#welp add it to the list of things i need to study

[mikodrawnnarratives]

how they treat each others siblings...

hey look i did get around to drawing this

Bonus:

[antiloreolympus]

8 Anti LO Asks

1. as a mythology buff, i honestly think it was really weird of rachel smythe to take Hecate, a goddess who helped Demeter search for Persephone after she vanished and heard her screams and shared in Persephone and Demeter's joy after reuniting... and then just make her into Hades's like... total bro who plays aggressive matchmaker to h/p to the point of trying to break up Hades's current relationship. but honsestly i refuse to believe rachel smythe did literally any research before making this comic judging by how she depicts the mythology she's taking inspiration from so honestly im not suprised

2. I don’t know if anyone on here has discussed this, but LO very much plays into the idea of “good victim vs bad victim”.

A “good victim” has suffered many things, but despite it they still remain cheerful and happy and pleasant, they do not put others out or lash out at them even if they are triggered, they do not become petty or angry or hold onto negative emotions. They, in essence, “get over it”. Thus, the narrative rewards them: they get many friends, a love internet they’re happy with, and a happy ending. This is what Persephone is. She’s the “good victim”. Despite her many hardships, we know she will not suffer in the end. She will get everything she wants and more.��

Then there is Minthe, the “bad victim”. They too have gone through many hardships, but they’ve become cold, angry at the world, they lash out and have trouble opening up and connecting to others, they even hurt others, themselves victims to the toxic pain they can’t get rid it. They do not and have not “gotten over it”.  Thus, the narrative punishes them, even when they try to better themselves. It’s never good enough. These characters often are lonely, the cast are large do not like them if not outright hate them, and they more often than not end up dead. This is what Minthe is. She is not a pleasant person, she’s a victim of a manipulative older man and a cruel, unjust society and system, and we know how her story ends. It’s in pain, her maiming/possible death framed as a joke and not even a genuine hint of sympathy towards her fate. She was a “bad victim”, she “deserved” what she got.

Now, you only often see this in fandom, since the actual works that deal with victims of trauma and how they react will often try to give more nuance to every shade of victim they may have on cast, but it’s very disturbing to me that Rachel seems to eagerly play into this idea, like she gets joy out of punishing a victim she created and watching them suffer even more at her hands. It’d be one thing if she kept Minthe a shallow, one dimensional character who was just evil for the sake of it, fine, but her showing us her actual complex nature and the very real struggles, trauma, and manipulation she went through, especially at the hands of our supposed “heroes” of the story, just to have her demise framed as a win for Persephone and a joke for the audience to laugh at? That’s highly disturbing to me. It’s one thing for fans to act that way, but the writer themselves? It’s very dark, to say the least. 

3. "I'm invested in working with fairy tales and folklore for my next project" oh no no no oh god please no. Fairy tales have been through enough hot takes and modern "betterments", they really don't need Rachel "Apollo is bad, actually" Smythe to add to it

4. Quick question

Greek Mythology is mostly incest.

So what if someone who is actually good at writing and storytelling and consistent artwork

Kept it in

For example Zeus and  Hera arguing like the married couple they are

And Hera uses older sibling card

With Zeus dumbfounded face

I don't know why but I want it but would it be weird since it's incest

Most fanfics always keep it out. Just keep it in if you want it to be closer than the actual methods you know

Hera is youngest daughter of Cronus and Rhea and older than her brother Zeus, who was also her husband.

I want to do it but like I have no clue how to start a webtoon so you know💀

5. Oh god, Hades not needing therapy because Persephone's "love" is enough? To quote my lord and savior Kennie JD: "not the p*$$¥ being therapy!"

6. uuuuuh sexual trauma warning.?

So I was writing a comment on the "Re: bpd" ask and i had a realization about persephone

She reminds me of how I was about the idea of sex

I'm demisexual and have sexual trauma and the idea of sex excited me but I wasn't able to like, do it. Me and my partner would mess around but because Mctrauma i couldn't do it cuz I hadn't exactly worked through my trauma and i wanted to get through that because i was finally experiencing sexual attraction.

Kinda reminds me of Persephone. The problem is at that point it had been 6-7 years since my trauma occurred and persephone's happened like last month.

Considering how everyone talks about persephone being a self insert i think Rachel has some things to work through

Also made the realization literally as im typing that Rachel's attitude towards asexuality could be because she's demi and doesn't fully understand what that is or means

becuase if you're ignorant enough you can 100% end up describing demisexuality as "being asexual and then like, slowly turning gay."

this ask weirdly personal so fuck it this is gonna be anonymous feel free to delete if it makes u uncomfy 

7. That’s also a part about Hubris Rachel clearly doesn’t get: it was always committed by rich, often people in high authority, NEVER lowly farmers or the poorest of ancient society. They always knew better. Niobe was a queen! Minos was a king! Arachne was the rich, spoiled daughter of a really successful merchant. Sisyphus was a cunning king. The trojan war was kicked off by royal drama. The list goes on and on. You have to notice these things and genuinely study the myths or you become like Rachel, who seems convinced the poorest people would be stupid enough to not only defy their bosses, but the gods themselves? They would be the last people to do such a thing! They don’t have the ingrained sense of entitlement and arrogance like the rich and powerful to even dare act like that towards the gods, as is the case with hubris. Because of this, Rachel ends up creating a narrative that the rich and powerful (literal GODS) are the real victims to those cruel, uppity poor people, going as far as to say in comic they deserve to be slaves for hades’ benefit and they’re wrong for ever hating Persephone for, you know, murdering them because she had a bad day! They should know their place! It’s absolutely insane that she doesn’t actually seem to realize what she’s writing. Unless she does, which is an even bigger issue, and shows a really dark look into how she views the world and society and how it should be run. It’s all a bad look. 

8. Have you seen the "The demon, is here in the room right now?" meme

Welp, that's literally Persephone and her "feeling"

I legit saw that video about a dude faking a mental illnes (and seeing a demon that made him do bad things) after he commited a crime and that was so cringy and I can't stop thinking about Persephone confessing her AOW like that

[inkweaver22-blr]

Welp. Here's the first chapter of that Tang fic I was talking about. Hopefully the characters aren't too out of character for this first chapter. They will be for sure in the future though. No content warnings yet but if that changes I'll make sure to add them. There's going to be lots of pairings in this one but I don't really know any of the ship names so if people want to call them out as they appear I'll add them to the tags.

AO3 Link

Chapter Two

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter One: The Cycle

Tang seems to be stuck in a strange cycle. Might as well make the most of it.

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

Tang was certain by now that whatever was happening wasn’t a time loop. The starting points of each new cycle were too inconsistent, as were their endings. After nearly three dozen of these strange restarts and only a third of them beginning on the day MK received the Monkey King’s staff, the scholar was fairly confident in his conclusion.

“Alright, let’s see what this timeline has in store for us,” the man said as he stared at his reflection in the full-length mirror next to his dresser. He had started this little exercise around the seventeenth reset or so after noticing something else that only added more evidence against his original time loop theory.

“My name is Tang. I work at the public library.” So far nothing out of the ordinary. “I share an apartment with my good friend Pigsy.” Ah, the first and most common change he had noticed throughout this strange experience. And it was a change. He was fairly certain he had his own place originally. “While I am not in a romantic relationship with Pigsy, I harbor a small crush on him.”

Tang continued listing things about his current life as they came to him. He had discovered the various discrepancies compared to his original time fairly early on. So far the differences had been relatively minor. Demon Bull King being freed in the Winter instead of Spring. Mei’s family being descended from a blue dragon instead of green. Sandy’s ship being filled with therapy ferrets instead of cats.

The scholar was at first thrown by the changes, and had gone through some rather embarrassing freakouts the first few times. Luckily he discovered early on that while he never personally experienced the events of these worlds or timelines, if he focused enough, the memories of them would appear. Thus his new little routine he did at the beginning of a new cycle. He found looking at himself in the mirror seemed to speed up the recollection.

“It has been roughly two weeks since Demon Bull King has been freed and MK received the Monkey King’s glaive, thus becoming his successor.” Now that was interesting. This was the first time the Monkey King’s signature weapon was different.

It was all these changes to the world and the new memories that matched them that had squashed the initial time loop theory. In all his reading of both fiction and historical events, Tang had never heard of time travel that worked this way. His second theory, that he was somehow trapped in the Calabash by Jin and Yin, was also quickly discarded. He had the displeasure of experiencing its effects first hand several cycles back and it certainly did not implant new memories into his head.

Tang finished up the recap of his new memories and paused. Nope, nothing else it seemed. With a shrug he finished preparing for work. Hopefully it would be a slow day so he could get a bit more research done into what might be happening. Perhaps this was a celestial punishment as opposed to a demonic curse? He hoped that wasn’t the case but he wouldn’t be a scholar if he dismissed any avenue of investigation just because he disliked it.

Locking the apartment behind him, Tang made his way to the nearest bus stop with a spring in his step. While the situation was certainly less than ideal, the thought of some thorough research was always something he looked forward to.

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

Tang slowly stirred the noodles in his bowl, his brow furrowed in distraction. One of his favorite reference books for ancient mystical history at the library had been changed. Well, to be more accurate, it was different in this timeline. The author was the same, but the contents were certainly not.

Why had it not ever occurred to the librarian that if the current history around him could change, that ancient history could as well? If that was the case, then how could he trust whatever lead he might find to be actually helpful to his situation? What if the knowledge he needed didn’t exist in the timeline he was currently in? What if it only existed in his original timeline?

With a despondent sigh, Tang continued to swirl around his untouched noodles, his negative thoughts seeming to spiral in the same circular loop.

“Oi! Earth to Tang!”

Tang jumped, almost spilling his bowl as he jerked at Pigsy’s shout. He looked up to see the pig demon across the counter with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“If you’re going to be a freeloader you might as well appreciate the food I worked hard on,” the chef scolded without any real heat in his tone. “Something eating you?”

“Uh, y-yes I suppose you could say that,” Tang stammered. Pigsy raised an eyebrow and Tang flushed. The lack of confidence he normally projected had certainly been noticed by Pigsy.

“Well spit it out then. Don’t have all night.” Despite the gruffness of his words, Tang could pick out the small bits of concern in the chef’s tone.

“Well, I seem to have hit a stumbling block in one of my research projects,” Tang explained as he pushed his glasses back up and began to relax. While Pigsy always acted angry at Tang for the mooching of noodles, the pig demon, across every timeline so far, never forced the scholar to pay and was always a great listener. “I’ve come across some evidence that many of the historical texts I’m looking into might be presented differently to the events that actually transpired.”

“Isn’t that how most of history is like though?” Pigsy leaned against the counter, his scowl replaced with a puzzled frown. “Didn’t you say something last month about how history books were mostly the writers' biases or something?”

Tang blinked at that. He did somewhat recall the conversation as he focused on it, but hadn’t thought Pigsy had been paying enough attention to his rant at the time.

“Yes I suppose that is true,” the scholar conceded.

“What do you normally do when you come across these changes?”

“I keep looking for a more accurate version of the text or form an educated guess based on all the evidence I gather.”

“Then what’s the problem? If you already know how to solve the issue then there’s no reason dwelling on it. Just keep going until it's fixed,” Pigsy said bluntly.

Tang just stared at the chef for a moment. Was it really just that simple? A smile slowly spread across his face as he realized that, yes, yes it could be. Even if the knowledge in this timeline was different, that didn’t make it useless. Knowledge was power, and who knew what tiny pieces he could find to fit together into a workable solution. Leave it to Pigsy’s pragmatic outlook to cut straight to the problem and efficiently solve it.

“Thanks Pigsy,” Tang said, smiling sincerely.

“Yeah, no problem.” Pigsy waved his hand in dismissal and, was that a blush Tang saw? “Now eat your noodles before they get cold.” The pig demon quickly moved off to help a new customer that had walked in, leaving Tang to his bowl.

As he ate the delicious noodles, Tang watched Pigsy as he worked.

He had always admired his friend, even in his original timeline. What he was unsure of were the romantic feelings he had for the pig. Outside of sharing an apartment together, the relationship status between the pair was the second most common change he experienced. The first time he had woken up in the same bed as Pigsy had resulted in one of his earliest embarrassing freak outs that had resulted in a few hurt feelings for a while.

While Tang could see how these feelings could have blossomed, he couldn’t quite remember if he had felt this way in his original time. He had simply gone with the flow the many times they were romantically involved and if he was honest, they had been some of the most pleasant moments he could remember since this whole timeline jumping mess had started.

He studied the chef as he gracefully moved about his kitchen, chopping vegetables and rolling dough. The pig demon had a gruff exterior, but obviously cared about those around him a lot. He was steady and sensible, always scolding someone for doing something stupid but always there with straightforward advice if asked. He made sure that no one would ever be hungry while he was around and woe be it unto any customer who insulted his family within his earshot.

Pigsy, as if sensing the eyes on him, looked up and met Tang’s gaze. He gave the scholar a brief smile before returning to the broth he had been stirring.

As a warmth filled his chest that didn't have to do with the noodles, Tang made a decision that he was sure Pigsy would have approved of. It didn’t really matter what their relationship was. Platonic or romantic, Tang loved Pigsy for being Pigsy and always would. If these alternate worlds seemed set on making them more than friends, well then who was he to complain.

Drinking the remaining broth in his bowl, Tang grinned as he decided to act on Pigsy’s advice. This version of him had a crush on the chef and he already knew the solution for fixing that.

“Hey Pigsy! You free for a date this Friday?”

His grin grew wider as Pigsy dropped his ladle into the pot of broth and whirled around and began stammering. Behind him, the scholar heard Mei crow in victory and began demanding that MK ‘pay up’.

These strange jumps in time were certainly a less than ideal situation, but Tang decided to not worry too much about them. He knew it was only a matter of time until a solution presented itself. While he waited for that to happen, who would blame him for trying to enjoy himself in the meantime?

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

First chapter done wooo! Now the following chapters won't be in a strict chronological order as Tang jumps around, but some events do come before others. As for what's going on... You'll just have to wait and see~ See you in chapter two!

[whumpasaurus101]

Food and Fear

is it a shit name? yes. but is this content? yes :D

CW: Starvation / Forced to strip (not sexual) / noncon touching (not sexual) / creepy whumper

previous / master list

After dinner- in which Pheonix had barely eaten anything-, Martín and Noah dragged Pheonix down to the basement. He was thrown to the floor of some empty room. There was a bed in the corner, an actual bed. He was grateful for that. There was another door connected to the room Pheonix made a mind note to explore that later.

Noah left for the door but stopped when he noticed Martín not pursuing. “You sleep here for tonight. We’ll come down and collect you tomorrow. Sleep well, Goldie.” Before Pheonix could ask, the two men left and slammed the door behind them and locked it.

Pheonix looked around him, studying the room. It was empty. He crawled over to the bed and flopped on it. There was no duvet. He curled in on himself as another hunger pain stabbed his stomach. He jumped as there was a gentle knock on the door. It was unlocked and Rebecca came in holding a bowl.

Pheonix lifted his head and sat up, “Please don't tell me that you have a snake too.” Rebecca closed the door and chuckled, “Nah, don't worry. I uh, I brought you some food, I wasn't really hungry.” Pheonix’s eyebrows furrowed, “What is this, some test? If I take the food it will be poisoned or- or if I eat it your dad’s going to come in and fucking- I don't know beat me up or bring that fucking snake in with him who will just fucking choke me to death!”

Rebecca’s smile faltered slightly. She took a few steps towards him, noticing how he pushed himself towards the metal bars of the head of the bed. “Can I um, can I sit?” Pheonix slowly nodded and Rebecca sat at the end of the bed and held the plate out. There were pieces of cold roast chicken and potatoes.

Trying to ignore his hunger pain, Pheonix eyed the food suspiciously. Rebecca sighed and ate a piece of chicken, “Happy?” She placed the plate on Pheonix’s lap and Pheonix devoured the food. Rebecca smiled to herself as she watched him. “You got some balls you know.” Pheonix didn't look up from the plate.

“No one has ever talked back to my dad before.” Pheonix scoffed. “So he does kidnap people regularly.” Rebecca chuckled, “No, not regularly. Only when he gets bored with his previous captive.” Pheonix stopped eating, “Well that's reassuring.” Rebecca laughed.

In a matter of minutes the food was gone. Pheonix slowly looked up from the plate, “E-erm, thank you for that.” Rebecca smiled, twiddling with the end of her braid, “No problem. Just don't tell my dad that I’m doing it or else this won't be able to continue, got it?” Pheonix nodded quickly.

Rebecca looked at her watch, “Ugh, I have to go. Try and get some sleep, I’d say you'll be up late tomorrow.”Pheonix gulped and tugged on her sleeve as she went to leave, “Wait, where’s Sammy? They weren't there at dinner.”

Rebecca’s eyes dropped to the ground, “They uh.. Had to take care of something…” She went to leave again but Pheonix pulled her back. Rebecca scowled and punched Pheonix hard across his face, “Get off!” Pheonix looked up in shock, hand on his now red and bruising cheek. Rebecca sunk back slightly, “Sorry, fuck. I'm sorry, you just can't do that to me. My dad taught me self-defense since I could walk.”

Pheonix took several breaths, trying to get over the immense pain, “Noted, also, I think your rings may have dented my face.” Rebecca chuckled, “Sorry man. Welp, you learned your lesson! See ya!”

She left and the pain whammed Pheonix suddenly. He was alone. He was kidnapped. And his best friend had this secret gang life that Pheonix had no clue about. He flopped on the bed and at some point of the night, he fell asleep.

The next morning he was quickly awoken as he was shaken - not all that lightly- might he add. “Rise and shine Goldielocks, it's your big day today!” Pheonix groaned as he was dragged off his bed. Martín grinned, enjoying himself too much, “Hmm, I was thinking I could do with a shower, wouldn't you like to join me?” His grip tightened around Pheonix’s shoulders.

Noah stepped forward, “Pero el jefe dijo-”

“- I don't care what he said! Look at him! How could you resist?” Pheonix tried to fight the strong grip but it was impossible. Noah stepped right behind Martín, “No, let him go. Boss will suspect something if you take long.” Martín sighed, “Fine, you're lucky this time, but next time I see my chance-,” He tightened his grip and Pheonix whimpered as he felt his shoulders threatening to crack at any moment. “-I'll take it.”

Noah - who was sick of Martín‘s ‘bad cop’ act - rolled his eyes and dragged Pheonix up the stairs. He was forced to kneel by Mateo’s side at the long dark oak table. He looked at Rebecca who gave him a weak smile. Sammy was at the table. They were laughing with the others. Pheonix’s eyebrows furrowed, who the fuck were they?

A hand carded through Pheonix's hair, making him flinch. It quickly tightened and yanked his head back. “AGH!” Mateo snickered, “Oh, stop complaining. Now, do you know how to play poker?” Pheonix looked at him confused, “I, uh, I used to I guess?”

“Great!” He beamed, “You, my boy are going to go to the casino with us!” There were hoots from the other gang members, including Sammy. Pheonix looked to Mateo, “But why?” Mateo chuckled, “Look around mi amor, how do you think I got the money to afford this? Huh?” Pheonix gulped, looking around him, “B-but, why do you need me?” Pheonix jumped as Mateo slammed his fist -not the one with the snake- off of the table, “Why must you ask so many questions?! Jesús! Sammy, get him dressed, Noah, you wanted to talk?”

Sammy unwillingly stood up, smile faltering. Pheonix was brought back down to his room. Sammy handed a pair of suit trousers and a loose white button-up shirt. Pheonix sighed, and whispered, “Sammy, please, you gotta tell me what's going on. Please! Where were you last night?”

Sammy sighed, “Shh, listen, I know you're confused okay? Listen, I'm not who you think you are, okay? But you were never supposed to be a part of this, got it?” He lightly held his shoulders, “Look, my family- my dad, he's the reason I'm here. You're going to hear some very unpleasant things about me that I do, alright?”

Pheonix slowly stepped back, shaking his head. He quickly shoved Sammy’s hands from his shoulders, “I trusted you,” he whispered, “I- I thought you were my friend!” Sammy clenched their jaw, they felt terrible, “Pheonix- Pheonix please! Listen, I can try and get you out of here, okay?”

Pheonix shook his head, “You've done enough already.”

There was a knock on the door and Martín came in, “Woah, sorry there- Sammy, I see Pheonix isn't dressed like boss ordered you to.” Sammy gulped, “I-I know, we were just about to do it.” Martín’s eyes narrowed, “Hmmmm, well, how about you go upstairs to boss and I can take care of this chico guapo.” He licked his lips and winked at Pheonix who shrunk back. Sammy looked at him.

“It wasn't a question Sam, get up those stairs and tell the boss we’ll be ready in fifteen minutes.” Pheonix gave Sammy a hopeful look, but they quickly shuffled to the door and left. Pheonix hung his head and closed his eyes, what the fuck was he in for?

---

taglist: @as-a-matter-of-whump @jordanstrophe @milk-carton-whump @yesthisiswhump

[bitter-sweet-farmgirl]

Pick Up Lines

Welp, so a special someone has a birthday today, and I took part in a writing contest that she had to celebrate it. The funny part about this is that I wrote this story literally the day after I picked out my prompt. So I've been sitting on this story for about 2(?) months just waiting in suspense to share it, XD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY @guardianofrivendell!!!

I used this quote.

