#which could've opened up another category

[humming-fly]

im not even trying to be a hater but im sorry your job poll is genuinely so bad bc so many jobs fall into 2 or even 3 categories its not even funny

i made it that way to fuck with you specifically anon <3

[punktactical]

HIHI!! turns out i could not rmbr wat i was gna originaly request (sadly)

but!! i have a better request!!

pervert!sanji x pervert!reader but theyre both perverts in a way that is concerning and probably criminal :>

(thanks and i hope you have an amazing day!!)

CREEP , sanji

★

summary ; your panties are missing! who could've stolen them? it couldn't have been sanji! he would never.

warnings ; 18+ content , fem y/n , mutual masturbation , panty sniffing , dick slapping , degradation , slight femdom? , sanji is the reader's roommate and good friend !

a/n ; thank u for requesting !! this is kinda bad but i hope u like it. have a wonderful day/night!

★

★

it was just another evening in the shared apartment of you and your roommate, sanji. it just so happened to be laundry day. sanji had just come back from work, tired and sleepy.

slamming the door open, he enters the apartment, groaning and mumbling. you laid on the couch, raising a brow at him. "rough day?" he nods his head, tossing his keys onto the kitchen counter. you smile at him, standing to your feet. "i'll do the laundry, you can go rest." he looks at you, a grateful look in his eyes. "thanks, god knows i need it." you laugh, walking to your bedroom to collect your clothes.

sanji watches you as you walk away, biting his lip.

fuck, he couldn't wait to cum to the countless images of you he has stored in his phone.

★

you separate your clothes into specific categories, humming a sweet tune. once you've finished that, then you began popping them into the washer. but there was a problem!

"the fuck . . . what happened to the rest of my panties?"

you only had two panties, a drastic difference from the multiple you used all week. you checked through all the other clothes you had, but nothing. standing to your feet, you rub your neck. "probably just forgot some back up in the apartment." sighing, you drop the rest of your clothes into the washer and begin walking back upstairs.

opening the door to your apartment, you make sure to enter extra quiet. you're sure that sanji is sleeping right now, which is reasonable after such a slow day.

creeping over to your room, you stop upon squelching noises and soft whines of pleasure from sanji's room. heat immediately rushed between your legs, making you blush. peeking into the half-open door, you're only able to see small movement through the crack.

one thing was for certain though, sanji was jerking himself off with something. something white and striped pink. you squint, leaning in a bit further, unaware of how you've pushed the door open more.

now having a better view, you've come to a horrible realization. "holy shit . . . "

those were your panties. he was jerking himself off with your fucking panties.

you probably should've been mad, really mad. but it was sanji and you would be lying if you said you hadn't thought about him a couple of times.

more than a couple, actually, but that's besides the point !

you watched as he pumped himself, whispering words of praise and affirmation. it shouldn't have been hot, but god was it fucking sexy. your hand travels down to your cunt, slipping into your shorts and feeling yourself. slick coats your fingers, making you shiver.

"you feel s'good, so good for me. fuck, you want m'cum? mm . . . "

you hush your moans, slipping two fingers into your cunt. you began to fuck yourself, watching your roomie sniff your panties and pump himself in delight. you got so caught up in your pleasure, you hardly noticed how the door was now basically fully open.

sanji doesn't notice though, he just keeps going.

"yesyesyesyes, you love this cock, right? shit- it's just f'you, all yours, sweet thing, oh fuck!"

"i love it, fuck yes i love it. ah . . . !" you gasped, speeding up your movements. your shorts were now on the ground, completely disregarded and your panties were hanging by your knees. tears began to well up in yours eyes, fingers covered in your juices. you were so, so close. "give it to me, sanji. i'll take it all ~ !" you shrieked, cumming right on the spot.

you swear to god you were seeing stars.

juices dripped down your thighs, shaking in pleasure. sliding onto the floor, you huff.

"fuck- [y/n]?!"

shit, you forgot.

you jump to your feet, slipping your panties back on, drenching them. sanji hid his cock with a pillow, his face beet red.

"s- sanji, the fuck were you doing with my panties?!" he sputters, having trouble coming up with an answer. "it's not what it looks like, i- i i just needed to let off some steam- ah!" you raised a brow at him. his arm was still moving from underneath the pillow. "holy shit, are you still jerkin' off? you gross asshole!?" you slap him across the face. he moans, throwing his head back.

"you fuckin' perv, you like that?"

"[y/n], s- stop, you were watchin' me too!!" he defends himself, eyebrows furrowed. you groan, wiping your fingers on your shirt. "cuz yer jerkin' off with my panties?! how was i supposed to just walk off with that image in my head! fuck . . . " you sigh, shaking your head in exasperation.

sanji grunts, tossing the pillow off of himself and displaying his cock to you. the tip is red, glistening with slick.

"do you have no fuckin' shame?!" you slap his dick, watching as it pulses. he bites his lip, groaning. "yer . . . not any better- shit !" he was right, this was fucking hot. but you wouldn't admit that. sanji speeds his movements up, hand gripping his cock harshly. "ya gonna cum right in front of me, sanji?" you mock him, already slipping your fingers back into your dripping cunt.

he shakes his head, embarrassed and ashamed of his own actions. how could he deny it any longer? he just needed a final push, something to-

"cum, fucking cum, perv."

thick shots of cum dribble out of his tip's slit, coating his whole hand in white. he continues to pump himself, milking him of every drop of semen. he growls, eyes never leaving you. smirking, you crawl onto his bed and position yourself above him. "now that you're done with that, are ya gonna help me or what?"

★

[exercise-of-trust]

everyone clap and cheer for my beautiful daughter who has every disease 🥰 her name is þerindë because her wheel is made out of an embroidery hoop; she is entirely handmade and boy howdy does it show

a whole bunch of things have stopped working since i took that video last night and i'm not sure how much more wherewithal i have to keep messing with her, but i did manage to spin about two feet of something before then! so i'm showing her off a bit now, and if i can figure out what-all i fucked up maybe you'll see more of her in the future. some process and progress photos under the cut (not a tutorial. do not do this. i cannot sufficiently stress how bad of an idea this was and is*)

(*if you are going to do this and have questions not answered here i am always happy to answer them, inbox and dms are open etc, but like. i would strongly advise against it)

here's the hoop! it's about a foot across, with a groove carved out with a speedball. this ended up being way too shallow (who'd'a'thunk) so the final version is a lot deeper than what you're seeing here. the paint stirrers are held in with straight pins because i was worried regular nails would just crack the hoop lmao. my girl is so deeply and profoundly scuffed <3

the flyer is made from three cedar shingles glued together because i didn't have a solid piece of wood large enough. astonishingly nothing broke while i was sawing out the rough shape and it whittled down pretty nicely! the hooks are scrap 2mm copper wire, the orfice is a couple inches of plastic drinking straw, and the pulley wheel is also hand-carved, which is why it looks like a fucked-up oreo and has the weird hitch at the top of the spin that you probably saw in the video 🙃 frankly i am astonished it works as well as it does

the wheel frame is. man. the axle supports haven't broken yet but frankly it's a miracle they're still in place with how much strain they're under every time. the original base was that weird little bit of paint stirrer, which (shocker) did not work out in the long run; it's been replaced by an offcut from the frame and is significantly more sturdy now. it's surprisingly level, though, and turns pretty smoothly all things considered!

the frame was a nightmare start to finish; i've never done any serious woodworking before in my life and the whole thing was just kind of slapped together without a plan or any sort of concrete measurement. it wobbles so fucking bad and every few hours i have to push a couple of the parts back together where the nails are sort of drifting out of the wood. you may observe a weird post sticking out the left side of the mother-of-all; that is supposed to be for scotch tensioning. does it actually do that? sort of! the belt is a length of cotton crochet thread that is, after much fiddling, just the right size to not slip out more than once every three minutes.

treadling was another pain to figure out and i think i probably made it way more complicated than it needed to be. it still doesn't work very well and i can't tell if that's something i can fix hardware-wise or if i just have to suck it up and practice a lot more. turns out feet are not as coordinated as hands! i would say "now i know for next time!" but frankly i am never doing this again. you couldn't pay me. speaking of which, i did the math and at my current pre-tax hourly salary i could've bought two brand-new ashford travelers with the number of hours i spent building my awful rickety daughter. at the end of the day, do i love her? immensely. is she "good"? by no stretch of the imagination.

anyway. this was a terrible use of my time <3 but i do finally feel confident enough in all the parts of a spinning wheel and what they're for that i can brave the dangers of facebook marketplace's "spinning wheel" category without getting too badly scammed! which is pretty valuable in its own right, i guess.

[dawnoftime22]

this is me trying.

| T.S

Warnings: not a mentally good mindset, thought of getting a therapist, R crying at Taylor's present, Tay mentioning R getting through the year, not proofread

Summary: You felt down even as your birthday came up. But even through it all, Taylor manages to eventually brighten your day and even had a special treasure hunt planned out just for you.

Word Count: 3.1k

Category: Fluff, Comfort

A/N: this has so many hidden little meanings, just how I like it. its kinda more relationship anniversary themed tbh, but its still cute<3 made this before I got myself back up and expected sadness all the next days, but I'm okay now :]

| Started on 01/12/2024, 7:21 AM |

| Finished on 01/12/2024, 5:54 PM |

Main Masterlist | T.S Masterlist

Request Guidelines

“Pulled the car off the road to the lookout, could've followed my fears all the way down...”

|——————————— ⸆⸉ ———————————|

Today was that time of the year again.

A day you didn't know whether to hate, love, dread for, or dance for. Your age went up another number— you felt like you were wasting time. How did people deal with this again? They probably don't. You don't. Oh, actually, by doing something...or getting a therapist. You sighed at the thought.

It was just the date, your head said to itself. But there was no excuse that you've been feeling nothing for the past few weeks. Well, at least you weren't down that bad as to the point it would be concerning, but you didn't feel great either.

It wasn't dissociation. It wasn't numbness. You were going through the motions, taking whatever life was throwing at you as you tried to just keep being there. Well, you weren't even taking it at all, you were just holding whatever situation in your hands for a second, like it was just simply the daily paper, then throwing it right back at life.

Like being nonchalant, but you weren't nonchalant. There was truly no way to explain it. You had simply gone through too much to have been fazed, too done with what the universe had up its sleeves. It was probably confused at your reaction of being neither sad or mad. Good. You hoped so.

Had anyone else gone through this? Feeling so lonely in your perspective of thought, up to the point you couldn't have a way to explain it? For sure. It certainly didn't provide any help to you thinking whether you were a good person or a bad person.

You took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly to start your day slowly. You had woken up so early in the day, the sun was just barely about to come up.

But after staying cozy under the covers, staring at your phone or the walls of your bedroom, you willed yourself out of bed anyway, fighting the feeling of staying curled up all day.

Taylor wasn't next to you in bed, and you were sitting in your own house, after all. She stayed last night, but had to go in the morning, and somehow you had missed her. You felt a tinge of sadness, but she promised you and teased you of her plans today constantly, which kept your spirits up in a way.

You peeled your shirt off, getting yourself ready to go step into the shower. The steps your feet padded along your wooden floors were quiet, unmistakably a trait of yours you got so much that you'd accidentally scare some people without meaning to.

