#and then the power of having your little friends / helpers while also trying to avoid detection while surviving Difficulty Level Increased

[musclemech]

Ever wondered how to naturally boost your testosterone levels? 

Join us on a journey of discovery as we explore simple yet effective strategies to enhance your vitality and well-being. Get ready to unleash your full potential – it's time to understand testosterone like never before!

Maintain a Healthy Weight:

To keep your testosterone (a special hormone in your body) happy and healthy, make sure you eat good foods like meat, eggs, and vegetables. Also, play and move a lot by running, jumping, and lifting things. Sleeping a lot helps too, around 7 to 9 hours each night. Try not to get too stressed, and if you do, take some deep breaths or ask for hugs. Avoid too much alcohol and don't go on super-fast diets; they can make your hormone friends sad. Oh, and don't forget to drink water and have fun with your friends – that's good for your body and hormones too! If you ever feel unsure, ask a grown-up or a doctor for help.

Exercise Regularly:

If you want to boost your superhero hormone, testosterone, you can do it by playing and moving around a lot every day! Run, jump, and play with your friends – it's like training to be a superhero. Exercise, like biking or dancing, makes your muscles and bones strong. Remember to have fun while doing it! A mix of different games and activities is the key. Also, make sure to take breaks and listen to your body. Sleeping well at night is part of the superhero routine too. If you ever need help or have questions, just ask a grown-up or your friends for support! Keep being awesome!

Get Enough Sleep

If you want to help your superhero hormone, testosterone, getting enough sleep is super important! It's like giving your body a cozy rest so it can work its magic. Try to sleep for 7 to 9 hours each night – that's the superhero secret. When you sleep well, your body makes more testosterone, and you wake up feeling ready for a new day of adventures. Make your sleep time comfy with a soft pillow and a cozy blanket. And don't forget, turning off screens before bedtime helps your body get into superhero sleep mode. If you ever have trouble sleeping, talk to a grown-up or share your sleepy superhero tips with your friends! Sweet dreams!

Follow a Balanced Diet

Boosting your superhero hormone, testosterone, is easy with a balanced diet – it's like fuel for your superpowers! Eat lots of different foods like meat, eggs, veggies, and fruits. These foods are like superhero snacks that make your body strong. Don't forget about healthy fats, found in things like nuts and avocados – they're like secret ingredients for your superhero recipe. And guess what? Drinking water is like your superhero juice; it keeps everything running smoothly! If you ever need help planning your superhero meals, ask a grown-up for tasty ideas. Superheroes eat well to stay strong, so keep munching on those awesome foods!

Manage Stress:

Keeping your superhero hormone, testosterone, happy is a breeze when you manage stress like a pro. When you feel a bit overwhelmed, take deep breaths – it's like your own superhero power to stay calm. Play and have fun with your friends, that's a fantastic stress-buster! Doing things you enjoy, like drawing or playing games, also helps keep stress away. And guess what? Superheroes ask for help when they need it, so talk to a grown-up or your friends if you ever feel a bit stressed. Remember, managing stress is like being the boss of your emotions, and superheroes are awesome at that! Keep smiling and stay cool!

Consider Certain Nutrients:

Boosting your superhero hormone, testosterone, is like giving it special vitamins and minerals. Eat foods with lots of vitamin D, like sunlight or milk – it's like a superhero boost for your body. Grab snacks with zinc, such as nuts and beans; they're like little helpers for your hormones. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish are like superhero food for your brain and body. And guess what? Colorful fruits and veggies are like a rainbow of goodness, full of vitamins! If you ever need a superhero snack, go for these tasty foods. Just like superheroes have a secret stash, you can have a superhero snack stash too! Keep munching on those nutrient-packed goodies!

Stay Hydrated

Boosting your superhero hormone, testosterone, is easy when you stay hydrated. Drinking water is like giving your body a cool, refreshing power-up! It helps your superhero system work smoothly, like a well-oiled machine. Aim for about 8 glasses of water a day – that's like your superhero potion to keep everything in balance. When you're thirsty, grab your water bottle and take a sip. It's like your superhero fuel for all the adventures ahead. And guess what? Hydration makes you feel awesome, just like a real superhero! So, keep sipping, stay hydrated, and keep rocking those superhero vibes!

Intermittent Fasting:

Boosting your superhero hormone, testosterone, can be like having a special mealtime adventure with intermittent fasting. It's not about skipping meals; it's more like giving your body a break between bites. Try eating during certain hours and then taking a break – it's like a superhero recharge for your hormones. Fasting helps your body use energy in a cool way, like a superhero saving power for the right moment. But remember, check with a grown-up or a superhero expert (like a doctor) before trying intermittent fasting. It's like having a sidekick to guide you on your superhero journey! Stay awesome and fuel up wisely!

That's it for today we will see you in another video. https://youtu.be/FfyhBvNoLLg

[millenniumblog]

[ID: A chart describing the core values of each of the nine Enneagram personality types with YuGiOh characters correlated to each of the types.]

YuGiOh Enneagram Analysis, Part #1

Please note that this is the “boring” informational post about Enneagram with the Types listed and explained as well as a few other things. The next post is what has the actual, in-depth character profiles promised!

Introduction & Motivation

Over the past several months, I have been trying to analyze my strengths and weaknesses as a writer and learn more. I have been writing fanfiction since I was a little kid, making my first FF.net account in 2003 when I would have been twelve years old. Even before that, I was a lurker and wrote fics to share with my childhood best friend on paper or floppy discs.

YuGiOh came into my life at some point shortly thereafter. I know this, because I spent my thirteenth birthday in a comic book shop, mostly watching some of my male friends play the trading card game. I had some of the cards, but I was never much of a player, unable to keep up with the seemingly rapid rule changes. Besides that, I was always way more interested in the story and characters than I was in the card game. I remember I even wanted to call “YuGiOh cards” “Duel Monsters” instead to make it seem a little closer to tween-y LARPing.

Eventually, I gave up on collecting cards or trying to ply the game. I felt that while my male friends didn’t mind me being around when they played, they weren’t extremely interested in helping me learn or keep up. I felt I had other strengths, so I started carrying around a notebook even more than I already did. I started my fledgling forays into online fandom. And YuGiOh was a big part of the beginning of that.

I can’t remember posting any YuGiOh fic in particular, and I’m sure that if I had it would make me cringe now. What I do remember is reading some and also spending a lot of time lying on my bed, headphones plugged into a small purple stereo, listening to the first of the two American-released CDs with YuGiOh-inspired music on them. In particular, the last three tracks were pieces of music from the original score composed for the 4Kids dub, which is - for some reason - different from the original Japanese music.

During that time, I would fantasize and conjure my own YuGiOh plots in my head, most of which were focused on the Ancient Egyptian and more spooky, spiritual, and horror themes in the show. I was really fascinated with the reincarnation angle, though my understanding of and opinions on how that works have grown with time.

Years went by, and I didn’t think about YuGiOh much at all. Then, something happened in 2018. I don’t know what got in my head, but it was like all the joy I once found in thinking about the YuGiOh characters came back in a giddy conversation with my childhood best friend. Then, for a little while, it wouldn’t leave me alone.

I started writing for the fandom then, and after several detours, I’m trying to get back in the groove of it.

My approach to the tone of YuGiOh-fanning is that it’s a bit serious, but it’s also with a tongue placed in my cheek because of how incomprehensible or silly the plot can be on a meta level. Sometimes, it almost brings tears to my eyes by being so over-the-top about something that, in the real world, would make no sense at all. But the drama, in the context of the universe, somehow rings true.

I think that’s all owing to how most of the primary characters are just... really freaking great characters.

It has often puzzled me. Like, did Takahashi do all this layering on purpose? Is it really there, or did earnest fanon just make it seem like it? And, as a person, I am always here for a good fan-and-canon symbiosis.

This post is going to be, from here on, an effort to match the YuGiOh characters to the 9 Enneagram Personality Types. I am writing this for my own benefit as I continue to work on my pet YuGiOh fanfiction project, It’s Always Sunny in Domino City, which is a mixture of YGOTAS-vibes-and-concepts taken seriously and a sincere take on fanfiction for the actual canon. It’s dramedy about a sizeable chunk of the main cast a few years post-canon with some canon divergence such as the Memory World arc not yet and possibly never-happening. If that sounds like something you’d like, I would humbly request you check it out!

Either way, this will be an in-depth character analysis cheatsheet for all of the characters above, based on my observations, opinions, and feelings. I invite discussion, but it’s fine if we need to agree to totally disagree!

If you are interested and enjoy what’s below the Read More and in the coming second post, then you are welcome to utilize the character analyses to aid you in your own fanwork!

Enneagram

What is Enneagram, and why am I using it?

Enneagram is a personality categorization system that one might compare to the somewhat better-known MBTI. However, in the words of excellent writing-advice YouTuber, Abbie Emmons:

MBTI shows us how we behave.

Enneagram shows us what we believe.

I will be referencing Abbie’s video Using The ENNEAGRAM To Write CONFLICTED CHARACTERS and her free Enneagram-cheatsheet, available in the description of the linked video. Whether it’s before you continue reading or after, if you’re interested in writing, I would highly recommend you check out her channel!

The Enneagram system has nine basic personality types that overlap and interact in really interesting ways. It is not a hard science, and it’s not a horoscope. Instead, it’s supposed to be “based on conventional wisdom and modern psychology.” All I can say is that with every set of characters I’ve tried it with, it works! Once you get the hang of it, it feels kind of like ~✰~magic~✰~!

Below, I will list Abbie’s simplified definitions of each of the personality types, in order:

Type 1: The Reformer

The Rational, Idealistic Type:

Principled, Purposeful, Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic

Basic Fear: Of being corrupt/evil, defective

Basic Desire: To be good, to have integrity, to be balanced

Key Motivations: Want to be right, to strive higher and improve everything, to be consistent with their ideals, to justify themselves, to be beyond criticism so as not to be condemned by anyone.

Type 2: The Helper

The Caring, Interpersonal Type:

Generous, Demonstrative, People-Pleasing, and Possessive

Basic Fear: Of being unwanted, unworthy of being loved

Basic Desire: To feel loved

Key Motivations: Want to be loved, to express their feelings for others, to be needed and appreciated, to get others to respond to them, to vindicate their claims about themselves.

Type 3: The Achiever

The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type:

Adaptable, Excelling, Driven, and Image-Conscious

Basic Fear: Of being worthless

Basic Desire: To feel valuable and worthwhile

Key Motivations: Want to be affirmed, to distinguish themselves from others, to have attention, to be admired, and to impress others.

Type 4: The Individualist

The Sensitive, Introspective Type:

Expressive, Dramatic, Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental

Basic Fear: That they have no identity or personal significance

Basic Desire: To find themselves and their significance (to create an identity)

Key Motivations: Want to express themselves and their individuality, to create and surround themselves with beauty, to maintain certain moods and feelings, to withdraw to protect their self-image, to take care of emotional needs before attending to anything else, to attract a "rescuer."

Type 5: The Investigator

The Intense, Cerebral Type:

Perceptive, Innovative, Secretive, and Isolated

Basic Fear: Being useless, helpless, or incapable

Basic Desire: To be capable and competent

Key Motivations: Want to possess knowledge, to understand the environment, to have everything figured out as a way of defending the self from threats from the environment.

Type 6: The Loyalist

The Committed, Security-Oriented Type:

Engaging, Responsible, Anxious, and Suspicious

Basic Fear: Of being without support and guidance

Basic Desire: To have security and support

Key Motivations: Want to have security, to feel supported by others, to have certitude and reassurance, to test the attitudes of others toward them, to fight against anxiety and insecurity.

Type 7: The Enthusiast

The Busy, Variety-Seeking Type:

Spontaneous, Versatile, Acquisitive, and Scattered

Basic Fear: Of being deprived and in pain

Basic Desire: To be satisfied and content—to have their needs fulfilled

Key Motivations: Want to maintain their freedom and happiness, to avoid missing out on worthwhile experiences, to keep themselves excited and occupied, to avoid and discharge pain.

Type 8: The Challenger

The Powerful, Dominating Type:

Self-Confident, Decisive, Willful, and Confrontational

Basic Fear: Of being harmed or controlled by others

Basic Desire: To protect themselves (to be in control of their own life and destiny)

Key Motivations: Want to be self-reliant, to prove their strength and resist weakness, to be important in their world, to dominate the environment, and to stay in control of their situation.

Type 9: The Peacemaker

The Easygoing, Self-Effacing Type:

Receptive, Reassuring, Agreeable, and Complacent

Basic Fear: Of loss and separation

Basic Desire: To have inner stability, "peace of mind"

Key Motivations: Want to create harmony in their environment, to avoid conflicts and tension, to preserve things as they are, to resist whatever would upset or disturb them.

Now that you’ve seen all those, what do you think your favorite character is? In YuGiOh or anything else! It works great for original characters and even yourself and your loved ones.

The actual Character Profiles will be in coming post(s), but continue reading if you want me to explain more about how and why the Enneagram is a great personality typing system. #nonspon, or whatever.

The Enneagram Chart

Now, you could just go to the Enneagram Institute’s page on How the System Works, but below I’ll cut it down to only the parts I’m interested in and explain those in a way that helps me.

Unlike in astrology or MBTI, which are both more restrictive in different ways, the relative position of each type matters a bit on the Enneagram chart, because it can be used to visualize a lot of things about a person!

The Basic Chart

The Types are shown in a clockwise fashion with “1″ in the 1 o’clock position on an analog clock. The interior lines mean things, but I have trouble reading it without further delineation.

Centers of Response

Below are two small charts, displayed side-by-side. (If it’s too small, try right-click, open in new tab!)

The chart on the left shows the three “centers.” The “centers” indicate the first ‘processing language’ a person would use to respond to stimuli.

Type 8, Type 9, and Type 1 respond first based on instinct (primal, gut-feeling). If you want to go Freudian, this is from the id.

Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4 respond first based on feelings (social or personal desires, the heart). If you want to go Freudian, this is from the ego.

Type 5, Type 6, and Type 7 respond first based on thoughts (analytical rather than emotional, the head). If you want to go Freudian, this is from the superego.

Remember that, of course, every single type and person engages their instincts, their emotions, and their thoughts at different times and to different degrees, and some of these are learned or changed behaviors. This is about what their innate drive toward that would be.

Likewise, the same “centers” can also be used for the chart on the right. You will notice that all three of these are defined by what is typically considered a negative emotion. This is because this is about a person’s instinctive, not particularly conscious emotional response when they are backed into a corner and deprived of something that is core to the needs of their personality type.

Type 8, Type 9, and Type 1 tend to respond to a threat to their psychic well-being with anger/rage.

Type 2, Type 3, and Type 4 tend to respond to a threat to their psychic well-being with shame.

Type 5, Type 6, and Type 7 tend to respond to a threat to their psychic well-being with fear.

Stress vs. Growth

We all know that there are times when a person isn’t acting like themselves, for better or for worse. Usually, “You’re not acting like yourself,” means that a person is behaving badly. Of course, it’s way easier to withdraw and bristle and defend rather than growing in the midst of adversity. However, it is certainly possible to experience character growth in response to experiences, good and bad. Unlike a lot of other personality typing schemes, the Enneagram has a way to display and predict what stress and growth do to a person.

The Enneagram never suggests that any Type is an island unto itself. Every person contains multitudes, but a person’s Type is likely to remain relatively stable throughout their lives, once they have had a chance to develop any personality at all. This means that when a person is stressed or growing that they do not become the type they emulate. Rather, they are more highly expressing that aspects of their personality that reflect those drives and desires but in a way that is either fraught, sickly, or unwell (in the case of stress), or aspirational, flying-high, and incorporating the hard-lessons into who a person is going to be going forward (in the case of growth). The latter, especially, isn’t a sustainable mode, while a stressed person can become more entrenched in their bad habits and defensive coping mechanisms.

Stress

Note the white, directional arrows. Each number has an arrow point pointing to it and an arrow leading away from it. The point indicates that this is the stress manifestation for the Type at the origin of that arrow. The origin of each arrow indicates the Type being described.

Confused? Let me finally give you a YuGiOh example.

When I was trying to identify the Types of the characters, defining Marik was difficult, because he has a “Yami,” or Dark Side, which has its own personality and will but which is not its own separate soul or person than Marik himself. Rather, it’s a kind of fantasy/magic-assisted personality splintering where Yami Marik is a full manifestation of the negative traits Marik needed to embody to survive.

So, for reference:

When stressed, Type 1 behaves more like Type 4. 

When stressed, Type 2 behaves more like Type 8.

When stressed, Type 3 behaves more like Type 9.

When stressed, Type 4 behaves more like Type 2.

When stressed, Type 5 behaves more like Type 7.

When stressed, Type 6 behaves more like Type 3.

When stressed, Type 7 behaves more like Type 1.

When stressed, Type 8 behaves more like Type 5.

When stressed, Type 9 behaves more like Type 6.

Alternatively, you can use these sequences to follow the stress lines:

1-4-2-8-5-7-1

9-6-3-9

Growth

Think of the above-explanation in reverse.

The sequence:

1-7-5-8-2-4-1

9-3-6-9

As a Type 1 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 7.

As a Type 2 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 4.

As a Type 3 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 6.

As a Type 4 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 1.

As a Type 5 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 8.

As a Type 6 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 9.

As a Type 7 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 5.

As a Type 8 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 2.

As a Type 9 grows, they incorporate more positive traits of Type 3.

Wings

The final thing to know about the Enneagram chart for my purposes is about wings. The wing of your personality traits accounts for the complementary and contradictory aspects of your personality. They are the inconsistencies that make you human, predicted and jumped in. Typically, a person is not thought to have both possible wings but one or the other. A wing is one of the two adjacent Types to yours, the number before, or the number after, and it is annotated, for example:

Type 1, Wing 2: 1w2

Type 1, Wing 9: 1w9

Link to Part 2 Here!

[misterewrites]

Intro to Jaime 101 and a Half

Hey everyone! E here hoping you are all good. It's time for a new chapter of Mirror's Edge! Haha been a while huh? I was actually writing a mini arc for welcome to an Underground cuz it felt right you know? Better to get all that put together and squared away. And now that that's done, here we are.

Umm the next thing I write will either be another's Mirror's Edge chapter, the last intro chapter before I get into actual story arcs or maybe some fandom stuff I haven't decided. 

Anyway, I hope you are all safe, sound, keeping your loved ones safe too, wear a mask, wash your hands, vaccinate yourself if you can, push to release the vaccines world wide and be careful. Have an amazing week and see you soon with a new chapter and or story! feel free to leave likes, reblog, comments and recommend this to your friends! I appreciate it, enjoy!!

Here’s the chapter over at a03 if you wanted have an easier time reading cuz tumblr hates me!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/80953405

Here’s the story from the beginning if you’re curious what’s it all about

https://archiveofourown.org/works/30599756/chapters/75486005

And here’s a link to all my stories 

https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrE42/pseuds/MrE42

Summary:  Jaime, adoptive sister of Finnrick and fiancée of Casey, is late to work. The Grimoire, magical library and hub of all knowledges is her workplace and she has thrown herself into it completely for whatever reason. Still with Casey lingering on her mind, she can't help but feel torn between her love of books and the love of her life.

-----

As Jaime hurried away from Willow’s Rook and Casey, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed in herself. She told herself under no circumstances she would see her fiancée but one glance towards his office and Jaime was knocking on his door without a second thought. A ten minute conversation later and now she was late to work.

She sighed, glancing downward towards the engagement ring snugly wrapped around her finger.

Jaime’s heart raced beyond her control as her fingers tingled with the warmth Casey’s cheek. She could still feel the pulsing of their hearts beating in time with one another, love and longing palpable in that moment.

“Jaime, why do you do this to yourself?” she murmured sadly “You said don’t see him. You said don’t visit him. You said you could handle this whole break and now we’re late.”

Jaime picked up her pace, power walking in hopes somehow that could shave off the seconds she desperately needed to avoid being reprimanded: The Grimoire may have been a library but it had a strict late policy both on books and personal.

-----

The Grimoire was as elegant as it was ancient: The library was one of the oldest buildings in Newton Haven, constructed when the city was little more than a mile of stacked bricks among swampland. Faded red stone archways and columns did nothing to belittle the power and importance of the Grimoire. Even the mundane folk could feel the magical force that radiated from within, a fantastic world beyond the threshold.

Of course there was a fantastic world hidden inside: The library was one of the major hubs for the magical community and it wasn’t uncommon to see various races searching the many bookshelves for whatever subject tickled their fancy.

The interior was elegant and timeless: The walls and floors were soothing shades of brown with furniture pulled from all eras of human history. Three stories of endless knowledge about countless subjects. Translucent spirits hurried back and forth, humming happily in death as they did in life while they performed their duties to the Grimoire. In the center, amid the hustle and bustle, stood a spiraling staircase that disappeared beyond the ceiling to the Librarian’s office.

There, just past the entrance and to the side, was a security desk with a figure lazily sitting upon it: He was humanoid, muscular and impossibly large, easily seven feet tall. His skin was gray as storm clouds and his eyes shone with an electric blue shade. His hair and beard were frosted white like he dove face first into snow. His uniform consisted of a dark blue buttoned up collared shirt that was one flex from tearing in two and old rugged jeans. His black combat boots were immaculately cleaned as he placed them on the surface of the desk.

He clicked his tongue as he slowly turned the page on the latest romance novel he had been enthralled by.

“Sinclair, you’re late.” He spoke softly but even a whisper couldn’t stop his voice from reverberating throughout the hall.

Passerby’s shot confused glances at one another but no one stopped at Dusty’s declaration

The storm giant sighed, rubbing his eyes tiredly “Sinclair, you’re not fooling anyone.”

Silence and more quizzical glances.

Dusty shook his head, disappointed as he snapped his finger.

The air smelled of fresh rain while a source-less thunder boomed overhead. Nearby, a person, previously invisible, flickered into existence. Their previously camouflaged self changed into a rainbow of colorful hues before bursting into a flurry of sea green sparks and revealing a sheepish Jaime, her hands raised in defeat.

“Sinclair.” Dusty’s voice was dry yet amused.

Jaime clasped her hands together as she made her way over to the storm giant’s desk “Dusty! I...”

“Am late.” he finished for her, a gentle chuckle escaping his throat “Remington again?”

“Whaaaaaa?” Jaime’s face scrunched into a false sense of surprise “No, no. Come on. Me and Casey are….well you see…..it’s frankly none of your business.”

Dusty nodded wisely “True. It is none of my business. Go on before I sic the ghosts on you.”

Jaime gave a quick curtsy before running as quickly as she could. Dusty rolled his eyes before returning to his romance novel he was previously captivated with.

