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contorted-curruptions · 3 years

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*-Mug Shot-*-Poly KiriBaku X reader-*-part one-*

Note: Surprise Saturday, I got carried away with the story and thought it might be best to section it off in two parts so you’ll be getting this one and another post tomorrow peeps, I hope you enjoy my first attempt at a story like this one. Smut is not in this one so if you are looking for that you’ll find it tomorrow, until then please feel free to enjoy this. Also all characters are aged up and the time the story takes place is when they are already pro heroes, so keep that in mind.

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Running, running, the sound of bare feet harshly pounding across the hard surface of the ground below. The pavement cold and merciless on your bare feet, you feel the damage from all the running with no shoes. As you run the sound of your terror echoes out across the soundless night, the streets so empty, not like how they usually are in the daytime. Not a soul will hear you and if they do it’ll be a little too late. It’s dark and only the street lights give you any semblance of where you are going. You hear and feel your heartbeat pounding away in your chest, that feeling becoming more painful with each pound. You feel yourself falter a bit more but you can’t afford to stop, can’t afford to stop running even for a minute. You know they have to be hot on your tail, know they won’t waste time in giving chase once they know you have fled the scene, that most horrifying scene that you left behind. The images flash through your mind as you ran churning your stomach and bringing fresh tears to your eyes. You stifle a sob but that makes your chest clench most painfully but worst of all in this panic while you turn into an alleyway you haven’t noticed the glass scattering across the entrance of the alley. Though you become sorely aware of it once your feet make contact with the shards causing you to let out a scream at the pain shooting through the fresh wounds the glass makes. You wind up tumbling to the ground, you scuff up your hands and knees as you make contact earning more painful noises from you. You fell unceremoniously on the ground in a small heap. Those sobs you kept in achingly inside your chest burst out and you howl out, hot tears now streaming down your face.

For a moment you lose your resolve while you lay there in that heap on the pavement. The pain from all the running through the city catching up with you. Your breathing erratic and you are finding it hard to catch the breath that you lost during this chase. You feel dizzy, your entire body aching in agony, and for this time all you can focus on is the sheer panic coursing through your entire form. You need to get up, need to, have to, you can’t just keep lying like this out in the open, they’ll find you. Another surge of adrenaline gives you the energy you need, you rise to your feet and start running again. You are ignoring the pain in your feet and in other areas of your body which is over-exhausting. You’re Focusing on what is dead ahead of you, a building that looks abandoned. You can focus on much of anything else except the idea of escaping, the idea you can hide and rest a moment. Though, you have to wonder what you are going to do. You can’t run forever and you doubt hiding will do you much good either. No, not when facing off with two pro heroes who are much more experienced than you. Two pro heroes and friends you never had thought until now would have done something like this in the first place and no one else will believe such a claim either. No one will convict two heroes that have done nothing but good.

These thoughts alone left you feeling alone, so very alone. Who do you turn to in a time like this one? Who will even believe you? You, a simple book store clerk and hobbyist selling random things for fun? You are what most would call a nobody, just another face in the crowd, which is why you have to wonder what wound you up getting mixed up with these two in the first place. However, this is no time to think about that. There is no time to be drudging back into the past when what you need to focus on is finding a solution to your problem. A solution that doesn’t come easy or seemingly at all. The alarm of this chase slowly starts to dull into confusion as to why you haven’t been hearing anything from the two who should be hunting you down right now. You haven’t even seen a glimpse of either of the two males you figure are after you currently. Everything quiet and dark, not a sound, not a peep, nothing. You pause your running once reaching the abandoned building and making your way inside. You pant and groan, your lungs and everything else feeling like they are on fire. You place your hands on your knees and take in a deep gasp of breath before coughing loudly. You are choking and gasping after all that running, that dizzy feeling coming back to you. You stumble to the wall and lean against it, you in this tiring state slide down not caring about the filth on it or the ground under you, and there is trash along with other more grimy looking things all around, nonetheless at the moment, you choose to ignore it. Your body too worn and your mind still scattering about too much to really mind it all. All you need is to breathe, that is all you can think, you need a moment. Maybe if lucky, they aren’t chasing you after all. You can only hope that is the case yet you can’t be too certain so you know you can’t linger for too long.

“Fuck...fuck...it stings damn it…why…?!”

You curse under your breath finally starting to feel the glass in your feet you didn’t bother to remove before. You are fearful to even look at the bottoms of your feet right now, you can only imagine how torn up they must look currently, The blood. Looking off you can see the small trail leading to you. You let out a small whimper as you raise your hands to look at them. They too sting badly from falling a few times before. Looking them over it seems they have been torn up pretty badly. A few rocks rest under the skin now, you poke at the bloody and bruising flesh trying to scoot a rock from under the flesh to get it out only to hiss from how it feels to do so and once more curse.

“Damn it…stings...”

You say in a whimper as you move to curl up into yourself, more tears start to cascade down your cheeks, that tight feeling in your chest returning.

“(BF/n), oh god...what am I...?!”

You curl up and start sobbing the images of your beloved’s corpse chard and beaten to a pulp on the floor creeping into your brain, it once more causes you to feel sick. It makes you want to vomit. The smell, the sight, the screaming before all that, those are things you know you’ll never forget. All of them tear you up inside, this is all your fault after all if it weren’t for taking on that project for the two pro heroes you wouldn’t have been winding up here, would you?

It had been a simple day, one like any other, the sky was bright and sunny dotted with a few clouds which you had remembered you stared up at that day. It was very nice unlike tonight, cold and unbearable regardless you remember you woke up beside your lover then. Your boyfriend had given you a good morning kiss like always ever since you had moved in together. Honestly, you hadn’t been in that house together all that long, only a couple of months but those moments spent together had been a dream. A dream you hadn’t wanted to wake up from. You would both get up and get ready to go to work. That morning you showered together, you both got a bit frisky that morning. You and your boyfriend would make out tongues danced together while your arms would be wrapped around each other. You could feel how well your bodies fit together.

Hard to believe that is all over now, that lovely little dream with your boyfriend dead, as dead as he is now. You will never feel that perfect fit with him again. Knowing that sends another wave of pain through you and causes another sob to echo out from your chest as you shiver and wish for the warmth of your lover. Right now you feel more cold and alone than ever before.

Continuing that trip down memory lane, you could recall you left the house alone that day. Your boyfriend would take his car to work and you would walk, being that you didn’t live that far away from the book store which you work at. You can’t help but think that years ago you wouldn’t have seen yourself working in such a place and it’s not because you don’t like books more so you have problems dealing with people. It fills you with a lot of anxiety to deal with things most days. Honestly, you feel you might have just wasted away if it wasn’t for your boyfriend who always seemed to have your back when you needed it. What are you going to do now that he is gone? Are you going to spiral out of control? No, somehow you will stay strong for his sake.

Regardless, continuing on. The day moved forward normally nothing seemed out of place, not even the random email you had gotten when you came home. The email was another commission for a project by another faceless person. You didn’t know that this request would wind you up in deep trouble later, in that deep trouble now. The commission seemed all too normal. The client wanted something special done for an anniversary gift for their boyfriend which seemed very cute to you. Really you sort of like hearing from the clients more than most do. The theme was simple it was to be a Red Riot and Ground Zero themed item or rather mugs. They wanted it to be a bit flashy or at least the art on them to be, it was something you could do, Honestly. Despite not being that into heroes, you were happy to do this for the client. You love making things and even more so making those who enjoy your work happy. So like with any other client you got to work after you sorted through the details, and actually, you were very excited. This was something you could do with your boyfriend, he was much more into the whole hero thing than you were and still are. Funny enough your boyfriend did like those two in particular. They were heroes that he very much enjoyed so that day you learned quite a lot about the pair of heroes in question.

The project went on as normal and with your newfound information, you made the gift extra special. You wanted to be very specific to the client’s taste so you tried to ask questions however they seemed very lax about everything they had said that they trusted your judgment. You didn’t mind this one bit. You had given the client updates and he seemed to like them. Eventually, the day came for the project to be done and you shipped them out. You had been very proud of your work and even your boyfriend was. Actually, Your boyfriend had got all pouty, he wished he could keep them which you had found funny then...what you would give to be able to hear him laugh again, to see that smile, and now that was stolen from you.

For a long while, things seemed alright, there had been no word from the client. However, you had been paid so you assumed they were happy with what they had gotten. It wasn’t until a full two months later that things started to kick off again. The day had started normal enough, you made it to the bookstore on time, and would work as you normally would. That day was quiet, not many customers, and most of the day spent slacked off with your coworker while doing what needed to be done around the store. Though at some point the bell on the door would sound it would call you back to the front of the store. A young man with crimson red spikey hair and eyes was the one who sounded the bell when he walked in. Upon further inspection your eyes would widen you would form a recognition with the redhead in the store, it was the hero Red Riot. You couldn’t help but stand there dumbfounded.

“H-Hello and welcome to Nook Books, how can I help you?”

That had been what you said when you finally had found your words, your voice had come out in a bit of a stutter and you had given him a small nervous laugh. He responded to your more shy behavior with merely a smile and offered up an adorable laugh of his own, which actually eased your own anxiety towards the situation at the time.

“Hey there, yeah I could actually use a bit of help finding a book.”

You would smile at the young hero and gave a small nod, you of course were always happy to help the customer, and there was no exception then either. Not to mention you were face to face with the hero Red Riot and at that time you had been oh too excited to be in his presence for the fact you could tell your boyfriend about the encounter. Maybe if you were lucky you could get an autograph, or maybe at least a picture, though to be honest you also hadn’t wanted to bother him so you so it was just a debate in your mind. you at the time though knew it would make your boyfriend happy if you would get it.

“Ah yes, well I’m happy to help, what book are you looking for?”

You would offer up one of your best smiles and try not to fidget too much however you had already shifted to and fro a bit out of nervousness already.

“Ah well, haha, I kinda don’t know…”

You would blink a moment in confusion but nod a moment before you responded.

“You don’t know? Are you buying for someone else?”

You would question a moment, you thought maybe his mind had been on someone else when he thought of the book he wanted, it might have been a gift if he wasn’t sure what kind of book he was on the look for however just as well he might just not had been sure what type of book he needed for himself, but something told you it wasn’t for him, you had a felt that way anyway.

“Haha, yeah, it isn’t for me, though he’s very special to me, he’s a bit difficult to buy for sometimes. Do you have any books that would be more action-packed and manly?”

You had smiled when you listened to his explanation for who it was for and even giggled when you heard what exactly he was had been in search for. There were many, many books on hand that could cover what he wanted but with so little given and that he said the other was difficult to buy for well it seemed like a slightly daunting task. Even so at that time you were determined to find the perfect book for this special someone that he had talked about. You smiled and worked very hard, you asked specific questions to try and get a better gauge on what type of book to get. If only you had known what you had been dealing with back then you wouldn’t have worked as hard as you did to make him happy. You wouldn’t have been as pleasant to him, but sadly you hadn’t known and you had been as positive and polite as possible. You even asked more than you would have given your normal comfort zone. You had tired yourself out on one customer something you wouldn’t usually do, but you wanted to impress the male. You wanted to make sure someone like him left very happy. You did manage that, you got him the perfect book, after you found that book for him you brought him over to the register to check him out.

“I think that book will make him smile, and if it doesn’t feel free to hold me accountable.”

You would chirp out as you rang up the book, you had a good conversation with the young hero. He’d even told you his name which was interesting to know. Kirishima seemed to talk about Ground Zero. Of course, it was said they were good friends so you supposed that was only natural, and he’d mentioned a few other interesting aspects about himself which had tickled you to learn about. It wasn’t every day you could have said you got to talk to a pro hero.

“Don’t worry, I trust your judgment, I don’t think you’d steer me wrong haha.”

You would nod and laugh as you placed the book in a bag and told him how much the book would be, Kirishima would pay you and you would hand him the bag, of course surprisingly he didn’t rush off after that, he would stick by the counter a moment.

“Before I go, would you like an autograph or something?”

He had given you a big grin and you would blink, you had held back and tried not to ask because you hadn’t wanted to bother him and there he asked you about what you had wanted from him, almost too eager you lept at the opportunity.

“Y-Yes actually I’d love that, my boyfriend is a big fan.”

At the first part of your statement it would seem that Kirishima was very happy to hear what you had to say but as you look back on it now you realize that he had twitched lightly, he had made a small change in his facial expression that said something else when you mentioned your boyfriend, you thought nothing of it back then but now it was very apparent that he was upset to hear you were with someone and that the reason you wanted a picture and autograph was because of him and not because you were a fan.

“Yeah? Alright then, glad I could help you make his day like you made mine.”

After that, you would get to pose with him for a picture and he would sign a piece of notebook paper for you, it was the only thing you had on hand at the moment, but he happily signed it for you. You also hadn’t noticed that he looked for more reasons to make conversation with you but your coworker interrupted and him unlike your boyfriend wasn’t very fond of heroes so he could care less that one was in the store other than the fact it meant that the store might get a good review from someone who mattered.

“(Y/n), I need you to do something for me in the back.”

Your coworker would speak up, you could tell from the tone of his voice he just wanted to hurry things along.

“Oh, I don’t want to keep you. It was nice to meet you, (Y/n). Hopefully, I’ll see you again.”

With that Kirishima had given you a small smile and wave before he made his way to the door.

“Yeah, you too, have a lovely day, I hope the person you were buying for enjoys your gift!!”

You would call back to him before he fully left, you hadn’t thought about how he used your first name, you didn’t tell him he couldn’t then, which would come to be a mistake later, many things would lead to being mistakes you couldn’t have fathomed being so problematic. After that meet with him, you had continued work only to be nagged by your coworker about doing your job in a timely fashion which irked you quite a lot but you hadn’t let it ruin your day. Like you assumed your boyfriend would be over the moon to see the autograph and to see the picture you had been so pleased to see his smile, that night was one to remember, Your boyfriend had been so excited he made love to you. Part of you doesn’t want to remember that part, only because it’s yet another thing that you will never have from him again, and giving the current situation, you find it inappropriate.

Suddenly you hear a loud bang echo out, a growl and cussing from not too far away from where you are in the building. Your heart begins pounding in your chest, it looks like those who were chasing you after you had fled are finally here to collect you. Your breathing picks up and you move scrabbling to your feet. If you stay here they’ll find you for sure, that is all that you are thinking about, you need to escape and now.

“Where the fuck are you (Y/n)!! I know you’re fucking here, can’t hide forever idiot!!”

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phanhowell · 4 years

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Small details in JATP that I ✨love✨ Willex scene edition

People liked my Unsaid Emily details post so I’m back for part 2, this time using only scenes featuring my favourite ghost boyfriends.

Starting off we have this brilliant screenshot from the first time they meet. Not much to say about it tbh but I think it’s super cool how Dave Hoge is the producer of the show and they found a way to include his name in such a creative way. It took me way too long to figure out that this wasn’t just a random name that they threw in there.

Next we have this. I’m fairly sure that those posters in the back are promoting the names of bands that Sunset Curve could’ve been (as in they were the draft names). It’s also hilarious to me that the band posters we see in this scene and in any other present day scene are the same bands that were being promoted at the orpheum in 1995. They thought we wouldn’t notice HA. Perhaps my favourite thing about this image however is the fact that Dog Costume man can be seen verryyyy slowly walking into the shot the entire time. Give that man a raise honestly he deserves an oscar for this performance. The bus numbers might mean something but I don’t live in Hollywood or know anything about buses so idk what.

Next we have this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rainbow bracelet!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAA I love. Don’t think about Alex nervously going into a store by himself in 1994 to buy this. Don’t think about him checking over his shoulder constantly to make sure nobody saw him buy it. Don’t think about him only wearing it when he’s alone at home and looking at himself crying in the mirror, trying desperately to accept himself. Absolutely don’t think about him eventually being proud enough to wear it around the boys, but before coming home having to take it off and shove it in his pocket, along with putting the small cross back on his chain. :)

Also peep that solid black ring. I’m not saying ace! alex but 👀we already know Willie has the Gay™️ earring so it wouldn’t be too far of a stretch to assume the costume design is trying to say something. It’s on the right hand too, which after some research is apparently the one that means asexual. I’m not ace however so if this is completely wrong someone please come and yell at me.

