#last lil open based on a quote
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proeliiator ¡ 10 months ago
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“ well , i can respect your opinion . ” cato announced with an even , if a little flat , affect . “ sadly , i’m not good at rejection . ” he went on to add with his usual touch of bravado , the implied threat hanging heavy in the air as he grinned .
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nani-nonny ¡ 1 year ago
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So many things in ch 3 i love.... But here's some quotes i adore;
" Leading a team is a team effort , it’s not some role you toss onto someone’s shoulders and let them decide everything. You all should be taking part in the leadership exercises. You’re not little kids anymore, you can’t keep pushing Raph to do everything while you play your games or, whatever you guys do when you should be with Leo and Raph. "
THIS'S SO CORRECT! Leading the team is one person job but a WHOLE ASS TEAM!! OH MY GOD!! THANK YOU!!
Ngl i love how older leo is handing it to them raw like that; yes they're kids but if younger you is THIS fucking stubborn to open up then go ahead and tell it to them! THEY NEEDS THIS!
And mikey trying to get leo home no matter what is screaming " he's my favorite brother " vibes!
Little leo's part was by all means; terrifying, horror & disturbing tho it based off writing words, i never thought a fic can give me this much horror, am both shivering a clapping my hands in respect to you Nani.
It hit me so hard when little leo started remembering what happened in the previous minutes of raph's disappointment, the rest going to fight prime kraang, the evacuation, the snake turning to ashes - idk if this's a reference to f!leo turning to ashes in the movie lol - it all scared me and made me more worried for leo.
Now i heard the 4th ch could be the last - i mean you posted about it no? - and am tossing and turning in bed; how would the 4th ch go? Will it be healing? Will it be exciting showing future leo's come back?
Future Leonardo scolding these teens before he dips lol
No but honestly, his conversation with the teens was so much easier to write than Leo’s conversation with the future brothers. Leonardo has grown from the teen Leo is, and in turn his confidence has grown with him. Although he still has work to do on his self, he has matured to recognize that the past wasn’t as great as it could have been. He realized where his insecurity came and how it encouraged Donnie and Mikey and Raph to think so shallowly about the leadership change.
Mikey sending Leonardo home was such a fun idea to me! Seeing the stress Leonardo was under and so desperate to go home, Mikey knew he had to send Leonardo back as soon as possible, even if he couldn’t do it well enough. Luckily, Leonardo knows his brothers and was able to help Mikey. :)
To quote Mikey, “Man the future’s harsh!”
I feel bad for Leo and I think he retaliated because writing his POV was difficult. I had to change the dialogue plenty of times because it started slipping out of character to another’s. But the horrors Leo was facing is so intense, and it’ll get a bit crazier in the next chapter. Hold on tight Leo!
(And thank you! I’m glad it got the reaction I expected! It’s spooky hahaha!)
The flashback moments! Poor lil Leo! He’s realizing how bad it became in the future, and why the future brothers kept trying to talk without Leo listening. Although, I don’t think I mentioned that the yokai that turned to ashes was a snake? Anyways, lil guy is traumatized!
And yes! Depending on how the writing goes for ch.4, it should be the last! It’ll definitely be intense because we’re diving back where we left off on Leo’s POV! And it’ll definitely be exciting seeing Leonardo’s return to the future!
Thank you for reading!!! It means so much <3333 I always enjoy your reactions!
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mvrtaiswriting ¡ 2 years ago
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one piece boys reacting to you saying " i can't die right now, i still haven't had my perfect kiss yet!"
enjoy this lil headcanon about my beloved one piece boys; features monster trio + ace. (yes, this is almost directly quoting phoebe's line in friends. I just loved it so much!)
sfw, alcohol / drunken behaviour mention, fluff.
feel free to reblog, like, and leave a comment. i would very much appreciate it. if you enjoy my works, click here to read more or buy me a coffee.
luffy: uses his powers to pull you close to him, wrapping his arms around your waist and leaving a passionate, yet brief and rather messy kiss on your lips.
"not an excuse to die." he says winking, putting his straw hat on your head. "we can perfect the technique later.." he said smirking, before running to the battle ground.
zoro: "uhu?" he asks, confusion written all over his face as he hears your panicky, drunk confession. his eye scanning your face looking for a hint to decipher what you meant, whilst the effects of the sake you both drank colour your cheeks of a crimson red. rolling your eyes, you grabbed the fabric of his open jacket and pulled him in a drunken, pretty heated kiss. sanji:
"you could have simply asked." he says as a confident smirk appears on his lips. Taking one last hit from his cigarettes, he tosses it away before gently grabbing your wrists and pulling you towards him, now being face to face with the blonde man. His forehead is now touching yours, his touch is delicate on your skin as he puts his index finger under your chin and gently pulls you closer to him, leaving the softest kiss on your lips. ace:
almost chokes on his own saliva when he hears this phrase. clearing his throat in attempt to stop coughing, he recovers his composure and tries to puff his chest as much as possible but blushes the second you notice his movements and look at him.
"i didn't know there were volunteers." you said jokingly, getting closer to him and brushing your nose against his. An embarrassed laugh escapes his lips as he places his hand right at the base of your nape, whispering you to 'just shut up' as he pulls you into a sloppy, hungry kiss.
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metalbuckaroo ¡ 3 years ago
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Hey, lovely! For your sleepover. How about...
“I desperately want to take you out for dinner and slow dance with you until the sun comes up, but I also want to grip your hair as I watch you writhing underneath me.”
Please feel free to ignore if you received this. 💖
Checking In
Summary// A hotel getaway with Bucky's favorite receptionist
Warnings// Lil angsty, some fluff, some smut, cursing, tiny mention of drinking, 18 plus only, minors dni
Note// I kinda love this request. I didn't use the quote, but its based off of the quote, this also got LONG and took sooo long.
My new masterlist and taglist will hopefully be done tomorrow night.
Im really hoping it doesn't flop bc I'm lowkey proud of it and also spent a lot of time on it
MASTERLIST
Moodboard by @commonintrest
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This was the slowest Bucky had went with someone in a very long time. Three dates in and he hadn't even had the chance to see you naked. It was driving him crazy to say the least.
Anyone else wouldn't have gotten a call back, but for you; it made him want it even more. So, he came up with an idea to take that extra step.
Walking into the hotel you worked at, he gave a nod to the security guard and flashed you a charming smile; his hair much shorter than when you saw him last. "Like the haircut." You said, turning in the chair to look at him. "Feels more... professional."
"Checking in again?" You asked, leaning your chin on the base of your palm, reaching your other hand to card your fingers through the short hair.
Bucky shook his head and leaned his forearms on the desktop. "No. We are checking in somewhere else. Tonight, when you're off."
His eyes trailed down to the top of your blouse, looking at the few buttons that where open. "Buck, I'm not staying in a hotel with you." You smiled, shaking your head. "Come on, I'll sleep on the couch if you're too uncomfortable." He smirked.
You thought it over for a moment before sighing and nodding your head. "Yeah, ok." You agreed, letting him pull you in for a brief kiss by the back of your neck. "Fantastic. I'll be here at five to get you."
"I'll have to go get cl-" Bucky shook his head at you. "Won't need 'em." He said, turning to walk out. "Bucky, don't you dare."
"See ya tonight, pretty girl."
As promised, five o'clock hit and Bucky was pulling in front of the doors in his sleek black car; quickly getting out.
His usual suit was traded in for a more casual button up tee and dark jeans, the prosthetic that matched the shape of his right arm perfectly on display.
He rounded the desk and picked up your bag. "You can't be back here." You teased, making him roll his eyes. "Come along, babydoll. We have plans." He said, hand between your shoulder blades to guide you with him.
Bucky's plan would surely get that extra step at least jumpstarted. The heated make out sessions in his car when he dropped you off were starting to get to him.
He refused to call anyone else to handle the tightening of his jeans, the wait made him yearn for you even more.
So, he patiently waited as you changed into the lavender sundress he'd sent for, listened and talked over dinner on the patio of the motel, and just basked in your enjoyable presence.
"Dance with me." You said, hand laying on his bicep. He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "I don't dance, sugar."
You raised your eyebrows and cocked your head to the side, fingers tracing down the vein that ran the length of his arm and to his hand. "Well, you're going to, or you'll be sleeping in that room alone." You laced your fingers in his and he looked at you with an amused expression. "Oh, really now?"
"Mhm, c'mon. It's a slow one, so you won't embarass yourself." You teased, feeling his hands on your hips as soon as you turned your back to him. "I never said I couldn't dance. Just that I don't, babydoll." His gruff voice said in your ear, moving to stand in front of you once in the midst of the other couples enjoying their night.
"Couldn't say no to you if I tried anyways." He said softly as your hands rested on the back of his neck, his on the dip of your waist.
The Bucky who took you on dates was different than the Bucky who strolled in your lobby at least once every two weeks. He wasn't glowering when he looked at you; instead he had a smile that made the corner of his eyes crinkle and your heart flutter.
He hadn't smiled so hard and so much in years. He was addicted. To your voice, fiery attitude, and gleaming smile; and he couldn't even imagine how much more he'd crave once he finally got a taste of you.
"Gonna let me sleep in the bed, pretty girl?" He cooed, hands roaming over the swell of your ass. "Of course, Mr Barnes." You grinned, pecking a kiss to his dimpled chin. "Could dance with you all night if you wanted me to." He said, squeezing gently. "I wouldn't complain."
His lips slotted over yours, your eyes fluttering shut at the softness of them.
He suddenly lifted his head, bottom lip brushing the tip of your nose as you opened your eyes again.
Bucky's cold demeanor he usually had while walking through the lobby of the hotel returned, smile fading into a deep scowl as he looked at something behind you.
"Is something wrong?" You asked, worry lacing your voice as you cupped his stubbled jaw in your hands, feeling the muscle of it flex. "Just stay close." He murmured, pulling you closer to his front.
You furrowed your eyebrows at him, lips parting to say something, but the stern look in his eyes stopping you as they stayed glued on whatever was behind you.
"Barnes, didn't expect to see you here- like this." A voice that was slightly higher in pitch than Bucky's sounded from behind you.
Bucky tucked you into his side, hand on the small of your back as he stared at the shorter man. "Just enjoying my night. That a problem?"
You swallowed thickly and gripped onto the back of Bucky's shirt, crumbling the perfectly ironed fabric in your fist as your heart pounded. "Needa talk." The man said.
Bucky's eyes flicked to a group of men sitting at the corner of the patio before looking back to the man in from of him. "Go sit down. Order us some more drinks." Bucky said sternly. "Bucky-"
He finally looked down at you with an icy stare, making you shrink back slightly. "Now isn't the time to argue with me. Go sit down." The tone of his voice was one you hadn't heard before.
You nodded and turned to walk back to the table, picking at your nails as you took your seat again.
Looking to where Bucky was sat at the table with the group, you chewed your bottom lip. You knew what you were getting into when accepting that first date, you just didn't think it'd follow you everywhere.
He tried to stay patient, he was in rival territory and knew it was a terrible idea; but this was one of the nice hotels and he wanted the weekend spent right. Keeping his cool was the only way he was going to be able to do that.
He was barely even listening to half of what the men were saying, glancing over at your nervous posture as you picked the nails he had just paid to get manicured; even though you protested against taking his money.
Until one statement had his head snapping back towards one of them. "The girl seems... sweet. Make you happy?" It wasn't meant in a way a friend would ask when checking up on another friend. Bucky felt it burn through him like a threat.
"Yeah, well, she's got a mouth on her and I'm losing my patience. So, you men have a good night, you owe my girl an apology for ruining her night." He stood, teeth gritting together.
You noticed Bucky's tense stance and straightened in your seat as he got closer. "Rude bastards." Bucky grumbled, taking your hand in his and tugging for you to stand. "What did they want?"
Bucky thought about lying, but he promised you he wouldn't. "Talk business. Can't believe they'd interrupt me over stupid bullshit." He sneered, pulling you along with him back into the hotel. "Where are we going? They're going to bill you for those drinks." You huffed, picking up your pace to walk next to him. "Don't care."
By the time the two of you reached the door to your room, Bucky had you pressed against it; fumbling to swipe the key card as his lips attacked yours.
Your hands fisted into the front of his shirt to keep your balance as shoes were kicked off, Bucky backing you towards the bed with his large hands holding the sides of your face.
You fell back onto the bed when the backs of your knees met the edge of the mattress, taking him with you; Bucky's body parting your legs.
The kiss was hungry and desperate, sharing breaths as his hands gripped at your outer thighs and pawed their way under the skirt of your dress.
You pulled away from the kiss, breathless as he dipped his head to latch his lips on the underside of your jaw. "Bucky, wait-" You panted, pressing his shoulders lightly. "What?" He breathed, stopping all movements as he looked at you; eyes dark and lips kiss swollen. "I-"
"You're a virgin. We can wait, if so." He cut you off, face dropping slightly. "No, no. It's not that. I just haven't had sex in awhile." You said, gnawing at your tongue. "Want me to go slower?"
"I just don't want to take things too fast." You whispered, tracing the collar of his shirt with your fingertips.
Bucky took a deep inhale, warm hand moving to hold your chin. "Babygirl, listen. I'm not going to kick you out of my bed when we're done. You got me attached with this damn chase you gave me. Wanna take care of you. Okay?"
You nodded and pulled him back down to you, his tongue slipping between your lips as his fingers worked at the buttons of his shirt.
Gently pushing them away, you replaced his hands with yours to pop the buttons open as his tongue glided across every inch of your mouth he could reach.
You lifted your back off of the mattress for his hand to feel for the zipper of your dress, grazing your fingers down the tensing muscles of his chest and abdomen; stopping at the button of his jeans.
"Don't get shy now, take 'em off." Bucky mumbled against your lips, sliding the straps of your dress off of your shoulders.
The wetness between your legs grew as your tugged at his belt, whimpering into his mouth when he pressed his hips against you to show how hard he was.
Pulling away, Bucky sat up to tug your dress down your torso and legs; eyes drinking in the beautiful sight in front of him as he shoved his jeans off and palmed himself through his boxers.
"Take the shirt off." You panted, backing up the bed. A smirk grew on his face, metal thumb sliding back and forth in the waistband of his boxers as he looked at your glistening folds. "Ask nicely and I just might." He taunted. "Please."
You watched the way his muscles flexed with each movement, the shirt sliding off of his arms and to the floor; revealing the mess of scars Bucky hoped you'd ignore and a large tattoo on his ribcage.
Next were his boxer briefs, pooling at his feet as his cock twitched in the air; swollen tip red and leaking precum. "You're staring, babydoll." He said, voice low as he moved his body back over yours.
"Can't help it." You swallowed, the weight of his cock against your thigh as you felt the firmness of his back. His hand slipped between your bodies to guide himself to your heat, spreading your slick with his tip.
"So wet, barely even touched you yet." You whined at his words and gripped his shoulders. "Buck, please. Stop the teasing."
The smirk on his face grew before he brushed his lips against yours. "Hm, I don't know. Kept me waitin' so long, might just tease you a little more." He hummed. You bucked your hips against him, his tip barely pressing into you. "Fuck..." Bucky said in a low groan, a shudder passing through his body.
He made sure you felt every ridge and vein, pulling breathy sounds from you when he pushed deeper. Your walls so tight and warm around him, he already had to hold off his release.
"Look at me, sweet girl." He breathed, nipping at your bottom lip and rolling his hips into yours.
When you opened your eyes, the adoring look in Bucky's made your breath hitch. Hands wedging under your back as he sat up, holding you to him so you were sitting on his thick thighs.
"So beautiful." He groaned as his hands glided over the curve of your back to your ass, metal and flesh fingers digging into the skin.
Guiding your hips in a faster pace, he could feel you clenching around him, swallowing the blissed out sounds you made with a breath taking kiss as his grip on you tightened.
The soft ow that passed your lips made Bucky loosen his grip and move you in a slower pace. "Need me to slow down?" He panted, pulling away from you slightly.
You frantically shook your head, hands clinging to his shoulders; needing to feel his skin against yours. "No-no. Don't stop, please, keep going." You whined, bucking your hips along with him.
In a swift movement, your back was pressed back into the mattress. Your fingers laced with Bucky's as he pinned your hands at the sides of your head, his hips meeting yours in a faster, rougher pace that knocked the breath from your lungs and made your head spin; his cock sliding against every sweet spot, some that you didn't even know existed.
Salacious sounds from both of you echoed around the room, your eyes fluttering shut again and body arching into him so your front was flush to his as the coil snapped.
"There you go, baby. Feel so good, so worth the wait." Bucky moaned out, chasing his own release with shorter thrusts.
