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shelbyshoe · 5 years

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Fairies After Dark

Chapter 1

Natsu, a Horde vampire, desires nothing more than to find his father and leave his brother behind. Lucy, an immortal Valkyrie, just needs to get this Horde bounty off her head. Doesn’t help the assassin after her is a gorgeous vampire with cherry pink hair.

Rated: M (sexual content, violence, and harsh language)

Words: 6713

Chapter 2, Chapter 3

FF.net link here.

NALU set in the Immortals After Dark universe by Kresley Cole. I highly recommend the book series. Check out the wiki for more information. Not required to understand the story, but recommended as the universe is fantastic. Hope you enjoy!

Let’s see, if I move my dinner to next Wednesday, and push sewing day for my man skin quilt to Thursday, then I’m all booked. Sorry to disappoint you.

-Lucy Heartfilia (AKA Lucy the Celestial Valkyrie)

You know, I love what you've done to the place. I miss the viscera hanging from the ceiling though.

-Natsu Dragneel (AKA Natsu the Salamander)

The woman in Natsu's arms ground her sex against him, her heart slammed to the beat of the music. He fed in the shadows of the club and didn't look forward to the effect of the alcohol she consumed. No need for him to seduce this woman. She took one look at his perfect form, frozen with immortality at the age of twenty-two, and pursued him mercilessly. She pushed back her mane of dark black hair and slid a hand to the hem of her small tight dress, lifting it for him. He felt no pleasure in her arousal. With his immortality came the cease of his heartbeat and the loss of lust. To this day, he cursed himself for saving himself for his bride, an unknown woman who would one day blood him and bring his heart slamming to life in his frigid chest. He leaned into the woman and ran his lips against her jaw sliding down to her neck. When he tasted her skin, as tempting as Hades’ pomegranate, she moaned against his lips. Natsu opened his mouth, his fangs sharpened like tiny blades. He teased a nick in her flesh— blood beading to the surface. From the small contact, she went boneless in his arms. Her head lulled to the side to allow him better access, and her eyes slid shut. As he sank his fangs into her, she writhed against him. He would be spinning after this. When he had his fill, he licked away the last drops of blood and lay her on one of the V.I.P. couches in the corner. Her chest rose and fell in slumber. He would not drink her to the quick, never could, as doing so caused maddening bloodlust.

Natsu stumbled through the crowd. His head was light from the alcohol and the rush of taking from the flesh of a human. Unlike the Forebearer vampires, who rejected the act, he found the experience wonderful and closest to sex he could have in his current state. The music was too loud for his sensitive ears as he ambled toward an exit. The surrounding mortals, oblivious to what he was, couldn't sense the other immortals that found themselves lost in the throes of passion and music alongside them. A few other vampires took women into dark corners. He nodded toward a rage demon he knew on his way out. To his benefit, in his thousands of years of life, he collected many allies in the Lore and just as many enemies. Loreans, immortals, lived among mortals and remained hidden in fear of the Gods' wrath if exposed.

The bouncer eyed him on his way out of the club. Natsu, accustomed to this look from the man, flashed him his thousand-watt smile. A few humans in line followed him with their eyes. They raked their gazes across his body. Their breath lifted into the air with the cold so enamored they did not notice air never left his lips. He veered toward an alley to trace away from the bustle of the city. His body blinked out of existence and he found himself in the mountains of Fiore, his home.

His room was just how he left it. A mountain of mess spread out across the room. Clothes littered the floor, tomes of dragons from Lore and collections of maps stacked beneath the castle window, and small trinkets of gems and stones littered along a shelf. His cluttered desk pressed against the stone wall. Maps and journals spread across the surface and more collected trinkets. Anything he could get his hands on to find his father he kept in his room. Last known locations sprawled across the pinboard behind his desk. The paper clippings never showed his name, but always held his signature, Igneel the King of Fire. His space was a haven away from prying eyes. The curtains closed, but he could see the overcast sky hiding the moon. He slid them open to reveal the town below. Fiore, an immortal hub and trading port, bustled beneath his window's gaze.

"I knew I sensed you." Natsu whipped his head toward the door. Gajeel leaned against the frame with a look of disgust.

"Knock, won't you?" Natsu said.

"Why? Jerkin in here, Salamander? Hiding your bride in all this shit?" Gajeel enjoyed using Natsu's age-old name and gestured toward the piles of books and treasures he collected over the years.

"I wish. If you wanted to watch, you just had to ask." He gave a smile that forced the man to cringe.

"Gross. I just came to tell you Sting needs you downstairs."

"What does the heir want now?" Gajeel shrugged, his lean muscles tensed. He didn't hate Gajeel, but he didn't like him either. An enemy vampire turned ally was unpredictable. However, when it came to their hatred for Sting, they got along. Sting's father, Weisslogia the Cruel, killed in battle had led to Sting's current place as the ruler of their sect of Horde vampires. Rumors say Sting assassinated the ancient Vampire himself for the seat, and one day he could seize the throne of all the Horde.

"Fuck if I know." Gajeel straightened in the doorway. He stood much taller than Natsu and madness simmered just behind his eyes. Natsu knew the man in front of him drank to the quick more times than he originally let on. Sometimes, Natsu saw his gaze wander and his eyes glass over in a red haze with an intruding memory of one of his victims. Some vampires collected them with the taste of blood from the flesh. Only when they killed during the act did the thirst begin, and one's mind lost, their eyes burning bright red. Natsu didn't drink from mortals often, but he needed to let off some steam somehow. When Gajeel's claws appeared more entertaining than their conversation, he walked out to the hall, and Natsu followed. The castle halls, his home since the disappearance of his father, loomed in the still darkness. When a Forebearer found him centuries ago, a vampire named Gray, he had wandered the globe in search of Igneel. It took little time for them to argue about everything. Natsu sought nothing more than to be free and forbearing the flesh was not a part of freedom. Gray had urged him to join for protection, and he agreed safety was important in the Lore. The Horde, the next best thing, suited him fine in that regard.

The throne room changed since Sting's father's death. The usual adornment of corpses and blood, that drained through the floor, replaced by books and classy goblets of blood mead.

"Your heinie-ness," Natsu said with an exaggerated bow. Sting scowled from over the book he read. He heard Gajeel snigger from behind him. Sting closed the book with a snap. His claws lengthened across the book's leather.

"I've asked you both not to use that name." Sting's red eyes bore into Gajeel.

"What do you need?" Natsu asked.

"I have been informed tonight that one of ours was slain in your jurisdiction." Fuck. Natsu shrugged.

"I wasn't aware anyone was sent into my area."

"Maybe, if you weren't whoring around, you would have sensed them," Sting said. His voice continuously business and cold. Natsu didn't know how old Sting was, but the heir liked to act ancient. The older a vampire, the stronger they were. Natsu suspected Sting was younger than he let on. Natsu never asked or hung it over his head, but he could have taken the throne. Sting and his father had not been blood-related after all, and Natsu's strength far surpassed Sting's. However, he found himself far too focused on locating Igneel to take on such a tiresome responsibility.

"You know, I love what you've done to the place. I miss the viscera hanging from the ceiling though," Natsu said pointing toward the chandelier that now hung in its place.

"Don't change the subject." Sting gripped the throne until the metal armrests folded like paper beneath his palms. If Natsu possessed a heartbeat, it would have pounded from the waves of power Sting gave off.

"Who kicked the bucket?" Natsu made sure to keep his face unexpressive. Sting visibly cooled, though his eyes still burned with bloodlust.

"The Minstrel."

"That ancient? Who had the power to bring him down?" Rufus Lore, also known as the Minstrel Who Sings to the Red Moon, was one of the oldest Horde vampires blessed with memory manipulation. Taking on an old bloodlust vampire would have been quite the undertaking.

"I don't know, but I need you to find out." Who would slay such an old and powerful male?

"Fine, I assume you want me to kill them. They can't be too strong. Rufus was always a little wooo if you know what I mean." Natsu twirled a finger around his temple for emphasis. the Minstrel's eyes were bright red from the memories accumulated over a long-life and lost lucidity from what he saw. Rumor had it, he couldn't tell the difference between his memories and theirs. His memory manipulation said to get him through the worst of it. Sting sneered at Natsu's gesture. Probably, hit a sore spot with all the bloodlust the man currently felt.

"I'll be going then." Natsu turned to the exit.

"Before you go, Natsu," Sting said, a smug expression on his lips. "Your brother wants to see you." Natsu's body tensed at the reminder of his brother's existence. The current king of the Horde, just as ruthless and crazed as any other bloodlust vampire, had a few centuries over Natsu. Sting knew his name but referred to him as Natsu's brother to piss him off. Zeref, the vampire known as the Black Wizard, killed the previous king of the Horde. Rightfully killing the king or wiping out the lineage obtained you the seat on the Horde throne. Beside him stood Rogue, Sting's best friend. Natsu loathed him too and didn't know how he got along with Sting so well— they were opposites. Natsu left the castle doors to slam behind him. Sounds drifted up from the town below. He could feel the breeze over his skin, but he could not breathe in the crisp air.

"Fuck that guy," Gajeel said behind him leaning against the closed doors.

"What do you want?" Natsu found himself in a touchy mood.

"To see if you need help with this killer. I'm suspicious."

"Why? Everyone hates vampires in the Lore." It was true that vampires were on everyone's hit list, but other Loreans steered away from ancients like the Minstrel.

"There is no current war or reason to pursue someone so powerful. It just smells fishy to me."

"Then go look into it yourself. I have to go." Natsu did not look forward to his talk with his brother.

"Ain't gotta be a dick about it." Gajeel shrugged and traced away. Natsu followed suit and traced to the Horde castle on their vampiric plane. He stood inside a familiar sitting room. Natsu hated everything about the black castle, the expensive furniture, and the old world feel. A soft fire lit the fireplace and two cups of blood mead sat on a small table beside facing chairs. He sensed another presence in the room.

"Why am I not surprised you knew I'd come to this room?" What little time he stayed in his brother's care he spent in this room pondering over Igneel's disappearance.

"Hello, Natsu." Zeref ambled to a chair before the fireplace and took one of the cups in hand. His red eyes glowing in the darkness, black hair tousled, his skin was gaunt, and his eyes rimmed with lost sleep. Zeref always wore older regal clothing that made him look expensive, but they now looked wrinkled and worn. Natsu stood firmly and crossed his arms.

"What do you want?" He didn't want to stay any longer than he had to.

"Come, sit with me, brother." Natsu winced at the familiar tone in his voice.

"Don't pretend you know me." Zeref never desired a relationship before his adoptive father's disappearance. Natsu didn't know he had a brother until he froze in his immortality. Zeref peered over the side of the large chair and gave him a sharp look.

"Humor me." He placed a lot of power into the command. As much as Natsu wanted to fight him on it, he knew he couldn't leave until he did as Zeref said. He peered at the fireplace. Zeref had either been stupid or confident that Natsu wouldn't use the fire against him. Most vampires had gifts, and Natsu was no different. The fire manipulation gave him his age-old name, Salamander. He sank into the chair across from him.

"You look like shit," Natsu said. Zeref gave him a sharp look before the vampire drained his cup.

"Always lovely to speak to you, little brother." This time, Natsu held his tongue over the mention of their relation. Zeref stared into Natsu's eyes in the unnerving way a cat stares down a fish. "I've looked better."

"Something keeping you up at daylight?" Natsu didn't want to come here and fight with him, no matter how weak he was. The power had always rippled off Zeref like no other he knew. He hated to admit it, but he was grateful Zeref appeared to want to fix their relationship as siblings. Fighting him would prove to be a challenge— one that he would one day take on.

"Isn't there always something that keeps a king from sleep?" He grinned at Natsu shifting his empty cup from one hand to another. His eyes pulled away to stare into the flames. "You don't drink." Natsu's cup of blood mead sat untouched between them.

"I don't drink from a cup I didn't pour."

"Smart, but I have no reason to poison you."

"What do you want, Zeref?" The flames flickered across his red eyes, his focus on something that wasn't Natsu. "Zeref?"

"One day you will know the things that keep me awake," Zeref said. Part of Natsu wanted the man before him dead and reveled in his weakened state, but part of him remained interested in the things that plagued him. Zeref's eyes came back into focus, his face stern "But for now, I heard there was a killing in your jurisdiction."

"Always to remind me of my failures."

"That's not my intention. I wanted to warn you about something." It was the first time Natsu could see Zeref's genuine concern for his wellbeing.

"About the killing?"

"Our oracle has lost sight of you. I worry about you, brother. It is the Accession after all." The Accession happened every five hundred years, a checks-and-balances system for immortals, so killing and mating were soon to ensue. This time, Zeref looked up at Natsu with the furrowed brow of a troubled sibling. "Whoever has killed Rufus the Minstrel may be the very death of you."

♡♡♡

"Damn Cana to hell," Lucy said between gritted teeth.

"If you keep wiggling, I'll be making these worse," Levy said. With steady hands, she cleaned the gaping wound on Lucy's arm. Lucy arrived at the witch's coven that evening with blood running down her arm, chest, and a smile on her face. Her mood soon soured with the news of the bounty on her head. No one kills an ancient Horde vampire and escapes without consequence.

"Now, I'll have the whole Horde after me."

"Don't you want to kill them all anyway?" Levy cleaned the last of the blood around the wound. Because of her immortality, the cut already began to close.

"Yes, but not all at once!" Lucy could hear the other witches gathered downstairs. Levy had invited her best friend in, threw the bottle of blue nail polish over her shoulder to Juvia, who caught it without taking her eyes off Friday the 13th playing on the TV in the living room, and grabbed the first aid. Lucy's intrusion, not the first time and not the last.

"Why did Cana want you to kill the Minstrel?" Levy wrapped the last bandage around Lucy's arm and packed up the first aid.

"She won a bunch of money in some bet and said she'd pay me for the kill." Levy rolled her eyes but smirked.

"Who would let kooky Cana, the All-knowing soothsayer, in on a bet?"

"Erza didn't want to leave anyone out." Reliving the moment Cana won, and Erza's face transforming into pure regret, amused Lucy.

"Of course, she didn't. Well, did you at least get the money from Cana?"

"Turns out she wasn't entirely lucid when she told me she'd pay for the kill. She couldn't even remember winning the money. I brought her his fangs and everything." Lucy sighed leaning her head back on one of the coven's many beanbag chairs in Levy's room. The room itself plain with few personal effects. When the witch wasn't going back to her bedroom, finding comfort in the upstairs study, the coven told her to just move her stuff there. Levy stood with the first aid in her arms. Lucy pulled a small plastic bag, with fangs inside, out of her pocket and held them up to her friend. "You can have them. Maybe, decorate this abandoned room with them, Levy the Bookworm."

"Levy the All-powerful you mean!" Lucy was grateful for the Valkyrie's alliance with the witches. She often found herself in the cheerful purple Victorian house. The smell of herbs drifted through the house, up to the stairs that wound through the heart, and to the study at the topmost room. The lively coven was calming to Lucy. She didn't hate living with her sisters in Val Hall, but she appreciated the break from the drama and screaming Valkyrie. "Do you want a warding spell?" Levy asked over her shoulder dipping into the small bathroom across the hall. Lucy groaned and struggled to stand from the beanbag chair. She no longer felt the sting of her wounds, sure they already healed, and would remove the bandages later.

"No, I can't go running behind a warding spell. If my sisters thought I was hiding from the Horde, they would chew me out for the rest of eternity." The Valkyrie were all related as sisters or half-sisters, sharing two of their three parents. If it wasn't for the ancient living Book of Lore, no one would believe they came from three parents. When a maiden warrior cries out for courage, the gods Freya and Woden heed her call and strike her with lightning, saving her. They preserve her courage in the form of a daughter, an immortal Valkyrie. Lucy could not dishonor her mother's courage by hiding behind a magical barrier.

Lucy shoved the fangs into her pocket and leaned against the bathroom door. Levy placed the first aid kit back in its rightful place underneath the sink and rummaged through a container of nail polish. She pulled out a purple color and held it up to the light. "I should let you get back," Lucy said. Levy ambled passed her to the hall and waited for her friend to follow.

"You're not staying? It's a horror movie night!"

"Nah, I'm going to take these bad boys to Erol's and see if anyone has a bounty out for this chump." Lucy patted her pocket where the fangs sat like lead. Levy shrugged and padded down the stairs toward the living area. The sounds of conversation and high-pitched orchestral death music came to a crescendo as they went.

"Don't go upstairs, you dummy!" one witch said followed by a resounding groan from all the women.

"Juvia doesn't think that was clever." The screams of said dummy were no more, and the music was quiet.

"You're always welcome here, Lu," Levy said and turned to the rest of the coven. Lucy waved to everyone and left.

Lucy hadn’t been to Erol’s in a long time. The bar nestled in the party district, the same place she had killed the Minstrel. Loreans from all over came to loosen up and make business deals. She heard the bar before she saw it. The neon sign flickered, and the door swung open. A pair of male shapeshifters stomped out laughing, their eyes glowing bright green in the night. They eyed her when she came into view. All Loreans were beautiful— came with the immortal territory. These shapeshifters were no exception.

