#it’s sept 26th again……
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Wake me up when September ends
#it’s sept 26th again……#fkmt#akagi#fanart#fanarts#akagi shigeru#shigeru akagi#margot.png#akagi the genius who descended into darkness#赤木しげる追悼#赤木しげる追悼 2024#26/09/2024
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sharp teeth | m.list
pairing. wolf shifter!jungkook x human!reader (f)
sum. Jungkook—a love struck puppy pining for Y/N’s affection. Y/N—an oblivious, hard-headed tsundere too thick to realize a shifter likes her. What could go wrong?
genre. slow burn, pining, mutual pining, eventual romance, shifter/werewolf!au, suggestive at times, eventual smut, i2l (idiots-to-lovers), f2l (friends-to-lovers), fluff, humor, found family, established relationship, high school!au, university!au
total w/c. 23,227 (including drabbles)
overall rating. 13+
collection. mini-series
a/n. Main Series and Drabbles are finally in chronological order, woo-hoo!
Available to read on: AO3, Wattpad
Listen to the <Sharp Teeth> playlist on Spotify!
© dearly-somber
started. June 30th, 2022. finished.
🌕🌔🌓🌒🌑🌘🌗🌖🌕
Main Series
It’s An Affectionate Thing | Jun 30th, 2022
Naked | Jun 18th, 2022
Yours | Jun 30th, 2022
Warm | Jun 30th, 2022
Purr | Nov 8th, 2023
RBF | Oct 30th, 2023
Because It’s Soft | Feb 26th, 2023
stand still (i’m sniffing you) | Feb 19th, 2024
Twister | Sept 16th, 2023
Haircut | Nov 30th, 2023
Heat Stroke | Jun 10th, 2023
Body Art | Jun 23rd, 2024
I Like Me Better | Jul 6th, 2024
Oh No! | Aug 3rd, 2024
The Moon Will Sing |
🌕🌔🌓🌒🌑🌘🌗🌖🌕
Drabbles
Sharp Teeth | Jun 30th, 2022
Feel The Burn |
In My Bed |
20/20 Vision | Jan 28th, 2024
Y/N’s parents meeting the pack |
Jungkook staying at Y/N’s house |
Girl Talk |
Whine, Whimper, Weep | Sept 26th, 2023
‘cause your love, is my drug |
Graduation | Jul 11th, 2024
Y/N meeting Jungkook’s parents |
Drugs, Sex, and Al•Co•Hol |
Soft Blankets, Cold Days |
All The Right Ways |
Do It Again |
Y/N reacting to Jungkook’s tattoos |
In My Bed, Pt.2 |
Birthday Boy | Sept. 1st, 2024
Cuddling With Your Partner |
Love You Like That |
🌕🌔🌓🌒🌑🌘🌗🌖🌕
Extras
What’s The Prob? Dog. — First Draft.
What’s The Prob? Dog. — Second Draft.
What’s The Prob? Dog. — Third Draft.
#series masterlist#series master post#bts x reader#jungkook x reader#shifters#bts a/b/o#jungkook fluff#jungkook angst#shifter jungkook#bts jungkook#jungkook fanfic#jungkook x you#jeon jungkook x reader#jungkook fic#kpop fics#kpop fanfic#kpop fic#a/b/o#a/b/o fanfic#a/b/o dynamics#bts hybrid fic#bts hybrid au#bts hybrid fanfic#bts hybrid x reader#werewolf au#jungkook smut#bts smut#fic: sharp teeth#kpop smut#ao3
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Claudia's Celebration of Life: Spark in the Dark
As the title suggests, this event is to celebrate the wonderful Claudia; her personality, her aspirations, her journey. The heart for the past two seasons of AMC Interview with The Vampire. This is to take the narrative back to her, proving she's not just a shingle roof for us.
The event will be held for 30 days (from Aug 11th to Sept 9th) with 15 themes. Anyone can join, and you can post whatever you like, from gifsets, meta analysis, fic recs, fanvids, web weaving, fanarts, fanvids, even poems. You can post them on Tumblr, or Tiktok, or AO3 etc. The rule is just one: make sure to tag "#Claudia's Spark in the Dark" and her character tags #Claudia and #AMC Claudia. Let's flood her tags with posts about her again! (plus, please give TW or CW when it's appropriate)
Important point: This event is AMC Claudia & Madeleine focused only. Please try to minimize inclusion of other characters or iterations except when it's on the theme.
Themes and dates are under the cut!
(The order of themes are generated randomly. Feel free to interpret each theme. For the themes with 'OR', you can choose which one you want)
1. Aug 11th & 12th: Hobbies
2. Aug 13th & 14th: Alternate Universe
3. Aug 15th & 16th: Quotes (From TVC books, other cast, Anne Rice about Claudia OR web weaving with other media)
4. Aug 17th & 18th: Family (Her relationship with Louis and/or Lestat OR with the concept of family itself)
5. Aug 19th & 20th: Claudia's Voice and Lack There Of (e.g. Claudia's diaries as her outlet and how they're used by others)
6. Aug 21th & 22nd: As A Caged Bird OR In Solitude (e.g. the limitations Claudia faces as a seemingly 14-year old Black girl OR bird motif)
7. Aug 23rd & 24th: Happiness (Anything as long as Claudia is happy. I just want to see her happy)
8. Aug 25th & 26th: Favorite lines or scenes
9. Aug 27th & 28th: Womanhood OR Childhood (e.g. Claudia's relationship with womanhood OR the still childlike or innocent part of her)
10. Aug 29th & 30th: The Actress(es) (Bailey Bass and/or Delainey Hayles with or without Roxane Duran)
11. Aug 31th & Sept 1th: Finding The X (Claudia's quest in searching for love)
12. Sept 2nd & 3rd: Enduring (e.g. Claudia relentless determination to "make the best out of it" with her vampirism or how the abuse she suffers and witnesses shapes herself and her views)
13. Sept 4th & 5th: Fashion or Costumes
14. Sept 6th & 7th: FREE THEME!
15. Sept 8th & 9th: Claudia & Madeleine
Special thanks to my mutual (you know who you are) who has helped me with the themes.
Update! I also made a submission page available during the event, if that's your preferred way to post.
Feel free to ask by replying under this post or ask me on my account or on my Twitter @itskuronekos
Let's go!
#interview with the vampire#iwtv#amc iwtv#amc interview with the vampire#claudia#claudia Éparvier#claudia de pointe du lac#claudia de lioncourt#amc claudia#claudia's spark in the dark#vampterview
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PERC’AHLIA WEEK 2024
September 23rd-29th
Day 1, Sept. 23rd: COURAGE / HEART
Day 2, Sept. 24th: FLY / FALL
Day 3, Sept. 25th: GLASSES / FEATHERS
Day 4, Sept. 26th: SCARS / TOMB
Day 5, Sept. 27th: FREE / RANDOM*
Day 6, Sept. 28th: SMOKE / SUNSHINE
Day 7, Sept. 29th: YOURS / LATER
We're BACK, baby!
With TLOVM Season 3 confirmed for this fall, what better way to kick off the season than with some cozy fics, hot art and great vibes for our favorite couple?
Last year, we were ecstatic to see over 40 pieces of artwork and 90 fics pop up in response to our prompts - so we're delighted to return and host Perc'ahlia Week again! This is a fan-hosted event intended to celebrate all things about the pairing: delightful arrow gifts to handling politics as a married couple.
We want to make sure this environment is welcoming to show fans and safe for minors to dip their toes into fandom: as a result, we request that anything that might contain spoilers for TLOVM s3 and onwards be tagged #c1 spoilers. And, as steamy as Perc'ahlia can get, please remember to tag more suggestive works appropriately.
Tag any creations made for the event with #percahliaweek, or @ us here @percahliaweek, and we will reblog it. Or you can submit directly to the blog if you’d prefer!
We also have a Discord server - both to encourage eachother to work on WIPs and just hang out. You can find us HERE <3
Any questions? We have an FAQ up HERE - but please don’t hesitate to send in an ask!
#percahliaweek#percahliaweek24#percahlia#perc'ahlia#vex'ahlia#percival de rolo#critical role#campaign 1#the legend of vox machina
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Mirrors — story guide
⟶ Character | Jungkook x reader
⟶ Genre | Friends with benefits!au, Smut, Angst
⟶ Ratings & Warnings | +18 / M for Mature; appropriate warnings will be applied on each chapter whenever necessary.
— Read:
⟶ Mirrors | Part 01 ● 3,5k words — originally written & published on Dec 3rd, 2016
⟶ Summary | You thought you made the right choice to end things before it got too far, yet in the moment in need, he chose to call you, insinuating that he might not have been ready to let things go. or “Don’t argue. Just do it.”
⟶ Mirrors | Part 02 ● 5k words — originally written & published on Nov 26th, 2017
⟶ Summary | As he takes you in his arms once again, denying your escape right when you are ready to leave him for good, he helps you to realise that the mirrors are not the only things that could help you see the truth within. That you could also see the reflection of your soul…in him.
⟶ Mirrors: what becomes of us (bonus chapter) ● 8,5k words — written & published on Sept 7th, 2023
⟶ Summary | One year has passed, and the unmistakable fuzzy feelings that have nothing to do with lust continue to grow. Yet while he is able to look deep into your heart, he has yet to allow you to see what is hidden inside his. He still put up a hard front, making you believe that standing by his side may not be as different than standing in front of fragile mirrors.
— Cross-post: AO3 | Wattpad
— Main Masterlist | Taglist | Feedback | Mailbox | Ko-fi
© All rights reserved. 2016-2023 @yoonia — Unauthorized use and/or duplication of these works, including reposting, translating and modification in any form, is strictly prohibited.
