#at least i have the cats and some cake i made yesterday

[edwardshundredyearoldspunk]

on this first day of disability pride month I had 1) a very embarrassing (but thankfully, private) meltdown, 2) an even more embarrassing conversation where I tried to address the cause of said meltdown to my mother but just ended up getting stonewalled, and finally 3) was told yet again that I'm “looking for drama” because “it's not a big deal” (because to her it isn't) and “if you behave like a child I'm going to treat you like a child”. cool.

[niuniente]

Some travel updates

Made the best karjalanpaisti stew yesterday! Friend went to a butcher to get the right kind of meat and was also able to bring me a bone (recommendation; always make a slow cooked stews with a bone in it if possible. Adds to the flavor!)

The said stew made me sick because I gambled with mashed potatoes so I've been resting today and watching Buffy (it just keeps getting better and better!)

Went today to get something which is easy to digest and saw the fluffiest squirrel and a super friendly (and small) black cat.

A very cute old gentleman cat lives by next door and I got to see him twice, too.

Stopped by a cake shop recommended by the said friend (Hunter's Cake Cafe). I need to visit there again next time!

Before going to the cake shop I popped in an interior shop Vinegar Hill. There was a very adorable, very Nordic/Japanese looking acorn jar. I thought it was a bit too expensive for its size and a bit too small for anything so I left it there. However, I had to go back to get it because it kept haunting me when I ate the cake. It's very cute!

Saw a cashier with lots of awesome tattoos and complimented him for them, which seemed to make him happy.

We watched the Finnish action movie Sisu together and it was fun.

Stocked some underwear with a pound store's 2£ and 3£ deals (as I need to pay at least 10€ for them back home).

ALL THE CHRISTMAS CARDS ARE SO PRETTY, I WANT TO BUY ALL THE PACKAGES I SEE BUT I HAVE NO NEED FOR 456 CHRISTMAS CARDS.

Oxfam charity shops are my new favorite

[inuiiwonderland]

Chapter 3: the ruined statue

-

"You don't know the queen of hearts?"

"The queen of hearts?" Suddenly you remember where you heard that name from.

"Oh! That red head boy mentioned her too during the orientation…" You said more to yourself. You looked down at the boys and decided to ask them a question.

"Does she rule here?" The boy chuckled at your question.

"She's a queen who lived in a labyrinth of roses ages ago"

"Oh"

"She had a strict personality that valued discipline over anything else. She didn't tolerate any disorder when it came to the color of her roses or the card soldiers marching"

"They were all mad there, but everyone swore their obedience! Because if they were to break a rule, that is a one way ticket to getting beheaded!"

You cringe at the thought and watch as the other blue-haired boy just sighs. 

"Cool right?" The red head says.

"Yeah, she sounds a little terrifying though"

"Well thanks for filling me in. Are you a student here?"

"Yep! I'm Ace♡" He says with a wink.

"Nice to meet ya" you nod at his introduction.

"Hey, you're that student that was acting up at the ceremony right?" 

"Oh..uh I wasn't exactly but I did cause some trouble" You say awkwardly while rubbing your neck.

"Wow the mirror of darkness summons a person with no magic! Ha! Man I was trying so hard not to laugh" 

You rolled your eyes and glared at the boy as he continued to laugh. That was until he was interrupted by the boy who was with him.

"Don't be so rude to a person you just met!" Ace just rolls his eyes and then turns back to you.

"So, you couldn't enroll?" 

"Yeah, I was made a handyman instead" you motion to the cleaning supplies that you have been given.

"I see, so that why you're uniform is different"

"If there anything about the school you need to know, feel free to ask me" 

"Thank you uhh?"

"The name deuce spade, nice to meet you"

"Thank you deuce"

"And you? What your name?"

"Oh my name y/n l/n"

"Y/n l/n?"

"L/n??"

I guess my name is hard to pronounce here 

"You can just call me y/n"

"Okay!" You were about to go back to what you were doing but stop when you heard Ace ask you something.

"Is it hard to take care of that crazy monster? Sounds like a chore dealing with it! Haha!"

"Even after all the drama it caused, it turned out to be so lame!"

"Monster?"

Suddenly Ace let out a Yelp when something hit him on the back of the head.

"What the-"

"I ain't some measly chore!" You look up to see the very familiar cat monster you saw the other day.

"You're-"

"The great grim!"

"That cat monster from yesterday!"

"It's grim Sama to you!! You can at least get it right!!"

"Uhh sure, I thought they threw you out already…" he just smirked and shrugged.

"Sneaking in was a piece of cake!" 

"Anyway, why are YOU still here?"

"If you keep sticking around I won't be able to enroll!"

"It's not like you have a chance" Ace said which made the cat monster- er grim angry. You sigh and massage your temple.

"Look, If I could go home I would but I don't know how" He was silent for a moment before he spoke up again.

"Fine then….I'll kick you out myself!"

"Huh?"

"Is he gonna attack again?!" Deuce said while Ace stared in shock.

"I won't let you" you grabbed the broom you had with you which caused grim to laugh.

"I ain't scared of someone who can't even use magic- ow!" You hit him with the broom which made him fall down. You had him pushed against the ground with the broom.

"Let me go!"

"Woah! Nice one y/n!"

"That's some awesome strength!"

"They'll just throw you out again if you keep making a scene"

"You're making a big mistake if you think I'm gonna give up now!"

"Guards!"

"W-wait!"

"Why do you even wanna enroll here so badly?" You say while still having him pin against the ground.

"Why? That's easy! I'm a genius that was born to become a great magician!"

"Great magician?" You say confused while Ace just scoff.

"Uhh you? Great magician?" Deuce elbowed Ace to be quiet.

"I've waited a really really long time for the black carriage to come get me…and yet, the mirror of darkness won't acknowledge me!"

"So I gotta do something about it!"

"I'm never ever gonna give up! I'm going to become an amazing magician" You froze as those words reminded you of a certain someone from back home. 

Takemichi!

"I see…you got a dream you can't surrender too"

"You.."

"That's impossible!" You both looked at Ace who was now standing in front of you two.

"Only the chosen ones are able to get into this school"

"And you didn't make the cut. So just give up and admit defeat"

"Hey! All you've done since we got here was to be an asshole!" Ace rolled his eyes at him and yanked his wrist from deuce hold.

"What is this? A lecture? Stop being so annoying"

"You can't just treat people like that-"

"Yeah yeah yeah whatever. I've got class so I'm gonna split"

"Ugh" Deuce turned to you both with an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry about that, I also have to go"

You just watched as he started walking in the same direction Ace left too. You got up and dust the dirt off you. 

"You…I'll show you!" You looked up and saw grim already shooting fire towards the two.

"Wait- grim!"

"Woah!!" You heard the two boys as they dodge the blue flames.

"Watch it! The hell are you trying to pull?!" Ace shouts. 

"You're trying to make a fool outta me! So I'm gonna light up that fiery lookin mop head you call hair!" 

"Mop head?"

"You got some nerve trying to fight me!" 

You then saw him take out something from his pocket. 

"I'm gonna turn you into a frizzy toy poodle!!"

"Is that wind magic?!" You say as you saw and felt the wind go crazy.

"Err! My awesome fire can't twist like that!"

You noticed students surrounding you all as the two continued to fight.

"Great…"

"Like those fireballs are gonna hit me!" 

This made grim more mad and he started shooting fireballs towards Ace. 

"Cut it out already!" You heard deuce yell out. 

"They're totally not listening" you say as you two watch them continue.

"I gotta do something…but with what??" Suddenly he thought of a perfect idea.

"I can just lock down their movements!" He also took something similar to what Ace had and started thinking for something.

"C'mon, come out with literally anything! Something heavy!" He lifted up his pen and suddenly you saw something big fall down on Ace.

"The hell?! A pot?!" 

"A cauldron of all things?...did I go to far?" Deuce said to himself while grim burst out into a fit of laughter.

"So freaking lame! Hahah!"

"Back off juice!"

"It's deuce!"

"Deuce whatever!" 

"Don't make a scene on your first day!"

"Just come to class!"

"Shut up! You go if you want!"

"Stop being so stubborn!"

As those two continued bickering, grim saw this as a chance to fire at ace.

"You're wide open!"

"What-" Ace's eyes widened when he saw grim shoot a fireball at him. He quickly pushed the cauldron off him and managed to dodge the flames on time. 

"Argh!"

You froze as you saw the flame hit the statue you were cleaning earlier. Students gasp and some quickly ran away from the scene as they saw the now ruined statue.

"Ahhhh! Holy frigging crap!" Ace yelled out as he saw the queen of hearts statue ruined.

"He…he didn't just!" Duece was too stunned to even speak.

"I don't know anything!" Grim yells as he makes a run for it.

"Hey! Stop right there!" 

"I came to see what the commotion was all about" all three of you froze as you heard the voice speak.

"Ahh headmaster…."

"Your hereeeeee" 

"What in the world are you doing?! You've scorched one of the great sevens statues!!" 

"The great sevens?" You ask curiously.

"They're exhalted entities that once existed in our world"

"The king of beasts, ruler of the savannah. The sorcerer of the desert, who saved his land from a crisis. The sea witch, who dwelled in a grotto deep beneath the sea. The fairest queen, said to be the most beautiful of them all. The lord of the underworld, to whom even monsters swear their allegiance. The witch of thorns, who resided in the mystical mountains. And lastly, the queen of hearts, residing in labyrinth of roses!" 

"This is blasphemy against a renowned figure! There's no possible way I can turn a blind eye to this!"

"All of you are expelled effective immediately!!!"

"E-expelled?!"

"After I finally made it into a famous school…what will I tell my mom?!" You saw how deuce panicked which made you feel a little bad.

"Please! Anything but that! There's something I have to do in this school!" 

"You have yourself to blame for such a foolish stunt"

"Then I'll do anything to make up for it!"

"Anything?"

"Yes!"

You suddenly had a bad feeling seeing the headmaster smile.

"Then I shall offer you a chance to make amends"

"There is an enormous fixture hanging in the cafeteria. A magic chandelier with everlasting candles that burn indefinitely. It's a masterpiece crafted by a legendary meister of magic tools"

"That very item is currently losing its power"

"It seems the source of its strength, the magic gem, is growing weaker"

"Magic gems are mined in a place called mt. Dwarf…we may be able to repair it with gems of a similar property"

"I'll go and get one! Please, you have to let me go!" 

"Very well…however you will be expelled if you don't return with the gems by tomorrow morning"

"You can travel to Mt. Dwarf through a door in the mirror chamber"

"Right! Thank you!" Deuce bowed as Crowley left. 

"Ugh fine, we'll make it back with this gem in no time"

"Let's go!" Ace whined as you just silently followed the two. What you three didn't know was that the culprit who was responsible for this was eavesdropping the whole entire time.

"Magic gem huh? Maybe I can use my awesome magic to get my paws on that" 

-

"What? Ace and deuce ruined a great seven statue?!"

"Indeed, therefore I am reporting it to you their dorm leader"

"I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience my dorm has caused"

"They're currently heading to Mt. Dwarf as punishment. They'll surely be back by morning"

"Certainly"

The boy then soon left the headmaster's office in anger.

"What were they thinking so shortly after enrolling?! I absolutely will not tolerate any rule breaking…they need to be punished"

"The verdict can wait…i'll see to their beheading myself!!"

-

"So this is mt. Dwarf huh…"

"People use to mine here for magic gems when they were abundant, but it's oddly quiet here"

"There's no time for complaining. Let's go!"

You three continued walking along the path as you looked around. You were looking around when you heard Ace.

"Oh. There a cottage back there"

Both you and deuce turn to look in his direction to see the cottage.

"Let's go see what they've got to say"

-

Back in Shibuya city 

"Y/n never showed up to the meeting"

"And they haven't returned home last night"

"They aren't answering anyone's calls"

"We are filling out a missing person report"

That was everything mikey heard in a span of one day. He couldn't believe what was happening. You never showed up to the meeting and now they're saying you're missing?!

"Did you call again baji?" Mitsuya asked as everyone gathered up in the musashi shrine. 

"Yeah no answer though"

"I already called multiple times but it's leaving me straight to voicemail" 

"Did you check up on y/n parents?"

"Yeah, they are currently trying to file out a missing person report"

Everyone was silent trying to think what else they should do. Mikey, who was quiet the whole time got up which grabbed everyone's attention.

"We should start searching around and asking if anyone has seen them before they went missing"

"So like a search party?"

"Mhm"

"That is not a bad idea…we should do it"

Everyone started agreeing and decided on searching for you for the whole day.

To be continued 

-

Here is chapter 3! Since I made you guys wait for chapter 3 I decided to make this chapter longer! And! The Tokyo revengers cast have finally appeared! Just know that they will show up a lot in future chapters👀

Anyway hope you enjoyed!

Also if anyone wants to be in the taglist for this story, comment or send through an ask to get put on the taglist🙃

[theretirementstory]

Bonjour tout le monde, it is 14c, mainly cloudy but at least I can see the colline, yesterday morning it was shrouded in mist!

I managed to “top up” the composter, but never got the cuttings from the coleus. I have now removed the final tomato plant from outside, turned the soil in the potager, laid a large piece of cardboard on top, then some plastic mesh (attempts to deter cats using it as their toilet) after that I lifted some of my potted plants onto the mesh, it means they are altogether for the winter and I can keep an eye on them. I need to think of the best place to site the hibiscus and consider buying some fleece to protect it. Still got time to ponder that.

I managed the video call with friends in Bristol, it was not without problems and we had to resort to WhatsApp, but we caught up and that was great.

Browsing through Autumn poetry I came across this one from Robert Louis Stevenson “Autumn Fires” here is an excerpt,

“Sing a song of seasons!

Something bright in all!

Flowers in the summer,

Fires in the fall!

Seeing the word “fall” used to describe autumn surprised me here, but a quick “google” confirmed it is not an “Americanism” but a good old English name for autumn (both of which emigrated to America).

School holidays have started here and in the UK. Here it is a two week break……. I imagine a lot of “artisans” are taking breaks now. I am saying this, as I woke up on Friday morning to a plink plink sound, I knew immediately, water was coming in the dining room ceiling yet again!!! It only happens when the wind is blowing in from the SSW! I rang the man who had “fixed” the problem twice before, his wife said she would tell him at lunchtime! I then rang another guy to come out and give me a quote, he said something along the lines of he would call me ( better not hold my breath). I am thinking that for the foreseeable future I will be living with furniture pulled away from the wall and a bucket having pride of place on my unit!!

Appointments have been made for the next round of tests, plus I managed to get a “bon de transport” for my journey to Nancy. I am still awaiting news on the Carte Vitale front but it has been just over one week since I had my meeting with the lady from CPAM.

I “bit the bullet” and went into Entraide to see about having a lady come to clean for me. Just going to have her a couple of hours a week to see how it goes.

