#oof. but it's necessary and it's really nice to finally be up and actually eating something before 4 or 5 pm

[gas-stations-have-cigarettes]

Okay, so. My memory is kinda rusty and I don’t really remember details so I could be wrong here or forgetting shit. But wasn’t the part of the movie w that sandstorm scene before Jim runs into John in that garage and John tosses him the keys? Headcanon that if John is some sort of supernatural being, he can turn into sandstorms or something and that’s how he just...randomly appears places.

[spindlebeforesunset]

Pranksters and the Pranked

(because it is April Fools at my place already)

Ace Trappola - prankster

• got their other two roommates to participate in pranking Deuce

• set the room clock 3 hours later than usual

• while the two roommates were "busy preparing for the school day" at 2 am, Ace flicks open the lights and starts turning them on and off and shouts "OI DEUCE WAKE UP, WE'RE LATE"

• he finally yeets a pillow at Deuce's face to wake him up

Deuce Spade - pranked

• a very confused Deuce wakes up, sees that the three of them are already dressed, looks at the clock, and panic dresses himself

• "wheresmyhomeworkwheresmyhomework-"

• only when he runs out in the rose garden does he finally see that, it's still nighttime, no he isn't late, and yes, his sleep was ruined

• trudges back to the dorm room where he finds them all cracking up

• he chucks a pillow at Ace before promptly flopping back on his bed

• with his shoes on (n a s t y)

---

Cater Diamond - prankster

• has a plastic cockroach toy in his pocket as he is to serve Riddle tea again on this fine day

• Riddle is having a nice time admiring the roses and often sticks his teacup out for Cater to fill

• while Riddle is inspecting a rose, Cater pours the tea and slips the plastic cockroach inside the teacup as well

• he doesn't change his expression when he hands back the teacup

Riddle Rosehearts - pranked

• Riddle sips the warm tea and feels something solid touching his lips

• he looks down

• immediately drops the teacup starts screaming there's a fucking cockroach in the teacup

• he realizes that Cater is doubled over laughing so he takes the opportunity to whoop Cater's head before storming off

---

Trey Clover - pranked

• he's bored and decides to make cookies

• he double checks the chocolate chips bag to ensure that they were not replaced with chocolate covered raisins like what Che'nya did last year

• no raisins, so he shrugs his shoulders that Che'nya had really ran out of ideas after many years

• takes out the ingredients necessary for the cookies and starts to mix the ingredients

• the process is going fine until he cracks an egg

• there's no liquid yolk pouring out

• he looks at the insides and finds that the egg has been fully hardboiled

• "... I should've known better," he sighs

• somewhere in the kitchen, an invisible RSA student laughs

---

Ruggie Bucchi - prankster

• gives Leona a package that appears to be from Cheka as there is a letter written in crayon and with childish handwriting

• stands near Leona's bed when he opens it

Leona Kingscholar - pranked

• he doesn't expect anything except maybe a small zebra toy

• but when he shakes the package and heard nothing he immediately thinks it is sus AF

• he glares at Ruggie, but even Ruggie doesn't appear to know anything

• he tears the wrapper, opens the box, and reads the words written ddirectly at the bottom: when will I get paid :(

• "Nice try Ruggie, I'll think about it."

• before he crashes back to his pillow, he sees Ruggie face droop along with his ears

Jack Howl - the only safe one

• by some miracle, the only student in school who did not fall into a prank

---

Floyd Leech - prankster

• beware Floyd and his pranks, because he will prank just about anybody

• he started with Azul, sneaking in Azul's bedroom (with the latter still asleep) and replacing Azul's glasses with glasses with lens he colored in black marker

• next, while Jade is in the bathroom, he replaces Jade's usual school tie with one that shifts colour and pattern every hour or so (now, it currently looks like the regular school tie)

• set up buckets full of water in the first year classrooms (Epel was dowsed in one, Sebek too, the last being Grim)

• handed Divus a blank assignment (written in invisible ink), but before Divus can even scold him, he passes the paper near a fire where the answers finally appear where Divus takes it with a huff

Azul Ashengrotto - pranked

• he wakes up and puts on his glasses by the bedside table

• how come he can't see

• it takes his sort of sleepy self two minutes to put two and two together

• instantly groans, knowing that Floyd definitely has his real glasses

Jade Leech - pranked

• he puts on his tie as he normally would and walks out the room

• when Ruggie asks him why his tie looked so funky in the middle of the day, he takes it off and finds that it has a silly banana pattern

• facepalms

• h a r d

• that he walked around with who-knows-a-probably-weirder-pattern around the school

---

Kalim Al-Asim - prankster & pranked

• harmlessly pranked by Jamil when he believed the milk was coconut juice (was kinda disappointed though)

• has slapped whoopee cushions everywhere underneath all the seats in Scarabia just for the heck of it to the chagrin of practically everyone

• asks Silver what's up with his blazer because what even is that

Jamil Viper - prankster

• he started with Kalim and the cocount juice

• knew full well that the seats were full of whoopee cushions and avoids sitting on all of them

• managed to trick Grim that he had tuna cans and when he gave Grim one, he excused himself that he had somewhere to go

• he watches hidden behind a pillar as Grim opens the tuna can and finds nothing but sand inside

• has to kick himself to stop his laughter from seeing Grim's disappointed face

---

Rook Hunt - prankster

• he was going to prank both Vil and Epel, but after hearing how the latter was dowsed in water for first period, decides to just prank Vil

• slaps cake icing inside an empty and expensive lotion bottle and wraps it with a ribbon

• he runs to Vil in the dormitory after classes and says it was left near his doorstep so tue sender must've mixed the rooms up

• unfortunately, Vil's door is closed on him

Vil Schoenheit - pranked

• after deciding not to scold Epel with the water fiasco, he takes the lotion bottle from Rook and takes it to his room, not seeing the "and I oop" face

• he squirts out a small amount of lotion on his palm and finds that it smells... weirdly fruity

• suspicious now, he rubs it with his palms and (despite all what he knew about beauty products) licks a tiny bit of it to confirm what it was

• blueberry icing

• "... well, it could have been worse."

• ends up tripping where he uses his hands to break the fall and realizes what a big mistake he's made with his sticky palms

• internally groans

Epel Felmier - pranked (can we get an F)

• as soon as he feels his clothes get wet and the bucket land on his head, he knew he was fucked for the whole day and goes through classes with a sheepish expression

---

Idia Shroud - pranked

• he decides to go outside and get something from the vending machine for once

• takes one step out and slides on a rug by his doorstep that was never there before

• "This is a warning, so maybe I'll just stay inside as always."

• gets back to his room where Ortho asks if he was just pranked as today was April Fools

• "...yep, I'm staying here the whole day."

• "Brother, no."

• unfortunately, they don't know who set up that rug

---

Lilia Vanrouge - prankster

• the only person who can and will prank Malleus Draconia

• he hides a small and cheap speaker at full blast (connected to his phone) inside Malleus' closet the day prior

• plays the end part of In the Hall of the Mountain King in a loop at exactly 3 am and everyone hears it in the halls

• tricks Sebek to believe that his crappily made cake would give whoever ate it additional strength, claiming the recipe was well-known back in his day

• swaps the black coffee powder with powdered chocolate milk just because

• swaps Silver's blazer with a seemingly normal one, but the back reads: If lost, return to Malleus

Malleus Draconia - pranked

• that music is straight up panic inducing and hurries to find it

• ends up finding it half an hour and yeets it out the window because he can't turn it off

• he's annoyed but goes back to sleep

• is huffy that he can't have coffee

• promptly confused why Silver is brought to him near lunch break until he sees what's at Silver's blazer at the back

• "Did he just..."

Sebek Zigvolt - pranked

• additional strength from the cake you say? THE BETTER TO SERVE WAKA-SAMA

• does not see the already facepalming Silver preparing the morning coffee

• takes a mouthful of it and starts chewing it before realizing something was not right

• "Sebek, I didn't think you would actually eat it. I made it bad on purpose."

• now that's a way to add insult to injury

• if he thought his morning was not already humiliating enough, he gets dowsed in water by Floyd's bucket

• him the whole day be like (;*△*;)

Silver

• poor Silver already knew full well of Lilia's antics, yet he still has no way out of it

• he puts on his blazer, not expecting anything wrong

• the powdered milk instead of coffee did annoy him though

• however, when Kalim shoves him to Malleus near lunch, he's shook

• until Kalim tells him to take off his blazer to show the both of them what was embroidered at the back

• "You mean I went out like this?"

• "It appears so," says Malleus

• "Oof," from Kalim

[everybodyscupoftea]

put your hand in mine

frat jj x reader

one year anniversary with pike jj and some reminiscing

oof this took me longer to get done than i’d like but here it is :)

warnings: cursing, borderline edited

For your one-year anniversary, you and JJ took some days off and drove from Nashville to Memphis for a hiking trip. It was his suggestion, but you were so tired of being constantly cooped up and inactive with school that you jumped on it. He took off the necessary days of work, and the two of you loaded up the car early one morning and hit the road.

The trip wasn’t long and consisted of the two of you singing along to whatever came up on shuffle. JJ told you he’d handle reservations, and while you did trust him to handle it, you were pleasantly surprised when he pulled up to some sort of housing office and actually got a key for a small cabin a little way up a mountain.

He saw your impressed face before you could hide it and laughed, “That much faith in me, huh?”

You shrugged, “I’m the planner, J.”

“Well, I’ve been paying attention.”

A fond feeling swept over you, and you couldn’t stop yourself from reaching out to grab the front of his shirt and pull him into a kiss. When you pulled away, he looked a little dazed, but pleased, and smirked at you before saying, “Just got here and you already can’t keep your hands off me.”

You rolled your eyes, “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“Too late.”

JJ grabbed the suitcases out of the trunk and you grabbed the two of yours’s booksacks before following him to the front porch. The interior of the cabin was small but bigger than your shared apartment, and you dropped the bags on the bed before wandering out the back door to see the view.

“J,” you called out and waited for him to pop his head out the door. When he did, you pointed excitedly, “Hot tub!”

He nodded, “One of the main reasons I picked this place, actually. Should be nice, especially when it starts to get cold tonight.”

You wandered back in to keep exploring the cabin before realizing the you were definitely going to have to make a grocery run. For the two of you, it was a true test of patience. JJ hated taking the time to plan and make up a list, more prone to just grabbing something that interested him when he saw it, while you liked having a set list that you rarely deviated from.

Fortunately, you’d had the foresight to make a list in the car on the way there, so all you had to do was find a grocery store. JJ groaned and complained a little about having to get back in the car when you just got out of it, but you promised to cook his favorite food and it shut him up quickly.

The store was crowded, clearly catered toward tourists staying temporarily in cabins. You sent JJ off to go pick out snacks for the two of you to carry and eat while hiking, and you started getting the ingredients for your agreed upon meals.

You were actually impressed when you met back up with JJ, his hands full of protein bars and trail mix and bananas instead of the normal snacks he tried to buy. When you pointed it out, he told you, very seriously, “We may not be experienced hikers, but we’re going to do our best to fake it.”

He paid for the groceries and the two of you headed back toward the cabin. By the time everything was unpacked, it was late afternoon and JJ was starting to complain about being hungry. You gently shoved him toward the living room, “If you go get a fire started, I’ll cook you up some alfredo, and we can eat on the couch.”

“Fuck yes, alfredo,” he cheered before walking off to do as you suggested.

Shaking your head in amusement at his antics, you started searching the cabinets for pots and skillets to use for dinner. The chicken was pretty much cooked and the noodles were boiling by the time JJ rejoined you, a few smears of soot on his cheekbone and neck.

You held your hand out to pull him closer and after licking your finger, started rubbing it over the soot, trying to clean it off. When JJ realized what you were doing, he jerked his face away from your heads with a, “Fucking gross, don’t put your spit on my face!”

The look you gave him was exasperated when you asked him, “Really? You’ve made out with me and you’re worried about a little spit on your cheekbone?”

He nodded emphatically, “That’s so different. Making out is hot, this is gross.”

You held your hands up, “Fine, go wash your face off then.”

With one last dramatic shudder, he disappeared in the bathroom, just off the kitchen and you rolled your eyes. JJ wasn’t gone long, and when he returned, he wrapped his arms around you from behind, swaying in place a few times while you poured the sauce in and combined everything.

“Get the garlic bread out of the oven, yeah?” you asked.

He sighed and pulled away from you to do as you asked and you suppressed a laugh at how dramatic he was acting.

“Oven mitts?” he asked, holding his arms out expectantly.

“Nope, bare hands only.”

JJ gave you a deadpan look before going through drawers until he found a pair. You finally turned the heat off under the food and grabbed some plates out of one of the cabinets.  When the food was dished out and the two of you were on the couch in front of the fire, JJ finally spoke again, “So, I know we technically didn’t get together that night, but tonight is the anniversary of you kissing me totally fucking wasted.”

You cringed a little at your past actions and nodded, “Yup, yeah, that’s true.”

“Thoughts?” he asked.

“I’m glad I did it, I guess. You weren’t going to do anything, you chicken shit.”

He snorted, “Yeah, okay, how do you know that?”

Which, that was the first time you’d heard that, so you leaned into his side, “Wait, what?”

JJ shrugged, not looking at you, “I don’t know, I was just getting to the breaking point, and I was going to ask you out eventually.”

You smiled, “So, I just beat you to it?”

“Pretty much.”

And just to mess with him a little, you shrugged, “You know, if I haven’t professed my love to you while drunk, we probably aren’t friends. I’m the sappiest drunk in the world.”

With a laugh, JJ nodded, “You’re right. But I’ve never seen you kiss anyone besides me.”

“I don’t kiss and tell.”

JJ took your plate and set them both on the floor before tackling you onto the couch, digging his fingers into your side. You squealed, giggling at his fingers’ assault on your side, JJ laughing along with you. He finally stopped and stayed on top of you, smiling softly, both of you catching your breath.

You reached up and ran one of your hands through his hair, stopping to rest on his cheek. JJ leaned into it a little before bending down further to kiss you. Surging up to meet him halfway, you kissed back happily, fire dying down in the background, and ran you fingers over his cheekbone repeatedly.

JJ pulled away and started kissing down your neck until he got to the collar of your t-shirt. Reaching down, he started pushing your shirt up, exposing your stomach, before you grabbed his hand, moving it away. He gave you a confused look and you told him, “I wanna go in the hot tub.”

Shutting his eyes with a sigh, he said, “If we go to bed now, we can do the hot tub tomorrow after hiking.”

“Why not both,” you suggested, half-jokingly.

“No,” JJ stubbornly replied, and got off you, walking toward the room, “come join me when you’re ready.”

You laughed and got off the couch, following him into the bedroom.

-

JJ was still asleep when you woke up the next morning. You got out of bed and put on one of the hoodies he brought before quietly making your way to the kitchen to start making the coffee. It was nice, finally having time away together, for the first time since your trip over the summer.

It wasn’t long before he joined you, roused by the sounds of you moving around and the smell of the coffee. He wrapped his arms around you, burying his face into your neck, and you poured him a mug, mixing in a little sugar. JJ hummed and swayed the two of you back and forth, still trying to wake up.

“Excited for hiking today, bub?” you asked.

He shrugged, “Yay, exercise.”

You laughed and pushed away gently, “Drink your coffee and get dressed, we’ve still got to pick a trail.”

With a small whine, he did as you said, and you went to get dressed. It was early, but you figured the earlier the two of you got back for the afternoon, the less excuse he’d have to get out of joining you in the hot tub.

JJ didn’t really care what trail the two of you did, just told you that you couldn’t “send me into a cardiac arrest before I turn 24” so, naturally, you picked the hardest trail near your cabin. He packed the snacks and filled up both of your water bottles, and then the two of you were off, driving to the trailhead.

It was quiet the first half hour or so, both of you focused on keeping your footing and not wiping out. Eventually, JJ woke all the way up and started chattering. He decided he wanted to be in control of the map, which you took a little bit of problem with, but you sucked it up and decided to let him have his moment. As an anniversary gift. (You were keeping track secretly just to make sure)

The two of you hiked for a few hours, waiting until you reached an overlook to finally take a break. JJ leaned against a tree and you sat next to him, splitting a protein bar in half for y’all to share. He took half and you asked, “You remember how we met?”

JJ’s chewing stopped as he thought back before shaking his head, “Not really. It feels like I’ve known you forever, like there’s not a time you weren’t so entrenched in my life that I think about you all the time and that I want to be with you when we’re apart.”

Your jaw dropped at his words, not really sure how to respond appropriately. With a weak laugh, you went with, “I helped you pass English 115. You cheated on all my quizzes because you were so sleep deprived from rushing.”

Raising his eyebrows, JJ chuckled, “Sounds about right, looking after me even when you didn’t know me.”

“I wanted to know you.”

He grabbed your hand, stroking over your knuckles a few times with his thumb. Eventually, he responded, “I’m glad I was forced into taking that stupid 8 a.m.”

“Me too.”

The rest of your break was pretty quiet, a few mumbled things back and forth before JJ stood and held out a hand to help you up. He glanced over the map, “Looks like we can go down the other side and hike around the base to get back to the trailhead. It’s a little extra walking but we’ll be seeing something new rather than go back the way we came.”

“Yeah, let’s do that.”

The only real noises between the two of you was heavy breathing and eventually you had to complain, “Fucking hell, how much farther?”

JJ laughed and held his hand out to help you jump down from a small ledge, grabbing your hips when you landed and stumbled. He said, “Getting close to the bottom, pretty girl, then we have a mile of flat to get back to the car.”

You put a hand on his shoulder, “You know I always said I’d wait to hike with a guy until we were married so it would be harder for him to leave me when I complained about my feet hurting.”

“Do your feet hurt?”

“They kill.”

He squeezed your hand and you let it drop from his shoulder so the two of you could keep walking.

-

JJ half dragged you into the cabin, your arm thrown over his shoulder while you chanted, “Hot tub, hot tub, hot tub.”

He had a faux annoyed look on his face and he dropped you on the couch, “Gee, what do you want to do now?”

You hopped up, full of energy again, “Come on, J, please.”

Eyebrows raised, he stared at you, “Where was this energy before? Suddenly you’re fine to walk?”

“Yes. I will always be able to walk to a hot tub.”

“Jesus, okay, hot tub time.”

You changed and grabbed towels while JJ pulled the cover off. Getting in felt great, your muscles going lax immediately. JJ joined just as you were about to melt into a corner and pulled you over to sit between his legs, leaning back against his chest.

“Happy anniversary, baby.”

Letting your eyes close, you smiled and said, “Happy anniversary. A whole year.”

“My longest relationship.”

“Have you had any others?”

He hummed, chest vibrating, “Not like this.”

You were intrigued, “Like what?”

He traced a finger across your shoulders and shrugged, “Like serious. Like someone I’m in love with.”

“You love me huh?” you asked, linking your hands with his under water, “Guess that’s good because I love you too.”

JJ kissed your shoulder, lips lingering quirked up in a smile, “I’d sure hope so at this point.”

“Do you remember, last year, on the hammock?”

“Mhmm,” he mumbled, lips trailing across your shoulders.

“You told me that you wouldn’t be like the other guys who told me they wanted to be with me.”

“Oh yeah? And how did I do?”

You turned, kissing him softly, “Pretty damn good.”

JJ squeezed your hips, “Good. I intend to stick to that.”

“I hope so,” you told him with a laugh, “I like having you around.”

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

Can you imagine their half vamp mate having braces and the awkwardness of their fangs coming in ?

As someone who had braces.....yikes. Here you go!

