#i’m a lot more active there follow mee

[cowleyes]

bllk stuff from twitter 🤔💭

[ravenadottir]

do you have any hcs on what type of drunk the islanders are?

cannot, for the life of me, find my old answer on this.

but it’s a good thing, ‘cause it was probably too short, and i do have some thoughts and scenarios on this one! this is gonna become a whole book :/ i might also include their favorites, or what i think it’s their favorites.

bobby.

he doesn’t know how to stay still when the alcohol goes in! bobby is the type to be dancing, singing along, singing with no music, pumping other people to join him whenever he’s feeling joyful! even when he’s in a certain mood that isn’t celebratory, he’d still be finding a way to not bum everybody out with his problems. he’s just the kind of guy to try and forget his problems while having a glass in hand! “mate!” he points to gary, noah, rahim, henrik. “i - love - you! no, seriously!” he takes a seat on their lap, hugging them as he continues. “i - love you, mate! you’re the best a man can ask! i - love - you!” colorful cocktails like “sex on the beach” and daiquiris. bobbyfish is only fun to him if he’s the one making it.

carl.

forever the quiet drunk, in a corner, reminiscing on every bad decision he’s ever made. nothing makes carl pensive and regretful like alcohol. he always refuses to drink in public because “i’m the worst drunk you can have at your party.” he doesn’t interact or talk before the sixth drink, and when he does, prepare yourself for a battle of two carl’s. “bummer” x “i want to rage, but the pain of being alive is too much for me right now”. definitely wants to be designated driver at all times. prefers to drink alone, at home, when everything is going wrong. bitter drinks like the “negroni” or “manhattan”.

chelsea.

the - life - of - the - party! always! chelsea never lets her outside problems get in the way of a good time and it shows! she’s here to party, to dance, to let everyone know how fun and good friends they are. you’ll never see this girl on the corner. it’s middle of the dancefloor or no dice in her case. she also gets extra flirty with everyone else, without any intentions of hooking up with anyone. “you are looking like the whole damn roast dinner in that dress, babes!” GIN!! and everything you can make with it.

gary.

pirate drunk. do you hear me? pirate drunk. draping his arm on his mates’, or girl’s, shoulder and singing along to whatever in on the background. slow speech and often stuttering his loving and caring words. “buz ya know whet may? i... focken luv ya! i zoo! because... en her mee ou-t. you, may, a - thu - bessss!” it’s love and confusing speeches all around, followed by raising his pint to pay for another round, again. gary drunk is also the type to tell you secrets you definitely didn’t need to know. picture the things he could tell you about from when he was a teenager, before he started working out, and no, i don’t mean painful and deep stuff. i mean the weird phases of discovery. he’s absolutely graphic when talking about those and i’m not here for it, garebear. beer! beer! cheeky v is for the start, then he stays on the beer for good.

henrik.

the happiest pup you’ll ever see at a bar. henrik is extra affectionate after a few shots, and incredibly in touch with his emotions, them being positive or not. one thing i often picture him doing is just going for the kill if he needed some courage for it. whether is a girl or a boy, he’s gonna walk towards them, offer them a drink and let them know how he feels. it’s all about the positive and the horniness. if there’s a possibility of a “bathroom in the club” even better! he doesn’t waste time on talking and if he’s really into you, he’ll let you know. other than that, he’s on the booth, watching the others dance, putting his hair on a bun, because when he decides it’s time for some moves on the dancefloor, no one can hold him back. he’ll grind, twerk, take off his shirt, pull people to dance with, you name it! sweet cocktails like the ones involving wine. anything that has red wine in it, it’s probably his favorite.

hope.

gracefully having her drink in peace, trying her best to keep her composure at all times. i do reckon she’s the kind of person that when drinks has the confusing thoughts and doesn’t get her whole sentences out, but in her head she’s not aware that’s happening. not that she drinks a lot, i don’t think she does that on a night out, or party in a friend’s house, but i can definitely see her being confused when someone laughs of the way she’s speaking, because they can’t understand it. “hope, you’re drunk...” “naah, i’m foine, i only had like...” keeps trying to do the math but can’t, resulting in teasing about how much she had that night. flavored vodka cocktails with a spite of vanilla beans in them.

ibrahim.

i like how shy and closed off he is but just how much he enjoys himself while drunk. he doesn’t necessarily change as much while in that state. he knows he doesn’t need much to have a good time and it shows when he gets to that “carry me home” self. ibrahim’s favorite thing is to dance with his partner and his friends. he lets the spotlight to whoever wants to grab it, but you can be damn sure, out of nowhere, you’ll see him attempting another worm, or his usual twerking. he’s not doing for the show, he’s doing because he can’t stop laughing after and honestly? i love it! he keeps his voice to a lower tone and often gets a little dizzy while getting up. it’s part of the reason noah and bobby tease him, but he doesn’t mind and laughs along. definitely the ones that contain citric fruits, like oranges or limes, lemons and grapefruit. i often picture him drinking a “paloma”. also, drinks that have some pepper might be on his list.

kassam.

this is probably the only time you’ll see kassam smiling for no reason. usually he reserves those for special occasions, such as really goos jokes, some snarky comment about someone who he hates or when you try to make him laugh, failing miserably. but drunk kassam has an easy smile and entertained facade you would think to be fake. do not be mistaken, he’s not. he just can’t control himself while under the influence of alcohol, and i think the part he enjoys the most is to see you having fun while trying to convince him to hit the floor to dance. “you know... that’s not gonna happen. because if it does, i’m gonna humiliate you with my...” he does a snake with his arms “... moves.” he gets funnier and looser, wanting to make you smile at all costs, even if that means he does and says ridiculous things like the worm arms. energy drinks+whiskey combos. he just likes that flavor and it hits the spot pretty fast.

lottie.

there’s only two lottie’s when she gets the alcohol going: depressive/pensive or goddess of dancing. no in between. lottie will forever be a wild card and that’s part of the reason why people invite her in the first place. she’ll be questioning life and her existence when bummed out, or dance and get every chin dropping when she’s being herself. drunk lottie might pull you in a bathroom stall and go to town on you. it’s confidence and “let’s skip this one, i have something to show you.” winks discreetly. plus, she’s always that kind of girl that pulls off the “bobbing/swaying side to side” move, even thought it’s the most boring in the book. she looks good and she knows it. as for talking/confessing, forget it. she’s not one to open up while drunk. lottie is probably the least selective when it comes to choosing alcohol. colorful, sweet, spicy, bitter, you name it.

lucas.

it’s always time for confident lucas to show up, and his drunk persona wouldn’t be different. the thing he loves the most is definitely showing his moves by taking your hand and making the two of you the center of attention. something he can’t hold back is his horniness. that’s something he had in common with lottie and henrik. but instead of a bathroom stall it might be the car you came in, or a nearby hotel. he’s not exactly the type to just at it on any corner, and even drunk, he has some fear of germs. also, he might be extra flashy when dancing, on the brink of looking like that’s his stage and he’s the star. i’m sure people agree, given he’ll probably dance with more than one person at the same time, giving the audience some threesome ideas. that’s the whole point: too look hot while making everyone else wish they were his dancing partners. think of grinding on the floor, grabbing thighs and dipping a girl. or a boy, if you ask me. combos of whiskey and energy drinks.

marisol.

drunk marisol, to me, it’s the funniest. she’ll become extra analytical of the social interactions happening at the bar/club/party. every conversation will get fully analyzed before she can take the next sip. of course there’s lots more to her drunk persona, but that’s how it starts. i believe it takes her four drinks to start dancing, five to make her take her glasses off and throw them somewhere, and six to make her dance on a table. i don’t believe she has much time to drink and have fun, so that makes her much less resistant to alcohol. three drinks are enough to make her stop being marisol and become “marisol, the life of the party”. it can get ugly once she gets more drinks in her, and you can expect dinosaur noises from the other side of the bathroom stall. that’s why she avoids that feared seventh drink and gets lots of water between shots. “espanhola” and colorful cocktails.

noah.

he’s probaly the least active on a night out, but the most surprising if he feels like it. usually he stays put, having his drink in place, watching everyone dancing and goofing around with each other. not participating it’s his default, he would rather watch everyone else’s personas coming out. “come on, book boy! you’re not gonna stay in your seat all night!” “nah, i’m good. for now.” he’ll hold his twerking self in until he has the urge of taking the dancefloor. very talkative while drunk, often discussing things he’d recently discovered and can’t wait another second to share them. of course he might get them wrong, given he can take lots of alcohol but no notice when his speech becomes gibberish. definitely enjoys lemon-y drinks with vodka and other “clear” alcohol types.

priya.

oh my god, don’t shoot the messenger, but priya is the type to do some crazy stuff while drunk and blame the booze on the next day. being fully conscious and aware of her actions but saying “oh my god, i can’t believe i did that, i’m so sorry.” for whatever it is. usually she’s fun and loose when there’s alcohol involved, and by loose i mean wanting to dance her ass off. this might be the time she challenges people to lip sync battles or dances, which to most is funny, but she gets very competitive about them, to the point of betting on things like the bar tab. definitely enjoys the white wine and its variations, and often experiments with flavored vodka, like peach and vanilla.

[anxiouslyfred]

Puppy Scratches

Summary: Virgil has always avoided getting any sort of injury, scared of infection among other things. Now his soulmate has started scratching words onto his skin from the flowers appearing and Virgil has no clue how to stop it or respond.

Warnings: Sort of self-harm

/\/\

Virgil did not like injuries, especially not of the level that would scar. They could get infected, and those stories of people losing limbs were not pure fiction. He did everything he could to avoid getting any injury, despite the encouragement people gave to at least get one.

His soulmate got injured enough for both of them. There wasn't any concern in Virgil's mind that he would recognise his soulmate if they ever met.

What was concerning, if not terrifying, to Virgil was when the scars got extremely pale, and started forming words. Apparently the lack of him getting scars had given the world opportunity to make his soulmate believe he didn't exist.

He spent a week freaking out, rambling about the scars if his friends ever gave him the opportunity. His soulmate getting hurt as much as the flowers suggested had always been concerning, but now it couldn't be anything but deliberate... That was the worst thing Virgil could imagine.

“Can I see these pale flowers you're talking about?” Logan asked, interrupting another ramble where Virgil was torn between trying to respond and the dangers that could cause. Infections were dangerous, and how would he even be able to write something using a knife?

Virgil blinked at his friend before rolling the side of his hoodie and top up. One of the questions had been written over his side in the pale flowers. “Sure, here they're asking for me to exist.” He muttered, thankful they were at his house when the request was made.

It was odd to have Logan move closer, pushing at the hoodie a little more, frowning. “I know better than to say you were lying about those flowers, but have you realised they are no longer visible?” He asked after a moment, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.

“But- but they  were scars. Scars don't disappear do they?” The thought of flowers disappearing astounded Virgil. He'd assumed, as did basically everyone that flowers only appeared for permanent scars, things that wouldn't heal any further.

“I'll have to do some research tonight, but I would theorise that injuries that scab over, even ones that wouldn't leave a permanent scar, will still show up if the scratch is enough to, say momentarily draw blood perhaps.” Logan stood again, fetching his notebook of things to research from his briefcase. “If that is the case, would you be willing for me to scratch a reply onto your skin? I could easily do so in a sanitary way and provide plasters to ensure the wounds remain clean and heal rapidly. It would also reduce the fears you've been expressing that your soulmate might continue to harm themself in an attempt to gain a response.”

Virgil nodded along with the explanation, trying to think through what his friend was suggesting and how it could work. “If you're the one to do the scratching then yeah. I can cope with that I think. Just don't make any deep cuts or anything.”

Whomever his soulmate was, Virgil didn't want any harm to come to them, especially not self inflicted as the words must have been.

/To Remus\

Remus had loved the adventures he'd managed to find over his lifetime, whether they ended in injury or merely in some new discovery he could chase after later. It was something that made him feel alive, wild and excited. He wished he could share the adventures with his soulmate when they met but after years of no flowers appearing against his skin, he was beginning to question if they were out there at all.

It took some of the fun out of getting into ridiculous situations to realise he might not have someone to share the stories with in a few years.

That had been when Remus started paying more attention to Roman an Janus. They'd met in school and had been fairly inseparable as soulmates ever since, but that wasn't what interested Remus. He wanted to know how the scars and flowers worked, whether any would disappear and if there was even a faint chance he could actively try to reach out for his soulmate without touring the world.

He managed one week to scratch Roman's cheek, thankfully on the side that hadn't already been covered in flowers. They'd been play-fighting and it had just happened, but it gave Remus a clear view of where the flowers might appear on Janus, regardless of how covered he attempted to be.

Sure enough, instead of the red tulips they claimed appeared for permanent scars Roman gained, there was a trail of pale pink flowers in the place of the scratch. Remus checked over the following weeks to see when it disappeared, and sure enough, long before the scratch had fully healed there were no flowers visible on Janus's face.

If Roman had known his plan after witnessing that, he'd have done everything he could to prevent it, to force Remus into therapy of some kind and keep him company for as long as possible. Whatever they say about twins having a connection was a lie of  superstition and Remus happily traced over words on his skin with a needle until they'd actually scratched into it.

The pain and curiosity over if somehow he'd get a response had been enough to quiet the repeating thought that he had no soulmate or they'd hate him for doing this.

Two weeks passed after Remus had tried to write questions to his soulmate in scratches on his skin. He'd eventually come clean to Roman after a few unexpected hugs and attempts to battle because of some or other absurdity Remus had to share or figure out how to get to. He'd sat through the lecture and Janus's insistence on checking over the scratches with a pout.

You'd think that after all the injuries Remus had lived though the people closest to him would realise he knew how to keep wounds clean and safe. He just didn't always want to enough to miss out on a chance to climb suspension bridges and up onto rooftops.

He'd just gotten up, unbothered about getting dressed while grabbing breakfast and spotted flowers in the mirrors reflection.

There on his arm read “Puppy Village” in pale flowers, possibly lilac but Remus wasn't sure given how close to white the colour was. He now had a new quest to travel the country for, whatever his original intentions for asking if his soulmate existed was.

/Working with Puppies\

Months had passed since Virgil let Logan scratch the name of his workplace onto his side. They'd long since healed and his soulmate hadn't scratched anything else onto his skin, but Virgil still kept an eye out for any more flowers appearing.

He'd had some of the pale green ones appear on his wrists and forearms, as though his soulmate was playing with upset dogs with uncovered skin. They'd all faded with time and Virgil had mentally prepared a number of the lessons and explanations offered to people looking to buy or adopt a dog when they visited his centre.

Part of Virgil had hoped that soon after giving them a clue over where he'd be found someone with a scar on the left of their neck would walk in, introducing themselves as his soulmate. The reasonable side of his brain understood that even in America there could be plenty of places called 'Puppy Village' so even if his soulmate had decided to start trying to look for him, it would take them a while to find him.

Eventually he stopped checking the necks of customers as they came in, deciding to ignore any possibility that his soulmate might come. It was only upsetting Virgil to imagine who they might be and carry on getting no answers regardless.

“I'm here to get cuddles before I'm dragged back to dullville!” A man had tried to kick open the doors, despite them being automatic and already half opened by the time he reached them.

“I assume that means you only intend to help us look after the puppies for an afternoon before leaving town?” Virgil remarked, already moving around the counter.

Occasionally it would happen, generally families trying to decide if they should get a dog, or hoping to convince the kids just how much work and care goes in to having a pet. The occasional tourist wasn't unusual either, although then it would be dog owners from abroad missing their pets at home.

