#figure out what kind of vibe you want for your pet. the name helps shape who theyll be so u gatta figure out what u want first

[goethitee]

hate hate hate when people aks your advice & then ignore it

[thebadboyfanclub]

She Will Learn (Rio x Reader)

Look I will let y’all in on a little secret, the way this account is going to work is by me seeing your requests, making a mental note to finish them and then getting an idea for another imagine that wasn’t requested but can’t move on until I write it so.... Enjoy!

P.S I chose Greece cause I am from there and I never see us anywhere

(Y/n) had met Rio when she was about to graduate college, a business major that was striving for being the first millionaire in her family. She came from a lower middle class first generation immigrant from Greece, her parents were troopers for successfully raising her and her siblings, they never had things to spare yet they had enough to be respectful.

He saw her at a restaurant, completely overdressed and accessorized like she was dining in France, however she somehow made it look like she didn’t think about what she was going to wear, like this was her natural way of dressing, her nails were done and he noticed how... soft her hands looked. 

What intrigued him was that she was extremely kind to everyone, she smiled brightly at the waiters and she would often reach over to her friends for a touch of encouragement of just a simple caress, she exuded confidence that made you feel like you would never dare to touch her, still she carried herself with elegance and in a graceful manner.

“Excuse me, can you tell me who are the girls at the table over there?”

“Oh they haven’t been here before but I can tell you they are here to celebrate for the girl in the red dress, it’s her birthday”

“Oh is it? Send them a bottle of champagne please”

“Right away Sir”

He was never the flashy type of guy, he never cared for stuff that showed his status or economic achievements, people that had money knew to never flaunt it carelessly. When it came to her, he felt the need to show off, to woo her and catch her eye, she had this sense of luxury, she looked like she took care of herself way too much to let men not treat her anything less than that.

He watched her face switch into surprise when the waiter came with the bottle of champagne, a few seconds after that her gaze went to him, as the waiter pointed towards him and then proceeded to open the bottle of bubbly. 

She had noticed him when she entered for a few moments, although she decided that since it was her big night she wouldn’t waste time gawking at good looking men, she had saved money for months to be able to afford the finest for her big day, every year she wanted her birthday to be like the life she wanted. She send him a smile as her hand went to her heart to show gratitude for the gift. 

Except that didn’t feel like enough, she felt like she could push it a bit more, try her luck just a bit, she looked too good to worry about a man turning her down, he would have to be mad or blind to do so.

She walked to him with the glass of champagne in her hand, giving him the chance to take her in. Her legs were exposed as the dress went to the middle of her thigs, they shined and looked so smooth making him wonder how good would it feel to touch them. She had a figure of a dream, as her hips swayed with every step, her posture was proud and she walked like a supermodel, if he didn’t know the owner he would have thought she was the one that had not just the restaurant, the entire block.

“I don’t think we’ve met, I’m (y/n), I wanted to thank you for the champagne, you really didn’t have to”

“I wanted to darling, I’m Christopher but people call me Rio, how wonderful to meet you”

He said, taking her delicate hand in his and pressing a light kiss on soft skin. He could smell the lotion of vanilla she had chosen to moisturize her skin, settle yet unforgettable. His raspy voice made her flustered, trying to mask it with a smirk and confidence, he was intriguing to her, the cool, calm and collected exterior that suited him so much. 

“I wish I could stay and talk but I don’t like leaving my friends by themselves”

“I understand darling, we’ll be in touch”

-

It had been years since then, he had managed to not only stay in touch with you but make her the queen of his life. She was an asset that he so desperately needed, he trusted her with his life and knew she had the best intentions for him, her loyalty was iron made, her degree came in handy when he needed to handle business in a discreet manner, she was the master mind behind a lot of his negotiations, her brilliance on playing the trophy wife that didn’t know anything in front of others was the secret behind his success. 

She is his secret weapon, so secret that no one knew she even existed, the few that did didn’t even know her name and the people that knew were the most trusted ones that worked with Rio for years, she liked to be under wraps, walking in and out of the building with the men Rio had hire to protect her and the rookies wondered who was she, he only called her with pet names when others were around but they could only address her as “Miss”, she was the miss of the mister and his most trusted soldier. 

Despite that, (y/n) was no fool. She had broken up with Rio and called of the engagement several times, making Rio go wild every time. She wasn’t unreasonable, Rio was out of line a lot of the times, especially when Beth came in the picture, his men feared her just as much as him, maybe even more, so when she found out they had done such major damage multiple times but still took them back in, she would pack her stuff and leave without warning, leaving her ring and a note that wrote “goodbye” behind. That’s when he would hook up with Beth, make up for the loss of his queen, yet when he had manage to convince her to come back and buy her a new ring every time, he felt like he was on top of the world.

“Be honest with me Mick, who did this to him?”

“Everything points in one target, Beth”

“Of course. Thank you Mick, I got him”

She stood by him throughout his healing process, waited patiently until he was back on her feet, took care of his bullet wounds and had many sleepless nights to make sure he was alright. She was his wife to be after all, even kept in contact with Rhea and Marcus, made sure they were alright and taken care of in any way, shape or form.

“Are you ready mama?”

“Almost, can you help me with the necklace”

They were there when Rhea got the call from Beth, acting like there friends even though she caused Rios life and invited her for drinks. Rio knew (y/n) was boiling, wanted to take revenge for what Beth had caused and this time he understood, so they got dressed up to meet her instead of Rhea. 

As Rio approached and took the necklace in his hands he saw it was the necklace he bought her for their one year anniversary, her birth stone surrounded with diamonds. When (y/n) let her hair down he got a whiff of her scent, still making him feel weak in the knees, he got closer to her and wrapped his one arm around her, his lips found the nape of her neck and left light kisses. She closed her eyes for a second to enjoy the feeling of warmth and lust he brought her.

“You look beautiful princess”

“It’s my first time meeting her isn’t it?”

“What have you planned gorgeous?”

“That’s for me to know and for her to find out, let’s go daddy”

She knew exactly who she was. Seeing the back of her head made her want to pull out her gun and blast her right then and there, that wouldn’t be classy now wouldn’t it? She approached the clueless woman and sat on her left side, leaving the right seat empty for Rio to join later. 

“Can I get dirty martini please? Thank you dear”

She instructed the bartender before taking off the faux black fur coat to reveal a   Split Floor-Length Sleeveless Spaghetti Strap Pullover black dress. The first thing Beth noticed about the young woman that sat next to her was the big diamond ring that she wore on her ring finger, mentally thinking of what that girl had done to earn it

‘she probably hasn’t worked a day in her life’ she thought, making herself feel a little bit better, she had to admit that she looked really pretty, the jewelry she had on complimented her skin tone and the dress looked like it was custom made. (Y/n) waited for her drink to arrive before she looked at Beth and got ready to reveal her identity.

“You must be Beth, I don’t believe we’ve officially met. I’m (y/n)”

Beth looked at her puzzled. How did the young woman that looked like she was some old mans pretty young thing to show off knew her. (Y/n) was smiling as she took a sip of her cocktail, knowing damn well that Beth had already made up her mind about what type of woman (y/n) was and completely missing the purpose of this meeting.

“How do you know my name”

“Oh I know everything about you, where you live, the names of your children, your sister Annie and your friend Ruby. Rio has told me all about you”

“Rio? How-”

“I know he doesn’t talk about it, I like to be invisible to the public eye... his secret weapon as some would say. I also know you are waiting for Rhea”

“She ain’t comin”

Beth heard Rio’s voice and her eyes went wide with fear. (Y/n) let out a soft giggle and took one more sip of her drink as Beth turned to look at him like she had seen a ghost, judging by how pale she had gotten she was more of that vibe than he was. 

“Excuse me, can we get a glass of neat whiskey for the gentleman? Thank you so much”

(Y/n) ordered once more before hoping off her chair and joining Rio. He snaked his arm around her and brought her as close to him as he could before placing a kiss on her cheek.

“How you feeling mama?”

“Oh I was just having a chat with Beth”

“A-are y-you”

“His fiancé? Yes, we are planning on getting married on my homeland during the summer, aren’t we daddy?”

(Y/n) started rubbing Rios back as she smiled at him, she was super excited for her wedding, he had given her complete control to do whatever she wanted, it was her big day and he knew better than to object to anything.

“Oh we have to show her something”

Rio reached for his pocket and (Y/n) looked over at Beth who was in the verge of a mental breakdown. Rio pulled out his three bullets that the doctor had pulled out from his body, (y/n) wanted to throw them away but he insisted in keeping them, reminding him how he cheated death. 

“Lung, spline, shoulder”

He put each one down in front of her. Beth had terrible aim and for once (y/n) was thankful that one of their rookies missed the shots. Beth stayed silent, taking in all the information, not only was he alive he also had a woman he was planning to marry, calling him “daddy” right in her face, she looked like she was straight out of a magazine and even thought she was kind to her that terrified her more, her entire life was crumbling in front of her. 

“Now I think you understand that you are in a bit of a jam, Christopher has agreed that I should decide your punishment since he wanted to kill you-”

“Don’t, do that. I’m sorry babydoll, she will learn”

Beth had tried to leave in the middle of (y/n)’s sentence, making Rio grab Beth by the arm and restrain her from doing so. (Y/n) stayed stoic and just watched the scene unravel, she knew Rio would never allow anyone to disrespect her. As Beth sat back down Rio smiled (y/n) before taking her hand once more and placing a kiss on her knuckles. (Y/n) reached for his face and caressed his cheek with her free hand making Beth sick to her stomach, he had never looked at her like that, with such admiration and love.

“It’s alright, I will let it pass this one time”

“Go on mama”

“I feel like it would be too easy to kill you, such an easy way out. So now you will work for me”

“What?”

Beth felt her stomach twist at the statement. Working with (y/n), having to do daily tasks for her, a woman she had no idea even existed an hour ago, now she had work under her and take orders from her directly, for a second she thought that death would be better. (Y/n) left Rio’s side for a second and took Beth by the shoulders, standing right behind her, Beth’s eyes fell on her shinny ring, that only felt like someone was rubbing salt over her wound, he had probably spend a fortune for it. (Y/n) leaned closer to Beth getting next to her ear and causing goosebumps on Beth’s body. 

“Think of it as an assistant or maybe help Rio with anything he needs but mostly you will be on call for anything I need. Since you wanted to outsmart Rio and spit where you eat, I need some help to plan the wedding and also take care of our business. What do you think darling?”

“I think it’s an excellent idea”

Rio was pleasantly surprised. (Y/n) was one of the most intelligent people he knew, bring Beth so close to her and making her work for their wedding even though she knew she had slept with him was a very cruel and mentally humiliating way to punish her. 

She truly was one of the greatest choices he had ever done, no one could compete with her, she held such power that made Rio feel like he could not only trust her but also submit to her, let her take the wheel and not having to worry about anything going wrong. As he watched her look over at Beth there was no comparison, (y/n) had such way of carrying herself, that je ne sais quoi as some would say, she was the embodiment of female divine energy. 

Rio knew that her leaving him all these times was a game of push and pull, making him work for her and a mental slap in the face, yet every time he ran to her like an obedient dog and begged for her to come back and take her spot as his queen in the palace, promised her and gave her everything she wished for, every ring was bigger and better than the one before. It wasn’t like he did it because she wanted it, he was the one that wanted to spoil her, give her everything under the sun, she deserved everything and he was for sure not going to hold back for his sweet little princess.

“And then when all of that is done... Rio can take care of you, I feel like it would bring bad luck to our household if we killed someone before the wedding”

[fesim]

@Izzy’s Dag-Dag The Artist… Tag

thank you @pixeles for tag me！fun to do this ٩(*•͈ ꇴ •͈*)و ̑̑❀

🍉 Rules 🍉

Show us a rendition of yourself in your own art! Can be anything! Sims render? Random stick figure? Picrew? Go nuts! (Just be sure to tag the artist if you use someone else's picrew!!!!) Tag the blogs you want to know, and don't be a dick that's it! Also, feel free to answer as vague or in-depth as you want. And if you don't want to answer a question for any reason just don't vibe with it! Skip it if you wanna! Also make sure you tag me and use #dagdagtheartisttag so I can see it!!!!!!!!

🍉 Questions 🍉

1.) Do you prefer to be referred to by your name or blog name?

simple I like to be called Fefe that´s my name but i would not mind if called Fesim too ᵕ꒳ᵕ-☆

2.) Where are you from?

indonesia！fellow indo simmer hi！！

3.) Do you have pets? 

i and my family have koi pond in my garden for long time， will that counts ? ( ﾟ∀ﾟ)

4.) Tell us about your "dream"

in real life i always want to be a florist because i like flowers too much！！it bring me enjoys and pleased feeling。I want visit out country for traveling around the world with friends that will be memorable when I got older！someday I want too distribute CC too for sims but when will i learn ? ?！！(-д-´｡)

5.) Aside from art sims, what are your hobbies?

i like collecting dry flowers also other flora and put them in my album collection ，i watch series and movie too if i don´t busy

6.) Does anyone irl know about your blog?

yes but my friends are not interested in sim，they love MLBB more，even so my sim friend @devilsfang we never meet (ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣﹏ᵕ̣̣̣̣̣̣) only through social medias

7.) Do you know anyone from your blog irl?

sei（˶′◡‵˶）

8.) What are some fun facts about you?

i can make fart sounds from my armpit and stomach ( ͡°⁄ ⁄ ͜⁄ ⁄ʖ⁄ ⁄ ͡°) i annoy my little sisters with it and they are upset if I´ m doing it for a long time

9.) What’s your day job?

i help my mother take care of my little sisters！they are still 10 and 6 years， so little！

10.) Do you have a celebrity look alike?

no way！！

11.) What's your aesthetic?

honestly i never think about it nor I know

12.) What kind of artist simmer are you?

i just a normal simmer who likes to make cute sim and post it on my blog。i am very confident with characters I made。i love to make various type sim！！( ⁎ᵕᴗᵕ⁎ ）

13.) How did you get into your form of art sim?

I watch anime series and i like the application form when i doing sim character，big eyes，small nose，round head shape，i like them (๑˃̵　ᴗ　˂̵)و anime style sim is how i get into my form sim

14.) What do you watch/listen/read/anything else while you create?

i listen to my liked songs！can be rock， lofi，punk， electronic。anything i find nice or match to hear when i make a sim

15.) What is your favorite of your own creations so far? 

she´s still my nomber one (❛◡˂̵ ̑̑✧)

16.) How would you describe your art sim style?

cute anime style inspired sim ◜▿◝

17.) What is more satisfying to you coloring or outlining? 

。。。。。(⁍̴̆◡⁍̴̆。)

18.) What meme would you use to describe yourself?

19.) What character from any media form do you most identify with?

I think Tanjirou Kamado from Demon Slayer ?！

20.) If you were on the run, what would you change your name to?

born loving my name，i won´t change it (=^ェ^=)

[daydream-believin]

The Never-Ending Roadtrip (kmart’s haunted)

Summary: (part 1) Reader has joined Douxie on the quest for Nari’s safety. He’ll need company. (part 2) - Missouri 1     (part 3)

Warnings: swearing, very light spooky?

Word Count: 2245

A/N: so we’ve established that Doux wasn’t the one who burnt the bookstore, but they don’t know that. look, have you been in a Kmart recently? its apocalyptic. also, you know that post about people repeating their default work greetings by accident? yeah

“Do you want me to split the bill or?” The waitress asked, not sure if the group at the table was a young couple and their child or just three college kids hanging out. It was kind of hard to tell. On one hand, that one kid was so small, wearing a little deer costume, and had been helped to order. The other two radiated the energy of an old married couple and talked mainly to each other. But on the other hand, college kids are just like that sometimes.

“Nah, I got it.”

“What? No. I’m paying for us.” Douxie insisted.

“I have the cash, Doux.” (Name) turned to the waitress. She put some honey in her voice. “Just bring us one bill, please.” The waitress nodded nervously before heading off.

“No. I don’t want you paying for too many things while we’re traveling. You’re unemployed.”

“And who’s fault is that Mr. Mephits-Are-Vulnerable-To-Fire? You fucking burned down the store and put us both out of work here.” Nari was squirming at the negative vibes going on. It helped that she didn’t exactly understand what was going on.

“It was magic fire!” Douxie interjected in outrage. He looked so cute when he got defensive.

“Yeah, okay, sure.” (Name) shook her head, looking up to the ceiling. She let out a huff, “look, I invited myself onto this trip, Douxie. I want to pull my own weight. You’re going to have to let me pay for something eventually.”

“We’ll see about that, Love,” he said as he grabbed the ticket from the waitress’s hands as quick as lightning, tucked his card in and gave it right back before (Name) could further protest.

“Ugh! FINE! Then I’m getting the tip.” She pulled out a tenner and slapped it onto the table. She glared right back into Douxie’s hazel eyes. He glared right back into hers with a matched intensity. Nari looked back and forth between the two and whimpered. (Name) broke the standoff to assure Nari that they weren’t actually angry at each other so she shouldn’t be worried. That seemed to ease the forest child a bit but not by too much. She could still feel the weird aura they were putting off.

“Okay! So here’s your check back and here’s that lox bagel you ordered to go.” The waitress handed (Name) a doggy bag.

(Name) took the bag gingerly. A big fake smile spread across her face as she was momentarily possessed by that good spirit of customer service. “Thank you! I hope your experience was spellbinding! Have a magical day!” (Name) said on autopilot in that high-pitched voice and winked exaggeratedly. It was like she was an NPC and her talk button had been accidentally pushed. The waitress laughed forcibly and scurried away to the kitchen. Douxie cracked up.