The bathroom was an immensely different temperature compared to your room, but it was in all the right ways. It wasn't too hot or too cold, and the lighting was kind to your eyes.

As you cleaned yourself up, you let the scents of the shower gel and shampoo fill your senses. You were doing everything, but your mind was spaced out, though you had to admit, the shower was a distraction to get anything else out from your thoughts.

You felt alright for a moment. It was like the water was carrying your weight for you before it gave it right back just as you turned off the shower.

As you felt the heaviness go through your body even after you've freshened up, you did all the mundane tasks. Getting your clothes on, opening the curtains, and finally, grabbing your phone and headphones to head to the kitchen.

You had 'Male Fantasy' by Billie Eilish playing in your ears, cycling through her music for your day. You were sure the music video of that song was all that you looked like, felt like and encapsulated.

Making breakfast felt like it was a chore. You ate, it was gone as fast as it came, but at least you made through it best as you could.

You opened up your phone, going through your notifications rather than leaving it be for once. There weren't many birthday wishes, but you were used to it. The most that you would cherish is one from yourself to say much, and Taylor.

You did see a message from her, but it wasn't a wish, it was something that only made your heart swell in curiosity.

'Hey, sweetheart. You should check the pocket of my hoodie I gave you<3'

Sent at 11:46 AM

Read at 11:58 AM

Her text message had made you blink. The nickname made your heart swell, but the rest of it was mysterious, save from the fact that she had a teensy heart next to all of it.

But you got up from your chair instantly, grabbing your plate and mug to put in the sink to wash and rest on the drying rack, eager to find what Taylor has been up to.

By the time you let the kitchen towel soak up the water on your hands, you went off to your bedroom once more, going in to find her hoodie.

Usually, it'd be on the bed, but when your eyes searched, there was nothing. So, your eyebrows furrowed in confusion before you instead went to check the closet.

She was cheeky. You borrowed a lot of hoodies from her. You'd have taken a guess that it was the most recent one she gave you, but it was empty of anything.

You had to search every one, checking the pockets and worrying nearly that a double check would be needed. But it wasn't long until your hand soon felt something poking it. Of course, it was hidden in her favorite hoodie.

When you took it out, it was a piece of a folded paper. It was starting to come together to you. Her plan was a possible treasure hunt. Joy filled your heart, and you unfolded the paper.

'By the roaring of where the wind meets something blue, where will I be? Something so, so due, I hide under a resting spot.'

You had to think about it for a while, pausing as your eyes stared at the writing on the piece of paper.

The thoughts in your head lead to the lesser known beach, where Taylor always spent time with you, having your private time together without anyone spotting you.

You smile widely, and instantly went to get ready, grabbing the hoodie you retrieved the riddle out of to wear.

It was warm and cozy, filling you with the feeling of sweet fuzziness from love. Your steps were through your house, and your hand reaches for your keys.

Once the door was shut, you were on your way to the beach. It was close by, so you chose to walk. The sun was kissing your skin. Was Taylor doing all this just to get you to go outside? Maybe. But you follow your path anyway, looking around the area.

The beach was empty when you arrived, just how you liked it. The wind was making itself known with its whistles passing by your ear, and the seas were crashing its waves onto shore gently.

You looked at the paper in your hand again, having kept it in the same pocket earlier, going over the words to then look around.

'Something so, so due, I hide under a resting spot.'

A resting spot. You search the nearby wooden swings, but there were nothing, and they weren't completely a place to rest at.

After a few more steps, you spot a bench sitting right near the shop that sold seashells and trinkets. You had forgotten there was one there, and it had been a while since you enjoyed any ice cream with Taylor there. It might've been where you sat on your first date too, but it hadn't been revisited until now.

Your heart swells, and you smiled softly, but starting to search for whatever it was you're looking for. But every part had nothing. You were only hoping you were at the right spot, even though there was no doubt now.

You nearly felt like you were probably looking like a mad person, looking around for something at a bench, or hoping it looked like you lost something.

But thankfully, there was no one around to peer on your treasure hunt, and soon enough, you searched under the bench, seeing something gleaming.

Carefully, you used the flashlight on your phone and looked below, reaching out to grab the item taped under the bench, avoiding anything that could be sticky or dusty, perhaps even have a bug.

Turning off your flashlight, you look at the box. It was light blue, just about the color of her album, 1989. And of course, when you opened it, it had a necklace with a seagull charm. Smiling widely, you took it out to admire it. There were two other charms next to it, spelling 'T.S,' and you might just die out of love.

Above where the necklace was sitting, there was another note in Taylor's handwriting.

'Sweet love; thats what you are. I wear your initials, so will you too? :) My next spot is where I lay most with you, wondering if you'll be in one place with me at all times.'

P.S, smile, baby :

You were about to feel stumped by her sweetness, but at the picture you just couldn't help but laugh, and now you were sure you looked like a mad person.

Your heart thumped slightly against your chest, reading over the words again like it was a love letter— and it really kinda was, but you think about it, biting your lip.

'One place with her at all times,' the only thing that had come into your mind was when she would randomly wonder about you going to move in with her. You said you would have loved to, but you both decided to do it once she settled down with her tour.

Really, it was just so you wouldn't be awfully alone in the house, but it was also because she didn't have much time to help you move in just yet. Besides, it’s better to soak up the moment of it than going fast.

'The place where I lay most with you,' you were thinking of your bed. Well, there was her bed too, but considering your house was closer, you decided to go to yours.

You store the necklace back, delicately putting the lid back on and carrying the box back with you.

Once you were back in your bedroom, you look to the bed, which had nothing but your plushies sitting on the pillows. You'd had searched under them, or anything that could hide a riddle, but nothing.

When you lifted up the pillow on the side Taylor would sleep on though, there, the next riddle was sitting peacefully.

'Come home, sweetheart. I love you.<3'

It wasn't a riddle, it was just...words. But it was soft. You could imagine it in her voice, and after everything the past weeks of your life has been, you were about to curl yourself up in bed and cry it out, thinking the words over and over.

But it wasn't an invitation. It was her telling you to come home. Home was her. And her house was your home too. You took in a breath, slowly exhaling it out to gather yourself together, blinking away anything that could give way to a tear.

You stored the note in your pocket, and went to your car, driving carefully to make sure you arrive to her house safe and sound. She was waiting, her car sitting in the driveway itself.

Once you killed your engine and got out, you walk up to her front steps and stood at the door, your heart beating faster than normal as you stared at it, then took all your courage to ring the doorbell.

Taylor heard it; it was clear by the sound of movement. "Hold on!" you hear her voice call out from the other side of the door. A smile rose up on your lips, unable to contain the excitement you felt. You hadn't felt this excited in a while.

It took just a few seconds, rolling on your feet as you waited, but it didn't take long until the door opens, and behind it, revealed Taylor standing with a cake in her hands.

Your lips part in surprise at the sight, and Taylor smiles softly.

"Happy birthday!!" she said, her eyes roaming your face. She could see the shock in all your features, and you breathed out a chuckle, disbelief spread all through you.

"Tay...I thought you had work..." you whispered softly, vulnerability in your voice, and her eyes soften, realizing now that you possibly had thought the treasure hunt meant that it was something she made because she was busy.

"No. Of course not, for you..." she reassured, her gaze loving as she took a few steps back to let you in.

You went in, closing the door behind you and taking off your shoes as she went to the kitchen, setting down the cake in her hands carefully.

"I...can't believe you did all that for me." You followed her to where she was, watching as she grabbed a lighter to light up the candles on the cake.

You were trying your best not to fall into your emotions the best you could, seeing the care and patience she held even as she finished up and you hesitated.

She smiles gently. "Make your wish...and blow out the candles." The cake turned to face you, and you stepped closer to it, thinking about your wish before blowing out the fire, smoke clouding up just a little bit.

You could see the writing on the cake and just how perfect it was. It was your favorite type, too. "Thank you..." you whispered, turning your head to look at her. She could hear the smallness growing in your voice, and her heart only further swelled.

"Come here," she murmurs, opening her arms. You would have nearly leapt into hrr if you were a bouncy joy that was dancing on your birthday, but you went to her like you needed the hug. Like you hadn't gotten one in years on end.

You melt into her embrace, your own arms wrapped tightly around her too as you closed your eyes, giving a gentle squeeze. She returned it with an endearing kiss on your head.

"I'm so proud of you, baby." She says, leaning back to capture your eyes, still keeping you close.

She knew the things you've been facing, whether with emotion or not, or with feelings you couldn't name or describe, and all she wanted to do was keep you safe in her arms. You let out a slow breath that made you relax, your hand clutching her shirt.

She brought a gentle hand up to one of your cheeks, cupping and caressing soothingly. "I love you...I love that you've made it through the year too, because I don't know what I would do if not," she whispers, smiling softly, but you could see the true worry of love in her eyes, and you wanted to cry right then and there.

"I love you too..." you breathed, your voice nearly breaking in on itself. She gave a kiss to your cheek, both hands moving to cup them now, and nuzzled into your nose.

After doing so and making sure you weren't pulling away, she slowly leans in for a soft kiss on your lips, her hands bringing you closer to her.

She smiled lovingly at you, looking into your eyes before her hand dropped down to yours to intertwine, your fingers interlocking so she could guide you to the couch.

"Sit here..." she murmurs, settling you there to sit comfortably. The TV had your favorite film. You thought she was going to go cut up a slice of the cake so you could both enjoy it while watching together, but when she stepped away, she didn't go to the kitchen.

"I got you something too, hold on," she murmurs, quickly going to her bedroom to grab it and walking out by holding the hole handles. You watched her, frozen with your heavyloaded heart.

"A surprise...?" you teared up a little when you heard her words, having not had a single person to ever give you such a surprise.

"Yeah, baby, be careful..." she whispers, holding it out to you. She knew how much it meant to you, having heard your words once before of not caring what you got for your birthday, as long as it was heartfelt.

As long as it was sweet. It didn't even need to be thoughtful honestly, you would have taken a paper craft or anything handmade and you would've let out tears too.

You shakily opened the lid of the box, and the sight inside only made the world stop. The most adorable furball popped up, curiosity and confusion evident in its face.

"Its a kitten..." you only wanted to cry further at the gift, seeing the smallest cat, right there out the box. Right there. Something you've always wanted, as much as Taylor had her own cats, now you had one for yourself.

You gently and hesitantly picked it up. It didn't fight. It was just as gentle as you, and it was of course clean. You hug it carefully to your chest, your tears basically dampening its fur.

Taylor watched gently and lovingly, her smile wide on her face as she stood there. She took a step closer, putting a hand on your shoulder as she lets you cry it out.

"Do you like it?" she asks softly. She already knew, and she could tell just by your reaction, but she knew it was something she needed to say anyway, because you might not possibly voice out your love on this day more than a 'thank you.'

"I love it...I love it so much...thank you..." you managed to whisper through breaths of your crying, looking up to meet her eyes. You set the kitty down in your lap and opened your arms up for her, wanting her to come in for a hug.

Her expressions soften, and she instantly goes closer, sitting on the couch next to you to pull you into an embrace, her arms wrapped around you.