“Any dogs you need looking after... Did you know you have green flowers climbing up your neck?” The man leant far too close to Virgil looking at the flowers and showing off his neck at the same time.

“Have done for years. Kinda curious over the story behind it whenever I meet my soulmate.” Virgil shrugged off the concern, ignoring the scar he could also see as he led the man through to the kennels. “I'm Virgil one of the family for our animals. We treat them all as if they're our own pets until a family arrives to given them a home.”

The man was still trying to stay uncomfortably close to Virgil, looking around at the area, almost as much as he watched Virgil. “Wonderful way to keep them healthy. You know, my soulmate works somewhere called a Puppy Village. Scratched it on when I started to think I might not have any.” The words were deliberately spoken, a laser gaze directed at Virgil's face.

“Does that mean you have a large scar on the back of your calf?” Virgil immediately asked. He knew where all the flowers were on his body, and recognised this man was trying to figure out if they were soulmates. It definitely sounded like they could be.

He'd reached the end of the hallway before he realised the man had sat on the floor to roll up the pants he was wearing. “My right one yes. Got this awesome tattoo on the other and really wanna know how that's appeared on you?”

“Same place the patch I call moss. Logan said it is just a muddled patch, as though there are a lot of the flowers trying to layer up over each other. I guess it's because of how tattoos are done in layers or something.” Virgil muttered. He wasn't going to copy the action. “Get your pants on right, and we can go meet some of my favourite dogs. You need to know how to treat and act around dogs if we're going to be around each other.”

“Awesome, Remus and Virgil the best pairing together. Learnt to be calmer with dogs when I got into a few scraps with them. It got Roman to adopt that dog at least. My brother always was a sucker for a sob story and I definitely made it sound sorry.” Remus cackled, already jumping up again.

Virgil sighed, holding open the door to the kennels for their older dogs. “Glad to hear it. How long do I have you in town before we go to being pen-pals for a while?” He asked, not wanting to immediately let someone in if they'd disappear from his life soon, soulmate connection or now.

“Got a week and then I can get my office to transfer me here in no time. The boss has been looking for an excuse to get me out of there since I started calling him out for the harassment he attempted to do. Can't find an excuse to fire me with Janus on the watch, but also does not want me around.” Remus seemed excited at the plans, even when Virgil knew he had to be basically making it up as he went.

“Are you seriously talking about uprooting your life, just because you met me? Pretty sure anyone normal would want to get to know each other first.” Virgil was sceptical of the idea, but wasn't going to argue. He didn't like the idea of being cities or states away from his soulmate again after they'd just met.

Remus twisted around so much their noses were almost touching. “Is it uprooting if my main friends/ family will literally thank you for giving them a bit of a break from chaos and I can do my job as well from any of our offices? 'Sides, I haven't explored those caves on the lake edge yet and they are just screaming for exploration.”

“Or a cave in. Do you at least know how to get out of them? Or you know mind sharing the stories of the flower patches I'm covered in?” Virgil checked. He had wanted to know something about his soulmate's life with every patch of flowers that appeared. Now he was just a bit confused over how few there were, given Remus seemed set on chasing any impulse he had.

Remus bounced with the question, “Honey, I've been dreaming of sharing those stories with you all my life. Let's meet your dogs and I can start talking too.”

Life with his soulmate around was definitely going to be interesting.

[hajimine]

LEX’S 2020 APPRECIATION POST PT. II !

— to the lovely moots & followers who i talk to quite often (or pretty much everyday), this one’s for you.

thank u for being in my life, you made my 2020 so so much better. i’m so grateful october lex decided to make a tumblr acc 🥲

i’ll try my best to keep it kinda short 🥲👍

in alphabetical order:

@4fterh0urs — my omega phoebe 😩‼️ ily so much bc you’re both extremely stupid n extremely smart at the same time. u mean so much to me and i love talking to u even if u call me such weird as nicknames every damn day 😃 you’re so sexy n hella intimidating smfh idk how i was able to make u my bitch (JK PLS DONT KILL MEE) anyways, thanks for being a real one bae + you’re the person i block the most, so you’re special ig 😹👍 ily you’re actually such a sap but u pretend to be all tough heh <33

@archivednikes — my solar system, my wh*re (lovingly) hi bae 😣 ok yk how much i love u but. im gonna tell u again: ILYSM!! OKAY??? please know that you’re such an amazing human being and you’re SO incredibly talented. god i love u so much please take care of yourself baby, you’re always so kind to other people and i hope you can do the same to yourself. once again, i am so fucking glad you decided to slide into my inbox that day, because now i look forward to talking to you every single morning. insert grabby hands ilysm <33

@boosyboo9206 — onyx hi babes! i’m so so grateful for you omg u dont even know it. you always manage to cheer me up with your antics and you’re always here to support me 🥺 whenever i’m down you somehow aways manage to make me feel a lil better. i love talking to u whether it’s about sth as mundane as the weather or even your obsession with the word peepers. thank you for being you, please take care of yourself and stop sleeping so damn late. ilysm <33

@ch4jime — chloe bae!! 😁 hi omg ilysm you’re so cute and cool and nice urghh thanks for always checking up on me! i love love seeing you in my asks, you’re such a lovely person to be around. i seriously need to be better at dropping in other people’s inbox, so just know that i’ll work on hanging out on your blog more often this year bc ily! i wish u all the best and please never stop being you baby mwah <33

@fairyoomi — hi bae 😣😣 how are u?? i know we don’t talk much anymore, and that’s okie, but i still wanna write u this lil note because i’m so thankful i met you here on tumblr. you’re an amazing writer and u were so sweet to me even when i was a teeny blog who didn’t know anyone. i admire u a lot, yknow? thanks for being such a friendly and welcoming person, ily <33

@gu3to — mochi bestieo 🙀 idk if you’ll even see this smh so i’m just gonna text u after this (if i don’t forget to rip) okay so. hello?! you’re so mf cool and you’re a trendsetter 🤩 yes yes im fueling your god complex it’s bc ily smh. you’re so dumb i wanna choke u sometimes but i won’t bc i’m also just as dumb 😁 pls stop disappearing from the face of the Earth okay ilysm you always keep it real and i know i can always count on u to listen to uh... my shit. okay so when are we gonna make out? 🤨 oki bye <33

@hoekageyama — wifey!! maddie baby urghh yk how much i love you, you’re one of my earliest moots im pretty sure? and aaaaa i’m so so glad i decided to be weird as hell and slide into your asks that day (pancreas. sighs. iconic.) you’re my numero uno whenever i wanna bark about hot 2d boys and what i’d let em do to me coughs err yea hehe. please take care of yourself baby you’re such a sweet and kind and loving person and i’m so glad to have you in my life. smh we text each other lovey dovey texts anyway but i still wanna do this for u 😋 ilysm!!! <33

@honeyskawa — lani baby hi! i know you haven’t been super active lately, but i just wanna tell u that i appreciate u so so much!! you honestly made my goddamn week when u sent me that ask about how i inspired you bc what the heck?? never in my life have i expected to have such an impact on someone. you’re a wonderful writer honestly. i love u so much and i hope everything’s going well baby, i’m excited talk to u more whenever you decide to be active on tumblr again <33

@jougogo — kaybae hi!!! you haven’t been on tumblr much lately but hi sexc it’s me lex lol i’ve moved accs hehe 😎 i hope u see this whenever u get your phone back cries. you’re such an amazing person to be around, always so cheerful and friendly, you exude so much positive vibes and ilysm. you always manage to lift up the mood with your sexc self and i admire u for that. you’re so incredibly chaotic and fun to be around ahrgehxhh i appreciate u sm and i hope you’re taking care of yourself bby ily <33

@kemochie — my waluigi, my favorite f*rry, hi 😝 urghhh god we just started talking everyday pretty recently but god. you’re so funny??? and i love bullying u bc u give me so much material to bully u with (ok jkjk i love u that’s why i bully u smh) also, you’re so incredibly supportive and u were actually the one who pushed me to finally post that atsumu fic, even tho stupid me accidentally deleted it LMAOBSBD anw, u bring sm joy in my life, so thank u for that. we’re a small lil filf and you’re the milf to my dilf LMAO ilysm mwah!! <33

@kenmaki — gabbae! virgo bestie!! hi hi !! you’re such a talented person and you’re an amazing writer, and i hope one day u can get past your insecurities and see yourself as the wonderful person u truly are. i love how we were able to relate to each from how similar virgos think + our initial conversation of dick measurements and such will forever be seared into my memory. and congrats on getting a daily railing on the dash HSBDH i don’t look at em i promise lol 🤩🤩 jdbdhdh ilysm bby <33

@miyams — ren sweet babie hi! you’re so incredibly talented please don’t listen to stupid hate anons. i’ll stab them with a serrated knife if i have to 😠🔪 you’re so flippin cute and sweet i love talking to you, and i love love love whenever u come by my inbox to say hi. i hope we can talk even more in 2021, my dms and asks are always open for u bby (even though i suck at replying right away, sorry abt that huhu) i love u sm baby please take care of yourself <33

@miyasangel — ardie bae 😜 hi sexc!! i still cant believe we talk like everyday now lmaoo i used to think you’re so freaking cool (i still do) and now i’m friends w u whattaheck 🥲 you’re such an amazing writer wtf. i hate that we had to start our friendship on such a sour note (ehem discord ehem) but i’m really glad it brought us closer together. ily cockarden i’ll be sure to bully u even more HAHAGS IM JK makes out w u so hard bc you’re so damn hot ily 😣‼️ <33

@owlywrites — owly baby hello! ily so so much and you’re so talented, you deserve so much recognition. i hope i can read more of your fics soon bc they’re so well written ugh 😣 thanks for always checking up on me and always being so incredibly sweet. i love u so so muchhh huhu i wanna give u the biggest hug in the world :( please take care of yourself and never stop being your genuine self kith kith <33

@rilacry — milfy gorlillola 😜😜‼️ hi sexc. omfg i was so intimidated by u wtf (and i still kinda am smh) bc you’re so cool?? and your writing n carrd making skills are amazing as hell wtf. u just exude BDE bc you’re hella hot AND bc u wanna peg everyone. anyways,, i’m glad we got closer recently, even if it was out of really wack circumstances. ily bae pls stop sticking your memojis everywhere mwah <33

@rintaroll — my kue tete ☹️☹️ ilysm smh bye i can’t believe we’re close now wtf you’ve always been so cool and sexc 😩‼️ oh god i rmb when u were still on your old acc and u seemed so out of reach and i was a lil intimidated ANDBDJD SHHH but yea now ik you’re just a big h word dork and i love u for that 😣 i wish u all the best for your singing career bby you’re such a talented writer AND singer wtf. also you’re so pretty???? wtf how rude 😠 JKJK HAHHSBD ilysm kithes u so hard <33

@tetsoleil — geegee!! hi baby 😣 thanks for being such a sweet human being ily! it’s been a while since we actually talked yeah? but i still want u to know that i love u a lot and i appreciate u so much. i’m so so grateful you’re in my life because you’re such a joy to be around. you’re an amazing writer bby and i hope you get the recognition u deserve. i’m always here for u if u need anything. ilysm bby <33

@velvetfireworks — rachie bae 🤩 my bakso goreng, my golden kiwi!!! ily!! hehe im so glad i decided to slide in your dms when u asked me if i was indo. but ahhhh you’re ao sweet and cute and supportive ilysm. an amaaazing writer and i admire your work so much, but i think you’ve heard me say that multiple times before. i’m so glad we became closer recently through our love for greasy food and wonky lil faces 👁💋👁 kith kith ilysm <33

@yato-o — yato baby hi!! urgh honestly i appreciate u so so much?? i feel so lucky to be able to get to know you. i don’t even remember how we met but ahhh thank u for always stopping by and have a chat with me even though i know you’re a busy person. please take care of yourself and get some rest whenever u need to! don’t feel pressured to come on here if you’re tired baby, im so grateful to have u in my life, i luv youu <33

HAPPY NEW YEAR YOU SEXY BAES!

kisses, lex

[takadanobaba]

Jin Norizuki’s Birthday PriZoom 7/18/2021

Oh the things I do for Jin Norizuki

That was SUCH an experience. I had a lot of fun!! 

Main takeaway is that I am now acutely aware of when to YO in a song

(Okay so this is my first time attending a prizoom (or even any kinpri screening outside of Luna’s sss rabbit sessions!) so this is all entirely new to me and I can’t really compare it to much, but I figured that it’d be good to write up a report of sorts to fill in for Luna in a way!)

The prizooms are also accessible to everyone and don’t require any Japanese info confirmation!! If you’re interested in attending please go and support kinpri!!!

(Note: I think about Jin wayyyy too much and interpret them as nonbinary, so I use they/them pronouns for Jin. It’s just automatic for me at this point and feels weird otherwise haha so I’ll be doing that in this)

Jin is my all time favorite character and love of my life who I’m extremely delusional about so when a prizoom was announced for their birthday I went INSANE because I didn’t expect Jin’s birthday to be acknowledged AT ALL given how they’re usually excluded/treated like a side character (+ kinpri’s been putting out little to no content lately anyways....haha....). I was waiting in anticipation ever since it was announced (around June 6th) and even put in a time-off request for my work the day of its announcement just so I could attend!!!! ........ You can imagine my frustration at kinpri waiting until the very last minute to put out details about Jin’s prizoom ^^;

💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 

Also!! I’m a complete ~ foreigner ~ and managed to get tickets perfectly fine with my American credit card (and putting in some very obviously Not-An-Actual-Resident-Of-Japan address info...)! So if anyone’s curious about attending a prizoom but worried about region-locking, it’s possible! Very possible! If you’re interested in it, please go! You don’t need to have a Japanese phone number/credit card/address/etc. to purchase PriZoom tickets on RakutenTicket! It’s such an experience! If you need any help buying tickets then I’d be more than happy to assist!! Please support the PriZoom screenings and help increase the demand for more kinpri content!!!!!!!!!!!! I will personally become a living prizoom advertisement

(Also if any kinpri staff find this: I’m sorry for not respecting rules this time but I just wanted to provide a detailed account of the prizoom event and encourage participation for other foreign fans! I won’t do this again!!!)

💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 

I only attended the first and third showings (consisting of the first movie and Over the Sunshine!) because I wanted to see the new/not currently archived content (the second/pride the hero showing’s bonus was just Jin’s birthday video by Joji which I already revisit little too much ahaha). I also went to the chat-only rooms because I wasn’t very confident that I wouldn’t be awkward with my nonexistent cheering experience and intent to just observe what its like (despite knowing that the cheering rooms are more fun based on what Luna said haha). That, and I was planning on using the EXTREMELY OBNOXIOUS soundboard of ABSOLUTE CHAOS for everything since I have issues with voice dysphoria and figured it’d be good to stick to the room with that normalized as the one and only cheering method so participating would be a little less annoying to others, since we’d all have the same idea ^^;

I’m more active on twitter and follow/am mutuals with pretty much anybody who likes Jin enough to post about them, so it was cool seeing almost everyone there! At least half of them tweeted about this being their first prizoom haha. Jin’s birthday was also promoted as a good introduction to prizooms since the first showing was set at a price point of 718 yen instead of the usual 1,760 yen? So, lots of first timers attending! I guess most people had the same thought process as me about the whole insecure-about-not-being-used-to-proper-cheering/using-their-mic thing? Because most of my twitter following ended up in the chat-only rooms with me! Fun!

