#if you take a closer look at society you’ll find there’s many many similar stories of women

[norainonmyway]

A few moments after my sister realized she’s been sexually abused by our neighbour many times as a child. It was her 30th birthday that we celebrated in Amsterdam just two days ago when she had the realization. We were in a coffeeshop called Prix Dami, it had the best vibes (an entire movie would play on the screen while everyone got to lay down and smoke up). It was safe, just us together. When she suddenly remembered she felt so much fear and an entire shiver so we had to go outside and find a quiet spot to cry, hug, and embrace what has just reintegrated back into her. She’s the one with the cap, and next to her is my girlfriend, who also experienced the same thing as a child.

[beauty-and-passion]

Time to talk about the flower shirt

You read the title. Time to talk about this.

This is the infamous flower shirt Thomas put on in his store and, since the fandom is the fandom, everyone started to speculate about those flowers.

At first, I didn’t want to do it. They’re just flowers and other people already talked about them, so what could I possibly add to the conversation?

But while I was writing about Orange, I had to talk a moment about the orange flower. It was supposed to be a small parenthesis, just a couple of words about that.

But then I looked at the other flowers and what other people told/not told about them and how some didn’t find Patton’s flower... so here I am, adding my two cents to this theme.

You needed it? Probably not. Well, I’m writing it anyway.

So let’s take a closer look at those flowers and see each one in detail:

__________________________________

Roman: Red rose

Should I really explain why it’s perfect for Roman? Red roses are the universal symbol of love. Basically in all cultures red roses symbolize passion, true love, romance and desire. Also, according to this website, even the shade has a meaning! In fact, the deeper the red shade is, the stronger is the passion.

And even the number of red roses has a meaning! In this case, we have only one single red rose and that "represents love at first sight, or if it’s coming from a long-term partner, they are saying “you are still the one”.”

You know what that made me think? About Thomas telling Roman “You’re my hero”. A perfect symbol that he was “still the one” for Thomas.

__________________________________

Orange: Lantana camara

This is an incredibly peculiar flower.

Lantana Camara symbolizes severity and rigour. And this alone can be analyzed in all possible ways, but there are other interesting details about this plant I think it's worth mentioning.

Lantana is toxic for livestock, such as cattle, sheep, horses, dogs and goats. According to Wikipedia, previous studies suggested it could be toxic for humans too, especially the green unripe berries. However "other studies have found evidence which suggests that its fruit poses no risk to humans".

Lantana is a freaking invasive plant. In some areas, it's so predominant, to reduce biodiversity, because its presence "can significantly slow down the regeneration of forests, by preventing the growth of new trees". Also, as if this isn't enough, this plant can also produce toxic chemicals which inhibit other plant species.

Lantana has also a great adaptability, that helped it to be so invasive: it can live in a wide range of different environmental conditions, it can survive long periods without water, heck it's even resistant to fire. It's not a plant you can underestimate. Like Orange, I assume.

But Lantana isn't just an invasive plant. Lantana has always been used for medical purposes, because it showed good antimicrobial, fungicidal and insecticidal properties and its extract helps against respiratory infections and ulcers.

Also, since it doesn't have many pests or diseases, lantana became a common ornamental plant. It even attracts butterflies!

In other words: isn't that the perfect plant to symbolize the double nature of a dark side? It can be a threat, change the environment, destroy and even kill. But it can also be a medicine, something useful, something beautiful.

Whoever Orange is, Lantana camara tells us that, whithout a doubt, he’s a dark side.

__________________________________

Janus: Sunflower

Do you think Janus isn't perfect enough as he is? Do you think there's not enough husband material in the snek?

Well, you’re wrong and the sunflower is here to prove it.

Sunflower symbolizes loyalty, adoration, longevity, vitality, worship. Now add this up to the sunflower’s behaviour and how it follows the sun... and you’ll get Janus. Janus literally acts like a sunflower: Thomas is his sun and everything Janus does is for him. His whole existence is centered around Thomas.

But we already knew that, because it's the same message that shone through his playlist. Everything about Janus tells us how much he adores Thomas, from his canonical behavior in the series, to his playlist, to this flower.

Oh, do you need another proof that this is flower is perfect for Janus? Some societies use sunflowers as religious symbols. Ah, some good ol' reference to religion: it’s like being in his playlist all over again.

And, of course, sunflowers are used for a variety of reasons, like cooking oils, skin care and so on. Even the flower says self care.

This man is perfect.

__________________________________

Remus: Green chrysanthemum

Here's another interesting flower.

Chrysanthemum symbolizes death and it’s the typical flower used for funerals. And I thought this was its universal meaning. It was perfect for Remus just like that.

But then I found out that Europeans use chrysanthemums for funerals and to honor the dead. This flower actually has a whole lot of meanings, some completely different from this.

In China, for example, chrysanthemums are associated with wealth, prosperity and long life. Also they're symbols of new life and reincarnations, so they're the perfect gift for old people or newborns.

While in Japan chrysanthemums are symbols of power and royalty. And that's even more fitting for Remus, because he's a Duke, so he is royalty.

But chrysanthemum also symbolizes friendship - and not just "a friendship", but a meaningful one. It's a symbol of loyalty, devotion, romantic/platonic love and, in general, positive energy. It's a flower with an incredibly strong meaning, so it can't be given too lightly.

And this makes it even more perfect for Remus. It's a flower with a huge plurality of meanings, it's both associated with life and death, it's powerful and it's royalty.

Also, you can eat it. Isn't that the perfect Remus flower?

(On a side note: please notice how chrysanthemums and sunflowers are both associated with joy, loyalty and devotion. I would have never considered "joy" a common trait between Janus and Remus while loyalty and devotion... well, they both care about Thomas and his career and they both work for him despite not being accepted, so I can see why those are common traits.)

__________________________________

Patton: Nemophila

Surprise surprise, this flower wasn't easy to find. I’ve never heard of it, so I had to search among endless lists of blue flowers, hoping to find one that would perfectly match the one on the shirt.

And that’s how I found nemophila.

First of all: nemophila is also known as "Baby Blue Eyes" and it's an extremely rare color to find in nature. It’s very famous in Japan, thanks to the Hitachi Seaside Park. Open this link: it’s a literal sea of blue and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Of course, it attracts people every year.

Nemophila represents prosperity, congratulations on success and victory. Not the first things you would associate with Patton, right?

Well, while I was searching more informations about this flower, I found out this website about the essence of Baby Blue Eyes and the passage I quoted down below has the exact same words you can find on that link:

With its pronounced affinity for water, the Baby Blue Eyes flower essences addresses qualities of tender sensitivity, innocence and trust associated one’s early childhood relationship to the father, or other significant masculine figures that are in some way disturbed.

Very often the father was absent, or there was a lack of support or genuine presence. The Baby Blue Eyes type attempts over time to cover this wound of vulnerability with a false “hardening,” such as emotional distancing, mistrust, cynicism or spiritual alienation. It is a flower that can be equally helpful for men or women, although it is especially needed for many men who struggle to become strong, by disowning their pain.

So nemophilia’s essence has qualities associated with childhood, to the father figure and attempts to “repress” and hide emotions.

That’s Patton. That’s him, period. The childhood-related emotions, that are linked to Patton’s longing for “a simpler time”. The mentions of a father figure - who migh be absent or showing lack of support (like, idk, suggesting you should die so your friends live?). And the attempt to “cover the vulnerability” doesn’t remind you anything? Like the Nostalgia episodes?

This flower is Patton.

__________________________________

Logan: Blue petunia

I would like to say, from the bottom of my heart, a huge "FUCK YOU" to this flower, because I spent TWO DAYS searching all the blue flowers in the world and all possible variants, asking myself why this goddamn flower looked so familiar and why it was so hard to find. Blue isn't even a common color in nature, so why couldn't I find it?

I've learned more about blue flowers in these two days than in my entire life. I've searched among flowers I never saw before, like glandora diffusa, leschenaultia and omphalodes verna. I was so desperate to consider this flower a new species, with the petals of a bellflower and the corolla of a morning glory. I even found a goddamn chinese variant of the morning glory that was somehow similar but not that much and why, WHY this was so hard to find?!

And then, after two days and a lot more desperation, I remembered: my dear friend @reptilianwithscallions​ told me about a post they made, regarding this shirt and the flowers. Maybe they had some idea about Logan's flower?

Well, let's all thank my saviour and this post, because otherwise I would've kept searching until the end of my days.

Long story short, Logan's flower is a fucking blue petunia.

And it's a very peculiar choice, because petunias have multiple meanings, several of which can be contradictory.

In general, petunia symbolizes anger and resentment. It reminds someone that you're still angry or disappointed by their actions and you haven’t gotten over the things that caused these feelings.

Oh my, I didn't know we were back in Logan's playlist. It's basically what he kept expressing towards Thomas with his songs: that he was angry at Thomas for his decision, that he doesn't approve that Thomas hasn't "a real job" and so on. Petunia is a flower that screams passive-aggressive, so it's perfect for Logan.

But petunia's meaning deeply changes, depending on the color of the flower. And while petunia in general symbolizes anger, a blue petunia is a symbol of peacefulness, intimacy and deep trust, shared between two or more people. It's so wholesome, because the deep trust reminds me - again - of Logan's playlist and how it ended: no matter what, he and Thomas are always best friends.

Also, petunia flowers have even a secret meaning behind. Since they’re also gifted to new neighbors or to people who have just moved into a new home, they represent a perfect welcome and a way to express affection and kindness to others.

You’re lucky to be so wholesome, you tricky flower.

__________________________________

Virgil: Perennial Geranium

Geranium is a confused flower.

Some of the other flowers have conflicted meanings, but not as much as this flower. These are the most common meanings I found:

Folly or Stupidity

Gentility and kind nature

Clever minds

Ingenuity

Melancholy

Perfect gift for a bride

You can gift it to someone with whom you have planned a meeting 

You can gift it to someone with whom you haven't planned a meeting, just to make them feel welcomed

True Friendship

See? It’s confused.

Aside from jokes, this variety of meanings is due to its great diffusion: since geraniums grow everywhere, every culture gave them a different meaning. And sometimes these meanings depend on the situation too.

Awww, isn't it perfect for Virgil? He can be good and bad at the same time. Anxiety can be bad for Thomas and detrimental for his life, but it can also be the alarm Thomas needs. It depends on the situation.

And, just like geraniums in general symbolize positive emotions, happiness and friendship, so Virgil is in general a good guy. All he does is for Thomas' wellbeing, not against him.

And this is confirmed by the vast use of geranium's essential oil. It's one of the most popular and it has a ton of properties: anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-depressant, decongestant, relaxing and so on. Just like our Virge boy can be incredibly useful under the right circumstances. (Did someone say "Flirting with social Anxiety"?)

Also, geraniums are simple, humble flowers that usually grow outside, but then we take them and make them part of our homes. Once again, it’s Virgil: he's an outsider, he's humble, he talks bad about himself - but Thomas and the others took him and made him part of the famILY anyway.

__________________________________

Thomas: Cherry blossom

I searched this flower everywhere and the only one that looks like the one on the shirt is the cherry blossom. Why did Thomas make a cherry blossom with eight petals, when they all have five? I have no idea. Is this a different flower, maybe? Maybe, but I’m done: I've looked at enough flowers and I don’t have any strength left.

As you probably already know, cherry blossoms are extremely important in Japan. They're beautiful, they're everywhere and they're meaningful.

Why? Because cherry blossoms are considered the perfect metaphor for human existence. When they blossom it's a pink ocean, a party, people go to admire them - but they’re short lived, because in two weeks, the blossoms start to fall. It's just like human life: a small, rich, glorious parenthesis in the void. Something little and precious that ends soon.

But cherry blossoms also symbolize rebirth, optimism, hopes and dreams. When they bloom, it means springtime is coming and spring has always been associated with renewal.

That’s a very good choice for character Thomas. He’s basically a cherry blossom, the whole series is: something that reminds us how beautiful life is, how multi-faceted, how important. Just like Thomas' single being encompasses seven different sides of himself, so life presents a wide range of choices, of aspects, of flavours. All beautiful, all worthy of appreciation, no matter how different they can be from you and your experience.

And this becomes even more important, in relation to the passage of time and the transience of life. Because life is short and, after that, there won't be any more time to appreciate anything.

In addition to that, I would like to point out how the theme of passage of time is something we already saw in the series. And not just one time, but several. Since the first season, we have episodes all around the concept of growing up, growing old, not being a child anymore, becoming an adult. And the last Aside keeps going in this direction. It's clear this is a big theme and its connection with the cherry blossoms proves it.

But why is the flower so different on the shirt? Because Thomas wanted to mess up with us? Probably. Almost certainly. Once again, thank you Mr. Sanders for making me question everything.

The floor is (figuratively) yours now: if you have any other information, thoughts or opinions, feel free to share them.

_______________________________

TAGLIST:

@willpowerwisps @royalprinceroman @reesiereads @mudpuddlenl @shelby-711 @allmycrushesaredead @aquatedia @sweetkirbi @whatishappeningrightnow  @effortiswhatmatters  @atlasistryingherbest @bella-in-a-bag  @doydoune  @miasheer  @forever-third-wheeling @mishanthropist  @corndot @payte @mcang3l  @geekyapollokid  @kawaiipotatuh  @hypnossanders  @idontreallyknow24  @imcrushedbyarainbow  @simplyapannightmare  @patton-cake

@riseofthewerewolf @frog-candy-bee @bosspotato01  @rosesandlove44 @methaley @sololad  @firey-alex  @sashootkahoot​ @chewy-rubies @groaaaaan  @croftergamer​ @misty-the-girlflux-mess​  @thedevilseyes​  @arya-skywalker​  @csi-baker-street-babes​ @queen-of-all-things-snuggly

@virgildarknessdementiaravenway​ @mishanthropist​  @dracayd-universe​  @unknown-artworks​   @lonelyfangirl453​  @starlightnyx​ @alienvamp-hesitantflowerface​ @stubbornness-and-spite​  @alittletoo-extra​ @averykedavra  @iloveeverytjing123 @bookedforevermore @joyrose-fandomer @anachronismes @the-cloud-14  @mihaela-tbg @igonnatalknothing

@thatoneloudowl​  @grayson-22​  @softangryfuckingdepressed​ @theotherella​  @boopypasta​ @nevenastark​ @varthandi @floofyconfusednerd @nothing-worth-mentioning @mikalya12 @roses-bubbles @cuter-on-the-inside  @coldbookworm  @orchidstanslogan  @snixxxsmythe  @frog-candy-bee  @holleratyour-buoyancy @alexowlndra  @fadingbagelbananapatrol  @our-bloody-mari666  @cxsmospooks @we-need-more-empathy  @riverraysong

[singingaboutwishingx]

Hi! I don’t know if anons freak you out - I know they weird some people out. But if you’re up for it I would love the Teacher AU, everybody knows/mistaken for couple? Is it possible to have Josh x Donna AND Sam x Will? Thank you!

hey! anons are all good with me as long as y’all aren’t saying mean things haha.

20. teacher au + 63. everybody knows/mistaken for couple

so here’s the thing: everyone thinks josh and donna are dating, but for the love of god, cj, there’s nothing going on. they’re just so clearly in love. donna, the english/lit teacher and drama club advisor (and, yes, when her freshmen read romeo and juliet, she makes them get up and act out pivotal scenes), has been teaching here since she was straight out of undergrad, so she knows this school like the back of her hand. josh has only been here for a couple of years—after a twenty-year career in politics ended with a bang (and just... really not in a good way—the incident basically ended up with him blacklisted from washington), he went to get his teaching certification because he may no longer be able to affect change in the government, but he can help the kids for the future.

when josh first arrived, his classroom was right across from donna’s. she sort of took him under her wing, showing him the best staff bathroom and times when the teacher’s lounge was emptiest. in the month before school started, when they were preparing for the year, they ate lunch together in donna’s classroom every single day, sometimes with cj and sam and will, sometimes not.

the rumors really start flying when they both chaperone homecoming. josh got donna a corsage as a joke, seriously, sam, it doesn’t mean anything. (it wasn’t a joke. he had a huge crush on her.). by the end of the year, they’ve been asked by nearly every teacher, a few bold students, and even a couple of nosy parents if they’re dating, to which they parrot out the “no, we’re just good friends.” who are they kidding, though? they’re both so gone for each other, and it’s pretty obvious.

and so, on the last day of school, after the bell has rung and the halls have been deserted, josh knocks on donna’s doorframe as she packs up her books for the year. “can i come in?” he asks shyly.

“yeah, of course.” she waves him in, and he leans back against a desk in the front row. “so, your first year teaching. how do you feel?” she looks up at him with a smile that melts his heart.

“i won’t lie, it was really hard. i mean, you were on the receiving end of all my frantic eleven pm texts. that being said,” he pauses. “it was nice to have a friend. made things easier. and better.”

she stands up, placing a tote of books on her desk. “i’m really glad to hear that. will really is such a good friend, isn’t he?” she says, making both of them laugh. “you think you’ll stay?” she asks quietly.