My gorgeous grandchildren…… grandson has had the old runny nose, feeling unwell thing again this week, he hasn’t felt like eating and poor little man has looked so glum! His sister started her school holiday on Thursday evening and apparently she woke up crying because she wanted to go to school! Oh bless her, “The Daddy” said he thought it was because she was not going to see her friends.

I called at the bar yesterday afternoon for a coffee and read Thursday and Fridays papers. The group campaigning about the closure of the cinema in town, held a meeting in a nearby village so as not to antagonise the Mayor of Bar-sur-Aube, I don’t know what good it will do, I imagine while he is in office the dispute will never be resolved.

“The Paralegal” had a break from “visiting duties” but still had jobs to do for the patient. He was unable to visit due to Covid on the wards. He is also hoping for good news, on his current project, over the next few weeks, fingers crossed.

It has been a week of phone calls and text messages, looking out for a birthday gift for a November birthday and thinking about writing Xmas cards……

Oh and maybe you could ponder this too! My local supermarket has only had full fresh milk for well over a fortnight, now where is the semi-skimmed milk? Does anyone know and more importantly does anyone care?

I am going to iron my bedding, bake a cake and then make lunch. The slow cooker recipe book is catching my attention but I won’t be reading it until this afternoon!

Jusqu’à la semaine prochaine

[youretooclosetome]

01/14

i ate today! for once, in the past week, i ate a full lunch. it made me feel sick still, and so did dinner, but for once in this week, i ate. small steps are what counts right?

b told me to block him if i want some space. i dont wanna do that. its not that i still like him, or that i think he cares about me, its that i cant bring myself to cut him out of my life, even if i need it. its just not doable. i wished i could. its such a weird feeling. i keep waking up feeling sick and anxious, like im gonna puke my heart out or my stomach is going to explode from how sick it feels. i still dont know whats causing this. is it him? am i unconsciously still thinking about him? is that why my body keeps doing this to me? as a warning sign, as a way to tell me to stay away from him? its making me more and more tired.

speaking of him, we talked today. again. a lot. at least more than usual. he sent me a picture of his cat! i love that cat. what a cutie. im honestly surprised we talked so much. im honestly wondering what i really am to him. its odd. hes acting odd. hes focused on work and wanting to work, which is insanely off character for him, but hey, if he found his motivation. at least one of us did. i sound like a jackass. "he wants to work which is insanely off character for him". who the fuck says that?? i guess i do. its fine tho. this is like my own private little diary, so i dont have to worry about him finding this. the fact he continues talking to me makes my head spin. not in a good way, in a scared way. maybe he does want us to stay friends but i have this odd feeling thats not all. i dont want him to hurt me again.

b asked me out for valentines. i told him no. tecnically i curved him with a "im going out with my best friend no", which is even worse. i didnt even understand what he meant first, i thought he was talking about the 15th. im such a big fucking dumbass, jesus. unfortunately, i dont intend on going out with him or trying anything beyond friendship with him. hes not... my type. not in a mean way!! just in a, i cant see him become anything besides my friend, way. its mean. i know its mean. but whos kidding? i curved him with that yet im betting with myself, right here and right now, 20 bucks that im inviting HIM out for that day. i know myself. unless im looking at someone else, i know exactly who id go out with on valentines. im such a sad person.

im not as tired as yesterday. i mean, im still tired but i slept a little better tonight. i still cant stare at my own face in the mirror unless i cake on 10 pounds of makeup. im gonna have to do that if i wanna go to class on tuesday. i dont wanna go at all. i dont wanna present and i sure as hell dont wanna see anyone. not even my best friends. i mean, how lame is that on my side? these are the people who are always by my side yet im sitting here saying i dont wanna see them. im a terrible person.

im winning a bid on a paperback copy of my absolute favorite book. im genuinely so excited to get it. i hope i get it. maybe thats the underlying reason of why im staying home tomorrow. just so i can guarantee this book. its stupid, but its my favorite book. i love it. i guess thats a reason for sticking around a little longer, just so i can hold it and read the words with my own two eyes. im weirdly excited for it.

i finished carrie. i liked the book. i didnt expect it to be so explicit and so odd, but its my first stephen king book so... ive heard some pretty insane things from his other books. i wanna watch the movie aswell, just to see how different both are.

<( _ _ )>

[tetsunabouquet]

I don't know what to do. One of my cats, Poosie wants to go outside, she really has that urge and a leash isn't enough to satisfy her. She wants more. Because she needs more, I allowed her to go outside in the mornings recently. She escaped once over a year ago at night, and came back with a horrible injury left by another cat. I read on several cat blogs that this was the danger of letting your cat out at night: there are more cats active at night which especially rings true for my neigborhood as a lot of us have pets. So on that advice I've been allowing her to go outside during the day, which was supposed to be safer. Key word, is supposed. I mentioned on my blog before, I'm living in a school-area. There are several nearby, but there's one school in particular who causes BIG PROBLEM N.1: It's a secondary school. On paper, they are a very polite and responsible school who makes sure to keep the neighborhood clean, etc. A lie believed by various parents, including one of my mom's coworkers. In reality, it's the worst school I've ever came across. Instead of hanging out on the school grounds during breaks, they hang out in front of our homes so the school doesn't notices them smoking- wether it's e-cigarettes or actual drugs. It's not unheard of to find them hanging on their bikes, blocking our front doors neither is it unusual to find something like a can of energy drink they didn't bothered to clean up in front of our home. Fuck, some even have this disgusting little hobby of vandalizing the side walks in front of our homes to the point where the bricks needed to be replaced like last week. There always seems to be at least 1 kid who isn't attending classes and hanging around on neighborhood property, and the older students always stick around after school's over to hang out some more. They'll do stuff like the boys with mopeds trying to show off, you know, that sort of stuff. They scare Poosie. This school won't change. No matter how many times we complain about the students owning illegal firework during winter season -its only allowed in my country on the night of New Years, but often these students already start doing things like throwing fireworks from their bikes at late October/early November. The pandemic? Our properties were swarmed with school kids dodging the pandemic rules. We made pictures of it several times and had it sent to the freaking town's council. Who cares about that kid who already has his own car parking in our parking slots every day? Who cares about the filth they always leave behind- as living nearby grocery stores means almost everybody buys whatever they want instead of bringing lunch. And the bags, cans, etc? They always leave that at the playground next to their school and our properties. Last month, I cleant the playground on my own accord as I noticed how big of a waste there was scattered around. After like a week, it had returned to the dumpy state I found the playground in. Which created BIG PROBLEM N.2 The seagulls. With so much food waste laying around, the area has a decent population of crows and ravens, but seagulls take the cake. When training my cats on a leash when they were kittens, I already had a seagull trying to attack. Yesterday, when taking Poosie outside around dinner time when most of the students had disappeared and wanting to drop her off at her favorite spot- a seagull once again tried to attack her. And this time she was without a leash. A horrible chase scene, of the seagull continously going after her, trying to grab her with Poosie rolling away on the sidewalks ensued. I intervened and was almost attacked myself fot stepping in between the bird and it's target of prey- my Poosie. Luckily enough I am the type to have my keychain attached to a keycord, so I used it as a slinging weapon to scare the bird off long enough to save Poosie. The bird left us alone the moment she was in my arms. Poosie has stunted growth due to being spayed at a young age, and has a similar risks of these attacks as kittens do. What do I do?

[eightysixed]

Dear Diary,

Yesterday I turned 25, not like anyone in the universe noticed. For starters, my custom cake from Momofuku (that’s just called Milk Bar now, wtf?) did not have frogs on it — it had peaches! I couldn’t even act disappointed because the only time I saw it was as it was getting wheeled out, and then of course I had to smile about it like I was some basic bitch who’d order a cake with peaches on it. Embarrazzing. And then to top it all off after I blew the candles the DJ played a Sway song. I swear, he has some kind of vendetta against me because I elbowed his girlfriend in Ibiza just after she got her rhinoplasty. How the fuck was I supposed to know her nose was sensitive? But that’s not even the issue, the issue is that he played a fucking Sway song. On my birthday. In front of all my friends — who, yes — noticed. Like, duh. Mikaela gave me this one brow raised look which is Mikaela for are you clocking what I’m clocking? Amber, bless her soul, carried on like nothing had happened. But oh my god, they knew. How could the DJ not know that Sway broke up me two weeks ago?? It was on TMZ for fucking crying out loud. God. I wanted to cry because of this ugly ass cake and Sway’s song blasting everywhere but you know, everyone had their phones out recording tiktoks and stories of me or whatever, so I had to grin and bear it. Ugh. Being known is such a fucking drag sometimes.

Oh and also like half the people we invited didn’t turn up. I asked Laura if she sent out all the invites and she said she did. Amber said blame March Madness, as if everyone’s just at a ball game on my birthday? I mean I know Sneezy was, I saw his ass courtside on stories this morning, but everybody else? Like at least 5 important people were missing. I know, I know, count my blessings and all, daddy came through with another e-vite from Richard Branson so we can go to Necker again this summer. Or at least I can, I know he’ll be too busy of course. Small consolation when I spent half of my own birthday party locked in the bathroom wanting to cry. Maybe I did cry and I just dissociated it all. I don’t know. I don’t remember.

Either way, it was shit. So shit that I woke up in need of a reinvention, and not even Cole’s ‘HBD’ text was enough to lift my spirits. If I was truly petty, I’d be finding a way to date him so I could rub it all in Sway’s face wherever he went, but honestly I don’t have the mental strength to do that and also I think Cole has a girl now. I’m not sure. But that’s really irrelevant to the fact that Jeffree came through with a video recorded happy birthday, and staring at his luscious platinum locks I thought gee — maybe I should go platinum? I booked in an emergency appointment at Miro’s but honestly I don’t know who the fuck was on the other end, cause when I got there Miro wasn’t there. Only some bitch named Joanne and oh my god — she fried my hair. Worse than Mila Jovovich in Fifth Element. Okay, maybe not that bad, my hair is still on top of my head in one piece. But she left it piss yellow. I had to call Manu and tell him to bring me a hoodie ASAP, and when he said there was no hoodie in the car I made him buy one at the Urban next door. I know I said I was on a no-spend month but it was an emergency, alright? If I didn’t leave there covered up someone could pap me and mistake me for a 2011 Courtney Stodden.

So there we were, me in the back of the car, hood up, in fatal position, and Manu driving. What could possibly cheer me up? “How about In-N-Out?” he suggested, knowing all my vices. I was about to say no on account of I didn’t feel like eating shit, but then decided, fuck it. If I have to have the worst week ever, let me be stereotypically Bridget Jones and drown all my sorrows in a double double animal style. Manu ordered, I told him to get something for himself too and we ate in the parking lot. I think he heard my sniffles because he eventually asked me what’s wrong. Can’t you see the cat piss on top of my head, Manu?! It’s horrendous! But he reassured me it wasn’t that bad and I could always get Miro to do a house call and fix it, and after I remembered I could do that, I calmed a little. At least the hair was temporary, unlike the Hieronymus Bosch purgatory I’ve been in for two weeks now.

P.S. I spotted Mia in a Post Malone music video while I had my foils in at the hair salon, how fucking random is that? She looked so cute and like her ‘before’ self, I almost pulled out my phone and messaged her, but she’s such a fucking mess nowadays I decided not to. Like, I feel for her a lot but I don’t know…not up for dealing with that.

So yeah, that was my two disastrous consecutive days. It feels like some archaic god is smiting me for…I don’t know, existing? Most of all, I know I would’ve been totally fine, I would’ve even laughed my hair disaster off (there’s like, serious breakage, it’s dire y’all) if I was still with Sway. I miss him so much. I’m like that meme, that one that’s like “everything reminds me of him”. Is that a meme? I can’t remember. But if it’s not, it should be. Maybe this is what I get for dating a Gemini. It must be. But the heart wants what it wants. Ah, the misery.

Not having a good time, LB

[casuallyimagining]

Fix You (2)

hybrid!Min Yoongi x female!reader

Summary: When you take in a stray cat, you have no idea he’s secretly a hybrid trying to escape his past. Can you help him heal? Genre: hurt/comfort, angst, slow burn, fluff Word Count: 2,987 Rating: M Warnings (may not appear in every part): minor character is a dick to animals, mentions of a gun, main character injury (non-serious), discussion of physical abuse, emotional abuse, discussion of sexual abuse, discussion of self-harm

Notes: Banner by @birbdae; thanks to @voiceswithoutlips, @taetaesbaebaepsae​, and @hoebii​​ for editing this for me.

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When you woke up, the cat was nowhere to be found, and your pillow was missing. It was just your luck that the random cat you had saved would end up being a kleptomaniac. You sighed and began to get ready for your day. It wasn’t like you could do anything about it. The cat was probably scared and confused, and you couldn’t blame him for wanting to be comfortable.

As you passed your TV stand, you bent down to peer underneath it. Copper eyes stared back at you. You greeted the cat and his tail swished back and forth against the floor, annoyed. So he wasn’t into mornings, then.

Heading into the kitchen, you quickly made yourself a cup of coffee. If the cat wasn’t a morning person, then you would probably get along. You were an early riser, but that was mostly due to insomnia, not because you actually enjoyed being awake.

You brought him the rest of the chicken you had cut up the night before, prepared with his morning dose of the antibiotics. Laying down on the floor, you pushed the plate under the TV stand for him.

He sniffed at the chicken, eyes not leaving your face as he started to eat. His canines were long and pointy, you noticed, and if you paid attention when his mouth was closed, you could barely see the tip of the right one poking out from his lips.

“I’m going to go shopping today to get you some stuff.” The cat didn’t answer. Of course he didn’t. He was a cat. “I know you’re feeling better, but please try not to jump on stuff. You’ll hurt yourself more, and I really can’t afford another weekend trip to the vet.” His copper eyes seemed to soften at that for a moment before hardening back into a glare.

You weren’t sure what you did to make the cat constantly glare at you. Maybe he had a resting grouch face. Maybe he was just uncomfortable in his new surroundings. You hoped that, if nothing else, he would eventually warm up to you. All the pets you’d had in the past had opened up to you right away, although you supposed that was because they were babies when your family had adopted them. You’d never adopted an adult cat before.

“Eat up,” you told him before pushing yourself off the floor. “I’ll be back soon.”

The pet store was larger than you remembered it being. When you were a kid shopping with your mother for your pets, there were only a few departments in the store. There was, of course, sections for cats and dogs, as well as areas for fish, birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Now though, in addition to the old departments, there were additional sections for hybrids of all kinds--there was even a department dedicated to large and exotic hybrids like lions, panthers, giraffes, and elephants.

