#but i am a simple gal and enjoyed the hell out of it

[bookishfreedom]

pov: soaking up the sun☀️

#finished immortal longings and CANT BELIEVE i have to wait for the next two books #i get why a lot of people didn’t like this book #but i am a simple gal and enjoyed the hell out of it #booklr #books #book #reading #bookish #mine #bookblr #reading outside #current read

[crow-caller]

@neovenatorgirlteeth​

Top fav/east fav pokemon designs in scarlet/violet.

Over more than an hour later this is more ‘crow comments on almost every new pokemon, oops’. I am passionate about cool designs... I didn’t mean to come for bogleech’s throne!

 Under spoiler tag because I was lucky to play without having been spoiled on ANY of them and I want to keep that experience, total spoilers ahead.....

I was so annoyed the cute grass kitty immediatly became bipedal, but I really do dig the whole line, even the last one. The base is SO cute I LOVE kitty and being a sort of bandit and then a magician is cool. Especially enjoy how the final form is bipedal but not THAT humanoid- it’s a neutral body rather than being uncomfortably curvy or gendered. Also as I look at it: final form kinda is a lot like how I draw my eye deers in terms of “fluffy pastel body, long skinny darker legs”

hate

I’m so sorry they did this to the duck. I’M SO SORRY. the duck was cute and then the middle is ugly and the final.... in battle usually the tail is extended and it’s obviously a ‘festivale’ thing, but it’s so unsettling. I hate how human it is, it’s dancing.... I hate this creature and for it to be a STARTER feels so unfair. who okay’d it.

I always loved dunspace as a kid playing gold silver, even tho it was useless. It was so mystifying looking and... odd. It was the pokemon that really most felt like a cryptic mystery of a being, you know? Like what the hell IS it? I’ve learned since it’s like... Tsuchinoko, maybe. But for it to FINALLY have an evolution that is almost entirely identical is really funny to me. Yep. That sure is just dunsparce. I mean. Dudunsparce. It’d have been cool for him to suddenly be a giant badass snake monster but this is better

Okay two off: TaROUNtula is adorbs and his evolution sucks. a little yarn ball spider with a kinda dopey face is really cute and then he turns into... way too dude shaped and really unappealing. He doesn’t look much like his pre-form and loses all the charm. A spider with a spindle it uses to make traps is great but why this??

Dolliv is super super cute. I love the many grass and bug pokemon that are just ‘cute girls’. I don’t like humanoid pokemon, but a lot of them are more stylised human than bordering on uncanny, and they look cute and fun. Dolliv works with her theme perfectly and is extremely cute. But man I was really REALLY happy to see Arboliva !! She’s funky and stylish in a different way. Sure, we could have another Tsureena line, where the end is basically a plant ginjinka gal, but while still hhumanoid Arboliva is way funkier. She usually is in a wreath shape too to better show off her design. I love her colour pallete too. She feels like something I’d make....

He..............

how can you not love this little face. His weird metal collar and his funky arms that he usually stows. Those eyes tho. He’s so cute and simple.

I wouldn’t normally like anything about this design. Like, it’s fine, but very very simple and  nothing screams pokemon about it. But extra shoutout: they are VERY funny. The names are both great (Maushold is one of the few times I sensibly chuckle at a pun name) and the fact they almost always evolve when you’re not looking- and their evolution is having children- is great. I was worried it was a glitch but I hope (and believe) it’s on purpose. You one day look and OH SHIT! THEY HAD CHILDREN. I thought I’d gone insane for a moment and missed it, 10/10 experience I carried this couple in my bag and they gave birth without telling me

I know birds are... hard. because they’re birds. But what is WRONg with the birds this gen? I don’t despise any of them, but they’re the most Bird Birds I’ve ever seen. The flamingo is litterally a flamingo full stop. The stork is mostly a stork, the weird flesh sack it carries creeps me out and without it it’s. Just A Stork?! Wattrel as a seabird is Fine as a first evolution, but it’s evolve really bores me. And Squawkabilly is a nice pun and most pokemon looking, but still very plain. He has four plumages and yet who will care? He also so clearly needs an evolution to lean harder on the theme.

Hehe........ crab. I love giant enemy crab. He’s very charming. Eeriely robotic. The idea of him as an ambush predator is cool, I wish in game he actually WOULD blend in and strike you!

I didn’t like the first evo at all but he’s here for context, because once I evolved him I was enamoured. Just like minecraft......... but really, a blocky, salt construct is cool. I love his colours on the evo while the middle stage looks like a sweet little dude.

his mini pic isn’t the best, so here’s him better. Not normally my type of poke at ALL but she’s just really charming to me. Big blocks. Love the sediment layer ombre.

His little image isn’t very clear. This rock/poison flower.... what is he? A crystal that looks like a flower but isn’t. I really don’t know what is the inspiration beyond just ‘crystal-ish flower’, but he looks both very futuristic and like some prehistoric plant! The strange little eyes and the transparent cone at the front add to the mystery.

I don’t think I LIKE Shroodle but it’s hard to hate those empty eyes. I raised one for ages because I HAD to know what he was. A crocodile of some sort was my bet. Apparently it’s a ‘mouse’ which is then more confusing when it turns into a monkey. I think on reflection he might be designed on a spray paint can... his evo is a grafiti monkey, and he has a long shiny body with a black cap, with a tuft of paintbrush like hair! but he’s def not a monkey.

Grafaiai tho is a very cool design. I hate monkeys and apes but a lemur can stay, it has a cool design and colors and I really enjoy the wide glossy eyes.

this one was just an insant win for most everyone. Bread dog! And then he gets BAKED! he’s really cute and I definitely called he’d be a dash-bun before he evolved

This old ass dog....... it’s not just that he has a very endearing story role but that helps. He’s nothing really too special, but he has such sweet eyes and really captures the feeling of a fking old ass dog....... like this is a dog that was MADE to lay on the living room floor for hours and grumble in his sleep!!

I hate gimmighoul!!!!!! AAA!!! No, seriously, what is up with this guy? Without the chest it looks like... a sentai...? I’ve never been a fan in gen of power rangers or super sentai designs anyways but it’s my best guess for what this bastard is. The base version vaguely also makes me think cockroach, but sadly needs to be 300% more cockroach. The chest version would be fun- pokemon has mimics but not the classic treasure chest!- except... he keeps poking his stupid head out, which doesn’t at all bring to mind a mimic! The chest form is indeed just the bastard in a box, no unique changes.

THEN THE EVOLUTION.... who the hell is this roadside used car lot advertising man and why does he make me look for so many of his stupid children to earn the right to hate him? This design is so confusing for me. What is he? Bad. His pokedex entry tells me he’s 1000 stacked coins but looks more like a bullet.

god he does resemble like a 90s ad campaign to appeal to the youth and get them to stop smoking huh. But really, for the amount of annoying effort and time it takes to get him, he is not worth it at all. Horrendous thing. Stupid thing. AAA. aaa.

Seriously, I never liked gimmeghoul but I definitely imagined a fitting final form would be way bigger on the ‘treasure’ theme. He has a chest form and you collect coins- imagine if he was a riff on a treasure hoard instead! A long serpant busting through a treasure box covered in coins, a mimic who hides as a great hoard barely poking out, a centipede with coins as armor....

Okay, I played violet, so the past pokemon I didn’t get to see. On beating the main story I decided to look finally at the full dex so I could see all the version exclusives. I quite enjoy them, and while I liked violet’s designs old pokemon exclusives/legend more the ancient pokemon are nicer than the robots.. because the robots gimmick is continously the same ‘a pokemon but robot’.

This jigglypuff is very funny to me. She’s kinda just a joke of ‘cute jigglypuff but with little fangs’ but I can’t resist her charms.

Also^ I think pokemon doesn’t know how long ONE BILLION YEARS is.

Admittedly she’s a very plain riff on misdreveous, but I’ve always liked misdreaveous and she looks neat. I like her spikes, not sure why she has one green wing arm. It’s nice the pearl necklace evolved early imao

1. what is a PTEROSAUR in the context of pokemon???

2. how could this EVER look like a PTEROSAUR

Volcarona is such a lovely pretty moth, and this version is super cool. I love how they tweaked with her regular features and made her so similar but so new. It’s just a SUPER cool bug and I really really love her

they need to stop doing this to my boy

what is this

So salamance might be my fav pokemon ever by childhood bias: Ruby was a very dear game and I raised a salamance from a bagon up to level 100! Then I kept the same salamance and transferred him between games, up to Platinum. I love that weird, fat dragon.... he’s a popular pokemon, so has had a lot of extra forms, and they all suck

No, seriously!

Boy. baby boy.

evil.

Salamance is a brightly coloured (but teal and pale red not the godawful tones of his mega) fat dragon. I keep saying fat but someone has to remind Pokemon. He’s a big and solid boy, but mega evo takes away that (and his arms) and makes him this super tacky bizarre monstrocity. Now we have Roaring Moon....

What is this? The idea of a feathery funky salamance is great, I appreciate even it resembles the mega evolution since gimicks are lately just one generation then forgotten. But his body shape and colors are so odd and messy. He looks really thrown together with a few basic good ideas that are completely not working!

TREAT SALAMANCE BETTER

I have really no strong feelings on the robot pokemon, meanwhile. They... look cool enough, ish. They’re robots that look like other pokemon. The designs really don’t do anything crazy interesting though, even tho they make changes it’s nothing radical. I only put Iron Hands here because I want you to know in a lore book you can find, it’s said Iron Hands is maybe a cyborg, not a pokemon, and might have a living person in there somehow. That weirds me out.

I definitely do wish the techno future pokemon did more though! Instead of just being ‘robot very similar to other pokemon’, it feels we’re missing out on ‘more evolved’ versions of pokemon or robot-flesh mixes.  My immediate pitch for a more evolved (in IRL biology) pokemon from the future? An extremely fierce magicarp that has finally become strong! Or a bagon that has skipped needing to be salamance and has adapted wings of its own! There’s so much potential to look at odd pokemon and imagine how they might adapt over years of natural evolution. You also could do robo-flesh hybrids as said, where I have no exact ideas but something like... A combee that has adapted to work with nanorobots in a swarm? Hell, put magicarp in a mechasuit and say in the future magicarp has learned to psychically build mecha suits. Why not.

okay, she’s pretty cool tho. I def like to see gardevoir/gallade fusion one, who def makes the most bold changes to the design too (well, I guess iron treads is nothing like donaphan REALLY, but...). Haters gonna hate her nonbinary girl swag. Glad to see in the far future we’ve finally ended gender. Etc etc.

The ruinous legends are super, super cool designs. All of them are some of the TOP creature designs I’ve seen in ages tbh. I haven’t gotten in game to unlocking them or looked if they have lore (I hope there’s a lot of lore, mysterious ruinous beads sealed by ominous swords and giant doors is sick but I want more). Each is based on a cursed object that is so full of a negative emotion it has become tied to a pokemon and sealed away. GREAT STUFF.

Anyways, love this totemic beast and the big ancient cracked blood sacrifice bowl on their head. And yes, it’s totally a blood sacrifice pokemon: it’s linked to fear, as the bowl was said to have been used in ancient rituals and evoked such strong fear it became a horrible creature.

This guy minus the sword would fit in pretty well as a regular pokemon, admittedly. I find her colours really pleasing. The sword adds a bit more of that ‘legendary’ flair but does look a bit awkward impaled like that. But no, I really enjoy him.

OMG OMG OMG! AAA!!!! LOOK!!!!!

I am not a slug person (I am actually terrified of slugs irl) but. I loveeee this design. It’s clever (look at the both eyestalks and the false lead face) and extremely themeatic, with a great colour pallette. This thing screams spooky nature spirit in every way.

Though my least fav I felt I should throw in all four special legends. Plus, nothing about them is bad. I find the eyes rather awkward but they do invoke a bulged eyed goldfish. All four legends are based on cursed objects, so this feels like an okay way to add the beads to the fish... but not my fav. I do enjoy tho his patterns on his body. They’re just very stylish.

The box legends... are okay in their battle forms. I didn’t expect to really like them, but the writing is good and I really loved my robot motorcycle dragon by the end.

they’re far more appealing and charming to me in their ‘low power’ mode, which is what they are for most of the game. It’s nice to go ‘oho! badass battle time!’ but, meh. The more animal funky little guy form who loves sandwiches is better.

She’s a bit funny looking but really nice. She’s a cute little... something. I again am fine with human shaped pokemon when they’re still monsters, not people, not overly sexy people. Her middle stage is really cute to me as a sort of little knight, and then her last stage gives her adorable hair and a giant hammer. Classic design trope, but I love it! She’s cute and small but extremely strong and fun. I enjoy that her pokedex entry tells us she’s a BANDIT, not a blacksmith-knight.

The version exclusive branching knight evolve really feels like it should have been in sword shield, huh? But even tho it’s not normally the type I like... I am not immune to cool cursed knight with violet flames. he’s edgy and cool and fun, and I think perfectly balances between simplicity and very detailed-  his design doesn’t look cluttered to me at all despite how complex it is!

hehe toadscool

I was so psyched to see him on my radar and go ‘is that a fckin tentacool with two silly legs’ and it was. These guys really as just fun to watch move. Toescruel hops! I’m not sure there’s much that exciting about them, but that’s okay. They’re simply and funny

god..... he’s perfect.................................................................

honestly, I was never a wooper fan and I’m still not, but this one is 100%  better than quaqsire. he’s better than most things.

----

sorry i wound up talking about like all of them. I really like most of them, even the ones I skipped

#pokemon #scarlet violet #pokemon violet #pokemon SV #pokemon spoilers #pokemon SV spoilers

[theradioactivespidergwen]

STOP. READ THIS FIRST.

I'm Mandy. I am a Jill of many trades and master of none. I write, make shit in Canva, draw, cook, bake, and dabble in anything that looks fun. I collect hobbies like Pokémon.

If you are under 18, SCRAM. I reblog fics that are NSFW, and honestly interacting with minors makes me super uncomfy, so respect this boundary or you will be blocked. I might be old enough to be your mom, but I'm the vodka aunt.

Married, bisexual, woman of science, lover of animals, elder emo, sad girl for life.

I am disabled and I have a really awful chronic illness. I talk about it sometimes because it's frustrating as all hell.

Blank and ageless blogs get blocked on sight, and if you look like a porn bot, you also get reported.

I have no time for racists, ableists, homophobes, transphobes, TERFS, or any kind of hatred. Please see yourself out.

There's really no theme here. I enjoy many fandoms and they all live here.

I am truly a simple gal, be nice to me and I'll be nice to you!

Frequently used tags:

#mandy muses: just me rambling about stuff

#mandy reads: fanfiction I read and reblog

#snakehole recs: my favorite fics

#mandy responds: responses to comments on the fics I write

I also try my best to tag the fandom content I reblog, so if you have a tag blocked, this is a safe space

Side Blogs:

@she-likesorchids: my fanfiction and writing blog

@romanticrights: SUPER NSFW stuff to keep the super horny off main

You can also find my fanfiction on AO3 at shelikesorchids

I AM VERY GLAD YOU ARE HERE!

[fitzs-trained-monkey]

One Week Awake

Title: One Week Awake

Word Count: 11,000+ (Should I even count at his point?)

Warnings: Blood? The briefest of violence??? I'm stretching here, guys.

Summary: One week awake. Three weeks scattered. That's how you had lived ever since you were cursed. You only had one week at a time to enjoy living and you tried your best to do just that but you were always missing something. You just wanted something - someone to keep... Too bad no one lives forever except you. || Kol Mikaelson x Cursed fem!reader || Masterlist Lives Here!

Life's a losing game when you don't play

Don't hold your cards too close is what they say

Now, love is just another leap of faith

But I jump right in

I want something more than

More than restless mornings

Getting by's so boring

So, take your time, enjoy it

Every fleeting moment...

~ Fever Dream by mxmtoon

Suddenly materializing twenty feet in the air was always the worst part of your week. When consciousness came, your eyes snapped open and you shrieked as you plummeted to the ground. Your back collided with the dirt jarringly, knocking the wind out of you and you groaned. That was going to leave a bruise.

"Cetanwakuwa, I hope you know that wherever you are, I am still cursing your ridiculously long name." You rolled your eyes and got up, brushing twigs and branches off you as you did so. "I mean, you couldn't just curse me, no sir! You had to mess up your stupid spell and routinely drop me from TWENTY FEET IN THE AIR!!!"

When you looked up, you were met with the gaping faces of four teenage boys. They stared at you, frozen in place. You raised a brow.

"What? Haven't you ever seen a gal drop outta' the sky before?" You snapped. Three of the boys screamed before turning tail and scampering away, tripping over themselves to put distance between them and that weirdness that just fell from the heavens. The one who remained was tall and blond, with blue eyes and an athletic build. He studied you carefully, sizing you up.

"Hey," He greeted with a nod.

"Sup," You said in return.

"So, who the hell are you and what was that flash of blue light?" He demanded, rather harshly.

You smirked. "Well, you can call me Willow and that was Nunya."

"Nunya?" He questioned.

"Nunya' business," You deadpanned. The blond rolled his eyes.

"What's with the hair?" He asked, gesturing to the shocking cobalt blue hair that tumbled over your shoulders.

"Side effect of Nunya'." You replied, sending him a tight smile.

"And I'm guessing Willow isn't your real name, is it?"

"Nope!" You grinned, "What should I call you?"

"I'm Matt," He said. "And that actually is my name, in case you were wondering."

"I wouldn't really care if it wasn't, but okay," You said. "So, Matt, would you be so kind as to tell me where the hell I am?"

He sent you a questioning look. "Uh… You're in Mystic Falls, Virginia."

"Small town?" He nodded and your face twisted into a scowl. "Gross."

"Hey! I live here!" He protested.

"My condolences."

Matt huffed. "What do you want, lady?"

"I dunno." You shrugged. "Something to do, maybe? Is there, like, a party going on somewhere near here?"

"Uh… What party? T-there's no party." He was clearly lying. You had no clue why he would lie about something as simple as a party but you weren't one to judge.

You narrowed your eyes. "You're lying. There totally is. Where?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "There's no party that you should go to," He rephrased.

"But you're going to it?" You guessed.

"N-no." That's when you noticed Matt's hand flit to his pocket.

You chuckled. "Ooh! What has it got in its nasty little pocketses, precious?"

He quickly removed his hands. "Nothing."

"Gun? Knife? The One Ring of Sauron?" You guessed.

He chuckled. "Three guesses and all are wrong. Looks like I win!"

You huffed, putting your hands on your hips. "If you don't tell me about this shindig you're so worried about, then I'll just have to go ask some clueless towns person about it."

"Look, you just shouldn't go. Trust me."

"Gimme a reason and I'll think about it."

Matt sighed. "The Mikaelsons are dangerous."

"Mikaelsons, eh?" You arched a brow, stowing the name away to ask about later. "What's dangerous in a small town? Are they the mob-starting type?"

"More like the bury-you-in-their-backyard type," Matt muttered, not intending for you to hear.

You nodded. "Dope. I should absolutely go to that party then. What time is it at?"

Matt shook his head and pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket. "Here, if you're so interested, then take it."

You plucked the invitation from his hand and looked it over. "Please join the Mikaelson Family at seven o'clock for dancing, cocktails and celebration," You read aloud. "Ooh, a rich people party! Even better."

"I don't think they'll appreciate you crashing," Matt mumbled.

"Oh, honey, that's the entire point!" You smirked, waving. "Toodles!"

You took five steps before Matt cleared his throat. "Uh… Civilization is that way." He pointed, sending you a look.

You stopped. "I knew that."

"Right…"

You just snorted, waving him off before starting in the direction he had pointed. Then you stopped and turned back. "Oh, and Matty?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't tell anyone about me."

"Why not?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

You smiled softly. "Because I don't exist." Then you left.

Now, you stood in front of the Mikaelson mansion in a dress you had picked up - which is a nice way of saying stolen - from one of the shops in town. The gown was long and elegant, and the translucent layers over the skirt gave a misty quality to the soft grey-blue base. The same translucent material made up a long, flowing cape that secured itself around your throat with a silver string. Aside from the silver glitter covering the sleeveless bodice and dispersing like a gentle snowfall over the skirts, the dress reminded you of something an important British lady might have worn to one of your father's parties all those years ago. Except now, you were the mysterious stranger wearing the fine dress and every one of those important British ladies were nothing but dusty bones.

As you stood in front of the grand double doors of this family's mansion, wearing no jewelry upon your wrists nor shoes upon your feet, you couldn't help but wonder what those important ladies might say if they could see you now.

Even after all these years, you could still hear them laughing behind your back. The worst part was, they weren't exactly wrong. You were living your own stupid Cinderella story, and it was great except for the fact that it sucked. See, instead of a fairy godmother, you got an apprenticing Native American shaman, and instead of a clock striking midnight, you got one week each month, and instead of a happy ending, you got the rest of frickin' eternity. You weren't exactly sure what had happened to your Prince Charming - maybe that part got lost in translation - but after nearly three hundred years, you figured he must be running late.

That didn't stop you from wishing though. You wanted so much more than a life lived in weeks and weeks of restless mornings.

The soles of your bare feet, hidden by the folds of your skirts, met the chilled marble of the manor's steps as you made your way up to the giant double doors. As if sensing your presence, the doors swung open, revealing a room of ladies and gentlemen dressed in their finest. It had been quite a long time since you had been to a true ball, but that didn't matter. You still remembered how to dance. Flipping the length of your cobalt-blue hair over one shoulder, you stepped confidently into the mansion. Beautiful pillars lined the large oval-shaped room, but the centerpiece was clearly the grand staircase that curved up to the second floor.

Making your way into the foyer, you made a beeline for the only thing in the room that mattered. The refreshments table.

Upon reaching the object of your desire, you found yourself with a conundrum. There were two fancy platters covered in small chocolates. Each looked identical, but you knew at parties such as this that one plate would consist of chocolates with nasty overpriced rich-people filling and the other would consist of simple truffles. There were no labels, so you did the only thing you could.

"Hey, man." You didn't bother looking up before giving the person next to you a light smack on the chest to get his attention. "Little help?"

***

"This is going to be awful," Kol announced, putting on a fake smile. Throngs of people he didn't know, didn't like, or just didn't care about were beginning to file in twenty minutes early. He could hear them downstairs, chattering away - the noise was already giving him a headache. "Tell them I died bravely, Bekah."

"Ah yes," His sister smirked. "Kol son of Mikael, original vampire, ordained priest of the Catholic Church, and almost King of Spain, drowned himself in the punch bowl two minutes into his mother's party. May he rest in boredom." She dramatically narrated with a sorrowful shake of her head. Next to her, Klaus snorted and Elijah rolled his eyes. Kol grimaced and opened his mouth to say something snappy but never got the chance.

"And a good thing it would be too. The world would be well rid of his depravity," Finn said, walking in beside Esther.

"Well, it's a shame we can't all be as boring as you, Finn," Kol sneered. The eldest brother growled and stepped closer only to be stopped by Esther's hand.

"That's enough," She directed. Finn backed off like the obedient guard dog he was and Kol just sent him a smirk. Esther turned to her youngest son. "You would do well to remember yourself tonight, Kol."

"Would I?" He challenged dryly.

"Indeed, if you ever wish to leave this house again, that is," Esther replied. She turned, facing the rest of her children. "You know the rules, I expect you to follow them. If any of you step so much as a toe out of line, I will be most unhappy."

