dad is eyeing the presents under the tree with a little too much interest.   “I’ll go first,” Tyson says with shining eyes, “being the new one in the family, and all that.” “Ah, yay, it’s not me anymore,” Amy giggles, and you swear to God you are going to die. Somehow, despite not knowing your family, Tyson nailed his gifts. Your dad is over the moon with his new slippers, your mom keeps sniffing the scented candle he gives her, and Meg smacks Tyson across the head with the Avalanche beanie he got her, until she notices there’s two tickets to a musical that Amy has been wanting to see in there. 

You’re a little jealous, because you love gifts like that, until Tyson hands you an envelope. “I heard you tell Gravy how much you like them,” he says, and he sounds a little off. Nervous, even. “And if you need a plus one…” He wiggles his eyebrows and laughs, but even his giggle comes out a little nervous. In the envelope is two tickets to your favorite band, who are playing in Denver next month. You didn’t end up getting tickets cause they were sold out stupidly quickly and were ridiculously expensive in resale. “Oh my God, Tys, that’s way too much,” you tell him in awe, but Tyson just shrugs. “No use for an NHL salary if you can’t spend it on the people you care about.” It sounds weirdly genuine, a deeper level of something ringing through, but it’s way too much to unpack right now. You feel a little stupid about your gift for him, now – a nice wallet cause his old one looks like it’s been through a lot – although Tyson seems really happy with it, even gives you a hug to say thank you. For the rest of your family, you’ve got a normal gift and something knitted, as extra, and it’s not until you catch sight of the deep frown on Tyson’s face that you realize something. Fuck. You forgot about the fucking mittens. “Isn’t it cute, Tyson?” your mom says, as she wraps the scarf you made her around her neck. “She always knits people gifts. I swear it’s her way of saying how much she loves them. She spends so much time on these.” She pauses. “I mean, you’ve probably been with her while she makes them, you know.” “Yeah,” says Tyson, slowly, although you know he has no clue. After that, it’s like you can’t even really enjoy the rest of the night; you can’t focus on the Christmas movie Meg puts on, can’t focus on how cute it is when she cuddles up with Amy, can’t focus on how fondly your mom is smiling down at you or your dad’s soft snores as he falls asleep halfway through. You can focus on Tyson’s thigh pressed against yours, and how you have no idea how to explain to him why you knitted him those mittens. Finally, your mom stands up, gently kicks your dad’s legs, and smiles at you. “I think it’s time for us to go,” she says. “I’m sure you two wants to enjoy some part of Christmas Eve in privacy, too.” “Mom,” you scold her, feeling your cheeks heat up. Tyson grins at you. By the door, as your mom gives you a hug, she whispers: “He’s a keeper, honey,” and you nearly tell her everything. “Yeah, he’s alright,” Meg says way too loudly, and you hear Tyson giggle in the background and you decide to shut up. The door closes behind them and immediately, Tyson stretches out on the couch. “Ah,” he says. “I’m pretty good at impressing the in laws, no?” You don’t remind him that they’re not actually his in laws. Instead, you fall back onto the couch and groan. “Are you not gonna make fun of me for knitting you mittens and leaving them anonymously in your stall?” you ask, because you might as well get over it. Tyson frowns. “Why would I do that? Those mittens rock, my hands haven’t been cold since.” You blush. “Yeah, but, don’t you think it’s weird that I made those? I didn’t make any for the rest of the team.” For a second, he seems to think about that. Then he moves a little closer, his hand coming to rest on your thigh. Electricity zips through your veins at the contact. “I kinda hoped that meant something,” Tyson says slowly. “Tell me if I’m wrong?” You only had two glasses of wine but you feel like your world is spinning as Tyson moves closer tauntingly slowly. Finally, his lips touch yours, and you understand every cliché ever written into any romantic Christmas movie. When his hand moves to your thigh, settles on the skin right below the hem of your dress, you yelp.

“How are your hands still cold?” 

Tyson chuckles. “I mean, I haven’t been wearing my mittens, so...” 

---

Years later, you’re laying on the couch with your daughter, watching a Christmas movie after having just set up the tree.

“Daddy, what was your favorite Christmas present Santa ever gave you?” your daughter asks. 

Tyson sends you a private look above her head, then focuses on her. 

“A pair of hand knitted mittens.” 

“Like the one mommy made me?” she asks, and he grins.

“Yeah, kinda like that.”

[collecting-stories]

Secret Santa - Connor Murphy

A/N: Getting some things out before Christmas comes. Ah! 

It’s Christmas time and the reader got Connor Murphy for secret Santa. 

-

“It’s secret Santa, it’s anonymous.” Jared pointed out, looking passed you toward the sign for the food court. It’d only been ten minutes since he parked the car and you walked inside but Panera was really starting to call to him.

“No, it’s supposed to be a surprise to the other person, it’s not anonymous.” You replied, ignoring his longing looks and starting to walk again, “What if we got each other? And then I give him his present and it’s shit and he’s gotten me something nice.”  

“Knowing him he’ll have forgotten until the day of and end up giving whoever he got a joint.” Jared pointed out. “Or Wednesday Addams will have a freak-out and then no gifts.”

“Can you just help me?”  

“Alright, alright. I gotta buy a present for Evan anyway.”  

“You got Evan?” You asked.  

“Unfortunately.” Jared had been tempted to the name back in Zoe’s jar and pick again, not exactly wanting to tackle buying a present for Evan. He would have preferred Alana or even Zoe, he could have just gotten off with an itunes giftcard and a cheesy card.  

“Please, Evan is easy.” You had gotten Evan last year and given him a forest guide, plus when the weather cleared the two of you had taken a trip to the state park together. Connor had not participated last year.  

“Connor is easy too, buy him a joint or lay on his bed naked...he’d probably be down for both.” It was no secret that you and Connor had a thing going on. If you could call awkward flirting and pinning over each other from a distance a thing.  

You thought that going away to college would make it harder to keep in touch with everyone but somehow with Connor, it had become easier. While Evan had opted for in-state (closer to Zoe he claimed but closer to his mom you were sure), you and Jared had both ended up out of state, at the same college. Connor was “taking a year off” and working and yet you were certain he spent more time in your dorm than your roommate did. He drove the four hours up on Friday nights and stayed until Sunday evening, you texted him constantly and had managed to convince him to make a snapchat (“So I can see your beautiful face every day”). But you were just friends. Or something along that line, he hadn’t talked about wanting more and you were afraid that if you mentioned it he would want less.  

“Jared!” You hissed, glaring at him.  

“You could lay on my bed naked.” He smiled cheekily, earning an eye roll from you.  

“Keep dreaming.”  

“What about money?” It was what he was thinking about getting Evan and at least if you gave Connor money too then he wouldn’t get flack from Alana about his gift being impersonal.

“I was thinking something more personal than that. You’re not helpful.”  

“I never said I would be. Besides I thought you got me and that’s why you wanted to go out.” Jared pointed out.  

“I needed a car. You have a car.” You replied, shrugging.  

“I can’t believe you used me for my car.”  

“Jared, focus, presents.”  

-

You weren’t surprised when Zoe told you that Connor would not be joining the party. He had, according to her, had a blow-out tantrum over something Larry had said earlier and had locked himself in his room. And despite her warning not to go upstairs you did anyway, carrying your giftbag with you. Willingly choosing to take your chances on Connor when you could easily stay downstairs with the rest of the party.  

You knocked on his closed bedroom door, listening for his inevitable ‘fuck off’.  

“What?” Connor shouted, a harsh tone to his voice.  

“Is it okay if I come in?”  

“Tell Zoe I’m not coming downstairs,” he yelled, “this whole thing is stupid.”  

You waited for a minute, mulling over whether you should go back downstairs before finally deciding to try one more time. “Connor?”

“Go away.”

“I’m not here to drag you downstairs Connor, I got your name for secret Santa so, stupid or not I have a present for you,” you held up the bag as proof even though he couldn’t see it.  

While you couldn’t hear the sigh that escaped his lips you could imagine it. “Come in.”

“So, it’s not much, but,” you handed over the present as you came in, standing awkwardly at the edge of his bed. He was laying on his back, staring up at the ceiling and throwing a hackey-sac up in the air. He looked over at you, managing to catch the sac before it landed on his face and sat up, taking the gift bag.  

“I didn’t get you anything.” He mentioned, picking at tissue paper.  

“It’s not a big deal, I got your name so-“ You shrugged.  

“That’s what I mean. I got your name too.”  

“Just give me a joint or something, it’s really not that important. If you don’t wanna participate you don’t have to.” Zoe made everyone pick names at her friends-giving, which Connor also made himself scarce from. He didn’t want to be part of the secret Santa and he’d told her enough times that she should have known but she insisted that he take part.  

It didn’t matter to you that he hadn’t gotten you anything. Regardless of the idea, the intent of the tradition was not to receive. And besides, he had given you plenty. He stopped at Starbucks every Friday and brought you ridiculously overpriced lattes. He bought you packs of pens or notebooks or random things he found while stocking shelves at Target. He spent money on gas driving eight hours every weekend just to see you. No gift could top that.  

“Yeah but I still feel shitty about it now.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t get you a present?”

“I thought Zoe would tell you I wasn’t gonna do it.” He replied, fiddling with the tag, you’d written his name in pretty cursive.  

“Well too late for that, open your present, I wanna see if you like it.”

“Thought you said it wasn’t a big deal?”  

“It’s not.”

“Seems like it.” He mumbled, pulling different tissue-wrapped gifts out. It wasn’t much. A pair of socks with marijuana leaves on them, a dark grey sweater that looked warm and that Evan had weirdly known the right size for, a moleskine sketch-book and some watercolors that you’d spent way too much money on, and a set of Christmas themed scrunchies as a gag. He held up the pack of scrunchies, shaking them and watching the bells on the red one jingle.

There was a long pause, thoughtful even, as he looked over the presents that you had spent the weeks between Thanksgiving break and Christmas break mulling over. The green scrunchie in the pack was velvet and he tore the plastic binding them together so he could pull his hair back with that one. It was his favorite color and while he realized that it was just a stupid variety pack he recognized from a display at his Target, he knew there were two other packs as well. Maybe it was too much to be hopeful for but he sort of wished you had chosen that specific one because of the green.  

You were still standing there, waiting in silence. Watching him patiently. You gave the best gifts, he knew from experience. In third grade you made everyone in class ornaments out of intricately folded paper. You’d made him a snowflake and glittered the edges dark green and told him you hoped he liked it because you knew that was his favorite color. The paper was a page from your favorite book, you had mentioned when he attempted to make out as many words as he could. Tuck Everlasting, you said you’d been to the town where they filmed and it was right by the beach.  

He hadn’t said it then but he had thought about how fun it would be to go to the beach with you.

“Hold on,” Connor jumped up and went over to his desk. He made a show of rummaging through papers and drawers.  

“Connor,” You stayed in place but twisted your body to follow his movements.  

“I’ve got something I can give you.”  

“It’s really not a-“

“Not a big deal, I know, I know, just, just close your eyes.” He requested, turning back toward you.  

“Why?”  

“Just do it okay?”

You closed your eyes and waited for whatever might happen next. His footsteps were muffled by the carpet but you felt his hands on your upper arms. You could hear him breath and, as he leaned in, you realized you could feel his breath on your face. Just as you were about to open your eyes and ask what he was doing you felt his nose brush against yours and his lips press a kiss to yours. It wasn’t anything especially romantic or passionate. It was quick, a closed mouth kiss, just the ghost of the feeling of Connor’s mouth on yours and then he was gone. You opened your eyes and he was still holding your upper arms but he was looking at you a little more vulnerably than before.  

And you opened your mouth to say something intelligent but the only thing that came out was, “Oh, thank you.”

The nerves broke and Connor smiled, teeth and all, so close to laughter he let you go to cover his mouth, “did you just say thank you?”

“You said it was a present,” you dumbly replied, the heat of embarrassment warming your face.  

“No one says thank you after someone kisses them.”  

“Maybe they do if it’s a present.”  

“I don’t think so.” Connor teased. He undid his bun and then tied it back up, a nervous habit you’d picked up on from all the times he spent at your dorm.  

“Well next time I won’t say thank you.”  

“You might. I might be that good a kisser.”

“Don’t flatter yourself.” You tried for even an ounce of sass but all you could muster was the same tone of awe you’d had since he kissed you. He had kissed you and your whole body felt like it was tingling with a wonderful buzz of happiness.  

“Who do you have to stack me up against other than Evan?” He joked, sitting back on his bed. He was trying to play it cool, doing a better job than you, though he was still filled with nerves. Had he read the situation right? Did you feel the same way about him that he felt about you?

“Oh god, Zoe told you about that?” You paled at the thought of Connor knowing about that kiss. A dare Freshmen year of high school.  

“Jared.”

“That’s even worse!” You groaned.  

“It’s not so bad.” Connor replied, “didn’t turn me off the idea of kissing you.”

-

I’m finally posting again and it’s still whatever I want...sorry, its the most I can do for now. 

[typewriterghcst]

Title: Leave Us Your Stardust Rating: G like all my other fics l m ao Characters: Natoru, babby Lune, Natori. Mentions of other characters. Words: 2730-ish Summary: The World can be quite an intimidating, tough place for a seven-year-old, particularly after the sun goes down for the first time. Written for the 2020 TCR Birthday Bash, in particular the ‘Ghosts’ prompt. Notes: This is chock full of headcanons regarding these three, particularly during Lune’s childhood, so uh. Hopefully someone else finds this interesting or amusing like I do orz I will admit I’m hesitant on Natoru’s portrayal here because I’m not sure how most people interpret her (or him, if you prefer the dub, aha). I haven’t gotten the chance to write her that often on my RP blog, so this kinda feels to me like jumping headfirst into a shallow pool

                                                          &&&

Natoru plays a lot of roles. She is at once first-line defense and confidante, exorcist and companion. She weaves wild stories and tall tales while battling and eradicating the monsters that manage to sneak out of their imaginary environments to threaten her little ward’s security. She takes care of spiders and hornets. Checks the closet for less rational pests. Peers under the bed each night to shoo out the monsters, too.

It’s because of this, she thinks to herself later once her wits finally arrive, that she ends up being very gently nudged awake by a visibly shaken charcoal-colored kitten in the middle of the night during an extended visit to a neighboring but distant kingdom (the queen’s original home, in fact, a detail that still brings Natoru no small amount of confusion).

“...Natoru..?” Lune sounds hopeful but timid.

“Ehhh.” It’s vaguely questioning, she rationalizes, if a little muffled. She hasn’t quite found the motivation to lift her face from her sleepy haze just yet.

“Can I… can I sleep in here?”

“Why do y’ wanna sleep in ‘ere..?”

Lune fidgets, plays with the edges of his sleeves. “...be… because there’s a ghost in my room.”

Oh. It takes at least a solid minute for that childish (albeit straightforward, she’ll give him that) reasoning to sink in, but once it does, Natoru realizes she’s not getting off the hook that easily. Finally resigning herself to being awake and active again, she hauls herself up from her face-down, torpid position and searches for Lune in the darkness, rubbing at her eyes sleepily.

“Should I go throw him out?”

It takes Lune some time to answer, and when he does, he stares down at his feet as he speaks. “...N-No. I’d rather just stay in here.”

“Eh? How come?”

“...b-because… um. What if… what if the ghosts here are stronger than the ones at home?”

“There are no ghosts stronger than me,” Natoru brags. What a more sweet-natured, maternal cat might have claimed only in the interest of reassuring Lune, she seems to wholly believe, and not for the first time it becomes obvious just why the kitten has taken such a shine to her.

“Really..? How do you know?”

Natoru doesn’t falter, patting her chest with one paw and planting the other on her hip.

"Because I'm the strongest," she answers matter-of-factly.

Lune, still standing at the edge of the bed she'd chosen (though now noticeably with a straighter posture than before), seems to spend some time thinking that over. Finally, hesitantly, he says, “But this isn’t home. What if the ghosts here are stronger than the ones you know? What if the dark makes them stronger?”

Natoru pauses thoughtfully, but ultimately shakes her head. “Nah. I’ve been all over, Lune. And I was born in the human world-- it gets dark there, too. Still no match for me~” She gives him a sunny smile, patently cute as it always is because of her soft, chubby face, but the undercurrent of chaos can not be denied.

What had been a gradual and noticeable decrease in his fear appears to reach a plateau; Lune is convinced, his tail and ears perking back up.

“I’m so grateful! You’re super cool, Natoru!”

“Yep,” Natoru agrees as she hops off her bed to join him on their trek back to his room.

                                                         &&&

Lune begins to trail behind her the closer to his guest room they approach, but she neglects to comment on it. Instead, she tosses the beaded curtain in the doorway aside like a particularly bothersome obstacle, and strolls inside. In stark contrast, Lune tiptoes in behind her, looking furtively from one corner of the room to the next as if he expects to be ambushed. (Well, perhaps he does.)