And this is a pairing between Fili & Tullaina

Warnings: Well, there maybe be an innuendo in there somewhere... ;) and a swear word or two. Nothing crazy

Pick Up Lines

My eyes flickered across the yellowing parchment of the scroll I had been assigned to read. At first the words were interesting and held my attention. Then as my attention began to wander, they became dull and frankly, dare I think it? Meaningless?

The librarian--and Ori--would strangle me, no questions asked if they knew how dull I found this ancient scrap to be.

The soft rustle of paper brought my attention back to the Dwarrowdame sitting across from me; dark-haired head bowed over the pages of an absurdly large and heavy tome whose title was written in overly large, flourishing golden script: A Brief History of Durin's Line: Volume 205.

I made a mental note to add my tutor, Lorelei, to the list. If she knew that I was more interested in a certain dark-haired dame than the 'exceedingly valuable and history-filled document whose knowledge is crucial to your future role of King' scroll, then she would be madder than Uncle Thorin when Kili had accidentally, (I wasn't so sure about that part), kicked Thorin's clothes into the river as he attempted to jump into it as we camped by it during the Quest.

It probably wouldn't help that Kili had already pissed her off earlier today during his session with her when he tried--unsuccessfully-- to flirt with her. Apparently the dame couldn't tell that my baby brother was head-over-heels for her.

"Oi, Fili!" A low, feminine voice called out loudly, making me cringe and breathe a sigh of relief all at the same time.

I twisted in my wooden chair to look over at the approaching Dwarrowdame. Dark red hair bounced messily across her shoulders as she trotted towards the table Lorelei and I occupied. The bright, beaming smile on her freckled face lit up the whole room and I found myself grinning automatically as she stopped beside my chair.

"Are you still studying these dusty old scrolls? Doesn't Thorin know that the sun is shining outside and there are things," she winked meaningfully at me, "that need to be done?"

I chuckled, pushing my chair away from the table with a soft scraping sound and stood up to tower a few inches above the dame.

"Good afternoon to you too, Tullaina." I answered, hurrying to roll up the parchment I had been trying to read until thoughts about Tullaina entered by head. Lorelei took one look at how I was treating the ancient parchment and let out an indignant gasp.

"I'll handle that, Prince Fili. Just don't damage this priceless piece of knowledge!" She gasped, snatching the scroll away from me and cradling it gently.

"Sorry, Lory." I apologized sheepishly, but she only shook her head.

"Just go on, I know you are eager to go spend time with Lady Tullaina. Do not let me stand in your way, Prince Fili." She sighed, and I shot a grin at Tullaina.

