#i have checked out “WikiHow” just to get some ideas for what these two could do LMHO

[moritashie]

I HAVE A FIC IDEA vol #5

• Tony and Peter start spending some time together after the events of Homecoming. Sometimes Tony would invite Peter over to the compound to tinker in the lab, other times he would join Spider-Man on some mission a little over the teen's level.

∘ While these meetings become something more frequent, they always end up doing something that requires his influence, is connected with a lot of public, his status as a superhero etc.

• Gradually, Tony finds himself spending more and more time checking in on the kid, whether it is through the baby monitor protocol, talking with May or the kid himself.

∘ Rhodey points that fact out one time they decide to have a drink at a bar together, joking about Tony becoming quite parental when it comes to Peter, and that leads Tony to the realization that he does in fact view Peter as his kid.

∘ At the same time he realizes that Peter must feel nowhere near the way he does. To the hero-worshipping kid he must only the "OMG it's freaking Ironman!", and he figures out that he is quite bothered by that fact. He has to change it.

• Tony devises a special plan to do as many awesome (read: fatherly) things with Peter as possible, to distance himself from the media image of Tony Stark.

FOR EXAMPLE (but doesn't have to be any of these)

∘ Building a tree-house together

∘ Teaching Peter how to make Italian pasta

∘ Going camping with him and Rhodey

∘ Organizing a Movie night with snacks

∘ Telling Peter some more casual/wild stories from his youth, (ones that Peter could relate to)

[hisokas-toybox]

How the adult trio deal with having a crush

Brand new content from me for this new sideblog! As the title says, this is a list of headcanons  about how I imagine each member of the adult trio would behave if they had a crush on the reader.

Illumi

·       Definitely the least functional of the trio when it comes to handling a crush.

·       If you’re in the same room/space he will watch you constantly. He can’t help it, you’re beautiful to him and he just can’t take his eyes off you.

·       Low key stalks you – wherever you are he’ll be nearby. Even if he needs to be somewhere far away from you for a mission, he’ll still know exactly where you are/who you’re with etc.

·       Will do an extensive background check on you, he probably knows your family history better than you do.

·       If you have any exes that hurt you or were ever bullied in your life, those people are now dead.

·       Probably didn’t even know that what he was feeling was a crush until someone else (most likely Hisoka) pointed it out.

·       Is freaked out and ashamed that he has feelings for someone. Assassins don’t need feelings he’s been trained to avoid this, why is this happening???

·       Tries to hide his crush. No-one can know about it; feelings are weak after all! (Literally everyone knows he’s into you. It’s painfully obvious and the more he tries to hide it the more obvious it becomes)

·       Has definitely considered killing you to stop this crazy obsession. Ultimately decided against it since that would mean not getting to see you anymore.

·       His internet history is a rabbit hole of wikihows on how to get over a crush/talk to a crush/get them to notice you/how to plan a wedding.

·       Somehow still clueless.

·       It’s sad because all this shame comes from trauma and abuse

·       But the sheer awkwardness is also kind of cute.

·       Chances are, if you like him back, you’ll have to make the first move, and the second, and probably third too…

·       If he somehow does ask you out first though it will be AWKWARD AF.

·       Probably sounds more like a command to go out with him than a request, but there’s a little hint of a blush on his cheeks that gives away how nervous he is.

·       He doesn’t actually mean to be creepy towards you; he just has NO IDEA how to act like a normal person at the best of times, and the fact you make him feel things just makes him get even stranger.

·       Not big on physical affection, will absolutely be a blushing mess if your hands accidently touch even slightly. If you do date him it could take some time before he starts to enjoy being touched and even longer before he actively seeks physical touch.

·       You’ll need set up clear boundaries and have a lot of patience, but if you do date him it’ll be worth it as he gets more comfortable with you.

·       If you two do get together, Illumi will expect full commitment and pretty quick too. Expect to be married within a year.

·       If you’re not interested, be gentle but be clear. He won’t persist if you reject him, but he will be a sad boy deep down. (why would you reject him though, he’s so pretty and just wants to be loved?)

  Hisoka

·       Oh. This boy.

·       Not remotely ashamed/embarrassed by his crush on you.

·       Makes it a point to make his attraction known to you, and anyone else in the vicinity. Often explicitly.

·       Will make any excuse to be around you.

·       Shows off constantly whenever he’s around you (with his nen, his card tricks, bragging about his latest fight or even just walking around shirtless for no reason).

·       Endless compliments, flirting and innuendo.

·       Hands. Everywhere. Hisoka is a very tactile person so expect to be used as an armrest/headrest if you’re shorter than him (likely) and for little touches to your shoulders/arms/legs as he talks to you. Will also chance his luck grabbing your ass and playing footsie with you if you’re at a table

·       He will ask you out first.

·       He’ll invite you on a date initially to have some class, but he’s not shy about just straight up propositioning you for sex.

·       He’s not fussy about taking it slow

·       If you do date him it might not necessarily be a serious or long-term thing, but it will be fun.

·       If you reject him, (Again, why would you reject him? Have you not SEEN those abs???) he won’t be deterred. He’ll see it as a challenge and keep pursuing you, enjoying it if you get annoyed (he may ease up on the touching if you’re really uncomfortable but don’t expect much else).

·       If you keep rejecting him, he will eventually either find someone else or just get bored and leave you alone.

 Chrollo

·       Honestly the most normal of the three.

·       Will do some background research on you to make sure you meet his high standards. May discreetly “acquire” some of your possessions/photos which he’ll keep safely hidden away.

·       Not embarrassed by his crush on you, but definitely more refined and subtle in the way he pursues it.

·       Carefully engineers situations where he can interact with you directly.

·       Actually works to build a rapport with you before asking you out.

·       Pretty smooth talker, very charming and gives a lot of compliments.

·       Direct in asking you out, it’s very clear he likes you and wants to take you on a date.

·       Genuinely interested in you, curious about your hobbies/passions/likes and dislikes.

·       Gives you a lot of gifts that relate to what you talk about. (Don’t ask where/how he gets them!)

·       Won’t touch you until he’s certain you’re interested, and even then, he keeps things very classy and respectful.

·       Is always very cool and suave on the outside, but inside he gets excited to see you and longs to touch you. Already thinks of you as his.

·       If you do date him, it’ll likely be a long-term thing that he’ll take slowly and carefully but with strong commitment.

·       If you turn him down, (I actually WOULD turn Chrollo down so no questions on your taste here) he’ll be very gracious about it and won’t continue to pursue you. (Likely to disappear for a long time without any warning though. There may also be a spike in large scale crime which may or may not be related).

·       You may find yourself being hunted down by the remaining Phantom Troupe members for “disrespecting the Boss” if you reject Chrollo.

[tyonfs]

1:29 p.m. ▸ Donghyuck was brighter than the sun; it was the reason why everyone orbited around him, the very reason why you fell for him. His glowing smiles were infectious and he carried an aura that made everyone feel at ease around him. Yet, sometimes, you wanted to strangle the living daylights out of your boyfriend.

It started when Johnny looked at you oddly.

“What did you and Hyuck do last night?”

“Nothing much,” you answered, retracing your memories back to when you were watching a movie with your boyfriend over a tub of ice cream. “Just hung out.”

“Well, according to your neck, it looks like he tried to eat you alive,” Johnny responded.

You stilled. Yeah, there was some kissing last night—what couple doesn’t make out? But you definitely didn’t remember being informed about a hickey. Then again, withholding information to make you suffer was exactly something Donghyuck would do. You could almost picture the face he’d make to feign innocence upon confrontation.

Johnny laughed as you bolted to the bathroom to check your appearance in the mirror. Just as he had said, dark patches were littered along the side of your neck. You ghosted your fingers along the purple marks, lips curling into a frown when you realized just how dark they were. Your hair wasn’t enough to even hide them because they were so wide, and you didn’t have any foundation on you to cover it up at the moment.

You pulled out your phone and dialed your boyfriend’s number. Unsurprisingly, he picked up almost immediately. He was always diligent about answering his calls.

“Yo, loser, what—”

“Lee Donghyuck, get your ass back to the dorms right now,” you warned.

“I’m almost there,” he said. “What’d I do this time?”

You hung up on him, leaving your boyfriend to rack his brain over the issue. When Johnny had left to get lunch with Mark, you heard Donghyuck walk in right around the same time. You retreated from the bathroom and stood at the kitchen, arms folded across your chest. The attempt to be menacing was valiant, but your boyfriend just bit back his smile.

“Do you have something to say for yourself?” you asked, but you couldn’t take it seriously anymore with him about to burst into laughter.

Donghyuck was quick to pick up on what you meant. “Don’t hide them. They look good.” He tried to reach over to brush your hair away from your neck.

You lightly slapped his hand away. “You’re helping me hide it.”

Donghyuck circled his arms around your waist and pulled you closer. He started leaning close to your neck again, lips grazing the supple skin, and asked, “Why don’t I cover it up with new ones?”

You whined and pushed at his face.

That was how you both ended up sitting on the kitchen counter, you complaining and playfully bickering with your boyfriend as he pressed a cold spoon to your neck. Neither of you actually knew how to cover up a hickey, but WikiHow came to your rescue. The cold spoons seemed like a great idea until you were squirming under the frozen metal.

“You know what? I take it back,” you pleaded. “Leave the hickeys, Hyuck. I love the hickeys.”

A wide grin spread across his face as he pressed the spoon harder against your skin. “Nope, we’re hiding them.”

You spent the next ten minutes laughing with your boyfriend as you both tried to hide your hickeys (although Donghyuck’s intentions were more to see you suffer). It was going fine until Doyoung walked into the kitchen to get ice cream out of the freezer.

“Why are there spoons in the freezer? Hyuck, how many times do I have to remind you that utensils don’t go in the freezer?” he chided while you and Donghyuck froze in place. Doyoung turned to look at the two of you. “Oh my god.”

“It’s just a hickey,” you defended.

“Just a hickey?” he asked incredulously. “That’s it. You’re both grounded.”

[corysmiles]

Little streamer AU prompts!

-Thinking they were all humans, either Wil or Phil bought tickets for them all to go to an amusement park....but Tommy’s too short to ride. Where does it go from there? Does Wilbur feel bad and sob out apologies? Does Tommy say it’s fine and that they can go without him, only to get kidnapped/lost? Does Tommy say f*ck it and try to sneak on with Tubbo? Your choice :)

-The bois at the arcade during the meetup. They try to cheat the games by having Tommy roll skeeballs into the best slot, or go inside machines to fix the game in their favor

-While Tubbo has Lani, and Phil has probably had like a borrower coworker or something, this is Wil’s first time heavily interacting with someone so small, and constantly watches the others and stays up at night googling how to best handle a borrower. Some of the suggestions he gets from online are way too formal and Tommy is confused as heck at where he’s getting these ideas. Like Wil you don’t have to wash your hands before picking me up if we’re RUNNING LATE C’MON LETS GO

-(the angst prompt) Tommy was so excited to meet others his size and during the meet up he doesn’t feel included or something, and he ahas a mental breakdown. Maybe he hides in a small space so the others can’t find/reach him

-If you don’t have plans for techno yet, maybe he’s also a tiny and thought he was the only one of any of his online friends, but the group FaceTimes him and he sees Tommy is small too but doesn’t make a big deal out of it, just a mentions it in the conversation at some point. Tommy feels instantly better. “Technoblade’s a bigger bad ass than any of you talk freaks!” “Techno was already the coolest, but none of you have a chance now.”

-Tommy wrestles with everyone’s hands

If you can’t tell I love this idea so much lol

-🦎anon

omg I love your ideas so much thank you and I’m so so sorry this post is so long I was gonna split it up but then I was motivated and got really excited (also pls forgive me for any spelling errors this is long and I didnt want to go back and edit it) :]

Little streamer au drabbles

—————————————————————

When Phil and Kristen had originally been planning out all the things they could do at the meet up they didn’t take into account the possibility that any of their friends might be well...tiny. So when the day came for the group to go to the amusement park and they were stopped by security at the first ride Phil knew the day wasn’t going to end well.

“Sorry sir,” the man said to Wilbur who currently had Tommy in his front pocket, “Tinies can’t go on the rides here, it’s too much liability for the park.”

Wilbur just stared at the man in mild confusion, “What if I hold him though, there’s no way anything could happen.”

The man just shrugged, “I don’t know it’s the park’s rules not mine so you can either stay out here with him or pass on rides for today.”

Wilbur looked down at the small teen in his pocket and could tell he was getting upset by the confrontation. Tommy’s shoulders drooped and he kept his eyes down as if to not show the others his disappointment.

“Its alright big man, go on I can stay down here,” Tommy whispered and patted Wilbur’s chest reassuringly. The attempt at comfort just made Wilbur’s frown grow.

“Hey it’s alright Will I’ll stay down here with Tommy,” Tubbo said, “I’m not the biggest fan of heights anyways.”

Wilbur reluctantly agreed and handed over the tiny to the other teen who walked over to one of the benches to wait for the others.

When Wilbur and Phil got off the roller coaster they panicked when they couldn’t find the two teens until they found Tubbo riding on a carousel horse with Tommy hanging off the pole.

Safe to say Wilbur didn’t let Tubbo take Tommy the rest of the day. (Sorry i didnt do angst for this one)

(More under the cut)

—————————————————————

Tommy was so excited to go to the arcade with his friends. When they got there though and Tommy saw all the prizes he could win he started to form a plan.

Tubbo of course would be the one to help him out though since he was the only one that was willing to let Tommy cause any chaos.

It started with small things like having him help them cheat on skeeball or hit targets with his hands on shooting games until they started to look for more ways to cheat.

For the final plan, Tubbo watched as Tommy climbed through the slot of a crane machine and tried to push a large bear toy into the hole.

When he saw the bear he thought Wilbur would like it and while Tubbo was usually opposed to crane games since it’s just a “waste of fucking money” he wasn’t necessarily opposed to helping Tommy get into the machine.

Everything was going fine until a woman with a child came over to the machine to play for themselves; immediately Tommy ducked down beneath the plushies so they wouldn’t get caught and Tubbo began to panic when he lost sight of the tiny.

It was at that moment that the rest of the group came over to Tubbo and asked where Tommy was.

“Uhhh hes in the bathroom,” Tubbo said nervously.

Phil tilted his head at the boy, “Uhuh...where is he Tubbo?”

“Ummmm so about that big man we uh-“

However, Tubbo was interrupted by his phone dinging and his face went pale as he read the text from Tommy.

-Pls get me out of here big man I can’t get this shit off me anymore-

“Uhhhh...oh fuck,” Tubbo muttered, “Um I have not the best news for you.”

“And what’s that?” Wilbur asked.

“Ummm do you have any coins on you?”

Phil looked at Tubbo with confusion, “Yeah, why do you ask mate?”

Tubbo turned back to the crane where the mother and daughter had left and laughed nervously, “well....ummm so by bathroom I kinda meant uh the crane machine? Yeah, Tommy’s in there.”

The adults immediately freaked out at the situation because what the fuck were the kids thinking. And when Tubbo told Wilbur they were just trying to get the teddybear for him cause Tommy thought he’d like it, he felt even more dread.

After almost an hour of Wilbur and Phil putting in money into the claw machine they finally got enough toys out of the way to see the tiny.

With one more try Tommy was able to grab onto the claw and let himself fall out of the machine. Wilbur immediately scooped him up to scold him for being a dumbass but when he saw that Tommy’s face was red and swollen he decided instead to just slip Tommy into his pocket to rest.

With the extra cheated tickets though they were able to buy Tommy a tiny plastic nerf gun from the arcade before they left.—————————————————————

Wilbur was surprised at how quickly Phil and Tubbo were okay with Tommy’s size. While Tubbo apparently had a tiny sister and Phil had had tiny friends before, Wilbur couldn’t recall ever actually interacting with someone so small expect for in passing.

He really cared about Tommy as both a friend and as a brother and he was so afraid of messing up with the teen. He didn’t want to hurt or offend Tommy in any way so of course he went to the best place to figure out what to do: wikihow.

The articles were strange for sure but anything to make Tommy feel more comfortable with him would be worth it.

So the next day when Tommy was supposed to be eating breakfast at Wilbur’s house and Wilbur wouldn’t pick him up to put him on the table he thought the taller man was just being a dick.

Then when Tommy asked him if he would pick him up Wilbur walked away from him to go to the bathroom instead of helping him.

After a minute the brunette man walked back and reached a hand down to lay besides Tommy. Tommy stepped onto his palm and expected him to pull him up towards him but when he didn’t he started to get really annoyed.

“Hey you can move what the fucks up witb you right now you’re being all weird and shit man,” Tommy grumbled.

“Huh? Oh I just...I was looking up some stuff about uh tinies and I thought maybe it would make you more comfortable?” Wilbur whispered with embarrassment.

“What?” Tommy laughed, “Why the fuck would you do that you were fine before I would tell you if I wasn’t comfortable big man you don’t have to worry about that.”

Wilbur felt his heart swell at the comfort and slowly lifted Tommy up to the table for them to eat together. It was still strange having someone so small around but Wilbur would get used to it for Tommy.—————————————————————

Tommy usually didn’t have any problems with having bigger people around. All his friends at home and his family were all humans so he knew he was overreacting about none of his online friends being tinies. But when they went out to dinner together and Phil, Tubbo, and Wilbur were all talking together while Tommy sat next to Wilbur’s cup something broke inside him.

The reason he loved streaming so much was that he thought he finally had met other people like him, but he guessed it was his own fault for never really checking.

As the three laughed loudly Tommy felt himself becoming more and more overwhelmed by the chaos in the restaurant. He couldn’t cry now though his friends were having fun, it would be a dick move for him to ruin the meet up for them just because he expected them to be tinies.

Throughout the meal and on the way home Tommy was mostly silent, he sat in Wilbur’s pocket as they arrived at the man’s apartment. Wilbur waved goodbye to Phil and Tubbo as he took Tommy inside.

Wilbur sat Tommy down on the counter as he changed and Tommy finally felt a few tears fall from his eyes. He heard the sound of a door opening and quickly hid behind a tea box so Wilbur wouldn’t see him in this state.

He started to shake as the tears kept coming while he heard Wilbur searching around for him.

“Tommy?” Wilbur called out but Tommy couldn’t even get a solid breath much less respond.

After a few moments Tommy felt the tea box he was hiding near shift as a large hand wrapped him up gently.

“Oh jeez Tommy are you okay?” Wilbur asked as he lifted Tommy to his eyes.

Tommy wiped his eyes and slowly nodded to Wilbur who looked heartbroken by the tears.

Wilbur sighed, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Tommy shook his head no and Wilbur gave the boy a sad smile.

“I’m sorry Tommy, we’ll talk about this later okay,” he whispered as he tucked Tommy up against his chest. He held the tiny until he heard soft snores replace the sobs and promised himself that whatever made him this sad would never happen again.—————————————————————

Techno had been tweeting at the rest of the sleepy boys since the start of the meetup. The American wished he had gotten to meet up with his friends but sadly because of covid there was no way to safely visit the UK, so instead they settled for FaceTiming one night so that Techno wouldn’t feel as left out.

Techno grabbed his specially made phone and anxiously waited for the call. When Phil’s contact showed up Techno opened it immediately and was greeted by the familiar blonde human’s face along with Tubbo in the corner.

“Hey Techno!” Phil smiled as Tubbo waved aggressively.

