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the-sixxth-sinner · 3 years

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Aviable on AO3

Fandom(s): Mötley Crüe

Characters, ships: Nikki Sixx, Vince Neil / ✨v i n i k k i✨

Word count: 6.4k

Rating: 18+ / A-O

Warnings: sex work; internalized homophobia/homophobic slurs; oh yeah, this has a lot of gay smut btw

Summary: 19-year-old West Hollywood playboy Frankie Feranna - or Nikki Sixx, as he presents himself to the general public- is so confident in his heterosexuality that he decided it would be a good idea to offer his services to anyone, as long as they'll pay him. It's not gay if it's only for business, right? That's what Nikki would tell himself until he's approached by Vince, a pretty, sassy, (and horny) fast-food chain worker, who'll make him not only rethink his business methods but also his attraction to the same sex.

A/N: Inspired by the Crüe song Sumthin’ for Nuthin’. This is the first episode of hopefully a series (I’m thinking of 7-10 parts) of self-conclusive tales about the various encounters of gigolo!Nikki in his teenage/ya years. The events are not supposed to be in chronological order but are all set in the late 70s/early 80s, so expect different ages/descriptions of the protagonist in other episodes from this series.

Very special thanks go to the Vinikki Expert™ @arnold-layne for reading this and giving me the motivation that i needed to keep going until I finished it <3

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It was a hot summer’s night, and Nikki had just finished quite the challenging shift at work. Who would’ve guessed that bitch was into that kinky stuff? Sexual frustration really does a number on people’s sanity, he thought, while he carefreely skipped to the next turn of a dimly lit street, but he considered it a job well done, and the generous tip that was given him was the proof of it. The trash scattered around and the police sirens going off in the distance didn’t seem to affect Nikki’s mood: getting some food was the only objective in his mind, and the sleazy diner at the end of the road looked like a five-star restaurant at that moment of the night. Nikki’s eyes lit up at the sight of the sign still flipped on “open” and sped up the pace: he was starving.

He pushed the glass door and entered. It was empty, except for two bored-looking employees - some blond surfer dude and a brunette Latina - chatting behind the counter, and KISS blasting Detroit Rock City through the speakers. He greeted the waiters, sat down at one of the front tables, and skimmed the menu.

“...What about him, huh?” She asked her colleague, nodding towards the boy who just entered, keeping a low tone trying to not let their new customer hear them. “He’s kinda cute!”

The boy looked in the direction she was pointing at. God, more like drop-dead gorgeous. Six feet tall, chiseled jawline, copper brown hair to his shoulders, lips that only a god of love would have. The flickering colored neon lights reflecting on his face gave him an almost otherworldly aspect. He traced the young man’s profile with his gaze, wishing for that image to be engraved on his mind forever, hoping he would never forget it, while butterflies were growing in his stomach and his heart started pounding faster in his chest. He had never believed in love at first sight, but he was willing to admit he was mistaken this time.

“Well… he is cute.” The blond exhaled.

“Wait, isn’t that the new gigolo of the area? I saw him the other day with Rosie! And Olivia told me she’s seen his ad in The Recycler saying that he swings both ways.” The girl grinned. “You wanna talk to him?”

That question snapped him out of his thoughts: “Huh? No!” He responded, completely flushed.

“Oh, come on, Vince! When was the last time you turned down a chance to get laid?” She nagged him with the elbow.

“Lola!“ Vince grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her behind the kitchen doors.

“What, am I wrong?” She laughed, pushing him back.

Her colleague closed the doors. “I mean, no, but you can’t just say that!”

It’s been a while since Vince had some good sex. He used to get a lot of pussy from being the frontman of the local rock band, and he used to get a lot of dick when he’d pay rounds for all the guys at the gay club, but things weren’t going as well lately. Singing covers was becoming boring, so he tended to not show up at every gig, and just recently he had to cut his expenses for all his vices of the weekend because he found it hard to reach the end of the month.

However, that wasn’t a good enough excuse for her to freak out in front of some random guy who happened to be Vince’s current crush.

“Oops, I got carried away.” She giggled. “But you should go have a chat with him, chico.“

Vince peeked at the guy through the chink of the door, assorted in the menu. He sighed, flustered. “I can’t, dude, I just can’t...”

“Yes, you can!”

“Are you even sure he is bisexual, anyway?” Vince inquired.

“Yes!” Lola exclaimed, convinced.

“Well, what if he’s not? What if you’re confusing him with someone else?”

“It is him!”

“But how can you be so certain?!”

“Everybody I know told me, and my eyes work very well, too! He even has the ad in the paper, I’m telling you. How do you not know it’s him?”

In the meantime, Nikki approached the counter, squinting his eyes and straining his ears to try and understand what they were talking about over the blaring music. Were they talking about him? They ran away as soon as he walked in, so it didn’t seem like such a far-fetched idea. Hah, maybe he got jealous. Nikki snickered to himself. Couldn’t guarantee that he wouldn’t have laid a finger on her, especially if it’d involve good money.

“Uh…” Nikki cleared his voice. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, fuck.” Vince groaned, shaking his head. “I’m not goin’ out there.”

Lola put her hands on her hips and raised both her thick, black eyebrows at him in disappointment.

Vince rolled his eyes and exhaled loudly, throwing his head back. “Don’t look at me like that, Lola! I will die in front of him!” He lamented.

“Ugh, you’re sooo dramatic, Vinnie!”

“I’m not!”

“Yes, you are!” She pointed her finger at him. “And you should cut your crap before we lose that customer,” the girl pushed him against the door, “or else I will lock you in the freezer!”

“Oh, c’mon, again?!”

“Yeah, and it won’t be an accident this time!” Lola shoved Vince with one last effort through the threshold and closed the kitchen behind him. “Come back when you have the ordination, then we can talk!”

The surfer tumbled out of the staff-only area accompanied by the loud thwack of the doors, brushing his shirt with his hands and adjusting his cap, mumbling under his breath: “Ow, fuckin’ bruja… Hi, welcome!” His tone completely shifted and a 32-toothed smile decorated his face in the same sentence as soon as he saw the young ginger waiting in front of the bar.

Nikki smiled back politely. “Is… Everything okay?” He nodded vaguely in the cooking area’s direction.

Vince snorted. “Yeah, no big deal. Women, am I right?” He shrugged theatrically, raising his arms slowly to then lowering them with a sonorous puff of his hands when he made them fall along his hips.

“Yeah, I could tell ya a thing or two about that.” The ginger giggled, thinking about that night’s client. “Never met a normal one in my life!”

“Seriously! You should hear her sometimes… Anyway, what can I get you?”

He is... Pretty. Nikki never thought he’d say that about a man, but this boy’s beauty blew him away. His job required flexibility -money is money, he kept telling himself-, but he was sure the same sex did not attract him. Or at least he never questioned it, not until this guy here came into his life without being invited, with his warm skin tone and soft, kissable lips. He had the uniform’s shirt loosely unbuttoned and was wearing a reversed cap on his wavy, soft, bleach blond hair, which arrived a few inches under his shoulders. He looked rough due to sleep deprivation and the job he had, but if anything, that's what made him more attractive to Nikki, and what caused him to feel a new warm sensation rising from his stomach to his cheeks, then down to his legs, making them feel like jelly.

The waiter took Nikki’s ordination, asking him about extra sauces and drinks in the most cordial tone he ever heard from a fast-food chain employee, looking at him with his hand on his cheek and sparkly hazel eyes. Nikki ended up taking the greasiest, most expensive cheeseburger they had, not even bothering to tell the employee to not put pickles inside it even though he hated them with a passion.

“It’ll take me a sec for your drinks, so you can wait here before taking a seat.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Nikki nodded. He was blinded by hunger and too distracted by ogling the dude’s ass when he skipped away to worry about it. He just hoped he didn’t make the boy feel too uncomfortable as soon as he turned around and realized he was staring at him.

Vince occupied himself with the drinks machine. His heart was still pounding in his chest, and he was starting to sweat, worried that the cups would slip from his grip and not only make a fool of himself in front of the guy he was crushing on but also make a mess he’d have to clean up, which wasn’t exactly one of his favorite tasks in there. The young man took a deep breath, dried his palms on a towel while listening to Lust for Life on the radio, collected the cups, and handed them to the customer.

“Coke and smoothie for you, sir”, Vince announced with a smile.

The ginger looked up at him and smiled back. “Thank you.” The lights hit his green eyes, which made them sparkle like the Californian sea during the golden hours. He watched the customer cross the room to reach his seat attentively, observing his long legs and fluent walk. His stout build contrasted with the grace and agility in his movements.

While tapping his foot to the beat of the music, Vince glanced over what the ginger scribbled down on his notebook. Phone numbers? That reminded him of Lola mentioning his… advertisement. What exactly did she mean by that? What exactly was this guy’s business? He was not, without a doubt, a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman. But I’m sure he could suck me off just as well as one of those things... Vince reflected while staring at the boy mindlessly playing with the straw of the smoothie with his tongue, too preoccupied with doing his own thing to notice how outrageously erotic that looked. Vince shook his head, feeling almost ashamed of himself for having that thought, only to turn around and disappear behind the kitchen doors, with Iggy Pop jamming on the chorus in his ears.

“He wants the super double McSlap-in-the-face or whatever, I can’t remember, you know the one. The most expensive thing we have.” He communicated to his colleague as soon as he walked in.

“Roger that!” Lola immediately flipped patties on the hot slab.

“So,” the waitress opened, “How did it go?”

Vince threw some bacon slices on the grill to help her. “Terrible” he sighed, “Horrible. I’m dead inside.”

Lola sneered.

“What?”

“I see you’re alive and well, chico.”

“Appearances are often deceiving, chica.”

“I’ve watched you from here. You handled that well. And yes, that means I heard you making fun of me, but I’ll go past that, because you men have a weird way of bonding over slagging women, and right then, you needed to bond with that man.”

“How… considerate of you... I guess.” Vince commented while arranging the first half of the ingredients between the burger buns.

“Yep. Count yourself lucky.”

A brief pause, only interrupted by Vince humming the song that was playing in the other room.

“I think I caught him staring at my ass, though.” He noted, after a while.

Lola stopped what she was doing, turned her head slowly to his co-worker. “Chico.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t play dumb! Don’t you understand? He’s already yours!”

“Oh my God, Lola, we just talked about this…” Flirting was never a problem for Vince when the time and place were right, which was usually a wild night out when everyone was drunk and horny. This was some dude at the restaurant he worked at who just wanted to have something to eat before going home.

“I know, and I’m sure he is the one!”

“Yeah, but I am not!”

“Just trust me! Don’t you trust me?”

“I mean… Of course, but…”

“Listen, I saw the way you look at him. I could never forgive myself if I didn’t even try to help you hook up with that guy. You can end your shift early. I don’t care. Just go get his ass now, or die trying. Okay?”

Her employee took a moment to reflect. “I can end early? Are you sure?”

“Mm-hmm. Right when you two walk out that door together, you are free. It looks like I won’t have much business at this hour anyway. I can manage alone. How’s that sound?”

Another pause.

“Fuck… You sold me. Just give me a moment for a cigarette, though. I need to think about it.”

“Sure. Just don’t run away, okay?”

“Hah, I won’t. I’m too scared of you to pull that shit! Thank you, Lola.” He was already on the other side of the door that led to the back of the building.

“You owe me one, chico!” Lola shouted in the hallway, where Vince already disappeared.

The opening of the kitchen doors interrupted Nikki’s frenetic writing in his doodle-filled notebook.

“Here you are, sir!” The waitress walked out of the counter with the tray in hand and greeted Nikki with the brightest smile. She had long black hair collected in a braid, chocolate skin, and voluptuous curves.

“Oh, thank you, miss.” Nikki smiled back, genuinely grateful for finally having something to bite on.

“I heard you argued with… him, before.” He chimed in before the lady walked away from him. Maybe I can make some extra cash tonight.

The tired waitress turned her head. “I beg your pardon?”

“I heard you and the guy fighting before.” Nikki reiterated as he dissected the burger to find the pickles and take them off of it. “Is everything good?”

“Hm, yeah, he’s fussy sometimes, but nothing I can’t handle.”

“Are you two… Together?” Nikki stressed the last word slowly, leaning forward, fixing his eyes on hers.

“Uh…” She stopped, completely spun toward him, confused. “I don’t think that’s for you to know, sir.”

“Oh, hah. Well… That’s fair.” Come on, Nikki, recover. He placed the elbows on the table, leaning even more forward. “Just... know that if you want to release… Some tension, I can be your man… for a reasonable price.” His talk was slow, smooth, alluring.

“So you’re the new gigolo in town? I know I’ve seen your face somewhere. Frankie, right?”

Surprised, Nikki raised his head slowly, wandering with his eyes, reflecting on what to say next. “Uh… Nikki. I guess word travels faster than I anticipated, but if anything it’s good for my business”. He pulled out a small flask from his pocket and poured the liquid into his glass of Coke. “But please, gigolo sounds so cold. Call me a… teacher’s pest.” He glanced again at the waitress, showing off his most charismatic smile and a wink.

She left out a chuckle. "Spare your flirting tactics with me, I'm not interested." Not only in your services, but men in general, she wanted to add.

"Oh, come on, darling." He tilted his head, smiling, leaning back on the leather couch, extending his arm on top of it, and crossing his legs under the table. "I can give you a first-time discount!"

She was already on her way back to the employees-only area. "It'll be $7.89. Enjoy your meal!" Lola replied, without turning, pushing the doors to disappear behind them.

“But wait! …Ah, damn.” Nikki shrugged. Oh well, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. While consuming his fierce meal, the boy thought about the male waiter, whose memory gave him flutters in his chest that he wasn’t sure wanted to acknowledge, and humored, far back in his mind, even if for a fraction of a moment, the idea of actually trying his luck with him.

Meanwhile, Vince was able to clear his thoughts and decided to just go for it. Better regret something you did rather than something you didn’t, he said to himself while taking a swig - one-third of a bottle - of the alcohol he had in his bag. Such things necessitate bravery, but not the kind that gets you into fights - that’s easy. This was bravery in the face of rejection, and Vince couldn’t have done it sober.

Van Halen’s new single was blaring through the speakers of the dining hall.

“Hey, dude.” Vince tried to get the boy's attention as he walked outside the counter.

Nikki raised his head and nodded. “I only have twenty, but you guys can keep the change...”

“Don’t sweat it. It’s on the house.” Vince interrupted him. I hope it's okay with Lola.

“What...”

Vince shook his head and puffed away his tension. This was his opportunity. "Listen, man." He sat down in front of Nikki, looking him in the eyes, "I have to ask you a weird question just so I can prove my co-worker wrong. A bet, if you will. She says… She says you're the guy from West Hollywood who's getting paid for sex with the ad in The Recycler. Dudes, chicks, everything in between… As long as it's a good price. Is it true?" Vince had nothing to lose and everything to gain: he just had to give it a shot.

Nikki blinked, hesitant. "Maybe." A temporary pause. "Is… anyone interested?"

Vince slapped a fifty-dollar bill on the table. "Maybe."

Nikki’s brow furrowed. Okay, he didn’t expect that. He knew a guy would’ve eventually come at him - that’s what he advertised - he just thought that day would've taken way longer to come.

“What… Do you mean?” Nikki understood very well what that meant, he just wasn’t able to process it, still.

"Let's cut to the chase, okay? You have something I want, and I can pay you for that. We don't have to meet again if you don't want to, just… Can I have you for tonight?" His voice was deep, vibrating with desire.

Nikki’s breath was suspended in his throat. This would've been his first time with a guy. There’s always a first time for everything, after all… But it didn’t have to be. He could’ve just run away with the fucker’s money, too.

Vince added another fifty bucks. The pressure was rising, both in his blood and inside his pants now. "Please."

Nikki looked at the money, at the young man who was soliciting him, then at the money again. He would've already accepted - free dinner and extra cash? Hell yeah!-, but he just wanted to see how far he could push his luck. "Add another fifty and I'm yours." He replied defiantly, leaning on his back, crossing his arms.

Vince narrowed his eyes, baring his teeth. "You snake..." He was all about getting into the gigolo's business no matter what, but his wallet begged to differ.

"Them's the rules."

A pause.

"A hundred or nothing."

"Fifty."

"Ten."

"Forty-five."

"Fifteen."

"Thirty."

"Oh, just take my money already!" Vince rolled his eyes, adding the thirty dollars to the total amount.

"You've got yourself a deal", Nikki smirked as he reached for the money with his hand.

Vince blocked him and took the cash off the table. "Uh-uh", he said, waving his index finger in front of the ginger's face. "Don’t play with fire. You think you get to run away with my money?" The blond got up and grabbed the other by the wrist. “Follow me”.

The service door closed behind Vince's back while he was pushing Nikki out into the filthy alley, among the trash bags and rats. He grabbed Nikki by the waist, then got on his toes to meet his lips with his own. Nikki was surprised but didn't fight it, slowly opening his mouth to let Vince's tongue taste his, in a breathtaking, impetuous kiss filled with pure lust. It's fine, the gigolo kept repeating to himself in his head, just pretend it's a girl. Vince groaned in Nikki's mouth, glad to finally satisfy his craving, to be himself.

Nikki had to step back to catch his breath, and looked at Vince in the eyes, glistening under the cold white neon light. He was met with a worried, almost scared expression that didn’t require any clarification. Nikki moved his gaze down on Vince's lips, smirking, and started biting and sucking on them, pulling him closer by grabbing his hips. Pretend he's a girl. His one-night lover relaxed in Nikki's kiss, smiling back, grinding against him, and slowly pushing him towards the dumpster. He frantically untucked Nikki's shirt to run his fingers on his bare skin, to which Nikki shivered at each stroke, without letting go of his lips for one second, in a crescendo of intensity and synchronized heartbeats.

Vince finally detached himself from Nikki’s mouth, to kiss, lick, bite, and suck on his neck, leaving teeth marks on the soft olive skin, drowning in his alluring danger-flavored scent. Nikki jumped in surprise. His eyes rolled back, a moan left his mouth, feeling more aroused than he’d ever been in his life. He surrendered himself completely to Vince, who in the meantime unzipped Nikki’s jeans and slipped his frantic hands inside them. He’s a girl, he’s a girl, he’s a girl…

“Get on your knees, pretty boy”, Nikki whispered in-between heavy breaths. He couldn’t take it any longer. He couldn’t pretend anymore. All he ever wanted at that moment was to be sucked off by the man who was in front of him and no one else. He would have had an existential crisis, questioning his sexuality and wondering where it all went wrong, where and when the line between business and pleasure became so blurry if he hadn’t been so damn horny about crossing that threshold that he couldn’t think at all. Nikki didn’t care; he’d just have to deal with it later.

Vince immediately obliged, suddenly feeling weak in his legs, as if he was under a spell cast by Nikki’s bewitchingly deep, husky voice. He pulled down Nikki’s pants and took his time to feast his eyes on what was revealed. He only said, “Holy shit...” in a soft voice.

Vince raised his head towards Nikki, who was surprisingly shy for a guy whose profession is being a playboy, with his red cheeks and stiff posture and nervous lip biting.