Poly!Lost Boys x S/O with Braces

The boys didn't mind the braces. You were cute either way, and it was just something that was another aspect of who you were. It wasn't like they were permanent anyways. As long as you were careful when you *ahem*, the boys didn't mind

Paul and Marko definitely make fun of you for them though. They joke that you can't eat certain things, joke about railroad tracks, and call you "metal mouth" just to annoy you

David will just smile whenever you lisp something. It's the only time he'll really make fun of you, and it's usually just him asking you to repeat whatever word you messed up on

Dwayne is the only nice one. He does *not* make fun of you for your braces. Is actually really considerate and only buys you snacks that he knows won't hurt them

The boys liked to pick the colors you got each month. You decided to let them take turns, and all of them got to choose at least one month of colors before you got them taken off. David chose black, Dwayne chose purple, Paul chose blue, and Marko chose red. Said boy was really happy whenever you would smile and they would see the color that they'd picked shining along with your pearly whites

When you turn, the boys wanted to wait until you got them off. For whatever reason, that hadn't been an option. So you were a half. With braces. Oof.

The boys were just waiting for the other shoe to drop. They had a rough idea of what was going to happen the first time your fangs came in, and they were not excited. They knew that this probably wasn't going to be the best experience ever

It had been painful. You'd changed your face by accident, even though David had told you time and time again not to change into your vampire face. But it'd happened. And WOW

You'd almost ripped your braces right off when your fangs had come in the first time. They'd completely moved the wire when your teeth had sharpened and gotten longer, and it had snapped. It'd been absolute hell, and you'd been a crying mess when it happened. The boys did the best they could to comfort you but- there really wasn't much they could do

David played mental tricks on you to numb the pain, but the problem was that the pain was consistent. Dwayne made you some hot tea, but that didn't help either. Marko cuddles you while Paul played your favorite albums on repeat, but nothing helped. You ended up making an appointment the next morning to get those suckers taken right off

They'd scraped up all their cash so you could, and your dentist was very confused as to why it was so necessary that you got them taken off. You couldn't really explain, but you felt a hell of a lot better knowing you'd never have to go through that shit again

When they were finally removed, you couldn't stop running your tongue over the smoothness of your teeth. The boys couldn't help it either *wink wink*

[tartagilicious]

domestic lucien headcanons

so a bitch got sad a few nights ago watching some edits on instagram, and for some reason, the idea of Lucien moving on with someone apart from the MC hit me as well so oof. I thought I’d make this to make me feel better. (I know that’s literally impossible considering his character but it’s still a very angsty concept)

this post contains spoilers!

-  I’m not gonna try to figure out the circumstances, because oh boy that’d be complicated, but let’s just say that Lucien somehow ends up moving into the mc’s apartment when they’re in an established and *obviously* consensual relationship

- a little redecorating is absolutely necessary to her, because though Lucien really could care less about the atmosphere she already has( and loves it, even) she wants to do the nice thing

- after a while, with the toning down and introduction of more neutral and lucien-like colours, it’s obvious that he’s finally there and she loves it

- little parts of him are littered throughout her apartment. his scent lingers on the pillows on her couch. his big plain white coffee mug sits next to her fox shaped one in the kitchen cabinet. his shoes sit next to hers by the door. 

- you casually slide snacks towards him when he’s working and he teases you for it, but always takes it and makes sure you’re watching when he eats it 

- “are you worried about me, silly girl?”

- “…be quiet and eat the fruit, lucien.”

- this man can cook. very well, actually, even with how much he was on the move due to black swan. and now, he definitely will! because he actually can. 

- imagine them cooking dinner together 🥺 and then dancing and singing together to some love song she puts on 🥺 using wooden spoons as microphones 🥺 and just grinning from ear to ear while the food overheats on the stove and they have to order takeout instead 🥺

- uwu

- ahem anyway.

- tons of comfortable silence. she’s writing some plans for her newest proposal on the kitchen island, and he’s reading a book on the couch. he’s finishing research papers and she’s baking cookies for them to eat while watching a movie later. the list goes on. 

- they adopt a cat together!! this is a must, trust me. he lets her name it, and it’s something adorable and fitting. 

- now that they’re in a relationship, he holds back even less when it comes to flirting and/or teasing, especially when they’re out in public. he still loves seeing her flustered, that hasn’t changed. 

- but he’s so sweet when they’re alone. I mean, think about it, he’s always had to hold back because of his position in black swan, but now? free reign to say whatever tf he pleases. 

- him sitting on the couch with her straddling his lap, and her arms wrapped around his neck while her head is resting lightly on his shoulder as he just whispers all the things he loves about her into her ear.

- “I love you more and more each day.”

- before, he was constantly on edge. he was barely ever in his own apartment, always working, doing shady shit, etc, and he could basically just never fully relax. well, with her, he can. he knows he’s not going anywhere, and if anyone tries to get him to leave, they’ll have to force him.

- being with her is like a safe haven. he can be himself. not ‘lucien’ and not ‘ares’, but the person he wants to be, which might be a tepid mix of both, but that’s okay. because she is still unabashedly in love with him no matter how he chooses to projects himself

- bottom line though, you bet he treats her well. oh my god. he’s been used his entire life, but now he has someone that he’s in love with, and he wants to give her the world. He couldn’t help it, even if getting close to her was a ploy at first. she’s clumsy, a bit air-headed, and tends to freeze when under stress, but she’s also determined, kind, and she cared for him when no one else would. she was always his first supporter even when, unbeknownst to her, he never meant to get close to her. 

- but he doesn’t regret it. every day, waking up and seeing her face is a blessing. 

[butterbuni]

♥ Chapter 5 ~ Recommendation Entrance Exam P1 ♥

Previous Chapter

"You will have 30 minutes to prepare for your written exam, you may converse and study with one another but there will be no conversations during the test. You may start." Cementoss said leaving the stage. I couldn't stop smiling. I am actually here about to take the exam.

I couldn't help smiling like an idiot. I looked around the auditorium, there were so many more people than I expected. At least a 50 by the looks of it.

God this is nerve-racking. I reached into my backpack pulling out the study guide Star made for me. I have to remember to thank him till the end of time. I wonder how he is doing in his exam. Probably acing it like a pro. I hung my head down in defeat. Why is school so hard? I can ace almost anything else but for things like math or chemistry, my mind just stops working.

"Hello" I looked up towards the voice. It was a rather tall girl with beautiful black hair tied up into a ponytail. I gave her a small smile and said "Hello I'm L/N Y/N but please call me Y/N I'm not a fan of formalities" "I am Yaoyorozu Momo, I noticed you were looking quite upset. May I ask why?" She sounded genuinely concerned, she seems so nice. "I just don't feel prepared for this test I feel like I'm going to fail. I am more of a hands-on person rather than a thinker and it just ugghhh" I placed my head on my unopened study guide.

"Maybe I can help you study we still have 25 minutes before the test starts and I could use a study buddy for the time being." I perked my head up to her smiling face. Wow, she's pretty. My brain fart disappeared as I realized what she said. My head straightened a huge smile was plastered on my face "Really you would help me!" "shhhhhhhhhhhh!" A guy behind me who looked like a skeleton with hair. "Sorry I will be quieter" God this is so awkward where is Star when you need him.

"I would love for you to help me it would mean a lot. thank you." She sat down next to me and pulled out her own study guide it was much thicker than mine. She really came prepared. I decided to just scrap my study guide and we went over stuff in hers.

~Shoto's POV~

"Really you would help me!" I looked up from my book to see who was yelling at this time. It's that girl from earlier. She's so unprofessional I thought she would be with the other kids in the regular entrance exam. She obviously doesn't do well in school so why is she even here? I need to focus on this test. I looked back down at my guide. If I want to become a hero I need to pass.

~Back to Y/N~

She makes the work sound so easy way better than Star. If he meets her, I'm pretty sure he will try and challenge her to an intelligence match. I am so glad I met her before the test. Maybe we both get in and see each other in school.

There was a ring indicating that the study session was over. Cementoss came back to the stage as the whole auditorium got quiet. "Everyone please move so there are three seats separating you from other testers." "Good luck Y/N you worked hard so you will be able to pass," Momo said as she moved three seats away. I waved her goodbye and told her good luck as well.

Once everyone was situated, cement blocks rose in front of our tables with the test and a calculator. Cementoss continued to talk. "Once you hear the bell you will begin. You will have 2 hours to complete your exam. Once you are finished with your exam you will place it back on the cement and you may go to the break room. There you will receive a number and you may do any necessary preparations for your practical exam. Remember there will be absolutely no cheating. If you are caught cheating, you will be escorted out of school and you will never be able to retake the exam and you can say goodbye to ever being admitted to UA academy. Good luck." As he left the stage there was another bell indicating the test had begun. I picked up my pencil and opened the packet.

The net effect of photosynthesis, chemically, is reduction, leading to the formation of simple carbohydrates and accompanied by a release of oxygen. True or False.

Oh boy.

__________________

Finally, I'm done with the test. Momo already left. I wonder how she did. She most likely passed she's very smart. I picked up my bag and left the auditorium. There was a sign outside pointing towards the break room. I should probably change first. I did a quick turn and headed for the nearest bathroom. "Oof". Oh jeez. I looked up to face the back of a guy. He had crimson red and white hair split evenly down the center. He was on the taller side but other than that nothing special till he turned around and faced me. My mouth gaped open. He had beautiful different colored eyes and a huge scar over one of them, which was very odd.

"It's rude to stare." He scoffed down at me. I will just ignore that scoff since it was my fault. "Oh sorry, it was an acci..de..nt. You are Endeavor's son! I recognize that blue eye anywhere. My brother is practically obsessed with your family. Though that scar of yours isn't on pictures I've seen," I said in an attempt to break the ice.

He looked at me with absolute hatred in his eyes. Dang, I didn't know bumping into someone will automatically make me hated. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned his scar. "Excuse me I need to be going." I moved out of the way allowing him to pass. As he left, I shouted, "Sorry for bumping into you, it was purely an accident. There is no need to look at me like that!" and ran into the bathroom to change. Such a quiet guy very different from the stories Kean says about Endeavor. I opened my backpack and pulled out my workout clothes. I quickly put them on. It was just some high waisted leggings and a white crop top. Perfect for optimum power use. I slipped on my shoes and grabbed my backpack. Hopefully, I'm not too late I still need some food in my system.

I got to the room where everyone else was and it was pretty full already. I looked around trying to find Momo so at least I will have somebody to talk to. "Ehehm." I looked around for the voice, but I didn't see anyone talking to me. "Down here, dearie." I looked down to see a small elderly woman. My smile grew so wide. "Recovery Girl! Oh, it's so nice to meet you. My mom talks about you all the time. I knew you were going to be at UA as a teacher, but I didn't think I would meet you today at the exam. Oh, this is so exciting. Can I have your autograph?" I gushed out in excitement. "One thing at a time dear. Here is your number it should always be visible at all times till you leave." "Yes ma'am," I said taking the number and putting it on my shirt.

"You must be M/N's daughter. You share the same energetic curious aura that she does. Plus, those ears are hard to forget." She chuckled light-heartedly. I sheepishly laughed. Oh, I wish she won't talk about my ears. "If it's an autograph you want here." She motioned me to come down to her level. I stooped down as she wrote her name on my number paper. "Thank you so much!" "Now now dearie you have a practical exam to get ready for and I have numbers to pass out. Good luck." I waved goodbye.

I walked over to the food table. It was decked out with so much food. My mouth watered as I looked at it all. I could eat everything here in five seconds if I wanted to. "Looks good doesn't it." I heard Momo behind me. "Oh yeah it looks good, even better than good, it looks scrump-dilly-isous." She giggled at my choice of words.

We picked out some food and went to sit down and eat while we wait for the others to finish testing. "So, what's your quirk Momo," I said in between bites. "My quirk is creation. I have the ability to create any non-living material/object from my exposed skin by transforming the molecular structure of my fat cells." "Your quirk is just like my best friend's; he is in the regular entrance exam. Although he doesn't use fat cells but rather imagery using his neocortex. Though he can only use the item for 10 minutes before it disappears. Do your items disappear too?" "No, they are permanent after I create them. So, what's your quirk." "From what I've figured out I can control the elements. Air, fire, earth, and water; the usual but I can lose energy using it a lot. Though there is sub stuff I'm trying to figure out. That is why I am here at UA. Hopefully, they can help me 'reach my full potential' as my brother says." I said with quotation marks.

"Wow, your quirk is so powerful! No wonder you're in recommendations," she said with excitement. I sheepishly laughed, "It's actually not that powerful really. When I first started, I could barely lift a pebble without passing out. My brother says that any quirk can be powerful it all depends on the person and how they use it. Your quirk is awesome you can create anything you want and it's forever. If you wanted you could make so many clothes and video games!" I gushed. "T-That's against the rules! If I make anything I want with my quirk then the circulation of money will be disrupted. As a citizen of this nation, I must increase the flow of money in the economy." she said in an attempt to defend her obvious spending habits.

~Shoto's POV~

'Sorry for bumping into you, it was purely an accident. There is no need to look at me like that!' How did I look at her? I looked up to see the odd girl conversing with another student. She's so odd and weird. How can she be so loud and obnoxious with no regard for other peoples' study time so early in the morning? Not to mention she's dumb and could have used the study time. How in the world did she make it into recommendations. I'll find out as soon as I pass this stupid test. I need to prepare.

"Students we will be taking a bus to the testing site form two lines and board in an orderly fashion!" some random guy yelled into the room.

It's time.

~Y/N POV~

Finally, the fun part is about to begin. "C'mon Momo we got this. Let's go."

[lady-plantagenet]

What hasn’t already been said: The Spanish Princess 2

Episode 2: SOdden (or Sod ‘Em depending on your persuasion)

(Dont know how long I’ll be able to keep these puns up)

Catherine, like this woman, does not really fit into this era. But while this woman seems dropdead cool and at least looks the part, Catherine just...

To all those of you keen enough to have come back for another segment of ‘what hasn’t already been said: TSP’, as opposed to have just been scrolling when you see this - welcome back! (Scrollers you too <3)

To anyone who’s seeing this for the first time: what this is a list of observations, jokes, reactions and criticism which occur to me upon a rewatch. I wait every week until Saturday to do this so that I have had my fill of scrolling through the tag and aggregating what has already been said. I tried doing a whole spoof (here where I gave up 10% in) but tbh a) I don’t know the history well enough b) it’s more time consuming than I thought and c) this series is just not as funny or as crazy as TWQ, so it’s untenable. Having said that: This is not a hatepost. I’m not hatewatching this series and nitpicking on purpose but expressing my honest views and trying to find the good in it as well as the bad.

Without further ado...

First Scenes:

The baby cloth lifting into the ceiling of the chapel had nice ‘myth of the demon countess of Anjou (ancestress of the Plantagenets)’ vibes. I am 100% that was unintentional. I get this impression by the cringiness of the baby’s screams (what���s up with those sound effects? It sounded like a zipper).

Henry gives me such softboi vibes? It’s pleasing to me because it’s making me attracted to him as a viewer, but no good in convincing me this is Henry VIII.

I think Catherine’s exposition about how she feels is pretty ok actually, it’s fitting that she would feel anger.

CHARLES’ FATHER IS NOT MAXIMILIAN, IT’S PHILIP (or rather it was). ~~ A quick wiki search guyz, a quick wiki search. Ughh

Again with the whole everyone acting like Catherine is Queen. Can they cut it out? Also while we’re at it, what was Catherine’s attendance in councils even like?

The music was nice

Post Child announcement phase:

Oof I hate to say it but I lowkey wanted de la Pole back in this mother. Mainly because it would mean more Margaret Pole and by this point I am scared her storyline will fade in prominence now that there’s no longer a Yorkist subplot (showhorned as it was, it was the crowning glory of last season tied with Arthur x Catherine).

More x Maggie Pole and all of it over Seneca and learning :’). I already know this will be the best part of the episode.

‘We certainly know stoicism in our family’ ~ I guess she’s referring to Reggie? Because our boi Clarence was no poster boy for stoicism. Though could she be making an ironic reference to her father~?

Edmund de la Pole Debacle:

Well this convo at least passed the bechdel test.

Maggie and Edmund’s interactions here are touching. I know this plotline was rushed but I think it was just right to bring us back here for 5 min as a mournful throwback to the bygone era to which Maggie Pope belongs to and now continues to do so alone. It is emotionless and you can just feel how the York cause was hanging on by a tired old threat by that point.

Maggie Pole is becoming matronly now and I like this transition.

What bothers me about a lot of fans of Margaret Pole is that what they don’t realise is that she wasn’t all like ‘I want nothing to do with my family I’ll stay low and obscure’. While far more cautious than the likes of her ancestors, she did engage in land disputes with Henry VIII and was an outspoken supporter of Catherine and Catholic. Having her be a woman woth dubious loyalties towards the Tudors is accurate.

Scotland with Meg and Jammes:

LMFAO it’s like they read my mind when I spoke of how much I laughed when Meg was like ‘Alexander Steward you pig!1!!’ last episode.

Nice reference to Aulde Alliance

I like James.

Henry and Catherine on the balcony:

Was she commander of the forces? Was Howard appointed that? Regent she was, ok.

Charlotte Hope’s new hairstyles really suit her!

‘Will you please stop cursing’ agahsjdk ahah

No offence to women (of which I am one) but this comparison between childbirth and war is just... wrong. I know Starz think they are being smart but childbirth is far less impressive than winning or surviving a battle - comparing the two diminishes the bravery of soldiers. YET ,having said that, childbirth is necessary for our society whereas war is almost always futile and by comparing them, it wrongly represents violence as something inherently as natural to us as birth and continuing of civilisation. overall not a smart, respectful or accurate parrallel to make.

Meg and prep for invasion + Catherine in her weird armour:

So Margaret dreams that her husband is dead and bloody in her bed. Ughh show you neeed to get more creative. But I did like the whole ‘dreams are how our ancestors talk to us’ line from Angus Douglas.

Re: Meg in her beret... Why is Meg dressed like me going to the London shops in October? Digging the aesthetic but not sure about the accuracy.

Rich of Catherine to bring up Edmund.

Why is Ursula Pole crying??? What is all this to her really?

Did Howard just call the guard... sonny?? Is this some WW2 crossover?

Catherine - James and the tent parlay:

Did Catherine just insult Meg’s intelligence??

Also lmao I’m going to miss James.

Re: Howard saying ‘I’m not going to get insulted by a man wearing a dress’ .. UMMM Starz, you do know that just thirty years ago men were prancing about in dresses and leggings (essentially). From around the middle of the 14th century to the beggining of 16th century (if not earlier), Englishmen were also essentially prancing about in ‘skirts’.

Am I getting a weird cooperation-partnership vibe between Meg and James?

The Battle:

Charlotte Hope looks so good with the helmet, she’d really suit an english hood! Such a shame they won’t give her one!

Ewwww he’s eating mud, why?

Just standard battle scene. They are all the same to me no matter which movie.

Aftermath:

Jesus, I find the whole Meg crying over James IV so heartfelt ‘you arrogant bastard’ for some reason just came out so full of emotion. Can someone please explain why the hell I ship them more than Henry x Catherine?? Like how ??

Awwww Linna is sooooo adorable ughhh. Also this whole Catherine going into armour among all the women crooning over the children gives this adorable sense of Catherine boyish and bloodying herself out to protect their peace, idk. All I have to say is that these series is less eager to pitt women against each other than the previous. I think that’s a step forwards.

Also, good to see Catherine being modest about her victory so Henry can save face. Finally starting to seem like the real Catherine.

‘Go on you dog’ arghh ahah he sounds like some public school rugby lad egging his mate on.

Re: Wolsey cock-blocker; the real Catherine would know it was uncatholic to have sex when you were pregnant. Also Catherine is not technically speaking in confinement if she’s wandering about.

It’s nice to see Catherine sticking up for Howard, she at least learned to respect him during the battle.