Hybrids weren’t a new species by any means, but it had only been in the past decade or so that people had fully started to embrace them in society. Before, shops that catered to hybrids were usually small and boutique--hybrids used to only be seen as pets or servants, and ones that lived without ownership were few and far between. But after fighting for and receiving the rights they deserved, hybrids had become more prevalent in society. There was even a hybrid serving in the president’s cabinet, and quite a few serving in other high-ranking government positions.

You wandered through the cat section of the pet store, unsure of what to buy. You had a couple toys in your cart--catnip mice and little springs and balls that had bells in them. You knew the cat was somehow going to act offended by them, but you reminded yourself that he’s a cat, and indoor cats needed something to stimulate their minds.

You also had put some cat shampoo in your cart. The cat was dirty, and you weren’t sure how much blood was going to be caked into his fur under the bandage, so you figured a bath was somewhere in his immediate future.

Sighing, you grabbed a bag of air-dried food. He would probably hate that, too, but you couldn’t keep feeding him raw chicken. For one thing, you couldn’t stand the feel of it, and the less you had to touch the raw meat, the better. But also, chicken was expensive, and while your job paid decently, you weren’t sure how well it could support an all-raw diet for the cat. This air-dried food was turkey and salmon, and would be the next closest thing to raw.

Eventually, you would probably end up getting the cat a cat tree, but you didn’t think it was a good idea right now. With his shoulder injury, he really shouldn’t be climbing or jumping, and a cat tree would only invite that more. So you left the aisle, even though they had a tree that had a little house you knew he would love to hide in.

Before checking out, you stopped by the little kiosk that sold ID tags and collars. You knew he would hate wearing a collar, but if he ever escaped, you wanted to know someone could return him to you. You would ask the vet about microchipping later, but for now, a collar would have to do. Looking at the options, you couldn’t help but laugh. Most of the plain collars were pink or had things like little butterflies on them. A few had bells, which you knew he would find absolutely repulsive, and a couple others had bowties. You considered a dark blue plaid one with a bowtie, but decided against it. As cute as he would look, you knew the cat would probably bite you if you went anywhere near him with it.

You settled on a collar covered in piano keys. It was the plainest one they had in stock that wasn’t bright pink. You grabbed a small, circular tag, too. He would hate it, but at least maybe if you picked the least offensive options, the cat would tolerate wearing a collar.

On the way home, you stopped and grabbed a coffee from the chain cafe down the street from your apartment. You were still a little tired, and when you got home, you were glad for the extra caffeine.

“I’m home, kitty!” you called into the seemingly empty apartment. You hadn’t really been expecting the cat to be anywhere out in the open, but a small part of you had hoped.

Walking into the kitchen, you deposited the couple bags from the pet store on the table. You couldn’t help but feel like something was off. Nothing was broken or in the wrong place that you could see from first glance, but the niggling feeling in the back of your mind wouldn’t go away. Something had been moved in your kitchen. Your mug from your coffee this morning was washed and sat in your drying rack, along with another cup that you had thought you put away and the dish from last night that you had used to feed the cat. You didn’t remember washing the dishes this morning, but you were still a little tired, so maybe you had and just forgot.

You didn’t see anything else out of the ordinary, so you let it go, choosing instead to go find your cat. As expected, you found him under the TV stand. He was panting as if he had just run under there from somewhere else in the house.

“You know you’re allowed to be in other rooms, right?” you asked him softly, pulling the empty plate out so you could take it to the kitchen. “You don’t have to run under here every time I come home.” Copper eyes met yours for a second, and you could see panic in them. Then you saw it. The bandage around his shoulder was gone.

Your brow furrowed in confusion. Dr. Jung’s assistant had wrapped it securely. He must have really been running around the house to not only loosen it, but to dislodge the bandage entirely.

“What were you doing while I was gone, dude?” you questioned. The cat looked terrified. His eyes were large as saucers, his ears flat against his head. His mouth was open in a silent hiss, his long canine teeth on full display. “Are you hurt?” That seemed to catch him off guard. “Are you still bleeding? Can I see?” You reached into your back pocket and pulled out your phone. “You don’t have to come out if you don’t want to,” you said softly, waving your phone in the dark. “But can you at least turn so I can see?”

It took you a second to realize that, again, you were talking to a cat. He wasn’t going to listen to you, despite how human his reactions to you seemed to be. In the second that it took you to remind yourself that your cat is, in fact, a cat, his demeanor changed. His ears were still pressed back against his head, but he seemed less agitated, more resigned. He crawled toward you slowly, the limp almost entirely gone.

When he was out from under the TV stand, he stood fully. You pushed yourself up so you could sit and examine him. As you reached for him, he backed away slightly. His copper eyes met yours for the briefest of seconds before they flicked away, focusing on the floor. He stood still and allowed you to scoop him up into your lap.

“It’s okay,” you soothed, scratching his head gently. “Let me just look at your shoulder.”

You ran your hand over the joint and he froze. For a second, you thought maybe he was going to bolt back under the TV stand. But he sat there stiffly, allowing you to feel for the bite marks and anything that might still be bleeding.

You found nothing. Not even a scab. The only signs of the dog attack yesterday were a ring of indents--scars, you presumed--that ran from his shoulder blades down to his chest and onto his leg. There was no way he had healed that fast.

But you didn’t say that. Instead, you smiled at him. “If you don’t want to wear the bandage any more, you don’t have to,” you said soothingly, scratching at the base of his ear. His copper eyes met yours, and you pulled away at the apprehension in them.

He stepped out of your lap as soon as your hand was away from him. You nodded once, smiling at him. “I’m going to go do some work, kitty. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

You were a researcher. Always had been. When you were looking for apartments in the city, you had created spreadsheets and pro/con lists and had spent weeks researching neighborhoods. And when you decided on the right neighborhood, you had debated floor plans, after weeks of second-guessing finally settling on the single floor, three bedroom, two bathroom with the decent sized kitchen and living room.

You hadn’t done any research before taking in the cat. You loved cats, had had several growing up. You knew enough about them to not need to do any research before committing to taking home the stray living near your parents’ house.

Maybe you should have.

Although you weren’t exactly sure how researching could have possibly prevented anything. You pushed it out of your mind, though, choosing instead to focus on your next work project.

Except you couldn’t focus. Your client was a hybrid-owned cafe just outside the city, and you were trying to design their menus. Normally, it wouldn’t take you long at all. They were great clients, and they had given you all the information you needed, but your mind kept drifting to the cat in your living room. You assumed he had crawled back under the TV stand. He seemed to be comfortable enough under there, although clearly he felt comfortable leaving the shadows when you weren’t home.

And then there was the problem of his name. You had no idea what to call him, but you were sure he had a name. Though how you’d figure it out, you had no idea.

You had wanted to watch this movie for months. It had appeared on streaming services around Christmastime, but it was now April, and you still hadn’t had the chance to watch it. You curled up on your sectional in the living room to watch it, a bowl of popcorn sitting beside you. You had turned the lights off in the living room, so the only major source of light was what was coming from the TV, and it was a fairly dark movie.

Though you were invested in the plot, you still scrolled through your phone, your attention divided between social media and what was happening on the television.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed a shadow moving under your TV stand. Your cat’s head poked out a second later, copper eyes watching you scroll through your social media. In another second, the rest of his body emerged from the shadows. You forced yourself to watch the movie. You didn’t want to freak him out by watching him. When you glanced back at where he had emerged, he was gone.

The movie was about halfway over when you noticed him again, slinking back into the living room from the hallway. Where he had gone, you had no idea. But he sat for a moment, staring at you from beside the wall. You had grabbed a blanket in the time that he had been gone. Your apartment tended to get chilly at night sometimes--it was old, and the insulation wasn’t the best--and you were a little cold.

Before you knew what was happening, he was up on the couch and in your lap, laying in the valley between your outstretched legs. He paused for a moment, copper eyes meeting yours as if gauging your reaction. In the dim light from the TV, you could see that hint of panic again, as if he was terrified you would shout or push him away. You smiled at him gently, resituating so more of your lap was available and going back to scrolling through your phone.

The cat was apparently satisfied with your reaction, because he readjusted himself, as well, curling up so he was taking up more real estate on your lap. You didn’t mind. His little body put off quite a lot of heat, and from what you could feel of him through the blanket, he was cold, too. Eventually, he settled in, his head rested against your leg beside your free hand, his tail flopped into the crook of your elbow, the tip flicking lightly back and forth.

After a moment, you felt him shift again, and you almost jumped when you felt his head press into your hand. It took you a second, and a few more tentative bumps from him, but you eventually opened your hand and allowed him to press his forehead into your palm. You rubbed your thumb gently over the soft fur of his cheek. He leaned into your touch and you could feel him relaxing. You heard the rumbles of a purr start to stutter in his chest. It wasn’t constant like other cats’--it sounded vaguely like popcorn, crackling and popping at random.

You sighed, resting one hand on his back and continuing to stroke his cheek. He stiffened for a moment and raised his head, wide eyes staring into your face, before he slowly started to relax again.

“I can’t keep calling you kitty,” you said softly when he was comfortable. He didn’t raise his head, but his ear swiveled in your direction to show he was paying attention. “And I’m terrible at names, so you’re going to have to figure out a way to tell me what yours is. Unless you want me to call you something ridiculous like Smudge or Shadow.” The cat grunted. Apparently he didn’t like those names, either. “I didn’t think so.”

Your attention returned to the movie, but you kept petting him. His stuttering purr resumed. He directed your hand by nudging it, up his head and down to his shoulder. He adjusted how he was laying so you could rub where the scars of yesterday’s bite marks were. You massaged the area gently, his purring increasing in volume.

His fur was soft and considerably less dirty than it had been that morning. If you concentrated, he smelled like your shampoo.

“I have to take some stuff back to the pet store tomorrow,” you said finally. “So you’ll have some time alone to do whatever.”

He froze, and despite the movie playing, it was quiet without his purring. His eyes were wide, and he hissed, but aside from his ears flattening, he didn’t move. He was scared--no, he was terrified.

It broke your heart.

“I’m not going to hurt you.” You kept your voice soft and even. “You can stay here for as long as you’d like. I want you to feel comfortable here.”

You sighed. You still felt a little weird talking so seriously with a cat, but his reactions confirmed what your research had told you. You had questions, and you were a little concerned about the logistics of everything, but you had started to come to terms with it.

Him smelling like your shampoo. The dishes being done. The stolen pillow and blanket. The things that were moved ever so slightly. The oddly appropriate reactions to what you were saying. How fast he had healed. Maybe you’d always known. Maybe that’s why you still talked to him like he was a person.

He was a person, more or less.

Your cat was a hybrid.

As always, your feedback is appreciated. Feel free to pop into my ask box with questions or thoughts about the series. I’d love to hear from you!

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Taglist: @min-yus, @melindagrace31, @shrimpmsg, @ghostkat23, @demcreeps, @ggsmashgg, @findingourtreasure, @20emma0, @springbean​, @black-rose-29, @cuteipat, @agustneeds, @deeepvibes, @yzkyzkuniverse, @softbbyg0rl​

[nanamisflowerfield]

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It was a big day, well at least for Idia. After all it was his crush’s birthday! Scared and excited, he tried to prepare a gift for his beloved crush in secret.

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@teashopwritingzz I know I don’t have to do it, but I really really really wanted to give at least one small present to you! Because you totally deserve it!🥺❤️ Happy belated Birthday! I know that yesterday was your birthday, but I wasn‘t online yesterday due the post+ demonstration! D: I still hope that you had a wonderful day yesterday and today and the whole week! Stay safe and healthy too!!

Idia took a deep breath, staring at the list of gift ideas that you might like, but a small voice back in his head kept telling him, that you would never like any of those gifts. “I’m sure that (Y/N) (L/N) will like it!” His younger brother always said, but the tall dorm leader of Ignihyde was still pouting at his thoughts. If you would reject any of those, you would also reject his feelings. It would be like a critical hit, getting it from the most greatest SSR character ever. “If you are still unsure, you can watch them. Maybe you will figure out what (Y/N) (L/N) will like.” Ortho advised his big bro, who glanced over his shoulder to the only person he might listen to at this very important situation. “Maybe you are right…” Idia’s gaze wandered from his brother to the list he had on his phone. Headphones, phonecases, games, books and more were listed on it, but would you liked them?

“Owww! My paw!” Grim cursed the ground, after he fell down from the bed, being accidentally pushed down by you. “Sorry, Grim.” Apologizing by petting him on the head and promising to give him a can of tuna later, he halfheartly accepted your apology, walking with you to school for another mayhap exciting school day. “I will only accept it, because it’s your birthday.” The cat-like friend of yours, fummed, watching the Heartslabyul duo walk into your direction to greet you and wish you a happy birthday. “Trey-senpai even baked a cake.” Deuce told you, getting elbowed by Ace, who groaned at him that the birthday party should be a surprise, only to spoil it himself. “A surprise party…? I’m probably not invited…” Idia watched the screen, his eyes never leaving you, hopeful to get any informations of what you might wish for, while his fingers tipped on his keyboard, coding something he always had on mind.

As you wrote on paper everything important professor Crewel told the class, Ace drummed with his finger on the table, while Grim was half sleeping next to you and Deuce tried his best to be a perfect student. “Hey, can you read the list of invited students later on? Did we invite every friend of yours?” Deuce whispered to you, getting harsh words of the professor for interrupting the lesson. But every time Crewel watched away, you read all names of your friends on it, only noticing that one name was missing. The person you wanted to see not only through screen. Idia Shroud. But maybe he couldn’t come over or doesn’t want to for being such a shy and yet adorable being.

Surprisingly the day went on like every other day. You laughed, had fun, talked to your friends and went to the Heartslabyul garden, while wearing shiny bright white clothes to show the whole school that it was indeed your birthday, like many other students had to wear on theirs. It was a bit embarrassing to talk with plenty of students about your birthday, but it still made you happy nonetheless, even when you still hoped to talk on specific student of NRC on this very day. But he didn’t came, so maybe you should get your little present from him by visiting Idia. “That’s a great party, guys. Thank you all so much, but I will be gone for a short time.” You smiled at your friends, watching them having fun, eating delicious food and talking to each other.

Idia yelped as he heard a knock on the door. Wasn’t everyone gone and having fun right now? Who was knocking on the door? Arguing with Ortho with mere stares, the younger Shroud walked to the door, opening it to your delight and Idia’s dismay, as he stared at the door opening more and more and then- oh no, by the great seven, was it truly you?! You were supposed to be at your party, having the time of your life with your dear friends and not be here! Why were you here?!

Like a good child, Ortho greeted you, standing next to the door to give you some space to walk through the door to Idia’s room. While you were smiling at the Shroud brothers, Idia was sitting on his chair, turning around to hide his blushing face that got warmer by every second you stood there and talked to Ortho. The tips of his hair and ears were dusted cheek and he was sure, that some might compare to him to fresh cherries!