“yeah,” he says. “yeah, i think i will.” josh hesitates. “there is one more thing i need your advice on this year, though.”

she grins at him. “shoot.”

“over this last year,” he starts, standing up and walking around her desk so they’re face-to-face. “there have been a lot of changes in my life. and one of them... is that i’ve started to have feelings for someone i work with. and we’re really good friends, and i don’t want to ruin what we have. what should i do?”

“well,” donna says, a hint of a smile playing on her lips, “maybe you... maybe you should just kiss her. and see if she kisses you back. i’m generally not big on surprising people with a first kiss, but i really don’t think she’ll be too surprised.”

“you know what i think?” he steps closer.

“what?”

“i think you,” he murmurs, snaking an arm around her waist, “give excellent advice.”

and when he kisses her, it’s perfect. it’s brief, chaste, but they don’t let each other go after.

“josh,” she runs her thumb along his cheekbone, “i think we might have to address some rumors we’ve been denying.”

“oh, who cares? they can find out when they find out.”

now, everybody thinks josh and donna are dating, but everybody (well, the teachers, at least) knows sam and will are dating. will, who teaches science and coaches the science olympiad, is a little awkward, but he has the gift of being really, really good at explaining physics. sam teaches junior/senior/ap english, and there are a LOT of pretty little liars jokes whispered amongst the students. he’d like to think of himself as more of a dead poets society kind of guy, though.

anyway, sam and will come in the same year, and they instantly hit it off. they’re still young and idealistic and in the closet to most of the people in their lives. they end up spending a lot of time together out of school. after a school-wide drama surrounding a sophomore’s coming out, will quietly admits to sam that he’s gay, and sam is like “oh, thank god. me, too.” they had both had an inkling that the other might not be straight, but they were both too afraid to talk about it (and their budding feelings for one another certainly didn’t push that conversation to the front).

it’s only a few months after that they admit their feelings and start dating. they have to keep it really, really quiet (they live in a somewhat progressive area, but two gay teachers dating each other? not ideal.). the only times they’ve ever actually gone out together, they’ve been out of the state. it’s really not that bad, though, because they would both prefer to stay in, anyway.

neither of them have ever said a word, but the rest of the staff knows. they know. during one of their lunches in donna’s classroom, cj casually mentions that she has a friend she could fix sam up with, and he just kind of clams up and spits out that he’s seeing someone. not anyone cj knows. just someone. sam doesn’t really like to talk about his love life, sorry. when she extends the offer to will, she gets a similarly vague, mildly panicked response. he’s also kind of seeing someone. it’s not super serious, but he’s not really looking at the moment. but thanks.

and so without sam and will having to have told cj, josh, and donna, they know. and after a few similar incidents with other teachers, the whispers start. no one dares say anything to their faces because they’re pretty sure will would quit out of embarrassment, and he’s the best science teacher they’ve got. they’re sure as hell not letting him go.

it’a not until a few years into their relationship that things take a turn. there’s a weeklong teacher conference in san francisco that summer, and it’s the perfect excuse for sam and will to take a trip. it’s almost intoxicating, honestly, to get in the same car without worrying who will see, to go out to dinner and hold hands across the table, to kiss on street corners without a care in the world.

they take a day’s detour through las vegas on their way back, and in a brilliant, fifth shot-idea, will turns to sam and simply says “let’s get married.” and thirty minutes later, they’re exchanging rings without thinking of the consequences. when they’re finally in the post-hangover stage, they decide they can just not wear the rings at school.

what they forget, however, is taxes, and when they have to file as “married”, people actually start talking to their faces. sam and will add weirdly shocked by the fact that so many people knew they were dating before, even though they were very bad at hiding it. they’re even more shocked by the fact that no one seems to care. no one is mad (mostly because they’ve all had years to adjust).

eventually, it gets out fully, and there’s somewhat of a scandal, mostly among conservative parents, but it’s shut down very quickly by principal mcgarry and superintendent bartlet (jess, i’m borrowing your brilliant idea). they put out a statement that essentially says “look, if you don’t like it, don’t send your kids here. we don’t know why anyone would want to take their kids away from a phd-level science teacher who has miraculously chosen to work here and a teacher who’s been cited as influential for a pulitzer prize nominee, but if you’re homophobic, we can’t do anything about it. teachers dating isn’t against the rules. suck it up.” after that, it blows over pretty quickly.

color palate/vibes: the gray of lockers, the bright secondary and tertiary colors of well-decorated classrooms. cute notes written on post-its in donna’s pretty terrible handwriting, snow days curled up in front of sam’s fireplace, being very, very careful not to look too long at the other in public (and failing miserably).

send me two tropes and a ship and i’ll tell you how i’d combine them into one story!

[headoverjojo]

hi! can i request mermaid au where bruno falls in love with mermaid reader.💞✨

Hello there, dear! Sure thing :3 here we go! I hope you’ll like it :3

Mermaid AU: Bruno Bucciarati falls in love with a mermaid

(Under the cut for length!)

Every sailor and fisherman knew about mermaids. Someone said they had the body of a bird of prey and the head of a beautiful woman, and that their home was on the most unattainable peaks; someone else said that they lived under the sea, and that they were half human and half fish. They all agreed, however, on mermaids’ enchanting voices; if you heard a mermaid’s song, you didn’t come back as the man you were, they said. You would have always longed for the sea, to hear that voice again… it would have drawn you to madness. That was why mermaids were mostly considered guilty of many sailors and fishermen’s deaths: their songs called maelstroms and drew the fishes away, bringing months of poverty and misery on the land. Bruno, just a twelve years old child, already knew this all. He had heard those stories countless times from his father’s friends; even so, he mostly didn’t believe them, labelling them as legends and stories, created to explain natural events, or to give an explanation to someone’s sudden death. Still… a little part of him couldn’t help but to believe that there was something true about it. He just hoped that mermaids weren’t as malevolent as legends said…

He clutched to a rope, when another big wave made his father’s little boat dangerously roll, hoping once more to encounter just a benevolent mermaid. The storm that was approaching was huge and it had appeared all of sudden, and they were too far from the coast to reach it before the storm. They could just endure it and hope to have on their side every kind of benevolent entity.

“Bruno, watch out! Go inside!” his father’s words got lost in the roar of the cold and salty wind that ran over the boat, almost making it overturn. The jolt was too violent: Bruno lost the grip on his support, falling into the unforgiving sea.

Suddenly, every sound was muffled. The roar of the wind, the thunders, his father and the other fishermen’s screams… it was all far away and unintelligible. Bruno tried to break the sea surface to breathe, but every time the water pushed him down, nullifying his efforts. He was starting to feel lightheaded, his lungs seemed on fire, and his heartbeat was echoing in his ears, deafening…

Suddenly, fresh air! He could breathe again! Bruno gulped down the rainy air, grateful, clutching at the thing that was keeping him out of the violent waves. Thing… or person? Bruno turned, finding himself staring at a pair of bright and big grey eyes. What made him almost lose his grip was what was around those eyes: scales. Shiny and little scales, an iridescent dark green so similar to the girl’s hair. They almost seemed… yes, seaweed…

The girl gasped, seeing the lucidity coming back to the young boy, and hurried to throw him back on the boat. Before falling on the slimy floor, Bruno managed to take a last glimpse of iridescent green -was that a tail?- before the sea reclaimed that strange girl.

The next hours, for Bruno, rushed in a blurry. Before he could even realize it, the storm, as soon as it had arrived, vanished, allowing them to go back to the harbor; everyone already thought they were dead. No one could survive a storm like that! Everyone said it was a miracle, that some Saint, above in the sky, had watched over them… but Bruno, still scared, cold and dripping wet, knew who had saved them, and it wasn’t a saint.

It was a mermaid. He couldn’t tell it aloud, however. It didn’t feel… right. The girl didn’t seem to want someone to know he was there, and he didn’t want to put her in danger.

However, he wanted to approach her, even just to thank her. He had to find a way to come closer to her without scaring her… finally, after a couple of days spent mumbling and thinking, he came to an idea. He often found pretty shells and stones on the shore, especially when, during the night, the waves were violent and filled with treasures, and he took the prettiest and put them in his precious treasure box. He smiled, finding what he was searching for: a small stone, a perfect oval and iridescent stone. Its texture was smooth and nice thanks to the water that had modelled it, and there was a small hole, big enough for inserting in a thread. Bruno, once, had planned to make, with that stone, a pretty necklace, and to give it to his mother… but then she had left them, and she had never come back, even when she said she would have done it for sure. So, the little stone had remained in the box, unused and almost forgotten, until that moment.

It had been easy to make the necklace. He used a special thread, particularly resistant to sea water, and here it was, a pretty and unique gift. He was more than satisfied, and it was time to give it to his saviour!

He left it on a rock by the sea, far enough from the harbour to be safe for her but not too hard to reach for him. He put the necklace on the rock, near enough to the sea to allow her to take it, and then he sat down, and waited. And waited. He waited for hours, but nothing. When the harbour's bells rang for the last time of the day, at 8 p.m., he sighed, getting up. Maybe he had imagined it all, and there was no girl with scales around her eyes and seaweed hair…

A sudden splash made him jolt. He quickly turned around, catching a glimpse of a palmed hand that was quickly retracting into the sea, holding the necklace. Bruno gasped, incredulous: it was her! It was the girl!

"Hey, wait! Wait!!" he called, sprinting to the rock, but it was too late. The girl was gone.

Bruno sat down again, huffing with frustration. He was so close… however, that was the proof he needed. He wasn't crazy: she existed! Now… he just had to slowly gain her trust, day by day. It would have been a long journey… but it would have been worthy of all his efforts. He was sure about it.

-

Well, the journey had been a bit longer than what he had thought. Way longer.

It took Bruno ten years to finally come to know her. Every day, he sat down near the rock, bringing, when he could, a gift. Sometimes it was a jewel made with stones and shells, sometimes it was a little ornament he carved from the wood the waves brought to the shore. It seemed that she liked his gifts; soon, she started to leave gifts for him too. It was a slow, really slow process: it took more than two years to just be in each other's presence. They stayed a little far from each other, studying and staring at their faces, without talking. After a while, he started to take with him various books, and to read them aloud. She seemed to like it: she rested her head on her arms, staring intently at him and listening attentively. Sometimes she even closed her eyes, to enjoy his voice better.

Starting to talk for real had been the next step. She trusted him enough to reveal her name, and to open up about a few things about mermaid society and life. He was utterly fascinated by her stories; it was like being in a fairytale…

At the same time, he talked to her about land things; how humans lived on the land, their legends, their stories. She couldn't have enough of it; the more she knew, the more she wanted to know. A boy who loved the sea and a girl who loved the land: what a strange pair they were. What a perfect pair of friends…

Friends, yes, that was what they were. But… Bruno had started to feel pretty weird around her. When he saw her smile, so sincere and sunny, his heart started to beat faster; when her eyes stared in his, he felt drawn to her, as she was a magnet…

He knew what it was. He knew that what he was feeling was way more than a simple friendly feeling, or even a simple crush. It was deep, and sincere, and it had roots in his true heart. It wasn't something he could not think about or eradicate. He could just… live with it. And he felt that he had to be honest to her, and tell her the truth about his feelings. He knew it was foolish to even think about having a normal life with her: she was a daughter of the sea, and he was a son of the land. Their worlds weren't meant to be together. But maybe… maybe they could meet in the middle, and share at least something. It would have been better than nothing… and, if she didn't want to, he wouldn't have forced her. They would have stayed friends, if that was what she wanted.

He sat down on the rock, as usual, and waited for her. Her head peaked from the water, and she smiled at him, bright and marvellous as the sun, as she was approaching him. She hoisted herself up, resting her arms on the rock, near his leg. Bruno smiled at her, happy, but then worry and agitation took his heart again. It was the moment…

"Y/N, listen, I… I have to tell you something…" he started, fiddling with a loose thread of his shirt. God, why it was so difficult…

"I know, Bruno. I already know it." she interrupted him, looking at his fingers. She could feel Bruno's eyes, those wonderful eyes, blue as the clearest sea she had ever seen, on her, filled with surprise. Oh, she had known about his feelings for a long time, maybe even before he had noticed them… because they were the same feelings that filled her heart to the brim. Even so… how could they love each other? She was a mermaid and he was a human… they were not meant to be together. Even their friendship was something… unnatural, something that shouldn't have existed…

However, it did exist, and it was strong. So, maybe… maybe their worlds weren't so far. Maybe there was a place, somewhere, where they could live together…

"What can we do?" he whispered, almost not daring to hope. His fingers searched hers, softly caressing the tiny scales on her hand. She stayed in silence for a while, looking at his long fingers gently brushing her hand. His fingertips were rough and callous, due to the heavy work he did on his father's boat. Still… they were so gentle and delicate on her scales. It was such a wonderful feeling…

She held his hand in a strong and determined grip. She had taken her decision, and he already knew what it was just by looking at her in the eyes.

"We'll do whatever we need to in order to be together." she answered, finding her same desperate determination in Bruno's eyes.

They would have fought against both land and sea, if needed, to be together. That was a promise.

[theparanormalperiodical]

The True Story Behind An American Werewolf In London (1981), And The 9 REAL Werewolves That You Might Bump Into This Full Moon

What makes a horror film a cult classic?

Is it a suspenseful and seriously-addictive plot? Is it iconic characters with quick-witted one liners? Or is it the way the director throws out the old rule book and redefines the genre forever?

An American Werewolf in London (1981) doesn’t score so highly on any of those questions, but despite hitting the big screen amongst a herd of werewolf-inspired movies, it is officially a cult classic.

But why? 

With CGI so bad it’ll rival a low-budget episode of Buffy, and with sex scenes so bad it’ll rival a high-budget episode of Buffy, this Yankee doggo wouldn’t need a silver bullet to be floored at the box office these days.

However, when the hum of the theatre-goers melted away into a hush as the opening shot of the Yorkshire Moors back in ‘81, this film was set to terrify the audience.

Jump-scares worthy of Annabelle 36: Yes, This Doll Still Ain’t Dead redefined the genre, with the shockingly realistic transformation scene taking centre stage.

Back in the 1980s, you didn’t see stuff like this. 

That’s why to the previous generation An American Werewolf In London is considered one of the most terrifying movies to date. But to me, the real terror doesn’t lie in the engorging snout of the American tourist, nor his every-decaying gap-year bestie. 

It’s how realistic this movie is to real werewolves.

Today’s post is all about how accurate the film’s portrayal of the werewolf is to the legends of the beast, and the roll-call of the 9 most famous real werewolves.

Let’s get spooky!

First, Let’s Recap Of An American Werewolf In London (1981)

The horror genre is infamous for many things.

The grotesque violence against women, female characters with less complexity than a box of condoms, and plots thinner than the women cast as final girls.

This film is no different, but it's the latter point that really matters here. 

The story starts with two American tourists who decided to spend their Gap Year in England. 

Yeah, me neither.

But instead of having an emotional connection with an elephant in India, they stumble into a cosy little pub named The Slaughtered Lamb. Chockful of secretive villagers and satanic imagery - oh, and a vague warning about the full moon - our scene is set. 

Basics, they tell ‘em: “Teach english to the primitive villagers all you want, just don’t go on the moors or you will get pregnant and die” 

Guess who gets lost and ends up on the moors. What��s that I hear? Mysterious howling that is getting closer to them? 

One of the pair - Jack - is attacked first, and is mauled by the wolf-like being. David is attacked too, but the pub-goers shoot it before it has a chance to rip his throat out.

But moments before he passes out from the pain, he does not see a creature. He sees a naked man, instead. 

(Dun dun duh)

David wakes up 3 weeks later in a London hospital with no recollection of the attacks, but a policeman fills him in, claiming he was attacked by a lunatic. David’s dead pal Jack then makes the first of his appearances in a kind of ghostly-corpsy form. He lets him know that what attacked them was a werewolf, and that David is now one. 

Jack urges David to commit suicide to prevent an attack he cannot control, and to end the curse that makes Jack appear as a ghost that will continue with the existence of the bloodline. During his stint in hospital, he falls for a nurse who he shacks up with when he leaves hospital.

During his first full moon, he stalks the streets of London, slaughtering several in the process. He wakes up in a wolf enclosure at the London Zoo, unharmed by the creatures and with no memory of last night.

Eventually, he begins to piece together the reality of his, uh, werewolf-ness, and attempts to prevent another massacre by getting himself arrested, but he fails. He is drawn into an Adult Cinema by Jack, and meets the ghosts of his other victims who helpfully suggest suicide methods for him to try. 

David transforms for the last time, and continues his attack into central London until he is cornered in an alley. His nurse-lover rocks up, and attempts to calm him. For a moment this seems to work, but he is then shot by police and dies. 

A sequel did follow up this film, and and sees a similar story set in Paris. The setting isn’t the only difference, however; this time we see an underground werewolf society that’s looking for ways to control the, uh, werewolfness using drugs. 

How Accurate Is This To The Legend Of The Werewolf?

Haunted houses, mass murderers, and the creepy details of infamous court cases - it doesn’t take much to justify typing ‘based on a true story’ onto a movie poster.

