#this will help me keep track of what I make for this darn thing XD

[cosmicfleurs]

"Lost in the Astral Seas" MASTER POST

Alright, finally buckling down and making a master post for this scatter-brained Mer AU that I oh so love to draw, but have yet to connect the story dots with! Summary: The lone survivor of a disastrous crash on an uncivilized ocean planet, simply known as D-125C, Y/N struggles to make a safe haven for themselves with the help of lone drone. They find unexpected allies hidden beneath the waves, but within this planets ocean lies a secret best left in its depths.

References (thus far!) :

Y/N - Robotics Engineer, was part of crew of crashed ship, and is not adept to surviving in wild environments. They are stubborn in their pursuit to survive though, despite the occasional existential crisis of realizing they might be the only human left on an alien planet. Sun - Surface leviathan predator, hunts using shifting hypnotic patterns across his skin, similar to a cuddle fish. Least aggressive of the pack, and first to encounter Y/N, coming to see them as a fellow leviathan that is just missing their tail (he is lonely).

Moon- Nocturnal leviathan predator, lures prey in with complex bio luminescent patterns and then chases it down to kill. Is a very proud hunter, and saw Y/N as prey at first from how poorly their attempts at catching fish were. Is close with Sun though and allows Y/N to be part of the pack for Sun's sake.

Eclipse - Leviathan of the depths, eldest of the three and protector of their territory. His deep red colors make him almost invisible to creatures in the ocean depths, and he fights other leviathan to fend them off from his pack members hunting grounds. Is terrifying to encounter, but is surprisingly gentle with Sun, Moon, and even Y/N when they meet. Extra picture of Sun showing off how their flippers can work!

AU Tag for when I post things about this AU!

[a-second-chance-su-au]

How did you decide which episodes would be impacted and had scenes that were significant enough to include? I’m working on a canon divergent fanfic for another series that’s pretty much just the story with one more character. I want to know how necessary these things would be.

That is an excellent question!

I am on mobile and don’t have a page splitter at the moment, so WARNING: LONG POST AHEAD.

When rewriting canon, I like to stick to 5 hard-and-fast rules, being: 1) know your character’s arc before going in, 2) know the episode’s overall message, 3) don’t take away from other characters, 4) adding original content must be done as-needed, and 5) DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE THE WHOLE STORY. This can either be exceedingly easy or extremely hard.

1) Know your character’s arc before going in. This one seems obvious, but it can be very easy to get distracted. What would happen if this character was present for this scene? What if she/he/they followed this character around? Stuff like that. The whole thing on this particular blog with Spinel being present for the climax of Maximum Capacity is certainly tempting, and fun to think about, but does it do anything for Spinel’s arc in this AU? In my case, no. So she will not be present. You want to make sure you have some kind of roadmap either on paper or in your head of when and where things should happen, keeping in mind that character’s relationships, mental space, and goals. If Spinel wanted to fuse with Amethyst, she’d have to do it when the two have a good relationship, and something like that takes time to develop. She cannot fuse with Ames in the beginning of the series, absolutely not, but she will later on. Knowing facts like that on when things can and/or SHOULD happen is essential. So episodes like “Giant Woman,” “Horror Club,” “Crack the Whip,” or “Keystone Motel” will not be included in the list.

2) Know the episode’s overall message, and who is in the spotlight. You’d think that on a show like SU, that’d be easy, but often, it can be hard to pinpoint exactly who we should be focusing on. Fun fact: it usually isn’t Steven, which is why when Steven lets us into his head a little, it’s always such a huge, emotional bomb drop. I will keep using Maximum Capacity as an example. That episode was focused on Greg’s and Amethyst’s relationship with each other, their past friendship, and how each of them handles the stress of the past differently. Amethyst wants to loose herself in “Little Butler,” but Greg wants to do other things, too, causing them to come to a crossroads. It’s a coming-to-terms story for the both of them, and with this AU, I don’t want to disturb that. “Giant Woman” was about Amethyst and Pearl. “Joyride” was about Steven. “Keystone Motel” was about Ruby and Sapphire. “Steven the Sword-Fighter” is an example that can be shifted, because the purpose of that ep was to teach the viewer about poofing. It was less about Pearl and more about Gems in general, making it okay to try and change a few things around (so long as the poofing of... a gem still happens). Knowing when an episode is about a character, a relationship, or world building is really important, and helps to try and decide which to alter.

3) Do not take away from the other characters. Know their arcs, too, and why certain choices were important. Example being “Crack the Whip,” where Amethyst hits her lowest low and her quest to be stronger begins. That one, if you want to change it, you can, but if it were me, I would leave in Amethyst getting poofed and Jasper getting defeated without her, as it begins a huge moment for her character. By changing up that scene, she doesn’t have the chance to confide in Steven, they don’t fight, she doesn’t hit her lowest low (which all or most characters need to hit at some point), and then Smokey Quartz cannot exist. They exist because she trusted Steven and the two of them felt equal to each other, and trusting, and loving. THAT allowed them to fuse, and if “Crack the Whip” never happened or was altered too much, that all that goes out the window. So I am not going to have Spinel grab Amethyst and pull her out of the way or anything, or have her fuse to beat Jasper, because that undermines the whole point. However, I CAN say that Amethyst’s arc affects Spinel’s. Not saying this is canon, as this is just an example, but maybe Spinel becomes more attached to Amethyst after that, trying to protect her from being poofed again because she feels guilty for not being there to stop it. Then that affects Amethyst, makes her feel like Spinel is her bodyguard, which Amethyst doesn’t want and feels she doesn’t need. It’d serve to make her angrier, and could lead to she and Spinel getting into an argument or a fight. In this scenario, would I replace “Steven vs Amethyst” with “Spinel vs Amethyst”? No. But something similar COULD happen. It’s all about where you want to go, and what works best for these characters.

4) Adding original content must be done as needed, not whenever you feel like it. Does this mean do it sparingly? Depends on the story you want to tell. For me and my AU, that means I need to pay attention to Spinel’s arc and when she needs to learn/do things. Take “Man of the Mountain” for example. It takes place directly after “Bubble Buddies,” and is the result of Spinel being jealous of Connie eating up Steven’s time and friendship. So, she seeks to strengthen their bond as reassurance to herself that Connie is an inconvenience at worst, and at best, she’ll fade away eventually. She and Steven are still best friends, and she’s gonna prove it, darn it! Then the events of that episode may or may not affect what happens next, or later down the line. For this AU, Season 1 is mostly going to build things that are yet to come, and the episodes don’t directly feed into each other, meaning I am using original content sparingly. 5 originals compared to 52 actual episodes? I think I did good on that front. xD But, don’t be afraid to add an episode for an information dump, or to come to a conclusion. That can’t be the only thing IN the episode, of course, but if that’s the pure reason the episode exists, then fine. Do it. Whatever makes your story flow and make sense. But by making every other episode about Spinel, suddenly it’s only about her and not the other characters. Might as well rename the show at that point. The other characters get the spotlight they need/deserve, with Spinel getting her time to shine as well.

5) DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE THE WHOLE STORY. This is one I’m struggling with, but I feel it worthy to mention anyway. If your character is psychic, then have them use their powers when it’s a good character choice and makes sense logically. If that throws off the entire tale, then roll with it. Get stuff back on track. Or maybe you need to take out that character for a bit. Formulate a way to do that. But if your character had a chance to shoot a blow dart at the main villain and take them out, perfect for capturing them and dismantling their army, wouldn’t they take it? If not, there had better be a good, in-character choice. Maybe the villain’s entire plan changes to account for the character’s psychic powers, creating a decoy or sending out a squad to trap/kill them specifically. If it’s in-character and it makes sense, heckin’ DO IT. Get creative! Get weird! Stories write themselves; you just need a beginning and a good grasp on the characters. Then the characters will take your story and run with it. Your job then becomes keeping up. I wish I was joking. I’ve had characters completely derail my stories before because they just couldn’t make that one character choice that was the lynchpin for the whole next scene, and it made me mad, and no I’m not mad about it two years later! You have the map, they steer the ship. You just gotta trust them.

This version of Spinel was left alone for 625 years, then cast away like a worthless toy. She’s been through war, lost almost all her friends, and had her #1 idol taken away and replaced with a smaller, weaker, half-human male version of her. She’s been through the ringer on emotions, and although she values herself as a friend first and foremost, that doesn’t mean I- and by extension, the other characters- can’t challenge that point of view. Make the character struggle. Know how they interact with others. How do certain events change them? Will they change every episode, or only some? Which are important to their arc? And most importantly, what is the point? By changing this thing here, what are you doing for that/those characters and/or the story? Is it a quick, harmless, funny moment, or is it to show a darker side to a character we’re familiar with, and to see them change now that there’s a new presence beside them? These are questions only you can answer as you chose which episodes to pick.

I hope any part of this was helpful. Feel free to ignore any of these points, or add your own. Again, every story is different, and each story should be treated as such. No creator is experienced equally, and we all have different interpretations of characters. Nothing is right or wrong, so long as you, the author, can justify it, even if it’s just “I thought it’d be cool.” It’s your AU. Go for it!

Thanks for listening to me ramble. Scene.

[fizzingwizard]

Yay it’s my favorite time of the week! Digimon Adventure:! Can’t believe we’re already at episode 16! This week somewhat recapped the mission we’ve been on for... 14 episdoes now x’D and I realized I forgot all kinds of shit. It’s so funny, when I was ten and watching Digimon Adventure I could remember everything, but now that I’m sadly an adult I can’t keep track of these high paced children’s shows!

(Supposedly they spoon feed kids stories so they can understand it more easily... but I gotta say I think I’m the one that needs the help, bahahaha)

ALSO... apparently there was an earthquake this morning! It was too north of me so I didn’t feel it (I was... also sleeping >-> so...) But it was right when the show started airing so the info came scrolling across the screen. At first it said

“Just in case, be careful of tsunami”

and like just three min or so later

“There is no need to worry about a tsunami due to this earthquake”

Phew! Also, Digimon causes earthquakes! Hide yo wife hide yo kids! Is that meme still current?? Does it matter???? I’m a millennial, boomers hate me, gen Z hates me, at least let me have my memes! XD

OK enough goofing off, on to what really matters, freaking Digimon man! This episode gave me tons of Taichi spam. Mmm my favorite kind of spam! But it also gave me avocado cheeseburger spam too!

So although I completely forgot about it, I was pretty excited for this ep when they allegedly return to the real world! Last week’s preview made it pretty obvious it was going to be either a fake reality or the evil Digimon had taken over the real world much more deeply than we realized. Fake reality made the most sense. But they tried to trip us up anyway! The opening shots are clear references to the famous episode 21 of 99 Adventure, although given that was the best animated episode of the entire show, this one just doesn’t do it justice.

He’s not sweating, the sun isn’t as intense... it just makes Fizz nostalgic

Finding them suddenly home, the kids are all pretty bewildered at first. Predictably, Mimi is the first to recover. What motivates her?

AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER! AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER!

From Burger Jack’s bahahahaha

Mimi starts excitedly listing all the things she wants to do now that they’re home. Aside from eat delicious burgers, she wants to take a shower, change clothes...

I’m like “Oh, so these kids HAVE been feeling the effects of how much traveling they’ve been doing!”

Seriously though why didn’t anyone comment on it before now?? In 99 Adventure most of the kids couldn’t shut up about the lack of basic necessities and creature comforts. It was really easy to feel how much they were struggling! Everyone in this series is so darn serious all the time. Sora even brought that big bag of emergency supplies but we only rarely see it get used.

Taichi and Koushirou are a little more wary, though they come across as mainly confused.

Mimi wants to go eat burgers right off, but Taichi convinces her they should go home first. “Oh yeah, I have parents” - Mimi, probably.

They get on a train. The Digimon are very cute. They finally notice that no one’s paying attention to them. It took 0.3 seconds for Tokyoites in ep 21 of 99 Adventure to start freaking out over Koromon, so this was a big clue if you somehow missed that there’s something not right.

On the other hand, for a world that is presumably an illusion created by some Digimon, it sure is, er...

... accurate in surprising ways, bahahaha

(no seriously did we NEED bikini girls?? did we NEED them? I know it’s everywhere on every train for all kinds of proucts but did we NEED them here)

(the TEEN 17 in particular is killing me)

Some gratuitous Taichi spam

Mimi lives in the affluent Shibuya area now so the kids split up to continue on home. I love Taichi called her ‘ojousama.’

Taichi wonders if Yamato and the others got home okay too. Koushirou wonders if whatever was causing the blackout has really been defeated. (Mimi’s theory is “Sora-san and the others must have done something about it!” Which I just liked because by naming her she identifies Sora as the one she feels closest to awww)

They won’t say it, but the truth is these two are kinda disappointed... lol

However they won’t be disappointed for long... because this midnight train really isn’t going anywhere. *wink* see what i did there

Mimi’s walk home has also turned into a labyrinth. Which is totally normal for Toyko subways really. Mimi gets so tired from walking that she starts hallucinating that Palmon’s head is in fact an avocado.

Girl you got a problem but no judging. I got the same problem.

AVOCADO BURGER!! Think of it in your heart and it will appear!

Now that’s not creepy at all.

Several episodes ago we learned that Mimi has never seen The Mummy. Apparently she’s never seen any horror movies at all, because she still approaches the counter to order her freaking burger even after seeing the cashier’s shadowy clearly evil visage.

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR LITTLE GIRL

On finally realizing that this train can’t go anywhere but Shibuya, Taichi and Koushirou get off and reunite with Mimi, who has learned nothing and continues talking to people. The only possible result of this is...

... creepy eyes appearing and trying to EAT her

Mimi: “Taichi-san!!”

she could ask her partner for protection but Taichi’s around and he’s everyone’s big brother so

The cause of all this mischief turns out to be this creepy dude! He’s kind of cute!

Also rather larger and more solid than I anticipated!

Of course this nightmare won’t end so easily.

You know you’re in for it when the walls are covered in glowing red eyes. That uh, shoot laser beams at you.

Cyclops: Not lasers! Concussive optic rays!

It turns out there wasn’t just one creepy dude, there were many. I’ve found my Halloween costume!

Our heroes finally figure out that this world is not their real world when they come across these tetris people.

For someone who’s never watched a single scary movie, Mimi does an impressive white-girl-in-a-horror-flick face.

I know she’s not white I’m saying she’s good at impressions she should become a comedienne

Now that we know the blackout in Japan is still ongoing and causing all sorts of issues, we get our usual peek into what’s going on for the people of Tokyo. We get to see Hikari! She’s cool as a cucumber. Her mom’s freaking out and packing a suitcase. Her mom says “Hikari go get ready!” Hikari just says “Oh I’m ready anytime!”

Hikari: I’m not worried about anything, big brother’s taking care of it!

Awww we get to see Miko! And that looks like a cat carrier <3 Mom’s not leaving their furry friend behind in the dark while they evacuate to grandpa’s place in Ibaraki...

... She is apparently cool with leaving behind her only son though! X’D

The letter reads “Taichi, we’re going to Grandpa’s place in Ibaraki. Call me when you get home.” The arrow says “Address.”

Ibaraki is a bit over an hour from Tokyo (I used to live there!) so not too far and very easy to get to by train. Still... there’s a huge power outage, I can only assume Mom’s reason here really is evacuation and not just “seems like a great time to go on a visit!” but she doesn’t know where one of her kids is and she’s just like “eh no worries he’ll figure out his way home!” Does she KNOW her son is 11? Japanese kids use trains very independently but again, POWER OUTAGE. ONE HOUR+ AWAY.

I’m remembering episode 1 when Taichi was acting like such a Dad and his mom was totally on board. Apparently that is going to be a Thing in their family. Taichi is the kid in Home Alone. Scratch that, he’s like the pets in Homeward Bound X’D

Mimi is understandably disappointed that she doesn’t get to shower... I mean see her parents... I mean, eat a freaking avocado cheeseburger

But Palmon knows how to make her feel better. “We’ll come back here someday and eat avocado cheeseburgers together.”

Mimi: “Heck YEAH I’m psyched!! AVOCADO CHEESEBURGER!”

this show understands the only true way to a woman’s heart is through food.

Our heroes are surrounded by Homunculus from FMA.

They merge together forming the aptly named EYESMON!!! lmao

Look at freaking long Greymon’s cyborg arm is. Whut.

AtlurKabuterimon gets hit by a train buhaahaha. Somehow this was way funnier to me than Lilymon getting hit by a plane or buildings falling on MetalGreymon.

The kids are outnumbered when look who appears!

The three of them sitting on Zudomon is the cutest thing ever also I JUST NOTICED ZUDOMON’S DOLPHIN PATCH WHAT THE HECK HAS THAT ALWAYS BEEN THERE!??!?!?!!?

So this was the reunion ep after all! I’m a little disappointed just because I wanted something more dramatic.

What Fizz, illusion magic and homunculi plus exploding Shibuya isn’t dramatic enough for you?

I mean EMOTIONALLY dramatic. Like, someone should hug.

Oh well. This is the face Taichi makes when he sees Yamato. D’aww. I guess i’ll be satisfied with this.

Yamato gets them started on a plan and they all fight as a group!! But Koushirou’s realized that this Digimon, whatever it is, is what’s causing the blackout. They can’t properly defeat it...

... and it’s already the night of the third day. Soon their 72 hour window will be up. Then Ariel will turn back into a Mermaid and the Sea Witch wins :’<

We end with an ominous digivolution! Next week....

Orochimon!!! I love multi headed monsters.

More Taiyama action!!! Lookin a bit beat up but still cool!

OK so in sum this episode was pretty fun. I still feel like the writers for this season just don’t dig in deep enough to really make things come alive. They’re so concerned with battles that they miss moments for fun character interactions etc. And in the end, the whole of this episode can be recapped simply as “They discover the world they’re in is an illusion and they fight the bad guy.” However, we got a lot of fun with Mimi in particular, and though we didn’t get the kind of Taishiro teamwork my heart yearns for, at least we saw them sticking together and hashing things out.

I really do hope this show dials up the character relationships a bit soon though. We keep getting tidbits so it’s not like they don’t have things planned. It’s just a matter of execution. Anyway I’m happy to have the whole group (well as many as we’ve got so far) together again!

[venus-says]

Kamen Rider OOO Episodes 17-32

I'm really holding myself to not make a joke with a Katy Perry song.

Yes, I'm late. Yesterday was my mom's birthday and I was taking care of that for the past three days so I didn't finish writing this post on time, I'M SORRY. But here I am now so let's get to the juice.

You know, looking from the point we left in the last post I expected things to go downhill and I was prepared to have another W's mid-season experience. Aaaaand I was wrong! And thank god for it.

The complaints I had from the first part are still present here, but they picked on the good points already present and expanded so much on them that when you put things on paper the positives more than compensate for the bad ones. As I mentioned before, arcs introducing a new "ranger" in the middle of the season are for the most part very hard to me, I usually don't like those, and the way they introduce Birth sure was rough in some edges. But despite the elements I dislike still being there, I've grown to like Akira/Birth and I think their inclusion to the cast played a big role in making this second part as solid as it was.

The come and go of the medals is still confusing and hard to keep up with, the antagonists are still kind of a mess, some of the MOTW plots are weak, but each one of these negatives come with a positive. Yes, is hard to keep track of the medals, but the new combo forms Os got in these episodes were amazing both in visuals and in powers. Yes, there are still many "factions" acting as antagonists, but each one of them had something added to them so they don't look just like a bunch of pawns trying to act like a king and just looking like a bunch of ants who broke formation coming back to their colony. While some MOTW didn't have a very engaging story, each one of them had at least one quirk that made them interesting.

If there are things I'd consider fatal flaws in this particular block of episodes I'd say they are: how they didn't know how to manage the GREED, Gotou's storyline, and those horrible episodes celebrating the 1000th episode.

Regarding the GREED, this is a problem I had in the first part as well, they're completely underused. First, they quickly ditched two generals (the ones with most personality) at once, so I thought we would see Uva and Kazari as two different forces going against each other, but no Uva was pushed to the side for the most of it and we only saw Kazari doing his things. Then there's the matter of Ankh's body who's sitting on a very thin line and sometimes it's pending more to the interesting side and in other times is just sitting in the "really, queen?" side of things. Now not everything is bad, adding a new GREED that wasn't one of the original 5 and having this GREED be merging with both Eiji and Dr, Maki is very interesting and I'm quite curious to see how it'll develop, I feel like they're building up for Maki be the final boss and I'm kinda thorned about it since I really like Kougami and I wish he was the final antagonist, but episodes 29 and 30 shed a new light on Dr. Maki and I started liking him a little more so I think I'm okay if that's the path they'll take.

Gotou is a mixed bag of feelings for me. I really started disliking him around episode 12, and I disliked him more when they started to hint him as being the next Rider to join, and I still think he's a very weak character and he's definitely not in my favorites' list. But I started to get more sympathetic towards him and a huge part of that is because of his interactions with Akira, I'm still not interested on seeing him becoming Birth but thanks to this period he spent with Akira I think when the change happens I'll be more open-minded for it. I also can't deny that he had a great part in on of my favorite stories of the season (Episodes 21 and 22) that made me soften my heart for him, seeing his internal conflict about his own sense of justice was very cool, the conclusion he came to wasn't what I wanted but it was still great nonetheless.

The 1000th episode arc was... just boring and embarrassing, I'm sorry. I know I don't have the knowledge of this franchise to catch all the easter eggs and such, but with easter eggs or no is a very weak plot and I wasn't interested in anything. Again, I'm sorry.