"Be careful, little fey," one said, his voice low and attractive. She would normally chat them up, but tonight she was on a mission. "There's a demoness in there with quite the attitude." She waved over her shoulder at the warning. Most mistook Valkyries for fey because of their pointed ears. Lucy didn't correct them, as her problems were bigger than a couple of shapeshifters mistaking her for a fey. She pushed through the door and found a group of Lykae at a table near the entrance. One of them she knew and waved her over.

"What are you doing here, Lucy?" Laxus asked. For a moment, as he drank in the sight of her, his usual gray eyes shifted to the bright blue of the Lykae clan.

"Looking for a bounty to claim." She nodded a greeting toward the rest of the table to be polite. "Know of a Minstrel?"

"That ancient vamp? Looking to take him on?" Laxus' grin widened. "Need any help with that?"

"No need," she said and removed the plastic bag from her pocket. "I already took him out." One of the Lykae whistled low.

"Damn, Valkyrie, out for revenge?" one of them asked.

"No, why?"

"Only someone out for revenge would look to get the entire Horde after them for one measly bounty." Lucy internally kicked herself for the same reason and would outwardly kick Cana when she saw her again.

"I was promised money, but my client bowed out."

"I don't blame them," Laxus said eyeing the fangs, "Good luck finding anyone who gets involved with a Horde target." Lucy shrugged and slid the fangs back into her pocket.

"This is the Lore, Laxus. I'm sure someone out there is crazy enough to have a bounty out for the leech." Laxus nodded and tipped a beer glass up to his lips.

"Always welcome to spend some time with us Lykae." His eyes flashed an icy blue. The look was quite the compliment, but she never felt that way toward Laxus, and he never pushed for her interest since she wasn't his mate. The muscular Scots rounded the table with their flashing eyes and wolfish grins. If she was a Lykae's mate, she wouldn't be very upset. Didn't hurt that rumors said they had the highest stamina in the Lore with whispers of mind-blowing sex.

"Thank you, Laxus. I'll have to stop by the Lykae compound one of these days." Lucy was thankful again for the Valkyrie's many alliances and waved at the table on her way to the bar.

"Lucy!" a sweet and boisterous voice called from a table close to the bar. A small silver-haired woman waved her over. Beside her sat a large muscular man and a smaller woman with short silver hair. All of them looked to be related. She guessed they were demons, as the man's horns wrapped around the sides of his head like all the other demons she knew. Horns were a show of power and extremely sensitive to the touch.

"Do I know—"

"Erza asked us to find you here. I'm Mira, this is my sister Lisanna, and brother Elfman." Lucy took the chair that Mira slid out for her.

"How do you know Erza?"

"We go way back. She told me not to tell you, but she wanted me to help you with some leech."

"Of course, she did." Erza was one of the eldest and like a mother to everyone, except Cana. Not surprising that she looked after Lucy.

"No need, I already killed him." She tossed the fangs on the table. She tired of them burning a hole in her pocket. Lisanna's face morphed into disgust.

"Did you have to pull his fangs out?" she asked. Lucy allowed herself to grin with pride.

"How else was I supposed to have proof of my kill?" Most of the sisters kept proof of their kills like trophies. Erza's collection remained the largest. Her row of fangs longer than her assortment of armor. Lisanna's eyes widened in surprise, and Mira laughed.

"I like you, Valkyrie. Erza was right, you are a troublemaker. She knew you would be able to kill him. She wanted me to help you with the bounty."

"Why would you do that?"

"I'd like to do business in the future," she said eyeing her brother, who shrank under her gaze. "If our family requires a little muscle, we'd like help from the Valkyrie."

"Sure, what are the terms—" A large demon bumped into a tiny barmaid and sent her to the floor. The demon spared her not a glance and sat at the bar ordering demon brew. Elfman tensed and Lisanna rose from the table to help the barmaid clean the mess. Mira rolled her eyes at her brother and opened her mouth to speak to the demon at the bar.

"Are you going to say you're sorry?" Elfman asked. His voice was loud but shaky and unpracticed. His eyes glinted in malicious inky black.

"What did you say?"

"You just rammed into her. You should apologize." Elfman stood to confront him. Mira's mouth hung open and her eyes widened. Lucy believed this was an uncommon behavior.

"Don't worry about it," the barmaid said to Lisanna, "I'm just an inferi. I'm used to it."

"That's ridiculous. Of course, I'll help you," Lisanna said. The barmaid's light brown hair fell in her face. Other than the rags she wore, she appeared pretty and buxom. Lucy felt bad for her. Inferi were sorceri who had their root power stolen from them and rendered them a slave to the sorcery who took it from them. The owner of this inferi was nowhere in sight. Lucy had only encountered a few sorceri in her life. This woman must be telling the truth. Sorceri wore armor and masks, and this inferi didn't even have any jewelry on. Most of them were masters of poisons and kept them hidden inside their jewelry and armor. The sorceri took these from her to keep her helpless. The idea sickened Lucy. Whoever owned this one, treated them poorly.

Another crash resounded in the bar. Elfman shoved the demon and demanded an apology for the barmaid, who was shrinking by the second trying in vain to cease Lisanna's help. Both demon's horns straightened preparing to fight. Lucy didn't wish to get in the middle of a demon fight and scooted away.

"You will do as he says," Mira said with a death grip on the demon's wrist. He gritted his teeth, his brow furrowed in pain. His silence earned him another squeeze to which he grunted. Mira moved quick enough for Lucy not to have noticed when she left the table. "Now," she ordered. The demon glared up at Elfman and eyed the inferi on the ground.

"I'm— ugh, go fuck yourself demoness." This was the wrong answer. Mira grasped his wrist and threw him on his back. The wooden floor splintered beneath him. Her appearance changed, her hair wild and untamed, her eyes darkened to pitch black, and her outfit skintight and more suited for one of the Death Demon clan. With each kill, they would become stronger, and Mira appeared ready to bathe in the blood of her enemies with acquired strength. The shapeshifters were right, a demoness raged inside. The demon on the floor mumbled something unintelligible into the wooden and passed out. Mira morphed back to the shapely and kind woman Lucy first met. Lisanna, undisturbed by the commotion, took everything from the barmaid and carried it high above her head all on one hand toward the bar. When she gazed up at her brother, she patted him on the shoulder with a grin.

"Congrats, brother," she said and disappeared behind the bar. Elfman's eyes too had turned pitch-black, but Lucy did not sense rage when he stared down at the inferi on the floor.

"Well would you look at that," Mira said tossing her head back to laugh at the sight. "We'll talk later, Lucy. I'll be sending you the bounty money." She grabbed the fangs from the table and slipped them into her dress. She turned all her attention to the barmaid on the floor and helped her up. "What's your name?" she asked the woman.

"Evergreen."

Lucy said goodbye to the siblings and happily made her way out of the bar. She hoped the sorceri who claimed Evergreen's powers had a written will, as the demon siblings were going to rip them limb from limb.

The fangs out of her pocket, Lucy felt free to do whatever she wanted. She strolled toward a night club she heard about a few times from other Loreans looking for a party. Dancing sounded like an effective way to relax, yet something else drew her that she couldn't place.

♡♡♡

Natsu traced to the familiar alleyway and leaned against the cool brick wall. The Minstrel's killer could be anywhere by now, but he just wanted to lose himself in a soft throat. The beat from the club muffled where he stood. As soon as the bouncer saw Natsu, the man glared in his direction.

"Aw come on, Charlie—"

"It's Brad."

"Okay, Ben. Listen, you want to let me in." Natsu grinned up at the mortal. Every word dripped with power as he stared him down. Whatever the man saw in Natsu's face made him move to the side for him to enter. "Thanks, Bryan." He patted the bouncer on the shoulder and sauntered through the club doors. The sounds and sensations bombarded him as soon as he entered, but one presence stood out. He couldn't make out what direction it was coming from, but it was intoxicating. Their heartbeat like a pounding drum in his ears, a calm in the storm of people. Natsu circled toward the bar, scanning the crowd on the dance floor. Immortals packed in everywhere inside the club. The live DJ bobbed his head to the bass.

"We have to talk." The deep voice slid beside him at the bar.

"Not interested, Gray." Natsu didn’t need to look beside him to know who spoke. The vampire’s presence irritated him as much as his voice. The heartbeat from before grew louder and just as quickly vanished from his earshot.

"There's still time, Natsu. You're not filled with bloodlust yet." Gray stood stiff as a board with discomfort beneath the red hue of the bar light. He wore a white coat with fur around the hood. Gray's eyes trained around him. Observant ass.

"I'll pass." Gray never showed his face in Natsu's jurisdiction. This night just kept getting worse. "I have some business to attend to right now."

"Surely, you are around bloodlust vampires. You know how they have lost their minds, and you still plan to take from the flesh?"

"Look, I already told you I want nothing to do with the Forebearers. I want my freedom."

"Do you have that now?" Natsu, on edge before, wanted to cause some violence. The building would look wonderful covered in his flames. The fire rose in his throat with the image. Gray wasn't off base. There was no freedom in this world and even the Horde had rules. Associating himself with Zeref enraged him, but he needed protection and his brother proved useful.

"What if I told you I have a lead on your father?" Natsu's eyes snapped to Gray.

"How do you know—"

"Just come with me. Join us and I can help you," Gray said, "Or would you rather take orders from your brother?" Natsu grabbed the man's collar in his heated grip and pushed him against the bar. When Natsu flashed the bartender a glare, the human backed off from the ruckus.

"Looking into me?"

"Of course." Gray's serene expression pissed Natsu off the most. The bastard was cocky, knew he could take him, and had information on his lineage.

"Why do you want me so badly?"

"It's the accession, Natsu. We need everyone we can get." Natsu's grip loosened.

"I'm on no one's side." The presence and loud heartbeat, that intrigued him before, slammed loud in his ears. Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of golden hair. He twisted to look for them.

"What is it?" Gray raised a brow.

"This conversation is over," Natsu said, body screaming to leave and find the owner of the sound. Gray eyed him curiously but didn't try to stop him. Natsu pushed club-goers out of the way. The presence brought him to the back of the building, and like a man possessed he followed. An intoxicated woman grabbed him and attempted to pull him toward the dance floor. On a normal night, he would have guided her to a dark corner, but he couldn't get the presence out of his head. The flash of gold hair piqued his curiosity. With his acute hearing, he heard the back-door slam shut behind someone taking the heartbeat with them. He all but shoved the woman off him and elbowed his way toward the door. The rush of outside air whipped his cherry hair into his eyes. He slid a hand through to tame the strands. The door opened to a back alley. A woman made her way toward the street, her long blonde hair brushed from side to side against her ample bottom. Her heart sang in his ears.

"Hey, wait," Natsu said. She stopped and turned her head to eye him— and eye him she did. Her caramel gaze raked his body, and unlike the humans from before, it left him with a shiver down his spine. He stood a little taller under her inspection.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Who are you?"

"Interesting pick-up line," she said raising a brow. The mystery woman smiled forcing him to grin back. She tilted her head a little more. A long braid at the front of her hair fell over her shoulder and revealed a pointed ear. He could only assume she was fey, a ruthless race known as master archers, but she lacked a bow. He spotted a curled-up whip and a strange set of golden keys snug against her shapely hip. She was a mystery that intrigued him.

"Meeting someone?" He imagined her meeting with a man and felt his body tense with the possibility.

"What's it to you?" She turned to fully face him. He cursed softly at her figure. Her hips met a slim waist and ample breasts that nearly spilled out of her top.

"Hoping to be the one you meet," he said. She crossed her arms and tapped her chin with a slender finger tipped with a tiny painted claw.

"Let's see, if I move my dinner to next Wednesday," she said running her finger across an invisible list, "and push sewing day for my man skin quilt to Thursday, then I'm all booked. Sorry to disappoint you." His cheeks ached from how much he smiled at her. Her wit so far, the most attractive thing about her.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"You first."

"I'm Natsu Dragneel." He closed the gap between them.

"And what are you Dragneel?" She eyed him again at closer proximity. Natsu straightened with her appraisal, for whatever reason he wished to impress her.

"Ah-ah, I answered your question. Now, answer mine."

"Lucy Heartfilia." Her name was just as beautiful as she was. From so close, her heart sped up in his ears. Lucy was enthralling.

"What do you think I am?"

"Ah-ah," she said stepping toward him, "I answered your question."

"Guess." His voice was a command and came out lower than he expected. She raised a brow in response.

"Okay, I'll bite. Either a demon or a leech." She pointed toward his mouth; her eyes locked on his lips. "You have fangs." Be still his heart, she was witty and observant.

"Whatever you want me to be as long as I can take you out." He wanted to do more than just take Lucy out on a date. He imagined taking her throat in his castle room, her heart pounding as loudly as her moans in his ears. "Could take you anywhere you want to go. I've traveled the world."

"Tricky. Demons and vampires can trace."

"I feel like you enjoy challenges as much as I do. Tell me what you think I am, and I'll confirm or deny." A sly grin spread across her lips and she leaned in closer. She eyed him again, taking longer over his exposed arms and shoulders.

"Demon," she said with a hopeful note. He crossed his arms over his chest in an "x" and made a buzzer sound with a smile.

"Incorrect." All at once her eyes widened, and she took a few steps back.

"I better be going." Natsu dropped his arms in his confusion. While most Loreans weren't fond of vampires, they tolerated the ones without the red haze of bloodlust. Natsu's, he knew, were clear. This one wasn't a fan, as she called vampires "leeches."

"Why in a hurry?" Even though her body was beginning to turn away from him, her eyes still darted to his mouth. She turned toward the street. "Wait, did I do something wrong?" he asked. Natsu couldn't stop his hand from darting out to take her arm gently. Her skin like the comfort of fire against his as he took his first breath after centuries without the need. The air chilled his unpracticed lungs. His long-dormant heart spurred to life. The feeling nothing that he could remember from his childhood with a heartbeat. He pulled her towards him. A breath escaped her in a rush, and he took in the scent of her arousal— better than he ever dreamed. Her breaths labored with the rise and fall of her breasts and her chest flushed under his gaze. After all this time he had found her, like a gift from the gods themselves, his bride.

#fairy tail #nalu #ft fan fiction #nalu fan fiction #nalu fanfic #fairies after dark #fad ch 1

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inevitably-johnlocked · 3 years

Note

Hi Steph! Hope you’re well :) Do you have a 5+1 rec list? It’s one of my all time favourite tropes and having just found a new one I wondered if you knew of any more? Sorry if you already have one linked somewhere, I’m still not very familiar with tumblr! (The new one I found is works/23857900/chapters/57342538 - sorry I’m not sure how to link properly on asks yet either! 😖

anonymous asked: What’s ur opinion on 5+1 fics?

Hi Lovelies!

Ahhh, sorry for the delay on this one!! I love 5 and Ones!! :D I’ve been tagging them since the beginning 3 years ago so I could more easily find them, just WAITING for people to ask, LOL. I read them a lot on FFNet (it was a BIG fad in the early noughts to have 5+1 fics, just like song fics were a 90′s thing lol)

So here y’all are, plus the one @johnlockedin221b suggested which I haven’t read yet! Please feel free to add your own here!

I’ve also added some *CLOSE TO* five and ones, so like four and ones, I have a 7 times fic, and just one with 5 times. Hope y’all enjoy!

----

FIVE AND ONES (and SIMILAR FICS)

Once Upon A Time by ProfessorSquirrell (T, 908 w., 1 Ch. || Family, Snippets of Life, Romance, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Implied Drug Use, Angst with Happy Ending) – There is a room in Sherlock's mind palace where nothing gets deleted. And it looks like this...

The Four Incidents by TheGirlWithRedHair22 (K+, 1,064 w., 1 Ch. || S1 Compliant, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, John Whump, Accident, John POV, Hand Holding, Worried Sherlock, Sherlock’s Self Esteem) – The first time John was present when someone insulted Sherlock, he brushed it off as a strange coincidence.

Five Times John Watson Remained Oblivious by thriceandonce (K+, 1,154 w., 1 Ch. || Five and Ones, Romance, Friendship, Asexual Sherlock, Queerplatonic Relationship) – ...And one time he didn't.

Five Times John Didn't Notice Sherlock (and one time he did) by somanyhands (T, 1,369 w., 6 Ch. || Friendship, Five and Ones, 221B Format Oneshots) – Five times out oblivious John Watson didn't notice Sherlock, and one time he really did. A short series of (five plus one) 221B fics, just because.

The 3x John Carried Sherlock, and Once ViceVersa by ShinkonoKokoro (K+, 1,673 w., 1 Ch. || Fluff, Friendship, Three and One, BAMF John, Sherlock Whump, Worried Sherlock, John Gets Shot) – It happens more than he suspects.

The Perfect Place by SilverSmile (K+, 1,955 w., 1 Ch. || Humour, Romance, 5 and Ones, Fluff, Experiments, Bed Sharing) – Sherlock attempts to find the perfect place to sleep, but his little experiment proves to be far more difficult than expected.

Like Euphoria and Scotch by FinAmour (M, 1,856 w., 1 Ch. || TSo3 Fix It, Five and One, Alchohol / Drinking, POV Second Person Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock’s Imagination, Armchair Sex, Cracky and Fluff, Happy Ending) – 5 different ways it all could have gone + the one way it actually works itself out.