Techno smiled and waved back, “Hullo.”

After a little bit of shuffling Wilbur appeared on the screen with something cupped in his hands.

“What you got there Will?” Techno asked with an amused expression.

“It’s me bitch! Ayyy Techno,” a loud and annoying but familiar voice yelled form the taller man’s hands.

“Oh hey Tommy,” Techno laughed, but besides that there was almost no reaction to Tommy’s height.

“That’s it? No big ‘wow you’re small’ or like ‘poggers’ or anything?” Tommy asked.

Techno hummed in response, “Nah why would I care your nothing special cause you’re small.”

Tommy huffed and crossed his arms at Techno, “I’m not special bitch? I’m the only tiny here I’m amazing!”

A small chuckle left Techno as he realized the situation.

“And why are you so sure you’re the only one huh?”

Tommy blinked wide eyed at Techno before a wide grin spread across his face.

“Wait you’re small too?” Phil asked.

Techno nodded to his friends who all had different ranges of shock on their faces.

“Oh fuck yeah!” Tommy screeched causing everyone to laugh.

“See I knew this is why you were so much cooler than these bitches were alpha men you see,” Tommy laughed.

“Yeah,” Techno smiled, “I’m sure that’s why.”

The rest of the call was calmer however Tommy continued to insist that Techno and him were much cooler than the rest of the them. —————————————————————

The first time Tommy had been grabbed to try to get him to calm down or stay still it had been by Phil when he was trying to cook breakfast and Tommy kept getting too close to the stove top. Phil placed his hand over Tommy to keep him still when he felt the kid latch onto his pointer finger and try to pull it away.

“Ay what are you doing mate?” Phil laughed as the tiny continued to struggle with his finger.

“I’m wrestling you big man can’t you tell, and I’m fucking winning!” Tommy grinned.

Phil chuckled at the kid before flipping him over with his thumb.

“Yup you’re winning sure,” he said slyly.

When Wilbur and Tubbo walked in to Phil trying to pin down Tommy with his fingers while the small boy laughed and pushed them away as much as he could they had no fucking clue what was going on.

[yonqha]

—- 📞

speed dial

the light bulb in your room goes bust, and you needed someone to fix it fast. you had absolutely no clue on how to change a light bulb. but allen ma, your ex-boyfriend, knows how.

allen x reader oneshot (requested) // semi-angst, fluff (?)

word count: 1.9k words

a/n: this was just lightly edited (i got too lazy) lmao so pls excuse any errors >< and :D let me know if y’all want an alternate ending for this i might write and post one soon ^^

masterlist

heavy hands on the keyboard, the smell of coffee suspended in the air, and light illuminating your weary face. this was the current situation as you were busy typing away your report for work. your hours at the office were seemingly not enough for the amount of tasks you needed to do, hence the urge to continue work at home instead of taking your time to rest.

you gave yourself no breaks, wanting to finish this as quickly as possible to stay on track. the only breaks you considered were mini sips of the instant coffee by your side and fast trips to the bathroom. notifications from your phone didn’t bother you at all, you were that driven to finish this report as soon as you could.

but the main light in your room didn’t seem to favor that. after taking a sip from your coffee mug, it flickered a few times and decided to die on you. the room suddenly went dark, minus the light coming from your laptop. this made you groan in frustration. standing up, you went to the light switch just by the door to check. you turned it on and off but to no avail-- it’s a busted light.

a loud sigh came out of your mouth. out of all the things that could happen, your light had to die on you. you thought of just continuing to work without the light, but your eyes were starting to get strained from looking at the screen for hours. this made you regret not buying a desk lamp in the first place.

you had to think of a solution, you didn’t want to stall for too long as you might lose your energy to work. grabbing your phone from the desk, you opened your contacts to try and see if you could call an electrician. but upon seeing the time, you immediately gave up.

there is no way an electrician would go to your place at 2 in the morning.

plus, the time for them to get here? you couldn’t wait that long.

so you decided for plan b: going to wikihow to search how to change a busted light bulb. scrolling through the steps, you just got more and more confused. you don’t even know how to differentiate light bulbs, how on earth are you going to change one by yourself?

so you settled for plan c: finding someone on your contact list that knows how to change a light bulb (and is possibly still awake at this hour). you paced back and forth inside your room, scanning each name in your contacts to find anyone that can help you.

your eyes then fell on a certain name, making your feet halt immediately. does this person know how to change light bulbs? yes. is this person still awake at this hour? you’re definitely sure about that. does this person live relatively close to you? yeah, somewhat.

but are you sure you want to call your ex-boyfriend to help change your broken light bulb? no answer.

you didn’t want to bother him, probably cooped up in his studio busy producing tracks like he always does. but you have no other option, well, unless you want to cite the rest of the alphabet starting from the letter d for other plans.

you took a deep breath. ‘you have a report to finish, y/n. get yourself together.’

you dialled his number and put the phone to your ear. it only took a couple of rings before the male answered. “hey, allen? i need some….help.”

just a few minutes after the call, allen was already by your doorstep ringing the doorbell. you took one quick look at the mirror to fix yourself, thinking you might be a complete mess from doing work, and opened the front door.

your eyes met and you swear you could feel the butterflies enter your stomach. those same pesky butterflies that gave you that fluttering feeling whenever you were with the male. you mentally cursed. you thought you’re already moving on from him, but it seems not. your body can’t lie, what else could be a possible explanation for this? the coffee?

yeah, probably.

“hey, y/n.” allen greeted, giving you a small smile.

“hey.” you replied back. sensing the forming awkward atmosphere, you moved aside to give allen space to enter your unit. it honestly felt weird for you to be letting allen in like this, especially when you’re used to him just entering the unit without your help. after all, this used to be allen’s apartment as well. the both of you lived together in this space you both could call home.

without hesitation, allen headed to the room just by the kitchen. “everything’s still here, right?” he pointed at the door. standing by the kitchen counter, you nodded in reply.

“i never really touched that room, you were the one who took care of it after all.” you commented as allen turned the knob. he opened the door to see that his arrangement of the supplies inside remained as it was. he let out a chuckle. “i can definitely see that.”

after getting the brand new light bulb and a flashlight from the stockroom, the two of you headed over to your bedroom to have the light bulb changed. allen grabbed a spare chair from the room to stand on and proceeded to work. you sat on your office chair, taking a sip of your already cold coffee.

“just an idea but, i think you should be teaching me how to change a light bulb,” you set down your mug. “or any home repairs in general.”

“i’d be willing to offer you lessons,” allen replied as he unscrewed the broken light bulb. “that’d be 5 bucks per lesson. deal? we can start now if you want to.”

you kicked his leg from your seat, and the two of you laughed at the exchange. “i can’t believe you.” you muttered and shook your head.

it was just like how it was before— exchanging jokes, having playful conversations. except, you two broke up. it reminded you of how the two of you first hung out together, enjoying each other’s company through hours of talking and joking around. but that reminder came with the small pang in your heart, another reminder that it is now just a memory living in your head. something you don’t experience as often as before, and something you have to get used to not having.

allen took out the new bulb out of its box, and broke the momentary silence. “so, how have you been?”

it took you quite a while to answer, coming up with something that isn’t about you thinking about your breakup and starting to move on. “i’ve been….well. just busy with work as usual. you?”

“just the same. i’m finishing up an EP, just a few final touches and it’s ready for release.”

hearing that made you smile instantly. allen’s music was your favorite, and hearing that he’ll be releasing new songs soon brightened up your mood. “oh? that’s great! finally, i have something new to listen to.”

“and something new to have on repeat for hours.” allen remarked as he started to screw on the new light bulb. you rolled your eyes at his words and at how he still remembered your habit of leaving songs on repeat.

“okay, done.” allen turned off the flashlight, got off the chair he was standing on and went to turn on the light. the room was illuminated, and that meant you can finally start working again.

“thank you so much, allen. i’ll treat you to a meal for the help.” you stood up from your chair, watching as allen returned the chair to its earlier position.

“no need, y/n. but thank you.” he flashed you a smile and exited the room. you followed shortly behind.

allen went to return the flashlight back in the stockroom. closing the door once he was done, he suddenly searched for something in is pocket. seeing as he couldn’t find it, he faced you and asked for a favor. “can i borrow your phone? i think i left mine in the car. i just have to make a quick call, if it’s alright?”

“oh, sure, it’s in my room.” you replied as you made your way to your room, grabbing your phone from your desk and heading back to allen. you unlocked your phone and handed it over to the male.

as he was busy inputting the number and making the call, you awkwardly looked away and gave him the space to make his call.

soon after, you heard a phone ring beside you. you turned to face allen who just fished out his phone out of his back pocket. the confused look on your face made allen chuckle.

“here, thanks.” he handed back your phone. “i placed my number on speed dial. so if you’re ready for those lessons, or just need some more help in general, just give me a call.”

taking your phone from his hands, you smiled. “thanks, allen. i appreciate it.”

allen paused, gathering his words, and spoke. “i…know you’re trying to move on and maybe you don’t wanna see me,” he started. “and you’re probably still a bit sensitive from the breakup. but i hope you know that i’m still sorry for the way i acted that day.” his eyes met yours, showing how much he means it. “we both weren’t in the right minds to talk, and it led to...this. maybe it’s for the best, but, i wish i could’ve handled my emotions better. and i’m truly sorry for that.”

as if on cue, your brain played the memory of that day. two stressed individuals fighting with each other under the control of raw and ugly emotions. you both decided after that it wasn’t working anymore, and it led to a mutual breakup. it still hurts for you, though. someone you held so dear to your heart suddenly leaving just like that. the two of you didn’t meet ever since that day. well, until your light bulb decided stop working. is this fate doing its work?

“as cliche as it may sound, i hope we can stay friends at least.” allen smiled at you, hoping you would agree to the idea. it hurts for you knowing the most you two can become are friends, but you thought that maybe this is for the best. maybe this is what it should be. and i guess it’s better than losing allen in your life. besides being your partner, he was like a best friend to you. why waste this chance?

“can i still be your best friend?” you asked after a short while, and allen gave a lighthearted laugh.

“that would be great, y/n.”

the thick air between the two of you dissipated, and the heavy feeling in your heart started to fade away. meeting allen one more time was what you needed all this time.

you escorted allen to the door and bid him goodbye. the apartment was now empty again besides your presence, but it felt much more lighter. like the invisible cloud of black smoke around your unit was finally gone.

with a light feeling in your heart, you went back to your room. you headed to your desk, the laptop screen flashing for you to finish the report. after giving it a good stare, you closed it.

you deserve a break. the report could wait.

[inevitably-johnlocked]

*sniffle* H-hi Steph... I'm pretty new at writing, and I really do love comments, especially when people share their ideas, but sometimes people say things that make me want to cry and crawl into a hole and never write again. Do you have any tips to dealing with it? I'm so terribly sensitive :(

Hi Rory!! <3 *HUGS*

Unfortunately, that’s always going to happen, and when you get into the creative world, it’s a given for people to give you their unsolicited opinions and comments no matter how many times you ask for them not to.

And it’s REALLY tough when you’re first starting out to receive ANY criticism on your work; I used to cry and turn it into criticism about myself rather than the work.

It really wasn’t until college, though, that I learned to differentiate between types of criticism and to just shake my head at any that wasn’t. I’m a graphic designer by trade, and let me tell you, getting told my work is shit is PART of the job. People are RIDICULOUSLY picky about centimetres of work. LITERAL CENTIMETRES, people will tell you to shuffle things back and forth. And then tell you you did the whole thing wrong, start over.

There’s something called constructive criticism (we called them “Concrits” in the community I was in on dA, and in college), and if done properly, should ENCOURAGE an artist to improve on their craft. My first layout project got torn to shreds, and I went back to my dorm and cried. Because I took it as a personal assault rather than my instructor wanting me to do better because he KNEW I could do better. And the second layout was improved on, and he said so, and it taught me a lesson in accepting constructive criticism for what it is: the critic knowing you can do better, and wanting you to improve for unselfish reasons – it’s not for them, it’s for YOU.

However, some people do genuinely have trouble distinguishing between Concrits and actual criticism. I know it’s cheesy, but check out this wikiHow article, because it does genuinely give you good examples for telling the difference between the two.

For example: 

BADCRIT: “you should stop writing now, this is amateur” or “write about this, not that”

CONCRIT: “This is a good start! [This part of your story] needs a couple lines to  [help explain something better] and I think if you massaged that a little bit, it will make the story flow a bit more evenly.

Essentially, if it’s telling you things about the STORY that could be improved on, it’s not a criticism of YOU it’s how to HELP YOU become a better story teller. And most people who give concrits mean them in the most genuine sense to help YOU, and not themselves. They WANT to see you improve. Badcrits just demand shit and think they can gatekeep and it’s all about them, what makes THEM happy.

So yes, all criticism HURTS LIKE HELL when you just start out, but, Rory-Lovely, I can PROMISE you even the best authors receive “criticism” masked in concrits. Just KEEP WRITING, and don’t let it get you down. I know the prolific @silentauroriamthereal​ and @jbaillier​ / @7-percent​ / @elldotsee​ (they frequently write together so I bundled them all together) have all written about concrits that aren’t actual concrits, and essentially their responses are: print it out and use it as bird cage liner, LOL. 

Tough love for you, because I do care and want you to be happy: you gotta build a backbone when you get into the creative world, because opinions are like assholes: everyone’s got one, and a lot of them stink like shit. 

Which is why you print them out and use them for cage liners, LOL.

I love you Rory, and I hope you don’t let the comments get you down. You’re just starting out, people can’t expect perfection. Even JRR Tolkien was a new author once, and his early work probably wasn’t the best either, remember that. <3 AND if you need more inspiration to keep going, these six prolific authors were initially rejected by publishers.

Keep writing, never give up, and NEVER EVER hesitate to ask people if something is concrit or not. AND never hesitate to tell people to shut their yaps, LOL. Believe me, when you get to be my age, you’ll look back on the past criticism like I do and just laugh at the morons who shit on other people because they’ve nothing better to do. I’ve been an artist for all my life, and I STILL get garbage comments from people who have nothing better to do than to shit on people who have more talent in their eyeball than they do.

You’re amazing, Rory. You can do it! <3

EDIT: I just realized I didn’t really give many tips, but I hope that my words of support at least help you out. And if any veteran authors have some tips for Rory, please do suggest your own posts or a couple pointers for them <3

[theres-a-goldensky]

16 + 2 Reddie Fic Recs pt. 2

I’m back and still on my Bill Hader bullshit, so here’s another round of Reddie fic recs, because I can’t stop reading and sometimes sifting through the insane amounts of fic is a nightmare. So if you feel my pain and need some (at least in my opinion) fun stories, then come along with me on a magical journey filled with men crying during sex, hypochondria, and your mom jokes.

As ever, feel free to reblog and check out my other rec lists for the following fandoms:

IT chapter 2 list part one - Reddie

Good Omens fic 

The Untamed list one and two - various pairings, mostly Wangxian

Various BL Series fic (fandoms: Love By Chance, TharnType, 2Moons series, My Engineer, Until We Meet Again, 2gether, History3: Trapped)

Or just head over to my bookmarks on AO3.

All my recs are completed, almost all of them are post-It chapter 2. * - denotes a favorite

1. I killed a clown. AMA! by liesmyth - ~10,000 words, teen - The history of Eddie and Myra’s marriage shown through their posts on reddit. The voices here are great, and it really feels like reading the reddit forums, down to the people sleuthing through their past posts and comments to try and figure out if what they’re saying is real or an elaborate troll.

 r/relationships

Posted by u/martymcfly6xo 7 months ago

 My (39F) husband (39M) likes horrible stand-up comedy. How can I stop him from bringing this up in front of our mutual friends?

For the last year or so my husband has been watching a lot of stand-up comedy on youtube. I want him to have something relaxing to do (he works a lot and gets really invested in his ‘hands-on’ hobbies in a way I’m not sure is good for him) but I was very puzzled by this discovery as he likes very crass acts and that is certainly not the kind of humor hubby usually enjoys...

2. all of the kids back home believing much more than you do by eatcheeseliveforever - ~11,000 words, explicit - This is a fix-it fic, which is becoming more and more rare in this fandom as we collectively started deciding that Eddie Kaspbrak doesn’t need to be brought back to live, because he never died in the first place, dammit. It has some great pining by Richie. You can really feel his grief and desperation as he searches for a way to get Eddie back. The other Losers are great in this too, especially Mike with his whales.

"A boat, actually," murmured Mike.  "I'm on a whale-watching cruise."

Richie mouthed the words "whale watching cruise" to himself.  Empirically he knew such things existed, that they happened not far away from the coast where he lived, but it felt like several fucking galaxies away from where he was, surrounded by the ghosts of takeouts and blackouts past and the actual ghost-ghosts, who he couldn't step in or stub his toe on at three in the morning, but hurt so much worse.

"He said you've been googling resurrection rituals."

Richie scrounged through his pile of empties, hoping one wasn't.  "Bill talks too much."

"Richie."  A sigh, or a wave, or a really quiet whale.  "You're not going to find a resurrection ritual on Google."

"I've found hundreds," said Richie.  "Funny thing, though, they all seem to call for orgies.  Or virgin sacrifices.  Or sacrificing someone's virginity in an orgy.  I'm hoping Ben will volunteer as tribute."

3. * - you’ve got the answers to my confessions by QueerOnTilMorning - ~17,000 words, explicit - This is the good stuff right here. Richie accidentally sexts Eddie and Eddie is IN. TO. IT. This fic starts with excellent phone sex, there’s misunderstandings and confessions in the middle, and then it ends with super hot sex. There’s a brief part with karaoke that was a bit of a lull in the story, but doesn’t take away from how great the rest is.

     suck on ur tongue  

     show u how much I missd that mouth  

     when u start getting weak in the knees  

     thats when ill get on mine  

 He set the phone aside to unzip his pants, palming himself through his boxers, already half-hard.

 Then he froze.

 The text he had just replied to--it was what he'd expected Travis to say, but it wasn't how Travis would say it. That text began with a capital letter and contained punctuation. That text was from--

 "Oh, fuck, no," Richie whispered, and his phone rang.

 Incoming call: Eds

4. * -  L'Appel du Vide by Mackem - ~92,000 words, teen - I know, I know, almost 100k and no sex, but hear me out! The pining in this fic is so exquisitely beautiful and wrenching. Eddie’s POV is excellent and feels really spot on. The other Losers are well represented, especially Ben and Bev. In fact, the group dynamics here are almost as good as the relationship stuff. The later chapters bring in a subplot about the deadlights that I wasn’t that interested in, but it’s still done really, really well, and that’s only a side plot that doesn’t impact that exceptional story of Eddie and Richie figuring out how to stop being dummies.

Two messages, however, are from Stanley, sent to him privately. He opens them, and is met with a picture of Richie, apparently taken without him realising.

It shows him laughing, his eyes crinkled at the corners behind his glasses, and his smile bright and broad as a hand gestures wildly in the air. The other hand is in his hair, pushing it out of his eyes as he tilts his head back, displaying the line of his throat beneath his stubble.

The breath is punched from Eddie at the sight of it.

He stares at it for a long moment, surprised by the depth of his reaction. His stomach is swirling happily, a bubble of excitement growing at the pit, and he cannot help but feel a heated flush build at his cheeks.

It’s probably just because Richie looks like he’s enjoying himself. It’s good to see his friend having fun. That has to be it.