“You do know that when I told you to say all that stuff after ringing people up, I was hazing you, right?”

“Oh yes, I am completely aware, Doux. Did you think I’d not pick up on how ridiculous that sounds? But I still say it to spite you.”

He shook his head. “Of course.”

***

Archie scarfed down his bagel sandwich with almost disturbing speed. It was like watching the void consume, well, a bagel sandwich. It just disappeared. Down his furry maw and out of existence. Being a dragon works up an appetite, after all. (Name) was a bit baffled and asked him if she should go get him another bagel. He assured her that the one was just fine and said something about trying to catch some birds later. She leaned back on her elbows against the boat’s railing, trying and failing to not think about the details of that.

Douxie cleared his throat. “So,” He folded his hands together for emphasis, “Since the subject of money came up earlier, I think we should also discuss the topic of our accommodations.”

“Well, you two obviously cannot afford lodging every night.” Archie snarked, flicking his tail.

“Thank you, for that, Arch. No, I was thinking more along the lines of a tent.”

“A tent?” the cat asked incredulously.

“Oh, that could work.” (Name) pointed at Douxie animatedly, “keep us close to nature for Nari. And also could keep our possible property damage bills down. Good idea, Doux.”

“Thank you,” Douxie puffed up, “see Arch? Someone appreciates my ideas-”

“Wait. That’ll be a short-term solution. We’re just barely into September. It’s going to be much, much colder in about a month. By October it’ll be too cold to bear. Even if we all huddle together like penguins.”

Doux looked away to hide his blush at the suggestion. “That is a problem. Okay, um-”

“Maybe we could just cross that bridge when we get there? Who knows what could happen between now and then. We could find so temp work in a little town somewhere.” (Name) shrugged, smirking at Doux. She didn’t want to admit that ‘we could be dead by then’ was also definitely a possibility on the table, so she tried to further distract from that thought. “Maybe we’ll find a creepy abandoned cabin in the woods we can squat in. Maybe some nice trolls will take us in as novelty pets. Maybe my rich Aunty Josie could just suddenly die under some ‘mysterious circumstances’ and leave her lavish fortune to her beloved niece,” she smirked at Doux, “I dunno, just spit ballin’ here.”

“I’m electing to ignore that you just suggested we ice your aunt because you were onto something there.”

“I was?” Her tone was a mixture of sarcasm and disbelief.

“Yes! New Jersey!

“New Jersey?” The wheels turned. “Oh! New Jersey!”

Nari looked confused. “What is special about this ‘New Jersey’?” she asked

Both Douxie and (Name) turned to her, “Trolls.” They said in sync.

***

(Name) stood there with her hands in her pockets. Somehow this Kmart was still standing, out here in The-Middle-Of-Fucking-Nowhere, Missouri. She was standing here, in a Kmart. It might as well have been 1986. There was barely anything on the shelves. Half the shelves themselves were missing. The floor had a layer of grime to it, in spite of the wet floor sign along with the shiny patches that said that it had clearly been mopped recently. The air smelled like something (Name) couldn’t quite place, but it was nostalgic. A strange scent that took her back to her childhood. Or at least she thought it was her childhood. It had to have been. Taking deep breaths, she couldn’t quite get enough of it.

Continuing that vibe, a muzak 80’s tune played over the speakers. Funny enough, despite (Name)’s brain seeming to recognize that it was playing a song from the 80’s, she just couldn’t quite put her finger on it as to which. Every time she thought she’d figured it out, she’d hear a few notes that would somehow change her mind. It was a pop song at least, to narrow it down. It’d been going on for about six minutes now. Must be one of those extended tracks.

She’d ask Douxie what he thought the song was. She turned her attention to him and noticed he was still just staring at that same shelf like he had been for, what, ten minutes now? Even though this fucking Kmart barely had any shelving in it, by some miracle it not only had exactly what they were looking for but an entire aisle of them. How lucky was that.

Douxie was taking very careful consideration into this tent purchase. This was going to be their new home, after all. He just couldn’t decide which one was best. They all had fancy camping terms on the packages that meant nothing to him. He’d been trying to decipher the code. The secret outdoorsman code. Nari shifted uncomfortably in the basket.

“Hisirdoux, you should maybe, hurry this along?” She sounded strained.

But she was right. He should just pick one already. It’s all a gamble anyway. He decided on a dark green one that boasted a water-proof material. Good natural color, not easily spotted, and it wouldn’t soak through with rain. That should work well enough, he figured.

“I’ve hurried along. Sorry Nari.” He casually tossed the box into the cart next to her. She sniffed the box and nodded to him.

Now that they had their goal item, the quest party started for the checkouts. Douxie could have sworn that it had been on the side of the store they were in. They had passed it when they came in. Now it was completely across by the other door. Did he get turned around? Or maybe they did come in from that side of the store. He actually couldn’t remember.

As they walked, a few things caught (Name)’s eye. They passed a display of dark leafy plants in oddly shaped pots, a table stacked high with various books and a clearance sign, a knife case that had been left open, a candle display with a few that had already been lit and were dripping wax, a bargain bin of CDs, and lastly a sad box of no-longer-in-season pool noodles. There was a sale on bloodmeal apparently. Perfect for perking up those roses after the summer heat.

They arrived at the checkout after what felt like an endless journey. (Name) hadn’t noticed any other customers the entire time they had been there, and yet the line for the only check open had seven people in it. She grabbed a couple bags of red licorice from the impulse shelf to add to their cart while waiting.

Nari was really interested in that checker. (Name) took her in. The teen was taller than most and had very, very long blonde hair that cascaded down her back like a shiny golden waterfall. Her cheeks were slightly sunken in. Must be going through a diet phase. Poor girl.

The young woman was obviously not one for small talk. Name couldn’t blame her. Retail sucks. Her perfect red fingernails clicked against the keys of the register in a practiced beat. She turned around and told them their total in a bored monotone. As Douxie fiddled with his wallet and payed, (Name) found herself staring right into the cashier’s eyes. They were such a light icy blue, they were almost white. It was striking. (Name) was almost in a trance. It was broken as the cashier turned around swiftly to rip off the receipt off the machine, and, in an uncharacteristically cheery voice, told them to have a nice night. Night?

They returned the cart back to the stack, grabbing their one singular shopping bag and helping Nari out. Of course Nari could easily just jump out herself, but that wouldn’t be something a human child could do. They didn’t need to draw any unnecessary attention to themselves here. They made their way to the automatic sliding doors that lagged so that they didn’t open until you were standing right in front of them. This allowed Douxie time to catch a glimpse of the reflection in the glass. The reflection of the store was completely devoid of people. Not even the checker was at her station. He sucked in a breath. After walking through those first doors, he stopped. He took a moment to turn back. There she was, right where she should be, checking out another customer with three more in the line.

Douxie hurried along the doorway to catch up to (Name) and Nari. It was darker outside than he expected, and he was taken aback. He found them right outside the store, waiting for him. In one hand, (Name) was holding Nari’s, in the other, the plastic shopping bag. Her head was tipped up to the sky, transfixed by the moon. He came over, grabbing her shoulder as he pulled her along, in an attempt to urge her away from this place. She looked back at him, eyes wide with distress. He tried to convey that he understood with his eyes. All three of them instinctually knew not to say anything more why they were still in this parking lot.

It had barely been half past noon when they had started this little Kmart side quest. It was now at least seven by the looks of it. They had spent six and a half hours in a Kmart? How had they spent six and a half hours in a Kmart. There went their entire travel day. But no time to dwell on this, they needed to get back to Archie and the boat as soon as possible.

As they walked back towards the ship, (Name) and Douxie both took one of Nari’s hands so that she was in the middle, like how those couples walk with their children. The streetlights glared up at them in the slick pavement. Apparently, it had rained while they were in shopping limbo. Poor Arch. (Name) let out a puff of air.

“Well. That sure was something.”

Douxie nervously chuckled, “If we had stayed in there any longer, I think we might have died.” (Name) mirrored that nervous chuckle.

“Oh, no, dying would be much simpler than what would have happened to us.” Nari said sweetly, like what she was saying was somehow better. Nari liked being helpful. (Name) put on her best fake smile.

“Thank you, Nari.” She tried her best to sound as sincere as possible to spare the veggie lady’s feelings.

[irondad-not-ironsad]

WandaVision Episode 1 Reaction

Spoilers below!!

I enjoy the music over the marvel logo

But also a 43 second logo feels kinda long for a 29 minute episode- is it just for the premier or is this gonna happen before each ep?

Also I’m pretty sure I’ve heard that there is a title sequence, which will probably be similar in length. Combine that with the lengthy credits people have been complaining about, it seems that the percentage of the thirty minutes that is actually the story is lower than it should be

not that I don’t love a good title sequence! But I’ll take a well fleshed out episode over fancy logos, title sequences and credits any day

now that I’ve got that of my chest, on to the actual show

I like how they have the frame shaped like that of an old timey tv, combined with the black and white it really adds to the old timey sit come vibe

I like these bells

Ok I know I complained about to much time being wasted with logos and such, but i LOVE how cheesy this theme song is and I love them showing vision and Wanda driving tp there house in wedding attire

“A regular husband and wife” 2 seconds late *vision disappears into a cloud of sparkles*.... 1 minute 8 seconds in and I love this 

Even there acting is reminiscent of an old timey sit com this is amazing

feel like I should note he title sequence ends at the 1.36 mark approximately, which may not seem like a lot but again the show is less than thirty minutes so it adds up

Wanda talks with a fifties accent: I already love this show

Also I wish I had magic I could use to clean, I’m moving back into my dorm right now and Wanda’s powers would be SO helpful

Also I LOVE the laugh track

Also Wanda’s short curly hair is so cute

I love how neither of them knows what the heart means so they play it off by being like “yeah of course I know what it means, how could I forget? Do YOU remember what it means

Also Vision is literally part computer shouldn’t he have a photographic memory? 

Also how old is Wanda? I could have sworn someone said she was 19 in civil war, which would make her like 21 here? I think?? Idk tho, as a 19 year old I don’t think she has ever looked 19 in the movies, even back in Ultron she looked at least in her mid twenties

The face Vision makes when he makes himself human is so funny

Also Vision blowing Wanda a kiss and her reaching back to grab it is the perfect amount of corny that makes it still cute

Also I wonder what vision’s job is

The backing music is so funny

I can already tell Agnes is going to be some great comic relief in a show that’s already hilarious

“I assure you, I’m married. To a man. A HUMAN one!” I know I’ve said before that I was never the biggest fan of Wanda or Vision but I love Wanda in this show

Obv there is something clearly off here, but I feel like I need to mention that it’s clear this is some warped reality. If I had never seen any of the MCU before, I may believe it was just  witch and her robot husband living in the fifties, but the little details really make it clear to the audience (the majority of whom I am sure are familiar with the mcu) that something is off. This scene is one of those, where Wanda cannot seem to recall how long her and Vision have been together and plays it off by saying “It feels like we always have been together”

Is Agnes giving Wanda advice for the bedroom? is this really what I’m watching? Or have I wildly misinterpreted this?

Love the old timey lingo

Vision working a desk job is so funny

Love that vision doesn’t even know what they do at his job, I know it’s part of the false reality thing but also lowkey relatable

“you’re like a walking computer” “I most certainly am not! I’m a regular carbon-based employee made entirely of organic matter”

I started this like twenty minutes ago and have only gotten 7 minutes in because I keep stopping to type my reactions. I am going to try to shut up and watch, and stop screaming about every little detail for a bit 😂

Real quick though does Vision just go by Vision at work?

Ope apparently he does. 

I wonder if Vision took Wanda’s last name

Or is he Vision Stark-Banner since it was Tony and Bruce who made him??

He probably isn’t called that but I think it would be funny if he was

Love that instead of writing “dinner with boss” or “Dinner w/ Harts” or even just “Harts” he drew a freaking heart like im dying

if my lack of emojis seems weird I’m typing this on a computer which I never normally do and I’m to lazy to pull up the emoji keyboard, so basically imagine there’s a cry laughing emoji after everything funny

“No skeletons in the closet?’ “I don’t have a skeleton sir.”

Yup I was right, Agnes is giving her sexy time advice

“you should stumble when you walk in a room so he can catch you. It’s romantic!” that is the only way I will be flirting from now on

Also I got to say, I'm guessing it’s a fifties thing but those pointy bras don’t look comfortable

So she answers the phone “Vision Residence” Is Vision also their last name now? Does he go by Vision Vision??

They make the best facial expressions

This phone conversation where Wanda think they’re having a date night whereas Vision is talking about his boss coming for dinner is comedy GOLD

also I love the fact that they’re giving us stereotypical sitcom drama while keeping it clear that there are bigger problems than dinner with the boss

Fake commercial break is at 9.56 (these time stamps are for myself I want to calculate how much of the episode is actually the story)

I do love the fake commercials tho! And I suppose in a way they ARE part of the show

They missed the chance to make it the toastmate three thousand and make every ironman fan cry

The beeping toaster sounds like a ticking bomb..... also the little red light is the only color we’ve seen this episode I think

Commercial ends at 10.46

Also love that it was an SI toaster, still wish they had made it 3000 instead of 2000

How did Wanda confuse Mr. Hart with her husband? Not that I’m complaining, her coming out in a robe and covering Vis’ Boss’ eyes is HILARIOUS

“This is the traditional Sokovian greeting? Didn’t I tell you my wife is from Europe?” “How exotic!” “We don’t break bread with Bolsheviks”

Visions pants are SO high waisted

“It’s our anniversary!” “Our anniversary of WHAT?” “WELL IF YOU DON”T KNOW I”M NOT GONNA TELL YOU”

Poor Vision is trying to figure out what kind of company he works for this is sooo funny

Agnes coming in clutch with a full meal

So Wanda needs the ingredients in order to magic a meal she can’t just make one appear

Vision breaking into song was amazing

How did one chicken turn into like 30 eggs

Vision is singing old McDonald with his bosses wife this is great

“Diane!” “That must be my wife summoning me!” “She calls you Diane?” “Yes... it’s her pet name for me” “I’m coming... Fred”

So many clichés in this show but it’s done in such a purposeful way that it’s still funny

Also we have only seen three rooms: the kitchen, the living room and Vision’s workplace

“Well I think tonight’s going SWIMMINGLY”

Mrs. Hart is SO NOSY

But I love that they don’t know the answers

Wanda looks SO disturbed when Mr. Hart is demanding her and visions story, you can tell her mind is fighting itself and it’s so sad

Mr. Hart is choking, is it bad that I think he deserves it?

Mrs. Hart keeps cheerily repeating stop it, and gone is the stereotypical sitcom camera angles and and the backing music is switched for something eery

This is lowkey scary, Mr. Hart Dying while his wife keeps cheerily saying Stop It and it just feels creepier the more she repeats

Wanda looks distressed and vision is just looking to her for what to do, her old timey accent is gone and she sounds nearly robotic as she tells Vision to help

Poor Wanda, she is so clearly going through it mentally right now

Laugh track is back, and just like that the Harts are leaving, despite only having one bite of food

And somehow Mr. Hart is impressed? Was Wanda rewriting reality to make them so?

I know that this is clearly some alternate reality and nothing is right, but wanda and vision deciding to choose that day as there anniversary and this little convo here is soooooo cute

Aw her making them rings and them both saying I do is soooo cute

And vision saying “and they lived happily ever after’ is so sweet but also so sad in context

What is that little remote vision is holding meant to be?

And love the hexagon closing in on them with the cute music playing to end the episode

Are the people in these credits real? Because it lists the start as Wanda Maximoff and Vision but are the rest actual people?

So there is some sketchy dude watching the maybe fake credits so there's something going on there

The actual credits start with 7.13 left and I’ve been told there's no mid or post credits scene. I’ll let them play while I finish this up anyways

8 minutes and 49 seconds of this show is the logo, title sequence and credits. Out of 29.36 total this means only 20 minutes and 47 seconds is the show, which I suppose is standard for a sitcom but I think I felt deceived by it showing as 29 minutes

Also 50 seconds of “commercial takes the show time down to 19.57 if anyone was wondering

I swear tho I’m not all that bothered by the length, just did the math in case anyone was curious like I am. 

I thought I was going to really enjoy this going it, but it still really surpassed my expectations and I can’t wait for episode 2!

This is my raw reactions, but I’m sure that as I mull it over more I’ll be posting more about the show

This is somehow a perfect combo of lighthearted comedy and mild horror

I wanna let this episode stew for a while, so I prob won’t watch episode 2 for at least a day

Also what are your guys’ thoughts on this format of reaction? Did I write to much?

Also what did y’all think of this episode? Feel free to let me know what you think of my reaction, and whether you agree or disagree. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

[vaguely-concerned]

The Mandalorian s2 ep1 Reactions Post That’s right I’m BACK

and none of you not even god himself can stop me from rambling about space cowboy dad and tiny green baby stuff for much longer than any sane person should 

the TL;DR is that I still love this show SO MUCH, beware a bunch of spoilers under the cut!

