#soon enough in the future ill do it :3 yes this is a tiny for-fun crossover series incoming

[qiinamii]

You gave Xiao your heart.

He thought it was a spar invite.

[Next]

[doyoufancyathought]

Through The Utility Closet Part 3: Get Tested

Y/N had never been a fan of hospitals. In fact, she had gone above and beyond in her efforts to avoid going to them. She thought she could probably count all of her hospital visits on her fingers. Thankfully, she was a fairly healthy individual, so it wasn't hard for her to stay out of the Emergency room. They were too sterile, too clean, and everyone was always bustling and grumping around, and poking and prodding all the time. Y/N knew that the hospital wasn't supposed to be an enjoyable place to spend time, but she definitely was of the opinion that steps could be made to make it at least comfortable. Or hospitable, if you'll excuse the joke.

Still, she was in a new dimension, apparently, and so exceptions must be made when it comes to personal dislikes against institutions. She wanted to get home, after all, and this was a necessary step. In order for these scientists to send her back home, they must figure out where exactly she is from, otherwise they could end up sending her to a completely wrong place or time or what have you, and that would just be a disaster.

Once she was up on the exam table, Y/N did her best to appear friendly to the business-like nurse. She was quick and efficient as she hooked Y/N up to at least different machines, and tied a rubber band around her upper arm. For a moment, Y/N was worried that these strangers might be shooting her full of drugs, but then she remembered that this was simply routine for drawing blood. She hoped that medical procedures weren't too different in this world from her own.

Y/N was relieved when the nurse brought in a tray of empty vials and begin to explain what she was doing.

"I'm going to draw some blood so we can do some tests. I'll also need a hair sample, and I'm going to do a saliva swab as well, just so we can take a look at your DNA. How's that sound?"

"Invasive."

The nurse smiled. "I promise you'll barely feel a thing. The swab will be oral, same as checking for strep."

The nurse did her tests, and then let a few scientists in lab coats in. They pulled up chairs in front of the exam table and introduced themselves, although Y/N forgot their names as soon as she heard them.

"Okay, so I guess the first question is for you to introduce yourself and where you're from."

"My name is Y/N Y/L/N, and I'm from (hometown) in (country). I was working at one of my jobs when I fell through an inter dimensional portal and ended up here."

"Good start. Can you tell me about the planetary system from your home world?"

"I guess so." Y/N thought about it for a second, trying to remember those astronomy lessons from many years ago. "Earth is the third planet from the Sun, which is the centre of the system. Then there's Mercury, Mars, Earth, Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto, and I think I'm missing some. I can't remember the order, sorry, I've never been good at planets."

"That's all right. Can you tell me how many days in a year?"

"365."

"And how old are you?"

"22."

"And how old do people usually live to be?"

"Uh, I don't know. Maybe anywhere from 70 to 90 years?" Should have paid for attention in stats class.

"How big are spiders in your world?"

"Some of them are super tiny, like you can barely see them. And then some of them are huge, like a dinner plate."

"I see. And how big are chickens?"

"What?"

"How big are chicken? I know it's a weird question, but some worlds have gigantic chickens that actually prey on humans."

"Thats, um, disturbing. But my chickens are normal size? Like small enough to fit in an oven."

"Ok, well that's good. "

There where more questions like this, some about history and some about geography and flora and fauna. When they were all done, the scientists discussed for a minute by themselves.

"Okay, well, from what we can tell, your world is incredibly similar to our own, with the major differences likely being social development. You say you don't have the Avengers in your world?"

"No, we don't have any superheroes or superpowers at all. I wish, though."

"Yeah, that makes sense. How much do you know about inter-dimensional portals?"

"Absolutely nothing."

"Ok, well that's fair, it's a tough subject. So pretty much, each dimension has kind of bridges to reach out to other dimensions. When two bridges line up, there's a chance for people or things to cross over."

"Okay, that makes sense I guess."

"A lot of the time, these bridges go unnoticed. Some dimensions are connected permanently, some are connected cyclicly, and some are connected for less than a second at a time, which makes them extra hard to track. You with me so far?"

Y/N nodded.

"Don't worry if you don't get it. Basically, what I'm trying to say is that we might have a hard time tracking down your world."

"Okay, but how long do you think it'll take? How long does it normally take?"

The scientists shifted uncomfortably. "Well that's the thing. There is an infinite amount of universes you could be from, and it'll take a while to narrow it down to just the most likely. From there, we would have to figure out what kind of bridges they all have, and figure out how to predict it, and then figure out a way to send you back."

"Oh, that does sound complicated. So like a month?"

They glanced at each other. "We've never done this before, and we've never sent anyone back through a bridge."

"Two months?"

"Maybe a year."

"What?"

"I said, maybe a year?"

"I'm going to be here for a year."

"Maybe, like I said we've never done this before so we can't really give you an idea of how long it will take."

"Oh my God."

"We're very sorry. We'll give you some space."

The scientists left, and the nurse from before came back in and started unhooking Y/N from the monitors.

"We've run all the tests we need to, dear. Do you have any questions?"

"I have so many questions, I don't even know where to begin."

"That's understandable. We'll have your results back in a few hours, and that'll help the scientists get a head start on where you're from. I've got your clothes here, if you step through that door you'll be able to change in privacy."

Y/N nodded and jumped off of the table, gathering her clothes in her rooms and she quickly walked across the cold floor to the changing room. She pulled on her work clothes, which consisted of jeans and a black t-shirt, but opted to leave the apron and baseball cap off. There was no need to wear them here. Y/N put her shoes back on, simple canvas slip-ons, and reflected on what she had just learned. Here are the facts.

1. She had magically teleported through a door.

2. She was now stuck in a world that apparently had superheroes.

3. The superheroes had no idea how to get her back, or how long it would take to figure it out.

4. She was stuck.

Now, a normal person might cry when they considered this situation. But, Y/N was not a normal person. She had the fun meal-deal of anxiety and depression, and at this moment, she thanked her ill little brain for causing her to overthink every little scenario so she would be prepared for the worst to happen. Of course, none of those thoughts covered time and dimension travel, but they had covered a sudden zombie apocalypse, so it was just a matter of adjusting the survival strategy. Find shelter, find friends, and fight to live.

So far, Y/N had maybe found friends. The Avengers seemed like a friendly bunch, if oddly beautiful, and Sam had offered his basement as shelter. Now, all she had to do was figure out the day to day stuff. Get a job, live a life, and get back to her world.

So she stepped out of the changing room back into the hallway, and say the Avengers gathered around. They all turned to her as the door closed behind her.

"And what did you find out from the scientists, Y/N?" Vision asked.

"Well, they tried explaining how inter-dimensional portals work. That went way over my head. But basically, I'm gonna be stuck here for a while until they can figure out where I'm from and figure out how to get me back. So, I guess I'm going to need to find a job or something pretty quick."

Tony shook his head and stepped to the front of the group. "That won't be necessary. I'm loaded, and I'll make sure you're set up to not need anything."

"Why?"

"Because I want to? You just flew through outer space into a whole new world, and you're worried about getting a job? Come on, live a little! You look like you work too hard. What work do you do?"

"At which job?"

"Well how many do you have?"

"Three."

"Holy moly."

"Yeah."

"Why?"

Y/N shrugged. "I get bored."

"So you work?"

"Beats sitting around on my ass."

"Fair point. Well anyways, enjoy the vacation for now, and in the future if you still want a job, we'll have to figure out the proper documents. For now, enjoy your vacation! I'm loaded, and this is the perfect opportunity to share, okay?"

"If you really want to, I mean, I don't mind working."

"Clearly, you have three jobs. Psycho. But no, I don't mind. In fact, I would be offended if you didn't accept my offer."

"Okay, well, then, thanks!"

"No problem. I already gave Sam a credit card for you, so you can go shopping on your way to his house. You do know how to work a credit card, right?"

Y/N grinned. "Yes, Tony, I know how to work a credit card. My world apparently isn't that different from this one, just a few small differences I guess."

"Good. Alright, well, roll out, team."

The Avengers dissipated until it was just Sam, Steve, and James standing around with Y/N.

"So you're still coming with us, right?" Sam asked.

Y/N shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so. If you don't mind, of course."

"Not at all. It'll be nice having a girl in the house, for once."

The group of four started walking down the long hallway.

"So do you just collect strays, Sam?" Y/N asked, curious of why he was so eager to offer his spare room to a total stranger.

Before he could answer, Steve cut in. "Yeah, I mean, why else did you think we lived with him?"

"I don't know. I thought maybe you were in a band, or really good gym buddies, or maybe even a throuple."

Sam choked on a laugh, but Bucky and Steve looked confused. "What's a throuple?" James asked.

"It's like a couple, but instead of it being two people, it's three." Y/N explained.

"And you thought?" Steve almost looked offended.

"Look, sorry, I don't know what's normal for you here, and I didn't want to assume it was all platonic!"

Sam was dying laughing. "You thought -" he had to lean on a wall to keep standing upright. "Man, we're just good friends, and these two have absolutely no credit, so it's hard for them to find places to stay."

"Ah. I guess being a superhero might not pay well."

"Well, I mean there are other reasons too, but yeah let's go with that." Steve didn't exactly want to jump this poor girl with the fact that he was also over 100 years old and had been frozen for a while. She had enough to worry about.

Y/N didn't pursue the other reasons, because they had finally exited the building and she was looking around, comparing this new world to her own. It was dark out, because it was night. She looked down the street and saw a McDonalds sign, which made her smile. At least she could have her chicky nugs if things got too tough. Turns out this world was just like hers, just with a bit of a different history. A lot more violence, hence the need for superheroes.

They got into the car, and Sam drove them to a mall, where they spent an hour and a half hopping around to different stores to get stuff. Y/N got used to spending someone else's money, and she definitely took advantage of the three guys following her around who offered, nay, insisted on carrying her bags. However, she insisted on going into the drugstore alone so she could collect toiletries.