#jungkook smut#misc: masterlist#k-vanity#bangtansorciere#jungkook fanfic#jungkook scenario#jungkook angst#jungkook fluff#jungkook x reader#bts fanfic#bts scenario#bts smut#bts angst#bts fluff#bts x reader
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letters to a loved one || tangerine
tangerine x reader
summary: the only form of communication you and tangerine can use when he is on a mission is email, however, as the weeks and months go by, your words have been left unanswered.
warnings: angst
word count: 1.4k
masterlist
a/n: this is a lot different than my normal works so i hope you enjoy this different format
aug 5th, 2022: i know it's only been two days since you left but i miss you so much already! good luck today, kick some ass!! mwah! xoxo
aug 15th, 2022: hi honey. i hope the mission went well a few days ago! even though email is the safest way we can communicate while you're gone i know you can't always respond even if you're in a safe house. i'm not too worried, i know how skilled you and lemon are. tell him i say hi! i can't wait for you to be home, you estimated you'd be back on the 17th so i have a nice dinner planned. <3 love you so so much my sweet tang!
aug 27th, 2022: hey tang, i can't lie and say i'm not a tiny bit worried but i keep telling myself you've been gone longer before with zero communication. maybe it feels different now because of how long we've been together. i miss waking up to you and grabbing our keys and heading out for the day. if you see this message me back! even if you can't fully respond i'll settle with a smiley face if i must! haha. oh by the way i still cooked that dinner i had planned for us, it came out soooo yummy. but it took so long omg! you're lucky i love you and i'm willing to spend 8 hours in the kitchen again. it will probably taste better this time since you will be by my side. love you lots!
sept 12th, 2022: i only just saw the news of the bullet train derailment in japan on august 5th. that was your mission wasn't it? you said the 5th. i'm worried more now, i can't lie, but like i tell you every day i know how skilled you are. even though i never want to wish you are in a hospital i hope that's where you are recovering with lemon by your side. when you get the chance please email me back, okay? i love you.
sept 14th, 2022: tangerine if you see this please email or call me.
sept 30th, 2022: i wish i could talk to you just once. one word so i know you are okay. i can't reach lemon either. i wake up every day hoping you will be laying next to me. please, please give me something so i know you are alright? anything. where are you tangerine? i don't want to keep crying but that's all i can do. sit here in our empty house and cry. the walls feel like they are closing in on me. i went to our favorite breakfast spot the other day and i got that really sweet older lady with the grey curly hair as my waitress. she asked where you've been. i don't know how much longer i can keep saying you are gone for work and people believe it... i no longer believe it either. i hate typing it out. i don't want to believe something awful happened but something did, didn't it? i can feel it in my body. please reach out to me, i miss you so much and i love you so so much tangerine, please.
oct 26th, 2022: i love halloween, you know that more than anyone. decorations everywhere, piles of candy, and everyone dressing up pretending to be someone else for the night. now i feel bad about how much i bugged you about this year's halloween. my friends keep telling me to come out and join them, but if i'm being honest it's hard to do anything these days. it doesn't help that they think you just left me, ghosted me i guess. but they don't know what you do for work and i can't tell them. so i have to listen to them talk shit about you and i sit there trying to convince them you aren't this evil guy who ditched me and never looked back. maybe i should listen, maybe it's easier to believe you just left me than admitting to myself you're no longer here. i'm holding out, i'm trying so fucking hard to, tan. maybe in some sick joke you will pop up on halloween dressed in some stupid costume with a mask covering your face and in some grand reveal you will pull the mask off and i'll be in your arms again. it's wishful thinking. well, i have to go now, i'm meeting with a co-worker. love you.
dec 1st, 2022: i should be waking up this morning with your arms wrapped around me nearly crushing every bone in my body. but i didn't. and i haven't since the beginning of august. is it cruel now to admit i think you are gone. i really think you are and part of me has thought this since i saw the news of the bullet train. i feel scared. i'm starting to forget the little things about you. i can't play back the sound of your laugh in my head. i can't really picture the way your eyes crinkled. it makes me feel ill. i don't want to forget the small details about you. i crave to whisper goodnight and i love you to you. i crave just for your body next to mine. in the most innocent forms i crave you, like the way you'd absentmindedly play with my hair or pull out my chair or charge my phone when i always forget. the simple things i'm missing the most. i didn't realize i had so many forms of love until you've been gone. happy anniversary, dear.
jan 17th, 2023: tangerine, i'm not sure why i opened this email account. it's been over a month since i've checked it. maybe it was because i heard your favorite song earlier and thought of you a bit more than usual these days. i secretly hoped there would be a new message but that's foolish of me.
april 7th, 2023: Dear Tangerine, I know you won't read this email, but I felt as though I needed to explain what life has been like recently. My friends no longer bring you up in conversation which I am grateful for. I had to stop visiting our favorite breakfast place, each time I went they asked about you, even as recently as three weeks ago. I will miss their egg sandwich that you recommended to me on our third date but it is better off I no longer go there. Work has been great, a bit busy, but good. I removed your picture from my desk at the beginning of the new year. I saw the way my co-workers would stare a bit too long at it, I guess seeing it reminded them how I never mentioned you anymore. Speaking of co-workers, a few emails ago I mentioned I was meeting up with one of them. We've been seeing each other a lot outside of work, I enjoy their company. I can never say this to them but when they kiss me and hug me I sometimes think it's you. That's wrong to admit especially since I think I'm developing feelings for them, but they will never see this. They are kind and treat me well which I know you would be pleased to hear. I packed up your clothes in my house and put them in a box. I couldn't keep looking at them. I cried so much that I don't think I can cry again for years to come. I would hug your shirts and jackets so much that they lost your smell. I regret that a bit. I opened the box a few days ago and it smelled like me. Almost all signs of you are gone now that the remnants of your cologne is worn off the fabric. I think I might sell the house. It's too big for a single person now. It's too quiet in here and it almost feels like someone is watching me, it doesn't feel safe. Maybe that's because you provided me with safety. I'm not doing much today, it's actually pretty early right now, maybe I'll cook that dinner I never got to cook for you. I haven't since that day. I'm realizing how silly I sound in my own head as I type these words. Maybe I'll invest in a journal soon.
#tangerine#tangerine bullet train#tangerine x reader#tangerine x y/n#tangerine x oc#tangerine x you#tangerine imagine#tangerine imagines#tangerine bullet train imagine#tangerine fic#tangerine fanfic#tangerine fanfiction#tangerine bullet train fanfic#tangerine fluff#tangerine angst#tangerine blurb#tangerine headcannon#tangerine oneshot#bullet train imagine#bullet train fanfic#bullet train oneshot#bullet train x reader#bullet train#aaron taylor johnson imagine#aaron taylor johnson x reader#tangerine headcanon#sebsbarnes
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Hey folks! It's finally that time again; another character week! Mark your calendars for September 20th to September 26th for 1 whole week of the geatest Elvish Evirwinterian Archer, Kyborg The Mighty!
Just like with all the previous character weeks, there will be a lot of different prompts. You can choose either one of the prompts, OR all of them to submit. You can interpret them however you want! All forms of art are accepted! (Fics, drawing/paintings, videos, etc!)
(Inspiration dice will be given out for creativity once again 😉 so be creative!)
The same rules as the other weeks still applies, meaning keep everything minor friendly and don't forgot to tag #KyborgWeek2024 or @ me!
Day 1/Sept. 20th - "I'M GONNA DO A BACKFLIP!" / Overconfident
Day 2/Sept. 21st - Intense Training / Sparring with Friends
Day 3/Sept 22nd - Reliving the Past / Ep. 55 / Revenge
Day 4/Sept. 23rd - Showing off / Archery competition
Day 5/Sept. 24th - He has His Mother's Eyes / "FOR EVIRWINTER!"
Day 6/Sept. 25th - Steampunk AU / Royal Guard AU
Day 7/Sept. 26th - Free day / Canon Divergance
#stinky dragon adventures#stinky dragon pod#stinkydragonpod#tales from the stinky dragon#tftsd#important#KyborgWeek2024#pinned post#kyborg the mighty#kyborg#kyborg evirwinter#kyborg tftsd#character week#character week 2024#Kyborg Week 2024
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So I get if you don’t want to talk about this, but I’d really like to address A photo dump and the one on the balcony. It is from when L was there, because as someone pointed out the towel on the ground has the exact same creases and laid down the same way. we know the trip was no later than beginning of sept due to when L posted. Although most of theorize it was Maybe July. But why was A there? Friend groups like Italy or GQ makes sense. Even Milan (after the WT) we could say he was helping her with modeling since she wants to do that(and maybe part of the nda). But this Marabella trip I don’t think he went on with his usual friends, because you think they’d post at some point about it, right? Because if she can you think they’d be able to. I know some thought maybe he was with family, but then again why would she be there? I think N and L been together a while, so this one stumps me. Anyone have any theories?
The simplest answer is that she was there in July like most theorize and they were with the friend group.
If we go based off the hotel posting that video using Bton theme music, we could say he was there around July 24th. They show up in Italy two days later on the 26th.
The balcony picture is old news but I think she tried to stump people with the meta data from Luke's pics that spread like wildfire.
It backfired, though. Well, at least most of us saw right through it.
It forced others off the ship or to get drunk at the bar.
Weak.
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08/18-19/2024 Daily OFMD Recap
TLDR; David Jenkins; Taika Waititi; GalaxyCon SanJose: Vico, Con, Kristian, Nathan; Leslie Jones; Madeleine Sami; Connor Barrett; Tell Tale TV Poll; Fan Spotlight: BairNecessities Affirmation Cards; Our Flag Means Fanfiction; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Tonight's Taika.
== David Jenkins ==
Davi's sharing more love for our crewmates and their dedication to OFMD. @smolbus, you're right hon, there is always hope! Ty for sharing your ink!
Source: David Jenkins Twitter
== Taika Waititi ==
More birthday shenanigans for Taika and Rita!
Source: Rita Ora's Instagram
Annnnd More Time Bandits Articles! This week Taika's gonna be in quite a bit of the final episodes it looks like!
Image Sources: The Taika Archives Twitter
= GalaxyCon San Jose: Vico, Con, Kristian, Nathan =
These four had such a lovely time in San Jose, and so did so many of our crewmates!! The cast was kind enough to post lots of pictures of the convention! Hope yall had fun! Please feel free to share your pics/stories!
Source: Kristian Nairn's Instagram
Source: Vico's Instagram
Nathan was out with Harvey Guillen and lots of other friends at the Winchester Mystery House while out in San Jose!
Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram Stories
== Leslie Jones ==
Leslie's going to be doing another stand up tour-- coming up Sept 29 you can see her at the Because They're Funny Comedy Festival at The Wharf in Washington D.C.! Learn more on their website!
instagram
Source: BecauseTheyreFunny Instagram
== Madeleine Sami ==
Nice to see Madeleine was out with the ladies of Deadloch at the 2024 TV Week Logie Awards!
Source: Prime Video AUNZ's Instagram
== Connor Barrett ==
Our beloved Hornberry out and about watching Angel City FC!
