#I drew this awhile ago so my art style has changed a bit

[tow-bees]

Here’s an old drawing lol. tag yourself.

[1a-imagines]

A knights promise (part 2)

(Knight!Midoriya x reader)

↬Warnings: smut

↬Summary: After finally running away so you can be together, you find travelling isn't as easy or fun as you first thought. Luckily you have someone to take your mind off it.

↬A/n: This is day 18 of the Izumonth collab! You can find the collab post here.

This is a part 2 if you want to read part 1 you can find that here! But honestly, this one is mostly just smut so i guess you don’t really need to read part one. It just gives a bit more insight into their relationship and goals.

Also the art is mine, I'm really nervous to post my art, especially since its kinda old art and my style has changed a lot, so I don't love it. But I drew this awhile back and thought it would go well with this fic since its fantasy izuku. Anyway! Hope you enjoy ^^

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You shuffled closer to Izuku's side, half hiding behind him, hoping his body would act as a shield against all the wildlife.

Izuku couldn’t help but chuckle at the way  your nose crinkled up at the new environment.

"Have the forests always been so-..." you paused thinking of the right word to say. "disgusting?” you asked as you stepped around yet another puddle of sludge. Your hands tightened around his arm. The forest was indeed a beautiful sight from the palace windows, but now you were trudging through mud and wet grass, your boots already caked in dirt, it wasn't as enchanting as you thought it would be.

Izuku gave your hands a light pat. “I know you’re not used to these conditions yet, but I think you're overreacting a bit, princess. It’s just a bit of mud.” He giggled at your sour expression. Truth be told he expected you would be a lot more enthusiastic about the whole situation, finally having freedom, getting to date him without worry, travelling to far off kingdoms and learning new things. You had always dreamed of such a life.

Though it seemed you never thought through the possibility that not everything would be easy and perfect.

"Still, had I have known it would've been this bad I would've brought bigger boots." You muttered. So far this whole 'adventuring' thing has had its ups and downs, like yesterday when you both found that hidden waterfall, the water was sparkling in the sun, vines the trees hung low to keep it hidden as flowers bloomed around the edge of the lake. It was lovely, you both got to splash around in the sun, make a campfire and sit under the stars when night came. It was amazing! One of the most beautiful nights of your life in fact. However, walking through blank fields filled with nothing but muddy sludge wasn't so magical.

A yelp escaped your throat when you were suddenly lifted into the air. You instinctively wrapped your arms around Izuku’s neck as he carried your bridal style. With raised eyebrows you turned to the man who held you in his arms. "What are you doing?" You asked Izuku who grinned in response, "The mud is bothering you right? And as your knight it's my job to protect you even from nature!" He declared, you couldn’t help but smile at him.

"You're not technically my knight anymore, I ran away, remember? So I'm not royalty." While his logic confused you, you weren't about to complain that you were his arms. "I'll always be your knight, royalty or not, I'm always going to protect you." His smile melted your heart, like the sun beaming down on an ice cream cone.

You pressed your flushed face into his shoulder, deciding not to reply. He looked so determined there was no way you would win this argument.

He carried you for hours, and with every step he took guilt stacked another brick onto your heart. Weren't you getting heavy for him. Surely he must be getting tired? He was strong, no doubt. He had trained sith the royal guards, as well as in his spare time, for years! But carrying another human in your arms for hours!? Even the strongest of men would tire eventually.

Catching your eyes he smiled at you, silently reassuring you that he was ok. You purse your lips in response, not believing him, you had already asked him countless times if he was tired, you had told him he could put you down whenever he wanted, but it seemed like he was pretty content with you in his arms.

The more he walked the denser the forest grew. It was a nice day, the sun's light caressing your skin in the best of ways, the breeze brought a refreshing chill every now and then, you could have fallen asleep in his arms then and there. "I don't think we're going to make it to the next down by sundown.." He muttered, shaking his head with a sigh.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have carried me so far, we left the muddy field hours ago and you still won't put me down." You giggled, playfully poking his cheek with your finger. . He blinked, a blush coating his cheeks. "I-I just like holding you!"

He was indulging in the fact he no longer had to hide his love and affection for you, carrying his princess in his arms was just another way to show the outside world who you belonged to, despite having passed no people at all. It was more for his own satisfaction.

"There's a cave over there! We can rest there for tonight!" Your voice snapped him from his thoughts. Your finger pointed out to a lake with a waterfall. It was hard to see but there was a small, circular, opening in the rocks of the cliff. "Good find!" He smiled at you as you jumped from his arms and hurried towards the cave, you wanted to make sure it would be safe enough to sleep in tonight. Izuku pouted as you ran off, already missing the warmth your body provided.

He followed you into the cave, it wasn't big

but it was dry and would keep you hidden from the dangers the night brought. "This will do for tonight, from the looks of the clouds over the mountains it's going to rain soon and we don't want to be stuck outside when it does. That would mean more mud." He grinned at you, nudging you with his elbow. You flushed at the jab he made and turned your head away.

What a tease.

You both took off your bags and placed your items down, Izuku went off to collect sticks to make a fire and you began to roll out your sleeping bags. You kicked away all the stones and dirt before placing them down next to each other. You made sure there was enough room for the campfire, you weren't working with a whole lot of space and the last thing you needed was for your beds to catch fire.

You finished your task relatively quickly and decided to walk outside to the lake's edge. There was a small pathway around the water leading to your cave. It was narrow, meaning you both had to shuffle along sideways to get in and out of the cave,

but it also meant the likelihood of others finding or walking into your cave was very slim.

You took your shoes off at the entrance of the cave and sat down, dipping your feet and lower calves into the water. You closed your eyes and leaned back onto your hands, taking in all the sounds of nature. The rusting of tree leaves, the calls of birds singing with each other, the sloshing of the water as you gently kicked your legs.

Izuku found you peacefully becoming one with nature, a smile made its way to his lips. He figured it would be hard for you to adjust to such a big lifestyle change, going from silk sheets and servants tending to your every need to sleeping bags and having to fend for yourself wouldn't be easy for everyone. You certainly struggled with some of it but at times like this, when you were soaking in the sun, and allowing your surroundings to bring you peace he couldn't help but feel pride for you.

You were doing your best to enjoy this new lifestyle, no matter how much of a shock to your system it was.

He left you alone for now and got to setting up the fire, it took about ten minutes to get the fire going, just in time for thunder to roar from over the mountain tops, a cry of war directed to nature.

You walked back into the cave to avoid being caught in it. Izuku handed you some fruit to snack on, he wished he could offer you a nice meal but when travelling, it wasn't that easy.

“Stop pulling that face.” You said as you took the apple from him, and took a bite.

