#we passed it on each other in 5 different spots it was really fun

[0yorixu]

etho sketch, don't have time to color cuz then I'll spend hours on it and I won't have time to do my school work that I've been procrastinating on

[cuubism]

k so I've been thinking about the mechanics of hob's immortality because (as I think you've mentioned) we don't know EXACTLY how it works — just that he can't die.

now as I see it there are several options, some of them I've seen and some of them I came up with because I thought they would be interesting. also this is pretty long, so feel free to ignore, but I have Thoughts and Must Express Them. (tw gore)

option 1 is the most common one, where hob heals fast & if you do something that would kill a normal person, he just heals from it. maybe he goes unconscious for a bit, then he wakes up and he's better. so there are questions about does his heart actually stop for a while and then restart, what happens if you cut out his heart / cut off his head / blow him up or sth. your standard impossible-to-kill package. sometimes this option includes Father Time interfering so hob doesn't age.

option 2 is a variation which personally I like a bit better: hob heals faster than whatever kills him. so if you try to blow him up, he heals really fast so he doesn't actually get separated into a bunch of tiny pieces. cutting off his head? his neck heals into place around the knife. shoot him? the bullet is pushed out of his body as it quickly heals. but with a minor injury, he has to deal with it like anyone else, because his body doesn't need to heal super fast to avoid him dying. a paper cut won't kill him, so he has to live with it for a while. his cells are regenerating at the exact right speed so he isn't ageing or getting younger.

option 3 is that he heals at normal person speed, but no matter what you do, he just doesn't die. so if you stab him, he'll bleed out and out and out and he'll pass out but he'll still be alive even when he has almost no blood in his body left. if you blow him up, he will be alive while being a bunch of tiny pieces. so there are possibilities for some sort of unending torment.

option 4 is that he heals normally, but if you kill him, he goes unconscious for a bit and wakes up with no injuries or even scars he's acquired since the last time he was killed. each almost-death is like a reset button. maybe he ages between deaths and resets to age 34 each time he "dies", maybe he doesn't age for some other reason.

option 5 is possibly my favourite. in this one, it's just impossible for anything to kill him. like, he's impossibly lucky — you fire a gun at his head, it'll miss or the gun will misfire or he'll duck impossibly quickly. a building falls down with him inside, he happens to be standing in just the right spot so that he doesn't get crushed. the spacetime continuum bends around him to preserve his life. this version of hob would be injured & get sick like a normal person, he'd just always be lucky enough to recover. he doesn't age because his cells just happen to not deteriorate over time. some questions here about how the 17th century went — according to this theory, he would've found food before he starved, which doesn't quite make sense with "do you know how hungry a man can get when he doesn't die but he doesn't eat", but we can ignore that for now.

so basically I have lots of ideas and feel like they could all be really interesting... thoughts?

i honestly love pretty much all the options for different reasons and i'm not sure i could even pick one i think is "canon" because there are so many possibilities

the first one (he heals faster than normal) is the one i see in fics the most, which makes sense because it's super plot-convenient especially if you're writing action. i think it's maybe... the least interesting thematically? it just makes writing easy XD does make me wonder about if he was blown up or something, but maybe he just magically avoids getting completely blown up and just gets a bad wound he can heal from. i do like the idea of him "dying" in the sense that his body shuts down, he just comes back because death doesn't take his soul. makes for great angst potential

option 2 is FUN. hob: 5000, injury: 0. he gets blown up and yeets back together. "you cannot kill me in a way that matters". kind of eldritch terror hob, strange feral creature hob too.

hob just surviving despite anything works really well with his characterization, I think. it pairs with his sheer determination to live. you can drain all of his blood but he'll still come back. you can do anything to him and he'll still want to live. it's resonant. i also like the idea of him having to heal normally, it's almost too easy if he just heals automatically. life isn't easy and hob knows that well. and he still wants it. this also matches with the way death describes what she's done: she withholds her gift, she doesn't bestow a favor. so whenever hob was meant to die, death just doesn't show.

aging between deaths and then resetting is a fun idea. it would make his life easier in some sense because he wouldn't be caught out as an immortal as easy. it makes me wonder, if he "dies" of old age does he just revert, too? does he meet death each time and she does some kind of magic to put him back? almost has a reincarnation feel to it. hob gets to reinvent himself over and over, as he does in canon.

i LOVE the luck one, it's funny and charming XD hob just wilding his way through life avoiding bullets at every turn. this would require a lot of power on the part of the endless, i think, but it is VERY fun. hob can do a little Metaphysical Parkour as a treat.

i propose a sixth, which is not very canonical but would still be fun to play with: hob cannot die, but he can be killed. (sort of in the way that vampires won't die but can be killed). so hob will live "forever" in the sense that he will not age and die, will never perish of any natural malady or illness, but he can be killed so he must safeguard his life very carefully. i think it's extremely unlikely hob would have made it to 2022 (probably wouldn't have even made it to 1489) with this eventuality, but it lends a tasty weight to any moment when hob actually does risk his life. he can be killed, but he still jumps in front of his stranger with no hesitation when trouble arises. some things are worth the risk; what those things are is very interesting.

one time hob does get seriously injured in one of these stunts protecting dream, nearly dies, manages to pull through, and dream says, "I did not think you would live," and Hob just grins at him through the blood all over him and is like, "didn't I tell you when we met that I wasn't going to die?" the sheer hubris of that man, but it works out for him.

again this goes against the canon framing of death's gift - or lack thereof - but i think it's fun.

[hbyrde36]

Welp, I did this today instead of working on my wips (I regret nothing) 

This was so fun, @every-aj-needs-an-angel 

Thank you for the tag! 💜

Its rules as follows:

1- generate 5 random words using this generator and then write something using those words!

2- tag 5 (or however many you want) mutuals to challenge!

(If you don’t like the five words you got, reroll them. This is meant to be a fun little challenge, not something to stress over. Have fun!)

My words were:

ruby, haberdashery, knit, screech, official  

I’m sure this is very much not medically realistic, but please suspend your disbelief and go on this journey with me.

Eddie was in pretty bad shape. Ruby red blood poured from multiple wounds in his abdomen, and flooded his mouth more and more with each wet cough. Steve knew they had to get him out of here and to the hospital soon or he wasn’t going to make it, but he was afraid that moving him before they could get the bleeding to stop would just make things worse. Pressure wasn’t working, what Eddie needed was stitches, something to hold it all together until they could get him proper medical attention. 

Steve had already sent Nancy back through the gate with Dustin, ignoring the kid’s screech of protest. He was hurt, his ankle badly twisted, and if the worst did happen, and Eddie didn’t make it, Steve didn’t want him to have to see that. Robin had stayed with him though, listening intently as he explained what he was thinking and how he needed her to go back into the trailer to hunt for a sewing kit and a bottle of booze.

“Okay I understand the sewing kit obviously, and you’re right, judging by the stitching work on that battle jacket, Eddie definitely did it himself, so there has to be some needle and thread around there somewhere, but why the alcohol? Do you really think it’s a good idea to get a buzz on before you start pricking him with a sharp object?”

Steve sighed. “It’s not for me, it’s for the wound, Robin! I need to clean it, and the needle. The situation is already less than ideal, but we need to at least try and be sanitary about it so he doesn’t get some sort of freaky alternate dimension infection.”

Robin giggled. “Alternate dimension infection. Hey, that rhymed!”

“Not the time!” Steve shouted.

She blushed. “Sorry, you know how I get when I panic! I’ll be right back.”

Robin set off for the trailer, it wasn’t that far from the spot where Eddie had dropped, but at this point every minute could make the difference between life and death. 

Steve looked down to where his hands were still pressing into the largest of Eddie's bites. The other boy had passed out at some point, while Steve had been forming his plan. Probably for the best, Steve thought, there was nothing worse than getting a needle through your skin without anesthesia. He would know.

Robin returned even quicker than Steve had hoped for, wielding an old cookie tin and a half full bottle of vodka. Perfect. 

He doused his hands with the alcohol first, while Robin picked through the kit and threaded a needle with the thickest thread she could find, and then they dunked that in the liquid as well.

Finally, he moved the t-shirt they had been using to staunch the blood flow on Eddie’s side, and poured another healthy portion of the vodka into the wound.

Eddie jolted awake with a hiss the second it hit his skin. Steve sympathized, that had to hurt. He offered the other boy an apologetic smile as he held up the needle, It was only going to get worse from here. 

“How the hell?” Eddie croaked. “What, is there a fucking haberdashery in the upside down?”

“What’s a haberdashery?” Steve asked, trying to keep his hands steady as he readied himself to begin.

“Where haberdashers work.”

Typical. Steve rolled his eyes. “Leave it to you, Munson, to be insufferable even on your deathbed.”

“I am what I am, Harrington. Now get a move on, it’s not going to knit itself.”

“I think you mean sew? Y’know, like stitches?”

Eddie raised a weak hand to wave the idea off. “Semantics. Knit, sew, crochet, whatever gets the job done.”

“Jesus Christ.” Steve muttered, before taking a deep calming breath. “Okay, are you ready?”

“Ready as I'll ever be, Stevie. It's okay, I trust you.”

-

Hours later, Steve, Robin, and Nancy were sitting in the hospital waiting room, praying for good news about Eddie or Max. They’d lost, that much was made clear by Max’s injuries and the sudden appearance of giant flaming red fissures spanning across the town. The only upside to it all was that, with so much fucked up shit happening around them, no one questioned either of their injuries, or seemed to care that Eddie was wanted by the police. 

Eddie’s last words had been ringing in Steve's ear since he heard them. ‘It’s okay, I trust you.” He passed out again right after he’d said it, and Steve had gone to task in eerie silence.

His work had been shoddy at best, and more than one stitch had popped in the process of getting them all back through the gate, where thankfully Nancy was waiting with the car running and ready to go. Eddie never woke back up.

Steve wondered now, as they waited for updates, if Eddie had been right to trust him, if he had made the right call. Maybe they had gotten him here too late. Maybe they should have just moved him, bleeding be damned. It would have gotten him here a lot sooner. Maybe he could have worked out a way to keep pressure on the wounds as they moved, as they drove. Maybe, maybe, maybe. 

Steve groaned, rubbing his face hard with his hands. At this rate he would go crazy before they ever saw another nurse. 

“Hey.” Robin said, rubbing soothing circles into his back. “They’re gonna be okay, both of them.”

“You don’t know that.” 

“No, I don’t. But I have hope. You have to know, even if Eddie doesn’t make it, it’s not your fault. You did everything you could.” 

Steve scoffed. “Did I, though? I just left him and Dusin there alone, Robin. They weren’t prepared for that!”

Robin shook her head. “None of us were prepared for this, and you didn’t leave them there, Steve. We all agreed to the plan, insane as it was. You’re not responsible.”

“If you say so.”

Finally, a nurse appeared in the doorway.

“You three here for Munson?” She asked.

They all stood, eagerly nodding. 

“Your.. friend had to be taken in for surgery. He’s out now, and stable. He’s not awake yet, but that’s to be expected.”

“Can we see him?” Steve asked.

“Are any of you family?” The nurse asked.

Steve hesitated, unsure if lying would somehow hurt Eddie’s case in the long run.

The nurse smiled at him sadly. “I’m sorry but…”

“I’m family.” A gruff voice called, just as a man approached their small group. “I’m Wayne Munson, I got a call that my nephew was here.”

“Oh yes, Mr Munson, I can take you to see him now.”

Steve deflated. He knew he probably had no right, but he really wanted to see for himself that Eddie was okay. 

