#red betta publications

[readerviews]

"Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses" by Maithy Vu

What did those fables and fairy tales lie about? #books #bookreview #reading #readerviews

Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses Maithy Vured betta publications (2024)ISBN:  978-0996382274Reviewed by Jennifer Bisbing for Reader Views (05/2024) Is “Poems for Princesses with Peas Under Their Mattresses” for those in the pursuit of being a princess, or is it a cautionary reimagining of the fairy tale misnomers and myths of being a princess? I kissed a frog and never…

[clockwayswrites]

Like Betta Fish Do - Part 29

WC 2500, Masterpost

A Press of the Button:

An Exclusive Interview with Jason Wayne and Danny Nightingale Following the Infamous New Years Eve Choice

By Clark Kent

“I’m going to throw up.”

I’m sure that I wasn’t supposed to overhear that; it’s not exactly an auspicious start to an interview. Here inside of Wayne Manor’s stately halls the noise of the crowd of press outside of the gate has fallen away and the words from the other side of the door are clear. The voice isn’t one that I recognize, so I place it as the young man at the center of the event: Daniel Nightingale.

“Danny, please, I’ve never liked Daniel,” he’ll introduce himself to me once I’m inside the sitting room. Jason Todd is at his boyfriend’s side, looming like an avenging angel. Or, since we’re in Gotham, a very large bat.

When I was assigned the interview, I hadn’t been sure where it would be held. As readers may know, Jason Todd hasn’t lived at the Manor since his miraculous return from the dead. There were, as he said, too many memories in the Manor for him to return. At the time he had still been struggling to overcome the unfortunate amnesia that he had suffered during his brutal abduction as a teenager.

Whatever trauma is still lingering, it’s clear that both young men are taking comfort being in the manor. The proverbial wagons have been circled inside of the family home. Even cleaned up the sitting room shows signs of a rotation cast of family keeping the pair company: a plethora of blankets, stacked board games, feel-good food, and, of all things, a plush trilobite.

As we take our seats, Danny leans unconsciously into Jason’s space like a flower to the sun. His nerves are clear in the way that his fingers fidget restlessly with the edge of his sleeves. The red sweater is far too large for him and hangs off of one thin shoulder. I have to guess that it’s Jason’s sweater and worn today for comfort. I doubt anyone could blame Danny seeking comfort wherever he can find it.

Less than a week ago Danny was abducted from the Wayne’s New Years Eve party by a Gotham villain known as Two Face. The villain came into being after Harvey Dent, a district attorney in Gotham, was traumatically exposed to a toxic chemical. (More about Two Face can be read in the article ‘A Flip of a Coin’.) Danny had been taken off site while a handful of party goers were strapped to an explosive device.

Presented with the horrifying choice between his boyfriend or his father and youngest brother, Jason had pressed the red button connected to Danny’s trap.

Danny Nightingale had been electrocuted to death.

And survived.

It’s the perfect sort of awful story to capture the attention of the public and press alike, and it’s the reason that I’m at Wayne Manor now.

Hoping to make Danny feel more settled, I start off with some pleasantries before going in with a soft question. How is he doing with all the attention that the event has been getting? It must be overwhelming.

Danny glances towards the front of the house where outside lies the front yard, the protective gate, and the press. “It is. I feel like I’m still getting used to living in a city as big as Gotham, so all of this suddenly… yeah, it’s a lot.”

Danny grew up in a much smaller city in central Illinois called Amity Park. He moved to Gotham in the late summer of last year to continue his education at Gotham University. It’s a change that he describes as good, even as overwhelming as it is.

“Gotham has been surprisingly easy to fall in love with. I can see why Gothamites are so protective of the city,” Danny explains with the first hint of a smile on his face that I’ve seen since I came through the doors.

When I ask him if he hopes to stay in Gotham long term, Danny glances at Jason and blushes faintly. “I’d like to, if I can find work. There’s a lot here worth staying for and the city is just part of that.”

The words cause the first blush I’ve seen on Jason’s cheeks since he was new to the Wayne family and a little overwhelmed himself. Clearly Jason is one of the things worth staying for.

We talk a little about how Danny likes the Wayne family. He admits that he’s still getting to know them. He’d only been introduced to most of the family at the end of last year, right before finals. Already, though, there are stories to be told about board games and good food. Beyond the Waynes, Danny has someone else very important in Gotham.

“Your sister is in town, isn’t she?” I ask. “I imagine having her here during this has been nice.”

“It is. I was actually supposed to go and see her after New Years, but obviously…” Danny clears his throat and Jason takes one of Danny’s hands in his. Danny instantly relaxes into Jason’s side. “But yeah, having her here is really nice.”

“I take it you two are close then?”

“She was my anchor growing up,” Danny says with a little smile that’s tinged with sadness. “I wish she hadn’t had to be. Now that I’m older I know how unfair that was to her, but I’m so lucky that she did. She could so easily resent me for it, but she doesn’t at all. It makes it really easy to love her.”

“Not that it’s hard,” Jason adds with a chuckle. “I think her and Dick have already made an oldest sibling club and Damian thinks both Nightingales hung the moon, I swear.”

“Speaking of Nightingale, that isn’t your original last name, is it?”

It’s been an item of note in the recent write ups on Danny that both of the siblings had changed their last name to Nightingale from their birth name of Fenton. Their parents, doctors both, still go by Fenton. In Gotham, at least, the Doctor Fentons would be described as mad scientists. The so-called ‘ectobiologists’ have made their life a study of ghosts. In Amity Park, ‘the most haunted town in America’, they’re just part of the atmosphere.

Danny sighs and glances away. “No. Jazz and I both changed our last names when we turned eighteen. Jazz had wanted me to change it and go with her when she turned eighteen, but she had this great scholarship for college and she’d taken care of me enough. I couldn’t put that on her too, so I refused to until I was eighteen.”

“So you didn’t actually emancipate yourself?”

“Nope. One day late for that. But I moved out the same day I changed my name.”

“How did your parents take that?”

A wry smile twists Danny’s lips. “They didn’t notice until months later when the lab had gotten too dirty.”

“The lab?”

“It was one of my chores to clean it; another thing that I get was messed up now that I’m older and away from there. We, um, think that it was my exposure to all those chemicals that made me a meta.”

By all accounts, Danny’s meta status is how he survived the electrocution. It’s a label that he looks slightly uncomfortable with.

“It’s not that I mind being a meta,” he’s quick to assure me. “It’s just that… what actually made me one was an accident in the lab. I was electrocuted.” He raises his left arm up. The overly large red sleeve pools down to reveal a branching network of faint silver scars tracing his skin. “It’s hard right now to think back to it, after what happened. I really didn’t know if I would survive… either time. I’m lucky that all I have are scars.”

“But you thought that you might survive.”

“I did,” Danny says with a little shrug. He seems almost at ease with that question, unlike Jason.

Jason has to take a moment to press a kiss to Danny’s temple.

“After the first time I was electrocuted,” Danny explains, “I became a little more resistant to electricity— little shocks and things. It’s not like I ever tested it out with anything big. I guess it was just a feeling I had.”

When I ask Danny if he’s alright to talk about the night of the party he looks stressed by the idea but still gives a little nod. As he points out, it is why I’m there.

“I was getting some fresh air,” Danny explains. He’s picking at the sweater again. “The night was really lovely, but it’s just not the sort of thing I’m used to, you know? So I just wanted a moment to gather myself. I guess… I guess they were already watching me, because they knocked me out before I even really knew they were there.

“I woke up strapped to a metal chair. They’d taken my shoes and socks off. I couldn't understand why, but then,” Danny has to pause here and take a moment. Jason pulls him closer. “Then I noticed that my feet were in water and there was a wire in the water too. The wire wasn’t live but it’s… I mean it wasn’t hard to put it all together.”

“That must have been terrifying.”

“Yeah.” Danny looks over at the windows and the gray winter day beyond them. “I didn’t know who had taken me or why. I could hear some people close, talking about waiting for a signal, but it wasn’t much. When my eyes adjusted I could see a camera on a tripod and a laptop. I didn’t know what was going on, not until it turned on.

“Two Face was on it. I guess you know I’m not a native Gothamite that it took me a moment to recognize him,” Danny said with a weak laugh. “He explained what he was doing.”

I ask Danny what his first thought was when hearing the plan.

“Worry for Jason. Which I know sounds insane, but I guess… I guess I had already accepted the circumstance I was in. I just didn’t want Jason to have to go through that choice.”

“And then Jason was on the screen.”

“Yeah.”

“Jason, what were you feeling at seeing Danny on the television?”

“What do you think?” Jason asks, frustration lacing through his voice. “I was pissed off. I was scared. I was… I hated myself.”

“Why?”

“Because Danny was only in that situation because he was dating a Wayne. Because he was dating me. And there he was, a few seconds from death, bleeding, and… and telling me that he loved me.”

While Danny sounds almost detached talking about it, possibly a coping mechanism, Jason sounds like every wound is still fresh. It paints a terrifying picture of what it’s like to be the one to die versus the one who presses the button.

I turn back to Danny. “You said something to Jason in the video after that. There's been a great deal of debate about your words. Do you feel alright discussing them.”

Danny nods. I read out the quote: You know what you have to do, don’t you?

“Danny, what did you mean?”

“That Jason had to press my button,” Danny says with surprising ease. It’s clear that the order was one that he still stands by.

I ask about that certainty.

Danny gives a little shrug. He tucks himself back further under Jason’s arm, but I'm certain that the move is more for Jason’s comfort. “It was me or a group of other people. That would have been enough. I would never put myself first like that, but then you add in Damian and Bruce being part of that group? I couldn’t ask Jason to choose me over his family and Jason knows I wouldn’t.”

What about the chance of survival?

“Jason and I had talked about my accident before. Death… it’s something we both get, you know? So we both knew that there could be a chance of me surviving, but there was never any guarantee.”

“Are you going on record that you told Jason to press the button, knowing it could kill you?”

“Absolutely.”

And how did that insistence make Jason feel? Right then it seems all Jason can do is curl up around Danny, as if he can shield him from the past.

“Fucking horrible. Danny just looked at the whole situation and made the choice for me. I don’t know, maybe I should think that was freeing, but I still had to press the button.”

I point out that he could have made the other choice and he just shakes his head. “And make Danny live with that? He had made his choice. He didn’t want to trade his life for theirs. I hated it, but what sort of person would I have been if I didn’t let Danny take control of his own life? I knew I wouldn’t be able to live with either choice, so at least… at least I could listen to Danny.”

So Jason had pressed the button, Danny had been electrocuted (he refused to speak on the experience), and Jason had attacked Two Face. The man had ended up with a broken jaw and fractures in the orbital rim. It was while Jason had been sobbing in his father’s arms that they had gotten the word from one of Gotham’s local heroes: Danny was still alive.

“What did I feel? Hope,” Jason said with an almost despairing laugh. “I don’t… hope and I don't do well these days, but I felt hope. I don’t know if I believed it until I was actually holding his hands.”

“I was a little out of it when they got there,” Danny admits, which seems more than fair considering everyone else would have been dead. “But I’m so grateful to Nightwing and the paramedics taking care of me and letting me see Jason before the hospital. I really… I really needed him right then.”

And now?

“I’d like to say that I’m alright, but,” Danny shrugs, “it’s a lot to go through. But I know I’ll be alright. Jason and his family are amazing and I have Jazz here. I’ll keep healing, physically and mentally, and so will Jason. I know the internet has a lot to say about it all, but I think they need to understand that this turned out the best way that it could have.”

Jason kisses Danny’s temple again with a slight smile. He seems to be in agreement with everything his boyfriend said.

“I suppose I have just one more question,” I say after a moment of looking over my notes. “Why do you call Danny ‘fish’?”

I don’t get an answer, but maybe hearing those two able to laugh so soon after such a traumatic event is better than a story.

---

AN: *flops dramatically* darlings, this chapter is finally done! Thank you to @chromatographic and @mokulule for cheer/beta reading for me. This one was really hard to write since it's out of the normal style wise for me, but it felt like the best way to tell the story right there.

I hope you enjoy it!

I no longer tag, you can subscribe at the masterpost!

[drefear]

Hail to the King

Chapter 3: The Start

Summary: Miguel O’Hara is the head of the biggest mafia family in Nueva York, scaring almost all of its citizens. Except you. And that’s exactly what he needs.

TW: implied smut, public, psychical domestic abuse, angst, Miguel is a real piece of work and kinda spoiled

AN: this one’s a little bit short and intense, but the next part should be a bit juicer :)

The morning started with sunlight blaring into your eyes as you squinted at your alarm clock.