“Something wrong, bad boy?” Vince provoked playfully, head tilted to the side. He loved when he could make boys like Nikki break down their facade of cockiness.

Nikki couldn’t think straight. “I uh… sorry, I just…” Maybe we shouldn’t do this, he wanted to tell him, but his brain wasn’t capable of forming any words. What was he afraid of, judgment? Of whom, others? As if it was ever a problem for him his whole life. Judgment of the other fellow man, for his… performance? The guy in front of him on his knees, eager to get a dick in his mouth, didn’t seem to mind.

Nikki was visibly flustered now, his hands on his face, he didn’t know what to respond. He took another deep breath and decided to tell the truth. Not all of it, but his client needed to understand what they were getting themselves into. “I dunno man, I… this is my first time with a guy, y’know.” he blurted out eventually.

“Oh yeah? What an honor!” Vince’s eyes widened. His tone was too enthusiastic, to the limits of being fake. Condescending, even.

Nikki had to restrain himself to punch the twink in the face.

This was a mistake.

“Ha, figured you’d be happy to know that.” He replied, dry, raising an eyebrow. Nikki wasn’t sure how to feel in that situation: blondie here was testing his patience, but his sass intrigued him in such a manner that now he felt compelled to fuck him senseless to teach him a lesson. Well, I changed my tune fast, Nikki thought to himself.

The client got up, laid a hand on Nikki’s pounding chest. “There’s a first time for everything.” He sounded oddly understanding, which was reassuring. “Just… try to relax, okay?”

Nikki rested his wrists on the pelmet’s lid behind him after arching his back. He nodded. “Okay.”

As he kneeled again, his part-time lover’s fingers traced through his stomach, making Nikki’s skin crawl most enticingly.

There was something special about this guy…

The blond spat on his hand and started jerking Nikki off. He was already almost rock hard. He went with gentle, long strokes from base to tip, brushing his lips and tongue against it, teasing him, looking up to see his blissful expression with the eyes closed, the lips slightly apart and the head thrown back. Vince stripped him down even further and caressing his thighs and groin, trying to calm him down more, which kind of worked. Vince continued with slow and wide licks, up and down, up and down, covering Nikki’s cock in his saliva, feeling the warmth increasing. Nikki was a panting and groaning mess, clearly trying to hold himself back. Vince was running out of patience too, feeling his trousers getting so tight he had to untie them, so he just put Nikki’s dick in his mouth. Carefully but steadily, the blond sucked from the tip and slid forward on the shaft, in an up and down motion. He could feel the grip on his hair getting stricter and hear the groans getting louder, turning him on even more, if that was possible.

“Does it feel good?” Vince wanted to know.

Nikki’s mind was still having some difficulties registering what was happening, although he couldn’t deny he was enjoying it. He nodded. “Keep going.”

The blond responded by accelerating the rhythm, touching himself in the meantime. He took short pauses to catch his breath from time to time, to then go back to Nikki, who was twitching inside his throat, unable to say anything other than “Oh fuck… Goddammit… Fucking hell, you’re good…” in between pants and gasps. Vince went down on him even harder, stroking and licking until Nikki muttered, “Fuck, I think I’m...” and came into his mouth a second later with another loud groan, nearly choking Vince. He withdrew from Nikki in a coughing fit, with cum drooling all over his chin.

“Hijo de puta! You could’ve at least told me, y’know!” The smirk that developed on Vince’s face betrayed the rage that filled his gruff voice.

“My bad.” Nikki apologized in between quick breaths, his legs trembling, “I didn’t expect it to come that fast, either...”. It wasn’t really out of empathy, but embarrassment for not being able to last longer. Plus, it was always better to keep the client on his good side. He still had to get paid, after all. Nikki rarely genuinely cared for any impact his actions - voluntary or not - had in other people’s lives; this time, he was sure, was not one of the unusual occasions.

Vince got up on his feet, cleaned his face with his arm, and licked his cum-filled fingers. “It’s okay.” He approached near and looked up at the ginger. “Kinda adds to the thrill.” His lips touched Nikki’s once again in a sloppy kiss, while his hands reached into his back pocket to slide the dollar bills into Nikki’s hand, who swiftly slid them inside his jeans.

Nikki lifted Vince’s chin in between his thumb and index finger, pushing his weight against him to get even closer, groaning, tasting himself on Vince’s tongue. Girls would sometimes make out with him right after they sucked him off (just like he kissed the girls right after he went down on them), so he was used to it. He found it kind of hot, even: nothing like letting your partner know their flavor.

Vince’s breaths harmonized with Nikki’s in sharp inhales that extruded desire and an almost animalistic instinct of hunger for each other. He tried to wrap his leg around Nikki’s, trying to reach the dumpster’s edge behind them for more balance, to which the other responded by wrapping his arm around his lower back to lift him. That’s when Vince let out a moan of ecstasy in Nikki’s mouth, feeling once again the blood rushing down his crotch.

Nikki loosened the grip on his lover’s jaw to fumble around his chest, finding a way down to the last button of the grease-covered shirt to undo it and slowly crawl his fingers on the naked skin, refusing to break the kiss. It was small comfort in that scenario, which was yet fresh and unfamiliar to him.

Vince grabbed Nikki’s hand and guided it to go lower, inviting him to feel the heat that was rising under his clothes.

“Oh, sorry.” the blond whispered, “Do I need to pay extra for that?”

Nikki moved away at the same time to look him in the eyes, his lips parted, the eyelids half-closed, his cheeks flushed. “Don’t worry.” He breathed, touching the other’s lips with his, “This one’s on the house.”

Nikki figured it wasn’t the first time he jerked someone off (even though that someone had always been himself by far), so it shouldn’t have been that difficult, right?

Slowly, he stroked, feeling the warmth of the shaft from tip to base, observing the blond’s reaction to his touch, who gave out a soft whimper burying his face in his lover’s collarbone, pressing his lips against his neck, grinding against his body.

The ginger pressed his lips against blondie’s ear, inebriated by the smell of sea salt and cigarettes of his hair. “You like that?”

His delightfully raspy and lascivious voice, so muffled and close, traveled through Vince’s body, generating a shiver going down from his shoulders and neck, through his spine. That pulse of involuntary energy made Vince inhale sharply and squeeze Nikki’s hand.

“Yes. Yes, continue.” Vince murmured, his cheek resting on his neck.

Nikki adjusted his wrist for a better grip, raising the speed slowly. He went on with the motion, feeling his client twitching every time he passed his thumb over the moist tip. Pants and grunts spilled from both mouths as the intensity of the moment increased, praising and reaching for each other’s lips to bite on.

Vince felt like he was about to cum in his hand, sensing the familiar tingling running down from his head to his legs and getting ready for that sweet release. When all of a sudden, his eyes opened wide, a lucid thought crossed his mind: If I ruin another uniform, she’s gonna kick my ass!

The blond detached himself from the ginger, grabbed him by the hair, and pushed him down, shoving his throbbing cock down the boy’s throat, cumming in his mouth.

Nikki tasted dick before he could even register it in his brain. He spat out the load, coughing and rubbing his tongue, sure that he gulped some of it too. He dropped to his knees for the shock, glancing up at the guy who outplayed him with a flabbergasted, betrayed look. What the fuck was that about?! Nikki wanted to ask, but he could only mimic the first three words.

“What? Don’t give me that look. You did the same to me!” Vince giggled like a child who pulled a prank on his classmate.

“Not… even… a warning?”

“Yeah, I kinda forgot about that. Sorry.” Vince shrugged, delivering his best shit-eating grin while offering his hand to the ginger.

Nikki grudgingly accepted the help, shooting a scornful glare at the blond. “I know you’re not fucking sorry, you dirty fucking faggot--” he breathed through his teeth as he rose to his feet and drew their bodies closer together. The disparaging tone he used contradicted the smile he bore with the words.

Vince’s knuckles hit the gigolo’s jaw before he could finish talking. “Bit ironic of you to say, when your mouth is still dirty of my cum, don’t you think?” he retorted with a sneer, staring at the face of anger, tilting his head provocatively.

Nikki scoffed, stroking his chin. The punch wasn't that strong, but the little bastard got to the spot where even a baby could make it hurt. “Touché. Guess I won’t beat your ass tonight.”

“You can kiss it if you want to.” Vince dragged a cigarette out of the packet with his lips, without batting an eye. “Do you have a light?”

Nikki and Vince stood beside each other under the flicker of the service door light, surrounded by the smell of gone-off frying oil, the smoke from their cigarettes. The only sound to be heard were cars speeding by in the distance.

“Hey, so, uh… Was… Was it good for you?” Nikki broke the silence.

At that question, Vince arched his eyebrows and exhaled, making the cigarette smoke exit through his nostrils faster, creating two gray lines of vapor in front of them that dissipated in the air, like fog out of season. So this was his first time, huh? That explained his hesitancy to accept his solicitation. But why choose to offer your services to everyone and not just women? Did he really need the money, or was his “work” merely a front to meet more dudes to sleep with? Maybe both? Vince didn’t know, but as much as he wanted to have those doubts cleared, he set them aside and responded to the question earnestly.

“It was fuckin’ great.” He sighed, looking his lover of the hour in the eyes. “You were great.” A hint of a smile in his expression as he added the second part, his voice growing faint at the end of the phrase, leaving the words suspended.

“Oh,” Nikki felt his face turning red as those words exited the blond’s mouth, making him turn his gaze to the ground. “I, uh…” He flickered the cigarette to make the accumulated ash fall on the ground. A tight-lipped smile formed across his face, curved askew on his left cheek, creating two creases on his skin at the angle of his lips. “Thanks.” He uttered in the end, raising his head and bringing the cigarette to his mouth. “It was good for me, too.” Another sentence left floating in the smoky air.

They got quiet for a moment, kicking pebbles or junk lying around. Sometimes one would glance at the other, attempting to meet his gaze, just to deflect it and pretend it wasn't intentional.

“Sorry about earlier,” Nikki murmured hastily, breathing smoke.

“What?”

Nikki swallowed, then cleared his voice. “I said… I’m sorry.” Another puff of the cigarette. “About the faggot thing. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“I know, it just felt good to hear it twice.” Vince accompanied that response with a 32-toothed smug smile.

Nikki rolled his eyes, wondering why he still hadn’t beaten the tan out of the twerp yet. He already let him ruin the major selling point of his merchandise, now he could take the piss off him too?

The blond returned serious and raised his shoulders. “It’s whatever, man. I’m used to it.” He had to learn to fend for himself in places where people like him should’ve been safe. A pretty, self-absorbed and sexually confused asshole wasn’t the worst person Vince had to give the right hook to. He inhaled some more nicotine.

The ginger imitated him, touching the bruise that was already swollen. “It fucking hurts, by the way.”

“Good. That means we’re even.”

“No hard feelings?” Nikki turned towards him in search of forgiveness.

Only inside my pants… “No hard feelings.” Vince nodded, meeting his gaze back.

They went silent again.

Vince caught the gigolo looking up, where the clouds were lazily passing by the crescent moon, peering behind the city skyline.

“Wow…” the ginger murmured under a puff of smoke.

“Hm? What is it?”

Nikki looked at him and nodded at the sky. “The moon looks so cool tonight.”

Vince raised an eyebrow. Where did this sentimentalism come out of, after having paid for sex among the garbage bins outside his workplace, of all scenarios? He looked in the same direction as the lad he was still sharing a smoke with. Vince never really stopped to look for the poetry behind his surroundings, he usually left that sappy shit to girls, but he had to admit the sky had its charm that night. The clouds now had moved away completely and left the moon dominating the pitch-black atmosphere.

“You can see it even better at sea.” Vince puffed his cigarette one last time before throwing it away. “Have you ever been there?”

Nikki shook his head and chucked away his cigarette in turn. “Not yet. Since I moved to LA, anyway.”

“Oh, you don’t know what you’re missing. Hot chicks everywhere, all year-’round.” The surfer chuckled, which made the ginger smile along.

A conversation about nothing under the stars later, Nikki let out a yawn. “Well, I better fuck off now.” He chuckled in a hoarse voice. “It's getting late."

“Yeah, I should get back in, too”, Vince replied. A wave of melancholy washed over him, as it often did when he had to part ways with a one-night stand, especially as good as this. But he had long accepted to treasure those moments, not remember the people he made those memories with, or hope he could ever see them again. He turned on his heels before that feeling had the chance to sink in any deeper.

“Wait! I… I almost forgot.” Nikki grabbed the blond by the arm. "I don't even know your name." He never had the desire to learn the names of his flings or clients, yet that information felt like the most indispensable thing in the world.

Vince turned around. The ginger's eyes were glistening. "Vince. What's yours?"

“I’m Nikki.” He pulled out his notebook from the back pocket, scribbled something on a blank page, and handed it to Vince. “Call me?” You’ll never know that this guy could become a patron. Nikki hoped that was the case, but for reasons beyond business, despite what he kept telling himself.

Vince examined the phone number scribbled on the piece of paper. His lips shaped into a smile. “You can count on it.”

The gigolo grabbed Vince by his collar and pushed their lips together, kissing him until both of them ran out of breath. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Vince.”

The blond blushed like a schoolboy as he heard his name pronounced by him. “Yeah, it was nice for me too… Nikki.” His voice rose three octaves as he uttered the phrase, which Nikki must have noticed, judging by the grin on his face, making matters even worse.

“Anytime you want... you know you can have me”, Nikki whispered in Vince’s ear. He took a few steps back while maintaining eye contact before turning away and disappearing into the shadows.

Nikki collapsed on his bed, his mind running through the events of that night, which felt like a fever dream. Was it worth it? A voice in his head kept asking him. After meeting Vince, Nikki thought that it was.

#sinner writings #motley crue #mötley crüe #motley crue fanfiction #nikki sixx #nikki sixx fanfiction #vince neil #vince neil fanfiction #vinikki #vinikki fanfiction #BEHOLD the longest fic I worked on so far. took me fucking 5 months but better late than ever #it's set in summer but I'm posting it on october skshdjdk I'm a disaster. LA is warm all year long tho so does it really matter? 🤷‍♀️#this fic means so much to me. it's kinda hard to post it bc 1) it kept me company for like half a year 2) if nobody reads it I'll like. die #I even thought to keep it for myself but I dunno man I just love sharing my mental breakdowns #plus I've been anticipating it for so long by posting about the progress tracking etc. so why wouldn't I publish it here too #this is gonna go in two ways: 1) only three beloved mutuals will read it and share their thoughts about it (hopefully good)#2) it'll reach ppl that will yell at me bc this is morally wrong for w/e the fuck reason #if it goes both ways I'll have peaked in life but I'm prepared for this to flop #but arnold loved it so joke's on you I have already succeeded #I've put so much thought in every word I've written. there's a reason behind every single detail #even if sometimes the reason behind it is 'plot purposes' but that's still a reason okay skshdj I *chose* to not care abt it #also one last thing nikki is ginger and I stand by that. hope this isn't too controversial lmao (as if the rest of this zozzeria isn't)#and yeah of course I chose *that* pic of young Nikki for the cover art bc he's a fuckin bitch boy brat <3 fits the narrative y'know #Spotify

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cevans-is-classic · 3 years

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[the anon from the prev ask, thought I'd come off anon]

ok np! I'll give ya Steve and Bucky content separately <3

Steve:

Going on an art haul and buying ludicrous amounts of paintbrushes, because like all the great artists he forgot to clean them last time. He likes the soft bristled ones that get the paint all hazy on the canvas.

He likes to paint landscapes, but gets kinda bored seeing the same old buildings of NYC everyday. So he asks JARVIS to open up random travelling sites and recite the descriptions to him, and he paints out the wonderful majestic image the sites describe.

His favourite colour is yellow, because his mom liked to ruffle a hand through his hair, and called him her Golden boy. So he paints bright sunrises and sunsets, deserts, fruits, flowers, occasionally himself as well.

He likes to paint in natural light, right beside the window.

The whole apartment is filled with old blues music as he moves around and sees stuff for motivation, listens to JARVIS, and sings along to the song. He dances to it too but no one other than JARVIS can prove that, and J isn't gonna spill.

Bucky:

He loves to knit and embroider. It started as a suggestion from his therapist, and now he actually kinda likes it.

He remembers his sisters making so much stuff back in the 40s, and he tries to find old patterns to replicate. Men standing under streetlights, people having a picnic in a park, dancers on a stage, etc etc. Anything that reminds him of people and places to be is an immediate yes.

He plans out designs on napkins when he eats out, and then keeps them all in a folder back home which no one is allowed to touch. It's his ideas file and he picks from it whenever he needs it. But he never transfers the ideas to paper, they always stay on napkins.

Sometimes he doesn't even knit with a purpose, just keeps on going as a rectangle turns into a square and then back again into a rectangle, just going and going. It's multicolored as he keeps adding new yarn to it and when he closes it off its just a long piece of cuddle-me-wrap-me-around-yourself-fuzzy-warmth something.

Hope you like them! And hope you and your mom feel better soon 🫂🫂

I love the idea of Steve painting places his never seen before and then you have Bucky over here being crafty as hell and so sweet 😭

I needed this. Thank you, you absolutely beautiful human ❤😭😭

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wolfstar-in-color · 3 years

Text

Personal account: How IDs help us and how our learning process has been

Today in Wolfstar in Color, we close our week that’s been focused on disabilities, ID’s and accessibility (check our Monday fic rec list, our Tuesday post ‘what are ID’s’, our resources Wednesday with links to pages that help in the task, our Thursday post ‘how to do ID’s) with sharing a bit about how it’s been our learning process of making image descriptions. We really hope we find some new blogs, both from artists and fans, including and adding descriptions to their visual content, so our fandom gets flooded with them.

This personal recount is going to be focused in my experience (Moth) since I’m newer at this practice, and so some of you might find it easier to relate with that! I had all the fears, all the questions, and I think I’ve made more than one mistake in my descriptions. If you ever have questions, want to yell into the void, or want to find some motivation to keep doing image descriptions, you can always leave us an ask. Honestly, it would be lovely just to know more people are doing this.

The rest of the post is under a cut, since it’s kinda long - but I also offer some advise at the end based on my own experience, so I really invite y’all to read!

How Image descriptions help me

Doing Images description has helped me realize how much I rely on them when I’m low in spoons, and how helpful they can be to learn about the meaning and intent of an image in the creator’s perspective. Sometimes, when I’m very exhausted, I can’t process some stimuli too well (particularly videos), and video and image descriptions allow me to engage while also not needing to use my whole brain to understand what the artist/creator is trying to convey, nor getting sensory overload with sound in videos in my case. So yeah, please bring more images description into the internet. They really, really help a lot of people to participate in fandom.

What I’ve learnt from doing Image descriptions

Learning how to do Images descriptions has been fun and important for me to also take perspective about how to work for a more accessible internet for everyone. Internet is important for a lot of us, including those who are disabled and immunosuppressed, since engaging with the same intensity as before with the outside world in the middle of a pandemic is not always an option. But honestly, I think the pandemic has shown how relationships and engagement in spaces like fandom might be important to build opinion, practice solidarity, learn about perspective taking, and build resource networks and friendships for everyone.