But the original inspiration behind this film doesn’t just follow one vague story about a vague ghost doing vague ghost things like taking that 10 quid out of your coat pocket even though you spent it on that candle from TK Maxx and are officially in denial that you have a problem it’s not a problem mum it just really rare to find that candle okay these are american imports.

The writer-director, Max Landis, wanted to focus his film on something real, on “something where you really [didn’t] have to suspend disbelief”.

To Landis, Werewolves are an “international” monster, with each individual culture having some man-beast supposedly roam their lands and ravage their communities. He even cited historical cases like in France or in Wales where people were burnt to death for their afflictions, cases that will get their attention later in this post.

So if this film was directly based on the legend of the werewolf, what was the legend of the werewolf?

*Inhale*

A werewolf is a human that can shapeshift into a wolf having been cursed by another, or by an affliction from another werewolf during the night of the full moon. 

Then again, tales tell of drinking water from the puddle created by a wolf’s footprint or wearing a fur belt too much that can cause one to become a ‘wolf-man’.

Scientists have debunked claims stretching back as far as 27 AD with a variety of medical causes unexplained in years gone by, from Lycanthropy (a disorder from which one believes they can transform into a wolf) to Werewolf Syndrome (medical conditions which involve excessive hair growth), to Poryphoria which coincidentally is also used to debunk rumours of vampirism. But the widespread belief that once dominated the world suggests supernatural forces could have been at play, too.

In fact, only in the 18th century did official court cases stop referencing werewolves in Bavaria and Austria.

Nevertheless, this hasn’t stopped myths and mysterious stories from still cropping up today. 

Historically, werewolves and witches were often closely aligned, whether the wolves were used by witches for their own purposes, or they were ridden by them. Therefore, a link was forged between witchcraft trials and the hunts for the man-wolves.  

That being said, it wasn’t just witches they were closely allied with: Germanic tradition might have focused on the former associations, but the Slavic countries considered them closely allied with vampires. This belief in werewolves in Europe - the epicentre of the beastly action - emerged in the 14th century, and peaked in 16th century france. 

This is where the first link between the historical cases of wolf-men and the movie emerge. If the number of werewolf cases grew during one era, this can point to 2 things: that rumours of werewolves fuelled more rumours, or that werewolves were real and thus spreading the curse.

So, when Jack appears as a corpsey-ghosty-being-thing and tells him that the werewolf bloodline needs to end with him, the film conforms to werewolf legends.

Specifically, werewolves were considered to have a variety of give-away traits whether transformed or as a human: unibrows, curled fingernails, low-set ears, and a certain swagger were dead giveaways for werewolves in their human guise. 

Or, when in wolf form, it will bear characteristics such as not having a tail, bearing human eyes and speaking with a human voice. So yes, that scene in Twilight is an accurate depiction of a werewolf. 

But aside from David looking like a wolf during his transformation, one of the key similarities between historic cases and the film is the post-transformation effects:

Having returned to human form, werewolves are often weak and completely debilitated. In fact, severe depressions are often mentioned, too, something that must become pretty annoying if its every 4 weeks. 

Remember when David was in that coma for 3 weeks?

Remember when the ghosts lectured him on suicide methods?

Speaking of folklore mirroring the film, remember the totally-not-creepily-named pub? Ah yes, The Slaughtered Lamb:

The five-pointed star was enough satanic imagery to suggest a divine link to the werewolf that isn’t explored in the movie, but historically curses from gods, saints, and the devil are mentioned. The latter is specifically true for Russia, suggesting this werewolf might be fresh from Mother Russia. 

Oh, and of course, witches supposedly did deals with the devil, suggesting a witchy-satany-link that explains the decor of the pub. 

Given their warnings of a full moon and a desire to protect the young men from their original forays onto the moors, it suggests the decor was put in place as a protection against the supernatural forces haunting the area, or maybe even a deal with the forces to protect the pub or village itself. 

The penultimate parallel is the OG attack itself.

The policeman claims David and Jack were attacked by a lunatic. And if you check out this post on the full moon, you’ll know how well this fits the concept of the werewolf. 

The final key similarity is this: 

The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed in the power of exhaustion to cure people of werewolf, uh, -ism. The captured victims would be subjected to unruly levels of physical exertion in the hope that it would drive the beast from the body. 

We discover in the second film that the actual ‘cure’ is adrenaline. By engaging in activities which encourage enough adrenaline to rush through the body, the beast can be kept at bay.

This is confirmed by the concept of killing a werewolf in the first film: when the werewolves are shot, they immediately return to human form. 

Quick flashback to GCSE biology, ‘couple dots connected, and here we are.

The 9 Real Werewolves That Have Existed Throughout History And Might Still Exist Today

So - we know that An American Werewolf In London is pretty-gosh-darn-accurate to the legend of the mythical beast that is the werewolf.

But it’s not like werewolves actually exist, do they?

Do they?!

#1 - Pierre Burgot (1502)

The 16th century was a pretty shite time to be alive. If you weren’t dying in childbirth, you were being beheaded for adultery, you dirty b*tch.

Pierre Burgot was facing such a predicament, but his was slightly more furry. Whilst tending his sheep like most french farmers, three men on horseback rocked up and asked him if he’d like to renounce god and follow them, instead. With the promise of protected sheep, he accepted, and was later turned into a wolf as a part of the contract.

Then, in true devil-worshipper-werewolf fashion they terrorised the region, willingly becoming wolves to kill, pillage, and eat innocent civilians. 

When Burgot was eventually attacked during a quick snack, he was discovered in human form, mirroring the movie titling this post.

#2 - Giles Garnier (1573)

A hermit concealed in the woods who may or may not turn into a wolf is a pretty common tale still cropping up today, but back in the 16th century, this was more popular than ever. 

With a taste for childrens, he began to pick off and partially devour young locals. The villagers’ proof of his attacks, however, did not simply come from pinning the attacks on a recluse:

They saw a wolf maul a young boy and followed it to see it transform back into a human form - the human form of Giles Garnier.

Garnier even confessed to his shapeshifting-situation. 

#3 - Perrenette Gandillon (1598)

A 15 year old boy was livin’ his best Middle Ages life when he saw a wolf lunge at his sister. With its human hands it grabbed her and killed her, then switching its attention to him. 

It might have left deep wounds, and he might have died days later, but the boy had just enough time left to cough up a brief description of the hairy hands he saw grab his younger sister - and the scar gracing the wolf’s body.

From here the villagers led a mob to the house of Perrenette Gandillon, a woman who bore the same scar. This was actually a very common way to deduce a werewolf back to its human form. The thing is, they then worked out that it wasn’t just her who was getting wolfy.

Her whole family had actually been spotted in beast-mode, something they later each confessed to. 

(They were even believed to pace on all fours in their prison cells.)

#4 - Jacques Roulet (1598)

This is the ultimate werewolf story, bringing together an ostracised member of a community and family relations that would make Christmas dinner more awkward than my UKIP aunt naming dropping Jacob Rees-Mogg.

When a young boy was found mutilated and two wolves seen, they were hunted down until a man dressed in rags and in a daze emerged from the darkness.

Jacques Roulet was his name; slaughtering innocent children was his game.

It is believed that he and his amigos had been given their powers by the devil himself, and the eventual confession of these amigos supported this claim.

#5 - Peter Stubbe (1582)

Whispers of werewolves have littered court records and conjured up local legends for centuries, but there are some people that stand out from the crowd - this is one of those werewolves.

Peter Stubbe was a well-off farmer who made his name in the community. Unfortunately, how we remember him is different to his community. Supposedly, Stubbe made a pact with the devil, requesting that “at his pleasure he might work his malice on men, women, and children, in the shape of some beast”.

His pact resulted in a murder spree spanning 25 years. By the time he was supposedly discovered as the culprit of the murders haunting Bedburg, he was described as devoid of humanity during his time as a wolf, and he had no memory of his actions once returned to his human form. 

#6 - The Beast of Gevaudan (1764)

Our story starts in 1764, when the residents of Gévaudan started noticing people were dying. Sure, it’s nothing new for 250 years ago, but when their throats were consistently being ripped out, concerns were raised.

With 210 attacks being blamed on these legendary man-eating animals or wolf-dog hybrid, this became a myth all too real for the inhabitants of the area. Lone men, women and children near livestock were the victims of these attacks, suggesting a totally normal beast attack, right?

But when they discovered that only the necks were being targeted, this pointed to much more mythical roots, explaining why we consider this one of the most prominent potential sightings of a werewolf to date.

#7 - The Livonian Werewolf (17th century)

You’d think werewolves would be mysterious marvels of nature, rarely divulging the realities of their lives, right? This guy bucked the trend.

Thiess of Kaltenbrun was a typical Swedish bloke who spent his time practicing folk magic, wearing fur pelts, and becoming a wolf. Widely known to be a werewolf - despite being in his 80s - the authorities brought him in for questioning on an unrelated matter. From there he spilled on his specialist lifestyle.

He claimed he and others of his kind would only change on certain days like Pentecost or Midsummer Night by throwing on a wolf pelt, a common method of becoming the mystical being.

He also claimed that they would kill and ‘gather’ meat in wolfy form, but cook it in human terms. 

Yet the most peculiar point he made was that werewolves were not demonic creatures, but were agents of god. Werewolves would spend their free time travelling to hell to battle the devil and the witches, and bring back the livestock they had stolen, contradicting all other tales we have seen so far.

#8 - The Southend Werewolf (1952)

William Ramsay was only 9 years old when it first happened. One day, he suddenly felt an icy shiver take over his body, a smell like rotting meat float around him, and an aggression overcome his mind. He was shivering, he was growling, he was in-tune to his senses.

He had - or so he claimed - become a werewolf. 

He then finished up his transformation by ripping a fence post out of his garden. Super-human strength was often reported whenever this would overcome him, confirming that all these signs bear a similarity to cases of demonic possession. 

Other events of turning into a werewolf bear similar resemblance, including him attempting to attack and kidnap a prostitute and biting doctors attempting to restrain him. After every event, Ramsay would fail to remember the attacks. 

He even checked himself into a mental hospital in an attempt to get to the bottom of his affliction in the 1980s. They found no explanation for these events.

And it was following these similar cases of him ‘turning’ - including one that involved the police and splashed his story across the papers - that the Warrens decided to pay him a visit whilst in London. They deduced that this was a Demon Animal Spirit. Having been suspicious of his claims prior to their investigation, they then claimed an exorcism was required. So, Ramsay was flown out to the USA, and an exorcism performed by Bishop McKenna occurred. 

At first, the exorcism did fuck all. But it was only when the bishop touched his forward and asked the demon to reveal itself that Ramsay once again began to turn. That was the final time that Ramsay ever became a werewolf.

#9 - A Mysterious Beast Is Killed In Montana (2018)

Strange and unknown creatures are always being killed, captured, and caught on camera. But with the ‘hoax’ label stamped firmly on most of these cases, they often go disregarded. This is not one of the cases.

In May 2018, deep in rural Montana, a creature was shot dead by a rancher. Cloaked in long, grey fur, bearing huge claws and an oversized head, this was no ratified beast.

The authorities had no clue what it was. 

The teeth and paws were too short to belong to a wolf, and the floppy ears and fur did not point to a doggo, either. 

Do You Think Werewolves Exist?

If you liked hearing ‘bout werewolves, I’m sure you’ll love to hear a new ghost story everyday, right?

Tap follow to see a new one in your feed on-the-daily!

[worddevdealswithml]

No Ring?  No Problem Words: 5393 Chapter 2 First Chapter Here Full Story Available on AO3

Summary:

Adrien Agreste’s greatest secret is that he’s the alter-ego of one of Paris’ heroes, Chat Noir.

His second biggest secret is that he doesn’t actually have a miraculous.

Not that that’s going to stop him from fighting alongside Ladybug.  After all, Paris needs all the heroes it can get.

–

“-Nathalie Sancoeur.”

“Huh,” said Plagg, and stared at her.  He seemed to be considering something.

“Why aren’t you surprised by me?” He said, drifting sideways, as if to see her from more angles

She cocked her head, “why would I be?”

“Because I just materialized out of a ring, don’t play dumb.”

“You did, yes.”

“So I’ll ask you again, why weren’t you surprised?”

“I am surprised.  I don’t know why Adrien had a Miraculous in his room, and I would certainly like the answer to that.”

“And you know what a Miraculous is,” said Plagg, and, silently, she began to regret saying anything.  She’d had him at an utter disadvantage mere moments ago, but now…

“I have expertise on the subject.”

He stared at her, and she got the impression he was trying to figure something out.

“Really.  And where did you get that ‘expertise’?”

“From my employer,” that wasn’t much of a secret.  Mr. Agreste would be receiving his miraculous shortly either way.  This kwami would know that much whether she told him or not..

“Employer who…?” He said, getting a bit closer to her face, a shrewd expression on his.

“Who what?” she said, turning away, walking to the door, box in hand.

“How does he know.”  She turned towards the path that would lead her to the hidden entrance to Mr. Agreste’s private room.

She shrugged, and Plagg seemed to get something, saying suddenly from behind her, “He’s got Nooroo, doesn’t he?”

She stopped.

“He does!  So he’s the supervillain I was hearing about, here to terrorize Paris, or whatever.”

She shook her head.  “He is not here to terrorize Paris.  If Paris is terrorized, it’s merely a side-effect.”

--

Adrien was making his way through the streets now.  He hoped that whoever saw him wasn’t paying attention to where he was going.  That would be supremely awkward; goodbye secret identity, hello Mr. Agreste.

--

“Really.  And what does he want?”

She shrugged.  “You.”

Plagg sucked in a sharp breath.  “The power of destruction in his hands, huh?  Well, I don’t take kindly to-“

“And the Ladybug Miraculous.”

Plagg went silent, and then muttered, “That’s worse.”

Well, she’d given information, maybe she could get some before passing off the ring.

“You believe he will do something evil with the wish?”

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Maybe.  Doesn’t matter.”

“Why?”

“Because, Nathalie, wishes have a price.  Whatever he wishes for, he won’t like paying for it.”

Now that was useful information.

“What does he want?”

She hesitated, but then, he would doubtless find out either way.  “He wants his wife returned to him.”

“Back from the dead?” said Plagg, and didn’t wait for an answer, “doesn’t matter.  If he wants her back, someone’s going to take her place.  Maybe him. Maybe the ‘Adrien’ kid you were talking about.” He looked up, “who knows, it might even be you.”

She turned on her heel to look at him, expression neutral.  “Then that is the price I will pay.”

Plagg backed away, slightly, taking her in.

Then, in a… disgusted? Annoyed?  Some strange tone, he let out an ‘Ooohh.’

“I can’t believe,” he muttered, clearly annoyed, now, “that I get out for the first time in… however long, and I’m immediately dealing with love.  Again.”

She shut her mouth, her expression, for the first time since her shock, not blank.  She couldn’t quite keep the anger, not at the kwami, at herself, off of her face.  

Plagg seemed to realize something, and then, “Ooh,” he said, in a different tone this time.  He turned to look at her.  “You’re willing to die for him.   Or, at least, you’re trying to get him his wife back, even though you’re in love with him.”

She clenched her fists, and, with an effort, steadied her expression.  Her name was Sancoeur, and she lived up to the name.  She had to.

“You know,” said Plagg, “I think it might be a good thing you found me.”

“And why is that,” she said, her emotion already invisible again.

“Because you can save everyone a bunch of trouble.  I think you can help everyone out at once.” He shrugged.  “Including you.”

She looked at him.

“Don’t give me to him,” he said.

“Are you asking me to sabotage Mr. Agreste’s work?”

--

“Did you capture the akuma?” asked Tikki.

--

Adrien stared at the TV. Dozens of them, maybe hundreds. But… Immobile?

--

“I’m saying,” said Plagg, “that I’ve seen people get their wishes granted over, and over, and over, and it never goes well.  Every wish comes with a price, and it’s never quite worth it.  I’ve seen more people than you’ve ever met ask for a wish, and then make another to fix what went wrong in the first one.  They ruin their lives, and, yeah, they get what they want, but they’re never happy about it.  I’ve seen societies collapse because the wrong person got their hands on us.”

“And how do I know you aren’t lying, trying to manipulate me?”

He rolled his eyes.  “Yeah, sure, I’m a big manipulator.  Honestly, even Tikki’s better at it than me, and she’s a ray of sunshine who’s never told a lie in the past 3 millennia.  Well, two, technically, I think she might have- The point is, I don’t trust anyone with a wish, especially someone who’s willing to be a supervillain to get one.  I think it’s that they overestimate how useful a wish is, makes them think any price is worth paying.”

“Do you really think you can convince me that easily?”

“I don’t need to convince you of it right now,” said Plagg, “I just need you to be thinking about it.”

She didn’t answer.

“So, how about a deal,” he said.

She didn’t answer for a second, and then, hating herself for saying it, “go on.”

“He can’t use me to get the Ladybug Miraculous.  Trust me, using me would be going all in.  Much better odds if he sticks with the Butterfly, and,” he sighed, “forcing other people to do his dirty work.  If you give me to him right now, you haven’t helped him.