- costume design wise I LOVE how badly the armour fits Cobb Vanth

 especially when you get shots with him and Din side by side for contrast:

It’s not just that it’s clearly not made for him (it seems he’s a lot lankier and more wiry than Boba is), he simply doesn’t know how to wear it, and he doesn’t know how to take care of it, because he doesn’t know what it means. Remember when Din’s breastplate got bent completely out of shape by the mudhorn and he had it repaired to the best of his ability long before they even finished with the ship? That’s why he looks so grounded and natural in it and Vanth has sort of a clumsy Spiderman-in-his-first-home-made-costume air about him. (also Boba’s helmet has a beautiful heft and solidity to it in this, they make all the beskar have a Feel and weight to it, makes it feel important)  

I like that Vanth is taller than Din; everything that drives home that Din’s strength doesn’t come from being naturally physically imposing or impressive is a joy to me 

- Boba’s armour seems to be confirmed to be real beskar, which gives me so much hope that they’re doing something actually nuanced and interesting with Boba and Jango’s cultural identities as Mandalorians (whether they do consider themselves that or not, for example), unlike George Lucas’ inexplicable yet unbending stance of ‘They aren’t and never were lol get fucked Fetts’  

the way the triumphant heroic part of the mando music sputtered and died when the man himself showed up tho... uh-oh this might be bad news 

man but that’s a stunning and surprising way to introduce a well-known character divorced from what makes them so iconic, though, just from that I’m going to trust they know what they’re doing (AND they got temuera morrison back I’m so EXCITED!!!). without the armor there’s the face of someone who shared that face with literal millions and at the same time must be looking older than his father ever got to at this point, and that’s super interesting as a starting point to me. (I... guess there’s still a chance it’s a fakeout and that it’s actually another clone, but that would be such a letdown when they’ve already given us this haha) 

- an excellent [mando sighs] moment

this opening scene did a great job of re-summarizing him for the audience -- establishing again that he gives you one chance at dealing with him fairly and if you insist on continuing to be an asshole about it, you’re toast, the fact that his fighting style is so much about being able to tank blows rather than not getting hit in the first place, the horror movie monster mando setup as he stalked the dude down and strung him up, the Poetic Justice predicated on some very careful word choices, and most importantly “where I go, he goes”... all wonderful, I’m sure I’ll watch this scene back for fine details and better looks at the background characters many many times 

(word seems to have spread about him and the baby for real now, which makes me VERY nervous btw)

- Pulserifle’s back! Jetpack’s back! Razor Crest’s back! Grappling line’s back! PELLI’S BACK!!!!!! Tattooine... is also back *Finn voice* Why does everyone want to go back to Tattooine????

I really enjoyed the way they fleshed out and (for lack of a better word) humanized the sand people, though, if you are going back to this desert hellplanet again that is a worthy reason to do it 

- Din swearing :O!! and one of the less egregious star wars swears too, I’m fine with this

- in campaign star wars news: I guess there was sort of both a binbon and a jubna in this ep! what a time to be alive

- as usual I love the jawa. a bright spot in any day, just a bunch of lil goblin-y friends hanging out having the best time loving sparkly crystals and rescuing silver foxes.  

get in loser we’re going shopping

-  

I uh. Do you think. Hm. Is there maybe a metaphor here somewhere. Is there perhaps a hidden, one may say double, meaning, at play, right here, in this image? Who can say, it’s just niggling at me (there’s a very similar set of shots with Toro in season 1, but seemingly the show went ‘I fear we might have gone too subtle with it, let’s amp it up this time’ over the season break loool)

honestly though this dynamic really highlighted everything I love about the ways Din performs masculinity. It’s so much softer and more community/collaboration focused and more comfortable to be around than Vanth’s version -- and Vanth isn’t a bad dude by any stretch of the imagination, it’s not hard to see why he’s like that considering where he’s from, he’s just such a... man. The lone person who can protect this village! The only man who’s got what it takes! It’s all on his shoulders and no one else’s, so do exactly as he says or he’ll put a hole in you! (I think it’s telling that one of his first comments to Din is ‘I’m sure you call the shots wherever you’re from, but ‘round here, I’m the person who tell folks what to do’, because as we as the audience knows, Din very much does not call the shots of where he’s from lol) I guess it says some nice things about the tribe of Mandos Din is from that this is how he approaches things, and it says some good things about Vanth how quickly he comes around to this smarter and less confrontational/domineering style of doing things once he’s been exposed to it and sees how it works. it’s just neat

(it’s smart of Favreau to set his ~*lone gunslinger*~ character up like this, too, it makes him so much more interesting and versatile)   

- With the way Din says ‘a Mandalorian Armorer sent me on my path’ it does seem confirmed that’s the equivalent of a priest role or a sort of shaman -- I wonder if he knows the name of ‘The’ Armorer or if they take on the role as a whole identity 

- the sheer contrast between the two people who wanted Din to take his helmet off for them in this ep tho... wants Mando’s armour off for horrible awful reasons and got exactly what he deserved:

wants Mando’s armour off for entirely sympathetic and understandable, just culturally uninformed, thirsty thirsty reasons & also having drinks together:

 (the sort of... little lick over his bottom lip he does there? keep it in your pants vanth my GODjflsadf he’s a good dude tho he understands and respects the ‘no armour removal before marriage’ thing and backs down gracefully)

- This is a nuanced thing: I don’t think I actually ship it (not in a requited way from Din’s side, anyway, Vanth I’m 100% sure about lol), but the incredible potential for out-of-context-taking of “Take it off, or I will”/”...we doin’ this in front of the kid?” is uh astounding  

(anyone got the vibe Vanth sort of had something with the bartender too? no just me? well well)

- I was never really scared Din was actually dead or hurt b/c baby wasn’t scared and I figure he’d know lol, a very useful fear barometer 

- “What’s the plan?” “Take care of the child” “What are you gonna do?” “I don’t know, but wish me luck *yeets his new bro out of harm’s way before diving in head first himself*” fksdjhfkjlashdfkjsldahfkasldjhfskldajhfsadkjfh WHAT a summation of Din’s entire approach to battle & life, dad please you carry a not insignificant part of my heart around with you be careful 

(Also with the heavy implication that Boba was watching the whole thing... can you imagine him just looking on as Din throws himself down that gullet like a madman. There must have been some ‘o_-7 *headscratch headscratch* ???’ going on for him there)

it’s kind of sweet that din trusts vanth will take care of the baby if something happens though, they really bonded quickly huh 

- the sand people who kept willingly going over to the krayt dragon’s cave are honestly braver and more admirable than anyone else has ever been, I kept just shouting in anguish as they were gobbled up, they deserved better 

- can we talk about how clear it still is that Din’s just... lonely. When he thinks he’s found another Mando and he sounds almost reverent with relief... and then it gets odder and odder (’uh... drinks? I guess... does he have drinking straws with him or -- HE’S TAKING THE HELMET OFF???’ oh buddy)

I wonder if they’re building towards something about him realizing it doesn’t have to be Mandos for him to trust and bond with people longer term? Basically all the characters he’s met and we’ve watched him form attachments to and get help from are non-Mandos -- Kuiil :’^(, Cara, Omera, Cobb Vanth, IG-11 :^’’(, Greef Karga to a degree. Establishing so firmly what he’s looking for this early would be good setup for a ‘what a character thinks they want vs. what they need’ thing later on just on a writing level, anyway, Boba Fett could bring in some interesting points of view about Mandalorianness too   

- baby’s happy gurgles when he sees pelli!!!!!! din speaking sand people language and petting alligator doggies!!!!!!

- pedro pascal’s voice work remains an utter joy to me. din’s measured, earnest, occasionally slightly stilted way of talking is still so good, and then he does things like inserting some more... idk life is the wrong word but that more charged and dynamic tone he took on when he said (”I thought you weren’t a gambler”) “I’m not”. *chef kiss*

- if the pulse rifle’s stun is able to do that to a fuckn krayt dragon... that’s some serious shit din is carrying around with him lol (interestingly the actual shooty pew-pew part of it didn’t seem to do much to it, but then I guess he was shocking it from the inside out and not through thick hide, so idk)

- my only real complaints about this ep: Vanth’s backstory ran a bit long, and not enough baby & dad interaction. the concept art’s got me tho: 

 (din often wears his original/old armour in concept art still, incidentally, don’t know what that’s about)

awwwwwww

+ omfg ;______;

- this sand people person conscientiously brushing a bantha’s teeth... blessed

- Customary flame thrower report: there was a rare useful deployment of the flamethrower. Good job Mando’s flame thrower for furthering the field of diplomacy

ETA: I CAN’T BELIEVE I FORGOT TO MENTION THIS: DIN BEING COMFORTABLE(ISH) AROUND DROIDS NOW!!!! GROWTH????!?! IG-11 WE MISS YOU??????????

[palettes-and-prompts]

Character Palette/Personality Palette

If I have seen the movie/show/or whatever this character is in I will let you know! But if I haven't I'm just gonna give my best guess to their personality or what I think they like and everything. I will make them two palettes, one based on their appearance and one based on what I think their personality is. If you'd rather not see this just block the tag "character palette and personality guess" I figure no one's tagging anything like that so it should be easy to filter out. If you genuinely like this character and I lowkey diss them I'm sorry, I'm not going to apologize though, you're going to have to live with it. If you wanna send me a character for a palette and my guess at their personality/interests just drop it on anon and I'll see what I can do.

Alright so this is Connor from the game Detroit: Become Human. I've vaguely heard about this game. I only recognize this guy's face because I think there's a person who looks like him but I don't know who it is. But I swear I've seen their face somewhere before.

He looks like a good guy. He's got this color scheme that doesn't really match his face. Like, the clothes say he's sad and works hard but his face says puppy. He's got a very kind face. He's the kind of guy you would trust to like, watch your kids or something if you went out of town. He's dressed serious but his face looks like he just wants to have a good day. He's very childish looking but he's probably made to do things that aren't childish. I feel like since he's in a suit and his face is very soft he seems very sweet. I like his face. It's got a good cross between Tom Holland and Matt Shively. I like it. He's good in my eyes. I probably wouldn't feel the same if he were just wearing khakis and a polo shirt. There's something just fucking evil about that combination. It just makes me want to trust someone less. I do not vibe with that shit. But this guy is cool. He doesn't fee like Best Buy, he feels like 'If I walk your dog for you will can you please make me a meatball sub?' and then he's just excited because he gets a meatball sub and he gets to hang out with a dog. It's like hitting the lottery for him. I know he's from Detroit or at least lives there because of the game name but just looking at him feels New York. Like, I can just hear Brooklyn the way his mouth is open. Is it just me? I don't know. He seems good. The kind of kid who likes baseball games and helps old people do things they can't do anymore. The kind of guy who regularly hires a guy to dress up as Santa for orphans and is just helpful. He's not a rule breaker. He doesn't like breaking rules because he knows he shouldn't, but he eventually does in some way, shape, or form. And I feel like it happens in a big way. He seems like that kind of kid. He's always trying to do the right thing and doesn't want to break the law but then something happened. Something big happened and there was no justice and he realized that he was going to have to be the one to step up and fix what happened. And I don't know what he does or how he does it, but it's big and it definitely changes him forever. I don't know if that's a good thing or not but it definitely puts things into perspective for him. I feel like whatever the situation is, the second it happens that's when he remembers the words 'Bad things happen to good people' and then that's when he does whatever he does. I can't think of a song that would best describe him, he looks sort of soft, sort of dog like which is funny because he seems like he would definitely be a dog person who always does a little gasp when he sees an animal he would like to pet. The kind of guy who's got someone watching over him like "We can't go in the pet store again you always want to bring one home." And he's trying to convince his guardian or whoever that they have enough room for another pet. This guy adopts a lot of animals from shelters. He's a good kid. I trust him.

Anyway here's his palette based on his character design.

And here is his palette based on what I think his personality is.

[codenamed-queenie]

15 Questions

Tagged by @thychesters. Thanks hon!!

Named after someone?

Nope, my parents just heard my name one day and liked it. That’s how we make all life-shaping decisions, right?

Last time you cried?

About five minutes ago! 

Do you have any kids?

Do succulents count as children...?

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

Oh, not at all

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

Overall demeanor. (Like the way they hold themselves, their posture, their facial expression, etc.) I can instantly tell what kind of vibe somebody gives off that way, and it’s kinda fun. 

Eye color?

Tricky, cause technically they’re blue? But they’ve also got enough yellow that anytime I wear something green, they look bright green. People will tell me either ‘blue’ or ‘hazel’ though, so who knows?

Scary movie or happy ending?

Happy ending, any day. World’s scary enough imo.

Any special talent?

I mean, I am the most untalented person I know so 

What country were you born in?

The Great U S of A!  (heaven help us)

What are your hobbies?

The way my life’s going at the moment, my only hobbies are cranking out papers and cramming for midterms. ~ Yaayy ~

Do you have any pets?

A dog, who doubles as the love of my life.

What sports do you play/have played?

Soccer, Swim Team, Competitive Archery, Tennis...those are the ones that didn’t kick me off the team at least. 

How tall are you?

5’8″

Favorite subject in school?

Always art :)

Dream job?

Who knows what I’m gonna do with my life? Anyone??? And when you figure it out, could you tell me?

Tagging:  @ohkeppet, @freya-faust, @sqoiler, @business-as-usual-bats, @doctopher, anybody else who wants to try it!

[writinglionqueen]

Strange Magic | Part 3

Summary: Tonight’s a Halloween party and all the witches and ghouls are invited! A coven of witches want to meet you and they’re delighted. While your lycanthrope hunts his prey, his little witch had to stay. But, under the light of the blood red moon, the devil may come too soon. Upon the night of the blood red moon, the darkness can’t end too soon. So my little witch, sit back and rest your feet because I have to ask;  Do you want a trick or a treat?

(Read part 1 here) (Read part 2 here)

Pairing: Drew McIntyre x Reader (mentioned)     

Word Count: 3,119

Warnings: No Drew, unfortunately. But I give you more to the world of witchcraft and give you Zelina as a witch, as well as a few more witches to meet.  

Special Thanks: To my editor and favorite, go to beta; @superrezzy00! Thanks again my little fellow witch for being my second eye on this. 

The darkness for Halloween night couldn’t come soon enough for you. The night brought about various ghouls, witches and the likes to your little magic shop. 

If the werewolves would’ve come, there would practically be no room. 

It felt jampacked, even for you. Granted, there was space to move about, but the chatter of everyone filled every other space that wasn’t taken by a body. It made you happy and a smile spread across your face at the possibility of being known for your grand Halloween party. 

You had so many other...creatures here, it was surreal. Some were spirits using a host body while some were softer demon-like creatures who took the shape of humans. Some cryptids had also occupied the space as well as the witches from other covens, but they liked to stick to themselves and amongst the other witches. Their familiars were left at home but all seem to enjoy the party with a drink in their hand. 

You made a note to figure out their classification and which covens they had come from. Meeting other witches was highly exciting for you because they always stick to their covens. Not so much out of fear that they would be hurt or even killed, but because of the stigma and the loss of power that comes with lonesomeness. That’s why you were the rarity. 

Being alone meant giving up some power...but not necessarily for you. 

See, you figured out your power and how deep the magic dwells within you long before you left your previous coven. You chose being the only witch in Meadow Creek. You chose it all those years ago; a few centuries give or take. You’ve seen other covens grow and wane...you’ve seen witches burned at the stake or even praised. 

But....as far as you or many other witches were concerned...you were the most powerful. 

So, seeing the witches here made you smile. Each was different in their own way. Either by their actual appearance or, also, by the type of magic they performed, or their power that you could feel that lies within them. 

One had dark, straightened hair. She was petite and kind but her eyes...they held a purple glow. They didn’t outshine her smile, though, that gleamed in all the candles scattered about. No. Her smile was quite kind as well, and soothing. You think she went by the name of Zelina...or something close to it.  

But you could feel that her power was fairly new. But she had control over it. Which was why she was here today, 

If she couldn’t control it....that would’ve been a problem. 

You could sense an empathetic kind of magic within her...but the tattoo of the moon phases going across her forearm told you she was more of a cosmic witch. She probably relied heavily on the moon above all else. 

Everyone does when they first start out though; the Moon Goddess is highly praised for aiding in spells and magic. It’s one of the first kinds of magic any witch learns. The python tattoo slithering about her other arm almost threw you off. You thought she was a green witch but her power felt more closely resembling the moon’s energy. Perhaps the snake was her own familiar, lying in the etchings on her arm until she called upon it. Very clever. 

Another witch had ebony skin that glowed. Gold etched tattoos littered her skin, all looking like they were held together by a thin thread of gold. Gold beads were woven in her dreadlocks that she had up for the occasion. Her wrists, neck, and ankles were covered in golden bangles that jingled quietly with every step. Her ears held golden cuffs and golden bangles that shined brightly in the light. It was like she was etched in gold and elegance as she walked with her head high, her golden eyes looking like fire burning bright in the candles. She intrigued you.

Her power felt strong and much older than that of Zelina, but it also felt...various. You had heard that she went by many names. It was a curiosity but not unheard of. She may be an eclectic witch for all you knew. Most eclectics held various names for the various religions and cultures they partook in. Perhaps, her various names were  a way for her to stay close to each niche culture without having to pick and choose. Eclectics were very elegant in their approach to magic, drawing their inspiration from the people and places they’ve seen. All were very smart and adaptable to changes. 

You wanted to know more about her practices and her herself. 

The third witch looked like your typical goth witch. She was pale. Her hair was the color of a raven’s feather and straightened and neat. She made sure to wear dark lipstick and dark velvet clothes. Her tattoos were very typical of her appearance. Very typical and made you think that she was probably a moon witch as well...or the run of the mill, traditional witch. She also seemed young in her magic. Probably naïve as well.  

