#(I mean in open queue. I made it to silver 5 in open queue and I am TRYIIIIIING thinking reaper gets my next golden. now it’s time to reply

[godblooded]

me: i’m gonna make icons and reply with icons!!

also me: 🤡 honk honk writes replies anyway

[ivy-goldrush]

Wednesdays Are The Worst

Dumb things have dumb consequences.

Warnings: Grumpy!Bucky, Bucky being a dick, Angst, Eventual smut?, Slow Burn fic, Maybe a touch of jealous!Bucky, 18+ cause swearing

Word Count: 1633

~

It had been a week since the movie night, with your week being uneventful. On the Tuesday you walked into work met with the smell of peaches, finding out Bucky had been in on Monday and dropped them off, so Mary got to baking with them. Thankful that he had come in when you weren’t working, avoiding any type of awkward encounter.

You only had two shifts this week Tuesday and Wednesday, and then you weren’t in again till Thursday, giving you just over a week off. Thursday was spent running around and doing your food shop however on Friday, you had the definition of a Lazy day. You had messaged Steve a couple of times, but he was busy with work and was doing a lot of overtime. Wanda and Vis were out of town for the weekend visiting friends back home. Maria gad said that she was spending a long-awaited weekend with her girlfriend. You weren’t that close with Sam and Clint yet to hang out with them, meaning you and Nat had decided to spend Saturday night together.  

The two of you had decided to go and hit the clubs for a much needed ‘get lose’ session. Nat had suggested that you get ready around hers so you left yours at half 4 in your comfy clothes and a bag of tonight’s outfit and makeup.

Her place wasn’t exactly walking distance to you, so you planned to take the train as it was only a couple of stops and then a ten-minute walk. The train journey was uneventful, and you ended up listening to music for the journey and the short walk to the apartment. By the time you had made it to her apartment, it was a few minutes past 5. Nat opened the door and immediately engulfed you in a hug, practically squeezing the life out of you.

For only knowing each other a short amount of time, the two of you got along like a house on fire. It was as if the two of you had known each other for your entire life, both having a very similar sense of humour.

Nat had already ordered Chinese for you two each whilst getting ready, along with a very large glass of wine. You quickly got down to getting ready, talking during the process.

“So, y/n, what are you wearing tonight?” Nat shot the question whilst she was focusing on her makeup, as you were taking your clothes out of your bag. “This!” You exclaimed as you span around holding an emerald green satin dress with a drape neck. Nat let out a wolf whistle as she laid eyes on the dress, looking it up and down. “Dam, that’s one hell of a dress. No doubt you’ll be the best dressed there.” Laughing at her comment, you sat down in front of the mirror next to her focusing on your makeup.

The makeup was simple, an everyday base, a slight natural smoky eye, eyeliner and a red lip. Leaving your hair in its curly state, as it cascades down your back, deciding to focus on jewellery pairing the outfit with some simple plain gold rings, a dainty gold bracelet and your gold detailed locket.

Nat’s makeup featured a slightly heavy smoky eye, bronzer and a dark lip. Her short hair was pin straight, framing her face. The only jewellery that she donned was a thick silver chain resting closely to her neck. She was wearing a tight black bodycon with black Louboutin’s and she looked absolutely breath-taking. You quickly slipped on your dress and gold heels, clutching your small matching bag, you took one last look in the mirror.

The both of you were wined, dined and dressed by 6pm, and out the door by quarter past. The two of you walked in tandem, arms linked and giggles erupting from you, as you made your way to one of Nat’s most frequented clubs. You were thankful that she was a regular because it meant that you were able to skip the queue that trailed beside the building.

Upon entering the club, you were met with the heavy base of music, shouting and neon lights. Nat immediately dragged you to the bar at the back of the club and plopping you onto a bar stool. Before you knew it drinks were placed in front of you two, appreciating the liquid courage as you swallowed it down, proceeding to do the same with several others. 

Time was flying by and soon enough you had dragged Nat out onto the dance floor. Your bodies were swaying back and forth to the base on the songs, letting yourselves get lost in the moment and in a sea of people. You felt someone place their hand on your waist, trying to pull you back into them. Your eyes snapped open and your senses were on full alert as you quickly spun around, whipping yourself out of the person’s grasp. You were met, face to face, with some sleazy guy who wore an amused expression and from where you were you could practically smell the alcohol on the guy. “Well, aren’t you a pretty little thing, you playing hard to get.” The words were slurred and the man stumbled as he tried to get closer to you, prompting you to move further away from him, when he grabbed a hold of your arm. “Get the fuck off of me.” The words were spat as you stared directly into the man's eyes. His grip was persistent as you clasped your hand around his wrist, digging your nails into his skin in an attempt to draw blood.  You held his gaze as you proceeded to raise your knee but before you could even carry out your attempt at kneeing him, he was shoved backwards, grip on your arm falling. He was currently being towered over by another guy. “I suggest you get the fuck outta here before I beat your ass.” Full of anger was present in his voice and you swore that if you weren’t surrounded by people, he would be beaten to a pulp right now. The new guy turned half around, showing you his face as he spoke to someone behind you. “Sam?” Your voice was hardly audible within the club.

All of a sudden, you felt yourself being lifted up and pulled out of the dance floor, leaving Sam to deal with the creep. You brought to the bar and gently placed down, allowing you to spin around to see who had taken you out of the situation.  “What the hell, Bucky.” You knew your voice was loud enough for him to hear but he just ignored you, talking to the bartender. “Two waters please.” His voice was gruff, he still refused to look at you as he ran a hand through his hair, whilst you threw yours up at him. 

As soon as the glasses were placed in front of him, he shoved one into your hand, the other in his. This allowed for Bucky’s free hand to secure a place around your waist, helping guide you in the right direction, but as soon as he tried to move you, you protested. “For fucks sake, doll, move your butt.” His voice was slightly strained as if he was holding back but the angry tone was very much evident. “What are you playing at Bucky?” Your voice was just above a whisper and the only response you got from him was a dramatic eye roll. “My God! Why are you so stubborn!” You made a small protest at his outburst, trying to bite your tongue, but not succeeding. “You know what? Fuck you, Barnes! I was nice to you but you were a complete and utter dick to me, so I'm so sorry that I didn’t give you a warm fucking welcome, but your not exactly rainbows and butterflies when you’re giving me whiplash with the way you behave!” With that you made your way in the direction you were originally heading, chest heaving, with Bucky turning and following suit.

It wasn’t long before the two of you arrived at a booth where Clint and Nat were sat talking. Bucky had come to a halt mere centimetres away from you, placing his hand on the small of your back giving you a small push towards them, earning him a muttered “Asshole” from you. The broad man just chuckled and proceeded to whisper in your ear “Fucking brat.”. Instantly, your body turned facing him and you reared yourself back slightly from him, before bringing the glass of water in your hand up and launching the contents at him. You didn’t think you just acted and the result was so worth it. Bucky’s face was dripping wet and his navy and white shirt was soaked. But the expression that was written on his face at first was shock until it turned and clouded into anger. Quickly, you pushed past him muttering that you needed to go to the bathroom.

You hadn’t realised that you had been followed until you heard Nat softly speak. “What happened back there? Are you okay?” The honesty and general concern of her voice was a vast contrast to the truth, uncaring . “I think I’m gonna call it a night, Nat, I’ll just cause more trouble with him, I’ll call myself a cab.” You turned to face the red head with a brave face. “I’m fine honestly, just tired that’s all.” You smiled smally at her. She had agreed to stay with you until the car arrived and walked you out to say goodbye. Soon afterward, you were seated in the cab and shortly on your way home. Naïvely hoping that things would just settle down on their own.

~

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[lyallblacklupin]

Don’t miss the Yule Ball.

Sirius and Remus relives their favorite memory together, and reconcile their relationship.

Tags: Post-Incident with Severus Snape, Angst with Happy Ending, Getting Back Together, Trust Issues.

Chapter 5

There he was, standing by the doorway with his hand still clutching the doorknob, his amber eyes glistening, blotchy and scarlet face at a brink of erupting everything that had been lying agonizingly beneath his chest. Sirius could feel it. He could feel it radiating off him, seeping into the crimson walls of their dorm, making them dull and blue. Sirius could easily recall that particular day when Remus had entered the common room with a face that had been the facsimiled version of the one that he was currently staring at. It was one of his favorite nights with Remus. 

They were staring at each other, both waiting, hoping, and begging.

And then Sirius tentatively held out his arms just like he had, always. He didn’t get to wait because Remus had already shoved himself into his body so forcefully that Sirius had to keep his feet hard on the ground from stumbling backwards. The moment his body was harshly hit with his, he knew. He knew the scent, the touch, and the curves of the body that was plastered with him. It was hard to believe. Considering their current relationship, he was hard to even dream. But now, it was happening so vividly that he had to pinch himself to detect the line between dream and reality. And he did, and the distinction was clear. Tears pooled into his eyes when all of his senses were soundly aware. His heart was singing the name like his very own mantra.

Remus Lupin. Remus. Remus. Moony. My Moony. My Remus. Mine. Mine. Mine.

Remus was wrapped around him like trailing plant. His limbs were all over Sirius’ body. He was shaking, and so was Sirius’ body. He was sobbing, and so was Sirius’ heart. Hard. His howls were raggedy and too painful to hear. Sirius thought he was hit by a stunning charm that his feet stood by the ground, but his knees were turning rickety. Remus didn’t stop. His face was buried in Sirius’ neck. Sirius could feel that the dampness was not just his dripping hair but the endless tears of Remus as they trickled down his neck, and soaked the cotton maroon shit he was wearing.

James and Peter emerged from the bathroom, wearing their robes for the Ball that was starting in few hours, with their mouths hanging open. They had never seen Remus like that. The Remus they knew was the one who squirmed away from group hugs, the one who never cried from any pain—either physical or emotional—the one who was expressionless when angry, and the one who coped with everything without fussing or weeping. However, the Remus Sirius knew was the opposite version of his public display, and secretly Sirius was proud of this intimately celestial relationship between them.

“Moons—“ James had almost called Remus out before Sirius slightly shook his head to him in a gesture that said ‘I will handle this, not any of you.’ James had never been the one to take or assume any offence so he took this as his and Peter’s queue to leave the dorm for a while. “We’ll come later, okay?” Peter gave a small smile to Sirius before exiting.

He did everything. He didn’t stop rubbing his back, he didn’t stop squeezing his arms, and he didn’t stop pressing his head against his. But Remus didn’t budge. The sobs had turned into whimpering. Sirius untangled himself from him and held his burning face that was stained with tears and snots. He wiped his face with his hands. Remus scrunched his nose in a grimace. Little did he knew, Sirius loved this facial expression of him. It made him look very innocent. Sirius dared to lean in and kissed his nose. He witnessed the relaxation spreading on Remus’ face. He leaned again to shower all of the kisses he had wanted to, and Remus let him. On the wet eyelids, forehead, cheeks, temples and anywhere where his lips could reach.

“Had a bad day, Moony?” Sirius asked him gently.

“I’m sorry…” It broke his heart because Remus was not supposed to apologize. He didn’t do anything wrong. If there was someone who deserved to apologize for the rest of his life, it was Sirius. He breached his trust, and he didn’t know if he could ever reconcile his mistakes, his bad traits and hid darkness that came along with his surname.

Sirius couldn’t bring himself to utter a word of disagreement, so he kept shaking his head.

“I’m so sorry, Sirius.” He said it again. And it hurt again, “I should have never pushed you away…I mean what was I thinking? That I will be able to free myself from this desire that looms around me like a shadow. This longing to have you by my side, all the time. I thought I would win this tug of war. But I didn’t...Having you…here, around me and yet so far…No, Sirius. I can’t do that for much longer because sooner or later I’ll be falling into your arms again. You are this piece of my puzzle. My missing piece of life. And this void needs to be filled! It is just too agonizing. I miss you. I miss you so much.”

Every syllable was coherent and intense. They were causing a havoc inside Sirius. It all seemed like another dream. And then he looked around. It was all real. He looked into Remus’ watery eyes. It was all real. But he was trying to look for something that could liberate him from this beautiful deception. He didn’t want to stay in oblivion.

“I know it's selfish-” 

“it’s not selfish... Sirius replied anyway, “I don’t believe all of this…” He whispered. Remus was smiling at him so peaceful at him. It was certainly going to be a dream. He saw him leaning closer. He closed his eyes when his forehead was pressed with his.

“I cry to you, I laugh openly to you. You know the things that matters to me the most. And you should know that you are the first and foremost on that list of mine.” Remus’ voice was so soft. The small puffs of breath against Sirius’ cheek was causing a tingling sensation all over his body.

“Do you trust me?” He couldn’t recognize his own voice, and Remus was taken aback. His lips were parted, puffy eyes, and disheveled hair.

“I trust you.” He leaned more closer, nodding his head.

“How?” It came out like a whine. He felt Remus’ arms encircled his waist.

“Because you are loyal. You never meant me harm, I know it. I believe you, Padfoot...Tell me if you still don’t believe it’s all true.” He heard him say again. And then he felt the warmth of mouth capturing his lips. When Remus’ mouth moved against his, Sirius wanted to cry. His mouth was stiffening. His eyes were stinging, even when they were closed. The stubborn tears did fell because Remus was wiping them with the pad of his thumbs. In between the tiny pauses for breath, Remus was shushing him. He felt like he was shivering internally. Suddenly, he was feeling vulnerable. He could feel Remus’ slender hands travelling to his neck. His fingers sliding up from his nape into his hair. It didn’t fail to make him shiver for real, this time. He did, and a smirk crossed Remus’ mouth.