She grabbed a cart (and honestly who uses a cart in a drugstore unless you have serious money to spend) and spent about 45 minutes going up and down most of the aisles to find what she needed. Luckily, the products were exactly the same as she was used to, so it was only a matter of finding exactly what she needed.

When Y/N finally walked out, she spotted her new companions sitting down on one of those middle-of-the-mall benches that are intended for senior citizens and mothers with rowdy children and men waiting for women to finish their shopping.

"Got everything you need?" Sam asked as he stood up and stretched.

"Yup."

"Alright, let's head home. You feel like pizza for dinner?"

"What's pizza?" Y/N deadpanned, and the three guys looked shocked.

"You don't know what pizza is?" Steve asked.

"Nope, never heard that word before in my life."

"Seriously?"

"Why would I joke about it?"

"You've never had pizza before." James reiterated.

"Nope. What is it?"

"No, you gotta experience it." Sam smiled and started walking back the way they had come.

Steve and James were perfect gentleman, and oddly strong as well, but Y/N again did not complain when they grabbed her bags from the drugstore. She opened doors for them as they went out to the parking lot.

Once they were back in the car, Sam got on his phone and ordered pizza that would be delivered right as they got home, provided traffic cooperated. Y/N spent the drive looking out the window at all the lights and people she saw, and didn't pay much attention to the conversation the guys were having. Nothing looked too out of the ordinary, except for the whole superhero thing.

Once they got to Sam's house, a tidy little bungalow in a quiet neighbourhood, they unloaded the car and headed inside. Steve and James ran downstairs to put Y/N's bags in her room, while Sam gave her a tour.

As they were walking down a hallway, Y/N stopped to look at family pictures hanging on the wall.

"Is this your family?" She asked.

"Yeah, that's my sister and her two boys. They've grown a lot since that picture was taken though."

"They look like lots of fun."

"They're a handful, that's for sure."

"And these are your parents?"

"Yeah," Sam said quietly. "They passed a few years ago, that's the last picture we ever took of them both together."

"Oh I'm so sorry." Sam shook his head as Y/N reached out to touch his arm. "They have really kind eyes." She said, her gaze returning to the picture.

"They were the kindest people I've ever known." Sam said, and just then, the doorbell rang. "Sounds like the pizzas here."

Y/N could hear the two boys thundering back up the stairs as she followed Sam to the front door. She expected that he would need help carrying all the food in.

She was right. The delivery driver had to go back to his car to get a second load of pizza. Y/N brought the first load into the kitchen and got a few plates down from the cupboard.

"Oh, good, you found the plates!" Sam said as he walked into the kitchen a few minutes later.

"Yeah, lucky guess."

They set the table in silence as Steve and James washed up, and then they sat down for dinner.

Sam decided he wanted to know more about Y/N. "So, Y/N, tell us a little bit about yourself."

"Ok, well," Y/N hated this questions, because how do you boil yourself down to just a few facts? She just wished people would ask direct questions, because she could answer questions if they were clear. She hated vagueness. "I'm 22, I still live, or lived, with my parents. I like dogs. My favourite colour is yellow. I have three jobs, as a nanny, in retail, and also at a Bubble Tea shop in my hometown. What else do you want to know?"

"Well that's a lot. Why do you have three jobs?" Steve asked.

Y/N shrugged, having to explain her workaholic tendencies twice in a day. "I get bored. And I like working, keeps life interesting."

"I'll bet. What do you do for fun?"

"I read a lot. And I like to go to the lake. And crochet."

"What kind of books do you read?" Steve asked.

"It depends. Sometimes fantasy, sometimes mystery. I read a lot of those cheap drugstore romances."

"Wait, you crochet?" Sam asked. "What are you, a grandma?"

"Like a crazy, chaotic grandma, kinda. I drink a lot of tea and wear a lot of sweaters, sorry for being comfy!"

They went back and forth for a few minutes. "How do you like the pizza?" Sam asked.

"Well," Y/N waggled her head back and forth, debating how to break the ruse. "Not the best I've ever had, but it's close."

"Wait, you've had pizza before?"

"Yes."

"You said before though-"

"And you believed me?Rookie move, gentlemen."

"Why would you trick us?" They weren't mad, just a little confused. And amused. James hadn't really said much since they sat down for dinner, but he grinned and chuckled at the confused looks on his friends faces.

Y/N shrugged. "Gotta keep you guys on your toes, yaknow?" They all laughed. "But hey, tell me more about you guys. You're super soldiers? What does that even mean?"

Sam and Steve took turns explaining who they were, and how the Avengers came to be. They didn't touch too much on James, who excused himself fairly into the evening. He was a little shy and quiet around newcomers, apparently, but Y/N wasn't bothered. She had bigger things to worry about than someone being shy around her.

When the talking turned to yawns, Sam offered to show Y/N to her room. He took her down the stairs into the basement, which opened up into a spacious rec room. There was a massive TV and a pool table. Down a short hallway were the two previously spare rooms, both of which were now occupied by strays that Sam had picked up. The only bathroom was unfortunately across the basement, but Y/N didn't foresee any problems with that.

Sam explained how every room had it's own colours for sheets and towels and stuff, and Y/N was very impressed with how domestically organized he was turning out to be.

Sam went back upstairs, and Y/N took a few minutes to settle in. She would unpack and run her new clothes through the laundry tomorrow, but for now all she wanted was a hot shower and a good long nights sleep.

She went into the bathroom, and saw that James had already made space for her stuff in the shower caddy, on the towel rack, and in the medicine cabinet above the sink. With a smile on her face, she put her few new belongings in those empty spaces, then drug herself through the shower and fell into her bed, exhausted.

Before her eyes closed, Y/N considered what had happened to her today. In a new dimension, living with three strange yet wonderful men, something that would be sure to give her mother a heart attack. And yet, she was excited for the morning to come. Part of her hoped that when she opened her eyes again, she would wake up in her home world, and she would be surrounded by people she knew and recognized. That's what a normal person would hope for in this situation, right?

But as I've told you before, Y/N is no normal person, and the other part of her was wishing that when she woke up, she would still be here, in Sam's house. She wanted to opportunity to explore, so see what else was out there. Maybe she'd discover a new life, a new chance to be the person she had wished to be but never got the chance. Whatever happened, she knew that tomorrow would be full questions, and hopefully a few answers. She hoped, anyways.

[solohux]

The Emperor & His Consort

For Celeste ❤️

Emperor Hux/Consort Kylo, Mpreg, Fluff, 1.6k

Enjoy!

The gentle, soothing sounds of Hux humming to him rouses the pampered consort from sleep, bringing him from his joyful dreams and into the land of wakefulness so softly that Kylo feels like he’s still dreaming. Beside him, the Emperor’s body is bathed in the golden sunlight that shines through the grand window beside their ornate bed, giving him a heavenly silhouette. Absently, Kylo can feel Hux’s soft hands grazing over the plump curve of his pregnant belly, gliding his fingers across the stretched skin that carries their unborn child. Yes, Kylo smiles, he’s so content that it feels like a dream.

“I’m sorry to wake you, my love,” Hux whispers, giving his consort a kiss on his forehead. “But breakfast is here and I’d hate for your panna cakes to go cold.”

“I thought I could smell them,” Kylo sits up, finding that Hux is already hopping out of bed to fetch the tray that carries Kylo’s breakfast. “Hux. A droid can do that. You’re the Emperor.”

“And does being Emperor mean that I can’t spoil my husband?” With his golden circlet-crown atop his head and wearing his black silk pyjamas, he gently places a tray on Kylo’s lap, mindful of how his belly is in the way.

“A little,” Kylo shrugs, raising an eyebrow. “If your people saw you doing this, they’d think you were ill.”

“It isn’t my fault that they’re still obsessed with traditional views of leadership.” Hux sits back down on the bed, holding his china cup and saucer containing his favourite morning drink of tarine tea. “To them, our unborn child is nothing more than you fulfilling your duty as a consort. They care not for your happiness or your desires, only for the succession of my bloodline.”

“Thanks,” Kylo says, mouth full of warm panna cakes drenches in syrup.

“You know what I mean, Ren,” Hux reaches for a napkin and wipes a stray drop of syrup from Kylo’s plush lips. “Our child is nothing but an heir to them. It’s preposterous to them that we would be having a child because we’re in love and want one.”

Kylo knows that Hux is right: from the moment that his pregnancy was announced to the people of the Second Empire almost seven months ago, compliments flooded in from the Empire’s people of how strong Hux must be to plant his seed in such a pretty consort and how his heir will be born with their mother’s beauty and their father’s intelligence. Kylo recalls fighting back laughter at common folk talking of him as though he’s nothing more than a metaphorical oven for Hux’s buns to warm in, an incubator for heirs, a pretty face for the Emperor to merely look at. He rubs his hand over his belly, feeling terribly insecure all of a sudden.

“Kylo? Did you hear me?”

Hux’s hand upon his own brings Kylo from his thoughts, “Hm?”

“Where did you go, darling? You looked distant.”

“Nowhere,” Kylo lies but caves under the pressure of his husband’s stare a moment later. “I hate how they see me. I’m still strong with the Force, I’m still a Knight. There just isn’t a war for me to fight in at the minute but I’ll give them one if they want to see what I’m capable of.”

“We can change your title if you want to, Ren. You can be my Knight instead of my consort if you so wish. Regardless of what you’re called, you’re still my husband.”

“I want to be your consort—just that. But it’s like people have forgotten the blood that was shed by me to conquer the galaxy. I wish people weren’t so…judgy.” Kylo stops to touch his tummy, rubbing over where he felt their child kick. Grimacing, he stretches out with the Force and finds the baby’s untamed signature, faint and new, using his powers to soothe her.

“Are you alright? Should I fetch the medic?” Hux’s hand covers Kylo’s where it rests on his pregnant bump, clearly worried.

“It’s fine. She’s just…unsettled.”

“Maybe she can feel how stressed you are. She doesn’t like it when their mother is upset. But I know what will make you feel better.”