He blinked, looking up to meet your eyes. “W-what?” You frowned, sitting down beside him, the fire crackling before you both as raindrops began to fall from the sky outside. "You keep pulling that face, as though you're afraid you're not doing good enough."

You could read him like an open book. Granted he never tried to hide his feelings from you. He just wanted to make you happy, you must be so used to your lavish lifestyle, but now you're stuck trudging around in mud and living off apples for every meal. He looked down at the ground, his lips parted as he tried to speak but no words came.

"You already know why I left, but allow me to remind you." You flicked his forehead, a way to get him to look back at you. He frowned, rubbing the sore spot on his head. "I left because I want to be with you, no matter where we are. Whether I'm sitting in a palace eating a piping hot meal or in a cave eating an apple. None of that matters to me, what matters is that I have you by my side." Your hand came up to his cheek, the pad of your thumb brushing over his red cheek.

He half smiled at you, there was still some uncertainty despite your words. However, he wouldn’t be Izuku if he wasn't always worrying over all the little details. You chose to be with him, and he was determined to give you the best life possible. Even if he had his worries he always appreciated you trying to reassure him. He was so lucky to have someone like you in his life, someone willing to give up everything for him. He silently vowed to give you the rest of his life in return. He nuzzled into your hand, pressing it closer to his face. “I love you.” he whispered.

“I love you too.” You smiled, brushing some hair from his eyes before moving in as he did to join your lips in a sweet kiss.

What was meant to be a reassuring peck quickly turned into tongues dancing and hands fumbling. A kiss that stole your breath away. Your hands trailed from his cheeks, down his neck to place on his shoulders. He shivered at your feather-like touches that glided across his skin. His hands pulled you forward by your waist bringing you to his chest.

Your head titled as his did, deepening the kiss. You hummed as his tongue traced over your lips, desperate to feel more of you. You parted your lips, getting up on your knees, never breaking the kiss, and shuffling forward until you were close enough to straddle his lap. He felt him smile into the kiss when you sat on him, like he had gotten his way. His skin was already tingling despite the layers of clothes in the way.

Your fingers tangled into his hair, tugging at the locks, wordlessly begging for more. He got the hint, his hands pushing under your shirt and taking it off in one movement. His scarred hands began tracing shapes into your back as you began gasping for air. He pulled back from your lips, teeth gently tugging at your lip as he did so.

When you looked into his eyes you saw them burning with desire and that alone was enough to send a pool of heat to your core. He moved forward again, lip connecting to your neck, his hot breath fanned against your skin sending shivers down your spine, a small hum escaping your lips as you pulled his head closer.

He left marks all over your neck and collarbone, sucking and nibbling at your soft skin. He soon trailed down to your chest as he unclasped your bra and moved it aside. His eager lips attached to your breast, and while his mouth began to suck on your sensitive buds, playing and groping with the mounds of fat as his hands rolled your hips forward. A groan echoed through the cave when he felt your clit grinding against his growing erection. You moaned, taking the hint and grinding against him creating a heated friction between you. The way you hugged him closer, begging for more, how your hips desperately rolled forward to feel more of him, it turned him on so much he could feel the blood rushing to his throbbing cock.

He pulled away from your breasts, his hands fumbled with your pants. He did take a second to catch his breath as he pulled your pants off leaving you only in panties. He took a second to admire your body, hands caressing up and down your sides as his eyes drank you in. "Gods… you're so beautiful. How did I get so lucky?" He smiled, pressing a loving peck to your bare shoulder. He was always so sappy, even now when you were grinding against him.

You smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek and yanking on his hair. You were desperate to feel more of him, you needed him. He got the hint and pulled off his own pants, throwing them to the side before taking off his shirt. You looked over his scars, pressing kisses to a few of them.

Once you were both rid of all the clothes that kept you apart, he picked you up bridal style, carrying you over to the fur sleeping bags. He lay you down, coaxing your legs apart so he could get between them, your lips locked again, your naked bodies rubbed together, it felt so much better without the clothes in between. He moaned, getting up onto his knees and fisting his hard cock in his hand.

He gave you an expecting look and you crawled forward. You sat back on your knees when you reached him, looking up at him through your lashes, pupils dilated. He smiled down at you, one hand petting your hair as the tip of his cock traced around your lips. "Open up, princess." He whispered and you obeyed.  

He pushed his hips forward until his ball hit your chin, tears peaking at the corner of your eyes as you swallowed his length, the tip hitting the back of your throat. He wiped them away for you, "Suck on it for me princess." He muttered breathlessly.

Your tongue circled around the tip, the salty taste of pre cum hitting your taste buds. You bobbed your head up and down, impatience  making your actions erratic. He breathed out, eyes sliping close as he marvelled in the feeling of your hot mouth around his aching cock. It took everything in him not to start thrusting forward into your mouth, but he didn't want to hurt you.

You grabbed onto his hips for better leverage, quickening your pace. Saliva began to drip from your mouth, onto your bouncing tits. "Mhh, yeah, just like that baby." You removed one hand from his side and slipped it between your legs, his loud moans and words of praise were too much for you, your ever growing heat needed to be tended to.

Izuku opened his eyes to see where your hand had gone, and upon seeing you pleasuring yourself as you sucked on his member got too overwhelming. His head went back, toes curling as he inhaled a sharp breath. "P-princess i'm going to cum!" he let out a strangle moan, his body curling forward as he released his hot seed into your mouth. He panted as you pulled away, cum covered your lips. Your tongue poked out to lick up every drop as you stared deep into his eyes.

His lips parted at the sight of you greedily lapping up his cum. You smiled at his reaction before laying back down on the sleeping bag. He smiled back, crawling over your body. You were far from done.

He connected his lips back to yours, noses clumsily bumping together, he could taste himself on your tongue, it boosted his ego. Your hips began to rock against his, your slick coating his cock as it slipped between your folds. You sighed into the kiss, grabbing at his hair and neck to pull him closer.

His lips started to trail back down your body, this time going further than your breasts. He kissed his way down your stomach, soon his face was between your legs, he could feel your heat, see your dripping arousal. He licked his lips, squeezing your thigh before diving forward. His tongue pushed inside your hole, lapping up your juices, his nose buried deep into your clit.

You gasped, back arching and toes curling when your aching core finally had some attention. He moaned at your taste, sending vibrations down your spine. Your beautiful noises of pleasure bounced off the walls of the cave. Neither of you had to be quiet anymore, there were no guards, no servants, not even family to be careful of, and he wanted to hear you scream out his name.

"Fuck! p-please. Just fill me up already." You mewled. He looked up at you with a grin, pulling away from you as he licked his lips. You'd never seen such an animalistic look in his eyes. It was like a lion stalking in on his prey.