But now let's talk about the good stuff. First of all, I wanna take a moment to talk about the power-ups, Os got two new combos in these episodes and they're both great. Seeing that I'm a sucker for water powers I thought ShaUTa would be my favorite, and while it looks pretty good and the fight underwater we got as cool as heck my favorite form is TaJaDor, I love the design of the suit, I love the design of the wings, I love that attack with the peacock feathers, I love when he goes to the sky and start looking like a phoenix, that power-up is *chef's kiss* perfecto! I don't know if PuToTyranno is considered a power-up, but the form is also pretty darn good, I think the ptera wings are a bit weird and attacking with a tail is a bit too much for me (especially with that CGI), but I love the ax/gun weapon he got, and I can't wait to see more. (also PuToTyranno is a very fun name to me because "puto" is not a family-friendly word in Portuguese and I just can't help but crack every time I think of it XD)

Talking about characters, Eiji is as great as ever, his smartness continues being on point, he has great comedy moments, and the delivery on the emotional moments is very well done. What I liked the most about him in these episodes was seeing how he could gave some very strong speeches about justice and helping other people and said speeches didn't sound generic or fake like in the many other shows with a young male target audience. They were a bit idealistic while staying very grounded in reality which I loved. We also got to see the full scope of his backstory too, I don't necessarily love the part about he coming from a wealthy family, but I can see that this also adds a lot on his shoulders so I'm okay with it, is still a very strong character point. I thought it would take long to another Rider to dethrone Shotaro as my favorite, but Eiji is coming very close to it, let's see how the show will handle his character in this final third.

Ankh... is still Ankh. I thought they were building a narrative of him betraying Eiji, and I thought that could be a very nice point to make him grow as a character but that didn't come true so, I'm still kinda meh about him. Hina is still boring, but this time I'll blame all on the actress/direction they gave to her because there are good moments for her here but the delivery is very lackluster. Chiyoko is still a very nice side character, I really liked her participation in episodes 29 and 30 with her interactions with Maki, I hope we can see more of this in the future.

The things in Kougami foundation are still a high point for me, Kougami himself seems to be becoming more crazy and obsessive as time passes and I just love it. Erika is by far the best support character, and I love that badass action scene they gave her in episode 20! I wish the booty shots didn't have camera angles that weren't so IN YOUR FACE, but I guess is a fair trade considering the many closeups on Eiji while he's on his underwear so...

I already talked a bit about Akira but I feel like I need to highlight him again. I wasn't expecting to like him this much, especially seeing how he crashed this party without previous notice, but I really enjoy him. He's so upbeat and straightforward, yet he's not just an easygoing character, we can see his dept and whenever he goes serious it doesn't seem like a very drastic change. It's kinda impossible to dislike this guy. I'm a bit afraid for him, because the signs that he's going to die are all here, and I don't wanna see him go because I like him so much, I hope that if they do it it'll be on a nice way and it'll make him justice, BUT I'LL TRY TO STAY POSITIVE TILL THE LAST MINUTE AND I'LL BELIEVE THAT HE'S NOT GONNA DIE (pls OOO, don't crush my heart).

I believe this is all I had to say, I can't believe I'm already so close to the end of this wonderful series, I really hope they won't drop the ball in this final stretch. How yall feel about the middle portion of OOO, anything you agree or disagree with? Let me know in the comments. See you, folks. o/

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ @sasuhinamonth || SasuHina Month 2019 || Day Twenty-Nine: Missing Nin ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: A Light Amongst Shadows ] [ AO3 Link ]

...enough is enough.

He’s tired of being held back, underestimated, mocked for the goals he’s set for himself…! If Konoha won’t train him properly - won’t give him what he needs - well then...he’ll go elsewhere.

Nothing else matters more than acquiring the strength to kill Itachi. To rid the world of the man who slaughtered their clan. Bring them peace, and eternal rest, no longer mocked while their murderer lives.

Kakashi is coddling him. Their solo training was decent while it lasted. Chidori is a new, key part of his arsenal. But if he’s going to go as far as he needs to go...it requires abandoning the limits Konoha is putting on him. If Orochimaru is the only one willing to go that extra mile...then no matter what it costs, he’ll play along. Once Itachi is dead...nothing else will stand in his way.

He’s wasted too much time here. For a while, his team has distracted him. Taken his eyes off his goals, if only for a moment. Naruto’s jaw-gritting rivalry was funny to entertain for a while...but now it’s only frustrating as the blond dead-last threatens to catch up...or even surpass him. If someone like Naruto is closing in...then he’s not getting stronger fast enough.

He needs more power…!

Bag packed, he looks over their team photograph one last time. To Naruto’s pout, his own scowl, and Hinata’s nervous smile. Funny how she’s grown to be the most tolerable of the three. Between Naruto’s screaming for attention and Kakashi’s aloof attitude, her quiet aptitude and trying to keep the peace has been...refreshing. They work together well, and have actually commiserated a bit on the subtle parallels their pasts and presents share.

If he’s going to miss anyone - regret leaving anyone behind - it would probably be her.

...but he can’t stay. His goal is too important to him. Nothing - nothing - can stand in his way.

So, he gently sets the frame face-down...and quietly slips out of his village-assigned apartment. The village is dark and quiet in the wee hours of the morning, and he passes no one on his way to the gate. Good...if no one sees him leave, it will hopefully make doing so unfettered all the easier.

“...Sasuke-kun…?”

...damn it.

Pausing just within the mouth of the gate, he sighs, shoulders wilting a hair. “...Hinata.”

“Where...where are you going?”

Looking over his shoulder at her, eyes flicker over her face. Her posture is unsure, caught mid-step with hands curled uncertainly at her chest. But most telling is the worried wilt to her brows, looking to him in concern. “...somewhere where I can get stronger.”

“...you’re going to him, aren’t you? That - t-that man we fought in the second exam. The one who...bit you.”

“He’s promised me power, Hinata. More than enough to destroy Itachi once and for all.” Turning, he lets desperation color his tone, still quiet. “You know what this goal means to me…! I can’t let myself stagnate here. I’m not improving fast enough. If I’m ever going to stand a chance against my brother, I have to take every option I can get!”

“But he hurt you! Sasuke-kun...if you go to him...he’s going to do it again!”

“I can take care of myself. I vowed long ago...the cost doesn’t matter. So long as I see him dead at my feet before I draw my last breath...I’ll be happy. My clan will have its justice. Nothing else matters to me, Hinata.”

Her chin trembles. “If...if you won’t stay, then...l-let me go with you!”

“What?!”

“I’m worried about you, Sasuke-kun! I...I know I’m not strong...maybe I would just g-get in your way. But I don’t want anything to happen to you! You’re...you’re my best friend,” she murmurs. “Getting to know you since we became genin...i-it’s been so important to me. You’re important to me! So, please...don’t do this…?”

“I have to...and you can’t go with me, it’s too dangerous. If something happened to you, I’d…” Never forgive myself…

Somber understanding bows her head. She knows there’s no changing his mind. “...then...c-can you promise me something?”

He awaits her request.

“Please, just...promise you’ll come back. When it’s a-all over. When your goal is complete...please come home.”

“...I’ll be a missing nin, Hinata. It might not be that easy.”

“I...I’m sure we’ll find a way!” She takes half a step, expression desperate. “...please b-be safe. And...come back someday...o-okay?”

“...I’ll try.” Turning around, Sasuke takes a few steps, and then pauses. “...keep an eye on that knucklehead. You’ll be the only one left to keep him in line. Don’t let him do anything too stupid. And...be careful.”

“...I will.” Tears bead along the lids of pale eyes. “...good luck...Sasuke-kun…”

“...thank you...Hinata.” Before he can allow himself to change his mind, he takes off down the path, disappearing into the dark.

Left behind, Hinata can’t help but bow her head, thinking a little prayer for his safety. Please, o-kami-sama...watch over Sasuke-kun. Let him find peace, and...let him return someday.

Let him return...to me...

                                                         .oOo.

     More of the team seven!Hinata verse! This time showcasing the (possible) plot point of Sasuke leaving Konoha to go with Orochimaru! If I ever DO turn this into a full project...I need to figure out how things would vary from canon. I think overall I'd keep all the main story points, but getting enough change with Hinata in Sakura's place might be kinda tough to do without deviating too much...      ...but it's also very late and I'm EXHAUSTED and I'm gonna have to do my daily late for the third darn day in a row, so...I should stop talking xD ...typing. Whatever, haha      But yes, that's all for now! I'll try to catch up tomorrow, but with how busy I've been and with two more days left of SHM...it might be a bit before I'm back on track. We'll see. Buuut either way, thanks for reading!

[cielizzydefencesquad]

Ultimate super impossible crack pair: Frances and Sebastian!! 😂 Ok, perhaps everything would end up in tragedy... For Sebastian, obviously! 😂😂

Frances x Sebastian…THIS IS THE CRACK!SHIP I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR XD @white-queen-lacus

Who is more likely to catch a cold? Neither.

“I’m surprised marchioness.” Sebastian observed, ruby eyes glittering as he prepared his master’s horse.

Frances Midford scarcely returned his gaze. “Are you? Has technology advanced so far that you are unable to discern the proper way of saddling a horse?”

“Not in the least, my lady.” His lips cut into a thin, amused smile. “Only, you do appear to be in excellent health. Since my ascension as Phantomhive butler I have yet to see you catch even the slightest cold.”

“Indeed.” She turned to face him, jaw sharp as the sword she carried. “Your due diligence is to be commended though I must reiterate, it is not my health you ought be keeping track of.”

“Of course.” He conceded. “But it is a thing to wonder is it not? Human constitutions are oh so frail—“

“You speak as though you yourself are not human, butler.” Her eyes narrowed.

“Ah, my apologies.” He bowed, ever so slightly. “You are quite the forthright woman, my lady.”

“Forthright? I suppose that’s one way of putting it.” There was a tinge of faint humor in her steely tone—one Sebastian did not miss.

“Quite. Forthright and formidable. A deathly combination.”

“If I am to receive these great adjectives I must ask—what does that make you?”

“Myself?” Sebastian quirked a brow as his eyes roved the marchioness’s face. “I,” he said at last, giving a sweeping bow just shy of mockery, “am merely one hell of a butler.”

Who hogs the blankets? Frances. Sebastian has no need for sleep and Frances sure as hell isn’t letting him near her bed XD

Who kills all the flowers? Frances. She’s never been fond of “trivial fancies” so whenever she receives a bouquet she either gives it to Edward (he’s an amateur botanist) or throws it out altogether. Sebastian, cocky as he is, becomes determined to break that cycle:

“My lady,” Sebastian appeared before her, a bouquet of orchids so red they bled crimson in his arms.

Frances arched a brow. “Butler. Has your master sent you here on a particular errand or is this midnight visit a social call?”

“A delivery,” he corrected smoothly. “For you, marchioness.”

“Me?”

“But of course. For love divine and sunny hours, in the language of the flowers.”

She glanced at the orchids in his arms, an expression of bemused vexation appearing on her fine features. “So it is.” She granted with a nod of her head.