Source: Connor's Instagram
== Tell Tale TV Votes ==
Our dear friends over at @adoptourcrew are keeping us appraised of Tell Tale TV's new polls! You can vote for Ed and Stede for Category 3: Ship of the Year (Comedy or Animated Series)! While you're there if you want to help support some other queer shows, What We Do In The Shadows - Nandor and Guillermo are up in Ship You'd Most Like to See Sail (Round 1)!
Source: Adopt Our Crew Twitter
== Fan Spotlight ==
= BairNecessities =
Back again tonight is the kindest soul, Mik, aka bairnecessities! Her OFMD Affirmation cards continue to make me smile every time I look at them! Did any of you get to stop by her table this past weekend at GalaxyCon San Jose? If you didn't get to you can check out her shop/follow her on the various socials here: Instagram / Twitter / Linktr.ee / Etsy
First up is probably my favorite card from her S2 Deck:
The next two are from her secondary character expansion! I adore that we get Alma and Louis in there, and even Doug NoLastName and Jeffrey Fettering get a spotlight with wonderful messages for all of us!
Mik does other series too aside from OFMD (like Good Omens, and Helluva Boss!) You can check them out on her instagram below!
Source: Bearnecessities Instagram
= Our Flag Means Fanfiction =
New Epitizer this week from our good friends over at Our Flag Means Fanfiction. Seriously, the amount of content they put out, keeping us all engaged is amazing. If you haven't given them a listen or a follow please do! You can check out the new "when life gives you lemons" on their linktree!
Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram
== Love Notes ==
Hey there lovelies, I hope your Monday started your week off well <3 As I'm sitting here typing this I have my son asleep under one arm, so I apologize if this is a bit scattered. I saw this infographic today and it made me think of you all. I don't know about you, but I spent a lot of my life thinking I had to do everything, excel at everything, have all the money, and the car, and the house, and the kids, etc. But you know what? Life isn't about having everything. It's about finding the things you love and matter most to you and focusing on them. The things that matter most to me will absolutely be different from everyone else (we may share some of the same) but no two people are exactly the same when it comes to interests, and thats beautiful. Dig deep into the things you love crew, and remember you don't have to feel any shame for the things that mean the most to you. Do you like video games? Or Ornithology? How about fanfiction? Or maybe Indy 500 races? Do you find joy when you're alone in the woods? Or sitting out with friends at a bar? Do you enjoy being alone? Or maybe you love to sing your heart out at karaoke? Whatever it is you love-- embrace it, whether it's "Weird" by someone else's standards or not. If it makes you smile, if it makes you enjoy your time on this little blue dot-- dive in lovelies, with no regrets. I so very hope that even if it's only little bits at a time this week you get to spend doing the things you love, whatever that may be. Rest well and drink some water tonight <3 Love you crew
instagram
== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==
Happy Murray Monday, and Taika Tuesday everyone! Tonight's gifs are courtesy of @fandomsmeantheworldtome and @meluli, thank you so much for keeping us well fed with fantastic gifs of our favorite folks <3 You are doing Calypso's work my friends.
#ofmd daily recap#daily ofmd recap#ofmd#our flag means death#david jenkins#chaos dad#taika waititi#rita ora#adopt our crew#save ofmd#long live ofmd#galaxycon san jose 2024#vico ortiz#nathan foad#kristian nairn#con#tell tale tv poll#connor barrett#madeleine sami#leslie jones#bairnecessities
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How to Rewatch 9-1-1 Before September 26th
Okay, so if you're like me, you want to rewatch 9-1-1 before season 8 premieres on September 26th - but maybe you don't have the time to sit down and binge-watch. I've come up with a schedule where you can watch at least two episodes a day (starting on August 4th) and finish just in time for season 8.
Aug. 4
1x01 Pilot
1x02 Let Go
Aug. 5
1x03 Next of Kin
1x04 Worst Day Ever
Aug. 6
1x05 Point of Origin
1x06 Heartbreaker
Aug. 7
1x07 Full Moon (Creepy AF)
1x08 Karma’s a Bitch
Aug. 8
1x09 Trapped
1x10 A Whole New You
Aug. 9
2x01 Under Pressure
2x02 7.1
Aug. 10
2x03 Help Is Not Coming
2x04 Stuck
Aug. 11
2x05 Awful People
2x06 Dosed
Aug. 12
2x07 Haunted
2x08 Buck, Actually
Aug. 13
2x09 Hen Begins
2x10 Merry Ex-Mas
Aug. 14
2x11 New Beginnings
2x12 Chimney Begins
Aug. 15
2x13 Fight or Flight
2x14 Broken
Aug. 16
2x15 Ocean’s 9-1-1
2x16 Bobby Begins Again
Aug. 17
2x17 Careful What You Wish For
2x18 This Life We Choose
Aug. 18
3x01 Kids Today
3x02 Sink or Swim
Aug. 19
3x03 The Searchers
3x04 Triggers
Aug. 20
3x05 Rage
3x06 Monsters
Aug. 21
3x07 Athena Begins
3x08 Malfunction
Aug. 22
3x09 Fallout
3x10 Christmas Spirit
Aug. 23
3x11 Seize the Day
3x12 Fools
Aug. 24
3x13 Pinned
3x14 The Taking of Dispatch 9-1-1
Aug. 25
3x15 Eddie Begins
3x16 The One That Got Away
Aug. 26
3x17 Powerless
3x18 What’s Next?
Aug. 27
4x01 The New Abnormal
4x02 Alone Together
Aug. 28
4x03 Future Tense
4x04 9-1-1, What’s Your Grievance?
Aug. 29
4x05 Buck Begins
4x06 Jinx
Aug. 30
4x07 There Goes the Neighborhood
4x08 Breaking Point
Aug. 31
4x09 Blindsided
4x10 Parenthood
Sept. 1
4x11 First Responders
4x12 Treasure Hunt
Sept. 2
4x13 Suspicion
4x14 Survivors
Sept. 3
5x01 Panic
5x02 Desperate Times
Sept. 4
5x03 Desperate Measures
5x04 Home and Away
Sept. 5
5x05 Peer Pressure
5x06 Brawl in Cell Block 9-1-1
Sept. 6
5x07 Ghost Stories
5x08 Defend in Place
Sept. 7
5x09 Past Is Prologue
5x10 Wrapped in Red
Sept. 8
5x11 Outside Looking In
5x12 Boston
Sept. 9
5x13 Fear-O-Phobia
5x14 Dumb Luck
Sept. 10
5x15 FOMO
5x16 May Day
Sept. 11
5x17 Hero Complex
5x18 Starting Over
Sept. 12
6x01 Let the Games Begin
6x02 Crash & Learn
Sept. 13
6x03 The Devil You Know
6x04 Animal Instincts
Sept. 14
6x05 Home Invasion
6x06 Tomorrow
Sept. 15
6x07 Cursed
6x08 What’s Your Fantasy?
Sept. 16
6x09 Red Flag
6x10 In a Flash
Sept. 17
6x11 In Another Life
6x12 Recovery
Sept. 18
6x13 Mixed Feelings
6x14 Performance Anxiety
Sept. 19
6x15 Death and Taxes
6x16 Lost and Found
Sept. 20
6x17 Love Is in the Air
6x18 Pay It Forward
Sept. 21
7x01 Abandon Ships
7x02 Rock the Boat
Sept. 22
7x03 Capsized
7x04 Buck, Bothered and Bewildered
Sept. 23
7x05 You Don’t Know Me
7x06 There Goes the Groom
Sept. 24
7x07 Ghost of a Second Chance
7x08 Step Nine
Sept. 25
7x09 Ashes, Ashes
7x10 All Fall Down
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okay. I'm doing this again, I guess.
so the norwegian governmental agency that is supposed to support people in need (NAV) is giving me the runaround. I'm in a program for charting disability and work ability, and receive (very little) money while in the program. I was supposed to get 2680 NOK (~$250) this last monday (Sept. 18th), but received nothing. I am not getting any more information until NEXT monday (sept. 26th). I have about $20 to my name. I have no savings, and my family are poor.
I do not know how they expect me to survive off of nothing for a week, just because THEY didn't register my program extension. I am going to have to skip meals. They already have me living on barely $500 a month, and my medications alone are over $100 every month. I am desperate.
I have multiple disabilities. I am transgender. My partner is still struggling to find a job, so in reality TWO people are living on this non-budget. Food is so incredibly expensive here. I am so fucking tired.
I can provide any proof you need. Literally just $5 can get us a meal, although my meds are running low.
my p*yp*l is here. if you're Norwegian, dm me for vipps.
PLEASE do not tag this as d*nations or anything related. also please don't tell my family about this like last time. thank you.