-----

Everyone who worked in the Grimoire had their own personal office tucked away somewhere to ensure privacy for personal studies. Jaime’s office was in the back of the library, hidden behind the alchemy section. It was one of the wider offices, more akin to a school class room. True to her wizard background, it was messy: Piles of folders, books left open and hastily scribbled papers were sprawled about. A fairly sized cauldron sat ontop of her desk, currently not in use. Sticky notes littered randomly across the walls. And like any true wizard, a magical circle was engraved directly into the center of the room for varying purposes.

Despite the appearance of her lair, she was actually one of the more organized of wizards. Even her prodigal brother Finn’s lair wasn’t as well maintained and cataloged as her. Though, to be fair, she did have help most wizards didn’t.

Jaime placed her bag by the door, eyes searching about for her helper.

“Bartholomew! Bartholomew Ringtail, you here?”

A moment past before the sound of rustling papers and scuttling paws could be heard. Jaime reached into her pack and pulled out a bag of popcorn just in time for Bartholomew reach out for the treat.

Bartholomew Ringtail, like his name suggested, was raccoon. Light gray fur, little black mask over his snout and tiny adorable paws. However, unlike most of his kind, wore a small cap upon his head and that made him cuter than the average raccoon.

Well that and the fact he was magical.

While her brother was a master practitioner of powerful protective wizardry, Jaime’s skills lay elsewhere as a conjurer. Her strength came in summoning powerful familiars to further her goals.

Normally a wizard would have to spend time preparing the ritual, collecting the materials related to whatever being they were trying to bring onto this plane. Demons, angels, fey, constructs of strange and alien machinery from beyond human understanding. Anything could be summoned if you had the proper knowledge and power.

Normally such rituals would take hours if not days to perform: Time to gather magical energies, to search the planes of reality for your being of choice and of course drag it kicking and screaming to you. Also summons were temporary as beings not native to the plane could only be sustained by whatever magic brought them. Much like a timer, the magic would slowly fade and once empty any being summoned are forcibly returned from whence they came.

Jaime was much faster and more persuasive in her summoning spell casting. She could do it in a matter of minutes as opposed to days though it still required a massive amount of magical energy, Unlike other wizards, conjurer summons did not decay over time. Whatever they brought into this world stayed in this world unlike magic could no longer maintain their form, usually from being attacked over and over.

Bartholomew was one such creature. In fact Bartholomew was Jaime’s first summon back when she was a fledgling wizard being trained by her brother. She wasn’t hundred percent where exactly he came from but she was grateful for her longtime companion and friend.

Bartholomew popped open the popcorn bag and hurriedly began to stuff handful of the tasty snack into his waiting maw.

Jaime smiled brightly before glancing about room, quietly complementing which project to continue.

A wizard’s magic was as much studying as it was practice.

Finnrick once described the difference between wizards and other casters as using a phonebook. The others were given a phonebook by some higher power. The numbers were already written down and set. However, they could only use those numbers and each different caster had different numbers for different purposes.

Wizards, on the other hand, no such phonebook. They have work hard, study and call each number to understand what the number did. Aside from being tutored by other wizards or spellbooks or other sources of knowledge, the wizard must discovered and write down the numbers on their own, creating their own phone book. Of course that meant wizards weren’t as limited as the other casters and were free to discover a possible infinite amount of spells.

Jaime took a step forward when a voice called out to her.

“Hey sis!”

Jaime whirled around to find the smiling face of her brother Finnrick, fedora in one hand and a friendly wave in the other.

“FINNY!” Jaime cheered, racing forward and wrapping her brother in a tight hug.

Finnrick laughed before returning the gesture “Hey Jai, how you doing?”

“Good” Jaime broke away “Great even! I was just about to practice my spells. I’m still having trouble.”

“Sis.” Finnrick’s voice became firm “It’s visual as much as it is feeling.”

“I know, I know” Jaime shifted uneasily under his gaze “It’s just I usually just bring in heavy hitters, not be one.”

“Any wizard can stick to their strengths. Great wizards are well versed in all forms magic. Spar?”

Jaime gave a crooked smile “Loser buys lunch.”

“And dinner” he cockily added.

Jaime motioned to the circle but Finnrick was already on it. Clasping his hands, Finnrick murmured something too softly for her to hear then pushed his arms outward. A blue dome formed over the two, encasing them in a makeshift arena.

Jaime took her place opposite of her brother “Ready?”

“Sisters first.”

Jaime closed her eyes. She imagined a flame in the palm of her hand. She imagined the heat from the flame. She imagined how it shifted back and forth with a gentle breeze. She saw it clearly in her mind’s eye and then she willed it into reality

“Inferus!” Jaime shouted, her hands glowing with a sea green glow. The flame burst into existence, just as she created. She pulled her arm back and lobbed it with as much force as towards her brother.

Finnrick didn’t budge an inch while flame sailed his way. He rose his hand calmly and with a mighty swing, backhanded and sent the flame skittering across the floor.

Finnrick didn’t waste any time in his counter attack. His finger tips gleamed with blue magical energy and with a flick forward, unleashing a barrage of icicles.

Jaime outstretched her hand forward, sea green glyph forming in the air. A thin matching barrier appeared in front of her in time to catch the first of the icy attack but as the rest collided, cracks began to widen and spread with each successive blow.

“Don’t fight like me Jaime!” Finnrick scolded, sending another wave of icy daggers.

The barrier hadn’t lasted under the second barrage: The moment an icicle collided with her shield, it broke, scattering and fading out of existence.

Jaime, however, was prepared. She ducked and weaved under the attack, pivoting her heels like a graceful dancer while moving her way out of the line of fire.

Jaime twirled about, gathering the magic in her hands before sending outward. Long streams of flames began to swirl about like tendrils reaching for prey as she spun about.

Finnrick gestured at her with a finger gun and clicked his tongue, bringing down his thumb like a hammer of a gun. Jaime’s eyes widened with surprise as she felt some foreign entity began to shift and make her spell uneven. She tried to maintain it but Finnrick’s surge of magic was too much for her. The magic she held exploded, the flames vanishing as the force of the spell breaking sent her sprawling to the floor.

Finnrick was already on the move, arching his arm backwards before throwing forward a bolt of lightning.

Jaime sprung to her feet, leaning as far back as she could to narrowly avoid attack. The lightning bolt struck the dome but before she could react, it bounced and struck her directly from behind.

Luckily it was a training session and only gave a her a light shove forward. Jaime flapped about wildly before she manged to get her balance steady.

“Game, set and match!” Finnrick beamed with a grin.

Jaime rolled her eyes “Big surprise my genius brother won. The dome’s so small I barely had room to move!”

“Exactly!”

Jaime shot her brother suspicious glare.

Finnrick rose his hands “Hey, never let your opponent dictate the field of battle if you can manage it.”

“Yeah, I should’ve seen that coming” Jaime sighed.

Finnrick made his way over and wrapped his sister in a loving one armed hug “Remember sis, real life has no rules.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jaime nudged Finnrick’s ribs playfully “Whatever you say cheater.”

Finnrick ruffled his sister’s hair playfully “Life lessons are important to share to your siblings. Need help with anything?”

“Oh you better be spending time with me. After that thrashing you gave me, you owe me big.”

Finnrick stood up straight, hand raised in a lax salute.

Jaime responded by poking his stomach.

“Oww, I give I give!” Finnrick chuckled “Why must you resort to violence?”

“Family upbringing I guess.”

The two siblings fell into a peaceful quiet as they began shifting and searching through Jaime’s notes.

“Jaime?”

“Hmm?”

“Question.”

“Answer.”

“Any word on the big move?”

Jaime stopped, her hands hovering over a book.

“No” Jaime murmured weakly “No word yet. They’re still debating I guess.”

“Mhm” Finnrick replied without much else.

Jaime turned to her brother “Finn, I…”

Finnrick rose a hand to stop her “It’s your life. Your choice. If this is what you want, then I will be happy for you.”

“But?” Jaime added in.

Finnrick pursed his lips, running his finger down the spine of a nearby book “I want you to be content as well. I know you…..I mean….you’re still wearing the ring.”

Jaime glance down to her engagement ring. She could still feel Casey’s warmth underneath her fingertips, his heart beating rapidly in time with hers.

“Think about it” Finnrick said with a hint of finality “Life’s too random to live with regrets.”

“So” Jaime cleared her throat, desperate to change the subject “Any news on your angel?”

Silence.

“Finn?”

She found him fidgeting with his fingers, his cheeks blazing a bright red as he averted his gaze.

“Finn! You found her?! And you didn't tell me?!”

Finnrick gave a shy nod, biting his lips nervous.

Jaime lunged at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him in a loving embrace “That’s great bro! When am I meeting her?”

Finnrick turned to her, unsure what she meant “What?”

“When am I meeting her” she repeated.

“Umm….why?”

“To interrogate her of course!”

“Jaime!”

“What? Just cause you like her doesn’t mean I do.”

“Jaime, don’t you dare!”

“Try and stop me!”

Finnrick dove for her but Jaime saw it coming a mile away. She pivoted on her toes, twirling out of the way of Finnrick’s attack. As her brother began to chase her around the office, Jaime quietly enjoyed this moment between siblings.

She was going to miss this when she left Newton Haven behind.

[sleepdeprivedheretic]

Lilium

Summary: Although a witch, you weren’t the one to really summon demons, but your friends had insisted that you could use an extra pair of helping hands to help you with your run-down hut. After fixing the mess of a first attempt fail, you were expecting to summon a lower gremlin. What or who you didn’t expect, was to summon the demon king of hell, keeper of souls, in searching for something that only you could do perfectly.

In explanation of the fic: Each powerful demon has his/her own hell, and in each hell has layers, like onions. So although reader didn’t summon Lucifer, she summoned a pretty powerful Japanese demon who’s element of hell follows close to that of Greek mythology because Rita liked the Persephone vibes. As for the soul thing, those are the souls who just...wind up at his place.  

Title name: Lilies are a flower that represent not only unity, love, and devotion, but also the flowers are most often associated with funerals, they symbolize that the soul of the departed has received restored innocence after death. Persephone held lilies in her hands/arms as she was take away by Hades, the flowers turning white as they fell to the ground. Ancient(?) Romans would stuff pillows full of the flowers, the fragrance perfect for love-making ;)  

Notes: @youtubequeens, or Rita, requested the beautiful idea of Tai-chan being a demon king in need of something that only the reader can do, and we brainstormed together on the setting and the plot, so the credit goes to her, go ahead and check her on Tumblr <3

Warnings not in order: Cursing, hand cutting for rituals (so blood), being void of a soul (cause, demons), summoning demons, minions, souls of the damned, smut, deals with the devil, having your soul taken and turning into a demon, and hellish stuff.  

Tag: @youtubequeens

   “I mean, look at this place, Sister! It’s a dump! C’mon, pleeeease!” Your friend begged. She, along a few others belonged to a nearby coven. Although good friends, they delved into the darker aspects of witchcraft, such as demon summoning, as you stuck to herbal remedies, readings, and a little bit of scrying. Although not against the art, you weren’t well acquainted, and a little nervous.

“You don’t even need a contract! Just bind whatever poor little goblin or gremlin to you, and...you know, have it help you collect your herbs! I know, binding seems a little much, and it’s difficult to get out of one, but they can’t hurt you when bound to you.” Another friend piped up, trying further to convince you. Your gaze fell onto the chalked-up pentagram within your home, surrounded by salt and melting red candles, looking innocently out of place, almost.

“Alright, fine.” You huffed, causing squeals of victorious joy from the gaggle of girls. It wouldn’t hurt, you thought. You lived in the outskirts of the village, within a rugged hut that you called a “store”. Although it was a popular little town, you weren’t doing to well. Your place was falling apart, herbs were harder to find, and although tolerated, your witchy status had alerted and unnerved everyone, except your little coven of friends, who had hidden themselves away deeper into the forest.

Your life sucked, and with your pet familiar, the two of you kept to yourselves as you brewed supper more than potions and remedies, your Sisters popping in from time to time, checking up on you.

Your little orange rabbit snuggled into your lap as you repeated the words in Latin, trying to spark hellfire into the pentagram. No such luck.

“Aw! Is it not working? I’m suuuure my aunt gave me the right spell!” Your main friend huffed into a pout, the two other girls following her example of disappointment.

“Perhaps another time? It’s getting late, girls.” You admitted. Truthfully, you didn’t want to have to deal with more pressure, and your familiar was getting unnerved by the whole thing.

“You’re right. It was fun hanging out with you, Sis! Wish we could do this more, but you know, coven stuff.” The sweet friend smiled softly as she hugged you tightly.

“We’ll be busy, you know, coven stuff. Auntie wants us to clean out the nasty pots, restock the potions, and go on a wild, exciting adventure of grabbing rare herbs, so we don’t know when that’s going to take. Ugh, I’m not leaving, yet, and I miss you, already!” The leader of the girls whined, dramatically throwing her arm over her eyes. You couldn’t help but giggle.

      “Stay safe, okay? We’ll visit to check up on you. Give Lottie some extra treats for us!” The third one grinned, petting the rabbit. With further words, they left, leaving you warm, yet saddened and alone.  

 Many times, the fellow women of the coven had offered a place for you, so that you wouldn’t be so alone, and you appreciated that, but you knew that the coven wasn’t one for you. Although not evil, you didn’t want to join for a multitude of reasons. They had strict rules and regulations, following their leader without question as they sacrificed time and energy for reasons that the girls, although close, didn’t tell you what for.

You couldn’t help but feel that it was rather sketchy. Your eyes laid upon the pentagram as the thought crossed your mind. You weren’t fully against summoning things from the underworld, it was an aged old practice that was held with reverence from generation to generation. You held Charlotte close to you, the rabbit sniffing at the air, scenting out scents that your human nose could not deter.

“I smell nothing out of the ordinary. The salt is too strong.” Her voice echoed in your head, and you nodded your thanks. You were curious, you admitted. You didn’t really have much things to do, other than clean your stew pot, tend to the moon water, and pluck the petals off of the dried out roses.

“Something has to give, in order for you to receive.” You said aloud, the wheels turning in your head. A certain flower could help, you thought suddenly, looking at the container of dried out white lilies. You opened the jar spreading out the white funeral flowers among the edges of the Celtic symbol. The scent was almost too pure for such a deed, you couldn’t help but think.  

Carving a fool-proof plan to mind, you placed Charlotte down, and grabbed a small blade used for cutting fruits from your kitchen. The little rabbit opted to say nothing, trusting you as her witch to do what you think was best.  

You winced as you sliced a small cut into your palm, letting the little blood droplets to drip onto each flower, avoiding the salt as best as you could. Picking up a slip of paper in which had the summoning spell, you began reading the Latin out loud as you channeled your energy at the edge of the pentagram, instead of in between it.

Your breath hitched as bright orange hellfire sparked, not going past the salt as it crackled at the precious crystals and parts of the flowers. You continued speaking the verses, watching in awe as the odd underworldly flames refused to consume, instead it burned brighter at each verse.

As you finished the last sentence with a final quip, you jumped in surprise as the flames reached almost as high as the ceiling, whirling dangerously as it let out smoke and sparks, fizzling as a tall figure behind the flames seemed to crawl from the little circle, you couldn’t see who or what it was, but you were coughing as the unnatural smoke outweighed the dying fire, floating heavily away as you looked up to see your first summon.

You were choked up, not knowing what to say as your eyes beheld the sight when the smoke finally cleared from the deadened flames.  

 A demon, and not just anything in the ordinary of what you knew about them. He was tall, as tall as the men in your village, and almost resembled a human. His pointed ears were adorned with little ringlets of gold, matching the glittering bracelets and bands that were worn upon his ankles, horns, wrists, arms, and a swishing pointed tail. His attire was something you’d never really seen within your village, but you knew what it was due to your books.

He wore dark orange attire that almost resembled a Doric chiton, except the one he wore, hardly left anything to the imagination, but you weren’t focused on that, right now. What you were focused on, was the demon’s scowl of frustration and annoyance, aimed at you as his tail swished and thumped angrily at the ground, reminding you of an angry cat.  

“This fuckin’ circle’s too small! And the hell do you want? I’m a very busy man, ya know!” He growled out, taking in your smaller frame with displeasure. You were surprised by his accent, it was gruff, yes, but it was new, something that you’ve never heard, before.

“I was trying to summon something else.” You stammered, and he faltered in an angry shock, before narrowing his eyes at you.  

“Tch! Who do you think you are, summonin’ a king of hell, tellin’ me that you were tryin’ to summon somethin’ else?” He bared his teeth, and you could see little tusks peeking out from underneath his bottom lip. You gave him your name as you found yourself blurting out who knows what.

“I need a um...helper. I needed somebody to look after my hut while I collected herbs...make sure that the villagers don’t torch down my shop.” The excuse slipped out as you stood your ground. It was partially true. His stance relaxed a bit at your words.

“A magic user, huh?” He asked slowly, behavior sharply and swiftly contrasting from his angry tone, as he rested his chin onto his hand in processing the thought. Then his eyes moved onto yours. He unnerved you.

“What about it?” You asked, and he indulged you.  

“Normally, mortals such yerself can summon us with ease, only because ya need a contract. You, lil’ witch, were trying to find a binding partner, which uses magic. I may have use for you, yet.” His attitude shifted, and you couldn’t help but relax a little at the honeyed tone. What was with this demon?

“What are you talking about?” You bit out. He let out a victorious grin.

“Yer magic was so strong, it summoned me. A king of hell, a keeper of souls, n’ lord of demons. Bindin’ magic can only get ya so far, it’s pretty much unheard of a mortal summoning somethin’ greater than an ogre, or an oni.” Rolled off of his tongue, eyes now glinting with something that you couldn’t pinpoint. You were surprised. A king of hell? It did explain his jewelry and finery, you silently pinpointed. Despite the shock, you still needed to ask more questions while he was in the mood to be generous with his answers.  

“So...you’re needing me to summon demons up for you from the surface?” You offered, and he looked at you with surprise.

“No….I need you to give up your soul, and live with me in hell.” He grinned at the tight atmosphere that he was causing, you froze.

“Tell me, why would I ever want to do that? What do you even want?” You grounded out the last bit, still confused, and getting weary. Your summon had taken a toll on your body, and now you were feeling the lull of sleep due to sapped magic.  

“I have two main underlings who are like sons to me, but the three of us can only do so much in carin’ for the undead. Ya see, hell’s a very powerful place, in which it can supply a witch’s magic with ease. Ya know where I’m getting’ at?” He drawled out, and you nodded a little.

“I think somebody of yer stature could really hold the forte down. All you have to do, is just be there, n’ yer magic can calm down n’ soothe the restless dead, making this job a lot easier. Since yer magic is powerful, it’ll be extra helpful n’ dosing the souls an’ lesser devils, down. You give me what I need, an’ I can give you what you need.” He purred at the end.

The thought of being useful did appeal to you, it’s what you ever wanted. Yes, it was a terrible decision and you’ll probably end up being burned, anyway, but you remembered that a bound demon or devil cannot hurt you, no matter how powerful they were. If they hurt you, they hurt themselves.

“I’m not going to give up my soul to burn forever, to live with a demon that I’m not bound to.” You countered, and his eye twitched

“First of all, Sweetheart, my realm is in layers. Where you, I, an’ my boys live, is an environment that resembles your realm, but better. Secondly, you will be bound to me, but not as a servant or master, but as an equal. Somethin’ akin to…” He let the sentence hang as he smiled smugly at you, brows furrowed with cockiness, leering at you from his height.

“Akin to?” You egged him, and he let the rest rolled off of his tongue without hesitation.  

“My queen.”

Your brain screeched to a halt.

He laughed at your stunned expression.

“What? Ya expected me to make ya my lil’ minion? No, no, Honey, somebody with yer power, and the sheer gall to stare into my face while arguin’ with me, has already earned my respect. Yeah, you’ll have to turn into a demon, but you’ll be immortal, n’ you can visit yer friends n’ family as long as you like, if you’re powerful as me. Which, you will be.” He threw in his own bait, trying to lure you in.

Understandably, you were stunned. You just summoned a devil. Who wanted you to rule hell with him.  And to become an immortal mistress of the night who can help rule over the undead while living forever with him in his realm.

It was tempting, yes, but you were not one who really chased power. You told him, and his eyebrows furrowed, as if thinking further ways to lure you in, and to be honest? You found that you didn’t mind being swayed by a literal handsome devil.  

“Well, think about it this way, Princess, I don’t know you well, but you live in a run-down hut, the peasants fear you to the point of possible violence, and you’ve turned your attention to demon summoning. We’re both desperate for somethin’.” He looked at you thoughtfully, tail swishing as you processed it. Hell.

“What about my familiar?” You were caving in, and his gazing expression broke out into a victorious grin as his eyes slide to your rabbit.

“Sure, the lil thing can come, too. Familiars exist in hell, too, but not the cute lil’ rabbit ones. Might be a nice change to have one. Wipe away the salt, n’ we can get started.” He acted as if he had already won, and to be honest, he did.  

It was too good of an opportunity to really pass up, and you didn’t really have anybody, and good decisions in your tired state were lacking. You wiped away the salt, and he sighed with relief as he stepped out.

“Man, that tiny circle was exhaustin’ to be in. Now, let’s take you home.” He tucked a fray hair behind your ear. Smiling a devil’s smile, he held you against him, and you tried to keep your cheeks from flushing as he began a mantra of a spell in his native tongue, leaving you awed that it wasn’t the usual Latin. You couldn’t keep your eyes open as a wave of exhaustion and tiredness wafted over you, and your eyes slid shut, darkness over-taking you, but not before hearing a dark chuckle.  

…………..

Warm. You were so warm. You opened your eyes, only to be greeted by a bare chest. Your eyes widened as now you were fully conscious, furiously wondering on what the hell was going on.

“So, yer finally awake.” He hummed, and you jolted slightly, looking up at his face with pure surprise, he smiled at you as he held you close to his chest. It didn’t take you long to realize that this was his bedroom, and your mind whirled, vaguely remembering prior events. Sitting up, he whined at the loss of contact, but you paid no mind.

The room was lit up by the flickering familiar orange flames emitting from the white candles slowly melting on top of his dresser, creating a safe, sleepy, and an almost romantic atmosphere. The bed was huge, and took up a good portion of his room, but there was still enough space for some furniture such as the dresser, and a large cage. You sighed with relief, seeing the familiarity of Charlotte within, the little rabbit’s eyes now glowed with luminescence, as if she were something else. It would make sense, your familiar was no longer a normal familiar, since she was in hell, with you.    

You looked down, feeling warmed metal against your skin, and that’s when you’ve noticed your new attire. It was a chiton, like his, although a little looser, and you wore the same amount of matching golden jewelry. Your ears stung a little at the newer piercings, but you didn’t pay that much mind as you couldn’t help but think that he went out of his way to undress you and doll you up to match him. You gave him a dirty look, and he grinned in retaliation, enjoying the flushed and guffawed expression that marred your face.