A whimper of his name falling from your sweet lips sent him over the edge, his hips flush to yours as he spilled into you with a guttural moan.
He slowly rocked his hips into yours, riding the blissful feeling for all that it was as he looked over your blissed out face.
It was the moment your eyes peaked out, staring back into his lust darkened ones that Bucky knew. You were the one thing he needed to protect. To hold close and never let go.
A tender kiss was placed on your lips, a satisfied hum leaving Bucky as he slipped from between your legs to lay beside you.
You slowly moved off of the bed to grab a shirt and go to clean up, legs feeling wobbly with each step to and from the bathroom.
Bucky sat on the edge of the bed when you walked back into the adjoined room, legs still a little jelly feeling as you made you way back to him.
He laughed, an actual belly laugh that made your heart swell as he pulled you between his parted thighs. "I have some... unexpected business to take care of in the morning."
You nodded lightly and sat your hands on his shoulders. "I want you to stay in this room and keep the door locked. When I come back, we'll do something." He promised, gently massaging your sides. "Something, huh?"
A squeak escaped your throat when you were pinned back underneath Bucky, his hips pressing into you. "Oh, don't you get me started. I'll keep you up all night."
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skyromaniac-05 ¡ 3 years ago
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hello! I’m Sky, and i have a year of pent up HATRED for the Suicide Squad 2011 comic series. i was fueled with RAGE ATHDHDFJDJFN, so i’m gonna talk (read: rant) about the first 7 issues.
okay! going to go right into it because i seriously need to word vomit so bad rn
Alright. Let’s talk about Adam Glass’s interpretation of the Suicide Squad. Spoilers ahead! (but you knew that pff)
also like. suggestive art from the comics? showing a few panels :)
and like. depictions of gore!! written and a lil bit of the comics. all the pictures i’ve used were used in the comics!!
oh, also mentions of ab*se
it starts off and already i can tell it’s going to be DARK. which is kind of shocking for something that isn’t DC’s black label, which is where their more adult based content is. It opens up into a gruesome torture scene, which like, it’s DC so i’m not all too surprised here. that part was fine, i enjoyed how brutal they showed Waller to be in her treatment of everyone!
My main problem comes with the oversexualization of all of the female characters, specifically Harley Quinn. Now i know what you’re saying! “wow, it’s another Harley stan going on a tangent” and you’re absolutely correct <3
But even in just the cover, it is blatantly obvious what they were trying to achieve with how they drew her. in any chance they had to put her in “street clothes”, this is what they came up with.
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come onnnn!! this made me super upset, like they use EVERY chance they get to bring in those teenage boys, it kind of churned my stomach.
oh but it did NOT stop there.
quite literally three pages later, she has a thing with Deadshot. which. what? this is issue THREE. AHHH STOP ADAM GLASS PLEASE FOCUS ON THE STORY
that was another thing, the story telling was… alright? but their characterization was poorly executed which made the story telling especially a no for me
after her and Deadshot had that little thing, she wanted a relationship with him, which he shot down and quite literally said he used her, which is always fun i love that.
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mm. yes. we love that for Harley
anyway, after that, Captian Boomerang showed up and DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON HIM THATS A POST ON ITS OWN MAN
and also yo yo is there but i refuse to acknowledge him because he fills me with rage
oh yeah here’s this little bit which made me uncomfortable and felt like including it
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love that!!! wow!
which like, it’s DC, it’s dark, but like. 13+? i think it’s a little more than that? AHDHFJSJFDJ
anyway.
i’m gonna fast forward a bit to the part that makes my skin *crawl*. those few issues with the Joker.
anyway, Harley finds out Joker is alive. She breaks out of Belle Reve through a complicated plan (just kidding)
someone was being sexist and turned off her neck bomb bc because and i QUOTE “she’s just a weak girl” so 😄😄😄
So she breaks out of jail and goes right for Gotham. don’t ask how she got there from Louisiana because the comics do not tell us! (i think? i don’t remember DRHDJFJDJ)
she goes to Gotham PD because she heard Joker’s face was sliced off and they took it to evidence! fun! so she wants to see it one last time for like, closure? it was really creepy which is off brand for her compared to her in literally anything else. (maybe not a few video games we don’t talk about those thank you)
So Waller sends the squad to hunt her down, either kill her or bring her back alive.
they look for her, yada yada, we get to see a bit of Harley’s backstory, which i actually kind of like! good job on that one, Adam.
here’s a page i’m a fan of:
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it gives us a few more pages after checking back up with how Deadshot is hunting her down, which was boring i guess. no it wasn’t i’m just being petty i’m sorry DHSJFJSJD
anyway, Joker had the drunk driver that killed her father murdered and gave her the finger which was scary but like, i kind of liked that part, it made sense with how she turned out in this interpretation.
so next issue, gives us a bit more backstory mf the squad catches up to her and they have a little brawl and she gets away because she’s Harley Quinn so
anyway. she gets the drop on Deadshot and it slips back into another backstory, this time when he pushed her in the acid. here’s the flashback, it’s important so i included all of it. get ready, this is. a lot.
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after that comes what might possibly be my least favorite scene in the whole series. (second least favorite actually, i’ll talk about a worse one later :’))
it jumps back to the present and Harley has Deadshot tied to a chair. Deadshot is dismissive of her feelings, which i get, he’s a sociopath, but he doesn’t deserve what she does to him.
she takes Joker’s skinned face and…
i’ll let the comics talk for me.
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the problem with this scene is it’s so… out of character for Harley. She does seriously have mental health issues, but this isn’t something she’s done in any other adaptations of her.
wow this is getting super long? i only got through 7.5 issues FJSJD I HAVE A LOT TO SAY
if anyone wants a part two for whatever reason, let me know in the comments!! and has anyone else read these? what did you think and how coherent am i because i have no clue what i’m doing i’m just word vomiting and i doubt someone’s gonna read this whole thing through lmao
-thank you!!! <3
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nat-20s ¡ 3 years ago
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what’s poppin everyone please have this fun lil writing warmup/short story inspired by me thinking “Dancing in the Moonlight” was definitely 100% about werewolves
~*~
“So, this your first transformation?”
The counselor? Leader? Tour guide? Asked this with a perfectly jovial tone, as if the typical social mores surrounding, ugh, lycanthropy, didn’t apply to her. They didn’t know what exact title to call her, and her name tag just said “Luna”, which, reflecting on it, either was a joke on her part or a reflection of her parents’ sense of humor.
Picking at the scabs from last month, they cringed and replied, “No. Uh. Second.”
Luna lets out a low whistle. “Oof. That sucks. Guessing you got bitten rather than inherited the ol’ wolfman gene?”
“That’s...kind of personal?”
Unlocking the front door of the log cabin that served as King Harvest’s Headquarters, Luna shrugs and says, “Shit, sorry. Forgot the whole weird stigma around your source of the once monthly nightmare, as if it fuckin matters. Also, I know, I know, ass out of you and me. Hey, you got any dietary restrictions? Gluten, peanut allergies, the like?”
Voice flat, they tell her, “I’m vegetarian,” and waits for the obvious response.
As they wander through the cabin towards the kitchen, Luna flipping on the light switches, generic club music starts to filter in. Instead of the obvious response, Luna asks, “You like veggie burgers? Or maybe pasta? I’d offer salad, but that’s really not gonna cut it for tonight.”
“I ate before I came.”
With a snort, she tells them, “Oh yeah? Did you have about 4000 calories?”
“No? Why would I have?”
Sweeping out her arm, she gestures at the food laying out on the counter and tells them, “Then eat up! 4000 is really a minimum for the night if you don’t want to feel like someone physically beat out all of your energy in the morning. 6000 is more the target area, but we got, hmm, about 15 minutes before things get uncomfortable, and half an hour max before things get dire.”
They glance down to the food, and, admittedly, the broccoli alfredo does look pretty appealing. Still, they have to ask, “Is this a cult?”
Luna lets out a bark of a laugh that has nothing to do with her (maybe) being a werewolf. “Okay, first of all, what kind of cult is like ‘fuck yeah, we’re a cult’? Secondly, despite the first thing, I can say that we’re not a cult. I know how “King Harvest: Center for Movement Therapy” sounds, both clinical and vague enough to be suspicious as hell, but I didn’t come up with the title, blame my long deceased dad for that one. Plus, ‘King Harvest: Bitchin’ Wolf Dance House’ probably wouldn’t look good on the grant applications.”
“Grants?”
“Oh yeah. This bad boy’s been publicly funded since its opening in 1972. Hence no membership fees.”
“Is that why animal control is giving out your business card? Are they one of your sponsors?”
“Nah, that’s just Jack. Me ‘n’ him go way back, hell, to his park ranger days.  I mean, yeah, I think he’ll campaign for us, but mostly I think he just hates capturing a wolf in the night only to have a naked, trembling human in the morning, and he knows that our program significantly reduces the odds of that happening, at least in this neck of the woods.”
They let out a hum, then glance back down to the food. As appealing as it down look, they’re still about..30% convinced this is an elaborate organ harvesting operation. Or sketchy sex thing.
Apparently sensing their hesitation, Luna says, “You got a favorite chip?”
“Salt and vinegar.”
Grabbing a sealed family sized bag from the overhead cabinets, Luna tosses it to them. “If you come back next full moon, either eat enough in advance or have a real meal here. That being said, excuse the turn of phrase, you should wolf that down. It’s sure as hell better than nothing.”
They catch it, and the bag opens with a puff of air that speaks to a reassuring lack of tampering. As they toss a chip into their mouth, Luna grabs a water bottle from the fridge and places it down next to them. “So? Any questions for me? We’ve still got about ten minutes before we have to go out there.”
Rolling their eyes, they tell her, “No. None at all.”
“Great! Soon as you’re done eating we’ll get you started.”
“I was being sarcastic.”
“Yeah, no shit, smart-ass. Seriously, what are your, we haven’t got much time.”
“I don’t know? The whole..thing? I mean, how is it supposed to..work? Like? At all?”
“You ever see Amok Time?”
“Is that relevant?”
“It’s a yes or no question babe.”
“And if I say no?”
“Then the explanation is going to be a lot more technical and take a lot longer, ultimately to likely make less sense.”
“...I’ve seen it.”
“Great! So, Pon Farr is basically this chemical blood imbalance that results in fuck or die disorder, yeah? But then Spock neither fucks nor dies, and eventually the vulcans get their shit together and find out that an intense fight can serve the same function, and the blood fever chills out. Lycanthropy operates on a similar enough basis for comparison. You’re compelled to act out on energetically heavy base instincts, returning to the ways of the wolf or whatever. Traditionally, that’s done through running and hunting, which has, historically, been a crapshoot at best. Theoretically, sex can also get the job done, but I’m sure you can imagine how that gets extremely dicey extremely quickly. Either restraints or isolation has been implemented for a while, but, c’mon, they’re bandaid solutions, and they’re far from foolproof. Luckily for us all, my grandmother decided to connect back with her ancestors, and there was a handful of stories having huge festivals to deal with ‘moon violence’. She tried it out, and, yeah, dancing works.”
“That sounds…”
They don’t know how that sounds. Made up, mostly.
“Like a bunch of hippie bullshit? Yeah, it kind of is, Grandma Josephine was a huge hippie, but it’s hippie bullshit that works. In fact, let’s go see the others, it almost always makes things clearer.”
Figuring that whatever they’re about to see can’t be worse than their transformation last month. They head through the sliding glass door out the back, the thump of the music suddenly loud enough to be felt in their chest. The sight that awaits them makes them drop their chips and let out a gasp. Barely able to speak, they exhale out, “None of them...they’re not wolves. How..how??”
Indeed, the roughly forty people jumping to the pulse of whatever they’re listening to (some to the in house DJ, some, apparently, to what’s playing over the large headphones they have adorned), resemble the image of a wolfman much more accurately. They bare claws, fangs, elongated snouts, upright ears, and  serious amounts of hair, but they’re on two legs, and moving like humans. Some of them are even singing along to the lyrics, which really shouldn’t be possible.
Luna grins, making it obvious that she’s used to this level of shell shocks. “Ultimately, you do have to give into some damn rigorous instincts. But dancing is a human instinct, not a canine one, so you end up, well, humanoid. Pretty nifty, huh?”
“And they all..they all keep their minds? I didn’t...they don’t blackout?”
“Not since we banned alcohol in the 90s! Here, watch this.”
Luna nods her head at the DJ, and the DJ, obligingly, turns down the music for a moment. The members of the crowd not listening to their own music pause, then look towards the door. She cries out, “Hey gang! HOW WE ALL DOIN’ TONIGHT?”, and gets a mix between a howl and “WOO!” cried back. The DJ then turns the music back up, and the general movement of the crowd resumes.
They should be more skeptical. They want to be more skeptical, they were just minutes before, but it’s hard to disagree with something right in front of you. “This will work for me? I just..have to dance?”
“Well, it’s not guaranteed. Few things are. But we have yet to have someone turn violent on us. If you start to fell yourself slipping from consciousness, though, I do ask that you start heading further into the woods, as to not hurt other guest. If you find yourself just getting tired, there’s beds inside, and a fair amount of pillows around the edge of the quote unquote dance floor, if you end up in more of a nesting mood. Also, I recommend taking off your shoes before you start.”
“What? Why?”
Luna gives a pointed glance at the dancers’ feet, which, ah. They’re about twice as large as normal and at least twice as sharp. The converse on their feet would be no match. “Ah.”
“Ready?”
They shove off their shoes and place the remainder of their chips aside. “As I’ll ever be.”
Good thing, too, as they’re starting to feel an uncomfortable pressure in their chest that was the prelude to disaster last month.
Luna strides to the center of the dance floor, which is really a plush lawn surrounded by forest. The crowd naturally moves around her, and she yells out, “Aiyana! Play my song!”
Aiyana gives a nod, and the opening notes of “Dancing in the Moonlight” start to sound out. “Seriously?”
Luna shrugs, grinning like a fool, and says, “It’s a classic!”
“It’s cliché at best.”
Luna shrugs, and then begins dancing. She’s hardly elegant, but she is dazzlingly joyful in her uncoordinated movements. As the song reaches the first chorus, she gives a twirl, and in the split second it takes, she’s transformed. They blink in shock, not knowing you could transform that seamlessly, that quickly, that painlessly. Luna in half wolf form is just as expressive as the human Luna, and she gives a nod over her shoulder as if to say Come on.
Feeling somewhat foolish, they start to bop their head to the tune. Luna lets out a huff and grabs their hands, spinning them around and forcing them to get moving. At first, it’s them indulging Luna, but as they let themselves get lost in rhythm, they feel a stretching sensation in their face and limbs. It’s not unpleasant, more like when you wake up and work out the tension in your spine. They open their eyes and look down at their hands, now covered in fur in and made for slashing. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t hurt, and they’re still themselves, and they had no idea that full moons could be like this, maybe for the rest of their lives.
They turn their head to the night sky, and their body can’t help but continue to dance. Despite all their fear, all their dread, “movement therapy” worked, and they can admit, at least to themselves, that they feel warm and bright.
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nerajaana ¡ 4 years ago
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Jonsa metas be like: Extended Cut
The miniature rant version
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Yeah. We’re getting tons of romantic content in that corner. Totes. What else is the purpose of Jon Snow’s resurrection? Or rather, what even is the other purpose for Jon Snow’s existence, if not a prop to make their innocent-compassionate-empathetic af precious birb a Princess/Queen/GodEmpress?
(if they could have their way she’d be ascended to Godhood at this rate)
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69? That's your foreshadowing? You wanna convince people your ship's canon based on a mfing position number? What are we, middle schoolers?!
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My remaining two braincells cannot handle this poetic parallel😔😩✊🏻
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Ok real talk folks.....what’s in that kool aid kid?
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Listen, after pulling crap like this, you all have no rights to defend yourselves when we rightfully call you out on this. Absolutely none. No amount of mental gymnastics can justify this.
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Presenting to you 🥁🥁🥁 Quotes by Jon comparing his first love to his sister🥁🥁🥁:
“She reminded him a little of his sister Arya, though Arya was younger and probably skinnier. It was hard to tell how plump or thin Ygritte might be, with all the furs and skins she wore.”
“"If you kill a man, and never meant', he's just as dead," Ygritte said stubbornly. Jon had never met anyone so stubborn, except maybe for his little sister Arya. Is she still my sister? he wondered. Was she ever?”
...... soz there ain’t any about Sansa. I checked in the back and all I promise.