But they were all very new to you. It was interesting to see them and you wanted to talk with them, get to know their own histories with magic and their practices. 

You moved towards them with excitement strumming through your body. And when you stood before them, smiling at them, you felt the excitement down to your toes. 

“Thank you all for being here,” you greeted with a smile. “Your messages and gifts were generous...and your familiars were a curiosity. I enjoyed them a lot.” The three smiled at you. 

“Thanks for having us,” Zelina replied with a nice smile. “My familiar enjoyed your décor when he came by.” You looked to the snake tattoo. 

“May I ask if you bind him to yourself with a spell?” you asked her. She gave a knowing smirk at that. 

“I’m glad you noticed,” she said. “Aleister has been by my side for a while. It makes both of us feel....safe for him to be bound like this. He helped me with the spell.” You nodded. 

“It’s quite interesting. I’ve never seen a familiar be bonded to a tattoo like that. It’s extraordinary.” The other two nodded. Zelina smiled. 

“Thanks, that means a lot coming from a witch like yourself,” she replied. You looked to the golden witch. 

“Your tattoos intrigued me the most,” you told her. “Did...did you etch those on yourself?” She smiled, showing off a dazzling white smile. 

“Yes, I have a tattoo for every region I’ve traveled,” she answered with a voice as smooth as silk. “I still have room for more.”

“They’re beautiful,” you admired before turning to the last witch that watched you with a small smile. 

She held an air that seemed...haughty...even for a newer witch such as herself. Her air had you wary, though. For some reason, it felt dark around her. Like, dark magic was woven into her being somehow even if it wasn’t obvious. Being this close, you could feel dark energy...but....you couldn't see it about her like you typically did whenever dark magic was present in someone. 

Dark magic was forbidden so it couldn't have been possible for her to possess it. But...you could see red flashes when you looked into her eyes. Images of a....of a demon, when she took you in. But the flashes stopped the moment she gave you a smile, showing her teeth. Completely gone. 

You shook the images out of your head. Perhaps you were seeing things with the blood moon about. 

“Your tattoos are interesting as well,” you complimented. “I take it you’re some kind of traditional witch...or even a cosmic witch?” She smirked. 

“I dabble in both,” she said. You gave her a short nod. It wasn’t much of an answer. You needed a newer subject. 

“It’s great to meet new witches,” you said to the three. “I...haven’t been in a coven since...what feels like forever ago.” The other two smiled at you, while the third...she gave off an “I-don’t-care” vibe. 

“It’s been a year since I’ve been a part of mine,” Zelina said. “Hearing about your success prompted me to try and take up being in solidarity for a while. It's been nice, but I still visit my coven every now and again. Having Aleister helps.” You smiled at her knowingly. 

“It’s hard, you loose a little bit of your power when you’re on your own until you learn to gain it back,” you said to her. “I guess being close to your familiar helps. I’m glad to hear it.” She took a sip of the homemade drink you whipped up this morning. 

“Oh, tell me about it,” the ebony witch replied. “The first couple of years away from mine and I almost gave up. I didn’t have a familiar either at that point. But my sisters were very supportive and told me to just travel. That’s when I found my own power. That and visiting with other, international covens was such a blessing. You tend to find the same...practices, down to the same spells worldwide, which...makes me feel that we are all connected as one. I’ve grown friendships with so many of them at this point.” You listened with excitement at that. 

“Wow, I should travel at some point,” you commented. “Learn from other covens.” She gave you a smile of her own.  

“If you need any lodgings just shoot me a message,” she said with a wink. “I’ll be happy to connect you with some of the covens that I’ve visited around the world.” You let out a laugh. 

“I’ll be glad to take you up on that offer in the future,” you said to her. “I’d have to take it up with my-” You stopped. A pet name for Drew was on your tongue. You were about to refer to him but... 

you didn’t know what to even call Drew. 

He, obviously, was your lover, in a sense of the word. You felt strong emotions for him; ones that made your heart flutter when you see him, ones that made you smile to know he was in your shop, ones that made you feel afraid for his safety when he was gone. The two of you woke up in each other’s arms most nights now. He meant more to you than anything. You’ve...never felt this way about anyone before.

“I’ll have to take it up with my partner,” you said, quietly. 

“I’m sorry to hear that he couldn’t be here,” the golden witch sighed. She took a sip of her dark wine. 

“Yeah, I very much wanted to meet your werewolf lover I’ve heard a lot about,” Zelina said to you in disappointment. You froze at that, trying hard not to frown. Her purple eyes were inquisitively watching your reaction. 

“I was disappointed to learn that tonight we were going to miss him due to the full moon,” the girl with the pale skin agreed. She pulled her dark hair out of her face, tucking the straightened strands behind her ear. 

“Yes, well, it was for everyone’s safety....it was better to have him be away for his shift than be here,” you said quietly, sipping your hard cider. 

“Why not block the shift?” the golden witch asked. You looked to her. Her golden eyes reflected the light of the many candles in the shop. Inquisition glinted in her eyes as she played with a loose lock. You noticed that the tattoos on her forearm glinted just a little more fiercely this close up. . 

The three witches surrounding you had their attention on you though, you needed to return it. 

“Is it hard?” purple eyes asked. You shook her head as you looked to her. 

“I make shift blockers for a lot of the werewolves in town, but those are typically used when their emotions make them shift...nothing can stop a full moon shift,” you explained to them. “Especially a blood moon shift.” The three in front of you nodded. “It would’ve been too risky for everyone here.” A lolled silenced followed for a moment. 

“I’ve heard a rumor,” the pale skinned girl said, changing the subject. The other two looked to her as did you. “Word has it since it’s a blood moon...I’ve heard that Bálor is afoot.” You froze. The girl smiles at you sweetly, as if she knew. 

“He’s not,” you said slowly, a deep warning to your voice. “The magic that binds him is the most powerful magic of all. Not even he can break through it.” The nose ring girl raises a dark brow at you. She was obviously amused by your words. 

“It’s a blood moon though. You know he’s at his most powerful tonight.” You glared at her. 

“He won’t escape,” you hissed. “I’m the one who imprisoned him.” The other two girls looked weary, their colored eyes looked between the two of you. 

There was just something about her that seemed off. How could see find it amusing at the very thought of the Demon King escaping?

“If he does though,” she teased. “I can’t help but think of how amazing it would be if he took one of us...or at least me. Make me his.” She tried to wink to the other two witches but you were seething. “I’d do whatever he asked, just to be his.” You felt your stomach churn in disgust. 

The other witch’s thoughts and fantasies had happened before. But the witch that was taken, her soul was bargained for just the idea of his love when he had none to give. He never had any love to give. But her submission transformed her into a hideous hag that was at his mercy...until her final days. Her magic was just too powerful and it consumed her. The Demon King didn’t even flinch at the lost of his witch...he was after something else...someone else. 

You shivered. 

“Forgive me, I have to play hostess with other people,” you murmured. “Enjoy the rest of the party.” You moved around the small coven, hearing them whisper amongst themselves as you passed them by. Zelina and the golden witch murmuring their disappointment at seeing you scurry away. You couldn’t stand to be next to the other witch, though. 

Her words of how the Demon King could escape whirled in your mind. 

You went over to the snacks, looking them over to see if you needed to replenish any of them. You just needed something to do to take your mind off of the possible thought of the Demon King’s escape. You couldn’t help but feel as though someone’s eyes were on you, however. Turning, you found the pale witch looking to you again. She smiled, eyes flashing red once more before turning to leave your shop. You watched her leave, feeling her dark energy leave with her. It made you shiver.

The rest of the night went along without another hitch. You were able to enjoy the company of the other two witches just fine when you returned to them, just so you can learn about themselves and even see a bit of their talents. Zelina even allowed Aleister to roam about the party in a human form. He would bring back plates of food for the two of them to split and just, enjoy each other’s embrace. 

You got an idea just how close Zelina and her familiar were. It wasn’t until you saw the familiar again that you noticed the ring on his finger that mirrored that of the little witch. The two looked happy, content. You longed for that with Drew. 

The eclectic witch, whom was becoming your favorite, had shown her talents and her journeys by drawing in golden string in the air. It had fascinated you and took up most of your attention, even away from the other guests. That was, until the witching hours were up and sunrise was set in due time. 

You said goodbye to your guests, promising the two other witches to meet again for some tea or something. 

You turned back to your shop. The ghouls and goblins and witches didn’t leave much of a mess...but you still had to put your shop back in order. 

A quick wave of your hand and murmur under your breath had the entire room looking like brand new. Another quick spell had the shop items back in their places, ready for tomorrow when you reopened again. 

Drew would’ve been, teasingly, displeased at your inability to try and clean like a normal person...but he also knew how much you love your spells and wouldn’t have teased you long about it. 

You smiled of the last memory of that instance...you cleaned his kitchen for him on a day he sat aside for deep cleaning. You finished your tasks early and Drew huffed in playfulness at your lack of real elbow grease with the cleaning. His teasing reprimand only lasting until you cooked him steaks and morel mushrooms. He “forgave” you but you couldn’t help but giggle and “promise” to use your hands next time. 

You couldn’t wait for your werewolf’s return home. It would still be a day or two until he was well enough to come back...but, to you, it would feel like an eternity. 

You flipped the lights off to the shop, smiling to yourself as everything was clean, orderly for tomorrow. You climbed the narrow stairs leading up to the living spaces you designed just in case you needed to stay later at the shop. You moved over to the bay window, the bright red moon was still shining bright. It brought a warm, red glow that had you trying to relax.  

The open window allowed the curtains to shift and sway. It wafted in the cool breeze of autumn, the scent of the colored leaves seeping in. 

You could hear the trees outside, rustling in the wind. 

As your mind drifted to Drew....about where he could be, what he was doing and if he was hunting or not, you heard a howl within the wind. It made you smile. Your wolf was alright. You knew his howl. 

But, a voice makes your smile fall the moment it reaches your ears. 

“My little witch, I have returned for you,” a voice calls from the shadows, making you freeze. Fear crept into every fiber of your being. It made you shiver at the absolute darkness that seemed to have manifested in your living space. It was him. 

It was Bálor.

You turned to find the iridescent, blue eyes and the bright evil smile of the Demon King himself. 

“Did you miss me little one?”

Happy Halloween to you all!! ~A very witchy queen 

Tag: @adriennegabriella @alwaysbenhardysgirl @amariemoore @andie01 @annoyingasian @artemisapalla316 @aspiringhorrorfilmmaker @balorstrowmanblackmurphy @biforbecky2belts @blackmoonrising @burning-coco @calicina @calwitch @claymoreme @darlingambrose @dcnmarvelgamergeek @demonqueen29 @desstehhnee @drewmcintyreinarefereeoutfit @finnsauroraborealis @fireyegale @fivefootxo @flawlessglamazon @haharollins @hardcoresweet45 @homeorbust @i-have-saracasm @itsicantbelievethis666 @kalliravenne @king-drew-mcintyre @lilred91 @littledeadrottinghood @littlesuperstar @lolorockstar101boom @madamaholmes @madebypointlesswerewolves @meishaabae @meremaidqueen @moxleysbaby @moxley-unhinged @mox-made-me-do-it @moxtiel @neversatisfiedgirl @new-zealand-chic @nicolewoo @nothinginlifebutgreif @number1120 @ofbeornandbjorn @psychic-angus @queenofthearchitect @reigns420 @rollinsreginssupreme @rollynch-roman-empire @sassymox @sassyspacedust @savemeroman @scuzmunkie @shieldgirl18 @slytherinyourrpants @snowtroopergirl @softmoxymuffin @superrezzy00 @svnflowrs @taryn-dibiase @thatpanpal @the-beastslayers-queen @thehoundsofjustice @thewrestlingwarehouse @theworldofotps @trashofambrolleigns  @twistedbeautifully @undeadspazzattack @unprettypeony @voidstrugh @wrestlersownmyheart @writing-reigns @writtingrose @xbreezymeadowsx @xladyxfatex @xprincessofthefallenangels @yaint-me @youcantreignonmyparade​ 

[c0smicheaux]

Saturn’s Return through the signs and houses. Source;astrostyle . Com

Saturn first/Aries; can make you rather impetuous. You may be the first one to dive in, kickstart a project, or start a new trend. The trouble is your staying power is not quite as strong. Conversely, Saturn in Aries or the first house can make you hesitate, so that you wind up with a zillion genius ideas that never get off the ground. The lessons of your return are to become a leader without doing everything yourself—or becoming completely bossy and domineering. There can be a “my way or the highway” pitfall for you. Stamp your name on your innovations and get them out to the world, but remember that many hands make light work. You could be a stellar athlete and a daredevil. A career as a motivational speaker, CEO, military leader or athlete could be in the cards as well.

Saturn second/Taurus; Practical luxury and comfort is paramount to harnessing the stabilizing energy of Taurus here—but do you actually have the funds to pull off those champagne wishes and caviar dreams? You may struggle in the money department, living in a fantasy world and learning tough lessons about budgeting and delayed gratification. Beware laziness, too. Learn to be the charging Bull instead of the sleeping one, or opportunity could pass you by. With a little elbow grease, you could become an incredible money manager and might have a shining career in finance. Hospitality and the fine goods markets could also be your path. You have a keen eye for beauty and might even own a brick and mortar store one day.

Saturn third/Gemini; Hello communicator! The gift of gab or the power of the pen—you are meant to use your words. But Saturn’s suppressive powers can make you shy about expressing yourself, and it could take a while before you have the guts to voice your opinion or shop around your memoirs to publishing houses. Though you thrive in a partnership (chatty Gemini is the sign of the Twins), you could be a little too quick to compromise, losing your autonomy in the process. Working as a dynamic duo could bring you great success. You could have a career in writing or teaching. You may excel in more sartorial or technical pursuits (especially coding or software development), or harness your people skills to make a mint in sales

Saturn fourth/Cancer; Home and family can be a source of comfort and angst in equal measure. Some people with Saturn in this position may struggle to leave the nest, or become overly attached and responsible for their relatives. Shyness can plague you, making it difficult to come out of the proverbial Crab shell. Some people born with Saturn in heartfelt Cancer or the fourth house have difficult childhoods, with an absent or challenging mother. Although you may resist becoming a parent, it could be your greatest joy, whether you have children or pets. Your care-taking instincts could lead you to a career in the culinary world, hospitality or nursing. Working from home or owning a small business will be fulfilling too. You love being hands-on!

Saturn fifth/Leo; Glamour, passion and fairy-tale romance: you want them all, but may take the long road to achieving them. Although you have talents as a performer or presenter, Saturn’s influence in dramatic Leo can make you slow to find the stage—or hard on yourself once you do. Finding your voice, self-expression and confidence will be a riveting journey. You may struggle with excess—and learn some tough lessons about overindulging. A tendency to romanticize and idealize people can bring struggles in relationships. Although it may take you a while to figure out who is right for you (or distinguish a player from a prince), you could enjoy a rich and rewarding love life. Creativity is your calling card and you could find a career in the arts or theater, or by making beautiful objects by hand. Leo and the fifth house have a regal vibe, so being the boss like the proud Lion is in your blood.

Saturn sixth/Virgo; Order in the court! You love systems and know how make life run like a well-oiled machine. Chaos, which is a naturally occurring phenomenon, could confound you—and you could struggle when things don’t fit into neatly categorized boxes. Learning how to stay on top of the details while also going with the flow will be one of your biggest lessons. Perfectionism could plague you too, and even lead to struggles with food since purifying Virgo and the sixth house govern the digestive system. Your Saturn falls in the sign of service too, and you could excel in non-profit work or as an agent who helps others accomplish their dreams (with a percentage for your time, of course). All things natural appeal to you: organic foods, cruelty free and sustainable products, holistic healing. You could open up a business based around any of the aforementioned, or even train as a therapist, masseur, acupuncturist or herbalist.

Saturn seventh/Libra; Relationships are both a blessing and a thorn in your side in this lifetime as your Saturn theme is all about partnership. You may struggle to find the proper equilibrium of give and take. Your Saturn Return brings the hard truths about what it really takes to co-exist harmoniously with another. Your Saturn Return could also herald a marriage proposal or the dissolution of a relationship based on shaky ground. Harmonious Libra and the seventh house bring a people-loving vibe, but you may struggle with boundaries and lose a few friends before learning to set limits. You could be drawn to the law, fashion or sales as a career, since you’re equally concerned with justice and beauty.

Saturn eighth/Scorpio; Money, power, sex! Having Saturn in sultry Scorpio or the eighth house is no light and fluffy thing. You could deal with blocks to abundance, fear of success or body hang-ups—but your Saturn Return brings an incredible opportunity to work through them. Who knows? You could emerge a yogi, dakini, or powerbroker by the end of this phase. Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, something must die for a transformation and rebirth to take place. You may deal with a powerful loss that shapes your life path, or discover your own psychic powers during your Saturn Return. Your career may involve medicine (you aren’t afraid of blood) or helping people through personal crises and transformations. Resourceful, you are an alchemist who can turn the mundane into gold.

Saturn ninth/Sagittarius; You’re a worldly one with your Saturn in global Sagittarius or the ninth house. Cross-cultural relationships will be your learning grounds and you may become “adopted” by a culture different than your own at some point in your life. If you haven’t traveled extensively, your Saturn Return would be an ideal time to live abroad. Or, if your nomadic nature has given you a tumbleweed complex, you could pause and put down roots for a few years during the Saturn Return. Higher education is governed by this sign and house: you’re an eternal student of life. Your Saturn Return could be a great time to go back to school for that graduate degree or special certification. Your career could involve traveling, teaching or publishing.