Sebastian made a move to offer the blossoms to her when she took a step a step back.

He looked at her, puzzled.

“The flower that smiles today, tomorrow dies—all that we wish to stay, tempts and then flies.” Her inflection was cool—almost regal—the way a queen might dismiss a passing servant. 

The smile on the butler’s lips sharpened, deepening into a laceration of delighted intrigue. “So you parry with Shelley, my lady?” His eyes, forever a shade of dark mahogany, burned as crimson as the orchids in his hand. “Brava, marchioness.”

He bowed, laying the flowers on the ground, at her feet, eyes fixed on the cool, sharp jade of Lady Frances Midford’s eyes.

(Poem Sebastian quotes is Margaret Pickston’s The Language of Flowers. The poem Frances uses to counter is Percy Shelley’s The Flower That Smiles Today. While Pickston’s poem describes how the divinity of love can be conveyed through the message of flowers, Shelley’s verse refutes that statement by reminding people that flowers—no matter how beautiful—die quickly and easily, and, like all things live a brief, bereft life.)

Who eats all the candy before Halloween? Frances. It’s her deepest, darkest secret—that she, Frances Midford, the indomitable marchioness of Scotney—has a sweet tooth as bad as her nephew’s. She usually keeps all sweets out of sight and out of mind but when Halloween rolls around and Ciel comes calling (and dragging his demon butler with him) Frances can’t help but glance longingly at the caramels and cakes Sebastian keeps tucked in the basket. —> Eventually, he notices and honestly, it is a complete and utter revelation to him. Frances Midford has a weakness for sweets of all things. How positively sumptuous.

Who takes the longest showers? Neither—but Sebastian did walk in on a bathing Frances (by accident, he swears by holy virtue) but his triumph lasted for about .5 seconds before Frances realized and, like mighty Athena, kicked his ass out of the bathroom and the manor. Sebastian had to spend that night standing outside because Frances refused to allow Ciel to let him back in. And really, who was Ciel to defy his beloved aunt?

Who goes to bed at 5am but wakes up at 8am? Neither. Frances is a creature of habit—she goes to bed at 11 PM and wakes up at 6:30 AM without fail. Sebastian is mildly impressed. Even though he knows it’s insignificant at best, the fact that the marchioness can wake up every single day without tedium or unnecessary hassle (unlike his own employer) is a simple strength Sebastian has come to admire.

Who makes sure the other has a healthy breakfast? Sebastian. (“While I have observed your formidable state of health,” the butler laid down a tray of freshly cut peaches, “I will have to beg your pardon when I say that a little indulgence of nature’s fruit is necessary as well.”)

What pets do they have? No pets.

Wedding

Who proposes? Well…supposing the world turned upside down, Alexis died, and Ciel was freed from his contract…then Sebastian. Who was also fully aware there was a 50-50 chance of Frances either saying yes…or eviscerating him with her saber.

Who actually enjoyed the planning? Sebastian.

“Don’t tell me you enjoy this frivolity?” Frances inquired, a hint of incredulous surprise in her usually firm tone.

The butler turned to her, a hint of a smile on his lips. “But of course. After all, the London Times have called our upcoming nuptials—what was it? The social event of the season?”

She took a sip of her tea. “Quite. Foolish notion, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Utterly.”

Would their wedding be small or grand? Small. Very small and intimate, consisting only of family. No photographers, no journalists. (Which means the whole of London society remained ensconced in their mansions, silently weeping bitter tears at having been denied the opportunity to see the Frances Phantomhive walking down the aisle.) It took place at Halladan Hall, Sebastian’s new estate bequeathed to him by his majesty King Edward VII. Convenient, wouldn’t you say?

Which guest was happiest to see them get married? Ciel. At first he was burning with righteous indignation at the thought of Sebastian even daring to approach his aunt but the more that he thought about it…1) he was now freed from the contract so he supposes he ought to be somewhat grateful to the demon for that 2) his revenge was complete and 3) Frances Phantomhive would now be living with Sebastian 24/7. 

He honestly wishes he could stay with them for a week just to see how many times Sebastian might cry.

Children

How many children would they have? None. Sure Frances may have married him but she’s certainly not going to carry the spawn of satan in her womb. However, she and Sebastian do adopt a gorgeous Turkish Angora cat named Eve.

Would they adopt or have them naturally? Adoption.

Who is the strictest parent? Frances. She disciplines Eve (no getting kitty litter on the floor, no tearing up furniture, drinking her milk without splashing) while Sebastian pretty much indulges Eve’s every wish.

Are their children in homeschool or public school? House trained by Frances, the cat whisperer. (Sure Sebastian might like cats but they sure as hell don’t listen to him.)

Who is the favorite parent? Sebastian. If only because he’ll let Eve drink crème chantilly any time she wants.

Who checks on the kids in the middle of the night? Sebastian. He loves cuddling Eve when she’s asleep because she doesn’t try to claw out of his grasp or con him into letting her drink more crème chantilly.

Who decorated the nursery? Sebastian. Frances was honestly appalled that Sebastian wanted a separate nursery for Eve but gosh darn it, Sebastian put his foot down (after inwardly panicking for 3 days) and demanded asked/pleaded/begged to be allowed to decorate Eve’s room. Frances, after a splitting headache, agreed.

Frances + Sebastian + cat = what I want to see XD 

[dangoghz]

legitimate advice for new phandom blogs

hey !! so i know sometimes posts like ‘RULES FOR THE PHANDOM XD’ are made and they’re all like “numba one. dan is a squishy bean respect this uwu” but this isn’t gonna be like that lol. im just going to list a few actual things that might help people new to the phandom learn about and become integrated into the community! of course these aren’t ‘rules’ and u dont have to listen to any of it ofc,,, im not here to control ur blog, just here to say what people normally do. feel free to rb whether u are a new blog or not, ill appreciate it either way!

(NOTE: PLS TELL ME IF ANY OF THE LINKS DONT WORK AND ILL FIX THEM PERIODICALLY!)

italicized text is defined in the glossary at the bottom!

1. be interactive! 

here, unique to our corner of timmy darn communism, we have a lot of like virtual traditions that everyone knows. these help you to make friends and also grow ur blog with some new mutuals. here are some examples.

networks: networks, or nets, are a sort of selective gc, usually with a theme or concept that it’s based around, in which all who wish to be part of fill out an application form that determines whether they get in. this is kinda the one with the most work, as u also have to make a group blog and info post, but it’s definitely worth it. i have made my closest friends in nets (such as @phleurnet which i birthed), and a lot of people on here would say the same. if you want to know more or apply, my friend diana runs an update blog @phandomnets! (examples, these are all open btw: x x x)

meetups: meetups are not in real life, don’t worry. a meetup is when someone organizes a specific time at which we all post thing around a certain theme! for instance, on halloween on tuesday, my friend milo hosted a halloween meetup. usually people post selfies but if u are uncomfortable with that, u can post art, music, or anything else related to the theme. a blog called @phandommeetupwatch keeps track of these! (examples, all happening soon/just happened: x x x)

follow forevers: a follow forever is a big celebration post when u reach a follower count milestone, no matter 50 or 5k. u tag all of the blogs you love, and they reblog it to appreciate u! it’s really positive and shows people how their work has paid off. usually people are tagged in alphabetical order, and sometimes people bold their favorites but the stylization is up to u. (recent examples: x x x)

milestone activities: sometimes people do things for their followers when they reach a follower count that involves their followers requesting something! there are many many forms of this type of thing. a common one is blog rates, in which there is a set template and the blogger rates each blog that sends in an ask using the template (info post ex: x; rate ex: x). there are also url edits (x), name/url moodboards (x), and more. u can certainly come up w an idea of ur own, being creative is great!

talk to people: that’s right dude!!! ye!!! u can message a blog u think is cool, or send an ask if u think something they made or are talking about is interesting, or add something sweet in the tags (more on etiquette later) when u rb their post. additionally, sometimes people stir up discourse, and u should participate in it if u want (past discourse examples: x x). u can also send asks when people reblog ask games, which are a list of questions with a theme (new one of mine ex: x). 

2. play around with your blog!

customizing your blog can start giving you what we call a branding, making you distinguished from other bloggers. this can include everything from as simple as using an icon to coding your own about page. 

themes: a blog can be way more appealing if it is aesthetically pleasing. admittedly, i often follow people just because of the smoothness of their mobile theme. a mobile theme is rather easy to construct as u can do it on ur own with a phone. it is how ur blog looks on a phone. although u don’t have to do this, i recommend sticking to two to four colors on ur theme and avoiding stuffing it with a lot of bright things because it can distract from content. additionally, bloggers often make their descriptions short and succinct. (my fav mobiles: x x x.) on a pc, your blog theme can be customized completely on html, meaning there is a lot of freedom. u don’t have to learn to code for this, bc u can find free themes anywhere, just search ‘free tumblr themes’ on google. once again, be creative, but u shouldn’t overload. (my fav pcs: x x x.)

about pages: in order to avoid chunky descriptions but still let people know the key deets about themselves, bloggers create about pages. sometimes these bout pages are uncoded but u can also use html code if u want to. some common things in an about page are interests, maybe personality types/horoscopes/hogwarts houses, original content, and links to other social media. (examples: x x x)

urls: urls are a key part of your blog’s brand. ‘rebranding’ is what people say if they change their url! if u are tired or bored with your url, changing it is an opportunity to change your theme and other parts of ur blog as well. (url change ex: x). 

saved urls: saved urls are basically when bloggers hoard sideblogs in order to reserve the urls used for them. if you ever encounter a blank blog that has ‘saved’ as its title, that’s probably it. sometimes people like to give away their urls, either as a constant thing (ex: x) or by doing a url giveaway (x). either way, it’s a good opportunity to change it up!

tags: in order to keep their blog cleancut and organized, a lot of bloggers have special tags for certain people, certain topics, and/or certain types of media. many people in the phandom particularly have tags for dan and phil that match (strawberries and cream, lune and sole, etc). if they have many of these tags, there can be a page for their tags on their blog. this page can be coded with special html or just a regular tumblr page, it doesn’t really matter. but it’s very useful for those who visit your blog, and makes it easy for u to navigate older posts as well! (examples: x x x)

3. learn to make og content!

producing original content helps you establish what your strengths are and why people should follow you. it also allows u to contribute to the fanbase, and gives u a chance of being noticed by dnp! and the validation is lovely. there are many options if u want to make something. 