“It’s real.” Sirius whispered against Remus’ lips, and then captured them again. The kiss was making him lightheaded as he deepened it. His hands were still clutching Remus’ face as if they were the most ethereal treasure to hold. It was, it really was, for Sirius. They both parted to gaze into each other’s eyes. Amber met Silver. “Remus, I love you.” And Remus kissed him again, despite of all the mess they had become with the wetness of tears rubbing each other’s skins.

“I love you, too, Sirius.” The words made him smile. He didn’t know if he was crying or laughing, but it was something in between that. The tears were not stopping but he was happy a little too much.

“Ah! I thought I was going to be the one to comfort you here.” He let out a watery chuckle, wiping his face, “Look at that, I’m a mess here.”

“We both are.”  Remus batted away his hands to wipe Sirius’ face with his own hands. The both of them were standing there in the middle of the dorm, cozying up in each other’s balminess. Sirius’ hands were playing with the hem of Remus’ sweater, while Remus’ hands were untangling the loose knots of Sirius’ slightly damp hair.

“You forgot to cast a drying spell on your hair after shower because of me.”

“This is how much I love you.”

They laughed again. Everything was beautifully back to its rightful places. 

“Moony?”

“Padfoot?”

“Will you go to the Yule Ball with me?”

Remus narrowed his eyes, squinted to come at eye-level with Sirius, a smirk trying hard to break his glare.

“You love dancing.”

“I love dancing with you.”

 _____________________________________________________________

They were in their robes, thrilled to go to the Yule Ball, as they descended the stairs of dormitory. They both came to a halt at the same time when they stepped into the common room. James and Lily were sitting on the couch, and Peter was lying on the carpeted floor before the fire-escape.

“What are you guys doing here? You left an hour ago.” Sirius said.

“Oh thank Merlin!” James jumped up and rushed to embrace him and Remus, “You guys made up! You guys are reunited! We’ve been waiting for you lot! I’m so happy! I love you! I love you both!”

Remus squirmed away hesitantly, letting James and Sirius alone to suffocate themselves in hugging and jumping. He met Lily beaming at him.

“Look at you, handsome.” She kissed him on the cheek, “I’m happy for you, Remus.”

“Oi! Evans!” Sirius and James said in unison, causing all of them to laugh into hysterics.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5

[snowdice]

Folds in Paper (Chapter 4: Before All the Paperwork Got Signed)[Folds in Time Universe]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Janus/Patton, Remus & Roman, eventual Logan/Virgil (maybe more)

Characters:

Main: Janus, Patton, Remus

Appear: Remy, Emile, Virgil, Logan, Roman

Summary: Janus, a disillusioned senior agent working for the Time Preservation Initiative, struggles to find meaning in a world where time travel could change everything about your life’s history in less than a moment. When time distortions start popping up, threatening the timeline and the fabric of reality as he knows it, it becomes a race against the clock to fix the damage before everything unravels. And the problem with time travel… you never how long you have before the clock strikes 12 and your time is up.

With a partner who has more mysteries in his past than Janus had anticipated and an enigmatic free agent time traveler mucking about time always with a clever pun or a time appropriate pet name on his lips, Janus will need to figure out what went wrong with time, and more importantly, how to fix it.

Chapter Summary:  

I can draw a straight line Through my mind Right back to the good times Back when all the stars were aligned Before all the paperwork got signed

Notes: Time travel AU, mystery, enemies to lovers, alcohol

This is a fic I’ve been writing on study breaks that you have probably all already seen at this point. I’ve slightly edited it for wording and grammar, but not for content from my previous posts. Feel free to send in asks to direct it because I’m not 100% sure where this is going and you can help decide if you feel so inclined! You can see the process I went through to build this at this link.

I also have a playlist on youtube (because Spotify didn’t have one of the songs I wanted).

AO3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Janus was frozen in surprise for a few long moments after Pat disappeared. Which had been, admittedly, his mistake, because, while their window had technically been until 11:17pm and it was only 11:10, the loud crack that whatever Pat had been using for time travel made, garnered the attention of someone else.

“Uh oh,” Remus said, likely hearing footsteps. “Hide.”

That snapped Janus into action, but instead of hiding immediately like a sensible human being, he chose to go for the only link to the man who’d just stolen time travel tech and waltzed away: the mask.

Which… was why he ended up getting arrested.

Remy tsked the moment they were all alone in the police car having come to ‘transfer Lee to another facility.’ Remus was already waiting in the front seat, and flashed Janus a smug smile. If Janus wasn’t still handcuffed, he’d slap him.

“Well,” Remy said. “At least you didn’t shoot anybody like I asked. I was joking by the way. I didn’t really want to pick you up from a 1920s police station period.”

“It wasn’t my fault.”

“Mmm, nah, ‘cause Remus managed to not get arrested this time, so you defiantly screwed something up.”

“Oh, he defiantly wanted to screw something all right,” Remus said joyfully.

“Remus,” Janus hissed.

“What?” he asked. “I’m not the horny one for once. Well, no, that’s a lie, but it didn’t affect the job this time.”

Janus groaned and leaned his head back against the seat.

Remy pulled into a seemingly random garage around 20 minutes later. “Alright,” he said. “Here we are.” He got out of the car and then helped Janus out before uncuffing him. “Here’s your ‘watch,’” Remy handed him the timepiece that had been confiscated when he’d been arrested.

Janus put it on and activated it. “Shit,” he said.

“What?” Remus asked.

“An appointment with cultural outreach has already been downloaded to my calendar for once we get out of decon.”

“Oof. Going to baby jail,” Remy laughed. Remus was cackling.

“This,” Janus said, “was not a cultural faux pas. I did nothing that indicated that I was not from this time. I am not some rookie.”

“Don’t forget cell phones don’t exist in the 1920s,” Remus sang.

“The real question is whether or not my foot exists in your…” Remus disappeared before he could finish, a smirk on his face. Janus growled. “By Remy,” he gritted out. He selected the decontamination chamber from his queue, ignoring the appointment that came after it for now.

He knew exactly where Remus would be standing when he landed, which was why he stepped forward on reentry to ram into him.

He yelped in surprise. “Sorry,” Janus said pleasantly. “I must have also forgotten landing procedures.

Remus laughed good naturally. “Aw, come on Jay,” he said, bumping Janus back, albeit much gentler than Janus had been. “It’s not a big deal. You just go talk with some crusty old college professor who is far too interested in spoons or something than can be healthy and then everything’s fine.”

“It’s the principle of the thing,” he growled. “They’re treating me like I’m an idiot who accidently invented disco in the 1920s when I was conned by some free agent time traveler.”

“‘Conned,’ Remus said. Is that what they’re calling it now?”

“I know where and when you live Remus,” Janus said.

Remus gave him a dopey smile as the decontamination cycle finished and the door unlocked. Janus’s wrist buzzed telling him that the coordinates to the cultural outreach office were now unlocked. Instead of pulling them up, Janus walked to the door.

“Um,” Remus said, following him. “Aren’t you supposed to be going to your appointment?” Janus just kept walking towards their office. “Uh… Jan?”

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that I have to go to Cultural Outreach,” Janus said. “In fact, no one can make me. If they want me to go have a discussion about the definition of ‘bushwa,’ they’re going to have to have me dragged there.”

“Mmm, I feel like The Boss won’t be too happy about that, and I have a feeling she’d be 100% down to dragging you there herself.”

“Well, then, let her,” Janus said, stalking through the door to his office. “I’m not going to…”

“Ah, Agent Picani,” the woman standing next to his desk, clearly waiting for him, said when he came through the door. “Dr. Picani was informed that there were complications with your last mission and wishes to have a conversation with you. He asks that you meet him in his office at the AMO.”

“Oh, um,” Janus said, stumbling a bit before plastering on a regretful half smile. “Unfortunately, I actually have an appointment right now at Cultural Outreach. It’s mandatory and very important, and I have to go now. So, I’ll have to take a raincheck on that.”

“But-” she started, frowning.

“Remus, work on the report!” Janus said quickly as he waved his hand to bring up his timepiece display and jammed his finger at the glowing appointment card in his queue. A few moments later, Janus was at Cultural Outreach.

Cultural Outreach was not part of the TPI, though it often worked very closely with them. It was a collaboration between the government and multiple universities to help government workers, politicians, and other citizens understand and bridge cultural gaps. It had existed before time travel was invented but had expanded to also teach people who needed to time travel how to behave in unfamiliar times and cultures.

After it had to be expanded to provide for the TPI, it had been moved to Silver Mountains University. The building had once just been a museum, but it had been thoroughly renovated and there had been add-ons for office space and some classrooms. It was still a museum, however, its purpose had expanded greatly and there were many areas that were off limits to the general public.

One of these areas was the fourth floor, where Janus’s timepiece had dumped him. This was the floor that was almost exclusively for TPI agents and the staff of Cultural Outreach who worked with them.

He immediately turned away from the reception area, hoping that he could escape and go sit on the university’s quad or something of the like for the next hour or so in hopes the woman his brother sent to fetch him would give up and go back to the AMO. Yet, the receptionist apparently saw him.

“Janus Picani?” he asked.

Janus grimaced and turned back towards him. “Yes,” he said.

“Is something wrong?” he asked. “You’re 5 minutes late for your appointment and seem disoriented.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Is your timepiece malfunctioning?”

“No.”

“Uh… okay. Well, if you sign in here, I can take you to your appointment.”

“…Fine.”

 He begrudgingly stepped forward and touched the screen the receptionist gestured to for him sign with his fingerprint, and then let the man lead him down the hall.

The door they stopped at was propped open slightly, but he still paused and knocked. “Professor Eran? Your 2:30 is here.”

Janus had just a moment upon hearing the name to think that maybe there was actually some sort of intelligent design of the universe and whatever being of ultimate power had crafted it was a dick.

The door opened and Virgil Eran’s eyes immediately narrowed on him. “Janus.”

“Virgil.”

“I see you’re still late for everything.”

“I see you’re still a bastard.” Janus saw the receptionist slowly back away in the direction they’d come.

“Why don’t you come in?” Virgil said faux pleasantly.

Janus did, because he really didn’t have much of a choice at this point unless he wanted to jump out of a window… or push someone out of a window.

Virgil turned back into his office and took a seat behind his desk. Janus unhappily followed him in and sat across from him.

He took his time pulling up whatever the TPI sent him and reading it over. “So, I see you failed your recovery mission and were arrested in 1923.”

“It wasn’t like that,” Janus said. “I shouldn’t be here.”

Virgil gave him that same suspicious look he used to give Janus whenever Janus claimed to have not eaten his hot pockets out of the freezer in the middle of the night. He’d only been lying 80% of the time. Virgil had a tendency to forget what he’d eaten in a half-conscious state at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“I shouldn’t,” Janus snapped defensively. “Nothing went wrong with anyone from the time period. An illegal time traveler screwed up the mission details.”

“Well, it is still protocol to make sure nothing slipped when agents go off script. You weren’t prepared to be in a jail cell, and it is possible that you screwed something up.”

“I didn’t screw anything up,” Janus growled.

“Alright,” Virgil said, pulling up a document on his desk. “The mission started on July 27th, 1923 at 9:58pm, correct?”

“Oh, god, we’re not really going to fill out a time sheet? I don’t have time for that today.”

“It is protocol and best that the information is documented when it is still fresh in your mind. Besides, your schedule has been cleared for the rest of the workday.” The bastard was enjoying this. He knew how much Janus hated this stuff.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Janus said, “it was the damned illicit time traveler.”

“And I will be the judge of that,” Virgil said. Janus should have just bit the bullet and had coffee with his brother. “If you truly did nothing wrong, your supervisor will see that when I send this to her.”

Yet, despite the fact that Virgil clearly relished in his suffering, he was charitable enough to do most of the actual filling out of the forms. He’d read out the questions and write down what Janus said instead of making him do it himself. Janus really only had to do a quick quality check and sign it at the end.

He still was an asshole about the details, but really he’d been like that about stupid thing like the settings for the dish washer and how the pantry was organized during their college days before they’d had their falling out, so Janus wasn’t particularly surprised. When they were finally done, Virgil sent it off to get filed by the TPI.

Then, they were left staring at each other with nothing between them but almost a decade of radio silence and a whole lot of awkwardness.

“I should go,” Janus finally said, standing up.

Virgil tilted his head slightly to the side and gave him a half smile. “Don’t lock the door behind you,” he said. “Not that I’d expect you too.”

Janus took it for the clear attempt at a joke it was intended to be and puffed out a breath of amusement with a head shake. “No risk of that,” he said. Then, he turned and walked out of the office.

Want to read more? Click below!

AO3 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9

[classysassy9791]

Sometimes its the quieter moments that speak the loudest. A story of love, laughter, and friendship carried through the years during the most wonderful season of all. Full of fluff and Christmas cheer. Interconnecting One-shots.

Fandom: Inuyasha Genre: Romance/Friendship Pairings: InuKag, MirSan, SessKagu Ch. 1 l Ch. 2 l Ch. 3 l Ch. 4 l Ch. 5 l Ch. 6 l Ch. 7 l Ch. 8 l Ch. 9 l

Chapter 10: Silver Bells Word Count: 1700 Can also be found here

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.

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“What about this one?”

Inuyasha’s amber eyes stole themselves away from watching the crowded department store to the green, knit scarf Kagome held in her hands. “Sure.”

She frowned, her fingers working their way over the fabric delicately as she struggled with her decision. Finally, she sighed and dropped the scarf to continue her way through the store, seemingly unbothered by the throng of people pushing past her. 