“Okay, Ghost, you had your fun!” Natoru starts as boldly as she can, paws on her hips. “How’s that one song go? You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here! It’s bedtime for Lune.” Then, a little quieter but just as determined, and in a smug tone that shows she absolutely relishes saying it, “And if you don’t listen, then I’m gonna kick you in the head.”

To Lune, she adds, “That’s another great song. Recommend it.”

“It’s about kicking monsters in the head..?”

“Yeah,” Natoru says with a cheerful, heedless shrug.

The two of them are met with a stifling silence afterwards, as Natoru expected, but still she waits for Lune to give his approval. Creeping out from behind her, he pads softly further into the room, one, two steps at a time, again scrutinizing the corners. In the end, he doesn’t turn directly to face her, most likely mindful of the darkened void beneath the bed behind him, but he does look back to her.

“...will you check the bed and closet too..?”

“Of course.”

                                                         &&&

It’s after he’s tucked back into his own bed that Lune asks, “It gets dark in the human world?”

“Every night.”

“How long does a night last?”

Natoru pauses there. 

“...I don’t remember.” She does remember it feeling quite long sometimes, though. It doesn’t seem pertinent to tell Lune. “Time feels different in the human world.”

“How so?”

Again, she pauses, this time in thought more so than in uncharacteristic caution.

The truth is, she thinks, maybe it’s not that time feels different in the human world, but simply that she had once been different. A long time ago, before she came to the Cat Kingdom. Those memories are odd— they don’t fit like they should. She thinks sometimes it may be akin to trying to play one of Natori’s beloved records in a CD player. 

“It’s different because you can tell time has passed just by looking around at the sky and the ground, but it doesn’t actually feel like time has passed. It’s disorienting.”

“The ground changes, too?”

“Yeah!” She chirps. “Sometimes it snows, or it rains. Then you get mud. That stuff’s tons of fun.”

“I’ve seen pictures of it,” Lune starts thoughtfully. “It looks messy.”

“Mm. Natori would have a fit if you discovered how fun it is, too.”

“Maybe I’ll get to play with it, too, then. Someday.”

“Probably! You’ll have your own adventures in the human world, eventually.”

“I hope so,” Lune starts. “It sounds like such a funny place.”

Whatever Natoru might have planned to say to that, no doubt to agree, to tell him of the other oddities abound in the human world, it’s lost in obscurity, as, of all cats, Natori seems to see fit to enter at that time, peeking in through the beaded doorway with a look of subdued disapproval. In some distant part of her brain, the part that’s always faintly amused at her coworker’s finicky quirks, Natoru briefly entertains the idea that perhaps he’d been supernaturally summoned by the talk of mud.

“What on earth are the two of you doing awake at this hour..?”

Natoru answers easily enough, tone blithe as ever. “Don’t look at me, Lune’s the one who dragged me out of bed ‘cause of a ghost.”

Judging from Lune’s offended expression in return, he’s not at all appreciative of his idol throwing him under the bus. Natori, also, regards her with a disapproving frown, paws settling at his hips. To herself, Natoru thinks his current countenance lines up pretty solidly with that of the quintessential, matronly governess.

“Natoru, don’t go blaming your foible on the child.”

“But he did wake me up because of a ghost,” Natoru protests.

It’s at this exchange that Lune’s indignation seems to fade, so that he appears relatively chastened, shamed. “...I’m sorry, Natori, I did wake her up for that.”

Natori seems to… deflate, almost, padding to Lune’s bedside with a sigh. “It’s nothing that warrants an apology, my prince. You’re in no trouble.” Then, while busily straightening the crocheted blanket atop the comforter, “...another ghost, then..?”

Lune’s embarrassed silence says it all, he supposes. So it appears then that Natori decides to move past it without comment in response. A phase, he tells himself, brought about by recent stressors, and one that will fade as they do.

“Well. It is quite late, and there’s an early morning ahead of us all. We should all be more rested, you know. This isn’t the night for tall tales.”

“Hey, speaking of, how come you’re awake, Natori?” Natoru starts shrewdly.

An inquiry the grey cat was clearly not prepared for, as his first response to it is to open his mouth to voice his answer… only to close it again with a light snap once he realizes either he has no suitable excuse or that that suitable excuse is tremendously weak in theory.

“...It’s not important,” he eventually settles on, formal, demure. Leaving precious little room for followup clarifications, though he must know by now that such a thing will not stop Natoru.

“Natori, have you ever been to the human world?” Lune asks.

“Yes, occasionally,” Natori replies, head canted just slightly in curiosity at where Lune’s evident investigation is going.

“Do you have a favorite thing about it?”

“A favorite thing? Well, let me think…”

After a moment, all too aware of Lune’s expectant gaze on him and doing his best to ignore Natoru’s amused, knowing stare (yes, Natoru, he realizes he’s being massively hypocritical right now), Natori seems to decide on, “I suppose I’d say it’s probably the scenery— er, the variety in it, in particular.”

Lune nods excitedly. “The variety! That intrigues me so much, Natori. I’ve seen the pictures of the  forests and mountains and the oceans— they’re all so huge, Natori, aren’t they? I can’t imagine how big the human world must be to have multiple oceans in it..!”

“I do imagine it must be hard for you,” Natori agrees indulgently with a laugh. Then, a touch diffidently, “...having seen but a fraction of it myself, I must admit it’s rather difficult for me, as well, at times.” His attention wanders to Natoru, who is still lounging propped up on her paws on the end of Lune’s bed like a proper house cat. She wears a thoughtful, somewhat faraway expression, and he wonders what it is she’s thinking of. But, unobtrusive and respectful as ever, Natori doesn’t pry. Instead, he asks, “Did you shoo out the ghost, then?”

Natoru snaps out of her apparent reverie, nodding a time or two and waving her paw in disregard. “Oh, yeah, he’s toast.” And to Lune, “I scared him off, didn’t I?”

“Yup! You said you’d kick him in the head if he came back.”

Ah, that earns her another long-suffering look from Natori, though he doesn’t voice his disapproval this time. Natoru just gives him another of her patented sunny smiles.

“...Well,” Natori starts readily. “If that’s the case, I think that’s enough ill-timed chatter to last us the night. Morning will arrive before you know it, and I’ll not oblige any requests to sleep in.” Spoken while gently tugging the comforter up over Lune’s shoulders, now that the crocheted blanket has been righted.

“Can I ask one last question, Natori?”

“Yes,” Natori answers primly, somewhat absently, if his concentration on Lune’s already straightened bedcovers is anything to go by.

“It’s about the human world again.” And there Lune hesitates, at least until Natori gives another acknowledging noise. “I keep reading about... how big the human world is, and you and Natoru say it is, too. And— and all the stuff that’s in it, things you can’t see here. Do you think… I mean, because it’s so… There’s so much in it, so do you think… someone could go there, but eventually run out of things to see?”

His voice has lowered to be so soft his two companions nearly miss his question in its entirety, and it along with his insistence on keeping his gaze glued to some indeterminate spot to his side tells them both this line of questioning is not just a child’s rambling, all-encompassing curiosity. Because of this, it seems the two of them struggle for an answer for some time— one that must be reassuring and optimistic, but also can not conclusively discuss the issue. It hasn’t been named yet; it has yet to be spoken aloud to Lune, and it is not the place of the royal advisor nor their vaguely-defined assistant to do so.

Paws lingering over the plush comforter where he’s folded it over Lune’s shoulders, Natori finally replies, timidly, “...Anything is possible.” 

“Sure, there’s a lot to see. But nothing beats good old home,” is Natoru’s helpful addition. “A cat’s bound to get homesick at some point.”

Lune doesn’t respond for a few long minutes, but neither Natori nor Natoru move to prompt or hurry him, even when the silence begins to feel acutely oppressive, and Natoru almost wishes a real ghost would break the tension. Eventually, however, Lune gives a very small sigh, and his attention wanders from his earlier inconsequential spot to Natori’s face. It’s not quite his more usual bright and inquisitive demeanor, but it’s at least a step away from the nervous reserve he’d been exhibiting just moments before.

“...I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Yes. It’s certainly a fascinating place, but it’s no Cat Kingdom. The comforts of familiarity compel all of us to look homeward at least occasionally.”

Lune seems to think that over for a moment, glancing down to the hem of the blanket covering him once (Natoru thinks he must be imagining his own bed back at home, and his colorful bedroom, eternally bathed in sunlight). This time, when he looks to the two of them, it’s with a decidedly more self-assured air. 

“Okay! So I’ll stay as familiar as I possibly can!”

Natoru laughs— she can’t help it. It’s such an endearingly straightforward conclusion to come to. Natori, however… she notices the way his expression tenses, the conflicted, nervous debate he must be waging on the inside. Lune has taken away the wrong message from all this, and it should be addressed and amended, but... it’s only getting later, and Natori had entered the conversation with a chiding lecture about the late hour. He looks tired, too, Natoru notes to herself, probably a crucial trigger for his indecisiveness.

“You got it, Lune,” she decides to chime in, pushing herself up onto her haunches now. “But I think it’s time to stick a fork in this one, because I’m ready to go back to dreamland.”

Lune’s eyes light up further. “Oh! Maybe I’ll dream of the human world.”

“Maybe!”

Natori seems to just accept this abrupt left turn in the conversation in his usual yielding way, but he does see fit to add, in a soft tone that comes perhaps dangerously close to pleading, “...Lune… it’s all well and good to desire to remain... recognizable, but…”

There he dithers for some time, at a loss for what he wants to say or how to say it, most likely, as he utters numerous false starts before finally appearing to give up. Instead, lips straightening to a thin line, he fixes the kitten with a sort of wistfully helpless smile, and gives a comically uncharacteristic shrug.

“...Well. It’s late, as we’ve all pointed out. Goodnight, my prince. Now that your room has been cleared of its phantoms, please don’t dawdle on your way back to the Land of Nod. The sun will rise before you know it.”

“I won’t, Natori.”

Natori inclines his head once in wordless approval as he turns to leave, gaze also lingering meaningfully on Natoru (one she again only returns a blithe smile to), before he leaves in much the same natural way he’d first arrived. Natoru takes the opportunity to hop off Lune’s bed and dust herself off, though even her own reasoning for doing so escapes her. Lune, meanwhile, appears somewhat thoughtful, if distantly uncertain.

“Is it really so close to morning? I’m sorry for waking you, a-and for keeping you up all this time.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll let you in on a secret, actually—” Here she glances behind her to confirm that Natori has, indeed, left, before continuing in a hushed but shrewdly amused manner, “I know Natori said he wouldn’t let us sleep in, but just keep in mind that what your dad says goes, and he hasn’t seen a morning in years.”

And so it was that Natoru gained another point from the child prince to set in her ‘cool’ pile.

[writing-to-stay-awake]

ALL THE NUMBERS! *i didn’t even read them 😂

Wow Soph. Okay.

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you?

Sure. Every once in awhile you get that weird feeling that the world only exists for you right? And then you have to remind yourself, you’re just a tiny speck and absolutely NOTHING is about you. I feel like that’s human, even if we don’t talk about it. 

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you?

4. I’m not extrapolating unless we’re close.

3. The person you would never want to meet?

My exes parents. I’d never want to meet the person that instilled that fear in them. They sound awful while also being human enough and down to earth enough that someone normal like me could actually meet them. 

4. What is your favorite word?

Fuck. It’s the most universal word that emphasizes description and can be placed anywhere in a sentence. I also love petrichor and ephemeral. 

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be?

Black Walnut. 

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought?

Wow, that’s a lot more color in my face than i’ve had. Must be feeling better. Great. Not bleeding out today. 

7. What shirt are you wearing?

Grey Billabong tshirt. Nothing fancy.

8. What do you label yourself as?

Nothing, do you slap a label your skin? (kidding) I label myself a normal person with normal occasionally weird thoughts who just wants to meet other humans.

9. Bright room or dark room?

Scared of the dark but I prefer a dark room. Is that a surprise?

10. What were you doing at midnight last night?

Sleeping. Being sick with an unknown something makes you tired. 

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far?

22? I was out of school and getting into shenanigans, but wasn’t so old that my friends had disappeared yet. Like, where the fuck do they go?

12. Who told you they loved you last?

My grandparents and parents when I called them with the results of my hospital tests. 

13. Your worst enemy?

Heteronormativity. 

14. What is your current desktop picture?

15. Do you like someone?

Sure. I like people. I’m not just gonna throw it out in an answer though. 

16. The last song you listened to?

Sacrifices- The Natural Synthetic

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up?

Funny enough, I’ve been going through an early life crisis, and have discovered, I don’t wanna blow anyone up. Not even a bad person. I can’t handle that on my conscious. I’ve even stopped slapping bugs lately. So, that’s where I’m at. 

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face?

Okay, punching isn’t death. Punching is acceptable. There’s this one girl I went to college with. I could really punch her. But I ain’t naming names cause I ain’t no snitch. 

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do?

If I had had a slave for the day they would tasked with self-care. Just absolutely unable to do anything for anyone else. Stuck in a rotation of self-care tasks. That’s it. Not even for me. I don’t want anyone waiting on me without the ability to question what they’re doing. That’s disingenuous and not what I want from anyone.  

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional)

I don’t want to choose one? But as a former collegiate athlete I’ve been told my arms are pretty great. There must be something to a lifting routine. 

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do?

I’d look like me, but I guess more narrow cause that’s men right? Or something? I don’t know, mostly I’d write stuff peeing, cause that’s the only thing I can’t do that sounds fun. I think?

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it?

I suppose I draw and I don’t put that out there a lot?

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of?

People that can make you trust them with their charisma and don’t give a shit when they leave. 

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal.

Vegetables! (I don’t eat deli meat?)

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it?

I’m going to buy friends something nice! I wanna share my happiness. 

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go?

Australia, no joke. Gotta get in there before spider season! Also I have friends I wanna visit. 

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be?

Either my favorite coffee lager, or a honey mead that I could sip. I don’t care about brand. I could care less about brand, like, who’s gonna demand a specific brand from a damn angel?

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place?

Everyone contributes. Everyone benefits. 

29. What is your favorite expletive?

Fuck. Or maybe Cunt. I just love expletives used in appropriate places. 

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno?

Do I have my phone? Cause I’d save my phone for it’s pictures. If not, Probably my sketchbook. The drawings have serious emotional value to me. 

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

The day my first super serious girlfriend broke up with me because her family wouldn’t approve, even though we both still cared about each other seriously, and even though we both would have chosen each other no matter what. Eventually you have to make choices I suppose, and she didn’t choose me. We get over those times eventually. 

Or, you know, that time I got lost in the woods and thought I was going to die. 

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world!

Wait, what? What’s the question here? Like Where’d I move? When I’d move? Isn’t the answer really, I’m everywhere at all times? Let’s be real though, I’d just wanna go somewhere I felt safe and comfortable. I don’t care where or when that is. 

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back?

My dog, Brandy. She was taken too early, and I’ve never felt right about the way she went. 

34. What was your last dream about?

My dreams are WEIRD. But they’re usually great. The last one I can remember was going around with some of my college friends and just trying so hard to party and also trying to hide a secret relationship I guess while she made me paper flowers out of straw wrappers? It was fun? Till I woke up and remembered the part where I’m single af. 

35. Are you a good….[insert anything you’d like here]?

Listener? I think so? Athlete? Probably not as much right now, but I love to lift and throw heavy stuff? Dancer? No I’m AWFUL? Finder of non-american television? Probably? I love a good foreign language Soap. I mean, The Drama!

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital?

Yeah, I’ve got a few hospital bracelets now. I hate it and it’s terrifying and they haven’t fixed me yet apparently. 

37. Have you ever built a snowman?

Yes! I grew up in Ohio! SO MUCH SNOW!

38. What is the color of your socks?

Black and grey. Cause who wouldn’t wanted to hide sock dirt. 

39. What type of music do you like?

I like good music in any variety. I want to be exposed to lots of things. I want my friends and other people to show me stuff I haven’t heard before. I don’t want to be trapped in a musical corner. But like, most of the time I like something upbeat, or with a solid heavy beat because my mood can be dramatically altered by the music I’m listening to, and I don’t need to be sad more than I already am. 

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?

I like both if I have someone to share them with. Otherwise, neither feels as full as it could. 

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor?

Mocha. But that’s just cause I love coffee. Otherwise, I’ll go....peach in the summer and vanilla any other time. 

42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer)

OKAY!!! I suppose I support Ohio State, cause when you’re born and bred, you never lose that love. I don’t watch professional football, cause I find that boring. SOCCER!! However. What even are men? I used to root for Portland, but then they traded Sonny and they lost loyalty. Now I root for the original underdog, aka Sky Blue. And also PSG if we’re talking international. 