“What?” Kylo finishes the last mouthful of his breakfast and sips at his sweet tea, absently thinking of how he’s only got a few weeks left until he can have caf again.

“One moment,” Hux gives Kylo a small peck on his cheek before jumping out of bed, disappearing into the main chamber before coming back in with a tall droid following him. Its two arms are extended upwards, carrying two outfits and ensuring that their tails aren’t dragging along the tiled floor.

“Hux.” Kylo sets the tray aside, one hand on his tummy as he shuffles to the end of the bed, in awe of the clothes.

“I noticed that your current robes no longer—uh—fit,” Hux rubs the back of his neck, absently hoping that he hasn’t offended his husband. “So I had the tailor create something new for you.”

Kylo can’t stop smiling, imagining himself in his new clothes. One set of robes is dark—black, his favourite colour—in a soft material, akin to what his old robes were made out of during his stint as Supreme Leader, only fresher and cleaner this time. The next set is a deep red silk tunic, complete with a matching cape and golden clasp.

“I’m presuming that your silence is a good thing, my love.” Kylo hadn’t noticed that Hux has come to sit beside him on the bed, winding a stray piece of his dark hair around his finger.

“They’re beautiful,” Kylo says, leaning in to the touch and stealing a long kiss from his husband. “You spoil me.”

“My darling,” Hux waves the droid away, wanting privacy as he teasingly slides his hand across Kylo’s bare thigh. “It’s my honour.”

                                 | . . . . . 3 Months Later . . . . . |

Even a month after the Princess’s birth, gifts and congratulations still pour in from the Second Empire’s people and its allies, blessing the royal Hux-Ren family with more presents than they have use for. Both the Emperor and his consort rest in the palace’s grand drawing room after another day of sending out thanks to their kind public and whilst still being new, inexperienced parents.

Kylo is nestled in the corner of the couch, knees tucked under himself and wearing the comfortable cotton-blend robes that his darling husband gifted him after the birth. Hux kneels on the floor amongst the pile of beautifully wrapped gifts—all pre-checked by the palace’s most trusted security members.

“What is that?” Kylo laughs as he asks his husband the question, amused by Hux’s face. In the consort’s strong arms lies their month-old daughter, wide awake and fussing for her mother’s attention. Cleo already has a head of soft red hair, some of which peeks out from underneath her little hat, one that matches her white babygrow. She’s still so small, able to rest in the crook of one of Kylo’s arms without too much of a problem; it’s her favourite place to be.

“I’m not sure,” Hux examines the colourful glass block in his hand, puzzled.

“Who’s it from?”

“The royal family of Exoisha Prime,” Hux reads but it sheds no light on the odd gift.

“What’s a baby meant to do with a glass block?” Kylo laughs, and it’s as though Cleo tries to mimic him and makes a gurgling sound, lifting her tiny hand. Her mother taps his finger against the baby’s and Cleo grabs it gently, making Kylo blush with glee.

“I think that’s enough for tonight,” Hux sets the block aside and sighs, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t think my mind can take much more of ‘guess the present’.”

“We’ll send out thank you notes, anyway,” Kylo shrugs. “We don’t have to be specific.”

“Good,” Hux sits down beside his husband, leaning against his arm and looking down at their daughter, finding that her big brown eyes are looking back at him. “Hello, darling. Do you want Daddy to hold you for a while?”

Cleo kicks her legs and lets go of Kylo’s finger, obviously excited by her father’s presence as she gurgles and tries to smile—still a little young yet—but Kylo can sense in the Force that she wants to be held by Hux.

“I carried her and spent forty hours in labour for her,” Kylo mutters, giving Cleo a gentle kiss on her head. “And you’re still her favourite.”

“Gingers have to stick together, Ren,” Hux chuckles, settling their daughter into his arms and rocking her gently.

“The pair of you will be ganging up on me soon,” Kylo rests his head against Hux’s shoulder, reaching to gently pull off Cleo’s hat to reveal her soft, fluffy red hair, using his fingers to gently style it until it’s all sticking up, amused with himself.

“Well, can you blame her for wanting to come to me when you make fun of her like this?”

“She likes it,” Kylo smiles. “Look.”

True to his word, Cleo is lying very still and staring up at Kylo as he plays with her hair, gently running his fingers through it to make it flat again, both parents smiling.

The fire crackles in the marble fireplace as the Hux-Ren family rest quietly together. It isn’t long before Kylo finds himself dozing against his husband’s shoulder and Cleo is sound asleep in her father’s arms, leaving Hux the only one awake in the drawing room. He daren’t move, too afraid to disturb either one of his sleeping darlings. Kylo breathes heavily, curled up against Hux’s side whilst Cleo rests in his arms and sleeps peacefully with her head against his chest, leaning into his warmth.

It’s the happiest future that Hux can ever have hoped for.

[autisticstarseed]

if u could, perhaps, bless us with all the applicable symbols from that fic ask for hvh 👀

ooOoOOOoOO Rub s gay hands togehter omg ty friend 😍;;;;;;

💡 - What was the motivation behind the story?

hHH i hadnt written in 10+ years so when i latched onto this plot idea i just thought itd be a good time to jump the shark and try it again !! i just wanted smth really edgy and depthful bc im emo and the rest kind of snowballed

💎- What was your favorite part?

osdlfksd;lf it’s hard to pick a fav but the drunk scene was definitely the most fun to write at least

⛰️-  What was the hardest part?

THE SCENE WHERE THE GANG IS KIDNAPPED BY ENKI,,,, i debated toning down the violence but in the end i knew where the story was going (and where its still going) and that its gonNA be kinda dark so why hold back now ig

🎭- What was the feeling or mood you were going for?

BITTERSWEET AF,,, sort of just treading the line of ‘hopeful’ and ‘hopeless’ at all times to fully portray the feeling of being at your lowest, but with that classic tss ‘silver linings just around the corner’ kind of undertone

🏟️- Who was your intended audience?

mostly all the adults that watched tss as a kid and felt like spirituaLLY MOVED BY IT cuz i really tried to tap into that Emotion Tee Em we all felt when we found out that zak was [redacted]

🔬- Was there one scene you were building up to/knew you had to get just right?

hHH theres actually a LOT of scenes like that and i think a lot of my general motivation to keep going comes from that ‘WAIT FOR IT WAIT FOR IT’ vibe slkdf:SDF but the Plot Twist tm in the latest chapter was definitely a big’n, and theres a few more of those still to come :^)

🗝️ - What were you thinking when you wrote it?

kjdjFSDs:DF tbh whenever i start really writing, [’im shifting into soup mode’ seinfeld meme voice] im shifting into maladaptive daydreaming mode

🎥- Were there any tv shows, books, or movies that influenced this verse, if any?

:^) devilman crybaby pls forgive me for everytHing

📈- Was there a clear character arch you wanted____ character to go on?

i actually have a short list of what i somewhat consider to be the story arcs in my notes !! mostly just for organization and obvs i wont list the future ones but so far we’ve seen the kushtaka arc, the enki arc, and now we’re in what i call ‘the annunaki’ arc.

🎢- Were there any scenes you were nervous about? For audience reception or otherwise?

ALL OF IT JSHDJSKD, but again a lot of the enki scenes i was worried would be too edgy TM, and the whole annunaki plot as well i was worried might be too ‘out there’ for ppl, but it takes the story exactly where i always wanted it and lines everything up perfectly so i went for it lol. i was also ofc worried if people would like ila or not bc oc but most ppl love her actually which is so 😭❤️

☠️- Did you consider killing off any of the characters? Did you?

8^) [mickey mouse voice] this is a surprise tool that will help us later ,

✉️- Did you title your chapters? What title do you like best?

yes! the next one actually has my favorite chapter title yet, but so far i like ‘so strikes the harpoon’ since its a throwback to the first couple chapters

☀️- Was there symbolism/motifs you worked in?

o every single paragraph is an overly thought out middle school poem im entering in the talent show actually

🎵- Did you have a playlist/piece of music that went with this story?

Yes !! i have HVH insp part 1, Part 2, and an extra one for all those songs that have the vibes but just dont fit enough to make sense in a playlist

📜-Do you want to write something like this again in the future?

probably ! ive learned i definitely like the edgy/darker and emotionally driven stories with ongoing plot, so that trend will almost definitely continue. idk if ill write a dystopia again anytime soon, but i think my future stuff will at least retain that long and heavy vibe

💁- Did readers influence/change any part of this story?

oh yEA like basically i was ready to quit after the very first chapter before it was even written and kinda just got it all out on a whim of motivation but was expecting to flake on it like i tend to do with projects, but the invested response to it was just so uplifting that its what ive been riding on all ten chapters and im so grateful for it :’)))

✏️-Would you go back and change anything if you could?

hHHHHHHH yes and ok this is terrible but i actually tend to avoid re-reading my older chapters until i hAVe to bc i suffer from that sO much ,,, , its just little things like tiny words i wanna change or bits i wanna take out/put in and once or twice ive even caught a mistake or plot hole/smth i forgot to add that i rly do have to go back and edit and i just turn to dust every tim e

⭐- What’s a scene/paragraph you’re proud of?

i really liked the northern lights scene!! it was meant to be a pivotal moment of that ‘bittersweetness’ vibe i was talking abt and it was another one of those scenes i had been planning for a while;;;

“ I think of how much the rest of the family would love this. This isn’t like the moon and the sun, where I can see it and know that even if it looks different, they’ll see the same one soon enough, wherever they are. This reminds me only that I am not with them. It stings. It seems unnatural for something so gentle and natural to appear before us as if we aren’t in complete, total fucking chaos. After all we’ve been through, and the sky still dances. “

📣-What was the best piece of encouragement you got?