The rest of Esther's children nodded respectfully. They knew what was best for them, but not Kol - he never knew when to stop.

"Ah, the rules!" He exclaimed, drawing Esther's icy hawk-like gaze back to where he leaned casually against one of Nik's no doubt overpriced side tables. His voice dripped with sarcasm and his dark eyes watched their mother with a challenge. "Forgive me, but… what might those be again?"

Esther's expression hardened, her mouth drawing into a thin line as her eyes flashed with that pious gleam he loathed so much. It was that same look she'd worn ever since she came back from the dead - it was cold, withdrawn, and calculating and he hated it. Their mother used to look upon her children with loving warmth, but that was no longer the case because things were different now and she was just pretending. Now all Kol saw in her eyes was disdain and he hated it. "Your meaning, my son?" She asked primly.

"Oh, you know, mother." He spat the word like snake venom from his lips. "You already impose so many things upon us, I simply have a hard time keeping track."

Esther smiled tightly, choosing to ignore his implicit jab. "Very well, I shall remind you. This is to be a pleasant evening for all invited, that means there will be no bloodshed tonight from any of you. You are to control your bloodlust and remember that any and all locals are strictly off limits. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, mother dearest." Kol smirked. Her rules were clear and Kol had no intention of breaking them… At least, not directly.

He swiftly turned and left the room, moving to the balcony opposite the top of the stairs where he could observe the foyer as it filled with people while remaining invisible to the strangers down below. He leaned against the railing, wearing an expression somewhat akin to that of a hungry cat as it plays with a dying mouse. Socializing with self-important townspeople sounded rather daunting to him at the moment, so in order to stave off the boredom, he turned his people-watching into a game. With each new person who came through the door, Kol tried to pick out the visitors from the locals. Disappointingly, none of the guests looked particularly edible and after fifteen minutes of his little game, he noticed the mayor come strolling in. Better to get the niceties over with as soon as possible.

Kol descended the stairs at a human pace and continued on to introduce himself to the mayor, just as Esther had instructed him to do earlier that day. Though, that wasn't to say that he paid the mayor any attention as he did so. He just wanted to get all this posturing over with.

"Damon Salvatore." Someone was sticking their hand in his face. That was annoying. Kol had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes - it took effort. "Have we met?"

He shifted his gaze to stare pointedly at the man's hand for a moment before flicking his eyes up to his face. "I've met a lot of people," Kol said honestly. "And you don't particularly stand out."

Damon whatever-his-name-was frowned at that and maybe he was about to say something in return, but Kol was gone before he could. Why? Because he simply could not care any less. Restraining a groan, the boy made his way over to the refreshments table. Maybe Rebekah was right, he wasn't even five minutes into this party and already drowning himself in the punch bowl seemed like a better option. What he needed was a stiff drink, but of course, champagne was the only thing Esther allowed. Maybe that could be his next game - counting how many glasses of champagne it would take to get him drunk enough to deal with all these people.

"Hey, you." A hand smacked his chest to get his attention and Kol decided that there was not enough champagne in the world to make this bearable. He cast a longing glance back at the punch bowl before turning to face whoever wanted his attention. "Little help?"

On his left, studying a platter of chocolates, stood a girl… and she had blue hair.

***

"Yes?"

"I have a dilemma," You announced. You didn't bother casting a glance at the person beside you because, to be honest, you didn't much care about their identity - you only needed their minimal expertise seeing as they had been standing at that table since you'd walked in.

"And what dilemma might that be, darling?" The other guest - probably a man judging off the voice and definitely English - hummed, sounding amused.

"A dangerous dilemma, of the harrowing and high-steaks variety," You said, playing along.

"Those are the best kind." You could practically hear the smirk in his voice.

"Indeed," You agreed, giggling. You pressed your lips into a thin line, trying to remain serious. "The dilemma is thus: Seeing as this party is catered to the pompous upper-class of this tiny, insignificant town, it's safe to bet that one of these trays of chocolates consists of simple, pure, delicious truffles while the other platter offers chocolates that may appear identical but are filled only with sorrow and deceit. So, good sir, which plate is which?" Only when you finished your overly dramatic explanation did you look up.

The stranger was most certainly tall - you guessed about six foot one - with dark hair and eyes that gleamed with mischief. His lips twisted up in a smirk that suggested he knew something everyone else didn't but felt no inclination to share it. The way he carried himself left no doubt in terms of his confidence, but the way he studied the two plates intently gave him an air of playfulness that was refreshing considering the overly stuffy setting. The boy was extremely handsome and you felt no shame in admiring that seeing as he looked about your age. (Physically, at least, but you doubted he could be three hundred.) In other words, you knew who you would be spending the rest of your evening with. He looked like trouble, and trouble would have been your middle name had that been acceptable for a woman of your era.

"Your skills of perception are impeccable, darling," He praised after finishing his assessment of the dessert choices. "However, I fear I am no wiser in this respect than you are. I suppose the only feasible solution is for each of us to sample a plate, that way only one of us suffers. What say you?" The boy grinned, easily keeping up with your overly proper speech. It made you smile; you had always enjoyed the beauty of banter and it was nice to find someone who could both understand and reciprocate. People just didn't talk that way anymore and while that was a good thing in some respects, it had saddened you as years went by to watch the artistry of language slowly die out.

"I concur," You said.

"Very well, ladies first." He grinned. "Left or right?"

"Hmmm…" You pretended to think about it despite knowing that your chances were as good as a guess. "Always choose the right… so I think I'll go left!" You picked a chocolate from your chosen plate and watched him do the same.

He counted. "On three? One… Two… Three!"

You popped the candy in your mouth and were delighted to find it absent of any filling as the delicious treat melted on your tongue.

"I got the holy-food!" You declared. One glance at the expression on his face told you everything you needed to know and had you doubled over with laughter.

"I got the sorrow and deceit," The boy sighed, shuddering. "What was that? Was that peach?" He shook his head. "That's disgusting," He said, pointing to the plate on the right.

"Better luck next time," You said encouragingly. You patted his arm.

"Eh, I'll live… probably." He shrugged and turned his attention back to you. The way his eyes raked up and down your figure in a way that was both deliberate and eager made your cheeks heat against your will. He looked at you like he was trying to decide something, but you couldn't be sure what that might be. After a moment, he held his hand out for you to take, sending you a charming smile. "My name is Kol, Kol Mikaelson. What's yours?"

For whatever reason, you almost let slip your real name but caught yourself at the last second. You didn't want him to know that, especially since you didn't yet know him. "You may call me Willow."

His eyes narrowed and, for just a fraction of a second, his eyes flicked to your heart, almost as if he could hear your heart stutter as the lie left your lips. "That wouldn't happen to be your surname, would it?" He asked.

You shook your head. "No surname. Just Willow is fine, thank you." Kol's eyes watched yours for a moment before he nodded. "I suppose I should be flattered at receiving the honor of speaking with one of tonight's hosts."

Kol tilted his head. "Honor, you say? Didn't I just hear you call this party pompous?"

"Yes, you did," You said. "Because it is."

The boy laughed. "Well, I can't disagree with you there, darling."

"What? Is someone not into all this posturing?" You teased, elbowing him playfully. Kol just scowled.

"Oh, absolutely not. I despise politics in every form, all this cloak-and-dagger nonsense is just so-" He sighed and shook his head. "I say, if you disagree with someone, you take it outside and settle it like men."

You could tell he was pretty sick of whatever politics or business his family was into and was clearly being forced to attend this event. But that much had been obvious from his self-assigned post at the refreshments table. You of course were no stranger to politics, your father had been one of many governors in the colonies, all of whom were downright brutal when it came to fighting for any scrap of parliament's attention. You completely understood where Kol was coming from.

"I don't know about cloak-and-dagger, just yet. This seems more like a flaunting of wealth to me."

Kol raised a brow at you, seemingly impressed. "Well, yes actually… That's precisely what this is."

You nodded, smirking. "Thanks, I'm fluent in arrogant windbag along with nearly one hundred dialects of showboating and although my understanding of boot licking is perfect, my pronunciation is awful."

The boy beside you threw his head back, laughing hard. His laugh was bold and pleasant to the ear, full of lively animation. Kol made laughter seem like a gift. Though he startled several nearby guests, he seemed completely unbothered by their stares. "It is an absolute nightmare, isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah. Small town politicking is painfully pointless," You chuckled.

"Precisely my thoughts. I honestly couldn't tell you why my family's so invested." Kol shook his head, grinning. "Though I suppose I must ask, if you're so keen eyed, why are you here?"

"I thought that was obvious." You shot him a look and pointed to the chocolate. "Free food."

"Oh, be honest!" He scoffed. "Did your date drag you here? Speaking of, where is your date? Don't tell me that a lady of your caliber is unaccompanied, because I won't believe you."

You shrugged. "Guess I'll just keep my mouth shut then."

Kol rolled his eyes and huffed dramatically, shaking his head as if disappointed. "Darling, I know I'm irresistibly handsome, but you can't just up and leave your date for me."

"Well, someone sure thinks he's special," You scoffed.

You rolled your eyes to hide the blush blooming across your face. "I'm sure my imaginary date would hate to hear that."

"Oh, I'm not special, darling; not at all. I am, however, unique, extraordinary, exceptional, uncanny, phenomenal, marvellous - are you taking this down? " He smirked.

"In your dreams, maybe."

"I wouldn't mind that." Something flashed in Kol's eyes then and it was bright, wild, and mischievous, full of something you couldn't put a name to as he grinned.

"Is he on the high school football team or is he a theater kid? Does he get jealous easily? Is that why you decided to come?"

"Kol," You warned, glaring. He held his hands up in self-defense. "I don't have a date," You insisted.

The boy feigned a look of concern. "Oh, dear. No date? Well this simply will not do." He shook his head woefully, but you could see the smirk spreading across his face and you knew he was plotting something behind those droopy, innocent-looking eyes.

"I don't mind flying solo."

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be to stand for that?" Kol demanded, feigning offense.

"You're a gentleman?" You teased. "I wasn't aware…"

"That hurts." Kol frowned. You just shrugged. "Well, I guess today's your lucky day, darling. It seems I too find myself in need of a date."

You raised a brow. "Aren't you hosting this buffoonery?"

The boy snickered at your choice of words. "My mother is technically the one responsible, but yes - by association anyway," He replied.

"A host without a date, that's just downright improper." You shook your head shamefully.

"In my defence, I didn't want to come," He pointed out.

"What about now?" You asked coyly.

Kol's eyes darkened and he took a step closer to you. "Now, I would very much like to take this opportunity to dance with you."

"No one's dancing," You pointed out, letting your confusion show in your voice,

"Oh, well that's easy to fix." The boy tossed you a wink. Then he turned on his heel and disappeared into the crowd of guests. You were left standing there, quite confused until you heard the tapping of glass.

There was a man standing on the stairs and you watched Kol climb up to stand beside him. Rebekah was there too so you assumed that was the whole family; four boys, one girl. "If everyone could gather please..." As the man started to speak, a different woman descended the stairs. She watched the crowd with an intense gaze - it was similar to Kol's but less playful and more threatening. She must have been their mother. "Thank you. You know, whenever our mother brings us together like this, it's tradition to commence the evening with a dance. So, if you could all please join us in the ballroom."

You crossed your arms and shook your head. Kol reappeared in front of you a second later.

"Cheater."

"I wasn't aware there were any rules." He grinned, offering you his hand. "Now, about that dance?"

You felt your lips twitch up in a smirk. "Try to keep up," You taunted as you reached for his hand. The moment your skin touched his, your curse ignited, jolting through you like arcing electricity. You could feel the latent magic crawling across your skin, drawn to him as if he were a magnet. For whatever reason, your curse liked him and you weren't sure if you should worry or figure out why.

If Kol noticed anything out of the ordinary, he didn't show it. He just continued to smile as he pulled you in the direction of the ballroom.

This dance was not your first, not remotely. Over the course of three hundred years, you had attended dozens of balls, hundreds of less formal dances, and had probably danced with a thousand men. But not a single one of those dances could possibly compare to this one. Over the last few decades, people had forgotten how to dance, but this boy was different. Kol Mikaelson knew how to dance - you might even go so far as to call him an expert.

First, Kol took your hand and brushed your knuckles against his lips in a kiss that was so feather-light you would hardly have felt it if not for the magic that arched free from you at his touch. People didn't do that anymore, but Kol did and it made you blush.

Then you were moving. Kol wrapped his arm around your waist, gently squeezing your side as he held you close to him - closer than anyone else was dancing. You placed one hand at the base of his neck as your free hand found his. Kol's eyes never left yours, not even for a second; he just watched you with a bright smile and when a blush started to spread over your features, he dropped a flirtatious wink. That only had your cheeks warming more so you chose to focus on anything else. You could feel each of his fingers delicately pressing into your waist and you focused on that feeling. Nothing about it felt forced - it just felt right.

Your bodies moved on instinct and in unison as if the two of you had been dancing together for years rather than minutes. Your bare feet flitted across the cool stone floor in absolute silence, you could have been dancing on air. Kol was the same - almost gliding through the steps. The way he moved was so graceful, it was almost as if he had been doing this as long as you… maybe even longer, but that was impossible… Wasn't it? He led perfectly and you followed with absolute precision - you were easily the most graceful couple in the room and you noticed a young blonde girl eyeing you and Kol with envy. But you couldn't help it, it felt as though you had been made to dance with him.

When it came time to change partners, Kol spun you in his arms but he didn't let go. Instead, he pulled you back in closer and skimmed his lips across your cheek. His breath was warm yet it made you shiver. The charge of magic on your skin trilled in response, reaching for him, and as if he could feel it, Kol pulled you impossibly closer. His body was flush with yours and whatever your curse was reacting to seemed to settle, satisfied with the contact. A strange calm washed over you then, you felt yourself relax and rested your head against his chest, just letting him hold you. He sighed, seeming content to do so.

"Darling?" His voice was soft but it caught your attention and you hummed to let him know you were listening. "This may sound strange, but would you mind telling me why you're not wearing any shoes?"

You opened your mouth to reply but Kol leaned down, his lips brushed over the shell of your ear as he whispered. "Don't bother lying to me. I'll know if you do."

"H-how did you know?" You stammered, tensing up. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Relax, darling. I'm not going to raise the alarm, I'm just curious," He said. You nodded and relaxed. "This floor is marble, heeled shoes would click while flats or boots would tap; your footsteps are much too quiet," He explained.

"You can hear that?" You wondered, not sure whether to be frightened or amazed.

"I can hear a lot of things." He shrugged. His voice was warm enough but it held a tone that you knew should be taken as a warning. "Your heartbeat, for example; I suggest you not lie to me."

You sighed. This was your Cinderella story and midnight had come. "I don't have any shoes to wear," You told him honestly. "Truth be told, I'm not even supposed to be here." You hadn't intended to admit that but something about Kol just urged you to speak freely. That boy was trouble if you'd ever seen it.

Your confession seemed to grab Kol's attention like a red flag. He pulled away from you slightly to look at your face and it felt as though your curse was screaming for him to come back. His surprise was evident on his face but there was something else hiding in his expression, you weren't sure what it was or what it meant. "What do you mean you're not supposed to be here? As I understand it, everyone in town received an invitation."

"Then I'm sure everyone in town did," You stated.

Kohl's brows furrowed. "But you're…"

"I'm not a local," You admitted, feeling guilty though you weren't sure why. "I'm just passing through."

Kol tugged you back in again and his grip on your waist tightened, the pressure of his fingertips felt almost greedy. Like there was something he wanted to keep to himself. "You're crashing?"

"That I am."

"I think I like you even more now, love," He said huskily. The way his tongue rolled over the word 'love' sent your heartbeat into fifth gear. You'd never felt anything akin to the butterflies so many people talk about but his words set off a fluttering feeling you weren't sure you'd ever shake. "Do I get to know how long I can keep you?" He asked

"A week." Your voice sounded so tiny and one week had never sounded so short.

"I'll bet I can convince you to stay longer," Kol drawled softly. The arm around your waist shifted just slightly lower and he ever so slowly brushed his hand over your side before suddenly clutching the curve of your hip. His touch felt like sparks spreading all over your body, filling you with a warmth you had never experienced in your three hundred years of life. You gasped and looked up to see him smirking at you and you knew it was stupid to think you felt something for someone you'd just met, but you couldn't deny that feeling. It felt like magic. He spun you out and pulled you back. "Why rush this?" He asked, a hit of laughter hiding in his voice. "Take your time. Enjoy it."

Your heart longed to do exactly that, but your mind knew it would only hurt you in the end. You didn't want to have to look at him so you closed your eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kol," You whispered. "It's not up to me. I wish it was, but it's not." You shook your head, this had to stop. You were only doing more damage to yourself. "I'm sorry. I-I-I need to go!"

So, you broke free from his arms and ran.

***

Kol found her amongst flowers.

He couldn't fathom a logical reason as to why he'd followed the girl. After all, she was of little interest to him beyond a rather convenient self-identifying late-night snack. Now, he wasn't above admitting that he found the girl rather amusing - at the very least more amusing than small-town politicians - and she was certainly pretty, especially in that dress which outlined everything she had just perfectly. (A trait he wasn't above admiring.) Besides, Kol had caught his mother watching that girl and her cobalt blue hair with an expression of utmost disdain and he'd simply had to dance with her if only to spit on his mother's judgemental attitude. She was also refreshingly intelligent and a spectacular dancer. However, none of those positive traits were what drew him to her.

He knew it had to be the magic. The entire situation confused him because she was simply mortal - not a witch because she didn't smell nor act like one - she shouldn't have magic. Yet there it was all the same. It crackled across her skin, calling to him like the wisps of a dandelion dancing on a warm summer's breeze. It thrummed in her blood, begging him to taste her. To touch her was intoxicating, the way her magic wrapped around him felt like being surrounded by gently swirling winds, and part of him wanted to wrap his arms around her and never let go. The other, darker half of him, however, wished to taste that magic in her blood, the thought of his teeth tearing into her soft skin made his fangs ache as he watched her quietly.

She sat on a simple yet intricate bench, one of many scattered throughout the mansion's sprawling grounds. Her position, while rather endearing, was less than lady-like with her head resting on her arms which lay folded over the back of the bench while her feet she kept tucked up beneath her. The soft silver moonlight dripped over her flawless skin and the tempestuous wind tossed her strange cobalt hair about wildly, giving her the appearance of some lost ethereal specter. It pleased him to note that she wasn't the loud, obnoxious sort that cries for attention. The tears that welled in her H/C eyes and traced down her cheeks were silent and sincere, her shoulders shaking slightly as if she were trying to keep her emotions in.

He approached the girl casually but quietly, not saying anything but letting his footsteps crunch against the gravel so as to give her plenty of notice of his presence. She faced away from the mansion and the noise of the party, instead of keeping her gaze focused on the treeline at the edge of the garden. The wind blew the scent of her magic-tainted blood towards him and he had to resist the urge to rush over there and sink his teeth into her pretty little neck. He sat beside her, mimicking her posture so she wouldn't feel uncomfortable, and sent her a soft smile.

"What are you looking at?" He asked gently.

"There, between the trees." She pointed. "Do you see them?" Kol followed her eyes beyond the edge of the woods where rolling fog drifted between the trees. He watched for a moment confused as to what they were searching for when his eyes caught a glimpse of something as it disappeared behind a tree. He caught sight of it again moments later, a faint glowing wisp of light the same color as the hair of the girl beside him. Another one caught his eye a few meters away, followed by more wisps appearing and vanishing at random.

"Ah, Will 'O Wisps." He nodded, smiling. "Always a captivating sight."

"My family has a legend about them," She said quietly.

"I love a good story," He encouraged, turning his gaze to watch her. The girl's eyes caught his for a moment and the blush that spread across her cheeks made his fangs ache, but he knew he had to wait. At least until the party was over.

"I'll warn you now, it doesn't have a happy ending," She sighed.

"None of the masterful ones do," He pointed out. "That's what makes them so captivating." Willow - he didn't believe that was her real name - took a deep breath and nodded slightly.

"Once upon a time," She began, " there lived a girl who was as stunning as she was stupid. Her name was Y/N, and she was the daughter of a governor, raised in wealth and plenty in a time when revolution was only a dream in the minds of a few troublemakers and anyone important was proud to serve their king.

"Y/N was ignorant, raised on the barbaric belief that she and settlers like her were superior to the native peoples of this land. She had no regard or respect for their traditions or customs and foolishly believed that they observed her father's authority. One day Y/N went for a walk through the woods behind her home, eventually, she found herself rather lost. As it turned out, Y/N had unwittingly trespassed on the sacred lands of a neighboring Native American Tribe. When she was caught, Y/N demanded that the tribe's people return her to her father, and they did… for a price. The tribe was sick of settlers violating the pacts and treaties that had been made, and Y/N's crime was severe so they made her an example.

"Before handing her over to her father, the village shaman placed a terrible curse on Y/N. He shredded her spirit and scattered it to the wind only to be reunited but once each month on the new moon. Then he bound his curse to the land to keep her from drifting all across the world, and to the sun to make it eternal." The girl's face twisted into a bitter frown and she turned to face him.

"That's how she exists now," She said, her voice breaking ever so slightly. "Unable to live. Unable to die. Wandering aimlessly for ever and ever. They say that those wisps you see are the shredded remains of Y/N's soul, just trying to find something - anything - to hold onto… and never succeeding."

"Well that does sound rather miserable," He said. He reached over and skimmed his fingers over the back of her hand, enjoying the electric sensation that came with touching her soft skin before he tangled their fingers together. "But it doesn't explain why a beautiful creature such as yourself sits out here, letting these tears spoil her night." It was more of a statement but left her with a question and a soft invitation to answer.

Willow pursed her lips and glanced at their intertwined hands. She tried to pull away but he held on and shifted a little closer. “It’s a lot of things I guess,” She said with a laugh that sounded more like a sigh. “I just feel so trapped. I want my life to have meaning, I want to see the world, but I can't and I never will and you have no idea how crushing it is to live with no hope of things ever getting better. I could cry for hours and you would never understand.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” He smiled and tilted his head at the girl, tugging her closer to him so he could shrug off his jacket and place it around her shoulders, keeping one arm wrapped around her. She offered him a slight smile as thanks and he acknowledged it by giving her hand a squeeze. The two of them were more alike than he'd thought - more alike than she would ever know.

“I would,” She said quietly. Then, as if her youth were merely a fragile facade, Kol’s perception of her changed. There was something surprising in Willow’s E/C eyes when they locked with his own, it was a sad sort of patience that told him that the tears slipping down her face were not the first of their kind. That was about when he realized that he might have found something truly amazing. He wanted to keep it. He wanted to keep her.

“And why is that?” He wondered, searching her eyes for an answer to the riddle that was her magic.

“Because you’re a rich boy living in a small town in a beautiful mansion at an overly lavish party flirting with a girl you’ll forget about in a week and your biggest problem is that you’re bored.”

Her tone wasn’t harsh or bitter, instead, her smile was patient and watery as she wiped at her eyes with a soft laugh. Kol had thought she was like so many other girls, stupid and trusting, the kind that throws themselves at any guy who gives them five seconds of his attention. But she wasn’t any of those things, she knew exactly what sort of game he was playing and had merely decided to play along.

“That’s a rather bold claim.”

“Is it?” She countered.