She was careful not to squish the sweet kitten in your lap, which hadn't moved from its spot, but looking at you two. She gives you a peck on the cheek before smiling at you, returning her attention to the kitten.

"What're we gonna name it...hm?"

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

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[bingbongsupremacy]

How To Kiss

Pairing: Ellie Williams x reader

Warnings: Confusion about Sexuality. I've never actually read a teen magazine so idk if they had shit like this. Sounded good. Ellie and Reader are like teens in this rn. It's going to fast forward to when they're older in the part 2 im going to do.

I haven't had my first kiss yet. Hopefully someday bros.

Summary: The day you and Ellie discovered you were both gay.

Song: I kissed a girl - Katy Perry

(Btw Credit to Liv McConnel at teen vogue for the kissing steps. I took them from there. )

Also Joel works at an Auto Shop in this.

*Not Proof Read* TLOU Masterlist

Pt. 1 Pt. 2 Pt. 3

*****

My fingers brush over the shiny pages of Savage Starlight. Ellie quietly hums along while tapping her foot on her space themed bed cover.

" Fuck no. " Ellie mutters, flipping the page of the comic. " That ass. " She whispers.

A small grin makes its way onto my face. Ellie's habit of talking to herself while reading her comics is the funniest thing.

I finish the book and turn to look at my best friend. Her brows furrow in concentration. Her top teeth softly bite down on her lower lip, her gaze focused on the pages in front of her. She lets out a sigh and shuts the comic, glancing over at me. " I can't believe we have to wait until next month for the next book. I need to know now! " Ellie complains with a huff.

" I know! " I turn my gaze up at the ceiling. " At least we have the rest of the books to re-read. "

Ellie hums in agreement. " What should we do now? Joel's not going to be home for another hour. He's bringing pizza. "

Ellie's adoptive father was working a late shift at the auto shop he worked at.

" Nice! " I sit up and turn to her. " Guess what I snagged from my sister. " I smirk while pulling open my brightly colored backpack.

" Um uh a dog? "

I roll my eyes. " Why the hell would I keep a dog in my backpack for so long, Ellie. "

Ellie shrugs and leans back against her headboard. " Variety is the spice of life. "

I chuckle. " What the fuck. "

I pull out a teen magazine. " It's a girl magazine thing! My sister has like seventy of these from when she was younger. I found them when I was snooping around this morning! " I grin while flipping through the pages. I open up to a page of Justin Bieber. " Justin Bieber is in like almost all of these! "

Ellie crinkles her nose. " Bro not Justin. "

I roll my eyes and toss one of the magazines to her. " I thought we could look at them. "

We flip through the pages of the magazines. We take some quizzes (All of which Ellie makes fun of) and read some of the advice.

" How To Kiss " Ellie reads out loud. " What the hell. " She goes to turn the page.

" Wait! Let's read it. " I reach for the magazine.

" Why? It's not like you have a boyfriend. " Ellie smirks.

I glare at the girl. " Fuck you, Ellie. I just want to read it, okay? Who knows, we might need that in the future? "

" Fine. " Ellie sighs. " Fine. "

The two of you huddle around the brightly colored magazine.

1. Build up to the kiss.

2. Make sure the kiss has your, and the other party’s, consent.

3. Start things slow.

4. Keep your mouth soft and relaxed.

5. Switch your area of focus and/or your speed.

6. Speaking of area of focus — move things away from their lips.

7. Go easy on the tongue.

8. Don’t overthink it.

9. Talk about it afterward!

" Doesn't sound that hard. I literally could've told you that. " Ellie mutters. " Kissing isn't a hard concept. "

I continue on reading through the different categories. " But like, it seems hard. How do you know if the other person likes it? "

Ellie grabs a small ball from her bedside table and starts throwing it up into the air. " They'll probably tell you. "

" Have you had your first kiss? " I ask while watching the other girl curiously. She would've told me if she'd been kissed, right? I mean, we tell each other everything. It's always been that way, always will be that way.

Ellie pauses throwing the ball and glances down at me. " No. " She admits, a small blush crawling onto her cheeks. " But I mean, kissing can't be that hard. It's like...common sense. People do it all the time. "

I frown. " What if I'm a bad kisser? "

" You won't be. " Ellie shakes her head. " Stop reading that shit, it's getting in your head. Let's just do something else. Like watch a movie or something. "

" Seriously tho, El. What if I'm a bad kisser. What if the person I kiss is so horrified by my kissing, they leave me? " A million scenarios run through my head.

Ellie lets out a groan. " Oh my god. Will you just stop. You're going to be a fine kisser. " Ellie meets your gaze. " Look, if...if you want to...we could like I don't know. Practice or something. " A tinge of red spreads over Ellie's cheeks. She avoids my gaze, instead staring straight at the magazine.

I look at her in shock. Kissing Ellie? I'd be lying if I said I never had thoughts of kissing her before...but everyone has thoughts, right? I mean Ellie's eyes are some of the prettiest I've ever seen. She's definitely attractive. But I like boys. I think. Plus Ellie's not gay. Right?

Ellie shifts uncomfortably. " Never mind, that was-that was stupid of me to offer. Let's just watch a show-"

" No. " I shake my head. " Let's do it. I mean, we both need practice. " Suddenly it feels like my heart starts pounding faster. My fingers feel the urge to fidget with something out of pure anxiety.

Ellie nods and moves the magazine to the side. She positions herself in front of me, on her knees. Ellie eyes meet with mine before she glances down at the magazine, obviously looking over the steps.

I'm about to comment on her hypocrisy when she suddenly puts her hand on my chin. She draws her face close to mine. Her minty breath fans over my mouth, causing me to freeze in anticipation.

Ellie slowly leans in. In seconds, I feel her warm lips on mine.

My heart feels like it explodes. Butterflies seem to soar around my stomach, confusing me. What am I feeling? What is this? How is this happening?

My eyes study Ellie's relaxed face. Her eyes are closed. Her long brown lashes rest peacefully on her cheeks. Deciding to follow her lead, I try to relax. I close my eyes and follow her slow mouth movements.

All worries and thoughts of mine seem to melt away. What are the steps again? I don't remember?

We spend who knows how long kissing before Ellie starts to speed up. She places a small kiss on the corner of my lip before pulling away panting.

The loss of her lips leaves a pit of disappoints in my stomach. I ignore it and look up at her eyes.

An unfamiliar expression is sprawled on her face. Maybe realization?

" That was.." Ellie begins.

" Not bad. " I grin.

Ellie chuckles. " Yeah. Not bad. " Ellie shuts off the radio and turns on the small tv on her dresser. " What should we watch? "

_______

We never kissed again after that. Things remained the same. Ellie and I still hung out every Friday at her house to read comics and watch movies. We sat together at school with Dina and Jesse.

The only things that changed were my feelings. I started to develop a crush on Ellie, not that I could ever act on it. Ellie didn't like me back.

It wouldn't matter anyways. Ellie's sister Sarah ended up getting really sick, causing Ellie's family to move to another state to get better care for her. Somewhere along the line we stopped talking. Slowly, calls every day turned to calls once a week and eventually to once a year.

I get it. Life goes on. I'm in the past. Friendships die. Nothing lasts forever.

[jikookuntold]

Sorry but don't you think it was already for Jikookers the moment JK's video was leaked ?

Saw many explanations and excuses saying it's made up, set up, fake etc. But really? There was no original source of video to prove it was edited. We can clearly see it's him in his apartment and bam running around him. It was filmed in Feb from his hairstyle, when bam was still with him. I saw some of big Jikokkers here having a relieved sigh when he said he don't have a gf now but He only said he don't have a gf in September. Tbh enough time to casually date and breakup with a girl.. which I've always thought his dating pattern is. So technically he wasn't lying either. And didn't he said he don't feel like wanting anyone and just want to concentrate on work for now? Doesn't that mean he don't have any partner but will have a gf in future ? In short not only he denied he had gf at the moment but also anyone special in his life. I don't think 'homophobic country' excuses applies as they literally enlisted together infront of everyone in the same country's military.

Also saw someone saying it can be a friend. But think.. who hugs some random girl in their apartment when their partner is not present there? Imagine spotting your bf hugging some random woman like that in apartment when they are alone at night. Doesn't make sense right ?

Another category of jikookers was going with 'open relationship' explanation but still not accepting Jikook is not romantically involved and everything was just them reading it wrong. Because if anyone listened to things Jimin said its clear af he only want to be in exclusive relationship.. maybe JK too but he was not even available for a serious relationship then.

Only a small percentage of Jikookers accepted its real and he has a gf irl or atleast not dating Jimin.

When i see Jikookers trying to deny it and find every excuses, it sounds like taekookers who still think Taennie was fake and army who think it's fake videos and pics.

But even worse for taekookers because one was seen holding his gf's hand in Paris while another was hugging his gf in his apartment all while choosing songs only about fucking women 😭 ik he said its not about his real life but only he chose songs like that. Others wrote their own songs but Tae's songs weren't autobiographical either and none of them were about fucking women or hetero sex. If it was rhythm he liked them they could've wrote some meaningful or even funny lyrics but nope all were about sex with women. If that doesn't tell about JK's sexuality and interests idk what will, 3D's choreo was fucking gross too. He's naturally drawn to what he likes. Tkkrs survive by lying and living in delusional world denying reality.. now jikookers also doing the same thing imo 🤷‍♀️ so idk why you have to make taekookers understand their ship is not real when Jikook isn't real too and 90% chance JK is straight af.

First of all, there is no reason for me to believe that blurry video posted on a chinese platform is Jungkook. Look for yourself, where is his lip piercing? Or the scar on his cheek? Or the mole under his lip? Huh? 😼

Wonder why that sasaeng who was spying for hours on a perfect angle on his window to catch him with the girl, didn't use a better cam instead of a toaster so their faces don't look like bread loafs? Even a normal phone has a better camera. Why in the other photos they leaked of him alone in his house the quality is good and the angle is completely different? When they explain this, I can agree that this ghost-face is JK. Otherwise it's just someone with bangs backhugging a giant pregnant lady wearing a night gown behind an open window on a breezy night.

About your mental gymnastic, in the listening party, fans were leaving comments asking "do you have a girlfriend?" And his answer was addressing that repetitive question, not the video. And don't give me this category of jikookers that percentage of jikookers thing. I don't care about anyone else's opinion, they can have their own, I have mine.

Don't you dare to compare that thing with Taennie. Taennie had 10 different HD photos leaked together and many obvious clues and hints proving the photos and the relationship was real, and even biggest and the most reliable media sources like Rolling Stone, BBC, Billboard, Dispatch, JTBC, etc wrote articles about them dating and being spotted together. JK didn't even wait for two days to react to that nonsense, but Tae was totally silent about it for almost two years. On the contrary, he started it all with following Jennie on IG, and then fueled it with more hints and wearing matching jewelry. Kmedia said they have been separated for months, so he could come up and say "I don't have a girlfriend" just like his dongsaeng but he didn't 🤷‍♀

Did you know Ricky Martin, George Michael, Freddie Mercury and many other queer singers for decades sang songs about having sex with women? Some was even their own lyrics while they were gay af lol. And you say Tae is gayer than JK because he didn't sing about having sex with women 😹

And how Jikook enlisting together has anything to do with this at all? Who said anything about homophobic country? Do guys deny having girlfriend in a homophobic country? Shouldn't it be the other way around? Did Jikook went to apply for buddy system and say "Sir, we are gay and in love, we can't stand being separated, please let us enlist together 😃🏳‍🌈" Nope.