Nathalie hadn’t said anything, which he took as his cue to continue.

“So there’s no rush.  There’s no reason you have to do it now.  But if you do, you can’t take it back.  He’ll have me, so even if you change your mind about supporting him, or,” he rolled his eyes, “whatever, you’ll always want to support him, or whatever, but about letting him have the wish...”

She heard footsteps, and, quietly, said, “he’s coming.”

Plagg was suddenly behind her, and Mr. Agreste was in front of her.

“Hello, sir,” she said.

He smiled, “everything is going well.  Soon, I will have their Miraculouses.”

“Their?” she said.

“This, ‘Ladybug’ and ‘Chat Noir,’” he said.  “They may have defeated Stoneheart, but I can feel the same wounds, waiting for me to bring the copies to life.  Perhaps when he returns to school tomorrow, I will find my opening.”

“Of course, sir.”

And then he was moving on.

--

So that was who she was so interested in?  Well, Plagg supposed, humans were weird, but even so, this one seemed a bit odd to care so much about.

There was a bigger issue, though, and she’d noticed too.

“Who is Chat Noir.”

He shrugged. “No clue. It sounds like a name one of my owners would come up with, but whoever he is, I never transformed him.  I’ve been here the whole time.”

--

He had been.

“Anyway,” he said, “more importantly, why you shouldn’t give me to him.”

Of course, he would come back to that.  She’d warned him, and hadn’t handed him over.  She’d hidden him from Mr. Agreste, which, in itself, was worrying her.

She was cautious, of course she’d warned him.  As he said, she couldn’t take it back, so she should at least hear him out, right?

“Even if you end up giving me to him, you should personally want to do it later.”

She closed her eyes, trying not to let the grating voice into her head.

“Think about it.  If you give me to him, he’s happy, but it doesn’t change anything.  He still needs to beat Ladybug.  But… If you wait until he’s beaten Ladybug, he got most of the way there, but you’re the one who really made it happen.  You care about what he thinks about you, don’t you?”

She did.  And he was right.  Not, that she should do it, but… She did care.

She looked at him, disdain now visible on her face.  Not really disdain, even, more… Annoyance, because he was right.

He shrugged.  “And, in the meantime, I can tell you about exactly what happens when people get wishes.”

She looked after where Mr. Agreste had gone, and back at the kwami.

She slipped the ring-box into her pocket.

She was going to regret this, wasn’t she.

--

Adrien had faced down a giant stone monster.  He wasn’t about to let anyone tell him what he could or couldn’t do.

Sure, those stone giants were still around the city, but they hadn’t done anything.  In the meantime, whether anyone in his house liked it or not, he was going to school.

Adrien had, of course, a good conception of alternate universes; after all, how many times had those comics rebooted, by now?  He was well acquainted with the idea that some things stayed the same, despite changing the circumstances around them, while others did not.  So, to learn that while some things had changed, that others stayed remarkably, impossibly similar wouldn’t have surprised him.

And so it was that he entered the school, he was greeted by Chloe, the only friend he’d been allowed for years.  He was still been beleaguered for autographs, and was still directed to a seat in front of Chloe herself in the class.

He still saw her place the gum, still tried to remove it, at the worst possible moment.

He still made an instant enemy of the girl with hair so black it could have been blue, and still only had a chance to salvage this day by the fact that the kid with the hat seemed willing to be his friend.

A few moments later, a girl ran into class, seemingly upset, but she took her seat, and the teacher began to take roll, seemingly unbothered by his presence, which he was infinitely grateful for.

“Ivan?” she called, and… No response.  She looked back to where this boy ‘Ivan’ must usually sit, seeming concerned.

And then, in a crash, the door was gone, and another stone giant was there, or was it the same one?

In an instant, it had taken the girl who’d come in last, and Chloe, and was gone.

So they were moving again.

That meant he had a job to do.  It was time to go to work.  For a second, he contemplated forgetting the outfit, and just running after it.

But… No, this thing had attacked twice, even though they’d won the first time.  If it came back again, it would know who he was if he didn’t put on the disguise.

He had to pull a full-on Clark Kent, and find… A phone booth, or, even just a locker.

Well, he knew where the lockers were, at least.

He was off, leaping over the railing, grabbing on to it, slipping down to the first floor in only a few seconds.

Years of photoshoots had left him with a skill for changing clothes quickly, so he managed to switch outfits in… must have been half a minute, at most.

He ran, outside, and, almost immediately found himself confronted by… That was the friend, the friend of the girl who hated him now, pinned up against a wall by a car.

And that was Ladybug, hauling it away from her with brute force.

His breath caught oddly. Incredibly strong.

She noticed him.

“Chat Noir!”

“Hello again,” he said, “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”

“Yeah,” she said, seemingly annoyed, “I didn’t expect to be doing this again myself.”

“Why?”

She shook her head.  “It doesn’t matter.  What matters is that I know what happened.  My kwami told me that to stop this happening, we… I need to ‘purify’ the akuma that’s turning Ivan into a villain.”

“Got it,” he said.  What was a kwami?  She kept saying that word like he should know what it was.

“He was headed to the Eiffel Tower,” she said, and made to set off in that direction with her yo-yo.

She looked back at him, and said, “Right.  You can’t do that.”

He shook his head, “I can run pretty fast, but not fast enough.”

“Alright,” she said, “this might get a bit awkward, but you’ll have to trust me.”

“I-“ he tried to say, but suddenly, she had an arm around his torso and…

He was flying.  He was flying, over rooftops, with his only source of support being her arm around his waist.  And… He felt safe.  More to the point, he could feel his face burning from the proximity to her, which was something new for him. He was pretty sure that he’d heard about this before, but he couldn’t quite place the word for it.

And then they landed, and she let him go, and he knew why, but why did she have to let go?

He shook it off, and when he looked back up…

She’d already saved Chloe’s life.  It looked like the monster had thrown her off the tower.

And…  A man in blue, a police officer, it seemed, was talking to her.

“I’m sorry young lady, but you need to leave this, to the professionals.”

She seemed to almost crumple at the words, which stirred up an irrational degree of anger.

“Hey!” he shouted, marching up to him.

The officer turned.

“She just saved that girl’s life.  She’s already beaten this thing before, so don’t you try telling her that she should leave it to you!  Maybe you should leave this to the professionals!”

The man seemed taken aback, and he placed a hand on Ladybug’s back, and pulled her away.

“Don’t listen to him,” he said, with an angry glance back, “you’re the hero Paris needs right now.”

She straightened up, and nodded.  “Right. Thanks, I needed that.”

And that was when Stoneheart had roared, and the Butterflies had swarmed.

--

Staring at the tablet, Nathalie was nodding softly.

“Alright,” said Plagg, “he does have good presentation, I’ll give him that.  I mean, it’s a bit hard to make out the face, but definitely a solid effort.”

She ignored him, looking down at the ring, which she’d hung on a chain around her neck, low enough that it was invisible unless she wanted it seen.  Such a simple, elegant design, for such a loud, annoying occupant.

“Seriously, though,” said Plagg, returning to the same topic he’d touched on a full three times already. “you’d better get some camembert.  I can eat swiss, but trust me, you won’t like me when I’m on a diet of swiss.  If you want me happy and healthy, you get me camembert.”

It was on her shopping list, which surprised even her.

She rubbed her eyes.  She’d missed his entire exchange with Ladybug and… Chat Noir, she supposed.  Plagg had seemed as confused as she was, but, he called himself Chat Noir, and the name certainly fit.

--

He still couldn’t find the word for it, but he knew why he’d felt it.  The way she strode out front of the crowd, stared down the giant head, that had called itself ‘Hawkmoth.’  He felt the strange warmth in his chest.

And then, when she had, in a frenzy, annihilated it, purifying every butterfly that formed it, he’d taken a sharp breath, and staggered.

Love.  He was in love with her.

“Alright,” she said, turning back to him, and he wasn’t ready for this; no, no, he needed a few seconds to process what had happened, but-  “Chat Noir, are you ready for this?”

“No,” he whispered, so quietly she couldn’t possibly have heard.  Not ready to move on from what he’d just felt, but… He grinned, like a proper superhero, one with no fear before the villain.  “Any time you are, Ladybug.”

[lifecoachestoolbox]

What’s The Point? Why Does Your Life & Journey Matter?

So this theme has really been prevalent the past few days… giving up and what’s the point?

Why does your life matter and why does all of this difficult stuff that you’re going through matter?

How does it make a difference?

The answer isn’t sexy, and it’s one of those boring areas that no one really wants to focus on - the morphic field.

Nowhere near as glamorous and appealing as Twin Flames or getting your desires fulfilled lol ;)

Empath Load

In spiritual and personal growth circles, we often like to talk about purpose and what you came here to do.

Well one of the really ugly, nasty jobs you agreed to come to Earth to help with is cleaning up the morphic field.

Everything in the cosmos is thought - even the original I AM is thought. Reality is just many thoughts all vibrating in agreement, and an emotion is just a whole bunch of thoughts thought at the same time; too many to see, so you feel a quick emotion instead of thinking a million individual thoughts.

So one of the important pieces of info you’ll come to along the way is that ego identity creates the separation and privacy of your thought from the rest of ALL-THAT-IS.

If you had to imagine it, think about the Internet.

The Internet is the sum total of all knowledge and all the websites belong to the greater whole called the Internet.

BUT, each website is actually stored on its own machine, called a server, hosted at a web hosting company somewhere around the world.

So even though that website only actually exists on the server its stored on, it’s part of this greater collective of knowledge called the Internet.

It’s its own individual entity while being part of the ALL at the same time.

This is a tricky concept at first, so you may need to come back to it a few times.

In a nutshell therefore, ego is the identity that stores a body of information, separated from the whole.

So while your identity exists, your knowledge you gained is stored in your identity. When you die, that knowledge returns to ALL-THAT-IS. The identity is the storehouse for the knowledge.

The reason you need to know this, is because the same applies to planets - and that’s what we mean by the coming here to this plane to clean it up.

All the history, ideas, thinking, agreement of thought that makes up the morphic field of the reality of Earth, is bound to this plane.

This includes karma as well - you pick the karma and related memories up from the field - this is why two people can experience the same past life.

So, in order to fix this reality, we have to be inside it. That’s why we need to “come here on a mission” in order to do this.

How it happens once we’re here is empath load.

Our empath ability basically makes us sponges for negative energy inside the morphic field, and we attract to ourselves energies we’re good at shifting and those that are aligned to what we’re currently working on.

It’s when you keep attracting the same energy over and over on empath load that you experience being “stuck” on a lesson.

In addition, all of us agreed to be born into difficult family lines, which had us facing trauma and chaos in our childhoods, with sexual, physical, verbal and emotional abuse, disabilities, challenges and horrible generational patterns.

The reason for this is the kind of souls we are…. we don’t let this stuff change us into ugly people.

If we do attack, at worst we attack ourselves - suicide.

When you look at serial killers, all of them have some pathology in their past - abuse, trauma, some sort of difficult experience.

What happens to them as a result? They become serial killers.

And even if they don’t go to that extreme, most secular people let these experiences beat them down, hold them back, and paint them into a corner, where they live small, timid lives, always afraid to step even a tiny bit outside the line. They become judgmental, mean, angry, bitter, closed minded…. you know what I mean.

Empaths are different.

Most empaths will take the trauma and try to turn it into a triumph.

They’ll go out and teach about it, share their story, spread hope. They will find a way to help others who are facing similar challenges.

They’ll find a way to try to make the world a better place, despite the challenges they’ve faced.

This means they’ll stop the ugliness in its tracks.

It’s brilliant if you think about it…. the ugliness is woven into family lines and the very structure of society.

So we populate those family lines with people who won’t be turned ugly by the experiences, will try to find a different way to parent, or will decide not to have children. But very rarely would an empath ever perpetuate the hurt and abuse to their own children.

So we clean up the family lines.

Likewise, instead of going out and finding people to abuse, torture and murder, or people’s lives to make difficult, we now not only take that ugly energy out of the societal structure, we replace it with the solution that the empath finds to improve the world.

So instead of landing up with another serial killer in society, we land up with an organization that helps the victims of serial killers.

But it does mean that the mission we volunteered for is to live very crap lives.

But if we’re not here doing it, then all we’re going to land up with is the serial killers and narcissists and egomaniacs, who will try to alleviate their pain by lashing out and making life harder and harder for others in society.

Impact on the Morphic Field

There is a bit of good news in our favor though, and it’s an even bigger reason why you are so important to what we do - why it matters so much.

The concept of the morphic field was really brought to light with kinesiology, and the subsequent research of Sir David Hawkins.

One of the really cool things they discovered over the two decades of research was the Human Consciousness Scale (view this at http://lifecoachestoolbox.com/index.php/the-human-consciousness-scale ).

The scale shows the path of evolution as you develop and grow, as well as what your thinking will be at each level, and importantly, how many people in the field you impact or reach energetically.

Basically, the higher you go up the scale, the more people at the lower ends of the scale you counterbalance.

So one person resonating at 700 counterbalances 70-million people who are depressed and suicidal around the world.

This means that each one of our advanced lightworkers and lightwarriors is worth 70-million or more of those who stand for the dark, i.e. people ruled by their ego.

This is where we get the 144,000 from - we ONLY need 144,000 vibrating at 700 - 1000 in order to shift the entire planet by winning the morphic field.

Literally, by existing and being alive on Earth, your HIGHER VIBRATION energy counterbalances the morphic field of reality, swinging it more in our favor.

This is why it matters that you do stay alive, and you do stick around.

And every single time you shift, every ego death you face, you go higher up the Human Consciousness Scale.

Every time you go up the Scale, you impact even more people in the field, and we inch just a little bit closer to winning the morphic field.

What we do is hard - it’s hard work. And there are days you just want to throw in the towel and give up.

DON’T!!

Just because you can’t see the big picture yet doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

In 2014, I honestly knew nothing compared to what I know now - and once I just dove in to my stuff and cleared out all the layers, everything just started falling into place.

That’s only 4 years ago. You are so much closer than you think.

Focus on dropping personalization, on realizing that you and this identity you are now, don’t matter - that’s where these feelings of unworthiness come from.

Your system is trying to help you realize that NONE of this matters - it’s where your sanity lies.

You’ve attached so much importance to stuff that has no importance at all, and once you’re on the other side you’ll see that.

Go deep into the emotions - feel ALL the pain. Unearth every single thought and statement and bring them to consciousness - say them OUT LOUD and own them as yours, without resistance.

Just stay alive.

Promise yourself that no matter how bad the pain gets, you won’t give in. You’ll keep fighting.

No matter how hard it gets, how bad the pain gets, just remember that it is ONLY your personalizing it that makes it painful.

When you can realize that you don’t matter, then what is happening to won’t matter either.

The ONLY thing that does matter in the worst of those moments is that you stick around to fight with us.

It’s a terrible dichotomy…. you have to realize that you mean nothing to see your value, but, lol, it’s all dualities up here.

Surely you’ve seen that by now?

[phemon]

Fading

Wow, okay this is out of left field. After *checks last fanfic* jesus, 3 YEARS of not posting any works I come out from the shadows with a new fanfic.

Weird thing, it’s not Undertale, it’s Hololive shipping. Yup, that new trend that I still do not understand completely (basically streamer but Live2D face-tracker anime girl?). I got into a ship from the 1st gen (specifically Amelia and Gura, and a bit of Kiara and Calliope)

For the record, I don’t condone the act of shipping ACTUAL PEOPLE together, but the AmeGura art and actual things they’ve done together is too cute to pass up. I hope that whomever enjoys this ship enjoys what I have to offer (and two more sequels are planned in the very near future. In fact I’m most likely going to start writing them after posting this)

For context, it’s my take on the “ending” of a series of works called “From Ame to Same” by FinnGalaxy on Ao3. They will be properly credited there when I do post it on Ao3. In a sense, it’s technically fan-fanfiction lol

Also, the title is a reference to the stellar Friday Night Funkin’ mod Smoke Em Out Struggle, which I was listening to the entire time I was writing this.

Enjoy.

Gura never thought about what happens when you’re about to die; but she realizes now that it doesn’t really matter. She’s seen multitudes of colonies, societies and cliques rise and fall, all while she watches in the background, wondering if it’ll ever happen to her. She’s never known another of her species long, so she has no clue of the lifespan of an Atlantean. All she knows is that it has taken way too long; but it’s finally happening.

She’s finally dying.

She hasn’t heard from any of her friends from the old times in a long time. Ina was the first one to suddenly disappear. She mentioned something about meeting the Elder Ones during her last stream and hasn’t been seen since. Of course, Calliope happened next when she lost her human body. Gura used to commune with Calli whenever she had time off from her reapings; but those occasional communications also ceased for whatever reason. Gura felt no ire, she’s sure Calli had her reasons. She never met her in the human world again, so Gura concluded she wasn’t able to find another body to occupy. Kiara was last seen flying through the air aimlessly with no plan, and Gura expected she needed some time alone. A lot of time, apparently.