AVERY ALL OF UR LIVEBL OGS AND COMMENTS GIV ME SUCH L I FE, ,, ,, CRYIGN CAT FA ce

🔦-Did you learn anything while writing it? About yourself? Writing?

isdfhSDF YEs, part of my hesitation to write came from this thing where i always just assumed there was a wildly high standard of writing in fandom spaces like in original literature spaces, where you had to have like 10+ sentences to a paragraph and you had to describe every tiny detail of a setting and you had to follow every single grammar rule or it was unreadable but like. genuinely its like sculpting with words as long as you have a shape ppl get the idea which is such a weight off my shoulders lol, its still a lot of work but so much fun to know i can to an extent do what i want and ppl actually like it like that. i also learned that like most other writers i have to cause my favs emotional and physical pain,

🎁- Any writing advice for people who want to write something like this?

hhHHHH 1. please do it its so fun just give in to the edge my guy , 2. try to get comfortable re-reading your chapters, for me its like when ppl listen to themselves sing/act but im trying to do better bc its so much more consistent when i keep it fresh in my mind and it also boosts confidence when u can pick out the things u like instead of the things u dont, 3. trying to have at least one scene in mind for each chapter that ur excited to write so u can have motivation to update faster! for me it doesnt have to be smth i think would excite the audience either like it could be the most basic thing but just having an idea of it and knowing i want to see it come to life rly helps me stay on top of it all

TY SM FRIEND THIS WAS SO FUN x x )

[scaplivingtogether]

~A Evillious Christmas Carol~ Act 3

By: TomboyJessie13

Act 3

Act 3

The clock's bell on his nightstand started to ring, it is 11 at night. Along with the ringing were the sounds of weeping, Marlon had been crying in his sleep, he stirred in his bed as he wiped his eyes. He had been traveling in the past with the Ghost of Christmas Past and now he's left in a vulnerable state of guilt and sorrow.

"I'm such a fool..." He started, staring at the ceiling before covering his face with his hand. "How could I be so foolish?" Talking to himself in a somber tone, he then opened up the curtain to his bed. "I need some water." He lit his candle and proceeded to leave the room. Once he opened the bedroom door, he noticed that there's a light going on in the dining room. Did someone break into his home? Marlon quickly walked down the stairs to see who's there. "Hello? Who's there?" He called out, but no reply. Carefully he grabbed his cane under the portrait of Cheru, he's about to put up a fight with the intruder, he blew out his candle before setting it down, as he did'n't want to cause a fire.

"HAAAAAH!" He jumped in front of the dining room entrance ready to take on whoever's in the kitchen...but he stopped. His eyes grew wide in surprise as he dropped his cane, in front of was a dining table covered in platters of food, all different dishes and desserts more delicious than the last, not only that but the whole dining room is decorated in green colored decorations. Marlon felt drool running down his mouth from the site, he should've excepted Ayn's invitation to the Christmas feast a long time ago.

"Looks good huh?" Marlon jumped in surprise when he heard a masculine voice in the room, he looked over to find sitting at the head of the table in a fingers locked position was someone with a blond bob haircut and blue eyes. They seem to be wearing a green robe with white fur lining on it and secured with a brown belt, a wreath of holly decorated with red mistletoe berries and icicles, making it look like a crown, they seem to also be wearing a white feminine shirt with puffy sleeves and form fitting cuffs, a white frilly skirt that goes down to the middle of their ankles, red leggings, and black Mary Jane shoes with thick high heals. "I take it you never had food like this in your entire life or you had it before you you became stingy."

"Wait...you're a man?" Marlon asked in a baffled tone, changing the subject, this caused the stranger to look dissatisfied.

"Yes...and?" The stranger answered, looking annoyed.

"N-nothing..are you another spirit?" Marlon asked, attempting to avoid angering a person. They stood up and grabbed a cornucopia.

"But of course." He snaps his fingers which causes the cornucopia to light up like a torch. "I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, I am what they call the embodiment of Christmas."

"I can tell, you look like St. Nicholas if he were royalty and wore green."

"But I'm not St. Nicholas, aren't I?" The Spirit said as he walked over. "I'm surprised that you don't even know me considering I have 800 brothers, not to mention that we come every year." He then turned to the food on the table. "As for the large feast you see before you, this is what I like to call: "the food of generosity", it all came from the heart of those who think of others before themselves." He then turned back to the miser, pointing. "Something that you gave up a long time ago." That comment hit Marlon hard, after what he saw in his past, he felt vulnerable but is more willing now. Marlon placed his hand in his chest and slightly bowed.

"My apologies, Spirit." Marlon said remorsefully. "After what the previous Spirit showed me, I'll allow you to show me what I need to see."

"Really? So she finally knocked some sense into you?" He lifted his left arm to him. "Very well, just touch my robe and we'll be on our way." Marlon was slightly hesitant at first, but at this point he just doesn't care, he took hold of the Spirit's sleeve and as quick as a flash they ended up in the middle of a street in the city he lives. Marlon quickly covers his arms trying to warm them up as the air is to cold.

"BAH! BLOODY HELL IT'S TOO COLD!" Marlon yelled out in frustration.

"You didn't have a problem being with the previous Spirit." The current Spirit joked.

"W-we were i-i-inside buildings m-m-most of the t-t-time, plus she's a w-w-walking candle." Marlon shivered.

"Hm, you have a point, here you go." The Spirit snapped his fingers, allowing a robe to wrap around the Miser. "I brought your bathrobe from your place, I hope that's ok." Marlon quickly puts his robe on.

"Thank you, that's all I needed."

"Anyways, lets get a move on." They walked down the cold city street, around them people are making preparations for Christmas despite the poor weather, from cleaning the rooftops to talking merrily. The shops around them are also lined with colorful and delicious platters of food, the smell of figs and spices fill the air, and everybody is rushing about buying things for the season and the shopkeepers are too busy making merry to worry about getting the right prices. Then the church bells ring and the flocks of people go off to church. "This is what I like about this holiday, people having fun and treating each other with respect." The Spirit said as he began sprinkling a strange incense on the food from his cornucopia shaped torch.

"What's that?" Marlon asked.

"A special incense from my torch, a sprinkle of this stuff will give the food a magical effect of making any disagreement vanish." He answered. "It's best given to a poor dinner...speaking of that, there's one place I want to show you." They walk a little more down town until they reached the outskirts of the city, in front of them was a small rundown two story house with light inside. "Ah, here we are." The Spirit said as he stopped in front of a door.

"Who's run down shack is this?" Marlon said, annoyed, the Spirit then used his left hand and pushed the old Miser through the door without opening it, they just when through it like it was never there.

"This "shack" that you speak of is the home of your overworked and underpaid employee; Keel Cratchit." He told Marlon as he was sprinkling some incense around the place as well. As he does so, Marlon looks around the house interior, as expected it looked rundown, but at the same time it was surprisingly stable. A woman, with pinkish-red hair and wearing a simple pink dress with blue ribbons on it and brown slip-ons took out the bread from the oven and set it by a small window to cool down, meanwhile a young brunette boy wearing a dirty white shirt and blue overalls was placing ornaments around the Christmas tree, the tree itself was scrawny and missing tons of branches.

"I'm home, Mother!" Just then the front door opened behind Marlon, and in comes a young teenage girl with brown hair tied in small pigtails and matching eyes, and is wearing a old dress that matches her mother's hair, she also seems to be carrying a dead goose in her hands.

"Welcome home, Yukina." The woman said as she walks over to hug her daughter, just then they heard footsteps, Yukina quickly hides behind a rocking chair. Soon in comes Marlon's employee Keel, he was carrying another brunette girl with brown eyes, this time with longer pigtails and wearing a pale dress with a brown jacket, she seems to be holding a stick that resembles a crutch. Out of all the cheeriness in the room, Keel for some reason was looking sad, Marlon tilt his head at his expression.

"BOO!" Yukina jumps out, surprising Keel and the little girl.

"Oh Yukina you scared me." Keel said, forming a smile, the girl in his arms giggled.

"I brought home a goose!"

"Terrific child, we'll have a great dinner tonight." He said as he places the girl down, she was limping with a cane in hand. Seeing that, Marlon felt like something was wrong. "You go play with your siblings, Tiny Aile." Keel said, he and his wife went to another room, Marlon followed them and listened in to what they had to say. He notices how Keel was on the verge of crying. "Tiny Aile seems to be doing well, Mikina, though I don't know how long it would last."

"Don't say such things, Keel." Mikina urged. "I'm as worried as you are, but we have to keep our chins up and pray that she'll make a full recovery, and hopefully save enough money to cure her illness."

"You're right, she will make a recovery...someday." Marlon continues to watch Keel's family closely, it seems that for the first time he's actually learning much more about his own employee and how he and his family live every minute. Soon it was supper, the goose is small but they're quite happy to get something to eat during their prayers. Tiny Aile lifted up her glass and proclaimed proudly:

"God bless us everyone!" As she said that, the others followed suit.

"Spirit?" Marlon asks.

"Yeah?" He response, having just returned from blessing the house with incense.

"I've been absorbing Aile for quite a while...what's wrong with that poor child? Is she going to survive?"

"...I'm afraid not." He said in a somber tone. "They're giving their hopes up...for you see, if things like this continue...the only thing I see in their future is an empty chair where Tiny Aile once sat." Marlon's eyes widen in horror, it was not the answer he hoped for.

"...So that means...Aile's going to..."

"I'm afraid so." Marlon stood in there, frozen by this horrific fate placed on this child, and it will be his own fault.

"And...god bless...Mr. Marlon." Marlon suddenly jumped upon hearing his name spoken by his own employee.

"Seriously?" Mikina asked, sounding quite annoyed. "How could be so grateful to a Miser that pushes you around? You do this every year."

"I know, but even people like him should be given some respect and forgiveness, he was generous enough to let me have a day off." Keel responded, "You ought to not think lowly on them, especially on Christmas."

"Hmmm, I suppose." She said quietly, she then raised her drink and said: "God bless him." And after that conversation, they returned to their activities, being merrier than ever. Even Tiny Aile began to sing a song. While this was going on, the Spirit tugged on Marlon's arm, motioning him that it's time to leave, and he follows. Walking back into the city, Marlon's mind became full, he has learned so much more about his employee, given a new perspective on him, Marlon needs to start treating him more kindly. But what worries him the most was his youngest daughter and her discovered illness that, was she really going to die because of him? Meanwhile the Spirit was twirling around in his dress over the beautiful scenery.