43. Do you have any scars?

Yes. And I’ll tell you the story of any individual one if you ask, but it’s too long to list here. 

44. What do you want to be when you graduate?

Well I already graduated, and like.....Didn’t know then, don’t know now. Just happy to pay my bills!

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

My crippling self-doubt!

46. Are you reliable?

I want to say yes, and most times I’d say yes, but honestly sometimes no, and I hope my close friends know and understand why and can forgive me for that. 

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be?

Knowing you only have this life to live, are you satisfied with the decisions you’ve made? Was it enough and are you happy with them?

48. Do you hold grudges?

I wish I could say no, but this girl can hold a hold grudge like unopened freezer. Icy and for a long time. 

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create?

I would not, because I’d fear the animal’s eventual screaming terror at being the only one. That freaks me OUT. 

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had?

One time, I had an allergic reaction, and got steroid shot that left me loopy as FUCK. And then talked to all my friends. Every one of those conversations was ridiculous and yet amazing. I wish I could describe more than that but that’s all I got for you. 

51. Are you a good liar?

That depends on the subject. Some things yes, some things no. What I will say is, I don’t like lying, and I don’t want to. And if I am lying it means I don’t trust you, and that is the bigger issue. 

52. How long could you go without talking?

Days. I’ve done it. 

53. What has been you worst haircut/style?

When I was younger, my mom gave me bowlcut bangs! WHAT IS THAT! (awful is what it is)

54. Have you ever baked your own cake?

Yeah, actually. I’m surprisingly good at baking. One time, I made this chocolate toffee cake with crushed heath bits? It was phenomenal. 

55. Can you do any accents other than your own?

Badly. But most people can do that. 

56. What do you like on your toast?

Butter? Nothing? Nutella? Sometimes Peanut butter? Jelly? Jam? Most things are great on toast.

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of?

I do portraits. Typically with lots of contrast. The last was of a girl. I don’t know how to be more descriptive than that. 

58. What would be you dream car?

Four wheels. Dark color. Very fast. (Would love an electric version. Get on that scientists!)

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain.

I don’t really sing in the shower cause I don’t have a speaker in the shower to sing to. As far as unusual, I’m not sure I want to reveal that to you. My bathroom is my sacred place. 🙃

60. Do you believe in aliens?

Sure. I think it’s arrogant to believe we are the only life out there. That doesn’t mean that alien life would smart or even anything more than a simple bacteria on another planet (Most people don’t realize that something that small would count), but I don’t think we’re alone? I just think we’re either not smart enough to find them, or they’re not smart enough to find us, or (worst case scenario) we’re hidden by our stupidity and we don’t want to be found by the alien overlord. Like, let’s be real, either we’re taking them over or they’re taking us over. I don’t have strong feelings on the subject though, like, I don’t think about it daily or anything. 

61. Do you often read your horoscope?

Nope not really. Do you really need to read your horoscope as a taurus or can you just assume they’re writing stuff about how stubborn you are? (Also as a cusp baby, who’s part gemini, who wants to hear we’re garbage? I’m not garbage.)

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet?

I think it’s K? Maybe. Or Y. I have no reasoning, that’s just what it is. 

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons?

Dinosaurs. For sure. There are big ones. And little ones. and some flew. And some didn’t. And some were smart. And some dumb. And some were like huge giraffes. and some had tiny arms. And none of them made size sense. (Also when I was little I wanted to be a paleontologist, so that explains a lot.)

64. What do you think about babies?

They’re fine, but I’m glad I don’t have one of my own right now? I suppose?

65. Freebie! Ask anything interesting you can think of.

Well, you didn’t ask anything, and I’m not about to offer something for nothing.😉 

[szopenhauer]

Give me a random word in another language. Tell me what it means. ulica - street or czekolada - chocolate *I bet you read/spell those wrong :P

How long does it roughly take you to do grocery shopping? depends, I’m pretty fast, especially if I buy local but sometimes there’s no product I need in the store so I go to another 

Which city would you like to visit- Rome, London or Paris? London, then Paris, then Rome

Would you rather visit Australia or Germany? Germany, I have no interest in Australia at this point

Would you prefer a pet rat, mouse, snake, lizard or spider? rat or mouse, definitely not a spider because of M.

Can you play the violin? If not, would you like to? no and no

Can you keep a pokerface and not show your emotions easily? often

Are you a good liar (tell the truth this time)? can be but I don’t like to lie

Are you wearing shoes, just socks or nothing on your feet? ugg slippers and fuzzy socks

Do you prefer to write etc, etcetera or something else? etc itp itd and such

Do you think rainbows are pretty or overrated? overrated

Are you more skeptical or gullible? skeptical

How often do you drink sodas or fizzy drinks? never

Do you currently live in the same country you were born in? sure

Do you struggle to articulate your thoughts and feelings? sometimes

Do you like carrot cake? gross

Don’t you hate it when people say ‘I don’t mean to be rude but…’? omg

How good is your memory? ha ha ha 

Is there anyone you love, whose name starts with M? XD

Have your neighbors ever complained that your music/TV was too loud? weird but they actually didn’t!

How many zeroes occur in your mobile phone number? none

Are you currently wearing anything green? am not

Name an animal that starts with the 2nd letter of your middle name. -

Have you ever had feelings for someone whose name started with S? yup

How many red lipsticks do you own? old one, past expiration date 

What are you doing to improve or maintain your health currently? my best lmfao which is not enough, if only I had money...

Do you ever look at someone’s social media posts and feel a little jealous? who doesn’t?

Do you like how your hair looks today? I washed them last night but didn’t look at myself in the mirror in the morning just yet

What health problem are you struggling with currently? list is too long

Do you take life day by day? I’m on survival mode

Do you have a lot of questions? would say so

List 10 fashion trends you like/dislike. current? I’m not aware... let me check  according to Vogue there are puffy sleeves that I’m not into but they’re not gross, gold - fine if not too much I suppose, cardigans - I prefer not open tops but sometimes they’re useful indeed, check pattern (no surprises here - checkered stuff for summer? groundbreaking) - same opinion as with puffy sleeves, maybe it’s the fact of popularity and fall stereotypes that pushes me away from the thing but... nvm, lets move on! fringe - bags with it are noice but I prefer to not use smth that might cause an accident... matrix coats? why not?! Nat’s Spike mode - count me in? gonna feel like a leather couch again, red color causes my anxiety and anger issues but in small doses is like gold I mentioned above, suits are Vinnie’s but I don’t mind ‘em for specific occassions, inflate bottoms aren’t casual so not no chance of using that in everyday life, masculine fashion? POSITIVELY TRIGGERED - love me some bad boy vibes - excited AF, back to black - classy, what else is there to say? ;)

Are you ready for Jesus to come back? please

Do you believe that Jesus lived and is returning? hopefully?

Do you have too much clutter in your home? we are hoarders/maximalists 

If you were rich, would you get a professional photoshoot done? *shrug*

Have you ever taken a photo every day for a year? no patience for shit like that, sorry

Do you have way too many photos stored on your computer? oh well...

Do you take a lot of selfies? probably 

Do you ever multi-task? usually

Are you multi-tasking right now? not really atm

Are you “with” the very last person you kissed? we’re engaged 

Have you ever broken up with someone for someone else? poniekąd na koloniach  był taki chłopczyk, którego nikt nie lubił, najmłodszy, no i mi go było żal, że Aneta (w jego wieku, moja koleżanka) nie chce z nim tańczyć to się nad nim zlitowałam i od razu mnie polubił, przyniósł mi kwiatki jakieś wodne i potem po prostu przestałam się nim zajmować bo nasza opiekunka szukała dziewczyn dla takiego grubszego chłopaka nieśmiałego i dzięki temu miał grono fanek, ale wybrał akurat mnie i to mi pochlebiało, dał mi swoją czapkę z daszkiem na trochę (potem wyjechał szybciej niż inni więc mu oddałam i w sumie trochę szkoda było iż nie miałam z nim kontaktu bo się wstydziłam poprosić - mówili na niego LODÓWA), w końcu zdeterminowana wziąć kolonijny ślub uczepiłam się wręcz Łukasza (kolegi tamtego - Piotra czy Pawła) i nawet miałam pierścionek zrobiony specjalnie dla nas przez kowala oraz dyplom, wykonywaliśmy zadania i wyniósł mnie na rękach (ledwo) i suknię ślubną skleciłam hahaha, a tak na serio robiłam to tylko żeby się pochwalić, że ktoś mnie chciał, nie ważne kto, a tamten pierwszy malec mnie za to kopnął w dupę (serio) i musiałam się z nim godzić przy wychowawcy, ale mnie unikał jak ognia obrażony potem, wszyscy byli ode mnie kilka lat młodsi ^^”  taka byłam, albo to była Anya/Amy, nie wiem, chciałam się dopasować, moje BPD ze mnie wyłaziło ehh  jeśli to się nie liczy to były potem też przecież momenty kiedy przerzucałam się z jednej dziewczyny na drugą zainteresowaniem bardzo szybko, czasami wracałam do poprzedniej byleby dostać odrobinę uwagi, czuć sie potrzebna, nie być taka samotna czy coś - ale nie liczyłam na nic poważnego, żyłam tu i teraz, żeby nie odstawać, bo przyszłości przecież i tak miałam nie mieć, więc dowartościowanie się jedynie wchodziło w grę lub poczucie przynależności, bycie opcją, wręcz masochistycznie nawet jak wiadomo, swego rodzaju bezpieczeństwo - flirt/zabawa

How many windows are open on your computer? shitload

Have you ever laughed at something that wasn’t meant to be funny? whoops

Have you done anything sneaky lately? maybe 

Does someone have feelings for you? it seems 

Are you hard to please? am I? I’m picky about some things but usually it’s not my fault like food, sigh...

Relationship to the last person you called? my doctor

What color shirt are you wearing? grey

Is there anything you wish you did today? Why haven’t you done it? I plan, I’ll try

What were you doing before you started this survey? bunch of things

Can you honestly say that you love yourself? umm...

Do you think you spend too much time feeling upset? sadly

Do you own a pair of uggs? have ‘em on! as I already said above

Has the person you have feelings for ever told you that you’re attractive? I don’t believe her

Do you hide your feelings or show them? depends, usually show tho

Do you like to have long hair or short hair? short 

Do you think relationships are hard? everything is but point is if it’s worthy

Any friends who are constantly venting about their significant other? luckily no longer have any friends like that, no friends at all actually

Have you ever been ice-skating? just once and don’t wanna

Does the sound of rain at night help you sleep? often

Have you ever seen an albino person, in person? I haven’t

Have you ever worn a pair of scrubs? nope

Do you obsessively apply lip-gloss or lip balm? eww, hell no

Have you ever walked into a massive cobweb? yeah, gross

When you can tell that someone’s lying, do you call them out on it? sometimes, I might

Do you like Musicals? nooo

Do you live with anyone that you try to avoid at all costs? no comment

When was the last time you cried? that night from happiness :3

What kind of bottoms are you wearing? my SW pajama pants but gonna change now

What do you hear right now? my mom talking <rolling my eyes>

In the past week have you got your hair cut? nope

In the past week have you felt sad? obvi

Has someone disappointed you recently? yep

If you could pack up and move, would you? asap

What is something in your life that you feel hopeful about right now? I’m scared to...

What was the last thing you worried about that turned out better than expected? my gf proposing to me for example?

What is a meal you eat extremely often? Or do your meals & food choices vary a lot? bread, I wish I had variety :(

When was the last time you felt unable or unwilling to speak your mind to someone? with my mother it’s frequent 

What was the last thing you changed your mind about? it’s a rollerclaster XD

Who do you feel you can count on the most in life? Is there anyone you wish you could count on more? dad and M. - I wish I could count on my other parent and sister...

[marveliter]

Gardens and Greenhouses

Pair: Bruce Banner x Betty Ross

Summary: Bruce lives with Betty in her home in Virginia, and he’s grown accustomed to her greenhouse and garden.

Warnings: mention of suicide attempt

A/N: been really digging Earth elements and thinking about writing a story about it so here’s something to add to the creativity :)

“Your plants are looking great,” General Ross said, eyeing the greenhouse. “Gardening is certainly your hobby,”       “Thanks Dad,” Betty smiled small. She had to hold back the quivering smile she so desperately wanted to show. It made her laugh inside.       “I’ve been debating on whether I should tell you this,” Ross say forward in the chair, grabbing his coffee mug and setting aside the cigar on his own ash tray.       “It’s about Bruce right?” Betty asked, eyes looking away from her father and right at the dark hardwood floor.       “How’d you know?” “It’s always about Bruce,” Betty retorted silently.       Ross sighed, folding his hands together and staring out at the garden. “He’s a criminal,”       “He’s human,” Betty snapped.       “He has government property—”       “What is it you want to tell me?” Betty asked. She’d been over this with her father many times it got to the point where their arguing sounded like statements. It was plain, and boring, and way overdone.

      Ross and Betty would go back and forth about Bruce and Hulk everyday he came to visit. And everyday Betty grew tired of being angry at him. Ross grew tired of trying to change her mind. Now, they were deadbeats when talking to each other, dried up of trying. Betty remembered the fights she thought she won when the visits first started; how Ross would slam the door on his way out with nothing else to say. Betty also remembered the fights where she was on the floor, bawling because of what Ross had said about Bruce. All that changed one night months ago, just minutes after Ross had visited, where Betty almost succumbed to his giving up about Bruce.       General Ross held his hands together and sighed. “We think he’s hiding out in Cuba. We’re deploying Thursday, and I was wondering that if we catch him you’d like to be waiting there for him,”       Betty almost choked on her cup of coffee. She cleared her throat before giggling and shaking her head. “No,” she snapped. “You would never allow that to happen. You’re doing it out of pity, you hate Bruce, you’d take him away from me the minute he’d step foot back here.”       The grandfather clock bellowed in the room, catching Betty’s attention, and without looking at her father said, “It’s time for you to go.” Ross sighed and stood up from the chair as Betty walked him to her front door. Neither said goodbye as Betty watched her father exit her house and jump into his car, turning on the engine and driving out of her small hideaway col-de-sac. His car vanished into the dark green forest, and when she heard the sound of his tires roll over the stone bridge, that’s when she knew it was safe.       Her smile returned as she skipped out her back door and over to the greenhouse, where she opened the doors and stepped inside. The air was humid, making her straight dark brown hair wave and small strands start to curl.       “Hey,” she called out, passing row after row of dark green plants and bright blooming flowers. “Are you in here?” Emerging from the left isle at the end of the greenhouse was a man with brown unruly curls pushed back, growing down to his ears. He had a beard growing, with his skin getting tan, bringing out his brown eyes. His grey-t-shirt was rolled up at the sleeves, showing off his toned muscles and slim physique. He wore khaki pants with gardening boots.       Betty giggled, “Hey hippie,”       Bruce smiled at her, walking up to Betty and giving her a big sweaty hug. “Hello beautiful,” He kissed her deeply in the hug. Betty didn’t mind him being and smelling sweaty, because he also smelled like freshly cut grass, and plants and roses. As her hands dove into his mess of curls, Betty stopped kissing Bruce to laugh as she pulled out a small leaf stuck in his hair. Bruce’s cheeks turned pink as he chuckled and held Betty closer.       “How was it?” He asked, keeping his hands on her waist.       Betty huffed, laying her head over his heart. “Is it ever good?”       “He comes by to show that he cares,”       “Then he talks about you and I get angry,”       “You get angry?” Bruce jokingly asked. Betty smiled and looked around the room.       “The flowers look awesome, Doctor,” she whispered the last part seductively into his ear. Bruce knew she was only joking, so he laughed and pulled her away gently.       “Thank you. I’m thinking of running to Bloom later to grab a few small trees. Your backyard could use a few.” Bruce smirked down at Betty.       “Are you calling my garden boring?”       “I mean, gardening is the only thing I can do until you get back home.”       “As much as I like you being outside and getting tan,” Betty ran her fingers down his right arm while biting her lips. “You are allowed inside,” she looked up at him with a small smile. Bruce chuckled, holding Betty closer once more.       “I’m still all alone,” Bruce rested his forehead against hers.       “We could get a dog,” Betty shrugged, making Bruce chuckle. “A small one though, but not a fluffy, yippie one. Those are annoying,”       “I hear Cocker Spaneils are good, they’re cute too,” Bruce brushed a small wavy strand of hair behind Betty’s ear.       “That’s good, chihuahuas are too tiny if you ask me,” Betty finally closed the gap between them by kissing Bruce once more. His hand stayed on her cheek as his other gently gripped her waist. Betty grabbed the front of his shirt before snaking her arms around his torso. She pulled away from his lips, breathing heavily, “Wanna come inside, plant boy?”       “That’s an awful nickname,” Bruce chuckled.       “It was either that or Green Thumb,” Betty giggled. “And I haven’t seen my best friend lately,”       Bruce rolled his eyes, “Hulk is your ‘bff?’”       Betty nodded, “He’s a lot like you, anger wise,”       “Anger wise?”       “You’re both hot heads,” Betty pecked Bruce on the lips before skipping down an isle of pots with ivy growing down from their planters. Some even hung up on the ceiling because they liked so much sun.       “Excuse me?” Bruce chuckled, following down the same isle. He caught glimpses of Betty’s blue plaid shirt through the dark hanging ivy. “I’m nowhere near as angry as Hulk!” “Yes you are!” He heard Betty laugh.       “How?” Bruce maneuvered and gently pushed passed dangling ivy he’d been caring for since he came to Betty’s. He took a left and entered an isle full of hostas on the ground and shelves, making it look like a jungle.       “You both grit your teeth and growl,” Betty called out.       “I growl?”       “Kind of!”       “Do not!” Bruce turned right, and as he did, Betty slammed into him. She threw her arms around his neck and giggled as Bruce held her tightly. He began tickling her in the sides, almost making Betty coll-apse out of laughter. When she regained herself, Bruce curled his hands around her waist as Betty kept hers around his neck.       Next to them was a wall of roses, of all different colors, shapes and sizes.       “You smell,” Betty winced at Bruce.       “You’re too happy,” Bruce retorted.       “Speaking of happy,” Betty moved closer to him. “Are you? Like, gardening makes you happier?”       Bruce nodded, “Yeah, it feels good to know that I’m taking care of something,”       “You know, when people are happy they’re pretty much taking care of themselves,” Betty smiled. “Bruce Banner you’re finally taking care of yourself! No more late nights and early mornings and running on fifteen cups of coffee. You’re a Plant Boy now!” Betty watched Bruce laugh. She hadn’t heard him laugh in a while.       Well, she had, but not that hard. She was nervous to know if he ever really did. When Betty was told by him that he almost pulled the trigger she burst into tears. She didn’t go to work for almost more than a week after Bruce stayed because she was worried he might do something. At work she’d call the house just to make sure Bruce would answer. One night two weeks after the whole calling the house, Betty had hid the kitchen appliances that could potentionally harm Bruce. When Bruce heard about this he became angry, thinking that Betty thought he couldn’t handle himself.       Betty explained that she couldn’t bare to live in a world without him. That the only way she kept going years after Bruce left the first time was knowing that somewhere, he was still here. After a long night of talking, both apologized, and that was when Bruce noticed the greenhouse and the semi-dead plants. Before there were only four plants of different kinds. Now, there were well over fifty of different variety’s and colors.       As long as Bruce was maintaining the garden, he was happy, and as long as he was happy So was Betty.       “Plant Boy,” Bruce repeated, wincing. “Still not too sure I like that,”       “Girlfriends always give their boyfriends ugly pet names,” Betty smirked. “Come on Plant Boy,” she hooked her arms around Bruce’s left one. “Let’s go inside,”

