#I forgot how small the tumblr preview is

[rustingcat]

tagged by @inkedroplets who tagged me in a few things now, and I forgot to answer some of them. Shame on me, but thanks for the tag, darling:)

1. What sort of content do you create, and what is the thing you’ve made that you’re most proud of?

I started with art, then began writing, then started animating, and recently uploaded a fanvid 😅

I'm proud of them all because they are all part of the progress 😌

2. What fandom(s) do you create for?

Supergirl. I'm counting my Sadie/Saskia vid as supercorp.

3. What is your current favourite ship (or brotp if you prefer), and how controversial is it?

Supercorp. And apparently a lot of people don't like them because they hated supergirl? (At least according to tumblr tags in polls. But those people also accuse them of being too straight...)

4. For your answer to question 3, are they canon?

They are in my heart. Also, I feel that their last conversation was as close to canon as they could get.

5. What was your first fandom, and how old were you?

I was deep into Harry Potter for a long while in my life. That's what got me into fanfiction and tumblr. I still have a sweet spot for what it represented to me in my childhood and the stuff I took away from it despite the actions of some extreme lady.

6. What is your most unhinged fandom creation to date?

My Twilight Au fic 🤣

Was written as a parody, but somehow ended up being way too wholesome.

The power of pasta is my one crack fic, so there's also that.

7. Do you remember what started you off creating fandom content, and if so, what was it?

I was an avid consumer for years, but it was all thanks to the Supergirl fandom that I dared to try and create something. I was in the process of coming out and accepting myself for who I am, which, despite being in a very open and accepting environment and family, was really hard on me. Both the show, and especially the fandom, were what helped me not only to come out but also to see it in a positive light. It made me understand the meaning of pride, and I am forever grateful for that. That's why I decided to dedicate my time to creating stuff myself as thanks to this amazing community and to do my best to keep it active.♥️

8. Do you let people you know in real life see your fandom creations?

Some, yes. I have a few friends who know I write, but had not read any of my stuff. I have a few I share my art with, though.

9. How do you feel about fanworks of fanworks? Has anyone ever made something based on a thing you made?

Someone wrote a fic based on my art a while ago, and I'm still excited about it!

10. What feeling do you most often try to evoke with your creations?

Depends on the content. Each piece has its own purpose. I try to aim for fluff, but I've been told I accidentally write a lot of angst... oops?

11. Has someone ever paid your work a compliment (in any form) that has stuck with you, and what was it?

I'm always excited when fandom friends tell me they like my stuff. Or just anyone in general. It just warms my heart.

12. What’s your favourite thing someone else has made that you’ve seen in the last 24 hours (and link it if you can find it again!)

Have you read the most recent space log update? It's pretty cool...

13. Give a small sneak preview of something you’re working on right now (eg a couple of sentences of fic from a WIP, a gif set theme, a small piece of a larger picture, whatever you feel happy to share)

"Alex, you're saying that as if we're not literally standing at the entrance of a school for fairies." Kara said as she rested her hand on the handle of her large blue suitcase.

"Fair point."

"It is ridiculous, isn't it? Like, fairy collage, it just sounds so…"

"Bizarre?" Alex raised an eyebrow as a small chuckle escaped her lips.

Kara sheepishly nodded.

"Well, yes. Very. But that's our lives now, I suppose," Alex shrugged and shoved her hands in her jeans's pockets.

"You mean my life. You're going to badass school for ass kicking," Kara teased her sister.

Because apparently I'm not done making AUs based on questionable IPs.

And a bit of my card game AU:

Lena was the one to drag Andea to sneak out of school for a change. Only unlike her best friend, Lena didn't drag her out to a party or to drink alcohol, but instead to the local game shop where she could learn more about that mysterious game. Andrea wasn't as excited as her, but reluctantly agreed (if only to get out of trigonometry class). Fight for Justice, while being a bit too cheesy, Lena couldn't deny the strange allure of the name. She was fascinated to learn the different ways the game could change from moment to moment, the various objectives one can approach to win the game, and she couldn't help but absolutely adore the art on each and every card.

14. Have you ever seen/read anything made by the person who tagged you? If so, what was it and what was your favourite thing about it? (pick a favourite if there are several)

Rich girl with issues is a masterpiece, and you should all go read it!

15. Do you leave comments on fandom works, and if so how would you describe your comment style?

I try to always comment, and especially on stuff I like. I don't think I have a specific style tho😅

16. How many works in progress do you currently have? Will you finish them all?

I have about 12 that I actively started, but more that are in the concept phase. Ideally, I'll finish them all eventually.

17. what’s the longest it’s ever taken you to finish a fandom project?

It's been almost 2 years since I started The Art Of The Game. I'm close to the end, but it's been a while...

18. Describe the thing you made most recently in a way that is technically true, but also completely misleading. Link the thing if it’s published!

The hottest new trailer for the film we all have been waiting for;)

19. Do you ever engage with fanworks for a fandom you’re not in? Which one(s) and how did you get into it?

I feel like a foreigner when I see stuff from other fandoms, and I usually don't know enough about it to interact with it.

20. Recommend a fan work from your fandom to your followers

@awaitingrain has some really amazing artwork with adorable chibi designs! I'd recommend checking out her stuff!

Suggested tag list, but there are no rules here, follow your heart.

@eqt-95 @fazedlight @autisticlenaluthor @snowydragonscave @missluthorwillseeyounow @luthordamnvers have fun;)

[dollria]

Ria helppp 😭😭

how do u make the colorful font?!! (Like the above)

Bc i've been following kazushawty tuto but it won't work 😔😔

AHH OMG YEAYEA (honestly those r kinda complicated and idk why tumblr wont just let us do it in the app but anyway 😒)

okayokay so this website is what i use

1. so the red circled box is just where u put whatever text you want (certain special symbols don’t work tho)

2. the orange one lets you pick if you want one color, two colors, three colors, a gradient that goes from the middle, ANYTHING! try it out and look at the preview!!

# i forgot to circle it but right below (that red and blue box) you can pick your colors! i always get colors of images i use from this color picker website and just paste the codes there (for example like #e094be that’s a shade of pink ^^)

# the yellow scribbled thingy (4 & 5) is irrelevant, 5 just lets you see what your text will look like!

3. the green circled thingy is what you have to copy!

then you have to go to the web version of tumblr (so not the app) and make a post.

when you click HTML text editor your post should look like this if it’s empty and you haven’t written anything yet.

you can delete that <h1><br></h1> thingy it’s irrelevant.

okay remember that thing we had to copy in step 3?

paste it!

then you have that whatever you wanna call it and you’re done! you can treat it like normal text and make it bold, small, italic, cross it out, make it indented whatever you want!

if this is confusing i’m so sorry but i hope i was able to help you 😞!

[mansnovembris]

I kinda forgot that I said I wouldn't be posting my drop grabs on 🐦 anymore, so Tumblr, can I please just share...

My perfect little fire crotches. 😂 i am floored by how beautiful those Zanes are! I started screaming when they were previewed days before and made up my mind I'd have to get them.

Madetowere asked for pour inspo and suggestions. I love making suggestions, but most times shops get so many good ones that mine either don't get picked up or when they do, they might not be what I had in mind. I went with a lava theme because right now I'm into freaking hell demons:

I also requested soft Zanes in both sizes and models (they have barbed and smooth) because I've been wanting one of each.

I figured they'd maybe do a large of each style or the small... maybe a large and small of the same style. I had no idea they'd do the whole Zayn family! If I had the funds (and space) I would have tried to grab them all, but I went with a barbed large and smooth small. Someone already got the barbed small, but the smooth large is still up for grabs as of now.

i also wasn't expecting them to do double sided suction cups so imagine my surprise when I was browsing and saw the most perfect mini white (I would have been happy with either black or white) and it glows!!!

Wonderful second drop! I've been wanting to make a purchase from Madetowere for months, but just haven't been able to find the right one (I tried for that near clear lava lamp colorshift Bade a while back, a Zane before that, and a black suction cup sometime in between and they all sold out)

i WILL say I cannot wait to be done with drops! My anxiety is horrible, and seconds before the drop hit, my fingers went tingly and numb. I still have no idea how I was able to snag all three.

[nova-stardragon]

Chapter 9 of If He Hollers

...is on AO3!!

Go read it :)

Also idk if anyone on tumblr is actually interested in this but I could do a tag list? If y'all would like to be notified when I post a new chapter of a fic.

Preview below the cut <3

Lucien

I waited patiently outside the library for Elain to emerge. I hadn’t wanted to go in, because I was fairly certain males weren’t allowed in there (I wasn’t about to test it). But I was able to catch a priestess going inside, and ask her if she could find Elain for me and send her out.

That was several minutes ago. I wasn’t sure how large the library was, but I was beginning to think that perhaps Elain wasn’t here anymore.

Just then, she emerged, holding three books to her stomach. I looked at the books, the first one catching my eye.

Customs and Traditions of the Autumn Court

“Lucien – is everything alright? What happened to you?”

Ah, yes. I forgot that Rhys had more than likely left several bruises on me. “It’s not important. I got into a small fight with Rhysand.” I said. “Here, let me carry those for you.”

She handed them over wordlessly, and I took the opportunity to examine them. Another was The Brief History of the Autumn Court , and the last one was Mated Pairs through the Ages

“Interesting reading material.” I observed.

[dirkdangerous]

hello cuphead tumblr . because last time y’all ate up my fic preview have a fanfic that i wrote a year ago and gave up on.

Ding! The elevator to hell reached the Devil’s throne room and opened to reveal an anxious cup and an equally nervous lackey. “Err uhh, this is y’er stop!” The small purple demon scratched his head and gestured for the kid to exit the elevator.

Part of Henchman was hoping Cuphead would ask to return to the surface— the poor boy was surrendering himself to the Devil, unable to handle the neverending nightmares and the danger he put his brother and caretaker in. As much as Henchman loved seeing his boss happy, Cuphead was just a kid and didn’t deserve to lose his soul so young.

“Okay..” Cuphead hesitantly stepped forward and looked around. His legs were trembling; once off the elevator, he felt like he couldn’t take another step without collapsing. It was beginning to occur to him what a terribly stupid idea this all was.

“Cuphead?”

Cuphead spun around to locate the source of the voice— it was King Dice. “DICE?!” He hugged the former game show host’s leg, clinging on like a sloth to a tree. “I thought you were dead ‘cuz you were replaced on your show! Wait, do you owe the Devil your soul, too?”

“Uh—”

“Since you’re here maybe having no soul won’t be that bad after all! We can be… soulless mates?!” Cuphead was talking a million miles an hour, grinning wide from ear to ear. Clearly he forgot about Dice’s show being rigged… and the fact that he was literally giving up his conscience.

King Dice opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn’t get any words out— not that he could fit a sentence in between Cuphead’s rambling anyways. He just nodded his head and took Cuphead by the hand to walk him down the room. He tried to take this kid’s soul on Roll the Dice just a week ago and failed, but NOW he’s just giving it up?

“Y’know what’s funny? That guy in the elevator sounds a lot like the Henchman! Y’know, the guy who replaced you on your show? And he’s also like the Devil’s henchman! I should’ve asked for his name. Crazy!” Cuphead laughed at the irony, but Dice could only force a chuckle, “So.. funny..”

King Dice cleared his throat to get the attention of the ruler of Hell, “Umm.. sir?”

“Sir? Pfft, don’t be so formal with him! He’s just a big ol’ cat!” Cuphead cracked his knuckles and went to show Dice how professionals get the attention of The Devil.

He kicked the leg of the chair, immediately spinning it around and then leaped into the ‘big cat’s’ lap, “Hiya, Devil!”

The Devil had been half asleep in his chair and now suddenly awakened by his least favorite being on the Isles. Wait. Scratch that. Least favorite being in the world. His evening was off to a terrible start. “Ew! What are you doing down here? How are you down here?” He shoved the cup off of him and brushed himself off, shuddering in disgust.

Cuphead’s goofy grin fell into a frown. “I’m.. um..” He looked down at his fingers as he fiddled with them. He was regretting coming down there. His brother was going to wake up to him missing. His Elder Kettle didn’t even know about the entire Devil situation, so how would he feel? He felt like he was about to throw up. Why didn’t he think this through before he came down here?

“He’s turning his soul in.” Dice finished the kid’s sentence for him.

Devil looked down at Dice, cocking an eyebrow, “Oh, really?” His scowl became a smug smirk, “Number one, go fetch my pitchfork.”

“Who?” Cuphead looked around the hall. It was just the four of them? Who was ‘number one’?

King Dice stepped forward and headed out of the throne room, “Yes, boss.”

Cuphead’s eyes followed the former host, shrinking to pea-size as he processed the last few seconds. He looked like he had just been shot. His face was paler than usual and his jaw agape. “W-What?” He sputtered, eyes welling with tears. “H-He..” The cup was on his knees, refusing to believe his idol worked for The Devil. This was all just another bad dream.. right? He was going to wake up and he’d be back in bed, at home with Mugman, Elder Kettle and the goat from the front yard.

The Devil smirked and tapped his fingers along the arm of the chair, “Oh, that’s right you didn’t know that your silly little idol works for me.”

Cuphead couldn’t get sounds out of his mouth. He couldn’t even hear his thoughts as his brain raced a million miles an hour. There was no way anything that was happening right now, was actually happening.. right?

“I’ll let you in on a little backstage secret,” The Devil leaned over and whispered in Cuphead’s ear [??????], “The mystery prize room ? That leads to your soul spending eternity in Hell.”

The kid looked like he was about to pass out. He thought the room lead to ice cream.

[ministarfruit]

minifemslashfeb day 1: “what are we?” ♡

[dngrcpckwithmurdericing]

More disabled sewing with Ivinenn!

Today on Disabled Sewing With Ivinenn, we have part 2 of bra-making. This post is also available at Dreamwidth for the full web 1.0 experience.

Part 1 is at this link for Tumblr; at this link for Dreamwidth.