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300 Days Of Productivity Challenge Tracker
Week 1 (20th - 28th Sept. 2024):
✔ Accepted - Early Admission Offer for MSc in Biotechnology (August 2025)
📝 Registered -Three Local Examinations on Biological Sciences - I have three more exams to register for
✈ Research on My Next Destination - Singapore - Should've done it before
🗣 Chinese Lessons on Duolingo - Streak 🔥
📅 My 10 Years' Plan & Back-up Plans
🙏 Thank you Notes - Professors and Acquaintances
☘ Planned - Exam Prep
Secured a Remote Internship - Not sure I'll have the time to continue
Awkward Interactions at Social Gatherings
Week 2 (29th Sept. - 5th Oct. 2024):
📱 Digital Detox
🇰🇷 No Gain, No Love
💻 Data Science Assignment (Week 1)
💻 Introduction to R (Data Camp)
🇰🇷 Spice Up Our Love
💫 Again (Yaoi) Manga
🗣Chinese Lessons on Duolingo - Streak 🔥
Commencement of - Competition Prep, Exam Prep
Week 3 (6th - 12th Oct. 2024):
💫 My Purrfect Boss (Yaoi) Manga
📄 ''Help" Page for the Database I will be presenting on in the Conference
👩🔬 Conference Prep - Accomodation, Registration, Poster, Script, Formals
🔊 Maintained Relationship with Former Employer - via Testimonials
💻 In-silco techniques for Immunology
📄 Submitted Research Paper - One Month Later
🗣 Chinese Lessons on Duolingo - Streak 🔥
💻 The Ultimate MySQL Bootcamp by Colt Steele on Udemy
🏠 Hostel Shortlisting - Singapore
📳 Reconnected with Acquaintances
📱 Career Counselling for a Junior
📄 Review Paper Discussion
Week 4 (13th - 19th Oct. 2024): Conference Week
📹 Shot a video for my previous employees
🔬 Immunology
♥ Date with Bestie
👩🔬 Poster Presentation
🤙 Networking
🌆 Nostalgia Conference City - because I used to visit the city during the holidays when I was younger
🍎 Ordered a MacBook Pro
Week 5 (20th - 26th Oct. 2024): Recovery Week
🗣 Socials - Instagram, LinkedIn [Conference Related]
📱 Replying to Messages on Socials
💻 Data Science Assignment (Week 4)
📝 Data Science Exam Prep
🍎 Ordered MacBook Pro Accessories - Extension Hub, Screen Protector, Hardshell Case
💻 Started Course - Analyzing Genomic Data in R on Data Camp
📱 Career Counselling for a Junior
📄 Review Paper Meeting
Week 6 (27th Oct. - 2nd Nov. 2024): Consistency/Festive Week
📝 Data Science Exam
💻 Course [1/4] Completion - Introduction to Bioconductor in R
🍎 Apple Account Changes
🍎 macOS Tutorials
Week 7 (3rd - 9th Nov. 2024): Catching Up with Tumblr
💻 Course [2/4] Completion - RNA-Seq with Bioconductor in R
🍎 Notes on MacOS
💻 Python Programming Exam Prep
💻 Second Brain - Cloud Setup
📹 Shot a video for my Alma Mater
💻 Course Completion - MATLAB - Udemy
💻 Data Science Assignment (Week 5)
Week 8 (10th - 16th Nov. 2024): At My Nana's
💻 Course [3/4] Completion - Differential Expression Analysis with limma in R
📄 Review Paper Discussion
💻 Python Programming Exam Prep
Setbacks:
Inconsistency
Very Late Submission - Research Paper
Late Commencement - Exam Prep
#grad school#grad student#gradblr#100 days of productivity#academia#academic#bioinformatics#biotechnology#data science#life science#study motivation#stem student#study aesthetic#study mode#study mood#study movitation#studyblr#studying#studyinspo#studyspo
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Ryan Grenoble at HuffPost:
After months of delays, a New York judge set a sentencing date Friday for former President Donald Trump, who was convicted in May of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to conceal a hush money payment to a porn star in the waning days of the 2016 presidential election. New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan set a new sentencing date for Nov. 26, after the 2024 presidential election.
Merchan explained his rationale in a letter to the legal counsel, acknowledging that sentencing a former president who’s currently seeking office again is “fraught with complexities.” He decided to postpone the hearing, he said, to avoid any appearance of “giving advantage to, or to create a disadvantage for” Trump. Merchan further emphasized he wanted “to avoid any appearance ― however unwarranted ― that the proceeding has been affected by or seeks to affect the approaching Presidential election in which the Defendant is a candidate.” Merchan has already delayed the sentencing once. Trump was initially going to be sentenced July 11. But Merchan pushed the date back to Sept. 18 after Trump’s lawyers urged him to reconsider the verdict in light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s July ruling that presidents are immune from prosecution for “official” acts.
The sentencing hearing for 34x Convicted Felon Donald Trump’s business records falsification and election interference will be held after the Presidential Election on November 26th.
Vote for the Prosecutor and not the Felon if you want to see Trump sentenced and held accountable!
See Also:
The Guardian: Judge delays sentencing in Trump hush-money case until after US election
#Donald Trump#Juan Manuel Merchan#Trump Indictment#People of New York v. Trump#2024 Elections#2024 Presidential Election
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PERC’AHLIA WEEK 2024
September 23rd-29th
Day 1, Sept. 23rd: COURAGE / HEART
Day 2, Sept. 24th: FLY / FALL
Day 3, Sept. 25th: GLASSES / FEATHERS
Day 4, Sept. 26th: SCARS / TOMB
Day 5, Sept. 27th: FREE / RANDOM*
Day 6, Sept. 28th: SMOKE / SUNSHINE
Day 7, Sept. 29th: YOURS / LATER
We're BACK, baby!
With TLOVM Season 3 confirmed for this fall, what better way to kick off the season than with some cozy fics, hot art and great vibes for our favorite couple?
Last year, we were ecstatic to see over 40 pieces of artwork and 90 fics pop up in response to our prompts - so we're delighted to return and host Perc'ahlia Week again! This is a fan-hosted event intended to celebrate all things about the pairing: delightful arrow gifts to handling politics as a married couple.
We want to make sure this environment is welcoming to show fans and safe for minors to dip their toes into fandom: as a result, we request that anything that might contain spoilers for TLOVM s3 and onwards be tagged #c1 spoilers. And, as steamy as Perc'ahlia can get, please remember to tag more suggestive works appropriately.
Tag any creations made for the event with #percahliaweek, or @ us here @percahliaweek, and we will reblog it. Or you can submit directly to the blog if you’d prefer!
We also have a Discord server - both to encourage eachother to work on WIPs and just hang out. You can find us HERE<3
Any questions? We have an FAQ up HERE - but please don’t hesitate to send in an ask!
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hey guys, its ya girl mod crithaus, if you see a post from an earlier timestamp it has slightly inaccurate time-frames for the week of weeks baby, reblog this one and get ready to yearn!!
#percahliaweek#perc'ahlia#critical role#percahliaweek24#the legend of vox machina#vox machina#percy de rolo#vex'ahlia
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PARTIES: Caleb (@dirtwatchman) and Wyatt (@loftylockjaw) TIME: Last Thursday (Sept 26th) SUMMARY: Caleb heads to Wyatt's house so they can finish their talk. Everything comes out as they confess the things they've been hiding. WARNINGS: Drug tw (mentions)
When the two of them had been discussing where to meet for their continued talks, Caleb had been quick to rule out his own place. He hadn’t really felt like discussing everything in the middle of his own crime scene…scenes, as it was hard enough just living there these days. Every corner of that house held unwanted memories but having Wyatt there again, in that same kitchen where everything had ended only brought on the worst case of dread. So he was happy when Wyatt suggested his own place, the zombie jumping at the opportunity.
But Wyatt’s place was different now too. It didn’t seem as cozy as it had once been with the lack of animals lining the walls in their aquariums and the deep gashes in those very same walls. The furniture was different and Caleb couldn’t help but run a finger over a chair that looked like it was ready for its deathbed. He hated this. Wyatt wasn’t happy. At least before the man’s smile would reach his eyes….something that he missed deeply. “Trouble in paradise, I see.” His attempt at lightening the mood fell flat, sounding so insincere to his own ears and causing him to sigh.
He looked up, blue eyes running up the length of Wyatt’s face to take in those purple rings. Caleb hated those too. Maybe the last conversation hadn’t made him realize how bad this situation was but he was starting to get the bigger picture here. The man was struggling, perhaps even more than Caleb was, which was mind boggling on its own. “How do I help you? What can I do?”
—
He hadn’t been thrilled by the idea of having someone over — since Charlie had left and the nightmares had only gotten worse, the A-frame cabin had been through hell. But he knew that the conversations they still needed to have were far too damning to be uttered in public where someone might overhear, so it had to be one house or the other. And considering the way he’d last left Caleb’s… yeah, Wyatt wasn’t looking forward to going back there again, either. Not until things were… better. If that’s where this was headed. He hoped that was where this was headed. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if it all fell apart again.
He’d kept his head down as they moved from the foyer and into the living room: this was where the evidence of his fearful nighttime rampages began. A thing he didn’t want to talk about, but had to, if only for his own sake. He watched Caleb carefully as the zombie’s gaze fell on the different furniture: items he’d gotten for as cheap as possible, or even free when the opportunity arose. He didn’t have the money to spend on nice things these days: after losing his job at the restaurant, things had been tight. But after everything that happened at the Pit, things were downright dire. They were working him more but paying him less; recompense for the damages he’d caused time and time again. And now that he was waking up from nightmares fully shifted and in a panic, his furniture was bearing the brunt of that terror as he ripped himself out of bed and attacked everything in his path, seeing feathers instead of cushions, talons instead of little wooden feet with the soft pads on them that kept them from scratching up the floor.
Which was hilarious, in hindsight. And downright useless, like trying to put out a raging forest fire by spraying it with a garden hose. His floors were pretty well fucked, and matched the walls nicely. The longest slashes and gashes seemed to pour out of the hallway that led to his bedroom — a place he really didn’t want to take anyone. If Caleb thought out here was bad, he might have second thoughts about being alone with Wyatt if he saw the state of the bedroom.
At the attempt at levity, the lamia just shrugged.
“Wish I knew,” he answered in a soft voice. “It ain’t as easy to shake as I thought it was gonna be, if I’m honest. The…” his voice trailed off, realizing he’d been about to dive right into the heart of it all with no prefacing. “So the… well. I told you I ain’t been sleepin’.” He glanced around them, his expression one that almost looked like a man in mourning. “I figured out why, after a few months of it. After it was… like this.” He gestured vaguely at the room they stood in. “Night terrors were bad. Are… bad. But even after I figured out what it was… didn’t make it stop. Still can’t… make it through the night without...” Not without help. Wyatt dragged a hand over his face, falling silent for a moment. The overhead lights glowed with warm amber light, but the cabin felt cold. Empty. Crickets chirped and peeper frogs sang their songs outside at the lakeside, but the sounds didn’t bring him comfort anymore. Now they just meant that the sun was setting and his battle was beginning. “Dunno if anyone can help me, firebug.” Mateo had given him some peaceful, restful nights making sure the nightmares stayed away, but that wasn’t a permanent fix.
—
He nodded as Wyatt started off but as soon as ‘night terrors’ hit his ears his eyes widened a little. It could have been something else, right? Night terrors could have been something that Wyatt suffered from even before coming to Wicked’s Rest but it was awfully convenient that Caleb had never noticed them before when they were together. He didn’t sleep much but Wyatt had needed to so he would have seen them, right? The after effects were another clue pointing him straight into the most obvious answers but he did not want to admit what it was. “The night terrors, you’ve never had them before?” Deep down he knew what the answer would be, knew where this was heading and he figured it was better to be honest about everything with Wyatt than trying to bypass the truth. He’d seen where that led them and it wasn’t where he wanted to be. Not anymore. Not ever. “It was a mare…wasn’t it?”
But who? His mind went straight to Aria but she had admitted that she didn’t like to stick with someone too long when she fed, especially not long enough to cause permanent psychological damage like this. But he also didn’t know how many visits that took either. As much as he didn’t want to think it was her he knew mistakes happened. Then there was Inge, someone he’d just met right before his own issues had started…someone who seemed a little more likely.