gifs: gifs are an ART here in the phandom, and its mechanisms still perplex me to this day bc ive never tried it. u probably already know what a gif is, but if not, its essentially a short animation made in photoshop that repeats. gifmakers are often distinguished by a unique coloring (example gifmakers: x x x), such as my friend emily’s smooth dark blue tint (x). it can be a long process to learn how to gif but it is very rewarding in the end, from what i’ve heard. (tutorials: x x)

art: there is a very wide range of phanartists, all with such talents, either digital or traditional, that you can draw inspirations from for your own work. you can make cartoons, comics, realism, abstract, nsfw even, or any mix (or none) of the former. artists on tumblr definitely deserve more attention than they get here on tumblr, so be sure to show appreciation towards them! (my fav artists: x x x)

edits: edits are the Graphic Designs of our community and are usually very aesthetically pleasing. they can be centered around a certain event, like a video or something dnp made, or just for fun. the more practice you get making them, the more dexterous u’ll become. they can be a great tool if u like the design aspect of art but don’t want to actually draw. (edit makers: x x)

icons: icons are just the little profile picture that u can insert for ur blog. it’s really easy and fun to make them, kind of like a lazy version of edits. you can make them using photoshop or an app like picsart or medibang, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. more on how to use icons in section 4. (examples: x x x) (my lil tutorial: x)

moodboards: moodboards are nine pictures arranged 3 by 3 that have a certain color scheme. it’s kind of like a collage except the photo feature here separates the pictures for u. there are a lot of innovative moodboard makers that stun me w how pretty it looks or how they arrange the pics. moodboards are also an easy and fun option! (moodboard tags: x x x)

textposts: this is by far the easiest and more common form of content u will find. it’s just writing about dnp in a textpost! if a textpost isn’t very serious, people also call it a meme or shitpost. shitposting is defs on the rise here so its a good business to get into. it’s also a great outlet for ur emotions or personal connections to what dnp do! (example talk tags: x x x)

fics: by far the most famous media to come out of here, phanfiction is a popular form of phan indulgence. u have probably heard of the most scarring ones (list: x), but there is actually a really vast range of it, not just creepy smut! some other genres are fluff, angst, and slow burns. u will discover that, despite the sterotype, not all fanfiction is bad. you can find lovely fics on @phanfictioncatalogue by genre, au, or topic. and, if u need help writing something, many writers would love to help. (a few well-known fics: x x x x x)

4. tumblr etiquette!

i know tumblr might seem like a simple social media (or perhaps not after u’ve read all the above?) but there’s a lot of things that u just....u just don’t do. it’s sort of like virtual manners, and if u don’t follow them, then it’s unlikely that people will like ur blog. once again, this is by no means me forcing u to run ur blog a certain way. it just happens that the types of ppl who break these rules are who we mock in gcs :////////. so yea, here’s some advice.

credits: if u decide to use someone’s art, edit, gif, or icon on the theme of ur blog, check what they require of u before u use it. most content creators strongly ask for credit in the description of ur blog, either by link or like ‘icon/header/art by ____’. it is just a common courtesy to the person who spent time on that, and if u think credit will ruin the aesthetic of ur blog, a) u probably don’t have an aesthetic in the first place and b) learn to appreciate art, binch. 

anonymity: anon asks can be very powerful either negatively or positively depending on how u yield them, so make sure that u are careful with what u send. compliments are always welcome and criticism as well, but blatant rudeness or hate will do nothing. u will only make someone feel bad about themselves and it will not accomplish anything. also, u face the threat of all their friends turning u into a meme. 

sensitivity: a lot of people here are way too easily offended by harmless jokes, a common example in the phandom being when we insult dnp affectionately and people take it way too much to heart. please don’t start drama over something w no real meaning. however, there are times when it is indeed necessary. if u want to criticise a blogger, be respectful of them simultaneously. by all means, if u spot someone being racist, homophobic, transphobic, misogynist, or the like, feel free to call them out on it. but beforehand, make sure that u have done ur research and are educated on the topic, or u could turn out to be blatantly wrong. 

adding to posts: everyone makes this mistake when they start out here and that’s totally okay, but adding to every post u reblog is incredibly bothersome. a rule of thumb would be don’t add anything unless what u say will actually improve the post significantly. if ur additions are along the lines of ‘LOL’ or ‘i relate!!!!’ or ‘philly is a smol bean XD’, learn to use the tags for heaven’s sake. they’re there for not only organization but also for commenting. some exceptions, though, would be if u are mentioned in the post or the op is your close friend. 

respecting privacy: this should already be obvious to u, but respect dan and phil’s boundaries. do not tag them or their main tags (#daniel howell, #danisnotonfire, #amazingphil), in any phanfics, phanart (like specifically with them as a romantic ship), or phan edits. do not talk to their family members, expose their personal info like address or phone number, and do consider that they are real people just like u. we may make things based around phan, but it is kept in a community for us and not for dan and phil’s eyes. this is very important.

5. have fun!

sorry if this is all overwhelming, but i tried to make it as simplified as possible. and also sorry for the sass, i’m kinda tired of all the ding dongs on here and want to prevent further ding dongs from being created. thanks so much for readin and be sure to send me an ask anytime if u have questions! welcome to hell!

glossary

timmy darn communism: me being my usual weird self and replacing ‘tumblr dot com’ with random words that start with the same letters

mutuals: someone who you follow and who follows you; usually who u interact with most

rb: shortening for ‘reblog’

discourse: when theres is intense discussion of a certain topic, sometimes phan-related sometimes not, sometimes serious and sometimes silly

branding: the word ‘branding’ kinda started as a joke, but it’s generally what we use to call what someone’s blog reminds them of, whether it be a certain color or a discussion topic; my branding, if u asked a mutual, would probably be impressionism, tea, and baguettes (dont ask ab that one)

html: a simple type of coding used for designing websites! u can learn basic html here or here, it’s way easier and funner than it looks

dnp: dan and phil; we also say ‘deppy’, ‘dip and pip’, ‘the boys’, ‘the rats’, and more

coloring: basically the stylization of a gif, shown through filters, textures, contrast, brightness, etc. 

talk tag: a tag in which all of the textposts that a person makes are sorted into

phanfiction terms

smut: porn fic :/ 

fluff: just what it sounds like, a type of fic that usually has a lot of soft stuff like cuddling, flirting, and looooove

angst: a fic with a lot of drama, usually sad or very emotional

slow burn: a fic where a pairing, in this case phan, slowly falls in love

au: stands for ‘alternate universe’, a fic in which dan and phil are written not as youtubers but in a completely different scenario (ie. bad boy and new guy in high school, university students, space exhibition, anything u can dream up really)

anon: short for ‘anonymous’

op: short for ‘original poster’, aka who made the post

[ask-joeydrewstudios]

Similarly Spiteful, Chapter 16

@disneyphantomlover: ((You know it’s bad when not even Bendy trusts the mechanic. Also, this link is important for the nameless song they play. 9w9 ))

Bendy was rather proud of himself!

Not only was Mr. Sammy Wes happier now, but the Music Director showed him how to play a song on the piano! It was a weird but fun song, and he liked flicking his tail to the beat. Sammy Wes was mumbling some lyrics under his breath, but he refused to sing them outright. It was a little frustrating, but honestly, the demon didn’t care too much. It was more fun learning how to bounce his hand along the black and white keys like the blond did, and make a recognizable melody out of it.

He’d played the song over and over until the melody was stuck in his head! Then he shoved Sammy Wes to the side and played it himself all the way through. “What’s the name of this one??”

The blond man smirked, holding a finger up to his lips to hush him.

Now that only made him all the curious-er! He stood on the bench, his tail circling and snapping around him. “Cmooooon! What’s the name? I wanna know!”

Sammy’s huge hand came down and patted Bendy’s head inbetween the horns, and it took a minute for the demon to realize that noise coming out of the man was a friendly chuckle. “It’s just a lil song that ain’t coming out for a few years. It’ll be reaaall popular in a bit, just you wait.”

WHOA. Bendy felt his eyes grow large from an influx of ink, his little jaw dropping just so. WHOOOOOAAAAAA. He was the first to hear a song?? A big ol’ popular one at that?! Oh gosh! This was fantastic!! This was amazing!! He couldn’t help rocking back and forth on his heels, grinning for all he was worth. “Thanks, Sammy Wes!!”

“Only one thing, ya lil menance.” Even though his Sammy called him a “menace” a lot, it was actually nice hearing it from Sammy Wes. He seemed genuinely teasing and playful about it. Even when he poked Bendy on his nonexistent nose. “Since it’s not coming out for a while, I ain’t telling you the name of it. That fair?”

“Well. NO.” He stopped rocking on his heels as much, pouting a little. But… He did take a second to think about it. It was his special gift from Sammy Wes. “….But I guess I can deal with that. Can I at least call it yer song?”

That made the man smile widely, and he nodded. “Sure thing, buddy.”

Bendy shot off like a bottle rocket then. He needed to share this with Boris and Alice! They’d be soooooo jealous! He got a special song from the other Sammy, and they didn’t. And he’d be the only toon taught to play on Sammy’s piano! …Okay, so it wasn’t their Sammy, but Sammy Wes was close enough! He was almost to the stairs when he saw the ink. Nothing but ink filled the entire stairwell, and the little demon grimaced. Wally was going to freak out when he saw this… And so would Mr. Connor. He needed to find someone else who could fix this… Seeing so much ink like that always made him a little anxious.

Just as he was going to go find someone, a tall man walked right by him. “Oh wonderful… Another leak…” Bendy blinked as the man set down a toolbox on the stairs’ landing and took a few steps into the ink. The ink was already up to his hips when he stopped going down the stairs and stopped to survey the burst pipe. The first thing that the Devil Darling considered was the fact that while he didn’t recognize the man, his voice was familiar. No idea from where though… “Gonna have to replace this whole coupling later.”

Oh! Wait! Now he did! This must be Murray Hill! He’d never seen the man, but he recognized his voice from when he was in the pipes! Maybe he should go hide…

“Hey. Little Demon? Mind passing me a rag out of my kit?”

…..Or he could be addressed?? That was an option he hadn’t considered. “I-…Uhhh….Okay.” He threw open the kit, finding a few rags at the top and tossing one to the mechanic. “Heads up!”

The man didn’t even turn around, but he caught it anyways! Used it to wipe some ink spatters off his face before leaning in. “Much obliged.”

Bendy sat down, watching as the mechanic picked up a few tools, wading back and forth between a few stairs as he replaced the metal that held two pipes together. He was pretty fast, and the little devil enjoyed watching him work. They stayed in silence for a few minutes, with Murray working on the pipe and Bendy humming his new song. It helped lessen his anxiety about seeing SO MUCH INK THERE, but not by much. 

Didn’t help that the demon could only handle silence for so long. “How come you ain’ freaked out by me?”

Murray was wiping his hands with the rag, attempting to sop up some of the ink before it stained his pale hands. “Eh. Seen too many Creations to be really surprised.”

“Creations?” Bendy let his head cock to the side, curiosity getting the better of him. “I thought Joey only made three of us.”

“Well… Other people have the same idea Mr. Drew did.” The man bounced his shoulders in a shrug. The pure lack of surprise in his voice made Bendy’s ink crawl. “It’s why I get called in so much. Help make cartoons like you real.”