I forgot to write a post about finishing my version of the Lengberg Castle bra! So here is what it ended up looking like on me:

It turned out very very comfortable, but not quite what I wanted - the darts just felt really wrong. You can see in this picture that I actually made the darts face different ways for each cup to see which was better, but I did not like either:

It also had way too much ease, even after I marked it up and modified it to be tighter:

So I started another garment, this time determined to move the darts into gathers on the bottom and sides.

Even though I KNOW that gathers don't provide as much support because they are looser by definition, I was still surprised that the gathers did not provide much support. Also I was not ultimately thrilled with the shape.

I guess I should have titled this one "neurodivergent sewing" because as you can see from the below pictures, I measured/draped, and then added several inches, because when I looked at the pattern from my measured/draped toile, I thought, "That is too small." Ahoy dysphoria!

I am very very fat, but apparently not as fat as I think I am, although this past week multiple doctors were grossed out by my fat body! Love the medical industry for me.

Anyway, this bra is made of pink cotton gauze so lightweight it is almost cheesecloth. This is a picture I took while putting together the third iteration of bust cups - I doubled the material and it is still transparent. It's so so so nice to sew, though - unlike when I was sewing with the beige muslin (or, if you look, you can see blue fabric with white and yellow flowers - that's a quilting cotton I was using for mockups) I didn't even need a thimble, even when I was making an eyelet through eight layers.

Here are my silly eyelets that are so so so big, threaded with a piece of string I made by sewing scraps together and then rolling them and then just whipstitching. Catch me making a tube that has to turn inside out! Never! My fingers simply cannot accomodate that kind of finesse.

Ultimately, v2 of the bra is not bad, but not what I want. But ok for wearing around the house! I guess I could mark it up and adjust it and make it tighter and more supportive but instead I moved on to iteration 3.

By the way: I know that you are “supposed to” sew in matching thread, BUT:

1. Thread matching neon pink cotton gauze is difficult and I don’t want to spend the money when I already have a spool of 5,000 yards of blue cotton thread;

2. It is MUCH easier to see what I’m doing when I can see the thread;

3. I knew this wasn’t going to be a final version, and I knew I wanted to upload it to tumblr, so I wanted to make sure YOU could see the thread. Look at my wonky stitches! Look at how nothing is the same size! And yet it is a garment that sticks together. I have had really bad tremors these past few weeks from weather related migraines, and also one of my medications, so my stitches will never be the tiny, neat stitches of a professional sewist, but that is OK by me.

Preview of iteration 3: the 3-piece bust cup.

To give you a sneak peek, here is the first version of this cup - three pieces. When I made it from the double-layered gauze, I then had to cut, like, viking style godets - 1 into the top of the inside and 1 into the top of the outside; then I had to match the top piece, so it got 3 godets. Exhausting. By the time I was done, my hand was trembling too much to take a picture. NEXT TIME.

(I KNOW I can buy underwires, but I don't WANT an underwire bra. If I wanted an underwire bra, I could just go to Lane Bryant and drop $80 on one that would be uncomfortable and I wouldn't be able to breathe. My ultimate goal here is to actually be able to make these "bras" with a longer torso so that I can wear them as shirts under cardigans when I have to go into the office.)

Anyway, I suspect part of the problem is the fabric I'm using. Loosely woven fabric just IS NOT IT for this kind of project. I know other folks have used linen, but I find that the linen I like against my skin is also too loosely woven; plus I am not here for things that cannot be thrown into the washer with all my other garments. I think a cotton sateen might feel nice but be too heavy. I don't want a fabric that is man-made ("man-made") like rayon, and I don't want something plastic like polyester. I also am on multiple medications that make me overheat, in addition to just being a person who is always hot in general, so while I feel like a wool suiting would actually be PERFECT for this, I could not bear it.

Coming soon to my mailbox is a selection of 21 yards of fabric in 8 different weights - yes, I'm getting a cotton sateen, but I'm also getting a voile (slightly heavier than gauze but still light!) and a poplin shirting (crisp! tightly woven!).

I am also getting two different cotton knits, because I like pain. I mean. I do like pain, but actually not the kind of pain that comes with hand-sewing a knit. But I want some tank tops and I really need a knit for that unless I want to go through The Pain Of Braless Boobs In A Garment With Darts.

In other news, Mariah Pattie made basically exactly what I want to make out of the Lengberg Castle bra pattern, but since she is, you know, like, a professional sewist, hers look amazing. Envy!

[mcbigbang]

Welcome to the second McHanzo Reverse Bang! Sign ups start on October 5th, until then just share this post and spread the word!

 Schedule:

5th October - 20th November - Sign ups

21st - 26th November - Art Submissions

27th - 30th November - Art previews, Claims and Match ups

12th - 13th December - First partner check ins( to make sure everyone is in contact)

20th - 25th January - Second partner check ins 

20th - 25th February - Final check ins and Posting schedule

March - Posting (exact dates TBA)

These dates are subject to minor changes during the course of the event. All changes will be announced ahead of time.

 Guidelines and important info to know before you sign up

Every participant should follow the central event blog or join the Discord, and be aware of the schedule so that everything can be done on time (reminders will be posted before each major part of the event, but please don’t make the mods have to message you personally because you forgot to send things in)

All check ins and submissions are going to be done through emails, however only the admin and one mod will have access to the event email and your email address will not be visible to anyone else

Emails are gathered in the sign up form only so that you can get a copy of your form and your confirmation email from us 

The art you submit for claims should be a rough sketch, so the claims are as anonymous as possible; writers should pick the art based on the idea and not who the artist is

If you’re not comfortable posting a longer story on one day, this event may not be for you

If you’re not comfortable sharing your wip with your partner, this event may not be for you

FAQ (below the cut)

What is a Reverse Bang? A Reverse Bang is kind of the opposite of a Big Bang; an event that spans over a couple of months, where artists come up with idea concepts and draw art, and writers write stories based on that art.

How do I participate? To participate, you just have to sign up. Artists can immediately start working out their ideas and sketching stuff.

What do I have to create? Artists have to create at least 1 finished piece of art that includes Hanzo, McCree, or McHanzo, and 1 small banner for the project as a whole with the story title and both partner names.

Writers have to write a story based on the art that is at least 8 000 words long.

Can I sign up as a writer and an artist? Definitely, if you think you can manage it! Just keep in mind that this may be a lot of work for you. 

Can I sign up if I already have a partner? Of course! You both need to fill out the sign up form and fill out the necessary info (there is a category for this as well). You won’t go through the claims process unless you want to do more than one project, but everything else is the same.

Where and when do I post? For this event, artists will have to post on Tumblr (and you can post on any other site as well, but the Tumblr post is mandatory). The reason for this is that you will be creating the archive posts yourself so I don’t have to repost the art on the blog. Posting will be explained in detail a bit later on.

Each writer and artist pair will get a specific day during the posting period on which you post your works in full. This means the story has to be fully posted on the assigned day.

What happens if I have to drop out? That’s okay, it happens and it’s not a problem, just make sure to email or message us to let us know as soon as possible. Please understand that dropping out after claims means you’re leaving your partner alone and we need time to find them someone else to work with, so letting the mods know as soon as possible is important. We don’t need to know why you’re leaving, just that you are!

Can I post teasers of my work? Unfortunately, you’re not allowed to post snippets or teasers because all entries have to be completely new and never posted. You should share your work with your partner and the mods for check ins if asked to do so, but other than that it should remain unposted until March. Sharing with the other participants in the Discord server is okay after claims go through.

Can other ships be included in the project? You’re more than welcome to add other ships and characters to your work, as long as the story is focused on McCree, Hanzo, or their relationship, whatever kind it may be. The type of their relationship, romantic or platonic, is completely up to you. However, please refrain from incestuous relationships or ships where one person is underage.

What do claims look like? Claims for the Reverse Bang will work the same as for the Big Bang: artists will submit sketches of their work with a short description of what the finished piece will look like. Writers will then get access to the art file and they will have a day to look through all entries, before picking their top 5 and submitting them in the claims file. The claims will be on a first come, first serve basis.

What’s different this time? Unlike the previous run of the Reverse Bang, artists will not include any prompts or ideas this time around for claims. You will be asked to submit just a sketch of the art, and all claims will be based on that. Once you’re partnered up, the way you brainstorm and figure out ideas for the story is solely between you and your writer, but it goes without saying that artists should approve of the story idea before the story is written (unless agreed upon otherwise between the artist and writer).

If there’s anything we didn’t cover here, don’t hesitate to send an ask or a DM!

[theclawsareoutandthespotsareon]

👀👀👀 I FINALLY wrote something for Miraculous Ladybug.

Also whyyyyyy does Tumblr hate me it took forever to format this

Things that cannot be unsaid (a balcony to cry on)

Preview;

“It shouldn’t surprise me at this point,” Gabriel continued, “in these past few years you have made it clear to me that a failure is all you are ever going to be. The only redeeming quality you had was that you could have at least been a decent model, but you are a failure at that too! A disappointment and a failure, it’s no surprise Emilie left if it meant she could be free of the utter fucking failure her pathetic son has become!”

////

Gabriel takes things a step too far, and Adrian goes to the only place he’s ever felt safe.

///////

“Where have you been?” Those four words stopped Adrian cold, foot still half raised to the next step on the winding staircase in the foyer.

Adrian had finally gotten home after yet another akuma battle, Plagg so exhausted that Adrian had risked walking home rather than overtaxing his kwami. He had desperately hoped that Nathalie would let him get to his room without alerting his father, but it appeared that hope had been in vain. He saw her standing slightly behind his father now, who’s imposing figure stood directly between Adrian and his escape route to his room.

“I asked you where you have been” Gabriel practically spat, “and I dearly hope you have a satisfactory answer.”

“There was an akuma attack,” Adrian said after a moment, eyes focused just above his father, “I-”

“That is not good enough!” Gabriel’s voice was loud in the silent foyer, “You were supposed to come directly home after your photoshoot. A photoshoot you apparently never showed up at! Instead you were off with your needless school friends and costing my company hundreds of euros. Nathalie also informed me that you have been giving sub-par performances in all your lessons as well!” His father cast a quick glance at Nathalie who confirmed his statement with a nod, not sparing a glance at Adrian.

“I’m sorry Father.” Adrian said, voice small. He hated that. He could face down an army of Akuma that could and would kill him and crack jokes. But in front of his father, a man who Adrian could probably toss across the room in his civilian form, he was afraid to even look in the eye.

“As you should be,” Gabriel replied, turning to give his full (unwanted) attention back to Adrian. “Ever since you went galavanting off to Lycèe you’ve become nothing but a disappointment.”

Adrien just barely suppressed a flinch at Gabriel’s cutting words. More and more whenever he had the rare chance to see his father, in person or on that damn tablet, it was only so the former could berate Adrian about all his recent failures.

“It shouldn’t surprise me at this point,” Gabriel continued, “in these past few years you have made it clear to me that a failure is all you are ever going to be. The only redeeming quality you had was that you could have at least been a decent model, but you are a failure at that too! A disappointment and a failure, it’s no surprise Emilie left if it meant she could be free of the utter fucking failure her pathetic son has become!”

By the end of his tirade Gabriel was practically in Adrian’s face, and in trying to lean back Adrian’s foot slipped and he went crashing down the stairs, limbs flailing as his exhausted reflexes failed to respond.

At one point in his fall his chin had gotten slammed on the corner of a stair, and by the time he reached the bottom his freshly split lip was already welling up with blood. As Adrian lied there in shock blood slowly dropping onto the cold marble floor, he felt himself begin to tremble.

Looking up he immediately found his father’s cold eyes regarding him, filled with disappointment and loathing. Not a hint of remorse or kindness was left in his father's steely gaze, and when he turned slightly he saw that Nathalie held a similar expression.

“Pathetic,” was all his father said, and suddenly Adrian needed to get out.

With unquardenated limbs Adrian got slowly to his feet, chest heaving as his throat got tight and tears gathered in his eyes. There was only one place he could think to go at a moment like this, and for the millionth time he was so, so very grateful that he and ladybug had revealed their identities to each other months ago.

With one last glance at Gabriel, his father, Adrian turned-tail and fled out the door.

////

“...What have I done?” Gabriel’s voice shook once the sound of footsteps and slamming doors had faded, leaving the Agreste Mansion in horrified silence.

“Sir…” Nathalie couldn’t think of anything to say, still shocked by her own actions as well. “Let… let Adrian go for now. Going after him will only lead to you both saying more things you regret. For now we should look back over the potential Akuma plans we were talking about last week.”

“Yes, I um, you are correct Nathalie. Let’s head up to-” Gabriel cut off with a hiss, hand reaching up to clutch his tie, under which the Butterfly miraculous was practically scorching him.

“It’s, it must be Adrian. I should…” He shared a glance with Nathalie before slowly lowering his hand. “Let's go over those potential Akuma, Nooroo is too exhausted to make another tonight.”

“As you wish sir.” Nathalie replied softly, and together they made their way up to Gabriel’s office to plan. Besides, once they succeeded everything would be set back to the way it was supposed to be.

////

Ka-thump!

Marinette jolted upright from her uncomfortable position face-down on the desk in front of her computer, sending her abandoned homework fluttering to the floor as she brushed loose hair out of her face. She had spent the past half hour unsuccessfully trying to solve the first question on her physics homework, and had been in the process of falling asleep when the sudden sound from her balcony put her on high alert. She threw a quick glance to Tikki, who was sitting up tiredly from her little nest, half eaten cookie lying forgotten.

It had been a rough week. In total there had been twelve Akuma that had all taken at least two lucky charms and more than a few cataclysm’s to defeat, and each and every one had managed to land at least one devastating hit to both Ladybug and Chat Noir. They had just fought the last one no more than two hours ago, and she and Chat had practically collapsed onto each other when they had finally defeated it.