Instead of immediately going with the nurse, the older man turned to Steve and the girls. “You three the one’s who brought my boy in?”

“Yes, sir.” Steve answered. 

Without a word, Wayne stepped forward and scooped all three of them into a group hug. Amidst the embrace he quietly said, “I was told he could have two visitors, and, well, there’s only me so, one of you three want to come with?”

“You should go, Steve.” Robin suggested quickly. “You’re the one who saved him.”

Steve sniffled, having lost the battle with his tears the moment Eddie’s uncle had embraced them. 

“It’s settled then.” Wayne said. He kept one arm around Steve’s shoulders as the girls fell back, settling once more into the hard chairs of the waiting room. 

“Okay, ma’am, my other nephew and I are ready to go see Ed now.” Wayne said to the nurse, steering Steve along with him back in her direction.

The nurse raised an eyebrow.”You’re other nephew?” 

“That’s right.”

She looked dubious but didn’t argue, and proceeded to lead them to Eddie’s room.

Along the way, Wayne told Steve about another phone call he received just prior to hearing from the hospital. Apparently Chief Powell had gotten word from someone in the government shortly before the “earthquake”, and though it wouldn’t be official until the right paperwork was processed, it seemed that Eddie had been exonerated.

Knowing what he did about the people involved, Steve was surprised the powers-that-be weren’t going to let Eddie take the fall for all of this. Realistically he couldn't be blamed for the fissures of course, but the murders before-hand? Steve shook himself out of his thoughts, deciding it would be better not to question it, and just accept the win.  

When they finally reached Eddie’s hospital room, Wayne walked right up to the bed. Steve, however, froze in the doorway. The boy in the bed looked so small and broken, nothing like the force of nature Steve had spent the past week getting to know. Suddenly he was terrified to get any closer, and unsure of why.

Wayne cleared his throat, waving Steve in. “C’mon, he won’t bite. Not unless you ask nicely anyway.”

Steve huffed a gentle laugh,shaking his head as he finally snapped out of it and approached the bed rail. “I see where Eddie gets his sense of humor.”

Wayne smiled. “He’s much worse than me, boy’s a menace.”

“Yea, I know” Steve agreed fondly, finally giving in to the urge to hold Eddie’s limp hand. 

Wayne’s eyes tracked the movement. “Are you and my nephew close? Can’t say I remember him ever mentioning a friend named Steve before. Unless, well.. No, nevermind.”

“What is it?”

Wayne narrowed his eyes. “What’s your last name again?”

“Uh, Harrington.” Steve answered, confused as to why that was suddenly relevant.

Wayne paused for a moment, and then absolutely lost his mind laughing. If Steve wasn’t sure that Eddie was truly unconscious he’d be worried about the noise waking him. 

“Sir?”

“Typical Eddie, aint it?” Wayne said between cackles. “Wanted for murder, on the run from the law, and still somehow managed to get his man.”

Steve could feel himself turning bright red as the man’s words sunk in. He hadn’t meant to give the man the wrong idea by holding Eddie’s hand, he’d just wanted to feel him. He wanted some reassurance. His first instinct was to drop the hand and back away, it’s what he thought he should do, but it wasn’t what he wanted. He fought to keep himself in place and met Wayne’s eyes. 

“No need to panic, son, I've known about Eddie since he was 12 years old. Your secret’s safe with me.” 

“Thank you, but, I have to tell you, um, we’re not together.” Steve explained, though the way his gut twisted as he said it told him a lot about how drastically his feelings towards Eddie had changed.

“I see,” Wayne said, holding his gaze for a long moment. “You should consider telling him how you feel when he wakes up. Don’t tell him I said so, but he’s had a crush on you for years, he’ll be thrilled.”

“Am I that obvious?” Steve joked. He must be, he thought, for the man to have picked up on it before Steve had even realized himself.

“It’s okay, kid. Just, be good to him, alright? I don’t want to have to shoot the guy that saved my nephew's life.”

Steve smiled, rubbing his thumb along the back of Eddie’s hand where he still held it. “I will, I promise”

(absolutely no pressure) tagging @penny00dreadful @dreamwatch @vecnuthy @manda-panda-monium @thisapplepielife @brbsoulnomming @thefreakandthehair

[maddys-nerd-blog]

Maddy’s Top Five Favorite TMNT Episodes from Every Series!

Welcome to my ranking list! My first of many, hopefully! I even spiced things up and made it all fancy with the different font! 😂 god I’m getting old.

A while ago I made a PowerPoint presentation for fun about the history of the TMNT and the franchise. From that point it led to me gaining a spot in a YouTube video series discussing the movies leading up to the premier of Mutant Mayhem, and it’s been one of the best things to happen to me despite the terrible stuff I’ve gone through.

TMNT really saved me at the lowest point of my life in the winter of 2022. It inspired me to go back to Tumblr. I met and befriended incredibly talented people in this fandom. And I’ve found a reason to be happy again because of it. The pain of losing my big sister still aches, and I miss her more each passing day, but I know she’d tell me to get off my ass and do what made me happy.

So for my birthday this weekend, I’ll share this with you guys to celebrate something that brought me joy through all this pain. ❤️‍🩹

Let’s talk turtles! 💙💜❤️🧡

Lemme explain the criteria for this real fast;

The episode had to have come from a current/ up to date show. It has to be fully completed!

The episodes have to catch my interest and the plot needs to be gripping! The angstier the better!

Any of the series episodes are candidates for a win! Except for certain ones that I’d rather not watch 🤣

SPOILERS BEWARE! Cuz… well, I dunno who’s finished the shows and I don’t wanna ruin the surprise for others!

Also, this never would have been possible without @jadethest0ne for inspiring me! Thank you for all you do in the TMNT fandom, your art/ analyses are wonderful!!! Please go give them support!!

Onto the list proper! Starting with the series that started it all: 1987!

The Maltese Hamster ( Season 3 Ep. 4 ) An excellent Donatello solo episode that takes the tone of a detective noir movie, but keeping the fun vibe of the show! Donnie gets to take center stage for once, April gets to use a laser gun, and the shift in tone sets the mood really well! It’s downright harrowing to watch a building collapse on Donnie and see him limping away from the scene in agony, passing out at Irma’s feet, trying to save his brothers despite the odds. Donnie’s my favorite turtle for a reason!

Raphael Meets His Match ( Season 4 Ep. 17 ) The first appearance of Mona Lisa, and I can see why the fans adore this ship so much! The chemistry between Mona and Raph throughout this one episode is really telling of how impactful one character can be to a franchise! Mona is really fun! She’s not just a token ‘girl character’ trope or an archetype, she can handle herself and kick ass alongside the turtles, plus she and Raph have some pretty witty banter together!

Beware The Lotus ( Season 3 Ep. 28 ) The introduction of Lotus Blossom! It’s speculated that the inspiration for Karai came from Lotus! Lotus and Leo had great chemistry together, it's a shame we only got two episodes to spend with her. She really is an interesting character with loads of story potential about finding your place in the world, discovering who you are, changing your destiny to make it what you want. This is me basically saying I am now part of the Lotus Blossom Fan Club.

Cowabunga, Shredhead! ( Season 3 Ep. 18 ) This is one of the fan favorite episodes, and after I watched it for the first time I could not stop laughing. James Avery does his best Mikey impression while playing the over the top Shredder, and everyone just accepts it??? It’s downright genius! The meme material from this one is plentiful!

Michelangelo Meets Mondo Gecko ( Season 5 Ep. 4 ) The introduction of Mondo himself, and he’s got a really cool design! On first viewing I was pleasantly surprised by his unique color scheme and his character! He’s a bad guy that gets a redemption arc by the end of the episode! I was rooting for him the whole time! It was this debut that made me adore Mondo, and he’s since become my favorite mutant character of the franchise!

Honorable Mentions are Donatello’s Duplicate and Turtlemaniac!

Next up is a controversial one, but I gotta be honest… ‘03 isn’t my favorite series for a lot of reasons, but I will admit! When this series had fantastic episodes, they were AMAZING. So I gotta give credit when due and give kudos to these wins!

The Shredder Strikes Back Parts One and Two ( Season 1 Episodes 17-18 ) Nothing really tops how good this show was in the first season, and these episodes take the comic storyline of Leo’s beatdown and bring it to life masterfully. For Leo’s segments of part one it’s spent mostly with no dialogue— the animation and music carrying how serious the scene is as Leo has to fight for his life against the Foot and how desperate he becomes as he grows weaker and weaker. The second episode is non-stop action as the rest of the turtles, Splinter, April and Casey have to fend off the Foot and Shredder as they fight for their lives in the antique shop. This is one of Michael Sinterniklass’s BEST performances as Leo in these episodes. The stakes are higher than ever before, the animation is gorgeous, and everyone gives it their all for this epic mid-season finale.

Same As It Never Was ( Season 3 Ep. 21 ) This is the episode I would tell people to watch if they think TMNT is just kiddie trash.

Bad Blood ( Season 6 Ep. 12 ) Probably the Fast Forward concept I wish got expanded on instead of giving it two standalone stories and dropping it entirely. It’s a cool idea that I wish got touched upon more often because, yeah, what would evil clones of the turtles look like? What kind of abilities could they have? There’s infinite possibilities! I could live without the new catchphrase ‘It's Ninja Time’ though. While Fast Forward is flawed, this episode was the one I thoroughly liked!

Insane in the Membrane ( Season 4 Ep. 19 ) The infamously banned episode, and all I have to say about it is two words. Holy. Shit.

The Real World Part One ( Season 3 Ep. 22 ) Any team-up with Usagi Yojimbo is a good one, and this was such a delight! It’s loosely based on one of the Usagi stories from the comics, and I loved how badass they made both Usagi and Tomoe! Leo and Usagi have great chemistry as always, and you can tell they have a strong bond with one another as warriors! Or boyfriends depending on how you interpret their relationship but honestly I totally see where everyone is coming from, THESE TWO ARE ADORABLE DORKS.

Next up is my all-time favorite incarnation of the franchise, 2012!! I have A LOT to say about so many of the episodes but alas, I could only choose five to discuss. One day… one day I shall make a thesis about it 🤣 for now however, here’s my top five faves from this series!

The Yojimbo Trilogy ( Season 5 Episodes 7-9 ) Oh. My. God. YES. The love letter to Stan Sakai’s comics, the beautiful homage to vintage Japanese cinema with the camera framework and action, and OH MY LORD, THE COLORS AND SHADING DURING USAGI’S FIGHT WITH JAY IN THE FINALE???? THAT’S CINEMA! Excellent voice acting by Yuki Matsuzaki, which was his first English speaking role and personally chosen by Sakai himself to play the ronin rabbit! My only complaint is that I wish we’d gotten more of the Yojimbo characters in here, like Tomoe or Gen! Otherwise I can watch all three of these episodes on repeat and always get excited!

Lone Rat and Cubs ( Season 5 Ep. 10 ) The final appearance of Splinter, the episode Kevin Eastman wrote, and a beautiful send-off to this character. It’s a flashback, yes, but this is the episode we get to see Yoshi adapting to his mutation as a rat, raising his boys, trying to be a good father and struggling to survive from the Krang. It’s a part of his life we rarely ever get to see, and this episode shows us why he was a great father. Basically it's a try not to cry challenge. For me, THIS episode is the series finale because it’s just a perfect conclusion to Splinter and his story.