And, hate to break it to ya but, remember Catelyn of Houses Tully and Stark? Yeah, she kinda, y’know, carried the zygote that grew into a fetus over a period of nine months and pushed the said fetus out whom they named Arya. Half of her mother, half a Tully. Thus, half a fish. Pretty sure there’s even a fish reference that jon made towards Arya regarding her swimming.
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............So?
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Let's give this a serious consideration. Firstly, lemme get this lil point out in the open: foreshadowing is wildly different from coincidences. Coincidence is there being a Jon(nel) and a Sansa in the same time period in the family, just like the current generation. Parallel/foreshadowing would look something like this:- Jon, who's the half brother of Rickon, just like Jonnel was to Cregan's heir Rickon, would marry the older daughter of Rickon (my son my boyyyy <3<3<3) in a distant future. Capisce?
And finally, the icing on the cake. My personal favourite 🙂
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Look, it's bad enough that the writer decided to pepper in cursed bits throughout the books that make an incestuous pairing highly likely. (by incest i mean the emotional aspect of it, it's not the cousincest or the aunt-nephew bit that peeves me off. It was a common occurrence in the medieval feudalistic society and is still prevalent in today's day and age). At the end of the day, they grew up as siblings. Fighting over which sister gets the “prize” that's Jon Snow is ridiculous beyond measure. We didn't start off reading these humongous books thinking "oh this would be a splendid time to ship an incest otp uwu" like no. the only reason I didn't break into tears every time Jon had a very non fraternal thought while reading is because i knew by then, for sure that they're cousins and not siblings (y'all either never had siblings or think fictional siblings work on a different wavelength). Take it up with the author, demand why he chose this sister and not the other for his fOrbiDdEn rOmancE trope. Grab him by shoulders and shake an answer out of him. None of us asked for this ffs. We reached to a conclusion based on what's there in print, not what isn't and simply assuming that there are hidden meanings or that the narrator is so fucking unreliable that he's naming one and thinking of the other or something equally delusional. Dude's literal last thought was Stick them with a pointy end. Which, by the way, is strictly between Jon and Arya, just like Needle. Just like the quote "Different roads sometimes lead to the same castle". And "What do you know of my heart, priestess? What do you know of my sister?" They're all exclusive to them both and them both only.
To all of these asoiaf experts, I'd like to say one thing: For all of his flaws and fallacies, G.R.R.Martin is a brilliant writer. He's not some stupid Oracle of Delphi, sitting in his little ancient greek cave and spewing nonsense and talking in circles. Writers leave out clues in the open, not hide them under the guise of different fucking names for gods sakes.
I'm all for shipping whoever you wanna ship, gods know i have a never ending list- most of them being rarepairs or crackships. But I don't go around twisting canon into something it isn't and subject to mental gymnastics to the point where nothing makes sense anymore. And, read the bloody books before you firmly place your faith in something. Quora/Reddit/Tumblr metas shouldn't be the basis for it. The language is pretty straightforward- if I, a non native english speaker can get it, then so can you.
Cheers.
144 notes ¡ View notes
livexdolan ¡ 4 years ago
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The Cage - Part One
A/n: so hi! This is a UFC based fic about Grayson Dolan. This is an AU with an OC. There is no face claim as of now but they might change idk. I’m not going to ramble lol I’m just very very nervous. Anywho please enjoy and let me know what you think! There will be many parts to this series by the way lol so this part is kind of slow but just wait aha
Word Count: 5924
Warnings: fluff, mentions of death, explicit language, and triggering topics (maybe?) mentioned
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“I’ve always wondered what it’d be like to be famous- never telling anyone but I’ve always wanted to know- wanted to get in the head of someone famous and see what they go through- but I could’ve never guessed this was how I was going to find out.
It all started when I was 22, fresh out of college, with a crappy assistant job at a publishing company in Los Angeles, California. Having been stuck at this job for almost three years and never even having my articles read, I was starting to lose hope that I would never be more than an assistant. Until one day…”
“Lily! Get in here! And bring me a coffee!” I scurry to Mr. Lane’s office, clutching the coffee I had just gone and grabbed for him, stopping by my desk to grab my notebook and pen.
I opened his glass door and put his coffee down on his desk, pushing up my glasses as I opened my notebook and clicked my pen, looking up at him expectantly, waiting for him to say what he needed me to do. He looks at me, his eyes bright at first but quickly losing their color and he sighs as though he’s already exasperated, “What is this?” He holds up a copy of a story I had put on his desk.
Oh jeez, another rejection. I push my glasses up again and start to stutter out an explanation in a quiet voice, “Well, I-I heard you talking to some of the reporters about need-needing a new story for next week's issue and well, I-I already had an idea so I thought I’d-” He cuts me off with a quick raise of his hand and a stoic look on his face, giving nothing away.
“Look,” he sighs and rubs his face with both hands before continuing, “It’s not a bad story, but it’s a half-baked idea. That’s your problem. That’s why you haven’t gotten a byline yet- you can never deliver a full idea- let alone a full article, do you understand?”
I look down, refusing to let him see my cheeks burn red and my eyes water. This is what he says every time I give him an idea. “Do you want to be a journalist?” He questions.
I make eye contact with him quickly lifting my head and squaring my shoulders to try and seem more confident, “More than anything, sir.”
“Well then, I have a proposition for you.” He gets up from his chair, his tall, lean body going to perch on the corner of his desk as he looks up at me his blue eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint, “I’ll give you a lead, and if you can follow through and get me a full 12000-word article by Monday, you can keep your job and I might throw you a lead here and there. But if you fail to deliver…” He pauses momentarily, thinking over his next words carefully, “you lose your job.”
I gasp and try to reason with myself for a second, making a mental pro-con list before replying quietly, “What’s the article on?”
He shakes his head and smirks lightly, filling my stomach with more unease, “No, you have to agree to the proposition. Then, I will tell you the story.”
Can I do this? Can I risk everything? I mean, that’s what my life’s been so far, a lot of risks and sacrifices. But is this a sacrifice I’m willing to make?
What would mom do? I sigh, “O-ok. Okay, I accept. Now, what’s the story?”
He claps his hands together excitedly and looks up at me with a boyish grin, he moves swiftly behind his desk and grabs an envelope, handing it to my shaky hands, “Grayson Dolan, he fights tonight here at the arena, go with a press pass, get an interview with him and ask him a couple of questions. Oh, and make sure we get a quote.”
I stare at him open-mouthed, frozen to my spot, “What? The Grayson Dolan?! You and I are both very aware that he refuses to do interviews. This isn’t even possible.” I say without trying to raise my voice too much.
Jace just leans back in his desk chair, lacing his fingers together and putting them behind his head, “Not my problem- it’s yours now. If I don’t have that story in my hand Monday morning, just pack your things up and leave, got it?” He smirks up at me.
I just silently walk out of his office and back to my desk, sitting down and putting my head against the cool wood surface. I don’t know if I want to cry or punch myself in the face.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
“And then he told me that if I accept- but fail to give him a story- I lose my job!”
“Wow! I never liked that guy, you know. He gives off such- such a douchebag vibe.”
I can’t help but chuckle at my dad’s voice dropping a little, he hasn’t been big on cursing since mom passed. At first, it was weird because both my parents cussed when I was growing up. But after mom passed, dad decided that, ‘there’s enough hate in the world’ and that he’s not going to add to it with foul language.’
“I know Dad, but what am I supposed to do?”
“Don’t accept it! You should never risk your whole career on whether or not some guy is feeling up to an interview!”
“Ok, one-” I start, “it is not just some guy! This is Grayson Dolan! And two,” I lower my voice and chew my lip, a bad habit I picked up in middle school, “I already agreed.”
“Of course you did!” he sounds exasperated and I pull my phone away from my ear a little out of reflex, “You are just like your mother, you know that?” he sighs and the line goes quiet.
“Daddy?” I whisper into the phone. He stays silent. It’s my turn to sigh and fall back onto my couch. I mutter into the phone, “He wouldn’t tell me the story until I accepted. I have to go get ready, I’ll talk to you after the match. I’ll be sitting ringside so look for me, ok?”
“Ok, I will. I’m still not happy about this.”
“I know Dad, you’re not happy with two-thirds of the things I do.”
That gets a reluctant chuckle out of him, “I guess you’re right. Good luck, by the way. If anyone can get an interview out of Dolan- it’d be you. And if you can’t, your childhood bedroom would love to have you back.”
“Ha-ha. Thanks. I love you.”
“Love you too baby, I’ll see you soon?”
“Dad,” my stomach drops at his hopeful voice and I can’t bring myself to tell him the truth, “Maybe, bye.”
I hang up the phone before he can say anything and I sink into the couch.
I wake with a start, my neck sore from the back of the couch. Oh no. I grab my phone in a haste, I turn it on and my whole body sags in relief when the time shows up; 6:45.
I have about an hour and a half to get ready, that’s enough time!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Wrong. Very wrong. I feel a wave of heat wash over me, igniting my anxiety as I look at the time on my phone; 7:45.
I quickly put on my normal, light makeup consisting of moisturizer, skin tint, blush on my cheeks and nose, giving me an almost sunburnt look. I shape my eyebrows a little, fix my glasses, and put on my chapstick. I quickly brush out my short, wavy hair and clip back the front parts. I shake my head slightly to get my bangs in place and do one last check in the mirror before heading to my closet.
Too pink. Too casual. Too tight. Too- ugh where did I even get that from? I start moving the hangers faster, getting frustrated with my lack of options. I move past a pastel purple dress- wait. I go back to the dress and grab it off the rod, holding it up in the light.
When did I buy this? My eyebrows furrow as I look at the beautiful and delicate dress that I must’ve forgotten about. I pull it off the hanger and slowly put it on, saying a silent prayer that it fits.
I smooth the soft material out and look in the mirror. I’m pleasantly surprised by how the dress fits. It’s silk with spaghetti straps and is a lilac color with little flowers all over it.
I don’t have time to overthink my outfit now. I throw on my roommate’s white Timberlands, grab my black purse, making sure my ID, wallet, and phone are all tucked safely inside. I grab my press pass and put the lanyard around my head carefully.
Taking a deep breath, I walk out to the living room where my roommate is sitting waiting for me to come out.
I clear my throat and try not to look too awkward. Ryan looks up from her MacBook and gasps, tossing her laptop onto the couch next to her, she moves over to me, her long legs gracefully walking around the coffee table.
She investigates every part of my outfit, making me feel small and self-conscious. Before I can stop myself, I start rambling in a quiet tone, “Is-is this too much? Do you th-think it looks okay?”
She grasps my shoulders and a wide smile makes its way onto her face, “Of course, you look amazing!” I smile at her and she winks at me, “When that pretentious ass sees you- he might want to do more than just let you interview him.”
I snort and roll my eyes and she laughs, “Yeah right,” I mumble.
She walks over to our coat rack and pulls off a small black cardigan, “Here, I know it gets cold in there,” I smile gratefully and take it from her, folding it over the crook of my arm and taking a deep breath.
I start to walk towards the door and she calls my name, I look back at her as I open the door, “You look hot Lil- knock ‘em dead,” I smile at her and nod, walking out before I get sappy.
I pull into the busy parking lot of the arena and gulp down my bubbling anxiety. I find a parking spot, towards the back of the lot seeing as I don’t get bothered by having to walk a little. I go up to the line, seeing a sign that says, ‘PRESS ENTRANCE HERE’ I smile at the worker looking at me and pointing to the Press sign and then at my pass hanging around my neck, he nods.
I go towards the other entrance and show a different security guard my pass and he opens a door for me, I smile up at him, “Thank you-” I glance at the small name tag, “Don.” He blushes slightly and coughs.
I blush too and walk through the door quickly. I realize that I’m ‘backstage’ and can hear the fans cheering for one of the main card fights happening. I check my small watch and see that it’s going to be another hour or so before Grayson Dolan fights.
I take another deep breath and start walking forward, trying not to look like a lost puppy and failing when a man wearing a UFC crew shirt comes over to me with furrowed brows, “Who’re you looking for?”
I look at him, his deep voice vibrating against the walls, “Grayson Dolan,” I answer back.
He gives me a once-over and I try not to make a face when he meets my eyes and smirks, “Oh, he’ll like you.” I furrow my brows but decide not to question it as he points down a long hallway, “Four doors down, take a right, then the last door on the left is him- the one that’ll say, Grayson Dolan.” I thanked him even though he was a bit rude, and made my way down.
Once I turn down the hallway I see someone sitting outside one of the rooms on a single chair. I make my way closer and my heart drops into my stomach when I see it’s a girl sitting outside Grayson Dolan’s room, “Hello? Are-Are you okay?”
The girl looks up at me from her phone and gives me a once-over, except it’s different from the way the worker did- she looks annoyed with me. She stands up, her high heels making her about an inch or two taller than me, “Who are you?” She asks, crossing her arms over her chest, pushing her cleavage up.
I cough to clear my throat a little, taken back by her abrasive tone, “I’m a reporter- Are you okay?”
“I’m perfectly fine, and if you’re here for Grayson Dolan- he won’t talk to you.”
“I- I’m sorry, why do you say that?” The woman steps closer to me and I try not to gag at the smell of her cheap, overused perfume. I step back from her and she straightens up slightly, glowering at me.
“Just run along, maybe you’ll understand when you’re grown,” She says, looking back at her phone, when she glances up and sees I’m not leaving she rolls her eyes, “Grayson Dolan doesn’t talk to reporters. I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t actually a reporter anyway, you’re probably just here to fuck him, huh? Get in line,” She laughs.
My whole body feels like it’s on fire. I don’t understand why she’s being so rude and malicious towards me but I have to get this interview. I can’t let people like her bring me down anymore. When she gives me a fake smile and sits back down, I decide to be the bigger person. Not snapping back at her and ignoring her. Because she doesn’t know me and she doesn’t know what I’ve been through.
The door opens before I can say anything anyways and we both look over, startled. A man looks over at us, then turn and glances back inside the room before he nods, looking at me, and asking what my name is, “Lily Taylor, here with Ace Publis-” I try to tell him but he cuts me off opening the door wider and my eyes widen as he tells me to come in. I try to keep from laughing when the girl asks if she can come in but he just shakes his head at her, I turn around quickly before he shuts the door, “If I were you- I wouldn’t lie to others and say you’re around his age, it’s very obvious that you’re old enough to be his mom,” And the door shuts on her shocked face.
I realize my heart is pounding in my ears and that is probably the meanest thing I’ve ever done, “I should probably apologize,” I whisper to myself and jump slightly when I hear a deep chuckle.
“What can I help you with, Ms. Taylor?” My shoulders tense at the familiar voice and I turn around slowly, facing a couch with a very amused Grayson Dolan sitting on it.
“I- I’m so sorry for being so rude to her. I didn’t mean to be.”
“Why do you think I’d care about her? She’s been sitting out there for two hours,” He laughs and I think he caught the raise of my eyebrow but ignores it, “I asked you once, Ms. Taylor, I don’t like repeating myself.” He reminds me of his question.
I square my shoulders, “I’m here with Ace Publishing & Co., I would love if you could answer some questions for me,” I smile at him, trying to come off as friendly.
His amused expression drops and he scoffs, “You’re one of them? God- here I was hoping you were a die-hard fan. Was going to make you feel very special,” He smirks at me and I scrunch my nose out of habit at his gross words. I quickly stop, realizing I need this, “Frank- show Ms. Taylor out please,” He sighs, and my eyes widen and I stick my hands out and Frank stops moving for a second.
“Wait! Wait! Please I-” Frank huffs at my refusal to move and grabs my arm as I move closer to Grayson, “Please. I wouldn’t be this adamant if I didn’t need this. Please. My career is counting on this moment. Please, I will get down on my knees and beg if I have to, please,” I put my hands in a pleading gesture, hoping he’d take pity.
He holds his hand up to Frank and he lets go of my arm, I sigh and straighten up a little, hoping to gain back some of the dignity I seemed to have lost, “What do you mean?” He cocks his head to the side curiously and I blush, glancing at the ground.
“My boss he uh- he told me that if I don’t get at least a quote from you I can kiss my job goodbye and well, it’s not the best job but I’ve worked my ass off to get where I’m at and he’s being unfair and I understand that this isn’t your problem and I understand why you don’t like to talk to interviewers-”
He cuts me off, “You know why I don’t talk to interviewers?” I look up at him and nod meekly, “Why? Explain it to me,” he crosses his arms and I think he might be upset with me.
I look back down at the ground and take a breath, glancing back up at him through my lashes, “You don’t do interviews because doing an interview is personal and revealing. You’re scar- scared to let the world see who the Grayson Dolan is because you don’t think they’ll like you as much.”
