#you may notice i had changed the image i had to touch up some proportions laooool

[toruq]

rachel from lis （ つ︣﹏╰）

#i been replaying it and it is sad #im on before the storm and i think im in love with her #my art #life is strange #lis #life is strange: before the storm #lis rachel #rachel amber #lis rachel amber #life is strange rachel #you may notice i had changed the image i had to touch up some proportions laooool #it didn;t look like her exactly #now it's a perfect match and STILL! in my style! whoopie!

[kindaeccentric]

When I was writing my university bachelor's degree thesis (that I'm still to defend) about Penny Dreadful as a modern adaptation of Frankenstein I noticed how the original novel's homoeroticism is realized by the series in an interesting way.

In the way he is presented, it seems to me that Victor secretly desires men, but thinks that only through creating a perfect one by himself he's allowed to touch other man's skin. His endeavour to pierce the veil between life and death is an excuse, since Victor from the series grew up lonely after the death of his mother and he searches for companionship, for someone who would love him unconditionally, like his mother used to. He believes he can find such love only in a person he creates himself, brings from the dead, and who would see him as his only friend, calm and obedient. Yet his first instinct is to make a man, not a woman, and a handsome man at that.

I can imagine both Rory Kinnear and Alex Price are not everybody's cup of tea (I do find them attractive, they are quite charismatic), but the way the original Creature and Proteus are shown makes them attractive. Proteus we see through Victor's eyes, when he is tending to his body before its even reanimated, when he sketches him (a sure sign of affection) and when he teaches him how to eat in a way that becomes seductive, because of how the camera lingers on his lips and then, in a closeup, on his fingers running down his long throat, immediately bringing to mind erotic imagery. Some may argue that Victor tries to emulate the relationship between his mother and himself taking the parental role and projecting onto Proteus the role of his childhood self, and as much as it is partially true, their relationship bears these marks of hidden desire on Victor's part from the start. The image at the end of the first episode when Proteus is born shows Victor trembling, teary-eyed, looking at the body, a torn and stitched back together, but human body, of a naked man. He's afraid, but not necessarily of the man, but of finally getting what he wanted, it's a fear resulting from excitement. Then the man is touching his face tenderly and Victor, still trembling, cannot stop himself from a little smile. Their faces are softly illuminated by the orange light of the gas lamp, creating an intimate atmosphere of a warm bedroom. Victor practically gasps hearing his own name smoken by Proteus. I doubt all of it was intentional in the way I read it, but it doesn't change the fact that the final scene can be easily interpreted this way.

Then the original Creature, with the violence surrounding his return, presents him as highly masculine, smart, powerful, a direct opposite to the delicate, clueless Proteus Victor could easily form into whatever he wanted. The Creature throughout the entire series is perceived as ugly by some and easily tolerated by others, making his ugliness purely subjective, since, despite his small deformities he remains strangely alluring with his gothic qualities (black long hair, black lips, white skin, yellow eyes, proportional features) of a dark brooding gentleman. With blood on his face he becomes vampire-like (vampires always a symbol of hidden desires and 'depraved' sexuality, the Creature and Victor becoming a mirror image of Vanessa and vampire Mina, both Creature's and Mina's monstrosity an indirect result of Victor's and Vanessa's desire towards having a same-sex companion). The Creature touches Victor's face, a callback to Proteus doing it, but the Creature is not gentle, he smears blood all over Victor's face (blood in vampire narratives was always a symbol for other bodily fluids, that's why it seems so sexy, it also gained another meaning in the 80s, due to the HIV epidemic, which no filmmaker can shake off if they tried, I could discuss it more with The Lost Boys, but no time for that right now).

The dynamic between Victor and the Creature is a reversal of Victor's budding relationship with Proteus, experience winning over innocence. Victor is under another man's rule, and it terrifies him, because it would force him into a position of having to admit his attraction, whereas as the one in control he could have still easily deny it. The Creature, with all his attributes, symbolizes carnal love, he's all 'body', where Proteus was virginal, pious love (to an extent). In one of the scenes where we see Proteus he looks up into the skylight at Victor's apartment and appears angelic, as if in a halo of white light.

It's revealed Victor never had a woman, and the series wants the viewer to believe it's because of his awkwardness and passion for science that consumed him, but his dedication to creating himself male companions instead of searching for a living female one is exactly what makes him seem more queer coded.

It's clear that the lack of paternal figure results in Victor quickly becoming close with older men he encounters (Sir Malcolm, Van Helsing), but it also puts him into a position where he's constantly surrounded by men, with whom he feels more at ease, and is intimidated by women. The rivalry between him and Ethan is that of siblings, until the moment when Ethan teaches him how to shoot a gun. It might be a stretch (it is a bit of a stretch, I admit), but a gun often, especially in horror, alongside a knife, represents manhood and masculine power. Victor allows Ethan to touch him and encourages him to show off with the gun, which is a scene all too familiar from many other movies where the role of Victor is reserved for a woman and the interaction is flirtatious (can't pull examples out of thin air, but if you saw over 1400 movies like me you know I'm not lying). All this adds to the general image of Victor.

The Creature and Victor, when they are on a walk, have a very revealing conversation in which the Creature points out how quick Victor was to grow attached to his more perfect man, and Victor doesn't deny it, he admits that he did in fact feel affection towards Proteus, although the meaning of it as the scorned past partner expressing jealousy over the love he didn't get while someone else did is largely subtext. When the Creature says that he's lonely, Victor answers 'I cannot love you' (paraphrase, because I can't find the exact quote right now) and the Creature, disillusioned, mocks him, 'I do not want what you cannot give' suggesting that Victor, by making himself a meek obedient man, is selfish, cruel, manipulating, and a coward, therefore could not have loved Proteus truly. Then again, Victor cannot bring himself to love his original Creature, because he's not the ideal man he envisioned and by then the Creature being too aware of his flaws of character. The Creature/Caliban/John Clare knows that Victor is 'monstrous', not just because he's someone who desecrates dead bodies, plays God and abandons his creation, but because of his queer desire. It's important that in the case of Penny Dreadful 'monstrosity' signifies many different things, literal (being a vampire werewolf, witch, and so on), metaphorical (bad deeds, like letting your son die a horrible death, cheating, killing etc.) and wholy subjective, merely condemned by ignorant society (Sembene's blackness, Brona's sex work, Lily's want to be equal or greater than men, Vanessa's want for sexual freedom, the Creature's ugliness, Angelique being transgender and other cases), so it's NOT that much of a stretch this time.

We also have the whole problem with Lily. Victor is so attached to Lily (who takes up both Elizabeth's and creature's bride parts in the novel) because he believes that only by possessing a good woman he'll be redeemed for his 'sinful' desires, but he's foolish to think that. This belief reduces a woman to a semi-maternal, semi-virginal angelic ideal with no sexual urges or agency, like virgin Mary. Lily is a true replacement for Victor's mother, and his imagined redemption. As long as she's similar to Proteus, in that she's not sexual, and pure like an angel. Yet Lily is not a woman in that sense. She is another of Victor's creatures, so she partially also takes over the role of the original Creature from the novel, a male. She's not an ideal of a Victorian obedient wife, she has power, or tries to have it, but power in the context of patriarchal society is masculine by nature. The moment she drops her pretenses of a weak delicate wife-like girl Victor does not want her like this. He doesn't want a woman that is sexually liberated, because he doesn't like women in this way, and yet, by being similar to the first Creature (from Victor's perspective, from hers John Clare is similar to Victor-a man, I could delve into Brona's sexuality, but later, this thing is already way longer than I intended) she's 'the man' he wanted.

There is also Henry. Henry Jekyll takes the role of his namesake in the novel, Henry Clerval, Victor's closest friend, and a character most often cited to have homoerotic tension with Victor. It's true that some of the eroticism might be accidental, stemming from the prevalence of homosocial interactions in 'Frankenstein' which in turn is a result of misogynistic nature of 19th century Genevian society and in-novel universe reflecting it, but like I mentioned before, it still feeds into the queer reading of the text and translates beautifully into Jekyll and Victor being both extremely misogynistic towards Lily and their mutual homoerotic tension. In the scenes where Henry purposes his plan to Victor he practically seductively purrs it into his ear, Lily becomes merely a female buffer that allows for that interaction, a female presence which is an excuse for male closeness (here I have a couple of examples actually: Dead Ringers, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Scream (in a roundabout way, through murder) and a couple others, but that deserves its own article). I won't even mention more references to the novel, because that's a lot already.

Penny Dreadful, although I believe largely unintentionally, expands on what is already there through the changes it introduces in relation to the novel's plot. I have nothing else smart to say, I just think it's worth considering.

*I use the word 'queer', because that's the umbrella term we use in academic writing for years now and even our lgbt+ group at university is called 'queer', so don't come at me with stupid takes

#Penny Dreadful #queer readings #Frankenstein #Victor Frankenstein #lily frankenstein

[writerbyaccident]

Covetous: Part Two (Yandere Tomura Shigaraki x Reader)

Request: What are the odds of us getting a part 2 to Covetous 👉🏼👈🏼

Trigger Warning: Mentions of masturbation, sexual imagery, Shigaraki being a disgusting gremlin

Part One

           Having you here was both a blessing and a curse.

           Yes, it meant that Shigaraki got to hear you, got to see you, got to collect more material for his late-night fantasies. But it also meant that he had to deal with seeing you be all disgustingly gooey and sweet with Spinner—and that meant that he couldn’t keep ignoring the fact that you were Spinner’s girlfriend, not his.

           Shigaraki knew that it was shitty of him to be lusting after his friend’s girlfriend. Actually, scratch that, it wasn’t just that he was lusting after you. If that had been it, he could have just jacked himself off to you a few times and gotten you out of his system. But no matter how many times he tried doing just that, it wasn’t enough to get you out of his head, out of his blood. How could it be, when you were the only girl he had ever met who didn’t sneer at the sight of him? Who didn’t edge away when he came close? Who was always so goddamn nice, no matter what he did? No, Shigaraki might not have been totally sure whatever it was that he felt for you, but he sure as hell knew that lust alone didn’t cover it.

           So it seemed that he was stuck with whatever it was that he was feeling, which made the nights that the date nights that you and Spinner spent at the apartment a hellish endurance test for Shigaraki. The first phase of this test was always to see just how long he could stomach seeing you act all couplely with Spinner. You always invited him to hang out with you two, even after that little incident a few weeks back when Shigaraki had gotten a bit too close for comfort. Not wanting to pass up any opportunities to breathe in your air, he always accepted, but how long he stayed before retreating to his room always changed. Some nights the high he got from being with you was enough to let him ignore anything, while other nights, the sight of you giving heart-eyes to Spinner and Spinner touching what should have been his was too much to bear.

           The second phase of this marathon always took place in the comfort and safety of Shigaraki’s bedroom. It was there that he would work to see how long he could go hearing your voice and feeling you so near before had no choice but to bring out his hardened cock and jerk himself off to the thought of you. He never lasted very long on this phase.

           Tonight, for instance, seeing you in that deliciously low-cut top had him rushing to his bedroom nearly as soon as you arrived, not so much for his own sanity this time, but because of the way his cock had begun to harden almost painfully at the image of your tits tempting him like that. And while Shigaraki kind of wanted to see how you would react to seeing his boner, he wasn’t enough of a shitty friend to show Spinner just how much he wanted you.

           So it was only when he heard nothing but a song being played over movie credits that he dared to leave the sanctuary of his bedroom, figuring that you and Spinner had fallen asleep during another movie. Yeah, the image of you curled up in his friend’s arms wasn’t one he liked having burned into his eyelids right before going to sleep himself, but it was worth it for being able to see you so vulnerable, with your breaths so deep and your lips so enticingly parted. That last part always had him imagining what it’d be like if he just happened to slip his cock out of his pants and rest it on your lips, slowly pushing it deeper and deeper into your mouth until you were unconsciously sucking it down like the slut for him that he knew you were meant to be. Honestly, he probably would have done it if Spinner hadn’t been asleep right next to you.

           Anyway, that was what Shigaraki was hoping for when he crept into the hallway, for some more fuel to the fire of his unquenchable fantasies about you, and maybe, if he was lucky, something of yours to add to his inventory. Right now he had your apron, hair tie, ring, bracelet, and his favorite out of all of them, a tube of your chapstick. The apron and chapstick in particular were perfect tools for boosting his XP when he was pumping his cock, but he could always use some more. Maybe this time he’d find—

           “Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?”

           Frozen like a horny deer in headlights, Shigaraki could only stare as he took in the image of you getting your things together all while Spinner was knocked out on the couch. You stared back at him in expectation, making Shigaraki register that you had just asked him a question.

           “No, I, uh, was just getting some water,” he told you. Shigaraki nearly sighed in relief when you nodded, buying his answer and going pack to grabbing your purse and putting on your shoes. He watched you for another minute or so before realizing that he should get what he supposedly came in here for. Shuffling into the kitchen, he hastily grabbed a glass and filled it at the sink, tossing it down his throat so quickly that about half of it ended up all over his hoodie. A part of him hoped that you didn’t see that, while the other part of him proclaimed loudly that it shouldn’t matter if you did. Whatever you thought of him didn’t really matter, that voice in his head hissed. Not when you would end up his either way.

           That increasingly familiar train of thought was interrupted though, when Shigaraki noticed that you were making your way towards the door all alone. Rushing to beat you there, he slammed his hand against the door, keeping you from opening it.

           “Didn’t Spinner pick you up from work?” he panted.

           “Yeah?” you answered, unsure where he was going with this, the way that Shigaraki was leaning so close to you reminding you of the last time you had been alone with him. You may have persuaded yourself that you had been overreacting that day, taking Shigaraki’s social awkwardness way out of proportion, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t uncomfortable to have his crimson eyes staring down at you so intently.

“How’re you getting home then?”

           “Oh,” you chuckled in slight relief, “I’m just gonna take an Uber.”

           At your words, you couldn’t help but spy a burning look flash in Shigaraki’s eyes for just a moment. It disappeared so quickly, but if you didn’t know any better, you would have said that it was rage. And though you assured yourself that you were wrong, that you had imagined it, rage was exactly what Shigaraki felt at your proposal. Having to share you with Spinner was bad enough, but now you expected him to share you with some random asshole who’d probably spend the whole drive to your house staring down your shirt?

           “It’s late,” Shigaraki forced out from gritted teeth. “Wouldn’t it be easier to just stay the night?”

           “I would, but I’ve got work early tomorrow morning.”

           “Then I’ll drive you home,” Shigaraki said, his words much more of an order than an offer. “Just let me grab Spinner’s keys.”

           Without waiting for you to agree, he stalked off towards the living room in search of them, not really caring what you might have to say about the arrangement. As for yourself, you simply stood at the door, wondering if putting your foot down about this would be worth the trouble. You had told yourself so many times that Shigaraki wasn’t a bad guy, he was just misunderstood, easy to mistake for a creep given his lack of social skills. But that didn’t mean that you really felt comfortable getting in a car with him. Your apprehensive reluctance was easy for Shigaraki to spot once he returned with the keys, and he had to work hard to keep himself from scowling in frustration.

           “You don’t have to do this,” you said before he could try just grabbing your hand and dragging you out the door. “It’s late, and I really don’t mind getting an Uber.”

           “Jesus Christ,” he sighed, “it’s not a big deal. This way you’ll save some money, and I won’t have to explain to Spinner that I let you get a ride home with some stranger. You never know what kinds of creeps are driving those cars.”

           Biting your lip in thought, you missed the hunger that crossed Shigaraki’s face at sight, with him knowing that that image would soon become one of his favorites to replay over and over in his mind late at night. No, you were too busy contemplating his offer, leaning more closely towards it as each second passed. It would be nice not to have to spend the money. Plus, you told yourself, Shigaraki was Spinner’s best friend. That meant that you could trust him, right?

           “Okay,” you agreed. “So long as you’re not too tired.”

           “I’m fine,” Shigaraki insisted as he wrenched open the door, letting you walk out first so he could stare at your cute ass all the way down to the car. It was enough to almost make him want to throw a tantrum when you two finally reached the car, but he managed to console himself with the fact that he still had you all to himself.

           The drive itself was pretty quiet, with you simply giving Shigaraki direction while he stayed silent. He clutched the wheel so tightly that the knuckles of his already pale hands looked positively bone-white. Truthfully, he was afraid that if he loosened his grip just a bit, if he glanced towards you or opened his mouth, he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from crashing his lips onto yours, pushing your seat back and fucking you so hard that the only man you would remember would be him.

           Somehow he made it all the way to your apartment building without giving into that urge though, with you being the none the wiser as to the depraved thoughts that had been swirling through his blood.

           “Thanks for the ride,” you said as he pulled up to the door, giving him that sweet smile of yours, one that he hadn’t seen given in his direction for far too long.

           “No problem,” Shigaraki grunted, too busy trying to absorb every las detail of you before you left to come up with a better reply.

           “Well, I, uh, guess I’ll see you later.”

           Not trusting himself to open his mouth to respond, Shigaraki just nodded. When you left the car and began walking up to your building, he found himself watching the sway of your hips and bounce of your ass with even more intensity than before, now that he knew that even if you turned back, you wouldn’t be able to tell what he was doing. Even if a part of him wanted you to know.

           And as he drove away, Shigaraki repeated your address over and over again in his head, saving that juicy tidbit of information for another day.

Part One

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#yandere shigaraki #yandere shigaraki x reader #yandere x reader #shigaraki x reader #shigaraki tomura x reader #yandere shigaraki tomura #yandere shigaraki tomura x reader #yandere imagines #yandere x you #yandere #yandere love #yandere oneshot #yandere request #yandere prompt #yandere imagine #yandere bnha #yandere mha #yandere boku no hero academia #yandere my hero academia #bnha au #mha au #yandere league of villains #yandere league of villains x reader #yandere villain x reader #yandere villain #yandere story #yandere scenario #yandere fic #yandere fanfic #yandere fanfiction

[snelbz]

Lost Time {14}

A/N: Co-written as always by the love of my life, @tacmc. Sorry that this chapter was so delayed, life got a little hectic. Chapter 15 will be up on Sunday!

Elain’s phone vibrated on her nightstand and she was instantly awake. Still snuggled into Azriel’s arms, she took a deep breath before slowly wiggling herself free. Azriel rolled onto his back, still sound asleep, snoring quietly. She tried not to laugh at the adorable sight of him, his mouth hanging open and his hair an absolute mess.

After taking a mental image, she crossed the ball to the bathroom. After a quick, warm shower, she tip-toed back across the hall, determined to let Novan sleep as long as possible so that he wasn’t cranky once his day full of play began.

Azriel was still passed out in their bed, although now he was laying sideways, his feet hanging off the side. She never knew how he could stay sleeping in so many interesting positions. With the slightest movement, Elain was up and alert. Azriel could be sleeping upside down in a chair with a tornado outside and still stay sound asleep.

She crept downstairs, stepping over the sea of legos that Az and Novan had left in the hall way - it’s lava, mama, Novan had explained while Az nodded behind him - and turning on the coffee pot. The kitchen immediately smelled amazing and Elain closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her life was so different today from how it had only a month ago.

A month ago, she’d been a single mother, trying to fit herself in a relationship that just wasn’t meant for her. She thought she’d never know true love again.

And then Az came barreling back into her life and throwing everything out of proportion and she’d never been happier.

She sat down in the chair she’d sat in all those weeks ago, when Az had come to talk to her. She had almost kissed him that day, she knew how easy it would have been, to fall back into him then and there. But that wouldn’t have been fair to Lucien, not after everything he’d done for her and Novan.

After pouring herself a cup of coffee, she made her way back up the stairs, her damp hair curling at the ends. She put on a light dusting of makeup, content to let her hair dry naturally on its own and got dressed before creeping down the hall to Novan’s room.

He was out, sleeping in the exact same position as his father. After picking out his clothes and kissing him on the forehead, she gently shook his little frame until his hazel eyes were blinking up at her.

He yawned. “Morning, mama.”

“Good morning,” she whispered. “Are you ready to go to Meme’s?” 

A sleepy grin spread across his mouth. “Yes.”

“Good,” she said. “Let’s get up and going.”

He did as he was told, yawning as he got dressed and brushed his teeth. When Elain came from her bedroom, putting her pearl studs into her ears, she found him sitting on the top stair, his backpack on and his camera around his neck.

He looked up at her and said quietly, “Is daddy still sleeping?”

“Yes, he is, so be real quiet, okay?” Elain whispered, taking his hand and walking down the stairs.

He nodded, but then he asked, “If daddy is home, why am I going to Meme’s?”

Elain poured a cup of coffee into a travel mug and said, “Daddy has some important stuff to do today, so he’ll be going to Uncle Rhys’ office in just a little bit.”

She reached for her keys hanging by the door and saw Azriel’s, the old puzzle piece keychain still hanging on after all these years.

Her hand flew up to her throat and Elain realized she forgot to put her necklace on. Telling Novan she’d be right back, she hurried up the stairs and got the dainty necklace from where it laid on her nightstand. She clasped it behind her neck and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to Azriel’s check. He stirred, but didn’t wake, snuggling up to her pillow and Elain softly chuckled, playing with the chain of her necklace.

The necklace wasn’t the first piece of jewelry Azriel had given her, by far, but it was the only one she had. It was the only one she’d kept. Everything else he’d ever given her had been trashed once Nesta got ahold of it.

All but one very expensive ring.

It had been years since she’d even looked at the intricate ring. It caused her too much pain, but she knew she’d never be able to give it up. She hoped to one day give it to Asher, to give to the girl of his dreams.

Quietly opening her underwear drawer, Elain reached into the very back, behind stained maternity bras and never worn lingerie, until her fingers closed around the velvet ring box. She pulled it out and ran her thumb over the soft lid and took a deep breath.

She had no idea what capacity of their relationship Az wanted to pick back up on. It obviously couldn’t be where they’d left off at the altar, but after four years, were things too different to seriously consider marriage already? Things felt the same, but she worried.