He got onto his knees, grabbing your hips and pulling your forward. He pressed the tip of his cock to your clit, teasingly rubbing it up and down, slapping it a few times. You whined at his teasing before finally pressing it into your hole.

You simultaneously released low groans. Your hands grabbed at the fabric of the sleeping bags as his fingers dug into your hips. A trapped sigh escaped his lips once he was fully in. He gave you a few seconds to adjust as he put your legs over his shoulders and leaned forward so he could grab and hold one of your hands.

"M-move- fuck~ please!" You moaned. He didn't need to be told twice. He began to pound into you without hesitation. Each thrust of his hips made you whimper and whine, you squeezed his hand as the heat in your core grew.

"Mmh~ you're taking me so well. G-Good girl." He whispered, his hips quickening at the sound of your squelching pussy. He moaned, his cock going sliding into deep. As much as his body wanted to throw his head back he fought to keep it forward. He didn't want to miss a second of your expression. You looked so beautiful, your hair falling around your head like some sort of halo. The way you bit your lip, your eyes rolling back as those blissful, slutty moans left your parted lips.

It was all too perfect.

He took his hand from yours, sitting up and changing the position. He bent you over, ass in the air and your glistening pussy on display for him. He moaned at the sight before slipping back inside of you. His hands clamped down on your waist, pulling you back into him. It was so much faster, harder, you were both screaming out in pleasure at the new position. His cock reached new places.

You rolled your hips against him, eyes rolling back into your head as you desperately grabbed for something to hold onto, fearing that you were already about to come undone around him. You felt his hands rub at your ass cheeks, his eyes admiring how perfectly round and plump they were.

He leaned over your body, chest against your back, one hand holding him up as the other moved around to your swollen clit. He drilled into you as his fingers rubbed circles into your clit. His lips leaving small kisses to your bare shoulder in between his moans.

"Oh.. oh, Y/n~ princess." He panted into your ear. "Are you ready to be filled?" He asked, nuzzling your neck with his nose. His toes were digging into the floor as he felt his throbbing cock ach for release. He wanted to stuff you full of his cum as you screamed out his name.

You nodded, moaning out a string of yes's. You pushed your hips back, keeping up with his lightning speed, your breasts bouncing with each thrust. He closed his eyes, back arching as he felt his hot ropes of cum spill inside of you as you cried out his name, your juices spilling over his hand. Your body curled in on itself as the pleasure washed over you.

He fucked you through your orgasms, only pulling out when his cock had stopped twitching.  

You both collapsed onto the fur. He wasted no time pulling you into his arms, hand moving around to massage your hips as he always did. You did your best to ignore the feeling of his cum slipping out of you and dripping onto your thigh.

With a light kiss to your forehead he pulled you to lay on his chest. "You ok, princess?"

You giggled at his concern. "We've done this so many times now and you still worry about hurting me?" His face flushed red, eyes turning away to look at the pouring rain outside the cave. "I-I would never want to hurt you." He confessed.

You took his face into your hand, turning him to look at you. You pressed a kiss to his lips and lay your head back down. "It was amazing as always. Don't worry."

He nodded, both of you laying in silence for a while as you enjoyed the sounds of nature. The calming sounds of rain showering down from the sky, the cackling of the fire that kept you both warm. It was so peaceful. There were no other people in sight, no guards, royals, townspeople. It was just you two, alone, how you both had always wanted it to be.

"You never told me what your mom said when you told her we were leaving." You turned to face him again, resting your chin on his shoulder. His hand ran through your locks absentmindedly.

"She was happy for us. She said she was glad i was following my heart, that i found someone who loves me enough to give up everything they have just to be with me." He smiled, recalling her reaction. "All she asks is that we come back to visit every now and then, and when we eventually find a good home to settle down in, we have to send her a letter telling her our whereabouts so she can come visit us too."

You smiled, it would be so nice to have her visit your home, to be able to cook for her for once. She always took good care of you whenever you went to visit. You couldn't wait to return the favour. "That sounds nice doesn't it?"

He hummed in agreement, the image of you both living in a cottage, somewhere in the forest. Not too far from civilisation but enough to have your own space. No one to bother you, everyday would be peaceful. You could have spare rooms for guests. Maybe a family and pets someday.

"Yeah, that sounds amazing." He smiled, looking at you. His one and only princess, his first and only love.

He couldn't wait to spend the rest of his life with you.

[ducktracy]

ELIZA i didnt know u have OCs!!! i wanna hear more abt them omg

I DO!! when i start my own cartoon (gotta think positively and confidently, no time for “if”s!) i’d like to focus on them. i need to make formal refs, my lack of a laptop for awhile prevented me from doing so and now i don’t really have an excuse LOL but i drew this back in february if you can read my chicken scratch

the whole thing is set in the rural 50s/60s (haven’t decided yet), like a very strong mayberry/andy griffith show vibe if you’ve seen it. the local little league team has an epic losing streak of 20 years, filled with bratty little 9 year old kids and an apathetic curmudgeony coach. tyson signs up for the team because it seems fun and they take her in (thinking she’s a boy), and after the initial chorus of “GIRLS CAN’T PLAY BASEBALL >:(“ they let her in anyway because maybe just MAYBE she can get the team out of a rut... and it turns out she has absolutely no clue how to play and doesn’t care, she’s just in it for the fun and she’s very obnoxious and loud and extroverted and Wacky Hijinks Ensue

i want to focus more on the setting and characters rather than baseball itself, baseball being a side effect? just because wrangling a bunch of hyperactive 9 year old kids together has so much potential to be hilarious. i planned on making it a webcomic a few years ago when i had my old laptop, and actually got a few pages done, but once my laptop broke i was forced into hiatus and now that i’m back i’ve completely forgotten my momentum so. i’ve been thinking about wiping everything and restarting or trying to find a way to continue, i DEFINITELY want to continue. but whenever i get my own cartoon someday, that’s what i’d like it to be about. that or get to use the characters, anyway

i’m not sure what i’ll do with the webcomic right now, i really want to continue but as i said i totally forgot where i was trying to go with it and i’d like to have fresh momentum so i may restart... but if you want to view it while it’s up for now, you can read a few pages over at @thebummerbatherscomic! these are primarily from 2018 and my art’s changed quite a bit since then LOL so... i’m still in the process of trying to figure out how to draw the characters/what style i’m going for so it may be awhile until i get things running again BUT! there ya be

[kalza]

I decided to give my OCs a bit of an upgrade, since my style and art has improved since I last drew some of these guys. I'm honestly super proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and experimenting with more diverse character designs (which we kinda saw in my Humanized AC meme awhile ago). Other than style improvement, not many designs changed (except for a few tweaks here and there) so enjoy!