Saturn tenth/Capricorn; Goals, goals, goals! You may be obsessed with success to a detriment, and your Saturn Return will remind you that the end does not always justify the means. If Saturn has stalled your ambition, you could finally find your career calling now. Ambitious Capricorn and the tenth house are associated with men and the father. Daddy issues could plague you, or you may have a strained or distant relationship with your father. Or, your dad could have been very stern and authoritative, making it difficult for you to express yourself in his company. These will need to be dealt with during the Saturn Return, but powerful men will also help you manifest your dreams. Big business could call your name. You may return to school for an MBA, be promoted to a director’s position, or open up shop on your own venture. Hello, CEO.

Saturn eleventh/Aquarius; Community could be a source of struggle for you, but your Saturn Return is the time to find your tribe. Humanitarian issues may rouse you, like a calling, and you might start a non-profit, get involved in social justice work or find ways to make your everyday environment a place where people from all walks of life are welcome. Since future-forward Aquarius and the eleventh house govern technology and innovation, you could invent something life-changing, like an app or gadget. Though you could do many kinds of work, you’ll want to surround yourself with progressive thinkers and inspiring innovators as colleagues.

Saturn twelfth/Pisces; You are a born healer and your compassionate nature will be awakened during your Saturn Return. You may be drawn to the hidden side of life, such as spirituality or esoteric pursuits. An interest in human psychology or alternative medicine could emerge since ethereal Pisces and the twelfth house rule the subconscious mind. Learning boundaries will be a huge lesson now, especially since you may be prone to making too many sacrifices. The arts—especially music and poetry—will call your name. You may also discover a gift for working with numbers and codes or doing holistic healing.

[luxfurem]

slam dunks this in here🎰 also lmk if u need a list of my muses, cries, i know there's a lot

this randomized ships meme. / not accepting. | @gildedscripture

lowkey this took two days, i’m not going to do this again adgjdfgfd. anygays, here are the candidates:

gildedscripture:

lisa

nemesis

ai

misa

howl

khrysophos:

Alice Longbottom.

Rheanys III Targaryen.

Harshaw.

Nikolai Lantsov.

Theodore Nott.

lisa & alice: gryffindor kids. alice is, as a matter of fact, from germany, so all i’m saying is exactly what i’m saying here. she was born in germany, went to durmstrang for a short period of time, but after her father died, her mother moved back to england and she was sorted into gryffindor belatedly. they could at the very least be friends based on having that in common, OR, you know, be a powercouple, where alice is that badass auror, and lisa… well i don’t know what she does in hp context, but we can talk about it :)))

lisa & rhaenys: honestly dunno where to start. rhaenys is my dornish dragon daughter with a determination to get back her father’s throne from the usurper. she survived the sacking of king’s landing because she was whisked away by someone. she grew up in dorne, raised by her uncles. we can totally talk about other verses! i think the two of them would totally get along because they’re both kind, easy to befriend, readily smiling, that kinda vibe? rhaenys can be ambitious and driven but she would never be unkind for no reason --- she’s much too smart to make enemies like that, anyway.

lisa & harshaw: oh man. harshaw is a silly one. he’s an etherealki, basically he controls fire. bit of a pyromaniac, but he won’t burn anyone. he just really likes fire. has a pet cat. don’t think he’d like all the dogs she has. i don’t know how well she’d handle his unusual actions? he’s not a bad guy, though. can be relied on. does she need a firemaker of sorts? he’s a simper. he’d probably simp for her, easily. powerful women make his dick inflate a little. i dunno what else to tell you.

lisa & nikolai: so? honestly? it could be either/or. nikolai OOZES confidence, like. you haven’t seen a man ooze confidence the way nik does. he’s prince-hiding-as-privateer in his own world, and in hp he is a ravenclaw who leads a guerilla movement against death eaters that’s a little different than the order. he’ll do anything for his people, really. he’d try to get into her good books, especially if she could help him in his endeavors, but he’s not cunning or underhanded about it. i think his attitude could amuse her? business partners?

lisa & theo: see. theo is… he’s a loner. when you get on his turf and he doesn’t want you there, be prepared for a volley of sarcasm or just plain closed-offness. he struggles with his asexuality and how to put it into words, and as a result is hard to befriend. his type of kindness is a sort of aloof kind. it’s simple and without comment. making sure you drink by placing a waterbottle in front of you, reminding you to take your meds, that kind of stuff. he likes kind people, so lisa would probably at the very least not bother him. friendship-wise, something sibling-y could definitely bloom if given the time and energy.

nemesis & alice: unlikely gryff/slytherin friendships? nemesis is technically older than alice, so there’s that. gosh idk where to go with them. pls help me out.

nemesis & rhaenys: uhm….. slytherin friendships! or wink-wonk-yness. they would probably get along? rhaenys is very outspoken, but to the people she thinks she can trust. nemesis would probably be one of them? could prove interesting.

nemesis & harshaw: he wants to know if she wants to pet his cat. her name is oncat. the cat is cute. maybe next up they can advance to her petting him? on his head!!!! i have no idea. he’s a bit of an oddball, say luna but with a… love for fire. 

nemesis & nikolai: nik will be sweet to her, esp if she isn’t too deeply stuck in pureblood ideals. he’s the type of person that tolerates the “nobility” bc he needs them, being prince in his own verse, but he’s very much a forger of his own path, a man of the people, and yeah… 

nemesis & theo: i mean, does she want a silent but solid presence at her side? theo’s her man. he wouldn’t bother her i suppose. also nemesis being way older i suppose would mean a different dynamic, unless we’re talking aus here? i dunno. god i’m shit at this.

ai & alice: do i think alice would contact ai for some vengeance, the cost being her own soul? hell yeah! send voldemort to hell, ai, the world will be better off. alice would be a little intimidated, but she’s a lioness so she wouldn’t let it show afgfdgd. 

ai & rhaenys: rhaenys would try to figure out a way to have ai’s type of vengeance without it costing her soul. wouldn’t work, i assume, but not for lack of her trying. they’d get along, i think? rhaenys would be kind to her.

ai & harshaw: harshaw saw she can throw fireballs and they’re instantly best friends. that’s just the way it is now. they’re pals, besties, a team. she throws the fireballs, he’ll help them along. oh hey, ai, did you know he has a cat? lmao.

ai & nikolai: first of, that rhymes. i think nikolai would find her very interesting, but wouldn’t be too interested in her services, mostly bc he’s got more than one person in his way in his verse and to sell his soul for just one when he can figure out other means to thwart them… seems useless to him.

ai & theo: they’re both closed-off people. i suppose they could get along in silent companionship. he’d be scared of her, tbh, if he knew what she was/what she does, but still, silent solidarity is a strong motivator? 

misa & alice: gryffindors! GRYFFS! alice wants to protect her tbh. she’s so sweet! i wonder if alice knows better than to see her as just dumb. that it’s an act of sorts. in any case, alice can be the butch-esque girlfriend misa is looking for, is all i’m saying.

misa & rhaenys: rhaenys would… tolerate misa, but the dumb act is lowkey getting on her nerves. still, so long as she’s not opposing rhaenys in any way, shape or form, all is good! so… so yeah, that’s the tea here. sip sip.

misa & harshaw: they’re both edgy. a little oddball-ish. does she want to see his cat? god i need to stop with that joke. anyway! uhm. they can get up to some shenanigans. he thinks she’s sweet, and cute. not his type but that sentiment goes both ways so there’s that. 

misa & nikolai: nik doesn’t have it in him to be mean to her. he’s observant enough to have a guess that she might not be so airheaded as she pretends to be, and he admires her for that. i don’t know how well they’d get along, nikolai is always busy, learning, helping. could prove to be interesting, i suppose? 

misa & theo: theo probably thinks misa is a little annoying, he doesn’t really know how to talk to her without feeling like it’s kind of empty. this could change, though, they could learn to get along. i feel like it’d take a lot of time and a lot of patience, perhaps an incident that would help them understand each other a little better, that kind of jazz. 

howl & alice: see i feel like this could either be the greatest success or the biggest disaster. howl being flamboyant versus alice who is straightforward and sassy, either they hit it off immediately or they are arguing the entire time. alice definitely wouldn’t put up with some bs, being upfront with him, but maybe he needs that?

howl & rhaenys: she’s fascinated by his magic, thinks he’s a little extra but it makes her laugh? so in a sense, that couldn’t be bad. since she’s a targ, she’s fireproof? that’s her trick. hope he likes it. oh and she has a special bond with dragons, maybe he thinks that cool, too. teach her some magic, she wants to know. for innocent reasons, no like… overthrowing usurpers, no no!

howl & harshaw: a wizard with a fire-demon versus an etherealki with a fire-obsession? what could go wrong tbh. howl will have to put up with the cat but i’m sure he’ll manage. i think they’d get along? harshaw is odd enough to catch howl off guard every now and again. maybe do keep an eye on him, though. wouldn’t want him to accidentally set a fire.

howl & nikolai: they’re both flamboyant and blonde, i feel like they might as well be the same person, except one is a wizard and the other is a prince. nik isn’t as dramatic, but he’s still kind of extra. thinks very highly of himself, always has a comeback, a backup plan. i have no idea what kind of relationship can come from this, but i feel like they’d get along, somehow. just bc they’re so similar. they could potentially trip over the fact that nik is very duty-oriented and howl avoids active duty? or the draft, rather.

howl & theo: if howl can drag theo out from behind his walls, all the power to howl tbh. either i imagine howl will be frustrated at the lack of response to his antics, or he’ll try harder? hope howl likes getting dragged fgdgd. maybe they’ll drag each other. i’d pay money for this tbh.

[lillianfromaccounting]

Finally getting around to this!

Was tagged by @cenobitic-anchorite (thank you!)

Putting this under a read more, because I wrote a lot.

1. What is your favorite movie? My answer to this is always Sleeping Beauty because it was the first movie that I stayed up watching with no adults. Like I must have been around 7 and my older cousin was 12 and we stayed up watching it after all the adults went to sleep. So for me, it signified some sort of independence. (On another note, that same cousin and I also stayed up to watch Pretty Woman before I realized what was going on in that movie.)

I know sometimes it’s a cop out answer, because I really can’t pick a favorite live action movie. There’s too many and I love a lot of them. Also, usually, when I say Sleeping Beauty, based on the other person’s reaction, I can tell if they’ll be compatible and/or get my vibe or not.

2.  If you had to drastically change your hair, how would you cut it and what color would you dye it?  I want rainbow hair, but I can’t have that where I work. I’ve been saying I’ve wanted to dye it red for several months now, but haven’t made the appointment yet (long story, but also mostly me dragging my feet). I’ve ALWAYS wanted a pixie cut, but have always been told that my face shape isn’t good for it (I did it senior year of college and there were people who flat out told me never to get that hair cut again). I’ll do it again, when I feel like I have the energy to maintain it.

3.  Can you drive a manual transmission car? lol, no. I can just barely drive an automatic. (Fact: I got my license at age 23 and didn’t regularly drive until 32.)

4.  What’s your favorite thing to cook or bake? Why? Is there a word limit to this? Cuz we’ll be here a few days. lol Favorite thing to bake is scones because I love scones. I also love to bake pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. And anything with a short pastry, so pies, tarts. I LOVE making sweet danishes. Oh crumb cakes. Oooh it’s season for fresh cranberries. I make a really good cranberry lime crumb cake. Cake, in just about every variation (rounds, sheet, cup, etc.) I like these because they’re delicious (and very few bakeries make them well, and I’m a dessert snob. If I’m eating it, it better be worth the calories. I’m also very particular about my cake to frosting/crumb ratio). Also, fact: I suck at baking regular cookies. I can do it, but they never look right and I’m pretty sure I’m screwing up the ratio of dry to wet ingredients or the butter’s not cold enough or something, but yeah, my cookies always look seriously deformed. (yes, I’ve seen that chart that troubleshoots cookies. No, it hasn’t helped.)

Favorite thing to cook. Hm... go to comfort stuff: penne vodka, but really, I like trying new recipes.

5.  How old were you when you got your ears pierced (if your ears aren’t pierced, do you want to get them pierced? The first time I got my ears pierced, I think I was in 8th grade, so 13-ish. After the initial however long it was that you’re supposed to keep them in, I got lazy so I didn’t keep earrings in all the time (and they hurt my ears), so the holes apparently closed. I got them re-pierced in sophomore or junior year of high school and again, after a little while, they closed again. I was thinking about getting them re-pierced again.

6.  Do you like Thanksgiving? Why or why not? I LOVE Thanksgiving. Yes, the historical aspect can go to hell, but personally, I love Thanksgiving. So growing up, being Chinese, we never celebrated American Thanksgiving. When I was about 13, I got a bread making book from the Scholastic book fair and discovered that we had a working oven (Chinese people don’t cook with ovens. We have a wok and a rice cooker. That’s really all you need.). Anyway, I started baking bread and it was amazing.

Also, our local supermarket would do the holiday promotion of if you spend $X, you can get a free holiday protein, and being a household of 8 (sometimes 10), we hit that spending threshold very, very quickly. So one year, I told my mom that we’re getting a turkey, instead of the ham that she likes. She was skeptical, but I was hell bent on celebrating American Thanksgiving and figuring out what this whole turkey hoopla was about.

I started cooking a Thanksgiving feast for my family (immediate and extended) from the age of 14. I did a sticky rice stuffing in the bird. Mashed sweet potatoes (no marshmallow. it’s sweet enough by itself.) I always made a lasagna (with cheese from DiPalo’s, where I would wait hours on line for our order) or another pasta dish. We did Chinese vegetables. And every year, we would pick new recipes we’d want to try. By ‘we’, I mean me. I would pick new recipes that I’d want to try and my three younger siblings would be obligatory sous chefs. And since bread baking happened in the wee early hours of the morning, we would have it for breakfast. So then I expanded the menu to include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It became an all day thing and I was (and still am) obsessed.

Oh, it probably also helped to know that I come from a very large extended family and everyone would come through our house during holidays. Usually, it’s because my family hosted the mah jong parties, so we were kinda party central. My biggest Thanksgiving, we had about 50 people cycle through the house that day, so I had to make sure I had food enough for 50 people. Growing up, I’m pretty sure we never had less than 30. (It’s been a shock for me these past several years when we’ve hosted less than 20 people on turkey day.)

Then, my siblings would find recipes that they want to try, and Thanksgiving was this day where we would try food. Not all the recipes worked out, but no one ever got sick or food poisoning (oh man, I have stories from adjacent family members). But yeah. It’s an insane production and I love every minute of it (especially since my mom did the clean up, because bless that woman, she messed up Jiffy corn bread mix when she tried to bake, so she sticks to cleaning).

Anyway, after I got married, I demanded Thanksgiving, which my in-laws didn’t care about because they were getting it catered anyway. But I found out the hard way that they’ve sucked the soul out of my Thanksgiving festivities. One person demanded Stove Top (over fresh sausage dressing?!??!!). Fine. Another prefers roasted turkey (as opposed to smoked or fried). Year after year, they keep telling me to make less food, because they don’t enjoy watching me cook (they think I work too hard, but they also don’t understand that I’m having the time of my life).

At this point, I know that in order to get back to the Thanksgiving that I want to celebrate, it will be after that generation has passed. It’s fine.

I used to start planning my Thanksgiving menu in March, studying recipes and picking and choosing stuff up until like two weeks before hand. Ever since the kids came along, that excitement has also waned. But I’m excited for this year. There will be apple cider mimosas. And I’m roasting a savory pumpkin. And there will be artichokes. Oh and one of my good friends went to Dominique Ansel Kitchen’s pie night this year and had a poached pear chocolate pie that she said was divine. I am attempting to recreate it based on her descriptions of the textures and her pictures. This is what I live for.

(where the fuck is that barney stinson challenge accepted gif when you need it?)

and yes, this year will be my 24th year cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

7.  If you could live in the world of one film, which one would you pick? Oh man. D2: The Mighty Ducks. Ok, I lied. I do have a favorite live action movie. I wish I had a more creative answer to this. Yeah, Harry Potter’s world would be cool. Yeah, I identify with hobbits. Any of the Star Treks would also be good in terms of universes. But I want Adam Banks to teach (13-14 year old) me how to ice skate.

8.  What kind of pet have you never had, but have always wanted? lol one of my bffs and I always wanted a baby panda.

9.  If you won the huge lottery, what would be the first 3 things you’d do?Get a good fucking lawyer, set up a shell foundation so it’s not listed in mine or my husband’s name, prepare to disappear after a couple of years of acting normal. Then, for the more fun three, pay off debt, travel, get a house somewhere the fuck else.

Ceno’s answer was too perfect, so I left it, mainly because I’d pretty much do the same. I’d buy my parents a new house and hire a chauffeur for them. Also @katiekeysburg will get a chauffeur. And I’d throw money at teleportation research. And fund a bunch of gofundmes.

10.  Have you ever gotten a tattoo? What is it? If you haven’t, do you want one? I do not have any but I’ve always wanted one of my Chinese name above my ankle and I’ve always wanted the pi character somewhere (debated various locations). One day, when I get the guts to. (and when it’s seasonally appropriate to get one above my ankle, cuz omg I never knew about the various care required while it heals.)