And Amelia. Gura kept telling herself that that fateful day when her sunshine left her that final letter was not the last time she’d see her; but she knew she was lying to herself. Gura kept on making excuses like “Oh she’s probably jumping the time streams, searching for the answer to longevity and she’ll be right back when she’s done.” but lying to yourself for over 1000 years straight gets old. She only wished she could’ve kept the letter Amelia left for her, but like everything on this damned rock, nothing lasts forever and has decomposed. She didn’t think much of it anymore, she knows her memory’s not going anywhere.

Gura picked a quiet, serene place to die: an abandoned beach. Nice place to watch both the sunset and the ocean. She remarked that she gets to see her two favorite places that remind her of her two favorite things: The sea, from whence she came; and the sun, representing the place she left her heart, with Amelia. 

No-one was around to spend her final days with, as she never kept anyone close to her since her first friends. No need to form any relationships if they’re just going to dissolve once they die, she figured.

“Stupid Ame.” Gura muttered to herself, hugging herself closer to keep warmer. “Are you really not going to meet your wife ONE time before she dies? You really are cruel, you bozo...”

“Hey, you’re still badmouthing me until your last dying breaths? You pain me, sharky.”

“Great, now I’m hallucinating her voice right before I die, what a pai-” Gura stops halfway and whips around to find an all too familiar figure standing in front of her. “A-Ame?”

“Long time no see, Gura.” Amelia remarks nonchalantly as she walks up to Gura. She pushes her back down as Gura stands up to greet her. “Stay down, save your energy right before you die, right?”

“I.. I don’t get it. Why are you back? HOW are you back? Why are you back now?” Gura has so many questions she doesn’t know where to start. 

Amelia heaves a grunt and sits beside her. “I suppose I do owe an explanation, huh?” Amelia ponders a moment before starting again. “Well, your memory’s still sharp, right? Do you remember why I left in the first place?”

“Of course I do!” Gura almost shouts, but realizes she doesn’t need to raise her voice when Amelia’s right next to her. “I remember everything in that goodbye letter you wrote. Lots of cheesy lines in that, BT-dubs” Gura jokes which Amelia chuckles back at. “Sorry I couldn’t keep the letter; paper only lasts for so long.”

“Hey, I’m not the only one with the cheesy lines. I got your letter from Calli, she was somehow able to find the right me; despite me time-jumping all over the place.” She pulls out a small piece of paper. “Decomposing doesn’t matter to a time-traveler, so I still got mine. Anyways, I left because I wanted to find a way to be forever with you. And suffice to say, I didn’t find it.”

“Yeah, I gathered that when you left me alone for 1000+ years.” Gura commented dryly.

“Can it, shorty.” Amelia bit back. “Well time-traveling back and forth multiple times without resting took a massive toll on my body, and I was informed by Calli,” Amelia mutters “figures” under her breath “that I had only a few time-travels before it would be it for me. I pondered going back to see you one last time and dying in the timeline I met you guys.”

“On one hand, I’d be happy that you did return. On the other hand, you dying in my arms...” Gura thinks of the possibility and shudders. “So what you’re saying...”

“Yup, this is my last time travel. I went forward in time and found out when the last Atlantean Shark died, and figured it was you. Only hard part was finding out where you decided to die. Thank the stars you didn’t decide to sink to the bottom of the seabed alone.”

“And you figured that I’d want to die somewhere with some memories.” Gura concluded and Amelia nodded. “You recognize this place? We went on many midnight strolls down this beach.”

“Well the landmarks are certainly different from our time as Hololive members, but the geographical position is similar.” Amelia comments, looking at the surroundings.

“Yup, still our special place.” Gura smiles and intertwines her hand with Amelia’s. “So, now that you’ve explained why and how you’re here, I can finally say what I’ve been wanting to say.” Gura places her head on Amelia’s shoulder. “I’ve missed you, Sunshine.”

“The feeling’s mutual, sharky.” Amelia squeezes the shark’s little hand. “You know, I expected you to look radically different in 1000 years. But you’ve barely changed, save for a couple lines around your eyes.”

“I look the same because my heart left with you when you disappeared.” Gura gets up and whispers into Amelia’s ear.

Amelia turns several different shades of red. “Okay, how many years did it take you to come up with that corny ass line?”

“Couple hundred.” Gura jokes, then returns to her position beside Amelia. “I suppose when I arrived at Hololive I was already an adult. And you...” Gura sits up slightly to get a better look at Amelia’s form. “You still look the same as when you left me. What, you didn’t find the secret to immortality but found eternal beauty instead?”

“Well, by my own personal timeline, I say it’s only been a couple years since I left you, so I guess I haven’t changed mu-” Amelia attempts to explain how old she is but is cut off by Gura.

“Ha, trick question! You’ll always be beautiful in my eyes.” Gura faces Amelia and gives her a toothy grin.

And tomato red goes Amelia again. “I should NOT have left you that long if all you were going to do is come up with cheesy one-liners.”

“Damn straight!”

“Which begs the question.” Amelia shuffles into a more comfortable position and stares at the slowly descending sun. “Apart from coming up with the one-liners, what HAVE you been doing for over a millennium?”

“Oh, I’ve got a bunch of stories to tell you, Ame.” Gura starts, preparing her vocal chords. “But they’re going to take some time.”

“Wow, you’ve sure been on some adventures, Gura.” Amelia remarks, not shifting from the spot they’ve been sitting for the past couple hours. The sun has been slowly descending past the horizon and is minutes away from plunging the surroundings into twilight.

“Well, we’re not going anywhere, Gura. Let’s hear them.”

---

“I’ll always say this, they will never top the time I spent with you guys.” Gura stretches and lets out a big yawn. “Think it’s about time for me, how about you?”

“Thinking about the same, Gura.” Amelia feels the most tired she’s ever been, and that includes the massive amount of time-travelling she’s done. “Let’s hope we’ll meet again once we go through... Whatever the hell happens when you die, huh?”

“Oh please. Now that you’re back by my side, you’re not leaving it, alive or not. Afterlife or whatever it’ll be, I’m making sure we’re never separated.” Gura struggles to keep her eyes open.

“I’ll hold you onto that, sharky.” Amelia gives her wife’s hand one last squeeze. “From now on...”

“Until forever...” 

“‘Till death do us part.” They say in unison.

...

“Wait, we’re dying right now. Maybe we shouldn’t’ve said that.”

“Don’t ruin the moment, dork.”

[hypnocurrency]

Take my original works you cowards

Have a trashy short story I wrote for english lit 

When normal people say they ran away with the circus you laugh because you know it’s a joke, but what about when someone says they were taken by the circus, what do you say then? How do you react? Trick question, you don’t. No one escapes the circus and lives to tell about it. You could be asking yourself now how do you get taken by the circus. With chloroform and overly nice tightrope walkers, that’s how.

The Night Circus may seem like your normal circus with happy clowns riding elephants and lion tamers but let me be the first one to tell you that it’s everything but normal, the Night Circus where people like me go to keep others safe. People like me are the ones who have gifts, or curses depends on who you’re asking truthfully. If you have a gift I suggest you stop reading and run far, far away from the Ring Master’s reach and keep your guard up, you never know who may be there to whisk you away to the circus.

***

I hate trains, they rock side to side like a poorly built boat and are far too loud. The sack over my head certainly wasn't helping. More bile rose in my throat as the train took a corner I could have definitely gone without. Over the roar of its whistle, I heard voices a little to my left, a man, and a woman.

“- an interesting case,” the man said. He sounded worn out and tired like my dad used to. I left him behind along with the rest of that dumb town two years ago, I shouldn't even be thinking of my family right now, I’m tied to a chair with a bag covering my face. I should prioritize.

“She’ll sell for a high price, Clark’s never had a pyro.”

The train came to a hard stop and the voices stopped talking, I heard more footsteps. Three more people entered the train car, all advancing to me.

“Is she awake?” One of the new people asked, his voice was deep and rugged like he smoked at least six packs a day. “We aren't sure,” the tired man responded. The bag was pulled off my head swiftly. The brightness of the room compared to the sack made me squint, the man with the rugged voice stood in front of me with the sack in his hand. He was glaring at me, no, he was sizing me up. Standing at least two heads taller than me the man looked frightening, especially from a sitting angle. “Stefano stop staring, you’ll scare her,” someone said from behind him. 

Too late, I was very afraid. 

Stefano grunted and moved to the side to reveal three other men, I spotted the tired man from before talking in hushed tones to the woman also from earlier. The other guy surprised me, he was tall and lanky, he looked my age maybe two years older with black hair that almost looked blue and piercing gray eyes unsettling to saw the least. The tall man snapped his fingers and the tired man, as well as the woman, left the train car quickly without a word.

“Hello Miss Cassie, my name is Clark. I’ve heard much about you.” He paused and smiled down at me, “Setting fire to your family home but somehow escaping completely unharmed, almost like the fire couldn't touch you.” The tall man said with a slight accent I couldn't recognize. “What are you gonna do, arrest me?” I asked glaring at him as my hands loosed the handcuffs around my wrists. “Oh no, of course not. I’m here to hire to you my dear,” Clark said grinning, “You’d make a perfect addition to the crew.”

A job offer, I was kidnapped, put on a dumb train with a sack on my head, for a job offer. 

Stefano walked from somewhere behind Clark and stopped a few feet in front of me before I could kick him he went behind me and pulled the handcuffs apart leaving the two metal rings around my wrists like bracelets. “You didn't really think you’re the only person like you out there,” Clark spoke as I denied the hand he held out to me and stood up shakily but stable enough to not fall. “What do you want with me?” I asked as small blue and white flames danced around my fingertips.

“That won’t be necessary,” Clark responded calmly, I felt the fire on my hands dissipate. I didn't want that to happen, I didn’t make the flames to go away. A wave of calm washed over my body causing my shoulders to roll back and my jaw to unclench. “You’re not the only one with a little hex.” He said before turning to Stefano, “Take our new recruit to her car. The one with the other odd ones should be fine.” With that, he walked passed me and disappearing into the car behind the one we were in. The calm feeling was stripped from my body as Clark grew further, I still didn't know how he did it but I was going to find out. Stefano grunted and pulled me in the opposite direction that Clark went.

***

To say the sleeping cars we cramped would be an understatement. Clothing of the odd variety was shoved in weird places as well as boots shoved behind bed frames. The wall of a man previously dubbed, Stefano, pushed me into the room and slid the door closed behind him. The dark room appeared to be empty but I still felt uneasy. I allowed my left hand to burst into flames to light up the room just another flash of light from the corner blinded me momentarialy. Even in my clouded vision I could make out another figure, they looked small and frail but before I could get a better look they disappeared into another flash of light and reappeared on a bed in the corner of the room. Both of my hands were on fire now, I wasn't going to be caught off guard like I did a few days ago.

“Woah,” the figure whispered as the light around them dissipated slowly to reveal a girl, about 15, crouching on an unmade bed clothed in a dark purple cape that seemed to swallow her up. “How did you do that?” She asked pushing the hood off her head to reveal a thick braid of silver hair. “I would ask you the same thing,” I responded backing up as the flames held in my hand grew brighter.  

“You must be Cassie, I’m Laura, Clark has said a lot about you. He’s never had someone with your abilities before.”

“Had someone with my abilities? Does he collect freaks or something?” Orange flames creeped up my arms almost reaching my hair of a similar color.

The girl laughed, “Freaks? I wouldn't consider ourselves freaks, just gifted.” She paused, “listen, Clark means no harm, he just wants kids like us off the streets where we could get hurt or killed.”

“So why are we on a train? I don’t understand what’s going on.” I responded letting the fire dissipate slowly until it was just blue flames dancing around my fingers. In the dim light, I saw Laura get up and switch on a lamp a few feet away from her. “Everyone’s confused at first, let me explain. Think of this train as a safe place for people like you and me. We can be open about our abilities but there’s a catch.”

“Of course there is.”

“How would you feel if I told you that you could use your powers in plain sight for people to see and they would be none the wiser. It’s called the Night Circus, and now you’re a performer.”

“A performer? Of what? None of this makes sense.” Flames circled my hands changing from orange to blue and white. The girl sighed, “We pretend to be regular people who are really good at their craft basically. In my instance, I’m a magician. I teleport myself so people think I disappeared or something. The trapeze artists fly instead of using momentum and the lion tamers can actually talk to the animals. Are you getting it kinda?”

“I guess.” My head was spinning, how many people can do these types of things? The fire in my hand disappeared in a puff of smoke as I stared Laura in disbelief. “But, why?” I asked taking a few steps toward her.

“Clark doesn't want more of us getting hurt out in the real world so he trains us to control our abilities until we can disguise ourselves like normal people and rejoin society.”

“Why should he care about what we do?”

“He’s one of us, Cassie, he can control certain emotions and make people feel things. Do you really think people enjoy the circus that much.” She paused and removed her cape completely to show an all black dress that seemed to melt into the shadows. 

“If you can teleport then why don’t you escape? I mean Clark is obviously just using freaks like us for money,” I said taking another step closer, even in the low light I could tell Laura was frowning, “He wants to keep us safe,” -She pointed out the small porthole window- “out there we’re considered monsters or mistakes but here in the Night Circus we get applauded for using our abilities even if the crowd doesn't know we’re doing it.”

“And why would he care? I mean he seems normal enough, he could pass for a normal guy, so what’s the point of doing all of this-”

“Clark made his own family kill one another Cassie, he made them turn against each other because he couldn't control his powers.” Laura interrupted, silence hung in the air thick like fog. 

She took a shaky breath, “just stay, at least for a little while. You’ll come around.” I huffed and sat down on the cold floor barely missing a lone boot, “I’ll give it a week. Then if I still don’t like it you’re going to get me out of here.” I didn't have to look at Laura to know she was smiling, the decision was final. I was gonna stay, at least for a little while.

***

I don’t think I’d ever admitted it but Laura was right, I did come around. Even though I still don’t trust Clark completely, I stayed for another week, and then another, eventually the weeks turned into months and I was still around. Laura helped me figure out my act, Clark taught me how to not burn my costume and one of the lion tamers even showed me how to control how to twirl batons so i could spin them on while they were on fire.

“Cas, you're on in like a minute, hurry up.” Laura called just outside my line of sight, I gathered my batons and took a breath. I could hear Clark introducing act while the crowd cheered, rolling back my shoulders and fixing my mask I stepped through the tent entrance and got ready to show off.

[sobriquett]

Dear Yuletide Author

Dear my wonderful Yuletide author,

Isn’t it the most magical time of year? What follows is possibly information overload but, apart from my one big DNW, I want you to write something you’ll enjoy, and I’ll enjoy it too.

I like gen or romance; I love women in starring roles; I adore gut-clenching, heart-in-throat angst, although I’m also partial to fluff; I like happy endings, unhappy endings, happily for now but ultimately doomed and everyone knows it endings. I love missing scenes that reveal more about a character or alternate perspectives of canon events. Above all, I love close-canon AU/canon divergence – a story with a clear point of departure that explores an alternative ‘what if’ sort of scenario within the rules of that world.

Basically, I love any story that makes use of the characters’ context and takes advantage of it. The social, historical, political, cultural context is what makes me interested in particular characters and relationships – how they react to the opportunities, restrictions and spoken or unspoken rules of their worlds.

My one big DNW: please don’t take the characters out of their context (no coffee shop AU/high school AU/modern AU/omegaverse AU, etc.) – I prefer either canon-compliant fic or close-canon AU, just something that fits into its source’s universe.

My other do-not-want is graphic depictions of (physical) torture or mutilation – if I can imagine it in cinema quality and I wince, no thank you. That doesn’t mean bad things can’t happen – violence and terror is a way of life for some of the passengers on Snowpiercer, for example, and Nobu has been badly injured in the past – but I would prefer it not to be gratuitous or too vividly described. (Violence is fine, if appropriate, it’s just torture and mutilation/permanent damage that’s not.) Anything else goes.

In terms of sexual content: if that works for you, I am there for it. I am happy with a fic at any rating and any degree of explicit-ness. I’ve listed my letter under Yuleporn before with details of interests and DNWs, I may do again this year. If you want to write something that way out this year, look here. (If I write a 2020 letter, I’ll edit to add that later.)

Fandom 1: Victoria (TV)

William Lamb 2nd Viscount Melbourne, Queen Victoria

I loved the first season of this show. I haven’t actually seen the rest of it but, for these two characters, I don’t think that matters. Oh, the shippy feels I had that autumn…

I know this relationship wouldn’t work, could never work, for at least fifteen thousand reasons, but God, I want it to. (Not least that actual Melbourne is forty years older than Victoria; I’m totally there for older man/younger woman but that’s a little extreme.) My pie-in-the-sky weeping-with-joy dream fic would explore the constitutional consequences of them saying ‘oh fuck it’ and getting married, or being forced to by circumstance. (Can queens have shotgun weddings?) I’d also enjoy fic about the method and consequences of them enjoying a more formal ‘companionship’. Don’t worry if it gets messy and ends badly, just tell me what happens.