"What the hell are you doing?" Marlon exclaimed over the site before him.

"Enjoying myself, what do you think? I'm the embodiment of Christmas after all." He responds, he stops twirling. "Why? you still worrying about Tiny Aile?"

"Well of course!...Eh!" Marlon blushed upon realizing what he just said, he clears his throat. "D-don't think I care or anything, I just don't want to see my employee coming to work depressed...it slows down business."

"Yeah that's not what I saw back at their place." The Spirit teased. "You we're very concerned." Marlon looked away.

"Whatever."

"Anyways, despite the horrible times, these families including Keel's still manage to make the best of it, for example..." He snaps his fingers, suddenly they're in the middle of nowhere, covered in grass and trees.

"What the-!?" Marlon exclaimed. "Where are we?"

"The Moor, that's where those miners live." The Spirit points over to the fields, there were a couple of miners who were sitting by the campfire and singing with their wives and children. "And here." He snaps his fingers again, and now their inside a building.

"Is this a lighthouse?" Marlon asks.

"Yes, next to the most unsettling waves on this county, despite of all that however, these gentlemen here are having a grand ol' time." He points at the two men who were eating and drinking their fill next to a small holly hanging on the wall. "And here." He snaps his fingers once more, now they're on a boat. "See those sea men over there?" Marlon turns to see a few more men celebrating as well, humming a tune to "We wish you a Merry Christmas". Marlon was quite surprised upon seeing those men having fun despite being in a dangerous sea. "And finally here." He snaps his fingers once more, there were inside someone's house with people in it, laughing and singing.

"This place...these people...why do they look familiar?" Marlon asked.

"Bah Humbug!"

"WHAT!?" Marlon heard someone say his catchphrase alongside a sea of laughter, he turned around and saw someone he knew, someone he had once despised but now feels regret. "Ayn!?" He sees his Nephew making fun of his saying while people egged him on, he was known to be contagious around people but in a good way. A beautiful woman came to him, it was his wife.

"You outta be ashamed of yourself, making light of that miser of an uncle of yours." She scolded.

"It's fine love, I don't even get to keep any of the money anyways because nothing good comes from it." Ayn said smiling. "I feel pretty bad for Uncle Marlon though, he's missing out of the good times, that's why I keep pestering him every year hoping he would come one day." They all laugh again at this notion. Marlon became flustered from the thought, his nephew cares for him too much after all those times he pushed him away. Just then he hears a pretty tune from a harp, it was his niece, he remembers this song fondly, for the first time...it made him smile, but not because of greed, but because of nostalgia, the enjoyment he felt a long time ago has made him smile. The Spirit grins at this development, he knew that Marlon's cold shell is starting to break.

"Game time!" One of the family members proclaim, everyone was getting ready for it. Marlon sees them making preparations, he then turns to the Spirit.

"If it's not too much trouble...but do you mind if I play these games a little?" He asks while blushing, the Spirit perked up from hearing that.

"Not at all, but do keep in mind that you these are just memories so they may not be real, not to mention we got 15 minutes." The Spirit said, looking at the grandfather clock.

"Worth it." He says, giving him a thumbs up. Despite what the Spirit had said to him, he was just having a great time with the relatives he never talks to, telling stories, playing games, and singing songs, his Christmas spirit has finally returned to him. "HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Marlon started to laugh again, this time to these festivities. Soon the bell Rings, it was time for him to go. Although he wants to stay more, he knew it couldn't last. Outside, both Marlon and the Spirit had their elbows linked and are twirling around in an happy matter. "I haven't felt this good in years!"

"See? I told you the holidays ain't always bad." The Spirit said in a elated tone...but it didn't last long, for the lights in the city started to darken, and while that was going on, the Spirit began to slow down. Confused, Marlon looked and noticed that he's starting to develop white hair.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry...I forgot to mention that my time is up by midnight...which means I will waste away...and won't comeback till next year." He explained, sounding somewhat somber.

"I see...huh?" Marlon spot something odd about him.

"What?"

"...What's going on under your dress?" He asks while pointing at his dress. The Spirit looks down.

"Oh right...I forgot to mention about them." He then proceeded to lift up his dress, revealing two little blond children, one with short hair resembling Marlon's and one with short twintails, both of them were starving, feral, sickly, dirty, and disgusting. Marlon was surprised about their sudden appearance as he stepped back from almost being scratched by the boy before being pulled back by the spirit, how has the Spirit not warn him about this?

"...A-are they your's?" Marlon asked sheepishly.

"No...these are man's." The Spirit said in a frail voice, he patted their heads. "This boy is Ignorance...This girl is Want...Beware of both of them...but most of all, beware the boy...For on his forehead I see that written which is "Doom."...Unless the writing is erased...If you deny him...slander those who tell others about him...admit that he exists, but do nothing about it...then doom will engulf you all..."

"...I-is they're any refuge for these children!?" Marlon asks in a scared tone, "A-any charities!?" the Spirit only looked at him with a stoic expression.

"...Are there no prisons?...are there no workhouses?" He asks, sounding more serious, that question alone was thought provoking. As Marlon was lost in his own thoughts about what the Spirit asks, the bell tolls. Marlon looked up at the bell tower at the center of the city, it was Midnight. He looked back to talk to the Spirit once more, but he and the children were gone...He was left all alone in the middle of the city.

"Spirit!?...Where are you!?" Marlon began to frantically ask while walking around the middle of the empty and dark city...completely unaware of a dark figure behind him.

End of Act 3

[yoon-kooks]

Lie- Part 10

Pairing: Jimin x Reader

Genre: Angst / Fluff

Summary: There was a time when you loved him and he hated you. Now you hate him, but does he love you?

Parts: 0 // 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // 16 // 17 // FINAL

“Oooh! Can we go in there?” You pulled at Jimin’s sleeve and pointed at a small shop with a bunch of adorable plushies. He turned his head to where you were pointing and sighed.

“Do we have to go into every single shop with plushies in them?” Jimin protested but still allowed you to pull him into the store.

“Yes, we do!” you giggled at him. “Because I’m looking for something!”

“What is it?”

“Uh, actually I’m not sure, hehe~” You looked around curiously, trying to find something small to buy so that you’d always remember your first “date” with Jimin. “But it has to be something cute!”

“You’ve been dragging me around for two hours and you don’t even know what you’re looking for?” Jimin chuckled in disbelief as he browsed the shelf with tiny kitty plushies. You saw him smile at a grey one with a little scarf before he picked it up to show to you. “What about this one? It’s cute, right?”

You blushed, taking it from his hand. It was a pretty cute kitty, but you loved it even more because Jimin had picked it out for you. “Yeah, this is the one!” You were glowing so much and didn’t catch him staring.

Just as you were about to walk it up to the cash register to pay, it was taken from your grasp. Jimin placed the kitty on the counter and took out his wallet.

You shook your head with a flustered look. “Jimin, it’s okay… I already wasted your time coming here and-”

Jimin ignored you and proceeded to pay the cashier. Once you were out of the store, he handed you the kitty.

“You didn’t have to pay for me, you know…” you pouted. But you were also overjoyed with the fact that the boy you loved got you something special. You stared at the kitty again and smiled.

“Just be happy you got what you came for, okay?” Jimin watched you fiddling around with the plushie. You hugged it tightly and squealed. “You really love it that much?” he laughed.

“Yeah! Thanks Jimin~!” you smiled up at him. “I’ll get you something next time, I promise!”

“Next time?” He raised a brow at you. “I thought this was a one time thing.”

“But you had fun, right?” You poked him. “I wanna do it again… Maybe next time could be an actual date?”

“I already told you we’re not dating…”

“Not yet, but maybe in the future~?” you said, blushing softly.

“Y/N.” Jimin walked a little further from you and bit his lip. “I don’t think we could ever date.”

-

“Yoora, I’ll tell you!” You dropped your chemistry textbook next to your friend’s notebook and took a seat.

“Tell me what??” Yoora went from falling asleep to wide awake. “Is this about your secret lover?” she smirked.

“He’s not a lover!!” You sent a soft punch to her shoulder. “But it is a secret, so promise you won’t tell anyone or get mad about it, okay?”

“Promise~!” Yoora clasped her hands together. “Tell me all about him!”

“Okay, okay!” You tried to calm both her and yourself down. Even in that moment, you weren’t sure if it was a good idea to tell her that you knew her favorite idols. But you trusted her. “Actually, it’s about two guys… and you know them…”

“Two guys??” Yoora’s jaw dropped. “OMG, Y/N!! When?? How?? WHO?”

“At the fansign. Uhh, I don’t really know how it happened…” You leaned closer to whisper. “But it’s Jungkook and Jimin.”

“WHAT? NO WAY!!” Yoora’s shrieks gained you some stares from people passing by. “PICS OR IT DIDN’T HAPPEN!!”

“It’s a long story… but basically, Jungkook and I-”

“You’re dating HIM???”

“No!” You shushed your friend. “But we may or may not have hung out…” Yoora’s eyes widened.

“Really?!! You’re so lucky!!! OMG. WOW.” She muffled her loud voice with her hands. “Wait, what about Jimin??”

“Ohh… Jimin…” You took a moment to ensure you wouldn’t say too much. “I told him you’re his biggest fan and he said you can meet them next time.”

You were expecting to hear the loudest scream of all, but Yoora was too shook to make a sound. She stared at you with the largest eyes.

“I’m meeting with Jungkook after this, so I’ll be sure to ask him about you, me, him, and Jimin all meeting together some time.”

“L-like a double d-date?”

You nodded, even though you were pretty sure Jimin didn’t intend on it being a “date”. But after you had made it clear that you weren’t giving him anymore chances, maybe someone else could give him a chance instead.

“OMG yay! Thanks, Y/N~!” Yoora’s eyes sparkled like you’d never seen before.