[adorealeclightwood]

Happy Birthday, Alexander.

(Set a little after 3x04.)

AO3.

"Izzy, I told you, you didn't have to do all of this." Alec said, gently swatting his sister's hands away as she fussed over his hair.

The Institute was teeming with guests from all walks of life; Shadowhunters and Downworlders alike. Izzy had gone all out, as he expected.

She pulled him from a chair, and ushered him over to a full length mirror before circling him carefully, picking lint and loose threads off of his suit. It was all black in color, much to her disappointment. She'd ordered a variety of colors, but Alec chose the black one, and refused to try on anything else.

"Quit squirming!" She fastened his cuff links. "You look amazing, big brother."

Alec paused to stare at his reflection, and allowed himself to smile. He hadn't even thought of celebrating, but Izzy did, and he could see that she wouldn't let up until he was having fun.

"Thank you," He pat her shoulder before taking a deep breath. She opened the door so they could exit the room, and the rumble of chatter rushed into Alec's ears like a tidal wave.

Alec was met with dozens of smiling faces, brief side hugs, and strong handshakes. The guests were truly dressed to impress in gowns and suits that coincided with the royal blue color scheme Izzy had set up. Soft blue lights illuminated the ceiling and walls, while specks of silver were scattered in everything from the decorative stones placed upon the table, to the ribbons that fastened the envelopes on the invitations.

Alec glanced over his shoulder and smiled again. Izzy was following at a distance with a glass of champagne, and it made him breathe a little easier. He took comfort in knowing she was only a few feet away if he needed her.

"There you are!" He turned in time to see his mother coming towards him with her arms spread wide. Maryse hugged him tightly before she stepped back with her hands on his shoulders, and a wide grin on her face.

"Happy Birthday, my dearest boy." Alec felt his cheeks begin to flush, and looked down at his feet bashfully.

"Mother, it's good to see you," He said, clearing his throat. "How are you?"

She’d seemed happy enough the last time he’d seen her, but deep down, Alec knew better. She’d been divorced and deruned, all in the span of a few months. She could smile and nod to fool everyone else, but he saw right through her. 

She smoothed the lapels of his jacket when she spoke, refusing to meet his eyes. 

“I’m fine.” She cleared her throat. “Lucian has been helping me adjust.” Alec relaxed then. If there was anyone to make the lifestyle change easier for her, it was Luke. 

“Alec, hey!” He and Maryse looked up to see Simon walking over. 

“We’ll talk later,” Alec said, squeezing Maryse’s hand. 

Simon started to hug Alec, then thought better of it and shook his hand instead. 

“Happy birthday!” He said. “What are you, fifty something?” 

“Twenty-four,” Alec smiled, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

“Almost a quarter of a century,” Simon said longingly. “I’m not gonna lie, I’m jealous. I’ll never celebrate a real birthday again.” It was then that Alec realized he hadn’t paid much attention to Simon since he’d become a vampire. 

When they first met, Simon was jittery, and spoke too quickly and too often for Alec’s taste, but the differences from then and now were obvious. He stood taller and straighter beside Alec, and carried himself with confidence. He hadn’t chosen this life for himself - that was a decision Clary made to keep from losing him - but he was handling it as best he could, and for that, Alec respected him. 

“Great party,” Simon commented. “I had no idea you knew this many people.” 

“I don’t,” Alec nodded in Izzy’s direction. “She handled the guest list.” 

“Oh,” Simon blinked. “Guess that explains why I got an invitation.” 

“No,” Alec shook his head. “You didn’t need one. You’re always welcome.” Simon looked around, not sure who Alec was speaking to. 

“Seriously?” He asked. “I thought you’d want me as far away from this place as possible since I’ve got a little, uh, situation.” He pointed to his forehead. 

“You didn’t ask for that,” Alec said. “I meant what I said. You can come here anytime.” Simon smiled, and didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around Alec, who sighed before patting Simon on the back. 

“Thanks man! I’m gonna go grab a drink, I’ll catch up with you later.” Alec watched him walk away before blending into the crowd. 

A loud, fast-paced song began blaring from speakers he couldn’t see, and colorful strobe lights flashed and swirled over the dance floor, which was filled with people. He could hear them screaming with joy and could feel their feet disturbing the ground around him. Dozens of faces smiled back at him as he walked across the room, feeling his face grow warm as compliments and birthday wishes reached his ears. Their bodies moved together as they celebrated, rhythmically breaking into shapes and colors that tickled his heart. Izzy attempted to pull me him into the crowd, but he shook his head, inching away from her. 

“Come on,” She whined. “I love this song! Dance with me.” 

“Oh no,” Alec said. “Believe me, no one wants to see that.” 

“Fine,” She jabbed his chest with her finger playfully. “But you better not be sneaking off to your room to hide out for the night. I’ll come find you and drag you out kicking and screaming if I have to.” 

“I won’t hide,” He promised. “Go have fun.” She turned on her heel and skipped back to where a group of her friends were waiting. 

Alec wandered over to an empty table, and helped himself to a glass of champagne. In all honesty, he’d never cared for parties. Naturally, the sight of other people enjoying themselves brought him a modicum of happiness, but he’d never felt the need to join in. Now that this particular celebration was being held in his honor, he wasn’t sure how to act. Should he have gone out there to dance like Izzy suggested, and make a fool of himself? Was he supposed to be walking around on cloud nine, engaging in meaningless conversation with people he’d likely never speak to again? 

“Boo!” Alec didn’t flinch at the sound of Jace’s voice in his right ear. 

“Jace,” He rolled his eyes playfully. “How nice of you to grace us with your presence.” 

“It’s your birthday, I’m gracing you with a bit more than my presence,” Jace said, plopping down in a chair beside Alec. There was a medium sized box in his hands, wrapped in metallic blue. 

“What’s that?” Alec asked. 

“If you wanna know what it is, you have to open it,” Jace handed it to him. “That’s how presents work.” 

“You didn’t have to get me anything,” Alec tried to hand it back, but Jace dropped it in his lap. 

“And you didn’t have to put my favorite leather jacket in the washing machine.”

“That was one time.”

“Yeah, one time too many,” Jace said. “Open it.” 

“Now?” Alec looked around. There was a table a few feet away from the bar overflowing with boxes of all shapes and sizes, and he was positive Izzy mentioned something about an “opening session”. 

“Don’t you think I should wait until-”

“Alec, open the damn gift before I hit you with it.”

Alec nodded and found a strip of tape to begin peeling it back, making Jace sigh. 

That was Alec for you; meticulous, through and through. 

When the last of the paper was torn away, Alec felt his mouth stretch into a genuine smile, because even though he hadn’t asked for anything, Jace had known exactly what to give him. 

He removed the lid from a clear case to reveal a brand new quiver made of thick black leather. There were several runes stitched into the shoulder strap in silver thread, and Alec ran his fingers over each one, remembering what they meant. He leaned in to get a better look at the words embroidered near the top. 

Ego sum apud te.

I am with you.

“I know I’ve been acting weird,” Jace said, looking down at his hands. “When you came to me the other day, I wanted to talk, but you said ‘mental illness’ and I freaked. I just...” He shook his head before looking up at Alec. 

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Alec said, setting the box aside. “I understand.” 

“I know you do.” Jace paused. “Even when I’m being an idiot, breaking some rule, or saying something stupid to hurt you or piss you off, you always find a way to understand and forgive me.”

“You’re my parabatai,” Alec said. “How could I not?” 

There was no sarcasm or bitterness in his question, only truth. No matter how many times they got under each other’s skin, they were parabatai. Brothers.

That wouldn’t change.

“I just wanted you to know that I don’t take it for granted,” Jace said. “I love you, Alec.”

“I love you too.” They exchanged a look, and Jace opened his mouth to speak before chuckling, shaking his head. 

“What’s funny?”

“You! Izzy set up a party that would make a Kardashian jealous, and you’re sitting in the corner like you’ve been put in time out.” Jace took the box and stood up. “Go get another drink, I’ll put this in your room before Izzy sees that you’ve opened it.” Alec wanted to argue, but knew it was no use. 

He got up to make his way over to the bar. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as before, so he was able to get another glass of champagne fairly quickly. He’d brought it to his lips to take a sip, only to hear his name being called yet again. This time, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before putting a tight lipped smile on his face, and turning around. 

Clary was standing there, beaming at him. She was wearing a lacy, navy blue dress he was sure belonged to Izzy, but looked decent on her. 

“There you are!” She held out what appeared to be a scrapbook with a matte grey cover. “Happy birthday!” He took it from her hands as she offered to hold his champagne, encouraging him to open it. 

He did, and found himself speechless as his eyes took in what was drawn there. 

It was an image of him, firing an arrow. Clary had penciled the entire thing, down to the finest of details, like the scar partially hidden by his eyebrow, and the placement of his neck rune. He turned to the next page, and felt as if he were looking into a mirror. She’d drawn him from the shoulders up, looking straight ahead with a tense expression on his face. The book had some weight to it, and he knew he’d end up in bed flipping through it for hours, admiring the delicate strokes Clary had used on each page.

“Wow,” Alec said, breathless. “You did all of these? For me?” 

“Sort of,” She shrugged one shoulder. “I’m always inspired by what’s around me. I’ve been spending a lot of time around Jace, Izzy, and you, so I started drawing you guys. I spent the most time on yours though.” 

“Why?” Alec asked. He wasn’t trying to be rude - he was only curious. 

“Why not?” Clary said, tilting her head. “Look at you. You’ve got those swoon worthy eyes, great bone structure, and amazing hair. I could never sketch someone like you carelessly; your drawings required focus. And, I knew you’d like me even less if I messed up.” 

“That’s not true,” Alec said. “I’m surprised you took the time to draw me at all.” 

“Oh stop it,” Clary put a hand on her hip. “You’re smart, strong, brave, attractive, and a good leader. You go out of your way to protect the people you care about, and you’ve helped me despite having every reason not to. You’re worthy of admiration, even if it means I have to draw you from memory to do it.” Clary admired him? 

Alec wasn’t sure what to make of that. 

He closed the book and flipped it over. A large rune had been painted on the back in black ink. 

“What does this mean?” He asked. He’d never seen it before. 

“I saw it in a dream,” Clary said. “I was terrified of something, and that rune appeared. I drew it on my arm, and I wasn’t afraid anymore.”

“Why did you paint it?” She looked him in the eye. 

“Because you’re fearless,” She said. “You may not think so, but I do. I don’t have the guts to do half the things you’ve done for yourself, and your family.” Again, Alec was speechless. That time, Clary decided to hand him his drink. 

“Thank you,” He said. “This is...it’s nice. I love it.” 

“Good,” Clary smiled. “Because you’re getting another one next year.” She laughed and walked away, leaving Alec to shake his head and tuck the book under his arm. 

The festivities went on for hours, like Izzy intended. There was an opening session, in which Alec received a multitude of gifts. He had enough clothes, shoes, books, and gift cards to satisfy him until his fiftieth birthday. Shortly after that, everyone gathered around to sing as Izzy and Jace carried a four-tier cake over to him. It was covered in blue and white fondant, decorated with elegant black swirls. There were small arrowheads made of sugar lining the top tier, and a handful of sparklers glowing in the center . 

There wasn’t anything in the world he could’ve wished for, but he shut his eyes and blew the sparklers out anyway. 

Three hours and a heartfelt toast later, the party came to a blissful end. Alec stood by the door, thanking all the guests for coming as they made their way out. When the last of them had gone, he noticed Izzy, Jace, Clary, and Simon huddled together, talking excitedly. 

“What’s going on?” He walked over to them.

“Nothing,” Jace said. “We were just, uh-”

“Going to bed!” Clary yawned. “I’m tired. Are you tired Jace?” 

“I am,” He nodded quickly. “I’m beat. That was some party.” 

“I’ve seen you train for twelve hours straight without using a stamina rune, but you’re tired after partying for less than six hours?” Alec quirked an eyebrow. 

Liar. 

“Yeah, well, you’re not the only one getting old around here,” Jace grabbed Clary’s hand to pull her away. “Goodnight! Happy birthday!” Alec watched the two of them walk off, giggling. 

“I better head out too,” Simon piped up. “By the way, did you like the moon lamp I got you? I know you hunt demons, so you’re not afraid of the dark, but you seem like the type to enjoy reading by moonlight.” 

“Yes, I like it,” Alec said slowly. Maybe if he stared long enough, he could get Simon to crack and tell him what was going on. 

“I should go,” He said. “The sun will be up in a few hours.”

“Funny,” Alec said dryly. “I didn’t think the sun was an issue for you anymore.” Simon’s eyes widened at his error, but Izzy came to his rescue. 

“It’s not,” She said. “But he’s got his van parked in a sketchy area. He has to move it before someone breaks in.” 

“Actually, I parked out front by the-” 

“Goodnight Simon.” Izzy cut him off. She was smiling when she said it, but Alec caught the urgency in her voice. 

Simon made use of his vamp speed and disappeared as soon as the words left her mouth. 

“Finally,” Izzy sighed, holding her hand out. “Come with me.” 

“Where are we going now?” Alec let her lead him down the hall. 

“I’m taking you to your other gift,” She explained. They stopped in front of his bedroom, and she reached up to remove his tie, then folded it into a makeshift blindfold. 

“Izzy,” Alec warned, leaning away. “What’s going on?” 

“Would you stop moving and trust me?” She smacked his arm before pulling him down so she could tie it around his head, covering his eyes. “Perfect. Now, give me your hand.” Alec reached out until their fingers touched, and caught her hand in a vice grip. 

He heard her opening the door, and took a deep breath. The scent of vanilla and cinnamon reached his nostrils, and he took a tentative step forward. 

“Keep going,” Izzy chuckled, releasing his hand. He took two more steps. 

It was strange. He’d been coming in and out of this room since he was a child, and assumed he knew it like the back of his hand, yet he felt like he’d trip over his own feet walking in with his eyes covered. 