He cocks his eyebrow and uncrosses his arm, sighing, looking away from me to the wall, his tongue pressing against the inside of his cheek as he contemplates for a minute, “You got like 20 minutes to ask me whatever you want, and no stupid questions that all the interviewers ask, okay?” I nod and move to sit in the chair next to the couch.
“Do you mind if I record this? I’d like to keep this paper-free, meaning I don’t have a notebook out and try to write everything down. We’re just going to have a conversation and let it flow. I can stop recording at any time if you say something you’d like erased. I’m not here to expose you, just here to get to know you. As a person. Not as a fighter. I’m not going to ask you anything about how being a fighter’s been or what your inspiration is. I’m going to ask you about you. As a whole. Because the UFC is not your personality,” I explain to him, pulling my phone out and pulling up my voice memos app and looking back up to him, waiting for an answer.
He stares at me until finally, I say his name quietly, hoping he’s okay, he blinks and flushes, shifting, “Sorry, y-yeah, that’s okay. I just- I didn’t expect you to be like- acting like a human.”
I laugh and start recording, “Maybe that means I’m a bad journalist? I don’t know- I feel like it’s easier to connect and get the questions in without papers and cameras and all that other stuff.”
(this part is going to be a dialogue as though we are just listening to the recording)
“That makes sense, and no I can tell you’re going to be great, you treat me like I’m just- a guy, which doesn’t happen often.”
“I bet, you don’t deserve that though. Okay, I’m going to start us off with some icebreakers- so tell me what your childhood dream job was, your favorite ice cream flavor, and 3 things you do on the weekends.”
“Oh, jeez, what is this- first day of 6th grade? Fine- Uh, I always wanted to be a pro wrestler, that was my dream job as a kid. My favorite- vegan- ice cream flavor is probably mint chocolate chip. And, uhm, three things I do on the weekends...okay okay I got it; eat, sleep, workout. Now you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you, Miss Reporter. If you want this to flow you gotta participate as well.”
“Okay, fine. Uh- as a kid I always wanted to be a veterinarian, and then when I was like 10 I realized I wanted to be a writer. My favorite ice cream flavor is probably mint chocolate chip as well. And on the weekends...I’d probably say; read, watch fights with my dad, and drink tea with my best friend at a cafe.”
“Every single weekend?”
“Yeah, my dad lives on the other side of the country so we do a FaceTime call and watch UFC together. My roommate has a job that takes up a lot of her time during the week so we go to this small cafe by our house every weekend.”
“Wow.”
(this is where the rest of the interview would be but, for later in the timeline, we aren’t going to cover every question she asks him :))
“Okay, now tell me about your family. Where you grew up, were your parents married, did you have a dog, and how do you think this all helped make you the man you are today?”
“I grew up in New Jersey; my dad left when I was 10. I’m allergic to dogs and cats, so I have a parrot named Gizmo. My mom never remarried and my sister lives with her. My brother and I moved to LA when we were 18, with no money, no job, just hope. We went to a gym and asked them if they’d train us. The next thing I knew, my brother was getting a job working at the gym and becoming one of my trainers. I learned how to fight and used my wrestling experience and worked my way into the UFC.”
“You didn’t answer my last question.”
“Yes, I did.”
“No, you told me how you got started in the UFC. I don’t want to know about that- everyone knows that story already. I want to know how you think the things you went through as a child have shaped you as a person.”
“I- I guess- I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t think much of who I’ve become so that question is hard to answer.”
“Why do you say that? You are one of the most accomplished men in America.”
“To others, but this- I wasn’t supposed to be a fighter. Everyone sees me as accomplished but I just feel like this was an accident. There was no great event in my life that caused me to become an MMA fighter- it just happened.”
“You don’t believe in fate, Mr. Dolan?”
“No, I don’t. Do you, Ms. Taylor?”
“Yes, I believe that we all have a path we are meant to follow and that everything happens for a reason.”
“Why?”
“Because- I don’t know- it’s nicer than the alternative to me, I guess. I don’t want to live in a world where nothing has a reason behind it. We’ll move on to the next question. You don’t disclose personal information; relationships, family, children, etcetera.”
“Where are you going with this?”
“Why is that? Are you afraid?”
“Afraid? Of what?”
“The same reason I said earlier as to why you don’t like interviews; you are scared people will see the real Grayson Dolan and not like you as much or think you’re different.”
“Are you like- a profiler or something? Why do you think that?”
“I’m not a profiler- I’m a journalist. It’s my job to look for clues, pick up on the small things about someone no one else would notice.”
“Ok, I’ll accept that. Is it my turn to ask you questions?”
“No that’s not how this works.”
“You said you wanted this to be like a normal conversation, did you not?”
“Yes, I did say that, but-”
“Okay, well, I don’t know about you but normally when I’m getting to know someone- I get to ask questions just like they do.”
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
“I want to know...if you’ll go out with me?”
“What? Like on a- like on a date?”
“Yes, a date, Ms. Taylor.”
“Uh- I don’t know, maybe, I-”
“30 minutes to the fight, Dolan! Gotta get you warmed-up!”
(the story is back to normal now)
“So?” He questions as he stands up and I try to gather all my stuff. Trying to push down the butterflies while I stop the recording. I just continue to get more flustered, especially when he puts his hand out for me and I shyly take it, he pulls me to my feet and I stare at him through my lashes.
“I- sure. On one condition,” I smile slyly up at him and he raises an eyebrow at me, I ignore the unfamiliar feeling between my thighs at the look on his face and continue quickly, “You have to win this fight. I’ll be in the front row watching. If you win- I’ll go out with you.”
He smiles and then chuckles, “I thought you were going to make it hard? I could win this fight in my sleep baby, I’ll let you know the time after the fight, just stick around, yeah?”
I snort and roll my eyes, ignoring the pull on my heart when he calls me baby, “I’ll be there,” He smiles at me again and I jump a little in surprise when I feel his warm, large hand on the small of my back, he opens the door for me and leads me into the hallway.
I try not to laugh at the face of the Instagram model when she sees Grayson’s hand on me, “I’ll be looking for you in the front row, just so you know.” He teases.
I smile at him and kiss him on the cheek, “I’ll be the one cheering the loudest. Knock Em dead!” I walk away quickly and glance back seeing him standing there, his right hand gently going up to touch the spot I kissed and we both blush. My heart drops into my stomach when he looks over and sees the model. I have to turn the corner and get to my seat so I don’t see how he reacted. He wouldn’t sleep with her right after asking me out, would he? My subconscious snaps back; you barely know the man! Maybe he does this all the time! I push her down and ignore the bad feeling in my gut.
As I sit down in my seat, everything that just happened hits me and I slouch into my seat, what. the. fuck. I’m going on a date with Grayson Dolan! I got an interview with Grayson Dolan! I kissed Grayson Dolan on the cheek! I bite back a smile and take out my phone, taking a video showing me smiling at the camera, then flipping the camera around and showing off how close I am to the octagon. I sent it to my dad quickly.
He responds almost immediately.
*From Daddy: Wow!! So cool! Have tons of fun! Not too much though! Not ready to be a grandpa...yet ;)
I snort and roll my eyes, responding and then turning my phone off when the lights in the arena dim.
*To Daddy: Lmao, shut up. I’ll try to have fun though! The main card is starting! I’ll talk to you later, love you <3
After I watch a few of the fights before Graysons’, I take some pictures and jot down some information about the fights and who won, knowing it’ll add more substance to my piece.
I watch as the whole arena transforms and the whole place is bursting with barely-contained energy and the place goes dark. Suddenly, lights start beaming and music starts playing, I smile at the Kid Cudi (each fight he uses a different Cudi song) choice for tonight- Enter Galactic as it blasts through the speakers everyone goes wild, Grayson moving swiftly to the octagon with his head low and singing the song softly to himself. I can tell he’s not the same Grayson I was talking to, he has flipped the switch- as he told me he does- and is now The Grayson Dolan- UFC Fighter and Champion.
He takes his shirt off and I blush at his tan skin, the rippling muscles making my brain go straight in the gutter. The ‘doc’ pats him down and puts vaseline on his face. I try not to laugh at how weird he looks with his eyebrows slicked down.
He makes his way into the octagon and I see him scanning the front row when his eyes land on mine. I smile at him but he just gives me a curt nod in response before turning away. I’m taken aback by his attitude but I know he has to stay in his fighter mentality.
The other fighter, Dominick Reyes, comes in and he has a good amount of people cheer for him but the majority of the arena boos when he comes out. I know that having some of how this fight goes in my article will make it look better because it’s such a big deal, so I jot some notes down, some about Grayson and some about Reyes.
I subconsciously chew on my nail, scolding myself when I realize what I’m doing. He’s going to win. I tell myself to calm down, I’ve never been to a fight before so the chaotic and anxiety-filled energy around me must be getting to my head.
The ref announces them both, and then they go to the middle, Grayson goes to touch Reyes’ fist, but Reyes pulls back and smirks at Grayson, “C’mon pretty boy,” he sings.
Grayson’s jaw clenches and he starts moving around the octagon, Reyes slowly falling into a pattern of chasing him around. Grayson continues to step to the right until suddenly, he moves to the left, and Reyes doesn’t see it. I watch in astonishment as he puts all of his power into the punch, hitting Reyes perfectly on the temple. Reyes drops to the ground and Grayson’s about to follow him to the mat but the ref stops him, officially calling the fight. Grayson looks over at me, my mouth hanging wide open and he smirks, winking at me.
That asshole just winked at me.
I stand up quickly, cheering loudly with everyone else and he shakes his head, turning back to his team as they run into the octagon to hug him. Once Grayson is done with everything and the crowd starts shuffling out, Grayson comes over to me, “D’you see that?” He smiles and I smile back.
“Yeah, yeah, I saw,” He chuckles and grabs my arm pulling me into him.
I gasp as I hit his hard, sweaty chest, “You’re sweaty,” I scrunch my nose up and try to pull away but he tightens his grip, staring down at me with a mischievous glint in his eyes.
“You owe me a date,” He responds and I roll my eyes, ignoring the hammering of my heart at how close we are to each other.
“What time and where?” I say, acting bored.
He chuckles down at me, “I’ll pick you up at 5:30. This Saturday. Just bring your beautiful self and don’t worry about anything else.”
“What’s the dress code?” I raise my eyebrow and he shrugs.
“Whatever you want to wear, although I’ll tell you right now they might frown upon you wearing lingerie or something like that.”
I snort and as he moves away from me a little and we start walking behind his team I realize that I’m a lot colder than I realized, rubbing my arms subconsciously and realizing that I left my sweater in the car damn it.
Grayson notices me rubbing my arms and bumps my shoulder, “You cold?”
“A little. I have a sweater in the car, I’ll be fine.”
He frowns as he opens the door to his dressing(?) room, “I have a jacket you can wear.”
He goes over to a chair in the corner and grabs a big, soft black jacket with DOLAN on the back and the UFC and Reebok logo on the front. I shake my head, “No, r-really it’s- it’s okay,”
“Just take it, you can give it back later, s’not a big deal, I don’t need it. I’m way too hot right now.”
He hands it over to me and I look down at it in his hands and then glance back at him, crossing my arms. He rolls his eyes and comes over to me, putting it on my shoulders and looking down at me, “Just wear it. Please?” He whispers and I flush, seeing that if I moved too fast our lips would be touching.
I nod softly and he steps back. I take a deep breath and put my arms through the sleeves and the jacket immediately warms me. I relax into the warmth and pull it tighter around me and he smirks, “Like you in my clothes.”
I blush and look down, “I- I should be goi-going,” I point my thumb at the door and he bites back a smile.
“Yeah, I’ll see you Saturday then?”
I nod and stutter out a response as I walk back to the door, “Y-yep! 5:30! Wait- I didn’t give you my address o-or my phone num-Ow!” I yelp in surprise when the door handle digs into my lower back and he can’t hold back his laugh as he walks over to me, trapping me between him and the door.
I swallow at his large frame covering me up, his arms resting on each side of the wall by my head, I can see his large biceps and the veins running up his arms in my peripheral vision. He smirks and leans down, “Check your pocket,” he says softly and I look up at him with furrowed brows.
I slowly move my hands to the jacket pockets and after digging around a little I feel a small piece of paper in the right pocket. I pull it out and open it up. I glance up at him in surprise at the digits scribbled onto the paper.
“H-How did you- why-” He cuts me off by moving away from me, my body on fire from how close he had been to me.
I move off the door when he motions for me to move and he opens the door, “Ms. Taylor,” He says, trying to hide a smirk.
I scoff incredulously and walk past him, stopping outside the door in the cold hallway, I turn back to look at him before I walk away to go have a panic attack in my car, “Mr. Dolan.”
A/n: okayyy so I know it’s bad and I’ll be editing it soon but I’m posting this on an ipad lmfao so please cut me some slack.
Tag List:
@pineappledols @episkygrant @georgia302 @dolan-habits @leahs-existentialcrisis @persistence-ofmemories @bubsdolan @ohdolans @vinylhazza​ @vintagedolan​​ @astrodolan @zeusgrayson @deeperdolan @blindedbythelightt @dolsobsessionz @evergreendolan​ @dicedols @plantbasedgray
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writingfromkitchenator ¡ 4 years ago
Text
1,500 Followers Challenge!
The Title/Trope Challenge!
Again, thank you all for all your support!  You are all amazing and I truly cannot thank you enough for helping me get this far.  It’s certainly a milestone that I never thought I’d see.
Straight to the challenge!
Basic rules apply ~ there are 30 songs and 30 quotes posted below, pick one from your fandom with your character.  This will be open for a while as 2 requests per song/quote.  The only rule is here is, is that the requests cannot be from the same fandom.  I will try and keep the lists as updated as I can to try and avoid cross overs!
The extra - This time around, send me either a title and/or a trope to base to the fic on.  They can be as weird and wonderful as you want, or something simple.  In your ask, just specify which you are sending me and I’ll do the rest from there!
Recap:
Send me an ask with your request
Include your fandom and character
Choose a song and quote
Give me a title and/or a trope to base the fic on!
In saying that, please remember that this is all just a bit of fun, I’m sure you can have a laugh at some of the quotes below (based off of some of my favourite movies).  Please send all requests through asks, it’s easier for me to keep track of, and let me know of any questions!  It is, of course, okay to request more than once!
For now, there is no closing date, we will just keep going until all the requests are full!  Requests will be closing 1st May.
Further info below the cut.