I'll try to make a batch 2 soon, cuz I have more OCs.

~

PLEASE DO NOT REUPLOAD/USE/STEAL/EDIT/TRACE!!

[loveobsesspink]

I think I used this for a contest years back, my looks has changed since then haha. Well minus the hair that’s still the same LOL and wearing pink. Anyway this isn’t a daily fashion post (sorry! That’ll come up in a bit soon as I get rid of that blue prism symbol LOL). Someone I followed wrote a post about why they loved mabinogi so thought I’d make one too. If you don’t wanna read it (its long) just stop now LOL.

Even though I’m less active and pretty much keeping to myself and doing my own thing, if I didn’t love the game, I wouldn’t still be around. Wish I had older pictures w/o the names in them (was looking for one but they all had names in them and it was hard to edit out RIP) back when I first came back in 2012 and I made a group of friends and we were running stuff, hanging out, etc. Pretty much what a MMO was. Unfortunately stuff happens and I’m no longer friends with that group which is okay, friends come and go, even in Mabinogi. It took awhile but I met true friends who I’d do anything for and even if I’m being lazy, I’d be up for dying in Alban for them (WHICH DID HAPPEN LOL). People I trust won’t just stop talking to me (though occasionally we don’t talk for days but ayyy distance makes heart grow fonder and doesn’t feel like anything has change when we talk again), who help me out without expecting anything in return (though I DO return the favor somehow) and I’m happy to say they’re my friends and they’re one of the reasons, probably most important one why I stick around playing Mabinogi. When I quit years ago, it was due to alot of stuff going on and feeling like I didn’t have anyone I could depend on so no point in sticking around. Even if I loved the game, it was painful to be on there. 

The customization really draws me in, I love that everyone can be different and change up the features and colors if they want to. 2nd to my friends, that is my big thing and what drew me back to the game. As you can tell, I’m really into fashion and customization. Even though most my outfits are the same colors Sorry but I don’t have the space or drive to dye my clothes different colors, easier to just dye it same colors so everything can be mixed and match. It took me awhile just to be confident in using these colors. I’ve seen people who can use more than couple colors in their outfits and I am impressed and amazed. I only have a couple things dyed in pink and brown (Ella Strap Boots and Waffle Cone Heart Ring) and i don’t switch too much between them (maybe the Ring but not the boots). But anyway LOL love  customization and love fashion (even as expensive as it is).

Which brings me to skills, I love that you’re not limited to one job or class. Though to be honest, the one I have the most fun with is cooking skills. People find it tedious but its my favorite, in any game. It took awhile but I’m at the point that most of the time I can just eyeball the %’s and just make it. (Now memorizing the recipes LOL is another story). I haven’t been doing it much because I’m lacking space RIP I’m thinking of picking it up again because I really do enjoy it and I sell the dishes in shop for anyone who wants to fill their cooking journal or have fun with the magical dishes. And I’m hoarding so many ingredients haha I have to stop myself from picking up stuff that drops from enemies because I just don’t have space (I really need to clean inventory RIP).

Community ehh LOL I’m not touching this but I can say it was little more friendly in the beginning, circumstances have made me a little less open to trusting people and cautious so I apologize if I seem a little aloof. Its difficult for me to approach people randomly (I’m a little shy) but if you see me with friends, I’m pretty easy going and talkative. I have no problem adding people if you’re cool person, just let me know so I can make room because I don’t like random adds (so my friendlist stays full). Its this same community that I met my close friends so its not all bad. :D Just gotta weed through the bad people, it takes time.

Graphics I don’t mind, its been improved alot. I really noticed it through the outfits. I play old computer games and video games and while realistic art is like the thing, I think I prefer the cartoony style and maybe even pixel.

I think that’s it LOL I kind of went on a tangent haha sorry. Mabinogi will always have a special place and I’ll keep playing it even if closes, I’ll stay on the sinking ship LOL. I hope that people feel the same way and don’t let the bitterness and negativity eat them away. Its a great game and I hope that even with the smaller population, people still have good memories.

@akayomabi

[peachyblkdemonslayer]

Here’s the commission for @munching-macarons that they wanted to get an look into my Di Angelo Valdez family. I hope that you enjoy and once again thank you for the commission!!!

The morning had started out like any other one. The sun came into the sky and castes bright streaks of light into the house of the Di Angelo Valdez family. Nico eyes made an effort of opening to see what the time was on the clock.

6:30 am

Hmmm its seems he had about about two hours to get everyone ready for school and to get Leo to work. He swinger his legs over the side of the bed and stood up to stretch his back out/ His feet met the cold floor as he slowly walked across the room and out the curtains. A huge flash of light entered causing his husband to jump up out his sleep.

“Gods Nico could you not do that” he blinked a few times to get his eyes to adjust to the sudden change. Nico looked at him with an raised eyebrow and a look of disinterest in his face.

He walked out the room to the hallway of where his six children slept. The first door was of their oldest Maria. She had decided to decorate with gems and bone she had found herself. Out of all his children she was the least difficult to wake up. He grabbed the doorknob and entered the room. She had the fan on so there was a slight breeze in the room.

Posters of her favorite movies and bands hanged on her wall along with pictures of friends and family form over the years. Hr huge head of hair was sticking out in little curls of the black brown tinted hair. Her lashes twitched once in awhile in her sleep.

Nico smiled and turned in the lights in her room. Walking over he sat on her bed and shook her softly.

“Honey its time to get up for school” he whispered. She groaned and slowly raised out of the bed as if she was a zombie of some sort. She looked around her room in a bit of a daze. She got out of her bed and walked to the bathroom to get ready.

One down five to go.

Leaving her room he went to the room across from her’s. Bianca door just had pictures of black puppies and symbols of his father all over it. She choose to paint it a light gray paint to make the items on it pop out more.

He knocked on her door a few times and waited. She didn’t like people just coming into her room without her permission so he just knocked on her door to get her up. After another set of knocks he heard a few bangs back from inside the room.

He smirked and went on to the next ones. The twins were a mixed bag when it came to then waking up. Some days it took a while other days it was a breeze.

“I hope today is an easy one” opening the day he was surprised to see that they were already up and getting their school clothes out for the day. Rey and Persephone saw their papa and smiled saying a shared “Good Morning Papa!” to him.

Smiling he moved onto Alessandra room. She had always been a heavy sleeper since she was a baby. When they first brought her home from the hospital she slept for so long that they were worried that she wasn't breathing properly. As he walked to her door he heard the loud snoring from it.