Five Times Sherlock gave John a Pebble and One Time John Returned the Gesture by grimmfairy (NR, 1,895 w., 1 Ch. || Love Confessions, Fluff, Penguins and Pebbles, Nervous / Pining Sherlock, Oblivious John) – Sherlock isn't good with words, so he decides to tell John his feelings the way penguins do, by bringing him pebbles with different meanings. John catches on.

Five Times Sherlock Realized He Was Getting Older by Mildred Graves (T, 9,215 w., 6 Ch. || Five and Ones, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Old) – . . . And one time it didn't matter.

It Was All Right There In Front of Him (A Five Times Plus One Story) by bees_stories (T, 3,191 w., 1 Ch. || 5+1, Protective Idiots, Grooming, Bed Sharing, Lestrade POV) – DI Greg Lestrade is a good detective. But sometimes he doesn't trust the evidence in front of him, until there's a compelling reason to do so.

Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down by standbygo (M, 3,282 w. || Post-S4, Five Plus One, Missing Scenes, Parenthood, First Kiss, Friends to Lovers, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hurt/Comfort, Declarations of Love, Fluff, Food, John Whump) – Five times when Sherlock and John ate together, and one time they didn't. A history of the boys, in food.

Atrium by kali_asleep (T, 3,460 w., 1 Ch. || 5+1, Valentines Day, Fluff & Schmoop, First Kiss) – Five times Sherlock gave John his heart, and the one time Sherlock got a heart in return (literally)

Because Your Coat is Part of You by camellialice (K, 3,705 w., 1 Ch. || 5 and 1, Canon Compliant, Sherlock’s Coat, Angst, Fluff) – Five times John wore Sherlock's coat and one time he didn't need to.

Five Times John Cooked Something with Peas and One First Kiss by 221b_careful_what_you_wish_for (T, 3,915 w., 1 Ch. || 5 and Ones, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, Cooking / Food, Sick Sherlock, Music, Domestic Fluff, First Kiss) – After John cooks five dinners that slowly reveal their hunger for each other, Sherlock and John finally share a first kiss.

Human Body Pillow by Lunavere (K, 4,122 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Five and Ones, Sleepy Johnlock, Bed Sharing) – A story about the five times John fell asleep on Sherlock, and the one time Sherlock fell asleep on him.

What John Doesn't Know (Won't Hurt Him) by blueink3 (NR [T], 4,392 w., 1 Ch, || S3 Fix It, Pining Sherlock, Snippets of Life, Hurt/Comfort, Scars, Fluff and Angst, Five and One, Hopeful Ending, POV Sherlock) – Five people who see Sherlock's scars before John Watson. But Sherlock's secrets were never something he could keep from his blogger for long.

Carry On by Mazarin221b (M, 4,647 w., 1 Ch. || 5 and Ones, H/C, Afghanistan, Frottage, Hand Jobs, First Time) – Five times John didn't want to be carried, and one time he did.

Bed-Sharing Between Flatmates by testosterone_tea (T, 5,053 w., 1 Ch. || 5 and Ones, Bed Sharing, PTSD John, Science, Whump, Insecure Sherlock) – 5 times Sherlock had an excuse to share John's bed, and the one time he didn't need one.

Storytelling by amythedork (T, 5,126 w., 1 Ch. || John’s Past, Friendship, Humour) – Five times John Watson opens up to Sherlock Holmes, and one time Sherlock Holmes opens up to John Watson. Gen, though could easily be read as pre-slash.

Sociopathy and Other Fibs by kinklock (M, 5,314 w., 1 Ch. || 5+1, Miscommunication, Humour, Friends to Lovers, Post S3, Love Confessions) – Five times John called Sherlock out, and one time Sherlock returned the favour.

five times sherlock holmes lied to john watson (and one time he finally told the truth) by miss_frankenstein (G, 5,948 w., 1 Ch. || TAB Compliant || Homophobia, Pining Sherlock, Oscar Wilde Trials, Happy Ending) – Set in "The Abominable Bride" universe, this piece adopts a familiar format to chronicle Sherlock's quiet suffering in the wake of the 1895 Oscar Wilde trials and the particular way they affect his relationship with (and feelings for) John.

Five Times John Noticed But Didn't Really by ScandalousMinds (T, 6,383 w., 5 Ch. || Domestics, Fluff/Angst, Bratty Sherlock, Idiots, Pre-Slash, Jealous Sherlock, Love Confessions) – 5 times John (thought) he noticed something peculiar about his and Sherlock's relationship but really missed the obvious.

once upon a time by darcylindbergh (M, 6,501 w., 6 Ch. || Fluff and Angst, First Kiss / Time, Love Declarations, Christmas) – It starts with a wish. In the beginning, John comes home. Part 1 of things fairy tales are made of

Five Times by AliuIce0814 (T, 6,667 w., 6 Ch. || Drama, Canon-Compliant S1 & 2, Angst, 5 and Ones, Reunion) – ... Sherlock woke John, and one time John woke Sherlock.

Six Dates by avawtsn (E, 7,421 w., 2 Ch. || 5+1, First Time / Kiss, Post S4-Compliant, POV John) – A rather accidental 5+1 written for the prompt "is this a date?" Hint: it is.

Galapogos by anchors (E, 8,460 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Angst, 5 and 1, John Whump) – Somewhere in the depths of the universe, and somewhere in the middle of Sherlock's chest, a star goes into supernova.

All the Times Something ALMOST Happened by allonsys_girl (T, 9,049 w., 6 Ch. || POV Sherlock, Pining Sherlock, Canon Compliant, Angst, Friendship/Love, UST) – John and Sherlock dancing around what they dance around in canon.

Illogical, even. by magikspell (E, 9,119 w., 1 Ch. || Grey-Ace Sherlock, Character Study, Growing Up, Victor Trevor, Romance, First Time/Kiss, Sherlock-centric) – Five reasons Sherlock never believed in love and one reason he does now.

A Different Kind of Love by Svenja The Strange (T, 12,357 w., 6 Ch. || Fluff, Humour, Romance, Five and One) – The five times people noticed and the one time John did. A collection of oneshots (some short, some longer) raising the issue of Johns endless dilemma of being deemed for Sherlock’s boyfriend.

A Study in Linguistics by rizandace (T, 12,425 w., 1 Ch. || S1 Canon Compliant/S2 Divergence, Friendship, Slices of Life, Communication, Cranky Sherlock, Hospitals, Sherlock Whump, Pet Cat, Jealous John, Sherlock’s Violin, Anxious Sherlock, John Whump) – Sherlock Holmes and John Watson had their own language. It was a language of few words and minute facial expressions, and John had learned that it was nearly the only way to have an honest conversation with his eccentric flat mate.

First Response by Arwen Jade Kenobi (T, 13,516 w., 8 Ch. || Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Five and Ones, Whump / Injury) – Five times John had to perform first aid on Sherlock and one time Sherlock had to perform it on John.

Never-Ending Cycle by orphan_account (T, 17,211 w., 1 Ch. || Christmas, Est. Rel., Proposal, Fluff) – Or, four times Sherlock Holmes attempted to propose to John Watson, and the Christmas Party at which he finally did. Sherlock thinks he's a miserable failure, John is confused, Mrs. Hudson and Lestrade provide some unsatisfactory advice, and Mummy is, as always, the solution. All in a lovely, fluffy holiday theme.

Just a Kiss by emmagrant01 (E, 19,695 w., 7 Ch. || 5+1, Case Fic) – Five times John and Sherlock kissed because of a case and one time they kissed for real.

EMERGENCY CONTACT: Sherlock Holmes, RELATIONSHIP: n/a by blueink3 (M, 5,533 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt John / John Whump, Five and One, Fluff & Angst, Worried Sherlock) – The first time John Watson’s emergency contact is called is the first time Sherlock Holmes finds out that he has the job. Part 1 of The Emergency Contact Series

EMERGENCY CONTACT: John Watson, RELATIONSHIP: Saint by blueink3 (M, 6,229 w., 1 Ch. || Hurt Sherlock, 5+1, Hurt / Comfort, Caring John, Scars) – The first time Sherlock Holmes realizes he needs an emergency contact is the first time he mentally appoints John Watson with the job. John, of course, does not know this and neither does the local hospital. Part 2 of The Emergency Contact Series

Caught In The Act by ShirleyCarlton (E, 7,009 w. across 6 stories || Est. Rel, Voyeurism, Character POV’s, Masturbation, Switchlock) – This is a series of six scenarios written from the points of view of six different people as they accidentally walk in on Sherlock and John having sex.

Five Times Sherlock Realized He Was Getting Older by Mildred Graves (T, 9,215 w., 6 Ch. || Five and Ones, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Getting Old) – . . . And one time it didn't matter.

The Five Stages of Mourning, Plus One by SunnyRea (T, 10,557 w., 1 Ch. || MCD, Pining / Grieving Sherlock, URT, Heavy Angst, Sherlock’s Mind Palace, Drug Use, Graphic Death, Depression, Unhappy Ending) – Sherlock did not want this, did not want another stalemate with John in the middle, a gun in Jim's hand. This cannot have happened without a sign. There has to be something he missed anything which said today is the day I kill for real.

About Sleep and Coffee and the Existence of Fate by Atiki (E, 17,426 w., 6 Ch. || Fluff, Marriage Proposal, Humour, 5+1) – Naturally, John was startled when suddenly the ultimate solution occurred to him: Marriage. This was, of course, a bit of a fundamental problem rather than an actual solution. One didn't simply use the words “Sherlock” and “marriage” within the same sentence. Not even in a hypothetical context. Five times John kind of wanted to propose to Sherlock, and one time he didn’t have to.

Just a Kiss by emmagrant01 (E, 19,695 w., 7 Ch. || 5+1, Case Fic, Kisses) – Five times John and Sherlock kissed because of a case and one time they kissed for real.

5 Times John Got the Girl (and lost her) and 1 Time John Got the Guy (and kept him) by LiviKate (M, 21,695 w., 6 Ch. || 5 and Ones, Kissing, Oblivious / Awkward Sherlock, BAMF / Sexy / Stud John, Embarrassed John, John’s Scar, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Sherlock) – John has always had good luck with the ladies. He's charming, friendly and funny, not to mention great in bed. However, his usual skill with the opposite sex is constantly being thwarted by Sherlock and his outbursts. How will John ever get a leg over when Sherlock is always cockblocking him?

Five Times: Watching and Waiting by Ira Lea (K+, 23,034 w., 13 Ch. || Friendship, Post-TRF, No Slash) – Five times Sherlock didn't know John was watching, and one time he made sure of it. Five times John didn't know Sherlock was watching, and one time he figured it out. Three years of "he's dead", one moment of "he's alive", and the resulting chase through the streets of London. (Two 5:1s in quick succession and a bonus).

And A Doctor by StillWaters1 (T, 27,393 w., 6 Ch. || Friendship, Doctor John, Whump, Soldier / Doctor Dichotomy, Five and One) – It was only when people actually saw John working as a physician that they began to understand: that it wasn't just about bullets and IEDs and trauma care under fire. That "doctor" actually covered a pretty wide field. And that John was bloody good at covering ground. 5 times Dr. Watson treated others and 1 time he treated himself.

Five Times They Kissed for a Case, and One Time They Kissed for Real by fleetwood_mouse (M, 32,406 w., 6 Ch. || 5+1, Slow Burn, Fluff / Angst, Mutual Pining, Friends to Lovers) – A stolen ring! An artful blogger! And many more adventures for your enjoyment.

The Case of the Vanishing Pants by SwissMiss (E, 44,025 w., 6 Ch. || Five and Ones, Post-TRF, Case Fic, UST, Homophobia, Friends to Lovers, Pining John, Showering Together, Couple for a Case, Sherlock’s Bum, Fantasies, Jealous Sherlock) – Five times John and Sherlock lost their pants in the course of a case.

MARKED FOR LATER

Five Times Sherlock and John Had Realistic Sex and One Time They Didn't by pennydreadful (E, 1,811 w., 1 Ch. || Five and One, Anal/Oral, Finger Fucking, Hand Jobs) – Reality is a bitch.

A Study in Night Terrors by Dovahlock221 (T, 2,811 w., 1 Ch. || 5 and Ones, Night Terrors, (Emotional) Hurt/Comfort, PTSD Sherlock, Worried John, Hurt John, Angst with Happy Ending) – Five times Sherlock suffered from night terrors and the one time he had the best dream of his life.

What Every Step Is For by Anyawen (G, 2,921 w., 1 Ch. || Five and One, Bedsharing, Injury, Illness, Cold, Lack of Beds, Fake Relationship, Fluff) – Five times bedsharing occurred due to circumstance, and one time it happened by invitation.

5 Times John Almost Told Sherlock He Loved Him, and 1 Time He Did by wanderlustmind (T, 3,006 w., 1 Ch. || 5 and Ones, Additional Tags to be added) – As adorable as a box of puppies, I promise.

The Fundamental Things Apply by Raina_at (M, 6,263 w., 1 Ch. || Five and One, Kissing) – "Kisses that are easily obtained are easily forgotten." - Proverb

Five Times Sherlock Fell Asleep in John's Arms by Accident and the One Time He Did It – Accidentally – on Purpose by WillowGrove (T, 7,201 w., 6 Ch, || Five and One, Falling Asleep, Cuddling & Snuggling, Texting, Tea, First Kiss, Dreams, Fever, Comfort, Caretaker John, Love, Humour, Fluff) – Sherlock notices that John keeps cuddling him to sleep and he rather likes it. But then John stops, and Sherlock has to result to schemes to make it happen again. Who falls asleep, who wakes up in who’s arms, and – most importantly – will there be a kiss in the end?

Dinner Conversations, a 5+1 by BakerTumblings (G, 7,559 w., 1 Ch. || Post S4, Blended Families, Parentlock, Dinner Conversations, Established Relationship, Family Adventures, Five and Ones) – Five times that John had something to say at or about dinnertime, and one time where John was requested to listen. Part 8 of Eyes Wide Open

The Refractive Index by NoStraightLine (E, 10,395 w., 6 Ch. || Five and Ones, BAMF John, Crossdressing, Sherlock is Shot, Oral Fixation, First Time, Hurt/Comfort) – Five times John and Sherlock fuck in a bolt-hole, and one time they don't.

Five Christmases that went wrong and one that didn't by love_in_mind_palace (M, 11,685 w., 6 Ch. || Christmas, Fluff & Smut, Domestics, Est. Rel., 5 and 1′s, Canon Divergence, Tooth-Rotting Fluff) – John isn’t sure about most of the things in his life. Except for the fact that he loves Sherlock, Sherlock loves him back and that after years of bad luck, he is getting the Christmas he always deserved.

In Plain Sight by SilentAuror (E, 18,100 w., 1 Ch. || Post-HLV, 5 and Ones, POV Sherlock, Sex on Trains, Sex During Investigations, Sex in Offices, Unspoken Feelings, Anal, Slight Medical Kink, Public Sex Kink) – Five times that Sherlock and John have sex of some kind without talking about it and one time when they do. Part 1 of the Public Sex Kink

Just Dance by 7PercentSolution (M, 22,784 w., 6 Ch. || Four and One, For a Case, Drug Use, Abusive Boss, Ballroom Dancing, Sherlock Loves Dancing, Blackmail, Unrequited Love, Courtship) – Four dances that Sherlock taught Janine — and one he didn’t. Never mind if it leads him into dangerous territory; how could Sherlock resist a case from Lady Smallwood that lets him use his dancing skills? This is a gift work to Silvergirl, who is an inspiration to us all.

5 times Sherlock got (a) dressed like a woman, plus 1 he did not by Nauss (M, 25,719 w., 6 Ch. || Friendship and Romance, 5 and Ones, French Language Fic) – Ton regard est baissé et ton attitude ne brille pas de son habituel éclat Je-sais-que-tu-considères-que-je-n'aurais-pas-dû-mais-la-science-John. À la place, il y a tous ces petits détails que je ne parviens pas à voir, alors je m'approche de ta silhouette enrobedechambrée. Puis je lève la main, bouche bée. - John rentre en avance du travail et tombe sur un imprévu sherlockien.

Exit- An Ex Files Special by 7PercentSolution (G, 27,148 w., 6 Ch. || Sherlock/Victor Trevor, Angst Like Whoa, TRF-Compliant, Multiple POV’s, Unrequited Love, Whump, TBI and Recovery, Heartbreak, Romance, PTSD, Grieving, Five and One) – The end (or not, as the case may be), covering The Fall and its aftermath. Can be considered both a conclusion to my Fallen Angel series and a coda to Extricate and The Ex. A five plus one.

under the burden of solitude by subtext-is-my-division (E, 27,947 w., 5 Ch. || S3/S4 Fix It/Post TLD, Angst, Grief/Mourning, First Kiss, Mentions of Rape, Hurt/Comfort, Pining Sherlock, Sherlock POV, Fantasies, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Suicidal Thoughts Mentions, Five and Ones) – Five times they shared a bed platonically, and one time they didn't.