“You hardly know me, darling,” He pointed out.

“I don’t need to,” She said, shaking her head as she began to pull away. Kol frowned.

“I’m sorry, did I give you the impression that I was trying to chat you up?” He asked. She stood and he stood with her, watching as she passed his jacket back. He couldn't keep the disappointment from his face, he wasn't ready for this to be over with but just like everything else he wanted, she was leaving too soon. The sensation of her magic dulled as she moved away from him and he instantly missed the contact. He was tempted to throw his arms around her and force her to stay but decided against that and clung to her hand instead.

“Not at first, but yes,” She answered, tucking a strand of her strange blue hair behind her ear.

Kol sighed. Of course she had to catch on just when he started to mean it. “It’s a bad habit, please forgive me. Do you think we could start again?”

The girl laughed, shaking her head. “Not even if I believed you. I’m really sorry, Kol. I would love to get to know you because you seem like a lot of fun - maybe too much fun, but that’s why I need to go. I can live with knowing that you won’t miss me, anything else is harder and I don’t need that.”

He nodded, squeezing her hand. That wasn't enough for him. “If you’re leaving, at least take this.” Kol let go of her hand and stepped forward, wrapping one arm around her waist and tangling his fingers in her hair. The girl’s magic went off like a crack of thunder between them as he captured her lips greedily. Her lips tasted like a seaside wind - cold and weary. A quiet whimper escaped her though she didn’t kiss him back. But that was alright with him because her heartbeat was wild in his ears and the salty tears that found their way to his tongue told Kol that she wanted him too. “Just so you don’t forget me,” He whispered.

She stepped away as soon as he let go, wiping away more tears. “Goodbye, Kol,” She choked out.

“Farewell, darling.” He watched her walk briskly away and smiled at the hesitation in her steps. The girl stopped a few yards away. She didn’t turn around, almost as if she didn’t trust herself not to run back to him if she did. Her voice was so soft but they both knew he would hear the words she spoke.

“I won't forget you.”

Then she was gone, seeming to disappear in the mists.

The rest of Kol's evening was something of a blur. Rebekah asked for his assistance in helping her murder her date - she chickened out. Kol was bored. Klaus somehow managed to sneak off. Kol tried to follow his example only for Finn to drag him back quite literally by the scruff of his neck. Boredom pervaded. The party continued. Someone got their neck snapped - he wasn’t sure who. A middle-aged woman passed out on the stairs - Elijah cuffed him on the back of the head for finding that funny. Kol was still bored - suicide was looking tempting. Klaus came back looking like a kicked puppy. Esther made a toast. There was some funky-ass champagne passed around - Finn made Kol drink it. Just when the youngest Mikaelson brother thought he could take no more of this torture, Elijah finally indirectly told everyone to go home. Kol didn’t think he’d ever been more grateful to his brother than at that moment.

Despite his intentions, the evening had carried on without so much as a broken champagne flute and that was something Kol simply could not stand. Esther had taken so much from him - from all of them - and offered no apology nor recompense for her actions. Yet she just expected her children's wholehearted forgiveness simply because she was back from the dead. She expected them to observe her authority - as if she had any authority over them after one thousand years - and sought to control them with her rules. Finn, Elijah, Niklaus, and Rebekah may have been able to forget her betrayal and accept her return as head of their family, but not Kol.

Because Kol had loved Esther more when she was dead.

That was the truth as much as it pained him to admit it. And maybe that made him a monster. But then again, maybe it was just one more log to add to the fire that burned him alive from the inside out. The fire that he'd never been able to control. The fire that had burned away his connection to magic. The fire that could only be doused with blood. The fire that Esther had started when she'd turned her children into vampires.

Esther had murdered him. She didn't deserve his respect nor his forgiveness. He couldn't hate her when she was dead. But she was back now, and Kol bloody hated her.

So to Hell with her rules. Chaos was more fun anyway.

As guests were taking their sweet time leaving the property, Kol conveniently found himself a moment alone with his sister’s date. He was this tall blond kid who absolutely looked like a ‘Matt’. Kol had waited long enough, he was itching to kill something - to break Esther’s rules sooner rather than later. His intention was to satisfy his need for chaos by crushing every bone in that kid’s hand to powder. Unfortunately however, he never got the chance. The raven-haired Salvatore appeared out of nowhere to push him off a balcony before snapping his neck.

That was pretty much the end of his night.

When he woke up, he was met with an aching neck and the cold fury of his mother's gaze. She sat in a chair in front of him, back ramrod straight and hands folded in her lap.

"Good evening, my son," She greeted as he sat up. Her tone was downright frigid. "How are you feeling?"

"Oh, just spectacular," He mocked, grinning impishly. In reality he was starving, he needed blood, right that very second preferably. If he hadn't known any better, he would have attacked Esther but seeing as she was a witch, she was bound to give him a headache that would last a century.

Although the concern of magic brought a very different idea to his attention. The girl who called herself Willow. Just the thought of her - her magic, her humor, her scent, her intelligence, the way she smiled, the way she danced, the taste of her lips when he'd kissed her - it was almost enough to overpower what little control he had. Kol needed her. He needed to taste her blood. He needed to feel her magic whipping around him again. The intensity with which he craved that girl was entirely new to him and perhaps he would have been curious or at the very least surprised, had he not been so maddeningly hungry.

"No doubt better than young mister Donavan, I would assume. That boy is in the hospital with three broken bones in his hand because of your actions." Esther's voice brought him back to the conversation at hand. It was probably a good thing for once considering his tenuous grip on control. The memory of his fingers tangled in that girl's cobalt hair was very distracting…

"I am speaking to you, Kol. What do you have to say for yourself?" Esther demanded. Kol blinked, willing himself to refocus.

"I confess, Bekah made me do it!" Kol declared with foux remorse.

"So I've heard," Esther said with pursed lips. "However, your sister claims that she changed her mind and called you off. I find myself inclined to believe her over you."

"Ah, yes, that is true." He chuckled to himself. "Poor Bex, some bloke gives her his jacket and she thinks it's forever…" He shook his head woefully. Finally, Esther's temper betrayed her cool exterior and she huffed indignantly.

"My rules were simple, Kol. No violence - that was all I asked - for you to control your more savage inclinations for one night!"

"You mean those same savage inclinations you so graciously bestowed upon us?" Kol snapped, springing to his feet.

"I speak of those savage inclinations you do not so much as attempt to curb. Possess you no restraint? " The witch seethed. Kol stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded.

"Restraint?" He muttered under his breath. "Restraint?"

Kol threw his head back and laughed though there was no humor in it.

"Exactly who do you think you're talking to? I was performing magic before I could walk, frustrating Ayana at every turn, testing any and all limits for the sheer fun of it - not that you paid enough attention to notice. Yet you sit here and speak to me of restraint... I have none! I never did! These savage inclinations, this bloodlust, is as much a part of me as the magic you stole!" He spat. Were it anyone else, his anger would have provided him a shield, but this was Esther. This was his mother and he couldn't stop the tears from falling - whether they were of rage or grief he couldn't tell. One thousand years and it still hurt like Hell.

"I can't control it. I have tried, mother, but you cannot fathom what it is like! It hurts so much. I can't resist it; I never could and you should have known that. You speak as though I wanted this. I didn't! I never shared your affinity for dark magic; I wanted to use my power to heal people - not hurt them." His voice cracked and shattered as he glared at Esther with all the hate and pain he'd been forced to carry for one thousand years. "You did this to me."

Yet Esther watched him only with contempt. There was nothing motherly in his mother's eyes - no mercy, no understanding, no love. In her gaze lived the truth he'd already known - the truth he hadn't wanted to face. It was the proof for which he'd been unwittingly seeking with all his mischief. It was clear to Kol then, when he looked into that woman's eyes and couldn't see his mother, that he'd been right all along.

Esther didn't love him anymore.

She didn't love any of them.

And Kol thought he'd felt pain before… Losing his magic was nothing compared to the realization that he'd become something entirely unlovable.

"Your excuses hold no merit, child. Finn, Elijah, and even Niklaus have no such struggles controlling themselves," Esther stated with disdain. Kol couldn't stop the surge of rage that tore through him then, it felt like white-hot flames.

"I AM NOT MY BROTHERS!" He cried out. The pain was tearing him to pieces and he wished he could just turn it all off, but that little trick had stopped working a long time ago. He was in so much pain… but Esther didn't care.

A sharp slicing agony shot through his skull, accompanied by an ear-piercing shriek that he realized seconds later was coming from him. Kol crumpled to the floor, clamping his hands over his ears in an effort to dull the pain. The tears streaming down his face were hot with the blood of multiple aneurysms and he begged Esther to stop. She didn't.

"Do not raise your voice with me, Kol. I am your mother and you will show me some respect or else this will be but a taste of the suffering I will inflict upon you." Seconds felt like hours before Esther finally removed her spell and when the agony ceased Kol could do nothing but lay there and gasp for breath. "We will continue this conversation when you obtain a better understanding of your place."

Then Esther was gone.

Kol fled from that place as soon as he was stable on his feet. He simply couldn't stand to stay in that house any longer with a woman who looked and sounded like his mother but held only hatred for him in her heart. His mother was well and truly dead. Running through the town, he had no idea what he was looking for until he caught her scent and the craving slammed into him with all the force of a ten-ton truck. Willow had said that she would be in town for a week, but he couldn't wait that long. He could almost taste her lips and the memory of it was driving him insane. There was no debate in his mind, he needed to have her.

Kol found her amongst flowers.

She looked like a spirit again. Her skin was translucent under the moonlight and her cobalt hair splayed around her head as she lay on her back observing the stars. That pretty dress of hers had been abandoned in favor of an oversized hoodie the same shade as her hair and black jeans that had seen better days; her feet remained bare. She almost looked prettier like that - softer certainly and Kol wanted to hold her. Between the trees surrounding them, ghostly wisps of blue light made themselves known to his eyes.

He heard her sigh upon entering the small clearing in the woods where she laid, almost as if she could sense him. "If I wanted to see you again, I would have given you my number."

"You have a cell phone yet you don't own shoes?" He questioned continuing to approach her. He could feel Willow's magic pulling him in akin to the force of a riptide.

"It should be clear to you by now that we have very different priorities," She said sagely. She didn't move from her spot on the ground.

"My priorities seem to have shifted since I saw you last," Kol said. He couldn't keep his eyes off her throat and her heartbeat pounded deliciously in his ears. His whole body felt tense with anticipation and his fangs ached, it was hard to keep himself from iimagining what it would feel like to sink his teeth into her tender flesh.

The girl finally stood, turning to him with her hands on her hips. "How so?" She asked.

"Plenty of ways." He shrugged. "The primary one being the insatiable need to figuratively spit in my mother's face which has taken up forefront. Care to help me with that?" He tilted his head and smiled. He'd never been strong enough to fight it.

Willow raised a brow. "I thought I made my stance on politics and drama very clear but I'll reiterate if I must. That stance is: Hell no."

Kol chuckled softly, feeling a psychotic grin spread across his face. He stopped fighting the growing bloodlust and let the demonic features of his mother's curse show.

"That wasn't a request, darling."

Had he been in a more stable state of mind, he would have seen the soft smile cross Willow's face and heard the words she mumbled upon seeing his true nature.

"How interesting."

But he didn't hear her. He was too focused on his hunger as he rushed forward and buried his dagger-like teeth in her neck. He tangled his fingers in her hair, tugging to keep her throat exposed. He held her still with the arm he kept securely around her waist, she fought but he was much too strong for that to matter. The girl's magic swirled around him in a gale of wind and electricity, combined with the taste of her blood on his tongue and the relief from the burning in his throat, the sensation was euphoric. Her magic doubled in force, screaming for him to stop, but he didn't. He couldn't.

Not until the girl was dead.

He dropped her lifeless corpse on the ground amongst the flowers. If he tried hard enough, he could almost pretend she was laying as he'd found her, an ethereal figure in the moonlight. A twinge of guilt pricked at something inside him. It wasn't fair, but not much in the world was. It wasn't personal, her death was one of the thousands of other meaningless deaths at his hand, she was just another victim of his bad habits and extraordinary lack of control. Perhaps what he regretted was what might have been. Now he would never no and he could only blame himself for that.

He turned to leave her there, lying unnaturally still in the grass as he had too many others when a sound stopped him in his tracks. It started off soft but grew to fill the area around him. It was a laugh, a bright bubbling laugh full of joy and innocence. Kol spun back around only to find the scene before him completely unchanged.

Then he saw a spark - a cobalt wisp - and it started in Willow's heart.

A soft cobalt glow shimmered and sparked to life in her heart, shining through her skin and clothes. The glow spread outward through her veins until her whole body burned a vibrant blue. Kol blinked against the blaze as tendrils - wisps - of light began to stretch outwards from her body. The light flared with sudden intensity and Willow's body fractured into a million cobalt sparks, shooting out like a firework in all directions. All was still for a moment, then moving with an unseen force, the sparks drew themselves towards him. They swirled and danced around his body, tracing his limbs like leaves in a whirlwind. Another peel of laughter rang out across the clearing before the sparks drew together and disappeared.

Kol let out a low whistle. "Well, that was new."

***

You stood where this fiasco had begun - on the Mikaelson family's doorstep - at 11 o'clock in the morning. Only this time there was no fancy ball to attend and you were about to unleash a brand of fury like which Hell hath no. You pounded your fist against the enormous door and waited patiently. A moment later, the door swung open and a woman you could only assume was a maid greeted you with a friendly smile.

"Hello, what can I help you with today?" She chirped brightly.

"I need a minute with whoever's in charge of this joint, so either take me to them or bring them out here," You said. You didn't care if you sounded harsh or demanding. The woman blinked.

"I'm sorry, Miss, but I don't think-"

You cut her off with a sickly sweet smile. "That wasn't a request."

The maid seemed to think that over for a moment. "Just one moment, please." She shut the door and again you waited. A few minutes later the door opened again and a tall, regal blonde woman stood there - it was the same woman you had seen on the stairs the night before - Kol's mother. You spoke before she could say anything.

"You're the mom, right?" You demanded.

The woman nodded. "I am Esther," She said simply.

"I'll be honest with you, I don't particularly care. I'm here to see your son," You told her, your voice sour.

"To which son might you be referring?" She asked, sending you a look that declared you an idiot without her having to say the word. "I have four."

"Oh, you know… Dark hair? Delusional? Thinks he's God's gift to women?" You listed the traits off on your fingers, raising your voice just slightly knowing he could hear you.

Esther raised a brow. "Kol?"

"Indeed."

The woman frowned but seemed not the least bit surprised. "For what reason must you see him?" She questioned with a sigh.

"Retribution," You replied, leaning into the vowels.

This seemed to surprise her. "For what act?" Esther demanded.

"He killed me." You smiled sardonically. "For that, I'd like to punch him in his perfect teeth."

Esther nodded. "I find this acceptable." She turned her head to look over her shoulder. "Kol! Come here, please! There's a young woman here to see you!"

From somewhere deep in the enormous house, you heard a low groan, followed by a loud wolf whistle, and then by a male voice shouting: "Take it like a man, Kol!" Looking over Esther's shoulder, you caught a glimpse of movement at the top of the grand staircase. Then, in an instant, Kol was standing in front of you.

"I'll leave you to your business," His mother said. She did just that.

"Kol," You greeted coolly.

The boy only smirked. "Hello, darling."

You didn't give him any warning. You just threw your fist at his face as hard as you possibly could. There was the sickening crunch of something breaking as your knuckles collided with his nose. Pride filled your chest when your fist came back bloody and left his face in a similar state. Kol moaned and shook his head, wrenching his nose back into place with a stomach-turning grinding noise.

"That was a… nice punch. Good for you. Great job. Spectacular form…" You knew he was just blabbering to cover up how much that hurt. "Will that be all?"

You thought his question over for a moment and decided you weren't quite done. You reeled your arm back and slammed your fist into his face again, this time hitting your mark.

Kol spat a mouth full of blood into the dirt and snapped his head up to look at you.

"Really?! Twice?!"

You shrugged. "There were two distinct holes in my neck. So you get two distinct punches in the face." Kol looked like he was about to say something snappy but thought better of it.

"So, you're Y/N, I take it."

"In the flesh, for one week only." You gave a flourishing bow.

"I get it now," He informed you. You raised a brow. "Willow? As in Will o' Wisp? Very funny."

"I'm hilarious like that," You said dryly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand for you to shake but you just slapped it away.

"I can't say the same," You deadpanned. "You, sir, are a pain in the neck. I mean that in multiple ways."

Kol smirked. "Let me make it up to you." He proposed.

"No." You turned and walked off. Kol chased after you, vying for your attention.

"Come on, Y/N! Wait!"

"No."

"You haven't even heard what I'm going to say!"

"No."

"I'll buy you a drink!"

"No."

"Why not?" He whined, sounding like a child.

"Because you killed me, you ass!" You threw back, yelling over your shoulder.

"Only a little bit!" Came his pathetic defence.

"And you enjoyed it!" You couldn't shake the feeling of his fingers tangled in your hair, tugging at it the same way as he had when he'd kissed you. You could still feel his arm around your waist, crushing you against him while he drained your blood. You shivered at the memory.

"Alright, I'll admit that part is true, you did taste fantastic... But if it makes you feel better, I'll never do it again!" He promised.

"That doesn't make me feel any better." You were almost to the gate. "I have one week awake, Kol! One week!"

"I thought it was just the new moon?" He questioned, he actually sounded interested but you weren't going to fall for that.

You rolled your eyes. "It was supposed to be, but the shaman messed up the spell. I have one week every month to live, and I'm not going to spend it waiting for a freaking vampire - because apparently those are real and no one ever bothered to tell me - to kill me a second time!"

Kol stopped. "Last night, you said you feel like you're trapped-" He called out after you.

"Leave me alone, Kol," You ground out.

"You said you wanted to see the world-"

"I'm done talking to you."

"But I'd wager a bet that your curse keeps you bound to North America." He just wasn't giving up. Why was the road off their property so long?

"It keeps me from appearing outside North America. I actually got to South America once, then my week was over and I got whisked right back here," You grumbled. Suddenly Kol caught your wrist and pulled you back. You spun around to keep yourself from falling but that only gave him the opportunity to wrap his arms around you. Your magic trilled with the contact, begging you to accept him.

"I'll take you," He breathed.

"What?"

"London, Rio, Moscow, Begjing, Tokyo, even Dubi if we absolutely must - I'll take you anywhere."

You scowled at him. "Last night you murdered me, why the sudden generosity?"

Kol just shrugged. "Last night was awful and I lashed out because I was angry and scared and your blood smelled divine. But I didn't just kiss you for the hell of it."

"Yes, you did. That's just the sort of person you are," You snapped. You expected him to agree and brush it off with a joke, but that wasn't what he did. He brought his hands up to cradle your face, gently stroking your cheeks while he watched you with honest eyes.

"You're wrong about me, Y/N," He said. "I want you and I don't give up on the things I want."

You bit your lip and looked away. "I'm not someone you can keep," You whispered painfully. "I've just got the one week awake. Just one then its three to the wind."

"But we both have forever. An eternity of one weeks," He pointed out. "I can be patient when I want to be. We can take our time and I'll enjoy every fleeting moment of it with you. What do you say?"

You knew better. You knew this would only end in pain. "No."

Then his lips were on yours and it was soft and sweet and everything you'd ever wanted. Your magic raced though you like a bolt of lightning, excited for the first time in three hundred years.

"How about now?" He smirked.

"I-I can't."

"Wrong answer," Kol hummed.

He kissed you again and you could feel your will crumbling as he traced his fingers down your spine. He kissed your cheek, then your jaw, then left a trail of open-mouthed kisses down your neck. Your magic buzzed along your skin, whipping around you in delight.

"Kol…" You sighed.

"What are you afraid of, darling?" He asked softly. "You can't die. Take a chance," He whispered, trailing his lips over your collar bone.

You squeezed your eyes shut and pushed him away. "You need to leave me alone," You demanded. The expression of hurt on his face tore you up but you knew this was for the best. "It's been three hundred years, I can't get my hopes up now!" You turned and started for the gate again, fighting against every instinct that told you to run back to him.

"How about I buy you dessert first?"

You stopped, cursing your weakness. "I'm listening." You felt his hands settle on your hips from behind.

"As much chocolate cake as your heart desires, darling," He offered, resting his chin on your shoulder.

"Oh, you clever bastard," You muttered under your breath. You could feel him laughing.

"Soooo…." He drawled.

"Done."

And so began the best week of your life.

Tagging (because I need attention): @yn-ymn-yln @railingsofsorrow @r13mar @hellotvshowtrash (Sorry to bother you guys. If you want me to stop tagging you just let me know.) HOWEVER if you want me to tag you in any future fics of this veriaty, I will gladly do so! For those select few who have gotten this far, thanks for reading!

#kol mikaelson fanfiction #kol x reader #kol mikaelson x reader #kol mikaelson #the originals fanfiction #klaus mikaelson #elijah mikaelson #rebekah mikaelson #my name is Cas and I write stuff #mikaelsons x reader #esther sucks #kol deserves a chance to shout at his mom #fluff #angst/comfort #klaus mikaelson x reader #elijah mikaelson x reader #rebekah mikaelson x reader #klaus x reader #elijah x reader

[didyoutrydynamite]

Weiss just needs to spend a day with neon or sun that should loosen her up!

Weiss looks absolutely vexed as she is dragged into a night club by an overly excited Neon, both wearing coats and party dresses.

Neon: Come on Princess! This is place is like one of my top fives!

Weiss: *annoyed* Top five what? Places to go deaf? Places to leave stinking of booze and sweat?

Neon: Hey! I will have no party poopers on my watch. Besides Weiss Cream, a bet is a bet, so what I say goes tonight, and I say *you* are going to have fun!

Weiss: *huffs* You Juniors and your bets. I swear, if you are dragging me out here as some convoluted plan to get me to go out with Jaune, then I'll save you the time and-

Neon: *Presses finger up against Weiss's lip* Ahp, ahp, ahp, ahp! I promise this isn't about that. If it was, I would have made you come out here with Studly himself instead. In fact, I am banning the J-word tonight! There will be no set up. No fuss about dating. Just two gal pals, enjoying ladies night out!

Weiss: *Takes Neon's hand off her mouth, looking unconvinced.* Gal Pals? I wouldn't exactly consider us as close, Neon. And if this was about us having "Fun", then you'd know I detest clubs.

Neon: *Wraps arm around her shoulder* Well that changes tonight! As your newest best friend, Neon Katt, it is my sole mission to make you, Weiss Schnee, to see the light! The strobe neon lights to be exact.

Weiss: *sighs* It's not like I can refuse anyways... stupid bets.

Neon: That's the spirit! *Drags off Weiss onto the dance floor, pushing their way through a sea of people.*

Weiss: I-it's a little crowded, how are you supposed to properly dance in this mob?

Neon: Like this! *starts stepping side to side to the beat, adding little hops to it* just simple stuff first! Try it!

Weiss: *Unsure of herself, starts swaying to the beat, bobbing on the heels of her feet to the beat.* Like this?

Neon: Yeah girl! Just let the music take you!

Weiss: I'm trying, it's just... I'm not use to this sort of music.