“If ya’re gonna be the part, might as well look like it. I didn’t undress you fully or touch you too inappropriately, if that makes ya feel better.” He shrugged. Although you admit that he sort of have a point, still!

“What happened to me?” You opted to say instead, and he sat up along with you, you jumping slightly as his tail curled around your waist, acting as a small comfort.  

“You’re a demon. I took yer soul, and bound it to me. Wish ya could’ve seen it, ‘s so pretty an’ pure, an’ it fizzled nicely within me. Was the only way for ya to come down here, sorry.” He hummed, rubbing his cheek against yours in seemingly affection, eyes glittering as he let you process the words and his bizarre behavior.  

Demon. Were you dead? You had no heartbeat, did you? You let your hand rest against your pulse point, surprised by the soft fluttering. You looked at him with question.

“Demon, not fully dead, but not fully alive, either, an’ yeah, you’ll look forever like a human, since ya weren’t born like us. I took yer soul, and gave you one of the multiple that belongs to me. ‘S how we tie our lives together fer eternity, as if exchangin’ rings. You’re mine, and I’m yours. Romantic, isn’t it?”

“I have so many questions.” You murmured, instead. He smiled.  

“We have an eternity together, I’ll answer all of ‘em. For now, c’mon. Lemme show ya what yer magic is doing right now at this moment.” He stood up from the bed, offering you his hand, pulling you up to him as you accepted it. He opened the drapes to his balcony’s windowed doors, revealing an ashen gray sunlight that paled in comparison to the candles. Letting you take Charlotte out of her cage, he opened the doors as the two of you stepped outside.

You looked on in awe.

The balcony to your new home, an ashen gray-stoned castle, had a short amount of steps that led into a gigantic garden. You stared in amazement and joy at the flowering plants and trees that grew in your former realm. There were so many plants, you couldn’t name all of them, but you didn’t mind as you looked on in the neatly organized forage of a garden, enjoying the array of greens and different colors of flowering foliage. Your familiar squirmed, wanting to enjoy the plants and be free, and so you let her, knowing that she’ll be smart enough to stay within eyesight.    

“Beautiful, ain’t it? It didn’t look like this ‘fore you were here. Sure, some plants such as pomegranates n’ ferns grew, but since it’s such a deadened place, nothin’ really grew. I tried for centuries, n’ no such luck. It’s so beautiful ‘cause of yer magic.” His voice broke out of your thoughts, and you listened carefully as a hint of sorrow passed over his features.

“Pomegranates…?” Your mind raced to the odd familiarity of the setting. Greek clothing, the underworld, and now pomegranates? He leaned down and smirked at you, bringing your hand to his lips.

“Heh, because, ya know…” He grinned, enjoying the way you stared up at him in disbelief.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“Can’t say that I don’t have a sense of humor.” He chuckled, and you felt yourself relax, thinking of ways to steer the conversation into another turn.

“You really like this place, don’t you...um?” You wanted to curse yourself. You went through a psychological loop in becoming a queenly wife to a stranger, no less a king of demons, and you didn’t even know his name. How forgetful were you?

Ignoring your inner dread, he grinned as he held your hand within his, rubbing his thumb over your palm.

“Taishiro. Yeah, I rarely visit earth ‘cause all the shit I have to do, n’ so this is my favorite place to relax. Thanks to you, it’s blossoming quite well.” He admitted, pecking your cheek, tail flicking with delight at the prospect of your face pink with the affection. Oh, you were so cute, he crooned.

“What about the dead, Taishiro?” You wondered as you tried out, the foreign language rolling off of your tongue. He looked at you with interest, liking the way his name melded to your own dialect.  

“I’ll take ya on a little tour, how about that? Show ya what’s happenin’ and yer new home. N’ later, we can relax in our garden, take a lil’ break to enjoy our Honeymoon.” He purred, and you felt butterflies flutter nicely within your stomach and chest as you nodded.

“Yer familiar can stay outside. It never rains here, an’ she’s not really...alive, anymore. She’ll be fine.” He looked at the little rabbit that was chewing on a blade of grass, absentmindedly paying attention as you agreed, knowing that she’ll be safe.  

Without further ado, he took you back inside of the castle, beginning the day.

……...            

       It was obvious that you were still in shock, and that this wasn’t a dream. He opted to say nothing about your state, as he introduced you to the castle, and the many rooms within. Of course the first thing he had offered to show you, was the dining room, stating that you were probably hungry, and a nice breakfast had been made for you. You blushed furiously, not acquainted with such treatment, and he grinned, pinching your cheek and you huffed at him.

“C’mon, Sweetcheeks, the staff’s all here, n’ they’ve been waitin’ to see what’s been in my bedroom fer about two days.” The sentence had surprised you.

“Two days?” You looked at him owlishly, and he shrugged.

“Turnin’ a human into somethin’ else, takes a toll on the receiver. I’m surprised that it was that short, to be honest.”  

 You walked along side him as the interior looked unique and odd, nothing of it that you’ve seen before. Colors of orange, gold, and red melded into a comfortable, royal setting as the hallways twisted. Each one sported different types of framed pictures and paintings of animals, spirits, and demons of which were new to your eyes.

 Taishiro smiled at your awed and innocent wondering as he began talking, introducing you further into his world, entrancing and entrapping you into the Greek and Japanese themes that he so loved, and you couldn’t help but feel fitted in comfortably within your new home as the two of you continued on-wards towards the dining room, your stomach feeling empty.  

You talked along with him, trying to learn and get used to the idea that yes, this was your husband. Your demon husband who was oddly being affectionate with you, despite his earlier, snappish attitude. Although, you were not minding it, preferring the brushing of hands, eyes meeting yours, and little touches, rather than the first thoughts of possibly burning in hell for eternity. He intrigued you, leaving you to wonder on how were you this lucky and yet foolish. All too soon, however, he had guided you into his favorite place that was second to the garden.  

 The room was beautiful and spacious, with multiple dining ware, vases of freshly cut flowers, and cloths laid neatly upon the long table. The staff were well dressed in their own lesser version of Ionic chitons, small bands of gold littered their collars and wrists, but nothing too extravagant like you and your husband’s. He sat you down, the smell of bacon, eggs, and biscuits wafted deliciously to you from the silver plate sitting in front of you. You could feel your mouth all but water as your stomach grumbled with an awakening realization. Taishiro sat next to you, chuckling at your eagerness.  

“I know that yer not human, anymore, but we demons can live on an’ indulge on such human foods. Thank our chefs fer goin’ out onto the earthen realm, n’ huntin’ down the stuff.”

“Thank you.” Came out, and who you guessed were the chefs, bowed with gratitude. You tried not to shovel the food greedily into your mouth, paying mind to try to eat with grace. You blanched, feeling a bit of the egg yolk dribble down your chin, and you jumped as Taishiro didn’t miss a beat in taking the opportunity to swipe it from your face with his forefinger, eyeing you with a dark look mixed in with a cocky smirk as he began suckling on said finger, rolling his tongue around it, and pulling it out of his mouth with a wet pop.

You felt as if your face, chest, and ears were burning as he then groaned.  

“Delicious.”

You weren’t burning in hell with actual fire, so you guessed he had to come up with other ways, you guessed.  

The two of you finished in silence, him grinning with knowing want at your expressions, liking the way how easy and fun it was to just tease you. After saying your formal thanks to the staff, the two of you continued onward.

 Most of the rooms, other than the main bedroom, that he had led you, were guest rooms, and the others were sleeping headquarters for the staff and his underling sons. Speaking of which, it did not take you too long to be introduced to them. Cue in bright laughter, oddly mixed in with a rather gloomy aurora caught your attention, and lo and behold, down the hall is where they stood.

“Oooh! Is this her, Tai-chan?!” Noticing your presences, a red-haired young man turned his attention towards you. He nor the other young man were dressed as glamorous as the two of you, but they were unique. The red haired boy, along with the black haired one, both had pointed ears, but that’s where the line was drawn. Red had scaled, burgundy wings, furled neatly behind his back as his reptilian tail wagged slowly, he sported a sharp-toothed grin and radiated sunlight.

The gloomy man had a crystal ball within his clawed hands, cape and hood cloaking his figure as he stared at you.

“Who else would it be?” He muttered slowly, sarcasm lost on the other.

“Eijirou’s the dragon, an’ Tamaki’s the sorcerer. Boys, this is yer Queen.” Taishiro made a short introduction.  

“Nice to meet you!” As well as “Hello.” Greeted you, and you mimicked their greetings, surprised by the welcome. You replied your own greetings, feeling a bit nervous.

“Tamaki, would ya show ‘er the souls? I’d like for her to know what’s on the lower layer.”

“Sure.” Without further question, the scryer demon began murmuring his own spell as you stared into the crystal ball, watching with amazement at the sheer focus that was being put into it as it began to reveal answers to your questioning mind.

“See what yer magic’s been doin? Told ya, Nightingale, yer magic’s one of a kind, an’ yer not focusing on it, right now, but see what it’s doin’?” Taishiro gestured towards the mass of ghostly shadows within the ball. They seemed still, as if time had stopped them.

“Rather than deafening screams, wailing, and clattering of chains, we have this. They’re calm, awaiting to be reincarnated. It’s the most quiet that we’ve heard in centuries. None of us has yet the need to intervene and waste our time.” Tamaki opted to explain for you, a small hint of a smile graced his features, while Eijirou smiled warmly.

“It eases their suffering, too! Your magic to them is like a lullaby! You can’t hear it, but others can! It’s why Tai-chan’s been so calm-

“Anyway! Let’s go to the garden, yer not too tired, right? We can continue this later.” Taishiro interrupted swiftly, ruffling each boy’s heads as he gripped your hand rather gently, tugging you along back towards the familiarity of the garden, as you swore you heard two chuckles behind you.

……..

         “There is a teeny, tiny detail that I need to explain.” Taishiro dragged you further into the depths of the green foliage, slowly but surely darkening out the sunlight as you couldn’t help but shiver a little due to the anticipation. Where was he leading you? You guessed that he could see in the dark, but you couldn’t, feeling yourself stumble a little.  

“Taishiro, I can’t see.” You offered, and you heard a chuckled huff.

“Guess I gotta carry you, hm?” The sentence was your only warning. You let out a shrill yelp, feeling him lift you up with little to no effort into his arms. You liked the way how he gripped you, and seeped into his warmth as he continued walking to who knows where, and oddly enough, you trusted him.

“In order to fully complete the bond,” He startled you, as he finally broke the silence in what had seemed minutes. Setting you down, he snapped his fingers. Orange floating, flickering lights that resembled candles appeared right after, dimly illuminating the area around them. Your eyes adjusted, taking in the scenery that the lights were willing to show. It was a spacious area of smoothed down grass, white lilies and red roses crowned around it, giving it a magical, romantic feeling.

“you need to finally receive part of my power. Sure there’s multiple ways of sharing a mate’s essence, I just thought that this would be more fun.” He gave you a wink, and you felt your heartbeat quicken with a little nervousness. Yet, you found yourself not really surprised. He was your husband, after all. The thoughts of you becoming a demon, him being your mate, and that you ruled souls along with your new family, had been whirling around your head silently. It was only natural to continue, right?

“Only if you take the lead.” You offered, and he smiled, leaning down to finally mesh his lips upon yours in a secured kiss, tail swishing wildly as if joyed. Although a little snappy, he was also sweet and devilish in a teasing, fun way. You guessed that he was probably stressed from working and worrying too hard, thus you didn’t really hold it against him.

“Alright.” He led you to the clearing, laying down as he pulled you down on top, you basically straddling him, heat creeping up to your neck and ears as his clothed hardness poked at your equally clothed entrance. Not bothering to take any clothes off, he rocked his hips, groaning with guttural want as you let out a whimper, feeling the silk cloth of your clothing stimulate your clit as he rutted lazily up against it. His eyes focused up at you as he held your waist tightly, helping you rock your hips in sync with his as his tail rubbed itself against your sensitive, itching to feel you.  

“Can ya smell yer own arousal? Mixin’ in nicely with our flowers? Ya can cum anytime ya want too, okay?” He brought you down to kiss your clavicle and neck, your hands gripped his hair as your fingers threaded though the soft tresses and horns, keening as his own teeth latched onto the juncture of your throat as he suckled, minding his bottom tusks as he bit harshly, kissing the bruising skin with tenderness. You choked out a whimper as your hips bucked a little more roughly at his actions, causing him to groan.  

You could feel yourself clench with want as his precum and your wetness soaked through your undergarments, creating a slicking friction as the wet squelching noises echo through the dimly lit darkness. You looked down at him through lidded eyes, eyebrows furrowing as you bit your bottom lip, noticing that he mimicked your expression, if it wasn’t for the gritting teeth, You liked this side of him, too, you thought through your itching need to cum.  

He could tell that you were getting desperate, hell, he was, too. Yet, he wanted you to come before he did. Taking both hands away from your waist, he placed one underneath your ridden up clothing, and another cupped one of your bouncing breasts, thumb rubbing roughly over a nipple. Taking pleasure in the way that you were staring down at him, swallowing thickly, he let his hand slip into your soiled undergarments, making sure that every time your hips bucked forwards, you could feel his fingers brush against your clit.  

“T-Taishiro~!” You gasped, and he moaned, slipping two fingers in as he continued bucking, envying the digits as they stretched your tight and wet heat. Your juices were now dribbling down, creating more of a mess as his now four fingers pumped in and out of you, crooking them and stretching your walls with a gentle fervor as his dick slid between the folds of your labia, continuing to rub against your clothed clit. He ate up your desperate expression, knowing that he was no better as the both of you were about to cum. He picked up his pace as your face was buried in his shoulder, panting loudly and letting out breaths of need.  

“Y-ya know, I haven’t done this in centuries. ‘M gunna fuck you so good. Would ya like that?” He nipped at your ear, and you whined wantonly as you felt yourself tighten around his fingers, gripping them like a lifeline and he hissed as you came, cum soaking and dripping everywhere as you stilled, fingers grasped in his hair tightly, and damn if he loved that feeling. He stilled, awaiting for you to recover as you panted, lying against his chest as tears and a little bit of drool temporarily stained your flushed face. He kissed you softly, removing his soaked fingers from your fluttering heat, lust boiling within him as he imagined his cock in there.

“How do ya want this? Missionary and doggy are pretty good positions for first timers, either way, I’m going to claim you, Sweetheart.”

You looked at him through your wet lashes, as if contemplating on what you want.

“What do you want?” You asked instead, and the question caught him off guard, but he grinned.

“You.” He didn’t hesitate.

“Then have me.” You felt a blush at your own statement, but you really wanted to continue.

“Ya sure?”

“Anyway you can, Taishiro. I trust you, you’re not going to hurt me.” At this, his expression softened as he then kissed you with such a tenderness.

“I won’t, but my instincts are screamin’ at me to take ya right here on the ground.”

“Then do so. We have an eternity together, right?” You pondered, and he frowned a little.

“For your-

“I trust you.” You interrupted, looking at him dead in the eyes, as if challenging him. He couldn’t help but smile at your spitfire attitude.

“As my Queen commands.” He kissed your cheek.

It was the only warning you really had, but your blood was on fire with heat and want, and truthfully, if he wanted to hurt you, he had every opportunity to after you wiped away the salt from the pentagram.

Shedding off the both your clothing, the both of you stared unabashed at each other, a red flush tinted his face, and you were blushing furiously. You weren’t really acquainted with seeing an angry-looking cock, veins visible as a drool of precum leaked onto the ground, but here it was, twitching slightly at your intense gaze. The golden glints caught your eye, and your eyes widened with surprise.

“Y-you have piercings-!” You guffawed as he laughed.

“Oh! You’re so cute! Easy to reach’n stimulate, Babe.” He winked and you swallowed thickly as he then decided that enough time was spent staring, and now he wanted to touch you, more.  

 He placed both garbs neatly on the ground as he gently maneuvered you onto them, your stomach and breasts were cushioned as you gripped the clothing, knees on the cool grass as you basically laid out bare for him.  

 You jolted as you felt his hot, fat tongue lick a long stripe along your leaking sex and clit, his hands gripped your thighs, squeezing them gently as he decided to make a meal out of you, first. You could only lay there, whining and panting, trying to move your hips in his tight grasp as he licked you with fervor, taking extra time to suckle at your clit, chuckling as he also sopped up the extra slick running down your thighs, kissing them gently and you moaned.

“Taishiro!” You whined at him, silently pleading for him to get to the main event.

“Oh? Ya wanna be fully tainted by the devil?” He purred, and you nodded. You knew that he had to take care of his need, too, and he didn’t admit it, but he was getting a little impatient.  

“Easy there, Hon. If anythin’ bothers you, say somethin’, and we’ll stop, m’kay?” He finished, getting an affirmative from you, as he then grabbed his dick, leading it to your sopping entrance, and pushing a little bit in. He was amazed on how the muscles to your opening were loose, letting the head of his dick catch the rim, slipping a little inside.

He froze when you froze at the sudden prodding, opting instead to move his hips rather gently, not going further as you got use to the feeling of what’s already inside you. He decided that rubbing your clit was a good idea, and was rewarded as he felt you loosen up a bit, knees spreading out further as you bit your lip, feeling the gentle rubbing of calloused fingers.

“C-continue.” You murmured, feeling the other piercings now slide past the muscle. It was a delicious feeling of being stretched and stimulated, feeling yourself loosen as you took more of him in.

“Almost in, Sweetheart.” He murmured gently, his other hand rubbing soothing circles between your shoulder blades. Finally, he moved the last couple of inches inside of your burning heat as he refused to move, letting the both of you take in the feeling of being joined together.

“Ya alright?” He grunted, silently pleading for you to give your affirmative for him to move. He was relieved when you nodded, amazed at himself for gently rocking his hips as you were basically sucking him in. You were in a daze, feeling every inch, vein, and piercing churn your inside walls as your breasts rubbed against the silken clothing, clit still being stimulated as he took care of you.

“Y-you can mo-ve fa-faster, T-Taishiro.” It sounded more needy than you liked to admit, but he didn’t seem to mind. He leaned down, resting his chin against your shoulder as he basically enveloped you from above, one hand rubbing your clit, and the other holding himself from fully crushing you as he let his hips buck with more fervor, both of you seeing each other’s needy expressions.

“Takin’ me in-oh! So well, Darlin’. Ya’re s-suckin’ me in so-damn! Nicely. Don’t know ya that well, but ‘m so fond an’ proud of ya.” He kissed your cheek tenderly, contrast to his hips positioning themselves in a new angle in a snapping motion. Your head spun with stars as you felt the piercing on his tip, hit something inside you, letting out a “do that again!”. He would chuckle, if that statement didn’t turn him on so much.

“Y-you’re doing such a g-good job, too! Ah! Like y-you a lo-ot!” You admitted, trying your best to return such actions of affections. He rested his cheek against your cheek, taking his free hand to interlace his fingers with yours as he felt you tighten when he rolled his hips, aiming for the spot that kept making you clench.  

“’C’mon, cum fer me, Baby. Lemme feel ya milk a century’s worth dry.” He growled into your ear, eager at the prospect as much as you were as you suddenly stiffened, your walls tightening around him desperately as you let out a whine, chasing the fleeting feeling as you reached down and gripped his fingers onto your clit.

“T-Taishiro! O-overstim-ula-t-ed!” You cried out, tears pooling around your eyes in frustration as your body kept clenching around him and the electricity of your high was going haywire, consuming you into a mess.

“J-just a lil! More!” He tore his hand away, sitting up as he gripped one hand on your waist tightly, and the other pressed down on your back, snapping his hips, churning your sensitive walls with an animalisitc frenzy. You could only whine, laying there and taking it as your mind was in a blank state as you felt him get bigger, suddenly. To your relief, he gave one final thrust.  

A hot warmth coated your raw insides, mixing in with your own cum as you felt him still. You whined softly as you felt full. Moments passed as the two of you huffed and panted, letting the cool air chill the two of your sweaty bodies down. He pulled out of you gingerly, you whimpered at the loss as you felt cum and slick leak out. He paid no mind, plopping down to the side of you, and pulling you back onto his stomach as the two of you took each other in, cooling down from intense highs.

He cupped your face, and began trailing soft kisses wherever he could reach, and you couldn’t help but rasp out giggles, the fog clearing from your head as you descended back towards your normal mental state of closure.  

“Beautiful. Mmm, ya took me so well, an’ ya looked so pretty n’ debauched. Don’t care, I’m gunna say it, Princess. I love ya.” He admitted so softly, hands smoothing down your back as you felt your heart softened as you gazed down at him.

“I love you, too. I know for sure that I will love you more when time passes.” You kissed him tenderly, letting your own growing affections seep into the kiss, and he let out an odd guttural of purring, enjoying the fulfilling feeling of a partner doting on him. The lights flickered, as if trying to lull you to sleep, but you weren’t sleepy, yet.

“I want to talk. What’s your favorite color? Why do you purr? How did you meet your sons? I want to know every bit about you.” You murmured into his chest, peeking at him through lashes, enjoying the surprised and pleased look that you were receiving. You didn’t care about the time, letting him ramble at each question you had, enjoying the way his heartbeat quickened as his breathing chest fell up and down, him talking excitedly as he threw in his own questions, pleased to know about you, more.

“Ah~! I don’t think ya can’t get any cuter~.” He rubbed his nose against yours in affection, and you were surprised to hear the familiar purr echo through his chest.

“What about your purring?”  

“Yeah, happens now an’ then when I’m truly happy.”

“That’s wholesome and cute.” You admitted truthfully, liking the way his eyes danced with light at your confession.

“I wanna go again.” He said suddenly, and you flushed, realizing that he was stirring to life, again. You didn’t mind. You told him, and he smiled, kissing you.

“We’ll take it a lil’ more slow, this time. Face to face. Preferably ya kissin’ me, more.” He smiled, pinching your cheek playfully. You kissed him in false retaliation.

“Yer still a lil’ wet, so ya wouldn’t mind if I just-?” He asked, and you nodded, feeling his member catch onto the rim of your used entrance, the both of you moaning as he slid in easier, this time. You were wet and loosened, and instead of focusing on chasing your highs, the two of you paid attention to each other.

 Not many words were said as you did what you pleased, kissing, touching, and enjoying his softened expression at your inquisitive hands as he held onto you, returning your affectionate gestures as the atmosphere resonated with the flickering candles: soft and romantic as the two of your hips met in a slow, sensual pace, not racing against time as you felt him continue to purr, much to your satisfaction.  