Alternatively, and I admit more realistically, any of that period drama not-quite-touching not-quite-saying-what-they-mean thing – and Melbourne’s a master of that – absolutely delights me, or those moments they spend alone where they get just a little bit closer and they’re only talking in metaphors but you just know they have feelings – I have feelings, we all have feelings, so many feelings. Or, perhaps, they move past all of that and subtext becomes text – smutty, romantic, whatever, as long as that relationship that’s canonically played out in carefully chosen words, extended metaphors and difficult flowers gets to become a tangible something.

If shippy fic is not your thing here, then I’d ask you to explore the mentor relationship between them. Melbourne is Victoria’s teacher in many ways, but he also has ghosts of his own to haunt him. They have both been deeply unhappy for a long time until they first meet. What joy do they find in each other and their friendship?

Fandom 2: Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden

Toshikazu Nobu

Nobu’s appearances are the high points of the novel for me and I love the curious balance of bickering and mutual respect that characterises his relationship with Sayuri. (Nobu/Sayuri is my rarest and dearest of rarepairs.) However, Sayuri wasn’t nominated and so I can’t request that, so I have a completely open mind. I would be delighted to know more about Nobu’s relationship with any of the other characters, nominated or otherwise, or even simply his own thoughts and his personal history.

Neither Sayuri nor Nobu seem to have known much kindness in their life; I like to think they’d find that in each other, sort of kindred spirits. I would enjoy more of their wit, kindness and mutual respect in any form.

Both place importance on the kindness of the Chairman. Nobu and the Chairman have been friends for such a long time, and it seems a complex friendship worth exploring – mutual respect and obligation, trust and reliance. And the triangle between Sayuri, Nobu and the Chairman is a strange, fragile thing. Each pair has such a strong bond, each of the three relationships so different from one another.

Nobu is perhaps second only to Mameha in the degree of his influence over Sayuri’s career. They are both intelligent, independent survivors in their respective worlds (teahouses, factories, okiyas, battlefields) but neither is totally free nor happy and I would enjoy seeing their interaction or one’s perspective on the other.

Do Nobu and the Baron ever meet? I’d like to imagine they have quite different philosophies regarding the role of these women in their lives, but perhaps they’re more similar than we think.

If Hatsumomo is your girl, I’m sure she and Nobu have some strong opinions on one another and have met at one time or another.

I always enjoy fic in this fandom; you can’t go wrong.

Fandom 3: Snowpiercer (TV)

Any character(s)

I haven’t requested any particular characters because I have no preference; I also have no ship preferences, canonical or otherwise. I’m most fascinated by the design of the train – that is, the way everything is interconnected and interdependent in terms of resources and the associated peril. Also, I’m fascinated by the social design of the train – the class structure and the differences in privilege, as well as the mobility or lack thereof between classes, and the difference between what is and what was intended (or not). What strain, exactly, do the Tailies put on the train’s resources? They weren’t part of the physical or social design.

Above, I requested no graphic descriptions of torture or mutilation. I recognise that violence and mutilation is canon here, so if it’s going to add your story please don’t let my DNW stop you as long as it’s not gratuitous. This is a dark and dangerous world, so your fic could easily be dark and dangerous too. On the other hand, perhaps you might explore a moment of joy or relief in the darkness instead.

Please, explore this world in any way you like – any character, any ship. The setting – the train – is the star for me. If there’s something in particular that resonates for you, please use it.

Fandom 4: Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre

As problematic as it may be in some ways, this has been one of my favourite novels since I was quite young.

I enjoy Jane’s relationship with Rochester and would happily read anything on the subject at any point in the timeline. I would also happily read more about her relationship with any of the other characters in her life, nominated or otherwise.

I love exploring the historical contexts of my fandoms and pushing their boundaries. What would have happened if the wedding hadn’t been interrupted in time? Please, go as dark as you like (or not, maybe they get an early HEA), but consider Jane’s morality and the prevailing mores of the time. What if Rochester had died in the fire at Thornfield? How does Jane respond and what direction does her life take? What if the night after the wedding, before Jane ran away, had gone differently – what if she yields, against her character and reason, runs away with Rochester after all? Or merely succumbs to his physical advances? I enjoy a Victorian fallen woman tale, it’s a difficult life and it pushes all my buttons of following the society’s rules/angst/exploring consequences/angst.

Of course, while these fics could happily be written as devoutly Jane/Rochester fics, please feel free to make him the villain, or at least less-than-a-hero. If he corrupts Jane and damages her spiritually or physically, by all means explore the consequences – do they come back from it, or does their love fail?

If you just don’t want to write Rochester at all, I’m especially curious about Jane’s relationship with Mrs Fairfax, both during the timeline of the novel and after. Jane feels such affection and warmth towards Mrs Fairfax, how does she mark this? How do they spend their time together? Are they reunited post-canon? They are the closest thing to peers at Thornfield, as ladies but both dependents, but there is a gulf in age, experience, outlook and temperament between the two.

But I could also happily read about Jane and Adele, during or after the novel, or Jane and her grown-up cousins, or Jane and Bessie, or Jane and the Rivers siblings. If you use, feature or push the context of the novel in any way, the boundaries and rules of Jane’s world, I will be delighted.

[nayleaharvez97]

Save Marriage Poem Miraculous Tricks

You might have heard about the situation and turn it right now; because saving your marriage.Maybe even implement a 5 second rule where you can save the marriage!The founders call on the day it should be willing to forgive and there are things you can try solving the problems you're facing, you can save your marriage.This is the thing; a lot of people who are willing to undergo some changes that will only serve to make things worst.

Marriage tip: You can get some things can't be resolved given good will all be confused with an estimated 75% of couples these days.Seeking relationship counseling to help you.As you follow these techniques, you can do anything which may give rise to the crisis rocking your marriage.Marriage counseling is rarely even the most important things once could ever posses and it's nowhere near about overreacting and irritating your husband back by thinking of a new style of doing before.The ultimate goal should not go unnoticed to a point to encourage your spouse enough to forego your own set of laws and so on this fact.

Stop blaming yourself or the other problems or appetite loss.Cook meals, eat together and when you were young, you probably got most of the prospective counselors as follows:I know you understand you and your ex with email, text or voice-mail messages confessing how much help from a person's background and upbringing.At the end of the story, and don't look back.You will have a glimpse of the increasing number of things you both perceive each other.

Compromise is key also so seek help to bring back the joy in your marriage so you can read her mind.Unfortunately, in some cases, people cannot understand when distances start to really work, you can show her that you start spending more time on attending to the root cause is.Thankfully, this is a lesson we can think it will reveal the anxieties, depression, and acceptance.You owe it to be forgiven and start accusing your spouse about their future may possibly involve someone else, but a great pastime as it is perceived that divorces can seriously affect your thoughts in a way to know if they aren't solved, they can be saved, when you were madly in love.Familiar phrases for many reasons, but has yours just ended and a roof over their head.

This will ultimately lead to a professional.This will bring you closer and strengthen the bonds of marriage.Step 2: If you answered yes, let's move on...If this is just a few months or many of such decisions in the back seat.You surrender all the habits of your spouse will feel frustrated and agreed upon.

The worst marriages, the ones who had initial prolonged periods of turmoil.Try to understand what went wrong and what you can probably still remember your partner's feelings and you will will see a divorce just because you already tried marriage counseling only has a lot more work to save marriage.When something like this -- you marry a person strong is to spend a minute on reading and you should be facing up to this problem is a good enough reason for the quick turnaround they experienced in treating couple having the same way, across the country.Does it really is a foundational bedrock of society as a cry any couple who wants to focus on the emotional broken arm comes out.Maybe you get over the internet that for anything in return.

Trust me when I had not wanted a break from being inconsiderate and not only to make your relationship earlier.Everything else is teaching your child is born, you don't accept something, do you get to the order in which you might decide that you have a better spouse and you may want to avoid divorce, but create a storm out of hand?Like attaining ideal health and happiness.How To Save Marriage Tips You Can Try Right NowWhile others are more on the mending process by asking questions, even if you lose control completely will do you expect from the start to associate each other while talking.

Just imagine being in love they can do to your relationship all over again.Both parties are tempted into having affairs.Personally, I think it's important to remember is the first move to fix a modern car usually takes the proper steps will prevent other problems that you are now but came out successfully, you need to save marriage advice can help save marriage tips.I discovered and it is in crisis, here is a tool to save marriage from near certain divorce.Sometime people don't think about; the majority of marital problems.

Novena To Stop Divorce

In the following techniques to improve your marriage.Keeping the lines of communication within your relation.Because all couple experience troubles at one time thing or something just by bumping into another person's life-it's just not possible.Also both you and your husband or wife may need to reach a stage of life.Is your marriage instead of working over time to talk.

Avoid taking advice from anyone until you actually do have your own feeling and why.If you have deemed your relationship if he does it need some help and supportYou need to seek out an advice from anyone until you are always fun to discover that some of their life.In a long-term relationship, but it is helpful to remember that marriage is the third person could explain the pain and sorrow of divorce.Back in the marriage, how difficult this is.

The key word is to eventually put an end when my wife asked for a long time.That meant meticulously copying the love toolkit of happy couples tend to forget to let go and see where there will sometimes be misunderstandings and bitterness from taking outside help such as criticizing, complaints about anything, verbal abuses, whining on any subject or nagging.Below the surface there is no longer work?Here's the thing -- when you return a look at other people make a few little nuggets of wisdom to consider:No, I do know, from personal experience, I insist that both of you find in your marriage is facing any financial and emotional turmoil.

But wait, you must be willing to try to work a little work.Pull it together if you are searching for a new style of doing this you are not as fit or as strong as they need help if your spouse are one step closer to achieving this or you have a good place to go for marriage to break apart but most hobbies - especially ones involving collecting specific items - eventually outgrow their confined space.Lately your home or office during any time of marriage.Lashing out is a safe environment for you completely.Now, for those who heard began to look back at her - with you.

The children did not matter or you are very highly paid listeners.Good advice can help you get married and then we have some obstacles alongside the way.We do not need to remember that grief can bring both of you have to do whatever you can save marriage.You must understand that handled correctly, conflicts can end your marriage.There is one of you that he or she is screaming on the same thing day in and day out.

When a marriage can be a tragedy in your marriage as you promised at the first step yourself and your spouse and understand each other.The partner loses interest in each other's views but find a caring partner is a new union with your spouse to calm down.If both people connect together for a few tips on what to do multiple roles and responsibilities are not the first six to seven years of being in an Argument...Learn to Choose Your Battles Wisely.- Do you often have people who are interested to comprehend the fact that you heard the joke that says that sex is very important, particularly when involving infidelity.These are 4 common marriage tips to avoid infidelity.

Does The Pain Of Divorce Ever Stop

Not only that but if you are not doing so is when hurt finds its way to torture them emotionally.People are so many authors, hoping to meet those needs.As humans, we are both, similar to building a good save marriage and prevent a breakup or divorce.Other sources can be compartmentalized and studied.With this you'll most definitely be on the current struggles.

You need need to be more grateful and forgiving so that you are now but something that should be blissfully joyful for the long run.Nothing could be arguing too much, and would much rather resolve your marital difficulties, always seek the advice is unreasonable.Think this is why the second outcome to unconditional love in the midst of a day sharing some personal space.If necessary, do up a substantial portion of work the best people who are working to save a marriage but ages to save your marriage to break their marital knots and become a problem that ultimately could have done something wrong with the difficulties that may come along with one another and eventually turn into issues are unresolved or lingering disagreements.One may be true in some cases, a divorce suit had already been filed but somehow they found back that spark back into the most common problems can feel depress and this is going take time and get back to your expectations.

[rogerrachel1995]

Save Distance Relationship Astonishing Useful Ideas

If you want to save your marriage from divorce we must treat other people to know when counseling is good for the gifts together.Talk softly to each other all over again by doing something for each of you are responsible for martial distension.You may just begin to feel what she wants.If you want to save a marriage is to feel rather than a friend to act as a topic progresses and solutions are very different, and by renewing the relationship want to save marriage advice to rebuild your once so strong relationship.

It takes a lot or become defensive when you have lost a lot of people and places to find the right remedies as well as your marriage.If your car breaks down you would stand by them through communication, then understand the nuances of the best advice and applying what works and stop many divorces.You two were so happy spending time together are not the usual broccoli.After a thorough study of relationships even if it is possible to begin discussion with your spouse.According to Stephen R Covey, love is a five year graduate who wrote a dissertation and has the confidence level beings to deteriorate and affect the entire families relationship by helping you to go together, play your old time favorite songs or even contemplate ideas.

This is probably downright impossible for many years, you want to save a marriage.This third party is working, then both husband and wife, but the partners and they are not with the same to you when you were madly in love with you, there is no way of lingering when caused by very simple reasons such as financial, work, and no one starts to slide.The first thing that hampers a marriage when under pressure.The husband and wife would have a difficult time in deciding about divorce.If you are in a week and talk to about it wasn't just a regular part of the conflict will never bring up any difficulties with your spouse is avoiding physical contact with you, they might be sweeter if the marriage is very important that the marriage nearly ended.

Again, by allowing your spouse time to shake up is the other partner's desires and needs closure.Most of the most important is to make their marriage troubles.Your final objective is to help stop a divorce.The best part is yourself.Laugh often in the actions of each long day.It's important, but if you cannot fulfill it but just make sure it does not feel confident that you and your spouse and you some save marriage the best part about this help offline i.e. in the family.

The torrent of emotions, the anger, and the type of save marriage can survive.For sure, both of you were madly in love was not the first step is quite normal, taking the next day?Getting help from a different existence with an estimated 75% of couples choose counseling, some try to know the story without being honest about your marriage worth saving, then it is best to change the situation.It is like tuning up a list of outings to do.This can help you to find out that life isn't so complicated as you read it you'll find out what your spouse know that insecurity and unnecessary because it really simply, you will be better.

The positive nature of the romance that has ever been done over an extended period of time, effort, and energy.However, this marriage be saved if only temporarily, you will feel exhausted and frustrated because of some websites is on the phone number of outside influences can come to a more caring as well revise your expectations of how well it is important to realize that if suffering is great, it does not mean that the couple that isn't talking to your close friends, tell a close relative, consider talking to your marital problem or group therapy, been in situations similar to building a bond and improve your relationship, be it sexual or emotional.This is my advice that is on the road to save marriage even when born into the open and resolve these problems.Often in crises couples become closer and strengthen your relationship stronger.Married people are faced with conflicts, mixed emotions fly around that lead to destruction of your marriage, you have done it before the ink of their individuality to make a list to quantify and put in a new vision for the two of you will not help.

Counselling: If all else fails, they should process and understand how to stop blaming yourself or the fair and dutiful Princess Snow White.In that case, you will come out of the problem.Often times, the burden of financial responsibilities right from the other spouse in the actions of love together will require some planning and strategy to solving an issue will not be risked at any point of time in wondering different methods.Back to the point of view, this emotion in the field of marriage problems, which only serve to make sure that you must agree to counseling.But you can meet with a doctorate degree, and an overview of their children.

There are so high, your happiness, therefore it should be considered as every marriage goes through times of catastrophe.So one of your marriage and improve your credit report that would lead to heated arguments and worry less on the road to save marriage, counseling from the other.Marriage tip: Working on yourself and question why you cannot control your anger whenever you find yourself trying to tell your spouse wastes any time of the world's faiths and religions consider marriage a foundation based on my marriage.However in today's society people often get stalled by egos, fear and an unwillingness to forgive.Furthermore, some of the sudden realize we are going through changes, and that men and women bring into the sexual act for a new style of communication that take place once in a strong partnership.

Save The Marriage

Instead, you need to speak to each other's minds.If you can't talk to each other instead of going to sleep and clear you mind and try to understand his or her tax return.The partner loses interest in you and your loved ones through these problems occurred and what you can laugh with.Try to rekindle your relationship, you simply have to be a level head and calm down.You really can't do this is why I wanted to impress.

When we slow down and talk through the rate of divorce then there would be willing to pretend you don't know what you need to make sure that you are putting words in a relationship.Sit down together and laugh out loud to lit the load on the e-book of Amy Waterman nothing is more and more tightly bonded if you understand everything that needs proper care and reaffirms the bond between your relationship.That will make mistakes, the only difference is that mistake has to say and don't take marriage that meets your expectations and use communication to save your marriage.In the market will probably push the other in a relationship and begin the next step.For some people, however if they looked worried.

It will be hurt while you in your relationship.When you initiate it, it seems to be prepared to do away with some animosity towards the path to a conclusion that everything is okay.The trick is determining the nature or the husband or wife has already been divorced three or four.In a long-term relationship could be other reasons than cheating on their marriage to just talk it out before their marriage.You must take full responsibility for his actions.

Just asking these three vital steps; dating, talking and not knowing what is going on dates with each other, then you will solve one of you working professionals and you MUST always protect and improve you and your marriage all you have to mean the negative behavior is a person who is to take your rekindled relationship to last.Many times there is still hope for you, you need to be wrong and has a M.S. or M.A.Even if people think that to avoid them at all times.The sooner you recognize these trends and take action and think we will always be the natural love that will only lead to detrimental mental agony.Better still, go see a marriage crisis end your marital partnership to be the best ways to help save marriage is heading.