Inuyasha and Kagome had been weaving through crowds all day, holiday music telling them how joyous they were to be parting with savings it had taken them months to accrue. Inuyasha scoffed bitterly at the thought. Now who was getting his hard-earned money? Some fat CEO? If it was up to him, he would have canceled the present exchange part of Christmas, but he knew Kagome would’ve baulked at the idea. 

She never minded the holiday rush or the amount of stress it caused. Inuyasha, however, despised shopping during this time of year. People were rude, children screamed, and prices were usually outrageous. He believed Christmas was the biggest con job of all time. Some slick marketing jocks told everyone that Christmas came in a box with a pretty ribbon and a prettier price tag . The higher the price, the more the love, right? The commercialization of it all made Inuyasha sick, and always put him in a foul mood. 

“Why don’t we finish our shopping online?” he grumbled as he followed Kagome through another aisle of sweaters. At least online shopping meant he didn’t have to deal with the holiday crowds. 

“That’s so impersonal,” she quipped, throwing him a look over her shoulder. “What if the fabric is itchy? Or the design isn’t as pretty as you had hoped?”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Everyone will love anything you get them.” And his words rang true, because although Kagome didn’t know it, she had a knack for choosing gifts. During the rest of the year, she was frugal and spent her money wisely, but when it came to Christmas time, she always went all out. 

“I don’t know,” she mused, fingering another sweater before moving on. “Some people are always so hard to shop for. Like, Miroku and Shippo.”

A heavy-set man shoved past Inuyasha, nearly causing him to fall into a display. “Hey, watch it!” he yelled out to him, only receiving a dirty look in return before the man hurried away. Annoyed, Inuyasha shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he followed Kagome out of the department store, both empty-handed. “Kagome, why do you even care about this stuff, anyway? Christmas ain’t about the presents.”

She smiled up at him with a thoughtful hum. “Well, you’re right. Christmas isn’t about the gifts.” He raised a brow when she didn’t offer a further explanation, and opened his mouth to question her, but was interrupted by-- “Oh, look! It’s Santa Claus!”

Inuyasha’s eyes followed to where Kagome was pointing to see the big man himself all dressed in red. Santa had two elves at his side as he sat on his big throne, a few “ho ho ho”’s being bellowed. A line of eager children and their parents weaved through the town square, the kids bright-eyed in amazement at the sight of Santa. 

“Come on!” Kagome said, tugging on Inuyasha’s hand. “I want a picture with Santa.”

“No way,” he refused, pulling his hand out of her grasp. “No way am I getting a picture with some strange man in a red suit.”

Kagome pouted, looking up at him with the saddest eyes she could muster. “But, Inuyasha… I really want a picture. It’ll be a great memory!”

Inuyasha hated caroling. He hated crowds. He hated taking pictures with Santa, especially with him being an adult now. But, somehow, Kagome always managed to convince him to do things he otherwise wouldn’t, even more so during the holiday season. 

It didn’t help that Kagome’s teeth were sunk into her lower lip, a sensual pout making itself known as she pleaded with him. Inuyasha groaned in reluctance, a grumbled, “fine,” falling from his mouth as she practically skipped with joy to the back of the line. 

They shuffled through the queue  slowly as each child eagerly sat on Santa’s lap to indulge their Christmas wishes this year. The kid in front of them tugged on his mother’s jacket insistently, excited about the elves and feeling star-struck at meeting THE Santa Claus. Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the stupidity of it all. 

“I’m excited to share Christmas with our kids someday,” Kagome off-handedly commented, catching Inuyasha completely off-guard. 

He swung wide amber eyes in her direction, feeling a heated blush work its way up his neck and flush his cheeks. “Our-our kids?!”

A light pink tinged Kagome’s cheeks as she toyed with a lock of her hair. Her brown eyes quickly glanced up at him before averting away. “Well… yeah. I mean… Do you want kids someday?”

He cleared his throat awkwardly trying to look at anything but the blushing girl beside him. “I-I guess I never thought about it.” 

“Well,” she said, grabbing his hand and holding it in hers, smiling up at him. “Think about it.” 

They stayed silent during the rest of their trek through the line. Inuyasha’s mind had been shocked into a muddle of several thoughts, all of which he had a hard time focusing on. Kagome brought up kids and yet he could barely think of where they would be in a few months, let alone a few years. She had taken him completely by surprise. 

Before he knew it, it was their turn to see Santa, and Kagome eagerly moved to stand beside the man in red, with Inuyasha standing on his other. 

“Well, now,” Santa greeted, smiling up at them with a voice filled with cheer. “What’s your name, young lady?”

“Kagome,” she spoke, the blush from earlier now gone. 

He turned to ask Inuyasha the same, but Inuyasha simply scowled at the man. Santa studied him for just a moment before turning his attention back to Kagome, obviously feeling Inuyasha’s disinterest in this little adventure. “And what would you like for Christmas this year, Kagome?” he asked her, eyes sparkling with amusement. 

Kagome exchanged a brief glance with Inuyasha, before leaning down and whispering her answer into Santa’s ear . When she’d finished, Santa chuckled merrily before replying with, “I’ll see what I can do,” in a hushed tone. 

Inuyasha didn’t have time to question the exchange before the photographer called for their attention and snapped a quick picture - after which, of course, Kagome purchased. 

The pair continued their shopping around the town, a slow pile of bags of presents beginning to fill their arms as the hours ticked by. Finally, as the clock struck eight, Kagome had declared their shopping complete while she looked up at him with an accomplished smile. 

The evening streets had thinned as stores began to close for the night. Inuyasha felt himself relax, the bustling of the shopping rush dwindling to no more than a few last-minute shoppers. He breathed in the crisp, evening air, listening to the stillness of the night. Allured by the scent of freshly baked cookies coming from a bakery, Inuyasha tore his gaze off of the enormous Christmas tree in the square, adorned with glistening ornaments and flowing fairy lights draped around it. The sky had turned beautiful, dark shades of blue while the amber light of street lamps spilled onto the stone-paved streets. 

“Feeling better?” Kagome’s voice drew him back, his eyes meeting hers in the dim lighting of a decorated storefront. 

“Yeah,” he grumbled. “Never liked the crowds.” 

“I know, but thank you for coming with me. I enjoyed your company.” 

Inuyasha studied her as they paused in walking, her warm gaze meeting his own. Her smile shined like the stars in the sky, with no bright city lights to dim them. She had a touch of exhaustion to her, but she was beautiful all the same. 

“Here,” he mumbled, pulling the shopping bags out of her hands before crouching down in front of her. “Get on.” 

Kagome blushed and waved her hand dismissively. “Oh no, Inuyasha. I’m fine. I can walk.” 

He shot her a look over his shoulder that clearly stated he wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Come on, you’ve been running around all day.”

She looked around reluctantly before finally resigning to his request with a sigh. “I swear if you drop me, Inuyasha, there will be no hot chocolate for you.” 

He chuckled with a shake of his head. “Whatever you say.” 

Inuyasha felt her cautiously grab a hold of his shoulders before clasping her legs around his waist, and his hands folded together beneath her to make her feel secure. Once she was settled, he began walking again, closing the distance between the last few blocks to her home. She rested her head against his back as she relaxed against him. 

They were quiet for a while, Inuyasha simply listening to her steady breath near his ear. The lights around them began to fade as the last few stores shuttered, leaving only the streetlamps and a few strands of Christmas lights decorating the walkway to light their way. Silver bells jingled as they passed by a man dressed in a Santa suit. He smiled at them, wishing them a “Merry Christmas!” as they passed.

“Inuyasha?” Kagome murmured, startling him out of his thoughts. 

“What is it?”

“Christmas isn’t about the presents,” she said, repeating their conversation earlier. 

“Yeah?”

She nodded against his back. “When you have so much, you can only really receive by giving.” 

He raised a brow, glancing back at her questioningly. 

“Love doesn’t come in a box. It can’t be bought or sold. But, the joy someone feels from receiving a gift, from knowing that you had been thinking of them… that feeling can’t be bought or sold either. It’s not about the money spent.”

The snow fell down softly, gently laying itself on the earth. Inuyasha smiled, his thoughts encompassed by a cold, winter night, a brightly lit Christmas tree, and the shining, brown eyes of a child who had silver hair. 

“Daddy!”

[lavendersoft]

My Soulmate’s Soulmate.

Part six

Soulmate! AU

Synopsis: Before you meet your soulmate your world is black and white, without color. When soulmates meet, their world glows with vibrancy. The reality, however, as harsh and uncommon as it is, is that you are not always your soulmate’s soulmate.

Pairings: Jungkook x Reader, Taehyung x Reader, Jungkook x Taehyung (poly!au)

Warnings: N/A.

Author’s Notes: N/A.

--

The rain that taps outside your window is the only thing keeping you calm.

It’s currently 5:47 pm and you just finished getting ready for your date with Tae. You really don’t know what to expect besides the dinner part, I mean you’ve only known him for a few weeks and you’ve spoken to him but a handful of times. What kind of person is he? Is he the serious type? Or maybe he’s more carefree? Is he spontaneous? Is he planning on taking you somewhere that’s not the decided restaurant?

The anxiety erodes at your confidence as you touch up your already perfect makeup yet again. You’ve opted for a more casual look, being that the restaurant is a pretty low key place. A simple white turtle neck sweater with black skinny jeans and black ankle boots. You peer outside the foggy window again,

“I should check the weather,” you mumble to yourself, knowing the temperature keeps dropping by the day. Turning the TV to the weather channel, you find there’s a high chance of the first snowfall tonight. Better bring that trench coat just in case.

“You look beautiful.” Jungkook’s voice calls from behind you. He can be so light-footed an sneaky sometimes, like a cat.

“Thanks, baby.” You turn to face him with a worried look,

“I’m nervous.”

He wraps an arm around you and grins.

“Don’t be, Angel. He’s really nice. If anyone is nervous, it’s probably him.”

You nod, knowing how nerve-wracking first dates are- especially with your soulmate.

“Can’t you tell me just a little about him?”

He pulls a strand of hair out of your face while he grins down at you.

“Nope.”

“Why?” It made no sense to you. He’s been refusing you even the slightest hints as to what kind of person Taehyung is.

“Because you have to get to know him the way I did. By talking to him.”

He giggles when you grunt in displeasure.

The chime of the doorbell brings you out of your pout.

“Ah! He’s here! Go and have a good time. Call me if you need anything, especially if he gets too handsy. He’s my soulmate but I won’t hesitate to kick his ass, let him know that,“ He rants as get guides you to the door, “Oh, and don’t forget your jacket! It’s gonna be really cold tonight.”

You’re face to face with the front door now. The doorknob feels almost hot to the touch.

Inhale. Exhale.

The old wooden door reveals a man that looks almost out of place in the slightly dingy hallway of your apartment building.

God, he looks like a prince. How does a person look like that?

He’s dressed in a simple white dress shirt and black leather jacket with ripped jeans. But what really catches your eye is the small silver chain that connects from one belt loop to the next on the side of his pants. It matches perfectly with the dainty chain that hangs from his neck. So simple yet so effective. How fashionable.

“Hi.”

“Hey.”

He smiles so warmly at you, you feel a rush of adrenaline.

Oh. Oh, he smells good.

A gasp escapes your mouth as the lingering scent of his cologne reminds you that you forgot to put on your own perfume.

“Sorry, I forgot something. I’ll be right back.”

You hurry off leaving Taehyung and Jungkook alone.

You return in a haste to the pair of men staring at each other for whatever reason. The atmosphere seems almost stiff.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

“Great. You said the reservation’s at 6:20, right?”

“Yep. And it’s about 15 minutes away so we should probably get going.”

“Okay,” Taehyung places a hand lightly to the small of your back while he turns his head to Jungkook, “I’ll have her back by eleven.”

“Ten.”

The older chuckles at the younger in response.

“Yes, Sir.”

-

You fidget with the promise ring Jungkook gave you some time ago. Taehyung looks almost intimidatingly handsome under the dim, soft light of the restaurant. The light catches on his earrings every time he moves and you have the hardest time prying your eyes away from his chest since the top buttons of his shirt are open, revealing just a bit of his collar bone.

God, it’s like he gets prettier with every passing second.

“So, have you been here before?”

“Nope. First time. Any recommendations?” he prompts.

“Well, it’s a bulgogi house so maybe start with bulgogi.” You quip.

A smirk crosses your face when he blushes. Taehyung didn’t seem like the type to blush over just anything so this was cute. You’d never tell him but you kind of like the power you have, making such a beautiful man blush so easily. However, remembering how nervous you were on your first date with Jungkook, you cut Tae some slack.

“I’m kidding. The galbi here is really tasty too.”

“Mm, that sounds good. I think I’ll try that.” He relaxes.

As if on queue, the waitress comes by and takes your orders. After, Taehyung turns to you, “On a serious note. Is this really okay? I mean, us meeting here. Is Jungkook angry? He seemed a bit... off I guess.”

“Oh, no it’s okay. Don’t worry about that. We’ve already talked about it.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. I mean,” You pause to collect your thoughts, “It’s only natural, right? You’re my boyfriend’s soulmate and I’m...”

“My soulmate.” He finishes the sentence when you trailed off.

“Yes. I’m your soulmate.”

Something flashes in his eyes that you couldn’t quite decipher.

“You’re right. It’s only natural all see each other more often.”

You hum is response.

There is a short, yet comfortable, silence between you two before he speaks again,

“Do you believe in destiny, Y/n?”

You can’t help but chuckle at the cheesy question. Definitely the romantic type.

“Hm. I don’t know if I did before but... this whole situation may have just turned me into a believer.”

The rest of the date was pretty standard. Simple, shallow ‘first date’ questions ensue.

“Where are you from?”

“What do you do?”

“What are your hobbies?”

“How many siblings?”