Songs
Evermore  ~ Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast) - Lord of the Rings
Protector  ~ City Wolf - Supernatural and The Hobbit
I  See the Light ~ Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi (Tangled) - Lord of the Rings
I'd  Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That) ~ Meat Loaf - Marvel and Supernatural
Bloodshot  ~ Sam Tinnesz
Let’s  Hear It For The Boy ~ Deniece Williams
All  Eyes On You ~ Smash Into Pieces
Feel  Invincible ~ Skillet
Natural  ~ Imagine Dragons - Lord of the Rings
Wrong  Side Of Heaven ~ Five Finger Death Punch
Shatter  Me ~ Lindsey Stirling Ft. Lzzy Hale - Supernatural
Feeling  Good ~ Nina Simone - The Hobbit and Marvel
Somebody  To Love ~ Queen - The Hobbit and The Witcher
Hurricane  ~ Thirty Seconds to Mars
You  Give Love A Bad Name ~ Bon Jovi - The Hobbit
Girls  Just Wanna Have Fun ~ Cyndi Lauper - Supernatural
Total  Eclipse of the Heart ~ Bonnie Tyler - The Hobbit
Don’t  You (Forget About Me) ~ Simple Minds
Hell  Ain’t a Bad Place to Be ~ AC/DC
Love  Is A War ~ Jeremy Renner
A  Reason to Fight ~ Disturbed - The Witcher
True  Love ~ P!nk ft. Lily Allen - Marvel and Supernatural
Poison  ~ Alice Cooper
Sucker  for Pain ~ Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa & Imagine Dragons w/ Logic & Ty  Dolla $ign ft X Ambassadors (Suicide Squad)
Hello  Hello ~ Elton John ft. Lady Gaga (Gnomeo and Juliet) - Lord of the Rings and Supernatural
I’m  Gonna Be (500 Miles) ~ The Proclaimers - Marvel and Lord of the Rings
I Will Always Love You ~ Whitney Houston  (The Bodyguard) - Supernatural and Lord of the Rings
When You Wish Upon A Star ~ Cliff Edwards  (Pinocchio) - The Hobbit
Raise Hell ~ Dorothy
Leave Me Lonely ~ Imelda May
Quotes
I mean, those people aren't exactly our regular customers. (Legion)
I would not have shown you such mercy. (Legion) - Lord of the Rings
When you hesitate, people die. (Doom)
Yeah, I was thinking about it. (Doom)
Will you please get this child off my leg? (Bedknobs and Broomsticks) - Supernatural
Do you poison the dragon or just the liver? (Bedknobs and Broomsticks)
I don't know about you, but I'd like to make today worth remembering. (The Music Man) - Supernatural and Lord of the Rings
A man can't turn tail and run just because a little personal risk is involved. (The Music  Man) - Marvel
You idiots! You fools! You imbeciles! (101 Dalmatians) - Supernatural
It was a beautiful spring day. Tedious time of the year for bachelors. (101  Dalmatians) - Marvel
I think I am familiar with the fact that you are going to ignore this problem until it  swims up and bites you in the ass. (Jaws) - Lord of the Rings
Smile you son of a bitch! (Jaws)
You never have control, that’s the illusion! (Jurassic Park) - The Hobbit
Boy, do I hate being right all the time.  (Jurassic  Park) - The Witcher
The suspense is terrible.  I hope it'll last. (Willy  Wonka and The Chocolate Factory) - Lord of the Rings
So shines a good deed in a weary world. (Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory)
That was naughty. (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) - The Hobbit and Supernatural
You broke my heart once. This time you missed. (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
You know, he looks heroic and he walks fast, but he’s kind of got a negative attitude.  (The Meg) - The Lord of the Rings
Yeah, well, I’m not crazy, I’ve just seen things no one else has. (The Meg) - Marvel
Eight years is a long time. Can I make you a cup of tea? (Godzilla) - Marvel
As far as he's concerned, you're just a pair of breasts that talk. (Godzilla) - The Hobbit
Afraid? You don't know what afraid is. You will not last five minutes without me.  (Jumanji) - The Hobbit
Oh, okay, honey. Well, that would be cheating. (Jumanji) - The Hobbit
Carrots? Why is it always carrots? I didn't even eat carrots! (Atlantis: The Lost Empire) - Supernatural
I know what you seek, and you will not find it here. (Atlantis: The Lost Empire) - Supernatural and The Witcher
No. I can't do that, and if you were in my position, you'd do the same. (Alien)
When I give an order I expect to be obeyed. (Alien)
I think it's better to have ideas. You can change an idea. Changing a belief is trickier.  (Dogma) - Lord of the Rings
Well, I say we get drunk, because I'm all out of ideas. (Dogma) - Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
Characters I will write for:
The Hobbit – Thorin, Fili, Kili, Dwalin, Bofur, Nori, Gloin (friends only), Frerin, Thranduil, Bard, Legolas, Bilbo, Lindir, Beorn
The Lord of the Rings – Aragorn, Boromir, Eomer, Faramir, Legolas, Gimli, Frodo, Merry, Pippin, Elrond, Haldir
Supernatural – Sam, Dean, Castiel, Crowley, Gabriel, Lucifer, Benny, Balthazar, Chuck, Garth, Mick, Gadreel, Charlie, Bobby
Marvel – Tony Stark, Clint Barton, Bruce Banner, Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Loki, Thor, Peter Quill, Logan, Stephen Strange, Carol Danvers, Sam Wilson, Heimdall
Dragon Age – Alistair, Anders, Cullen, Morrigan, Zevran, Leliana, Fenris, Sebastian, Iron Bull, Dorian, Cassandra, Blackwall, Varric
Harry Potter – Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, Neville, Remus, Sirius, Fred, George
Star Trek (Newer Films) – Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty
The Witcher (TV Series) – Geralt, Yennefer, Jaskier
Of course, this list isn’t a final thing, if you feel I could write a character, please just send me a message and I’ll let you know if I’m comfortable with it or not.
Please of course note that all drabble requests are reader insert.  I will not do character pairings, but I will change to first/third person if you prefer reading that way.  Y/N will be the standard name though and remain that way.
For any Dragon Age requests, if you wish to appear as a certain race, please let me know.
109 notes ¡ View notes
ikingsley ¡ 4 years ago
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Ina x MC: My Star
Ina x MC: My Star
Summary: Ina and Luna take their relationship to the next level.
Warnings: Fluff! So much fluff.
Tag: @samanthadalton @domakir @kulaykape @hellyeah90sbaby @dopeyouth @kwaj05 @thedaft1​ @swimmingshoebakerydreamer @kaitlynliaofanxx (Let me know if you’d like to be added or removed)​
Author’s Notes: Events after the gala in QB Ch 16. Unfortunately, I have been busy with school and work, but I’ve still been writing. I’ve been working on a new series, one that tells about Ina and Luna’s future together. Here’s the start to their future relationship.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 3 @5:42 PM
Ina: Hey. I have a little something for you. Do you want to swing by my place and pick it up? Maybe stay for dinner too?
Luna picked up her phone, reading the message. They had been together officially for a few months now, but the gala had in a way halted their progress. It’d been a few weeks since Ina and Luna had truly been together for a date. Conversations through texts and FaceTime calls that lasted well into the night did occur frequently, but nothing of the romance the two had grown used to. Neither one knew how to approach the delicate situation they found themselves in. 
Luna: I’ll be there.
Luna walked quickly to her dorm, grabbing a hoodie. She trudged over to Ina’s apartment and waited patiently on the other side of the door. Ina opened it and gave her that million-dollar smile. 
“Hey,” Luna breathed out, her breath hitching after seeing Ina physically after weeks.
“Luna. You’re looking as radiant as ever. Come inside.”
Ina’s glance to the outside world did not go unnoticed. It was if she was searching for someone watching her. Not finding anyone who caught her attention, Ina closed the door and bolted it as she welcomed Luna inside.
“You know, you didn’t have to get me anything.”
“You finished your first year at Belvoire. I think that deserves some celebration.”
Luna looked around, taking in Ina’s apartment once more. Then she smelled it.  She looked around the kitchen and saw the oven light on.
“Is Ina ‘I-Burned-Pasta’ Kingsley cooking?”
“Well, attempting to. I have some chicken in there.”
“Color me impressed. Does that chicken happen to be for me?”
“No,” Ina chimed in, turning around to attend to her food. “It’s for a twin sister you never knew you had that I also happen to be going out with.”
Luna only rolled her eyes at Ina in reaction, but reached forwards to hug her from behind.
“I missed you,” Luna whispered into Ina’s ear.
Ina spun Luna around and stared intensely into her eyes. “And I, you. Our FaceTimes weren’t enough for me. I don’t know what happens next with my future at Belvoire, but I know I want my future with you.”
Ina pressed a kiss against Luna’s temple. The timer went off and Ina pulled the chicken out of the oven.
“Me too. I-” Luna stopped.
Ina stopped and swiveled around waiting to hear those three words. “I…what?” Ina questioned. And how she longed to hear those words uttered from Luna’s mouth. Ina heard them frequently from Lilian and Charlotte, but she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d heard it from a partner. Excluding Luna, it’d been so long since she’d felt that kind of intimacy.
“I…I wonder what we have to accompany this chicken!” Luna diverted.
“Oh. I forgot to tell you. I have some broccoli in there too. Maybe I have some…wait- this went bad.” Ina dumped the rotten spinach in the trash. “Yeah, only broccoli.”
“That’s perfect.”
Soon, Ina placed a full plate in front of Luna and settled beside her. They took their first bite and surprised was only one way to describe the taste.
“This is uh…interes-” Luna remarked as she politely forced herself to swallow a portion of the food.
“You don’t need to-”
“Thanks.” Luna ejected what was left of the chicken from her mouth like it were a toxin.
“So, pizza?” Ina said and sputtered out the chicken. It was bone dry and there was too much seasoning of all sorts. Too many things had been combined.
“Please. No offense.”
“None taken. It’s the thought that counts, no?”
“You’re improving every time I see you cook, so let’s call it progress,” Luna smiled as she patted Ina’s shoulder. She stood up to grab her phone and order pizza.
Ina sighed and flopped on the couch. She so desperately wanted this night to go well. She herself was nervous. Ina had spent the previous nights tossing and turning. It finally had dawned on her that she was in love with Luna. Ever since she met her she’d slowly been falling more and more under Luna’s spell. Now she was completely enraptured by her. The simple facial features that morphed into an infectious smile. The way her nose crinkled when she laughed at Ina’s horrible jokes and witty banter. The way Luna caressed her face as she swept her into a kiss. Everything had been coming together.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Luna asked while she sat down next to Ina indicating she had just gotten off the phone for pizza delivery.
“Just...contemplating everything surrounding us. I’ve come to understand what’s truly important to me, which ultimately boils down to Lil, Charlotte and you of course. I don’t dislike my job, but maybe this is an opportunity for me to try and search for a more research-based career rather than actively teaching.”
Ina stood up, grabbing a small, elegantly wrapped rectangular box.
“I care for you too, Ina,” Luna smiled. “You so did not wrap this by the way.”
“Hey! I’ve gotten better at gift wrapping.”
“Not this good-”
“Oh hush, you. Open it.”
Luna meticulously pulled off the wrapping. Inside was a small framed poster. The poster had a big circle right in its center with some stars in it.
“Ina, this is beautiful. Is this-?”
“The stars on the day we met.”
“I don’t know what to say, babe. It’s...it’s perfect. I love you. I mean, I love it! Yeah! I love it.”
The silence that followed was highly drawn out. Both - who could talk a mile a minute when they were excited or passionately ranting - were dead silent. Ina replayed the moment in her head over and over. Had she heard right?
Luna was more bewildered with herself. She’d been too used to toxic, quickly-ending high school relationships. But as more time passed since she’d let the cat out of the bag, the more she realized that this somewhat spur-of-the-moment confession had more truth in it than anything she’d ever said before. She did love Ina. She loved the way Ina would tell her about her day, getting particularly loud during both the best and worst parts of the day. She loved the way Ina made her laugh or actually kept up with her nerdy discussions. She loved the way Ina would leave anything she was doing if Luna needed something. She loved the way Ina cared for Luna during her stressful finals and tended to her every need. She loved the way Ina balanced her so well. 
But deep down, Luna was scared. Scared of being hurt again. Scared of loving someone who only loved her if she acted in a certain way. But that someone wasn’t Ina. She’d found more of herself through Ina. And she’d found something she deserved in a relationship - a mutual respect.
“Can I crash here? I’m pretty tired.”
“Yes, but Luna...”
“Good night!”
“Wait-”
Ina’s urgency made Luna swivel around and she finally met Ina’s eyes. They were full of admiration, love, happiness.
“Did you mean it, Luna?”
“Mean...what?”
“You know.”
“Well, words are a tricky thing. After all, there’s a whole branch of anthropology that focuses on linguistics. It’s very complex!”
Ina hummed softly. “Yes, well...good night.” Ina pressed a chaste kiss on Luna’s forehead and Luna began to turn around to the bedroom. “I love you, Lu.”
Again, Luna stopped in her tracks. “What?”
“I love you, Garcia,” she grinned. “Come here.”
Luna ran towards Ina as she swept her in her arms. Luna jumped into Ina pressing her lips against Ina’s. Ina carried Luna’s small frame and paraded her around the apartment, often breaking their kiss with more admissions of love.
“I love you, Ina. With all my heart. You know pieces of my past and so I was scared to say it. I know we haven’t officially been together for long, but what I feel for you, it’s beyond anything I’ve ever felt before. I am...deeply in love with you, however scary it may seem.”
“Read the caption under the stars, my love.”
Quietly, Luna descended from Ina’s arms and picked up the poster she’d just been gifted. Under the stars was a small quote. 
I love you, what star do you live on? - Conrad Aiken 
Ina Kingsley and Luna Garcia
The Day the Stars Aligned. September 6, 2020 | 4 AM | Dreams Diner, New York 
“I love you so much you big nerd,” Luna beamed and wiped away the tears that began forming at the corner of her eyes. “I love you, Ina Kingsley.”
“Sol.”
“Sun? My name, Luna, means moon in Spanish. But I guess I’m your sun too.”
“You are. By the way, I know that, Lu.” Luna gave her a ‘really? are you sure about that’ look. “I am fluent in Spanish thank you very much! I learned it before English!”
“As did I,” Luna retorted.
“Right, well. My middle name. It’s Sol.”
~
A few months later...
“I can’t believe I’m here,” Ina laughed.
“Honestly, same.”
“What? You basically coerced me into coming!” Ina exclaimed. “I thought we were going to the museum.”
“We will after if you’re up to it. And you would’ve come regardless. You love me too much.”
“Touché.”
“Such a little simp.”
“And?”
“No, nothing,” Luna said quickly. She proceeded to whisper simp once again under her breath.
A strong, tatted man opened the dark curtains, letting the establishment soak in the sunlight.
“How can I help you?” he asked.
“We’re here for tattoos!” Luna said happily.
“Yes, well, we are at a tattoo parlor,” Ina retorted.
“Sorry. Don’t mind her. She’s just grumpy all the time.”
Ina made a face at Luna, her brows furrowed in frustration. Just through that look, Luna knew not to pester Ina once more. She gave her a ‘you’re in trouble when we get home’ look.
“You both are willingly getting tattoos?” the man asked. It was definitely more directed towards Ina.
Bashfully, Ina nodded. Never in a million years did she think she’d do this. A tattoo. Jesus Christ. Luna was right. If she pulled out a Merriam-Webster dictionary, she knew she’d find a full page photo of herself next to the word simp - a word they’d specifically added just for her.
“What are you guys looking for? Something small, something big? Something plain, something colorful?”
Who was this man? Dr. Seuss’s son? Ina thought to herself.
“Just something small. Maybe on my hip or something,” Luna answered for the both of them as Ina nodded in agreement.
As fun as this little bonding activity was, both women were professionals. Nothing could be too blatantly obvious. Potentially hypothetically, Ina couldn’t have her students ask her about her new tattoo rather than anthropology.
“Do you guys have any designs you want me to copy?” the man asked as he put on gloves.
“Umm...I didn’t have anything in specific in mind. Maybe her name or something that reminds me of her? A rose maybe?” Luna began rambling as her thoughts took over.
The two women stood aside in silence, pondering what they would get. It was unlike them - they were always prepared for everything.
“Hey, Luna,” Ina turned to face her partner. “Why don’t we get a sun and moon?”
“Aww, Ina,” she smiled.
Goddamn those heart eyes, Ina thought.
“Okay, why don’t you get a moon and I’ll get a sun,” Luna said. “That way I’ll always be reminded of you, and you me.”
“I’d like nothing more, my love.”
And after being called a baby multiple times by Luna and a few blaring yelps - mostly on Ina’s part - they were permanently linked by ink. 
“I love you but I am never ever doing that again, Luna.”
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therappundit ¡ 3 years ago
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***The Top 5 Rap Verses of 2021***
The Pundit’s  Picks For the ”BEST” (a.k.a. MY Favorite) Rap Verses, From a Year Filled with Great Rap Verses...
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In a year filled with “I gotta rewind that!” rap verses from some of the best to ever a hold a microphone, how do you even manage to pick “the best” verses?
The answer will always be some combination of how tightly the verse was written, the quotability, conviction of the MC, content (especially as it ties to a specific moment in time), wordplay, flow, delivery - and of course, personal tastes.
So in a year filled with stand-out verses from Lil Wayne, billy woods & E L U C I D (either solo or together as Armand Hammer), MIKE, Mavi, Skyzoo, Ransom, AZ, Your Old Droog, Willie The Kid, Conway The Machine, Earl Sweatshirt, Boldy James, Maxo Kream, Lil Durk, Roc Marciano, Little Simz, Peezy, 42 Dugg, Che Noir, Wiki, Fivio Foreign, Benny The Butcher, Lil Baby, Westside Gunn, Rio Da Young OG, EST Gee, Navy Blue, Stove God Cook$, Babytron, Jay NiCE, LAURYN FREAKIN’ HILL (!?), Mach-Hommy, Nicki Minaj, Polo G, Sleep Sinatra, Evidence, SHIRT, Raz Fresco, Jay Electronica, Jadakiss, P4K, Curren$y, Lute, Babyface Ray, Monday Night, The Opioid Era, Rigz, Semiratruth, Peezy, every damn member of Bruiser Brigade, Freddie Gibbs, Stik Figa, Fly Anakin, Tyler the Creator, Sauce Walka, Teller Bank$, Pros Ap, Namir Blade, Bizzy Banks, Valee, Nappy Nina, Lord Apex, Lloyd Banks, Sideshow, AKAI SOLO, BandGang Lonnie Bands, Defcee, Breeze Brewin, maassai, Ty Farris, Kipp Stone and Dark Lo....how can anyone choose just 5???