Requiem/Owari ( Season 4 Episodes 25-26 ) The finale to the overall series, the finale to this overarching story, and it’s just as heartbreaking and suspenseful as you’d expect. The writers don't hold back their punches, and it shows that the gloves have finally come off. The characters we’ve come to love and care for are at their breaking point, the Shredder is the most threatening he’s ever been, and the team decides it’s time to put the monster down for good. Whoever thinks this show was just ‘kiddie trash’ needs to be sat down and shown this two-parter, because GODDAMN. Ciro Nieli treated this with so much care and respect. I cannot help but adore the team who put this together because the stakes have been raised to an all-time high, and the final showdown between Shredder and the turtles here is hair-raising, all reaching its climax when Leonardo finishes Oroku Saki by beheading him. It’s powerful, it’s devastating, and it’s a damn excellent showcase of why this series was the best iteration of the franchise to date.

The Fourfold Trap ( Season 3 Ep. 23 ) Yet another homage to a horror movie, only this time it’s a lot more intense. Based on Saw, this episode makes you sit on the edge of your seat as you can only hope that the turtles will escape the traps Karai’s put them in. It’s all nerve wracking to watch on a first viewing experience, POOR DONNIE OH MY GOD, CAN WE STOP PUTTING THIS BOY IN ELECTROCUTION DEVICES???? He still manages to create a plan to save his brothers even while he’s being electrocuted! Also, SPLINTER IS BEST RAT DAD. This episode will teach you the meaning of ‘angsty dread’ and ‘overwhelming anxiety.’

Trans-Dimensional Turtles ( Season 4 Ep. 10 ) THE TURTLES FOREVER WE DESERVED BUT WE DIDN'T GET UNTIL CIRO NIELI HOOKED US UP WITH THE BEST CROSSOVER WE’VE EVER BEEN BLESSED WITH! The OG turtles are all so much fun to see again both in and out of 2D, Gilbert Godfried is always a delight, the 2012 turtles in traditional 2D animation is awesome, and ALL THE OG VOICE ACTORS ARE HERE AND CLEARLY HAVING THE TIMES OF THEIR LIVES. THE ROB PAULSEN JOKE IS LITERALLY A BLESSING XD I only wish it had been longer!

Honorable Mentions are Slash and Destroy, Pizza-Face, Within the Woods and Mutant Gangland!

And rounding it off is the last— but certainly not least— series, Rise!! I adore this one!! It’s right behind 2012 as my favorite TMNT series just for the stellar animation!! It’s such a shame that this one had to end so unfairly, but today I’m giving it the love it deserves!! Please note that I have yet to complete season two of ROTTMNT cuz my life has been crazy hectic and I haven’t had the time, but once I do, I’ll go back and update this section if I find more episodes I liked!

Raph’s Ride Along ( Season 2 Ep. 8A ) Ummmmmm the 2012 VA’s playing parody versions of their turtles as yokai criminals??? HELL YEAH. If only they got Astin to play a character though! Then we would’ve had a reverse Turtles Forever reunion! I came out of this episode really loving the Mud Dogz as characters and wanting more, especially Dastardly Danny cuz Rob Paulsen is always a win! Too bad this show got canned before we could really get to know these guys. BUT HEY! That’s what the fandom is for! 🤣

Insane in the Mama Train ( Season 1 Episode 25 ) When I watched this series blind, this episode blew my mind. Seeing something so well done had me screaming in joy with how expertly this episode was crafted. The stellar action choreography, the great comedic elements splashed in to lighten the tense mood, the ANIMATION OH MY LORD. Disney, take notes. And that ending leaves a pit in my stomach every time, like OOOOF, those expressions! That sudden tonal swap!

Mystic Library ( Season 1, Ep. 20A ) Probably my favorite comedy episode! The timing for the jokes in this one specifically is so well done, and every single one had me in tears. I’ve been trying to commit Donnie’s library rap to memory but alas, I’ve been failing.

The Clothes Don’t Make The Turtle ( Season 2 Episode 10B ) THIS. MORE OF THIS PRETTY PLEASE. It's just SO MUCH FUN. I really don’t have anything else to say other than this one is a great treat, also, the reanimated fan cut of this is spectacular!!

Snow Day ( Season 1 Ep. 23B ) This, for me, is the Christmas special of the series even though it’s in no way related to the holiday or has anything to do with it BUT I DON’T CARE LET ME DREAM. I love this one for the adorable interactions and the bonding! Seeing the characters goofing off and having fun, enjoying the weather and spending time together outside of the angst? I CRAVE FLUFF LIKE THIS.

And Tada! There it is! I hope you liked this!! It was tons of fun to compile all my favorite episodes into one project and share my thoughts! This fandom has been nothing but fantastic and I’m proud to be in it!

Thank you to all who have inspired me to keep going and pursue my dreams. You guys are great! @queen-with-the-quill @tending-the-hearth @wasted-and-ready @tmnt-tychou @mermmarie @figuringitoutasigoalong @lameboobah @zandiiangelspit @pumpkinpie59 @indieyuugure @angelicdavinci @imagine4000

And thank you to my IRL friends who have pulled me to my feet and supported me. Not only are you guys the best people I know, but I consider you guys family. You really saved me last year. I’m honored to call you my friends 💓

What are your favorite episodes?? Lemme know!! 😁 Maybe I’ll do a movie ranking next!

Cowabunga!! Have a great day!! 💚💚

[shiningwonderland]

Syo Kurusu (Repeat)

Translator: Terry (twitter: turtlemudge) Proofreader: Raz (twitter: agnadance) Editor: Noemi (twitter: dreaminbeyond), Snail (twitter: herbert_snail)

May — May Alla Caccia

It is now May. Today is the day of the annual sports festival.

Tomochika Shibuya: Let’s do our best today, Haruka!!

This person is Tomochika Shibuya-san. We’re in different classes, but she’s my friend and roommate.

I’ve never had someone I could remotely call a friend before, but Tomo-chan made friends with me the day we met.

Haruka Nanami: Yeah! Oh...Tomo-chan, where’s your P.E. uniform?

Tomochika Shibuya: Oh, this? It’s the outfit for the cheering competition that comes before the other matches. I’m leading the dance.

We’re wearing casual outfits and dancing with pom-poms.

Haruka Nanami: I see…. Do your best, okay?

Tomochika Shibuya: Leave it to me! Anyway, how about you? What are you doing?

Haruka Nanami: Uh... well, I run slow, so...

Select the phrase!

... I’m in the tuna-of-war…. (+0 Love +5 Music)

Tomochika Shibuya: Oh, so you’re in that…. Well, it could be a rumor, so I don’t know if it’s true or not, but….

They say it’s a mysterious game where you have to pull a Pacific bluefin tuna once around the track….

Haruka Nanami: Huh…? That actually sounds kind of delicious.

Tomochika Shibuya: … That’s true. I can see how you could think that. Well, do your best.

Haruka Nanami: Yeah!!

... I’m in the ball-throwing game…. (+0 Love +5 Music)

Tomochika Shibuya: Oh, so you’re in that…. Well, it could be a rumor, so I don’t know if it’s true or not, but….

They say that last year the principal said something confusing like, “Balls are round. Y’know what else is round? CATS!”

Apparently it was a game where each team had to carry a basket into the mountains behind the school and look for a cat named “Ball.” Searching back there took half a day, apparently.

Haruka Nanami: I like cats, though.

Tomochika Shibuya: Is that so? Then I’m sure it’ll be fine. Well, good luck!!

Haruka Nanami: Yeah!!

... I’m jumping rope… (+0 Love +5 Music)

Tomochika Shibuya: I’ve heard that the jump rope goes along with a word game. Apparently, people have to jump in one by one while saying a word that starts with the last letter of the previous word.

And there’s no passing, either. Using your body and mind at the same time seems difficult.

Haruka Nanami: Eek... I’m bound to trip on the rope immediately....

Tomochika Shibuya: ….

Well, do your best. I’ll be cheering you on from the sidelines.

Haruka Nanami: Okay. Thank you.

Syo Kurusu: Haruka, this spot open?

Syo-kun, with his excellent motor skills, has really been looking forward to the sports festival. For the entire last week or so, he’s been muttering, “Can it hurry up and get here already?”

And now it’s finally being held today. Syo-kun looks like he’s having a great time.

Haruka Nanami: Oh, of course.

Syo Kurusu: It’s Tokiya’s turn next, right?

Haruka Nanami: Umm….

I take out the sports festival program to check, when….

Syo-kun brings his head close to take a look.

Syo Kurusu: Hm? Hundred-meter marathon? If it’s a hundred meters, how is it a marathon?

Haruka Nanami: Oh, there’s an explanation underneath. Um, “In this event, competitors do a low crawl for one hundred meters along a track.

Before starting, competitors must drink a mouthful of oolong tea, and make it to the finish line without spitting it out.

Furthermore, in addition to the course, hitmen prepared by the school will appear to make the competitors laugh.

Please endure this ordeal safely and achieve your goal.”

... That’s what it says, anyway.

Syo Kurusu: That’s Shining for you, making a school based on his whims…. Just because it’s called a sports festival, it doesn’t mean we can take it lightly.

Select the phrase!

You’re right. (+30 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: It’s just one exciting day after another.

Syo Kurusu: “Exciting”...? Are you being serious right now?

Haruka Nanami: Yes. There are so many fun things.

Syo Kurusu: Hah. You’re funny.

Saying this, Syo-kun chuckles. His face is so cute that just looking at it makes me start smiling, too.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you very much.

Syo Kurusu: Dummyyy. I’m not complimenting you. Take that!

Saying this, Syo-kun pokes my forehead with his index finger.

Haruka Nanami: Ouch!

Sounds like fun. (+0 Love +5 Music)

Syo Kurusu: Seriously?

Haruka Nanami: Yes. I think it’s fitting for a legendary idol to think of something so unique. I can’t help but admire it.

Syo Kurusu: You’re pretty unique too, aren’t you?

Haruka Nanami: Yes. Thank you very much.

Syo Kurusu: That wasn’t a compliment….

It really is amazing. (+0 Love +5 Music)

Haruka Nanami: It’s the principal’s work, all right. He’s something special. This is incredibly fascinating.

Syo Kurusu: No, actually, you being fascinated is the amazing thing.

And so, the hundred-meter marathon begins.

Everyone seems to be having a hard time keeping the oolong tea in their mouths while doing the low crawl, and competitors start failing one after another.

Haruka Nanami: Look, Prince!

Syo Kurusu: What?

Haruka Nanami: Oh, no... not you, Syo-kun. Look, over there, in the truck, can you see that tall man? He’s a special guest lecturer for the composing course and the girls call him….

Female Student A: Kyaaa, Prince~~!! Look this way~

Female Student B: Ohmigosh, he’s waving at us…. Ahhh, his smile is just too amazing.

Haruka Nanami: He’s called the Prince of Composition and he’s very popular.

It appears that the Prince is somehow participating in the event as a hitman.

Syo Kurusu: … A prince, huh… ? He really seems popular with the ladies, but…. Is he really on a prince’s level...?

Haruka Nanami: The Prince is really, really cool and can compose the most wonderful songs.

Also, he’s a lyricist, and he can write the sweetest, most heartbreaking words for love songs.

Maybe he’ll write a love song for you too one day, Syo-kun.

Syo Kurusu: I… like your songs more….

Haruka Nanami: Hm? Syo-kun, did you say something?

Syo Kurusu: … No, not really.

Haruka Nanami: When you get bigger, you might even become a wonderful prince like that. Heehee. I’m looking forward to it.

Syo Kurusu: That… isn’t really what I’m aiming for….

… So then, are you saying he’s the kind of guy you like?

Haruka Nanami: Yes. I admire him as a composer. I hope to create songs as good as his one day. Even his lessons were very easy to understand.

Syo Kurusu: … That’s not what I meant….

