#like he still did most of the 1st task but i did most of the 2nd but yeah. yeah i just. idk. i feel bad about it yknow.

[witchwhaat]

😶

[roseapov]

3 Nights of the 1st January

Contains spoilers to the Book 7 TWST Tw: War, injury, blood, poison, death, swears Angst (I hope to make you cry)2k+ words Masterlist / 2024 BDAY Masterlist Lilia's 2024 Birthday Special

The cold night air whistled in his pointy ears, as a man run through the woods after being spotted by his enemies. The fae tasked with spying on the Silver Owl's, failed his mission due to an injury sustained earlier, and now he paid the price of ignoring it, by being chased by humans in the iron armors.

'Ugh! Shit..!' Were the words the running figure had spoken, when more of his injuries opened up during the frantic run. In his current state, he wouldn't stand a chance in the fight against them all, but as he was the General, and a very stubborn General in fact, no one had the right to stop him.

The shouts of the human soldiers echoed through the forest, making the male stumble a little, the situations had been really bad. Now that they had spotted him, they will change their camp location, something he couldn't afford to let them do. It was a perfect opportunity to listen in on the enemy and sabotage their plans, but he fucked it up.

He cursed himself in his thoughts, forcing himself to run faster. His beautiful long black hair with red streaks flowed in the wind, moving franctically during the sharp turns and unexpected movementstogether with their owner. The moon shining down on his mask and form, making him look ethereal and glowy, beffiting a nocturnal fae such as himself, wasn't helping his situation at all.

As he made another sharp turn, thinking he lost the ones chasing him, he leaned on to a tree trunk, breathing heavily immiediately looking back only to let out a scream of pain. While he was distracted with looking for everyone, one of the iron archers shoot him in his right calf with an arrow, that he was sure was poisoned.

Lilia cursed outloud, turning towards the shooter and beheading him with one smooth motion of his weapon, sucking his breath in painfully, with the arrow still in his flesh.

Instead of leaning on a tree again, he chose to climb one instead, to not repeat his mistakes, and send a few of his bats to call one of his subornites, namely Baul Zigvolt, to avoid making from the situation more of a big deal than it already is, and getting away quietly, undetected.

Sitting on a big branch of an old oak, he caught the arrow close to the arrowhead and pulled it out in one fast montion, biting his other hand and screaming in his head, while the enemy soldiers were running underneath the branch he sitted on.

'This damned poison' He thought as he started feeling faint, holding himself onto the bleeding place, directing his eyes to the stars and looking at them emptily through the mask.

The wind suddenly started to blow, making a gentle breeze that started moving his hair a little, as he taken off his mask and hood, enjoying it dearly. At least, as much as a man in a chase can enojoy things like this, with little tear droplets wetting his eyelashes.

He went through the most chellenging and hard situations in life, and ended up as a War General. His life always has been a complicated mess.

He was a worthless orphan, not someone worthy of stading beside the Crowned Princess, not someone worthy of being a General. How old is he? When was he born, and if he knew, would he celebrate? Probably no. Who were his parents? Did they abandoned him? Or did something happened to them instead?

These were the thoughts that started to invade his head, as his armor started to weigh on him. His arms started getting weaker and weaker, his eyes, that were staring emptily at the sky, started to feel unbearable heavy, and he slowly too, started to lose conciousnes. The only thing he managed to hear was a worried scream of his name.. Looks like the rescue has finally came...

And that's how, the night of the 1st January passed for Lilia Vanrouge, the same as many future ones to come...

( * Hundreds of years later * )

'Happy Birthday Lilia!' - Voices of people flooded his senses when he entered the Diasomnia lounge, one of the dorms in the college he studied in.

'Huh? It's my birthday today..? I forgot' Thought the short fae, he completely forgot, but nevertheless welcomed this nice surprise, he was even impressed, that his children had managed to organise all of this without raising his suspicions.

'It's my birthday today? I forgot, and you haven't even reminded me? '- He said as looked at his familiars and then chuckled happily - 'I raised you good, you managed to surprise me!'

His chuckles turned into a full out laugh, he was really happy. For many reasons, Malleus - had hatched and he is able to be with him, Silver - his son with a way shorther lifespan than his - is alive, Sebek - his students is still full of energy and determination to better himself, still being very liable to fall for his jokes.

'What a great gift I received to be able to spend this year with you three', Lilia thought to himself, with melancholy in his eyes. A second after that, the male has put on his big smile once again, and started teasing people he considered his family with a joyous laughter and stars in his eyes.

Everyone in the Diasomnia played board games and he managed to tell lots of stories from his youth, later on as the man of the hour he got a banned from the kitchen because as Malleus said, he shouldn't lift a finger with his senile age, and saving everyone from eating deathly dishes, although the last part was not mentioned out loud.

Soon after that, his friends from other dorms joined in the partying and burried him under a huge pile of presents, especially Kalim. Lilia only smiled and laughed at that, he would surely have lots of fun opening them all later, he really couldn't wait.

A cake, cookies of all sorts, a tomato juice and other kinds of snacks got placed on the table with Malleus's magic as he also redistributed one glass of the juice to every guest, while Silver and Sebek had decorated the whole Diasomnia, and not just the venue, in a birthday party style.

The atmosphere had been delightful and full of laughter, up till late hours of the night. Of course, Lilia wouldn't be himself if he hadn't played a few jokes at the guests and his birthday interviewer, making everyone laugh at them, giving him a free hand in doing whatever he liked.

When the hour got closer to midnight, the rest of theremaining guests had come back to their own dorms, wishing their well wishes to the fae again. The lounge quickly became empty, with only 4 people being left in it, including himself.

Can I ask for one last thing? - Lilia's deep voice cut through the comfortable silence, shocking the boys, who thought he wouldn't speak at all. But even after the shock, their response was immediate and affiramtive, just as he expected.

At that the short male turned to look at his closed ones faces, and with a serene smile asked for a dance. His bats with the help of his magic started playing the instruments in the rhythm of a song all of them knew perfectly well, a classic Briar Valley lullababy.

The four of them quickly took off to dance, and just after the first few verses, changing their dancing partner so that everyone could dance with eachother, and then again, and again.

Dancing up until midnight and way longer into the night, with only themselves and Lilia's bats as witnesses to their antics, and serene moment, filled with true love they had for eachother in the air. 

This was a delightful January 1st, one that he'll be sure to treasure for as long as he can remember.

( * Several years later * )

In the old hut in the woods, a man sat in his rocking chairoutside on the porch, an Ex-War General and the caretaker of the Fae King, Malleus Draconia. The fae who even after the demanded respect for him by their new King, others still were treating like an outcast and so, he didn't protest, living in the forest, just like an outcast, they said he were.

Was it wrong that he never fought for more time spend being closer with his family..? He shouldn't think like that, he got to spend plenty of time with his boys already, no? He shouldn't be too greedy about their presence and time, they all had their own lives outside of him.

All of the them being able to be together at the NRC, was the biggest gift and fortune, he could've ever imagined, making beautiful memories. Just like his birthday several years ago, when he and his boys danced together until the late night. Can he complain at such beautiful memories? Does he have the right to ever ask them to spend more time with him? To not only think about the memories, but to make new ones?

He won't know, not anymore. There's too little time left, feeling his soul trying to leave his body, he still tries to fight back, 'stars please, give me more time'. He won't give up, not until he'll be able to see them, one more time, just a glimpse is enough.

Even after living so far off from the capital, he still can see the glipses of colored lights looming above the tree crowns, and faintly hear their bangs. He sighed and smiled to himself, looking up into the sky, but that smile haven't lasted long, dimnishing a second later with a pain in his right calf.

What should he say to everyone? That he feels like death is just around the corner? Should he even say anything and destroy their moods with panic? Should he ruin Malleus's first new year celebration as a King? No, no he shouldn't... He don't want to ruin their fun...

Soon after his heavy thoughts, the only joys left in his life, came to see him and sat next to him quietly, not disrupting his rest and looking up at the same scenery, just as he did a while before. 

When he opened his mouth to say his final goodbyes, no sound left him and thus he knew, his time has come. He looked up at the stars one last time, with a last thought 'Please take care of them for me', to who? He's not sure...

'Happy Birthday', one whispered.. or said..? Lilia's not sure anymore, as his eyes had started coming to a close, he felt really happy that he could spend his last moments together with his family, when all of them had been happy around him, without any worries at all...

After his soul departed from his body for good, he took one last look at his now-dead body, and saw a truly heartbreaking scene. Malleus, Silver and Sebek panicking. With his body in Sebek's arms who was crying the whole river out, Silver screaming and also crying, trying to somehow wake him up, Malleus looking shocked, panicked even, trying every known to him spell, but noone seemed to be working.

In the corner he barely saw Baul, his comrade in the war-times, running frantically towards the source of the panic, not wanting to believe in what he thought was happening. So Baul it is, huh? 'Please, protect them well then' his thoughts begged the man before him, the one that couldn't hear or see him anymore.