“Like father like daughter i guess” he rolled his eyes slowly opening her door. The first thing he saw was a mess of his daughter room.  Clothes on the floor, candy wrappers and bags of chips everywhere. Nico had a grimace on his face from the mess of her room.

She is going to clean up this room when she gets home today.

Walking over to her bed he pulled the cover from her and lifted her head up. She opened one eye and slowly opened the other. The eye crust from her heavy sleep like it was every morning. She sat up and patted her hair as if she was confused as to why she had it. She was always a bit….brain dead when it came to the morning.  She had put in two braids in her head the night before she undid them to get her curls out in their neat and soft looking style.

“Hurry up Aless breakfast is almost done you better get up before its gone.” he warned her as she got wide eyed at the thought. His husband was a mean cook when it came to cooking, one of the many things he loved about the man.

The youngest of the bunch Beatrice was just getting up and looking around her drawers for her school day now. He smiled at her for doing her own thing, He opened the door for he when she done and walked down to the kitchen where he smelled the scent of bacon and eggs in the air and baked goods.

He saw the other kids sitting around the table as Leo started to set the plates around the table. Putting a basket of cornetto and crostata in the center along with some butter and a couple of jams.

All the girls went to a very prestige private school all funded by their Grandpa Hades and Grandma Persephone. Wearing their black vests, clean yellow button up shirts, black pants or skirts and black dress shoes. On the left side of their vest was the pin of their school, a black rose that was in bloom.

“Papa i got myself dressed today!” he heard the excited voice for his youngest. He turned to see her wearing a outfit similar to her sisters but instead of the yellow shirt she had on a blue one. He smiled and gave a light chuckle ot that and went to bring her to the table.

“Ok guys food is ready dig in” Leo walked to the table and the girls did just that. Hands grabbed at the baskets and jams on the side. Forks scraped on plates as eggs left them into the mouths of everyone at the table.

“So Dad how's business been going so far?” Alessandra asked. Leo had just stuffed a whole cornetto in his mouth with a look of surprise in his face. Chewing the bread, swallowed and let out a sigh of pure pleasure at that. He looked her and went on to explain.

“Well so far this month we have had about twenty customers nothing out of the usual from  the bunch. Everything has been pretty good with it kid thanks for asking” he leaned over and ruffled her head as she whined and waved her arms all around her to get him to stop. He chuckled at her reaction and checked his wristwatch. They had time still.

“Hey Rey how you two been holding up with your math?”

“Hmmm we're doing good but Seph is better at fractions then I am but i like doing long division better honestly. But our teacher is super nice so i'll get the hang of it soon Dad don't worry” Rey replied.

“I like being in art better then Mat we got to learn about a lot of female artists in Italy in class so far. And we get to play with the pretty colors in black and paint too. But we have to wear aprons over it so we don't get dirty.” she said it at such a rapid speed that if Nico had not been used to Leo talking like that he would have missed it.

Nico nodded and clapped his hands to get their attention.

“Okay guys it's time to do and i'll say this like i say it every other day no using your powers during school we already had a close call with Beatrice this pass week. We will be practicing them when you get off of school today.” He go and pushed in his chair as he walked around the table to pick up all the plates, Leo getting the girls book bags for them to go.

“Ok i’ll see you later love you” hearing a wave of byes and love you too he started to clean the kitchen and planning out the surprise he had for the girls this weekend.

The sun beat down on the grass of the front lawn as Nico sat on the pouch in a chair looking out at the clear fall day. He was drinking some green tea Reyna had brought from her and Drew trip a few months ago. They all been planning to visit them for a year now.

Ever since Nico and Leo had moved to Italy they didn't have the time or the funds to go and visit the other in the states. And from what’s been happening over their with their president its not been good.   

He was the most worried about Hazel in this problem. But she strong and will pull through it no matter what happens, she had always had been strong.

“He heard the phone ringing in the house and got up to answer. The person who was on the other side wasn't someone he accepted.

“Hey Nico! How you been man” out came the loud voice of none other than Percy Jackson. Nico pulled back at the sudden noise on the other side of the phone. Gods he was so loud, he was so used to it being quiet around these times that he was shocked at the sudden noise.

“Hello Jackson how have you been these past few years” he asked in the flat tone. He heard a awkward nervous laugh over the phone. He gave a airy laugh at that, he loved giving him a reason to be scared around him.

“Gods loosen up Jackson it was a joke how’s Annabeth and the kids been.” he went to the front pouch again and leaned back in his chair and pick up his cup of tea.

“It's been good Annabeth loving being a lawyer and the girls are doing great in school at the moment. So what is this about visiting you guys in italy this weekend” Nico sighed as he rubbed his forehead and rolled his eyes. He always did want to get to the point.

“Well i asked father to shadow travel everyone who wanted to visit us this weekend since it's easier and a lot cheaper to get here that way. And i wanted to surprise the girls since they haven’t seen you guys in forever. And Loe could use some other company besides me and his clients.”

“Well me and Annabeth have been waiting to see you guys again Hazel has been excited about since we been talking with her on the phone the past couple of months.” Nico gave a smile at that. His sister is the greatest thing that happened to him.  

“Well Jackson be prepared this weekend you in for a lot of fun” he slipped his cool tea and looked at the bright sun in the sky with a sigh of content. Percy laughed on the side as if he hard the funniest thing in his life.

“Ok Scar see you later man” a light click of the pone was heard and he looked thinking about what the girls reaction would be to seeing all their uncles, aunts and cousins this weekend.

Maria gave a loud yawn as she walked with her sisters home. She got a shit ton of homework from school which was fucking fantastic for her. Like she didn't have enough.

“Maria can we hurry i want to play with my powers” whined the twins and Beatrice as they skipped behind each other and picking up flowers along the way. Bianca had long ago put her ear plugs on the walk home to drown out  her siblings. Maria didn’t even blame her for that.

“Calm down little hell hound we got plenty of time it’s Friday we got the whole weekend. I know how to shadow travel so i can teach you that myself. Papa and Dad might teach you fire control and raising the dead or summoning the hell hounds and ghost and stuff like that”  she explained to the younger siblings.

“Ohhh i get it ok that makes sense” Beatrice said as she picks at the flower petals out the flowers she picked up on the way. She blew off the petals into the light wind that was blowing around them. The soft yellow petals flowing in the wind and landing a ways away from the girls

Maria gave a smile and sniffled the scents of baking bread and freshly cut flowers around them. Thats what she loved about her Papa home country, it just so beautiful  and peaceful at times. 

They do come across some people that don't really care for them, i mean they were the daughters of a trans man and are half Hispanic so that has been the source of some problems but overall they enjoyed the people and their culture. 