Then he reads Stan’s message.

Stan: He was talking about you. He does that a lot.

5. my love a beacon in the night - by zach_stone - ~4500 words, explicit - Richie is on the road doing shows through Christmas. His friends have a surprise for him. I know it’s almost Valentine’s Day, but it’s never the wrong time for a fluffy Christmas story imo.

 “Yep, just got to my hotel,” Richie says. “Now I’m getting ready for my big Christmas Eve plans.”

 Eddie snorts. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

 “Well according to my TV guide, they’re doing a rerun of The Mistletoe Promise, so I’m all fuckin’ set,” Richie says, grinning when Eddie laughs. On Eddie’s end of the line, he hears the sound of cars passing by, the muffled chatter of people, and says, “Are you outside?”

 “Huh? Oh, yeah,” Eddie says.

 Richie glances at the clock on the nightstand. It’s after ten; Eddie’s not one to be wandering around Times Square after dark. He frowns slightly. Eddie’s been unusually vague about his holiday plans, so Richie has no clue what he’s up to this evening. Not that it’s any of his business. Maybe he’s started seeing someone and is spending the holidays with them. Richie has a sudden image of Eddie, arm-in-arm with some generically pretty woman, taking in the lights and decorations around the city. It opens a pit in his stomach.

6. Coming Back and Coming Out: Richie Tozier's 2019 by Lunatical - ~2000 words, teen - I genuinely adore the mixed media fics that this fandom has spawned. This one is an excerpt from a magazine interview with Richie as he restarts his career.

Slouched on his couch in a cheesy Hawaiian shirt and torn-up jeans, Richie Tozier looks exactly like the manchild he is describing himself to be. Next to him, sitting up straight and dressed in a lovely suit that most people would consider appropriate for an interview, his husband rolls his eyes.

When we scheduled this interview, Tozier insisted we hold it at their house, citing a desire for the interview to be “as chill as possible”—in his own words, of course. He argued that seeing the two of them in their usual environment would help me get a better idea of the kind of relationship they have. After walking into their apartment and seeing the way they’ve decorated the place, I have to admit that I can understand why.

7. baby, there’s no other superstar by kaspbrakziers - ~7000 words, mature - Another mixed media fic that shows the progression of Richie and Eddie’s relationship and Richie’s career through tweets, texts, and interviews. Eddie not knowing how to turn off the capslock on his phone absolutely sent me.

Search history

Today Sunday, 13 November 2016

should i get a divorce? - Google Search

Unhappily Married: Should I get a divorce? - Yahoo Answers

10 Signs Your Marriage Is Over - Buzzfeed

how to divorce? - Google Search

How To File For Divorce (With Pictures) - wikiHow

how to divorce someone without them getting angry? – Google Search

can you divorce someone without telling them? - Google Search

8. Goes on Trips for the Scenery by InkandOwl - ~4500 words, teen - Eddie dies and then comes back to life and tries to get some perspective. I liked the conversations between Eddie and Richie and then way that Eddie starts to take care of himself. The end is really sweet.

If cosmic power and a literal alien space clown’s death wasn’t going to bring him back to life, Eddie was certain that the terrible pain of hearing Richie beg, his tears dropping onto Eddie’s face, probably would’ve done it. He feels sick just thinking about it. About what it all means. “Yeah, Rich, I will.” He could throw a jab at him, tell him something about eating like an adult for once, but he wants to be easy with him right now. Richie deserves it. “You’ll text, right?”

Richie looks down at the prepaid cricket phone in Eddie’s hand and laughs, “There’s no fucking way that thing gets texts.”

“It does.” Eddie grins, “You could call too.”

The fight drains from Richie, his shoulder slumping and he sighs, “Yeah, Eds, I’ll call.”

9. cause i'm about to blow that back out by thotgreeves - ~5000 words, explicit - Here, have some porn. Eddie wears lingerie and Richie loses his goddamn mind. Features submissive top Richie and his unending boner for Eddie.

Richie really should have learnt to never underestimate Eddie Kaspbrak by now. It had come close to killing Richie once, but Eddie might actually be trying to finish him off.

Because the other perk of always letting Eddie go ahead of him was that it gave Richie a prime view of Eddie's ass. Eddie knew about this part and was okay with it. He was wearing a high-waisted pair of slacks that Richie was pretty sure came from the women's section, slightly loose in the legs but nicely filled out by his ass. Richie had been very vocal in the past about how hot they got him, which signaled that Eddie definitely wanted to have sex tonight, and that was already enough to make Richie's dick twitch in excitement. He hadn't been prepared for the finishing blow.

Richie's eyes were fixed, pendulum-like, on how Eddie's slacks were hugging his butt perfectly with every step he took, tight enough to show off the outline of his underwear. Only the folds didn't sit where Richie had expected them to. Instead, Richie realized, his mouth going dry, that in the absence of boxers, there was only a V-shaped crease running from Eddie's hips to between his asscheeks, which could only mean-

Eddie was wearing a thong.

10. * - I’ll Be Homo For Christmas by Amuly - ~15,000 words, explicit - Bill and Audra get a divorce, so Bill moves into Richie’s house with him. Eddie, watching all of this from New York, where he’s still married to Myra, is super, super ok and fine with it in every way.

Except then Richie started posting.

Just stupid shit, mostly with Bill. It wasn’t even real. Eddie knew Bill wasn’t gay and him and Richie were just fucking around ‘for the ‘gram!’ But the more posts Eddie scrolled past on Richie’s Instagram—

 Bill in the kitchen swatting at Richie with a spatula.

 Richie and Bill at the pound, Richie rating dogs on adoptability, Richie begging Bill to adopt a dog with him.

 Richie in the morning with bedhead, smiling blearily into the camera as Bill…

Well. Eddie couldn’t even remember what stupid thing Bill was supposed to be doing in the background of that photo because his eyes couldn’t get past Richie’s bedhead and shirtless torso, chest hairs creeping up towards his collarbones and the little dip at the base of his throat.

Eddie hadn’t thought he was homophobic. But he must have some unresolved issues with it, because he got a stomachache every time he looked at that photo of Richie. Eddie popped a Tums and resolved to talk about it with his therapist.

11. A High-Five is a Hug You Can Hit by Amuly - ~26,000 words, explicit - This fic shows us times throughout their friendship when Eddie and Richie would invent reasons to touch each other without even knowing why. This author feels the same bone deep conviction about Richie crying during sex that I do, and I greatly appreciate that. Plus, all of their stories are fantastic, including this one.

“You know, one of the symptoms of hypothermia is feeling like you’re warm. So like, your body gets so cold that it gets hot, and then you start taking off your clothes-”

“Bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you, Eddie?” Richie shot back at him without turning around.

“Why don’t you ask your sister how much she liked it last week!” Eddie hollered up at him. Richie just flipped him off without looking. That kinda… bugged Eddie. What the fuck did Richie think he was doing leading up the group with Bill? Why was he stuck back here with Stan? Eddie glanced over at Stan, who was trudging tiredly through the woods alongside him, breath puffing out in little clouds of smoke.

“Okay, Stan?”

Stan glanced over at him, confused. Then he shrugged. “Yeah, fine. Cold.”

“Well that’s better than feeling warm.” And now Eddie was back on track. “Because, if anyone starts feeling warm, they should tell the others immediately. That’s a sign of hypothermia. And we have to warm you up. But you have to do it gradually, you can’t just jump in like, a pot of boiling water-”

12. * - fall apart of stay intact by kaspbrak_kid - ~19,000 words, teen - A more melancholy take on the Christmas fic. This story takes Richie’s self-esteem issues and mental problems and amps them up in a way that feels entirely realistic. The gang comes together to celebrate Christmas, and everyone is walking on eggshells because last Christmas was a bad one for Richie. Also, Eddie moves into the house literally right next to Richie’s, and I find that detail endlessly charming.

“Five minutes ago. I called you, and you didn’t answer. Because you were outside, apparently, fucking...stargazing in December! With no hat on!”

“It’s about the Vitamin D!” Richie says. Now that he’s moved a little, he can really feel the cold—his ears are aching, and his face is numb. “Reflecting off the moon, or something. I have seasonal depression, you know!”

“You have seasonal stupidity,” Eddie mutters, audibly rubbing his hands together. “Just get inside.”

“Yours or mine?” Richie jokes.

Eddie doesn’t get the memo. “Mine, obviously. I’ll make you hot chocolate.”

“Oh,” Richie says, and sits up. “Um. Okay, be right there.”

“Oh, thank god,” Eddie says, and hightails it to his back door, cursing about the cold.

13. evidence of a happier future by lagaudiere - 23,000 words, mature - I am here, leading the Jealous!Eddie revolution. Why aren’t there more fics about this. Have you SEEN Eddie Kaspbrak, can you IMAGINE him jealous? Make this happen, fandom. Anyway, in this one, Richie has a boyfriend back in LA. Eddie has trouble dealing with that as he tries to figure himself out and pick up the pieces of his life post-Derry.

“It’s not gonna be like Mike’s announcement, don’t worry,” Richie says hastily. “And it’s not like, a huge thing, so don’t make it a huge thing. But you guys are like, my best friends, and I just wanted you to know that I’m, uh. Gay.”

He turns up his palms and raises his eyebrows in a gesture that suggests a magician presenting his audience with an empty hat after making the rabbit disappear, and Eddie says, “Are you joking?”

“What? Jesus, no, Eddie.” Richie’s face falls, and Eddie instantly feels guilty. “I’m trying to be sincere here.”

“Sorry,” Eddie says immediately, feeling all of their friends looking at him with reproach. “I was just — if you weren’t, I wouldn’t think you should… joke about it.”

“Well, I am,” Richie says. He sounds slightly put out — and who wouldn’t be, Eddie scolds himself, by that ridiculous response. “I have all the gay credientials. I have a boyfriend, partner, whatever people say. I don’t really tell people because of the whole, stage persona, thing. But yeah.”

“Richie!” Bev’s voice breaks through the awkwardness, and she reaches across the table to squeeze his hand. “Thank you for telling us. Really.”

And the others all join in, a chorus of voices telling Richie they love him and they’re proud of him, and Ben is saying, “I wanna see a picture of the guy!” and Eddie’s throat feels like it’s closing up.

14. The ‘Do Not Fucking Touch Me’ Tour by MellytheHun - ~23,000 words, explicit - It’s Richie’s comeback special, and he makes it a big one. This...isn’t really a comedy show, but the author lampshades that. It’s an excuse to have Richie talk about how much he loves each of his friends individually, and it’s extremely entertaining. Richie doesn’t know that Eddie is in the audience watching it all.

“Hey, uhm… Eddie… he couldn’t reschedule his thing? He - I mean... it… it was really that important?”

She feels awful for him immediately, but not wanting to spoil what would ultimately be a lovely surprise, she tells him, “I’m sorry, Rich. He said it was urgent. He was really sorry about it.”

Her phone buzzes with a text from Eddie right as Richie curses under his breath, missing the noise. She clutches her phone more tightly in her fist, knowing Eddie is wondering where his seat is going to be; she bought him a separate ticket, elsewhere in the theatre, so Richie wouldn’t catch him sitting among them, as he will absolutely, inevitably look over to the Losers for most of the show.

“Okay,” Richie surrenders sadly, “Uh - I guess he’ll see it eventually, right?”

Smiling forlornly at him, she pats his arm, and tells him, “don’t worry, Richie. Your genius will inevitably be forced upon us all.”

He smiles at her, gives her a kiss on the cheek, and when Bill jokingly asks why he didn’t get one, Richie flips him off, and reminds them to treat themselves to the bar in the lobby.

Once he’s backstage, Beverly takes her phone out, and emails Eddie his ticket, explains that she’s already convinced Richie he’s not coming, and to make sure he doesn’t show up too early, or Richie will notice.

15. The List by cissues - ~7000 words, teen - Eddie finds a list he wrote as a teenager. Richie tries his best to fulfill them all. This is very sweet.

‘ All the things I want. Everything I’m not allowed to have. A perfect summer. ”

The words hit gentler than he thought they would, but they still hit and he finds himself blinking away at a wetness at the corner of his eye. He wipes at it and sniffles and Richie peers sidelong at him to make sure he’s okay. He is, he’s fine, and Richie never dotes on him when things are, generally, okay. Only when he needs it, which is one of the many things he loves about what they have now.

“This is… this is like a fucking  bucket list  for the most repressed child in the world.” Richie says, breathless.

Eddie rolls his eyes to hide the sting. “You’re looking at him,” he says, bitter. Richie frowns at him but turns back to the paper. Another thing Eddie loves, Richie never takes his trauma-induced bait. His knee-jerk reactions developed over years of what he’s now comfortable enough to call abuse.

16. Richie Tozier Answers the Web's Most Searched Questions by DeadpanMage - ~2000 words, teen - This is a short one, but the transcript of this popular YT video format with Richie felt spot on in terms of characterization and Richie’s voice.

[Back to the text screen: “So WIRED asked Richie Tozier some of the internet’s burning questions.” Cut back to Richie, now holding a poster board with several Google autocomplete searches half covered.]

Richie: I’ve undergone something of a rebranding in the past year, so I wonder how many of these questions are going to be super irrelevant-slash-embarrassing. Probably all of them. Let’s get started! [He tears the covering off of the first question.] Alright, that’s not bad. “How to pronounce Richie Tozier?” Well, we’re only on question one and I’ve already said it like a hundred times so there you go. And that’s “Richie Tozier” spelled J-O-H-N M-U-L-A-N-E-Y, so if you’ve got any complaints be sure to send them that way. Next question!

You can check out a larger list of stories I’ve enjoyed in my AO3 bookmarks. And finally, if you’re interested, here are the two fics I’ve written:

1. Waiting For a Sign - ~6000 words, explicit - Eddie meets Richie again and comes to the startling realization that he totally wants to hit that.

Maybe if Richie wasn’t famous, Eddie could have found a way to let it go. A couple furtive jerk off sessions in the shower after he got back to New York and the image of Richie’s big hands and wide smile and improbably flattering stubble would fade from his mind.

But Richie was famous, and the internet never forgot.

Eddie lasted three days before giving in and typing ‘Richie Tozier’ into the YouTube search bar. Just seeing Richie in the thumbnails was enough to make Eddie’s heart thud, what the fuck. He had to scroll past a bunch of news videos about Richie's supposed mental breakdown, but after that he landed on some old stand-up.

Before he clicked on the first video, he got up and made sure that the door of his study was locked. Then he turned off the lights and put on a pair of earbuds.

Fake It ‘Til You Make It - ~21,000 words, explicit - It’s that totally relatable situation where the man you’re secretly in love with is a celebrity who just came out and now needs a fake boyfriend to keep himself in the spotlight. Eddie offers to help out of the goodness of his heart and not because he’s insanely fucking jealous.

Eddie froze, breath catching in his throat.

Richie looked...really good.

Bev’s influence was obvious. His hair, which had been unkempt and shaggy, a perfect match for his stoner permakid schtick, was cut much shorter and neater. His formerly unruly stubble somehow now emphasized the sharp cut of his jaw instead of obscuring it.

He wore new glasses, Eddie noticed. Slim silver metal frames instead of his giant, clunky plastic ones. The fitted black sweater and dark blue jeans were simple, but made his shoulders look impossibly broad and his legs miles long.

Fuck everything and Beverly Marsh in particular.

LINK TO MY FIRST SET OF REDDIE RECS 30+ FICS

[silvermyfanwy]

We Have A Ghost!

Someone was talking either to themselves or down the phone in the corridor outside the conference room Tony had given Peter to use for homework. Peter tried to work out who it was, but he didn’t recognize the voice. “JARVIS, who is that?”

“What do you mean?” JARVIS asked.

“There’s someone talking out there. Who is it?”

“In the corridor?”

“Yes.”

“There is no one in the corridor.”

Peter frowned. “There was. I heard them.”

“Security footage from the last ten minute shows the corridor to be empty.”

“But I’m sure I heard someone talking!” Peter insisted.

“There’s no one there.”

Peter sighed. “I must be working too hard and it’s making me hear things. I’ll take a break.”

-

“I can smell grape juice.” Peter said suddenly.

Wanda looked at him like he was mad. “You can smell grape juice?”

Peter nodded.

Wanda paused for a moment. “There’s no grape juice.”

“I disagree.”

“Can you still smell it or can we go back to Mario Kart?”

“I can still smell it, but yes, we can go back to the game.” Peter sighed.

-

Two days later, Peter was sitting on his bed and sewing a patch onto his jeans when he got the strange feeling that he was being watched.

He knew he was being watched all the time, because of JARVIS, but he never felt like he was being watched. The hairs on the back of his neck had stood up and there was a disconcerting crawling feeling on his arms.

But when he turned around, no one was there.

-

The labs were one of the best parts about life at the compound.

It meant that Peter could do all the experiments he was allowed to and have rather a lot of fun at the same time. However, at times, there could be a small range of side effects to some of the experiments. Quite often, there were explosions, and at times they would leave Peter blinking stars out of his eyes.

The stars he was convinced he could suddenly see floating in front of him were not caused by an explosion. Peter just waved it off as Wanda playing a prank on him, unaware that Wanda was on an educational trip with Sam in New York City.

-

Peter woke up to the sound of the walls singing.

He went back to sleep, presuming it was the remains of a dream.

The next morning, he’d forgotten all about it.

-

Weird things continued to happen.

Doors slammed shut when there was no wind.

Objects randomly moved when no one had touched them.

Peter kept finding his room tidier than he had left it; and when he checked JARVIS’s security feed, there was no sign of anyone tidying.

Peter decided that enough was enough.

He was going to have to turn to the internet.

-

Peter sat on his bedroom floor with his back against the wall and a laptop balanced on his crossed legs. He opened a new tab and typed into Ecosia ‘is my house haunted’. A variety of results came up.

He clicked on a WIkiHow articled to see what would appear, and a found a test for ghosts. The strange things that he’d noticed matched up to all the signs for ghosts.

-

“Mr Stark, your building is haunted.” Peter said primly, standing in the doorway of the common room.

Tony looked up from his paper. “My building is not haunted, I built it. It’s not haunted and why are you calling me Mr Stark all of a sudden?”

“I thought it would have a more dramatic effect. And your building is haunted;  did a test for ghosts and apparently there is one.”

“Did you just get some test off the internet and try it?”

“Well, yeah, but there are all the signs of a ghost and I’ve been wondering about it for ages and-”

“Kid, I don’t think we have a ghost. Have you seen it?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Maybe your imagination’s just been playing tricks on you.” Tony suggested. “You’ve been working really hard lately. Take a break.”

Peter sighed. “Okay.”

He still thought they had a ghost.

After failing to convince Tony about the existence of the ghost, Peter turned to someone who he thought might be a bit more open minded.

“Wanda, I need your help with something.” Peter fond Wanda rummaging through Nat’s wardrobe. “What are you doing?”

“Looking through some clothes she’s giving away to see which ones I want. What’ you need help with?”

Peter took a deep breath. “Do you promise not to laugh?”

"Depends on what it is.”

Peter pouted. “Mean.”

“I’m your sister, it doesn’t count.” Wanda said. “Go on.”

“I think there’s a ghost.” Peter said. “And I need your help to try and spot it because I don’t think Dad will believe me if I haven’t seen it.”

Wanda’s eyes lit up at the mention of a ghost. “Ghost? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Of course I’ll help. Why do you think there’s a ghost?”