Lilia's soul finally let out lots of terrible cries and screams at their reactions, breaking down, after holding it in when he was alive, all emotions returning to surface. He didn't wanted to leave them, he truly didn't! If he could, he would.. he would.. Do anything to spend more time with them together..! He never wanted to leave...

And then, he saw their faces. Meleanor and Levan waiting for him togehter with open arms and tears in their own eyes.. His pupils dilated, breath quickened and he threw himself into a run, jumping into their arms, sobbing and crying with all his might, being afraid to let go, not being able to let go, with his voice breaking down several times.

The three of them then dissapeared together high into the stars, without looking back, waiting for others to join them later in the future.

And thus, at the night of the 1st January, Lilia Vanrouge, joined the stars, reunited with his dear companions, and started looking after the young ones from above, hoping that Baul will be able to do what he wasn't able to. Be with his loved ones for just a bit longer, being able to protect them.

I hope I made you cry, or at least made you have tears in your eyes/being sad. (If I did, pls tell me, I wanna know if I did a good job), Have a good day with Lilia in the stars!

[angellayercake]

The Diary of Cardinal Terzo

When the Cardinal had asked for your help to tidy up his office, you had thought it was maybe just an excuse to get you alone. He had plenty of reasons to ask for assistance, with his notoriously packed schedule. He took confessions, taught classes, met regularly with other senior clergy members, and had an almost constant pile of paperwork to be completed. It was a wonder he had time for anything else and yet he did. Because if he wasn’t to be found doing any of his endless tasks he was otherwise occupied with an equally endless list of lovers. In his rooms, in the dorms, in the chapel, in the gardens, in dark alcoves and not so dark alcoves, even once in the kitchen. So you couldn’t be blamed for thinking perhaps it was your turn to get better acquainted with the Abbey’s favourite Cardinal. You had only been right about one thing however, you were alone, entirely alone with cupboards and boxes and piles to sort through. He hadn’t even been here when you arrived, all that had greeted you was a note. 

You had done as he had asked. You had tidied the desktop first, sorting through the completed and as yet unfinished paperwork, the stationary tray had been emptied, cleaned and restocked and you had moved on to the drawers. There was, a lot, you found as you pulled it open the overstuffed contents came spilling out, hundreds of receipts and notes and assorted things. You did not envy whoever would be reconciling his expenses this year but scooped them all into a folder so at least they would be together even if they were in disarray. The second drawer is much the same as you sort through the contents setting aside the more personal items. A dog-eared photo of him and his brothers is pushed right to the back but rather than neglect the soft creases make you think it has been handled regularly so you lean it up against the base of his desk lamp while you work. When you get to the bottom drawer you slam it shut almost immediately, not wanting to take the time to discern if the pants inside were used or not. He could think again if he thought you would sort through his trophy collection but with that side done you moved on to the other. The top drawer is surprisingly already tidy, filled with neatly sorted writing supplies, a pile of his monogrammed paper and envelopes, and a collection of sealing wax and stamps. The second drawer down is tidier still containing only a beautifully embossed black and gold diary.

You shouldn't look really, probably, but he had trusted you with his panty collection so a little snoop at his schedule wouldn't hurt would it? Maybe you would even find out when he would be returning so you could greet him with a little surprise. With that in mind you open the cover turning through the first gilded pages until you get to 1st of January. But instead of a list of meetings and engagements you found what appeared to be his journal. You hesitate for a moment but then the subject of his writing catches your attention and your curiosity gets the better of you.

A challenge has been set! As the time ticked over from the old year to the new I found myself most pleasurably occupied. Sister Elouise was below me and Bishop Necropolitus, well he was exactly where I like him.The combination of her tight wet cunt and his thick cock had even my considerable carnal stamina at its limits when she uttered something that almost sent me over the edge then and there. 'Fill me up Cardinale,' she moaned as I thrust into her. 'Oh he liked that Sister.' Necropolis responded having felt the way I involuntarily responded to her words. I tried to pause, to delay the inevitable but he took control of the situation, fucking into me hard and in turn forcing me deeper into Elouise. It was exquisite. 'Would you like to be filled as well Emeritus?' He panted into my nape.'Begin the year as you mean to go on. Creampies to honour our Lord, maybe you will even make it to 666 Cardinale?' I was too far gone to comprehend if he was only joking but as we three came together in perfect grinding friction the idea took root. What better way to lead our congregation in the favoured Sin of Lust? And of course I should record my efforts for posterity. May all future Cardinales follow in my footsteps!

Somehow you had stumbled upon the Cardinal's sex diary and what a read it was and only the first day. This did at least shed some light on his packed social schedule. If he was going to meet his target of 666 he would need to, you paused doing some slow mental maths, 1.8 cream pies a day! And now you were more than intrigued, was he on target to hit his goal? The only way to find out was to read on. Looking around you decide you have been productive enough to earn a break so you get comfortable in his leather desk chair and turn to the next page. 

So ever since reading this the idea of Cardinal Terzo and his 666 cream pies has been circulating in my brain and I knew I had to use it for something. To celebrate the follower milestone I've just hit and to thank you all for being here I thought maybe we could have a look into Cardinal Terzo's 2014 diary, the year before he became Papa and have a read about some of his cream pie related escapades. I would love for people to request a date (and drop any details you want included e.g pronouns, names, kinks, positions etc etc as long as he is coming in something or having something coming in him I'm counting it as a cream pie.) Send it in an ask or send me a DM and let's see if Cardinal Terzo managed to hit his target!! (One last quick disclaimer I know this is the farthest thing from safe sex but let's pretend in this universe there is a special secret satanic sti and pregnancy protection just for fun) 

[the-queen-and-the-king]

Hotchniss headcanons

As I did with my Hotch-centered fanfic side blog, here are my headcanons about Hotchniss.

When he was still maried to Haley, Aaron felt nothing for Emily (especially that he thought she was planted there by Strauss to stab him in his back).

When Aaron and Haley got divorced, he surprisingly turned himself to Emily to confess his pain and anger about the situation and she didn't betray him talking about what she knew to the others (she was the only one to know about the cheating thing).

Knowing the truth about each other (Emily not being by Strauss side and Aaron being cuckolded), they slowly got more and more attracted to each other.

Very professional both of them, they knew that a not-platonic relationship was forbidden and would have ruined all the harmony of the team, so they tried to hide their feelings as much as they could.

They stayed very formal all the time, even during their free-time (like, they always called themselves Hotch and Prentiss) because they're afraid of what would happen if they started to be too friendly.

But when Aaron has to leave, he asked for Emily to become the new unit chief, not because he loved her, but because he thought that she was the most qualified for this task.

Now, what about the fanfics I was talking about in the pinned post:

1st sequel: It happens after the end of the show (I don't watch CME). Emily is the BAU unit chief and she needs some advice from Aaron. She suggested to discuss about it around a drink and... it all ends in a bedroom. :D

2nd sequel (AU): Same timeline and same position for Emily, but the team has discovered that Aaron didn't get retired. Because of what Mr. Scratch did, he had a psychotic break and ended up into a psychiatric institution for quite a long time. The team "helps" him to get out of this place and Emily offers to take care of Aaron during his recovery...

Third text (what if): Aaron has guessed that Emily was in France when she was under witsec. He took a flight to talk to her, to confess his feelings for her far away from the team and Jack. And Emily shared hers too.

What about the relationship with Jack?

1st sequel: It's complicated. The teenager doesn't want his father to be alone when he's about to go to university, but he dislikes to discover all the sexual stuff this situation implied (he's sixteen, his hormones are going crazy).

2nd sequel: Very good. He knows Emily, he likes her and he's glad to see her around his father going better and better.

Third text: Never better. Jack is barely six and he's just happy to see his father happy again. And Emily is awesome!

Kids?

1st sequel: you'll see.

2nd sequel: you'll see.

Third text: You'll see. Soon. :D

Now, I'm going to talk about sexual interactions so minors DNI, please.

Aaron is heterosexual. Maybe demi-sexual as he can stay away from any sexual intercourses for a very long time and it doesn't bother him at all.

Emily is bisexual. She doesn't care about her partner to be male or female. Aaron knows it and he doesn't care.

Aaron started at fourteen. Emily started at fifteen. He was in boarding school. She was in Italy.

They don't have specific place for sex.

They do it in cars (1st and 2n sequels, What If). Even in FBI cars (2nd sequel and What If).

They do it in movie theater (never mentioned actually, but I might write a one-shot about it).

They do it in a plane (never mentioned too, but 1st sequel).

Well, they do it everywhere: bedroom, bathroom, living-room, kitchen, shower, bathtub, couch, bed, table, furniture, wall, floor...

They don't have specific positions either, but Emily appreciates to do it sitting, face to face, when Aaron appreciates her to be the top (for the view...).

She wasn't fond of doggy-style before she meet him (because of the submissive sub-context of it), but she changed her mind really quickly.

He wasn't used to blowjob (because Haley and then Beth (1st and 2nd sequels) weren't into it), but finally started to appreciate it with her.

He can eat her to the end without the need to take her then. She has a real kink for feeling him cuming inside her.