“Sorry to disturb you-“ You started, getting interrupted by Ortho, who dragged you into the room, telling you that you would never disturb any of those two. “Oh… Uhm… Alright.” With the same smile that Idia fell for, your eyes stared at his back. Oh, how much you had wishes to hold the introverted boy in your embrace, pat him and give him the love and affection he deserved. “I-I-It’s… alright…” Idia sputtered and stuttered, trying to avoid your gaze in fear that you might tease him for having a crush on you. He just couldn’t help himself. You were such a lovely person. So nice, helpful and that smile. He could babble around, what a great person you were in his boring shut-in life. That you were like the light in his dark life. A total ultra super duper rare card in the gacha games he keeps playing, being frustrated that he couldn’t get those cards, but at least could look at them on photos. “Am I creepy…?” Idia mumbled to himself, forgetting your presence for a second until you asked him to repeat it, after not able to hear it. “N-Nothing!”

Fortunately or mayhap even unfortunately, Ortho knew of Idia’s feelings and how much he had took a liking towards you, which is why he had asked you, why you were in the Ignihyde dorm. “Oh… I wanted to get my present.” The blue-haired tall student turned around, nearly shrieking in fear that you figured out, that he wanted to give you a gift as well like plenty of your friends, who unfortunately had gifted you many presents he had listed a couple weeks ago. “My present would be… to spend more time with you, Idia.” Your gaze wandered to the ground as your cheeks got warmer by your mere words and wish you had, not realizing that Idia’s face was mirroring yours at the same time your words had left your mouth.

That was a gift that he would love to give you every day as long as you wanted to have him by his side. His mouth opened slightly, wanting to talk, before you had asked him what he was programming right now as you took a look at the codes, ignoring the fact that a humming Ortho left the room, so he might not disturb you two love birds. “A g-game… I’m trying to make a small game I had in mind for quite some time.” He answered, staring at it once again.

“Have you finished it already?“ The bluehead nodded. “May I play it?” Mumbling a few words here and there, Idia hoped that his hair hide his flustered face, but he nonetheless let you sit next to him and play his selfmade game, even though he feared that you would reach the end of it and find out about his big secret he never wanted to reveal to you.

“Another level up. Great!~” You cheered, playing the rpg of Idia’s even though your friends might miss you during your birthday party. You should get back, but you couldn’t stop playing the game, after all you has nearly reach the endboss! “Is that a giant cat? He reminds me of Grim.” You chuckled, trying to defeat the endboss with the spells of the protagonist named Hadia. It was a cute game.

The plot of it was like plenty of other rpgs. The protagonist Hadia, a royal guy fell in love with Readi, a sweet princess who got kidnapped by the evil cat-monster Grimopy. Grimopy tried to be the strongest wizard and king and had plenty of henchmen like Dice and Acepo, which were quite strong enemies. Hadia had to train a lot and even gained the help of different wizards like Lio, a sleepy lion, Otto, a cute robot. Then there were Ralice, Tri, Phone-Addicted Rabbit, who still had no name, because Idia couldn’t find a good fitting name for the character. Marteus, Kala, Azure and many other characters and all of them reminded you of your friends. That meant that Hadis was probably Idia and the lovely princess Readi was… you. “Cute game.” You whispered to yourself, using the last spell to defeat the boss, watching the end scene of the rpg.

Hadis was rushing through the castle until he found his beloved princess. When he leaned down to kiss her awake with the kiss of true love, she woke up and they confessed their loves, swearing to each other to be together forever until they lives will end.

“I think I have a new ship.” You giggled, pointing at the protagonists, while you looked at Idia, the blushing mess. “I’m really glad that they are together. They are perfect and cute together. So sweet. I hope that my Hadis likes me as much as he does…” You commented, shutting his computer down, while Idia clenched his fists, knowing that you finally know about his feelings. “Come. We have to go to a party, Idia.” You smiled at the marveled dorm leader. “P-Party?!” Faster than he could expect it, you grabbed his hand in yours, pulling him away from his room towards the garden of the Heartslabyul dorm. “Oh, I like you too, my Hadis.” - “I-I like you too… my Readi.” With the other hand of his, he tried to hide his red face as you chuckled at him, happy that you finally can call him yours.

[fallout4reactsblog]

could probably use some lighter courser ask storm prompts after all those whumpy angsty sounding ones, hmm. companions react to sole builds a raider cage but decides to see what happens if they bait it with fancylads, discovering later that it consistently traps coursers. each companion's personal part has them open it to find a different random courser inside, including named ones like x6, z2, & chase (who has some explaining to do). the jarring ooc surreality of the situation is amusing.

Ada: “You seem to be stuck.”

The courser inside glanced up at the sound of her voice, box of snack cakes in hand, and slowly nodded. “I didn’t realize it was trapped.”

“Usually this is baited with chems in order to trap raiders,” she said, beginning to fiddle with the release mechanism. “I am unsure why it is baited with cakes this time, but I’m sure it’s just a mistake. Don’t worry, you’ll be out shortly.”

“Thanks,” they said, slowly getting to their feet.

“Here, another box for your troubles,” she said, pulling one out of her bag. “Though I don’t believe I caught your name.”

They took it with a nod. “I’m X4-18. Nice to meet you.”

“I am Ada. My apologies for the inconvenience.”

“No problem,” X4 said. “Thanks for getting me out.”

In a flash of light, they were gone.

Cait: A rattle from inside the raider cage gave her pause on her way back home. She almost didn’t stop, the raider cage was sole’s problem after all, but what the hell. She was a little on edge today, and maybe beating the shit out of some unsuspecting soul would do the trick.

“Hi there!” A voice said from inside.

That gave her pause, but she went on fiddling with the lock. These things were usually baited with drugs after all. Wouldn’t be the first cheerful raider to come out.

The door swung open to reveal a blond courser, grinning ear to ear.

“I seem to have found myself in a bit of a predicament,” he said, sticking out a hand. “X7-22, nice to meet you. Don’t suppose you’re willing to help me out?”

A courser? Hell no. Slowly, she shook her head and started closing the door again.

“Hey! Wait a second, I’m sure we can come to some kind of agreement.” He shifted to stay visible through the gap in the slowly closing door. “There’s gotta be something I can offer you. Money? Supplies? Anything? Come on, talk to me-”

With a click, the lock re-engaged. She dusted off her hands.

Coursers in the raider trap. Now that was a problem for sole.

Codsworth: “Oh, dear.”

He slowly hovered around the cage. The courser watched him with wary, predatory eyes. Codsworth made a noise akin to a sigh.

“They never learn.”

The courser opened their mouth to protest, but he waved his saw arm through the air, cutting them off. “Sole simply refuses to listen! I told them nothing good would come of this, and now look where we are. A courser is stuck in the raider cage. No good!”

He poked at the lock, still griping. “The raiders I could understand. No-good hooligans need to be disposed of. But this is madness. What is there to gain?”

The courser had shrunk back into the cage, presumably having realized that this lock was not built to be opened by a Mr. Handy, and they were going to be stuck listening to what he had to say for a while.

At least there was snacks.

Curie: “Pardon me.”

An unfamiliar voice made Curie jump, and she spun to see a man with slicked-back brown hair staring at her from the raider cage. She stiffened and turned back around.

“Ah, c’mon,” he said. “Don’t ignore me. I’m harmless.”

“I have no interest in speaking to such an unsavory character as yourself.”

“Not even a little sympathy for a fellow synth?”

She glanced back behind her, eyeing the man in the cage. He gave her a slick smile.

“What is your name?” she asked.

“Z2-47″

She frowned a little, gears turning. So he was a synth, and a courser at that. And by all accounts, she was a synth that needed to be brought back to the Institute.

...Hadn’t sole said something about needing to kill a courser?

She took one last look at him, still looking every bit like the cat that ate the canary, and put on her best smile. “Oh, but of course I will help you. I simply must find the person with the key. If you will wait but a moment, I will bring them.”

Not waiting for a reply, she went off in search for sole.

Danse: The trap’s mechanism was very simple. The cage was built so that you had to step inside to get the bait, then the weight triggered the door to close and lock behind you. Sole had built it to trap raiders in, usually baiting it with chems, though he couldn’t say how many times they’d sent him to go get Hancock out of there. That ghoul never learned.

Today, though, it was him eyeing the cage from across the street. Yesterday, he’d seen sole baiting it with no less than three full boxes of Fancylads Snack Cakes they’d pulled out of an old vault. That meant they were in pristine condition, untouched by the taste of radiation. He’d been too shy to ask them for one of the boxes, and now seemed to be his chance. He just had to get them out of there.

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, he approached the trap, bracing one foot against the small step up into the cage and curling his right hand around the doorframe. If he leaned in, he should be able to...

Evidently, lose his balance and fall in.

With an unceremonious crash, he toppled to the floor, door slamming shut behind him. For a brief moment, he stared around at his surroundings, truly confused on how this had happened.

At least he hadn’t landed on the snack cakes. Might as well make the best of a bad situation, right?

Deacon: “Well this is awkward.”

Chase glared up at his mischievous grin as he asked, “So, how’s the weather in there?”

“Exactly the same as it is out there. Let me out.”

“C’mon, Chase. At least finish the snack cakes. That’s what you’re in there for, after all. Don’t tell me you ate them already.”

She glared at him in lieu of a response, and he fake gasped. “Chase, there was, like, three boxes in there!”

“Coursers burn calories very quickly.”

“Probably all that running and shooting and all.” He sighed and started to fiddle with the lock. “Well, no sense in leaving you in there. You’ve got work to do after all.”

“This stays between us. Understand?”

He laughed and said, “Sure. Between you, me, Glory, Dez, whoever they tell...”

“Oh, you’re impossible.”

Gage: The satisfaction he got from seeing a locked raider cage was like nothing else. Commonwealth raiders were stupid bastards, and if they were dumb enough to go into a very clear trap, well, they were dumb enough to die.

He chambered a round in his rifle as he swung open the door.

An Institute courser snarled and swiped at him with a very large, mean-looking knife. He narrowly dodged, shifting to dodge her second strike, and slammed the door in her face. An unholy screech of metal on metal echoed down the street, and he winced.

“Damn,” he muttered. “Coursers these days.”

The whole cage shuddered as the synth inside slammed herself against the door, shouting obscenities. He took a step back, debating whether or not he was willing to open it up again. On the one hand, there was a synth that needed killing. On the other, well, he still had one eye left, and he was keen to not lose it to a very pissed-off courser.

“Overboss!” he shouted up the street. “There’s some kind of feral thing in your cage.”

“What? Hold on, let me come look, just give me a second...”

A second was never just a second with the Overboss. He sighed and resigned himself to a very long wait.

Hancock: "Well, hey there.”

“Oh! Monsieur Hancock. What wonderful timing!”

Curie grinned up at him with a smile to light rooms, and he almost shielded his eyes against the brightness. Geez, this girl was bubbly.

“Whatcha doin’ in there, Curie? I don’t take you for the raider type, and last I checked chems weren’t your style. Mine, yes. Yours, no.”

“It is a funny story, really,” she chuckled. “I saw this box of snack cakes inside. They are in pristine condition, and one of my few vices, so for a moment I simply was blind to the fact that-”

“Snack cakes?” Sure enough, there was a mint condition box in Curie’s hand. “Holy shit, share.”

In a flash, he ripped open the door and launched himself at the second box of snack cakes. And damn, were they good. Untainted by the taste of radiation, they were perfectly balanced between sweet and sour, sponge still moist, coating still soft. Heaven in a crinkly plastic wrapper.

“Um, Hancock? Is it not rather cramped for the both of us?”

Oh, yeah. He’d landed right on top of poor, unsuspecting Curie. “My bad. I got excited.”

“Oh, no, that I do not so much mind. I simply wonder how we are going to get out now.”

Shit.

MacCready: “The way I see it, this stands to become a mutually beneficial exchange.”

Ol’ Z2 looked disgruntled, but asked, “How so do you mean?”

“I mean we could both gain something from this. I let you out of there, and you offer me something in exchange. Sounds fair, right?”

“Maybe.”

He rocked back on his heels. “So, what do you have to offer?”

Z2 frowned and dug around in a pocket. “I have some fusion cells.”

MacCready rolled his eyes. “No good. Sole’s got tons, and I don’t use a laser weapon.”

“I have a few bottlecaps.”

He squinted into the cage. “What, like, ten? Yeah, no. Not gonna cut it.”

“Well, then I’m afraid this won’t work out. Coursers travel light.”

MacCready tutted, tapping a finger against his chin. “I don’t know, that coat of yours looks pretty snazzy. Bet it’s well-armored, too, huh?”

Z2 looked almost offended. “Are you suggesting that I hand you my coat?”

“The way I see it, you don’t have much of a choice. You can hand me the coat and get out of there, or wait for a less sympathetic person to come along and shoot you like fish in a barrel. Your call.”

It took only a moment’s hesitation before Z2 agreed.

Nick: "...Danse?”

Former Paladin Danse’s head shot up, and for the first time probably ever, he actually looked happy to see him. “Nick?”

“What on Earth are you doing in the raider cage?” He cut him a sideways glare. “Don’t tell me you picked up a chem habit.”

Danse looked appropriately embarrassed, and held up a box of snack cakes. “No. These were the bait this time, and I rather foolishly thought I could retrieve them from the trap unharmed.”

“Isn’t the whole point of the trap that you can’t get them out without falling in?”

“Of course, and I knew that. I simply allowed my pride to get the better of me. I should have left them alone, but couldn’t resist the temptation.”

Nick just shook his head. “Well, at least you can admit it.”

“Would you mind letting me out? It has been a significant amount of time.”

“Yeah, fine.” He set about picking the lock. “I assume you’d rather keep this between us.”

“If that’s an option.”

“I guess. Wouldn’t want someone spreading it around if it was me.”

“I appreciate that.”

Old Longfellow: There was a long moment of silence. He stared into the raider cage. Reinhart stared back, still slowly chewing on a snack cake. The eye contact seemed to last forever as Longfellow tried to figure out what the actual hell Reinhart was doing.

“Did you need something?” Longfellow finally asked.

“Did you?”

“I’d like to know what you’re doin’ in there.”

“I’d like to get out of here.”

Longfellow folded his arms. “You answer me, and I’ll let you out.”

“I wanted the snack cakes,” Reinhart replied, sliding an open box across the floor. “Here. There’s still a few in there, if you want.”

“I’ll pass, you keep ‘em.”

Reinhart slowly slid the box back toward himself. There was silence again.

“So are you going to let me out, or...?”

“Right, right. Yeah. I guess I’ll go find sole, they probably have the key...”

Piper: Piper Wright looked and felt every bit like the cat that caught the canary.

“Well, well, well, look at what we have here.”

“Miss Wright-”

“For the first time, we have a courser who has embarrassed himself in media res. Incredible!”

“Piper, please-”

“X6, can I get a quote? What do you have to tell the people?”