The worst part of it all was even with the knowledge he held about the species he also didn’t know if there was a way to fix the damage that had been done. It didn’t mean he couldn’t try. “I have a…friend I can talk to. They might know how to help you.” The words trailed off, Caleb’s lips twitching up just slightly at the nickname he’d thought was gone forever. Why did he love that nickname so much? More importantly, why was he allowing the sound of it to let his mind travel where it didn’t need to be right now? This was important. The rest could wait.
—
He wasn't sure if he should have been surprised or not that Caleb not only knew what mares were and what they were capable of, but that he also seemed to know one of his own. He supposed not, since non-humans in this town seemed to flock together. You'd be hard pressed to find one that was truly solitary, in his experience. At the very least, it made explaining things earlier.
When the man asked if he'd had the night terrors before, Wyatt had shaken his head no. When he asked if it was a mare, Wyatt had nodded his head yes. When he offered to get his friend to help, the lamia’s face darkened. He didn't have an issue with all mares, obviously… just the one. But he didn't know who all Caleb called friend, so it stood to reason that he ought to give a warning.
“Long as it ain't a redhead named Ingeborg, knock yourself out,” he grumbled. He could say that he'd encountered her twice now and failed to take care of the problem both times, but… no. No, the point of this wasn't to hold on to secrets. If Caleb was going to be upset about him trying to defend himself from the mare ruining his life because he was friends with her, then it'd be better to get that out in the open sooner. “I've… seen her a few times. ‘Round town. First time, I was pretty sure I was still asleep, but I felt less scared than usual, so I tried to… attack her.” A pause. “I wasn't asleep. She was real. Someone… called the cops on me, n’ other people had to hold me down.” He laughed bitterly. It wasn't a pleasant memory, and he found it difficult to be thankful that the mare hadn't pressed charges, but… well, it could have been worse. Two days in lockup was sure as shit better than a year.
—
There it was. The confirmation that Caleb didn’t really need had him shaking his head softly, his eyes rolling up with the frustration building. Inge had seemed nice to him if not a little over the top. She gave off the air of fun and excitement but he had never thought of her as cruel. Guess you couldn’t really know someone even after a night of eating a finger in front of them. “That’s not who I was thinking of but…I do know her. Not well, she was just there on a night when I was trying to distract myself from-” He shook his head, moving on and focusing on the topic at hand. “I thought she was nice. I didn’t think she would do something like…this.”
But it only got worse. As Wyatt explained what had happened Caleb could feel his anger starting to climb. He was so sure that Inge had no reason to do this to the man standing in front of him, to someone who had been nothing but gentle with Caleb. There couldn’t have been a big enough slight to justify putting Wyatt through any of this. “I’m gonna kill her.”
Mumbled words slipped through his lips with no intention of reaching the other but with the way his hearing had been damaged Caleb wasn’t someone who could always whisper effectively anymore. With the way his chest had rumbled with the words he figured Wyatt had heard him anyway so he continued. “You didn’t deserve any of that. I know they need to feed but there are ways to do it without going that far. I’m going to kill her if you don’t get to her first.” Was it the anger talking? Or was it something that lingered deep down in his blood stained soul? Most likely both but for once Caleb didn’t feel an ounce of guilt for it.
—
Hearing Caleb so easily sink into the role that Wyatt had been playing his entire life would have been jarring if not for the relief that swept over him at those words. It was familiar, he realized: that night months ago, when Caleb hadn’t been Caleb, and had delighted in the idea of going on a hunt together. He’d been foolish to believe there’d been a shift in the man’s morals then, but now… well this was different, wasn’t it? This was fueled by emotion. Caleb was angry on his behalf, and he was aware of the damage he could do, and he was choosing to wield that weapon in Wyatt’s defense.
Wyatt was left wondering if anyone else had ever done that for him before. He couldn’t recall anything specific.
“I tried,” he answered quietly. “The second time I saw her. Tracked her down… meant to kill her. But she… got away.” He let his gaze slide to the side, upset all over again by his failure. “Put me to sleep. Couldn’t do nothin’ for it. Got a good bite in, though.” He shook his head, taking Caleb’s hand and threading their fingers as he pulled him deeper into the cabin and over to the couch. “Don’t know how much it’d help even if I had killed her,” he admitted as they sat down. “Dunno that I’ll ever be right again.” In a lot of ways. Ways they still needed to talk about. He was still holding Caleb’s hand, staring down at it as he gave it a squeeze.
“There’s… more, unfortunately.” A beat. “It’s… about work.” Wyatt sucked in a breath, closing his eyes as if to focus. “I know I told you I like fightin’. I do. Been doin’ it my whole life, and I’m good at it… but… I ain’t been enjoyin’ it lately. I know you’re gonna ask well then why don’t I just quit?” He opened his eyes again, staring at Caleb in a way that begged him to understand. “I… can’t. It’s complicated. But I’m stuck there.” Be honest. Totally honest. “Probably until it kills me. People don’t, uh… fighters don’t quit, there.”
—
“I don’t think she can put me to sleep.” He at least knew that mares couldn’t feed off of him, learned over the time his niece had become one. “I could get to her…” But thoughts of Inge and the anger that had filled him like poison slowly faded away when Wyatt took his hand to lead him away from the foyer, Caleb’s eyes trailing down to their interlocked fingers. He’d thought that maybe their last talk had resulted in a fluke. Emotions had been high and they had both gotten caught up in the moment, in each other’s touch. At least that’s what he’d been telling himself. Especially after he hadn’t heard from the lamia to start up the information overload again. Even now there was a voice in his head saying that Wyatt was just someone who liked physical contact. He didn’t want his undead heart to get too attached to this if the other man didn’t want to go any further.
But damn him, he couldn’t help but let the small squeeze of his hand tug at his heartstrings.
His eyes raked back up to Wyatt’s face as he continued, Caleb resisting the urge to sigh. They really were keeping so much from each other. His face softened from the hard fury, morphed into concern, and then the anger returned again to mix with fear. Another rollercoaster, this time all for Wyatt. At least they could match each other’s wild.
“How can they keep you there? There’s got to be a way to get you out, right?” He absentmindedly ran his thumb over the back of Wyatt’s hand while he went through different scenarios in his mind. Caleb would do just about anything to give Wyatt back some semblance of that life he seemed to love only months before. It almost scared the zombie knowing how much of himself he was willing to give to him. “There’s got to be something they want.”
—
Wyatt had only shaken his head at Caleb’s insistence that he could take care of the mare; despite how good it felt to have someone want to do something like that for him, he didn’t want to give the mare a reason to go after Caleb, too. So he just shook his head, quietly letting the notion fall to the wayside for now, trying to take the edge off that anger.
It was a futile attempt, because of course Caleb was angry about the Pit. He was angry just as Wyatt had been when the lamia witnessed the kind of treatment his friends received. Treatment that he himself was now subject to — treatment that had very nearly removed everything that made fighting fun for him. “They already got what they want,” he admitted in a defeated tone. “I ain’t ever lost a fight before, and god willin’, I ain’t gonna. It… draws a crowd. Seein’ if I’ll get beat this time.” He shifted his weight in his seat, looking conflicted. “I don’t wanna start throwin’ ‘em, neither. The things I’m fightin’... well, they’re either monsters that’ll kill me, or other fighters that’re pissed at me n’ll probably try to kill me. And if my handler gets wise, I ain’t sure she wouldn’t fuckin’ kill me, too.”
—
A defeated feeling started to fill his gut more and more with each word. Caleb didn’t fully understand that world, he was more than aware of that, but he couldn’t see why there was nothing they could do to get Wyatt out of this. What was keeping the man in their grip? Something supernatural, most likely. He knew that in his lamia form Wyatt could take on a lot so it had to be something that couldn’t be handled with brute strength. “So, what I’m getting from this is the place you work for, there’s no way out other than death. If your coworkers don’t want to kill you then your handler does.” It felt gross just saying the word handler, his voice catching on the word.
Helpless. It was the worst feeling for someone who gave everyone every part of himself to make others more comfortable. The people pleaser in him was slowly dying as Caleb racked his brain to try and find a solution that he knew wasn’t there. The job, the dreams, the fear that both of them instilled in Wyatt…he wanted to take it all away, shoulder those burdens so that the other man didn’t have to. It was a deep flaw in the zombie that he felt like he’d failed someone he cared for just because he couldn’t take him away from the situation. “How…how do I help you? I don’t know how to help with this.”
—
Wyatt kept his gaze down while Caleb worked his way through the problem, chin sinking to his chest. No way out other than death. It sounded dramatic, but it was probably true. No other fighters had ever left the Pit. Once you had a contract, you were there until you died in a fight. It had been true for many people before him, it’d been true for Samir and Sasha, and even Dillon — he’d not died in a fight, but he’d died on the premises.
Caleb wanted to know how to help. Wyatt wished he had the answer. If not for himself, then for Felix, who was by all accounts a better person. They didn’t want to be at the Pit, they didn’t want to fight… all of this had been forced on them. “I don’t think you can, firebug,” Wyatt said in a soft voice, lifting his chin again to find Caleb’s gaze. His face felt hot, and he grimaced at the way his eyes were betraying his despair, vision blurring slightly as unwanted tears tried to make an appearance. He fought them, refusing to blink and let them spill.
“I just… wanted to tell you. I want someone — I want you to know what’s goin’ on with me. Don’t think there’s anyone that’s got the full story. Just bits n’ pieces. Wanted… wanted you to know it all.” Want someone to know about all the things I’ve done and still choose to stay. “Ain’t fair if you don’t. Can’t make an informed decision if I don’t tell you. So… so I’m tellin’ you, I ain’t a good person. I ain’t good, and I got an expiration date.” He withdrew his hand from Caleb’s, tucking them both under his own arms as he wrapped them around himself and looked away again.
—
A soft wince followed Wyatt’s words. Nothing he could do, no way to help…he hated it. Even after everything had been said, even after the confessions that had been given, Caleb didn’t feel like Wyatt deserved any of it. Maybe he was blinded by his feelings for the man or maybe the zombie couldn’t help but compare everyone’s wrongdoings to his own now but either way he wanted to be helpful here. Their gazes held, the urge to reach out and brush Wyatt’’s hair out of his eyes so very tempting.
A dumb thought came to mind. Despite the tense topic that was being discussed he felt his lips twitch up with it as he shook his head. This was not the time to think about ‘expiration dates’ and how they’d be something that Caleb had to deal with for the rest of his undead life. It was not the time to point out that he’d been thinking about that moment since they first started dating. It wasn’t anything new for Caleb to worry about but he was sure that it was new for Wyatt which showcased how inappropriate that thought had been. Quickly, he let his face fall again. For someone who thought of themselves as indestructible the lamia really did believe he was going to die sooner rather than later.