8am.

8AM?!

Jumping to your feet, you tripped onto the floor over an unpacked box and felt your knee go numb for a moment. Getting back up and grabbing your phone, you glance at your phone. 6:15 am, you breathed a breath of relief. You’d have to remember to reset the time on your bedside so that didn’t scare you again. You move to kneel by one of the boxes and pull out some of your jackets and sweaters, laying them out on your bed and looking over them. Glancing back at the designer garment bags and shoe boxes in your new closet, your mind was set. It was time to show Miguel that you were your own person, and he couldn’t control you even if he was your boss.

Applying some natural makeup and placing your hair in curls, you were done with your appearance. How could anyone look down on you now, with how put together you looked? Slipping on the white silk blouse you’d bought, you paired it with a gray pencil skirt and a delicate gold necklace. You slipped on a pair of red bottom nude shoes and flattened the front of the skirt in the mirror, putting your shoulders back to measure yourself up and overlook your appearance.

As much confidence as you felt a moment ago while getting ready, now it was time to face the music and actually go to work, which somewhat terrified you after the affairs of last night. Eyes faltering, you played with the button on your sleeve and heard a knock at your door, brows furrowing in apprehension. You paused before you grabbed your bag and opened your front door, looking up to see a man in a black jacket with chains and rips all over it, strategically placed. Dreads covering his eyes a bit, he had a few piercings and looked at you with no expression whatsoever. Your hands held your purse a little tighter from nerves as this intimidating stranger was at your door.

“I’m ‘er ta take you to work.” He said as he glanced at one of his gloves as if he was inspecting something. You nodded, reaching out to shake hands with him, but he just smirked. “Name’s Hobie, but they call me Punk.” He jutted his chin towards the elevator. “We meetin’ the big man in the lobby.” His back turned and he walked to the metal doors as you just followed, locking your home before quickening your pace to catch up with his leisurely stride.

Silence followed you both like a scent brought into a room, slowly wafting around with nowhere to go. The feeling wasn’t uncomfortable, but it wasn’t familiar and relaxed either. Almost similar to a party where you don’t know anyone, but you can still have a good time.

“So you gave him the what for?’ His british drawl interrupted your pitiful thoughts and made you look up at him.

“I guess I did.” You laughed a bit and he smirked, looking ahead again.

“Good. He could use someone remindin’ ‘em he’s still human.” The way he spoke was almost as if you being stubborn and abrasive was amusing to him, like it was a show he was watching. “Be nice havin’ someone else with no fear to give it back to ‘em.”

“We all need to be spoken to as equals. That’s at least how I feel.” You answered, checking your watch and straightening up.

“You couldn’t’a said it any betta.” He nodded as the doors opened and stepped out right away, as if he couldn’t wait to be free. My eyes met with Miguel’s as he stood in the lobby on the phone.

“Yes, I-“ his words stopped short as his eyes roamed my body, obviously checking out my clothing after his comment yesterday. His eyes found mine once more and spoke again, “I’m busy now, goodbye.” He hung up without hesitation. “Is that what you’re wearing?”

You were stunned. This again?

“Yes?”

“Are you asking or telling me?” He replied and your anger began to boil.

“I’m telling you but you’re making me think I dressed wrong.”

“You did. Do you expect any of my men to be able to focus while you’re wearing that tight skirt?” He took a step forward, attempting to intimidate you with his size. Once again, you wouldn’t give in.

“Tell them to try harder. I’m not going to change because your men can’t handle seeing a woman’s body in a tight outfit without having to touch her. Fuck that.” You raised your voice at the end and he tilted his chin up, contemplating his next thoughts.

“Fine, but you won’t leave my side today. That way, if anyone misbehaves, I’ll know about it first and I can handle it correctly.” He turned once he was done speaking and waved for you both to follow. “And when I’m not with you, I want Hobie or Jess with you. They know enough about how everything works, so they can handle these matters.”

With that, he was gone again and you looked at Hobie.

“I’m wit’ you. Don’t let ‘em touch you just cause ya hot. Stab ‘em in the jugular.” He added and strolled past you to get into the car.

“Stab- what?” You stuttered and then got in. It was going to be a strange day.

Aside from the looks, though, it went by perfectly smooth. No one even dared flirt with you and everything was perfectly professional. You expected hound dogs and catcalls, but nothing transpired and you mentally rolled your eyes at your boss. He could be so over dramatic.

Your heels clacked against the tile as you walked towards Miguel’s office, which was next door to yours, and you knocked when you saw the door closed.

“Come in.” He answered, but you heard another person in there. You opened the door and saw no one else. Strange. “Make it fast, I’m busy.” He glared up to you as he glanced to your eyes and then back to his computer screen.

“You have a guest waiting downstairs, he said he has inside information on the Octavius family-” You said, then stopped abruptly at the sound of… gagging?

Damnit, not this again…

“Miguel, let the poor girl breathe, she’d obviously had her mouth full this whole time.” You rolled your eyes and glanced at your tablet. “You’re insatiable.” You mumbled and turned, hearing him sigh and roll his chair out for a moment, then watching a girl get out from under his desk. It was a different girl from yesterday, and she wiped her mouth to get off the dried drool and whatever else it was. He leaned on his elbow and pouted a bit, glancing towards the window. “And put it away.” You added, turning your head from the two of them. He sat back and tucked himself in, “thank you, now get prepared for your guest. He’s taking a big risk, coming here with this.” You sent him a deadly look and watched the girl moved awkwardly as he yanked her hand and sat her on his lap.

“Send him in.”

You rolled your eyes and inhaled an exasperated breath. “You are the absolute worst.” Your resentment was evident on your face as he nodded towards the door. “Fine. But I’m not going to apologize for you being a tool.” You walked out of the room as the girls’ faces turned completely red.

The next few weeks went by smoothly, nothing went awry or caused issues. Everyday was basically the same. Get up, get ready, go to work…

And do your best to not be disgusted by Miguel’s insane, untamed, and sexually uncouth tendencies.

Every day, he had a few different sexual activities scheduled. Sometimes, you’d call him and be put on speaker while he slammed into the back of the red head from floor 4, and other days, he’d blatantly tell you to come to his office and discuss notes for the meeting while fingering the brunette from finance. You’d just sigh and ignore the moans and uncomfortable squishing sounds.

A few times, he’d called you about an issue after work and you’d hear pornographic sounds in the background.

You didn’t ask. You told yourself you didn’t want to know, but that was a lie. Most of the time, if you were in front of him, he kept it in his pants, so you’d never actually seen what he was working with, but the sounds of most of the women he was with seemed fake, so you assumed it wasn’t anything to write home about.

Two more weeks went by peacefully with this routine. Until one night after you’d gone to sleep…

Buzz buzz buzz… buzz buzz buzz…

Buzz buzz buzz… buzz buzz buzz…

Grumbling, you opened one eye to see your phone vibrating relentlessly. You finally answered, rubbing your face a bit.

“Mmm?” You could barely speak, your brain not fully awake yet.

“Why didn’t you pick up right away?” His voice was angry and you didn’t have to energy to put up with his bullshit attitude.

“Because my hours are 8am to 6pm, and house visits are not included, so watch how you’re fucking talking to me while I’m off the clock.” You hissed and turned on the lamp you’d bought for next to your bed. It was pretty, from a thrift store and you’d loved it the second you’d seen it.

“I’m still your boss.”

“Not at this second. Right now, you’re a nuisance. Now spit it out before I hang up.”

Silence.

“Ok, I’m done-”

“Fine. I need you to call for an escort for an event next week. My previous date had a fight with her husband and will not be able to make it.” He spoke slowly and you sighed.

“Did you fuck her? Is that why?” You don’t know why you even asked, since it wasn’t your business and you already knew the answer.

He was quiet again. “Miguel, you fucking ass. Do I need to hire someone else for her job too?” You questioned and he mumbled a barely audible ‘yes,’ under his breath. “So I’m genuinely curious. Do you have any self control or does your dick handle your brain waves?”

“Enough, just call the fucking escort.” He grumbled and you massaged your temples.

“So you’re telling me that this couldn’t wait until the morning?”

“I wanted it done as soon as possible, and I didn’t want anyone else to hear about it.” Ah, so he was embarrassed, you thought. Maybe he does have a conscience.

“Why not ask one of the other bimbos you use as stress relief?”

“I don’t want this to happen to one of them either.”

“Are they all married?” You huffed, erasing that mental note of his morality.

“Aside from Lyla, all of the women in the office are. It’s part of why I hired you as well. I’ve been told-”

“What?” You interrupted, scrunching your nose. “I’m not married.”

“Your background check said that you were.”

“Oh.” You whispered, “I’m… well… it’s complicated.” You looked around, “But my personal life isn’t the point, I’ll call the agency in the morning.” You tried to cut it short, but all you heard were footsteps. “Hello?”

“I’ll be at your door in two minutes.” And the phone call ended, with you staring at the screen. You hadn’t even gotten out of bed, how were you supposed to deal with this?

Two minutes later, a knock was heard as you raced to the door and threw your hair up in a bun. It didn’t help that you slept naked, so you tugged on a t-shirt and a pair of panties before throwing your robe on top. He stood there, white v-neck t-shirt and gray sweatpants. (Of fucking course he was wearing those.)

You were standing silently as he looked down with an unreadable expression. Without a word, he picked up your hands and scanned them. Then he walked in and looked around. You watched his movements begrudgingly.

“You know, this is highly unprofessional.” You cleared your throat. “And you can’t just walk into my-”

“I paid for this apartment.”

“I didn’t ask for it.” You threw back at his rude comment. He narrowed his eyes around and then back to you. “So what the hell is the point of this all?”

“I called you after she called me and told me what had happened.” Your silence prompted him to speak again, “she said she was filing for divorce from her husband because she was in love with me.” Oh. Your jaw dropped a bit as he showed no reaction. “I fired her.”

“You are heartless.”

“I’m focused.” He corrected and glanced around the living room once more. “Your record said you were married.”

“As of a few months ago, I’m divorced.” You announced, avoiding his eyes and biting the inside of your cheek. The truth was it was still fresh, and you couldn’t bring yourself to talk about it with anyone. Not even Gwen or Jess or Lyla knew, but you guessed now that wasn’t true since Lyla was the one who told Miguel that you were married.

“How come you still come up as married?”

“He won’t sign the papers…” You rubbed the back of your neck, moving to sit on your couch and having a feeling this conversation was going to be a long one. After a second, you assumed he was waiting for you to keep speaking and you complied with the silent command. “He still lives in my hometown, but he’s tried contacting me. At first, it was constant, all day every day and night. But then, it slowed down. He tried coming here to visit once, but he didn't have my new address. It’s part of why I didn’t put up a fight when you wanted me to move.”

You both sat in a tense and emotional silence, wringing your hands from anxiety.

“Why’d you leave him?” His voice was deeper, more gentle as he asked. Memories flooded behind your eyes as his question echoed in her head.

You screamed as you heard a snap, his face dangerously close to yours. “You knew he was looking at you! You wanted him!” The smell of alcohol was strong in your nose as he spit while yelling at you. Tears streamed down your cheeks as you whimpered, his grip on your limp wrist painful and you saw that your arm was beginning to swell. He wasn’t backing off, he didn’t believe you, he was so drunk.

“Eddie, please… I love you, I could never want anyone else.” You whispered and raised the other hand to hold his cheek, watching his facial expression change and soften. “I’m your girl. Only your girl, forever. We promised, we vowed… right?” Your voice was cautious, soft. His hold on your definitely broken wrist lessened and you moved slowly to cradle your limp limb. Tears fell more freely as the pain soared and you shook in the shock.

“You’re my girl… I’ll fix this.” He kissed your knuckle as you looked at him with fear. “Let’s get you to the hospital, you took a nasty fall.” He looked down at you and you understood his silent command, one you already knew too well. Years of enduring this had molded you to his creation, a being a fear and surrender.

“I don’t think that’s important to our relationship as boss and employee.” Your whole body stiffened as you remember that memory, one of your hands moving to hold the wrist that had been broken.

“It is if this person decides to come here. He already seems like he’s not complying with your divorce, what if he shows up unannounced again?” He leaned forward on his knees as he stared at you with an underlying tone in his voice as he spoke. He knew.

“His name is Eddie.” Your voice cracked saying his voice, as if it physically broke you to re-live him. “And he would hurt me.” You whispered through gritted teeth, hating admitting that you were perishable and his hands were how you learned that about yourself. Miguel’s expression softened slightly.