“Almost there,” Izzy sounded farther away. “Just a little closer.” 

Alec took exactly three steps before he heard the door shut, followed by the click of a lock, and stiffened. The door didn’t lock from the outside. That meant he wasn’t alone. 

Invisible hands loosened the tie from around his eyes, and he gasped when the material fell away. 

It was his room, but he hardly recognized it. The plain black comforter had been replaced with a deep red one, and large golden pillows. There were at least a dozens candles placed around the room, and their wax didn’t seem to be melting, despite the flicker of flames. Countless red and white rose petals littered the floor. He whirled around with a smile on his face as Magnus touched his hand. 

“How long have you been here?” He asked. 

“All night,” Magnus said, reaching up to move a strand of hair out of Alec’s face.

“Really? I didn’t see you.” In fact, Alec hadn’t thought of Magnus since Izzy had come to help him get dressed. 

“I’m a warlock,” Magnus winked. “I’m a lot better at hiding than you are.” Alec wanted to say something, but his words failed him. 

Magnus was standing there in a blue silk shirt, and black dress pants. His skin was golden and glowing in the candlelight, and he wasn’t using a glamour to hide his eyes. Alec loved looking into them more than anything else in the world, and as much as he wished Magnus wouldn’t hide them, he’d never ask him not to. It made it that much more special when he decided to show them. 

“What did you wish for?” Magnus asked. 

“Nothing,” Alec said. “When I was younger, I was constantly wishing I was happier, but now, I don’t need to.” Magnus stilled and let Alec’s words sink in. 

He may have lived for hundreds of years, but there was no way to get used to someone telling you how happy you’ve made them. 

“Close your eyes,” He said softly. Alec complied, and Magnus stepped closer to wrap his arms around his waist. 

When their lips finally touched, it wasn’t gentle, or teasing like previous kisses. This one was hot, fiery, passionate, and demanding. For a second, Alec wanted to pull away before he lost himself, but his senses had been seduced, and he could no longer think straight. Magnus was the one to break the kiss, leaning away so there was a millimeter of space between them.

“Happy birthday, Alexander.” Magnus whispered slowly, savoring every syllable. Alec smiled, feeling his heart flutter at the sound of his voice as he placed a hand on either side of his face. 

He never cared for his full name unless it was coming from the lips of the man he loved with every fiber of his being. 

Alec leaned in to kiss him again, and his entire world melted away. It was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rested below his ear, his thumb caressing his cheek as their breaths mingled. Magnus ran his fingers down his spine, pulling him closer until there was no space left between them and he could feel Alec’s heart beating against his chest.

Magnus snapped his fingers, and even with closed eyes, Alec knew the room had been plunged into darkness, as all the candles had gone out. He began walking backwards until he felt his bed behind him, and smiled before spinning to push Magnus onto it. 

The door would remain locked, sealed with the help of a sturdy lock and a hint of magic. They’d spend hours, twisting into each other like vines, bursting at the seams with love and happiness, and wouldn’t come up for air until the next day, long after the sun had risen. 

It was a very happy birthday indeed. 

[lobsters-on-their-heads]

Continuing Travels of Cophine, Chapt. 8

This one was more of a bitch than the past chapters have been, but I think it’s okay now.  You can read the entire work here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12116799?view_full_work=true 

After shuttling through every major airport in Latin America (and several of the minor ones), Cosima expected landing in Toronto to be different, to feel like home.

It didn't.

As she leaned around Delphine to watch the city appear on the banks of Lake Ontario, she didn't get the thrill of seeing her home coming into view. It was just another city growing larger with their approach, not so different from San Juan, Buenos Aires, or São Paolo. Just colder and greyer.

“I've never seen it from this angle before,” she said.

“Hm?” Delphine opened one eye, frowning, both arms wrapped around her stomach.

“I've never flown into Canada before. I've driven or taken buses or whatever, but I've never seen it from the air.”

Delphine grunted. “`s nothing special.”

The plan landed in a few minutes, and they sat quietly waiting for first class to disembark before they stood up. When it was their turn, Cosima retrieved the carry-on suitcase containing the two remaining vials of clone cure from the overhead compartment, and led her still bleary-eyed fiancée from the plane. Parking themselves and their luggage in the non-citizens line for customs, Cosima wrapped her arms around Delphine's midsection and let Delphine rest her cheek on her the top of her head.

“Do you think you'll want to be a Canadian citizen one day? Like, after we're done traveling?”

Delphine shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Just maybe. Hmm. Usually I'm the one too tired to function after a flight, not you. You sure you're okay?”

Delphine nodded, though Cosima swore she felt a heaviness in Delphine's body that wasn't usually there.

“How much you wanna bet that you'll be wide awake once we put you in bed later?”

Delphine didn't answer.

The line moved foot by foot, a segmented snake of people moving through the legal limbo that existed on Canadian soil but not yet in Canada, and Delphine's eyes were closed more than they were open as she leaned either on Cosima's shoulder or on one of the lane dividers. The only time she perked up was when a security beagle went by sniffing everyone's luggage, and she pressed a knuckle against her lips to contain a squeal. Cosima mentally filed away the memory for later, when she might, potentially, be able to get Delphine a puppy. Some day. The thought was interrupted when Cosima's phone buzzed.

“Sarah says they're here,” she told Delphine.

“Hm,” was all Delphine said, still watching the beagle work its way down the line but no longer smiling. Cosima watched the way Delphine still rubbed her abdomen, and she wanted to do whatever she could to make the pain stop, to make Delphine smile again even for a second, but she knew that a customs line wasn't the place to try kissing it to make it better. She had to settle for kissing Delphine's cheek, instead.

“We'll be home soon,” she said.

For now, Cosima navigated their way through customs, paying the duty fee for the tequila they were bringing in, and leading her fiancée by the hand through the double doors into the arrivals area, where a small mass of people waited to greet their loved ones or business connections.

She saw the signs first – large poster board signs reading “WELCOME HOME” along with their names in rainbow colors and drawings of butterflies and airplanes, held by Charlotte and Kira. Charlotte stood as still and stoically as any of the sensible business people nearby, but Kira almost wiggled out of her skin. Both girls had grown since the summer, she saw, and Charlotte looked even more like the other sestras than she had on Skype. No matter how many times she saw her youngest clone, the resemblance to herself in adolescence still startled Cosima. Add a few years, a nose ring, and glasses, and Charlotte could start doing clone swaps. Behind the girls stood Sarah, looking almost the same as when Cosima last saw her, exhaustion, torn jeans, and all, and in her arms were two winter coats, one red, one black.

“You're gonna need these,” Sarah said after she'd hugged them both.

Cosima swathed herself in her old red coat, smelling the must of the Rabbit Hole's closet, and fought the memories that threatened to explode in her mind.

Meeting Alison for the first time. Running through campus with Delphine and a bottle of wine. Coughing up blood.

She shook her head and smiled to thank her sister. From her bag she took her hat and gloves, packed back in June with this day in mind, and Delphine did the same. Hers, though, were purchased in Mexico, where selection was limited. The hat was one of those ear-flap varieties decorated with bright red snow flakes and a white pompom on top that looked frikkin' adorable on Delphine, but which Cosima knew would be traded for Delphine's trusty old grey beanie in less than 24 hours.

Outside the airport, both of them gasped when the frigid air hit their faces, making Sarah and Kira laugh. Making sure the girls weren't quite in earshot, Cosima muttered, “fuuuuuck....”

“A bit different than what you've gotten used to, isn't it?” Sarah said.

Several rows of cars later, Sarah pulled out her keys and pushed a button to unlock a black Prius.

“What happened to Siobhan's truck?”

“Nothing. It's still back at the house. It's not that easy getting two girls to and from everywhere with it, though, you know? Especially since they keep getting taller on me.”

The Prius had four doors and a hatchback and looked more suited for Alison Hendrix than Sarah Manning, except for a bumper sticker advertising Bobby's Bar. Charlotte took the front seat, with Kira sitting between Cosima and Delphine in the back.

“Me and Charlotte convinced Mom to get this car,” Kira said. “And Colin helped, too.”

“Yeah,” Sarah said as she pulled out of their spot. “Alison wanted me to get a minivan.”

Cosima tried to imagine Sarah driving a minivan, and laughed. “Well, I appreciate any and all attempts at reducing the carbon footprint.”

Sarah pulled into the long line of cars exiting the airport parking lot. “That's what the girls said. What do you want for dinner, by the way? Or did you eat on the plane?”

Cosima smirked. “Yeah, no, we fly coach. No in-flight meals for us. And whatever you guys want is fine. How `bout you, babe?” She reached around Kira to tap Delphine's shoulder. “You want anything special for dinner?”

“Anything is fine. All I really want is a cup of coffee.”

Cosima snorted. “Only if you want to spend the night by yourself.”

In the time since leaving Dyad, Delphine's caffeine intake had been severely reduced, meaning each cup of coffee packed a much larger punch than it had in her days of four to six cups a day. She'd forgotten that once in Guatemala, when one of the clinic doctors gave her a 16 ounce cup of local brew in the afternoon and Cosima thought she might actually jitter out of her own skin. It was the only night Cosima had ever kicked Delphine out of bed, because Delphine simply could not keep her body still.

Charlotte twisted to look at them from the front seat. “Sarah says we're going wherever you guys want to go for dinner.”

“Yeah,” Kira agreed. “So you should pick something.”

They looked at each other over Kira's head, and Delphine shrugged. “You have been saying you miss maple syrup. And peanut butter.”

At that, both Charlotte and Kira broke into smiles. “We can go to Jack's!” Kira cried. “We can have breakfast for dinner!”

Sarah paid for their parking and the car sped out onto the highway towards Toronto proper. Cosima was struck by how different the landscape here was from each Latin American city they'd been to, and she was about to comment on it, but when she looked over, she saw a far off look on Delphine's face. Her fiancée's mouth was drawn into a small frown, and her eyes were larger than usual. Cosima reached over and brushed the side of her head, making Delphine jump a little.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yes.” Delphine turned to kiss Cosima's wrist. “Just remembering things.”

At Jack's Diner, they all piled into a booth towards the back, and everyone got hot chocolate except Sarah, who got black tea. Cosima hadn't thought she was hungry on the ride over, but the pies in the front display case called her name as she walked past, and just about everything on the menu looked amazing.

“Will you judge me,” Cosima asked the table at large, “if I order something super unhealthy?”

“It's the Christmas season,” Delphine said, “so we can all be a little unhealthy, I think.”

“Alison would disagree with you there,” Sarah said. “Apparently she's got her whole family on a diet right now.”

Kira giggled. “That's just because she caught Helena giving the twins butter.”

“What's wrong with butter?” Delphine asked. “They're eating solids now, aren't they?”

“Yes,” Charlotte said, “but it's just butter. Like, she gets a glob of butter on her fingers and gives it to them like that. They love it.”

Cosima could picture that quite well, and she imagined that Helena would transfer some of her own idiosyncrasies about food to her feeding of the boys, who were now nine months old. “That sounds like Helena,” she said.

Delphine nodded. “As long as they're getting a balanced diet otherwise and their pediatrician says they're okay, butter should be fine.”

“She also gave them a can of frosting,” Charlotte said, “but I think she ate most of that herself.”

It must've been news to Kira, who turned to her mother to indignantly say, “you never let me eat frosting out of the can!”

“Yeah, `cause I'm not Helena, and neither are you! You heard about her trip to the dentist, yeah, Cos?”

She had. Apparently Helena had gone most, or even all, of her life without seeing a dentist, and that combined with her sugar addiction had created a goldmine of cavities. The only way the family had gotten her through the initial exam and cleaning was by Donnie holding her hand the whole time, and discussions were underway as to how to get her through the recommended fillings and a potential root canal.

“She just needs a little moral support,” Kira had said. “She's afraid of doctors.”

“I'm sure one of us can sit with her through it,” Cosima said. “If that's what it takes. We'll find a dentist who understands.”

The waiter came for their orders, and Delphine got a salad. All the talk of butter and frosting turned her off of the heavier menu items, but Cosima had the opposite response, ordering a plate of French toast, scrambled eggs with cheese, and hash browns. She might regret it all later, but that was a problem for later. Sarah ordered a club sandwich, Kira got a stack of pancakes, and Charlotte ordered the eggs benedict.

While they waited for their food to arrive, they chatted about family news and local happenings, with Kira doing most of the talking and Sarah or Charlotte chiming in with side notes or corrections. They learned that Cal Morrison, Kira's father, might be coming to town for Christmas, but no one was quite sure how likely that was. Then their food arrived, and Cosima stopped caring about Cal Morrison. After a few minutes of quiet chewing and the clatter of silverware on plates, Charlotte sighed and slumped in her seat.

“What's wrong?” Cosima asked. The youngest Leda had seemed in better spirits that evening than in their recent Skype calls, but she could be moody, too.

Charlotte twisted her mouth like she didn't want to say, but then said, “Ira's was better.”

Ira's. Cosima had not thought about Ira for months, focusing on the Ledas they could and would save rather than the Castor men they hadn't even tried to save. She reached across the table and took Charlotte's hand in hers. “Ira was a good guy,” she said. “I know you miss him.”

Tears gathered in Charlotte's eyes, but she nodded and picked her fork back up. She didn't eat, but pushed a piece of egg around on her plate, eyes down.

“Did he ever show you how to make it?” Delphine asked.

Charlotte shook her head. “He said it was hard to get it right.”

Delphine nodded. “It is hard, but once you have the technique, it's not too bad. Would you like to learn?”

“Do you know how to make it?” Charlotte asked.

“Yes, but it's been a while.��

Cosima leaned back from her own decimated plate to arch an eyebrow at Delphine. “You've never made me an eggs benedict.”

“You've never asked for one.”

After they'd eaten their fill of diner food and Cosima decided against buying any pies, Sarah drove them to the Rabbit Hole and dropped them off. “See you tomorrow, yeah?” she called from the driver's seat.

Cosima nodded. “Yeah, definitely. Maybe tomorrow afternoon, though. We need to settle in a little before too much family time.”

Downstairs, in the cold former storage space come laboratory, she and Delphine turned on all the lights, set down their luggage, and stood for a minute, staring at the space and each other. It was cold enough that their breath fogged in the air. Despite the months that she and Delphine had spent living here after the fall of Neolution, the first memories that sprang to Cosima's mind were of bloody coughing fits, robot worms, and soul crushing despair, but to her surprise, she still felt a rush of fondness for the little apartment – laboratory combo.

“You know,” Cosima said, “I didn't realize it, but I kind of missed this place. In a weird way.”

Delphine turned on the nearest space heater, then wrapped her arms around Cosima and nuzzled her hair. “Why is it weird?”

“Because so much of the time I spent here was.... well, it wasn't exactly happy.”

“No. But some of it was, I think.”

She nodded and rubbed her nose against Delphine's warm neck. “Yeah. Especially once you got here.”

Delphine giggled. Her clothes smelled like coffee and bacon, and the stale airplane air they had marinated in for much of the day. Then she sighed and pulled Cosima closer.

Cosima rested her her hands on Delphine's hips and thought back to their dinner. “Is it okay with you that I've only told Sarah so far?”

“What?”

“That we're engaged. Sarah's the only one I've told, well, not counting Art. The girls don't know.”

“Oh, no, that's okay. If you told the girls, they would run around and tell everyone else before we got the chance to, and you want to tell them yourself.”

“Exactly.”

They broke away from each other to turn on the remaining space heaters scattered around the basement and to check their stores of winter clothing. Then, Cosima went over to the storage case and looked at the new vials of the clone vaccine Scott had put together for them. “We'll need some more. There's only twenty here, and we have, what, fifty in Europe and the Middle East?”

“Something like that.” Delphine plucked at the sleeve of Cosima's jacket. “Worry about that tomorrow. I'm going to take a shower, and you know the hot water here doesn't last very long.”

By the time Cosima got into the tiny bathroom with the clawfoot bathtub and the fitful shower head, Delphine was already naked and shampooing her hair. No matter how many times Cosima had seen Delphine naked, in various states, moods, and positions, watching Delphine wash her hair always held a special appeal for her. Maybe it was the way Delphine's arms raised above her head and stretched out her torso, or the way she held her head to one side, or maybe it was just the play of water over her skin, coursing across the freckles on her back and down the crack of her ass...

“Are you coming in?”

“Yeah, yeah. Totally.” She shucked off her clothing and climbed in with her, hurrying to soap up the most important parts of herself. As Delphine predicted, the water cooled off just as they finished rinsing off, so Cosima had goose bumps when she stepped out. There would be no shower sex in this place, that was for sure.