As they got closer to home she noticed that there was someone talking to their Papa. It was a woman who was black and had a very dark brown hair. She was wearing a dark green layered skirt with a pale green shirt was nice against her skin. She had a kid next to her wearing a pair of jeans with sneakers and a red shirt. He was very tall with a short haircut. They were in a deep conversation with Papa that had her more puzzled.

“Papa” Beatrice yelled as she runs ahead of them group of girls to him. That had gotten the group’s of the people attention they all turn. And thats when they all let out a scream of pure joy.

“AUNTIE HAZEL, MASON” they jumped into the arms of the two. The laughs of joy from the two was a very pleasant to the ears. She couldn't believe it! None of them had seen their aunt Hazel and cousin Mason for like three years.

“Ok kids you got a few others that would love to see you as well” She pulled away from the two and went to open the door of their house. There she saw all her aunts, uncles, and cousins that were scattered among the living room in multiple positions and talking among themselves unaware that Maria was in the door.    

“Hey guys!” shouting with her arms over her head Alessandra jumped onto the couch where Piper and Jason were sitting with their kids.

The others rushed in and jumped onto everyone with kisses on cheeks and really hard hugs to the people they haven’t seen in years.

This was going to be a fun weekend for them she thought to herself.      

[xt1erminator-blog]

My History With D&D: How I Got Started

This should have been my introductory post on this blog, but, lazy.

It was a dark and stormy night.

No really, it was a dark and stormy night. I'm not just pretending to be Snoopy writing a novel. Anyhow, I recall being over at an elementary school friend's house for a sleep over I believe. Must have been 10 or 11 years old. There were three or four of us, and my friend, we'll call him Willy, was Dungeon Master. I had no actual playing experience before this night (the only time I had run into this strange game was several years earlier when I was over at the neighbour's house and their much older teenage kids were sitting around the kitchen table with their friends, the table cluttered with big books and weird shaped pieces of plastic and small metal figurines, and bottles and cans of pop and chips and all sorts of delicious looking junk food... it was similar to that scene in E.T. where the kids are playing D&D [not the photo above! - that’s from Freaks & Geeks] except it was daytime). And here I was now, sitting in a camper trailer in the middle of a big thunder/rain storm being shown how to make something called a "character". I have no recollection what race or class this character was, or his name.  I do remember though that he used a mace as his weapon and wore chainmail, and had iron rations. Maybe he was a cleric. I think it was red box Basic D&D we were playing.

I think I might have played a total of two or three games at Willy's place. Mostly with the same other friends playing it each time. The last game we played was using the 1st Edition AD&D rule books, and it was way over my head at the time. I remember stealing money from my paper route collections (which were probably due at the end of the week) and buying my own red box Basic D&D set and some dice, and I played the solo adventure for awhile (damn rust monster!) and then just hid out in the basement with a stack of graph paper, and drew out dungeon after dungeon after dungeon. They all sucked, I’m sure. I think the next major book purchase was the 2nd Edition Player's Handbook. And then the Monstrous Manual binder. Man, I hated that binder. What an awful format. I mean, great for organizing, being able to take out monster sheets and add in new ones, etc. but functionality-wise, it was a disaster. The binder didn't sit well with the other books on a shelf and whatever lamination they used for the exterior of the cover got very scuffed up if you put it in a backpack and it looked like ass in no time flat. The good old days. I would borrow other books and modules from anyone who was willing to let me take them away from them for any length of time, and sit there and read parts of them, mostly paying attention to the cool maps and the artwork. I remember photocopying many a module at the public library too.

So for several years after, I would mostly just read the books, and Dragon and Dungeon magazines, and attempt to create my own maps and even once or twice spent some money on miniatures and tried to paint them. Massive fail. If I would have know that the Ral Partha Forgotten Realms Heroes miniatures set I bought for $15 back in the late 80's/early 90's (whenever it was) would be worth hundreds of dollars almost 30 years later, I would have taken greater care with how much primer I carelessly sprayed on to those poor little figures, getting the shit all over my dad’s workshop tool bench (sorry Wulfgar, Drizzt, Dragonbait, Alias, etc.!) and how much paint I recklessly slapped on to them thinking I was doing things right. Ouch.

I tend to ramble so I'll try to summarize everything else up until now with a bit less detail. After elementary school came high school and there wasn't a lot of action when it came to playing Dungeons & Dragons, well with cool people I mean. There was a small group at the first high school I attended, that would play a game in the art room in the lower level of the school. I sat in once, maybe twice, to check it out. Wasn't my bag. These were the stereotypical super geeky, taped-up-eyeglasses nerds that were more interested in dissecting the rules and not playing with any real imagination it seemed. They were kind of like robots. Plus, not very fun when you have 45 minutes for a lunch break to try and make any progress in an adventure. I heard about others in this school who played, but I was never invited to go play in anyone's campaign. I stopped in a few times to see what was going on with another friend's home game, but didn't end up playing because they were a little too into roleplaying. Most of the playing I did happened later in my teenage years when I ended up playing in late night sessions with some older seniors at another school I went to, and then some games here and there with a bunch of fellows who have since turned out to be what you might call "life long friends". The good guys. Then, in my early 20's, I was the first of anyone I knew to do something incredibly stupid: meet a girl on the internet (1997), marry her and move to another country.

From that point on, I guess I lost interest in the hobby. I had always wanted to run my own game, but no opportunities ever arose, or I didn't have anywhere to play or I was just too on edge to be able to compose myself if a game were to actually take formation. I spent a lot of my time learning how to play musical instruments and often partied. Often. I don't regret it, those were some of the best times I've had. Years passed and I really didn't think about D&D or playing any sort of table top game at all. I grew more fond of digital entertainment, PC games, console games, etc.  I ended up attempting to become somewhat of a "photographer", and after many years I think I'm happy with where I am at with that particular hobby. It was one of those things you never thought to pursue and then one day, you end up spending several hundred dollars on a friend's used DSLR body and a strange, big zoom lens you have no clue how to use properly.

After almost six years and a "should have seen that one coming" style divorce, I returned back home and was again surrounded by my long time friends. It took a little bit of adjustment to get back into the circle with everyone - just picking up and leaving the country when you're 22 years old and supposed to be starting to explore your options for a career and everything, can kind of make a mess of your social connections.  I ended up getting back on my feet pretty quickly though, and found work a month and a half after coming home. I'm still there actually, almost 15 years later.