I foresee Oviedo having enough of this Christian stuff and wanting to return to the berber domains (I suppose Spain is out of the question)

Knighting Ceremony:

Apparently Margaret Pole herself was made Countess of Salisbury during this same ceremony... right? @houseofclarence

Also Maggie Pole being like: “being a rebel is in my blood, or so they tell me”... gahhh what’s with these shows and the Clarence erasure? Can’t they make one bloody reference to her dad or grandad Warwick? Ugh. Especially with lines like this. Actually? You know what? Ignore my previous comment about the stoic remark and it being an ironic reference to Clarence. I put such subtlety above this show’s writers.

Catherine has a habit of going to the coldest places possible to lose her children...

Haha @ Henry asking Bessie Blount (of all people) where Catherine is.

Conclusion:

6/10

What I’m happiest about is that Flodden got dealt with in one episode because warrior xena Catherine is not what interests me most about this show. Having said that, it was a true shame that James IV died because his were some of the best scenes. This whole show is starting to feel so historical fantasy-ish because the aesthetics are so confused. Granted it’s still pretty (not eyesore like Reign) but it doesn’t penetrate.

I am as always invested in the Poles (and More) but am also starting to get attached to Princess Mary whose actress exudes plenty of charm. This show remains confused with its feminist message because while it shows women being proactive there is so much emphasis on babies that what remains with the mind after watching is this womanish birthdrama, as opposed to a show about struggles which affect both genders.

You might tut at me and say I’m being ridiculous and that it is historically accurate to put so much emphasis on women’s babies and I say that’s swell. I would happily watch a show where that element is strong (most pre 1995 historical dramas are like that with traditionally feminine characters and I gulp them up like sustenance), but if a show promises feminism and women-men being partners I want it to deliver that properly. As I said in my previous post, why do we keep trying to make women engage in acts like war as if such an abhorrent act is the only way to take them seriously? I await the day where cunning, rationality and cool-headedness will be the traits portrayed as feminist ones.

There is nothing else to really comment on... the only potentially deeper message in this is the gender discourse. I am unsure about the accuracy so I can’t speak of the historical value of the interpretation. But what I will say is that though I remain excited for each new episode... I’m just not as invested as I was in TWQ (rewatch every year dont @ me) or TWP despite their many flaws. Some characters pull me in eg Maggie Pole (Carmichael is a bae), Thomas More etc but not the whole cast like TWQ. Anyway... would be interesting to see if anything happens with Lina and Oviedo tommorow as their storyline is conspicuously slow.

[acanvasofabillionsuns]

fall out of in love with me

kudos to @emo-disaster for the original idea of a reverse love potion, and to @an-absolute-failure for betaing

Summary: Deceit decides to do something about his feelings for Virgil. Warnings: potions/dubiously edible things being eaten (it’s flowers); remus being his remus self; brief poison mention (no poisoning actually happens); multiple instances of people being called idiots/dumb, mostly self-referential Wordcount:  2070 (who even am i)

“Cool,” Virgil said, flashing Deceit a peace sign and half smirk as he walked off, and Dee’s cheeks had no right to be blushing so hard like that. He managed a nod and a strangled sound that Virgil hopefully didn’t hear, then scrunched up his face at himself. What a disaster.

“Are you trying to get your face stuck like that?” Remus asked, popping up beside him. Ze examined his expression for a moment before nodding. “It’s perfect. You look like a dead wombat.”

“I’m totally trying to get it stuck in one expression, Remus, because that can even happen.” Deceit rolled his eyes.

“Awww, okay,” ze said. Ze pouted for a moment before hoisting zir morning star over zir shoulder. “Well, it’s been too long since I’ve surprised my brother, so. Bye!”

Deceit waved as ze left, then turned back to thinking about Virgil. Or more accurately, his problem with Virgil.

If he kept malfunctioning whenever Virgil was around, simply because he liked him, that would be… inconvenient, to say the least. Counterproductive to doing what he needed to get done. He needed some way to get rid of these feelings, at least for a while.

Maybe… a creative side could help with that? Certainly with summoning something to help, if such a thing existed.

Roman liked romance too much to help with that though; he’d just push Deceit to confess his feelings to Virgil, which wouldn’t help him get rid of them and was entirely too nerve-wracking to think about. Remus, though… Remus would probably be delighted to help get rid of romantic feelings.

Mind made up, Deceit ventured down to Remus’s room an hour or two later; by then ze’d be back from messing with Roman. And by then Deceit had come up with a more solid idea for what he could do to try and erase his feelings for Virgil.

“A reverse love potion?” Remus asked, eyes glittering excitedly. “You’d rather hate ol’ Virgey than be in love with him? That’d certainly be interesting…”

“Not hate him,” Deceit corrected. “Fall out of love with him. The potion would make it so I only like him platonically.”

“That sounds fantastic,” Remus breathes. “And you need me to help conjure this up for you, right? I can totally do that!” Ze summoned a giant black cauldron, rusty and covered with dirt, and began summoning objects and dropping them in.

“Make sure everything is edible by normal human standards, Remus,” Deceit warned.

“I will! Don’t worry!” Remus called over zir shoulder, muttering to zirself, “Flowers are edible for most people, right? They’re, like, a delicacy in France or something, they’re totally edible, yeah.”

“I don’t want to eat flowers, Remus,” Deceit told zir.

“But they symbolize friendship! They’re a necessary ingredient!” Remus protested. “Plus, I’m 90% sure snakes really like flowers, so I don’t know why you’re complaining.”

“Maybe because you’re making this potion up as you go and we don’t even know if it’ll work, so if I don’t want flowers in it then you can replace them with something else?”

“Pretty please?” Remus begged.

Deceit rolled his eyes. “Fine. But that’s the only weird ingredient you get to add.”

“Oh, sure, sure.” Remus nodded. Ze subtly fished something out of the cauldron—or more accurately, what ze thought was subtle, which meant ze was completely obvious about it—and vanished it. Deceit squinted suspiciously, but Remus grinned widely and said nothing, so he didn’t comment.

By that evening, the potion was finished. Remus proudly presented a vial of it to Deceit, who took it and eyed it dubiously. It was the neon bright highlighter shade of faintly green-tinged yellow, but it smelled like some type of flower he couldn’t quite identify and Deceit didn’t think Remus would actually poison him. And he’d decided to try this, so he was going to try this.

He took a deep breath and downed the liquid before he could second-guess it. Immediately his head spun and he stumbled a few steps until Remus caught his arms and steadied him.

“Well?” Ze asked.

“Give it a minute, I just took it,” Deceit told zir, slurring his words slightly. He was still dizzy, even with Remus helping steady him. “Can we sit down?”

“Yeah! Yeah, yeah, hold on.” Remus waved zir hand. “Okay, you can just sit.” Deceit did, almost falling into a beanbag.

After a few minutes, the dizziness faded, and he slowly stood up.

“So? Did it work?” Remus asked, shoving zir face right up against Deceit’s. “I don’t see anything different.”

“How am I supposed to know? He’s not exactly here to prove it,” Deceit pointed out. Remus immediately conjured up a copy of Virgil, who smirked and leaned up in Deceit’s face.

“You wanna make out?” Copy Virgil asked lowly.

Deceit looked deadpan at Remus. “Virgil would never ask that. You have met him, right?”

Remus threw zir hands up and vanished the copy. “I don’t know romance stuff, okay! I’m just trying to help, tar and feather me and dip me into a live volcano.”

“Tar and feather you?” Deceit repeated. “What?”

“Like ‘sue me’? I improved it.”

“That’s… okay, whatever.”

“Anyway, do you think the potion worked?” Remus asked eagerly.

“I suppose.” As ridiculous as the copy of Virgil had been, it usually would’ve given Deceit that fluttery feeling in his chest, and it hadn’t. And thinking about the real Virgil also didn’t stir up the butterflies in his stomach like it would’ve 10 minutes before, before he took the potion. “Thank you for your help, Remus.”

“No problem, buddy!” Remus grinned a bit too widely.

“Never call me that again.”

“Okay, buddy!”

Deceit scoffed and left the room.

As he made his way back to his room, he considered the potion. He was pleased that it worked, of course, but he didn’t fancy repeating the vertigo any time soon, and they didn’t know how long the effects of the potion would last. Maybe in another 10 minutes or so the effects would wear off, and if that was the case it would be impractical to take it often enough to cancel out his feelings for Virgil.

And there was the fact that he... didn’t exactly mind being attracted to Virgil, most of the time. They were… a little bit fun, these feelings, when they weren’t inconveniencing him. So maybe he’d be better off not taking the potion again? He wasn’t sure.

Good thing he had time to think on it and come to a decision regarding the potion.

Deceit turned the corner, letting a smile play along his lips, and spotted Virgil. Standing outside his door, fidgeting with his jacket and looking nervous about something. He looked up and saw Deceit.

“Dee! Hi! I, uh, I had something I wanted to tell you.”

“Oh?” Deceit raised an eyebrow, shoving down the sinking suspicion that he knew exactly what Virgil wanted to tell him. “Do tell.”

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

Virgil took a deep breath. He could do this! He just… had to… tell Deceit about his crush on him… but he could do this!

“I, um, I like you. Romantically, that is, not just as a friend, though I like you as a friend too! And it’s okay if you don’t like me back, I understand, I just had to tell you, please don’t feel pressured to fake feelings for me or agree to be my boyfriend out of pity or something Ipromiseit’salrightifyoudon’tlikemelikethat.”

He winced, partially at the babbling and partially in anticipation for a response. When one didn’t come after a few long, nerve-wracking moments, he looked over at Deceit.

He was looking at him awkwardly, giving him a smile that looked decidedly fixed. So… he didn’t like Virgil back, then. He’d expected this. It still hurt.

Virgil fakes a smile. “Alright, then. I understand; you don’t have to say it.”

He walks past Deceit, trying not to cry as he makes his way to the privacy of his room.

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

Deceit was officially the biggest idiot ever.

“Remus!” He burst into zir room and flopped onto zir bed. “I’m an idiot.”

“What’ve you done in the five minutes you were gone?” Remus asked. “Not that I’m refuting your idiot status.”

“Virgil confessed his romantic feelings for me and I froze up, because how was I supposed to explain that I’d just taken a reverse love potion so I could stop being so in love with him for 10 minutes, and he happened to catch me while it’s still in effect so I don’t actually like him romantically right now even though I normally would? Except I paused for too long and now he thinks I was trying to figure out how to reject him nicely or something and I’ve really screwed everything up, haven’t I?”

Remus burst into laughter.

“Rude!” Deceit sat up, snatching a pillow and whacking zir with it. “I’m having a crisis here; have some sympathy! Oof.” Deceit flopped back down as his head both spun and started throbbing. “Well, this potion officially sucks.”

After a minute the dizziness faded, though his head still hurt pretty bad.

“Oh my gosh, I’m such an idiot,” Deceit repeated as the full horror of the situation hit him. “What if that was my one chance and now I’ve screwed it up?”

Remus finally calmed down from laughing and grabbed Deceit’s arm, hauling him up from the bed. “Come on.”

“Remus! I’ve still got a headache, you didn’t have to pull me up so hard! And where are we going?” Ze ignored him and dragged him over to Virgil’s room. “Oh my gosh, Remus, no, he probably hates me now—” Deceit cut off his complaints as Virgil opened his door.

Before Virgil could say anything, Remus said, “Hey! Dee over here is a dumdum and has such a big gay crush on you that he came to me and asked for me to make him a reverse love potion so he wouldn’t be head over heels for you for a bit, and you happened to catch him right after he took it, which is why he took so long to respond to your confession. Don’t worry, though! It’s all out of his system now, so when he tells you that he has a big gay crush on you and apologizes for making you think otherwise—which you will be doing, Dee, since you’re the one who had the idea and asked me to help you, which got you in this mess in the first place—then he really means it from the bottom of his big gay heart!”

“Did you have to phrase it like that?” Deceit hissed at zir, but ze just grinned, shoved him at Virgil, and skipped off.

Deceit turned back to Virgil, who looked at him tiredly and a little warily. His eyeshadow was smudged; had he been crying? Had he made Virgil cry? He didn’t think he could do this…

But Virgil was still looking at him expectantly, so instead of running away like he was vaguely considering, Deceit blurted out, “I’m really sorry!”

“It’s ok—” Virgil started.

“No, it’s really not,” Deceit protested, shaking his head. “I should’ve said something instead of just staring at you; I really do like you, a lot, and I should’ve told you that instead of letting you assume otherwise.”

“...Really?”

Deceit huffed out a laugh and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Remus can tell you about it, if you want; we actually made a reverse love potion because I like you so much. It was still wearing off when you confessed to me, which is why I hesitated—though I still should’ve said something.”

“Yeah, that was kind of a jerk move.”

“A major jerk move.”

“Yeah,” Virgil agreed. “But you… made a potion to stop liking me?”

“It was an idiotic thing to do. And it’s worn off now, anyway, so it’s not a very effective potion,” Deceit told him. “I made a stupid choice deciding to make it, and a stupider choice deciding to drink it, and I regret it.”

“Okay,” Virgil said slowly, and nodded. “So… what does this mean?”

“Mean?”

“Like… between us.”

“It means that, if you’ll still have me, I’d be honored to be in a romantic relationship with you, Virgil.” Deceit told him.

“I’d like that,” Virgil said, twining their hands together. “Boyfriends?”

Deceit held up their joined hands and smiled at him. “Boyfriends.”

[kemonododo]

Decided to rewatch the whole series after seeing the finale, here's my thoughts as they come along part 3

There was an old He-man reboot that was cancelled after two seasons, season 3 was being set up as the horde conquering Eternia with He-man and his kingdom being forced into hiding as rebels. Apparently She-Ra would also appear, though knowing that show she'd be lucky to be 1/4th as interesting or engaging as our Adora. I'm saying this because, even though that cartoon was cancelled before it could finish it's story, we were lucky enough to see ours to it's end and in a way that story they wanted to tell exists here with us now. Plus I always disliked that they called themselves "The Rebellion" when they weren't really rebelling against anything, but they are now!

Poor Adora, even after all this time she still has that hero complex eating away at her, telling her she's useless unless she's serving others.

Entrapta's ramblings about space this season are very relatable.

Catra's face when she sees Glimmer be manipulated, you can see so much behind her eyes. Fear for her standing, flashbacks to her own manipulation, shock at how unprepared Glimmer is for this. Love how Horde Prime sees right through her afterwards, she has no power over him.

Poor Entrapta, she hasn't been with the other princesses since season 1, they're opinion of her has been soured by her betrayal and appearance to not care. We know she loves her friends and is trying her best, but the wound is still sore.

Horde Prime using Glimmer's dad as a bargaining chip is extra horrible when you remember that this is when she discovers he's alive.

It's great that the show takes a moment to allow Adora to come to grips with no longer having a clear destiny she can follow. She's so used to being told what to do, this is the first time she's truly making her own decisions. Agency that Shadow Weaver begins to take away from her later.

I love Catra's internal struggles in these first few episodes. She's trying to do what she's been doing, working her way up the ladder, but she can't. Not anymore. Her heart isn't in it, she knows this isn't what she wants, she's just going through the motions. Spending time with Glimmer is the only thing she enjoys, she finally slows down for a moment to just enjoy someone's company and really bond. Her turn to good isn't a 180, we see her mind working and how she comes to the decision of sacrificing herself. Seeing that Horde Prime is a complete psychopath helped of course.

I love how Horde Prime's ship has star themed beds.

I don't know how they did it, but they made Hordak recognizable among the other clones. It's like twins, once you get to know them the difference is obvious. You can look at a clone and see he's Hordak, yet he looks identical to the others. It's remarkable.

These flashbacks Catra has, wandering the empty corridors that her decisions have left her in, it's a testimony to how far she's come that they don't reaffirm Adora's betrayal to her anymore. She wants to absolve herself of her sins, and she decides a sacrifice is the best way. She wants to go out on one good grace, redemption by death, but that action and her apology is what makes Adora sure she still has good in her. Catra has shown she is willing to be good, and that alone is enough for Adora to give her another chance.

This is the first time the best friend squad has been together since Glimmer pulled the queen card, a lot of the wounds are still fresh. I definitely think this is the point Bow and her truly realize they love each other, they probably had a schoolyard crush but the realization of where they are without each other and how much they mean to each other, something really deep sparked here.

The Star Siblings are here to show what life under Prime is like, but also as a quick show of the Rebellion's message expanding. That's a little underdeveloped though, which is mostly a product of time.

Adora's little "she's not my friend" bit is adorable but a bit out of place imo, Adora hasn't really been this outwardly lovestruck over Catra before, and while Adora has decided to give her another chance I don't think that reignition of love would have happened yet.

The thought that Entrapta went out to find that LUVD crystal to bring with her in the slightest hope she would find Hordak and that he would recognize it. Plus the noises she makes and the fact she immediately adopts Wrong Hordak and that we get to see her without her mask, ah she is so cute!

Hive Mind Catra is terrifying and tragic, it feels so violating. He talks about how she wanted Adora to save her, how afraid she was when she was assimilated. We see that numbness and how it would seem appealing to her, but under the cracks Catra is still suffering, and Adora promises to bring her back, tells her how much she cares about her, transforms into She-Ra to save her. And finally, they are together again.

I love Adora constantly checking on Catra, this is the first time in years she has been with her, she just wants to be with her. Catra starts falling back into her old ways though, that anger still persistent, and Adora's honeymoon phase is over already and for a second we're all afraid nothing has changed. You can see Catra doesn't want to make that mistake again, and she finally lets Adora help her, and likewise Adora finally steps back and lets Catra help her too. They've both grown so much, and that growth is what allows their relationship to blossom.

It's great that Spinnerella and Netossa get their time to shine this season. Their arc here parallels Catra and Adora's earlier, and I would say it's unfortunate they have to go through this, but I love the angst.

Double Trouble! Back for a five minute appearance where they admittedly don't do much, but hey they're fun to watch and have some great lines so it's worth it.

Catra in a healthy relationship, with friends that don't fear her and people she sees as equals. People she can just joke around with and be teased by. You love to see it.

Melog is a pretty important addition, as he gives Catra someone that she can fully trust without the baggage from before. He's literally her therapy support pet, and he's the one that stops her from running away again.

Shadow Weaver's little speech here is great, she's been told that the First One's made the magic stronger when they did the exact opposite. It's a commentary on colonialism, "we brought you civilization, our conquest was good actually" is a very common lie.

Catra holding Adora's hand, Glitra kiss, Best Friend Squad hug, Catra's smirk when Adora says she's right. You love to see it.

I love how Noelle made a self-insert character and also decided she should be evil. "So the only person I'm fighting here is... My own wife" is a mega ouch.

I love Wrong Hordak so much, he not only shows how the Horde Clones are just regular people without the influence of Prime but he is also ridiculously cute.

Did I mention how much I love the new She-Ra look? I liked the old one but damn this blows it out of the park.

I will admit the Heart having a failsafe a d Mara having a rebellion of her own is a bit out of nowhere, but it was a nice reveal of the origin of Grayskull.

I'm a huge sucker for friendship saving the day messages I admit. Not the rainbow lazer kind, but that love and kindness reaching through Prime's control is beautiful. Plus it's wonderful for Catra to see what real friendship is like.

This is a great little moment with Castaspella and Glimmer, this is the first time they've seen Micah since his death.

I love Shadow Weaver so much, she sees Adora and immediately shifts into child manipulation mode. This is the first time I'm actually getting pissed at her though, obviously because she's starting to drive her chisel between Catradora but also because she's reversing all the development Adora has had up until this point.

Hordak: "Go, then maybe these memories and imperfections will leave me " Entrapta: "Remember, your imperfections are beautiful!" The fuck I'm crying in the club again.

I love this Catradora moment, "what do you want Adora" "I have to do this". Obviously their relationship isn't going to be easy after all these years, and both these girl's flaws and insecurities are flaring up again and driving each other apart.

Adora tells off Shadow Weaver for good, she ruins people. This is a huge moment for this character, SW has convinced herself she is the good guy and that she is making the necessary actions to save the world, but this is the one moment she really looks back at herself.