He hated that too.
“Thank you for telling me. I know it wasn’t easy.” He sighed, his gaze falling to where Wyatt had his arms around himself as if he were trying to hold himself up. “I still don’t think you’re a bad person. You may do bad things sometimes but...that doesn’t make you bad. You wouldn’t be telling me all of this if you were.” He’d be holding it all in still, trying to reason with himself that people who cared for him didn’t need to know about his indiscretions. It felt nice to be trusted like this. Even if he didn’t like everything he was hearing, Caleb adored Wyatt that much more for wanting to tell him everything. But there was one thing that the zombie didn’t quite understand. “Informed decision? What am I supposed to be deciding?”
—
He’d rather hoped that Caleb would easily pick up on what he was putting down without making him have to say it out loud, because that… that felt like a whole other kind of defeat. To say it out loud was to admit to his own failings. He rarely felt like he was in the wrong, but he was the common denominator in every situation where someone had left. Where someone had decided that he wasn’t worth the effort, the time, or the headache. Times when he was forced to confront the fact that he’d always been second best, that he’d always just been a fun thing to have around now and then. Wyatt always told himself and anyone who’d listen that he didn’t care, that he was used to it, but god did it hurt like a bitch every single time. And sure, he wasn’t the most… traditional sort of person, not in many regards, but especially not when it came to relationships. He often wanted more than he was willing to give, which wasn’t fair. He knew that. He didn’t like to commit to just one person, which most people weren’t ready to jive with. He knew that, too. He knew that he did things that didn’t help his case, like never talking to Caleb plainly about what they were, about what he wanted them to be, and instead letting it just sort of fizzle out until a literal demon ripped the rug out from beneath both of them.
He was loud, he had a short fuse, and he thrived on violence. He had an ego to match his temper, and no brains to back any of it up. He could be abrasive, he knew that. But he knew there were things that people liked about him, it just… it just wasn’t ever enough to get someone to stay. There’d been at least a half-dozen failed relationships in Boston, each ending with him painted as the villain. Then he’d moved, and been both surprised and delighted to reconnect with people he thought he’d left behind. Owen, Charlie, Xóchitl… each blowing up in his face worse than the last. Each reinforcing this idea he had in his mind that he didn’t deserve to feel wanted, at least not beyond simply being a warm body to fill someone’s bed for a night or two. There were a lot of things wrong with him. There weren’t many reasons for a person to stay. And he’d lost Caleb once already, though that hadn’t been the zombie’s fault. It still made him feel inadequate and insecure.
So… he had to say all of this, but in much fewer words. He had to explain to Caleb that he expected him to leave, sooner or later — to deem Wyatt a risk with too little reward. God.
“If you… when you start to feel like maybe this ain’t… I want you to have the whole picture. Of… me. Who I am. From the start, or… this start… if…” Eloquent, as always. “Fuck. Sorry, uh—” He shifted his weight and dragged a hand over his face. “When you’re tryin’ to decide if you wanna… not see me anymore, I don’t want you to feel guilty. There’s lots of good reasons to not want that. N’ if you’re feelin’ that way already, that’s okay. I get it. I’m — it’s a lot. I’m a lot. I just don’t wanna surprise you with anythin’. Surprises never go well for me. That’s… that’s all.”
—
He let out a huff of air following Wyatt’s words, no amusement in the sound of it…more like astonishment at the fact that he even had a chance to decide whether he wanted to be in Wyatt’s life or not. After everything that had been done, after stabbing his good friend and ghosting him for months, and he still got to make that decision? Caleb knew that Wyatt didn’t blame him for anything that Aesil had done but he still did. He still carried that guilt with him every second of the day so anything good that happened in his life was always going to throw him off. It wasn’t like the lamia knew the full extent of what he’d done either, the zombie having kept most of it under wraps from…everyone. He wondered if that would stop Wyatt from wanting him around.
But he knew the answer to this. He knew exactly what he wanted to say for once in his life. The words came easily even if saying them wasn’t. “There’s not really a decision to make on my end because the choice has already been made. I don’t think it was much of a choice, anyway.” He paused, his eyes on the floor instead of the lamia. “I don’t know when it happened, you know? I don’t know when I fell for you but I did and I’ve been afraid to say it ever since I realized. But I don’t think I’m going anywhere as long as you want me in your life, Wyatt. There’s not much you can say to me to make me believe you’re not worth sticking around for.”
Caleb lifted his gaze to him, that worry he could hear in Wyatt’s voice reflecting back. “You don’t know everything about me, though. You don’t know the awful things that Aesil made me do, Charlie is just the tip of that iceberg.” There was another pause, the zombie taking in a breath to try and calm his nerves. “Or about the thoughts that I had even before Aesil. About wanting to…feel what it was like to listen to someone like my foster father take their last breath. And you don’t know that Aesil only awakened something else inside of me that I want to push back down but it’s itching to be released again. Do you even want someone like that in your life?”
—
Wyatt wasn’t really sure what he’d expected — an outright rejection seemed pretty far off the table, knocked to the floor and kicked into the next room. That much was obvious from the fact that Caleb was even here right now, but of course he still worried about it. He still felt like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But it never did, and instead… Instead Caleb was telling him that there was no choice to be made, or that it already had been, and this conversation was proof of that willingness to connect. To stay. It made Wyatt’s throat feel like it was closing up, made his chest ache and his stomach flutter like he’d stepped into zero gravity.
But there was more, because of course there was more. He wasn’t the only one with skeletons in the closet, and he’d been prepared for that. So he just smiled, far from the easy smirk he often wore but still pained in the kind of way that spoke of relief, and he listened.
There was more that’d happened with Aesil, which came as no surprise. Wyatt suspected that Caleb had been forced to hurt a lot of people, not just Charlie. And that was fine, that hadn’t been his fault — but there was more still. Thoughts, he said. Things that he wanted to do long before there’d been a demon in his body. Vengeful things. Violent things.
It sounded familiar, if he was honest.
“‘Course I do,” he answered simply. He moved, pressing their thighs together as he lifted his hands to Caleb’s shoulders, giving them a squeeze. “... we gotta eat to survive, cher. And we both got people in our lives that wronged us. That anger, that hunger… it ain’t gonna go away, no matter what you try. But…” He shook his head, brushing a thumb over Caleb’s neck. “You ain’t gonna find me shyin’ away from anythin’ like that. I told you I done bad things. It don’t matter what bad things you do… I’m not goin’ anywhere, either.”
—
He let out a breath that he felt like he’d been holding in for six years. Tension left his shoulders at Wyatt’s touch, Caleb so relieved. Not just from the acceptance but from speaking those words aloud as well. It was the first time he’d ever said them to anyone and this was the first time he’d ever felt truly accepted for who he was. Other’s cared for him, yes, but they didn’t really know him, did they? They didn’t know the darkest desires that resided in his cold heart because if they did they would look at him differently, not with the tenderness that the man in front of him was showing. They wouldn’t speak with the promise the zombie was being given.
Feeling the other move closer, his hand went to Wyatt’s thigh resting against his own. So, this was what it felt like to be cared for unconditionally? It felt like…peace. Like calm washing over him to carry away every worry that usually plagued him. Never in his life did Caleb think that would be possible for him. “I love you.” It slipped out without thought but the panic didn’t come. He was still riding the wave of that calm that had overtaken him, a calm he had a feeling would be sticking around in the presence of the lamia. “I love everything about you. The good, the bad, and everything in between.”
Leaning into Wyatt’s touch, Caleb felt the grin on his face widen. Who knew the truth could set someone free like this? He’d been hiding things for so long he hadn’t realized the habit it had become. A habit that had kept him from saying those words for, what, a year now? He reached up, fingers running down the length of Wyatt’s jawline before his thumb brushed the corner of his lips. “Is there anything else we need to say or can I finally kiss you?”
—
Wyatt had felt love before. Of course he had — he was a serial dater, official or not, and though he liked to pretend he never cared that much, he’d always been lying. He had felt love for people all along the spectrum, and the sort of romantic love that made his heart race and his breath catch in his throat had always been so… one sided. People had said they loved him — people like Xóchitl and Charlie, who were friends before they were lovers, had never hesitated to say it before that threshold was crossed. Afterward, however, it felt heavier. Scarier. And so it had gone unsaid, and Wyatt had noted its absence. Then you had people like Owen, who he might have loved once, but who would never have returned that feeling, much less admit to it. That’d been a flash in the pan, but they’d been friends before bedfellows, too, and it… it hurt. It hurt to want to take that step with someone he already cared for, only to have it blow up in his face. It hurt to feel that way about someone and know that you were alone in it.
And with Caleb… he’d felt that love all over again. He was feeling it now, as Caleb told him he loved him, and not just that — that he’d take the good with the bad. Wyatt wouldn’t have to hide, like with Xóchitl, or lie like he did to Charlie, or pretend he just didn’t give a shit like Owen always made him feel he had to. He could be himself, maybe for the first time. Wholly and completely himself, and Caleb was okay with that. Caleb wanted that. Caleb was proving how he felt rather than just saying it, and it had the lamia in a vice grip unlike anything he’d ever felt before. This love was unashamed. Unburdened. Without secrets and without pause — hopefully, he desperately thought, knowing they still had more to discuss. There was the subject of his non-monogamy that needed to be more directly and clearly addressed, but as those familiar, cool hands found his face, Wyatt knew he needed to put a pin in that. Just for a few hours. Just…
“There’s always gonna be more to say,” he muttered softly, his heavy-lidded gaze falling to Caleb’s lips. “But please shut me up for a while, first.” He’d barely finished the sentence before they were crashing into one another, hands dropping to grasp the other by his waist and haul him into Wyatt’s lap. As he broke away for a gasp of air, he spoke against Caleb’s mouth on the exhale, breathing the words like gospel. “I love you. All of you. Every fuckin’ inch.”
—
He registered the words ‘more to say’ but Caleb couldn’t bring himself to ignore Wyatt asking the zombie to shut him up. He was right, they could get to the more later. Right now he just wanted to focus on the feel of Wyatt’s skin against his own as he was pulled into the man’s lap. It didn’t matter anyway. Whatever more there was to say Caleb would still feel what he felt, he would still love this man with his whole heart. He truly believed nothing could change that.