Writing Images descriptions is a skill, without a doubt. As such, is something you have to grow into. This is still a new skill I’m trying to master. Yes, it takes time to read a bit and get used to how to go about certain characteristics, with what information to start with, how not to ‘tear apart’ the artwork (I particularly struggle with symbols and sometimes, because of the scope of this blog, how to convey ethnicity, especially when a creator doesn’t have an explicit identity/ethnicity/race description in their blog/image). I still tend to start with ‘image of’ or other context descriptors that are not really needed. I still get very unsure about how I’m doing, but at the end of the day, the learning process can only be done by trying. The positive feedback and gentle correction don’t hurt either!

I’ve also discovered in the process that doing image descriptions is incredible entertaining for me - and it’s honestly an activity I enjoy since it allows me to sort of ‘disconnect’ my brain and just submerge myself in the work of artists. I think it has helped me to hone my own writing skills too. It’s not too different to try to bring into life a description of a scene in a fic, only that it’s more of an inter-textual experience, since you are also trying to convey the intentions of the artist, bring their work to life for other people, and that makes me incredibly happy, and makes the activity really rewarding.

Some personal tips when doing IDs

- Don’t do them in mass, if you are low on spoons. The last ones are going to suck. Don’t overdo and burn out, because it’s hard to come back from there. Be honest with yourself if you can’t do more.

- Find a pal that might be able to read your IDs and rant with you when you are struggling (thanks Theo!!). But if you are on your own, that’s fine too!

- Contact the artist, if they are still on tumblr or other social media, if you got any doubt with a part of the image. Do so after you do your research in basic stuff (clothing, for example), but don’t back up from the task just because you are not sure about something in the image! Most artists are going to be thrilled to help you, and it might be a nice way to bring some awareness too of the need of using descriptions in videos, gifs and images.

- Do IDs for images/videos/gifsets you love. I know a lot of the tips we’ve handed are about ‘keeping it short’ but honestly, the goal is to give an experience, so if you are like me and need lots of words, then allow yourself to do that! If you are passionate and give a long, poetic description, worthy of its own fic, it’s likely people will appreciate it (and to be honest, if you get inspired to write something inspired in the image? it’s a win-win situation!)

- Make the ‘ID time�� an special, ‘me’ time - for me, is very close to meditating, to be honest. Put some fun music. Make a playlist that fit the artwork. Let yourself get loose in not having to think about anything but the beautiful artwork you are enjoying for a few good minutes.

- Use resources!! wolfstar-in-color has been posting things that help a lot in the process of writing ID! use the guide to write skin tones from writing in color! use the pose reference from Adorka stock (the poses usually have name in the stock!)! Go dig on @blindbeta‘s posts, use the guides to draw wheelchairs to learn how to describe the different parts. And if stuck, go ask in wonderful blogs the details you need to learn to do an effective and respectful description. There are more resources to come in the blog, but there are amazing blogs for trans and queer issues, ethnic and racial diversity, history, clothing and art, that you can look for yourself too!

- Something I’m trying to do more now: offer the artists you know the IDs you’ve done so they put them with the artwork, instead of adding an image description that likely, will only be reblogged half of the time. Who knows, it might end up with you two striking a collab mode of working!

So with that, here in Wolfstar in Color, we invite you to help us fill the fandom with image descriptions of the beautiful fanart, fanvids, gifsets and other visual content we have! If you don’t feel too confident, you can always submit the link to the image and your description, if you want us to post it for you, but we honestly invite you to give it a try, use the resources we are providing, and work with us to make this fandom more accessible!

#Resources #Accesibility #Image Descriptions #Neurodivergency #Fandom Life

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nekomiras · 5 years

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Since I didn't see anyone ask about the homestuck au I feel obligated to ask as a fellow Homestuck (insert Homestuck police image (you know the one) here)

Oh fuck oh no the homestuck au oh shit

There’s not much content here, I just organized them on classpects I thought they’d fit and put some of them as trolls (Also, alternia here is quite different from canon)

I think the most fun on this au is explaing my process to thinking why I decided what I did, so this is gonna be a quite repetitive and long post, sorry y’all

Kids:

Evan: Witch of Breath, his aspect basically because he has the leader role but it’s not something he takes control himself, it’s about the freedom he seeks and then incentivating others to join him, I chose the class of the witch since it’s the active change class, wich means he changes the aspect/changes through for himself, let’s think about games for me to explain you- he hates games where he has to do something like it tells him to, and love the games where he can use his liberty to have fun in whatever way he finds. I also have him as a prospit dreamer for reasons that I don’t really want to explain since it’ll get so repetitive, you guys getting the moons I say so >:)!

Tyler: Actually a Rogue of Time. I can’t lie I really wanted a timeplayer on the kids side, but I think I got a good thinking here, stay with me- The fighting aspect, the fact they don’t accept things as they are and act to change instead of just waiting things happen, the impatience- I quote the extended zodiac definition of time players: “You can’t tell them to sit still and look pretty”, plus, the rogue part of his title, the passive stealing class, someone who steal the from/through the aspect for others. A rogue can be generous and receptive, with strong ideals, on the worst cases they can bee too impulsive and apathetic. I’m not like 100% sure but I needed him as a time player and this classpect with him as a derse dreamer fit so well on how I expect him to be in this au, looking really self-centered and yet doing all he does for others instead of himself!

Nogla: Green boy is our Knight of Space! I mean... With Tyler’s description you might expect him to be te opposite, as a space player his job is to not worry about where things go, and pretty much enjoy the ride! He does understand that he needs to do things so they go the way you want to, he just don’t usually worry about it that much, he worries more about how he’s doing something than what he’s doing, and that gets him to the creative aspect, wich is why he, as a space player, is the one with the mission to creat the new universe! But that’s not all, he’s a knight!! The passive serving class are known to have a mask that’s supposed to make their friends trust them more than they trust themselves, Nogla’s is that he acts way more positive and stupid than he actually is so people around him believe him to be trustworthy, it also makes him feel safer around people that he trust are not using him. Sometimes the mask has a different effect and people thinks he’s annoying tho. But the thing with knghts are that they want to be there to help his friends, always, so he ends up being way too selfless and, well, as Tyler says: Actually stupid. He’s also a prospit dreamer, he’s just baby I love him.

Our last kid is Marcel!! He’s a Seer of Rage! His aspect comes from his chaotic side, as a rage player, he believes that society is full of lies, and there’s nothing he hates more than someone not telling the truth to him, he wants to know what’s actually happening so he can act on his passive knowledge class of seer, someone that looks to know more so he can be able to help their colleagues by acting his advices himself, he can get easily frustated when things don’t go the way he wants them to, and in the worst case can get upset enough to become agressive, as a derse dreamer he gets even more chaotic and easily frustaded. Besides, both his dream pajamas and his god tier pajamas are purple and he looks amazing in the color ;)

Trolls:

Now we go for the alliens, the descriptions will get even longer since I have to tell what’s their blood is, I won’t be explaining aspects and classes that are showing up again on this case, but if you want a more especific analysis from me in one of the boys just send me another ask!

Cartoonz: Rust blood- Adventurous, craving for new experiences far from home and often not cautious enough when agitated? Well, that makes me feel less bad about choosing his blood on the color red lol. Jk, I mean, his blood I chose on color, but I also believe that he’d do a great alternian lowblood rebel! And as a derse dreamer Prince of Time? Well, the aspect you get what I mean from Tyler description, but boy, the active destruction class does fit him in the way I wanted, he can get way too confident on his habilities, with motive of course! He’s capable of incredible things!!! But his confidence can make him impose himself on others as authority, his ideals are important for him and he’s difficult to change his mind, he does what he deems right while still showing how much he cares for the little things around him. He’s someone trustwothy and a incredible good leader besides not being in the relationships side of aspects! Plus, what’s better than get our infamous King Toonz as the prince in the game?

Squirrel: I mean... Bronze blood?? Obviously?? Warm and generous?? Slow to open without having someone else besides them?? Open hearted?? Afinity to animals??? Needy of attention and affection?? Polite when upset?? Basically babies??????? Yup! Plus, once again the color guided me this way-- But anyway! He’s a (oh my god I forgot I put him as this but fuck yeah) Thief of Doom! Doom y’all know as the bad aspect about death and shit but listen to me! The extended zodiac explains that doom players tend to be sufferers, that through their difficulties became wise and empathetic of others surffering, not the advice friend, but the friend that can confort, we’re talking about our sweet Dead Squirrel here my guys! And then I got this idea of putting him as a thief and oh my gosh I hate thieves but I loved this idea so much I kinda want use it in a homestuck rpg I do with some friends! The thieve is the active stealing class, wich means he does what a rogue does, but for themselves, while rogues give away what they steal for others, thieves keep it for themselves, it’s normally interpretated as egoist and that’s why I hate them, but being the boy we’re talking about, even if Squirrel steals the doom aspect to keep it for himself, he does it in a selfless act of trying to protect his friends from it, you can interpretate him as a knight kind of person here but I’ll stay with a derse dreamer Thief of Doom!

Smiity is our gold blood and it’s not because of the vibes he and Sollux share with red an blue glasses yOU SHUT UP! But for real, yellow trolls have the whole psych thing but what I ended up loving about putting Smiit as one is the facts that, they like to talk even if the people around the don’t wanna hear, they tend to accidentaly force their opinions in other people and if the person feels sorry about it all they can get axious easily about their actions, but still do it because it’s themselves, and I love to take this as Smiit’s careless way to act combined with his canadian way to be nice and I love it! He’s a derse dreamer Rogue of Rage, I explained both before, so really basic: he straight up just spreads chaos.

Brian: He’s our mutant lime, our candy red blooded troll!! Decided on his decisions (”if i wanna do it i’ll do it fuck you”), he can be quite the drama queen, he exagerates his feelings since he can’t hide them, he’s has caring and empathetic instincts and he’s so goddamn loyal, Once again quoting the extended zodiac: “ Romance is extremely important to Lime Signs, and when they fall, they fall hard. They don't take rejection well, and a breakup can send them into a tailspin requiring an extended period of recovery.”. And he’s our sweet derse dreamer Knight of Breath! Another one who was already basically explained, his title makes him the one who wants to bring freedom to his friends. His mask is of a confident flirty while he himself is scared of not being what people expects him to be. Fuck I love this Irish handsome bitch.

Panda: He’s an olive blooded troll! They’re described to be generous and sweet, ready to help if someone needs, they’re not really good with changes but they’re the type to drop anything to get into helper mode. But oh damn, they’re not afraid of just getting up and going out if something is not as they like. He’s a prospit dreamer Seer of Life, seer was already kinda of explained, and I put him as life bounded because of their empathetic side and how I can see Anthony as a (sometimes moody) healer! I can’t lie that his was one of the last classpects that I thought of and I wanted to fit him as a Life player, if there are other suggetions I’d like to hear too!!

Moo: Well, jade bloods are basically the default moms right? I mean, this is supposed to be expected right? I mean, I can’t even quote the extended zodiac because I’d be just copying and pasting what’s written! I’ll gladly do so in another ask but for now just accept it. And if you think that being a jade blood is not mom enough, don’t worry, I got ya, he’s also a prospit dreamer Sylph of Blood. Sylphs are the passive creation class, creating the aspect / creating through the ascpec for others, they’re curious and can get intrusive when they get worried too much, they wanna know what’s wrong and they wanna help so bad, even when their help isn’t wanted, they’re gentle and the bringers of care for their groups, and holy this isn’t enough already? No, cause he’s our fucking blood player, the aspect of union and relationships, pretty much natural leaders that bring people together by becoming friends with every single person in the group and then forming the group. Y’all think he’s mom enough?

Ohm: I completely didn’t choose Ohm to be a teal blood because he gave me Terezi vibes just like Smiity shut up. He does a good teal! They’re social and can be really flirtatious even accidentaly, they got strong morals that may get them to commit mistakes and let them down easly, they trust people way too quikly, they’re often better alone but with the right companion they can do so much!! Plus, he’s a prospit dreamer Heir of Space! We already talked about space bounds so just let me tell you, the most known point in a heir is their innocence in a determined subject, It’s a thing that I personally can’t really explain tho, they’re the passive changing class, so they’re easily adaptable and open, they care a lot about what their impact may be in others so they may hide facts about themselves, they not only change themselves for others but they incentive others to change for better, they’re caring, friendly and understanding, in the worst case they can be way too easly manipulated.

Mini: Our ladd here is a blue blood! The blood color that’s described to be capable of causing the most good but also the worst harm. They’re nice to have around as friends, and can easly become one, they’re adaptable and people magnets, they vallue their friends, wich also means they can be hard to forget a fight and get easly moody towards people they once considered close. And he’s also a derse dreamer Bard Of Light! As a bard he’s the passive destruction class, they’re devoted and faithful, they can be easly offended by criticism towards what they think is right, possibly getting open minded if the critic is someone they’re devoted at, a close friend or partner, they’re helpful, willing and friendly, but can also be inflexible in cases. As a light player Mini can be described as willing to learn more about what’s interesting him at the moment, he’s a seeker and he sees rules as suggestions to what he should do. He’s also one that I chose last so if you have a suggention I’m open!

Scotty: The boy is our indigo blood! Friendly, cheerful, energetic and curious! He can be easly attracted to anything that gets his interest and that also means he loses said interest easly, he is stronger than he thinks he is and can be careless about himself and others around him, he’s one that need to have an eye on to make sure he’s fine, and of course the person need to be prepared for so much energy! As another one that I couldn’t easily decide and became one of the last ones I chose, he’s an prospit dreamer Maid of Mind. The active creation class is kind of a favourite of mine, but kind of hard for me to explain as well, what I can tell you about them is that they are born to a fate they don’t like, and once they envolve in the game they decide to do their own fate by expressing themselves on their creations or something, I’m not really sure but I love this class!! And being mind bounded means our fuckboy tries to be rational most of the time, often that means he overthinks a lot, he sees most if not all possibilities of a decision and he’ll think over them, he’s mostly a person that’s slow to act, but when he does he knows what he’s doing, so just do how he says!

Delirious: I’ll get people getting mad at me that I didn’t put him as either teal, blue or indigo blood, but for real can you really judge me to choose him to be a purple blood when they have the clown make up and creepy as hell aethetic? And plus, the fact their description says they’re hard to trust on others, they can be mysterious and are great at keeping secrets. They’re decided and hard to change minds, they often want to refuse to be helped even when they need, but after all, when they trust someone they become devoted, putting way too much trust on them. I mean, yeah?? And he’s also our prospit dreamer Page of Void. The active serving class is another one of my favourits, being the people full of potential, they compare themselves to other and then create an ideal of who they want to be in their mind, some persona they want to become with characterists they don’t see themselves having, their nature on believing they can be what they build on their minds show their innocence and kindness, they sometimes can shut themselves inside their personas and act like how they want to be and less how they are, at best, they’re caring, charming and big dreamers, while at worst they can be manipulative and selfish by forcing their persona on others. And with all that, Del is also void bounded, meaning he’s a great secret keeper! He’s attracted to mystery and the unknown is his best friend, while others want to find out what they don’t know, Del is convicted on doubting what’s said to be the truth, he can be easly described as intuitive!

I’m not really sure but I believe our violet blood will be Lui by being a Witch of Hope prospit player, I’m not gonna talk so much about why because I’m getting out of time sorry----

Last boy will be Kryoz as our fuchsia heir, derse dreamer and Mage of Heart, he’s one that I thought first in the au and I’d love to explain more, but once again I’m going out of time, you can ask me about him separetely if you want to!!

Sorry for just yeeting myself out of explaining in these last two, I have been writing this explanation for two days now and I had to start again like twice because I was running out of time, I’m also sorry if there are any grammar mistakes I hadn’t had the time to revise it efhdgdgfed

#my au #bbs #hs au #aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa #thanks for the ask fehdgfdhds <3

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whetstonefires · 4 years

Note

"the top three of its forty floors are filled with brass telescopes of every size, pointing in every possible direction, including several that do not exist within the normal three dimensions of space." thats SUCH a cool image / "If any harvest will come." ooh i wonder whats going on / "The roofs are of red tile, the stucco of the houses painted in shades of blue. It stands empty, but has not had time to fall into disrepair." the little bits of detail getting added to the picture im LOVE (1/?)

I’m gonna do these all as one post but broken up for ease of reference, I think.

Thank you! 🥰 Deciding the theme for the Tower and giving it that visual anchor really helped to pull things together. If you consider the whole setup, it seems unlikely the Tower was originally built as an observatory, since those tend to benefit from height (especially if you’re looking around you rather than up, but for the up ones also) and the builders could easily have put it on top of a mountain or at least some hills, but instead put it by the river. It’s above sea level, and it’s away from light pollution, but there were better locations. Nearby.

So either it wasn’t an observatory, and it’s been refitted as one, or they had so many observatories they didn’t care about locating them optimally, there was some other factor making having the tower there important even if it was suboptimal in terms of observation capacity. Or, potentially, it’s been moved since it was built!

:} Yay thank for being interested by the foreshadowing. I tried to put just enough in without actively overshadowing the actual place-setting-up and making the reader impatient with the description.

"If you look through an enchanted telescope you may see trees without needles fail halfway up the nearest of the great peaks, and even these fail before the top, though there is a span of nearly barren stone past that line, before the snow begins." you: mentions different plants living in different climates me: :0 / there's so much good description!! its all so pretty!! (2/?)

sflka;l;jlk i mean yeah, that’s pretty straightforward isn’t it. But! It establishes How Much Mountain it is visually rather than by saying ‘it was a big fucking mountain’ or ‘it was tall enough for the thinness of atmosphere near the top to create a small tundra region.’

o(*￣▽￣*)ブ

<3 Thank you! I kinda cut loose lmao.

"blocks veined with every color, pale blues and purples, reds and greens and golden-duns all mottling toward white and grey and black" god i want to live there so badly!! this tower is meeting all my standards!! cool pretty magic tower with rad telescopes!!! / "make a remark no one present understands about a Doctor named Seuss. His guide, the dousing tracker Amnaphi, will assume this person to be a famous astronomer from his homeland." im love!! misunderstandings about references!! (?/?)

💗💖✨ Yay! That’s an important feeling to create in fantasy, imo. The wanting.

I really enjoyed playing with the standard forms for ‘thing made of marble’ here, because all these marbles really exist, but in spite of the existence of the word ‘marbled’ our narrative uses of it tend to be tied up with Neoclassical aesthetics. So very white and smooth, yeah?

Also idk if it’s obvious to the reader but this Tower is to some degree in dialogue with Orthanc, which made a great impression on my mind as a child as the iconic wizardly tower, and while I don’t disagree with any of Tolkien’s use of symbolism for the purposes he was deploying it, there’s so much potential in Isengard as a setting that LotR had no space to explore, even if Tolkien would have noticed those angles at all.

Like...the parkland around the Tower is shown being despoiled for the orcish war machine and then reconquered by the forest, but of course it wasn’t forest to begin with. What was it for before Saruman lost his shit? Ordered gardens, for peaceful contemplation? Who dedicated the space that way? Who maintained it?

Did Saruman employ a gardener? Did he design his own gardens, or did they come with the keep, which we’re informed was built not by him but by the Numenoreans?