As she moved up to her bed Tikki flew and settled on her shoulder, half hidden in Marinette’s hair. “If this is another akuma,” Marinette muttered, “Hawkmoth needs a better freaking hobby.”

She paused before she opened her skylight, listening for any clues as to what out there, but besides the murmur of a passing car the streets were quiet. Marinette quietly pushed open the skylight, poking her head out while still making it so that she could slam it shut should something jump at her.

When nothing happened for several seconds Marinette had almost convinced herself that whatever it was had been a figment of her exhausted mind when the muffled sounds of sobbing reached her ears.

Alarmed Marinette pushed herself fully up onto her balcony and just about screamed at the sight that greeted her; Illuminated by the fairy lights she often forgot to turn off, Adrian Agreste was curled up in the smallest ball possible where railing met brick, sobbing into his hands as

Plagg hovered directly in front of him, trying to comfort him however he could.

“Plagg? Why- what happened?” Tikki’s high voice was shrill in Marinette’s ear, and caused the ting god to tiredly turn towards the two.

“Hey Sugarcube,” Plagg greated quietly, his sharp green eyes glanced quickly back at Adrian before he turned to address Marinette. “Wish we could meet again under better circumstances little bug- could you come help me out here? I’ll tell you everything you want to know while you get my Kit calmed down.”

Marinette gave a shaky nod in reply and slowly scooted over to where her partner was, stopping an arms length away as she took a moment to really see him. “What, what happened Plagg?” she repeated Tikki’s earlier question, slowly reaching one hand out but stopping abruptly when Adrian flinched from the motion. Seeing as her partner usually relished in any kind of physical contact, this further proved to Marinette that something was very wrong.

“His father is what happened,” Plagg said with disgust, “said a bunch of shitty things to my kit about how he’s a ‘disappointment’ and basically said that it was Adrian’s fault that his mom left!” By the end of it Plagg was fliting about like he was just holding himself back from rushing to the Agreste Manor and cataclysming Gabriel himself.

“Oh minou-” Marinette’s heart broke for her partner, and with slow movements she reached out once more and slowly and gently pulled Adrian’s hands down so she could properly see his face. The puffy, red-rimmed eyes and tear tracks she sadly expected, but the blood on his chin and hands was not. A split lip was still slowly oozing blood and several of his nails had been chipped and torn, prompting Marinette to once again look to Plagg for answers.

“Asshole practically pushed him down the stairs,” was Plaggs angry reply, “And when he ran over here he didn't bother to transform so he hurt himself climbing up here.” By the end of Plagg’s explanation Adrian was finally starting to come back to himself, and Marinette moved so she was sitting more comfortably in front of him, Tikki perched once again on her shoulder and Plagg going to curl up in Adrian’s messy hair.

“Hey kitty,” Marinette greeted softly, and as Adrian’s eyes slowly focused on her she continued in a low, calm tone, “gave me a bit of a scare there.” Suddenly she had an arm full of shaking Chat as her partner tried to burrow himself deeper into her shoulder.

“M’lady- Mari, I oh I couldn’t-” his voice broke off as he cried harder, “h-he said, he said I was a d- he said my mom-!”

“I know Kitten, I know. And you have to know that everything he said was a lie minou. You're not a disappointment to anyone. Without you I wouldn't be half the ladybug I could be,” she continued to soothe while rubbing small circles in his back.

“Let’s go sit somewhere a bit more comfortable, eh Chatton? I don't know about you but after that last Akuma sitting on the floor is probably the last thing I want to do.” She got a choked laugh in response, which Marinette considered it a win.

After a while and some careful maneuvering they were mostly settled on the small couch Marinette had moved out to her balcony after one too many nightly chats ended up with her and Adrian sprawled uncomfortably against the wall of her balcony. Adrian’s sobbs had dwindled down to the occasional sniffle as the four of them sat quietly and watched the darkening sky.

“Feel a bit better now?” Marinette eventually asked, shifting so she could look her exhausted partner in the eye.

“Yes, No, I just- kinda just feel empty,” Adrian admitted, reaching up to rub at his eyes and accidently smearing some of the mostly dried blood on his chin.

“Ok, well for now let's head inside so we can change and clean that blood off. in the morning we can talk with Mamam and papa and we'll go from there. There's no need to try and sort it all out now. Besides, I think my papa has some leftover Camembert from some danishes he was testing out.”

At the mention of cheese Plagg perked up slightly, and with a soft glance at Adrian he dragged Tikki along with him to help on his quest.

After a quick shared smile Adrian and Marinette slowly followed their kwami, supporting each other as they prepared to face their next challenge.

Because they were marinette and Adrian, but more importantly they were ladybug and chat noir. No matter the challenges they would face they would overcome them.

It was them against the world. Together.

[artificialqueens]

Wasteland, Baby, Chapter 1 (Crygi, Nicky x Jaida) - Metaluna

A/N: Hey, everyone! Here’s chapter two. Just to self plug, I made a tumblr for my writing, and you can find me on ao3 as metaluna. 

chapter summary: Crystal confides her insecurities about the end of the world with a  friend. Gigi and her friends make their own plans, and meet a bubbly blonde along the way

After shutting off the TV and downing her glass of wine, Gigi turned off her tablet. Even though she totally didn’t believe it, because there’s no way the world was ending, she went to the fridge and grabbed an entire bottle. After taking off the cork, she went to pour it into a glass before electing to drink straight from the bottle.

When she returned to the couch, she turned the TV onto the Real Housewives of Some City. Gigi was too numb to pay attention or care which city. She wasn’t sure why, because none of it was real. None of the catty fights were holding her attention. She was just staring at the TV mindlessly chugging wine.

Right as she finished the bottle, she heard a knock on the door. Gigi managed to stumble her way to the door.

“Oh my god, what are you guys doing here?” Gigi slurred.

Standing at the door were her two best friends, Jaida and Nicky.

Nicky raised an eyebrow. “Having fun tonight?”

“Shut up.”

Jaida and Nicky both took one of Gigi’s arms and led her to the couch.

“Did you guys hear the world is ending?” she laughed. “Alexa, play It’s the End of the World as we Know it!”

“Chile, what are you doing?” Jaida questioned, genuinely concerned. She knew her friend enjoyed a glass of wine, but rarely did she get drunk. Gigi was too much of a control freak to ever willingly lose control.

The night that Jaida befriended Gigi was the only night she’d ever seen her drunk. It was at an after party for GG Designs’ first fashion show. Jaida was one of the models who walked in the show. That night, Jaida went into the bathroom to fix an eyelash when she saw a skinny blonde girl fumbling around looking like she was about to be sick. Jaida realized that the skinny blonde girl was the one who gave her a job.

Right as she put her hand on the door to leave Gigi lost her liquor narrowly avoiding Jaida’s Louboutins. She was genuinely concerned at how such a small person could hold so much vomit. Jaida spent the rest of that night holding back Gigi’s hair while she continued to throw up.

Ever since, they were best friends. The bond of a sober girl and a drunk girl in the bathroom knows no bounds.

“The world is ending! Who cares?”

“Gigi,” Nicky began. Her tone harsh. “We don’t know that. We don’t know what any of this is.”

Gigi dramatically took the remote from the couch and flipped until she found a news station.

“—fallout shelters are going to be available. The starting rate will be 10,000 dollars per person. They are available to reserve online.”

“Fallout shelters? Goddamn.” Nicky adjusted herself in her chair. “This has got to be pretty serious.”

“Who knows? It’s not like I pay attention to the news!”

“Gigi shut up,” Jaida lightly swatted her friend’s warms. “Is this something that we should look into?”

Jaida and Nicky discussed the pros and cons. Gigi chimed in occasionally, not adding anything of any value, other than that she was willing to pay for all of it. The three decided that their best option was to stay safe in a shelter just in case. There was one not far from them in LA. Check in was the next day.

—

Jaida and Nicky made it back to their studio apartment. They tucked a very wine drunk Gigi in on the couch. They knew their friend well enough that once she was sober, she would be in a better headspace. Before they left, they packed a bag for her.

Now, they had to the same for themselves.

Nicky sighed. “How are we supposed to pack up our whole lives? How do we even know this is going to happen?”

Jaida kissed her girlfriend’s forehead. “I know, baby. I hope it’s nothing. I really do. But just in case we need to be ready.”

Nicky looked at Jaida while she was packing. She loved her girlfriend so much. The models had Gigi to thank for their relationship. Gigi met Nicky a few months after she’d met Jaida. They met at a fitting Nicky had for an upcoming shoot for GG Designs.

After they talked, Gigi realized that she and Jaida would be a good match. After a month of protesting from both sides, they finally agreed to meet. The chemistry was instantaneous, and they started dating a couple of weeks later.

Once they finished packing, they sat on the couch together. Jaida rested her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder. They sat and said nothing. Both of them were trying to take in their surroundings. Neither of them wanted to forget what a single inch of that tiny apartment looked like.

A month into dating, Nicky’s lease ended, and Jaida couldn’t stand living with her roommates for another minute. The two of them became a stereotype and moved in together. There were so many memories in that apartment. The first meal they cooked together. The first time Jaida said she loved Nicky. The time they almost set their kitchen on fire. The walls were lined with memories that were about to be left behind.

Nicky and Jaida sat together for as long as they could.

Nicky nudged Jaida. “Babe, we have to go eventually.”

Jaida felt a tear run down her face. “Okay.”

“I know that this is home. I thought France was home. Home is when we are together.” She wiped Jaida’s tear. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

With one last look, the couple left their apartment for the last time.

Gigi didn’t know what to expect with the fallout shelter. It was beyond anything she would have imagined. The whole area was surrounded by a large barb wired fence. There were armed guards at each of the doors. The exterior looked like an army barracks. She could only imagine what the inside looked like.

They walked up to a scary looking man who was checking people in at the gates.

“Name?”

“It should be three for Georgiana Goode?”

“Go ahead. Here’s a map. I marked your room. It’s a four person bedroom. You will have a random roommate who is also female. There’s an itinerary as well. Do not miss orientation tonight.”

The shelter was bigger than Gigi thought it would be. There were four different buildings, and each building had 25 rooms. Each building had a community bathroom, a common area, a gym, and a dining hall. Their room was next to the dining hall. The bedroom was very cramped. Gigi’s dorm in college felt like it had more space. There were two bunk beds. The furniture looked like what would be at a cheap roadside motel, a stark contrast to Gigi’s chic home. She tried her hardest to hide her disgust for the place.

“I knew it was not going to be much but wow,” Nicky said, testing the cheap mattress.

“I mean…” Jaida trailed off looking at the furniture.

Both Nicky and Jaida came from a comfortable life. Their life was not as extravagant as Gigi’s, they lived in a one bedroom studio apartment, but they were used to a nicely furnished and decorated space. None of them were used to a cramped space primarily decorated with beige and army green.

Gigi sighed, sitting on a bed. “I can’t do this. This is a nightmare.”

“G. Calm down. It’s not great but we’re going to have to deal. Jaida and I aren’t happy either, but we’ll get through it together.”

Before Gigi could reply, the door opened. A bubbly looking blonde came through the door struggling to lug two large purple suitcases.

“Oh my god hi! I’m Jan. I really have no idea what’s going on. Oh my gosh, you guys are so pretty how are you? ” Gigi blinked and didn’t say anything.

“Excuse Miss Gigi here, she doesn’t know how to act.” Jaida gave Gigi side eye. “I’m Jaida. Nice to meet you.”

“My name’s Nicky.”

“Oh wow, are you from France? That’s so cool! I went to France when I was sixteen and it was really cool. What brought you to LA?”

“I moved over here to model.”

“A model? That’s awesome! Are you all models?”

“Nicky and I are,” Jaida explained. “Miss Gigi over here is a designer.”

“Wait. Wait a minute. Are you Gigi Goode? Like GG Designs?” Jan’s expression is stunned.

“Uh, yeah, I am.”

“Oh my gosh, I’m such a huge fan. I wore one of your dresses to the opening of a show I was in back when I was in New York a few months ago. The purple A-line? It was gorgeous. Wow this is an honor!”

“Thank you so much.” Gigi’s mood instantly improved. She loved all forms of attention, especially when she was being praised about something that she worked so hard on. People thought that Gigi was conceited, when in all actuality she was proud of her work. She’d worked so hard that she felt as though she deserved to be the way that she was.

“So Jan,” Jaida began. “What’s your story?”

“Okay. Well. I’m an actress and singer. I actually got my break being an understudy for Jenna in Waitress on Broadway. After that, I opened a Go-Go’s jukebox musical. It didn’t last long. We barely made it out of previews. That wasn’t great. Then, I moved out to LA for the out of town tryout of a revival of Anything Goes. I’m actually playing Reno. It’s so much fun! Well, uh, it was fun… before the president decided he’s going to end the world.” Jan laughed nervously.

The four girls continued becoming acquainted. Gigi, Jaida, and Nicky all liked Jan, even if she was a little over enthusiastic. Jan liked just about anyone who would talk to her, so a fast friendship was forming. They talked for so long, they lost track of time and almost forgot to go to the orientation.

The dining hall looked like what prisons looked like in movies. There were steel tables that looked cold. The linoleum was impeccably clean. The entire shelter was, even the tiny living spaces. The space was already packed. All the tables were full, so the girls elected to stand against the wall in the back.

An extremely intimidating woman who started speaking. Gigi realized that it was the woman who made the report on the news.

“Hello, everyone. My name is Michelle Visage. You all have been selected, or have paid, to survive the looming threat of nuclear war. This shelter has enough supplies for a year. You must now all say goodbye to your lives. After this meeting, the shelter is going to be sealed. No entering or leaving. If that is not something you can commit to for a full year, please let one of the guards in the back of the room know. By now you should have gotten your rooms and roommate assignments. If you have conflicts with your roommates, settle it like adults. We aren’t here to solve your roommate qualms. Meals are at 7, 12, and 6 and last one hour. Don’t be late. There is a common room that will have the news as up to date as possible. Other than that, you are free to roam about the shelter. I know that it’s not going to be easy. It doesn’t feel like home, and it won’t. But it’s the best we have. Welcome.”