So, how did I reconnect with my beloved hobby?  It was almost two years ago or so (summer of 2015, I don't know if Tumblr dates these blog posts, I don't think so). My wife's step brothers had asked if she knew anyone who had ever played Dungeons & Dragons. She mentioned to them that I did. She asked on their behalf if I would run a game for them, they were curious and hadn't played before. I declined, no way no how. Been out of touch with it for years. Didn't play anymore. Made up some excuses. Left it at that. I had never run my own games before and had no confidence that I could be very effective when trying to introduce newcomers in to the game.

Then, at the end of that summer, another opportunity arose. Some mutual friends/family expressed interest in trying out the new 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons. They had been watching Critical Role online and somehow it came up in discussion.  I had spent the last few months recalling my love for the game from my past, and ended up being much more receptive to the idea. I was much older, had been through a lot of situations in my life where things like social interaction was easier for me to become comfortable with, and I was developing a passion for it again, it seemed. After downloading the free basic 5e rules, and researching some things on YouTube, I was all for it. Our first session was on my 39th birthday at the beginning of October, 2015. It has snowballed into an addiction since then. I have invested a lot of my time (and money) into a small collection of books and miniatures, and some writing to fuel a small Forgotten Realms campaign. We don't play often, maybe every month and a half to two months, as it depends heavily on my wife's work schedule and when she can book a weekend off. I don't like playing on weekday evenings, as I'm usually pretty burned out from work or there just isn't much time to get into a good game before having to cut it short because people have to work the next day.

My Forgotten Realms campaign, currently one of two games I run, started out with three characters: a dwarven sorcerer, a half-orc druid and a gnome rogue. For the first session or two, I attempted to incorporate a PC that I was playing, a cleric of Bane. His appearance was very brief, as I decided it was not going to work well, playing a character while trying to hold down the fort being Dungeon Master and running the show. I'm not at that stage yet. So, I sent the cleric off in the night to go tend to an important mission while the rest of the party carried on. I used the majority of the 5e Starter Set module, Lost Mine of Phandelver. It did the job. I twisted it up a bit and definitely didn't follow it as per the booklet, and I still do that to this day. My style when using pre-written adventures, it seems, is to grab bits and pieces that are essential, and do the rest on the fly and change as necessary based on what the players may do to throw things off. And that's a good thing. It's helping me build skills to become a better Dungeon Master that can adapt to different scenarios, because it almost always doesn't go the way you plan it will go. I learned that early on. After a few months of playing and completing the Wave Echo Cave area, a situation arose that brought the party through a portal leading to the entrance to the Undermountain dungeon, located underneath The Yawning Portal in the great city of Waterdeep. This was an opportune moment to introduce a new player to the group, which happened thanks to a spur of the moment idea I had, to invite an old friend who I knew was a fan of what we were doing. I wasn't sure if he was up for joining the group, but you don't know until you ask, right? The next session, without saying too much of anything, the door bell rang and moments later the group now had a paladin amongst their ranks. It's been a way better game since.

The second campaign I'm going to start running over the next few weeks will be based upon the Eberron setting, which up until last week I had personally shrugged off any time it came up in my travels, and had no interest in even reading what it was about. I'm not sure why that is, I think the brief encounters I had with it previously were based on flipping through some 3rd Edition books, and I just wasn't picking up on what it was all about. I have never been much into anything 3e, the look and design of the books are unappealing to me. This past week though, one of my players and I got ahold of the 4th Edition Eberron Campaign and Player's guides, and I started reading them. I am really liking the setting and am looking forward to trying to use it in a new game. Lightning Rails, Airships, Warforged, Shifters, Dragonmarks - very cool stuff!  Also of help here was a video on Nerdarchy’s YouTube channel where the guys discuss 10 Reasons Why 5th Edition Needs Eberron

This leads to my next post: What Might Eberron For 5e Be Like?

Coming soon!

-runDMsteve

[xyouvandalx]

Watching Clouds (Part 2)