…..That made logical sense. At least to his simple protagonist mind. But something felt wrong…. The demon couldn’t place it, but something about that man’s response felt off. Like a nasty note, or a bad model sheet. It wasn’t obviously wrong, but just enough to make him take notice. Joey told him that it took a lot of stuff like blood and ink and knowing the right rituals just to bring one of them to life. Him, Boris, and even Alice were here because of a lot of hard work and sacrificing on Joey’s part. And Murray sounded so… Uninterested. What part about living cartoons was uninteresting?

He pulled himself to his feet, taking a few steps back. “I'mma… I'mma go find Joey. Someone’s gotta tell him about this pipe.” He took off before the mechanic could respond to him. Something felt wrong and he’d feel better being near his Creator. Joey made things better. He may be a crazy, hare-brained man who liked the occult too much, but…. He was his Dad. And when uncomfortable, you go to your Dad.

It took a little longer than he liked to find Joey Drew, with ink starting to drip down his face and obscuring the vision in his left eye. But he tracked the man down and found him in Sammy’s office. He peeked through the glass, and saw Mr. Sammy Wes handing him a sealed envelope. It was soooo hard to hear through the glass, but he tried!

“-is how the boys at my Studio avoided getting drafted. ….It may not work the same here, but it’s a start. Just follow my directions, kay Drew?”

“I can do that. ….But…Would any of this apply to Henry? So he doesn’t get taken?”

“Absolutely. But you cannot- fucking look at me, Joey-you CANNOT open that until the date that’s on there. If you do, it’ll be suspcious.”

“Okay, okay…. I’ll keep this in my study. ….And Sammy Wes? …Thank you. I wouldn’t know where to begin with this… A draft? Why would they need to draft for a war?”

“….I don’t know, Drew. Cuz the military’s got its head up its ass and likes butting in unnessecarily? I couldn’ tell ya.”

Oh geeez… More stuff involving that “deployed” thing. Bendy scowled slightly, walking the short distance to the office door and knocking on it. Joey answered it, and Bendy couldn’t help but latch onto one of his legs and hang on for dear life. He didn’t notice Joey picking him up and holding him close, trying to coax something out of him. He just needed Joey right now. Nothing with that impending human stuff, or that creepy mechanic.

“Hey… What’s wrong, buddy?” That was Mr. Sammy Wes. He felt a second hand on his back, rubbing small circles on his shoulders.

Bendy couldn’t answer.

Joey deflated with a sigh, and Bendy felt a pat on the back of his head. “Cmon. I’ll take you to the office.” The demon felt his Creator start walking, through the door before stopping. “… We can do the ritual tonight, Sammy. Okay?”

“Okay.”

((THERE IS SOMETHING SO WONDERFULLY INNOCENT AND ENERGETIC ABOUT THE WAY YOU WRITE BENDY AND HIS RELATED NARRATIONS. And he got so excited over the Secret Song™ wes played, that’s so darn cute. I’ve prolly said it already but I live for cute interactions between the toons and Wes, and Bendy seeking out Joey when things got Weird, he got all quiet and just grabbed his leg and like… fuck man I Love It. Poor Babby. man just kill me now this is some Wholesome Fuckin’ Content, Too Good And Wholesome For This World.

And I am dying to know what is up with Murray. The mystery is real. I’m on the edge of my seat here xD Anyway thank you for the fic!! <3 <3))

part one | part two | part three | part four | part five | part six | part seven| part eight | part nine | part ten | part ten and a half | part eleven | part twelve | part thirteen | part fourteen | part fifteen | part sixteen | part seventeen | part eighteen | part nineteen (END)

[pocket-elf]

Beautiful Mistake, ch2

Pairing: Jace/Alec (Shadowhunters)

Rating: E

Summary: Human college AU, where Jace has very recently moved in to the flat Alec shares with a bunch of other students. Alec comes home drunk one night and well...

on AO3

Soooo, this took a turn. I meant to write a quick birthday thing for @sapphicalexandra, which turned longer than expected (chapter one is just under 1k, which I didn’t meant for). And then I just didn’t stop. Somehow I wrote more than 3k more. None of this was planned whatsoever. No bullet points or anything. So hey, I guess enjoy your smut you pervs XD

Chapter 2: Jace Jace’s POV of the night and the following morning, and where that leads... (sex, it leads to sex. This is pretty darn smutty okay?)

Jace was just about to drift off to sleep when he heard the front door bang open and then shut. He sighed and buried his face in one of his pillows. When he had moved in, about a week ago, he had gotten a good feeling about the other four people he shared the apartment with. One of the rules had even been no parties, so he had hoped this would be the perfect place for him to focus on his studies. Maybe even give him some piece of mind to write new songs. He had partied too hard the last year of high school, and wanted to leave that life behind. Maybe college wasn’t the best place for that but hey, he couldn’t exactly leave his education behind too. 

But maybe he had been wrong about his home for the semester. While flat parties might be prohibited, no one could stop people from coming home loud and drunk from other parties.

He could hear some muffled singing coming from the hallway, and then his door was pushed open. Jace hadn’t really thought about locking it, as respecting each other’s privacy was another key rule of the apartment. But here he was, about to fall asleep, naked as per usual, with an unknown guy stumbling into his room, and not so stealthily (but probably thinking he was) closing the door behind him.

Jace was about to protest when he finally saw who it was — Alec, the de facto leader of the household. Clearly drunk out of his mind, singing awfully out of tune, and… undressing. Right there. In front of Jace. With Jace stunned into absolute silence by the sight, there was no stopping this sloppy striptease from happening.

The day Jace had come by to see whethe) the apartment might be a good fit for him, and whether he would be a good new housemate for the ones already living there, he had been taken aback by the tall, dark, and utterly gorgeous, stranger sitting on a kitchen stool. He had introduced himself as Alec, and told Jace that they were looking for two new housemates. Questions had followed on majors (music and history), potential girlfriends or boyfriends (neither), pets (nope), affinities for parties and intoxicating substances (every now and then), etc etc. Jace had apparently aced the interview because the next day he was invited to move in. Since then, he hadn’t seen much of this Alec guy, whom he had pegged as gay pretty damn immediately, which to his surprise he found himself disappointed by. The not seeing him around, that is, not the gay bit. He was actually quite happy to have some more queer people around. But he figured Alec was probably a real hard study, who kept to himself and his books. And that was fine by Jace. He’d find other pretty people to hang out with on campus, even if he surely would’ve preferred to get to know Alec better. Much better.

So now that Alec was standing there, completely naked, all Jace could do was stare.

Wow.

Tall as nobody’s business. Lean but muscular. With dark hair Jace wanted to rake his hands through, and not only on his head… Just as Jace was about to snap out of it, Alec lifted the covers and slid into bed.

What… is… happening?

Alec didn’t say a word, and just curled up with his back snug against Jace’s chest, becoming the biggest little spoon Jace had ever had the pleasure to cuddle — voluntarily or not. Jace figured that Alec had absolutely no clue what he was doing, or that Jace was even there. He would never take advantage of someone who was even slightly drunk, so even if he wanted to run his hands all over that gorgeous body, Jace simply forced himself to relax and drift off to sleep.

At some point during the night, Alec had turned around, so that Jace awoke with his face mere inches from Alec’s. It was a breathtaking sight. He could feel Alec shift, and not wanting to ruin the moment or make things awkward in case Alec was indeed waking up, Jace chose to close his eyes again, pretending to still be asleep. But he couldn’t keep it up for long. When he opened them back up, Alec was definitely awake, looking around the room in horror. Yup, definitely a drunken mistake. He couldn’t help but smile as Alec focused on him, almost all colour draining from his face.

“Well, good morning.”

Alec sputtered, blushed, and somehow managed to pull the covers even more off Jace. Being rather proud of his body, and not being the least bit shy of pretty much anything, Jace just let it happen. Give that boy a good look! However, he was quite glad not everything was on display. It was morning, after all, and he had a smoking hot guy in his bed.

Said hot guy sure needed some reassuring, however — that he hadn’t embarrassed himself too much, or made Jace feel uncomfortable. But when he covered his face with a hand, asking Jace to forget about everything, Jace really couldn’t help himself. An opportunity had quite literally fallen into his lap and he couldn’t just let it, let him, go. So telling himself that no matter what happens, it would always be a chance worth taking, Jace stretched out a hand and hooked a few fingers around Alec’s palm, pulling it away from his face.

“What if…” Jace swallowed the nervous lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. “What if I don’t want to forget?”

“What do you mean?” Alec replied, seemingly partly confused, while also possibly a little bit turned on? Or was that just Jace projecting? But when Jace almost involuntarily scooted a little bit closer on the bed, and Alec’s reaction was to gasp slightly, and just stare at him, Jace knew he was on the right track.

“I liked what I saw.” Jace let his gaze drop to Alec’s beautiful pink lips. “I like what I see now.”

When Alec kept his lips parted, and didn’t move a muscle, just looking at Jace with eyes that clearly held some budding desire, Jace decided he couldn’t keep his hands to himself anymore. In one move he placed a hand on Alec’s waist, and pulled himself against Alec’s chest. His heart was racing, and he could feel Alec’s doing the same. Not caring about what Alec would think of his now evident erection, Jace hooked his legs around Alec’s. He was met with the sight of Alec’s eyes closing while he gasped even more audibly, his full lips forming a delicious O. And Jace couldn’t resist. He closed his own eyes and claimed Alec’s lips with his.

Jace was still holding the hand that he had pried off Alec’s face, but they were locked between them. Finally, Alec responded in earnest, slipping his hand out of Jace’s grasp, freeing his other hand that had been frozen in utter shock, and encircled Jace, pulling them even closer to each other.

Yes, Jace thought. Yes yes yes.

To his surprise, Jace found himself pushed onto his back with Alec on top. If he had doubted Alec’s feelings towards this whole situation they had found themselves in, any such doubt was swept away when Alec positioned his legs on either side of Jace’s, letting their erections press together. Cause yes, Alec sure seemed just as turned on by all of this as Jace was. Jace couldn’t help but moan, which only seemed to spur Alec to make little circles with his hips, creating more delicious friction between them. Then Alec seemed to catch himself, realising what he was doing, and stopped. Jace made a small whimpering sound as Alec broke contact with Jace’s lips and propped himself up on his elbows.

“Do you really want this?” Alec asked, doubt tinging his voice. “Aren’t you straight?”

Jace couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. “Do you seriously think I’m straight?” He put a hand on Alec’s ass and pressed them closer together, making sure Alec was very aware of the now almost painful erection Jace was sporting. “No. I am definitely not. I swing in all directions, and happily so.”

Now it was Alec’s turn to chuckle. “Yeah, I was just being stupid, I guess.”

“But I guess I should ask you, then. Do you really want this?” Jace added, trying not to wriggle against Alec’s stilled touch.

“I am very much gay, thank you very much.”

“Oh, I know that. I mean me. Do you want to do this with me? I haven’t even seen you since the day I moved in.” Jace’s breathing was returning to normal, but other parts of his body sure weren’t.

Alec looked at him with something resembling shock.