"Adora chose Shadow Weaver, not me. Adora doesn't want me, not like I want her" oof ouch my soul. That with Adora's memories, it's clear they can't just go back to the way it was anymore. They're love is too important to them now.

My headcanon is that Shadow Weaver is drunk here. She's slurring, she's drinking, her daughter is going to sacrifice herself. Maybe her decision to die was one she made totally wasted lol.

Catra promised Adora she'd look out for her, and the soft version of the promise song in the background. Ow ow ow ow my heart.

Glimbow canon!

Mara is here, telling Adora the same thing Razz told her in the 3rd episode of the entire show. Stop looking for what other people tell you to do, you have a choice.

Spinnetossa, Seamista, Entrapdak. It's cliche, but love conquers all is a message I'll never tire from.

I started tearing up with the Glimmer Micah fight, and full on sobbing when Angella appeared. Something that didn't really stop.

I was mixed on SW's sacrifice, but I think it works. Each of them were trying to take the selfish way out, to die for the ones they love. So it's fitting that SW is the one that does it.

Fuck yeah Hordak! What a monumentous but short lived moment.

CATRADORA!!! God, the confession, how Catra whispers it but how Adora hears it as a scream, how it wasn't Catra that made Adora weak but infact the exact opposite, how they're both so surprised and relieved that these feelings they've felt for years are real and strong and true and reciprocated. It's the best conclusion possible for them and it makes me cry so much.

This beautiful moment, where Adora saves Hordak, the ultimate repayal for him saving her all those years ago. He remembers her. Fuck I'm sobbing again.

Scorpia sees Catra again after leaving her, and of course she hugs her.

And it's over. The best show ever made. Netflix automatically resets your watch history and here I am looking at the button to play Season 1 Episode 1 again. This 1 and a half year journey feels like a millenia, it feels so long ago that Adora first picked up that sword. This is a show I will cherish forever, I can see myself binge watching in the retirement home already.

[daffietjuh]

I just read through that prompt/tropes list! 😍 44. I’m your new neighbour and I got locked out, help! Kylex? Pretty please? 🥰

Thank you so much B! I had a blast with this one!

Alex was really fucking exhausted. He’d had a long day and all he really wanted to do was have a cold beer, maybe some of the pasta he had left over in the fridge and crash. That’s absolutely why he didn’t notice the guy standing in the hallway of his apartment building before he spoke up.

‘Uh, hey.’ Alex startled. He blinked, trying to get his eyes to focus. Standing at the door of apartment 4E was an unfamiliar guy. A hot, unfamiliar guy.

‘Hey.’ Alex said, not meaning for it to come out as suspicious as it did.

‘Sorry man, I’m Kyle, I just moved in next door?’ Kyle said with a disarming smile. He held out a hand for Alex which he took with only a little hesitation.

‘Oh, right. I’m Alex.’ He introduced, trying not to stare at Kyle’s jawline. Someone had to have cut themselves on that at some point, right? ‘4D.’ He pointed at the front door of his place and then flinched at himself. Wow, awesome.

‘Cool. Hey, so, uh-‘ Kyle awkwardly rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. ‘I may have forgotten my keys this morning and the only spare keys I have are with my best friend Jenna, but she is in LA and isn’t coming back until tomorrow, so, uh, do you have any ideas?’ Oh okay.

‘Well, you don’t happen to know how to pick locks or anything like that?’ Alex asked and Kyle shook his head. ‘Well, is your balcony door unlocked?’ Kyle shook his head again, but this time with a questioning tilt to his head. ‘You can hop from one balcony to the other.’ Alex explained with a shrug.

‘Well, I wasn’t hellbent on keeping it locked before, but now I definitely will.’ Kyle made a face. ‘The guy from 4F creeps me out.’

‘Oh, Wyatt? Yeah, he freaks everyone out.’ Alex agreed, finally unlocking his actual door. He didn’t really have a plan yet, but the beers in his hand were getting heavy. ‘You can come in while we figure something out.’ Alex lifted the beers up a little. ‘I’ve got beer.’

‘Oh, awesome, thanks dude.’ Alex nearly flinched at being called dude. He hadn’t been called that in a while and he hadn’t missed it. Alex closed the door behind Kyle and tried not to be embarrassed by the sparse decoration in his apartment. He hadn’t exactly been raised in a warm and fuzzy home and this place was really just to sleep, shower and eat, not much more.

‘Make yourself at home.’ Alex managed.

‘How long have you lived here?’

‘About two years.’

‘Oh.’ Yeah, it probably looked more like he’d lived there for two months.

‘I’m not much of an interior decorator.’ Alex said as he shoved all of the beers in the fridge. He took out two that were already cold and took them over to where Kyle had sat down on the couch. ‘There you go.’ He handed Kyle the bottle, trying not to stare at his hands. They were nice hands.

‘Thank you.’ Kyle accepted the bottle, raising it to Alex in an uncomfortable half-salute. ‘So, um, what do you do?’ Kyle may as well have asked about the weather. Alex made himself take a drink from his beer before he answered.

‘I’m in cyber security.’ He didn’t immediately specify that the company he worked for had government contracts. He didn’t like to divulge that during a first meeting. People got funny about that sometimes. ‘You?’

‘Oh, I’m a doctor, just finished my residency.’

‘Cool.’ Alex said honestly. Fuck he was a doctor and he was hot, this guy was totally going to be taken (and probably straight) wasn’t he? ‘Do you have a specialty or something?’

‘Surgeon.’

‘That’s pretty cool.’ Alex said lamely. Jesus when did he go back to being fifteen? Just change the subject. ‘So, uh, about the whole key thing, I really have no ideas to be honest.’ He took another drag from his bottle, Kyle’s eyes lingered on his mouth. Huh, maybe not quite straight after all?

‘Shit. I’m just going to have to get a hotel or something.’ Kyle said, his face pulling into something annoyed.

‘Or you could sleep on my couch.’ Alex offered before he had a chance to stop himself. He wanted to swallow the words immediately at the way Kyle’s eyebrows climbed towards his hairline. ‘If you wanna- I mean, you don’t have to-‘

‘I could be a serial killer.’ Kyle interrupted what was about to be a truly embarrassing ramble. ‘You barely know anything about me.’

‘Well, first of all, I don’t think serial killers generally warn their victims. Second of all, I know where you live, that your name is Kyle and that you’re a doctor. Thirdly, I was in the Air Force for five years. I could kick your ass.’ He didn’t miss Kyle’s appraising look.

‘Okay.’ He said after a short pause. ‘Alright, thanks. I really appreciate it.’

‘Sure thing.’ Alex said, forcing himself to sound casual.

So they ate Alex’s left over pasta, drank his beers and watched some weird movie about aliens until Alex had to stifle his third yawn in under a minute. They decided to just call it a night. Alex offered Kyle the extra toothbrush he kept under the sink and tried very hard not to stare as Kyle stretched his arms over his head before settling on the couch.

Alex didn’t sleep too great, the presence of someone else in his place made him feel on guard, even if he was 95% sure Kyle wouldn’t try anything.

Come morning, he found Kyle poking at his coffee machine, blinking blearily.

‘You should press the “on” button first.’ Alex offered and Kyle jumped a little.

‘Oh, hey. Morning.’ Kyle said, his voice low and scratchy. Oof.

‘Morning.’ Alex said, leaning past Kyle to press the button to get the machine to wake up. It came to life with a soft whirring noise.

‘Hey, so I was thinking, right,’ Kyle said, back to the slight nervous energy he’d had last night. ‘you should let me buy you dinner. To pay you back. For this.’ Kyle flinched. A few years ago, Alex would have tried to resist, told him it wasn’t necessary, but to be honest, Kyle was attractive and seemed like a nice guy and Alex didn’t go out much so-

‘Alright.’

‘Yeah?’

‘Sure.’ Alex agreed easily.

[kalira]

CATS movie thoughts~

(post mirrored from Pillowfort here)

I went to see the new CATS movie with @mad-madam-m yesterday (we've been planning this since the first trailer dropped) and it was actually a) better than I expected, and b) enjoyable, which was a nice surprise! (I expected us to enjoy it because it was entertainingly bad, honestly.)

I've loved CATS since I saw the Broadway version as a kid, and listened repeatedly (incessantly) to the soundtrack thereof back then - and at times even these days - and was delighted to see a production of it when it came to our city when I was small.

The movie left me with 2-3 major issues and a handful of quibbles. . . I have not organised them at all, but here are my thoughts.

. . .which I am putting under a cut because I had a lot more to say than I thought, apparently.

I am not surprised they did an outsider character to be an audience surrogate, but *SIGH*

Also . . . Victoria? Whose characterisation in the stage show is 'excellent ballerina'?

I know that's why they chose her, they could fill her in as they chose, but it was weird to have a cat who left almost no impression in the stage show as the 'main character'

Okay I admittedly missed that they apparently folded in Jemima/Sillabub to her as well, but that really doesn't make me feel any better

Did we have to have the incredibly forced romantical feeling type focus?

Not to mention we had some oddness towards that with Munkustrap initially

Then there was Misto falling tail over paws - because he bumbles through everything - at her

Then the oddness of the Munjojerrie and Rumpelteazer song which was probably not supposed to added the both of them to that list, if more briefly

Holy heckies adding a new song for the new central character was not a bad idea but literally anywhere else in the goddamn movie, and not spinning off of Memory oh my lord all the no it was so cringe

Look you cannot build off of Memory as 'but I have it worse than you so feel better'

Who has it worse is never a good game to play at all, playing it here was so cringey

'What's a Jellicle?'

Okay I know, audience surrogate, but oof

Actually let me skip back - the CGI did not bother me that much and it's like 99% of the ranting I have seen about this since the very first trailer. It never bothered me that much.

The cats were made a bit more plain; that bothered me.

Let them have ruffs, especially the toms, wtf did you remove those for it looks a) weird, and b) wrong for cats

However the show really can only be played by humanoid cats, I think, or it . . . look, the production wouldn't work with more catlike cats

The addition of dialogue stringing together the songs and adding more plot elements and freedom to work with them was really not an issue in my opinion

It strung together the slightly expanded plot in a way it really needed

It wasn't that jarring or awkward, to me

Misto, oh baby, why oh why did they do that to you~

Mister Mistoffeelees, who is an aloof, confident, and incredibly skilled magician in the stage show is made into a nervously fumbling barely-past-kitten who fails at almost every bit of magic he attempts (and falls and trips rather a lot as well, when he's a brilliantly graceful dancer in the stage show)

It was painful, oh sweetie

I can guess part of why they did it, but it was not well done and I don't think it was necessary

Misto's magic was painful; not because it was painful itself but because he was so bad at it, and everyone expected him to fail every time he tried

Misto using his magic for Gus' song, for dramatic effect? I thought it was really great and also really sweet

Actually Misto being so starry-eyed at Gus was adorable all around

That could have been put in even with Misto being his confident stage self, in fact it could have been super cute to have him be composed and confident and then go to an overexcited kitten with Gus in front of him

The absence of the Conjuring Turn was so sad, it is a star point of Misto

Look I'm not a fan of the 'awkward bumbling male finds his confidence because of the unwavering (with no reason) faith of the new female love interest' trope in general, having it wedged in here suddenly did not make me like it any more

Upon the note of Misto, the rescue of Deuteronomy . . . was very badly timed on the beats, and badly done (I felt) when it finally happened.

I didn't expect her to show up when Misto first tried

I semi-expected the second time, but okay

When she didn't show up the third time it stopped being any kind of suspense - especially since, let's be real, the plot is not really a huge mystery - and became 'okay so . . . what are we doing instead now?'

And then the fourth try, when she did appear, it was done very anticlimactically

Deuteronomy being female didn't really bother me but it left me a bit eh

Judi Dench is awesome, but Deuteronomy not really singing is weird

Also, let Judi Dench's Deuteronomy have been implied to have had 9 - or 99 - wives you cowards

. . .plus that line being altered to be another repeat of 'Old Deuteronomy's had many lives, some may say ninety-nine' . . . it was awkward/clunky and felt over repetitious

Jennyanydots . . . oof, poor hon

Jennyanydots is a mature and above all sweetly sincere queen in the stage show

She honestly wants to better the mice and the cockroaches, and it's a bit silly perhaps, but she is determined to do it - and does

And the other cats respect her and, more, they genuinely care very much for her it seems

And she's earnest

I expected her to be played more for comedy given who was cast to play her, but the extent of it felt not great, to be honest, even before the other cats began to feel like they were mocking her a bit

Not to mention - the joke about the mice being dinner and a show I could let pass despite being very different from Jennyanydots as she originally was, but actually eating cockroaches as it went was a bit too far

As I told M when we were discussing the movie after the showing, it was like, I was rolling with it, and then they rolled too far

Also on that note? The CGI mice were a bit o.O - when the CGI cockroaches started marching my thought was actually 'oh, this won't feature in my nightmares at all'

They won't actually but they were kind of horrifying

I did like the cats watching with that alert, slightly twitchy focus of a cat seeing a small moving creature

The traditional costume change looked . . . weirder and creepier with the CGI than costume work

Bustopher Jones went from a dignified figure to a ridiculous one

It was again rather terrible to watch, wince-worthy

Prancing through the rubbish bins and splatting through things instead of his usual stage show refinement and rather snobbishness? Oof

Bustopher has always been respected, even specifically so because of his size, making his weight a joke and/or something he's 'extra sensitive' about was . . . so unnecessary

The Rum Tum Tugger has always been my favourite, since I was a wee tiny Kalira

. . .he was blessedly not so bad as I feared - and even went back closer to the rocker cat (complete with flirtatious tease nature) than the rap adaptation I have heard of and been continually ohgodwhy no at

However, why did they discard the few details of his character that are not a self-important flirt?

He's not even focused at that - in the stage show I am accustomed to he is very much a determined performer, basking in being adored

he was a bit 'oo shiny' and kept ignoring his adoring audience in the movie?

In the stage show he is also around to drop in playful lines from time to time

Also he sings a good chunk of Misto's song and brags him up, as well as pieces of other songs

While he claims to be distant and aloof, and may somewhat be, he continually comes back and causes minor disruptions for his own (and others') amusement in the stage show

He also protectively shelters some of the kittens more than once

Misto's barb was kept in but sounded more like a jealous, anxious attempt to detract attention instead of a teasing barb at an egotistical friend

Along with many of the songs, Tugger's was altered so that it is entirely sung about himself, and as with many of them, I felt it was better with some of the lines from another singer

Though his is not so bad as many, perhaps because he's already talking himself up

I wasn't really surprised to find he's changed from the inspirations I remember from the stage show and when I was little (Mick Jagger and David Bowie, mother told me when I got older XD) but it was still a little bit of a disappointment

Also a bit random, when mostly the soloing cats - at least/especially the ones singing for themselves in front of all the others - were competing in the formalised 'who gets to ascend' spread, that Tugger is evidently not

Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer were kind of fantastic and then kind of wtf for me

me, during their song, as they pulled Victoria along with them to play and cause all manner of mischief in the house: I don't think I'm intended to be shipping Victoria with both of them now, but I definitely am

me, at the end of their song, as they deliberately abandoned Victoria strangling and trapped as a dog came barrelling up after her with saucy nonchalance: . . .what the fuck?

me, when they were helping with Macavity's attack directly: excuse me no

I know they're said to be 'rumoured' to help him out in the stage show but this was very different

Yeah they said here that it was 'only a bit of fun' and they didn't know Macavity was planning to kidnap Deuteronomy, but . . . no

I did actually like their colouration redesign, making them I think the only cats I did in the entire movie

The lack of their tumbling and acrobatics was a bit sad, though their song and playful successsion of running about, Victoria in tow, was fun

Macavity was played super well considering he has no lines in the stage show so rather little to go on, and the expansion of his plot was honestly understandable - I mean, CATS has a heck of a thin plot for a musical, let alone a movie

One of the things that bothered me about him was honestly that his song where he is described he is described as ginger and poorly-combed

He's played by Idris Elba and his fur is sleek rich brown

He looks great, but alter the lines, you've already altered several, including Deuteronomy's because of the genderswap

On that note, the plot expansion in general . . . it was way better than I feared

I was afraid they were going to wedge in another plotline alongside the (very thin/hardly there, admitted) one in the stage show and it wouldn't go well

On the other hand the making the Jellicle Ball an official competition was a little eh to me

The more I think about it the less I like it even, really

I suppose it had to be, maybe, to work with expanding Macavity's plot and actions, but I don't care for it (and I think it could probably have been worked around)

I could have done without the queens being actively aggressive to Grizabella, oof that was owch

They recoil and hiss and act like she has the plague or a curse, very disdainful of her, in the stage show, and it works well

Having the queens actively attack her, not only hissing but instead of recoiling circling her and closing in on her to slash at her? It was . . . not good

So I guess the lead queen that I noticed doing that the most is . . . Cassandra? I honestly thought it was supposed to be Bombalurina

Bombalurina only showed up as Macavity's chief singer and queen underling, to distract and drug everyone

Really? Yeah some of the queens sing about Macavity in the stage show, but Bomba is even the one who comforts Demeter when Macavity's presence freaks her out (in what seems like a trauma reaction, rather) in the stage show

I have no idea who is supposed to be Demeter, the queens were all but interchangeable background, really most of the chorus cats were

Which brings up the theme of a lot of the cats being unrecognisable to me, honestly, and/or having their roles remixed a little, or straight-up lessened

Skimbleshanks was awesome, and his song/number was perhaps even better than in the stage show

The tap-dancing along the rails? Awesome

The cats playing around in the sleeper cabin was also pretty great honestly

 I will say when Skimbles appeared my immediate impression was of a very specific within-the-LGBT+-community gay man stereotype

Also I am terribly amused that he's wearing half a suit of clothes and it's the opposite half that he was in the stage production I'm most familiar with

Munkustrap was rather different, still a large part of keeping things going, if not the same way

Less serious than I'm used to? Not that he's only serious, but still

He made the best faces, like, it rescued a few awkward moments

At least a handful of moments that made me go 'this is so very not the Munkustrap I know' characterisation-wise

With the battle removed and a few other things, many of the moments that make his personality shine were gone

No seeing him lunge into action as the Jellicle Protector, basically

No seeing him trying to manage the little play-within-a-play put on for Deuteronomy (even when Tugger causes mischief) although I can't blame them for cutting both of those

No seeing him shield the kittens or younger/other cats without hesitation

Instead there was mostly just the slightly silly characterisation that showed in the moments between in the movie, it seemed to me

Gus the theatre cat was another of those whose song was rewritten to be sung by themselves, though his is the most notable for that, given he barely sings at all in the stage show

I really think it worked better the other way

But they gave me Ian McKellen being awesome in that song so I am okay with this

Also, Gus using a bit of that to scare Growltiger off the ferry and into the Thames? Fabulous

Misto's song - I talked about him and about Deuteronomy's rescue, but the song

I love having it led in by Tugger in the stage show, and I love having Tugger brag him up

Tugger is good at that, honestly, it so suits his style

Misto needs a bit of bragging up, especially for this moment

First of all, changing it up so Misto sings most of it himself instead is a bit sketchy

Changing it so it becomes less of a confident, showy number and instead is Misto being so anxious he can barely sing and constantly checking reactions . . . that made it worse

Next up, changing it from Tugger - who reads as friendly to Misto, in the stage show - leading in Misto's song and encouraging the others to praise him, to Victoria who has only just met him and all the other cats being dubious as they join in. . . I did not like

My shipper heart: why would you take that away it was excellent interaction!

My non-shipper heart: why would you take that away it makes much more sense and it also makes a lovely balance with Misto teasing Tugger during his song and shows that Tugger took it in the light-hearted spirit (they're friends, they're there for each other) it seemed to be

Also that it was so sweet a bit of interplay they took it away from Tugger to give to Misto's Sudden Romantic Interest in the movie, with zero changes otherwise? I have some side-eye.