After they'd showered, dried off, and crawled under the layers of blankets on the bed, Cosima tucked herself against Delphine's body and breathed in the warm smell of her skin and hair. Delphine wore a T-shirt and flannel pajamas pants, and Cosima missed the easy access to her bare skin she'd had in Latin America, when all Delphine wore to bed most nights was a pair of shorts. She kissed her above the neckline of the T-shirt.

“I'm glad you're here,” she whispered.

Delphine squeezed her arm. “Me too. Did you think I wouldn't be?”

“No, no. It's not that. I'm just glad you're here.”

“Hm.”

She felt Delphine smile, and her fingers tapped against Cosima's arm even as residual warmth from the shower weighted Cosima's limbs down. “You're not even, like, remotely tired anymore, are you?” Cosima asked.

“Only a little bit. I slept pretty heavily on the plane.”

Cosima remembered Delphine's face, tucked into and drooling on her rolled up sweatshirt, scowling in her sleep. “You did. You seemed upset when you woke up, too. Did you have a bad dream?”

Delphine paused before answering, which meant the answer was probably yes even if Delphine said no. She pulled Cosima closer and ran her fingers over her upper arm, feeling the curves of her muscles. They'd both kept fit on their journey, walking and biking a lot, doing yoga, and discovering a mutual love of rock climbing, complete with jokes about the next time they'd get each other in a harness.

“You could say that,” she said.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

Delphine chest shook a little as she breathed in, making Cosima look up to see her staring at the ceiling. Cosima knew when Delphine was stalling. A year after their little Don't Ask Don't Tell arrangement on Revival, Delphine talked a lot more, but her habit was still to keep difficult topics close to her chest, even as Cosima got better about seeing through her defenses.

“I don't remember all of it,” she said.

Cosima rubbed her thumb over Delphine's ribs through her shirt. “That's okay. Tell me what you remember.”

“It was just... old worries I thought I was finished with. Like, something scraped up the old, accumulated gunk from the underside of my psyche and set it floating around in my head again. I need to just let it settle back into place, forget about it again.”

“That's an oddly poetic way to describe it without telling me what you actually dreamed about.”

She let out a huff of air. “Okay. I dreamed that you were dead. Is that better?”

Cosima kissed her jaw, then her cheek. “I'm sorry.”

“For what?”

“For your dream, for almost dying on you a couple times before, for being a brat. You know. For all of it. All the clone drama you've had to put up with over the years. And that you'll probably have to keep putting up with.”

Delphine kissed her back, holding her lips in hers for a moment before letting go. “You're worth it. And besides, I don't expect any upcoming clone drama to even remotely rival the drama with Neolution. Do you?”

“Oh, God, let's hope not.”

“We're safe now. I mean, as safe as anyone really is.”

She kissed the corner of Delphine's mouth, then the side of her nose and her temple. “I still think about it though, in like, fits and spurts. Sometimes I go days without even thinking or remembering that, hey, we didn't always have it this nice, you know. And then it hits me, like, I'll have a bad dream, or some smell will hit me, or I'll see someone who looks like Coady or Susan Duncan or whoever, and it all comes rushing back. Is it like that with you, too?”

Delphine gave her a small smile and stroked her face. “Yes. It is exactly like that.”

Cosima wanted to say more, but a large yawn stifled her words, and she snuggled back against Delphine. When she spoke again, her voice slurred a little with sleepiness. “It's probably just being back here. Back in Toronto, back in this basement. Seeing Sarah again, all that. It's kind of hit me, too. There's a lot of memories here.”

“Yes, there are. But, we can make new ones. New memories.”

“Damn skippy we will.”

Delphine giggled and tugged the blankets higher to cover their shoulders. Cosima's body relaxed, but her mind kept going, catching on the rough edges of memories. “Are you okay?” Delphine asked.

“Yeah, I'm good. Just, you know. You got me thinking, too. About the power of memories, and how our brains just, like, snap us back in time without much warning.”

“Mmm. Yes, they do.”

“Like, there was that one clinic we were in, I think it was in Sucre, and they'd just had a patient come in bleeding all over the damn place, and the walls were just concrete, and it was damp, and something about the smell just...”

She closed her eyes, but it wasn't the clinic she saw behind her eyelids.

“Like, I didn't even register the smell first,” Cosima went on. “The memory hit me before the smell really clicked. I didn't have any choice about whether or not to remember.”

Delphine stroked her hair. “Which memory?”

“The cage, and Janus. All that.”

Delphine hadn't learned about those details until after Westmoreland was dead, after the dust had settled on Neolution and various law enforcement agencies had tied up the loose ends. Delphine had stumbled across the partial tuxedo tucked in the back of the closet and asked Cosima if she would ever wear it again, and Cosima had told her the story. Cosima remembered how pale Delphine's face had gone, and how tightly she'd held her in her arms afterwards.

Delphine rubbed her back under the covers and nuzzled her hair. “You can talk about it more, if you want to.”

“I know. As I recall, though, we started talking about your inner demons, not mine.”

“I'll tell you more about mine in the morning.”

“Hmm. You promise?”

“I promise.”

“Do you promise to still be here in the morning when I wake up?”

She kissed Cosima's fingers. “Yes, I promise. There's nowhere else I want to be.”

[dinosourjimin-blog]

~Beautiful Minds~Spencer Reid~part 7

I walked into the Bau swiping my card against the cold metal and pushing the doors open "whats this I here about you and Doctor Reid??"Morgan said "What!-when!-who told you!?? garcia!-what!"I said He laughed "chillax,I won't tell anybody"Morgan said "a certain technical analysis is the first name on my hit list!"I said "You have a hit list?"He asked "I do now!"I said "You've got a crush on spencer!"he said "don't!- say it so loud.."I looked around he laughed "It's okay Babycakes Secret's safe with me,for now"Morgan said "what secret?"I heard a voice behind me "NOthi-" "Sarah has a crush on Reid"Morgan told Prentice I hit him in the shoulder "I knew it!"Prentiss said "knew what?"reid appeared "Nothing!?!"I said "nothin"Morgan said "nope.."prentiss said he furrowed his brows "goodmorning"I said he laughed I looked at morgan "I will crush you with my PhD Derrick Morgan"I said "exit stage,agent Morgan"he said "Yeah you better run!"I said throwig an eraser at him spencer laughed "what was that about?"spence said "agent Sarah.Grey.Rossi...honey where have you been all my life?!"I heard a familiar voice Reid and I turned "Deeds!?"I said "In the flesh"he said I gave him a hug "what the hell are you doing in Virginia!!"I said "came to see my favorite girl what else?"He said "Your a bad liar,Oh! this is my friend and co worker..Spencer Reid"I said Spencer waved akwardly but Deed's being Deeds...he had an alpha male personality,he Ignored Spencer "Im here to work a case,and to see you of course"Deed's said "flatterring"I said "Isn't it?"Deed's said "the conferance room is..back this way"I said he followed Reid and I to the confrence room "Detective Deeds how wonderful to see you"Hotch said "Deed's is the best they could do? really?"dad said I shrugged"It is Quantico"I said "Okay ten year old Sammy Sparks, comes to his elementary school covered in blood when the teachers contacted his parents they found they had been murdered "and the kid just walks to school casually??"Deeds said "Sammy's autistic"I said "getting him to tell us what happened won't be easy"emily said "It's do-able"I said "what are you a specialist in autism now?"Deeds said Morgan was about to say something "Ignore him"I said ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I'll be damned...Your dad has a private jet?"Deed's said "Yep.."I said reading over the file Deeds sat beside me on the couch putting his arm around me "Oh dear this is gonna be a long case...what the hell are you doing"I said "reading"he said pulling the file into his lap "Great,have it,I've memorized it"I said standing up "so what are you gonna ask the kid? gonna do some sign language? or maybe just click your tounge a few times that might work"Deeds said "Your making me angry"I said "You should cuff him so he doesn't hit himself"he said the team looked over at him but he didn't notice "Im gonna hurt you"I said "you and what army?"he said tugging my brown hair 'playfully' I elbowed him in the mouth and he fell to the floor I put my knee on Deed's chest "listen up Detective Douchebag,i don't need an army,and I'll be damned if your going near that kid,Im not sure why Terrick would send YOU of all people but your knowledge and charachter traits are as deep as a kiddy pool Your dominant personality Is really about to Piss me off!!!Your nothing but a bully with a badge deeds! and one more thing!! don't.touch.Me.Got it! cause I will send your Arrogant,alpha male ass backpacking back to boston in T minus three!!"I said My father simply laughed "You get your temper from your mother"He said ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Hey Sammy"reid said softly as he entered the room awe "im doctor Spencer Reid...this Is agent Sarah Grey..we're looking for your aunt and your uncle.."spencer said sitting on the coffee table he had a notebook with a variety of 'L's everywhere "did 'L' take them??"Spencer said he said nothing the sheriff touched Sammy's shoulder,he screamed and started rocking back and forth "autistc children don't like to be touched"Spencer said Sammy started drawing L in mid air "I think he's trying to tell us something"Spencer said "most autistic chilren have special things like toys and books...Im gonna go to the crime scene to see if I can find it,maybe he'll feel more comfortable"I said Reid nodded "oh,and whatever Detective ass wipe says to you...just ignore him he's a shallow insecure bully"I said "i know,It was actually funny when you layed him out on the plane"he laughed i smiled ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There was a piano in Sammy's house...I found his favorite toy and something intresting...It was a flip book full of..sammy's life? at a certain time each day sammy would be somewhere..either at his parents store,playing the piano,at school..or somewhere else like the park at first i thought nothing of it but then it hit me ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Look!"I said putting the flipbook on the table "a..childs flip book?"Deeds said "How are you still alive!!?-Sammy looks at this book every single day he see's his life in a constant pattern! this is his language!"I said "the text analyst can unscrabble autistic ten year old too,you never cease to impress"Deed's said "Shh!"I said pulling out sammy's notebook...I looked at the photos carefully "Reid what color socks are you wearing today?"I said "anchors and fish"He said dorkably GOD YOUR SO CUTE SPENCER FUCKING REID "This one!-It's reid's sock! and thats?? thats morgan's boot treds"I said "whats the L?"Hotch said "It's not an L,Its a time...Sammy has a strict schedule,he goes certain places at certain times! Its three o'clock!"I said "your extremely...confusing"Deeds said "dammit Deeds! the store!! go to the store and look at the security footage from three o'clock thursday evening!"I said ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The unsubs name was Todd harshly,he was on the verge of losing his house and killed the family for their money ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "h-hey sarah?? do you-...have a minute?"Reid said "I can make one for my favorite doctor"I said turning in my desk chair "i-uhm....there's a-...a meteaor shower tonight-...and- well i thought-...It might be intresting"He said I wasn't following but he was so friggin cute "d-do you wanna...wanna watch it-...with me?"He said I smiled brightly "I would love to"I said he smiled "great! great! follow me!"He said he led me to the roof of the Bau...to the very edge "sit"he said "What if I fall!"I said "Im not gonna let you fall Sarah I promise"he said extending his hand I touched Reids hand and it felt like a fire started in my gut... I put my legs one by one over the ledge and sat close to Reid,Who still held my hand "you have pretty hands.."I said observantly "Thank you.."he said I laughed "most people would say you had pretty-eyes or-Lips..or your hair looked nice-But-well I suppose thats nice about you to-i mean really there's nothihg wrong with your appearrence your just-just reid-pretty-Or-wait?that-what...and i-Like that about you??-what the hell am i saying"I said in a big rambeling cluster "I think you called me Pretty?"specer said "No!? what??-I-i did? did I??"I said " I think you did"He said "I-Im-...Im sorry it j-just sort of-came out i- didn't mean to make you uncomfortable-Im sorry.."I said "Im not uncomfortable at all.."reid said "Your-..not?"I said "no...I mean-...If it where up to me I would sit on this roof everynight if it meant you would hold my hand.."spencer said "Why me..there's other..Less damaged-wierd socially akward,prettier girls out there other than me,Im sure any of them would hold your hand"I said "Your not pretty...your artwork Sarah, every thing about you is created to be breath takingly gorgeous..and-...here lately I can't focus on anything when your in the room,and I love it when you talk because it gives me a reason to stare at you...your-smart and...kind and...I remember you telling me to find someone to hang onto so...so if you'll let me...I want to hang onto you...just like this...because-I-I really Like you..Sarah??and It's not some psychological thing t-that a doctor can cure It's something i don't understand,My chest feels tight when I hear your voice and when you laugh it's the most beautiful sound I've ever heard-when your standing next to me i can't move,i get butterflies in my stomach and when im around you my headaches aren't so bad...and with several months of teasing,and convincing from morgan and Garcia..I like you"he said "nobody's really ever said anything like that to me before...I like you too...and I have for a while.."I said "c-can i-can I try something.."He said "Yes"I piped "close your eyes"he said I closed my eyes I felt a warm sensation on my lips and-holyshitimkissingspencerfuckingreidicantbreathsomeonecallhelpcallmydadcallthepopecallsomedamnbodyamidreaming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I gasped when he pulled away "w-what was that"I said "My first kiss?"Spencer said "what?!"I said "what!? whats wrong?"spencer said I kissed him again "Nothing! absolutley nothing!"I said he smiled i looked out to the sky "hey sarah..."he said "hmm?"I said "i think we missed the meteaor shower.."He said

[baby-come-bach]

All writing asks!

Oh daaaamn! Thanks, bro!! @brynhildr13 !!!!

In response to this post!

1. What is your preferred place to write (notebook, laptop, cellphone, etc.)?

~Normally I try to do everything on my laptop in Zoho’s Notebook app. I seriously love the app, and there’s a desktop and mobile version that will sync so if you’re on the go you can still edit your notes! If I’m ever stuck I’ll hand write in a paper notebook and that usually works really well for me.

2. When did you start writing?

~I started writing back in the third grade, when I wrote and illustrated a comic series called The Evil Substitute Teacher from Mars! Obviously it was of a third grade quality and I had no intentions of being a writer at that point, but it was the first time I seriously flexed my skills even though it was just for fun!

I started writing fanfiction in my freshman year of high school.

3. What is your favorite thing to write?

~I love to write stories that take characters through intense emotional journeys. I absolutely love quality character development when you can track it from beginning to end.

4. Fluff or angst?

~Angst. I have little to no interest in writing a love story or love encounters as the primary plot. It’s hard to emulate the kinds of emotions people feel during those encounters when I’ve had minimal experience.

5. How would you describe your style?

~Hmmm . . . I would say . . . healthily balanced between pragmatics and prose. I try to make things as literal as I can when there’s action happening, but when I describe character’s emotions I literally love to pour on the cheese.

6. Where do you usually find inspiration?

~In general, for overall fanfic concepts I’ll find it in the source material, in a detail that wasn’t well-expanded. For specific ideas within a story, and for specific language to describe something I’ll borrow from both the source material and other writers in canon-based fics.

7. Do you listen to music to help you write?

~Hell yes.

8. What’s the biggest “challenge” for you as a writer?

~I love to write and I mainly write for myself - meaning I write the stories that I would want to read. But it’s extremely easy to fall into the “Nobody else will want to read this/Nobody is reading this = it must be bad and I’m a terrible writer” mindset. Surprisingly, that hits me harder than comparing myself to other writers. I understand and embrace that my style is different and the way I tell stories is unique. I actually really love how I write in comparison.  I also struggle with pacing.

9. Where do you usually go to write (bedroom, living room, etc.)?

~When I’m at home, my bedroom. However, occasional changes in scenery do wonders for my inspiration, so I also love public libraries. When it’s very late at night (and it usually is because I’m a night owl to begin with and I work two jobs), I love to go to Denny’s. The people at my local Denny’s know me by name and I have the same server almost every time. They let me sit there for hours and hours (and if I do stay, I always leave a gigantic tip).

10. Can you give us a sneak peek of your current WIP?

~We’re mid-fight scene and this is unedited (I’m just really self-conscious lmao). It’s from my Dissidia fanfic, A Petal Among Thorns:

“’Cosmos's assassins!’ the Emperor sneered. He laughed, calling his staff from its resting place next to the throne. "I'm glad you could make it!" Removing Cloud first would be the most important thing. That, and deflecting Terra's magic. Cloud lifted his sword behind his head and slashed it down, and an arc of power careened off the blade towards him. The Emperor slammed the end of his staff into the ground and called a cluster of purple mines in its path. The Blade Beam collided with the mines and they detonated on contact in a cloud of smoke, the sound booming through Pandaemonium.”

11. How many stories have you written so far?

~18, though not all are complete.

12. What’s your favorite thing you ever wrote?

~In the first version of A Petal Among Thorns, I wrote a giant fight scene between a goddess and her warriors. It was intense and epic, and really maximized my skills at the time, and I loved every second of it.

13. How many chapters does your longest series have?

~Well, the new and improved version of A Petal Among Thorns has 45 posted chapters at 171k words, and I’m working on 46. The original Petal, which I finished, ended with 64 and had 108k words. Both are my longest so far. the most words, though, is Horrible Bosses with just under 200k.