She held out a fake microphone, which was actually a rolled up copy of the Publick. He just sighed and said, “Could you please let me out?”

“Not a chance!” she laughed. “At least, not until you tell me how you got stuck in there. I mean, c’mon X6, a raider cage? You’ve gotta be smarter than that.”

He visibly deflated. “Unfortunately, Fancylads Snack Cakes are a common vice among generation three synths.”

Piper practically crowed with delight. “Snack cakes! You’re in there for snack cakes!”

“Yes, if you could just-”

“Sole!” she shouted up the street. “You gotta come see this!”

X6 resigned himself to the fact that he’d never live this down.

Preston: The person in the raider cage was not a raider.

She glared at him through the bars. He could only stare back in shock.

“You’re a courser,” he finally managed.

“No shit.”

“How... how did you get in there?”

She hesitated just a moment before replying, “Snack cakes.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and muttered, “Dammit, sole. Everyone told you this was a bad idea, but you did it anyway?” To the courser, he said, “I’m sorry about this. We’ll get you out of there, promise.”

“Thanks,” the courser replied, then added, “I’m X9-96.”

“Preston Garvey, Commonwealth Minutemen. Nice to meet you X9. I’m no good with locks, so I’ll need to go get the key. Will you be okay in there until I get back?”

She shrugged. “So long as no more rifle-toting raiders come by, yeah. No promises I won’t kill him if he comes back though.”

So Gage had been by. Just great. Under his breath, Preston muttered, “Be my guest.”

[girl-in-the-tower]

CHAPTER I

Ramshackle Dorm - Birthday Party Venue

Kore: Woah, to think the ghosts would go all out like this just for today! Even though I told them that they didn't have to bother with it, they wouldn't listen, at all... It's... It's kind of embarrassing to be fussed over like this! If it was Grim I would have understood but this, uh...

Ah! And I'm supposed to have a guest over today as well! Hm, I guess some tea should be in order... maybe some cakes as well... I wonder if there's any sugar left...

Ace: Yo!

Kore: Ah, just a moment- Oh, it's just you, Ace.

Ace: Ha? What's that supposed to mean? 'It's just you'? It's super rude to greet your dear guest like this, you know?

Kore: Is that so? But calling you a guest is...

Ace: What's that?

Kore: Hm...

Ace: Well, doesn't matter because my feelings were hurt either way! So I'll help myself to this krumkake to make myself feel better! Let's dig in~

Kore: Hey, that- Aaah, that was meant to be for Grim. He kept complaining all day yesterday that he should have a cake all to himself too since it's a special day so I woke up extra early just to make it for him. Now he's gonna be mad...

Ace: Haa? A whole cake just for that furball? You've got to be kidding me!

Kore: What are you talking about? You know how much he likes krumkake.

Ace: Nah, I doubt there's really anything that guy won't eat... But that's not the point. You're spoiling him too much. He's gotten really fat, you know?

Kore: It's fine. I still make sure he exercises and he looks cute round like that too, so it's not a problem.

Ace: No, I definitely still think there's something wrong here. Mainly with your head.

Kore: Haaaaaaa, you wanna pick a figh-

Ace: Oh, I almost forgot! Here you go!

Kore: ... What's this?

Ace: Isn't it obvious?

Kore: Well... Huh? Wait a minute- That can't-!

Ace: Ta-da! It's a limited edition Griffons varsity jacket that's been all the rage with Magift meatheads like you~

Kore: No way!! This is- This is-

Ace: Cool, righ- Hey!! Don't jump on me like that! You almost knocked me off the chair!

Kore: Sorry, hahaha! I was so happy I just couldn't contain myself! To think that I would be able to actually get my hands onto something so valuable!

Ace: Yeah, we figured you'd like i-

Kore: This season has really been a blessing from above for them, you know? Everybody is in top shape and playing at their best! I heard their new manager actually made them go through this super difficult training regime that has been working wonders for them. Though it's only speculation so far!

Ace: Uh, Kor-

Kore: If you ask me, it's definitely also thanks to those new brooms that they ordered for the team. The wood is apparently from the Valley of Thorns and super-resistant so they go all out without worrying about breaking them. For the moves that the team is pulling, they really need that propulsion time! Even a second helps when you're in a headlock. I remember back in the vs Mandrakes game that they switched brooms in between-

Ace: Heeeeey! You Magift boar woman! Can you hear me?

Kore: Wh-Why are you yelling like that?! I'm right next to you!

Ace: Haaaa, when you start talking about Magift you might as well be in a completely different world... No wonder they all think of you as the Magift Encyclopedia. I bet you have hundreds of useless pieces of information like that stuck in your head.

Kore: You-! Huh? What's this?

Ace: A-Ah! That!

Kore: It's rice pudding- Ah! It's homemade from the Mountains!

Ace: Hm? Ah, ye-yeah... That came with the jacket...

Kore: Eh? They put pudding in jackets when they sell them?!

Ace: O-Obviously! Don't tell me you didn't know? Bwahaha, man, you sure are clueless...

Kore: ... It's my favourite flavour too...

CHAPTER II

Ace: Alright, next to the first question!

Kore: Eh?! Question?! Is this a quiz of some kind?!

Ace: I guess you could think of it like that, so anyway- Your first question as today's birthday girl issssss: "If you were stuck on a deserted island, who would you take with you?" Hm, here it says that you can't pick members of your own dorm, but given that you guys don't even have a dorm, I'm not sure that the restriction applies. Not that it matters since you wouldn't choose Grim anyway, right?

Kore: Huh? Why not?

Ace: You're serious?! You'd pick that furball?! Hey, we're talking about a deserted island here so think carefully! Don't you want to get off it?!

Kore: Well, obviously I would... But...

Ace: But?

Kore: I can do that on my own.

Ace: Huh?

Kore: Survival is all about securing shelter, food and formulating an escape plan. If it's a deserted island I assume there would be some fauna and animals too, so we could feed ourselves through fruit gathering and hunting. It might be hard if we don't have any tools, however, but I think Grim's claws would be sharp enough to cut through the skin and meat fairly easily. I make sure he takes good care of them after all.

Ace: I-I see...

Kore: If there's no drinkable water then we'll have to boil some from the sea in order to deal with the thirst. Grim's flames, when properly utilized, would be able to do such a thing. Not to mention that he could start fires to keep us warm at night and to cook food to sustain us! Also, it could be a great emergency signal if we end up at sea and need rescuing.

Ace: You want to use him as a flare?!

Kore: That sounds so mean! I would only do that as a last resort, however! Grim's pretty sensitive about having his belly scratched so I wouldn't do anything to make him uncomfortable like that!

Ace: Haaaa, I get it, I get it! So you're saying that the furball has his practical uses too. But I can't help but worry about some flaws...

Kore: Flaws?

Ace: No matter how much you feed that glutton, his stomach will never be full, you know! Whatever provisions you managed to gather, he's sure to inhale them with the first occasion!

Kore: Wah- That's a horrible thing to say! There's no way my Grim is so selfish!

Ace: My Grim?! What is he?! Your child?! And he's totally selfish, you know!!

Kore: HAAAAA?! ARE YOU REALLY PICKING A FIGHT WITH ME?!

Ace: Ca-Calm down!! I take it back, ok?! You can bring the furball with you!

Kore: Hmph.

Ace: Seriously, getting this angry over that cat...

Kore: Isn't that normal? Grim is my special person, after all!

Ace: SPECIAL PERSON?!

Kore: The person you care for a lot, like they're part of you, right? Like Cay-senpai said!

Ace: I-I see, so that's...

Kore: Being on a deserted island isn't ideal, but at the end of the day I know I can be ok on my own. Farmwork, housework - those are things that I'm used to from the Mountains. Life isn't so easy back home, but we all make do with what we can - magic or no magic. Even if I'm stuck in a bad situation, I can manage to get through so I don't need anybody else.

Well, that's what I thought before I came to this place anyway...

Ace: ...

Kore: Besides you're wrong about something!

Ace: Huh?

Kore: In order to survive it's not just physical attributes that are important, but mental ones as well. And in that case, Grim has the real trump card!

Ace: He-He does?!

Kore: Mm! You see, Grim, he... has the cutest paws and the fluffiest fur in the world!

Ace: HUH?!

Kore: Mm! Every time I feel like giving up or am reaching the end of the rope, all I'd have to do is give his paw pads a little squeeze or lay on his tummy and my mood would instantly clear up again! In a situation full of despair like that it would make a world of difference, you know?

Ace: SO HE'S THERE JUST FOR MORAL SUPPORT?!

Kore: Well, that too! It's important after all!

Ah, this pudding is really good actually...

CHAPTER III

Ace: Haaaa, I give up... Your boar mind is way too difficult to understand...

Kore: HUH?!

Ace: Anyway, let's get on with our next question and- Ah.

Kore: Hm? What is it? You suddenly stopped in the middle of the sentence. Did the falcon get your tongue, hehe?

Ace: It's a cat, not a falcon! And I only stopped because- uh...

Kore: What?

Ace: "You're offered the chance to pick another dorm, which one would you choose?"

Kore: ...

Ace: I swear, that Headmaster doesn't even think of these questions at all...

Kore: Yeah, there's no way I can answer that...

Ace: I figured. So instead! "Please share your opinions on the dorms!"

Kore: Ah!

Ace: Nice, right? You can definitely count on me when it comes to quick thinking, you know?

Kore: ... I guess.

Ace: You guess?!

Kore: I'll start with Diasomnia then!

Ace: Hey, don't ignore-

Kore: Hm, I'm not really sure about the atmosphere there but- Don't you think that their interior decor is pretty fancy? I haven't seen stuff like that in magazines for quite a while, so I feel like it's definitely something that must have required a lot of work! It's kinda dreary though, what will the windows not letting enough light and the greenery around it could stand to be looked after better, hm...

Ace: So you're only interested in the decor, huh? Alright, what about Ignihyde?

Kore: It's too technological.

Ace: Huh, I guess that you're right. For somebody like you, it would really be a struggle living there...

Kore: ...

It's even more depressing than Diasomnia, so I feel like I would be stuck in a bad mood without enough sunlight, you know? Though I must admit, it really is super clean inside! That's a very important detail! Clean homes are necessary for good health!

Ace: There you go again, sounding like a mom... Next is Pomefiore!

Kore: IT'S SUPER FLASHY!

Ace: I know~?

Kore: No, no, you don't get it! It's so flashy it actually scares me! All that pomp and glamour! The rugs themselves look like something from the fall collection that sold out about twenty years ago and the chandeliers are bound to be at least four times Theo's salary! Walking through those hallways is like stepping on opulence! A continuous loop of flashiness!

Ace: HEY! Get a hold of yourself! Let's go over to- Ah, Scarabia...

Kore: It's so hot there!!

Ace: Oh, yeah, you're super weak to heat so you'd definitely hate it there. Right?

Kore: Mm, hate is... I think that if it was the old me, I would never have even stepped in there. But now I feel like... Yeah! I definitely think that I can give it another try! Scarabia is pretty rich too, but it feels more homely? There's a lot of people gathered around and there are banquets and feasts pretty often too. It's always lively and warm... In a way, I imagine that's what a home would feel like...

Ace: ...

Kore: I can't say the same for Octavinelle however. Hmph!

Ace: Bwahaha, that's true. It really feels like you'd get scammed in there pretty quick.

Kore: Not even that! But building a dorm underwater? I admit the decor is pretty nice and classy, but the atmosphere is too cold! There's a lot of types that I can't get along with at all so it would definitely be a miserable time for me. No, I definitely don't want to set foot there ever again!

Ace: I totally get it~ All that commotion after the exams was enough for me too. Guess the same goes for Savanaclaw too, then?

Kore: ...

Ace: HA?!

Kore: I-I refuse to believe that anybody who loves Magift is a bad person!

Ace: There's that meathead in you talking again! Are you seriously that obsessed with it?! I feel like there's a sickness that applies in this case!!

Kore: He-Hey!! That's way too- I understand that what they did was bad, and I definitely haven't forgiven Kingscholar-senpai yet, but there are definitely good points to them as well! I think!

Ace: So you're not even sure?!

Kore: A-Anyway, as for Heartslaybyul-

Ace: Don't go changing the subject!

Kore: - if I had to pick that would be my favourite.

Ace: Huh?

Kore: I love Scarabia too, a lot, but at the end of the day all that rich atmosphere is scary. I really don't feel like I would belong there at all. I'd stick out like a sore thumb among everybody else - more than usual at the very least. But in Heartslaybyul, even if Rosehearts-senpai is strict, I feel like everybody is sort of content with the oddness. There's not much that stands out about it, but I think that's what makes it so appealing, you know?

Ace: ... So... what you're saying... Is that we're a shabby dorm full of weirdoes?

Kore: I-I wouldn't go that far...

Ace: But that's the gist of it, isn't it?!

Kore: Ummmmm...

Ace: ... Alright, I get it.

Kore: Huh?

Ace: You know, it just so happens that there's one more thing I have to tell you about.

Kore: One more thing?

Ace: Yup! You see, there's this tradition where the presenter has to give the 'gift of fortune' in order to make sure this ends up being a great birthday! And it just so happens that you're lucky enough to have me here today to deliver the goods~

Kore: Huh? What are you-

[SPLATTER]

Kore: ...

Ace: BWAHAHA, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST STOOD THERE LIKE THAT!

Kore: ...

Ace: Oh man, the look on your face is hilarious! Oh, let me take a quick picture to show the others too!

Kore: ...

Ace: Ok, so then- He-Hey! Don't- AUGH! MY FOREHEAD!

[cherripeach]

Chapter 12

Little Match Maker

Summary: Your life motto is “I have the power of god and anime on my side, don’t mess with me,” and you stand by that with your life. No human, magician, or random creature could ever stop your firm belief in it.

However, getting transported to this world that seemed to turn your already bad luck worse was not what you wanted to be in your life story, but you made the most of it. Making friends, enemies, and disasters, you were in your prime in this world, and so you decided to help as many people as you could flourish, at least what you believed to be.

Chapter 1:9 Fre sha vaca do

Lunch Time Group Chat!

Warnings: Curse words, 

Words: 2.5k

Relationships: developing but future twstxreader

The glare from the upperclassman Prefect standing behind Ace onto Ace could slowly disintegrate you, which is why you are very appreciative it was not directed at you. 

Cater flashed some finger guns and greeted the new face, “Hey there, Riddle! You look super cute today, too!” He even added a wink for effect. 

Riddle, the new face at your table, scoffed and turned his head to face Cater only to tighten his lips, then, relax them into a sickly smile, “Keep talking like that, Cater, and it will be off with your head, too.” 

Cater held up his hands, “Come on now, please go easy on me.” 

Grim whispered to you, “This is the guy who put that weird collar on me during the Opening Ceremony!” 