[EDIT AFTER POSTING: Fifi pointed out to me that an ace ring is typically worn on the middle finger of the right hand, while Alex wears his on his index finger. Because of this please ignore everything I just said.]

Skateboard!!!! Pretty much all of the ideas in this bit are from @funsizearsonist so go follow them k? Firstly, it would not be far fetched to assume that Willie is an artist. He really strikes me as a guy who’d be into street art and who sometimes leaves graffiti in places just because he knows he can never be caught. Willie is creative, and probably designed his skateboard himself. That’s why he was so concerned that Alex dinged it. The design seen here is a flaming sword, which actually fits him perfectly. A flaming sword in literature and mythology typically means that whoever is holding it is a protector or guardian, with the fire representing supernatural abilities. That’s Willie!! In season 1 while he is the one that brings them to Caleb, he is also the one that tries to save them from being jolted out of existence. If it weren’t for him, the boys would be gone forever. On top of this, I really believe that next season Willie is going to play a much bigger part in the battle against Caleb. We’ve seen him use his powers already on the cops, but he 100% can do so much more that we haven’t seen yet. He’s going to be the boys’ saviour I’m telling ya.

Nothing to say about this except look at the pictures on the walls. Caleb knows he’s an icon and I love it.

ehehehehehe this one makes my heart go weeeeeee. Very hard to see, but Willie has his arm around Alex’s shoulders. If you missed my post I did a while ago, Willie touches Alex 14 whole times during this single song. If that isn’t love idk what is.

Ok, this one isn’t so much about the screenshot as it is about what’s happening in the scene. If you’ve always found it weird how they were walking around while talking instead of just sitting down to have a conversation, you aren’t the only one. But the truth hurts. Willie is making the boys follow him to talk because he knows that Caleb is tracking him. By being with them, he’s putting them all in danger, but it’s a risk he’s willing to take for Alex. Willie can’t stay in one place for long, because if he does Caleb is going to catch him. I mean he literally says “if he even knew I was here talking to you, he would destroy me”. What I think is that Willie is only trying to protect the boys at this stage because he knows that Caleb is going to catch him no matter what. By changing locations constantly, at least he’s giving them a chance to live, even if it means he’s going to die again.

Last screenshot and you know I couldn’t leave the hug out. Just look at them :) They’re in love :) That’s all.

I’m just kidding I wanna talk about Willie’s bracelets. Dang flabbit does he have a lot. I like to think that he had none of these when he was alive, but has collected them over the years of being a ghost. Maybe he steals them from stores, maybe he finds them in the many strange locations that he screams at. Maybe, just maybe, each one of them represents a different friend of his who has crossed over. If that last part is the case, then in this moment Willie could already be thinking about what bracelet he can make in Alex’s honour.

#this was not planned i just started writing and it didnt stop #im sorry for making everything angsty i love pain and suffering #jatp #julie and the phantoms #i should be writing a speech rn #oops #i also havent proofread this so sorry if theres mistakes #my post

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supersonicart · 3 years

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Julio Anaya Cabanding’s “Past & Present” at MOAH Lancaster.

Presented by Thinkspace Projects and opening on Saturday, July 10th, 2021 at MOAH Lancaster in Lancaster, California is artist Julio Anaya Cabanding’s exhibition, “Past & Present.”

“In one room will be all classic works up till Mannerism. All works will represent religion, mythology, and the Creation. In the other room of MOAH’s Cedar location there will be works from Modernism up to a work of Edward Hopper. In this room I will talk about the present through some works which really talk to us about the pandemic situation, poetically.” - Julio Anaya Cabanding

The relentless passage of time, its impact, and the constant change have been explained by classical philosophy through the concepts of the "past", the "present", and the "future". It is their linear interchange that generates the unstoppable stream we all experience as life, an ongoing process which we had a chance to reexamine to great extent in the past year and a half of the global pandemic. Such historically unequaled premise prompted Julio Anaya Cabanding (1987), to conceptualize a showcase that will talk about human life history through the exploration of the history of painting, with an accent on the most recent period of lockdowns, quarantines, and social distancing. Channeling his personal concerns and experiences through his vast knowledge and love for the medium of painting, and materializing it through an impeccable conceptual and technical ability, Malaga-born artist is introducing his poetic vision of the Past and Present.

Going to his studio during the months of strict lockdowns in Spain, Anaya Cabanding experienced the usually bustling streets of Malaga more desolated and unnerving than he could ever imagine. The lively atmosphere of the coastal Andalucian town was replaced by the uncomfortable emptiness, evoking the ambiance of Giorgio de Chirico's motionless cityscapes basking in the bright daylight of the Mediterranean sun. During the same period, the artist spent long hours, days, weeks, and months, at home with his girlfriend, physically isolated from the rest of the world. Recognizing the atmosphere of the detached subjects in Edward Hopper's work, it was one of his paintings, Room in New York, 1932, that finally moved the artist to envision an exhibition with such percipient concept.

Having a chance to create and present an entirely new body of work in an institution such as the Lancaster Museum of Art & History, prompted the artist to reconstruct somewhat of a human life timeline metaphorically narrated through the history of painting. Using his signature trompe l'oeil pictorial interventions on found cardboard, Anaya Cabanding attentively appointed an extensive selection of renowned masterpieces to represent our shared past. Starting from The Origin of the Milky Way by Tintoretto,1575–1580, over Jan van Eyck's portraits of Adam and Eve from the Ghent Altarpiece, 1432, all the way to Rogier van der Weyden's Crucifixión triptych, 1443-1445, the five works in the first, pre-Modernism room reference the creation, mythology, and Christianity.

The chronicle continues in the second room where a series of seven landscapes stand for the beauty of untouched nature, which is suddenly interrupted by the presence of what we recognize as a civilized human. Caspar David Friedrich's Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, 1818, one of the most important works of German Romanticism, here stands as the historic turnaround, a metaphorical portrait of humanity face-off with the unbeatable strength of sublime nature. Such monumental anticlimax is sensibly leading to René Magritte's The Key of the Field, 1936, and Giorgio de Chirico's The Return of the Poet, 1911, two depictions of telling surreal scenes that envisioned our recent reality. Continuing over Pablo Picasso's The Yellow Shirt (Dora Maar), 1939, rendering of a seated woman that is physically falling apart as she's nervously waiting to stand up from the seated position, the exhibition wraps up suspended in the anticipation of the aforementioned Hopper's peeping classic.

In an effort to accentuate the illusion of the actual museum display, ‘Past and Present’ marks the first exhibition comprising only works painted to the very edges of the found cardboard. Interested in the confusion that painted images can initiate, especially their relationships with the points of view and/or shadows, the presentation also includes his first works which are stepping off the flatness of the wall and into real space. Just as Anaya Cabanding’s practice of painting priceless masterpieces in abandoned spaces or on found cardboard recontextualizes their prestigious aura, repurposing them into a timeline of human life disputes the centuries of their traditional evaluation, giving them more emotive, existential, human value.

Text courtesy of Sasha Bogojev.

Be sure to follow Supersonic Art on Instagram!

#art #painting #julio anaya cabanding #thinkspace projects

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behindheremeraldeyes · 4 years

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sasusaku month 2020 day 1 - stuck with you . title: Behind Your Curtains . summary: Feudal AU- She's the daughter of the Daimyou and he was design to be her personal guard. They had already accepted the obligations that came with their titles, but life had other plans for them. . a/n: HAPPY SASUSAKU MONTH!! Ahh the best month of the year is finally here and not even the quarantine will ruin our party! I have a lot of nice things planned and I can't wait to see our tag flourishing! Well, enough of my rambling! I hope you enjoy this one (even though it's a little too long). I started this fic a couple of years ago and only now it felt right to continue! Let's see how it goes!! . Rated: K+ sudare: are screens or blinds. They protect the inhabitants of the building not only from the elements, but also from the eyes of outsiders. In old tales, a court lady would conceal herself behind a screen when speaking with a man outside her immediate family. She could peep through it and see her interlocutor, but because he had to remain at a distance from it, he could not see her.

They were all gathered at the main room of the Haruno palace when he first laid his dark eyes on her delicate silhouette.

Times were difficult in Konohagakure. Due to the new political scenario unwrapping around the village, both he and his older brother had been called that morning by the Daimyou so they could be designated to their new positions within royal guard. Itachi, the smartest, had been promoted as chief of the royal family’s personal guard and Sasuke, the fastest, was now only responsible for the princess’ safety. Those were very honourable positions and only the best warriors could be selected to be so close to the most important family of the Fire country, and if anything, both the Uchiha brothers knew their parents would be proud of them if were they still alive.

The three men in the room were now discussing new strategies regarding the newly acquired positions, and every now and then, Sasuke caught himself sparing quick glances at the princess who sat obediently next to her father. For she was the newest object of his protection, his objective mind couldn’t help but try his best to find out whatever detail he could in order to succeed in his newest mission. Even if she was hidden behind her sudare, it was possible to tell that the rumours that travelled around the village regarding her secret and royal beauty were, somehow, true. Her figure was small and delicate; and if anything, he carefully observed how her body remained still and collected during the entire meeting.

She is a princess, he thought. In the same way he was trained to fight and kill, she was trained to obey and endure long hours without doing as much as take a deep, noisy breath. She could wear the most precious jewels of the entire country, and her ceremonial clothes could’ve been made with the most expensive silks her father could afford, but still, he knew better than to believe her life was only filled with luxuries and royal pleasures.

No, life wasn’t easy for her, he knew. However, the hardships that came with her social status meant nothing to him. Even if he was now bound to stay by her side during long periods of the day, right now, Sasuke had no desire in offering her his condolences or expressing any of his feelings in front of her. He would carry no pity in his eyes whenever he looked at her, for she is still graced with many things normal people can’t even dream of.

In his eyes, the only feeling prevailing was his sense of responsibility. He is a proud warrior, and his mission within those walls was solely to keep her safe given the new rebellious rumours that had been growing around the village.

His sword is loyal to the Daimyou, and he certainly had no time to waste on the princess’ emotions.

Whenever he looked at her through those bamboo curtains, he wondered if she also understood her part in that whole scenario. Sasuke couldn’t tell whether or not she could see what he was doing— what he was thinking— every time his dark pearls drifted to her, but there was an odd feeling growing inside his chest whenever he looked at her. He could sense her own stare on him, and for some reason he couldn’t quite name, he could feel a mutual agreement talked through hidden glances.

She is the princess and he is the warrior that is supposed to protect her.

There was no logical reason to cross that line given their positions, and certainly, there was no desire to disrupt the balance created by the rules of their respective duties within the Fire country.

“I’m counting on you to keep my daughter safe.” The Daimyou said, his dull, green eyes set on his dark ones as he spoke with all the authority given by his title and all the concern of a father.

Sasuke nodded, bowing his head down in respect. He looked at the princess one more time, and was surprised to see her own silhouette bowing down to him, too. “Thank you for serving my father. From now on, I’ll be at your care.”

Her voice was soft and delicate, catching him completely by surprise. There were people who said the princess’ voice was as serene as the prettiest of the melodies, but if anything, Sasuke believed her voice to be ordinarily enjoyable. The sound felt comfortable in his ear, and judging by her father’s expression, her words meant more than a simple courtesy.

There wasn’t much he could tell about the princess yet, but he had a feeling that, soon, he would eventually learn more about the secrets she hides behind her curtains.

His eyes didn’t leave her, and cordially, he bowed down in respect.

xxxx

It didn’t take long for him to get used to the softness of her voice.

–––

By the end of their second week together, Sasuke had already memorized her— and consequently, his— schedule. They would meet every day after her breakfast, and right after that, the maids would take her to first of many lessons of the day. At first, he believed he would eventually end up seeing the princess’ mysterious face while she was lectured, but soon, he learned that his eyes would be denied of such privilege, for he would always stay outside of whatever room she was in. Even if he had tried to enter a couple of times, saying he was only following orders, there was this old, crinkled lady that would always stop him in his tracks, telling him that his eyes were not worthy of seeing the princess during the practice of her feminine arts, whatever that could possibly mean.

He tried to argue a couple of times, but in the end, his will didn’t prevail against that woman’s strictness. Eventually, the Uchiha settled for sitting outside the door with his guard up, blocking the passage of anyone who tried to interrupt the princess or cause her any harm. His so observant eyes were denied the secret image of the Daimyou’s daughter, however, due to the thin paper that sealed the walls, his ears captured every word that left her lips.

It was not like he had planned on listening to their conversation or anything like that, but that was the only thing left for him to make sure the princess was, indeed, safe. After a while, he realized that he was able to tell a lot about her simply based on the tone of her voice whenever she answered a question. The changes were barely perceptible, but for a skilful warrior such as himself, her real emotions were hidden within every word she pronounced. He knew when she was sad or when she was angry, but he couldn’t really tell when she was happy or excited. Such feelings were harder to detect, he realized, mostly because they seemed to be rare in her life.

The princess wasn’t happy. He had never seen her face, but he could bet his own sword that tears were more common on her face than a sincere smile. He had never heard her laughing, let alone giggling, and if he were to be honest, the only time he had actually heard her voice holding some positiveness was when she ended up correcting her instructor after the older woman had mistaken the kanjis. On that day, not even he could suppress the smirk that grew on his lips, for that woman certainly deserved to be countered after the many times she yelled at both of them for stupid things.

For a reason he couldn’t quite understand, though, the Uchiha was tired of listening to her mean words towards the princess. No matter how hard she seemed to try to follow the lessons, it was never enough.

That’s not how a princess must behave. You’ll never find yourself a husband if you keep up with such childish act. Your father would be ashamed of you.

Harsh words left those old, chapped lips every day, and if anything, the princess would always answer politely with a Forgive me, sensei or I’ll try harder next time. She didn’t deserve such things, but Sasuke figured he was not the one to judge. As a warrior, he had no idea of how she should actually behave or what abilities she was supposed to master. Her world was incredibly strange to him, who saw and heard things from a completely different point of view.

He couldn’t care less about things such as etiquette or the proper way of serving tea. Even if those were traits that probably impressed the royalty and the rich people, common men such as himself knew better than to believe women should be evaluated by the way they held a fan. Were the princess able to wield an axe or even heal the wounded, then he would certainly be impressed.

However, he knew he would never have any say in what the Daimyou’s daughter should do or know in order to be worthy of her title. He was nothing but a mere warrior whose more valuable possession was his sword.

His opinion didn’t belong to her world.

Still, he couldn’t help but take the side of the stranger he was destined to protect.

“We should stop here, ohime-sama. The lesson is over.” Her instructor said, no sign of empathy detected in her words.

“Hai.”

The sadness in her voice was the last thing he noticed before standing up and straightening his clothes. Her next lesson was about to begin, and unconsciously, he just hoped for her day to end already.

xxxx

The first time she actually called him by the name caught him off guard.

––

After the many complaints received by the Daimyou regarding his daughter’s lack of compromise during the lessons in the past few months, the concerned father allowed the princess to take some time to decide on what should be done about that. Her father, for what Sasuke could tell, has always been a decent man, whose number one priority was her well-being. Of course, he also understood the implications of her position and the importance behind every skill taught to her by the old women of the palace; and he knew how that would affect her future in a couple of years. More than anyone, perhaps, that poor man knew how important those lessons were, especially because those women would be able to teach her certain things that, as a man, he could never truly understand.

Sakura needed those women in her life, even if she couldn’t really see the reason why, for she needed that kind of guidance in order to blossom into the perfect princess they all want her to be.

She needed to be more feminine. Even a stoic warrior such as himself could understand that. So, imagine his surprise when, on a summer morning, the servants brought her small, bamboo prison to watch the morning practice of the royal guard.

“The princess is watching you, little brother.” Itachi started, a smirk on his face as they spared together. “You better not lose in front of her.”

“Tch. You say that as if knowing that would make any difference.”

“Oh, come on…” He dodged an attack, his long, tied hair dancing in the air. "You have to be at least excited with your job. You are protecting the princess of the Fire Country. All the others are jealous of you.”

“If you all care so much about the princess, maybe you should spend more time training in order to take my position.”

“Oh, so are you saying it wouldn’t matter if someone else took your position away from you?"