"Let's go and you can tell me about what things you have in mind."

~~~~~

We strolled through an abandoned corridor of Erebor together, Tullaina chatting animatedly about a prank she had conjured up when she'd accidentally set fire to one of Erebor's kitchens while attempting to assist one of the cooks with the cutting of a slab of pork.

"...and all the smoke and the blood from my finger made me think of setting up a sort of scene in one of the corridors and making a huge smoky fire and spilling berry juice everywhere. It would look like one big murder scene without a body." She finished up excitedly, and I could only smile.

"I like the idea, Tulls, but don't you think that's a bit complicated? I mean, coordinating all that and finding all those berries..." I trailed off as Tullaina's nose wrinkled up as she frowned.

Adorable.

"I guess..." She nodded, pondering my words. "Is there something else we could do for June Fools?"

I glanced over at her, making momentary eye contact with those wondrously captivating brown irises of hers.

"Well... I was considering something that is a bit more.... Criminal."

Tullaina's eyes got big.

"What?!" She hissed, stopping dead to stare at me in disbelief. "Fili, are you nuts? If your Uncle caught us doing something illegal..."

I shrugged, a smirk winding its way across my face as I took in her confusion. "You've already committed a crime, Tulls, and you made it look easy."

She let out an indignant gasp and put her hands on her hips in a gesture that warned me that she was getting angry. "Fili, I may be many things, but I am not a thief." She ground out, but I kept smirking at her. "How dare you accuse me of such a thing! I've never stolen a thing in my life!"

My smirk only grew as she denied any thieving activities. Crossing my arms across my chest, I raised an eyebrow at her in perfect seriousness. "Oh, but you have stolen something, Tulls." I murmured, making Tullaina frown up at me.

"What are you accusing me of stealing? Fili, I swear, if this is about that bloody teddy bear you had when you were thirty--"

I shook my head, holding up a hand to halt her angry spew of words. "No, you stole my heart." I murmured, holding eye contact with her.

Her mouth dropped open in an expression of complete surprise and shock and she stared mutely up at me. "I, wha-what?" She choked out, and I quickly dropped my serious approach.

Today was not the day.

Quickly plastering on a teasing grin, I nudged her with my elbow, forcing out a laugh. "Gotcha." Then I started walking again, stamping down all the doubting, questioning thoughts threatening to break through the wall I had built.

But in a moment, Tullaina was beside me again, her laughter echoing off the stone walls. "Mahal, Fili.... You really had me going there for awhile..." She giggled, raising her hand to brush her hair over her shoulder. "That's a really bad pick-up line, though...."

I grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, I thought you'd get a laugh out of it. And unfortunately there's more where that came from."

Tullaina's warm brown eyes lit up and she looked expectantly up at me. "Okay, spill." She asked excitedly, almost bouncing as we walked.

I eyed her anxiously, unsure how to proceed with this. But then she looked over at me and all my doubts were whisked away in the blink of an eye.

I was her friend, she was mine. There was nothing more here. Just treat her like you always do.

"Alright, what about this one? Do you have a sunburn or are you always this hot?"

At first, Tullaina gaped, then she snorted; eyes closing as she giggled. "That one's not bad..." She commented, and I felt a burst of encouragement.

"My friends bet me that I wouldn't be able to start a conversation with the most beautiful girl in the tavern. Wanna buy some drinks with their money?"

Tullaina shrugged at that one, tilting her hand from side to side. "That one's okay..."

To my horror, the next one that popped into my mind--and subsequently out of my mouth--was one that I never would have dreamed of saying to Tullaina. "Aside from being sexy, what do you do for a living?"

Instantly, Tullaina's cheeks turned beet red--likely matching mine--and she turned to look at me, the corners of her mouth twitching as if she couldn't decide if it would be appropriate to smile or not. "Ummm...."

"Mahal, I didn't think before I spoke, Tulls." I apologized, rubbing the back of my neck.

Tullaina giggled nervously. "It's alright, Fili. I just never expected that to be something you would say to a lass."

"It's not something I would say unless I'm completely off my face." I admitted, and the smile returned hesitantly to her face. "But, what do you think of this one? Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?"

Tullaina stuck out her tongue. "That one is awful..." She stated with a wrinkled nose. "0/10 would recommend using."

I laughed, feeling a soothing wave of relief wash over me as the previous awkward mood faded. "I thought that one wasn't half bad!" I defended the line, but Tullaina only rolled her eyes.

"You're a Dwarrow. Of course it sounds good to you. But if you were a dame... We have a different perspective on things." She explained offhandedly. "Please, continue."

"Do you have a name or can I call you mine?"

"Where in Mahal's name did you get this one?!" Tullaina exclaimed, pretending to gag. "That one is worse than the last!"

"I'll agree with you on this one. I'd never dream of using this to get a lass' name. It's just rude."

Tullaina nodded vigorously. "If you used it on me, I'd slap you so hard you'd have a permanent imprint of my hand on your face." She stated venomously, and I took a hesitant step sideways. This made her laugh as she watched me. "Not now, if you had just met me and were being weird. Only one of those things applies to you so you're safe."

I let out an affronted gasp. "I'm not weird!"

Tullaina only shrugged, smirking at me. "I'm a girl, and to girls, boys are weird."

"Fair point. And the same is true likewise."

Removing the extra space I had put between us by taking a sideways step, Tullaina looked over at me. "Okay, one last one, then we actually need to move onto serious topics. If you let me, I will procrastinate over June Fools, and that cannot happen on our first try at doing Twelve Months of Fools. I mean, we've already gotten through five months successfully! We can't stop now!"

I nodded, giving Tullaina a sly look. "Alright, unless that would be the prank all along since people are expecting it now?"

"NO!"

"Fine, fine..." I relented, extending my hand towards her. "Your hand looks heavy, can I hold it for you?"

"Sure." Tullaina placed her hand in mine; palm gentle and warm against the calloused, rough surface of mine.

The unexpected motion had my brain shutting down as I frantically tried to figure out what was supposed to happen next.

Tullaina shot me a confused look, glancing down at our hands. "Fili, you're supposed to hold my hand back, not just suddenly let it become a limp noodle."

I didn't respond, trying frantically to think of something--anything!--to say. Which, of course, led to the absolute last thing I wanted to say being the exact thing I said.

"Your lips look lonely, would they like to meet mine?"

Tullaina's lips parted; the bottom jutting out just the tiniest bit because it was slightly bigger than the top. Not that I knew this because I'd spent literal days just gazing at her perfect, sensual lips.

No, not at all.

"Fili, I, uh, yeah..." Tullaina whispered, and I stared at her in shock.

She stared back expectantly.

The silence continued on for another very long, very awkward moment until Tullaina spoke up. "You're not going to say anything? Are you serious or is this just a prank?" She asked, and I detected just the barest hint of vulnerability in her soft-spoken words.

I sucked in a deep breath, realizing that I hadn't really been breathing between my last sentence and Tullaina's. "I don't know," I breathed, staring at Tullaina in terror. "I didn't think I would get this far!"

The corner of Tullaina's mouth turned up in a smile. "Maybe we just experiment a bit, yeah?" She asked, taking one step closer to me. "Because I'm bloody scared out of my mind, Fili, but if I don't do this I'm going to regret it for the rest of my life."

I nodded silently, staring down at her as she took another slow step closer, rising up on her toes. Automatically, my hands settled on her waist, steadying her as I leaned down to meet her plush, distracting lips.

"OH DEAR MAHAL, FINALLY!!"

Tullaina and I jumped apart, looking around wildly for the terrifyingly familiar voice. I found it in the form of Kili as he peeked out from a pillar, hands clamped around his mouth and a look of absolute panic on his face.

"Oh, uh, I wasn't supposed to interrupt you... Just go back to kissing or whatever. Pretend I was never here." He faltered, looking at Tullaina and I sheepishly. "Sorry."

I took a step forward, bristling as I prepared to teach Kili a lesson he wouldn't forget. "Kili, I'm going to--"

Tullaina grabbed my sleeve, stopping me in my tracks as she finished my sentence. "Spend time with Tullaina. Come on, Fili. We have things to do and abandoned corridors to explore."

[apenapaperandadoofus]

Imaginary (Jumin x MC)

Chapter one here!

(Also to explain something! Both Bada and Eun are random characters I made up, I like to think that the island was already inhabited by some people, and that Jumin’s father bought part of it, in Saeran’s Normal End, he and MC talk about how the locals are all nice and stuff, so I wanted to add something like this here :D, OH AND! These are the sort of edited chapters, I will post the fully edited ones in AO3!)

AND feedback is greatly appreciated! Sorry if this one was kinda short! Next chapter we WILL get some cute kiddo Jumin, I promise :P

Chapter 2

.

.

.

In the end you weren’t able to find the ghost. That week your mother had been leaving you with heavy amounts of homework, and you hadn’t been able to go outside since by the time you finished it was always too dark, and your mother was home. You were also tired from the amount of history dates and math formulas you had to learn. Your mother wasn’t going to let you fall behind all of your classmates, but she also took it a bit too far and made you study things that even they hadn’t even seen yet.

Thus, your search for the ghost was cancelled. You weren’t able to see Bada and Eun either, which sucked since their food was so delicious last time, and you really wanted some more. In the meantime though, you spent your days reading about ghosts, and how to capture them or see them.

You wanted so badly to find the ghost! But you didn’t have the time. The thing that made it worse was that you were sure there was someone there, you always saw a small shadow by the windows, but as soon as you tried to get closer, it disappeared.

One night, you laid in your bed, unable to sleep and thinking about the ghost. It was about 11pm, your mother was already sleeping and you were sure everyone on the island was too. It made you feel weird, thinking that maybe you were the only one awake. Still, you decided to do something.

Soemthing reckless.

Slowly, very, very slowly, you got out of your bed and put on some shoes that you had in your closet. Then, you grabbed your favorite sweater, and gently opened the sliding door in your room, that led to a little porch. You tiptoed and went down the stairs, quickly running towards the enormous mansion. It was way closer than you had actually thought, and you saw a fence that probably led to the backyard. The fence was tall, no way you could’ve climbed that thing.

But that wasn’t going to stop you.

Somehow you managed to get on top of the fence. It was pretty tall, but you found that if you climbed a tree, and then jumped off from there to the fence, maybe it could work.

It- it didn’t.

Well it did, but you landed on your face and you tried your best to hold back a cry. Still, not wanting to give up, you slowly stood up and walked into the garden.

You were trembling, afraid of the dark, and you were about to reach for your flashlight when you realized...that you hadn’t brought your flashlight.

Welp, you’re dead now, I guess.

You mentally slapped yourself and gulped. There was no one around, and who knows when an opportunity like this might come again? But at the same time, it was way too dark, and you were going to be looking for ghosts. That was way too scary, especially without a flashlight. Then, an idea popped into your head. How about, you go running to your house, quickly grab the flashlight and then come back? You were pretty fast, and you were sure the ghosts couldn’t have noticed your presence yet.

You quickly turned around to go, open the fence door and race to your home, when you heard some footsteps behind you. And you froze.

“Who are you?” A voice said. It sounded like it belonged to a boy, but you didn’t want to find out if that was true or not, and you didn’t even turn around as you let out a small scream. You quickly ran towards the door, struggling a bit to open it.

Fuck it was stuck.

You pushed and pushed, the sound of footsteps coming closer towards you, and a different deeper voice coming from inside the house. Finally, the door bulged and opened, and you took your chance to run away. You didn’t stop until you were safe, under your covers and with all your plushies surrounding you.

That was scary as fuck.

You weren’t able to sleep that night.

When your mother woke you up at 6am, you stared up groggily at her, and she scolded you about staying up late, and that no matter how tired you were, she wanted to see all your work done when she came home.

You of course, decided to leave at lunch time to go and talk with Eun and Bada. You hadn’t seen them in a while and you were actually pretty hungry, the only thing that your mother had left you was another container filled with spaghetti and you were honestly tired of eating it for both lunch and dinner four days in a row.

So, you took your leave and followed the little path towards the village, this time stopping to admire the whole place. The village was up on some mountains, so you were able to see the sea from up above. You could see some men in boats, carrying heavy bags filled with fish, and women with scuba diving equipment coming out of the water. Then, when you looked up towards the other mountain, you saw what looked like a temple. It was red and huge, and you made a mental note to ask both Eun and Bada about it.

Finally, you made it to their house, and you were about to knock on the door, when Bada suddenly opened it.

She was going to say something when she looked down at you and you gave her a big smile.

“Well look who’s back! If it isn’t our little explorer. Found anything interesting these past few days?” She asked, as she motioned for you to come inside. You replied to Bada that, yes you had actually found some very interesting things, but before she could reply Eun came out from the shower, her hair dripping wet, and singing some really catchy song in another language. Then she stopped, looked at you and squealed, running over and giving you a tight hug.

“Hey Y/N! How’s your little ghost adventure going? Come come, we were about to have some lunch, you came at the perfect time! Oh sir here! And tell me everything about it, I don’t want you to skip over any detail.” She gently shoved you into a chair and then gave you a plate full of some Korean dish you didn’t really know the name of, but looked absolutely delicious.

As the two women sat down in front of you, you explained your adventure with the ghost yesterday.

“There was really someone there! He even talked to me!” You said.

Eun raised and eyebrow and gave you a quizzical smile. “Really? Do you have any proof?”

You quickly stopped and became quiet. Dammit!

“I...I don’t have any yet! But, there really was someone there! Seriously! I just...I forgot to bring my camera....” you confessed.

“Well there you go! You need evidence if you want to convince us you know?”

“You mean convince you. I believe in ghost and I think it’s probable that Y/N saw one.” Badda said, as she glared at Eun.

“Ah Bada seriously! Listen kiddo, I will admit that ghosts are real if I actually get to see one. If you manage to give me evidence I’ll believe you, but for now you don’t have any proof.”

“I will get some! You’ll see!” You confidently said.

The rest of the evening passed by quickly, as Bada explained about the temple up in the mountain. Appears you it was a temple that was able to grant each person one wish.

After wards you thanked them for the food and then you quickly looked at your watch and let out a little yelp. “Oops! I have to go now! Thank you for the food, it was great!”

“Wait Y/N, what about my book? Have you-”

“BYE BADA!” You quickly said and left the house in a hurry before Bada could finish her sentence.

You could hear her grumbling and Eun laughing from the other side of the door and you smiled.

You were going to get that evidence!

You quickly went home, and then started working on your homework.

......

That day, as you stared at your blank notebook while sitting on your desk, you went through the events that had happened last night.

There was certainly a ghost there, maybe even two, since you had heard two people talking. The ghost knew you were already there though, and that would make things hard. So you decided to make up a plan to show Eun and Bada that you were telling the truth. You quickly grabbed your pencil and took off a blank page from your notebook.

Ghost hunting plan:

You wrote, and then you bit the end of your pencil as you thought about what to do.

First of all, you had to bring a flashlight. That was one of the things that was the most important. You weren’t going to deal with two ghosts, in the dark.

Second, you had to bring your camera. That was on the top of the priority list too, since you did need it to take a picture of the ghost.

Still...you were pretty shaken up from yesterday and you didn’t want to be completely alone.

What if you brought one of your favorite toys? No that would make the whole process of climbing the fence harder....and if you were to bring something else, it definetly had to be that book about ghosts. Somewhere in there had to be some sort of ritual or spell or something, that would protect you from ghosts. So you decided to bring it!

And hell, to do it that same night!

Satisfied with your plan, and now a bit more confident with everything, you started doing the homework you mother had left you. Normally you would leave it and do it at the last moment, but today you were inspired and you had to have everything ready for the ghost hunting trip!

When your mother came home she immediatly went to bed, taking your work and locking her door. You then did your normal bedtime routine, washing the dishes, brushing your teeth and taking a warm shower. But then, instead of going to sleep, you sat on your bed with the book in your hands, and you counted down till your mother was asleep.

It was about 10pm, you could hear your mother snoring al the way from her room, and you slowly stood up and grabbed your sweater, some sneakers, the flashlight, the camera and the book. Of course you couldn’t hold everything at once, so the book was in a tiny backpack, and the camera was hanging from your neck. Alright! You were now ready!

Slowly, you opened the sliding doors, and tiptoed out of the porch. You turned on your flashlight and began walking towards the mansion, your camera ready. The lens cap protector thing, was off, and you had night vision on, so you were pretty good!

You finally made it towards the fence, and managed to climb it, this time without falling flat on your face. You gave a little victory dance as you looked around the garden.

It was...really beautiful.

The garden was filled with all kinds of flowers, purple, yellow, red, blue, and there were the bushes you had always heard about! One was in the shape of an elephant, the other one was in the shape of a horse and on and on. In the center of the garden, there was a huge fountain, that was turned off at the moment, which was a bit disappointing. There was also a stone path, that went all around the garden and then probably led somewhere inside the house.

You stood there for a bit, admiring the view. Yesterday was so dark, and you were so scared that you hadn’t been able to see anything. But tonight the moon was out, shining brightly and illuminating everything in front of you. It was beautiful.

Then, you heard some footsteps, and you quickly hid behind a bush. That’s right, you were here looking for a ghost, not to gape at that wonderful garden!

Dammit Y/N, pull yourself together! You thought, as you tried to figure out where the footsteps were coming from. You cowered a bit as they came closer and closer, almost in front of you. You slowly peeked from behind the bush, and saw a silhouette.

A boys silhouette to be more precise. He looked to be around your age, and he was wearing blue stripped pijamas, his hair all messy on top of his head. It was clear he had just woken up, and was looking for something...or for someone.

You.

Drat! You thought. The ghost of the little boy already knew you were going to come back again! Maybe you should have waited a few days before coming back, but you were just so impatient.

Anyway, you had to make up a plan. You had left the fence door open in case you needed to make an impromptu escape, and you gave yourself a pat in the back for thinking that far ahead. What you had to do now, was to take a picture of the ghost. Slowly, very,very slowly you raised your camera to get a picture of the ghost.

He had his back to you, the moonlight shining behind him, giving him a very paranormal aura. Still, for some reason the lense wouldn’t focus, so you decided to move forward a bit to get a better look. Sadly, you miscalculated and you accidentally stepped on a dry leaf, making the ghost turn around in your direction, his face filled with worry but at the same time, confidence.

Then you stopped.

Damn he was cute.

You hadn’t seen his face till now, and you were taken aback by it. He was definetly a very good looking boy, one the girls in your class might go all crazy about. Never in your life had you felt something like you were feeling now. Could it be....love at first sight?

No! He’s a ghost, I can’t fall in love with a ghost, how would that even work?! You scolded yourself. Still, you didn’t stop your staring at the boy. Thankfully he hadn’t seemed to notice you were there, and before you could even think about it, you pressed the camera button and a loud CLICK was heard through the bushes.

And then a bright light came on.

You forgot to turn off the flash.

The boy let out a surprised gasp, and called out, but before he could once again catch you, you quickly got up and ran away from the place. You heard the footsteps following behind you, but you were faster and a few minutes later you didn’t hear anything else, and you slowed your pace.

That was close.

You triumphantly smiled as you looked through the pictures on your camera. Granted they weren’t super high quality, but you could make out the boys silhouette.

Hehe, now to become a millionaire! You celebrated. You sneaked back into your room and placed your camera and flashlight on your desk. Then you were going to grab your paranormal book from your backpack when...you didn’t find anything.

What?

You turned your backpack upside down and staked it as hard as possible, but still nothing would come out.

Bada’s book.

Oh no.

Oh no.

If Bada found out you lost her book, you wouldn’t be able to have lunch at her home ever again! And you would loose the only...friends (?) you had in this island. You couldn’t allow that! You always had to return what you borrowed, that was one thing your mother would always say, and this time she was right! After all, Bada lent you soemthing really important to her, and you couldn’t bear to think about coming back to her home empty handed.

Still...you weren’t going to go back into the house. It was way to dark now, you were sleepy and you were sure the ghost was porbably waiting in the garden, somewhere.

What to do, what to do? You asked yourself as you put on your pijamas and laid in bed.

It must have fallen off somewhere along the way, you thought, so maybe you wouldn’t have to go into the garden after all.

Then you got it!

What if, tomorrow morning you went into the garden? There weren’t going to be any ghosts since it was daytime, you reasoned, and it would be way easier to find the book. After all, there would be no one around the mansion to scold you, or to tell you to leave! It was the perfect plan!

You tucked yourself into bed and looked up confidently at the ceiling. You were going to get that book!

[zettabita]

RIVALS: Thunder

Rivals Master List

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

a masaki ichijou x fem reader fic

Genre: action, romance Warnings: none! Word count: 2.6k+

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

“Shiba-san, I think I’m going to throw up.” 

You clutch the shoulder of Tatsuya Shiba, First High’s best technician and the one currently servicing your CAD. With a mildly concerned look, he steadies you and walks you to the stage riser. 

Around you, students hustle to and fro, working on computers, tinkering with CADs, and typing hastily on tablets—other technicians for First High. You see, it was the 2095 Nine Schools Magic Competition, and you, a bright-eyed magician hailing from a distant country, was chosen by your First High teachers and upperclassmen to represent the school for Ice Pillar Break. Not much surprise there—even amongst the Blooms students, you were considered one of the best: you learned ridiculously fast, your casting speed rivals that of Miyuki Shiba’s, and, although it wasn’t known to many, your Psion count was very, very high, making for a good starting set of talents for the flashy event. To top it off, you worked hard to keep your place in the prestigious school (one time, you had to explain to your Japanese classmates how and why you, a foreigner, topped the exam for Modern Japanese class). Unfortunately, though, your technical skills weren’t anything to write home about; you could barely calibrate a CAD to save your life. Well, that’s why you had Tatsuya with you.

“You’ll be fine. (L/N)-san. You just need to take your time.” Tatsuya reassures in his usual monotone voice. He pauses, as if thinking what to say, before adding, “Just don’t draw attention to your casting.”

Welp. Aside from the fact that it was your first match of the tournament, you were also horribly unlucky in that your opponent, Suzuki Mutsuba of Third High School, is the current shoo-in to champion Ice Pillar Break for the Newcomer’s Division. Her casting speed and aggressive tactics made her an extremely difficult opponent as she would be able to destroy the ice pillars quickly before you could even cast an offensive spell.

To overcome this, you and Tatsuya had agreed on using your speciality in Ancient Magic which would give you great burst damage and some stealth. It would, however, take a lot of time to cast, and so you had to constantly run a modern counter magic sequence to prevent getting slaughtered in the first couple of seconds while preparing for your Ancient Magic spell. The thought made you want to hurl your breakfast on Tatsuya’s shiny black shoes. 

“Thanks.” You smile weakly at him. “Well, if I lose today, at least I look cute.” Tatsuya, who, as expected, barely reacted, giving you a small smile. Well, it was true. Saegusa-senpai had insisted that the Ice Pillar Break event had also become a mini-fashion show in recent years, so she and some of the other female upperclassmen took a lot of pleasure in dressing you up. You wore a modernized version of your country’s traditional garb (“I absolutely insist! You’ll be a standout,” Saegusa-senpai exclaimed one time after a meeting, imploring you to send for traditional clothes), your face in light makeup, and your hair in a bun. You knew that with your outfit, you’d surely be a standout amongst the sea of competitors in kimono and hakama. 

To prevent yourself from throwing up, you had let go of Tatsuya and preoccupied yourself with fiddling with the stitching on your top, when a disembodied voice booms over the speakers in the holding room. “Mutsuba Suzuki, Third High School, versus (L/N) (F/N), First High School!”

You take a deep breath. You look back to your weeks of training: the tingle of electricity prickling your skin, the feeling of power dancing at the ends of your fingertips, the mental exhaustion from practicing deadly magic for hours on end. You remember the day you first boarded the plane for Japan at the behest of your government, scared that you wouldn’t make it in the suffocatingly competitive atmosphere of First High. You breathe in this moment now: you, who has made it this far and who will make it even further. Suddenly, you don’t feel like throwing up anymore.

“Go on and show them.” Tatsuya hands you your device, slender and silver, and your talisman, a pair of black gloves with a red inscription on the palm. You look into his blue eyes and see absolute certainty. In you, perhaps? There was no time to contemplate, so you take the device and put on the gloves, shooting him an eager grin as the platform begins to rise. “Yes, yes.”

You emerge into the light, your chin held high.

-------

“Oi, Masaki, it’s the foreigner girl!”

“Mm.” Masaki Ichijou, scion of the Ichijou clan and freshman ace of Third High School, looks up from his device to George and then to you at the center of the stadium. You were something of a spectacle at this year’s Nine Magic High Schools Competition, because foreigners were so rare at magic high schools, much less at a contest of Japan’s best up-and-coming magicians.

You emerge from the riser, your stance self-assured. Judging from the large screen flashing yours and Mutsuba-san’s faces, Masaki thought you were pretty, yes, but not in that demure Japanese way. Your wide eyes were intense and serious but a little restless and some strands of your (H/C) hair loose from your bun were fluttering in the wind. You were wearing some sort of unique outfit; probably from your home country, Masaki notes, and a pair of gloves. He eyes the CAD in your hand. General-type. General-type CADs can hold a lot of Activation Sequences, but it’s taxing for the caster. You using one meant you have some skill. 

“Ooh. General-type CAD. Still, she doesn’t look particularly tough.” George pulls out his phone and starts typing furiously. “Do you think I should still have the others take stats?”