“Looks like it,” was your only response, but you were more concerned with how someone so small could have so much anger. Closer to hell is what you always believed. 

Riddle moved his sight onto you and Grim before starting his lecture, “You two are the ones who caused a ruckus yesterday, aren’t you?” He pointed his finger at Grim, “Would you refrain from referring to someone’s unique magic as ‘a weird collar’? Good grief, the Headmaster is too soft. Letting someone off the hook for not following the rules once will break the foundation. All those who don’t follow the rules should just say goodbye to their heads.” He shook his head at the end, but he seemed to talk in a continuous sigh as if everything was bothering him.

You mimicked his sickly smile he demonstrated before and started, “I’m sorry, but please concern yourself with your dorm members and their activities before you come at me.” You closed your eyes and smiled tight for dramatic effect at the end.

Riddle’s mouth flew open as he began to mumble, “Wha..what ever could you mean?”

Ace and Deuce were in a silent conversation below the new Prefect while his eyes were still wide on you. 

“I just thought that bullying and threatening to use magic on campus would be against the rules,” You shrugged your shoulders while frowning. 

A little, ‘Hmph’, came out of Riddle before he decided, “I’ll deal with your issue later, but know that the Headmaster may have forgiven you, but the next time you break the rules, I won’t let you off so easily.” 

You lightly rolled your eyes and drank some of your drink because you knew that this boy would take a while for him to calm down about your past mishaps. 

“Um…” Ace butted into your conversation and your glare off with a question, “By the way, Prefect… Is it possible for you to remove this collar?” His hand directed itself to point at the thing around his neck. 

Riddle nodded his head and answered, “I was thinking of removing it once you’ve repented, but judging from what you said a while ago, it seems like you’ve yet to do so. I’ll have you walk around like that for a while longer.You don’t have to worry.” He shook his head with the brightest smile on his face, “The 1st years’ lessons are focused more on classroom learning rather than magic training. If you can’t use magic, then something like yesterday’s ruckus should be impossible. It’s perfect, isn’t it? Now, if you’re done eating, hurry and go to your next class. Rule #271 of the Queen of Hearts: ‘You must not spend more than 15 minutes sitting at the table after you’ve eaten.’You know what happens when you break the rules, don’t you?” His smile disappeared after that, which brought you much more comfort than it should have. 

Ace sighed in response and muttered, “Another weird rule..”

Riddle voiced out, “Answer me with ‘Yes, Prefect!’”

Ace and Deuce both replied, “Yes, Prefect!”

Riddle nodded and ended with, “Good.”

Trey, the savior of you all, cut into the conversation, “Now, now. I’ll see them off, don’t worry.” His normal smile was far stretched too wide for your liking. 

Riddle scoffed for the fiftieth time you have been in the same conversation as him, “You’re the Vice Prefect, so you better do your job properly. As stated by the Queen of Hearts’ Rule #339, ‘After-meal lemon tea should have nothing more or less than 2 sugar cubes in it.’ In order to protect that rule, I shall need to buy more sugar cubes at the school store. I’ll be taking my leave now.” The Prefect was then found muttering to himself and walking away.

“Wait, man!” You tried to get his attention and even stood up, but the small dude was already on his way, too concerned about whatever he was mumbling about. 

Cater shivered,  “Man, that was scary…” Cater turned to you once you sat down, winked, and whistled, “But since I was here, I protected the sweet, little, new prefect from getting hurt.”

You rolled your eyes and thanked in a bland tone with a smile, “You are so amazing, Cat! I can almost see how respected you are.” 

Grim pulled on your coat to get your attention, “He’s really lookin’ like a bad guy now, yanno? That Prefect.” 

“Hey, that’s very rude!” Deuce seemed to disagree, but considering that he was shaking five seconds ago, you would disagree with him. 

“As much as I would like to say, he isn’t a bad guy. He’s really disproving my point,” You claimed. 

Two students with red bands passed by your table muttering something about a rule, you assumed one of Riddle’s, and how there needs to be a bit more freedom. That was all you could take from it. 

Trey and Cater went silent at that and just stared into space. 

Trey sighed before addressing, “The Dorm Head managed to become the head one week after getting into the school. He’s a little bit sharp-tongued, but he’s only got the dorm’s best intentions in mind, so he’s not really a bad guy…”

Grim shook his head, “People who think like that don’t just put collars on others.”

Cater and Trey both laughed before exhaling at the same time. Neither one of them had a smile on their face. 

You brought up something that has been bothering you, “You are right, Grim. However, my main problem is that the tiny Prefect is creating a space of fear and not safety for these boys at this school. Safety and acceptance should always come first. Fear only destroys.” You place a hand on your chin, “That magic spell thing doesn’t seem to help either.”

Cater tilted his head at your, “Hm? You mean Riddle’s unique magic?”

“Unique… “ Deuce voiced, “Meaning, it’s only exclusive to the Prefect?”

Trey explained, “Putting aside all the other magic in the world, magic that can only be used by one person is called ‘unique magic’. I think you’ll learn about it in detail if you pay attention in class.”

You joined in, “Very unique!”

Deuce and Ace only groaned at your joke. 

Cater furthered Trey’s explanation, “Riddle’s unique magic is being able to seal off another person’s magic for a given time.It’s called…

Off with your head!” The Queen of Hearts flashed in your mind while Cater made a cutting motion across his neck. 

Grim shrieked, “Even the name’s scary!” And clutched your cloak in his paws.

Cater agreed, “It is, especially, since magicians having their magic sealed off is similar to having your head chopped off. That's why, as long as you’re in this dorm, it’s better not to go against Riddle.” He smiled warily at everyone. 

You clicked your teeth with your tongue. 

Trey disputed, “Conversely, as long as you follow the rules, he can be pretty gentle.”

“Oh yeah,” Ace blew on his bangs, “Am I gonna be chased out again if I don’t come back with a tart…?” He smiled showing his teeth, but his eyes were narrow along with his eyebrows being stuck close together. 

Cater frowned, “Pretty much, That’s what Rule #53 says, after all. Oh, and since Riddle was looking forward to getting the first slice of that whole cake, he probably won’t forgive you if you don’t bring the same thing,” He ruffled his own hair and apologized, “Sorry about that.”

Ace huffed, “You said you want to get along, but you won’t let me off that easily, huh?!”

“This and that are different,” Cater objected with a sway of his hands. 

Deuce pointed out, “Still, isn’t a whole tart a little bit expensive?”

Ace groaned and smacked the table with his head, “I don’t have that much money though…” He even lifted his head to gaze at you with puppy eyes. 

You gave him a look of disgust back. 

Cater suggested, “Then why not make some?Those tarts were all made by,” He paused for dramatic effect and pointed both his hands to the green haired upperclassman,  “Trey here, y’know?”

“Ooooh,” You just had to comment, “Cute and can cook. Def husband material.” You giggled at the end of your comment. You were insanely jealous of whoever married him. 

Trey flushed a little at your statement and stammered out, “Well, not.. not really…” He began playing with his glasses after; he even took them off to clean them. 

Ace gasped out, “You made all that Trey-senpai?! Amazing! It’s better than what they sell here!” He stood up and motioned to the room around him, pulling a couple of eyes to the table the group was at. 

Trey, glasses back on,  admitted with a cough, “Thanks. I think I have most of the tools and ingredients here… But I won’t simply offer you my services.” His smile returned as his eyebrows rose up. 

Ace broke out again, “Eh?! You’re gonna ask us to pay you!?” He, finally, decided to sit back down because now even more eyes were on him. 

Trey chuckled and shook his head, “There’s no way I can extort money from a junior, you know? The next tart that Riddle wants to eat requires a lot of chestnuts. Would you mind gathering some for me?” 

Ace pouted, “It’s troublesome either way…! So, how much do you need?” 

“It’s going to be used for the Unbirthday Party,” Trey stopped to think, “So about two to three hundred will do.” He put up three fingers on his hand. 

Grim and deuce spurted out and jumped up, “That much!?”

You tilted your head in thought, “But aren’t they real tiny, so I guess it makes some sense…”You squeezed your thumb and index finger together.

Trey answered, “I’ll have you help me with roasting them and peeling them.” As if any of you knew how to do that. 

Grim whined at you, “Can I go back home? Pleaseeeeee.”

Deuce joined in Grim’s whines directed at you, “Me too.”

You blurted out, “No.”

Ace accused the two, “You traitors!” 

“If anything, I can help out,” You volunteered like the amazing person you are, not because it kinda sounded like free food. Not at all, “I don’t know what to do tho, sorry. But besides, it's not like I have much to do or look forward to from that dorm.” 

Cater clapped his hands in glee, “Making them together and then eating them together will make it more delicious!” He closed his eyes and smiled wide, “It’s that making memories that count. It might even help you start a cooking blog for all we know.”

Trey put a finger up to his lip, “Keep this a secret from the Prefect, but freshly made marron tart is the best. The only ones who can eat it as soon as it gets out of the oven are the ones who made it, you know?”

Grim on the same page as you knew this was free food, “Hey, you boys! Get your rear in gear! We’re gonna go pick some chestnuts ‘til we drop!” Food was the prime motivator for your dorm. 

You smirked at the cat, “Matching vibes, are we?” Turning to your green haired upperclassman, you questioned, “Where would we find these anyway?” 

Trey informed the group, “There are a lot of chestnut trees right by the forest behind the school’s botanical garden.”

Ace gave Trey a thumbs up before turning back to you, Deuce, and Grim, “Alright! Then, let’s gather in front of the greenhouse after school.” 

“Go, go! We’re goin’ chestnut picking!” Grim cheered from the table.

“Wait, does anyone know where the garden even is?” You asked. 

All three of them watched you correcting you, “Shouldn’t you know, Supervisor?”

Frustrated beyond belief at these three you smacked each one on the head and told them to, “Screw off, and never beg for anything from me again!”

Lunch ended peacefully with shoves from both Deuce and Ace, and Grim making your hair even more like a yarn ball the cat would love. 

The rest of the day passed by quickly.

In your first class after lunch, which was astrology where two homerooms were combined for it, you blanked out half the lesson and almost fell asleep, but you can really remember seeing and speaking to the feminine boy from the purple house. He dropped his pencil on the ground, and when you tried to give him his pencil that fell off his desk, he snatched it from your hand and rolled his eyes at you. 

You replied to him, “Okay, who shit in your cornflakes today?” 

The boy turned back to you scoffed and cringed, “I’m sure it was from just seeing your face.” 

You just turned away and slapped your head with the textbook, which was not the best idea as it created a noise that alerted the professor who then stared at you with confusion on his face and because the textbook hurts. 

The feminine boy let out a giggle while you were being lectured by the professor, and you were gonna hold that accomplishment high. 

Your last class of the day which was just an introduction of the school and its history had you stuck next to the tall green haired male from P.E. from another class. He never introduced himself, but whenever he would ask questions he would shoot his hand straight up and practically yell in your ear as if the professor was deaf. 

You basically lost your hearing in your right ear that day. The ear will always live with great achievements. 

He also scolded you whenever you said, “Complete bullshit.” to Ace.

Something about how such language should never come out of anyone who goes to the same school as his ‘young master’ does. Now that was ‘complete bullshit.’

The three of your friends laughed at you the rest of the class for having someone your age scold you like a mother would. 

Classes finally ended, and the three of you made your way to the Hearts dorm to drop your bags off.

You were just happy to receive some food for free.

------

Life has been a disaster! I’m not dead tho. 

[sapnxps]

(WTL) Chapter One: Greg the Neighbor- Georgenotfound x Reader

If I knew that when I moved to London, I'd have two weird neighbors, I'd laugh in your face. Now I'm friends with an old cat lady. Now I'm enemies with my cute neighbor that's definitely not single, who also screams too much.

Even though he's a dick, why can't I stop thinking about him?

My parents told me I’d regret moving to London from the state before I left because I’d miss them and the US too much.

They were half right.

I’m sitting on a box messily labeled ‘kitchen’ in the hallway of my new apartment complex. I huff, wiping the sticky sweat from my forehead. The moving bill is almost 4 thousand dollars. If I knew moving would be this expensive, I wouldn’t have moved out from my parent’s house until I was 40. Sure, I moved a lot of my belongings across the Atlantic ocean, but 4 thousand dollars? Who do I look like, Jeff Bezos?

Today has been hectic, to say the least. Three of my boxes somehow drifted away to Spain. Don’t ask me how that happened, I don’t even know. I’ve been unpacking by myself all day. A box of my kitchenware got shattered upon arrival. I should’ve listened to my Mom on that one, she told me to just buy plates and glasses here instead of shipping them here. Big mistake I’m never making again. Finally, the biggest chunk of my problems: My apartment is full of boxes and I don’t feel like unpacking. Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been sleeping on an air mattress for two days, maybe not, but I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. If one more thing goes wrong, I think I might lose it.

Begrudgingly, I lift myself up from the box I was sitting on. It’s a bit dented now, but the way it felt on my ass, it’s just pots and pans. I open the door, pulling this box into my apartment. I weakly push it into the kitchen. It collides with one of the boxes filled with shattered plates. The sound of the broken glass sliding across the box sounded like nails on a chalkboard. I need to make a note to properly dispose of that. Turning my head to look around my new home, I feel my brain's short circuit. All these boxes unpacked, I’ve barely made a dent. This is going to take for-fucking-ever. Moving is modern-day torture. Oh, that’s funny. Remember to tweet that later.

The next three hours of my life are taken up by filling up my kitchen cabinets and drawers with cutlery and various kitchen utensils. The counter was now less bare, housing my toaster and breadbox. My Tupperware containers sat in a special place in the far-right cabinet by the sink. It looked like this home was lived in, as long as you didn’t glance anywhere else besides the kitchen.

I soon after tackled the bathroom, which was the less intimidating room compared to the living room and bedroom. I got the shower curtain hung up, which made it look nice. The rug found its way to the floor, protecting my feet from the cold, cream tile. The shelves were now stocked with a few fluffy peach towels and soaps. Underneath the sink had cleaning supplies as well as spare toilet paper. Living alone meant having nobody to give you another roll if you finish the other one. Kinda sucks. I had a boyfriend during high school, and two years into college. I dreamed of living with him, we planned it all out. I’d finish college, we’d move to a city and rent out the tiniest apartment we could find. We’d live it out until eventually we made ends meet and the rest would be. Dreams cut short though, he cheated. It’s part of why I left in the first place. Needed a change of scenery, new people.

That’s where I am now. New people. Stuck on that part. Haven’t gotten a chance to meet any, which is oh so tragic. I can’t decide if I want to introduce myself to the neighbors or let them come to me? I’m stuck pondering on the thought until I hear a knock at the door. I wonder if my lost boxes have mysteriously arrived.

Opening the door, I’m greeted with an older woman, holding out a small cake into my space.