“What are your goals?”

By the time your meals are finished, you feel like you’ve made a good start in getting to know him. One of the most interesting answers you received was in response to the question about his hobbies. He loves motorcycles and has three of them.

Very interesting.

I’ll have to ask him to elaborate on that one.

“Okay, last question.”

“Go for it.” He seems much more confident than he was an hour and a half ago.

“Do you have a sweet tooth?” You grin brightly down at the variety of desserts on the menu.

His eyes never leave your face,

“Definitely.”

A sudden realization comes over you,

“Sorry. It kind of seems like I’m interviewing you or something. Any questions for me?”

He bites his lip as he ponders for a moment.

“How long have you known Jungkook? Oh, and how did you meet? And please don’t leave out any of the details, I’m a hopeless romantic.”

“Well, we met when we were still teenagers. He was still an intern for the record label he works for now and I... well I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life whatsoever. It was like he had everything figured out, you know? He knew exactly what he wanted and how to get it. He knew where he was going. I’d never met someone so sure of themselves. That’s one of the things that drew me to him, besides the obvious reasons. Anyway, I was working in a flower shop at the time. I didn’t even see him walk up to me, I was too busy trying not to get pricked by the roses. He tapped me on the shoulder to ask me a question, I don’t even remember what he asked. All I remember was him introducing himself, and then everything around me coming to life. Stupid me, I didn’t even realize he wasn’t experiencing what I was, I was just so overwhelmed with all the colors. It never occurred to me that-“

You pause when you catch Taehyung’s face fall a bit.

“So, yeah, that’s how we met.” You finish your embarrassing monologue, picking up a spoon and shoveling in the ice cream you don’t remember ordering.

“Your eyes light up when you talk about him. It’s cute.”

If you weren’t cherry red before, you definitely are now.

-

The ice-cold air feels like a slap to the face when you step into the night, and the wind doesn’t help either. Your breath falls from your mouth like smoke as you wrap yourself tighter in your coat.

Where did we park again?

Tae steps beside you, jogging in place to stay warm.

“Hey, where did we-“

Something catches your eye when you peer up at him. Your mind goes blank when you reach up to glide your fingertips down his cheek.

“A snowflake? Is it-?”

Sure enough, you look up to the black sky to see small specks of white falling lightly. Tae doesn’t seem to care in the slightest, the warmth of your fingers still lingering on his skin.

“The car’s this way.” He takes the first move and you follow in suit. At least, you tried to.

The magical moment is ended when your back hits the cold, wet ground. You daze up for a moment, trying to process how the hell you ended up in an ice bath.

“Oh my God, are you okay? You didn’t hit your head, right?” Tae was by your side immediately, helping you up and inspecting the damage. He even slid a bit on the icy pavement.

“Damn, you’re all wet. You can’t wear this, you’ll catch a cold.” He gestures to your now soaking wet jacket. He helps you out of the garment and replaces it with his own.

“Hey, my studio isn’t far from here. I keep it pretty warm in there, let’s go there to dry you up.” It didn’t seem like a suggestion, more like a statement. You don’t care at the moment, though. It’s like the air around you gets colder by the second.

“Let’s do it.”

-

It feels like instant heaven when you enter the toasty building.

Taehyung flips several switches on revealing a huge, beautiful art studio. It was filled with unfinished paintings, sketches, and sculptures. You can’t remember the last time you’ve seen so many vibrant colors. Maybe the day you met Jungkook. Memories of all different types of flowers pass by your mind. This definitely reminds you of that day.

“Your sweater is still wet. Hold on.” He rummages through a tiny closet next to the entrance. He pulls out a crisp, white v-neck shirt. “Here. I keep extra clothes here just in case I get messy while painting. Um, there’s a bathroom down the hall on the left.”

You return in his shirt. It’s so loose it reaches your mid-thigh. Even despite wearing his shirt, you decide to keep his jacket on because it’s just so cozy.

“This is my main studio, where I keep all the unfinished projects.” He begins when he notices you. Then he places a hand on the small of your back, leading you to a door in the corner of the room witch you assume is another studio.

“And this-” He opens the door to a room about half the size of the first, but has a huge window that lets in the light of the city. The space is filled with painted portraits of people. All sorts of people, elderly, young, and everything in between. It also showcases statues, photography, and sketches. The experience felt as if you were stepping into a museum. The whole room looks like a collage of color.

“-Is the gallery.”

“You like to people watch, don’t you? Very observ...” You trail off when you look closer at a specific section of the back wall.

Sketches and paintings of all styles. All of you.

--

Taglist: @ourwhispersbecomeouranthems @fantasyjoon @ally22042000 @ireadfanficsonthisleavemealone @embrace-themagic @lexi-tries-art @ccmemoirs @just-call-me-trash-can @karlykim92 @omg-sol-s-dreamland @ironically-indifferent96 @namjoonsslutakakoreanmanswhore @bumblekey93​

[canid-slashclaw]

The Outliers - A Guild Wars Love Story

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9,  Chapters 10 and 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16 , Chapter 17, Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20,  Chapter 21, Chapter 22, Chapter 23,  Chapter 24, Chapter 25, Chapter 26, Chapter 27, Chapter 28, Chapter 29, Chapter 30, Chapter 31, Chapter 32 Chapter 33

Amalthia and Kaleb navigated through the narrow corridors of the Zephyrite airship while trying to find the location of their honeymoon suite. Once they found the correct number, Kaleb inserted the key into the latch then promptly opened the door. To their pleasant surprise, they had found that all of their travel items had been delivered to them ahead of time. Amalthia found a tall bottle of wine encased in a silver chalice of ice then decided to pop the cork.

"Zero in on that alcohol. That's my Ama!" Kaleb said with a laugh as the pair embraced in a passionate kiss.

"Darn right!"

She looked him in his dark brown eyes and smiled. "Hey! Check out this view, it's breathtaking!"

Kaleb walked over to the open-air portal that was located next to their bed. Stretching before their eyes was a vast mountainous landscape that drifted below them some ten thousand feet.

"On the rocks?" Amalthia asked.

"Please."

She poured them each a glass of the dark cherry colored liquid until it almost filled the brim. Once filled, they toasted to their marriage and happiness. The next phase involved who could finish their glass the fastest.

"Well, we are at ten thousand feet, so you know what that means," Kaleb said with a devilish wink.

"Mr. Grimwald - are you having dirty thoughts already? Whatever shall I do?"

"Removing those cumbersome garments might be a good start, Mrs. Steelblade."

Amalthia put down her half-finished glass then leaped onto the bed and looked at her husband with her sultry eyes.

"I will require some assistance, kind sir." She rolled over then started purring as Kaleb began to slowly remove her clothes.

Once they were sans garments in bed, the pair began hours of passionate lovemaking. As her yowls of ecstasy became louder, a couple from the adjoining rooms began complaining of the noise.

"I believe the people around us are getting jealous. Don't you think, m'dear?"

"Just a bit. Let's see how long it will take before the staff comes beating on our door, telling us to quiet down," Amalthia said as she rode her husband hard.

Kaleb assumed the missionary position then began to thrust at full intensity, which caused the legs on the bed to lift off the floor then slam down at rapid intervals. It wasn't long before one of the staffers came knocking on the door telling them to tone it down.

Several hours after their love fest was over, the couple made their way down to the dining hall. The buffet was filled with a variety of foods from all over the region and Kaleb and Amalthia took no time in filling their plates to the max.

When they sat down at one of the tables, there was a human newlywed couple nearby which Amalthia could overhear complaining about some noisy neighbors. Feigning politeness, she waved to them and smiled.

"Nice to meet you," Kaleb waved to them and grinned.

The woman replied. "Nice to meet you too. Are you here on business or pleasure?"

"The latter. How about you?"

The woman's husband spoke up. "Newly married. You?"

"Same," Kaleb replied.

"Where's your wife?" The woman asked.

Kaleb and Amalthia looked at each other then shook their heads laughing. The human couple looked confused.

"She's sitting next to me," came Kaleb's wide-grinned reply.

The human newlyweds only looked at them in silence.

Amalthia held out her left hand flashing her diamond ring. "Nice hunk of pressed carbon, huh?"

"Uhh. Okaay," was the man's only reply.

"It's okay, love. Let's not be rude to people."

"Yeah. Rude people are awful," Kaleb said as he winked to his wife.

Taking the queue where this was going Amalthia smiled and nodded. "Oh yes. Rude people; especially the ones who can't seem to tone it down when they are going at it hard in the sack."

The newlywed husband and wife both nodded in agreement as the woman chimed in. "The nerve of some people, making an exhibition out of their bedroom acts."

"That is soo inconsiderate," Kaleb quipped with a contained chuckle.

Amalthia shook her head. "Awful. Simply awful! Engaging in hours of unbridled lovemaking on a honeymoon trip. Tell me, love - what is this world coming to?"

"Well, whoever it was, was certainly doing a lot of coming. Wouldn't you agree?"

Amalthia nodded with a closed-eyed smile. "Indeed. Such passion should be a crime."

Kaleb stood up, walked over then gave his wife a passionate kiss on the mouth. "Then I suppose I am guilty."

The newlywed couple had just about enough, as they stood up then walked out leaving behind the majority of their meal. Once they were gone, Kaleb and Amalthia gave each other a fist-pump and laughed.

"It took 'em long enough to catch on," Amalthia chuckled.

"Scratch two, bigots. You eyeing that pricey steak, dear?" Kaleb asked as he walked over to the vacated table to pick through the unfinished feast.

"Put so much a morsel in your mouth and I'll rip your tongue out," his wife said with a mocking smile.

"Fine. You have the undercooked chewy steak. I'll take the delectable seafood platter."

Kaleb began piling his plate full with the abandoned food then portioned out some to his wife. Within a few minutes, the couple had managed to enjoy two expensive meals for the price of one. As they were about to leave the dining hall, they suddenly heard a loud commotion off in the distance. Moments later, a woman came running through the door screaming to the top of her lungs.

"Pirates!"

Kaleb and Amalthia immediately looked at each other as they said in unison.

"Luggage!"

(All chapters have been posted to AO3. Chapter 33 is posted here.)

[guylty]

It’s time to come to a proper run-through of last month’s Red Dragon Con 5 in London. Kate already wrote at length about the decision process and the run-up to the con on her blog last week. I’m afraid, I didn’t have that many qualms. When the news came through that Richard was going to attend the con, I was on those tickets as fast as you can say “Dolarhyde”. Not because of Hannibal, the fannibals or any previous con experience. In fact I had never been to a con before – and if truth be told, I never really wanted to go to a con before. But after checking the con ticket prices and making sure that flights to London in February are generally slow sellers, I reckoned that it was worth investing in it – even if only to witness the potentially one and only ever con attendance of Mr Armitage. Who knew whether this kind of event would ever happen again – with RA, that is? He had been rather shy about attending cons in the past, so this could easily be a once-off. Enough reason for me to see for myself, especially as I had experienced the fannibals as a very welcoming, nice fandom back in 2015 when Hannibal was on air. However, I was rather relieved that not only one but two of my fandom friends agreed to join me in London – Kate and Hariclea.

RA is definitely my Waterloo…

What more or less passed me by was Kate’s long battle in January with a very persistent cold that almost had her cancel her participation. We did, however, lose Hariclea as a co-con companion, as sadly, Hariclea’s mum passed away a couple of days before the event and she understandably had to cancel her attendance to go home. Nevertheless, on Friday morning, I took the early morning flight to LCR to get a few hours of exhibition hopping in before I was going to meet Kate. I made my way out to Heathrow to meet Kate in the hotel she had kindly booked. Sharing a hotel room with a stranger I had only known online and barely seen a photograph of? Of course – I have only ever met nice people through my fangirling activities. Plus, she was taking the same risk *grins*. I took the Piccadilly Line out towards Heathrow, got off at Hatton Cross, hopped on a bus, got off at the edge of the Heathrow runway, walked through a rather cold, grey, wet London day and kind of chuckled when I saw the hotel was right next to a bowling alley. Well, just in case that whole con malarkey didn’t work out we at least had some alternative entertainment…

Fuck it, Dude. Let’s go bowling!

I can tell you, there was a certain amount of excitement as I made my way to room 156 where my conspirator was already waiting for me, having checked in an hour earlier. If I hadn’t stopped smoking last November, I would’ve had a couple of rollies to calm down the nerves. (cf. a previous meeting also involving a hotel way back in 2014. I see a theme developing here…) As it was, I didn’t need any rollies. Kate opened the door, I said hi, we hugged – and we launched into a very comfortable friendship right there and then. Let me tell you, the woman is tolerant, witty and easy-going, ignoring my moody nonsense and providing the funniest comparisons from here to the Antipodes and back. We seemed to be pretty much on the same wave-length with everything over the weekend – from party attendance to fannibal defending to beddie times. Kate had me in stitches with her quips, and that alone made for three of the happiest, most carefree days of my life.

N/C

Registration

So, with the basics basically out of the way, we were looking forward to the weekend, con novices that we were. The con was billed to start at 4pm on Friday with registration. Since we had opted to stay in a hotel about 15 minutes away from the con venue, we decided to head over to the Renaissance hotel for a bit of re-con – and a bite to eat – in advance of the 4pm registration. Much to our surprise, a queue had already formed when we entered the lobby of the Renaissance hotel at about 3pm. We joined the queue – an exercise that would prove to be event-defining for the rest of the weekend… At the end of the queue we registered and received our dog tags badges for the event.

Totally reconciled with the fact that Gold tickets were sold out: Regular tickets were adorned with the Armitage. ‘A beautiful rear can also endear’ etc.