Masaki was certain you weren’t a lightweight: after all, your home country sent you to First for a reason, and First sent you to this competition. First High is not a school to be taken lightly. He nodded. “Yes. Just to be sure.”

Still, as good as you may be, Mutsuba-san was probably better, Masaki thought. “But I don’t think she can win against Mutsuba-san,” He adds. “She tied with me in practice once or twice, you know.” 

George nods slightly. “Yes. Her control and cast speed are above average. And her specialty really is suited for this—“

The siren sounds, cutting off George and shushing the crowd. It’s time. After two counts, a screeching noise fills the air, and the match between First High and Third High begins. 

On the far right, Mutsuba-san, dressed in a pink kimono, outstretches a gun-shaped CAD and begins her offense. Masaki knows what it is from his practice matches with her: Phonon Maser, an A-rank spell. A bright beam bursts forth from the barrel of her CAD and vaporizes one of your pillars. Masaki’s eyes dash to the left of the field. You wince a little, your left hand gripping your CAD tighter and your right hand tucked behind your back, but you quickly resume your steady gaze and continue casting. A sequence forms over your pillars and a dull light begins to pulse over your own ice field. Soon, Mutsuba-san’s Phonon Maser only makes dents. 

“Data Fortification.” George makes a yawning motion. “Effective, but boring.” 

“Hey! I use Data Fortification.” Masaki says indignantly. “And her defense is decent.”

Third’s best engineer regards his friend dryly. “Mm. But it’s not your only spell. Miss First here isn’t even attempting an offense.” He gestures to the field. He was right. You were holding your CAD high over the ice field, as if commanding them to stay frozen—and they did for the most part, receiving Mutsuba-san’s onslaught of lasers relatively well. Still, Masaki thought, you weren’t making any moves to destroy Mutsuba-san’s pillars. 

“Yeah. As good as she is at defending herself, it’s useless if she doesn’t attack.” George nods in reply. 

A few more seconds of the standoff between you and your opponent pass. The young Ichijou takes a quick glance around. George looked like he was getting more bored with each passing second, and he wasn’t the only one losing interest. Many other Third students in the stand who waited eagerly for you a couple of seconds ago now whisper impatiently amongst themselves, bored and unimpressed by the seemingly one-sided battle. To Masaki’s right field of view, the First High students in their stand shift uncomfortably in their seats, visibly worried about the outcome of the match. It seemed that even they didn’t know what was going on. 

Masaki fixes his attention back on you who still kept up with your ironclad defense. Why did First High even bother to send someone who won’t attack, Masaki wonders. He tries searching your face, your figure, your magic for any indication of anxiety, uncertainty, or whatever one was supposed to feel whenever they were about to lose a match. With your steady gaze, (E/C) eyes fixed on the field before you, your defense magic constant in its impenetrability, you seemed too calm for someone about to lose, Masaki observes. And then it hit him. 

“It’s not calmness.” He murmurs.

“What?” George gazes at Masaki quizzically. With all their years of friendship, George has pretty much gotten used to his best friend’s mutterings, especially during training—he’s heard I have to get this perfectly or I need to adjust the hydrostatic pressure far too many times in simulations—and even learned to take some of them seriously. He’s written them off as telltale marks of a genius (because he himself does the same things when he’s zoning out in his lab).  

“She’s waiting for something.” It’s not calmness, Masaki thought. It was something more predatory. Staring at your face on the megascreen, he realizes that you, in all your non-aggression, were fighting back a smile. 

Prompted by Masaki’s fixation, George studies your figure with the I-discovered-a-new-Cardinal-Code look on his face, the look he uses when scrutinizing a research article or examining Akane’s new outfit (It’s a well-known fact that they like each other. Masaki long ago conceded to the fact that his live-in best friend and his younger sister Akane are practically dating.) As George looks over you, his eyes widen. “Look at her right hand.” 

“Huh.” Masaki studies your right arm tucked away behind your back, away from everyone’s attention. Your hand, covered by your glove with the red seal on the palm, was making some sort of small, rapid fingering motion, like you were weaving a thread or plucking multiple strings on an instrument. It was so slight and so seemingly random that even the announcers and Mutsuba-san did not even recognize. 

Masaki raises an eyebrow. “That’s Ancient Magic, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah. Her glove is the talisman.” George leans back in his seat and crosses his arms, as if waiting for something to unfold. As he did, he glances up at the sky. He then grips Masaki’s shoulder tightly.

The young Ichijou tries to slap his best friend’s hand off. “Hey, you’re going to ruin my uniform.” 

George didn’t seem to hear him. His gaze, now bewildered, was fixated on the sky. “By Kami-sama...” He whispers. 

Masaki glances up with him. The sky was dark, much darker than it was minutes ago. Clouds seemed to form quickly, almost too quickly, overhead. George‘s grip on Masaki’s shoulder tightened. “Masaki, don’t watch the field, she’s casting a—“

Before he could finish his sentence, you whip out your right hand and snap your finger. A streak of pure white floods everyone’s vision and a deafening clap thunders overhead. The stadium erupts in surprised yelps from the audience. The light soon disappears, revealing you standing there on your podium, gloved right hand outstretched and a wide grin spread over your face. 

Masaki hastily surveys the field, rubbing his eyes from the sudden flash of lightning. Half of Mutsuba-san’s pillars had exploded, boiling hot water sizzling on the grass around the ice field. The other half were melted to varying degrees. The ground underneath what used to be the center pillar, where the light struck, was scorched. 

“Well, well.” He clicks his tongue in amazement. “Thunder Cloud.” 

George’s red eyes widened. “That’s…that’s the A-class Ancient Magic that copies the natural lightning generation process...” 

“Yes.” Masaki let out a sigh. He’s seen the spell before when his father worked with foreign magicians from the tropical southern regions of the Asian Union, but he’s never seen them do the little motions you did. “Father used to know a few who could cast it. They literally create cumulonimbus clouds and separate the electrons in such a way to make the lightning strike an exact point. It takes a lot of Psions but it’s highly lethal. To cast it while casting a modern spell...”

George started typing on his phone furiously. “That’s next-level. Gotta have the team take note of this.” Masaki could only nod in reply. “Now that’s why First sent her.”

Mutsuba-san looked shocked that she only had half her pillars left within a fraction of a second and scrambled to cast a defensive spell, to no avail. You had already snapped your finger again, causing a large Sequence to form in the sky, and lightning strikes the pillars, this time stronger, brighter, and hotter than the last. 

The pair manage to just avert their eyes in time. There were deafeaning cheers on the right side of the stadium—probably First audience—and then they were drowned out by a crack of thunder like a whip. When the light cleared, there was nothing left of Mutsuba-san’s pillars, just the scorched ground upon which they once stood and steam rising from her side of the field. All ice and water had been vaporized.

The siren screeched loudly. “The match goes to (L/N) (F/N) of First High School!” 

The stadium erupts in cheers, except for the pair’s stand, which consisted of Third students. Third High sat in stunned silence. No one had expected that you would defeat Mutsuba Suzuki, a member of the Ten Master Clans and a favorite to win the Newcomers’ Division for Ice Pillar Break in a complete wipeout. And in such a rapid and unexpected way, too.

George clicks his tongue in amazement. “Now, that’s one way to get everyone’s attention.”

“And the Clans’ attention, too.” Masaki says in a soft voice.

George glances at him and raises an eyebrow, a playful smile on his face. “Could it be that the great and super-single Ichijou Masaki is expressing his interest?”

Masaki glares at him incredulously and rolls his eyes. “Yes, George, I am extremely interested in this girl whom I’ve never met and whose background I have no idea about. What I’m saying is that defeating a member of the Master Clans is—“

The star engineer lets out a small chuckle. “Yes, yes, I know what you mean. Still…you never know, right?” 

Masaki exhales loudly through his nose. “I know a lot of things, George.” He takes a quick glance back at the megascreen, which shows you practically beaming as you wave at the First High crowd, as if you didn’t just cast very taxing and very deadly magic seconds ago. ‘(L/N) (F/N)’, it says on the screen. He thinks of you, you in the moment, smiling with the thunder. He tries to speak your name in his head, pronouncing the individual syllables the way he’s heard people speak names of your descent, seeing how each sound would fit in his mouth. At the back of his mind, he thinks it fits well, but he keeps this information to himself.

George didn’t seem to notice his best friend’s thoughts wandering. “Uh-huh. Well, I should go check on Mutsuba-san’s hardware. Catch you later.” He moves towards the exit with the leaving crowd but pauses at a notification from his phone. He scans it, eyes widening for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past couple of minutes. 

”What is it?” Masaki asks, just barely having snapped out of his reverie of you.

George turns to him, a wicked grin on his face. “Just got word from the team. She’s going to sub for Monolith Code.”

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Next: Spark I

[willownoir1112]

Hello you beautiful people of Tumblr! Wyn here with day two of White Rose Week! I am humbled by the wonderful response my day one submission received, and I hope everyone continues to enjoy as we continue onward!

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Rules

No one, not even a Goddess, can ever predict a zombie apocalypse. But, to a well organized, if overly sugared mind, even a plague of brain eating former people can be survived. And if said mind is kept in check by an equally overly caffeinated, blueberry and cute dog adoring brain, well, even an attack by creatures even the Grimm fear due to not being immune may in fact be survivable.

"Listen up!" Ruby Rose roars as she looks about at the gathered survivors of Beacon Academy, which had been hit hard by the initial wave of the undead. They have all gathered inside the auditorium, which has been turned into a small fortress by the group of survivors in their desperation and fear. "My beautiful white wolf and I have been planning for this since second year, and we've come up with some rules that everyone needs to follow if we're going to survive this."

"Rules?!" Cardin Winchester cries out in terror as he sits next to a boarbatusk that is actually trembling in fear. "What good are rules against things that won't die?!"

Weiss Schnee sighs as she looks at him with sympathy for his obviously missing brain, thus making him a hundred percent safe from the rampaging hordes. "Because if we follow this list of simple rules, we will keep ourselves and others safe, you ignoramus. Or do all of you want to end up like Jaune?" She points out.

Every single head, whether it belongs to a Grimm, a human, or a faunus shakes vigorously. The blonde in question having made the mistake of approaching what they all believed to be a sick little girl. To their horror, they all watched in an odd detached fascination as the child proceeded to knock him down and start feasting on his face, while his screams turned into something that was simply not human. 

Then the rest of the zombie hordes descended upon them, which is how they all found themselves inside Beacon's auditorium, which was the closest shelter they could safely reach.

"Any other questions?" Ruby calls out, once again getting vigorous headshakes as well as murmured responses in the negative. "Ok, good! Now, let's get started!" She declares as she turns towards a salvaged chalkboard from an otherwise empty storage room and begins to write vigorously. "Rule number one, Cardio! To escape a pursuing zombie you'll need to out-run it, and that means being in good shape!"

"Welp, I'm doomed!" Automne Ombre from team TAPE declares sullenly, his leader, Tyra, nodding in agreement.

"Rennie, I promise Yang and I will take turns carrying you!" Nora Valkyrie declares as she hugs her best friend, who has a look of acceptance for his fate on his face.

Weiss shakes her head. "Ren, you and several others will need to work on your endurance. Or get very good at climbing trees and buildings."

"Arrrr. Roo, ruff ruff." A beowolf barks out next.

"He wants to point out that several Griffons have been turned as well." The Hound declares calmly from where it sits next to Weiss's twin sister Willow, her new Master.

"It was a pleasure to know you all." Ren deadpans seriously as he untangles himself from Nora. But to everyone's surprise, he suddenly strides to Emerald Sustrai and sweeps her off her feet and into a deep kiss.

"Now that's a kiss!" Ruby declares, while Weiss holds up a sign with a number nine on it. Blake holds up an eight, and Yang enthusiastically waves a ten over her head.

"Ahem, can we continue?" Professor Goodwitch calls out, even as she keeps staring nervously at the scroll held in hands threatening to shatter the device if they hold it much more tightly. "Please, Mina. Please answer me." She mutters.

"Fair enough. Ruby, rule number two please?"

"Number does! Double Tap! When in doubt, don't get stingy with your bullets!" The Reaper declares enthusiastically as she brandishes her Crescent Rose above her head.

"As we have all learned now, most zombies won't die from just one hit unless it's a shot to the head, and it will instead get up in very little time - and will then bite you." Weiss continues as the rabbit faunus fawns over her beloved weapon. "The most effective way to prevent this is to take a second shot or a follow up hit to their head which will stop them from attacking again, and surely one more shot can't do too much harm! For this to work, you will need at least two shots in your weapon at all times so you can double tap without having to worry about reloading in time."

You usually won't get that time!" Ruby singsongs before she returns to hugging her sweetheart.

"Luckily, the second shot should be easier as the first shot should take the zombie to the floor and temporarily prevent the zombie from moving." The white wolf finishes before Gibbs slapping her girlfriend. "Stop that, dolt!"

"And just what are you going to do, Weiss?" Blake calls out as she sits next to Ilia, who is staring in fascination at the full sized Drake that has managed to squeeze into the auditorium with them.

"I'm the first tap!" Ruby declares menacingly.

"And I'm the second, Kitten." Weiss follows up coldly.

"I'm convinced." Yang declares firmly as she sits next to Nora, who is watching in surprise as Ren continues to make out with a still surprised Emerald. "So what's the next rule, sis?"

"Limber Up!" She declares enthusiastically. "Before going into a zombie-infested area, you'll need to prepare for the impending running by limbering up."

Cinder Fall, who is sitting next to a shell shocked Pyrrha, holds up her hand. "Hold up! This one doesn't make much sense!"

Dr. Ara Ebony stands while nodding. "I hate to inform you of this, but despite the common notion that stretching prior to exercise reduces the chance of injury, or prepares you for a run, most modern studies point to muscle and tendon stretching exercises prior to engaging in heavy cardio actually reducing performance and increasing the likelihood of muscle, joint, and connective tissue injury." She explains calmly, getting a groan from the Reaper.

"I told you that was a ridiculous rule, Dolt." Weiss adds in agreement.

"Fine! Forget that one!" She sighs as she looks around. "Then let's go with the Buddy System!" She declares as her grin returns. "You can't always look in front of you and behind you at the same time."

"Even though the common zombie has so far proven themselves to be slow they can still surround you and trap you in a corner, so with the help of a buddy you have a better chance of clearing and keeping an area safe." The white wolf explains as she smiles. "There is also another great reason to follow this rule which would be in case you get an injury the assistance of another person can be perfect for this situation."

Velvet stands and looks around. "And, if you don't want to be with people, It's easier using a handgun to your head." 

"We have plenty of them stashed in our dorm room!" Coco adds with a cocky smirk.

"How about sharing some then?!" Cardin cries out. "I don't even own a squirt gun!"

"Apologize to my sister, and we'll talk." Sasha Scarlatina, who is in her first year growls out, her own girlfriend Sarah Arc next to her and already counting her ammo.

To everyone's complete and total surprise, the young man walks to the rabbit faunus and falls to his knees in front of her. "I'm sorry." He declares loudly enough to be heard by everyone present. "I'm an asshole, and I honestly don't deserve a single bit of kindness anyone would show me, but I'm not ready to die."

"Apology… accepted." Velvet whispers, getting a nod from Ruby and Coco both. "Admitting you're an ass is the first step."

"Let us continue." The white wolf looks at her dolt, who nods as she steps forward.

"Don't be a hero." Ruby declares sadly, while looking at the sealed off doors to the auditorium. "It's possibly the most important rule of all. Don't risk your own life just to make yourself look good."

"When taking risks in our new reality, there is always the possibility that you might get eaten alive by zombies. This isn't a risk you want to be taking so rather than trying to go for the "bad boy or bad girl look", Yang." 

"Hey! Not during all this crap!" The Brawler calls back.

"Just simply take a step back and keep yourself safe. Unfortunately, you won't make yourself look too impressive if a zombie is currently biting into your arm. However, remember that there are certain circumstances where perhaps this rule should be ignored, so that maybe you save someone who makes staying alive worth it, or making sure that you will still have a partner to back you up later - as they might be responsible for saving your life later. Always follow this rule... except when you shouldn't." Weiss stops and smiles at Ruby, who grins back at her.

"I'd definitely break it for you, Snowflake!"

"I know you would, my dolt."

"Blargh!" Nora pantomimes gagging, getting scattered laughter from the gathered survivors. 

"Miss Rose, may I add one last rule?" Headmaster Ozpin, who has silently sat next to a shocked into silence Celestia Peach this whole time, calls out.

"Well sure, Headmaster!" Ruby replies while she looks at the instructor with some concern. "And is Professor Peach ok?"

"She will be fine once she gets the image of Jaune being eaten alive out of her head." He replies as he stands and joins them at the podium. Clearing his throat, he takes a sip of coffee before beginning. "Enjoy the little things. As well as surviving all the zombies which obviously will soon be dominating our world, you'll also need to maintain a happy and sane state of mind by keeping positive."

Glynda nods as she joins him, a rare smile on her face as her daughter Silentia sleeps in her arms. "With the constant stress of staying alive with little time to put down your gun and rest, it's important that whenever you do get the time, you spend it on entertaining yourself. Of course, soon it will not be easy to entertain yourself in any extravagant way such as playing games, playing sports or watching trivid. So instead it's best to enjoy the little things that come your way whether that be having fun with another survivor, enjoying a luxury you come across, lying back and forgetting about all the problems in the world or even just destroying a whole bunch of little things. Without enjoying the little things, it's all too easy for you to lose sanity and peace of mind from the constant stress and pains of staying alive."

"We… We really can survive this, can't we?" Velvet murmurs quietly, getting nods from everyone present.

"We sure can, Velvet!" Ruby declares enthusiastically as she loads a fresh magazine into her weapon. "I'm gonna go set up on the roof and clean out the crowd. Maybe we can make it to the cafeteria before we get too hungry."

"I'll come spot for you, Ruby." Blake volunteers as she stands, a nervous Ilia whining as she clings to the panther's hand. "Stay with Weiss, ok?" She asks quietly, getting a nod in response.

"The rest of us need to prepare to reach the cafeteria. We can use tables to barricade the doors and whatnot." Weiss adds as they begin to busy themselves. But one thought runs through all their minds as Weiss gets them prepared and Ruby and several others begin to snipe the undead hordes...

When happened to them to convince them to prepare all these rules?

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-Two Years Ago, November 1st-

Weiss Schnee has regrets. Serious, unadulterated, never ending regrets. After attending her girlfriend's seventeenth birthday party, then going trick or treating (which was fun no matter how much she denied it), the two of them settled down to watch Dr. Merlot's Halloween Scare-a-Minute zombie movie marathon. 

Under normal circumstances, the white wolf and her red rabbit would have laughed their way through the rediculous, often borderline idiotic movies, but this year? Oh no, this year Dr. Merlot upped the horror and gore factors to eleven, then unleashed them on the pair of overly sugared and caffeinated, overly sleep deprived young faunus women, with devastating results.

Daybreak found the two of them huddling in Ruby's old treehouse in abject terror as they clutched their weapons in hands that have gone numb from the pressure. Neither of them dare to sleep, for fear of an undead horror reaching them and eating their precious overly agitated, far past rational thinking brains. 

"Ruby?"

"Yeah Weiss?"

"We need a plan." The white wolf points out as she stares at the trap door to the treehouse, which is currently blocked by a pillar of ice created by her when they fled to the safety of the small hide away in the trees.

"A plan?" The rabbit faunus asks nervously, her finger still on Crescent Rose's trigger and terror in her eyes. Her foot long ears are still twitching and swiveling as she strains all four ears to hear the unmistakable noise of a person's skull being cracked open like an egg to create a zombie feast. "Snowflake, it might be too late for a plan."

"Rules then. Rules we can use to stay alive during the hell of the zombie apocalypse." The white wolf declares as she struggles to both hold her weapon as well as keep her eyes open. "Like a rule about a buddy system."

"You're definitely my apocalypse buddy, Snowflake." Ruby declares as one long ear flops down, the Reaper no longer having the energy to keep it held up in the air. "What about cardio?"

"That is important too." Weiss admits with a yawn as her finger slips off of Myrtenaster's trigger. "And perhaps one about double tapping?"

"Uh huh." Ruby replies sleepily as her other ear falls next, her weapon starting to slowly lower itself to the floor. "And stretching. Don't forget stretching…"

"That's a stupid rule…" The white wolf declares with a yawn as her head slowly makes contact with her taller girlfriend's shoulder. "Think we're forgetting one…"

"It's ok…" The red rabbit admits as her head lowers to sit on her girlfriend's. "We'll think of more later…

[erekiosuncreativeideas]

The Part-Time Puppeteer - Chapter 04

<= Chapter 3

Summary : Lukas has a totally normal day at work (spoiler alert: he doesn't). Also available on AO3 : https://archiveofourown.org/works/23828971/chapters/57890368

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New chapter ! I hope you'll like it ! Don't hesitate to leave a comment if you did, it helps me a lot, I can assure you !

Sorry about the drawing not being finished, my tablet is dying and I couldn't do more. I probably won't be able to draw anything for this fanfic until I either solve the problem or buy another tablet...

Anyway, happy reading !

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Chapter 4 - “I’m… I’m sorry?”    

Kaleb did say that Lukas was going to have a lot of work because of the auditions… But the young man really thought it wouldn’t be that bad. For several hours, the student had to do many tasks, a lot of which involving physical efforts. He wasn’t very sporty usually, so it was quite demanding for his body. All his muscles seemed to beg him to stop after a while. After all, spending a few hours moving heavy props around and building stuff was not easy for a young nonathletic man like him. When his mentor, Tom, told him he could take a break, Lukas felt like he was hearing angels singing in the background. The student stretched, feeling his joints crack at the action. Oh, he so needed that.

Lukas approached the coffee machine in the room and prepared himself a cup. He had to drink at least one cup if he wanted to survive for the rest of his shift. He looked at his watch and was relieved to see he only had an hour or so before the end of his workday.

“Thank God,” he thought to himself with a sigh. The day had been quite tiring, both mentally and physically, and the idea of just collapsing onto his bed was extremely appealing to him. Though he knew he had some assignments to finish and that he wouldn’t be able to go to sleep before midnight. Welp, this had to be expected, with his studies and the fact that most of his free time would be taken by this gruelling job.

At least, Mike had done everything to make him feel at ease. His new friend also helped him to get acquainted with the other members of the team and Lukas was really thankful for that. The other man also got to explain why his evil twin was there and it only made the student’s day even more tiring than it already was. Apparently, when the guy had learnt about his brother’s participation in the project, he had “offered” to play a role and was given the antagonist part. However, “offered” wasn’t quite the right word and Lukas guessed that MJ forced himself in the project, from Mike’s face while the latter was explaining it. In a way, his presence was a good thing for the show, since MJ was very famous, even among children. His participation in the project would only raise the ratings of the show and this was something they deeply needed for the show to keep airing. However… MJ’s attitude on set was definitely not needed.

The guy was absolutely detestable, an opinion apparently shared by most people in the team. He was like a diva, but ten times worse. Not only did he criticize most of the stagehands for things he had no responsibility in, but he was also unquestionably disrespectful and odious to everyone, even Grooves himself! The nerves this guy had! He seemed to think he was superior to every person in this room! The only one to whom he was less displeasing was his brother, though Lukas didn’t envy him. If MJ wasn’t mean to him, he was at best condescending and at worst passive-aggressive.

Lukas also had to deal with him at some point, with MJ always pointing at his mistakes and wondering aloud why they hired a student out of all people in need of a job. No need to say that the only thing preventing Lukas to punch him in the face was the money he really, really needed at the end of the month. He hadn’t noticed how patient and calm he could be until now, if he had to be completely honest.

Did this execrable actor have some quality to compensate how rude he was? Not really. However, he did know how to act, almost perfectly. The young man had to admit that, at least. If only the other’s personality wasn’t so terrible… Lukas had been admirative of MJ in the past, when he didn’t actually know him, but now, his admiration had been thrown away. Very, very far away. The question was why no one had actually talked about it on the Internet or in the news. He would have to ask Mike about that, the next time he was alone with him.

His inner monologue was cut short when he heard a knock on the studio door. Well, that was unusual, since the team members came in and out without knocking. It then opened, revealing a man in his forties, soon followed by a little girl, hand in hand. The man was wearing a formal suit, as if he had just left an important meeting. His haircut was well-groomed and while the suit made him look like a strict person, his face seemed rather welcoming.

The little girl was quite young. She probably was an eight or ten years old kid, though Lukas didn’t know much about children, to begin with. She was wearing a black shirt with a glittery pattern the student didn’t recognize from where he was and she had white sleeves underneath. She was wearing light blue jeans overalls as well as a red jacket tied up to her waist by the sleeves. Nervousness could be seen on her face as she and her (probable) father entered the room.

They were probably here for the audition. The studio was looking for children for the main protagonists. Other families had come during his shift to have an audition, though Lukas had been too busy in the backstage to actually watch them. This time, however, he hoped he would be able to during his break. Witnessing an audition in a famous studio! If he had been told that a month ago, he wouldn’t have believed it.

The family was greeted by DJ Grooves and the little girl was handed a script for the scene. Lukas couldn’t hear anything from where he was standing, but he had no problem imagining that the child was been explained the scene she was going to play. Well, she probably rehearsed it plenty of times before, though the anxiety could still make her look for her words. It was just a precaution.

The director then called MJ over. Since the latter was the only actor playing one of the main characters, for now, he had to help with the auditions. The student thought the other would see it as a chore but, on the contrary, he was way too happy to show off his acting skills.