The military of this homophobic country made this system available for close friends and relatives between the ages 18 and 28 to minimize the mental and physical traumas of mandatory service, and they are not going to ask them if they are having sex.

We always said Jikook can't live without each other, but it was people like you who come up with things like "they can't stand each other" "they only look close on cameras" "they don't care about each other" "they have different and separated lives" "they broke up" 🤡 Now that it is proved that Jikook is the closest and the most inseparable duo in BTS you are still brave on your shit? 💩

And since that video is your last straw I made this edit for you, I hope you like it 😻

[brf-rumortrackinganon]

I must have missed the Met Gala ‘fuck off’ Anna Wintour thingy mabob regarding Meghan.

If you have time could you please expand on it? I saw it on another post and it really peaked my interest 😁

Sure! The only way the rumor makes sense is if you know "Met Gala 101" so I'll start there, then dive into the rumor. I will warn you now, the rumor ends up getting a little tinhatty because the timing is strange.

The main thing to know is that Anna Wintour has final say over everything that happens at the Met Gala, including what/who people wear. (Some people believe she personally approves every outfit, others think she just likes knowing what people are wearing so she can edit and organize the red carpet like it's a photoshoot.) As part of this, Anna also has final approval over who is invited as plus-ones to the designers.

So there are a few different ways to get on the invite list for the Met Gala:

Be the guest of a designer/fashion house who has bought a table or tickets. To get a designer +1, you usually need a personal relationship with a designer (either an ambassadorship like Kristen Stewart is for Chanel or you're besties like Sarah Jessica Parker and Alexander McQueen or Zac Posen and Katie Holmes) or you need to be a hot It celebrity of the moment like Zendaya, Taylor Swift, Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordie.

Purchase your own ticket (they start at $50K nowadays).

Be a huge donor to the Met, either in money or time.

Work at Vogue or one of the Gala's sponsors.

Perform at the Gala (which is how the Kardashians finally got invited - Kim was Kanye's +1, who was performing).

Be the partner/friend of someone who fits into one of these categories, and hope they get a +1 and choose you.

(I also think the gala's co-hosts get a couple of tickets for free.)

That's "Met Gala 101." Now, the rumor.

Edward Enninful, who was then the editor of British Vogue, was said to have invited Meghan to the Met Gala as his +1. (He gets tickets for being a Vogue employee and Anna approved Meghan as his guest because she fell under "hot It celebrity of the moment".) Allegedly, when Anna asked to know what Meghan was going to wear, Meghan upset/offended her, and Anna rescinded her approval for Meghan to be Edward's guest and Edward dropped Meghan.

There are a few different versions about what Meghan did to Anna:

Meghan refused to tell Anna who/what she was wearing.

Anna gave suggestions to Meghan and she refused to listen.

Meghan lied/changed her mind about who she was wearing after getting Anna's OK and changed her outfit.

Supposedly this was for Met Gala 2019. Supposedly, Meghan was so pissed off that she was uninvited from the Met Gala that she had Archie on May 6th to steal the headlines/thunder from Anna in revenge.

I'm not sure how valid this one is. The timing is suspicious because no way would anyone let a due-any-day pregnant woman travel like that, especially not one who was said to be overdue. (I think Harry wrote in Spare that Archie was 2 weeks overdue.) So either it confirms surrogacy - especially when you remember that in January or February, Meghan told a wellwisher "nearly there, not long to wait" about her pregnancy - or it's completely made up. It wouldn't be the first time that someone made something up and it caught on like wildfire.

It's more plausible to me if this was about the 2018 Met Gala, which was held May 7, 2018. A quick google search showed Meghan didn't have any events or make any public appearances around that time so it's possible she could've been planning a quick popover before the wedding. It's when she would have been most in demand and most sought-after, and it would have been a real coup for Anna and Edward to get her "red carpet society debut" over British society.

It wouldn't have been Met Gala 2020, which was cancelled for COVID. Enninful didn't go to Met Gala 2021 (it overlapped with the opening of London Fashion Week and he was photographed at parties with Naomi Campbell. I documented the rumor on my spreadsheet in 2021 so any of the years after don't count.

So, that's the rumor and the backstory. It's totally up to you whether you believe it or not. If it is true, or a variation of it is true, then the Met Gala crowd and the New York elite crowd that's close to Anna would've absolutely heard about Meghan's behavior. The other thing to remember about Anna is that she also occupies British society too, so she may also be aware of what British society says about Meghan (and Harry).

I'll end this with a little bit of Met Gala gossip from last year (2023). Last year, Olivia Wilde showed up to the Met Gala in the same outfit as Margaret Zhang, Vogue China's editor (Olivia's dress was white, Margaret's was blue). This sort of snafu is exactly why Anna likes to have input in what people wear, so Olivia Wilde showing up to a red carpet in the same outfit of another guest - a Vogue editor specifically - is the worst fashion sin of them all. That she did it at the Met Gala? With the entire world watching? I mean, you might as well go crawl under the Brooklyn Bridge and accept your life as the new bridge troll. But that's not the juicy bit. The juicy bit is that Olivia Wilde showing up in the same outfit of another guest means she wasn't the +1 for a designer or a guest of the Met because Anna would've told her to wear something else since the outfit was committed to Margaret. It means that Olivia paid $50K out of pocket to be embarrassed and supposedly Anna and Margaret were both so upset by it that Olivia may have been blacklisted from the gala for a few years. Now, why would Olivia shell out $50K for a ticket? Allegedly Harry Styles was going to be there too and she wanted to get back together with him.

[shiraoyagi]

so i read touya5 via Google translate (i will be reading fan translations when they come out, though)

spoilers below

i think the event was very good.

i've always considered harumichi and touya to have various similarities, so to see it expanded on like this was very nice. i also like the direction they're taking with touya's arc, where he seems to be bridging the gap with his family in a sense. i especially enjoyed his phone call with shuuji, even if shuuji should've called to apologize much sooner... and i like touya's development here of realizing that music isn't easily boxed into categories and that all people doing music have some kind of connected feelings in creating it.

i also thought what they did with harumichi was interesting, and it was nice to see an explanation for *why* harumichi was so opposed to street music if he's actually open to genres of music that aren't classical. we learn that he was looked down on by street musicians for doing classical on his (sort of) equivalent of vivid street, and that impression of street music stuck with him, especially since the genre was new at the time he was in new york.

i think it was also sad to see touya's confliction about learning this information, as well as how he learned none of this from harumichi himself. harumichi is pretty bad at communicating his feelings (something touya picked up from him as well 😭), so it's interesting to think about how much pain could've been avoided if harumichi had just sat down and talked with touya normally— although, i think the point of touya4 and now touya5 are to basically say that. that now that communication is an option, things are slowly changing for the better (and it certainly doesn't fix the mistakes in the past— i think clpl makes it clear they take touya's abuse very seriously because they've been continuing to reiterate it since touya4 [which people mistakenly label as a redemption arc for harumichi] anyways)

the event really sets up this conversation that harumichi and touya will need to have next time; and i'm honestly really excited for it. now i just want touya6 already!!

some other interesting things to note that aren't super important

-> I think this event is very similar to ena4. ena4 is my favorite ena event

-> i wasn't sure if vbs was gonna be staying in America for more than one event, but it seems so. even all the area convos are sekai only LOL

-> still the ominous foreshadowing with cedric and slade... i know something is up with them. I guess we r gonna have to wait another 2 years just like last time with nagi, huh? /hj

-> taiga fucking up the hotel date placement and apparently having done that with past trips is so fucking funny. he's actually stupid

-> hints towards an's future arc! she feels frustrated that taiga and ken have to pay vbs's way to america; she doesn't feel like they're really on equal footing with the two as "rivals" even after surpassing rad weekend. i do wonder what this will entail for an6

-> lloyd hopper. prsk is really bad at giving Americans names once again. also, i just know people r gonna draw harumichi x lloyd yaoi

-> akito fucking up and forgetting to speak english infront of lloyd and kohane having to remind him was funny (at least, I think that's what happened)

[cyanogen-miasma]

Oh boy Sedna (she/her and it/its)

I've always liked Sedna the most out of the dwarf planet candidates. I don't know if this is just nostalgia due to the fact that my childhood space encyclopedia specifically used Sedna as an example of a dwarf planet alongside Pluto, complete with a pretty artist's impression - we don't even know that much about Sedna. But perhaps that's the charm! Sedna is a complete enigma - we can't even estimate its mass to the same degree of accuracy as the other dwarf planets because it doesn't have any moons. Not to mention its crazy orbit, we still don't know why it's so eccentric. In fact Sedna's orbit is one of the main hypotheses for the existence of Planet 9, as it and the group of KBOs it gives its name to - the sednoids - have orbits so eccentric and distant that they cannot be explained by the gravitational disturbance of any existing planet. Very interesting stuff.

Sedna's 'lore' of sorts, is quite dependent on the Planet 9 hypothesis proving to be real. It would find Planet 9 in the depths of the Oort Cloud, growing themself by devouring comets en masse. Sedna is sworn to secrecy under the threat of being devoured herself - as Planet 9 is basically in exile and doesn't want the rest of the Solar System to know they're still alive (one form of speculation about planet 9 is that it's either an ice giant or super-earth - not a consensus but both categories can be in the predicted size range for planet 9, in fact it could be both, ie, originally an ice giant but reduced to its rocky core, that would be cool - that was ejected from the main solar system by Jupiter's gravity) - but the weight of the secret is heavy, and Sedna becomes very wary and anxious as a result. Of course, if Planet 9 is not real (we'll know soon enough), then this is all inaccurate...I don't know if I'd get rid of it, considering it's a fun villain idea, but I do like this story to be in line with current knowledge. It depends on what the explanation of the sednoids' orbits turns out to be. Maybe I could bring in Nemesis instead, which is another hypothetical object which could've caused the orbits. Basically, the hypothesis is that another star (Nemesis) passed close by the solar system in early days (or is secretly orbiting the Sun at a distance) and threw the sednoids out of wack. This is much less likely, as a star should have had more effects than just the sednoids' wacky orbit, and the fact that stars are generally much easier to observe...

I don't know :(

Anyway, Sedna is a bit of a nervous wreck, but it tries to pull itself together to do brave things. She's used to being lonely, and is alarmed by lots of noise. She's very practical and doesn't have a lot of patience for niceties.

I love it it's so silly

some articles about planet 9 (there is some new hype now that the Rubin observatory is getting opened)

https://www.astronomy.com/science/new-evidence-builds-case-planet-nine/

https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/news/caltech-researchers-find-evidence-of-a-real-ninth-planet/

next up we'll be going back to Cis-Neptunian space and starting Saturn's moons, with Titan

[notsunnyowo]

Your Name

Bakugou Katsuki x Female Reader (part 4)

(part 3)

Today was an odd day..