At his older brother’s words, his glance quickly shifted to the princess. Just like before, he couldn’t see her face, but he knew her eyes were on him, and for a reason he could not quite name, knowing those hidden orbs of hers were watching his moves ignited a certain confidence inside him. It was not like it gave him more strength or a new reason to beat his brother, but it certainly made him want to show more of his own world to the imprisoned princess.

Call it possessiveness or even an exaggerated sense of care, but deep inside, Sasuke didn’t want someone else doing his job. It wasn’t because he had grown fond of the princess or anything like that, but the delicacy of their situation had created an unspoken bond between the two of them. In the same way she understood his position, he also understood hers, and in silence, both of them created an intimacy neither of them ever believed to be possible. He was there for her when everyone else judged her, and she was there for him when the world seemed to be comparing him to his older brother.

It was hard to explain for it made no sense, but it was real, nonetheless.

So real that it made him unconsciously want to show her how strong he actually was. And even if he wasn’t truly aware of such will, that was exactly what he did.

In a matter of seconds, his attacks grew more precise and aggressive, catching his older brother by surprise. The impact created by their wooden swords created an echo that spread throughout the training grounds, making everyone stop to look at the them. Even with all those amazed eyes on them, Sasuke could only care about hers at that moment. His heart was beating faster, his muscles were perfectly responding to his commands, and for the first time, it became easy to detect Itachi’s own openings during his counter attacks.

He was going to beat his brother. He was going to win and show everyone he was the only one fit for his position by her side.

One, final and precise blow was the last thing that took him to defeat his brother. He didn’t really know how or when it happened, but soon, Itachi’s eyes were looking at him from the ground. There was a surprised look on his face, and dust stuck to his cheeks due to sweat. His wooden sword laid far from his grip, and when a smile crossed his brother’s face, Sasuke realized he had, indeed, won.

“You sure didn’t let the princes down, little brother.”

“Tch, stop with this nonsense. I didn’t know the sword had hit your head.”

A small wave of happiness took over the younger Uchiha. As he panted, a smirk crossed his lips before he used his free hand to brush away the strands of hair from his face. For the first time in what felt like years, he was the winner of their sparing session, and that felt oddly right considering the unexpected guest that had her royal eyes on him. The princess was there, still hidden behind her curtains, but her presence alone was strong enough to shift the entire atmosphere around them. Sparing in front of her made things more exciting, and even if he would never admit his selfish feelings out loud, having her there made him want to win like never before. She gave him a new sense of duty— a new sense of power— that was, at the same time, fierce and pure.

So, this is how it feels to fight for someone, he thought. So, this is how it feels to fight for the princess.

From that moment on, Sasuke understood the real meaning behind their silent bond. He would fight for her and she would watch over him. He would protect her and she would offer him a reason to win.

All of his victories now belonged to her in the same way her eyes and her attention now belonged to him.

With a new fulfilling sensation taking over his proud heart, Sasuke spared her a respectful glance before turning his attention back to his brother. He helped Itachi get back on his feet, ignoring whatever he was saying regarding his connection with the princess, as he took a deep, relaxing breath. There was a soft breeze brushing his face, and even if he was expecting more sneering words from his older sibling, Sasuke was surprised at the supportive squeeze of Itachi’s hand on his shoulder.

“You did really well, Sasuke. You’ve grown a lot.” He smiled, dropping his hand to his side and resting it on his hip. “Maybe I should take our training more seriously from now on.”

“Hn, maybe you should or else I’ll steal your spot, captain.”

The way that last word rolled out of his younger brother’s tongue made Itachi turn his attention back to the others around them. The warriors seemed to be dividing their attention between the siblings and the princess, clearly forgetting about their own sparing partners. For the moment, the training session seemed to have reached its end, as the warriors were only waiting for their captain’s words to make it official. And at last, that was exactly what he did.

“That’s it for today. Good job, everyone.” Itachi said, clapping his hands and looking around at his men. “Take a break now and start your own patrolling shifts. A-squad, you’ll take the front gate tonight and the others will surround the palace.”

“Hai" The dirty men said in unison, politely saluting their captain.

“Oh, and Sasuke…” He started, his voice now slower in somewhat of a mockery tone. “I believe the princess is waiting for you.”

All the men with swords, including his brother, started to walk away, heading out to their own dorms. In theory, Sasuke was supposed to follow them, but since the princess herself was mere feet away, the younger Uchiha decided to let her know he was only going to retrieve his sword before starting his real job.

Quickly, he crossed the training grounds and soon found himself bowing down in front of the princess’ sudare. Once again, he could feel her eyes on him, feeling proud of the first victory he had dedicated to her. Unlike her handmaidens that looked at him with shallow interest, he could feel that the princess herself was ecstatic to be there.

At least, that was what his heart was telling him.

“Good morning, Ohime-sama. I shall retrieve my sword before I can escort you to your next appointment.”

“The princess will be waiting for you.” One of the handmaidens spoke, catching him by surprise for he could swear the princess was about to answer him herself. He closed his eyes, then, and started to collect himself in order to walk away. Sasuke turned around, and when he was about to take his first step away from her, his ears captured the ordinary and comfortable sound of her voice.

“You were incredible today, Sasuke-san.”

The sound of his name rolling out of her tongue caught him by surprise, making him stop in his tracks. He knew he should just turn around and bow respectfully, but somewhere in the middle of his bewildered thoughts, the Uchiha forgot his manners. Once again, he turned to face her curtains, and apart from the surprised expression he wore, Sasuke couldn’t control his own mouth.

“Sasuke…san?” His lips were parted and there was a tender look on his eyes. He was confused, for sure, since he had no idea that she had memorized his name, but somehow, he also felt honoured.

“I-I… Forgive me for my manners.” She started rambling, clearly caught off guard by his words. “I took the liberty of calling you by your first name since both you and your brother are Uchiha and… Please, forgive me.”

Through the bamboo curtains, he could only see as she messily shook her hands as she spoke, and the clumsy way her words came out brought a soft smile to his lips. For the first time since he started working with the princess, Sasuke could tell she was feeling comfortable around him. She seemed to be happy and excited, and it was not like being called by his first name would be enough of a reason to demand a royal apology from her. If anything, being called like that by her felt quite nice.

“You don’t need my forgiveness, ohime-sama.”

“O-Of course I do. I—“

“Just Sasuke is fine.” He said, softly, making her stop in her tracks at the same time. He offered her a comforting expression, and waited for her to settle for their decision regarding his name.

“Hai. As you wish, Sasuke.”

A sudden, easeful sensation took over him, making his heart skip a beat at the sound of her soft voice. He bowed down his head once more, and with that light feeling surrounding them, the Uchiha finally made his way back towards his companions.

xxxxxxx

The first time he sees the colour of her hair, he understood the reason behind her name

––

It was still early in the morning when his ears captured a ruckus that suddenly shook the great walls of the palace and scared the birds that were still comfortably asleep in their nests.

He had just finished his daily rounds and was on his way to meeting the princess when the pristine silence was broken by an exasperated and loud voice coming from the chamber where the princess was supposed to be meeting her tutors. By the time he reached the sealed doors, he could hear a certain commotion going on inside, and even if he was quick to identify that it was only that old woman’s cranky voice lecturing her again, the Uchiha couldn’t help but notice there was something odd going on in there.

“What did you do, ohime-sama!? This is not unacceptable! A disgrace! How could you!?”

His eyes widened in surprise at such harsh words, and he wondered what on earth could have happened. Though he sensed no imminent threat in her voice, he couldn’t help but feel his overprotective instincts taking over his body. His hands clenched, he bit his lower lip, his eyes held a glare and even if he had no idea of what the princess might have done, it only felt natural for him to take her side.

He wasn’t going to let that woman speak to her like that, no. No matter what might have driven such words towards the young girl, people shouldn’t be treated like that.

He took a deep breath, then, and quickly, he opened the door, his skilful eyes surveying the place. The princess was behind her curtains, scrolls were spread across the floor and the filthy woman stood right above them, an irritated demeanour taking over her features. She was mad— really mad— as her glaring eyes were still set on the princess.

“What is happening here?” He asked, the tone in his voice as stoic as ever. “Is the princess in trouble?”

Her head turned so she could face him, and the Uchiha couldn’t help but feel goose bumps running down his spine. “The princess is fine.” She stated, lifting her chin as if trying to recompose herself. “Or, perhaps, she has lost her mind completely."

“And what makes you think like that?”

“See for yourself! Or, even better, ask her since she seems to be having a string of arguments lately!” She said, and at that moment, Sasuke could tell she had lost it. Never before had he seen that woman losing her balance, but apparently, the princess had driven her to the limit. Still, he couldn’t find it in himself to neither judge nor blame her just yet.

“Whatever might have happened, there’s no excuse for the way you’ve spoken to the princess.”

“You're but a simple warrior, raised to fight. Who do you think you are to speak to me about manners?”

“I am a subordinate of the royal family, just like you. I am making sure no one speaks ill of the ohime-same, therefore, be sure I’ll inform the king about your words.”

“You little—” Her face grew madder at his words, and if she didn’t hate him before, she certainly did now. “Don't waste your precious time. I will go inform the king myself and I will tell him to find his precious daughter a new tutor. I hope the next one can make a real woman out of this child before she embarrasses the whole country. Before she—”

“I will not tolerate another word against the princess.” His voice came out strong and without hesitance, cutting the older woman before she had the chance to conclude her speech. His eyes were intensely glaring at her as he held eye contact, but she didn’t seem intimidated by his imposing presence.

“You should know your place. Just a lowlife who’ll never—“

“That’s enough!” Her voice— usually so soft and polite— sounded mature and powerful as it echoed across the big chamber. Two hearts were caught by surprise and eyes widened as all the attentions were now set on the girl behind the curtains. “Not another word about my protector. Leave, at once.”

A deafening silence took over the room after her words, and his heart skipped a beat. The princess made herself heard, and for the first time, she had decided not to stay silent and simply accept such harsh words. Sakura was not going to just listen as she said those words about him, and even if he was more than capable of defending himself against a woman, it felt good to see her fighting for both of them.

She was standing her ground, like a princess should. She should be proud of herself.

A scoff left the older woman's lips before she looked away from the Uchiha, finally deciding to leave the room. Her heels clicked across the floor as she made her way out, and even if he didn’t turn to see her leaving, the door loudly shutting behind them indicated she was gone. They were both left alone in a large chamber, and even if it was normally considered to be an inappropriate situation for a princess, neither of them could deny that the atmosphere felt lighter than ever before.

There was no telling what kind of consequences her actions would have, and chances were her father would scold her for driving that woman away, but the warrior figured that was not the right time to worry about that. His brother has always told him to be proud of his choices, and even if he couldn’t see her face, something told him she was aware of that.

The raven-haired warrior, then, took a deep breath and took a few steps until he was standing closer to her, just next to the scattered scrolls. He still didn’t know what had started that whole thing, but he figured it was none of his business and decided that gathering those things would, at least, help them move forward with their day.

He kneeled down on the ground, his hands carefully took the scrolls. For what he could see, they were all about medicine and medicinal herbs, and he thought that, maybe, that was one of the reasons why that old lady was so mad. Based on all the times he had heard her scolding during their classes, the Uchiha could imagine she didn’t like seeing the princess reading about such things. Women don’t need to know about those things, she probably said, and it was as if he could hear her voice saying such things while taking them away from the young girl. She should be allowed to read whatever she wanted to without being scolded, and if anything, he believed everyone should know a thing or two about herbs and medicine.

Life is really unpredictable, he knew, and he believed she knew it, too.

There was nothing wrong about learning new things and—

His eyes widened once he reached out for the last scroll and saw all that hair on the floor. The colour tinging that long, pink ponytail resembled the Daimyou, but it was prettier and more filled with life—probably due to years of brushing and soaking it in bath oils. It reminded him of the cherry blossoms that flourish on the spring, and perhaps, that was the reason behind her name. Apparently, it had been cut by a clean blade, and now, well, he thought he really understood what went on between those two.

A princess with short hair and peculiar interests. Such an unusual girl, he thought, a soft expression taking over his face.

“Sasuke-san…” She started, making him shift his attention. His eyes were now on her silhouette, and even if it was hard to see, he couldn’t help but imagine those pastel-pink strands now falling just above her shoulders. “Thank you for those words. I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

“Hn, it was not your fault, Ohime-sama.” He finally took all the scrolls, standing up so he could assume his position next to her sudare. “I should be thanking you, as well, for defending me.”

“Oh, save your modesty. We both know she wouldn’t stand a chance against your sword.”

“Your majesty is probably right.” His lips lifted upwards at her words. Judging by the tone of her voice, her heart didn’t seem troubled anymore, and such thing also brought him some unexpected peace. He placed the scrolls in front of her, so she could retrieve her belongings. “Also, if I may intrude, I think short hair is more practical for a princess.”

A warming silence spread around the room, as she slowly took the scrolls with her tiny, delicate hands. Since she was clearly not having any more classes any moment soon, he figured she could resume her reading while they continued sharing that comfortable moment. “Thank you, Sasuke-san.”

xxxxx

The first time he heard her laugh made him realize she was no longer that princess he had met 5 months before.

–––

After spending so much time following her routine, it was inevitable for the Uchiha to feel bothered by certain obligations forced on her by of her position. At first, he had decided that nothing could be worse than the hours spent on marital lessons, but now, he realized that enduring actual marriage proposals were a lot worse than that.

Whenever the Daimyou received an offer from one of his allied landlords to marry their children, the promised finance ended up traveling all the way to the palace so the princess could somehow interview the candidate. They would spend hours listening to the first-born-sons of whatever land they came from, as they would talk unstoppably about how much of a great candidate they were. They would brag about their lineage, their conquers; and more importantly, they would brag about how much money and gold they could offer her if she accepted the proposal.

Not once had the Uchiha heard any of them actually asking things about the princess. They didn’t seem to care about her interest or her qualities, focusing only on trying to buy her with their fathers’ fortune. It disgusted him to listen to all futility, especially when it came from a person who had the power and position to make her happy. Those men had the chance and the status to actually offer her some company worthy of a princess, and they could show her a life different from the one she has at the palace.

They could give her a reason to smile and be free— or as free as a princess could be.

But they were no good. None of them could actually understand the woman she is, and because of that, Sasuke knew she would probably grow even sadder were she to marry any of them.

Those men were all useless.

And he saw no good reason to believe the newest candidate that had arrived from the Wind country would be any different.

His hair was dark brown, his eyes were blue and he had spent the last hour or so bragging about his ability to hunt desert frogs. The Uchiha believed he had explained anything interesting about the animals at the beginning of their conversation, but in the end, he had just resumed to talking about himself.

What a waste of time, Sasuke thought. Just another noble and egocentric man. The Uchiha would love to see his reaction when he eventually realized the princess was probably more interested on the frog than in him.

Perhaps they should’ve just sent her the rare creature instead.

“Oh, but enough talking about me!” He said, though neither Sasuke nor the princess believed he was, indeed, tired of talking about himself. “I’ve also brought you a gift, Ohime-sama!” The man stated, looking at his servant that was holding a small chest. The other man approached them, offering the said chest so his master could take it.

The Uchiha’s dark eyes followed the chest, his instincts now telling him to keep his guard up in case that gift could offer the princess any harm. He took a step forward, then, making sure that his presence served as a warning to their visitants.

“Worry not, my dearest guard. I mean no harm to your princess, believe me. My gift is but a mere plant that grows in my country.” The man said, opening the chest to revel, indeed, a small, green plant. Her leaves were incredibly thin and pointy, her veins drawing a peculiar pattern the Uchiha just happened to know quite well. During his missions, many times has he seen those leaves, and many times has he seen some fools touching them and suffering the consequences.

That plant was an urtiga. And though it seemed harmless, there was no way he was going to let the princess anywhere near that thing.

“This is a very rare medicinal plant from my country, Ohime-sama. I’ve brought it to you as a proof of my feelings. This plant is said to cure the wounded and it does wonders to the skin! I myself can’t spend a day without them in my bath!”

That fool had absolutely no idea of what he was talking about. He was obviously lying as if to try to impress her, and at that moment, he just feared the princess was actually believing that nonsense. The urtiga wasn’t an uncommon plant outdoors, but for someone who’s spent her entire life surrounded by walls, maybe it was quite easy to believe such lie.