On the way back to their room, Michelle’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “Now beginning lockdown procedures.”

There was a loud buzzing that filled the air. It was loud enough that Jan covered her ears. Gigi’s ears began to ring. There were loud slams as the lead walls came over the shelter. Even though the shelter looked the same as it did on the inside, Gigi felt a wave of claustrophobia envelop her. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

“Well,” she began. “I guess if the world’s ending I’m glad I’m with all of you.” — Crystal was angry at herself. She had no reason to be so stressed. This was something she was waiting the majority of her life for. Almost any situation that could happen, she was ready for. But yet, a part of her had always hoped that she had been preparing for something that would never happened. She didn’t want the world to end.

Her mind wandered, thinking of what could have been. There were so many scenarios that played in her mind. What if she would have went to the art school that offered her scholarships? What if she decided to move to Chicago with Jackie? What if she didn’t let her aunt have control over her life? None of it mattered. It was all going to end, and she hadn’t even lived her life. She knew nothing beyond her town.

The pit of her stomach felt like it had dropped to her feet. It is a feeling that she had felt many times throughout her life. She felt it right after the accident that killed her parents. She felt it when she had to tell the psychologist about the accident. The time that she felt it the most were the nights that her aunt drank too much and lashed out. The very first time she took solace in the basement is when she first moved.

The basement was her sanctuary. It is where she felt the safest, which is a feeling she longed for, ever since the accident. Ever since the day her parents died, she didn’t feel safe. But, when she spent time alone in the basement, she felt safe, if only for a moment. When she was younger, she and Jackie played in the basement. It is also where she worked on her art projects. When she was fifteen, she asked her aunt if she could paint the walls of the basement. For once, her aunt was agreeable, and let her.

As she stood in the basement, she admired her paintings. Painting the walls is what made her fall in love with painting. When she was first sent to live with her aunt, Crystal was mandated to see a child psychologist. The psychologist recommended that she draw how she felt. Ever since, she turned to painting as an emotional outlet. It was the one thing that she felt that she was good at.

In the corner of the basement, there was a makeshift bed Crystal made out of pillows. There were many times where Crystal fell asleep in the basement. Even though she now slept in the bed, she couldn’t bring herself to disassemble the pillows.

At some point, she’d fallen asleep. Around 2 A.M., she woke up from an incoming FaceTime. It was her best friend, her only friend, really, Jackie. Jackie had been around since Crystal first moved to Missouri. They became friends because they were both outcasts. Jackie’s mom was extremely strict, and didn’t let Jackie do a lot of the things that everyone else got to do. Because Jackie had no friends, she introduced herself to the new girl back in the seventh grade. They became friends and never looked back.

“Hi, babe,” Crystal said groggily.

Jackie’s eyes were red and puffy. “This is fucked.”

“Do you think this is actually going to happen?”

Because she studied political science with a concentration in foreign affairs, if anyone were to understand, it would be Jackie. Jackie wasn’t much of a crier, so the fact that Jackie looked so stressed, Crystal already knew the answer.

“Yeah. Yeah I do. I feel like this was going to happen eventually. I just happened after we were dead. The relations between us and North Korea have just went downhill ever since the president was elected. Unfortunately, because the way the president has completely managed to the checks and balances that we learned about in grade school, as much as the senate and house have tried, they can’t do much.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.”

After a silence, Crystal said, “So what are your plans about… all of this?”

“Honestly? I don’t know. I haven’t spoken to my mother in six years, and my dad died two years ago. I don’t really have anyone to be honest.”

“Do you want to come here? I think that I can do this. My aunt has been prepping me for this for the past ten years. But, like, what if it’s not enough? What if I’ve been waiting for this to happen all for nothing? I’m so afraid that I’m not ready for this.”

“Hey. Hey. Listen. If anyone can survive this, it’s you. I know that you don’t really like to talk about what she’s all taught you, but I know it’s a lot. And yes, I’d love to come over. It’s like a three hour drive, so it shouldn’t take too long. I think that traffic is going to probably be pretty bad because everyone is panicking. If I leave in about an hour I should be able to make the drive in probably four with traffic.”

“I don’t want the world to end. I always thought I turned into her, but I don’t think I did. She was sitting and waiting every day for this. I always hoped that it wasn’t going to happen. I wasted my whole life on this. I haven’t even left this damn town. There’s so much stuff in life that I’ve never gotten to do. Shit, Jackie, I’ve never even been kissed.”

“Crystal. Stop. You’re spiraling. You aren’t her. Even if you are know so much about all of this and could single handedly survive this, you never lost yourself. You’re still such a kind soul. You’re funny and put others before yourself constantly. You didn’t leave town just to take care of your aunt, and she was terrible to you.”

“Thanks, it’s the anxiety.”

“I mean it. Seriously. You’re one of the best people I’ve ever known.”

“Thanks, Jack.”

“Anyway, I better pack. I’ll see you soon.”

“Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

Crystal was so thankful for Jackie. She was the only one who could talk her out of spiraling. Somehow, Jackie always knew what to say. Even though she was an only child, she always thought that her friendship with Jackie is what it would be like to have a sister.

After managing to fall back asleep, Crystal was jolted awake by a knock at the door. She had barely managed to open the door before Jackie nearly tackled her to the ground with a hug. They hadn’t seen each other in about a year.

“It’s so good to see you.” Jackie’s voice was muffled, as her face was pressed into Crystal’s shoulder. “You too.”

“So.”

“So?”

“So what all do we need to do to… get ready?”

“Honestly?” Crystal started to absentmindedly play with her hair. “I have everything done. I check all the supplies about every month, and I just did it a couple weeks ago. The artillery is loaded, there’s enough food and supplies for a year. I also have a lot of honey. Honey is good because it’s something that is hard to come by, and can be bartered for. It also doesn’t really ever go bad. Oh. Do you know how to shoot?”

Jackie had no idea how she was so calm about all of this. Crystal was talking about the end of the world and playing with her hair, talking about guns? She knew that her friend was well versed in this, but she had no idea how nonchalant she was about it. It was like a switch was flipped. The normally anxious girl had never looked so self-assured.

“Uh, no. I’ve never shot a gun.”

“Would you be willing to learn?”

Guns made Jackie nervous. Going to her town’s Memorial Day celebration made her nervous because the gunshots made her scream. “Yeah. Yeah, I think so.”

“Okay. Cool. So I think all we have to do is teach you how to shoot. Don’t really it’s really easy. I’ve been doing it for like ten years. Also; would you be willing to learn how to use a Kearny meter?” Crystal saw how confused Jackie looked. “Oh, it’s just a radiation meter. It’s made out of a coffee can. Super easy, I promise.”

“I barely have any idea what you’re talking about, but I’m glad I’m spending the end of the world with a doomsday prepper.”

[noonmutter]

Little Blue Boxes

Morning brought with it the daily messages, but sometimes it also brought with it a pleasant surprise or two. The day's courier was a mailemental, specially requested for two reasons: because the package it carried required some measure of delicacy, and because the sender simply forgot to write down the actual address and only readily recalled that it was in Suramar, and it was a manor belonging to Guilliame Deucarde. That had, he'd been assured, been quite sufficient, so he'd happily paid for the service.

The box carried with it a small tinge of telemancy, though it wasn't obvious what it was doing on a box that proclaimed itself, with a smiling wolf's head logo, to be from 'The Cookbook.' An attached note was addressed in painstakingly handwritten calligraphy to 'Le Chat Élégant.'

The note read, in much plainer handwriting:

"My apologies if the name isn't spelled right or doesn't make sense. I had to ask someone for the right words and how to spell them, and you know some people like to be funny when someone asks for that kind of favor. I thought you'd like a preview of what I might bring for our outing later, and as I've been going stir crazy for lack of something to do while I recover, I opted to provide. Hope you like raspberries; they're my mum's recipe. Feel free to share with your lovely fiance, if he's keen to try them.

Looking forward to seeing you again, Leon E. Ambroce

PS: Sorry if you have trouble getting the sugar out of your clothes, but I don't have sufficient glitter for a proper Succulent Tart greeting, so I had to make do"

Inside the box, whose lid bore a rune similar to the ones used in Suramar wineries but slowed time down, rather than speeding it up, were three delicate raspberry-and-cream tartlets, lightly chilled and dusted with a heaping helping of powdered sugar. It was going to be a challenge to eat them without making an absolute mess of himself. 

Cheeky bugger.

(Can’t tag the recipient cuz there’s no tumblr to tag but I felt like posting it because people get a kick out of Leon being cute. Enjoy! )

[monstersandmaw]

Heads up, there's a mega dose of familial prejudice against a non-human partner in this one. It's still got a good old fluffy ending though, because it's me...

I intended it to be much shorter, but the story ran away with me and I cared too much about the characters to keep it to my original 1-2k word plan. It's 4131 words.

I really hope you enjoy this one. It's been a while since I've done one with a female monster and a male reader, so I'm sorry. This one is another Patreon exclusive, but the next one will go up on Tumblr a day later.

When the reader's sister announces her wedding date, and he brings his orcish girlfriend to their small-town wedding, things get heated. Luckily for him, Khara is one chilled out, open-minded, awesome orc.  

---

Chunky Preview

Her hand was on your thigh in a brief, chaste, affectionate squeeze the moment you’d climbed into her car. “How was work?” she asked in her husky, rich voice and you short circuited for a moment just seeing her again.

You’d only been dating for a month or so, but Khara had proven to be quite possibly the best thing that had ever happened to you. Admittedly you hadn’t actually told anyone back home that you were dating a six foot four orc, but you figured you’d get round to it at some point.

She’d introduced you to her family within about the first week, and you were already part of the clan it seemed. Her little brother was asking you for CV writing advice and her twin brother had put you through a series of subtle (and not so subtle) tests to see if you really did care for Khara. Apparently you’d passed with flying colours and they’d all laughed when you’d looked like you were about to pass out when you’d been told about it all.

You sighed. “Work sucked, as usual, but it was easier knowing I was going to see you afterwards,” you grinned, and she rolled her eyes and smacked you playfully with the back of her hand and laughed. A moment later she was leaning in to kiss you, her short, thick tusks nudging against your cheeks.

“Come on. Let’s go grab a beer and forget about work.”

You swivelled in your seat and slid your bag onto the back seat, careful to avoid dumping it onto her photography gear which covered one of the back seats of her big 4x4.

Her hand fell back to your thigh as she drove out of the car park where she’d picked you up, and you tipped your head back against the seat and groaned. It wasn’t a particularly sexual gesture, but just the splay of her fingers across the muscle of your thigh was enough to get you to forget about your shitty manager and your stressful day. You laid your own hand down atop hers and squeezed her fingers gently in yours. “Thanks,” you murmured.

A second later, your phone rang and you dug it out of your pocket with a scowl. When you saw the name on the screen, your heart sank. “It���s my mother,” you sighed and she laughed.

“You gonna tell her about me yet?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows. The question was not barbed; she knew how your family felt about non-humans. To have their precious eldest child dating one would have horrified them. They’d never even met a non-human in the small, backwater town where you’d grown up, so goodness knows what kinds of stories they’d heard and believed over the years…

You answered Khara’s question with a roll of your eyes and then accepted the call. “Hi, mum,” you said flatly.

She chirped your name, berated you for not calling more often, and then launched into a barrage of very boring family information, dotted with the odd question directed at you. “Oh, and of course, I nearly forgot!” she added after about five minutes of continuous monologuing. “It was the whole reason I called you! Georgia has set a date for the wedding!”

“Oh,” you managed, without enthusiasm. Your sister had been engaged for over a year now with no wedding date set before now.

“You’ll be coming, of course,” your mother breezed. “So, she tells me that Charlotte and Maria will both be alone this year, so I can put you between them at the singles table,” she said.

“That’s a little ambitious of you,” you sneered sarcastically. “Both of them?”

“Oh, don’t be silly,” she scoffed, more exasperated than amused. “I’m hoping that perhaps one of them will catch your eye. It’s been such a long time since you brought that lovely Kate home… I do worry for you, you know?”

“Actually,” you began, but then froze. ‘That Lovely Kate’ had in fact turned out to be a deceptive, cheating nightmare, but your mother had never accepted that for some reason.

“What? Don’t tell me you have someone?” she squealed. “Oh darling! I’m thrilled! I can’t wait to meet her! What’s her name?”

You swallowed thickly and shot Khara a glance. Her eyes twinkled and her lips twitched up into a smile that instantly became a shit-eating grin when she saw the look on your face. “This is it, isn’t it?” she mouthed and you nodded. “Go on then.”

You put your hand over your phone and hissed, “She’s not going to be pleasant about you if I tell her you’re an orc…”

“I don’t care,” she said, waving her hand and returning her brown-eyed gaze to the road. “I’m not dating her, I’m dating you…”

In a whisper, you said, “I love you,” and then turned back to your mother. “Well, her name’s Khara,” you said. “We’ve been seeing each other for about a month now.”

“You’ll bring her along, won’t you?” she said immediately. “Oh I’m so excited for you. I thought you were never going to bring another girl home…”

“Mum, please, I’m in my twenties - I’m not some washed up old fart!” you said and got a bark of laughter from Khara beside you.

“I know, I know, but your father and I were married and expecting you by the time we were your age…”

You sighed. Here we go again, you thought. And sure enough came ‘the speech’ about how she’d been so worried that you’d remain a bachelor forever or that - god forbid - you might even be gay… The way she said it like that just pissed you off - so fucking what if you had been dating another guy anyway? - but a squeeze from Khara’s hand on your thigh again centred you and you took a deep breath.

“Mother, stop, please,” you interrupted. “I get it. You think I’m a hopeless loser.”

That earned a deep, almost feline growl from Khara and it was your turn to reach for her and sooth her. In her own way she was gently protective of you, even from yourself.