I already mentioned the rescuing Deuteronomy beats being all wrong, but it also left me thinking we'd be getting less of Misto's song and it was oddly broken-up when we did get more

The catnip usage had me a bit o.O I'll be honest, for several reasons

Erwhat with the drugging everyone in that scene?

The glowing I'm going to assume is to show that it's having an effect on the cats, but it came off a bit weird to me

There were several cats it looked like were 'trying to escape' the catnip who most definitely had/should have already been hit

Also how did the cats assisting Macavity avoid being affected? Bombalurina at first made sense, sprinkling it below herself, none of it after that did

Wow Macavity's song and climax there with the stairs right up to the 'Heaviside Layer' in his stage display? So cocky! An unwise cat

Deuteronomy smacking him down? Very nice

Continuing to do so when he disappeared them both? Even better

I was really rather surprised not to see the melee battle among the cats in the climax with Macavity

Of course that also took away some of the drama, aaand some of the chorus cats, especially the toms', chances to shine

The queens were pretty indistuingishable from each other but at least we saw them somewhat, the toms mostly seemed to be entirely background blur

Growltiger being added in as Macavity's henchcat was actually kind of great? Watching over the kidnapped cats and as a secondary (and subordinate) Bad Tom, yes

In contrast to the mischievous Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer being used that way, I am so there for it

Grizabella was . . . a little disappointing?

She was played wonderfully! But she could have been played more

Seriously, fabulous actress there for her and they did nothing with her other than her songs and crying while singing them?

The stage production I'm familiar with has more than that with her and less time

Let her be proud and trying to gather herself up

Let her be dubious of herself and/or the others

Let her stand aside as though she doesn't even want to rejoin them after being turned aside

Look there's lots more that could have been done in the space there was with her in the movie (and without involving Victoria so much as she was, which was still a bit cringey outside Victoria's song, but at least not so badly)

She 'went with Macavity'? Felt a little unnecessary and also . . . hrm, to me

The stage show doesn't explain why the Jellicles reject her or where she was

I honestly always assumed she left on her own - Grizabella the Glamour Cat? - to make her own way, and eventually fell from grace

It was also a little strange to see her so young

Deuteronomy making the choice also felt . . . a little flat to me

I'm not sure what I was expecting or what the problem was

Regardless, it felt a little lacking somehow

I was impressed with how they had Grizabella's ascension managed, since that would be necessity be rather different from the stage show

Also great for Misto keeping some of his confidence from his song and rescue for this bit

Macavity trying to leap on and hitch a ride to the Heaviside Layer was excellent, and his getting stuck and having his magic not work to get himself un-stuck? Great

I do wonder - is his magic entirely broken, or just not working to catch his ride on Grizabella's balloon again?

The Ad-Dressing of Cats feels a bit awkward in a stage production to me; having a close-up of Judi Dench staring at me in the movie screen, for an extended time, did not make it better

Also the prologue bits about the naming of cats and what a Jellicle is were both changed and so there was no semblance of something similar in the beginning

I still think it would have been awkward, but if it bracketed the movie with the fourth wall breaks it might have worked better

The faces of the three cats close around Deuteronomy as she recited the entirety of that - which felt too long - were the only things that kept it being too awful

Munkustrap was the best in that

Misto looking horrifically embarrassed a few times and hiding behind his hat once . . . oh baby, I feel

'You're a Jellicle now!'

There's a Jellicle Ball once a year, see you then

So . . . for now, goodbye to your butt that was thrown in a sack into a junkyard we immediately ran away from

Rather than it being the Jellicles' (second, in some cases) home

I know your whole arc has been please accept me, see me, give me a place to be

But run off on your own, see you in a year

Seriously Victoria could have followed Misto, or Munkustrap, or Mungojerrie & Rumpleteazer, or anyone

Even Munku's mate could have, say, come up and encouraged Victoria to come with them

Not that we saw enough to assume he had one, still don't know who was supposed to be Demeter, but beside the point

It was a rough ending there

. . .I had a lot to say, and I'm not willing to swear that I didn't repeat myself anywhere - if I did I apologise - or skip over things I might have wanted to say. I saw the movie 24 hours ago and wrote most of this when I should have been asleep.

I did enjoy the movie and will probably watch it again - I also plan to watch the Broadway version again very soon (as soon as the library brings it to me) and have been listening to the Broadway soundtrack since yesterday afternoon.

(I may also be writing more for this fandom soon, but we'll see about that.)

[2ugars]

ੈ♡˳ high school senior!hyuck + soccer player!hyuck all in one!!!!

ps - the high school that i’m basing off their high school is mine, which is an international american curriculum high school that has like . a very small hs population.

a lovable and troublemaker senior who interacts quite a lot w his underclassmen — a bit too much than what’s probably considered necessary

he’s always been loud n friendly even before senior year but for some reason it? sky-rocketed?

like

u would expect seniors to stop tryin to make friends n stuff because they’ll have to leave for college at the end of the year nyways……

but NOPE

donghyuck’s a whole other species so he. .

makes friends .

A Lot of them

some of them r accidental on the other person’s part

there was this one time where hyuck forgot his pencil case and he was asking around

and some guy in junior year was like Here u go!!!!give it back to me after school or smth :)

as promised,, donghyuck Forgot to give it to him after school but he DID give it back the morning after w a bunch of teabags

donghyuck: some tea 2 relieve ur stress! also !!!!!!!      U r invited to my bday party :)

donghyuck: and my future wedding

donghyuck :D

junior: Whjat

hyuck’s that one senior who somehow knows everyone’s names?

he’s crazy

the type to say people’s names whenever he converses w them

he does it to seem closer nd to put them at ease? in a way?

has a unique handshake w 75% of the high school population

how does he remember all of that

muscle memory???????? who knows at this point

someone raised their hand during class and he flinched in his seat because he Really Wanted To Do The Handshake w them

he wouldn’t call it popularity, how a lot of people know him

“they’re just . familiar w me,” he would tell jeno

“that’s called popularity u idiot”

“n .   No”

it takes him a while to let it sink in that he IS popular but he still doesnt like to call himself that since he thinks it’s awkward nd a lil off-puttinng

so he just calls himself annoying in the end lmao

“i realized,” he rells renjun one day, “that i’m most likely the most annoying senior ever. more than mark was, even, and that’s saying a lot!”

renjun hums to show that he’s listening when, really, he’s not

“it’s the perfect plan,” donghyuck continues. “i get all of them to love me this year, and when i leave, the entire secondary school will have no choice but to mourn my absence—“

“was that your plan all along?” jaemin interjects with a laugh

“of course not. the kids love me without me having to try much. but it’s a pretty good plan! i could pass it down to chenle, or something.”

renjun later tells chenle to continue to never listen to hyuck

chenle, although puzzled, agrees

hyuck’s in varsity boys’ soccer as midfield

what u would call a hidden leader

was originally appointed captain by the coach but turned it down almost immediately

Hates disappointing people

especially people who are depending and relying on him

he isn’t sure he’s ready for that much weight, being an official leader

however when the ream found out he turned down the position of captain, they made him vice-captain next to sunwoo

donghyuck: “i won but at what cost”

mood maker of the team

screams a lot on the bench in the times when he’s pulled from the field to take a break

“U GO FELIX”

“LOOK AT MY BOYS GO!?!??!?!?!”

“OOF them THIGHS”

“JEEOOONNGGGIIIIINNNN that’s my little boy. Wow. i think im tearing up”

does this not only in games but in practices !

hes quite a chatterbox

please shut him up

i’m kidding please don’t

“look alive guys!!!!!! last one to run ladders buys sushi!!!!!!”

usually ends upbeing the last one

he says he does it on purpose

he’s lying he hates running ladders

“SPREAD OUT I NEED YALL LIKE A SMOOTH LAYER OF BUTTER ON TOAST! THAT MEANS NOT CLUMPED!”

he joked that if it weren’t for soccer, he’d be on the cheer squad

won mvp in junior year and the sportsmanship award for three years running

NOT ONLY DID HE WIN SOME SPORTS AWARDS.......

HHE ALSO WO N!!!!!!!!the hearts of the middle school boys’ soccer team

it’s because he’s the coach assistant during the ms soccer season

he started coaching in his freshman year

surprisingly gets shy when the boys, in all their wide-eyed awe n wonder, call him Coach Donghyuck

“nnnnnnnNNNNNOOOO O OO O  Dont say that call me hyuck instead omg plwase.  NO SIAN DONT CALL ME COACJ NO”

to hyuck’s confusion and jaemin’s pure delight, hyuck’s managed to steal the hearts of the middle school girls’ soccer team as well??

he took some chopsticks from the school cafeteria because he forgot his own at home

when he finished eating lunch, he didn’t want to go all the way to the tray drop-off since it was so far from where he and the dreamies sat

and renjun’s being more annoying than usual that day and is purposely making hyuck to hurry the HECK up so that they could do some modern language homework

of course, hyuck is lazy and doesn’t want to walk that far, renjun, gosh dan g it

so he goes to a middle school girl he’s had a few random, short convos with in his bus and... .. .

“hi louise! is it okay if i place my chopsticks here for you to take it to the tray drop-off?”

the young girl startles but at the sight of donghyuck, she smiles brightly. “oh, hi, coach!”

her greeting sparks up excited hi’s and hello’s from the other girls that donghyuck acknowledges with a smile of his own

(he doesn’t bother correcting them about the title)

(he knows that no matter how many times he’ll gently scold them into not calling him coach, they’ll still persist without fail)

(so he takes it in, albeit reluctantly and with his ears turning red every time)

“that’s totally fine!” louise says.

“thaaank you!” he sings, placing it neatly beside her plate. “you’re the best. see you in practice!”

and honestly

the reason why the middle school girls love him is because he stayed after school to study one day

and when he was done, he watched one of their games that was on the home field

he was on the sidelines shouting encouragements and generally just . Screaming his lungs out

you could probably imagine how the opponent team wa s thoroughly confused as to who the boy was and why exactly he was shrieking bloody murder

after the team won, he walked over to their team huddle and, after asking permission of their coach, gave them high fives and praised them and gave them light-hearted pointers before giving them a huge HUGE smile

yeah

apparently that’s enough to have a whole armada of boys and girls willingly take your chopsticks to the tray drop-off after lunch

he likes to brag about it every once in a while

anyways hyuck is just

a really good and nice senior

who the underclassmen respect and appreciate lots

when the seniors graduate, hyuck hides his tears by laughing so much

like it’s kind of concerning how much he’s laughing renjun thinks the boy’s going to choke on his spit at this point hyuck please sto p laughign

NOTHING FUNNY IS EVEN HAPPENING HYUKC PELAS E

like hyuck started laughing when the closing speech of the graduation ceremony begun

the boys thought it was because he probably farted or heard someone else fart since he was trying so hard not to make a sound

liek all you could hear coming from hyuck was wheezing and little hiccups

and jaemin, who was sitting next to him, had to pinch hyuck’s thigh constantly with how violently he’s shaking with silent laughter

hyuck was covering his face the entire time and jaemin, widely grinning, finally pried his hands away

only his grin slowly wavered when he saw the other boy’s face

jaemin: “oh”

renjun: “what do you mean oh? the teachers are looking at us, we might not even be able to graduate if he keeps laughing, shut him u—”

there wwere tears staining hyuck’s cheeks and snot was basically running down his nose and he was laughing like a maniac and oh no, he’s losing it, renjun get tissues, what the actual HEK

the closing speech ended with a new tissue box emptied and a tissue rolled up into hyuck’s left nostril

the others were crying, too, but they were smiling

jisung approached them with wet eyes and the same awkward stance where he keeps his hands clasped in front of him and hyuck tearfully joked that he looked like That Meme and made jisung cry instead of laugh and chenle started laughing because of it but ended up crying too

HAHAHAH THE SE BBOYS BEIN CRYBABIES (imcrygin too at the thought of this i love ht em. s o mmmcuhhchl)

hyuck couldn’t help but pull the dreamies into a hug before he gets swallowed by their arms, affections, and surprisingly, their smooches

“ABOUT TIME Y’ALL PUNKS RETURNED MY LOVE”

[7hyuns]

exo as doms or subs

a/n; so uh i know i’ve been Dead for a long time but this is just a lil update while i finally commit to finishing a fic [also i’m gonna add the read more at the top again bc it’s uhh lengthy this time....] [also again uh the fic should be up soon!!]

junmyeon; 

overall; 

alright he’s a dom

but i honestly don’t think he’s a hardcore dom with a big ass daddy kink

i mean ok he has a daddy kink but it’s,, idk he isn’t as hardcore as i’ve seen him depicted as

anyway i think in general he’s probably got a big ass daddy kink

and he’d love giving you cute nicknames and even cuter lingerie

but i don’t think he’d be into too many different kinks

i do believe he’d have set kinks and wouldn’t really want to stray from them too much

however! he’d be happy to indulge a few of yours as long as they didn’t go against anything he wasn’t into

i don’t think he’d particularly like inflicting pain but if it was like a Big Kink for you then he’d indulge it a lil bit

so yeah uh in conclusion he’s definitely in charge and he’s definitely a top but i don’t necessarily think he’s an ultra hardcore dom

kinks: 

daddy

probably only likes indulging a pain kink in the form of spanking (giving)

lingerie ! (i think especially silk) (on you)

light restriction (giving)

hand holding oof

praise (giving)

lowkey enjoys receiving praise though

punishments;

wouldn’t be many

you could definitely get away with quite a lot

but, if he finally Snapped and got to it then you’d definitely know oof

he would be really irritated that it actually got to a point where he had to punish you

because he expects a lot more of you than for you to act up like that

so he’d probably stick to spanking as a punishment but i don’t think he’d talk or say anything throughout

doesn’t really use any other but would occasionally overstimulate you

aftercare; 

completely over the top

he’s very thorough

asks a million questions so he knows you’re feeling ok

hates the idea that he might have either hurt you/not made you feel good enough

probably orders takeout and watches a movie you’ve both seen a hundred times before

is just very focused on you feeling good and being in a good mood before you sleep

would be very attentive if you wanted to talk to him

but he’d also be very quiet if you seemed to just want to chill out and not say anything

overall i think he’d just be very good at handling aftercare even if it wasn’t entirely necessary  

minseok; 

overall;

a dom

a dom i am thoroughly afraid of

anyway he’s the biggest dom in exo don’t @ me on this

i think he’s probably lowkey a sadist

his kinks would also probably slip out of the bedroom sometimes but i don’t think it’d be a consistent all the time thing

lives for when you act like a brat! he’d find it so funny that you think there’s even the slightest possibility he’d overlook it

also he loves punishing you so he’d find an excuse to all the time

i also think he’d tease you in public literally all the time just because he knows he can

has no fear if you moan in public then that’s on you and he’d just be like “what was that? did you say something? repeat yourself for us”

the only time i think he’d panic over it is if it was in front of like family or something,,, which i mean now he knows not to tease you under the table of a family dinner again

really, really wants you to be vocal so he can tell that he’s making you feel good

kinks; 

alright he’s got a lengthy list

but the biggest ones are:

pain (giving)

also the king of dirty talk (giving)

grinding (giving)

scratching (receiving)

hair pulling (giving)

biting (giving and receiving)

choking (giving)

light slapping (giving)

bondage (giving)

blindfolds (giving)

punishments;

so anyway punishments are one of his favourite things

absolutely adores when you just apologise/thank him without him having to tell you because ! that’s his whole ass baby

is into literally everything he can do lol

likes spanking but he finds it a lil bit repetitive (and he knows u like it)

uses orgasm denial a lot just because i mean who genuinely likes that for a long period of time

and when i say a long period of time i mean he wouldn’t really stop until you literally begged him

like. ur gonna end up crying and he’s just gonna be like “¯\_(ツ)_/¯ this is your fault, isn’t it?”

but ! if you apologise and/or beg and whine he…..melts

he’d just find it so endearing?? idk he’d love it a whole bunch

tells you to keep your hands to yourself but doesn’t tie them as a punishment

tells you to not make any noise (as a side note for this: you would literally always break this and he wouldn’t ever actually punish you over it because as i said earlier: he loves when you make noise for him)

aftercare; 

so many lil forehead kisses it’s unbelievable

wants to spend a couple minutes just holding you and being silent

he’s probably pretty messy during so he’d definitely want to tidy up

wants to change the bedsheets so you gotta go shower

he’d either join you in the shower after he’s done fixing everything back up

or he’d just wait for you to be done in the bathroom before he’d insist on redressing you himself

i think he would just wanna sleep pretty soon after getting everything tidy again

but he’d pull you into a really close cuddle before he fell asleep just so he “knows you’re still there”

you’d probably ask him one night something like “where else would i go wtf”

and he’d just pull you into the exact same cuddle n be like “idk bro somewhere…….”  

yixing;

overall;

anyway, he’s a dom

the only reason people don’t think he’s a dom is because of the trope that he’s an innocent confused cute dumb boy

and i mean i’m sorry to ruin that but like. he’s not

having said that i don’t know whether he’d fully pick up on your kinks/you being a sub until things get heated between you for the first time

and then i think from there he’d just get more and more comfortable in being the more dominant one

for some reason i think he’d feel a lil bit weird being overly dominant for a while? because he’d be worried about it being a dynamic you weren’t into

but i think if you reassured him about it then he’d get a lot more into it

he might not even fully realise that he’s initially being the more dominant one because it’s probably a natural reaction for him

i don’t think he’d ever bottom but i do think he’d leave it open quite often for you to take a lil bit of control and tell him what you want

he’d also be pretty stoic and blunt during because he’d already know you’re into it lmao

kinks; 

just being a dom is a big kink for him

probably has a thigh kink

this man ! i bet he has an oral kink

probably mainly for giving but like…he’s not gonna say no if you offer

also lingerie (i think he’d like really fancy over the top kind of stuff) (on you)

also. he’s a romantic man you know

he lovs hand holding

and kissing !!! lots and lots of kissing

are makeout sessions classed as a kink

anyway. he also likes bondage too (giving)

punishments;

“i’m not mad i’m just disappointed”

he totally isn’t disappointed at all though we already know

he keeps the act up though!

makes you apologise when he spanks you and acts like you’ve personally offended him

isn’t into overstimulation because like he thinks that’s too nice for u

i think his biggest go-to punishment is spanking 100%

but he’s definitely into orgasm denial too just because he loves you getting desperate for him

but at the same time i don’t think he’d feel the need to punish you for a lot? like i don’t think he’d get jealous very easily so that wouldn’t be an issue

however…….teasing him……..a big No

it wld always make him so mad because. what is the reason

so if that ever happened the punishment is extended x20 i mean good luck ever getting off he can hold a grudge lol

aftercare; 

actual angel or zhang yixing? who can tell

lil kisses!! forehead kisses, cheek kisses, nose kisses

wants you to eat but he can’t cook :/// so you gotta order in

ok but he’s definitely the type to wanna shower together

but…he’d be a lil bit too nervous to actually fuck in the shower because? what happens if he drops you? what happens if he falls? there’s way too much that could go wrong

would be cool with going down on you in the shower though :) lucky you

probably puts you in fancy pyjamas afterwards

then u know,, time to sleep

he doesn’t really wanna do anything else tbh he’s sleepy

jongdae; 

overall; 

hm i don’t think he’s massively into the dom sub roles

i think he’d have a default for being the more dominant one and he’s  usually on top

but if you went to top him he wouldn’t have any issue with it

i wouldn’t say he’s vanilla but i don’t think he’d have many kinks going into a relationship

i do think more would develop the longer he was with someone

but he’d find quite a lot of kinky stuff a lil bit gross and off-putting

having said that he’d be pretty open-minded about trying new stuff with you

it might take him a while to be comfortable enough to casually talk about different things to try

but once he is it would just be completely normal to have him bring up something he’s heard of and wants to try literally anywhere

you could be sat at a breakfast table with him and he’d get halfway through his cereal before he’d be like “what about choking should we try that out?”  