Neon: *thinks for a second then get's a wide smile on her face.* I'll be right back, don't you dare go anywhere except into a groove! *runs off, disappearing into the crowd*

Weiss: *confused simply tries to get her "groove" trying to move to the beat til suddenly the song stopped, changing to a brand new song. The song had a some oddly familiar violins played over a looping beat...* Is that... my song?

Neon: Hell yeah it is! *yelling over the music* The Mirror Mirror dance remix!

Weiss: *Rolls her eyes as she steps to the beat* Do you really think that having the DJ play a bastardized version of my music is going to get me to unwind?

Several hours later, Neon and Weiss tipsily leaning on each other as the walk their way back towards the airships to Bulwark.

Neon/Weiss: *loud-ugly singing* MIRROR MIRROR WHATS BEHIND ME? SAVE ME FROM THE THINGS I SEE!

Neon: *slightly drunk slurring* I love this song!

Weiss: *slightly drunk slurring* I do too! WOO! *Nearly trips on the side walk* Watch where you're stepping! You dumb... sidewalk.

Neon/Weiss: *Burst out laughing for no reason, continuing their walk home from a girl's night out*

#jnrz ask #neon katt #weiss schnee

[ivyaugustetc]

the dead poets at hogwarts: a headcanon from hell

@aedan-mills @charlie-dalton-simp @pretentious-strikes YOU ENCOURAGED THIS BEHAVIOR SO YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO LIVE WITH THE CONSEQUENCES. also i love you a lot but THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT.

also @aedan-mills i found out that some of the wand stuff is related to their birthdays and i am much too lazy to look all that up and figure it all out, but anyone else is welcome to lmao. sorry to disappoint but alas it's summer and i don't want to research that much. but other than that, please listen to me flex my extensive knowledge on harry potter :)

neil (half blood): i'm sorry,,,, can you say gryffindor? this boy would get up there and in a second the sorting hat would have him all figured out: big dreams with the will to pursue them, but not ambitious enough to step over others to achieve said dreams? sounds like a gryffindor to me. i just know he'd thrive at hogwarts, probably going on to play quidditch (def a chaser) and would excel in charms class. as far as pets go, i feel like he'd stay simple and classy with a chill barn owl he'd name after a famous broadway actor. he would kind of be a mix of james and remus, in which he's wild and crazy but still manages to get good grades. the teachers love him simply because they don't know much about him outside of class. he would absolutely LOVE going to hogsmeade and going batshit crazy at zonko's and honeydukes. he'd have a whole phase where he gets addicted to licorice wands and everyone else thinks they're disgusting but he simply cannot buy enough of them. he'd play a bunch of zonko tricks on the rest of the poets, saving the most harsh for charlie and the most wholesome for todd <3

todd (muggle born): ugh see i can see him being both a hufflepuff and a ravenclaw, but my heart says hufflepuff so i'm gonna go with that. he would absolutely HATE the sorting ceremony with a burning passion. getting up in front of everybody only to have a hat judge u??? no thanks. HAHAHA CAN YOU IMAGINE HIM ON A BROOM. i can't either because he would simply never get on one, probably referring to them as "flying death traps" more often than not. "hey todd, you think about joining quidditch?" "no thanks, i'd rather keep my limbs intact ;)". but he would love muggle studies a lot, even if the teacher was boring as hell. snape would scare the hell out of him for sure, resulting in his lowest class being potions. he would excel in classes that are more learning out of the book rather than in practice. for a pet, he'd want something that could not possibly turn on him and would just be sweet and loving, so ima give him a toad :) he'd name it something fancy and british, like nigel or sumn. and because of nigel, he'd love chocolate frogs because hey they're twins!!

fanon knox (pure blood): hogwarts fuck boy. okay well maybe not f boy but like...his favorite part is the fact that this is a co-ed school rather than an all-boys school so he can spy on both genders equally yknow. hmm i get hufflepuff vibes from him because he's a big romantic, sucker for cute relationships, etc. he would enjoy whichever class his current crush is in, although I feel like he'd do well with classes that involved spells and wand work mostly lmao. he'd want a really fucking cute pet, so i'd give him a kneazle (it's like a cat but a bit more lion like). he'd give it a strong sounding name, something german idk. but he'd love the shit out of that kneazle, i can tell you that much. i feel like he'd try out for quidditch his first few years, not make it on, and then make it on to the team around fourth year and somehow end up team captain in seventh (and that proves kids, that you too can have a redemption arc in sports). as far as candy goes, ima say he likes the super sour candy like acid pops n shit. like i feel like the others would dare him to each as much sour candy as he can and then he wouldn't be able to taste for a week. but he'd think it was worth it :)

cameron (muggle born): good god this boy just wants to learn. magic just fascinates him, what with growing up in a big muggle family (bestie he is the weasleys if they were all type a). he's a ravenclaw, no questions asked. he would love classes involving preciseness and attention, things like potions and transfiguration. i feel like he'd have a cute, stable relationship along the way ofc because he deserves so much love and happiness and UGH he's a baby. he'd stick with a lil ginger cat, naming it after one of the famous wizards he's read about. he would love spending christmas at the school and going places when the ground are nearly empty, enjoying the scenery. for candy, he'd go plain and simple with chocolate frogs. can't go wrong with those. he'd still have fun with his friends, but he'd skip a lot of parties for some studying (don't judge, i do it too lmao). would not play quidditch but would enjoy it, end of story.

charlie (pure blood): slytherin. don't dispute it. think the weasley twins but even more flirtatious. he would be a regular at every single party that happened, flirting with the guys and gals shamelessly and drinking butterbeer like it was water. look me in the eye and tell me he would not absolutely fucking HATE GILDEROY LOCKHART WITH EVER FIBER OF HIS BEING. he'd do spot-on impersonations of him though. teacher's worst enemy. like when he walks into class on the first day, every teacher collectively mutters "bloody hell not this kid again". asks the most incredibly stupid questions ("okay but is there a spell to turn my eyebrows green? just the eyebrows though, not my hair"). he would be the most aggressive beater on the slytherin team, though he would never deliberately try to hit someone, just distract the shit out of them ("put the fear of god in them and fate will do the rest"). he'd want a loud, aggressive pet but he'd probably end up with a mean cat that hisses at everyone. he'd give it the most adorable name that just. does not fit the personality. something like priscilla. for candy, he'd take his chance with bertie botts' every flavour beans and just roll with the punches. he's chaotic like that.

pitts (half blood): ASTRONOMY IS HIS JAM. he fucking loves that class. he tutors the entire ravenclaw house in that class. he's the guy that little first years who are terrified of the class go to when they're completely lost and don't understand what's going on. besides that, i feel like he'd just be everyone's cool older brother yknow? like he'd be in charge of helping all the first years figure out where stuff is and giving them advice to help them and stuff. he would be a die-hard quidditch fan although he would not play the sport (maybe recreationally on the weekends and holidays and stuff, but the fact that it's so fucking dangerous just does not appeal to him). he'd like the candy that does tricks and stuff, like fizzing whizbees and stuff. he gives me charlie weasley vibes, where he's hardcore in certain areas (in his case, astronomy) and just flipping chill in anything else. cool older brother vibes, man. it fits.

meeks (half blood): i've said it once and i'll say it again: nonproblematic ginger dumbledore. also a hufflepuff <3 this dude just wants to fucking coast along, getting good grades and not participating in the dumb shit that could probably get him killed (even though he would in a heartbeat if his friends were in danger. duh). he'd be a teacher's favorite, probably having conversations with his favorite teachers during free time. okay ik this isn't technically at school, but i swear to god he would be dumbledore one day. like he would be the chill ass headmaster who gets shit done while also being very la di da life is nice flowers are pretty type of person. that being said, his favorite candy is and has been lemon drops ever since dumbledore got him addicted to them. his favorite classes would be potions (he'd surprisingly get along well with snape) and he'd just be great and mixing shit right and just knowing how much of stuff to add in ("how much powdered root do i add?" "about three and a half shakes." "that's not a measurement, meeks." "*shrug* it works"). he'd stick with his small friend group and love them to death, but he'd be a friend to all really. he'll help anyone that comes to him asking for help with homework (and though he won't admit it, he gets super prideful when it's someone a few years ahead of him).

stick (muggle born): harry potter if harry potter could've been more harry potter. like he would just be a part of everything and end up being part of some prophecy that demands he'd save the world and at first he'd be like HEY i'm just a small boy but then he'd grit his teeth and finesse the shit out of this preventing the end of days stuff. he'd definitely be a gryffindor, and fucking proud of it. he'd be the seeker on the quidditch team because he is so short and small and yeah he'd fucking kill it there. he'd kind of be the shy one no one expected much from, but once he starts absolutely wrecking the shit out of the other houses' quidditch teams, he'd become sorta popular? like people would invite him to parties and stuff and he's too nice to say no, but he'd mostly just hang around the outskirts, saying hi to the other poets if he saw them and mostly talking to chris and ginny (danburry, not weasley). he'd like defense against the dark arts and minerva mcgongiall would become his literal mother i can't explain it. he'd have an owl as a pet and treat it like it was his own child, telling it thank you every time it brought his mail or took his mail. as for candy, he'd like drooble's bubble gum because the bubbles are all magic and shit and i just feel like that would make him so happy <3

chris (pure blood): the older sister lesbian <3 she'd be a sweet hufflepuff who would be friends with everyone while also being the greatest socialite the school has ever seen. you know that party that practically the entire school attended and talked about for months on end? she planned that shit. she'd be like pitts in the respect that she'd help all the first years find their way in the school and in life in general. she's just such a warm and kind person that everyone would love her. she's have a little pink pygmy puff to match ginny's purple one, and she'd give it such a perfect, human name like lila or something. she'd be great at muggle studies and all the teachers would love her. also every one is so invested in her relationship with ginny it's adorable. he favorite candy is acid pops even though they make her eyes water like crazy. she'd make pretty good grades, every once in a while getting one slightly lower than she'd expected, but she always manages to bring them up to her satisfactory level :) she would not play quidditch, but she would go all out to support ginny, even though they're in different houses. that's what i call love, baby.

ginny (half blood): the mom lesbian <3 she's a ravenclaw and also one of the sweetest people in the whole school. while chris helps other with the social aspect, ginny will help anyone in any subject they need help with (she and meeks are a help duo on this). she's quieter and less social than chris, but she's one of the best chasers the ravenclaw quidditch team has ever seen. she'd end up team captain by fifth of sixth year. she'd be like oliver wood in that she is sO invested in the team's success that at sometimes she'll go a bit crazy, but chris is always there to help her put things back into perspective <3. she'd make stellar grades of course, being good friends with all of her teachers. her favorite candy would be the sweetest things like fairy floss. as previously stated, she'd have a purple pygmy puff to match chris's pink one, and she'd also give it an adorable human name like lisa or something. ginny's just sweet to everyone, especially neil and his friends.

I DID IT. IT TOOK FOREVER AND A FEW HAIL MARYS BUT I DID IT. enjoy besties <3 love u all

#dead poets society #dead poets society headcannons #todd anderson #neil perry #gerard pitts #charlie dalton #nuwanda #knox overstreet #steven meeks #stephen meeks #richard cameron #james stuchelli #ginny danburry #chris noel

[mackeydoodledoo]

I Only Swim Free: Chapter 4

Pairing: Bela Dimitrescu x (Fem!)Reader

Summary: You’ve done swimming all your life. You’ve gotten to your dream college on a scholarship for your outstanding freestyle technique back in high school. Relationships never crossed your mind however, that was before you met your swim team captain: Bela Dimitrescu.

Warning: Jealousy, heavy couple-arguments, relationship-neglection

A/N: Rather than having this be a one chapter story, I decided to make this thing a whole series!

“Lost Boys” - Ocean Park Standoff

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

You jolt awake to the sound of your door being knocked on. Groggy, you get up and slowly pace around your apartment to get to the door. Once you open it, Bela is on the other side.

“Bela?” you ask, rubbing your eyes, “It’s almost 3 am, what’s going on?”

“Can I stay here?” She asks, “My boyfriend and I got into an argument and I didn’t feel like staying and- this was the only place I could think of. May I?”

“Yeah, of course,” You say, your eyes halfway open

You could tell that she was wearing your hoodie you gave her your first day of practice the other week.

“You want anything?” You ask, grabbing a snack out of the pantry

“Pass,” She says as she sits on your bed

“You want to talk about it?” You ask, sitting next to her

“When I got back my boyfriend was super drunk,” She begins, “He kept on rambling how I’m beginning to get all touchy and close to you... “

You are though... But, I’m not against it or anything...

“I just... You’re my close friend and I do the exact same thing with all of my other girls,” Bela sighs, “But you- I don’t know why he has a problem with you...”

“Well, let me tell you something,” You start, “I don’t give an absolute damn about what your boyfriend thinks of me. He shouldn’t be having this much control over who you decide to hug, chat with or even be friends with. If I’m going to be honest, he sounds toxic...” 

Bela sighs as she falls back into your bed, embracing its warmth. She groans as she covers her entire face with the both of her hands.

“Why haven’t you broken up with him yet?” You ask

“Because I’m afraid he’ll turn into one of those kinds of crazy exes and then he’ll hurt me and my family, my friends... You,” Bela sighs

“Me?” You ask, “Why would you be worried about me? I can sure handle myself in a fight. I should know.”

You try to play it off as a ‘hero’ kind of tone. But, when you look back down at Bela, she isn’t smiling.

“Because I care about you,” Bela confesses, “Since you joining the swim team, you were the first one ever to show to me that life is just more than swimming.”

“Like?” You ask

“I need to detach from the world every now and then,” She says, “Especially that night I found you on the rooftop.”

“That huh?” You ask, sighing, “I’m not one for parties...”

“I know,” She sighs

You fall back into your bed and offer your arm as a pillow for her. She lays her head against your arm and turns to you.

“Of all my relationships, you’re the only one who’s shown me respect and human decency.” Bela also confesses

“Bela, we’re not dating,” You say, “But, even so, why wouldn’t I?”

“Because all the boys would just bend to my will, I know it’s toxic of me to have them do so but, I want someone who would fall for me, for me.. You know?”

You nod, “Well, I always fall in love with the personality.”

“And?... My personality?” She asks you

“Well, you’re amazing in and out Bela,” You smile, “You’re the coolest gal I’ve ever become friends with. My captains from high school weren’t this close with me.”

“Really?” She asks, “Why not?”

“Cliques in the team,” you sigh, “After the season, none of us ever really got together other than at the banquet a couple weeks later.”

“Hmm,” Bela sighs, scooting in closer to you, “Have you ever... slept with a woman?”

“I wouldn’t say slept with in the terms you’re talking about,” You sigh, “Just cuddling maybe making out... But that’s it. So in other words, no.”

Everything was silent from there. But, Bela still huddles into your embrace. However, you take the opportunity to change into your pajamas. Bela pretty much makes herself at home and is already under your blanket. 

“You’re also welcome here if you need an escape from your boyfriend,” You whisper in Bela’s ear as you hop under the covers with her

She cuddles into your embrace as you begin wrapping your arms around her. Not too long after you manage to get her to fall asleep. The same goes for yourself. As you watch the sunrise peek through your windows you look down at Bela who was still fast asleep in your arms. You couldn't help but crack a slight smile. You move some hair out of her face and place a gentle kiss at the middle of her forehead. She begins to stir and looks up at you with half-opened eyes.

"Morning," she says, smiling

"Morning," you reply back, "Hungry?"

She nods but cuddles into your further, "But, that can wait. Let's just stay here..."

Just as you were about to get situated in her embrace, you could hear a phone ringing. At first the both of you ignored it however, it became persistent. Bela looks at it and groans when she sees her boyfriend's name across the screen. She finally caves in and answers the phone.

"Where the hell are you?" He asks, "I've been searching for you all night."

"Sorry, after the argument I decided to stay with a friend," Bela sighs, “I had no mood to go back into your fraternity house..."

"That’s fine, but it better not be at that kids' dorm," he says, "Can we talk it out during brunch? On me."

"Maybe," she says, hanging up

The puts her phone back onto the nightstand and groans in frustration.

"I'm pretty sure your boyfriend doesn't sound too happy?" You ask

"He feels bad," Bela says, "Maybe I will take him up on that offer..."

"Alright," you say, without trying to sound butt-hurt, "If anything happens I'm only a call away."

"Thanks y/n," she smiles

Bela leaves after changing into a simple outfit for the day and leaves you to your lonesome. You decided to get your work done, at least whatever remaining work you had to do. You wanted to save your photo assignment for last. Hoping you could get Bela to be your model. However, realizing you had photo class the next day, you began losing hope of getting to do a photoshoot with Bela. After a couple of hours you finally finish your school work and decide to watch some of your favorite youtubers play various games. You were currently watching Markiplier play Papers, Please when you noticed your phone going off. You pick it up immediately when Bela’s icon came up.

“Bela?” You call for her, when you hear crying, “Are you okay?!” 

“He isn’t picking up,” Bela sniffles, “I think he stood me up... I know your calf is injured but-but can you come get me?”

“I could care less if my calf is injured, don’t worry love, I’ll come get you,” You say, reassuringly

You slip on your calf brace and slip on some shoes and grab your car keys and rush out the door.

Bela gives you the address to the restaurant that Bela and her boyfriend had agreed to meet up at. You see Bela sitting along the curb just outside of the restaurant, her head in her hands. You stop your car and hop out.

“Bela,” You say

She looks up at you and practically jumps into your arms, sobbing into your shoulder.

“Shhhh,” You coo, stroking her blonde locks, “It’s okay.. It’s okay..”

“He didn’t even call me,” Bela cries

“You know what?” You ask, pulling Bela away to look at her

“What?” She asks

“Would you possibly want to hang out with me instead?” You ask, trying not to sound like a weirdo, “We can do anything you want really. I may not be your boyfriend Bela, but I absolutely hate seeing you torn because of this guy.”

“Sure,” She tries to smile at you but to no avail

“We’ll make it a night you will remember for the ages,” You try to sound optimistic

You made your last stop at a grocery store for some stuff for home as you had just remembered you hadn’t done that yet. You look out to the sky and notice the sun beginning to set. With the time you had remaining, you quickly change the song to “Lost Boys” by Ocean Park Standoff

Let’s take the night off From caring ‘bout tomorrow Let’s take our minds off the things we can’t control Let’s take our clothes off and jump into the ocean Don’t know where we’re going But. it’s somewhere out there!

On occasion you would look over to Bela and you’d see her smiling from ear to ear; enjoying the music you had put on for the both of you. 

We got our whole lives left To make some memories

As you continue singing your heart out, Bela could help but notice that whenever the sunlight would hit you, your eyes would glow a perfect shade of honey. You were driving so she couldn’t kiss you right then and there.

“What is it Bela?” You ask, finally having the change to look at her

What you had noticed, the sunlight hitting Bela, you could see her eyes shining a perfect shade of bright gold and you were sure her eye color was hazel.

“Nothing,” Bela blushes before facing forward again

“Oh! Before the sunsets fully! I need your help with something for photo class!” You blurt out

“What?” She asks

“I need to do photos of something nostalgic but at golden hour,” You tell her, “Or at least that is the theme I’m going for! I need a model for this and I couldn’t think of anyone else but you! What do you say?”

“I’ll help y/n!” She smiles

“I know a perfect spot!” You smile, putting ‘pedal to the metal’

In short time, you reach the spot you had planned; a ‘secret’ spot in the state park that had a lakeside. 

“Oh my gosh...” Bela gasps, hopping out of your car, “This is beautiful! How’d you fin this place?”

“I do some research and I’d sometimes come here when I want to feel alone,” You explain, “You’re actually the very first person I’ve brought here.”

“Me?” She asks, “Why am I the first person?”

“I don’t know,” You shrug, “This was the first place I thought of. Okay! Let’s do photos before it’s too dark!”

You do the pictures and Bela looks through them. The both of you agreed that they were perfect.

“Exactly how I pictured them in my head,” You smile, “Thanks Bela.”

The both of you just watch the sunset over the horizon, the both of you laying your heads gently against each other.

“Can we go back to your place?” Bela asks, “I don’t want to go home just yet.”

“Yeah, sure, you want food on the way back?” You ask

She nods, “But, you pick.”

You just get some pizza on campus and finally reach back to your apartment. The both of you were watching a movie and sitting on your couch. Bela leans onto your shoulder as the both of you continue watching the movie. 

“Do you think he no longer loves me?” Bela asks

“I wish I had the answer for that one Bela,” You sigh, gently rubbing her arm, “But hey, if anything happens you have the team, your sisters, your mother... And me.”

You hear Bela slightly chuckle and slings her arm across your midsection. You smile, knowing you had helped her, even though you two only had met a couple of months ago. 

Realizing what time it was, you begin preparing for bed, Bela decided to stay over again.

“If I’m gone by the time you wake up you can stay if you choose or you can leave,” You say, hopping into bed, “Just remember to lock the door.”

Bela nods as she against follows you into your bed and snuggles herself into your arms. 

“Goodnight Bela,” You say, giving her a forehead kiss

“Goodnight y/n,” She yawns

It was a restless night for Bela. She began overthinking about how her boyfriend stood her up earlier in the day, almost landed his hand across her face during that party months ago. She didn’t want to wake you up as she was aware you had morning classes mere hours later. 

By the time she actually got a decent amount of sleep, you were long gone. She slips on one of your hoodies that had your scent on it and groggily walks into your kitchen. She looks upon the counter and notices a note next to a coffee mug.

Thought you might want some coffee. Not sure how you like your coffee but I have creamer in the fridge and sugar up in the cupboard. I cooked food for you but they’re in the fridge, I didn’t want them to go bad so just warm them up. I’ll see you at practice Bels. - Y/n

She smiles from ear to ear as you had gotten up way earlier than expected just to cook yourself breakfast. but not only for you, but for her too. 

“Oh y/n,” Bela blushes

You were attempting to swim butterfly during practice however, you weren’t getting the arms right and you were looking for Bela to give you some pointers however, she was nowhere to be seen...

“Hey coach,” You swim over to the edge of the pool

“Yes y/n?” Donna looks up at you

“Have you seen the captain?” You ask

“She called earlier before practice and told me she wasn’t feeling to good, but she told me she’ll be at it tomorrow,” She explains

Hmm... That’s odd of Bela to miss practice... Oh well, I’ll check my phone after practice. 

You skip the shower and just put on some sweats and your swim jacket. You immediately go through your phone and see a bunch of missed calls from Bela, and only one voice message. When you listen through it, you beeline it out of the sports center and back to your apartment.