-

By the time evening came around, you met up with Jungkook for a walk around the streets of Seoul. You were still in disbelief that the boy had actually asked you out on a second date. But you found it very refreshing whenever you spent time with him.

“Jimin told me you came back to the dorms smiling like an idiot after our bowling date.” You nudged Jungkook. “Is that true?”

“I was smiling, but not like an idiot!” he laughed. “Jimin really says too much sometimes…”

“Yeah, he does, huh…” Your expression dropped a little because you understood that too well.

“By the way, what’s your relationship with him?”

“Huh?”

“Jimin told me you guys were childhood friends?”

“Uh… yeah… I mean, I guess that’s all we were.” You looked down at the sidewalk, not really wanting to talk about your past with Jimin. “From the time he left Busan until that fansign, we didn’t talk at all.”

“Oh… It’s probably just because he’s been working so hard with Bangtan stuff during these past few years,” Jungkook tried to reassure you.

“Probably,” you said, even though you knew it wasn’t the whole truth. You just wanted to change the topic somehow. “Speaking of Jimin, do you think he’d be down for a double-date type thing?”

“A double-date?” Jungkook’s eyes widened. “You mean like you, me, him, and…?”

“My friend,” you finished his sentence. “Jimin said I could bring her along some time.”

“Ah! I see,” he nodded. “Jimin doesn’t really seem like the ‘date’ type though… Like, all my other hyungs have gone out every once in a while, but I’ve never seen Jimin with anyone else.”

“Really…?” That couldn’t have been true. You were certain Jimin had gone on dates with other people. You even remembered Yoora telling you how popular he was among female idols. But at the same time, you knew Jungkook was being honest.

“Yeah, that’s why I was surprised when he met with you the other day!” he said. “I kinda thought you guys were dating…” You stayed quiet for a moment.

“Me and Jimin? I don’t think we’re the kind of friends that could ever date…” You hated how those words sounded coming from you. And it left a bad taste in your mouth.

Jungkook took notice and suddenly wrapped his hand around yours. His warmth comforted you and the faint pink on his cheeks made you smile and blush a little yourself. The bad taste was suddenly gone.

“What about us, though?” He did a cute head tilt. “Are we the type of friends that could date?”

You just stared back at him with huge eyes, unable to speak. Jeon Jungkook was really asking to be your boyfriend. You had to admit, he was the only other boy you’d felt something for besides Jimin. He was always so sweet to you, and you really did enjoy spending time with him. You had zero reason to say no, but at the same time, it wasn’t so simple to just say yes.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to surprise you or anything, haha.” The boy ruffled the back of his hair. “Take as much time as you need to-”

“Yes,” the word slipped out on its own. The only way you could justify it was by telling yourself you’d be an idiot to let Jungkook pass you by. You leaned your head on his shoulder. “I think we could and should date.”

“I think so too,” he smiled. “I just hope Jimin doesn’t mind me dating his friend.”

“He won’t.” You shook your head, but truthfully, you wondered exactly how he would react. As much as you hoped he wouldn’t mind, you couldn’t help but worry that he would. But the more you thought about it, the more you remembered you couldn’t be that special to Jimin. Because if he truly cared about you, he would’ve never given you a reason to hate him in the first place.

“Hm, maybe you know him better than I do,” Jungkook nodded. “You guys were best friends after all.”

“Yeah…” You wanted to believe you knew enough about Jimin, but there were so many things he had refused to share with you. Things you had to find out the hard way.

“Anyway, I’ll be sure to ask him about the double date thing!” Jungkook swung your hand playfully. “That guy can use a nice date. He’s been looking a little lonely these days.” Lonely?

-

As soon as you got back, you noticed Jungkook had sent you a sweet goodnight text, so you replied back with a few kiss emojis. You smiled at your phone screen until you saw your text conversation with Jimin right underneath, and you were reminded of him being lonely. It couldn’t have been because of you, right? As an idol, he had plenty of other things to worry about before some childhood friendship.

But you still wanted to check up on him—just in case.

12:03AM Y/N “hey”

12:04AM Jimin “🙋🙋🙋”

12:04AM Jimin “go to sleep. its late😒”

12:05AM Y/N “ill go to sleep if you go to sleep too😡”

12:07AM Jimin “im not tired”

12:08AM Y/N “neither am i”

12:11AM Jimin “so… whyd you text me?”

12:12AM Y/N “did jungkook tell you…?” You felt your heartbeat go at a quicker pace. Maybe it’d be a little better if Jimin heard about the dating thing from Jungkook rather than from you.

12:13AM Jimin “yeah”

12:20AM Y/N “and youre okay with it?”

12:22AM Jimin “youll get mad if i say no lol”

12:23AM Y/N “i wont get mad! just be honest…”

12:28AM Jimin “okay okay”

12:30AM Jimin “i dont think ill have the time for it”

12:31AM Y/N “wait… what are you talking about??”

12:32AM Jimin “the double date thing?”

12:32AM Jimin “whatd you think i meant?” So Jungkook didn’t tell him you were dating yet. And you weren’t ready to break the news to him either. It couldn’t hurt to wait just a little longer.

12:33AM Y/N “lol idk what i was thinking😅”

12:34AM Y/N “but anyway”

12:35AM Y/N “whens a good time for you? i want this to work out”

12:35AM Jimin “really? you do?”

12:36AM Y/N “yeah! i told yoora about you and shes been screaming every since”

12:38AM Jimin “yoora?”

12:39AM Y/N “remember my friend i was telling you about? the one that loves you like crazy?”

12:40AM Jimin “oh her”

12:41AM Jimin “i still dont think ill have time… i gotta put more hours in at the dance studio”

12:42AM Y/N “aww okay… i guess if its for bangtan, it cant be helped…” You couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Not only because you had gotten Yoora super excited about it. But also because if Jimin really was feeling lonely, you wanted to be there for him. Like he had been for you.

12:44AM Y/N “maybe next time then?”

12:45AM Y/N “bc i really wanna see you jimin” You weren’t sure if you sounded too needy--especially since you had just gotten yourself a boyfriend--but you meant what you said. You just wanted to make sure he wasn’t feeling alone.

12:59AM Jimin “okay ill be there 👍”

1:00AM Y/N “!!!”

1:01AM Y/N “okay!! (^-^)//”

1:01AM Y/N “see ya then~”

1:02AM Jimin “💃💃👯”

[todokori-kun]

No. NO. 

DON’T FEEL DEPRESSED. YOU’RE A QUEEN, OK, YOU’RE AWESOME. tbh the real problem here is probably me, I’m such an anxious loser XD

Awww I’m gonna miss you ;-; but enjoy your trip, that sounds so fun! Is it ok if I ask where you’re going? :D

(also new icon omg it’s so pretty)

You’re welcome! AND YES I relate to the 6 pics thing so much. I can never get to 8 pictures. (Currently trying to make an Illumi aesthetic and dying inside because…um…what is Illumi’s aesthetic again? Lots of needles, mind control, yandere-ness…dead fish eyeballs…nice hair…and…uh…)

They’re beautiful eyes. Endless swirling pools of silent screams and blank despair.

“Look into your eyes and the sky’s the limit~”

(tbh if I ever met Illumi those would be my first and last words to him lol)

DO YOU KNOW WHAT ILLUMI WOULD DO

HE’D STAB A MIND-CONTROL NEEDLE IN ARMIN’S HEAD

SO EVERY TIME ARMIN LOOKS AT THE WALLS ALL HE CAN THINK IS

“wow must be dangerous out there I better stay put right here in this exact spot so I don’t get eaten. ocean? what ocean? I’m perfectly happy with my current life”

But he would eventually get dragged along to the military because Illumi would have to join the MP to do his murdery assassin work and he absolutely refuses to leave Armin behind (also y'know, the titans will never get near Armin when they’re in the MP so win-win…for Illumi)

(I’ll find some good ones and send them in a seperate submission :D along with a few more HxH characters, if that’s ok?)

(Yeah. But tbh Angelica is too fab for TJeffs)

It’s amazing. Just…I feel a strange urge to draw Jefferson’s face at that moment

She’s the purest cinnamon roll in Helpless! But for people who have a harder time getting into Hamilton, That Would Be Enough is probaby where they get to see more of her actual personality…maybe? That’s what I meant ^^;;

I KNOW. Like, I think it’s impossible to be a female member of the Schuyler family and not be a total queen.

Everyone must bow before Angelica’s rapping skills

And every day, while slaves were slaughtered and carted

Away across the waves, he struggled and kept his guard up

Inside, he was longing for something to be a part of

The brother was willing to beg, steal, borrow, or barter

Can’t wait to see it :D

Yay I guessed right! As for how I knew…a fandom troll never reveals their secrets (jk, jk, I actually used to hang around on the edges of the Fairy Tail fandom for a while and I know a few tiny things. Like, if there’s a popular fandom on tumblr, I probably know a few basic facts about it even if I have no intention to ever watch/read/listen to it ^^;;)

*insert infinite Schwings here*

Yep.

Like I said though, he is DEFINITELY not dead. Character reasons and Ishida reasons (because tbh I hate to say this but TG’s writing style has gotten a bit predictable lately). Probably gonna cut his way out of there…or maybe he’ll frame out all the way

Oh no, that sounds frustrating ;-; *hugs* I’m sure it’ll still turn out amazing though! <3 Luna is the queen after all :D

Gon is the purest child. He’s right up there with Eliza and Armin.

(so it’s confusing how his dad, Ging, is such a trashcan.

Cousin: Ging, I don’t think you should do it

Ging: Imma go and become a hunter anyway

*promptly disappears for a few years and then suddenly returns with a tiny baby*

Ging: so yeah this is my son, his mom left, could you take care of him for, like, the next 12 to 13 years while I go and do mysterious hunter stuff and let him think I died in a car crash, leaving behind only a tiny locked box containing a recording of my voice, a weird ring and a game as a clue for him about who I am

Seriously, I found a pic on google that’s like

*Ging stares tenderly at his baby boy’s face*

Ging: “You’re gonna be Gon.