“You can’t be completely hopeless if you’ve found yourself a girl at last,” she laughed. “Tell me all about her.”

“Well, she’s a photographer,” you began and your mother made an unimpressed sound. Perhaps she’d been hoping for a doctor or something, but what the hell did it matter anyway? “And she’s an orc.”

Deafening silence thundered down the connection for a good five seconds.

“Mum? Still there?”

“I’m here,” she said tersely. “You’re joking, right? Please tell me you’re joking.”

“Nope,” you said, making the word pop.

Khara was grinning again, fighting off laughter, and this time there was a feral glint in her eyes that spurred you on and gave you the confidence you needed.

“You’re not going to bring… bring an… an orc to your sister’s wedding, are you?”

“Yes,” you said firmly but quietly. “Yes mother, I am. Khara and I are dating, and you asked if I’d like to be there to support my sister on her wedding day. Khara will be my plus one.”

Read the whole thing, and gain exclusive access to monthly stories, the Orctoberfest with more orcs than you can shake a WoW game at, WIP snippets, polls, character bios, and our private Discord server right now!

[mianix]

"Mine" ~ A Gift Fic for LukeLemon-Art

I have been among the DBH community for a few months now and the one thing I love most about it is how supportive everyone seems to be. It doesn’t matter if you are an artist, writer, animator, video editor, cosplayer etc. You are welcomed here with open arms and encouraged to do your very best.

The best example of this I can give is @lukelemon-art. I have watched them encourage people of all mediums and fandoms to do well. I’ve experienced their fun nature and their generosity myself when they reblogged my friend @bunnylove56’s Reed900 fic when they weren’t sure anyone would like it. They gave her the confidence to keep going and I adore Luke for conspiring with me to get her to keep going. I never expected it and it only proves my point further.

The above artwork was recently done by Luke with an amazing backstory of Connor, discarding his LED and Gavin chooses to keep it, worn by a leather strap around his neck. Not only did this warm my heart, but inspired me to write my first Convin story as a gift to Luke for all their kindness, not just to me, but the community. Their art makes me happy, as I imagine it does a lot of you. So here’s me supporting their art and repaying them for too many kindnesses to count. 

Note: This gift fic is rated M and contains a big old lemon…lol Because of Tumblr’s new rules and to be safe, the preview will end with a link to finish the story on AO3 instead of the typical cut to read the entire thing on my blog. So if you aren’t into reading something a bit smutty, go back now, gentle reader.

———-

Connor wondered, honestly, what frustrated him more: the idea of Detective Reed disobeying Hank’s direct orders, or the fact that Connor had made a deal with him to get them to this point.

He had been trying diligently over the past year to find ways of endearing himself to the bitter Detective, but nothing he did seemed to quell the man’s hatred for him. No amount of help, kind gestures, or careful consideration had changed a thing between them.

They fought constantly on the job and it had shown its own wear on Connor over time. He recalled how, in a fit of frustration, he had pulled off his own LED and tossed it at the Detective’s feet.

“THERE! Since it bothers you so much! Now you can stop complaining about it and actually get some work done. Oh, wait. That’s right! I mean sit on your damn phone instead of actually helping us for once!”

Everyone had looked shocked to see such anger come from him, but they often forgot he was no longer a thing who took orders. It had all just boiled over and he couldn’t take it anymore. A part of him felt guilt at the look that crossed Reed’s face, but he walked away before he could worry on it too much. In that moment, he felt justified, but later he regretted it.

If for nothing else, he had taken pride in wearing his LED once he’d deviated to remind him of their struggle and to never be ashamed of who he was. Because it made him into the man he was now, who had friends, family and a life that was entirely his own.

This, naturally, was how he found himself helping assist Detective Reed into his apartment.

“Last door, on the left.” Gavin groaned as he stumbled a bit.

They’d been in a scuffle only an hour before, all thanks to Detective Yells-Too-Much. Hank, in some disturbing thought to force them to into being civil, had downright ordered them to work together.

“Frankly, everyone is getting tired of listening to you two argue all the time. It’s not productive and seriously hurts office morale. We’re fucking homicide. We see gruesome death and tragedy on the daily and somehow you two bitching every day is making it even worse.” Hank had said, frustrated when the two had yet another blow up.

“What about Nines?” Gavin had asked. It seemed the further from friendly he got from Connor, the more he stopped harassing the RK900 model. He’d actually started working with him, to Connor’s surprise.

“We’re swapping partners for the week. Nines will work with me and you two need to learn to work together. Fowler’s down my neck about this and if you two can’t work this out there’s the possibility of reassignment to a different department.”

That had gotten a reaction, from both of them. Because it would likely be one or the other, which meant Connor would have to leave Hank or Gavin would be losing his position in his preferred field. Neither of these were an option.

Connor moved to the door, pressing Reed to the wall to help him stand better.

“Keys?” Connor asked.

“Pocket.” Gavin replied with a twinge of pain. They’d been staking out a warehouse, helping out the drug division on a red ice case, but couldn’t seem to not fight. They were completely hopeless being stuck in the confines of Gavin’s car and their inability to ignore one another got them caught.

They were set upon by some low level lackey’s who luckily were too stupid to be properly armed. Connor had sustained some damage to his arm, but had come out holding his own. Reed, on the other hand, had not. A quick glance at the wound on his abdomen told Connor the glass bottle had cut Gavin as he tried to dodge it. He would be okay, but he would need stitches and proper medical care.

“Fuck that. I don’t have the money to pay for an ER visit. I’ll just do it myself, like always.” Gavin had said with labored breathing as Connor drove them away from the warehouse, the sound of gunfire finally breaking the air as more lackeys came to their friends’ aid. It was fight or flight for Connor and at seeing his human companion bleeding and exhausted, he chose to live and fight another day.

“What do you mean like always?” Connor asked incredulously. It was purely rhetorical though as he didn’t need to consider it much to know Gavin Reed refused to go to the hospital unless he was taken there by force… or unconscious. Connor considered that as a valid option, but cast it aside at the thought of the assault charges that might accompany it when Gavin gained consciousness.

But Reed was stubborn and finally they’d come to a compromise: Gavin would allow Connor to do it for him. He could locate the proper programs to accomplish the task of patching Reed up. If he could not get him proper medical help, then this was the next best option.

Connor stared at the Detective, whose free arm hung a bit limply at his side. Blood could be seen staining his shirt there, as well. Wonderful. Without much thought, Connor plunged his hand down into the Detective’s jean pocket to feel around for keys. He felt Gavin stiffen at his shoulder.

“Fuckin’ careful, dipshit. You’re grabbing my keys, not playing pocket pool.” Gavin bit out between clenched teeth. Connor ignored him and pulled the keys out, setting about the task of opening the door. Once he did, he heard a loud mewling getting closer.

The small, furry head of a cat peeked through the crack of the door, it’s tiny paw pulling at it to further open it.

“Don’t let him out. He’s a fucking escape artist.” Gavin groaned as he pushed the door in and pressed the cat inside. Connor followed behind him, closing the door and entering into Gavin Reed’s apartment for the first time.

Gavin went directly for his cabinets as the first room they entered was the kitchen. Off to the right was an open archway into what Connor considered was the living room. He didn’t have much time to consider it though as he watched Reed pulling out more medical supplies then he figured most humans would keep in their homes.

“How often do you get injured on the job?” Connor asked at the fully stocked cabinet of disinfectants, gauze, bandages and other medical supplies.

“Enough to be prepared.” Gavin replied as he opened a drawer to his left and pulled out a partially full bottle of whiskey and a small, unmarked kit. Connor eyed him for a moment, but decided it wasn’t worth the headache.

Gavin sat on the counter with some difficulty and Connor had no choice but to help him, as his arm was of no real use. Once there, Gavin opened the whiskey bottle with his teeth and took a deep dram of the amber liquid. Connor immediately took hold of the bottle and pulled it away.

“What the fuck, Connor? You gonna make me go through this stone cold sober?” Gavin asked bitterly.

“You’re the one who refused to go to the hospital, where they could ease the pain you’re about to feel. You have no room to complain and I need you lucid.” Connor said simply. Perhaps a small part of him enjoyed mocking Reed, but he tried not to think on it too much.

Connor turned to look at the supplies he was given and felt his eyes flutter as he downloaded the necessary program to properly sew stitches. He considered asking how Gavin also had access to the items required to do this, but was certain he’d probably either not get a response or would get a bullshit one.

Connor lifted the hem of Gavin’s shirt, glancing to assess the damage, but knowing full well his first instinct was correct. He did his best to clean the wound, having Gavin hold his shirt up so he could work. Connor noticed he was in pain, but he gritted his teeth against it.

“Since we have some quiet time, are you ready to tell me why you hate me so much?” Connor asked, figuring anything that distracted Gavin would be better than letting the man suffer.

“Because you’re a brown nosing cunt who - FUCK! The hell Connor?” Gavin roared when Connor threw caution to the wind and straight up applied the chemical cleanser without care to the wound.

“Sorry. My hand slipped.” Connor replied stiffly as he grabbed another piece of cloth and tried to be more gentle. Gavin glared at him, still tensing for the pain he no doubt anticipated, but Connor was content with letting the snide remark go.

“What do you care whether or not I like you anyway? We’re not partners, so why the hell should you give a damn?” Gavin asked, choosing his wording more carefully this time as Connor dabbed around the edge of his cut.

“I’ve only been trying to figure it out since day one. You’d think I personally wronged you in some way.”

“If you haven’t noticed, I’m an asshole to all androids.” Gavin replied. Connor’s eyes lifted and he noted Gavin had been watching him, but the moment their eyes met he quickly looked away.

“That’s not true, actually. What about Nines? You show him more regard than you ever have for me.” Connor said pointedly, not faltering in his look. Something passed over Gavin’s face, it was minute, but it was there. A moment of panic, then recovery.

“Nines does as he’s told. He doesn’t get in my way or stop me from doing my job.” Gavin replied and his eyes came back to Connor, side glancing him, then looking down to where the small cat was perched on the floor, watching them. It moved gracefully, wiggling its tiny behind before it jumped on the counter beside Gavin and stepped on his thigh. Gavin opted to focus there.

“Nines also is still an android. It’s very simple Detective. I. AM. ALIVE. I’m not a piece of furniture for you to do with as you please and until you learn this, it will be the primary cause of our arguments.” Connor said in quick succession. How many times must they have this conversation, re-worded in so many different ways?

“I’m in fucking pain here. Can’t you give me a break, just once?” Gavin asked and Connor noted his voice sounded weary. The cat at his thigh pressed its face into Gavin’s palm and he gave it such a momentary look of tenderness that It shocked Connor. Then it walked further up Reed’s leg, jumped effortlessly onto his shoulder and stood there.

“That’s not really sanitary for what we’re doing Reed.” Connor began, but found himself intrigued by how the cat walked behind Gavin’s head and laid itself around his neck and shoulders so casually. Its foot disturbed the leather strap that usually hung around the Detective’s neck, dipping down into his shirt. Connor had always wondered what that was, but opted to not pry.

“The cat stays. He’s more of a comfort than you are.” Gavin said, but it wasn’t as mean spirited as it might’ve normally been, because the cat was rubbing its face against the stubble on his chin. Connor just watched, forgetting himself momentarily. Who the hell is this and what did he do with Gavin Reed?

When Gavin’s eyes came back to Connor he seemed to remember himself and that look of indifference came back. It broke the momentary spell and Connor continued working.

Silence hung between them as he worked, except for the purring of the cat on Gavin’s shoulders and the occasional groan or gasp of pain from him as Connor used skilled hands to suture up the cut. He preferred the silence, not remembering a time when the two of them had been so close and not blowing up into a full argument.

He wasn’t sure why this gentler side of the Detective intrigued him. He did not even know he had a pet and never would’ve guessed he could be affectionate with anything. But as long as Connor pretended not to notice, Gavin lavished the animal with attention. Had he ever seen the Detective smile where it didn’t feel like he was baring his teeth as a threat? No, not around Connor. In the pain, he sought comfort in the animal and it seemed to sense his need of it. It never left his shoulders, nuzzling and pawing at the man the more his discomfort seemed to peak.

When he was done with his side, Connor moved to roll up the sleeve on Gavin’s shirt. This wound was superficial in comparison to the other and needed nothing more than a bandage. He stepped into Gavin, the Detective’s knee brushing the inside of Connor’s thigh. Gavin jumped, startling the cat, but did not remove it.

“Careful.” Gavin said in a low tone. Connor tilted his head, trying to figure out what exactly had set the Detective off. Gavin moved his knee, unable to meet Connor’s eyes and with a slight blush filling his cheeks.

“You do realize I have no genitalia to injure, correct?” Connor said innocently enough, but Gavin’s face went a bright shade of red almost instantly at his words.

“Why the fuck would you tell me that?” Gavin asked, obviously startled by this admission.

“You feared hurting me, didn’t you?” Connor asked in reply.

“That is so fucking weird.” Gavin continued with a groan as he covered his face with his one free hand.

“I’m a prototype, Detective. What use would I have for - “

“STOP talking. Please? Just, stop.” Gavin begged, still not looking at him. Silence hung between them, awkward to say the very least. Then Reed broke the silence. “Your arm. It’s injured.”

Connor looked down to observe the blue blood soaking through his jacket arm. He pulled his arm out of it and found his white dress shirt was covered in blue as well. Connor shrugged his jacket off, laying it neatly over the kitchen chair. When he turned back, Gavin was moving tenderly off the counter.

“Wait.” Connor called out as he went to help the man down. Reed waved his hands away, the cat still laying around his neck like a scarf. It yawned, unbothered, and Connor wondered if this was a natural thing for these two with how contented it was soaking up the Detective’s warmth.

“Get on the counter.” Reed said suddenly as he reached for the small, unmarked kit he’d had hiding with the whiskey bottle. Connor eyed it curiously, but when Reed turned and noticed him not moving he added, “Get a move on.”