Sometimes he forgot that breathing was a natural function of the living, a small groan escaping as Wyatt paused to take in air. Though it was a good thing he didn’t need to fill his own lungs because the man’s words would have knocked every fraction of air from them. He kept his lips hovering against the other’s, eyes closed, not wanting to lose that contact with him but Caleb paused a beat longer to soak that in. It wasn’t that he didn’t think Wyatt felt the same. The lamia had proven that by sharing all that he was with him, by wanting to let him in. But hearing it with such conviction, feeling it as he returned Caleb’s affections, it was something else entirely.
He couldn’t recall a time when he actually believed someone when they’d told him they loved him. They were nice words to appease him, to help him keep up the illusion that someone in this world wanted him around. That’s all he thought they would be after every single time they were said to him only left him feeling empty. Never did he think that he’d accept them as truth until now as a foreign warmth filled his chest. Maybe he could be loved wholeheartedly, maybe he was worth more than he was raised to believe.
Maybe he could be happy for once despite how little happiness he deserved.
“I’ll never get tired of hearing you say that.” He pressed a gentle kiss against Wyatt’s lips, a far cry from the feverish exchange they had been sharing before. His kiss moved down to his jaw before pressing cool lips to his neck to lightly bite against his stubbled skin then continued to his ear to whisper,” Now take me to your room so I can properly shut you up.”
—
“I gotta talk to you about someone.” The statement came some time later, after they’d had their break from difficult conversations. Wyatt’s brain was swimming with endorphins but that twinge of anxiety still managed to push its way through all the good feelings, making the announcement come out like a whispered secret that brought him great shame. But he wasn’t ashamed, he was just… worried. He’d never known how to properly articulate this aspect of himself and the way he loved, and just because Caleb seemed to trust him thoroughly didn’t mean that this addendum wasn’t going to throw a wrench in things. Before now, he’s just never talked about it. He’d never acknowledged it, and it constantly got him in trouble. Truth be told, he’d never realized what it actually was, or that other people felt the same and lived their lives in ways that permitted them to love who they wanted without hurting anyone.
But then he’d fallen into bed with Xóchitl, met Mateo, and his eyes had been opened to a world he’d not even been aware existed outside of fictional media.
Turning onto his side and propping himself up on his elbow, Wyatt looked down at Caleb with a sad sort of smile. “I been puttin’ this conversation off for a while, I think… well, for a long time it was ‘cause I didn’t know how to… talk about it. Didn’t know what it was, didn’t know how to put words to it. But while you n’ I were…” His smile faded into a frown and he dropped his gaze, feeling ashamed for the way he’d danced around the subject for so long. “I know I made you feel like what we had wasn’t serious. And it wasn’t ‘cuz I didn’t like you enough… obviously… but I just… I didn’t know what I wanted. I’ve always… I’ve always felt things for people, felt strongly about… more than one person at a time. And I never knew what to do with that. So I… would push back, eventually. Like I did with you.” There was a beat of silence. “And I’m sorry about that. I didn’t know… how to… I never thought it was okay.” Another pause. “But an old friend of mine and I started, ah…” God this felt awkward to talk to Caleb about, of all people. Maybe he should have waited until they weren’t still laying in bed together. “Things got physical, is what I mean. N’ then she got a boyfriend, and I met the boyfriend, and…” His voice trailed off, gaze jumping up toward the ceiling and darting around like he hoped to see the words materialize in the air for him. “I was… I was seein’ both of ‘em, for a while. They knew, of course. It was all… normal. And I think… I think that’s what I’ve always needed. But it’s gotta be okay for everyone, you know? I can’t—” He looked back down at Caleb, the worry now evident in his expression. “I don’t wanna hurt you. That whole thing fell through… the friend I mentioned tellin’ I wasn’t human that night we got attacked? That was her. She freaked out, dumped us both. But Mateo, her boyfriend, he’s… important to me, still.” He grew quiet, huffing out a breath. “Okay, I been talkin’ a lot, I’m gonna shut up now and let you… think.” Moving to sit upright in the bed, Wyatt started to wring his hands together as he wrapped his arms around his knees, staring absently into the middle distance, waiting for the inevitable disbelief, frustration, or hurt.
—
Someone, not something. Caleb sat up a little as confusion hit him straight on, leaning his head against the headboard as he waited for Wyatt to go on. Needless to say, he wasn’t expecting the explanation he got. His lips parted as he started to fully understand what the other was saying. Well, not fully, really. He understood what Wyatt was saying; he just didn’t know how to wrap his mind around it. There were key things that he noted, things that stuck out to him like how the lamia didn’t want to hurt Caleb and that he had been pushed away because of this and that he cared for another person but the thing that stuck out the most was the worry etched into the lines of Wyatt’s face. He was worried this conversation was going to go badly, that the zombie wouldn’t accept him or the idea that he cared for someone else, that he wouldn’t be okay with it.
Could Caleb be okay with it?
It was a good question. He’d heard of this before. It was hard not to with the world opening up more and more, with acceptance of different lifestyles not perfect but spreading, he’d just never considered that kind of life for himself. If it were anyone else telling him this he might have been hurt and walked away without a second thought, but with Wyatt…well, he wanted to talk it out. Caleb wasn’t about to tell the man he loved him and then disprove that in the same breath by not trying to hear him out and fully grasp what this meant. “Okay…”
The pause wasn’t supposed to be there but what did he say? How did he ask the questions floating through his mind without Wyatt feeling judged? Because that was the last thing he wanted to do when the other was just being honest with him. Confused eyes found the others and Caleb let out a slow breath before he continued. “I’m not going to lie, I don’t fully understand it. I mean, I do understand what you’re saying, I just don’t understand…I guess…how to navigate it?” Was that the right wording? “No, I…” He stopped again, eyes closing in frustration with himself. “I’m nervous about saying the wrong thing here. I don’t want you to feel like I’m not open to this but I also don’t want to just accept it without fully grasping what this means. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us. How…would this work, I guess?” That wasn’t the right wording either, was it? Nothing crossing through his brain felt right but it could have also been the pressure of not wanting to ruin things with his stupid mouth. Releasing another breath of air, it came out as a humorless laugh. “Maybe you shouldn’t have stopped talking. You would have done better than me.”
—
The ‘okay’ that he heard first was slow. Cautious. Maybe even annoyed, if he wasn’t making that up (he was). Wyatt’s breath hitched in his throat and he turned his head to meet Caleb’s gaze, realizing that he could practically see the gears turning in the other’s head as he tried to make sense of everything Wyatt had just dumped at his feet. He was waiting for the look of irritation, or maybe sadness. He was waiting for Caleb to get up from the bed, to say he shouldn’t have come, and to decide he couldn’t do this. And Wyatt couldn’t be upset about that, he knew. He’d already told Caleb once that if he became too much, because this whole thing was a lot, that he wouldn’t blame him for wanting to walk away.
And yet, his heart pounded in his chest as Caleb finally went to speak again. None of it was what he had expected, which was good, but it also wasn’t what he’d foolishly hoped for. It was somewhere in the middle, which was still an extremely lenient and fair reaction. So while his immediate sense of dread slowly dissipated, he wasn’t quite out of the weeds, yet.
He smiled softly at the attempted humor, shaking his head. “First off, I don’t want you to worry about sayin’ the wrong thing. I’m the one… I’m puttin’ this on you, so whatever you’re thinkin’, I wanna hear it.” He thought about his conversation with Mateo in the truck, about how he knew that if Caleb decided he couldn’t handle this, that that’d be it. He couldn’t change himself for anyone, he knew that much. He’d been trying and failing all his life to fit into a certain box, and he wasn’t going to try that anymore. “And to answer your question, well… it’s a complicated answer, I guess. It’d mean we wouldn’t be exclusive, but it wouldn’t be like before, exactly. I don’t got nothin’ to run from anymore. We would need to… set boundaries, though. What you’re comfortable with, what I’m comfortable with… I don’t know that it can all be hashed out in one discussion. Thing’s’ll come up that neither of us thought of, situations we’ll have to address right then n’ there.” He sighed. It sounded like a lot. It was a lot. “But I just… all I know is that I love you. I do. And I don’t wanna lose that.” He reached for Caleb’s hand, taking it in his own and staring down at it while he went on. “But I feel some kinda way about Mateo. And Xó, she… I don’t even know if she’s ever gonna speak to me again, but she means a lot to me, too. More than she did when we were just friends.” His brow furrowed and he lifted his chin to look at Caleb again, that worry never leaving his expression. “If you’re willin’ to try, I wanna do this in whatever way works best for you. But I can’t stop feelin’ the way I’m feelin’ about these people, you know?”
—
“You’re not putting anything on me. It’s not a burden, Wyatt, it’s who you are and I’m just happy you’re being honest with me.” The ball of nerves in his stomach did lessen though, Caleb relieved that he could say what he was thinking and not upset the other. The more that the lamia explained the more that ball started to unravel too and he started to realize that his worry and his nerves were also a reflection of Wyatt’s. In the same way that the other didn’t want Caleb to walk away, the zombie was realizing he didn’t want to walk away either, that he wanted to make this work if he could.
But it was complicated. He wasn’t a jealous person by nature, he knew that, but he’d also never been in a relationship where his partner was with other people either. With as much as he loved Wyatt he knew that hearing about him being with others might sting a bit and he didn’t know if he would ever get to a place where…it wouldn’t. Jealousy wasn’t going to be the problem, his own insecurities would be. Being inside of his own head, telling himself that he wasn’t good enough and Wyatt would be happier with Mateo and Xó without him around to complicate things, that was going to be the problem.
Boundaries was a good start. Hearing him say that he loved him was also very calming. Caleb watched Wyatt take his hand before looking up to watch the other’s face. He was staring down at their joined hands like he was afraid to look up, afraid of what he would see in the zombie’s gaze, and he felt everything within him soften. If Wyatt would only look up all he would see was affection, love, taking over every inch of Caleb’s face. He was glad when he finally did, hoping that he would see the worry in the others' eyes start to fade. “I love you too. So much, Wyatt…” The words lingered between them before he nodded his head. “I don’t want you to stop feeling what you feel. I would never ask you to do that. I want this to work…I want to try because I love you. You might just have to be patient with me, is all. I don’t know if you’ve noticed but I’m not the most confident person in the world so I might be a little off sometimes. But it would have nothing to do with them and everything to do with me.”