Peter told Wanda about all the weird things that had been happening. “Can you use your powers to try and sense if there’s a ghost?”

Wanda thought for a moment. “I can give it a go. Where would the ghost be living?”

Probably the most mystical place there is.”

“Everything here is science-y, though.”

“Science is pretty mystical.” Peter pointed out. “Oh! I know! What about the room where the strange magic items get put!”

“Good idea.”

-

Peter and Wanda stood in the doorway to the room, both slightly too scared to actually venture in.

“Can you send out magic sensors or something?” Peter whispered.

“Sort of.” Wanda murmured. A glazed look came over her eyes and she reached her hands out, red fire crackling over the ends of her fingers. Suddenly she froze and her eyes came back into focus. “There it is!”

A pale, floating shape that looked rather like a plastic bag appeared in the air in front of them. They both screamed and scrambled to shut the door.

“What do we do now?” Wanda panted.

“I hand’t thought this far ahead.” Peter admitted.

Wanda looked at him incredulously. “Seriously?”

“I think we run.”

“Good idea.”

-

Wanda and Peter barricaded themselves in Wanda’s room and sat in a pillow fort to plan their next move.

“There’s no way Dad can say we haven’t got a ghost anymore.” Wanda said.

“JARVIS, have you got footage of that on camera?” Peter asked.

“Footage of what?”

Peter and Wanda exchanged a look.

“The footage of the ghost.” Peter said.

“There was no ghost.”

“The floaty white thing we just saw.” Wanda said. “Surely you’ve got footage of that.”

“In the storeroom on the third floor.” Peter added.

“There is no footage of the event you are describing.” JARVIS said.

The blood began to drain out of Wanda and Peter’s faces. “Something’s not right here.”

Wanda nodded her agreement.

“You stay and guard the room.” Peter said. “I’ll go and tell Dad what’s going on.”

“No, you stay and guard the room and I’ll tell Dad what’s going on.” Wanda countered.

There was a knock on the door.

They froze and exchanged a look of worry.

The door opened slightly and Loki stuck his head into the room. “Hello!”

“Oh hi Mr Loki!” Peter said, perking up. “Are you looking for Thor?”

“No, I was looking for you two, actually.” Loki said, smiling slightly sheepishly. “I believe I may have accidentally given you a bit of a fright.”

“Were you the ghost?” Wanda asked.

“The floaty white thing?”

“Yeah.”

“Yes, that was me.”

“Have you been making all the strange stuff happen?” Peter asked incredulously. “I thought I was going crazy!”

Loki opened his mouth to continue to speak but Wanda cut him off.

“Does our Dad know you’re here?”

Loki nodded and pulled a security pass out from his hair, which he waved at them. “He’s trying out some new security features and he wanted me to help test them.”

“So he did know why all the strange stuff was happening!” Peter said. “But why didn’t he just tell me it was you?”

Loki winced. “Uh, I’m not on particularly good terms with Thor at the moment.”

As if on cue, there was a thundering noise outside. “LOKI!”

Fear shot over Loki’s face and he darted into the room, hiding underneath he bed. Wanda and Peter peered over the edge of the bed at him.

“What did you do to annoy Thor?” Wanda asked.

Loki pulled a packet of Pop Tarts out of his pocket.

“Ah.”

[sabraeal]

We Seek That Which We Shall Not Find, Chapter 2

Written for @vfordii’s birthday....almost two months late. BUT THIS TIME I HAD A REALLY GOOD EXCUSE.

Chapter 1

Sunlight glares through the gaps in the blinds, slanting over the popcorn ceiling, and for once, since -- since everything happened, Shirayuki opens her eyes and knows exactly where she is.

Even more surprisingly, she doesn’t mind.

That’s not to say she doesn’t miss it, that even as she stares at the knobby plaster she isn’t wishing that it was tented hangings tacked over exposed rafters, that it was soft light filtering through the high window and shimmering curtains. She does, and a part of her always will, but --

But she can trade the scent of bacon and cedar and attic must for the vanilla and spice coming from the kitchen now, for the grassy smell of green tea brewing. For today, at least.

Glass jars clink open and closed, metal spoons swirl against ceramic lips, and she -- she gets up. For the first time in forever, it feels easy.

There are some things that she won’t be getting used to, not any time soon. One is how there is no longer a whole house between her and the kitchen, so when her door creaks open, Busha’s waiting, eyebrows lifted over the rim of her mug, arms crossed over the formica top of the galley’s bar.

“Well.” She sets the cup down on the counter, mouth twitching at a corner. “Someone is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning.”

It’s such a normal thing to say -- such a Busha thing to do, waiting to waylay her in the kitchen like this -- that she nearly forgets they aren’t back home, that this isn’t just every other weekend morning since she’s been a baby. Not until she sees how Busha’s eyes don’t quite settle on her, until she realizes that it’s only the creak of the door that let her grandmother know she was there at all.

“Mm,” she hums, aiming for positive but also noncommittal. Even still, Busha makes that knowing look, and even if it’s only directed in her general area instead of at her, it’s still annoying.

Shirayuki sighs, ducking into the kitchen. It’s only to be expected; when a boy invited a girl over in Busha’s day, they might as well have announced their engagement. So of course her grandmother assumes this is -- is romance, that after seventeen long years, Shirayuki finally likes a boy. She doesn’t even know his name, but Busha is already picking out china patterns, already planning out their Saturday date-nights and how he’ll come to dinner on Sundays, how they’ll go to colleges geographically close to each other and visit on long holidays and how he’ll propose the weekend of their graduation, all done up in their gowns and summa-cum-laude tassels. There will be a small, sweet wedding a year later, probably in a barn somewhere out where she grew up, and maybe even great-grandbabies --

Normal stuff. The kind of things Busha imagined for her mom, back before Mom went off and -- ah, well, had her own...less thought-out plans.

Busha starts her own humming as she bustles around the kitchen, almost unbearably pleased with herself, and Shirayuki would like to -- to straighten this out, to point out that her and Zen barely even talked as themselves last night --

But there’s no way to explain that her good mood isn’t because of Zen, that it isn’t because she kissed a boy or because she had a good night with her crush, but that -- that --

That for four hours, she was Lynet. Lynet, whose talents border both science and magic, who makes tinctures and casts spells and whose sister is trapped in their ancestral castle with an evil knight-slash-sorcerer, but at least her problems are fictional. They can be fixed.

“Where’s JaJa?” she deflects, plucking a muffin from the cooling rack. It’s still warm in her palms; she bobbles it to keep from scalding herself as she peels back the paper wrapper. The vanilla scent is even stronger now, and she can catch cinnamon and orange too, melty cranberries peeking out enticingly from the sides. “Is he still asleep?”

Busha’s mouth rucks up, annoyed. “No. He’s down around the corner for coffee.”

Shirayuki coughs into her muffin, glad her grandmother can’t see her grimace. Around the corner is Busha’s way of avoiding saying McDonalds, which is apparently where a bunch of the vets from the VFW meet every week. Ostensibly it’s some sort of coffee-cum-social-hour thing, which Shirayuki likes the sound of on paper -- after all, JaJa needs to have friends here in the city too -- but...

But she’s also not naive. If anyone misses the smell of bacon in the morning, it’s JaJa, and she has her suspicions that his friends might also be dodging the watchful eyes of wives and grown children. After all, she doubts that they’re all ordering salad, no dressing off the breakfast menu.

Busha isn’t stupid either, but she’s also not one to hurl accusations. Until she finds him with a receipt for a sausage and egg McMuffin with extra bacon, she’s happy to pretend he’s as faithful to his diet as he is to her.

“Oh right,” Shirayuki mumbles around a bite of cranberry goodness, taking the mug of green tea her grandmother holds out to her. “It’s Sunday.”

“He should be on his way back soon.” Busha settles against the counter again, smiling over the rim of her cup. “It looked like you enjoyed yourself at that...game of yours.”

Shirayuki nods, practically shoving muffin in her mouth.

“I hope you thanked that Wisteria boy for a good time,” she tells her archly. Busha clearly doesn’t think she spent four hours on a particularly rousing game of Parcheesi. “You were over there a long time.”

A full mouth saves her from having to give an answer, at least. Between four-hour make out session with a cute boy and four-hour shared fantasy adventure, Shirayuki has a good idea of what Busha would prefer to believe was taking up her time.

“I will,” she chokes out around a swallow, because well -- she’s not wrong. She should thank the Wisteria boy.

Just not the one Busha is thinking of.

Hey.

Shirayuki blinks, and behind the lids of her eyes, the letters are tattooed there in white, teasing her with their strokes and loops. It’s been -- she tilts back her head, looking at the garishly red numbers on her alarm clock -- two hours, and all she has is -- is this. Hey. Three letters she’s been staring at for so long that they’ve begun to lose all meaning.

And -- for the twentieth time -- she deletes them. Who even says hey anymore?

Everyone, probably. Shirayuki groans, dropping her head into her pillow and just -- counting. Counting probably will help. She read that somewhere, maybe. Counting and breathing.

What would really help would be knowing how to do -- this. Texting like a normal person. Having friends like a normal person.

Not exactly something she’s ever had to do before, growing up where everyone had landlines and the only places she could possibly be after school were home or one of the three houses within walking distance that had kids her age. Hanging out hadn’t required a phone, just...walking down the ramble between their houses and making sure you didn’t twist an ankle in a gopher hole.

But she lives in the city now, where people have wi-fi and kids get kidnapped or something, and at the ripe old age of seventeen years old she’s supposed to know how to -- to use all this.

The first time she texted Kihal she’d written everything in a single block of text, like an email, and been promptly told she sounded like her fifty-year-old aunt.

That is not the impression she wants to give Izana Wisteria, whose house lights respond to vocal command.

With a steeling breath, she lifts her head, and scrolls back in their chat history. It’s one of the longest she has; a couple of times she actually has to scroll and then wait for it to load. By the time she gets to the beginning, she’s feeling -- steady, emboldened.

It’s fine; she can do this. She has done this. She just needs to see how she even started this whole conversation and --

Shirayuki, I presume This is Izana Zen told me you were interested in trying out tabletop

Her head drops. This is impossible.

SOS I need help

is it boy stuff?? tell me its boy stuff

no?

lie to me and tell me its boy stuff

I mean, there is a boy? but it’s not like that?

okay good enough proceed

is hey a good way to start a conversation or is that weird?

Shirayuki sets her phone down on the bedside table, settling back against her headboard. She doesn’t -- she doesn’t need to stress about this, not like she has been the last few hours. She has plenty of homework to get ahead on; she can just...set this all aside for a minute, let Kihal get back to her. It’s not an emergency --

She springs for her phone the second it buzzes.

i mean its pretty standard, she writes, and even though Kihal isn’t sitting here, talking, Shirayuki can hear her voice going flat, dubious. is this for flirting purposes or does this have to do with your weird nerd thing.

its not a weird nerd thing. Shirayuki grimaces. Lots of people play D&D now, it’s not just -- just a nerd thing. but I wanted to thank Izana for letting me play.

jsyk this is the most wholesome and nerdy thing you have ever done and i approve of you sticking to your aesthetic like this.

Shirayuki frowns. I’m being polite

i know i love it

She sighs, flopping into her pillows. This would all be easier if she got herself into normal situations, the kind she could just use google to navigate, but there’s no WikiHows for roleplaying. Or, well, this kind of roleplaying. She’d checked, just before she had to look up how to delete internet search history.

She doesn’t even know if she should say anything. Maybe D&D is a...a Fight Club sort of situation. The first rule about non-sexual roleplay is that we don’t talk about non-sexual roleplay. See you next Saturday.

It would at least explain the lack of, you know, literature.

i think you can say hey, Kihal replies, finally. zen should have given you a primer on this or something

Her hands clench. Zen.

She’ll have to see him tomorrow.

And be normal.

She groans, throwing her pillow over her head. She not meant for this sort of pressure.

oh come on its not like he can judge he plays as a fantasy prince or whatever which is just like him btw i should have known that’s what zen wisteria does on weekends

I can still be weird somehow I shouldn’t talk too much about it but then does it seem like I’m not interested? I like playing Lynet

you are def worrying about this too much zen may be stratospherically rich but he’s an okay person or whatever im sure he’ll be cool

I’m way more worried about being the weird one

lol but wouldnt it be funny if zen turned out to be the weirdo? maybe he’ll want you to call him MY LIEGE omg

oh my goodness it would be Your Highness but oh my goodness

your pedantry is noted MILADY

There’s no reason to think he’ll be weird about it, really there isn’t.

But she can’t think of anything else as she stares up at her ceiling, tracing where the streetlight slots through the blinds.

lol what if he calls you LADY LYNET in front of like teachers, Kihal had written with an almost manic glee. what if he thinks lunch is like the ROUND TABLE omg this is too good

he didn’t before, is all she had to say, and even then, she knows it isn’t enough.

THAT YOU KNOW OF lol, Kihal replied. She hadn’t said much more on it, not until they’d said goodnight and she’d added, with an emoji that Shirayuki couldn’t help but feel like was a little too indulgent, have fun with your knight in shining armor

Shirayuki groans, rolling over. This is -- this is a tomorrow problem.

Hi. It’s Shirayuki. I just wanted to thank you for hosting this weekend I had a lot of fun

It’s while she’s watching the bare brick of her neighborhood give way to the smooth clapboard of the suburbs that she decides: she’s just going to pretend like nothing’s different. Sure, she now knows that Zen and Kiki moonlight as kingdom-saving royalty on the weekends, but -- but it’s not like that has to change anything. There’s no reason for her to assume things will be weird or -- or different, not until she’s there and it’s happening.

Her resolve lasts until her feet touch the pavement, until she sees the bronze lettering of Abel Wisteria High School stretch over the archway, and then --

Then her knees go jellied, heart fluttering a mile a minute. Maybe, if she manages to survive today, she can just convince Busha they need to move again.

Her thigh vibrates, and it takes her a long minute to realize -- her phone.

Glad to hear it 

Shirayuki stares for a long minute, trying to reconcile her nerves with -- with this. Izana Wisteria texting her in the full light of day.

It was unexpectedly refreshing to have a new player I trust I will be seeing you this Saturday?

She shuts her jaw with a click. Izana -- he wants her to -- to --?

She’s being invited back. Not just as a polite end to the session, but -- but --

The phone nearly flies from her hand as someone shoves past her, and she realizes right in front of the bus drop off is probably not the best place to be having this conversation. She just has to get to class and --

She grits her teeth. She just has to get to class, and manage to be normal with Zen and Kiki too.

No problem. She -- she can text Izana Wisteria now; she can do anything.

Hopefully.

“Shirayuki”

Every hair stands on end at the sound of that laconic voice, and not for all the nice reasons it usually does. This is it, the Bridge to Terebithia precipice; this all either leads to adventure or tragedy, and she never wanted to swing across the ditch to find out --

“Shirayuki.”

Her head swivels, and Kiki is looking as perfect as she always does, jeans tucked into tall socks tucked into boots, every button on her plaid shirt in its appropriate hole in a way Shirayuki has never managed. The hand she’s raised lowers back down to the desk, no hesitation or self-consciousness in the movement, just -- the surety that she’s been seen and her attention is wanted.

She turns back to Zen, and Shirayuki just -- wishes she could be Kiki for a day. To know what being that confident was like.

And it’s that that gets her legs moving, that makes her take the swing, sliding into the desk right in front of her. Kiki spares her a glance, a friendly smile tilting her lips, and Zen --

Zen looks like he might faint.

“Hi,” he manages after a long moment of working lips. “How was your --? You had a good --?”

He coughs, reddening under Kiki’s flat stare. “There was a weekend?”

“Yes?” she tries, wincing as her voice squeaks.

Kiki lets out an amused huff, folding her arms under her chest. “Zen want to ask if you had a nice weekend.”

“Oh.” She blinks, swiveling her neck toward him. “I see.”

“But he’s also aware he pretended to be King Arthur in front of you,” Kiki drawls, feet kicking up on the book rack under her chair. “And he doesn’t know if that was too weird for you.”

The tension rushes out of her all at once, and she smiles, relieved. “I had a great weekend.”

Zen’s face splits into a boyish grin, his cheeks pink. “Good. I mean, great. That’s great.”

“I’m glad we’ve gotten all that out of the way,” Kiki interjects, flat. “Maybe Zen can stop considering a last minute transfer to prep school.”

His head whips toward her, betrayal clear on his face, but -- but Shirayuki’s just so relieved that things are normal that she only laughs, only smiles and says, “I had a lot of fun. I hope I did okay?”

“Lynet was great,” Zen rushes to assure her. “Though I still think Gwenhwyfar would have been --”

“Boring,” Kiki supplies with a smirk. “It was a great call to make a character with both offensive and supportive casting -- after all, we’re all sort of...”

“Physically inclined?” Shirayuki offers. She doesn’t know exactly what all the classes do, but even from one session, she can tell whatever magic the rest of the party uses is generally for making them hit harder and better.

“That’s a gentle way to put it.” Kiki grins. “I’m looking forward to your quest, too. We’ve just been gallivanting around doing fetch quests for the past few months.”

“It’s for the people,” Zen mutters, a prince to the hilt. “It’s important.”

“Of course it is,” Kiki replies with no conviction. “But it’s about time we got something meaty.”

YES sorry autocorrect yes, I’ll be there on saturday

The enthusiasm is appreciated

I’m not imposing am I? I know I came in with a quest I don’t want to take over the game

Not at all No need to apologize for bringing in plot I admit I had been...concerned about the balance of the game A new player can upset the dynamic of a party But my fears were clearly unfounded

Oh...good

You and Obi fit in just fine

Her hands freeze over the screen. Obi. She hadn’t -- hadn’t forgotten about him, of course, not when Lynet spent a whole scene rolling around with his tiefling on the floor of her lab. It’s just -- just --

Even looking at his name makes her skin feel tight, makes her heart beat hard in her chest. And she...likes that.

Have you coordinated with Obi for this weekend? Izana asks, like -- like they’re some sort of unit. He told me you’re on the way. There is no need for you to take a bus.

Her fingers hover uncertainly. um not yet

Let me give you his number, Izana says, taking away her excuse before she can even think it. I look forward to seeing you both this weekend

She stares at the ten digits and bites down on a scream. Great, she manages. thanks

“Hold up.” Kihal’s palm waves in front of her face. “I’ve had to hear all about your nerd night insecurities re: the trust fund twins, but you’ve never mentioned cute college boy?” She sits back with a huff, arms folded over her chest. “I thought we were friends, Shirayuki.”

She wishes her skin were like Kihal’s; at least then she might have a chance of covering up the blush working its way up her neck. “I didn’t say he was cute.”

“You didn’t have to.” Kihal nips the phone from her hands, thumbs scrolling lightning fast. “Because if he wasn’t cute, you would have mentioned him before, but now you are freaking out about sharing air with him for like, tops ten minutes, so not I know he is.”

“It’s fifteen minutes,” she protests lamely. “And he did try to kill my character. He might be a jerk.”

“But still cute,” Kihal counters with a shrug. “And he already drove you home, so you know he’s not some asshole.”

“Well, yes,” she allows, hesitant. “I just don’t want to -- to inconvenience him or anything. He probably has better things to do than cart around a high schooler.”

“First, he’s going to the same nerd thing you are, so no. Second --” she drops the phone onto the table -- “doesn’t seem like it.”

hi its Shirayuki pick me up @7 on saturday?

def

She can feel the blood draining from her face. “What --?”