She can be very vocal when he is clearly the mute type.

And I think it's all for today.

___

Remember, this are all headcanons, so you can think otherwise and it's perfectly okay. :)

[pink-november]

Oh hear me out, what if the 1st playthrough of "save the monster" (swapname?) It still go through the base assumptions of their role, like oh "arent monsters are supposed to be slain?" And if you actually go through with it, the long quiet will kill you instantly. Just as the princesses 's default goal is always to get out, what if the monsters is to kill? And with each perspectivr you bring, itll change how they react to princess later on (kill, spare, something else)

-N

hm

There is a mountain at the center of the land from which rumors tell of a slumbering beast capable of tearing the world apart.

The path to its location was arduous and filled with obstacles even the most valiant knight would find difficult.

You are a princess, on your way to slay the monster threatening the safety of your people for good.

"I don't think this is a good idea at all, Your Highness."

You turn to your knight wordlessly, his nervous smile failing to hide the mounting fear in his eyes.

You reassure him still because he is a precious friend from your childhood and you are used to his behavior. He is after all tasked to protect you from any danger and the journey you're in is anything but safety.

"You shouldn't had listened to the Duke. You know he only wishes to see you dead."

You nod, remembering the wicked Duke with his mysterious smirk as he dared challenged you and your right to the throne. Your hands clenched tightly around the dagger he bestowed upon so eagerly, the blade dull and chipped, a ceremonial blade at its best.

You are insulted. You threw it on the rocky road you're trekking in with a huff, extending a hand towards you're knight, a firm request to give you his sword instead.

"I've heard worse ideas in my life."

He still gives you his weapon, his belief in you a comfort and grim acceptance all at once.

You reached the entrance of a dark cave, shadows licking the soles of your boots. A princess you may be but a dress is hardly armor for the beast you are about to slay. Instead you don the finest armor your knight provided you and with it the strength you'll need for the impending fight.

Your knight doesn't say anything while you jog to where you hope the beast lays. You hope he isn't getting cold feet now.

Then you see it.

A mighty looming creature in the middle of a wide cavern, terrifying yet magnificent in all its entirety. You cannot discern its form just yet, just a mass of shadows that fills you with awe and fear and-

It was silent.

It did not appear to be breathing nor disturbed at your entrance. Still as a crystal clear lake, immovable like the mountain it is buried under.

Your task becomes easier the moment you step forward.

You raised the heavy sword you carry and swung it without remorse at where you hope the monster's head is.

"Princess!"

And suddenly the earth shook.

The monster roared with a deafening silence that made your knees tremble, a hundred eyes and none staring at you, judging you, killing you, comforting you, grabbing you, devouring you, shredding you-

You die before you even had the chance to fall to the ground.

--

There is a mountain in the center of the land, home to a mythical beast rumored to end the world when it is awakened.

A poor village thrived on what crops the land could offer near this horrifying abode but the people were content here with what they have and a relative peace was established in their everyday lives.

There was a graveyard there, filled with the bodies of loved ones long past. And it is haunted by you.

You are a revenant, shocked to awareness of your situation, floating above an unmarked grave.

You scream.

[emerald-notes]

Noona! Please! Help! - Part 3

Fandom: BTS Characters: Younger Brothers BTS and Elder Sister Narrator Genre: A Little Dramatic and A Little Comedic Word Count: 1.1K Words Warning: Angsty (It’s me), mention of child abuse, self doubt, did I mention angst? Note: It’s a siblings AU story of BTS with the narrator as their elder sister. I tried to write something different from what I usually write about. I had fun making this. Hope it makes you feel good too. Happy Reading Everyone :)

Summary: Her little brothers can’t attend to a single task without her help. Be it a dance competition or asking out a girl for a date, they always seem to be finding everything too hard to go through without her by their side. ‘Our lucky charm’; that’s what they like to call her. But what if she turns out to be a misfortune in different situations in one single day?

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - More to come

Who Will Pay the Rent?

9:24 a.m. 1st September, 2015

“Just a few more minutes left.” Yoongi sighs heavily, “you could have easily saved the bother to come here, today.”

“What happened?” I ask, taking the empty seat beside him. “I thought you said that we’re winning today. What’s up with that long face?”

“It seemed like that at the first half.” Yoongi nods towards the field, “as you can see, the tables took a 180 degree turn.”

Honestly, I don’t understand a thing about basketball. It is better to just take Yoongi’s words as they are. I ask him the important question now, “how much do you owe them?”

Yoongi intentionally avoids eye contact and keeps looking at the match without a reply. I notice that he is sweating like crazy. I understand now that it is not just about the game.

“Don’t tell me you have to sell a kidney to pay them.” I jokingly say to which he doesn’t budge. I grow agitated. “Yoongi! C’mon, tell me what it is?”

He sighs and says, “It’s just worth my rent, that’s all.”

“Your rent?” I ask, “like for the month?”

Yoongi nods and stays silent. We both remain silent for the rest of the game. I wish I could offer to help him. It is most likely that he will not accept anything directly from me. I, on the other hand, am not in a place to help him either.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I quickly take a look at Jimin’s message saying he’s going inside the exam hall right now. I write a small “good luck” reply and put my phone back inside the pocket.

Yoongi starts to stand up from his seat, “Let’s get out of here! It’s not like anything can change in the last few minutes.”

I nod and follow him out of the stadium. He asks me if I want something to eat to which I shake my head.

“Noona!” Yoongi says, “Stop worrying about me. It’s not like I’m going bankrupt or something. It’s just some stupid amount of money, that’s all.”

“So,” I start hesitantly, “who will pay the rent?”

“I’ll manage that somehow, Noona. I always do.”

Yoongi’s the one among us who’s the most desperate to make a lot of money. That’s why he goes into these betting games and all. I once heard from Jin that he had found Yoongi starving himself because he lost all his money on some games and Jin had helped him that one time even though Yoongi refused to be helped. I don’t really approve of his ways but who am I to stop him? I did not raise him. I don’t even understand his ways of thinking.

I still feel like I should advise him to stop this nonsense and try something else. Something permanent. He is a genius and I know he will be able to figure something out if he wants. But I also feel like today is not the time to lecture him on life. Not when he’s already so stressed about it.

I decide to head to my next destination. I am not going to leave Yoongi in this state. So, I ask him, “If you don’t have to be anywhere, will you come with me?”

“I can manage some time. Where will you take me, Noona?”

“We’re going to meet Jimin.”

Jimin’s exam will be finished at around 11 a.m. So, Yoongi and I wait for him outside the hall where there seems to be a huge crowd of the guardians of the other students. I mentally pray that Jimin will be able to outsmart them on his test today.

“I never understand Jimin’s appeal for education.” Yoongi says.

“I think it’s the same one as yours.” I offer an explanation, “Come to think of it. At the end of the day you both want to win at life. By elevating your status. Either with education or with money.”

“You know what, Noona?”

“What?”

“I hate it so much that you’re always right!” There is a faint line of smile on his face as he says the last sentence.

“Yoongi” I suddenly feel an urge to talk to him seriously. Yoongi barely talks about his real issues.

“Noona?”

“I’m asking this because I’m really worried about you, okay?”

Yoongi frowns, “I think I know what you’re going to say. I’m sorry for making you feel that way. I really am. I’m sorry, Noona!”

“Oh no, dear!” I quickly add, “You don’t have to apologize. I understand that you’re going through tough times.”

“Noona!” Yoongi looks at a distance as he speaks, “Do you remember ma’s face? Like, not the one as we see in her pictures. The face of her when she was sick. That face she had before she could finally rest after years of pain she went through.”

I don’t know why Yoongi is suddenly bringing this topic. Is he really missing ma all of a sudden or just trying to change the topic? Yoongi glances at me for a second and I can see his eyes glistening.

“If only I had the money, I would have taken a bus from school to come to see you.” Yoongi sniffs, “he wouldn’t let me go no matter how much I begged him to. Said it was a ‘waste of good money seeing some sick people’. I don’t think I can ever move on from the fact that I never saw ma and pa again after I left that house.”

“Yoongi!” I can barely make myself audible.

Yoongi never talked about the times he spent with our uncle who took him in when ma fell sick. Yoongi was only four at that time and he was the only one who never came to visit us occasionally during the five years when ma and pa were still alive. When I used to ask pa about it, he would always say that Yoongi was too busy with his school. I only got to see him first at their funeral. Only after Yoongi left uncle’s place for good when he was finally eighteen, we started meeting almost regularly.

“I’m sorry, Noona, I turned up this way.” Yoongi looks at me, his eyes bloodshot, “I didn’t really have an opportunity to be any better than this. Of course, I won’t use this as an excuse. I’m all grown up now and I’m trying to be more responsible. I swear, Noona, you will be proud of me like all the rest of our brothers one day. I will make that happen.”

“But I am proud of you!” I say, “I am proud of how strong you are. I am proud that after all those shits you went through, you still grew up to be such a kind and sweet soul.”

“Thank you, Noona! But you don’t really have to cheer me up.” Yoongi shrugs his shoulders, “I know me.”