(“I liked white better” is still one of the greatest lines in a fantasy novel, Tolkien does not get enough credit for his contextually hilarious one-liners that rely on pointed code-switching, but Saruman’s evil rainbow oil-slick robes also sounded really baller and it’s kind of a shame they were not attempted for the movie lol.)

The fact that this is a world designed around a kid getting portal-fantasied into it and staying for 30 years really gives me some options which are fun to deploy but also like. Risky lmao. Because it encourages the reader to surface from the setting-logic and apply their own perspective, which can really break up the magic.

Being able to zoom out on the Tower after all that detail and be like ‘it’s awesome but also it looks like something Doctor Seuss would draw’ was fun though.

"Within the even hexagon of its outer wall, the Tower encloses a great parkland, enough that if it was all put under cultivation it could easily feed as many people as could live in the Tower itself." the tower has PLANTS i love it so much / "Ten Years’ Winter" god PLEASE tell me this is going to get into the agriculture and society stuff game of thrones didn't about long winters that would be SO cool / "Watchers of the Stars" AND they have a cool name holy shit (?/?)

Plants are important! As is food supply. As everyone who’s been reading this blog for a while already knows I think lol.

I mean, it’s not about that, really? The Ten Years’ Winter is a historical event--the most recent meteor impact severe enough to have global climate fallout. The dust it kicked up took a while to settle, and the famines were pretty severe.

But the cultural consequences of something that happened a hundred and fifty years ago exist, and are important, including the relationship between governance and disaster preparedness, which varies a lot regionally as you may imagine.

Astronomy has a long history as a wizardly sort of activity in the real world, both because it’s had continual overlap with astrology and just because the process has always been mystical and abstruse. In this setting, with a history of both devastating meteor impacts and being invaded from the Moon, but also actual magic, it’s got more obvious practical importance. Although since neither of these are remotely everyday occurrences, the average person on the street might not agree lol.

So it’s on the one hand a purely descriptive title, and on the other hand a serious boast, suggesting as it does that they are primarily responsible for Watching The Sky For Stuff. While also having broader philosophical implications and just sounding nice lol.

You gotta have good marketing if you want to persist as a wizardly order, because if talented students aren’t motivated to come to you how will you gain new members? Natural replacement is not an ideal strategy to say the least. That’s how you turn into a cult instead of an intellectual powerhouse.

"The northern third of the Tower’s park contains neatly regimented orchards, apples, pears, plums, and a few rows of carefully tended peaches and apricots, all clipped flat against low brick walls angled south and slightly west." hhh t r e e s / "wizards, while enthusiastic about innovation in the abstract, hate change." me too, wizards. me too / "The Tower grounds are filled with refugees." ooh now we get to why everything was empty earlier (?/?)

Trees! Which are also food!

And technology lol. Greenhouses built against fruit walls with good insulation are so much more sensible than ones heated from inside. Obviously as a passive solar-powered technology these only work when the sun is available and not, for example, cut off by a giant dust cloud.

These people are fairly acutely aware of their dependence on the sun and it figures prominently in a majority of their religions and their magical theory, even more than in ours.

There seems to be a mild consensus that the wizards are relatable. In truth: we are all wizards. :D

Yup! At long last lol.

"This division corresponds imperfectly to the usual split of the town by the course of the Meroda." because people!! take comfort!! in what normalcy they can find!! / "Makeshift pallets line the spaces between every fruit wall—the injured are being laid out here, now that the Tower is full, to get the benefit at night of the warmth meant to mature fruit." the awesome magic tower people trying to do everything they can for the injured who come to them for help in case i thought i couldn't be (?)

more in love / "Half of them are making ready to turn south along the Meroda." oh nooooo / "but the Moon People are the successors of the ancient magics, and just because they could not break the walls the last time they came, according to legend, does not mean they have not worked out a method now." im so worried for the people oh no (?)

Yeah! It really seemed natural. But of course they also aren’t recreating it obsessively; lots of people are grouping up with relatives who normally live across the river, or with people in the same line of work on the river, because people also adapt to circumstances.

No institution is ever perfect, of course, but I’m glad the Watchers have come across this way so far. They’re broadly well-intentioned and mostly well-organized.

And they were not ready for this.

A significant fraction of the reason for the order of the Watchers to exist at all, particularly in this observatory with its great eye fixed ever on the face of the green moon, is to be able to warn the world if this ever happens again. But the Moon People knew they were being watched, this time, and they kept all the build-up to mobilization that might have given them away on the far side of the moon until the last minute.

What the Magister is doing, as I hope was made clear or at least successfully indicated--I wish your commentary on the ending had come through!--is summoning what turns out to be an actual child from another world to do hero stuff.

Even if he’d gotten an adult that would be kidnapping someone to help with your problems, a routine element of the portal fantasy whose ethics have been addressed in a variety of ways, most famously ‘is Lion Jesus and always right.’

The reason they need a hero from another world is that the Moon People build a lot of their wards and their offensive and disabling magical attacks around a targeting system based on what planet people are from, because even though they’re originally from the same stock--they’re the descendants of ancient moon colonists who evacuated ahead of a major meteor impact somewhere approaching four thousand years ago--on a magical level having been born and raised on the planet or the moon makes a pretty huge difference.

So no one can get into the place their magic space elevator is anchored and fuck it up so they can’t keep bringing troops and supply in and loot out. Their single supply line is their only strategic weakness, and they’ve taken appropriate precautions.

Getting someone in from a third location is the best idea anyone’s been able to come up with in the very limited time available. Since no one can figure out how to turn one of the Moon People against the cause they came here for, on short notice, when they aren’t even stopping to talk to anyone so far. Like, that’s clearly not going to happen.

Heron Yl Fanult isn’t unaware that it’s ethically questionable, but he’s doing it anyway.

So I’m glad the ominous imminent oncoming of the Moon People can really be felt, because that atmosphere is fairly essential context for the decisionmaking going on at the top of the Tower.

"Young wizards sit in their bunks, six each to rooms that were previously individual, and hold lighting cupped dancing in their palms." a quick break from being worried to point out that this is rad as hell / "some with their heads decorously covered..." cultural differences!! especially with regional purposes like the Hedro!!

Thank you! 😆💖 I thought so too lol.

It also establishes the parameters of the magic system a little more. Throwing lightning bolts is pretty iconicly high-powered, right? And here it’s what most of the student wizards are practicing in anticipation of a battle, because most of them aren’t specced into combat and this is actually one of the easier lethal spells to master, especially if you have an academic background.

‘Electrocute’ isn’t a very flexible spell and it’s easy to lose control of, but it’s actually easier than, say, ‘set on fire to a significant degree in a non-electrical manner’ because concentrating a lot of heat in a certain location takes a lot more brute force than encouraging ionization.

You can pull most of the actual destructive force for the palm lightning spell out of the physical air and/or earth if you grasp the principles, which is much easier than channeling a comparable amount of magic directly because it doesn’t have to go through you.

The limiting factors on magic in this setting are how much power you can tap into and how much of it you can actually use without hurting or killing yourself. It’s not usually a lot, though the amount can be increased by things like choosing your workspace, prepping your workspace, and a whole lot of practice and meditation and things like that.

Magical traditions that get bundled under the heading of wizardry tend to focus on force multiplication, obtaining enough contextual understanding of a subject to make whatever power is applied go further. This means a lot of studying theory and using magic to make observations (such as the existence of microorganisms and their connection to disease) and often results in making clever devices based on what you’ve learned that may not actually wind up being magical at all.

Which is why the solar greenhouse proposal is considered ‘more wizardly’ than the fruit walls, which are wizardly in the first place even though the technology is pretty widespread at this point--it’s carried the principle of minimizing the energy you have to invest to get the result you want to the logical conclusion, where you don’t have to do any magic at all, you just set up the situation and get out of the way and the sun will do the work for you.

Other schools of magic, particularly religious ones, are more likely to emphasize just getting better at handling energy for yourself, which tends to yield a lot more in the way of immediate practical dividends and in a lot of quarters wizards who don’t do something obviously practical like physic or smithcraft with their theoretical background are considered crackpots or dilettantes

An impression helped along by the fact that being taken on as a student of wizardry at a basic level tends to focus more on your reading comprehension than your ability to actually do any magic, so in places where religious and wizardly institutions coexist the most talented students have a tendency to gravitate toward the religious life. This is particularly marked in areas religiously dominated by the Compact of the Golden Circle, wherein full ordination is contingent on being able to pull off certain fairly hefty rituals, so if you aren’t physically or mentally up to that kind of magical heavy lifting your religious career will stall out in one of the lay fraternities. In some of the cities on Sutouchel, the landmass to the southeast where the Compact is based, a slang term for wizard is ‘sanctum washout.’

But of course force multiplication is something that can scale up pretty far, and studying theory doesn’t stop you from also putting work into your practical skills, and not having talent isn’t the only reason someone would choose not to seek out a clerical career, if it’s even an option. Religion along the Meroda is pretty localized; communities tend to have local deities who correspond to a natural feature like the nearest mountain or the river or something, and if that deity rates a fulltime shrine the keeper also tends to be the major local medical provider, and since the wizards got settled in at the Tower it’s become pretty popular for shrinekeeping families to send their kids there for a year or two to get some educational polish in addition to what their parent already emphasized.

So depending on where you live and what your personal experience has been you’re going to have very different ideas about what wizards are good for.

Hrm. I’ve gone on a tangent. But that wound up taking so long you came back! :D I love it when being turtle works out in my favor.

Or was this actually the meta I was supposed to be doing in the first place? Aaaaa who knows.

im fairly confident you said eight asks survived so this is number nine? anyways onwards! "The hale survivors of the First Battle of the Second Descent sit waiting in their leathers, jack-chains and helmets laughably inadequate armor against the coming danger, and yet the best hope now just as they were on Carun Tol once the wizard fell" i have a lot of emotions about how their best bet is also a terrible bet but its all they have (9/?)

Yes 8.

Woo, thank you! ^^ & I love that you described it that way because that also describes the ‘summon alien’ spell Yl Fanult is casting and echoing the same emotional theme throughout the scene was very much the goal here.

"Threads have escaped from the braids pinned across the top of her skull: she has not had the chance to take them down for two days." god just the continuation of how desperate everything is / "He leans forward to peer through the narrow glass that has been turned on its articulated base to face the middle of the room, and relaxes very slightly. At least there has been no catastrophic alteration there, either." what does that one do id assume theres no approching army in the middle of the room -

:D Yeah, the fact that one of the chief medics available is already overworked to the point of neglecting nonessential personal hygiene and the enemy isn’t even here yet I hoped would resonate.

Well, remember how some of the telescopes at the beginning point in directions not included in the normal three dimensions of space? :}

- "trained as it long has been upon the face of the moon" also forgot to mention their enemies being from the moon is Rad As Hell / "He snaps his fingers for a spark that falls into the deep circular groove full of distilled spirits, and steps through that as well. He is not burned." ooooh whats he doing / "At his feet lie a glittering piece of gold ore, a moonstone, and a carefully sanded round of pumice." i see the connection to the moonstone bc moon army but i wonder about the others -

Thank you! It took a fair amount of poking before I decided it was a solid approach; it provides just enough physical alienation that there’s no direct cultural relationship and you can have that ‘everyone in the entire world Disliked That’ vibe, without needing to create any complicated magical and cultural explanation for such a long run of isolationism. They were out of contact because they were On The Moon.

Also I really get a kick out of putting space invaders in a fantasy setting in a way that stops just short of turning into sci-fi.

I’m glad the ritual lead-up is exciting! Even if the foreshadowing wasn’t as obvious as I thought it was lol. That’s fixable.

Gold is for the sun, moonstone is yeah for the moon lol (although in other circumstances people also use jade, because it’s been a long time since the moon was uniformly silver on account of it having been terraformed a few thousand years ago) and pumice is for the world--it’s a stone full of air that floats on water, so it’s popular as an anchoring device for rituals that call on all three local celestial bodies.

"He cannot take much time. He has only until the ring of fire dies." whats he doingggggg / anyways i love this so much!! the descriptions are gorgeous and im so invested in all of everything!! i hope you write more im so curious about it all!!

XD Ok I covered this already, I would have saved it for down here or Been Mysterious if tumblr hadn’t eaten the last few asks the first time lol. Thank you so much again! For encouragement! Before and now! I’ll try! To keep it going!

Here’s hoping this successfully posts, tumblr just kicked me onto New Dashboard again and disabled the turn-it-off button, so now my alternate posting strategy is borked up too. 🤞😅😘

#hoc est meum #ask #worldbuilding #a nonny mouse #the tower of sight #people say nice things #long post #<3

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rotzaprachim · 5 years

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the closest to heaven that i'll ever be (Kanej Guardian Angel AU)

From @elorcaning‘s prompt of Kaz just being an idiotic human getting in trouble all the time and inej is his guardian angel just trying to keep him from dying while doing stupid shit, which I thought was a BRILLIANT idea and kinda ran with. At 1 AM while on jetlag so I Apologise.

Props to @kettvrdams for not killing me when i sent an incomprehensible WIP for her to beta. All accidentally unfinished sentences and spelling errors are entirely My Own Fault

On AO3 - 1816 words, Teen

In her illustrious career as a guardian angel, Inej has learned several things. The first is to believe in the fundamental good of all people- well, almost all people. Almost. But really, she likes to think the best.

The second thing is that no matter how hard she tries- and damn, she really tries hard- humans will still find ways to screw their own lives over, and even if her role is supposed to be more hypothetical or spiritual than anything, she always finds herself getting involved in more practical ways.

But still she thinks, as the poor Dutch farm kid tries to eat fertiliser from the container for the third time, only to be shooed away by his older brother, that this is going to be a challenge.

--o0o--

“Organised crime? Really?” sneers a figure in the corner of the precinct station with their dark hood pulled down low. Kaz glances around. There isn’t anyone else around aside from the beat cop who’s just let him out of the holding shell with a glare and a kick to his good shin.

The figure pulls their hood down. It’s a girl about his own age. Looks like a university student, with a purple jacket and a rain slicker.

She holds out a plastic Albert Hejn bag. Ah. So this is what it’s about. Per Haskell, Pekka Rollins, whoever the fuck it is this time, want him to move something. Cash, drugs, fucking tulip bulbs for all he knows. He doesn’t really care, as long as he’s alive on the other side of it.

But it isn’t really heavy enough to be either of those things.

“You haven’t eaten anything in over twenty four hours.”

He doesn’t know how she could possibly know that, but when he looks inside, what he finds is a cheese sandwich and a bottle of orange juice. Sealed, so it would have been goddamn hard to hide a USB or whatever it is Pekka wants out of the country inside.

“Who sent you? Pekka? Ferry Bouman? Sonny Castillo?”

“Are those the only things your mind goes to?” Now the girl just sounds annoyed.

“I’m not in the habit of beautiful girls meeting me in police precincts without having some other angle they’re working. So what is it? Who do you work for?”

Beautiful girl. He didn’t mean to say that. He’s a lot of things, but a flirt isn’t one of them. Yet even in the yellowy light of the precinct, he can tell that's what she is, with her heart-shaped face and the fan of her oil-dark hair.

“Eat your damn sandwich” she says, and is gone before he can say anything else.

--o0o--

“Don’t get too involved,” says Zoya.

“The job description is guardian angel, ergo, I guard.”

--o0o--

Organised crime. Really. Perhaps not in the highest echelons, and it’s fucking Amerstedam, but still, organised crime.

Sometimes she really doesn’t think he’s organised enough to get mixed up in organised crime.

--o0o--

“Genuine Givenchy. Also got Rolex watches, Hugo Boss shirts-” he offers the middle-class housewives out on a girl’s trip to Amsterdam. The back of the florist’s he’s operating out of is packed with genuinely decent-looking fakes. It’s also on Sonny Castillo’s territory.

“Best space brownies in Amsterdam,” he promises a group of tipsy Erasmus students from Manchester with a smile that’s the image of sincerity. The coffee shop is on Ferry Bouman’s territory.

“Now this is a real Vermeer,” he tells the new-money-oil-don looking for a bit of old-school, Cultured, flash for his new penthouses in Dubai and London. The art gallery is on Pekka Rollins’ territory.

--o0o--

“He’s going to get himself killed,” Inej tells her boss.

--o0o--

“You think I can’t smell a rat, Brekker? You don’t fucking think I can’t tell when some bastard ratfuck tries to fuck me over?”

There have been many points during which Kaz thought his ass to be well and truly cooked. Almost drowning in the harbour in Rotterdam when he was twelve was certainly one of them, but it was also far from the last.

But now he’s got a gun to his temple and there’s no more talking he can do, not one more trick more trick up his sleeve or one more secret he can leverage into five more minutes, ten more minutes, another day to make things right.

There’s just him and a dark alley at the edge of the city and the freezing rain, pelting down and soaking him to the bone. And the angry hands slamming his face into the alley wall, over and over again, until blood runs down his face and chest and the rainwater tastes salty.

“Please. A week. No, a day, I’ll make it up-”

“Like last time you promise me, huh? Promise me twenty thousand? And then I find out you shelling out ten thousand Euros to Ferry Bouman to keep selling on Pekka Rollin’s turf. He ain’t gonna forget this, boy-”

“Ten thousand. I can get you ten thousand, you know I can-”

He sees the flash of a gun being raised, can almost feel the air change as the man pulls back the trigger, and then-

Like a flash of lightning, the moment after the fireworks go off. Light everywhere, the snap of sound of thunder, condensed, and then-

In the moment after the light, Kaz can’t see a thing. And then he can: the three grunts Pekka sent after him, lying in an alley, and the remains of several guns, incinerated to crisps. And the flash of something, a person maybe, going around the corner.

“THE FUCK ARE YOU?” He screams into the pouring rain, but no response comes back.

--o0o--

Sometimes, Inej wants to scream at him so loud he can hear it.

“And what were you expecting, exactly? Why can’t you just. . . .” she thinks of the words she hears people using, these days, “stay in your darn lane? You waste your mathematics scores dealing. You waste your German scores on conning tourists. You just . .. you waste your life.”

He’s had the pinched face of a businessman, and an older man, since his parents died. Since his brother died, and he spent his youth pinballing between foster homes and getting increasingly involved in things that the Korps Nationale Politie tend to take a rather dim view of. In all that time, though, she’s rarely seen fear on his face like this. She almost wants to reach out, across the train, tuck the edges of his carefully slicked-back hair back behind his ear, but she doesn’t.

“Why couldn’t you have just . . . stuck to selling overpriced marijuana to tourists or designer knockoffs from behind a tulip stand? Forging Vermeers? Stealing actual Vermeers?”

--o0o--

It’s only when he gets off at Utrecht Centraal that he notices an unfamiliar weight to his jacket pocket.

A neatly folded wad of cash. He flips through it gingerly. Twelve thousand euros.

--o0o--

“You can’t save his ass every time. Otherwise, he’ll never learn, and he’ll go beyond the point where you can save him.”

“But if I don’t save his ass now, he’ll die before he can learn.”

“Ah. That’s the eternal conundrum, isn’t it? Of the teacher and of the guardian angel.”