Haruka Nanami: Hm?

Syo Kurusu: … It’s nothing. But, is that right…? … A composer you admire, huh….

Haruka Nanami: The Prince is very mindful of his singers, and values them highly. He thinks of them constantly when he’s composing.

I mean, I want to be like that, too. I want you… your songs to shine brighter than anything, Syo-kun. I’ll try my best to write good songs for you.

Syo Kurusu: I-is that so…? You know, I really like your melodies. They’re—they make me feel calm somehow….

They’re bursting with this upbeat energy…. I don’t know if it’s a good match or what, but my body feels really comfortable when I dance to them. You have good taste, you know.

Haruka Nanami: I—I’m not that good at all!!

Syo Kurusu: Don’t sell yourself short!! I’m saying it, so it’s absolutely true! Have more confidence in yourself…!

Syo-kun drops his hand onto my head and ruffles my hair.

Somehow, hearing Syo-kun say all that is very reassuring. It makes me think that for him, I can do anything.

Haruka Nanami: I’ll work hard…. I want to debut with you, Syo-kun…. If I’m going to debut, I want it to be with you.

Syo Kurusu: Of course! We’ll definitely debut together! It’s a promise!

Syo-kun gives me a fist bump.

Haruka Nanami: Okay.

Syo Kurusu: A man’s word is his bond. I’ll keep this promise if it kills me!

Haruka Nanami: Yes. I’ll do my very best!

As I speak, I meet Syo-kun’s gaze, and we laugh together.

Heehee.

And then, from the track, the sound of laughter—and the sound of someone spitting out their oolong tea—could be heard.

Syo Kurusu: … Wow, that person is something else. He’s made most of the girls spit out their tea just by whispering in their ears. I wonder what the heck he said…. … Oh, but it doesn’t look like it’s working on Tokiya.

Haruka Nanami: I wonder if his princely techniques only work on high school girls?

Syo Kurusu: Looks like. Doesn’t look like he’s getting to Ittoki, either.

Haruka Nanami: Ittoki-kun…?

Syo Kurusu: Oh, right, you wouldn’t know him, huh? He’s Tokiya’s roommate, but he’s in A class. We hit it off during soccer in P.E. class, and now some afternoons we play together on the school grounds.

He’s a pretty good guy. I’ll introduce you sometime.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you very much.

Syo Kurusu: Oh! … Hey, looks like all the students except Tokiya and Ittoki are out, huh.

Haruka Nanami: Ah, you’re right…. Ichinose-san, Please do your beeeest!

Shining Saotome:HA-HA-HAA~~!!

I’M amazing, even when NAKED!

Suddenly, the principal appears in front of Ichinose-san and Ittoki-kun. And then….

His form, with the suit torn away, is incredibly superb.

Shining Saotome: TA-DAAAAA!!

On that abundantly large chest, the words “MAN OF JAPAN” are written in magic marker.

Tokiya Ichinose: Pbbth!

Otoya Ittoki: Pbthack! Cough, cough! N-no one could withstand something like this!! Hack, cough!

Ichinose-san and Ittoki-kun both spit out their oolong tea at the same time.

Shining Saotome: Ha ha haa~~ You both faillll!

Your training is not yet enouuuughhh to withstand my MUSCLES!

Syo Kurusu: Whoa…. That has to be foul play….

Select the phrase!

He’s so cool. (+5 Love +10 Music)

Syo Kurusu: Huh…? Seriously? That’s really the type of guy you’re into?

Haruka Nanami: The principal is amazing at everything he does. He’s so cool! And he seems very strong, as well.

Syo Kurusu: … Well, sure he is, but…. If it were just strength, I’m just as….

He’s very manly. (+5 Love +10 Music)

Syo Kurusu: Well, he did write “MAN OF JAPAN” on his chest and everything….

If we’re talking manliness, then sure, I guess he is, but…. That’s separate from whether he’s cool or anything, right?

Haruka Nanami: Do you think so? I think he’s cool, though….

Syo Kurusu: Really…? That’s quite a type you’ve got, huh.

Haruka Nanami: ???

Amazing.... (+0 Love +10 Music)

Syo Kurusu: Amazing, huh….

I guess he’s a weirdo who’s transcended everything normal.

Syo Kurusu: Next is Ren, right…? Yeah, he was saying he was going to be in the mock cavalry battle. All right, let’s cheer him on!!

Haruka Nanami: Apparently Jinguji-san will be the one riding on top of three people supporting him. He was saying he has confidence in horse riding.

He said something about being able to break even the most unmanageable mare to his hand…. Impressive, isn’t it?

Syo Kurusu: “Mare”... ? I think he was talking about something else….

Haruka Nanami: Something else…?

I tilt my head to one side, confused, and Syo-kun pats me on the shoulder.

Syo Kurusu: No, you don’t need to know. Just forget about it.

Saying this, Syo-kun nods to himself, looking thoughtful.

???

What was that all about?

With the sounding of a conch shell, the match begins. From different sides of the field come the sounds of…. Galloping?

Syo Kurusu: W-what!? What’s going on?!

Haruka Nanami: Ah! They’re horses. But there’s so many!!!

Hoofbeats ring out as dozens of students riding horses gather in the center of the sports field.

It seems like they entered through the school gates, but where on earth did everyone get a horse to ride on…?

Oh, but now that I think about it…. The principal has said before that there are animals kept as performers by the school….

Syo Kurusu: Wow…. When they said “cavalry,” then…. They really were horses…? But then, where did that many come from…?

Shining Saotome: Ha-ha-HA~. These are no ordinary horseees.

These are descendants of real war horses of the Sengoku period, a line of stock raised in Japan from time immemoriaaalll!

Haruka Nanami: … Now that he’s said that, it really does seem to be true. They don’t appear to be as tall as thoroughbreds.

This really does look like a battle. Umm, Jinguji-san’s camp’s banner says… “Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain.”

Another one says “Honor”...?

Shining Saotome: HA-HA-HAA~. This is the Battle of Kawanakajimaaaa!

Haruka Nanami: The Battle of Kawanakajima…. Umm, let me see.... When Shingen Takeda of Kai Province conquered the northern Shinano Province, the forces under attack retreated to Echigo Province.

There, they appealed to Kenshin Uesugi for aid, and in 1553, Shingen and Kenshin clashed at Shinano, Kawanakajima.

Up till 1564, they fought five times in that field. Today, Shingen and Kenshin are regarded as worthy opponents, and are called “The Tiger of Kai” and “The Dragon of Echigo.”

So I suppose that this time, Jinguji-san is Shingen Takeda fighting against Kenshin Uesugi?

Syo Kurusu: You… know a lot about this.

Syo-kun stares at me, wide-eyed.

Haruka Nanami: Um… I like studying…. Because… I can do it… even if I’m by myself.

Syo Kurusu: … That’s too dark!!

Syo-kun takes me firmly by the shoulders.

Syo Kurusu: You… you can’t possibly…. I can’t imagine it, but…! Have you never had friends before?

Haruka Nanami: No, I haven’t… not a single friend, through middle school….

Syo Kurusu: Seriously!? That’s too sad….

Syo-kun takes his hand away for a moment to wipe his eyes, and then grabs my shoulders tightly again.

Syo Kurusu: You’re my servant, but…. No, BECAUSE you’re my servant, I’m making this an order! From this day forward, I order you to be my friend!

Got it? You’ll never be alone again. Ren and Tokiya are your friends, too!!

That’s why… that is…. Never say something that sad again. Understood?!

Haruka Nanami: … Okay. Thank you very much. I’m very happy… that you said that….

No one has ever said that to me so seriously before. I’m so happy, and I feel a little bit like I might start crying.

Syo Kurusu: … Dummy! Don’t cry….

Haruka Nanami: I won’t…! Really, thank you so much!!

Saying this, I wipe away the tears that have gathered in the corners of my eyes.

Syo Kurusu: As… as long as you understand. … You understand, right?

Oh, hey! Looks like Ren’s battle has started.

Ren Jinguji: Heh, it’s time for a fight. Masato Hijirikawa!! Today, it seems we’ll be able to settle things.

Masato Hijirikawa: … I am not fond of fighting, but…. If attacked, there is no way left but to fight. Come! I will beat you at your own game.

Syo Kurusu: Hey, doesn’t it seem like Ren’s gotten perfectly into character? Hijirikawa’s getting surprisingly into it, too.

Haruka Nanami: Idols really need strong acting skills, so those two must be throwing themselves into their training day after day.

Syo Kurusu: … You think so? Well, those two seem to be taking this seriously, but…. Somehow, they don’t seem all that different from normal.

Haruka Nanami: Do they normally fight like that? Jinguji-san and, um, Hijirikawa-sama, right? The one in the role of Uesugi Kenshin….

Syo Kurusu: Oh, you’ve heard of the Hijirikawa conglomerate, right? That giant organization. He’s the heir to that.

Maybe it’s because Ren has ties to their rival company, Jinguji Group, but Ren’s aaaallways picking fights with him.

Haruka Nanami: I see, so they’re destined to be rivals.

Perhaps because the theme is the Battle of Kawanakajima, an hour passes without the match being decided. It ends with a tie.

Ren Jinguji: Hmph. A tie, is it…? But next time I will surely win!

Masato Hijirikawa: Come back whenever you like. I will defeat you.

It seems that as this time was a draw, the war between these two will continue.

Syo Kurusu: Alright! My turn’s next.

The moment after Syo-kun yells this...

Ryuya Hyuga: Alright, let’s get started, yeah? Everybody, on your marks! Ryuya Hyuga: Get set. Ready, Go! Rodriguez: Rrooooawrr!! Rodriguez: Grrrrrrrr!!! Rodriguez: Grrraaaaah!! Rodriguez: Rwowrrr~~! ♪ Rodriguez: Graowl!! Rodriguez: Whimper. Haaaaaah!! Ryuya Hyuga: This is sudden, but we’re going to have a pop quiz today! You’ll be fine, it’s not that hard.

Natsuki Shinomiya: SYO-CHAAAAN!!

… someone comes running at Syo-kun hard enough to raise a cloud of dust behind them.

Syo Kurusu: Geh!! Natsuki!!

Syo panics and tries to dash off, but….

The person chases after him and embraces him as hard as they can.

Crunch!

The moment he’s embraced, there’s a worrying crack from Syo-kun’s back that I definitely shouldn’t have been able to hear.

Syo Kurusu: Gah!!

Natsuki Shinomiya: Syo-chan, Syo-chan! I heard that you’re also going to be in the obstacle course?

I’m in that, too. It’s sad to have to fight against my dear friend.

Syo Kurusu: I-it hurts….

Because he’s being held by a tall person, Syo-kun’s feet are no longer on the ground....

But it seems the one holding him doesn’t realize this at all.

Natsuki Shinomiya: But you know... Ringo-sensei told me that best friends have to fight each other at times.

So, Syo-chan, please don’t hold back, not even against me. Please compete with all your might. Okay?

Syo Kurusu: You’re the one who needs to hold back! Get your hands off me right nowwww!

Syo-kun’s legs flail uselessly in midair.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Oh, sorry!

The person opens their arms instantly and Syo-kun thumps back onto his feet.

Syo Kurusu: Hack, cough! Aaah, I thought I was gonna die, getting bear-hugged with that much brute force….

So you’re saying you think I’d stoop so low as to take it easy on you, just because we’re competing in the same event? You’d better be ready to get your ass handed to you instead!

Syo-kun raises his fists and gets into a fighting stance.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Is that how it is…? I see. You’re right. Syo-chan is always serious when it comes to battles.

Syo Kurusu: That’s right!! As long as you get it!