“I’ll be fine. Once I’m back at the office I can use one of the android repair kits to patch up my arm. You needn’t worry.”

“What the hell do you think this is?” Reed asked as he opened the small container. To Connor’s surprise, it was an android repair kit. A crudely put together one, yes, but still exactly what was needed for superficial wounds like what Connor had. He stared at Gavin, who seemed to be getting flustered by Connor’s sudden attentions. “What?”

“I’m just surprised you’d have something like that so readily available.” Connor responded truthfully. He wouldn’t think that Gavin would even care enough to keep something like that around.

“I have an android partner. Why wouldn’t I?” Gavin asked, glaring at him. But there was something else there and for the first time, in a long time, Connor saw something in his peripheral vision. It was faint, but unmistakable as it ghosted into his vision.

Software instability ^^

It had been over a year since he’d deviated, since he’d broken free from his programming. These programs were gone and yet, for whatever reason, it had shown on his periphery screen.

Without knowing why, Connor obeyed and sat on the counter without any argument. Reed moved close and looked awkwardly at his arm, stared, then looked away.

“You’re gonna have to remove your shirt. I can’t get to it and if we need the soldering iron I wouldn’t recommend putting it close to fabric.” Gavin said simply. He wasn’t looking at Connor, but focusing on the cat on his shoulder instead.

“Of course.” Connor responded and began undoing the buttons on his shirt. Connor didn’t know why, but there was static in the air that seemed to intensify with each button he undid. Gavin wasn’t looking at him, but he felt like he was being watched anyway.

Once the shirt was open, he slid his arms out of it and laid it neatly beside him. He turned to look at the cut and as he figured it wasn’t anything to worry about. He would likely be scarred from the soldering, but that wasn’t important. He turned back to look expectantly at the Detective, but stopped.

Gavin was still looking away from him, arms crossed at his chest. Connor noted something else of interest. Gavin’s pulse was elevated. He’d attributed this to stress and pain as he worked on Gavin’s wounds, but now he wasn’t so sure. His eyes could see piloerection forming on the man’s forearms; goosebumps. And the red hue that had been on his face had traveled down his neck to the skin peeking out from the v neck shirt he wore.

“Gavin?” Connor asked when the man did nothing. He saw him take a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily, exhaling. Then his eyes turned, focused hard on Connor’s and faltered. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Just a little light headed from blood loss. I’ll be fine.” Gavin responded. But when he moved towards Connor, he caught a downward glance that became fixated on his thirium pump regulator. As if involuntary, Gavin’s hand came out and moved as if to touch it, but recoiled after a moment. As if he didn’t realize he was doing it.

The static intensified and made Connor’s skin prickle.

“Are you sure you’re okay Gavin? The wound is superficial and can wait if you’d like to sit down.” Connor offered, completely confused by this sudden change in demeanor. The whole time his cat perched, unbothered and suddenly unnoticed by Gavin as his eyes focused on Connor’s bare torso. Connor saw the man’s eyes dilate.

Software instability ^^

Gavin moved closer, setting the kit to one side of Connor’s hip, then taking his hand in his own to position Connor’s arm where it would be easiest to work on it. All Connor could do was watch, oddly fascinated by whatever phenomena was taking over the Detective and possibly…himself. This was new and fascinating to him. Exciting, even.

At one point, not wanting to focus so much of his attention on Gavin, Connor lifted his hand and stroked the back end of the cat as it purred happily. He saw Gavin’s eyes glance towards his hand, stiffening slightly until he realized its destination. He shook his head, blinking with a short breath as he set back to task.

“Okay. That should do it. Grip my hand.” Gavin said as he lifted his hand in front of him. Not in a handshake, but in fully open palm in front of Connor. He pressed his open palm to Gavin’s, entwined their fingers and gripped. “No malfunctions or weakness?”

“No. It feels just fine, actually. Thank you.” Connor replied genuinely, but Gavin was not quick to release his hand. Connor eyed him, that curiosity itching so much to be scratched. What was this? He felt his own thirium pump shift, more static. This was having a physical effect on him he could not place, the longer Gavin held his hand like that. “Gavin?”

In an instant, he hand let his go and he turned back to the table to place everything back into the kit.

“You should be good now. Probably best if you left. I should get some rest.” Gavin said quickly, but something else caught Connor’s attention as Gavin turned his back on him. Blood on the back of the Detective’s shirt. Another wound he hadn’t seen.

“Gavin. You’re still injured.” Connor said as he hopped down off the counter and walked over to him. He felt Gavin tense as he took the rim of the neckline on his shirt and pulled it down a bit.

“It’s okay. I can do it.” Gavin said quickly.

“It’s on your back. You can’t reach there. Take off your shirt and I’ll get it for you.” Connor offered. When Gavin didn’t move, he added “As soon as I make sure it’s nothing bad I will leave. You agreed to this earlier, remember?”

Gavin sighed, lifted his hands to gently remove the cat from his shoulders. He sat it onto the floor where it remained, staring up at them as if disappointed to no longer be a part of the situation. Then, begrudgingly, Gavin put his hands to the hem of his shirt and tugged upwards. For a moment, Connor caught the flash of something blue glint as it moved at the base of Gavin’s neck, then he realized that it was an LED. Unmistakably, his LED.

Gavin’s eyes followed his no doubt startled looking ones to the necklace at his chest and realization dawned there as he turned away, scrambling to get back into the shirt. Maybe hoping Connor didn’t notice?

“Gavin…” Connor began, but Gavin just started walking away from him. Without thought, he pursued the man as he entered his bedroom off the living room. Gavin tried to close the door, but Connor pushed it open easily as Gavin stumbled backwards. “Is that my LED?”

“It’s not what you think.” Gavin said quickly as he stood by the bed, arm out as if Connor might punch him. But Connor didn’t feel anger. He didn’t know what to feel, because he didn’t know why a part of him was hanging around Gavin Reed’s neck.

“Is that my LED?” Connor asked again. “Let me see it.”

He stepped forward, hand outstretched to pull at the leather straps that held it up, but Gavin smacked his hand away. That startled him, but did not stop his pursuit. Gavin grabbed at his hands, trying to prevent him from seeing it again and Connor found himself struggling with the Detective, being pulled towards him, hitting the bed and straddling over Gavin as he yanked the man’s shirt down. It was his LED, still glowing a dim blue as it pulsated against Gavin’s chest as his heart rate elevated quickly.

Gavin was breathing heavily and that red hue was more apparent on his chest as Connor held the shirt collar open. Gavin’s eyes were lidded and suddenly Connor realized something. Like all the puzzle pieces were falling into place.

“You-” He began, but Gavin leaned up quickly and pressed his lips against his. Connor’s eyes widened, unsure of what to do, but finding himself intrigued. Fascinated. He could analyze the alcohol still left on Gavin’s tongue as it ghosted between his lips. His body temperature peaked, the open eyes watching him fully dilated and a scent lingered between them, coming from the Detective’s skin. Gavin took his bottom lip between his own and tugged. Connor felt something at this, but could not define it and that only made him pursue it more.

Static.

———-

Continue Reading on AO3

———-

Visit the lovely LukeLemon-Art:

- Instagram

[midnight-synth-blog]

Please, just please support this SU game, even if you don’t play Roblox! ❤︎

It’s very important that this gets the appreciation it deserves as, not just a game, a piece for the SU community in terms of roleplaying and fanon content. 

The amount of people participating in this game is extremely underwhelming because of how much effort the developers have taken out of their lives to make it happen. And the fact that nobody is even paying attention or supporting the work they have put is really unsatisfying.

And i’m not exaggerating this, on a casual day there will only be 5-25 users playing this SU roleplay which is a beyond underrated turnout for the development put into this.

Take a look at just a small compilation of the beautiful locations, some of which haven’t been added to the game yet at the time of this post.

The communication hub, an unreleased location!

Delta 7′s moon, known as the geode moon 

Delta 7, also known as Carnival City

Peridots at Upsilon 9, which is an unreleased location.

The gem in the background here is Paraiba Tourmaline, an aristocrat being previewed at the in-game aristocratic city, which the location hasn’t been released yet.

Don’t just scroll by this tumblr post doing nothing to give the attention and love it deserves.

Do anything, draw fan art of their morphs and post it on Tumblr or other forms of social media (There’s many adorable characters you can draw from a range of gem types!)

From agates..

and to jaspers..

These Jaspers are apart of a special gamepass you can get that unlocks all of them to roleplay with.

From rutiles

..and to pearls!

Maybe even some unique gem cuts you haven’t ever seen before canonically.

Gems available to be brought by the holiday gamepass, unlocks Santa Quartz, Mint rudolph pearl, Golden Bell Pearl, and Winter Sapphire,! The round gems here are known as Nambulites, tinkering gems that work at a facility location which isn’t released in the game atm.

^^ Rhodolite, an imperial officer gem. 

One of our wonderful commanders, Serpentine! 

The gems here in this image, from left to right (excluding the pearl) are Sodalite and silica who are both elites..

If you can’t read the nametag clearly, it spells out “Nacre”, also another elite.

You can tell already our game has so many gem types for you to draw and to interact with.

If you love roleplaying, roleplay on the game, which is very interactive so you don’t need to type detailed paragraphs. it makes everything more efficient that way to get in character.

A lot of these gems shown are uncommon to encounter and are played by specific people or group ranks, so don’t expect to meet or get your hands on everything!

Tell people across social media to get into this roleplay, or draw art of it, and help boost the amount of people to participate. Such as on Instagram, Youtube (highly appreciated, there hasn’t been a video posted of gameplay footage since last year, which shows extremely outdated stuff), Twitter, etc.

Here’s a screenshot of everyone (which is a small amount of people playing) thanking the lead developer, @decahedroid! (He goes by Tetra/oppo in the discord)

It needs all the support it gets, as I said before, it’s criminally underrated, so do something to boost it’s popularity!

We would love to see some beautiful fan art drawn of one of the gems shown here.

Here’s the game if you ever think about roleplaying here, which we recommend you to do in order to boost it’s player count. Don’t forget to join the group and the server posted on there, too. 

And here is the tumblr, where you can see more of these amazing morphs/locations:  @diamondauthorityrblx​!

Edit: Please reblog if you can,  a like won’t get this the popularity it needs. Reblogs help this post get accessed to more people in the end, which is required for this.

I forgot to mention there’s a day limit that may or may not be removed, so you might have to wait awhile once you create your account. 

In the meantime, feel free to draw art or hang out on the discord server which is linked in the group

See you there! ❤️

[thequeenofindie]

hello jess! could u share how u make your gifs please?

Sure thing! It’s been a while since I’ve made a tutorial, so please bear with me. In the tutorial below the cut, I’ll show you how I make my GIFs. There’s a million different ways to make GIFs— I know 3 different ways myself— but I’ll show you how I go from a video clip and produce this in less than TEN STEPS!:

Also, TW for length! Please like/reblog this post if you found it helpful! // Buy me a coffee?

What You’ll Need:

Mac

Quicktime

Photoshop CC 2019 (or Photoshop version that allows Video to Frames conversion)

Movie or Video that you want to clip!

This ATN Pack, by yours truly! Please like/reblog this post if using!

Step One: Open Up Everything You’ll Need

Open up that video, movie or clip you want to GIF. Start up Quicktime & while you’re at it, Photoshop too. Did you download that ATN Pack (action pack)? If you did, open it up too (double-click is what I mean by open it up)!

Step Two: Screen-Record 

Go to the Quicktime application. In the top bar, open up the ‘File’ drop down and select ‘New Screen Recording’. You’ll get a pop up titled ‘Screen Recording’. Now if you did step one, then you should have the video/movie that you’re gonna record. I’m doing a small clip ‘From Prada to Nada’. Click the red recording button and you’ll get a message. That message says something along the lines of ‘click anywhere to record the entire screen OR click and drag to outline what area you want to record’. I like to click and drag to ONLY record the movie. You can see what that looks like, below.

Great. Now start recording! NOTE(S): If you’re doing the whole movie, just set it and forget it; but make sure that the captions/subtitles are off & your laptop is plugged in or fully charged.

Once you’ve recorded whatever it is that you want to GIF, then go to the top bar again and on the righthand side, you’ll notice a small ☐ (stop button). Click it and save your recording!

Step Three: Video Frames To Layers

For the sake of keeping this tutorial quick and short, I did a very small clip! Photoshop should be open, so now what you want to do is click File > Import > Video Frames to Layers! Select the screen recording you just saved. After a minute or two (depending on size of recording), you’ll get this pop-up:

You have a couple of options here, you can choose to convert the entire clip by selecting the ‘From Beginning to End’ option OR convert only a specific scene/part of the video by selecting the ‘Selected Range Only’. For either of these options you have the option of limiting how often a frame actually gets converted— this is the ‘Limit To Every # Frames’ option that you see above. More frames = less of the scene, bigger file (remember Tumblr restricts GIFs to 3mb)! For the most part, I like to do Selected Range Only and I use the trim controls (the 2 funky looking triangles under the video preview) to select the scene I want. AND I check the box to limit frames and I change it from 2 to 7! See my settings below:

Select OK and give it a few seconds/minutes. Why I specifically prefer the video to layers option: it’s quick (usually), easy, and does most of the work for me. After it’s finished doing its thing, your screen should look like this:

NOTE(S): delete any frames and layers you don’t need/don’t want to GIF.

Step Four: Crop/Resize

Several options here! on how to crop and or resize. My preference is to make GIFs that are 268px wide and about 150px in height, but the height can vary due to a number of things like the FC being in the background/part of a group. For this step and the ones that follow, be sure to have the actions menu open. If the action menu is not open, go to the top bar, then go to Window > Actions. It’ll open up on the side and if you did step one, then my action pack should be loaded on there!

Option 1: Select All (the entire image) by doing CMD + A. 

You should get a dashed and moving outline around the entire image:

Option 2: Select a specific part of the image by using the rectangular marquee tool.