“Do you think he knows I mean the nerd thing?” Kihal wonders aloud. “Maybe I just got you a date.”

“That’s --”

“Man, maybe I should join your nerd night,” she mutters, leaning back on the bench. “Zen’s brother is hot too, right?”

SOS SOS SOS I don’t have anything to wear

wear? i thought this was just nerd night not a DATE

it’s not but i should wear something appropriate

what like a robe and a wizard staff or something

. . . .

i thought college boy isnt cute so it doesnt matter what you wear

it’s not about Obi being cute

oooooh so he IS cute nice

focus please its just Zen’s house is REALLY nice

omg what like the dress code is white tie by default because he’s got money

no it’s just intimidating there’s marble in the foyer, Kihal they say it foi-yay

this is like the best info I’m gonna say foi-yay a dozen times to wisteria on monday but seriously im sure whatever your wearing is fine you dress like a cute little elf naturally

is that a compliment?

if ur going to ur nerd night it is

“Shirayuki!”

She nearly drops the phone at the pound of Busha’s knock, fumbling it midair until it lands squarely in her palms. “I’m here!”

“So is your friend,” she says in that pointed tone Busha thinks is subtle. “He’s waiting.”

I gotta go, Shirayuki texts, shoving the phone into her bag. he’s here

She sprints into the kitchen, but it’s far, far too late -- Busha and JaJa are already at the door, all smiles, crowding Obi. Who looks...nice.

She’s only met him the once, but there was something about the baggy band t-shirt and torn jeans that seemed -- like him. Something in the way he slouched around in them like a second skin, kicking up his thick-soled boots on the chair across from him, like it probably didn’t cost more money than either of them had ever seen at once.

But he’s not wearing that now. Tonight he’s -- polished, button-down over a thermal shirt, non-ragged jeans, hair looking like a brush might have been briefly introduced to it before he went out the door --

It looks very...date-ish.

“Didn’t have to drive too long, did you?” JaJa is asking, tugging on his sleeve to pull him further into the apartment.

“Have you eaten yet?” Busha may not be able to see like she could before, but she can scent skinny boys. “We still have some kielbasa and cabbage on the stove. I’m sure you could have some while Shirayuki --”

Shirayuki stomps on her boots in record time, snagging a metal tin off the counter. “I’m ready!”

Obi startles, gaze jumping from Busha to her. His eyes go wide -- it’s got to be a trick of the light, how gold they look -- and he rounds his shoulders, the smallest bit.

“Hi,” he manages with a smile she might consider shy, if it wasn’t on him. “You -- you want to get going?”

“Oh, but surely you can stay for a little bit,” Busha insists, stepping aside so he can see into the kitchen. “I made cake --”

“SURE,” Shirayuki says, far too loud, pushing past her grandparents with a warning look. “I don’t want to keep everyone waiting.”

Obi ducks his head, letting out a bark of a laugh. “Yeah, I think Izana feeds people who make him wait to the koi out back.”

She blinks. “They have koi?”

He grins. “Oh boy, you don’t even know.”

The only thing she needs to do in a car is sit, but even still, her body doesn’t seem to know what to do near Obi.

Her fingers wrap tight around the tin in her lap, the rolled metal lip digging into skin. She’d been doing well the walk down, looking at the google earth photos of Wisteria Manor Obi pulled up on his phone -- there is a koi pond, and even though she denies it, she really wouldn’t put it past Izana to feed some guests to it if they annoyed him thoroughly enough -- but now that they’re in the car, something...changes.

It’s like standing in front of the eel tank in the aquarium; she can feel the charge to air, like there’s something right on the cusp of happening but she doesn’t know what it is, won’t know what it is until -- until --

“What’s that?”

A long finger taps the lid of her tin, ting ting ting, and lightning zings down her legs, leaves them wobbly against her seat.

“Um,” she hums, trying to put her feet flat against the floor, trying to ground herself. “It’s -- cookies?”

A laugh huffs out of him, his eyes rounding. “Wow, trying bribery this early in the game? You that worried about your chances?”

“No!” she yelps, clutching the rim until the rolled lip leaves divots in the creases of her fingers. “It’s a host gift! It’s -- it’s polite.”

His teeth bear down in a grin. “That’s precious.”

She can feel the heat on her face, knows she’s burning from ear to ear and probably from chin to hair as well. “It’s not!”

His eyes flick over to her, and in the dark all she sees is gold before he turns back to the road. “Okay,” he says, insincere.

Her lips press down, a bulwark against her impulse to explain herself, to tell him this is the way she was raised, that she doesn’t understand how everyone here thinks of customary politeness as something -- something cute and rustic. Something exceptional.

That’s not really small talk material. She barely knows him. He doesn’t need all that -- that baggage from her, not when he’s doing her a favor.

She sneaks a glance at him from the corner of her eyes, taking in the brushed hair, the nice clothes.

“I’m sorry,” she murmurs, ducking her head.

His head swivels to stare at her for a moment. “What? Why?”

“For, you know.” She waves her hand nebulously behind them. There’s no graceful way to say for interrupting your date. “Back there.”

Narrow eyebrows arch toward his hairline. “Oh. Don’t worry about it.”

She grimaces. Sure, he can say that, but it’s not like --

“It’s cute.”

She stares. “Excuse me?”

“Your grandparents,” he clarifies, starkly reminding her of the embarrassing circus by the front door, how Busha had tried to feed him -- “It’s cute. Them seeing you off.”

“Oh,” she sighs, trying desperately not to sound mortified. “Yes. That. Great.”

His eyes slant toward her, eyebrow cocked. “Was there something else?”

“I just...” She bites her lip. “I only mean that -- that I’m sorry you had to come pick me up.”

His brows furrow. It’s hard to tell in this light, but for a brief moment, illuminated by streetlight, she thinks she sees -- uncertainty. Maybe even something like regret.

“I mean, I’m grateful!” she assures him. By the dubious look on his face, she doubts it’s helping. “But since you were coming from -- from --” your date -- “somewhere.”

That makes him blink, make his eyes round in surprise. “Coming from somewhere?”

“Yeah.” She gestures at him, trying to encompass the whole...look. “You’re dressed up really nice.”

It’s not like she knows him well, and Obi’s skin in that sort of copper tone that makes sorting out this sort of thing difficult, but --

There’s some pink up on his cheeks. She’s almost certain of it. “I -- I always look like this.”

It’s not like she can really say with any authority how he dresses typically; aside from tonight, she’s only seen him the once, but -- but there was an easy casualness to the way he wore his torn up jeans, work boots crossed over at the ankle; and these clothes --

Well, it looks like someone’s got a rod down their spine. Or maybe -- a book perched on their head. Some reminder of what good posture looks like.

“But last week --”

“I was in a hurry.” His shoulders round over the wheel, making his voice little more than a mumble. “I dress nice all the time.”

She knows her mouth is hanging open, just slightly, but words are jockeying for place on the tip of her tongue; things like, I don’t think you’d say ‘dress nice’ if that was your normal.

“Ask anyone,” he snaps, defensive. “I do.”

She’s not sure what makes her want to prod at him like this, but she’s ready to, ready to tease him about how only Izana knows him, and he’d never spill his secrets unless it benefited him in some way, but she’s interrupted by the looming gates of Wisteria Manor. Obi leans out, getting them buzzed through, and by the time he’s back in the car the moment feels...gone.

It’s fine. Maybe she can suggest Beaumains gets a change of outfit too.

“What’s that smile for?”

She startles, twisting in her seat, right into where he’s leaning inquisitively over the center console. “Oh, um...”

It would be rude to tell him that she was daydreaming about how to tease him. Also, she seems to have misplaced her ability to word good getting so close to his grin. “I just...like smiling?”

He lets out a huff of a laugh as he turns away, throwing the car into drive as the gates clang open. He says something as they pull away, but something happens in the vicinity of the engine, a grindy clunking that sounds like gears failing to catch for a solid second, and she can only just make out, “...trouble.”

Her instinct is to open her mouth, to protest, but --

But instead she settles back against the seat, leaning her hand casually against her chin. Trouble.

“--do you really think I’d make bombs without some kind of protection?”

All she can picture is sharp, white teeth. “You are the most interesting woman I’ve ever met --”

Maybe it would be all right to be trouble. At least for him.

The Wisterias have a valet for their guests -- Obi argues with him on the veranda, reluctant to hand over his keys, even if it’s just to a well-loved Honda that probably saw its best days when Clinton was president -- but it’s still Izana who greets them at the door, polite smile firmly in place.

“Are those cookies?” he asks mildly, after inviting them to take off their hoodies, though he doesn’t readily provide a location to which they’ll go.

“Yes!” Shirayuki pipes, hunching her shoulders over the tin. “I thought -- it would be polite?”

Izana takes the tin as if he half expects it to explode. “I didn’t expect you to be the sort that resorted to bribes.”

“It’s not!” she sputters out, clapping her hands to her cheeks, wishing it could keep them from burning. “I just -- it’s a host gift.”

“A host gift,” Izana echoes softly, staring down at the snowman on the top. She probably could have found a less...festive box, but at the time, she’d thought it seemed friendly. “How lovely.”

For a moment, they all stand awkwardly in the hall. Then Izana glides into movement, gesturing to the hall beyond with a hand and nod of his head.

“Come on then,” he says, tucking the tin under his arm. “We’re just about to start.”

Shirayuki slips in front of him, headed toward the basement door as the boys fall into step behind her. They lag behind, just slightly, but not so much that she can’t hear Izana remark, “I didn’t realize you had plans tonight.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Obi returns, cagey.

She can hear Izana’s eyebrow raise. “You’re all dressed up.”

She shouldn’t laugh, she shouldn’t, but --

“This is how I always look!”

She covers it with a cough, barely.

“Oh,” Izana says, so mild. “Of course. How silly of me to forget.”

[todobaku-shoukat]

Boku No Toddler Academia (30/?)

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11712765/chapters/35864727

Nightmare come true?

Bakugou and the toddlers are happily watching a movie when the doors of the dorms are suddenly smashed open. Bakugou jumps up immediately, moving to a fighting stance and ordering the children to hide. When a large figure stomps pass the doorway, Bakugou freezes in fear. A Nomu. Before Bakugou can even blink, the Nomu rushes forward, grabbing one of the toddlers before moving back towards the doorway where a man in a wheelchair enters.

 “Kacchan!” Midoriya calls, his small body grasped in the palms of the huge Nomu.

 “Fuck!” Bakugou curses his inability to fight back, snapping out of his fear. This is not the time to be afraid. He has his children to protect. Growling at the Nomu and the man in the wheelchair, Bakugou shouts “Give him back!”

 The man in the wheelchair laughs, coming closer towards Bakugou who cannot help but to take a step back. He knows this man. It is All For One.

 “How?!” Bakugou begins, confused. This man should not be here. But before he can finish asking, the man lets out a deranged laughter.

 “Give him back? My, my. I’m afraid that’s what I should be saying.” All For One replies before opening up his arms as if to hug someone. A small head of blue rushes forward from behind Bakugou, running straight into those arms happily. It is Shigaraki.

 “Sensei…” Shigaraki drawls out, happiness clear in his voice as he hugs All For One. Following Shigaraki, Toga and Kurogiri also make their way towards All For One, the bounce in their steps announcing their joy at the villain’s arrival.

 Bakugou feels his heart break at this scene, fear and anger coursing through his veins. This cannot be real. His mind ran a mile a minute, wordlessly asking a myriad of questions. Was this planned? Did they take the opportunity where all the teachers are busy invigilating for the exams to infiltrate the dorms? What do they want? Why did his children, the ever-clingy Shigaraki, the bright and cheerful Toga and the quiet Kurogiri, leave his side only to rush into the arms of a villain? How can he get them and Midoriya back? Could he possibly fight the Nomu, especially when it still has little Midoriya clutched in his hands?

 In the end, the only thing Bakugou can say is, “Come back here! Come back to mama!”

 All For One laughs, low and vicious. “You really think you are their mama? Hahahahaha. You’re a failure, inept. You’re nothing but a substitute. And now, I’m going to take them home. I’m going to take all of them home. How wonderful it will be to raise these promising children to be excellent villains.”

 “No! Don’t you dare take them away!” Bakugou growls, hands outstretch with little sparks coming out of his palms. He wanted nothing more than to explode that faceless villain’s face but he could not bear to hurt the children in that man’s lap. Although he knew that Shigaraki, Toga and Kurogiri are/were/will be villains, they are still his dear children.

 “Well then, maybe I shall take you with us. Your quirk will come in handy as we destroy the world.” Following All For One’s words, a crowd of Nomus appear, snatching up the rest of the toddlers. Bakugou rushes forward, furious but helpless, trying to stop them yet not knowing how. His heartbeat pounds loudly in his ears and he feels a heavy weight on his chest. He cannot breathe, and then the world goes black.

 Gasping loudly for air, Bakugou’s eyes shoot open. His vision is blurry, but he could roughly identify the little face before him. As his senses return to him, Bakugou realises that he is still lying in his futon, the toddlers crowding around him with concern on their faces. It is then that Bakugou feels something cold in his palms. Glancing down, Bakugou finds that he had used his quirk in his sleep and Todoroki had used his own to counter it.

 “What?” Bakugou wanted to ask what happened by his voice comes out hoarse and weak and he became overwhelmed with the insistent need to cough. Bakugou waves a hand as he coughs into the other arm, indicating to the toddlers to move away from him lest they catch his cold. After he finishes coughing, Bakugou tries to get up, only for his head to feel like it is being split open. Helpless, Bakugou can only lie in his futon and weakly warn the kids to stay away. Despite having just woken up, Bakugou feels lethargy creeping back up and he closes his eyes, falling into dreamless sleep.

 “What’s wrong with mama?” Uraraka asks.

 “Mama is sick!” Toga concludes.

 “Ah? Then what should we do?” Kirishima asks. The teachers All Might and Midnight have already left early in the morning to prepare for the exam, not even staying for breakfast. As a result, nobody knew that there was something wrong with Bakugou until they were woken up by the loud bang of his quirk.

 The toddlers look at each other, at a loss as to what to do. Then, Asui speaks up, “I have seen my mom take care of my younger siblings when they fall sick… I have some idea…”

 The toddlers immediately perk up and listen to Asui as she lists a couple of things that they should do, doing what they could and searching the internet for some help as well. They need a thermometer to measure Bakugou’s temperature but they do not know if they even have a thermometer, much less where it is kept. As such, Yaoyorozu uses the computer to find out how to make one. While she does this, Todoroki is in charge of keeping Bakugou cool using a wet towel and his own quirk. On the other side of Bakugou is Kirishima who is sending the other well wishes as they previously saw a WikiHow article telling them to do so before Yaoyorozu commandeered the computer.

 Satou, Shouji and Ojiro are in the kitchen, attempting to make a bowl of congee. Thanks to Thirteen’s guidance the day before, they know their way around the kitchen. However, none of them knows how to make congee, but they did not think that it would be that difficult. It is just rice and water after all, right? And so, they pour a cup of rice and two cups of water into a lined cake pan and baked it.

 The other toddlers look for the blankets used in their forts the other day, wrapping Bakugou in these blankets to keep his body warm. When Yaoyorozu successfully makes a thermometer, the toddlers cheer happily, believing that they can nurse their mama back to health. However, when Asui takes Bakugou’s temperature, he is a shocking 39.7°C. The toddlers start to worry again, unsure of what to do. Just then, the oven dings and Satou goes to check on their congee. The rice turns out cooked, but it is just baked rice and not congee. Now that the computer is available again, Satou searches how to make congee, properly this time, but it turns out too complicated for the toddler. Other than the oven, he did not know how to use the other appliances.

 Disappointed, the toddlers crowd around Bakugou. They do now know how to contact the teachers, and their mama made it extremely clear that they cannot leave the dorm. Hence, they are all stuck. Just then, an idea comes to Midoriya. Bakugou said they could not go out of the dorms, but he never said they could not get other people to enter the dorms. And the only person Midoriya knows to call is his mom. Midoriya Inko has always been a protective mom, drilling her phone number and email into her son. And so, Midoriya borrows the computer to write an email to his mother.

 Seeing what Midoriya is doing, Uraraka asks, “Are you asking your mama to come over?”

 Midoriya nods in response. Immediately, Yaoyorozu asks, “Midoriya-san, you knew mama since he was young. Then –”

 “Do you have mama’s baby photos?” Toga interrupts.

 “Yes…” Midoriya replies.

 “Wah! Can you ask your mama to bring them when she comes?” Hagakure asks excitedly. Midoriya readily agrees and the toddlers cheer, already forgetting their worry over their sickly mama.

 When Midoriya Inko receives the email from her son, she is surprised. The account used was her son’s old account that he no longer used, having chosen to use a more professional-looking email compared to the childish one. At first, Midoriya Inko thought that someone had hacked into her son’s account. After all, her son is supposed to be at a special training camp with no phones. The email is also strange, reminiscent of the way her son used to speak before he grew up. However, Midoriya Inko could not see why someone would hack into her son’s email account to email her such things. Hence, she decides to email back to gather confirmation. She asks in her email, who is Midoriya Izuku’s number one hero. Seeing this childish old email account name, Midoriya Inko somehow felt nostalgic. That question was a question she used to ask her son a lot when he was young, before he found out that he was “quirkless”. Back then, Midoriya Inko would feel slight jealousy when her son seemed to love All Might more that he loved her. That was when she would ask that question.

 And just like back then, the reply states, “Mama, you’re my number one hero!”

 Midoriya Inko smiles, tears filling her eyes for some reason. After Midoriya Izuku found out he was “quirkless”, she never dared ask the question ever again. And without this prompt, Midoriya Izuku never really expressed his love for his mom with words. Somehow, it is always nice to have spoken reassurance. Without any more doubt, Midoriya Inko quickly complies to her son’s first email. Honestly, she did not know what to expect. But seeing her son as he was when he was a toddler opening the dorm doors made her feel inexplicable feelings. That small young naïve face reminds her of the time where her son was happy, carefree, and most importantly, safe in her arms. She immediately bends down to hug her precious son.

 Midoriya Inko wants to savour this feeling of being able to protect her son, but the other small faces popping up in front of her brought her back to reality. Taking in the toddlerised aspiring heroes, Midoriya Inko knew that something must have happened again and the school had chosen to keep it from the parents. While Midoriya Inko wants to get angry at that, she remembers that she has already chosen to entrust her son to All Might. If this was what the school believed was the best course of action, then as a supporting parent, Midoriya Inko can only accept it with a sigh.

 “Mama! You have to come help Kacchan!” Little Midoriya shouts as he pulls his mother towards a pile of blankets? Midoriya Inko looks closely, finding Bakugou who was drowning in the mass of blankets. Seeing how flushed Bakugou’s face is and how much he is sweating, Midoriya Inko immediately gets to work. She passes her son his most prized photo album before moving to remove the blankets.

 As Midoriya Inko goes to nurse the sick and unconscious Bakugou, the toddlers crowd around Midoriya Izuku, each wanting to look at the photos. However, there are way too many toddlers for the small photo album. Hence, under Iida’s command, the toddlers split into groups. As the first group looks at the photos the other toddlers help Midoriya Inko. Satou learns how to properly cook congee and Asui tries her hand at feeding a barely conscious Bakugou.