You were still satisfied from earlier, but he still managed to make you cum again, this time it wasn’t as intense, but it didn’t matter, for your head cleared a little more quicker, getting to enjoy his desperate look as he quickened his pace. He looked debauched and desperate, eyebrows furrowed downward, pools of wetness gathering at his eyes as he bit his lip, only to open his mouth and call out your name as once again, he came inside of you.              

   “Damn, I think that I can forever make love to ya.” He panted out, sweaty chest rising and falling as one of your hands soothed circles around his waist, the other bringing his own to your lips as you kissed the back tenderly.

“I feel the same.” You admitted truthfully, and he let out another set of purrs.

……….

“Oh my goooooood! Oh my god! Sister! Where have you beeeeeen?! It’s been like, a year since we’ve last seen you!” Your friend hugged you tightly, relieved tears threatened to spill. Taishiro and you had decided to take a visit on the earthen realm to collect the rest of your things, if the villagers hadn’t destroyed your hut, that is. Luckily, your place was left untouched, and you came across the wondering group of girls, fretting over you, your state of dress, and looking at Taishiro with concern.

“Sis, did you finally summon a hireling? He doesn’t look like a gremlin?” One asked. You had to keep in your laughter as your husband’s eye twitched with annoyance.  

“Um, I used a different method on the summoning spell. This is my husband, Taishiro.”

“Whaaaaa-?”

“King of hell, keeper of souls, blah blah. Look, me an’ my Queen are going to go, now. Yer all annoyin’.” He griped, snapping his fingers as the portal to your home had opened, not giving your friends time to wave their goodbyes as he dragged you home, and oddly enough, you didn’t mind.

……..

          Your eyes glinted in the moonlight as the juice from the pomegranate seeds stained your lips red as you eyed the stunned man. Centuries had passed, and you and your husband had lost track of time, not aging as your magic grew in power, melding perfectly with his. Your adopted sons had moved on, finding their own mates, bringing them to your realm to visit regularly, and your love for Taishiro grew immeasurably.

  Unfortunately, since he was an ancient demon, he had to reincarnate once every one thousand years, letting his soul reset into a body although resembled his own, his memories were long gone, leading you onto a twenty-nine year old man-hunt for your reincarnated lover.

“I may have a use for you, yet.” You let the words soothe over the young magic user, his eyes widened in something akin to recognition, although confused.

“Alright, Dumplin, What’dya need?” His accent was the same, except it belonged to a young man, this time, and not a demon.

“I’m Queen of hell, lady of the lost souls, and I’m in need of a king.”

 “So familiar…” He gripped his head, eyeing you with confusion, yet there was a hint of your husband’s glint within those eyes.

“It’s because you know me. Very well.” You hummed at his confused expression.

“Alright, I’m curious. Lead me.” He gave in.

You smiled. It wouldn’t take long for the two of you to be reunited, after all.

………..

End! Give Thanks and Credit to Rita, or youtubequeens on tumblr for the idea and us brainstorming! I tried to fix any plot holes, I fell in love with the setting and mythology and other things, so I’m pretty proud of this fic :3

[promptsausandshit]

Picture this; #387

A Month of Fantasy Prompts;

(Note; While the goal is to do one a day, please go at your own pace, this is for fun after all!)

1.  To keep their new human form they would need to return with the heart of someone who was loved by many, a task that was becoming harder to come to terms with as their time ran out.

2.  “Look, I’m sorry okay! How was I supposed to know those little squiggles were for more than just aesthetic?”

3.  They never thought they’d be haggling the price of their friends life with a sly spider creature, but that’s what happens when you get involved with barmy wizards.

4.  One person goes to the beach a few times a week to teach their new siren friend and their siblings sign language. They are very enthusiastic learners.

5.  No one realises that the prophetic statue is a bit petty and will spout the occasional falsehood for their own amusement.

6.  Archaeologists are exploring some interesting caves when they accidentally solve a riddle and walk straight into a dwarven stronghold in the middle of a feast.

7.  “Only you would willingly drink a truth potion with a silly-straw to prove a point.”

8.  A knight finds themselves in need of a florists knowledge to pass a test and complete their quest.

9.  They really wish that their reflection would stop singing whenever anyone said something close to a lyric, they also wish their flatmate stopped encouraging it.

10.  Turns out the lead singer of a famous screamo band is an actual banshee.

11.  They had been drawn to the other yet not known why until their eyes had met and they realised that their unusual colour was due to their eyes being made of actual gemstones.

12.  Werewolf farmer makes good use of their monthly transformations, leaving scent markers for themselves to follow in order to quickly and thoroughly plough the fields. Results tend to vary.

13.  They woke from their nap to find a baby sphinx curled in their lap and have no idea what to do about this.

14.  “Oh yeah, sure, give the mysterious arcane artefact to the dodgy professor with a very large collection of blood samples, what could possibly go wrong?!”

15.  Vampires don’t need green screen, as such they are quite useful puppeteers and practical effect workers.

16.  Self playing instrument has somehow gained knowledge of musical memes and uses them as it wishes no matter the time, place, situation or company.

17.  A shape-shifter makes a living out of impersonating princesses who are trying to avoid getting caught up in kidnapping plots, prophetic threats or strange marriage arrangements.

18.  Most thought unicorns where tall, lithe and shimmered like pearls but in truth they rarely grew higher than a humans knee, had thick curled coats of fur and came in a variety of earthly colours.

19.  Fae keep breaking in to their apartment to play with their collection of stim toys.

20.  There was once crystal that held the soul of one of the most powerful beings to have ever lived, this crystal has been split and embedded into a crown, a choker and a ring, those who wear them become possessed by the souls power and seek each other.

21.  A kid spending the summer at a camp is secretly investigating what in the lake keeps sinking their paper boats.

22.  Everyone knows that if you want something done right you hire a Wolpertinger to manage it.

23.  Aphrodite has discovered the existence of dating sims and is crashing at a mortals house to play them all, though failed to inform said mortal of this.

24.  “They can’t turn led into gold, but they can turn lords into jesters.”

25.  A tiny doll that was once a human is having a hard time getting their new owner to take them seriously due to how cute they are.

26.  The Goddess of Nature, having found their favoured hunter, bestowed their head with golden antlers and laughed as they struggled. Upon finding the most worthless prey, the goddess cursed them with a wicked poison and shivered as they thrived.

27.  One owl seems very determined to become the familiar of one very confused and very non-magical doctor.

28.  Centaurs are commonly hired as daily assistants to the disabled and elderly, their great strength, speed, mobility and wisdom allows them to not only be efficient helpers but good companions. Though stairs and small spaces are an issue.

29.  The novelty book they bought from a second hand bargain bin for a laugh turned out to be a very real enchanted book of spells that came with it’s own ghost author.

30.  “Dragons love heavy metal! Seriously it’s a perfect gift, trust me!”

31.  Mermaids all seem to have a time period that they consider the most fashionable, as such they have recreated those fashions and are keen to show off their outfits.

Completion Bonus!;

Do a one shot or a sketch for something you love that you haven’t had the chance to do for a while! Or read one chapter of an unfinished story! Or watch one episode or movie of that thing you like! Satisfy whatever urge you have right now, you have all the time in the world for this so relax and treat yourself, you did great!

[thezodiaczone]

Virgo Compatibility

VIRGO + ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19) The razor's edge between love and hate lives in this common but contradictory coupling. Your attraction feels so fated, it's impossible to resist. Fire-sign Aries loves freedom and risk, but helplessly falls for prudent, parental Virgo, an Earth sign landlocked by practicality and protocol. The tips of Virgo's gossamer wings are singed by Aries' flame—yet, into the fire the Virgin flutters. Both signs have a hero complex, and this relationship centers around fixing each other, or exposing the other to new ways of life. For the first six to twelve months, it's exhilarating. Arduous Aries hand-delivers Virgo's sexual awakening with passion that's tender and all-consuming. Cautious Virgo teaches the impetuous Ram how to slow down, prepare and look both ways before crossing. New facets of your personalities unearth themselves—how lovely!

Once the hormone flood is no longer at high tide, however, there are glaring differences to negotiate. Virgo's well-intentioned criticisms feel like a character assault to Aries ("who cares how I fold my T-shirts? I'm still a good person!"). Aries' myopic selfishness makes Virgo feel resentful and unappreciated—especially after hours of listening to the Ram's diatribes with the patience of a paid analyst. At this point, you realize that you've spent way too much time together, and you've lost touch with the outside world. Roll out of bed and reconnect with your individual friends, hobbies and interests. Trust that the other one will be there when you return.

VIRGO + TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20) ♥♥♥♥ You're a pair of sophisticated Earth signs who blend like cashmere and wool. Taurus adds the touch of luxe and Virgo is the solid standby. You're what could be described as a "lovely couple," with good taste, social graces and old-fashioned values. Although your earthy natures can also make you hippies at heart, you tend toward the traditional, and you both like possessions of quality. You'll set up a lovely, well-appointed home—though Taurus will have to fight neat-freak Virgo to keep the plastic slipcovers off the sofas and doilies off the appliances. Virgo is ruled by intellectual Mercury, and Taurus by pleasure-loving Venus. As a result, Taurus is more feisty, raw and direct, which can offend Virgo's stuffed-shirt sensibilities. However, the Virgin soon looses up and learns to laugh at himself. It's good to have sensible Virgo around to pull the brake when Taurus overspends, heads up to the buffet for a fourth helping or tips his glass for a refill. Responsible Virgo has far more self-control than the Bull. In private, you're both sensual and erotic, and you can spend hours wrapped contentedly in your Egyptian cotton sheets. You share a judgmental streak, and if you're too intent on fancying yourselves superior to the world, you may limit your horizons. Open your minds, and be willing to try something "lowbrow" or off your beaten paths. It keeps life interesting.

VIRGO + GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20) Gemini and Virgo share a common ruler: speedy Mercury, who zips around the Sun gathering light and information, then disseminating it to the masses. You're both natural communicators with a thousand ideas and opinions. Romance is a cerebral affair for your intelligent signs. Conversations spark into lively debates; asking each other "What do you think?" is akin to foreplay. Although Virgo is a more staid Earth sign and Gemini is a breezy Air sign, you share a "mutable" quality. That means you're flexible, and you can adapt to each other's quirks. Good thing, since you each have a bevy of rigid, borderline obsessive-compulsive habits. (Virgo's can include folding underwear into identical, neat little squares; Gemini's usually involve hoarding, starting new hobbies or impulse shopping.) You both love control, though Gemini is loath to admit this, while Virgo flies the flag. At times, you may wrestle for dominance, a habit you'll need to overcome for this match to work. Virgo's nagging can take the wind out of Gemini's sails; Gemini's sketchily researched half-truths set off Virgo's trust alarm. But combine the depth of Virgo's cautious planning with the breadth of Gemini's boundless curiosity, and you've got the total package. You can make great parents, too, since your styles tend to complement and you'll divide up roles with ease. Gemini can help serious Virgo lighten up, and responsible Virgo can help ground the easily distracted Twin.

VIRGO + CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22) ♥♥♥♥ This is a couple that can outlast the ages, since you're fast friends and seamless companions. Virgo is the zodiac's helper and Cancer is its nurturer. Your emotional connection is instant, and you're thrilled to meet a kindred soul who knows how to give, not just take. It's a refreshing break from the usual energy vampires you both attract! Your relationship is sweet and storybook-innocent: lots of handholding, sentimental cards, and anniversary baubles. Yet, you're practical, too, stowing away college funds for your yet-to-be-born children, earning advanced degrees, taking out a mortgage. Security is something you both cherish. In a way, you're like parents and partners to one another: you both express love by nagging, fussing and feeding. And it works. A pair of self-professed nerds, you love to cook, decorate, read novels and learn. No matter how much money you earn, you both remain thrifty, too. (Scoring a high-end treasure at a tag sale or an eBay auction is orgasmic.) Your signs are both family oriented, and you make sweet but strict parents who live for your children. Generally, you're close to your own relatives, and you enjoy spending time at family events or hosting holiday gatherings. Keeping the sexy charge alive will take a little effort, though, since you both love to stay home rather than dress up or hit the town. Push yourselves to leave the nest, and socialize with other couples more often.

VIRGO + LEO (JULY 23 - AUGUST 22) You're playing with fire here—literally. Passionate Leo is a Fire sign ruled by the Sun, and his solar power can light up a universe. Virgo is a practical, skeptical Earth sign who can throw dirt on Leo's flames before they have a chance to combust into a world-changing wildfire. It's a shame how quiet and subdued the awesome Lion becomes around Virgo. The problem? Leo is addicted to praise, and needs constant encouragement from his mate. Virgo is the zodiac's perfectionist; his critical nature can cause Leo to shrink-wrap himself into diminutive proportions. Think of Leos Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, and their marriages to Virgos Guy Ritchie and Marc Anthony. Yes, they had children with these men, which is important to the family-oriented Lion. However, both megastars toned down their flashy, go-getter images to play wifey. This dynamic must be avoided at all costs. Virgo's earthy nature should be no more than terra firma beneath the Lion's feet. In turn, Leo must shore up confidence, rather than take flaw-finding Virgo's feedback to heart. While Virgo is the helper sign, a codependent vibe can quickly form if he tries to manage Leo's demanding, dramatic life. Your signs are completely different; what's good for the goose is dead-wrong for the gander. Live and let live.

VIRGO + VIRGO (AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22) Two fussbudget, critical control freaks like you will either suit each other…or deserve each other. For what is a relationship but a magical looking glass into your own dark and twisted Wonderland? You're neurotic neatniks and private pack rats who will either: a) thrive by living in separate wings or residences, b) nitpick each other to death, or c) grow into happily-ever-after hoarders, aging gracefully in a castle of newspaper clippings saved for the ne'er-to-come Someday. Your grounding Earth sign nature can also be your saving grace, as it gifts you with sophisticated, sensual taste. Forget the horn-rimmed glasses and virginal rep that's been cast upon your sign. You love handcrafted cuisine, fecund vineyards, bespoke furniture and majestic interiors. More than that, you both love the STORY behind everything. What would bore other signs fascinates you, and you want to learn about every nook and cranny that went into your captivations. Our advice: pack your perfectly-matched Vuitton luggage and get thee to Tuscany for couples' cooking lessons. Learn the complete history of a region and travel there on an architectural tour. Call it "intellectual intercourse." Bond over your braininess and the passion will follow.

VIRGO + LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22) You're next-door-neighbor signs who can learn a thing or two from each other. Virgo is a cautious Earth sign who plans for the worst and prays for the best. Air-sign Libra not only expects the best, he demands it—and thus, he usually gets it. In stressful times, Libra's charm and balanced perspective is a breath of fresh air for anxious Virgo. The Virgin is ruled by mentally-stimulating Mercury, and his mind goes a mile a minute. Libra's ruler is Venus, the goddess of beauty, love and pleasure. Like a gentle lullaby, Libra smoothes the rough spots, helping Virgo relax and trust that everything will be okay. While this may be an illusion, it still has a hypnotic effect on Virgo. Socially, you mix well. You both enjoy arts and culture, and you'll never be at a loss for date ideas: museum openings, concerts, readings. You're also a fastidious pair—you'll have the cleanest house on the block if it's up to Virgo, and the most tastefully decorated home if Libra has a say. The one dynamic to beware: Virgo is the zodiac's helper and Libra is its pampered diva. This can easily turn into a master-and-servant scenario, with Libra feigning helplessness and Virgo scrambling to save him. Like Persephone eating the pomegranate seeds that doomed her to Hades, Virgo must be careful not to swallow Libra's intoxicating tales and sob stories.

VIRGO + SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 21) ♥♥♥♥ Virgo and Scorpio are two of the zodiac's shrewdest signs. Your collective gaze misses nothing, and your conversations can be as hair-splitting as Freudian analysis. You're both insatiable when it comes to understanding the human soul, and examining your own neuroses can keep you busy for weeks. While your obsessive natures would drive other people mad, it only makes you more fascinated by each other. You're like two scientists in the lab of love, researching, analyzing, and measuring data. Moody and introverted, you both have spells where you crave total privacy, and you'll grant each other that space. You unconsciously absorb so much energy from your environments, and you need to clear yourselves on a regular basis. Nature is soothing—Scorpio is a Water sign, and Virgo is Earth—and you may enjoy a healthy or outdoorsy lifestyle. That can mean renting a private chalet on a pristine European lake, or devoting yourselves to raw food, vegetarianism, and yoga. Virgo is the zodiac's Virgin and Scorpio is the sex sign. In bed, Scorpio can be a bit too intense for earthy Virgo. You're both lusty sensualists, but if Scorpio breaks out the dungeon props and dominatrix gear, Virgo draws the line. The Virgin may indulge a fetish with strangers, but he keeps a strict boundary about how far he'll experiment with a partner. No matter. You're good friends and supportive partners who find beauty in the smallest details—the makings of a quality life commitment.

VIRGO + SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21) Virgo is an introverted Earth sign, Sag an extroverted Fire sign, but you can bring out lesser-seen traits in each other. On the outside, you look like an odd couple. Prim, preppy Virgo is a crisply tailored schoolmarm; Sag is a rumpled hippie in wrinkled jeans and weathered shoulder bags, more like a grad student during finals. Still, you're both brainy types who bond through long, intense conversations. Intellectual Virgo has a keen, organized mind; thoughtful Sagittarius is the zodiac's philosopher. Together, you'll ponder the meaning of life and psychoanalyze your mutual friends—behind their backs and to their faces. You can both be preachy and judgmental, and you're fascinated by the foibles of human nature. Beyond the talk, you have different lifestyles, and those require adaptation. Virgo's monkish side can make Sag feel lonely, and the Archer's blunt remarks can hurt the Virgin's feelings. Virgo is great listener, but hesitant to bare his own soul. This frustrates Sagittarius, who craves more intimate sharing. Your habits are different, too. Virgo concerns himself with every niggling detail, irritating the impatient Archer, who thinks in broad strokes. Sagittarius must learn to sweat the small stuff a little more. Thank-you notes, birthday cards, flowers, presents—these gestures don't mean much to Sag, but they mean the world to Virgo. In turn, Sag can teach Virgo how to have fun and take risks instead of playing it safe.

VIRGO + CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 19) ♥♥♥♥ You're pragmatic Earth signs who strike a perfect balance between sensible and sensual. You bring out the best in one another. Virgo is ruled by Mercury, the communication planet. A natural psychologist and articulate speaker, this sign likes to talk everything out. Stoic Capricorn is ruled by stern, repressed Saturn, and struggles to voice his feelings. Capricorn benefits from Virgo's ability to draw him out of dark thoughts. When Virgo's anxieties take hold, practical Capricorn brings a helpful dose of perspective. Dutiful souls, you take care of parents, friends and family members, and your cozy home is everyone's favorite crash pad. Holidays and parties are warm, congenial affairs, and nobody wants to leave. Marriage is a sure success, and you laugh often, excellent medicine for your serious signs. The lovely thing about this combination is how natural you can be—a refreshing break from your formal public demeanors. A favorite example: One Virgo friend, a singer-songwriter, was stricken with a creative block. Her Capricorn husband poked his head into her studio, and found her obsessing. She launched into complaining, and he deftly interrupted: "Wanna f---?" A satisfied hour later, she finished the song. Offensive to prim Virgo from any other sign, but Capricorn can go there. You relax into your carnal natures around each other, loosening up in ways that few other signs can elicit.

VIRGO + AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 18) To say you're an odd couple is an understatement—and there certainly will be odds to beat. Just figuring each other out could take years, and it might not end well. (Remember tabloid train-wrecks Charlie Sheen and Denise Richards, or Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley?) Judgmental Virgo is an introverted Earth sign with a habit of thinking too much. Breezy Aquarius, a carefree Air sign, is the unofficial town mayor, best friend to everyone from the street sweeper to the CEO. While you complement each other in some ways, your lifestyles are very different. Virgo likes time alone with his books and thoughts, while social Aquarius rarely misses a party and can't be bothered to take life as seriously as Virgo does. Where can you come together? You both like to help people in need, and you're passionate about social change, especially through responsible business practices. Saving the planet is a particular passion for your environmentalist signs. You're as likely to meet at a drum circle as you are at a conference on climate control, or volunteering in the Peace Corps. In fact, this relationship is most likely to succeed if you have a larger common vision. Why not funnel your ideals into a successful enterprise? Go start an eco-village, or open a raw juice bar in an up-and-coming neighborhood—Virgo can grow organic produce in a backyard plot. It will stop Virgo from nagging and nosing into Aquarius's affairs, and will keep restless Aquarius from feeling smothered.

VIRGO + PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20) Virgo and Pisces are two of the most powerful healers in the zodiac. Virgo is an Earth sign, clinical and data-driven, always there with a practical answer and a helping hand. Water-sign Pisces has emotional compassion, the ability to empathize and absorb other people's pain. You're opposite signs: Virgo is the doctor; Pisces is the nurse. You can teach each other a lot, doing much good on the planet along the way. Virgo is the zodiac's giver, performing acts of selfless service (Mother Theresa is a Virgo). However, it's hard for Virgo to receive, since he views "neediness" as a weakness in himself. Enter Pisces, ruler of the zodiac's receptive twelfth house. The Fish knows how to surrender boundaries and allow people's energy to flow in. Pisces teaches Virgo that accepting love is a generous and selfless act. It opens the door for others to be their greatest selves, to discover their power through contributing. At times, Pisces' emotional nature can overwhelm Virgo, leaving him ungrounded. You both need doses of solitude to reconnect with your souls. Writing, playing music (especially classical compositions or Gregorian chants), painting and creativity is healing to you both. This relationship also brings out your spiritual sides. Meditation, yoga and metaphysical study can open up great psychic channels. These practices also prevent unhealthy addictions, which your easily-stressed signs may adopt as a means of self-medicating. Watch out for secretive tendencies, which you both have as a result of perfectionism and insecurity. Communicate openly, or air your "shameful" skeletons to a confidante—otherwise, you'll beat yourselves up unnecessarily, causing distance in the relationship.

[maxineswritingcenter]

Cinderella AU - Dean x fem!reader

There once was a man, a good man. He loved his family very much, his wife and young daughter, (Y/N). Father and daughter were inseperable, they were the best of friends. After a mysterious illness, his wife died and the man remarried. The woman, Druscilla Tremaine, and her daughters, Anastasia and Drizella, moved into their home. And just as before, the man followed his wife to the grave. This left (Y/N) at the hands of three witches who forced her to clean house and run errands for spell ingredients. What the witches didn't know what that the girl had been learning all these years and had found some magic abilities of her own. There was a meeting of the coven soon, a fabulous party for powerful witches.

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

In the darkness of my tiny room I practiced. I practiced and practiced. I practiced by candle light to hide what I was doing. Druzilla, my actual evil stepmother, would literally kill me if she found me doing magic. At any opportunity, I would write down spells of little bits of paper and hide them in a notebook I kept under my bed.