Yep, that was it. Lukas couldn’t stand that guy.

Lukas got closer to the shooting set, hoping he could watch a bit of the audition before going back to work. He held his cup of coffee to his lips, pretending to drink it when he had actually finished it a bit earlier. At least, he would look somewhat busy.

The little girl got up on the shooting set, doing her best to remain calm and taking deep breathes. Her father was watching her carefully with a mix of worry and pride on his face. MJ, on the other hand, seemed just fine and absolutely not anxious. Well, he was used to that kind of thing, so that made sense. And then, MJ’s eyes met his and the other smiled at him hypocritically, just to mock him. Lukas replied with a glare, which only made MJ snicker.

The student hated him. So much.

The actor took a puppet which had been given to him by one of the other stagehands. He readied himself and held it as if it was floating around the child. It was a puppet representing a character with blue skin and a red long coat. His head had the form of a croissant, and its eyes were grey and red, one of them having red diamonds in it. Its fingers were sharp like claws and some fangs could be seen from the puppet’s mouth.

Woah. Creepy.

Just as they were about to start the audition, a loud noise interrupted them, just like Lukas’s train of thoughts.

The door of the room had been opened abruptly, revealing the Conductor, out of breath. His face was covered in black, as if something had exploded next to him. The student did his best not to laugh at his frustrated and angry expression and looked away, not wanting to incur the Conductor’s wrath.

-“You’re late, darling”, remarked Grooves, without his usual glamorous tone. The reproach in his tone of voice was crystal clear, though. The other director lifted his hand to make him stop talking.

-“Oh don’t pecking start, Grooves!” retorted the Conductor, with his strong Scottish accent, emphasizing his partner’s name in a hateful way. Welp, they really couldn’t stand each other, could they? The Conductor approached DJ Grooves as the latter started talking again:

-“Well, I guess someone had another accident today,” said the DJ with a mocking tone: “What was it this time? The train engine blowing up in your current movie?”

The older man took a seat next to Grooves, not even greeting the little girl and her father while doing so. Boy, this audition sure was lively… Lukas couldn’t help but hope the child wouldn’t get too distracted by it. He couldn’t imagine how he would feel in her shoes.

-“Peck off, I’m not in the mood,” warned the Conductor darkly, before taking a speaker cone next to him. DJ‌ Grooves simply rolled his eyes and sighed, as the other director shouted a loud “action!”, still not greeting the family. Well, seemed like Lukas found another person to add in the “not having any fucking manners” list. It sure was getting long after only two days of work…

The child jumped at the loud order but quickly pulled herself together. She took another deep breath and started talking, saying her lines with a confidence Lukas would never have. She was really talented and, even if he hadn’t seen the other candidates earlier that day, he couldn’t help but think she had something. Something which made her different. The way she moved across the stage, the way she said her lines and reacted to MJ’s ones, the fake expressions on her face as she acted… She was talented. Well, Lukas didn’t know much about acting anyway, but he did know that he was really impressed at the performance. It was also easy to see that the little girl was having a lot of fun playing her role. The student didn’t think this day would be enjoyable in any way, but there was something about watching this audition that made his shift infinitely better than what it was before.

That’s why he was astounded when he heard Grooves interrupting the audition with a “cut!”. Why? The young man didn’t understand! She was skilled!

The child’s expression went from the excitement of acting to a much darker one which Lukas knew very well: a mix of anxiety, sadness and disappointment. He felt a huge heartache seeing her like this and couldn’t help but relate. “How disappointed she must be!” was all the student was able to think as he was looking at her.

However, his distress disappeared completely with Grooves’s next sentence:

-“I don’t know… There’s something bothering me with the puppet.”

The words hit Lukas like a train as a huge feeling of surprise settled over him. The… Puppet?

MJ seemed to have the same reaction as him. His eyes widened, as if he had never expected criticism in the first place, which was probably the case in retrospect. The actor furrowed his brow, confused and slightly offended at the same time.

-“What do you mean?” questioned MJ almost innocently, yet it was very easy to see that he absolutely disliked where this conversation was going.

-“Well…” Grooves thought for a few seconds and then pointed to the puppet: “I’m wondering that maybe it might be a little too scary for the children watching the show.”

MJ was about to retort something but the Conductor was quicker and added:

-“For once, I’m gonna agree with DJ Peckneck,” the name made his colleague pinch his nose in disapproval: “It’s terrifying.”

MJ remained speechless for a few moments as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Well, it was true: Lukas was not a puppet specialist or anything, but it was scary as hell. The fangs, the claws, the corpse-looking skin… How could it not be creepy?

The actor straightened himself, looking around him like he couldn’t understand what was being said to him. He seemed like he was searching for someone who could back him up. Mike, who had entered the room not long ago, certainly because of the sudden agitation, noticed his brother’s distress and carefully approached the directors:

-“I-I’m sorry, but…” the lead designer gulped and tried to support his twin: “You asked for a spooky puppet, so I tried to-”

He was soon cut short by the Conductor, who glared at him:

-“Well, yeah, but look at it!” he demanded, pointing to the puppet.

Grooves agreed:

-“It is quite unnerving, darling. Can you, perhaps… Make it cuter or something?”

-“Cuter?!” MJ’s offended voice echoed in the room. His eyes glanced between the directors as he spoke again, full of sarcasm: “I’m sorry, I thought you wanted a villain, not a tea-party monster!”

-“MJ…” Mike warned his twin, surely knowing very well where all of this was going, by the expression on his face. But MJ was not having it.

-“What, Mike? You’re going to let them criticize our work without saying anything? What are you, a doormat?”

Lukas winced at the words and felt his anger coming back full force. How could someone say that to their own brother?

All the stagehands had stopped working and were witnessing the young actor’s outburst.

Mike only remained silent, as the Conductor slammed his fist on the armrest of the chair he was sitting on:

-“That’s enough!” yelled the older director, without even needing the cone speaker to be heard all across the other side of the room.

A few moments passed with deafening silence, as MJ gave the Conductor a death stare, clenching his fists and his jaw, refusing to lose. But the other man was much more persistent than him and soon, MJ just threw the doll onto the floor with a force intensified by his anger.

-“You know what? Fine,” concluded the diva, with a faked gentle tone: “See if you can finish the audition without me, I’m done for today. Do not bother me.”

Lukas saw Mike cringe at the sound of the puppet hitting the floor. As a lead designer, the student couldn’t imagine how painful it must be to see the props you worked so hard on getting thrown away like they were just garbage.

That was it. Lukas was done taking that guy’s bullshit. He had to say something! But what if he lost his job after that? He couldn’t allow himself to lose an opportunity like this! Sure, the job was hard, but this was the only way he had to fund his studies! If he ever lost it…

His nervous and conflicted thoughts were interrupted as he saw MJ leaving the scene, stomping with fury. But as he was walking with heavy steps towards the door, one of his feet got caught up in the multitude of cables laying on the ground and he fell onwards. The actor’s face met the ground with a loud bump, resonating in all the quiet room. A quiet room which was soon filled with powerful waves of laughter. All the stagehands, even the directors, were laughing at the entitled actor’s fall. Mike, on the other hand, was the only one not laughing at all. On the contrary, the lead designer was watching his brother like one would watch a bomb about to explode. MJ lifted his face off the ground, utterly humiliated and Lukas found it absolutely priceless. The guy got just what he deserved!

And so, Lukas opened his mouth and laughed.

The actor’s face! The way he just fell down to the floor! This day had started so badly but now it was a hundred times better! Oh, he would never forget that!

He laughed for a few more seconds until he felt like something was wrong. And then it hit him like a train: he was the only one laughing now.

The student stopped immediately, closing his mouth as the realization hit him. That’s when he noticed that everyone was staring at him, their eyes widened and their face full of surprise. Oh gosh. It had happened again, hadn’t it? Lukas had laughed too loud and everyone had heard him. Instantly, he put a hand on his mouth.

The young man had always been very insecure about his laughter. For many people, laughing was something normal and easy, but for Lukas… He was absolutely ashamed of the sound and volume of his laughter. A lot of people had made fun of it at school just like many others had pointed it out to him years later.

Thus, with years of bullying and self-confidence destroyed little by little, Lukas had come to hate the sound of his laughter. And now, everyone was just staring at him in bewilderment. As for MJ, the man was glaring at him like he had never before, clenching his teeth and squinting his eyes. Oh, well, now Lukas’s hatred for the guy was mutual. Great.

The student wanted nothing more than to dig his own grave and bury himself in it. This was only his second day of work and somehow, he had managed to screw everything up again. God, what could he do to fix that? Could he even save himself from this situation? And oh, he couldn’t even imagine how MJ was going to go back at him with that… The student was not sure he would stand new hours of bullying about his laughter when he had just managed to keep his anxiety under control only a few years ago. And said anxiety was still hard to control today!

Lukas let out a nervous chuckle, glancing at the other team members, dread settling over him. What could he do, what could he do?

-“Hum… Sorry. I- uh, I’m going to go to the toilets now… Sorry again…” he mumbled, pointing to the door tensely and trying to speak as the words had trouble leaving his mouth. He had to get away, otherwise he would become a total nervous disaster. He had to get away, get away from all these people staring at him…

-“Hey, wait a second,” the Conductor’s voice arose in his back as he tried to leave, stopping him on his track. Oh God, could he get fired for laughing too loud? No, he knew it wasn’t possible, he knew how laws worked! This was just his anxiety talking! He was being irrational! His feelings were a mess and so were his thoughts.

Lukas just wanted to disappear as soon as possible. Yet, he turned back, facing the crowd of people again. The directors were staring at him with a look the student couldn’t recognize. His anxiousness intensified even more. Oh great, even more things to get scared about. He only waited, feeling like he was waiting to be given a death sentence. Finally, after what felt hours to Lukas, the Conductor started talking again:

-“Did you…” he paused, glancing between Grooves and the young man with a mix of confusion and curiosity on his face. It was strange not to see a negative expression on the director’s face. Seeing how the Conductor was looking for his words, Grooves took the reins of the discussion, though very much confused and curious as well:

-“Is that your real laugh, darling?” was the question the DJ asked him.

Lukas was mortified. He was only able to nod slightly, absolutely unmoving. In the corner of his vision, he saw MJ getting up, throwing the cables away from him furiously. When the latter looked up and met the student's eyes, there was definitely hatred in there. Yet, there was something else. And when the other started to smile, Lukas understood that he had been right: the actor would never let him forget what happened today.

He was so screwed.

The directors looked at each other, then glanced between Lukas and MJ. Wait, why were they staring at him too? The student felt like he had missed something, something huge. And when Grooves opened his mouth again, the young man was dumbfounded:

-“How about you got your chance at an audition?”

The word “astonishment” was clearly not strong enough to express Lukas’s state of mind at that particular moment. What?

-“I’m… I’m sorry?” he wondered aloud, certain he must have misunderstood something. There couldn’t be any possible way that he had been asked to try auditioning!

Grooves was about to answer but another voice interrupted him: MJ.

-“Are you kidding me?!” yelled the actor, both furious and confused: “He’s a student! He knows nothing about acting! What role would you give him anyway? A fucking tree in the background? Hah!”

MJ scoffed at his own joke, glaring both at the directors and the student in a superior way, as if he knew that he had always been right all along. But then, the Conductor answered his question, absolutely blowing MJ’s mind, just as Lukas’s.

-“We’re going to give him yours, you peck neck diva.”

Lukas felt the world turning around him. This was all a dream, right? This couldn’t be possibly happening! He was going to wake up and laugh at his stupid dream, and start his day as if nothing had happened! Because that could only be the case, right? This couldn’t be real!

But MJ’s scream, on the contrary, was very much real:

-“What?!” the actor’s voice resonated in all the room: “You’re going to do what?!” His intonation was loud and deadly serious.

Grooves was the one to reply, darkly, glaring at the young actor through his star-shaped glasses:

-“You heard us, darling,” was all the DJ had to say to shut MJ up.

A few moments passed where the latter stayed motionless, shaking from the rage he was trying to contain. In the other side of the room, Mike was watching his twin with extreme worry. And then, the bomb exploded. MJ screamed and stomped to the door, knocking all the shooting equipment on his way out, still screaming all while he did so. All the other stagehands could only stare in bewilderment, not knowing what to do. But before anyone could try to stop him, the actor stormed out and slammed the door behind him. Mike soon followed him, though it was easy to tell from his face that it wasn’t the first time something like that happened.

Lukas, on the other hand, remained unable to move, completely swamped by the events. It is only when he felt a tap on his shoulders that he came back to reality. He turned back, his face extremely pale. His eyes widened when they met Grooves’s ones. The latter was handing him a script, which the student stared, astonished.

-“We still have an audition to finish, darling. Why don’t you come help us to take it up again?”

This couldn’t be real. This couldn’t possibly be real!

But then, the student’s hand mindlessly grabbed the script and, when his fingers felt the soft surface of the paper against his skin… He knew that he was very well awake.

How did he get himself into such a situation…?

-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

Welp, what a day for Lukas, right? And that's when MJ's true hatred for Lukas starts :)

See you on the next chapter ! Stay safe everyone !

Chapter 5 =>

[lovemesomesurveys]

@soulflysurveys

1 Which would you rather learn more about: Christianity or Rastafari? I’ve been reading and studying the Bible for the past 3 years now and I want to continue doing so.

2 When was the last time you cried listening to a song? What song was it & what made you cry? The acoustic version of Everlong by Foo Fighters makes me sad because of the memory I have associated with it. 

3 If you have a YouTube account, what do you use it for? I use it to subscribe to YouTubers I like, leave comments if I want, save videos to watch later, and to just be able to go to my history and watch an old video again if I want to. I do that all the time with ASMR videos.

4 How often do you watch interviews with musicians/celebrities? I watch shows like Daily Pop that discus celebrity and entertainment news and do interviews with celebrities. I used to watch E! News all the time until they changed it earlier this year.

5 How often do you read biographies/search up more information about musicians celebrities? It’s been years since I’ve read any biographies. And like I said, I watch entertainment/celebrity news show and follow that stuff online. 

6 Do you enjoy visiting book stores? What section are you typically drawn to? I used to go to Barnes and Noble quite often. I liked browsing through the whole store, but I always made sure to check out the YA section. 

7 Is there something about Xanga users that used to frustrate you that no longer does? I don’t remember having an issue with anything on Xanga.

8 Here’s a typical question, which do you feel is worse: using marijuana or using alcohol? Why? Using alcohol sounds weird. Anyway, I would say that because it has the potential to become a very serious problem and can cause health issues, sometimes permanent and damaging issues or even death. Drunk driving is another very serious issue. Alcohol can also bring out a very ugly side in some people. It’s not bad in moderation and as long as you’re being responsible it can be fine and a good time. I’m just saying that there are potential risks.

9 Have you ever had any bad experiences while under the influence? The last time I drank I got really drunk and really sick and it was just an awful night. I unfortunately got sick a few times from alcohol. As for weed, I only had one bad experience and that was from my first time with edibles. I quickly learned after that time that it doesn’t take much at all so take it easy, ha. I made the common mistake of thinking it wasn’t doing anything so I needed to eat more and welp. 

10 The last time you went out to eat, who were you with & where did you go? Did you enjoy yourself/the meal? I haven’t been out to eat since February while on my Disneyland vacation with my fam. I can’t believe that was this year...it seems like forever ago. Things quickly changed for the worse soon after that. 

11 How would you feel if you had to deal with the police? Would you feel nervous, upset, angry? I’d be nervous.

12 Have you ever had to deal with the principals at school? For what? Nope.

13 Have you ever done anything pretty daring/against the law with a police officer around? No. Or at all, really.

14 Is singing something that you enjoy doing? Do you feel you are a horrible, alright or very good singer? I like to sing. Too bad I’m horrible, ha. I wish I had that talent.

15 What is something you’ve never done in front of/around your best friend? Well, speaking of smoking my mom never saw me do that. 

16 Are you looking forward to Halloween?  Yessss. Well, more so the time of year. I can’t wait for autumn. I’ve actually been reblogging autumn stuff on my main lately. Summer can really just go now. D: I’m also sad that Halloween Kills got moved to next year, I was really looking forward to that.

17 What is the best spirit day your school has? If you’re graduated, what kinds of spirit days did your school have? We had a lot of different themed days.

18 Is there anything other Xanga users still might not know about you? Would you like to share it? *Tumblr. I share a lot in these surveys so anyone who reads them probably knows a lot about me at this point. I haven’t shared everything, but I’ve been pretty open. 

19 What was the last song that you listened to on repeat? According to Spotify, a few songs I’ve been listening to a lot lately is Rockstar by Dababy, The Box by Roddy Ricch, Savage Remix by Megan thee Stallion ft. Beyonce, and Dream Girl by Ir Sais. 

20 Who would you rather meet: Marilyn Manson or Skrillex? If you don’t know who either of them are, would you be interested in making dubstep or any kind of music along those lines? I actually used to think Skrillex aka Sonny was cute back in the From First to Last days. I was super into scene guys at the time. Anyway, I wouldn’t care to meet either one. 

21 Do you like to make playlists? What kinds of playlists do you usually make? I have a few on my Spotify, but I haven’t made a new one in quite awhile. I just add new music to my main playlist (the starred one). 22 Is there anything that you’re terrified of due to past negative experiences? What is it? >> Of course. I’m not going to list all my triggers here, lmao. <<<

23 When was the last time you had a dream related to something that had happened that day? Can you explain it? I don’t remember. It’s been a long time, I know that. My dreams are often just really random and weird and I forget them soon after I wake up.

24 How often do you have hot flashes? Are you able to deal with it or does it frustrate you? Ugh, quite often actually. They’re horrible. Especially during the summer when I’m already hot because it’s freakin 105 degrees. D:

[takenbyemrys]

Chapter 1/10

Main pairing: Peter Parker/Harley Keener

“Mr. Stark!” Peter called as he exited the private elevator into the penthouse. “FRIDAY where’s Mr. Stark?”

“Welcome back MiniBoss. BigBoss is currently in lab 34. He wished that you meet him as soon as you arrived.” FRIDAY answered in her usual Irish lilt. Peter rolled his eyes at the nickname.  

“Thank you FRIDAY. Can you tell him I’ll be right there? I’m going to get a snack first.” Peter tossed his backpack on the couch and made a beeline for the kitchen.

“Of course. BigBoss also has M&Ms on him as well.” The AI said.

“Sweet, cheetos and M&Ms.” Peter mumbled happily under his breath, grabbing one of the many bags on family sized chips. He skipped to the main elevator and thanks FRIDAY as she took him to the proper floor. By the time the elevator had gone from the 93rd floor to the 34th, Peter had already made his way through half of the bag. When the elevator doors opened, Peter immediately heard the sound of muffled arguing. Anyone without super senses wouldn’t have been able to hear it. He waved to a handful of scientists through the glass windows that he knew from this floor, but he kept going toward the sounds of arguing. The door to the lab was shut and locked, but FRIDAY opened it with a simple announcement to the occupants. Tony, Bruce and another man that Peter had never met were arguing in front of two large screens crammed full of calculations. Tony nodded to him, but didn’t say anything, just watched as Peter studied the equations.

“I’m just saying that there is no way that this is a combination that can work. The math just doesn’t add up, no matter how much it should. I think we should move on to another element.” The man was telling Bruce. Bruce shook his head and also kept an eye on Peter, whose eyes were moving back and forth rapidly taking in the equation.

“There is no way that this element shouldn’t work. Something must be wrong with the calculations.” Tony retorted.

“There is no way that my-”

“Those coefficients are wrong.” Peter said abruptly.

“What?” Tony asked, a look of surprise crossing his face. The man whirled on Peter with his jaw dropping.

“The equation right in the middle there,” Peter gestured to the board before placing his cheetos on a table. He strode up to the board and picked up the pen. He carefully erased the coefficient numbers of four elements before writing new ones in. He made quick work of fixing the rest of the equation. “FRI please double check.”

“The element is a perfect match. MiniBoss’ math is correct.” FRIDAY announced. Peter swore she sounded smug. He turned back to Tony who automatically tossed him the bag of M&Ms. The scientist moved closer to Peter, inspecting the work he did. Peter immediately scurried away, coming to stand next to Tony. Bruce was turned to Peter, hiding a grin behind his hand. The scientist turned back, stunned.

“Well, I guess that solves our problem.” Tony chuckled and openly grinning at Peter.

“Who…?” The man started.

“Oh crap, sorry. Peter this is Dr.Dylan.” Tony said, still focused on Peter. Dr.Dylan stood up a bit straighter, sensing the power balance change.

“Lovely to meet you,” Dr. Dylan said formally. He didn’t offer his hand, but most people didn’t when Tony was involved. Still didn’t do people handing him things, and that included hands.

“And you!” Peter said brightly. “What’s the project?”

“Oh well,” Dr. Dylan looked at Tony. There was no way this kid was allowed to know, regardless of the fact that he’d strolled in with fucking cheetos. When Tony didn’t say anything, Dr. Dylan launched into the explanation of his project. Peter followed him back toward the board and occasionally asked questions. Bruce took the empty spot next to Tony.

“Either we’re getting old, or…” He stared.

“Or that kids really fucking smart.” Tony grinned. “I got another one coming for the summer too. I have some big stuff and I want the two of them on it.”

“And?” Bruce raised an eyebrow.

“And…” Tony grumbled, his head bent and voice low enough for Peter not to hear. “I would like the two current heirs of my company to know each other, just in case.” Bruce’s eyes widened.

“Holy shit.” He said.

“I honestly think that their two brains could create something amazing.” Tony shrugged.

“Who is the other one?” Bruce asked.

“Kid i met in Tennessee after my house blew up, you remember? What was this five years ago? He’s seventeen now, but when he was twelve he helped fix my suit. I just hope they get along.” Tony explained. He looked back over and saw the mildly starstruck look in Dr.Dylan’s eyes. “Welp, there goes another one.” Bruce looked up and chuckled.

“They just can’t seem to resist him, and I have no doubt the other one will either. It’ll be fine. I have to go back to my own project. I’ll be on 83 if you need me. Peter, whenever you have a minute this weekend, can i get your opinion on some things?” Bruce said loudly, halting the conversation.

“Yeah of course Bruce. I’ll stop by.” Peter grinned at the man.

“Us too, kid.” Tony nodded to the doctor and strolled out the door. Peter bid goodbye and scrambled after him. Bruce sighed and rolled up the blueprints he had brought down.

“Who, who was that?” Dr. Dylan asked.

“Didn’t you hear FRIDAY? That was MiniBoss. Peter Parker is technically an intern in the company, but really it’s just a formality because he can’ts legally work here yet.” Bruce shrugged.

“Wait that was Peter Parker? Holy crap. I heard the rumors. Is it true that he’s being groomed to take over eventually?” Dr.Dylan pressed. Bruce shot him a look.

“You know that’s not any of your concern.” He said sternly. “Good luck. I’ll expect now that you’ve shown Peter what you’re doing, he’ll be down to check on it’s progress.” Bruce left without another word.

“How was school?” Tony asked when they were in the elevator. Peter was back to rummaging in the cheetos, so it took a minute to answer. Peter shrugged, not wanting to talk about the impending SI field trip, even if he wasn’t going on it.

“The usual.” He replied. Tony raised an unimpressed eyebrow but didn’t say anything.

“On Monday I have a new intern starting. Well, he is going to be pretty much solely working with you actually. So he’s kind of like your intern but, not actually.”

“Mr.Stark, you’re rambling.” It was Peter’s turn for the raising of the eyebrow.

“Well, shut up. And christ kid. Call me Tony. Anyway. He’s about your age, and i want you two working on projects together, so just… be around on Monday so I can introduce you. I want you two to share your lab if you’re amicable.” Peter chuckled but nodded. If he was amicable, lord that was funny. “He’s going to be around a while, and I know it’s a secret, but you can tell him you’re Spiderman. He’ll honestly probably figure it out, but I can do my best to keep him in the dark if you prefer?” Peter’s eyebrows jumped in surprise.

“I take it he’s living in the tower?” Tony nodded. “Then there’s no way to keep it a secret anyway. If you think he’s trustworthy enough it’s fine.”

“What projects are you working on?” Tony internally sighed in relief.

“I have upgrades i want to do to my web shooters, the widow bites, and Buck asked if I could look at his arm.” Peter listed.

“His vibranium arm made by Shuri?” Tony asked.

“It’s not like he can hop a flight to Wakanda. And Shuri and i are going to video chat.” Peter explained.

“That’s what I’m worried about.” Tony grumbled.

“Also, I have projects i want to check up on down stairs.”

“Okay, well let me know if you need help or it’s too much. Also you’re on food duty tonight, and please god no more Thai!” The elevator had stopped on floor 89, where Tony’s personal lab was. He ruffled Peter’s hair and stepped out. “Where you gonna be?”

“I’ll be in my lab or downstairs. Too much to do this weekend.” Peter shrugged. Tony nodded.

“Alright, I’ll leave you alone, but for the love of god check in once in a while. And sleep, or Pepper and May will kill me!” Tony yelled as the doors closed. Peter smirked as FRIDAY brought him back to the penthouse. Pepper was sitting at the dining room table, browsing some files.

“Hey Pep,” Peter greeted. Pepper smiled and opened one of her arms. Peter slid in and gave her a gentle hug. Sometimes he still didn’t really know his own strength.

“How was school?” Pepper put down her file and completely focused on him. Peter slid into a chair and groaned.

“Absolutely awful. There’s apparently a field trip on Monday and Tuesday, and I’m so not going.” Peter complained.

“And why is that?” Pepper asked.

“Well someone approved a big school sleepover at Stark Industries.” Peter accused. Pepper’s eyes widened.

“Oh no, that was Midtown.” She gasped.

“Yeah, well it’d be stupid to go, so May said i could just come here on my own.” Peter shrugged.

“Isn’t May out of town until Thursday? Peter where are you staying?” Pepper asked, ever the worrier. Her eyebrows pinched together. She noticed when Peter started rubbing his wrists, indicating he was nervous.