Haruka Nanami: Um… who is this person…?

Natsuki Shinomiya: I’m Natsuki Shinomiya, from A Class. I’m roommates with Syo-chan in the dorms~

Shinomiya-san, then. He seems like a very kind person….

He’s slender and tall, and his slightly curly, milk-tea-colored hair looks fluffy.

The gaze coming through his glasses is gentle and kind. Overall, he gives off a very warm impression.

Haruka Nanami: Ah, um, I’m Haruka Nanami. I’m Syo-kun’s servant.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Oh, is that so…? I’m also Syo-chan’s servant, you know. Right? Your Highness? ♪

Saying this, Natsuki-san grins cheerfully.

Syo Kurusu: Is it my imagination, or are you making fun of me…?

Tokiya Ichinose: … Syo, you’re almost up.

Syo Kurusu: Whoops. Hey, Natsuki, let’s get going!!

Natsuki Shinomiya: Okay!

Syo-kun seems to be having a lot of fun, somehow.

Those two are roommates, so I’m sure they get along well. Friendship between boys seems so nice.

Hyuga-sensei walks onto the race track and cocks the starting gun.

BANG!

The competitors break into a run the moment the starting gun fires.

The first obstacle in the course is a set of monkey bars. Using only their arms, competitors have to cross over a ten-meter pool of mud without falling in.

It seems that the pit is at least two meters deep, so if they fall even once, their lives could be in danger....

Therefore, everyone is crossing them desperately.

Syo Kurusu: Yah! Hah! Hah!

Natsuki Shinomiya: Hup-hup….

The two of them are moving quite well, and they steadily pull ahead of the students from the other classes.

If things continue like this, it seems like Syo-kun and Shinomiya-san will be the only two fighting to be first.

After that, there’s a balance beam, but the beam is surrounded by a tunnel of fire, so it looks as if they don’t cross it quickly, they’ll catch fire.

Syo Kurusu: Hot! Hot! My hair, it’s catching fire…. Gaaaaaah!

Syo-kun crosses the balance beam with incredible speed. Shinomiya-san, on the other hand….

Natsuki Shinomiya: Aah, it’s warm here....

Looking absolutely unperturbed, he crosses the balance beam slowly… and yet, he and Syo-kun leave their balance beams at the same moment.

The next obstacle is not a bread-grabbing contest, but instead a crab-grabbing contest.

Lively, energetic-looking crabs are hanging over the track, waiting for the competitors to grab them in their mouths….

The risk of their pincers catching their lips seems very high.

Syo Kurusu: Ow! Don’t pinch there! Ow! Ow ow ow ow ow!

Natsuki Shinomiya: Wow, so cute….

Cute? I guess crabs can be cute to look at….

I wonder if Shinomiya-san likes small animals? That’s rather charming.

Finally, for the last challenge, the competitors have to pick a scrap of paper from ones scattered on the track, find someone with the trait written on it, and run a three-legged race with that person to the finish line.

Syo-kun picks up a piece of paper, looks it over, frowns at it for a moment, and then comes running toward me.

Syo Kurusu: Haruka. Come on. Let’s go to the finish line together.

Syo-kun reaches out and offers me his hand.

Haruka Nanami: … Okay.

I wonder what was written on the paper that Syo-kun chose?

“Partner,” maybe? Or “composer”? I’d like to ask him later.

Syo-kun removes the headband from his head and uses it to tie our legs tightly together.

Syo Kurusu: Okay, let’s go. Are you ready?

Haruka Nanami: Yes.

Syo-kun holds tightly onto my arm. I can feel his shoulder against mine. It’s more solid than it looks. It reminds me that Syo-kun is definitely a fit young man.

Even while we’re running in a three-legged race, Syo-kun’s being very careful with me as he leads us forward.

The two of us reach the track, and then….

Natsuki Shinomiya: There, there, who’s a good boy…?

Haruka Nanami: A-a lion!?

Shinomiya-san has a lion with him.

Possibly startled by my voice, the lion suddenly starts to go wild.

Syo Kurusu: Geez! Where did you even get something like that!? Or wait, what was even written on your paper?!?

Shocked, Syo-kun fiercely demands a response from Shinomiya-kun.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Hm? It had “kitten” written on it, of course. See, isn’t he cute? What a sweetie~

Syo Kurusu: No matter how you look at it, even you can’t think that’s a kitten! How bad are your eyes?!?

Natsuki Shinomiya: Ah!!

The cord tying Shinomiya-san’s leg to the lion’s suddenly snaps, and the lion comes bounding towards us.

Syo Kurusu: Haruka! Get down!!!

Syo-kun immediately gets in front of me, protecting me from the lion.

Haruka Nanami: Eh…? S-Syo-kun, be careful….

Syo Kurusu: Shut up. I’ll absolutely protect you!! So, don’t worry about me!!

Haruka Nanami: … Syo-kun….

The back that I’ve only thought of as small up till now suddenly seems so big and strong.

Syo Kurusu: Ugh. You—!

The lion bares his fangs at Syo-kun, threatening him.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Syo-chan, you shouldn’t act so aggressive…. You need to speak to him more gently.

Syo Kurusu: How can I?!? I wouldn’t have time for that, he’d eat me!

Haruka Nanami: S-Syo-kun, no. You can’t win against a lion bare-handed! You have to run!

Syo Kurusu: Shut up! If I run, what’s going to happen to you? I’ll be fine, just let me keep you safe!!

The lion lunges at Syo-kun!

Syo Kurusu: Guh!!

Haruka Nanami: Eeeeeek!!

In that moment…

Shining Saotome: Hmm~. What’s wrong, Rodriguez? You’re not allowed to leave your room by yourself, are you? Goodness, what a naughty widdle boy.

Mmmwah~~!

… the principal pins Rodriguez down and kisses him.

Like a tame housecat, the lion immediately calms down, and the principal begins to snuggle with him.

Natsuki Shinomiya: His name is Rodriguez-chan.

Shining Saotome: HA HA HAA~~ He is my pet, as well as animal talent for Shining Agency.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Haha. Isn’t he cute?

As he says this, Shinomiya-san comes closer to Rodriguez. In that moment….

Smack.

Rodriguez reaches out and lightly bats Shinomiya-san’s cheek.

When he does…

Kachink.

… Shinomiya-san’s glasses are knocked off and fall to the ground.

RRRRRRRRRRUMBLE!

A dark, evil aura begins rising from Shinomiya-san’s body and into the air.

Dark clouds cover the sky as thunder booms.

An evil presence strong enough that even the lion can feel it envelops the school grounds.

Haruka Nanami: Huh…? Shinomiya-san’s eyes... suddenly seem so different.

His gaze overflows with hatred for everything in the world….

He seems completely different from the gentle person he was before.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Hah!

Shinomiya-san’s fist strikes the ground at his feet.

In that instant, the earth trembles. The school shakes as cracks open up across the school grounds.

Female Student A: Eeeek!

Male Student A: What the heck? What’s going on!?

Shining Saotome: That’s no good—at this rate the earth will be destroyed!

The principal shouts, lunges at the glasses, and at the speed of light, places them back on Shinomiya-san’s face.

Natsuki Shinomiya: Ah… what? Why is the ground all broken up?

Syo Kurusu: Now’s our chance, Haruka. Let’s run!

Haruka Nanami: O-okay…. Um, b-but, Shinomiya-san….

What on earth….

Syo Kurusu: Don’t worry about it, just come on!!

While Shinomiya-san is still distracted, we run quickly towards the finish line, winning first place.

Syo Kurusu: We did it! Exactly what I expected from my servant! Good job!!

Syo-kun hugs me tightly in celebration.

Haruka Nanami: I’m glad.

There probably isn’t any special meaning behind it, and he just hugged me because he’s happy, but it does fluster me a little.

Syo Kurusu: Oh…. Sorry….

Syo-kun lets go of me in an instant. I can only see a small part of the side of his face, but it looks like he’s gone a little pink.

Haruka Nanami: It’s fine….

Fwip.

A small piece of paper slips out of Syo-kun’s jersey pocket and falls to the ground. Written on it are the words “pretty girl.”

Haruka Nanami: Syo-kun, is this…?

When I pick it up to give it back to him, Syo-kun turns bright red and snatches it away from me in a flash.

Syo Kurusu: Did… did you read it?

Haruka Nanami: The message? It had “pretty girl” written on it.

Syo Kurusu: D-don’t misunderstand! It’s not that I think you’re especially cute or anything like that!!

L-look, “girl” just means a female student, right? S-so, any girl would have been fine. It’s a coincidence that I chose you, okay? Just a coincidence.

D-don’t overthink it!!

Haruka Nanami: ??? What are you saying…?

Syo Kurusu: … It’s fine if you don’t get what I’m saying too, I guess.

Haruka Nanami: More importantly, you need to get that looked at.

Now that I’m looking closely, I can see the small line of blood running down Syo-kun’s arm.

It’s probably from before, when he was fighting the lion. I think it scratched him.

Syo Kurusu: It’s no big deal. It’ll heal on its own with a lick.

Select the phrase!

But if you get tetanus or something… (+25 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: … I’m sure it would hurt a great deal. I don’t want you to go through that experience….

Syo Kurusu: Aaaah, geez!! Don’t make that face!!

I get it. If you’re going to treat it or whatever, just do it.

Syo-kun makes a slightly troubled face and blushes.

Haruka Nanami: Okay.

That’s no good. (+15 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: If you leave it like that, it will get infected!

I take Syo-kun’s hand and start walking him to our classroom.

Syo Kurusu: You’re… pushier than I would’ve thought…. But… fine….

Please let me treat it. (+5 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: You shouldn’t just leave it like that. Let me treat it, I beg of you.

Syo Kurusu: Well, if you insist….

There are a lot of injured people in the nurse’s office, so Syo-kun and I return to our classroom.

I take some disinfectant and a band-aid out of the classroom’s first-aid kit, and bandage Syo-kun’s arm.

Haruka Nanami: … This might sting a little.

Syo Kurusu: … Ouch….

Haruka Nanami: I’m sorry….

Syo Kurusu: Don’t worry about it. It just stung a little bit, that’s all. Quit apologizing for every little thing.

Haruka Nanami: That’s not it…. If I hadn’t been with you before, Syo-kun, you would have been about to run away from the lion….

You were injured because I was a burden on you….

Syo Kurusu: This is just a scratch. I’m just… glad that you’re safe….

Syo-kun pats my head. His hand is so warm….

Haruka Nanami: Th… thank you….

Syo Kurusu: Uhh, that is…! If, if you’re not here, I won’t have any of your songs. You’re my partner, I need you….

M-men are supposed to protect women…. So my body just moved on its own, I guess…. And…. It’s a prince’s duty to protect his servant! So!! Don’t worry about it!! Understood?

Syo-kun grins.

Haruka Nanami: Understood!!

What a wonderful prince. I’ll keep doing my best as his servant from now on.

We’ll debut together.

After the sports festival, we walk together toward the dorms.

Haruka Nanami: Today was fun, wasn’t it? Everyone was very lively, and you were amazing too, Syo-kun. I’m bad at sports, so I’m jealous. Have you always had great motor skills?

Syo Kurusu: Yeah.

When I ask, Syo-kun answers shortly and lightly presses one hand to the left side of his chest.

Haruka Nanami: Your Highness…?

Something about him seems strange. It makes me wonder what’s wrong….

Plip, plip....

Haruka Nanami: Huh? Rain?

It starts raining.

Fwoosh.

And then, in a moment, it turns into a downpour.

Syo Kurusu: Come on, don’t just stand there! Let’s go!!