“And I know you too.” I slowly move towards him and pull him into a hug, “I see you, Yoongi. I see you!” I slowly pat him on his back as I can sense him fighting the urge to hug me back.

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My Masterlist

Tag List:   @sophiatcha,   @lalavione1309,   @jwirecs,   @missmayaarmy,   @sarai-ibn-la-ahad,   @ayalies,   @karougirl123,   @juju-227592,   @coffeepurpleu,   @dreamerwasfound,   @wetfeline,   @phthao2406, @hoshi-is-ult-bbg, @bestloverstan,   @quixoticbittersweet,   @jwirecs-main,   @singukieee,   @l3aecon,   @bangtandoll20,   @gabcats5,   @latina-girl-18,   @kyuupidwrites  

[btsficsandsuch]

Christmas Magic

You love Christmas but unfortunately this year you’ve run out of time. Your husband Jimin, with the help of his elves, tries to bring Christmas to you.

Yes, I know it’s only August but I’ve been sitting on this idea for a while and I thought it was cute.

Ever since you were a child you’ve always loved the holiday season. The smells, the sounds, the tastes, basically every aspect. You always had the house decorated by December 1st at the latest. You spent the following weeks baking cookies and driving around to look at all of the surrounding houses lit up with lights. It was one of the qualities your husband Jimin loved most about you. He adored how your face would light up and how you’d excitedly bounce up and down in the passenger seat next to him while he drove you around. This year things were different though.

You had just received a promotion at work which caused you to work extreme hours. You were more stressed and exhausted than ever. Jimin was also busier than years past. The two of you hadn’t had a night together in almost two months. The holiday season just didn’t seem as magical as prior years. It was already December 18th and you still hadn’t put up any decorations or baked a single cookie.

Jimin walked into the house after being gone for all most three weeks and immediately noticed the lack of garland, wreathes, and most importantly the tree. He walked into the kitchen and couldn’t find any cookies which he was really looking forward to. Making his way to the bedroom he found you on top of the bed asleep, still in your work clothes. Quickly he got undressed and joined you, bringing the covers up over the two of you. Instinctively you rolled over and wrapped your arms around him, “I’m so glad you’re home. I missed you.”

He smiled, “I missed you too Y/N. Is everything okay with you? I noticed there’s no sign of Christmas anywhere here.” You lightly chuckled, “Yeah I’ve just been busy. I don’t really feel like it.” Jimin nodded in acceptance of your answer but deep down he knew he had to do something. He couldn’t let you miss out on your happiest time of the year.

The two of you went about your normal routines over the next few days. Thankfully it was Christmas Eve and you only have a few more hours until you were free. You were excited to get home, take a hot shower, and put on your favorite Christmas movie. You were pretty bummed that you didn’t get to do all of the things you normally did during the holidays but there was nothing you could do now. Little did you know that Jimin had a whole Christmas season planned for one night.

Back at your house Jimin was delegating tasks the the rest of the boys,

“Jin you’re on cookie duty. We don’t have a lot of time so only make like two or three kinds.”

“Taehyung, you and Jungkook can work on hanging up all of the garland and other decorations.”

“Namjoon since you’re the tallest you can work on decorating the tree.”

“Uhh hyung do you really think it’s a good idea to let Namjoon be in charge of hanging up dozens of glass objects.”, Jungkook asked. “Good point. Namjoon can help Hobi put together a Christmas playlist. And Yoongi can be in charge of the tree.”, Jimin advised. The boys got to work while Jimin left to go surprise you at work.

You finished up the last of your tasks at work and we’re headed out the door. You were shocked to see Jimin standing there waiting for you. “This is a nice surprise.”, you said kissing his cheek. “Well I know you didn’t have much time to celebrate this year but I thought we could at least drive around and see some lights.”, he said while handing you a hot chocolate. You clapped with excitement and got in the car. At this point you knew all of the good neighborhoods where people really went all out with the lights. Jimin drove you around while he held tightly to your hand. You excitedly pointed out all of the lights and decorations. Jimin looked at you with so much love, he couldn’t understand how someone could be so cute.

Jimin received a text from Yoongi letting him know they were pretty much done so the two of you could come back any time. He slowly started making his way back home. He parked the car and helped you up to the front door. As soon as the door open you recognized the smell of cinnamon and ginger. There was soft Christmas music playing. On the kitchen counter there was an array of perfectly baked cookies. As you walked further into the house you saw all of the lights and decorations, a perfectly adorned tree stood in the corner. You looked over at Jimin and noticed he had put on a Santa hat.

“How did you have time to do all of this?”, you asked. “Oh just a little Christmas magic and some help from my elves.”, he said while bringing you a plate of cookies. “You mean the six elves that are currently hiding in the bathroom giggling.”, you said looking in that direction and watching the six guys fall out of the tiny bathroom. “We were trying to leave before you got home but Jungkook wouldn’t stop eating the cookies and then Namjoon broke an ornament.”, Jin said with a sigh. “How? We specifically took you off tree duty for that reason.”, Jimin asked looking at Namjoon. “It’s a long story.”, an exasperated Yoongi replied.

You invited the boys to stay and eat cookies and watch movies as a thank you. You and Jimin watched them run off to grab their cookies and designated spots on the couch. “I have one more surprise.”, he said shyly before pulling a mistletoe out of his pocket and hanging it over your head waiting for you to lean in for the kiss.

[eisa96]

I really, really love the class arrangements for the 2nd/3rd years!! There are a lot of informations I gathered while reading the area conversations and I can already see how good the dynamics will be 😭. Here are some of the conversations the characters say:

3-C, Tsukasa joined the Hall monitor (disciplinary) committee which explains the blazer he’s wearing in this new update! He’s very excited in greeting new students as he started to shout more loudly towards those nearby them 😅 It is officially canon that he declared his 1cm height growth to Rui and in full confidence tells the other that he might catch up to Rui’s height. Rui didn’t want to ruin Tsukasa’s parade so he kept silent of his 2cm height growth 😭 Also! Rui is still in the Greenery committee! 👏🏻👏🏻

2-A is the most precious in my opinion! In most of the area conversations they have with each other, they helped one another with things they are struggling/troubled with. Nene was carrying heavy materials as a part of the Library committee’s tasks and is struggling to balance and carry them so An & Akito help take some of them off of her. Next, Akito was seen having a troubled expression in which An approaches and asks him the reason why. He then tells her that he studied English but still has problems with the subject and then told her something about it being a test (assignment?) for today. Then both of them felt anxious on how they’re going to tackle it until Nene comes and asks. In short, she volunteered to teach them even if she’s not that good in the subject too 🥲🥺 (side note: Akito is starting to pay attention in class and study 🥺)

2-B, Mizuki tries to weasel themself in by saying that since Touya is good at studies, they could borrow his notes and (most probably copy his homework as well 😅) but Touya outright say; the two are a different matter and are not the same. Instead, he says he will help (lecture) Mizuki in the school subjects 😆 They also talked about what tasks did Touya do in the Library committee and from what I understand, Mizuki tells Touya that they will help him with making posters (??) for the Library. I’m proud of their growth…

2-D, Haruka asks Minori if something is bothering her. She noticed that the other is looking at their way during class and approaches her to tell her what’s wrong and is willing to listen to her worries. Minori was flustered and reveals that the reason why she was staring at her is because she just feels like looking 😩 She just can’t believe that Haruka and her are in the same class together!! Minori is also still in the Animal Care committee and is a bit nervous on how to demonstrate to the new students on how to take care of the animals so the MMJ members decided to help her by pretending to be her kouhai (juniors) while she will be the senpai in hopes to help her practice. Haruka says this could be fun and joins in too. And then calls her “Minori-senpai” ☺️

2-A is also like 2-A Kamikou where they will help each other in school subjects that they are not confident in 😭 In one of the area conversations, Honami noticed that Kohane looks sad, she & Ichika approaches the other to ask her. It turns out that, since clubs are handing out flyers and inviting new students to enter theirs; one of the clubs approaches Kohane and thought that she is also a 1st year 🥺 She then declares that she wants to be a proper senpai like Honami in which Honami is like “Eh?” and “Is that…so”

2-B, contrary to people’s belief; Shiho seems to not mind being in the same class as Emu and Saki and is cool with it. There is this one area conversation where they talk about something sport-related and that Emu seems to be really good at it (the teacher is surprised and praised her) in which, Saki asks her how to be as good as Emu in said sport. Emu being Emu, tells them she doesn’t know how to explain it but she tries to explain in a Emu-style way that we know and love. Shiho didn’t get it and so does Saki until she takes it in another perspective (by associating it with rhythm) and it clicks 🥺 Shiho also joins the Animal Care committee 🥲

There are area conversations where the units are together but I wanted to highlight the new class arrangements units the most here 🥰

[lake-archive]

A Declaration Of Love

To: Romani Archaman

One year anniversary be upon ya! Not exactly but I decided upon the 1st January to be our anniversary now! And thus I wish to write something, a declaration of love. This also is going to mark my 'Romani Poster Era' again (I hope).