In the end, she only wanted to look at it, to see it sparkle in the morning light.

Elain flipped the lid back - and she froze.

Her engagement ring wasn’t in the box.

She moved her hand around the back of the drawer, thinking it may have fallen out, but there was nothing but scraps of fabric and lace. She must have misplaced at some point, although it sure didn’t seem like something she would do. 

She had always been so careful, and even when she was miserable and pissed after he had left, she had cherished it.

One look at the clock, though, was telling her she had to get going or she was going to be late. After putting the box back in the rear of her drawer, she looked at Azriel, laughed quietly at the image of him all snuggled up and cozy, then left.

——————

At just after eleven, Azriel walked into Rhysand’s law firm. The secretary greeted him, and told him she’d let Rhys know he was here. Nodding, he sat down in one of the soft, leather chairs in the waiting area. He wiped his hands down the front of his jeans, his palms clammy and slick with sweat.

He had no idea why he was so nervous, anyone who had eyes could see that Donovan was his son. But the legal system didn’t care about that. They needed definitive proof. And Rhys wasn’t cutting any corners. He was having a nurse come to his office to draw a sample of blood from Azriel.

He closed his eyes and began to take deep breaths, in and out. It was less than five minutes before the secretary was saying, “Mr. Draeven?” 

Azriels eyes flew open to meet her kind smile. “Hmm?”

“Mr. Lunasa is ready for you. Go on back.” 

He nodded his thanks and trudged into the office with Rhysand’s name on the door. He was leaning back in his desk chair, his arms folded on top of his abdomen. “Good morning, little brother. You look like you’re going to puke.”

Azriel sighed, plopping down in the chair across from him. “Your office is so fancy, it has that effect. I’m afraid to touch anything. Might break it.”

He laughed quietly. “Yeah, that’s it. Not the life changing decision you’re about to make.”

Azriel shook his head, his eyes locked onto the fancy, gold name plate resting near the edge. “The decision is already made. He’s my son. I know he is. I’ve never doubted that or Elain for a second. This just...makes shit way more permanent.”

Rhys leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his desk. “Az, you don’t…have to do this. He’s yours, regardless, and you can adopt him whenever you and Elain get married-.”

“I’m not going to adopt my biological son, Rhys. Not when his mother is the love of my life. Not when we’re together.” Azriel sighed. “I’m not going to delay something that should have been done right four years ago and something that will tie us as a family.”

Rhys nodded and was about to say something when his desk phone lit up and his secretary’s voice floated through. “Mr. Lunasa? Ms. Towers is waiting for you in the conference room.”

Rhysand pressed a button and said, “Thank you, Cerridwen.” He looked up to Azriel. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” he said, meaning for his voice to be light, but the one word cracked. 

Rhysand chuckled before rising to his feet, clapping him on the shoulder, and walking toward the door. When he noticed Azriel wasn’t following, he cleared his throat, forcing Azriel to rise to his feet and trail after him.

He only wanted to be added to the birth certificate. Legally, he had Elain’s last name. After he’d left, and Azriel didn’t know of Novan’s existence, he hadn’t been added to the birth certificate at the time of Donovan’s birth. It made sense, of course. Azriel didn’t blame her. If the roles were reversed, he would have most likely done the same.

But now, he was back. He was a part of their lives, and he wasn’t going anywhere. 

When Elain asked if he would like to be added to Novan’s birth certificate as his father, Azriel had cried for hours at the thought alone. 

Now, he was going to be added, but to do that, he had to be tested, prove to the courts that he was the father.

Naturally, he’d gone to Rhysand, but when he followed his older brother into the conference room, his nerves spiked. 

Ms. Towers, he assumed, smiled at the pair as they entered. “Good morning, gentleman.” She was dressed in a pair of light green scrubs and her curly hair  was pulled back from her face. “Mr. Lunasa, nice to see you again.”

He shook her hand and said, “I’ve told you, it’s Rhysand, and you, too, Yrene. This is my brother, Azriel.”

Az shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Alright.” Rhys clapped his hands together and said, “I’m going to read all the legal mumbo jumbo to you in a minute, but here’s the gist.” He looked at Azriel. “Do you give her permission to take a sample of your blood for the express and solitary purpose of a paternity test?”

He laid out a piece of paper in front of him. Azriel nodded and signed the paper.

After sanitizing the table and her tools, Yrene had Azriel sit in front of her and roll up his sleeve.

It was ironic, because of how many tattoos he had, but Azriel hated needles with a passion. He turned his head and looked to Rhys as a distraction. “So how do you know Yrene?”

He laughed, somewhat awkwardly, as he leaned against the wall. “I don’t know if I’m allowed to say. HIPPA and everything.”

Yrene shrugged from where she was cleaning Azriel’s arm. “You can say, I just can’t.”

“Fair enough,” Rhys nodded. “Yrene is Nesta’s OB. Feyre’s been seeing her, too.”

Yrene was good, she didn’t warn him of the needle with a countdown, he just felt a sharp prick and pinch and she said, “Don’t turn around if you don’t like blood.” Azriel nodded, keeping his eyes closed. “Tell me about Novan.” 

Azriel blew out a breath. Where to begin? “He’s very gentle, very kind. Inquisitive, for four. A fan of legos, cars, getting muddy.” Yrene chuckled as she pressed a cotton ball against his arm. “I hear he looks a lot like me.”

“And Rhysand is his favorite uncle,” Rhysand added, once it looked like Azriel was about to faint.

“That’s not what Cassian says,” Yrene sang, releasing the band she tied around his bicep. “He said it’s one of the whole reasons they want to have a baby.”

She was smirking when the two men looked at her, Rhysand’s face incredulous, but Azriel looked at the three small vials in her hands, a purple top screwed on each. “Shit, is that my blood?”

Rhys chuckled and said “ You’re covered in tattoos but you can’t handle having blood drawn?”

With his eyes closed and head leaned back against the plush office chair, Az mumbled, “An itty bitty needle scratching you isn’t the same as a big ass needle going directly into your vein.”

With a shake of his head, Rhys said, “Fair enough.” Az leaned forward and held his head between his knees as Yrene packed her supplies up. “I might have left one bit out of Yrene’s introduction earlier.”

“Yeah?” Az mumbled, half paying attention.

“She birthed Donovan,” Rhys said slowly, waiting for his reaction.

Azriel tensed, then slowly looked up. Yrene was looking at him, now, her eyes soft. A thousand questions flooded his mind, but his lips had forgotten how to move.

She was there when Azriel hadn’t been. Azriel had missed the greatest day of his life, but she had been there to witness all of it.

Azriel cleared his throat as he asked, quietly, “You did?”

She nodded, gently. “I did.” She smiled at him, though her eyes were sad.

Rhys cleared his throat. “We figured, since we’ve pretty much come full circle at this point, it was Yrene who officially made Elain Novan’s mother, she should be the one to officially tell us you were his father.”

Azriel bit the inside of his cheek and let his eyes fall shut. His family, his supportive, loving, amazing family, had thought of everything. He felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder. He looked over to find Yrene’s kind eyes on him. He covered her hand with his own. “Thank you.”

“No thanks is needed,” she said, with a genuine smile. “Rhys, I’ll call you with the results in three days, give or take.”

He nodded. “Thanks, Yrene.” She packed her supplies up, while Az messed with the bandage in the crook of his arm, and as she was about to leave, he added, “Oh, and the other results? From last week?” Azriel glanced at his brother, confused, but Yrene paused and turned back to him. She looked between the two and Rhys added, “You can speak freely in front of him about our case.”

She nodded and sighed. “The results were inconclusive. Feyre’s tests seemed typical, but when the labs sent me yours, they were...off. Call my office this afternoon, they’ll give you the number of the specialist we were discussing.”

Rhys nodded, but Az couldn’t see his face. “Thank you.”

Yrene smiled and left, but Rhysand still didn’t turn around. Azriel slowly rose before pushing, hesitantly. “Rhys?”

Rhysand cleared his throat and ran a hand through his hair. “Um,” he began, but his voice was quiet. When he didn’t turn to meet Azriels gaze, Azriel went to his side. The look in Rhysand’s eyes was distant. 

“Feyre and I have been trying for a while,” he said, quietly. “It hasn’t been happening. I think it might be me.”

Azriel’s heart fell, but when he said nothing, Rhysand went on. “We both got tested, but I knew it wasn’t Feyre’s fault.”

“Rhys, I’m so…” Azriel paused. He didn’t just want to tell him he was sorry. He was sure that was the last thing he wanted to hear, but he didn’t know what else to say.

Rhys nodded before he could continue. “Me fucking too. Ever since Donovan was born, Feyre’s wanted a baby. I wasn’t ready, so...we waited.” He cleared his throat and weakly laughed. “All that money we could have been saving on condoms.”

The joke was half hearted, but Az couldn’t find it in himself to laugh. Instead, he carefully said, “There are other ways. You could adopt.”

The way Rhysand shook his head, he could tell that this was not a new topic. “She wants to be a mother. She wants the...entire experience. She wants to be pregnant, to build that bond. Novan and Elain, they don’t act differently now that you’re around, but before you were back… It was just the two of them against the world. And they were each other’s world.” He shook his head. “And if her body isn’t the one that’s fucked up, how could I deny her of that?”

Azriel couldn’t stop the silent tear that ran down his cheek as he listened to his brother. “Then what about a donor? Or a surrogate?”

“Are you offering?” Rhys chuckled dryly at his joke at his own expense.

Azriel frowned. There was nothing he could say to make it better. It was too fresh a topic for there to be an answer that was comforting.

When you found out you can’t reproduce, can’t have biological children when it was always a dream to do so, it was heartbreaking. 

Instead, Azriel took Rhysand into his arms and hugged him tight. Rhysand didn’t say anything, but after a moment, his arms wrapped around Azriel, too.

——————

Elain was humming quietly to herself as she sanded the small table. The playlist she had chosen for the day was a mix of hits from high school and she was constantly taken back to memory after memory as the songs played.

A bell rang over the door as a customer walked in and she brushed all the spare sawdust off of her shirt. She walked out from the back and said, “Can I help-?”

She froze.

Lucien stood there, his hands in his pockets. To her surprise, he smiled at her, although the gesture never reached his eyes. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she said, quietly.

She hadn’t seen him since the day she had left to look for Azriel, when he had asked her to choose between the two of them. 

“I, um, was cleaning up the other day,” he began, taking a deep breath. “Found some of your stuff I thought you would want.”

“Oh,” she breathed. “I mean, yeah, sure.”

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “It’s in my car. I can put it in your car or I can...bring it in?”

Elain blinked. “The car is fine, that way I don’t have to bring it out again.” She chuckled lightly.

He smiled again, but it was forced. “Great. If you just want to grab me your keys.”

Elain nodded and hurried into the back room, where her purse was tucked beneath a desk in the corner. After fishing her keys out of her bag, she froze, closed her eyes, took a deep breath. No, her and Lucien did not belong together, but he wasn’t a terrible man. 

Elain sighed, grasped her keys a little harder, and walked back into the store front.

“Here,” she breathed, holding them out.

Lucien stared at her hand for a few seconds before reaching up to take them. He walked out without a word and Elain waited, leaning on the counter that held the antique jewelry that the shop had acquired and she heaved a sigh of relief as realization washed over her.

When the door reopened, she hurried around for her keys, stepping around him for the door, and he raised an eyebrow and asked, “Something you’ve been waiting for? You could have called to get it sooner.”

She blushed and said, “It would have been awkward asking my ex-boyfriend for my engagement ring from my ex-fiancé.”

Lucien’s face paled and he looked off to the side, where she’d hung a large rug on the wall the morning before. “I don’t-.” He cleared his throat and looked at her “I don’t know anything about your ring.”

Elain stilled, and raised a brow. “You're lying.”

“No, I’m not,” he countered, crossing his arms. 

“Lucien,” she said, her voice quiet. “I’ve known you for a long time. I know when you’re lying.”

Lucien just shook his head, slowly. “Look, I came here to be nice and bring you your stuff after you shittily dumped my ass, okay? I didn’t come here to argue.”

“This isn’t something to argue about, this is something for you to tell me,” she said and then back-pedaled. “I shittily dumped your ass?” Lucien didn’t say a word. He just stared at her. “I’m not the one who gave an ultimatum.”

“I never should have-.” Lucien stopped, realizing his voice was raising. “I never should have had to. He was your fucking ex, Elain.”

“He’s also the father of my child,” she replied, laughing for whatever reason. It made her feel unhinged, but then, the fact that Lucien didn’t understand why she’d had to leave that day.

“You were going to dump me regardless.  You were already with him, what difference does it make.”

Elain’s eyes closed. She knew that he’d assume that. She and Azriel had discussed it while they’d laid in bed that day in the hotel.

Let him assume, Azriel had said, his lips dragging across her collarbone, his thumb rubbing circles into her hip. He was in the way anyways.

Az! She’d laughed, trying to push him away, but not trying too hard. What they’d done afterwards was proof of that, too.

Elain looked at Lucien now, at the hurt in his eyes, fully aware that anything she had to say would not ease that pain.

“I’m sorry,” she said, at last. “But, he’s my person, Luce. He’s who I’m supposed to be with-.”

“Stop,” he breathed, begged. “Please.”

Elain closed her eyes as she frustratingly closed her lips. But then, when he said nothing more, she asked, quietly, “What happened to my ring?”

His jaw locked and his eyes flashed. “It’s gone.”

She blinked and waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she breathed, “What do mean It’s gone?” Her voice was deathly soft.

He sighed. “I mean, it’s gone. I pawned. I sold it.”

Elain hadn’t thought she heard right, had thought it was a joke, even though the look in his eye said otherwise. “You pawned it?”

Lucien didn’t say a word, but his shoulders tensed, his jaw locked. 

With her hands shaking at her sides, Elain asked, her voice loud in the quiet store, “What gave you the right to do that?”

Lucien shook his head, completely unaffected by her rise in volume. “You should be thanking me.”

Elain barked a laugh. “Should I?”

“You kept your ex’s ring, who left you at the fucking alter,” he spat, through gritted teeth. “I was doing you a favor so you could finally move on!”

“You had no right. You had no fu-.” Elain’s head swam and she leaned back on the counter. “What pawn shop? When?”

Lucien ignored her questions. “Are you okay?” He rested a hand under her elbow. She didn’t pull away, so he knew she absolutely wasn’t.

“I’m fine,” she snapped. “What pawn shop was it, Luce?”

The nickname hurt him, but he said, “Elain, what’s wrong?”

She gripped the edge of the counter and screamed, “Lucien, where is my fucking ring?”

Lucien tensed, although his hand still lingered beneath her elbow. “The local one down on fifth, across from the bakery.”

Elain’s eyes shut as she let out a quiet sob.

“Elain-.” He started, but was cut off.

“Get out.” Her words were quiet, but powerful. A wave of nausea overwhelmed her, her knuckles white as they gripped the edge of the countertop.

Lucien didn’t move. “You’re not okay.”

“I’m fine,” she said, unsure of whether it was a lie or not. “Leave. Please.”

Lucien’s eyes narrowed. “Fine. Don’t take my help. But when he leaves you again, don’t come crying to me. You did this to us, Lainy.”

“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, swallowing harshly. “There is no us, Lucien. We’re done.”

Lucien didn’t say another word, just turned on a heel and walked out.

Elain let her head fall on the small glass top of the cabinet. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket, dialing a number that she had never forgotten.

She told him to come to the shop, something was wrong. She was lightheaded and nauseous and the aching in her abdomen…

Azriel was on his way before they’d even hung up the phone.

Putting her phone to her ear, she made one more call. Nesta’s voice floated through the receiver.

Elain could barely get the words out by the time she answered.

Ring.

Pawn shop.

On the square.

My ring.

She hoped Nesta got the gist, because less than two minutes later, Azriel was picking her unconscious body from the floor and rushing her to the hospital.

#snelbz lost time #snelbz tacmc collab #snacmc #elriel lost time #acotar #acomaf #acowar #acofas #acosf

[sunnydaisy1]

Break In

FRED WEASLEY X OC

A/N: I wrote this as a fred weasley x oc story because I find it easier to write with one of my own characters. My oc is Gemma Wood, Oliver Wood’s sister who is the same age as the Weasley twins. 

THIS IS SO LONGG WHATTTTT (srsly tho its insane)

Everyone had been on edge the whole day since the break in last night. I personally wasn’t too worried, knowing that the situation had been blown out of proportion by gossiping between the students. 

I was currently sitting in transfiguration watching McGonagall explain how to give a cup some hands and i was bored out of my mind. I didn’t see the point in learning this, it would never help me in life and it was such a waste of time. I looked to the clock in the room and sighed when i realised we still had twenty minutes left. I couldn’t wait for end of lesson when i could enjoy my evening before heading to dinner and then my oh so comfy duvet. A movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention and I saw Fred a few desks in front of me to the left putting his finger up to who i could only assume was lee and george sitting at the back. I shook my head at his rude gesture and continued to watch him converse animatedly with our best friends. He must have felt me watching because his freckled face turned to me and grinned, causing me to narrow my eyes at him. He winked at me and I blushed slightly, a small smile creeping out from my lips. Fred continued to watch me as he motioned to McGonagall and yawned making me giggle slightly. 

“Mr Weasley turn to the front please, stop distracting Miss Wood.” McGonagall suddenly said and i blushed but Fred just beamed and turned to the front, sending me a not so subtle wink. “Sorry Professor.” He said, making McGonagall shake her head. She often told myself, Lee and the twins to pay attention because we were too busy goofing off to each other so it was no change for her to see Fred watching me. 

The lesson continued and I sleepily watched the minutes tick by, occasionally glancing at the red-haired goof across the room. Without warning, a voice echoed throughout the classroom and Dumbledore’s voice rang out. “Once last class has finished all students are to go straight to the Great Hall for an announcement. Thankyou.” I looked around in confusion as did the rest of the class, what was the announcement for? 

McGonagall cleared her throat and brought our attention back to the front, “Settle down, we still have 6 minutes left of this lesson and I am not planning on wasting it.” A few students groaned and I looked back to george and lee who just shrugged, probably continuing to play noughts and crosses on their parchment. My eyes trained on Fred again and noticed he too was looking at me, I furrowed my eyebrows questioningly, signally my confusion. Fred nodded and shrugged slightly as well, mouthing, “break in?” I nodded, “maybe.” Katie Bell elbowed me from her seat next to me and I looked to the front to see McGonagall looking at me, her lips drawn into a thin line. I sunk down in my seat a little, not daring to look at Fred again, knowing he would be teasingly grinning at me. 

The lesson ended fairly quickly, all students hurriedly grabbing their books and heading for the door. I caught up with the twins and lee on the way out, “what do you think old dumbledore wants to talk to us about?” 

George shrugged, “dunno, maybe there’s been another break in.” Lee nodded in agreement and I looked up to Fred beside me. “Scared Freddie?” I teased, nudging him with my shoulder. “No chance.” He grinned, scooting past a few first years walking too slow. “Yeah right, you screamed yesterday when i put a worm down your shirt.” I jeered back and Fred frowned. “Just wasn’t expectin that one, thas all.” I shook my head, amused before heading to our favourite spot on the Gryffindor table. I plonked all my books down as Fred and Angelina sat either side of me. 

“Oy Ang, move up will you, Fred won’t move his fat arse.” I said and she obliged, allowing me to fit both legs under the table. “That’s no way to speak to your best friend young lady.” Fred replied and I rolled my eyes, “can’t help it when your bum is in the way.” He pushed me slightly and I pushed him back, almost causing him to fall off the bench. Fred grabbed my arms to steady himself, “nearly pushed me off their gem.” I sarcastically smiled at him, “oh what a shame.” 

Fred opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by Dumbledore’s loud voice grabbing our attention. “Quiet please!” At once all chatter died down and the hall was full of silence, anticipating Dumbledore’s words. “As I am sure you have all heard, there was a break in at Hogwarts last night.” A few whispers broke through the silence but was quickly stopped by fellow students. “Our school is guarded by the most advanced spells and enchantements so do not fear, you are perfectly safe. However, we have decided that to best supervise you, the first 4 years will be sleeping in the dungeons and the rest will be sleeping in here.” 

At once, uproar ripped throughout the hall, the change in sleeping area having caused immense uncertainty and confusion. “SILENCE!” Dumbledore yelled and once again, the room was deafingly quiet. “We understand that this sudden change is confusing but rest assured, you are in the safest hands possible. Now, if you could all please return to your common rooms and get changed into appropriate clothing. We will provide you with a mat and sleeping bag when you come down to your assigned area so bring whatever else you find necessary. By that i mean the essentials, not your whole dormitory. We expect you all down within 1 hour, further instructions will await once you arrive.” Dumbledore stepped back as the tables were each dismissed and i followed angelina and katie to our room. 

“Jeez they must actually be concerned.” Katie said as we gathered the stuff we needed for sleeping. “I reckon they just want to keep an eye out for people sneaking out past curfew.” Angie said as she rummaged for her pyjamas. “Yeah, can’t have anyone go missing.” I replied, finding my shorts. “Im gonna have a shower before heading down, you guys wanna come?” Katie asked and I nodded. “May as well.” Angie said and we gathered our bathroom things before walking to the girls showers. 

Once Angie had finished and I had plaited my hair, we walked out the bathrooms and back to our dorm to collect our stuff, bumping into the twins and Lee on their way back to their room. I felt my heart flutter as I brushed past Fred, his hair wet and dripping from the shower, his towel flung over one shoulder and white tshirt slightly wet. He beamed at me as we past and I blushed, trying to shake the image of him out my head. 