Come to think if it.. This whole week has been odd in a way.

***

"Oi, extra." Bakugou's rough tone sounded, followed by the distinguishable sound of a hand slamming onto the wooden table below.

The blonde was towering over his supposed mortal enemy. His dark ruby eyes locked onto the girl in question, similar to how a predator looks at its pray, right before they're about to devour it right on the spot.

"Fight me."

"What?-"

"I said, fight me." The boy demanded, his tone stern and certainly not friendly.

Ever since the scare with Aizawa, and after (Y/n) got to show everyone her quirk, Bakugou had been pestering the poor girl non-stop about sparring with him. Not a single day had passed without him 'asking' her for a sparring session during training.

(L/n) sighed and looked up at him. (E/c) eyes meeting with the boy's vermillion own. "How many times do I have to tell you? - I'm not fighting you!"

Bakugou's constant demanding questioning was starting to seriously annoy the (h/c) haired girl. This was the forth time he'd asked her and the forth time she's told him no.

Was he dense or something? Or was it that he just couldn't take "no" for an answer? ~ The latter sounded much more like the hothead she had gotten to know throughout this past week.

What's the deal with this guy? Can't he just leave me alone already? I'm seriously beginning to consider the possibility that both of us are mortal enemies-

"Settle down class." Aizawa's tiered voice echoed trough the room. For someone with as unkept of an appearance as him, the man sure didn't act like it. He was probably the most strict teacher (Y/n) had ever seen! And that was saying something!

"We've got another training exercise for today."

This simple and short statement was enough to capture every student's attention immediately.

Another training exercise? Wasn't the one we did yesterday enough for the week? We've only just started with classes a week ago and were already doing combat training?

Then again.. This is Japan's best hero-school. So I guess this is to be expected from the country's number one.

The training exercise the class had done yesterday was the second time the students got to show off their quirks.

That includes a certain 'barbaric' blonde.

During the fight with Deku, whose actual name turned out to be Midorya Izuku, Katsuki didn't hold back. Not even a little!

He looked particularly scary during the fight, as well. Especially when he was about to pull the trigger on his comically large gauntlet. (L/n) seriously thought that he was actually going to murder his emerald eyed opponent.

His attitude sure didn't seem like one belonging to a future hero, if you'd ask her.

It was a much better fit for the typical category of someone far more sinister..

Someone villainous.

"Just like yesterday, you will all be split up in pairs - which have already been decided. Your objective will be to capture the other teams and handcuff both players of the opposing team."

"The last team standing is the winner. ~ Any questions?"

After receiving no questions from his students, Aizawa got to work, disclosing the teammates.

"First team consists of Kaminari and Kirishima. Then we have Asui and Uraraka, Midorya and Tokoyami..."

As Aizawa continued listing out names, and informing everyone about the designated teams, young (L/n) found herself impatiently waiting for her name to be announced.

And boy did she wait. As time passed, the options got fewer and fewer untill there were only four people left. Including her, of course.

Please let it be Todoroki. Please let it be Todoroki. Please-

"Todoroki and Mineta."

Oh come on!

"Which leaves us with the last team."

"(L/n) and Bakugou."

In that moment, (Y/n) wished nothing else, but for the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Out of all the people she could've been paired up with, why had it been him?

As the girl dared to sneak a glance at the scowling blonde a thought crossed her mind.

At least it's not Mineta..

Who knows how horrible it would've been to be paired up with the embodiment of lust, also known as Minorou Mineta. Even the mere thought of being forced to cooperate with that pervert was enough to send a shiver down her spine.

And who knows? Maybe Bakugou won't be such a pain to work with?

"You've all go five minutes to strategize before the exercise starts. Once you hear the bell ring you are all to return here for further instructions. Have I made myself clear?"

***

With a bit of hesitation on her behalf, (Y/n) cautiously walked over to the ticking time-bomb with whom she'd been paired up with. For one reason or another, the girl always seemed to find herself feeling uneasy whenever she had any sort of interaction with the explosive boy.

Focus (Y/n).. You can't let your feelings distract you. This is training, and right now, he is my partner.

And nothing else.

Taking a stand beside the him, she asked. "So how are we going to go about this?" Her question was followed by a raise of her brow. "Got any sort of plan?"

With a click of his tongue, Bakugou finally looked back at her with an unamused look on his face. "Go in there and blast every extra that comes in my way."

The boy's cocky response was followed by a mental facepalm from his partner. "Look, I get that you think you're all that, but you can't seriously expect me believe that you'd be able to singlehandedly immobilize and capture the members on every other team!"

Quirking a brow, the blonde stared back at her. If you'd look really closely you might catch something resembling a hint of amusement in those ruby gems of his.

"Oh yeah? Watch me."

Without another word, young Bakugou simply walked off, leaving (L/n) standing all alone, completely speechless.

***

Soon enough, the five minutes were up and everyone had returned back to the meeting spot. Aizawa, who had already been waiting there for his all students to arrive, quickly begun telling each team where their starting point was. Careful not to let anyone aside from the team in question hear of course.

Once everyone was in their designated spot, a loud horn sounded. The training exercise had officially begun.

(L/n) and Bakugou found themselves out in the open. Their starting position wasn't the best, as they were pretty much right in the middle of the training ground. Not the best place you'd like to start off in such an exercise. 

This only meant that the duo had to be on high alert. Knowing their classmates, if someone spotted the two, (Y/n) was pretty sure that they'd most likely attack. 

Provided, they feel confident enough to go face against the literal rage-bomb which was her spiky haired teammate.

Guess there really was something good about being paired up with him.

"Hey, uh. Bakugou-" (Y/n) began, quickly approaching her classmate, mindful of their proximity. In a much lower her tone than the one before the girl then continued. "Taking our location into account, it'll be best to seek cover somewhere. ~ That, or we could get someplace high up. Like on top of some of the buildings?"

Unfortunately though, it appeared that her rational  proposal fell on deaf ears, as Katsuki decided to straight up ignore the girl's logical deduction and do things his own way.

"If you think you can't take a few extras on then don't drag me down with you."

Turning his head back, Bakugou graced the young heroine with a casual glance at her. His smooth features easily managing to send her poor little heart into a frenzy. "I know my own capabilities and I sure as hell won't be beaten by a bunch of wanna-be heroes. ~ So if you can't keep up then don't get in my way."

"Yowamushi."

(Y/n) scowled at the nickname.

Me? A coward? Who's that angry porcupine calling a coward?!

Just as (L/n) was about to speak up against the name-calling boy. She caught sight of something behind him. 

Or rather, someone.

"Bakugou, behind you-!"

Almost instantly she opened the corg of a compartment in her utility belt, while quickly activating her quirk.

Katsuki was quick to spring into action himself, quickly turning around to face whoever, or whatever had caused his partner's sudden distress.

Only to be met with the hardened form of none other that the redhead who simply wouldn't leave him alone.

Ejirou Kirishima.

With a vilanously grin quickly taking over his features the blonde activated his quirk, launching himself straight into the air before sending an attack at the charging redhead.

And it seemed that he wasn't the only one with such an idea. A stream of water flowed out of (Y/n)'s belt compartment as her hands maneuvered the seemingly floating water with practiced ease.

Her quirk - Waterbend - was pretty self-explanatory: It allowed the user to "bend" water, or more precisely control and maneuver any type of liquid. However, the now hero-in-training mostly used it on water, hens its unique name. 

As the shockwave of his blast met with the oncoming water 'whip', the two attacks seemingly "merged", forming an even more powerful one.

This in turn, sent poor Kirishima staggering back, his arms and other vulnerable body parts hardened by his quirk.

"Go for it Kaminari!"

Ejirou's shout startalled the two.

"Gotcha!"

The electric blonde sounded as he immediately powered up his quirk, with a loud yell. "All out shock! Two million volts!"

Crap-

Just as (Y/n) was about to counteract, she felt a metal sensation in her mouth and before she knew it her whole body felt like it was on fire. Her muscles spasmed uncontrollably as her body fell to the floor. 

Well this was just great! Not only had she gotten paired up with the same person she wished not to be her partner, but she had also let her guard down and gotten hit! Some hero she was..

As her mind slipped in and out of consciousness, flashes of images from the past raced trough her mind.

"No, please don't go..!"

Her mind was fuzzy and her libs numb, yet the vague scene played out in her mind as if it was a record put on loop.

"Promise me you'll never give up (Y/n).."

Her whole body ached from the shock of Denki's attack. But something in her stopped the girl from slipping out of consciousness once more. Her vision was blurry but she still tried to focus on the targets at hand.

I won't go down without a fight..

Her body shook as she tried propping herself on her arms, (L/n) tried her best to stand back up on her feet. 

Thankfully the members of the opposing team were too distracted with her own partner to register the girl getting up.

Once her vision had cleared up, she could make out the tree boys battling it out with their opponents.

Bakugou was busy avoiding attacks from Kaminari while Kirishima charged at him. The blonde was doing a skilful job at keeping a good distance away from the two but his opponents were giving it their all and not allowing the blonde to find an opening.

They haven't noticed me yet..

(Y/n) thought as she quickly oppened another compartment in her utility belt. The girl always made it an effort to keep a reserve stash of some type of liquid in her belt. It was a request she'd made to the support item team when giving out the instructions on her hero costume. 

After the cap was out, the girl could feel the sense of alcohol invading her nostrils.

Ethanol.

Not only was it useful when treating wounds, but it was also highly flammable. Which if used right could be of great help to her.

Now all I need to do is coat their bodies with some and hope Bakugou blasts them while they're distracted.

With a quick motion of her hands the girl managed to splash the two boys with half of the ethanol she had available and used the other half to make a rope like extension towards Katsuki, giving him access to the flamable substance.

"What the?-" One of the boys questioned, while the other turned to look back at their opponent who the duo thought was out cold.

Before any of them could do or say anything else, the sounds of a loud explosion filled the air. The ethanol had come into contact with Bakugou's explosions and caught on fire burning the boys coated in it.

It took (Y/n) and Katsuki a while to handcuff both males, and once they did a loud horn was heard in the air, followed by Present Mic's voice.

"Team Kirishima and Kaminari - Eliminated!"

Guess they're the first ones out. (Y/n) thought as she approached the handcuffed duo in order to take their handcuffs.

With an apologetic look in her eyes the girl crouched down, looking for the metal objects. "Sorry for burning you guys up so badly." She apologized with a calm tone.

Kirishima shook his head, a slight hiss of pain slipping past his forced smile as the girl's hand brushed against his bruised up back. "No hard feelings (L/n)."

Seeing the disheveled state the young heroine was in, Kaminari sighed. "Sorry for knockin' ya out."

After finally finding the handcuffs (L/n) smiled and got up. Turning to the electric blonde, she spoke up. "Don't worry about it. Your quirk's super powerful. Maybe we could train together sometime?" She smiled, her offer immediately easing the gilt Denki felt for actually hurting such a pretty thing as herself.

The light mood was unceremoniously interrupted by none other than Bakugou. Or to be more percise, his abrasive comment. "Tch. If you're done chit-chatting, we need'a get goin'. There are still other extras that need a good beating."

Bidding a quick goodbye to the two boys, (L/n) walked over to her explosive comrade.