kinks; 

ok so he’d pretty much try everything that’s not massively extreme out

but the ones he enjoyed most and wanted to do again would be

hair pulling (receiving)

bondage (giving and receiving)

light choking (giving)

dry humping (he would literally never admit to liking this because he’d be lowkey embarrassed bc it’s in his top three kinks)

marking (giving)

scratching (receiving)  

punishments;

there wouldn’t be any for either of you !!

aftercare; 

i think he’d either fall asleep straight after

or he’d wanna stay up and watch a movie for a lil bit

either way he’d be pretty clingy and would wanna be touching you the whole time

i know it’s annoying when people play into the tropes of their personality but oh my god he would be so whiny

just wants to cuddle and then sleep and occasionally give you about fifty kisses

baekhyun; 

(i was gonna use a more recent gif but. i love this one with more than my whole heart)

overall;

an iconic switch

leaning much toward being a sub

would be a tease whether he was a bottom or a top

loves provoking you! it’s his hobby and his passion

so difficult as a sub he listens to nothing you say

laughs when you try and tell him what to do

laughs even more when you actually punish him

he literally gets so much enjoyment out of being scolded it’s ridiculous

the Biggest Brat

it’s honestly like he has a check list of stuff he isn’t supposed to do and goes through it every day

because he loves punishments but that’s beside the point

anyway, tease him in public because he absolutely loves it

he ! is ! the ! king ! of ! dirty ! talk

whether he’s the bottom or the top, he won’t shut up

kinks; 

there’s so many i’ll just list a few

bondage (receiving) (also loves being restrained but bondage beats it out)

blindfolds (receiving)

choking (giving and receiving)

hair pulling (receiving)

lowkey i think he just likes being manhandled lmao

degrading (giving and receiving)

worship (giving)

praise (receiving)

ice play (receiving)

probably wax play or some shit oof (receiving)

punishments; 

alright so for him very few work

your threats of not getting him off at all don’t work because “then i’ll just get myself off :)”

like i said, he loves punishments

he loves it when he gets overstimulated, he loves it when he gets his orgasms denied, he loves getting blindfolded, he loves getting tied up, he just ! loves using different kinks

however ! i feel like one he would be into but would still view as a punishment is actually spanking

like have you seen how whiny that boy is?? he pouts, he complains, he whines, he begs

so, yeah, spanking works but! he doesn’t wanna do it often just bc sometimes he just genuinely isn’t in the mood to fully indulge his/your pain kink you know

for you, though, he thinks spanking is a bit boring

he would much rather get creative with them and try and either overstimulate/deny your orgasms in public  

aftercare; 

is either sleepy and wants to cuddle up to you and go straight to sleep

or he wants everything to be completely over the top !

wants to cuddle and watch a movie, wants to be praised n given lil kisses, wants a warm bath with nice ass soaps, wants candy and all of his favourite foods

or he’ll literally just fall asleep the second you’re untangled from each other

you’d still try and clean him up though (to which he would pout and try to turn over so he could sleep without being disturbed)

grins really big when you give him forehead kisses !!! like !!! that’s his favourite thing about aftercare by far

if he’d been the dom, i think his aftercare would be pretty similar to him getting aftercare if that makes sense?

he’d always make sure you were ok but he’d still most likely just wanna sleep straight away  

chanyeol; 

overall; 

i….honestly think he’s a dom

like i know a lot of people see him as a sub

but i just don’t ://

with that being said! let’s get into the theories it

i don’t think he’d be a very soft dom loll

i don’t even mean that i think he’s into really hardcore stuff i just mean that’s he rude

you’d probably be shook the first time you slept together because?? he’s always so smiley and adorable?? where did this come from??

i think he’d also forget just how BigTM he is sometimes so he might accidentally grip u too tight

but you’d be thinking it’s for the kink because i mean ur into it

and then you’d bruise and he’d be like “??? how did this happen i am the worst person”

so that’s why you two would have to actually talk about your kinks

again, he’s one of the members that wouldn’t fully realise he’s being the more dominant one until you actually discussed it lmao  

kinks; 

hm i don’t think he’d have many going into the relationship

but he’d definitely develop more the longer you were together!!

choking (giving)

hair pulling (giving and receiving)

body worship (receiving)

dirty talk (giving because he loves having an affect on you that isn’t like. done by him directly u know)

i think he probably likes to be giggly and light-hearted sometimes !!!!!!  

hand holding because he’s soft really

restriction !!! (giving)

punishments; 

honestly. he’s mean

gets a lil bit more aggressive

i think he sticks mostly to spanking

but he’d definitely be into overstimulation i just think he’d use it as more of a reward

orgasm denial is another go-to but only when he has enough effort to hold out too lol

if there was gonna be longer punishments (such as spanking/orgasm denial etc.) he would definitely make it clear you could hold his hand after a while !!

but seriously if you whined/begged him for a longer amount of time during orgasm denial bitch. he’s done ! like. punishment over. that’s his baby

aftercare; 

the ONLY man i know

he’d literally go from 100 back down to 0

his dom mood is just over immediately?

he’d be really attentive !!!

if you wanted to talk then he’d listen to you ramble about stuff and answer you coherently every time

tries to make you whatever food you want or if he couldn’t he’d literally go wherever to get whatever it was with you

has a playlist to listen to if you go on drives/when you clean up

he isn’t too bothered about getting everything massively tidy but he would probably wanna shower

if you wanted to join him he’d probably wash himself off n then you :(

lots of giggling!!!! he would just be smiling at u really softly and giving you lil forehead kisses and playing with your hair while you two calmed down

sleeping w/o cuddling chanyeol would literally be considered a crime by him so if you wanna sleep after that’s the rule

kyungsoo; 

overall; 

haha ! goodbye

he’s a dom don’t slander his name

i think he’s probably verging on being a sadist or he just is a sadist lol

he couldn’t bottom even if he tried

and he really would try if you asked him to but he just wouldn’t like it at all

probably does stuff to make you break rules he’s set (which he would because he’s extra) on purpose so he has an excuse to be extra mean

honestly his face just doesn’t change. ever

but he’d definitely internally panic so much if you ever looked even in the vaguest bit uncomfortable

anyway. i firmly believe that he’s not into public teasing and if you pulled that on him he’d be genuinely mad

i don’t think the dynamic would go out of the bedroom intentionally? but i do think it’d slip out accidentally a few times

kinks; 

choking (giving)

pain in general (giving)

doesn’t really like any type of power struggle

brat taming brat taming brat taming brat taming

vocal command king wow (giving)

slapping goodbye (giving)

bondage (giving)

he’s probably into like. most bdsm stuff lol

punishments; 

alright they can go on for quite a while

you’d probably think you’d genuinely upset him

he wouldn’t talk very much, and when he did it would all be degradation

makes you second guess yourself?? like you’d do something and he’d just raise his eyebrows at you or tilt his head

deadass would ask you directly why you’d done whatever he was punishing you for

says whatever answer you give him isn’t good enough

definitely uses bondage/blindfolding/gagging together as a punishment like. bye

reminds you of all the different things you can do if you want him to stop before he goes straight into punishments

will deny your orgasms and then overstimulate you until you’re crying from both of them  

doesn’t tell you to but expects you to apologise and thank him if he’s spanking you

wouldn’t even touch you until he felt like you deserved it lol

aftercare; 

very necessary!!!

he goes over all the main points

always reminds you that he doesn’t mean the degrading

so much praise !

being called a good girl/boy by kyungsoo is the highest form of praise and he only does it during aftercare

feather-light kisses ! hundreds of them !

cooks for you, makes sure you drink at least a whole bottle of water

would talk really softly to you while you fall asleep just so you know he’s there for u :(  

asks a million times if there’s anything you want/need him to do

jongin; 

overall; 

lmao i think he’d probably be a service sub bye

like. he isn’t a dom but if you wanted to be the sub then! suddenly he’s a certified dom

but i do think if it was just up to him he’d be the sub

he’s into whatever works out for you!!!

as a dom, i think he’d probably be really weak-willed u know

like. no punishments unless u wanted them, only indulges kinks u like etc.

but as a sub!! oh boy

i don’t think he’d be too much of a brat but he definitely could be one

i think it really just depends on his mood

because he kinda seems like he’d be a total baby boy too

anyways, he’d lowkey (not that he would ever admit it) like being teased in public

he’d love being degraded and praised at the same time? like it’d just make him blush so much?

dirty talk is his biggest weakness ! he’d be so easily flustered by it lmao  

kinks; 

lowkey is hand holding a kink

hair pulling (receiving)

oral (receiving) (i do however believe he’d be one of the best at giving in exo)

i think he’d be really into foreplay just in general? he’d really like finding different things to incorporate into it

restraints (receiving)

praise (giving and receiving)

body worship (giving)

degrading (receiving)

dirty talk (receiving)

punishments; 

hm he’d get quite sensitive during punishments i think

like: every time you touched him if he’d have a blindfold on he’d jump

every time you did anything when he was handcuffed he’d tug at them

is completely willing to beg if that’s what you want from him

honestly full offence but punishing jongin would just be really hot

he’d be so reactive to everything you did it’d be impossible not to want to give him more

lives for having his orgasms denied because he really does try and prove just how far and how long he’s willing to hold out for you

he’d be so tensed up and he’d definitely be biting back his moans if you told him to and you would just be able to see his eyes glazing over with tears slightly

would actually be so appreciative when you finally end the punishment?? like you’d go to praise him and he’d already be stuttering out praise for you  

aftercare; 

wants all the hugs! all the kisses! all the praise!

will literally not be left alone for aftercare

you gotta be with him because he’d just kinda attach himself to you and then. not let go until you both went to sleep

gets a lil restless sometimes and would wanna watch something and just chill out for a lil bit before sleeping

but even then you gotta be touching

he’d get so soft if you made him eat and drink because !! he loves being showed affection afterwards  

when you finally go to sleep he’d 100% want to be the little spoon you can’t change my mind

sehun; 

(say nothing about the gif i would sell my soul for it)

overall; 

a true switch

honestly switches so often it’s hard to actually keep up

switches every day, sometimes you’d be the dom and then half way through he’d be like “:/ funny that u think u can dom me”

sehun just. will not beg. ever. he’d complain all the time but like who is begging? he doesn’t know her

but, you’d still wanna get sehun to beg eventually

which is why you two had to have a safeword real early on lmao

as a sub, i think he’d be whiny and he’d complain and tease you

but would also be shocked when he gets punished? like what did he think was gonna happen? he doesn’t know but not this

as a dom, he would literally use any excuse to punish you like?

it’d get to the point where one of your rules had to be that whatever either of you did as doms couldn’t be used to give a reason for punishment (he highly dislikes this punishment)

he’s a brat whether he’s the dom or the sub

sometimes it wouldn’t even be about you switching it’d just be because he was annoying you loll

as a dom i think he’d be pretty sadistic and mean

but he’d also be rlly into being on the receiving end of that

teases you and then laughs when you get upset because it’s just a joke to him :,) 

kinks; 

i’m about to say it; he’d have a kink for receiving anything

oral (receiving)

dirty talk (giving)

degrading (giving and receiving)

worship (receiving)

pain (giving and receiving)

hair pulling (giving)

biting (giving and receiving)

choking (giving and receiving)

having his fingers in ur mouth lol  

punishments; 

oh boy

sehun whenever he’s a sub: knows he’s done something you directly told him not

you whenever you’re a dom: punishes him for it

sehun: :O

he’s such a brat you’d have to punish him almost all the time

he’d put up such a fight? like, if you restrained him he’d try and get out of them all the time??

like i said, he will not ever beg for anything

so you’d deny his orgasms and tell him to beg for it and he just wouldn’t

he would literally be verging on crying from how frustrated he was n all of his muscles and his jaw wld be tensed up and he would refuse to beg

eventually you’d have to give up or he’d have to safeword

actually dislikes being overstimulated just because he’d find it more uncomfortable than nice

wld let you occasionally as a punishment though

but! he loves overstimulating you as a punishment lmao

i honestly think he’d be pretty into making you cry rip because “i like to know i’m making you feel good :,)”

would spank you but not often because there’s nothing in it for him  

aftercare; 

i think it’d be important

but i also think you’d both have to do it for each other no matter who was the dom and who was the sub u know

like, you just gotta take a few quiet minutes together to re-collect yourselves from whatever role/s you were in that night

he’d wanna spend a little while just talking softly about how both of you are doing

definitely gets you both matching pyjamas to wear afterwards

isn’t afraid to wear a blanket like a cape n watch a cartoon w you if that’s what you wanted to do

but you’d have to get him snacks ready :)

would probably wanna be the little spoon after he’d been the sub and the big spoon after he’d been the dom  

[perpetual-bad-guy-shipper]

Things you can’t sleep on in Venom (spoilers)

So I just saw the movie, loved it, want to see it again immediately and I just have some things I observed in the movie that you all seem to be... well sleeping on. (Spoilers warning)

• all of the actors who played the people possessed by Riot were incredible. the way they like...lurched around and just stared menacingly out at everyone like you could tell Riot did not give a single frick about blending in (obviously)

• also that woman who bit off that eels head, is that where you wanted acting to take you? just curious

• riz doing riOTS VOICE MY WORD also I really liked riz as drake it felt like he really did believe his work was the right thing like he wasn’t just doing it all for power. wasn’t in the movie enough, despite being half of the main antagonist

also drake being pretty good with kids was nice to see like yeah he was selling his life foundation propaganda and he didn’t actually let that girl ask her question but i still read that as a touch of a humanity idk

• everyone’s saying that the opening montage of Eddie when his life was all sunshine and roses was slow but I found it passed by in good time. Also it was necessary to establish how far he actually fell when he went after drake like that, like we needed to see how much he lost. Like you know in Spider-Man homecoming with the vulture and his introduction before the story started proper? Yeah it felt like that, like you saw everything you needed then cut forward. Also Tom hardy on a motercycle oof

• I just really love Eddie in general, i have never seen an underdog done that well before. like he lost everything and acted like he lost everything but still remained kind and polite to everyone who didn’t work for the life foundation.

i wanted to see Eddie trying to meditate more that time when the neighbor interrupted did not count

• dan is the mvp oh my Jesus, Anne has Very good taste in men. a stand up guy through the whole movie

• the opening scene of Anne slapping Eddie with a pillow him throwing it back at her and missing and her slapping him again was so funny and just really cute and natural

• the venom symbiote was as legendary as every other post you’ve read is saying.

should have had more banter with Eddie and more time to get used to each other. more scenes of them just talking to each other not in the hospital

that said I will never get over how it canonically took venom one (1) day to flip the switch from “let’s eat everyone and take over this ugly planet” to “nO WE ARE NOT DOING THAT” and all it took was running around with another loser for about a day??? It’s kind of hard to tell how time moves in this film I’m calling it a day

I loved how...huffy venom gets when Eddie tells him he can’t do things like especially in the end credits scene when eddies like “this is a me thing not a we thing” (they’re dating) and venoms just goes “...fine. just make it quick.” venom is canonically that person who will do what his husdband asks but complains the whole time

• I would have been perfectly happy with Eddie stumbling around San Fran trying to control venom for another two(2) hours let’s be real

• the end credits are cool, like the ink on water effects was nice to look at. also Eminem’s song was pretty good but i have a feeling he has no idea who venom is based on the lyrics

OOF OKAY that’s enough for now... maybe more if I think of em

Some additions (more spoilers)

The fact that venom gets attached to and flat out admits that he's starting to like Eddie after one (1) garbage eating session, one (1) car chase and one (1) ten second look at San Fran from the top of a building. I’m not saying sap but...hes a sap.

the human voice of drake coming through as riot says ‘you have a strong host’

‘have a nice life’ some time later... ‘have a nice life’ *boom*

Eddie saying ‘thank you’ in the middle of a car chase and venom answering ‘you’re welcome’ with absolutely no hesitation, grateful mess and polite goo

seriously no one can understate venom’s courage in the final battle like he went in there knowing they probably had no chance saved Eddie’s life multiple times in that fight alone and put himself in front of a fiery explosion just so Eddie could land safely in the water like he is so noble and brave when he needs to be

I wonder where that symbiote in the rabbit went also does it see things through the eyes of a rabbit now? does it have a rabbits memories??? does it only care about nibbling grass and running from literally everything now??? is that why we never see it again

the fact that (venom and riot) and (eddie and drake) are all foils to each other makes me so happy

I really wish there was more development (or any) on riot and drake’s relationship. like I don't think riot took him over entirely but why not?? what did drake have that made riot want to work with him? (other than the rocket) and what did drake think would happen when more symbiotes came to earth??? like this is your main villain, please use them!!

[flopity-flips]

Hiya can I request something for readerXprompto? I was hoping for something with a f!chubby reader and Prom trying to ask her out but she thinks he's just trying to make fun of her and poor boy ends up making her cry before finally convincing her that it's no joke and he actually really does like her and wants to take her out? (The whole asking out to make fun of someone thing has happened to me before and it sucks so just like a happy ending of that I guess? If that's ok?)

can i get a large oof for the ffxv dlc announcement??? anyway YEAH. I WAS SO EXCITED WHEN I SAW THIS CAUSE LIKE. SAME.

I looked at him, sighing happily as I watched him smile while he approached me with my food for food weekly catch up lunch.

Prompto Argentum was the physical embodiment of sunshine and happiness, self acceptance and love. He was everything anyone could want in a man: attractive, loving, passionate, sweet, considerate, just an amazing man. It was quite obvious why I loved him and it seemed as if everyone but him caught onto my feelings.

In a way, it hurt. He could have anyone he wanted, he was just so wonderful and beautiful and he had a clear type with women: thin and well endowed. I was pretty much the opposite of that; I was on the chubbier side than most women. It wasn’t a ton of weight, I was certainly healthy, I just enjoyed different foods. BUT STILL. It hurt me to watch him gawk at these attractive women while I just had to sit and watch, knowing he’d never love me as more than a friend.

Back to reality, I smiled back at him as he sat down, setting my plate in front of me. I looked down at the food, it looked really delicious. I thanked him for buying lunch today and began eating, being sure to take small bites so he didn’t look at me like I was a gross pig. He grinned and began to dig into his food, ravenous like a wolf getting its first meal in weeks.

“They’re really working you to the bone,” I giggled, taking a bite of my food as I watched him eat.

He stopped eating, his face visibly darkening before swallowing the bite he took and grinning sheepishly.

“Yeah. I got a lot of work to do to catch up with the rest of the guys,” He explained, his tone one of tiredness.

Over the past couple of months, he had been complaining about being sore and tired from training. Honestly, I was super proud of him, but also worried. I wanted him to be okay, after all.

“But-” he interrupted your thoughts. “-I really am happy. I mean, I get to work with my friends! Who gets to say that?”

I smiled fondly at him, resting my chin in my hand and smiled at him, pushing around my food, not even eating anymore. He was always one to look for the bright side of things. I loved that about him. I loved everything about him. He was so hard not to love!

“That sounds really nice,” I gave him a big, closed eye smile.

When I opened up my eyes he smiled back at me.

“By the way, (Y/N),” he began, “I love your outfit today! It really compliments you and your body,” he smiled, winking at me.

I immediately became a mess, looking away and my hands shooting to my lap.

“I, uh… Thanks. Thank you, Prompto,” I stuttered out.

He smiled at me, giving a small giggle.

“It’s no problem!”

We resumed our lunch, little conversations about anything and everything. It was just wonderful.

Eventually, we finished our lunch and we began walking back to my apartment. I insisted he didn’t need to spend any more time with me than necessary; however, he insisted.

“I just wanna hang out, man.”