“Should we just grab our stuff and wait in the common room for a while, we still have 20 minutes until we have to be down and I don’t know about you but that hall is looking less appealing than it did an hour ago.” Katie spoke up and I nodded, gathering my pillows and stuff before following them down the steps. Fred was lying on the sofa, watching George and Lee wrestle. “Urm i think ill see you guys in there.” I said to Katie and Angie who smirked at me. “Okay we’ll save you a space.” I nodded and walked over to my red-haired best friend. I threw my stuff on the ground beside the sofa and clambered next to Fred’s lanky figure. 

“Oh hi Gem.” Fred said, moving up a little so i could lay beside him. I had wormed my way between his body and the back of the sofa, squidged with warmth. “You excited for our sleepover in the hall Freddie?” I asked and Fred nodded, a cheeky grin on his face. “Can’t wait to keep you ladies up all night dreaming about my gorgeous self only mere inches away from you.” I rolled my eyes but smiled, “more like having nightmares.” Fred pretended to be hurt and put a hand over his chest, “oh how you wound me Gemma.” 

I giggled and he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, letting me rest my head on his sweater-clad chest. I closed my eyes and breathed in, enjoying his woody and sweet smell. Fred took one of the ends of my plaits in his hands and brushed it along my face, causing me to scrunch my nose. “Stop it that tickles.” Fred chuckled, contuining anyway. I rolled my eyes and sat up, allowing his head to fall back into my lap slightly. His ginger hair looked so tantalizing, messed up from his shower and still slightly damp. I reached out to touch it as Fred continued to watch his twin tackle Lee. He sighed as I ran my fingers through it, loving how soft it was. Fred looked so handsome, a grey sweater on his top, plaid pyjama bottoms and a content look on his freckled face. 

“Don’t fall asleep on me Freddie.” I said, poking his cheek, making him open his eyes back up. “Piss off, I was just enjoying you playing with my hair.” He replied and I blushed, making him grin smugly. We stayed like that for a bit longer until one of the prefects yelled for everyone to get down to the hall. We groaned but got up, Fred yawning and rubbing his face. I watched him dreamily until George waved his hand obnoxiously in front of my face. “Come on, stop drooling over my brother.” I blushed and shoved him, making him trip over slightly which made me chuckle. 

We soon reached the hall and queued up behind the rest of the upper school before we were directed to McGonagall. She narrowed her eyes at us and handed us each a sleeping bag. “No funny behaviour tonight you four, I don’t want to seperate you lot. Boys on that side, girls on that side.” Fred at once spoke up, “that’s not fair miss, we want to sleep next to Gemma.” McGonagall pursed her lips. “I appreciate your affection for Miss Wood but we have rules Mr Weasley and I’m sure she can survive one evening without your presence.” I grinned and elbowed Fred, “yeah Freddie bugger off for once.” The ginger boy next to me frowned and fake pouted. George and Lee cackled next to us but McGonagall’s face was getting paler by the second. “Enough of that, now head to bed before I give detention to you all.” 

She shooed us away and we headed to the 6th year area. I spotted Katie and Angelina sorting out their mats alongside Alicia, one of our quidditch friends. I turned to the three idiots beside me, “right you lot im heading to bed, ill see you in the morning.” Lee yawned, “Night Gem.” George followed suit but Fred stood grinning. “What do you want Freddie?” I asked, waving to the girls who beckoned me over. “Nothin gem.” I frowned and narrowed my eyes, “okay then goodnight.” Fred nodded and reached out for a hug. I rolled my eyes but gave in, a smile spreading over my cheeks when I wrapped my arms around his toned chest. “Night Gem.” 

I walked over to the girls area and excitedly squealed when I noticed Angie had snuck some sweets down. “Oh your a legend.” I said, lying my bag down on the mat layed out between the three girls. They had chosen the row closest to the walkway between the two sides of the hall. I grabbed a handful of Bertie Bott’s beans and climbed into my sleeping bag, leaving it unzipped. “Hope you don’t mind, we chose the row at the front cos we didn’t want people treading over us all night.” Alicia said and I nodded, “yeah good choice.” Katie handed me a chocolate frog and we sat chatting for 10 minutes while more students filed into the hall. 

A loud shout of my name above the chatter of the hall caught my attention and I looked up to see the twins and Lee grinning at me from across the room. I rolled my eyes and sighed. Katie chuckled and elbowed my side, “can never get away from them can you?” I laughed and nodded, “nope, they’re everywhere.” Angie and Alicia spotted them a second after, chuckling at George hopelessly tangled up in his sleeping bag. Fred waved at me, beaming and I sighed, turning slightly out of the circle we had formed to wave at him. He grinned even wider and I mouthed to him, “howd you get to the front?” Fred shrugged but pointed to Fin Parker behind him who I knew Fred sat near to in Divination. He mouthed, “we swapped.” I shook my head and smiled, turning back to the girl’s conversation. We chatted and scoffed our faces with sweets, discussing the latest gossip running through Hogwarts. 

I heard my name being called again, Fred shouting above the raucous of voices. “OY GEMMA!” I whipped round and frowned, making a questioning face at him. He mouthed, “come over here.” I shook my head and stuck my finger up at him, a wide grin on my face. Fred acted hurt and his jaw fell open, I turned once again back to the group, blush adorning my cheeks. I saw Angie looking at me knowingly while Alicia and Katie debated about which flavour bean was best. “So what’s going on between you and Fred then Gem?” She spoke up, instantly causing the two bickering girls to go silent and turn to me. I frowned and felt my face heat up, “urm what?” Katie smirked as she rummaged through the box of sweets. “He so fancies you Gemma.” 

I laughed at the absurd thought, “no way, we’re best friends!” Angie shook her head, “yeah but he still fancies the socks off of you.” I shook my head, “no he doesn’t.” Alicia joined in, munching on some liquorice, “yes he does. it’s so obvious.” I scoffed, thoughts racing through my mind about the not so subtle fact I had fancied Fred since second year. “You can deny it all you want but he does. He tries to impress you every lesson and he never stops pestering you.” Alicia continued. “Yeah but that’s cos we’re friends.” I replied, confusion clouding my mind. “He can’t keep his eyes off you Gem, like seriously he never stops staring at you.” I at once frowned, reaching for a liquorice snap. “No that’s crazy.” Katie laughed and nudged me, “he’s looking now.” I whipped my head round to see Fred sitting opposite George and Lee with a pack of cards in his hands watching me. He unashamedly grinned as I turned back round and blushed bright red. “See, it’s so obvious. In DADA the other day, Lupin had to move Fred because he wouldn’t stop looking at you.” I laughed, “no that’s cos he was messing around with Lee.” Angie shook her head. “Gemma, Fred fancies you and I know you fancy him too because you always blush when he’s around and you can’t say no to him.” 

I felt my face heat up and I sighed, “Yeah i like him but he doesn’t think of me that way.” Alicia grinned and handed Katie the last of the beans. “He does though, me and Angie heard him talking to George about it in the changing rooms once you had left.” I frowned and shook my head, “you guys are crazy. Fred Weasley does not fancy me.” 

An hour later, all students were in the hall and most of the teachers had left apart from McGonagall and Lupin. The ceiling had been changed to soft glowing candles that gave the room a soft glow and lots of students were settling down. McGonagall walked to the middle of the walkway between the boys and girls sides of the room and clapped twice for our attention. “Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to quieten down and go to sleep, you still have lessons tomorrow and I for one would not like to be kept up with incessant chit chat. I would like to remind you the toilets are on the first floor and Mr Filch will be patrolling along with the Prefects so do not try to sneak out. Boys are to stay on this side of the room and girls the other, if you do not obey these rules you shall face serious consequences. Goodnight everyone.” McGonagall walked down the room and out the door, her heels clicking along as Lupin followed behind her. 

Once the door had closed, students started chattering more and moving around, completely disregarding any of McGonagall’s prior warning. The girls and I were currently sitting in our sleeping bags, talking about the upcoming quidditch game when i saw a certain ginger sauntering across the room. “Helloo ladiess.” Fred said as he stopped in front of our mats, a cheeky smirk on his face. “Piss off Freddie, we’re talking.” I said and Fred grinned, “no can do Gem, i have come to enlighten you this evening with my fine presence.” I rolled my eyes and Angie laughed, shuffling her matt slightly away from mine. “If you’ve got food you can come and sit down.” She said, patting the space beside me. At once Fred put his hands in his pockets and pulled out a large amount of Honeyduke’s sweets. 

At that moment, the great hall’s immense doors opened and McGonagall stepped through, a rolled up piece of parchment in hand. She spotted a fourth year standing by the door and at once started scolding him. The older students who had risked sneaking to the other side scampered back to their own mats and Fred went to sneak back when a loud voice boomed across the hall. “FREDERICK WEASLEY!” Fred sheepishly turned around to see the green-clad professor storming her way down to him. “And what do you think you’re doing young man?” She asked, making Fred flinch. “Going to bed.” He answered, glancing at me quickly. I watched on smugly, amused at him getting scolded. “Damn right you are. Go back to your own mat please Mr Weasley.” Fred nodded and turned around to walk to the other side of the room as McGonagall walked away. When she had reached a few fifth year girls being particularly roudy, he whipped back to me, grabbed my sleeping bag and dragged me out across the room. 

I burst out laughing, my body being pulled towards Fred’s mat. This caught the furious woman’s attention and she snapped back to face us, walking angrily along the path. Fred hadn’t noticed and winked at me, continuing to drag me across the room. The piece of rolled parchment in McGonagalls hand came down on his head, Fred letting go of my bag to rub his head. “Mr Weasley do not drag Miss Wood across the room, behave yourself and go to sleep.” She turned to me, lying on the floor grinning. “Do not encourage him Miss Wood, he finds it a challenge as it is controlling himself around you.” I sat up, “Yes Ma’am.”  Fred was still standing there and McGonagall turned to him again, “SLEEP BOY!” Fred cowered and went to lie down on the floor next to me. I laughed and could see George and Lee absolutely wetting themselves. McGonagall instantly wacked Fred’s head again, “MR WEASLEY! Never have I seen such cheek, now stop trying to impress Miss Wood with your foolish antics and go sleep in that corner.” 

I walked back to my mat, watching as Fred trailed sheepishly behind McGonagall, now being scolded in the corner. I sat down on my mat and laughed as Fred cowered at McGonagall’s harsh words. He glanced at me frequently, causing McGonagall to wack him on the head again each time. 

Once she walked away, Fred lied down in the corner, and I got in my bag as she came over to me. “Miss Wood, do not make me give you the same punishment as Mr Weasley. Go to sleep and stop disturbing others.” I nodded and watched her walk out the room, shutting the door behind her. I lied down and Angie turned to me, “told you he fancied you.” I rolled my eyes but grinned, the thoughts of the cheeky red-haired boy across the room filling my mind. 

A/N: Lol that took forever. Its probably awful but oh well. Hope you enjoyed :)

#fred weasley x reader #fred #fred weasley #harry potter #imagine #minnie mcgonagall #weasley #george weasley #george #lee jordan #dumbledore

[nutty1005]

(Fluff warning) Why is Xiao Zhan a god-tiered beauty? A deep shallow analysis…

Original Article:https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404476336126165027#_0 Original Author: 织世靳靳子

(TN: This is a fluff piece, written entirely by a fan to praise his good looks. There is also quite a fair bit of Chinese beauty standards in this. Enjoy the pictures!)

(TN: Also, beauty should be beyond gender boundaries.)

What properties should a god-tiered beauty have?

When you think of a god-tiered beauty, who pops into your mind immediately? Is this adulation, or is Xiao Zhan worthy of this praise?

When a person is considered a god-tiered beauty, it usually means that this person is flawless, but is this absolutely politically correct?

I think not.

Beauty comes from imperfection, and they do not need to be hidden, because vividness comes from such imperfections. Audiences can be very sharp – no matter how much “beautiful” labels you attach on a person, these labels will not stay if the person cannot uphold these labels. The entertainment business is full of attractive people, but when you remove the make up and filters, you can really gauge the true physical attractiveness of a person.

I got a lot of surprise studying Xiao Zhan.

When deciding if someone looks good, we do not linger on how big his/her eyes are, or how tall his/her nose is, but instead we look at the proportion and general aesthetic.

If you were to choose the magical touch on Xiao Zhan’s face, which feature will you choose?

I would choose his eyes.

The truth is that in terms of absolute size, Xiao Zhan’s eyes are not very big, but it stands out because of their aesthetically pleasing shape. 

The shape of his eyes appears to be almond-shape (but more stunning), with a full lower eyelid and rounded upper eyelid. This gives off a sense of innocence when he looks up. In addition, the the shape of his eyes slant downwards but the outer ends hook up, and with the shadows of his thick lashes, which brings his shape closer to what the Chinese call “Phoenix Eyes”. All in all, the shape of his eyes is one of the rarest eye shape – “Favored Phoenix Eyes”. 

The lines of his eyes have always been aesthetically pleasing, but this is further enhanced once he had learned to control his gaze (see X-Fire competition period). The focus of his face is on his beautiful and lively eyes, which elevates the entire aesthetics.

Inner eye corners are more rounded among the Chinese, but because his eyes are pointed and long, giving off a very oriental appeal.

If you study carefully, you will notice that his eyes follow an “S” line. His inner eye corners are rounded, the outer edges slant gently downwards but quickly end with an upward tilt. This is a very rare type of demure oriental beauty. His usual make up is very light and natural, but if there are additional touches on his outer edges, bringing emphasis onto the lines of his eyes, his aura will switch from harmless and innocent to sharp and aggressive. 

You probably cannot stop yourself from imagining dating him

When he is not smiling, you can feel that sharp and aggressiveness off him. He gives off a nobility aura and he can keep up his appearances at any event. 

In videos, his eyes are large and energetic, and so alluring, it is almost as though these eyes belong to an anime character or a CGI character. Given that we know that the camera would magnify flaws and moderate the overall aesthetic level, we can only imagine how he looks like behind that camera, and it is probably not that “normal good looking person” like he says he is. 

Xiao Zhan does not depend on strong features – his brow bone and nose ridge are not tall. 

Rounded features, not strong

If I were a famous director, I would be very satisfied with Xiao Zhan as an actor. In my Weibo pinned post, I spoke about how he does not depend on shading make up to sharpen his features, but instead, he depends on simply on lighting. This is evidence of his good bone structure. He does not have the standard issues of sunken temples or broad zygomatic bow (TN: the bone area to the side of the eyes) that are common among Asian faces; his zygomatic bow does not broaden sideways, but instead expands outwards proportionately. This advantageous bone structure shows itself most evidently in period dramas, where an aura of heroism is required. This balances out his soft features. 

This is an unedited raw image from a HD camera – his features are simply enhanced just by lighting

This face of his looks good in any lighting. Under paramount lighting, his cheekbones stand out and makes his face even smaller. (TN: Smaller faces are considered more aesthetically pleasing in Chinese culture.) Under rembrandt lighting, his gaze becomes more vivid, and the shadows from his nose and cheeks makes the picture more dramatic. 

The Chinese have 4 ways to describe dimensions on facial structure – tall, low, flat and sunken. Most Chinese faces have low nose bridges and sunken structure, and for those who have this, when seen on HDTV, their facial muscle movements can be very obvious. In the case of Xiao Zhan, his facial muscle movements are clean and his facial expressions are especially pleasing, even when expressing extreme emotions. In addition, he does not require special lighting and can even withstand odd lighting. 

Looks good even when expressing extreme emotions

This is the true meaning of “no bad angles”. 

This is a random screen capture off a HD video. Still beautiful.

Generally, if anyone of us takes a picture from this angle, we probably end up looking like crap, but Xiao Zhan looks as thought he had been touched by Aphrodite. His cheekbones is the olive branch from Cyprus; his lips are the roses from Damascus; his Adam’s apple is the shackles of Prometheus, Mount Kaukasos. From head to toe, he is the real life representation of the sonnets of Shakespeare.

His beauty is breathtaking.

He looks like he descended from anime-land, but yet more vivid than ever

At the same time, Xiao Zhan’s features are tight knitted and his eyes sit lower in his face. This gives him a general youthfulness, hence he seems a lot younger than his actual age. I have often felt that his face looks almost anime-like, and in some instances, his expressions make him seem almost unreal.

If we try to convert some of our favorite anime characters to actual humans, how would they look like? From the side profile, the eyes should be position lower, almost towards the middle of the nose bridge. However, it is very difficult for this to occur while maintaining proper facial proportions.

We can immediately see from this picture that the middle section of his face is not too long. A long middle section usually ages a person. 

Under further study, you will realize that the mouth-lip area of his face is not too short either. However, his philtrum (the midline groove in the upper lip) is deep and slightly pointed upwards, which moderates the length visually.

The shape of his lips are rounded, but given his sharp eyes and tall nose, the “roundness” and “sharpness” matches in equilibrium, resulting in him looking incredible whenever he smiles.

I am an art student and I am studying his features simply from the angle of an art model, instead of the angle of his fan. The conclusion I have drawn is that his facial features are simply outstanding. Plastic surgery may be able to change the facial features, but will not be able to change proportion; moreover, we know that Xiao Zhan did not go through any of that.

In general, people with good facial proportions will standout in a crowd, more so with Xiao Zhan, who has great features, and these will be especially brilliant after he has good control of his facial expressions.

You cannot hide the smile even if you cover the lower half of his face

Xiao Zhan is an expert in facial expressions control. His smiles can be viewed over and over again, and they are not easy to recreate – I have slowed down GIFs to capture his expression sequence.

When bringing forth a smile, he will move the muscles around this eyes to bring up the outer edges, and this brings the joy onto his face even if you cover the lower half of his face.

He pays attention to the movement of the muscles on this brow and the area around his eyes, such that he is able to pinpoint the emotions in this gaze. This is actually not easy to do such that it looks continuous and natural. 

The essence of facial expression control comes from knowing your weaknesses during the training done in front of the mirror, and correcting them. I’m guessing here that he spent a lot of effort in his training, not because he has a lot of weaknesses, but because he has always been very strict with himself. 

This is his signature smile. He has a multitude of combinations in his expressions, none of them fixed in any categories but serialized, and recreated in sequence when needed. If not for that fact that he sweats so much, I would have thought that he is an AI, but then again, could AI create this magnificence? I think not. 

Xiao Zhan’s signature smile is smooth and stunning – it captivates people because of his confidence and ease.

The entertainment business has always been filled with beautiful people, but what makes Xiao Zhan stand out is the purity in him. He stuns people around him his clear eyes and his innocent smiles – and we pray that he will never lose this.

I know this – with his good bone structure, he will remain handsome for at least another 30 years.

Xiao Zhan is not just a “top celebrity” of this area, but he will also become “that god of period dramas” some decades later, and he will continue to shine bright as an icon of this generation. 

#xiao zhan #sean xiao #xiaozhan #肖战

[writingsilly]

Underwater (ch. V)

Description: Your bad behaviour led you to stay the whole summer in your town of birth with your grandfather. The very first day, you went for a walk to the beach and had an encounter with a stranger that would change your whole life.

Pairing: Reader x Merman!Taehyung.

Genre: Angst, suspense, sci-fi.

Trigger warnings (!!!): Blood, swearing, angst.

Click here to read in AO3!

V: Information

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“You’re gonna accept what I just said just like that?” He asked.

That was a good question, actually. Taehyung had done nothing but show you how decisive and dangerous he was, but was he worth your trust? It did not matter how much time you thought about it, though. He had made a request and you had to follow it.

So you did not say anything. Your throat was still burning, even swallowing was unbearably painful.

Taehyung sighed and stretched his arm, displaying a golden bracelet right in front of your face. You would not have thought much about it if a little pendant had not shone in the moonlight. It was a little larger than a coin with a small wave carved in it.

“This may seem like a cheap piece of rubbish,” he said, “but it’s actually a family relic. It has been worn by several kings, and a queen, within generations. Now, it’s my turn to wear it.”

You leaned over, ready to touch the pendant to examine it, but Taehyung was fast to pull back his arm.

“This,” he spoke again, his tone severe, warning, “I’m doing it because it’s the only way for you to believe me. I need you to believe me, not to ask questions. Got it?”

With that being said, he took off the bracelet and grabbed your wrist, pulling it so that you would show your opened palm. He let the cold chain in your hand. You heard the clicking of the metal and wondered if that was real gold or some kind of painted metal.

But now that you had this, what were you supposed to do with it? It could be a useless accessory, for all you knew.

“This town holds more information on mermaids than you might think. You just need to know where to look. Not everything you might find is true, but, I have to admit, some humans have got close to us,” he let out the last part with some kind of sadness.

If you asked any questions, you knew that Taehyung would not answer them clearly. Even when he tried so hard to hide, be mysterious, you noticed certain things. You knew better not to test him or push your luck. Whatever he gave, you would have to work with it. So moments like these, where he would give information in exchange for nothing, were special and rare.

You looked at him, hoping for him to tell you more. His naked chest expanded while he turned his gaze to the night sky. He looked so lost in thought, maybe even memories. With his profile, unbelievably well-proportioned, being highlighted by the moon, you felt your eyes glued to his image. There was always something interesting to watch, to discover, being his tanned skin or the mole hidden between his inferior eyelashes. You could not lie and say that Taehyung was not a fair creature, but that was not a surprise. You may not be an expert, but if there was something you knew about mermaids it was that their beauty was undeniable, mermen were not the exception to that fact, you confirmed it after meeting Taehyung. The air around him seemed to buzz with the most elegant harmony you had ever heard and, even in the dark, he radiated a golden light. He was luminescent, all the time. A vibrating light followed his figure with every move. Such lively energy for a being so despicable.

Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him. The first one being; looks are deceiving.

“Look for information,” he simply added. “You might stop flinching every time I look at you if you know what you’re dealing with. You might also know the seriousness of my threats, too.”

You closed your hand around the bracelet. It was the only thing you could do if you thought about it. This pendant held more than what the eye could see, and if you wanted to get out of this alive, and save your grandfather in the process, you had to do whatever it took.