Chapter 5

#female reader #bela dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #daniela dimitrescu #resident evil village #cassandra dimitrescu #alcina dimitrescu

[emilyoftheshadows]

Person A catches a bus home everyday, but today, they're so exhausted that they fall asleep, suddely they feel a light tap on their shoulder and open their eyes to see a cute guy/gal/person smiling at them. "Sorry to wake you, bit this is your stop, i hope you slept well"

So, this is the first piece I have written and posted here! This is a fluffy drabble loosely based on the prompt above as well as some tik tok ideas i've seen. I hope you enjoy and don't judge too hard :)

~~~~~~

Aelin never knew that she could feel such a wide range of emotions in such a short amount of time. The hectic events she had endured earlier in her day had left her drained and in dire need of sleep.

She started out her mornings as usual - brewing her coffee with the help of an overly excited Fleetfoot. On the subway ride to work, coffee in hand, she explicitly remembered checking her emails for any important notices regarding her job. As an advertising agent, she dealt with multiple clients at one time. With her meticulously organized calendar and the help of her overworked assistant Marion, she was usually able to keep everything in check. Today was not one of those days.

As she entered her office, Marion greeted her with her tablet in hand- Aelin’s schedule color coded, labeled and sorted by hour.

 “Good morning Ms. Galathynius, ready to hear your schedule for today?” Aelin nodded, sipping her coffee as Marion listed her client meetings for the upcoming day. As they entered her office, Aelin paused.

“Marion, could you please repeat that first meeting  again?”

“The Havilliard Scotch pitch at 12?” And that was when Aelin knew she was fucked. This pitch was meant for a well known drinking company in New York, fast on the come up. Havilliard Sr. was known to be picky about his branding, scrutinizing most agencies that had helped him before. She had barely gotten this client, practically begging Nehemia for the job. As she worked the branding, she had become worried about the content she was producing.

She was so worried about this pitch, that she had taken her laptop home last night in hopes of triple checking her work for mistakes and to fine tune some details. And that's where her laptop was at that moment. At her apartment, across town, sitting on her desk, collecting dust. Her mind raced at how to solve her predicament. The subway ride to and from her apartment was too long of a trip to make before the meeting and, like an amateur, she hadn’t saved her files anywhere else but her laptop. She was completely fucked. 

Marion stood in the doorway, confused on what was going on in Aelin’s head. Aelin decided to finally release herself from her stupor. “Marion, could you please go find Aedion for me? And tell him it’s an emergency.”

With a determined look on her face, her assistant went as fast as her short legs could carry her to Aedion’s office on the adjacent part of the building floor she was on. Within minutes, Aedion was standing at her door, panting like he had just sprinted the fastest race of his life. The good thing about having her overbearing cousin work with her, is that she knew that in any problem he would help in an instant. And this was one hell of a fucking problem.

“What happened Aelin? Are you okay? Were you hurt? Do you need an ambulance?”

“You idiot I am physically fine, but still screwed and I need your help.” Aedion released the first breath Aelin had seen him take since entering her office.

“You know, when Marion power walked into my office saying you had an EMERGENCY and she didn’t know what was wrong with you, I definitely thought you would be passed out on your floor with blood on your face. But, you know, thanks for the heart attack. Really woke me up this morning.” 

Aelin rolled her eyes at him. He was more dramatic than her, and that spoke volumes in itself. 

“Aedion, please it really is an emergency. I have the big pitch for the Havilliard Scotch today and I left my laptop with the presentation at my apartment.” Aedion’s eyes widened in surprise. He knew that Aelin had been obsessed about this pitch and that mistakes like this only happened to her once in a blue moon. Aelin saw understanding dawn on his face and took that as a sign to continue.

“Now, I know a while back I sent you the rough drafts of the branding from when I first got the pitch. Is there any chance that you have the email or presentation saved still? If I have the basis of the presentation, I have an hour to build on it and hopefully fix this.”

Aedion’s face fell at the request. “We can go look, but you know I’m not the best at organizing my files Ace. It could be anywhere on my computer or not at all.” With those reaffirming words, Aelin and Aedion walked at a brisk pace back to his office. Combing through Aedion’s computer was an agonizing process. There were files saved from years ago that should’ve been deleted, and backtracking through all the contents of his computer made Aelin want to stab her eyes out. But it was all worth it, because hidden in the depths of this man’s terribly organized computer was the presentation. With a quick click of a button, she emailed the document to herself. She gave a half ass hug to Aedion, then practically ran to her office to start reworking her pitch on the computer there.

--

Aelin believed it was pure adrenaline that enabled her to finish her pitch in time for the Havilliard meeting. With a strong foundation laid out before her from her first draft, she had constructed almost her exact pitch that was left at home. Aelin waited for the Havilliards in the boardroom, smoothing out her clothes as she paced at the front. Far too soon, Marion escorted Havilliard Sr., Dorian Havilliard, and their close friend and partner Chaol Westfall into the room for her presentation. The three men had sat down in silence with no introduction, except for a small encouraging smile from the younger Havilliard. Taking that as her sign to start, Aelin cleared her throat.

“Hello gentlemen, today I want to present to you the future of Havilliard Scotch…”

---

As the men had exited the room single file, Aelin finally allowed herself to relax. That had felt like the longest pitch of her life. Going into the meeting, she had known the men were notorious for being extremely serious and critical of their agents. What she had not expected was the whispered words between the men after she had finished her presentation. As she looked on, Dorian Havilliard had finally broken away from their circle to address her.

“Miss Galathynius, thank you for your time. We will get back to you shortly about our decision to run with this branding or not.” With a quick nod and gesture to his companions, the trio had stood up and left the room. She was utterly shocked. Aelin had poured her sweat and tears into this pitch, quite literally, and they had just thanked her and left. No critiques, no opinions, no nothing. 

Quite honestly, Aelin was exhausted. She had spent most of her brain power reworking that pitch in that 45 minutes before that meeting and she had nothing left to give today. Yet, she still had a full schedule left to woo clients and work on her other projects. By the time Aelin trudged back to the subway, she was ready for a nice dinner at home followed by a restorative night of sleep with Fleetfoot at her side. 

Now, as she entered the subway, she immediately noticed the mystery man sitting down a few feet away from her. The man was moderately built, with muscles that were outlined by the fabric of his long sleeve t-shirt. His style was simple with a pair of nice jeans and Doc Marten boots, but that just allowed one's focus to settle on the beautiful creation that was his face. Mystery man had a strong jawline, lined with a bit of stubble and scruff. His eyes were a beautiful shade of green like none that she had seen before, his head topped with luscious silver hair. As the subway started, Mystery Man continued to sketch drawings into his book. Now, Aelin was never one to back  down from an opportunity to flirt with one of the most attractive men she had ever seen. She was a single woman in a big city, why the hell not. But her day had taken a toll on her, and she just didn’t know if this was the right time or place. So, she opted to put in her headphones as she waited for her stop, listening to relaxing music to calm her anxieties regarding the failed Havilliard pitch. 

 Seeing that her stop was next, Aelin rose from her seat to wait in line for the doors to open. As she waited, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Low and behold, there was the Mystery Man standing next to her with a piece of paper in hand. As she pulled her headphone out, the man silently handed her the paper. Looking down, she saw a pencil sketch of herself on the subway. The drawing was beautifully done with bold lines and harsh shading, contrasted by highlights created from the fluorescent lights of the subway. Her eyes welled up, immediately grateful for this thoughtful gift after such a horrible day. The Mystery Man saw her emotions, startled to see tears welling up in her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude on your privacy. I just… I like to draw and when I saw you… I mean, it’s just you’re so stunning..” The man’s face flushed red as he tried to justify his beautiful art. Aelin laughed out loud for the first time today at his misunderstanding of her swell of emotions. 

“Oh no, these are just tears of..uhmm.. happiness? I guess…” She started to flush at her own awkwardness, trying to explain her emotions this time.

“I just had a really rough day and feel like shit. But this drawing is beautiful and I really am grateful that such a talented artist like yourself chose me as your muse today.” Aelin watched as the Mystery Man reacted to such a lavish compliment, somehow developing an even deeper blush with a shy smile . Gaining confidence from his reaction, she decided to make her move before she exited for her upcoming stop. 

“Hey, Mystery Man, why don’t I give you my number? Seeing that I am your muse and all, I would really like to learn more about your art.” It was a subpar pickup line at best, but hey, she had a long day and for the circumstance she thought it good enough. The man gave a deep timbered laugh at her pickup line, clearly enjoying their conversation now. 

“I think I might be one step ahead of you actually. Flip the drawing over.” As she flipped the paper, she saw a messy scrawl with the name Rowan, and what she could only assume was his number. The sight of these two things brought her complete giddiness. Giddiness that made you want to jump in the air and pump your fist because you're so excited. She looked up at Rowan, smirking as she tucked the piece of paper into her purse.

As the subway doors opened and they were pushed apart by bypassers, she turned around one last time to look at the man who had brightened her day beyond belief. She winked at Rowan as she walked away, not missing the wide smile he gave in return as the subway doors closed and continued on to the next stop.

[thekitschdiet]

the kitsch diet part II

part one alr posted!! this chunk is about 3,000~ words long... let me know what u think :-) thank u all for all the luv already!!! looks like I really will hit 31 followers by easter!!!!!!!!

  Who is the Kitsch Girl? 

 I think this is more loosely defined, but The Chic Diet did a truly admirable way of reducing a girl to her YSL bag and her really skinny legs. Now, that implies an archetype, or a population in a specific location. I think kitschness is kind of the niche you fill when you’re not really much of anything else, sort of your own conglomerate of mainstream-specific. One major requirement, though, is being a little too into something somewhat uncool. And the whole illusion falls apart if you have any sort of outward insecurity. See, the Kitsch Girl is somewhat undefinable because she is so much of everything. She exists in multitudes, in a way that is also quite simple to understand; think of a list of axioms, or principles to live by. And now add a section to each one that says “but…” to make a collection of verified exceptions. Say, the kitsch girl will never wear jeans. But she thrifted this pair of vintage flares she just loves. She doesn’t reply to texts efficiently, but sometimes she will within a couple seconds. No mascara, no dinner forks, candles are to be collected not burned; but that was a gift, or something. It’s not personal, of course, those are just the contradictions she exists in. Don’t try to understand it, the enigma is essential to the facade. Or maybe she just lives like this, and her character is so homogenous with her inner world there’s no sense in trying to separate it. You have to have a little bit of an individuality complex about the whole ordeal, which is normally so eugh, but if you’re kitschy enough it works on you. Trust!The Kitsch girl is not someone unlikeable, but amiable and well heeled. I double checked that last one, assuming it meant liked by most, but apparently means affluent. I suppose that is an aspect of the kitsch girl too, having seemingly endless frivolous expenses with no real strain, but that’s not important right now. People that don’t like her think so out of jealousy, or something. Envious that her clothes are all kind of shake-it-up-esque and her highlights desperately need touching up, but she still seems so enthralled with the whole of life… How does she enjoy her own company so much when other people want to know her better? Doesn’t she feel weird about blowing people off to make a joke about reading Kafka in the bath? Why would she document her cluttered, unexciting life on Instagram so delicately, so vibrantly? Of course, no one would say this to her face because they are really baseless claims. She’s nice, generous, and valuable to have as a friend. Trade-offs exist, as they do with anyone. But I like thinking it’s easier to overlook a forgotten birthday when your kitschy best friend gave you a multi strand pearl necklace to celebrate the welcome breeze of June. Or some other made-up holiday. She is so unassuming if you’re not really looking. Girls want in on her inner circle. Or they just don’t care. Nothing wrong with being liked or thought of naught, for the most part. Boys are either enthralled or repulsed by her. Her doctor knows her as something of a hypochondriac, but only minorly. It’s just carpal tunnel, don’t worry… The sales staff at CVS turn a blind eye when she slips an eyeliner pencil into her tote bag. She shoplifts on occasion, just to see if she still knows how. But she is not a shoplifter. $9 here and $6.45 there doesn’t really add up to much. Everywhere she goes, she makes a tertiary friend or two. The term of friend is loosely used here, of course. But it is nice to tell a stranger you like her earrings. Or her phone case is so fun, is it Wildflower? The kitsch girl has an eye for this kind of detail. Simply put, she is sort of unspectacular. But in a way that makes you sort of wish you knew her better.

Phone cases

The phone case is, like, religious for the kitsch girl. Sorry, but there’s just no other accessory as flippant and expensive and single-purpose as a trendy little iPhone case with some semitacky stickers plastered over the design. I used to have an iPhone XS- extrasmall-  with like, 18 phone cases. It was kind of a sordid affair. I jest, but really… owning that many phone cases was kind of sick. We get it, you are frivolous and spontaneous and sooo stylish! Stop posting mirror selfies on your Instagram story, your crush isn’t going to see it. Kidding again. Having an extensive collection of phone cases is just so fun because while attainable, most people just simply do not partake in it. That makes you kitschy and unique. I really thought I had more to say about the IDEA of the phone case, but I guess in practice it is all very, very simple. You can slide your driver’s license in the back of a clear case. At what point does it stop being cool to have legal operational control of a vehicle? I don’t display mine because I don’t really like the photo. I look round. In the eyes but also just in general, swollen, unglamorous. Whatever. Not like I drive a Nissan or anything. I drive my *Mom’s* Nissan. Playing Bladee in the car seems sacrilegious. She would hate it.Back to phone cases. Sonix ones are cute but kind of overpriced retail- unless you have like, an iPhone 12 Pro Max or whatever the fuck is new this year, just go to Winner’s. They always have Xs and 11 cases. I had a cherry one for my previous phone, like the exact one Lana Del Rey had? Thank god I sold it before she got outed as a copfucker or whatever. Casetify is for an inadvertent flex. Flexing your lame, lame taste. Sorry, I know you bought it because you liked it, but what you failed to consider is just how un-Kitsch they are. SO common, and they advertise on Instagram. Sorry, I just can’t get into it! Kind of how I just never liked the Brandy Amara tanks. Or lowtop converse. Otterbox is just distressing. Like, if my boyfriend gave me an otterbox phone case I would probably break up with him because somebody clearly isn’t paying attention- one of my favorite, potentially overused joke is how Otterbox cases are the equivalent of orthopedic insoles. Sorry but if you have poor arch support or whatever, but no pain is worth giving up a good pair of Margiela slingback tabi heels. Obviously I couldn’t afford that right now because all loose income goes directly to Wildflower and my cig boy. But like, one day. I hope you want to punch me in the face a little bit after reading that.  If Wildflower isn’t your thing, at least have the decency to get a beaded phone strap. But not from String Ting. Pray tell you aren’t keeping score, but they are one of my several parasocial enemies. That should have been ME collaborating with Wildflower! Should have been ME mailing shit to Caroline Calloway (more on her later, but she is the only blue check I follow. I adore her! I was on her patreon for a bit I thinkl!!) …. Side note. Phone cases are cute but there is no way to properly protect your laptop without looking just absurd or colossally lame. The foam sleeves… ick.

Having the shittiest music taste ever

So like, here’s the thing. I’m an Apple Music user, which sort of reinstates my status as an unironic My Bloody Valentine Hyperpop Death Grips kinda gal. Read; volcel. My most recent conquest ended up being a huge L on my part, but also… I totally dodged a bullet. The guy had an iPhone 11 (female trait) and didn’t know who Rei Brown was, which just seemed suspicious given his Niche. I just know he had a “making out playlist” comprising entirely of like, Joji. Which isn’t a bad thing I guess but so unembarrassing it horseshoes back to being humiliating.Like I said. Having the worst music taste. It’s nice how subjective and deeply personal your music taste can be; no one really Needs to know you’re a die hard drainer. But there’s also no point in being a die-hard drainer and Not capitalizing off it somehow. I added it up and I have well over 150 hours of just Bladee and Yung Lean. Which is so yass? The more I write, using myself as a case study, I realize just how desperately jobless I am. And Yogenfruz isn’t even hiring! UGH!I think there is something very kitschy about liking hyperpop in the least ironic, least obnoxious way. Sort of feeds into a “I’m not like other girls” thing, but I mean… That’s kind of the idea of kitsch, isn’t it? Be a little different but also the very same as your lipgloss brethren?!Side note. If you make monthly playlists I am genuinely kind of afraid of you. That is just so organized!! I just make playlists with esoteric titles and then make a new one when I’m sick of the stuff on the last. I have exhausted most genres but I think my favorite is the “I’m wearing f****ng air forces and my teeth are SO white”. Guess what genre it is. Or don’t, but it’s probably what you think is. Okay, moving on….

Curating a scent

I like thinking I smell like mango and peach, Glossier you, whatever citrus is in that Lush shower jelly and mint 5Gum. But of course it is probably less distinct and just kind of generally fruit-floral-mint. Anyway. I think Glossier You is the perfect scent for anyone with a rather elementary understanding of the whole.. Perfume business. Every bottle of intentional fragrance I own was made via aesthetic choices… it really helps that Glossier You is so cute And so universal. Now, Glossier is kind of interesting to me because it really is at the intersection of cheugy and kitsch. Kind of basic, overplayed, unspectacular. But also…. Often popular things are popular because they are good. Glossier has excellent customer suurv, they ship SO fast (and no import duties! W!) and their stuff is just so sweet and nice if not unoriginal, in kind of the same way strawberry ice cream is. Which is still my favorite, of course, especially if there’s a vegan option. I was talking about Glossier. What the hell! It’s really worth trying out. A huge principle of kitsch is just… having as many possible layers and appendages to your composure as possible. And adding a signature scent just really completes that! When curating your own, I say this as a complete amateur, know-nothing; make it something that comes kind of naturally to Your Character. Like, I’m just not a Chanel No 5 kind of girl. Odds are you aren’t either. My bottle (before she asked for it back when I told her I didn’t use it, in exchange for a Nordstrom’s gift card) was from my grandmother. Ummm.. Yeah, I really have no expertise in curating a scent. But it is nice to have a signature. And having a bottle displayed on your dresser next to your aughties McDonald milkshake themed beanie baby and a handful of lip products is just way too fun! This is the kind of girl I am, everyone! Cluttered, but prioritizing pretty-delicate things!

Cheugyism

Cheugy is a relatively new word that has unfortunately wormed into my vocabulary to replace “uncouth”. Which I use to mean graceless or tacky, but if that isn’t what it means…. Don’t tell me. That would hurt more than weighing myself after a “feast” slash pastry binge at my dear Grandmothe’s house. Like I was saying. Cheugy. It’s sort of a fucked up concept to me because it is a critique on consumption, but not the pace or volume or magnitude of it. But rather… the idea of not being “good” enough at engaging in microtrends, or involvement in the fast paced fashion cycle. Don’t get me started on TikTok, or do, but… yeah,. No. That will require a cigarette because I’m so sorry, but writing a thinkpiece on social media is so lowbrow I would need to find about six ways to aesthetically counteract it…. Moving on.  I think the idea of cheugy is good, we really do need a word to simply and efficiently define “out of date/uninspired/lame”. But the way it is used to shame others for not liking the same trends or whatever is kind of gross. If you use cheugyism to put other people down and not as a neutral identifier umm… you will become what you fear. Sorry, that’s what happens. Some things that I think are cheugy or embarrassing, or just not part of my stylistic lexicon are… 1. Hooded or zip up clothing, or things with a large graphic on the back. Bingo if it's all three! I just can’t get behind it. Side note, my summer home outfit is brandy sweats and a tube top (Urban Outfitters tank I ripped the straps off) and a large cardigan that should have belonged to a stoner, but probably didn’t. I can dunk on bulky, uninspired clothes because I would honest to God NEVER be caught DEAD out of the house wearing any of it. I’m so serious. Next segment should be about the kitsch girl’s inadvertent affinity for diuretics. Remind me….. One of the ports of my laptop is dead. Not really sure what to do about that.

Eye makeup and what it means to me….

Personally, I am one of those people who never wears foundation and kind of has a complex about it. The kitsch girl wears fluffy eyelashes and owns a plethora of sparkly eyeliner. Or maybe she doesn’t, but she has something distinct and a little ritzy, if not haphazard. We all saw Euphoria and it like, totally imprinted on us. The way glitter sits on your face after a long day is so resplendent. When it’s shining and a little bit melted off from your long, semi-productive day… ugh! Just made for film. Pictures on film. But not the Prequel app. I keep getting fucking ads for it. But it’s so embarrassing. Like, isn’t the whole point of film the authenticity of the moment? The texture of the afternoon? Why would you fabricate that? Prequel is just so cheugy. More on that later. But anyhow. Wearing a ton of eye makeup kind of fits with the idea of film too I think. Like, look at you, in the moment. With your strip lash falling off! It’s all so tres-chic. Plus, for whatever reason, it’s kind of unique or notably dedicated to ~Pull up to the function~ with more eye makeup on than everyone else. Sorry, but it really doesn’t take that long! But yes I will gracefully accept your praise… it’s kind of like the dropshipping of complements if you think about it. Easy to source with little to no effort in the curating. Side note, lashes are like $20 for 40 weeks if you cut them in half and use each pair about 5 times. You could probably do more but I lose track. How the fuck is it almost June? I was trudging through the snow to check the mail for my Online Ceramics shirt just last week, I swear. The trick to cutting your lashes (the way I do it anyway) is pretty simple. Get out two lashes that are symmetrical. Find the middle and cut one slightly to the left and one slightly to the right. This means you have two sets (one set is a little more dramatic than the other but at least they are symmetrical) with longer outer edges. Glue this to the outer corner of your eye and you will look so Composed… obsessed with how this layers with three eyeliner tails (one traditional one pointing up and one pointing down directly below it, sort of like the tail light on a 2019 Lexus UX) and one below your eye, like a clown. Fun, irrelevant fact, is the first time I added this third tail to my eye makeup, my dad had just gotten home from the hospital because he was sure he had like appendicitis or something and it was actually.. Not that. Typical indie hypochondriac. He made me bring him cottage cheese on a plate with a teaspoon that evening. I put black pepper on it for flair, which he hated. Walking up and down stairs with a plate of cottage cheese is much more imprinting than most of the multiplication tables. Don’t forget to use a bright shimmer eyeshadow in your inner corner. It really opens up your eyes. I recommend Too Faced.  One time I got a little bit too high and tried to film an “editorial” makeup tutorial. You will never, ever, ever see that video. But I essentially covered my whole eyelid in the ABH shadow “palermo” and smudged out the edges with a tan Tartelette Toasted shade, coupled with my long-expired Milk Makeup holographic stick. Lopsided lashes and near-blinding eyeliner experience aside, it was kind of cool. My point is, you really cannot go wrong with an arsenal of shimmers, taupey mattes and a good eyeliner pen.

[remmushound]

Curse of the Clans part 36! @brightlotusmoon @selfindulgenz @scentedcandlecryptid

Content warning!! Physical attack, restraint, cursing

SMACK!

April woke up to a solid, heavy thud. It took her a moment to recognize her own room; it was her first night staying in her house for almost three weeks. Every time her parents would go away on their business, the house would be too quiet for her to want to stay in it very long. But now the lair was just as quiet, and with her brothers gone, she didn't want to spend much time there either. It just made her sad. Her conflict with Splinter and Cassandra served to make things worse.

SMACK!

That sound came again, and this time her head snapped immediately to the window. Another impact, and another. A steady, drumming sound. April slid out of bed and into her slippers, slowly approaching the window and pulling back the darkened blinds. Surely the brothers couldn’t be back so soon?