The answer:  you remember this is ultimately a meaningless list, I’m a busy man with a family, and at the end of the day this is just an excuse to celebrate a mere glimpse at my favorite music of 2021!
These five songs came to mind because they each possess some form of “ex-factor”.  Amidst the weekly tidal waves of new music over the course of the year, these five songs featured not just great artists rapping on a great song with great lyricism, but they each hit me with a bar - or even series of bars - that changed my course of thought for the day.  This is not at all about the funniest punchlines or most clever metaphors, it’s deeper than that...it’s what separates a MC that happens to be an above average skilled rapper or writer, from a flat-out ARTIST.
With that all being said, here are my choices for the Best Rap Verses of 2021...
5. “Sunbeam” by Chester Watson
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlxvoTNpPFI
(1997 was quietly one of the best projects of 2021, thanks to the quiet brilliance of Chester Watson.  You wouldn’t be able to guess that he is primarily based in an uptempo party town like Miami when listening to 1997′s gentle and gorgeous opening song, “Sunbeam”.  The poetic skills he showcases within this verse elevates the song to ear-grasping levels...and the sad honesty behind quotes like “once uttered words can run faster than horses,” should firmly place “Sunbeam” into song of the year conversations.)
Sunbeams create rainbows in the smoke I was up early, outside, it was cold And these last few days been rainy with a cloak of clouds When overhead, make the city seem remote Gold in the flesh, so I'm so picturesque Ballerina, it control pirouettes Feel the dosage effects, see my soul silhouette in the distance See my soul silhouette If you listen, then you just might grow and progress I just do it, asked Nike can they cut the cheque 'Cause cuz' fluent, feel the sunbeams on my chest Either that, or it's just steam from the fresh pre-roll That I tucked somewhere in the vest MM...FOOD, I feel like I eat beats for breakfast Move smart, a negative plus a negative's negative Can't be reckless, we all know the streets is treacherous People gon' switch up, that's to be expected Yeah, that's to be expected I don't need the friendships just to be respected Yeah, disrespect is out of the question Always take precautions, no second guessin' I Love Ugly garms are to guard the chains on my neck with Lose for wisdom, I cannot make exception Vibin' under sunbeams and reflection Wavy when your wife is your best friend Visualize, like, that's the life I could mesh with And remember to always tell her she's gorgeous Once uttered words can run faster than horses Yeah, so you can't be indifferent Two Balancias is good as he is wicked Smokin' spliffs on the edge of existence Watch the smoke spin in the air like a kick-flip People look at my hair, it's addictive Then they say I don't belong there, I'm a misfit Brown skin is just a characteristic A racist's heart blacker than me and all of my kin mixed Some friends stayed, some friends went Some things changed, some things didn't Still get compared to The Weeknd Felt like a Starboy when that sunbeam hit.
4. “Let It Roll Interlude” by IAMNOBODI feat. Phonte & BeMyFiasco [Phonte’s verse]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AcG-NAR9KTk
(If anyone has the lyrics to this verse, please feel free to share!  Full disclosure, I know less than nothing about IAMNOBODI or BeMyFiasco, but maaaaaan who is better than Phonte at cramming content into a short verse?  From old school MC braggadocio to tackling middle-aged life during a quarantine to the Little Brother reunion, Phonte is able to tastefully add color to a background without blinding you with the details. Like any gifted artist, he knows that the music goes farther without having to be too on-the-nose with every rhyme.  He always says just enough, and with just enough flare, to let you know exactly what his message is and that not many can match him as a MC or a song writer.  While I would bet money that this verse will not getting any end of year recognition on any other site, it doesn’t make it any less special to me....I mean, “they spit with ‘Karen’ struggle, I spit with Sheila E’s(ease)”, that’s incredible!)
3.  “Fuck You Know About Me” by DJ Muggs & Rome Streetz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa8E8DVi-Tc
(Like many of the artists on this list, you can choose just about any one of their verses from 2021 and crown it the best verse of the year.  Straight up, Rome Streetz is my favorite MC at the moment and has the largest amount of *great* verses in 2021, and it is NOT close.  As a feature artist he is one of the hardest working and most potent, but he is equally skilled at pulling off great full length albums.  This joint off of Rome and Muggs’ fantastic Death And The Magician really nails exactly what makes him a generational MC.  Rome’s style is a perfect blend old & new school because his content could neatly fit into the early or mid-90′s New York scene, but his writing skills are so clearly of this era.  A writer’s writer trapped inside a true knuckled-up New York shit talker, on first listen his aggressive demeanor can mislead you into thinking that he’s just another throwback MC, but once you realize that he doesn’t even need a full bar to be a true standout in this game, you can really begin to appreciate how special he is.  “Live from where they give a dealer more time than a rapist” and “it’s hard when you learn a real lesson from a fake friend” both sound like they could be credited to legendary quotes from Biggie, JAY-Z, or Nas, and while it may not be fair to compare them, as far as I’m concerned we have not seen the ceiling for Rome Streetz yet and he has first ballot hall of famer written all over him.)
I really only want the 'fetti, fuck being famous Too many worried 'bout what another n*gga's name is My main concern is freein' my dogs out the cages Live from where they give a dealer more time than a rapist The system racist, that ain't no new revelation Crazy how mistakes gave me the best education From the start, lots of ends was the destination Road to riches, need a Rolls Royce and a 'rari racin A pocket with a dead face paper placed in It's hard when you learn a real lesson from a fake friend Watch the reptiles, they blend with the same skin Only so long a coward can front like a brave man Stupid n*ggas gonna spend eleven if they make ten Try to block the god, I'm a home invader, I break in No brake, all gas pedal, ping pongin' memories of how I made a big boulder out my last pebble Rebel, foldin' bread like a pretzel Can't skip steps, scrap, I excelled at every level Send a coin, get the tracking and hope the package get through Everything you do in your life is a chess move.
2. “With All My Heart” by Ka
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-jihUW-hvg
(Ka’s name will be dropped into these conversations virtually in any year that he drops a new album.  A Martyr’s Reward is another diamond in the crown of his elite discography, that can somehow managed to go relatively unnoticed by many, while being worshipped as royalty by a fanbase that continues to grow with each release.  Honestly, you can pick any one of his verses off of A Martyr’s Reward and dub it one of the best verses of the year, because Ka’s pen remains unparalleled.  He manages to weave double-entendres together in a way that never feels forced, so even if you don’t pick up on it, the rhyme still makes perfect sense within the theme of the song - and that may not sound all that impressive, but I assure you that it makes him a unicorn in rap music, very few ever achieve that level of nuanced editing without sounding corny or redundant.  I had to select “With All My Heart” as my pick for best verse off of the album....because if you know anything about Ka’s firefighter background - and the petty backlash from a certain NYC-based garbage rag that tried to frame Ka as a hypocrite - it makes the 9/11 reference at the end of his verse unique, and historically powerful...)
Gruоsome me; used to bо if we had rift, you felt the wrath Now I'm too sophist', still don't miss with shooting gift to help your path On your road to triumph, you know the science, I dealt in math These God sessions answer hard lessons; brethren seldom ask My misses gave butterfly kisses, she know I felt the lash The land is tense, I stand for sense, never knelt for cash Solid vow, I got it now, bow to who held it last Was done well and young fell if he dispel the past They tried to hush me cause gave dusty a smarter new glisten From a priceless mold, I might be old but I harvest nutrition You know the beast controls, so peace to those Gods that do listen If you scout them, each album imparts a new mission From child was already handling, images very damaging On corners politicking, police break us up like gerrymandering Once learned the land was never ran, never ran again No lessons clandestine all these ancestors I'm channeling Billion good deeds, eclipsed by a moment of weakness Got my yield in the field, you was at home in the bleachers From a savage site, had to fight just for owning some sneakers Where every link is grim its sink or swim, we got thrown to the deepest You ain't living premier if you living in fear No verdicts, not guilty since block filthy, no innocence here Since seared by sin, all I ever been is sincere If you hear I'm on the premises, every premise severe Though my rank capped at captain, I did it admirably Cause of my race, took hits from the start, it never staggered me Knew I was black back then, so at ten I had tenacity No tracks are vacuous, my pact is to do it masterfully When them planes crashed, Ka did his task in the catastrophe I dug and I held when them towers fell, how dare you try to hassle me? 
1.  “Life Of The Party” by Kanye West feat. Andre 3000 [Andre’s verse]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YNL5DCRNec
(Too easy of a pick for #1?  Far from a simple verse but the second we all heard Andre 3000′s - unofficial, at the time - verse off of Kanye West’s DONDA album, clearly this was destined to hit the best verse of the year lists on most mainstream sites.  Yes, it’s a slam dunk to slurp up any new material from the elusive, magical flute toting Outkast member...but I’m really not that guy, I have all the respect in the world for Outkast but personally I don’t keep their stuff in my regular rotation, I’m sorry but it’s just not my typical vibe!  Managing to overshadow the whiny “beef” that was Ye vs. Drake in 2021, as well as the out of control media freight train that is Kanye West in general, Dre’s verse on “Life Of The Party” is not just one of the best verses of 2021, I think it is one of the greatest rap verses that I have ever heard.  
Seriously.  Forget you know anything about Andre 3000, and just focus on the messages in this verse, the performance, and the poetry he wields on this joint...he manages to turn an ode to someone else’s mother into a deep AF, personal exploration of his relationship with his own deceased mother and father, his childhood and his flaws, his changing perspectives as a young man that is rapidly getting older, someone that has all the fame and riches in the world but can still say something like “Miss Donda, you see my mama, tell her I’m lost” - and Andre aside, don’ even get me started on the section with DMX and his daughter closing out the song - and NO SHUT UP I’M NOT CRYING YOU’RE CRYING.  In my opinion, Andre gave us audio gold with this one, and it’s a no-brainer selection for the best rap verse of 2021.)
You run into my mama, please tell her I said, "Say something" I'm startin' to believe ain't no such thing as Heaven's trumpets No after-over, this is it, done If there's a Heaven, you would think they'd let ya speak to your son Maybe she has in the form of a baby's laugh I heard passing by in a stroller remindin' me, "Hey, keep rolling" I don't know, maybe she has with a prick of a blade of grass I've been layin' on way too long, got me itchy Got up and roamed a lil' more Miss Donda, you see my mama, tell her I'm lost You see, she'd always light a cigarette, we talk, I would cough Exaggeratin' a lil' bit so she get the point Tryna get her to stop smokin', I would leave and fire up a ***** 'Til I quit, started back up again, twenty years later All that time, y'all thought a ***** was high, thought I was crazy My mom, she ain't cut no corners Got me back on track, I don't miss her overstepping But do miss her showin' Seven civilian life **** Ah, Miss Donda, you see my mama, whisper her this: The real reason I was geeked to go to church Must confess, when y'all grown-ups would be in Bible study That girl helping me with my homework? Her and I were **** So pure and ****, so spirit spinning and dirty So on, so on, and so on, we hoped that no one heard us Sh-sh, ah, ah And to this day, I think her mama knew but let us explore Miss Donda, you see my father, please, ask him why he never married Always smiled, but was he happy inside? Because I carried my mother's name, did he carry shame with him? I'm sure she did it out of spite, 'twas her decision at birth Shit, she probably was hurt, ah, poor baby Two young people with different views, a lot for a young lady No coincidence, they both passed away from heart conditions There's a dissidence at play, dad and mom do hard division Three Thou', poster child for big d*ck n*ggas raised by their mothers I'm supposed to smile as if God knew that I would be troubled Keeps me around, for what? I don't know But I do know that it's crucial, that we do so, pronto I don't know how much long though...
As always, thank you for checking out my stuff. 🙏
Next stop: my picks for the best rap albums of 2021...stay tuned!
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reidecorating ¡ 4 years ago
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the bau team and their star signs based on science
hotch: clearly an aries. this is not up for debate and i don't take criticism. natural born and excellent leader? maybe. but bossy boots because he is just a bossy boss man who probably sleeps in a suit or those pyjamas that have suit graphics on them? most definitely. when he speaks, his voice sounds like it’s coming out in all lower case, when he yells, it’s all caps. angery. down to throw hands at anything in his immediate line of vision probably. will exterminate you like a roach if you mess with someone he cares about. don't break the rules or my boss will kill me 😡 to you're breaking the rules under MY supervision, that way my boss will kill US 🥰. probably microwaves food a lot. type of dad to say no to getting a dog, then two months later get matching christmas costumes with said dog. never stops working because he is an absolute UNIT built like the circuit of one of those infinity pools in bali. could use another sabbatical.
rossi: i saw his birth certificate and the rumours are true, he’s a november sagittarius. two wives away from being a modern day king henry the eighth. it’s rossi’s world and we’re all just living in it. he is a prophet. his third eye has been opened and he ascended to the seventh dimension at the age of 24. when he takes leave, the only way to contact him is through a ouija board in latin or maybe greek depending on the position of the sun. he will only die when he chooses to die but will dissolve at the words ‘what are we?’. the major arteries in his body are just long pieces of macaroni. definitely has hooked up with one person from every state the jet has landed in. no filter between his brain and mouth, will destroy your self confidence intentionally. uses abbreviations when texting. liberal - because of the experimenting back in college. probably friends with your mum on facebook.
prentiss: imagine her being anything but an air sign. you can't because she's clearly an aquarius?? work comes first (first equal with her girlfriend). if you tell her to do something she simply won't do it, especially if it was something she was just about to do. she once came home from a run with her mother in the summer and her mother politely suggested that she should drink some water. emily, an anarchist, did not drink water and was hospitalised for heatstroke in due course of proving her point of nonconformity. has been to jail. sucks on candy canes and makes them pointy because christmas is one of her least favourite days. on probation. no, i really like him *deletes his number*. maybe moves to iceland to become a sheep herder to avoid having to ever see anyone she has romantically affiliated with ever again. actually quite the jester, joke levels exceed 4000, but can make you laugh and cry in the span of approximately the length of a short youtube ad. the antichrist.
morgan: has at some point caused someone to question their sexuality. am i really a straight man? do i really only like women? - direct quotes from anyone who has seen him. if that doesn't scream libra i don't know what does. i’m trying to refrain from using the words ‘hot’, ‘sex god’, ‘rail me’. the kinda guy who will hold open a door for you, but also have no problem kicking one down for you. has never ditched class before. momma’s boy. tries to make his pecs move in the mirror. he KNOWS he’s hot okay??? but THEN its not just that because people are like ‘oh he's attractive’ but then they find out he’s RESPECTFUL, and INTELLIGENT and COMPASSIONATE and then that awkward moment when you just DIE because he is not flawed??? it’s like he’s a lucid dream??? probably secretly is really good at baking some obscure european good. uses colognes that have really manly man sounding names for instance, ‘Man Musk’, ‘Mystical Muscles’, ‘Beards and Buttercream’.
garcia: the epitome of a female pisces. a baddie™. definitely owns a pair of those really skinny sunglasses that influencers wear and looks like god herself while in them. spirals from being the momma bear to the wine-aunt. she will care about you so hard but if that's not reciprocated, will hack into your my eyes only and fax those pictures to every machine she can connect to. accidentally has flirted her way into at least 19 relationships. really good at writing fan fiction??? like - seriously good. knows 4 different synonyms for the word “member” iykyk. researches things the people she loves most enjoy, so when she talks to them she can have more detailed conversations. catches feelings for people who are definitely not good for her. sometimes just takes off her glasses because she's tired of, well... seeing. hand makes cute lil earrings for her friends. a master at fireboy and watergirl and will never play with anyone else because ‘another player just slows you down, i can do it myself in half the time’. THAT FRIEND WHO WILL WAIT FOR YOU TO TIE YOUR LACES.
jj: virgo. she was definitely that girl who had notes with pretty titles and colour coded highlighters in school. also did extracurriculars in the weekends so she’d have to be picked up from sleepovers early to go to soccer games. when she takes the time to learn something she learns it well and perfects any craft handed to her because anything less than 100% is failure in her eyes. gets annoyed when other people cry for too long probably. will judge you. so much. silently. especially if you cry. don't make her mad because she has caused civil unrest in 13 continents. live, laugh, love signs in her kitchen. security footage surfaced in 2007 of her roundhouse kicking a middle aged man, in the junk food aisle of a trader joe’s, after he took the last re-stocked bag of cheetos. has a ‘mom first, agent second’ mug that garcia got her. likes family walks which will most likely be planned out meticulously, involving a detailed itinerary of the day i.e. Henry’s toilet break, 10AM
reid: he despises star signs and anyone who gives them any thought because “where is the SCIENCE?” this bitch is a scorpio. definitely only knows his sun sign. so intense! have you seen the way he looks at things?? the way he stares??? the way he analyses dead bodies??? the way he loves??? ridiculously put together to everyone around him but emotionally life is soup and he is fork. kinky. breaks off bananas little by little with his hands before eating each piece individually because eating them normally is too sensual and he’s paranoid morgan might see him doing it and take a picture. wants the kind of love he reads about. has a superiority complex about having a superiority complex. keeps a straight face while saying literally anything so you cannot tell if he’s being serious or not like one day he’ll just be like “yeah i killed a man with an axe once to enable myself to more easily empathise with future unsubs who potentially work as lumberjacks or have a history of logging. it’s called method axing,” and then leave the room to draw circles on maps or something. believes that parallel parking should work, in theory, but never seems to work for him in practice.