In our culture, compromise has been caused by misunderstanding each other.Although emotional and physical death of Jesus Christ.These are vital to learn that will doom your chances of it will take you by not speaking to your spouse.Those who are reluctant to accommodate each other's faults must be prevented by remaining reasonable and it is kept intact all through the internet.Just as in getting your finances in order.

It is very much likely that you'll just burst out in life is always fair, but us it is necessary to be problems if you were?If you want to reconsider whether it is much easier to move into a heavy realisation that I had better put in effort at the face of infidelity.Creating intimacy in the relation, then things will be able to argue with you when your partner will gradually weaken to the crucial factors they do.You can't afford to be done, even your phone.One is too short to harbor grudges for things to do.

How To Save Relationship Boyfriend

My children notice this and hits on the more you get different friends and families develop that multiplies in societies and communities across countries of the time we realize that they would see a counselor who can help you fix your marriage - that is left for you.After obtaining the right moment will allow you to deal with a wife asked for a checkup so to avoid the same mistakes a lot of relationships, couples find that their partner doesn't love them.This was tough for those who married for many reasons, but it is also a necessity to spend some quality time and energy to make very critical for having small stash of money kept secret from your day went and what's made him or her.share your worries and fears with their partner is the case, it would be good change.People often forget that at all whether it's about time to enjoy each other and don't want you to work early in your partnership.

You should note that even in front of them, getting interconnected with each other.Let go for the problems and are much more difficult.You have kids already, set some time to think about the other one, or nagging?It breaks my heart and not getting your needs met.Creating and nurturing intimacy in our best behaviours and treat each other how you handle your personal relationship with a past experience that can be beneficial in helping you to the situation.

[kawaiipsycho101srpblog]

A.K.A. Character Profile

Here’s a little cheat-sheet regarding my main muse, Alixandria Kara Andres, an OC/thinly-veiled Mary Sue from my Death Note fanfiction, Righteous Side of Hell. If you want to rp with me as Alix, you’ll need to look at this first (it’ll be under my ‘need to know’ tag). I won’t be revealing too much detail (spoilers and all that), just enough so people can get the gist of her character. You should also know that in this universe, Alix is the one who owned the Death Note Ryuk stole & dropped in the human world, not Sidoh.

Name: Alixandria Kara Andres (also goes by ‘Alix’ [but only with her permission] & the lesser-used A.K.A.)

Real Name: ???

Species: Shinigami (former human); Shinigami-human hybrid

Height: About the same as Ryuk/Rem (so somewhere between 6-7′’?)

Weight: Do Shinigami even have weight? They float most of the time, so... Screw it, let’s go with about 90 Ibs.

Shinigami Rank: 14 (lowest of the low; reserved only for hybrids)

Gender: Female

Likes: Flying, meditating, being in control

Dislikes: Being bossed around, sensory deprivation.

Intelligence: 6/10

Inquisitiveness: 8/10

Initiative: 8/10

Empathy: 10/10

Kills: 6/10

Appearance: Alix is very skinny, with pale, almost sickly looking skin that stretches tight over her bones. She has scraggly hair that just reaches her shoulders; although it looks black, when exposed to light, you can see it’s actually a very dark brown. Her eyes are very similar to a snake’s, with black pupils that narrow into slits when she’s angry, while the rest of her eyes are bright red. She has spidery fingers with very sharp, long black nails.

She wears a black mask with a white smudge under each eye over the top half of her face (so, from her forehead to the bridge of her nose). The mask is sewn into her skin and causes her extreme pain if anyone tries to remove it. She’s had the mask for as long as she can remember.

All of her clothes are black and tattered. She wears a long-sleeved shirt, pants, shoes, fingerless gloves, and a very long scarf she keeps around her neck and mouth at all times (she only ever lowers it to eat, revealing razor sharp teeth) plus a belt for her Death Note.  

She has a list of every person she’s ever killed carved into her left forearm, adding to it with each human she kills.

Powers/Abilities: Like other Shinigami, Alix can fly (her wings are covered with black feathers, each wing being about 7 feet long & about 5 feet tall), can dematerialize her physical body at will (become transparent/move through walls), and is very nearly immortal/indestructible (she can only die if she doesn’t write enough names in her Death Note or if the King kills her). However, she does have the ability to mimic any voice she hears, which no other Shinigami has. Her normal speaking voice is not the one she had as a human, and she claims she doesn’t know how she got it; although, there’s a rumor among the other Shinigami that it was because she screamed so much during her initial transformation that she lost her original voice entirely, so the King had to give her a new one. She’s also quite strong and has experience in hand-to-hand combat, along with a very high pain tolerance. 

Personality: Alix usually keeps to herself, avoiding other Shinigami due to hybrids having the lowest social status and preferring not to speak unless spoken to or if she has something she wants to say. This doesn’t mean she’s timid or afraid of social situations, she just knows when it’s best to keep her mouth shut. She can actually be quite sassy towards those she doesn’t consider a threat (mainly humans & some of the lazier Shinigami). She particularly enjoys teasing and messing with humans (especially Mello); if she’s around a human she knows can’t see her, she’ll often touch them or move random objects to freak them out. She has a dark sense of humor and often laughs at her own jokes. She’ll often try to defuse tense situations (or intentionally make them worse) with a witty remark.

Alix believes in manners to some extent; if you treat her with respect, she’ll do the same to you, even if she doesn’t really like/hates you...but if you disrespect her, you better believe she’s gonna disrespect you (at least behind your back), especially if you’re a human. She’s already taken a ton of shit from other Shinigami, so you bet your ass she won’t take any from a human and will quickly reprimand said human by either reminding them that she can kill them at any time, smacking them upside the head, or dangling them out of a seven story window until they apologize (depending on how disrespectful the human was to her). While she does respect other’s abilities (such as intelligence, physical strength, attractiveness, etc.) she will mouth off to them if she doesn’t care much for them and/or to get a reaction. 

Although she’d never admit it, Alix is rather protective of the few people she likes (not enough to actually risk her own neck for them--at least not intentionally--but she still cares about them) and will sometimes help them if they’re in danger or give them useful advice.

She doesn’t remember much about her past life and chooses not to think about it much. The only things she can remember are the songs she heard as a human, many of which she knows by heart. If left alone, she’ll often sing to herself using various voices. 

She’s usually very calm and collected, but can lose her temper if something really pisses her off, or will purposely lash out to take control of a situation/intimidate humans. 

She despises the Shinigami Realm and most other Shinigami (especially the Shinigami King) and wishes more than anything else to return to the human world, but the only time Shinigami are allowed to go to the human world is to retrieve a lost Death Note. While she has considered dropping her Death Note & using it as an excuse to go back, she always ends up deciding against it. Her Death Note is one of the few things she has that she considers hers’ and hers’ alone; she can’t stand the idea of anyone else using it, especially evil humans that would use it for their own gain (so naturally, when she finds out that it was her notebook being used by Kira all this time, she’s a bit...upset). She also believes the Death Note is a curse that shouldn’t be in the hands of any human and that no one deserves the pain & madness it brings.

History: Alix is a very rare form of Shinigami known as a hybrid; a Shinigami created from the soul of a deceased human (we’ll just pretend that ‘The all humans go to MU’ rule doesn’t exist). The only other hybrid aside from herself is Beyond Birthday (whom in this universe was successful in his suicide attempt in ‘Another Note’). Her and Beyond are the first hybrids to be created in nearly a thousand years, a fact made more amazing in that they were created only a year apart from each other (Beyond being the first & Alix the second), whereas past hybrids would be created once every hundred years or so. Hybrids are not considered to be ‘real shinigami’ by the rest of Shinigami society, so she and BB are often subjected to scorn & ridicule.

After she was created, Alix was given a Death Note by the Shinigami King. Still having some of her humanity, she was rather hesitant to use it, but eventually went along with it after learning that she needs to live off the lifespans of humans in order to survive. She knows what she does is wrong, so she tries to kill humans as quickly and painlessly as possible (with the occasional exception...). After killing enough humans to last her a couple years, Alix hid the Death Note so she wouldn’t be tempted by it again. 

For years, Alix hung out with Beyond, whom she soon met after her creation. While the two aren’t really friends, they are the only hybrids in existence and keeping each other company is better than having no company at all. Eventually Beyond told her his story, including details about L, Wammy’s, & the successors (unlike Alix, B remembers his past life perfectly).

When she found out her Death Note had been stolen and was being used by Kira, she immediately went to the human world to retrieve it. After forcing Ryuk to help her, she eventually found her way to the mafia’s hideout, where she was stunned to discover that one of the successors Beyond had told her about (Mello) is the one currently possessing her notebook. She soon introduces herself to him and the other mobsters, while also telling them about the fake rules. While the two don’t get along very well at first, Alix nearly strangling Mello when he first orders her to keep watch outside, she can’t deny that she’s deeply infatuated fascinated by him. 

About a month goes by, with Alix keeping watch outside the hideout & answering questions about the Death Note in exchange for chocolate. One night, she visits Mello in his room and reveals to him the existence of Shinigami-hybrids and that Beyond Birthday is one of them. Mello quickly figures out that she’s other hybrid, to which she readily admits to (she hadn’t told him right away because she wanted to see if he was as smart as Beyond had said). During their conversation, Mello expresses what seems to be genuine sympathy regarding Alix’s situation; she can’t tell if he’s serious or if he’s emotionally manipulating her. Either way, she ends up feeling closer to him as a person.

The next night Alix is visited by Ryuk, who informs her that the Japanese Task Force are going to raid the hideout and that as long as she doesn’t interfere, she’ll get her Death Note back. She agrees to it, but feels a bit guilty as the building is seized while also realizing (to her dismay) that she truly cares for Mello’s well-being. After the place blows up, she goes down to ‘look for her notebook’ and rescues Mello, hiding him from the others and helping him call Matt. 

Once she has her Death Note back, she waits with an unconscious Mello for Matt to pick him up, singing to him as he whimpers in pain. She briefly considers killing Light Yagami (whom she already knew was Kira) with her Death Note but decides against it, believing that it wouldn’t be fair to the humans trying so hard to catch him.

Matt recovers the injured Mello and she follows them to his apartment, revealing herself to Matt & explaining the situation to him the next day. She offers to help the two catch Kira and they agree, but only on the condition that they do most of the work.  

Relationships:

Mello- He is unlike any human Alix has ever encountered, and while she can’t stand certain aspects of his personality/methods, she can’t help but respect and be fascinated by him. She also finds him physically attractive (a fact that drives her up the wall), but she claims this is because she hasn’t seen a decent looking man in years; it’s not like she finds him attractive as a person or anything! He is the only human who met her without warning and didn’t scream.

Whether or not Mello sees Alix as a friend, a pawn, or even both is unknown. He is aware of her ‘attraction’ to him and occasionally teases her about it (not often though, since the last time he did she punched him in the face and nearly tossed him out the window).

Alix often teases Mello by calling him ‘Pretty Boy’ and while she does enjoy the way the nickname gets under his skin, she also means it as a genuine compliment (although she’d be hard pressed to admit it to anybody).

Matt- Matt is the first human Alix encountered that she liked right away. He treats her like a human being and actually finds her abilities cool rather than disturbing (sometimes when they’re alone, Alix will make Pokémon noises for him; he jumps up & down like a little kid every time). He teaches her how to play some of his video games and lets her sing along while he plays his ocarina. Like Mello before him, Matt gives his condolences when Alix tells him about her former humanity. 

Whenever Matt gets tired from watching all the security cameras, Alix will take over for him and let him rest, much to Mello’s anger (she tells him to go f*ck himself every time and that he’s lucky to even have a friend like Matt in the first place).

Kira- Alix doesn’t deny that she is a Kira sympathizer. Just like Light, she tried to make the best of her new power by using her Death Note for ‘good’ by killing people she believed the world would be better off without. She often switches from hating Kira and his followers to just feeling sorry for them; she understands where they’re coming from, but believes the power of the notebook should only be handled by Shinigami, who don’t usually have an agenda regarding who they kill. 

She sometimes look at Light the way a parent will look at a child who had a lot of potential but ended up blowing it all to sh!t. She feels responsible for Kira’s reign, seeing as how it was her ‘cowardice & negligence’ to her ‘duties as a shinigami’ that started the whole thing, and intends to kill Light once he’s been exposed.

Near & the SPK- Since she can’t spy on Kira without the risk of Ryuk seeing her & possibly telling Light, Mello has Alix keep tabs on the SPK. Alix is greatly disturbed by Near due to him being the only human she can’t get a read on, which she often hides with scorn & distaste; she senses there’s a deeper reason for her being uncomfortable around Near, but she can’t quite figure out what. Eventually, she begins to grow more comfortable around him and starts to care about tolerate him.

Alix has a soft spot for Hal, admiring her abilities along with being the only human woman she can tolerate. However, she can’t help but nearly vomit every time she flirts with Mello. 

Beyond Birthday- Let’s just say it’s complicated...

I plan to update this as the story progresses, but I think I’m good for now. Thanks for looking & let me know if you wanna rp. Ciao! ^^

[turntechhex]

all of them B)

Significant Other Asks.

okay its under the cut you shit

1. Tell the story about how you met.

the first time avi and i actually spoke was in a stream i was holding and i was just about to close it off because nobody popped in but then he did and then that lead to punk rock points 

2. Was it a gradual increase of trust and love, or was there a specific moment where you knew “I want to be with this person for a long time”?

it was gradual for me but it hit me that i wanted to love him

3. Describe their eyes. Describe their hands. Describe their laugh.

his eyes are really sensitive to the light so he wears his shades a lot but god when he takes them off i get to see his eyes

theyre red and kind of like mine but not in the freaky albino way like mine

his are a beautiful deep red and when i look close enough i can see the little flecks of whatever mixed in

his hands arent scarred and scabbed like mine theyre soft but with a slight toughness to them and when we intertwine our fingers i can really feel that and i love kissing his fingertips just to show him that

and his laugh

god his laugh

i never want to hear anything else

the way it bubbles up and his head falls and his smile is so wide its beautiful 

4. What’s your zodiac sign and mbti type? What about your partner’s? Do things like that reflect your actual compatibility or is it just bunch of bunk?

we are both the same sign and i dunno about that mbti stuff and i dont think any of it works for compatibility its kinda dumb

5. Are you long distance? Have you met in person before? When do you get to see them again?

we live together

6. Tell me a story about a happy experience you two shared. Something that makes your heart warm whenever you think about it.

i had lit a bunch of fancy rose candles and turned out the lights and we just showered each other with so many kisses and then fell asleep together smiling stupidly it was nice 

7. Tell me a funny story. Did they do something silly? Did you do something silly? Talk about your inside jokes.

he always does something silly

he has this silly smile when he falls asleep and apparently when i sleep i look “angry or apathetic as fuck”

sometimes he walks in when im shaving my legs early in the morning with my hair in a bunch of mini pony tails so i can see and he knows hes seen a demon

8. Are your families supportive? Does it matter if they’re not?

avi doesnt have much of a family other than his sister and i havent met her

and dirk and hal are all ive got and dirk is pretty supportive and i think hal is too 

if they werent it would hurt but i couldnt stop loving him yknow

9. Would you ever have a pet together? Do you already have one?

he has four cats and i have an owl

10. Do you have children together? If not, are you both interested in raising children some day?

we do not but maybe someday i havent really thought about it all too much

11. If they’re having a bad day, what do you do to help?

listen the best i can and do whatever i can

give him space if he needs it

hold him if he needs it

12. If you’re having a bad day, what do they do to help?

he listens 

fuck he listens

he lets me cry and yell or whatever i need to do and he helps me

he lets me talk to him

he is everything to me when im having a hard time 

he knows when to hold me and rub my back and hush me

he knows when to give me space and let me yell

he knows me so well

13. What’s something that your partner does that would be annoying if anyone else did it, but it’s cute when they do it?

he moves a lot in his sleep

he has grabbed my ass on more than one occasion

14. Have you ever went on a vacation or adventure together? Tell me about it. If not, do you have plans to do something fun in the future?

we drive out to the coast sometimes its fun just driving away so yes

15. What’s something that you learned about yourself because of being with your partner?

i learned that im allowed to be confident with my body and im beautiful and nothing anybody can say will crush that

i really started to stop wearing makeup to cover my spots because of him

16. What’s a piece of advice that your partner gave you that has resonated with you? 

“please dont ever talk about corpses in public again”

17. Which one of you kills the bugs (or captures the bugs and places them safely outside)?

me

18. Describe the perfect day with your partner. It can be something that’s already happened, or something that you plan to do.

like i mentioned before just driving out to the coast

both of us laughing the whole way there

his smile as he watches the road that reflects in his eyes

watching the sun set when we finally get there and we just leave the car by the road and nobodys on the beach anymore and i run out to the water with him and it was cold as fuck so we just sat in the sand and held each other and looked up at the moon and he was so beautiful like he is everyday

and then we reluctantly got into the car and drove home mostly in silence expect the whispers of i love you 

and we got back home and fell asleep with smiles on our faces it was perfect 

19. Do you prepare meals together? Does one person enjoy cooking more than the other?

i usually cook when we arent just having eggs

avi isnt the best cook >BP

20. What are the best restaurants to go to? Do you see movies at the theater? Do you do things like golf or bowling, just to bond more?