April gave a shout and fell away as another projectile was launched at the window and smacked against it. Was that a rock? Quickly, she scrambled back over to the window and peered outside. Then she opened the window, just barely ducking her head in time to dodge another rock. She slowly peeked back over the windowsill and threw her arms open.

“What the hell Casey?!”

“Sorry!” Cassandra called back from the streets, “You opened the window!”

“No shit, Jones!” April snarled back, and then fell to a weak laugh. “What are you doing throwing rocks at my house at…” She checked the time, “Two in the morning?”

“Come down!” Sunita called up; she was in her human form, which hadn’t changed at all in the years April knew her. Skin a shade darker than April’s own, and hair of ink pulled tight again her scalp in braids.

“Not tonight, yall.” April leaned on her window sill and gave a tired smile.

“What?” Cassandra scoffed in an exaggerated fashion, “Why not?!”

“I have a headache.” Was April’s excuse; she didn't have one, but she certainly didn't feel good. She just couldn’t exactly pin point what part of her body it was that ached.

“I have ibuprofen!” Cassandra held up her purse.

“Good night, girls.” April closed the window.

***

“Well, that stinks.” Sunita put a hand on her hip as she turned to face the shorter Cassandra. “Should we knock again?”

Cassandra considered. She gave a smile that was undetectable due to her mask and cracked her fingers and neck. “I have a better idea~”

***

April was more than happy to enjoy the warm, weighted embrace of her comforter, hugging her childhood teddy bear to beckon sleep to return to her faster. With her injuries, this was shaping up to be the most boring summer of her life! But to be fair, the promise of a simple, normal summer of relaxation definitely appealed to her, no matter how far out of her reach she knew it was. A girl could always dream, right?

April’s body shuttered. It told her to open her eyes, and when she did it was like her worst nightmares came true, though for only a moment before her mind caught up with the fear in her heart and recognized the silhouettes standing over her like villains in the night.

“Casey? Sunita? What are you—?”

Cassandra grabbed April around her waist and hoisted the teen over her shoulder.

“Casey! Put me down!” April growled and kicked her legs, but Cassandra only laughed.

“Sunita— help me! Get her legs!” Cassandra howled, and Sunita hurried to restrain April’s legs while Cassandra supported her front, both of them holding April between them like a hammock. “You’re coming to girls night April!”

They started to carry April toward the open window. April’s initially startled screams slowly turned to laughter. She still struggled, but her actions were more playful than anything. They stopped at the window, though Cassandra had already climbed out of it.

“She ain’t got no shoes, get her shoes!” Cassandra laughed.

Sunita’s arm turned from human back to its slime form and extended out to grab April’s shoes and a pair of socks. Cassandra forced April’s feet still so Sunita could put her shoes on, and then they continued out the window and into the fire escape.

“Guys— I need a mask!” April laughed.

“Got one!” Cassandra reached into her purse and pulled out a blue mask, fixing it over April’s mouth and nose while still carrying her with one arm. Down the fire escape they went, and only when their feet had touched the ground did they put April down.

“Are you proud of yourselves?” April huffed, putting her hand on her hip.

“Very.” Cassandra smirked.

“You could at least have let me get dressed!” April laughed, “I can’t go out for girls night in my PJs!”

“Why not?” Sunita asked innocently.

“Cause It's not proper for a social setting!” April scoffed.

Sunita was quiet for a time before whispering, “Humans are so weird…”

“Oh yeah. Forgot you’re a slime dude.” Cassandra turned to face April, “You’ll be fine! It’s not like we’re going drinking! You’re not old enough; believe me, I’ve checked.”

“Then what are we doing?” April asked, genuine curiosity seeping into her voice.

***

The trio got close enough to see the mutant hippo known as Hypno Ron wandering the shadows of the streets; he didn't seem to have a care in the world as to being spotted. After all, he could always just Mesmer any human to forget! April wasn’t so keen on how reckless the mutant was being, but Cassandra locked on to the hippo almost immediately from the rooftops.

“Oh! Oh! I got this one!” Cassandra cleared her throat, and when she spoke again, it was in a heavy accent; her best attempt at mocking the way Hypno spoke. “Oh oh, deary me! I simply have to find a tiny suit for my tiny worm friend for our anniversary! How am I ever going to find one in time to enjoy tiny tea cakes and orange peels with the lovely Warren Stone?”

“Orange peels?” April scrunched up her nose.

“What? Worms taste with their body.” Cassandra shrugged.

“Oh! There’s one!” Sunita spotted the next mutant, Repo Mantis, buzzing around. She dropped her voice low and raspy. “Rrrrr. I just know there’s a birthday cake to repo ‘round here somewhere. That three-year old’s hiding well, but I’ll sniff em out with my sniffer.” Sunita made exaggerated sniffle motions that made April and Cassandra almost fall over laughing.

“This one’s mine!” April claimed a few buildings down when they spotted the mutant prairie dog wandering an alleyway, her nose twitching in the search for decent morsels. April didn't know her name, so she had to improvise, clearing her throat. “Can I dig here? Noooo this isn’t a good place for digging? Here? Maaaaybe not? Here? No. Man, none of these places are good for digging!”

Sunita and Cassandra were covering their mouths trying to keep their laughter to a minimum. The prairie dog seemed to hear them anyway, looking up from her curious search to twitch her ears in search of the noises.

The girls all ducked down low to hide from her sight, all covering their mouths and their snickers until the suspicions had died down. Then, at Cassandra’s command, all three of them peeked back over the edge and down at the mutant as she continued her work.

“Ohhhh the voices are back!” April carried on, this time in a lower whisper, “Hm? However will I pass the time? I know!” she cleared her throat and started to sing in her mock accent. “Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Jolene! I’m begging of you please don’t take my man! Jolene, Jolene, Jolene, Joleeeene! I’m singing this song just because I caaaaan!”

The prairie dog looked up again. “Did someone call me?”

That made the trio of girls fall apart laughing until their sides hurt and they felt like they might be sick if they laughed any harder. Through the next hour, they found more and more people to mock from afar, both mutants and humans, but after the hour had passed, April was starting to feel completely exhausted. The constant running and laughing made the soreness of her side ache even worse, and now her head really was hurting, and her stomach too.

“Sorry gals.” She told the two of her friends when she felt her body couldn’t hold out any longer. “Really gotta turn in for the night.”

“What?” Cassandra groaned, and Sunita seemed disappointed, “Come on! We still got two hours before the sun comes up!

“And I really should be spending it sleeping.” April sighed, “But I had a really good time! I’ll see you in the morning, girls?”

“Do you want us to walk you home?” Sunita asked softly.

“No, no, don’t trouble yourselves!” April waved her hand, “I know you two are having fun, and I can handle myself.”

“Are you sure?” Cassandra asked, “It’s no trouble…”

“It’s fine! I grew up with the turtles, I can handle myself!”

“If you say so…”

“I’ll be fine. Really.” April tried to reassure.

“At least take my knife.” Cassandra said, giving the long blade over to April, “I feel bad for abducting you without your bat.”

“You don’t have to do that.” April said.

“I want to!” Cassandra beamed. “Besides, I’ll just come back and get it in the morning! No big whoop.”

“Well then… thank you.” April turned the knife over in her hands a few times. “I promise I’ll give it back.”

April found where she was by checking the nearest street signs. She wasn’t more than a few blocks from home. The streets would be far easier to traverse than the buildings; as much as she had trained with the brothers, she never did quite get the hang of building jumping. That’s why Donatello had his special seat in his armor just for her! Thinking of Donatello, April felt a sudden sadness wash over her. She missed his sarcastic voice, his dramatic flare, his simple presence!

When she was out of view of Cassandra and Sunita, the first thing April did was let herself finally release the bile that had been churning her stomach for the past ten minutes, and she felt a lot better when the vomit was outside instead of in. Then she started to cry immediately after, but she didn't know why. She missed Donatello, sure, but enough to cry? And though her head hurt it wasn’t the agonizing, ripping headaches that usually plagued her, so it wasn’t the pain. Maybe it was just a bit of everything mixed into one, and that was why she felt so… not good. She wanted to feel better, and maybe crying could help that! It wasn’t like she could stop now. Once the tears started to fall, they just got heavier.

The tears fell hard as April entered a shortcut alley. Then she stopped when she saw a man at the other end; a man that looked to be just minding his own business, leaned up against a wall drinking from something within a paper bag. She already had a hunch of what it could be, and she certainly didn't want to cross his path. Not when there was a longer, but safer, path she could take instead. Gripping the knife in her pocket, April started to back away; it was preferable to turning her back on the man. At least, that’s what she thought before she collided with a bigger, heavier weight.

April tried to turn around. Powerful arms wrapped around her, one around her chest holding her in a grip so tight she thought her ribs might break, and another holding a cloth to her mouth. She held her breath for as long as she could, kicking out and trying repeatedly to strike the mans legs and groin, but all she met was muscle and what must have been an athletic cup protecting him. Figures! Just her luck!

When April could hold her breath no longer, she squeezed her eyes shut as the acrid fumes overwhelmed her, followed quickly by darkness.

#girls night out

[comingoutofthecauldron]

let’s talk about lesbophobia in fandom

i don’t like to use the word “lesbophobia” unironically because of all the gross radfem terfy connotations, so i will clarify right off the bat that i am neither a terf nor an aphobe and that if you are i want you off my blog like, right now. unfortunately, the meaning of lesbophobia has been so warped by alt right lesbians that seeing it in an unironic context makes me, a lesbian, uncomfortable, which speaks volumes in itself. so to clarify, lesbophobia is essentially homophobia with a pinch of sexism thrown into the mix, and it’s running rampant in supposed safe spaces and, more relevantly, fandom. 

/i’d also like to clarify that i’m not only speaking on lesbophobia, but also the general disgust and disdain for all wlw in fandom, and am using it as a sort of umbrella term/

lesbophobia and disdain for wlw has been around forever, but whilst gay positivity, mlm and mlm ships have been steadily increasing in popularity within fandom over time, wlw and wlw ships have remained perpetual underdogs. why? because lesbophobia has become a fandom within itself. both in and outside of fandom, we see instances of casual lesbophobia every single day—from aggression towards wlw to something as simple and prevalent as the complete and utter lack of sapphic ships and characters in media. hatred of lesbians and wlw is practically a trend, and it’s seeping in through the cracks of fandoms who are already facing issues with minorities and marginalized groups (i.e. racism, ableism). if you honestly think that lesbophobia isn’t prevalent as hell in fandom right now, you’re either not a wlw, you’re not all that involved in fandom, or you’re dumb as shit. 

just look at ships. in almost every single fandom, the ratio of mlm ships to sapphic ships is ridiculously unbalanced. people are quick to ship male characters who so much as smile at each other (and i don’t condemn that) but would never do the same for two women—even on the rare occasion that the ship is actually canon. i once wrote a wlw fanfic for a [predominantly straight] fandom, and received messages like this gem:

on the flip side of that, if there is a sapphic ship in canon or fanon, it is often fetishized and sexualised to a disturbing degree. there will be double the amount of nsfw art and fics, and ninety percent of it will be derogatory and fetishized as hell. having been actively involved in several fandoms over the past few years (and currently a content creator in one), i’ve seen instances of all this hundreds of times. people go crazy for mlm ships, but the second you say you ship/prefer a wlw ship, there’s always someone at the ready with, “i think all ships are great!” or “it’s not a contest” or “i prefer [insert m/m or m/f ship] actually” or “they’re my brotp!/why can’t you just let them be friends?”. not only do lesbians and wlw not get to have any rep in media, any rep that they try to create for themselves in fandom just gets attacked or ruined. this is so detrimental not only to all wlw, but especially to younger wlw who will end up being indoctrinated into this belief that their sexuality is something dirty, something that can never be tender and sweet but rather something that deserves to be preyed upon. 

building on that, let’s talk about engagement. i run an instagram account (where i have a significantly bigger following) as well as this blog for my fandom, where i post the content i create (mainly text posts). when i first started creating content, i made a lot for a relatively unpopular wlw ship, in which both girls are canonically romantically involved with a dude—though one of them is canonically pan. their canonical m/f ships are both very popular, and i noticed that my engagement was dropping every time i posted them, so i eventually just stopped. it wasn’t even a conscious decision; i merely resigned myself to the fact that the fandom didn’t want to see sapphic ships, and some people would even go as far as to condemn them. for reference, my instagram posts get an average of about 500 likes per post (popular ones usually exceeding 1k), but when i post this ship, my engagement drops to about 250 likes. similarly, my tumblr text posts have an average of about 140 notes per post (popular ones usually reaching up to 750), but my wlw content rarely surpasses 100. this just feeds the cycle of wlw never getting rep: if, like me, content creators become disincentivised by the lack of engagement with their sapphic content, they’re more likely to stop making/posting it, leading to further lack of rep—and when new content creators try to rectify that, they face the same problems. 

and then, of course, there’s the treatment of actual wlw in fandom. my best example of this is when my friend and i made an anti account on instagram (the first instagram anti account in that fandom), our bio saying something like “salty and bitter lesbians being salty and bitter”, and received an onslaught of lesbophobic insults and threats from angry stans within hours. (tw: r*pe) one commenter even went as far as to tell us that they wanted us to get r*ped. as well as this, i’ve seen so many instances of people using slurs against lesbians in arguments/in anons, often for no apparent reason other than they feel that they have the right. when i first mentioned i was a lesbian on instagram, my account only had about 200 followers, and within a day i lost 20. i also lose followers whenever i post f/f ships, not quite to that extent but enough for it to be noticeable, on top of the aforementioned engagement dips. in the face of all this adversity, i think a lot of wlw turn to mlm ships because they’re the closest thing we have to actual rep, but when we do we get accused of fetishizing them by the same people who fetishize us. there’s an endless list of double standards that non-wlw have been upholding for years, and i can firmly say that i’m really fucking sick of it. because of our sexuality, we will never be allowed to enjoy something without someone labelling it or us as dirty or otherwise problematic, when to them, the only problematic thing about us is that we aren’t pleasing men. 

as i mentioned before, the lack of rep for wlw in media is appallingly consistent, and part of that stems from tokenism. in a lot of modern mainstream media, you’ll have one, maybe two lgbt characters, and nine times out of ten those characters are white cis male gays. of course, there are exceptions to this, but generally, that’s it. script writers and authors (especially cishets) seem to have this mentality of, “oh, well, we gave them one, that’s sure to be enough!”, which means that on the off chance you do get your gay rep, the likelihood of also receiving wlw or any other kind of rep becomes practically non-existant. this belief that all marginalized groups are the same and that one represents all is what leads to misrepresentation on top of lack of rep, which is what makes tokenism so dangerous. if you treat your only gay character badly, you are essentially treating every single gay person badly in that universe. so not only is lesbophobia and disdain for wlw harmful to sapphic women via their exclusion in media, it’s also harming those minorities who do get rep. when people try to defend lesbophobic source material, that’s when fandom starts to get toxic. the need for critical thinking has never been more apparent and it has also never been less appeased—and wlw are getting hit hard by it, as always.

finally, a pretty big driving factor of lesbophobia is, ironically, lesbians. my lesbian friends and i often joke that though everyone seems to hate us, no one hates lesbians more than lesbians do. though i’d say it’s most prevalent on tumblr, i see traces of it all over the internet. the growth of alt right lesbian movements is not only reinforcing hatred for lesbians, but also reinforcing hatred for bi and pan women. here you have these terrible lesbians using their platforms to express their disgust for bi/pan women, for aces and aros, for trans women/nb lesbians, and people see them and say, “gosh, lesbians are just awful.” and just like that, all of us are evil. occasionally, lesbian blogs that i follow get put on terf blocklists for no other reason than the fact that they have “lesbian” in their bio. and the lesbians that actually deserve to be on those blocklists? they’re too busy spewing misinformation about trans women and bi women to care, boosted up by their alt right friends in an ever-expanding movement. i’ve found that this heavily influences fandom on tumblr, lesbians often getting branded as “biphobic” when they hc a female character as a lesbian rather than bi or pan. this criticism of both lesbians and wlw by lesbians and non-wlw alike only ever allows lesbophobia to grow, both in and out of fandom. that said, lesbians aren’t to blame for their own discrimination; rather, many of us have been conditioned into subconsciously endorsing it after spending our entire lives hearing heterosexual platitudes about lesbians and sapphic relationships. homophobic cishets are and always have been the nexus of this oppression—the only difference is that now they can hide behind alt right lesbians.

one thing has been made apparent to me throughout my time in fandom, and that thing is that no one likes to see men “underrepresented”. people hate sapphic ships and lesbians so much because there is no room for men, and men Do Not Like That. so, like the worms that they are, they slither their way in, be it through fetishization or condemnation of wlw characters and ships, and they ruin whatever good things we have going for us. the thing about worms, though, is that they’re easy enough to crush if you’re wearing the right shoes.

so to all my bi/pan gals and lesbian pals: put on your doc martens, because we’ve got ourselves some lesbophobes to stomp on. 

#everyone say thank you hanna (@pinkseraphblades) for deciphering my rambling notes and helping me out with this #also want to say that my nb lesbians are not excluded from this!! i know i use the term 'wlw' a lot but i'd say it still applies to y'all #i could talk about this for days lmaoo #please rb #discourse #fandom discourse #lesbian discourse #wlw #lesbian #bisexual #yes grishaverse fandom i'm talking about you #grishaverse #soc #six of crows #tgt #the grisha trilogy #shadow and bone #and of course i was talking about my anti sjm account so #anti sjm #anti sarah j maas #anti acotar #cauldron rambles #didn't mean to take such an anti-worm stance i'm sorry worms #no worms were harmed in the making of this post #lesbophobes on the other hand... #important #ninej #lesbophobia

[agentwhiskeysdarlin]

A Test of Patiences

Request: Reader who’s a hairdresser broke her arm and she walks catfish through putting her hair up for a date

Pairing: Frankie “Catfish” Morales x Fem!Reader (no y/n)

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: angst (nothing too bad), reader being oblivious, smutty smut times,  & unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it)

Word Count: 3,634 (yup it’s a long one)

Author’s Notes: After stepping away for a mini break I came back and this happened. It felt like it went better writing a little at a time over the course of a week. I may be doing a lot more that way. I find it funny the title with the story is kind of going along with my writing and me putting it out. Not only for myself but for the people who wait on my content (if there is any). I really hope you guys enjoy this because I actually really love this even though the end is a little messy. It was a long ass day but I promised it would be out tonight so here it is. Feedback in any way is welcomed just please be nice I’m fragile. Emotional support credit goes to @clint-aww-no-barton​ , @discogrrl​ & @nymphonet​ because without them I probably wouldn’t be writing. Also if the ‘keep reading’ thing doesn’t work I am so sorry to those who get annoyed with long fics not having that. I am not sure what I am doing wrong for it not to work.

ao3 link for story

How in the world was you going to manage this all by yourself? You looked in the mirror at your overly recked self. Your clothes were the same from days ago, your hair was a mess and you were pretty sure you needed to shave everywhere. The bright blue cast seemed to laugh at you as you glanced at it in the sling it still rested in. All these years wondering this earth and never once had you broken a single bone in your body. That had changed just a few days ago and boy no one seemed to tell you how much a pain in the ass it would be. It had put you out of your beautician job until you were completely healed, which would be weeks. It was incredibly hard to do anything by yourself including writing a sentence because of course it had to be your dominate arm. To top the cake off you had a date tonight. 

  You wanted to call and cancel it so bad but it had been awhile. You had been talking to this guy for weeks now and he had finally asked you out and you might have agreed way too fast. You kept starring at your reflection like you might blink and suddenly you would be showered and ready to go. Unfortunately the world did not work that way. You let out a sigh of frustration before setting to work on the day long process of getting ready. 

  You had managed everything very slowly by yourself throughout the day. You showered, carefully shaving your legs, picked out an outfit which you also had yet to figure out how to get on but right now you stood in front of the mirror starring at your unruly hair trying to decide the easiest way to style it for tonight. After several moments of a careful look through in your mind of all the different hairstyles you deemed it impossible to accomplish alone. You let out a sigh before reaching for your phone and dialing the only person you know who would drop anything to help you no matter what it was.

  “Hello?” Frankie Morales, also known as your best friend, voice greeted your ear and you smiled.

  “Hey Cat! Listen I need a massive favor.”

  “What’s going on?” He always jumped to worry.

  “Could you possibly come over and help me with a few things? This damn broken arm is more of a pain in my ass than I thought it would be,” you gave a small chuckle.

  “I will be there in five minutes,” you could hear the amusement in his voice.

  “You are a life savor Cat!”

  “I only do this shit for you,” he chuckled before speaking his goodbyes and hanging up the phone.

  True to his word, Frankie knocked on your door before entering five minutes after the two of you had spoken. You gave him a wide smile and your best puppy dog eyes.

  “What do you need help with?” He stood there, hands on his hips looking around the house like he was going to find some project to fix.

  “Well me,” you pointed at yourself and his eyes landed on you before he raised his eyebrows at you.

  “I know this is crazy and you are definitely going to think I am after I suggest this but is there anyway you could help me with my hair? It won’t be anything really difficult I promise! All you have to do is follow what I say and it will be fine!” You mumbled on.

  “I can’t believe I am about to agree to this but yes I’ll help you with your hair,” he let out a chuckle and you let out a sigh of relief.

  “I seriously owe you one after this Cat! Anything you need! As soon as I’m better I’m your gal!” 

  He shook his head before you took your good hand and pulled him to the bathroom. You sat down on a stool and he took his place behind you. You had all the tools you would need laid out and Frankie eyed them nervously. You looked up at him and gave him a thumbs up before starting to tell him what to do. A braid was the easiest thing you could come up with but of course you had to add you on flare to it and Frankie followed every instruction you gave down to the wire. He had his brows knitted in frustration, his usual hat already off, but he listened to every word that came out of your mouth and watched your helpless hand motions in the mirror. 

  “Cat it’s perfect! I may have to hire you as an assistant,” you chuckled as you turned and gave him a one arm squeeze hug.

  “I think I will pass on that. No wonder women stress so much over their hair. Shit is hard to do,” he hugged you back his face burying in your neck.

  “I have one more favor to ask of you,” you pulled away once again putting on the puppy dog eyes.

  “I am afraid to ask.”

  “I just need you to help me zip up my dress when I get it on.”

  “Oh yeah that’s simple.”

  He followed you to your room and respectfully waited outside as you struggled to slip in the little black number you had saved just for tonight. 

  “So what are you getting all dolled up for?” Frankie asked through your door.

  “I got a date. I know the most unbelievable thing ever but yes that Mark guy finally asked me out,” you were incredibly excited but thanks to the door you didn’t see Frankie’s face fall at this news.

  He had it bad for you. Anyone could tell it, anyone but you that was. Ever since Pope had introduced the two of you he had fallen for you in every single way. He didn’t want to push the issue and kept his feelings hid mostly because he was afraid to ruin the friendship the two of you shared.

  “You can come in,” you voice pulled him from his thoughts.

  Frankie walked through the door and your back was to him. He could see the smooth skin that stretched the length of the zipper and it made him gulp softly. He was careful not to accidentally touch your skin as he zipped the zipper up, knowing he would lose it if he did. You turned around and he looked you over before he let a smile pull at his lips. He prayed you wouldn’t see the sadness hidden behind it.

  “You look so beautiful,” his voice was soft and he was careful to sound happy.