It was early, I could be caught at any moment now. But it wasn't fair. The spell that my step mother was going to use required a life, she was going to be using a field mouse from the backyard. The little thing didn't deserve to suffer. From it's tiny cage, I lifted him out with one hand and fed him a tiny piece of cheese. He held it in his little paws and ate away, not a care in the world.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, gently petting the top of its head. From the table next to me, I grabbed a pinch of chamomile and blew it into the mouse's face.

I took a deep breath and sounded out the spell I heard, "bah rah gah doh." The mouse halted and fell limp. My eyes widened and I panicked. Did I kill it? Do I do something wrong? Pronounce something wrong? I held the little mouse close to my ear, hearing its tiny heart beat. My shoulders relaxed and I put the little mouse back in it's little plastic prison.

"There you go... Sleep now." I whispered. Suddenly loud footsteps thundered down the hall. I quickly took my notebook and shoved it under my bed and blew out the candle. My door opened, blinding me with the light from the hallway.

"Ah, you're awake. Decided to sleep in, did you?" Druscilla looked down at me with her pointed eyes.

"I was up late cleaning up... From your ritual." The ritual where she literally drained a person of their blood to keep her young. The victim was a college girl passing through town. The locals would blame an animal, just like they were spelled to do.

"Well that's no excuse, is it?" She said, putting her hands on her hips.

"No." I said, not looking her in the eyes.

"No, what?"

"No, ma'am."

She humpfed, "That's what I thought. Now get ready. I need that mouse. There are hunters in town and I'll be damned if they find me. Especially before the party." She left the room, slamming the door behind her. I winced at the sound, looking back at the little mouse, still sound asleep.

"What I wouldn't do, little mouse, what I wouldn't do." I sighed and got ready for the day. Hair in a messy bun, t-shirt, jeans, socks, shoes, nothing special. My step monster spent my dad's money on clothes and riches for her and her daughters. Anastasia and Drizella. Anastasia wasn't so bad, she mostly followed the crowd. It was Drizella I had to watch out for. Drizella liked to play with fire, I had the scars on my legs to prove that her spells worked. Nothing like having your pants set on fire in the middle of dinner. I made my way down to the main floor of the house, the little cage in hand. I set the cage down on the alter table and took a deep breath.

"Hey!" A shrill voice made me jump, there in the doorway to the living room was Drizella.

"I thought I told you to iron my dress." She held up the dress that I ironed the previous night, "It's all wrinkled!"

"I did iron it." I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking.

"Not good enough. Need I remind you of what I can do?" She glared. Soon after Anastasia appeared, plate in hand.

"(Y/N), I'm hungry. Why isn't breakfast ready?" She asked.

"Because she's going to reiron my dress." Drizella snapped at her sister.

"No, she's making breakfast first!" Anastasia whined back. They both started yelling at each other back and forth until their mouths snapped shut with a snap of Druscilla's fingers.

"Now, now, girls, what is all this ruckus?" She eyed me, "(Y/N), what have you done now?"

I shook my head, "I didn't do anything-"

"I see. That explains it then. Well do something. Make breakfast, iron her dress, and then run to the apothecary. I need more ashwood." She grabbed my arm, pushing up my sleeve to show the scar on my arm where she placed a hex bag, "If the shop keep gives you any trouble you know what will happen. And you wouldn't want to hurt him, would you?" I shook my head.

"Good." She dropped my arm and with a flick of her wrist, I was sent towards the kitchen.

-

The streets were crowded, it was pretty unusual for this tiny town but with the meeting of the coven the town was buzzing. They were also buzzing because of the idea of hunters. Druscilla said hunters were bad, but I didn't think anyone could be as bad as her. I entered the apothecary, just like I did every week. The little bell chimed and I felt safe for the time being. The shopkeep was understanding of my situation and knew what Druscilla could do. The shopkeep was a friendly man. His smile was warm and welcoming. He was tall and usually wore a grey sweater, probably to hide all of his warding tattoos. His business was a dangerous one. I made my way up to the register and smiled.

"I can't find the ashwood, did you move it?" I asked.

He shook his head, "No, I'm afraid that someone put my stock on reserve, they got a big harvest day ritual coming up."

My heart sunk, "But, She need ashwood. I can't go back without it."

He shrugged, "I'm sorry. The client already paid for all of it."

My arm started to burn and so did my eyes, "Please." I gasped in pain, "There has to be something left."

His eyes widened, "Hey now, I told you I don't have any to give Druscilla and you can go tell her that."

My blood started to boil with rage and my breathing became ragged, "Please." I said through gritted teeth.

"I told you no." He said. My rage took over and I snarled, lunging at him over the counter. I took him to the ground, wrapped my hands around his throat. He grabbed my wrists, looking up at me with bulging eyes.

"Stop!" He managed to say.

"I can't!" I growled, pressing harder. His eyes rolled back and his fighting stopped. I found the will to let go and scrambled away from the man, taking off out of the shop.

I made my way to the hardware store, stopping outside to watch as old black Chevy park in front of the Apothecary.

-

"Tempered ashwood?!" Druscilla screamed and threw the wood planks at me after I presented her with a bag of it from the hardware store. I shielded my head with my arms as they fell down on me.

"You come back here with tempered ashwood?! What am I supposed to do with this?!" She screamed.

"It's all I could find! The apothecary was out!" I shouted back over the sound of her destroying plates that I would have to clean up later.

"Excuses! Always with the excuses, (Y/N)! I have raised you and fed you, kept you off the streets and you give me tempered ashwood?! How ungrateful." She spat. She walked away and went back to her stone alter where Drizella and Anastasia had been watching. She took the little mouse from his cage and shook him a bit with a confused look on his face.

"Why is it sleeping?" She looked down her nose at me.

"I-I don't know." I stuttered.

Druscilla rolled her eyes, "It doesn't matter." She took a sharp knife from the alter and I looked away while she ended the little life in her hand. I looked back after the last of it's blood was drained into a silver bowl. She then, pricked her finger with the knife. Anastasia and Drizella followed, they each let a drop of blood fall into a bowl.

"Cloaking flame, I ignite you. The fire born from blood leaves behind no witch. Now vanish me from the danger's sight. O fire of power and concealment." Druscilla threw some herbs into the bowl and it ignited into a red flame.

"Cloaking flame. That will keep us safe from any hunter that we should come into contact with. As long as this flame burns, they can't see us." Where was that spell when I was hiding from that damn cat, Lucifer.

On cue, the devil cat that I'm sure was spawned from Druscilla appeared. It was a large black cat with unsettling yellow eyes. It strutted past me and towards the alter. Drizella tossed the corpse of the mouse to the cat who caught it in its mouth.

"There's mommy's little helper." Druscilla sighed fondly at him. Lucifer, who didn't meow, but growled back at her.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Druscilla looked at me with a finger pressed to her lips.

"You know what to do." She said. I closed my eyes and stood up. When I opened them I walked towards the door and opened it. On the porch were two tall men, one taller than the other. They were dressed in dress pants and white button downs.

"Is this the Tremaine residence?" The taller one asked.

"Yes." I avoided eye contact, pulling my sleeves down to hide the scar.

"Well, this is Brother Samuel and I'm Brother Dean. We're here from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints. May we come in?" The other man with bright green eyes gave me a million dollar smile.

"No." I said.

"Are you sure?" Brother Samuel asked. He had saggy brown hair and hazel eyes that were kind and welcoming, "From what we heard in town the family used to be avid church goers."

"That was before my mother died. My father lost faith. So did I." I quickly looked over my shoulder at the witches then back at the Mormons, "This really isn't a good time." I tried to close the door but the green eyed man stepped forward and held the door open with his foot.

"Ma'am, is everything alright. Are you in some sort of danger?" Brother Dean asked, his eyes scanning over my face like a lazer. I winced when I felt the spell beginning to take it's hold on me.

"Please go." I whimpered, the burning began to take effect in my eyes. Which he seemed to notice because he backed off and smiled.

"Perhaps another time." Brother Samuel said, "Have a nice day." I quickly closed the door, leaning against it and breathing heavily.

"Those must be the hunters." Anastasia said, "They didn't notice us at all."

Drizella smirked, "Mother, may I keep one. The green eyed one got my blood pumping."

"No, no, Drizella. I have a plan for them. Involving..." She looked at me with a smirk, "Our guard dog."

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

Tis the beginning of a story based Loosely off of Cinderella, I'm trying my best.

Reblogs, likes and comments are appreciated!

Read part two here!

If you would like to be tagged in this series, send me an ask!

General tag:

@happy-little-winchester

@hobby27

@somebodyto-love

@beanie-beebo

@vicmc624

@ria132love

@lilulo-12

@teenwaywardasgardian

@tloveswriting

@samros95

@calaofnoldor

[syncogon]

[QZGS TL] Butterfly Blue’s interview regarding the movie For the Glory (08/15/19)

Because the movie was released (and English subbed) online fairly recently, I thought I’d go back and translate this interview that BB did about it. It’s pretty long, but quite interesting! (As always, please let me know of any errors.)

bilibili interview link (remove spaces): https ://www.bilibili. com/video/av63863201/

Q: As this is the first movie of TKA, how did you choose the topic? A: We’ve already done a donghua, which already covers the plot of the main novel, so when we were picking the subject of the movie, we didn’t want to repeat a story that we’ve already told. I’d written some side stories [i.e. the prequel] earlier, which fills in a few stories of our characters during the ten years before the main story starts. So, we wanted to use the movie medium to help fill in the early stories or whatnot of our characters, so everyone can have a better understanding of these characters. Especially for people who might be curious about The King’s Avatar, or who might not have even heard of it before – if they watch our movie first, they’ll start from the very beginning and watch as these youths, with Ye Xiu as the focus, grow.

Q: When you were writing TKA, had you ever thought about Excellent Era’s Season 1 roster? A: Of the characters, only one was mentioned in the novel, that’s Wu Xuefeng, who was a most reliable helper at Ye Xiu’s side during the first years he won those championships. As for the others, in terms of characters, I hadn’t really thought about them when I was writing the main novel, because by that time in the story they’d all retired or they weren’t relevant to our main plot. But back then, because they were a team, players on a team all had their own accounts, and everyone’s accounts had a class. The classes were actually always maintained, Excellent Era had always passed them down. So, when we were making this movie, we maintained all of this. That is, every original character in the movie, the accounts they used, you’ll find that those IDs appear in the main novel – Excellent Era’s Elementalist, Spellblade, etc, they are all these same account IDs.

Q: Why was the first user of Peaceful Hermit changed from Guo Mingyu to Lu Liang? A: Oh, this is a bit awkward. While I was writing, I forgot, the one who I initially had – well I forget which it was but – anyway, I wrote two different first-generation users, so basically it was actually a mistake in writing, a bug. Then, in the movie, they helped me patch it up, so by using a plot point they were able to fix this mistake in the original that I could no longer go back and change myself, they were able to cover my error. So, we have two users, and between them they have a relationship of partnership and inheritance.

Q: Given that we already know that Excellent Era wins the Season 1 championship, how does the movie make matches more interesting and exciting? A: For this, we basically started from Excellent Era’s opponents at the time, Royal Style as a team. Following the original work, Ye Xiu had met a few friends in-game, and then under the support of an internet café boss, the eventual boss of Excellent Era, Tao Xuan, they formed a team. Their team was fairly grassroots. But we considered the world background as a whole, and Glory definitely wasn’t the only game, nor the only competitive esport. So under our understanding, in this profession, there are a number of professional teams, but Ye Xiu and the others aren’t a part of all this. In contrast, Royal Style is a professional team, but at the start, Glory wasn’t one of the games they played professionally. But after the Glory Pro League was established, the professional club Royal Style decided to create this kind of team to play in the Glory Pro League. So, compared to Ye Xiu and co’s background, Royal Style is more “professional,” more advanced along the professional path, they have professional systems or training methods, that’s the kind of team they are. And then, compared to Ye Xiu and the rest of them, Royal Style might be more cohesive, more powerful, with better training and logistical support backing them up. We hope that Ye Xiu can encounter such a powerful foe, so everyone can see how Ye Xiu was able to stand upon the summit of Glory in Season 1.

Q: When Ye Qiu gave the mask to Ye Xiu, was that because something changed about his attitude? A: From the fact that he brought the mask prepared to give to him, we can see that Ye Qiu’s attitude didn’t actually change. In their hearts, the two brothers understand each other. Ye Qiu knew that even if he came over here to find his brother, there was no way he would be able to bring his older brother back. So when he said you should go home etc etc, that was more just fulfilling his duties as the younger brother, or like this is a job the family gave me, but after he did that he immediately gave him the mask; he knew things would end up like this, there’s no way you’re coming back. But he also knew where his older brother’s qualms lay, or the things that would be inconvenient for him, so this mask demonstrates his understanding of and consideration toward Ye Xiu.

Q: What was the biggest pleasant surprise of this movie for you? A: For me, the biggest surprise was this one scene – so after Su Muqiu died, he left his account card to Su Mucheng, and during this time Su Mucheng was feeling very downhearted, and she kind of rejected this game. But then one day, she took this account card that her brother left her, and when she logged on, Dancing Rain’s avatar appeared, and the avatar said to her, something like, “did you miss me? I’m always here.” That moment was the most moving part of the movie for me, because when we were making this movie, we were really trying to let it have more positive energy, so we tried to focus on the esports and competitive spirit side of things. But in this moment, I saw the significance that ordinary games have in our lives. It doesn’t have to do with dreams or fighting spirit, but they enter our lives and bring to you thoughts and memories.

Q: Say something to the TKA fans on Bilibili! A: The fans on Bilibili are probably mostly those who watched the donghua, right, so I feel that, come watch our movie as well, see if you like it. Thank you everyone for your support all this time.  

(reading Weibo posts) “2019 June 16, I wrote down in my planner that on August 16 I had to go to the movie theater. 2019 July 16, I tragically received notice that my school’s military training was on August 16…” Well, August 16 is just the release date, we’ll be in theaters for a while after, you can just go later haha

“I saw Tao Xuan in the trailer. At that time, they were all going to the pro circle for their dreams, for their own Glory!! And now, Excellent Era’s things are still here but the people are no more…” This user is sighing emotionally about Tao Xuan. But even if Tao Xuan changed later, earning money is still a dream, we can’t think that just because of this he’s all that… it’s just that the road he took is different from Ye Xiu’s.

“Guo Mingyu, you think that just by changing your name you can get away from your debt?” [laughing] That’s my mistake!

“Zhang Jiale perfectly avoided all chances of appearance.” He actually does appear, everyone look closely!

“This TKA movie you speak of, is it a good watch?” [bb misspeaks at first lol: “quan zhi dian ying gao shou,” all-class movie expert] Of course it’s good, you’ll know when you see it!

Q: Why does Ye Xiu go on morning runs in the movie? Probably because we still wanted to have a movie with more positive energy, let him maintain a relatively healthy physical condition. After all, by the time we see him in the main novel he’s a 25-year-old player, and by the time he wins the championship again he’s already 27-28. For an esports player, that’s extremely old, but even at such an old age he could still maintain that good of a competitive condition. If we wrote that off as natural gift, that doesn’t seem very suitable, so when we were writing this prequel, we wanted to have an explanation for why even when Ye Xiu became so old and many people had already retired, he could maintain such a high competitive skill level. It’s because he had a foundation in taking care of his body.

Q: Why was Su Muqiu so focused on self-made weapons? A: Because he relied on gaming to raise his little sister, his family, so in my original design, the most fundamental reason he focused on Silver weapons was that it was profitable. He needed greater income or whatnot, so after he discovered that this game had these Silver weapons, his thoughts would go in that direction. Because we have a saying in-universe, “the strongest weapons are Silver weapons,” so this had the greatest utility for him, it was a very down-to-earth judgment, it was an opportunity that would provide the greatest payoff, so he put a lot of effort into this area. To be honest, I feel like his goals are almost a level above the later dreams and “for the championship,” because he was doing this for existence, for life, for his home, for his little sister. So, when he’s going all out for this, it’s closer to our real lives, closer to an ordinary person’s attitude.

Q: Why does One Autumn Leaf get long golden hair in the trailer? A: That was his Awakening skill during the finals match. In the novel, we can use words to describe how awesome something is, but this kind of scene in an animation, we want to visually show a character transformation, something that will immediately make people know, “the One Autumn Leaf in this moment is stronger,” let everyone perceive this feeling more directly. So, we made him enter this long golden hair, cooler and more dazzling state.

Q: When Ye Xiu was still the little captain, what was his guiding principle for leading Excellent Era? A: This is actually the story we tell in the movie, how he led the team in the beginning, and then how he established those “golden phrases” or “fundamental creeds,” of his, such as what might be his most famous “Glory isn’t a single-player game,” in the movie we can see how this statement became Ye Xiu’s core spirit. And then in the finals, we use that kind of battle to show how his teammates supported him until the very end, how he relied upon the help of every one of his teammates to defeat the opposing Royal Style, which was a powerful team with top-level pro players.

Q: What function did Wu Xuefeng serve in the team, as Excellent Era’s vice-captain? A: Mm, to me, Wu Xuefeng this person, he’s a bit older than Ye Xiu and the others. When Ye Xiu became the little captain, he was barely an adult, only 18 years old, and in comparison, Wu Xuefeng was more mature, more stable. On the team at the time, I feel that he was in a steadier condition than Ye Xiu was. At that time, Ye Xiu was still young, he could be impulsive, he could be volatile. But Wu Xuefeng, at his side, was a very reliable character, he was the godly needle that stabilized the ocean [i.e. in Journey to the West, the pillar in the ocean that Sun Wukong took to serve as his iconic weapon]. Whenever problems appeared in the team, he would be the one mediating, he would be more rational, he would be a more balanced and steady character. I feel that he was a very good vice-captain at the time. Ye Xiu’s most reliable helper, that was how we defined him.

Q: What was the turning point for Ye Xiu when he decided he wanted to become a pro player? A: Well, first, when he left home, he didn’t have a very clear goal in mind. His family didn’t want him to play games, so he wanted to come out and play some games. And then he met Su Muqiu and Su Mucheng, and they were together for a while. At first, I feel like his life state was pretty similar to Su Muqiu’s, he would just do some power-leveling or some other very ordinary things just to earn a living, he didn’t have a clear plan. But the turning point was when Glory this game appeared, it was like Su Muqiu discovering Silver weapons in this game. After seeing the complexity of this game, how widespread it was, the things that this game was establishing, as well as his own ability and skill with this game, I feel that it was a gradual, step-by-step process and he decided, or wanted to try, “can I become a pro player.” And he had partners beside him, partners like Su Muqiu, and his boss at the time Tao Xuan, and a few good friends in-game, and everyone began to come together on this tide, this opportunity was here, and so with everyone he successfully stepped onto this road – and never looked back.

[violetosprey]

Wanted to hear you go on about child yandere. more types of love than romantic. the your my friend or your going to take care of me and me you is scary in a different way. smart kids can more easily manipulate the victim and others emotionally.

Child yanderes huh? Admittedly, that’s a topic I never really think about a lot.  The wording here was a little strange, but I’m taking this as pretty much a “free rein” question.

Quick thoughts here before the read more section:

Can a child be a yandere? – Absolutely

My feelings towards child yanderes (where the cast is roughly the same age) – Same as a normal yandere

My feelings towards child yanderes (where the yandere’s S/O is much older) – Frustrating to okay

To be perfectly upfront here, I don’t focus on child yanderes a lot with the media I consume. That doesn’t mean I don’t come across any.  In fact, in may just be a case where I’m not even considering “this is a child yandere” when technically yes they are.  I guess it depends on what age range you think of when you hear the word “child” to begin with.  For me, that makes me think elementary school and maybe even middle school.  High school I would rather say “kids” if that’s a step up in anyway?

If you consider anyone who is a minor (under the age of 18) a child, then yeah there’s a lot of child yanderes I’ve seen.  Lots of media I’ve read or watched focus on a cast of characters in high school for instance, or sometime middle school age.  I don’t think I’ve read or watched something with a yandere where the cast is strictly elementary school age.  Would I even really enjoy that?  To be honest, elementary school (and sometimes even middle school) romances for me might sound cute, but I hardly take them seriously.  There’s a lot of yanderes who met their S/O in elementary school in the story I’m sure, but that’s usually a past element and the story is focusing on the characters when they’re older.

For the sake of this post, I’ll just assume anyone who is under the age of 18 may count as a child yandere.

Can a child be a yandere?  Of course they can.  They just have to have intense feelings of love that are overwhelming towards another individual, often leading to obsessive and/or possessive behavior.

If you’re the type that believes in “platonic yanderes,” the most common obsessions here would be like the best friend kind (like you stated anon), sibling or parental figure.  In cases like these, I know for a fact I’ve seen some stories where the character is just severely deprived of safe and affectionate love in general.  Their relationships at home either aren’t stellar, or the character doesn’t have anyone period.  They child may have faced abuse or neglect, or they may simply be an orphan.  There’s no desire for sexual or romantic connection here.  The character rather just wants companionship and sometimes a caretaker.  Depending on the backstory given, you can feel kind of sad for these characters since they just don’t want to be alone.  They may also have a tendency to latch onto someone who fits an “ideal” of theirs.  Like the other person seems like the best role model for a friend/sibling/parental figure they always wanted.

If you’re like me though and are more focused on straight up “romantic yanderes,” yes a child can still develop these intense feelings.  In fact, it’s very common for a person in their younger years to grow easily infatuated with someone else, obsess over having a relationship and fumble with healthy dating behavior.  Pretty understandable because when you’re young, you’re just figuring things out. Lots of people have getting married as a main goal in life, so figuring out relationships early on is a benefit sometimes.  You’ve got other things affecting your goal like your social environment and puberty (you know what I mean).  I just stated the obvious here but oh well.  So yeah, a child yandere could fall in love with someone around their age, but they could also develop feelings for someone older.  Usually with the latter, it’s just innocent crushes that blossom from getting attention from someone they view as much more mature than their peers. Plenty of people will probably say, “I had the biggest crush on my third grade teacher” for instance or something like that.  They’re mostly harmless and will fade away in normal cases.  By the way, just because a kid CAN develop a crush on an older individual, that is NOT permission to pursue a relationship with them -_-.  Sorry for that interruption, but I don’t want people to misinterpret what I’m saying here.

Now if the child yandere in question is part of a cast that’s around the same age as them, including their S/O…I just kind of treat them like any other yandere.  No special feelings really towards the character more of less because the setting allows me to just focus on the relationships and not really the ages.  Especially with anime and manga where like, character appearances will hardly match their age sometimes, so I halfway give up even worrying about how old these characters are to begin with.