You could go home once Taehyung indicated you what he wanted you to do and told you, yet again, what would happen if you did not obey. According to him, he “did not want to be more time than necessary between impure humans, no offence.” Of course, you replied with a dry “not taken” because even when you were not sure what he and his people thought to know about humans, you could easily name a few things about your kind that fell on the category of vile.

Taehyung knew exactly what he wanted to learn, he did not hesitate to tell you point by point, which were simply three; friendship, family and love. If something came up in the middle of your lessons, he would ask, he informed you. You were just begging that it would not happen. The less you had to teach him, the faster he would go back to the depths of the sea to rule his underwater reign or whatever. You did not know him, at all, but something told you that Taehyung would be a cold-blooded king. He did not hesitate to make his point with you, you doubted it would be different somewhere else. And you did not know why, but you wondered if that was a good quality of him if you talked about being king.

Once in bed, you could not help but wonder about his world. How different it might be from yours, how humans affected it, because, surely, all those talks about global warming were not to be taken as a simple joke. Your world influenced theirs directly. But you also thought about his people. If Taehyung thought of you as such evil creatures, did the rest of them believe the same? Or were they just scared of the information they were given about humans?

That was when it hit you; they knew nothing about you, just as you knew nothing about them. When talking about knowledge of one another, it was like a dog chasing its own tail; someone had to step in, put an end to it, and Taehyung was doing just that, you guessed.

“Are you planning something for today?”

The already gooey cereal stared back at you until you decided you were done with it and pushed it away from you. The thought of you browsing books of mermaids and fairy tales, all under the gaze of these overly curious inhabitants of this town… Yeah, that seemed like a good way to spend your way if you did not want to die.

“I’m going to the bookstore,” you replied with a smile. And your throat still hurt. A lot. But you had you ignore it if you did not want questions you could not answer.

Your grandfather seemed excited by the idea, as his eyes lighted up and his lazy posture changed suddenly, as he leaned slightly over the table like he was about to tell you the juiciest secret ever.

“The best store in town is the one you went to yesterday,” he informed you with a wink, “Miss Kim has the rarest books, the ones that you can’t find on the internet, all for a good price. Tell her I sent you and she might lend them to you.”

Not that you were disappointed by the first thing he said, but when he mentioned Miss Kim, your eyes widened.

“You know her?” You asked, a little bit hesitant, to which he only replied with a shrug and a smile that annoyed you because of the lack of verbal confirmation.

You were under the impression that your grandfather never left his house unless he wanted to take a walk or to buy groceries, or something he needed with urgency, but with this new information, you were left in the dark. You had never thought of him as someone mysterious, but now you had to? Not that you blamed him. You were hiding things from him as well.

“That’s all I’m gonna get?” You asked again. “Fine. I’ll have to ask her, then.”

Another thing to look into, you would add it to the list.

The unforgiving sun was punishing you with all its force. Your cap seemed useless at this point. It just encapsulated the heat, and after a few minutes walking over the hot road, you started to wonder if your head could sweat this much, or if it could even sweat. Today, you had chosen to wear sneakers, not sandals, as you had gained a brand new appreciation for your feet over these three days. Once you thought you might lose one over a demon under a dock, there was no turning back from that, was there?

With your eyes literally on your feet, because you did not want to lose your sight by looking at the sky, you made your way to the book store. With Taehyung’s bracelet burning your skin from the back pocket of your shorts, just to make itself go noticed, you sighed. Luckily for you, you remembered the way well. Your life depended on it, so no biggie, right?

It was strange to walk around town and not to hear cars or people talking on their phones. You had grown used to the sounds and lights of the city. You could not quite decide if you liked it better or not. In the city, even when you had never thought of it as home like this town was, you never felt completely alone. Even when you tried to get away from everything and everyone, there was always the distant lights of the buildings, the cars, the busy streets to keep you company. Here, however, the only thing you received were dirty looks from silent people. In a town this small, everyone knew everyone, their story, some of their secrets, because they always get discovered one way or another. The story of the little girl who went to the city and came back years after. That must have been quite a piece of gossip when you left. So, you were sure they knew you were that girl. You were sure that they were wondering why you came back, and why your father was not with you.

It was weird to be in the middle of people who knew about you, but you knew nothing about.

“You came back?”

You turned around and found Namjoon, all dimples and baggy clothes that made you question his sanity and if his body felt how damn hot it was today. He walked towards you while he put his phone in his pocket. The height difference would have made you laugh if circumstances were different.

You nodded with your eyes on his. His smile grew only bigger, and you appreciated it.

“Glad to see you again, then. My grandmother is out, so…”

You already knew what was coming. He was going to say that you should come back another day, but the thing was, you did not have another day. You were meant to meet Taehyung tonight and give him his bracelet back. You could not let Namjoon say it.

“Is–” your voice cracked, and you noticed how Namjoon was taken back by your sudden interruption. You coughed to cover that up. “Is there any way that you could let me in? I wouldn’t ask, but I’m desperate.”

You could not stop to care about how pathetic you might have looked in Namjoon’s eyes, but it was not necessary because he let out a chuckle, his smile meeting his eyes, and reached his back pocket. The sound of metal clicking together had never felt so relieving.

“I was going to let you in, but hearing you beg is so much fun. Now, add a “please” and a “thank you” and I might open the door.”

“You’re enjoying my suffering, aren’t you?”

He hummed.

“Every part of it,” he confirmed. You glared at him and crossed your arms. Namjoon laughed. “Fine. Only ‘cause you came back.”

The moment you entered the store, the characteristic smell of old books hit you with full force. You had not noticed it before, but now you could see why your grandfather told you that this was the best bookstore in town (if there were more). Besides the numerous shelves full of books, they were also scattered all over the dusty floor, like they did not matter, forgotten.

“What were you looking for?” Namjoon asked while he closed the door behind him.

Hell, if you only knew...

The number of books was intimidating and you had not started yet.

The problem with Miss Kim’s book store was that it was a mess. There were books, of course, scented candles (some of them used), unlabelled boxes which awakened your curiosity. Without any help, you could be years looking for a trustful source of information. Something had told you that the internet was not going to be useful, so you chose to come here, but looking at this disaster, you were reconsidering reading that article on sea creatures you had found in liveyourfantasy.com.

No, books were more reliable.

“How many books do you have here?”

Namjoon frowned, surely asking himself why on earth would you be interested in that, but then shrugged.

“Grandma is always getting new books. The boxes are full of them.”

So that was what they contained. Now you were sure that there was no way you could find any book related to mermaids if you did it by yourself.

“Do you have anything about mermaids?”

Come to think of it, sea creatures were kind of one of the few attractions this little town had. Of course they were only a simple trick to lure tourists here, but you could not be the only one who had ever come here and asked for a book related to it. Although you were confident that Namjoon would not ask any questions, he allowed himself to look at you with a puzzled expression. And you could not exactly blame him. You had come here, desperate, and all for a book about mermaids? It seemed strange. You would have reacted the same way.

But anything Namjoon was thinking to ask, he shut it up, as he walked behind the desk and typed on the ancient computer covered in dust. It took some time, loaded with awkward coughs (mostly from you). While you waited, you stared at him. You noticed the eye bags, deep, that described an endless night. His messy hair confirmed it.

“Rough night?”

You did not know what came over you. Namjoon seemed like a nice guy, someone who you would like to be friends with if your situation was not so complicated. And maybe that was why you could not help but feel interested in him, in what he had done last night that kept him awake.

“I was actually with Yoongi and Jimin,” he answered with a smile, looking at you for just a second before returning his gaze to the computer screen.

“Your friends?”

“Yes. I asked them about that Kim Taehyung you told me about.”

You had completely forgotten about that little detail. Not that it mattered. Now you knew that his friends had never heard of Taehyung because he did not exist on the surface. All you had on him was his name… And the fact that he was a merman.

“Oh, well. Whatever they know...” you chuckled. Dismissing the subject, trying to make Namjoon forget all about it, that was what you wanted to do. “I gave up. I don’t think he’d like to meet me again, so–”

“What makes you say that?”

He sounded so surprised. He led all his attention to you. The atmosphere between shifted so quickly, it almost left you without air or words to say. One of the most sincere looks you had seen in a long time was Namjoon’s. Under it, you found yourself almost babbling as if you had done something wrong. He was waiting for your answer, though, so you pushed it out of your throat.

“No reason. Just a feeling,” you mumbled.

Once again, whatever he was thinking, he kept it to himself. That only made you even more interested in what his mind held. You could tell, there were a lot of things unsaid in that head of his and you wondered if he would ever speak them out, if he would feel relieved or regret it if someone hears them.

“Oh!” He exclaimed out of the blue. “We have some books about them, actually. Thought we had sold them all. Are you looking for tales...”

“Informative works, if that makes any sense?”

A few days ago, it would not have made any sense to you. Things could change so quickly around here, it was scary.

“Well, information…” he hummed, and with a few clicks of the mouse, he smiled. “The book is quite old, but we have it in pretty good conditions, considering.”

He walked to a random shelf and ran his finger through the spines of the books displayed until he found the one he was looking for. It was almost at the end, waiting to be held and given a look. An ancient, worn-out book, all black, it was the kind of book that could have gone unnoticed easily.

As he checked it out to confirm it was, in fact, the book he was looking for, you read the spine of it. In golden, cursive letters, it read “Mysteries of the Sea”. Before handing it to you, Namjoon gave you a secretive look.

“This one is one of the oldest books we own. The author is unknown, but–”

“Unknown?”

You did not let him give it to you as a normal person would do, you just snatched it from his hands. It was heavy, and when you opened it, you realised that your first impressions were correct; the pages were yellow and a little crumpled. There were no chapters, just words and words with no division apart from paragraphs. It did not seem that it had an actual end.

As he had stated, there was no name of the author, which seemed strange. You had always thought that the best part of achieving something, like writing a book or directing a movie, was to put your name on it and make everyone remember it.

“I assume it was a woman the one who wrote it?” Namjoon suggested. “Some books were written by women, but their names are nowhere to be seen, it’s not uncommon.”

“Why?”

“With books this old, you can imagine, right? A woman writing and publishing her own work at that time? It would’ve brought embarrassment to her family.”

It sounded stupid, but the book felt much heavier after hearing that. There was no way you could confirm that story, but if it was true; if that woman truly wanted it published despite what her family might have thought, it had to be significant, something she had thought it may help others, not only her. In your mind, going against your family was not something you chose to do just because. There had to be something worth that courage.

With new determination, maybe even renewed hope, you clutched it against your chest.

“How much?”

Namjoon let out a long sigh, but smiled, and shrugged. “It’s yours if you want it.”

“But–”

“But, only if you promise to come back,” he finished your sentence.

“You mean to the bookstore or this town?”

“Let’s start with the bookstore,” he replied, “for now.”

The thing about Namjoon, he was sincere, he seemed sincere. He was the kind of person that made you trust. But not satisfied with that, the universe also gave him another quality; everything he said seemed like a promise. How many days had passed since you first met him? One. Nevertheless, he managed to make you feel like he had known you since forever.

And you could not say no to him. He had helped you a lot, and you actually enjoyed his company. Why would you say no? Because you did not want anyone involved with you until you could get rid of a certain someone.

The sound of the bell right above the door made you turn around. Two guys of the same height walked in with the same expression of confusion that you probably had. One of them, carrying a big paper bag, wet at the bottom, spotted dazzling blue hair and an oversized black shirt with ripped jeans and sandals of the same colour. The other one, three cups of soda in hand, looked straight out of a fairy tale, with pale pink hair and simpler clothes; a white t-shirt and black shorts and sandals.

“Who’s she?” One guy asked as he set the bag on the desk.

“Another grandchild,” Namjoon smiled. You belonged somewhere, even after you had left years ago, he made sure you knew that.

The answer seemed to be enough for him, because he looked at you, acknowledging your presence, and dropped all his weight on the chair. Unbothered, he proceeded to take out food from the bag; three complete burgers. When he noticed your stare, he lifted one close to your face.

“Want some?” A teasing tone that reminded you of Taehyung was not quite what you were expecting from a boy this short. It caught you off guard when a freezing shiver went down your spine.

Now, everyone in the room was looking at you. As much as you wanted to talk, your throat was shut, aching, itching. The pain made you simply shake your head.

“Yoongi, you’re making her uncomfortable,” Namjoon warned.

So he was Yoongi. Despite feeling like someone had punched your stomach, you gave him another look. He did not budge under your scrutiny. It was not hard to tell that he was a tough guy. Namjoon had come off like that too when you first met him, but he was fast to vanish that idea of him out of your head. Yoongi seemed like he was not going to do that any time soon. He even raised his eyebrows when he noticed that you were not redirecting your gaze elsewhere but his face.

“Whatever,” he finally said and broke eye contact with you.

“Well,” the other one, Jimin, you assumed, broke the tension, “if you’re another grandchild, join us!”

The bubbly personality of Jimin, which you were fast to notice, was so welcoming. You truly wanted to sit down, relax for a second, feel like Hoseok and Jungkook were with you again, but could you really do that when you felt Taehyung breathing down your neck?

“You can tell us more about that Kim Taehyung?” Namjoon suggested.

“Oh, so she’s the one you talked to us about?” Jimin exclaimed. He glanced between you and Namjoon. “Now, I see it.”

Namjoon cleared his throat and left the table saying something along the lines of “I’ll get you chairs.”

He was gone, and you could already feel Yoongi and Jimin’s curiosity drown the room. They wanted to ask about Taehyung, you knew that. Whatever they asked, though, you were sure you would never be able to answer. You were also looking for answers and the book that Namjoon had just given you might hold some, you hoped.

As you sat down on the chair Namjoon provided, you tried to avoid Yoongi and Jimin’s gaze. It was not like you did not understand why they were so curious about you. You were kind of expecting Namjoon so ask more questions, but you were grateful that he had not crossed that line yet. And even he did, there was nothing you could do, actually. You felt like running away as far as your legs would take you, but the thought of Taehyung being somewhere in the shadows, waiting for you to be alone was enough to clear your head from those runaway ideas. You were in that funny position where you did not feel safe anywhere.

“What you got there?” Yoongi asked, still chewing his burger, as he pointed at the book you were still pressing against your chest.

“She’s actually interested in mermaids and all that jazz,” Namjoon answered before you could.

Yoongi raised his eyebrows, still looking at you and you felt how your cheeks turned red and warm under those dark eyes.

“You sure you’re from here? Only tourists are interested in that crap.”

“Yoongi!” Jimin butted in.

“What? That’s the only reason people ever come here!”

You wished you could be like Yoongi, so clueless. The way he said things, like there were not a big deal, was something you envied. He walked around, no worries on his mind, not looking over his shoulder every time he heard something suspicious in the bushes. That was a luxury you could not afford anymore. Thinking it through just confirmed it; you could not bring new people to your life. It did not matter how nice they seemed, or how safe they made you feel. You could not include them in your mess.

“Leave her alone, Yoongi,” Namjoon chuckled. “She’s one of us now.”

But it was too late for that.

“It hurts to see her. When the sea is so calm, silent and transparent, it hurts to see her rise to the surface because I know she will have to go back in an hour or two, if I am lucky enough.

Her kind is mysterious. I know it because she doesn’t like to talk about her world underwater. I accept it because I choose to believe that with time, she will warm up to me and tell me all about her, her life, her dreams. Everything my heart desires is to know more about her. It was not only about her people anymore. It was just about her. All my life, I’ve been wondering why are people so interested in mermaids. It took about five minutes with her for me to finally understand the fuzz over these beings. I noticed that every once in awhile, she would accidentally slip up some detail about herself. I try to remember them all, but they are so simple that it only makes me want to cry whenever I try to put them on paper and fail miserably due to my poor memory. I can’t bring my dairy to out meetings in the dock. If she ever found out that I’m writing about her, she would be so furious. I’m scared that she won’t want to see me ever again if she finds out. Nevertheless, I choose to write about her. My life is boring, as you might have assumed. She is the only thing that keeps me from falling on a monotonous spiral of useless and meaningless tasks like going grocery shopping or helping with the bookstore. Sometimes I wonder if I’m as special to her as she is to me. Maybe I’m what she needs to scape her world. In the mornings, I often think about the reasons why she would ignore the dangers and come back to me. My world is not ready for her kind. I’m still getting used to her, how she looks, how different it feels to have her around. The mere thought of someone finding out about her existence is enough to keep these words to myself, under my bed. She often tells me that the ocean can be even crueller than the surface. She warns me that if I get too close to them, it might be dangerous. I don’t care, that’s what I always tell her. We always find a spot, a limit where both of our worlds meet so we can see each other. But I’m scared that the more I see her, the closer I get to touch her, the needier I’ll be…”

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#bangtan #bts fanfic #bts fic #bts scenario #bts scenarios #bts #bts reaction #bts reactions #bts fluff #bts angst #bts v #bts taehyung #bts namjoon #bts rm #bts suga #bts yoongi #bts jimin #bts hoseok #bts jhope #bts seokjin #bts jin #bts jungkook #bts texts #bts fake texts #bts chat #bts masterlist #bts fake chat #bts chats

[thisiswhatascientistlookslike]

Image of letter transcript

Fia - 17/04/2020

As you may have noticed, we’re trying to make our blog more accessible by adding image description and transcripts to help out the visually impaired, to keep the formatting of the last post and prevent it from getting too long, I'm posting the transcript of Fia’s letter in a separate post here. I really hope some of you could take the time to read/listen to it - it’s wonderfully written and powerfully presented, and definitely worth your time.

Dear Mr Breithaupt,

I am sure you are aware that historically, women have been excluded time and time again from the field of science, and especially physics. But even though they were often unwelcome in this area, the ones who were passionate enough always found a way to learn about physics and make their own significant discoveries, whether this be by working unpaid in basements at the time when women weren’t allowed in laboratories, or by moving across continents and away from their families in order to pursue an education that they would not otherwise have been permitted to have. One such example of this is the great physicist Lise Meitner. Having been taught by Ludwig Boltzmann and Max Planck, Meitner worked in Berlin alongside German chemist Otto Hahn in the team that accidentally discovered nuclear fission in the quest for transuranium elements, by bombarding samples of uranium-235 with neutrons – which led to the then baffling formation of lighter elements. Unfortunately due to her Jewish origins, she had to flee Nazi Germany in 1938, but this did not stop her from keeping in touch with her team about the research. And what few people are aware of is that she was the one who realised that fission of the nucleus had occurred, and she was the one who explained it as such, and who linked it to the concept of binding energy, and who therefore understood how and why an enormous amount of energy was released in the process. However, she was not recognised for her achievement, as Otto Hahn, who eventually won the 1945 Nobel prize for it, did not include her as a co-author when he published their research – which can be understood given her origins and the political state of Germany at the time. But this has led to Meitner often being left out of a narrative that she significantly helped to build, and having her achievements downplayed or uncredited. Let us not forget that throughout her entire career, she was nominated for the Nobel Prize a total of 48 times. Lise Meitner was undoubtedly an exceptional scientist with a brilliant mind, who dedicated her life to physics, and reading about her I found her incredibly inspiring.

So you can imagine my disappointment when I opened your textbook to the section about nuclear fission only to find that there was not one mention of her contribution. And maybe this would have been fine if none of the scientists involved had been mentioned (something I have seen textbooks do before). But that is not the case, because Otto Hahn and his fellow chemist Fritz Strassman were. So my question is, why isn’t Lise Meitner? Her contribution to this discovery is certainly considerable and I find it unacceptable that she is completely left out of a textbook published in our day and age when the important part she played should be well known (and yet it isn’t by most). Because maybe this seemingly small detail doesn’t make such a difference to the majority of physics students, but when we look at the numbers, the proportion of girls my age and lower going into physics is strikingly low. A study by New Scientist indicated that in 2018, the ratio of girls to boys taking A-Level Physics was 1:3. And one of the key reasons why girls are discouraged to pursue this subject is the lack of representation. Counting through the index of your textbook, I have found that only one female scientist (Marie Curie, who is basically presented as the only role model for women in science) is mentioned as opposed to 28 male scientists – but that ratio may be even lower considering that Hahn and Strassman are not actually to be found in the index. Of course, this textbook is written to fit a specification which aims to cover the discoveries that are most relevant to the course, which as it happens were mostly made by men – since as I mentioned earlier, men were from the beginning at the centre of scientific progress and discovery. And I want to make it clear that I do not ask that all textbooks be rewritten to include more of women’s discoveries in the field, since that would defeat the ultimate goal of a textbook which is to provide an appropriate educational foundation in the science. But what I do ask is that we do not leave out the women who were there, who contributed to those key discoveries that pupils like me learn about. Because too many studies have shown that girls and women do not receive enough support in the STEM fields, and if we could make at least this small change in how we teach science, I believe it would make a significant difference – and even if only one girl makes up her mind to go into physics as a result of this, it will have been worth the effort. And in a best case scenario, maybe this could be the start of something bigger leading to the inclusion of more girls and women in STEM.

Going back to the original issue, I believe Lise Meitner is one of those scientists that deserve a mention in this textbook. As should the accomplished French mathematician and physicist Émilie du Châtelet, who showed that kinetic energy is directly proportional to the square of the velocity, proving even the great Isaac Newton wrong who thought that kinetic energy and momentum (mv) were one and the same. And in the Astrophysics optional section, so should the astronomers Annie Jump Cannon, who developed the system of classification of stars by spectral class (O, B, A, F, G, K, M), and Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin who determined the composition of stars in what was described as “the most brilliant PhD thesis ever written in astronomy”. These are only a few examples, and I am sure there are more that deserve to be included just as much as those 28 (and more) male scientists do.