 When Bakugou’s fever finally breaks, it is already evening. Midoriya Inko is in the kitchen preparing dinner while the other toddlers settle around Bakugou, waiting for him to wake. Despite Midoriya Inko’s persistent advice, the toddlers refused to stay away from their sick mama. So when Bakugou wakes the second time that day, he wakes to the same scene of tiny faces peering worriedly at him. Bakugou slowly rubs his eyes, sitting up. His head feels much clearer than in the morning, breath coming much easier. He glances tiredly at the clock, only to widen his eyes full of energy when he sees the time.

 “Fuck! How… I… Did you all have breakfast? Lunch?” Bakugou asks worriedly.

 “We had bread for breakfast while Aunt Inko made us lunch,” Todoroki replies.

 “Aunt Inko?” Bakugou repeats, surprised.

 “Yes, Katsuki kun.” Midoriya Inko says. She had just come over to check on the toddlers.

 Bakugou immediately greeted the other, explaining the situation with the toddlers to her. Midoriya Inko nods in understanding, promising not to let this secret out and also asking if she could come over to help sometime. Bakugou promises to let the teachers know. Wanting to stay with her son longer, Midoriya Inko stays for dinner and ends up watching the way Bakugou interacts with the toddlers. It was rather surprising, for she did not think that Bakugou would do so well with kids.

 And when she leaves, she decides that it is probably best to leave him with a word of warning. For her, she had time to get used to the fact that her child was growing up and becoming independent from her. For Bakugou who has gotten so attached to his role as a parent for these toddlers, he would have to face them instantly turning from cuddly dependent children to mature independent teenagers. From a mama, he would turn back into just a classmate again.

 “Don’t be too attached to them, Katsuki kun. Especially when you do not know if they will remember you as their mama when they turn back…”

[astralcaw-blog]

Auras 101: History and Sight

This post is a basic guide to auras. Consider it a 101 class. We will begin by identifying what an aura is, how it’s seen in use through history, and practices that will allow you to learn to see them if you so choose to work for it and learn. I will then talk about my personal methods of seeing auras, and a small introduction into deciphering and discerning the aura.

Let’s Start From The Beginning: What is an Aura?

The most common description of an aura is an electromagnetic field that surrounds the body, most often in an egg shape. I’ve heard claims that we’ve always had the ability to see the aura. We have it as an inherent ability at birth, which is why babies look over our heads. It’s also been believed to be something many saw before modern times, and many claim the best representations of such are portrayed in the “halos” you see in art of holy entities. The connection to the divine is often portrayed through a white (or sometimes purple) light around the head.

I was born and raised Christian, so I’m very familiar with said representations around Jesus Christ, disciples, and saints. 

However in my auric studies, you can also see said halo around other divine figures, of whom I admittedly know less about. Below are examples of this light seen in a depiction of Krishna

and the Buddha

This link (x) talks about how the aura exists on various layers of the energetic body; the physical, the astral or emotional, lower and higher mental planes, spiritual, intuitional, and the absolute plane. They all tie together to make one big blob. (below picture from wikihow)

Here’s a rather standard concept of the varying planes and where they exist in the auric field.

Sources are varied on exactly how the aura appears. @crystalwitch-in-the-tardis​ has informed me some sources claim the aura is commonly extends larger and farther in the back than the front, and the layers closest to the body itself have the densest energy. The further you go out the finer/higher the energy gets, which is why only so much is accessible to “see” with your eyes. Sources I find commonly show the aura as an egg shape, and the shapes I’ll be showing you make the egg shape clear, but doesn’t necessarily obscure the descriptions of the aura mentioned above.

Below you can see the standard “egg” shape that auras are known to take. (pic from REALfarmacy.com)

The trick is the electromagnetic field cannot be seen with the life dulled naked eye. However, many who have “raised their vibrations” or have trained their eyes to see auras on the physical plane. 

So What are These Tricks?

Well, imaginary other half of this conversation, I’m glad you asked! There are... so many. My suggestion would begin by simply sensing. Feeling the energies that someone brings you when you’re in their presence. I have made a post about sensing energies, linked here. 

Below is a diagram to help you feel it yourself as posted by www.psychicstudent.com. With practice of the below method, patience and focus, you can feel the energies of your own aura between your hand pulling on each other. Some feel it as tingles, others as warmth. It’s different for the individual and the energy being sensed. 

A lot of practicing seeing the aura develops from utilizing your peripheral vision. For similar reasons why you’re more likely to see spooks from the corner of your eye, it’s claimed your retina’s are less damaged and able to pick up on the sensitive energies/colors.

It’s also important to know that an items aura often appears as the opposite color of what it is. For example, I’ve seen a blue-green aura around a red traffic light, until it changed, of course. This is why many methods for learning how to see auras suggest a white background. It’s also important to note the blue aura coming off of Phillip could be his orange shirt. Be sure to utilize discernment. My first method for practicing was with the following techniques, which train you how to utilize the peripheral focus needed to see an aura physically. This practice is one I originally was linked to by a friend to this site: https://www.thiaoouba.com/aura_eye_exercise.htm. It’s honestly my favorite outsourced site on this post. If you want to delve into this further please check them out. 

After mastering that one, try out this one. 

(If the words get in the way of practice, simply crop them out)

Another popular method is seeing your aura between your fingers. The following method was one I found on chakra-anatomy.com. 

Begin by sitting down across from the white wall. Your back should be fully supported by a chair, your feet flat on the ground. Connecting to your breath, take a few minutes for relaxation.

Extend one arm, palm facing the wall, fingers together. Soften your gaze as you look at your hand. Hold this soft gaze for 30 seconds and you will begin to see energy field surrounding your hand.

Slowly spread your fingers apart. Continue with the soft gaze looking at your fingers and the space between your fingers. What do you see?

With time and practice, you will begin to see and outline around your hand and around your fingers. At first, it may appear as a heat wave, almost colorless field, later on, you will begin to see different colors of your aura.

Patiently observe. There is nothing to strive for. Just being here, in the moment, focusing softly on the hand, on the fingers, and the space between the fingers.

Now the above method I practiced with a lot, and I was rather irked, because I was at work passing the time practicing with this and I could never see more than I ever could; the thin line of white heat around the skin. I showed a coworker what I was doing and she could do it in under 2 minutes. I was rather bitter, I won’t lie. 

The above method can also be practiced on a white piece of paper on a table.

To read another person, a similar method is used, but instead of looking at the space between your fingers, you’ll be looking at the person. Some suggest looking at the forehead so you can see the aura in your peripherals, other claim to hold a relaxed gaze just above the head and/or shoulders until the colors begin to show up. You can practice this with yourself in a mirror, too. 

But Hawk! This is just physical auras, right? Basically. With these methods, it’s very hard to see the full “egg,” especially at first. I have a friend who is experienced in seeing auras who can get the whole egg by using the below method. In the beginning, you’ll most likely see a simple aura such as the picture below emulates, provided by 7chakracolors.com.

Yes, the above is another finger test to see an aura on your own body. Instead of looking between the fingers on one hand, you’re looking at the space between your two fingers in front of you. 

So how do you see the full egg? Practice. Heck it takes a whole lot of practice with the above methods, and others like them, to be able to even see auras. I know I’ve fallen out of practice and, though I’ve never been able to see a person’s full aura in this way, I have seen the auras of inanimate objects. But I have obtained the ability to see the full egg. But how?

My Method

I never saw the full egg until I started getting into energy work. I had a friend ask me to check on their wards. When trying to explain what I saw, I made up this picture. (This was over a year ago, and the person this was drawn for has since changed and grown in many protections, so this picture isn’t opening up any danger to anybody). 

I’ll be honest I had no idea I was looking at an aura. I learned, however, how to access these patterns on many many people. I called them energy readings and referred to it as their “energetic egg.” I figured if I couldn’t see it with my own two eyes like the above practices, it wasn’t an aura. The thought didn’t even cross my mind. Not until I went to a powwow this summer and met a designated “seer” of a tribe down state. I told her about what I do, especially regarding energetic readings. I mentioned I go and visit this bright egg shaped energy around a person, and she simply corrects me saying, “The Aura.” I was so stunned in that moment. Like... I finally saw someones aura. I’ve been doing it for months at that time. And this task I had been working at for years finally was something I had already grasped. 

So how do I do it?

I ground. I get my bearings about me. I then enter a trance state and focus on another persons energy. This is usually through a taglock like ones name or an image like a selfie. I then focus all of my intention on that image, like I do when I decide to astral travel, and I feel their energy. It branches out into a chord and I can visually ride it to their energetic body, the aura, the egg. From here, I can observe energy centers, aura colors, I can change levels of intent and focus and observe energetic parasites, relationship chords, blockages, emotional damage, and more. 

I have a variety of these services, and more, available by request or at http://www.clairvoyantclove.tumblr.com. 

Deciphering Aura Colors

I’m not going to tell you what each aura color means. You can google that so easily and have a billion different answers come up with some pretty regular inconsistencies. They will mention green means you’re close to earth. Green could also mean you’re nervous, anxious, sick, or you have a really strong heart center that’s bleeding out into many layers of your aura. You see what I’m getting at here?

I’ve learned that it’s important to understand what these colors have the potential to mean, however, once reading ones aura, if the green=nature doesn’t feel right, go back to the original practice of feeling energy. When you are around it, how does it make you feel? Where do you see it coming from? How is it interacting with the person you’re reading? Use these answers to determine what a color means. 

A general rule of thumb I follow is their shade. We can use the green example above. If the green looks like a pukey or vomit green, it could be illness or anxieties. If it’s leafy and lush, it could be a connection to nature. See where we’re going here? The more practice you have the more discernment you’ll learn. Just make sure to learn. Google and Tumblr can only get you so far.

**Extra Note: **Everything people do in the beautiful world in metaphysics, it is required to hold a certain level of discernment, and that level is a lot. A lot of discernment. Know not everything is always as it seems, and learn methods to make sure you know that what you’re looking at is truly what you believe it to be. You can find information countless places on the glory of the internet from energy workers, spirit workers, and others alike. If you have any questions do not hesitate to question myself or your local energy enthusiast.

I will be adding a bit of another disclaimer; this took me years to learn. After about 2 years of practicing hard and trying to see auras, I stopped. I learned meditation and practiced various techniques of meditation and trance states for about 5 years before learning to trance in a way to astral travel, work with energy, and more. Then it took an extra few months before I was reading auras like this. 8 months after starting working with energy before I met the seer. 

If you’re determined to see auras, keep at it, even if the above methods don’t work at first. You’ll make it. You may even find your own way.  

Best of Luck on Your Path

[theibgirls]

CAS is an essential part of the IB programme, but coming up with ideas for it can be very challenging, especially if money is tight. Therefore, I present to you 99 Free (or at the very least, inexpensive) CAS ideas!

Please like/reblog if this helped you, and so that it can help others! ❤︎

Creativity

1. Learn a new language: Free apps or websites like Duolingo or Mondly can help you learn a variety of languages. Here is a post about the language availability on various apps. You can even practice by manually translating song lyrics, which really is just an excuse to listen to Bollywood hits, K-pop, or even Shakira- there’s no reason to not have a little fun with it! If you do just 10 minutes a day you’ll get over an hour of CAS done every week. If you do 20 minutes a day, you’ll get over 2 hours a week, and by spending a little more than 20 minutes on one or two days you can easily get 2 and a half hours of CAS a week. 10 weeks of this and you’ll have 50% of your creativity hours done, and all while having fun listening to songs, and not having to spend a penny!

2. Making gifs or edits: You’re already on tumblr, why not use it as an opportunity for CAS? Making original content takes time, and will quickly fill up those 50 hours! If you don’t want your CAS supervisor see which fandoms you’re a part of, make school related content, for example making subject moodboards (self spon), edits of your required reading (maybe typography for your favourite quotes?), or giffing your favourite historical figures. If you’re experienced you can mass produce content, and if you’re a beginner you can check that “new skills” box! GIMP is free, and Photoshop has a free trial. After that you can either pay for it, or perhaps scour the internet for alternative ways to keep it (though you didn’t hear it from me). If you fulfill requests then it counts as service as well.

3. Art: You can either create digital art using the programs listed in the previous suggestion, or you can do it the old fashioned. While art supplies tend to cost a lot, there is no shame in making sketches or comics using good ol’ ink and lead pencils that you already have in your pencil case, and doing it in a notebook. If you’re willing to splurge, there are tons of ways to go with your art!

4. Photography: While a good camera is expensive, you probably already have a camera in your phone. The quality won’t be ideal, but you can easily practice photographing different motifs in different styles. You can also retouch and enhance the photos with GIMP and Photoshop, as mentioned above.

5. Join or create a low maintenance club: Baking and music may be fun, but ingredients cost money, and so do instruments. A debate club or film club won’t cost anything, except maybe if you buy popcorn! Regular meetings will ensure regular CAS hours.

6. Write poetry: Writing a good poem can take many, many hours, which in the context of CAS is a good thing! Take a stroll in the forest or by the seaside and feel those creative juices flowing!

7. Write a book: You know that idea for a novel you’ve had for ages? Write it down. It may feel awkward to show to your writing to your supervisor, but think of it as a free editor or focus group. This is a great excuse to fulfill your dream of becoming an author. Who knows? Maybe the final product is good enough to send to a publisher, or to self-publish on amazon so you can make some money!

8. Make Redbubble designs: A spin-off of the digital art suggestion. Whether it’s simple text or intricate fanart, Redbubble is a great place to display your creativity, and can even make you some money if you’re lucky!

9. Join a choir: Privately owned choirs may cost to join, but your local church will probably let you in for free.

10. Play an instrument: If you don’t already own an instrument, this isn’t a great option on a budget. However, some of you will already own a keyboard or a guitar, and may even already be taking lessons. If you are, then there is no reason not to use it for CAS. And if you own an instrument but don’t go to classes, simply practice on our own or watch tutorials on YouTube.

11. Dungeons and Dragons: Shocking, I know, but it is actually quite easy to justify D&D as creativity. A friend of mine succeeded in doing this, stating that it involved team work, initiative, commitment and problem solving. It goes to show that most things can be justified as CAS if you word everything well enough.

12. Makeup, nail art, or body paint: I highly doubt that applying mascara in the morning counts, but there are certainly many ways to express yourself with makeup. SFX, intricate patterns and new techniques certainly require creativity.

13. Dance: Dance will be expanded on in the Action section, but dance is not only exercise, but a form of expression which requires passion and creativity.

14. Learn coding: Coding has become a valuable skill in the recent years. There’s an endless amount of sources online, many of them free. Not only is it an interesting skill, but it’s an impressive skill to see on a résumé.

15. Make a game or an app: Game development is certainly not easy, but that just means that there will be plenty of hours for you to log! It also has the potential to make you money, which of course is a plus!

16. Start a YouTube channel: Buying a microphone and camera is expensive, but unless you’re aiming to become a YouTube star there’s no reason to spend money on equipment. CAS doesn’t discriminate between a $500 camera and a built in webcam, or between Adobe Premiere and Windows Movie Maker, so utilize what you have.

17. Join the school newspaper: The school newspaper is a great way to ensure regular hours, and can even count as service. There are many different types of articles, so you can get some variety in it too.

18. Send in articles to a newspaper: If you think the school newspaper is aiming too low, you can always submit articles to local newspapers or online magazines such as Buzzfeed. Your submissions may not always be published, but it’s worth a try, and the hours will count anyway!

19. Make a PSA video: There are tonnes of important causes you can promote, and a PSA video is a great way to do it. Furthermore, the service aspect will count for service hours, and if you do it with a friend it can count as a CAS project.

20. Acting: There are plenty of auditions around, whether it be to a school play or primetime TV. You don’t even need to get a role, simply auditioning is enough as you’ve been a risk taker (your coordinator will appreciate you using the IB learner profile in your reflections), and been creative.

21. Making a short film: Combining he last two points, making a video and acting, take this chance to make a short film (or a full length one depending on your ambition) and Kenneth Branagh’ it as producer, director, writer and lead.

22. Learn animation: Self-explanatory, and a very impressive skill to have.

23. Free online courses: Whether it be public speaking or anthropology, there are many free courses online which can be justified as creativity. Some courses may even look good on your résumé.

24. Make a board game: Board games are a lot of fun, but harder to make than they seem. Your creation might not be the next Monopoly, but it may provide some entertainment when you’re meeting your friends, and wouldn’t playing games with your friend be a great way to get CAS hours?

25. Gardening: A beautiful garden is a challenge to create, but challenges are a part of CAS! From a terrarium to a full scale English garden, there are many options for gardening. Here are some cheap ideas.

26. Make a podcast: Podcasts have become quite popular in the last few years, so try it out for yourself! There are many different topics you could cover, some which could count as service. Discussing one of those topics with a friend could be a great idea for a CAS project.

27. Make a website: This one is quite self-explanatory. Like the podcast, you could easily add a service aspect into it, and working with a friend could make it a CAS project.

28. Translating transcripts of spoken word poem: this one comes from @kahvia, who says “I found the transcripts of the poems on the Internet (some are hard to get, so once I just messaged the author on Facebook) and translated into my native language. It's hard and time consuming, but can be done on the go, so you can do CAS when commuting.”

29. Calligraphy: I must confess that I don’t know a lot about calligraphy, but I assume that amazing tools can cost quite a bit. But remember, CAS isn’t about quality, it’s about quantity, so screw expensive tools and just go for it!

30. Create your own font: Like with most things in life, wikihow has got your back.

31. Make an interactive story: Cool and largely uncharted territory, and definitely a unique experience. This will help you out.

32. Learn origami: Origami is beautiful, and the possibilities are endless. Although origami paper is preferred, it is possible to use regular paper too, which will save you some bucks. Google and YouTube have a million tutorials, so they got you covered.

33.  Make a Studyblr: Do you have any idea how many hours I’m getting just by making this list?

Action

1. Go jogging: Perhaps the most obvious free exercise is jogging. All you need is a pair of sneakers and you’re good to go (jogging)!

2. Play Pokémon Go: If you are still one of the few people playing Pokémon Go, walk until your eggs hatch. You could simply walk, but games make it a bit more interesting. On your CAS worksheet you can simply say you plan on walking 2km a day, but in your head and your heart it’s an epic quest for Pikachu.

3. Yoga: Yoga has numerous health benefits and is a great choice for those who don’t like exercise. Power yoga is an option for those who prefer a challenge, but beginner’s yoga isn’t too strenuous and can easily be done at home. Although a yoga mat is preferable, a lot of the moves can be done on the bed or just the floor. YouTube and the app store have thousands of free options, so there’s plenty to choose from, from 10 minutes to an hour. Half an hour before bed each day will have you finishing up your activity hours in no time!

4. Swimming in a public pool, lake or ocean: There are some public pools, but many pools require an entrance fee. The ocean does not. It’s not as easy to swim laps as in a pool, but it will do in a pinch.

5. A 30 day exercise challenge: The internet is full of 30 day exercise plans. Although they’re usually not an ideal fitness plan it will challenge your commitment, and you can get a month worth of CAS.

6.  Biking: Assuming you already have a bike, biking is a very cheap method of exercise, but very efficient. Biking to and from school will count, and if takes about 20 minutes back and forth a day, you’ll get 100 minutes in a school week. It’s regular exercise, and therefore it’s regular CAS.

7. Free apps: There’s an almost unlimited amount of exercise apps in the app store, and many of them are free. Try them out! Even a 7 minute exercise app can be useful. 49 minutes every week can be rounded up to 50 minutes, which is a great place to start if you’re new to CAS.