Currently the most recent child yandere I could think of observing was Norman in the Promised Neverland parody manga, The Parodied Jokerland.  He’s very enjoyable in that and incredibly yandere.  He’s the cute kind of creepy obsessive, if that makes any sense.  In that scenario, his S/O Emma is the same age as him, and the majority of the cast are also kids.

If you have a child yandere who’s focused on an OLDER S/O though…that’s kind of difficult to ignore.

I had this very funny and sad realization:  Most of the media I’ve viewed where a child yandere is in love with an older S/O is via Lifetime movies.

Yeah…

So that gives me a more narrow view here of child yanderes if their S/O is older than them 0.o. Lifetime is basically my junk food.  It’s bad for me, but I’ll watch it occasionally when I have cable access.  Not stellar entertainment, but my god they love to run the obsessive love trope over and over again.  Believe it or not, I know I’ve seen a few variations of cases where they have a younger character desperately trying to get together with an older character. They probably have all combinations, but for some reason the one that pops into my head first is, “teenage girl wants to marry this older man who’s already married/in a relationship.”

The way most of these plots play out is something like:

1)      Kid tries to find a way to get access to S/O (ex. Class, lessons, be a friend of S/O’s kid)

2)      Kid tries to get the S/O to support them with a sad backstory and/or tries to be the “perfect helper” for the S/O

3)      Kid tries to bump off the S/O’s partner at some point (may or may not succeed)

4)      Someone dies (because it’s Lifetime and someone you honestly don’t care about has to get killed at some point just to up the ante- I have literally only ever cared about 1 person that died when watching Lifetime and I don’t think it was even an official Lifetime movie)

5)      Kid confesses their love for their S/O and claims they’re the best match for them

6)      S/O (unsurprisingly) shuts them down with a “No”

7)      Kid snaps and depending on how much time is left in the movie, usually a fight culminates between individuals or there’s a kidnapping or blackmailing (you get the idea)

8)      Ends with kid either getting killed or arrested (Wait do they kill the child yanderes in these movies?  I haven’t watched them all so maybe they live, I’m not sure).

So yeah that’s what this ask made me think of first, haha.  Obviously with Lifetime, pretty much all their yanderes (as low-brow as some of them are) are the antagonistic/villain kind with Yandere vs. S/O stories.  It’s no different if the yandere in the film is a child.  It’s a guaranteed that the child yandere is going to lose in these films. But quite frankly…I know a lot of people actually want the S/O to reciprocate and work with the yandere, but I think we can all agree that this particular scenario should be fine staying Yandere vs. S/O.  Because if it wasn’t, that means you’d be making…an OLDER S/O…attempt a relationship…with a minor….yeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaahhhhh I don’t recommend going that route for obvious reasons.

Now are child yanderes ever really a threat? Actually yes, they can be quite dangerous.  Sure, they’re not like a high political figure or CEO like in the stories I like to read that can use their power and wealth to push the S/O into a corner or anything.  But child yanderes can become surprisingly selfish and underhanded with their tactics. One thing I notice is that they’re incredibly observant, so they know where to find items they need to use (like weapons or drugs) for a wicked task or they know what kind of people to talk to and manipulate for their own needs. While child yanderes lack a higher social and economic standing, they have their “innocence” that can often help avoid detection from the authorities when trouble arises.  The most dangerous weapon I’d say a child yandere has at their disposable would be the ability to slander someone without repercussions. Especially if they’re claiming someone else was violent with them or sexually abused them.  Why?  Because let’s be honest, lots of people would be deathly afraid of doubting a child making such accusations.  And in turn, their feelings would rise quickly and they’d turn against the accused.

Another fun Lifetime fact: Depending on the film, they always purposefully make it frustrating for the viewer when it comes to false accusations vs. real accusations.  If it’s a film where they have an actual victim speak out against their perpetrator, the circumstances will usually be set up so that most of the film cast won’t believe the victim.  On the other side, if it’s a character making a false accusation against another character, most of the film cast will side with the liar over the accused.  Because I guess Lifetime just likes to say that life is infuriating like that 0.o

Getting back on topic though, so why did I say that child yanderes can range from “frustrating to okay” for me?  Well, like I said earlier, I don’t really take a lot of young romance that seriously. Kids can also be very volatile and irrational, so you know in ADDITION to this character being a yandere, it’s going to be nearly impossible to try to talk some sense into the character that they cannot be with the S/O they desire.  It’s a doomed relationship, so I find myself either rolling my eyes at or pitying the yandere in this case.  The child yandere could be “okay” though if, well…I like their yandere actions honestly. I AM still a sucker for yanderes in general, so I’m not gonna mind if I get a nice fix of crazy in there.

This probably isn’t a stellar answer, but like I said this isn’t really a topic I think about a lot. Hope it was interesting?

[mimzy-writing-online]

Writing Clumsy Characters

This post includes tips on properly using clumsy characters as comic relief or as tension inducers, how to avoid clumsy character tropes, why people are clumsy and how the causes of that clumsiness might make them act, and includes tips on characters with ADHD, autism, and disabilities.

How To Write Clumsy Characters 

Do Not: substitute a genuine character flaw with clumsiness. Clumsiness is not a character flaw, it is not something that is wrong with a person or needs to be improved through honest character development. You cannot use clumsiness to cop out of giving your characters real human flaws. Emphasis on human flaws, because flawless characters are just the cardboard cut-outs of people, they’re there but are they really interesting.

Try Not: to make your character feel ashamed of being clumsy. It feels terrible to see clumsiness being shamed as something bad or embarrassing. People who are clumsy themselves will want to see clumsy characters treated nicely. So make your clumsy characters embrace their clumsiness and don’t let all your other characters bully them for it, but rather love them all the more for it.

What kind of characters should you attach the trait of clumsiness to?

Literally anyone. Boys, girls, main characters, secondary characters, background characters, villains, villain’s helpers, children, teens, adults, old people.

Clumsiness has many causes, many of them biological and non person specific, so literally anyone could be clumsy.

What causes clumsiness/People are clumsy in their own way

There are a lot of biological reasons for clumsiness and they all cause people to be clumsy in different ways.

People with poor situational awareness are not good at remembering everything in their environment and will often knock over things in their immediate area because they didn’t know or forgot something was there.

People with poor hand-eye coordination will not be good at catching things and will probably freak out when things are thrown at them because past experience has taught them that they are bad at catching things. They might even be bad at sports because of this.

People with inner ear imbalances will be unsteady on their feet, they may sway or knock into people. These are “tripping on air” type of people. They’re probably not great at sports either.

Children or teens who have had recent growth spurts and aren’t use to their new height, limb length, and strength. It takes a while to get used to a changed body. So maybe they’ll trip over their long legs or knock their head into something they use to be short enough not to worry about, like a low hanging door or banner or hanging house plant. This can (and probably should) apply to characters who had some massive body change, whether through science or magic. (Steve Rogers grew a foot in two minutes, and I know he’s a super soldier, but realistically he should have had a month or two where he wasn’t use to his new height and strength)

People with degenerative disorders that cause tremors will probably spill drinks or have trouble writing or have trouble doing small motor skill tasks. This is definitely something you should tread carefully with, and definitely do not make any other characters mock them for this. Chronic health issues, disabilities, and degenerative disorders are hard enough to live with without your family members and friends treating you like shit.

There are lots of reasons to be clumsy and it will make people act clumsy in their own manner.

If you want to use your characters clumsiness as some form of comic relief, here is how I recommend doing it

If you’re having a light-hearted moment between characters where friends and family are gathered round and joking and relaxed, it’s good to maybe have your clumsy character knock something over. Think a stack of papers or maybe spilling their drink or knocking into someone. Go back to what I said about a character not being shamed for being clumsy. This should be something your characters are used to. Your clumsy character laughs it off and their loved ones tease them lovingly about it but nobody is EVER made to feel bad about being clumsy.

In tense moments where a serious conversation is happening or someone is sneaking around trying not to get caught It’s fine to have your characters knock something over in this moment or to cause a little accidental and inconvenient mayhem. You can use it to increase tension because your character is afraid their tripping may lead to them getting caught. It may cause the serious, life or death, conversation to be halted for a moment as the conversationalists look at the character who knocked over a stack of books or broke a vase.

Your clumsy character is secretly dangerous and has some special fighting ability but outside of that special fighting ability they are a clumsy idiot. This particular example comes to mind because I’ve been rewatching Merlin, in which Merlin is a powerful wizard who must keep his magic a secret. He comes across as a clumsy idiot to all who know him but don’t know about his magic. In a way the clumsiness seems to hide just how dangerous Merlin actually is, and how lethal he can be (you don’t realize it at first, but Merlin kills quite a few people with his magic as the show goes on) I am of the belief that Merlin is still genuinely clumsy but maybe enhances it to appear especially harmless. Feel free to make your character dangerous and an excellent fighter of some kind, but clumsy outside of fighting. Or maybe they’re just pretending to be clumsy to seem harmless (but if we’re being honest here, it’s more fun if they’re genuinely clumsy anyway)

Clumsiness can be used to create inconvenient moments (a character getting caught or breaking something) but it can also be used to create convenient moments (they accidentally uncovered a clue or distracted someone who would have stopped the protagonist). These are great ways to include clumsiness into a character’s daily life, but there should be balance that for as many moments as clumsiness is convenient it is also inconvenient (and vice versa)

Disclaimer: the show Merlin refers to the character Merlin as a w*rlock but I’ve heard that word is offensive to some people of pagen or magic beliefs and out of respect to them I try to avoid using that word whenever possible. I usually stick to witch in my writing, since that is gender neutral.

Tired Tropes of Clumsy Characters

The clumsy female protagonist being saved from falling on her butt by the male love interest who catches her at just the right moment, usually with his arm around her waist or something. It’s very overdone in YA and because it’s over done it is now considered a no-no. It’s also not particularly realistic that someone would catch them at just the right moment unless they were super fast and had quick reflexes (in which case I guess it’s possible in Twilight, which is super guilty of it, but we’re not rewriting Twilight).

If you want, you can subvert this trope.

Step One: Alter the Gender Factor: maybe it’s not a clumsy girl protagonist and a fast, strong guy love interest. Maybe the guy is clumsy and not the girl. Maybe they’re both clumsy.  Maybe it’s just very gay with two guys, or two girls, or any mixture of gender identities from trans to non-binary to cis people. (I am a very clumsy non-binary person, and I’m very pan, it’s possible your character can be too)

Maybe the love interest does not catch your protagonist, but is very sweet and comforting when your character falls. Maybe the love interest is the clumsy one and the protagonist wants to help them when they fall. Maybe one does try to catch the other and they both fall. 

Maybe it’s not the love interest at all that comforts or tries to help the protagonist. Maybe it’s their best friend or their put upon sibling or a parent who lovingly teases them or a teacher who’s just being helpful because they just happened to be there.

Get creative with your circumstances.

Clumsiness in people who are not neuro-typical

In some cases, people who are not neuro-typical and have ADHD or are autistic might be clumsy. I’m not an expert on why that is, but I know it’s a common sign and I experience this myself and see this in friends. People with ADHD or who are autistic sometimes move in unique ways. They sway, balance on tip toes or on their heels, walk with their arms waving around. This is usually because that particular type of movement is enjoyable for them (stimming). There’s something calming or soothing about that type of movement. (or at least there is for me, I have ADHD). Because of this, their unique way of moving might appear to be clumsiness. But they are sometimes genuinely clumsy because they are not neuro-typical and maybe they lack the spacial or situational awareness or have poor eye hand coordination, which makes them clumsy.

Tread carefully here. This is not something you should turn into comic relief. Autistic people and people with ADHD are not here for your characters and readers to laugh at, they’re here to be people who are loved and respected just as much as able bodied and neuro typical people.

Disclaimer: this is not a guide for writing an autistic character or a character with ADHD. If you want to write a character like that, be my guest but please do your research. The best research you’ll ever get on writing a character with a specific condition is by reading stories from people who live with that specific condition themselves. There are lots of blogs run by people who live with ADHD, anxiety, depression, bipolar, and other mental disorders. There are lots of blogs run by people who are autistic. Read their stories and their experiences and always value their experiences over what articles written by neuro-typical and able bodied writers tell you. Those neuro-typical and able bodied people can’t tell you anything of value compared to someone who experiences what you’re writing about.

People with mental health disorders are not Web MD symptom lists.

People who are autistic are not Web MD symptom lists.

They’re people.

Clumsiness in people with disabilities or chronic health problems.

I’m going to tell you to tread carefully here again.

People who live with mobility and sensory disabilities may be more prone to clumsiness. That may be because of their disability, but it may also be because they were clumsy before they had this disability. 

This writer is visually impaired and I can tell you that I was clumsy before vision loss and continue to be the same level of clumsy, my vision loss didn’t chance that much.

People with degenerative disorders will lose muscle strength and coordination over time. This may result in spilling drinks or bad hand writing or not being able to fully lift something and dropping it.

People who have leg/arm injuries, chronic pain, muscle weakness, or nerve damage might struggle with walking or lifting things and sometimes they might fall, trip, or drop something.

This is not comic relief. Your disabled characters should never be laughed at, not by the narrator, the other characters, you, or your readers. They are not here for your characters and readers to laugh at. They deserve to be loved and respected the same as any able bodied or neuro-typical character.

I think that’s all I have for you on writing clumsy characters. If you have more to add, please feel free to add. If any of you want to reblog with links to other posts on how to write characters with ADHD, autism, or disabilities, please do. I’m sure someone who stumbled across this post is looking for most posts about writing characters who aren’t neuro-typical or able bodied. 

Follow this blog for more writing advice.

[metaritual]

21 Days to Thriving During the Quarantine

Many of us are facing an unprecedented situation in our lives.  Our response systems have no basis for familiarity for the emotional mix our bodies are currently subjected to and this can result in a mix of defense responses, which often leave us even more confused. Here are some of my quarantine practices,  which focus on physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health.  I hope they help you to make the best of any situation:

Day One -  I will create and maintain a routine

One of the first pieces of my day to deteriorate, if left unchecked, is my waking and sleeping schedule.  My general mood is easily affected by too little or too much sleep which is why keeping a fairly regimented sleep schedule is important and my daily schedule has been affected due to changes in work/routines. So this is why I am establishing a new one. 

Having set times for meals, work, recreation, & relaxing will help to feel more in control of life and keep from functioning in a state of reaction. Some of us will find ourselves with a lot of down time, while others may be working at home while our children need home schooling.  Either way, a routine will help manage whatever situation we find ourselves in. 

Affirmation: I am choosing to be proactive about my own personal schedule and the schedule of those that I care for. Day Two - I will dress for the day I hope to have

I am getting dressed everyday as I normally would. This can mean different things for different people, but I am reserving pajamas for normal pajama time.  Dress for the day you hope to have.  Lazy days are important to plan, but if I dress for a lazy day every day, I will have more lazy days than I want.

Affirmation: Every morning is as I make it; I shower, brush my teeth, etc., and I make time for self care rituals (like baths). Day Three - I will go outside

Part of my daily schedule is to try to get outside everyday and breaking the monotony of the house is a welcome change; moving is healthy. While busier neighborhoods will be crowded during certain times, make sure to include this in your daily schedule.  

Affirmation: If leaving the house is not an option, open the windows, let the fresh air in. Day Four - I will exercise

Personally, I aim for a minimum of 2-3 workouts per week.  If exercise is new to you, be careful not to overdo it.  There are lots of free workout tutorials on YouTube and other resources to follow when starting a workout regimine. Walking/jogging/running is still allowed, just be mindful of the physical distancing protocol.

Affirmation: I will move my body in a positive and strengthening movement that is meaningful for me. Day Five - I will connect to others

While I am making an effort every day to reach out to 3 different people via phone or social media, it is important to connect (or reconnect) with others you have lost touch with. Some of these people are close acquaintances and some I have lost close contact with but now is an ideal time to do it. If you care for others, consider their connection needs as well.  Facetime, Skype, Zoom, etc. are all wonderful platforms to use to have some face to face time with friends and family.

Affirmation: Today I will reach out to ___ different people.  Day Six -  I will be mindful of my eating habits

I have found myself overeating lately. Most likely in a  trauma response to this stressful situation.  Maintaining healthy diet, water intake, and taking my vitamins is part of my daily routine and even though I’m lucky enough my wife loves to cook, it has been a struggle. So she has been experimenting with new recipes regularly to induce curiosity in our lives.  Cooking for some can be a form of self care, and right now is a great opportunity to explore recipes!

Affirmation: Today I will cook something nourishing for my body, mind, and spirit. Day Seven -  I will practice self care

This is a big topic and means a lot of different things to different people.  How do you self soothe, or calm down to relax? Baths, music, meditation, journaling, inspirational books or podcasts… all of these can be paths to self-care. I have found that familiar tastes, smells, sounds, sights, and sensations are all paths to centering and calming myself.  Having some self care items on hand that speaks to your situation is a huge help.  In addition, talking to my partner and any other co-inhabitants about my self care routines and rituals has proven just as important.  This communication allows us to support each other in caring for ourselves.

Affirmation: Today I will communicate how I need to be validated in self-care rituals.  Day Eight - I will spend time with children

If you have kids in your life, now is a great time to make more time for them.  Many children may be confused or unsure about what is happening and they will respond to your attention at this crisis and stress-filled time. Talk to the kids in your life about how they are feeling. Ask and encourage communication and playtime. Personally, I would think it therapeutic for the adult as much as the child.

Affirmation: Today I will reach out to a child in my life and see what is speaking deeply in their lives at this moment. Day Nine -  I will avoid assumptions

For some, this situation is causing extreme emotional and mental health swings.  Mood swings coupled with stay-at-home orders adds to the media frenzy. This is creating a lot of stress, anxiety, anger, and frustration throughout our society and interpersonal circles. I find myself focusing on compassion, understanding, and forgiveness whenever possible.I will not allow arguments over politics or conspiracies dictate the tone of my personal emotional and mental space especially when responding to those who are interacting with me during this time. 

Affirmation: I will not allow my personal beliefs interfere with my ability to be compassionate with others.  Day Ten -  I will create a personal space

Everyone will have a unique take and need when it comes to this topic.  Designing my own work and sacred space has been incredibly useful. Not only in making my home a space for both creation, but also, calm.  I have seen some kids (and some adults) creating "forts" in the house.  Thinking back when I was a child, a fort was a super safe space to play and be creative.  Make the best use of the space you have, and try to make sure everyone has a space they can either share for alone time, or a space to call their own.

Affirmation: Today I will create a space to be productive and a place to be creative in my unique way.  Day Eleven - I will limit my use of social media

My Facebook feed is a snake pit... right now.  Between political disagreements, conspiracy theorists, and news media vying for my interest with their best possible headline, I am under constant attack.  But only if I choose to.  When I do look at my feed, I have been trying to comfort those who are expressing their personal struggle and being a positive light to those who need it. I also keep my eye out for the helpers and acknowledge their efforts.  Social media is a new kind of community, and just like the local community I live in, I can choose what kind of neighbor I want to be.. On or off line.  Remember that some of your loved ones (including children) may be super sensitive when exposed to discussion of the world pandemic, so be mindful of when the conversation comes up. What has helped my well-being improvement is intentionally limiting my social media intake.  I have also been making the effort to write posts about how I am managing my emotional and spiritual help, to which I have received a lot of great feedback!

Affirmation: Today I will cultivate an online community of compassion and helpfulness to aid in the reconstruction of humanitarianism.  Day Twelve - I will shop local

The bigger companies will have a better chance of surviving so this is why you should support your local businesses where and when you can.  If you are in a position to donate or buy a gift card, go for it! These small purchases go a LONG way with the smaller business ventures in your immediate area.

Affirmation: Today I will support a local community member to build their business and morale in the best way I know how.  Day Thirteen - I will check in on those in need

During this pandemic, some may be unable or afraid to leave their homes. In either case, they still need supplies. Find those people in your life or community to check in and offer to help. If you are one of those people that need help, let us know!  Many of us want to help, we just don’t know HOW to.  Helping each other and asking for help is how we build a strong community.

Affirmation: Today I will check in with my community to see where I can provide help the best way I know how. Day Fourteen -  I will only control what I can

Situations like this remind me of my powerlessness and need to let go of control.  I let go of control by taking power over what I do control.  This list is pretty short - my actions, my thoughts, my feelings.  

An easy way to take control of my environment is to clean, organize, and rethink my space. So in essence, we all have closets, cupboards and spaces that could use some attention… and spring is here. Spring cleaning gives us a sense of control in a situation that showcases our powerlessness.  Exercising control can be very grounding and centering… peaceful. Like in the same peace from laundry, dishes, and other simple house chores.  Taking control of my space is an empowering way to find peace in uncertainty.

Affirmation: Today I will control my immediate surroundings to cultivate it into a productive and cleansing place I need it to be.  Day Fifteen - I will make a goal list

Short term goals, long term goals.. For those of us that are waiting, this is a good time to reflect on where we have been and where we are going.  For those of us whose lives got busier and more complicated, a list of vacation spots or things to do when we get some time off will keep us focused.

Affirmation: Today I will create my ultimate vacation and relaxation spot to reflect on my accomplishments and positive outcomes. Day Sixteen -  I will find time for hobbies & creating

I don't know how many times I have said, "I wish I could spend more time on that." Many of us are now presented with that “time.”  Reading, writing, music, art, exercise, projects, crafts… the list is endless.  Try some new things. I am hoping to discover some passions I never knew I had!

Affirmation: Today I will try something new I wish I could have tried in the past! Day Seventeen -  I will laugh & smile

This is a wonderful time to be goofy, dance like nobody's watching (even if they are). Watch a comedy show, listen to a funny podcast, whatever it is, just smile and laugh.  Laughter is healing and smiling is infectious.

Affirmation: Today I will find something to laugh about… even if it is me Day Eighteen -  I will seek the help of a professional

Times are changing and therapists are moving to virtual sessions. This may be a good time to start the therapy you were considering, or pick up where you left off.  I have maintained my normal therapeutic routines. While this may include medications & doctor checkups (if possible), be sure to consider the needs of those you care for on this topic as well!

Affirmation: Today I choose to invest time in my own well-being.  Day Nineteen -  I will live my life one moment at a time

I live my life in the present as much as I am able and try to focus on "a day at a time.” Often, I need to focus on a much smaller segment rather than an entire day.  When I break my day into segments and keep my focus there, my mental and emotional health are less likely to become affected.  This allows me to look back into the past to prevent me from finding blame and/or projecting about what the future holds.  

The only truth we have in all of these conversations is right now. As the information continues to be presented, we will all have a better grasp on what exactly happened, and where we are likely headed. But today... I need to focus on today.