Although I won’t pursue physics at university, I can safely say that I have truly enjoyed the A-Level physics course. But I didn’t always, and I have my amazing teacher to thank for constantly encouraging me and challenging me to improve and refine my skills, and most importantly inspiring me with her love and passion for her subject. She is proof that role models matter, in the same way that I look up to the many female scientists that I have had to research and read about in my own time since they were not rightfully included in my education. We cannot go back to change the centuries worth of discrimination that women have faced in science and in society in general, but there are generations of girls and women to come for whom we can and must make a difference. They deserve to learn about the women who played significant roles in shaping our world as it is today – and so do the boys and men, because if we want to make a change in how women are treated in our world we will need their help, too. And after all, science is for everyone, so everyone who wishes to go into science deserves a fair chance; and that includes appropriate representation, which means we need to hear the stories of more female scientists, not just Marie Curie’s.

Of course in practice I can see how the current A-Level textbook might not be rewritten any time soon since it already provides a very good basis for the physics course. But I urge you to please consider this for the next time you have to write such a textbook (and in general), because it is an important cause – for me, and for all the girls and women who like me have the potential to become incredible scientists, if only given the same level of inspiration and encouragement that boys and men have been receiving from the beginning.

Sincerely,

(Fia)

#Miscellaneous #original writing #original content #women in science #women in STEM #women in physics #feminism in textbooks #feminism #stem #science #physics #science technology engineering and maths #female scientist #feminist science #visibility of women #female visibility #girl power

[bluehhj]

listen to me — chapter 45

LISTEN TO ME — 0045

listen to me masterlist;

WORDS: 2.3K

Sae Murase was the name of the surgeon who patiently explained Jinah's complex case to her friends. She detailed the diagnosis without haste, letting the group absorb each piece of information carefully, even pausing to ask if they understood or wanted her to repeat it using more uncomplicated words, but, sometimes, she was barely answered, given that no one seemed capable enough to focus on her words and enjoy the gift of speech at the same time.

Suddenly, Murphy was right when he said that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong, at the worst possible time.

"Not to say it was all bad, maybe Jinah was a little lucky," the doctor continued her report, finally removing the white mask that still hung from her chin. "The two fractured ribs didn't compromise any of her vital organs, that already cheers me up. In fact, I noticed a tourniquet¹ on her left leg and I can bet that, by the obvious improvisation, it wasn't the ambulance crew who put it there." the doctor, then, looked at Seungmin, who swallowed the excess saliva. Just as Jeongin was Chan's internship instructor, Sae was his, and let's say shaming in front of her was the last thing the younger Kim needed at that dawn.

"She was losing a lot of blood," he said, a little shy. It's okay that a dirty piece of jeans and a half-burnt twig weren't the best options for rescuing someone in serious condition, but Jinah survived, at least. "I couldn't keep pressing her belly and leg at the same time, I had to improvise."

"I'm not scolding you" Sae's smile was so slight it hardly even appeared, but she was pleased with Seungmin's attitude. "Actually, you did very well. Congratulations."

The pride of himself after receiving a compliment was present in the form of a grateful gleam in Seungmin's eyes. He opened a smile as lightly as the surgeon's when Chaerin discreetly touched the base of his spine, congratulating him as well. It was something so small, especially compared to how important the rest of the situation was, but it still made him a little happy.

"What really worries me is the trauma," the doctor confessed, suddenly more tense. "We have done the tests, but it's not possible to predict exactly how she will react when she comes out of the coma."

Seungmin bit his cheek inside, remembering the blood covering Jinah's hair, the bruises on her face and how it terrified him — not from the image itself, but the inevitable consequences. There are cases when a coma can become worse than death itself. Seungmin, then, found himself saying a silent prayer that it would be different with Jinah.

"But will she wake up?" Jade asked, clinging to any loose thread of hope. "There are people who stay like this for years and years. Please, she can't."

"I have to be honest with you," Sae let out her breath slowly before continuing. "And I say I don't know when Jinah will wake up, but I know that if she does someday, it may not be as reassuring as it sounds. Brain injuries are cruel. Maybe she can wake up and stay the same as ever, but maybe a only thing out of place can make her a completely different person than she was before."

"Different in what way?" Changbin wanted to know.

"At best, there is often some long or short term memory loss, personality change and a bit of logical dysfunction" tired and with a headache from not sleeping well for days, and carrying all the daily pressure on her shoulders, the doctor surrendered to the wear and sat on one of the chairs. "At worst, however, it is possible that there is partial or complete paralysis of the limbs, as well as loss of sight, difficulty in speech, among others related to the senses. And of course, we also have the worst of worst, which is when the patient doesn't even wake up."

Woojin slowly shook his head up and down thoughtfully. "If your intention was to reassure us, congratulations, doctor. You did it right."

"Sorry for scaring you all with all these things that might not even happen" although her words said otherwise, Sae wasn't sorry, still holding the same serious look and soft tone of voice. "But it is my duty to keep you aware from now on."

Hyoyeon nodded without much force. She had listened everything with her eyes fixed on the floor and only raised her head again when she assumed that the Japanese girl had nothing more to say. "Are you doing everything for her, doctor?" she asked, then, and Sae didn't need much to understand what she meant.

After all, it was a private hospital. Everyone was aware that the state-of-the-art treatment offered there wasn't paid for on its own.

"I didn't want to get to that part today," she admitted, running a hand over the back of her neck in a shy gesture. Sae imagined that it must be horrible to have someone important going through such a difficult time and still be financially charged, as if the obligation of doctors were to pluck people's money for simple favors, and not save them for the sake of the profession. "But the answer is yes. I thought it wise that all treatments for her to recover faster should be started even before consulting her family. The decision to continue or not, however, is still up to you."

It wasn't a question of wanting or not wanting to continue. From what she had heard from Jisung, Hyoyeon knew that Jinah's parents lived in a dignified manner, but lacked a favorable financial position to handle the situation properly. Chan, Felix, Jade, Changbin, Woojin, and Seungmin could also fit into the same picture. In that circle, only Sooyoung, Chaerin, Yoorim, Hyunjin, and Hyoyeon herself had good money to help without affecting anything. However, though not in the same material proportions, but with the same goodwill and determination, the collective exchange of glances, leaving no one out, made it clear that the eleven were more than willing to do anything for Jinah.

"I'll pay her first night," Hyoyeon offered. It wasn't as if she wanted to completely lift the weight off Jinah's parents, but at least until they arrived in Seoul, she wouldn't mind taking over. Moreover, she wasn't only doing this for Choi, but also for Jisung, who could certainly take no other action.

"That's great," Sae even got up, smiling a little more willingly than last time. Later, she would remember to make everyone aware of the importance of having a health insurance, because it wasn't always you found friends as true as this group. "I shouldn't even thank you, but thanks."

Hyoyeon also opened a mild smile. "It wasn't us who just spent hours doing miracles to save someone's life, doctor."

"Thank God it wasn't us," muttered Woojin, then received a weak elbow from Felix on his back. "What? My body is just dust now, I'm dying of tiredness."

"It's almost five in the morning and you guys still have to go to college." Hyoyeon covered her mouth with her fingers, as if only then did she remember that. However, the rest didn't show much excitement to attend class in a few hours.

"I'm not leaving," said Jade, affected. She was so worried about Jinah that, if she could, she would live in the hospital until she recovered. Chan and Changbin also declined at the same time.

"Guys, you guys spent all night here" Sae watched the tired faces and the growing dark circles. "I'm not asking you to go to class, but at least go home and get some rest before you get back. Jinah's condition is serious, but she's being well cared for, I promise."

Faced with the silent reluctance that ensued for the next few moments, Sooyoung, though she knew no one but Hyoyeon, pressed her lips into a thin line before daring to complete: "I know how worried you guys must be now, but I say, from own experience, that Jinah's life has stopped doesn't mean yours need to stop either. I've been through this same situation with my ex-husband and spent three whole months by his side, unable to do anything. I was so happy when he woke up, but then I saw the confusion that my life changed because of carelessness and I still got anemia because I didn't take proper care of myself."

"Exactly," agreed Hyoyeon. "What she means is you all here all the time won't improve Jinah's health but only worsen yours. And I bet that, as much as you want to stay, no one wants to get a low grade in college right away now that you're about to graduate, and don't lose your job either."

There was a moment's thoughtfulness until Hyunjin sighed and relaxed his shoulders. "They're right," he concluded. "We can take turns and, if anything happens, and I hope not, we'll call right away."

"Anyway, I'll stay here until Jisung wakes up," Hyoyeon said, sounding more sad this time. "He'll suffer when he finds out about Jinah. I want to be around to hug him."

"I think we'd better leave, then," Chan suggested. "Seungmin and I have to come back in the afternoon because of the internship, so, you guys can work normally without having to worry too much."

Jade was the one most unwilling to give in to the rest her body and mind begged for, but even she had to agree that standing still and at the mercy of unwanted thoughts was far worse. The agreement, then, was collective.

"We'll be back early in the evening," Yoorim promised, already leaning toward leaving the hospital with Hyunjin and Woojin by her side. "Anything just call, don't forget."

Seungmin nodded with a weak and equally comforting smile. "We won't."

"You can go too." Hyoyeon softly addressed Sooyoung.

"Don't you want me to be with you?" the other woman replied.

"It's up to you, but I imagine your puppies are very hungry by now."

Sooyoung thought about denying it and saying it was all right, but the memory of not leaving even a little bit of ration in the bowls almost made her despair. "My God, I had forgotten about that! But I'll be back later, okay? Eat a little bit at the diner and take care of yourself."

Hyoyeon could barely answer before Sooyoung ran out of the hospital reception. The thought that she took care of the puppies as if they were her real children was something that always made Hyoyeon laugh. In her view, there was no one more amazing in the world than her little sister, and it was great to have her so close again after so many years away.

Hyoyeon set aside her fraternal sentimentality when she noticed that Chaerin and Seungmin were also leaving. She, then, called the couple back and, when they turned to look at her, Hyoyeon released a long breath and stretched the corners of her lips in a grateful smile.

"Thanks for everything. I thought you two were the last people in the world who could do such a thing, especially for Jisung. I think no thanks is enough to make up for it."

"You don't have to say thank you." Chaerin flashed a smile similar to hers, but it was obvious how embarrassed she was. Her mind had created a sequence of possibilities of what would happen when she met Hyoyeon again and none of them ended with her ex-mother-in-law treating her so well. Not that she was complaining, of course, but she was embarrassed. "And since we're here..." she hesitated, squeezing Seungmin's hand that was intertwined with hers. Chaerin got a squeeze back, as if Kim were encouraging her to continue. "I wanted to say I'm sorry... For what happened at the beginning of the year."

"Don't" Hyoyeon shrugged simplistically. "Jisung is better without you, just as you are better without him. In the end, you did what you had to do."

Chaerin didn't think Jisung was doing that well, at least not with Jinah in a coma; Hyoyeon thought the same, but she believed that this obstacle would be overcome and soon things would get back on track. Thus, the Canadian didn't retort and preferred to believe too. So they said goodbye, both keeping positive thoughts, since these were never too much and Jinah more than anyone deserved them.

Outside the hospital, Jade and Changbin, who walked in silence all the way, finally turned to each other. Their hands were no longer entwined, but any layman would be able to see the almost palpable difficulty they were having to widen the short distance between them. The mood wasn't completely strange, nor too uncomfortable; they just seemed to have lost the ability to communicate verbally. Perhaps this was because they were unsure what to say given the circumstances in which they met again, but the silent support they had offered each other in the last few hours was enough to replace any messy dialogue.

"Take care," Jade finally said, almost in a whisper. Changbin watched her for a few more seconds until he answered in the same tone.

"You too."

Hyunjin was already waiting for the american in the car while Woojin decided he'd get a ride with Seo this time around — or was just kicked out of the front seat when Yoorim, in her own words, said "near my man, only I sit". Jade and Changbin, then, said goodbye with a small smile and each went to one side. But they didn't care much about it, since they both knew this was far from the last time they had run into each other, both in the hospital and elsewhere.

The walk could be long and complicated from now on, but they had each other anyway, plus a dozen friends.

Step by step. One day at a time.

Tourniquet¹: First-aid procedure adopted to stop bleeding that couldn't be stopped in any other way. A piece of cloth or twine is placed around the injured limb, between the wound and the heart, tightening the binding as if strangling the limb, so that the arteries are compressed and the blood doesn't continue to flow. A branch or bar may be used to facilitate tightening of the tourniquet and maintaining proper pressure. It must be used as a last resort and, only, to control bleeding from serious injury to the extremities, when all other control methods have failed.

a/n: my cousin is studying nursing, so this week i heard her talking about this tourniquet and i thought it was useful to put it here hehehehe but really, it's very nice to see them doing it, but it has to be in case of a very emergency because it can hurt and cause a lot of issues if you don't know how to do it right

listen to me is also culture, okay

and i may be inside the biological areas, but i don't know everything either eh talking about the chapter now, i found it really shit lol but on the one hand it was good, as it is important nonetheless and i also found it right to let you guys breathe before coming back with the bombing (yeah folks, it's not over) tsk, do what

i'm leaving now, bye <3

#stray kids #skz #stray kids au #skz au #stray kids angst #skz angst #stray kids fluff #stray kids fics #skz fics #stray kids imagines #skz imagines #stray kids reactions #skz reactions #stray kids scenarios #skz scenarios #stray kids smut #skz smut #ltm #listen to me #bang chan #woojin #minho #changbin #hyunjin #han jisung #han #jisung #felix #seungmin #jeongin

[soaringsoon]

Kaisoo Tarot Part 2 (Couple Reading)

After my last reading on Kaisoo, I had a bunch of requests to do a reading of them as specifically a romantic couple, and I admit I wanted to do this as well, as I just kind of wasn’t feeling the last reading I got on them. Individually I was happy with what I read, but together, not so much, and I wanted to know more. I apologize for the delay in getting this out to you guys, and also tell those of you that asked for personal readings that I’ll be getting in touch with you about that over the weekend. Today’s pretty busy but I may be able to get to one person’s. We’ll see, but please know I’m not ignoring you!

The usual disclaimer applies: that tarot is inexact and based on feelings and not facts and all that stuff. You can choose to believe it or not, or interpret it many different ways. These are just my thoughts. The book I’ve been using recently is Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea. If you’re interested in tarot, I think it’s a pretty awesome, no-nonsense approach to tarot, although there are tons of good books and resources out there. Michelle Tea just writes in language that resonates with me for whatever reason.

Now, the Kaisoo reading. Once again, I used Yixing’s cards, because I liked the connection between him and Kaisoo, and the fact that he’s between them on stage when he’s there. This time, as I shuffled the cards I did focus on Kyungsoo and Jongin as a romantic unit, a couple. I wanted to see if I could get any feeling as to whether they are for sure a real couple, and I definitely did get that feeling.

The first card I pulled was XVI – The Tower. Now, this is a fucking scary card, I won’t lie, and I wasn’t happy to have pulled it. I didn’t think it was a good beginning. The Tower is the card of change, of sudden, unexpected and often painful change. As we all know, change can be pretty scary, but sometimes it’s necessary. This card often comes up when you’re stuck in a rut and need to change something about your life or your situation. This card can come up for people who are contemplating divorce, quitting their job, or something of the like. Obviously, I didn’t want to think about this in the context of Kaisoo, because for me the thing that jumped out was a possible breakup of their relationship. But I took a minute and thought about it, and read the information again. On the second reading of the card information, I noticed a few mentions of a revelation, of experiencing sudden clarity. And I remembered that the Tower means change, but that not all interpretations of change are bad. I thought about it in the context of how Kaisoo have been acting with each other the last several months (being very affectionate out in the open and seemingly not really giving any fucks, and that the other members, who usually try to kind of jump in front of them, seemed content to just let them have their affection and their happiness), and it made me wonder if the change in their relationship wasn’t a breakup but a marriage or possibly an engagement. They’re certainly acting like a couple who just celebrated some big event, don’t you think? The last thing the book mentioned was that the tower brings down things that need to go. I wondered if the thing that needed to go was hesitation in showing their affection for each other, especially on Kyungsoo’s part. Jongin’s always been pretty open with how he feels about Soo, but sometimes Soo’s a little harder to get a read on. These last few months, though, it’s been very equal or maybe even a little skewed to Soo being more affectionate.

The second card I pulled was XIV – Temperance, and I have to admit I immediately went ‘aha!’ because this card is often referred to as being important to LGBT+ people. One interpretation of who this card represents is Hermaphroditus, who can be regarded as a patron deity for effeminate men, androgynous people in general, and anyone who defies gender norms. I immediately was able to draw connections here, with Jongin’s obvious love for Kyungsoo and how soft he is generally being such a contrast to his stage persona of Kai, the overly sexy, super-manly (and very straight) image he projects. I also had some feelings about how Kyungsoo always protests that he isn’t cute even though he obviously is, and how it seems like he’s having a more manly (again, straight) image pushed on him the last few years as his acting career has become more of a focus for him. This card talks about how a new day has dawned, how people who are defying these gender norms or fit into various LGBT+ categories can work on healing themselves by not defying those norms any longer, and how it’s time to slow down and chill out. I took this to be a reference to their recent open affection as well. Interestingly, this card also talks about collaborations (Kaisoo subunit which Jongin, at the very least, has mentioned wanting very badly?). It also mentions events like engagements or weddings, so that’s the second time I’ve gotten a wedding vibe in this reading. Does married or engaged Kaisoo sound like a theme here to anyone else?

The third card I pulled was VIII – Strength. I was happy to pull this card, especially following the Tower. Also, in combination with Temperance, I thought this card made a lot of sense. It talks about bringing feelings under control, but in a loving and validating way. It talks about not leaving important things out, and that you need to correct the proportions of your life, i.e. if your career is too much the focus then refocusing on your personal relationships. I wondered if Soo’s acting career had caused any jealousy on Jongin’s part, not because he was jealous of the recognition Soo was getting (because I don’t think Jongin would ever want to deny Soo anything) but simply because of the demands on Soo’s time that the filming and all the promotion had caused. So I wondered if the extra affectionate Soo we’ve been seeing had anything to do with that. This card talks about bringing any energy that’s out of whack under control so you’re able to seize whatever opportunities come your way. Again, maybe the Kaisoo subunit? This card talks about being able to have autonomy in your life, and a truly rapturous love based on mutual benefit and understanding. This card doesn’t talk about change in that relationship, but that it will continue as it was if you can get whatever imbalance there is worked out. I took this to mean that Kaisoo have been together a long time and that there was no reason that couldn’t continue, but that they might have to adjust a bit because of their increasing individual schedules, and cherish more the time they’re allowed to spend together.

So, what do you all think? I’m pretty happy with this reading. I got much more of a feeling of the two of them as a unit rather than individuals with these cards. I hope you find this interesting, and thanks for all the interest in my previous post! I’m thrilled by your response!

#kaisoo #tarot #kyungsoo #jongin #kadi

[strongheartmaid]

oh look, my monster of a fic. Let us lead off with this being an entire AU or Canon doesn’t live here anymore (get back here you, Sea Dragon)

Behind a cut because this is huge

Venus made her way to the scrying chamber, the room within Mount Olympus that the Pantheon could go to gaze upon the waters and view the lives of the mortals below. It had been some time since this room had been used - as the doors to the room groaned in protest as she pushed them open and strode inside. She made her way over to the pool and settled besides it, waving her hand over the waters and watched it ripple until an image came through. A frown marred her elegant features and only seemed to deepen as she watched the images flitting across the watery screen. With a wearied sigh, she waved her hand over the water again, dismissing the images. She could feel the start of a headache form as she tried to process what she had just seen. She paused a moment and turned her head, her eyes locking on to see who joined her in the chamber. "You seem... displeased," came a soft melodic voice from the doorway before the voice's owner slipped inside the room. She made her way over to where Venus sat and settled near her. She waved her hand over the waters, intent on searching, watching something, someone. "Displeased seems a tad too diplomatic," Venus muttered darkly. Her gaze drifted back to the waters to see what her companion was viewing, before dismissing it as unimportant and raised her head to look at her companion. "Checking in on that little mortal of yours, Thetis?" she asked, a teasing tone to her voice. "He's hardly a little nor a simple mortal, Venus," Thetis returned, a slight bite to her words as she spoke. She turned her gaze away from the waters and then at Venus. "He's the mortal incarnation of my lord." A silent 'my husband' hung in the air between them. Venus visibly startled and stared at Thetis before her gaze returned to the waters. Her eyes gleamed silver as she read the Cosmos of the youth in question. She raised her head, her expression stunned as she looked at Thetis. "How long?" Thetis was silent for a long moment, a look of pain and sadness crossing her features. "I only just learned from our kin two months past that my lord was reborn," she said, a broken note in her voice. "Then why so sad?" Venus asked. "Rejoice for he lives, little queen of the oceans." "Aye, he lives," she began, tears streaming down her cheeks, "but he remembers naught of who he truly is." Venus sighed softly, reaching over to place a hand on Thetis's arm. Privately, she cursed the Fates for separating the pair. "That may be, little fish," she said, an affectionate nickname for the other woman. "But nothing says you can not go to his side and coax his memories back to him." "Do you think it's possible?" Thetis asked, looking hopeful. "I do," Venus said, smiling at the younger goddess. "Now, go. Be with him." Thetis nodded before taking her leave of the elder goddess. Hopefully, she'd be able to help him regain his memories - it would be nice to be by her lord and husband's side once more. "Causing mischief, wife?" Hephaestus asked as he approached his wife from behind. She slanted her gaze towards her husband, a small tight smile on her features. True, she was married to him but, she let out a soft mental sigh, it wasn't by her choice. It was one of Zeus's many attempts at trying to control her, to control Hephaestus (why he needed to be controlled, she didn't know, but then she wasn't in a position of power like Zeus was). "No," she said finally, turning to look at him. Her expression softened a moment and she rose to make her way over to him. "No mischief, just trying to reunite a pair of lovers." Hephaestus nodded briefly, raising one soot-stained hand to brush a lock of golden hair off her face, accidentally smearing the soot on her face as he did so. "I see," he said softly. Venus raised her hand to touch his, uncaring of the soot for a moment. "Hard at work?" she asked. Hephaestus let out a wearied sigh and leaned against his wife for a moment. "Yes, I am," he said. "Well, not at the moment, obviously. I needed some fresh air - it was starting to get claustrophobic down in the smithery." Venus nodded, before moving his arm so it was draped around her shoulders. "I'll help you walk back to our chambers," she said quietly. "You'll need your rest before you return to that lair of yours." "Is that concern in your voice I hear, Urania?" he asked, curiosity clear in his voice. She rolled her eyes at the name chosen. "Of all my titles, you have to pick that one," she drawled. "And.. maybe." He gave a low chuckle at her snark before his expression warmed at her brief confession. "I promise, I'll rest," he said quietly. "Of course, there was one thing you didn't tell my dear aunt." "Oh, and what's that?" Venus asked. Why was she just now getting an unsettled feeling? "I don't suppose you noticed that the mortal that houses my uncle has a twin brother," he said lightly. "No riddles, Klytotékhnēs," she hissed. "Direct or not at all." "Oh, you take all the fun out of life, my dear," he sighed. "The mortal known as Julian Solo, and yes I did go look that up in Father's statuary, my dear, has a twin brother, Sean Solo. Sean Solo just happens to be my other uncle." Venus froze midstride, turning her gaze on her husband. "WHAT?!" she exploded, a stunned expression on her features. "What do you mean he's your.. Oh no," she groaned. He nodded slowly. "Oh yes, my lady wife. You just sent Thetis to awaken Poseidon, which may trigger Hades to awaken as well." Venus closed her eyes and silently started to count to ten in Greek. 'éna dýo tría...' she began before she opened her eyes and looked at him. "Please tell me Athena's not awake." He let out a soft relieved sigh. "No, no sign of my sister being awake yet." "Thank the Fates for small miracles," she said, looking relieved as well. "I'm not sure the mortal realm could handle a Holy War of those proportions if all three were awake at the same time." "Wife," Hephaestus began, giving her a mildly stern look. "Why in the name of my father's lightning bolts did you have to go and say that? Do you like tempting the Fates?" "As the mortals would say, my dear husband, oh crap," Venus groaned.