“You can admit that, now you have to make sure you never let anyone make you feel that way again.” He announced, and stood. “You’ll begin self defense training with me.” He rolled his shoulders and you just listened, nodding. You weren't used to being so docile anymore, especially not with your boss, but this was different. This would benefit you and help you become stronger, someone that no one could manhandle ever again.

“When do we start?”

Your work outfit

Chapter 2 Chapter 4

[howlingday]

Dark AU: An idea of how to transition into the Dock scene could be Jaune and Penny go into Vale proper to buy things, Penny gets distracted (pet shop with Betta fish on display perhaps?), notices Jaune isn't around and Sun runs into her while running away. As an apology of sorts Sun helps Penny search for Jaune. Meanwhile Jaune was taken by some faunus on orders if spotted for questioning. (He may not have been revealed as the sole survivor to the public but there are ways to find out for an info broker.) Questioning becomes violent when Jaune gives answers they don't like. Brought to the docks heist to be left behind as an example. Somewhat escapes (Roman/Neo taking pity?) as Penny shows up lasers blazing. Aftermath Jaune gains confidence by saving someone, Penny maybe tells Jaune the truth and Sun eats a banana.

Just an option; if taken change how you like.

Also thanks for listening and for the content!

I like your idea, but I think I know just how to tweak in the way I've been looking for...

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"Do you really have to see the betta fish again?"

"Yes, of course!" Penny replied, walking next to Jaune. She couldn't stop herself from shaking with excitement. Her favorite time of the week was to go to the pet store and look at all the beautiful betta fish on display. This had become routine since her arrival at Beacon a few months ago, and it was one that she and her partner had no intention of breaking. "Oh? It's closed?"

"Looks like it's being renovated." Jaune noted from the sign. Oddly enough, there were still pets in the window, including betta fish. "Kinda weird for these animals to be out here where it's so sunny."

Penny didn't respond. She was too engrossed in the elegant dance of the betta fish darting about in their tanks and bowls. Jaune smiled as her green eyes darted from one fish to another within seconds between them.

"Hey, kid." Jaune turned, seeing a man in a black apron. "You lookin' to buy?"

"Oh, no, just browsing." Jaune waved off, quickly dismissing his excited partner behind him. He swore he heard her neck snap.

"You sure?" The man tilted his head down, brow raised. "Maybe you want a pet? Something to keep you calm? Like a cat?"

"No, no, really, I'm sure, Mister..." Jaune narrowed his eyes on the nametag. "...Leon?"

"Well, if you're sure. But would you like to help feed them? Kinda got a lot and my back's been aching all morning."

At this, Jaune's face lit up. This was his chance to do some good for once, instead of just sitting around and wallowing in his own self-pity at Beacon. And huntsmen did help those in need, right? Jaune gave a nod.

"We'd be happy to help, right, Penny?" He turned to see his partner didn't respond, too engrossed by an especially red and blue fish. "Well, I'd be happy to help." He got closer to his partner. "Hey, Penny? I'm going to help feed some animals. I'll be inside, okay?"

"Mm..." Penny said, though it may not have been in reply to him.

Giving a shrug, Jaune followed the man inside. The inside was warm and dark, with no lights or any kind of air conditioning on. Were the animals really okay in this kind of environment? It didn't seem safe.

"So, uh, where are the animals?" Jaune asked as he entered the room in the back.

"It's faunus!" Everything went loud and dark. All of a sudden, Jaune couldn't feel anything. Not even the throbbing swelling lump on his head.

----------------------------------------------------

"Okay, I think I lost them- ACK!"

Penny fell to her side as a young man was straddled over her. His shirt was unbuttoned and wide open, showing off his toned abs while a golden tail swirled from his torn-up jeans. Penny gave a blink a couple of times before she realized what had happened.

"Oh, excuse me!" She said. "I'm sorry if I was in your way."

"Nah, nah, it's cool." The monkey faunus pulled himself to his feet before lending a hand. Penny took it and quickly rose to stand. "Sorry about that. I was just running away from some, uh..." She scratched his head. "Uh, nevermind. The name's Sun Wukong! What's your name?"

"I am Penny Polendina, and this is... Jaune?" Penny turned, looking around. "Jaune?"

"Is Jaune your pet?"

"He is my assigned partner at Beacon Academy."

"Oh, you're going to Beacon? Same! I'm from Haven Academy!"

"I see! Where is your team?"

"They'll get here eventually. I took the fastest way I knew!"

"You abandoned your team?"

"Ah, they'll understand." Sun waved her off. "So, uh, where'd this Jaune partner or yours go? He ditch ya?"

"He would not ditch me. He could not ditch me."

"Oh..." Sun clicked his cheek. "You guys are like that, huh?"

"He is my partner, and I am his. It is up to me to ensure his mental state does not diminish to critical levels."

"Uh... huh..." Sun walked around. "Well, if you guys are that close, then he probably didn't get far." He pointed to the pet store. "You think he's in here?"

"Unlikely." Penny answered. "The building is being renovated."

"With the door wide open and nobody inside?" Sun entered the building, followed by Penny. "Seems kinda weird, not gonna lie." He sniffed. "Wait." He sniffed again. "Oh no..."

Sun quickly rounded the empty cages to the counter, tossing the door aside. Looking down, he could see a clean floor, but his nose didn't lie. Following it to the closet in the back, he found a person laying inside, unconscious.

"The shopkeeper!" Penny shouted. She swiftly turned and ran for the back room. "Jaune?!"

"Ah, hell..." Sun groaned. "The last thing I'd want is to get the cops involved, but it looks like that's what's gonna happen." Sun picked the phone off the counter but set it down when there was no dial tone. "Lights out, hot as Vacuo, and no phone service? There's a lot wrong with this picture."

"Sun! I have found something!" Sun jumped the counter, running to the back room where Penny stood. The inside looked to be a garage with an open door to the back alley. There were skid marks on the ground and a white flag held aloft in the girl's hands. "I think I know who has Jaune."

On the flag was a familiar red symbol of a beast and claw marks.

----------------------------------------------------

"Where is Jaune now?!" Glynda screamed as she paced the floor of the headmaster's office. "You don't know is not an acceptable answer, Miss Polendina. Jaune Arc is your partner, which means he is your-"

"Glynda!" She flinched, looking to Professor Ozpin. The look on his face was a rare instance of anger. He seldom showed it, which meant it wasn't an emotion to be taken lightly from him. "Hand me the scroll. Focus on finding Jaune from here and ensuring all students are back at Beacon Academy."

"Yes, Headmaster." She gulped, handing over the scroll. "Excuse me, I didn't-"

"You're scared. It's understandable, Glynda." The way he used her first name to calm her down worked, though only a little. "But fear is not what we should be using to respond to this. Now do as you were instructed." With a nod, she left the office, tapping on her personal scroll. "Miss Polendina, this is your headmaster speaking. Remain calm and explain to me what has happened."

Ozpin sat and listened, simultaneously coordinating with police and huntsmen across Vale to find his missing student. This wasn't the first time a student went missing, nor could he hope it would happen be the last. But there was one thing he would do if his power allowed. Jaune Arc would not die. His first years for the current semester may have been single digit numbers, but they would not drop lower than they'd already had.

"Can you determine which direction the tires were going?" He asked, at the same time updating the mission board for the responding huntsmen to read. "Have you contacted the authorities? Are they with you now?" Thankfully, the woman and the animals in the store were alive, though blunt force trauma to the former and heat injuries to the latter hardly constituted as 'and well'. "And you say a student from Haven Academy is present with you?" This would be the most awkward task, since that meant he'd have to explain to Leonardo that one of his students had arrived in Vale months early for the Vytal tournament.

Unfortunately, with all these questions being answered, too many were still left unknown as they appeared. Why was the White Fang in Vale? Why would they kidnap Jaune? And most importantly, where had they taken him?

"Ozpin!" Professor Goodwitch slammed open the door to his office. "We've found him."

----------------------------------------------------

"Good evening, I'm Lisa Lavender. Tonight, for our top story, we have an interview with the student who survived the initiation of the mass student deaths at Beacon Academy, Jaune Arc." She smiled to him. "Thank you for coming to us, Jaune."

"N-No problem." Jaune gulped. When he woke up, men with bone-white masks pointed guns at him and told him to stay where he was. One of them had pointed ears on his head and the other had a tail curled over his belt.

"Now, Mr. Arc, I understand this is a very difficult topic to discuss, but the audience would appreciate if you could tell us what happened to you at Beacon Academy."

"Uh..." He glanced to the side, where the camera was looking right at him, but not as threateningly as the man next to it holding a gun. With a shaky breath, he made the choice to relive that horrible day. "I... I left for Beacon Academy and when I got there, I..." He gave a chuckle. "I threw up in the trash as soon as I got off the bullhead. A little while after, I met a girl who was in a crater. I... I think it was a dust explosion. She... She told me her name was Ruby."

Jaune's throat dried up, but he kept talking because if he stopped talking, what was going to happen? He'd get shot? He'd die? Telling this woman, the people in the room, and if the camera was any indication, the whole world, everyone was listening to him. However, the next part of the story was the worst part.

"I... I watched as Ruby, she..." He swallowed, feeling tears well in his eyes. "She wasn't as old as me, so seeing her like..." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, do I have to keep going?" He looked to the woman with tears spilling from his eyes.

"Only if you want to." She placed a hand on his.

He flinched as the gun racked, reminding him of who was really in charge.

"I-I-I..." He shuddered. "One girl was tossed over the side of the cliff. I listened as she screamed until I couldn't hear her anymore."

"Do you remember who it was?"

"It... It was the girl with the white hair."

"Do you mean Weiss Schnee, the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company?" He nodded. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "A tragedy felt just as tenderly as everyone else who'd perished that day."

He could hear one of the gunmen give a chuckle.

"My partner and the blond girl... I think one of them was Ruby's sister... They... They both died to the big scorpion one."

"The Deathstalker." She nodded. "And your partner was Pyrrha Nikos, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, she... She helped unlock my aura."

"You entered Beacon without your aura unlocked?" She sounded genuinely caught off guard. "What would possess you to do something so dangerous?"

"I..." He sniffed, glad to be away from the topic, if even for a little bit. "I wanted to prove myself. I was a nobody, and I just... I didn't want to be a nobody forever. A disappointment."

"Well, Jaune, I have to say that what you did was, in my personal opinion, the most selfish, stupid thing you could have done." Jaune's eyes widened. "People have dedicated their lives to training and honing their bodies, their skills, their mental fortitudes so that they can protect innocent people from the horrors of the Grimm, and you attended Beacon because you, 'wanted to prove yourself,' if I'm using your words right. People are dead, Jaune, and how exactly did you survive?"

"I... I went into the caves and..."

"And you hid." Lisa venomously spat. "Like a coward. Weiss Schnee is dead, Jaune. Pyrrha Nikos is dead. Ruby is dead. Every single one of those students is dead because you couldn't act. Because you didn't have the training to do what innocent people would be counting on you to do if you did make it as a huntsman." She threw her arms in the air before folding them. "What did you expect to happen, Jaune? That you and these girls would go to the academy, be best friends, and then just spend the rest of your life going on adventures as a huntsman?" She jabbed a finger at him. "The world isn't a fairy tale, Jaune. People fight and die because the Grimm are monsters who won't stop until we're all dead. But you wanted to prove yourself? Well, I think you've proven yourself well enough... as a coward."

Jaune... did nothing. What could he do? He'd just been slandered to people all over Remnant. His parents, his teachers, complete strangers just heard him get broken down by this woman and called a coward for all the tears he shed. And the worst part of it all was that she was right.

Jaune fled with that girl into the caves after the others died. He didn't have any power to stand against those giant monsters those girls died to, and he thought he could come into Beacon at the same level they did. He was a sham, a fraud. Every word said against him was the truth, and he just had to sit there and accept it.

"I'm Lisa Lavender. Thank you for watching."

"And cut!" The world became loud around Jaune as people moved this direction and that, leaving him seated in his chair. Lisa Lavender had already left the room, though not before shaking her head and scoffing in disgust.

"Come on, kid."

Jaune was grabbed by the shoulder and shoved. He looked up and saw the bone-white mask with red marks. Suddenly, the person in the mask didn't look or sound like a person, but like a monster, growling at Jaune as he fell over, kicking himself away across the floor and to the wall. It gave a bellow, roaring at him to no move. Breathing quickened, fingers twitching, Jaune wanted to let out a scream but couldn't figure out how. Fear attracted the Grimm and his body was in a panic, set to remain frozen so he wouldn't be bothered. The Grimm bellowed a chant.