Also interesting how most people chose the male voice option for the cheering soundboard feature since there’s actually only 2 men who love Jin like that (I’m included in that number!!) in the Jin-obsessed twitter circle. I guess it was because it sounds kinda Joji-ish? and therefore fitting for an event dedicated to Jin! What with them being meant for each other and all.... Plus being Joji is just a fun way to play off having issues about using your own voice (I... project onto Joji a lot.)

👆 👆 👆

Okay I actually typed up all of the above during the second showing (since I wasn’t occupied attending that one) and everyone had the same train of thought and was definitely being Joji. You know that one “song” in Over the Sunshine- Glorious Schwarz- consisting of Joji just going wild infodumping for 3.5 minutes? Yeah EVERYONE who selected the male voice option was spamming 「おれもー！」/ “ME TOO!!!” during that (including me!). So it was like:

“I weighed 4646 grams at birth! ☆” 

“MMMMEMEEMEMMT MEE ME MEEE EMME ME   ME TOO M M ME TOO”

SO OBNOXIOUS. I LOVE IT. EVERYONE SHARING THE SAME BRAINCELL. THE JOJI BRAINCELL.

💙

The highlight of the prizoom  (in my opinion) was when some guy repeatedly hit よっ！/ YO! to the music in the first movie, which then led to everyone having a collective ~ Realization ~ 

After that happened, everybody joined in and started YO!-ing along in the other lives. Beautiful.

(Blurred recording of Dramatic Love and Showcase Night just so YO!u can see what I mean.)

(I only did those two to test screen recording after failing to archive the first Jin bonus while using the soundboard feature in the first showing, initially I didn’t intend to record anything but the bonuses and will not be doing that anymore. If you attend, don’t be like me or worse!!!! Please!! I’ll delete these if needed/after a few weeks. Also just wanted to mention that Koi no Royal Straight Flush is up there in Kinpri’s Most YO!-able songs)

I love this soundboard feature. Sounds like hell. Prizooms are truely a new form of art because of it. Amazing how cheering screenings have evolved over a pandemic. Music feels empty to me without the YO!s now. After this I ended up listening to the entire kinpri discography so I could determine the YO!ability of each song. Not sure if every prizoom is like that? But I really want to go to more showings just for the community experience! I’m morbidly curious as to how many people would try to YO! to Platonic Sword. I considered going to Rei’s because they’re showing Shiny Rose Stars, but I probably won’t though since money and sleep are things (They really should make tickets no more than 1,000 yen.... they’re zoom meetings with audio problems....THE AUDIO ISSUES ARE FUN THOUGH! YOU CAN SPAM “GANBATTE” WITH EVERYONE!!) Plus while I do like every kinpri character, none of the street boys are really my favorites and going to every showing regardless of character would be a lot. I assumed that I was only going to try attending Joji’s until they announced that they were gonna do something for Jin!! So if you want to see what it’s like PLEASE get tickets and experience it for yourself!! It’s so much more fun participating !!!! Relying on 1-2 people to post event summaries isn’t exactly consistent coverage of every prizoom either!

\ よっ！/      \ よっ！/      \ よっ！/

So much of this is a community experience that you just have to see for yourself! It’s really cool seeing people go all out for their favorites and just going wild. Notable participants include:

- Two separate people just working out the entire time (one of them doing “Prism Exercise” meaning very high effort full-body cheering and dancing? It was really impressive seeing them go all-out for such a long time!)

- Two (2!) Ai cosplayers!!! One attending the prizoom with a Jin cosplayer!!

- The lady who cosplayed Jin in their cute green pre-retirement prism star outfit WITH A HUGE JIN PUPPET IN THE SAME STYLE AS THE SHUFFLE PUPPETS IN THE STAGEPLAY!!!

- That one person who just had a Minato fish head on the entire time (?!)

- A Victoria cosplayer who showed off a really nice!! drawing of Jin they did during the participant showcase at the end of the screenings

- The person with a REALLY CUTE!!!!! homemade Jin plushie!!

- Two people who attended with 3D/vtuber style models of the Go Go Glorious! (YMT29 subunit) members: Noel Tokyo and Mikado Shibuya (who also had a model of Ai!)

- A really cute Joji vtuber model!

💙 💙 💙 💙 💙 💙

The bonuses were Jin’s birthday video from 2016 and a birthday message of sorts from Jin!

I actually didn’t manage to properly archive the first one as intended because things went horribly wrong so I ended up with nothing but just a terrible (said affectionately) little recording of the soundboard I linked earlier. But whatever I shouldn’t be doing that anyways. Hopefully kinpri includes that and the other prizoom bonuses in something later.... the thought of any content being stuck as lost media terrifies me. I don’t have a good enough memory or a high enough Japanese proficiency level to type it out but it wasn’t particularly analyzable or anything (telling that to myself to make me feel better about losing it). Just the usual Jin being dramatic and going on an evil monologue. Jin being evil ASMR. I lovingly burned another one of Jin’s evil laughs into my mind too so there’s that.

For the 3rd showing bonus however I did not fail though it’s arguably the less interesting bonus of the two since it’s unvoiced. I really love Jin’s voice. Big sexy. Actual dialogue is pretty similar to each other from what I’ve gathered (ending with one of Jin’s cute little アーーーッハッハッハッ！！！！！’s (the text effect for the unvoiced bonus was an appreciated detail!). 

(I’m not very confident in my ability to provide a good translation so I’ll just not embarrass myself)

“ AAAaAAaHAHAAHAAa ~ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! “

💙

Yes Jin I’ll support you in the future-!!! ヾ(>▽ <、 )

I’ll never not be obsessed but it’d still be nice to have more substantial content to gush about and do that with.... Kinpri come back and release an anime continuation.... give me the Jin plot development....kinpri come back my happiness is a little too reliant on you

After the showings you get an email asking for feedback which is cool! I’ve been waiting to complain about how 法月 is written as Noriduki instead of Norizuki for the longest time but I never had a chance until now haha. Makes it so painful for me to buy Jin merch. Also begged for an anime continuation. I wonder how much they take into account feedback? I guess I’ll see when/if they start writing Jin’s name how it’s supposed to be.

ANYWAYS

IF YOU WANT TO GO TO A PRIZOOM, DO IT!

Prism shows really are best experienced with a community!!! If you like kinpri it’s a GREAT OPPORTUNITY to experience what a cheering screening is like with the Japanese fanbase from the comfort of your very own home which is most likely nowhere near Japan!! Everyone should experience prism shows!!!! I have no regrets and I’m still so hyped from the prism sparkle!!!

ANYBODY CAN ATTEND AND BUY TICKETS EVEN WITHOUT JAPANESE INFORMATION!!!

 \\   GLORIOUS SCHWARZ!   //

[thevirginiamermaid]

Is it time to come out of hiding yet?? 🙈🙈🙈 I knew when I came back from New Zealand, Los Angeles and Arizonathat I would have a lot of content following the magnitude of shoots and meetups to get me though the slower weeks ahead after going back to work but little did I know what that would really mean...have I worked up the motivation to do an at home shoot? Nope. Am I a little jealous of people who have. For sure! I do feel like I have more free time to work on personal projects, edit photos from my New Zealand trip, etc. But you know what? I'm still working on that quarantine goal list I made myself 3 weeks ago and that's ok. 😴🤷‍♀️ So today just remember that If you see pretty photos on instagram and are feeling discouraged, chances are that the photo is older or the person finally had a chance to edit them with the break in normal work life that they're getting due to quarantine. Things arent always what they seem online, we're all in the same boat together 😊 Confess something you wanted to do during quarantine but havent! 💬💬 I'll go first: I wanted to continue the more active lifestyle I adopted in New Zealand by doing daily walks or light home workouts but guess what....I've gone on a hike twice in the 3 weeks that I've been home and have done zero home workouts. Now you go 👇👇👇 . . . . . . . Photographer: @willieswings Merm: mee Tail: @finfolkproductions with #karielbyfinfolk fluke Location: Nugget Point Lighthouse, NZ . . #stayathome #mermaidcove #tidepools #mermaid #thevirginiamermaid #finfolkproductions #karielbyfinfolk #mermaidtail #nuggetpointlighthouse #newzealand #visitnewzealand #beach #beachphotoshoot #mermaidphotoshoot #gingerhair #websterwigs #mermaidhair (at Nugget Point Lighthouse) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-uXf7ah2yj/?igshid=18xciwfztot12

[sicklyscribe]

get to know meme!

Tagged by @jadedbirch — hi! I know for a fact my Ao3 username hasn’t shown up for as many kudos as you deserve; I’m slowly getting over the pointless oddness that comes over me at the idea of putting my username in the kudos list for individual Steamy works. You’ll know when I do because there will be a flood in your notifications...

1. are you named after anyone?

Nope! My middle name might be in the ancestry somewhere, but Amy was the name ‘chosen’ (I do not know with what degree of truth) by my big sister, who my parents let contribute because she had waited through two brothers before finally getting a sister. I like it a lot, so I’m grateful! 

2. when was the last time you cried?

Last week! It fuckin sucked!!! 

3. do you have any kids?

Nah, someday maybe.

4. do you use sarcasm a lot?

I use it mostly with my students! I’m a tutor, and when I can connect with a student with a bit of sarcasm it really lightens the mood. I think otherwise I use it more online than in person.

5. what’s the first thing you notice about people?

I am terrible with names so I try to cement face+voice+personality together, then connect all of that with a name. Specific features do jump out to me sometimes, but different ones for different people.

6. what’s your eye colour?

A blue that likes to wander a gray or green depending on lighting, as most blue eyes do!

7. scary movie or happy endings?

BITTERSWEET ENDINGS. Well. SEMISWEET ENDINGS. FULL MILK CHOCOLATE HAPPY ENDINGS ARE OKAY TOO NOW AND THEN.

Heck I like scary movies most of the time. This doesn’t seem like an either/or?

8. any special talents?

I make bruschetta worth dying over. Also, i can untie any tangled material given enough time.

9. where were you born?

Texas, y’all

10. what are your hobbies?

I got oodles of hobbies and oodles of painbrain+depression! Art/writing/flute/singing, plus DnD and other dice rolling story games with my friends. When I’m not quite up to those but not quite a zombie, I play video games and crochet. 

11. do you have any pets?

I have a baguette that yells at me every morning and evening to be fed!

(His name is Ford, no one wanted to adopt him because he had sensitivity/social/trauma issues and his outbursts were nearly impossible to predict. We’ve come a long way together so far as each others’ therapy creatures)

12. what sports do you play/have played?

I played tennis casually with my dad when I was young, and loved it. I also played soccer and then basketball on two dismally untalented teams, but had to quit as much activity as possible when my legs+notlegs got worse.

Marching Band is kind of a sport, but it’s more of an involuntary cult in the story of my life so I don’t count that!

13. how tall are you?

5′4”ish

14. dream job?

Fiction content editor! Or art restorer. Or calculus teacher. Any of these with novel-writing on the side.

15. favourite subject in school?

I was an English kid and an art kid and a music kid until senior year when I ALSO became a math kid, because calculus wooed me quick and well.

~EMBARRASSING DISCLAIMER~

I feel that it’s appropriate to tag other people in the Black Sails fandom, especially since I don’t really *know*-know many people? Unfortunately I am still very much scarred by my first foray to the group, which was following tons of blogs I admired at once and finding out about bitter Discourses from all sides. I am paranoid enough to worry that if I tag names I recognize there will be Wrong ones, or ones that shouldn’t be listed Together even on a third-party harmless post.

So... I have had a few new Critical Role/etc people to tag! If you haven’t watched Black Sails yet, PLEASE DO IT FOR ME and don’t be turned off by my mention of fandom, it’s as good and bad as any other and I just had an awkward splash into it that makes me uncomfy. @thegriffin-blakefamily @maybe-ill-just-sing-about-it​ and uhhh my newest follower! Hi! @settlee-down-with-mee​

[peachyfic]

Win or Win - Youngjae

January 1st. Jackson

January 2nd. Youngjae

The next day you were still drunken with the sweet moments from the date with Jackson, so it was hard for you to focus on your next date. Your best friend told you that Youngjae is waiting for you in an arcade at 2 o’clock. You were, of course, excited, but it was hard to get Jackson out of your head. If you would have had the chance to chose, you would have gone on another date with Jackson for sure. 

Your feet were hurting a little bit so you didn’t mind that this day’s date won’t be too active. You dressed up in comfortable clothes, but not too warm ones, as you were spending the whole afternoon inside. 

When you arrived at first you were not sure who to look for. Youngjae didn’t tell a lot of information about himself so you just cluelessly looked at all the boys standing outside of the arcade. But then suddenly a boy started to run towards you. He was wearing dark skinny jeans, sneakers, a hoodie with a long trench coat. He definitely looked stylish for an arcade date. 

“Y/n?” He asked and you nodded. His face was not as manly as Jackson’s but there was something charming about him as well. You noticed the small mole under his eye which made his appearance even cuter. “Nice to mee you, I’m Youngjae.”

“Nice to meet you, Youngjae,” you said as you shook hands. 

“We should go inside, it’s a bit cold here,” he said and you followed him in. He said hi to a couple of people in there, which made it seem like he had been to this arcade a lot of times. 

“Wow, this place looks super cool,” you said as you looked around the huge place with dozens of different gaming machines and all the neon lights brightening up the dark, windowless place. 

“This is one of my favorite spots in the city, so I’m glad you like it,” he said and you smiled shyly. “Do you want to try the basketball game?” He asked and you nodded.

“Actually I think I’m good with this,” you said and he looked at you curiously. 

“Okay, should we bet? The loser buys milk for the winner,” he replied with a smile. 

“Okay then get your wallet ready, mister,” you said daringly which surprised even yourself with. 

“Wow, you have a lot of confidence, I love that,” he laughed and his laugh was loud and contagious. 

You started the game and actually, you got quite a few balls in the hoop. Youngjae kept on cheering for you even though your win might mean a loss for his wallet. 

“I’m really good at this,” you concluded as you looked at your score. “Now it’s your turn but don’t go easy on me.” 

“It’s not my intention. I like winning,” he winked at you but then he started to laugh in his embarrassment. You guessed he wasn’t used to dating and flirting that much, in which you related to him. 

“Go Youngjae!” You cheered on him which made him blush and giggle even more. But once he got the ball in his hands, his attention was on the hoop only. He put on a focused look and didn’t even pay attention to his surroundings. As if he changed personalities. And of course, in the end, his score was higher than yours. 

“But you don’t have to buy me milk though, if I let you, then that’s not really nice of me,” he looked concerned when you were looking for your wallet in your bag. 

“It was our deal but hey you can buy food in the next round,” you shrugged and he nodded in agreement. 

“I kind of want to try something else,” Youngjae said as he looked around the first floor of the arcade. There were mostly claw machines and the basketball game you just played with. There was also a lounge area where people sat down to drink and eat some snacks in-between games. On the second floor, the sign said there are more machines and games to challenge players in. But before you headed upstairs for more fun, you got tempted by the claw machines. 

“Hey, Youngjae, what if we both have five tryouts on the machine and the one who doesn’t get a plush has to buy the food,” you suggested and Youngjae’s eyes brightened up.

“Great idea y/n, which machine do you want to try?” He asked and you looked at all the machines lined up with what kind of content they had inside. Then you saw a Pokemon one and pointed it at it like an excited kid. Youngjae approved your choice. 