Affirmation: Today… I will focus on this present moment.  I will bring my attention to the moment. Day Twenty -  I will stay present

Staying present in an ever-changing world is often one met with a lot of resistance. Though we try our hardest, our minds can wander into the future which leads us into anxiety. Or worse, our minds can wander into the past, which can lead into depression.

Affirmation: Today...I will observe the present moment. What is around me? What do I see? What am I feeling? What do I smell? What can I touch? These will all lead me to the present moment. Day Twenty One - I will find the silver lining

“Stay Gold, Ponyboy, stay gold.” Gold is the hardest hue to hold in nature and while JohnnyBoy said it right in “The Outsiders,” he meant it. There is ALWAYS a positive, no matter what situation you find yourself in. Look for the silver lining in everything and I promise it will lead to beauty unknown.  I find myself noticing the helpers, and having a new found gratitude for humanity.  I see myself helping others, and I am grateful for the capacity to help.  I see myself taking care of my needs and the needs of those I care about.  I see my community working together, and finding our way to the other side of this complicated time.  I enjoy my downtime.  I find a new stillness, a new quiet place, and I learn more about myself than I ever dreamt I could.

Affirmation: Today I choose to look for beauty.

www.metaritual.com IG: @metaritual FB: www.facebook.com/metaritual

[mrlnsfrt]

Better Habits

Background

The Old Testament history of God’s favored people is a record of backsliding and rebellion. They resisted Heaven’s grace, abused their privileges, and slighted their opportunities. (The Great Controversy p. 18).

God’s chosen people repeatedly mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets. (2 Chronicles 36:16) Yet God revealed Himself to be merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin. (Exodus 34:6-7)

Despite repeated rejections the Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and His dwelling place. (2 Chronicles 36:15)

When remonstrance, entreaty, and rebuke had failed, He sent to them the best gift of heaven; nay, He poured out all heaven in that one Gift. - The Great Controversy (1911) p. 19

I recently wrote about the birth of Jesus on my post “God With Us”. For three and a half years Jesus, the Lord of light and glory, had gone in and out among His people. He “went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil,” binding up the brokenhearted, setting at liberty them that were bound, restoring sight to the blind, causing the lame to walk and the deaf to hear, cleansing the lepers, raising the dead, and preaching the gospel to the poor. Acts 10:38; Luke 4:18; Matthew 11:5.

Sadly Israel turned from her best Friend and only Helper. The pleadings of His love were despised, His counsels spurned, His warnings ridiculed. (ibid)

Jesus said, “But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” (John 5:40)

Jesus summarized the secret for success in 1 John 15:4-5.

4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. - John 15:4-5 NKJV

When we fail to develop a habit of remaining in Jesus we are in danger of committing the same mistakes of the Jews in Jesus’ day. We are in danger of claiming to observe rigidly the precepts of God’s law while transgressing all its principles.

As Christians, we regard ourselves as God’s favored people and expect Him to deliver us from our enemies. But could we be slaying our Savior because He reproves our sins? Are we self-righteous, not willing to repent and change our ways, but still expecting salvation? It is easy to look down on the religious leaders of Jesus’ time, but how willing are we to be inconvenienced by Jesus’ teachings? Are we willing to make changes in our lives to live according to His will?

Do you believe it is important for our lives to reflect our values? Should the life of a Christian prioritize God’s will? In other words, should you, as a Christian live according to the light God has already given you?

Do you think God will continue to reveal His truths to you when you refuse to follow what He has already revealed to you? Could your willingness to faithfully follow what God has revealed to you up to this point affect future insights into God’s plan?

Learning about God is not just an intellectual exercise. Our theology ought to have a profound impact on the way we live our lives. Our spiritual wellbeing, our walk with God ought to shape every area of our lives. It is evident in practical life that a healthy body contributes to a clear and healthy mind. We can all agree that the sharper our mind is the easier it becomes for us to distinguish the will of God and the more likely we are to make better decisions. God communicates to us through our minds. So it is not a stretch to believe that a healthier body, will lead to a healthier mind, which will, in turn, contribute to a stronger spiritual life.

Based on this understanding, I strongly believe in avoiding anything that would cloud my judgment. This includes alcoholic beverages (Ephesians 5:18; Proverbs 20:1; 23:31 ) but extends to anything else that would lessen my intellectual abilities.

One way this principle has been described is temperance. There are many similar definitions and understandings of what temperance is. I like the following definition.

“True temperance teaches us to dispense entirely with everything hurtful, and to use judiciously that which is healthful.” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 562.)

What I am trying to say is that I strongly believe there is an intimate relationship between the mind and the body. Therefore, to have a strong, well-balanced character, both the mental and the physical powers must be exercised and developed.

3 Main Areas

I have found that my spiritual health hinges on three factors.

Prayer

Bible Study

Personal Relationships

I also see evidence of this reflected in Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Prayer

Jesus would often spend time in prayer

Mark 1:35 In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Luke 6:12 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Matthew 14:23 After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Luke 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened,

Luke 5:16 But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Mark 6:46 After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.

Bible Study

We don’t read about Jesus studying the Bible but there is evidence that He was very familiar with the Scriptures since He often quotes it. Matthew 4 when Satan tempts Him Jesus replies using the Bible. Matthew 5 during the sermon on the mount “you have heard it said…” Matthew 9:13; 11:10; 13:14-15; 15:4, 8-9 (Here is a website I found helpful.)

Relationships

There is also evidence that Jesus spent time building relationships with people. In Luke 7:33-34 Jesus describes being accused of being “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Evidence of this is also found in Matt 9:10; Luke 15:1-2. Jesus would not have been accused of these things if He had not spent time with tax collectors and sinners. Therefore I believe that in following the example of Jesus we ought to invest in these three areas.

Start with Elimination

I have noticed that overwork/lack of rest, is detrimental to your health, to your emotional health, to your relationships, to your overall productivity and quality of life.

I am not here to add more to your already busy lives, I am here to invite you to carefully edit your life to remove what is detrimental or at best neutral to make room for what is best and even vital. 

What are the little things that eat up your time and do not contribute to your overall health and happiness? What would it take for you to remove these things from your life? What would your life look like without these activities?

Grouping Habits Together

Something that I have found helpful in developing new habits is to group them. 

Though there is currently some debate over whether willpower is limited or not, most seem to agree that it is easier to tap your willpower early in the morning, after a period of rest, when you are fresh and have not been weighed down by other decisions.

So if I want to make some new habits, the morning is a good place to begin. If one of the habits I want to develop is to get up early, then I can group with it the habit of going to bed earlier. Though these are two habits, they can be grouped to achieve the goal I want. Also related to getting up early and going to be early is the importance of getting enough sleep. Even adults should aim for 8 hours. This will help you in every way, physically, intellectually, emotionally, etc.

Another habit that I tack on to this one is drinking water when I first wake up. Hydration is vital for every bodily function and I have found it to help me get up and stay up, as opposed to dosing right back to sleep.

Begin the Day with Prayer

Once you go to bed early, get your 8 hours of sleep, wake up and drink a tall glass of water spend time in prayer. Even if you went to bed late, had a terrible night, and woke up late, begin your day with prayer.

If you forget everything else I write and remember to begin your day with prayer you will already have a much better year. I believe more prayer to be the answer to everything!

So make this decision, to begin the day with prayer. And please don’t begin by asking. Begin by praising and thanking God. An attitude of gratefulness will bless you. Do not face life from a position of want but rather from a posture of plenty. Expect God to meet your needs and provide for you and face your day expecting God’s blessings even through all the incredible challenges you will face. 

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. - Romans 8:28

Start your day thanking God for another day to live and to be a blessing to those around you.

Quiet Time

If you don’t schedule it, it won’t happen. Do what you can to carve this time out. Once you begin to experience it I am sure you will want to add more time. Don’t expect to find it. Don’t wonder and wish and hope for it. Schedule it, write it, tell people you’re busy. The text messages emails and phone calls can wait. This is a matter of life and death.

You must spend quiet time daily with God and in the study of His word, the Bible. This is how God will guide you. Prayerful study of the Bible will transform your life, and Satan will do all that he can to make sure you don’t have this time. You will have to make this a priority or it will not happen.

Don’t be too busy for Jesus and the wonderful things He wants to teach you and to reveal to you through the Bible. Prayerfully read the Bible every day. It doesn’t have to be a long text. But please do it prayerfully and thoughtfully. 

Relationships

Spend time with people. Put away the screens. Look at someone in the eye.

Ask questions. Listen. Be present.

To fail to do this is to fail to live, to truly live. Connect with others. Life is short. People crave genuine connections. People are more important than whatever is happening on the screens around you.

Below are some other habits I am working on for the new year in case you want to join me. 

[kariachi]

Storyline thoughts for the earlier mentioned Morningstar Vengeance Mode (because I’m a digimon nerd that’s why). Warning, shit’s fucking long.

Okay, so, we start with Mike introduction as usual and it goes a lot different. Not completely different, but despite him and Kevin clearly not liking each other from the word go there’s a lot of changes. He doesn’t have eyes and teeth on Gwen for one thing- she and Ben are just a means to the Ruin Max Tennyson end and he’s going to make full use of them, can’t do that if one’s a half-dead thrall

Still flirts? Still flirts. It’s his default way of communicating with people in his age range who aren’t other Ossys or Elena. So he’s flirting with Gwen and Ben and sniping and snapping back and forth with Kevin because they’re too young to be thinking in terms of mating options but just old enough to be growly over territory.

The only other person who fights with him over it is Manny and he doesn’t even want the territory he just doesn’t want Mike to win. The others are either too far removed from their roots to want territory, are Erinaen and therefor non-territorial, live outside of territory range, or are Cooper and have accepted that the others are more dominant forces than him

Mike joins the team, everyone is happy except Kevin

Ken rescues happen, Max is found, mentions being happy about how well Mike is holding up among all his other ‘hi kids’ shit, Mike is notably colder than normal, is surprisingly affected by Max’s death

He is so fucking pissed, though that doesn’t come out until later. How dare he fucking die before Mike could ruin him. How. Fucking. Dare.

For a while Kevin is the glue holding the team together despite himself while Gwen is a wreck, Mike is a more put together wreck, and Ben is trying to pretend he’s not a wreck. It takes a while for everything to even back out.

(Not sure if I want to modify What little Girls Are Made Of... Like, on the one hand I’ve been writing Mike as having the Spark for a while now, but on the other what would having him be verified an Anodite do for the story besides encourage Gwike?)

Eventually this version’s version of Darkstar Rising comes along- earlier, probably, and with a lot more shit with the Plumbers Helpers before it happens- and we don’t have Magister Dumbshit (I can’t remember his name, this works) talking about vigilantism and crap, but about the fact that Max authorized a bunch of underage civilians to get involved is illegal, alongside a whole host of other things that are brought up that basically boil down to both “sit down, the professionals will handle things from here” and “holy shit your grandpa was a piece of shit”

The Tennysons are freaking out, because some of the shit brought up is stuff nobody would’ve known to look into if they hadn’t heard about it from family, and eventually it comes out that Mike is the one who made the call.

This is where we get the backstory- Max was involved in his father’s death (how? I don’t know yet. I don’t even know how he went yet. Also how bitter Mike is and just how he ended up going this far may vary depending on if I decide to keep Devin a thing. I kinda don’t want Kevin one of the Plumber Kids for this... Devin was thing but not Kevin’s father? Or his father but nobody knows/knew it? Eva seems the type to get knocked up by a one night stand and roll with it.) Max was involved in Mike’s father’s death, it was classed as an accident or his involvement was small enough that it wasn’t considered or he was just there, who knows, whatever the situation Mike put the blame on him and has been working with the Tennysons to take advantage of Ben’s hero worship to gather dirt. He was going to ruin his life, but with him dead the least he can do is ruin his good reputation.

Ben and Gwen of course flip and cut all ties with him while Kevin is torn between “Can’t blame him too much” and “Yeah, fuck him, territory thief” (Kevin no, he was here first, stop). With Kevin’s help they’re able to fake some shit to restore Max’s good name, managing to both get Magister Dumbshit to let them keep helping with the Highbreed Stuff but also managing to get Mike in trouble with the law (only half on purpose, because damnit don’t attack their family and make them consider how shit their grandfather might actually be)

That last one’s fun, making sure Mike will want to return to start more shit while also giving us a bit of darkness for the Tennysons to grapple with and try to reconcile. It doesn’t become a theme, but they do have to actually stop and consider that they just got an innocent guy in trouble with the law, partly by accident and partly because they were angry. (Kevin, meanwhile, sits sagely. He knows the feel, been there so very often.)

We still get the team-up for the Highbreed Finale, which stays mostly the same, with just minor edits to fit the new canon. Mike’s involvement ends with him and Kevin glaring each other down and silently parting ways, both too tired after all that to start shit.

From that point Mike is a regularly recurring villain across the series with a few different story types- 1) Out for Max’s blood, 2) Out for Ben and Gwen’s blood, 3) Fuck Off Levin This Neighborhood Is Mine, and 4) Miscellaneous

He loses the first 2 types, of course, but sometimes manages a win in Type 3 episodes. Makes it a nice power struggle between him and Kevin as they try to ‘take over’ Bellwood and Undertown.

I’m not sure whether or not I’d keep the Dominus Librum inccident... On the one hand without Mike being all half-starved I don’t know that it completely fits, but on the other we could have him finally taking drastic action to stop being so fucking hungry. Could maybe tie it in with a modified In Charms Way...

The boys lose their powers as a result of the artifact and for a while get along great without them, mostly because they’re celebrating being normal for the first times in their lives and hey, who else are they gonna celebrate with. But the effects turn out not to last long and between that and Mike’s continued hate for the Tennysons, well...

Then, we get a different In Charms Way where there’s no fucking pseudo-romance angle, purely platonic manipulation, and have it happening at the same time as Dominus Librum. How might things have gone if friendships had truly blossomed? Will we ever know? *shrug*

Mike’s involvement in the Ultimate Kevin arc stays the same, this time being brought in despite everyone’s best interests because he’s the leading expert that isn’t half-eaten and also they’re hoping he’s as interested in powering down Kevin as Gwen is

He really is. Has been avoiding that fucker like the plague, has no intention of ending up gristle between his teeth

While all this shit is going down, he notices the similarities between his and Gwen’s powers and begins looking into magic- even winning a few fights with Kevin through it (seriously, please picture both of them having big maps of Bellwood with their territories marked off on it that they just growl over occasionally)- which leads into the next altered episode

Couples Retreat is entirely different, like the episode idea I offered a while back. Charm opens her door to a battered and tired teenager laying on the charm and asking to be taught magic. She’s surprised, a little confused, and Gwen is visibly against the idea, so she says yes. The rest of the episode consists of the Tennysons trying to get her to change her mind while Kevin celebrates in the background because a Mike in a different dimension is a Mike without claims to Bellwood.

Charmcaster does not change her mind and the last we see of the two in UA is them in Charm’s library, going over the basics.

During OV half the time Mike is seen it’s with Charmcaster. His magic improves and he continues to hold a fucking grudge. They make a good team, she treats him like an annoying younger brother when she isn’t treating him like a student, it’s a fun team-up and the way she keeps correcting his form is hilarious. For the most part things seem normal, though sometimes Charm seems off.

Eventually though she starts acting too off and Mike goes to Cooper for help with whatever the problem is because he doesn’t exactly have many friends and Cooper is the best of moral grey. Cooper then goes to Kevin, and Kevin gets the Tennysons involved. This becomes a multi-episode arc where the old team get together again- Ben, Gwen, Kevin, Mike, with added Rook- to figure out what’s wrong with Charmcaster and fix it. They do. The final scene has Charm and Mike leave on shaky but maybe better ground with the Tennysons, a silent promise that maybe things could truly improve between the groups.

The flash forward episode has Charmcaster in the background

Mike is mentioned as not coming because even nearly 20 years later still Fuck Maxwell with a Pineapple.

[soundofseventeen]

7 Things (Kwon Soonyoung)

Hi, it’s Bee! This took a lot longer than I thought because it was too long and I had to shorten it down majorly! I may put up the full version somewhere else!! Anyways...

This is 7 Things, in which you tell seven lies to Seventeen regarding Soonyoung and seven confessions you admit to Soonyoung! I hope you like! 

Lie One: 

“It wasn’t us,” is what you both told Mingyu the morning he discovered you two sound asleep on the couch with a show playing on the TV that he’d rather not know the name of and he saw his beloved living room in disarray. “It was Jihoon,” you spluttered out while he blamed Seungkwan. You looked at each other before you said it was Seungkwan and he quickly turned against Jihoon. The downside of both of you being best friends was that you weren’t quite on the same wavelength so Mingyu quickly saw through your flawed story (not that he believed you to begin with.)

He then proceeded to kick you both off of the couch so he could take your place only for his hand to accidentally squish the jelly doughnut that had gone missing somewhere during your binge watching marathon.

Confession One:

“Onstage and off, you shine brighter than the stars,” is what you murmured the night after it had rained and you were watching him fangirl over the spotted sky and taking notes. Before that moment, he didn’t understand why you liked being outdoors, especially after it had just finished raining. 

He’d needed the reassurance after a moment of vulnerability and the rule of thumb was to comfort when he needed it. He didn’t say it out right, but he needed a hug and that was exactly what you provided, clinging to his backside wile he examined Venus, and sighing contentedly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you Y/N. Thank you. ”

Lie Two:

“I ate it!” You exclaimed to Chan. He’d been about to chew Soonyoung out for accidentally eating the youngest boy’s lunch. In Hoshi’s defense though, he and the other leaders had been stuck inside Pledis for hours on end while the others had taken breaks or gone home for the day. You’d unknowingly given him Chan’s plate so he could eat because his energy was so low, he was hardly recognizable, and when Chan called an emergency meeting, you were both dead. “I’d forgotten we went to eat and you brought it back and I was hungry. I’m sorry.”

Long story short, he pretended to believe you, but once performance unit was back at work, he gave Soonyoung more hell than when he was a trainee. “That’s for having Y/N cover for you hyung. We all know your best friend wouldn’t forget something so small.”

Confession Two: (Take One)

“I love you...sometimes,” you smiled sweetly after seeing Woozi stealing Hoshi’s phone. Soonyoung had lost his shit when he heard you and Jihoon ‘conspiring’ against him to leave him a couple towns over with some people you knew and leave him stranded. This time, you figured the hardworking producer boy could use a laugh since Soonyoung had chosen to make today particularly hard.

“SHE DIDN’T LOVE ME,” he sang/cried into his phone with Seokmin and Seungkwan chorusing on the other end of the phone. “I THOUGHT I COULD TRUST Y/N THROUGH THICK AND THIN AND I WAS WRONG! I ALMOST DIED RIGHT NOW. THE BETRAYAL!”

“Yah! Give me that!” Jihoon had barged in and ripped the phone from Soonyoung’s hand and while trying to maintain the scary producer vibe (but failing miserably because he was still laughing), threatened the vocal line to stop bothering his workers before he drop kicked them to the next country. He exited the studio with Soonyoung pining over his mobile device and you on the floor from laughing so hard.

“Yah, what’s so funny?” Apparently Woozi had forgotten to turn it off so your best friend had heard you dying of laughter and he didn’t appreciate being anyone’s clown.

So you told him the truth (see bold) which is something you admitted to him when no one was around. You used it sparingly because if you used it more, he’d eventually get used to it and wouldn’t give in to you (or forgive you as he did just now) as easily.

Sure enough, he was all smiles and it was like you were seeing it for the first time, because you forgot how to breathe in that moment.

Lie Three:

“I’ll be fine,” you assured Minghao when he broke the news that Soonyoung would be spending his free time training newbies with their singing, dancing, and whatever they could use to become a future idol. You didn’t tell him about one of the trainees that had already introduced herself to you and how excited she was to be working with Soonyoung. Your best friend himself seemed very eager to get to work just the same. You weren’t familiar with that particular look he gave her, but it made you uneasy nonetheless.

“Alrighty then. But if you get sick, I’m billing Wonwoo hyung for whatever you throw up on.”

Confession Three:

“I can never get tired of you,” you mumbled against the sick boy’s hair. He was currently hugging you, grateful that you had rushed to Seventeen’s house to care for him. He had gone down with the flu and had insisted to the boys not to cancel their plans and that you’d be there shortly. Even after all this time, you were touched that he thought of you.(Well, mostly. He let it drop that Minseo had been by earlier to drop off food for him so he could eat. While it bothered you earlier, you dropped it mostly because you were there and she wasn’t.) Minseo’s soup was slowly growing cold again and even though he was sitting, he had his arms wrapped around you tightly, seeming to forget he was supposed to be eating. You thanked whatever high power was up there that his clogged ears couldn’t hear the rapid beating of your heart. “I love you too much to let you suffer the way you are now.” Also the way your hand had gone clammy against his feverish forehead; you were glad he couldn’t feel the difference. He looked up at you with nothing but adoration in his eyes, and my god, you could feel yourself getting nervous. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Because you love me.”

“Shut up.”

Lie Four:

“I forgot,” trying not to grit your teeth. Wonwoo and Jihoon had conveniently passed by to see you on the curb of the sidewalk with tears streaming down you your face. You were on your way to the bakery that was open 24 hours so you and Soonyoung could celebrate your birthday, but you had seen him clinking a champagne flute with the trainee you recognized was Minseo, and you pieced together why he hadn’t answered any of your texts. They didn’t say anything despite the fact they knew you were lying so you continued to spew some made up story about your notorious leg cramps and when you realized you took up their time, you told them it was time for you to go home.

Wonwoo slurped his noodles, purposely avoiding saying anything so Jihoon took that opportunity to say what he needed to and you flinched instinctively. He was known for his sharp tongue and no nonsense attitude so you were basically waiting for him to call you out on your lie. “Y/N,” he started slowly and calmly, hardly ever a good sign, “I don’t think you going home right now is a good idea. It’s late and if your leg cramps up worse, then what? Hoshi would never forgive us for leaving you alone. You know where you clothes are, so feel free to take a shower when you’d like. Everyone will be home probably a little late and I take it you have to work tomorrow, so I hope you sleep early, but if...your leg hurts again, let us know.” You nodded, getting up slowly.

“Hey Y/N?” This time it was Wonwoo who spoke. “If you need anything, we’re here for you. We uh, care about your wellbeing.”

You gave them a small smile. “Thanks guys; good night.” The next morning you woke up to a note beside you in Soonyoung’s handwriting. I didn’t forget; something came up. Happy birthday.

Confession Four:

“It could’ve been worse,” you interrupted Soonyoung’s panicked rambling after he accidentally kissed you the night before. “You didn’t do it to anyone else or pick a fight or anything. Just be careful next time.” 

“So you don’t hate me? You’re not gonna tell me you never wanna see me again?”

“It’s gonna take more than a drunken escapade for me to tell you that,” you rolled your eyes.