  “Thank you Cat,” a blush rose to your face as you smiled at him.

  You turned to look at yourself in the mirror and taking a breathe. With one last request to Cat and a simple shake of his head and a chuckle you finished your look off with simple jewelry and you took a glance at your watch.

  “I gotta get going. Cat I seriously owe you. Thank you so so much for this. It means a lot. I promise you this weekend I will fix your favorite meal and we will sit on the couch and watch our favorite movie,” you gave him a hopeful smile after giving him your best hug.

  “You don’t have to do that. You know I would do anything for you. Just have fun tonight okay?”

  “I insist on the dinner,” you gave him your signature look that told him that was the end of that conversation.

  He laughed and gave you another look over before following you out of your room.

  “I’ll walk out with you,” you grabbed your keys and purse.

  “Oh no tell me he is not making your drive there?” Frankie stopped dead, pointing at your keys.

  “Oh yeah. It’s not that big of a deal Cat, I can drive myself still.” You gave him a pointed look.

  “How in the hell do you drive with one arm? Nope I’m dropping you off and if I have to come pick you up I will do that too. No arguments. Put your keys away and go get your ass in the truck,” Frankie gave you a dead serious look and you had only started to open your mouth when he raised his eyebrows at you.

  He had his own looks to let you know that the conversation was over too. You couldn't help but smile as you sat your keys down and the two of you walked out of your house.

  “Have fun but be safe. Hey and no matter what he says you look beautiful tonight,” Frankie gave you a smile as he dropped you off at the restaurant.

  “Yes dad and thank you Cat,” you leaned in the passenger window and gave him a smile before turning and walking up the steps.

  It was a fancy place and luckily you had called to make a reservation earlier that week. You were shown your table after agreeing to sit to wait for Mark. The waiter brought you breadsticks and took your drink order before leaving you to it. You sat there watching the couples and families around you enjoying their meals and your eyes kept gazing over to the clock on the wall.

  He wasn’t coming. An hour late? Yeah he was definitely a no show. The poor waiter came to give you your last chance with the most pitiful look on his face. He knew all to well what was going on and you gave him an apology before handing some money to pay for your drink and a tip for putting up with you. He gave you a sad nod and you exited the restaurant trying to keep yourself together. You jerked out your phone where several unread messages from Mark sat there starring and laughing at you. You rolled your eyes, tears dancing at the edge but you swallowed them back as you dialed Frankie’s number.

  “What’s wrong?” How was he so good at this?

  “He stood me up,” your voice came out with a break in it.

  “I’m going to kill him,” Frankie was pissed.

  “Later, just please come get me,” you begged softly.

  “I’m on my way.”

  You hung up and stood there looking pathetic and trying so hard to keep from crying in front of the people who were sitting outside waiting for a table. You moved off to the side and sat down on a bench as you waited for Frankie to come save you from the humiliation. You soon heard Frankie’s truck and he pulled up and you didn’t even give him time to get out and open your door before you were up and inside. The second you hit the seat and pulled the door shut you lost it. Frankie let you sit there and cry for a second as he drove you home. He knew you well enough to let you get your emotions out.

  “How am I so damn stupid? Why did I ever think a man would ever want me!? I should have just known it was all too good to be true,” the word vomit came quickly and you sniffled between words as you filled the cab with your voice.

  “First of all you are not stupid at all. He is the fucking idiot here. He is no man for doing this to a women especially you. You deserve so much better. Hell you deserve the whole damn world,” he seemed to clip his words off at his last statement.

  “Cat…” you looked over at him.

  He pulled into your driveway, put the truck in park and turned it off before just sitting there. The air was full on tension and you wasn’t sure what to say nor what his statement really meant. It had your heart racing and you almost let yourself believe for a second it meant what you wanted it to.

  “Cat what did you mean by that?” You had dried your tears on your hands.

  “I meant exactly what I said,” he got out and started for your front door and you knew this wasn’t over.

  You got out and followed him, unlocking your door before stepping in. He stepped inside taking off his hat and running his fingers nervously through his hair.

  “It sounded like there was more of a hidden meaning there Cat,” your voice was soft as you looked at him.

  He looked at you for several moments. You both just stood there starring each other down. He seemed to be looking your face over like he was trying to figure out his next move. He took a step back like he was having a war with himself. You gave him this begging look, so desperate to know what was going on inside that head of his.

  “Oh fuck it,” he threw his hat before crossing the room to you.

  “Cat…” he didn’t let you finish.

  His hands came up to cup your face on each side gently before his lips crashed against yours. Surprise took you at first before you melted into him and kissed him back. You had always had a secret thing for this man. He was someone who had always treated you so incredible but you had pushed your feelings way aside because you didn’t want to ruin what the two of you currently had. It was wonderful to have him in your life and you didn’t want to complicate that or screw it up by making it a relationship. His lips were making you dizzy and running all your thoughts together. This is what it felt like to actually be kissed. To be kissed by someone you knew loved you even if they had never said it in this way. It was Frankie’s way of confessing his feelings to you and you didn’t mind one bit. He pulled away all too soon and you looked at him after your eyes fluttered open. You searched his puppy dog eyes as he seemed to search yours.

  “I’m sorry,” his voice came out rough and a whisper as he started to pull away.

  “Cat, wait,” you grabbed at one of his wrist keeping his hand on your right cheek.

  The shock on his face was evident and you couldn't help but to smile up at him.

  “Me too,” it was simple but he knew exactly what you meant.

  The smile that stretched his face was pure joy and happiness but there was still worry playing in his eyes and you seemed to wear the same look.

  “Do we want to do this?” He stepped back closer to you taking his other hand and landing it on your hip, pulling you closer.

  “I really want to but Cat we can’t let this ruin us. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “I promise you that I’m not going anywhere. I will fight for you until the day I die,” his thumb started to rub smooth circles on your face under your eye.

 “I promise to do the same Cat always.”

  “Then I think it’s safe to call you mind then huh?” His face broke into a splitting smile.

  “I’m yours Cat,” you let your smile match.

  His lips then crashed to yours and the kiss became deeper, with more passion behind it. Frankie was quick to reach down and pick you up bridal style before carrying you to your room. He kicked the door open and gently laid you down upon your bed never letting his lips leave yours. 

  “Should we with my arm?” You pulled away already panting as you look up at him.

  “I’ll be gentle I promise,” there was a hunger in Frankie’s eyes you had never seen before and it went straight to your core.

  Your lips connected again and Frankie crawled over you keeping himself up enough not to have hie weight on top of you. His hand went from your cheek down your neck pausing for a second to brush his thumb over your throat before traveling further. He let his hand settle on your breast before squeezing yearning a moan from you. He let his lips follow the direction his hands had just went as his hand went to your back. He slowly pulled your zipper down until he could successfully remove your dress. He was careful with your arm and his movements but unfortunately your sleeve ended up stuck and you couldn’t help the giggle that pasted your lips.

  “I’m sorry Cat,” a full on laugh bubbled up and Frankie couldn't help but to let one of his own go at the struggle you both were in.

  Finally you pulled your sleeve free and Frankie shook his head as he threw the dress somewhere in the room. He sat up to remove his shirt and his eyes feel over you. He let them rake over your body and you couldn't help the blush that rose to your cheeks.

  “You are so beautiful.”

  His lips came back to your skin but this time he started at your collarbone and started to travel further down. He reached behind you and undid your bra as he kissed the top part of your breast. He looked at your breast for a short moment before his eyes met yours and then he dipped down and took a nipple into his mouth. He sucked and bit pulling moans from your. Your fingers found their way into his hair and pulled slightly as he moved to give the other one the same care. He then crawled back up and reconnected his lips with yours. His hand traveled down pulling your panties down as far as he could push them without moving and his fingers brushed across your clit causing your back to arch and a cry to escape from between your lips. He let his fingers dip further down gathering the juices that had already gathered there. He pulled away to watch your reaction as he slipped two fingers inside of you. You let out a moan and let your head fall back. Frankie moved his fingers quickly pulling all the right noises from you.

  “Cat wait,” you quickly said reaching down with your good hand and stopping him.

  “Are you okay?” His voice was full of concern to match his face perfectly.

  “I want to cum with you inside me,” you blushed at your words and yearned a smirk from the man hovering over you.

  He reached down and kissed you deep again before standing up to remove his jeans along with his underwear. You watched him, biting your lip when you saw his already hard cock spring up when he slid his underwear down. You couldn’t help but to lick your lips at the sight before looking up at him. The look in his eyes was something you had never seen before. He was on you again this time with so much more momentum and he was quick to line up with your entrance and slip inside. You both let groans and moans fall from your mouths at the feeling. Finally feeling all of each other. He kept himself hovered over you to stay careful of your arm. He stilled for a few moments to make sure you were use to him before you gave him a nod for him to move. He started a pace that was quick but gentle. You let your good arm wrap around his neck and lace your fingers in his messy hat hair and pulling before connecting your lips back to his. You would never get tired of kissing this man. His kiss was so hungry and it gave him plenty of go ahead to pick up his pace and become a little rougher. 

  “You won’t break me Cat I promise,” you smirked up at him.

  That was enough for him to go harder. It was gentle and rough all at one time. He was so careful with you as he still snapped his hips into you over and over pulling noises from you that you had no idea you could make. You could feel yourself growing closer and closer to your release and it only caused you to let your good hand go from his hair down his back giving him decent marks to remember this moment. 

  “Cat I’m…”

  “I know sweetheart. I got you, let go,” he growled in your ear.

  His words sent you toppling over the edge as you came hard around him. All you could feel was him everywhere and all around you. He followed soon after groaning your name in your ear as he released himself inside of you. His forehead touched yours and you both panted heavily after finally riding out the high. Frankie had slightly gone limp and you noticed the pain that was suddenly climbing your arm.

  “Um Cat my arm,” you let out a slight hiss as he moved out of you and from on top of you all at once.

  “Oh shit! I’m so sorry! I forgot. Are you okay?” He went into panic mode immediately.

  “I’m fine Cat! I’m fine, “ you couldn't help the laugh that followed his panic.

  “It’s not funny!” He tired to be defensive but just ended up laughing along with you.

  “I promise we will do this properly after I get this stupid thing off,” you rose your arm up and rolled your eyes.

  “Hey it was still perfect,” Frankie spoke softly as he turned on his side.

  He bent down and kissed your forehead and you reached up with your good arm and rubbed at his cheek.

  “Yeah it was pretty perfect.”

Tagged: @jimmythegirl​ @arcadianempress​ @discogrrl​ @immundusspiritu​ @someplace-darker​ @beskars​ @talesfromtheguild​ @thisis-theway​ @on-the-razor-crest​ @fioccodineveautunnale​ @spookyold-saintjm​

#frankie catfish morales #frankie morales #Frankie Morales x reader #francisco catfish morales #catfish morales #catfish x reader #Frankie Morales smut #carey writes #fem!reader

[hasliaran]

Undertale is owned by Toby Fox

Sooner or Later You’re Gonna be Mine is written by Staringback.

TimeHealsTale - Still a WIP by me.

Meet my undertale OC from TimeHealsTale which is an AU living rent free in my head. They are a canon MC that replaces the real Sans (age 5) after he got dumped into a tub of Void by Gaster to be forgotten.

Name: Comic Sans Du Font (Comic/Komi)

Age: 22 (5 years younger than canon Sans and 8 years older than Paps)

Job: Monster Healer that does House-calls. (Not a Judge; Sans disappeared because he was a Judge)

Profile in Game: Toriel’s Contact, The Smuggler, Summon Healer (after befriending; limited to 5 calls (diff. work phone no.); rapid calls will assume it’s a prank and not be picked up for a certain period of time.)

This is not her usual outfit but I just really wanted to post it.

In my head, the scene goes …

- she fell into the void trying to pull out a deformed still 5 years old Sans when she was going through her father’s stuff in his lab dungeon. (Occurred after the barrier broke)

- Sans was in a mega huge test tube floating in pitch black Void essence (frozen in stasis as no time passes through Void), so she couldn’t see anything or knew he was inside. Only after she accidentally tipped it over, smashing it to pieces, when trying to push it out of the lab that she realised there was an effing toddler inside it.

“Dad, seriously?” Comic got fed up already with the mess her father left behind after he got scattered.

- Cue her trying to grab the kid out of the muck only to fall in and be dropped down into another universe with the little one.

(Yes, this is the multiverse travel scene excuse and I love it)

Back then, Sooner or later your gonna be mine just uploaded a new comic chapter on YouTube. Hence, my brain went overdrive and said it’s a free real estate. So, I imagined the duo getting found by the skeleton brothers before the story started from rumours of them pillaging around trash sites, random food thefts and small skeletons offering up to do odd jobs.

Other skeletons than them, huh, curious.

Them skeletons in that story was already huge as heck though, now imagine a five a year old and a roughly five foot skeleton with a slight build running around what was essentially a mob era in the 1920’s.

The first thing that would go through their thick skulls was KIDS, THEY ARE KIDS, WHO HERE F***ED AND DIDN’T USE PROTECTION ?!

So much shenanigans from just trying to chase them down. ^_^

In the end, Komi and Void/V (little Sans; Komi’s not that creative at naming) were lured in by food, an offer for a roof over their heads and warm baths. Yep, tragic.

Little sans doesn’t look like a sans anymore here but a mere smooth skull shell with two big eye sockets and nothing else. I meant that literally. No lips or teeth as those were melted away and a pitch black body with stumps for legs. (look at Hollow Knight; Ghost but without the horns and has smoothen out round cheeks at least. I love that game.)

The last thing he remembered was that his aunt (step sister actually but he knows her as auntie) giving birth in the Underground Hospital and his uncle (Gaster) pushing him into a tub of black liquid, watching him drown.

And now he can’t talk since his lips is sealed shut.

Moreover, someone with his name who looks like a lot like his auntie and a bit like his uncle was dragging him around somewhere. It’s hella weird and confusing and he can’t cry properly. (Yes, HK reference here)

Yes, there is a story here for the duo that will coincide with SoLY’reGBM. Mostly, with Komi claiming Bara Sans courting skills were lame as hell no wonder Frisk ran screaming. This happen only at the time they were all comfortable enough to diss each other. Still, she and V were treated like sassy annoying younger siblings.

One’s assumed to be a teenager another a preschooler. So both were admitted to schools by force and with threats for Komi by Gaster since he didn’t want them in the house 24/7. Also to just enjoy the fact they have money now to send someone in their place to experience school. Papyrus here loves it that someone gets to experience and tell him all about while also not being the youngest in the family anymore.

Komi, in hindsight was 50/50 about it. Hating the idea at first before going, huh, maybe it’s not so bad… Hence the outfit up there. ^

She only has been to pre-school when her mother was alive and nothing else since, Gaster, her father, deeming it useless and only had been homeschooled by him. As much as you could call being locked in a room and told to read/answer these sheets of questions or not she’s never allowed to feed Papyrus as homeschooling activities. It happened in a period of when she was 10 - 14, so Paps would be 2 - 6. Damn well, she learned to memorise and spit everything out like a photocopier.

Seeing the Gaster in this universe sorta freaks her out. Making her wait to be ordered and when she doesn’t gets the order or the orders were just a pat on the skull and be told to behave, nothing else. She will proceed to look at him funny only to realise that oh, this is not dad. The three brothers can see that gal there has been through some shit and it’s not the fun kind. This also makes them question whether they should let them go back to wherever they came from, and that’s a whole other bag of fish to fry.

Komi knows they are a mob family, accepts it because hey her dad had a dungeon where he cuts up humans and eats SOULs for breakfast so why not this?

Only to find out they are pretty nice for a family and was this what a family suppose to be like? She liked it.

Komi with V/Void -, I will protect you my new baby brother that I have adopted at first sight with my body and SOUL. Which she does, she was raised with her Papyrus who was always aimed at gunpoint by her father. Basically, a rinse and repeat cycle situation in her eyes. Only to find out that no, nobody was out to get V!

She felt so gosh darn free in this universe but felt as though she was missing something all the time.

Yep, her found family from back home. So, definitely gotta get out of here somehow.

While also going to high school and befriending your adopted uncles’s enemy’s niece. Fuku Fire. Definitely not telling them what she did. They are gonna get so pissed.

Fuku - I have befriended the cool kid that’s not afraid to talk back against adults and was already a pro in home economics, who is also a skeleton Monster, meaning from a rival family. My parents and Uncle *pedo* Grillby must never know.

Comic will also be going through the motions of life here while figuring out how V’s powers work to send them back home and be getting a supply of Uncle’s favourite mustard since he’s been bitching about it every day by now.

He and Gaster will most definitely never know.

Nah, they know. Comic is a freaking blabber mouth that tells everything to this version of Papyrus just like she does in her own universe. Confirmed, she’ll be outed within 3 days by Paps and a fight about who she befriends was not their business.-at Gaster - who then sees it as an opportunity. Which leaves her storming out yelling they are all the same. Gaster and her Gaster.

Shit goes down that day, and everything went A-okay. Komi would make attempts to not overlap her father’s image over this guy because really, this Gaster is the farthest thing to her dad that’s a centuries old psychopath craving the secrets of the multiverse who would instead have not let her run out the house unscathed for yelling nor talked through things with her when she was brought back.

Darn guy was pretty nice.

Sans and Papyrus of this universe : who are you and what have you done to our brother?

G: What was that?

S&P: Nothing. S: (mutters under his breath) bias piece of sh*t

Then there’s that scene where they now got a new area to govern. Komi and V finds it weird but okay. *shrugs*. It felt like they were going to govern their territory or something. Sounds like basic Royal Guards one-o-one shtick her middle bro’s and friends’ kinda work. Seems simple enough.

It was not simple. I repeat, it was not simple.

G: No, we do not have to patrol the area.

G: No, we do not do shifts to monitor criminal activities.

G: It’s just an area that we will get a claim to.

G: But I need the humans here to be comfortable with Monsters, so I am going to let loose Papyrus on them. Since, we also have you two as well. Feel free to interact with the Humans. Tell me if anyone gives you three any trouble, Sans and I will personally deal with it.

S: wut? Yes? Yep, whatever he says goes. Better listen to your elders, brats.

P: Really, Sans?

C: So-, you want us to help around with the people in the area? Like charity work? Give free food and all that?

G: (how did she jumped to that? but otherwise, she’s not wrong.) … Yes-, that. Feel free to use your green magic on them as well if you have to but only when necessary. I don’t want you to suddenly disappear because your own loose lips.

C: Alright. (Does an excited fist pump) This is gonna be awesome~! …. Heyyy, did you just-

P: And I will be sure to guard them. (No arguing here from the other brothers)

V: (pouts and hand signed) N-O-T—B-A-B-Y

P: (could only stare at this being that barely reaches his kneecaps) Of course, little one.

All I know is, all of them are sassy sarcastic shits and there’s way more to be continued here.

So byeeee~

#timehealstale #undertale #undertale au #fanart #fanfic #fic ideas #sooner or later you’re gonna be mine au idea #do not repost #do not copy #multiverse #dimension travel

[omgyouatetheprincess]

Janus’ Playlist

AHH JANUS' PLAYLIST LETS GOO

Not that anyone asked for my opinions

Okay so I'd like to start by saying that Thomas, Joan and Talyn did an amazing job on this playlist because every song fits Janus so perfectly.

Here are some of my thoughts on the songs and some interpretations I came up with or found on the internet.

Trigger Warnings - abortion. Mocking of religion.

Black Hole Sun - okay at first I was like 'wow this is really smooth and nice and the vocals are so sweet.' Then I heard the lyrics. "In disguises no one knows,

Hides the face, lies the snake". It's such a Deceit song and I imagine him dancing to it (with or without a partner).

Black Hole Sun by Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox, Haley Reinhart

It Seemed That Better Way - holy heck, can I point out that this song is such a bop? Leonard Cohen has such a soothing voice and it reminds me of Patrick Page (aha Hadestown) and if Janus wasn't played by Thomas, I could imagine this as his voice. The song is about not knowing what the truth is and what to believe, and has religious meanings which could be countering Patton and his Catholic beliefs.

It Seemed The Better Way by Leonard Cohen

Anywhere - I feel like Patton would hate this because the first line is "It's a beautiful world if you've been lied to by parents and priests". Anywhere describes how the world isn't a beautiful as it may seem, and that people lie to make you see it.

Anywhere by The Scarring Party

Talking At The Same Time - it is immediately dark and that everything seems fake and a... Lie. A lot of Deceit's songs are about the truth or that everything is a lie and I have to give massive kudos to Thomas, Joan and Talyn because they did an excellent job portraying Janus through his music taste. The song describes how everyone talks at the same time, and what I interpret that as is that everyone says the same thing over and over. It's hard to explain so I'll let you make your own interpretations of it.

Talking At The Same Time by Tom Waits

all the good girls go to hell - I'm not going to lie (ha) but I don't like Billie Eyelash, but I'll see past the artist. My first thought when I saw the song without hearing it is that it's a good choice and Janus probably loves Billie Eilish. Spotify has meanings of songs so I'm going to go off there: "This song is in the perspective of the Devil / no matter how good you are, desperate measures will eventually break you / turn you into bad." I feel like Deceit would sing this around the house. This song is twisting Christian symbolism and the lyrics can be interpreted as Eilish praising people who go to hell as it's better than being morally good. (Also, just switch Peter with Patton)

all the bad girls go to hell by Billie Eilish

Denial - KDJIEKAKSNDENIAL? In Putting Others First, Janus is referred to as Denial and now this song? Everyone start clapping for Thomas and his team. Anyway, the song discusses themes of conflict within a relationship, and the denial and insecurity of being in a relationship near it’s end (source: Genius). Also, Roceit vibes?

Denial by The Vaccines

Trust In Me - first of all, heck yeah! I predicted this song to be on his playlist because it's a slimy snake song from Disney? Hello this is Thomas? I think it's a great song and Johansson's voice is angelic. Kaa is manipulating and hypnotizing Mowgli, and if Deceit could do the same you can bet your bottom dollar he would sing this. We love our not-evil snake boi.

Trust In Me by Scarlett Johansson

Razzle Dazzle - Janus singing this with Roman? Yes please? Okay so I get that this is a villian song, and I love that, but imagine Deceit in a shiny sequenced dress? I also haven't seen Chicago yet so I'm going off what I've heard - this song describes how it is too easy to put on a show and make the audience happy. Basically, acting is just professional lying. The line "Though you are stiffer than a girder they'll let you get away with murder" is so clever (no spoilers but he had it coming)

Razzle Dazzle by Richard Gere

[SLIGHT HADESTOWN SPOILERS]

When The Chips Are Down - I hecking love Hadestown so you can bet I squealed when I saw this song. This song is sung by the fates, who are portrayed at untrustworthy. The title of this song is derived from the idiom “when the chips are down”, meaning “when a very serious and difficult situation arises”. Eurydice is in potentially one of the most serious and difficult situations she could be in: her life is at stake. After Hades invites Eurydice to come with him to Hadestown, the Fates appear and encourage her to consider his offer. They tell her that she should look after herself now that she is starving and the “chips are down”. (Source: Genius). In my own words, the fates are convincing (or manipulating if you will) a poor helpless girl to put herself first and save herself. It also mentions how if you be good to get into heaven,you get a knife in the back.

Go listen to Hadestown, it's an incredible soundtrack.

When The Chips Are Down by Anaïs Mitchell, The Haden Triplets

[TW! Abortion]

Mandy Goes to Med School - okay so this song is about abortion, so we'll have to go off context. Mandy (or Amanda Palmer) has to pay for Medical School by giving abortions in an alleyway with a coat hanger, so I interpret this as having to do shady stuff to get what you want. I think him and Remus would enjoy this song together. I'd also like to note that Logan had a song by Amanda Palmer in his playlist... That isn't relevant but I wanted to note that.