I will make sure to post more of Dr. Roman in 2024. I love him so much I must let more people know. So, to celebrate, I decided to write something about him in a while! For a better 2024! Personal important task for 2024: Rewrite all Roman/Anna shorts I have and write new ones!

Fandom: Fate/Grand Order

Characters: Anna, Romani Archaman (mentioned)

Words: 729

Warnings Ahead!

This work contains the following...

Spoilers for Fate/Grand Order (up to 'Final Singularity)

Mentioned Character Death

Hurt (no comfort)

Please proceed with caution!

At first she had not expected this. She had not expected to grow attached to him at any point. After all, he was so annoying to her at first she didn't know what to say. She could barely stand it!

“Hey! What are you eating over there!? This is the third time in a row! Eat less junk food and more vegetables!”

“It's past midnight! Go to bed! I can see the rings under your eyes!”

“Hey hey hey! You need to take a break! Close your laptop already, will you!?“

She had heard it so many times and honestly… It was almost unbearable at first. ‘What does a doctor know? I know how to handle myself’ she thought to herself all the time, only rolling her eyes and leaving before one of his scoldings got ahead of himself. But that was, it had not been like this ever since. Honestly, he was no longer an annoying guy.

At first she thought he was a little pathetic – After all, he chased an internet idol and was literally obsessed with her. He was not even secretive about it. Magi Mari, that was her name. It was just… A little funny but also rather questionable. And yet, it had its odd charm later down the line. He was passionate about Magi Mari, so much so that Anna could not help but admire it. It was something else, something unexpected from a doctor, especially one in charge of so many people. Everyone has their sides and yet this was one they had least expected.

Then again, it was usually not enough to get anyone's attention. This was just a funny sight at most yet nothing else. This man… This man was something else. If it had not been for his push, who knows where she would be. If he had not pushed them into the position of a Master saving the world, becoming an amateur strategist, just good enough for the job to survive. Originally it was just a job to help out and help her ‘little brother’ survive and yet it turned into so much more…

How her view changed – He was integral for her view changing. ‘Humanity is not worth saving’ she thought, having never had any faith in humans. So many did her wrong. And yet, even those who wronged her gave her one dream. Oh the twisted irony… Yet she had not realized. But thanks to him she came to realize so much. A dream worth fighting for and the works she had always admired… All from human hands. If she wishes to preserve the legacy, she has to fight for it… Protect it even.

It was what he did after all. Despite his pathetic moments, despite being verbally beaten to the ground… He never stopped. He pressed on, until the bitter end. If it wasn't for his sacrifice, would anyone be here? Would humanity still live? Would it all have been possible? His guidance and his sacrifice… In the end he gifted them something very important… Life.

Yeah, it was him. All him in the end. How could she forget? How dare she forget? Of course she wished that he was still there… And yet, he wasn't. She had to accept it and she did… She finally did. After some time had passed…She accepted it. And thus she has to keep it alive… His legacy. What he fought for. Instead of running he had faced it after all… And the least Anna could do now was to keep the legacy alive. Because this was the legacy of the love of her life!

Love of her life? Hah… Yeah. It's true. Even now… He was the only one she could truly love. And she will never stop loving him. Not back then and especially not now! Well… Too bad she can never tell him how she feels… But she knows that she loves him with all of her heart… Even after a good year had passed. Yeah, even if he's gone… He’s the love of her life.

“Hey, Doctor… No, Roman… Did you know any of that? Heh… Even if you don't, it's all true… I will love you, always.“

Hah… But even if she confessed now… He will never hear it now. He will never know. But… That's something she will have to live with, for eternity.

[meimi-haneoka]

Hey there Cinzia! It's been a while. I had been busy with some personal stuff but I just finished reading your April 1st updates regarding CCS. Somehow, it is slightly upsetting to read that Tomoyo won't be making clothes for people other than Sakura. I dunno. Like I understand making for Sakura is a way for her to express her love for her but she has also made costumes for the play and for Syaoran. So I find it surprising for CLAMP to say that. Or am I misunderstanding stuff out here?

Heeeey Aubretia!! Nice to see you again 🥰 I did think "uh, I haven't seen Aubretia in a while 🤔" and I had guessed you were busy, it's totally relatable 😅

I confirm, from the other ask you've sent, that we have concretely no news about the anime, but CLAMP did say "hold on a little more" so here we are, waiting and waiting 😅also because it seems it doesn't really depend on them, it's Kodansha the ones who have to make the announcement.

Hmmm for Tomoyo, well, you have to consider they were talking about an hypothetical situation where Touya would be "the chosen one", the one involved with all the magic shenanigans. If Touya had been the one with the task of capturing the cards, and considering how Tomoyo only got this polite relationship with him as Sakura's brother (I know they're cousins too but let's be honest, they haven't interacted for most of their life at that point), but not much beyond that, it would feel a bit out of place for her to go all the way and sew costumes for him...especially considering Sakura would be oblivious to her brother's activities 😂

Tomoyo effectively got introduced in the events of "our" CCS just because of Sakura and her bond with her...even when she expanded her costumes production, you can trace it back to Sakura. Syaoran, the play, etc...there's always Sakura involved. However, she's teaching Akiho how to sew for her practice on the book binding, and that's something that seems to be disconnected from Sakura. Still, it's not a costume, that requires a looooottttt of effort and time and resources and I have to be honest, only Sakura can give her the right driving force to do that, even in the case of Syaoran or the play! 😅

But what I really think was happening in that Space is that in their game of "what ifs", CLAMP just wanted an excuse to say that it would be YUKITO the one making the outfits 😂since Touya is his most important one and all 😉I found so endearing that in their idea, Yukito would try to make them anyway even though he's not particularly skilled at sewing 😂that's love 😁

[james-labajo]

WORK IMMERSION JOURNAL: POLICE STATION

(1st WEEK)

First day, I and my partner was assigned at the investigation room, so far we dont have any tasks yet, we are just observing from the environment and we still dont know what they are doing on the computers. Perhaps we are not allowed to operate so. There is one OJT from talisay college and he just plays on his phone and staple papers, maybe because he is also not allowed to look at the documents as its confidential. Next day we're assigned to assist in the police clearance section (me and my partner) and we did both have fun talking with different strangers and learning something from them. Remaining days were the same and the last day of the 1st week we had some kind of a forum/reporting about our learnings and observations on our first week in the police station. Overall, the first week was so much fun and overwhelming at the same but in a good way.

(2nd WEEK)

There were other immersioners from different schools along with us, they were from Talisay and UC. There are a lot of us already in the station and it kinda looks like were a swamp of bees on a small beehive doing obviously nothing for we are a bust crowd and dont have specific tasks to do. Honestly, Im quite overwhelmed by how many of us already that day and i cant really work through my way and thought that its foolish to have us this many because the station is just small. Though looking at the positive side, Ive met new friends and talk to them so nicely that we've got quite a bond together. We participated to some Zumba's, eat lunch together, and stroll together on the park through our free time. I've learnt a lot honestly from my friends, there is something in them that is missing in me before but they somewhat made me think that i already filled that void by just being with them and learning as i go along the days. They were fearless, confident, smart people and i thought the opposite quite frankly the first time i met them, I was wrong obviously. They're much smarter than me, Life Smart. And that is what i learnt from them the most. I actually miss them, the station, the laughter we shared, the lunch time memories, the ate's and kuya's from the station, all of it! I am so much grateful for that opportunity to be able to look at life in a new perspective and to be expose to the reality of what a job looked like in my future world, now I am excited but nervous at the same time and I am looking forward to meeting my immersion mates in the future looking at our different life avenues and think of the memories we shared in that memorable 2 weeks of our senior high school journey, cause I so much miss everything of it!.

#workimmersion

#seniorhigh

#grade12student

@ozlacabylime

[flinttcanwriteipromise]

“Rewriting” the NYSM movies, cause they make way more sense to me this way-

I have no idea if this is canon, half canon, I can’t tell. These movies are pretty crazy and I’ve watched this thing repeatedly. So this is me either adding things into the plot and/or changing/reexplaining the plot.

Now You See Me: The First Act

In this movie The Eye is still a very underground organization that lets very few pass. In this version Dylan Rhodes/Shrike is given a mission to officially join The Eye, he is tasked with creating a team that allows them to give back to the public. He ends up taking advantage of this and uses them to his benefit via the plan to frame Thaddeus Bradley. Alma Dray is sent to set this man straight and tell him to knock it off, maybe even telling the team to fake Jack’s death just to get to him. This sets up his feelings for movie 2, where he sets his priorities straight.