"One! Two! Three!" Light flashed, and Jaune shut his eyes to not see the girl's face. When he opened his eyes, a different girl was looking right at him.

"P...Penny?"

"S-Sal-u-tations, Jaune!" She cheerily replied. "Do you... require assistance?"

"Surrender your weapons!" Another familiar voice called. "You're all under the custody of Vale Huntress Goodwitch!"

"Over here!" A blond boy waved over to the pair.

As they started moving towards him, a gunshot was heard, making Jaune flinch and fall to the floor. He could feel himself sliding before hands grabbed him by his cheeks and green eyes filled his vision. "Jaune, it is okay. I am here!"

"Penny?" He grunted, blinking before shaking his head. "I'm... I'm good. Thank you, Penny." The students met up through the doors, Jaune panting as he leaned against the wall. "Who... Who are you?"

"Name's Sun." He said. "You're Jaune, right? Penny's told me about you."

"Yeah. Did sh-" Jaune stopped as he looked at Penny, who had her back to him. She'd been shot, but where there should have been a wound, or maybe even nothing because of aura, there was an indent in her body. Like bent metal. Jaune's feet gave out under him and he fell into the black again.

----------------------------------------------------

"Heck of a performance you did, Miss Lavender."

"Thank you, Roman." The woman on his scroll said. "And really, thank you for providing me with that interview. I'm sure to get an award for that one."

"Anytime, sweetheart." He grinned. "Your news special was just thing we needed to get these schmucks to look somewhere else tonight."

"Will there be a story for me to report tomorrow?"

"Isn't there always?" He chuckled. "I'll deliver my appreciation with the flowers." With a tap, the call had ended, and Roman reveled at all the dust him and his boys had managed to haul from the docks. Walking out of the warehouse, he lit up his cigar, taking a few puffs. "And they say there's nothing original on the news."

[madameaug]

Jimin x Black OC Headcannons

Pairing: Jimin x Althea

Synposis: A little intro to Althea Evans, and her relationship with Park Jimin

Jimin/Althea: These two met in a modern sense through a dating app. Jimin reached out by swiping up with a cute pickup line on Althea's profile, and the interaction went as such.

Jimin: Hi! :)

Althea: Hey ;)

Jimin: May I take you out?

Althea: You don't even know me??

Jimin: Will you let me ;)

It was history from there. Jimin wasn't creepy or overtly sexual like some of Althea's previous matches. Althea was a verified user and not another catfish nightmare. Neither side had anything to lose.

Jimin/Althea: Their first date was at an art museum. It contained many classic pieces, making it the perfect place for a photoshoot, which is exactly what ended up happening. Jimin brought his Polaroid camera, snapping pictures of Althea. She had a natural beauty and an overall jovial spirit. She was constantly smiling, her eyes big with wonder. She just carried herself in a carefree manner. It was new to Jimin, a good kind of new.

Jimin/Althea: He keeps one of the pictures that he took of Althea on their first date on the back of his phone case (of course, once they became official). Another event that also didn't take long. Althea quickly saw that Jimin was a very decisive man. If he wanted something, he thought of a game plan on how to get it.

Jimin/Althea: Althea is the type of girlfriend who prefers a public relationship to a private one. She has Jimin's initial in her Instagram bio, and her one public picture is one of Jimin and her cuddling in bed. Jimin is lying on his stomach, his head turned into her chest. Althea is cheesing at the camera frizzy curls on top of her head. The caption is anticlimatic, with a red heart and Jimin's Instagram tag.

"Jimin, come get in my picture." She calls out to her boyfriend. She smoothes out her business trousers. They are getting ready for a grand opening to show support to a mutual friend. Althea puffed out her lips, doing a slight slight duck lip.

Jimin didn't look at the camera, only his girlfriend. Her space became his. His nose touched her cheeks, and he took a deep breath of the floral perfume. Jimin turned his eyes to the camera.

"Smile." Althea posed.

Jimin just looked at the camera and then his girlfriend. In a moment, he slides his tongue up Althea's cheek. Delivering a wet lick.

"Ewwwww Jimin." Althea laughed, saving the video as a treasured memory.

Jimin/Althea: Althea is the first woman Jimin has dated who is his height. Back in his younger days, (late teens- early twenties) he had a strict rule on his partner's heights. It empowered him being the taller one in the relationship. It felt good being the one to make the 'short' jokes instead of being on the receiving end.

But the moment he realized how nice it felt to make eye contact without having to look down was a new feeling. She loved it. It was one of the ways he felt he could connect with Althea. Their eyes had conversations of their own.

It's their world, everyone else is just living in it.

Jimin/Althea: Despite trying her hardest, Althea has a concise attention span. She cannot sit for long periods of time, and long trips are a true test of her patience. She has to get up to stretch her legs or something. Being stationary for too long allowed her thoughts to take control. Which wasn't always a good thing. Hence on the flight to meet Jimin's parents, Jimin packed a stack of playing cards. For the duration of the flight, Jimin taught Althea all sorts of card games.

Jimin/Althea: They are proud pet parents to eight Betta Fish. Two of the fish were apart of a yearly tradition at the state fair. The other six were the babies of the two state fair fish. Sometimes Althea will call up Jimin to update him on the little lives of their babies in the tank.

Jimin/Althea: Jimin got Althea hooked on Korean reality TV shows, specifically Single's Inferno.

"Jia is pulling everyone. Gimme your game card sis."

Jimin rolls his neck at Althea's comment.

"Whatt. It's true."

Every release of a new season they binge it all in one night. It's that bad.

Jimin/Althea: Jimin was mildly impressed to see how high Althea's spice tolerance was. He enjoyed cooking some of his favorite Korean dishes for her, but he tended to stray away from the spicy ones until he watched Althea chow down some gumbo made at her Nana's house in New Orleans. The dish was delicious, but it easily removed two layers off Jimin's tongue. Jimin was a new shade of pink after eating the meal.

Althea, unbothered and unfazed, fixed herself another helping. Not a bead of sweat in sight. Not even a glass of water by her side. She teased Jimin on the flight back home.

Jimin/Althea: Althea takes more pictures of Jimin than Jimin takes of himself. She has a natural gift for capturing the moment. She's had to buy extra gigabytes of storage just to keep up with their relationship, which has been one year. When she is apart from Jimin and can't come to the phone. She scrolls through her many pictures, cheering herself up.

Jimin/Althea: The best compliment Jimin has received from Althea is that he heals her inner child. Take it he was fixing her tea for her sore throat, but the statement caught him off guard. Often, compliments have been focused on his good looks, dance capabilities, or excellent music taste (self-proclaimed). But rarely is he recognized for his emotional soft side. He grew a different level of appreciation for Althea that day.

Jimin/Althea: Not a drinker. She tried in once after her cousins snuck it over at her Nana's house,but she gagged at the awful taste. In college she experimented a little bit with wines, tequila, vodka, and other spirits, but never really saw the hype. Now she chooses to remain abstinent from alcohol. Making her a great DD for Jimin and his friends.

Althea's Bio

Full Name: Althea Irene Evans

DOB: April 28th (26)

Zodiac: Taurus

Height: 5'9

Figure: Slim

Hometown: Lafayette, Louisana

Education: LSU (Louisana State University- Baton Rouge)

Degree: Architecture *Honors

Career: Architecture + Interior Design

Siblings:

Amina Evans (half-sister) 11

Anhai Evans (half-sister) 8

Althea's Mood + Vibe + Aesthetic

[Althea + Jimin Together Vibe]

[blackstarmylove]

The Little MerQu (Word Game)

Fandom: Blackstar Theater Starless

Pairing: Qu x gn!Reader

Warning: None

Requested by: @choconanime

Prompt: Hello!💕 Thank you for your hard work may i request Qu with Gen!Mc. mermaid. Hairstyle. Love.

A/N: Hi! 🥰 I couldn't stop myself from using that title. 😂🙈

Word Count: 772

———————————————

This time you were going to catch the person red-handed. Though their intention wasn't bad, the thought of someone doing something to you while you slept disturbed you. Sitting on your favorite beach blanket, you scanned the small area for signs of motion. 

Who could it be? As far as you knew, this area was off-limits to the public, and not many knew about it, which made it the perfect place to take an afternoon nap. Lying on the blanket, you stared at the clear blue skies. 'What a perfect day.' You fought to keep your eyes open, but eventually, you dozed off.  

"They are here again." 

'Is someone nearby?' You slowly opened your eyes but quickly shut them to shield them from the bright sky. 'What is that sound? Is someone dragging their body across the sand? Are they touching my hair? They...are touching-'

Your eyes shot open, and you sat up with a jolt before turning your head. "SO IT'S Y-" 

His warm honey-colored eyes stared back at you in shock. His tan skin contrasted perfectly with his silver strands. His features were soft and refined, giving him an air of delicacy and elegance. His well-toned physique contrasted with his feminine features. The more your eyes traveled down his body, the more you thought you were dreaming.

'A merman?' 

The purple scales on his betta fish tail shimmered in the sunlight; the thin layer of water coating the scale added an iridescent glow, drawing you in. With a shaking hand, you reached for his tail and gently grazed your fingertips across it. The merman curiously watched, his heart racing out of control the more you touched him. 

"You are not afraid." His voice was like a melodic whisper, yet it was alluring. 

He was right; you were afraid, but why? Mermaids were creatures of myth - they weren't supposed to exist, yet there was a merman in front of you, a handsome one too. 

"I am sorry for waking you." 

Without moving your gaze from his tail, you gently touched your hair. Once again, he decorated your hair with what you assumed to be sea shells, starfishes, and pearls. "Why?" 

"Why...am I making your hair?" He asked. "Do you not like it?" 

"Um...it's beautiful, but..." You didn't have the heart to tell him his actions could be considered creepy. His intentions were such, or at least you hoped. "Could you please tell me why you make my hair when I am asleep?" 

"I assumed you would be afraid if I showed myself to you," he chuckled. 

You shifted your eyes from his tail to his face and nodded, "That answers why you waited until I was asleep, but why make my hair?" 

He averted his gaze, his cheeks turning crimson. "My answer may not make you happy..." 

"I still want to hear it." 

"Very well. I saw you here a few months back and felt drawn to you. I wished I could speak to you, but I didn't want to frighten you. Then one day, I overheard what you said..." 

Tears escaped your eyes and fell into the water, disrupting your reflection. "Why can't I be like them? It's so unfair. No matter how much makeup I wear...no matter how many different hairstyles I try...no matter what diet I go on...I never feel pretty. I hate my appearance. I hate myself.' 

"I couldn't understand why you said those words. I wanted to tell you that you are beautiful. Since I couldn't appear in front of you, I waited until you were asleep and made your hair. I thought maybe you would like one of the hairstyles and feel pretty," he gave a small smile. "But it seems like I failed." 

Your lips parted as your shoulders tensed. You had to ask if you heard him correctly. "You think...I'm beautiful?" 

"I do," he smiled. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?" 

Your bit the corner of your bottom lip and lowered your eyes to your lap. "(Y/n). W-What is your name?" 

"Qu," he softly said. 

"Qu..." 

"Yes?" He playfully smiled. 

"Thank you." 

"My pleasure," the merman touched his fingers to his lips and chuckled, his heart doing flips in his chest. He wanted to tell you many things but wasn't sure if it was appropriate to do so in the first meeting, like how he was fond of you and had been since the first time he saw you; or how his fondness had slowly developed into love; most of all, in the world of merfolks, mermen were only permitted to touch the hair of their significant other. 

———————————————

➣ BlackStar Theater Starless Masterlists [1][2][3][4]

➣ Main Masterlist

➣ Buy me a Ko-fi? ➣ Commission: Open  ➣ HC/Scenario Requests: Closed || Quick Ask Requests: Open || GIF Requests: Open

[i-am-arcana-trash]

Touch starved OC.

Name: Beryl, she/her

Age: Appears 31, actual age ????

Birthday: January 7

Romantic Attraction: Biromantic, asexual

Height: 6'0"

An illegitimate daughter of Death, one of the 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Personality: Alluring Harbringer

Appearance: Ghostly pale, hazel eyes with a blackened ring around the edge, dark bags under her eyes, freckles along her nose, shaved brown wavy hair. At the back of her neck is a birthmark of those borne of death, it cannot be covered with makeup so she uses clothes to hide it. Muscular build. Has a strong voice that demands your attention. Very few have seen her face

Fashion sense: A mix of long flowing fabrics with odd bits or religious and royal features. High neck, long sleeves and full length gowns. Jewel tones, specifically ruby reds with amethyst purples. Wears a large hood with sheer fabric over the front to hide her eyes and a large royal-esque collar. Long opera gloves in which her bandaged hands are covered while in public. Fancy girl.