--o0o--

It’s not a particularly big country, but every time the train ride seems to last all day, and stretch into the night. Inej, at least, doesn’t need to buy a ticket. He buys flowers at Amsterdam Centraal. Changes trains at Maastricht and then again to a rural line, until he gets off at a station that’s nothing more than a strip of concrete alongside the track in a rain-soaked wheat field. There’s no taxis, no buses, only a long road through the countryside and the remainders of a life he’s tried to forget about at the end of it. He unfolds his walking cane and gets a move on.

On a hill, on a farm where the apple orchards have gone to seed and the roof of the house fallen in:

Annemarie and Jawad Rietveld. And a scratched out stone for Jordaan Rietveld.

He leaves the flowers, not particularly giving a fuck about the fact that he could be shot, right here and now, by Pekka Rollins, because this is Pekka Rollins’ land, even if it was Jawad Rietveld’s land first, and then Albert Rietveld’s land before that, even if, on a day so far removed from Kaz’s present life that it feels like someone else’s life entirely, Kaz thought that it would be Jordaan Rietveld’s land in the future.

He feels, in a way, her presence before he can see her.

“I know you’re there.”

She sighs and makes herself visible.

“It’s you. The girl on the train.”

“I don’t think so-” she says, taking on a heavy Flemish accent just in case he remembers her from the police precinct in Groningen. “I’m from Ant-”

“You. Your face.” I could never forget you face, he thinks. The police precinct, and then the train to Utrecht Centraal. A rare sunny day in this pit of gloom and rain, and the way that the sunlight hit her lashes, the curve of her cheeks, the splash of her dark hair, made him think that it was impossible there wasn’t something divine and benevolent in this life, and this world. “Police precinct up North. Gronigen. Train. Amsterdam. Everywhere i go you’re always-” He thinks about pulling the shiv from his pocket. Anyone so interested in following him certainly has ulterior motives, and yet-

“What are you? Why are you always- there?”

“I don’t think, Mr. Brekker, that your . . . theological opinions would permit you to believe me when I tell you what, exactly, I am.”

He shrugs. “Grandson of lapsed NHK’ers and Javanese Sunnis. No god helped them a whit. I don’t think God, if they ever existed, ever looked at this drowning spit of dirt.”

“I think there are many who wouldn’t disagree with you. Some of them, like myself, being of a divine persuasion.”

“Why are you here?”

She doesn’t answer, just turns towards the graves. A light rain has started to fall.

“Do you think you’re following the path they’d be proud of?”

--o0o--

“You know I count as a fucking mature student? Mature.”

Even she has to laugh.

“I’m fucking twenty three. Twenty three. I got carded trying to buy a beer yesterday.”

“But now a student.”

He flashes his new, shiny plastic student card at her. The photo on it still looks like a mugshot.

“What are you studying?”

“Politics. International Relations. How different can the European Council be from the mob, really? Common Agricultural Policy, pay off Europol, work some backroom deals to get shit done.”

Inej resists the urge to burrow her forehead in her jacket sleeves. There are, it turns out, many, many ways for a human to get themselves killed, on this world.

#my writings #kanej #kaz brekker #inej ghafa #six of crows #six of crows fic #guardian angel au #modern au

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ctl-yuejie · 5 years

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all of @howdydowdy‘s most loveliest tags for my fanfic, you are so wonderful i don’t know how i deserved the good luck to find you ;A;

1. #OH MY GOD!!!!!!!#it's here!! i'm gonna lose my whole entire mind!!!!!#well i hope everybody's ready for me to scream about every single installment as it comes out because this is the most important thing now#i didn't even know turnip!ah yuan was gonna be in it THIS IS THE BEST SURPRISE!!!!!#i feel so honored that my tags had anything to do with inspiring this incredible au but this is absolutely so much better#even in this short installment i'm getting such a good feel for the three characters who have made an appearance so far!#excited to see your lwj!!!#'the only thing his viewers enjoyed more than his content were the occasional take-downs Wen Qing was dishing out in the comment section'#ahahaha you are so funny#PLEASE EVERYONE LOOK AT THIS AMAZING FIC! I'M SO EXCITED FOR IT!!!!#i don't know all the things that are gonna happen but i have a general idea and guys it's such a good au#op is so creative and brilliant!!!#the untamed#ah yuan and his two dads will be the death of me#fic#these are a few of my favorite things

2. #second! installment!! time!!!#i feel like i'm a reader in dickensian london waiting for the new chapter to come out in the magazine#except there's less pollution and i don't have to put coal in an oven#why are those my associations with dickensian london? idk don't worry about it#jiang cheng makes an appearance! okay so i have never really understood him but i've been reading a LOT of fic#and i'm starting to get the picture i think#this is like...just the right amount ominous to get me super excited to see what happens next#WYD JC????#also wwx's characterization is just *chef's kiss*#<3 <3 <3 love u op you're too good to me#puns

3. #ohhhh shit everybody lwj is here! things are happening!!!!#i love all the sibling feels lxc gives me always#in every single fic i read he's like 'lwj i found another boy your age please be friends with him i love you so much'#oOoOoO the shoot will be four whole days i wonder what can happen in four days you guys...#like maybe...mister stoic guqin falling in love with disaster farmer man????#STAY TUNED#you know what just occurred to me is that lwj needs an emotion translator#i'm thinking like luther the anger translator for obama in those key & peele sketches#except it's just someone interpreting all of lwj's stoic faces#i mean lxc can read his faces so you'd think he could do it but idk if lxc himself is emotive enough#i'll have to think about it more

4. #this fic is the gift that keeps on giving#slowly introducing new characters...now we're meeting my sweet baby wen ning...i don't deserve this happiness...#also wei wuxian's carefree chaotic energy is just to die for#and what's this? jiang cheng appears on the horizon? narrowing his eyes at a tumbleweed that rolls across his path#his spurs jingling menacingly as he stalks ever closer?#hold on to yer hats cowboys i smell some Plot approaching#the untamed#fic#(okay also 'explosive arts & crafts projects' ahaha you are the best at these descriptions)

5. #oooooooo things are really coming together my dudes...#more jiang cheng content! okay he is really growing on me. grouch with a heart of gold. huge schemer. just wants to make fun of his BIL with#his brother but feels like he has to prioritize his ~responsibilities~#he loves wwx and understands what motivates him and at the same time just wants him to like. chill#the air quotes ahaha#that wwx makes them and that jc hates it#also i think my favorite image from this is the fact that one of the draws of the tv show is that all the cultivator hosts are handsome#which means that when lxc needed someone to cover for him he just went to the producers like#'no worries my little brother is also super hot so he should meet all your requirements'#'is he personable? no. does he speak in complete sentences? also no. but are the viewers gonna go batshit over his face? absofuckinlutely'#and the producers were like 'oh yeah dude say no more'#this is so fun i'm really enjoying these updates!!!

6. #not the city centre itself but a nearby mound#which sounds unusual and ominous#honey you got a big storm comin'#lwj is getting there early...oh fuck the suspense...#also 'either this is just how show business works or no one really knows what they are doing' why not both lwj??#ahaha i am cackling and steepling my fingers imagining how this is all gonna go down#babe i'm glad you decided not to give me spoilers because it is so fun watching things unfold

7. #i'm just imagining the perspective of the film crew showing up and it's a barren wasteland#they're like...wtf kind of establishing shots are we supposed to take of this??#don't worry guys the cutest child on the planet lives here. just get some footage of him frolicking in the turnip fields#the audience will lose their effing minds

8. #i love jc's logic like 'no one can find out about this or it'll be bad for the family. how to accomplish this? better get a film crew'#also i love how he's lowkey bitter that no one wants to interview him AHAHA jc you peach#and he's like 'maybe i'll watch the show. JUST TO MAKE FUN OF WWX FOR NO OTHER REASON'#wow i'm like becoming really fond of this character op!!!

9. #AHAHA love this image of lwj staring after nhs as he traipses down the street#'fancy birds? tf kinda innuendo is that??'#also lwj deciding to wear all white so that people won't approach him ahaha damn where is my equivalent outfit??#MATCHMAKER LXC STRIKES AGAIN!!!!!#did lxc even have to go out of town for real or was it all a setup to get lwj and wwx in the same place??#wouldn't put it past him tbh#lwj is so perfectly taciturn here i love it#and not just because he's not personable or something it's because he's having FEELINGS#also because wwx never shuts up lol#'he is doomed just like before because even this unknown wei wuxian he wants to be close to and find out who he is'#ughughguhgghhghhh how are you finding and pushing all my buttons???#hot DAMN i am HERE for this!!!

10. #i've now read this three times and i love it more every time!#you have such a way with words and i love how you're getting into wwx's head#it can be hard to relate to him with how dense he can be but you make it all seem incredibly plausible and realistic!!#i love him like 'wonder what it would be like to share a hotel room. it's totally normal that i'm thinking about this'#and like. you show how he got there in his thought process and it makes total sense!#also: lwj as eye candy YES EXACTLY#nhs is the perfect choice for a tv interior designer expert. that is SO what he would be doing in a universe with tv about interior design#okay and MOST IMPORTANTLY we have come to the part in the gifset!! this is the best crack that ever caught feels omg ilysm#demonic blood pool WEI YIIIIIIIING#wen ning being all yeah goth guys and blood pools two great tastes that taste great together#i love everything about this and it was so worth the wait. very excited for the next installment!!!

11. #you are LITCHRALLY killing me with this sharp characterization!! how are you nailing all their voices!!!!#nhs just in it for the hashtag drama that's so spot on omg. breaking all the rules HE wrote just so he can torture jc#all 'are you seeing this??? ARE YOU??' poor nhs and jc having to watch these two lovesick fools make googly eyes at each other#for YEARS and not REALIZE it well it's your lucky day mr. fan man because soon the whole world will see this UST and validate you#okay but what i love the most is jc the masochist being so uncomfortable he has to keep turning off the video ahahahaha#wangxian out here romancing so hard that jc needs a barf bag. or therapy. or selective amnesia.#you ever get secondhand mortifying ordeal of being known? that's what's happening for jc here#it's mortifying watching other people experience the ordeal of being known. this is the hardest i have ever related to jc#it's like oh fuck. lwj loves wwx and it's so obvious. oh my god. i'm so embarrassed.#wwx is so gone for lwj and it's right there on his face for anyone to read. i'm in agony.#ALSO 'jiang cheng can feel his head get hot and he drops the phone on the table like it personally betrayed him' THANK U FOR THIS#everything about this is the best and my favorite#ahhh i'm so excited for the next chapters and so glad they're already up so i can read them right now!!!!

12. #lxc shooting lwj pointed looks every time the jiang sect comes up in conversation for the past 13 years!!!!! he would!!!!!!#i love the way you describe wwx through lwj's eyes. the love just shines through#also you are so insightful about his character but what else is new??? you're the character breakdown QUEEN#OH MY GOD AH YUAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111111#i am writing these tags as i read or that would have been the first tag it's SO important#i mean my tag isn't important it's incoherent but AH YUAN IS IMPORTANT!!!!!#you really want me to die. you really want me to be all the way murdered.#this image of lwj just standing there with impeccable posture one arm behind his back the other holding a sword in the air randomly#with this squirmy lil bab clutching at his clothes and reaching up on his tiptoes#okay dang i didn't know there was gonna be action! intrigue!! an ambush!!!#this fic really has it all#bamf!wwx and rescuer!lwj#battle couple ftw#NOT TO MENTION DRUNK!LWJ!!! SELF SACRIFICING!LWJ!!!!!#how am i supposed to live knowing lwj Did That#ughghughghgughgh#'at least i made him happy.' at least you made him happy???!?!?!?#just let me live for a second!!!#just one second though then i'm gonna read the next chapter

13. #awwww jiang 'I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOU I'VE JUST BEEN CUTTING ONIONS' cheng gets a tear in his eye#they are...a fambly.....#my man lxc coming thru for the people!! title of my upcoming inspirational children's book: Lan Xichen Takes a Stand#op you made me love jiang cheng. i'm in it now

14. #omg i forgot that you had written this and sent it to me weeks ago so when i read it just now i was like...obviously that's what happened???#i had already just fully incorporated it into my understanding of these characters in my head and forgotten how it got there#so this was the BEST surprise#i can't believe you. putting ah yuan and bunnies in the same chapter because you love drowning me in cute#soft domestic adoptive dad content???? ugh i literally need to lie down and go into a coma.#just a lil coma. to recharge my feels.#i don't know what you could possibly be putting in the 'extra' but i am. vibrating with excitement!!!!#this is one of my favorite fics ever and i'm forever happy that you came up with this amazing idea and executed it so well#I APPRECIATE AND ADORE YOU!!!#HEART EYES EMOJI#these are a few of my favorite things#the untamed#ah yuan and his two dads will be the death of me

15. #OH MY GOD NHS MASTERMINDED ALL OF IT#this is so perfect i'm in awe!!!!#of course he did!!!!#also 'he had been very invested in this romance he had even painted themed fans for this' ahahaha#these schemes! these machinations!! he got lxc out of the way! he put the idea in jc's head! ahhhhh!#mr. fan man

#ctlyuejie writes #well technically not #i collected these so i can reread them late #you have such a fun way with words #they are all brilliant

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cutiecrates · 5 years

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Cutie Reviews: YumeTwins July 19

Hello~ Welcome to our review :3 today we’ll be looking at the July YumeTwins. For anyone curious, my mom is doing very well and they said she could leave later today (Sunday).

“It’s finally summer time and with the weather heating up we hope you’re looking forward to getting outside and enjoying the sun! We had exactly that in mind when we put together this month’s selection of goodies for you. Isn’t it funny how when the sun comes out it somehow magically brightens our mood? We hope you’re feeling motivated and excited to get together with friends for a fun day in the sun or a Pool Party! Don’t forget to bring along your kawaii pool party items from this month’s box! Are you excited yet? We sure are! We hope you enjoy!“

(Just pointing this out for anyone new... I know people like sunny weather, but my mood improves when it’s rainy and cloudy out.)

Photo Contest

This month the winners and runner-ups could look forward to an adorable My Melody plush and chocolate-shaped pens!

Yume Prize

Meanwhile, Rilakkuma is our featured character in the special Yume Prize box. With several items perfect for bringing to a pool party.

Gudetama Sticky Notes/Pokemon Stickers

I know, you’re probably wondering “there’s no Gudetama though“, and I have a good reason for this. The booklet lists Gudetama Sticky Notes, but as you can see I didn’t get them. If I recall, this is because something happened and they had to replace them for some boxes... I’m not 100% sure, this was back in July when I looked into it.

Keep in mind things like this usually don’t happen- and since I can’t exactly remember why it did, I won’t fault YumeTwins for it. With that, let’s take a look at this cute sheet of puffy stickers I did get instead. There are 65 in total, featuring a variety of Pokemon and some pokeballs. They’re a bit on the small side, but that just means you can use a lot more :P

Although I don’t like tiny stickers, I do admire all the detail you can see in these. However, I noticed some of of mine have little itty-bitty smudges or markings, they’re also pretty hard for puffy stickers.

Kawaii Character Pouch

Our next item is a cute little pouch, which would come in handy at the pool for storing small items you can keep nearby. There was a variety of fun prints and Sanrio characters available. The one I got is an adorable Sumikko Gurashi pouch, featuring a pastel floral background and black details surrounded by the series name and writing that says “Day after day we have fun in the corner.“. There is also a light pink ball chain connected to this, giving you the option to attach it to various items.

Although I’ve gotten numerous pouches like this, I think this would be one of my most favorites. I love the floral background on it~ It’s well made, it feels nice on both the inside and outside, although I did notice its on the thin side, so I’m not sure it could handle a lot of abuse, or getting wet. Not sure.

Key Chain and Strap

To go with the pouch, we also get this adorable chain and strap piece that can be used as is, or you could split it into two portions and use both pieces separately if you wanted. You could even “cross swap“ the chains, so you could make the rubbery piece into a phone charm if you wanted. Like the pouch, these consist of various Sanrio characters partnered with various items they’re often found with, for example, besides Hello Kitty and her bow, there’s also Gudetama with an egg.

I love Hello Kitty, so I’m always a little disappointed when I don’t get her for items featuring various Sanrio characters~ Which happens a good amount of time! But this time I got lucky x3 I’m especially fond of Hello Kitty phone charms because back when I had a phone that could have them, I used a vampire Hello Kitty charm I loved more than anything. I still have it (and a Hello Kitty Frankenstein too, it was part of a Halloween series) but I can’t use it at the time.

As you can see in the picture, the details are perfect, the lines and colors are smooth and crisp, the figure is especially extremely well done for something its size and has a lot of details on it. The pose and item are obviously on the generic side, but I think in this case it actually works for the line.

Handy Mist Fan

A perfect summers item (and probably really fun at a pool :D), this adorable Sanrio hand fan comes in the shape of a star wand and is available in this hot pink and red various Sanrio mascots, or there is a pale colored Sumikko Gurashi one. Besides being a cooling hand fan that requires no batteries, there is a special feature that makes this one even more fun; it has a water mist function!

Initially I didn’t know that. but I did see the hole the water comes out, and had been wondering what the side tab did. I never really looked at the description until I began writing about it, and as it turns out you just unscrew the bottom and fill it with water. The tab on the side is for controlling this feature, and the water will mist out while you’re using it. There is also a long string you can use to hang this from your neck or various items.

This is actually a lot of fun! I usually don’t get that excited by hand fans because while they are cute, I find they either work or they don’t (or the breeze is so small you can barely feel it) so I wasn’t very sure I’d be satisfied. But it works really good, I was surprised by how cooled I felt while/after use, and the misting function is really strong, to the point you get water all over you. I can’t see this being an ideal winter toy, but it’s perfect for late-spring and summer!

Sailor Moon Jar

Next up is a pretty KiraKira Canister inspired by Sailor Moon that was available in 2 colors (pink or purple), both featured alternate images. But otherwise they have the same physical appearance. The jar has a diamond tile etching you can feel on the inside, and on the top of the lid is a gem. It’s also a decent size and the booklet suggests using it for things like candies, hair accessories, and cosmetics; which I think I will do. Lately I’ve been putting all my unique lip products from the boxes in the Sumikko Gurashi container I keep my earrings in and I ran out of room <3<

This is a pretty item that could come in a lot of handy in numerous cases, it’d also be the perfect gift for a Sailor Moon fan x3 The details make it extra-special, I like it a lot~

Kirby Inflatable Ball

This is our last item of the box, an adorable Kirby inflatable that also serves as the featured item this month!

This airy toy makes for a lot of fun at the pool or just as an inflatable yo-yo :3 it’s very fun to play with and was surprisingly easy to blow up for me -and I have asthma- although my cheeks still felt a little sore afterwards~

There is one downside I noticed, and I don’t know if its just mine, or if they all have this issue. I noticed over time Kirby seems to lose some air, and I don’t know if it has a hole somewhere -despite being kept in its packaging until I took the pictures- or if its meant to do that. It’s still playable of course, but it’s a minor concern.