In the case with Bradley, since it’s revealed he was a partner to Lionel’s stuff in the end and Dylan never knew, I’d like to change the case to Lionel and Bradley trying to get into The Eye. They were granted a way in but Lionel had forgotten to tell Bradley which caused the continuation of Bradley exposing him entirely, ending the internship/apprenticeship with The Eye. Lionel and Bradley have a fight about it which causes little Dylan to get the idea of Bradley being a villain. Bradley is bitter towards The Eye for taking away their way in so they both plan his comeback, when this fails Bradley starts blaming himself entirely and Dylan grows up blaming him too. So when Dylan’s plan of revenge starts, I’d like to think Bradley thinks it’s The Eye punishing him for his mistakes after all, he did ‘murder’ a gifted magician. Bradley can’t tell anyone about The Eye since it’s so secretive and if he told, he’d be punished even harsher. Once it’s revealed Dylan masterminded it all, he’s truly shocked because he ended up causing the ball to roll and the whole thing to conspire in the first place. Maybe he even believes Dylan already leads The Eye or is so blinded by The Eye he follows any orders given.

Intermission:

Between the 1st and 2nd movie I’d like to thing they all buy the warehouse thats featured in the the second movie together. They want to turn it into a safe house for them and any other magicians that they come across, everyones being friendly and they’re just all buddies. After a while Dylan goes out more, he talks to them less and seems to be trying to figure out more stuff about his father and Alma is contacting him about how him and his team are doing. Henley ends up leaving because somehow she overhears Alma talk about how Dylan had been taking advantage of them and the two this massive argument with Dylan so she’s gone. Dylan doesn’t tell the rest of the team, because he fears they’ll ditch him too. (abandonment issues much?) Anyways, The Eye doesn’t tell him much except that they need to be closer in order to complete this next task, which is the 2nd movie.

(Also Alma works with The Eye, she’s like the representative for them, the one that talks to people about the missions. As much as I love her character, I feel during this time Dylan and Alma “break up” or decide that having a relationship in the midst of what they’re doing won’t work out, they end up good buddies tho!)

Now You See Me: The Second Act (WHICH SHOULD’VE BEEN NAMED ‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’)

The reason Dylan was moved to the NY precinct in the second movie is because they made him main manager for the Horsemen’s case, which he probably had to beg and plead for. This is why Cowan is on his tail most of the time and why he has a new boss. Dylan also brought in Lula on the recommendation of The Eye and she’s the one that’s the newest to The Eye stuff. The Eye sends them on the Octathingy mission which FAILS (losers) and they still get kidnapped. Love Chase lots but in my version he’s more serious about the whole thing, he still makes his jokes but it’s way more condescending and insulting. Meanwhile Bradley has figured out that Dylan is a Shrike and he flips out, he’s pacing and everything. During the intermission (before the second movie) I feel like The Eye emails him about testing Dylan to see where his head is at and to see if he’s actually grown, which is why he acts how he acts. Dylan still gets beat up, thrown into the water, and glug glug gluged but he lives so it’s all good.

The main difference is the ending, I feel Bradley explaining things so comfortably wasn’t the best way to go about it. They all go in and Bradley is just as amazed as the rest of the group. Bradley and Dylan find a wall of photos of almost all members of The Eye, living and deceased, kind of like a memorial. Bradley explains his story and tells him he decided that The Eye was not for him, and he’s given up trying to get in but The Eye has something else for them. *The staircase scene starts*

Notes I have while looking at the wiki and stuff:

Apparently Bradley was the leader of The Eye?! I don’t believe this, it makes no sense, and I hate that. He’s not part of the eye. I refuse it.

WHY IS THE EYE SO SMALL, YOU’VE GOT TWO ASIAN PEOPLE, A BRITISH MAN, AND ONE BLACK DUDE THAT MESSED WITH MY MAIN GUYS. WHAT HAPPENED TO HAVING ALL THESE REPRESENTATIVES AROUND THE WORLD????

It being named Now You See Me: The Second Act was stupid. THEY LITERALLY HAVE NOW YOU SEE ME: NOW YOU DON’T PLANNED-

Also in the movie I want the team to bully Daniel Radcliffe’s character more, it was the funniest thing watching them nonchalantly just drag him through the mud.

[tamagosandesu]

SSMonth 2022

Title: these rare times of indulging

Prompt: genin days (day 2)

Summary: There are also times that he allows himself peace from his road of vengeance, but rarely. And even much more rare times that he thinks of her, and silently thank her for everything she's done for him

Author's Notes: pretty short (since i didn't have time) and also doesn't contain any dialogues just like the 1st day fic. somehow, i find it hard to create conversation content nowadays. before it used to be something that i did greatly in my fanfics. times change, i guess. anyways enjoy!

_____________________________

There are times when Sasuke is too blinded by his hatred that he tends to miss simple things.

They are officially Genin now—full-fledged shinobis to the Hidden Leaf Village under the third Hokage. And somehow, because of that, everyday training was almost a given, the gradual income of missions are welcome, and the urge to become stronger was now intensified ten-fold. Sasuke's days were spent on training grounds, either honing his shuriken techniques, or trying out new tricks to improve his battle stances.

He can't risk to waste his time now. He only has 2 goals in mind; restore his clan, and kill a certain man. And in order to fulfill these, he needs to get stronger. He needs more power. There's nothing in between those that allows him leisure and rest after a long, tiring day of a mission.

Don't get him wrong, he still fulfills his responsibilities as a shinobi of Konoha—finishing his required tasks and protecting the citizens of the village he grew up in, completing missions and carrying the name of the Hidden Leaf with pride and duty.

But of course, there are also times that he begrudgingly allows himself peace from all his road of vengeance. He takes breaks when his body absolutely cannot take his rough schedule anymore and practically begs him to rest. He has times where he actually enjoys mission without too much seriousness, and there are times where he delves into simple things that are most of time trivial matters for him.

For example, he joins Naruto's invitation for weekly ramen meetings quiet a lot of times that he likes to admit. Sasuke pretends to be annoyed beyond comprehension when he gets dragged into meals with his teammates, when in reality, he's just as ecstatic as they are to be able to spend time with each other outside of genin obligations. There are times where he allows some self-treatment as he goes into markets to buy himself new thing—clothes, food that he wants to try, books, and unnecessary things that catches his eye.

It's basically like a cheat day—where he sets aside all his priorities and allows himself to loosen up. Because aside from his name, his duties, and his plans, he's just a teenager. Though these things rarely happen nowadays—especially that the Chunin exams are coming—he still finds himself sub-consciously doing it. Long days of training alone leads to visit at the market, times of improving his Sharingan ultimately leads to self-meditation before going to sleep, and unused time of his day are spent on sitting on a tree branch and catching up on a book that he picked-up.

And then there's the events that he doesn't even try to remember.

Take Valentine's day for example. It's the event of the year that he dreads, hates more than anything. It isn't hidden knowledge that Sasuke Uchiha dislikes unwanted attention, and especially sweets.

And oh, how perfect was Valentine's day? It's like, that pathetic, stupid event was created just to annoy him to the end of the world. Girls from the academy, older ones—even ones that he's not even sure are from Konoha—come to him to bow oh-so-politely, while clutching a small paper bag between their hands and confess their undying 'love' over him through the art of making him homemade chocolates—done with care and effort.

He resists the strong urge to roll his eyes whenever this happens.

But somehow, despite Sasuke being completely aware of his hatred over Valentine's day and the homemade chocolate crap, there's a still a persistent side of him that awaits a certain someone's chocolate above anyone else's. He denies this, of course, all the time whenever it happens. But he can't really stop the way his heart aches, and however he reacts whenever he actually receives that chocolate that he awaits, finally.

Whenever Sakura hands him her creation, he tries his very best to maintain an air of indifference, and tries to emit the feeling of nonchalance while his pink-haired teammate bows with resolve and blushes a deep shade of red like his favorite food. When deep inside his very core, he's actually excited to open that gift that Sakura would give him.

All the other sweets he would receive are put in his living room, if not forgotten, then are given away to his teammates, sometimes teachers, and his classmates from the academy. He honestly doesn't care where it goes, or whatever the gift actually is.

But there's the one that he doesn't dare to throw away. Doesn't dare to waste, and he doesn't dare to forget opening later the night he received it.

A lot of times, Sakura's Valentine's gifts aren't sweets—since she's very much aware of his dislike to it—and are actually materials that he finds oddly useful. But this time around, she did give him chocolates, which was somehow disappointing since he knows he'll probably won't enjoy it.

Sasuke just sighs and plops down completely on his bad, Sakura's gift just beside him while he contemplates whether he should just ignore it or eat it. He then looks at the bag where it was placed—a plain, beige bag with a note attached to it.

Sasuke didn't notice it earlier, so he sits up again and reads it.

The raven's eyes widen as he realizes that instead of giving him milk chocolate, Sakura made him dark chocolate nuggets. The note even said how she knew he didn't like sweet chocolates one bit so she opted for a dark chocolate recipe—not too much sweet, but not too bitter either.

Suddenly, Sasuke's mouth unconsciously turned up to a smile, and warmth coursed through his chest as he appreciates Sakura's consideration. She thought through this seriously, Sasuke thinks as he opens the bag and tries one.

And just as expected, the chocolate didn't disappoint. It wasn't too sweet, nor was it too bitter for his liking. It was honestly perfect.

He didn't care if he was already in his pajamas, ready for bed with only his lamp on as his source of light. Sasuke didn't care if he's already brushed his teeth—and that he's currently munching on a sugary treat on his bed past dinnertime.