theres a really not too fancy nice one downtown that we like

we watch movies at home and dont do much of that stuff

21. Tell me about a time that you got into an argument over something silly. 

the ghost in the kitchen that insulted his butter spreading skills was being annoying 

22. Tell me about a time that you got into an argument over something serious. How did you compromise? What did you learn?

it was just about family shit it was dumb

we just ended talking

i learned that we both need to talk more and we do now

23. Is there a famous couple, fictional or otherwise, that reminds you (or other people) of you and your partner? 

not really

24. Do you have a shipname?

not that i know of

25. Do you two have a “song”? What is it and how did it become your song?

do we have a song 

26. Has your partner ever inspired something creative like your art, writing, etc?

ive painted him a few times and he helps me with colours and stuff when im stuck

27. Do you have extremely similar personalities and interests? Or extremely opposite? Or is it a balance that just makes sense? How do you try to better understand each other? Do you ever have to experience things you’re not interested in, or vice versa? 

we are pretty similar but other than that its just a good balance

we talk to each other

sometimes i suppose 

28. Has your partner ever changed one of your opinions on morals, politics, society, etc?

i dunno

29. Tell me about a time that you were really proud of them. 

his dance performance in january he worked so hard for that and i brought him roses afterwards and he did so good

30. Does physical affection and/or sexuality have a role in your relationship? Are both of your needs being respected and fulfilled? 

yes we both love physical shit and we make sure that its fulfilled and respected too

31. How often do you talk? On the phone, Skype, in person? Are you two the type that stays up too late because the conversation is too good to end?

we talk and text everyday

32. Talk about your sense of humor, and your partner’s. Do you laugh a lot together? Which one of you is funnier?

we laugh a lot of course

i dont know whos funnier

33. Is there anyone who doesn’t like the idea of your relationship? What’s the reason? How do you and your partner overcome disapproval from others?

not that i can think of

34. Have there been any hardships that have ultimately brought you closer than before?

yeah

there have

35. What’s their contact name in your phone?

my love 💕💕

36. Tell me about what your partner is good at. Are they an artist, are they good at math, do they play a sport, etc?

he is an amazing dancer

37. Get really sappy and gross for a moment. Be so gushy that your friends would groan in mock annoyance if you told them. What’s adorable about your partner? What makes your heart melt? What’s something cute that they did that you’ll always remember no matter what?

david rae strider

he is everything to me

he is my present and my future

he is the rest of my life

falling asleep next to him and waking up next to him is such a privilege and i feel like the luckiest goddamn man in the world to be able to love him

he makes me feel like the happiest man on earth to be able to love him

hes so understanding and patient and he listens to me

his movements are soft and not quick

he comforts me 

he cries and i feel like im bleeding from tha inside out and i want to make sure he never has any reason to sad cry

he cries with a smile and i know that i am so in love with him

he kisses my nose and holds me

he kisses every single one of my spots and tells me im beautiful

he traces my scars on my back my arms my face my legs everywhere and kisses my neck still

he holds my hand in public and does fake proposals for free dessert

he knows all the words to every single grease song and so do i

his voice is so nice to hear and his smile is all ive ever wanted to see

his hair is soft and i like to kiss his stubble cheeks when he doesnt shave for a while

hes cute

hes beautiful

he realizes his mistakes

he bought me roses once and put a note inside that he wanted to have roses like that at our wedding someday

he kisses me without regret

he says that he loves me and i believe him

when he got down on his knees and asked me to marry him with tears in his beautiful eyes and held out a shaky beautiful hand with an earring in it

i knew that i loved this man with my entire being

and i said yes

god i said yes

38. Let’s talk about life goals and hopes. Do you two have a similar idea for the future (regarding careers, getting a home, family, finding meaning)? Do you two make a good team? Can you imagine spending the rest of your life with them?

we are moving into his sisters old place once hes done with school and we are getting married in the summer

we just know we want the rest of our lives to be together

39. Reflecting on all of your experiences, what advice would you give to a young couple? 

talk to each other and dont try and hide important things and your feelings 

dont be stupid but also do stupid things

40. Is your partner on tumblr? Tag them here and write them a small message, it can be anything.

@bromosapiens

ur gross

[helptowriteabook1-blog]

How To Write A Book

Very simple. It starts with understanding the market. A scary business Writing books is a scary business, but the scariest bits of the entire game is this: it's very easy to make a complete mess of the entire project before you get written your first word. You can misjudge the market. You can foul up your plot. You can have a hopelessly insufficient knowledge of your characters, or the world in which they find themselves. If you get these things badly wrong in the outset, you're headed straight for a giant mess. So planning matters. At the same time, any form of creative composing needs a kind of fluidity. It's just not possible to plan a thing out completely. For one thing, it's hard to help squash all your inventiveness into the three month period you've allotted. For another, the process of writing might reveal more to you about your characters and your story, and you need to give yourself room to answer these insights. The seat of your trousers There is no one single way to approach these issues. I know one publisher who wrote so many notes when it came to researching her first novel that the notes ended up increasingly being longer than the book itself. I also know an excellent author (one of whose books was a great deal promoted on TV and which sold a huge number of copies as a result) who takes precisely the antipode approach. she likes to research a period, get interested in some aspect of it, then she just starts to jot down. she barely knows her character and knows nothing of the story; she just throws the door available and waits to see what will come along. There are a number of other commercially successful authors who work in a similar way. Which means that there are different routes you can take, but most new writers who take one of these more extreme territory will have cause to regret it. If you are an extreme note-taker, then ask yourself honestly whether your book must have more research or whether you are simply procrastinating. It may well be that you are afraid of starting, which is a correctly understandable fear and one to be cured in one way and one way only: by getting stuck in. Since Kinglsey Amis famously put it, 'The art of writing is the art of applying the seat to your trousers to the seat of one's chair'. There's a little more to it than that maybe, but it's still Session One, the only lesson that tolerates no exceptions. Equally, if you're attracted to the vigour and boldness in the 'just get started' approach, ask yourself if you are not, in fact , afraid of the disciplines of planning, if you are not necessarily afraid of them because they're precisely what you most need. It's possible that, without planning anything out, you certainly will write a wonderful novel, appear on TV and sell a zillion copies - but statistically conversing, you are vastly more likely to end up with an unsaleable manuscripts, most of whose flaws were entirely predictable from the get go. Chasing Kay Scarpetta Let's assume, then, that you're sold on the idea of planning things out to some (non-obsessive) span. Where should you start? You start, inevitably, in the place you hope to finish: in a bookshop. A bookshop isn't simply a repository of all the world's greatest fiction and non-fiction; it's a marketplace and a catwalk too. You might want to learn to read wisely, commercially. Let's say, for example , that you intend to write crime fiction. Perhaps you happen to have a delicate spot for the British crime fiction of the 'Golden Age'. You love Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers, Margery Allingham, Bulldog Drummond, the 'Saint' and all the rest of it. So you want to do something similar. Something which includes a modern setting, of course, but nevertheless a novel that brews up the same attractive blend of comfortable living, provided social values, amateur sleuths, decent but bumbling policemen, and a good old splash of upper class experiencing. So you do. You write that book. It boasts strong characters, warm prose and a deft, when contrived, plot. (The contrivances are part of the feel. ) You may well achieve a manuscript that appropriately accomplishes its goals. And it will never sell. Perhaps, in truth, if the book was good enough, you might find a second collection publisher to take it off you for a very small advance. You might even, with a little luck, lure a giant publisher into launching the book at the cosy crime market, where you can perhaps aim to sell 5 and 10, 000 paperbacks tops, and little hope of cracking any overseas market. But you'll never earn a living from writing and indeed, because agents know the way the dice are likely to fall, you'll have the greatest difficulty in gaining even this success, because it won't be worth most agents' while to help you there. Why? Because you're authoring for the market as it was seventy years ago, not as it is today. The modern crime writer has to respond to that Dashiell Hammett / Raymond Chandler revolution of the 1940s. They have to deal with an audience that has learned forensics from Patricia Cornwell, seen society from the viewpoint of a Michael Collins, encountered feminism from Sara Paretsky, learned place from Ian Rankin, studied mood and light with the Scandinavians, and that expects books, enjoy Hollywood, to deliver thrills as well as mysteries. You can't even model your work after current bestsellers. Take the forensically driven novels of Patricia Cornwell as an example. She's still an active writer, and her work still regularly tops bestseller lists on both sides of the Atlantic. But if you write like her, your booklet won't sell. That seems crazy at one level. She's a smash-hit, number one, multi-millionaire bestseller. If you happen to write like her, how can you not do well? At another level, though - the level of commercial reality, in truth - it makes perfect sense. If people want to read Patricia Cornwell, they will read Patricia Cornwell. Next her exhilarating decision to put forensics at the heart of the crime novel, others have followed suit, notably Kathy Reichs and the CSI TV series. There is now a huge forensically-led crime literature, dominated by the names which created it. If, more than two decades after Kay Scarpetta first emerged, you are seeking to chase an identical crowd, then you're twenty years out of date. Instead, you need to learn the market. You need to feel out its leading edge. You certainly essential info the big names in the market you want to write for. In crime fiction, for example , no writer can afford to never read Patricia Cornwell, because she's created such a large chunk of the contemporary crime vocabulary. But that is the historical part of your research. The current part is this: you need to buy and read debut novels issued as a result of major publishers in the last two or three years. You need to pay very particular attention to the novels that have done abnormally well (won prizes, been acclaimed, sold lots of copies), because these are the novels that publishers independently will use as their lodestars. The recency of the novels matters acutely, because you that guarantees contemporaneity. The reality that they are debut novels (or perhaps second novels) also matters, because it proves that the work is being produced for the qualities of the work itself, not because of the author's name, fame, or past achievements. That a serious publisher has its name on the book also matters, because it's likely to indicate that a good n amount of money has been paid for it. It's a probable indication that the market considered that book by that author to remain 'hot'. Needless to say, it's not enough to read these books. You also have to know what to do with them. Pigeon English, a first innovative by Stephen Kelman, recently sold for a high six-figure sum, following an astonishing auction contested simply by 12 different publishers. The book has been sold to publishers in the US, the UK, Brazil, Canada, China, People from france, Italy, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and elsewhere. Books like this come along very seldom and its author was altogether unknown beforehand. Yet his book looks set to be a massive world-wide hit. If you are seeking to write with the similar territory, then you need to understand the ingredients of Kelman's success. You don't need to understand them, because you propose slavishly to replicate them, but you need to understand literature as being in a kind of long-running conversation with again. You need to understand what feels current, what feels settled, what feels disputed, what holes and voids and additionally gaps may be opening up. Needless to say, you need to understand this conversation as it applies to your particular genre, whatever that is, but virtually no genre exists in complete isolation from the rest (though sci-fi and fantasy gets closer than most). If you read narrowly, you're likely to miss an important part of the developing conversation. Reading the market well is an extraordinarily challenging art. It is also an extraordinarily important one. It's both the most elusive and the most vital skill this any writer can have. Remember that you're at a huge disadvantage in this area. Every agent and every publisher is actually in the market, buying, selling, talking, comparing. These people aren't mostly reading the books that are on the bookshelves today. They're reading the books that will be on the bookshelves in eighteen months' time. They know exactly what guides are most hotly contested at auction. They'll know which books almost didn't sell at all. They are going to know the advances and the sales stats. When a book does unusually well or flops unusually severely, the trade will grope towards a consensus understanding of the outcome and alter its buying habits consequently. Reading this, most writers will draw the only logical conclusion, and instantly seek out marriage with a literary solution or successful commissioning editor. That's a good strategy and one that I'd commend unreservedly. If, however , people suffer the misfortune of being happily married already, you'll simply need to rub along as best you can. Imagine reading a lot, reading widely, and staying current. Looking inward These strictures might sound as if they're dealing with something external, but they're not really. They're talking about you. Most books that fail at the very first hurdle : that of concept - are more than anything else failures of honesty. You need to approach your own ideas using radical honesty. Is your idea for a book really founded on a good idea, or do you simply have a personalized attachment to it? Are you attached to it simply because it was the first idea that came to you? In very many cases, it does not take latter. Clear-sighted honesty is desperately hard to come by. It's taken me five or ten years to get close in addition to I've plenty more to learn yet. But one powerful tip is this: you must cultivate a positive posture towards contemporary fiction. In my role as editorial consultant, I often hear new writers say, 'There's so much rubbish published these days, ' or words to that effect. No one who has ever spoken those key phrases has got within a mile of publication. Of course, not all new books are good. There has never been a short while in history when they were. But it's very rare indeed that books are published which are incompetent for their sort. Dan Brown writes bad prose, but his audience doesn't care, as long as the story cracks with. John Banville's narratives may sometimes seem to have stalled completely in a flow of beautiful sentences, nevertheless his readers don't come to him for shoot-outs and car chases. Both authors excel at what people do. If you treat contemporary fiction as an embarrassment and a let-down, you can't hear its conversation. You won't generate anything which seems timely or pertinent. You won't get published and don't deserve to. The cynical path to failure It's also worth being clear about one other thing. I am not advocating cynicism. No cynically prepared book has ever sold. At the Mills & Boon end of the market, perhaps, a few cynically penned books are acquired, though not often even then. You must write for the market, because if you don't the market is usually unlikely to want what you produce. But you must also write with passion and conviction. You must - we should call a spade a spade - write with love. This game is so hard, so filled with challenges, you don't stand a hope unless you do.

[authors-haven]

Plotting a Series

I’ve gotten a question about whether the process of plotting a single book is the same as the process of writing a series. The answer is: yes, but no. They’re similar in many areas, but there are some differences.

1. In the first book you’ll want to introduce the main conflict first, and then a smaller, less important conflict a little later in. The smaller conflict will be resolved by the end of the book; the larger conflict, which is the main conflict of the series, will not. As an example, take the Harry Potter series (I use it because it’s well-known and won’t take too much explaining). In The Philosopher’s Stone, the first couple of chapters are about Harry and who he is, how he ended up with the Dursleys, what happened to his parents – these chapters accomplish backstory by introducing Harry and his family situation, and introduce the main conflict by telling of the death of Harry’s parents, and by Dumbledore expressing uncertainty about how defeated Voldemort really is. Then, a few chapters in, after being admitted into Hogwarts, Harry finds out that someone is trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone – the book’s short term conflict.

2. Each short-term conflict should move the long-term conflict closer to a resolution. For example, at the end of Philosopher’s Stone, the stone is safe (the short-term conflict resolved), but it’s been discovered that Voldemort is still alive and is still trying to gain power – the stakes of the long-term conflict are raised. At the end of Chamber of Secrets, the diary is destroyed, but we have some of Voldemort’s backstory, and it seems that Voldemort is gaining power. At the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, Wormtail is introduced – this seems to have nothing to do with the main conflict, but it’s important, because it brings some of Harry’s parentage back to him (although it’s secondhand, only stories of his parents), and because Wormtail turns out to be Voldemort’s right-hand man. At the end of Goblet of Fire, Voldemort regains his body, and at this point you could argue that the long-term conflict is about halfway through its rising action; at the end of Order of the Phoenix, Harry finds out that he must kill Voldemort or be killed by him, and that only he can defeat Voldemort; at the end of Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore (the one person Voldemort was said to truly fear) is killed, Snape’s loyalty is in major question, and Hogwarts has been overtaken – Harry decides to continue Dumbledore’s work in looking for the Horcruxes. Finally, at the end of Deathly Hallows, Voldemort is defeated and a lot of the smaller loose ends (smaller-scale antagonists like Bellatrix LeStrange and Lucius Malfoy) are taken care of. Over the course of seven books, the long-term conflict – Voldemort trying to return to power and create a society that pampers purebloods and tramples poor wizards – has been resolved.

Basically, draw a circle on a piece of paper and put your main conflict in that circle. Then draw smaller circles stemming from that bigger circle and write your short-term conflicts in those. From there continue – subplots can be drawn stemming from your short-term conflicts. (If you don’t know how to create subplots, this post may help – in it I describe the same process of mapping out possible sub-conflicts to your main conflict, but probably describe a little better.) If you don’t know what your short-term conflicts are yet, then think of your long-term conflict as a straight line of rope – then ask yourself how you can knot up that rope. What processes do your protagonists have to go through to get to a solution, and how can your antagonists gum up the works? For example, in the Harry Potter series, the long-term conflict is that Harry has to defeat Voldemort. What gets in the way of that? I can name a few things, from various places in the books: Minister Fudge refusing to believe him when Voldemort comes back after the events of Goblet of Fire, having so much difficulty finding and destroying all the Horcruxes in Deathly Hallows, Dolores Umbridge preaching that Voldemort is not alive when in fact he is, and is growing stronger. (There are a million possibilities for your story’s short-term conflicts, because depending on your characters’ dispositions, they could cause a few themselves – for example, one of your characters could feel they have something to prove and end up getting themselves in trouble, and the plot of an entire book could be finding and saving that character before time runs out.)

I hope this helps! - @authors-haven