Thanks to some prior research we had also a) brought lanyards (so didn’t have to buy any) and b) signed up for stewarding at the con. Except that while Kate’s application as a volunteer had been accepted, I had never heard back from them. Kate encouraged me to try and get into stewarding nonetheless – which I did and was also “ennobled” as a con steward. This proved very useful later on. In various respects.

But first of all Kate and I finally got something to eat in the bar – and had our first *real* encounter with a fannibal, a lovely woman from Germany called Johanna, who really and totally set the tone and the bar for all subsequent interactions with the Hannibal fandom. There is next to no chance that she is ever going to see this, but if you know her, please let her know: Johanna, if you are reading this – thank you for being so kind, so funny, so encouraging. You really make a fantastic figurehead for your fandom. I enjoyed meeting you, and I regret not having bumped into you again! – You would think that you can’t lose your companions in a hotel – but you can. A lot of the communication and arranging of meetings was conducted via text message and/or Twitter DM that weekend. And that includes my roomie Kate and I. Yep, there were various instances where we had to call each other on the phone to locate each other in the hotel. Mad! Luckily fellow fan armidreamer and I had also exchanged phone numbers, and so I was able to hook up with her on Friday, too, and we ended up meeting all through the weekend. The more the merrier, right?

Anyway, the queuing continued, this time for the various extras one could splash out on. Photo ops and autographs are the big draw at cons, and I suspect it is where a lot of extra money is actually being made. Coming to RDC5, I had no intention of getting anything beyond the one autograph that was included in my ticket already. When Kate said that she was going to get a photo done, I was still undecided. However, you can’t just rock up at the photo (or autograph) sessions at these cons. Rather, you buy a voucher that entitles you to a photo shoot or an autograph. And so I decided to play it safe and bought a photo voucher – just in case. More about the whole photo saga later. And believe me, it’s a saga. If I knew it would be, I wouldn’t have bothered. I am still embarrassed. Like many other people I also had huge reservations about paying hefty prices for an autograph. Especially as autographs actually do not mean that much to me *personally*. I own a few already (personalised and unpersonalised, on photos, programmes and tickets – heck, I even have a silver “RA” on my beloved Pop!Thorin – see picture right), and I never had to pay for any of them. But then I thought I’d better use the opportunity and get a couple of autographs signed for future auctions – my donation, so to speak. And I also wanted to get a souvenir for Hariclea as a tiny little consolation for missing the con… So, whoa, 85 GBP went out the window there… (1 photo + 2 autographs). Seriously, I do hope that Richard also got a cut of that! Yep, I am still reeling myself. Don’t tell Mr Guylty, or this marriage is over! However, I’d ask you all to not be judgmental about this. Not that I mind if you were judgmental to *me* about this – I used to be the same for a long time. So, serves me right. But the other fans do not deserve any derision. There is much some to be said for and about these paid photo ops and autographs, the people who provide them and the people who buy them. And I will get to that in due course. Suffice to say that, with all that queuing done, it was already time to gather in the main hall for the big event of the day – the Opening Ceremony. Were we going to get our first glimpse of Richard? 

Opening Ceremony

Remember I said it would prove useful to sign up as a volunteer at the con? Well, we realised that when we walked into the main hall for the opening ceremony. Not sure how many rows there were in total, but the first ten rows or so of the auditorium were completely occupied already, as were the last ten. No coincidence: The first few rows were reserved for Gold ticket holders! (If you were admiring those fabulous photos of Richard taken at the con – those came from Gold ticket holders who were really quite close up to him and the other guests.) Regular ticket holders had to sit at the back. There was only a small number of rows in between that still had empty seats – and they turned out to be reserved for the stewards!! So we quickly brandished our steward badges and bagged some seats half way back the auditorium. Definitely worth while volunteering – not least because it looked as if there were not enough seats for the regular ticket holders for whom extra chairs were added at the back of the hall. Anyway, this was our view:

The red and black dot on the stage is Jeremy Davies (played a character called Peter Bernadone in Hannibal). He was the first guest to be called onto the stage, and you get an idea how many people were there and how far back we were sitting – despite our privileged steward seats… After Davies, two more guests were announced, namely Aaron Abrams and Scott Thompson. They were the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern of Hannibal (playing a bit of a comedic duo, crime scene investigators Brian Zeller and Jimmy Price) and absolute fan favourites. (You may also remember Scott Thompson from the Hannibal aftershows “Post Mortem”.) I very much warmed to them, too. (More about that in a later post.)

And finally, finally… Look at the picture above again. See the screen on the right? And further right to that, the double doors? That’s where the guests were ushered in, and wow, like at every other event I have ever seen RA live at, it gave me a total jolt to the stomach when I spotted RA there, beside the stage, waiting to be called… He couldn’t help but mess around before he was introduced and made funny shadow shapes behind the screen… Don’t you just have to love him…? I really dislike the word dork, but he really is a messer! You’ve already seen some of my pictures of the event, so I’ll put a slide show in here with the whole, unedited shebang – sorry, really not great, but just for the record.

The Complete and Unedited Pictures of RA at the Opening Ceremony

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This whole solo appearance lasted for the tiny eternity of 2 minutes, btw! As the second billed guest RA received a lot of cheering and clapping – he was the eponymous Red Dragon, after all – but not as much as Mads Mikkelsen, understandably. He looked absolutely gorgeous on stage though, not least because he was casually dressed all in black with tighty black jeans, a comfy hoodie and a leather jacket. All of the guests had directed a few words at the audience, but RA really made a nice little welcome speech that seemed a bit longer. “Some of you travelled far and braved the weather, congratulations. I didn’t have to because this is my home.” etc. He also could not resist a comment about the flower crowns referring to them as “flower heads” (although one of the previous guests – Aaron? – had used the term before), no comment 😁. His toned down facial shrubbery that was more like a slightly neglected lawn of wild flowers than a full-blown hayfield, looked rather good from far away. And from closer up, even more so, I suppose…

(See the edited pics of the opening ceremony in bigger version in part 2 of my RDC5 series.)

I have to say that I thought RA looked and sounded like a complete pro in those two minutes he had on stage. His ex tempore speech was just perfect for the occasion – welcoming people, referring to the actual day (by way of weather – so English *haha*), throwing in a little personal admission (“I’m at home”) and spreading a bit of fun with his gentle teasing re. flower heads. So yeah, I thought he came across as a confident and self-assured, a bit curious and wide-eyed about the whole event he was finding himself at, but willing to go on the journey. Again, I felt as if he really set the tone there, opening up and signalling that he was here to experience this and that he was willing to have fun. Thumbs up. Finding out that his appearance on stage only lasted 2 minutes, really surprised me. At the time, it felt much longer. But yeah, maybe time stands still whenever the master himself turns up in RL *hehe*…

Anyway, RA was then followed by the star of the con, Mads Mikkelsen. Again, he also made a lovely little intro speech, and I have to say I was very much impressed by the resounding and warm applause that he was welcomed with. You could tell that the fannibals were absolutely ecstatic to have Mads at the con. They didn’t hold back, and those kind of open admissions of love and admiration were something I really, really loved seeing all through the weekend. – After Mads had been introduced, all guests returned to the stage again. As part of the whole group, Richard looked slightly shy and awkward on stage, I thought. Not quite in his element. He was definitely the tallest of all guests, yet even as it was happening and I hadn’t even yet seen any photos of the event, it occurred to me that he looked as if he wanted to blend into the background. Up to his usual modesty, I guess, he was kind of standing one step behind all the others, kind of slouching a bit, with his hands in his pockets and his head all the way down to his shoulders. I haven’t really got any pictures of my own showing all of the guests standing there on stage, but yeah, my heart broke a little bit there – whether it was for a gorgeous guy making himself small and invisible, or for a gorgeous guy being modest and humble, it definitely added to his attraction. However, it also added to the danger of succumbing to APM…

Anyway, believe it or not, it was all a good start to the whole experience. Nice fannibals, nice fellow fans, nice roomie, nice guests, nice RA. The opening ceremony was just half an hour long or so, then the guests were all whisked away and the room emptied. We were basically done for the day. For the Gold ticket holders, it was only just getting interested though: They actually had a meet & greet with the guests – which Richard apparently was a great hit at, according to the tweets that I saw. Ourselves, Kate and I kind of hung around, thinking we might have a look at the promised party. But then we both kind of folded at about 9pm and decided to go back to our hotel instead. It had been a long, exhausting day – with both of us travelling from a different country, finding our way to our hotel, meeting each other, negotiating our way around the event – and dealing with the accelerated heart rate of being in the vicinity of the OOA… No wonder we thought we needed to lie down.

In the end, we actually ended up chatting until after midnight. The amount of processing to be done when seeing RA in the flesh *haha*… And that was only after half a day of con life… We had no idea what was going to hit us the next day…

An Armitage Fan at #RDC5 – FRIDAY [part 7 of the whole saga otherwise] It's time to come to a proper run-through of last month's Red Dragon Con 5 in London.

[didiwritethis]

Cupid Flies Commercial (1/7)

Emma Swan is having the worst trip of her life, only to have a sexy Irishman come along and make it worse. He's rude, he's arrogant, and Emma can't stop fighting with him. When their antagonism somehow lands them in bed for a very steamy layover, Emma just thinks it's a one-time thing. And that's all it was--until he shows up on her doorstep.

Inspired by Samantha Young's Fight or Flight.

Read on AO3 

Emma Swan was already having a terrible day before her flight was cancelled. She’d woken up late, nursing a bad hangover, and in her rush to make her (now cancelled) flight, she had to forgo a cup of coffee. She’d barely made it in time, sprinting to her gate, only to arrive just as they started to announce that the flight was cancelled, due to ‘weather conditions’ out East.

She let out a big sigh, unwilling to wait until the end of the announcement. Since the passengers would be rebooked, she figured she’d get ahead of the rest. She slung her backpack over her shoulder, and started striding over to the attendant at the gate, who was beaming her direction. The attendant, a small brunette, was overly smiley for someone who’d have to deal with over a hundred disgruntled passengers, but Emma shrugged it off.

Just as she neared the desk, she was rudely shoved by a hefty laptop bag and its owner. He was a tall, raven-haired man who took her place, and probably didn’t even realize that he had hit her.

“I need to be rebooked through to Boston, please. Upgrade me too.” He said in a gruff Irish (or so Emma thought) accent.

The brunette blushed, and fluttered her eyelashes at him. “Of course, sir. Let me just check…We’ll have to reroute you through Chicago, and it’s an overnighter, I’m sorry…but you’re in luck, Mr Jones. I can upgrade you to the last remaining seat in first class.”

Emma was furious. Not only did this guy shove her out of the way and not apologize, he took the last first class seat (that she was hoping to convince the attendant to upgrade her to for free).

“It’s fine.” He said, waving it off. “I’ll take it. Just so long I’m getting out of Tallahassee today.”

“What?” Emma said, shoving her way up to the counter.

The rude Irishman (the name Emma had been calling him in her head) turned to face her, and Emma had to suck in a breath.

The man was gorgeous. Model gorgeous. A thick growth of dark hair that fell artfully across his forehead, he had the bluest eyes she’d ever seen- even bluer than Elsa’s, if that was possible. He had sharp cheekbones, and a hint of a handlebar moustache around his (unexpectedly) full lips. She couldn’t decide if it was more than just scruff, but it looked good. Even his outfit – tailored navy suit – screamed model. No wonder the attendant was so eager to please! Still, it would take a lot more than a pretty face to rattle Emma Swan.

“What?” he said, staring at her as if she were a crazy person.

“You,” she said, jabbing a finger at him, “shoved me out of the way and took the seat I wanted. It should have been mine.”

He blinked once and waved his hand dismissively at her. “You’re mistaken, lass. I didn’t see you. I got this seat fair and square.” He then turned back around to take his new boarding pass and his passport from the attendant. “Excuse the shrieking lady.” He told her.

Emma’s fury turned into blind rage and it took all the strength that she had not to deck the man across his stupid, attractive face.

“Excuse me?!”

He turned around and looked at her again, this time with a sneer of condescension.

“Sorry, Princess. Guess you won’t get your way this time.”

And with that, he strode off.

Emma wanted to scream. She wanted to storm off and shove the man into the nearest potted plant. Alas, her rational brain told her to get her ticket and then run off to maim and murder the man. He as bad as some of the perps she dealt with!

She’d get the last word.

“Whatever, dick!” she yelled at his rapidly retreating back. She hoped he had heard.

She then took a deep breath, and turned to the desk.

“I need to be rebooked to Boston, please.” She forced a smile at the attendant, who stared at eye with wide eyes.

“Right. Um, sorry about that. I did see you approach, but he happened to get in front.”

Happened? The attendant was acting like he had power-walked ahead of her instead of practically throwing her out of the way.

“So we’re rerouting a lot of the passengers through Chicago. And the connection leaves the next day, sorry. I’ll put you on our waiting list for first class, though. In case something opens up.”

She paused.

“We’re really sorry.” And she sounded like she meant it.

Emma smiled genuinely at the attendant, who smiled sheepishly back.

“Thank you,”-she peered at the name badge-“Aurora.”

She took her ticket and vouchers, stuffing them all haphazardly into her bag.

At least the day couldn’t get any worse.

Her flight was rerouted through O’Hare, with an overnight stay at the airport hotel. She didn’t want to spend any more time away from Boston, and it was at least a 3 hour flight, but at least it would be a nice break. And the airline was paying for it, so even better.

The one other small silver lining was that now she had a little time to go grab a coffee. Spying a coffee cart with a short line, she hurried over. The flight to O’Hare was boarding in 15 minutes, and there were only 5 people in line. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spied someone heading towards the same line.