“I want to get the Eevee,” you said while eyeing the figure in the corner of the machine. 

“Okay and my aim is Snorlax. It looks cute and also kind of easy to get out,” Youngjae said with a shrug, acting like as if it’s not a big deal for him.

“We will see Choi Youngjae,” you said with a confident smile which made him chuckle but also he felt challenged by your behavior. 

For the next thirty minutes, the two of you kept on struggling with the machine. You took turns in trying to get the plush that each of you chose. Even though Youngjae was so sure about getting the Snorlax easily, he progressed even less in getting the character out than you did. Both of you started to lose your cool and started yelling with the poor machine. Especially Youngjae lost his mind as by the end he just slid down on the floor and couldn’t stop laughing at both of your’s misery. And then neither of you succeeded. 

“Great, so we are not going to eat lunch,” you sighed and Youngjae patted your shoulder. 

“I’m on a diet anyways but if you are hungry I can buy you something,” he said and you shook your head. 

“Why are you on a diet though?” You asked him and for a moment he felt embarrassed as he avoided your eyes. 

“Well... since I have a job where I have to have a lot of public appearances, I can’t look that overweighted,” he replied but he seemed like as if he wants to avoid the topic. 

“Oh come on, what kind of overweight you are talking about? Youngjae you look great. You are handsome, you don’t have anything to worry about and diet. Dieting is the worst. I mean of course sometimes it’s good to eat healthier and taking care of yourself, but skipping meals is never a good option,” you explained to him and he listened to your words. 

“Thank you y/n, that’s really nice of you to say that,” he smiled shyly and you put your hand on his shoulder. 

“I mean it though, so please, eat with me. We can share the money,” you suggested and he nodded. 

“But first we should go up and look at some other games,” he pointed at the stairs and you followed him to the second floor. There were even more people there and a lot more machines. But Youngjae’s eyes stopped on something else instead.

“What do you think about this?” He asked as he stood next to the air hockey table. 

“Well, I never tried this before but why not,” you said and he showed you how to play the game. He stood beside you on your side of the table and he held on to your hand while showing off some movements you could do while playing the game. His hand was a bit sweaty, probably because he was nervous to be close to you. But otherwise his hand was smooth and he smelled really nice. It was comfortable to be next to him so close. 

After he let go of your hand, you could see it better that his ears were red like a tomato. He quickly walked over to the other side and you started to play against each other. You had fun during the game but at one point the puck flew out of the table, hitting Youngjae on his thigh. You rushed over to him telling him endless apologies while he was rubbing the spot where he got hit. 

“Thank God it wasn’t your sensitive area,” you said to him in which at first he looked at you with a shocked expression then he burst out into a loud laugh. “Oh my, I can’t believe I said that out loud,” you held your head and Youngjae kept on laughing at your reaction.

“Well, thanks for this laugh, it doesn’t hurt anymore. But you are absolutely right, this was a better spot,” he nodded. “So what do you want to play next?”

“Hm, I was thinking more about something that doesn’t involve sports for now. I feel exhausted after these two games and the claw machine misery,” you said and Youngjae got into deep thoughts. 

“Let’s walk around and see what options do we have,” he said and you started to explore more the arcade. It was surprisingly even bigger than it looked on the outside. There were some hidden corners with smaller machines. Occasionally you spotted some workers who took out coins from machines or cleaned some after they had been used for a while. 

Your attention was on a couple who were playing darts and they kept loudly laughing at each other. They both seemed to be pretty bad at the game but they for sure had fun. But then Youngjae gasped loudly and your attention got back to him. 

“Coin karaoke!” He exclaimed. Youngjae rushed to the small booth dragging you along. 

“Wait, I don’t think this is a good idea. If you hear me sing, I don’t think you will ever want to meet me again,” you protested but Youngjae didn’t listen to you. 

He stepped inside the tiny booth which squeezed you both in, the two of you standing next to each other closely. 

“I love to sing and people say I have a good voice, so if we do it together it might not be that scary for you,” Youngjae suggested.

“Okay, support me with this,” you sighed but Youngjae shouted ‘fighting’ to raise your spirit. He looked at the options while he fished out 500 won from his pocket. 

“What do you think about Bolbbalgan4′s Galaxy?” He asked. 

“Oh, great choice.” You replied while Youngjae handed you a mic. 

“Take a deep breath and don’t stress. We are not on stage,” he told you with a reassuring smile and you did as he said. 

The song started and Youngjae began to sing. You joined him once you felt more confident and it made you feel at ease when he smiled at you while singing. His voice was powerful but soothing.  

“You see, this was so fun!” He said once you finished singing couple more songs. The two of you were heading downstairs to grab something to eat. 

“Well only because you are a superstar singer,” you answered, which made him chuckle in his embarrassment. 

“There is a convenience store next door, do you want to go there and eat?” He asked, changing the subject. 

“That sounds good to me,” you finally arrived outside of the arcade and the fresh air made your head feel better. But when you turned around, you saw that Youngjae had a confused face. 

“Before we go, I should go and use the restroom. There might be a line, so please wait for me here,” he said and he looked nervous for a second before he disappeared. It was definitely suspicious as usually in the men’s restroom there isn’t a line. 

He definitely made you wait for like ten minutes and you started to get cold. Your mind was spinning with confusion and anger starting to pile up, but then Youngjae stepped outside while his arms were behind his back. 

“What are you up to?” You asked him with suspicion but also with a smile on your face. Youngjae kept on giggling until he revealed the Eevee that you tried to get out so hard from the claw machine. “I can’t believe you!” 

“Sorry it took me so long, I hope you were not too cold in the meantime,” he said while handing you the plush. In your happiness, you almost jumped into his arms while you hugged him tightly, with the Eevee between the two of you.

After that, the three of you walked to the convenience store next door and had some ramen to finish off the great day. Youngjae walked you to the bus stop and said goodbye to you with a warm hug. He almost left you there, but then he quickly ran back to you to ask for your number. He tripped a little and almost fell on you, but in the end, he was able to get his balance back. With a shaking hand he typed in your number then he said goodbye again. 

When you got home, you really couldn’t wait to be in bed as you felt exhausted. After you washed up and checked your phone, you fell asleep while smiling softly and hugging the Eevee tight. While you were already deep in your sleep, Youngjae texted you as he could barely fall asleep, still thinking about your day and how much fun he had. ‘I hope we can have another round in which you win and I pay you back with food ^^~ Sleep tight, Eevee will protect you~’

January 3d. BamBam

[hannahgoestomars]

2018 year in review

This year feels like it has been long. So, so long. It’s been a good year, I think, filled with a lot of great things. But also hard. And I feel very, very tired. Still, here’s the roundup:

It’s been just over a year since I moved to California. Since my 2017 roundup, I found my own apartment in Pasadena, filled it with furniture, and did the very grown-up thing of buying a car, a old silver Toyota Prius that I’ve named Mae. I knew since I found out I’d be moving out here last year that I’d need a car for living in the LA area, and having it has been exceptionally freeing. I can go visit other areas like Burbank or downtown LA without too much trouble, I can offer people rides, I can be a bit spontaneous with what I want to do. I can go on road trips! Such as taking the Thanksgiving weekend to go on an epic drive up to Sacramento and along the route of the Pony Express through to Fort Churchill in Nevada. That was a lot of fun.

The ruins of Fort Churchill. I promise to do Thanksgiving properly another time!!

Work at Caltech has been good - I’ve finally finished the two papers hanging over from my PhD, and have had the opportunity to get my teeth into new projects. In between the never-ending cycle of writing telescope proposals and conference talks, of course. It’s a lot of hard work, but I’m enjoying myself, and I’ve landed in a really good group that I get on well with.

Very soon after moving out to Pasadena, I found and joined an excellent church called All Saints. It felt long past time for me to find a church where I can be every part of myself and be welcomed and loved for it, not despite it. I’ve thrown myself into it gleefully - I joined a choir, took part in a book club, got involved in the LGBTQ ministry, and recorded a podcast on pronouns. I love this church dearly and I feel incredibly fortunate to have found it. Here, I am thriving. 

As far as Mars One is concerned, it’s been another quiet year. There have been some rumblings concerning investments, but otherwise we continue to wait for Mars One to be ready to take the next steps. An impatient part of me wants everything to hurry up and happen, but none of this is quick or easy. I’ve just got to keep on trucking - to be ready for when things start to happen again, but also give thought to what I want to spend this part of my life doing. I don’t know yet if I’ll even still be in the same country this time next year, although I hope so.

Still, outside of Mars One itself, I’ve been leaning into my interest in religion in space this year - I wrote a post about Ilan Ramon on the 15th anniversary of the Columbia disaster, and I gave a talk (paper; video) at the Mars Society Convention in Pasadena. That was a lot of fun to attend - I learned a bunch of interesting things and it was great to meet other Mars enthusiasts. And in broader Mars news, the biggest thing is probably the launch and successful landing of the Insight lander - I drove up with fellow candidates Sergii and Jay-Mee to see it launch back in May, and it landed without hitch in November. Congratulations to the team, and I look forward to the science that comes out of it! Also, SpaceX performed its first launch of the Falcon Heavy back in February, which was a joy to watch - landing the two side boosters near simultaneously, and sending a Starman out into the Solar System. 

Godspeed, Starman, wherever you are now.

The wider world continues to be stressful. It was very interesting to be in the USA during the midterms, and watch it unfold around me even if I didn’t get a say in anything myself. All things considered, the results did give me a sense of hope that the tide of awful in the States is beginning to turn. On the other hand, watching Brexit unfold from a distance has been chaotic and frightening. It feels like everything is incredibly unpredictable, changing from day to day, and I’m very worried for the future, especially on behalf of my friends living in the country. The year was rounded off by the Gatwick drone crisis, which unfolded in a manner beyond satire - to my relief, though, I was at least able to get back into the country for Christmas and New Year (which I have spent with my family, and my Durham friends respectively).

In the process of settling into a new country and having to make new friends from scratch, a lot of my spare time has been spent at home or on solo trips out to various places. Most days, though, I’m just very tired, so it’s been a good year for flopping onto the sofa and watching TV. Good job there’s been a lot of great TV to watch - highlights for me include Anne With An E, Altered Carbon, The Good Place, and the entirety of Person of Interest which was excellent binge material. Kids cartoons are also a good staple for when I come in from work and just want to wind down, and I’ve very much enjoyed the Voltron and She-Ra remakes on Netflix. I got back onto the Doctor Who bandwagon I fell off a few years ago, which took me over to Burbank where I found a weekly watch-along and after-show, which was a lot of fun (and got me out of the house!) I have not yet got around to finding a LARP game over in LA, but I did play a wuxia-inspired event when I was back in the UK over the summer. Hopefully this year I’ll get myself a little more involved again.

Revolutionary firebrand, champion of the people, wielder of ridiculous giant fans: Eternal Service Tin!

One positive development is that I’ve done a lot of writing this year. I’ve enjoyed doing creative writing ever since I was a kid, but this past year I’ve really decided to put time into it. I’m not at a point where I have stories to share widely right now, but I am looking to work towards getting things to a point where I can submit them for publication, and it’s very satisfying to look over what I’ve done over the year.

Looking back at my last roundup and not-quite-resolutions, I mentioned driving. If 2017 was the year of learning to drive and be comfortable with it, 2018 was the year of it becoming normal and even enjoyable. LA traffic no longer intimidates me, and my aforementioned road trip found me actively enjoying traversing the landscape of America while listening through my podcast backlog (Alice Isn’t Dead is fantastic solo road trip listening). I definitely want to keep exploring while I am out here, for however long that is.

I also mentioned keeping an eye on my mental health. This has been a year out of my comfort zone, living on a new continent, taking a step up in the work expected of me, getting involved in things and exploring - and I like my life right now but it is stressful. Keeping on top of the news does nothing to help that stress either. I spend an awful lot of time being very tired. I need to remind myself that resting and not doing much is not necessarily a problem. And those tired times have been really helped by having writing to work on over the year, even if just in little chunks. Still, while it’s been a good year for me in a lot of ways, it’s not been an easy one. This coming year, I hope to keep looking after myself.

Thanks once again for following along with me. I’m feeling quite tired again today, and I have a feeling that 2019 is going to be very tough. I wish us all the strength to face the upcoming year head-on!

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @marvelatmytrash for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Bee, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

I think I had just turned 22, I was fresh out of undergrad and wanted a way to keep my writing and editing skills sharp while I job hunted.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

I think I’ve only written reader inserts. I usually leave their physical attributes nondescript but I definitely create intense personalities to all my reader inserts. I think I do this because I want my readers to imagine themselves as these strong, kickass females, who are also vulnerable, but have weak spots, the same way all of us do. I put a lot of effort into creating strong female characters that still have flaws, no Mary Sues for me!

3) What is your favorite genre to write for?

I love writing Marvel. I pretty much only write Marvel, predominantly Canon because I have so much comic book knowledge, plus I love writing fight scenes.

4) If you had to delete one of your stories and never speak of it again, which would it be and why?

Oh lord, probably Compensation and Consequences, its just a small little one shot that I did as a request but its a Game of Thrones AU. It definitely has some problematic choices in it, I totally shoe horned the sex and attraction into it. Overall it’s just trash.

5) When is your preferred time to write?

I always find myself writing at 1am or onwards. A lot of the time I’ll just knuckle down around 1am and do what I call a writing sprint, where I’ll write all the new parts for whatever stories I’m working on and get them all done in one night, then edit the next day and start queuing them up.

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

This is so embarrassing but I get most inspired by listening to musical soundtracks. There are a couple of my stories that have direct song quotes from Waitress and Heathers. Musicals are so rich and overdramatic, they have always been a big part of my emotional development. So whenever inspiration strikes I have a whole playlist of angst songs or love songs from various musicals that I just play in the background on repeat and I will shamelessly pull lines directly from them.

7) In your Divided series, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

Ooo that’s such a tough one, honestly that whole series is just one of my absolute favorites. But if I had to choose, I think the chase scene in Bucharest. It’s so dynamic and there is so much happening and I honestly watched that scene frame by frame for a week and worked this original character into it step by step.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

I’ve never changed the story itself. A couple times I’ve changed the formatting at peoples suggestions. I didn’t chunk my paragraphs well when I first started, but someone suggested I break it up more so I did. It’s little changes like that, but I would never change what I write because someone dislikes it. My writing is for me, I’m just sharing it with others for fun.

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Bucky. Absolutely Bucky. Though I am warming up to Steve. He has such dimension to him, he’s been a favorite of mine ever since I started reading comic books. His story is so sad and in-depth and there has always been room for new details and development in every reboot. He’s such a dynamic character and that makes him such a treat to write.

10) Who is your least favorite character to write for? Why?

Hahaha I guess Thor, but I actively avoid writing him cause his tone is so hard to get right without over doing it, so I’m not sure if he counts. Tony is tough too, cause you want to be quippy and clever without being over the top, and that’s a very fine line.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Divided series?

I am a big fan of one word titles, maybe I am just on the Disney train with Tangled, Brave, Frozen, etc. I love it when one word can encapsulate what the series is about and also when the word has more weight than just it’s basic meaning. Aftershocks, my first series, is a good example of this. The main character has suffered from shock torture and has a lot of scars and residual issues from it, but Aftershocks is also a psych term sometimes used to refer to the radiating effects of PTSD on the victim and those around them. Divided was the same way, it encapsulated both the theme of Civil War which is the changing and division of Tony and Steve’s relationship and also shows how Bucky and Steve, though still perceived as a unit are Divided now by not only their different experiences but their competition for the same woman.