Caesura by emilycare (M, 36,608 w., 10 Ch. || Five and One, Mutual Pining, Love Confessions, Sherlock’s Violin, Friends to Lovers, Past Abuse, Past Drug Use, Angst with Happy Ending, Suicidal Thoughts, Oral Sex, Blow Jobs, Domestic Fluff, Soft Sherlock, Gay Sherlock, Bisexual John) – The violin is a retreat that eases the quiet of Sherlock Holmes' solitude. It also speaks for him when he cannot bridge the gaps his defenses create. Moments when music helps Sherlock reach out or let others in, like his stalwart flatmate and, in time, the doctor's daughter. Five times Sherlock Holmes played the violin, and one time he did not.

Magpies Series by 7PercentSolution (T, 218,813+ w. across 4 works || Series WIP || Post TRF, Drug Withdrawal, References to Torture, Confessions, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Sick Fic, PTSD, Oblivious John) – The Magpies series covers the events of the broadcast series three and four, "translated" into my universe. I wrote a lot of it before the episodes were broadcast and made some of my themes into AU (such as the Holmes parents and the sibling). Darker, more intense and angsty than Game Theory and Fallen Angel, the Magpies stories show the effects of the hiatus on all concerned. When parts five to 8 are completed, the series will bring the Ford saga to a conclusion.

#steph replies #five and ones #johnlock fic recs #my fic recs #johnlockin221b #long post #number fics #five times fics

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safetymatchez · 3 years

Text

Life in a Northern Town Ch.1-2

AO3

Rating: Explicit

It's 1985 - Reagan's in office still waging war on drugs, wacky fashion and big hair is the current fad, the internet is reaching all new heights of relevancy, and everyone is tuning into MTV to see their celebrity crush on screen.

Reiner Braun feels significantly small in this everchanging world, struggling to fight the demons of his past so he can finally break free of the box life wants to keep him in. And after having been thrown a curveball to steer him from the path he believed would lead him to greater things, he must rediscover himself and his values entirely. Excitingly odd people, poor decisions, and an unnerving amount of Madonna await him on this journey.

#reibert #snk fanfiction #aot fanfiction #bertholdt hoover #reiner braun

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universe-in-the-void-in-the-cube · 3 years

Text

Deep Space Astrology (Part 1)

For anyone into Deep Space Astrology this and the next part are for you. Through a few years of research on my part and reading description after description of things in space. I came up with a currently complete (very subject to additions) list of deep space objects one can use in their astrology charts.

Mind you this is a list of type of objects not the various objects themselves and the keywords I believe fit the object if they were human aka these objects have traits reminiscent to human and cultural traits. And they are not full description since these are types of objects and not the individual objects themselves.

So the best way to use these deep space objects is to see them as parts of one’s personality or culture’s personality. Therein where a deep space object is placed in the chart will add what happens or how one reacts (signs) and where in one’s life it happens (houses).

STARS

Formation

· Molecular Cloud/Stelar Nursery

o Keyword: New Ideas

· Bok Globule

o Keyword: Hidden Ideas

· Herbeg-Haro Object (HHO)

o Keyword: Wild Ideas

· Herbeg Ae/Be Star (HAeBe)

o Keyword: Puberty

· Orion Variable

o Keyword: Immature Outburst

· T Tauri Star

o Keyword: Preteen/Tween Tantrum

· FU Orionis

o Keyword: Extremes

· Pre-Main Sequence Star

o Keyword: Teenaged Years

· Young Stellar Object (YSO)

o Keyword: Childhood

· Interstellar Dust Cloud

o Keyword: Attraction

Evolution

· Red Clump

o Keyword: Mid-life Crisis

· Asymptotic Giant Branch

o Keyword: Positive Life

· Super-AGB Star

o Keyword: Old Living Young

· Blue Loop

o Keyword: Fast Life

· PG 1159 Star

o Keyword: Shocking End

· Luminous Blue Variable

o Keyword: Showoff/Attention Seeking

· Blue Straggler

o Keyword: Bright/Attention Getting Ideas

· Hypernova

o Keyword: Fad/Latest Interest

· Supernova Imposter

o Keyword: Old Idea Made New

· Kilonova

o Keyword: Newest Interest/Newest Fad

· Instability Strip

o Keyword: Time

· Unnova

o Keyword: Shadow/What You Repress

Star Systems

· Binary

o Keyword: Doubled/Two

· Connected Binary

o Keyword: Conjoined/Blend Together

· Common Envelope (CE) Binary

o Keywords: Protecting

· Symbiotic Binary

o Keywords: Cooperation

· Open Cluster

o Keyword: Acquaintances (Close Acquaintances), Loose

· Super Star Cluster

o Keyword: Education

· Planetary System

o Keyword: Home

· Multiple Stars

o Keyword: Group

· Eclipsing Binary

o Keyword: Taking Turns, Going Back and Forth

· Cluster

o Keyword: Small Groups

· Globular Cluster

o Keyword: Distant Family, Focused

· Diffuse/Reflection Nebula

o Keyword: Spread Out/Reflect Upon

· Dark/Absorption Nebula

o Keyword: Hide

· Emission Nebula

o Keyword: Shine

· Planetary Nebula

o Keyword: Swan Song

· Protostar Nebula

o Keyword: Conception

Remnants

· Helium Planet (White Dwarf)

o Keyword: Maturity

· Radio-Quiet (Neutron Star)

o Keyword: Honesty

· Binary Pulsar

o Keyword: Additional Information

· X-Ray Binary

o Keyword: Information from Multiple Sources

· Burster (X-Ray Binary)

o Keyword: Urgent/Braking NEWS/Information

· Supernova Remanent

o Keyword: Sudden Transitions

Stellar Nucleosynthesis

· Nova

o Keyword: Newness

· Symbiotic Nova

o Keyword: Shard New Ideas

�� Remnant Nova

o Keyword: Integrated Ideas

· Luminous Red Nova

o Keyword: Combining Things to Make Something New

Spectral Classes

· (Violet)

o Keyword: The Unconscious Mind

· OB (Indigo)

o Keyword: The Subconscious Mind

· B (Blue)

o Keyword: The Conscious Mind

· A (White)

o Keyword: Emotions

· F (Yellow-White)

o Keyword: External Self

· G (Yellow)

o Keyword: Internal Self

· K (Orange)

o Keyword: Basic Instinct/Gut feelings

· M (Red)

o Keyword: Primal Instinct/Survival Instinct

· Wolf-Rayet Star

o Keyword: Sudden and Spectacular Things

· B[e] Star

o Keyword: Hidden Thoughts

· Subdwarf

o Keyword: Small/Minor

· O Subdwarf

o Keyword: Small, But Extremely Noticeable

· B Subdwarf

o Keyword: Small, but Noticeable

· Late Type Star (G7, G8, G9, K and M/Yellow, Orange and Red)

o Keyword: Acceptance

· Chemically Particular Star

o Keyword: Strength

· AM Star/Metallic Line Star

o Keyword: Inner Strength

· Ap/Bp Stars

o Keyword: Overabundance

· Rapidly Oscillating AP Stars

o Keyword: Sudden Change of Heart/Mind

· Barium Star (G to K Giants)

o Keyword: Trade

· Carbon Star

o Keyword: Bad Habits

· CH Stars

o Keyword: Deadly/Bad Choices

· CN Stars

o Keyword: Balance/Simplicity

· Extreme Helium Star/PV Telescopic Variable

o Keyword: Uncaring

· Lambda Boötis Star

o Keyword: Taking What You Like

· Lead Star

o Keyword: Heaviness

· Mercury-Manganese Star (B8, B9, or A0)

o Keyword: Energetic

· S Type Star

o Keyword: Relaxation

· Technetium Star/ Tc-Rich Star

o Keyword: Deadly/Dangerous

· Shell Star

o Keyword: Cover/Hiding/Protection

· Slash Star

o Keyword: Insanity/Sudden Celebrity/Negative Attention

· Brown Dwarf

o Keyword: Unrealized Potential

· Red Dwarf

o Keyword: A Slow Burn

· White Dwarf

o Keyword: Old Age

· Red Giant

o Keyword: Midlife

· Red Supergiant

o Keyword: Retirement

· Blue Supergiant

o Keyword: Life Fast Die Young

Hypothetical

· Blitzar

o Keyword: Quickness

· Magnetospheric Eternally Collapsing Object (MECO)

o Keyword: Unlimited Boarders/No Boarders

· Thorne-Żytkow Object (TZO)

o Keyword: Undeath, Vampires, Zombies, Afterlife, Paranormal, Supernatural, Ghosts, Hidden Truths.

· Quark Star

o Keyword: One’s Shadow and Integrating the Shadow

· Strange Star (Fast Radio Bursts)

o Keyword: Paranormal, Strange Happenings

· Green Star

o Sharp, Sudden Justice/Karma/Illusions

· ORC (Odd Radio Circle)

o Keyword: Strange and the Unexplained

Star Death

· Black Holes

o Keyword: Transformation

· Stellar Mass Black Hole

o Keyword: Personal Transformation

· Intermediate Mass Black Hole

o Keyword: Local/Family Transformation

· Supermassive Black Hole

o Keyword: National Transformation

· Ultramassive Black Hole

o Keyword: World Transformation

· Neutron Star

o Keyword: Private/Personal Information

· Pulsars

o Keyword: Public Information

· Quasars (White Holes)

o Keyword: Manifestation

· Masers

o Keyword: Energy

· Magnetars (Soft Gamma Ray Repeaters)

o Keyword: Awakening

#astrology #deep space astrology #stars in astrology

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hope-erinn · 4 years

Text

Instagram, Influencers and the Slow Fashion Movement

Week 7

‘Eco fashion’ or ‘slow fashion’ isn’t a new concept, but in actuality is a movement which first gained momentum in the 1980s with the “anti-fur movement” (Alevizou et al. 2017, p. 81). Protests against unsafe and unethical working conditions were common in the 1990’s to 2000’s, as well as even a concept that was present in England, during the Industrial Revolution, objecting child labour practises in factories. Though these movements were present and gaining momentum, the ideas were often temporarily indulged, then disregarded as a fad (Alevizou et al. 2017, p. 81). However, today due to the modern era being increasingly more politically and environmentally aware as a result of social media communication, a disregard for humanitarian issues is now no longer as viable as it once was.

Social Media has revolutionised many aspects of society, including the awareness and coverage that the media can now bring to social issues, such as unsafe labour practises, and wastage in the fashion industry. “Fashion is inextricably woven with time”, and similarly with fast moving social trends, fashion to follows trends; resulting in fast fashion (Brewer, M.K. 2019).

Fashion begun as a niche, personalised, and very creative form of design in the year of 1826. Charles Frederick was believed to be the first fashion designer, who begun his practise by tailoring each garment perfectly for the individual, in a manner which was personal and specific to their needs and desires. Later, in the mid 20th Century, garments begun being mass-produced, kickstarting fast fashion, unsafe working conditions, trends, as well as wastage.

Image Source - https://giphy.com/gifs/SviJ9h5ifmoXMvPX4z

Fast fashion is a threat to our planet, and many users on Instagram have recognised this and have created content and platforms which promote mindfulness of purchase decision making. Many social media content creators promote ways to “shop consciously and ethically”, as well as emphasise problems with the current industry (Chan 2018). This new use of Instagram sees influencers promoting the reselling of clothes, through clothes share apps, such as Depop, Vinted and Thredup; sites which focus on sharing clothes, reusing and recycling clothes, encouraging sustainable and eco practices. Some accounts on Instagram that are promoting ethical resharing and recycling of garments are bigsisterswap, littlepineneedle, the_second_runway, and tullavintage, as well as some promoting slow fashion focused brands. Another great aspect of these clothes sharing apps, is the price range, these apps often resell and share clothes at much cheaper rates than an outright purchase, making these more ethical practises, more easily desirable as well as accessible to individuals who come from a lower SES; who can’t engage with slow fashion due to it typically being luxury and expensive.

A more negative aspect of Instagram and social medias interaction with the fast fashion movement is influencer promotion. Fast fashion products are often described as “low quality, and harmful”, and are repeatedly promoted by large Instagram content creators (Chan 2018). Both fast fashion and Instagram are synonymous with trends and trendsetting, and therefore quite as easily as Instagram can be successful in promoting ethical practises; it can also allow for an encouragement of unethical brands to a worryingly large number of viewers.

The mass production, and mass promotion of fashion, has a direct association with the creation of cheaper garments, that directly “contribute to a throw away culture” (Brewer, M.K. 2019). Social Media, mainly Instagram, has the ability to both promote healthy ethical purchase behaviour, as well as encourage unhealthy, and un-eco-friendly behaviours; again emphasising the importance be aware digital citizens, who make ethical, informed and intelligent decisions.

Image Source - https://giphy.com/gifs/philosophy-dwight-Cz1it5S65QGuA

References

Brewer, M. K. 2019, ‘Slow Fashion in a Fast Fashion World’, Promoting Sustainability and Responsibility, vol.2 no.24, pp. 1-9.

Chan, J 2018, ‘Ethical Clothing: Fast Fashion & Sustainability on Social Media’, Linkfluence, viewed 2 April 2020, < https://www.linkfluence.com/blog/ethical-clothing-fast-fashion-sustainability-on-social-media>

Lai, Z, Henninger, C. E, Alevizou, P, Goworek, H 2017, ‘An Exploration of Consumer’s Perceptions Towards Sustainable Fashion – A Qualitative Study in the UK’, edited by Lai, Z, Henninger, C. E, Alevizou, P, Goworek, H , Sustainability in Fashion: A Cradle to Upcycle Approach’, Palgrave MacMillan, CH, Swizerland, pp. 81-101.

#mda20009 #swinburne univeristy of technology #fast fashion #sustainability

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wroughtbetwixtfanfic · 5 years

Text

Love, Blood, And Rhetoric, Ch 4.

Fandom: The Society.

Summary: Campbell’s just trying to survive in the new world. He knows he can make it– it’s everyone else he’s worried about.

Rating: Mature.

Tags: Canon Divergence, Mental Health Issues, Family Issues, Substance Abuse, Complicated Relationships, Consent Issues, Antisocial Personality Disorder, Homophobic Language, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Mild Sexual Content, assuming Elle and Campbell are both 18 for the sake of things, Underage Drinking, PTSD, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, implied eating disorder, Fix-It, Campbell has mild ASPD, and is actively trying to not be awful

Word Count: 4295

Ch 1 || Ch 2 || Ch 3 || Ch 5 || AO3

It was week one of the new rules.

The first day, a group text went out saying that food people already at home could be kept, but anything still in stores would be rationed immediately. People had three days to pack and move homes. Work schedules were posted at the church. Campbell felt relieved at getting clean-up duty; it would keep him busy and give him something constructive to do. Unfortunately for Elle, she got stuck with meal prep for lunch. She sighed, but gave him a little wave and made her way to the cafeteria to start.

He hadn't known what to expect when he got to the hardware store, but it was bad. Broken out windows, a burned out car, lights smashed out. There were some other guys already there, passing out tools and making lists of what needed to be done. Grizz showed up with an SUV to tow away the burned car; Campbell helped him hook it up, before moving on to some poor sucker who was looking at a ladder like it was going to bite him.

"Here, I've got it. It's alright."

The boy looked cautious, and a little confused, but then he offered a weak smile of gratitude. "Thanks. I don't do well with heights."

"I don't mind." Campbell shimmied up and eyed the lights that needed to be replaced. "Have someone send me up some bulbs, yeah?"

Everyone worked until a text went out that it was time to eat. Lunch was almost a nightmare. Campbell had known from the start that, at some point, he was going to have to face the fact that avoiding meat was no longer an option. It had been ten years. It still made his stomach turn thinking about it, but well, there wasn't going to be a lot of room to be picky. Lucky for him, this time, there was a vegetarian option.

"I convinced them to make a plain marinara," Cassandra said quietly as she sat next to him at a secluded table in the corner. "But we won't be able to do that forever."

Campbell stabbed a piece of pasta, pretending it was his uncle's face. It was their family's fault they were in this mess to begin with. "Thanks. We should gather up a list of people with allergies, though. They're gonna matter more in the long run."

"True. Lily has been asking about gluten, and I don't think it was just a fad diet thing. We can't have what happened to Emily happen to anyone else. Maybe we could have a dedicated space in the kitchen for people with allergies. Or even use a kitchen in another restaurant."

"You're also gonna have to figure out what to do for people who are diabetic or just need different meal times."

"Yeah. Well, this is just the first day; it's going to take some time to get it perfect. We'll figure something out."

"Of course." Campbell glanced up from his food. "How's the ticker going?"

"I have enough medicine to last me a while. Longer, if I take the bare minimum. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere any time soon."

"Good. What are you doing over here, anyways? You're just starting to get some good PR."

"Mm, I actually have a question for you. You know that I've formed a committee to help figure things out around here."

"I saw."

"I was wondering if you wanted in." Cassandra held up her hand when Campbell opened his mouth to object. "I asked Harry, but he said no. If you were there, I don't know, maybe he'd feel less bitter."

"Oh, I highly doubt that. We're having a little not-exactly-lovers quarrel at the moment."

"Please, Campbell? You're realistic, you're brutally honest when it counts, and we need someone who can be objective. It'd be good for you."

"Why don't you ask Allie?"

Cassandra hesitated. "She and I already had a fight over that. I told her the town would see us as the same person, but..." She let out a slow exhale. "Allie is too impulsive. She doesn't listen."