That someone was the Rude Irishman. Suddenly Emma’s anger was back.

She sprinted to the line, just managing to make it in front of him.

“You snooze, you lose.” She shot over her shoulder.

“Real mature.” He shot back.

“Doesn’t matter. Here’s one line you can’t shove your way through.”

“You really are crazy.”

“You really are a dick!”

“You’re weirdly obsessed with my dick.”

She spun around in indication.

“Those are insults. Surely you must get a ton of those a day.”

“Perhaps, but none that are that specific.”

Without meaning to, Emma’s eyes drifted to the very subject matter they were discussing, but she caught herself quickly. She couldn’t stop the blush though.

“It hurts to be objectified like this.”

She glared at his smug face.

“Whatever. Dick.” She smirked at him. “I’m still ahead of you.”

He didn’t respond, just strode out of the line, heading towards the front.

Emma’s jaw dropped. Was he just going to cut in front? Oh hell no! She took off after him.

He reached the front of the line when Emma caught up to him. Why’d he have such a long stride?

“Excuse me, madam, my flight is departing soon. Would you mind if I cut in?” He said to the older lady in front of him, turning on the charm.

She smiled at him, clearly affected by his dumb cute smile. “Of course, dear.”

She stepped aside and let him get in front.

“I love your accent. Where’s it from?”

“Ireland.” He responded with a smile.

You can’t just cut the line like that! There are other people waiting! Emma wanted to yell. Instead, she turned to the woman with a charming (or so she hoped) smile of her own.

“I’m on the same flight as this man, would you mind letting me jump ahead as well?”

The Irishman snorted, and she glared at his back.

The older lady, frowned, and tapped his arm, and he turned around to face her.

“Do you know this woman?” she asked.

He glanced over at Emma, a blank expression on his face.

“I’ve never seen this woman before in my life.”

Emma’s mouth fell open.

The older lady’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think so, missy. Back to the line with you.”

Emma glared at the Irishman, wanting to scream at him, but he smirked at her.

“Better hurry, lass. There’s quite a queue forming.”

She whirled around to confirm, and somehow, ten other people had joined the line! There was no way she was getting her coffee now.

“Thanks, dick!” She yelled, as she stormed away, but not before noticing his shoulders shake from a silent laugh.

She headed to her gate, and proceeded to the counter to see if maybe, just maybe, she could snag a first class seat. She really needed a win.

She smiled at the attendant as she approached, a kindly looking man with red curls and wire-rimmed glasses.

“Hi, I’m on the waiting list for first class…and I was wondering…” she trailed off and smiled hopefully.

The man smiled back.

“Of course miss, let me check.” He gestured for her boarding pass, which she gratefully handed over.

She heard him tap away at his computer for a few minutes, his expression unreadable.

Then his head shot up and he grinned widely at her.

“You’re very lucky, miss Swan. We’ve had someone cancel, so I’m able to book you all the way through to Boston on first class.”

She could have kissed the man.

“Thank you, thank you! You don’t know how much this means!”

He laughed softly and shook his head.

“Just doing my job, miss. Have a great flight.”

“You have got to be kidding.”

She had lingered a bit before boarding, sequestering herself in a corner so that she could fire off texts to David and Elsa to update them of the situation. When she finally did board, she was faced with a nasty surprise.

Her seatmate was none other than the Irishman. What had she done to deserve this?

To his credit, he didn’t look happy to see her either.

“Are you following me?” he asked, with a quirked eyebrow.

Emma snorted in disgust.

“Hell no. I’d rather throw myself off a mountain.”

“Bit harsh, love.”

Emma scowled at him.

“I’m not your love, and my seat is the window, so move, buddy.”

He stood up and moved to let her in, wordlessly gesturing to her seat.

She made her way in, plopping down in her seat.

“Give me your bag.”

“What?” she asked in confusion.

He sighed.

“Your bag. I’ll put it in the bin for you.”

Emma deflated a bit.

“Oh. Err, thanks.”

She held her bag out to him, and he reached up to put it in the overhead bin. Somewhere along the way from stealing her coffee and boarding the plane, he’d ditched his jacket, rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, and also managed to untuck his shirt. A shirt that happened to rise up when he stretched, giving Emma a quick glance that confirmed what she already suspected – he had a nice body. Emma shook that thought out of her head.

He settled back down next to her.

Emma decided that she would just ignore him for the duration of the flight, but couldn’t help but get distracted by his arms. Was that a tattoo peeking out from one of his sleeves? Her eyes drifted up. Had his first two buttons always been undone? There was some chest hair that curled out at her. He was also wearing, she realised, a necklace with a skull and crossbones pendant. Who was this guy? A pirate?

He confused her – his outfit screamed business, but his necklace and tattoos screamed biker bad boy, and Emma never had a good encounter with either.

“See something you like?”

Emma’s eyes snapped up to meet his. Sure, there was a divider between them with a cup holder, but it was a lot smaller than she had assumed. There was no escaping each other’s gazes. Slightly embarrassed she was caught staring, she countered back.

“You wish.”

And then he surprised her by laughing.

“God, you’re a tough lass.”

Before Emma could respond, the flight attendant came by.

“May I offer you something to drink, Mr. Jones? Some champagne, perhaps?”

He tilted his body towards her.

“Two fingers of rum, if you’ve got it. Thanks.”

She nodded and looked over to Emma.

“And for you, Ms. Swan?”

“Coffee, please. But maybe the champagne too.”

Emma wasn’t going to turn down free champagne on her first (and probably only) first class experience.

They were each handed their drinks in turn, with the flight attendant promising to be back with Emma’s coffee.

Emma downed hers in one shot, and the Irishman shot her a bemused look.

“What?” she said defensively. “It’s been a long day.”

“Aye, that it has, love.”

“Not your love.”

His grin faded.

“Are you always ready for a fight, or are you just particularly determined to vex me?”

Emma bristled.

“I’m just not chummy with rude strangers who think it’s okay to shove people around.”

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Christ, we’ve been through this. I didn’t see you. And you have admit, you were acting a bit mental.”

“You were unbelievably rude! And you basically called me a princess who always gets her way!” she shot back.

“Oh, and your actions weren’t the actions of a woman who always gets her way? I thought you were going to throw a tantrum right there.”

“That’s rich coming from a prissy pretty boy who thinks he can flirt his way into everything.”

He snorted.

“Like you don’t bat your eyelashes and make men fawn all over you? I’m surprised you didn’t call up a sugar daddy and ask him to buy you a private plane!”

Emma was now more than enraged. No one had ever accused her of being spoiled and privileged. No one would after they found out what she’d been through. She leaned forward and across the divider to jab his arm with a finger.

“Listen buddy, I don’t have a sugar daddy, nor do I need one. I don’t need a man, full stop.”

She paused, thinking of something to throw back at him, to hurt him, but she couldn’t think of one. She was so angry and flustered by his words, she wasn’t sure what to say next. Plus, she thought, it would be an even longer fight if she kept bickering with this man.

“You don’t know me, okay? You don’t know my life.”

He raised an eyebrow at her.

“Look, it’s been a very stressful trip and I….I don’t have to explain myself to you.” She finished, realizing that she was about to bring up the specifics of her trip, which wasn’t something she’d want to share with a stranger.

The Irishman said nothing, but continued to stare at her.

“You certainly don’t, lov-Swan.” He said finally.

And suddenly he was (kinda) nice again. What was his problem? He surprised her when he took her bag for her, and she was almost sure he was flirting with her when he caught her staring at him earlier, but his rapid switches in mood were giving her emotional whiplash. Still, better to keep things positive.

“Thanks, Jones.” She returned.

“Killian will do.”

“Oh. Okay.”

“And this is the part where you tell me your name.”

“Swan is fine.”

He just rolled his eyes and shook his head at that.

The flight attendant was back, handing Emma her coffee and taking her empty glass.

“We’ll be taking off soon.” She told them both.

Emma nodded, and warmed her hands with her hot cup. She lifted it to her nose and inhaled the rich smell. She took a sip and let out a happy sigh. As soon as they were in the air, she’d pop an Advil and pass out.

She’d be on her way home soon, if Killian Jones didn't give her an aneurysm first.

[justasmallbloginabigklainefandom]

Rec This Thing: Troye Sivan Bloom Tour AFAS Live

Troye Sivan Bloom Tour AFAS Live

My story: I had Panic! and Hayley booked, and I said to myself: “oh man, if only Troye would come to the Netherlands”. AND HE DID.

Story: It’s a concert.

Rating (1 to 10): 9

Why?: Man, I had a fucking blast.

Together with Sammy and Alex, I travelled to Amsterdam once again. The queue was fucking long, but we didn’t want to queue anyway. Instead we had Japanese food and entered the venue around... idk... 19:00?

We all bought t-shirts. I bought a lila one with Troye’s face on it. 

We also ran into Maikel. We knew he was going to be there, but he was going with his uni friends. Still, it was nice to catch up.

I also took my brand new ace flag with me and Sammy had her bi flag. Alex was a bit sad, because she didn’t have a flag, BUT FEAR NOT, SINCE I ALSO HAD MY RAINBOW FLAG WITH ME. After using those flags to make a make-shift changing room (long story), we had a lil photoshoot with the flags.

The crowd was, just like Hayley’s crowd, GAY. Just one big bowl of GAAAAY. Just like at Hayley’s concert, there were rainbow and glitter everywhere. Alex regretted not coming to Hayley’s concert, since being in such a crowd just feels fucking amazing.

One thing I also liked is that people from all ages came here. On my way home, I heard some middle-aged men (end 30s, begin 40s, I guess) talk about the show and in the venue, we saw three older men, who must’ve been around 60-70 with their grey hair and ear protection. Alex called them silver foxes. It just makes me happy to see how the older generation gets to experience this.

We got inside and we had the highest balcony seats. Leland started his set. He was the opening act. During the set, Alex decided she wanted to go to the floor, where people could stand. She did and she joined Maikel.

Sammy and I joined them during the break between Leland and Troye. We didn’t have the best view, but I could still see him from the side. See my video of HEAVEN to find out where I stood. I saw Troye, but unfortunately, only when he was front stage. I couldn’t see the set or the band.

Now, Troye was sick. He had a sore troat and probably a huge cold. He apologised for sounding croaky (he didn’t!) and he asked all of us to sing along to fill up the void I guess. (jk). Because of that, he played a short show, so not the full set. He cut 5 songs. Some kind soul put most of the show on YouTube here (well, apart from FOOLS, WILD and Dance To This).

After Leland, the curtain rose and Troye opened with

Seventeen - During the song, the curtain rose fully, revealing his entire stage. It was wonderful seeing him and I think Maikel burst into tears. Again.

Bloom - The crowd roared. Troye was just jumping around and dancing. Man, I love watching this guy dance.

Plum - This song is one of my favourites of the album, so I was really glad to hear him sing it. It sounds even better live. Cold who? I don’t know her!

HEAVEN - I don’t want to film, but there’s one song that I wanted on video, namely HEAVEN. Troye started by telling people that this was about his coming out and the uncertainty that he felt after he realised that he was gay. Now, this song came on a moment where someone close to me had said some quite homophobic things due to their religion, so this song felt really fitting. At one point, the audience started screaming and I saw that there were rainbow lights. Since I was on the side, I couldn’t see them in full glory, but boy, it was great.

FOOLS - Apart from WILD, YOUTH, HEAVEN and for him., I am admittedly not that well-known with Blue Neighbourhood, so it took me a moment to recongise the song.

Lucky Strike - Ah yes, Lucky Strike is one of my favourite songs from Bloom.

WILD/i’m so tired... - Troye stared by saying that this song was going to fucking kill the audience. So far, we’d been somewhat idle, but not anymore. WILD started playing, and to make it better, it slowly transitioned into i’m so tired..., which was fucking amazing. I love that song and I was hoping he’d play it.

Then, Troye left to change into a different outfit and he continued with

BITE - Woopsie. I don’t like this song. I mean, it was still nice to listen to and Troye killed it, but eh.

Dance To This - Troye wanted to see us dance, so he did Dance To This, with the female singer that sang Betty Who’s part in HEAVEN singing Ariana Grande’s part, and boy, people were dancing. This kid next to me fucking lost it and he sang along at the top of his lungs. Honestly, it was a bit much and it made me miss church.

YOUTH - After staging his own encore, Troye sang YOUTH, which was amazing.

My My My! - ENCORE TIME! Troye ended with My My My! which is my favourite song. He added some kinds of dance breaks and confetti was everywhere, which I saw coming, since I was standing close to the confetti canons. My fucking god. What a show. Please come back with the full set and I’ll be there!

And that’s how it ended. The train station was crowded afterwards and Alex joked that there should be a headline saying “GAYS TAKE OVER AMSTERDAM BIJLMER”. On my way home, I saw those four men and also the person who caught the setlist, which is amazing. It was a wonderful night.

Recommend?: YEAH

[iriscasefiles]

Vignette #3.0: First Impressions, part one

(This piece was originally written for patrons who pledged $5 per episode or more at the Starship Iris Patreon. If you have a few bucks to spare, consider becoming a patron to get exclusive early access to additional vignettes, among other perks. And if your funds are a little low right now, no worries; we’ve all been there.) 

Summary: Broke, tired, and working as an interpreter in the Neutral Zone, Brian Jeeter meets an intriguing new acquaintance.

Ryedell Station was not Brian’s favorite place in Neuzo, but it was definitely the best for finding short-term interpreter work if you were, say, two hours from falling asleep and 20 unis short on your hostel fee for the night.