11.  What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done? hahaha um. Probably calling the cops on an online friend who I thought was going to kill himself, but he really wasn’t (but I didn’t know that). (hey kids, don’t put your addresses in your aol profiles--yes I’m ancient.) actually, I’ve done my share to stupid aol/online shit. it will probably come back to haunt me if i ever run for public office or marry a celebrity.

Ok, real stupid thing. I’m a severe klutz, and one time I walked off a raised cement slab (like the kind that statues would sit on) and sprained my ankle. It was probably 3 inches off the ground on the side that I got on it, but it was further off the ground on the other side, so when I got off the slab, I misjudged where to put my foot and I rolled my ankle. Ended up at the ER and they put me in a soft cast. I had to have crutches to get around campus and this one guy who I don’t even know his name, picked me up and carried me up the campus hill (we had a really big hill), and it was against my consent. I did NOT want him to pick me up. It was terrible. Anyway, I rolled my ankle by walking. I have tons of stupid shit. How much time you got?

I was also pretty pretentious when I was younger. (I might still be. I’m not as self aware as I wish to be.) I once asked an Italian friend to try my tomato sauce and asked him what was missing because it didn’t taste right. (I know. I was so gross. You learn from your own grossness though.)

What other stupidity? I fawned over boys. My bff gave me a copy of The Giving Tree in college (I had never read it before) as a metaphor of how much of myself I gave to this toxic dude. I sobbed reading it for the first time.

In hindsight, not getting my license at 17 was a pretty stupid move too. But that also had to do with life circumstances.

OH. Turning down an interview for an internship with my dream company at the time, because I had already accepted an internship position with another company.

Trying to explain to my MBA ethics class how my industry worked only to get it mansplained back to me (pretty stupid of me to have tried in the first place).

Going for my MBA was also a pretty stupid move in the holistic view of my life.

12.  Have you accomplished your New Year’s Resolution for 2018? I honestly don’t remember if I even made resolutions, so I’m going to say hard no.

13.  If you could get any degree from any school, free of charge, what would you pick? Criminal Psychology. Ceno, we can go to school together! (this reminds me I need to catch up on last week’s Criminal Minds) Another option would be anything in the forensics sciences. I would also like to learn massage therapy. And I want to take that artisan bread breaking course at the Institute of Culinary Education.

I forget how many people I’m supposed to tag. @katiekeysburg @daisyjm75 @steverogersnotebook

[peakyblinders-au]

Ekaterina Lvovna Smirnova

Tumblr Url & Your Real Name: @peakytoms // Kat

Character Full Name: Ekaterina Lvovna Smirnova

Nicknames/Alias: Kitty (only by Tommy), Katherine for all the other english people, some (Arthur, Alfie) call her Kit

Face Claim:

Backstory for nicknames/alias/names: Tommy is the only one who can call her Kitty because he’s the only one that has made her purr

Gender: Female

Gender Role: if you want a backstory for this add anymore necessary info here as well for the gender prompt

Sexual Orientation: She’s whatever she has to be but mostly hetero

Age: 19

Birthday: August 21 1900

Deathday: I mean I don’t want her to die, but honestly you guys are the writers and do what you do

Birthplace: Anapa, Russia

Ethnicity: Russian

Family Members: Orphan-  mother (Nadezhda) died on the way to England from russia,  father (Lev) was killed in a bar-fight when she was 16, she has a brother (Pyotr/Peter) who moved to Scotland for work but they are not close

Children: none

Face shape: Heart Shape

Eye colour: Green

Hair colour: Black

Hairstyle: long curly hair that is normally down but pinned up when needed (especially when I was on the street)

Skin tone:  she was born close to the sea so she tan easily, but because it’s England she is now quite pale

Complexion: a light olive (like mila kunis/penelope cruz) but shes hella pale rn

Body type/Build: slim (but she’s got some hips)

Height: 5’4

Weight: 90-100 lbs

Breast size: 34B (they seem bigger on her since she’s so tiny but its a good handful)

Facial Hair: none (well-eyebrows and like baby hairs)

Scars/Birthmarks/Prominent Features:

Scars

She has a scar about 5 cm on her chest from when she was once attacked with a bottle while on the streets (but really it happened when she killed her dad…oooh plot twist), and a few cigarette burns on her arms from her dad as well

Birthmarks

She has a tiny one in the shape of a heart on her cheekbone- like scarlett Johansson

A birthmark the size of Tommy’s palm on her right buttcheek—its light brown (Tommy says it was a sign that he was meant for me because it’s the perfect size of his hand)

Preferred hand: Righty,

Health: she was malnourished as a child and teen so she’s slim and has a problem with eating food- like she likes to store food cuz she’s always worried she will one day have none

Phobias: she is kinda afraid of the dark, but the fear dwindles the longer she lives with tommy

Addictions: she eventually becomes addicted to cigarettes after living with Tommy

Mental Disorders: slight anxiety but nothing too maladaptive

Attitude: she seems pretty meek and quiet when you first meet her so many underestimate her (also because of how small she is). but in reality she has a non-nonsense attitude and is not at all afraid to speak her mind. she’s kinda like a less exuberant Tatiana

Expressions: when she’s nervous she scratches at the scar on her chest and nibbles on her lips

Residence: she used to live on the street and would get a room when she could afford one, now she lives with Tommy and his wife (Erika)

Political Affiliation: she doesn’t know enough about politics since she’s not educated and hasn’t worked in any organization or legitimate place. plus she’s an immigrant (came to England as a child)— but probably more communist since she hates Imperialism and the imbalances of capitalism

Friends: Erikas character is one of her friends (she found her on the street and took her in since she was so young (but really, she was 19 just looked so young since she was so malnourished), she’s also pretty close to Finn, and Isiah because they are close in age (eventually Michael but she doesn’t really get good vibes from him and so avoids him) but she doesn’t spend much time with them since she’s so busy

Enemies: she HATES the Russians because they’re the bourgeoisie and ran the Jews out of Russia

Boss: Erika is kinda her boss (She help look after the kid and work around the house to earn her keep) but Tommy also sometimes uses her to help in business (he once tried to set her on Kimber and Erika bitched him out for it, but she’s still willing to help because she’s cunning and has a good eye for who tommy should/should not trust)

Pets: She has one dog (Nochka) who was a stray that she found and bonded with, Nochka is like her little guardian (She is a mutt and kinda like a scruffy collie; see picture)

Finances: PISS POOR, she’s living on the streets, stealing when she can (which she doesn’t like but a girls gotta eat), she wants to work but finds it hard since all the men came back, so sometimes she has to work the streets out of sheer desperation)

Marital Status: not married

Sex Life: HECK YES. I want her to smash Alfie cuz she’s a Jewess and Tommy sets them up (he figured since Alfie is such a loud mouth and she was Jewish, he would tell her all his secrets- which he did since its Alfie)

Lovers: so eventually she is going to become Tommy’s mistress (but not at the beginning since she’s young and he doesn’t trust her), though eventually as they spend more time together (because she starts to work for him) he starts to trust herm talk to her about business, and develop feelings (he’s an older man though and feels weird about it at first and doesn’t want to take advantage, but she makes it clear that the feelings are reciprocated)

Turn-ons: she’s kinda a masochist (her abuse from when she was young left her kinda damaged so she likes pain, but she also likes giving it since she sometimes also has a power kink

Turn-offs: she hates men with dirty hands since they remind her of her father (she makes sure Alfie washes his hands thoroughly before the bang bang)

Dom or Sub: she’s a switch– usually she’s more sub cuz of her masochism, but she knows when Tommy is being to hard on himself and needs to take the reigns herself)

Fantasies: if you want this written or at least known go ahead but i can’t promise it will be apart of the story, there is only so much time and so many episodes y’know!

Occupation: she’s worked as a seamstress and a prostitute, but now she’s whatever she needs to be for Tommy and his wife (babysitter, maid, trojan horse— meaning that Tommy sometimes uses her to get info from his enemies, kinda like lizzie in season 2)

Income: she doesn’t have one for the beginning since she’s getting to live with Tommy for free, but eventually he starts paying her because he knows how much she needs to have money saved to feel safe

Work Experience: seamstress, factory worker, child-care worker, prostitute

Religion: she grew up in Judaism but she doesn’t identify with it (If a god put her through what she went through then it’s not a god she wants to worship)

Criminal Record: she’s been arrested for theft and solicitation but because everyone thinks she’s so young she’s never been to jail for long

Morals: she tries her best to be a good person, she doesn’t like picking on the little guys, but doesn’t mind knocking the big ones down a few pegs. She also knows that morals sometimes get in the way when you need stuff (she would steal and sell herself when she needed to) so she’s not fused to her morals

Main Goal: she just wants to get out of her destitution and feel safe somewhere. Once she feels safe in Tommy’s home and begins to trust him, she becomes loyal as a dog (Russians are fiercely loyal). She just wants to be happy and healthy and safe

Ambitions: her only ambition is to better her life and protect the ones she loves, she is willing to kill if she has to

Regrets: she doesn’t really regret anything, she believes that things happen as they will happen and it’s pointless to regret and worry about things (she’s a total Russian)

Secrets: her dad died “in a bar fight” but in reality she killed him. After the mum died, her dad would get drunk and mistake her for her mum and assault her, her brother used to help but when he went off to war it was just the two of them, and she killed him and that’s how she became homeless. No one except Tommy knows what her dad did to her, and what she did to him.

Best memories: anything to do with her mum, her and her mum used to garden and go to the beach, so when she moves in with Tommy, she asks very kindly for a small garden in memory of her mama.

Also the first time that Tommy smiled at her (she was admiring his horse one day when she thought he wasn’t around, and she fed the horse an apple, and she heard Tommy chuckle because of how amazed she was with the horse eating it, and it was the first time she saw him smile at her– this was back when she first moved in and Tommy didn’t trust her)

Worst memories: literally all of her life from when her mum died to when Tommy’s wife took her in

Hobbies: she’s started smoking since she’s moved into Tommy’s (it’s silly but she started smoking so they would have something in common, she was always smitten by him)

Skills: she’s really good with knives (duh she’s Russian), she’s also really good at languages and picking them up, accents etc. (but this isn’t like essential i guess), she’s also very stealthy and sneaky

Likes: LOVES READING and gardening so much, and just hanging out by water and laying down on the grass and just relaxing and feeling safe, she loves the sun (which sucks cuz lel it’s Birmingham and England), LOVES baths (and loves having them with Tommyboy)

Dislikes: she hates when people are rude to those who have less than them,

Superstitions: SO SUPERSTITIOUS SHE’S RUSSIAN (but not superstitious about anything to do with cats, she loves all animals)

Quirks: she talks to herself a lot

Guilty Pleasures: she LOVES sweets. Like if there is a sweet in the house for Tommy’s kids, she’s eating them. She saves up what she can just to buy sweets and when Tommy is feeling kind, he brings her back some and just acts all chill and non-chalant about it, but loves how excited and happy she reacts every time)

Strengths: she’s strong and capable, she’s smart and knows how to read people really well

Weaknesses: she doesn’t trust anyone really

Languages: Russian, English, Yiddish/Hebrew, she’s picked up French from Erikas character and thus find its easy to pick up other romance and Slavic languages- at least she has a rudimentary knowledge of understanding (she cant speak most but she can listen)

Accent: English, Brummie

Speech Impediments: none

Voice:

Reputation: she has a pretty poor reputation, since she was a nuisance to most of society while on the streets, now she has a reputation for being Tommy mistress, which means people fear and ‘respect’ her (at least to her face, but to her back, they think she’s just a gold digging whore)

Backstory: KAY SO, what I was thinking was, Ekaterina and her fam, emigrated from Russia (though really they were like forced because they were Jewish) when she was like 10, and her mum died when she was 11 before they got to the UK. Since her mum died, her dad has been abusing her when he gets drunk (which was very frequent) because she looked like her mama. Her brother used to try to protect her but papa was big and when he was drunk it would be one helluva mess to fight with him. When brother went to war, and it was just her and her dad, it was awful and one day she snapped and she killed him (and everyone just assumed it was some barfight). She stayed in the house for a bit but eventually was thrown onto the streets when the men came back from war and she lost her job. Now homeless, she had to steal, and sell her body to live. She befriended a stray who would stay with her and cuddle her for warmth on nights that she spent on the streets, and the dog became her guardian and security. One day Tommy’s wife saw her and the dog curled up in some corner on the street and legit thought it was a dead child (because she was so tiny), so she took her in to her home (and the dog to since it refused to leave Kit (it was barking like mad until it was let in). Tommy’s wife was nice and at first Kit lied about her age figuring it would be easier to get pity if she were younger and not an adult). Tommy was mad as hell that she let some stranger into the house, but he couldn’t force her to throw Kit out, so she stayed and started helping out around the house (baby-sitting, housework, etc). Tommy, who was suspicious of Kit, ignored her at first, but then started ‘asking’ (read: manipulating, psychological coercing) her to help with the business (used her to sweeten the deal with Alfie and get some deets, wanted her to seduce some potential enemies etc.).

Eventually, as she spend more time with Tommy, they get used to one another, and he begins to trust her and see her worth as a business advisor kinda. He knows that she’s good at reading people and he trusts her to help him out so they become close. Tommy has known that she has been lying about her age for a while and as they get closer, he becomes more and more attracted to her, but feels awks about it since she’s like the young hot nanny, and he’s older (so modest and insecure for someone so beautiful sigh). She obviously feels the same (since Hello it’s Tommy Shelby and god those eyes????), so eventually she just flat out asks him if he’s attracted to her “because I am attracted to you”. And badda boom badda bing, they get it on. She at first feels kinda bad about it because she genuinely loves his wife and owes her her life for taking her in, but she’s still Russian and so thinks that things happen for a reason (so the universe wanted them to all be together because it brought them together). Kitty is definitely the one that gets Tommy the most, and helps him out with the business. She understand him and why he does what he does, but she isn’t afraid to give him shit when he’s being unnecessarily awful.

Her and Tommy’s relationship is very unique– like they are friends and confidantes first and they share everything with one another and trust each other completely. But they also get down and dirty and that’s where Tommy lets out all his kinks (she’s Russian so she judged nothing in the bedroom…nothing).

[eris0330]

The human weapon | Part Six

(I saved this gif for lord knows how long ago, so i don’t know credits for this one) 

Pairing: JungkookxReader

AU: Robot!Cyborg, Sci-fi

Genre: Angst - Romance

Word count: 2.7k

☽M. List☾ ; 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 [END]

“Taehyung.” Turning around, you were met with your ex-boyfriend. He looked older and mature, rather sexy in fact. When you dated him, he was such a dork around you but quickly changed, knowing what he was up to later on.

“Wow…. It’s really you.” He continued to speak, stepping closer into the light. He was tanned, and suited in a tux like the others. A button unopened, to reveal the chocolate sweetness of his skin flash. Taking in a deep breath, you tried to forget the break and enjoy your night.

“Yeah, it’s me. I didn’t see you at the wedding ceremony?”

“I was late.”

“I see one thing hasn’t changed.” You blurted out, wanting to facepalm immediately. Taehyung might be your ex-boyfriend that broke your heart in a dirty way, but it didn’t mean you should make him remember. Maybe, he had changed.

“Yeah… You look beautiful, by the way.” He smiled, the smile you hated. Because, it bought back the great memories shared laughing together. In a boxy shape, you couldn’t help but mirror. You wished it was only Jungkook that could make you feel butterflies rising inside, but it couldn’t be fulfilled.

“Thanks. You don’t look so bad either.”

“I have to catch up with a few guests, mind I’ll come around later this evening? To catch up.” You felt weird, about how he wanted to catch up. Was it for the friends’ sake, or something else. He didn’t give you a bad vibe, and maybe for tonight, you would have an amazing night surrounded with loving friends.

“Sure, I’ll have to go back to the others too” An awkward nod of exchanging, you both parted ways with an odd feeling lingering in your stomach. Taehyung made you get butterflies, but he also made you feel an uneasiness of what you never got over.

“Are you okay, you look a little… uncomfortable?” Jungkook questioned, putting a hand around your waist. Normally, you would feel odd about it but this time, it felt right. The burn in the bottom of your stomach disappeared, not letting a simple guy ruin your whole evening.

“No, I’m fine. Don’t worry”

Within minutes, you dined into the food and wine. You had your annual discussion about science and human emotions with Namjoon, while Jin tried to rationalise everything. It was like a family dinner, with a little more spice around it. Even though the topics could get heated, it never failed to put a smile on the whole group. It was enjoyable, and later, after drinking multiple glasses of wine you knew, it was about to be real fun. Your mom tried to figure out the mystery boy about Jungkook, as well for Jin. Namjoon would yet again, explain everything about a lost cousin or something. In the end, you let Namjoon take over the spiral of lies in the conversation.

Though, the music, food and drinks were great. Something was bothering you, not just one thing, but two. Jungkook was quickly fascinated by new people, and a lot of the girls were too. You noticed your sister’s old classmates, finding their seat beside Jungkook whenever you left to the toilet. You were soon enough, seated beside Namjoon who was probably solid happy-drunk. Watching Jungkook being surrounded by girls, you felt… jealous. Was it happiness too? There was something, that made you happy about that he could talk with them. That someone, would take an interest. But, it made you jealous. You wanted to tell them, to scoot away because it was your seat. There was just this thing, you hated jealousy and knew how to control it. In whatever way, you always found a way to distract yourself. To turn around the way of jealousy and greed became mixed up, to pure happiness. Not only was Jungkook’s innocence bothering you, but from just two tables away, someone always got their eyes on you. Taehyung was staring intensely at you, and there is no knowledge for how long. Whenever you peeked, he was already watching. You didn’t understand, if he wanted to talk, he should come over. But, maybe that was just a foolish wish for something else.