Her relationship with Death is icy at best, they keep her well cared for, and support her while she works...but she can't help but resent them for the curse on her hands. They do however send her occasional small animals that she keeps in the green house in the home she lives in, she has a few large fish tanks where she keeps Betta fish and Jellyfish (not together)

Relationships: Leander, Kuras, Vere

Occupation: Jeweler - specializes in ornate funeral pieces which are sent with the dead.

Likes: Astronomy, sweets, cold rainy weather, sparkly jewlery, very old trees

Dislikes: Hot weather, rude people, sand, zippers, beer.

Fatal Flaw: Deeply self-loathing.

Other: Once bumped into Mhin while they were feeding stray animals in the streets....she was also feeding the strays.

Idk how to make a mood board but here is her aesthetic mood board to the best of my abilities.

[celibibratty]

Músicas de 2022

❤turma da mônica - samba do fruto proibido

❤SALES - pope is a rockstar

❤avril lavigne - innocence

❤creamy - do you think i'm pretty

❤man overboard - how to hide your feelings

❤denzel curry, gizzle, bren joy (arcane) - dynasties & dystopia

❤miyavi & PVRIS(arcane) - snake

❤hoobastank - crawling in the dark

❤zion and lennox ft daddy yankee - yo voy

❤PVRIS - monster

❤the kid laroi ft justin bieber - stay

❤4*town - U know what's up

❤ALEXANDROS - mosquito bites

❤bleach live action movie OST by yutaka yamada - main theme

❤willow smith - transparent soul

❤fito blanko - pegadito suavecito

❤eddy lover - rueda, rueda

❤daddy yankee - ¿qué tengo que hacer?

❤daddy yankee - la despedida

❤hoobastank - inside of you + (acoustic version)

❤AFI - girl's not grey

❤story of the year - and the hero will drown

❤story of the year - the antidote

❤patrick & jay chou - try

❤Big Bang feat 2ne1 (spanish cover by piyo, lena, Ktimer & seba dupont - lollipop

❤one ok rock - smiling down

❤miss papaya - hero

❤miss papaya - cinderella

❤our last night (cover) - maps

❤bentley jones - so much more

❤supershigi - zombies on your lawn

❤zebrahead - down without a fight

❤zebrahead - if you're looking for your knife...i think my back found it

❤siouxxie - ketamine

❤ali tabatabaee & matty lewis - his world (solaris phase 2 mashup)

❤trindad cardona - love me back (sped up)

❤dj gollum ft scarlet - poison

❤PUBLIC - one that i want

❤alexis Jordan - lovemist

❤perlla - totalmente demais

❤bubbles - my boyfriend

❤rita ora - poison

❤eyedress - something about you

❤macaco - toc toc

❤bray me - grace

❤bray me - kakurenbo

❤bloc party - i still remember + (instrumental version)

❤bloc party - song for clay (dissapear here) + (instrumental version)

❤bloc party - waiting for the 7.18

❤bloc party - vision of heaven

❤bloc party - the once and future king

❤vintage - kogda ryadom ty

❤my darkest days - move your body

❤my darkest days - set it on fire

❤WRLD (feat savo) - hang up

❤dragon hunters OST - opening

❤anitta - envolver

❤barbie diaries(skye sweetnam) - this is me

❤barbie - barbie 12 dancing princesses theme

❤big time rush - elevate

❤archers(cover) - levitating

❤03 greedo - substance (nightcore)

❤beach boys - california dreamin'

❤HIGH and MIGHTY - pride

❤HIGH and MIGHTY - hibana

❤pony pony run run - 1997 (she said it's alright)

❤kelly clarkson - you found me

❤statechampsNY(cover) - stitches

❤issues(cover) - boyfriend

❤remi wolf - michael

❤bloc party - little thoughts

❤bloc party - storm and stress

❤cécile corbel - our house below

❤cécile corbel - the wild waltz

❤bloc party - we are not good people

❤bloc party - V.A.L.I.S

❤jax jones - you don't know me

❤Ckay - love nwantiti

❤CHICO - raspeberry monster

❤tom speight - heartshaker

❤betta lemme - bambola

❤stromae - papaoutei

❤boa - garden in the air

❤paramore - for a pessimist i'm pretty optimistic

❤bratz - blah blah blah

❤bray me - jokyosetsumei

❤bem da hora - um norte

❤bloc party - callum is a snake

❤of monsters and men - little talks

❤tsukiko amano ft hana tan - clockwork

❤in the heights - blackout

❤tsukiko amano ft okuda miwako - shizuku

❤melim - peça felicidade

❤jonas brothers ft karol g - X

❤jaco caraco - you make me go crazy

❤mitchell marlow - we will always win

❤bad suns ft PVRIS - maybe you saved me

❤barbie (holly lindin) - summer sunshine

❤bloc party - cavaliers and roundheads

❤sean kingston ft nicki minaj - letting it go (dutty love)

❤marshmallow - you and me

❤kola kid - timer

❤shiro sagisu - cometh the hour (chorus A guitar)

❤nicki minaj - super freaky girl (slowed)

❤the maine - into your arms

❤rihanna - only girl (slowed)

❤within temptation - grenade

❤cpm22 - desconfio

❤ericdoa - fantasize

❤bloc party - demos song

❤lene marlin - faces

❤natasha thomas - young hearts

❤Bratz - i don't care

❤ben folds - red is blue

❤BYUL - i think i

❤crispy - the game

❤heidi - hyururi (instrumental)

❤bubbles - happy girl

❤playboi carti - on that time (tik tok remix)

❤tsukiko amano - ningyou

❤hidden citizens(cover) - paint it black

❤annaliese (cover) - until the day i die

❤tsukiko amano - kakan

❤simgretina - smile

❤tsukiko amano - bodaiju

❤nicki minaj - whip it

❤dawin - go off

❤the maine - the way we talk

❤philip lawrence ft UAKTI - it's a jungle out here (brazilian)

❤wavegroup (cover) - infected

❤bloc party - we were lovers

❤videoclub - roi

❤a change of pace - war in your bedroom

❤bear McCreary - ragnarök

❤officieldionysos - flamme à lunettes

❤mohumbi - say jambo

❤merca bae - blue kush Bday (bk beats tool)

❤stxlkin - so bitter

❤barbie - be a friend

❤cécile corbel - haru's chase

❤m-flo ft boa - the love bug

❤merk & kremont - she's wild

❤horsegiirl - starsiigns

❤neffex - rumors

❤vampyx - kiss me

❤fall out boys - bob dylan

❤superbus - lola

❤austin mahone - secret (slowed)

❤roy bee - Kiss me again (radio edit)

❤6arelyhuman - death city + syris & 03osc

❤1stress ft xofilo - victim

❤HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR - here i am

[paperpocalypse]

fish dad.

50 Wordless Ways to Say “I Love You”: 8. Buying them something unrequested because it made you think of them.

Pairing: Sparrow!Ben Hargreeves x Reader

Word Count: 3,161 words

Warnings: Swearing, one brief depiction of blood/death, Sparrow!Ben

“Before you say no –”

“Hell no,” Ben hisses at you. “I’m not babysitting it.”

“Before you say no,” you repeat earnestly, legs dangling freely as your forearms stick to Ben’s windowsill, “just consider how this would benefit you. The public loves Fei’s birds. Animals are badass.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ll throw a fucking two-inch fish at the enemy and Dad will promote me right back to Number One. Thanks.”

“His name is Ben, Jr., and I’ll have you know that he killed at least two other fish while he was with his previous owner.”

You hold the plastic bag containing the blood-red betta fish out towards Ben, who curls his lip in distaste. Still, you notice how his eyes linger on the slow, wave-like motion of Ben, Jr.’s fins before sending another glare at you.

“I have more important things to do than take care of a fish,” he says condescendingly.

You tilt your head.

“Like what?”

“Like fighting crime, dumbass!”

(Ben does not peel you away from his window for your feigned naivety, which is an improvement from last year.)

“Please, the Sparrows have nothing to do these days except walk around and look cool. My niece is staying over for two weeks, and she literally likes to sleep with the fishes.” You cut a thumb across your throat for emphasis. “Just look after him for two weeks, Ben. For me?”

He scoffs. “What makes you think I’d do anything for you?”

“Because I’d do anything for you.”

Ben’s mouth snaps shut. He makes a face as if he’d just chewed up a whole lemon, and you stare openly at his scrunched nose, Ben, Jr. dangling from your hand.

A gust of wind blows past the building. You shiver, knees scraping against the rough brick wall.

“Bullshit,” Ben finally manages.

“It’s not bullshit.”

“It is.”

“Why?”

He leans over his bed towards you, splaying his hands over the comforter. “Because if you’d really do anything for me,” he murmurs, voice a low, bitter drawl, “you’d join the Sparrows. Not unload your pet on me like a deadbeat parent.”

Your smile slackens just slightly. As it does, Ben rolls his eyes and pushes off the mattress.

“That’s not fair,” you mutter, breaking eye contact. “You know why I don’t do that anymore.”

“Your past is an explanation, not an excuse.”

Guilt-tripping me for being a child soldier is kind of a shit take, Number Two, you want to say, but you don’t.

Ben, Jr. flits back and forth in his little bag, appearing to sense your agitation. You take a deep breath in through your nose and fix the original Ben with an irritated look.

“Look, I came here to ask for a favor, not to have this conversation for the millionth time.” Setting Ben, Jr. on the windowsill, you reach back to unzip your backpack. So much for your good mood. “I guess I’ll just give him to Jenny instead.”

Ben narrows his eyes at you.

Right before you can store the fish away and start your slow descent, a tentacle reaches out and takes the bag from you.

You frown. Ben clicks his tongue and places the fish on his desk with more delicacy than you know he would ever admit, avoiding your quizzical look all the while.

“You owe me. Don’t go crying to me if Fei’s crows get to it,” he grouses.

“Keep your door closed,” you reply tersely. “You already do that, don’t you?”

He doesn’t answer. “Do I have to buy the stupid tank, too?”

“Everything he needs is in my car.”

With that, you heft yourself up and over the windowsill, hopping over the bed and landing solidly in his room. Ben stiffens when you nudge his shoulder with the back of your hand and head to the door.

“Where are you going?” he demands.

You look over your shoulder at him, still a bit miffed but ready to get a move-on.

“To get Ben, Jr.’s stuff. Come on and help me?”

Despite his grumbling and complaining, Ben trails after you down the hallway towards the stairs.

—

At first, he tells Grace to take care of the fish, but that order is quickly retracted when the robot malfunctions and starts dumping a shit ton of food into the tank. After that, it seems that taking care of “Ben, Jr.” is solely his responsibility. Fuck.

He takes great pains to ensure that nobody else knows about his situation, but this lasts for exactly two days. At least Sloane, the most tolerable Sparrow next to Chris, is the first to know.

“What’s with the fish?” she asks upon slipping into his room to borrow his blue Copic marker, staring at the five-gallon filtered monstrosity you had called an adequate temporary tank.

“Stupid present from a fan.”

His sister tilts her head. She approaches the tank, squatting down to trace the glass, and Ben resists the sudden urge to tell her to back off.

“Must be a pretty big fan. Look, it even has our colors.” She’s right. Though it’s mostly red, there are blue details at the bases and fringes of its fins, something that Ben had noticed the moment you shoved it into his life. “Did you name it?”

“Of course not. I don’t even want it.”

The quiet, piercing way in which Sloane regards him is unsettling. He meets her gaze head-on as she stands back up.

“Well, if you don’t want it, I’ll take it. I’ve always wanted a pet,” she says.

“No,” he replies without even thinking.

“Oh.”

There’s another excruciating moment of silence where she looks at him, and his short temper flares. He hates it when she acts like she knows something he doesn’t, like a mother waiting for her child to understand the bigger picture.

There is no bigger picture. He knows this – his ranking’s higher than hers for a reason, after all.

“What, Sloane?” he snaps.

She smiles, and his anger quickly turns to dread.

“I saw you carrying the tank up with [Y/n].” Oh, for fuck’s sake. He crosses his arms as she continues, her tone airy and wistful. “You should be nicer to your friends, Ben. We don’t have very many of them.”

“It’s not a gift,” Ben tells her sourly. “I’m stuck with it for two weeks while their fish-killing niece is staying over.”

“Well, it’s nice of you to look after it. You usually don’t do things for other people.”