And I’m gonna be gone”)

Leorio is my absolute fav. I love him so much. (and yes he is very extra)

‘Sweet Sunshine Child’ might not be 100% correct but Killua is still cute. I think everyone in the fandom wants to adopt him and Gon lol (and Queen Luna would certainly be a much, MUCH better mom than Kikyo Zoldyck)

yeah, a lot of people mistake Pika for a girl, and a lot of people headcanon him as nonbinary too :) Yes, TRAGEDY. I think the main problem with Kurapika is that he isn’t able to let go of the anger inside him or express it in a healthy way, so his hatred for Chrollo and the rest of the Phantom Troupe is just destroying him.

Chrollo is also my problematic fav XD he does look really nice with his hair down. (And he is SUCH a Magnificent Bastard. I’ll send you another surprise pic of him soon)

I’ll give you updates on her reactions to major events :D

…I think you won’t be surprised to hear that my eyes stayed completely dry throughout the entire episode *troll face*

As for YoI…you’ll probably be seeing my reaction to that in the other submission :)

(but also I actually went back and read some of our older messages on there a while back and they’re hilarious.

Like, I’m really awkward in the older convos so it’s sorta cringe-y, but still. I sorta laughed when I read the convos where you weren’t quite into Hamilton yet and you were telling me that you didn’t really listen to musicals that much (LITTLE DID YOU KNOW I WOUD DRAG YOU INTO HAMILTRSH HELL))

DON’T LET ME EVER HEAR (read?) YOU CALL YOURSELF A LOSER, OK?? BECAUSE IF YOU DO, ILL BREAK SOMETHING =3= It’s my fault, really. I should’ve written the answer and then copy-pasted it when I had net. 

We’re going to Norway! It’s gonna be so much fun :3 My sister is also going, so I’m very very excited about that ^^

I love my new icon *^* There’s a whole set of them, so chances are I’ll rotate them ^^;;; 

Ahahahah good luck with that! I’d love to see it when it’s done, if you do manage to get it done XD Any ideas on which colours you want?

Welp, I’d say those would be pretty nice last words, especially considering the situation.  Ahem.

But when I fantsize at night, it’s Illumi’s eyes

FOR FUCK’S SAKE ILLUMI YOU CAN’T JUST STAB A MIND CONTROL NEEDLE INTO SOMEONE AND DO THAT. THAT’S WRONG!

Well, uh, I mean, good for Armin? But, then again, how would he get Armin into the MP?

Oh joy more character reviews XD I’ll get to those at the end of the post ^^

Not a drawing but;

Replace Jackson with Jefferson and we have his thought process. 

I bet he’d run away screaming. I know I would if I was him XDD

Ah, true... Still, Eliza is impressive no matter the song! She’s just too cinnamo roll-y not to be impressive. I love her T^T

Schuyler family in general is amazing. Even the generation after the sisters. Like PHILIP. 

I’ve only managed to do Satisfied a few times, and her rapping skills are godly. Not that mine are very good XD

Then a hurricane came, and devastation reigned Our man saw his future drip, dripping down the drain Put a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain

Oh, I should do that XD 

Aah, that makes sense... I mean, I knew tons about BnHA before watching and I still now about Joker Game despite not even being interested in it XD It’s just unavoidable on Tumblr :P

S C H W I N G

Well, I read your update and...  KUROIWA IS DEAD??? WHY?? W H Y

Just.

This is why I gave up on TG.

Hnngh no one from here like anime =3=

Wow. Just wow. HxH seriously seems like an emotional ride. I’ll have to think about it XDDD

Also you’ll be Gon and I’ll be Gone is just...

Yay for magnificent bastards!! I like the last one you sent me the most, I think it had all hair down and no headband?

Yeah, Im not surprised. Tell me, did you cry during Hughes’ death? Or during hs funeral?

I got your submission XD I’ll answer it here so I don’t bother the people there but it’s magnificent! So. Many. Puns.

Ahahah. If only I’d known... I also went and rewatched The One Thing You Can’t replace. And I’m amazed again XD

AND WOW THE HAM/ELIZA FEELS. WOW. THERe GOES MY HEART.

Shaiapouf reminds me of Shuu... All those butterflies... 

Tbh Ging (?) sounds like me as a parent XD Well, at least he tries?

[benaprilleslie-blog]

My Winnie the Pooh Themed Mood Swings

So let’s talk about mood swings. First, I hate them. It’s like one moment you feel fine, whatever. And then once you’ve been feeling that way for, oh I don’t know, like 15 minutes, your brain flips out. There are basically 3 ways this goes for me personally. The first path, the one I like to call the eeyore path, is totes not cool. When I take this path, I have different reactions depending on whether I am with people or not. If I am with people, outward signs include growing quiet, attaching myself to the person I feel closest to, or just sitting in a corner watching the action. If asked about my behavior, I am most likely to reply with the over used, “I’m just tired.” Which is true in a way. Because what is really going on is that I have briefly allowed the lies to defeat me. When my brain sends me down this path, it does so by feeding me lies. Lies that everyone wishes I would just shut the fuck up. That I would leave them alone. That everyone is going to talk about how annoying I am as soon as I leave. These lies can get incredibly tiring. I fight them, but then my energy goes into fighting instead of being social, but sometimes I get tired of fighting them and I just let them take over. That is when I am truly on the eeyore path. The other alternative to this path, the one where I am by myself, often looks like rehashing every real or imagined failure, insult, or slight from the course of my life. It often finds me counting the reasons to live, or more often, the reasons to die. It is when I become self destructive and filled with self loathing. It is the path that has taken me to my deepest darkest depths.

The second path, the Rabbit path, is when I am just an anxious, jittery, controlling bitch. I get anxiety, like a lot. It is really annoying. The therapist and doctor like to say I have racing thoughts. But on this path they are not racing towards bunnies and kittens and rainbows, they are rushing towards thoughts of everyway in which my life could go wrong.When all you have running through your head is that your life is a hopeless and unknown abyss, but you are not quite in the “I just want life to be over because its too difficult to handle” stage, you feel like you just have to do something. The problem becomes: what? What can you possibly do to know and ensure what your future will be? God knows and has control of it and we just have to trust. However, that takes a lot of faith when your mind never stops feeding you fears. Pardon me while I go on a bunny trail here but I want to say that it is 100% okay to doubt. There is not a single person on earth that doesn’t doubt sometimes. There is no person that is a “good enough” Christian. We all suck at doing what God tells us to do and trusting Him. So when Christians try to shame people with anxiety, any anxiety, for their mental illness and try to tell them they just need to be better Christians and it will go away, it is wrong. Yes, trusting God more will make our lives simpler, but it is a very difficult thing to do and there should not be judgement for those who fail due to a mental illness. Okay, bunny trail over. Basically, the Rabbit trail leaves you anxious. Like the eeyore path, you stop fighting the lies in your mind and listen to the fears. It is difficult to stop and I find this one of  the most frustrating stages. I believe I struggle with it the most because it is the time I actually care about life. In fact I care about everything, too much, and there is too much in my head and I get frustrated trying to handle it all so I lash out. And because I actually care in this stage, the lashing out creates guilt and more anxiety and more to deal with so consequently more lashing out. It is just a vicious cycle. 

But now the third path. The path most know as manic, or as I like to call it, the Tigger path. The Tigger path is fun. Oh so fun. However, the Tigger path can also be dangerous to me. It is dangerous to myself while I am in it but it is also dangerous to me as I exit it. You see, the Tigger path, for me, seems to be a path connecting the Eeyore and Rabbit path. I start on the Rabbit path and deal with the aggression and anxiety until one day all of the energy I have been pouring into my worries, suddenly channels into loving life. But then my tiny vial of love for life is used up and I am dumped at the very farthest, darkest, end of the Eeyore path. So while I love the feeling of being on the Tigger path, I cannot truly enjoy it because I always know what is coming next. But even while I am on the path, it can be dangerous. I, thankfully, have never experienced the Tigger path to too dangerous of a degree, but there have been times where I have done things extraordinarily out of character that could impact my life drastically. Like throwing a bouncy ball through the bike racks at Walmart at a middle aged child I did not know and then running out of Walmart to avoid getting in trouble. You all do not know me, but my friends would never believe I actually did that unless they have experienced me on my Tigger path.

So there you have it. Those are my mood swings and what they mean to me. Not everyone with bipolar experiences the same swings that I do. Some may relate to everything I am saying and others may only relate to parts or even not relate at all. But that is okay. I hope someone can relate even in a small bit and know that they are not alone. Know that you can make friends and live a normal life. My life is still a major mess but it has improved so much in the past few months. Right now, my life is better than I ever believed it could be with my mental illness. And you know when things changed? When I stopped hiding from and hating myself for my feelings. When I finally accepted that I had a chemical problem in my brain that made me waste my energy on constantly fighting lies instead of just living, I felt free. I could stop believing the lies that I was weaker than everyone, that I was pathetic. I finally felt a glimmer of what it might be like to not hate yourself 24-7. I’m still working on that, but we’ll get to that eventually. Peace out homies.

[buitragocigarsblog-blog]

How To Buy Cigars As A Business Gift

A cigar cutter is going to be among the most important pieces of equipment that you can get for you cigar selection. They can readily be purchased at any cigar store or online shop. You will have the ability to pick from a wide selection of different cutters. However often you smoke cigars, either on a regular basis or every so often on particular occasions; you will surely wish to have a cigar cutter for your own convenience.

It will make sense to buy a good excellent cigar cutter. In case you've got a cheap one, you can ruin your cigars. Cigars are made with dried leaves and a paper wrapper and naturally with the tobacco indoors. The grade of the cigar will rely on the size together with the way it was wrapped to validate a fantastic cigar. You will have to know what a fantastic cigar cutter is and find one that works for you.

A cigar cutter is necessary in order to cut a little hole at the rounded end. This is important to allow you to have a nice and smooth draw. You will want to be certain that you do this so as to enhance the whole experience you've got from the cigar smoking.