In case you don’t know what that is, it’s that dashed rectangle button that’s on the left panel:

Click it. Be sure that the Style is set to normal. Click and drag on the image to select the specific FC/area you want to GIF. NOTE(S): if your FC moves around a lot in the scene, then you do NOT want to do this option! The outline will not follow your FC. You should get a dashed and moving outline around your selection:

Now, open up the action menu by clicking the sideway triangle/play button that’s to the right of the preview. You should see my ATN Pack in there. Click the ‘>’ that’s next to my ATN Pack. It’ll reveal about 5 individual actions. 

You’re going to select the ‘Crop & Resze’ action just by clicking it. Then press the play button under it. The image/GIF will now be cropped and resized to 268px wide with an auto adjustment on the height! This is what I ended up with:

Step Five: Video Timeline

Alrighty-roo. This step is a must. You’ll be focusing on the layer panel, which looks like this:

Select ALL LAYERS. Quickest and easiest way is to select Layer 1. Then hold down the SHIFT key and scroll to the top. Click the top layer and everything should be highlighted like so:

Great, now go back to the action menu and click the action that’s labelled ‘Timeline’. 

Press the play button. And after it’s done, you should see something like this:

Step Six: Sharpen

Quick step. Back to the Actions menu. Click the action labelled ‘Shrpn ATN’ and press the play button. You’ll notice the Sorry, no preview for this, bc I forgot to screenshot. You’ll pretty much end up with a sharper/less blurry image.

Step Seven: Coloring

You can apply your coloring PSDs now. You’ll note that I included two coloring PSDs in my Pack. They’re pretty simple and, definitely won’t work with everything. For this GIF though? I actually liked the movie’s coloring. Everything I tried either made it look too grainy or whitewashy.

Step Eight: Save For Web

Quick shortcut: Press the CMD + Alt/Option + Shift + S keys at the same time. It’ll open up this window:

Take a look at my settings on the right. That first drop down has preloaded preset settings. The one you’re looking at on the screen is one I saved on my PS. From that drop down, you’re gonna want to select ‘GIF 128 Dithered’. Then, you have the option of using those preloaded settings or you can copy mine; I’d play around with em to see what works best for you. NOTE(S): The two things you MUST select are the GIF option from the second drop down AND the Forever option from the Looping Options drop down at the bottom.

°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  And voila, you’re done!  °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°°˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°  Found this helpful? please donate!  °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°

[fearfilledvirgil]

Ivity and Anx: part fourteen

Summary: Virgil listends to the song that Princey posted in his living room. Things go to hell.

Warnings: accidental self isolation, breif mention of migraines, parental abuse, attempt of muder, a knife, self-blame, self-depreciation, guilt

Word count: 5130

Pairing: Slowburn Prinxiety, lots of platonic Analogical

A/N: HI I RECORDED A SONG FOR THIS PART AND I’M SHAKING. Anyways listen to this song which is a recording of the song that Princey sings. But with my voice. And yes, I made Roman have the same guitar as I do because I’m emoTIONALLY ATTACHED okay? The video is bad, but just pretty please listen to it and read the chapter or both at once I don’t know. If you know how it sounds it gives the words a bit more meaning than just random poetry. Anyways. This chapter is very emotionally taxing and sad. It made several beta readers cry. Good luck. Taglist under the cut. 

masterlist

Taglist: @rileyfirstname @verymuchanidiot @definentlynotjustanotherlemon @silversmith-91 @kanejandkruge @sander-fander-sides @lovecrazyjennybear @the-incedible-sulk @hexdream18243 @crows-with-hats @monikastec @definenormalifyoucan @i-am-absolute-fandom-trash @applecannibal @cats-with-blogs @bubblycricket @witchcraft--and--wizardry @bunnyartie @quietlypondering @elusivefalsehoods @hghrules @royallyanxious @quietwords-loudthoughts @squishynonbinarytwink @sortablue @illogical-anxieties @savingshae @a-fander-named-skittles @thelowlysatsuma @ughthatsprettygay @im-so-infinitesimal @certifiedtrashxx @karmels-stuff @littlelogicstillcounts @musicqueen1239 @nicological1 @the-average-loner

Today had been a long day, but that wasn’t unusual. Long days were a common thing for Logan since he moved into his college dorm, but that was mostly his fault. Classes hadn’t started yet, for either Logan or his friends going into their junior year, but that didn’t mean that Logan hadn’t started studying yet. The seventeen-almost-eighteen year old would spend several hours a day at the library, reading his textbooks and teaching himself the material for the classes to come. He also kept detailed and clean notes, something that made him happy.

His notes served a few purposes for Logan. It was a way to destress, it let out his creativity in a productive way, it helped him remember what he studied, and it provided him something to put on his Tumblr along with his bullet journal. He had what was called a studyblr, and was fairly popular. When he followed Virgil without telling him what his blog was, the younger nearly had a heart attack.

Logan’s pen stopped in the middle of the sentence he was writing. Virgil. He hadn’t talked to the younger in a while, which honestly scared him. The two used to be inseparable, considering that both were on the outskirts of the social game. Logan was always diving into books, and Virgil was always avoiding people at all costs. Now, though, with Logan off at college and burying himself in his books again, the two weren’t talking as much. Come to think of it, he hadn’t talked to Patton in a while. That was an oddity as well, since the excitable man loved talking to him. Logan loved talking to him. The college student felt a dip in his stomach, probably because of guilt. He was so busy studying at the library that he had begun to forget his friends.

A text tone interrupted the classical music streaming through his headphones, making him pause. A light of hope flickered inside his mind, because just maybe, it was one of his friends deciding to break the silence. He didn’t even realize how much he missed them these past few months until now.

Patton Heart <3: Hey Logan! I think you probably should check this out. It’s totally about Virgil, but you know more about the situation then I do.

After the first text, Patton sent with it a link to a video on YouTube. Logan was certainly confused, but once he clicked the link to preview the video, he understood. Roman posted a video, most likely unedited, of a song about Virgil.

Logos Brain: Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I will alert Virgil. How have you been, Patton? I apologize for my momentary absence. I have been settling in here and regrettably forgot to talk.

Patton Heart <3: It’s okay!! I’m glad you’re settling in well. Make any friends?

Logos Brain: No one could replace you, Heart

Logan could not see, but Patton was flapping his arms everywhere at that comment. It gave him peace of mind knowing that Logan felt so strongly about him, even though he was known for not having any feelings. It made Patton warm and fuzzy inside, like most things that Logan said. What Logan could see, though, was his own phone pulling up Virgil’s contact and sending him the link to the video.

Pocket Protector: Virgil, Roman wrote a song about you. You may want to check it out.

Honorary Brother: Oh. Okay. Thank you Lo Sorry we haven't been texting

Pocket Protector: Its my fault. I was neglecting my friends in favor of studying

Honorary Brother: This is why I usually am the buffer. Taking ten minute breaks every half an hour? For your head?

Pocket Protector: Yes, Virgil. I promise.

Virgil was usually the one causing Logan to worry, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t worry about him too. The elder had an skill for getting headaches after reading or concentrating for too long. If he let the headache go without treating it, there was a more than likely chance that he would get a migraine. If it got to that point, little would stop the pain, and the migraine would persist for hours, or even days. That’s why Virgil made Logan have the ten for thirty rule.

Virgil shifted on the couch, trying to get more comfortable as he clicked on the YouTube link. He knew it was Roman, but he didn’t know how he could write a song about him of all people and be able to pass it by the record label. As soon as the video loaded, though, Virgil understood.

The title of the video was ‘Psychic, an Original Song by Roman Prince’ and opened with Roman pulling his arm away from the camera. He was sitting in a mostly dark room, fairy lights behind him, with his guitar resting on his legs. His head was almost out of frame, but the bottom half of his face was visible. Virgil sucked in a breath as Roman started talking on the video.

“I just want to start out with saying that this video is currently in no way related to Vidomen Records or any of it’s associates. I actually just wrote this song like… ten minutes ago, but I just.... I need to get this out. So. This is called Psychic.” Roman’s voice was soft, spoken with care and in his lower register. Virgil suddenly became aware that he did not, in fact, have his headphones in, and was making a loud commotion in the living room by playing the video.

Be seen not heard. Or, better yet, don’t be fucking seen either, but don’t leave this house, ya hear? The booming echo of the memory of his father’s voice made a shiver fall down Virgil’s spine. He quickly turned down the volume as low as it could go without being off. He then put the phone up to his ear, closed his eyes, and listened to Roman’s smooth voice begin to sing.

It’s almost like he can read by thoughts But I wish you could too All these emotions and things inside That I’m trying to get through to you.

Virgil’s heart plunged into his gut at the sheer emotion in the words that Roman sang. They were taken straight from Princey’s own heart, which made Virgil understand why he put the disclaimer at the beginning of the video. It was nothing like his usual, peppy, flamboyant songs. This song was pure Roman. Virgil held onto the phone harder as the slower chorus played through the small speakers.

If you could be inside my mind Then I wouldn’t have to try To put my pride aside And tell you the truth But the truth is hard to get out When it falls on closed ears So can you be psychic for me? Can you be psychic for me?

Roman took another breath to continue singing, but Virgil’s phone was knocked away from him. Fear stabbed him in the heart and gripped his lungs to make it hard to breath. His eyes widened, adrenaline pumping through his veins as his father grabbed his wrist. He was pulled off the couch, tossed down to the floor.

Vaguely, he could hear Roman continue singing with, “I know that you’re terrified.”

“What did I tell you about making noise?” Virgil’s father growled as he stepped closer to his son, who was now on the floor.

A little ways away, Roman continued singing with, “Because you’ve been cast aside.”

“I-I’m sorry, sir.” Virgil started to stutter, but was stopped from further apology by a kick to his side. The fear inside his chest was pushing at his rib cage, almost begging to be released. It was pounding, hard and fast like nothing he had ever felt before. He didn’t understand the difference in this punishment. It had started out just like all the others, so why was his adrenaline at an all time high? Why was he so scared, but not of the man leaning over him?

“Tell me what I told you!” the father figure yelled, his fists clenching as he stepped on Virgil’s wrist.

In the distance, Roman finished the chorus with, “Your feelings were twisted for fun. Words like bullets from my gun.”

It was at this moment that Virgil finally came to a screeching halt. Roman’s voice flowed into his ears as he sang the bridge again, somehow becoming louder with every passing second. Everything around him dimbed, the loudness of his father screaming his sentence again diminishing as his ears started ringing. The world was starting to go into some sort of slow motion, allowing Virgil to rethink over the decision that his mind had already made the moment that the phone was slapped out of his hand. Now he realised why this time was different. This time, he had Roman’s voice with him, a voice that he had once hated but learned to love. It was the soft tone that the singer used to comfort the other on those late night calls, and it was with him in this moment. This time was different because Roman unintentionally just accidently gave him hope. He didn’t understand why the lying boy would write this song, but it struck a chord inside Virgil. He didn’t register the dryness of his mouth or the pain in his wrist. All Virgil could think about was the word stuck in his throat, leaning off the tip of his tongue.

“No.”

“What?” Virgil’s father took a step back in shock. He hadn’t heard that word pass from his son’s lips since before his mother died. “What the fuck did you say?’”

“I said,” Virgil sat up from the floor, his hand finding his phone that was still playing the song and placing it in his back pocket. He was standing now, straightening his back with a slight bit of pain to be taller than his father. He was working on auto pilot, the world still fuzzy. “No.”

Thanks to the odd sensation of not actually being in his body that Virgil was experiencing, everything that followed was a blur. There were loud words, dodged punches, and spit flying everywhere. That much was processed in his head. Virgil was vaguely aware that he was also yelling, but what of, he didn’t have a solid grip. The words passing off his tongue felt like he was calling his dad out about being a drunk, and calling him out on how he treated his own son, but he couldn’t be exactly sure.

Before Virgil could acknowledge it, he had screamed his throat raw. His father’s eyes were glaring daggers at him, wide and seething. He could only see red. Virgil, on the other hand, was coming back down to earth, and the hope in his stomach was washing away. Every ounce of confidence that may had been left fully disappeared when his father reached over the kitchen counter. He didn’t realize that they had moved so close to the kitchen in their fighting, and Virgil was going to pay for that.

Mr. Sanders drew his hand back, revealing a long silver kitchen knife. Virgil’s heart rate suddenly skyrocketed, his hands beginning to shake even more than they were. His father took a step closer, which made Virgil take a step back.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t- I didn’t mean…” His eyes were glued onto the knife. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry won’t fucking cut it,” His father was advancing quicker. He adjusted his grip on the knife. “You need to be taught a lesson.”

Virgil attempted to back away again, but instead fumbled over the couch. His back hit the cushions, but he was immediately attempting to scramble away. His father was still approaching with some sort of sick gleam in his eyes. Was this his plan all along? To get him to fight back, only to stab his chest to hear him scream and see the light leave his eyes? Did he hate him that much, that he’d kill him? Virgil fell off the couch, too caught up in the dark thoughts to notice the end of the sofa. The floor came up too quickly, and suddenly he was eating carpet. He heard his dad snicker behind him, dark and menacing. This was too much, this was too much and Virgil could not take it.

Somehow, he managed to get up off the floor. It was messy and ungraceful, but he grabbed his hoodie laying on the ground while getting up from the floor. With his hoodie in hand, and his phone in his back pocket, now all he had to do was get the fuck out of the apartment. Of course, Mr. Sanders had other plans than to let his son escape that easily. He follows Virgil menacingly, the glint in his eye growing as he started to raise the knife.

“I’ve been too lenient to you. It’s time you get what you deserve.” he said, looking at the knife and looking toward his son. Virgil’s vision swarmed in and out, his breathing all but stopped.

The next few moments would stay in Virgil’s mind the rest of his days. They played out in slow motion, frame by frame, as it happened.