-

Thetis stood on the shoreline below the Grecian summer home of the Solo family, her eyes staring out into the distance, listening to the waves as they crashed upon the shore. Somewhere, deep below those waves was Atlantis, was her home - one she hadn't seen since the time of myth or was it later than that, she mused but decided she truly didn't care, either way - it had been far too long since she had seen the glistening white marble buildings, heard the laughter of her people. She let out a wearied sigh, praying that whatever time had done to her (their) home, that it would be easy to repair. That would be the one drawback to being awake in this time - very few mortals would know the ancient crafts needed to repair any damage (for that matter, she wasn't sure *if* there were any stone masons still practicing their art in this modern age). She quietly walked along the shoreline, trying to figure things out. So much to do, so very little time to do it in - especially if this was to be done before Athena awoke and made a mess of things, again. A part of her did truly love her niece - but there was another part that grew vexed by how quick she was to assume the worst of people, especially her male relations (particularly her two uncles). She paused, her head turning to look behind her as she heard the rapid approach of hoofbeats and the raucous sound of male voices and laughter. She let out another sigh - terrific, just what she didn't need as she tried to come up with some sort of plan on what to do.

 "Ikki, no fair," cried a young male voice as they struggled to keep up with their older cousin. It wasn't quite fair that their cousin was doing so much better at riding horses than they were.

 A delicate frown crossed her lips as she tried to recall where she had heard that name before. No matter - wasn't truly important, she thought as she quickly ducked behind a rocky outcropping, not wanting to be seen just yet. The first youth - the one possibly named Ikki - rode by, his deep indigo hair wild. She could feel his Cosmos from where she was, and that left her unsettled - it was far stronger than she had ever imagined a mortal's to be. She shuddered, trying to quell the feel of terror rising in her before she spied the two youths coming behind. The first was fair of face (almost too pretty for a man), with deep jade green eyes and rich green hair. She startled a moment, getting a feel of his Cosmos as he rode past where she was hidden - why hadn't Venus told her about this? How was this even possible? Both..? But then the one she was waiting for appeared in view and a soft sigh escaped her. He hadn't changed much in their time apart - well, maybe his hair was a little lighter and his eyes a little bluer but it was still him, she would know her beloved no matter what form he took. If they just said their names, she'd be able to confirm that she was where she was supposed to be - and then came the fun of trying to come up with a good story to explain who she was and why she was there, she thought a small bubble of despair welling up for a moment.

 "Not my fault that you're slow, Sean," Ikki called over his shoulder before slowing his horse down so his twin cousins could catch up to him. He smiled warmly at Sean, reaching over to ruffle the windswept green locks. He chuckled, a rich warm sound as Sean tried to bat his hand away. "How you holding up back there, Julian?" he asked.

 Julian just gave a thumbs up and a smile. "Although, I'm not sure Aegaeus could handle another run like that," he said, rubbing his horse's neck and whispering soothing nonsense in his ear.

"So, why did you name your horse that anyway?" Ikki asked as the trio quietly rode together, allowing the horses to recover from the race across the beach that they had done.

 Julian gave an absent one-shoulder shrug in response to his cousin's question. "Just felt right," he said, still unsure why he named the horse that other than the feeling of it being *right*, familiar even.

Thetis tilted her head as she tried to remember why Aegaeus sounded familiar - oh, right, his epithet from the town of Aegae since he had that gorgeous temple there. She'd have to go there later, check on the status of the temple (hopefully, still in one piece, if not, she was going to have severe words with that darling niece of hers) and leave an offering to her beloved there.

"Couldn't you have named it something easier to pronounce?" Ikki asked, quirking a brow.

 "We can't all have something as easy to pronounce such as Phoenix," Julian snarked back. "Besides, I don't hear you complaining over the name Sean gave his horse. Moiragetes is more of a mouthful than Aegaeus." He paused when he heard a feminine giggle coming from behind a rock. He quirked a brow before quietly riding his horse over to where he heard the sound coming from, intent on finding out the source of the noise. "By all that's holy..." he breathed to himself as he stared down into ocean blue eyes. He dismounted from his horse and slowly approached the maiden. "I know you.. but how.." he murmured.

 Thetis just stared up into his blue eyes, silent, unsure of how to answer. "It's.. a long story, fantastical even," she offered up after a long moment of silence.

 "Perhaps, then, you could tell it over a cup of coffee?" he asked, offering her his hand.  Ikki watched the scene play out from his spot on the back of his horse. Wonderful, there was his cousin picking up strange girls. "Don't get any ideas, Sean," he muttered to the younger twin.

 Sean just fixed his cousin with a Look. "And what ideas are those, Cousin?" he asked, a faint bite to his words. "Picking up strange women on the beach," he said before guiding the pair over to Julian and his mystery lady. "Perhaps introductions are in order?" he suggested. "Ah, yes," Julian said before gesturing to himself. "Julian Solo. This is my younger," Sean's voice cut in with an annoyed "I'm your twin, you blithering idiot", "brother, Sean. And this bruiser of a teddy bear," which earned a warning growl from the youth in question, "is our cousin Richard Patton, but he prefers the nickname of Ikki for whatever reason." "Thetis," she said, bowing her head slightly, a soft smile on her lips. "As in the goddess?" Sean asked, curiosity welling up. Strange how familiar this woman was - but he could have sworn that he had never met her before.. Thetis just smiled, a soft chuckle escaping her. "Well, that's a rather interesting story. I believe your brother already offered me a drink in exchange for telling it..?" - "So," she said, holding a warm cup of coffee in her hands, as they sat outside on the balcony of the estate. "Where do you want me to begin my tale?" she asked. "I find a tale told from the beginning is oft the best course of things," Julian said. He took a sip of coffee before setting it back down on the table. "Well, in answer to your question before, Sean," she said. "Yes, as in the goddess," she continued. "Or rather, as fantastic as it may sound, I am she of who you speak." Ikki stared at the blond before rising and heading inside. He returned after a moment, setting a bottle of rum on the table with a decided thunk. "I have a feeling we're going to need something stronger than mere coffee if what you're saying is true, Thetis." Thetis smiled as if she had been prepared for this and closed her eyes. A shimmer of light surrounded her before it vanished, revealing her in her Holy Cloth - the Crimson Scales of the Mermaid.  Julian stared, stunned. "Right," he said, before grabbing the bottle of rum and pouring a healthy dose into his cup. He drank it slowly. "So, the Greek gods and goddesses do exist still." She nodded, reaching up to remove the helm and set it on the ground next to her. "A few of my kin do incarnate as mortals and remain unaware of their true nature. However, there comes a time when there's a need for them to awaken, to remember who they truly are." She took a sip of her coffee, a curious expression crossing her features after she swallowed. "Is this drink always this bitter?" "Not always," Sean said as he reached over to drop some sugar into Thetis's cup. "That should help a little." "Thank you," she said, taking a sip and nodding. "Better but I'm afraid I'll never quite like the taste of coffee." She set her cup down and looked at the trio, trying to figure out how to explain the next bit of information she was about to tell them. "So, these mortals that are gods or goddesses unawares, how do you awaken them, if as you say, the need arises? How do you know they are who they are?" Julian asked. Thetis let out a wearied sigh. "That, as you mortals would say, is above my paygrade in understanding. It has something to do with one's Cosmos," she said. "It's basically a recreation of the Big Bang within your soul, at least that's how Zeus explained it once. It mostly went over my head once Apollo started to add on to the explanation." "So, okay, let's go with the Cosmos can tell who's who," Ikki said slowly. "Does that mean you're able to read our Cosmos, if we have any?" "All mortals have it - just not all mortals are aware of it," she said diplomatically. "But to answer your unspoken question, yes, I can sense it in all three of you." "Well, that's a good thing, right?" Sean asked, sipping his coffee. "Well, that depends if you think two god tier cosmos and one that I have no clue where it came from because I've never felt anything like it before is a good thing," she responded.

#venus/aphrodite #Venus did a whoops #slight venus/Hephaestus vibes #mermaid thetis #julian solo #andromeda shun #phoenix ikki #universal shake of Saints and Mariners and Specters #saint seiya AU #hades (saint seiya) #Poseidon (Saint Seiya) #shun is raised as julian's brother #let's merge St Seiya with Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans just for starters!

[coffeeandyoongi]

Underwater V

Prompt: The sea holds lots of secrets, are you ready to reveal them?

Word count: 4.6k

Pairing: Taehyungxreader

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[Masterpost]

“You’re gonna accept what I just said just like that?” He asked.

That was a good question, actually. Taehyung had done nothing but show you how decisive and dangerous he was, but was he worth your trust? It did not matter how much time you thought about it, though. He had made a request and you had to follow it.

So you did not say anything. Your throat was still burning, even swallowing was unbearably painful.

Taehyung sighed and stretched his arm, displaying a golden bracelet right in front of your face. You would not have thought much about it if a little pendant had not shone in the moonlight. It was a little larger than a coin with a small wave carved in it.

“This may seem like a cheap piece of rubbish,” he said, “but it’s actually a family relic. It has been worn by several kings, and a queen, within generations. Now, it’s my turn to wear it.”

You leaned over, ready to touch the pendant to examine it, but Taehyung was fast to pull back his arm.

“This,” he spoke again, his tone severe, warning, “I’m doing it because it’s the only way for you to believe me. I need you to believe me, not to ask questions. Got it?”

With that being said, he took off the bracelet and grabbed your wrist, pulling it so that you would show your opened palm. He let the cold chain in your hand. You heard the clicking of the metal and wondered if that was real gold or some kind of painted metal.

But now that you had this, what were you supposed to do with it? It could be a useless accessory, for all you knew.

“This town holds more information on mermaids than you might think. You just need to know where to look. Not everything you might find is true, but, I have to admit, some humans have got close to us,” he let out the last part with some kind of sadness.

If you asked any questions, you knew that Taehyung would not answer them clearly. Even when he tried so hard to hide, be mysterious, you noticed certain things. You knew better not to test him or push your luck. Whatever he gave, you would have to work with it. So moments like these, where he would give information in exchange for nothing, were special and rare.

You looked at him, hoping for him to tell you more. His naked chest expanded while he turned his gaze to the night sky. He looked so lost in thought, maybe even memories. With his profile, unbelievably well-proportioned, being highlighted by the moon, you felt your eyes glued to his image. There was always something interesting to watch, to discover, being his tanned skin or the mole hidden between his inferior eyelashes. You could not lie and say that Taehyung was not a fair creature, but that was not a surprise. You may not be an expert, but if there was something you knew about mermaids it was that their beauty was undeniable, mermen were not the exception to that fact, you confirmed it after meeting Taehyung. The air around him seemed to buzz with the most elegant harmony you had ever heard and, even in the dark, he radiated a golden light. He was luminescent, all the time. A vibrating light followed his figure with every move. Such lively energy for a being so despicable.

Maybe you could learn a thing or two from him. The first one being; looks are deceiving.

“Look for information,” he simply added. “You might stop flinching every time I look at you if you know what you’re dealing with. You might also know the seriousness of my threats, too.”

You closed your hand around the bracelet. It was the only thing you could do if you thought about it. This pendant held more than what the eye could see, and if you wanted to get out of this alive, and save your grandfather in the process, you had to do whatever it took.

You could go home once Taehyung indicated you what he wanted you to do and told you, yet again, what would happen if you did not obey. According to him, he “did not want to be more time than necessary between impure humans, no offence.” Of course, you replied with a dry “not taken” because even when you were not sure what he and his people thought to know about humans, you could easily name a few things about your kind that fell on the category of vile.

Taehyung knew exactly what he wanted to learn, he did not hesitate to tell you point by point, which were simply three; friendship, family and love. If something came up in the middle of your lessons, he would ask, he informed you. You were just begging that it would not happen. The less you had to teach him, the faster he would go back to the depths of the sea to rule his underwater reign or whatever. You did not know him, at all, but something told you that Taehyung would be a cold-blooded king. He did not hesitate to make his point with you, you doubted it would be different somewhere else. And you did not know why, but you wondered if that was a good quality of him if you talked about being king.

Once in bed, you could not help but wonder about his world. How different it might be from yours, how humans affected it, because, surely, all those talks about global warming were not to be taken as a simple joke. Your world influenced theirs directly. But you also thought about his people. If Taehyung thought of you as such evil creatures, did the rest of them believe the same? Or were they just scared of the information they were given about humans?

That was when it hit you; they knew nothing about you, just as you knew nothing about them. When talking about knowledge of one another, it was like a dog chasing its own tail; someone had to step in, put an end to it, and Taehyung was doing just that, you guessed.

“Are you planning something for today?”

The already gooey cereal stared back at you until you decided you were done with it and pushed it away from you. The thought of you browsing books of mermaids and fairy tales, all under the gaze of these overly curious inhabitants of this town… Yeah, that seemed like a good way to spend your way if you did not want to die.

“I’m going to the bookstore,” you replied with a smile. And your throat still hurt. A lot. But you had you ignore it if you did not want questions you could not answer.

Your grandfather seemed excited by the idea, as his eyes lighted up and his lazy posture changed suddenly, as he leaned slightly over the table like he was about to tell you the juiciest secret ever.

“The best store in town is the one you went to yesterday,” he informed you with a wink, “Miss Kim has the rarest books, the ones that you can’t find on the internet, all for a good price. Tell her I sent you and she might lend them to you.”

Not that you were disappointed by the first thing he said, but when he mentioned Miss Kim, your eyes widened.

“You know her?” You asked, a little bit hesitant, to which he only replied with a shrug and a smile that annoyed you because of the lack of verbal confirmation.

You were under the impression that your grandfather never left his house unless he wanted to take a walk or to buy groceries, or something he needed with urgency, but with this new information, you were left in the dark. You had never thought of him as someone mysterious, but now you had to? Not that you blamed him. You were hiding things from him as well.

“That’s all I’m gonna get?” You asked again. “Fine. I’ll have to ask her, then.”

Another thing to look into, you would add it to the list.

The unforgiving sun was punishing you with all its force. Your cap seemed useless at this point. It just encapsulated the heat, and after a few minutes walking over the hot road, you started to wonder if your head could sweat this much, or if it could even sweat. Today, you had chosen to wear sneakers, not sandals, as you had gained a brand new appreciation for your feet over these three days. Once you thought you might lose one over a demon under a dock, there was no turning back from that, was there?

With your eyes literally on your feet, because you did not want to lose your sight by looking at the sky, you made your way to the book store. With Taehyung’s bracelet burning your skin from the back pocket of your shorts, just to make itself go noticed, you sighed. Luckily for you, you remembered the way well. Your life depended on it, so no biggie, right?

It was strange to walk around town and not to hear cars or people talking on their phones. You had grown used to the sounds and lights of the city. You could not quite decide if you liked it better or not. In the city, even when you had never thought of it as home like this town was, you never felt completely alone. Even when you tried to get away from everything and everyone, there was always the distant lights of the buildings, the cars, the busy streets to keep you company. Here, however, the only thing you received were dirty looks from silent people. In a town this small, everyone knew everyone, their story, some of their secrets, because they always get discovered one way or another. The story of the little girl who went to the city and came back years after. That must have been quite a piece of gossip when you left. So, you were sure they knew you were that girl. You were sure that they were wondering why you came back, and why your father was not with you.

It was weird to be in the middle of people who knew about you, but you knew nothing about.

“You came back?”

You turned around and found Namjoon, all dimples and baggy clothes that made you question his sanity and if his body felt how damn hot it was today. He walked towards you while he put his phone in his pocket. The height difference would have made you laugh if circumstances were different.

You nodded with your eyes on his. His smile grew only bigger, and you appreciated it.

“Glad to see you again, then. My grandmother is out, so…”

You already knew what was coming. He was going to say that you should come back another day, but the thing was, you did not have another day. You were meant to meet Taehyung tonight and give him his bracelet back. You could not let Namjoon say it.

“Is–” your voice cracked, and you noticed how Namjoon was taken back by your sudden interruption. You coughed to cover that up. “Is there any way that you could let me in? I wouldn’t ask, but I’m desperate.”

You could not stop to care about how pathetic you might have looked in Namjoon’s eyes, but it was not necessary because he let out a chuckle, his smile meeting his eyes, and reached his back pocket. The sound of metal clicking together had never felt so relieving.

“I was going to let you in, but hearing you beg is so much fun. Now, add a “please” and a “thank you” and I might open the door.”

“You’re enjoying my suffering, aren’t you?”

He hummed.

“Every part of it,” he confirmed. You glared at him and crossed your arms. Namjoon laughed. “Fine. Only ‘cause you came back.”

The moment you entered the store, the characteristic smell of old books hit you with full force. You had not noticed it before, but now you could see why your grandfather told you that this was the best bookstore in town (if there were more). Besides the numerous shelves full of books, they were also scattered all over the dusty floor, like they did not matter, forgotten.

“What were you looking for?” Namjoon asked while he closed the door behind him.

Hell, if you only knew...

The number of books was intimidating and you had not started yet.

The problem with Miss Kim’s book store was that it was a mess. There were books, of course, scented candles (some of them used), unlabelled boxes which awakened your curiosity. Without any help, you could be years looking for a trustful source of information. Something had told you that the internet was not going to be useful, so you chose to come here, but looking at this disaster, you were reconsidering reading that article on sea creatures you had found in liveyourfantasy.com.

No, books were more reliable.

“How many books do you have here?”

Namjoon frowned, surely asking himself why on earth would you be interested in that, but then shrugged.

“Grandma is always getting new books. The boxes are full of them.”

So that was what they contained. Now you were sure that there was no way you could find any book related to mermaids if you did it by yourself.

“Do you have anything about mermaids?”

Come to think of it, sea creatures were kind of one of the few attractions this little town had. Of course they were only a simple trick to lure tourists here, but you could not be the only one who had ever come here and asked for a book related to it. Although you were confident that Namjoon would not ask any questions, he allowed himself to look at you with a puzzled expression. And you could not exactly blame him. You had come here, desperate, and all for a book about mermaids? It seemed strange. You would have reacted the same way.

But anything Namjoon was thinking to ask, he shut it up, as he walked behind the desk and typed on the ancient computer covered in dust. It took some time, loaded with awkward coughs (mostly from you). While you waited, you stared at him. You noticed the eye bags, deep, that described an endless night. His messy hair confirmed it.

“Rough night?”

You did not know what came over you. Namjoon seemed like a nice guy, someone who you would like to be friends with if your situation was not so complicated. And maybe that was why you could not help but feel interested in him, in what he had done last night that kept him awake.

“I was actually with Yoongi and Jimin,” he answered with a smile, looking at you for just a second before returning his gaze to the computer screen.

“Your friends?”

“Yes. I asked them about that Kim Taehyung you told me about.”

You had completely forgotten about that little detail. Not that it mattered. Now you knew that his friends had never heard of Taehyung because he did not exist on the surface. All you had on him was his name… And the fact that he was a merman.

“Oh, well. Whatever they know...” you chuckled. Dismissing the subject, trying to make Namjoon forget all about it, that was what you wanted to do. “I gave up. I don’t think he’d like to meet me again, so–”

“What makes you say that?”

He sounded so surprised. He led all his attention to you. The atmosphere between shifted so quickly, it almost left you without air or words to say. One of the most sincere looks you had seen in a long time was Namjoon’s. Under it, you found yourself almost babbling as if you had done something wrong. He was waiting for your answer, though, so you pushed it out of your throat.

“No reason. Just a feeling,” you mumbled.

Once again, whatever he was thinking, he kept it to himself. That only made you even more interested in what his mind held. You could tell, there were a lot of things unsaid in that head of his and you wondered if he would ever speak them out, if he would feel relieved or regret it if someone hears them.

“Oh!” He exclaimed out of the blue. “We have some books about them, actually. Thought we had sold them all. Are you looking for tales...”

“Informative works, if that makes any sense?”

A few days ago, it would not have made any sense to you. Things could change so quickly around here, it was scary.