If the wrapper for the cigar is harm in the process, you're unlikely to get the proper use in the cigar. You will not have such a fantastic experience and this is only going to result in nothing more than a waste of a great cigar. A terrible cut may however go unnoticed to somebody that isn't used to smoking a cigar. When you've enjoyed the experience of a great cigar, you won't want the destroy any future experiences with a bad cut.

Here are some of the different Kinds of cigar cutters accessible:

[1] The guillotine cutter gives you a better and cleaner cut by using a couple of blades to decrease the cigar.

[2] The scissor cutter puts more pressure on to the cigar which will give a more centred and even cut.

[3] The Cigar punch isn't really a cutter as it will simply punch a small hole at the end of the cigar. This can be a practical way of cigars that have an extremely wide diameter but won't be suitable for some cigars.

If you're not sure which cigar cutter would be most beneficial for you to use, simply ask somebody in the cigar store that you intend buying at. You will find that you can get all the necessary assistance and advice to allow you to get the most enjoyable experience from the cigar.

Many of you who have only joined the cigar revolution may wonder if you want to obtain a cigar humidor, quietly mumbling to yourself, "I already had to buy a lighter, now this!" While some people do believe that maintaining cigars in a plastic bag using a moist towel is sufficient enough to keep them suitable, nine out of ten cigar lovers likely tack onto the humidor. And, naturally, nine out of ten dentists would likely concur.

This is because cigars adapt to their environment, consuming their surroundings such as a sponge. If they're kept in an ill-suited environment, they'll age to become ill-suited cigars, disappointing both their parents and the person who bought them. On the flip side, however, is that the simple fact that when cigars are put in a well-suited surroundings, they will age to become well-suited for even the most seasoned connoisseur.

For People Who have yet to purchase a humidor to your cigars to phone "home," you're Confused as to what a humidor is and whether or not you ought to buy one. They might appear confusing, just like there are plenty of brands and types, each Buy Little Cigars one begging for an opportunity to age your own cigar. However, they're really pretty simple; a humidor is exactly what it sounds like: a box or a space that has constant humidity. Essentially, it's the cigar's variant of Florida.

Since many cigar shops have room sized humidors, a walk-in humidity closet where patrons can shop for cigars, when buying a humidor for individual use the dimensions does not need to be comparable: you do not have to turn your spare bedroom into a humidor, substituting your bed set and angering your partner. A tiny wooden or glass humidor box will suffice, holding a couple of dozen cigars, keeping them at the ideal temperature and helping them to grow old gracefully.

Humidors all include hygrometers, a device used to monitor humidity levels. This aids cigar lovers to maintain their humidors around the ideal humidity of 65 to 70 percent. When the humidity in the humidor drops below or above this amount, the hygrometer will let you know, like tapping you on the shoulder using its thermometer. Ideally, it is best to fill the humidor as far as possible, packaging in the cigars to the very top: the more vacant space the more likely a fall in humidity. And, more importantly, the more vacant space the less cigars on your collection.

Humidors are made with wood that is especially good for aging cigars; it's like wrinkle cream for the tobacco planet. Constructed with Spanish-cedar, this wood holds in more moisture, sheds its magnetic aroma onto the cigars, also repels tobacco beetles, tiny bugs that eat the tobacco, possibly ruining cigar sets and supplying an undeserved luxury into the insect kingdom.

Once a humidor is purchased, it must be prepped prior to use, putting your cigars in too soon will lead to a waste of time and a waste of tobacco. To prep the humidor, have a damp cloth or towel and eliminate any dust from wiping down the interior. Next, put a small bowl of water inside the humidor and permit it to stay there for 12 hours with the lid to the humidor closed. After 12 hours, if the majority of the water has vanished, fill another bowl of water and keep it within the humidor for 24 hours. It is as soon as the water stops evaporating that your humidor is prepared for use. In a nutshell, as soon as your humidor is no longer hungry, give it your own cigars.

Every couple of times be certain to look at your humidor to make certain it is not needing a refill. If you live in a particularly hot climate, you may need to check your humidor more often, making sure the water hasn't all evaporated or that your parched dog has not drank from it at an act of hungry despair. When filling it, just use bottled water or half distilled water along with half Propylene Glycol.

Humidors are crucial to a fantastic cigar collection. Not only can they keep cigars fresh and maintained, but they maintain them enhanced with the essence they are meant to showcase. Having a cigar collection rather than a humidor can be in comparison to owning a classic car, and maintaining it out the garage where any part of weather can attack. Most true connoisseurs, and beginners who aspire to become connoisseurs, advocate the use of a humidor. If you don't use one, your cigars may spoil or, even if they do not, you will only come near authentic luxury. Close, but no cigar.

Like Most people, you may be tired of being a novice, an amateur, or a newcomer. You may long for something bigger, hoping to become a well seasoned veteran of a specific place, a title that provides you gusto, provides you credence, and gives other people the impression that you understand what you're discussing. This aspiration might be particularly true when it comes to smoking, since you fervently wait for the moment when you can't only tell people about your days as a hand model or the time your dissertation about the mating rituals of sea horses obtained the greatest marks, but it is also possible to throw in that you, yes small ol' you, are a cigar connoisseur.

But, how can you accomplish this objective? You might have smoked tobacco for a long time, investing time and money, and really answering when the pipes, the pipes, are calling. You might have started smoking cigars at any early age, moving from the bubblegum stogies you puffed on the playground to the real thing. You may be the first to present a buddy with a box of Cubans upon the birth of his kid, but you still do not consider yourself a connoisseur; you simply don't know that much about cigars. So, what do you need to do in order to learn?

Try out an Assortment of Cigars

There is nothing like hands-on-experience to help people understand. By trying a variety of cigars, you do not just learn what you like, but you learn what you do not. While this is obviously based on your opinion - a cigar which you hate may be just one another smoker loves - this particular trial and error exposes one to a number of cigars, which is the number one factor in becoming a connoisseur. Even if you have a favorite cigar, and want to smoke it frequently, every once in a while go out on a limb and then smoke something distinct. And, when those with specialist cigar flavor indicate that you try something, appease them. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Read Books and Discover the History

Another key in "Operation: Connoisseur" is studying and educating yourself on the history and culture of cigars. On Amazon.com alone there are several cigar books discussing what every smoker needs to know to achieve connoisseur status. Moreover, there are books you can read and websites you may visit demonstrating the rich history of cigars. By Christopher Columbus to Bill Clinton, cigars have always been a component of American culture. The Internet and local libraries are filled with this info. Read anything in a web site listing fun cigar trivia, to a reference book talking how tobacco was part of Native American civilization, learning and knowing as much possible.

Visit Cigar Shops

You will probably never find a better cigar specialist in relation to the individual standing behind the counter in the neighborhood cigar store. Cigars are such people's passion, not to mention source of earnings, and they generally learn more about cigars than a cigar knows about itself. What is more, cigar store owners are so into cigars that they'll happily subject questions, make suggestions, or just provide information. From what cigar goes with what wine into how long you need to age a specific brand, cigar store owners know it all, and from listening to them, you will too.

Join a Cigar Club

Many Cigar Clubs on the Internet come with a warning that Cigar Clubs are only for people who are serious about cigars: if you're going to make fun of the cigar, then placing a "Kick Me" sign on its back if it's not searching, a Cigar Club is not for you. However, if you are Legit about becoming a cigar connoisseur, then a Cigar Club is a fantastic matter to join. Not only will Cigar Clubs expose you to lots of variety, but they also choose the cigar for you, exposing you just to the best selection of cigars around. Along these lines, they also offer you newsletters, corporate cigar gifts, accessories, and promotions. So far as studying goes, a Cigar Club is kind of like an at-home study training course, a course you can learn a lot from in the event that you put in a small effort.

If it comes down to it, the expression "Connoisseur" should not be used lightly: a lot of people can say they're connoisseurs when they are actually stuck somewhere between novice and expert, stuck at an Purgatory of knowledge. But, becoming a true cigar connoisseur is not impossible, and it's really not even that hard. It just takes a little effort and, lucky for you, lots of smoking.

At age 98, the infamous cigar aficionado George Burns said, "If I had taken my doctor's advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I would not have lived to go to his funeral." While it's tempting for us to use Mr. Burns as the poster-child for the anti-anti-smoking movement that is gaining little ground against anti-smoking laws in the USA, we'd be hard-pressed to answer why the honor shouldn't go to Mark Twain, Peter Falk, Sigmund Freud ("Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar") or Rudy Giuliani. As a growing number of restaurants find themselves under regulation to prohibit smoking and lots of the cigar bars from the last decade close their doors, it appears that the cigar smoker is a bit lonely.

The cigar boom that swept the country from the late 1990's has befallen the exact same fate as every other boom in history: it died and left a cynical, unhappy populace in its aftermath. In the present climate, it appears, not only is George Burn's doctor becoming involved, but also neighbors, TV personalities and kids.

However, those people who've been in the cigar industry for many years are not fretting. If you take a step back and watch the true nature of a flourish, you understand it is merely a people becoming excited about a new thought. The online boom, the coffee boom, and the current wine flourish are no exceptions. In a new era of information and technology where traditions and cultures all over the world are available with the click of a mouse, there's a lot of land to discover. The civilization of cigars had its own turn, but it doesn't mean the boom is bust, it means the boom has allowed cigars to input the cultural psyche of Americans and it will remain there even after the dust settles.

A complete illustration of this phenomenon is the coffee bar. From the 1990's, a coffee bar was launched on each corner as the country realized Seattle not only had trendy grunge but also iced coffee. There were actually two on every block if you add Starbucks. Low and behold, the hipsters got tired of coffee and moved onto cigar bars. Many of the nascent coffee shops were forced to close as the boom lost momentum, but I do not think anybody will argue that the coffee industry is on its way out, it's just settled down. Nowadays, coffee bars are part of our cultural psyche. They'll continue to be frequented and appreciated, if at a lower vibration than they had been when they first hit the scene. The result is that today, it is easier to find much better coffee.