He bristles. She says it like he’s getting soft.

“We’re exchanging favors. I’m not doing this to be nice.”

“Oh.”

No matter what he says to try to convince her, Sloane doesn’t seem to take him seriously. Nobody in this goddamn academy does.

“Just – take the marker and leave,” he ends up saying – to set a boundary, not to admit that she’s right in any way, because she has the wrong idea about all of this. “And close the door.”

Sloane nods. Casting one last glance at the tank, she takes her leave without another word, closing the door after her with a soft click.

Ben is alone once more. He glowers at your fish as it hovers near the surface of the water.

“You’re a pain in my ass, you know that?”

Ben, Jr. just flutters his fins.

—

At the end of the first week, you drop your niece off for a sleepover and then stop by the academy to check on the fish.

“Wow, he looks good,” you exclaim, admiring Ben, Jr.’s vibrant, healthy colors.

“Why do you sound surprised?” Ben retorts.

You raise an eyebrow at him. “I mean, you were pretty reluctant to take him in.”

“I wouldn’t kill your fish on purpose.”

“Have your siblings met him yet?”

He sends you a look of poorly masked bemusement. “Sloane saw him.”

(You know that Ben doesn’t really bother with personal matters when it comes to his siblings. Some of the Sparrows (read: Jayme and Alphonso) would probably try something stupid for shits and giggles, anyway, and you would rather not let that happen.)

(But still, you entertain the idea of the others learning that Ben can, in fact, take care of something other than himself.)

“Oh, okay. You know, she’s always seemed like the type to get a pet. A little, fluffy white dog, or something like that.”

Ben shrugs disinterestedly.

Grabbing the bottle of fish food, you sprinkle a little bit into the tank.

“You said he killed at least two other fish.”

Looking back at him, you sigh. “Yeah, his previous owner dropped other male bettas into the bowl and made them fight,” you answer, watching Ben, Jr. slurp up the flakes with a frown. “Asshole got bored after a while, though, and I managed to buy this little guy. Good thing, right?”

“What kind of loser watches fish fights?”

“Losers who like how easy it is to cause them,” you say. “Male bettas are really territorial, so it’s on the owner to keep them in the right environment. Otherwise, they’ll end up hurting other fish and getting hurt themselves.” You roll your neck to the side, feeling the vertebrae crack. “Mind if I sit on your bed?”

“What do you think?”

“No?”

“Don’t put your shoes on the sheets. They were just cleaned.”

“Sure thing,” you respond, taking your shoes off and making yourself at home near the foot of his bed. “So, how was your week? Kick any ass?”

“Flew to Philly and fucked up some kidnappers. It didn’t even take ten minutes.”

“Whoa. Cool. I looked at spreadsheets and confronted Janelle about eating my lunch in the break room.”

Ben raises an eyebrow at you, blatantly unimpressed. “Doesn’t having such a boring-ass life bother you?” he asks.

You consider, drawing your legs up to cross them. Does it bother you? A nine-to-five office job, mediocre workplace drama, a normal sister with a normal daughter that visit your normal apartment twice a year. Bills. Overpriced tea. Decently ironed shirts in different colors. An old cat that follows you to the bathroom when you wake up in the middle of the night, skin sticky with sweat and head pounding with dreams of blood on your teeth and your old teammate with his skull cracked open like an egg.

“Civilian life isn’t boring,” you conclude. “Especially if you can scale buildings.”

“Whatever you say,” Ben drawls, sitting down in his desk chair, elbows on the armrests and legs spread as if he’s on a throne.

“Come on. Every superpowered kid thinks about what they’d do if they were normal.”

You don’t miss the way his jaw clenches.

“We’re not children anymore,” he informs you. “My power is a gift. I’ll always be a Sparrow. It’s who we’re meant to be.”

Wetting your lips, you scratch the back of your neck. Every time the two of you are together, the conversation inevitably circles back to the academy. It’s his life. It’s all he’s ever known and all he has, all the bells and whistles attached. Sometimes, you wonder if you would’ve had the same sentiments if your team was – better. Stronger.

In a fucked-up kind of way, you’re glad that it wasn’t.

Three sharp knocks interrupt your train of thought.

“What?” Ben sounds a little more annoyed than usual.

The doorknob turns, and you’re met with Fei’s carefully neutral expression, a single finger still raised from pushing the door open. A crow is perched on her shoulder.

“I’d appreciate not speaking through the door. It’s time for dinner,” she reports, inclining her head towards you. “You’re welcome to join if you want.”

You glance at Ben. He meets your gaze, then rolls his eyes.

“I don’t care if you stay or not.”

Geez, what a bastard. You kick at his ankle. “I wasn’t looking for your permission,” you chastise. You turn back to Fei. “I’d love to join your dinner meeting, as long as I get to sit next to Benjamin over here.”

“Don’t call me that.”

The corner of Fei’s mouth twitches. “All right, then,” she says, turning. “Hurry up and get Chris. I’m not going to wait until my food gets cold.”

As she leaves, you stand up along with Ben. “Her crow didn’t even look at Ben, Jr.,” you note.

“Her crows don’t do anything she doesn’t want them to do,” Ben says, putting a hand on your back and pushing you out of his room. “Now hurry up.”

—

You answer after two rings. Or three. Or five? He can’t count for shit right now.

“H … Hello?”

“[Y/n],” Ben mumbles, relieved. He fumbles with the phone, managing to pin it between his shoulder and ear before it slips and clatters to the floor. “Shit. I dropped you … pfft …”

He hears you snort quietly. “Ben, are you drunk dialing me at two in the morning?”

“Nooo. It’s three in the morning, dumbass. Three-oh-two.” Something in his throat catches, and he hiccups loudly, then giggles. “Thanks for pickin’ up. I hate leaving messages.”

“Well, I just woke up, so I guess you’re lucky, huh?”

“Why’re you whispering?”

“Because my niece is sleeping –”

“I lost your fish.”

“… What?”

“I lost your fish,” Ben repeats, and unexpectedly, sorrow wells up inside of him. His eyes sting, and he hangs his head, chin dipping down against his chest. “I can’t find him.”

“Did you look inside his little cave?”

“No, ’cause he left me. He left because he hates me soooo much.”

“He doesn’t hate you, Ben.”

“Yes, he does,” Ben insists. “’Cause I hate him. All he does is swim around and hide, and I hafta fuckin’ feed him and clean his stupid tank. And he can’t even be with other fish because he fights and kills them, and he flares at me when I put my face too close. I hate Ben. So now he’s … he’s gone.”

There. He finishes his explanation in one breath, then listens expectantly for your reply so he can argue some more. When you take too long to answer, Ben almost cries.

“Why’d you take such good care of him, then?” you eventually ask.

“Because you like him,” Ben slurs. What kind of question was that? Stupid.

“You could’ve just told me if he was too much. There are other people who can take care of him.”

“I’m good enough to take care of your fish. You asked me first. Don’t ask anybody else.”

“I didn’t ask anybody else, Ben. I knew you’d do a good job.”

“But I lost him.”

“Again, did you check his cave?”

“No.”

“Check his cave, dingdong.”

He pointedly looks away from the tank. “No. He needs to stay lost. He’s better that way.”

“Ben –” You sound exasperated, but then you laugh. It bumbles through the haze in his brain and he smushes his ear against the receiver to hear it better. “Fine. Do you know why I like Ben, Jr.?”

“Hell if I know,” Ben mutters.

“Because he reminds me of you,” you reply. “He deserves to be treated well. Thanks for doing that for me, Ben.”

This is frustrating. You’re frustrating. “I don’t get you,” he complains, eyes closing. “He’s just a fish.”

“That’s all he needs to be for me to like him. Look, check the cave or not, but he’s probably still there. Enjoy your hangover tomorrow.”

“You’re so fuckin’ mean,” he grumbles into the receiver.

You laugh again.

“Pot calling the kettle black. Go to sleep.”

“You go to sleep.”

You hang up. Ben drops the phone and stumbles to his feet, then stumbles toward the tank and squints into the dark maw of the small cave in the corner.

Sure enough, he spots Ben, Jr. snoozing inside.

“Go to sleep,” he also tells him.

Less miserable now, Ben is somehow able to remove his socks and unbutton his shirt before flopping limply onto his bed and drifting off himself.

—

At the end of the second week, you crawl through his window and announce that you have a confession to make.

Ben’s smile drips with arrogance. “Sorry, but I don’t date, sweetheart,” he says.

“I’ll make sure to cry in my bedroom later,” you reply wryly. “Not that kind of confession. It’s about Ben, Jr.”

“What about him?”

“Well …”

You linger on the word, and Ben crosses his arms impatiently, shooting a glance at the fish that had taken over his room for the past fourteen days. Ben, Jr. looks perfectly fine to him. He had fed him, kept the tank clean, even gotten a stupid moss ball after Sloane mentioned them in passing. For all intents and purposes, he’d spoiled the shit out of your fish. Surely him just being alive was good enough for you.

“‘Well’ what?”

“He wasn’t for you to just babysit,” you say, hands raised like he’ll unleash his tentacles on you. “He’s a gift. For you. I figured a trial run would’ve been better than just dropping him off, no takebacks. And my niece really does kill fish, so two birds with one stone, I guess.” You pat the top of the tank with an almost shy grin. “If you still don’t want him, I can take him today.”

He’s a gift.

Ben blinks. He clears his throat.

“It’d be a pain in the ass to move the tank out,” he mutters. When he sees your eyes light up, he glares up at the ceiling.

You hum lowly. Rubbing your chin, you start to walk towards him.

“So do you want the fish or do you want me to –”

“I want the damn fish,” he snaps. His cheeks flush as you get closer, and he drags his hand down his face in an attempt to scrub the heat away.

Snickering, you stop. “Okay, then. That’s all I wanted to know.”

He grunts.

His brow furrows as you spin on your heel and wave at Ben, Jr. before making your way to the window. You push the window up, and a balmy summer draft blows in.

“What are you doing?”

You put your foot on the sill and stick your head out. “Leaving?”

When Ben seizes your arm, your skin is already rough, but he maintains his grip despite the discomfort. “It’s almost six-thirty.”

“Yeah, your family dinner meeting. Don’t be late.”

“Stay for it.”

“Oh?” Your lips curl upwards. “You want me to stay for dinner again?”

Scowling, Ben lets go. Whatever sensation that’s prickling his chest seems to expand twofold when you duck back into his room.

“No. Forget it.”

“Nope. I’d never turn down a free meal,” you state. “Might as well beat Fei to it, huh?”

You leave the window open, leading him to the door. He doesn’t realize that he’s caught your wrist again until you’re dragging him down the stairs, babbling on about how Ben, Jr. might be okay with other fish if he gets a bigger tank.

Ben doesn’t care. Not at all.

[iantojonesthebetta]

[Image source]

Another bit of betta history, the Tutwiler butterfly betta!

I’ve been entranced with the myriad of stunning Betta types available through online transshippers for a couple years now, a phenomenon of the internet truly globalizing the world and connecting people who’d never otherwise meet.

Of course, this personal interest in Bettas stems all the way back to reading about the lost “Tutwiler Butterfly Betta” in the 1986 edition of Axelrod & Vorderwinkler’s Encyclopedia of Tropical Fishes published by TFH Publications (there are many 1998 editions currently available at Amazon too – this title appears to be out of print).

To this day, the Tutwiler Butterfly Betta seems to haunt online forums just as it lurked in my childhood memory, a subject of mystery and speculation. Two main schools of thought seem to emerge, that the Tutwiler fish may have been what we now call a “tri-band” betta, or perhaps better referred to as the modern day “reverse butterfly” betta. Of course, it doesn’t help when a black and white photo like the above doesn’t convey that the fish is actually red and white. Modern breeders seem to have come very close to recreating Tutwiler’s lost fish, but nothing quite like what you see above.

- Amazonas Magazine (The Betta Son, Part 2)

And here’s a bit more about it from a 1972 paper by Dr. Gene A. Lucas: Betta Genetics, Part XV - The Butterfly Variety or Variation in Variegation.

[readerviews]

"Squid Season" by Maithy Vu

A Journey of Discovery #books #bookreview #reading #readerviews

Squid Season Maithy Vured betta publications (2022)ISBN: 978-0996382205Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (07/2023) The adventure begins when four young adults discover that the captain, who is supposed to be piloting their ship, has disappeared. These people must band together as a crew to sail the ship into the unknown. This ship isn’t just any old boat. It is special in that the masts…

[somedayonbroadway]

I’ve Never Felt Better

Boy Meet World Masterlist

“Jack, Albie’s gonna be here in like—“ A knock sounded on the door just as Race had jumped down the remainder of the stairs to his room. It was an easy jump, one that he did often enough for Jack to tell him constantly to stop doing. Today, he felt only a little sore as he landed. He paid no mind to it. “Now!”