"And you think the relationship between you two will smooth over if she knows you picked me over her? No, Cassie. Hard pass."

"You said yourself, you're the idea guy."

"Then write my ideas down and pass them off as someone else's ideas, if you want anyone to agree to them. No one will take you seriously with me there, and then we'll all be fucked."

Biting her lip, Cassandra leaned back in the plastic chair and examined her hands. "Fine. But still, Harry is going to be a problem. You know that, right?"

Of course he knew it. Harry wasn't a bad person, not really. Like most guys their age, he was young and foolish and had a mouth he never really knew when to shut. He was avoidant, insecure, and took things way too personally. He was still pissed Cassandra won class president, and that had been months ago. Yeah, he was gonna be a problem. Campbell munched on his garlic bread while he considered the options, not that there were many. "I'll see if I can talk some sense into him. Get him to join the committee."

"I'm sure he would, if you said something. He listens to you. He trusts you."

"Maybe he trusts me, but he doesn't listen to me. Harry's a frightened puppy who falls behind whoever he think can protect him. But he doesn't listen to anyone."

"But you'll try? For me?"

"For you."

"Thanks, Campbell."

She smiled, and then she was gone, off to go do leaderish things. Campbell sighed to himself, finishing his lunch and heading back to work; he didn't get to see Elle, but they were all busy and trying to get used to their new lives. There'd be time to talk later. Him, he had an entire street of shops to help repair. With them all working together, the hardware store was almost completely cleaned up by the end of the day. They still needed to fix the other stores, but it was slightly less of an eyesore, and Campbell was too tired to think about what was in the stuff Will's crew served for dinner.

The days oozed by, and Campbell settled into the routine of it. He really only got to see Elle in the mornings and after the work day was over, but at least there was always enough time to cuddle in and read or watch a movie together. It was quiet. Peaceful. She never asked much of him, and he didn't expect anything from her. Was that what it felt like, to have a normal life? Whatever it was, Campbell found himself slowly, very slowly, starting to relax.

"You're in a better mood," Cassandra commented the next day at breakfast as she hung up prom posters outside the cafeteria; Elle and a few others gave them a long glance as she walked by. "I think you might be the only one."

"Who knew that all I needed to get my head right was to ditch the assholes making me miserable? I don't know, like all this sucks in a lot of ways, but there's no snotty soccer moms looking down their noses at me."

"Mental health symptoms often improve with a decrease in stress."

Campbell reflected on the last few days. Any time he walked around town, before, he felt like people were staring at him. Whispering about him. Paranoia? Maybe, but Campbell knew plenty of times he'd entered a room of chattering people and had it go silent. West Ham didn't take kindly to oddities. Since they'd arrived at this strange clone of West Ham, though, that sort of thing had eased up. He still wasn't eager to be around people or associate too closely with Cassandra, just in case, but a sort of uneasy truce had fallen over the town. People were trying to get along. Those who couldn't manage to be civil to Campbell just left him alone. It didn't seem a coincidence that Campbell's temper had mellowed at the same time.

He didn't expect it to last. If there was one thing he'd noticed over the years, it was that his best behavior came and went on a regular basis. It's not like he ever stopped being what he was. ASPD, anxiety, depression, OCD, whatever people had going on in their heads, it didn't just disappear, even when things seemed better. It just meant people were coping. But it was still a break from the constant screaming inside his head, and the ever-present anger was just a dull simmer. He'd take it, even if it wasn't permanently gone.

Will passed out little cards to everyone, asking about dietary requirements. All anonymous. Elle managed to join Campbell for lunch, filling out her little card next to him. He let her peek over at his, and she let out a little hum. "I noticed that you didn't eat meat. When did you become vegetarian?"

"When I was little. Saw a dead animal, never got over it."

"At least we have someone who'll eat all the tofu we've got in the freezers."

"Yum, yum. Love me some bean curd." Campbell leaned over and kissed Elle lightly on the shoulder. "I did wanna ask you something. I saw you looking at the prom posters. Wanna go with me? It might be fun."

Elle's eyes brightened. "You want to take me to prom?"

"Of course I do."

"I thought you didn't like crowds?"

"Well, if it's for you, I can handle one evening of socializing."

The thought turned his stomach a little, but Elle let out a happy sound and tugged him into a tight hug; her curled his arms around her and breathed in her scent, smiling. He knew he wasn't a great person. He'd fucked up more times than he could count. But things were looking up, and he wanted Elle to be happy. If that meant a night of dressing up like a yuppie and swaying around to bad music, Campbell would suck it up for her.

He sneaked a look at one of her dresses that night when she was in the shower. Cassandra allowed the clean up crew to take one item they wanted or needed as payment for a job well done, so Campbell chose a royal blue dress from one of the fancy shops downtown. It was more revealing than anything else Elle had, but Campbell had seen the kind of magazines Elle read, and would see her fawning over the super skinny models with sexy clothes. Maybe she was just too scared to buy something like that for herself.

In all the way things were changing for the better, one thing had changed for the worse. Harry was ignoring Campbell. He'd ended up with dinner serving duty for the next three weeks; the algorithm was random, according to Gordie, but Campbell wondered if someone hadn't fudged it a little to teach Harry some humility. It didn't seem to be working. Instead, Harry was withdrawing into himself, and completely brushed past Campbell at dinner to go sit alone, slumped over and picking at his food.

Maybe most people didn't notice or care, but Cassandra picked up on it five or six days after the big argument. She tugged Campbell aside at lunch, crossing her arms over her chest. "What did you do to Harry? He's acting like he's been kicked."

"Ever considered maybe it's the fact that he went from being a rich pretty boy on his way to law school, to dishing out slop and having his home become the opening scene from Home Alone?"

"Seriously? That's it?"

"I told you some people were gonna take it hard, being forced to share spaces. We're not the only people here with problems, you know." Campbell glanced over to where Harry was sitting. Harry looked back at him for a split second, then turn away. "Some of us have lost more than others."

Cassandra pursed her lips. "I'm not changing the plan. If we run out of water or electricity, he's going to be in even worse shape."

"You asked. I answered."

"And that's really it?"

"Yeah," Campbell lied. "Yeah, that's it."

Cassandra didn't look convinced, but she let it drop. Thank fuck for that. Campbell didn't know what he was supposed to do. Their fight must have been part of the problem, considering Harry was avoiding him like the plague, but Campbell had been as nice as possible about it. And what did Harry expect, anyways? Right place, wrong time. It wasn't that Campbell had magically moved on. There was still a familiar longing in the back of his mind. At the end of the day, though, Campbell was going home to Elle. He was cooking snacks for Elle, playing Scrabble with Elle, practicing Spanish with her and listening to her sing in French while they cleaned the house. She didn't know Campbell's deep, dark secret, and she didn't ask; they just existed together, and damn it, Campbell was happy.

Sometimes you had to give up on one love, to keep another. Even if it hurt like hell.

Whatever heartache Campbell had left faded the night before prom. He folded the dress he'd gotten Elle up and placed it in a box, presenting it to her at dinner. "I hope it's okay," he said. "I kinda had to guess what you'd like."

"What's in it?"

"Just a little something for prom."

Elle perked up, pushing aside her dinner of lettuce and water to take the box. She lifted the lid and pulled the top of the dress out, her eyes going wide as she examined it. A light blush crossed her cheeks. "Oh! Campbell, I don't know if I can accept this."

"Don't worry, I didn't steal it or anything like that. I got it for cleaning up downtown. You don't like it?"

"No, I... I love it. I do, thank you."

Campbell took her hand and brushed his thumb across her skin. The stammer in her voice didn't lie. "There's something wrong."

"I really do like it. It's just..." Elle frowned. She squeezed his hand, looking over to the pile of plain lettuce on her plate. "I've been trying to lose some weight, and it shows a lot of skin. I don't know."

"There's nothing wrong with your body, Elle. You're gorgeous just the way you are."

"Say that to every major magazine."

"With the models who are airbrushed to convince you that you need to buy all sorts of expensive junk, and every other week there's some new bullshit miracle diet?"

"Campbell, that's not--"

He shook his head, cutting her off before she could defend those trashy rags. "Just try it on. If you don't like it, we can raid someone's closet and find something more conservative, but you deserve to feel as beautiful as I think you are."

"Fine." Elle leaned in and gave Campbell a chaste peck on his lips. Their first kiss. She smiled a little and pulled away, before Campbell could kiss her back. "Thank you. I guess I really would rather have a bagel with this."

"Then we shall go home and find you a bagel."

"And cream cheese?"

"Absolutely."

They got up and were heading towards the door when they passed by Harry's table. He was sitting with one of the majorly unpopular kids, whispering something about offering up his expensive cars in exchange for... something. Campbell paused. Trading workshifts? It was against the rules. It'd be easy enough to just let Harry go ahead, get caught, and get who knew what sort of punishment. But Campbell knew Harry wasn't just being lazy. He was struggling. Getting punished for having a hard time adjusting didn't seem right.

"Are you okay?" Elle asked.

"Yeah, I just need to talk to Harry. Can you go on ahead and I'll catch up to you?"

"Sure. I'll be outside."

The first kid had turned Harry down, so he'd moved on to some poor ginger who looked like he'd never had an ounce of fun in his life. "Move!" Campbell barked at him. The kid picked up and scrambled away without a single glance back. Harry glared at Campbell as he sat down, but Campbell barely blinked. Harry could just be mad about it. "What are you doing? Trying to get out of work is just going to make things worse for you."

"This is fucking humiliating," Harry snapped. "The others talk down to me like I'm a child, or haven't worked a day in my life. Nineteen people moved into my house and no one even bothered to see if they were people I'd get along with. They don't pick up after themselves, they make messes everywhere--"

"Hey, hey. Breathe. Let me talk to Cassandra about it after prom. Everyone will be in a better mood then."

"I don't care. I'm done."

"What do you mean?"

Harry opened his mouth, then shut it again. "Nothing. I didn't mean anything. I'm just frustrated, okay?"

It was a complete lie. Campbell knew exactly what Harry was talking about. "Come spend a couple days at my house. We have room. There's some food left, too. You can get some rest and I'll make us lunch. We can play some video games or something."

"I can't."

"Harry, c'mon. Don't do this to yourself."

"That house is all I have left of my family, Cam. Maybe you don't miss your parents, but I miss my mom. I miss my sister. I miss my..." Harry's voice cracked. He shook his head and curled in on himself. "I'll be okay. Just give me some time. Please."

Campbell sat down next to Harry. Harry sighed, but didn't move as Campbell leaned a little closer. "I can give you time, but listen to me. Remember when we first met as Cassandra's party?"

"Yeah, I do."

"You told me that you'd decide for yourself what I was like. You didn't care what anyone else said. Have I ever done you wrong, in all this time?"

"No. You haven't."

"Then do what I'm telling you now. You think I like picking up trash? Cleaning up after the fucks that were at your party, after they went all apeshit on the town? No. But you need to play it smart until we get back home. Understand?"

"Did Cassandra tell you to say that to me?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Cassandra and I are related. We share the common sense genes. I'd be telling you this either way."

Harry gave a hollow chuckle. "We're not gonna get home, you know. Something's wrong here. The committee of hers won't find anything. We fucked up, somehow, and now we're trapped."

"Then the smartest thing you can do is smile, nod, and try to get along. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Yeah. I get it. Must be the apocalypse, if you're getting all worried about me." Harry looked to Campbell. He smiled, just for a split second, before it faded again. "You better get going. I know Elle's waiting for you."

Well, that was a dismissal. Campbell stood and left; Elle was waiting for him under the trees, the fading summer light making shadows from the leaves dance across her skin. He was lucky. Damn lucky. That's what he had to focus on. They went home and Elle tried on the dress, keeping the door locked so he couldn't peek; she came out in her pajamas, with a bashful smile on her face.

"It fits," she said. "I'll wear it."

"Aw, I don't get to see?"

"You get to see tomorrow night."

Campbell pouted, but laughed when Elle grabbed his hand and tugged him into his room for a particularly ruthless game of Battleship. He lost twice, but it was worth it. Elle had a cute little way she'd smile when she got a hit, and she'd throw her fists up into the air when she won.

"I guess you win the night," Campbell said as he plucked the little red and white pegs from his board. "Unless you wanna make this next game winner takes all?"

"What does the winner get?"

"Whatever they want."

Elle tapped her index finger on her lips. "Hmm." Her eyes narrowed, and she seemed to regard him with hint of suspicion, but then she shrugged and picked up her board. "I'll take that bet."

Sucked for her, because Campbell won the last round. Elle groaned and pretended to flip her board, before flopping backwards onto the bed. Campbell smirked. "Do you concede?"

"Never." Elle peered over at him. "What do you want for your prize, if I did?"

"Maybe you could stay with me tonight?"

"Just sleeping?"

"Just sleeping."

He didn't want to be alone. Not after all the shit with Harry. Not that he'd admit to it, because he was trying to ignore it and trying not to look like a fool in front of Elle, but it struck a nerve he hadn't felt take a hit in a long time. He hated having useless emotions. And in situations like the one they were in, pining over your best friend when you had someone who liked you already was about as useless an emotion as you could get.

"Okay, but I get breakfast in bed tomorrow."

"Deal."

Campbell waited until Elle bounced off to take a shower, and then texted Dillon. He was a member of the committee, so Cassandra must have trusted him a little, and he was one of the least offensive people who was living in Harry's home. Hey, can you keep an eye on Harry? He's not talking to me and I need someone to call me if anything's wrong.

Sure I can do that, Dillon texted back.

Thanks. Drumming his fingers on the phone, Campbell opened his texts and scrolled down to Harry's messages. I was serious about everything I've said, okay? If you need me, call.

There was no reply. Campbell hadn't expected one, but he hoped it was because Harry was pissed still and not because Harry had gone and done something terrible. It was tempting to just go over there. He should have, he knew he should have, but Elle was standing in the doorway of his room in her cutest pajamas with a little smile on her face. It was late, and Campbell didn't want to run out on Elle. If something was wrong, Dillon would call.

Elle turned out the lights and curled up with Campbell in bed. resting her head on his shoulder. He drifted off first. The last thing he remembered was her kissing his temple, and tugging the blankets up around him. When he woke up the next morning, Elle was sleeping on his arm, and he couldn't feel his fingers. Campbell managed to wiggle loose without waking her up. A quick glance at his phone revealed no new messages, no calls. He sighed. Maybe no news was good news after all.

Breakfast in bed was the last of the eggs, done up as an omelette with cheese and the a scrap of ham that needed to be eaten before it went bad. Campbell stared at the inside of the fridge. Soon, they would have no choice but to just go to the cafeteria for all their meals. All that would be left soon was the stuff in the freezer or in tubs. Emergency provisions. If things went sideways and no one managed to figure out food, he didn't trust most of the populace to make sure he and Elle survived.

"Hey," Elle yawned as she came down the stairs. "That smells good."

Campbell closed the fridge and tried to look as cheerful as possible. "Morning. I thought you wanted breakfast in bed?"

"Kinda, but I wanted to come help more. Want me to make coffee?"

"Sure."

Watching her pad around the kitchen and make coffee was a joy in and of itself. She yawned again, rubbing her eyes and running a hand through her tussled hair. Campbell grinned as she loaded up the coffee pot and zoned out watching it. Precious. She was precious. There weren't many people that he'd felt he would do anything to defend-- Sam, Cassandra, Harry-- but he knew right at that moment that whatever happened in the future, he would do whatever it took to make sure she was okay.

She caught him staring. "What's wrong?"

Campbell opened his mouth, words right on the tip of his tongue. You're beautiful. You're important to me. I think I... But then his phone buzzed in his pocket. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just glad we both like dark roast."

"Drink of the gods."

He murmured an agreement as he pulled out his phone and checked the messages. He paused, blinked. It was from Sam. It was short and to the point, which was unlike Sam. Can I come over? Campbell frowned. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Sam. He wanted to. But what did Sam want? More of his things? Maybe he was worried Campbell had gotten rid of stuff. Who knew what shit their parents had convinced Sam that Campbell could, or would, capable of.

Campbell replied, curiosity getting the better of him. What time?

Now, came Sam's answer.

Okay. See you soon.

"Who's that?" Elle wondered as Campbell tossed the phone onto the counter.

"Sam. He's coming over in a few minutes."

"Oh? Is everything okay?"

Campbell shrugged, stroking Elle's shoulder as he walked towards the front door. "He probably just forgot something he needed or has something from Cassandra. I'm sure everything's fine."

Either way, he was about to find out.

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beaniebaneenie · 3 years

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Ectober 2021, Day 1: Trick

Over My Dead Body

Ch 1: Trick

It’s a bit late, but enjoy Ectober21′s Day 1, “Trick”. This is the start of Part 3 in the Friendly Neighborhood Cryptid series!

Warnings: migraine, dynamic disability, description of migraine symptoms, references to emotional abuse

Danny hated the migraines every time they happened, but he really hated having one on the days when his metabolism was on the fast end- because on those days, his body ate through any pain medication before it could start to work. He just had to power through, and if one more person today told him to try yoga or go on whatever the latest fad diet was, he wasn’t sure he could hold back the ectoblast he’d been itching to let loose since he clocked in.