Maybe she would actually be fooled by that man and be charmed by the idea of a plant with such miraculous properties. Maybe she would even accept—

"What a delightful plant you’ve brought me, Ōji-sama.” She started, and for the first time, her voice actually seemed thrilled about something. “I've heard stories about this plant a couple of times by my tutors, but I had never really seen them with my own eyes. I thank you for that.”

“There is no need to thank me, Ohime-sama. This is just one of the many wonders of my land that I would love to show you, were you to accept my proposal.”

“How extremely kind of you. I’m certain your land has many wonders like this, but for now, let’s focus on this plant. What’s the name of it?”

“The name?” He repeated, caught off guard by her sudden interest. At that moment, the Uchiha couldn’t quite understand her intentions anymore, and he could feel his curiosity growing on him.

“Oh, yes. Such a wonderful plant must have a name, I presume.”

“Yes! A name! It’s called… Uhm… Divine Branch, right?!” He looked at his servant, and the other man barely managed to nod in agreement. "Yes, this is the name. Divine Branch”

“… Such a wonderful name for such a wonderful plant.” She said, her voice soft as silk. There was a mix of bewilderment and joy, and if he didn’t know any better, Sasuke would have believed that voice to be mirroring her feelings. After spending months by her side, he unconsciously knew how read her emotions through her voice, and at that moment, he knew she wasn’t been honest with that foolish prince.

Those emotions were untrue, he was sure. She was faking them elegantly, and he almost fell for her lie. Almost.

The princess knew about the plant. She knew he was lying, but instead of exposing him, she had decided to mock that man who believed her to be yet another naive girl.

That poor man, he thought, suppressing a smirk that tried to make its way to his lips. He really had no idea of what that girl was capable of.

“Yes, it is, indeed! And now I’m giving it to—“

“Oh, but please, before you give it to me, would you mind showing me how to use it?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Don't be so modest, Ōji-sama! It’s just us, here. Please, show me how to apply it on the skin.”

“D-Do you… Do you want me to rub it on my skin?”

“Yes, of course. You’ve ignited my curiosity now. I want to see the effects of such miraculous plant with my own eyes. Unless there’s a problem with that, of course.”

“Ōji-sama, I don’t think—“ His servant started, but the prince didn’t listen, determinedly reaching out for the plant with his bare hand. Then, he lifted his sleeve, rubbing the plant up and down his arm. His servant’s face showed a mix of horror and concern, and the prince, being fully aware of what he had just done, did his best to maintain a straight face.

“T-This is how the plant must be used, Ohime-sama.” He started, then, his arm growing redder. “Just rub it and wait for its miraculous effects.”

“O-Oh… I see.” She started, and Sasuke could swear she had just suppressed a laughter. “And this redness is normal, I presume?”

“Well, indeed.” He said, his voice crackling as he began scratching the red area. “Y-You may also feel a bit itchy, but it’s also normal.”

“How wonderful, indeed.” She started. “Thank you for showing me such wonderful plant. I shall try it myself one day.”

“Y-You really should, O-Ohime-sama.”

The young prince tried to be short with words as he scratched his arm more vigorously. His expression seemed very troubled and his now red arm seemed to be growing as red as a tomato. The Uchiha has never seen that plant causing anything other than an immense discomfort, so they figured there was no real danger to the foolish prince.

He was certainly going to learn his lesson. In the worst possible way.

“You seem troubled, Ōji-sama.” She asked, knowing very well what was happening to him. “Is there anything wrong?"

“Ohime-sama, if you’ll excuse me, I believe I need to be going now.” He said, quickly standing up, trembling as he held himself not to scratch himself like a stray dog with fleas. "I’m afraid we’re going to settle our matters in another occasion."

“Certainly. I wish you a safe trip back home, then. And thank you for showing me how to use the… Divine Branch.”

“I-It was my pleasure. Excuse me.”

After clumsily bowing down his head, the man rushed out of the room, his servant running after him so they could try to help him somehow. The large doors were closed once they were out, and as soon as they were out of their sights, the Uchiha allowed himself to relax. There was a sly smile on his face, now, and were he not by her side, he would be laughing out loud at that moment.

He couldn’t lose his composure in front of her, no. However, as the princess, she couldn’t seem to care about that at that moment.

The silence of the room was ruined by a wave of laughter that escaped her lips. It was silly and pure laughter— much similar to a child— and it was undeniable that she was having a great time. The was probably the best reaction he had ever seen from her, and at that moment, he just wished to hear her laughing more often. She had been a great actress during the whole thing, and right now, she just couldn’t hold back the satisfaction of a well-done job.

“I can’t believe he actually rubbed the urtiga all over his arm!” She said, still laughing to her heart’s content. “Divine Branch!? What did he take me for? That fool!”

“Your majesty!” Her handmaiden said, surprised to actually see such reaction coming from her.

“Oh, please, every person in the room knew what that plant was.”

“Still, this is no way for a princess to behave. I shall inform your father immediately.”

The maid spoke, firmly, quickly leaving the room so she could go inform the Daimyou of what had happened. That woman was supposed to have stayed by the princess’ side, and yet, she was just another one who didn’t really care about the young girl.

How sad, the Uchiha thought. Such a woman with no sense of loyalty to her princess. He just hoped the princess wouldn’t let those words discourage her laughter.

“Tch.” The princess sighed, taking a deep breath and recomposing herself. Silence took over the room for a couple of seconds, until she decided to speak once more. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone rubbing an urtiga so vigorously against their skin. He’s going to keep scratching for at least two days, don’t you think, Sasuke-san?”

“At least three, your Majesty.”

“Yeah… I believe he won’t forget me anytime soon.”

“Certainly not, your Majesty.”

“And my father will also be quite mad, too.” She said, but her voice was still filled with joy.

“I'm afraid he will.”

“Did you think it was too much? Be honest with me.”

“If I may, Ohime-sama… I don’t think you should worry about of anything that has happened in this room. You were simply curious about the Divine Branch. We all were, so I believe your majesty was great today.”

Another silence took over the room, and though he couldn’t see, he knew she was smiling. She shouldn’t blame herself for making a fool of that man, especially when he was the one trying to impress her with that lie.

She really was great that day.

She had played the prince’s own game and won in all the best ways possible. He didn’t even know what hit him, but the princess—oh— she knew exactly what she was doing. Her father would be furious once he heard about what she had done in order to get rid of yet another suitor, but it had certainly been a pretty fantastic trick.

Fantastic enough to make her laugh.

xxxxx

The first time he saw her tears, he knew he could never let her go.

––

And though the rumours had stopped and peace seemed to have prevailed, the castle was soon attacked.

It happened at night, when most people were asleep and no one was expecting an attack. Over 300 men carrying swords and spears invaded through the gates, killing everyone that stood between them and the Daimyou. Royal guards were down, maids were slaughtered, and in the middle of that bloody mess, the rebels set the palace on fire. Screams composed a symphony of despair, and at that moment, both of the Uchiha brothers knew what they had to do.

They had to save the royal family. While the rest of the guards took care of the masses, they had to take the king and his daughter out before it was too late. They were asleep in their rooms when they heard the commotion, and they had barely any time to say goodbye before heading out and mixing themselves amongst those warriors. Itachi went after the Daimyou and Sasuke went after the princess, and even if they had been together for a long time, eventually, the two brothers were separated.

Each of them had their own orders to follow. Each of them was bound to their own person. And though they didn’t want to part, the Uchiha brothers knew what they had to do.

In order to reach the princess’ chambers, Sasuke had to fight his way through a lot of men that were trying to kill him. He swung his sword, landing precise hits and dirtying himself with the blood of his enemies. Eventually, he got cut on the arm by a spear that came from behind, but thankfully, it was really just a scratch. He kicked that man backwards before stabbing his stomach, trying his best not to take too long to reach her.

He had to be fast. At that moment, when the moon seemed to be tinged by the blood of innocent people, he could just hope for her to be alive. She still had her whole life ahead of hers, and the gods would be unfair if they allowed her to die before even living. There were still scrolls she had to read, stories she had to tell and places she had to meet.

No, the princess could not die that night. He wasn’t going to allow that.

His tired feet had finally arrived at the corridor that lead to her room, and much to his apprehensive heart, there was an assassin trying to force his way inside. Though the door seemed to be holding up for now, Sasuke knew it would be just a matter of time before that man could get to the princess. His bloodshot eyes were seeking to spill her blood with his blade, and he knew there would be no stopping that man without taking away his life.

A man who’s driven by hatred will stop for nothing, his brother would say, and at that moment, Sasuke really understood the meaning behind those words.

“Open the door, princess! It useless to run away! Come outside and take responsibility for all the things your father has done to us!”

“Stand back from this door!” The Uchiha screamed, right before storming towards the bandit. It didn't take long before they engaged in a sword fight, and though he was not as fast as his brother, it was undeniable that his opponent knew what he was doing.

Their blades clashed multiple times, and even if the enemy was trying to distract him by badmouthing the royal family, Sasuke gave him no ears. Both the Daimyou and the princess were good people, and whatever it was that those bandits were trying to obtain, murdering a father and his daughter was not going to get them anywhere.

They weren’t going to get what they wanted. He was not going to let them.

In a swift move, then, the Uchiha purposefully offered his enemy an opening, and when that dirty man decided to take advantage of that and pierce his left arm, Sasuke took the opportunity and stabbed him in the heart. His left arm was bleeding now and it certainly hurt, but at that moment, as his enemy fell onto the ground, he knew there was no time to worry about himself.

He had to save the princess. He had to get her out of there.

“Ohim-sama, open the door! I need to get you somewhere safe!” He said, banging against the door, his teeth gritted in pain.

“Sasuke-san!?” Her voice sounded exasperated, and at that moment, he was glad to know she recognized his voice.

“It's me. Hurry, you’re not safe here!”

In a blink of an eye, the door was opened, and even if he had expected things not to be as calm and serene as they usually are, he couldn’t help. but be taken aback by the sight of her.

The princess was right there, standing in front of him, and for the first time, there were no curtains hiding her features. His dark eyes widened at the scene, and though he had many times wondered how she looked like, not even in his sweetest dreams would he have pictured such a beautiful woman.

At last, he saw her face.

Her skin was pale and delicate like porcelain, her short hair covered her ears, and her eyes— her emerald-green eyes that have observed him so many times— though clouded by tears, were probably the prettiest things he had ever seen in his life. They shone brighter than her father’s and it was as if they were incapable of holding any secret behind them. They clashed against his dark orbs, looking relieved and scared at the same time.

They were begging him for help. And he would gladly risk his life for those eyes.

“Sasuke-san! Y-You’re bleeding!” She said, immediately reaching out to inspect his arm. Her touch was warm and soft, and even if his arm was sensitive, her touch didn’t hurt him.

“Don't worry about me, Ohime-sama. We need to get you out of here.”

“What about my father? What about your brother and the others?”

“My brother went after the Daimyou. You are my priority now.”

“But if you come with me, they will go after you, too! Sasuke-san, get out of here!”

“What are you talking about, Ohime-sam—“

“Stop calling me that!” She screamed, leaving him speechless. “If my father’s lucky, his title as the Daimyou will be the only thing he’ll lose! I’m not a princess anymore and you are no longer a royal guard! You’re free!”

As she spoke those words, his eyes could see the way her hands were trembling. The young girl was scared— of course she was— and yet, she was doing her best to protect him. She knew he would have better chances if he didn’t have to protect her, and if that meant he could live or just focus on helping his brother, then she wouldn’t mind staying behind. Sakura was looking after him, like a princess looks after her people. If not for that rebellion, perhaps, she would’ve become a terrific leader.

“Sakura.” He said, firmly, his eyes looking directly into hers. She was certainly caught by surprise by the way her name had rolled out of his tongue, and her green eyes widened at that. “I'm not leaving you behind.”

“B-But why? I’ve told you that I’m not—“

“It doesn’t matter. Even if you’re no longer a princess, I want to save you. So, please, come with me, Sakura.”

His eyes were still on her as he spoke those words, and he reached out with his right hand so she could take it. At that moment, the world she knew was turning into ashes and the people she knew were losing their lives. The former princess was about to begin a new life and he was the only one who would be by her side. They have gone a long way together already, and as she took his hand, they both realized that they still had a long way to go.

Together. The former princess and her former guard.

As they escaped through the narrow corridors of the burning palace, they were leaving behind everything they knew. A new life was about to begin and they didn’t know if her father and his brother would be able to join them one day.

From that moment on, they only had each other.

And that would have to be enough.

#sasusaku #sasusaku month 2020 #ssm20 #ssm20d1 #sasusaku fanfiction #myssfics

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thebigqueer · 4 years

Note

fic prompt: a vibey group of friends (all diff aesthetics but they fit) being very swaggy and then they engage in THIEVERY and get away with it like the cool peeps they are - for flavor throw in a bunch of androgyny and no romance but instead they are very good friends

at first i was considering using my OCs but then i remembered that i really wanted to do a fic with the Art Hoes TM so thank you for this perfect prompt (also lakjsdljkdf yes this is very late but in my defense i also could not figure out how to write this one) thanks for the prompt! i hope y’all like this! and, as always: I do no editing on these, so please don’t be too judgmental.

The light overhead flickers, brushing strokes of darkness over the ceiling intermittently. A low hum emanates from the packed freezer, showcasing the variety of expired milk and sweet ice creams. Perhaps they shouldn’t do this to the poor twenty year old at the counter, but in their defense, the cashier seems like they’re too dead to even notice what’s happening. They should really be focused. In the quick flash of darkness, two beings flicker into existence in a corner, shadows coiling like snakes behind them. They balance themselves against the wall to fight off the wave of dizziness and wait for the signal of Lou Ellen. She stands by the candy aisle, browsing through an assortment of teeth-rotting delicacies, all the while brushing her hand over the air to pull them all under the guise of invisibility through the Mist. The beings step into the light once again but there’s no anxiety in doing so; the cashier won’t see them. They whisper past the shelves of snacks and junk food and approach Lou Ellen. Alex pulls out a dark green bag and quietly shifts through the snacks, pushing only his favorite ones into the sack. Nico opens a rip of darkness between the bottom and top shelf and shoves Twizzlers, gummies, and a wide assortment of chocolates in. They’re careful to keep silent; the Mist can only really hide the most bizarre of scenes, most incomprehensible of scenes. It’s not created to hide the image of three shithead teenagers very obviously committing shoplifting. A bead of sweat pops over Lou Ellen’s forehead as she shoves a pack of Starbust into Nico’s rip of darkness. “We’re gonna need to hurry,” she hisses, fingers trembling as she pushes Sour Patch Kids into Alex’s sack. “I don’t know how much longer I can hold it.” Nico sighs as they scrutinize a bottle of Coca-Cola. “I knew I should have brought Hazel with us. She would be able to help you. Sorry, Lou.” “Less talky, more stealy,” Alex mutters, opening his arms wide and shoving almost an entire shelf of candy into the tear of darkness. He fixes Nico with a glare. “Honestly, it’s like none of you have stolen before.” Lou Ellen mutters, “Sorry we haven’t exactly mastered the art of thievery.” “Speak for yourself,” Nico whispers, a smile creeping over his lips. “I’ve had my fair share of thievery when I was rogue.” Finally, when it seems like Alex’s back can’t hold anymore and the ripple of darkness that Nico opened is bursting with stomachache-inducing goodies, the three stop shoving food in. Nico tilts his head and frowns. “I think we have more than we even need.” “It’s fine,” Lou Ellen says, face turning a little red. “We don’t have time to pull it back out. We can just give it to Will and Magnus and Percy and maybe the Stolls. They’ll find a way to sell it off.” Nico snorts, eyes glimmering in amusement. “Can’t believe we’ve become candy dealers.” Alex laughs silently. “Oh, we are so bad. Maggie’s gonna be so scared of me.” Lou Ellen glares at the two of them. “Okay, yes, ha-ha. Can we go now? I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.” As if on cue, her eyelids flutter and her hands drop. She sways on her feet and almost collapses, but Alex is there to hold her steady. Lou Ellen wipes her face over her palm. “See? Let’s go.” Alex and Lou Ellen hesitate, watching Nico. But he gazes ahead to the cashier with his eyebrows furrowed as if deep in thought. They pull their hand into their pocket; the clinking sound of money chimes from his pockets.

Alex raises an eyebrow. “Nico, let’s go.”