Haruka Nanami: O-okay!!

I’m a little worried about how Syo-kun looked before, but there’s no time to think about it. We make a run for it to the dorms.

Haruka Nanami: Well, see you tomorrow.

Syo Kurusu: Yeah!!

We part ways, and when I’m almost to the dorms…

Cat: Meow~ meow~

… I hear a cat’s plaintive cries.

Haruka Nanami: Ah!

A kitten is huddled under the hedge in front of the dorms, shivering.

Haruka Nanami: It’s, it’s okay…. I’ll help you….

I pick up the kitten and hold it in my arms, hurrying to my room.

Haruka Nanami: I’m home~ … Oh. Looks like Tomo-chan isn’t home yet.

We go into my room and I gently wipe the kitten down with a towel.

Cat: Meow~ meow~

Haruka Nanami: Are you cold? Or are you hungry? But all I have right now is….

I offer the kitten my leftover melon bread from this morning.

Cat: Meoww~

The cat meows happily and begins eating the melon bread ravenously.

Haruka Nanami: I didn’t know cats could eat melon bread…. Well, regardless, have I seen this little one before...? Oh!! You’re the one from the entrance ceremony!!

That’s right, on the day of the entrance ceremony, this is the cat who’d gotten stuck in a high place and couldn’t get down.

Haruka Nanami: Right….That’s where I know you from…. I bet we were meant to meet again. Hey, can I give you a name?

Cat: Meowww.

Haruka Nanami: Thank you. Let’s see then….

Select the phrase!

Prince. (+20 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: Syo-kun’s a prince, so…. Maybe… Prince…?

When he hears the word “Prince,” the kitten looks a little sad.

Haruka Nanami: Oh…. But, that might be a little embarrassing… huh? Well, then how about something like Kuppuru?

Kuppuru. (+15 Love +5 Music)

Haruka Nanami: Would Kuppuru work?

I ask the kitten, my heart pounding.

Cat-emon. (+0 Love +0 Music)

Haruka Nanami: … That’s actually a little difficult to say. Hmm, let’s see…. Oh! Kuppuru…. Would Kuppuru work?

Cat: Mew!!

Haruka Nanami: Pleasure to meet you, Kuppuru.

And now I’ve made a new friend.

I have a feeling that my school life will be getting more and more fun.

Mini Game

This is a simple paper test. There are many basic questions in here, so you can definitely solve them.

Well, this is just to test your knowledge. Just choose the answer for each of the multiple-choice questions.

Regular studying is useful for something like this. Be sure to build a habit of immediately looking up any music terms you take an interest in.

So, time to begin!

S Rank

Syo Kurusu: … You’re really smart, huh.

I’m a little jealous, but…. Actually, I’m glad I can rely on you.

When he looks at my answer sheet, Syo-kun smiles happily.

He’s… he’s counting on me!

I’m so happy.

I’ll need to keep studying hard to meet his expectations.

Chapter End

[goldencaravel]

touch - jmk

warnings: parental loss

word count: 1259

it had been 2 months since my mom passed. 2 months of non-stop thinking of how i now have to spend the rest of my life without her. 2 months of calling ronnie on nights i couldn’t handle being by myself. but tonight ronnie had plans. she texted me earlier that day.

ronnie: are you sure? i don’t mind skipping if you want me to come over

me: you’ve been at my beck and call for 2 months. go have some fun please :)

ronnie: i will not hesitate leaving if you call or text me

me: i know you won’t. thank you🤍

ronnie is my best friend. i probably spent half of those two months at her house. everyone was extremely kind to me and treated me like family while i was there. it was comforting. the boys, who usually teased me like a sister, cut me some slack… sometimes.

the day started off great. i did my journaling, stretches and everything to get me in a positive mindset to start the day. i’d have certain memories of my mom flood back as i did things around the house. i didn’t mind that, it was nice.

however the later it became, the more uneasy i’d start to feel. i really wanted to call ronnie, have a girls night in. but i wasn’t about to ruin her fun on account of me missing my mom. with my phone in my lap, i stared at the black tv screen for what felt like ages deciding what to do.

a certain boy popped in my head. he was always nice to me. he was related to ronnie, how different could they be. so i texted josh.

me: hey

josh: hey. is everything okay… you never text me and i know ronnie is out

me: i know

me: can you come over please

josh: yeah

josh: give me 20 minutes

he texted me he was on his way 5 minutes later.

my dad checked out on me a week after mom. he just locks himself in his room and won’t come out, so i didn’t have to worry about sneaking josh in or having him answering the door.

just like he said, josh knocked on the door 15 minutes later. i opened it and we just stared at each other for a few seconds.

i quickly took in his appearance. he was wearing maroon shorts, a white long sleeve tee and some old slip on vans. his hair looked kind of disheveled like he was laying on it for some time.

he broke the silence first and asked the question i dread the most, “are you okay?”

i shook my head as my lip quivered and my eyes filled with tears. before i could say anything, josh pulled me in with a sympathetic “oh”. i held onto him, probably a little too hard, but he didn’t seem to mind as i leaned my cheek onto his shoulder and cried.

he let out a very soft, almost a whisper, “i’m so sorry” and moved his hand to my head.

this hug wasn’t something i realized i needed and josh seemed to sense that. he let me hold onto to him for as long as i wanted to. i probably could’ve stood their all night in his embrace, but he probably wanted to come inside from the chilly weather. after a few minutes i let go and wiped my tears.

“sorry” i muttered when i noticed the really noticeable spot where my tears hit his shirt.

“don’t worry, i’ve got plenty more” he smiled.

you realized he was partially in your doorway, “sorry, uh, come in.”

we made our way to my bedroom and he shut the door after he walked in. “is that okay?” he gestured at the door. i nodded.

i sat criss cross on my bed picking at the skin on my cuticles, while josh found my desk chair and made himself at home there. it was a comfortable silence for a while, josh wasn’t really sure what to say. yeah he would overhear ronnie we when we’re in her room sometimes, but this was different.

you spoke first, “i’m sorry i texted you. i didn’t know who else.”

“it’s totally okay. i’m glad you felt comfortable enough to reach out to me” he said with a soft smile. “did you want to talk about it?”

i broke his gaze and looked back down at my fingers. he saw i was chewing on my lip and took that as a no.

“can we watch a movie?” you asked.

“we can do whatever you want. i’ll spare you my commentary for the night.” that made me laugh. first time i laughed all day, maybe even in the past few days.

i found the remote and put on the first thing that looked the slightest bit interesting. i didn’t care if it was good, i just wanted a distraction and some company.

josh looked engaged but i couldn’t quite get into it. that nagging feeling was still there. he was sprawled out on my chair when i called to him.

“josh?” i said with pleading eyes.

he quickly looked over and it was like he read my mind.

i got more comfortable in my bed and under the covers as he made his way over. i lifted up the blanket for him. “are you sure?” he asked like he was scared of hurting me. i nodded, “i just need someone close.”

he climbed in, laid on his back and put his right hand behind his head. his left hand laid by his side and his head was slightly turned so he could still watch the movie. i decided to change how i was laying and turn to my side so i could watch the movie across his body. now my left hand was under my head and the other sitting on my waist.

we stayed like this for a while but my hand was slowly inching toward his. finally, i slightly put my hand on top of his and hooked my pointer finger around his pinky . he turned his head, “is this okay? your touch is just really comforting” i asked timidly, scared of his answer. “of course it’s okay. let me know if you need more” he looked at me with such kind eyes. “can- can i lean on you?” i couldn’t look at him when i said it, so i opted to look at our hands instead. “yes sweetheart, you can lean on me” he chuckled and gave me that charming smile and i felt relief instantly.

we both moved up my headboard to lean against it and i slightly leaned on his shoulder until he put his arm around me. now i was laying on his chest and he was faintly rubbing my arm. i could feel his heartbeat on my cheek and smiled to myself.

he must’ve felt it because he asked, “is this better?”

i was happy he was a little different than ronnie in this way. his touch was much more grounding. i felt myself fully relax for the first time in days. i replied, “much better. thank you josh.”

he tapped my arm twice with his thumb, “you can always reach out to me.”

i don’t remember falling asleep but i woke up to my leg over josh’s and him holding me against his chest with both arms. i checked my phone and see ronnie texted me.

ronnie: found my replacement already, huh

[xxblackballoonxx]

Electric: Chapter 11

Modern John Shelby AU

This fic is being posted simultaneously on FanFiction.net and Ao3. Classy smut warning beginning with Chapter 5.

Chapter 10 J&Gem Chats 10 J&Gem Chats 11 Chapter 12

This chapter is fluffy and very steamy at the end ... it's all because of those sunglasses. I'm powerless. I’ve been waiting to write this since I first began this story!

Electric

Chapter 11: Ray-Bans

The weeks between the dreaded anniversary of the accident and Will’s due date were always a weird time for John. He’d process one traumatic event just in time for the next one, and he’d come to accept that nothing would really help beyond just living a day at a time until the dates passed and he could go on with his life again.

This year felt different. He knew the ten year mark would be hard, but he also found it easier to let go of the pain a little more. Maybe it was time passing, the years filling in between the worst night of this life and the now. Learning to live with what happened, to process the grief a little better each day, each month, each year. But mostly, he thought that Gemma being there to help him was the thing making the difference. She saw his pain and his fear without needing an explanation, without him saying a word. To have that kind of connection was healing in a way he never could’ve predicted.

So they’d been trying to make the most of the past few weeks, playing music and staying out late, drinking and laughing, spending every night sleeping next to each other, waking up every morning at either her place or his. It was what his soul had needed for so long, he couldn’t even pinpoint when the need had come back to the surface. To love and be loved like that.

This was how John found himself in his office at The Garrison one morning, forming a plan to take Gemma out that weekend. He wanted it to be fun and something they’d both remember, making the most of every moment.

“Gem, you are gonna fucking love this.” John said aloud, grinning as he copied down information from the computer screen in front of him. 

************************************************************************

Friday nights at The Garrison were always busy, it was a rare one when there wasn’t a band or two playing. Tonight, The Cut was headlining, and The Birmingham Shelby crew showed up in full to support Finn.  

Gemma stood by the bar, waiting for John to finish checking on a computer problem in the back. Finn and Isiah walked over to her, both clearly buzzing with excitement.

“You boys ready? Gonna be a packed house from what I hear.” Gemma said, greeting the two with a hug each.

“Ready enough, I think.” Isiah responded.

“Carolyn coming?” 

“Yeah, she’s coming with some friends.” Finn replied, smiling and looking down.

“Well, we’ll be in the usual spot, so feel free to send her over. Though, Arthur will probably ask her a million questions, so maybe not?” Gemma joked.

Finn laughed and the two headed over to the door to meet some other friends. Gemma leaned against the side of the bar, watching the crowd fill in by the stage, happy to see the band’s following was growing. She felt an arm wrap around her waist and smiled, leaning back.

“I do believe this is the exact part of the bar where we met, love.” John murmured in her ear, his lips against her neck briefly.

“Hottest bartender in all of England.” Gemma said jokingly, but she meant it.

John took her hand and spun her around to face him. They stared at each other for a moment, each thinking back to that night a few months ago, and how much things had changed since then. 

Gemma felt her breath hitch as John’s grey blue eyes stared into her, straight into her soul. Something was different about the way he’d looked at her the past few weeks, the way his gaze lingered, the way he touched her. It was somehow even more intense, more on fire, like electricity buzzing through her all the time. 