He didn't care. Because after all, there are rare times that he allows himself this type of enjoyment. It's rare that he indulges in late night snacks from his pink-haired teammate.

It's rare that he allows himself to think of her, and silently thank her for everything she's done for him.

[thinkaboutmeff7au]

smoldering: the director’s office

yowza!! this is a bit of a long one; i want to stitch together some of the time between “born under punches” through the denouement of wutai war. this series will be called “smoldering”. wrote this a month or so ago--here’s to making paperwork interesting

***

(The VHS tape played in the living room with all three of his siblings watching in quiet rapture. It gave him some peace at the kitchen table with Jenova at the other side. “I saw your interview today,” she commented with a smile. “You did so well!”

“It was all on a teleprompter machine,” he replied. “I barely had to do anything.”

She tilted her head and watched him carefully. “Is something wrong, Sephiroth?”

His mind still churned, Genesis’s wild eyes haunting him. “I...er, after the interview, I had a fight with my mentor...”

“Who’s that again?”

“Genesis.”

“Okay, yes, I remember. What happened?”

“He swore at me, then he wanted to spar, so I did, but it was...” He paused and sighed. “It was intense...”

She shook her head. “Some people aren’t meant to be teachers like that. They only do it because they couldn’t reach fame themselves. He’s a 1st too, though, right?”

“Yes...we’re both 1sts now. So, we’ll...be working together.” He sat back in his chair and folded his arms. “He paged me to apologize, but...”

He trailed off. Jenova smiled gently. “Well, good that he apologized. I’m sure you can patch things up, and you’ll be good friends after everything.”

Her solution seemed so simple, and her tone made Sephiroth’s shoulders relax a little. “Right. I...hope you’re right.”

She winked at him. “I’ve been around a while, I know a few things,” she said.

“Mom! Can we have some popcorn?” Loz called from the living room.

“I want candy!” Kadaj insisted.

“No candy,” Jenova insisted. “But popcorn is okay.”

Sephiroth stood up. “I’ll get it, Mother,” he said, walking to the cabinet.

Jenova chuckled. “Thank you, dear.”)

***

The next day, Sephiroth started his morning by heading directly to the Director’s office. Before you get settled in, come see me in my office. We have some paperwork to take care of, Lazard had requested over the pager.

This time, Lazard was not alone. Tseng of the Turks stood at the door, nodding to Sephiroth as he came in. He stayed there as Sephiroth took a seat in front of Lazard at his desk.

“Morning,” Lazard said. “Since your promotion was on the field, we never sorted out the official paperwork. It’s best that we do this before you get settled in.”

The stack was thick. There were initial lines on every page. I’m going to be here all morning, Sephiroth thought with disdain.

“I suggest you read through everything, but I can give you a verbal summary.”

Sephiroth’s eyes flicked up to meet Lazard’s own, blue shielded behind glasses. “Please,” he said.

Lazard cleared his throat and folded his hands together on his desk.

“As a 1st-class SOLDIER, you will be tasked with leading initiatives and training subordinates. Tseng will act as your direct report to deliver orders directly from me. While you will have freedom within the company and will not be restricted in most of your activities, you will become property of Shinra.”

Sephiroth’s eyebrows narrowed.

“You will live where we tell you to and be stationed where we tell you to be. You may conduct your personal life as you wish, but bear in mind that when you are in uniform, you are representing Shinra. You may be called upon at any time to go on patrol or to serve.

“While most who make it this far intend to stay with the company, 1st-class in particular is a lifetime sentence. Given the mako composition already administered to you, you will be granted good health and a longer life, which you are indebted to by the company. You can choose to ‘retire’ as early as 65 years of age, however if Shinra requests your abilities, you can not refuse.”

Sephiroth sighed as a result of holding his breath. “So, there is no way to be discharged?”

Lazard shook his head. “Even a lateral move will not absolve you of this responsibility...especially one of your ability.” He took off his glasses, which revealed a shimmer in his eyes that Sephiroth had not noticed before. “Before this, I was also 1st-class SOLDIER, many moons ago now. If they wanted to, they could ask me to don the black and suspenders and go out on the field.”

“Have they?” Sephiroth asked, blinking.

“No,” Lazard chuckled. “I have done my best to keep that from happening in my position. However, if Mr. President so wished, he could make the demand. I would give him an earful, but I could not refuse.”

His voice dripped with contempt as he spoke the words “Mr. President”. It was a tone Sephiroth didn’t think was possible from him,  and he briefly shared a look with Tseng, still at the office door. Tseng pursed his lips, but said nothing.

“There are some other Shinra positions that carry similar caveats,” Lazard continued, “particularly those who possess company trade secrets. However, SOLDIER is special, because of your genetic modification and physical ability, combined with some level of inner company workings.

“Therefore, you will never be discharged. If a situation would warrant a ‘dishonorable’ discharge...you will be terminated. Your status will be ‘killed in action.’“

Sephiroth stared down at the contract, words no longer legible but distorted squiggles crawling on the paper. Is this why Jenova tried to dissuade me from joining SOLDIER? Because it is an irreversible, eventual death sentence?

(”...monster...just like the rest of us...”)

Genesis’s eyes flashed in his mind again. He knew the truth as well.

“I always start with this up front, because it is important.” Lazard sighed. “Many SOLDIER in 2nd and 3rd-class often get the wrong idea about the glamour of 1st-class. It can be a lonely job, and comes with a heavy price.”

Lazard’s face relaxed. “This all being said, I have been watching you come up, and I have no qualms regarding your sense of duty and responsibility. Unless you have a dramatic change of heart, I don’t think you will be getting into any trouble, as it were.”

Sephiroth smirked humorlessly. “I appreciate the compliment,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter, does it?” He bit his lip and shrugged. “I already accepted the promotion.”

Lazard said nothing, but his eyes confirmed it. This paperwork is a formality. I suppose if I really wanted out, I could refuse and be demoted. But, with the press conference already over, it would mean a scandal. Which may mean termination.

Of me.

At the same time...was there any other path for me?

To stand at the top, alone...

“If you turn to page 32, you will see your new yearly salary,” Lazard continued, gentler than before as he placed his glasses back on his face. “Given the circumstances you yourself addressed, you are in a unique position to negotiate for a higher salary if you so choose.”

The page had been tabbed with a yellow sticky note for easy access. Sephiroth turned to it and stared at the large number staring back at him. “In fact, I may preemptively bump it, provided the budget is available. Or a signing bonus could be in order?”

“This is...this is fine,” Sephiroth replied. With this money, I could buy Mother a new house out of the Sector 2 slums in a couple of years...!

“Well, I’ll still see what I can do,” Lazard replied. “Your benefits are completely covered by Shinra at no cost to you. You also have special access to Shinra owned condominium buildings, including the newest one near Sector 5. Angeal and Genesis own condos there, for example.”

That’s a luxury building, Sephiroth thought, still staring down at the compensation number on the sheet. I never gave much thought to where I would be living; I assumed I would continue to stay on base, or just go and live with Mother to help with the kids...

“The condos can be bought at half of market rate, either outright or through an interest-free payment plan, your choice. I will forward you our real estate agent’s contact information before the end of the day.

“You also are now allowed to carry your own weapon, and not a Shinra issued one. If you are interested in a sword, we have a blacksmith who is on site part of the week that can craft you a blade. Otherwise, there are a few options in Midgar if your tastes lie elsewhere.”

A new sword, Sephiroth thought, that will be a relief. He thought of Angeal’s heavy Buster Sword, and Genesis’s slender and elaborate Rapier. Though I am not sure what style to get. Perhaps something light and simple...

Lazard continued. “I would like you to take some time in the coming weeks shadowing your fellow 1sts in their duties. You can get a feel for where their strengths lie and what you would prefer to do while on base. You will be stationed here in Midgar for the foreseeable future.”

“I see,” he said.

Lazard smiled quizzically. “I thought you may be more enthusiastic about that. Keeping you with your colleagues, and close to family as well.”

“A-ah, I am...” Sephiroth said. Typically, his emotions often didn’t come across well, but with his heart heavy under circumstance, he could only muster a thin lipped turn of his mouth. “Thank you.”

“Eventually, I would like to see you be a de facto leader among the 1sts, hence the free reign you’ll be given here. It will be a different story once you are deployed.” He stared in space behind Sephiroth. “We will not be at war forever, after all. That is my hope...”

“How soon will that be?” Sephiroth asked.

It was the first time Lazard looked taken aback. But, even that was controlled. “Come again?”

“How long...until we are deployed again?”

Lazard’s expression neutralized. “Right. Unfortunately, I can’t say for sure. Within the year, I assume. Maybe as soon as a month. Could be tomorrow, though unlikely. Your performance should keep things at bay for a while.”

Sephiroth’s eyes flicked down to the mound of paperwork. He watched himself aimlessly flip back to the beginning. This is how it will be, now. This is the point I wanted to make it to. Now that I’m here, I don’t know how to feel...