“How much, do you wanna bet, that Mina is going to ask Jungkook on a date one day?” Jin took away your attention, feeling his arrogance grow upon your shoulders.

“90.000 KRW.” You called, making his eyes pop. Pursing his lips into a thin line, he looked upon the flirtatious girl that sat next to Jungkook.

“Deal. I see you’re confident.”

“Oh please. Everyone can tell, that she will ask him out one day. The poor boy probably doesn’t know what a date is, and just politely accepts it.” You scoffed, trying to sip the last of your white wine. Sour but with a taste of bitterness underneath.

“Someone’s jealous?”

“And what if I was?”

“Ask him to dance then!” Jin requested, making your shake your head.

“No way, Jin. I can’t dance, and I will not cockblock him.” You chuckled, taking the last bit of your drink left in the wineglass. Jin exhaled in exhaustion, getting caught by a figure walking closer. To your amazement, Jungkook was standing in a light bow and a free hand, asking for a dance.

“Can I have this dance, Princess?” You were in shock and too flushed to react, before Jin pushed you towards Jungkook. With a quick reflex, you were in the arms of him, escorted towards the dance floor. A new song starting, while finding the right posture for a dance. Centimetres between each other and hands connected, you were swaying together along the rhythm. Jungkook was quite good and was leading you better than expected.

“Did Namjoon teach you to call the girl a pet name?” You questioned to break the silence, making him smile fondly.

“He told me, it was something girls really liked”

“Fortunately, he is right. Damn right” You chuckled, feeling Jungkook’s hand squeeze on the small of your back. Your hips and chest coming closer, going from two to one. Your head fit perfectly along his chest and the crook of his neck, hoping the song would never end.

“I’m happy, you asked me to come with you” Jungkook whispered against your ear, making it burn along everything he touched. You didn’t know, if it was the alcohol that made your heart race and every piece of limb felt numb.

“It wouldn’t feel right if you weren’t with me…” The hand on your back, swirled tiny movement of strokes sending warmth to your core.

“Say… Jungkook. Did you sleep with me on the couch last night?”

“…..I did. Was that bad?”

“No…. I liked it. I felt like I have slept for an eternity, which was nice for once. I feel so safe around you” The alcohol didn’t help on your honesty around Jungkook, but you enjoyed telling these small confessions, when the response was his heart beating louder against your ear.

“I feel safe around you too”

“How? I mean… you have weapons and everything. I’m just… nothing compared to that”

“No… You’re everything to me-“ You were shocked, to hear this kind of thing. Making your head peek out of the comfortable warmth, to watch his face fluster with red. You smiled, feeling happy and wrapped your arms around his neck.

“How about we take the guest bed into my room, and make it a double bed? A little less space in the room, but we will be able to sleep together…” You suggested, watching his smile grow and the nose scrunching.

“I would love that”

“Me too…” You didn’t know, when the song started or when it would end. But the connection between you and Jungkook, was almost unbreakable. The feel of your heart bursting inside your chest, as your forehead clashing together. Eyes, only looking at each other and no one else. It was just you and Jungkook, together.

“Erhm… Excuse me?” The world created around you and Jungkook, made you silence the sound of music. None of you noticed, the song stopped and a new began. Turning to your side, retreating from his grip, you were met with a familiar face.

“Can I have this dance?” Taehyung bowed lightly, making you look back to your first partner. He was also asked to dance with Mina, of course. Doubting for a second, you thought one dance wouldn’t hurt. Neither did it seem that Mina could understand a ‘no’, but got her dance anyways.

“Just this once” You replied, putting your hand in his. Trying to look back for the one that got away, he was occupied with the drunk girl who could barely make it a twirl.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take loving care of you.”

Guided towards the centre, a firm hand was placed on the small of your back. It was already warm, but Taehyung made it warmer. Eyes that was unable to look away from, you tried to compose yourself in front of him.

“Someone’s a bit on edge?” He questioned, breaking the awkward silence that grew between you.

“Shouldn’t I be?” You felt the groan escape the back of his throat, knowing your answer this easily.

“It was a long time ago Y/N… I’m not like that anymore, I was an idiot.” Pondering along his answer, you couldn’t shake off the feeling that Taehyung did sacrifice a lot to be with you. But still, he did do things that wouldn’t be forgivable.

“I was actually looking forward to see you tonight…” squeezing you closer against him, you felt weak at the thought of him. The way every memory replayed in the back of your head, by every touch he left.

“You can’t be telling me… you didn’t catch me watching you, multiple times tonight?” He whispered against your ear, sending vibrations of pleasure directly to your core.

“Don’t… Go to Eunji with that bullshit” You tried to resist, but your body wouldn’t listen.

“Come one… We both know that Eunji and I, didn’t last longer than 3 days afterwards. She was nothing to me.”

“Then what was I?” You dared to question, putting a hand on his chest to feel his heart race against the palm of your hands. He was frozen, biting on his lip for his next cheeky answer. But you had enough, your head couldn’t take anymore. Taehyung knew, what he could do with your mind and body. You were like a doll, and that’s what scares you being around him.

“You know what, forget it, I don’t want to know. Excuse me.” Pushing your bodies away, you escaped to the balcony. Not looking back, you didn’t want to see his expression. If it was pained, or effortlessly happy, you didn’t care. The stars lights above you, gave you a soothing feeling inside. The sound of cheerful people laughing and talking to nights end, gave you hope for joy. Looking back at everything, all you had to do, was to let go of him. Taehyung wouldn’t come back, and it’s a chapter that finished a long time ago, but you never had the guts to put it away.

“Don’t get a cold.” It was like you were haunted, turning around to face the same man again. In the dim moon light, he would look like a seducing vampire at the first sight.

“Why would you care.”

“Because I always have. I never stopped caring about you, Y/N.” It didn’t matter how close he got, your body wouldn’t listen. It was attracted to Taehyung, it was taken care of from him, it memorises him.

“Why? Why now?” You felt tears threatened to fall, but you wouldn’t let him get the satisfaction that his ex never got over him.

“I didn’t know when the right time was. I was told you never came out, and stopping by didn’t seem like a promising idea either.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he was now standing front. Only a few centimetres separating, making it uneasy for you to escape. He was taller, broader and intimidating, like always.

“Why me…? Why her…?”

“I don’t know. It just happened and I was a dumb jerk, but I still love you. It was a mistake, but I never stopped loving you. I can’t give you an exact reason why, but you have to believe me when I say, that I still love you.” A warm hand cupped the side of your cheek, making you look at the man who made your world feel like a fairy tale and hell. You regretted the feelings that came, but it was hard to deny them.

“Taehyung… don’t…”

“I’ll make it right! I promise! I can’t stop thinking about you the moment I open my eyes, and hope that I will see you sleeping next to me. The way I can’t help to replay the memories, that we spent together. You feel it too, don’t you? Our love, never died, it can’t. One more chance. Just one, that’s all I need.” Biting on your lip, you were considering it. His eyes became glossy, and face reminded you why he caught your heart in the first place. Giving someone a second chance, was a way for them to show another side. Maybe Taehyung really had changed, or maybe he was just trying to play you.

“Y/N.” Another voice, familiar and warm. Jungkook was standing in the entrance, calling your name like it was nothing. You knew, what you have now, would be better than to restore a lost relationship.

“I’m sorry Taehyung, Goodbye.” Walking along the concrete floor, Jungkook was ready to take your hand in his, following you out to the car. Taehyung was confused, yet furious of the situation. You declined his offer, as if it was a piece of candy.

“Taehyung? What are you doing out here?”

“Jaein..? Oh… I was just enjoying the night sky.” Within seconds, he had fulfilled his cool attitude once again. Jaein didn’t know about you and Taehyung’s past, and it seems to be taken advantage of.

“Say… Who’s the younger guy with Y/N?” Taehyung seemed like a typical curious boy, when asked. Jaein only found it fair, for your ex-boyfriend to know who it was.

“His name is Jungkook, and currently lives with her. I never got a clear answer if they were dating, though they seem comfortable around each other.” She explained, making Taehyung smirk in pleasure.

“I see. It’s getting late Jaein, but it was nice seeing you again. Congratulations with the wedding again, tell Jimin to call me soon” With that, Taehyung was done. He tried, but was turned down. Right now, he needed to try again. He wasn’t the kind to give up, as in never.

“I have never felt any better getting all of this glam off… I’m so exhausted now” You yawned, taking your makeup off while Jungkook lifted the bed inside to your bedroom. It was fun to see the guys having some drinks together, but watching Namjoon fall asleep, was probably too much for one night. You and Jungkook didn’t mind, since you both wore equally something that hurt. His shoes and your heels, and for the tight dress it became too much. Looking like a million, takes a lot of time and pain. Jungkook could barely contain himself, wanting to put the bed inside your room. Now there was no need to ask for permission, it’s officially okay to just sleep together.

“What did Taehyung say to you? You didn’t seem that happy” Jungkook settled up the bed, sitting on the edge to watch you through the mirror.

“He was just trying to get a second chance…” You explained, putting the dirty cotton pads away to finally slide under the duvet.

“Did you give him one…?”

“No… But… I think he really has changed Jungkook. I don’t know… My head is really confused…Am I making the right choice?”

“Whatever you choose, I hope you will end up happy.” The feel of Jungkook’s heavy body was placed along the other side, gave you a new sensation of smells and feelings. He was tired, and almost arrived to dream land the moment his head hit the pillow, but he kept looking at you.

“I’m happy being around you.” You confessed with a warming smile, unsure if it was the alcohol, even though you stopped drinking hours ago.

“Me too…” Tucking you into his embrace, you could slumber together receiving hangover texts from the others while waking up. Taehyung might be giving you a tingling feeling inside, but it isn’t the same happiness you get from Jungkook.

[komahinasecretexchange]

Title: Puppy Love

Author: @komaedakun / @givemerockruffs

For: @whimsicalbumblebee

Rating/Warnings: none!

Prompt: “Domestic Komahina buying a doggo ^ o ^”

Author’s notes: fun fact: when I got my cat, my mom and I just went to the shelter and got him on the spot lol.  no researching, no going to different shelters, we just got him. Anyway, this is a modern au :3.  I tried to make it as domestic as possible// also I apologize it’s a bit short…I had a little trouble figuring out what to write// I hope you enjoy it nonetheless; I tried my very best to make it sweet.  So, that being said, Komaeda is really excited about this pup…

    Komaeda never took interest in animals before.  If Hinata even talked about getting a plant for the windowsill, the immediate response he would be met with was “Oh, no, there’s no way it would last with someone like me around."  He got that same reply time and time again.

    So, when Komaeda first asked him about getting a pet, Hinata was surprised – as you could guess.  Surprised, yes, but he quickly agreed to the idea; he feared this would be their only chance at getting a furry friend, since Komaeda seemed to be in a good mood that day.  They agreed to start looking for their new pet the following day.

    That night, the white-haired turned to his boyfriend in bed and said: "I think we should get a dog." He nodded to himself.  "I used to have a dog.”

    Hinata stared back at him, pleasantly surprised once again.  The other rarely ever talked about things he “used to have”.  In fact, he barely spoke about anything in his past at all.  Komaeda really was having a good day.

     “A dog,” Hinata repeated, not all that thoughtfully.  “That seems nice.  They’re very cute,” he commented.  

    Komaeda nodded again in response, humming lightly.  “Yes, quite cute,” he agreed, then glanced toward the ceiling before turning back over in bed.  “Good night, Hajime.”

    Hinata silently hoped Komaeda would stay in this new mood.

   The next day, they followed through, and set out to the nearest animal shelter.  Komaeda insisted on adopting rather than buying; not that Hinata argued with him in the first place.  

    The brunette had never seen Komaeda so…genuinely happy.  He suddenly seemed to gain a whole new vibe when walking into that shelter.  His eyes lit up with childlike excitement; he got this big, stupid grin on his face…It made Hinata smile, in turn.  

    “Where d'you wanna look first?"  Hinata asked, and Komaeda reached out, took his boyfriend by the wrist and practically dragged him further inside.  No response was really necessary, he supposed.  

    Hinata glanced around at the many cats and dogs in the shelter; they were all in cages on the wall and yapping or meowing, as if begging to be the one taken home.  Komaeda seemed slightly overwhelmed, himself, eyes darting every which way in an attempt to take every dog in with a quick glance.

    The white-haired stopped in front of one of the walls, eyeing all the dogs – which were mostly tiny – in the area.  He dropped Hinata’s hand.

    "Y'know,"  Hinata began.  "We never really talked about what type of dog we wanted to get…are you interested in something smaller?"  He asked, sparing a glance at the Pomeranian Komaeda’s eyes were currently trained on.  

    "I think a small dog would better suit our lifestyle,"  he said, not looking at the other.  "Unless, you’re interested in something bigger?”

    “No, you’re right."   Hinata nodded in agreement.  In all honesty, he was glad; a big dog sounded like too much of a hassle.  It’d be easier to handle something tiny.  "You go ahead and look here, okay?  We still need to get supplies for a having a dog and…such.  Y'know, like a collar and food bowl."   Komaeda merely hummed in response.  "Okay, so, um, you have fun here; I’ll go look at that stuff.”

    Hinata walked away, leaving the other to admire the dogs, and approached the nearest worker.  She was short with pink hair and wearing a red t-shirt with black pants that Hinata assumed was her work uniform.  She was standing by a rack of toys, making sure they were all perfectly in place, albeit moving rather slowly.

    “Ah, excuse me,” Hinata said, feeling uncomfortable for interrupting her.  The worker glanced over her shoulder at him, blinking.

    “…How can I help you?"  She asked.

    "Oh, my partner and I are looking to adopt a dog, but…we don’t really have anything for a dog; we’ve never had a pet before.  You sell things like collars and such here, right?”

     She nodded slowly at him.   Hinata stole at glance at her name tag, which read “Chiaki”.  “Yes, we do.  Would you like me to help you look at them or something?  Well…what kind of dog are you getting?"  Chiaki tilted her head at him.

    "Oh, we don’t know yet…”

   “…That’s fine."  She rubbed at her eyes.  "Just get the collar afterwards..you can pick out toys and food and things like that now, though, if you want.”

    “Okay."  Hinata nodded.  "Thank you.  Ah, where can I find all that?"  

    ”…‘Room right of the front counter,“  Chiaki replied, pointing a finger in the general direction of the front of the store.

   "Thanks!"  The brunette said again, then turned and headed for the room.  Chiaki, meanwhile, turned back to the toys she had been fiddling with before.

    In the store area of the shelter (which, Hinata realized, was interesting that they had; typically, shelters didn’t have supplies for sale – you’d have to go to a pet store), Hinata picked out 2 small blue dog bowls – one for water, one for food – as well as a bag of name-brand kibble, a long black leash, an blank name tag for a collar, and a couple vegetable-shaped squeaky toys.  He’d felt happy with himself when he finished, and headed up to the front counter to pay. Once he’d finished, he took the bag of items and headed back into the cat/dog room and sought Komaeda out.  The sound of barking had only become a bit less bothersome.

    He found his boyfriend pretty quickly;  he was sitting on the ground with a tan-and-black Pug in his lap, laughing as it licked his cheek and wagged it’s curly little tail. Another worked stood close by to them.  Hinata couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

    ”'Found one you like, I see.“  Hinata walked over and sat down in front of him.  The dog’s snout twitched and it turned to Hinata in curiosity.  The brunette reached out and petted its’ head.  

     "She’s very sweet,"  Komaeda responded.  

     "Yes, and very cute…strange to see a Pug in the shelter, though.”

    “She’s missing a paw; that’s probably why,” his boyfriend informed him.  Hinata didn’t notice it at first, but, when Komaeda mentioned it, he saw that the dog was, in fact, missing an entire limb.  Her front right paw was just gone.

    Hinata frowned.  “That’s terrible."  He scratched her behind the ear and the Pug tilted her head against his hand slightly, enjoying herself.  ”…What’s her name?“

    "They call her Mabel, but they said we could change it if we decide to get her…”

    “Do you want to change it?”

    “No, not really."  Komaeda laughed.  "I think it’s a cute name.”

   “Me too."  Hinata glanced down at the Pug once again – now discovered to be named Mabel – and smiled lightly.  "Do you want to get her?"  He looked up at Komaeda slightly.  His boyfriend’s eyes were practically shining.  

    "I would love to take her home with us, yes.”

   Hinata nodded and stood up, looking over at the employee still standing beside them.  He was tall with gray-and-black hair, one red eye and one gray eye.  He had his arms crossed over his chest, and he eyed Hinata warily.

    “So, is this the beast with which you desire to seal your contract with?"  He bellowed.  Hinata was taken slightly off guard by the man’s…way of speaking.  The brunette looked down at his name tag.  "Gundham”.

    “Oh, um…yes?"  He said.  

    "Then, it shall be done."  Gundham nodded, eyes closing.  He opened them up again after a moment of silence.  "Please make your way to the front counter.”

    Hinata watched him go, blinking in slight confusion.  That was…strange, he thought.  'Interesting guy.

   “Isn’t this great, Hajime?"  Komaeda stood up, completely blowing over the exchange that just occurred.  "Our family is expanding!  We have a dog now."

 He smiled widely at the other.  If it means he keeps smiling like that, it really is great, Hinata mused.  He was lucky if he got a smile like that out of the man once a week.  He’d genuinely smiled like that, within the past hour, twice.  'New record.