8. Dog walking: If you have your own dog, good for you! Take the adorable little pupper out for a walk. And if not, ask a neighbour if you can steal their dog take their dog for walks. Another case of regular exercise resulting in regular CAS hours.

9. Dance: Not all dancing has to be taught in class. Online you will find numerous tutorials for various dance styles, from belly dancing to hip hop. And if you choose to learn a dance style from another culture, like India’s kathak or the Latin samba you get to learn about other cultures and therefore be a global citizen (as the IBO likes to tell us to be).

10. Dance apps or games: This activity isn’t as focused on independent learning as the previous dance suggestion, but it works nonetheless. Games like DDR or Just Dance are found in many households, so you might already have access to them at home. Just Dance includes an exercise mode, so give it a go! And if you don’t have them, there’s always the free Just Dance app, which should do the trick, memes aside.

11. PlayStation or Wii games: Certainly not a cheap option if you don’t already have the consoles or games, but if you have Wii Sports or PlayStation 3 Sports Champions you have a great way to exercise without leaving your living room.

12. Self-defense: When you can’t afford to go to a self-defense class, we have the internet. Learning proper self-defense is sadly very important, but since it’s important to learn, why not learn it for CAS? Practice with a friend until you’re a ninja, or until you have 15 hours of activity completed.

13. Celebrity workout tape: You know the ones. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a Jane Fonda tape from the 80s which you recreate in a leotard, but then again, why not? You could use a random person’s workout tape, but I think Jane Fonda can be trusted (I mean she’s 80 and have you seen how good she looks?). Cheesy as celebrity workout tapes are, especially the ones from the 80s, there’s something special about them. Many of them can be found online, so give them a go, leotard or no!

14. Jump rope: Chances are you still have a jump rope lying around the house from when you were a kid. Rope jumping is actually very good exercise, so try to find your old toy again- it will come in handy!

15. Chair workouts: Fulfill your dream of becoming Britney Spears with some chair exercises. There’s no need to buy fancy equipment when you can just go to your kitchen instead.

16. Basketball: No need to join a team as long as you have a hoop at home. Many people still have a hoop over the garage door from when they were children, why not utilize them?

17. Join a school club: Of course, any club works, but most clubs will require an entry fee. School owned ones are unlikely to ask for one.

18. Hiking: Fresh air, breath-taking views, and all that crap.

19. Running competitions: 5k runs are frequently put on, why not join one?

20. Walk home: Is it cheating? Probably. But walking is activity, so why shouldn’t you take advantage of it? You don’t need to specify that you’re walking home, you can simply say a daily walk of x minutes.

21. Basic gymnastics or acrobatics: When I say basic, I mean basic. Somersaults, cartwheels, the works. It’s technically exercise, and you can say you’re doing acrobatics without going into further details.

22. Tree climbing: An alternative to rock climbing, only it’s free.

23. Use stockings as resistance bands: I honestly don’t know how well this works, but google said it works so it must be true.

24. Water gymnastics: Once again, doing things properly is overrated. Go to a pool and try to figure it out yourself, or with a friend. It may look ridiculous, but you’ll be trying. Another option is to do it some meters away from an ongoing class, because stealing exercise kinda works according to an episode of Will and Grace.

25. Badminton: When I say badminton, I don’t mean fancy professional badminton, I mean “get a gas station badminton racket and play in the park or your lawn”.

26. Foraging: Go look for mushrooms in a forest and keep track of how long you’ve been out and how long you’ve walked.

27. Orienteering: Although I personally despise orienteering with a violent passion, I have many friends who enjoy it, one who even does it for fun. Orienteering can be planned with friends, and can take place in a forest or a city.

28. Treasure hunt: Almost an extension of orienteering, you can plan a treasure hunt in a city or a forest. With the added element of the treasure hunt, there’s a case for creativity, and doing it in a group can work as a CAS project.

29. Frisbee: Frisbees are cheap and can be bought at a gas station, and work as a fun group activity.

30. Help the elderly: As you will see in the Service section, elderly neighbours might need some help cutting grass or shoveling snow. And as anyone who has ever shoveled snow knows, it’s a surprisingly efficient exercise.

31. Gym trial: Many gyms offer a free trial for a day or a week, or even a month, which is easy to take advantage of. Use the free days to their full extent, and if that isn’t enough, go to another gym chain and use their trial. Obviously this won’t be a long term thing, but if you work long, and not necessarily hard, 15 hours should be manageable.

32. Pilates: An alternative to yoga that works as well at home as at a gym.

33. PARKOUR: … don’t die.

 Service

1. Join Amnesty: Amnesty is an organization that raises awareness for a number of important issues, and often collect signatures for their causes. Be the one who hunts for signatures and watch the service hours roll in.

2. Join the Red Cross, or any other charitable organization: The Red Cross needs no introduction. It is perhaps the most famous charity in the world, and does a lot of good. However, there have been controversies surrounding it in the past, so if you want to support another charity instead, go for it! Find a charity that is important to you and the service hours will feel even sweeter.

3. Blood donation, or spreading awareness for it: Donating blood will often get you a small payment, and you can’t do it often, so it isn’t ideal for service. However, going to your local donation center and asking for pamphlets and sign up forms to bring to school or a stand at the mall is a great way to raise awareness and encourage other people to go donate blood. It’s one of those things people talk about doing but always put off, so be the person that changes their mind-set!

4. Helping out at school events: School discos, bake sales, or bazaars always need volunteers, and it’s a great way to get many hours done at once. Contact the PTA at your school or other schools in the area and see when upcoming events are taking place and you’ll easily get at least 15 hours of service done. If you really phrase things well you might even be able to get some creativity hours.

5. Dog walking: Expanding on the point in Action, you can walk other people’s dogs as service. Ask a neighbour if they need help, or post an ad at the grocery store. Service hours and spending time with dogs, what more could you want?

6. Volunteer at an animal shelter: Like the previous point, this really is just a great excuse to hang out with animals. Check the local shelter to see if they need any helpers!

7. Volunteering at a senior center: Senior centers are always in need of more hands. Whether it’s cleaning the resident’s rooms, walking with them or just making sure they have some company, there will always be something the center will need help with.

8. Volunteering at a hospital: Not all hospitals allow untrained volunteers, but some hospitals do. If you volunteer at a hospital you will not perform the duties of a nurse, but instead simply provide some company for the people staying there.

9. Homeless shelter: Homeless shelters always need more volunteers. There’s a variety of roles you can fill, from handing out food to collecting donations. No matter what it is you do, it will have a great impact on the people who rely on the shelters.

10. Make a PSA video: As mentioned in the Creativity section, making a PSA video is a great idea for a CAS project as it combines creativity and service, and results in lots of hours.

11. Bake sales: Baking yourself will obviously cost a bit, but most ingredients can probably already be found in your home. Set up a stand in the school corridor, and find a charity to donate the profits to.

12. Volunteer at a library: Most libraries have a variety of volunteer opportunities, from tutoring children to teaching seniors how to use technology. Go to your local library and see what volunteer programs they have!

13. Shoveling snow: Winter doesn’t treat people who live in cold places well. In case of snow you might have several neighbours struggling to clear the snow from their lot. Offer them a hand and feel the CAS hours piling up!

14. Cutting grass: Like shoveling snow, cutting grass is something people need to get done, but it’s backbreaking and time consuming. Go around the neighbourhood and see if anyone needs any help with it!

15. Assisting elderly neighbours: If you have any elderly neighbours, offer to do chores for them, like cleaning and cooking. They’ll be sure to appreciate it, and it can get you semi regular CAS hours.

16. Car washing: No, this does not have to include a red bikini, but it does give you two options: either offer to wash cars for free as service, or to set a price so you can give the profits to charity. All you need is a sponge and some water, so get scrubbing!

17. Scouts: Most scout groups require a member fee, so it’s not ideal to become a scout if you aren’t one. However, if you’re already a member, being a scout leader will get you many, many hours, so take advantage of it!

18. Student union: Student unions work hard, and can therefore get you many hours. There will be a wide range of activities to organize and participate in, so you’ll have some much needed variety.

19. Prom committee: If you’re not interested in joining the student union, there may be some committees that are separate from the union. Prom committees, graduation committees, etc., are all great options that can get you plenty of hours.

20. Babysitting: Give your neighbours a night off by offering to babysit for free. Remember, it doesn’t count as service if you get paid, so make sure the only money you get is to pay for dinner.

21. Tutoring: Some schools have study halls, or a homework club, aka after school homework help for the younger kids. And if your school doesn’t offer it already, ask if you can start it. It’ll be a chance for you to tutor younger kids, and if nobody shows up and wants your help, so what? You offered the service, and even if no one came, the hours count.

22. Start a club: Being a member of a club will get you creativity hours, starting one will get you both. Do it with a friend and you’ve got a CAS project.

23. Join a big brother/big sister organization: There are several of these organizations going around, and a popular one in the US is bbbs.org, which states that their mission is to “Provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.” A noble cause for sure, and one which your CAS coordinator will adore. It will tick most outcome boxes, and you will gain something from it too.

24. Volunteer in a political campaign: If there are any elections happening in your country soon, get involved for the good of your community, and your CAS hours!

25. Volunteer at a hotline: Many countries have crisis hotlines that often need more volunteers, why not help out?

26. Start Kiva team: kiva.org is a great website that revolves around microloans. It has the option to make or join teams of lenders. Make a team and try to gain members, spread awareness and get donations to lend money to people in need around the world. As they are loans, you get money back in kiva credit which you can then donate to someone new, thus creating a circle of good. Team meetings to decide which individuals, countries or field partners to donate to next will get you many CAS hours.

27. Plan an athletic event for charity: Whether it be a 5k, orienteering, a treasure hunt (all as mentioned in the activity section), or anything else you can think of, it’s a great way to involve a community, and any entrance fee can be donated to charity. By participating yourself, you can tick all three CAS boxes, and doing it with one or more people makes it a great CAS project.

28. Writing letters to soldiers: This may not be an option everywhere, but some countries have organizations where you can write letters to the soldiers overseas who don’t have anyone writing to them, which is sure to be a morale booster.

29. Host a free workshop: Workshops are a great way to learn new skills, or to teach your skills. Maybe you can teach something you learned from/for your creativity hours!

30. Neighbourhood watch: Neighbourhood watches are a great way to help ensure safety in your local area, so either join one or start one.

31. Volunteer to help immigrants and/or refugees: There are many organizations that work to help immigrants and refugees become integrated in society, whether it be activities for children or events to help newly arrived people learn the local language. Look up any local organizations and see if they’re looking for volunteers!

32. Park maintenance: Many parks need help with a lot of maintenance, from cleaning to repainting benches. Contact whoever is in charge and see if they need any volunteers.

33. Studyblr: Coming up with 99 free CAS ideas is surprisingly time consuming, and so is everything else about a studyblr, so give it a go and get those hours!

[kaythejay]

My first Phanfiction

So I wrote this because I heard one of my friends ( @cherryscentedlube) did not have a good Christmas. This will probably suck because I’m not much for the writing of fanfiction, but I know you’ll love it (or at least, I hope you do and you won’t lie to me about liking it). I love writing fluff, so that’s exactly what this is. Also, warning, I’m not good at keeping characters actually in character, so if DnP are a bit off... it’s because I’m a shit writer. 

I didn’t come up with a title for it. I’m shit at that too. but I still hope you love these next 1621 words of Dan and Phil fluff. 

Over the last several months, Phil had noticed Dan acting strange. Not strange in a necessarily bad way. Just strange as in Phil didn’t understand what he was doing. Dan was spending more time in town, though he insisted on going alone, claiming it was a short trip and no need for Phil to go along. He always ended up being gone for over an hour. When he came home, he always had a bag full of Ribena and a variety of cookies and chocolates for Phil.

Phil had begun to become suspicious that Dan was cheating on him, though he didn’t want to say anything.

“Hey Phil,” Dan called from his sofa crease, “what do you have going on this weekend?” It was a strange question, as they always did everything together and almost never had plans for leaving the apartment.

“I don’t think we’re doing anything,” Phil replied, stressing the “we’re” because he wanted to let Dan know that he still thought of them as a couple, even if Dan was cheating. Phil didn’t want to believe that Dan could do such a thing, so he refused to think about it.

“Ok,” was all the further Dan’s reply came, even when Phil asked him why he needed to know. A little while later, Dan checked his phone and told Phil that he was going to go run an errand.

“Can I come with?” Phil asked. Dan smiled and shook his head.

“It won’t take long,” Dan said, as he had been saying for the last few months. “I’ve just got to . . . go get some cereal. It’s gone again.” Dan faked a glare at Phil. While normally this wouldn’t surprise Phil (that Dan had found out he’d eaten all of his cereal), this time Phil knew he was lying. He hadn’t touched Dan’s cereal, let alone finished it off. In fact, last he’d checked, Dan still had nearly half a box of crunchy nuts left. Dan stood and put his laptop down.

“Dan, can I please come with?” Dan smiled.

“Trust me, Phil, it won’t take long. I’ll be back in like thirty minutes.” Phil, not one to argue much, decided to let him go again on his quest for “cereal,” his trust dropping even more. Phil watched as Dan put his coat on and left. Once he was gone, Phil opened his boyfriend’s laptop to snoop through his browser history, something he never thought he’d do. Not in a million years. Especially not with Dan.

Most of it seemed to be normal. Lots of Tumblr and YouTube (though of course it was mostly Tumblr). Other social media that didn’t raise any suspicions and weird searches that only someone who was still awake at five in the morning would search. Phil sighed and was about ready to give up on his hunt for something odd when something caught his eye, a search that was so bizarre that not even the fact that it was searched at four in the morning was an excuse.

It was a wikiHow page about how to propose to your boyfriend.

Phil quickly shut the laptop and put it right where Dan had left it, suddenly feeling like he’d just ruined the biggest surprise of his life, because he had. Dan wasn’t cheating; he was preparing to ask Phil to tie himself to Dan forever. Phil felt guilty. Not only for not trusting his boyfriend of seven years (they’d been friends for two years before they decided that they wanted to move up a step) but for completely ruining Dan’s surprise. The biggest surprise Dan could ever prepare for Phil.

Once Dan got home, Phil couldn’t even look at him, for fear that Dan would sense the guilt and know exactly what Phil had done. Dan didn’t question it when Phil didn’t leave their room, not even for dinner. Dan had slept on the couch because he figured Phil wanted space.

•••

Dan tapped softly on Phil’s door around noon of that Saturday morning. “Hey, Phil, you haven’t come out all day, not even for breakfast. Is something wrong?” Phil sighed and crawled out of bed. He opened the door to see Dan, still dressed in what he was wearing yesterday, as all of their clothes were in the bedroom.

“No, nothing’s wrong,” Phil replied, trying his best not to look guilty. “Just tired and all.” By the look on Dan’s face, Phil knew that Dan didn’t believe him, but Dan didn’t say anything. Phil turned to go back into the room, leaving the door open behind him. Dan followed him.

“Well I’m just going to shower, you should think about doing that too,” Dan said, as he gathered up some clothes for the day. Phil didn’t know how to respond, so he didn’t. Dan looked at Phil one last time before heading off to the bathroom. Phil didn’t put much thought into the clothes he picked out for the day, just some dark colored jeans and a tee-shirt.

After his shower, Phil discovered that Dan had gotten them lunch. It included a lot of sushi, something Phil had been craving a lot the last few days. Phil was happy to have a boyfriend who actually listened to him when he went on with his random ramblings.

“After this, I think we should go for a walk,” Dan said, shoving a bit of sushi in his mouth.

“But it’s so cold out!” Phil complained.

“Maybe, but I have you to keep me warm,” Dan replied. Phil blushed and looked away.

“Oh I guess,” Phil said. “We can go for a walk.” Phil thought it was odd that Dan would want to go for a walk, but he also remembered that Dan was planning on proposing. That was surely what this “walk” was going to be for, even if it didn’t happen right away. Dan put a kiss on Phil’s forehead.

“I love you, Phil.”

“I love you too, Dan,” Phil replied. This softness was getting to be too much. First the sushi then this. Phil wanted it to go back to Dan roasting him for being stupid. Something.

As soon as the last bit of sushi was gone, Dan was grabbing his coat and handing Phil his. Phil found it almost humorous how excited Dan was to be going outside. Phil found it adorable though, all the more reason why he was ready to tie his life to Daniel Howell for the rest of his life. Probably even after, if ghosts or an afterlife exists.

Once Phil had put his coat on, Dan was reaching for Phil’s hand. Phil let him have it and they walked out the door. Phil didn’t bother asking where they were going, he would probably either get a really sarcastic answer or would be ignored. He just allowed Dan to lead him to wherever he wanted to take him.

Their first stop was at Starbucks. Dan told Phil to go find them a table, that he’d take care of the ordering of the drinks. Phil decided to trust Dan, even though Phil himself didn’t even know what he wanted. Phil as slightly relieved to not have to make that decision today. Phil found a table right by the window. A few minutes later, Dan came to sit with him with two big cups of coffee. He handed one to Phil.

“One Christmas cookie latte for you, and a black coffee for me.” Dan smiled. “Black like my soul.” Phil rolled his eyes but smiled. Perhaps Dan was done with the softness for now. They sat there, sipping their coffees for ten minutes, just enjoying each other’s company. Dan looked at the time on his phone. “Alright, time to go.”

“I haven’t even finished!” Phil protested.

“Don’t care. Lets go.” Phil sighed and got up. Phil took one last drink of his latte before throwing it away. Dan gave him his famous are-you-stupid look. “You didn’t have to throw it away, you twat.”

“Oh . . .” Dan laughed.

“Well I guess that’s that.” Dan stuck his hands in his pockets. He whispered some things to himself that Phil didn’t quite catch. Phil figured he wasn’t supposed to catch it, and it was probably something Dan didn’t realize he’d said aloud.

•••

They found themselves in the park. Phil figured it was probably on purpose. They found a spot that seemed to be away from the few other people who were there. Dan suddenly seemed very nervous. Phil knew exactly what was going to happen next, well, he had an idea as to what was going to happen. He didn’t exactly know how Dan was going to go about the whole thing. Dan took a deep breath and grabbed both of Phil’s hands, suddenly unable to look Phil in the eye.

“These last nine years have been the best years of my life, I hope you know that,” Dan said. “Mostly, it’s been thanks to you.” Dan looked up at Phil briefly before looking away. “You’ve helped be to discover and be truly happy with who I am, Phil.” Dan was back to the softness. Phil couldn’t honestly say that he didn’t want it this time though. Dan let go of one of Phil’s hands and put it into his coat pocket and pulled out a tiny box that could only be a ring box.

Dan got down on his knee, despite the light dusting of snow.

“That is just one reason I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Phil Lester, will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?” Phil felt the heat of a blush come into his cheeks. Phil, of course, answered with a yes.

[djerinyes]

Goblin Acquired

As of a week ago, Daejun viewed cats, dogs, and other domestic animals as small, hairy, fat pillows filled with allergens and annoying noises which induced a hypnotic mastery over owners, driving previously level-headed people to find it funny when the beasts so much as stared at a wall for too long. 