His twenty-first birthday present to himself had been getting a job- every day after high school graduation had come with his parents pressuring him more and more to join the “family business”, and Danny had no desire to be around anti-ghost weapons any more than was strictly necessary. And having a back-up personal savings account wasn’t bad either. His parents were certainly well-off, but just in case he ever needed to run… just in case he ever came clean about the accident, and they turned on him.

Danny sighed. He’d been here at the public library's information desk for five years, and even though it was only part time, most days he loved it. There was plenty of time to read whatever he wanted, and even to research requirements for local community college admission. But on his bad migraine days? These days – like today – where every minute under the fluorescent lights and recycled air and whine of the building’s circulation system was torture, he hated it. He would have called off, but there’d been a nasty poltergeist in the east wing last month and four of the other docents had quit the next day, and Danny couldn’t bear to let the library down. They needed him, and he couldn't say no.

He looked at his watch. Only another hour before he got to go back home. Where it was quiet and dark. Jazz would know it was a bad day, she always did. He wasn’t sure how she did it, but she always seemed to know before he walked in the door, and was usually ready with a cold compress and his favorite hoodie.

Fifty-eight minutes.

He groaned. It couldn’t only have been two minutes… except it was. Feeling like he wanted to cry, Danny buried his forehead in the crook of his arm and laid his head on the cool desk. The biggest trick the accident had played on him was using his powers to hide the other side effects. The migraines. The chronic pain from constantly re-growing bones and internal tissue. And these days, he was having to put more effort into appearing normal… appearing human, which meant chronic fatigue. The nerve damage that sometimes made it unbearable to be touched. The PTSD that made even static shock bad enough to trigger a panic attack. The-

“-mister?”

Danny jerked his head up to see- nothing. He saw nothing. He took a deep breath, wondering how to get a ghost outside, because he really didn’t want to destroy any books.

“’Scuse me, mister?”

Danny shook his head, and then leaned forward, looking over the big desk to see a little girl with coke bottle glasses staring back at him, twisting one toe of her sneakers on the floor, nervous but clearly determined. His head was throbbing from the lights and even from the sudden movement, but this little girl needed his help. This was his job. He could do this.

“Well, hey there,” he said, keeping his voice soft and hoping whatever he was doing with his face was a smile instead of the grimace it felt like. “What can I do for you?”

“I need a dinosaur book,” she said, then her eyes got big. “Please!” she added. “I’m s’posed ta say please I need a dinosaur book.”

She couldn’t have been more than five, and despite the fact that his vision was starting to get fuzzy at the edges, Danny smiled. “Well, you came to the right place. My name’s Danny… will you tell me yours?”

“I’m Suzie!”

_-_-_-_-_

It felt like forever, but Danny laughed and smiled and led Suzie to the right section. He found her a pop-up book about “veggie-soars”, and helped her check it out under the elementary school’s account. And since she said ‘please’, he made sure she got two stickers. She threw her arms around him and ground his knees together in a tight squeeze of a hug, and Danny grit his teeth and smiled, thanking her, because he didn’t trust any power not to leak out his hands if he hugged her back.

Thankfully, the last twenty minutes of his shift were relatively silent and uninterrupted, and he was able to hit the alley to transform. It sent another throbbing wave through his head, but he went both invisible and intangible to make the flight back to FentonWorks faster. This way, his top speed was well over 200mph.

He didn’t bother with the front door- that way lay parents and fifteen minutes of small talk about how his shift was (that were often only backhanded attempts to get him to quit and spend his days in the lab), and he didn’t have the energy for it. Stripping to his boxers, he pulled his blackout curtains closed and slid under his comforter.

Another minute later, his door opened and he smelled Jazz’ perfume.

“Hey there, little brother.”

Danny attempted a greeting, but only a soft whimper came out.

“Shh, it’s okay.” Her voice washed over him like velvet, and she carefully lay an ice pack across his forehead. “I’m here, Danny. Let me take care of you.”

“But-”

“No ‘but’s. I’m your big sister, it’s my job. And I never mind doing it,” she said, cutting off his next protest. “I talked to Mom and Dad-”

“They want me to quit?”

“Well, yes. But that’s not your problem. Especially not today. I told them someone reported a class three apparition over by the ballpark.”

Danny frowned, trying weakly to push himself up. “I should-”

“No, you shouldn’t. I made it up.”

“You lied?”

Jazz scoffed quietly. “It’s only a lie if they have a right to know. And I knew you’d need them out of the house when you got home.”

Danny fumbled around a bit in the dark until his hand found hers and he gave it a squeeze.

“Love you too, Danny. Got your back.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“I’ll stay here tonight, in case you need anything. My plants’ll be fine for one night without me. Don’t even,” Jazz argued. “My apartment’s halfway across town, it’s not close enough if you need help.”

She leaned down and kissed his hair. “You get some rest, okay? There’s a bottle of water and a protein bar on your nightstand if you wake up and get hungry.”

“You’re my favorite sister.”

“I’m your only sister, you nerd.”

“See? You could have been my least favorite.”

“Go to sleep.” Jazz gave his shoulder another squeeze, closing the door behind her and leaving Danny in the dark.

He hated days like this, but somehow, knowing that Jazz was still willing to help him, to be there for him? That she knew the cause, and hadn’t abandoned him? That was enough to help him get through all of it.

#danny phantom #friendly neighborhood cryptid #ectoberhaunt 2021 #ectoberhaunt trick #ectoberhaunt #ectober #cj writes

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fanaticfangirl001 · 4 years

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The Life and Times of Wisteria Lucretia Malfoy Ch 1: My Petal

Wisteria Lucretia Malfoy is many things to many people, a doting daughter to her mother, an annoyance to her older, by two minutes,brother Draco, and her father finds her as useful as a wooden cauldron but nevertheless loves her. She closes her book and shuffles out of bed to put on her slippers. Wis grabs her reading candle and softly opens her door. The family clock reads that it's a quarter past midnight. Tomorrow is the big day. Draco and she will be at Hogwarts. Wisteria steps out of her room, down the hall, makes three right turns and two left ones until she is at a large oak door with a dragon carved into it. She sees the light coming from behind the door. Father is still awake which means maybe he could answer her question.

Wisteria takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. Leaning against the door she hears papers being shifted around and finally the door opens.

“Petal, why are you still awake?” Lucius looks her over and sees the lack of sleep in her eyes.

“I couldn’t sleep. Can I come in?”

Lucius gestures towards the jade velvet couch in front of the dark wooden desk.

“Is there something on your mind?” He asks rearranging the papers back to how he had them before he was interrupted.

Wisteria sits on the couch, her eyes begin to water, her breathing gets shallow, and her voice wavers.

“Petal.” Lucius quickly sits beside his daughter and rubs her back. “ What’s the matter?”

“Would you still l-love me if I weren’t in Sl-Slytherin?” She buries her head in her father’s chest.

“Of course, petal. '' Lucius tilts her head up.

“Really?” Wisteria wipes her eyes with her sleeve.

“Yes, I remember the first time you did magic.” Lucius reminisce

“What did I do?” She sniffles.

“You made flowers bloom out of your ears.”

“Is that why I’m named after a flower.” Wis begins to calm down.

“Yes, was there anything else on your mind?”

“What if people don’t like me?” She asks.

“You’re a Malfoy, that won’t happen. Besides it shouldn’t matter what those less than you think.” Lucius shifts and turns to face his daughter.

“And what if I don’t have friends?” Wis counters.

“You have Draco. You will always have a brother to confide in.” Lucius stands and walks towards the door.

“That makes me feel a little better.” Wisteria follows Lucius to the door.

“Better enough to get to bed. You have a big day tomorrow.” Lucius swishes his wand and the candle in the office goes out.

“I think so.” Wisteria says.

Lucius walks his youngest child to her room and peels back the duvet. Wisteria lays down and her father drops the blanket.

“Good night petal.” Lucius says. He puts down the candle on her night stand and sees one of his missing books.

“I’ll be taking this.” He grabs the book and leaves with a reason to believe that all of his twenty-seven missing books on magical laws are somewhere in his daughter’s room.

“Wake up my precious petal.” Narcissa lightly shakes her daughter awake.

The sunlight fills the room as the curtains open.

“Good morning.” Wisteria yawns lazily looking up at her mother. She tosses off the lavender duvet and stretches.

Her wardrobe opens and her mother switches through the clothes with her wand searching for something perfect for the train ride. Something stylish but comfortable.

“Mother, I can pick out my own clothes.” Wisteria swishes her wand and the bed begins making itself.

“I know, petal, but it has to be perfect. Here.” Narcissa hands over dark grey pants and a lilac peasant blouse with long sleeves and a high neck. “Sit.” She pats on the bed.

Wisteria sits down but privately thinks her mother is going overboard. Narcissa brushes her daughters hair and begins forming a bun. After the bun is formed she begins twisting the braids using the remaining long strands around it forming a dragon egg like effect. This hairstyle being the newest fad among traditional pureblood women, popularized by the wife of Cornelius Fudge, the newly appointed Minister of Magic.

“Everyone will be jealous.” Narcissa puts the dragon engraved hairsticks in on the top and bottom of the egg. She hands Wisteria a hand mirror to see it.

“It looks great mum.” Wisteria smiles trying to get rid of any negative thoughts.

“I’ve been thinking since this is a special occasion, I want you to have this.” Narcissa hands her a small pot of raspberry tinted lip salve.

“But you and father said no makeup until third year.” Wisteria pockets the small pot.

“That still stands but you can use this to give your lips some tint.” Narcissa spins Wisteria into the mirror. “Put some on and then join us for breakfast.”

Narcissa leaves her daughter to go downstairs to breakfast. Lucius and Draco are already eating. Lucius drinking tea and reading the paper, the front page story is about the inauguration of Cornelius Fudge. The table is full of sausages, eggs, bacon, fruits, pastries, and breads.

Wisteria stands in front of the mirror and carefully applies the salve with a brush. Then she blots off the extra with a tissue just like she’s watched her mother do when getting ready for parties. She ties her silk scarf around her head to keep the beautiful dragon inspired updo from getting ruined on the train ride.

Wis goes over to her jewelry box and puts on her rings, starting with her family ring, she wears it on her left hand on her ring finger. Next to it she places her newest ring, a Kraken, Wisteria continues with the addition of each ring until she runs out of fingers.

She checks herself in the mirror and heads downstairs. Wisteria slips into her chair and takes a piece of toast, a scoop of eggs and a slice of bacon. Happily munching on her toast she listens to her father going on about the ministry and the gossip he’s heard at a few get-togethers. Draco nudges her.

“What?” She asks.

“Don’t embarrass me in front of my friends.” Draco reminds.

“I wasn’t planning on it, until you put the idea in my head.” Wisteria laughs.

“Don’t.” Draco snarls.

“Draco, be nice to your sister, and Wisteria don’t tease your brother.” Narcissa says after a sip of her tea. “On the train, you two are to stick together. Who knows what sort of rift raft Hogwarts is letting in now. “Lucius puts down the paper.

“Do you think we might learn about dragons?” Wisteria finishes off her toast and eggs.

“Not until third year, petal.” Lucius dashes her hopes.

“What?” Wisteria nearly chokes on her bacon. She was looking forward to learning more about dragons or any creatures.

While Lucius had many books on Wizarding Law in his library, he had very few on dragons or any other creature, much to his daughter’s dismay. She had only a brief knowledge on dragon species but the few she knew she was an expert in.

“Care of Magical Creatures is a subject for third years and above.” Lucius explains.

“That’s not very fair.” Wis says upset.

“Those creatures are dangerous.” Narcissa decides to help her husband.

“You will learn more practical things than dragons.Perhaps Defense Against The Dark Arts might teach you a few things about creatures.” Lucius comforts his daughter. “Besides there’s a library I’m sure you can find books on dragons.”

“Could I start my own library in my room?” Wisteria asks, knowing her father is tired of having books disappear from his study.

“Of course, during Christmas Break, you can pick out the books you want.” Lucius answers going back to his paper.

“Draco what are you excited for?” Narcissa asks, seeing as Draco’s never this quiet.

“Seeing my friends. Flying classes.” Draco answers.

“Speaking of friends, Gloria Notts, volunteered her son, Theodore, to show you two around the Slytherin common room.” Narcissa smiles fixing Wisteria’s hair. “Just so you two know someone in the house.”

“No need, they’re self-starters.They can find their own way around Hogwarts.” Lucius argues.

“It’s not that they need it, it’s just in case.” Narcissa retorts.

“We should get going.” Lucius looks at his pocket watch.

Lucius rests his hand on Wisteria’s shoulder as Narcissa does the same Draco, as they stand to the side as the scarlet engine comes to a slow stop.

“If you need anything only write.” Lucius whispers to his daughter.

“Same goes for you.” Narcissa adds to Draco.

Lucius hands over the cage for a large Blakiston Fish owl to Wisteria.

It took little begging from Wisteria to actually purchase the bird. He figured the growing size of the owl would account for further distance travel and if his daughter did succeed in her quest for knowledge about dragons she would indeed see herself in Romania. He would expect regular correspondence. Narcissa on the other hand, upon seeing the size of the owl nearly fainted.

“Ready for Hogwarts, Cilia.” Wisteria says carrying her trunk and cage.

Cilia did not answer but Wisteria took her silence for enthusiasm. Narcissa hands Draco his eagle owl’s cage and trunk.

Draco lets his sister enter the train first and pick a compartment. Wisteria enters first and runs to the first open compartment and sets Cilia down to put her trunk under the seat. Draco follows his sister and huffs at her speed. She sits down on the seat.

“You could attempt to act poised.” Draco sets his owl cage on the hook intended for that use and puts his trunk under his seat. “ I’m going to look for Crabbe and Goyle.”

“Good luck.” Wisteria calls out to him.

Wisteria jumps a little when the shrill sound of the whistle blows and the train begins to move. Left alone by her brother she peeks out the compartment door seeing older students enthusiastically greet each other and talk outside the doors. Looking further towards the front of the train, she sees her brother in a confrontation with three others: a brunette with puffy hair, a dark haired boy and a redhead whom she recognized from his hair and hand-me-down clothes as a Weasley. She wasn’t sure which one as the patriarch of the Weasley’s, Arthur, had several children. But she remembered her father disliked the Weasley’s for being blood traitors, the worst kind of wizard. Lucius often told his children that curiosity about the other breed often provides fatal consequences. His favorite way of teaching this moral was by telling stories.

Wisteria remembers her father’s bedtime stories, The Witch and The Man. How the dastard muggle seduced a poor unsuspecting witch. She trusted him and when the time had come, he was her undoing. The tale’s accompanying song always sent Wisteria into her father’s arms in tears. She had never met Arthur Weasley but she had no intention of meeting a wizard so dedicated to the destruction of the wizarding kind. Wisteria was brought out of her thoughts by Draco slamming the door closed after Crabbe and Goyle entered with their things. They roughly shoved their things around nearly knocking over Cilia’s cage. Wisteria catches the cage and softly rubs Cilia’s head to comfort her.

“I wasn’t aware I’d be sharing the compartment with a pack of Ogres.” Wisteria snaps glaring at the two of them for scaring her owl.

“Sorry, Wisteria.” Goyle looks down guiltily. The only reason Goyle apologizes is because he needs to remain on her good side.

“Yeah we didn’t mean to scare her. Is she new?” Crabbe asks.

“Yes, she’s new and all mine. Draco has his over there.” Wisteria gestures to Draco’s owl, which they’ve seen from letters over the summer.

“Are you two excited for sorting?” Wis opens the package from Narcissa that contains a full teapot of piping hot tea with four sets of cups and plates. The accompanying treats for afternoon tea are in what looks to be a hat box tied up with lilac ribbons.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it.” Goyle pulls out the table from the wall so Wisteria can put the tea pot down.

“Well it doesn’t have to be. You could go anywhere.” Wisteria counters putting the tea pot down.

“Oh like Hufflepuff would suit us.” Crabbe laughs.

Draco and Goyle follow suit.

“Well I’m excited, and hope you two get what you want.” Wisteria places a cup in front of Crabbe and Goyle, then Draco, then herself.

She pours a cup of tea for Crabbe then Goyle. Wis hands the tea pot to Draco and he pours her a cup before helping himself.

Draco pulls out the second box and pulls out a several layered tray of treats. The lowest level holds sandwiches. The flavors range from a spicy horntail spread, which is Wisteria and Goyle’s favorite, to Cheese and Apple which is Draco’s and Crabbe’s favorite. The next level has everyone’s favorite currant scones with a lemon curd. The top level has an assortment of pastries from a French Veela owned bakery that Narcissa commissioned the treats from, and also made their wedding cake.

“Flying should be fun.” Wisteria says through her favorite sandwich.

“Would you actually try out for a team?” Draco looks at his sister surprised, she was never interested in broom sports.

Wisteria preferred fencing, while Lucius made sure to teach her the basics of dueling: the form, traditions, and unwritten rules. This honor traditionally went to the child’s godparent, but with special circumstances, the father could step in. Her special circumstance happened to be her godmother, Bellatrix, is unfortunately currently serving a sentence in Azkaban. Though she promised her sister that she would make up for lost time with Wisteria.

“No, I’ll leave the hospital wing to you. You know how many times Father got hurt playing.” Wisteria polishes off her sandwiches and grabs a scone with the most visible currants on it.