That word. Man. It hurt more than he ever knew. I wanted nothing more than to be his, to have him hold me and call me babe, for him to come home to me cooking a nice meal for him, the small dates that carried more meaning than just lunch between friends, the shy touches, the commitment, I wanted it all. I wanted him so badly. I looked down at my body and sighed, holding myself so he didn’t have to see my body. If only I was a little thinner…

“Something the matter?”

I was pulled out of my thoughts and looked up as I heard his voice, a saving grace from myself and my own thoughts.

“Hm? Oh, no. Nothing,” I said, my voice sounding more distant than he’d like.

He looked down at me before looking forward, a little nervous as we continued walking. He yawned and stretched, raising his arms up before lowering them, resting the right one across my shoulders before pulling me in for a gentle noogie.

“C’mon, (Y/N)! Gimme a smile!” He exclaimed, his noogies unrelenting.

I began to giggle as I tried to escape his grasp.

“Prom!” I laughed out.

He let go, standing me up straight and giving my shoulders a squeeze before straightening out my hair.

“There we go. All pretty again,” He said the last part quietly but I could still hear it.

As we walked into my complex and up the steps to my apartment, we talked about what we were gonna do.

“I have something I wanna talk about,” He said suddenly.

I looked down at him from my place up on the stairs.

“What… What is it?” I asked.

He looked down at his feet, fidgeting with the wristbands he was wearing.

“I kinda wanna wait until we’re inside…”

He was so adorable like this.

I pulled out my keys and put them in the lock, twisting it and opening my door. When I opened it up, he Immediately flopped down on the couch, patting the seat next to him for me to come sit. I threw my purse on the countertop of my kitchenette by the door and sat down next to him.

“So…” I began. “What did you wanna talk about?”

His face heated up and he immediately became less sure of himself.

“Well, I uh…” He looked at me in the eyes then immediately looked away.

Prompto grabbed my hands in his and knelt down in front of me at the couch.

“I really, really, really love you. I have for the longest time. I don’t know where or who I’d be without you, but I know that if it was with any other girl, it wouldn’t feel right. My whole life, I’ve been searching for that feeling of home with someone, and I’m gonna be honest, I’ve never felt it until I was with you and I want to feel it with you. So, (Y/N), will you be my girlfriend?”

I began to tear up and yanked my hands from his, looking away.

“Who put you up to this?” I wept silently.

He stood up, unsure what to do with himself and began to reach out for me before suddenly retreating.

“Wh-”

“Was this Noct’s idea? Or Gladio? I’d bet they’d get a kick out of you kidding around like this,” I shouted at him.

“N-… No! I would never! I never even told them! Why do you think that?” He asked.

I balled my hands in fists and felt the tears rush down my face.

“You know why! Look at me! I mean, how funny would it be to ask out the fat girl? Absolutely hilarious I bet! Get out of my hou-” I was cut off.

Prompto took me in his arms and we sank down to the floor together.

“I would never do something so horrible to you, (Y/N),” he whispered.

I began to feel the tears fall down my face without holding back as I began to weep into his chest.

“I love you so much, no matter what you look like or weigh. I mean, you’re this wonderful, kind, sweet, smart woman who just never ceases to amaze me,” he went on.

I looked up at him, the tears still falling. He wiped them away with the pad of his thumb as he smiled down at me, a gentle smile filled with nothing but love and adoration.

“You know…” He began. “I get how you feel. I didn’t exactly have the best body when I was younger. I mean, sure I changed, but you don’t have to.”

I began to weep more gently and wrapped my arms around him tightly, resting my head on his shoulder, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

“I love you. So, so, so much,” I whispered. “You’re so wonderful and kind. I’ve wanted for so long to call you my own, care for you, hold you, be with you. I just, never thought you’d love me with the way my body is.”

I looked up at him and he was looking down at me.

“I love your body. It’s so beautiful because it’s yours, and I could never stop loving it,” He promise.

We sat there, in each other’s arms, just basking in the moment and gazing at each other. Soon, though, we both began to slowly move into each other’s space, both knowing what was going to happen. When our lips met, it was like this knot came undone, and we were each other’s. He was mine, and I was his. It felt freeing. Because I love Prompto Argentum. And now I know that he loves me.

[potentiallymrsdevorak]

In Fields of Flowers (The Arcana)

Chapter 4: Sweet Peas (Goodbye)

Pairing: Julian x Nijah

Summary: Nijah doesn’t lose just one, but two important people in her life.

Word Count: ~7100

Author’s Note: ok I don’t usually write sad things but here we go...if you know me from my old content you would know. We discuss some really heavy things in this chapter so if that is something triggering, please be cautious as you go through. I also added trigger warnings just in case. If you want to ask me the kind of things I have in this story before you read, feel free to shoot a message! 

Anyways I compiled a sad songs playlist to get you all in the sad mood:

Theme Schindler’s List - 2 Cellos (the original is just as good tho I just love these men)

Adagio for Strings - Samuel Barber

Elegy in C Minor - Fauré

Dives and Lazarus - Ralph Vaughn Williams

Symphony 5, mvmt. 3 - Shostakovich

Tagging: @drunkenomnist, @rromanovv, @juliandevoraknsfw (sorry in advance)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nijah had a million thoughts running through her mind, and yet, there was not one she could pin down.

It was no doubt that it was Selene sitting in front of her. The dark, curly shoulder-length hair bounced as she tilted her head and smiled. Her womanly figure could not be hidden underneath her shapeless potato sack like dress, given to all patients at the Lazaret. She even had the birthmark on the inside of her elbow that all the boys in elementary school would make fun of her for. If it wasn’t Selene, then someone must be a very good magician.

So Nijah’s best friend had the plague. She didn’t know exactly how, but she was here now. But there was no cure to the plague, so she would be dead in a matter of days. And there was nothing Nijah could do about it.

Should I tell her who I am? She wondered, then immediately shook the idea away. No, I can’t. 

She would never forgive me if she learned I couldn’t save her.

Finally, Nijah reached out her own hand to meet Selene’s. “It’s nice to meet you, Selene.” She replied, hoping the mask was able to muffle her voice a little bit, hiding her identity even further. “So, do you know exactly how you got the plague?” She took out a scroll of paper and a quill already coated in ink.

“Well, I can’t say I know for sure.” She confessed. “I’ve been traveling all over the place with this new guy of mine, but once we get back to Vesuvia, of course I catch this stupid bug.” She rubbed her inflamed eyes, the intensified redness pulling on Nijah’s heartstrings.

“I see. And how long had you been in Vesuvia before you noticed the symptoms?”

“About a day. We had just returned from visiting Nevivion. And when I noticed them, it was almost like the whole town already knew. I was quarantined and sent away to this island. I didn’t even get to say goodbye…”

“I’m sure he is missing you quite a bit.” Nijah finished her notes and stuffed the paper back in her jacket. “Well, we will begin treatment tomorrow morning, Miss Selene. I hope you get a good night’s sleep…” She began walking away towards the door.

“Wait!”

Nijah stopped in her tracks, turning only her head around. “Yes?”

“Do you know if a girl named Nijah Horvat works as an apprentice here?”

She paused, biting her lip so she could hold back the truth. “She has been moved to another facility.” She lied, nearly gritting her teeth as a wave of sadness overflowed her senses. She got the feeling this wouldn’t be the only time she would lie to her.

“Aw, that’s too bad. Have a good night, doc!”

“You too, Miss Selene.” And with that, Nijah shut the door behind her.

As Nijah was preparing for bed, she felt Katja’s arm around her upper back. It was strangely comforting, yet unexpected.

“Hey there, feeling any better?” She squeezed her tight, cracking something in Nijah’s back.

“Oof!” Nijah called out, reaching up to rub her shoulder. “Ah...not really. We’ll just have to see how it goes again in the morning.”

“Okay, how was your new patient?”

“Umm...she’s nice.” Nijah said. “I think she won’t cause me many problems.”

“That’s good!” Katja smiled. “I just got this older man, and he is the worst. Already asking when he can leave! And we haven’t even started treatment yet!”

Nijah tried to listen to Katja ramble on about her new patient, but the fact that her best friend would be dying under her hands kept her unable to focus on anything else. All their memories came flooding over her as she smiled and nodded her head, pretending she was all there in the conversation. But really, her heart was breaking and she felt like she wanted to do nothing but run and hide from the Lazaret, from the world, from everything and everyone.

Unfortunately for her, that wasn’t about to happen.

Nijah unlocked the door to room 187, carting a warm plate of breakfast and multiple medical devices. She picked up a few extra medicines from Julian as well, new ones that he had discovered only recently. She was willing to try them, as long as she had a chance of survival.

“Good morning, miss. I brought you your breakfast.” She squinted inside the room, the only light source being a small window near the ceiling. Selene was already up and waiting.

“How did you know this was my favorite? Thank you!” She took the plate graciously, savoring the food as if it was her last meal. As she ate, Nijah prepared the materials necessary for her first treatment.

She took a glance over at her friend and realized the plague has already taken its toll on her body. She looked a little skinnier than she did the night before, the bags under her eyes a little more prominent. She looked malnourished, but by the way she was eating her food, anyone could be fooled that she was fine and healthy.

“We’re going to try multiple different methods to cure your plague,” Nijah began to explain, “First, I need you to keep this bag next to you at all times.” She dropped the tiny bag next to Selene’s spot on the cot. With graceful fingers, she picked up the bag and took a whiff.

“Mmm, these smell wonderful! I feel like I’m lying in a flower bed.” Selene complimented the mixture of petals. What kinds of flowers did you use?”

“Magnolias, freesias, violets, gardenias…” Nijah went on, remembering the exact flowers Dr. Satrinava had told her to use. Most of the other apprentices thought it was a dumb lesson, but Nijah imagined that it could be very useful to her someday.

“You know, my friend Nijah loves flowers. It’s not something she tells a lot of people, but she used to read books about gardening as a kid. She really was passionate about the meanings of different flowers. Sometimes she would drop off some at my house and wait for me to figure out what they meant. But her parents wanted her to study the violin, so she didn’t ever find the time...oh, silly me.” She waved her hand, pushing away her commentary like it was nothing. “I know you don’t care as much. I apologize for boring you.”

Behind her mask, Nijah smiled bitterly as she mixed an herbal concoction. She was surprised that Selene remembered that far back. She must have been nine years old at that time. “No, it’s okay. You can tell me whatever you like. I don’t mind.”

She saw a wave of relief cross over her face. “Oh, thank goodness. I just miss her a lot, is all...it’s been nearly two months since I’ve seen her. Asra and I have tried to write to her, but every time we do, our letter gets sent back to us.”

“And who is Asra?”

“Oh, probably the most wonderful man I have ever met, doctor.” She swooned, fanning herself with the bag of flower petals. “I met him at the masquerade. Have you ever been?”

“Can’t say I have.”

“It was such a grand time! The whole castle was open and decorated in the most beautiful things. I was setting up Nijah with another man at the time...but I turned the corner in the ballroom and accidentally bumped into him. It was the most embarrassing thing!”

“I bet.” Nijah interjected. “Before you go on, can you drink this for me?” She held a cup of a thick, odd smelling liquid in front of Selene. She took it and looked at it skeptically.

“What’s this supposed to do?”

“Get rid of any aches and pains you might have.”

Shrugging, Selene threw the drink back, gulping the fluids back rather loudly as she finished it off. As she swallowed the last bit, a shiver ran through her body, but it passed as quickly as it came.

“Disgusting...but I think it helped. Thank you, doc!” She smiled, handing back the cup to Nijah.

Nijah knew that smile well. It was the fake smile, when she was trying to deceive others into believing everything was okay. It was a clear fact that she didn’t like it, but maybe she didn’t think it would actually help her. Either way, Nijah was happy that she was at least trying to stay positive for her sake.

“Anyways,” Selene continued, “I ran into him as I walked into the ballroom. But he played it off so well, pretending that I was an old friend or something like that. His masquerade costume was so beautiful, but when he took the mask off, he was even more gorgeous. He has the most beautiful shade of lavender eyes, stark white hair…”

Nijah briefly remembered seeing him at the masquerade, right before Julian and her were about to approach the two. So that’s who she’s run off with…

“...but one of the coolest things about him is that he’s a magician! He showed me so many cool tricks, read my tarot cards…”

Suddenly, something in Nijah’s stomach pulled. Hard.

“Oh, you’ll have to excuse me for a moment, miss…” She ran out into the hallway as she slid her mask off, hoping to make it to the bathroom before whatever was churning in her stomach made its way out. Unfortunately, it decided it had to come out in the middle of the hallway, directly in front of Dr. Satrinava.

“Doctor 187! Are you all right?!” Nijah was bent over on the floor, her hands resting over her stomach. Dr. Satrinava took their glove off and rested their hand on her forehead. “You don’t feel like you have the plague…”

Nijah wiped the ends of her mouth and stood to her feet. “I’m fine, I promise. I’m sorry about this...mess.”

Satrinava looked at her through their mask suspiciously, resting their hands on their hips. “Wait a moment. Didn’t Dr. Devorak tell you to get some rest?”

“Yes, but Valdemar vetoed that decision because we have so many patients.” Nijah shook her head, making her best attempt to stand up like nothing happened. “If you will excuse me, I have to return to mine right now.”

“All right...but if you need someone to take over for you, let me know. I don’t want to risk you getting infected.” Satrinava squeezed her shoulder. “And don’t worry about this mess. I’ll get Valdemar to clean it up.”

Nijah laughed a little bit, thinking of the odd doctor with a dirty rag and a bucket of water, trying their best to scrape every part of her puke off the floor. “Thanks, Doctor.”

The two part ways, and Nijah makes her way back into her patient’s room, securing her mask as she turned into the doorway. “Sorry about that, Selene, you may go on.”

“What happened out there? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, just a little nausea…”

“That didn’t sound like normal nausea, hun.”

Nijah’s eyebrows raised as she faces Selene...not that she would be able to tell, of course. “What do you mean?”

“Do you have any other symptoms? Are you tired more often?”

“...yes.”

“Cramping down there?”

“A little bit, why do you ask?”

“Doc, you’re totally pregnant.”

At first, Nijah didn’t move. As the wave of realization hit her, she took a small step back. “There’s no way...”

“Trust me, I know. My mother had her youngest a few years ago. I was with her every step of the way.”

She’s right, Nijah remembered. Selene’s youngest brother was her mother’s most complicated pregnancy her mother had ever had, so of course Selene had to been around to help with the family as her mother dealt with her symptoms. Selene had grown up rather early, doing the household chores, cooking meals, and helping her other brothers with their studies beginning at the age of eleven.

But how could Selene tell? Every pregnancy was different, so it might just be a coincidence.

Then she realized that her cycle had come late. Too late.

Nijah cleared her throat and grabbed onto the cart. “Uhm...if you’ll excuse me…”

And without another word, Nijah rushed out of the room, holding back tears of sorrow.

I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant, Nijah thought over and over again.

She was standing in the bathroom of the apprentice’s wing, all alone. She looked in the full length mirror at her body as she chanted the mantra in her mind.

It would explain a lot. Her illness, how tired she had been feeling, even the mood swings she had begun to felt. She wasn’t ill at all, she just happened to be growing another human being inside of her.

Julian’s child.

Oh, hells, what will he do? What will he say? Will...will he still love me? She asked herself as her hands moved up to caress her stomach. She had no idea how far along she was. Was she one week? Two weeks? Eight weeks? Did their first time they ever had sex actually get her pregnant? She swore she felt a small bump, but that could also be her mind playing tricks on her.

There was no way she could support another life while living in the Lazaret. She would have to leave if they both were to survive.

If I don’t tell Julian now, then I never will, she told herself. Putting her plague mask on, she left the bathroom, mentally preparing herself for what could be the most heart breaking conversation she will ever have in her life.

“Dr. Devorak,” Nijah called out, banging on the door frantically. “Are you in?” She could feel herself sweating from nervousness from the inside of her uniform. She just hoped she didn’t smell too bad.

He opened the door quickly. “There you are, come in.” He ushered her in, showing her to a seat on the cot. As he sat down he ran his fingers through his hair, his other hand jotting down something unreadable. “You came just in time. I need to tell you something very important.”

“Me too…”

“Oh? By all means, you can share first.”

“No, I think it would be better if you were to tell me first.”

“If you insist…” Julian trailed off, setting down the quill in his hand as his head hung low to the floor. “Nijah, I’m being sent back to Vesuvia.”

“What?!” Nijah nearly jumped out of her seat in shock.

“Please, keep it down.” Julian shushed her as his eyes met hers for the first time, pressing his hand into her thigh to keep her steady. “Count Lucio wants me and Valdemar to go to the palace to work together on a cure for the plague. He apparently has another man who is knowledgeable about its origins, and if we combine forces, we could end the plague for good and cure the city.”

“That...that’s great, dear!” Nijah beamed. She took his hand in hers, squeezing it affectionately. “I’m glad they’re seeing how well you are as a doctor. I’m really happy for you.” She hoped he could see how excited she was for him.

“Thank you. I never knew that my hard work could get me to where I am...along with a little inspiration from you, Nijah.”

She was taken back a little bit by his compliment. “Me?”

“Yes, you.” He reiterated, getting down off of his seat and on his knees, in front of Nijah. “The biggest regret I will have about going to the castle is that I will be leaving you behind.” He brings her hands to his lips, kissing every individual finger.

“When are you leaving?”

“Tomorrow,” Julian said dejectedly, as if he wished he had more time. “Nijah...I want to make the most out of every moment I have with you. Please, can you spent one more night with me? I promise I will make it worthwhile.”

“I’ll do my best, Julian.” She replied, caressing his face in the palms of her hands, rubbing her thumbs across his cheekbones.

“Thank you, darling.” He kissed her hand, running his gloved fingers over her arms. “Did you still need to tell me something?”

Oh hells, if I told him now, she thought, then he might have more regrets than just leaving me behind. He might never want to leave the Lazaret, then we will both be stuck here forever...there’s no way he can know.

At least, not now.

“Oh, never mind, it wasn’t as important as I thought.” Nijah shook it off, leaning her forehead in to touch his own.

“If you say so...you’d never hide anything from me, right?” Julian looked into her eyes, trying to search her soul for her truth. She hoped and prayed he couldn’t find it this time.

“Of course not.” She lied. “I love you too much for that, Jules.”

He’ll forgive you when he learns you were only trying to help, she told herself as he leaned in for a tender kiss, letting all her dark thoughts fly out the window. Julian was hers, she was his, and at least they could enjoy the rest of their time together.

“Ugh, you’re going to give me that stuff again?”

Selene did not seem too enthusiastic that she had to drink the same thick liquid she consumed earlier that morning. Made with the top quality herbs in the lab, as well as a few extra chemicals, it was supposed to help patients reduce their pain, but Nijah took that claim with a grain of salt.

“Just take it, miss. It’ll do the body good.” She tried to convince her, but Selene was more stubborn than that.

“If it’s so good, then why don’t you taste it?”

Nijah sighed, already frustrated from her mood swings. “If you won’t comply, then we will have to forcibly administer the medicine to you. So it can either be the easy way or the hard way.”

“Fine, fine, I guess I can’t argue with a pregnant woman.” Selene took the cup with a sly grin, drinking the mixture in one gulp.

“Could we not be so loud when discussing that matter?”

“Not wanting the others to know?”

“Precisely.” She answered. “They will know when I feel it is appropriate to tell the others.”

Selene placed the cup on the tray, careful to not let the glass shatter on the metal. “I see how it is. Is the baby’s father here, too?”

“You’re making very bold statements that I don’t think you should be, miss.” Nijah crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I suggest you stop, otherwise I will have to move you to a different room with a different doctor.”

“Okay, okay, jeez!” Selene held her hands up in regret. “I’m sorry. You just remind me a lot of my friend Nijah. She was sometimes a stick in the mud with some things, so I always teased her to get her to loosen up, that’s all.”