John smiled at her and she smiled back, letting him lead her to the corner booth that the Shelby family always took over. Arthur was sitting with a few of their cousins, and he nodded to the pair as they both slid into the unoccupied side. He watched as John passed Gemma her drink and the way he put his arm around her shoulder, how she leaned into him without a second thought. It was what had kept Arthur from going off the deep end again, once he’d recovered from the vicious hangover he’d given himself at World’s End.

Gemma, always in her element on nights like these, had John entranced, as she gave herself to the music. He watched as she nodded her head to the beat, smiling and closing her eyes during songs she liked. She leaned further back into him during a slower song, resting her hand on his knee, reaching up to hold his hand that was on her shoulder. John kissed her cheek and she closed her eyes, wanting to stay in that moment forever. 

************************************************************************

Late the next morning, the Shelby house was quiet when John woke up. Gemma was passed out next to him, her head tucked into his arm. He had to appreciate her commitment to sleep, when she slept, she slept hard. And it was comforting to her somehow, that she could sleep that deeply with John next to her. It was complete trust.

He slipped his arm carefully out from under Gemma’s head, pulled the blanket up over her shoulder, and went into the bathroom to shower. Gemma woke up a few minutes later, feeling around for her glasses on the nightstand. She lay half awake, staring at the ceiling, until the bathroom door opened.

John stood in the doorway with a towel wrapped low around his waist. Gemma looked over and grinned, taking in every part of the scene in front of her. He smiled back and winked at her, letting her look as long as she wanted.

“My hope for that towel to just drop to the ground can’t be underestimated, J.” Gemma finally said, smirking.

He moved his hand to undo the towel, letting it fall as he walked towards the bed. Gemma shrieked as he shook his wet hair towards her and then laid on top of her, propping himself up with one arm.

“Is this what you wanted, sweetheart?” John said, his voice low, looking down at her as his hand slid up her leg.

“You know it is.” Gemma replied.

John kissed her and rubbed her hip with his thumb. The sun came through the window and lit the side of his face. Gemma reached up and softly touched the freckles illuminated by the beam. She was pretty sure she’d never get over how devastatingly beautiful he was. I love you, she thought to herself. John something flicker in her gaze and let the moment linger.

“Ok, time to get up. Time for your surprise.” John mumbled into her chest, letting his head drop for a moment.

Gemma pouted and then let John pull her up into a sitting position. 

An hour later, the pair were walking down the street towards the edge of Small Heath. John had only told Gemma to wear comfortable clothes, not letting any other details slip about what he had planned. She was content just walking down the street with him on a sunny day, but was also dying to know where they were going.

“I gotta say, J, I’m demanding you wear those sunglasses any time there’s a speck of sunlight. They look too good on you, and it’s doing things to me.” Gemma commented lightly, holding in a smile.

John stopped on the edge of the sidewalk and pulled her into him, close. 

“That’s a very important piece of information I’m going to keep in mind. How am I making you feel now?” John replied, whispering the last part into her ear.

“Like I can’t wait to be home later and relive the towel moment from this morning.” Gemma responded.

He raised the sunglasses and gave her a devilish look, and then put them back down into place. 

“I can absolutely factor that kind of activity into today’s plan.” John said smirking.

They set off again down the street and eventually John stopped in front of two low rise buildings facing a small park, in a part of Small Heath that Gemma had never been to. Before she could turn around to face the shop windows, John held her shoulders to remain in place.

“Welcome to the Birmingham mini fish and chips crawl, Gems. We start here.” John announced.

“This is what you planned?! You know me too well, babe. Thank you!” Gemma exclaimed, clapping her hands together before hugging John.

“Behind you are two dueling chip shops, stops 1 and 2 on our four stop tour today. Was pretty sure you’d never been out this way, thought it was a good place to start.” 

“I’m so excited! Let’s get food, I’m starving.” 

John laughed and led Gemma into the first chip shop and then the second, before walking over to the park across the street. He hadn’t been here in at least a few years, but he used to come a lot when Finn was younger. They would walk over on a Sunday, get a takeaway and then walk home. It tired Finn out and got John out of the house. And his head.

The pair settled on a bench, Gemma sitting crossed legged facing John. He smiled at how happy she was, opening the containers with glee. She always found joy in small pleasures, a favorite song, a nice sunset, a good meal. John found it grounding. He knew she lived in her head as much as he did in his, but to live in the moment, together, was an experience he couldn’t get enough of. 

“Gem?” 

“Yeah?” Gemma replied, looking up.

John flipped his sunglasses up onto his head and then reached over to do the same to hers. Gemma smiled at him, losing herself in his gaze. John held her face with one hand, watching as her eyes searched his, giving into his touch without even realizing it.

“I love you.” John said quietly, heart pounding.

“I love you, too.” Gemma responded back after a moment, needing to catch her breath.

John leaned forward and held her face now with both hands, kissing her as long as he could. Gemma looked up at him, running her fingers over his lips and then down his jaw. She kissed him again and it was like lightning, the most passion she had ever felt for anyone.

They sat staring at each for a few moments, time stopping around them, just the birds chirping in the background. John hadn’t planned it, but he had known he’d be ready to say those words when the timing was right. Gemma had felt it building up for weeks, the way she felt about him and the intensity, it couldn’t be denied. It was a forever thing.

A dog barked in the distance and the spell broke, Gemma pulling John’s sunglasses down for him and then putting her own back on. They smiled at each other, recognizing the importance of what they’d both just said, and how right it felt.

“I know you’re starving, so let’s eat.” John joked and picked up his fork.

“Best date ever, J, you know how to plan right. Is that like a Shelby thing or just a you thing?” Gemma asked between bites.

“The planning thing is a Shelby thing. The best date ever thing is all me. I know what you like.”

“Oh, really? I expect tonight’s activities to particularly stellar then.” 

“With me and you? Always top performance.” John said smugly.

Gemma laughed and shook her head.

“You know, anyone else and that cockiness would be beyond annoying. But you are actually right, so it just makes you a thousand times hotter to me. I have high expectations and you meet them every time.”

John grinned at her and they sat back, swapping bites from their takeaway containers. Gemma gave a detailed explanation of how the two chip shops fit into her scoring so far, while John listened to her in total happiness. In the moment.

They stayed in the park through late afternoon, Gemma laying her head in John’s lap, lost in each other’s company. John ran his hand through her hair, laughing as she told him a story about a first date gone wrong before she’d moved to England. He took her hand in his as they sat quietly for awhile, each comfortably in their own thoughts.

“What are you thinking about?” Gemma asked, looking up at him.

“Once the Eden opens and we’re back from London, I was thinking I want to give the music thing another shot. It’ll be different doing it alone, but it’s something I need to do.” John responded.

“If that’s what you want and need to do, I’m fully in support. What do you think Tommy will say about it?”

“Oh I’m sure he’ll come up with something negative to say, but I won’t tell him until the club opening is done.”

“Are you thinking about playing live or just getting back into recording?”

“Both? Live, I want to start out small, something casual. It’s been a really long time, and I’ve never sung lead in public. I did all the backing vocals for the Blinders, but that’s different.” 

Gemma sensed John’s hesitation at the thought, and squeezed his hand in reassurance. 

“What about doing something at the Garrison on a weeknight? No announcements, just pick a night and play. It’s your own space and less pressure if people aren’t lining up to see you.”

“You think people would actually do that? Just for me? No Tommy singing?”

“I think you’ll get interest from both old fans and new ones. You could use it as a hook to get them in the door, sure, but you’re just as talented on your own, John. Believe in that and see where the path takes you, ya know?” 

John nodded and leaned back, he knew Gemma was right. Besides the fact that she was in the industry, she had good ear and had a talent for recognizing how and why a song would be a hit or a band might become popular. He trusted her instinct. 

************************************************************************

Hours later, John and Gemma returned back to the Shelby house. John had taken her to two other well known chip shops and then stopped by The Yard for a few drinks and a debrief.  Gemma had told Uncle Charlie that The Yard’s were still top in her book, which he passed along to a delighted Curly in the kitchen.  

Charlie thought about Margaret Shelby as he watched the pair sit at the bar, totally enamored with each other, and how that had been him and Peggy once. Before she got involved with scum of the earth Shelby Sr. In the end, he’d been more involved with Peggy’s kids than their own father, in which there was a certain sort of irony that still cut deep.

The Shelby house was empty, Finn had messaged John earlier to say he’d be out with friends until late. Gemma wandered into the kitchen to get a drink, and John watched her from the doorway, noting how at ease she was in his home. It made him happy to see. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her from behind, resting his head on her shoulder.  

“Did you have a good day?” He asked.

“The best day! Thank you. No one but you could’ve done that for me.” Gemma replied.

“We still have the evening portion of the agenda.” John joked, but the way he said made Gemma weak.

“Oh? And what exactly will that include?” 

“Me taking you upstairs to start with.” John murmured in her ear, making her shiver.

“Will this be a clothing optional activity?” Gemma teased back.

John turned her around, looking down at her with darkened eyes before kissing her. He backed her up against the counter and boxed her in, body to body, there was no room for anything else. Gemma gasped in surprise as he smoothly slid a knee between her legs.

“I’ve been planning to have you naked in my bed and screaming my name all day.” John said, his voice rough with pent up desire, his lips on the skin just below her ear.

He reached down and in one motion picked her up over his shoulder, her legs dangling against his chest. Gemma screamed and started laughing as John made his way up the stairs. Two flights later, she was impressed that he was barely winded, and he set her down on the bed.  

She scooted back against the pillows and watched as he pulled off his shirt and jeans. He even made getting undressed look better than any other guy she’d been with.

John knelt on the bed and slowly undid the button on her jeans, pulling them down and tossing them to the side. He did the same with her shirt and then settled himself between her legs, kissing her stomach and then up to her collarbone. He had started to live for the quiet way she’d say his name while he kissed her neck, the way she’d hold the back of his head, running a hand down his back.

There was something else he had been planning to do for awhile, when the house was quiet and Gemma was at ease.  

“Gems, can you ask you something?” He mumbled against her skin.

“Yeah, of course.” She replied.

“I’ve noticed the few times I’ve, ah, tried to go down on you that you aren’t really into it. And that’s totally fine. I just want to make sure that you’re comfortable, and I kinda sense there’s something behind that. You’re safe with me.” John said, looking up at her.

Gemma fidgeted with his earrings for a moment, looking to the side before looking back at him. There was no reason for her to be worried or afraid with John, she knew that. Still, it brought up something she hadn’t realized she’d been doing.

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I do, I just have never been able to, you know, finish that way. And guys I’ve dated in the past either got bored or insulted, so I guess I just developed a habit of avoiding the situation, I didn’t quite realize it though.” 

“Maybe it just hasn’t been with the right person, and I’d like to be that person, if you’re alright with giving me a chance to try.” 

John smiled at her and rubbed her cheek, he was so sure of himself that she had to smile back. She thought for a moment and nodded in response.

“If you are uncomfortable and want me to stop, you tell me and that’s totally ok. I love you and you are safe with me. I am not like the others you’ve been with.” John said, a serious tone taking over, he felt angry about how someone else’s insecurities had made her feel bad about herself.

“I love you, too, J.” Gemma replied and nodded again.

John would be lying if he said that he didn’t have a lot of sexual experience with women. Martha had been nearly his first everything, and he had been hers. They had been young and in love, and with that came a lot of hormones and sexual exploration. And the deeper they felt for each other, the more intimate they became.

In the early years after his breakup with Martha, there were a lot of drunken encounters with girls who wanted to sleep with John Shelby from the Peaky Blinders. His mind and his heart were never really in it, but a man had needs, and he gave into that many times.