12) How did you come up with the idea for Divided series?

I’m honestly not entirely sure. I had this basic idea of working a reader into Bucky’s story in Civil War, but the original plan didn’t have Steve involved at all and definitely wasn’t on the level that Divided eventually became. Once I decided that the reader would start with Steve, it immediately raised the stakes of the whole story and this character of The Scorpion began to take shape. After that, the whole thing got pretty easy, she was a fully formed character and a lot of what happened in Divided was just me asking myself what choices this character would make and how the surrounding characters would honestly respond. I try really hard to just develop my characters thoroughly and then let them make honest choices, I think that’s the best way to keep a story real and authentic.

13) Do you have any abandoned WIP’s? What made you abandon them?

Oh yes, my hidden shame, and it haunts me. It’s called Royal Flush, and it currently has 3 parts. It’s a T’Challa fic and a lot of people have found it and liked it and I feel so guilty that it hasn’t gone anywhere in a year. Honestly, this mess up is totally on me. I never draft out my stories, and I know I should, I usually just make it up as I got along and sometimes I just hit a blockade with where it’s going to go. I definitely want to finish that fic, but just have no idea how, so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, throw them my way!

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I’m going to say Divided, just because it is one of my favorites and I so deeply love Scorpion as a character. Her struggle in Divided was so hard and I hate to leave her there just heartbroken. I have drafted a couple followups for that story, but after how Infinity War ended, I feel like it would just be cruel to put her through losing Bucky all over again.

15) Are there any stories that you wished you’d ended differently?

I am happy to say that there are none that I would do differently. I’m extremely content in how they all ended.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

I mean first and foremost, I have to talk about @imhereforbvcky, she was my first real friend on here. We started talking when I was writing Aftershocks and I eventually convinced her to take a crack at writing herself and she finally did and wrote this incredible fic, I’ll Be Good. It honestly is so amazing! Mee specializes in the fem fatale, she writes these incredible badasses that are all dark and twisty, I honestly don’t know how she makes violence so elegant, but she does.

@denialanderror is another one, her Melodies series is so perfect and lovely, she gets this beautiful vulnerability to Bucky that just attacks my heart. It’s such a wonderful change of pace from the way that I write and I always reread it whenever I need to be reminded of the soft parts in his personhood. I honestly love it so much and recommend it to everyone. Plus she is an amazing friend and such a fun person to send memes back and forth with.

Finally @bitsandbobsandstuff just full on destroyed me as a person with Safe With Me. That story honestly puts everything I’ve ever written to shame, her deep understanding of Bucky as a character is just like nothing else I’ve ever read. It’s such an in-depth story with an incredible slow burn, if you haven’t read it yet, you are missing out.

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

I cringe a little bit with Aftershocks, my first series, but I also see a lot of value in it. Whenever I get stuck or think my writing isn’t good enough, I reread it and remind myself how far I have come as a writer, and that always helps to get me back on track.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

Both, sometimes I just have the same song playing on repeat in the background, other times I need complete silence cause the monologue in my head is flowing so quickly. I definitely edit in silence, I cannot hear my tone or catch my mistakes when rereading if I don’t have silence.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

Hahaha I have, I cried while writing a couple parts of Divided, that story is very close to my heart cause the love triangle in it is unfortunately something that happened to me, and I accidentally hurt someone I cared for a lot.

20) Which part of your Divided series fic was the hardest to write?

Hahaha probably the one or two sex scenes I snuck into it hahaha. It was just not a story that really leant itself to smut. Like you’re not going to be running for your life, camping out with fellow teammates and just quietly have a fuck in the dirt. So squeezing those sex scenes in there always felt a bit funny to me, but I think in the long run they both fit and were put in at appropriate times.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I probably should make an outline but I always just go with the flow, I honestly have no idea where my stories are going till they get there. But I do reread my story whenever I get stuck so that way I can tie things back in or close up lose ends.

22) What is something you wished you’d known before you started posting fan-fiction?

To breakup my paragraphs and use the keep reading button hahaha

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

I am currently feeling that way about a story I just started called Siren’s Soldier, so I paused it for a little bit to see if it was worth continuing but it recently got a bunch of love while I was in Italy so it might be time to come back to it.

24) In contrast to 23 is there a story which gets lots of love which you kinda eye roll at?

Nothing that I’ve written to be honest. There are a couple of exceptionally problematic stories that have an absurd amount of notes and that bums me out, just because I don’t like seeing those kind of relationships idolized or modeled. To clarify, the issue I have is that these kind of stories have a lot of gas lighting, self harm, non consensual sex, and sometimes even violent relationship dynamics. I work very hard to make sure that my characters model healthy relationship habits and positive communication because we need to stop romanticizing rape and abuse in relationships, so it bugs me when fics that do that are popular.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

I model my readers off of specific parts on my own personality. I essentially take one side of myself and just exacerbate it into a whole character. I am a very independent person and a feminist myself so a lot of my female characters have those similar qualities of independence and confidence. Especially when doing reader inserts, you want to make the character someone that you yourself want to be, your alter ego, someone to escape to. That’s why I’ll let my characters, be selfish or shitty communicators but I’ll never let them get down on themselves, we do enough of that in our real lives, lets not do it in our fantasy lives.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Hmmm this is a hard one, @imhereforbvcky sent me a very disarming compliment the other day that totally moved me to tears. But most of the ones that really hit me are when people recognize the amount of effort that goes into everything, or when they message me to talk about my story and see all the little easter eggs I’ve tossed into the early chapters. I also live for every reblog you’ve ever done, they always make me feel so loved and valued, I’ve honestly have gone back and reread your reblogs when I’m feeling down on my writing and they always pick me back up. It takes a lot of time to create a world and characters and tie everything together in one neat story and having that recognized always makes my heart sing!

27) What’s the harshest criticism you’ve gotten?

I haven’t really gotten a lot of harsh criticism, I’ve gotten bullshit anonymous messages that are just mean, but no real criticism. I’ve gotten constructive criticism but a lot of that has been kind and helpful so I don’t take that personally at all.

28) Do you share your story ideas with anyone else or do you keep them close to your chest?

@imhereforbvcky and @denialanderror and I have a group chat on instagram so whenever I’m particularly jazzed about something I drop the premise into that chat and get their feedback but most of my big twists or turns I keep close to my chest so that way they can be a surprise to everyone.

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction? In my real life?

Some people. My best friend knows but she’s never read it. My boyfriend knows and sometimes reads the smut I write and will use it against me in bed. He frequently likes to quote some of my own lines to me, he thinks its funny, I don’t find it as amusing. But he is a lot of my inspiration for writing positive relationship dynamics, we work really hard at having a healthy, communicative relationship and that manifests in my writing frequently.

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

I really like Om, this character I wrote for Siren’s Soldier, they are non binary and do not have a set gender identity so that was fun to play with and extrapolate on, especially because their non-binary personality had a lot to do with their power so that was really cool to explore to explore.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

I generally get really excited when things are free flowing so I guess I spur myself on. I take a lot of joy and pleasure in the things I write and feel my stomach twist when I’m writing suspenseful parts, so a lot of it is just my own enjoyment.

32) What’s your favorite trope to write?

I’m a sucker for the slow burn, so I love writing the enemies become lovers trope. Usually I don’t actually start them as real enemies, but they never start close or as friends. I’m not a big fan of the falling in love with my best friend trope, as I have a bunch of guy friends that I have never once had an urge to fall in love with haha.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

Oh god, I honestly can’t. I wish I could. I didn’t start reading fanfic until after Civil War came out and I graduated from college. I remember being in a place where I was just disenchanted with porn but I was super into marvel so I went looking for marvel smut on the internet and found the Bucky smut rabbit hole. I remember reading a lot of different stories and never finding exactly what I wanted and also finding a lot of problematic sexual relationships. At that time I was working as a sex education teacher and I remember thinking that I could write better smut with healthier relationship dynamics, and I did. That’s how it all started.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

Ooooh blimey, this is impossible because I write a combination of all three most times. I guess I would have to say angst, causing it doesn’t get boring so easily. There are so many angst tropes to explore and play with. So yes, definitely angst.

[indiabull0]

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[furgemancs]

Ghosts of Christmas

Okay, so I made a small story, which is rare from me XD This is about Buster’s Christmas, some fluff with a hint of sad, enjoy it ^^ Story is under cut, Chris belongs to @the-vampire-inside-me, based on some brainstorming, everyone else is mine.

First thing he heard was the faint, yet familiar voices. Singing a song he didn’t recognize. Then footsteps and excited chatter. The noises made the toon groan, bury his face into the pillow, using his pristine white wings as a shield and tried to sleep a bit more. But neither his ‘barrier’ was enough to avoid the scent, sneaking through the door and twisting his senses. It was so delicious, it already made Alabaster gulp.

With a frown the angel sat up, stretched out his limbs and yawned, wings brushing the walls. Hand scratched on his white tank top. It was already morning, the sun shimmered on the white blanket of snow that covered up the whole city. The sight still made him awe, since this was the first winter of his life. Al stared at the street below, watching people walking by, wondering, then finally decided to find out, why everyone is so noisy. He only put on his pants and slowly left his room.

The sight hit him by surprise. Everyone was already awake and marching around in the apartment, having a rather cheerful behavior. The twins ran around, putting strange, fuzzy ‘scarfs’ all over the furnitures, while singing songs he didn’t know. Natalia was cooking in the kitchen something super delicious, humming along with the kids. Larry tried to position a pine tree in the middle of the saloon. They all were acting weird.

“Ahm… what’s… going on?” Al spoke up, staring at the others with a furrowed brow. The twins stopped in front of him, bouncing on their toes in excitement.

“It’s Christmas, Al!” they stated in unison, which just made the angel more confused.

“Krishdmash? What is it?” asked, his expression just as innocent as the fresh snow. Bing and Bong changed a look with each other, gasping.

“You don’t know what Christmas is?” of course they overdramatized things a bit, as usual when the angel questioned something ‘obvious’. Therefor the toon lowered his head, glancing away embarrassed for being ‘dumb’.

“Boys, don’t forget this will be Al’s first holiday.” Natalia told them as she took off her apron and untied her long hair. She approached the angel and looked upon him, smiling. “Christmas is a holiday about love and family. People gather together to celebrate, have fun, eat delicious food-”

“And give presents!” noted in Bing.

“Yeah, don’t forget the presents. And Santa!” added his twin brother, both giggling. Natalia sighed, rubbing her temples.

“Yeah, those too… Don’t worry, Al, we will show you everything. I think Larry is done with the tree. Come, let’s decorate it.” she took Alabaster’s hand and they went to check on the pine “Oh Larry, this is beautiful. Great choice as always.” she said, making the polar bear blush and puff out his chest in pride.

“Why we install a dead tree in the saloon? And why we have to decorate it?” Al had so many questions in his mind, and with each action the others did, it just increased.

“It’s a tradition.” told him Larry, as he opened a box, which was full with colorful and shiny ornaments. The twins were already on it and began to put these  shimmery balls onto the branches.

“We not really know the reason either, but everyone is doing it.” Natalia said, picking up an ornament and handed to Al “I like this tradition, to be honest. Its pretty, and the tree has a nice scent.” added with a giggle. Al watched the glass orb in awe, then did as the others and placed it onto a small branch. He wasn’t sure why, but this tiny activity cheered him up. Soon all the decorations were hanging on the tree, expect one.

“Who wants the top?” asked Larry, holding a small, angelic figurine in his hand. Like two tiny predator the twins jumped, trying to scream down each other.

“Me! Mee!!”

“You did it last year, Bing! It’s my turn!”

“No it’s not!”

“Boys! Please don’t argue today. It’s Bong’s turn by the way!” Natalia interrupted before the kids began some quarrel again. Bong squealed in joy and climbed onto Larry’s shoulders, placing the figure to the top of the tree.

“Wow... ” moaned Al in awe “This is beautiful indeed.” his eyes shimmered with innocent joy, the nearby orbs reflected the soft shine of his halo.

“And this is just the tree. There are still lots of fun for today.” Natalia looked at him and a soft smile appeared on her face. She couldn’t help, but each time they taught something new for the angel, his curiosity and joy stuck to her too. She took a deep breath and started singing a phrase “Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, you stand in splendid beauty-”

Natalia was right. This was just the beginning. Since it was nearly noon, they decided to eat. The table was full with various garnishes, sauces and a big, roasted meat in the middle. And the savors… Al felt in heaven, this was more delicious than he thought. It was pretty rare they made food for themselves, but since they had time, they could manage it.

They played games. A lot of them. They didn’t have to worry about any kind of performance for the day, therefore they could do whatever they wanted. The group even went downstairs to make a small show for themselves. Al jumped to the piano and out of instincts began to play a Christmas song for the first time, yet perfect as ever.

“On the fourth day of Christmas my true love sent to me…” sang in a group, then the phrases divided.

“Four calling bird-" said Al.

“Three french hens-" continued Larry.

“Two turtledove-" chant the twins in unison.

“And a partridge in a pear tree" finished Natalia and they continued this until the end.

Time went by so fast, they didn't realize it was already late evening. They rested on the couch, watched the soft lights on the tree, enjoying the silence. The twins were already passed out, using Larry as a pillow. Natalia and Alabaster sat next to each other, heads resting on each other, enjoying the warm and silence.

“This… was wonderful...” whispered the angel, nuzzling her soft hair “I had so much fun...”

“Glad to hear you enjoyed it...” she murmured back “And it’s just… a small fragment. Theres… a lot more of this holiday… wish I can show you...“ she let out a sad sigh in the end. Al glanced at her, then wrapped a wing around her shoulder and pulled her closer.

“This is perfect. I don’t want anything else...” the angel stated, while his fingers lightly entwined with hers. Soft shade of pink colored Natalia’s cheek as she slowly returned the gesture, nuzzling Al’s shoulder more. Faint, gentle hum came from her throat, making the male sleepy. He took a heavy inhale and closed his eyes, letting the melody drift him into slumberland.

The next moment he opened his eyes he was somewhere else, someone gently shaking his shoulder. The angel jolted and let out a scared yelp, swinging out with his wings.

“Buster, Buster, its okay! It’s just me! Shhh!” the other leaned away to not receive a slap from the feathers. The toon sat up, hand reached out and rubbed the nub on his right side out of reflex. He was in a car, wearing warm jacket. Next to him a tall human knelt on the seat, watching him with worry. They parked outside of a studio, snow was falling from the ebony sky.

“C-Chris?” croaked Buster, lightly shaking in the whole body. He needed to take a deep breath to calm himself “W-what happened?”

“You fallen asleep. Just arrived and tried to wake you up. Did you… have a dream with them? Your family?” Chris asked, trying to be delicate with the theme. Buster hesitated, staring at the floor, then slowly nodded.

“...I miss them, Chris… more than ever...” he stammered, something warm streamed down his cheek. The human reached out and smeared away his tears. Buster’s lips trembled and out of reflex nuzzled the palm “I wish they could be here...”

“I know, buddy… I know… come here...” Chris got a bit closer and hold his toon friend in a warm, welcoming embrace. Buster hiccupped, for a second he wanted to push away, but he became weak, he broke up in a faint weep and hugged him back tight. The man waited patiently, hand rubbing the toon’s back in circles to calm him.