“Well if we get hurt then maybe you could visit us.” Crabbe says through a sandwich.

“Don’t hold your breath.” Draco adds, “ You two are my friends, she doesn’t have any.”

Wisteria takes a napkin and wraps up a few pastries.

“Where are you going?” Goyle asks.

“Going to make friends, I’ll have better friends than this lot.”Wisteria stands up with her bundles.

“Go on then.” Draco opens the door for her calling her bluff.

Wisteria walks out the door, and down the hall slowly getting her bearings. The seventh years probably wouldn’t want to befriend her, maybe she could find a third year or a fifth year. Someone of substance, and has brains. The train suddenly picks up speed and Wisteria is thrown into a tall redheaded boy with a shiny prefect P badge.

“Are you alright?” He asks.

“I’m so sorry..I didn’t mean to..” Wisteria starts to ramble off an apology.

“First year?” Percy picks up the bundled pastries and hands them back to her.

Wisteria nods.

“And your reason for roaming the train?” Percy asks, pulling out a notepad.

“Am I in trouble? I just wanted to make some friends because my brother’s being a prat.” Wisteria looks as though she may start crying. All she wanted to do was prove her brother wrong. She could make friends, she had to.

“Understandable, I have a brother who’s in his first year. You two might get along, follow me. “ Percy puts the notepad back in his pocket.

“That would be lovely, thank you, um.” Wisteria follows him.

“Percy Weasley,” He turns back to make sure she’s keeping up.

Weasley. The man her father had discussed multiple instances at breakfast. He never had anything good to say about the man, but one of his sons at least seemed nice. What if this was a trap, to doom her just like the bedtime story.

“I’m Wisteria Malfoy.” She looks up at him to gauge a reaction to her surname. Reactions tended to vary depending on a few factors like allegiance, and blood purity.

Percy’s face held still, no clear reaction to her name. He knew of her father mostly through Arthur’s few stories after dinner, but Molly would scold him if these disagreements were inappropriate to speak about in front of children.

He knocks on the door, and leans against it to hear Ron shuffling about to get to the door.

“Coming.” A voice says and the door slides open.

It’s the same brunette, redhead, and dark haired boy that Draco had a disagreement with. Wisteria stood with her back straight, and chest out, summoning what little confidence she had and feigned the rest.

“What, Percy?” The redhead said looking up towards his brother.

“This is Wisteria, may she join you three.” Percy asks.

Wisteria gives a small wave from behind Percy.

Ron looks back at the two in the compartment.

“Sure.” says the dark headed boy.

“Let her in, Ron.” says the brunette.

Perhaps she wanted another girl to join them. Wisteria sits down beside Hermione and the compartment door closes behind her.

“I’m sorry about my brother.” Wisteria says not meeting the redhead’s eyes.

“ Malfoy, that’s your brother.” Ron’s eyes widen. “Yes, and from what Percy told me you’re a Weasley and his brother.” Wisteria nods.

“I’ve got loads besides him. “ Ron adds,” There’s Bill, Charlie, George, Fred, and I have a little sister, Ginny.”

“How prolific, is it terribly loud.” To Wisteria, the two Weasley’s she’s met haven’t been so bad, maybe her father was exaggerating.

“You get used to it.” Ron shrugs. The hustle and bustle of outside the train compartments remind him of home especially in the summers with everyone home.

Wisteria recognizes the dark haired boy as Harry Potter, she heard stories about him from her father, again nothing positive. She smiles sadly at him then turns to the brunette girl.

“Do you have any siblings?” Wisteria asks.

“No, it’s just me, mum, and dad.” Hermione answers.

“Oh, what do they do?” She tries to make conversation.

“They’re dentists.” Hermione says.

“Dentist?” Wisteria repeats, “ What is a dentist?”

“ A doctor for teeth, do wizards not..” Hermione trails off as Wisteria’s confusion turns to concern.

“ Are your parents..muggles?” Wisteria whispers, as if being a muggle is a horribly embarrassing condition.

“ You don’t have to whisper, and yes my parents are muggles. Is that a problem?” Hermione says confused by her reaction.

“It’s not my problem, but it is odd.” Wisteria states.

“Why?”

“Because muggles don’t like magical persons. They kill or disown them because they are ashamed of magic.” Wisteria repeats something her father always reminded her.

“That’s not true.” Ron says.

“I’ve heard plenty of stories of witches burned, drowned, and in the states even crushed to death by stones. Poor Giles Corey.” Wisteria recounts the tales of unfortunate wizards. “Well my parents are different.” Hermione defends her parents.

“I should hope so,” Wisteria smacks her forehead then adds, “Where are my manners? What are your names?

“Hermione Granger.” Hermione says unsure about Wisteria.

“Harry Potter.” The dark haired boy says, Wisteria was right, he was the Chosen One.

“Does it hurt? The scar? It looks like it would.” Wisteria asks when Harry messes with his bangs revealing the scar.

“Sometimes.” Harry answers.

“Have you tried chewing on a dittany leaf? It helps with the pain.” Wisteria suggests,” Once my brother tried to push me off a broom and I stayed on but scraped my leg and my mother rubbed dittany lotion on it.”

Wisteria looks down to see Hermione staring at her hands, more specifically the multiple rings.

“ Pretty, huh. My mother buys me one every birthday. This year is a Kraken, my father has the same ring, and when I get married, he gives the ring to my husband.” She explains.

Hermione’s confused face lets Wisteria continue.

“It’s an old pureblood tradition. The creature represents traits that my father wants my future husband to possess.”

“And the Kraken represents?” Harry asks.

“Powerful magic and everlasting love.” Wisteria flips her hand over so the boys could see the ring.

“What about other creatures?” Hermione opens a book she brought with her, Hogwarts: A History.

“Dragon, Phoenix, Pixies, Sphinx, anything really. Those are the most common.” Wisteria rubs her Kraken ring with her thumb.

“It looks cool. I like the eyes.” Ron adds.

“It’s a piece of real Kraken eye.” Wisteria informs holding out her hand so he can see the reflective eye.

“Krakens are real.” Harry looks over confused.

“Yes, aquatic reservations are everywhere in Norway. I’ve never been to one, since Draco hates the cold.” Wisteria folds her hands back into her lap.

“My brother Charlie, works at a dragon reservation in Romania.” Ron says through a mouthful of sandwich.

“Real dragons...up close.” Wisteria sits up a little straighter at the mention of her favorite creature.

“ Very close,last summer he got a bad burn, but he’s okay now. “ Ron continues eating.

“Was it because of breeding season aggressiveness?” Wisteria starts thumbing through her book.

“Oh he didn’t say, but mum was upset. She wanted him to come home.” Ron crumples up his sandwich bag.

Wisteria looks out the window at the dark hills leading up to the Hogwarts’ castle.

“I’ll be back, I just have to check on Draco.” She leaves the compartment quickly, leaving behind a confused trio.

“At least she’s nicer than Draco.” Hermione breaks the silence after Wisteria leaves.

“She’s okay. A bit nutty about dragons.” Ron agrees.

Wisteria opens the train compartment door.

“There you are, I made friends.” She leans on the door.

“And are they better than mine.” Draco gestures to Crabbe and Goyle.

“Yes.” Wisteria says without hesitation.

Draco sighs then adds “Father told me to look out for you.”

“I assumed as much. You don’t have to.” Wisteria says.

“Father, won’t like that, and I’m your brother. I’m supposed to.” Draco packs up the tea set and sweets wrappers.

“ And if we aren’t in the same house?” Wisteria asks.

” You don’t think you’ll be in Slytherin.” Draco looks up quizzically.

“It’s a possibility.” Wisteria shrugs, trying not to look too nervous.

“ You’d be a disappointment.” Draco says flatly.

” No I won’t. “ Wisteria says quickly,” Father said I wouldn’t.”

“Maybe he lied.” Draco suggests.

“He wouldn’t lie to his petal.” Wisteria defends.

Grow up.” Draco rolls his eyes before pushing past her.

Wisteria rejoins the trio trying not to let herself be upset by her brother’s lies. She rubs at her rings looking unsure herself as the four of them board the boats.

“Something wrong, Wisteria?” Harry asks.

“Nothing, just nerves.” Wisteria shakes her head.

“Did you know that the Great Lake houses mermaids?”

” According to my mother, the Slytherin common room is the best place for mermaid watching. She even learned merspeak from them. I’m not fluent but I could hold a conversation. “ Wisteria answers letting herself be distracted from her thoughts.

Ron dips his hand in the lake and brings it back in the boat quickly splashing Wisteria, too many of Hermione’s fun facts were going to make his head spin.

“Ron.Stop. “Percy calls out trying to scold his brother.

Ron’s cheek glow red and feel warm to the touch. Wisteria can’t help but laugh at him getting scolded.

““Are you hoping for Slytherin?” Ron asks, wiping his hand on his robes.

” I don’t know. That’s where my whole family has been.” Wisteria rubs her hands again.

“Everyone in my family has been in Gryffindor. But we don’t know about Ginny yet. She’s too young to be sorted.” Ron pulls out a piece of licorice and nibbles on it.

” What do you think, Hermione?” Wisteria turns to Hermione. ” I think that any house would welcome any of us.” Hermione smiles trying to help Wisteria stop fidgeting.

“Harry?” Wisteria looks towards him.

” The castle is huge.” Harry stares above Wisteria’s head since she’s and Hermione are the ones backwards in the boat.

“ Oh Godric it is.” Wisteria breathes as she turns around to see the castle across the lake.

The first years are gathered by a tall older woman dressed in green velvet cloak with a stern looking face. “I am Professor McGonagal, before you join the other students at the feast you must be sorted. Follow me, to the Great Hall.”

Wisteria walks besides Hermione as Harry follows Ron. Once inside the Great Hall, Wisteria nudges Hermione and points upward at the night sky inside.

“It’s not really the ceiling. It’s just bewitched to look like the night sky. I read about it in Hogwarts: A History.” Hermione says matter of factly.

”It’s beautiful. I want father to bewitch our ceilings now.” Wisteria can’t stop looking up at the ceiling and watching the flames flicker.

Professor McGonagal walks onto the stage in front of the other professors and headmaster. “ Wait along here please. Now before we begin Professor Dumbledore would like to say a few words.”

A tall, thin, older man with silver hair and beard begins to speak, his blue eyes flash with sincerity, “ The first years please note that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students. Also our caretaker Mr.Filch, has asked me to remind you that the third floor corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds to everyone that does not wish to die a most painful death.”

Wisteria sees Harry’s face contort to a look of confusion and slight fear, what kind of a school is this.

“Don’t worry, Harry.” Wisteria squeezes his shoulder,” Hogwarts is plenty safe, or no one would send their kids.”

“Thanks.” Harry smiles.

Ron nods in agreement. Professor McGonagal unfurls a roll of parchment.

” Now when I call your name. You will come up and I will place the sorting hat on your head, and you will be sorted into your houses.” Professor McGonagall says “Hermione Granger.”

Hermione walks up mumbling to herself about calming down, the hat is placed on her head. After a moment the hat begins to speak“ Right, Right then, Okay, Gryffindor.”

Wisteria rubs her rings nervously. What if Draco was right and their father lied to her about still being proud of her if she isn’t in Slytherin. Perhaps Draco should just kindly mind his business and but out of her’s. But he’s family, so he must know something. Perhaps if Wisteria asks Professor Hat to be slytherin that she will be obliged considering her legacy status.

” Draco Malfoy.” McGonagall calls next.

Draco confidently walks up to the chair and sits. Professor McGongal sets the hat on his head, The hat quickly makes its decision, “ Slytherin!”

“ Wisteria Malfoy.” She reads from the parchment.”

Wisteria feels her legs turn to jelly. She slowly makes her away in front of the stool. Wisteria’s foot missteps and the stoll goes tumbling to the ground with a loud thud. A few snickers begin at the Slytherin table.

Professor McGonagall picks up the chair. “Please sit.”

Wisteria sits on the stool and the hat is placed on her head. She takes a deep breath to compose her thoughts.

“Excellent, another Malfoy.” The hat says.

“I have a request, Mr.- Professor Hat.” Wisteria thinks.

“What is your request, child?” The hat asks.

“I want to be in Slytherin. So I don’t disappoint my family.”

“ You won’t be happy in Slytherin.” The hat speaks.

“ It’s not about my happiness. It’s about my family.” Wisteria argues quietly.

” You’d sacrifice your own happiness for your family.” The hat asks.

I’d do anything for those dearest to my heart.” Wisteria admits softly.

“I’ve heard enough. “ The hat ponders her request and after a moment.

“Huffflepufff!” The hat screams.

The Slytherin table is in shocked silence. There has never been a Malfoy in another house than Slytherin, much less Hufflepuff. No one knows whether to celebrate this or jeer at her as she passes them. Her heart is racing as fast as her thoughts. Wisteria runs out of the Great Hall trying to keep from crying in front of everyone She throws herself beside a potted plant and tucks her arms and legs to her chest and lets herself sob quietly. If she could she would never come out of her hiding place.

#harry potter imagines #harry potter oc #OC- Wisteria Lucretia Malfoy #eventual Ron Weasley x OC #Ron Weasley imagine

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jasenet · 4 years

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200816 | #s-kitchen

( image cover. ) — location: seraph house.

CH: there’s a number of bowls and ingredients laid out in front of them. too much that chase can’t decide where to start first and so he relies on julian, looking over to him as he, at the very least, cuts up some of the strawberries he’s washed as further preparation for whatever they start with. “are you hungry now? we could make something quick first. smoothies can be filling! we’ll just add, um . . . it’s called chi . . . chi-something seeds? i think it’s chia.” chase hums, setting the knife down and tapping his chin. “they’re good for you and have lots of fiber for how small they are!” picking up one of the strawberries, he bites into it, glad that the darker red ones they chose did end up tasting rather sweet and he holds up another for julian to take.

JN: When Chase expresses concern for him, well, he can't say he's hungry. He'd be the last to eat if it weren't for the hierarchy and a particular beta glaring at him from across the room to do so. But his hesitation seems to benefit more than not when smoothies are suggested, to which he promptly nods his head in a definitive 'yes'. He hums, certain he's had chia seeds at least once before. "Lots of fiber, lots of protein—though not as much as you'd get from red meat, of course. Nutritious in vitamins as well, particularly in—" He blinks himself back into reality. That is, the reality of a kitchen rather than a medical room. That, coupled by the fact that Chase is holding out a strawberry for him makes him unable to meet his gaze, quietly taking it and nibbling on it. "Yes, let's make smoothies. Please." He says as he hangs his head.

CH: "what kind of vitamins?" he asks, having only heard about chia seeds from one of his friends back when he sang more often. she loved fad diets though this one seemed to stick for her and he was happy for her, no matter how much he followed her around backstage singing songs of positive reinforcement of not needing to change and being perfect as one is. maybe he should do the same for julian. trying to hide the disappointment that he couldn't feed julian like how the lota fed the bunny from when they picked the strawberries, he grins, reaching out to pat their head. "what are your favorite fruits? oh, maybe we should add veggies too... but i can never put enough to hide the taste. can you?" then again, maybe that's because they're wolves. heightened senses and all.

JN: He puffs out his cheeks at first as his gaze wanders here and there. "Vitamin B. 1, 2, and 3." He emphasizes the numbers with his fingers, far too used to now, and if he's honest, he misses it. It's not all bad, though. Julian recognizes that he relied so much on sign language because he couldn't speak to anyone freely and properly. However, now he has quite a few, including the wonderful omega in front of him. He throws the pedicel away, and only comes back standing even closer to Chase than before — albeit leaning against the counter more as well. "Oh, lots of fruits. Bananas, mangoes, melons, apples... Anything that's quick and easy to eat. But I guess you'd still have to cut and carve, like, a watermelon, right?" The visuals of the fruits come to mind as he says them. "Peaches are in season, too, aren't they?" Smiling up at Chase, he'd argue that they wouldn't need to mix in fruits and veggies, but if he really wants to, then... "Spinach and kale, maybe? They're sort of tasteless, and aren't crunchy like cauliflower." He looks down at his fingers, feeling rather useless in how they aren't even moving right now. "What about I make us some kimbabs, too? You don't have to cook dinner right away, do you?"

CH: how quick julian is to list off the vitamins makes chase laugh, in admiration and adoration, the corners of his eyes curling upwards as he grins. needily, he looks after julian when he walks away, only satiated when the lota comes back even closer than before and he reaches out to take their hand. before, he thought that julian's hands might be more calloused or rough than his because of work, or because chase obsessively used to love scented hand creams, but now he's certain julian needs gentle touches. as simple yet complicated as that. "cut and carve? do you know how to carve fruit? i've seen videos, i think. they look really pretty! do you know what i'm talking about?" though he should have more preference, he normally doesn't when it comes to fruit or vegetables. for years, he was taught to just eat whatever was given for him and that might be to blame for why he likes seafood compared to raw meat. at the very least, it contributes to it. "peaches sound good!" they're pretty sweet too, right? peaches and strawberries... "they're tasteless?" though he thought he doesn't dislike much, he unknowingly scrunches his face at the mention of cauliflower. "if you start making something else, i'll want to watch you instead! distracting," he declares with a laugh. "let's make both together."