“Hold on.” And before Alex can protest, Nico disappears into a nearby shadow, leaving only the darkness lingering behind them like smoke in the air. Alex’s heart punches against his chest with anxiety. What is wrong with him? he asks himself. Turning abruptly, Alex discovers Nico standing before the cashier, placing a pile of coins over the counter. The cashier doesn’t seem to notice Nico, perhaps fooled by the mist, but he certainly notices the new money appearing before him. His eyes widen in surprise, a panicked look overcoming his face.

Alex facepalms. “Of course. Nico just has to go ahead and be a noble hero.” He sighs. “At least he’s quiet. Maybe the poor cashier will think it’s just a ghost giving him money.”

But then, right at that moment, Lou Ellen gasps and stumbles to the ground. A large whoosh flows through the convenience store, the sound of the Mist slipping away from her grasp. For a second, everything stills. There’s a tense hestiation in the air, as if everyone’s waiting for something to happen. Alex bites his lip.

And then the cashier screams, pushing against his chair, a look of pure fear erupting in his eyes. Nico’s eyes widen and they step back into the shadows, melting away. A second later, they pop up right next to Alex, skin pale.

He glares. “Is there something-”

Nico shakes his head and pulls a finger to their lips. “Come on, we gotta go,” they whisper. They lean in for Lou Ellen’s arm, who’s panting on the ground, and reach for Alex’s arm with his other hand. Then, before Alex can even process what’s happening, the world melts into darkness. Shadows surround them, licking their bare skin like cold flames. Nothingness surrounds them. Time is nonexistent.

And then they pop up in a cold area, darkness envelops them. The three collapse onto the ground, exhaustion spilling into their bones.

A figure steps before them, hands on their hips. “Well, look who’s made it to the party.”

About twenty minutes later, the group has made itself comfortable on the grass of Central Park, scavenging through the loot that Alex, Nico, and Lou Ellen managed to pick up. Midnight bleeds over the sky, the only source of light being the stars that poke through the encompassing darkness. A cool breeze flows past them. Nico lies on their back, staring at the sky, trying to fend off the exhaustion threatening to pull their eyelids down.

When the three demigods finally came to, Alex had his fair share of scolding: “Are you stupid? Do you realize what you’ve done? We could be caught! Why did you do that? Do you realize what robbing is? Putting money on the counter defeats the entire purpose!”

It went like that for fifteen minutes, just enough time for Nico to regain his stability and stand. They shrugged and smiled. “Hey, it’s not our fault that the poor dude had nothing going for him. Besides, he’ll forget about it.” Opening a Twizzler packet, the child of Hades smirked and said, “They always do.”

Now, as he and Alex, Hazel, Rachel, and Lou Ellen circle around each other on the grass, all the anxiety of earlier fades away, replaced only by a tranquility. Alex has his arm around Rachel, the two of them munching on some Twix; Hazel leans back on her arms and watches the stars with Nico. Lou Ellen rummages through their candy pile. A comfortable silence surrounds them.

When Rachel snorts, Nico sits up and offers her a confused look. She laughs. “I can’t believe you really threatened the entire mission. You’ve fought monsters and can’t even rob a store for just candy?”

“Hey, fuck the rich,” he replies, stealing a gummy from Hazel’s hands. She protests but they ignore her. “The dude deserved some money. He looked like he was barely living.” Raising an eyebrow at Alex, he adds, “And that’s saying something, because we literally have a dead person here.”

“Aren’t we all dead inside, though?” Lou Ellen reasons, frowning.

“Yeah,” Nico agrees, pulling a Twizzler out from a packet next to him. Placing one end to his mouth, he says, “But he looked even more dead than the average person.”

Alex scoffs and leans his head against Rachel’s, the green locks dramatically clashing with her bright red. “As much as I want to agree with you, it was so incredibly stupid.” He lays his palms out in a placating manner. “I mean, yeah, fuck the rich, but... come on. Now the rich are gonna fuck us.”

Nico shakes his head and chews a piece off the candy, feeling the bland sweetness of the candy sweep over his taste buds. “They won’t see anything. These things usually fix themselves with the Mist. Percy once crashed his stepdad’s car and he got away with it.”

Rachel rolls her eyes. “Yeah, only after he was chased halfway across the country.”

“Hey, now, no need to get into the specifics.”

Hazel laughs, her voice tinkling in the eerie quiet. “Can’t believe I’ve got an accomplice for a sibling.” Edging her toe against the grass, she adds, “Almost wish I was there.”

“Hey, no wishing!” Rachel exclaims, frowning. “You and I had a blast robbing my dad’s car from his house. Let’s not forget that we were the most important mission. We literally got all the tagging supplies.”

“Yeah, but who got all the candy?” Alex asks, raising his eyebrows. “We got the nutritious food for you children. Honestly, Rachel, it’s like I’m the only one who cares about keeping the roof over the house.”

“Okay, shut up.” Rachel’s fingers clamp over the ground. “Say one more word and I will throw dirt at you.”

A daring look comes over Alex’s eyes and he raises an eyebrow. “One more word-”

Rachel throws a fistful of muck against his face and he stumbles backward, spitting and groaning. His laughter echoes, and soon Rachel’s own giggles sprinkle into the air.

A car blares in the background. Lights from the city blaze against the sky. Streetlamps glimmer over the outskirts of the park. The familiar electricity of New York buzzes in the air, making Nico’s blood simmer with anticipation. Euphoria fizzes within him. It’s something about hanging out with these four that makes their heart pound with excitement, makes their body glow with superfluous joy.

They lie back down again. Grass prickles the back of their head, tickles his bare hands. Laughter continues falling over him in a waterfall of sounds.

They smile.

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vintage-story-time · 3 years

Text

Family Games by Ray Todd

Chapter 10

Glynn poured a drink of bourbon for his mother and took a can of beer for

himself. He still felt a little funny, walking around in front of her bare

assed, but she didn't seem to mind being naked. In fact, she acted proud of her

nude body, and he sure didn't want her to cover up any of it. He would never get

tired of looking at her.

She was sitting on the couch, with her polished legs crossed, so that only a

tufting of her ebony pubic hair peeped out, and right now the long nipples of

her captivating tits were flaccid. But the heavy breasts themselves stood out

magnificently, ripe and full. They swayed when she reached out for the drink he

handed her.

"Thanks, dear; I need this. You're a marvelous lover, Glynn, so good that I'll

never let you go. Even when you grow up and get married, I'll visit you every

time your wife is away."

He sat down beside her and took a long, cooling swallow of beer. "I may never

get married; I love you too much, and no other could ever be so beautiful."

"How sweet. Am I really as exciting as that other girl you laid?"

Up close, her skin was flawless, pale and translucent; he could see the tiny

blue veins beneath it. He said, "She was the first, and yeah -- she's pretty

exciting. But you're special; you're the best." He wished he could tell her who

had taken his cherry, but this wasn't the time.

And when he thought of Lorena, he remembered that he was also supposed to be

working the plan along, making some of the moves that might keep his mother and

father married. He couldn't possibly let her go now, and had to do everything he

knew how to keep them from breaking up. It had been a hell of an idea Lorena

had, the kids seducing the parents, but where did he go from here?

Watching his mother finish her drink, he said, "How could dad stay away from

you?"

She put down the glass and raised her arms over her head, stretching. The

movement threw her tits out, flattening them just a little as the skin grew taut

over the delicious mounds. "It was just as difficult for me to stay away from

him, at first. I need loving, dear; I need a lot of loving. Now that I have you,

things are going to be much easier. You make me so crazy that I do things with

you I never have with your father, and I love them. Teaching my son all about

sex is going to be the most fabulous thing that ever happened to me."

Glynn drank some more beer. "Maybe you don't want to talk about him, but I wish

you would. You know, I told you about hearing the two of you screw, and how wild

it made me. Wow -- if I had ever seen you making it, if I'd ever watched him

kiss your tits and feel your pussy, I'd have gone off without even touching my

cock."

She lifted an eyebrow at him. "Get me another drink, dear, and I'll tell you how

it is. One time I brought home a huge mirror and fixed it beside the bed, so we

could watch ourselves fucking. But your father didn't like it."

Hurrying, Glynn splashed her glass half full of whiskey and carried it back. He

could feel his prick moving and a new strength growing inside his balls, even

though he would have sworn that he was completely drained. He wanted to hear all

this, and hung on each of her words with rapt attention.

"I would have liked it," he said.

"I was crazy about it," his mother murmured, "Seeing myself being screwed was

great, but I had to take down the mirror. I've often wondered how it would be,

right in the same room with two people who were fucking, watching every

movement, every wiggle of her ass and seeing the way his prick slid in and out

of her cunt."

Glynn emptied his beer can. His cock was rising, hardening. "But about you and

dad -- how does he go about it? What -- "

Sleepy-lidded, her sultry eyes focused on his, and her damp, red mouth said,

"Suppose I tell you all about the time I got pregnant with you? Would you like

that, darling? All right, then: we had been at a party and were pretty high by

the time we got home. We didn't even take showers, but started taking off our

clothes right here in the living room. In fact, he fucked me right on this very

couch."

Glynn's breath caught in his throat and he put his hand on his mother's plush

thigh. She uncrossed her sleek legs to give him room, so he moved on in to pet

the crisp, ringletted hairs of her enchanted pussy.

"I was so hot that night," she recalled, sipping her straight bourbon. "I wanted

to fuck and fuck, and your father stayed with me for a long time. He stretched

me out here, and lifted one of my legs up to put the foot on the back of the

couch; my other foot was on the floor. He pushed a sofa pillow under my ass and

fingered inside my blazing cunt until I came on his hand. Then, when I was

really boiling over, he crawled in between my legs and fed that gigantic prick

into my pussy. I thought we were going to break the couch, we slammed so hard at

each other. I came with him, I remember, and he pumped so much semen into me

that I overflowed, and we had to have the couch recovered to hide the stains."

Sighing, Glynn asked, "And that was the time you got pregnant with me?"

His mother saluted him with her empty glass. "Yes, and what a fortunate screw it

was. Now I'm sitting here naked with my son, looking at his long, hard prick and

thinking what a wonderfully ironic thing this is. I only wish I could have your

father brought in, all tied up, and prop him against that wall, so he would be

forced to watch his horny son fuck his equally horny wife. We'd make his eyes

pop out, wouldn't we, dear?"

Before he could answer, she put her glass on the coffee table and slipped off

the couch, twisting her full, ripe body around so that she was between his

spread knees. He knew then what she was going to do to him, and hot lightning

raced up his spine.

"Sit very still," she breathed. "Don't move, and I'll do everything."

With his legs veed wide, when she kneeled erect, his mom's tits were right at

his upright shaft, and he watched with bated breath as she cupped the delectable

melons and leaned forward to place them on each side of it. Glynn saw the

swollen head of it poking from between the white mounds, and felt the caress of

the twin nipples.

She rubbed her tits up and down, squeezing them together, and with every sliding

motion her nipples slid over the throbbing head of his ironhard prick. He

couldn't help waggling a little, but she hissed a warning at him, and he forced

himself to stay quiet, since his mother wanted to do this her own way.

She let her breasts fall apart then, and dipped her head forward to draw the

perfumed mist of her black hair over his painful cock. Glynn reveled in the

tickle of it, in the indescribable feel of the silken hair as she ran its luxury

along his shaft. He dug his fingers into the couch when his mom's cheek brushed

the head of his rod.

Taking it in one hand, she pressed it against her face, rubbing her cheek and

chin over it, guiding the knob over her forehead and her closed eyes. He could

feel the gentle scrape of her eyelashes, and a shiver traveled the length of his

tensed body.

Slowly, teasingly, she kissed the bulb, her lips soft as the lighting of

butterflies. Several times, she kissed it, paying a loving homage to this sex

organ that had developed within her own body in the beginning. She toyed with

it, bent it slightly, and allowed it to snap back erect.

He thought, she's going to do it -- she's actually going to suck my prick! It

was something he hadn't even dreamed about with her, not until after his sister

had done it to him. He had always imagined fucking her, riding between those

terrific legs and pounding his hard cock up into the special richness of her

velvet cunt, but the image of his mother eating his shaft hadn't come to mind.

Now it was about to happen, and he couldn't control the little muscle spasms

that shook him. When her tongue came out and licked the end of his glans, Glynn

fought a groan behind locked teeth, but had to let it escape as she curled that

artful tongue around the edges of the knob. When his mom ran the end of her

tongue down into the slot, he clawed at the sofa and his heels drummed a tattoo

on the carpet.

Her lips came down and around, and her tongue temporarily retreated so that the

cockhead could follow into the hot cavern of her mouth. The distended flanges

passed through her teeth and lay for awhile along her supine tongue, then she

moved her head and he felt his glans against the roof of her mouth.

"Mmmm," she said around his shaft, and drew still more of the rigid meat into

her mouth, so that at last the tender head bumped itself against the matchlessly

soft satin of her throat. Her fingers were at his balls, fondling and probing,

and her other hand was wrapped around the root of his prick, holding tightly,

pressing down and releasing in rhythm.

Glynn's head was turning from side to side, and he bit into his lip when she

started to apply suction, as she pulled his cockhead deep and shoved it back out

with her tongue.

The cheeks of his ass clenched at the slippery sucking, as she moved her head

slowly up and down and the inner velvets of her cheeks flowed back and forth

over his knob. Of their own volition, his hands came hesitatingly up and held

her head, his fingers going deeply into her bountiful hair. She didn't seem to

mind now, and he rested them there.

Her own hands moved, too, sliding down his thighs and behind his knees to fondle

the calves of his legs. They came back up, gripped his knees again, and urged

them up. Glynn slid forward a bit and hiked his pelvis, lifting his feet from

the floor and helping his mother drape his legs around her shoulders.

His feet rubbed up and down her back and he could feel the resilient pressure of

her tits in his crotch. She tipped his cock down slightly, and gnawed on it, her

tongue busy over the head. Glynn's fingers clamped harder into her hair, and he

began to hunch at her mouth, moving his shaft deep into it, nudging the back of

her throat.

Fucking her head; he was screwing her face, pouring the prick into her mouth,

into his own mother's loving hot mouth, and she increased the sucking, bobbed

her head more quickly up and down, timing her pumping motions to his thrusts.

"Oh, mom! Ooohh -- I can't take it -- so hot -- you're eating me, eating my cock

-- you're sucking me off and I love it -- oh! Ah! Oh you beautiful cocksucker,

I'm about to come. I'm going to let it all go in your mouth and down your throat

-- c-coming; COMING!"

Groaning, she pulled harder as he shuddered and gave one more hump that ground

his pelvis against her teeth. The orgasm came roaring up from his leaping balls,

sizzled along his swollen shaft and burst from the head of his prick in a deluge

of semen. Holding tightly to her head, rolling his hips and digging his heels

into the curve of her smooth back, Glynn spurted his hot juice into his mom's

throat. She took it down, lapping and swallowing, sliding the sweet creamy

fluids thirstily into the narrow cave of her throat, chewing gently upon the

dripping knob to bring forth more.

Glynn thought that his backbone was turning to water, or to more come, and that

she would suck him completely dry. He didn't give a damn if she turned him

inside out, if his balls shriveled up and fell off. It was so farout, such a

crazy, groovy sensation that he turned weak and his legs fell away from her

shoulders. When his feet hit the carpet with a thump, his mother seemed to come

back from some far and ravenous place.

With a final licking of his cockhead, she lifted her face and let the bulb slip

wetly from her smiling lips. "Was it wonderful, dear? Did it just tear you

apart?"

Glynn couldn't trust his voice not to squeak, so he nodded, his head kind of

loose and rolling on his neck. She kissed his flinching belly and drew her

tongue up his chest; then, leaning into him and pulling his face down to hers,

she stuck out her tongue.

"Here, lover; taste your own wet semen."

Inside his mouth, her tongue moved around, fondling his teeth and cheeks. There

was a flavor of musk unlike hers, a different spice that had been manufactured

deep within his own testicles. Gasping, he broke the sticky kiss and gulped deep

breaths.

"My turn to bring you a beer," she said, and climbed from between his spread

knees. He watched her go to the bar, seeing the enticing swinging of her hips,

the jiggle of her ass and the supremely graceful scissoring of those tapered

legs. Dizzily, he wondered if any kid his age had ever been so damned lucky.