14. What’s my favorite character/person to write for?

~This is so tough. But I think the Emperor for A Petal Among Thorns. He’s a classic kind of “Muahahaha” villain and I absolutely love getting into that evil headspace.

15. “OCs” or “Reader” inserts?

~If it’s an either/or question, then I say OCs. But nothing against Reader inserts. I love those, too. If it’s a do I read or write them question, then not really. I did one back when I was in high school. But I do read them and I support writers who do. There’s no such thing as cringe culture anymore so don’t let any elitists make you feel shitty for writing them.

16. Can you tell us anything about your current WIP?

~Sure. I’ve got four major ones:

1. A Petal Among Thorns (Dissidia Final Fantasy) - Cosmos just sent a group to take care of the Emperor since he’s been plaguing her and her warriors, but they’re caught unprepared when they realize he’s been secretly amassing power.

2. The Krypt (Mortal Kombat) - The group just found Master Hasashi and Kenshi, two out of the whole group they’ve been looking for. Their next order of business is to escape the spider caves, but it won’t be so easy.

3. Legends Yet (Final Fantasy XII) - Balthier and Fran are preparing to infiltrate the Archadian Palace to go after a special item. Little do they know the palace is more prepared than they thought.

4. This is My Punishment (Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus) - The Turks go looking for Vincent after he fails to report in. They confront Dr. Hojo about it, but he’s smug and disinterested.

17. How long was the longest fic you ever wrote?

~The longest COMPLETE story I ever wrote was the original A Petal Among Thorns with 64 chapters at 108k words. The longest INCOMPLETE story I have right now is the rewrite of A Petal Among Thorns with 46 chapters at 171k words. The most words I ever wrote was Horrible Bosses at just under 200k but with only 15 chapters.

18. What fandoms do you write for?

~Final Fantasy and Mortal Kombat and Hetalia are pretty much it right now, but a variety of FFs! I have written for Assassin’s Creed too, and Voltron, and I did one very self-indulgent Black Butler self-insert.

19. What is/are your favorite fandom author/authors?

~Poisonous Panda on AO3 (she used to have a tumblr but she deactivated for some reason), and Jaydee Grey on ff.net

20. Have you ever written an AU?

~No. All my stories take place in the actual world and parameters of canon. Although, I guess Petal could be considered one, since Rosa was never called to the cycles in any Dissidia game except Opera Omnia . . . ?

21. What’s your favorite AU trope?

~I don’t know if I have one. I read them but they’re not my go-to. I usually stick to canon stuff first.

22. A fanfiction cliché you can’t help but love?

~Hmmmm . . . I think descriptions of eyes. Not like, the word ‘orbs’ or anything, but the use of gemstones to describe color. I love the aesthetics associated with gemstones and their luster and how they shine, so if someone has “emerald green” eyes, or “amber” eyes, “crystalline blue”, etc. It makes me understand that their characters’ eyes are aglow with something, that they have character or passions or an ideas.

23. For how long have you been a fandom writer?

~I started my freshman year of high school, so . . . 10 years?

24. Have you ever had an idea for a story and forgot about it?

~No, I usually write stuff down right away. But as I develop my stories they rarely stay along the path enough to end up using the idea. Either the plot point is too out in left field now, or the characters are too far along in their journeys to make it work in-character.

25. What do you do to motivate yourself to write?

~Motivation? I don’t know her. 

In all seriousness, I have ZERO self-control, so I can’t bribe myself. I mostly use my own desire to see my stories finished, plus nice comments and reviews from users on AO3 and ff.net. They’re so few and far between that a single one can make my entire day.

26. How did you find out you like to write?

~I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, from the third grade up! Making my own comics, and novelizing games I used to play, like Pac-Man World 2! I sort of never stopped, but WHAT I wrote matured as I grew older and joined fandom.

27. Are there any writers (fanfiction writers or not) that have inspired you to start writing?

~No, I was writing in general before I knew what fanfiction even was. But what inspired me to start writing fanfiction in particular was reading a Dissidia fic on ff.net by the name of Slash and Burn, that hasn’t updated since 2011. Reading that fic made me realize that the stories and scenarios I was coming up with surrounding these characters I loved could be transcribed and posted, and that other people were doing it too! I simply started writing down what I already was imagining for these characters outside of the events that happened in their games.

28. What’s your favorite fandom to write for?

~Final Fantasy, hands down!

29. Describe your style in three words.

1. Balanced

2. Introspective

3. Natural

30. What would you say is the most ‘famous’ fic you’ve ever written?

~Definitely The Krypt for Mortal Kombat on AO3. Writing for an active fandom is vastly, vastly different than writing for an older, stale one. The Krypt has the most comments and shares. On ff.net, it’s Horrible Bosses.

31. Blurbs or drabbles?

~Drabbles. Flesh it out more! I wanna be more immersed in whatever this is!

32. Have you ever written smut?

~I have written ONE SINGLE SHEEPISH scene in chapter 13 of Horrible Bosses. It was my very first attempt at smut and it is god-awful. Go check it out on AO3 if you want (and can withstand the second-hand embarrassment!)

33. How long does it usually take for you to write?

~LMAO that depends entirely on if I can get started for the day. If I can start and I can stay focused, I’ll easily write 3,000 words in one sitting. If I can start but I’m not focused I can usually still grind out anywhere between 100 - 500 or so words. But I’ll go days without touching Notebook if I can’t even get started.

34. What’s your favorite font to use when writing?

~I don’t put much stock in fonts but the one I’m using now on Notebook is Montserrat. I will change it every so often if I want something new though. Changes in scenery help my focus most times.

35. Which do you prefer to write: longer or shorter fics?

~Longer definitely. Shorter fics are easier but I love the challenges associated with aligning plot points with character development, as well as pacing.

36. how do you keep yourself inspired?

~My love for the fandoms I’m writing for usually does it. I love these universes and characters so much that I want to spend more time with them and watch them grow and change in ways that are or aren’t necessarily spelled out in canon. That, and the idea that since I’m writing stories I would want to read, then I’m the only one who can tell this story in my own way, so it has to be me.

37. Have you ever written something you didn’t like but posted anyway?

~Hell yeah. It be like that sometimes. Sometimes you stare and stare at a chapter and you absolutely hate it but you can’t figure out why and eventually you get pissed and say, “Fuck it, i have to post this to move on,” and you do. Specific examples for me are a few chapters in the new Petal.

38. What is your “strong suit” as a writer?

~I pride myself on my characterizations, to be honest. I feel like I have a good sense of who these characters are based on canon, and I can translate their reactions well to situations that test them.

39. What’s your favorite trope?

~I actually really, really love when characters are injured or slipping physically or emotionally, but they keep it to themselves for the sake of others. It can be for any reason - they don’t want to be a bother, they think they should be strong enough to handle it, etc.

40. How many likes do your fics usually get?

~Depends. The most I’ve gotten on anything was ~70 follows/favorites for Horrible Bosses on ff.net, and 128 kudos on The Krypt on AO3. Those are outliers, for the most part. My more popular fandom fics float around 20 - 40 kudos, my smaller fandom fics float around 5-10. The mean average for AO3 kudos across all my fics is 32, and the mean average for ff.net favorites is 14.

41. Have you ever used a prompt?

~No. it’s very, very hard for me to imagine characters into scenarios that I didn’t myself come up with?? I’m not sure why.

42. What is your weakness as a writer?

~Pacing.

43. Have you ever cried or felt any emotion while reading something you wrote?

~Yes, I cried when I wrote the aftermath of the large battle I talked about earlier, between Cosmos and her warriors in the first version of A Petal Among Thorns.

44. Have you ever done a collab with another writer?

~No, I’m too self-conscious.

45. One thing you love about fanfiction.

~I love how it allows fans to expand upon these worlds and universes that were created for us. I love how it allows us to demonstrate our love by interpreting things that were either not touched or not expanded upon in canon. It also allows me to express myself in a healthy and creative way.

46.  What’s your favorite emotion to cause on your readers?

~Nothing makes a person sexier than physical pain. But I also love anger and regret.

47. What’s your favorite thing about writing?

~See above. Writing fanfiction is another way that I express my love for something that matters so much to me, which are these pieces of media I write for. It also gives my daydreams purpose and doesn’t make me feel like I have to bottle them up!

48. Do you post your writing in any other platforms?

~Yep! AO3, ff.net! I’m Keyblader41996 on both.

49. What app/apps do you use to write (word, notepad, etc.)?

~I’ve got notes all over! I’ve got some in Notepad on my Mac, and I have some in Notebook by Zoho on their site and app, I have some in my paper notebooks, I have some in my college textbook margins and notebooks, etc. My favorite to use is Zoho’s Notebook.

50. One thing you don’t like about fanfiction.

~Thinly veiled, arbitrary and unnecessary bullshit that is masqueraded as “constructive criticism” when I didn’t ask for it, and when it’s easier for the commenter to just, idk, LEAVE THE FUCKING FIC?!?!?!!??!?!?! Rather than spend ALL that time just to be shitty???????????? get away from me.

51. Least favorite trope?

~I dislike time travel.

52. Favorite words to use when writing?

~I love facial descriptions and body language: He crossed his arms. Her eyebrows furrowed. She winked coyly. His fists balled at his sides, trembling. She jumped, clapping her hands enthusiastically. etc.

53. Least favorite words?

~I hate describing clothes and bodies/figures. Hate it.

54. Do you usually like what you write?

~It depends. I cycle through different phases. (1) This is great. (2) Oh god, what the fuck??? is this??? (3) I can’t even look at this, it’s so bad. *Stops writing for days* (4) Wait, why did I hate this so much? It’s a great starting point! (5) Edit (6) YESSS YESSSSSS YASSSSS!!!!!!!! (7) Post

I can start at any one of those numbers and go from there but it’s always in that order no matter where I start.

Thanks so much for asking me these!! I love them!!!

[captusmomentum]

Excessively detailed asks: 1-19 odds only for Inan, 20-38 evens only for Tace plz :D

fuck me running this is a lot OKAY HERE WE GOOOOOO

INANALLAS

(heads up the pronouns are gonna jump around here bc inan uses they//them and she/her so hopefully doesn’t get too confusing rip)

1. What does their bedroom look like?

Surprisingly Clean. They’re exactly the type you’d expect to be super messy but thanks to living in such small spaces like aravals all their life they’re very good about keeping things in come kind of order. This stands even for modern verses, they’re very good about it. In verses they’re inquisitor they actually rearrange the room a lot, putting their bed on the balcony and making the main floor more of an office/living room as well as creating panels to help block out some of that sun bc HOLY SHIT WINDOWS, they also have a panel set to block the view of the bed which is really just wedged between it and the railing. The little bed alcove is very cozy and the main floor is much more functional and better for have friends up :D In modern aus, like say amd, they’re one of those people who’re like ‘ live in an apartment that’s only 90ft big :D’ and when they show you how it’s like part science miracle and part acrobatics bonanza. Like look at any tiny home or tiny apartment type show/place/thing and thats’ how they Roll. Mainly bc they’re fucking Broke AF, creative/innovative and well trained by dalish life for it. So bedrooms are usually like, lofts and shit like that which can mean it’s not much more than the essentials of Snoozing. 

3. Do they exercise, and if so, what do they do? How often?They do! Inan works out pm everyday in pm every verse. Their style of magic is very, very very physical so it requires a lot of working out and training even in verses where they’re not constantly murdering ppl like canon ones they gotta get diesel for magic. In most verses they primarily do a variety of martial arts (or just one elf/dalish one? depends on how deep into worldbuilding you wanna get here honestly) and then things like running, weight lifting general kinda fitness exercise things. I imagine in modern verses and such (maybe more canon ones too tf do i know) that places like Arlathvhen’s there’s like, a sort of pow wow/olympics type event that goes on and clans have people representing them and Lath was disqualified for cheating bc she’s Weak in the temptation of Victory so Inan is the Obligatory Contender in at least some of the mage events, usually like, dueling bc it’s ironically her specialty. So she really does have to stay sharp when in verses where there’s no fighting bc she’s gotta bring home gold for clan Lavellan. 

(if u wanna get a sense of how inan fights it’s a LOT like pm anyone from avatar the last airbender/Legend of Korra especially Korra and Katara(atla) )(apologies about the katara vid and that shit music there’s So Little out there sobs)5. Cleanliness habits (personal, workspace, etc.)

Inan isn’t the most organized or together person which is combined w/ their dalish upbringing is why they’re Hyper Organized. Things have places and they go there ALWAYS otherwise they’ll never be found again ever. Also lots of labels. Their own living spaces are more organized than their work spaces, generally bc other ppl touch things or put things on their desk. Every time someone touches their things they have a small heart attack bc it means that something CRITICAL might have been moved and will never be found again. Seriously they are held together only by the power of their aesthetically pleasing organization and labeling. So school is Really Fun in modern aus (read: i’ve considered having them be a high school dropout for Various Reasons).7. Favorite way to waste time and feelings surrounding wasting time

They Dream of wasting time. They Long to waste time. Everyday they pray they can waste time. Usually a lot of her time goes into things like Clan Stuff, Magic Stuff and Work Stuff so any chance they get to dick off they do. They fave method in modern verses is tv or youtube but in canon-y verses its Tavern w/ Bull or Tavern w/ Sera, the 2 people most likely 2 not call her out for Ditching Shit. Drinking w/ Dorian and/or Varric is very high on the list in all verses.9.Makeup?

Naaaahhhhhhhhhh. Generally too lazy for it and doesn’t like feeling of it on her face. Also it’s a real Bitch bc she’s always got tats on like 70-90% of her face and freckles (which she actually likes) so like foundation’s a Nah but you can’t do things like cover her dark circles w/o foundation otherwise the difference is Too Obvious like it’s just a Disaster. She can be convinced to wear it at special events and things but someone else has gotta do it. 

11. Intellectual pursuits?Some and very disorganized. Generally answering any Burning Mystical Questions they have regardless of worth or importance, debating (fighting) about topics involving analysis in books and things, Fade Stuff, Learning Elvhen. They don’t really actively pursue a lot of things bc they’re doing so much shit normally, they really only pursue it when the interest strikes. Also, proving that the occult is Real and Valid.13.Sexual Orientation? And, regardless of own orientation, thoughts on sexual orientation in general?hoooooooooo boy dksjlgjfdsgfk, pansexual demisexual/grey-asexual is probably the best description. they don’t know they just like people and they don’t think about it they don’t think about Sex Stuff or ppls orientations it’s all W/E IDK and while they’re not prudish or squeamish about it they will run screaming for the hills things get too raunchy. Sex –especially sex involving them– has them looking for the nearest exit, not necessarily bc they’re sex repulsed but they are Extremely Anxious and Scared of interpersonal interaction so kissing is yiKESSSSSSSSSSSSS15.Biggest and smallest short term goal?Hmmmmm that’s really hard. Biggest is usually like: Not Die. Smallest is something like: whatever is next on to do list. They live a life of unnecessary extremes. 17.Preferred mode of dress and rituals surrounding dressGoth mori/strega fashion vibes. Lots of skirts and layers and looking very much like a peasant wizard. Usually they just dress for the weather and put on as many layers as they can to feel safe and protected (and snuggly). There’s a lot of similarities in their logic about it with Uthvir but with miles of soft fabrics instead of spikes. Usually darker colors with an emphasis on blues. There’s not too much in the way of ritual around it since they’ve tailored their wardrobe so they can grab things put them on, and look good w/o any real effort.

 here’s the for inan fashion stuff 

19.What do they think about before falling asleep at night?

Usually they go through a very specific ritual when going to sleep since they’re a dreamer to help keep that shit on lock which involves a lot of emptying of the mind and relaxing and preparing to deal with Fade Shit. If they don’t it’s just existential dread, anxiety and depression shit and panic. So they don’t not do the thing…….

TACE

20.Childhood illnesses? Any interesting stories behind them?Tace wasn’t really sick much more than the normal amount and kinds as a kid and was the kind who conks out the whole time and doesn’t say, try to get up and play. As he got older and his dreamer abilities started to kick in he reacted to it like someone who was very sick, fevers, hot and cold, sweating. slept too much or not enough. He began to have trouble keeping food down and lacking an appetite which he still has problems with to this day along with sleep trouble and exhaustion. 22.Given a blank piece of paper, a pencil, and nothing to do, what would happen?either doodles of dicks and such or a rude, raunchy or somehow unacceptable letter to someone whether he knew them or not he wrote for a laugh with no intention of sending. He’s very mature24.Is there one subject of study that they excel at? Or do they even care about intellectual pursuits at all?He actually excels in a lot of things, he’s a pretty gifted mage. He just Hates the Circle and all that academia type shit so regardless of his skill in them he doesn’t want to do them. He thinks intellectual pursuits are on a whole a waste of time because they’re mainly just there to make people feel more important and fancy.26.Do they have any plans for the future? Any contingency plans if things don’t workout?NOPE. NONE. past maybe ‘consult with that statue of Eleni Zinovia back in Ferelden about what to do w/ my life’ and ‘get a boyfriend’. 28.Who do they see as their best friend? Their worst enemy?hoooooo that’s Rough. Probably Banal though he’s more a father figure. He wasn’t very close to his other mages and hated the templars. Later when he meets Keshet and Shalev I guess they become his best friends which is...... very gay and lame.