I always wanted to be at the top, to be the best,

(to be the most useful)

(you’re different than all the others)

and even...to be admired.

(”You’re such a freak!” the boy spit at him. He punched him and grabbed him by his hair, shoving him against the lockers. “This isn’t a wig? Your hair is like this, silver like a fucking old man? Gross!”

Sephiroth’s nostrils flared, and he grabbed the boy by the waist, easily hurling him backward...)

I never got it growing up, not where it mattered. Fifteen years rotting away in an orphanage, then three in the slums.

But now...

(As he walked by the reception desk, a group of Shinra administrative professionals in crisp, white blouses and black pencil skirts all turned their heads. “E-Excuse me!” one piped up.

Sephiroth paused and looked back. He wasn’t even in uniform yet--only his black, company jacket, a t-shirt and jeans--but each of the women were tinted with pink. “Yes?” he asked.

“You’re, um, you’re Sephiroth Cetra, right? 1st-class, sir?”

“That’s right,”

“Wow!” she exclaimed, then quickly looked away. “Um, sorry! I just wanted...your hair is beautiful, by the way!”

She scurried back, clearly embarrassed. Sephiroth lifted his chin. “Thank you...”)

“Do you have any questions for me?” asked Lazard. “I know it’s a lot to take in.”

Sephiroth didn’t hear him, mind far away. Now...

(Genesis clapped as Sephiroth destroyed the last target dummy. “Well done, well done,” he said, taking a drag off a cigarette. It looked like one, but the smell said otherwise. “Damn, you’re good.”

“Do you think so?” Sephiroth asked.

“Oh, yeah. You’ll be 1st in no time. It’s like Shinra pumped you out of the fuckin’ lab as the model SOLDIER.” Genesis coughed a little smoke and laughed at his own quip.

Gently out of breath, Sephiroth sheathed his sword and met his eyes. Genesis, in turn, held his gaze.

When he looked away, it felt like he had lingered too long...)

“Sephiroth?”

Things...are different. I have...friends now, maybe. But after what happened with Genesis...

(”You’re so...fucking perfect...”)

(”He doesn’t hate you, you know.”)

I hope Angeal is right. I hope Mother is right, too.

Sephiroth cleared his throat, willing himself back into the Director’s office. “Sorry?” he said. “No, I’m...fine. It’s fine.”

Lazard waited for more, but Sephiroth had no more to say. He took the pen laid carefully beside the contract and began to initial each page. Words flashed at him that did not process.

He reached the last page, and Lazard interrupted him. “This is your last chance,” he warned. “Once you sign that last page, you can’t go back.”

Was there any other choice? Sephiroth thought, but kept it to himself.

His hand did pause over the line,

but only for a moment.

In spiked script, he signed Sephiroth Cetra, and dated beside it.

“Very well,” Lazard said. He stood up and reached over to gather the paperwork. “You are officially 1st-class SOLDIER. Congratulations.”

Formality seemed to settle in the office. Sephiroth stood as well. “Thank you, Director.”

“I hope your career is as fruitful as its start.” Lazard stacked the paperwork, then stepped around and shook Sephiroth’s hand. “Barring the most unusual circumstance, we may not cross paths again like this.”

Lazard pulled him gently closer and stared sternly up at him. “I wish you the best of luck.”

Sephiroth stared back. He said he was 1st-class once as well...he knows how this is more than anyone.

(what sword did he use? How much blood has he seen? How many has he killed?)

“Thank you, sir,” Sephiroth said.

Lazard smiled. “You’re dismissed. Tseng will walk you out.”

Sephiroth let go of his hand, and turned to the back of the room. Tseng opened the director’s door, but resumed to a stance with his hands behind his back. As soon as Sephiroth walked through, he trailed behind.

“I will take you back to the 1st’s locker and break room,” Tseng said. “If you have any questions about the Director, I am afraid most of his personal information is classified.”

“I don’t have any questions,” Sephiroth replied, staring straight ahead. “I know all I need to.”

Tseng tilted his head as he called the elevator. “Very well.”

The elevator pinged, and they stepped through and rode it in silence.

[theweeklybusy]

The week in review

Monday the 27th my aunt and uncle were still here, so it was kind of a work day and kind of a host day. Luckily I was working from home and a handful of higher-ups were out at conferences or on vacation, so few people noticed that I was slow in answering my emails.

I realized that night that the pattern I had been fiddling with started with the wrong measurements. So I painfully unraveled it all back to the foundation row, re-balled the yarn barf, and sadly started over. At this point, if I run into another mistake, I may just have to roll with it because I do not want to un-do this project a second time!

Tuesday 28th was Tiabeanie's final class of level 3 obedience training. We've had her for about 9 months now, and she has really blossomed from the dog that the shelter knew, that the fosters knew, and that we knew when we first got her. She is sweet and smart and sassy, loving and cuddly, and also unfortunately still pretty anxious about being away from me. Having training together has really helped our bond and trust for me to be able to move into things like cutting her nails and giving her baths with less fear and fuss (she still doesn't like them though) and I just know that the next big hurdle will be addressing her separation anxiety.

For now though, I love the training place and am excited to move onto the more fun stuff!

Wednesday the 29 was a full and flexible day! Started with a 2 mile walk around the lake with a friend who is babysitting a greyhound! I wish we had a properly fenced place for her to run because I would love to see her dash about and play with Tiabeanie, but most dog parks don't have the 10 foot high fences recommended for speedsters and leapers like sighthounds. Then home for laundry and chores and after the fur babies had lunch Andrew and I set out to check out the county fair...only to learn at the entrance that no pets were allowed. So with Tiabeanie in the back seat we pivoted to Main Street and just people watched while eating pizza.

When we got home from lunch the power was out (father-in-law is working on the wiring as he preps for re-insulating our attic) so I busied myself with a project that didn't need power - a carding board. Not to be confused with cardboard, this style of fiber prep was the predecessor to todays blending board. I nailed a patch of carding cloth to the underside of my fiber picker to have a more all-in-one multi-use tool, then wrapped some carding cloth around a pair of handles I had connected at the ends for a (very ugly) type of comb to pull over the board. Then I finished carding some of the llama fluff I had washed and picked and now it's ready for spinning. I'm really glad to be done with this project as it is a tool that can help me move forward with so many other projects!

Thursday the 30th was apparently uneventful enough that I took no pictures or really noted what I did during the day. Mostly just remoted in to work and caught up on emails while folks were away.

Friday July 1st however was a big deal. For starters, I forgot it was Friday and missed my therapy call! I had stuff to talk about too so I'll have to make some notes to remember it through to the next appointment. I also was able to log off early from work and pack up some clothes, crafts, and my rig to head over to a friends house for a holiday weekend LAN party!

My rig is much older than everyone else's and programmed for much different tasks. While folks set up their PCs and gaming laptops, I took a select corner of the folding tables in the living room to set up a restored Singer featherweight. Through the whole weekend I listened to people game while sewing a yukata, spinning yarn, and making progress on two crochet projects. I spent two nights at the LAN before burning out hard on all the noise, shuffling around, and children, so I packed up Sunday afternoon, collapsed on the spare bed at home for a nap, then stress ate 2/3 of a pack of Oreos for dinner. Not the best way to end the weekend, but all in all it was pretty fun and it was nice to see so many people and also make a lot of progress on my projects.

[photography-collections38]

My journey on why I started liking photography

Welcome to My Blog! (About Me)

Hi! my name is Damini Putti. I am a college-going student attending the university of Dallas in Texas, one day, I was sitting in my room, and I saw my camera lying there all alone. Later, I realized why I had not started a blog about photography since I was deeply connected to it. The first question that could come to your mind is why she chose to write about an interesting subject such as photography. My most straightforward answer is I wanted to use photography to incorporate the hobbies that I love to do or showcase artwork from different artists that have been my all-time favorite. One of the well-known pop artists that you might know is Andy Warhol!

For my first project, I discovered that I had to find different objects to capture the audience's attention, and I thought it was an easy task to accomplish, but my first guess turned out to be false. In frustration, inspecting every object was complicated. Later I thought, why not incorporate Andy Warhol's ideas since I was always fascinated by the bold colors he chose to make his objects stand out ( inspiration used for 1st, 2nd, and 4th sketches)? Revisiting the photos made me think I did an "okay job" for someone who wasn't confident, and recollecting the experience still makes me laugh.

The second class that I took was English. Even though it was about writing "boring" essays, the course became interesting later. As you can see, the third sketch shows a karate fighter, and the fifth sketch shows the different personalities of an ordinary girl vs. a karate girl. Now you might ask why I am showing you images, and the answer is these are the blueprints of how I wanted to express karate through my pictures. The sixth sketch showcased my hobbies with different objects at home, but I added a little spark by using software for the first time to create designs.

How About You?

Did you ever find photography a challenging subject where you didn't know how you wanted to showcase your hobbies in an impactful way?

What are your favorite photography artists that should be remembered? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

If you enjoyed this article, share it with your friends! Also, please give a like and follow me if you want to see more blog posts that I will keep posting!