Any guy would give his left nut to have a crack at that beautiful ass, and give

up the right one for a chance to get that kind of head given him. Glynn thought

that his father must be out of his tree completely, to even consider giving up

such fucking. But he really didn't want his old man moving out, not even if that

meant he'd have his mother all to himself.

There was still that other thing he had, the need to watch his mom fuck, and

there was nobody he would rather see in action with her than his father.

Besides, Lorena was no doubt going ape over the old man by now, digging him as

much as Glynn was enjoying his mom, and she wouldn't stand for his leaving. He

didn't want his sister to follow, either. That would be too much of a split, and

Lorena was a crazy piece of ass herself. No harm in fucking both of them, he

thought, her and his mother.

"Here's to us," his mother said, giving him a can of beer and holding up her own

refilled glass. "May we always have as much fun."

"Oh, we will," he assured her, and wrinkled his nose as bubbles from the beer

tickled it inside. Was this a good time to talk to her some more, while they

were resting? He glanced over at the clock behind the bar and thought there

should be plenty of time, Lorena wouldn't let go of their dad in a hurry.

"Mom," he said, "did you ever think about swinging with anybody else? Maybe even

a -- a girl?"

She sat down in the big chair across from him, and crossed her legs. "Why not?

The way I see it, especially since your father insists upon being such an utter

ass, is that I don't have all that many good years left. If he doesn't want me,

then I'm sure others do, and that might include a little girl-to-girl activity,

too."

He saw that she was on the way to being smashed, and thought he'd try to steer

her away from drinking any more, but he was glad to hear her say she wouldn't

mind playing around with another girl in the act. From the things he'd read, and

pictures he had seen, Glynn knew that chicks sometimes dug other chicks

sexually, and even though that wasn't exactly what he'd had in mind, it was

okay.

"Do you have anyone in mind?" His mother asked. "That little girl who got to you

before me?"

He drank more beer and said, "I kind of fibbed to you, mom. I've screwed two

girls before you, and I don't want to tell you about one of them; not yet. But

the other is my babysitter."

She sat erect. "What? That perfectly beautiful little thing with the exquisite

red hair? You have good taste, lover."

"I think she'd join us," he said. "I'm just about sure of it, because I laid her

and the other one together, taking turns with them, like -- so many strokes into

one pussy, so many into the other; they held hands all the time."

"Well," his mother said slowly, "and I was going to teach you. Could you really

get her to -- to make love with us? When?"

"Let's try for tonight," he answered.

#Family Games by Ray Todd #Chapter 10

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movienotesbyzawmer · 4 years

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October 22: Friday the 13th - The Final Chapter

(previous notes: Friday the 13th Part 3)

I'm on movie number four in this eight movie project, and for the first time I'll be seeing one of these movies that I haven't ever seen before! When I do my watch-a-movie-and-take-notes projects, I generally do them for movies I've already seen before so that it's not too frustrating to simultaneously watch & type. But I'll make an exception for these Friday the 13th movies in light of the fact that they suck.

I remember this being out at my local theater in 1984, when I was 13, and even thinking it might be fun to see it, but I never got around to it.

It really must have been bittersweet for audiences at the time, knowing that this would be the final chapter. Each time they had a positive moment of enjoyment with this movie, they had to remember, "oh, I'm really going to miss this. It shall all be gone. Once the lights come back on, the days of new Friday the 13th movies will never return."

unless

Okay, watching this now for the first time ever.

Again beginning with a rehash. This time however, it's a montage of moments from the first two movies. Wait, now here's some of the third movie. But it's all framed by one of the monologues from the second movie. Much shorter and less of a cheap move than the last two movies did.

The title has a new title-plus-mask image… and then THE FINAL CHAPTER arrives to blow that image up with fire and splody-sounds!

The credits promise the likes of Corey Feldman and Crispin Glover, so that's exciting.

Okay, now it looks like we're at the ranch where the third one took place. They're hauling bodies out of the barn & other buildings. It looks like Jason's body is one of the bodies because hockey mask!

Actually, I think that first shot was a long-ish crane shot. Cinematically ambitious I guess.

We don't know yet what happened to the girl at the end of the last one. It's weird because this scene is at night, but the last movie ended with daytime paramedic activity at the ranch. I'm confused. Please help me. Please tell me that it will all be okay.

One of the covered up bodies has stirred! Jason is probably up to his not-be-dead-after-all tricks!

This scene is about a pair of frisky hospital workers in the "cold room" where there is at least one body, plus a television where the girl "just wants to watch the news". But 80s-style aerobics is what's really on the TV. And she kisses him after all and gets quite flirty, but then takes it all back because he is so insensitive or something. They show the aerobics a lot. It's all pelvic and prurient. Then Jason kills the guy with a bone saw and then goes and finds the girl and kills her with something else because diversity.

Then an abrupt cut to daytime joggers in the woods somewhere!

Now we are learning about the family of the joggers. They live in the country where there is a legend of a psycho, so I guess we're in the Crystal Lake area. The youngest child is Corey Feldman and his personality is "likes video games and wears a monster mask while playing them".

Now we are learning about the kids that rented a house across the street. Crispin Glover and another dude are in a car, talking about a girl and they clearly don't know how to have this kind of conversation, and the writers don't know how to pretend like they do so the other guy does a gag about how an invisible computer told him that CG is bad at sex. It is an unappealing intro to these characters. We even know there are a bunch of other people in the car, way too many honestly, but we don't get to know them. Just the two people who talk like broken robots about a woman.

Just to keep the mood where it ought to be, a hitchhiker they drove past gets impaled by Jason!

CF, a tweenager I should point out, is peeping-tom-ing at the canoodling couple in the rented house, and it is interesting to speculate as to whose idea it was for him to act the way he does when he watches them. He bounces excitedly and slams his head repeatedly into a pillow. Whose idea.

Now there's a skinny dipping scene. They definitely have arrived to the point in the series where they feel it's important to show pretty girls without any clothes.

For some reason, CF and the adult older sister drove to where the skinny dipping was happening, but they bolted when they realized that's what it was. There is ch ch ch ch ch ha ha ha ha ha on them as they have car trouble in the woods as they head home, plus also as two of the swimmers are hanging out. But they both turn out to be fakeouts! No one is dying at all! At least we'll always have the hitchhiker. They can't take that away from us.

The fakeout with the CF subplot is that it was just some handsome man that comes along to help. He says he is this deep in the woods because he is hunting for bear. CF totally calls him out! There's no way he's hunting for bear! No one is just like "it is bear hunting season and I am enjoying some leisurely bear hunting time". CF is no fool.

They decide to take Bear Hunter in as a guest for perhaps the afternoon. Because of the bubble of this movie, CF shows the Bear Hunter his monster toys and Bear Hunter shares in his enthusiasm.

0:37:13 - Now we are choking down this awkward scene where the young people are hanging out in their house trying to deliver dialogue that is not consistent with normal human psychology. The gist is that the men want to be sexual with the women but there are subtle social obstacles.

!!! Crispin Glover really is interesting! His screen presence absolutely towers above the rest of the cast, when he reacts unfavorably to being teased. But seriously all these interactions are so painful.

For our next murder project, we have an inflatable boat made of thin, vulnerable rubber for a person to get stabbed through. It requires assuming that Jason's magic powers allow him to just hide under water, waiting for a naked lady to lie down in the boat at night. This project was completed on time and under budget.

Seriously, the most terrifying scenes in this movie are the ones where the sexually frustrated young adults are hanging out and attempting to use words.

Another death just happened because the boyfriend of the recently-killed naked lady went to check on her, found her dead, then was Jason'd with some implements that I couldn't really understand. Something with a handle shoved into him somehow. It is filmed weirdly and then we just move on to Bear Hunter, camping nearby.

This is a disturbing turn… we're back on the uninteresting young adults, and one of them announces that he has found something very interesting! We see that it is old movie reels. They start watching them. It's old, old film of naked people. They laugh and laugh and laugh. Maybe this is art?

Pretty cool visual with this next death, we just see the shadow of Jason coming at her and killing her with a something. Looks cool as a shadow thing, plus it isn't "those stupid characters talking" which is a HUGE bonus.

We're back to CF's family; Mom saw something that startled her but we don't know what, and CF and Big Sister are… driving home in the car? Where were they, why did they drive somewhere, I forget. Maybe they had to run into town to pick up a packet of it-doesn't-matter-we-just-needed-Mom-to-be-alone.

Just like that, Older Sister went looking for Mom, but ends up taking shelter from the rain in Bear Hunter's tent. Bear Hunter, in a very predictable fakeout, slashes a hole in the tent because what is she doing in there anyway.

But we cut back to the young adults and CG gets a very ugly death! He's all "hey where's the corkscrew" and Jason makes his hand be corkscrewed and makes his face be stabbed!

Then he kills one of the other young adults just right afterward by being outside her second floor bedroom window and pulling her out the window SO HARD. Seriously it must be a hard job coming up with different ways to kill them, give them a break.

Back to Bear Hunter; he's fessing up to his true motive which is to hunt Jason. His story is hard to believe, and Big Sister is taking it in very diplomatically.

The one guy in the group of the young adults who is the biggest asshole is also the one most amused by the old films. We see them a lot, these old films they are watching. It is the silent era's version of soft core porn - women dancing naked. Anyway, the asshole's death happens when he gets the idea to be close to the projector screen, enabling Jason to stab him through it and making it look kind of cool and be a scene that ends with the projector-still-running cadence.

New death - guy is taking a post-coital shower and Jason comes in and shoves his arm through the sliding glass shower door thing and very effectively crushes the guy's head against the wall. Then the girlfriend comes in and discovers him; she runs down to the front door, but she can't open it, she just can't open it, it just won't open, and it ends with somehow Jason axe-killing her through the door from outside. They don't show it very well and no one probably ever clearly explained to anyone how it was supposed to work.

1:09:20 - This is followed immediately by a scene that is also poorly choreographed - Bear Hunter returns with Big Sister but it's a fakeout because for some reason they break the glass of the side door to get in, even though CF is right there. They are all frightened as if they know about deaths happening, even though they don't know about the deaths. It's just that the power has been spotty; that’s why things are urgent, as far as they know.

They decide to investigate the house where the young adults are staying. They are gingerly surveying the living room, and they walk right by where the projector screen murder happened, but they see no evidence of that crime.

1:11:55 - Bear Hunter tells the big sister "you stay right here with Corey". I'm pretty sure that just happened. I think he was referring to CF, whose character is not named Corey and who also is not with them.

In a shocking piece of non-linear storytelling, a dog jumps out a window in slow motion. Art. ART.

Jason kills Bear Hunter right in front of Big Sister, and even though his mission in life has been to hunt Jason, Bear Hunter doesn't even fight him off, he just begs Big Sister to run as Jason pounds on him. Big sister does run, but each of the house's exits has a dead person surprise that's too scary for her to go past so she's stuck inside with Jason!

But CF has heard her screaming and comes across the street to be with her. Oh but wait, I think they are actually now back at their house. I missed how that happened. That chase ends with a moment where she has reason to think she might have killed him by hitting him pretty hard with a cathode ray television set with an approximately 15" screen. But no, he changes back from almost-dead to regular-Jason and chases them around some more.

1:21:45 - They must have felt like their secret weapon for this movie was slo-mo thrown-through-a-window situations because Big Sister ends a portion of being chased by Jason by throwing herself through a window and landing painfully on the ground outside. Jason's all "you won this round Big Sister, but I'll be back. This is not The Final Chapter of this story!"

Everyone seems to have wound up back at the young adults' house, and CF has come up with an ingenious idea - he shaves his head to confuse Jason! Then he and Big Sister stab Jason a lot and it's all very gory and climactic.

The way the movie ends is that Jason's body twitches a little on the ground after they mostly kill him, and CF freaks out and stabs Jason many many, many more times! Cut to later on when Big Sister is in a hospital bed being told it will all be okay by some Caucasian men in white coats. They suggest that CF was pretty crazy for a minute there but that will pass. CF comes to give her a hug… but he looks scary! You guys, look, he looks scary! The big finish is that CF has a sinister look on his face. Cut to credits.

We never saw what happened to the Mom. Or the main girl from Part 3. Also it seems like there were some other young adults that just stopped being in the movie. How dare they.

Okay so I am halfway through this ridiculous project. I have watched four of the eight Friday the 13th movies. I watched them all by myself at my home during the COVID-19 pandemic. These challenging times I tell you.

(next: Friday the 13th - A New Beginning)

#friday the 13th

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blogmollylane · 4 years

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Extract from a much larger project

So this is part of something I hope to work into a much longer piece and I am interested to hear what people think. Please be nice, I think the internet has enough negativity already, lets not add to it.

The Tale of Kindred Sprits

Oblique osiria roses, in hues of silver-white and scarlet-red, encased in suspended bird cages above the reflecting pool. Sporadically roses had escaped their pendant confinements. These lucky ones had wound themselves serpentine around their former prisons, climbing the shackles in defiance. Surrounded by vaulted windows admitting in the last evanescent rays of the setting sun, there Tristian sat by the pool’s edge. Basking in the private serenity of the rotunda’s current kenopsia as sparrows’ euphonious serenades kept him company. Such a rare indulgence to savour in.

Exhaling, he let go another lungful of smoke, watching the grey wraiths waltz in obscure patterns before fading away. Only the rich oaky tang of its brief existence lingers in the floral air. Eying the fallen petals drifting on the still waters, he mused if like constellations, they too delivered prophecies. Their positions, giving inklings to the mysteries Providence like the lines on his palms. Perhaps if better skilled in the art of deviation, Fate’s past designs could have been descried ahead of tragedy striking.

Fingers swept back strands of silver hair from his face; he took in the left eye. Once there was a perfect carbon copy of its right-side twin, another bright sapphire iris. Now a pitch-black pit encircled by raw, angry scars stared back.

Enough tears were shed in the bloody aftermath of the mutilation. Ravenous wrath lived within him, binding it’s time for vengeance. Tristian acknowledged its rising presence, but held it back fast, never losing grip. Rage yield, remained patient and sharpened talons in preparation. The perpetrator may be roaming freely in the Diamond’s hall, their leverage sitting pretty for now. What seethed beneath Tristian’s skin, ardent in his veins, volatile in his soul was what drove him. Their eventual ruin would be worthwhile and wrath will have its feast.

Glass doors swung open. Startled birds flew from their perches and footfalls click-clacked on the ivory-ebony chequered floor. Lady Delacroix. Her trembling fists were clenched so horribly tight, her nails left behind miniature crescent scars and gained fresh scarlet specks underneath. Her long eyelashes brim tears yearning to break free, racing to the edge. Head hung low, flaxen curls ragged. Wisps of baby’s breaths woven into her loose braids drooping over.

Most people never took heed of these tiniest details. If they did, they left her in the hollow loneliness to put her self back together. Jagged puzzle pieces that didn’t fit, acting as daggers that pierced her unhealed heart, too alien to recognize shards of their former selves. Walls, meticulously built and exhaustedly rebuilt, in danger of collapsing again. Crumbling bricks already bearing the wear of prior takedowns. Sandcastles had better resistance. Moisture spring from her eyes, but crying was not a healthy release. Crying was a filthy habit and she didn’t want another relapse.

But Tristian caught sight of her a pigment of sorrow, a rosy glow exchange for red splotches. He didn’t know why he did it at that particular moment. Out of sympathy was the original hypothesis. He calls her by name, but not her real name. The name that was her purported birthright, but wasn’t truly hers. Followed by a stupid question.

“Lady Delacroix. Lady Delacroix, are you alright?”

Shoulders sagged, she picks up the pace.

“Erica?”

She halts, surprised. Discreetly wipes away a lone tear that had eluded her defences before gyrating around. Crooked her lips into a small, frail smile accessorized with verdure orbs that have banished their original sparkle.

“Yes, your Highness?”

“Are you alright? You seem upset.”

The automatic lie of “Oh no, I’m fine” slipped out.

Tristian frowned, inhaling fresh nicotine. His right eye, a lone spotlight fixated on her. This acute opia coerced that mastered grin a little too wide, glued two female feet to the floor. Far worse than the blinding journalistic flashlights; they were searching for faults. Erica couldn’t fathom what Tristian was looking for.