“Hi dear, I’m your neighbor to the right. Heard all the commotion, saw all the boxes. I had to see for myself the fresh meat in the complex,” She paused before lightly tapping my arm with her free hand. “Just teasing! It’s great to have another lady on this level. The young man to your left, handsome fella, never comes out much though. Hopefully, we can have a girl posse or something,” Her posh accent made her much different than me. Is it wrong to already feel isolated?

I grin at her, moving out of the way to invite her in. “Nice to meet you, feel free to come in. I apologize for all the boxes scattered around, moving has been proven to not be quite my talent,”

The woman smiles brightly at me, shock plastered on her face. “You’re American!”

“That I am,” I chuckle. She hands me the cake, which I gladly accept. My diet has consisted of soggy hash browns from the complex lobby. She makes her way to what is settled in the living room, politely setting herself on my suede blue couch across from the large wall in the room. I place the cake on my counter by the stove, making a mental note to grab a slice once the woman leaves.

The shock never leaves her aged face, “Oh goodness! How amazing. I have a foreigner as my neighbor. You’ll find London quite lovely. I know how it feels to be isolated and removed from what you’re used to, but I promise you’ll fit right in,” She says as I settle myself on the loveseat a bit away from the couch.

“Where are you from?” I ask. She obviously isn’t American.

She smiles, “Just a bit east of Surrey. South of London. Beautiful area, grew up on a small cottage,” The woman was glowing as she spoke of her hometown. She was obviously proud of where she grew up. Compared to my southern Arizona town, this place seemed like heaven. A cottage? Sign me up.

“Sounds lovely,” I speak truthfully.

“Welp,” The woman slaps her laps, a way of signaling it’s time to end the conversation. Despite only speaking for a small amount of time, she seems like someone I can come to if I ever have questions about London or the terminology that I hear around the city. I’ll need to remember that she’s the neighbor to the right. As she began to see herself out, I remembered the other neighbor she mentioned. The young man to the left. I believe she used the term ‘handsome fella’ to describe him. Once she was out in the hall, I felt the need to find out more information.

“Oh!” I shout, hanging myself out into the hallway. She pauses her steps, turning back to me. “By the way, who’s my other neighbor? The guy you were telling me about. Does he have a name?” I ask.

“Greg,” She nods, resuming her short walk back to her apartment.

Greg. Ugly name.

I completely forgot about the conversation by dinner time. As I was munching down on my cake, delicious by the way, I heard loud yelling from my right side. I wouldn’t even call it yelling, more like high-pitched screaming. Who was my neighbor over there again? Greg? Greg. He was causing a ruckus and a mere heart attack at that. He was screaming so loud I nearly jumped out of my skin the first time I heard it. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he’s facing a very, very gruesome murder right now. Well, I guess I don’t know any better. I’m just wishing for the very best.

Another hour passes. The yelling never stops. It’s only 8, but my body is as awake as ever. I still have yet to get used to the new time zone. At times it was difficult, but I’m using it to my advantage now. I have some extra time to unpack and get my actual bed ready. My bed frame was put together professionally during lunch, so that was one thing checked off my list. The mattress I ordered was delivered yesterday. Now it was just the matter of putting the sheets on and preparing my duvet.

Fitted sheets fucking suck to put on a bed. I was currently struggling to put it on my nice mattress. It was edging close to 10 pm. The sky was dark, and I was stuck in some odd mixture of a starfish and the downward dog position. If this moment was a picture, it could be used for blackmail. The closer I got to finally getting the top right corner on my bed, the more stretched out I became. I was like one of those sticky hands you’d get in those toy dispensers at the grocery store. I was just about to get it, when another loud shriek could be heard. In shock, I slammed my head on the bed frame and lost grip of all four corners of the sheet.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I mumbled underneath my breath.

Whatever. He probably has a greater reason to be screaming like this, right? Justified shouting, whatever you want to call it. My bedroom is closer to his apartment than the kitchen was. Is it nosey to try to figure out what he’s saying? I don’t want to be that type of neighbor. I’ll continue minding my business because I don’t want to find out some weird shit about Greg that I don’t want to know.

The screaming never stopped.

In fact, if anything, it got louder. And louder. And louder. Is it okay to call the cops here?

It’s midnight now. The next fucking day. And Greg is still screaming at the top of his lungs as if everyone else isn’t asleep. If I saw some normal citizen just trying to get some rest, I’d be fed up. Well, I’m still fed up. I’m also running on a messed-up sleep schedule, so it’s not like I was trying to sleep anyways. My bed is made now, and comfy as hell. I built a shelf to house some of my small decorations, with the entertainment of my noisy neighbor’s yells to accompany me. For some odd reason, it made me feel less lonely.

At about 2, I began to reject the company. I felt irritation grow in my chest as I heard the same high-pitched shrieks that I heard at 8. The annoyance that bubbled in me overtook my politeness. Before I knew it, I was up and in the hallway banging on his door. I didn’t have the time to care about my Daffy Duck pajamas sticking to my legs due to the heatwave hitting England right now. Before I even realize it, my fist is slamming on his door. I never knew I had the power to knock that hard, but my anger and blossoming resentment overpowered me. I continued banging until the door pulled away from its frame. Now I’m face to face with Greg.

Boy was he handsome.

I was met with a man, about 5 foot 9. His dark brown hair was disheveled. Strands of hair laid across his forehead messily. If he wasn’t screaming, I would’ve thought he was sleeping. He was wearing a fluorescent green hoodie with an odd smile plastered on the front. It was a bit large for his skinny frame, that’s unimportant though. His grey sweatpants were twisted on his legs. What the fuck was he doing? His face was delicately shaped. This jawline looks sharp yet fragile like it was constructed of the most fragile rose crystal I’d ever seen. His brown eyes reminded me of caramel, thick and way too easy to get lost in.

“Hi, uh Greg-” I start. I’m just realizing now how close I am to him. The scent of his spearmint gum floods my nostrils. It’s a bit powerful, crinkling my nose at the smell. It wasn’t gross, just very shocking.

“George,” He spat. That’s fucking embarrassing. I’m meeting him for the first time and I got his name wrong. I’m not taken aback for long though, because his attitude oozing from his simple correction was enough to disgust me. I’ve done nothing wrong to him, except maybe get his name wrong. Was my moving too much of a nuisance to him? Poor little British thing, he can deal with it.

I cringe, “Oh, um, sorry.”

He leans into the door frame, sweatshirt adjusting to the movement. Forget a tiny bit large, he was swimming in this thing. “Yeah, no problem. Can I help you or are you selling girl scout cookies at,” George checks his watch. “2 in the morning. If you are, I’m not interested, sorry ‘bout that,” His outfit makes me feel a lot less aware of mine. Despite his face being rather attractive, the outfit makes him look like he just rolled out of bed.

“Oh, yeah. I was wondering if you could lower the volume a bit, please. Or just stop screaming entirely, if possible. I don’t know if you have some weird shouting fetish, but I certainly don’t,” I chuckle. George, however, doesn’t chuckle. Actually, he looks rather unamused. If a human was an art museum, it would be George. Curling into a ball and falling into an endless void doesn’t sound too awful right now. I think I’ll add that to my itinerary. I’ll do it in my bed so I’m at least comfortable while I’m drowning in my own self-pity.

He grimaces, “Yeah. Sure.”

He’s blunt. Got it.

The second I turn my back to the door, it slams. Wow. What a cunt. Shaking the interaction off, I begin to feel the wear and tear of the day beginning to hit me. Moving all those boxes made my muscles ache. The solution to all my problems today seems to be going to bed. Not that I’m not okay with that, just funny. The day before I left for London, you’d think I was shocked by lightning. The electricity that was running through my veins was no match for any ADHD medicine the FDA had ever approved. Now, my body is beginning to fall victim to the earlier time zone. Not that it was a big deal, it was going to happen eventually. These next few days would just entail a difficult sleeping schedule. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.

I quickly find my way back to my own bedroom. The yelling was quieter, but I could still hear George through the thin walls. He was murmuring to someone softly. This apartment complex was all 1 bedroom apartments. He didn’t live alone. How lovely! I made a fool of myself to him, and he was most definitely telling his partner right now. Talk about dignity, am I right?

I scrolled through my phone for an hour, before the screaming returned to its original volume. Would it be overdramatic to say I felt my face go red with anger? I don’t think so. I think I handled the situation as politely as I could. Hell, I even cracked a joke so he could know I wasn’t that upset over the situation! If I knew he was going to resume his disruptive noises, I wouldn’t have been so nice or absolutely hilarious. Nobody that douchey gets my amazing humor. He didn’t even laugh! I hear another shout followed by a slam to a desk. What the fuck is wrong with this guy?

Welp. Welcome to London!

[stellarxdeath]

Aight fuck it, I got sum things to say. Most of it is anecdotal but here we go

Things I wish I could tell to my younger self about art(and also for young/new artists who may see this)

Getting started:

- Starting art with any medium is going to be challenging, but a little inspiration goes a long way. You wanna draw your favorite tv show character? Maybe an Oc idea? A slice of cake? Doesn’t matter, make that shit your muse and go for it.

- I’m a digital artist through and through, using clip studio and a Wacom tablet. Do you need these things to start? Nope, not at all. I started with a mouse and MS paint. You can do some impressive stuff with just those two things.

- Expectations vs reality is important. Your mental style will be different from your ‘real’ style, and that’s ok! You won’t be perfect when you first start, but don’t let it discourage you. 

- Let yourself have fun

Learning/growing your style:

- At first it’ll feel like you’re only a mishmash of styles from artists you like, but soon enough your own style will emerge.

- Tracing is a good skill, but if you don’t want to trace, you can mimic. Watch speedpaints, animations, look at other artists’ work; then replicate that. Your own style will shine through and things you couldn’t draw yesterday can become much easier. I use this myself, personally it’s been super helpful.

- Same face Syndrome is definitely a bit of a roadblock to handle. Instead of throwing yourself in the deep end with a million different face shapes, tweak the smaller things. eyes, hair, even irises/pupils can help two characters stand out. 

- Shapes are good, but vague shapes are better. Basically: sketch at least twice. Construct(the foundation of everything), clean up(jotting down the finer details), and then any additions that stand out. It’ll take awhile, but it will help you in the long run.

- Fuck around, combine random things. Mess with colors, mess with proportions. Draw a snake with a chicken head and cat feet, who cares? Get a feel for straight lines, curvy lines, jarring and chaotic lines. Let yourself have fun: electric boogaloo.

Criticism and Feedback:

- to preface this: the main person you draw for is yourself. People liking/relogging is a secondary source of motivation. relying on others to give you the energy to draw is not sustainable, so please, please do what you want to do.

- Receiving critique is not an easy thing to do, especially if you’re on the younger end of the artist spectrum. It’ll feel weird and it might hurt; that’s ok, it’s a sign you care. Be prepared for people to ask if they can critique and for people to not ask and give it anyway.

- Adding to that, there’s probably a knee-jerk reaction to defend your work from criticism. Before you respond to said feedback, take a second to remember that it’s not a personal attack, and that the commenter is simply trying to help.

- “This sucks lol” is not valid critique and can be entirely ignored/deleted. 

- You are not contractually obligated to take the criticism! It’s up to you if you’ll use the tips given. You can try them out, and if they don’t work, that’s fine too.

- Remember that you are always improving. 

Other tidbits I can’t categorize: 

- CHERISH YOUR OLD WORK! please, please keep that shit close to your heart. It’s easy to look at your old art and go “haha cringe”, I’ve done that too, but it’s so important to remember where you started so you can be proud of how far you’ve come! A lot of artists struggle to recognize when they’ve improved, so taking a gander and your old DeviantArt gallery is beneficial.

- for fucks sake please watermark your art. Be it your initials, online name or an icon unique to you. it doesn’t have to take up the whole canvas, but it’s better if it’s somewhere harder for people to erase. Watermarks can protect your art from being stolen online.

- elaborating on the first tidbit: it’s ok to look at your art and be proud of it! Sometimes it can feel like calling your own art good is a sin and you’re a self-absorbed asshole for saying as much, but you have every right to be happy with what you’ve made.

- You don’t have to finish every project you start, Sometimes sketching just to sketch is better than spending hours on a single piece. doodle to your heart’s content.

- Artblock is inevitable, and it’ll suck. But, there’s always that creative spike at the end of the inspiration drought, just embrace the break and you’ll get back to drawing when you’re ready.

- And never work for exposure.

 Godspeed younglings, go have fun

[ashintheairlikesnow]

“They just wanted to be touched”

CW: Recovering whumpee, referenced pet whump, referenced masochism + brief noncon references, this is fluffy as hell

Allyn is the one who draws him out the back door into the yard. They move barefoot, toenails painted a violet so deep it might as well be black, or blue, depending on the light they're in. Their toes, peeking out from under the swishing hems of their wide gray pants, are the only bit of skin below the neck he can see.

Even their hands are hidden, pulled into the sleeves of the voluminous sea green draped shirt they wear. It lays over their shoulders like it was made just for them, skims along the curve of their back. You'd never know the whole thing cost eleven dollars at a charity store, someone else's castoff clothing for a cast-off pet with nowhere else to go.

Jameson follows them, helplessly, when they smile. They could tell him to jump off the roof, and if they said it with that soft sweet expression, he'd do it without regrets, just to know he'd been the one to give them a feeling that made them smile that way.

His own clothes - an old t-shirt for some kind of camp whose name tastes like rocks and mud in his mouth, and a pair of jeans that don't quite fit and have to be belted on - don't look half so good as theirs. Not that he wants them to. Not that he cares if Allyn likes how he looks at all.

The sun shines warm on his hair, the bald spots from Robert's muzzle filling slowly back in with prickly new growth. Jake tells him he'll look like anyone else, soon enough, able to pass once his barcode is off, able to move through a crowd like he belongs there, not on the floor, not on his knees, not under a knife.

"I want to show you," Allyn says, voice bright rain with sunshine through it, taste of spring grass growing in the shower, and slides their hand, still hidden inside their sleeve, over his. He grips onto their palm through the cloth and pretends his skin doesn't burn, a little, where they are very nearly touching.

"Want to show me what?" His own voice is rougher than theirs. He never tastes all the layers for himself he can get from them. There is a difference in the taste of voices that have been made to scream. His will always taste, just a little, like all the things they've called him.

Allyn will always taste like rain.

"This." Allyn pulls him through the yard and he follows - of course he follows. There was never any other option but to follow them, anywhere. Everywhere.

They drop down into a crouch, pushing back some clover to show a different plant underneath. Jameson cocks his head, confused, and slowly drops down beside them.

Little red dots, circles hardly larger than his fingernail, nestled into green leaves with tiny white flowers with yellow centers.

"What are they?" He asks, reaching out to touch one. It's just slightly rough, cool, still damp with dew.