“Well, information…” he hummed, and with a few clicks of the mouse, he smiled. “The book is quite old, but we have it in pretty good conditions, considering.”

He walked to a random shelf and ran his finger through the spines of the books displayed until he found the one he was looking for. It was almost at the end, waiting to be held and given a look. An ancient, worn out book, all black, it was the kind of book that could have gone unnoticed easily.

As he checked it out to confirm it was, in fact, the book he was looking for, you read the spine of it. In golden, cursive letters, it read “Mysteries of the Sea”. Before handing it to you, Namjoon gave you a secretive look.

“This one is one of the oldest books we own. The author is unknown, but–”

“Unknown?”

You did not let him give it to you as a normal person would do, you just snatched it from his hands. It was heavy, and when you opened it, you realised that your first impressions were correct; the pages were yellow and a little crumpled. There were no chapters, just words and words with no division apart from paragraphs. It did not seem that it had an actual end.

As he had stated, there was no name of the author, which seemed strange. You had always thought that the best part of achieving something, like writing a book or directing a movie, was to put your name on it and make everyone remember it.

“I assume it was a woman the one who wrote it?” Namjoon suggested. “Some books were written by women, but their names are nowhere to be seen, it’s not uncommon.”

“Why?”

“With books this old, you can imagine, right? A woman writing and publishing her own work at that time? It would’ve brought embarrassment to her family.”

It sounded stupid, but the book felt much heavier after hearing that. There was no way you could confirm that story, but if it was true; if that woman truly wanted it published despite what her family might have thought, it had to be significant, something she had thought it may help others, not only her. In your mind, going against your family was not something you chose to do just because. There had to be something worth that courage.

With new determination, maybe even renewed hope, you clutched it against your chest.

“How much?”

Namjoon let out a long sigh, but smiled, and shrugged. “It’s yours if you want it.”

“But–”

“But, only if you promise to come back,” he finished your sentence.

“You mean to the bookstore or this town?”

“Let’s start with the bookstore,” he replied, “for now.”

The thing about Namjoon, he was sincere, he seemed sincere. He was the kind of person that made you trust. But not satisfied with that, the universe also gave him another quality; everything he said seemed like a promise. How many days had passed since you first met him? One. Nevertheless, he managed to make you feel like he had known you since forever.

And you could not say no to him. He had helped you a lot, and you actually enjoyed his company. Why would you say no? Because you did not want anyone involved with you until you could get rid of a certain someone.

The sound of the bell right above the door made you turn around. Two guys of the same height walked in with the same expression of confusion that you probably had. One of them, carrying a big paper bag, wet at the bottom, spotted dazzling blue hair and an oversized black shirt with ripped jeans and sandals of the same colour. The other one, three cups of soda in hand, looked straight out of a fairy tale, with pale pink hair and simpler clothes; a white t-shirt and black shorts and sandals.

“Who’s she?” One guy asked as he set the bag on the desk.

“Another grandchild,” Namjoon smiled. You belonged somewhere, even after you had left years ago, he made sure you knew that.

The answer seemed to be enough for him, because he looked at you, acknowledging your presence, and dropped all his weight on the chair. Unbothered, he proceeded to take out food from the bag; three complete burgers. When he noticed your stare, he lifted one close to your face.

“Want some?” A teasing tone that reminded you of Taehyung was not quite what you were expecting from a boy this short. It caught you off guard when a freezing shiver went down your spine.

Now, everyone in the room was looking at you. As much as you wanted to talk, your throat was shut, aching, itching. The pain made you simply shake your head.

“Yoongi, you’re making her uncomfortable,” Namjoon warned.

So he was Yoongi. Despite feeling like someone had punched your stomach, you gave him another look. He did not budge under your scrutiny. It was not hard to tell that he was a tough guy. Namjoon had come off like that too when you first met him, but he was fast to vanish that idea of him out of your head. Yoongi seemed like he was not going to do that any time soon. He even raised his eyebrows when he noticed that you were not redirecting your gaze elsewhere but his face.

“Whatever,” he finally said and broke eye contact with you.

“Well,” the other one, Jimin, you assumed, broke the tension, “if you’re another grandchild, join us!”

The bubbly personality of Jimin, which you were fast to notice, was so welcoming. You truly wanted to sit down, relax for a second, feel like Hoseok and Jungkook were with you again, but could you really do that when you felt Taehyung breathing down your neck?

“You can tell us more about that Kim Taehyung?” Namjoon suggested.

“Oh, so she’s the one you talked to us about?” Jimin exclaimed. He glanced between you and Namjoon. “Now, I see it.”

Namjoon cleared his throat and left the table saying something along the lines of “I’ll get you chairs.”

He was gone, and you could already feel Yoongi and Jimin’s curiosity drown the room. They wanted to ask about Taehyung, you knew that. Whatever they asked, though, you were sure you would never be able to answer. You were also looking for answers and the book that Namjoon had just given you might hold some, you hoped.

As you sat down on the chair Namjoon provided, you tried to avoid Yoongi and Jimin’s gaze. It was not like you did not understand why they were so curious about you. You were kind of expecting Namjoon so ask more questions, but you were grateful that he had not crossed that line yet. And even he did, there was nothing you could do, actually. You felt like running away as far as your legs would take you, but the thought of Taehyung being somewhere in the shadows, waiting for you to be alone was enough to clear your head from those runaway ideas. You were in that funny position where you did not feel safe anywhere.

“What you got there?” Yoongi asked, still chewing his burger, as he pointed at the book you were still pressing against your chest.

“She’s actually interested in mermaids and all that jazz,” Namjoon answered before you could.

Yoongi raised his eyebrows, still looking at you and you felt how your cheeks turned red and warm under those dark eyes.

“You sure you’re from here? Only tourists are interested in that crap.”

“Yoongi!” Jimin butted in.

“What? That’s the only reason people ever come here!”

You wished you could be like Yoongi, so clueless. The way he said things, like there were not a big deal, was something you envied. He walked around, no worries on his mind, not looking over his shoulder every time he heard something suspicious in the bushes. That was a luxury you could not afford anymore. Thinking it through just confirmed it; you could not bring new people to your life. It did not matter how nice they seemed, or how safe they made you feel. You could not include them in your mess.

“Leave her alone, Yoongi,” Namjoon chuckled. “She’s one of us now.”

But it was too late for that.

“It hurts to see her. When the sea is so calm, silent and transparent, it hurts to see her rise to the surface because I know she will have to go back in an hour or two, if I am lucky enough.  Her kind is mysterious. I know it because she doesn’t like to talk about her world underwater. I accept it because I choose to believe that with time, she will warm up to me and tell me all about her, her life, her dreams. Everything my heart desires is to know more about her. It was not only about her people anymore. It was just about her. All my life, I’ve been wondering why are people so interested in mermaids. It took about five minutes with her for me to finally understand the fuzz over these beings. I noticed that every once in a while, she would accidentally slip up some detail about herself. I try to remember them all, but they are so simple that it only makes me want to cry whenever I try to put them on paper and fail miserably due to my poor memory. I can’t bring my dairy to out meetings in the dock. If she ever found out that I’m writing about her, she would be so furious. I’m scared that she won’t want to see me ever again if she finds out. Nevertheless, I choose to write about her. My life is boring, as you might have assumed. She is the only thing that keeps me from falling on a monotonous spiral of useless and meaningless tasks like going grocery shopping or helping with the bookstore. Sometimes I wonder if I’m as special to her as she is to me. Maybe I’m what she needs to scape her world. In the mornings, I often think about the reasons why she would ignore the dangers and come back to me. My world is not ready for her kind. I’m still getting used to her, how she looks, how different it feels to have her around. The mere thought of someone finding out about her existence is enough to keep these words to myself, under my bed.  She often tells me that the ocean can be even crueller than the surface. She warns me that if I get too close to them, it might be dangerous. I don’t care, that’s what I always tell her. We always find a spot, a limit where both of our worlds meet so we can see each other. But I’m scared that the more I see her, the closer I get to touch her, the needier I’ll be…”

#bts #bts taehyung #bts v #bts jimin #bts yoongi #bts rm #bts namjoon #bts suga #bts jungkook #bts seokjin #bts jin #bts jhope #bts hoseok #bts fluff #bts smut #bts angst #bts reactions #bts reaction #bts scenario #bts scenarios #bts fic #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bangtan #bts texts #bts fake texts #bts chat #bts fake chat #bts writing #bts underwater

[millennial-star-gazer]

The Draconic Demon Within(Reupload from cosmicdragonwizard accounts): Chapter:2

The Draconic Demon Within (Originally for Nalu Lovefest 2017 on previous celestialgeekmage accounts and Angst Week 2015 on Twishadowhunter/teamedwardjace2 in the past and Vera's April 2018 prompt challenge on cosmicdragonwizard account )

Genres: Drama/Angst, Hurt/Comfort,Romance, Friendship/Family New Adult Fanfiction

Vera's April 2018 Prompts: Soul, Empyrean, Savage, Memory, Trust, Fear, Unstoppable , Resilient, Supernatural (Implied) Lost (Implied) and Loathing.

Nalu Lovefest 2017 Prompts: Dreams

Pairing: Nalu/EndLu,( Natsu x Lucy/ E.N.D. x Lucy)

Rating: M for language, steamy and mature adult sexual content (all consensual) in these and future chapters. Reader Direction is advised.(You have been warned!)

Summary: Now faced with the reality of who he is truly is, the son of Igneel must come to terms  with the new  emerging, darker  instincts of his new demonic identity- all while navigating through his ever-growing, intense feelings for a particular celestial wizard. Originally a Submission (semi -au) for Nalu lovefest 2017 (on my previous celestialgeekmage account. (Also was on my earliest previous accounts of teamedwardjace/Twishadowhunter in the past. Also part of Vera's April 2018 prompt challenge from fic-writers appreciation on cosmicdragonwizard)

Chapter 2: Incinerate: A Demon's Protective Rage

A/N: Hey all, here's the next installment of The Draconic Demon Within! It was originally part of what was a longer first chapter, but has since been further revised and divided into more chapters (along with others)— enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: You know I unfortunately don't own Fairytail which belongs to the most Hiro-sensei instead!

Read More Here:

1. The Draconic Demon Within

A. Tumblr:

Prologue and Chapter: 1 (Click Here:)  or here: (https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/179816192273/the-draconic-demon-within-reupload-from/amp?)

    Chapter:2

Chapter: 3 (Click Here:) (or here: https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/185917542578/the-draconic-demon-within-chapter-3)

Chapter: 4 (Click Here:) (or here: https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/614628807073251328/the-draconic-demon-within-chapter-4-a-demons)

B. Fanfiction (Click Here:) (or here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13113898/1/The-Draconic-Demon-Within-Reupload-from-cosmicdragonwizardaccounts)

C. A03(Click Here:) (or here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17365061/chapters/40861472)

2. Tantric Flames  (To Be Added Later)

3. Grey Days

A. Tumblr  (Click Here:) (or here: https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/179767381833/grey-days-reuploadfrom-dragon-shield-maiden/amp?)

B. Fanfiction  (Click Here:) (or here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13112482/1/Grey-Days-Reupload-from-dragon-shield-maiden)

4. The Rest of My Writing

A. Master Fic Rec Post (Click Here): (or  here: https://millennial-star-gazer.tumblr.com/post/179665258923/master-fic-rec-post

Legend:

Italics: Mainly Flashbacks

Bold: First Person Thoughts

Bolded Italics (Within and Outside Bracket): A/N: (Author's Notes)

"And she's thinking of rage, like an ember or a burning acid swallowing up her knotted viscera. Blindness like the kind that leads men to perpetrate horrors, animal drunkenness, the jungles of the mind. "

(Alden Bell: The Reapers Are The Angels, Reaper Series)

"If you lay a hand on her, I will destroy you.  I will rip your head off with my bare hands and watch you burn in the sun ."

(Dimitri Belikov: Vampire Academy, Book 1)

(What'd you know? Found two quotes that really fit the overall tone of this chapter again)

" You okay Natsu?"

Lucy's gentle call of Natsu's name broke through his reverie bringing his attention back to the present."

"Yeah Luce, just trying to figure out how to wrap my head around all this" came Natsu's reply, sincere words nothing but reassuring. The dragonslayer knew he mostly wasn't one to lie, but also didn't wish to run the of risk alarming his best friend any further than she was .

Besides, I am actually okay—for the most part . Just gotta try and stay positive for Lucy's sake.

Natsu did notice however, that if he concentrated just enough, he could actually will the newly-sprouted leathery wings to retract just enough until they were gone completely— a tremendous relief if nothing to say the least .

"What about you? How are ya ' holding up?"

"Not entirely well, but a bit better with you here . "

"I know, it's a lot to take in right now—believe me. But I promise we're gonna be okay."

"There's not a doubt in my mind but what're we going to do?"

"We'll figure it—"

The sound of approaching footsteps echoing on stone broke through their conversation putting Natsu's senses on high alert. It was then to the realization dawned upon the fire demon that in all the mayhem, he'd forgotten they weren't alone; mentally cursing himself for having let such a critical fact slip his mind. Not to mention the sinking knot in settling the pit of his stomach when it was the demon Tempester, Natsu lifted his head to see striding towards them with a sinister expression; which raised his hackles enough for his lips to pull back revealing a flash of canines in a savage show of teeth.

"What do you think you're doing?!" He growled, a flare of stonecold fury ticking through scarlet eyes, The sound of his warning was downright ferocious, not to mention lethal with the threat of violence if the other etherious even so much as tried to lay a hand on Lucy. "Stay the hell away from us!"

Tempester merely raised a hand in response as if to silence him, clearly not deter any of Natsu's feral growls ripping from his chest.

"Easy there Lord E.N.D— no need to be so hostile" The etherious's voice was seemingly unruffled , a chillingly stark contrast to the malicious smile gracing his lips—so much so it sent off alarm bells off in Natsu's head. "I only wished to officially welcome you to our ranks as Master for which congratulations are in order. You've finally returned home to us, all while starting to realize your true potential in the process—though we didn't know it was you at first. Still, it's good to have you back after being away so long Now allow me to be of service by disposing of the celestial wizard for you as an act of good faith."

The thinly- veiled threat kicked Natsu's already fiercely protective instincts to keep Lucy safe into high-gear, manifesting in another guttural snarl of bestial proportions he let loose when his arms automatically tightened against her of their own accord at the same time.

"Touch her you bastard and I swear I'll burn ya' to a crisp!"

If he even tries anything... I swear to God...

Something strange seemed to stirring within Natsu just then, the infinite possibilities of all the unimaginable amount of the blood he could spill if the other demon didn't heed the warning ; appealing to a darker part of him that was once dormant. His words clearly seemed to fall on deaf ears however, when Tempester took another step forward—which only served to make the dragonslayer's blood boil.

"Hey! didn't you hear what I just said? stay back—don't come any closer!" Natsu hissed, baleful voice laced with venom that bordered on lethal. "Unless you want me to incinerate you you stand." One of his hands not pressed against Lucy's back was immediately engulfed in flames to empathize his point at the same time.

Pretty sure I could quite literally roast this guy if I have to. I'm not afraid to have little blood on my hands if it means protecting Lucy.

The ominous-sounding, residual, voice Natsu heard earlier seemed to stir again ; whispers echoing in the recesses his mind of just how easy it would be to set Tempester blaze, quite literally going up in flames without so much as being touched. Thoughts swimming, tempting Zeref's most powerful etheriouswith sadistic images of sizzling flesh melting off bone, blood vessels rupturing, liquified internal organs being broiled from the inside out until there was nothing left of the worthless lesser demon- scum known as Calamity but a charred pile of ashes. Oh the demon lord thirsted for this bastard's blood, how he's—-

Wait— just what the hell am I thinking?! Natsu railed against himself. I may be a demon, but I'm not some bloodthirsty monster! Butchering people like that ain't my style—not anymore anyway. God... what's wrong with me? Still , I'm gonna keep Lucy safe regardless of who or what I am.

"Master, if you just hand the girl over me I promise to make her death as swift and painless as possible."

Tempester's coldblooded voice snapped the fire wizard out of his reverrie.

"Not a chance ! There's no way in hell that I'm giving Lucy up to you!"

"Oh? Is that you already exercising your authority I hear?" Tempester praised, words pulling the corner of lips up into a smirk as if caught was between genuine amusement and pride. "I'm impressed."

"Yeah? Well that's just too damn bad, cuz I couldn't give a crap bout being your stupid master!"

" Yes, well, you might feel that way now but you'll change your mind— you'll see. It's only a matter of time before you realize who you're truly meant to be and help restore our guild. Not to mention remake this pathetic world in our image."

It was then that Lucy finally opted to speak up who no doubt probably had been watching the tense encounter with uneasy eyes up until this point.

"You're clearly out of your mind if that's what you think Natsu is all about!" She seethed , honey-brown eyes, alight with a obstinate fire. "Don't you dare you talk about Natsu as if you know him! He's not the monster you say he is—not anymore!"

"Oh really? That so, little girl?" Tempester's scoffed , disdain colouring his patronizing tone. " Now tell me— why should I listen to pointless chatter from a pathetic human like you ?

"Cuz she's right,"The son of Igneel's words rang with steely conviction when he chimed in response to the other etherious . "And definitely not pathetic. In fact, hearing you run your god damn rotten mouth about her like that makes me want to help her bash your ugly face in." Hearing Lucy's words of faith was honestly enough for his heart to trill, Tempester's of utter contempt in regards to his best friend for his blood to boil; All in all, steeling his nerves for combat.

"Yeah? I'd sure as hell like to see that!"

"Oh, you will— trust me."

His body automatically steeling himself for battle, Natsu pledged a vow to keep his the celestial mage safe from harm.

No matter what happens, I swear I'm gonna do whatever it takes to protect Lucy and to fight this darker part of me for everyone's sake . I will prove this Calamity bastard who think he knows me wrong, not to mention make everyone I love and care for proud— especially Igneel, Lucy and Happy.

To Be Continued 

Fic tag squad:  @writer-appreciation  @soprana-snap  @phoenix-before-the-flame     @nunnatheinsanegerbil @mautrino @rougescribe @goddesofimortality @phoenix-before-the-flame  @nalufever  @petri808 @thecelestialchick @nalu-natic  @superdomo360 @pyroandtheprincess  @rayhneatess  @nothingbutwordsstuff  @petri808  @thecelestialchick  @chiire  @nalufever @shootingstarssel  @chamilsanya  @rougescribe  @lover-of-the-light117

A/N: That's Chapter 2 folks-hope you all enjoyed and don't forget to leave a review ! The next chapter should be up ASAP once I'm able to begin work on it. In the meantime, feel free to check out my other works including Tantric Flames (with the writing process for Chapter 6 underway). (Respective links above along with the rest of my writing in tumblr post, side bars and bio of my blog of on tumblr . Also on Fanfiction profile of the same name except as MillenialStargazer ). All right y'all, that's all for now! Many thanks to all those who've been supporting me and my writing thus far—stay tuned for more! Peace out!

#Fairytail #FT Fanfic #nalu #natsu x lucy #e.n.d natsu x lucy #natsu dragneel #etherious natsu dragneel #lucy heartfilia #tempester #my writing #reupload #cosmicdragonwizard #please reblog #submit to writer-appreciation #enjoy #millennial-star-gazer #millennial stargazer writes

[dellaliz19]

Black Panther movie review: spoilers!

So, I just went and saw Black Panther and yes, it deserves all the praise it’s getting. So, you know the drill, pros and (few) cons, here we go!

Pros:

1) The general look of Wakanda is stunning. It’s a perfect blend of “city of the future meets African heritage” and it’s just amazing to see it brought to life. The technology is visually so engaging, and it’s great that so much of the sets are really utilized. The fight in the mine with the train, for example is a really efficient way to not just have a fight in an empty field (or airport 😐) but to actually make use of the premise you’ve set up.

2) Shuri is perfect and that is final. But seriously, Shuri is such a great character. Her relationship with T’Challa feels so real. The scene with her remote driving the car while T’Challa is on top of it is some of the most amazing and imaginative team work I’ve ever seen on film, and it was great. And it’s fantastic that her intellect and technical skill are so celebrated, and that no one ever looks down on her for it. As a woman myself in a STEM field, I’m all for celebrating smart, capable women of science and Shuri is a great role model for little girls. Also, she’s the Queen of Memes, and I love her.

3) The Dora Miljae. The powerful women don’t stop with Shuri: the Dora Miljae are finally on full display, and I’m so on board with it! I love that the King’s personal guard are these strong, capable women, who kick some serious freaking ass. Point these ladies in the direction of Thanos and then just give everyone else the day off, they’ve got it handled.

4) Andy Serkis is clearly having the time of his life. His Ulysses Klaue is the fun, devil may care kind of villain the MCU could use some more of. He’s irreverent, in it for the money and just loving every second of being a bad guy. Thematically, I understand why he had to die, but damn, he was just so much fun to watch. I know Serkis is the undisputed motion capture king, but can we please let him act more with his real face?!

5) Speaking of villains the MCU could use more like, Eric Killmonger is the perfect villain for this story. His arc was personal and related to T’Challa: he was the dark mirror image of who T’Challa could be, and Michael B Jordan hit it out of the park. I can’t say I ever rooted for him, but I definitely identified with his belief that the powerful have a responsibility to protect the marginalized. I think it’s important that the movie made it clear that it wasn’t so much his ideology that was wrong, but his methods, and that that hatred had warped his ideals somewhat: that he had killed his own people and that he wanted to punish the world. And it was important to that it was clear that his beliefs impacted and helped change and shape T’Challa’s own actions. Killmonger was the “we make our own demons” villain finally done right, and his last line was so powerful and so in character.

6) Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross finally found his rhythm. He’s clearly the story’s comedic “straight man” but he was really well integrated into the narrative, and he never feels out of place or takes up too much screen time. His hero moment in the flight drone thing was a really fitting culmination to his character developed in this movie, and I’d enjoy seeing him in more MCU movies.