Mr. Sanders lunged quite quickly, but it didn’t feel quick at all. Virgil eyed the knife, sharp and threatening, as it darted toward his chest. Before he could think, Virgil began to turn to the side, his eyes never leaving the intentional divits in the glinting silver. As he was trying to get away from the plunging knife, Virgil put his arms out in front of him. While he turned, his arms did too, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. The knife missed its mark on Virgil’s chest, but it still sliced through his upper arm. A small scream ripped from Virgil’s throat as it did so, but he pressed on. Since his arms were moving forward as he twisted, the knife was pressed deeper into his arm. But after it passed through his flesh, Virgil’s arms connected with his father’s body and pushed away.

Afterward, time sped up.

Virgil was running. His breathing was quick, coming in bigger gasps then before. He fumbled with the door for only a moment before it was open and he was running. He was going down the concrete stairs ten times faster than he usually did, only bent on getting away from the apartment. He needed to get away, even though he knew that he would eventually have to return. But for tonight, he ran like there was no tomorrow.

That was, at least, until his panic driven state began to wash away. His lungs burned, as did his legs, but at least he was away. Virgil took a second to gauge where he was. Upon looking around, he concluded that he was in Logan’s neighborhood. His legs must have carried him here due to muscle memory. Virgil thought that was okay for the moment until he realized something very important. Logan was not here. Without Logan, Virgil had no one. And, now that the fight or flight response had eased up, he just realized how much pain his arm was in.

So Virgil did the only thing he knew how to do: call Logan.

Once seated semi-comfortably on a bench in the neighborhood park nearby, Virgil attempted to pull his jacket on to attempt to keep the chill of night at bay. He took out his phone and sighed. More cracks had formed when he fell over the couch.

“Please still fucking work.” Virgil pushed the button to unlock his phone and let out a sigh of relief when it still turned on. He went to Logan’s contact number and hit the call button.

Logan picked up after two rings. “Good evening, Virgil.”

“Hey Lo.”

Logan could hear in Virgil’s voice that he was crashing from the adrenaline. “Is everything alright?”

Virgil considered lying for a moment. He knew that Logan could read him like a book, even over the phone, so he decided against it. “No. It’s not. It fucking sucks.”

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?” When he didn’t get an answer, Logan decided to try something different. “Gauge?”

Virgil sighed. He was simultaneously grateful and hateful at just how well his friend knew him. “Eight and a half.”

“What happened?”

Virgil took a breath, his grip on his phone tightening. “Knife.”

There was shuffling at the other side of the line. “Virgil, Virgil, you need to get it looked at. It’s not something that I can help you with where I am.”

“I know that, Logan, but you know I can’t go to the hospital.”

“I know. There is someone else you can go to,” There was a pause, then the opening and closing of a door. “Someone who has helped you through a lot.”

“Don’t fucking say it.”

“Virgil.” The tone was testing, but Virgil didn’t care at the moment.

“No, Logan. I can’t.” Virgil shook his head even though he knew Logan couldn’t see. “Not after this long of time. He probably fucking hates me. He’s probably planning how to make next year a living hell.”

“He misses you.”

Three simple words. Something Virgil never thought he’d hear about Roman. Did Patton talk to Logan about it? Is that how Logan knew that Roman missed him? Logan wasn’t one to say or do anything without some facts behind it so it wasn’t a gut feeling.

“You don’t know that, Logan.”

“Yes I do. Patton’s said so. Several times.” At the moment, it sounded as though Logan was walking rather quickly. “Patton even told me that Roman’s tried reaching out to you.”

“Roman hates me. He’s out to make my life a living hell.”

Logan pinched the bridge of his nose, but kept walking. “Do I honestly need to read to you a list of reasons for you to go to him?”

“You don’t have one of those ready, Pocket Protector.”

“Actually, I do. Give me a moment.”

Virgil shouldn’t have been surprised, considering that Logan was crazy over lists and notes. He would comprise one full of pros and cons about Roman. Sighing, Virgil put a little pressure on the cut, hoping to stop a little of the bleeding. There was a sound on the other end of the line of a door opening and closing again. Then came the ruffling of papers.

“Are you ready, Virgil?” Logan asked a few moments later.

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“Didn’t think so. List away.”

“I’m ignoring that. Some of the pros of going and talking to Roman include: He knows about your past and would be least likely to completely, um, ‘lose it’ if you showed up bleeding. Roman also has been able to help keep you calm in moments of excessive alarm. Occasionally even more capable at it than I am. You are also very comfortable with him. At least you were before you realized who he was. You trust him to some extent. And I believe that he has no intention of hurting you.”

“Wait. Did you just say ‘I believe’?” Virgil couldn’t help but point that out.

“Based off of evidence I have collected, yes.”

“And what evidence would that be?” As much as he hated to admit it, he was curious about what would cause Logan to say that.

“One example would be that he told Patton that he ‘had ruined everything’ and ‘it was all his fault.’”

Virgil didn’t know how to respond to that. It was the last thing that he expected Roman Prince to say about him. He never thought that Roman would go so far as to blame himself. He thought that Roman would laugh about the experience and use it as more fuel against him.

“Virgil?” Logan’s voice broke Virgil out of his thoughts.

“Sorry, what?”

“I said would you like more evidence?”

“No, thank you. I don’t want want to hear the page and a half of evidence you probably have on that one point.”

“It is a page and a quarter.”

“Whatever you say.” Virgil couldn’t help the slight smile that was on his face. He missed talking with Logan so much.

“Anyway. Roman would also find a way to help you without making you go to the hospital. And just talking to him would be enough to, uh, pay him back.”

“Based off what Patton said I’m guessing?”

“Precisely. Though it is a possible con in he may not want to talk to you. It was a few months ago that Patton told me this.”

“Any other cons?”

Virgil heard the shuffling of pages from the other line again. “He could be upset that you didn’t let him explain himself. He could be upset that you broke off all ties. However it’s hypothesized that sitting down and talking to him about why will rectify that. Actually almost all of the cons I have written could be corrected by just talking to him.”

“Almost all?” Virgil’s curiosity got the better of him.

“The one outcome that wouldn’t be corrected is if he truly never cared for you, which seems highly illogical. I believe that there is an infinitesimal chance that talking to him will work.”

“Logan. Buddy. That’s not encouraging.”

“Why not? I am simply saying that there is a great chance that if you talk to him things will be alright.”

“Not that ‘infinitesimal’ means Lo.”

Virgil couldn’t help but chuckle when he heard Logan typing away quickly at his computer. He could almost imagine the look of disbelief on the other’s face. The sputtering from the other line proved that Logan was at a loss for words at misusing the term.

“I...deeply apologize for that, Virgil.”

“‘S all good. I knew you didn’t mean it.” There was a pause. “So you really believe it’s a good idea to go to Roman?”

“I truly do. While he may be arrogant, I do not believe that he will turn you away. He’s prideful but he still has a heart.”

“Alright. If he does I expect a major apology.”

“I promise.”

Virgil took a deep breath and was about to hit the end call button when something stopped him. It was some emotion he hadn’t felt in a long time. After pondering it for a minute, Virgil realized it was pride. He was proud of what he was going to tell Logan.

“I stood up to him.” Virgil whispered as he got up from the bench.

“What do you mean?” Logan asked, fearing the answer.

“My father. I... I stood up to him”.

“That’s… That’s good, Vee. If you did, I think it’s all the mor--”

“That’s not it, Logan.” Virgil cut off his friend. He was now standing near the bench, not ready to leave the familiar place yet.

“What’s not ‘it?’” Logan sounded worried. There was another shift on the other side of the line, signifying that he put down his papers.

“It all happened so fast, or slow, I don’t know. He may not have but... I turned and the-the-the blade went deep into my arm and…” Virgil took a deep breath to attempt to steady his heavily beating heart. He couldn't get it out. He couldn’t.

“You’re probably bleeding far worse than I anticipated because of, of your bravery,” Logan moved the phone to his other ear. “You did stand up to him, that’s what matters. And I’m.. I’m extremely proud of you.”

“Yeah but now my jacket is going to be soaked in blood.” Virgil joked as he started walking again. He heard a muffled ‘Jesus Christ’ on the other end of the line which made him crack a smile.

“If you do not go to Roman I will fly home and personally drag you kicking and screaming to the hospital and then to his house.” Concern was clear in Logan’s voice.

Virgil knew Logan well enough to know he meant it. “I’m already off the bench and out of the park. You’re just lucky the two of you don’t live that far apart.”

“We what now?”

“I ran into your neighborhood. Muscle memory I guess.”

“I am… sorry that I am not there to help you.” Regret was clear in Logan’s voice. He wished the world that he could be there to help protect his friend.

“Its okay. You’ve got collage, and… Like I said, he only lives a few blocks away.” Virgil was lying. He was lying so hard that it hurt. But he had to, because he couldn’t spend his entire life dependant on Logan. He had enough of Virgil’s bullshit and pain. He deserved a normal life full of learning, possibly love, without Virgil weighing him down. That’s all he ever did, really, was weigh him down. If Virgil hadn’t been so stupid as to go to his house all those years ago, hurt and afraid, then Logan’s life could have been free from pain. The most he had to worry about was love and knowledge. But no, Virgil had to ruin all of that.

“Virgil, talk to me.” Logan cut through Virgil’s internal thoughts. He seemed to do that a lot.

“What? Sorry, spaced out.”

“You worry me. I asked if you want me to stay on the phone with you?” Worry was even more evident in Logan’s voice than before.

Virgil pulled his hood up to hopefully block some of the wind as he turned onto the main street. It was late, past midnight at least, so there wasn’t too many cars to disturb the call. “Maybe? I don’t know. It sounded like I took you away from something.”

“That was… nothing really important. A dorm activity.”

“That you liked or not?” You fucking idiot Virgil. He was doing normal college stuff and you couldn’t even let him do that. Stupid.

“It was okay. I met this mess of a man, Nate, who scares me with how much he procrastinates.”

“So… ProcrastiNATE.”

“I hate you.” Logan couldn’t help the slightly fond smile despite his annoyance at the pun.

“Come on, you love me.”

“You’re right. I do. A lot, honorary little bro.”

“Did you just call me ‘bro?’ What has college done to you?” Virgil teased his best friend. No, that wasn’t right. Logan was his brother. They were closer than blood could ever make them.

“I tried! But honestly, you’re still Honorary Brother in my contacts.”

Virgil was silent for a few moments before he regained himself. “That means a lot to me, Lo.”

“I know it does, Virge.”

Virgil was still concerned that he messed up an important part of Logan’s experience at college. “Are you sure that I’m not taking you away from anyone right now?”

A knock on a door at Logan’s end of the call gave him his answer. “One moment.”

“Sure.”

Logan removed the phone from his ear and covered the speaker to hopefully minimize what Virgil could hear. He sat up from the chair at his desk to approach the door. Upon opening it, the man that he talked about to Virgil was standing there. Logan furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before raising one as to ask ‘what are you doing here?’

“Oh, good, this is your dorm. Okay.” Nate pushed up his sunglasses and leaned against the doorframe.

“What do you want? I’m a bit preoccupied.” Logan was annoyed, that much was clear. Virgil was just able to make out his words, which made him feel even more guilty than he already was.

“Dude, you left right in the middle of a conversation. And said something about a hospital. We worried.” the concern in Nate’s voice actually seemed genuine, at least to Logan.

“I’m helping out a friend of mine, its-” Logan was promptly cut off by Virgil on the other end of the line.

“Logan! Go back to the meeting thing!” Virgil half-yelled into the phone, hoping that his friend would hear him. “I’m almost there anyway.” That wasn’t the full truth, but it was close enough to the truth that Logan wouldn’t mind anyway.

Nate looked down at Logan’s phone, then back up to the younger with a smirk. “And the friend agrees with me. Come on, tell ‘em goodbye and come back! Brian’s about to talk school stuff and by the looks of ya, you’d like that.”

“Go, Logan!” Virgil yelled again. Logan brought his phone back up to his ear for the second part of Virgil’s sentence. “Besides, a dude named Brian? That’s gotta be cool. He has your last name as a name.”

“Yeah, well, you’re more important,” Nate gave him a goofy smile, to which Logan responded by tearing the phone away from his face and saying, “Not like that, you, uh, you...”

“Buffoon?” Virgil supplied.

“Buffoon! Wait, Vee, what does that even mean?” Nate watched these two sortof interact with a happy glint in his eye. They were good friends. Even he could tell.

“Dunno. Now go.”

“Fine. Goodbye, Virgil. Please call me if you need more assistance. Text me when you get there.”

“Will do, Lo. Talk to you later.” Virgil’s grip on his phone tightened. They were doing the dance of who will hang up again.

“Good luck.” Neither wanted to do it. Logan wanted to provide support, while Virgil didn’t want to let go of familiarity and the comfort of Logan’s voice. But he had to.

“You too.” Virgil said with finality before removing the phone from his face and pressing the end call button. Just like that, his fate was sealed.

Not only that, but Virgil knew that his phone was dying. He didn’t have time to grab anything other than his sweatshirt. No charger, no change of clothes, no wallet, no earbuds, no nothing. Virgil took a look at the time, and his battery, before placing it in his back pocket again. No earbuds meant no music, and no music meant that his mind was free to wander.

This was not a good thing, despite what some people might think. Virgil’s mind wandering was never good. Now he had the chance to think over all the reasons why Roman hated him, and why he would definitely turn him away. Virgil walked on like this, pain in his upper arm and worrying thoughts in his mind. It took everything in his being not to think himself creepy for knowing the way. The boy had given the younger his address willingly at some point after their split. Virgil saved it, most likely because of the lingering hope in his heart. Soon enough, he would reach the one place he never thought he’d actually go: Roman Prince’s house.

next part

Shoutout to the amazing @lovecrazyjennybear​! She helped me a ton with this chapter (specifically most of Logan and Virgil’s conversation), and even more chapters to come. You are an amazing beta reader and an even more amazing friend! (and writer, and editer, and all the ideas you have. you are amazing all around)