      The air was that type of cold that felt like it had a taste and crispness to it. The type of cold air that could linger on your tongue, but not enough to see your breath. Enough to make you want a sweater but could also lead to a sweater that was too heavy. He had the perfect sweater. He also had the perfect shirt, and his work pants were perfect. It was comfortable and it was warm. Enough that when he walked to his car, there was no rush and he climbed in as if it were a spring day. Turning the ignition to turn on the stereo first. It was more important than the heater. He heard the old voice recording and then the guitar of D4′s “Gainesville”, it brought a smile to his face. It was a good morning as he pulled away from his driveway, and he was certain “Today is better than any day that’s come before”.      The son had started it’s journey about an hour earlier, and It was closer to seven A.M. than he wanted it to be when the single story office building came into view. It wasn’t big but certainly wasn’t small. When he first started working there, the paint looked fresh, the landscape was green and always had a straight cut, and the car park space lines were bright and vibrant. Now the paint was faded more to the stage right before chipping, the landscaping was shaggy but never overgrown, and the paint lines were dimming to black. The paint lines were grey where he parked, and a small pot hole was developing in the middle. When paper prints were still driving sales, he knew the carpark would have been resurfaced over a year ago, but now he could feel the asphalt becoming more grainy when he stepped out of his car. He grabbed his mug, his bag, his jacket, and his flask.      The glass doors were always clean though. The office was a bright organized quiet place for work. The first thing he heard every morning was the buzzing of florescent lights, then came the typing, and usually, a familiar voice. The time it took for Chris’s voice varied, but it always came. Chris poked his head up out from the cube, and said,      “Hey, morning Seph.”      Chris was tall, blonde, and still had his build of an ex high school state competitor for swimming. His sense of style was more fashionable than Seph, and often drew a lot of compliments. Seph liked Chris, and Chris liked Seph, however Chris had one problem with Seph. Seph made others think Chris was a straight guy. It was very annoying to go out to lunch, or a cafe to have the women around them become so infatuated. Seph was just that kinda’ guy. He was so comfortable around Chris that it didn’t matter. He treated him exactly as he did everyone else. While Chris got annoyed with Seph making everyone think he was straight, Seph also only had one annoyance with Chris. The name game.       “Alright Watt, for the last time. My names not Seph, Strife, Wind, or anything else you come up with. The only one that likes the is you, and it doesn’t even catch on with anyone else.”       Chris let out a light laugh that was more like a breath. He said “whatever” too lightly for Seph to hear as he came out of the cube to walk along Seph to get coffee. There was a bit of a silence as they walked together along artificial walls and pictures of news stands, printing presses, and different covers of it all. Chris took another deep breath before he asked, “How do you do that?” They had rounded a few corners before turning into the break room. Chris went to put his things on the table and asked, “How do I do what?”       Chris was making his way across the room that was an office trying to be a kitchen, and a kitchen trying to be an office. The linoleum floor reminded them of a cafeteria, and the cabinets over the counter that lined every wall was like an office supply room. There was a break in the counter to allow for a refrigerator, and a microwave and a coffee maker broke up the undisturbed surface of the counter. While Chris grabbed his cup from the plethora of other employee cups in an over head cabinet, Seph always brought his own mug. It wasn’t a travel mug either, with a lid and handle. It was a regular ceramic mug. Chris held his cup in his hands, leaning back against the counter and said, “You bleed relief.”       Seph just scoffed as he reached into his jacket pocket to pull out his flask. “You just can’t wait for my coffee.” He made his way over to the coffee maker. Setting down his flask, he reached up into the cabinet above, pulled out a paper filter, and then went to the sink with the empty coffee pot. Chris stayed where he was when he said, “I just want your relief. You give everyone a sense of relief.” Seph let out another scoff under his breath when he said, “Not everyone.”       It must have been like when a cat’s ear twitches. The head and body perfectly still but the ears so receptive to the slightest sound, near or far, loud or quiet, that the body wakes up in a ripple effect from the one ear. It started in Chris’s eyes. He kept his hands on his mug and his body leaned back against the counter, but his eyes shifted to Seph and knew exactly what was going on. “Are you talking about who I think you’re talking about?” Seph watched the water level in the pot rise and said in his signature mono tone voice, “I’m not talking about anyone.” Chris stood up away from the counter and turned toward Seph, “Is JayJay still giving you shit?”      Seph turned his head toward Chris and said, “I told you, I’m not talking about anyone, and I’ve told you more times not to talk about her like that.” Seph clearly showed his tired annoyance when Chris talked about his girlfriend like this. His eyes and even his voice changing. It wasn’t harsh, but it was that type of voice that did not make anyone want to poke the bear again. Chris looked into Seph’s eyes now and said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t help but point out when someone’s being a selfish bitch.”      Seph turned off the water, the level just above the “limit” the coffee pot’s supposed to be filled to.      “Dude, I’m going to fucking---”      Chris then cut Seph off by saying,      “I’m just saying. What is she mad about this time? The same thing? That you get to have all the fun while she works all the time? That you don’t visit enough? That you don’t call or text enough? When we both know you do everything you can for her, and more. That sounds like selfish bitch to me.”       “Chris, stop!”       This was becoming more than a once in awhile interaction. Chris was getting more and more tired of the things he usually had to pry out of Seph. He tried so hard to make Seph see it, but Seph loved his girlfriend. Seph imagined everything but the things Chris would say, and Chris didn’t want to hurt Seph. Chris just took a big sigh before he said,       “Look, you’re a great guy and I just don’t want you to get hurt.”       Seph looked back at Chris and said,      “Nice save. I think you’re just afraid I’m going to cut you off.” Seph broke their eye sight to grab the full coffee pot and move back over to the coffee maker. As he popped open the back and began to fill the empty space with tap water, Chris scoffed. “As if you’d actually deny me any of your coffee, you’re too nice.” Seph shot a look at Chris, it wasn’t hostile but more of a look that said more in silence than words could... “You keep talking shit about the things I love, I will. Always the same things you complain about.” Seph pulled open the filter compartment, grabbed his flask, and poured the dark brown grounds from the metal container. The filter full, pushed it back in and said, “... if it’s not JayJay, it’s our work, and if it’s not our work, it’s my mug.” Seph reached to turn the off button to on and the coffee maker immediately started to gurgle. Seph was about to name another thing Chris often complained about, but Chris redirected his attention to Seph’s mug left on the table. “That fucking coffee mug! You brought it again?!”       “Dude... I bring the same mug everyday.” Chris turned and placed his mug down on the counter, looking back into Seph’s eyes. “You didn’t really bring the same mug, AGAIN!” It was said firmly and assertively, but of course didn’t scare Seph, or even make him think Chris was mad. “You brought the same mug. Again.” Seph smiled at Chris repeating himself as he closed the lid on his flask, and tucked it back into his inside jacket pocket. “Chris, we’ve been over this, you don’t have to keep getting annoyed by the exact same thing. I’m going to say the same things,” Seph was smiling. While Chris had some sort of deep annoyance buried deep down, Seph had changed these types of conversations with Chris, especially this one, into something amusing for himself. He forgot how this whole mess of bickering opinions started, but he just let it continue like clouds forming and disappearing.       “It’s a mug that means nothing.” Chris stared at Seph       “I know.” Seph looked back at Chris.      “You can’t like nothing,” Chris said almost the exact same things, every time. Seph never questioned it, he just kept parroting the same responses to basically the same questions. “Maybe that’s what I like about it though.” It felt like Chris took this personally, with the same harshness, every time he heard it. Even though it obviously wasn’t harsh, or the first time he heard any of it. Chris replied, “If there isn’t anything about it, nothing to it, or,.. or, or, substance, you can’t have a liking for something that isn’t there.” Seph just smiled back, every time it made him smile.      “But an expression of nothing is still an expression, especially when it comes to an artistic sense.”      “But if you leave a blank canvas blank, you can’t call that art!”      “The mug isn’t blank though.”      “It just has a stupid sunset and sunrise on it!”      “It’s the Birth and Death of the Day.”      “Don’t do that! You always do that! Just because you call it something different doesn’t give any more meaning than it should have.” Chris wasn’t fuming, but levels were rising. Seph could have been modeling for a casual gentlemen’s magazine, his smile was so consistent.      “But that’s all the meaning it needs.”      “If there’s nothing, then that obviously means it needs more.”      “It’s exactly what it needs to be. Just like your coffee mug.”       Chris raised a finger, “No, no, no.” He took a breath, “First off, I change out my coffee mugs, I don’t always have the same one. Second, this one is exactly what it needs to be, because it has meaning.” Seph scoffed and said, “It’s just the periodic chart.” Chris raised his finger again, Seph imagined him with a lab coat on and goggles. “Every little detail of my mug has meaning, where as your is just something that happens naturally. A person can sleep through the day and never even realize that the sun came up and went down. Where as my mug can explain why that happens.”       Seph was pretty certain that Chris’s statement wasn’t true, but he let him have it anyway. He just smiled at his friend and said, “And you know what every single one of those symbols stands for? You can name every element?”       Chris looked at him, with a soft dirty look and said, “No, but I’m learning again.” Seph kept his smile, and said, “Yeah, maybe I’m learning the symbols on my mug also.” Chris’s retort was faster than the blink of an eye, “A sunset and sunrise are not symbols!”       “The Death and Birth of the Day is”       “No it’s not!”       Just then the coffee maker beeped. It made both of their heads turn toward the coffee maker and then back at each other. Seph’s smile had faded just a bit but it came back in full when he said, “Coffee?”