“I have wanted you since you first set foot in this apartment. You could’ve said almost anything in that interview, and I still would’ve let you move in. Almost. But I thought you weren’t into guys, so I kinda kept my distance to get my head straight, well... you know.” Alec blushed slightly.

“You are so… stupid.”

Jace hooked one leg over Alec’s, pulled his arms around him tight, and rolled them over, pinning Alec to the mattress. Any reply Alec could have to that, Jace silenced with a bruising kiss. To his delight, Alec simply gasped once Jace let go, starting to trail kisses along his jawline.

“You know… I was attracted to you the first time I saw you, too.” He whispered into Alec’s ear, fingers caressing the other side of his jaw and down the side of his neck. “Sitting on that kitchen stool, all in charge, with my future in your hands. Damn, I would’ve let you do so many things to me. Right there in the kitchen.”

Alec growled, and once again Jace found himself on his back. A battle for dominance, huh? Bring it on.

But Jace didn’t want to fight it. Not yet. This was just too good, and too arousing. Apparently, the thought of taking Jace on the kitchen table, or the sink, or what ever had popped up in Alec’s mind had really done the trick. He kissed Jace hard, tugging on his lower lip with his teeth, only to release and run his tongue over it. While not putting up a fight, Jace sure wouldn’t let himself remain passive. So he quickly met Alec’s tongue with his own, and then took it into his mouth, letting their lips melt against each other. One of his hands tangled in Alec’s hair, pulling a little to show that Alec hadn’t won after all. The other hand raked over Alec’s back — up and back down, to finish with a hard grip on his ass once again. Nails digging in, as Alec moved their cocks against each other with small thrusting movements.

“Wait, Alec, stop.” Jace breathed heavily against Alec’s cheek.

“What, why? I thought you said…” Alec’s movements slowed but didn’t stop.

“No no, I mean…” Jace had to take a deep breath to focus, letting go of Alec’s hair. He motioned towards his dresser. “Over there. I have… lube and condoms. Just get it.”

“Oh…” Alec gave Jace a final kiss and climbed off, making sure to trail two light fingers over Jace’s cock as he did so. Jace shuddered and pressed his head back down on the pillow, gulping for air.

Alec quickly found Jace’s stash. It wasn’t as if he was hiding it or anything. Coming back to the bed, Alec seemed to have lost some of his dominating spirit. He sat down next to Jace, eyes questioning yet still perfectly dark with desire.

“Who…” he asked.

Well, this is my chance, I guess, Jace thought, smirking a little while sitting up. “Give it to me,” he said, stretching out his hands. “And lie down.”

Alec did as he was told, the sudden role reversal seemingly turning him on just as much as the thought of bending Jace over the kitchen table.

This will be a fun year… Jace thought as he straddled Alec’s thighs.

He gave Alec’s cock a few teasing tugs before slipping the condom on. Alec gasped and bit down on his lower lip.

Didn’t expect that, did you? Jace thought as he leaned over to kiss Alec deeply. He was met by eager lips, and hands caressing his back.

Straightening up a bit again, Jace expertly flicked the bottle of lube open and covered the fingers on his right hand. He reached back and slipped a slick finger into his opening, gasping slightly as he felt the finger easily sink in. Alec, in turn, arched up to kiss him once more, and Jace could feel one of Alec’s hands caress along his right arm, and finally join the hand teasing his ass, only to still Jace’s movement.

“Let me,” Alec said, his voice husky with desire.

Jace slipped his finger out, and, as Alec scooted up to a sitting position, Jace made sure to lube Alec’s fingers up real good, too. Then he leaned against Alec’s shoulders, legs spread wide, and waited.

He didn’t have to wait long. Alec placed his left hand on Jace’s ass, holding him steady while also opening him up more. He didn’t enter Jace right away. Instead, he let one of his fingers tease around the rim, making Jace’s legs shake already.

“Please,” Jace breathed against Alec’s cheek, and was rewarded with the sensation of not one, but two fingers entering him. He took in a sharp breath. “Fuck!” he moaned. The sensation of Alec slowly pumping his fingers in and out, twirling and stretching as he did so, was overwhelming. Jace sagged a little against Alec, who just kept going, while adding a tongue to Jace’s neck. It was simply too much.

Jace moved back a bit, forcing Alec to pull out. With two hands on Alec’s waist, Jace pulled him back down into a lying position.

“I’m in charge,” he whispered into Alec’s ear before sitting up.

Jace was braced on his knees, no part of him touching any of Alec’s. Not yet. And Alec didn’t move. He might’ve wanted to be in control before, but Jace had him now. And he thought that maybe, Alec knew what was coming next. Because, as Jace positioned himself over Alec’s erection, warm hands grabbed on to his waist but didn’t try to move him. Alec simply rested them there, steading Jace as he finally lowered himself down, taking all of Alec into him. They both let out a sigh as Jace settled against Alec’s hips.

It had been long since Jace had felt this full, and it was exhilarating. He could feel Alec stretching him, and it felt so damn good. So he just sat there for a while, revelling in the sensation while also getting used to Alec’s size. And Alec, he just looked at him with a mix of devotion and unadulterated lust.

Then, Jace started moving. First just small circular motions, without any real vertical motion. And yet, it drew a moan of pleasure from Alec. Not waiting for more incentive, Jace started to lift himself up, almost slipping Alec out of him, before coming back down. He kept his movements slow, and his body upright, giving his thighs one hell of a workout. But if all workouts were like this, he would never skip leg day.

Alec’s fingers dug into his sides, and Jace thought he might end up bruised tomorrow, which he didn’t mind one bit. As Jace’s legs started shaking from a mix of effort and pleasure, Alec took over some of the command, essentially lifting Jace up and guiding him back down on his cock. As they picked up speed together, Jace’s breathing did, too. Panting, he fell forward, supporting himself with hands placed just below Alec’s chest. But as the orgasm built he couldn’t even hold himself up like that, and let his arms slide to Alec’s sides, slumping down onto his elbows.

Jace let Alec take over completely, lifting his lower half up up and pushing him back down. But with his face now almost resting on Alec’s chest, Jace found himself in the perfect position to tease Alec’s nipples. He grazed them with his teeth, making Alec inhale sharply, but immediately soothed the area with a warm tongue. He knew it worked on him, and was sure it’d be just as pleasurable for Alec. The increased speed at which Alec now met his movement with thrusts of his own, told Jace he was right in that assessment.

He barely had time to lick circles around the second nipple when he felt his insides contract, and an intense orgasm explode through, and out of, him. He didn’t scream or shout out, but instead let out a big breath carrying a groan. And, not long after, Alec’s head shot back and he didn’t hold back at all.

“FUCK!” Alec exclaimed.

Jace laughed against the wiry hairs of Alec’s chest. “That we sure did.”

Once Alec caught his breath, he laughed, too. “And we did it well, if I may say so myself.”

Jace rolled off Alec with a satisfied smile playing on his lips. He scooted up, turned his face, and kissed Alec on the cheek.

“Yes, you may,” he said, resting his head against Alec’s shoulder. This wasn’t how he had imagined the outcome of a drunk flatmate crawling into bed with him, not at all. But oh, was he happy it had been.

They both laughed, snuggling into each other. But as the sweat quickly cooled on their naked bodies, and the high of the orgasm started to fade, Jace couldn’t really lie still anymore.

“Hey… I think we both need a shower,” he said lightly.

“Mhm, yeah, you’re right. You were… kinda messy.” Alec laughed and looked down at their bodies, and Jace followed his gaze. Their legs were still partly tangled and Alec was right, Jace had made quite a mess.

“I guess you should go take a shower first and take care of that condom.” He winked, and was pleased to see Alec blushing ever so slightly.

“Sure, okay. Can I uh… borrow this sheet for a bit?” Alec asked as he stood up.

Jace just laughed and lifted a part of the coupled cover sheet as an offering. Alec quickly wrapped it around him, and then flipped a loose part over his shoulder. A few toga parties huh? Jace mused inwardly, but didn’t say anything.

Before Alec opened the door he turned back to Jace, a wicked glint in his eyes. “You know… I think the girls are already at morning yoga, and the other new guy tends to sleep till noon, apparently. So, you could join me in the shower…”

Jace could feel his cock react to that idea immediately. As if they hadn’t had enough fun already. He swallowed and grinned.

“I… might take you up on that offer. Just let me find a towel and I’ll be right behind you.”

Alec opened the door, but just as he was about to close it he popped his head back in. “Well, I guess welcome to the apartment!” He winked and left.

As the door closed behind Alec, Jace fell back against the pillows. He couldn’t stop smiling. Welcome indeed.

[princelucaorlem]

Buddies or Not?

Chapter One: Finding Love

Disclaimer: I don't own Wizardess Heart all rights belong to Solmore

Genre: Romance WARNING: Mature, Shounen-ai Pairing: Luca Orlem X Elias Goldstein

Summary: Luca Orlem decides to tell Elias his secret

(The day was sunny like usual, though oddly Luca Orlem found himself pacing at the lake this day.) Luca Orlem: “What if he rejects me? What if he doesn't love me back, then what?” (Luca Orlem asked himself, as he kept pacing. Luca finally sat onto the grass, staring over the lake. Luca just wanted Elias to approve of his love for him, he had to tell him! But, Elias Goldstein was in class... the one place Luca Orlem dreaded to step foot into. Luca knew he had to do this though, somehow.) Luca Orlem: “Pull yourself together, you got to tell him. If he says no then the worst thing is heartbreak. It's worth it, right?” (Luca seemed to ask himself.)

(Luca Orlem sighed, as he waited for all the students to leave out the academy, since they always had during lunch time. Luca still didn't know why they had lunch right after their first class for, but it was like that. Luca Orlem decided to walk to the courtyard, though he did very slowly here. Luca made his way to the courtyard finally, putting his hands into his pockets. Oddly Liz Hart came running towards him... so not the person he wanted to see!) Liz Hart: “Hey, Luca!” (Liz shouted.) Luca Orlem: “I'm right here you know? I got sensitive ears.” (Luca complained, covering his ears a bit.) Liz Hart: “Stop joking around. I am hoping I get a buddy!” (Liz said cheerfully now.)

Luca Orlem: “A buddy?” (Luca asked, as he took his hands away from his ears.) Liz Hart: Yeah, maybe it will be you, or some other guy. (Liz replied, as she smiled. 'Great she's very happy.' Luca Orlem told himself in his mind.) Luca Orlem: “Well... I hate to see that happen, so see ya.” (Luca Orlem remarked, before he walked away from her. Luca didn't like that she said he could become her buddy. 'Why even get a buddy?' Luca Orlem asked himself in his mind. Sure a buddy could help and had to be total opposites of a person, that's when an idea came to Luca's mind as he grinned as he walked. 'What if Elias becomes my buddy?' Luca Orlem asked himself, he was happy about that thought.)