Mandy Goes to Med School by The Dresden Dolls

I Put A Spell On You - 50SOG vibes? I really like this song, it has a nice rhythm and the lyrics are so creepy. This gives me vibes of Deceit cornering/pining another side/love interest because if our baby boy wants to be happy, he should. This is similar to Trust In Me because it talks about enchanting someone to get what you want. "I don't care if you don't want me, I'm yours right now." Chills. Janus singing this song would complete my life.

Also the singer calls the love interest daddy but we ain't shaming

I Put A Spell On You by Nina Simone

Evil Night Together - well the title has evil in it so... Perfect for our Evil Snake Boi. This song gives me huge Demus/Receit vibes because it's basically like "let's go on a date in the creepiest place."

What if we drank a drink in the torture chambers... Haha jk ...unless 🥺

Evil Night Together by Jill Tracy

Don't Tell Mama - another musical song? Roman would be impressed. This song is about an English singer, who's mother thinks she's in a convent (a nun), when really she's in a German s3x club. You can really tell why it would be so bad if her secret got out.

Don't Tell Mama by John Kander, Joel Grey, Jill Hawarth, Cabaret Ensemble, Harold Hastings

You're A Cad - definition of a cad: a man who behaves dishonourably, especially towards a woman... This song has a nice beat and gives me TikTok vibes, but it also gives me Moceit vibes (I say vibes too much) because the singer is saying "you're a villain, a cad, a rascal... But I'm like a fish on a hook for you and I still want you." Also, she has a sweet tooth?

You're A Cad by the bird and the bee

As Far As I Can See - all aboard the angst train, CHOO-CHOO "As far as I can see, nobody loves me. As far as I can tell, nobody loves you either" this song gives me such Roceit vibes because the meaning is pretty simple: if nobody loves Janus, then he'll take everyone down with him. I knew there would be that one song that tries to make me cry for our poor baby.

As Far As I Can See by Phantogram

Criminal - first of all, the cover is beautiful. Apple describes the song as “a description of feeling bad for getting something so easily by using your sexuality.” She also told in an interview: "One of my friends said to me, “Oh yeah, of course you aren’t writing.” So I was like, “The next time you see me, I’m gonna have a new song.” I wrote “Criminal” in 45 minutes when everyone else went to lunch because I had to have a hit. I can force myself to do the work, but only if someone is right up behind me." Which is the level of pettiness I see in Deceit and I am here for it. The context of the song is seduction and manipulation, so Janus using his sexuality to manipulate the other Sides is a cursed thought.

Criminal by Fiona Apple

Change - if any of them listened to Lana Del Rey, I sort of expected it to be Virgil. Change shows how Del Rey has matured, and I feel like it also portrays Janus' ability to adapt. "Change is a powerful thing... I'll be able to be honest..." Does this mean he's trying to change? Will we get more character development? LIGHT SIDE JANUS?

Change by Lana Del Rey

Devil In The Details - this song is about trusting the wrong person and taking advantage of something. "I am the first one I deceive if I can make myself believe the rest is easy.". More angst, yay.

Devil In The Details by Bright Eyes

Come Little Children - if you had a My Little Pony phase, you probably know this song. Come Little Children, also known as "Sarah's Theme" and "Garden of Magic," is a song sung by Sarah Sanderson in the film, Hocus Pocus to hypnotize children to lure them. Manipulation: a common theme.

Come Little Children by Erutan

Into The Unknown - I was really shocked to see this song until I realized, no, it wasn't the same iconic theme from Frozen 2. This short song is from Over The Garden Wall, a show Thomas watches but I have not. "If dreams can't come true, then why not pretend?" The show plays heavily on the battle between dreams and reality (source: Genius). The way I see this, Janus is convincing the Light Sides to do something, or specifically Roman to make his dreams come true through selfish means.

Into The Unknown by The Blasting Company

This playlist is one of the best because every song had me saying “Janus would so sing this". If you have any thoughts, feel free to comment!

As always, take it easy guys gals and non-binary pals peace out

#janus sanders #side tracks #spotify #playlist #deceit #thomas sanders #sanders sides #snake #black hole sun #it seemed the better way #talking at the same time #all the good girls go to hell #billie eilish #denial #trust in me #disney #razzle dazzle #chicago #musical #hadestown #when the chips are down #mandy goes to med school #i put a spell on you #don't tell mama #cabaret #you're a cad #criminal #dukeceit #moceit #roceit

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #469

“i am hungry for some unrest  /  i wanna push it beyond a peaceful protest”

Do you have any goats? Can't say I do. Are you going to be getting any new pets soon? No. Would you rather be a panda or grizzly bear? As a protected species, I'd say a panda. Do you like BBQ sauce? I hate it. Can you do a twirl like a ballerina? No. Does your house have a pool? No. Do you own an iPad? No. What’s a topic you’ve drastically changed your opinion on? A LOT. Many years ago, I was very conservative, now I'm definitely more liberal. What’s an achievement you hope to see humanity accomplish in your lifetime? I'd really love to see great improvements in nature and wildlife conservation. Are you and your SO Facebook official? We're like... half official? He never checks his notifications, EVER, so he hasn't verified our relationship status. Instead, it just says on my profile "in a relationship with ____ (pending)." I don't mind, though. "Facebook official" doesn't mean much to me at all. What matters is that we know. Have you ever bathed in a river or a lake? I've swum in them, but I most certainly haven't bathed in one. Have you bought a bag of potato chips in the past week? No. I avoid chips because I'll eat too many. What was your first job? And how long did you work there? I was a sales associate at GameStop for like two months, but keep in mind I was VERY rarely on the schedule, so I probably didn't even work for a week's time in total. Can you drive? I can, but I don't do it well and don't have my license. My permit's even long expired. I plan on forcing myself to practice and get licensed once I get new glasses, though (whenever I can afford that...). Right now I couldn't even pass the vision test. I just have to do it; public transport isn't big here AT ALL, and I can't keep relying on others to get me everywhere. Do you spend too much time online? Way, way too much. Extremely high odds are, if I'm conscious, I'm on the computer. I want to change that so badly and experience other things in life way more regularly, it's just an addiction that has been an issue since I was first exposed to the Internet. Do you like to travel? I barely ever get to do it, but yes, I love it. How did you first notice the last person you kissed? Well, it's kinda hard NOT to subconsciously notice the guy who played the fuckin' huge-ass tuba in band, ha ha. Why will/won’t you and your ex get back together? THE ex, because 1.) I'm sure he wants nothing to do with me, and 2.) because I'd be much too worried he'd leave again if I relapse with my depression badly enough. Do you use the words "I love you" too lightly? Definitely not. Do you like pizza? Legit, are there people who don't like pizza???? Do you use an alarm clock? I use my phone for that. Name something that is currently making you happy. Girt is making me really, really happy. I'm still not happy at my core, but, y'know. A person can't do that, anyway. What do you want for Christmas this year? Stiiiill a 40 gallon for Venus with proper equipment... I need a fucking job. That's going to be my answer possibly past Christmas because I just completely rely on my parents financially. Are you excited for the holidays? Very, except for Thanksgiving. I'm way more hyped for Halloween and Christmas and all it entails than usual. Name one tattoo you would like to get someday. I'll give ya one I don't think I've mentioned. On top of one of my hands, over some sort of fiery graphic, I want "Gefährlich ist wer Schmerzen kennt" (translated to "whoever knows pain is dangerous") written in fine text. It's a lyric from the song "Feuer frei!" by Rammstein that I just find very powerful, and not necessarily in an dark way. Are you afraid of stink bugs? Yes, because they're a form of beetle, which tend to scare me. Do you wear contact lenses? No, but I wish. :/ There are piercings I want that would look stupid with glasses. One of my eyes has such bad vision that I need a weighted contact in it (don't ask me exactly what the difference is), and I could feel it way too clearly in my eye, and it made it heavy. Wearing those contacts did NOT last long; I went back to my glasses. Have you ever danced in the rain? No. What was your last dream about? Astonishingly, I don't remember. Where was the last place you went besides your house? The doctor's office. Do you feel like you're judged for your looks? Being someone who is by definition obese, I'm certain some people do. Do you fight with your parents a lot? No. Last time you got stopped by a cop or pulled over. Why? I never have been. Do you like hot sauce? Yes. How bored are you right now? Very, very bored. As a side effect of depression, I experience severe anhedonia like... constantly, at least to some degree. No exaggeration. It makes my life a fucking drag. It's why I take surveys so much; the randomness of the questions is at least a momentary distraction. Do you think you would make a good model? Hell no. Even if I was in a physical shape for anyone to be interested in photographing me, I would feel WAY too awkward. Are you a good singer? No. Do the Emergency Alert System noises on TV freak you out? Yes, because I immediately assume it's a tornado warning. Describe your perfect date. Actually I'm planning something for Girt and me hopefully on Halloween (or if he has to work, at least close to) that is like absolutely effin' perfect for me. Carve some pumpkins together, make those Pillsbury Halloween cookies, and binge some spooky movies. :') Do your parents trust you? Yeah. Do you like pot roast? No. Have you ever thought about being a stripper? No. Are you flexible? No. Can you wiggle your nose? Nope. Have you ever played Mario Kart? Yes. My younger sister especially was sooo good at it; she doesn't even play video games and yet she was hooked on it for a while. How often do you go shopping for clothes? Almost never. I really, really need to for undergarments and pants now. Do you have a high IQ? I don't know my IQ, but I very much doubt it. Would you ride a motorcycle if you had the chance? No. They scare me. Have you ever been bitten by a dog? No. Do you like the smell of cinnamon? yessssss Do you like frogs? I love those lil bug-eyed cuties!!! :') Are you afraid of dying? Not massively. I mean yeah, I don't want to die and the fear of the unknown is there, but I really don't think I'm as scared of it as most people. Do you like bananas? Yeah. Where's the last place you've been to out of state? Lake Gaston in Virginia. What are you listening to right now? I'm watching another playthrough of Fatal Frame 3. Gotta say it's probably my favorite that I've seen/played of the franchise now. Would you rather use a trackpad or a mouse? Mouse, for sure. Do you like steak? Yes. What was the best gift you've ever received? My late dog. Tell me one of your pet peeves. Consistently trying to make conversation with me when I have headphones on. It's a bitchy pet peeve, but a pet peeve nonetheless. Do you like to keep your nails painted? I don't paint my nails or care to. Are you a Duck Dynasty fan? I was a long time ago when I actually watched it. I wouldn't watch it now because I don't support the overly-conservative cast, having followed a couple on Facebook for a time. Have you ever played with Silly Putty? As a kid, for sure. I loved that stuff. Do you take in a lot of caffeine daily? Yes. :x Do you know a lot about history? Definitely not. Are you allergic to pollen? Yes. Would you rather play Xbox or PlayStation? I'm a PlayStation gal. Have you ever worked at a fast food place? No, and I neeeeever would. Hungry people are the worst. Do you like hot tubs? Meh, I have to be in the right mood. Do you know anyone who is battling cancer? Not at this current moment. Are you good at doing fractions? NOOOOOOO, or doing ANY kind of math. Have you ever auditioned for a talent competition? No. Would you rather get high or get drunk? I've never experienced either, but probably high. Being drunk is usually synonymous with being sloppy. Do you like the Silent Hill movies? AYEEEEEEEEE I'm the chick to ask! I love the first one, it's brilliant and loyal to the idea of the series but still unique from the original story of the pilot game. The second one is objectively fucking awful story-wise and is SO all over the place, but I can still enjoy it as an obsessed fan of that franchise. Did you ever want to be a doctor? I wanted to be a vet for a long time, if that counts. [TW: SUICIDE] The last person you kissed, how many times have you cried in front of them? I probably cried some/was teared up to some degree when he visited me in the ER after my overdose. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 1 month? Is this written for a middle schooler? No shit I could, and have in the past on more than one occasion. Have you kissed someone with braces? No. Is this the best year of your life? Nooo sir. Can you have more than one best friend? Yeah. What do you like better: hot chocolate or hot apple cider? Hot chocolate. ooo: What are your full initials? BMD. Would you ever let your grandma set you up on a blind date? She's dead, but if she wasn't? HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL NO. Do you ever wonder if you will get in a car accident and die? As someone who is terrified of driving, absolutely. I'm primarily more concerned about becoming paralyzed from the neck down, though. I'd rather die than that. So your ex comes to you and says “I want you back”, what do you say? I'd probably say, "I'm happy to finally be able to say 'no'" or something along those lines. Maybe even just a simple "no." Which was worse for you: freshman year of high school or of college? College. I was so fucking depressed and lost. What is the last language you spoke, other than your first? German. Would you ever consider moving to a different country? Canada, yes, if it didn't mean leaving my family and now boyfriend. What is your favourite food from your culture? Burgers. @_@ Other than your name, what was the last name someone called you? Britt. If you could find one long lost friend of the past, who would it be? Megan. I found her on Facebook before and sent her two messages over the past something years, but she never responded. It's frustrating, like I was so close to reuniting with her, but not close enough. Do you wash your hair or your body first when taking a shower? Hair. Have you ever been to a nursing home? Yes, with my mother to visit someone.

#survey #surveys #random questions #lyrics: ''unnatural selection'' by muse

[suffering-and-happy-about-it]

Nicole's Rambling: The Avengers Problem (for PS4)

Let's start with the usual chanting: ❗this is my opinion, it's biased as hell (since I grew up with Marvel comic books and movies) and you don't have to agree❗

I was wondering why Avengers game gets so hated... So I took a look and I played it myself. Let’s have a look.

SPOILERS AHEAD

First off: the game isn't in any way horribly bad. It's just a button smasher with a story that has its good and bad beats. It's not memorable at all, but it could've gone way more downhill in my opinion.

At the start of the game, you meet the mighty Avengers through child fan's eyes - it's pure fanservice and let's be honest, it's dope. It was sweet, but pretty dragged, to be honest. I really didn't need to play as all five Avengers (HAWKEYE IS MISSING, AGAIN) in the first hour of the game, but sure, why not?

For the most part, you see the squad through Kamala Khan's eyes. For those who might have not a clue who the hell Kamala is; I am not wondering about why you don't know who the hell she is. She's a Marvel heroine who outed in 2013 and who will have her own spinoff on Disney+.

And again, Ms Marvel is fine, but not memorable at all. I've never, until this day, met anyone who would say that 'Ms Marvel is my favourite superhero'. I was halfway through the game before I even realized it's Ms Marvel - AFTER SHE PULLED HER DAMN COSTUME OUT. That can be due to my utter ignorance or because I heard of her so little that I can count it on my fingers. In all honesty, I loved Kamala as the story progressed, the gal's not bad at all - but as the whole game, she had good and bad beats. There were times where I wished to play as Iron Man and the game forced me to play as her... Whatever.

Let's look at the three problems I have with this game and three positives I found in the game:

0. (Technically zero since it's a personal problem of mine) The soundtrack and the voice actors:

By any means, I am not trying to say they should hire RDJ for the role of Iron Man and Mark Ruffalo for the role of Banner... But it was so hard to distinguish the voice of Nolan North (For example: Nathan Drake x Iron Man) and Troy Baker (Samuel Drake x Bruce Banner). For me, as for a PS4 gamer, it's annoying to hear the same voices again and again in every game I am genuinely excited about (Idk how Xbox players are familiar with them). Of course, there's even Laura Bailey as the Black Widow; I feel like these are the three only people who do voice acting for games these days and sure, I should've seen that coming.

Side note: Nolan North is not a good fit for Iron Man in the slightest in my opinion, but if you like his Iron Man, that's cool as well!

The soundtrack... M A N, the soundtrack. When I heard Marvel gave a green light to the Avengers game, I expected to hear at least the iconic Alan Silvestri's 'The Avengers'. Problem with this is simple: Marvel had spoiled its consumers with good and memorable soundtracks (don't you tell me you don't remember as they all gathered for the first time). Since it was Marvel itself who gave the green light for this project, which was supposed to be based loosely on the movies' and comic book success, I hoped to get all of it.

It's not Iron Man when AC/DC song isn't playing in the background as he flies through a canyon for his life. I mean, Iron Maiden are fine; but come on. COME ON. It's not the same. It's not the Avengers (WITHOUT HAWKEYE) without their significant theme.

1. IT. BUGS. ALL. THE. TIME and the combat is incredibly repetitive:

When I was little, I was a rage gamer. I could barely play Crash Bandicoot or Rayman without losing my cool. Since then, I grew up, skilled and etc. I try not to rage when playing games since it's simply not worth it.

But when you're replaying a boring mission for the tenth part and you're almost over and SUDDENLY, the game bugs out and you lose control over the character (it starts running in circles, etc.) it sucks shit. And don't let me start on the minor bugs. Like when you don't cross the platform by one pixel and the game doesn't let you make combos when you're in the air and bug into a tree when you bug into a wall, a rock, fucking nothing... Bruh. It was released in August, shouldn't these bugs be fixed by now? The game is fucking broken, hoes. It barely feels like a game ready to launch at times.

When you're so lucky that you don't bug out in the middle of doing something, the combat... It isn't bad. It's not terrible, but the Avengers deserved something better. It didn't deserve mediocre combat that repeats itself in every level. Once you find yourself good combo, you're done for. You can use it to finish the game if you will.

2. There's too many missions, too much information and too much things player has to understand if he wants to play the game properly:

Okay, this might seem to be a little confusing; I didn't understand the game system at all when I first ran it on my PS4. There's story missions, HARM training sessions, daily missions for particular heroes, faction missions (SHIELD, Pym, Stark, etc.) and character-side-story missions, and a lot more.

Trust me, it doesn't sound that hard, but once you open the map menu for yourself... Oh boy, that's a different story. And if it only was the map menu. The inventory and such aren't too collected all together either. Before you can safely tell what is what, it will take you at least a whole afternoon. Also, the fact that game just spills it on you just like that, one thing after another, it doesn't help the overall feel.

On top of that, there are MULTIPLE currencies in the game; some even involve microtransaction. It mostly is involving the customization of the Avengers, so it's not THAT big of a deal; you can get one currency by collecting boxes and stuff, but it takes ages before you can buy one single thingy.

Also, if you would like to get stuff (very useful stuff) from factions (SHIELD and Pym mainly), you have to do in-factions daily quests, which usually require to do a certain amount of things as a particular hero (you can do some quests with Ms Marvel only, some with Black Widow, it usually involves the damage dealt while playing as a character etc.). And if you forget to fetch these minies? Well, no faction points for you, bucko.

The system feels overall too complicated in the begging and even after finishing the game, I am not certain by some.

3. The gameplay of the one and only... Natasha Romanov, and the entirety of Steve Rogers:

Right off the bat: IT. SUCKS. SHIT.

This was your shot in opening our mouths and showing why Black Widow BELONGS to the Avengers in the first place. Like, sure, storywise you proved the point, but gameplaywise... That's a different story.

Out of the bunch, Natasha feels the slowest, most clumsy and overall not too pleasant to play as. Mainly is because her attacks do... Nothing. The gun reloading is basically constant when I have to put it simply and it takes about 3-5 seconds for her to even reload; which can be a matter of life and death inside the game. Sure, she can make herself invisible; but that's like... It. It's not that it would be suffering when you are forced to play as Nat... But not a pleasant experience either.

On the other hand, maybe it's just me. I have friends who told me the same about her gameplay, but maybe there's someone who enjoys the Black Widow. It's my personal with the entirety of the gameplay.

Steve, on the other hand, isn't hard to play as. It's just fucking boring. At the start of the game, I couldn't wait to play as Steve's character. He seemed to be awesome - Jesus fuck, how could I be so wrong? As I said, he's incredibly boring and dry, his skills would do the same amount of work if they even weren't there. I think that Rogers is there just for the shock value (as a value that doesn't even work in the slightest) and nothing more.

As you learn to do the tricks and combos with them, it gets slightly better and skill tree and equipment upgrades can help almost unnoticeable... But really, Steve and Natasha are the absolute worst.

Now the reasons why the game convinced me it isn't a hot mess as I initially thought:

1. The characters, dynamics, chemistry and the overall story:

Sure, it is mainly a basic plotline, a cookie-cutter one, full of cliché - Avengers have to regroup after a traumatic event and you're the one who has to find them and bring them together.

Yet it is quite interesting; the game leads you to believe that Steve Rogers is dead after an event called the 'A-Day' (which you won't believe even if the game does the hardest to make you to, constantly remaining you that 'Oh boy, Cap died, did you know that?') and the Avengers had left to exile because they were considered as big bad for the people and the country. They have their emotional baggage and the banter between Banner and Stark (though it ends too soon), is just the thing that makes them human and relatable.

Even the villains are quite compelling; not like ultra super convincing, but the game can turn around when you least expect it to; which is definitely a huge plus.

The characters were done GOOD. The dialogues are full of personality and jokes you'd expect from each one of them; Banner is a wallflower cutie, Tony fishes for compliments all the time, Natasha is the big independent woman she always was and Thor? CHEF'S KISS, I swear. It hits the Shakespearean vibe perfectly and at the same time, he still is charming and quite funny to hang around.

Every time you can listen to a chit-chat between two characters, it is a great pleasure for you as a Marvel fan. Also, I need to say that regardless of my personal issue with the dub (regarding Tony and Bruce; since they're the people you spend most of your time with), the dialogues for these two characters are on point without a doubt. And I kinda grew fond of the in-game Bruce Banner throughout the course of the game, to be honest.

There are references, jokes, inside jokes, one-liners... The dialogue was done amazingly and that's a huge   T H A N K   Y O U  to the developers.

2. The mind-blowing gameplay of... Tony Stark and Thor and AI, while not being too bright, getting stronger as you do:

In what the Natasha gameplay lacks, these two give you exactly what would you expect and way, way more than you'd ask for. Again, it mainly reflects the personal gameplay preferences of the player; let me tell you why I think these gameplays are, in my opinion, the best.

a) Tony's gadgets and weaponry: The suit itself is bloody brilliant. Once you master the ability to attack and fly at the same time, you have the moments when you can not only feel like Iron Man - but really be Iron Man. It's not even that your gameplay would suddenly become 10x easier; it significantly becomes funnier.

b) Thor's heavy fist-to-fist and Mjolnir preferences: the Mjolnir is bloody brilliant as well. Thor's combat is mainly physically based, but when you want to throw the hammer around like the madman you are, you can suit yourself. You can use the lightning if you please and you can fly if this style of combat suits you. It's all in your hands. Thor can take quite a bit of damage, which is significantly supporting you in this style. If you accidentally drop Mjolnir? Well, call it back and smash them!

Also, regarding the AI... As I said, they're certainly not the brightest sparks in the flame; yet thanks to the power getting bigger as you level up and continue with your story and a huge variety of enemies - from turrets to flying men with flamethrowers. It is just button smasher, but a pleasing one in this regard, I must say.

3. The fanservice to comic book fans, movie fans and loyalty to the property:

As one IGN review once said... "This game makes you feel like Batman." And this game more or less accomplished it as well, but diluted and stripped down. Of course, in no way I can compare this to the masterpiece to the Arkham saga; these games are brilliant.

But there are moments when the game can just drag you inside the story and tell you: "You're Iron Man now, boss. It's in your hands." And it's there. I think the only issue was that the team of devs just took too big of a bite. I wouldn't mind stand-alone titles emerging into one and big Avengers game. That would be fun as well and I would spend my time with it gladly.

To end it: it's a mess, but a good mess you might like. If I was to rate it, would be 5.1/10 Wait until it is on sale, don't rush it. I'm overall disappointed and I most likely will forget I have ever played it.

#avengers #marvel's avengers #avnegers ps4 game #avengers game #black widow #captain america #iron man #ms marvel #the incredible hulk #nicole's rambling #thor #WHERE DID YOU LEAVE CLINT #WHERE IS HE #Marvel Comics #why the fuck did you do