“Its okay… everything is okay. I know its hard… but as long as you remember them, they are not dead.” Chris whispered gently, yet inside he was pained to see his friend suffer. It took Buster a few minutes to calm down, resting on the other weakly.

“I-I’m sorry…” rattled in the end, burying his face into the jacket.

“Don’t be. It’s natural we miss the ones we love. You know, if you need help, or just want to talk about this to someone, I’m here.” Chris softly smiled, caressing Buster’s cheek. The toon closed his eye, enjoying the gesture, nodding again.

“Thank you...”

“Heh, anytime, buddy.” The man’s smile widened, then leaned close and hinted a smooch onto the black forehead “How do you feel, would you like to go in? Honestly it’s getting cold out here.” he added with a chuckle and shuddered. Buster blinked, then snorted a giggle as well.

“S-sure. We are here to have some fun, right? Your ‘famous’ Christmas party in the studio.” finally there was a hint of tease in his voice, which cheered Chris up. The human got out of the car and helped his friend too.

Buster glanced upon the sky, watching the falling snowflakes in wonder, his breath like tiny clouds. Such a pretty sight. He inhaled the cold air, then exhaled and followed his guardian inside the warmth, to celebrate Christmas for the first time in many years.

The end.

[brattybts]

I was tagged by @namjoonsboyfriend Rules: Tag 20 followers you want to know better Name: Georgie (well acc is Georgina but I go by Georgie) Nickname: Georgie aha, I get called like everything beginning with G so like G, Genie, George, Geoffrey Star sign: I am a Libra but like I was born early and identify more with Scorpio is weird Gender: Female Favourite colour: Black or Grey, like a soft blue toned grey yes Time right now: It is 20:52 right now Average hours of sleep: 4-6 on weekdays, if it gets to 4 hours or under I just won't sleep aha, on weekends I can sleep for 10+ hours Lucky number: 7 Last thing I googled: What year was merlin released (2012 if anyone wants to know aha) Favourite fictional characters: omg I love all fictional characters and stuff so I can't really choose a favourite, ummm Sam and Dean Winchester and Castiel and basically the whole spn cast and stuff. I also love the virals series of books so the characters in them are great Dream job: I'm not really sure. I either would wanna do something detective like aha or just something where I can make people happy, something where I can bring light into someones life. What am I currently wearing: A black summer dress thingy, I havent really changed out of it in a couple of days because it's hot here and it's the lightest thing I own. Tmi but like, oh well aha Number of blankets I sleep with: I try to surround myself with blankets because fluffyyyyy. But just ma duvet or 1 blankie when it's hot When did you create your blog: I honestly can't remember, but like it was this year I'm pretty sure. Like maybe January this year? Current amount of followers: 1,621 And I love every single one of you and actually have no idea how all of you are here but I'm seriously so happy you are 😊😊 What do you post about: bts... basically bts sin aha all the porn 😂 Do you have any other blogs: I have one and it was for hat films ( a YouTube gamer group that I relate to aha) but its dead and I didn't go on it anymore aha When did your blog reach its "peak": I don't really think it has one, I love everyday that I go on here so for me being here is a "peak". But other than that idk Who is your most active follower: hmm I'm not too sure but @namjoonsboyfriend (who tagged me) is in my feed a lot and I love ya What made you decide to get a tumblr: well my Hatfilms blog feed just became all bts and I've been a fan of them for a couple of years and I just felt it was time to create something about a thing that is literally one of the things that is keeping me alive...so yeah....😊😊 Do you get asks on a daily basis: Not on a daily basis but enough to make me smile. I just adore talking to you guys and if anyone wants to come ask me I'm open to all and I'm always always here to talk. Why did you choose your URL: it's quite self explanatory, bts are little brats who I adore and just wanna hug...so ye Thankyou thankyou thankyou for asking me and sorry that it took me so long (this bloody app aha) I can't really think of 20 people but I tag @thatgirlnaonti @sadsoora @imfactxxx @honey-boy-yoongi @slutforthequeen @fragilejaebum I love y'all and yeah thankyou for tagging mee

[asylum-miniatures]

Session 25 - Deeper Darkness

This week Vex couldn’t unfortunately make it, so this session we are playing without her and vex is just following as an observer.  I guess the adventures of Vex and Ozzy Ozbear (she named the bear Ozzy Ozbear) will have to be put on hold for now.

Part 1, a possible lead

Since last week we had all been getting exited about our plans.  The GM decides to throw a spanner in the works.  We get approached by Ninja-san and a new guy.  He’s quickly introduced as the royal spymaster Lennard.  At this point, I’m actually missing “Noun Verb-Noun” naming convention.  He explains that he’s had reports of something happening in the ruins outside of town.  He’s already sent some of his own people to investigate, but they haven’t returned so something is really wrong there.  We all start asking questions about the mission, but I feel my questions about “how important are these ruins” – AKA just have draspher blow them up – were the most pertinent.  He explains that he thinks they might have something to do with the coup, so he wants us to go and investigate, hopefully finding more leads for us to go on.

We head back to the barracks to gear up and roll initiative.  We decide the best plan is to get close then recharge using telons swift sleep speel.  We head out of the city towards the location marked and review what we know.  Four different people went in independently: a fighter named Talgen, the Wizard Aharwyn, a paladin called Sir Bradford and a ranger called Karakas.  Over the last four days they were all sent to investigate, and none of them have been heard from since.  We head east out of the city and eventually start finding large pillars by the roadside just as it goes by a large Ravine.  Its pretty big, several miles long, 30’ wide and so deep we can’t see the bottom in the darkness.  Its along here that the map points us, or to be more accurate its down IN the Ravine. We initially send Mee down to investigate and he rolls a natural 20.   We quickly ask draspher if he needs a light spell, he asures us that he has dancing lights, he’ll be fine.  We then argue about how exactly dancing lights works and how far it can go, but it’s all rendered mute when he gets down there and draspher points out he has darkvision:

Jaune – then why did he need dancing lights?

Mee spots a knotted rope going down to a sandy platform 80’.  While the rest of us argue how to get down (draspher volunteers to go down first, Ocelot suggests the people with cat boots jump down and I still say we bomb the canyon and bury them) Yolan notices the pillars have lots of graffiti.  A quick check he realises that there dwarfen runes, all giving general warnings to stay away.

Part 2, down into the dark

We finally decide to go down the rope, first Telon, then me, then draspher, then Ocelot and finally Yolan (he stayed behind to keep casting guidance on everyone to help with climb rolls).  Luckily, we all make it down safely.  Looking around we notice the bones of small animals dotted around the place.  We quickly spot a set of stairs going down in the dark.  Ocelot picks up a rock and, after getting someone to cast a light spell on it, he tosses it down.  It makes a few bounces before going down a crack but its enough to see several staircases going back and fourth down the side of the ravine. Before our arguments about the best course of action gets too far Telon spots footprints going down the stairs in the sand and goes down himself.  We go down in the order of Telon first, then Myself, draspher, Ocelot then Yolan at the back.  

As we go down, we start hearing a squeaking/hissing sound coming from somewhere around us.  Suddenly a shape leaps out at Telon at front, one comes out of the wall by me and draspher and a third from behind attacking Yolan.  Yolan immediately identifies it as a dire rat.  Not that it really matters, one activation of a destruction judgement and a swing of 11 damage leaves it a smear on the floor.  draspher follows up by firing an adhesive spittle and rolling a one.  I somehow manage to dodge out of the way on a narrow staircase.  Fortunately, Ocelot blows the rat away before draspher can try to kill me by “helping” more.  Telon up front shows off why he’s the group muscle by smacking a rat with a vital strike for 17 damage.  So much for that encounter.

With that done, I get to the most vital job.  Slapping draspher for nearly hitting me with his spells AGAIN.  He responds with a joke about being thankful he didn’t throw out a burning hands or fireball.  I tell him that if he pulls that crap again, I’ll throw him over the edge, and for good measure take the scroll of feather fall he’s been boasting about first.  We go down the stairs, and Yolan ends up slipping up on the loose sand and stumbles onto the guard rail.  Unfortunately, an ageing guard rail can’t hold up a figure wearing plate mail and it snaps like matchsticks.  Ocelot makes a risky jump down to grab on him, but he just can’t hold his weight and Yolan drops.  This means he has a first row seat to seeing Yolan tumble down to the bottom, taking 16 points of damage:

Ocelot – are you ok?

Telon – I’ve had worse, but this is not my proudest moment

Looking out, Ocelot catches sight of a steeple off in the darkness, and the vague shape of some kind of fortress dug into the rock.  Seeing this, he scrambles down the rest of the stairs to catch up with Yolan. Telon jumps straight down with his boots of the cat, while I combine my own set with a graceful leap to only take 1 damage from the fall, and draspher decides against taking the tricky climb to instead dimensional door straight to the bottom.

Now we are all down the bottom, which is to say Ocelot is actually on the staircase while the rest of us have landed behind it, we take a look around.  We are in a small courtyard just outside of some kind of Battlement.  Judging by the look of it, it must have been above ground on the surface before sinking to the bottom of the ravine.  Telon decides to try and bypass our usual arguing and goes straight for the door.  He is rewarded for his forward thinking attitude with a trap door at his feet, falling 20’ into a pit for a grand total of 2 damage.  Pulling himself up, he checked out his new surroundings.  At least he’s not alone down there, he’s got a couple of skelitons and a dead goblin with him to keep him company.  I quickly go help him out with a rope, and Yolan comes to actually pull him out, on account of my abysmal strength.  Of all people, its draspher who checks for and realises that theirs’s something moving down there (aside from Telon).  Telon turns just in time to see a dwarf skeleton moving slightly.  Suddenly something springs at him from his eye socketed, ANOTHER RAT!  Too bad for it, Telon is still in metal armour, and his sneak attack does nothing.  Luckily Ocelot runs over and opens fire.  Unluckily his gun immediately jams on the first shot.  It was all for nothing anyway as Telon literally just smushes it with 15 damage against a wall.  I disable the trapdoor, keeping it open while the others keep watch.  Ocelot hears something in the rubble surrounding them.  Looking closer, he can see that there are multiple rats moving throught the rubble, we might want to leave this area at some point soon.  Yolan finally finish pulling Ocelot up, and a quick examination of the trapdoor hole shows a small ledge we can use to get into the door.  While Ocleot fixes his gun, I disable the door and back off, as drasher uses mage hand to open the door.  

Part 3, the investigation begins

We move in to see the scene of a fight long past.  Three goblin bodies lining the walls, one of them pinned to the wall with a spear.  Telon leaps the pit and takes a closer look.  The room has two doors leading further in, and a fourth body that was previously out of sight.  He takes a quick look at the spear impaled one and realises the spear was thrown with incredible strength.  I jump over the pit as well (not one to be shown up) and I quickly realise, with what the GM calls my “ninja-senses” I realise there is a hidden door in the wall, which I immediately investigate.  Yolan goes across the pit on the safe part as “he’s happy with the size of HIS penis”, and goes to the right door, finding a blank corridor.

draspher announces “Mee and I have a plan”.  This immediately upsets Telon – not the fact he has a plan, he’s upset that that sentence is grammatically correct, and it really shouldn’t be.  He then comes out from under the stairs, shocking the GM that he never moved out from under there and laments he hadn’t realised as he would have had him be eaten by rats.  He immediately tries to pull the spear out of the wall with mage hand, but even with Mee helping he fails to move it.  Ocelot goes in and prepares to shoot anything coming into the room from the outside.  He then reluctantly adds a stipulation that he won’t shoot draspher (I think a part of all of us was disappointed he added that).  Telon goes to the other door and checks it out. He sees a corridor with another door down with a stone dragon statue next to it, and the corridor is blocked off by collapsed with rubble.  

I check the secret door, and realise the thing has a needle trap hooked up to the keyhole.  I disable the trap and I realise that the poison on said needle has long evaporated.  I open the door, and see the skeletons of three archers.  Three skeletons that don’t stay still, but instead jump up and attack me.  The first lashes at me but doesn’t stand a chance of hitting me.  The second tries to grab me, but I dive back just in time.  Ocelot immediately see me dive back and puts a bullet in the new head that appears, hitting for 13 damage and dropping it as his head turns mostly to dust.  Yolan moves up to the gap I left, and smashes one with his Morning star for 15 damage, leaving him without a head and dropping him instantly.  draspher, like any good party member should, ignores the fight and starts casting identify to figure out what the spear is.  Ocelot decides to secure the prerminter and closes the door behind draspher, just in time as he hears screeching and scuttling approaching the door.

Telon goes down the corridor he found (he’s deaf, so he can’t hear us.  That’s his reason/excuse for not coming) and examines the door and statue.  He finds a keyhole in its mouth, figuring that must be the mechanism that opens the door.  He’s so intent on examining it, he doesn’t notice the creature attacking him from behind. His first realisation is the feeling of teeth breaking on his iron boots.  He turns to see the rat nursing its jaw.  He just gives it a boot, smearing its guts over his boot and the wall.

Meanwhile I, like any good leader, immediately retreat from the attacking skeletons, and go behind my personal meat shield aka draspher.  This is so that I am not between the spellcaster and the things that need to die (or at least that’s my excuse on the official report, truth is I don’t want to get hit, and by this point I honestly don’t care what happens to him).  Yolan moves further into the room and quickly identifies that it as a skeleton, and tires to kill it with a bane strike.  Unfortunately, with a roll of 1 he misses and gets his Morningstar stuck in the wall.   Unfortunately, said meat shield decides to just go and help Telon with the door, figuring we’ve got the skeletons covered.  Ocelot moves in for an angle on the skeleton that’s attacking Yolan, and he gets to a point where he has a 50/50 chance to hit.  He manages to hit it for 7 damage killing it.  He then follows on his highest priority, and yells to Yolan “any decent loot?”.  Yolan checks, and with a natural 20 he finds 16 silver pieces, 9 gold pieces and each skeleton had a +1 crossbow bolt each.  He gathers it up and then goes to put an alarm on the door, just in case something tries to get in.

Part 4, advancing to future failure

As there finishing off, I decide to check out the other corridor.  Since it’s a big table, I make the mistake of letting Yolan move my mini.  This is the last time I make this mistake.  I go down, lighting a torch to light the way.  I get about half way down the corridor before I walk into something that smothers my torch.  It then eats my torch.  It then eats my arm.  It then eats me.

Luckily, while Yolan retrieves his mace, he notices the light in my corridor disappear, and goes to investigate.  He notices a shape making its way down the entire hallway, and a blurry shape in the middle.  With a chill down his back, he realises what it is, and shouts out “A cube just ate Jaune”.  Yup, I walked into a transparent gelatinous cube.  At the same time, draspher hears a noise from that direction, and comments to Telon:

draspher – I hear something, should we investigate?

Telon – you can, I have a key to find

So draspher runs out of the corridor, through the room and next to Yolan. As we point out, he’s managed to move into range to be eaten next turn.  Ocelot contributes by moving into range and tossing a grenade into the slime. Ocelot moves up, throws grenade in, uses precise blast to exclude me from getting hit.  He deals 9 damage to it, but it’s not enough to free me.  Meanwhile I fail my fortitude save and take 10 damage.  I am also paralysed for the next 7 rounds.