(Luca Orlem kept walking, as he seen Elias Goldstein come out of the academy. 'First I need to tell him what I been hiding... then hopefully we become buddies.' Luca Orlem told himself, trying to get some confidence here. Luca Orlem breathed in and out a bit, before he finally headed towards Elias. 'Oh gosh his blonde hair is super nice looking today. I always want to touch it!' Luca Orlem said to himself, as he shook his head. 'Just play it cool, Orlem.' Luca Orlem told himself in his mind.) “Yo, prince Elias.” (Luca Orlem said. 'Why do I always have to call him prince for?' Luca Orlem asked himself.) Elias Goldstein: “What, Luca?” (Elias asked as he crossed his arms.)

Luca Orlem: “Well... you see...” (Luca Orlem was saying but trailed off, rubbing the back of his head.) Elias Goldstein: “You getting to a point here? Or wasting my time?” (Elias asked him, as he even gave a slight huff now. Luca Orlem could feel the tension raising in his rival, he had to keep him calm, he didn't want to make him mad or walk away like he usually did.) Luca Orlem: “I can't say here, lot of people are around.” (Luca Orlem stated, as he seen lot of people walking by.) Elias Goldstein: “Then why even bother me about it?” (Elias asked, as he looked even more mad. 'Great he's really getting ticked off...' Luca Orlem said to himself, as he sighed then glanced to Elias's hand.)

(Luca Orlem then did the unthinkable thing, he took Elias's hand and ran off with him somewhere to a more private location.) Elias Goldstein: “Who told you that you could hold my hand?” (Elias seemed to ask, though instead of looking more ticked off he was blushing. Luca Orlem seemed to take notice in this, as he took his hand away though.) Luca Orlem: “Sorry, sorry. I got carried away.” (Luca Orlem replied, as he rubbed the back of his head.) Elias Goldstein: So... what do you want already?” (Elias asked, getting rather impatient now.) Luca Orlem: “You see... I got feelings for you. I know that you may not have them back for me. But... I just needed to get that off my chest.” (Luca Orlem stated, as he looked into Elias's violet eyes, 'Gosh they were so beautiful.' Luca told himself.)

Elias Goldstein: “You got feelings for me?” (Elias asked in a confused tone.) Luca Orlem: “Yep, you heard me right. So... do you want to be around me?” (Luca asked him, though he hoped Elias would want to be around him now.) Elias Goldstein: “This could all be a trick. I don't buy any of this!” (Elias suddenly yelled, before he dashed off. Luca Orlem looked dumbfounded when Elias had said and did that, though he felt over his heart a bit.) Luca Orlem: “So... he thinks this a trick, hmm? He's dead wrong for thinking such. But then again... I did do tricks on him before.” (Luca Orlem replied to himself, since he was all alone now.)

(Luca Orlem sighed, as he glanced to the spot where Elias once was standing at. 'Darn it, I wanted him to be mine... guess that would never happen.' Luca told himself, even placing his head down. Luca started walking then as he sat down in the courtyard, he knew it was lunch time. Luca took out his sandwich, as he took a bite out of it, but he really wished he wouldn't be alone anymore. Luca even glanced to his emblem, though it never lit, not even as quickly as other student's emblems had. Though, Luca was hoping that Elias would become his buddy, he didn't want anyone else to take his man. Wait... his man? Luca blushed a bit from what he was thinking to himself.)

(Luca Orlem sighed, before Liz Hart seemed to run back over to him.) Liz Hart: “Guess what?” (Liz Hart asked, Luca rolled his eyes and put down his sandwich as he finished the piece he was on.) Luca Orlem: “What?” (Luca asked, he wasn't in the mood to guess.) Liz Hart: “I am going to see if Elias likes me!” (Liz Hart said excited, as Luca glared at her. Luca Orlem really hated that someone else was after Elias, but he knew the other man didn't have feelings back.) Luca Orlem: “Good luck.” (Luca whispered, as she just waved and ran off. Luca Orlem soon went back to eating his sandwich though he didn't feel like eating the whole thing. Luca only ate three bites of it now, before he went over to the trashcan to just throw it away.)

(Luca Orlem soon started to walk around the courtyard, when he seen Liz Hart talking with Elias Goldstein. Luca stopped in his tracks, before hiding behind a tree as he tried to listen into their conversation, he only got bits and pieces of it though.) Liz Hart: “So do you like me?” (Liz Hart asked Elias.) Elias Goldstein: As a friend, right?” (Elias asked to her.) Liz Hart: “I mean more then that.” (Liz Hart told him, though that was all Luca Orlem heard since they seemed to go to whispers. Luca Orlem decided to just go up to them both.) Luca Orlem: “So you two seem chatty today.” (Luca Orlem remarked, rubbing the back of his head.)

Liz Hart: “That's none of your concern.” (Liz Hart said to Luca, she even stuck out her tongue at him. Elias Goldstein seemed to giggle a bit when she did that, as Luca Orlem just shook his head.) Luca Orlem: “Well you two would make a good couple.” (Luca Orlem said in a low voice, before he walked away now. Luca couldn't stand to see how happy Elias was with her. But... something made Luca freeze in place, it was because his voice was so soothing...) Elias Goldstein: “Luca, wait!” (Elias shouted a bit, as Luca glanced back to him.) Luca Orlem: “Why should I wait for?” (Luca asked, as he casted Elias an odd look.) Elias Goldstein: “It's not what you think.” (Elias stated, as he crossed his arms.)

Luca Orlem: “Hmm... it looked like you two were getting along though. Besides, I won't try to split up a relationship.” (Luca Orlem said simply, as he gave a sigh.) Elias Goldstein: “We are just good friends.” (Elias replied, keeping his arms crossed.) Luca Orlem: “I bet you might like how she kisses.” (Luca Orlem said, though Liz Hart chuckled, so he added.) Luca Orlem: “Why are you laughing?” (Luca asked to Liz.) Liz Hart: “You crack me up at times.” (Liz Hart said as she giggled.) Luca Orlem: Oh well, I don't find it funny.” (Luca Orlem said, before he shook his head.) Elias Goldstein: “Anyhow, we should eat lunch.” (Elias suddenly said, as Luca Orlem rolled his eyes a bit. 'I threw mine away.' Luca Orlem said in his mind.)

Liz Hart: “Okay.” (Liz Hart said, then she looked to Elias then to Luca.) Luca Orlem: “What? I'm just standing here...” (Luca Orlem replied, rolling his eyes then shaking his head.) Liz Hart: “You have to eat with us.” (Liz Hart said to Luca.) Luca Orlem: “No thanks, besides I ate.” (Luca Orlem said, even though he really didn't finish his lunch.) Elias Goldstein: “I will eat on the table.” (Elias replied, before he walked over to the tables.) Liz Hart: “But the grass is better!” (Liz Hart shouted at Elias.) Luca Orlem: “You know... people might not want to be yelled at.” (Luca stated, though he just walked the other way, Liz Hart oddly watched him walk away.)

(Luca Orlem walked over to the academy building as he sighed before it, then he walked inside. It was better then being near them two, Luca Orlem thought to himself. Luca Orlem then went to the left and walked up the long hallway, until he reached the archives and went inside the room. The smell of old books was a good scent to Luca, it was his most favorite spots that he loved to hang out at.) Luca Orlem: “Well, back to my spot.” (Luca Orlem told himself, as he found himself a book, then sat down by the window. Luca Orlem kept reading the book, though he got very sleepy as he fell asleep with the book in his hands still.)

(This is the end of chapter one, going to do chapter two later today or tomorrow. Oh and Chapter Two is Elias’s point of view so enjoy xD.)

[supere1113]

The Conflict Within Myself - Track 2: Making It

Those who stuck around through the jarring, disorienting intro that is Any And All would be rewarded with a still heavy, but significantly more mainstream, uh... bop, as they call them.

From the moment I first started working on Making It, I felt something about it; this sort of energy I have only felt in a few of my songs. The bop feeling lolz! What I’m saying is that it had this calibur of catchiness that can be felt with songs like Not In My City, Ambitious and That Hype, Doh... before it. I almost knew that more people would like this song because of that, and because of the larger-than-life vision I had for the song.

Making It is yet another declaration made to set the stage for the content of this album, and is also the real beginning of the first of three acts into which this album is divided (Act I: The Renaissance). Lyrically, it’s also largely a satire on the idea of “making it” in the music industry.

There’s always this goal placed in many an artist’s head: ‘If I work hard, sooner or later, I’m going to “make it”’ in whatever field they find themselves in. Music, the visual arts, even lawyers in some cases (they are well versed in the art of lying XD). What many of those artists eventually realize upon becoming preeminent is that the idea of “making it” isn’t really a set-in-stone thing. Historically, more still have realized that they signed on to a deal that doesn’t always work in their favor, or outright screws them over (twisted record deals chief among these). To that, I say, “That’s history. I wish to reach larger audiences myself, but on my own terms.” I sing in the chorus, “If I’m making it, I’m making it my way!” to signify that sentiment. I don’t wish to have a shortcut to a platform at the expense of my complete freedom to use that platform as I intend to. And if it comes down to it, I don’t mind having a slow rise to that platform (I keep saying platform because that’s what I specifically want, not necessarily fame; though I realize they do go hand-in-hand often, I don’t seek fame particularly. I just want to speak to people. Lots of people. :)) as long as it promises longevity so I can use it for the rest of my time in this universe, “Whether I take backroads, or the highway!” 

Sidenote: I’m thinking back at how I wrote Making It, and I really love the way I did. I think it’s very effective. Anyways, In the second verse, I discuss my own perfectionism about my work (and darn near everything else at the time), being put in a box musically, even on the singing/rapping and production side of things. I express that I want to, and can be, all the parts of the song machine without relying on the help of other artists as a crutch (operative phrase ‘as a crutch.’ I want to collaborate eventually, but I also want to be able to get the job done right on my own) “Every single thing you hear, yeah, it came from me!” The good thing about being a “bedroom musician” (as much as I hate labels) is that anyone can start, and you don’t need a college degree to do it! And as I said, I don’t do this stuff for fame or money specifically, I do it to express myself and to get stuff off my chest when needed. One musical ambition of mine is to make songs (and eventually whole albums) that are both infectious to listen to and profound in their meanings. My hope is that my songs, upon reaching people, will open minds and inspire people to do whatever it is they have on their heart to do in their life. And, Imma do all of that my own terms. All of this to say, I’m a different breed altogether from what has historically been seen!

Musically, Making It is the first song on Conflict to feature a tapestry of sounds coexisting together on such a grand scale as this; the first song where I truly begin to bend and blur genres together in a more seamless, unified manner. Like Any And All, there is a palpable influence of hard rock, metal and punk. Then the chord progression has a little bit of dance and pop, while the beat is something akin to slowed drum and bass mixed with boom-bap hip hop. Then there’s a classical meets electronic inflection with the background instrumental components; synths and strings. Then, there’s the outro, which channels a lot of deep house, drum and bass, and disco simultaneously.

Another powerful song indeed on a very powerful album.