♡ Cutie Ranking ♡

Content - 5 out of 5. We got some good, quality items this time! I didn’t notice anything messed up or sloppy (besides a couple Pokemon stickers), each piece was detailed and very cute/pretty and individually I essentially liked all of them.

Theme: 2.5 out of 5. Honestly this is where they fell a little short I thought... I mean, we only have 2 really obvious pool-based items in the box- but you could use them in multiple locations too, which is good. But while you could store small items to bring with you in the wallet and jar, who would actually bring these to a pool? Maybe to a poolside locker or hotel. The stickers/sticky notes and charm kinda don’t work for me theme wise, and all they suggest is using the charm as an accessory to the pouch. They could have just as easily included a water-filled charm or something to add more of the pool touch to it.

Total Rank: 7 out of 10. I really did like this box, would recommend, the only thing I had a problem with was that I felt like the theme could have been better. The theme suits summer strongly, it was just the items didn’t fully meet the theme in my opinion.

♡ Cutie Scale ♡

1. Sailor Moon Jar - I love, love, love it~! It’s so pretty looking and it’s a decent size so I know it will come in handy regardless of what I choose to do with it.

2. Hand Mist Fan - Great for cooling down when you feel particularly warm or just want to have some fun~

3. Character Pouch - I got tons of these, I didn’t need another one; but I love how it looks! Definitely in my top 3 of pouches I own, I’d be very likely to use it.

4. Kirby Inflatable Ball - As precious as Kirby is and as fun as this is, I’m worried over the air draining out of it, but I couldn’t find any holes. I’ll probably hang it up somewhere safe to make sure it doesn’t get one for now.

5. Keychain and Strap - I’m very happy I got Hello Kitty!

6. Pokemon Stickers - I don’t like repetitive sticker sheets, even though they do have their good points. And because a few of them got messed up I can throw them away with no remorse.

#cutie reviews #yumetwins #sailor moon merchandise #kirby merchandise

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starspatter · 5 years

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WIP Challenge

Tagged by: @summertime-children

Tagging: @astrologista, @atsushishelteredinmoonlitjasmine, @benditlikegumby, @cryptoriawebb, @ibmiller, @iceperialprincess, and @otherwise-uncolonized

Challenge: post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous.

I'll also do what deta did and post comments + short fragments. (Be warned it'll be very long though, and most of these are actually Pokémon fics since I was a much more prolific writer when I was younger, and that was the fandom I wrote mainly for.) I also won't be including "Heroes and Thieves" on here (or any DC/superhero stuff really since I’ve essentially “done” everything I had planned for now), as *technically* it is all already completed in draft form, and I'd like to keep things a surprise for whenever I do end up posting~

Hero and Seek

“Well, we’re all together now, so let’s have some fun, all right? Don’t worry, it’s really simple. One person is the ‘demon’, and the others have to hide from him.” “Eh? A ‘demon’? But that’s scary!” Three pairs of eyes turned up to her in fear. Those eyes, which screamed and streamed the stark color of blood the first time she saw them – not just from tears, but from the ‘monster’ they believed dwelled deep within. She thought for a moment, then removed her scarf. “How about this then? Whoever’s the ‘hero’ has to find and rescue the others. It’s a very important Blindfold Brigade mission!”

I’ll start with the one Kagepro fic I did attempt at least, which I described previously here, but is basically about Ayano + the Meka Trio playing “Hide and Seek” for the first time. (I actually had it originally titled as that but just came up with this new version on the spot lol I’m so clever~) For some reason I’ve always been hesitant about reading/writing Kagefic, but I actually got a fair bit farther in this than I thought, so perhaps I should try to finish it someday... Princes and Frogs

“K-Koizumi-senpai… Um… Please go out with me!” Itsuki stared down at the tiny underclassman, watching a rose mantle spread slowly over her cheeks as she gazed back with shy, but determined hope in her bespectacled eyes. The older boy could make out his own handsome face reflected off the lens, a virtual image embellished by sparkling hearts and stars. With dim satisfaction and relief, Itsuki ensured that his bright, patient smile betrayed no hint of the weary sigh that whispered behind it.

This is an intro excerpt of the first chapter I planned to write for an ItsuHaru fic from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, which I only ever posted the prologue for. ItsuHaru was my first obsessive OTP, and I still think about returning to this story someday (especially since I have now proven to myself I *can* finish a full chapter fic if I put my mind to it), but it’s been so long I feel like I’d need to refresh my memory of the whole series/am still holding out hope for a Season 3 to motivate me again. *shot*

Fall to Pieces

As Itsuki stared at Yuki’s vacant visage, his resentment kept building. His hands clenched, rigidly gripping the edge of the table. Somehow, it just didn’t seem fair. That she could so easily ignore the madness fate had dealt them, never reveal any signs of suffering or bitterness towards her situation, and yet always, always wear the same damn expression on her face. How could she possibly stand it? He can’t stand it. (any more)

An ItsuYuki one-shot, where Itsuki basically blows up at her from pent-up frustration over having to wear a mask all the time and his hidden feelings for Haruhi. The two start to form a connection over their respective “unrequited loves”/understanding of each other’s pain, and one thing leads to another... Like “Heroes and Thieves”, this is in fact technically “complete”, since I actually used the leftover steam from the former towards finishing at least one thing I started a long time ago - although I’m still not sure I’m totally satisfied with it/kinda want to wait to figure out what I’m doing with my other ItsuHaru fics before I publish it by itself. (Incidentally the working title comes from an Avril Lavigne song lol.)

Little White Lies

“Perhaps the best thing for the princess would have been to fall in love. But how a princess who had no gravity could fall into anything is a difficulty--perhaps the difficulty.” -George MacDonald, The Light Princess - Haruhi Suzumiya was walking on air. Itsuki could tell by the way she glided into the clubroom, sailing like a paper airplane – or a balloon with an inflated ego to match.

...Yeah that’s as far as I got with this. This was meant to be a “White Day” story, which is Japan’s “answer holiday” to Valentine’s Day, where guys reciprocate by giving gifts to the girls who gave them chocolates. I always wondered how the boys actually responded in-universe, and I imagine Itsuki secretly stressing out a lot about taking care to not upstage Kyon, but at the same time wanting to sincerely express his genuine appreciation and feelings towards Haruhi - whatever they may be. In the end, he settles on a copy of “The Light Princess” by George MacDonald, which I highly recommend reading since it reminds me so much of this pair, and in general is such a fun and snappy “tongue-in-cheek” take on the fairytale genre. Sora in Wonderland

But wait- this one was a bit different from all its brothers and sisters. For one thing, it was wearing a fancy waistcoat with pockets- and sleeves that were far too long for it. As soon as it passed by her head, it stopped and slowly turned its head around to stare directly at her with its huge circular yellow eyes. Sora stared vacantly back for a full five seconds before the information registered in her brain and she suddenly yelled, “Hey!”, and sat bolt upright. The Heartless panicked upon hearing her voice and fled at top speed across the white sands, headed towards an opening in the rocks; Sora jumped down off her perch and immediately chased after it, no longer caring about the heat. The Heartless hastily disappeared inside the cave, and Sora soon followed after, determined to catch the freaky little thing and ask it some questions, like what it was doing on the island at this time, and where on earth did it get a waistcoat.

OKAY SO I TOTALLY FORGOT THIS WAS A THING but apparently I tried to write a Kingdom Hearts parody of “Alice in Wonderland” lmao. I’ve never actually played the games (aside from half of CoM), but it was probably inspired by a crossover art my friend drew? ^^; Also Sora is a girl in this bc that’s my headcanon and I’m sticking to it. XP *shot* Note: The following fics are all Pokémon-related so I’ll just be listing them in roughly chronological order (from most recent to ancient, although they’re all pretty old at this point). Stranger

The elder slowly rose to his feet, gazing at the boy, the champion, the stranger. “In all this time, why didn’t you come back? You could have seen for yourself how she was.” Lance wanted to yell something defiant, like a child. But he wasn’t a child. Children were forgiven for their mistakes. And he didn’t want to be forgiven. The professor’s ancient hand came to rest on the boy’s shoulder. “It’s the way this town works. We don’t talk about things that happen outside our own world. Maybe it was too long ago – too late for you to understand.” Lance didn’t say anything. “At least talk to Delia. She’s been wanting to see you.” “Sorry. It’s too late.” “You’re a bastard.” “I know.”

So this looks to be among the last things I’d written before taking a long break from fanfiction circa... 2007, jeeze. Over 10 years, huh. But, I think it speaks a certain amount of maturity that it’s the piece I liked most upon rediscovering. It’s based on an idea I once had that Lance was (unknowingly) Gary Oak’s father, and he was friends/rivals with Ash’s father, who originally won the title of Champion but relinquished it so he could be with his “wife” and kid (or rather, then-pregnant teenage girlfriend). *Something* happened though (I forget what I had in mind) and he ended up dying, leaving Lance bitter and depressed so he refused to return to Pallet Town because of too many painful memories. (Though he *cough* “comforted” their other female childhood friend for one night of drunken grief before he left. ;() What I like most about it honestly is the parallels bw Lance’s relationship with Ash’s dad and their sons’, and that amidst all the angst I enjoyed portraying the earnest energy and optimism of Ketchum(?) senior (”like father like son” after all). I was definitely inspired by Mitsuki’s father in Full Moon wo Sagashite/Maes Hughes from Fullmetal Alchemist by making him a total “dork dad” who’d brag about his (illegitimate) family on national TV during the championship tournament lol.

Ihavenoidea

Either way, I get the feeling this really wasn’t what I had in mind when I made my decision to quit training. I mean that in an intuitive sort of way. Like, sometimes I feel as if I’m not meant to be here, like my life should have ended up differently someplace else. Perhaps this is just one of those weird inconsistencies I told you about. Perhaps not. Even after all that’s happened to me recently, I still can’t really be sure about it.

...No seriously, I have no idea where I was going with this. As far as I can tell it’s written from the POV of Gary Oak, whom I’ve always had a lot of... “complicated” feelings towards. It probably has something to do with another concept I’ll discuss next, although for some reason it sounds like I was going for some sort of AU? *shrug* By contrast to the above, it reads like a whiny teenager complaining about his life - which makes me cringe but is probably an accurate portrayal of who I was at the time. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ This one was actually dated a little after the previous, so my best guess is it was some kind of vent rant where I would “give up” writing/creating and “childish” ideals for a while, as I was wont to do - but I still always come back to it somehow... RainbowMolly

Molly stepped out from the car and onto the dusty road, her heart beating wildly. She could hardly believe she was actually here, of all places. The ride had been long and mind-numbing with anticipation, and now that they’d finally arrived at the destination, it all felt somewhat surreal to her. A small bear clambered out from the vehicle, joining her as she stopped to take in the rustic view that met her bright blue eyes. She smiled and picked up her Teddiursa, cuddling its warm, fuzzy body close to her own. Her gaze traveled down the road which stretched in both directions, houses lining up against its margins. She followed it with her eyes towards a hill in the distance, on top of which sat what looked like a quaint little farmhouse with a windmill, turning in the summer breeze. She breathed in the country air, catching whiff of a faint salt smell from an ocean in the distance. So this was Pallet Town.

...Why I didn’t actually name the file “Chasing Rainbows” - which was the title I had planned for this - I don’t know. This dates back to an old idea I had where I believed Molly Hale from the third Pokémon movie was secretly the true “God” of the Pokémon world - in the sense that the entire universe was an unknowing fantasy of her own creation, similar to Haruhi Suzumiya (ok fine this was totally a crossover/rip-off of the same concept so sue me OTL). In a place where children never seem to grow up and can go on grand fantastical adventures forever, Gary always struck me as an anomaly who willingly *chose* to forego such a life to pursue more “adult” interests by becoming a researcher. So I saw him as filling the role of “Kyon” - the cynical narrator who was destined to ground “God” and bring her back down to earth, but at the same time be won over by her innocence and charm and learn to appreciate “kids’ stuff” again. However, the Legendaries were actually aware of the power Molly holds, and so saw Gary as a threat to their very being - as by “waking” the dreamer and having her face reality meant erasing their kinds’ entire existence. As the “apocalypse” nearly occurred in the third film, Mew and Celebi took on human disguises (in the form of May and Max respectively) to investigate Ash, who was able to calm Molly and “save” the world by “perpetuating” the delusion (and whom Molly totally has a crush on btw *shot*). So it’s a bit of a love triangle lol, with Mew and Celebi (*cough* an alien and a time traveler, get it? *shot*) acting as mediators/interference. (Although Mew might’ve secretly shipped Gary and Molly herself. ;O)

Betrayal

And these blades, these damned scythes that attached themselves to my arms when I was born, a curse upon me since birth, though it had not been apparent up until now. They were covered with blood, the vital crimson liquid that flows through our bodies, now dripping down the steel surface in a webbed pattern, drops beginning to splatter the pure, emerald grass below. The arm felt heavy and weak as I tried to lift it, as if it did not belong to me, but that was only a wishful thought. I gazed calmly at it, inspecting the intricate designs the flow of the substance had created, as if it were an abstract piece of artwork. Tentatively, a pink tongue rolled out and caught a small droplet of it just before it fell from the sharp edge, just to convince myself that it was real. The semi-sweet, metallic taste confirmed this. I had indeed taken these men’s lives, just as I had taken hers.

So I remember this was written from the POV of a Scyther who seemingly went on a murderous rampage. I only know that I wanted to give him an “Edward Scissorhands”-like story, since the idea of having such sharp objects attached to one’s limbs so that one could never directly “touch” another without being a danger is pretty tragic. I suspect “her” was someone (a human?) he cared about but killed by accident, and after that he was only seen as a symbol of power/treated as a tool to incite fear before eventually rebelling against his “master”... Roses

“If you love someone, you should give them something that’s yours. That shows how much you care for them.” In the darkness, I pictured his smiling face, explaining to me as he wrapped a present for his girlfriend. His blue eyes were shining with a sort of spirit unfamiliar to me; I guessed, a feeling of love.

Another “dark” take on a Pokémon’s biology (I really liked writing explorations of those back then lol), this time of Roselia. The idea was that a Roselia was so in love with her trainer that she would do anything for him - including allow him to cut off her arms so he could give them to his girlfriend. I actually ended up turning it into a poem at one point:

Love is like a rose they say, And affection leads to grief they warned. For in the end love betrays, Its Beauty maimed by a poisoned thorn. You gave me pure water with a smile. Your cheerful face became my sun. I offered up my blood to you, And in return demanded none. Chop off my wrists, and tie them together. I’ll gladly bleed myself to death. In order to give you that which I hold most dear. My dear, my dear, Won’t you accept this bouquet? You take it, smiling warily. A blush creeps onto your face. And in those eyes I can see A garden of roses stretched out, Composing a wondrous place. Then you bound my hands in lace, And brought them to the girl next door. You presented them to her with grace. … My blood continued to pour.

Fanfic

She smiled at me, although something about her expression indicated something wasn't quite right. I watched as she glanced over towards the west, her gaze lingering momentarily on the setting sun. The glowing, orange sphere was slowly sinking behind the distant mountains, peaks cloaked in a pale, lavender haze illuminated by flickering beams of gold and scarlet cast across the horizon.

More accurately, I found this buried in a “catch-all” file where I had several (mostly finished) fics saved. This was meant to be from the POV of an Eevee who had just evolved - supposedly into an Espeon due to happiness and bond with her trainer, which is what both wanted. However, since it took place at sunset, she didn’t realize she had become an Umbreon instead, and her trainer ended up abandoning her for it. ;( It was a warm

Children’s shrieks and laughter echoed across the park as they flocked towards each other, and soon were chasing one another round the playground, weaving in and out between the swings as they partook in an innocent game of Tag. One child was It; she was trying desperately to catch one of her friends so that they would take over the job instead. Then it would be her turn to run away, for none of them wished to play the loathsome role of It. Or was it because they feared being tainted by the person’s touch? It must have been one of the two, for while she would struggle to reach them, catch hold of them, they would only flee, thoroughly enjoying the fact that they were vexing her. Twice she nearly caught one. Her fingertips were almost within reach of one of the other girls’ dresses, whose russet tresses were flowing wildly from the rush of movement and shining with golden highlights as the rays of the sun struck individual strands. The target shrieked and shook her head, whisking her skirt free in time to escape capture, laughing with glee at the sight of the girl left behind, miserable and alone.

Yeah I totally just went with the default beginning of the first sentence lol. I guess this comes full circle with the first Kagepro fic I mentioned (although I’m not even sure I was aware back then that the Japanese version of the game literally called “It” a “demon”, which is even more fitting). I believe this was part of a Pokémon series I was writing involving a creepy little girl and Mewtwo who would bring about the end of the world or something like that, but generally I guess I was just going for a “Catcher in the Rye” feel. *shrug* Golden Lights

The pale, rosy fingers of dawn were filtering in through the Granite Cave entrance, basking a small area near the opening in pinkish illumination. Just out of reach of its expanse sat little Mika, huddled in the gloom of the shadows, watching the light creep steadily towards her as the glowing ball of fire rose slowly towards the East. She knew about the Light that came from Outside. There were plenty other small apertures broken into the cavern walls and ceiling that allowed some thin streams of gold brilliance to trickle through. She had always done well to avoid them. The brightness was like poison to her skin. But they weren’t the Lights she’d had described to her by the old Crobat that always resided now deeper within the underground chambers, dozing now, most likely. He wouldn’t awaken until night came round, and she did not wish to rouse him and perhaps disturb him from a pleasant dream. She was very wise about things like that, being the young child that she was. Still, she would have liked to hear a story to comfort her just then.

Last one I could find, about a Sableye who, like Icarus, literally “flew too close to the sun”. In this interpretation I imagined that Sableye were creatures who could not stand sunlight at all, as it would cause their skin to burn. But Mika (pronounced like “Mica”) always dreamed of going outside to see the “Light” anyway. She was eventually tempted by Mew to leave the cavern under her angelic PROTECTion and step into the Light, who was acting as Ho-Oh’s messenger to “recruit” souls to “live eternal as an element of Ho-Oh’s Guarding Flame“, as the PROTECT faded and a “holy fire” began to spread. I guess I was going for a Biblical/”Rapture”-esque reference. (...Man I sure was obsessed with the endtimes as a kid. *shot*)

#Kagerou Project #Tateyama Ayano #Mekakushi Trio #Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu #ItsuHaru #ItsuYuki #Pokemon #Gary Oak #Molly Hale #fanfiction #starstories #astrologista #atsushishelteredinmoonlitjasmine #benditlikegumby #cryptoriawebb #ibmiller #iceperialprincess #otherwise uncolonized

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rockmiyabideusexmachina · 6 years

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2019 Megaman Valentine’s Day (Humor) Contest Results!

Apologize for the delay on this once again. Didn’t expect to be posting these results nearly a month after Valentine’s Day, but the extended deadline did help make sure we got a healthy competition this year. Thank you to all for your patience!

I’m going to start out this year’s results thread with a totally appropriate callout 4-Koma that is not technically an official humor entry from SubzeroIceSkater, even though it fit the rules. But it’s worth posting, to publicly humiliate myself anyways:

I'll take my token Akane-in-an-entry bribery any way I can get it, since nobody felt inclined to draw Mrs. Stelar’s fresh, piping hot, iced cinnabuns for their talent entry this year...Did I just type that? I mean, um...