#( ongoing )

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timothyalley · 4 years

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Effects Of Jwh-018 As A Drug

Green Leaf Healing CBD Reviews, https://greenleafhealingcbd.com/.

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Teens, just like their parents and teachers, do many solutions to obtain a desired element. Teens who starve in your feeling is everything to obtain that getting. The more they lack this feeling, the more they gives to understand. Our guide's ancestors were from Singapore, yet he was born in netherlands. He was a likeable guy who has been instilled light and portable British values of impeccable English and strict adherence to a schedule. We teased him often. It started with his insistence on 'sheduuuling' our and also then moved onto his name, 'Chet'. I think it started when their from Tokyo very politely repeated his name since he introduced himself, as is the custom. The only problem was, along with her accent, it came out more like 'Sh-t'. I suggested to Chet which he not take notice when we Americans expressed frustration throughout the course of the ride by exclaiming;" Oh sh-t!" He agreed and we did. Poor Chet good-naturedly took all the Ch-t we heaped on him. Delahaze is actually superb seed offering from the house of DNA. This particular plant offers great potency and Green Leaf Healing CBD Tincture produces bulky gives. Moreover, it can be harvested in one mere 9 weeks. To appreciate the plant fully though, you must allow her an extra week to flower. If youve given her the very best amount of care and attention; carbohydrates look toward achieving nirvana or something very like it, whenever smoke keep in mind this. An insecticidal remedy are going to more helpful. Several treatments are probably necessary. Apply it all over, particularly under the leaves. Flowers can't be sprayed in insecticide, interestingly. You be required to delve deep into your subconscious and reverse a choice making solution. At the moment biochemistry changes . puts weed as a way to suffering and distress. This is not an intellectual decision you're earning. It's a subconscious decision - drinks as well . as wanting food giving up cigarettes hungry. The second technique of facilities open fire deposits because horticulture. You start by buying any steel blooming vessel while ultimately ah, many different vegetable seed plus water deposits. Then you can certainly shrub your herb plot as part of your Mog apartment and put inside veg Cannabis cup winning Cannabis cup winning seeds. Nourish doing it water crystals, when 1-3 days or perhaps weeks you'll have 16 fireplace uric acid leave the house. You will have as almost as much as 6-8 flower planting containers every house hold, confirm the try additional medications . 20-30,500 gils just about every 2-3 weeks. Just a couple of a matter of minutes to pay for an accents and in order to vegetation your puppy. It's just a prosperous brief credit. Profit thriving in woods is a skill There's question that in the present day. The actuality is that diets do not work consistently; instead have a tendency to make money for those who formulate the whole bunch. They are subject to fads and, sometimes are a short-term attach.

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elle-stevens · 5 years

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The Break Up Blog - Day One Hundred And Sixty Three

I’ve set a new record with not writing a blog entry for six days.

And no, gifs I posted about me being thirsty certainly don’t count.

I’ve been feeling very tired lately.

I think it’s because I’m...relaxing too much?

Meh, I’m on holiday, might as well savour it before I go back to the modern form of slavery: a full time teaching job (lol).

But yeah, I’ve been feeling very sleepy lately. And my sleepy brain got me thinking too hard about X on the bus yesterday and today.

I’m at my most emotionally and mentally vulnerable when I’m sleepy. It seems that my mood becomes unstable when I don’t rest well enough.

Gotta love that anxiety and depression cocktail I’ve been drinking since birth.

So, it wasn’t like I was thinking of bad things X did to me. It was the opposite: she kept invading my brain with sweet memories.

Kind of like an extra ‘Fuck you for trying to move on from me, Lindsay. Better luck next time, sucker.’

So yeah, I felt kinda low during intervals for the past 48 hours. It made writing kinda slow last night and I didn’t even make the connection between the two things till now.

When I was looking for a random music file in my Gmail account, I realized that I forgot to delete all of mine and ax’s romantic, loving and sexy emails. So I’m gonna need to take care of that ASAP.

Thank God for the mass delete button.

But yeah, I’m just tired of thinking about X in any form. I guess this means I’m not quite ready to hang up the break up blog just yet.

Which means I still have a few more turns to take on this scenic route to being single again and loving it.

I’m making good headway with my Cat and Robbie story. It’s almost near the end, I still have a few more chapters to go. When I finish it all, I’ll go over the details and see what extra chunks of meat I can add in the way of details and description.

At first, I didn’t understand what the purpose of this Cat/Ariana crush was in my life. Now I think it was meant to shoot some new life into my veins and get me back onto the writing horse again after nearly a year of inaction.

With that said, I’m feeling kinda bummed thinking about that gorgeous, Vegan brunette who topped the Billboards for numbers 1, 2 and 3 for the first time in history since the Beatles.

Yes, I broke my number one celebrity rule and looked up more info on Ariana. I usually don’t because I don’t like to spoil the illusion and find out things about a celebrity I’m not ready for. Mainly how they live in the Hollywood Hills with 6 children and a spouse they love very much.

I mean, finding out that Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson were engaged almost crushed my soul.

I recovered spectacularly 5 minutes later when I found out they broke up ;-)

The point is, I looked up info on her, which means I’m getting too attached to my fantasy of her now. And while this is mostly awesome, I’m already anticipating the moment when it gets too much for my frail heart and when I need to stop thinking about her.

I’m not ready for it to be over. Because once I move from this new fad, what else is there? Me actually being happy about being single and not having anyone occupy my lonely heart and brain?

That’s scarier than loving someone I can actually have.

Still, I shouldn’t over think it. Miss Grande and I are having a gay old time together in my mind, so why ruin it with cock-blocking reality?

Being on holiday by myself in my city is slowly making me realize how much I enjoy my own company apart from my friends.

Don’t get me wrong, I like my friends a lot and I enjoy their company. But some of them have been too extra lately and it’s suffocating in all honesty.

It’s making me wonder if I’m the problem.

Maybe I’m just doing what I always do when people get too close for comfort and I don’t have mutual feelings of liking about it. I start freezing people out and avoiding their calls and messages to give myself some breathing room.

I never seem to get it right with any of my relationships. The people I want close to me are always so far away or emotionally distant. And the people who are close to me physically just don’t seem to feed my soul like I want them to.

Maybe I just need to be more honest about my expectations and get some distance when people don’t respect my emotional boundaries.

I wish I could go back in time to 6th grade when I first got to know my best friend Candice. You wanna know how we clicked so well to begin with? We played a fucking game of catch with a tennis ball for our lunch break.

That’s it.

No mess, no fuss and definitely no bullshit. We barely talked during that game, but it still ranks as one of the best days of my life.

Candice and I didn’t need to talk all the time. We could just be with each other and enjoy each other’s company no matter what we did. And when we did talk and goof off, I laughed the most and hardest with her regardless of time and place.

She was the funniest person I ever knew.

I still miss her a lot. I don’t think anyone or anything’s ever going to fill that giant Candice-shaped hole in my heart that she left when she committed suicide nearly 20 years ago.

Maybe that’s why I don’t like it when things or people leave me. It hits too close to home when I think of Candice I guess.

Whoo, that got angsty fast.

Time to dial it down.

Still, it’s good to get at the heart of things and proverbially unclog the toilet and get all the bad shit out of your pipes.

I may need to further anayse why I’m attracted to younger people on another occasion. KA is 8 years younger than me, X is also 8 years younger than me.

Ariana is 9 years younger than me :-O

Thank God CH is only 6 months younger than me, hee hee. Dodged a bullet there.

Alright, enough of this sad shit.

This Cat and Robbie Mclovin’ isn’t going to write itself.

But wouldn’t it be grand if it could?

#breakupblog #dayonehundredandsixtythree

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cleverstrangerpanda-blog · 8 years

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reading list of psychoanalysis and cinema

Baudry, Jean-Louis, 1986. ‘The Apparatus: Metapsychological Approaches to the Impression of Reality in Cinema.’ In Narrative, Apparatus, Ideology: A Film Theory Reader, eds. Jean Andrews & Bertrand August, 299-318. New York: Columbia University Press.

Carroll, Noel, 1988. ‘Introduction’ & ‘Psychoanalysis: Metz and Baudry.’ Mystifying Movies: Fads & Fallacies in Contemporary Film theory, 1-8 & 9-52. New York: Columbia University Press.

Copjec, Joan, 1994. ‘The Orthopsychic Subject: Film Theory and the Reception of Lacan.’ In Read My Desire: Lacan Against the Historicists, 15-38. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Carroll, Noel, 1988. ‘Introduction’ & ‘Psychoanalysis: Metz and Baudry.’ Mystifying Movies: Fads & Fallacies in Contemporary Film theory, 1-8 & 9-52. New York: Columbia University Press. Copjec, Joan, 1994. ‘The Orthopsychic Subject: Film Theory and the Reception of Lacan.’ In Read My Desire: Lacan Against the Historicists, 15-38. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Carroll, Noel, 1988. ‘Introduction’ & ‘Psychoanalysis: Metz and Baudry.’ Mystifying Movies: Fads & Fallacies in Contemporary Film theory, 1-8 & 9-52. New York: Columbia University Press.

Copjec, Joan, 1994. ‘The Orthopsychic Subject: Film Theory and the Reception of Lacan.’ In Read My Desire: Lacan Against the Historicists, 15-38. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

McGowan, Todd and Kunkle, Shelia (eds.) 2004. ‘Introduction: Lacanian Psychoanalysis in Film Theory.’ In Lacan and Contemporary Film, xi-xxix. New York: Other Press.

McGowan, Todd, 2003. ‘Looking for the Gaze: Lacanian Film Theory and its Vicissitudes.’ In Cinema Journal, 42:3; 27-47.

Metz, Christian, 1983. ‘The Imaginary Signifier.’ In Psychoanalysis and Cinema: The Imaginary Signifier, 3-87. London: Macmillan.

Prince, Stephen, 1996. ‘Psychoanalytic Film Theory and the Problem of the Missing Spectator.’ In Post-Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies, 71-86. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

Minsky, Ros, 2002. ‘Ch 2. Psychoanalysis and Gender.’ In Theorizing Gender, eds. Rachel Alsop et al. Cambridge: Polity.

Sarup, Madan, 1992. ‘Feminist Theory and Lacan.’ In Jacques Lacan. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Van Zoonen, L., 1994. ‘Ch. 6: Spectatorship and the gaze.’ In Feminist Media Studies. London: Sage.

Williams, Linda, 1996. ‘When the Woman Looks.’ In The Dread of Difference, ed. B. K. Grant. Austin: University of Texas Press.

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robertroy647-blog · 5 years

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ceciliatan · 7 years

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WATCH POINT blog tour & giveaway wrapup!

It’s been a blast launching WATCH POINT, my gay Navy SEAL abduction romance, and I would like to thank all the blogs and sites that featured the book, reviewed it, hosted my essays, and participated in the giveaway! All told 154 comments were entered the drawing for a Cecilia Tan gay fiction prize pack, including some Daron’s Guitar Chronicles swag, The Prince’s Boy, and such!

Scroll to the bottom to see the ultimate winner! :-)

Some highlights from the tour:

I did a “Down and Dirty” interview for USA Today’s “Happy Ever After” column, in which I reveal my love of Sour Patch Kids, Yuri!!! On Ice!, Queen + Adam Lambert, and Peter Tork of the Monkees.

At Heroes & Heartbreakers, I blogged about how everything I learned about wilderness survival, which is put to good use in Watch Point, I learned not on the Internet, but in the Girl Scouts:

“At first, I resisted [my mother’s attempts to get me into Girl Scouts]. I resisted anything that was associated with the word ‘girl.’ I got the Handbook with all the merit badges in it and was mildly disgusted how many of the badges were for things like cooking and sewing. (I’d already learned to sew.) But I stuck it out because there was talk of going on a camping trip. Real camping! Staying overnight in a tent in the woods! I couldn’t wait for that. The Girl Scout motto is ‘Be Prepared.’ I brought my own camping kit (including canteen, frying pan, etc), Swiss army knife, and other tools…”

At Love Bytes Reviews I posted a list of Eight Things I Learned About Navy Seals:

“The average man trying to qualify to be a SEAL can do 79 situps in two minutes. The best of the recruits can do 100. They may be the only romance heroes who actually have the abs pictured on the book’s cover.”

At Bayou Book Junkie I wrote about why I had to write our hero, Eric, in not just the first person but in present tense, something I don’t normally do, but which just worked perfectly for him:

“In the case of Eric the puzzle I needed to solve was how to let the reader see what’s going on in Eric’s head even though Eric himself avoids introspection? It was important to give the reader a deep look inside because so much of what Eric does– like kidnapping Chase–looks villainous from the outside. But inside we know he’s deeply concerned with honor and justice. This parallels Eric’s sexuality, which includes role playing and BDSM which may look abusive from the outside, but from the inside we experience as deeply caring, careful, and loving.”

At The Novel Approach I wrote about explicitly giving Eric half-Asian/half-white ethnicity and why that choice was important thematically to me:

“I am a mixed-race person, and being ‘mixed-race’ has been the ‘hip fad’ three or four different times in my life. Like bisexuality, it is a trait that is easily appropriated by authors as an easy ‘outsider’ marker, a metaphorical symbol of their character’s uniqueness.”

At OMG Reads I blogged about “Military Romance as Guilty Pleasure“:

“I am against using the term ‘guilty pleasure,’ because it is so often applied against things that we shouldn’t be guilty about [especially liking romance]. But I do have a wee bit of guilt over one corner of romance, and that’s military romance. My conscience nags me: how can you enjoy reading and writing Navy SEALs when you don’t agree with American military might being abused around the world?”

I write about the paradox of loving military heroes, but not the way our government abuses them. In Watch Point we get into the subject of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell as the reason why Eric is no longer in the military. In future Wayward Warrior books I’m planning to also touch on other ways our government has failed to serve those who serve us, including budget cuts to veterans programs and so on.

Reviews

Dog-Eared Daydreams reviewed the book, saying:

“If you think Watch Point is your usual falling-for-your-captor story, you’ve got another thing coming. This is my first Cecilia Tan read and I was more than impressed with how she made this such an original tale of vengeance, freedom, and kink.”

The Novel Approach loved it, as well:

“I’ve always loved miscalculation as a romantic catalyst, and Eric falls into the trap of underestimating Chase from the start … and watching Eric’s respect for Chase grow was the lit match to the short fuse you know damn well is going to blow up before the happy ending.”

The one negative review (if I can call it that?) was from Boy Meets Boy Reviews, who were disappointed that the dubious consent was not dubious enough. Riptide Publishing is pretty serious about making sure content warnings are used, and Watch Point is tagged with dubious consent, BDSM, military, enemies to lovers, and hate sex. As the review states: “Most of those tags (IMO) should come with a “lite” disclaimer,” and “All the people who do not do dub or non-con, this is the dub-con for you. This might be the fluffiest dub-con I’ve ever read.”

I don’t disagree at all. Compared to my dub-con fanfic–or even to what goes on in The Prince’s Boy—Watch Point is *relatively* lighter on the transgression. 100% valid review! I still support the content warnings, though, since this is still a kidnapper/kidnappee setup, so for those who find dubious consent triggering or problematic, this is not an allergen-free book. People who are sensitive to those issues should still proceed with caution.

The Winner!

To pick the winner I compiled all 154 comments left throughout the tour in a spreadsheet, assigned by row number, and then I used the website Random.org to pick the winning number. People who left comments on multiple blogs were entered multiple times; each comment counted as an additional entry into the drawing. The number that came up was 94 and so therefore the winner is Lisa for a comment left at the Erotica for All blog!

I truly appreciate all the comments, thoughts, and enthusiasm from everyone on the tour. I’m emailing all of you a little something in thanks for making it a really fun and memorable week. :-) So thank you HB, Paul, James, Didi, Joanne, Nancy, Christina, Timitra, Jennifer, Ginger, Lee, Debby, Trix, Shirley, Jennie, Lee, Tanya, Diane, Jodi, Lennis, Brian, and everyone else whose names may not have come through. :-)

Here’s the full itinerary of giveaway stops: 1. November 6, 2017 – OMG Reads Essay on Military Romance 2. November 6, 2017 – Fangirl Moments and My Two Cents 3. November 6, 2017 – La Crimson Femme 4. November 6, 2017 – Diverse Reader – Excerpt from Ch. 1 5. November 7, 2017 – My Fiction Nook 6. November 7, 2017 – Bayou Book Junkie – Essay on the First-Person Present-Tense Narrator 7. November 7, 2017 – Creative Deeds 8. November 7, 2017 – Wicked Faerie’s Tales and Reviews 9. November 8, 2017 – The Day Before You Came 10. November 8, 2017 – MM Good Book Reviews – Excerpt from Ch. 2 11. November 8, 2017 – Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 12. November 8, 2017 – TTC Books and More 13. November 8, 2017 – Erotica for All 14. November 9, 2017 – Jessie G Books 15. November 9, 2017 – Dog-Eared Daydreams – Review 16. November 9, 2017 – Book Reviews and More by Kathy 17. November 9, 2017 – The Novel Approach 18. November 10, 2017 – We Three Queens 19. November 10, 2017 – Love Bytes Reviews 20. November 10, 2017 – Open Skye 21. November 10, 2017 – Unquietly Me

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