“Well, I didn’t want to bother anyone. So I figured I’d just stay home? I mean I’m sixteen.” Peter shrugged. Pepper rolled her eyes.

“You’re staying here. At least then i can make sure you eat.” Pepper teased. “And about this field trip…”

“What?” Peter asked slowly.

“Well it’s Monday and Tuesday. And I might have told Ellen that you might be willing to help the higher up areas as well as the intern stuff that happens on Tuesday?” Pepper smiled graciously. “Please Peter, you know how much she could use the help.”

“Well, it would get everyone to actually leave me alone for once. Plus that other kid is coming on Monday, so he can help on Tuesday for the ‘bonding’ that Tony obviously wants to happen.” Peter snickered.

“Are they still teasing you Peter?” Pepper sighed. “I know you don’t want me involved, but I should be involving the school.” Peter waved her away.

“Pep, I really don’t care. They are the literal last people I seek any kind of approval from, so while it’s pretty annoying, mostly because of the super hearing, I don’t care.” Pepper smiled. There was honestly almost nothing better they spent their money on than a literal team on psychiatrists. Each avenger had a personal therapist and it was working wonders around the building.

“And as for Harley, I think… well I think that Tony has no idea what he’s doing there.” Pepper smirked.

“And what do you mean by that?” Peter asked, scandalized.

“Well, lets just say, he thinks you two are going to meet one way, and i have a good bet going with Nat that says otherwise.” Pepper brought her finger to her lips and winked. “Alright, go have fun for four days. I want to see you at this table with me every night by the way, and FRI will be telling me if you sleep.” Peter rolled his eyes.

“Okay IronMom, whatever you say.” He kissed her on the cheek, grabbed his backpack, and dashed for the elevator. Pepper smiled and turned back to her reports.

“IronMom.” She chuckled to herself.

Peter took the elevator down to floor 87, that was entirely made up of his personal lab. He still couldn’t quite get over that one, but hey. When it opened for him, he saw that Bucky was already waiting for him with Natasha.

“Мать Паук,” Peter greeted easily. (Mother Spider)

“маленький паук,” Natasha enveloped Peter in a great hug. (Little Spider)

“Hey Pete,” Bucky was already up on the table.

“I heard you have Monday and Tuesday off.” Nat smirked. Peter’s spider sense immediately went off. He sent her a heatless glare.

“And?”

“And, I want family day. All day Monday.” Nat batted her lashes at him. He knew she was up to something, but honestly he didn’t care. It would give him an excuse to stay away from any labs on Monday.

“Fine, but Bucky has to referee this time. Clint is shit at it.” Peter stuck out his hand.

“Fucking cold blooded.” Nat grinned and took the little spiders hand in agreement. Bucky just rolled his eyes.

Peter spent the weekend exactly how he said he would. He expected to chat with Shuri for a long time, and he was right. Even after the two hours he worked on Bucky’s arm, Peter still kept her on the line as he started upgrading his new web shooter. Shuri, with surprising approval from T’Challa, had sent him an early birthday present in the form of raw vibranium. He was slowly starting to add it to his suit.

When he went to check on everyone else’s projects, Natasha joined him. Peter knew she didn’t want him to know, but he could tell it worried her when he went alone. While she knew he could handle himself, she still worried over her little spider constantly. It had taken a lot of the scientists and interns a long time to get used to the both of them, but now there wasn’t a floor where a couple people didn’t greet him and wave him over for his opinion.

He dutifully ate dinner with Pepper Friday and Saturday, but she had an emergency overnight business trip Sunday morning. Peter told himself he was fine when he got a notification from FRIDAY telling him that Pepper had ordered food for him. He really didn’t see Tony all weekend, but that wasn’t necessarily uncommon. After they had gotten a closer familial relationship, Peter had started doing his own projects and visiting the other labs. Tony had thoroughly encouraged this, and that’s when he was granted his own lab.

Monday morning arrived and he groaned when his alarm went off.

“FRI what time is it?” He groaned.

“It is 5 am, MiniBoss.” Her volume was considerably lower than normal, for which Peter was grateful. It always took his senses a minute to adjust in the morning.

“Why? Just why FRI?” He whined.

“Ms.Romanoff informed me of family day in training room 4 at 6:30am.” Peter glared at the ceiling, but rolled off the bed.

“Tell her I’ll be there.” He sighed and went searching for his gym clothes.

Chapter 2

[spirits-metaphysics-witchcraft]

march 2, 2019

tried headless rite today, made me feel wweeiirrrddd. still on the weird spiritual high it’s given me. feel all weird in my head still but originally i kinda felt it everywhere. it eased its way into my system, but still too fast and powerfully for me to adjust to quickly. oof, head feels weird. it’s been AT LEAST an hour as well, though i know it’s been more. so... fun? 🤷🏻‍♀️

💫💫💫💫💫

making shit ton of sator squares

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putting up more protections today. need to reach out to M. though, her deck has gone missing.... 🤨

💫💫💫💫💫💫

writing out more squares actually kinda seemed to help the weird feeling in my head from rite. now i know i gotta do more magic stuffs to channel some of the stuff i put in my system. lmao this rite actually forcing me to do the stuff i’ve been meaning to do

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made good pokey rock and it feels real successful

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need to do some deep ass energy cleansing and restoring. cry, write the letters, and create the collages. let all the shit out to let the good stuff back in.

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gotta order all the grimoires

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found a huge tub of cash and change as i stumbled upon some rocks to offer to Dragon (two pieces of adventurine, one piece dragons bloodstone). added more to his incantation and it feels gooooood.

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

need to get back to the Real Shit

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okay but where did all my tarot decks go??? especially M’s?

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also did LoA for an SP. will see if it works. think it manifested someone online.

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when cleaning today, i found some of the beautiful fortunes i’ve kept. i decided to put them up on my shelf with my other one. i realized that shelf was kinda becoming an altar or sorts for myself? never understood or gelled with the idea of making an altar for myself until that moment. it felt right and it felt beautiful and powerful. a surge of energy made for me. def wanna add to it and continue to make an altar for myself. could also be another thing to add to my To Return To Myself list since it did bring me back to the person i wanted to be.

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been really trying to find true and reliable sources to study tradcraft. really wanna get into it and understand the “why’s” of everything more.

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rite “high” lasted way longer than i thought it should’ve. maybe it’s bc it was my first time??? and maybe bc i didn’t really use that energy once i had it??? welp, now i’ve learned. 😹

💫💫💫💫💫💫

lot a match this evening to simply light a candle and when i struck the match and the flame erupted, i got a strange surge and positivity from the flame??? like the flame was sending me good vibes???

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was taking a self care bath to release blockages and do energy work and stuffs. after i got in the zone, i started speaking aloud to the universe and to my body. after a short while, beautiful words started tumbling out of my mouth that weren’t exactly mine, but maybe my higher selfs? many of them were mantras i was meant to recite. so i did. and all of a sudden, i found the light i had been searching for for so long. a literal light. a light of healing energy. a specific energy i’ve been trying to find since day one.

i guided it to my heart and started cleansing the space. it was divine. beautiful. i could perceive the light with my astral eyes. it’s so, so bright and big. it’s endless and powerful. i sat with it for a while and let it cleanse me while i worked alongside it to restore myself. it was amazing. it changed and will change everything.

i rushed out of the bath and performed it on a loved one. they aren’t as open or energetically aware as i am, but they described what they felt afterwards. “a shift. a shift inside me. i feel like i just took a bath.”

!!!!!!

i could see the light so clearly when working on them. it was extremely bright and was massive. it aided me in the process so i didnt have to put much effort in, but to simply guide and push the energy. once it reached the places i needed it to, it radiated bright. then a whole cloud of it opened up above us and shone bright. it was beautiful.

i suddenly felt a presence enter the space and watch me. they didn’t feel malicious or negative, but bc i didn’t intend for any spirits to be there, i stopped the session. will have to cleanse and ward.

this is so lovely. i’m so grateful.

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plan on watching movies that i know will make me cry so i can finally release. i’ll write letters tomorrow and throughout the week. just gotta let it all out! then i’ll let the love and beauty back in!

[olliexsmythe]

Tied Up In You | NOLLIE

Who: Oliver Smythe and Noah Duval ( @tapdancingduval )

When: Saturday 13th April

Where: Noah Duval’s room

Notes: Two mildly uncomfortable boys try bondage in a way that works for them; sex and emotional conversations follow.

He was surprised that he didn’t feel nervous. He had thought all week that he would feel nervous, scared possibly and he’d avoided thinking about it too much in order to avoid dwelling on any negative feelings. Instead of feeling sick, or nervous, he found he felt rather calm about the whole affair. He trusted Noah; and he found his mind focusing on this being a new thing they explore, something that might just be fun. He was focusing more on the idea that Noah would be kissing him, touching him everywhere more than the actual being tied up part but that was beside the point. He’d shooed Noah out of the kitchen after dinner and taken some time to clean up; when he was finished, he took a settling breath and went to kneel at his feet. He managed to keep a straight face for a few seconds before he started to laugh, hiding his face against Noah’s thigh. ‘I’m sorry. I wanted to start this off right. I wanted to do what I’m supposed to do but I just -- I feel ridiculous kneeling for you.’ He shook his head and reached over to take Noah’s hand in his own and kissed the back of his hand. ‘Are you ready Noe?’

After he was ‘kicked’ out of the kitchen, Noah went to the couch and sat down waiting for the nerves to hit. And yeah, they were there, but there wasn’t the panic he was expecting. That wasn’t to say that he didn’t feel about 200 kinds of ways about the whole idea of D/s and scenes and all the rest of it. It was just that here and now it wasn’t about any of that. It was just about him and Oliver finding a way to stay true to themselves and still make it through the system. He trusted Oliver completely. And knew that neither of them would let this become about anything but about each other. These were the thoughts that were running through his head when his boyfriend came and knelt at his feet. His eyes went wide not planning on that, but any panic was offset by Oliver’s amazing laugh. His own bubbled up as he put his hand on the top of his head and playing with his hair. “S’okay. Kind weird for me too.” He didn’t judge people who liked that, but it wasn’t exactly their bag. He melted as Ollie kissed his hand. “Yeah… Yeah, I am.” He stood up and gently pulled his boyfriend up with him. “Got everything set up in the bedroom.” He walked them back, though had to stop in the doorway to pull him into a kiss. “Sorry. Just needed to do that before we start.” Which sounded strange since the whole scene was going to be about kissing and touching. “Guess we should start with the formal ‘business’ stuff. Safewords and limits and all of that, yeah?”

The most important thing he could do was make Noah feel at ease. That felt infinitely more important that anything he could do for himself. He let himself be led through to the bedroom and felt his knees weaken slightly when Noah paused in the doorway to kiss him. ‘You never have to apologise for kissing me.’ he reminded him gently, reaching up to rest his hand against his cheek. ‘My safeword is just red. It’s never something I thought a great deal about so I just went for something generic --’ He caught himself starting to ramble and he stopped, giving Noah a grin. ‘Limits -- I honestly don’t know what they all are. I don’t fully know what I’m going to be comfortable with but I promise I’ll tell you if something does make me uncomfortable. I -- Bloodplay, knifeplay, scat; all that extreme stuff. Forced orgasms, being blindfolded or left alone.’ He listed off, struggling to list off everything. ‘What about you? What’s your safeword? Your limits?’

Noah sighed and leaned a bit into the hand on his cheek. He nodded along with his boyfriend. He’d often wondered about the whole limits thing. Not that he thought there shouldn’t be limits or that they should be discussed. Talking about this stuff was intrinsic to consent, but he wondered how many submissives felt comfortable letting their limits change… expand and contract as often as they wanted. He was lucky that Oliver would always be honest and vocal about what he needed. “I’m red too. Seems like the easiest thing. Mostly the same limits too. Add to that not giving humiliation or pain more than a fun little butt smack or two.” He smiled and winked. “But yeah, basically if you really want to try something or hate something I trust you to ask me and I know you trust me he same way.” He pulled him into a kiss and walked him backward toward the bed. “Trust you with everything.” It was true in such a deep way. “Thank you for letting me worship you today.” He skated his hands up under his shirt along his sides. “Ready?”

His eyes fell closed as soon as Noah kissed him and he kept them closed even after he pulled away. He took several deep breaths, letting the air escape from his lungs with a slow shudder. Was he ready? As ready as he could be. He opened his eyes and flashed his boyfriend the warmest grin he could manage. ‘I’m ready Noah.’ He promised him softly. Goosebumps appeared on his skin as his boyfriend slid his eyes up his sides and he shivered. His mind immediately started to make a list of the things he needed to do for this scene to work; strip, fold his clothes away, find the rope — he stopped himself from thinking too hard. Noah would tell him what he needed. His role in all this was to listen first.

Welp, there was nothing else but to do it. He smiled and continued to move his hands up. “I’m going to undress you and then I want you to put your clothes folded up on the chair.” He supposed most dominants would order their sub to undress, but he wasn’t most dominants and Oliver was unlike any submissive in the whole damn world. He was going to enjoy slowly revealing his beauty respecting and worshipping as he went. He proceeded to do just that. As each bit of skin was revealed he would kiss or suck on the warm flesh, soothing with stroked of his fingertips. “So beautiful.” He hoped Oliver didn’t mind he word. Such an overused and gender differentiated one and yet to him the perfect description of Oliver’s body. Every dip and curve, every hard muscle and soft inch of skin. Soon his boyfriend was completely stripped. He avoided stimulating at this point, not wanting this to become an edging session. As much fun as that could be this wasn’t a sexual scene. This was about worship and sensory stimulation not sexual stimulation. He brought his hand up to the back of Ollie’s neck and played with the soft hairs at the back of his neck. “Can you lay down for me?”

His boyfriend was magic. He’d always felt Noah was at least a little magic but it was confirmed in that moment as he undressed him, confirmed with every kiss, or soothing stroke of his fingertips. Magic because suddenly it felt impossible to be nervous. There wasn’t a person alive who was capable to taking care of him the way Noah did; there wasn’t anyone else he had the same trust in. He could fall and his boyfriend would catch him every time. He wasn’t sure how vocal a submissive was supposed to be but he always talked and he wasn’t going to change that now. ‘You feel really good.’ He avoided using his name or a title. He wasn’t totally comfortable with that yet and he wasn’t sure Noah was either. ‘I love when you touch me like this; those sly little strokes against my skin whenever you see it.’ He smiled at him. He took another deep breath and moved onto the bed. He thought he’d feel more exposed than he did, but being naked around Noah, regardless of his state of dress, apparently wasn’t something that phased him. ‘Where should I — Where do you want my arms?’

Oliver’s voice was just about his favorite thing in the world. “That works out because I really like touching you.” Noticing that his boyfriend wasn’t using a title, Noah felt a sense of relief. He supposed there would come a time, that they’d have to use it when they were in public, when they hopefully convinced the heads to give them what everyone guilted them for not wanting and yet also taunted them that they couldn’t get… a claim, their get out of jail free card. He helped Ollie on to the bed. “Above your head.” He slid his hand up his side and up his arm guiding it up above his head. “I’m trying to do any kind of tickle torture,” He smiled and winked. “so let me know right away if something is ticklish.” He focused his attention on tying his hands. The knots were simple and included a quick release, the end of which he put in Oliver’s right hand. When he’d started studying bondage he’d made sure he could do a quick release better than anyone. It seemed to him, you had no business tying someone up if they couldn’t release themselves anytime they wanted. “Okay, so you can pull that anytime you need and your hands will be free. The temperature was a little warm for him, but was hopefully perfect for Oliver without clothes. “I’m going to start at your feet. Remember, if you need anything let me know, yeah?” He smiled anxious to show Oliver with his touch how much… how deep he felt about him. His touch was not too light, but not intended to cause any discomfort. His thumbs pressed firmly muscle while fingertips explored every dip and curve. He lingered over tiny imperfections and scars wondering what story they held, wanting to know everything about him, but willing to wait a lifetime to learn it. Occasionally he would kiss a patch of skin, maybe even suck a little hickie into life. They would fade before he’d even reached his head, but they were like a trail of breadcrumbs marking his journey.

He wished he didn’t tense when Noah was tying knots to secure his arms in place. It wasn’t that he thought for a second he wasn’t safe; it was just the feeling of not being on control starting to sink in. His nerves were soothed when his boyfriend pressed the end of the rope into his palm. He knew him. Noah’s touch was perfect; it was purposeful, gentle, soothing. He let his eyes close, and his breath escaped his lips in raspy exhales until he got himself under control. ‘Kiss me there.’ He asked, speaking for the first time when Noah’s fingers brushed against his hip. ‘Please.’ He added hastily, recalling he wasn’t supposed to be demanding anything. He was supposed to be there for Noah’s pleasure. ‘That’s just — that’s a good spot. I love when you touch me there. It’s so intimate and sweet. And you do it sometimes when we’re out. When my shirt is untucked, sometimes you rest your fingers there and it just - it makes me feel really good Noe.’ He thought he would feel more desperate to touch him than he did. The longer he laid there, the more content he became to let Noah explore and found other ways, without touch, to let him know how much he was enjoying this.

When Oliver asked him to kiss him on his hip. He smiled and obliged dipping his head down to kiss across the hip, the soft dip all along to the jutting bone. “Thank you. Thank you.” He could never and would never be one of those people who imagined they could know everything their partner needed. Hell, that word itself said it. Even in this, even in a scene, they were partners. He couldn’t do it alone. He smiled and kept kissing, letting his thumbs fall into the V created by Oliver’s hip bones. “You’re precious… so damn special.” Every sound he made led him along the path of his worship of Oliver and his body.

The attention was a lot. It wasn’t too much; it was exactly the right amount. He had genuinely forgotten he couldn’t move his arms because he was so lost in every press of Noah’s fingers, every brush of his lips, every nip of his teeth. ‘Please don’t stop.’ he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut tight. It wasn’t supposed to be a sexual scene but he couldn’t help but feel a little aroused by the whole experience. He could feel his cheeks heat up both from Noah’s whispered praise and encouragement; and the realisation that he was enjoying this. And that was a good thing right? Noah wanted him to enjoy this otherwise he wouldn’t be doing it.

He wasn’t planning on stopping, though the kernel of sexual arousal building inside of him. He thought maybe after the scene was done they could make love. But for now he needed to keep focused on the scene. It mattered that he did this right. Even if they didn’t do scenes like other people, the importance of it was still there. What was a revelation for him was that they could do this in a way that they both enjoyed it. Ollie sounded good… sounded better than good and he loved getting to just lavish this attention on him. He was up to his shoulder now, biting just a tiny bit harder, on his collarbone, but not enough to do anything other than pink up the skin. “Love the taste of you. Love the sounds you make. Love you.” His hand reached up idly to rub at the skin around the rope, wanting to make sure that there was no chafing or discomfort.

The teasing nips to his collarbone was the most divine sort of torture. His body thrummed with a need for more; he longed to feel Noah biting and sucking, knowing a bruise was forming under his lips but at the same time, what he was doing was just right. ‘I love you.’ He breathed, eyes now open and farting around as his gaze followed the Dominant’s hands. He glanced back when he rubbed at his arms and wrists. ‘I’m okay Noe. I’m not in any pain or discomfort.’ He promised him gently.

“Good,” he said simply. Maybe the headmistress would laugh at the notion, but if he had to be a ‘dominant’ this was how he did it. He took care of people and more than anything he wanted to take care of Oliver. Wanted to love him, touch him, worship him, laugh with him, cry with him, live with him. “But I know how hard it is for you to be tied. You’re so brave to trust me to do it.” He rubbed his wrists a little longer and then moved up to kiss right there, thrilling at the feel of his pulse under his lips. “You’ve done so good. Thank you, thank you for giving me this.” He didn’t hear this a lot from the dominants in his classes, but really when a submissive agreed to a scene… any kind of scene they were giving something really special, really amazing to another person. They were giving intense trust and if you weren’t grateful that, what were you doing?

Honestly it was hard to even notice that he was bound with the way Noah was kissing and touching him. He told him as much although when he tried to do so, his words were a little disjointed and breathless. His head felt a little weird; it wasn’t a bad feeling, just different and maybe a little off. ‘I’ll give you anything Noah. Moon on a string, remember?’ He chuckled, itching to touch him not for the first time. ‘Thank you.’ He echoed back. This was as big a step for Noah as it was for him and he was absolutely going to acknowledge that. ‘You have no idea how incredible you are. Make me feel so safe. Even doing this, something I was so nervous about.’ He doesn’t undo the bindings but he does pull on them a little to make himself sit up as much as he can. ‘Let me kiss you.’ He requests quietly, feeling the slightest strain from how he’s now stretched. He has no intention of undoing anything however; that’s up to his boyfriend.

“Moon on a string,” Noah repeated. It seemed like a just a line and it would be if anyone else said it. But rolling off Oliver’s lips and tongue it was truth, it was promise, it was reality. His eyes went wide and playful at the question and as his boyfriend pulled against the bindings toward him. He laughed and answered by bringing his lips to Oliver’s first just soft and sweet, a press of lips to lips, but quickly grew in intensity. When he pulled away to breath, he rested his forehead against Ollie’s. “I think I’d really like to end the scene now. You were amazing… so freakin’ amazing… Just… just wanna make love to you now.”

For other couples, it might have been a blink and you’d miss it sort of thing but for them, the scene had felt monumental. The first step over the first hurdle in finding a more permanent happy ending. Kissing Noah in that moment was some sort of perfect torture because all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around him and it was the one thing he couldn’t. ‘I want you to undo it.’ He swallowed, holding the end for the quick release out towards him. ‘I’m not scared or uncomfortable so I don’t want to be the one who undoes it.’ He explained. He hoped it made the same sense to Noah as it did in his brain. As soon as his arms were free, he pushed himself up and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck and kissed him the way he really wanted to, pouring every feeling of love and pride into it. ‘You were incredible.’ He whispered, resting his hand against his heart. ‘And yeah, making love sounds absolutely perfect. I’m not nearly ready to stop feeling you.’

Noah nodded and reached up to take the quick release out of Ollie’s hand. But he didn’t pull it. Instead he untied it as carefully and purposefully as he’d tied it, unwinding and undoing knots until his boyfriend’s arms and hand were completely free. He massaged his shoulders as he brought the arms back down. “Okay?” He kissed each shoulder before turning playful and biting the right one. “Mmmm…. I think maybe I’m a little overdressed.” He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it over shoulder. Before diving in for another kiss. “We did it! We did an actual scene.” Yeah, sure maybe everyone else would find his triumph silly over such a small scene. But he felt accomplished, proud of himself and Oliver. No he wanted nothing more than to keep touching and kissing.

His delight was absolutely infectious. He couldn’t describe the way he felt seeing Noah so elated and he could only hope that the Dominant was giving himself a lot of credit. The satisfaction and safety he felt leading up to, and during the scene hadn’t really been down to his feelings for Noah. They’d been down to who he knew he was as a person. He’d watched him only weeks beforehand get so down on himself because he felt like he’d failed Silas as a Dominant. He didn’t have a lot of experience but if Silas had felt even close to the way he did, he couldn’t see how Noah could possibly have failed. ‘We did an actual scene.’ He echoed, eyes bright. Hands now free to roam, he stroked along his boyfriend’s back, up his sides and across his chest. It hadn’t been long but he felt like he had to make up for lost time in touching him. ‘I want you to top.’ It probably didn’t need to be said, but he said it anyway. He spoke between lazy kisses, letting the words escape each time he pulled back.

Noah was more than happy to oblige there. He felt a need to be inside of his boyfriend, connected in a way that was more profound than even the most well thought out scene. He’d always loved sex, from his first fumbling time as a gawky awkward teenager through all of his explorations with gender and sexuality. He loved sex. He loved it when it was playful, when it was quick and dirty, when it was slow and sleepy, when it was sad and a final goodbye without words. But he’d never ‘needed’ it quite as much as he does with Ollie. He’d never felt it so deeply as he does with his boyfriend. He hurriedly pulled off his pants and briefs in one quick move happy to be finally as naked as his boyfriend. Pulling a condom and lube out of the bedside drawer he set them aside as he settled himself between Oliver’s legs. “Time to kiss the part I didn’t get to before. He ducked down until he could take his boyfriend’s cock between his lips teasing it with his tongue.

Oral sex was, and had always been, one of his favourite things. He liked to give it immensely; there was something so intimate about it that sent his mind into overdrive. Giving turned him on almost as much as receiving. He barely had time to whisper a ‘holy fuck’ before Noah was situating himself between his legs and closing his lips around his length. ‘Mmmf’ he moaned, hands now free to slide into Noah’s hair. ‘Kiss me there anytime.’ He breathed, the amusement and contentment evident in his voice. Something he found he loved about sex with Noah was more often than not there was an absence of urgency. It wasn’t that they weren’t completely eager to take their clothes off and get to it; it was more the knowledge that they could take their time, fully enjoy one another in moments like this when no-one outside the two of them existed. ‘Should be a sin for your mouth to feel as good as it does.’ He groaned, head falling back heavily against the pillow.

He loved having Oliver’s fingers in his hair. It drove him on to take more of his growing arousal in his mouth. Hearing he ways he was turning Oliver was like music to his ears… and to his dick apparently. But there was plenty of time for that. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the hard, thick cock in his mouth. He sucked and licked his way all the way down to the base swallowing around it before slowly pulling off, lathing his tongue all along the nerve bundle on the underside of the crown. “Fuck, you taste so good. Feel so good.”