Let's just hope the others won't pose as much of a challenge as these two did.

(Part 5)

Author Note:

Well that sure was an interesting fight wasn't it?

Perhaps the next fight wont be as tough? Or will it be even harder? Dealing with our lovely explosion boy can be quite distracting after all. ;')

[hide-in-imagination]

So, I was watching this video about personality types that people develop as a childhood trauma response and I couldn't help but thinking of Ámbar because that's what my brain does kjsdfn. Hearing this information, I came to think that Ámbar has a mix of 'The Doer' personality and 'The Hostile' personality, being the first one more prominent in seasons 1 and two, with 'The Hostile' taking prominence in Season 3.

I won't write down everything because it would be too much-- Watch the video if you're interested-- but I will leave some extracts down below that resonated with me:

"The hostiles are very capable of actually softening if they want that. They have to see the hostility as a problem. But they won't soften if they don't see it as a problem and embrace this 'double down on who they are', which also happens too, unfortunately." (Ámbar in Season 3 claiming 'this is the real me and everyone will just have to deal with that.')

"A way for hostiles to become more present and authentic is doing work around softening, which, paradoxically, is exactly what the abuse was about: being labeled as weak, or soft, or not having any power. So that feels like kind of a 'no-go' zone for them but self-compassion that is taught by safe people helps soften a hostile whom they respect and trust."

"A hostile usually deals with their feelings from a hard anger place at front and detaches from childhood grief and sadness. (...) Hostiles really struggle with being loving. They might confuse control for love."

"In healing childhood trauma we can kind of shift to the opposites instead of center and find who we really are." -> Ámbar going from more of a 'doer' personality first and 'hostile' second, in which she wanted to ace everything and succeed so she would please Sharon and be popular but her way of doing things was always very aggressive and demeaning to others, to a 'hostile' personality first and 'doer' second, in which she embraced this 'Okay, if I'm the bad one of the story, I'll just do it upfront, I don't care what anyone thinks and I don't need them or their approval anymore'. She still has this goal of being the best at what she does and takes on a lot of work (being the manager of the Roller, organizing an Open in record time, organizing another event two weeks later) but this need for control falls into a secondary category where hostility is the main characteristic now.

"For treatment, I would encourage any of these personalities to become more real about their childhoods and find some anger about what happened to them and hold abusive parents accountable, like, you were kind of set up to both adapt this personality and miss out on developing what you were born with, and to become more real about what it was like growing up."

I think that Ámbar really shows she's on the journey of healing when she starts realizing that Sharon is the one in the wrong and starts comparing how she treats her versus how Mónica treats her, for example, and seeing that there are other ways that families can function and that adults can function. It's deeply sad that something as drastic as 1-Sharon lying to her about her identity, and 2- Sharon later abandoning her and fleeing the country, was what it took for Ámbar to finally stop mirroring her image and want to not be like her instead. It really comes to show how deeply ingrained some ideas and damage can be in someone when they come from family and it's all you've ever known.

It also puts her whole Season 3 Wears-All-Black persona in a new perspective because it can be seen as her lowest point in life, the moment where she's furthest from who she really is, but it very much could've been necessary for her to go through that phase, to embrace that anger and that part of herself, because it was a part of her that always existed but that she hid in order to be seen as perfect, which was a toxic unreachable standard she was holding herself to. In not denying the darkest parts of herself anymore, she could finally deal with it and where that anger and that sadness comes from, and eventually be able to find who she really is or wants to be within a mix of all the aspects of her personality.

Anyway, I think I talked too much, but I really love exploring Ámbar's character and applying any new information I find to her (and Simón) and so I wanted to share it with the fandom because you're the only ones who'll understand my brainrot 😂

[trinity-mia]

a story as endless as the ocean

the lightning thief

0.1 kronos ate the kids

warnings : kronos... eating his kids

word count : 3.7k

0.1 kronos ate the kids... yummy ( ? )

-- sixteen years later

In the absence of the sun, the day could've been observed as night as dark storm clouds gathered overhead. I was glad I'd checked the weather before getting on my motorcycle— I would just barely miss getting caught in the storm.

Normally, in New York City, you only drove yourself places if you were one of two things: rich or stupid (although, to be honest, it's astounding how often those two things coincide). The traffic of Manhattan is unbearable, but if you're that much of a show off, and you really want people looking at your car, you drive. However, while I did fall under the "rich" category (thank you random casting agent in Central Park when I was 2... I guess?), I wasn't driving because I wanted people to see the Harley my mom had gotten me for my 16th birthday the August before. Being entirely honest, I just needed a break, and sometimes yelling at people about how awful their driving is can be very therapeutic. 

But the clouds unsettled me in a way that I couldn't explain. A way that had me shuffling on my Harley and shifting my weight much more than my ADHD would normally have made me do. The weather had been off since I'd come back from Philly in December, so I was almost used to it at that point, but it was like a sandbag had burst open in the pit of my stomach, letting all of the particles of sand spill out, every time I looked up at the sky. 

Still, there was no use complaining about the weather. If anything, I should've been complaining about the fact that I was still in the exact same spot I was ten minutes ago. Sometimes the City That Never Sleeps is really a pain in the ass. 

Danny was going to give me a real hard talking to if I was late for this field trip. It was supposed to be to some Greek and Roman history museum in Brooklyn, but most people weren't going to learn— they were going because it got them out of class. We only had a few weeks left of school, but Christ if we all didn't want the year to end sooner rather than later. And Danny only wanted me to go because of a role I'd recently gotten playing a Spartan queen, Aerlla, as though me knowing more about Greek mythology was going to win me another Oscar. 

I gave a sigh of relief as my next few turns weren't nearly as crowded. A bit of the traffic finally thinned out, so getting to school was much less difficult. Technically, with it being a boarding school and all, we weren't allowed to have our cars here. They figured we'd all try to leave and never come back if that were the case. It was only with a little extra money that I was allowed to be able to travel. No one else really got that privilege. 

Luck seemed to be on my side that day and I got back to the school just as they were loading the bus for us to go on our senior's (which was a whole story in and of itself, as I was supposed to be a sophomore. Thank God for online classes) end of the year field trip. While it might be the most boring thing you've ever heard of (yes, I thought that at first, too), Mr. Brunner, the coolest teacher I've ever had, was supposed to be chaperoning all of us. 

My luck ran out right after that, though, once I noticed our other chaperone was my insufferable AP calculus teacher from Georgia. She came to our school right after our first calc teacher had a nervous breakdown. She always wore a faux leather jacket and, although she was fifty, she looked like she'd drive my Harley into someone's locker whenever she wanted. 

"Allie, there you are! I was beginning to think you wouldn't make it on time," my friend, Grover, called as soon as I took my helmet off. I saw Mr. Brunner check my name off of the roll call list from beside Grover.

Grimacing as I realized I wouldn't have time to run by my room to put my helmet up and therefore would have to take it with me, I replied, "We wouldn't be in New York if I wasn't almost late."

We both boarded the bus, Mr. Brunner giving me a small smile as I passed, and luckily got a seat together. Much to my chagrin, however, it was right in front of the resident douche and pain in the ass himself: Nathan Bobofit. He gave me a gross smile and I could only just keep myself from getting up and bolting as the bus started moving. 

My teeth clenched together as Nathan reached around the back of my seat to grab my arm. "C'mon, Jackson, my lap's a whole lot more comfortable than sitting next to that weirdo."

I jerked my arm out of his hand as he tried pulling me up. "Don't fucking touch me," I snapped scathingly as I tried scooting as far away from him as I could. 

I'd had my share of rejecting him, but God if he wasn't persistent. And gross. Really, really gross. It was sad to say, but I was used to it. People on the internet don't exactly hold back either. And being an actress and model with a big following... yeah, not the best mix. People are creepy, I've learned that lesson many times. 

"I'm gonna fucking kill him this time. I swear to God, I'm not kidding," I grumbled as I felt Nathan's knee pressing into my seat, just enough for me to be able to feel. 

"Don't. Allie, these are the last few weeks you have to be in high school. If you get expelled now, you won't be able to go to Columbia next year and you'll be repeating your senior year at a different school. Just get through this, a few more weeks, and you're in the clear," Grover warned me. I huffed and leaned back, grumbling a 'whatever' to keep him satisfied. 

To be fair, he was right. Danny, my manager, would've been pissed at me if I managed to get expelled in my last semester of high school. He'd already done so much so I could graduate early and figure out a schedule for me to be able to go to some classes in person and finish the rest online. With how much time and effort he'd put into helping me get a good education, I'd hate to throw it all away because I couldn't keep my temper in check. 

And I'd hate for TMZ and all the other awful news outlets to get word of me having got expelled because I fought someone. God, I shudder to think of the fire that the media would light under my ass. Though, I thought, maybe if they figured out why, at least Twitter would be on my side. 

I was happy the trip was fairly short. I could only go so long ignoring the painfully obvious and gross comments about my body by the boys behind me. Grover and one of my cheerleader friends, Ivy, made sure they got directly behind me so Nathan couldn't. He'd been known to try things when left behind me and today I'd made a mistake by wearing a skirt. As we unloaded the bus, Mr. Brunner got us checked in and led the museum tour. 

Mr. Brunner was your average middle-aged guy, except for the wheelchair he had to be in wherever he went. It was a well-known joke for everyone around the school to try and guess why he had to use it. As far as we knew, no one was correct. Mainly because no one has enough courage to ask him. Popular theory was that he got stabbed during one of his sword demonstrations and accidentally got hurt. 

He rode up front in his wheelchair, guiding us through the big echoey galleries, past marble statues and glass cases full of really old black-and-orange pottery. It blew my mind that this stuff had survived for over two thousand or three thousand years. 

He gathered us around a thirteen-foot-tall stone column with a big sphinx on the top and us how it was a grave marker, a stele, for a girl about our age. He told us about the carvings on the sides. I was trying to listen to what he had to say because it was kind of interesting, but everybody around me was talking, and every time I told them to shut up, Mrs. Dodds would give me the evil eye.

Finally, I got fed up, my patience run too thin, and I snapped, "will you shut up?" at Nathan, the loudest of them all. And though I had turned towards Nathan, Mr. Brunner had stopped talking and I could tell he was looking directly at me. I could also hear a few stifled giggles coming for the rest of the senior class. 

"Miss Jackson, did you have a comment?" I turned back towards him and noticed his amused expression. 

"No, sir," I replied, trying to keep a blush from coming to my face. 

"Do you mind telling us what this picture represents?" He asked, gesturing towards a carving right beside him. I let out an internal breath of relief. Thank God it was something I recognized. 

"That's Kronos eating his kids, right?"

"Yes," he frowned, and I knew he was going to ask for a better explanation. "And he did this because..."

"Kronos was the King of the Titans and he didn't trust his kids, the gods, because there was a prophecy he heard that said they would overthrow him and lead the world themselves. So he ate them. Except, his wife, Rhea hid baby Zeus and gave Kronos and rock dressed in baby clothes to eat instead. Once Zeus grew up, Rhea gave Kronos a mixture of wine and mustard so he would throw up the rest of his children." There were a few disgusted outbursts at this. "Since they were immortal, they had been growing in Kronos' stomach the same way they would have. So then there was a long war between the gods and the titans and the gods ended up winning." 