He had distant experience with both species. A group of alley cats lived behind the house growing up, but there was never room in the budget for kibble (mother scolded that they didn’t need to feed half the city’s raccoons when they could scarcely feed themselves), so Daehwan and Daeseong’s hopes of luring them over to pet went unfulfilled. Dogs were vividly represented as broad, bulbous-headed animals with crocodile teeth and foamy maws, kept as feral guards to herd, maul, and cripple intruders who foolishly ventured into the mob’s base, kept bloodthirsty by one of his underlings in Ashford River. Certainly, he’d never touched any beast until, prompted by Noah with the hope that it would alleviate the persistent guilt which refused to be shaken away or ignored, he visited a shelter. 

Strategically avoiding the dog area, he made his way into a dingy linoleum-floored square room where rows of cages were stacked full of cats of every shade and size; after careful consideration, he picked a quiet, solid one with a square face and bored expression.

Admittedly, the sensation of dull fur prickling and embedding into his jacket and skin would later lead him to scrub both the cloth and his skin clean, but for the moment, he could stand it. The handler demonstrated how to hold it properly, and after a minute of gentle stroking, it started to purr like a choked old truck, and he nearly dropped it. 

The boys would like this cat. It was ragged enough to resemble a stray, but confident enough to stay still as he held his breath and swirled his fingers through its pelt. It’d be patient through whatever antics they thought of, like prodding its whiskers or dressing it up in ridiculous little scarves and hats. However, Daejun wasn’t so easily charmed. Its little forearms rested on his wrists, back paws dug into his thigh, completely balanced, but somehow he got the impression that it was squishing down into his body, ready to fall off his lap at any moment, like he was holding sentient jello that would drop its shape on a whim and wobble right through his fingers. The whole thing was too unsettling.

However, the tom made a decent first impression, and as he left the shelter catless once more, he found his mood inexplicably improved. He was still guilty, and covered in shed, so he wasn’t setting foot in that building again, but the general concept of having one for himself didn’t seem so laughable. 

He caught himself thinking about how nice it was to hold a living, breathing thing again that evening, and then again in the morning. He absolutely wouldn’t allow some furbeast to go roaming around his clean house. He wouldn’t. But he also couldn’t quite shut down the idea that there might be another option. 

And, according to the internet, there was, in the form of a specially bred hairless cat. Most of the ones he saw were kittens who hadn’t even been weaned, which he didn’t want for the weeks-long wait until adoption was possible, or for the responsibility of raising an infant, so he turned to rescue sites, and found a few older animals who’d been given up by their previous owners. With a simple call to a breeder named Patricia, the matter was settled, and he agreed to purchase a three year old Sphynx. 

Apparently one acquired cats in the same way they did drugs: sitting in the parking lot of a run-down diner, in the car with an ungodly sum of cash, judging each other’s ride (she drove a gleaming grandma-white Nissan of all things), and sizing each other in the time it took to shake hands and exchange greetings. Patricia was a kindly, tall woman with ginger hair, freckles, and a smile that beamed brighter than a naked florescent bulb. Held up to her breastbone was a prune of a creature with gray-blue skin that darkened to black around its points, with a few white spots scattered around its pointed nose and chin. It looked a little shell-shocked from the ride. 

Daejun offered the money, and Patricia pressed the warm, fleshy bundle into his arms so she could count it. This close, he could see her bone-colored canines poking ever so slightly from her lower lip, creating a scraggy, rough sort of air which was at odds with the way she curled up to his chest, unsheathed her claws, and clung with a friendly yet determined manner to his knitted top. She was, as promised, hairless, covered only by a velvety layer of peach fuzz, extensive wrinkles, and a baby pink and white polar fleece sweater. 

Her eyes, the same faded teal as cheap tile lining the pools in seedy motels, were narrowed, gazing up at his face for a split second before lowering to dart left and right as cars passed in the distance. She was skinnier, smaller, and more haggard than the portly tom he’d met earlier that week, steadily nosing into the lapel of his jacket for shelter from the wind-chilled air and vast world. He found himself pressing his hand, a limb which brought destruction, ruin, blood, and death in its grip, over her back to keep her in place. Her spine, cottoned by the fleece, was stiff, about as strong as a pencil, ribs as fragile as shatterglass as little overwhelmed huffs left her. 

She was possibly the tiniest thing he’d ever seen, dropped into his killer palms like bird shit, yet an unfamiliar, sickening sort of fondness unfurled in his gut. She was... endearing. His dead brothers would laugh themselves silly if they saw her coiled in Daejun’s arms, probably complaining that she looked like an uncooked chicken in a dress, but he liked her for himself, and that was enough. 

He tickled her triangular ear. She made no noise, but further gripped him with her dagger-claws, relaxing slightly. Hopefully he wouldn’t hurt her unintentionally by rolling over and squishing her in his sleep (which was less of an issue since she wouldn’t be allowed on his bed), or stepping on one of her eldritch toes with his sharp formal shoes, squeezing her neck too hard, or boiling her in bath water. He needed to be vigilant with her. He needed to protect her, both from himself and any outside force that dared try to touch his gremlin. 

But if she was really going to be his, she’d need better sweaters than polka dotted fleece which clashed with her complexion: cool tones, blacks, deep greens, wine reds, and plums would be the colors of her future! And of course, what was a well-dressed cat without an expensive collar? She’d have one gem-encrusted with pure silver tags before the weekend!

Patricia cleared her throat, pocketing the money, and he shut his mouth, affixing his cracked poker face into place once more, but she stilled looked ready to vomit happiness at the sight. “Alright! Now that payment is out of the way, here’s a folder with some care instructions and pet insurance information. She’s already protected in case you ever need to take her to the vet, and she needs vaccines every year.”

Daejun nodded, paying closer attention than he really needed to as she shuffled a stack of stapled papers. Google had the answers to everything these days, but he still wasn’t willing to risk doing something wrong between now and when he got around to reading a Wikihow article. 

“But she still needs to go to the clinic frequently to have her ears cleaned. She also needs to be bathed once a week with cat or baby shampoo, and her eyes, face, and feet should be done every one or two days. She’s a great little lady! I’m sure you two will get along great!” 

“Thanks.” Surprisingly, he meant it. “Why did her previous owners give her up?” 

Patricia’s legendary grin flickered. “I’m not really supposed to say, but her family got a dog and a baby, and she didn’t get along well with either of them. In fact, she’s shy of most other pets. Is that going to be a problem?” 

The cat sneezed dismissively. “Not at all. She’s the first and only cat I’m taking in.” 

“That’s what I said with my first Sphynx,and now I’m breeding them for a living! They grow on you, that’s for sure!” 

He sat through a neon giggle, lips twitching. 

“So, I just need your signature here,” she said, holding up a clipboard for him to pen it in one-handed. “What’re you going to name her?” 

“Gremory.” After Gormory, a legionnaire, duke, and legendary maiden-magnet demon. “It suits her, don’t you think?” 

“O-oh, that’s... interesting. Definitely not one I’ve heard before.” Patricia blinked, lashes fluttering against her red fringe, avoiding the question. “Right, you’re good to go! I wish you all the luck in the world. If you have any questions, feel free to email or call.” 

As it turned out, Gremory wasn’t the type of animal to cry or scream for attention instead butting his shins with her dusky forehead and begging with her eyes to be held, fed, or played with. She was exceedingly gentle with her talons even when kneading or climbing onto his shoulder, where she’d sit and purr in his ear like Pinocchio’s missing conscience, rat tail flicking against his temple. She seemed to be powered by body heat, leaving his side to explore part of the house, then returning to warm up under his hands or in his lap as he sat as his computer or made phone calls. She wasn’t a bother, as he feared, but a presence to check and focus on when he needed a break. 

The only thing she did wrong was refusing to stay on her cat pillow when it came time to sleep, hopping up with him just as he was settling in, and trying to crawl under the covers. He got up, set her back on her cushion, and laid down once more, but as soon as his back was turned, she was at his side again. Firmly, he placed her down again, sweetening her nest with a soft blanket, and telling her in a stern voice to “Stay.” After all, what was a relationship between cat and person without boundaries? There were certain rules in this house, and he needed to establish some discipline so he wouldn’t become some frivolous cat nanny for the rest of his days. She refused, waiting for him to lay down again before jumping again onto his bed. A glance at the clock told him he’d regret staying awake any longer, so, begrudgingly, he let it happen, and the ridiculous thing nosed into the space between his arm and ribs, curling there in an unobtrusively intrusive way. They’d train tomorrow.

[gendryw4ters-blog]

‘joe jonas it is, i guess’

just a little ot4 drabble for @ruinsrebuilt, who could maybe use a laugh and some fluff to boot!! tipsy dorks making questionable decisions is my jam okay and also! i hope it helps cheer you up a little!!

under a readmore for length, probably gonna post to ao3 later too!! <3

Babe’s Ma was going to kill him. 

Only if the “highly unlikely, but you can never be certain of these things” ink poisoning from Julian’s handiwork didn’t kill him first, that was.

“Does it hurt?” Renee asked from her seat between Gene’s legs, the latter’s fingers twisted amongst golden strands in some half-assed attempt at french braiding. She prodded at the raw and slightly swollen skin of the Babe’s ankle with her toe, laughing as he slapped her hand away.

“’Course it fucking hurts, specially with you touching it,” he hissed, reaching over to snatch the cheap bottle of wine that Gene’s grandma had bought for them to celebrate the end of exams with out of her hands. He closed his eyes and chugged back a few mouthfuls, wincing at the residual burn it left in his throat. “Are you sure it’s supposed to go all red like it is? I ain’t- I ain’t having some kind of allergic reaction am I?”

“The Wikihow said-”

“Fuckin’ Christ you used a Wikihow?”

“First of all, you asked for it,” Julian grinned, slamming the bedroom door shut with his hips and tossing Babe the bag of ice he’d retrieved from his freezer under Gene’s instruction. His fingertips were still a little black from where he’d spilled some of the ink onto himself while completing his artwork only half an hour prior. “Secondly, of course we used a Wikihow- just cause I had the ink and needles, doesn’t mean I knew what I was doing.”

“You take classes in how to be a reassuring presence or something?” Gene laughed, giving up on his braiding to slide down off of the bed and join them all on the floor. Renee frowned at the sudden lack of contact, though a quick kiss ressed to her cheek soon had her smiling again.

“I was kicked out for being too good, actually-”

“Yeah yeah whatever, hey Gene, take a look at it would ya?” Babe whined, shuffling across the floor to lay his ankle on the other’s knees. Two jet-black, slightly glistening letter ‘J’s were etched into his skin, still a little bloody from where Julian had stabbed at him with the needle earlier. “Does it look infected?”

“It’s not gonna get infected after ten minutes, Edward,” Gene sighed, though he still took a closer look at the new tattoo, just to be sure. “It’ll be fine, stick-n-poke is always risky, don’t know why you thought it’d be a good idea.”

“I didn’t! He did,” Babe jabbed a thumb in Julian’s direction, the whole group of them falling into giggles at how hard their younger friend was trying to look innocent. “God, Ma’s gonna be so pissed.”

“You’re only seventeen, and I told you- never to get anybody’s names! What happens if you fall out with him?” Renee babbled in a mock-Philly twang, sticking out her tongue when Babe shot her a glare.

“That sounds nothing like my Ma,” he countered, though he was smirking a little at her attempt. “And I guess it’s too late to do anything about it now. Plus, me and Jules are never gonna fall out- but even if we did, they’re just two letter ‘J’s. Could stand for anything.”

“Joan Jett, Joe Jonas, Jamba Juice,” Julian checked them all off on his inky fingertips with a dramatic flourish, “there, loads of choices. Could be any one of them.”

“Jamba Juice isn’t even a bad idea- hell, maybe if you tweet them a photo you’ll get a discount-”

“I don’t even fucking like Jamba Juice, Gene,” Babe sighed, pulling a face at the mere thought of it. “Joe Jonas it is, I guess.”

“To Babe’s new ankle tattoo,” Renee beamed, holding up the bottle of wine that she’d stolen back from Babe as a way of giving a toast. “Let’s hope he doesn’t regret it- or really fucking loves the Jonas Brothers, one of the two.”

Babe's eyes met Julian’s as all four of them burst into giggles once more, and the smile the other threw him was more than enough to reassure him that this wasn’t something he was going to regret. Not now, not ever.

Unless his Ma killed him for it, of course. 

[ladyslounge-blog-blog]

Sophistication, Success and Serial Killers

  My idol, Julia Cameron, includes this exercise in a few of her brilliant books, The Artist's Way, the Sound of Paper and perhaps some others, where she encourages her reader to visit their own perceptions of what items for them could serve as a token of success. I have taken it a step further and included things that maybe aren't physical or tangible items.   I do this exercise often and the list items change from time to time but basically my list of 25 symbols of sophistication and success might look something like this:   An organized wallet  A newspaper subscription A nice watch  A good credit score  Manicured and Pedicured at all times  Monthly hair appointments  Wine savvy  Up to date on current events  Wears a belt  Polished shoes  A non-expired driver's licence  A savings account with actual money in it  Impeccable handwriting  Well trained dog (if you have a dog. Not get a dog and train it, but if you already have a dog, it doesn't jump up or go ballistic when somebody comes to the door, and doesn't try to eat other dogs for trying to share the sidewalk with her etc...)  Clothes that aren't made up 80% of cat hair Is punctual Has a life plan / action plan /mind map taking up half the basement wall made up of chalkboard paint and post it notes but in an organized and grown-up yet whimsical and not at a all OCD/stalker/serial killer way

 Phone isn't almost always at 1% battery life Knows where key are Knows where (organized) wallet is Doesn't have oppositional defiance disorder Goes to the dentist for check-ups and cleanings when they call to remind them that it's time.  Doesn't argue with themselves about whether or not it is bedtime and then stay up way too late watching Netflix and wonder why they're so exhausted all the next day, pausing repeatedly to search "fatigue" on webMD Doesn't search anything on webMD ever Washes face before bed instead of smearing off excess eyeliner from yesterday and pretending they are responsibly prioritizing and economizing on time by counting what's left of it as today's make-up. The idea is to scan your list and just select one symbol by which you can celebrate your soigné adulthood.     Desperate to be sophisticated but too lazy to think of your own list? Prefer to follow a clearly outlined step-by-step guide? You're in luck!   According to the wikiHow staff While "Sophistication means more than just smoking a thin cigarette in a French café while discussing your latest trip to an art gallery." this online document illustrating (literally)  how-to steps will get you fast tracked to sophistication in no time at all! Okay, it's not actually just a few simple steps. there are 4 parts to the process with several steps in each so I did you the favour of giving it a quick browse and grabbing what are clearly the most important steps of each part. Ready? Part 1 - Getting the Look Keep your face looking sophisticated. Both men and women should keep their faces looking sophisticated and well-groomed. Here’s what they should do: Women should wear some makeup to show that they’ve made an effort, but not so much that they end up hiding their natural features. Just a touch of eye shadow and liner and lipstick or lip gloss will do; there’s no need to throw on fake eyelashes or layers of blush. Men should keep their faces looking fresh, but they can keep their beards or just a little bit of stubble. You don’t have to be free of facial hair to look sophisticated. A beard can even make you look more sophisticated, especially if you have some gray in your beard. Part 2 - Talking the talk Avoid discussing any subjects that make people uncomfortable. Knowing what not to say is just as important as knowing what you should not talk about. Though you shouldn’t completely censor yourself and end up sounding like another person, if you want to sound sophisticated, then you have to avoid discussing subjects that make people cringe, roll their eyes, or generally feel like leaving the room. Here are some subjects that you should avoid talking about if you want to sound sophisticated: How much money you make Bodily functions Your latest hookup How drunk you got last night Part 3 - Picking Up Sophisticated Interests Be well-read. Being well-read is a must if you want to be truly sophisticated. Having some knowledge about classic works of literature as well as contemporary works will make you a more well-rounded, interesting, and sophisticated person. Though it’s hard to make room for reading in your busy schedule, try to read at least 2-3 books a month, or more, if you can make time for it. Here are some ways to be a more well-read person: Stop watching silly TV shows and curl up with a good book instead; stop listening to pop music and listen to an audio book on the way to work. Join a book club. This will motivate you to read regularly. Read the books on the Modern Library’s 100 best novels list. Read widely. Don’t just read fiction, non-fiction, or books written about America. Read books of different genres that represent different cultures. Make a list of books you want to read by the end of the next New Year. See how many you can check off your list. If you want to sound sophisticated, make sure you know that the writer George Eliot is a woman, and that the writer Evelyn Waugh is a man. Learn to pronounce the names of French writers. For example, Proust is pronounced “Proost,” to rhyme with “roost.” Appreciate wine. Drinking wine does not mean chugging a box of Franzia in your college’s parking lot before the big football game. It means knowing how to appreciate wine from different regions, and learning how to recognize different types of wine and the different flavors that you can find in a glass of wine. Here are some things you will need to master if you want to be sophisticated: The different types of wine. Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel are some common red wines you may encounter; Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, and Pinot Grigio are some white wines you may drink. Wine tasting. To taste wine, swirl it around, smell it gently, and then take a small, thoughtful sip. Don’t down the whole glass without noticing the richness of the flavors. Pairing wine with foods. White wine tends to go better with certain fish, while red wine can bring out the flavors in a rich steak. Dessert wines. If you’re really into wine, you can enjoy a glass of sherry or port after your meal. Don’t drink this wine during your main meal. Identifying flavors. Does the wine taste oaked, not oaked, earthy, or fruit-forward? Can you detect a hint of chocolate, blackberries, or oranges? You’ll have a refined palate with practice. Chilling your wine. White wine should be cold; red wine should be kept out of the refrigerator. Don’t put ice cubes in your white wine to cool it down unless you want to look unsophisticated. Aerating your wine. Let your red wine breathe for a few minutes before you drink it. Better yet, pour it into a decanter or even pour it through an aerator into a glass. Part 4 - Acting Sophisticated Avoid getting visibly intoxicated in public. It’s sophisticated to sip a glass of Rosé or white wine on your patio and keep up witty conversation—it’s not sophisticated to be seen stumbling around a bar, falling into stools and not being able to keep your food down. If you want to be sophisticated and have embarrassing drinking habits, then it’s time to change your ways. The next time you go out, stick to having just one or two drinks, or to drinking until you feel slightly buzzed and then stopping. If you want people to think you’re sophisticated, although it goes deep down within yourself, then people will take you seriously, and nobody takes a person who can’t hold his liquor very seriously. Spend time with sophisticated people.   Sophisticated company will improve your level of sophistication. You shouldn’t drop all of your friends at a moment’s notice just because they aren’t as sophisticated as you’d like them to be; you should, however, make a goal of hanging out with more cultured, interesting, and open-minded people so that you can improve your own level of thinking. You can meet sophisticated people at book clubs, book readings, gallery openings and events, poetry readings, concerts, or at any art-inspired events. I don't know about you guys but I'm super inspired to get sophisticated now that I know how easy and straight forward it is; To the point where I have re-written my own personal list of symbols of sophistication.   Stop going out looking like a drag queen Stop talking about poop Cancel my Netflix account, quit my job and take up full time reading Develop a very strong dependancy on wine without chugging boxes of Franzia in my college’s parking lot before the big football games. Only drink alone and in private. Hang out with other unemployed alcoholics who wear modest amounts of make-up/beardage who don't talk about poop and have lots of words, all the words, the best words. *For access to the rest of the steps, so that you can become a truly sophisticated person, follow this link: https://www.wikihow.com/Be-Sophisticated   Read the full article