Walking out of his room, Jack ran a hand through his hair. “Okay, little buddy! Calm down!”

Jack was taking them to a basketball game. He said it was just because Race was doing better in school and that was all the explanation Race needed. He loved going to things with Jack. Sometimes he thought about how other kids were constantly embarrassed by their parents while out in public. He didn’t care if Jack embarrassed him. Jack could say nearly anything and Race wasn’t sure it would ever be enough for him to not want his teacher by his side.

Just as Tony reached the door, Kelly stopped him by merely speaking. “Whoa, kiddo, what happened ta your face?”

With a small glare, Race turned to him. “Wow… Jackie, I thought we were friends…” he said, placing a sarcastic hand over his heart, as though he was offended.

“I’m serious, Tony,” the young man continued, worriedly as he gently rushed to him, taking the boy’s chin in his hand. “Those look like chickenpox.” Race paused, realizing that Jack genuinely did seem concerned. “Do they itch?”

“No…” Race shrugged. But then he lifted up his arm. “I mean, these ones are a little irritating, but it ain’t the end of the world.” There were angry red dots that matched the one’s on the boy’s face running all the way down his forearm.

With a small shake of his head, Jack scoffed. “Alright, buddy, we gotta take care a’ this ‘r you could get real sick, ya understand?”

“But, Jack—!” Race tried to argue, wanting so badly to go out that day, feeling as though he might burst with energy in that moment.

His teacher held up a finger. “Ah, ah, hey… sit down,” he instructed, pointing to the couch. Race didn’t move but before Jack could push him onto the soft surface, another knock sounded at the door. So Jack turned to it. “No, Albert, ya can’t come in here!” he called, actually locking the door after that.

“What? Why not?” the boy asked through the door, trying to open it.

Jack rolled his eyes. “Racer’s got chickenpox. Ya better run if ya don’ wan’ ‘em,” he called.

With a scoff, Race pushed past Jack, unlocking the door and starting to open it. “Oh come on, Albie is not gonna just—“ But Albert was gone. So the blond boy turned back to his teacher. “Well, I stand corrected. But seriously, I feel fine!”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Jack nodded. “That’s because it hasn’t hit you yet,” he explained easily. “When I had it, I had dots, a fever n’ I couldn’t stand up by myself,” he recalled.

“Mhm… n’ in anytime durin’ that sickness did ya eva’ stop talking?” Race asked, raising his eyebrows at Jack.

Glaring at him again, Jack smirked. “I’ll excuse that this time because you’re sick—“

“I am not sick! I’ve neva’ felt betta’!” the child stated, turning back to the door, ready to go chase after his best friend who couldn’t be farther than the elevator. But he paused as the room spun. “Okay… maybe I have…” he groaned, suddenly feeling a lot weaker than he had before. “Now would be a good time to put your arms out…”

Just as he fell backwards he was caught easily in strong arms and dragged back, landing on top of Jack who was now sitting on the couch, holding him close. “Don’t worry, kid… I gotcha…” the man promised.

Race believed him.

So Jack let Race’s head rest on a pillow in his lap as he read to him and brushed a hand through his hair till he fell asleep.

[vcsh]

⊯ ‘ °   ♯𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓𝖙.         / SOUTH CENTRAL SUMMIT ’ ⁺  ◞

                                        /   ‘WHAT FUELS YOUR CREATIVITY?’ ⁺  ◞

“ Experiences that shapes a person’s life, their story and realism through art; like museums, movies, cartoons, anime…documentaries. I’m a little twisted in the head. I ain’t finna lie about that one. My imagination, that is. But I cherish black culture more than anything, and how prevalent women were from around the way growing up in Miami. Traveling to many places, and just watching people. From my mama, aunties at the salons, the ghettos my parents grew up from, they never hid anything from me. The reality of life. And I’m soooo nosy. I was always asking questions like ‘mama, what’s that y’all listenin’ to? Who’s that. What you wearin’? Where you get the from?’ It was always me wanting to know more. As a creative director your job is convey messages through images and expression. So that’s rooted in authenticity. Also under estimation fuels me. From face value, no one expects the things I’ve done or can do. Which is cool; it’s betta fa me to show rather than do a whole lotta talkin’. But overall, my creativity definitely stems from my environment and black history; our imprint and impact is poppin’ as fuck.”

                               /  ‘HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR ORIGINALITY WITH ALL OF THE NEWEST MUSIC TRENDS + POP CULTURE STUNTS?’ ⁺  ◞

“ Honestly? Everything has truly been done under the sun. Like, everything. Those who I look up to like Misa Hylton, Kimora Lee Simmons, Dapper Dan, Hype Williams, Jean Paul Gaultier, Janet Jackson, Thierry Mugler, Missy Elliott, Kelis, June Ambrose, and Dave Meyers to name a few, were innovative in their prime. They were wayyyy ahead of their time. It’s stuff my mama used to wear in her videos that we rockin’ now; this ghetto glam, street wear, ‘round the way look ain’t nothin’ new. And that’s shit black girls had poppin’ before Vogue would feature it. Like, I still pull gems from my mama closet and I think that’s beauty of creating and being a creative. You evolve with the times, but you can also take from what you know and make it your own when you get inspired by other artists and their artistry. Personally, I love goin’ back and seeing what things was hittin’ fa in the 90s; that’s my favorite era. The 70s, too! I think it’s important to not stay sheltered or closed off to things you’re not too used to. Although I was immersed in the Hip-Hop, Trap, R&B genres, I’ve learned to expand my music palette; with fashion, too. “

                            / ‘HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE FAME + PERSONAL LIFE? DOES THE FAME GET TO YOU OR YOUR FAMILY?’  ⁺  ◞

“ I don’t give a damn. I never have, never will. My momma mouth and trajectory of her career has been filled of raunch, unapologetic truth and just being a bad ass bitch that’s gon’ do as she pleases. My daddy also say the best thing you do is be yaself in any circumstance. If people fuck with it, they do. If they don’t…? That’s their issue. Doing reality TV and having various cast mates honestly thickened my skin. I’ve met so many different people from so many different walks of life and different tax brackets; I’m talkin’ from the poorest of the poor, to the richest of the rich and guess what? We all bleed red. I think being your authentic self while in the public eye shouldn’t change much for you. Privacy is important, setting those boundaries is imperative…but if you make the choice being in the public eye, you gotta eat majority of the shit that comes with it, mane. Unless you puttin’ on for the cameras, ain’t really shit that could bother you if you stand in your truth. Lyin’ and pretending to be somebody you not over fame? Nawlllll, I ain’t finna do that shit. Stay true to yaself! That’s really the key to things. Thank y’all for havin’ me to run my damn mouth, honey. Somebody gotta say the real. Haha!“

[muse-entertainment]

CHANGELING

Changeling (체인 질링) is a South Korean girl group under Muse Entertainment. The group was introduced to the public through a pre-debut project, which began in january 2017, where each of the twelve members were revealed by releasing a promotional single over the following months of the year, showing their individual abilities, styles and charms. On 2018, they continued the promotions by releasing their first web-drama, First Love Story, a college romance with a storyline fully inspired by the songs previously released by the girls. They oficially debuted as a full ensemble with their first full album, Magic Bloom, on august 19 of the same year.

ABOUT:

FANDOM: Pixie. SLOGAN: Switch Up! DEBUT DATE: August 19, 2018.

DISCOGRAPHY:

•  MAGIC BLOOM — Full Album (2018)

•  WINX — Mini Album (2019)

•  THE CAROL — Special Digital Single (2019)

PROFILE:

NAME:  Han Areum ( 한아름 ) - LEADER. BIRTHDAY: October 19, 2000. BIRTH PLACE: Seoul, South Korea. COLOR: Pink. ANIMAL: Rabbit. MONTH: January. USER: @therosysong

NAME:  Kang Mirai ( 강미라이 - 康未来 ) BIRTHDAY: November 15, 2000. BIRTH PLACE: Nagoya, Japan. COLOR: Yellow. ANIMAL: Cat. MONTH: February. USER: @universemirai

NAME:  Cho Haseul ( 조하슬 ) BIRTHDAY: August 18, 1997. BIRTH PLACE: Jeollanam-do, South Korea. COLOR: Green. ANIMAL: Bird. MONTH: March. USER: -

NAME:  Im Yeojin ( 임여진 ) BIRTHDAY: November 11, 2002. BIRTH PLACE: Daegu, South Korea. COLOR: Orange. ANIMAL: Frog. MONTH: April. USER: -

NAME:  Wong Kahei ( 黃珈熙 ) BIRTHDAY: December 9, 1996. BIRTH PLACE: Tuen Mun District, Hong Kong. COLOR: Pastel Pink. ANIMAL: Deer. MONTH: May. USER: -

NAME:  Kim Jungeun ( 김정은 ) BIRTHDAY: February 10, 1999. BIRTH PLACE:  Cheongju, South Korea. COLOR: Red. ANIMAL: Owl. MONTH: June. USER: -

NAME:  Jung Jinsol ( 정진솔 ) BIRTHDAY: June 13, 1997. BIRTH PLACE: Seoul, South Korea. COLOR: Blue. ANIMAL: Blue Betta. MONTH: July. USER: -

NAME:  Choi Yerim ( 최예림 ) BIRTHDAY: June 4, 2001. BIRTH PLACE: Bucheon, South Korea. COLOR: Purple. ANIMAL: Fruit Bat. MONTH: August. USER: -

NAME:  Ha Sooyoung ( 하수영 ) BIRTHDAY: May 24, 1997. BIRTH PLACE: Busan, South Korea. COLOR: Burgundy. ANIMAL: Swan. MONTH: September. USER: -

NAME:  Kim Jiwoo ( 김지우 ) BIRTHDAY: October 20, 1999. BIRTH PLACE: Chungju, South Korea. COLOR: Peach. ANIMAL: Penguin. MONTH: October. USER: -

NAME:  Park Chaewon ( 박채원 ) BIRTHDAY: November 19, 2000. BIRTH PLACE: Incheon, South Korea. COLOR: Turquoise. ANIMAL: Butterfly. MONTH: November. USER: -

NAME:  Son Hyejoo ( 손혜주 ) BIRTHDAY: November 13, 2000. BIRTH PLACE: Gyeonggi, South Korea. COLOR: Silver. ANIMAL: Wolf. MONTH: December. USER: -

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Kissing Dead Pearls (Part 3)

So yeah, this is gonna be my first time writing for zutara, so I have no idea how well that will be received. I know that this fandom doesn’t seem to like zutara so wish me luck lol.

Sokka always liked fish, particularly boop boops because of their silly name. He also liked blue marlin.

She likes stingrays--especially bluespotted ribbon tail--the most but they call her starfish. 

She has come to associate her friends with marine life, a habit that formed at childhood. One that she and Zuko have never outgrown. At one point they had addressed each other by the names of sea animals.

Zuko got the name stingray after an incident where he’d jammed a fork into an outlet when Ozai wasn’t watching. It scarred his face and their father was under fire, for the first time, for child neglect. 

Sokka was a clownfish because he was the comedian in the group and he had been until his departure. Sailfish has been bestowed upon Katara after dolphin had been taken from her and given to Ursa. Mother was gentle and docile like a dolphin. Katara is too but she is also a fast swimmer. She can swim further out into the ocean than any of them and sailfish are known for their speed. TyLee is also loving and sweet but as kids they had run out of gentle animals to compare her to so they chose the pretty betta fish because TyLee has always been pretty. Eventually they learned about cuttlefish and that became her nickname; it sounds close enough to cuddle for them. 

Aang is an obvious angelfish.

Where Katara, Ursa, Tylee, and Aang are kind and caring, Toph is a shark. She’s fun and dangerous and with a razor sharp tongue. She is among Chan, Jet and Roun-Jian who have been nicknamed  Hammerhead, Sand, and Thresher respectively. The name Mackerel was afforded to Toph despite her being the smallest of them. 

Mai is the piranha mostly because she had been afraid of them at one point and they like to joke that Tom-Tom is a barancel because he clings to Mai like one. Iroh is a serene turtle and Suki is lucky koi.

Ozai is and will always be a crab because is general outlook on life is grumpy. Zhao, the weathered fisherman is a slick and shady eel and their old history teacher Long-Feng is an angler fish; it looks welcoming on the surface but is ugly within. And the bartender is a prickly urchin. They steer clear of he and his wife June, who they have called the Kraken. 