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thadelightfulone ¡ 4 years ago
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All I Want... 25 Days of Christmas Challenge, Day 8
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Late Night - November 21st
“So, why aren’t you out with your friends tonight?” Erik asked as he set down his glass.
“I went out with them last night. That was enough for me.”
“Not really a club person?”
“Yes and no. I used to be. Once I decided to go for my doctorate, my priorities had to change.” DeeDee traded the wine glass for the water.
“So, Miss DeeDee used to be a problem?” Erik wiggled his eyebrows at her while she took a drink.
“I wouldn’t say all that, but I definitely forgot what the inside of my room looked like during undergrad. The next year, it was no more going out and doing hoodrat shit with my friends.”
They both laughed at her comment. 
“I understand that. I made the mistake of coming home to earn mine.”
“How was that a mistake? I figured you would have been glad to be back home.”
“I was and that was the problem. Everyone who I hadn’t seen in the 6 years that I was gone, wanted to make up for lost time.”
“Oh no,” DeeDee snickered, “So, how was your first year?”
“A struggle.” Erik laughed along with her. “Luckily, I’m a pretty smart guy and was able to get through the Introductory seminars even if I was a walking zombie the whole time.”
“Yeah, nope. Couldn’t have been me. My friends hated the change up, but I had to do it. I would not have survived my first year, and no one wants to get dropped like that.”
DeeDee picked up the laptop and turned to her left on the couch. She stretched her legs out into a comfortable position with a pillow on her lap and set the computer on top. 
Erik sipped on his whiskey as he watched DeeDee move around. He propped another pillow behind him and balanced the tablet on his bent knee.
“I agree.” He waited until she was settled, “So, besides your parents was there any other reason that you chose Southern?”
“Born and raised here in Baton Rouge. It was either here or LSU.” 
“You didn’t want to go to school out of state?”
“Nope. I knew my career would allow me to do research and travel, so I was always fine with staying as close to home as possible while I was in school.” She lifted her hoodie to show off the logo, “Don’t sleep on us.” DeeDee smiled and bounced around.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know all about you Southern girls.” He stuck his tongue out at her.
“You know what. I know that’s a compliment coming from you.” She flipped him off, “But how did an Oakland guy end up out here?”
“Family.” Erik nodded his head in thought, “My mother grew up in New Orleans and went to Southern, too.” 
“So, you’re a legacy kid, too. Sweet.” DeeDee smiled at him. 
Erik glanced across the room to where his parents’ picture sat and smiled. “Yes, I am. My parents met there, too. Before moving to Oakland together after they graduated.” 
“Awwww, your parents sound amazing.” DeeDee watched as Erik’s demeanor changed. He was no longer smiling, but his eyes seemed to gloss over. She watched as he looked away at something in the distance, “Erik, everything ok?” 
Erik looked back at the tablet and sniffed a little, “Yeah, I’m good. Sorry about that.”
“If you want to switch the topic, we can.” 
DeeDee’s concern touched him, but he knew this would come up eventually. Better to get it over with. 
“It’s ok. It’s part of the reason we met. Hold on,” Erik set his tablet down, walked over to the mantle and pulled the picture down. He sat back down on the edge of the couch and grabbed the tablet. “Here they are.” He focused the picture in front of the camera.
“WOW, you are a nice blend of them.” 
“Thank you, Miss DeeDee.” He winked at her from above the picture. 
“Don’t you start.” She pointed to the picture, “So, tell me about them.” 
“I guess how much I tell you is based on what you already know about my family.”
“Your family? Oh right, you mentioned that you work with them at the Centers.”
“Correct. What did you find out in your search?” Erik put the picture aside and refocused the tablet on him.
“The Centers were created to help build up local communities by providing resources and offering programs to the children and families. They are known for their science and tech departments, but also their various community efforts.” 
He nodded and watched as DeeDee’s face scrunched up. Erik let her talk it out.
“It was started by three members of the Royal Family of Wakanda in Africa. Let’s see there is the Queen Mother Ramonda, King T’Challa, his younger sister, Princess Shuri.” DeeDee ticked their names off on her fingers. “I’ve read about the former king and his brother, T’Chaka and N’Jobu. There is talk of a Prince, but not much is known about him.” Her voice dropped off. 
“5… 4… 3… 2…” 
“Wait, you’re royalty?” DeeDee looked up at him.
“I’ve never claimed my title, but yeah, something like that.”
“So, you’re the prince?” She said using air quotes on the last word. 
“Only if you want me to be.” Erik chuckled as DeeDee rolled her eyes.
“I liked the Dr. better, but since you don’t claim him either. I don’t know what to call you.” She shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip to stifle her laughter.
“Oh, I know something you can call me. But I don’t think we are there yet.”
Erik roared with laughter when DeeDee’s laptop tumbled off the pillow. 
“Why are you like this?” She drew out as she reached over to pick up her laptop. “You know what, don’t answer that. I want to know about your parents and your family.”
“No, no, please tell me. What am I like?” 
DeeDee straightened up her laptop and Erik was greeted by her scowl. 
“Come on, Miss DeeDee. Tell me what I am like.”
“First of all, I need you to stop looking at me like you want to eat me up.” 
“I mean, -”
“Aht aht aht. There is only one way I will let you complete that thought.” 
Erik caught DeeDee’s small smile. Oh, he knew what she wanted to know. He was surprised it took her so long to bring it back up. Or that she didn’t figure out the answer already based on their current interaction.  
“And you will let me complete that thought?”
“I guess.”
“Not good enough.”
“What?”
“I guess,” he mocked her tone, “is not good enough. I need a definitive answer.” 
Erik heard DeeDee’s sigh. 
“Yes or No, Miss DeeDee?”
“If you actually answer the question, then yes. You can finish whatever provocative statement was gonna cross your lips.” 
“So, you were looking at my lips?”
“ERIK!”
 He put his hands up, “Ok, ok. Ask the question and I promise I will answer.” 
“Thank you.” She cleared her throat, “Have you found the kind of love that your parents have?”
“Had.” Erik softly replied.
“What?” She looked at him, “Oh. Oh, I’m sorry. Nevermind.” DeeDee moved the laptop onto the couch and shifted her legs under her.
“It’s ok. What they had was amazingly beautiful. Watching their love up close and personal beat any romance movie ever. You know, black love and all that.”
DeeDee picked up the glass of wine and ran her finger around the rim. 
“And as you know, it is something I want for myself.” He inhaled deeply and then exhaled, “To answer your question, no, I have not found that kind of love yet. But I still have hope that I will find her and be worthy of her.”
She gulped down the rest of the wine and held onto the glass with both hands. 
“DeeDee?”
“Huh.” She slowly set it down on the table, “Yeah, I -- I’m here.” 
“Ok, I thought I lost you there for a second.”
“I don’t think that’s possible.” DeeDee whispered. “Thank you for finally answering the question, Erik.”
“You’re welcome, DeeDee.”
Erik watched her every movement. DeeDee stuffed her hands back into the pocket of her hoodie, then rocked back and forth on the couch. Her hood fell revealing her lovely face to him again. Minutes passed as they both looked at one another. Erik coughed to break the silence.
DeeDee dropped her head and then looked up, “You can finish your statement now.”
“The moment passed, but I am positive there will be plenty more opportunities to speak my mind.”
“You act like we are gonna talk again after this.” She looked away from the camera.
“Oh, you think I’m letting you off this call without getting your number? You are sadly mistaken.” Erik chuckled, “And why do you keep hiding yourself from me?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Oh really? So, you aren’t trying to hide a smile right now?” 
DeeDee took her hand and wiped the expression from her face, “What smile?”
“Ok, and you aren’t just hiding yourself in general under your hood?” Erik rubbed his hands together and nodded at her. He set the tablet off to the side and spoke, “So DeeDee, do you want that kind of love?”
“Of course, I do. My friends may think that I don’t want any kind of relationship, but that’s not true.” She paused, “I guess that is what made me search for you.”
“Really?” 
“Yeah, I truly wondered if you found it and what it was like, if you had.” DeeDee heard some shuffling in the background and when she looked at the screen, all she saw was the ceiling. It moved and then changed, like he entered another room. “What are you doing?”
“Getting hungry, so I decided to pull out my leftovers.”
“Oh ok.”
She could hear him open the refrigerator, verifying his story. The screen went black for a few seconds and then came back on. DeeDee reached for the strings to her hood.
“Don’t you dare.” Erik’s voice growled. 
“Why?” She squeaked, “Why are you doing this to me?”
“I’m not doing anything to you, Miss DeeDee.” 
“Yes, you are.”
“Ma’am, I am just eating a juicy strawberry.”
“With your shirt off, Sir.”
“I didn’t want to get juice on it.”
“You, Sir, are a mess.”
“A mess that has kept you smiling for the last hour or so. Or maybe was it all day?” 
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“I’m not. I’m just admiring you.”
She pointed to his chin. “You have a lil something on yo-”
Erik licked the juice off his chin. “Did I get it?”
“I can’t stand you.” DeeDee giggled.
“If that were true, you would have hung up by now.” Erik grabbed the bowl of fruit and returned to his spot on the couch. 
“Maybe I’m enjoying the view.”
“The view, but not the company?”
“I didn’t say that.” 
“So, what are you saying?”
DeeDee pulled the hood off her face, “I am enjoying my evening.” 
“So am I.” Erik grinned into the camera, “And thank you for sharing.”
Taglist: @teakturn @ghostfacekill-monger @shaekingshitup @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @woahitslucyylu @ladymac82 @bugngiz @eyeknowmywrites @ajspencer1892 @arafatih @issimplyaamazinggg @tchallasbabymama​ @killmonger-fics​
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domjaehyun ¡ 3 years ago
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Jewel baby I hope it’s ok for me to send you this but I just wanted to get this off my chest and for someone to talk to. I started seeing someone new recently and he’s everything I look for in a guy - he’s hot, funny and smart! But I don’t know how to get closer to him because he’s so guarded? We hung out for the first time last week and studied together and it was v cute and we cuddled too!! He’s such a good cuddler!! But since then we haven’t spoken much and I don’t know what to do because it’s like he’s distanced himself from me? How do I reach out to him without seeming desperate…. I caught feelings way too fast girl…
hiii doll!! uH. tbh? i feel your pain entirely but i actually. am usually the same way as i think he is 😭😭😭 i am actually a very guarded person too but i’m sneakier abt it sjfjsjdk i deliberately appear open to ppl but i am. not 👀 like in the slightest 🧍🏽‍♀️ (edit: added a read more bc i am not a monster)
SO. the only thing i could possibly say that would be helpful would be tips on how to get guarded people to feel comfortable around you!! and this is based on like. how i would like people to try and get to know me so . hopefully this helps bc it’s coming from the mouth of an Also Guarded Person!!
don’t push—like at all. the second they feel any sort of pressure to open up or divulge information, it tends to come with quite a bit of suspicion, like why does this person want to know me so badly? so if something comes up in conversation that makes them feel the need to close up, let them know upfront like “hey i definitely won’t press and you don’t have to share anything you’re not comfortable w sharing, but i am here to listen if you want to talk abt it!”
you also have to be consistent about it !! consistency builds trust because they can rely on you to handle the situation a certain way!! because they’re probs not going to open up the first time you give them the space to, but if they start to see that you are someone that’s open to hearing them share about themselves, they might start feeling more comfortable w the idea of opening up!!
also, i rly shouldn’t have to say this but, for the love of GOD, don’t make them regret opening up to you in any way. be understanding, patient, and try not to dominate the conversation!! also, obviously, do not make light of anything negative they choose to share with you—some people can cope w humor abt their personal issues but (justifiably so) don’t want other people joking about it, y’know?
also, again, do not betray their trust, whether it’s by telling anyone what they told you or using the information against them at a later point!!!
uhhh that’s all i can rly think of right now but !!! keep in mind that everyone’s different and you could do everything right and they still might not open up to you sjfjskdkd (tbh even if someone did everything here correctly to me i still probs wouldn’t open up either) but you gotta realize when you’ve done all you can do yknow? try not to give up on them, and also maybe get more comfortable with sharing similar details abt yourself!! so they feel like you’re both making yourselves vulnerable in the moment!!
ALSO idk i personally would like. maybe just send him a lil smth that made you think of him—a song, poem, video, quote, meme, etc. could rly be touching!! and don’t like. bombard him at all but maybe reach out every once in a while w lil check in messages w no pressure attached like “hey was thinking abt you earlier and wanted to let you know :) hope you’re having a good day and if you wanna talk or smth i’m here!”
good luuuuck!!!
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mallowstep ¡ 4 years ago
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I’m thinking about writing a short OC piece about Windclan and I’d love to see your notes about its culture and the hymns you’ve written so far, everything you’ve done for Windclan appreciation month has really inspired me :)
hello anon!
alright, first things first: please send me ur piece when ur done if you're comfortable doing so! i will publish it from you, or if you don't want to be associated with it in Any Way, i will also just read it and add it to the queue with no indication why it's there. or if you don't want me to share it at all, i'd still like to read it.
as for your ask,
hymns?
i'm working on it. however, underneath the read more, i'll include a few snippets for u.
culture
alright, i'm just going to post links with some commentary as i go. feel free to ask any more questions you have.
windclan (search) | windclan (tag) | wcam tag | five clans (narrative essays)
i would link the elders den, but there's no windclan stories in there ATM.
moving on, i'm just going to go through posts in reverse chronological order.
tallstar taking a mate admittedly, this is more about cats and sexuality than windclan, but i provide the commentary that windclan...has a particular view on sexuality and fluidity. one thing i haven't explored but should is the role visiting cats have in windclan.
whoops that's a code word, my plug for solacefruit has been activated. okay, as you may be aware, based on the fact that i have a whole tag for it, i'm obsessed with solacefruit. now, i love everything they do, but i would like to point you particularly to "make a mighty sound" for a fantastic exploration of this idea.
i don't want to spoil anything, but i do think windclan, and maybe cats as a whole, but windclan has a certain view towards relationships that very much breaks them into pieces. i'm a "love is a verb" person, so the idea that you can grow to love someone romantically by going through the actions of love makes sense. not to say you will, but you can.
(to be clear i'm not out advocating for arranged marriages just saying that they can work, they're not destined to be bad, and there's a difference between forced marriage and arranged marriage.)
anyway.
this was a lot of words to say, cats do not have a human (and particularly, western/american) understanding of relationships, which makes analyzing them in those terms difficult.
early hymn talk i'll probably say more below, but it is here.
general ibtwicm notes might get you into the headspace for some of my choices in ibtwicm.
i don't have a ton to say because this pretty much all holds, but uh, yeah.
poetry and language this isn't strictly about windclan, but it does explain some of what i think about when writing hymns.
obviously, i'm writing english translations, but these general themes are what i have in mind. it's also part of why i say i don't think i'll ever release a "full hymnal" for windclan, because i don't know if my weak worldbuilding heart could take it if i only had translations.
names part two very much not about windclan, but just some thoughts on names. as i've said before, i support all names and worldbuilding equally, but if you want my thoughts on names, go buckwild.
clan culture fic rec list just stuff i think does a good job, if you want other sources of inspiration.
general clan culture notes this is really old, but it mostly holds.
i've obviously expanded a lot on windclan since i wrote it, so shrug? idk man.
alright, i'm going to move into hymn discussion below the cut, but best of luck! and i hope u have a good time. it makes my brain shut down to read that i inspired you, straight up got brain juice pouring out of my ears, but i'm really, really happy to hear that.
windclan holds a special place in my heart. (i know my oc avatar is from skyclan shhh it's because of the backstory he sees ghosts.) but i grew up in this super sporty household as a lil asthmatic klutz, and running was a sport i couldn't mess up, so of course windclan appealed to me.
they're actually third on my list of favorite clans, but they. it's a special place in my heart that they hold, especially after reading dawn of the clans and moth flight's vision, where i got an asthmatic cat and an adhd cat, both in windclan.
god i should reread dotc it's good.
alright, here's the deal on hymns: i am not going to fight to get duets to post correctly. there's a 0% chance i can in tumblr's wonky ass new editor with no markdown, not to mention how difficult it would have been in the old editor. so i'm going to talk a lil about what i've got, and post some stanzas that i think don't get explored a lot in ibtwicm.
we're discussing these in the order that they go in. a reminder that these are all sections of one epic poem. that said, i don't know where the gaps are. like, i don't know what's between these, if that makes sense.
the wind
the wind, the very first hymn. this is an ode to, well, windclan. it's a song about everything that makes them them. it's filled with poetry about the wind, about the seasons, and it's just...well, it's a bit of a genesis, in a way.