Play me off, Johnny!

I kid, I kid! After all, these contests aren’t about me, it’s about the characters you love and want to draw. And that’s what makes everyone’s entries unique and helps motivate you to create time after time. And I am grateful for it, whether you are a long-time participant, or the yearly new contestant.

I’ll be doing things a little different this year, because the post would be way too long if I kept everything in one. So this first post will just contain the Humor category, and I will have a second, separate post for the Talent category. Raffle prize winners will be contained in both posts, so keep an eye out after my commentary on your art, for some possible winners here. The rest will follow soon. I’ll be contacting all winners soon enough, so sit tight!

Here are your humor winners and full gallery of entries, after the break!

Category 2 (Humor) - Princess Sigmia Returns

A much smaller group of entries for this category, but the zany mergers were great, all the same. I thank you all for getting as creative as you could with this concept, as it was a little more than just a mere gender swap you had to consider, when designing your combined character. Whether you won or not, know I truly enjoyed seeing all of these pics.

I know imgbox gallery gave people some issues before, so as always, let me know if images or links appear broken. Crossing my fingers this works smoothly this year! XD

After each entrant’s name, there will be a link in the character description to the entry, too, just in case the inserted external images don’t load for you.

[Full humor gallery]

1.) SubzeroIceSkater - Arc Weldy Falls In Love (featuring Tundroll.EXE the Arc Weldy, plus ‘Master Albert’)

[Page 1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

Comics with length and substance always seem to steal the show, and this year was no different. Joining the ranks of fenril-huayra, wintesm and so many others in recent years, I believe SubzeroIceSkater’s wonderful tale will stick with many of you, as much as it did me. As a humor piece, sure there are great sight gags and comedic lines all around, but it also has a lot of heart. You feel really bad for Arc Weldy to start out, but also feel so many emotions of compassion, friendship and love throughout. Wonderful work, and thank you for all the effort you put into this massive entry!

Also, are 21 pages not enough for you all? Well, SubzeroIceSkater also had ANOTHER 15 pages worth of ideas, alternates, and outtakes to go with this comic. And, while I won’t upload each link or image here, because this one entry is long enough, you can see them in THIS GALLERY LINK. They are also really great.

*For coming in 1st, SubzeroIceSkater has won $100 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value.*

2.) @drewblossom - Geminette

Nearly equally deserving in length, Drew’s comic more closely followed the Bowsette-style transformation gimmick to give Snake Man his comeuppance. The classic bait-and-switch kiss, turned on it’s head with a ‘lil Search Snake rather than a gross Toad Man, was a funny end.

Design-wise, I really liked what you did to create Geminette’s look. Splitting his helmet crystals to the side as like dual hair broaches, and keeping the motif with the choker, armband, garter straps and chestplate, worked out nice. I can see why Snake was so easily charmed.

*For coming in 2nd, Drew has won $50 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value.*

3.) @wimzik - Rollbble.EXE

If dominatrix Devil Roll wasn’t enough of a pain in Rockman’s side, I shudder to think how bad a Bubble Roll would be, puku! Or, would her devotion to him be as great (or clingy) as Bubs was with Shademan-sama?

Taking Bubbleman’s yellow flipper feet motif, and turning it into a fish fin design, both on her feet, legs, and hair ribbon, turned out pretty neat. If anything, I’m sure this transformation gives her very kissable lips, though! XD I have to wonder what her plan is with that Roll Navi Data chip, now that the chocolate is all gone, and what it will do to Rockman?

*For coming in 3rd, wimzik has won $25 via Paypal, or a prize of their choice up to that value.*

And the remaining wonderful entries, in alphabetical order by alias:

@3-oclock-blues - Dr. Willis

What you talkin’ ‘bout, Wil-lis? Or Dr. WHY?!-ris, if you prefer. With that absolutely awesome wide-eyed grin, she’s hellbent on living together with Zero in a world where only Reploids exist. Being that they both have spent time piloting flying machine bodies, and have sorta possessed some form of an evil energy, it’s a rather fitting combo. Unless you are Zero, and it’s your dad and girlfriend merged into one being. Awk~waaaarrrd.

The skull motif and spikes are subtle on Iris’ design, but fit in really well. Her bangs are just wild enough on both sides now, that it gives that Wily hair vibe, without having to give her a horrible, bushy mustache. XD

*3-OClock-Blues is the winner of Raffle Prize #2 - The X OCW artbook and Zero keychain*

@bracedshark - Mettayer

This might be a terrible concept, but I’m going to type it. When a Met pops out from under it’s helmet, especially in sprite form, usually all you can see is the whites of it’s dark, beady eyes under that helmet, on it’s dark grey/black blobby round body form. With Layer, you don’t get to see her eyes under her bangs, hardly ever. So staring at Mettayer’s underboob for too long, due to her chest armor mimicking a Met helmet, all I see is a Met’s pair of closed bottom eyelids, and I’m seriously waiting for those eyes to open up and start staring back at me. Would that not be the most wrong way for Mettayer’s eyes to work?! But I can’t unsee it! Her belly button even feels like a snoring, sleeping Met’s mouth. I’ll spare everyone of me editing this art to make my point. But it’s in your head now, isn’t it?

OK, despite that awful paragraph, this is one hot Metall Mommy. Sorry, I’m starting this paragraph off pretty badly, too, I guess. ^^; Despite my interpretation of the combination, the design elements do stand out in a unique way. The fiery reddish-pink hair seems like a different choice considering the characters merged, but it plays off the red of a Met’s mouth and earpiece, and, well, fitting for Valentine’s, too! And instead, you get the Layer color scheme in the pickaxe, so it still connects visually.

@drewblossom’s 2nd entry - Roll n’ Rock

This bonus entry from Drew flips the genders of both DLN-001 and 002. I liked Roll’s hair bow converting into more of a bow tie, and Rock getting her version of Roll’s hoodie, in a Blue Bomber color scheme. The V-Day card concept, complete with crayon-ish name writing, made for a cute entry. Hearts all around!

@supernovabee - Bayer

No, there won’t be any paragraph about underboob eyes for this version of a Layer transformation, as supernovabee has merged her with Bass. Bayer loves belting out her hard and heavy siren song to woo prospective love interests during karaoke night.

Keeping Layer’s purple hair here actually kinda still keeps a Treble Boost feel, that the color scheme fits seamlessly, to go along with the more obvious Layer armor design pieces.

#Rockman #Megaman #Mega Man #Rock Miyabi's 2019 Megaman Valentine's Day Contest #Fanart Contest #Too many tags to list

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houseofvans · 6 years

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ART SCHOOL | VANS HOUSE PARTIES | ROB ROTH

We’re excited about tonight’s Vans House Parties in Brooklyn, featuring Blondie, Liz Phair and SASAMI. Not only are we excited about the performances, but also by the collaborative visual experiences that will be provided by Blondie co-founder, songwriter and guitarist Chris Stein and director Rob Roth. We had a chance to chat with Rob Roth whose work with Debbie Harry has a long history, including her recent video–Doom or Destiny. We find out more about Rob’s upcoming collaboration with Chris Stein, his new project SOUNDSTAGE, and what they’ve got cooked up for folks attending VHP.

Photographs by Laura June Kirsch

Introduce yourself. Rob Roth, I’m an artist and director based in NYC.

How would you describe your work and style? Multidisciplinary is the latest description I have been called, I think it fits. I couldn’t really tell you what style it is. I leave that up to others to decide.

For tonight’s Vans House Parties in Brooklyn, you’ll be collaborating with photographer Chris Stein on a video installation. What can you tell us about it, and what you’ve prepared? How did you guys end up collaborating on this? Chris has a new book coming out called “Point of View” and we thought it would be fun to do what I’m calling a ‘mash up’, which is basically a video and print collage using images from the new book. I suppose that it’s my point of view, utilizing his point of view? Chris has such a great eye; it was hard to choose which ones we were going to use.

What are you most looking forward to at tonight’s VHP in Brooklyn? What should folks expect? I really like the space, so I hope it will be one of those great, hot, sweaty NYC summer nights full of music, dancing, art, drinking, sex?… ya know all the things worth living for? Ha.

What has the process been like collaborating on a video installation? Having collaborated a lot, what do you enjoy the most about it, and what do you find the most challenging? It’s not so much a video installation as new visuals that we are creating custom for the space (both print and video). I love collaborating; it’s really the basis of any good live performance, when it all comes together to create a spectacle. The challenge is usually making that happen with 100 obstacles that suddenly reveal themselves, ha.

You’ll be working on the visuals / video installation for Debbie Harry at VHP in Brooklyn. Tell us how this friendship began, and what it has been like working with a legendary performer like her? Debbie is as great as you would imagine. We met years ago in the 90’s through the nightclub Mother. I think we have a similar take on things, or are drawn to similar aesthetics and ideas. It could also be that we have the same dark sense of humor! We’ve worked together sporadically in different capacities on and off for years. Its great to work with someone who is such a seasoned performer yet still has a lot of spontaneity and gets excited about trying new ideas, sometimes on the fly. It’s also special to be friends with another artist who has done so much. I can count on her to bounce ideas off of or just to have someone to articulate the frustrations or confusion that comes particularly to artists.

Not only one thing, you’ve been in the role of director, but also as a writer, performer, sculptor and photographer, even initially trained as a painter. Out of all these roles, which do you find the most challenging and most rewarding? Is there a new “creative” hat you’re looking to put on that you haven’t yet had a chance too? I think it’s all the same honestly. I approach it all through feeling, so it’s not like I’m doing anything that different. It all correlates with painting because you are dealing with light, composition, subject and have all the same initial questions when approaching a new piece. I can’t think of another “creative hat”, but I do sometimes dream of being a Sommelier at a small and magical eatery in the middle of the woods somewhere. I feel like at this point I have so many stories I could tell while opening up the perfect bottle of red for a table.

How did you first end up getting involved with theater and performance? What aspects of the performing arts do you find so magnetic. . When did you discover this love for it? Performance was always something I loved and had in me, but the visual art came first for whatever reason. Performing is like being part of a ritual. Debbie and I have talked about how you become some kind of vessel that taps into something from the unknown, and it’s brought through to the audience who is also participating by receiving and sending back their emotional energy.

What personal projects are you currently passionate about? Tell us a little about SOUNDSTAGE and what that entails? SOUNDSTAGE is a theater / film hybrid performance piece that I have been developing for four years. It’s part of the artist in residency program at HERE Art Center. It’s a strange meditation on a queer character and his obsessions. It features the amazing Rebecca Hall in several film scenes and uses a live camera crew as part of the performance. I still have a lot to do, and I’m slightly overwhelmed, so if I talk more about it I will have a silent internal panic attack… but do come and see it in September.

Where do you find inspiration for your work? How do you keep yourself motivated? I find inspiration in everything from films to a pile of junk on the side of the road. Music is also a big inspiration. I think motivation can sometimes come from all the people I know (and don’t know) who are doing great work, or other friends encouraging me to execute my next idea. I have a list of 100 more pieces I would love to do, so it’s that daunting feeling of trying to get it all realized (financed).

What advice would you give someone thinking about following in your footsteps? Oh advice is so hard to give because it’s all relative. Everyone’s path is SO different. I would say try to follow your internal psychic dowsing toward what calls you.

What do you have coming up the rest of the year that you can share with us? There is talk of doing another performance with Atlas Obscura. Last year I was part of their “Into the Veil” performance night in Brooklyn’s Greenwood Cemetery. I performed as my character Craig (a melancholic werewolf) in the old catacombs. We might do an entire show with that same character in a site-specific place, but it’s still in the beginning stages, which is kinda the most fun, the dreaming phase.

#Art #Vans #Vans Art #Vans House Parties #Interview #rob roth #Blondie #music video #theater #performance #debbie harry

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fibula-rasa · 6 years

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October 2018 in Review

October was way more hectic than I thought it would be and I didn’t watch as many movies as I usually do. I spent a week in Korea (a post about my visit to the Korean Film Archive will be up soon!) And I was motivated to watch a lot of new movies (a.k.a. was on a long-haul flight).

You may have already heard the news, but the irreplaceable Filmstruck is shuttering this month after two wonderful years. Fair warning: I’ll probably spend a good deal of this month (November) trying to watch as many new-to-me movies in my queue as I can. I think I’ll try and write them up quickly over on my letterboxd, we’ll see!

Also, though The Vamps was intended to be an October series, the month’s general hecticness meant I didn’t get the final essay finished before the end of the month. So, in November, you all have that post to look forward to. (See if you can guess who it is! Hint: she’s a Dane.)

The reviews below are essentially transcriptions of the notes I took right after watching the films. They’re presented in the order in which I watched them.

Enough blathering, on to the movies. BELOW THE JUMP!

Dolls (1987)

29 May 1987 | 77 min. | Color

As a long-time devotee of the Band family’s productions, I’m always down for a Band film I haven’t seen. (When I was a kid, we probably spent a dozen times what it would have cost to buy Pet Shop (1994) renting it from Dollar Video.)

Yes, I did talk about haunted doll movies in my last roundup but this one was more fun, okay? The cast of characters are a great larger-than-life assortment of weirdos. I wish that 1980s English punks would just keep popping up in horror films after the 1980s. I particularly liked the performance of the little girl’s father. In most other movies, it would be a terrible performance, but in Dolls, it’s pitch perfect.

Dolls is a fairytale story that creates the atmosphere of a child’s viewpoint. The dolls are scary and do scary things, but, of course, they can be reasoned with.

As with many Full Moon movies, Dolls had a great balance of scares and campy humour. The doll designs are gross and fun–especially their wet, bloodshot eyes.

Dolls is a great choice for someone who watched a lot of Are You Afraid of the Dark? growing up and wants a “grown-up” version of that.

Funland (1987)

16 October 1987 | 98 min. | Color

After watching Dolls on Amazon Prime, this film was recommended. From the plot description and the featured image, we expected a fun slasher film. And, with William Windom (who I’m pretty sure took time off of Murder, She Wrote to make this movie!!!) in the cast, we couldn’t resist. What we got was… a… comedy? I guess?

There’s no doubting that there are some talented performers in this movie, but it’s just not funny. The only reason I’m writing about Funland at all is that it’s a good example of the kind of cheesy movie where you can see what could have been a good (or at least more interesting) movie underneath the movie that was actually made.

How exactly do you think: “I’m gonna make a movie about a killer clown fighting mobsters!” and then come up with this movie? I wrote a much longer complaint but, I won’t subject you to it. In short, Funland doesn’t execute its plot very well.

I definitely wouldn’t recommend this one. However, I am curious if any Atlanta natives have feelings about this movie? It seems like it features a lot of locals.

Flying Air Canada

The movie below are what I watched on my plane journeys to and from Seoul. I was flying Air Canada and I need to rant for a sec before moving on to my thoughts on the films.

There are a lot of reasons why captions (or subtitles, if you’re British) are necessary. They’re needed by lots of people, including people who aren’t d/Deaf or hard of hearing. If you want to learn more about why captions are good Jessica Kellgren-Fozard has you covered.

Personally, I have sensory processing disorder (SPD). This prompts me to have captions on when I watch most things. At home, I do this because not every movie or TV show I watch has decent sound mixing. It seems to be an art a lot of film/video makers are neglecting nowadays. Ho hum. I keep captions on so I don’t need to constantly change the volume. On a plane, my SPD is significantly worse because the noise of the plane is so loud that there’s little to no chance of me catching dialogue without raising the volume too high for my own comfort. Unlike the airlines I travel on within the US, Air Canada’s captioned offerings are practically nonexistent. That’s why so many of the movies I ended up watching were foreign-language (or ASL) films–they came with English subtitles.

Now, Air Canada, listen: Most of the movies you had on offer are definitely available with captions elsewhere. Even in theaters they likely had open-caption screenings. What is the deal? Seriously.

Anyway, sometimes I take for granted that we do some things right in America.

Okay, back to movies.

Mary Shelley (2017)

9 September 2018 | 120 min. | Color

This film didn’t have captions, which honestly might have weighed negatively on my experience of it. I was excited to see Mary Shelley. Mary and Percy Shelley are two of my absolute favorite literary historical figures and I love their work. This movie was a let down. It seemed like it was meant to be a character piece but the characters felt more like types than people. Also, don’t get me wrong here: I give no ground to fuckboys, but the depiction of Percy Shelley felt particularly oversimplified.

A Quiet Place (2017)

9 March 2018 | 90 min. | Color

Everybody raving about this movie was totally right. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already. Even if you’re not big on horror, it’s worth a shot.

How Long Will I Love U (2018)

18 May 2018 | 101 min. | Color

Scrolling through Air Canada’s film options, I got the feeling that time-travel romance is pretty popular right now in China and Korea? I think I picked the right one to watch in How Long Will I Love U. The premise put me in mind of The Lake House (2006), a movie I don’t like but can never resist watching when it’s on TV. This movie is a lot better than The Lake House. The premise is pretty cool and the plot is spurred on by a proper sci-fi concept. The leads are very cute together. I love that the main characters both kinda suck but become better people in getting to know one another. The special effects are good looking, conceptually fun, and not excessive.

I highly recommend this one. It’d probably be a great date movie or a Friday-night-with-some-Chunky-Monkey-and-a-cuddly-pet movie.

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable — Chapter 1 (2017)

4 August 2017 | 119 min. | Color

Listen. I have friends who are big fans of the JoJo manga and anime. I have never read any of the manga and couldn’t get past the first episode of the anime. That said, when I saw Takashi Miike directed this live-action adaptation of a story arc in the multi-generational JoJo series, I hit that play button right fast. Then, to my surprise, I enjoyed it! I often struggle with the visuals in live-action adaptations of anime and manga, but I loved how Diamond is Unbreakable played with the characters’ unique styling and design. The superhero-like story drew me in a lot faster than the anime and might just get me to look into some of the manga.

This movie might be a hard sell for a lot of people but if you wanna see something that’s out there and imaginative with supernatural overtones, Diamond is Unbreakable might be fun for you. Don’t worry–it’s easy to follow even if you don’t know who Joseph Joestar is. (Yes, that really is a character’s name.)

Un Traductor / A Translator (2018)

19 January 2018 | Color

I had no idea that following the Chernobyl disaster, some of the victims were sent to Cuba for medical treatment. I also had no idea that the program continued until 2011?! So, Un Traductor was a modern history lesson for me! Un Traductor is a model film for propaganda filmmaking–and I mean that in a fully complimentary way. The film does an admirable job of communicating how life for Cubans changed with the fall of the Soviet Union and how they adjusted to persevere.

You can probably gather from what you just read that this isn’t a fun watch, but it’s worthwhile if you have any interest in modern Cuban history.

A Casa Tutti Bene / There is No Place Like Home (2018)

14 February 2018 | 105 min. | Color

I don’t have a lot to say about this one frankly. It’s a decent family dramedy. Massimo Ghini and Sabrina Impacciatore both turn in good performances. *shrugs in Italian*

That’s all for this month’s roundup! Are you all ready for Noirvember? How about Kicksgiving? If you’re a Filmstruck subscriber, what are you marathoning this month?