I heard a scoff from beside me. "This is so stupid. It's not like our job applications are gonna have 'why did Kronos eat his children' as a question you have to answer correctly to get hired," Nathan stage whispered to his friends. They snickered in response. 

"And why, Miss Jackson," Mr. Brunner said, "to paraphrase Mr. Bobofit's excellent question, does this matter in real life?" 

I sighed and racked my brain for at least a semi-logical explanation, because truthfully, I couldn't think of one. "There's always something that you can learn from history and myths passed down by generations. By listening to the stories, you can ensure you won't make the same mistakes— in this case, you learn not to let your own paranoia control you?" 

He tilted his head as if debating whether or not my answer satisfied what he was looking for. He finally came to a conclusion. "Not quite the answer I was looking for, but full credit all the same. Your explanation was wonderfully done, Miss Jackson. After Kronos' children were released from his stomach, the gods teamed up together to overthrow their father. And they did so by cutting him into little pieces with his own scythe. Now on that happy note, Mrs. Dodds, could you escort us outside for lunch?"

I speed-walked out of there, Grover in tow, before Mr. Brunner could call me back in. If he needed to say something super important he could tell me outside, but I wasn't in the mood to get lectured right at that moment. 

We all gathered in various groups on the steps of the museum. We were positioned in a way that would allow us to watch the traffic on Fifth Avenue. The weather still worried me as the clouds had only gotten darker, but I forced myself to ignore it once I noticed no one else was paying attention to it. 

Most of the girls were gossiping in groups, most likely talking about how Gabby hooked up with a boy in our class, Tate Dare. I'd heard the story a million times— I didn't need the story again. 

Being famous did have one major perk: everyone wanted to be my friend, which in turn allowed me to know all of the school's gossip before almost everyone else. The boys were trying— and failing— to pickpocket a few tourists who'd stopped in front of the museum to take pictures. Of course, Mrs. Dodds wasn't seeing a thing. 

I threw my head to the side, a gesture telling Grover to follow me to the fountain a little ways away, trying very hard to make it seem like we weren't part of the slightly-psycho group of teens. 

"Since you're my main source of news, what's going on school-wise?" Grover asked me once we'd gotten comfortable on the fountain. 

I shrugged. "Gabby, you know— the Gabriella who's on the cheer team with me— hooked up with Tate Dare. Lindsay Greene might be getting suspended for vaping in the bathrooms, but that's up in the air right now considering her daddy's a teacher. Uh... oh! Victor Ryles failed a drug test, so he can't try out for any sports next year. That's it, I think?" 

"Why do you know all of this? And can I have your apple?" 

I handed it to him and smirked. "Most people like me— well, they like my 'status' at the very least. If I want to know the gossip, they give me the gossip." 

Grover and I laughed and he was about to say something else but was cut off by Nathan 'tripping' over a crack in the sidewalk and tossing his food right on Gover's lap. 

"Oops. I got a little distracted by your beautiful eyes, Allie," he said in a faux British accent, his friends snickering behind him. 

The look on his face just made me angrier and he reached out to touch my face, but never got the chance. One moment he was in front of me, the next he was sitting on his ass in the fountain, spitting out water and a few coins. The weirdest part was the whispers. 

"Did you see—"

"— The water—"

"— Like it grabbed him!"

I clenched my teeth as I glared at him. I would've loved to say something super badass, and the words were on the tip of my tongue, but a strong grip on my arm kept me from saying it. I turned my glare to Mrs. Dodds, who was staring at me with the most triumphant expression. She looked as if she'd been waiting for this moment all semester. 

"Now, honey—" she said, using the nickname that never failed to enrage me. 

I rolled my eyes and interrupted her despite the situation I had put myself in. "Oh, whatever! What's my punishment going to be? See how long I can go without eating?" I snapped. 

That apparently wasn't the correct thing to say. The triumphant fire in her eyes only burned brighter. 

"Come with me."

"Wait!" Grover said, trying to force himself in between Mrs. Dodds and me, giving me a why-the-FUCK-would-you-say-something-like-that look. "It was me, I pushed him."

It wasn't the most believable lie in the world, especially considering I had much more muscle than him and it was very obvious he wouldn't have been able to push Nathan into the fountain. 

Because of the roles I'd done, I had to learn a whole bunch of shit I'd never use again, which include, but are not limited to, sword fighting, hitting many bullseyes with a bow and arrow, and lots of hand-to-hand fighting. From the weight training classes I take, I can bench press about 160 pounds, give or take, and cheerleading makes throw myself upside down while spinning. Grover looked like a twig compared to me (still love you, though, Grover). 

"I don't think so. Miss Jackson will come with me, and you can stay right here."

She didn't have to try hard to scare Grover, considering she already terrified him. He gave a small and stiff nod and looked at me petrified. 

"Thanks for trying, G," I whispered. 

He just stood paralyzed and kept glancing between Mr. Brunner and Mrs. Dodds, who was already at the front door. 

Wait, what? How did she get there so fast? I shook my head and walked after her. 

"Don't die in there, Jackson! Me and my friends still want to fuck you before we graduate! How about Thursday?" Nathan yelled at my turned back. 

I turned, gave him my deluxe I'll-kill-you-later stare and a middle finger, then continued walking. 

At first, I thought she was just going to make me buy Nathan a new t-shirt at the gift shop, but that didn't seem to be the case. Mrs. Dodds kept walking until we'd made it back to the Greek statues and paintings section. 

She crossed her arms with her back turned towards me until I'd gotten close enough. When she turned, I stopped walking. 

"You've been giving us problems, honey," she said after a few moments of silence. 

At first, I thought she was mentioning all the random times paparazzi would show up at the front steps of Yancy Acadamy and demand my picture, but something told me that wasn't it. I decided to go for the safest option and chose to be polite. 

"Yes... ma'am?" 

She started making a sound from the back of her throat, almost like growling. She tugged on the cuffs of her jacket. "Did you really think you were going to get away with it?" 

I furrowed my eyebrows. The only thing I could think was, what the hell? The fire grew brighter. She looked beyond mad; she looked evil. "I'll... it won't happen again... ma'am," I shot out, saying the first response that came to mind. 

Thunder shook the building. 

"We aren't fools, Astraea Jackson."

I flinched at the use of my real name. Virtually no one knew it, only my mother, the principal, and my manager. And usually it was because I was in trouble. I didn't like the way it rolled off her tongue. 

"It was only a matter of time before you were caught. Confess to what you've done and I might choose to be merciful."

"Okay, time for a pause. What am I even confessing to? What the hell did I do that was so—"

"Time's up!" 

And with that, she started changing. Her eyes turned red, her fingernails grew into talons, and her leather jacket started melting and turning into wings. 

"Holy shit!" I screamed, scrambling back a few steps as she shot into the air. Thunder rumbled again. 

"Allie!" 

My eyes didn't shift from the winged-bat-creature-thing my calculus teacher had just turned into, but my mind registered that it was Mr. Brunner's voice. I stepped back and turned and barely had a second to catch the sword flying towards me. Once I had it in my hands I turned back towards Mrs. Dodds, who was flying overhead like a vulture. 

Finally, she swooped down for the kill and I got into the stance my instructor made me do thousands of times over. Once she got close, I didn't feel any fear. It's just like a prop, do what you're supposed to and you won't get hit. 

My body did the only thing that came naturally; I swung the sword. 

She'd flown down in the perfect position, and the sword hit her left shoulder and passed through all the way to her right hip. She burst into a yellow powder and vaporized on the spot, leaving only the smell of sulfur and an uneasy vibe in the air. 

I didn't register the sword falling out of my hand, only the overwhelming desire to get back to my group. I felt like throwing up and like an awful migraine was about to hit. 

When the doors were in my sight, I sprinted the rest of the way and almost ripped the doors off their hinges to get out of there. Grover met me halfway down the steps and started to say something, but I just shook my head. I felt like I was about to pass out from the pain in my head, so there was no way I could've explained anything that had just happened to Grover. 

Just as I got off the last step, Nathan intercepted my path. "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your ass, bitch. Would've gotten you prepared for the main course," he said, still dripping from his swim in the fountain. 

I was about to punch his lights out, but a piercing whistle cut through the storm, re-irritating my migraine. I cried out in pain, clutching my head. I settled for shoulder-checking past him, leaving him to follow in Grover and my tracks. 

Mr. Brunner gave me a concerned look as I boarded the bus, but he didn't say anything to me. Once I got to my seat I pulled a Gucci hoodie out of my bag and threw the hood over my head. Grover sat down as I was searching for some ibuprofen. I relaxed as I found it and dry swallowed three pills. 

"You okay, Allie?" 

I shook my head. "Migraine," I muttered and our conversation ended there. The storm raged worse and the entire bus was silent as lightning cracked across the sky and thunder quickly followed.

*    *    *

previous | next

SERIES M.LIST | MAIN M.LIST | TIPS

[elliepassmore]

Draw Down the Moon review

3.5/5 stars Recommended if you like: younger YA, magic schools, chosen one, childhood friends to lovers

Big thanks to Netgalley, the authors, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So...this book reads very young. And like it was written by someone in middle school. I could go on and on about how young the characters read and how they interact with each other the way no human being interacts with other people, but I'll keep this brief. These characters are all supposed to be 18, yet almost every single one of them reads like they're 12. I had to put the book down several times because of how absolutely ridiculous some of the things they said were. They also 100% do not dress like high schoolers. No high schooler is going to be caught dead in the kind of 'funny' slogan t-shirts these kids wear on the regular.

Another thing that made me put the book down was the fact that there's a Japanese character who...randomly responds in Japanese to people who don't speak Japanese. That IS NOT HOW CODE SWITCHING WORKS!!! Also, Cast gets some of the Japanese wrong, particularly in regards to respect registers, though that's of course hard to fit in when the character 'speaking' Japanese only ever uses one word at a time.

Moving on, the premise of the book rests on the 'chosen one' trope, and Wren is extra special since her powers don't quite fit the traditional categories. For most of the book Wren reads like a middle schooler, which I think she should've been and then the whole book could've been MG instead of YA, but whatever. However, there are certain points in which she acts more mature and behaves like one would expect an 18-year-old to. I'm...not really sure what her character arc is. She's very loyal to her friends, and she wants to solve the mystery of what's going on, but that's about it. While there's not really any character development going on with her, she does have a lot going on and her I'm-actually-12-in-an-18-year-old-body behavior/attitude does make her POV interesting to read.

Lee actually has a more solid character foundation, imo. He wants to uphold his family's high expectations while also honoring his sister's memory. This, naturally, leads him to do things that he thinks his sister would've done, regardless of it's something he wants. These familial expectations have, apparently, turned him from a mischief-maker like Wren into a rule-follower. His blind obedience to the rules gets kind of annoying when it's obvious there's something wrong going on at the academy. Instead, he's just like la-di-da, we should tell an authority figure (even though they're acting suspiciously). At least that's in character for him though, so I can't fault it too much even if it's annoying. That being said, while I think Lee is a stronger character, he's rather boring, and he actually acts incel-y for a portion of the book. He thinks Wren is telling him to date someone else and since she doesn't return his (unspoken) feelings, he decides to ghost her. And then somehow everyone thinks this is her fault.