He came closer. Too close, far too close. Close enough for her to smell dried ink, ember and mint off him. Fingernails dig deeper. “You sure?”

“I... just needed a breather that’s all. It’s so stifling here this evening.”

Please let me go.

“I imagine that one so used to the wide open spaces that your old home back in Pyrite had to offer, you are still getting use to the confines of the Diamond.”

Actually, I left one cage to enter into another.

“Indeed,” Erica swallowed, “At least, we are safe here up in the clouds. That was your father’s initial intentions when he first drew up plans for its construction after the deaths of his brothers and your grandfather.”

“My father is not a practical man, Erica. He chooses style above substance. The Diamond’s main purpose is to be a personification of his powers first and foremost, a permanent grand exhibition celebrating his glorious eminency second. He did not want the royal residence to share the same ground as the common folk. Safety was not on top of his priorities. Image was.”

“You called me Erica again.”

“I think we can lessen the formalities in private, don’t you?”

Erica found it strange No one really pays attention to what she had to say regardless of content. Her voice was radio silence, background noise, insignificant...

“I should go. The evening star will arrive soon. Apologies for disturbing you.”

“No need to act contrite Erica.” He leaned in, “But if something has-“

“It hasn’t!”

A hard sigh and a mumbled sorry for the snap interruption. Obscure the splinter of the warring tempest below. Guilt rotting inside, its oxidization pricking beneath her unblemished skin. One of the many same old unresolved feelings piling up for years now. She didn’t mean it.

“I’m fine, really, I am.”

“Do I scare you Erica?”

“No.” Lies persisted on tumbling out. He didn’t believe her, of course. Let’s tell a rueful half truth then. “A... little,” she barely whispered, rich teal heels becoming fascinating.

“And what is it that terrifies you?”

“I don’t know what’s in your mind. I get the impression that-“she falter, vacillation halted any finished sentence transpiring, afraid of probable costs, rummaging around for safe words. “That there’s something that aggravates you, pestering at you, gnawing at you. You haven’t found the resolution yet. You believe that you have taken precautions, making a friend of it. But it wants to break free and when it does...”

Sparrows suppress their breath; no sing-song alleviated this silence. Faintest of changes in Erica’s heartbeat, at a higher volume than typical. Tristian contemplated on her words. Billowing cigarette smoke clouded his face, never phasing, masking his cerebral interior. Eyebrows narrowed intently as he gazed back up to the pensile art structure with its florid coils, as if asking it for advice.

“May I ask how you came up with that observation?” he finally said.

“Depends on how you will take it... Tristian.”

“I’m tougher than I look, Erica. Comes with the media saturated territory. I’m interested to hear your findings on me.”

“Well, if you say so,” she paused slightly before resuming, “Whenever we’re in the same room, you seem irate to be there with no proven cause. I don’t know if it’s my doing or just merely my presence that unnerves you.”

Tristian’s feature’s softened. “Erica, I don’t hate you if that is what you are assuming.”

“I wasn’t!” she panicked that he could interpret her thoughts superior to her own translation to his, unpleasant heat rising in her cheeks.

Erica had always preferred the comfort of what the stars pinpointed to, not ellipsism. That’s what terrified her most about Tristian, and to a much larger extent panoptical strangers. Their inauspicious indefiniteness, difficult to decipher unlike the movements of clinquant nocturnal auroras.

This decoding into the conundrum that was Tristian was convoluted even more when a masculine amused chuckle caused her to return her focus on the suedette fabric of her shoes. Perplexment conflated with discomfiture on her face. She stole a peep, purloining a faint smile from the spare, a concise vision far removed from the usual sullen presence.

“What is so funny?”

“Apologies Erica. I didn’t mean to be unkind. I am also sorry to have given you that impression. It was not intentional. Perhaps, we should have gotten better acquainted on our own terms before forming such opinions.”

“Then what do you think of me?”

“Of you?”

“I gave you my thoughts. Only fair if you give me yours.”

Tristian took another deep meditative drag. Erica was looking up at him, a bit braver now, waiting patiently for an answer. He studied her for a prolonged moment.

“You’re made of sunshine Erica. When people try to eclipse that radiance, you somehow find a way to let it shine through. An admirable trait to have.”

Quite the compliment to receive. Blinking eyes search for mistruths which turned out to be a fruitless endeavour. Mouth slightly tugs at the corners, almost curves upwards. Unsteady heat warms the back of her neck, escalating in her cheeks. Still found it hard to believe. Nonetheless, found her hollow self filled with warmth and flickers of light. She murmured thanks, for that was the polite thing to do, deciding it was best to leave it at that.

Thank you for reading.

#my writing #extract #fiction #romance #fairytale #writers on tumblr #and now for something completely different #kingdom #blushing #falling in love #fantasy #decopunk

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viktorbezic · 6 years

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Constraints Journal: How Yayoi Kusama started her path to becoming an artist after writing to one of her heroes, Georgia O’Keefe.

Discipline: Painting, Sculpture, Performance Art

Yayoi Kusama was born to an affluent merchant family in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan in 1929. As a child, her mother was physically abusive and would also send her to spy on her father who would frequently have extramarital affairs. This would cause Yayoi mental anguish later in life. She embraced art and early age. All Kusama wanted to do was paint. However, her family’s plans were for her to marry, become a wife and the head of a household. As there was no future in painting for women at that time in Japan. She dreamed of leaving Japan. Not only because of her family troubles but also Japan's conservative culture. Kusama described Japan at the time as, "too small, too servile, too feudalistic, and too scornful of women” (1). Yayoi had her sights on becoming an artist in America.

In a second-hand bookshop in Matsumoto, Kusama found a book of paintings by the American artist, Georgia O’Keefe. O’Keefe was the only American artist Yayoi knew anything about. She also heard from a friend that O’Keefe was the most famous painter in the United States. Yayoi would ride the train from Matsumoto to Shinjuku in Tokyo to the American embassy to go through their copy of Who’s Who and was ecstatic when she actually found Georgia O’Keefe’s mailing address. Kusama wrote a letter to O’Keefe of her desires to be a professional painter in America and enclosed some of her recent watercolor paintings. To her surprise, O’Keefe wrote back. O’Keefe let the young Kusama know how difficult it was to be an artist, especially a female artist. O’Keefe promised she would do everything that she could to help Yayoi out, but she was old and had retreated from the city to the desert of New Mexico. This was the first of many encouraging letters Yayoi would receive from O’Keefe. (2)

O’Keefe’s response inspired Kusama to find a distant relative to sponsor her to get into the United States. Her official purpose on her immigration papers was to have a solo art exhibition in Seattle. In Japan, It was against the law to transfer any significant amounts of yen to dollars let alone leave the country with them. When Kusama was preparing to leave Japan, she sowed the dollar bills into her dress and stuffed the others into the toes of her shoes. Her ultimate goal was to make it to New York as she believed it to be one of the world's art epicenters. At the age of 27, she landed in Seattle. After a year in Seattle, she did just that and finally made it to New York City.

Yayoi described New York City as hell on Earth as she had tremendous difficulty there. She lived in abject poverty. Her studio windows were broken, and she used a discarded door she found out on the street as a bed and laid the only sheet she had on top of it. Dinner during this time would either be a handful of chestnuts from a friend or soup’s she would make with discarded fish heads along with the rotting outer leaves of lettuce the green grocer tossed out. Kusama said the only way she could tolerate the cold and hunger was to paint relentlessly as it was impossible to sleep (3). She suffered mental breakdowns and panic attacks. After being rushed to emergency on numerous occasions, the hospital strongly recommended that Yayoi go to a psychiatrist and potentially a mental institution.

To Yayoi’s surprise, Georgia O’Keefe would visit her in New York and determined to help her introduced Kusama to her own art dealer Edith Halpert. She kept painting her infinity net series. Which consisted of paintings of black dots enveloped by white nets. The paintings were large scale and repetitive. Out of the thousands of dots, Yayoi referenced that a single dot was herself. A single point in the universe. A single particle among billions. She carried one of her canvases of infinity net paintings 40 blocks for submission to be considered for the Whitney Annual. It didn’t resemble the Whitney of today as it was far more conservative back then. She was rejected and had to carry her canvas 40 blocks back to her studio. Through her introductions, she had her first solo show at the Brata Gallery and got some favorable reviews. Kusama made her first close friend in the art world, the conceptual artist and critic Donald Judd (4). Not only did he buy one of her pieces but wrote her a favorable review. This show would open opportunities for other group exhibitions and shows in New York, Boston, and DC.

Kusama would continue to receive favorable reviews for her work. However, artists who copied her work would get more credit for her creative breakthroughs than she would. Yayoi had an exhibition at the Green Gallery, where she created soft sculptures. The art consisted of objects that were covered in phallic soft sculptures. Claes Oldenburg was part of the same show and was working with stiff paper mache at the time. Sewing to create artwork wasn’t seen as masculine which is why Oldenburg stayed away from it initially. After Yayoi, went to see one of Oldenburg's new shows, he completely changed his approach and adopted soft-sculpture. Oldenburg’s wife and art assistant Pat, helped him sew his soft sculptures together. The influence was so blatant that Pat pulled Kusama aside and said, “Yayoi, Forgive us!” Oldenburg’s soft sculptures would gain critical acclaim and would launch his career as one of the first sculptor’s of the pop art movement (5).

Other artists, in addition to Oldenburg, found it irresistible to steal ideas from Kusama. This included Andy Warhol. But this isn’t as surprising as he built a career off of appropriation. At Yayoi's solo New York show at the Gertrude Stein Gallery in 1963, her work titled: “Aggregation One Thousand Boats Show,” she displayed a boat that was covered in her soft sculptures and on the ceilings, and walls were 999 black and white images of the sculpture covering the room. It was Kusama’s first foray into creating immersive environments. According to Kusama, Warhol came to her show and exclaimed, “Yayoi, what is this? It’s fantastic!” Warhol would later paper the walls and ceiling with silkscreened cow head posters at the Leo Castelli Gallery (6).

By creating environments, Kusama made another breakthrough. A pioneering move. Which was to create entire rooms that were works of art. In the Instagram age, this is commonplace now. Building environments people can take selfies in. One of the more well-known ones being 29Rooms created by the online publisher Refinery29. For Kusama portraits weren’t the objective. Immersion into the art was. She extended her theme of infinity nets on canvas into infinity rooms. With space exploration and the various scientific discoveries that were in the media, people collectively became more aware of infinity. In March of 1966, she would make the debut of her piece “Peep Show” at the Castellane Gallery in New York. It was a room with carefully placed mirrors with openings you could put your head in into and feel a sense of infinity through the mirrored reflections. The mirrors were arranged in an octagon shape with colored electric lights. The lights felt like stars in the illusory infinite space. In the same year a few months later in October of 1966, Lucas Samaras made a similar mirrored room at the far more established PACE Gallery despite ever having used mirrors before. It appeared to be a blatant ripoff of Kusama’s work (7).

Yayoi made critical, creative breakthroughs in her work that other artists had copied and made part of their own shows. They'd be taken up by the art establishment and collectors while Yayoi was ignored. In the latter part of the decade, Kusama staged “Happenings” that were performance art pieces that became popular during the beat and hippie movements which involved sexual acts and nudity. The happenings were used sometimes for collective creative expression and other times for political protest. By 1972 Kusama would be listed in the book American Who’s Who. The same book in which in which she found Georgia O’Keefe’s contact details that began their mutual correspondence.

In 1973 Kusama's health began to deteriorate. She was in Japan for a brief visit and checked herself into a hospital when she had an episode of anxiety and hallucinations. Her condition worsened, so she decided to stay in Japan. She checked herself back into the hospital in 1975 due to her flickering vision and hallucinations. By 1977 she would commit herself permanently to the hospital in Shinjuku. Right around the corner from her studio. She would leave the hospital only to work in her studio. Since her hospitalization, Kusama continued to produce art. According to Kusama, if it weren’t for art, she would have killed herself a long time ago (8).

In 1993 for the 45th Venice Biennale, she was officially invited to represent Japan. It was the first solo exhibition by a single artist at the Japanese Pavilion. Yayoi's previous appearance at the Biennale was in 1966, uninvited. She is now exhibited in galleries worldwide and has had significant retrospectives including one at the MOMA in New York. There are long lines and wait-lists to see her infinity mirrored rooms at many galleries including the Broad in Los Angeles. A large of a portion of her works now reside in her hometown in the Matsumoto City Museum of Art.

Reference

1. Frank, Priscilla (9 February 2017). "Japanese Artist Yayoi Kusama Is About To Make 2017 Infinitely Better". Huffington Post. Retrieved 11 March 2017.

2. Kusama, Yayoi. Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama. Tate Publishing, 2013. p.10.

3. Ibid. p. 15.

4. Ibid. p. 23.

5. Lenz, Heather, director. Kusama: Infinity. Magnolia Pictures, 2019.

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Kusama, Yayoi. Infinity Net: The Autobiography of Yayoi Kusama. Tate Publishing, 2013. p.226.

#my writing #writing #long reads #constraints journal #writers on tumblr #yayoi kusama

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setsuna169 · 6 years

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One Of My Prestigious Trips

Well it seems like this would be the final educational trip for me as a high school student here at Casa. And for now, let me try to share with you some of my endearing destinations from this Magical Mystery Tour experience.

Anyhow I woke up around 4:00 a.m. get out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, moved my way downstairs and drank a cup. And looking up, I noticed I was almost late. Found my coat and grabbed my stuffs and then I made it almost at seconds flat. As I came, I’ve realize that I’m second to the last for the ones who where still pending to arrive before departure. And it seemed to turn out Johann Mabanto was the last one we have been waiting for till we go to the tour bus. Then as we settled to our respected seats to this huge vehicle, of course we wouldn't forget to pray to the Lord for protection and blessings. After that we roll up as to headed start for our last senior high school educational trip. As you can see inside the bus we are already taking and exerting a lot of fun, like a lot of it seriously. Because there are these people like me who were as called “food source”, of course I’m a philanthropist when it comes to this kind of thing. The reason why I share my blessings was because I care for my peeps. And some other stuffs that we are having fun inside during our destination were Karaoke, the best part is when Ajo is singing at night before we go outside in a formal apparel to our last venue the CCP . I know it may sound sarcastic but no offence all, at least he did his best J. And there’s the nice conversation partner and the ones beer to you. And then lastly, here's this typical mobile games. A simple high level entertainer to our lives and it someone to our to be great, but also a distraction for us.

As time goes on, at last! We have arrived to our first venue and it is called the “Art In Island”. Behind the walls is the prestigious 2D and 3D art painting illusions that we can took a picture with it. But before as we go inside all of us had to were these pair of shoe cover to resist damage on the floor that turned out to be also painted. Of course all of us the grade 12 student had a memorable moments of our immersion at CREOTEC. And it's obviously because of the shoe cover when we wore it. Then as we visited inside of this astonishing building, we took pictures with our friends at these awesome looking illusions some are funny, perverted, and mind blowing. And one thing that I’ll never forget experiencing is this wicked projected cinematic presentation along with the paintings that reflects some of the spiritual and religious images and references. Then after that we head straight forward to the bus to sort out our pictures taken from inside for our project.

As our destination goes on we arrived at the Quezon City l Trinoma for the “ABS-CBN Studio Experience” to interact on one of its fun fulfilling activities. But before that we took our lunch first and then explore the mall a bit, played some arcades at timezone and then head inside to our second venue for some studio experience. After that sadly,we didn’t came to our 3rd and its alternative one because its closed, still supposedly we should’ve visited it.

Then here comes the Sun(too doo doo doo)set, for as we settle down to take dinner and get changed to our slick formal attire for our last venue at Cultural Center of the Philippines. The time when we arrived inside, its gladly to visit there for the second time. And then things got better because of this extravagant performance of the “ Snow White” in Ballet, performed by the Ballet Philippines. Then came to its ending of the show, and it was truly wonderful indeed!

Well finally, as the show ended we head straight to our bus, fixed our selves and belongings, drank a cup, listened to some Beatle Albums acquired from the taste of my music, then slowly as I get into my Golden Slumber to rest. Good bye and Thank you for all the people who worked or involved in those venues that we students and teachers respectively came.