The slime notices more people come into to corridor and decides to eat them too.  It surges down the corridor, pushing Yolan and draspher out of the room by it’s sheer mass.  It then starts forcing it’s way through the doorframe to try and slam draspher.  Telon feels the bomb detonation and the slime impacting the doorway, so comes out the corridor to yell at the three stooge’s  

Telon – what are you idiots doing?

Ocelot – [signs at telon] something is eating jaune

This is enough to motivate him to help, so he goes over to pull draspher out of the way of the slime.  Draspher rolls a natural 20 to realise what he’s doing, disappointed as he was planning on burning me out with burning hands.  Once again, I am so thankful that Telon is here.  I can’t do anything except for check for traps in the slime.  The only thing I can to is argue what’s getting damaged by the acid I’m stuck in.  In the end we decide the only thing that’s really going to be damaged are my clothes.

Yolan yells out “Jaune, close your eyes.  I hear him, but am still completely paralysed, so I can’t even close them.  Yolan blasts the slime with a searing light spell for 18 damage.  Its now damaged to the point its no longer a cube.  Draspher follows up with a burning hands spell, burning it for 16 damage, and Ocelot tries to let loose, but it misfires, then has a near misfire which would have caused it explode.  Fortunately, its enough damage to cause it to fall apart.  The good news is that I’m free, the bad news is now I’m face down in a puddle of slime.

Part 5, water way to go

Now that’s the dangers over, Telon’s going back to figuring out the door.  He tells Yolan to deal with the healing while he looks for the key, with no luck.  I still can’t move, and takes another 10 damage from the acid I’m covered in.  Yolan pulls me out of the puddle, then gets to casting restoration which manages to remove my paralysis, while draspher cleans me up and Ocelot scoops up some of the slime to experiment with.  Once I’m up Telon yells at me to unlock the door for him and I go far more cautious about the dangers of this place, so I drag Yolan with as a bodyguard.  I’m still shaken from the slime, so I end up rolling a natural 1.  I decide it’s safer to just take my time and take 20.  

While I struggle with the lock Ocelot fixes his gun.  I also take a second to realise my “ninja-blade” is showing so I use my sleeves of many garments to get a change of clothes.  After much trying I find it’s no good, I can’t break the arcane lock, we’re going to need the key.   Ocelot gets bored of this nonsense with the door and goes down the slime-freed corridor and finds the first door on the left, choosing to just kick it down.  Yolan leave me (Traitor, your supposed to be my bodyguard) to help Ocelot, checking the door on the right to find just an empty room.  

After failing to kick it down, Ocelot takes note of the door.  Like the previous door, it has a stone relief but this one is shaped like some kind of dragon/fish creature.  He calls me over, and I try my luck with this door, finding it easy to crack.  Howerver, after my experience with the slime I back off and tell Yolan to open the door as I’m not risking it.  He does and finds a large metal keg, with pipes going up into the ceiling from it.  Ocelot takes a look as well and believes it must be the old castle water reserve.   Checking it over he taps it and finds its still full of water, and the top is blocked by some kind of metal bung that’s so rusted over he might be able to break it open.  He asks Yolan for help, but he just passes the buck onto Telon.

With a single swing, Telon smacks the bung apart with the butt of his weapon, and water spills everywhere.  Telon quickly checks the water flowing everywhere, but its not poisioned.  In face its in pretty good quality considering how long it must have been in there.  The pipe starts making an awful rattling as the water pours out, way too loud to just be water pouring out, even as the force increases.  Soon the entire corridor is filled with water and we have difficulty moving through it.  Then a creature makes its way out of the pipe.  

With an angry scream it fires a cone of acid, hitting everyone (except for me hiding well out of the way in the corridor), Ocelot dodging out of the way for half damage taking 4 while everyone else takes 9.  I take a look and decide the corridor is too crowded for me to go down, so I leave it to the others for now.  Yolan realises it’s a water Mephit and shouts out a warning that only magic can affect it.  draspher casts haste on us to speed us up, and Yolan uses another searing light, hitting it for 17 damage.  Telon then gets his turn, and slashes it twice beheading the creature with 25 damage and is quickly disintegrates into water, seeing it leave behind 5 small sapphire he grabs.  This also causes the water to stop flowing like crazy.  Yolan heals up telon while Ocleot checks out the empty room finding nothing.  He does realise it would be a perfect place to set up a camp for the night.  We decide to leave it there before taking the stairs up to the next level.

Embarrassments to the guild – 5, the bear, draspher getting mugged, draspher growing antlers in a magic school, meeting the king (2), falling down a pit,   Jaunes brave advances towards future victory – 11, when jess attacked in the night, the barn, the demons, the fear from Anubis and running from the dust jackal, the fight in the Whitewater compound both at the start and at the end (2), escaping the killer clockwork to talk down lady Ezrisha, at the end of the first training mission, going to get the guards rather than help with the poisoner, from the skeletons Times draspher did good – 3, The enlarge person spell, taking out a dragon, mending train tracks   Times draspher did bad – 7, ghost sounds through the glass window he had previously been told was too thick, nearly giving away the groups connection to southwater to a complete stranger, the antlers, getting mugged, announcing he was mugged by kids, announcing he was going after kids to beat the crap out of them, nearly hitting me with adhesive spittle AGAIN   Team members drilled over – 10, Vex getting shot in the back, Yolan getting a dragon dropped on him, draspher and Yolans spells backfiring, draspher getting mugged, Telon down a hole, I find a secret door filled with skeletons,  getting eaten by a slime, ocelot misfires (2) Terms confused/forgotten – 4.5, the guild name, the fact we had papers (.5), the collages, the tournament name, mr Quinn link

[blahblahblippyblah]

Magnus Chase and a Plotless Hogwarts Fanfiction

Chapter 1: First time at Hogwarts

full story: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11429727/chapters/25609020

When Magnus reached the gates he had to stop to take a big breath. Hogwarts was much bigger than he thought it would be. The castle loomed over him like a mountain. He was starting to second guess himself. When the headmaster Samirah al-Abas, his long-time friend had offered him the position he thought it wouldn’t be that big a deal. The old care of magical creatures teacher had retired she had been left in a pickle since term started tomorrow. She had sent him and owl begging him to come and teach. He had always been good with magical creatures and nature. He had even once befriended a unicorn. But looking across the vast grounds Magnus was worried he might be in too deep. What if he sucked at teaching? What if the students didn't like him? What if he made a fool of himself? Magnus knew only the smarter most talented wizards taught at Hogwarts and he knew he definitely wasn't in that category. He was about to change his mind and turn around and head back to the train when he heard a voice call at him. Striding across the lawn was a young man calling his name.

"Professor Chase. So glad to meet you" the stranger said as he approached. He wore a regular white button down shirt and black slacks. Over his shoulder was a dark blue cloak with military badges pinned to it. He sweated slightly in the afternoon sun. His skin was dark and warm and his hair was cut to military perfection. He smiled broadly at Magnus and extended his arm.

"I'm Professor Jefferson, but you can call me T.J. I teach history of magic. The headmaster has sent me down to greet you and help you to your office. She would have come down herself except there's been an incident with peeves breaking into an office. Professor Fierro is livid."

Magnus shook his hand back.

"Nice to meet you T.J. You can call me Magnus. I don't really like going by my last name that much."

"No problem” T.J said helping Magnus carry his trucks. "This way to the castle"

T.J. led Magnus into a vast entrance hall and up a flight of stairs. The castle was magnificent. Magnus had never seen anything quite like it. His mother had taught him form home therefore he never had a chance to attend Hogwarts. The place was jaw dropping.

"Exactly how many student go here?" Magnus asked nervously.

"Around 1000, but don't worry care of magical creatures is an elective. You will have only around 30 students or less per class"

T.J probably meant this as a comforting fact but it made Magnus' stomach turn.

The reached a small wooden door at the end of a narrow hall. T.J. opened the door then handed Magnus the keys.

"Well it was nice meeting you Magnus. I’m looking forward to working with you. Your office is up the stairs at the back of the classroom. Dinner is at 6 in the Great Hall which is down the flight we came up and to the right."

Magnus shook the man's hand one more time and walked into the classroom. The class room was a decent size. One wall was made up of tall windows that overlooked to the grounds and the lake. Magnus huffed and walked to the back if the room. He climbed the stairs clumsily trying to avoid doing 2 trips with his trunks and opened the office door. The room was circular with a large wood desk in the middle. The window behind the desk had a breathtaking view of the lake. The wall of the room were lined with empty bookshelves and picture hooks. Magnus dropped his trunks and opened the side door of the office. It opened into a small living space. A small bathroom and sitting room/bedroom. A large 4 poster bed was tucked away around a corner. A tall window with a sitting bench was beside the bed. Magnus thought it was so beautiful he might cry. He had been living on the streets of London for 4 years. This place was a miracle. He quickly shook his head before he became too overwhelmed and began unpacking. Soon the shelves were filled with books, tiny skeletons, and stuffed creatures he had collected over the years. He hung his sketches of interesting beasts he had encounter in his travels and a photograph of his mother and him hiking. The only thing of her he hand left.

By the time he had finished he noticed he still had 2 hours until dinner. A note on the desk from Samirah informed him that as care of magical creature’s teacher he had full access and responsibility for the hippogriff paddock located just inside the forest. Along with some other responsibility to other school creatures like the thestrals. The cabin beside the forest was equipped with everything he would need.

Magnus decided to go and check out the cabin and forest before dinner. So he picked up his ratty cloak threw it over his shoulder and headed out the door.

******

When he got to the entrance hall he ran into Samirah. She was in the middle of a conversation with a person with bright green hair and brightly coloured pink and green robes. They were waving their hands and talking in a slightly raised voice obviously ranting. When Samirah saw Magnus she waved him over.

"Magnus. I'm so glad you accepted my offer. I'm really excited to have you here to teach. This is professor Fierro. She teaches transfiguration and is my head of Slytherin house." Sam introduced.

"Call me Alex.” the stranger said extending their first for a fist bump instead of a hand shake. Magnus happily compiled.

"So I’m assuming you’re the professor Fierro of the recently vandalized office."

Alex grumbled and nodded.

"I thought I locked it but apparently I didn't. Now I need to find 50 guinea pigs before class starts."

"Regardless Alex it could have been worse. Peeves hasn't really stared the worst if his beginning of the year shenanigans." Sam said.

Magnus took this all I guessing it was important info. A poltergeist that haunted the school named Peeves. Check.

"Anyway I must go. I need to talk to the school governors before dinner. I might be a bit late. They received some more complaints about hearthstone from the usual families but this time they have apparently sent there complaint to the ministry as well."

Alex faced knotted in displeasure.

"You can tell them to shove their complaints up their..." Alex street but Sam but in.

"Alex maybe you could take Magnus up to the staff room. Blitzen is up there trying to comfort Hearth. Also introduce him to some more people before he is overwhelmed at supper"

Alex nodded and lead up the entrance was while Sam strode up the opposite end of the entrance way.

“So Magnus where you from?" Alex asked.

"Well I was born I Boston but came to Europe when I was 14. My mom wanted to travel and explore the world with me. I guess that how I learned so much about magical creatures."

“Oh that's cool. I'm from Boston too. Moved here when I started teaching 3 years ago. Don't worry you'll love it here. All the professors are close and supportive. Plus like 99.99% of students are well behaved. Well behaved by teenager standards."

I smiled at her. Then I noticed something.

"Hey your hair is pink now!" I exclaimed.

"Well ya. I'm a metamorphmagus. It’s only of the few perks of being me. I'm also gender fluid just so you know."

She looked me dead in the eye as sing how I would react. Honestly that didn't surprise me. I knew lots of homeless transgender and gender Louis persons. Most kicked out by their families at young ages because of it. I didn't see any problem with Alex being gender fluid.

"So what would you like me to call you by?" I asked.

"she/her until I tell you otherwise" Alex answered.

"Ok no problem"

We reached the main staircase and my jaw dropped 100 of staircases zigzagged across the area swinging into different positions. They went up at least 40 floors probably more. Looking up at the ever chaining stairs made me dizzy.

"Oh ya keep an eye on the staircases they too like too" she grinned.

We climbed a dozen flights of stairs before we reached the right floor. I was slightly out of breath. Man I was glad my office was on the first floor. Alex didn't seem to be gazed. Maybe doing these stairs multiple times a day had increased her tolerance for excruciating physical activity.

She led me through some winding corridors until we reached a set of door that were flanked by 2 gargoyles. Alex opened the doors and I followed her in. The room was large with long panels running along the walls. It was outfitted with mismatched, dark wooden chairs and cuff looking couches. By the fire I saw two people sitting on a puffy floral print couch.

The first man was slightly older than me. Probably in his late 20's. He was short and built with a dark mocha complexion. His hair was neatly combed back and he was sporting the most handsome set of robes I had ever seen. Deep purple with gold embroidery around the collar. Underneath he sported a blinding white dress shirt with a lilac tie. His black dress pants were held up his leather suspenders. His dress shoes were shiny and immaculately clean. His arm was around a taller man that was bent over with his head in his hands.

The second man was very tall and very pale. If he was standing in the snow the only thing of him that would be visible was his completely black set of clothes. His hair was so blonde it was white. His eyes shined grey and his skin was so white it was almost translucent. Around his neck loosely hung a red and white candy cane stipend scarf. The rest of his clothes were very causal compared to the man beside him. He was dressed like a muggle. He was very thin and gangly in an anemic hasn’t eaten in months sort of way. He simply wore a black long sleeved t-shirt dark jeans and high-tops. When they entered the darker man looked up.

"You must be Professor Chase?" he reached over to shake my hand.

"Actually it's just Magnus." I said as in shook his hand. I then went to sit in the chair across from them on the couch.

Alex sat down beside the tall pale man and started patting his shoulder.

"Well it’s nice to meet you Magnus. I'm Blitzen but you can call me Blitz. I teach charms here and am head of Hufflepuff house and this is Hearthstone, you can all him Hearth. He teaches ancient runes and his head of Ravenclaw."

Hearth had raised his head by now and was watching Blitz talk. When he was done he made some gestures with his hands towards Blitz.

I watched confused. As Blitz answered Hearth's gestures with more gestures.

"Don't say 'was'. You’re not getting fired. Sam would rather close the school down before firing you. You’re a great teacher." Blitz said as he moved his hands.

"Ya Hearth. You’re the best runes teacher this school has ever had. You know more about reading runes than every the ancient wizards who used them. Plus your students love you." Alex said softly also gesturing with her hands.

By this point I was smart enough to catch on. I may be clueless but I wasn’t that clueless. Hearthstone was deaf. And I was pretty sure I knew what the complaints Sam had revived were about. I frowned. I had no faith in humanity anymore, which probably had a lot to do with living on the streets. Stupid wizards. I didn't know the guy but I knew some deaf guys from the street. They were just regular old guys and girls that were shunned because people are too obsessed with their ideas of perfect. Hearth made some more gestures and this time I picked up the most of it.

"Only matter of time. ‘S’ can't help. Ministry involved. I'm unfit and useless."

Blitz went to grab Hearth's hands but Hearth stood up and quickly signed something. Then practically ran out of the room. Blitz went to go follow but Alex grabbed his arms and pulled him back.

"Give him some time to calm down. I know you want to be by him right now but he needs some time to calm down."

Blitz didn't look happy with that but sat down anyway. He slumped back into the couch let out a long drawn out sigh.

"I don't know the whole story here but why don't parents want Hearthstone teaching?"

Blitz grumbled and then answered.