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robertsbarbie-archive · 6 years

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im putting you up to what you posted and I'm asking you to answer all of the writing questions. also the url change had me confused for half a second but im in love

This is why I’m my own worst enemy

2. Favorite part of writing.

Creating a whole world, a whole other life, that people can someday enjoy and find comfort in when they’re feeling down

3. Least favorite part of writing.

Writing, like the fact that your ideas and storyline isn’t instantly onto the paper is insane

4. Do you have writing habits or rituals?

I mean I probably do but I can’t remember

6. Favorite character you ever created.

A teenage greek goddess I pulled out of my ass named Arendellia, she was a badass who died and I really just liked what I wrote involving her

9. Least favorite trope to write.

the opposites attract, in my opinion it’s cliche and unrealistic, I prefer the characters have similar interests but different approaches to things if that makes sense?

10. Pick a writer to co-write a book with and tell us what you’d write about.

Natasha Preston, and we’d wrote the sequel to The Cabin cause it’s been a year and I’m still not over the ending, I need a sequel

11. Describe your writing process from scratch to finish.

first I get a new notebook, I need a clean space for my ideas, then I wrote down a prologue or a description, it allows for my brain to fully process where I want the story to go, then I write until I hit a male characters name, cause I hate coming up with male names, if I have one picked out I’ll see if the image in my brain matches the name, if I can’t find a name that fits the project is discarded, if I find one that fits I write until I don’t know where to take the story next then I continue to formulate my ideas into actual scenes until I reach the end, then I close it up in a box never to be touched again until I accidentally find it while cleaning one day

12. How do you deal with self-doubts?

I either won’t show anyone or will preface saying “it’s not edited yet” or “I know it’s garbage lol”

13. How do you deal with writers block?

I listen to music, and write stories based off of the song titles, like I always try to write a chapter and if after a chapter I don’t think I have a story I move on, sometimes I’ll get a completely new idea but it really helps to get ideas flowing

14. What’s the most research you ever put into a book?

I’m currently waiting to write a book until I have all of the details, it revolves around Greek mythology but I want to be so accurate, not white wash, or erase the different sexualities of the Gods and I want to be accurate to the myths (a bit) but so far that’s the one

16. Where do you take your motivation from?

My brain telling me that it’ll leave me if I don’t get the ideas out of my head

18. What’s your revision or rewriting process like?

I learned in 7th grade that I need to do a complete rewrite which sometimes I do, other times I’m being nostalgic and read an old story then realize I’m an idiot so I edit it lol

19. First line of a WIP you’re working on.

‘"Coffee looks absolutely lovely on you, madam," I glare at Cody while attempting to pat myself dry.’ From that Dying in LA story I talked about earlier

21. Post the last sentence you wrote in one of your WIP’s.

’"I told the director to go suck a dick. It was the worse thing imaginable,” I groan into my hands.’ Same story, and it’s only the second chapter but yeah

22. How many drafts do you need until you’re satisfied and a project is ultimately done for you?

Bold of you to assume I actually finish my writings

23. Single or multi POV, and why?

As big of a fan that I am of different perspectives, I prefer single POV, I feel as though the character is more personal. Rarely do I do multi

24. Poetry or prose, and why?

Prose, my poetry is rather depressing and I just can’t

25. Linear or non-linear, and why?

Linear, otherwise in my opinion it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense

27. Do you share rough drafts or do you wait until it’s all polished?

yes and no (I’ll explain in next answer)

28. And who do you share them with?

the unpolished, I share on Wattpad because it’s easier to detach myself if they don’t like it, but I wait until polished for people I actually know

29. Who do you write for?

Myself, it’s a way for me to cope with life, and writing and rewriting an event that has happened to me helps me move on from the situation

31. Hardest character to write.

Men.

32. Easiest character to write.

Villains

35. Tell some backstory details about one of your characters in your story ________.

the main character in “Dying in LA” had a rough childhood (shut up at the cliche) and used acting to escape, she moves to LA when she’s 19 having fail after fail at auditions, she’s about to give up when she gets her big break. (Sorry I’m terrible at back stories)

36. A spoiler for story _________.

Oof I want to spoil DILA (Dying in LA) but I won’t, um, I started this story about this girl who gets kidnapped and um I’m kinda planning on killing her so there’s that.

38. Have you shared your outline of your story ________ with someone? If so, what did they think of it?

Bold of you to assume I’m not just BSing my way through my story

39. Do you base your characters of real people or not? If so, tell us about one.

Yes. Um, I’m gonna tell you about the real person cause I based so many characters off of this person. Oof okay, it was any ex. For years he was in EVERYTHING I wrote, the story usually focused on the what if’s or the repercussions of our relationship and the fall out of it. We just complemented each other so well the thought of writing something to try and capture our time together comforted me so much. I still get flashbacks of our time together and sometimes his personality shows up in my writing but it just goes to show how the people in your life stay with you.

40. Original Fiction or Fanfiction, and why?

Both? I think there’s upsides and down sides to both but both are so amazing and are fun to explore

44. Best piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

Be confident in your writing and it will show, don’t be afraid to take risks

45. Worst piece of feedback you’ve ever gotten.

“Great job! Keep up the good work!” Um???? what good work???? be specific please!

46. What would your story _______ look like as a tv show or movie?

DILA would hopefully be done in a CW style where like it’s light hearted but a real plot and seriousness lies beneath? I actually don’t know?

47. Do you start with characters or plot when working on a new story?

Plot, my guy

48. Favorite genre to write in.

Realistic Fiction

49. What do you find the hardest to write in a story, the beginning, the middle or the end?

the middle, most likely I already have the end and beginning planned

51. Describe the aesthetic of your story _______ in 5 sentences or words.

Dying in LA: fame, used, lost, forgotten, greed

52. How did writing change you?

It gave me a place to express myself and cope with life and the struggles I’ve been through

53. What does writing mean to you?

Everything, it gives me a voice when I feel like I don’t have one

54. Any writing advice you want to share?

Keep writing, practice really does make perfect

Also the url is the best (any numbers missing means I already answered them, check under #asks )

#house-in-the-backyard-trees #ask #I am now dead inside #but I asked for it so thank you

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kpopisthereasonihavenolife · 7 years

Text

Jealous For a Change

The first request is finished! As it was my first request, especially for Mark and GOT7 in one go, I hope it fits what you wanted, and that you enjoy it! I wasn’t too confident going into it, but I know that with more requests and with more things I write and post I can only get better! So I hope you enjoy and the next request will underway shortly!! Thank you again for requesting this of me, it was fun to write and I hope to do more soon! ^^

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GOT7: Mark x F!Reader

Words: 2,8k

Skirts, flowing blouses, heels, dresses, kept up hair, serious make-up, all of these things were a list of items and objects you couldn’t care less for, but recently, you’ve been thinking about changing your mind.

Relationships are hard and no matter how hard one tries to hide it, every once and awhile the little green monster shows up on one side of the relationship. In this case, jealous had struck you, hitting you in the back of your head like a giant hammer and neon sign glowing as it pointed to you. Normally you wouldn’t let it get the better of you, but your boyfriend in this scenario happened to be an idol.

None other than Got7’s Mark Tuan. The tall, red haired rapper with the attitude of a prankster child was your boyfriend, and he was the best thing that has ever happened to you. YOu knew of the difficulty in dating an idol, but you are willing to take the heat. Mark always did his best to balance out his work and his relationship, and it was working quite well, but he always failed to notice the glances you briefly gave to the photos released from shots and his showings on different broadcasts.

The reason that came to be known as your jealous stemmed from the fact the boy who was the other half of you, always seemed to be surrounded by beautiful women. Women who have full bodies can pull of the most feminine of fashion. You, yourself, hadn’t taken to the majority of feminine products and fashions. You always preferred a comfortable fit of a pair of jeans and a tee shirt, with maybe a thin layer of make-up, if you’re feeling up to it.

Meanwhile, the women who Mark worked with, and was constantly around, always wore skirts, and tucked in blouses. Shorts and a loose crop top. High fitted skinny jeans with a cute sweater. Their hair was always neat, and matched with their outfit and their make-up only added to their beauty. It not only made you feel the ever growing jealousy, but also it started to make you want to change.

The idea of Mark leaving you because you don’t dress up as nicely, or your not being as beautiful as the women he works with terrified you. It’d honestly keep you up at night, browsing your phone in bed and reading on what the latest fad is, or how make-up should be properly done. As it so happens, it was one of those browsing nights and you had finally stilled yourself into going out tomorrow and changing your look.

You were ready to check it and call it a night, even if it was a bit early for most people, you wanted to get a fresh start if you were going to change. So, as you got up to change your clothes, your phone let out a loud notification that you had an incoming text.

Pulling the large t-shirt that definitely belonged to Mark as one he has left at your apartment at one point in time, you plopped onto the bed and unlocked the screen, seeing a text from the said boy.

BFMark: Have you eaten yet?

You let out a chuckle. He was always a stickler for your healthy, while you bagged on him to keep himself healthy as well.

You: Yeah, I did. I was actually going to get ready to sleep.

BFMark: This early? Have plans tomorrow?

Mark had been busy with GOT7 and their schedulings, so he hadn’t been around to visit you lately. You didn’t take it personally though, you knew his job kept him busy. He loved what he did for a living, and that’s all you needed to know.

You: Yeah. I kinda made myself plans, so I want to get up earlier than normal.

BFMark: Oh, I see. What did you plan for yourself baby?

You: Nothing much, just some me time. Shopping around, grabbing a coffee, maybe run into a few friends if I see them. Just to get out of the house for a bit I guess.

BFMark: You really shouldn’t keep yourself in your house all the time, so I fully support this change of pace. It’s suppose to be warmer tomorrow, so if you wear a jacket, make it light. Oh! And bring a bottle of water with you just in case.

You rolled your eyes. Even when he’s so busy, he never seemed to stop worrying.

You: I’m so glad I have permission. Lol

BFMark: I shouldn’t keep you up then I guess. I’m sorry I don’t have the time to talk with you all the time or at least visit once and while. I miss you

You: I know, I miss you too. I understand that GOT7 keeps you busy, but that’s okay. If you’re having a good time working so hard for IGOT7’s and being with the rest of the boy’s, I’m okay with that. We’ll have our time, for now just don’t push yourself too hard and don’t forget to eat and rest!

BFMark: Oh my god, you’re a literal angel. Thank you F/N, so much. I love you, sleep well love.

You: I love you more. I will, you rest up too ^^

The conversation ended just like that. You almost wanted to tell him you were going to change your looks, but you had second thoughts. Mark always commented on your looks, and how your so beautiful to him. Even if it made you happy to hear it, the happiness would fade when you saw just another face beside him.

While you set your phone down and charged it for the night, laying yourself in bed, Mark sat in his room staring at the short conversation. Something about you seemed off to him. Sure, okay, you’ve planned a day for yourself. Mark always wanted you to have time for yourself, so he supported your time to relax, but normally you’d go full on detailed description on what you had planned, but now you only replied with a vague answer.

Mark trust you, but he was worried. He didn’t know what you would be doing, so he couldn’t ask up on if you’re having a good time, or if you're relaxing. He could ask if you were safe or if you were on the subway or a bus. He wasn’t possessive, don’t get him wrong, he was just undoubtedly worried.

However, he finally put his phone down and trusted that you’d text him when you left and would check if like you normally did and he hoped that no matter what, you’d at least have a good time tomorrow.

So, the next morning, you were waking up earlier than normal and getting ready. Even though you have plans to go and change your style to a more feminine charm, you still only own more tomboyish clothing and very little makeup. Maybe that would help change you though. You’d be able to see the progression and change of yourself.

So, with a pair of jeans, your favorite tee-shirt and a pair of sneakers and keeping your hair unstyled and down, you grab your small backpack you use in place of a purse and head out of your apartment and head off to your new self.

You stop by serval stores and shops, all asking different female workers what would be best on your body and what your style would be. They’d recommend things, you’d try them, rinse and repeat. The whole process of being a girl was tiring and honestly you wish you hadn’t put yourself up to it, but then the image of all those model and idol women would appear and you’d motivate yourself.

It was already noon and somehow you had stopped in a shop and ended up walking out in a new look. New clothes and they even sent you to a hair stylist who worked a few shops over. Just in the short time of you leaving your house in casual clothing, you’d changed into some what a girl.

Your jeans and tee-shirt orientated outfit changed to that of a white sweater that clung to your form and brushed at your palms and was covered by a short dress that just barely passed your mid thigh. The dress was a low cut piece that was rested under your bust and showed off your simple, yet fashionable sweater. The dress was a gray, plaid and had a small section of decorative laces in the center just beneath your bust and two thin straps over your shoulders.

Your sneakers were now black heels boots that laced and rested on your ankles, making you a few centimeters tallers; ankle socks just barely peeking through the boot on your foot. Finally, your hair had been styled into small curls that rested naturally and beautifully for the style you pulled off and make-up had been added to your face. Not much, but at least some eye shadow, liner and your lips were stained a brighter pink.

Honestly, you couldn’t recognize yourself, but you didn’t dislike this. Sure, it was hard and very time consuming, but you didn’t mind looking at yourself and feeling proud. You decided that instead of going to a new place and asking even more questions, you’d stop by a cafe and grab a coffee. You felt like you needed to treat yourself, and you’d take the down time and maybe send Mark a text, telling him your day was fine and that you hoped he’s having a good day.

So, with your small backpack on your back still, and a shopping back with your new things as well as your old clothes, you enter a small cafe and take a seat by a large window by the street as you wait for your coffee you ordered, now burying your nose into your phone.

Meanwhile, Mark and Jackson had been walking around on the small downtime they had before practice. Of course they were talking about random things while Jackson was being extra as normal. Mark would give him the occasional smack on his arm as he laughed. His attention was pulled from the brown haired, chinese boy, as his phone went off. Pulling it out of his pocket, his face broke into a smile from your text.

You: Hey, how's your day been so far? I’ve had a surprisingly joyful day so far, so I hope yours isn’t too stressful! ^^

Jackson had peeked over the older boy’s shoulder at your text.

“What, so Y/N went out today?” Mark nodded as he started texting you back.

“Yeah, said she wanted to relax so she’d go out for today.”

BFMark: I’m glad you’re having a nice day babe! I’m out with Jackson before practice. Where are you, if I may ask?

As Mark finished his text, Jackson got bored and began scanning around where the two of them stood against a wall on a sidewalk. He was hoping to find something, or maybe someplace to spend the rest of their time, but his eyes fell on something else.

Not trusting his eyes, he blinked them rapidly, rubbed them, squinted them to make the image clearer and even shook his head to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. He then moved to look at Mark who had just received a text back from you.

You: I’m a cafe, taking a short break.

Jackson didn’t hesitate to just snag the phone at of Mark’s hands, and read what you sent. He looked up from the phone to what he was looking at, or rather who. Mark didn’t wait for an explanation as to why he was robbed of his phone and just took it back from Jackson.

“The hell was that about?” Jackson quickly took Mark’s shoulder and started vigorously shaking him around.

“Mark! Open your goddamn eyes! Look!” He stopped shaking him only to turn him and point at the cafe across the street from them. “Is that, or is that not Y/N right there!” It took Mark a moment to focus, as he was recovering from an attack from the bulkley male, but Jackson was right.

Across the way was you, sitting in a cafe, phone in hand and wearing a dress. Jackson and Mark only shared a look and a single nod before they are literally sprinting into the cafe and soon strolling up to you.

“Yo! Y/N!” You lift your head at the familiar call of your name and turn to see Jackson walking towards you with Mark in tow. You smile at them, not expecting them to see you today, but it’s a pleasant surprise. Jackson takes a seat across the table from you and you slid over as Mark motions to want to sit next to you.

“Heard you two were out. Kinda cool to see you though, it’s been a while.” Jackson took the initiative in the conversation.

“No kidding. Honestly, you need to come visit the studio more. We get lonely you know, the guys miss you.” You chuckled and told him you’d try to make more time when you weren’t working. “So,” Jackson started again, “I see you’ve decided to dress up today. What’s the occasion?” You blink and look down to your dress as it rested on your lap.

“Nothing really, just wanted to go for a chance of look is all. Does it look bad?” Jackson shook his head.

“Nope, in fact I’d say Mark here had better keep an eye on you.”

“Yah!” Mark finally barked back to Jackson, making him laugh and you chuckled. It was nice to see him. Jackson dismissed himself from the table, going to order something for the two of them to drink while they visited, leaving Mark with you.

“So, a change of look?” He motioned to your clothing.

“Yeah? I figured, I’m not much into dressing up like a girl, and I wanted to try it out.” It wasn’t a complete lie, but you kept out the part that your jealousy pushed you to this point. However, even if you didn’t say it, Mark could see that you had something hidden in your eyes. You sighed as his silence and eyes contact pushed you to talk more about why the sudden change.

“Look, I just always was looking at these models and these beautiful idols that I see around and that you work with and I wanted to be like that too. I just wanted to be as beautiful as them, that’s all.” You had turned your head away from the red hair, and begin to fiddle with your thumbs, twirling them around each other and tapping them together.

You heard a sigh and suddenly felt a weight on your shoulder as Mark had just placed his head to rest there. His hand moved to hold onto yours as he rested and your face slowly became flushed from the affection in a public place, not to mention if Jackson came back right now, the teasing wouldn’t end.

“You realize that it was hard enough keeping guys away when you dressed normally.” You blinked at him.

“Huh?”

“You’re undeniably cute when your dressed in a tee-shirt and jeans with a pair of run down shoes. When your dressed comfortably, you act like yourself, a roughhousing girl who leaps on my back and demands I carry you around. But, when your dressed up like this, I need to work extra hard to make sure no one tries to take you away from me.”

“Mark, you realize that I’m not going to necessarily change just because I put on a skirt, let alone leave you.” He whined like a child, making you chuckle.

“I know that! But, now I want to walk around and show off my baby, but at the same time I want to stay put so no one can see you like I can.” He moved his head, tilting it so his chin rested on your shoulder and his head leaned against yours. “You have no reason to be jealous over the women I work with. I could be put in a sea of women, and I’d work to find you, no matter what.”

“What a cheesy line.” You laughed as he pouted. “Thank you though.” There was silence for a moment before Mark spoke again.

“So, do you like dressing up? Like this, I mean?” You nodded.

“Yeah, actually. I don’t know if I’d do it everyday, but it’s nice to be girly sometimes.” Mark nodded.

“That’s good, because I think I’ll want to see you like this more, but don’t skip out on showing me a my comfortable, lazy girlfriend either. I love them both very much.” You chuckled again as you pushed his head off your shoulder, seeing Jackson coming back to the table.

“I know, and they love you too, just as much.” You smiled at him as Jackson came back and began talking your ear off, as per usual. All the while, your jealousy vanished from the sweet words and actions of your precious idol boyfriend and the tight grip of his hand in yours that hid beneath the table.

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All gifs belong to their respectful owners!!

#GOT7 #mark tuan #mark #got7 oneshot #got7 imagines #got7 drabbles #mark tuan oneshot #jealous fic #female reader #reader insert #request

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