Sam is really the only other character who gets enough page time for us to know. Luke, Lily, and Ruby are just kind of...there. Sam is Wren's other BFF and also has that weird mix of immature and normal-18yo. Her entrance is literally her belting the opening song from Beauty and the Beast in front of a crowd of people she just met, solely in order to say 'hi' to Wren. Luckily, Sam has smarts to her and that mostly makes up for her entrance. She's able to help Wren with the mystery and is good at making leaps that help. She's also fiercely protective of Wren.

Probably my biggest issue with this novel aside from the immaturity of the characters, is the fact that the dialogue is exposition. It's literally the embodiment of that Tumblr post talking about bad exposition "morning sis, remember how our parents are dead," is basically how things work in this novel. There are moments when things are explained through showing, so I'm not sure why so much of it is told unnecessarily through dialogue.

The ending also did not wow me. The whole book is spent building up to this moment and then after some action, things just fizzle out. Wren I think gets a magical transformation into a 20-year-old (??) and also a hair dye job (??). Somehow Wren leaves the school and I'm just very confused about the whole thing. I think Cast could've easily made this a standalone and wrapped everything up in this book, particularly if the exposition was delivered a little more smoothly.

[artdecosupernova-writing]

Fictober '20 Prompt No. 9 — "Will you look at this?"

Category: Original WIP: Darkspace Portent Rating: M Timeline: I haven't the foggiest idea. CW: Adult situations?? Sexual scenarios?? Naughty implications??? Word Count: 937 Additional Notes: another past birthday piece, so. you know.

***

"Will you look at this?"

Thrive stepped closer to Warren, who ran a fingertip over the deep purple splotch near the base of his throat as if it needed to be pointed out. One of a few; two climbing up toward another smaller and lighter one right below his ear. Thrive smirked. "Yes?"

Warren's lips tightened into a straight line. "Well? You gonna get rid of it?"

"I don't know," Thrive sighed, trailing his own fingers up the path of bruises until he reached Warren's ear, which he tugged once before sliding his middle finger back down to his collar. "…I'm rather proud of them."

A light shudder rolled over Warren and he cleared his throat. "Yeah, well…pride or not, I'm never gonna hear the end of it from anyone if I don't get rid of these."

"Do they hurt?"

"Well, I mean, they're a little sore. I'm surprised you didn't give me a stroke doing all of that."

Thrive's eyes narrowed. "I think I did."

"Oh, look at you!" Warren exclaimed, turning away from him to straighten the comforter on his bed. "Cheeky fucker! You are forbidden from hanging around Guetry ever again."

"I suppose he'll be more devastated than I."

Warren snorted, slapping the pillows into shape. "Guess I'll just have to…I dunno, wear a higher form suit collar? What do I do?"

"There may be a bruise alleviant in the med fac." Thrive typed on the keys of the comm panel by the door. "I can't guarantee that, and even if there is, there's only so much it can do topically."

"Great. Between seeing this in the mirror every day and smelling you all over the place, it's gonna be an excruciating time with you at home while I'm still here."

Thrive turned on his heel to impress a bewildered expression upon the moment. "…You're aroused by scent?"

"Uh…yeah? I thought you knew that." Warren paused twisting a pillow case back onto its pillow. "It's…it's not just me. It's a common human trait. I could've sworn I told you that."

"You're aroused by my scent?"

"Thrive. My god. Since, like, the first fucking day I met you, dude."

After a curious quirk of the eyebrow, Thrive nodded absently and disappeared into the corridor when the door swished open for him.

The following week, long after Thrive returned to Tournaltis, Warren received a package from a courier that he brought to his quarters, addressed to him from Thrive with a hand-written note scrawled on scrap paper.

Let me know if and when you need a replacement. — O.

Warren picked open the wrapped gift within the package, careful not to jostle it too much as he didn't know what the small cube contained, much less what it could do if he dropped it on accident.

He removed from the box a small strip of unassuming fabric that had been folded twice. Muted brown and not very comforting to the touch, coarse, though malleable and a bit stretchy. He turned it over a few times in his hand, trying to place where he'd seen that particular material before.

On instinct he brought it up to his face and was slammed with an unmistakable onslaught of wildly different feelings ranging from assuaged to excitement to home. Warren collapsed onto the bed like his feet had been swept out from under him.

"Jesus," he laughed, recognition dawning on him as he rubbed the fabric between his fingers again. It was a length of material from the lounging sofa in Thrive's office at the capital house. The same lounging sofa where Thrive would sleep on those rare occasions he needed to and didn't feel like being too far from work.

Warren held the fabric against his face again, feeling a bit odd but closing his eyes to the scent anyway. All of it then triggered an effect Thrive possibly didn't anticipate—Warren suddenly missed him more than he'd ever missed him before. Usually he could get by being distracted by his jobs and knowing he could run into him again at any time or go back to Tournaltis whenever he'd like, but now, sitting alone in his room with Thrive's smell and no Thrive...

"God, E.T.," Warren murmured against a wave of ache in his chest. He dropped the fabric onto the bed and grabbed his personal comm from the end table.

Not even two seconds after he put the call through, Thrive's face slid into view on the screen, his office lit by the falling Tournaltis sun acting as his backdrop. His attention honed in somewhere off-camera though he appeared to be alone as well. "I assume this means you received my care package."

"Care package, huh," Warren grunted, quickly moving to the door panel and locking himself inside. "Look, I have a question for you and you're probably gonna think it's really absurd—"

Thrive turned darkened and knowing eyes right into the camera. "I'm privy to more than you think, th'saiya."

Warren released a short, sharp breath. "You know I love you so fucking much, right?"

Thrive turned his focus back to the screen on his desk. "Prove it."

Hours later, when Warren regained feeling in his limbs and got cleaned up and wriggled under the covers, he pulled the sofa fabric off the end table and waved it at his comm screen. "This was the best thing you've ever given me, babe."

"Charge your device," Thrive said. "…I miss you, too, Warren."

They both slept that night, worlds away, yet Warren's heart felt just as full as it would've been if they were in the same bed.

[kneebie]

Listen. Listen. I am normal about sandwiches. You can trust me about sandwiches because I am very normal about them.

That being said, I have no idea why the first like THREE fuckin links on google if you type "Is a hotdog a sandwich" say, "yes, a hotdog is a sandwich because it's meat between two pieces of bread."

Brother, you are fucking up your method of holding that dog for the specific purpose of being right in this argument. Your dog is falling through what was once one bun, but is now two. Your meat is on the floor, sir, and you are a fool, besides. And you could've been right! By the FDA definition, "A sandwich is a meat or poultry filling between two slices of bread, a bun, or a biscuit," which, a hotdog is, being between an open faced bun.

All this being said, the American Food and Drug Association does declare hotdogs aren't a sandwich, but I think that's more because of American exceptionalism than anything. There's like four articles of "hotdogs are their own thing :) they can't be put into any one category :)".

I do want it known that I mostly went on this rant because I immediately clicked No and then thought about it for another second, did a lot of google searches, and then just generally got irritated. "It's not a sandwich, it's a thing unto itself!" Fuck off, that's not how clades work.

Sorry. I might not be normal about sandwiches.

[deakyjoe]

Beaming Beskar

Pairing: Din Djarin x Reader (no pronouns are used but he calls reader mesh'la meaning "beautiful")

Category: Fluff, friends to lovers (not explicitly stated but may make a part 2)

Summary: Din has a unique way of telling you when he's smiling at you.

Warnings: none really, fluff

Word Count: 800ish (a baby)

A/N: A short little fic to celebrate my journey of getting back into writing. Thank you to Pedro Pascal’s filmography for inspiring me. Also I'm in love with Din Djarin.

It had started when you had made a joke, something silly about the child being a wizard when he made his food float in the air, and a small huff of air had rattled through Din's modulator. Your head had immediately snapped towards him, utter shock rocketing through you. The Mandalorian barely acknowledged your existence, speaking a handful of words to you since you'd met him, and yet here he was... laughing at you. No, not at you. With you.

"I'm sorry, did you just find something I said funny?"

"I laughed, didn't I?" All amusement was gone from his voice almost instantly. You'd pushed it. Finally an opening with him and you'd already ruined it.

"It's hard to tell. You could've just been breathing loudly." You shrugged it off and turned back to the kid, not wanting to provoke him further. He could be temperamental and you never wanted to upset him, meaning you had to tread carefully with him sometimes. You rather liked the Mandalorian, despite him hardly seeming to care for you much. To be honest, you didn't think he cared for anything apart from the child. Which was understandable.

"I smiled." The statement seemed almost sad as he said it, a note of reservation in his voice.

You glanced back up at him, eyes flicking over the helmet for a moment. "I can't... I don't know when you're smiling."

Silence.

Maybe a question wouldn't hurt...

"Do you smile often?"

Hesitation. "Sometimes."

Okay, that was something. Now another question. Just to see how much you could get out of him.

"At me? At the kid?" You answered your own question. "Ooh, definitely at the kid."

"Both. Mostly the kid." He added the last part on quickly.

"Hm." You nodded though the slight crease between your brows gave more away that you intended. You craved knowing him. That was the only way to explain it. And when he gave you so little... it made things difficult.

Din spoke your name softly to get you to look at him again. When you did, he lifted his hand up and traced a line across his helmet. His index finger started on one side, down near where his chin or mouth would be, and drew a curved line across to the other side. A smile.

Your eyes lit up at the gesture and Din found himself smiling at you again. So he repeated the motion. Seeming elated at the idea, you scooted the crate you were sitting on closer to him so you were almost knee to knee.

Gazing up at him with this gorgeous sparkle in your eyes that had Din grinning beneath the Beskar, you asked him a simple question. "Can you do that every time you smile at me? Please?"

"Yes, mesh'la. Of course." The Mando'a term of endearment had slipped before he even had the chance to think about it. But how could he resist when you were looking at him like that?

You always regarded him with a certain glint in your stare, that was only ever brightened when you smiled, as if Din was the most wonderful thing you'd ever laid your eyes on. There was never any hint of hostility, forever open and joyful when you looked at him. And the smiles only ever confirmed this. But in that moment, with the way you were looking at him, Din could feel electricity pumping through his body. He felt alive. And... seen. It was almost like you were seeing straight through the armour and looking at him.

With your shoulders hunched and head ducked in embarrassment at the name he'd given you, you shot him another gorgeous smile that he returned. He loved making you smile. And he loved you making him smile, which you did more often than he ever wanted to admit.

So, naturally, he drew the line across his helmet again and revelled in the happiness that was practically radiating off of you in hot waves as you looked at him do it. The positive emotions must have been pouring out of you as the child began to babble and giggle as well, sensing the high spirits in the room.

The noises the green baby was making seemed to remind you that you were supposed to be helping him eat as you let out a surprised sound and moved back closer to him, struggling to tear your eyes away from the Mandalorian. Din loved to watch you interact with the child, it was those moments that made him smile the most. And whilst he'd maybe never admit it out loud to you, he was happy to express himself through smiles drawn onto his helmet.