“Please do not feel like you need to treat me in such a way.” Nijah retorted. It’ll hurt me more that way.

“Hmm...did Nijah ever tell you how she met me?”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’ll have to tell it to ya someday. Maybe when you’re not so crabby!” She laughed, slapping her thigh in the process.

Ah, at least her personality hasn’t changed from the plague, Nijah thought as she began to roll the cart out of the room. Always willing to call people out.

“Well, I hope you have a good night, miss. I will see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight, doc! Sleep well!”

As she left room 187, she just hoped that Selene would live through the night.

That night, Nijah snuck out of the apprentice’s wing after the moon had risen and everyone else had fallen asleep. She heard the coo of an owl as she descended down the stairwell, her bare fingers trailing across the stone walls as she walked on her tiptoes. Julian had instructed her that she didn’t need to knock, that his door would be unlocked and ready for her arrival. He also instructed that he would give her a new, clean doctor’s uniform, so she could come in her everyday clothes she normally wore. Her long skirt brushed the floor as she shivered in her sleeveless top, finally arriving at the doctor’s office.

When she opened the door, she was surprised to see the trap door already open, her trail decorated with flower petals.

“Jules, what is all of this?” Nijah muttered to herself as she walked down the stairs. As she entered the bedroom, she saw two candles placed on the floor, illuminating the petal path. Her eyes gazed up at the bed, where Julian lay with a grin on his face.

“Oh, my darling,” he smiled, “I’m so glad you are here.” Even the bedspread had petals on it, and...was that a bottle of wine on a tray? “Come, please join me.”

Stunned, Nijah got up on the bed, sitting across from her lover. “Jules, what is all this for?”

“I told you it would be worth it, didn’t I?” Julian answered, leaning in to kiss her cheek. “You deserve it all. Wine, flowers, all the finest things…” He popped open the bottle, pouring a glass for himself. “Want some?”

Nijah wasn’t sure what it was, but something in her stomach told her it wasn’t the best time to try it. “I’ll pass for now, thank you.”

“If you insist.” Julian took a sip of his glass, feeling the warm liquid drip down his throat. Nijah took a moment to look over how handsome he was in the moment. Sure, he looked good all the time, but she never got to see him like this. His classic white shirt was unbuttoned further than normal, so she could see his entire chest and torso, the auburn curls making her want to run her fingers over his skin. His black pants rode a bit lower than usual, showing off the line of hair that ran from his navel right down to his…

“Nijah?” She felt his bare hand on hers, his eyes completely captivated by her.

“Yes, Julian?”

“I want to make things right for you. For us.” He sat his glass down on the tray and moved it to the floor, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. The tips of their noses brushed as he gently squeezed her. “I want to give you the life you wanted for us. I...I want to marry you, Nijah.”

She could feel her cheeks burning in surprise. This is not what she expected tonight to be like at all.

“I want to spend my life with you, give you everything you deserve. I just need time.” His hands squeezed her biceps, his nose brushing against hers. “Once we have the cure to the plague, I can take you out of this place. We can live in Vesuvia, or wherever else you may like. I would love to meet your family. And you can meet my sister.” His hand trailed to the back of her neck, playing with the stands of hair. “We can get married at a church, or by the sea, whatever you want. We can work together and help bring many people back to health. I...I want children with you, if you want them too. It doesn’t matter what we do for the rest of our lives, as long as you’re by my side.”

Nijah could feel the warm tears falling from her eyes as her heart overfilled with love. “Julian…”

“You don’t have to give me an answer yet, bu-”

“Julian, are you crazy? Of course I want that with you!” She leaned in, pressing a wet, salty kiss to his lips. He kissed her back, smiling as his hand slid further through her hair, wanting to feel every single strand brush on his fingers.

He pulled away for a moment, reaching into the pocket of his pants. He revealed a tiny golden ring, plain at sight, but with a deeper meaning only known between the two of them.

“It isn’t much, but I wanted to give you something to remember my promise…”

He took her left hand, sliding the band around her ring finger. It fit like a glove, resting perfectly above her knuckle. Nijah’s eyes sparked as she gazed at the jewelry, a symbol of their eternal love.

“It’s beautiful, Julian. Thank you…”

Julian led into the kiss this time, grabbing the back of Nijah’s shirt and pulling her to his lips quickly. She immediately felt swallowed by his passion, letting it consume every part of her being.

As the kiss escalated further, Nijah felt a cramp hit her at full force, forcing her to pull away. “Agh...I’m sorry Jules, I just…”

He pressed a hand down at her lower stomach, rubbing it with little pressure. “Is...everything alright?” He questioned.

“Yes. I think it’s just having a moment.” She made up on the spot.

“Well, you know you have one of the best doctors in Vesuvia right here with you.” He said pridefully, with a wink. “And I think I know exactly what you need.”

That night, Julian made the sweetest love that Nijah could ever receive, touching her in every spot that made her sigh with pleasure and scream with delight. He made her feel like they were the last two people on Earth, with the way his hands fluttered against her skin and the way his hips moved against hers. Nijah had never known sex could be so romantic, so loving, so intimate in this way. Every kiss made her feel closer to him, every stroke made her feel like she knew him for years. She had no idea where he began and she ended as they tangled the sheets together, only for him to find himself deep inside of her.

As they lay together for the last time for a long time, she allowed him to press his chest into her back, feeling the most vulnerable she ever had with a man. She trusted him, knew he would keep his promise, already longed for the day he would return so he could take her away from this place.

His thumb pressed into her hips as he watched her sleep. He chuckled lightly tom himself, wondering how he never deserved such an amazing woman like herself. It broke his heart to leave her, but he knew he would give her a better life as long as he had time.

In that moment, he swore on his life he would do anything to protect her. Even if it meant sacrificing himself.

When Nijah awoke the next morning, Julian already had all his belongings packed and ready to go. She found the new uniform waiting for her at the foot of the bed. She put it on hastily, hoping that he had not left her yet.

As she walked up the stairs, she twirled the ring on her finger with her thumb. She still couldn’t believe it was still on her hand, let alone that it was a symbol of the promise Julian had made to her. In his office, she saw Julian writing a letter to someone he must have cared about. She didn’t want to startle him, the tranquil scene of the rising sun and a single flame calming to her. But, this would be the last time they would see each other in a while.

“Good morning, Julian.”

He jumped in his chair slightly, then turned around to see her. “Good morning, darling. Slept well?”

“Better than before.” She sat the cot down and took a seat, watching him as he wrote. “Who is that for?”

“It’s...for you.” He admitted, scribbling his signature frantically on the paper. “But you can’t read it until I’m gone, got it?”

“Yes, Dr. Jules.” She teased. 

Julian waited for the ink to dry, then folded it up and place it in Nijah’s breast pocket, patting it for security.

“There. Now I’ll be with you wherever you go...again.” He blushed, his fingers trailing over her left hand and brushing against the gold band.

Nijah was usually able to read every emotion he had on his face, and this morning was no different. Julian’s face was overwhelmed with bittersweet happiness. He was excited about his new adventure, ready to save the city, but his heart was torn with even the idea of leaving her behind.

She initiated the embrace, hugging him tightly and hoping she would never need to let go. Julian followed suit, his warmth enveloping her like a warm blanket on a chilly day. He rocked her back and forth in his arms, his lips pressed against the crown of her head. He inhaled her sweet scent, his favorite smell in the entire world. She exhaled as her head rested against his chest, listening to his heart beat.

“Wait for me, Nijah. I promise it will be worth it.”

She looked up at him, knowing that his words were true.

“I’ll wait a thousand years for you, Julian.”

He leaned in for one last kiss, his lips burning a longing feeling throughout Nijah’s entire body. She didn’t want him to go, she wished that she never had to go another day without seeing him.

But, she knew he was helping the city. He could be saving the world.

“Goodbye, Nijah.” He whispered as he pulled away from her, taking his cloak and tying it around his neck. “I’ll be counting down the moments until I see you again.” He took her hand and kissed it reverently.

“I love you, Jules.”

“I love you too, Nijah.”

And, just as quickly as he came into her life, he was gone.

Nijah went about her normal duties, doing her best to pretend everything was fine. Nobody but Katja even knew that she had feelings for Julian, and her friend has barely scratched the surface of their relationship. But, she stood with confidence, chin up and spirits high, just like he would want her to be.

But, as she brought the cart with Selene’s meal and the medical tools she needed for today’s procedure into room 187, she knew that the patient would be able to see right through her facade. She was good at picking up on these things. Thank goodness she was wearing gloves so she couldn’t see her ring.

“Good morning, doc!” She exclaimed, standing to her feet to welcome her. “Is everything okay?”

Nijah took a glance at her dear friend and was taken aback. This would be her third day with the plague, so it would most likely take her life tonight, but...she was shocked at how terrible Selene looked. Her eye sockets made her look like she was a zombie, she had a bright flush over her cheeks, her body looked as frail as a fingernail. She could barely smile without wincing in pain.

“Please, miss, I suggest that you stay seated today…” Nijah rushed over to her friend’s side, helping her sit in the cot. Selene let her lead her, taking a blanket and wrapping it around her shoulders as she sat.

“How ya feeling today, doc?” She asked.

“I’m fine, miss.” She replied quickly, handing her a hot plate of food. “What I want to know is how you’re feeling.”

“Terrible.” Selene admitted, picking the food up with her fingers and eating it carefully. “I feel like I’m being eaten alive. I’ve never been in any more pain.”

Nodding her head, Nijah added the commentary to her notes. “Well hopefully I can give you some relief today.”

From a box on the cart, she pulled out a small vile, holding a small leech. It was one of Julian’s favorite parasites, for it apparently gave patients the most relief. She had her doubts in the tiny little parasite, but for Selene, she would do just about anything.

“Hey, woah there…” Selene set her plate down next to her. “You’re not gonna put that thing on me, right?”

“Of course I am.” Nijah answered, plucking the tiny creature out of the vile. “Trust me, it’s pretty painless.”

Selene stared at the leech squirming around in Nijah’s hand, narrowing her eyes. Her body language said it all - she didn’t trust like that. Eventually, she sighed, accepting her blood-letting fate.

“Well, it could be worse. Where are you gonna put him?”

“Just on your arm right here…”

Nijah wiped down her upper bicep with an alcohol and water solution, and quickly attached the leech onto her skin. Selene initially shouted from the pain as she felt the teeth dig into her skin. But, after a moment passed, her voice went quiet as she watched it sucking her blood.

“Hey, it actually kinda tickles!”

Feeling slightly more relieved, Nijah watched as the leech grew bigger and bigger, taking more of Selene’s bad blood out of her body. Maybe Julian was on to something...she thought as she watched the scene play in front of her.

That night at dinner, Nijah felt completely miserable. She knew the fate of her dearest friend would be coming soon, Julian had been gone for quite some time, and her cramps and mood swings were not getting any better. The only saving grace was that the chefs made pumpkin bread as a special.

Nijah sat next to Katja, and she immediately knew something was wrong. “Nijah, you’re hiding something from me. What’s wrong?” She placed her book down on the table, giving her full attention to her friend.

“You know how when I lost my first patient, I felt worthless and like I was a bad doctor?”

“Yes…”

“Well now I feel worse because…” Nijah took a deep breath, “my current patient is my best friend from home.”

Katja placed a hand over her heart, feeling it break for her dear friend. “Oh no...does she know it’s you?”

“Of course not.” She tore a piece of the pumpkin bread and placed it in her mouth. It tasted delicious, but it was far from fresh. “If she knew it was me, she would never forgive me for not knowing how to keep her alive.”

“I don’t think it would be like that…” Katja trailed off. “She knows that you tried everything you could, right? Or you at least tried?”

“I did essentially everything we were taught to do,” Nijah recalled. “I even visited her multiple times a day to do all the different treatments we learned. Nothing has helped.”

“Could Dr. Devorak help you?” She looked around the room, confused as to why he hadn’t arrived.

“He’s gone. Off to work on the cure at the palace.”

Katja nodded in understanding, a frown crossing over her face. “How far along is your friend?”

“This is day three. She could pass away at any moment.”

Katja closed her eyes and shook her head. “Nijah...go to her. Even if she doesn’t know it’s you...she needs you now more than ever.”

She’s right. I’ll never forgive myself if I let her die alone.

“All right, then I should get going. See you later tonight…” Nijah trailed off, making her way to the patient’s wing.

Strapping on her mask, she felt her heart racing and a feeling of dread drench her entire body. She expected to lose patients, but she never expected to lose a dear friend.

“Hey, doc…” Nijah heard Selene croak weakly.

“Good evening, miss. How are you holding up?” She could see that the plague has nearly taken Selene away completely. She was lying face up in the cot, the blanket wrapped around her like a baby in a swaddle. She managed to pull an arm out and wave her hand to greet the doctor. Nijah could see that she was all skin and bones, that it was nearly her time.

“I don’t think…” Selene coughed, covering her mouth with her fist. Nijah swore she saw blood fall from her lips, but she wiped it away too fast for her to see. “I’m not going to make it, am I?”

Nijah shook her head, unable to verbalize the truth.

“That’s too bad…” Selene closed her eyes. “I really thought I could start a life with Asra. He’s so sweet and charming, treats me just right. I wanted him to meet Nijah. And we all could have got along with that one guy...what was his name? Hah, I never learned it. But she also met some guy at the masquerade. Very alluring…”

“Sounds like you and Nijah have a great relationship,” she smiled, happy that at least in times like this, Selene wished she was around.

Selene was able to prop herself up on her free arm, grunting on the way up. “Hey, I know this is odd, but y’know how some people have like, last requests before they die?”

“Sure.”

“I know this is weird...but Nijah would always let me lay her head in her lap whenever I was stressed. Do you mind if I…”

Nijah nodded her head. “Not a problem.”

She made her way to the cot, helping Selene sit up so she could settle in just the right spot. Her body felt light as a feather, compared to the womanly figure she once knew so well. Slowly, gently, she laid her head down across her legs, allowing her hair to fan out just the perfect way.

“Thanks. I feel much more at ease now.” Selene smiled up at the plague doctor’s mask, getting used to the feeling of someone lying across her once more.

“No problem.”

“Hey, have you ever had a best friend?”

“I’d like to think I have.”

“Good. And if not...you can always say that I was.” Selene nuzzled into her lap. “Y’know, just in case.”

Oh, I do...Nijah’s heart split in half, holding back the tears she could already feel coming.

“Oh! I need to tell you the story of how Nijah and I met!” Selene said excitedly.

Nijah smiled behind the mask. “Please, tell me...and don’t leave out a single detail.” All the while, she was remembering the story with her, so long ago…

She could remember how much she was crying. Some of the other students were bullying her because of her flower obsession. They thought it was stupid and that she needs to focus on the more important subjects they were learning in school. She was seven.

After school let out, she ran off into the forest. She didn’t tell her parents where she was going. She just knew that she had to get away.

She ran as far and fast as she could, hopping over gnarly tree roots and sticks, scaring off the wild animals that lived there with her wails. Not even the crow, which flew high above with its menacing caws, could scare her off. It was almost like she was being led somewhere by magic.

Not long after, her feet stopped in front of a row of bushes. Hidden behind them lay a large field of flowers, filled with beautiful colors as far as the eye could see. Nijah could name them all - carnations, violets, orchids, hyacinths...and she knew all their meanings, too.

She took a step into the flower field, letting the fresh scents be her guide through the wilderness. Here was where she felt safe. Not back in the city of Vesuvia. Not in her schools. Not even the front step of her home. As she meandered through the floral maze, she began singing a song that her mother had taught her a few years back”

“Flower, grow and grow,

“Bloom when the sun shines,

“And when the rains come,

“Still you will shine your light...”

As Nijah walked through the field, she paused. She heard someone else’s voice echoing with hers. Curious about the sound, she continued her song...

“Bloom to show us all,

“That you are divine,

“When the sun goes down,

“Show me what once was mine…”

In the middle of the flowers, she saw another girl, about her age, singing along with her. She had recognized her from school. She was a loner, much like Nijah seemed to be. The girl turned around as she walked over to her, dark curls blowing in the breeze.

“Oh!” She exclaimed. “Was that you singing?”

Nijah nodded, a little shy to be meeting her so suddenly.

“Your voice is so pretty! Let’s be friends!” she held her hand out to shake on their new acquaintanceship.

Nijah accepted, surprised at how enthusiastic this new person was. Just how excited was she to have a new friend, especially her of all people?

“My name is Selene. What’s yours?”

“N...ni...nijah.” She stuttered anxiously.

“Nice to meet you! I can tell that we’re going to be friends forever.” Selene pulled Nijah into a tight hug, nearly squeezing her to death. Nijah wasn’t used to this form of affection, but she knew something that could be just as good…

Nijah peeked over Selene’s shoulder and saw just what she needed. As her new friend put her down, Nijah trotted over to the edge of a rosebush. Trying her best to avoid the pricklies, she managed to pull out a single yellow rose. She presented it to her new friend with a cautious smile.

“For friendship.”

Selene gushed, a light blush dusting over her face. “For me? Thank you!” She carefully took the flower from Nijah’s fingers, smelling the lovely aroma.

Nijah felt a wave of relief. Having a friend felt good.

“This is the nicest thing anyone has ever given me. I promise.” Selene grabbed Nijah by the hand. “Come on, let’s go back home. I want you to meet my momma!”

“...and from that day forward, we were inseparable. We would go to that field every year to celebrate another year as friends. It seems like we’ll be missing this year, though...”

Nijah’s eyes welled with tears from her memories. They were so precious to her, and she never thought she would be looking back on them like this. So tragic, to have her friend dying in her arms this way.

“I...I think you two will find each other again. In another life.” Nijah rambled.

“You think so?”

“Yeah, the world works in mysterious ways.”

For a moment, they were silent. Nijah tried her best to dry her eyes, batting them quickly so her tears would go back to where they came from. Selene seemed to be thinking deeply about something, letting her face frown as she concentrated.

“Doc, I have to thank you. For trying to save me. You...you made me feel like I was more than a patient.”

Nijah refused to say anything. She would lose herself if she did.

“I never imagined dying this way. I imagined living my life, with my friends and a lover, having a family of my own...but hey, maybe in another life, right?”

“Maybe so.”

“I wish you well doctor. I hope that maybe, we can meet again.” Selene reached up to caress the doctor’s mask tenderly, like she was saying goodbye. “Th...thank you…”

And, in that moment, Selene took her last breath.

Nijah closed her eyes with her fingers and rested her hand back on her body. She took her mask off, letting it fall to the ground as she could no longer hold back the tears, holding Selene’s body close to her own.

“Goodbye, my friend…”

She wasn’t sure how long she stayed in the room where she died. All she knew was that she cried until her body was completely dry, unable to feel anything anymore.

The next morning, Nijah still felt completely empty. But she didn’t know how else she could feel. She had lost one of the people that meant the world to her.

Selene had requested that after her body was cremated, that Doctor 187 would bury her by the sea, so she could find herself with Nijah someday. For the sake of her deceased friend, Nijah rolled out of bed, fiddling with the ring to help her not feel so depressed. Julian would want me to do this, she thought as she stretched her body out from her sleepless night.

As she made her way to the bathrooms, she kept on getting frightened stares from the other doctors. They backed away from her, had her name on their lips, even ran out of her way as she trudged forward. Even Katja looked at her in fear. But she didn’t care. They don’t know what she’s going through. 

She assumed that she looked rough because she didn’t sleep a wink. A cruel way to go about it, she thought as she opened the door to the bathroom.

Nijah took a bucket and threw some cold water over her body to wake herself up. The freezing temperature jolted her body, feeling her senses go into overdrive.

As she patted her body dry with a towel, she walked over to the mirror instinctively to fix her hair. But when she saw her reflection, she dropped her towel in horror.

The whites of her eyes had turned bright red.

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