"They say that it's because he can't speak and he will confuse their children and not be able to teach them properly. Which is complete nonsense since almost all of Hearth's student finish his classes being completely fluent in runes. It's a little more complicated than that though"

"How so?" I asked.

"Well it has a lot to do with pure blood prejudice. Hearth’s deaf so they don't agree with that. Also Hearth's family is well known for having elf blood in them. Where he's from it’s not such a big deal. But the purebloods here hate it. They think half breeds shouldn't be able to teach."

I frowned at that.

"That's horrible"

"Your telling me." Blitz said. "I'm part dwarf myself. But thankfully it's so distant I'm able to hide it. It also helps my parents were nobodies so it's not out on the open. But Hearth, well it's a little harder"

Alex was flicking her wand in her lap and angrily tapping her foot.

"It’s always the same group of parents too. These kids are in my house. Worst bunch of snotty brats I have ever met." She said. "Anyway we will find a way to cheer Hearth up tonight. Sam always comes through with the yearly round of complaints about how she runs things."

"So I don't want to sound stupid but what are these houses you guys are taking about?" I ask.

Alex grinned and answered me as she took off her cloak to get comfier on the couch.

"Hogwarts students are separated into one of 4 hours based on who they are. There’s Slytherin which is my house. For those who are cunning and ambitious. Then there Gryffindor for those who are brave and bold. T.J is the head of Gryffidor. Then there Ravenclaw which is Hearth's house. Students there are clever and wise. And finally there's Blitz’s house Hufflepuff. Where they pick flowers and hold hands." Alex said.

"Hey!” Blitz protested. "Hufflepuffs are kind and loyal. Also we are great finders. And way better than those sly Slytherin bunch. At least my students behave themselves" Alex frowned. "Most of my students are good kids there just a handful of bad apples"

"Anyway Magnus. The four houses correspond to the 4 founders anyway at Hogwarts. They use to sort students based of those qualities so we still sort the students for tradition.” Blitz finished.

I nodded.

"Sounds cool. I wonder what house I would be in." I said.

"Hmmm" Alex pondered. "I wonder if we could sort you? I mean usually we only sort 1st years, but I wonder what would happen if we tried. That would be fun."

Just then the staff room door opened and T.J came in with 2 other people. A fiery red head wearing a tartan skirt a Wired Sisters t-shirt, and a blurry guy the size of a mountain. His face was oddly disfigured and his hair and beard grew wildly. He grinned down at us.

"Magnus this is Mallory and Half born. Mallory is our flying instructor and quidditch coach. Half born here teaches arthimancy. "

Mallory waved and crashed across a two person couch herself. Half born walked over and gave me a bone crushing hand shake. I massaged my bones back into place as he went to occupy a large arm chair.

"So Magnus what's your story. How did Al-abas find you?" Half born asked.

"Umm I ran into her in the mountains. I was put there watching Ukrainian Iron Bellies. Trying to figure out what they eat in the winter when Sam ran into me. I guess she was up there looking for some giant. She stayed for a bit so she could see the dragons. Then she kept in contact with me. Sometimes asking me advice on some of the creatures in your forest. I guess when your last professor retired she thought I would fit in."

"Sounds pretty similar to most of our stories. I'm sure you'll fit in just fine. We are all close. It's like a big family here." T.J said.

One big family. Sitting in that arm chair surrounding by all these people I only just met I got a warm sensation in my stomach. I had no doubt that these people would become my family.

[kyotocollection]

Japanese Cat Names

Japanese cat names are an interesting window onto the culture. Are you looking for a Japanese name for your kitten?  Or maybe you've seen a famous cat or two in manga or anime and are curious about what sort of names Japanese people choose for their feline friends.  Whatever the basis for your curiosity, I'll do my best to share what I've learned as an animal lover living in Japan since 1997.  I've enlisted the help of Japanese friends in this pursuit, to be sure that my understanding squares with theirs, and ended up learning as well as confirming a lot in the process!

Let's look at some names for male and female cats. More than just giving a name with a translation,  I want to pass along some related information that will give you a better idea of naming conventions in Japan so that if you're looking for a name, you'll have more confidence in going with your inspiration and choosing something whether it's on a list or not.  

I also want to introduce you to katakana, the relatively simple Japanese syllabary that's most often used to write pet names.  And I'll mention a point that's often overlooked, natural intonation so that when you call to your cat, it sounds pretty much the same as it would if the owner were a native speaker.  We'll also take a look at an important aspect of names in general in Japan, suffixes that add warmth and familiarity when used.

Foreign Pet Names-It Goes Both Ways

So let's dive in. First off, it's worth noting that In Japan, pet owners sometimes choose a western name over a Japanese one for the same reason you might be considering something Japanese-it's a novel way to express your interest in a culture outside your own and to be a bit different.

And when Japanese people choose a western name for a pet, it's often a person's name.  A Japanese friend once had a dog named John, for example.  I never asked her why she it, but I'd bet she liked an actor or singer by that name.  The most famous Japanese cat with a western name is probably Michael of 'What's Michael?' fame. The manga was such a hit that it spawned a long running animated TV series in the 80's. 

Japanese people sometimes choose the names of Japanese celebrities for their pets as well.  So if there's a Japanese actor or musician you like, you might consider using a version of their name.  Ichiro isn't likely to be offended if you're a baseball fan and name your cat after him!

Speaking of stars, Leo the Lion isn't just a constellation, he's also one one reason why there are so many cats in Japan with the name, pronounced 'Lay-Oh.'

In similar fashion, the Japanese word for tiger, Tora, works quite well as a name because it's short and it's no stretch to imagine most cats as mini tigers, especially if they have stripes. Most cat names in Japan seem to be two syllables, with some three-syllable monikers in the mix.  Keeping it short and sweet is a good angle to approach things from, it seems.

Japanese Cat Names from Flowers and Plants

Flowers and plants are another source of inspiration. Japanese girls are often named after flowers and cats are, too. The Japanese word for flower is hana, and Hana is a very popular name for female cats. 

You might well already know some Japanese plant names like Sakura(cherry) and Ume(plum).  Momo(peach) and Sakura are also among the most popular female cat names in Japan.  But don't stop there-other flowers such as Kiku(chrysanthemum) are also prime candidates! Mums have a rich, regal history in Japan and are associated with the Imperial family.

I thought up some names of fruits in Japanese and ran them by some Japanese friends, wondering if they would work as cat names. These are the ones that passed muster as cute, easy to say possibilities for female cats-Ichigo(strawberry), Suika(watermelon), Anzu(apricot), and Mikan(mandarin orange.) 

Think of various aspects of these names and others. If for example, you got your cat in summer or she was born then or just strikes you as having a summery personality, referring to her as the Japanese word for watermelon might hit just the right note.

Another fruit name that got the thumb's up from Japanese friends was Ringo(apple), but I nixed it because though it's indeed catchy, you might be mistaken for a die-hard Beatles fan with that one, and could soon get fed up with explaining the real meaning behind the choice!

Use Your Cat's Appearance as Inspiration

Another fertile filed to plow when it comes to names is your cat's coloring.  In Japan, the words for black(kuro) and white(shiro) are both standard choices for cats and dogs of both sexes.

If you happen to have a calico cat, you might consider the name Mi-ke. I added the hyphen to try and differentiate it from the common western name Mike, as it's pronounced Mee-kay.  It literally means 'three-hair' and refers to the three colors of fur that calicoes sport. Japanese calicoes are usually predominantly white along with two other colors, and are a very popular breed in Japan and abroad. Many Japanese cat owners in fact name their calico Mi-ke, just as countless western dog lovers over the decades have named their pooches Spot.

Is your cat small?  Then maybe something like 'Mame(pronounced (Mah-may) would be just right.  Mame means bean in Japanese, and has a cute, diminutive sound to it.  You might know this word already, as it's part of the word for soy beans, edamame(literally, branch bean). In a similar way, the name Mikan mentioned above has an endearing connotation, as it brings to mind something small and round.

Speaking of beans, the most popular female cat name in Japan taken from something edible might be 'Azuki.'  Azuki is a type of bean that's often used in Japanese cuisine, especially in making traditional sweets.  The notion of eating beans in sweets seems odd to many westerners, but take my word for it, bean based sweets are delicious and you shouldn't come to Japan without trying some!  

So naming your female cat Azuki, pronounced 'Ah-zu-key, would be a great choice if you're looking for a name that is 'authentic' in the sense that Japanese cat owners favor it.  And as with Mame, being a type of bean it carries with it the same cute, petite connotation. Since azuki beans are reddish brown, this name would work especially well if your cat has similar coloring. Do a net search for 'azuki' and you'll find photos of this culinary staple.

Traditional Seafood and Sweet Names Add a Wealth of Possibilities

All this talk about food is getting me hungry, so let's brainstorm with some words from Japanese cuisine that might strike your fancy.

Wasabi anyone?  How about Matcha(green tea)? Or Toro(fatty tuna, a delicacy)?  Then there's Wakame(a variety of seaweed), Ikura(salmon eggs), Saba(mackerel), Awabi(abalone), and the list goes on. In a similar way, many Japanese dog and cat owners choose names like 'Latte' and Mocha' these days. I think that names taken from seafood cuisine can be especially good fits with cat names, since they seem to enjoy such delicacies at least as much as we do!

I have a sweet tooth, so I'm partial to Mochi(pounded rice cake) sweets of all kinds. I also have a weakness for Dango(usually 3-4 small balls of mochi pounded rice on a stick).  We could go on and on brainstorming with foods, and I encourage you to have some fun with this. But with foods and with this process in general, take care not to get too esoteric, because you might well come to regret choosing a name that only you and a friend or two can remember and understand.

Japanese culture is finely tuned to the seasons and the natural world, and the cuisine reflects that.  You'll see ample evidence of this focus on nature in names like Sora, the word for sky. It's a staple on recent ranking lists for popular Japanese cat names and can be used for both males and females.  Note that the 'r' in sora is pronounced a bit differently than in English.

Famous Japanese Cats

I've already mentioned a famous cat, Michael, though he only exists in the world of comics and animation.  Ask about the most famous Japanese cat who's ever lived, and the name Tama is bound to come up. Perhaps because she gained fame so recently. In any case, she was certainly a phenomenon!  

Tama was a female calico who died in 2015 after going viral as the station master at Kishi Station in western Japan.  She gained an international following and was responsible for a huge surge in tourism to the area.  The name Tama is a cat name with a long history in Japan, much as the name Socks is thought of as a traditional cat name in some English speaking countries.  As a name it doesn't carry any special meaning, its popularity is mainly due to the way it sounds-short, easy to say and somehow endearing.

Sometimes a good name can boil down simply that.  And having such a common name certainly never held Tama back!  If anything, it made her even more memorable.  Of course the little station master's cap she wore at a jaunty angle also made her hard to forget!

If you happen to be a fan of the perennially popular manga Sazae-san about a family and their foibles that was first published in the 40's, you'll also know that the family's male cat was called Tama.  

And Tama was also the name chosen by the company that produces a series of cat themed furoshiki Japanese fabric cloths that I feature in my shop, as well.  This particular Tama is quite active with an eye for scenic spots, including the charming traditional buildings accented by cherry blossoms in full bloom on the furoshiki cloth below:

Other Key Cultural Notes

Now let's move to some general points about Japanese cat names.  First, intonation for names is basically flat. So all syllables get similar stress. It's common for native English speakers to pronounce the names of Japanese people as well as pets as they would in English, which often results in unnatural pronunciation. This often happens with three syllable words, as the middle syllable often gets stressed when it shouldn't get such special attention.  I have a Japanese friend named Yumiko who lives in the states, for example, who is often called 'Yu-MI-ko with the middle part stressed.  Similarly, Yukiko is known as 'Yu-KI-ko.'  

This tendency doesn't manifest much in two syllable words, and since most common pet names are short, like Tama, they end up being pronounced pretty much as they should be, with equal stress given to both syllables. But others, like Azuki that we looked at above, can become 'Ah-ZU-ki' if you're not aware of this aspect of Japanese language.

Then there's the custom of adding suffixes to names.  This is a key point to keep in mind, as it might steer you toward choosing one cat name over another, depending on how the name sounds in this form.

If you're an anime or manga fan, you're probably already well aware of the propensity to add 'chan' and 'kun' to the end of names.  Kun is basically used for boys and men, and like chan, conveys a familiarity and warmth.  Chan can be used for young boys as well as for girls and women. Adults can use these honorific suffixes with friends to show affection, though it's rude to use these suffixes to address a superior.  The first three letters of 'chan' are pronounced as in the name of the Cuban dance known as the Cha-Cha.

When we consider pet names, chan is the one to focus on, because it covers both sexes when it comes to animals.  And since pets are more often than not seen as cute and endearing, it's very natural to add chan to the end of their names. So, Sora becomes Sora-chan.  Tama is Tama-chan.  Presto! What was a cute name to start with gets even more so. 

Some names lend themselves better to the 'chan' treatment, in terms of how easily it all rolls off your tongue. Take for instance the sweets mochi and dango I mentioned above as possibilities.  'Mochi-chan'  is a bit harder to say than 'dango-chan' so based strictly on that, the latter would win out.

One thing to keep in mind with this-chan is usually something you use to refer to someone else's child or pet, not your own.  It's not rude or inappropriate to use it for your own pet, but it's most often a way for others to express a sense of affection and closeness for someone outside their own immediate family. So if you choose a Japanese name for your cat, informing those around you of this 'chan' add-on will pay dividends!

Finally, I'd like to make a list of all the names we've covered here, includes my brainstorms and some cat names that are among the most popular in Japan. When there's a meaning, I'll include that, and I'll also add the name as it's written in the katakana alphabet.  Often there is a kanji character for a name, but even then, the katakana is preferred when its used as a pet's name.  I've included the kanji characters mainly to illustrate just how simple the katakana is by comparison!

So if you have an interest in what a name looks like when written, don't make it unnecessarily hard by considering kanji characters.  Katakana characters are not only simple in their minimal number of angular strokes, but they're also preferred according to convention in this context. Knowing a bit more about Japanese cat names, including not only their meanings but how they're used can be a great way to delve more deeply into the culture in general.  If you have any questions related to this topic, please leave a comment!

Name Katakana/Kanji sex meaning/reference Ichiro イチロー M Baseball player Tora トラ 　        虎 M/F tiger Hana ハナ　         花 F flower Sakura サクラ　     桜 F cherry, cherry blossom Ume ウメ　         梅 F plum, plum blossom Momo モモ　　　  桃F peach, peach blossom Ichigoイチゴ　      苺F strawberrySuikaスイカ　    西瓜F watermelonAnzuアンズ　F apricotMikan ミカン　F mandarin orange Kuro クロ　        黒M/F blackShiroシロ　        白M/F whiteMi-keミケ　       三毛M/F calicoMameマメ　       豆M/F beanWasabiワサビ　M/F Japanese horseradish Matchaマッチャ　抹茶M/F Japanese green tea ToroトロM/F high grade cut of tuna IkuraイクラM/Fsalmon eggs Sabaサバ　　     鯖M/FmackerelWakameワカメ　   若布M/F seaweedAwabiアワビ　 M/F abaloneMochiモチ　         餅M/F pounded rice cakes Dangoダンゴ　   団子M/F skewered pounded rice cakes Soraソラ　        空M/F skyTamaタマM/F ------ Kikuキク　        菊F chrysanthemum

from Kyoto Collection: Latest News http://kyotocollection.com/blog/japanese-cat-names/