He knew buying a coffee had been a mistake. He’d been tired, but more than that, he’d wanted a moment to hold and smell and taste something deeply familiar. All the staff at Mars Base 1 had thrived on the stuff, nursed mugs of it well into the afternoon, hovered around brewing pots like hummingbirds, making jokes about someone called Tim Horton which Brian had never really gotten, but still felt on the inside of, somehow.

He didn’t even like coffee.

Brian rubbed his eyes, took a deep breath, shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His flip-flops were starting to fall apart. Gluing them back together would be cheaper than buying new ones, but once the soles split, you were only holding off the inevitable.

When he was a kid, if you’d told him he’d grow up to work as a translator for interstellar tourists and space aliens, he would’ve been one hundred percent psyched. (Except for the year he was four and his main career goal had been, like, “become a dragon, somehow,” but he’d made his peace with that.) Brian tried to keep this in mind when he could.

Perspective, Jeeter.

Squinting, he scanned the docks for a good vantage point. Ryedell didn’t have anything approaching full-on day/night cycles--ships landed when they landed, and everybody else worked around the clock to cater to them--but the haze in the air made him think of old paintings of an Earth sunrise.

Probably some form of unlicensed pollution. He really needed to start saving up for another lung treatment. The next time he managed to hold onto 200 unis at a time.

Hey, it could happen.

Jobs paid better on Kyretex, but could you really put a price on dodging Slim Timmy Williams and his dudes? Brian was officially done letting himself get dragged into mafia wars, and if that meant laying low on his least-favorite station--well, it definitely beat the alternative.

The familiar knot of vendors, merchants, would-be guides, and pickpockets was starting to coalesce around a silver, lozenge-shaped ship. Brian picked his way to the front of the crowd--you could get pretty far without throwing elbows if you knew how to find and navigate the gaps between people--and watched the hatch click open.

<Welcome to Ryedell, friends!> Brian shouted in his finest modern Exo-Dwarnian. <Get the best tour on the station, at the best price! Forty unis only! Queue up! Full guide services! Translation! Bartering! All that, plus some basic understanding about your culture! And that means no awkward questions! And no, that’s right, absolutely no, pressure to try eating potatoes!>

From the corner of his eye, Brian caught a flash of bright color. A tired-looking Dwarnian stood on the steps of the next ship over, head cocked in his direction. Their features were so striking that Brian actually noticed the stranger’s cheekbones before his eyes took in the full garishness of their outfit: bright green goggles worn like a headband, a shiny blue waistcoat patterned with some kind of writing, no shirt, and orange floral-printed trousers tucked into a pair of well-fitted purple boots.

<Forty unis! Thirty-five if you can quote me any epic poetry!> Brian continued. <Queue up, queue up! Guaranteed I will NEVER call you sir, ma’am, or lady!>

At that, the Dwarnian with the goggles suddenly bounded towards him, with such a delighted and unabashed smile that as the two of them stepped away from the ship, far enough from the throng to hear themselves over the din, Brian slipped up and did a thing he had not done in a long while.

<Hail, goode pilgrim,> said Brian, basically. <From whither rydest thou on this faire morwen and wherfore-->

Yeah, he was speaking in Middle Dwarnian. 

Oops.

Brian broke off, but before his face could settle into a wince, Goggles grinned even wider.

<Hail and well-met!> Goggles replied, and swept into the Dwarnian equivalent of a flowery, courtly bow, nearly hitting a stray pretzel vendor in the face. <What’s up?> they added. <Aw man, can humans time-travel? Our government propaganda did not prepare me for this.>

Brian threw back his head and laughed. When he looked back, Goggles was laughing, too.

<Funny,> said Brian.

<Ah, well,> said Goggles, with a wink. <You’ve got good taste.>

Dwarnian culture wasn’t really into the whole handshake thing, so after a moment of hesitation, Brian mirrored the bow, with a little less flourish, and said,

<Hey there. My name is Brian Jeeter. Need a translator, by any chance?>

<I just might,> said Goggles. <Nice to meet you, Translator Jeeter. My name is Krejjh.>

[scope-dogg]

Goodbye 2017

So it just turned 2018 here in Bahrain. Anyone sane would be out partying and getting drunk, but here I am sat in my pajamas watching Gundam Seed Destiny instead. Good times.

Oddly, Gundam Seed Destiny just gave me a quote that on a personal level is really fitting for this year. “To be alive is a valuable thing, because it means there is still a tomorrow.” This is honestly a pretty dumb and mawkish line of dialogue, fitting for Gundam Seed, but it struck home with me. The rest of this post is going to be pretty heavy and very personal, so I’m going to stick it under a read more.

The first 5/6ths of 2017 were absolutely awful for me. I had a run of absolutely hideous luck that began in late 2016 and ran pretty much a whole year after that, leading up to a hammer blow of misfortune in early November, which combined with (and contributed to) just this general feeling of low self esteem and all-around misery that brought me to my lowest ebb. I’ve been depressed to the point of considering suicide before, but 2017 was the closest I came to actually going through with it. I had a plan for it and everything - the queue of reblogs that I run on here with artwork of various robots at one point was bookended by a carefully drafted suicide note - it was my plan to have already checked out by the point it was actually posted to my blog, so nobody would be able to talk me out of it. I went all the way to the high bridge I was planning to throw myself off before I finally lost my nerve and chickened out.

Now, while most of my close family is quite heavily religious, I’m not, the world’s proven to be too harsh and unfair for me to believe in an all-loving God. On some level though I do believe that there’s some kind of higher power that doles out luck to people - it seems that either everything goes your way or nothing does without that much in between. I do feel that recently that my luck has turned - as it turns out, an opportunity opened up at a law firm here in Bahrain for me to have a full time, fully paid position for at least the next full year, so I’ll have a living wage and the vital experience that I need to hopefully kickstart a proper career. The best part of all for me is that it’s given me an opportunity for me to remove myself from all of the things that made me miserable back in the UK - I’m due to return there just over a week from now in order to collect some things, but I’ll promptly be returning here. Nothing would make me happier if that was the last I ever saw of the UK.

That brings me back to the stupid Seed quote up above - if I really had thrown myself off of that bridge then I wouldn’t have got the chance to see my life get better. Of course, 2018 could be another train wreck, but I’m glad that I’m still here to be able to find out. I know I’m not the only one who’s struggled with some aspect of their personal lives this year, and frankly I know there are plenty who’ve had plenty more grounds to complain than me, and it’s my honest hope that everybody who’s struggled, been held down and spit on by whatever piece of shit force there is that hands out misfortune to people that don’t deserve it receive that one big windfall of good news that heralds a happier 2018.

All that said, there were some other silver linings this year. 2017 was the year I got to go Las Vegas to watch a big boxing match, and it was also the year I managed to hit 1000 followers here on Tumblr. I’ve been meaning to make a big follow-forever post to commemorate the milestone, but I keep putting it off - I promise I’ll get to it at some point. For now, let me just thank all my followers and especially my mutuals for helping me get through the hard times this year - this place has a bad reputation, not entirely for bad reasons, but if nothing else it helped keep my mind off things when I was at rock bottom. I’ve made some great friends through hellsite.

Anyway, this post was pretty stupid and rambling, I’m not drunk as I’m writing this but it kinda reads that way honestly. I might delete it later. I still feel like I had to get it out there though. You get the point.

Have a happy new year, everyone.

[dykedteach]

tagged by the wonderful @lena221b for these questions (daaays ago), thanks lovely!

The rules are:

✰ post the rules

✰ answer the questions given to you by the tagger

✰ write eleven questions of your own

✰ tag eleven people

1. You are filming a polyamorous romcom. Who do you cast?

Tessa Thompson, because she’s great and I want to see her in everything. John Boyega, because oh my god can you imagine him in a romcom? Hollywood is missing out on a trick here. And Luke Arnold, because he’s been all over my dashboard today and I miss him.

2. Do you like museums? What kind of museums?

I do, I love them! Art museums are brilliant, but I think my favourites are those super interactive science museums. The one in London is amazing.

3. What was the weirdest thing you’ve ever cooked?

Hmm, I once made cookie cups and then filled them with sickly sweet icing, that wasn’t great. I don’t think I cook many weird things?

4. You know I’m a language enthusiast, so I’m super interested in any kind of language related facts. Just say anything about you and languages, the languages you speak/are learning/want to learn, the language you speak at work/uni vs. at home, a favourite word in a foreign language, anything really.

I’m not really fluent in any other languages besides English, but I studied German in school and did really well at it, and I went to some evening classes a few years ago to help improve my skills. I’d love to be fluent in it! I’m learning it at the moment with duolingo, as well as French, and Greek!

5. Do you remember this SOFT BOYS DOING SOFT THINGS POST inspired by the BOYS video? Examples include: Diego Luna opening a bottle of sparkling rosé, Stanley Tucci making a pie crust, Andrew Garfield bathing a puppy, etc. Now it’s your turn to play :) Who is doing what?

Ohhh my god yes. I love this concept. John Boyega riding a pastel yellow bicycle with a basket full of flowers on the front. Armie Hammer in flannel pyjamas. Oscar Isaac on a porch at dawn with oils and an easel, painting the sunrise. That one screencap of Toby Stephens where he’s knitting and pulling a dumbass face. All are good.

6. What is that extremely niche thing (pairing, kink) that you’re into and wish more people shared with you?

i still feel like silver/rackham has a lot of potential as a crack pairing for the ages t b h 

7. Do you have second-hand fandoms? Like fandoms that you’re not actively involved in but your friends are and/or it’s on your dash a lot so you know what’s going on even if you don’t watch the thing.

I kinda do I guess! Overwatch is one of them, I don’t participate in it but I know shit about it and I’m smart enough, for instance, to know that I’d totally let Moira rail me. 

8. What’s a show that’s badly underrated and that everyone should watch according to you?

:) :) :)

do i even gotta say it by this point, all of my followers by this point are either Black Sails fans, or have been going “YES, we get it, we know, now fuck off.” every time I mention it. I’m also currently trying to convince my coworkers to watch Queer Eye!

9. How do you use your likes and drafts on tumblr? Like, I “park” untagged reblogs in my drafts until I have the time to read them (if they are lengthy text posts) and tag them for queuing. I use my likes very liberally, sometimes it’s a way for me to say I’ve seen your post and I support you, for example, or just as a reminder that I’ve already reblogged a post.

I use my likes as a place to keep posts I want to reblog later, or look at in more detail, or keep for reference (or like, if I just like something, like a response or a selfie). When I make my queue, I do it from my likes. Drafts, I use for my fics! Which is a terrible idea!

10. What perfume/cologne do you wear? Or alternatively, what’s your favourite?

I’m still mainly using a Givenchy one I got a few years ago in NY, but I need a scent update soon I think. My absolute favourite was a bergamot scented one I got from the louvre giftshop, and I haven’t found anything I love as much since.

11. According to you, which movie should win the Academy Award for Best Picture this year?

My personal favourites so far have been Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, and The Shape Of Water. I want them all to win big, but I’m not sure which one should get best picture!

my questions!

1. Did you have an album that you played over and over, memorising the lyrics and the track listing and rereading the lyric booklet growing up?

2. Do you like getting, or buying yourself, flowers? What’s your favourite kind?

3. Do you plan your activities before you go on holiday or on a trip? Or do you make it up as you go along? Or just not really do anything and chill through your trips?

4. What would be in (or on!) your ideal luxury hot chocolate?

5. Do you have any names planned out for children? (if you want them, of course)

6. What year did you join tumblr?

7. If you’re at a bar, what do you order as your go-to drink?

8. What kind of pencil cases did you use when you were in school? Like, were you a practical clear plastic case person, or a fluffy pink case, or (like I did) a kid gothy type cases with chains and zips on, or whatever?

9. You’re getting married tomorrow. Congrats! You get to choose one celebrity to be your maid of honour/best man (is there a gender neutral term for that kind of role? like, right hand person? you know what I mean anyway), one celebrity to perform the ceremony (they got certified online the night before, don’t worry), and one celebrity to provide entertainment or music. Who do you choose?

10. What’s your favourite memory of eating something with a family member when you were a little kid?

11. Sun or Moon?

tagging (if you feel like it, no worries if you don’t!) @ourrealitiesaredifferent @beneaththeblacksails @plushvelvetsondheims @bisexualpirateheart @buildarocketboys @hermanncrab @scarletsue @betanoiz @arts-and-maths @klexquisite @dillyboys 

[markdecastroweb]

You won't believe how much more you'll win when the lottery jackpot prize is low

Illinois resident Merle Butler holds up his $218.6 million ticket after three winners shared the 2012 Mega Millions $656 million jackpot prize.

Why are your winning chances better in the low jackpot prize games?

To explain, let's look at some huge multi-million jackpots in lottery games over the last few years...

$656 million in the US Mega Millions in 2012,

$590.5 million for the US Powerball in 2013,

£161.7 million (US$260 million) in the 2011 UK Euromillions.

You only need to look at the 'Playing This Week' section over in the right hand column here to see the ever increasing trend in high payouts for the world's biggest games.

Some of the 48 Powerball winners who shared a $107.5 million win in 2012 to get only $2.2 million each.

Here's an interesting trait: Many people won't play if the jackpot is below a certain figure. 

If a game jackpot is less than a top prize of $10 million - or up to $100 million - they may decide not to play at all, until it rolls over to that higher figure.

The good news for Silver Lotto System players is that most other people think this way. In a recent visit to my lotto store I asked when the biggest turnout of players happens. It was no surprise that the biggest queues are for the biggest prize totals.

Imagine keeping all of the Mega Millions $326 million jackpot for yourself as this couple did in January 2015. Photo: NBC New York

This fact opens up more playing potential to Silverites. It means you will be claiming more of the prize - maybe all of it - in low prize games. It makes sense, the fewer players in the game, the less chance there is of sharing the winnings with others.