He could feel his cock stiffening further between Noah’s lips. That by itself might be one of the most erotic things he’d ever experienced. He couldn’t stop his hips from twitching and rocking up in search for more. ‘Shit, Sorry.’ He apologised immediately, sitting up slightly so he could look down at him. He opened his mouth to say more but found himself focusing instead on the way his length disappeared and reappeared from the wet heat of his boyfriend’s mouth. He wanted to enjoy it for as long as possible, and his grip tightened marginally on Noah’s hair. A series of garbled moans and grunts left his lips; more than a few sounding like he was trying to say Noah’s name. Eventually he had to stop him. ‘Noah, you — fuck — if you don’t stop, I’m going to cum.’ He warned him, although he made no attempt to pull away. He couldn’t bring himself to actually move away from the pleasure he was currently floating in.

At his boyfriend’s apology Noah simply pushed himself down as far as he could clearly an invitation to take him however he wanted. He would have happily continued until Oliver came, more than keen to taste his cum on his tongue, but even more keen to keep touching him and be inside him, bodies as close as they could be as they both came. He slid off his cock, tongue following slowly after his lips as he held Oliver’s gaze. He sat up and coated his fingers in lube, quickly circling his rosebud entrance before carefully pushing inside. He took his time stretching, pushing in deep, stretching some more, and teasing the rim to prepare it for his girth. His free hand stroked Oliver’s inner thigh and hip soothingly. When he felt he’d done as much prep as either of them could stand, He rolled the condom on and lined himself up. While he pushed inside he leaned in close, lips just barely out of reach of his boyfriends. “Love you.”

There were no two ways about it; Oliver was putty in Noah’s hands and for the first time, he became aware of just how true that statement was. He’d always been vocal in bed but he didn’t think he’d been as responsive with any other lover as he was with Noah. He pushed down against his invading fingers, clenching as he continually just sought out more. His head felt hazy in the best possible way; as though the only thing in the world that mattered was Noah and their very physical connection. He wasn’t loud but he continually let Noah’s name fall from his lips in breathless moans, as his hands now took full advantage of the fact that he could touch him. ‘Please.’ That was almost a whine and he wasn’t entirely sure what he was asking for; he just needed more of Noah, he needed to feel closer. ‘I love you.’ He echoed in responses pushing his hips up. The following stretch and burn proved to be exactly the thing his body was searching for. ‘Oh fuck I love you. You have — you have no idea.’ He breathed. He spread his legs wider, lifting up his knees slightly and everything felt more intense. ‘Fuck me.’ He grunted, fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck.

Noah was happy to oblige. Each breathy word drove him on, just wanting to hear more. “Fuck… oh fuck you feel so good.” He thrust in and out searching for all the angles that would make Oliver moan in that beautiful way. With Oliver’s legs spread out and up, he sank in deeper, grunting and sighing. “Yes… yes…” He began to thrust harder sucking on the jutting bone of his collarbone as he kept thrusting. The tight heat around his cock was perfect. But it wasn’t just a tight hole and natural friction. It was Oliver. Oliver’s scent filling his nose, Oliver’s voice in his ears, Oliver’s heat surrounding him, Oliver’s playful fingers in his hair. He’d never been with someone he could have sex that was a little bit rough, all kinds of playful, so damn hot, and on top of all that was an expression of their love even when it was being all of those other things. So yes, he thrust hard and deep, taking control, but following his lead at the same time, but no amount of dirty words and begging changed that they were making love. In fact maybe it made it more so. It was all the things that made their love special. He changed the angle looking to find that spot that would have Oliver seeing stars. He continued to kiss and suck everywhere he could reach. “Ollie… Ollie.. Fuck… love you so much.”

At this point, words were impossible. His entire body felt alight with an intoxicating combination of need, desire, lust and pure, irrevocable love. There was something about this version of Noah; this version that didn’t hold back from taking what he wanted, that did everything physically possible to bring him the most amount of pleasure. He fell in love with him all over again. He knew exactly what he was doing with every angle change and he moved with him, desperately trying to guide him to that spot. He squeezed his eyes shut and saw fireworks explode behind his lids when Noah slammed into his prostate. He clenched around him. ‘Ohfuckyesrightthere.’ He cried out, words running into one another amid a series of breathless moans. He started moving his hips faster, rocking up to meet every push of his boyfriend’s cock. He hooked his legs around his waist, ankles crossed at the small of his back and applied a little pressure to encourage him. ‘Don’t stop, don’t - oh - fucking stop.’ He grunted. He reached a hand between them and closed his fingers around his aching cock and started to stroke roughly in time with Noah. ‘I’m so close. Noe, please.’ His words left his lips in a whine and in that moment he was so needy, he didn’t have it in him to feel embarrassed by just how much he needed him.

Noah knew that feeling when something, punched into your prostate and your whole body burst into technicolor explosions of pleasure. He grinned even as his own breath came out in moan huffs of air, making sure to keep the angle to keep pressing and sliding against that spot. “Won’t… won’t… oh fuck yes. Right there baby. Right there. Fuck feel so good.” He loved when Oliver would wrap his legs around him holding him there as he pumped his hips faster and harder. There skin was shiny with sweat as their bodies rocked together. “I’m there Ollie.. I’m there…” He was holding off, waiting for Oliver to have his release, but he didn’t know how much longer he could keep the racing steam engine of an orgasm from overtaking him. He needed this boy, this beautiful boy so much. He let his hand drift between them and covered Ollie’s hand with his own, not taking over, but applying just a little bit more pressure, wanting to feel when he came. The rhythm was perfect. Everything was perfect.

The feeling of Noah’s hand over his proved to be exactly what he needed; the little bit of additional pressure proved to be exactly what he needed to fall over the edge completely. His whole body tensed, and he clenched around his boyfriend’s length as ropes of white decorated his chest and Noah’s torso. The other man’s name left his lips in rough cry and he rocked up into his hand as he rode out every second of the pleasure he could milk from the situation. ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’ he babbled out, leaning up to exchange messy, open-mouthed kisses. He was completely overwhelmed in the best possible way; every nerve ending in his body felt electrified and he’d never had an orgasm like it.

As Oliver clenched around him he was flung over he edge cumming so hard he nearly passed out. He yelled out Oliver’s name hoarsely shaking and pumping into his body. His forehead pressed into Ollie’s chest. “Love… God… love you.” He felt like every inch of his skin was zinging with electricity. A bright light of pleasure flowing between them and around them. When he finally stopped shaking from the strength of his orgasm he still deep inside of his boyfriend, hand still wrapped around the other’s. His breath came in jagged gasps as he tried to speak, but giving it up and just breathed and relished just ‘being’ with Oliver.

‘So perfect.’ he whispered into the silence. The air around them felt heavy and it made him want to cling closer. He tightened his legs and groaned as he shifted, subsequently making Noah move inside him. He curled forward slightly despite the sensitivity to press kisses against sweat soaked hair. ‘You’re everything Noah.’ he murmured, his heart still pounding harder than he thought it could against his chest. He already knew he didn’t want Noah to move. He knew he would have to eventually but he wanted him to stay where he was for as long as possible. He wanted to feel him for as long as possible.

When Oliver shifted and tightened his hold on him his channel tightened around him and he couldn’t help the deep groan bubbling up from his throat. As Oliver kissed him the groan gave way to a satisfied sigh or two. “Everything,” he readily agreed. It was like the first time every time. They always ended up here, this unique moment when neither of them wanted to move. They knew they would have to, but somehow would fight to squeeze everything out of just being connected like this. He found himself rolling his hips lightly. Not necessarily trying to start things up again, just trying to make sure Ollie could feel him for as long as possible. “Love you.”

‘Holy fuck’ he keened, feeling Noah start to thrust into him slightly. ‘If you think you’re ready to go again, I’m so fucking ready,’ he teased, although he loosened his legs from around his waist. ‘That was -- I mean I don’t even have the words for how mindblowing that was. I don’t think I’ve ever whined before.’ he laughed, railing his fingertips up and down Noah’s spine. He allowed his eyes to fall closed and he just breathed in the moment. The smell of sex and Noah’s shampoo filled his nose and he relished in feeling his full weight pin him against the mattress. ‘You called me baby.’ he remarked, the pet name coming to his head. ‘I don’t think you’ve ever called me that before.’

Noah laughed. “Oh man I wish I could…” He probably could if pressed, Ollie had ways of turning him on with just the sound of his voice or the tilt of his head or any one of a million other things, but pressed wasn’t really their style. Instead when, his boyfriend loosened his legs, he rested his weight a little. He sucked in a breathe, remembering that he had in fact said that. “I…. yeah…” He raised up a little and raked his hand through Oliver’s hair. “Is it alright? I know you don’t like guys just assuming they can call you something that isn’t your name.” He’d been really careful to always respect that.

‘You mean, I don’t like anyone who doesn’t know me using a nickname or a pet name instead of my given name.’ He corrected gently. ‘I’m purposefully a little difficult with Dominants who come along and think they can call me sweetheart or darling.’ He shrugged. ‘I’m neither of those things to them; and they can call me by my name until I decide otherwise. You however, my love, you can pretty much call me whatever you want and assume it doesn’t bother me unless I tell you.’ He grinned, resting his hand against Noah’s cheek. ‘Baby is different but it doesn’t bother me. Not when it’s you.’ He clarified.

He thinks he probably knew that. He knows that sometimes he overthinks things. It was kind of a Duval thing. His cheeks turned pink, probably feeling hot in Oliver’s hand. My love. Ollie called him that a lot. He couldn’t think of a better pet name. “Yours.” That was what he was. He was Ollie’s love fully and completely forever. He smiled and turned his head so that he could kiss his palm. Slowly he pulled his now soft cock from Oliver’s body instantly missing the warmth and contact.

Hearing that sparks some sort of possessiveness he’s never felt about anyone before. It’s an unusual feeling and he doesn’t quite know how to process it. All he wants to do is reiterate that yes, Noah is his as much as he is wants to be his in return. That comes with a feeling of safety, happiness; he’s never felt as happy as he has since he started dating Noah. He winces as Noah pulls out, left with an overwhelmingly empty feeling; another new notion for him to deal with. ‘I’ve never felt like this about anyone before. This — I don’t know what it is. I just never want to be finished with you. I always want to keep going. I always want to fucking touch you. Sex is just more of that.’ He runs his fingers through his own hair, tugging lightly on the ends as his face heats up. ‘I think about it at the most inappropriate times. I’m such a fucking pervert and it’s all your fault.’ He informs him.

After a few soothing kisses, and disposing of the condom in the trash by the bed as covertly as he could, Noah turned Oliver to his side so that he could spoon up behind him. He was a ridiculous post-coitus clingy octopus. His smile turned playful at Oliver’s words. “Turning you into a sex fiend hmm?” He takes his boyfriend’s hand in his own away from his hair. “You’re not a pervert. We just turn each other on….” He laughed. “A lot. Nothing wrong with that right?” He let go of his hand so that he could stroke a fingertip down his cheek. “The skin felt warm to the touch. “I love you so much. I think about you all the time and yeah… sometimes that means thinking about your body and how it feels under my fingers. That has led to some things coming… umm… up at inappropriate times.” He laughed even as he was kissing the spot behind Ollie’s ear.

‘Things coming up huh?’ He chuckled, resisting the urge to shake his head as that might interfere with the way Noah was kissing him. He still felt like a pervert but the way his boyfriend spoke about feeling elements of the same feelings, made him feel significantly less bad about the whole thing. He pushed back slightly so he could slit himself as close to Noah as possible and closed his eyes in utter blissed out contentment as Noah’s lips moved against his skin. ‘I used to dream about this all the time. Being with someone who made me as happy as you do. I thought I had it before but honestly, you have no idea how far out of the water you blow everyone else.’ He confessed. ‘Mmm that feels really good.’ He couldn’t ignore the kissing any longer; that was a particularly sensitive spot and Noah was applying all the right sensations. ‘What about you?’ He asked. ‘Any dreams or fantasies I should know about?’

Noah hummed and wrapped his arms around Oliver to hold him tight to himself. “Worries me though, you know? Worried about when you figure out I’m not that great. When you see all my flaws. Worried you’ll get scared away.” He didn’t know if he’d survive that. When he’d let Ryan go, it had hurt like hell, but it had also felt right. He knew she wasn’t meant for him. But Oliver… Oliver is meant for him and he is meant for Oliver. He’s sure of it. Pushing those thoughts away he concentrated on kissing that spot, letting his tongue peak out just a bit to play. “Hmm… making love to you on a beach pings something in my brain, but maybe all that sand is a bad idea in reality. Maybe in the water?” He chuckled and kissed some more before a serious thought occurred to him. “Umm… this is probably… well weird or something, but I’ve been thinking about what if we got tested again and maybe ditched the condoms?” Getting rid of that last barrier between them, wanted to feel when Oliver came inside of him.

‘I’m not scared of the flaws you think I’m going to find.’ He wriggled in his hold slightly so he could turn to face him but immediately pressed himself in as close as was reasonable. ‘I don’t for one second think you’re a perfect human Noah, and I sure as shit hope you don’t think that about me. I know you have flaws. You’re really fucking messy for one, and I swear more than any person should. But your flaws are part of you; and I am hopelessly in love with you. He continued with a smile. ‘But all your flaws, your quirks; those are the things that make you the person I want to be with. I’m with you because I want to be with you. It’s not easy; we’re both flawed human beings in a fucked up world. It’s going to be hard and we’re going to fight but I am making a conscious choice every day to be with you because you make me happy. You make me a better person. You’re allowed to worry; I can’t disregard how you feel. All I can try to do is spend every day showing you that I love you, that I choose to be with you regardless of your faults.’ He hadn’t planned on being quite so wordy; he’d repeated himself on more than one occasion and he wasn’t sure how much sense he made but it was something he needed to put out there. ‘Sea sex?’ he mused, images immediately coming to his mind. ‘That would be a first.’ he winked. ‘I want to fill all your fantasies though; and if you want beach sex, I could put up with some sand.’ When Noah’s tone became a little more serious, he listened with interest and as he spoke, a smile formed on his lips. ‘It’s not weird Noah. I’ve never actually --’ He stops himself short because he has done that once. With Q. That was also the last time he’d been tested and Noah had been the only person he’d been with. ‘I think we should get tested and yeah, I think losing the condoms could be really great.’

Noah laughed. “You really do swear a lot. Gonna have to warn my mom before you meet her.” He ran his hand up and down Oliver’s back occasionally tracing lazy circles. “I guess it’s our flaws that really make us… us. Some part of me is scared about those fights but the bigger part knows we’ll come out of them stronger. I’m just kind of a confrontation wimp….” He chuckled. “Guess you know this already.” The idea of beach sex was getting more and more appealing, but that could be because the idea of having sex with Oliver was literally always appealing. “Maybe a blanket is in order though. There are for sure places I do not want to get sand.” He held still for a moment. “Okay so that’s not weird, but is it maybe weird if I excitedly suggest we get tested before we go on the trip?”

‘No, I can totally turn it off for your Mom. I will be polite and courteous and will refrain from a single cuss word.’ He realised what he’d just said and his eyes widened. ‘Wait, you want me to meet your Mom?’ It was a silly thing to be shocked by. They had quite openly talked about the fact they wanted to be together for the long-term but somehow Noah wanting to bring him home to his parents thrilled him anew. ‘You’re not a wimp. I have all those fears too. I think it’s pretty normal to have some sort of fear. But if you ever do feel afraid about us, or worried, just talk to me. That’s the most important thing right?’ He reiterated before leaning in to kiss him longingly and slowly. ‘Let’s get tested, and assuming our results come back before we go away, the first time we forgo the condoms can be when we have sex on the beach.’ He decided with a playful laugh.

“Sounds like a plan. Then you can go hang out with dad and swear up a storm.” He laughed picturing already how much his parents were going to love Ollie. He smiled at the wide-eyed look his boyfriend gave him. “Yeah. I mean I know we’re giving this claiming thing ago, hopefully playing the system before it can play us, but for me what we’re building that’s just for us is family. You know? Our family. They’re gonna love you.” He didn’t know if Oliver knew how rare and beautiful his words and the deep truth behind them were. To know that he could come to his boyfriend with any worry or fear he had knowing he’d be heard and understood was powerful. “Yeah, it is. And the same goes for you.” The kiss was slow and stirred something in his gut. Part arousal, part passion, part puppy love, and part a feeling of being home. He loved when Ollie turned all playful… okay, who was he kidding he loved all of Oliver’s facets, but playful was good. “It’s a deal.” He returned his lips to Oliver’s parting his own to just lick a little. “Mmmm, how do you taste so good?”

‘I can’t wait to meet your family.’ He thought then, and it was a weird thought to think naked in bed with his boyfriend, about his brothers. Caleb and Nick both seemed like good guys, and they were obviously important to Noah. He mentally made a note to reach out to them, to spend more time getting to know them. He thought about bringing up his own but honestly found he didn’t want Noah to meet his parents. Not because he wasn’t important but because they weren’t. ‘I know. You are — the only person in the world I can come to with anything. And I’m lucky because not everyone gets one person.’ He acknowledged. ‘It’s probably the unhealthy amount of sugar I eat.’ He answered in jest, easily opening himself up to whatever Noah wanted. He kissed him again more insistently, tangling his legs up with Noah’s as he inched ever closer. He trailed his lips to his neck where he licked, and nipped; content to just lazily explore and be present in the moment. Their conversations were serious but he never felt burdened by what they talked about. He never felt frightened to disagree. Arguably for the first time, he felt completely at peace with himself.

“I can’t wait either.” He figured it was probably a good time to switch topics since it was a little strange to talk about family while they were naked after sex. Also there was the tangled up issues with Oliver’s family, notably his father. When and if his boyfriend wanted to talk about that he would. He’d back him either way. Truer words were never spoken. Too many people in this world had no one they could talk to honestly. He used his hands at the small of Ollie’s back to pull him close as the kiss deepened, legs tangling, hearts beating in time. He had no idea if he deserved this happiness, but the truth was that wasn’t what it was about. That was the system trying to push its way in. All that mattered was that they were there for each other.

[jaimistoryteller]

OC/Author PrideFest Question Mess Part 3

Thanks for the tag @raevenlywrites​​ ! Ended up sleeping longer than expected, here’s the last part of the set of questions.

Rules I am going with: answer the questions you know or are comfortable sharing, tag others, add a question if you feel like something is missing.

Note: I will be answering in three different posts, one per section, rather than all together because of how many questions there are.

Questions for you:

Introduce yourself! Tell us a little bit about you and what you write

Why do you write LGBT+ characters?

Have you always written LGBT+ characters? If no, what inspired you to start? Is it a deliberate representational choice?

Do you use modern labels in your work? Why or why not?

World builders: do you have any neat societal twists? (unique names for IDs, different marriage practices, etc.)

Do you write outside your own experiences? (cis writing trans, wlw writing mlm, etc.) If yes, how confident do you feel about it?

Tell us about a favorite book/character someone else wrote that inspired you (or just plain gave you a warm and fuzzy)

Any advice for someone else writing LGBT+ characters?

Would you like people to ask you more questions when this is over?

Free space! Wax poetic about something near and dear to your heart.

Questions for your Ocs (in character or out, dealer’s choice):

Say hi! Let us get to know you, you big beautiful person, you!

How do you feel about the world your author has created for you?

Are you out? To whom, why or why not, etc?

Tell us a little about your journey. Have you always IDed the way you do now? Are there parts of you you’re still figuring out?

Do you feel settled in your ID, or do you think it might change as you and your author go on?

Did your author always know you were [blank], or did you have to tell them? If yes, oh please, please tell us how! :3

Is being [blank] particularly hard in your world? How does your society treat you differently than ours might?

Tell us a little about your unique experiences with your ID. Do you experience dysphoria? Is it impossible to find a date? Just want to find that special someone for snuggles but everyone expects sex? Unload for a minute, it’s okay to struggle sometimes.

What’s the best part about being [blank] in your world?

Do you like getting fan-mail? Would you like people to ask you more questions when this is over?

Grab that mic! Drop some truth on us, something you’ve just been dying to share! Shout out to your besties!

Questions for either you or your OCs:

Going to answer these like I would a Q&A post, with the first three characters that comes to mind for each question.

What’s your orientation and gender? Wave that flag!!!

Tichina - female and pan. I’m proud of both. While I have not yet met my soulmates, I have had a variety of partners over the year that covers the spectrum of genders and sexualities. 

Quin - agender and queer. I am much more comfortable with my gender then I am my orientation. 

Stepan - male, demisexual, pan or poly romantic, never quite sure which is a better fit. I’m good with my alignments and try to always be respectful of other peoples. If my patient has one I am unfamiliar with, then I make sure to do research so I can help my patient to the best of my abilities. 

When did you realize you were LGBT+?

Jon - as a preteen. The others on the gymnastics team were talking about how cute people were and I didn’t see it.

Isa - in my mid-twenties. I’m older than I look.

Nazreen - after meeting my soulmates in my mid-twenties, prior to that I just thought there was something wrong with me.

What makes your heart melt?

Nazreen - not technically related to my orientation, but seeing Akaal with the children, particularly the smaller ones. He’s so big and yet I know he’s never going to harm them. 

Sitara *chuckles* Nazreen beat me to that one, *thoughtful look* I’m going with the way acceptance is the norm and not the unusual within the Balakhnov Building.

Tichina - any time I am able to get one of my high risk kids off the street, bonus points for the ones who find themselves and do so proudly. 

Do you have a favorite LGBT+ song? Movie? Book? Artist? (comic?)

Marie - too many books to list them all, the beauty of being an editor. I’ve always enjoyed All the Things She Said by t.A.T.u

Ioanna - Father would have been horrified if still alive to know I play games like Saints Row 2. I think that Gat, Aisha, and the main character are a triad. Since the main character can be anything the player ones, I take them to be genderfluid, so no matter how the relationship unfolds it’s bi

Sparks - Wonder Woman, Superman, and Batman. You know she keeps them in line and makes Bruce stop brooding so damned much. 

Do you have a secret crush outside of your own work? Some wild crossover OTP?

Aither - I spent my teenage years shipping myself with Buffy and Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and there was that one time I wondered what it would be like to be an Aither sandwich with Squall and Seifer from FFVIII. . Of course, as an adult I have also shipped myself with Sam and Gabriel from Supernatural. 

Aaron *tries not to fidget* Q from the Craig!Bond movies is quiet adorable and I wouldn’t mind a good snuggle with him. 

Diego - I don’t know if I’d like anything more than friendship, but I’d love to get to know Stiles and Lydia from Teen Wolf. Maybe Even Scott if he could get his head out of his rump long enough to actually act like the friend he’s supposed to be. 

Tell us about your LGTB+ headcannons (I’d really love to see someone’s character answer this)

Karl - I always thought that William and Geoffrey from A Knight’s Tale were boyfriends. When Jocelyn joins them, they form a proper triad. 

Isaak - no one can convince me that Bones, Spock and Jim weren’t a space-husband triad!

Vara - I’d like to think that Nathan, Audrey, and Duke in Haven are a triad. Most of Nathan and Duke’s conflict coming from the fact neither of them wants to admit it for whatever silly reason.

What’s your favorite thing about being LGBT+?

Vasilia - I’m myself and able to accept that I am myself, rather than trying to be someone I am not because I hadn’t accepted being transgender.

Isa - there is a community of people like me.

Keywon - pride in my friends and community. 

Is there a cool place you like to hang out with your squad? Maybe an LGBT+ meet up?

Keywon - well, our team hangs out at the basketball court a lot, we also spend time in the community center where we are able to get help with any school work we need. We’re encouraged to bring others our age or orientation to hang out and what not. 

Quin - before meeting Aither, I spent a lot of my time at the queer book store, I didn’t really have a squad, but at least it was somewhere safe for me in public. Not that I like being in public too often. 

Molon - while I do spend a lot of time at the community center and at the basketball court, I also spend a lot of time at the nomyn san (Mongolian Library) where a lot of people of a similar descent hang out to share culture.

What are some things you do to keep positive?

Tichina - I help those in my community and the communities around mine. Every time I do so, I know I am helping someone else avoid the hardships that I and others before me went through. They’ll have a chance at a better life. 

Tzvia - prayer and regular worship, I am active in the both my faith and sports. 

Isaak - studying helps me keep positive because it means I can reach for the stars (literally)

Do you have any advice for young LGBT+ people?

Jon - you’re not broken, wrong, or otherwise odd. No matter what some people might claim, they’re idiots. 

Aither - own whatever space you are in, most won’t know how to take it.

Jamie - be yourself, it might require leaving what you know, but in the long run it’ll be far better for you. 

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Isaak - hopefully on the moon, it’s going to take a lot of hard work and study, but my Uncle and Aunt are making it possible so I’m not letting them or myself down.

Falco - retiring, I hope. I sometimes feel far too old for position within the Network that I hold. 

Ioanna - I happier and healthier me, preferably. 

Welp, that took way longer than planned because of a host of reasons. Still, have some more information on my massive world.

Tagging some peeps I am getting to know off the writer peeps spreadsheet so they can see my answers or do them as they feel fit.

@authordai @forlornraven @lagamerita @writing-at-dusk and @wordsbysarah

 Part 1 and  Part 2

[mysteira6]

Frans Week 2018 Day 3: Magic Mischief

@fransweek

New Areas!

Tbh, this was inspired by another picture by @enelica who drew this picture for day 1. It was so cool and I was instantly inspired by it. 

Enjoy!