Moving closer, Caleb pressed his lips softly against Wyatt’s and smiled, only pulling back enough to look into his eyes. “And don’t worry, she’ll come back. There’s no way she could stay away.”
—
I want to try because I love you. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his chest, and that worry that Caleb hoped to see fade away did start to leave him, slowly. “I can be patient,” Wyatt agreed. He wanted to say more, but Caleb was scooting closer and kissing him, and he moaned quietly against those lips in protest as he felt them moving away again. “Mmm,” he hummed, bringing his hands to Caleb’s face, “We’ll see ‘bout that.” Pushing into the other’s space one last time to steal another kiss, Wyatt finally sat back and sucked in a long, deep breath.
“Okay, so… I do wanna make it clear to you that this don’t mean I’m gonna be runnin’ around, sleepin’ with whoever I feel like. It’s not like that anymore. This is… I’m committed. To you, to us, to makin’ this work and havin’ like, real, actual relationships with people.” His throat constricted suddenly and he blinked a few times, letting his gaze dance upward to Caleb’s mess of hair as he brushed a few fingers through it affectionately. “That’s not… I’ve never let myself have that. I wanna try. Wanna see what it’s like. And I want you to be a part of it, as much as you’re comfortable with. If there’s things you don’t wanna hear about, I won’t talk about it. But anythin’ you ever do wanna know, I’ll share it. Anythin’. But you just… you take it as slow as you need. You course correct me if I’m makin’ things harder for you, okay? I know it’s a huge change. I’m never gonna get upset if you start feelin’ overwhelmed, n’ if that happens, we kick it down a few gears. Take a breather.” He smiled, letting his hands fall between them to search for Caleb’s, then taking one of them and lifting his palm to his lips, kissing him there. “And this is a two way street, you know? If you meet someone… if you think there might be somethin’ there… you can tell me everythin’. I wanna hear all of it. I wanna know what’s goin’ on in that head of yours, and I wanna see you happy.” Wyatt kissed his hand again, shaking his head as their eyes met. “Really, that’s all I want. That’s what matters to me.”
—
Again, the more that Wyatt spoke, the more that his apprehension with this started to lessen. When things had been going on before, a lot of the issues that Caleb had been having was not really knowing what he and Wyatt were to each other. They’d never spoken about it before things had blown up. It had broken his heart a tiny bit when the other had referred to the zombie as having been his boyfriend while believing that their time together was over because of Aesil. Now though, now that he was sure that Wyatt was ready for something deeper his heart felt even lighter. He could also see that it meant a lot to Wyatt to be able to admit that. His soft smile started to reach his eyes with the movement of his hair, his body instinctively pressing more against the touch. He wanted every little bit of contact he could get right now and for as long as he was able.
“You know, you’re making it very hard to come up with questions or things to think about when you’re touching me like that, right?” It was one of the weirdest things he’d encountered since becoming a zombie. Caleb had grown so used to not feeling much but as Wyatt kissed his palm he swore he could feel the brush of his eyelashes against his cold skin. Every touch with him was larger somehow, every part of him more attuned when in Wyatt’s presence. It was hard to concentrate on anything but.
This was serious though and he had focused on every word despite the slight distraction. “I didn’t think that you would. I heard Mateo and Xó and kind of assumed that was it but if you did want more that would just be part of this learning curve, right? Not that I’m not glad that you want to commit, that you want me to be a part of that. I just want you to know that I trust you.” Oddly, thinking about him with the other two wasn’t much of an issue at the time but he suspected that had everything to do with the reassurances whether physical or with Wyatt’s words. “I promise you, I will let you know if something is bothering me. But you have to do the same. You can’t hide things from me, not anymore. I want to know if you’re feeling overwhelmed by me too or if I’m smothering you or something. I also want to know if you’re having a hard time at work or if you’re not able to sleep, that promise doesn’t just apply to relationships with other people. And…” He paused, his fingers interlacing with Wyatt’s. “I’d like to hear about them. Asking you to hide that would be unfair of me and if we’re going to do this and make it work I need to hear how they make you happy. Because that’s all I want for you too.”
As for other people… “I should probably tell you that while we were waiting for this talk I was with somebody else. Not romantically, but we spent a night together. I know it’s not going to turn into anything, that’s not why I’m telling you, I just don’t want secrets between us. With that said, I’ll keep that in mind but I’m not sure about it. I’ve always been a one person kind of guy, I guess.”
—
All the tension that had had Wyatt coiled up like an over-taught spring for weeks seeped out of him the more Caleb said, and all he could really do was marvel at the feeling. Not necessarily the lack of stress, but more so the feeling of acceptance. Finally, someone knew it all. Caleb knew he wasn’t human, knew he got paid to fight for an entity that would sooner see him dead than retired, knew about the mare and the night terrors, about the bad things he’d done and would likely continue to do… Caleb knew that no matter how much love he gave, Wyatt would need more, and he was giving his blessing for the lamia to seek that out. He knew all of these things, and he was willing to stay. To try and make it work. Even if Wyatt only lived another year, he had a feeling it was going to be the best he’d had since childhood.
“Hey, that’s okay. It’s whatever’s best for you. And yeah. Yeah. No more secrets. None. What you said about… that person, it, uh… yeah. I’ve been goin’ ‘round someone’s place the last few months. Like you said, it ain’t romantic, but…” How best to explain, when he barely understood it himself? “He’s… different. Like us. He can make me feel…” It felt shameful to say aloud, and Wyatt hesitated. No more secrets. “It’s a magic… thing. Like… literal magic. It’s been… rough, for a while. For me. When I realized he could influence my mood, or whatever it is he does, I got…” Addicted. “I was visitin’ a lot. Tryin’ to stay ahead of the awful, crushin’ depression.” He laughed, though it felt kind of forced. “Anyway. Guess I oughtta cut that shit out, eh?” It felt like the right thing to do morally, but he’d be lying if he said there wasn't a part of him that wilted at the idea of not being able to access that easy sense of peace anymore. Kieran didn’t strike Wyatt as the type to just give it for free, after all, and thus far their exchange had been exactly the sort of thing Wyatt had just promised Caleb he wasn’t going to keep doing.
—
He squeezed Wyatt’s hand with the confirmation of no more secrets, but as he continued to speak Caleb couldn’t help but think of one person. Magic, affecting moods, helping depression…he knew someone like that. Were they talking about the same person? They couldn’t be, right? He was sure there were other fae out there that could do what Kieran could do….right? But before he could ask he focused on the way that Wyatt had felt lately. The crippling depression was also familiar and it was also something he wouldn’t wish on anyone else, much less someone he cared so much about. “I’m sorry that you’re feeling like that. I know it’s been rough for you and I don’t even know all of the details of it.” Bringing his hand up to rest against Wyatt’s cheek, he brushed his thumb over the dark circle under his eye, wishing he could take it away.
His brows furrowed though, the zombie not able to push away the thought that they were speaking of the same person. Wicked’s Rest was small but really? “The guy I was with…obviously magic doesn’t do much to me but he had those abilities too. Or he said he did, anyway. He told me there were other ways to-…I was on drugs.” Rip the band aid off, get it all out there. “Very powerful drugs. I think I’m trying to tell you that I get it but, yea, it might be a good idea to let it go.” Caleb wouldn’t lie to himself, he’d been wanting to contact Kieran to see if he could get the name of whatever it was he’d taken that night but had successfully talked himself out of it so far. If the fae were as strong as that, even stronger from what he believed, that magic couldn’t be all good. Consequences usually came with that stuff.
—
Nothing felt like the right response to that, sweet as it was, so all Wyatt could do was smile tiredly at Caleb and give him a shrug, content to pretend that it didn’t matter. At least not right now, anyway. He could be sad later.
Wyatt couldn’t help but chuckle knowingly as Caleb confessed more details of his night with this mysterious stranger, easily recognizing Kieran’s handiwork. “Hey, it is what it is… and I’ve been there with him, too. Kieran’s very persuasive.” A thought crossed his mind and he smiled wider, closing the small distance between them to steal another kiss. “He invited me to his birthday party this weekend… come with me so I don’t do anything stupid, yeah?” He let out another soft laugh against Caleb’s lips, hands roaming up his front. “Or at least so we can make some stupid decisions together.”
—
He wanted to say something else, to let him know that he would do what he could to make things better, but then Wyatt said Kieran’s name and all he could do was shake his head. “Small world, I guess. He didn’t have to do much persuading. I didn’t think the drugs would work because they usually don’t.” Not that Caleb was trying anything and everything that he could. Chuckling as Wyatt pulled back from the kiss, he pretended to think about it for a moment. “Hmmm, I think doing stupid things with you sounds pretty fun, actually.” Doing anything with him sounded fun. Even though he didn’t enjoy large crowds or rowdy nights he knew he would go just to be around the other man. “You’re going to have to help me with the outfit though. Somehow I don’t think Kieran is going to appreciate my usual plaid. He made me leave my last shirt in the car.”
There was still a lot to think about, to talk through, but that would come when situations started to present themselves. For once, Caleb wasn’t going to worry about what was coming in the future and just enjoy the moment with the man he loved. Gazing up at him, he allowed himself some time to count his lucky planets…or whatever the saying was, before a smirk started to form. “I think I’m ready for round two.” His lips were back on Wyatt's as he pushed the man back with a gentle force, bold movements starting to feel natural. After all, he was being accepted for who he was, he felt there was no need to worry about making a wrong move.
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WHAT was in the air in 2018 i drew so many insane things. multiple people shading 2 coloured arts per day??? like obviously theyre not Good but it was the best for me at that point and i was 16. jesus christ
may 26th 2018 . for mermay . bruh.
june 12th 2018.
june 17th 2018 it was for my best friends. something like bday i printed it out on an a3 paper and made it a poster . and my bf has a a4 version on his wall
finally a break cuz this is july 28th 2018
nvm this is july 30th
13th august . AND
also 13th august . and i had a version without the bruises too.
22 august 2018. SIX PEOPLE SOFA COLOURED AND SHADED ARE YOU INSANE . YOURE SIXTEEN i guess its summer and you dont have friends bc youre sixteen checks out i was so normal
august 31st there was a version with bob too but i lost it. also what are those waists girl
sept 10th.
sept 11th happy 9/11 everyone
sept 17th again THREE PEOPLE SHADED ETC ETC
this was 4 different arts put into one but still. oct 31st happy halloween.
dec 10th also the longest break i think
dec 13th it was for a joshler fic i really liked but now i cant remember it at all </3
dec 28th <33
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