Here's some examples of high share prizes that demonstrate this problem...

An Illinois Lotto draw produced 9 winners for the main prize. They had to share just $3.75 million between them - barely $416,000 each. When the 25% withholding tax is deducted, the amount became even smaller.

In May 2012 there were an astounding 48 Pennsylvania Powerball winners who shared the $107.5 million all-cash jackpot, giving them just $2.2 million each.

A fortune cookie gave the correct numbers to a 2005 Powerball game, and 110 second-prize winners got $176,000 each instead of $19.3 million. A further 89 players won $100,000 each in the same game.

The Wonton factory in New York (top left) where the winning fortune cookies were made.

The secret is to play when the jackpot is low, as this increases your chances of keeping the full prize to yourself.

Here are the pros and cons of getting into high-value games for Silver Lotto System players:

FOR

The jackpot amount is bigger and more appealing. Your life will certainly change for the better.

It's easy to get excited about the large prizes.

 AGAINST

As we've said, more people play in a large jackpot game which is not good - the chance of sharing the jackpot is much higher. A $100 million prize divided among 10 players is not as good as winning a smaller jackpot prize of $50 million all by yourself.

You might be tempted to spend more on tickets than you can afford in a high jackpot game because you're caught up in all the excitement. Always stick to your budget.

You might divert your investment from your regular, low prize game to the big game. This is not a good strategy. One of the Silver Lotto System rules is to play one game and stick to it no matter what.

The odds are worse in high-value jackpot games because they are usually long odds. They use large numbers of balls and numbers and usually have 1 or 2 bonus balls. This makes the game harder to win. You always get better odds with smaller number games.

Play the big jackpots if you want. But don't overspend.

Remember your competition from other players is higher, so the chance of sharing is increased. The number of balls and numbers are higher, further reducing your chances  - unless you use PRO. 

The best games are still the simplest... low ball numbers (5 is good), low numbers (less than 45), and no extra bonus balls. Use the Star Rating in the LottoPredict chart to get the best game in your town.

You won't believe how much more you'll win when the lottery jackpot prize is low published first on https://188lotosite.tumblr.com/

[femkinkharry]

i was tagged by two of my faves, @silverfoxlouis​ & @harrystinychristmasshorts​! thank you both! i love you! <3

1. Nicknames? my partner calls me babilee, my mom calls me sug [like the short version of sugar haha], and my dad calls me peach sometimes! most everyone else just calls me lauren or lt.

2. Gender? uhhh can we come back to this? i still don’t know lmao. she/her pronouns are what i go by, though, and that’s totally fine with me! i don’t refer to myself as gendered pronouns, though.

3. Star Sign? pisces! )-(

4. Height? 5′5 on a good day hahaha

5. Time? 14:44; i fell back to sleep cause i’m crampy and emotional

6. Birthday? march 9th! i’ll be 28- the larriest of numbers!

7. Favourite Bands? placebo, blue october, borns, old green day, literally every single emo band, muna, hurts, banks, rhye, the dresden dolls, the mars volta, the paper kites, so many more bands that i literally can’t name them all! music is my life. OH and one direction, of course!

8. Favourite Solo Artists? the boys!!!! kevin abstract!!!  josh groban!! ed sheeran, damien rice, angus & julia stone, gussy, voltaire, as;dlkfjs i’m just gonna make a playlist THIS IS HARD. i listen to so much music! there’s literally not a point in time when i’m NOT listening to music. i know all the words to the songs at work, even if i hate them, and i am permanently attached to my headphones. (:

9. Song Stuck In My Head? in the house - in a heartbeat by john murphy cause i’m watching kick ass AND bc 28 days later’s soundtrack is my fave of all time.

10. Last Movie I Watched? kick ass, currently!

11. Last Show You Watched? my partner was watching seinfeld earlier ickkkk

12. When Did You Create Your Blog? like 2011? the girl i was into got all of us into tumblr hahaha! i started out as a homestuck blog rip.

13. What Do I Post? mostly one direction and stuff from the fandom and text posts when i’m online. my queue is fair game: photography, memes, quizzes, anything and everything haha!

14. Last Thing I Googled? los angeles post office cause I SENT A PACKAGE SOMEWHERE THAT WASN’T CHI’S HOUSE WTF

15. Do You Have Any Other Blogs? not any that are active! i have a lot of hoarded 5sos urls from my time in that fandom and a roller derby blog that i abandoned.

16. Do You Get Asks? sometimes! i treasure every single one! and i’m always open to giving support/advice when i can! i’m the queer fandom granny, come talk to me! <3

17. Why Did You Choose Your URL? when i was in the 5sos fandom, i was femkinkmichael! i wrote a fair bit about michael in panties and ofc harry loves being feminine! my headcanon is that he’s genderfluid and indulges in his fem side, which definitively is NOT a “kink” but words are hard and i’m verbose, so here we are!

18. Following? 521 the last i checked. a lot are inactive hahaha. i go through periodically and unfollow, but some are just too precious to unfollow. <3

19. Followers? 302!!!!!! like!!!!!! what the fuck!!! i was going to release a fic when i reached 300 but it just happened so fast??? i’m grateful for y’all! <3

20. Favourite Colour? shining silver, royal purple, ebony black!

21. Average Hours Of Sleep? not enough i’m always tired ):

22. Lucky Number? i don’t know if i have any numbers that are lucky! but i have numbers that mean a lot to me! 309, 77, 138, and 888!

24. What Am I Wearing? comfy jammies! i’m off today and not feeling well so i’m cuddled up and cozy!

25. How Many Blankets Do I Sleep With? a shit ton! i think we have like 7 blankets on the bed right now! and i have 2 on me on the couch hahaha.

26. Dream Job? broadway performer! i have a pretty damn good voice that’s been ruined by stress and smoking lmao! i’m a soprano and my range, right now, is C3 to A5!

27. Dream Vacation? anywhere but here. <3

28. Favourite Food? gummy hot dogs hahahaha! i could eat my weight in them! between gummies and peanut butter, which are my fave safe foods, i would be a happy camper!

29. Nationality? i’m a white american mutt haha. i’ve traced family back to germany and native american women, though!

30. Favourite Song? THIS CHANGES SO. my most played song of 2017 was mornings by gussy. the song i’ve been grooving on right now is runner by kevin abstract & american money by borns. the song that made me cry in 2017 was too much to ask by niall horan. the song that inspired me the most in 2017 was smoke by natalie imbruglia. my fave song overall in life has to be hey jealousy by gin blossoms! i’d love to see answers from @heathenharry, @bibi-harry, @jlf23tumble, @protectlouandhazza, @fookoff, @softgolfdaddy, @lwtvibes, & @goldbootsandvans! <3

[raevylle]

Chapter 2: Bloodbender

Session 2 - 19/01/2020 In-game date: September 3th, 36 TE. As they made their way through Nisher they noticed that there were a lot more guards than usual. This was because the Lady of Nisher seemed to be paranoid that someone was out to take over her position. It was commonly known that if the Nisher family asked you to do something, you better do what they tell you and don’t get in their way. They are known for their use of several different lethal poisons. The Lady of Nisher is also known as ‘’The Viper’’. The Town Hall seemed to be in the more fancier district of Nisher. When entering they see a couple of mercenaries collecting their bounties at the counter. Arati moved over and opened her bag to take out the head of a displacer beast. ‘’I found this thing terrorizing the wilderness where it is not supposed to be,’’ she said while slapping the head on the counter. Vieryn looked impressed at Arati. One of the mercenaries turned around and showed some interest in her. He asked her if she killed the thing on her own, or with the group she was with. She proudly said that she killed the beast all on her own. The mercenary was intrigued and wanted to invite Arati to his own hunting party. But he then noticed that Arati was a blood hunter and quickly withdrew his invitation. He said it was nothing personal but that there was a man out there going by the name of ‘The Butcher’ that was causing chaos around the area. He also seemed to be a blood hunter. As the mercenaries leave the Town Hall, they smack their shoulders into Arati’s but she doesn’t seem to bother. Raevyn looks confused by what just occurred and asks Arati why those men were being so mean towards her. She is just a Paladin or a fighter right? Arati laughs and says she is more of a magic user and not so much of the divine caster. Raevyn looked relieved that she is not traveling with a bunch of Divine people. Vieryn tells Arati that he doesn’t have a grudge towards Bloodhunters and that he’d like for her to stick around. After Arati collected her bounty, Raevyn moved over to the counter and asked the man if she could put up a bounty herself. It was a bounty for a missing person, but the man tells her it was going to cost at least 100 Gold pieces. Shocked by the amount of gold it was going to take, Raevyn walked off. Disappointed that she wasn’t able to put her own dad up for missing. She then comes with the idea to get supplies to make her own posters to spread across the land. They go out in Nisher to look for a jeweler so Raevyn can get her diamond. As they enter the store, there was this weird looking mannequin in the room. Vieryn kept an eye on the thing as it seemed abnormal. Raevyn tries to buy a diamond but the man is swindling her. Tells her to pay 60 gold for a 50 gold diamond. Raevyn gets a bit feisty and calls him a rip-off. This is when Vieryn steps in to talk to the man. He is trying to persuade the man but failed to do so. Arati had enough of this and paid the 60 gold for Raevyn’s diamond. A bit confused as to why she did this, Raevyn accepted the ‘gift’ and left the store. On their way out Vieryn wanted to poke the mannequin and Arati tells him to be careful because it might choke him. As soon as she said this, the mannequin grabbed Vieryn’s hand. A bit creeped out after that Arati & Vieryn also leave the store. Making their way through Nisher, Arati couldn’t help but be curious about why Raevyn needed a diamond-like that. Raevyn tried to make up some excuse but Vieryn saw right through that and called her out on her bullshit. Eventually, Raevyn gave in and told the party she was a mage. No one seemed to mind, as long as she didn’t use any Necromancy. Raevyn assured them she didn’t and recited all the spells she had in her spellbook as they were walking to look for a tavern to stay. After walking for a while they found this very cheap and shady-looking inn called ‘The Lying Weasel’. Raevyn is trying to do the same trick on the owner as the man in the jewelry did to her. Giving the man a tarot card reading. He doesn’t buy any of it and only gives her 5 silver discounts. He told the party that he came in possession of this tavern by killing the owner. In the tavern, there were several blood stains and drag marks all over the floor. It was for sure a shady place to be in. They got served some food, which tasted horrible. Not knowing what they were eating. They all used prestidigitation to flavour their food a bit more. While having dinner, Raevyn took out her paper and art supplies and started to work on her missing posters. Slowly one by one the party went up to their chamber, which was one room with four makeshift beds. Just a piece of wood with some cloth, like a military bed. Raevyn was left on her own accord, not noticing her disguise spell had worn off. A man approached the girl and sat down next to her. He asks her what she is doing and what a girl like her is doing here on her own. At that moment Arati comes walking down since she noticed that Vieryn had left Raevyn all by herself downstairs. She intervenes with the man and tells him to fuck off. The man doesn’t really appreciate this and seems to be what of a sore loser. Raevyn being so naive, never really understood what the man wanted from her. The two talk a bit before going up to their chamber. What they think was going to be an uneventful night, turned out to be the opposite. During their sleep, the party got shot through the window in their bedroom. Someone was out there on the roof parallel to their room. Vieryn spotted someone holding a crossbow. After multiple times getting shot by the man, the party decided to put one of the beds up the window so there was no vision in the room anymore. After that, they had some sort of rest. September 4th, 36 TE. The next morning the party had some breakfast, this time a stew that had the same tasteless taste to it. While having breakfast, Vieryn notices a man with the same purple cloak as they had encountered the day before on the road to Nisher. Raevyn looks around and mentions that the man she tried to help told of someone that had escaped the massacre and fled through the woods. Maybe it was this man? She decides to cast her familiar, a small raven wearing a self-made outfit called Jinx. Jinx follows the man as Raevyn is looking through her eyes. The man stops in an ally and meets up with a woman. She calls him by the name of Stelson and he refers to her as ‘Bloodbender’. He says that he did what she requested of him, but that this place seemed to be more guarded than her intel originally said. He hands her the package and she opens it up. She is holding a ring with a red purplish gem in it. ‘’Mother will be pleased, we have been searching for this for some time now,’’ she said with a grin across her face. She thanks Stelson for his service but then Stelson gets stabbed in the back by another figure. He plunges to his knees and asks why the sudden betrayal, as he had served them well. The Bloodbender kneels down to him and lifts his head up with her hand. ‘’You served well but you are getting old and sloppy.’’ She then slits his throat with the blade from his back and whispers in his ear. ‘’Don’t worry Stelson, even in death, you will serve our king - like you did in life. That is your reward.’’ She licks the blood from the dagger and starts an incantation. She raises Stelson from death and has the same purple eyes as the undead had before. She then disappears. After that, Raevyn broke the connection with Jinx. She tells the party what she just saw and they decide to stay far away from whatever that was. They take their belongings and make their way to the Town Square where Fredrick is waiting on them. The ride to Avarra was fairly uneventful. Arati saw some questionable refugees, Fredrick tells her to not interact with them. They are scams, they act like refugees but will steal everything you have on your cart. She then tells the party about the End of the World. That she has a leader that communicates to a God called Shar. He does this through a crown he wears. Vieryn looks at her as if she is crazy, but doesn’t pay too much attention to it. After a couple of hours, they hit the gates of Avarra city, the Capital. It is a huge city surrounded by multiple walls. Outside the walls are farmlands and guards wandering around. There is a small queue before we could get into the city. Fredrick drives up to the guards and shows his papers. ‘’Everything seems to be in order, welcome to the Capital.’’