~~~~~~ “Sans, come on! You’ve gotta see what I’ve found!”

He chuckled in amusement. “Alright, alright, I’m coming,”

As the brown-haired girl ran ahead, the relaxed, laid-back skeleton followed after her, a grin on his face and his hands deep in the pockets of his jacket. The duo were walking past empty shophouses that used to serve as homes for those who lived in New Home. Now, they were all empty and yet, Frisk was insistent of coming here, of all places. Normally, Sans wouldn’t go back to the Underground, but since it was for Frisk, he agreed.

After a while, the human girl slowed down, her brown eyes darting left and right in search of her destination. “If I’m not wrong, it should be riiiiight… there!” She pointed at a shophouse at the end of the street, which was strangely out of place with red walls, no windows and a green door. Frisk ran over to the door and turned its handle, calling to Sans. “Come on! It’s in here!”

Sans tilted his head slightly in curiosity before hurrying over and entering the house with her. As soon as he stepped into the house, he could smell old, aged paper all over the place, along with the smell of unburnt firewood.

The first room that he and Frisk had stepped in looked like a study, the bookshelves filled with many books. In the middle of the room was a large black empty cauldron, with some burnt and unlit wood underneath it. He could see from the corner of his eye that the room behind the study had cabinets with transparent doors, with jars of weird ingredients inside. On right side of the hallway that lead to the other room was a gold sign with a message inscribed in odd symbols. Other than the books on the shelves, there were stacks of more books and papers all over the place, its edges yellowed through the passage of time.

“Ta dah!!” Frisk said, throwing her arms in the air for dramatic effect. “What do you think? I found it the other day!”

Sans blinked twice, still taking it all in. “Hm, this doesn’t look like any of the other houses in New Home,”

“I know right?” Frisk replied, trotting over to a nearby bookshelf and picking up a book from one of the stacks. “Most of the books are written in Monster language though, so I can’t understand any of them. So are the labels of the jars next door and even that sign over there,”

“And you brought me here to try and translate for you?” Sans raised at eyebrow at her. “Buddy, I’m flattered that you’d think I’m a smart guy, but why didn’t you want Tori or Alphys to come with you instead?”

“They’re busy on the surface! Also, you need to move around more,” She protested, her hands holding her book tightly. “You always stay at home like a bag of lazybones!”

He snickered at her pun. “Well if you say so. Also what that sign says is a little interesting,”

Her eyes lit up at that. “You can read it?”

He nodded, walking towards the sign at the far end of the room. “It says, For thou does not need magic to make things happen / Thou only requires determination’,” His eyes looked around the bookshelves. “Most of the books here have titles that include the word, ‘potion’ too,”

She gasped in surprise. “Determination… Does that mean that I can make magical potions?!”

“Can’t be sure about that,” He said, turning back around. “But it doesn’t hurt to try. Plus, I’m curious about this stuff too,”

The skeleton walked back to the human girl, who had her eyes wide open as she flipped through the book in her hands. “Tell you what Frisk,” He ruffled her hair affectionately. “I’ll be your translator and the apothecary and you’ll be the little witch watching over the cauldron, alright?”

She nodded, excited to start making some potions.

~~~~~~

Back on the surface, the sun had begun to set but Frisk and Sans were still in the mysterious house in New Home, mixing and grinding ingredients to make more potions. During the course of the whole afternoon, the duo had made a jump potion, a flying potion, a potion that makes horns grow out of your head and many more. The ingredients that were in the jars didn’t seem to run out either and once they lit the fire under the cauldron, it never went out. Sans eventually concluded that the house was enchanted.

“Enchanted?” Frisk mused, tossing a cup of crushed lavender petals into the cauldron. “Does it mean that the house has a mind of its own?”

Sans shook his head, taking back the empty cup from Frisk. “Not necessarily. A monster must’ve used magic a lot in this house, so it might’ve leaked out into the house itself. Either that, or the monster casted a special spell on the house,”

Frisk bit her bottom lip. “You don’t think that the owner still lives here, do you?”

“Nah, i checked upstairs already, the place is deserted,” Sans confirmed, giving her a smile to reassure her. “The ingredients might’ve just replenished itself on its own,” He turned back to the ingredients on the cart he found in the other room. “What’s left?”

“A cup of rose petals and three tablespoons of vanilla essence,” Frisk read from the list beside her, which was a translated copy of the next potion’s recipe from the book.

“Sheesh, are we making a potion or a cake?” Sans joked, passing the said ingredients to the human girl. “Speaking of which, what are you making, kiddo?”

“It’s a secret!” She whispered to him, giggling a little after that. “Either way, you’ll find out tomorrow morning. It’s gonna take all night for it to boil,”

“All night?”

“What were you expecting from a potion that doesn’t require determination?”

“Fair enough,” Sans yawned in response. “Welp, time for us to sleep then,” He wheeled the cart back to the other room. “There are some bed upstairs so I’m gonna hit the sack. You coming, Frisk?”

“In a minute,” She called back to him. “I’m gonna stir the mixture a bit for a while,”

“Sure thing. Goodnight, kiddo,”

Frisk continued to stir the cauldron as the monster climbed up the stairs. After she hear light snores coming from upstairs, Frisk let out a soft giggle, stopped stirring the mixture and took a ketchup bottle out of her backpack.

“I sure hope this love potion works…” She muttered to herself as she slowly fell asleep.

~~~~~~

A few hours had passed before Frisk woke up again, getting ready for the final stage of her master plan. When they had first arrived at the house, she had picked up a book from the bookshelf, and on one of the few last pages, she found a recipe which had some hearts drawn on it. To confirm her thoughts, she pulled out a sheet of blank paper and wrote down the first word of the potion’s name, asking Sans to translate it afterward. True enough, the first word was ‘love’.

“I’m not too sure how much of this potion I should add, but I’m guessing that a cup will be enough,” Frisk murmured to herself, dumping out some of the ketchup bottle’s contents and replacing it with a cup of the potion, which had a pinkish hue. She closed the cap and gave the bottle a little shake to mix the potion with ketchup.

“Perfect,” She said, smiling at herself. She blushed at the thought of Sans falling instantly in love with her after drinking all the contents of the ketchup bottle. Okay, she will admit that she was kind of forcing this on him, but after what Papyrus had told her the other day (“HUMAN! I’M NOT SURE WHY, SANS HAD BEEN CALLING OUT YOUR NAME IN HIS SLEEP FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS NOW, AND HIS CHEEKS ARE ALWAYS BLUE WHEN THAT HAPPENS!”), she couldn’t stop thinking about him falling in love with her.

Her cheeks were flushed red as she climbed up the stairs, soon finding Sans sleeping on a bed in the corner. The human girl laughed again, clutching the ketchup bottle in her hands tightly as she sauntered over to the sleeping skeleton, poking his neck a little.

“Sans, wake up!” She said, poking him even more when he did not stir.

It was a while before Sans woke up, lazily sitting up as he rubbed his eye sockets. “KId, what’s up? It’s a little too early for you to be-”

“Here you go!” She cut him off, thrusting the ketchup bottle into his bony hands. She quickly retracted her hands as the skeleton stared at the item in his hands. “Ketchup? What’s this about, kiddo?”

“It’s for you!” She grinned gleefully. “As a thank-you for coming down here with me and making all those potions with me. I.. I really enjoyed my afternoon yesterday, Sans,”

Sans stood still for a moment before he smiled back. “No problem, Frisk. I, liked making potions with you too,” He replied, his cheeks slightly blue.

So Papyrus really wasn’t lying…

The silence between them was interrupted by a loud growl. Along with an embarrassed chuckle.

“Oops, looks like even skeletons can get hungry too,” Sans remarked, opening the cap of the ketchup bottle. “You want any?”

“No thanks. It’s all for you anyway,” Frisk politely declined. “Bone appetit,”

Sans laughed at her pun again before drinking the contents of the bottle, and Frisk watched in anticipation as he completed the whole bottle in one big gulp. After he finished the bottle, he shut his eye sockets.

The silence between them was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.

Then, as he opened his eyes again, Frisk could see a small pink glint sparkle in his pupils. “Sans?” She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Are you alright?

As soon as the skeleton turned to her, his cheeks turned blue in mere milliseconds. His eyes were locked onto hers, and Frisk had to swallow her saliva as he stared at her intensely.

Did it work? Was the only question in her mind.

Her question was soon answered when he grabbed onto her shoulders and pulled her towards him, perching his teeth on her lips, giving her a deep, deep kiss. At first, she was startled, but soon relaxed and deepened the kiss between them, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands coiled around her waist.

They just stayed there for many minutes before Frisk tried to break away from the kiss. However, Sans wouldn’t allow it and held tightly to her waist, refusing to break the kiss. Soon, she could feel her soul being pulled towards Sans as she toppled on top of him, their lips still connected. As soon as Sans was lying down on the bed again, he wrapped a hand around her head, pushing her face closer to him to keep kissing her again, and again, and again. Frisk couldn’t do a single thing to stop him, Sans was way too strong…

It felt like it had been hours before Sans finally broke the kiss between them, leaving Frisk with a full-blown red face as her small figure fell on top of the skeleton, her breaths heavy.

Sans was panting as well, but there was a wide smirk on his face. “Nice try, kiddo,” He said teasingly.

“But that potion didn’t work on me,”

Her eyes instantly widened. “What? But then, all that-”

“Was all by me and me alone,” Sans finished, flashing her his cheeky grin. “Didja really think that I didn’t read the book? I knew you had something in mind when you asked me to translate the word ‘love’,”

At that, Frisk let out an embarrassed squeal, quickly covering her face with her hands. Sans chortled at the adorable sight, slowly turning over so that Frisk was resting on the bed as well. He brushed a few strands of hair behind her ears before leaning close to her. “I love you, Frisk,” He murmured to her. “And I don’t need a love potion to make me love you either,”

The human girl shyly leaned closer to him, burying her face into his chest. “I-I love you too!” She replied, her face still as red as a tomato.

Sans laughed again as he gave her another sweet kiss on the head. “I know,”

[angiejoywrites]

my social media experiment

Welp, here we are. I’ve been on a journey the last few weeks, one that has held significant meaning to me, and I’d like to share it with you. This is a conversation I feel needs to be had, has not been had often enough, and is worth our time and critical thinking. I’m calling it my social (media) experiment, because, though it has been about social media, on a very obvious and practical level, it has been about so many other things at the same time. I desire all of life to grow and shape me, pulling and gleaning out of each experience that which it has to offer. This has been an intentional abstinence, therefore I’m thinking intentionally about its implications. So often in life, we do things by rote or habit, simply because we’ve gotten used to doing them, without much forethought or ongoing thought about whether we want something as part of our Iives, and frankly, whether it is doing us any good.

This is the season of Lent, a time when many people abstain from or add something to their routine in an effort to connect more fully with God, as a way to reflect on and participate, in some small way, the death of Jesus by the cross. We want to know, in some deeper sense, what it means that God gave His life for us, recognizing there was a significant sacrifice being given through Jesus’ life and death. Lent has been the season leading up to Easter that Christians have, for centuries old, turned and quieted their hearts to the divine.

This year during this season, I’ve sought this end, in part, by turning off the social media. I use Facebook the most, but my other socials I’ve turned off as well. I’ve checked it a handful of times throughout Lent, about once a week. I would say I’ve used social medial pretty consistently for many years now, with no significant breaks in use. First off, let me just say, there is nothing particularly heroic or noteworthy about this action. I fully realize this there are much bigger “fish to fry” in our world and whether or not I’m using social media doesn’t matter to anyone else as much as it does to me. But I want to share what I’ve learned throughout this process and what I feel is worth our examination. Social media has become so ubiquitous in our culture, we can scarcely imagine our lives without it. Something that ingrained is worthy of some consideration, in my view. Much could be said, from a number of perspectives. My aim here is for us to THINK. To think maybe just a little bit more critically about how we use these tools. I’m processing as I write, and speaking to myself as much as anyone else. I’ve thought about many of these ideas before, but having had this concerted period of time to unplug, it’s brought much of it to a head for me, and solicited realizations I knew to be true.

I intend for this to a conversation; ongoing, nuanced, multi-faceted. I am not attempting to explore this topic from every angle and perspective; that could be an entire book. This is just a beginning point, and hopefully a point of reflection for you as well. As I’ve heard said before, take what serves you. Leave the rest.

So, some initial reflections.

It’s hard to believe, I know, but this entire time, the world kept moving. The earth kept spinning, the days turned into weeks, and nothing fell apart because I wasn’t online. People continued to lead their lives and so did I. Social media has instilled many false beliefs in us, one of which is that we will miss something monumental if we aren’t online constantly. That whole FOMO (fear of missing out) business. Do I really need to know where you went to dinner tonight? Do you care about what I did today? No, not really. Maybe if you’re my mother, but if you’re anyone else, you don’t care. You may like me, or not. We have some level of connection, or knew each other at some point in this life, or whatever the case may be. But chances are, very few people on your social media friend list are people you interact with in real time, face-to-face, on a regular basis. Somehow we just used to have friends and family, some near and some far. And those we were closest to, we found ways to connect with in meaningful ways.

I truly do believe social media has lied to us. It’s all supposed to be about connection, right? But we believe the falsehood that we are more connected, better connected, more apprised of life and the world at large through these mediums. It’s told us we can discover something meaningful and lasting through a screen and a photo. We’ve gotten so used to thinking it’s better to share our lives on this bigger scale, for more people to see and absorb. But why? Is it truly a better way, than, say, sitting across from someone in honest conversation? True connection engenders a sense of being seen, known and loved for who we are, in this place and time. Real relationships with people who love us and who we love remind us that we are valuable and worthy of attention, simply because we are. Does social media give us this? It cannot. It’s a counterfeit of authentic connection. We seek to belong, but then it only tells us our worth is somehow tied up with how well we are liked on social media.

Online life is strictly two-dimensional; it cannot, by its nature, be three-dimensional. Flesh and blood, human beings in our path, across our table, have depth and complexity, nuance and breadth. Emotions. Faces. Smiles. An online presence allows us to be only who we want to portray, leaving out the difficult or messy parts of us, if we so choose. We can spend inordinate amounts of time perfecting our persona, showcasing a certain angle or view of ourselves that others might admire or, dare I say, even want to emulate? Maybe we truly desire to share our lives with others; the issue here, though, becomes the overwhelming tendency for comparison, inadequacy, jealousy, and self-doubt to fix us in a stranglehold with this mess. Unconsciously, we see other people’s lives, perfect or not, and are convinced we are not measuring up to some invisible standard. It’s a lie. It tells us that we are going to lose out in some way if we are not constantly engaged. It tells us that we aren’t enough, in all the ways one can be “enough.” Plenty of research has been and continues to be done on the mental health effects of social media. Anxiety, depression, inadequacy, bullying, suicidal thoughts are all correlated and connected to the use of these platforms, because they present life as a caricature. Real life people get all out of sorts and mixed up in their heads because they are trying to do the impossible, confused about reality and their own adequacy in the face of all the stimulation and veneer of what they are seeing.

Here’s the piece that makes me a little crazy when I stop and think about it. It’s what is always under the surface, what we know at our gut levels, but no one wants to say. Social media tells us quantity is more important than quality. This junk is ADDICTING. They’ve studied this stuff (you know, those researcher people) and our phones and news feeds have the same effect on our brains as any other short-term gratification does. Our brains are instantly sated by seeing new information, and the more we get that tiny “high,” the more we want it again, more often, on repeat, until we think we need it constantly. New stimuli, again and again, and we have rewired our brains to expect our fix on the regular. Yes, this sounds like what a drug does, and in fact, it is the same process. Who do we use the term user for? A user of technology, and drug users. (Watch the documentary The Social Dilemma to really mess with your thinking about this stuff). Here’s the problem. We might say we are using technology, or using social media. But if we can be honest, it is using us. We are under its thumb. The computer knows what you like, who you like and who you don’t, what you spend your time looking for, and how to get you to keep coming back.

The thing is, I don’t want anything or anyone else to control and manage who I am, what I do, and how I spend my time. In effect, we’ve given ourselves over to our devices, especially social media, and basically willingly. It’s been such a subconscious process, we don’t even know how we got here. Like the frog sitting in the pot with ever increasingly hot water, we’ve adopted these practices as they’ve come about over the years, and as each new technology comes along, we simply adapt a little further down the line, hardly giving it a second thought. Part of what’s happened, and another way our brains have changed through all of this use, is that when we are bored, or without a specific task in a given moment, we have come to need instantaneous distraction and stimulation. Again, this is our addicted brains telling us we need input at all times. If it’s not simple distraction, we think we need entertainment, or to stay “caught up” with the larger worlds. This is to our detriment; because of all this, we’ve lost capacity for stillness, quiet, conflict, creativity, imagination, and growth. We stagnate and atrophy in our physical worlds, in our ability to develop deep, true connections, in our ability to seek out and develop new skills and talents. If we don’t know how to sit with ten minutes of idle time without being distracted and entertained, how can we let our minds go to new places, dream new dreams, hope new hopes? How can we find time to come together with others in understanding, collaboration, seeking to know one another better? Are we even seeking new physical relationships when we think we are so connected online? How do we enjoy the natural world and truly see the physical people around us when our minds are so caught up in not missing out on something online, in comparing ourselves to others, in grasping for a false sense of connection in is inherently superficial and fake?

And then, there is the very real and obvious issue of time itself. The amount of time we are spending on our devices, especially social media, is pretty staggering. You can google this one. In a very practical sense, we are literally giving away our time to our devices. Our one commodity we can never get back is time. We throw it away, like there is always more tomorrow. This is it, man. Your one beautiful life. The thing is, you really do have choice in this matter. No one is telling you how to spend your days but you. You can be intentional, about all your decisions, about all your moments. This includes how much time we spend on a device, of any kind, for any purpose. Think about it. Don’t just passively consume, inhaling all of this without counting the cost. What do you really want? What is important and matters most to you?

These are the kinds of questions that come to mind when thinking about this issue.

Does the good outweigh the bad? Of course, there are positive and negative elements of most things in this world. For this, is it worth it? For you as an individual, and for our larger society? We’ve all seen atrocious ways social media has been used for lots of evil, and caused lots of harm; I’m just not convinced that has no bearing.

Internally, is it doing us any good, in the short and long-terms? Is it life-giving? How do you feel emotionally after being on social media? Peaceful, anxious, happy, stressed? I believe all our decisions should be filtered through this lens. What is accomplished by me doing this action, participating in this activity? The practices of my life - are they helping me become the person I want to be? And who is that? Are we becoming kinder, more empathetic and compassionate? How does using social media, and all that we see and consume there, affect the person I am today and that I want to keep becoming?

I just can’t shake the feeling we’ve been duped. Lots of forces are involved that don’t give a rip about you or me, or anyone else. They mostly care about money; we know this if we’re honest. Maybe we could just take back our lives. Instead of watching other people live their lives, just go live yours. Maybe stop worrying so much about what is happening on the other side of a computer screen, and get outside of yourself. Have coffee with a friend. Invite someone new or old to dinner. Invest in real relationships in your real world. Find a new way to get out of your comfort zone and interact with people different than you. Serve someone in a new way. These are the things that really change us. 

Take back your time and your space. Just say NO. It really is up to you. It has to be, or it’s no longer your life.

This season has been really refreshing for me. I’ve read more, thought more, explored more. I’ve had pockets of time to dream and consider what might be, where I want to go in my life. I’ve gotten outside every chance I’ve gotten and just breathed in the fresh air. I think our eyes are tired. Tired of looking at a tiny rectangle. Tired of us looking down instead of up and out. Let’s open our eyes. Look at the world and the people around you. Life has more to offer us. It is more simple and pure than we often make it. It’s more beautiful and joyful than we allow it to be. The world is complex and messy, unspeakably lovely and unbelievably fractured. But it is real, and it is true. And we are alive. Today, in this moment. Let’s go live in it.