7) Danai Gurira’s Okoye is a definite stand out character. She gets great fight scenes, is compelling and wise and she’s a fabulously funny character as well. I would let her kick my ass any freaking day of the week.

8) Suprise Sterling K. Brown is always a treat. I loved his scenes in the spirit world with his son, and his flashbacks in the apartment were really powerful. In very short order we’re made to feel his entire arc, and how his living amongst oppressed people of his own race affected his ideology and his struggle to reconcile that with his loyalty to his country and his brother and that’s very much due to the strength of Brown’s performance.

8) Winston Duke’s M’Baku is definitely the other stand out character. He’s introduced in this very brutal, no nonsense way, and somehow he ends up being the funniest character by the end? His “I’m just kidding we’re vegetarians” line got an honestly to gosh snort out of me, and he was a great story beat in showing the traditional side of Wakanada vs the technological side, and how T’Challa will be a different king than his father.

9) It was nice to see Bucky, but to only have him be the post credits stinger. It’s clearly establishing why he’s awake and around for Infinity War, but I’m glad he wasn’t in the whole movie. Black Panther really let T’Challa and it’s characters be the star, and including Ross was a good way to tie it into the MCU without taking that focus away from where it needed to be.

10) Honestly, the whole cast does great work with their characters. Chadwick Boseman has really made T’Challa his own, and he’s a great character. Angela Basset is always good, and Lupita Nyong’o is also fantastic. I especially like that, for a Marvel romance, she and T’Challa don’t waste time on the will they/won’t they. They find a common goal, and then they’re united. I like it. Another.

Cons (these are pretty minor!)

1) Vibranium is starting to feel like “fairy dust.” Have a problem? Vibrainium will fix it. Shot in the spine? Stick a ball of that in there! (also, like T’Challa couldn’t take two seconds to throw a little of that Rhodey’s way?) Want to make super holograms? Use some of that. And so on. This one isn’t a massive point to me: clearly the in universe explaination is that the secret government white guys in the 40’s only had imaginations large enough to make a frisbee out of it, but it does almost reach the point of feeling like a writing crutch. Vibrainium does everything, so sure, it can do that thing! Again, not major for me, because the world Wakanda paints is so cool, but it did kind of bug me.

2) Forrest Whitaker’s wise man mentor Zuri is fine, but he’s probably the character most unchanged from his general stereotype. He’s a shaman, he’s wise, he dies. His character history is good though and very thematically relevant, and Whitaker does a good job with what he’s given.

3) Daniel Kaluuya’s W’Kabi could have used a little bit more background, especially in regards to his relationship with Okoye. He’s basically only given the motivation of wanting Klaue dead, and when Killmonger delivers him that he’s just suddenly on board with all this world conquering and murder in a way that seems out of proportion for the character we’ve seen. And he and Okoye really needed more introduction to their relationship, given that their falling on either sides of this civil war is a significant plot point. All we get is her calling him “my love” and he returning it: that meeting on the battlefield would have been a lot more powerful if we’d been able to see them be domestic and interact.

4) The bloodlessness. This isn’t the director or the movie’s fault really, it’s the MPAA but the fact that PG-13 movies can’t have too much blood is...kind of noticeable here. I think it might be because the Dora Miljae all use penatrative weapons and many other characters do as well, but if you have a giant fight with spears and no one is bleeding then it feels a little bit...empty. Like, Killmonger slits the throat of one of the Dora in front of Okoye there’s no blood. Again, I get why it’s happening, and I’m not blaming the movie, but it’s something that I definitely noticed, and although I’m not asking for gore I felt the total lack of blood detracted a little of the realness from the fights.

Obviously, Black Panther is a movie that has a very deliberate point to make about race. And, I say this as a white woman: I’m so glad it does. As a woman, watching Wonder Woman was an incredibly empowering and momentous thing for me. To be able to see a story about a strong, powerful good woman on screen - someone I could identify with, and picture myself as - made me feel like I could do anything, and I think everyone, no matter your race, colour, creed, gender, sexual orientation, should get to have that moment. And so no, Black Panther wasn’t going to be a movie that gave me that moment, but I’m so, so glad it’s clearly doing so for so many people. Black Panther is a movie that celebrates black excellence and also tells an engaging and powerful story, and I’m happy to be able to enjoy and celebrate that with everyone.

So, final verdict: 9/10 for me. In a universe that is getting increasingly crowded and teetering on the edge of fatigued, Black Panther is something new and different and wonderful that everyone can enjoy.

Bonus: best lines.

“WHAT ARE THOSE?!?”

“Are we in Wakanda?” “No, we’re in Kansas.”

“Don’t freeze.” “I never freeze.” Lands. Freezes. “Ngh...hi.”

“Bury me in the ocean with all my ancestors who jumped from the ships because they knew drowning was better than living in bondage.”

“No tears for me?” “Nah, everybody dies. That’s just how life is around here.”

“Are you recording this?” “For science.” T’Challa flies across the room. “Delete that clip!”

“What, do you have a mixtape coming out?” “I can send you a SoundCloud link if you want?” “Please don’t make me listen to your music.”

“Oh good, another broken white boy for us to fix!”

“If he touches you again, I am going to impale him to that desk.”

Also if Infinity War doesn’t include a scene where Tony Stark ends up in Shuri’s lab and she’s like, “aw, that’s so cute, your hologram reminds me of the stuff I was making when I was 5,” while Tony loudly just loses his geek mind, then what even is the point of it all?

#black panther #t’challa #okoye #dora milaje #m’baku #w’kabi #erik killmonger #ulysees klaue #michael b jordan #lupita nyong'o #ryan coogler #bucky barnes #mcu #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #martin freeman #everett ross #princess shuri #shuri #chadwick boseman #leticia wright #andy serkis #infinity war

[differentnutpeace]

The Future Of The Pandemic In The U.S.: Experts Look Ahead

A year after the pandemic shut down the country, a growing number of infectious disease experts, epidemiologists, public health officials and others have started to entertain a notion that has long seemed out of reach: The worst of the pandemic may be over for the United States. หวย บอล เกมส์ สล็อต คาสิโนออนไลน์

No one thinks that's guaranteed by any means. There are many ways the pandemic could resurge. But many say it's becoming increasingly possible that the end may finally be in sight.

Even experts who have raised the alarm about the severity of the COVID-19 crisis nonstop for more than a year are optimistic.

"The worst may in fact be behind us," says Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown School of Public Health, one of more than 20 people interviewed by NPR for this story. "To be able to say: 'I think, [I'm] cautiously optimistic that the worst may be behind us?' Boy, that does feel really good."

Now, to be clear, more than 50,000 people are still getting infected daily with the coronavirus and hundreds are dying. So there's a great deal of sickness and suffering still in store for the country before the pandemic ends.

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And the newfound optimism comes with three big caveats: The worst may be over if too many people don't let down their guard too fast, if the more dangerous variants don't make cases surge before enough people get vaccinated, and if the vaccination campaign doesn't stumble badly.

But if none of those problems occurs, life could slowly but steadily return to something much more normal.

The optimism is based on the rapid ramp-up of the vaccination campaign combined with the fact that a significant proportion of the country already has some immunity from being exposed to the virus, and the warmer weather that is linked to slower viral spread.

"If all goes well, if we stick by the public health measures, if we effectively vaccinate, I think we are looking at a brighter future over the next several months. That's entirely conceivable and probably likely," says Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Now, not everyone is quite ready to say the worst might be over. Several experts worry about the more contagious variants combining with too many communities lifting mask mandates and other restrictions and too many people letting down their guard, especially over spring break and Easter.

"I'm worried," says Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. "If you wanted to put all the viral ingredients in one big mixing bowl to cause them to transmit in ways that would be very damaging to us, do what we're doing right now."

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In fact, new hot spots may already be emerging, especially in Michigan and other parts of the Midwest, and in the Northeast, including New York City and New Jersey. Not only has infections started increasing in dozens of state, but hospitalizations may have also started creeping up again in at least a dozen states, according to new data from Pinar Karaca-Mandic and her team at the University of Minnesota COVID-19 Hospitalization Tracking Project.

But while most experts agree that there's still a sword of Damocles hanging over the nation's hopes, most think that the country could avoid another big surge such as the one that occurred over the winter.

"There are nightmare scenarios that we can paint out. And I can't say that those are such remote possibilities that we can dismiss them," says Jeffrey Shaman, an infectious disease researcher at Columbia University. "But I do think that this was probably the worst, and it will continue to go down."

Here's a road map to what we can expect for the future of the pandemic in the United States.

Late spring and summer: a cautious return to social life

Experts NPR spoke to predict that this spring, as more people are vaccinated, more people may be able to return safely to stores, restaurants and work, more children could return to in-person learning, and small groups of fully vaccinated people can get together for dinner parties indoors without masks.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently issued guidelines that say vaccinated people can already start to get together that way.

And if case counts continue to decline and vaccination rates increase, many public health authorities think the summer could be even better.

"Life will get better for sure," says Ali Mokdad at the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. "We will see more grandparents visiting and hugging their grandchildren. More restaurants will open. We will see sport events. Weddings. Church and religious events. We will have summer camp for kids. People will travel more."

In fact, Mokdad says, he has plans to fly to see his mother.

Still, Mokdad stresses that activities such as summer camps could only probably safely operate with precautions, such as random testing, mask-wearing and open windows to provide fresh air.

And Americans still need to be careful: Hot spots could flare up due to the variants, people getting careless and triggering superspreader events, and among pockets of people who haven't gotten vaccinated.

"Specific communities may see a resurgence because of the variants — there may be hot spots," says Caitlin Rivers, an epidemiologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. "But I don't think there will be another wave like we saw in the winter."

Fall: Schools reopen, and life starts feeling almost normal

By the fall, while young children still won't be vaccinated because scientists have just started testing the vaccines on them, their teachers hopefully will be. So in places where infections are low, schools should be pretty safe, experts told NPR.

Students will probably still wear masks and may still need to keep their distance from one another. But hopefully no more slogging through school on laptops at the kitchen table for most kids.

Experts predict in-person schools will be able to open widely around the country by fall. Some places already have, such as Medora Elementary School in Louisville, Ky.

Jon Cherry/Getty Images

"I am counting on it, and I'm thrilled," says Jennifer Nuzzo, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, who has a 7-year-old son. "Seven-year-olds aren't supposed to spend their entire days on a computer."

Researchers such as Fauci hope that more aspects of our day-to-day lives could edge back closer to pre-pandemic times.

"It is conceivable, and probably likely, by the time we get to the fall — late fall, early winter, by the end of this year — that we have a gradual but very noticeable and important return to some form of normality," Fauci says.

Winter: Brace for another possible surge — and booster shots

Some experts worry the virus could follow a seasonal pattern like the flu and surge again in the late fall or early winter. And that threat may be even greater because of the variants, especially the strains originally spotted in South Africa and Brazil that appear to be better at evading natural immunity and the vaccines.

The vaccine works against the U.K. variant, says Mokdad of the University of Washington, so with more vaccination, other variants may become dominant. "And by winter we assume these two will become the dominant one unless we have more that show up. And they will cause more infections and more mortality."

But even if there is no new winter surge, the virus won't be gone. It just hopefully won't be causing anything like the suffering that's already occurred.

It could, however, still be causing significant problems in parts of the world that haven't gotten vaccinated, which could spawn new, even more dangerous variants that could travel to the United States.

As a result, the country will probably need new versions of the vaccines for the variants and booster shots. And many experts say it's crucial that the U.S. help the rest of the world vaccinate as quickly as possible, too.

"If we don't get rid of this thing everywhere, it's going to just come back and get us again," says Robert Murphy, executive director of Northwestern University's Institute for Global Health. "The virus will continue to mutate. This is really a worldwide problem."

The pandemic's aftereffects

But even if the country is on the road out of this, the impact has been tremendous, and the aftereffects are likely to be long-lasting, many experts say.

"This pandemic is right up there as a world-changing event. It has already had a profound impact on society, on basic questions like the nature of our social interactions. It's already shaped and reshaped this particular generation," says Keith Wailoo, a historian at Princeton University. "And the ripple effects are likely to play out for years, perhaps even decades to come."

The pandemic revealed some deep problems, such as how society treats older people, poor people and people of color.

"Pandemics create what some people have called a kind of stress test for all of the weaknesses and vulnerabilities and fault lines of societies, and I think that's been especially true of COVID-19," says Allan Brandt, a historian at Harvard University.

It could change so many parts of our lives. Our homes. Our work. Travel. How we touch each other. Will the elbow bump replace the handshake for good?

Online schooling and social distancing have taken a toll on kids and adults during the pandemic. The aftereffects of such widespread social challenges may be felt for years, experts say.

Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

"There's a whole realm of everyday interpersonal practices that are going to be, you know, very, very hard to revisit and redevelop easily, like handshaking and kissing and hugging," Wailoo says. "Or even walking closely together with friends and laughing together. All of these things today carry the stigma of disease transmission."

The Black Death led to the Renaissance. The 1918-19 flu pandemic gave way to the roaring '20s. We've just begun the new '20s. It's impossible to know what world will emerge as the virus recedes. But it seems pretty clear we'll be hearing the echoes of this pandemic for a long time.

"The disruptions to our economy, to our sense of safety in the world are of an order that our established ways of thinking are likely to undergo some pretty significant changes," says Nancy Tomes, a historian at Stony Brook University.

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Stop Motion Technical

What are the four most important rules for creating stop motions?

DON'T bump the camera.

DON'T change your camera settings.

DON'T alter your lighting.

DO shoot some test frames.

DO try to complete each scene without interruption.

DO take more shots than you think you'll need.

What equipment do you need?

You need your props (subject of the video) could be food, an ornament etc, you need a tripod to stop any uneven or any bumpy photographs, you need a table or a steady surface to place your objects on and you may also use an app on your phone to control your camera settings so you don't have to touch your camera which may cause shaking. 

What are the standard resolutions for (resolution Width x Height e.g. 6000 x 4000):

• a TV at home - 

480p Standard 720x480

• HD (high Definition TV) - 

The most common native resolution for a high-definition TV screen is 1920 x 1080.

• UHD (Ultra High Definition TV) - 

3840 x 2160 (UHD) resolutions as standard

• a Laptop you use- 

 MacBook Air models introduced in 2018 or later. Native resolution: 2560 x 1600 at 227 pixels per inch.

• a Desktop PC you use- 

19-inch screen (standard ratio): 1280 x 1024 pixels. 20-inch screen (standard ratio): 1600 x 1200 pixels.

• a top spec iMac- 

The 5K 27-inch ‌iMac‌ has a resolution of 5120 by 2880, while the 4K 21.5-inch ‌iMac‌ has a resolution of 4096 x 2304, and both models feature 500 nits brightness and wide color support for vivid, vibrant colors and impeccable picture quality.

• a smart Phone you use?

The iPhone 8 Plus has a 5.5-inch screen, which isn't especially big by today's standards. The iPhone 8 Plus' resolution is 1,920 x 1,080 with a pixel density of 401ppi.

What does the term ‘Aspect Ratio’ mean?

The ratio of the width to the height of an image or screen.

For the below screens, what are the different aspect ratio’s?

• a TV at home- 

All TVs sold today have an aspect ratio of 16:9, which means that if the width is divided into 16 equal parts, the height of the TV or picture should be 9 parts

• HD (high Definition TV)-

16:9 (1.77:1) is a widescreen aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9.

• UHD (Ultra High Definition TV)

On the television side, Ultra-High Definition (UHD) was developed using the same number of horizontal lines of resolution as 4K (2160), but using the standard HDTV aspect ratio of 16:9 (or about 1.78:1). So the full resolution of a UHD display is 3840 by 2160 (or 256 pixels narrower than Cinema 4K).9 Sept 2015.

• a Laptop you use

Most current Macbook laptops other than the 11" Air use 16:10.

• a Desktop PC you use

As of 2016, most computer monitors use widescreen displays with an aspect ratio of 16:9, although some portable PCs use narrower aspect ratios like 3:2 and 16:10 while some high-end desktop monitors have adopted ultrawide displays.

• a top spec iMac

The 27" iMac display has a physical size of approximately 23.5" x 13.2" which is 16:9 aspect ratio.

• a smart Phone you use?

iPhone 8 Plus - 736 × 414  (16:9)

What is the PPI for the below devices?

• a TV at home - 

13.3"

PPI

262.25

Resolution -3200 x 1800

Device - Samsung Ativ Q

• HD (high Definition TV) -

 A 24 inches display that shows a Full HD image (1920×1080) has a density equal to 91,79 PPI.

• UHD (Ultra High Definition TV)- 

At 100% magnification, the 3840 x 2160 pixel UHD 4K resolution can be fully utilised, but the pixel density is around 140 ppi, and the pixel pitch is about 0.18 mm

• a Laptop you use

MacBook Air 11 11.6 1366x768 (135.094)

• a Desktop PC you use- 

When it comes to PC displays, most products have a pixel density of about 96 ppi to match the display density of 96 dpi (dots per inch) which has been the standard for the Windows desktop UI.

• a top spec iMac

iMac 27 27 2560x1440 (108.786)

• a smart Phone you use?

iPhone 7/8 Plus 5.5 1920x1080 (400.528)

The number of Frames Per Second (FPS) can vary, research commonly used FPS for Stop Motion / Animation / Video and consider the effect this has visually?

Most moving images you watch are shot at 24 frames per second or thirty frames per second. Which give a smoother, more steady effect when watching your film. When you're shooting stop motion, you might not have time to shoot that many, but you can get away with shooting 12 frames per second or even 7-10 frames per second if you are okay with a little bit of a jerky style.

The most common use of Stop Motion is probably in Social Media, what are the recommended aspect ratios & Resolutions & FPS for the below:

• Instagram - 

Videos should be vertical (not landscape) with an aspect ratio of 9:16. Videos should have a minimum frame rate of 30 FPS (frames per second) and minimum resolution of 720 pixels. The maximum file size is 4 GB.

• Facebook

Minimum width: 120 pixels

Supported aspect ratios: 16:9 (horizontal) to 9:16 (full portrait)

 Facebook recommends uploading videos in .MP4 and .MOV format with H.264 compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+. Videos can be up to 240 minutes long, up to 4GB large, and have a maximum frame rate of 30fps.

• YouTube

Content should be encoded and uploaded in the same frame rate it was recorded. Common frame rates include 24, 25, 30, 48, 50, 60 frames per second (other frame rates are also acceptable).

The standard aspect ratio for YouTube on a computer is 16:9.

Interlaced content should be deinterlaced before uploading. 

• Vimeo

Your video's resolution can vary, but most videos will fit a standard definition (SD) resolution of 640 x 480 (4:3 aspect ratio) or 640 x 360 (16:9 aspect ratio), 720p HD resolution of 1280 x 720 (16:9 aspect ratio), or a 1080p HD resolution of 1920 × 1080 (16:9 aspect ratio).

What would happen if you had too many pixels (resolution & PPI) when playing your Stop Motion on the above devices?

Instagram - 

Instagram can often reduce the quality of your images during uploads for a wide number of reasons, but if you're looking to maintain quality then you should look to upload a high-quality, compressed JPEG file (max resolution: 1080 x 1350px) directly from your mobile or tablet to avoid any further compression.

Facebook - 

Videos must be less than 240 minutes long. The longer your video is, the larger its file size will be. This may affect the quality of the video and the time it takes to upload. Lots of times I see people say they uploaded a 1080 video, and Facebook only lets them view it in 720. 

While you can upload videos of virtually any aspect ratio, anything other than full portrait (9:16) will shrink your video and add unused space (colored gradient bars) to the top and bottom of the screen.

Youtube - 

If you upload videos with a different aspect ratio, the player will “automatically frame them to ensure they are displayed correctly, without cropping or stretching, regardless of the size of the video or player.”For different aspects ratios, such as 9:16 (vertical videos on desktop browsers), YouTube will "add padding for optimal viewing. The padding is white by default, and dark gray when you use the Dark theme."

Vimeo - 

If your footage exceeds 60 FPS, they will automatically reduce the frame rate. 

Not all programs or websites can play back variable frame rate videos, and the audio can fall out-of-sync.

What does a TV do if it doesn’t have enough pixels & what is Photoshops equivalent?

In theory, the more pixels there are then the better the picture will be - as we will be able to see more detail.Now, you don't see each pixel at work as they are too small to see from a distance, but if you go up very close to your TV screen you will see how the image is built from this grid of small coloured dots. Any images that aren't actually in high-definition will just look slightly 'softer' and lack the sharpness you get with an HD image.The non-HD image will have always looked this way - it is just your new big-screen high-resolution TV that will highlight the low image resolution, and you will just notice it more.

Photoshop: Pixel Aspect Ratio: If you display rectangular pixels on a square-pixel monitor without alteration, images appear distorted; for example, circles distort into ovals. However, when displayed on a broadcast monitor, the images appear correctly proportioned because broadcast monitors use rectangular pixels. 

When copying or importing images into a nonsquare pixel document, Photoshop automatically converts and scales the image to the pixel aspect ratio of the document. Images imported from Adobe Illustrator are also properly scaled.

How many pixels (resolution WxH e.g. 6000 x 4000) does your camera have:

Canon EOS 800D - 6000 × 4000 pixels 

What is the resolution (WxH) of the recommended Stop Motion Brief?

1080 x 1920

What is the aspect ratio of the Brief submission?

Ratio 16:9

Draw a proportional sketch (or print from PhotoShop) of the difference between your camera aspect ratio and the brief submission.

How much of the image area do you need to crop out from your camera image

I had to crop about 1/3 of my full image out of the frame.

Does your camera allow you to change the aspect ratio so you can see the crop in camera when shooting?

My camera doesn't allow me to do this when shooting but when I view my images after I can use the crop tool to change the aspect ratio.

#preproduction #stopmotion