Allyn turns to look at him, and he falls into gray eyes. "Wild strawberries," They whisper. Jameson tastes desert heat and dryness, that first burst of rain that will bring life back to cracked earth. Fresh, tasting like sky itself. "They just grow, in the grass, over here where it's shady. They just... grow."

Jameson plucks the tiny red berry off the plant, holding it up, squinting. He can see, now, how it's like a strawberry. But so tiny, and it doesn't have a fruit smell. Just smells like green and sun. He pops it into his mouth, wrinkling his nose as he chews, once, and swallows. "I don't think it tastes like anything," He says, and then stops, head tilted, listening. "Do you hear that?"

Allyn looks around, tensing up. The yard is fenced but fences don't really mean safety, they all know that. "Hear what?"

"The sound." He can hear it, faint muffled scrabbling and scratching. He looks around for the source and finally lands on the shed where Jake keeps yard tools and the lawn mower. Jameson pushes himself to his feet, moving that way, stomach twisting in on itself with nerves.

What could he find that could ever be worse than the bodies in Robert's basement, though? Or Robert's? What is he even afraid of?

His hand grips onto the metal handle, worn from years and years of hands before him. He has to push up and pull back at once, heart in his throat, sure a hand will reach out for him from the darkness inside-

The door scrapes along the ground, and Jameson sees... nothing.

At first.

Allyn stands a few feet back, twisting their fingers nervously in the fabric of their shirt. "What is it? What's in there? Is it, will it bite?"

He hears the scratch again, and breathes out. "It's a cat," He says over his shoulder, moving into the dim warmth inside, the scent of metal and gasoline and dirt and time. There's a basket, like a plastic laundry hamper, overturned with boxes fallen all around it. Inside, an orange and white fluff caked in dust and dirt with wide eyes hisses and spits at him, yowling as it scrabbles to get free. "Must've knocked the boxes over and got stuck. At least we know Jake mowed yesterday, so it hasn't been here long. Hey, buddy." His voice drops, low and soothing. He moves to kneel, shifting boxes out of the way, while it continues to hiss, fur fluffed into a ball of fear and anger all around it. "It's okay. You're okay, little thing. I got you."

He moves a box off from on top of the hamper where it fell, and then picks up the plastic hamper entirely.

The ball of fluff presses itself back against the wall and meows, almost plaintive, less threatening now and far more frightened.

"Hey, hey, I won't hurt you. Must've been scary being stuck in the dark. I know that feeling. Are you thirsty? Hungry? Oh, Jake left a bottle of water in here, guess that jackass is good for something after all, huh? Here we go." He pours water into a metal pan that doesn't seem to have any specific reason for existing and scoots it close. The kitten eyes him suspiciously, backing away from it, then shifting slowly closer again.

"There you go, little buddy. I won't hurt you. You're okay. We should have Jake get some cat food, see if it'll stick around."

Allyn leans on the doorframe, looking in. Jameson glances back to find that smile on their face again. He wrinkles his nose.

"What? What's that look for?"

They shake their head. "I just never pegged you for being a cat person, that's all. I've... never heard you speak that way."

Jameson feels his face burn red and turns back to focus on the kitten, now warily lapping water from the bowl without ever taking its eyes off him.

Jameson tries not to feel Allyn's voice deep down in his marrow, tries not to admit their words taste like opening his mouth to taste the air the first night he was finally free, once for all, and left the muzzle behind in the puddle of blood soaking into Robert's carpet.

—

@astrobly @burtlederp @finder-of-rings @whump-tr0pes @raigash @moose-teeth @orchidscript @doveotions @pretty-face-breaker @endless-whump @eatyourdamnpears @boxboysandotherwhump @vickytokio @outofangband @downriver914 @justabitofwhump @thehopelessopus @butwhatifyouwrite @yet-another-heathen @wildfaewhump

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Never Too Late 1

Warnings: noncon sexual acts (later in series)

This is dark!Steve Rogers and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: You’re turning forty and life seems to be forging ahead on its one way track, that is until you meet Steve Rogers.

Note: No I don’t know when the next chapter will be up or why I’m posting. The last few days have been some of the worst of my life and everything’s fallen apart.

Thank you. Love you guys!

As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3

You thought thirty-nine was hard. You remembered it clearly, as if it was yesterday. A whole year. Another year. Gone. You greeted forty as you had every day. At your desk behind the ridiculous protective glass as you renewed licenses and issued permits. 

The same tedious, draining eight hours, the same dull co-workers, the same broken water cooler, the same sign flashing numbers as you beckoned forth the next impatient person. ‘What took you so long?’ ‘This is ridiculous.’ ‘Goddamn pain in the neck.’ 

No one wanted to sit in the old and stiff plastic seats just to get a terrible photo taken and have to wait even longer for the actual card to arrive in the mail. And you didn’t want to help. That became clearer the longer you were there. The job was thankless and dull. Like everything else in your life.

You left as you did every night. You promised yourself it wouldn’t be like your last birthday. No bottle of wine burning in your gut. No splitting headache the next day as you stared into the toilet bowl. Just a little treat that couldn’t possibly turn bitter.

And that was just like you. No risks, no spontaneity. The same old routine. You could hear mother’s voice then. ‘You’re too stubborn. That’s why you never held onto a man. You waited too long. Nothing is ever going to be perfect enough for you… for grandkids.’ Well, she had others. Your sister had a boy and a girl, and your brother was blessed with three daughters. More than enough for her. Unlike you.

It was raining. On your birthday. In the middle of summer. Typical.

You were soaked by the time you got to the train and hesitated to follow through on your planned sojourn. You got off a few stops before yours and climbed up to the street. The downpour slowed to a drizzle. You dipped through the automatic door and the air-conditioned grocer chilled your damp clothing.

You went to the refrigerated glass shelves of pastries and specialty desserts. A whole cake to yourself seemed exorbitant; not just on your stomach but your wallet too. They had single slices of cheesecake but only plain left. You wanted chocolate or strawberry or something that you would slightly regret.

There was a pretty cupcake; chocolate with mocha icing and a drizzle of dolce leche and some garish edible beads sprinkled over. You took the small plastic container and headed for the frozen aisle to grab a pizza; thin crust with cheese. The calories added up along with the years.

You paid for your measly meal and slightly ridiculous dessert and headed back out onto the street. Your flat slipped on the pavement and you steadied yourself with your other foot only for your toe to catch a crack in the pavement. You flailed and fought but in your usual graceless existence, there was little else you could do but resign to fate.

The plastic container was crushed beneath your chest atop the pizza box and your purse fell painfully down your arm as your knees scraped through your wool pants. Just your luck. Just your fucking luck! You cursed in your head and slowly pushed yourself off the mess, chocolate smeared across your blouse.

You wanted to cry. And scream. You wanted to disappear as the apathetic New York rush passed you by. As life passed you by. And the urge only got more intense as a shadow stopped before you. As your eyes glossed over the shoes and followed the long legs up a formidable figure. As the man with the golden hair knelt and helped scrape up the mess onto the pizza box.

“Oh my god,” You grumbled as you took it from him embarrassed. “You don’t have to--”

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“I’d really prefer it that you just…” You shook your head, you could barely look at him. “Just ignore me like everyone else. Please.”

“Come on,” He offered you his hand but you just stared. He grabbed your elbow instead and helped you stand. “I’m sure they have a dozen more--”

“It’s fine.” You swept past him and shoved the box and mess of plastic and icing into the trash. He followed you, barely evading other pedestrians as he did. “ I’m just… Thank you. I’m fine.”

You turned away and he caught your elbow again. He was strong. You turned back, annoyed with him as much as yourself. And now that you looked at him directly, he was familiar. And that was worse. You cringed and wiggled your arm free.

“Hey,” He let go and pointed down. “You’re bleeding.”

You looked and the knee of your pants had soaked through with blood. You sighed and shook your head. 

“It’s just… another nail in the coffin,” You huffed under your breath. “I’ll survive.” You assured him and spun away once more. “Happy birthday to me.” You grumbled.

You heard him behind you then felt him beside you as another New Yorker narrowly avoided him. You were starting to get angry and the humiliation curdled in your chest.

“It’s your birthday?” He asked.

“How--” You glanced over at him. “I...whispered that.”

“I have good ears,” He smiled.

“You would.” You frowned. “Well... Steve Rogers,” You announced as you crossed your arms and stopped again, a snarl hurled in your direction from a passerby. “You saved me. Your work for the day is done.”

“You know who I am?” He mused. 

“I might be clueless but not that clueless,” You said. “Look, thank you. I aready said it once.”

“Let me buy you a cake,” He said. “Then my job is done.”

You squinted at him. Long and hard. No man was ever this nice to you. Not without reason. And this was the Steve Rogers. The Captain America. He was every woman’s dream and every man’s envy. You were a forty year old hermit covered in rain and cupcake.

“Really, you’ve done enough.” You hissed. “I can’t--No.”

You marched away from him but he was relentless. He kept you from the subway as he rounded you and blocked your path.

“You seem like you’re having a bad day. Let me make it better.” He said.

“Why?” You asked. “You don’t know me.”

“Well, you know who I am. So we’re halfway there.” He smiled. “What’s your name?”

You tilted your head as you considered him. If you humoured him, it would be over sooner. You couldn’t imagine what urge drove him to his persistence. Was it a genuine need to be valiant? A compulsion? Pity? Maybe he amused himself with the pathetic missteps of others?

You gave him your name. Begrudgingly.

“There’s a bakery close to here. Established 1934.” He said. “I went to the opening with my mother.”

“You really don’t--”

“The more you insist I don’t, the more I want to,” He interrupted. “So, let me do something nice.”

You stared at him and the mist began to thicken. The rain drops bounced off the awning over the next storefront and ran down the aged brick of the neighbourhood.

“Come on, before you catch cold,” His hand was on your arm again. You let him usher you past the subway entrance; more eager to be out of the rain than anything.

The door rang as you entered. The bell was old and tinny and the inside betrayed its age. Not in a bad way. It was clean and smelled of bread and cloves. The hand painted cards lined before the trays of baked goods and the faded portraits of loaves and bundts were of another time. You felt old and not very all at once.

“Their black forest is good,” Steve said as he shook the rain off his thin jacket; if the rain hadn’t broken the humidity, he’d have been stolid. “Red velvet…” He looked at you. “French Vanilla.”

“Oh, do I seem vanilla to you?” You challenged as you turned to the display and avoided his eyes. 

“It’ll be nice. A treat to take home for the family.” He said. “Husband? Kids?”

You scoffed and bent closer as you read. Your glasses were at the bottom of your purse. A new prescription you were in denial off.

“I’ll take a slice of the cherry chip.” You said to the woman on the other side of the counter. “Please.”

“She’ll take the whole cake.” Steve reached in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. “My treat.” He slid a bill across as you stared at the floor. “No one to share with?”

“My cat died after Christmas,” You shrugged. “I suppose I could bring it in for my co-workers.”

He was quiet as the baker boxed up the cake. The tension between you thickened.

“I know it’s kind of… frowned upon to ask but--”

“Forty,” You interrupted. “A nice, even number, I guess.”

“Ah, a whippersnapper,” He nudged you before he took the cake from the banker with a thanks. “I think I’ve bothered you enough.” He held it out to you. “Happy birthday.” He glanced out the window as you accepted the box. “You should wait this thing out but…” He pulled up his hood and checked his watch. “I got a friend waiting on me and he’s not very patient.” He grinned. “And I was late when I ran into you.”

You watched him go. He swung the door open and the bell rattled again. The rain pattered off his hood as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He glanced at you one last time before he dove into the city crowd and sidestepped the splash of a passing car. You looked down at the dark green box.

Well, at least you could say it hadn’t been an entirely uneventful birthday.

🎂

Break was almost over. You spent your last few minutes in the washroom. You leaned closer to the mirror as you frowned. That made it worse. That new line around your lips… and the crow’s feet. Was that another grey poking through?

Well, it might help if you stopped scowling. You left your reflection behind and returned to your desk. You got settled and punched back in through your computer. The next number flashed across the screen facing the waiting room; G645I. You didn’t watch to see them stand and approach. You grabbed a pen and scribbled on a post-it as the shadow neared.

“And what are we here for today?” You asked as you finally looked up.

“License renewal,” The paper slid through the slot beneath the window as you blinked up at the familiar voice. “Ten years already.”

“Oh,” You took the form and turned to your monitor as you typed. 

Steve Rogers said your name as if to confirm your fears that after a whole two weeks, he still remembered the woman with cake smeared across her front. You bit your lip without thinking as you looked at him.

“Did you enjoy the cake?” He crossed his arms and leaned on the little ledge, as close to the window as he could get. You didn’t miss Gloria’s errant glances as she ignored her own applicant for yours.

“It was good. Thank you.” You focused on inputting his information. You hid your startled realisation as you keyed in 1918. Whatever they had given him, you wanted some. “I think Gary enjoyed it more. He’s just down at counter three.”

“You sure you’re forty?” He asked.

Your lashes flicked up and you rolled your eyes.

“Coming from you…” You muttered.

“Well, I had help.” He chuckled.

You carried on and scribbled across his form.

“I need you to back up to that line. Look at the camera.” You said tersely as you hit a few buttons. “No smiling.”

He couldn’t help a curve of his lips as he backed away but he squared his jaw and wiped away his amusement as he hit the marker. You focused the lens and took the picture quickly. His image appeared before you and you finished up the renewal as he stood at the window.

“Never really thought about Captain America needing a license,” You gathered up his copy and stapled it to the confirmation. You slipped it to him and his fingers somehow brushed yours beneath the glass.

“Even I have rules,” He kidded.

You narrowed your eyes at him and struggled not to shake your head.

“Three to six weeks,” You told him. “It’ll be in the mail. Keep that in your vehicle.”

“And… how was the rest of your birthday?” He asked.

You were quiet. You considered him and swallowed. You could hear the titters of your co-workers. You wondered how he didn’t, or perhaps he had learned to ignore it.

“Better,” You confessed. “Thank you again.”

“No, thank you,” He folded the paper and tapped it on the ledge. “You’re a doll.”

“A doll?” You echoed.

“Forgive me. My age shows.” He laughed. “You have a good day… take care of yourself.”

“You too, Mr. Rogers.” You said stiffly.

“Oh, and… as an elder, can I share with you something I’ve learned over the years?” He paused as his hand rested just on the other side of the glass.

“Sure,” You said.

“Sometimes you gotta break the routine. Do something fun. Something for yourself.” He backed away slowly. “Get a little wild.” Your brows drew together and he winked. “From one geezer to another.”

He turned and strode past the of chairs of impatient applicants. You took a breath and tried to shrug away your discomfort. It felt almost patronizing to have him talk to you like that. Like he knew you. Like he, the laboratory adonis, could relate to the paunch under your waistband or the slowly sagging skin on your arms. It was almost as if he had been rubbing it in.