Worst Enemy is Cullen and Meredith but Meredith is dead so fuck youuuuuuuu Culllleeennnnnnnn.30.Reaction to sudden intrapersonal disaster (eg close family member suddenly dies)Boy This Sucks [Drinks like a monster even more than usual] 

he’s pretty desensitized to tragedy but also a shambling mess so it’s really just his usual self but like 1000000000000000% worse for a while

32.Thoughts on material possessions in general?

MORE PLEASE. he loves shit give him all the stuff he wants to lounge in a gaudy parlor on a opulent chaise. He never got to have much in the way of possessions in the circle so he lots shit now. also he’s just a material little shit.

34.Thoughts on privacy? (Are they a private person, or are they prone to ‘TMI’?)He doesn’t care about other people’s privacy pretty much at all and loves getting into people’s shit but he’s VERY intense about his own privacy. He’s deeply protective of himself and his things and privacy. So he’s a wildly hypocritical guy.36.What makes them feel guilty?Not fucking much. He occasionally feels bad about how he’s treated someone but it’s not often and he’d never say it out loud. just kinda adds it to the pile of fuel for self-loathing.38.Would they consider themselves a Type A or Type B personality?

He’d be a Type A if it weren’t how his life has gone so I guess he’s like, a burnout Type A. 

[ghostlycorvid]

Yellowstone Trip Part 2

Day 3

Too dang early. We knew what we’d see because we were warned. A black, bear shaped blob, and may I present: The Blob

We were out at the parking area by six, the sun wouldn’t be up high enough to make things visible until at LEAST 6:45. And by that point, the bear blob was already on its way, slowly sauntering back up the hill to the trees.

It was pretty at least

You could barely make out the carcass sticking out of the water, and in the dim light, we didn’t even realize there were two more smaller ones, just down the hill from the cars.

This would be dragged up and out within the next couple days, and we’d get MUCH better looks at the bears.

Our only other real plans for the day were a snowshoeing hike, and driving around through the park to see what wildlife we could see.

As we continued on, we spotted some frisky bison near the side of the road, fighting each other. And when we pulled over to watch, we heard a weird sound that turned out to be a very irritated coyote. Then we noticed a crowd up the road a ways with scopes out, but nobody hiked up to ask what was up.

Blink and you miss it (dead center of the pic)

As it turns out. That crowd was the wolf crew and some fans. And because it took so long for any of us to decide to hike up there, we missed some prime wolf viewing. And by prime, I mean, you needed a scope to see them and they were still pretty small, but still! Our tiny group chatted them up, then went to go talk to the rest of our class and let them know what we learned. The Prospect pack had made a kill up on a far peak and that place was the best vantage point to see it, but you NEEDED a scope and even then it was hard to see.

Ah well. We had all week to see wolves, and we planned to chat with every wolf crew car we could find all week until we saw them.

In the mean time, we headed up the road a ways further to the Lamar Valley, which is a GORGEOUS area with a wide open river basin, gentle slopes, surrounded by rugged, rocky snow covered mountains. Its higher elevation meant that most everything besides the road still had a decent amount of snow on it. We stopped at a rest area and one professor gave us a talk about the elk follows we would be doing throughout the rest of the trip. We would be observing an individual within a herd and record its condition, position, location, and behavior in an attempt to document vigilance in elk based on a variety of factors.

We arrived at Pebble Creek, apparently a campground, not that you could tell with all the snow blanketing everything. It was time for our snowshoeing adventures. The film crew very kindly let me borrow some ski poles from them, which saved my butt several times from falling and getting stuck in the three feet of snow on the ground.

When the professors had been talking about this trip, they mentioned that the hike tended to last until they reached the point on the river where they couldn’t cross it.

What they’d neglected to mention, likely intentionally, was that they meant the hike went until they reached an ice bridge over the river that they didn’t feel was safe to cross, and that we’d be going back and forth over various ice bridges of varying stages of melting throughout the hike.

A little spooky, the thought of falling through into the frigid water didn’t sit well with anyone, but nobody had any ice bridge related incidents this year. Which was good, because in the history of the professors doing this trip (which has been happening for the past 20 years) this was the warmest it had ever been and the least snow they’d ever seen.

With how much things had melted, it wasn’t long before we hit an ice bridge that after a few people crossed, they decided wasn’t safe. So we had to cross back OVER a fallen log and hope that we didn’t slip onto the unstable ice bridge below. (Nobody did, of course) Following that, it wasn’t much longer before we reached a point where we couldn’t hike any further and had to turn back. The professors decided instead to have us hike up a very steep hill to the top of the canyon. I’m sure you can all imagine my horror. As the inevitable last person in the group always, and a weak climber. It was for the best this time because while I tried to make my first attempt, I got halfway up the steep hill, slipped in some loose snow, and then slid all the way back down.

Tried again, someone gave me some tips on how to not eat shit and die that time, and I made it up the first part, huffing and puffing and gasping for breath. Only to see that the entire rest of the class was already up the rest of the steep hill at the top of the canyon. It was about at that point that the two of my professors who had stayed behind to make sure I made it up the hill realized that it wasn’t some sort of act or laziness and I could only barely do all these hiking things that the rest of the class did effortlessly. They asked if I wanted to keep going, and let me stay there when I said I didn’t think I could make it the rest of the way up. Two nice people from the film crew stayed behind with me to chat and record bird sounds because there were birds EVERYWHERE. I’m grateful for them, because the conversation was enough to keep me from crying from embarrassment that I couldn’t keep up with the rest of the class.

This embarrassment, unfortunately, quickly became a theme. :’>

BUT then came the fun part, getting back down the hill. That turned into a spectacle that a few people have on video. We all collectively decided that the best way to do it without falling on your face was to just slide down the deep snow on your butt. It worked, more or less. Nobody smacked anyone else with their snowshoes, so I’d consider that a success. The snowshoeing was a fun, exhausting, full body exercise, but fortunately, once we’d returned to the parking lot, we were done with it for the trip.

Next it was time for lunch. We drove all the way back to the picnic area we’d stopped at the day before, which was our main professor’s favorite. We’d soon find out why.

A couple of bison were there and watched us as we dragged out all the sandwich fixings, but they weren’t the stars of the show.

That was THIS naughty little man. Or big man. There was a mated raven pair that frequents this picnic area, and our professor (much like myself) ADORES them. He uses their begging and food stealing as an opportunity to educate us about ravens, which I am so very glad for. I finally got a good look at the size difference between male and female ravens, and this boy was HUGE. Huge and not shy in the slightest

And very, very photogenic

After lunch, it turns out our fun wasn’t over yet! It was time for another hike! This time out across an open plain to a small forested area where they knew a wolf den was. A mucky, mucky hike.

It wasn’t in use, and had partially caved in during the period of no activity, but it was still pretty cool to check out. The film crew gave us a little talk about what each member of the crew does and what their goals were for our trip, and then promised free UW swag, first-come, first-serve, back at their cars. We’re college students, we’re ALL about free stuff. (I ended up snagging a sweet purple and grey scarf with a little W on it, wonderfully subtle UW swag in my favorite colors that I’ll use all the time, it was PERFECT)

On the way back down we stumbled across a boneyard and found bones from both old bison AND elk carcasses, real close to the den. Super neat stuff! Half of it was still frozen in the ice

The hike back wasn’t long, but it was made longer by some irate bison who were blocking our path. It’s no big deal in a car but... When you’re out on foot. You don’t wanna make them mad. We ended up having to regroup, cluster up our entire class, and start moving back out into the field around the bison, giving them a wide berth. They weren’t pleased about our group size and all got up to walk across the street away from us.

This wasn’t the last bison blockade we ran into this day though. The next one came on the bridge over one of the rivers. Our favorite river. The one that stunk like sulfur each time you drove over it.

Don’t mind us!

Pls...

Even saw one with a radio collar in that herd though, which was pretty cool!

At this point our caravan started splitting off to do our elk follows. Our car... Didn’t have a ton of luck with it, but we got to see some other cool stuff. Liiike a whole bunch of ravens on one of the carcasses we didn’t see in the morning, as well as an eagle nearby wanting to have a go at it. (IRL gore warning beneath the eagle photos)

And then.... Just a little further up the road. We saw one of our cars pulled over. And one of the film crews cars pulled over, and they were VERY FRANTICALLY waving at us telling us to pull over. Stopped and found out there was a bear in the valley, headed back down towards the carcasses we’d just stopped by. We did a quick U-turn and hurried back up the road to find a place to pull over and view it. That place ended up being a spot of gravel next to the road with a hill that we all BOOKED it running up to get a good vantage point.

There... Miss America.....

Splashy splash

We’ve been spotted......

LOCAL LOSER FALLS IN SNOW DRIFT (or tried to slide down it and failed)

After some grade A bear viewing, we went on, trying to find an elk herd to follow. Instead we found another bison herd. We learned on the drive over that a herd of bison is sometimes called an obstinance.

We quickly learned why.

We spent a good five minutes slowly inching forward toward them before a park ranger police car rolled up, flashing his lights,,,,, We immediately backed the car up thinking “oh heck we’re too close we’re in trouble”. The lights were actually for the bison, but the bison don’t give a shit about your flashing lights. Or your police cars. He finally got them to move out of his lane by scratching on his loudspeaker mic to make a weird noise. They didn’t clear out of our lane of course. The ranger pulled up alongside us, asked how long we’d been waiting, then told us it was totally okay to be a little more aggressive than we had been and just keep inching closer to them until they moved. Which eventually they did.

Our first elk follow attempt came after this and was an abysmal failure. They spotted us immediately and we had to find a new herd. Then we finally found one and it started snowing, which made things a little harder, and a lot more unpleasant to sit there with the engine off and the windows open for 15 minutes staring at elk just sitting there eating grass.

Finally we finished our follows and got to go back to the hotel. We warmed up by just going to the hotel restaurant, which was a lot nicer than I’d been lead to believe, and had pretty reasonable prices as long as you didn’t go for the fancy steaks or anything.

[anonymous-butnotquite]

autumnal asks

I reblogged this last week and I’m finally in the mood to actually do this.

“This” being purge out all the things I’ve never said out loud, feel like I say too much, and just pretty much in between, while listening to  listen to Ari Lennox , SiR, and Snoh Aalegra.

lantern - how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other? - I met my best friend through a mutual friend in the 8th grade or right after it, I’m not sure. My first impression was “Wow, this girl has a personality. Not in the “Oh! She’s so funny.” No i mean, this girl has opinions, and their different than mine. Man, she has these views and she has them so much conviction." She is intimidating and I’m not sure if I’m ready for this >.>

Turns out I did, we would wax and we would wane, and now my faith in our relationship is as strong as my belief in the moon always making her way back to us.

frost - if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say? - don’t wait, just do it. be selfish, it’s okay to want what you want. you’ll always find a way so don’t be scared to leave. be diligent in your relationships, be that family or friends. you don’t know when they’ll need you or you’ll need that person. let people know you love them. don’t be scared, don’t worry, be young, want, love, but continue to trust your gut, it’s always (99.99999%) right.

maple - is there a hobby / skill that you’ve always wanted to try but never did? - man, ha. Uhm, I guess archery. I’ve loved it since i was 8 and i watch inuyasha with my cousin for the first time on vacation in Applevalley, CA.

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why? - Ooh, that’s tough.. I feel like I find myself in all the heroines I read about. If I had to choose though, I’d certainly say at this time, Emi from the Red Winter Trilogy by Annette Marie.

*oh shit, slide away by miley cyrus just came on. it’s lit.

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like? - ooooooh, {((>,<))} such a colorful variety, but only like 50% the other 50% needs to be my neutrals (black, grey, white, and more black.) So I’d have jackets and hoodies upon themselves, LOTS of denim, a pair of overalls, tees, sweaters, crop tops, high-waisted errthang. off the shoulders shirts, blouses whatever. belts -i never have any of these and i have no idea why,- but yeah it be easier to just look at my pinterest board lol

cider - a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy? - mmm, honey mustard. that’s a condiment i know. truly though, it was a breakthrough.

amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have. - yeeeeeeekkkkk, i think gender roles are okay as like an outline, but then once you have your kid and he/she starts having opinions you can swap out things or trash it who cares for what your child feels comfortable, and your family supportive.

fog - how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario? - dawg. i feel like given the right resources, i’d do okay. def steal a truck/suv, grab my crew, and drive out to the country and stay on a farm or some shit.

jack-o-lantern - if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose? wellll, zendaya. I’ve heard i favor her and i don’t all the way see it but if i really could have those brows and face structure, yeesh. imma be stuck up.

spice - have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted? - my elementary school had this story about the basement being haunted from a custodian killing her. and i was dared to use the restroom down there. i def got the bottom step and straight hustled out that mufucka.

orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn. -i’d like to feel connected. that blissed out feeling of the breeze coming over your body on that cool day, but with a person.

crow - which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for? - wish? hmm, language. had i felt more comfortable i may have went into college for some writing/ communications major from the start.

bonfire - describe your dream house. - too long. but here’s go killing time. dark green, black accents covering the exterior. a beautiful front porch, yes with the swing. gorgeous deck for entertaining, back yard with fence but 3 good and full trees to provide more privacy from the neighbors, toward the back so that way on the deck i can see the sky and moon at night. inside.. a mud room from the 2 car garage at the end of the mud room to the side the laundry room complete with shelves for the washing/drying items and hangers for the the gentles. in the opposite direction you walk into a spacious kitchen. complete with a double over, sitting on top of each other, large cabinets that at as the pantry, cabinets on cabinets on cabinet space. a fun but elegant back splash. the island/breakfast bar. deep double sinks, stretching into the living room just this is getting way to detailed and i’ll finish the rest. but bottom line. great vanities in my bathrooms, 2 upstairs, a half bath down stairs. (yes 2 stories and finished basement which also has a half.) 4 bedrooms master connected to bathroom with huge claw bath. another for the kids (2-3) if no 3rd kid forth room is an office/ we use for reading, writing all dat. you know what this is my dream so regardless of children i will have this. filled with lots of laughter, love, smiles, talks, discussions, advice, and understanding. 

cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where? - man, i would say something crazy like oh with the samurais and shit and then have to remember women have always had it rough everywhere and we still do! and add that on to the fact that i am color? not really bout it. but it women right’s were the same. i would go back the edo period, or when america bounced back from the depression. oh wait i wanna avoid all the WW’s... yeah every time period had their hangups. 

cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school? - nah, i really just miss the responsibilities. they truly weren’t anything. 

cranberry - what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on? my hair.

maize - share the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street. - i’m not sure about strange, that gives it a negative feel to me. but on my 25th birthday i was drunk downtown with my friends and while walking back to the car i heard this guy (the stranger) talking about sauske (from naruto, clearly) was the greatest character in the series, and i just yell out “sauske’s a bitch.” dude took it in stride and was saying how come? and i proceed to have this existential conversation on the street at like 3 am about naruto. NARUTO. it was like a dream come true. but definitely the most random.  

quilt - how do you take your tea (or coffee)? - coffee, a quarter of it needs to be creamer (flavored preferably) with 2 sugars. tea, i am surprisingly starting to put cream in it, like that only 1-2 sugars. without 2-3 sugars. I like my stuff sweet, sue me? 

pumpkin - do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?  -this is tough. i guess since we are born “in sin” we are inherently bad? we’re taught in life what our morals are and what things we shouldn’t do. 

moonlit - are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly? - eat, neat, neat. if messy it is a organized chaos. my house is orderly now i just got done cleaning before i took a shower and started this. 

flannel - have you ever gone on a bad date? - yesssssssssssssss. yes. yes. he was sooo fine too. like just great looking. still love looking at him on instagram attractive. but he was just so materialistic and judge mental. he still shoots his shot from time to time and i be like... should i? then i’m like nah, he always annoys you when you do. 

cocoa - if you could have any type of hair, what colour and cut would you have?- and it be natural? i love to be a natural red hed. i think they are just bombshells. i know they get the fire crotch jokes growing up but i’m skipping that phase. and cut? i think i would keep a medium borderline bob hair cut. 

ghost - is there someone that you miss having in your life? - i don’t miss anyone that ... wait i miss my penguin girl. but i was going to say that the person i miss in moments like this is someone i’ve haven’t met yet.