It was a fun game and to this day she has a tendency, even if it is out of habit, to try to decide which sea animal a newcomer is. 

.oOo.

Azula wakes up on the sofa. It is still raining, fat droplets plop upon the lighthouse. There are less of them but it is still a steady stream. She senses that the worst of it has come to pass and it is probably safe to go outside if she doesn’t mind getting wet. In fact, most people do go out. They emerge skeptically from their homes, reluctant to assess the damage, but eager to just get it over with. It is routine in their little harbor town. 

The people of Port Tui-La are slowly awakening, Azula watches them trickle outside of their homes to inspect them. Many of them, the ones who live more inland, skip this and prioritize checking on their shops or their boats. Though boats are almost always a lost cause, hence why Ozai keeps theirs in a boat house. The news of three summers ago was when recreational fisher, Pathik boldly declared that he had found his janky wooden ship fully intact in a rocky alcove while the Cod Man bellowed, “my fishing ship!” to the fleeing grey clouds. 

She watches the Cod seller’s car whip down the road, he is always the first to arrive at the docks. Azula rolls her eyes, she can already hear him crying out. 

“He must have great insurance.” Zuko grumbles as he groggily wipes his eyes. “I hope he does.”

“Maybe he won’t need it this time?” Azula stretches her arms. 

“Ha!” Zuko bursts. “I bet he’ll be La-bsters, crying about it within the hour.” 

“If La-bsters is still standing.” Azula says dismally. “This storm was pretty bad.” Her heart sinks for Hakoda and Katara. They have already lost Sokka, if they’ve lost their restaurant too… “We’ll walk over there.” 

“Shouldn’t we check on the lighthouse first?”

Azula shakes her head. “It was built to withstand storms.”

“I can get the car started.”

She shakes her head. “Too many debris in the road, it’ll be quicker on foot.” 

“We’re going to have to clean this first.” He gestures to the blockage at the door.

Azula rubs the back of her head and grumbles to herself as she begins heaving the furniture back into its place. To the best of their memory, everything is back in order about twenty minutes later. By now the rain is beginning to taper off, but she speculates that it will come back in furious bursts and random intervals.

She shuffles around for two umbrellas and shoves one into Zuko’s arms. 

She pops her umbrella as she steps beneath a grey washed sky. Small rays of light break through the clouds, but do little to lift the gloom. The destruction is abundantly apparent as the siblings make their way down the path that leads from the lighthouse to the boardwalk. It isn’t a very long walk but they can see the damage inflicted upon the houses of their nearest neighbors. 

The worst of them has a collapsed roof and another has flood damage to the ocean facing wall. Even from this distance she can tell that the boardwalk has been hit hard. After many decades of standing proud and secure, a particularly powerful wave, or mayhaps, a bolt of lightning has collapsed one of the corner pillars. It is splintered down the middle and juts from the lapping water like a broken tree trunk. All around it float planks of wood, chairs, stools, and other buoyant knick knacks. Several of the tourist shops, the ones nearest to the collapsed scaffolding are gone.

Gone in the sense that they are unusable and irreparable. She can see their dilapidated corpses, laying helplessly in the ocean, waiting for the ocean to finish the job. Their rubble will pollute the beaches for days. Likely, the beaches will be closed to the public until the damage can be cleared. 

Azula’s favorite jewelry shop, Mai’s family’s jewelry shop, is amid the wreckage and she silently curses to herself, wishing that it could have been that damned pub instead, maybe then her father would be rushing down the street to make sure that she and Zuzu are alright. 

It very nearly brings tears of frustration to her eyes. She clenches her fist in her pocket and steps over a broken palm tree, its coconuts roll down the incline of the street. 

From what she can see, the La-bster still stands. Though she can’t foresee it opening any time soon. Much like the beaches, it will remain closed until the boardwalk can be repaired and safety secured. Even if the boardwalk were deemed safe enough, the rubble is an eyesore. 

The restaurant may stand but they are still going to take a financial hit, losing that much business at the height of tourist season. 

Hakoda and Katara are already there when she and Zuko arrive. 

“Zuko, Azula!” She throws her arms around both of them at once. When she pulls back, Azula can tell that she has been crying. Her eyes are red and there are tear tracks on her cheeks. Azula doesn’t need to ask her what is wrong but Zuko does anyhow.

“We can’t reopen like this.” She confirms what Azula has speculated. “Waitressing at La-bsters is the only thing that’s kept my mind off of…” She trails off. “Even when the restaurant is super busy I’ll think of him. About how he’d always take the difficult customers from me. Or that one time he threatened to throw a man into the harbor for me.” She wipes at her eyes. 

Azula laughs, that sounds like Sokka for sure.

“Need help with cleanup?” Zuko offers. 

“That would be wonderful, thanks.” 

Azula frowns, she must admit that she hadn’t planned on spending her morning moving heavy planks of wood and fixing outdoor decor. She looks around, there is plenty of that to be cleaned; strings of patio lights are either gone, have cracked bulbs, or are tangled and knotted around palm fronts and rafters in unflattering ways. Outdoor chairs and tables are overturned. Some of them are in neighboring properties and the La-bsters have a few chairs from the Cod Merchant’s Cod Shack. The floor is a mess of glass and broken plastic and Azula has no idea where to begin this task. She has no will power to do it either. Evidently she had just come by to make sure that the place was still standing and that her childhood friend is okay.

Task done.

She retracts that statement. “I’m going to see if I can reach Mai, I don’t think that she knows about…” she jerks a thumb in the direction of the destruction.

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Zuko says, “I’ll help Katara, you’re better at breaking bad news anyhow.”

She squints at the wreckage once more, a little ways down the beach, TyLee’s family’s boat rental place still stands. It only does because they have learned from the last time; instead of a small wooden shack on the beach they have built it into the side of a nearby cliff.  Their most expensive rentals are tucked away into a garage, also built into the cliffside.  But there is some damage to their cheaper rental boats and many of their canoes and inflatables are scattered upon the beach. 

Azula picks up her phone and dials Mai’s number, hoping to get a signal.

.oOo.

Katara fixes her eyes on the ocean. She hates it more than anything as it keeps stealing the things that make her feel loved and secure. She loves it more than anything because it makes her feel free and empowered. Such is the duality of the ocean. 

Currently she hates it more than anything in the world. 

Currently it has reminded her of the last thing it took.

Mai’s jewelry shop is like Sokka, dismantled and being pulled further and further into the water.

She shakes herself, she doesn’t know that he is dismantled. 

Yet the hole in her heart is the same it has been several months and it still stings. There is such a vacancy in Sokka’s absence. Anything and everything is at risk of triggering a pang of sorrow; a specific dock post that he used to sit on regularly (she can still see the marks where he’d tagged it), a cluster of shells on a table, certain movies and books. Song are especially provocative; he had always loved reggae. They listened to it together all the time and he had a reggae song for everything, rendering the genre impossible to listen to without crying. There are so, so many songs that she can’t listen to and it is hard to explain why she gets teary eyed when they play on the radio.

Every now and again a customer will walk in who has his hair styled like Sokka had or wearing the same shirt that he had. On one instance, a girl walked in wearing Sokka’s favorite shirt, the one that he’d worn when he went out to sea before he’d disappeared. 

She no longer enjoys recreational sailing, and gets tense when anyone mentions that they are going to take a solo recreational trip. 

Azula insists that Sokka is still alive but Katara knows in her heart that he isn’t. She senses it in the same way she’d sensed that he’d had an accident while jet skiing with Jet and Chan. The same way he sensed that she’d gotten hurt while surfing. 

She knows that he is gone because she can no longer feel him but she lets Azula talk about how she is sure that he is alive. Azula is rarely an optimist and Katara doesn’t have the heart to crush that.

Azula is the only other person who still seems truly impacted by his disappearance. She also tends to turn the radio off when certain songs play, though not as many as Katara. It isn’t for lack of memories with the songs either, it is more that she only turns the music off for songs that have particularly fond memories. Katara noticed that the other girl will grow randomly distant or somber. And Azula still thinks that he is alive. She can’t imagine how Azula will take it when that denial is shattered.

All the same, Katara tries to think of the absolute joy she would feel at being proven wrong.

Not that she thinks this will be the case. Azula has lost her mother already, her father might as well be dead...losing Sokka had done her psyche so much damage. 

Damage that her father didn’t bother to tend to. 

Damage that Zuko could only do his best to mend. 

Damage that had almost killed her too.

And it is no wonder, they had been so close. Of course they were, Katara had caught him kissing her on more than one occasion. It always left her feeling flustered. Especially the night that she’d come across Sokka heavily and deeply lip locked with Azula. She still gags and the sucking sound. And yet, she’d give anything to overhear it again if it meant that Sokka was back. 

They had softer moments. Moments where Katara had found them curled up beneath a palm tree, Azula cuddled in Sokka’s arms. They half-sat, half-laid in the glow of the fairy lights that curled around the tree. They nestled in a burrow of a brightly colored bean bag chair. They’d invited Katara to join them as they watched a movie being played on a projector screen across the beach. 

Katara can no longer attend those movies.

She feels a hand on her shoulder, “you good?” Zuko asks.

“Yeah.” She nods. “I’m just thinking again.” She looks towards the horizon. She can’t see the sunrise, not that it will bring her any comfort today. In fact, a pretty sunrise would only be mockery. 

Just like it had been on the day Sokka was declared dead. 

The sky had been so vivid that day, all manners of orange and gold and the clouds seemed to be tinged a deep purple. Really it was the most beautiful sunset that she had ever seen. 

And when night finally fell, the animals had been more lively than ever. Under a starlit sky, she’d never seen so many turtles migrating from sand to sea. Never seen so many crabs scuttling across the rocks. So many fish in the waves and starfish in the tide pools.

Tide pools that reflected a sky that looked as though it were painted with pearl powder. 

“Sokka laid those out for us.” Kya had remarked, dabbing at her wet eyes. “My baby boy, made this for us to see.” 

The sky had been all sorts of mystifying that night.

And yet she could not enjoy it. 

Not at all. 

The sky...the world had no right to be so beautiful when her brother was dead. 

She recalls at once, their old fish game. She wonders if that’s what the afterlife is like; one big ocean where loved ones go. Spectral fish in a perpetually fluorescent sea. She likes to think that Sokka is a clownfish in this phantasmal sea. That one day she will be a sailfish swimming next to him, finally the big sister and not the little one.

Zuko puts an arm over her shoulder.

She gestures to an overturned table. “Can you help me pick this up?”

[mikenewtonhateblog]

─ ✧ 8 PEOPLE I’D LIKE TO KNOW BETTER ✧ ─

Tagged by @inthemiddleofmymidnight

favorite colors: rose gold, blush pink, bright red, light green

last song I listened to: I’m Not A Vampire by Falling In Reverse (irony sjdkwdkdjd)

favorite musicians: Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Halestorm, Dixie Chicks

favorite song: Emperor’s New Clothes by p!atd. Shit slaps and makes me feel like I could kill god.

last film I watched: Ghosts of Girlfriend’s Past. BAD -100000/10

last tv show I watched: supernatural smh

sweet, spicy, or savory: sweet

sparkling water, tea, or coffee: j ü i c e at 3am

pets: Y’all already know about my betta fish Howl, but I also have 3 dogs and a cat. Annabelle is a teacup chihuahua bastard mix who is 6lbs but thinks shes 60lbs, has missing teeth and bald patches but we love her anyway. Charlie is our 5 year old yellow lab whp failed service dog training so he’s super smart and knows all the commands but has too much nervous dad energy to be in public, he IS the man of the house and if I’m crying over daddy issuesTM he comes running. Linus is my 2 year old service dog, also a yellow lab, and the biggest boy of the house at 100lbs but is also an absolute BABY, smartest little shit and knows to behave when he’s working but when at home? It’s free real estate babey. Lastly is our gremlin cat Gertrude who is obese no matter what we do but she’s old as fuck so go off sis, she bit me when I first met her and still does bite if she feels like it, has the most grumpy old woman energy possible and can be a massive bitch to the big dogs which 1: Charlie needs because he’s stupid with cats but 2: terrifies Linus and he won’t even go near her. Also yes Charlie and Linus are named after the Peanuts Characters.

I’m tagging @stonerbellaandjacob @the104yearoldvirgin @period-imprint @chiefjacob @leahclearwaterdefensesquad @yeehaw-vampire @t-wili-ghts-back @bellastinycactus