-Cristiano Lorenzo y Carrilloso 2018

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jeremystrele · 4 years

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Cosy Family Home With Soft Grey & Sugar Pink Accent Decor

Sugar pink accents sweeten the soft grey interior of this modern family home, where layers of geometric pattern layer in interest and energy. Visualised by Nata Bo, this is a precisely customised living space where bespoke cabinetry increases the usable area by bridging furniture, filling gaps and encasing corners. Uplifting colour accents and upbeat pattern build a playful vibe across this inviting interior, not least inside the kid’s room. In this space, pops of pink are swiftly switched out for a starry blue decor palette and a superhero theme, although the gusto for custom furniture remains. Stay with us till the end of the tour to gather some gloriously stylish small bathroom inspo too.

Designer: Cult Of Design Studio Pink marshmallow pillows and a matching fuzzy throw add a welcoming burst of sweet colour to a grey sectional sofa. A selection of assorted geometric pattern pillows add extra dimension to the sofa’s modern linear silhouette.

The mix and match geometric theme is spread through the centre of the living room by way of a cosy medium pile rug. A chic floor lamp stands at one end of the L-shaped sofa, forming a visual stop between the open plan lounge area and its neighbouring kitchen diner.

Bespoke storage has been fashioned across the back of the sofa to capitalise on what’s ordinarily disused wall space; a decorative shelf serves in lieu of a sofa table. The custom cabinetry extends around the corner of the lounge, into the hallway of the home, where it adds a useful and creative touch.

Small pendant lights have been suspended as a pair, which is a smart way to make a larger statement on a smaller budget.

White and oak media units sandwich the TV wall, making the most of the compact space between windows.

Wooden nesting coffee tables make a tonal pairing in the centre of the lounge space, and complement the double pendant light arrangement above.

Because the kitchen stands open to the lounge, the kitchen cabinet finish has been designed to match perfectly with the rest of the living room furniture.

The white and oak combo forms a relaxed aesthetic that is both fresh and warm. White and wood finishes create a cohesive look all the way down the hallway of the home to the front entryway. A grey and white tile floor patterns this pathway too, starting in the kitchen and ending at a full length mirror by the front door.

Three dining room pendant lights draw attention to a small eating area. The dining table can easily be pulled out to make a larger seating arrangement, thanks to castors on two of its legs.

A simple wooden peninsula bridges the dining table, and makes a sunny breakfast bar across the window.

The tile used on the kitchen floor also serves as an eye catching kitchen backsplash. The doubled up effect makes the kitchen feel cosily contained, even though it is part of an open living space.

A modern kitchen clock pierces the grey accent wall with a spot of white.

A white refrigerator and a matching oven blend quietly into the clean white kitchen.

Wood slatted panels clad the end of the kitchen run, where they conceal numerous pull-out coat hooks. A cute leaf print pouf adds a splash of green.

A twin leaf print pouf hangs out around the corner by the front door.

Homey art prints are hung in the entryway, and an ordinary intercom has been bestowed with a matching pretty frame.

Similarly to the wall units in the lounge, the hallway storage closets are finished with stylish circular handles.

The master bedroom has a tranquil taupe and pink palette, under a soft and atmospheric lighting scheme.

A unique wireframe bedside table lamp illuminates one pillow, whilst a mini pendant light casts a warm glow over the opposite bedside table.

Floral artwork blooms behind the bedroom pendant light, propped casually on a headboard picture ledge.

A row of storage units are cut through with a decorative shelf at the foot of the bed, whilst the closets are lined up by the bedroom door.

Geometric print peeps out from under the platform bed, on a soft grey tassel rug. Patterned cushions complement the geo rug design, whilst sugar pink pillows tie in with the floral art.

A couple more hits of pink art are dropped in by the door.

Pink accents are replaced entirely by pops of bright blue inside the modern kid’s room.

Closets are covered with a superhero theme.

A subtle grey and white star print makes a fun feature on the kid’s desk chair.

Blue stars pattern the kid’s bed set and round rug.

An industrial style pendant light makes a quirky reading light at the head of the custom kid’s bed.

Similar pendant lights cluster over the bathroom vanity area.

The floor of the bathroom is the same beautiful patterned tile that closes in the kitchen floor area and floods its backsplash.

A corner shower unit allows access to a laundry area inside the bathroom, which is closed off behind glass doors.

A smaller powder room receives a patterned tile treatment too…

… But this time with two different bold designs.

On the cistern wall, the pattern elevates a basic wooden shelving unit. The effect of the geometric tile border is doubled by an edge to edge vanity mirror.

A floating vanity unit keeps the floor area clear to increase the sense of space. A ledge of indoor plants add flashes of enlivening greenery to the windowless powder room.

Recommended Reading: Pink And Grey Interior Design

The post Cosy Family Home With Soft Grey & Sugar Pink Accent Decor first appeared on Interior Design Ideas.

More Pink And Grey Design Inspiration

Superhero Wall Shelves for Kids of All Ages

Stylish Homes With A Penchant For Pink & Monochrome

Pink And Grey Home Interiors With Cool Unique Design Features

Small Interiors Under 70 Sqm That Will Have You Tickled Pink! [With Plans]

101 Pink Bedrooms With Images, Tips And Accessories To Help You Decorate Yours

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allwaswell16 · 7 years

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This is the masterpost for my fan fictions. You can also find and subscribe to my fics here on ao3. My word count so far is: 388,316. All pairings are Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson unless otherwise specified. Thanks for reading! <3 <3

Faded From This Touch | explicit | 7k | read here on ao3

Pop star Louis Tomlinson is about to make his long awaited return to music. Unfortunately, his label and manager feel his long hair isn't in tune with his pop star image. When Louis goes to get a hair cut at a posh London salon, he unexpectedly finds a very handsome reason to keep returning.

Today’s the Day (Winter Drabble Series) | G | 300 words | read here on ao3

Polar-Harry pines for the beautiful boy he sees in the coffee shop. Radiator-Harry meets the beautiful boy in the coffee shop he has been pining over. Melt-Harry talks to the boy in the coffee shop he has been pining over.

Be My Homeward Dove | explicit | drarry | 7k | read here on ao3

It's almost Christmas, and Draco must find Harry the perfect gift. It's much more difficult than he'd imagined.

We’re Dancing On Tables | explicit | 5k | read here on ao3

Last week, Louis went on the very best date of his life with the hot guy from his chemistry lab, which was great until the guy never texted him or called him afterwards. Everything is great. Everything is fucking great. Now this guy has the nerve to show up at Louis’ house party, which of course forces Louis to plot to ruin his night.

Staring Across the Room | explicit | 26k | read here on ao3

Harry Styles has a great life. He’s a children’s librarian at the New York Public Library, he’s got wonderful friends, and he loves cooking, green tea, yoga, and his collection of bow ties. He doesn’t mind that his life seems a little structured, maybe even a little boring. But when Louis Tomlinson joins the library staff as the new Installation Coordinator, things become a lot less predictable. Louis gets under his skin right from the start, bossing Harry around, making noise during story time, and eating the last cupcake in the staff lounge. Louis may be almost offensively attractive, but Harry will not be succumbing to Louis Tomlinson’s charms, even if the rest of the library staff have.

Do You Smile To Tempt a Lover | explicit | 18k | read here on ao3

Pairing: Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson

Nick Grimshaw is entranced by Louis, his very beautiful, very cheeky new coworker at The National Portrait Gallery. He watches him day after day, wondering what he’s furiously typing on his laptop over lunch. With a little help from the very bored barista in the gallery cafe, Nick finds himself growing closer to Louis than he ever dreamed possible.

Let You Lick the Lollipop | explicit | 4.4k | read here on ao3

Louis may be throwing a Halloween costume party for a lot of drunk college students, but that doesn’t mean he can’t also hand out candy to trick-or-treaters. He just has to keep people from stealing all the candy--especially the very hot guy in a toga who won’t leave his candy alone.

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene | general | 2k | read here on ao3

When Louis takes his son trick-or-treating in a stormtrooper costume, little does he know by the end of the night he will end up gaining a Luke Skywalker, a Chewbacca, and a Rey. He doesn't mind the additions, and if Rey's very hot dad wants to come along as well, he doesn't mind that too much either.

Just Hear This (series) | explicit | 46k | read here on ao3

Former boy band member Louis Tomlinson can’t stand pompous indie artist Harry Styles, but with a new record label to launch he is going to have to endure his pretensions to snag up and coming new artist Liam Payne, who happens to be Harry’s oldest friend. Luckily, Liam seems to be very interested in 78 Records and maybe a little more than interested in Louis’ best friend. Too bad Harry won’t be making this easy on any of them. Or a modern day Pride and Prejudice.

You’re the Light (series) | explicit | 39k | read here on ao3

Before beginning a new graduate school in the fall, Louis Tomlinson decides to spend the summer working in Chicago as an editor’s assistant for the Chicago Tribune newspaper and staying with his old college roommate. What he finds on his first day of work is a tall, gorgeous editor named Harry who has the most beautiful green eyes he’s ever seen—and who also happens to be his new boss.

Looking Through You (series) | explicit | 49k | read here on ao3

Just as Louis and Liam were starting out in the music industry, writing and producing for up and coming artists, a fateful meeting with new pop singer Harry Styles changes everything. Four years later, just as Harry is set to embark on his next world tour, a drunken confession causes a rift between once inseparable friends. As Harry tries to make sense of his feelings for Louis, he begins writing his next album to express them as it may be the only way to break through the walls that Louis has built between them.

That’s How I Know | explicit | 17k | read here on ao3

Louis Tomlinson has just landed his dream job, coaching soccer at Augustus University. When he moves into a new house near campus, he meets his very fit new neighbor, English professor Harry Styles. Although their first meeting leads to an instant mutual dislike, the more Harry gets to know Louis, the more he likes what he sees. Or the one where Harry’s African grey parrot spills his dirty secrets to his very hot neighbor.

I’ll Be There | explicit | 5k | read here on ao3

Louis is less than thrilled to find out his roommate has coerced his nemesis to check on him whilst he’s sick in bed. However, Harry seems to take great pleasure in taking care of Louis. Maybe this green smoothie drinking, hot yoga instructing, hair in a bun wearing, pretentious art history studying wanker isn’t so bad after all. On Monday, Louis thinks Harry’s a twat. By Friday, he’s thinking of reasons for him to stay.

One Day You’ll Say These Words | mature | 10k | read here on ao3

Growing up together in Yorkshire has led to a lifelong friendship between Louis Tomlinson, the future Marquess of Rotherham, and Harry Styles, the heir to a viscount. When Harry suddenly inherits his uncle’s title and estate much earlier than expected, Louis must watch his friend struggle under the weight of these new responsibilities, including searching for a wife with a dowry large enough to save his estate. However, sitting idly by as Harry looks for a bride brings some unexpected feelings to the surface. A friends to lovers story set in the Regency era.

Sound Like a Song | explicit | 14k | read here on ao3

Part 1 of When We Were Young Series: In high school, Louis Tomlinson lit up Harry’s world like nobody else, even if Harry did most of his pining from the safety of his tightly knit circle of friends. Ten years later, Harry is ready to make some changes. He’s tired of having so many regrets and not taking charge of his life, and he still hasn’t forgotten how brightly Louis shines. He’s about to get a long awaited second chance.Or the one where Harry helps out at a farmer’s market and gives Louis free vegetables. Featuring Elton John songs, many vegetable puns, way too many zucchinis, and being right on time for the love of your life.

Look Like a Movie | mature | 10k | read here on ao3

Part 2 of When We Were Young Series. Louis lights up Harry’s world like nobody else. Harry just wishes he could be brave enough to ever ask him out. Although Harry’s high school life is fraught with anxious encounters, he gets by with a little help from his friends.Or a prequel taking place ten years before ‘Sound Like a Song.’ Featuring school dances, soccer games, overeager lab partners, crushes, and being ten years too early for the love of your life.

How Could I Ever Forget | explicit | 14k | read here on ao3

After his boyfriend leaves him for a job in New York, Harry vows to move on with his life. A year later when their best friends announce their engagement, Harry knows he’ll be forced to see Louis again and face the truth he’s been trying his best to hide–even from himself. Or a Vegas AU where Ziam’s bachelor party turns into drunken karaoke, winning thousands at slots, washing your clothes at the laundromat in your underwear, and making life altering decisions that you can’t remember in the morning.

You Really Got Me Now | explicit | 6k | read here on ao3

Louis is the best older brother anyone could ask for. He knows this because he’s agreed to help chaperone his younger sister’s school trip to Rome. As it turns out, Italy is full of surprises. Fizzy’s Italian teacher is surprisingly hot, Rome is surprisingly interesting, and Louis is surprisingly falling in love with more than just the city.

You & Me | general | 3k | read here on ao3

Louis Tomlinson doesn’t have much faith in fate. Unfortunately, his mother does. She thinks he’s destined to be with her best friend’s son. Louis hasn’t had much luck in love, so he decides to finally meet this boy his mother thinks is his match. As fate would have it, he encounters an intriguing stranger to confide in before he meets with destiny.

1D Very Silly Chat/Email Chain (series) | (im)mature| 7k+ | read here on ao3

(1) Danger in the Produce Aisle, (2) Caramel Apple Peeps, (3)The OT4 Email Chain, (4) Email Chain OT4, (5) Screaming, (6)The Brits & Always You, (7) Is Neil Available?

Read emails sent from : [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], and [email protected]

Important topics including: frightening fruits, no milk for Louis’ tea, hacking, being jealous of Steve Aoki, way too many poo jokes, Niall screaming, dogs Liam doesn’t Instagram, Harry’s floofy hair, Liam’s chains, Instagram aesthetics, and much more!

Now That I’ve Found You | mature | 6k+ | read here on ao3

Harry Styles has a great job working for his brother-in-law’s construction company. He has just one small problem. His concrete sub-contractor just quit, and he needs a foundation built as soon as possible. One fateful turn brings him exactly what he’s been looking for—an experienced concrete construction company that happens to be owned by the most beautiful man he’s ever laid eyes upon.

For You I’d Bleed Myself Dry | explicit | 3k+ | read here on ao3

After a public and humiliating breakup, Louis Tomlinson finds himself on his would-be honeymoon with his best friend, Niall. However, this St. Lucian paradise is not all that it seems. Louis may be particularly vulnerable to an unusually handsome predator.

On a Day Like This You Know It’s Meant To Be | t&up | 2k+ | read here on ao3

One year ago Harry Styles met Louis Tomlinson, the man of his dreams. Harry is certain he’ll never see him again, even if they did make a pact to reunite should the Chicago Cubs win the World Series. Harry has one small flicker of hope left when it appears the Cubs might actually win it all. But will Louis fulfill his end of this fateful bargain?

Won’t You Please Come Around | mature | 5k+ | read here on ao3

Harry has lived in London for a month, and so far the only friend he’s made is his sister’s cat, Mr. Whiskers. When the lock on the window breaks, Mr. Whiskers begins exploring his new neighbourhood a bit too thoroughly and brings back mementos of his escapes. Or a Valentine’s Day story where Harry has a really fit neighbour, and his cat is a thief.

Let Me Kiss You | mature | 3k+ | read here on ao3

Harry Styles is on top of the world. He’s moving to Chicago to live in a kick ass apartment that he’s sharing with his old college friend, Niall. When their old college crew makes plans to hang out, Harry realizes he will be coming face to face with his unrequited crush, Louis.

haven’t you heard | explicit | 8k | read here on ao3

Harry Styles has been in love with Louis Tomlinson since they were eighteen. After six years together, Harry is ready to propose to the love of his life. The holidays strike him as the perfect time for a romantic proposal, but his well-meaning friends and family (including his self-appointed best friend, Niall) seem to thwart him at every turn. Or the four times Harry tries to propose, and the one time he gets it right.

but tonight (you’re on my mind) | explicit | 36k | read here on ao3

Pairing: Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson (Tomlinshaw)

Nick’s friendship with the lead singer of Seventy Eight has come with a new circle of people including an entrancing, blue eyed drummer. But what brings them together can also tear them apart.

And I Could Hear the Thunder | mature | 1/? WIP | read here on ao3

Harry prepares to inherit his family’s estate, and Louis is the mysterious boy living in the manor to the north.

#hello i redid this so it's easier to update #my other one was a pain in my ass #larry fan fiction #my fic masterpost

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