The wind — like the rain, like the river — calls the name of each star in its breath. The wind — like the earth, like the stone — anchors us to our home. The wind — like the sun, like the sky — is knowable only by name.
i wanted to share this stanza because the last line doesn't show up in ibtwicm (at least so far, i cut the reference), and it really, really, makes a difference imo.
anyway, windclan is basically tying the wind in with every other fundamental part of their life here.
they are the wind, and that's that.
the hare
okay, this one has a line that comes up a lot in ch1, but i already talked about that, so instead, i'm going to talk about this stanza
Speak of the earth and the dens, and you will be answered: By the call of the howling gales, the open earth singing in response. But speak of that which grows above, of the grass and field, And you will be answered by the softness of the buds and the roots.
okay, we get deadfoot thinking about this when he's talking to yellowfang.
i like this stanza because it really tells us what the hare is about. now, hares are not something windclan catches. hares are huge, y'all, there's no way they take one down. i take liberties with ecology, but not that many.
(i.e., a team of cats definitely could take one down, but i know too much, and would prefer letting team hunting stay a plot thing, and not fundamentally alter the environment in the way it would.)
now anyway, all of these hymns come from the time of the tunnelers. and the point of this is, even though the work of tunnelers and moor runners is disconnected, they fundamentally affect each other.
a moor runner must trust the hollows of the earth beneath them won't collapse, and a tunneler must trust that the prey they chase up will be caught.
it's all very symbiotic and is, well, in a way, a love poem. plus i really like the line "the open earth singing in response"
of the warrens
so this has one line, one you might not even know is a hymn, in ch1, but i'll share the whole stanza.
And as for the subject of fallow fields: Fallowed fields make for hungry prey, Yet hungry prey makes desperate rabbits, Who leap into our claws.
and ig my big point is, the hymns are a cultural artifact. just like many of the rules in the old testament have to do with hygiene things being codified into religion, this whole hymn is about hunting advice.
the moon on the river
okay, out of all the hymns, this is the most complete, and because ashfoot and deadfoot sing it together, and deadfoot discusses it, i only have one stanza to share.
Under the coldness, you shine back at me, And I do everything to keep the clouds from threatening you.
now, this poem is about love, grief, and being separated. it's a particular kind of grief, and windclan discourages grief, so this is one of only a few ways to really, fully express it.
and this section, in particular, is about love in times of hardship.
i don't have. a lot to say here. but the way hardship changes how you love someone can be particular and intense.
(temporarily, this happens sometime before "Spare for my chosen few / All I have is given towards the distant ground.")
the gorse in the wind
oh shit! i have so fucking much to say okay first.
the series title does not come from this hymn.
second, this is a challenging hymn okay. fuck. i have so much to say. where to start so! moors are actually relatively wet. think british countryside, not, like, a cool desert.
this is something i always knew? i read the secret garden a lot as a kid. but. i've seen stuff about moors being dry, and it's just one of those things that really...starts to eat under your skin. anyway.
okay, so. gorse is a dry plant. it does not like rain. it grows in sandy soil, etc etc, and yet. aside from everything we know about gorse and warriors, it also grows in this moor. because i say so.
okay, so. so so so. the lines quotes here are really deceptive, and i bet no one understood why, and that makes me just a little sad, but i couldn't find a good way to explain it in text, so uh, yeah, anyway. there's an exchange between ashfoot and deadfoot: "THE GORSE: You called me the heather and I grew stronger. / THE WIND: I called you the heather and brought rain for you to grow."
so...so do you see? do you see the point? it's about communication, needs, challenging each other. fadskj;l i love this. okay, so. the point is that heather is fragile, soft, pretty, and gorse is the opposite. the part of the wind is trying to be kind and complimentary, but the gorse is saying, fuck that, you are not being kind to me by undercutting my strength.
anyway, this passage is sung by the gorse:
In what good company have I set down roots, That even through snow fall I flower. You called me the heather and yet I've weathered, Far more than your sweet-named love.
so uh, yeah, this adds context. gorse! gorse is a hardy plant that continues to flower basically all season round. it's cool. it's cool. gorse is super cool. fuuuck y'all it's such a small thing and i've contained talking about it until now, but now it's too much. the floodgates are open, and i thought about this small detail too much.
okay. deep breath. gorse is a really easy plant to grow, but it's still adapted for dry environments. so the "even through snow fall I flower" part is a little tongue in cheek: gorse itself will flower in the cold, but snow is a type of precipitation, which as we've covered, is not gorse friendly.
then we have some rhyming and puns in the next line, and finally, "yet I've weathered, / Far more than your sweet-named love." like. yes. love as a form of softness is not necessarily helpful.
i mean, consider the damaging "soft trans boi" problem. same energy.
right. okay. so we've got all that? now if you remember, this is sung when deadfoot thinks ashpaw doesn't respect him, and ashpaw says she'll sing with him if she can sing the gorse, so in essence, she's telling him...not to back off, per se, but that...she is the "hard part" of the relationship. like, okay, i refuse to even bring up gender roles in human relationships, but uh, her point is very much, "i am the gorse, and you are the wind," and it's a very monumental moment.
it's anchored, i believe, in the other scenes, but this is a small thing that matters a lot to me.
like a lot.
okay, now that i've talked about like four lines for the length of this entire post, moving on.
the heather and earth
okay, this is the last hymn i have in concrete terms, and i cut a bit of it from the latest chapter, so yeah. it's also, uh, okay everything i have for it is only a line or two, but i wanted to share this closing line (sung together):
Sing a song of forgiveness, of growing together, and we will make madness, And madness from hence will everything beautiful grow.
and i just like these lines. they got cut, it was initially part of an exchange between ashfoot and deadfoot, but i can't share the part of it they talk about, because i'm reusing it for a later chapter and i'll 100% spoil shit if i try to talk about it.
but these lines? mmm they speak to me.
i don't have a ton to say about them, but i just. i like it.
if we apply the same ecology discussion from the gorse and the wind, we see heather is a plant that grows in acidic, infertile soil, and heath (which is not the same as a heather, but also kind of is) is a defining quality of heathland, which is...i'm not kidding, it's hot discourse about the difference between moorland and heathland.
i'm not getting involved, but my point is, if the gorse in the wind is a hymn about finding a working relationship, about mutual respect, etc., then the heather and earth is a hymn about working well together in a terrible situation.
god.
uh, wow! can you tell i like plants? because while parts of my ecology are dubious (see: everything regarding the rabbits in ch1), the plants part are well thought out. this shit is carefully detailed metaphor.
and that's why i won't be releasing a full hymnal. it's hard to as on top of this as i want to be. i'm not kidding, writing even four lines of a hymn usually takes me about twenty minutes, because i pull up a lot of research about how things work, how they interact with each other, etc., and then there's wordsmithing, cat worldview filter, etc.
but i hope this overview of what i've got is a good insight into my general thoughts. and i will eventually release more and more of the hymns i've got written.
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hongism ¡ 3 years ago
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hi caly boo its ur 🌊 anon! i finally finished the most brilliant darkness and oh my lawd i’m in spain without the s. to put it shortly: U DID NOT DISAPPOINT BESTIE, and it seems unreal that u and ur mind and this fic even exists bc every moment is just polished to perfection, while simultaneously every character is polished to a sort of imperfect perfection(?). i have so many questions and things to say idek where to start, and tho im not good with words and even worse at deciphering hidden meanings, here are just some of my thoughts that i remember from the story.
hello my dear!!! eee im gonna answer separately since i think i’ll be very long-winded as usual but first of all thank you so much :(( this fic is actually very full of subliminal messages and hidden nuances that are weaved throughout which i think could be quite confusing so i apologize for that! if i had managed my time better, i would have adjusted when i started the fic to account for managing those aspects of the fic but alas i’m terrible at time management and i suck so. anyways.
first of all, ngl halfway into the story i lowkey forgot this was a wooyoung fic bc SANNN and also bc wooyoung appeared like 3 times lol. even after it finishing all that, i still had my doubts as to why this is a wooyoung fic, or more like why is san this significant in a wooyoung fic. im still a bit slow on these pls forgive me and im just curious why u made it like that.
i think yeah the most interesting thing about this fic is the emphasis on san over wooyoung. and when looking over it yeah i could have switched san and wooyoung’s characters and called it a day, but wooyoung really in my mind acts as the integral turning point for decisions made in the story. 
the goal with the fic wasn’t really to be hyperfocused on the pairing itself, but rather the emotions and thought processes of each character (aside from wooyoung). wooyoung was kept intentionally mysterious and a bit set apart from the rest of the fic because his role in story was moreso an abstract of hestia, the goddess of the hearth and home. wooyoung’s character appeared in times where y/n was struggling with the thought of home or adjusting to the new changes in her life! wooyoung’s pairing itself was actually intended to be solely platonic at first, but as the story went on i thought having mc develop feelings for him added another turning point in the fic!
moving on, the second biggest question i had is the whole hestia!wooyoung and cafe aurora situation. i did a bit of reading on hestia and only found out that she was the goddess of hearth, which might explain the fireplace and the kind of homey feeling to the cafe. and ‘cafe aurora not really existing to most’ part, which was already hinted at wooyoung randomly disappearing, mc never seeing the cafe before or wooyoung only bringing people he wants into it. i get that him inviting mc must suggest her significance to him, but why was he so adamant about his friends not mentioning him or the cafe to mc before that? wooyoung is quite a mysterious character i think, and given that this fic is supposed to be about him, it’s a bit odd that there’s still so many things left unknown, but its kinda cool that way nonetheless and im guessing u would also like to explain that further outside of the story too.
i think my biggest regret about this fic is the fucking summary.... i wrote that summary well before i even started writing the fic thinking it would go in that direction but it didn’t. and since this fic was for a collab, i left the summary as is because i genuinely cannot for the life of me figure out a better one. but i’m trying to figure out a better one. but i really fucking hate the current summary because it’s not at all what the fic is truly about and i hate it.
however, i don’t hate the fic itself, and the reason why i don’t is because i got to play with both my writing style and how i displayed the story. for this collab we were asked to pick a greek god and one of the seven deadly sins, and i selected hestia and sloth. and initially i had intended to have sloth be represented by the reader’s depression, and wooyoung be a more ‘real’ depiction of hestia. i shifted gears very early on in the fic but what it became is moreso abstract realizations in the characters.
san’s character is meant to be this idea of sloth, and it’s mentioned several times that he doesn’t want to move forward, he wants to go slow, he wants to stop moving so fast through life, and those things point to him being a depiction of sloth
wooyoung’s was harder to encapsulate in a more abstract way but you hit the nail on the head really with the homey feeling of the cafe. beyond that, mc talks about just naturally feeling at ease and comfortable with how things are with wooyoung and being around him, and he takes up this role of being the likeable, warm, cozy, comforting character. it all comes to a head in the last scene where he brings both y/n and san into the cafe.
and again wooyoung’s character is meant to be most mysterious and abstract, but if i had had more time to fully flesh out the fic, i think i would have liked to touch more on him. at the same time however i left it more open-ended and open to interpretation. the significance in him inviting mc in and not being mentioned by the others sooner is twofold. one; the others never really had any reason whatsoever to mention wooyoung. he was a friend outside the circle who never joined in with them when mc was around. i personally in my own friendships don’t mention friends outside the circle by name or anything, just kinda vaguely talking about them unless im certain the people know who this person is. the concept of wooyoung having to invite mc in was more nuanced and vague as well, intentionally so, but that was moreso meant to represent this idea of ‘you can’t make a home somewhere where you aren’t invited’ so y/n couldn’t fully make a home of the place she was in without being invited in and welcomed in, but again that’s something i wish i had more time to fully flesh out.
the hongjoong speech about love (and also the interaction with seonghwa after that) deserves a standing ovation of its own 👏 unfortunately, or not, im not actually going through the emotional turmoil regarding love the same way as hj or mc to be able to fully relate to his words, but the whole ‘if you dont love what u see in the mirror then u dont love it’ mentality really hit me hard, and i’d like to hang onto that when i make decisions in the future haha thank you wise caly! seonghwa and hongjoong’s story is also beautiful, and just like mc said, the more i look at it the more it hurts :’)
the hongjoong speech about love was meant to be something very jaded and specific to his worldview. it actually isn’t wholly how i view love personally, but it was a perfect description to how both he and y/n perceived the love in their own lives. mostly thanks to their own emotional turmoils. the mentality of the mirror quote is something that i think i also struggle with, which is why i included it. it’s hard to do, but even in friendships, i think it’s necessarily to stop and look at the person you were before this relationship and then the person during this relationship. if you don’t love the one you are now, then maybe it’s a sign to reflect and see the bigger picture, so that was a lil reminder to myself and i’m glad it touched you as well!!!
“do you love him, or do you love the idea of being in love with him?” - haha i see what u did there (or maybe i didnt please dont laugh at me if i didnt). its still so good everytime i see it bc i keep finding myself loving just the idea of things time and time again even when this makes total sense to me oof :/
heh yeah again with the more abstract concepts this one was more direct and ‘cliche’ but i fully wanted that cliche in the fic because i thought it suited the situation where mc was constantly struggling with a version of san that she thought she loved vs the version of san she got every time they were together
despite how enlightened she seems to be, mc still made the same choices, and i wanna smack her for it and pat her back at the same time. and maybe also bc of the fact that she feels so differently for the two men that i feel like no ending could really justify her decision, so ending in the vague is probably the best. your ending might kind of allude to someone more than the other already, and tho i still don’t think he’s the best one for her based on just my pov on love, i kinda agree with you. but again, this raises the question of, why a wooyoung fic and not a san fic?
and yeah the whole knife in the chest at the end of it all is that she was still too scared to face the music so to speak. but really i would say she made the same choices up until the conversation on the balcony with san. and you’re absolutely right, the reason i chose the ending the way i did was because either way, there’s no justification. and actually although it might seems like i was alluding to someone specific, san being in the cafe at the very end was moreso to represent that as much as they fought, he still very much loved her and wanted to be loved by her. it was kinda an open casket ending there were no nails in the coffin, the choice between wooyoung and san still stands and an argument could be made for either of them! i think this is a fic that i could see myself revisiting one day with two endings - one for san, and one for wooyoung.
something i didn’t mention earlier about wooyoung’s character being left intentionally mysterious was that he was representing a new and budding love. the honeymoon phase where you’re falling for someone you don’t even really know. you are the reader aren’t meant to really know who wooyoung is because of that beyond what you read about him, so his past and such was left out intentionally to represent that idea of ‘hey wow im in love with a stranger!’ whereas san was this gritty love that’s bad for you. and there are pros and cons to each just as with anything!!
so,,,, why a wooyoung fic and not a san fic? well i picked wooyoung for my collab so he was one of the main focuses of the fic regardless of which direction i took with it. as for why wooyoung wasn’t more forward, i already answered that but !!! i view it as both a wooyoung fic and a san fic. both are highlighted characters with main pairing roles!
i literally just woke up to write this and am going back to sleep ahaha so i apologize if this makes no sense. i somehow felt like i’ve read so much yet so little at the same time, maybe bc there are still so many things i havent fully made sense of, and that’s where i hope you come in and enlighten me. i still stand by my word that this fic deserves so much more recognition despite the lack of explicit smut bc of how much more you’ve explored through character building. love you caly and thank u for working so hard <3 — 🌊
no worries my beloved i hope you go back to sleep and get lots and lots of rest!! and i hope my response helps enlighten the not so clear things as well dgjdklfg but really thank you so much. it was a long fic and hard to get through at times, but as a whole, i’m proud of it and what i created, so thank you for recognizing my efforts and appreciating them 🥺
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