   "Yes, it is.  She’ll be a great addition."  Hinata reached out and gave Mabel another pat on the head.  She panted, tongue lolling out.   "Lets go fill out all the papers we have to, now, so we can take her home.  Oh, and we have to pick out a collar for her.”

    “Of course!"  Komaeda walked alongside Hinata as they exited the room.  "I think she’ll enjoy her new home.  I know you’ll be a great dog parent, Hajime.  I’ll try my very best, too!”

[brinazzle]

3

Most of us go through life unaware of how our environment shapes our behavior. When we experience “road rage” on a crowded freeway, it’s not because we’re sociopathic monsters. It’s because the temporary condition of being behind the wheel in a car, surrounded by rude impatient drivers, triggers a change in our otherwise placid demeanor. We’ve unwittingly placed ourselves in an environment of impatience, competitiveness, and hostility—and it alters us. When we take highly vocal umbrage at disappointing food in a restaurant by abusing a friendly waiter and making nasty comments to the maître d’—neither of whom cooked the food—it’s not because we regularly display the noblesse oblige of Louis XIV. Our behavior is an aberration, triggered by a restaurant environment where we believe that paying handsomely for a meal entitles us to royal treatment. In an environment of entitlement, we behave accordingly. Outside the restaurant we resume our lives as model citizens—patient, polite, not entitled. Even when we’re aware of our environment and welcome being in it, we become victims of its ruthless power. Three decades ago, when I started spending half my days on airplanes, I regarded being on a plane as the ideal environment for reading and writing. No phones, no screens, no interruptions. The constant travel wasn’t an annoyance—because it allowed me to be hyperproductive. But as the airlines’ in-flight entertainment offerings gradually expanded from one film on a single screen to universal Wi-Fi and fifty on-demand channels at my seat, my productivity dropped. What had been apocket of monastic serenity had become a glittering arcade of distraction. And I was tempted and easily distracted. Instead of getting work done or catching up on much-needed sleep while crossing several time zones, I’d watch two or three pointless movies in a row. Each time as I walked off the plane, instead of being happy to arrive safely on the ground, ready to charge into my next assignment, I berated myself over the time I’d wasted in flight. I felt that I had dropped the ball on being disciplined. I also noticed that where in the past I’d leave the airport feeling relaxed and rested, I was now more tired and enervated. It took me a couple of years to realize that the onboard environment had changed—and I had changed with it. But not for the better. If there is one “disease” that I’m trying to cure in this book, it revolves around our total misapprehension of our environment. We think we are in sync with our environment, but actually it’s at war with us. We think we control our environment but in fact it controls us. We think our external environment is conspiring in our favor—that is, helping us when actually it is taxing and draining us. It is not interested in what it can give us. It’s only interested in what it can take from us. If it sounds like I’m treating our environment as a hostile character in our life dramas, that’s intentional. I want us to think of our environment as if it were a person—as imminent and real as an archrival sitting across the table. Our environment is not merely the amorphous space just beyond our fingertips and skin, our corporeal being. It’s not a given like the air around us, something we inhale and exhale but otherwise ignore as we go about our routines. Our environment is a nonstop triggering mechanism whose impact on our behavior is too significant to be ignored. Regarding it as a flesh-and blood character is not just fanciful metaphor. It’s a strategy that lets us finally see what we’re up against. (In some cases, I advise giving our environment a name.) It’s not all bad. Our environment can be the angel on our shoulder, making us a better person—like when we find ourselves at a wedding or class reunion or awards dinner and the joyous spark of fellow feeling in the room overwhelms people. Everyone is hugging and promising to stay in touch and get together real soon. (Of course, that feeling often fades the moment we return to our regular lives—in other words, find ourselves in a different environment. We are altered by the change. We forget our promises. We don’t follow up. We don’t stay in touch. The contrast couldn’t be more stark. One environment elevates us, the other erases the good vibes as if they never happened.) Much of the time, however, our environment is the devil. That’s the part that eludes us: entering a new environment changes our behavior in sly ways, whether we’re sitting in a conference room with colleagues or visiting friends for dinner or enduring our weekly phone call with an aging parent. For example, my wife, Lyda, and I are not cynical people. Although it’s my job to point out people’s personal challenges during the workweek, in my “civilian” life I try to be a nonjudgmental guy. I make a conscious effort to accept people’s foibles and “let it go.” Lyda doesn’t have to work as hard as I do at tolerance; she’s always the kindest person in the room. Yet we become different people whenever we have dinner with our neighbors Terry and John. They are a droll, amusing couple, but their humor stems from a sour worldview. Nearly everything that comes out of their mouths—about mutual friends or political figures or the neighbors’ pets—is cynical and snarky, almost cruel, as if they were auditioning for a celebrity roast. As Lyda and I debriefed after one particularly mean-spirited dinner, we marveled at the sarcastic comments we made. It wasn’t like us. We searched for reasons for our unusual behavior, concluding that the only variable was the people we were with and the setting we found ourselves in. In other words, the environment. In the same way that people talk more softly with a soft-spoken person, more quickly with a fast talker, our opinions were fundamentally altered inside the dark conversational bubble created by Terry and John. Sometimes altering one factor can turn an ideal environment into a disaster. It doesn’t change us. It changes everyone else in the room and how they react to us. Many years ago I was speaking at an off-site gathering of partners from a consulting firm. Although my previous work with this firm had gone well, this time something wasn’t working. No give-and take, no lively laughter, just a group of very smart people sitting on their hands. I finally realized that the room was too hot. Amazingly, by merely turning down the temperature in the room, the session got back on track. Like a rock star demanding red M&Ms in the dressing room, I’m now a bit of a diva about insisting on a cool environment for my presentations. I’ve learned how one tweak in the environment changes everything. * The most pernicious environments are the ones that compel us to compromise our sense of right and wrong. In the ultracompetitive environment of the workplace, it can happen to the most solid citizens. I remember working at a European conglomerate with a top-performing executive named Karl. He had a dictatorial management style—obsessive, strict, and punitive. He was openly gunning for the CEO job, and he drove his staff mercilessly to further his career. His mantra was “Make your number.” He’d write off anyone who contradicted his “number” or said it was unrealistic. To those who remained loyal, he’d scream, “Do whatever it takes!” Not surprisingly, his team started taking shortcuts to make their numbers. Some went from borderline unethical to clearly unethical behavior. In the environment Karl created, they didn’t see it as moral erosion. They saw it as the only option on the table. Eventually, the truth came out. The scandal cost the company tens of millions of euros and even more in reputational damage. Karl’s defense was, “I never asked my people to do anything immoral or illegal.” He didn’t need to ask. The environment he created did the work for him. Our environment changes us even when we’re dealing one-on-one with people to whom we’d ordinarily show kindness. Weturn friends into strangers, behaving as if we’ll never have to face them again. I was conducting a 360-degree feedback survey with a woman named Jackie about her company’s chief operating officer some years ago when she and I got sidetracked into a discussion about the emotional toll of her job. Jackie sounded like she wanted to unload some deep issues, so I listened. She was an in-house lawyer at a sales organization, specializing in employment matters. One of her duties was to negotiate separation agreements with departing sales executives, whether they were leaving of their own volition or not. “It’s not my favorite part of the job,” she said. “I’m dealing with people at a fragile moment in their careers. Most of them have no immediate prospects. And I represent the company’s interests, not theirs.” Jackie specifically wanted to talk about an executive who’d been let go. She’d gone to college with the man, reconnected with him after they began working at the same company. They talked on a regular basis, occasionally socialized. It was Jackie’s job to hash out the terms of his departure. The severance package was contractual and generous. The negotiable part was determining how much of the ongoing revenue stream from the man’s sales accounts would go to him and how much to the company. For reasons she couldn’t articulate, Jackie took a hard position with the man. Over several weeks of back-and-forth emails and phone calls, she used all her negotiating wiles and leverage to ensure that the company got the lion’s share of sales commissions from the man’s accounts. At first, I didn’t see why she was telling me this. “You were doing your job, being a professional,” I said. But she was clearly troubled by the memory of her behavior. “That’s what I tell myself,” said Jackie. “But this man was my friend. He deserved some compassion. Instead, I argued with him over a grand total of twenty thousand dollars, a sum of money that wouldn’t have made a dent on the company’s bottom line but would be significant to a jobless friend. Who was I trying to impress? The company didn’t care. It’s the most painful regret of my career.” I’d like to report that I had wise and consoling words for her that day. But this happened about ten years ago and the environment’s malign power wasn’t obvious to me at the time. I see it now, of course. As a lawyer, Jackie was trained to be adversarial. She was accustomed to arguing and negotiating over minor deal points. In a sales environment where everyone’s measuring who’s up, who’s down, who’s squeezing the last dime out of a deal, Jackie wanted to show she was doing her part. It demonstrated her value to the company. Unfortunately, that same ruthless bottom-line environment fostered the aggressive behavior that blurred right and wrong for Jackie. In her zeal to be a professional negotiator, she behaved like an amateur human being. Some environments are designed precisely to lure us into acting against our interest. That’s what happens when we overspend at the high-end mall. Blame it on a retail experience specifically engineered—from the lighting to the color schemes to the width of the aisles—to maximize our desire and liberate cash from our wallets. What’s really strange is that the mall environment doesn’t jump out at us like a thief in a dark alley. We have chosen to place ourselves in an environment that, based on past experience, will trigger the urge to buy something we neither need nor want. (This is even more predictable if we go without a specific shopping list—and put ourselves at the mercy of random, undisciplined consumption and a vague feeling that we can’t leave the mall empty-handed.) In overspending we fall into a trap that we have set for ourselves. The environments of a casino or an online shopping site are even less safe. Very smart people have spent their waking hours with one goal in mind: designing each detail so it triggers a customer to stay and spend. Other environments are not as manipulative and predatory as a luxury store. But they’re still not working for us. Consider the perennial goal of getting a good night’s sleep. Insufficient sleep is practically a national epidemic, afflicting one-third of American adults (it’s twice as bad for teenagers). Sleep should be easy to achieve. We have the motivation to sleep well. Who doesn’t want to wake up alert rather than foggy, refreshed rather than sluggish? We understand how much sleep we need. It’s basic arithmetic. If we have work or class early the next morning and need six to eight hours of sleep, we should work backward and plan on going to bed around 11 p.m. And we have control: Sleep is a self-regulated activity that happens in an environment totally governed by us—our home. We decide when to tuck in for the night. We choose our environment, from the room, to the bed, to the sheets and pillows. So why don’t we do what we know is good for us? Why do we stay up later than is good for us—and in turn not get enough sleep and wake up tired rather than refreshed? I blame it on a fundamental misunderstanding of how our environment shapes our behavior. It leads to a phenomenon that Dutch sleep researchers at Utrecht University call “bedtime procrastination.” We put off going to bed at the intended time because we prefer to remain in our current environment—watching a late-night movie or playing video games or cleaning the kitchen—rather than move to the relative calm and comfort of our bedroom. It’s a choice between competing environments. But because we don’t appreciate how our environment influences our choice, we fail to make the right choice (that is, go tobed). We continue doing what we’re doing, victims of inertia, unaware that getting a good night’s sleep is not something we deserve because we’re tired but rather something we must earn by developing better habits. If we understood how our environment can sabotage our sleep habits, we’d change our behavior. We’d stop what we’re doing, turn off our cell phones and iPads and laptops, banish the TV from the bedroom, and turn in for the night—as if we planned it. How we learn to change our behavior from bad habits to good ones, through discipline rather than occasional good fortune, is the subject matter—and promise—of this book’s remaining pages. But first, I have one more piece of disturbing news. Our environment isn’t static. It alters throughout our day. It’s a moving target, easy to miss. If we think about our environment at all, we probably regard it as an expansive macrosphere that is defined by the major influences on our behavior—our family, our job, our schooling, our friends and colleagues, the neighborhood we live in, the physical space we work in. It’s like a borderless nation-state bearing our name that reminds us who we are but has no influence on our decisions or actions. If only that were true. The environment that I’m most concerned with is actually smaller, more particular than that. It’s situational, and it’s a hyperactive shape-shifter. Every time we enter a new situation, with its mutating who-what-when-where-and-why specifics, we are surrendering ourselves to a new environment—and putting our goals, our plans, our behavioral integrity at risk. It’s a simple dynamic: a changing environment changes us. The mother who, in the environment of her home, leisurely makes breakfast for herself and her kids before sending them off to school and transporting herself to work is not the same person who, immediately upon arriving at the office, walks into a major budget meeting headed by her company’s founder. There’s no way she could be. At home she is more or less chief of her domain—and exhibits the behavior of an ultraresponsible leader, caring for her family, expecting obedience, assuming respect. It’s a different environment at the office. She may still be the same confident and competent person she was at home. But, wittingly or not, she fine-tunes her behavior in the meeting. She’s deferential to authority. She pays close attention to the statements and body language of her colleagues. And so it goes through her workday, from situation to situation. As the environment changes, so does she. There’s nothing inauthentic about the woman’s behavior. It’s a necessary survival strategy in a professional environment, especially if you’re no longer in total command of your situation. It wouldn’t be any different if this same woman were the head of the company. Leaders alter their behavior to suit the environment, too. The head of a major construction firm once told me that as an active defense contractor, with differing levels of security clearances for different government contracts, she had to be incredibly scrupulous about the information she shared across parts of her company. She was required by the federal government to compartmentalize what she said. She could share sensitive information over here but not over there, and vice versa. As a result, she was hyperalert to the link between her environment and behavior (failure to do so could not only hurt her company but land her in prison). As an exercise, I asked her to track her environment and how many behavioral personas she adopted as she went through a typical day. Nine, she reported back. She behaved like a CEO among her office staff, a public speaker at a PR event, an engineer among her design wizards, a salesman with a potential customer, a diplomat with a visiting trade group, and so on. Few of us are legally mandated to be so aware. This situational aspect of our environment is what I’ve been working on with my one-on-one coaching clients. It’s not that these very smart executives don’t know that circumstances change from moment to moment as they go through their day. They know. But at the level these people operate in—where nine out of ten times they are the most powerful person in the room—they can easily start believing they’re immune to the environment’s ill will. In a frenzy of delusion, they actually believe they control their environment, not the other way around. Given all the deference and fawning these C-level executives experience throughout the day, such misguided belief is understandable. Not acceptable, but understandable. For example, in 2008 I was hired to coach an executive named Nadeem in London. A Pakistani by birth, Nadeem had emigrated to the United Kingdom as a child, graduated from the London School of Economics, and had risen to one of the top five positions at a leading consumer goods company. Nadeem had all the virtues of a rising star being groomed for CEO. He was smart, personable, hardworking, respected (even “loved”) by his direct reports. But some chinks in his nice guy reputation had appeared. I was asked by the CEO to smooth them out. We all know people who get on our nerves and induce us to behave badly. Around such people, we’re edgy, nasty, combative, rude, and constantly apologizing for our uncharacteristic behavior—though we rarely attribute the cause of our errant behavior to such people. It was the same for Nadeem. When I interviewed his colleagues, a recurring theme came up. Nadeem was a great guy, but he lost his cool whenever he was in a public forum with Simon the chief marketing officer. I asked Nadeem what his issues were with Simon. “He is a racist,” he said. “Is that your opinion, or can you back it up with proof?” I asked. “My opinion,” he said. “But if I feel it, isn’t it a fact, too?” My feedback had said that Simon loved to bait Nadeem in meetings. It wasn’t racial. Simon was a self-entitled “toff,” a product of Britain’s privileged class and elite schools. He had a penchant for pomposity and biting remarks. The sarcasmwas his way of reminding people of his background, elevating himself while diminishing others. He wasn’t a fun guy to be with, but he was not a bigot. Nadeem overreacted to Simon. When Simon challenged him in a meeting, Nadeem felt that, given the decades of racial resentment and tension between Brits and Pakistanis, he couldn’t be seen as backing down. “If I take his crap, it makes me look weak,” said Nadeem. So he fought back. In Nadeem’s mind it was a racial issue, but he was the only one who interpreted it that way. Nadeem’s colleagues saw him as a vocal proponent of teamwork who wasn’t modeling what he was preaching. It was branding Nadeem as a phony. My task was to make Nadeem see that • his behavior wasn’t serving him well; • it was isolated to the time he spent in Simon’s presence; • it was triggered whenever Simon challenged him, and • he had to change because he couldn’t count on Simon to change. The big insight for Nadeem was that his behavior was situational, triggered solely by Simon. Every time Nadeem found himself in the “Simon environment” (that’s what he named it), he would go on high alert. It was a new level of mindfulness for him—and a critical (though not the only) factor in his swift change for the better. We’ll come back to Nadeem in Chapter 20 to learn precisely how he changed his behavior and, in turn, won back the respect of his colleagues and his nemesis, Simon. It’s an uplifting story with a shocking admission from Nadeem—and (spoiler alert) it neatly encapsulates the most important benefit of adult behavioral change. But for now let’s absorb and wallow in Nadeem’s hard-won appreciation that our environment is a relentless triggering machine. If we do not create and control our environment, our environment creates and controls us. And the result turns us into someone we do not recognize. 

* I’ve since learned that David Letterman lowered his Late Show studio temperature to a chilly 55 degrees before going onstage. He experimented with room temperatures in the 1980s and discovered that his jokes worked best at 55 degrees, which makes the sound crisper and the audience more alert.