“You really do love me Y/N.”

That word again left you rather flustered and instead of answering, you turned your head, refusing to let him see your reaction.

Lie Five:

“I’m not in love with him,” you crossed your arms defensively. Satan’s helpers by the names of Lee Jihoon and Jeon Wonwoo had cornered you and they weren’t letting you go anytime soon. The thudding of your heart had doubled in speed and you just hoped they couldn’t hear it.

“Just admit it and we can leave you alone,” Wonwoo countered, mimicking your stance. “Y/N, you know this kinda thing isn’t healthy and from everything we’ve seen lately, well, we just don’t wanna see you get hurt.”

“I appreciate the concern, but honestly everything’s fine; we’re fine.”

“So it doesn’t bother you that you’ve become second place to Minseo?” The way Jihoon peered at you would’ve had you nervous, but he was just trying to get an answer from you. “Look, he might’ve felt bad for missing your birthday but in his mind, he’s probably thinking he made it up to you. And we know about the kiss-”

“Enough, both of you!” You threw your hands over your ears. “I don’t wanna hear anymore. Just leave it as it is. Everything is fine and I don’t need you guys babysitting me. I got this. Excuse me.”

Confession Five: (Take two)

“I...love you,” you mumbled, staring at the tiled floors and how you would probably need to buy your best friend new shoes for Christmas. Yep, at a time where you were baring your heart to him, despite the fact that it was still months away, you were already thinking ahead to the holidays. It couldn’t be helped. And unfortunately for you, you picked the day no one ever took seriously. 

Soonyoung blinked once, twice before breaking out into fits of laughter. “Oh Y/N, you almost got me there. Please don’t get mad at me, but I overheard Woozi and Wonwoo talking about this earlier. I didn’t expect you to go all out with this. Wow, you even went as far as cooking dinner with presents and balloons. It’s April Fool’s Day, not Valentine’s. Wow, oh wow. I almost believe you. Are these chocolates too? Dude, I so have to get a picture of this!” Which he did, and sent it to everyone in the Seventeen group chat. 

Much to your surprise, a handful of them didn’t find it as funny as Soonyoung did and Jihoon and Wonwoo went as far as texting you to make sure you okay at the rejection despite the fact you defiantly lied to their faces. All you told them was April Fool’s had never been a bigger pain in your eyes than in that moment.

Lie Six:

“Porn is on his laptop.” Besides the greetings, you’d been dead silent to everyone since coming back from your impromptu vacation and were content with hearing the boys fill you in on everything you’ve missed since you were gone. It was pretty late, but no one had work the next day so they took advantage of that. Everyone was scattered around the living room, a coffee or a beer in their hand, just listening to whoever was talking. Soonyoung was sprawled across the couch, legs dangling over the arm rest and head on your lap, with your fingers absently combing through his hair.

The topic that had piqued your interest was the fact that Soonyoung had gotten rather secretive with his electronics and no one (but you) could figure out why. (Jihoon had stored some new projects on there and he was under strict orders not to let it out of his sight because the or else proved far more threatening than anything else, despite the fact that Jihoon hadn’t thought that far ahead.) At your comment, the boy in question nearly fell off the couch, half assed words slipping past his lips faster than his brain could come up with them.

“Ahh, nothing like being defensive side coming out to prove me right.” He smacked his head on your lap to shut you up. “Soonyoung, you’ve showed me what you have and your collection is impressive.”

“It was too much for you to handle which is why you ran away, remember?”

“We’re not talking about this right now.” You thumped his forehead.

“So what’s the secret?” Hansol and Jun asked at the same time.

“Just some stuff Jihoon is working on.”

“Yah, you blabbermouth!” He aimed a pillow at Soonyoung but it hit you instead so you hit your best friend in retaliation.

“WHY DOES EVERYONE HATE ME?”

Confession Six:

“You remind me of blue.” In all the time you had known him, you didn’t know the most trivial thing about him: his favorite color. When you had swallowed your pride and asked him, he became rather offended and told the guys not to tell you if you asked them. In the meantime, he exaggerated said colors to frustrate you and it had worked, so to make it easy for you, he told you to tell you what you thought it was.

“Please elaborate on why you’d think I’d pick the most overrated color.” He furrowed his eyebrows at you, handing you a flower, just so he could clutch at his heart. “And this will be our talking daisy. As long as you’re holding it, I cannot interrupt you.”

“I’d love to see you try, but okay, moving on. I think it’s your favorite color because well, it’s the color that fits your personality best. A lot of us go to you when we’re having problems because it’s like you know what to say. You want nothing but the best for us and you make us want to  be the best versions of ourselves around. You bring us an inner sense of peace but at the same time, you bring out the children in us so we don’t forget that’s how we all started. So yeah, you remind me of blue.”

“Well unfortunately for you, that wasn’t the answer I was looking for, so I’m taking points away and adding you to the worst best friend list.” You smiled sadly, because even though you knew he’d misinterpret the meaning of it, you wished you could’ve, so to throw him off, you did the only thing you could do: You smashed the flower against his face, ensuring the sneeze attack you wanted.

Lie Seven:

“I’ll be fine, excuse me,” After hours of keeping strong, the bravado you were trying so hard not to let slip, was slowly fading and if you didn’t leave now, it’d only get worse. You managed to get swerve karaoking Seungkwan, drinking buddies Minghao and Mingyu, and even avoid suspecting Seungcheol, but you weren’t so lucky at evading the two who’d been growing overprotective since your birthday incident. “Guys, don’t worry about me. Go enjoy the whatever it is.” You took a deep breath; no, you weren’t about to lose it right now in front of them. They didn’t move and it was getting harder for you to breathe. “Just...go.” With a sob, you fell to your knees.

“We’re not just gonna leave you alone,” Jihoon said quietly, lifting you up and you clung to him, not daring to move and he didn’t either, hugging you tightly. He didn’t so much as say “I knew this would happen,” because you were much too hurt for even a moment of satisfaction.

Wonwoo who had disappeared, re-emerged, car keys in hand. “Y/N, we’re gonna take you home now. Are you okay with us staying there?”

And so it that’s how it went with Soonyoung’s two closest friends letting you cry into their shoulders while he was unknowingly dancing the night away with Minseo, happy that he finally got the girl. He didn’t question who was missing but it was better than him finding you at your lowest point.

Confession Seven: (Take three)

“I love you.” This time you hadn’t waited for introductions, small talk, or anything. You figured it was time to cut to the chase now while you had your courage and dignity. “This is why I have to do this.”

“No, Y/N, it doesn’t make sense-”

“Soonyoung, if I don’t leave right now and give us both space, I will singlehandedly destroy this friendship and I know if that happens, it’ll be something we won’t be able to recover from.” You took a deep breath, twirling the letter that was addressed to him in your hands before giving it to him. “This’ll explain it better.”

You weren’t supposed to do this. The original plan was to put his letter on the door where it wouldn’t fall off and leave. Why? Because you were taking the coward’s way out and running away from the problem instead of confronting it. But Soonyoung was already awake for a jog and had caught you in the act. So instead of that, you were actually confessing your feelings however you could and everything you didn’t say, the letter did.

When he finally finished it, he was silent and you couldn’t tell if he was thinking of what to say or how to say it. Frankly every option was terrifying because you weren’t sure what the right thing was. You wanted to stay but you couldn’t. You didn’t want to go because you didn’t want to say goodbye. You wanted to go because you needed to be faraway from him, to catch a breath without feeling like you were drowning. “Y/N...” he couldn’t speak. How could he, having read everything? He didn’t know anything anymore

“I want you to be happy. That’s all I ask of you. I have to find myself too and see where the roads take me.” Lie, lie, lie. “I don’t want to be the reason you lose who you are by staying.” You hugged the boy, fighting against yourself not to break down, and cheering mentally when it worked. “I also have these for the boys. It wouldn’t be fair to leave without a last letter-“

“Go.” He stepped away from you. “Go live your life, be happy, forget about everything that happened here. Because fuck us right?” He took the letters from you. “I’ll make sure they get these. But Y/N, I never thought you’d run away.” His voice, always full of love, adoration and energy, was slowly growing flat. He turned around, heading inside. “I could understand why you wouldn’t wanna face me,” he acknowledged, his back towards you, “but don’t you think the sleeping boys upstairs deserve more than this?” He shook the envelopes and threw them on the ground. “Just go.”

He slammed the door shut, refusing to show you his tears. You in turn, walked away without a final glance at your second home, a lone tear escaping.

[tardis-sapphics]

Kinda stupid Thasmin prompt: Secret Superhero Yaz!

this prompt isn’t stupid at all! i love it! also i guess yaz is a vigilante now i hope you enjoy it!

because my music choices are dramatic may i suggest this banger of a tune to accompany your reading?

Yazconsidered herself a decent woman – feisty, fair and ready for the fun of life.She worked hard as a police officer for her community. She had a loving family.She had great friends within the Doctor, Ryan and Graham.

She wasalso a great big liar.

See, thepowers had started at age 12. Already she’d known she was too old for the gamesthey’d play in primary school; she was too old to pretend she was a superheroand believe so hard she could feel itin her bones. She had started at a new school doing important work, getting hergrades, trying to make new friends. That make-believe fantasy of that incontrollablepower – that power – shouldn’t havestayed.

It had.

First it hadbeen incontrollable. A sleep-ridden protestation in the morning sent her alarmclock flying out into the street below - taking the window with it. Doors wouldopen and close as she walked, without help, and she’d have to blame it on asudden gust. The ability to move things with her mind was helpful yet so unhelpful, so out of place for anormal girl leading a normal life. What would her parents think? What would herlittle sister think? Would she be taken away?

It hadbeen so distressing, she had no option but to lie, to explain her veryexistence away.

She grew,and so did her lies. She withdrew from others. She was a lonely child: athankful one, a lucky one, yes, but lonely. There was no one to turn to about her solitary walk into the wilder parts ofSheffield, and the century-old tree she’d lifted into the air without even touching it. There was no one to confide in about her sleepless nights; in her roomilluminated by starlight, she would spend hoursworking on hiding, hindering, preservation.

She couldnot stumble for one minute. She could not lose concentration.

She grew,and she got a job in the police force. She figured it was better this way, todo something substantial, dutiful; she’d be driven crazy by her isolationotherwise. She had a knack for justice – a gut instinct she could always relyon, and quick thinking skills she’d harnessed after years of training herself. It waseasy. She was hiding. She was fine. She was fine.

It waswhen Yaz was off-duty that this changed, simply on her way to the cornershop. Sheffield at night wasn’t safe by any means – and she would know, she wasa police officer – but a shout had alertedher to danger. Yaz’s feet had pulled her towards the source: then there were two more shouts,three. A disagreement, no doubt. When she’d rounded the corner she’d realisedshe knew these teenage troublemakers, but the three adults they had beencornered by were new.

This wasno place for a teenager to be in.

So when thegunshot had sounded, she just thought.

“Fuck! My gun!”

It was inher hands now. Oh, God, it was in her hands.She could barely breathe. What were they doing, waving guns in a car park? Butthey’d started to follow the path of the gun’s flight in the moonlight, and shewas at risk of being seen. She quickly pulled her hood over her head and flung theweapon, far far from here. She could hear it clatter into a drain, out of sight.

The panicwas rising and they were here, they were here,where had the kids gone? Had they scrambled to safety? But there was anothergun, another shot, a shot at her—the car slammed into the man, the bullet takenup into the metal.

In themoonlight she must have looked like a ghost. Yet she was just a hooded girl,wielding a car like it was a weapon. One man lay on the ground, unconscious butnot dead. The other two men decided the effort wasn’t worthwhile: they shot offlike a rocket, all thought of confrontation left behind. They wouldn’t be back,she didn’t think.

Theteenagers were still here; hiding behind a Toyota to her right. They didn’tknow who she was, but they stared all the same at their saviour. This time, itwasn’t the moody resignation she’d so often seen line their faces in theovernight cells. Their mouths hung open in pure fear and relief.

She didn’ttalk to them. She couldn’t talk to them. She just turned and walked away.

Thatstrength she’d felt in her bones as a young kid was never a fantasy. From 12,she’d felt it revitalise her, unlock new potential in her mind and take her tounstoppable heights. At 18, she was Sheffield’s Night Mover. Vigilante, helper,and always, always silent.

She toldher family she was taking on extra shifts at the station. Her boss wasuncaring; he let her out on patrol and checked back as few times as he legallycould. She didn’t mind; she loved her job, and she loved her new duty. Like herobligations when the sun was up, the Night Mover was never a thug and nevercoerced into a fight. Never again. After the subsequent investigation into thetrashed car and the unconscious man, Yaz preferred brains over brawn to dealwith the situation, whatever it entailed.

Sometimesthere were things a roaming police officer just couldn’t manage. In no time atall, Sheffield found it could leave those problems to the Night Mover.

Circumstanceschange but life is brittle when duty calls. As soon as she was led to theDoctor, her gut told her something would have to give. Even though an alienfrom outer space had declared Sheffield to be his hunting ground, the Doctor was alittle distracted, a little too focused on Yaz. And Yaz, too, had felt adisturbance in her mental space: like something was trying to figure her out.Something… nothuman.

Still, a chanceto travel with the Doctor was the chance to make friends. It was a chance tofind something more important than her Yorkshire city. It was the chance toforget herself, to get away from the stresses of her life back at home. She wasmore than what Yaz the police officer had seen, and more than what the NightMover had witnessed. She wanted to see more of the universe, and this blonde,bubbling alien could give her that.

And shewas right: she did forget herself.She forgot for too long.

Because lying onlyworked for so long.

“Whoa, wait, are youthe Night Mover?”

The dustwas settling around a tank-sized rock had not been there a moment before. Butthank God it was; the monster had kicked up an awful fuss about theirexistences and they were lucky, again, to be alive. His roars of fury were loudenough to echo across the cave system – but not loud enough for Yaz to pretendshe hadn’t heard Ryan’s question.

“The what?” the Doctor jumped in, curious, despite already heading for theTARDIS.

It was, atleast, allowing Yaz to avoid answering the question. She just kept her headdown as she walked, wishing she was anywhere but here.

“Sheffield’s very own superhero,” Graham explained. “They’re known for going around Sheffield at night, sortingstuff out the police can’t. And they never speak a word.” Graham paused, a revelationspreading across his face. “You’d get caught by your superiors otherwise, eh?”

Yaz gave ameek nod.

“You saved my mate from getting mugged!” Ryan’s sentence was more ofan explosion. “Seriously, he’s so grateful.Won’t hear a bad word about you. He kept the ring he proposed to his fiancé with‘cause of you.”

And whileit was reassuring to hear the good her deeds had done, the Doctor was silent –silent, in fact, all the way until the TARDIS doors closed behind them.

Thenimmediately the Doctor rounded on her and Yaz could only freeze.

“Telekinesis!” she burst. She was already in Yaz’s space, eyes searchingfor something she couldn’t find, hands almost desperate to cradle the inanimategirl in front of her. “I knew there wassomething happening with your head! Felt it from the first moment I met you,Yaz. A puzzle, always a puzzle. All I needis one touch and I could get inside your mind – but you’re clever, you’retricky; without that touch you don’t let anyone in.” Then the Doctor calmed. “How long have you been theNight Mover for?”

“A year,” Yaz answered. With the Doctor gazing at her like that, shefelt locked into place. Only ever able to stare right back into truth.

The Doctor’sgaze turned impossibly gentler. “And how long have you been hiding yourself for?” she asked softly.

Yaz didn’twant to leave the TARDIS.

Everythingwas different now. Graham, Ryan and the Doctor knew exactly who she was. Thiscould be her last trip with the Doctor, ever.  The Time Lord was determined to keep them outof danger – and here Yaz had been all this time, dabbling in vigilantism!

But shehad other responsibilities than travelling through time and space. Yaz didn’tjust have her job. She had her cause: sorting out fair play across Sheffield.

Shestepped out of the blue box into the bitter cold of a Yorkshire winter, bracingherself for her parting with the Doctor. Everything looked so grey andmiserable here. With the Doctor, everything was new; brilliant; bold and beautiful.She didn’t want to say goodbye. All because she couldn’t keep the lie.

Instead,she turned round to find a hand in her face. Specifically, a hand holding akey.

The Doctorhopped out to join the police officer, but the hand stayed still. “This is for you. But you’vegot to promise me something, Yaz.”

She wishedshe could promise the Doctor anything. “Of course.”

“You keep safe.” The Doctor’s voice was so sure, and yet so close to breaking. “I can’t stop you doing whatwe do every time we run into danger, but I want you to come back to me. Us.” She pressed the key into Yaz’shands.

TheDecember wind was sweeping away the warmth the smooth metal had absorbed fromthe Doctor’s hand, but there was an underlying current of energy still swirlingfrom within. Maybe the key, too, was alive. Yaz gripped it tightly and slid itinto her jacket pocket.

“Don’t hesitate to reach out to me. That key is a part of theTARDIS; she’ll know where to go if you need her. And she’ll know if you’re introuble,” theDoctor continued.

Yaznodded. “Thank you,Doctor. Really, thank you.”

The Doctornodded back, lips disappearing in her expression of determination. Then itbroke, and they broke, and their arms were wrapped around each other.

“You don’t have to hide with us, okay?” the Doctor whispered intoYaz’s shoulder, and Yaz promptly broke all over again.

She feltthat statement reverberate through the bones; felt it strengthen her like theirfantasy games had done, all those years ago in primary school. And this wasreal, too. She felt the power swell inside her.

Yaz wasdone with being lonely.

[kieren-fucking-walker]

DGHDA Enneagram - Todd Brotzman (Part 1)

(Part 2 - Link to be added - Coming Soon)

(Dirk / Farah / Amanda - Links to be added - Coming soon)

Type 6: The Loyal Skeptic 

Song (From Sleeping at Last’s Enneagram Project): Atlas: Six

“I want to take shelter but I'm ready, ready to fight

And somewhere in the middle I feel a little paralyzed

But maybe I’m stronger than I realise.”

Basic Fear: Being abandoned, left without support and the comfort of structure in their lives, all of their anxieties and fears coming true. 

Basic Desire: To have security, to feel supported by others, to have certainty and reassurance, to fight against anxiety and insecurity. 

Defense mechanism: Projection – attributing inner concerns and fears to others and external situations, projection is a way of attributing to others what one can't accept in oneself, both positive and negative qualities.

Sixes use projection to avoid personal rejection and maintain a self-image of being loyal. To assure safety and justify loyalty, they project positive feelings onto a relationship or an external authority figure. To explain internal feelings of fear and distrust, Sixes project negative feelings onto others, and then look for evidence to support these projections. 

Type Six Overview: The core of the type Six personality is anxiety. Caught between a desire to both trust, in order to gain stability and security, and distrust, in order to prevent the stability and security they’ve already gained from being taken away, the type Six personality is grounded in a sort of "defensive suspiciousness." Sixes don't trust easily; they are often ambivalent about others, until the person has absolutely proven themself, at which point they are likely to respond with steadfast loyalty.  They will defend their community or family more tenaciously than they will defend themselves.

A type Six can easily become defensive, evasive, and anxious—running on stress while complaining about it. They can be cautious and indecisive, but also reactive, defiant and rebellious. They typically have problems with self-doubt and suspicion.

In order to gain some semblance of stability, Sixes will attempt to build a network of trust over a background of unsteadiness and fear. They are often filled with a nameless anxiety and then try to find or create reasons why. Because “belief” (trust, faith, convictions, positions) is difficult for Sixes to achieve, and because it is so important to their sense of stability, once they establish a trustworthy belief, they do not easily question it, and they don’t hold up to others challenging it well. The same is true for individuals: once Sixes feel they can trust someone, they go to great lengths to maintain connections with the person, who often acts as a regulator for the Six’s emotional reactions and behaviour. They will do everything in their power to keep their affiliations going. Sixes do not trust themselves, and so will strive to find and hold onto something they can trust. 

Because Sixes can be so reactive, no matter what we say about them, the opposite is often also true. They are both strong and weak, fearful and courageous, trusting and distrusting, defenders and provokers, sweet and sour, aggressive and passive, on the defensive and on the offensive, thinkers and doers, group people and soloists, believers and doubters, cooperative and obstructionistic, tender and mean, generous and petty—and on and on. Sixes often paint a contradictory picture due to the fact that they are a bundle of opposites.

Problems for Sixes: Sixes oppose everything, at least at first, and get distrustful and suspicious of new things easily. They will argue to oppose something before they even try it. Others tend to feel Sixes are too anxiety ridden, worry too much, and make themselves (and everyone else!) crazy raising every question and objection before trying anything

To compensate for insecurities, they become sarcastic and belligerent, blaming others for their problems, taking a tough stance toward "outsiders." Highly reactive and defensive, dividing people into friends and enemies, while looking for threats to their own security. Authoritarian while fearful of authority, highly suspicious, yet, conspiratorial, and fear-instilling to silence their own fears.

When they fear that they have ruined their security, they become panicky, volatile, and self-disparaging with acute inferiority feelings. Seeing themselves as defenseless, they seek out a stronger authority or belief to resolve all problems. Highly divisive, disparaging and berating others

The biggest problem for Sixes is that they try to build safety in the environment without resolving their own emotional insecurities. When they learn to face their anxieties, however, Sixes understand that although the world is always changing and is, by nature uncertain, they can be serene and courageous in any circumstance. And then they can attain a sense of peace with themselves despite the uncertainties of life.

Things Sixes need to hear: You tend to get edgy and testy when you are upset or angry, and can even turn on others and blame them for things you have done or brought on yourself. Be aware of your pessimism: it causes you dark moods and negative thought patterns that you tend to project on reality. When you succumb to this self-doubt, you can become your own worst enemy and may harm yourself more than anyone else does.

Others probably think better of you than you realize, and few people are really out to get you. In fact, your fears tell you more about your attitudes toward others than they indicate about others' attitudes toward you.

What you may not expect from a Six: They can be warm, and unpredictably playful. Needing to feel needed, striving to create a sense of stability and structure, Sixes will often take on a caring, even home-making role, whether they mean to or not. They enjoy being practical, and when their anxieties are at rest they can be excellent troubleshooters, foreseeing problems and fostering cooperation, far more willing to champion others than you may initially expect. 

Enneagram Types also considered for Todd: Two - The Helper

Part 2 will look more at the relationship of this type to Todd's Character.

Information taken from a number of sites and textbooks - Mainly focused on The Enneagram Institute. For more about the Enneagram - Click here

If you’d like to hear more about my reasoning for this type allocation (believe me, it took a long time, lots of study, and he was a relatively easy fit all things considered), my love of Psychology in both study and practice, why I favour the Enneagram, why I’m applying this to fictional characters at all, or my undying love for Todd Brotzman, just hit me up!