Over time he started to recognize a certain insecurity in nearly all the women he’d been with, one that had been put there by men in their past. And as much as he just wanted to drown in whiskey and give in to his darkest desires, he wasn’t made for casual hookups. He hated the thought that he’d make a girl feel bad, just because he was unable to have feelings for her, or anyone else. He had been raised to respect women, and he wanted to set a good example for Finn as well.

He also had an innate sense of how to really read a woman and know what she wanted and how she wanted it. He knew what he was doing, both through practice and intuition. His confidence didn’t come off as cocky (well, mostly) because he actually had the skills to back it up.

John took his time, kissing Gemma slowly and deeply. He slid his hand under her back and managed to unhook her bra one handed, pulling down each strap and then tossing it off the bed. He trailed down to her neck, her fingers burning the skin on his shoulder, and then lower. He cupped one of her breasts in his hand, swirling his tongue around the nipple. Gemma moaned quietly and he smiled to himself. After a few minutes, he moved over to the other side, thumbing the hardened nipple while sucking on the other one.  

Gemma moved her leg up, tightening it against John’s hip, his legs between hers now. He reached down and ran his hand up her thigh, hitching her leg around his back. He made his way further down her body, down across her stomach and then scooted himself down so his head was between her legs. 

He looked up at her, asking silently for permission, and she nodded. John started at one knee, softly kissing up her inner thigh, and then the same on the other leg. Gemma felt like her body was on fire already. John looked up again as he spread her legs a little further and wrapped both hands up under her thighs. Gemma held her breath.

John slid his tongue gently into her wet center and Gemma breathed out. He did it again and she could feel his nose rubbing against every nerve. John heard her moan a little louder and took it as a good sign. He continued on for a few minutes, letting her get comfortable with the situation.

“I’m going to try a few things, let me know what feels good to you.” John said, feeling himself harden at the sight of Gemma, flushed and looking down at him.

Gemma nodded and John put his mouth fully on her, running through a small list of techniques he’d acquired over the years. He felt her hip lift up in response and her hand grasped his hair.

“Whatever that was.” Gemma said breathlessly.

John put both of her legs over his shoulders, trying to ignore how uncomfortable it was to lay against his strained boxers. He put his mouth back on her, finding her even wetter, and went back to what he had been doing. With one hand, he held her lower stomach down, the pressure of her moving against him increasing her pleasure. He could feel her back arch as he sucked and licked harder.

“I’m really close, babe.” She managed to speak, her hand digging into his scalp now.

He lifted her up slightly off the mattress, still pressing down with his other hand, and she started moaning his name even louder. He was determined now, focusing on reacting to her body moving against him. He continued the same pattern for a few moments more, and as her leg started to shake against him, he slid his tongue down inside of her. She screamed his name and John nearly came from the feeling of her pulsing against the tip of his tongue.

John slowly unwrapped her legs from around his body and then kissed her inner thigh before making his way back up the bed. Gemma lay with her eyes closed, hair wild across the pillow, face flushed.

“Holy fuck, J. I told you those Ray-Bans were doing things to me.” Gemma commented as she patted his arm and smiled.

“See, love, you just needed the right person and some patience.” He replied, pulling the sheet up over her.

They laid together for a few minutes in comfortable silence, Gemma coming down and John pleased with himself. It took him a moment to realize she had started crying, tears hitting his chest.

“Gem, are you alright? What’s wrong?” John asked worriedly, turning so that he was facing her.

“Kind of hitting me just how self centered most guys are, focusing on getting themselves off. You are so different, and I’m seeing now how different you really are.” Gemma explained through her tears.

John kissed her cheek and wiped away the tears with the corner of the bedsheet, resting his hand against her face.

“I want you to be happy, and safe, and loved, and fulfilled. And it makes me happy to give you that, in whatever scenario. Seeing you like that, it was a massive turn on for me, but also satisfying that I could make you feel that way. Because I love you.” John said.

Gemma nodded and smiled, letting her hand fall between them and then to the waist of his boxers.  She started to pull them down, John biting back a moan of pleasure.

“You don’t need to if you don’t want to, love.” 

“I want to. I want to because I want you, and I love you, and I need you.” Gemma replied.

She looked into his eyes and maintained a steady gaze as she ran her hand under the front of his boxers and gripped his hard shaft. John fought to keep his eyes open as he pushed the boxers down further, and rolling on top of her.

“Am I crushing you?” He asked, as she made room for him to settle.

“I like being crushed by you.” Gemma responded with a look so heated that John wasted no time.

He reached down and slid into her slowly, linking both their hands as he went deeper, her body taking him in. Gemma kissed him and he rocked his hips back and forth, staying inside her as much as possible. The feeling was so intense, he’d almost forgotten it. How it felt to be like this with the girl he loved, and who he knew for sure now loved him back. 

Author's Note: If the person you are seeing casually, dating, in a serious relationship with, married to, etc, isn't respectful like John, it's not worth it. Women especially should feel safe and have the ability to explore their own desires, without having a man's ego get in the way negatively. If someone makes you feel bad for not living up to a certain expectation and only worries about their own needs, it's not worth it. Respect and equality, without those, it is truly not worth it. If only we could clone a modern John (and Finn), that would solve a lot of problems!

[ohjoyce]

2022 in books

It’s been a good year in books. More waves of covid = more time spent inside reading, away from crowds of people so silver linings and all that.

Happily, I’ve also been lucky enough to have lived with and befriended fellow keen bean readers and we’ve swapped our lil paperback collections back and forth. One of my top 5 favourite feelings has got to be watching someone you know read a book you love. Up there too is chatting with a friend about a book they’ve lent you as you read it for the first time. Chef’s kiss experiences.

This year, I elected to read almost entirely for pleasure. I switched jobs two times and worked on getting into a consistent fitness routine of going to the gym 3 times a week so was not looking for anything else challenging or intellectually stimulating to do in my free time. Unfortunately, Canberra does not have very good libraries so I didn't have access to a huge variety of options. But, the library of friends came through with the goods.

Without further ado, a list of my 2022 in books in chronological order that I read them.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet

Quite an interesting and thought-provoking exploration of race and the extent to we are able to choose who we become. Two mixed-race twins growing up in 1950s America experience very different parallel realities as one chooses to capitalise on her lighter skin colour to pass as white. Raised questions of material comfort versus cultural integrity have no clear answers but makes for compelling food for thought.

How We Love by Clementine Ford

This book is slight departure from Clementine Ford's usual stuff-- more tender and vulnerable. Each chapter is about one of the loves in her life and it's as much a letter to a past and future selves as it is an ode to non-romantic love. I also went to her ‘Secular Love Sermon’ aka How We Love book tour show in November of this year which was maybe the best event I went to this year. Here’s to love as bearing witness to life and telling stories always.

The Dry by Jane Harper

Before this year, I hadn't read any of Jane Harper's books. This year I read them all. Goes to show how addictive and effective they are as crime thrillers. The story unfolds and weaves together to reach such a satisfying conclusion. I can't really say too much without spoiling it but Jane Harper has a wonderful way of characterising the Australian bush landscape as a focal point in her novels.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne

Incredibly unmemorable. It was pleasant but I can't remember a single thing on reflection.

The Survivors by Jane Harper

Not one of my favourite Jane Harper novels, but as always a great page-turning read.

After I Do by Taylor Jenkin Reid

An interesting exploration of love after marriage and the reality of the highs and lows that starts after most romance stories end. As can be clearly seen from the other books by the same author I kept picking up after this one, I really relished this unconventional premise.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkin Reid

I picked this up because the cover was kind of pretty and I was on a lunch-break walk to Civic Library and this was the best pleasant surprise. Something about this novel reminded me of getting deliciously absorbed into a book during school holidays — falling asleep reading and then reading again first thing in the morning. I have a big soft spot for self-made underdog stories and eldest/only daughter protagonists.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkin Reid

Absolutely devoured this story of old-school glamour, love, and disappointment. Nice and neat tie-in with the narrator/journalist’s own modern day sub-plot.

Entire ACOTAR series by Sarah J Maas.

Faerie smut that fits in just about every trope of men written by a woman for the female gaze in a good way. Very fun.

Love Stories by Trent Dalton

Touchingly earnest, Trent Dalton shows us that in hard times, sometimes the best thing to go is to choose to go soft. To choose to show and share the hurt and highs of loving and being loved that are the only things that'll matter in the end. This got me through a chaotic and draining month I worked in family law. I cried a lot.

Force of Nature by Jane Harper

Again, a lesser favourite but good fun nonetheless.

The Lost Man by Jane Harper

This one is up there, so good I reread it a week ago. The perfectly placed red herrings, the family tension, and small-town grudges and secrets. 10/10 times. I particularly enjoyed how men's mental health, loneliness, and isolation were prevalent themes. Jane Harper also sprinkles easter eggs throughout her Faulk novels which subtly intertwine the characters from her books which is fun to spot.

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

There was a lot of online hype about this book, and the author is behind a twitter account I used to follow called 'SoSadToday' (yeah, I know bahaha). But the rather triggering portrayal of disordered eating and punitive calorie counting made this one a pretty stressful read. There was also zero sense of closure at the end, only confusion.

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

A very sweet and delightful rom-com read for those of us who are sometimes sick of the overly predictable cookie-cutter romance novel. The protagonist is very relatable and is all in all a refreshing palate cleanser to the saccharine netflix christmas holiday movie tropes.

Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton

Absent of any particularly astute life advice at least in any productive sense but deeply comforting that the era of being in your twenties is as chaotic as it is character-building and all of it is normal.

The No Show by Beth O'Leary

Slightly over-complicated plot-twist but props for originality and side-plot which I may or may not have become more invested in than the main plot by the end.

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

A fun, quirky, alternative rom-com read with colourful characters and the evergreen message that it's more than ok to be a cosy offbeat weirdo as long as enjoy it.

No Matter Our Wreckage by Gemma Carey

Written by a now-Canberran dwelling lady academic researcher, this book reflexively documents   her own childhood sexual assault and abuse. Which is to say things get very real and very dark at points. But, Gemma Carey refuses to let her story go untold and that courage glues together what is an otherwise tragic and deeply personal patchwork of recollections and tribulations.

Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney

Honestly, I can't say I'm a big Sally Rooney fan but sometimes you are having a mid time and simply want to escape into someone else's even mid-er time this hits. I can't explain it any other way.

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

I tried to listen to the audiobook of this story and didn't make it very far but when I found a copy of the paperback, I got through it quite readily. Cosy as all Beth O'Leary novels are, if the obstacle-boyfriend can be a bit characterised as a bit obviously shit.

November 9th Colleen Hoover

If you miss the days of scoffing down random wattpad stories as a tween, this is perfect.

Love and Virtue by Diana Reid

I spent on year studying at the University of Sydney in 2017 and used to always wonder what went on behind the hedges of the overpriced colleges where presumably people with very rich parents lived. This book is almost definitely a very accurate window into the answer. Having studied law and arts at Usyd herself, the

Verity by Colleen Hoover

Wtf!? Truly I was relentlessly gazumped and then bamboozled. No sense can be made of this one, it's beyond sense.

Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood

I've just finished this book, it might be my last read of 2022. A very sweet and escapist read (mostly for me, as a mathematically and scientifically challenged legal professional lmao). Though I will say I enjoyed Ali Hazelwood's other novel The Love Hypothesis a smidge more.

Whew, that was quite a test for my memory. Any outstandingly great or shitty reads for you in 2022? KEEN TO DISCUSS as always.

[mrspasser]

Count your fingers - chapter 6

Trigger warnings: none, unless you consider dog kisses bestiality... :-|

Read it on Ao3

Read it on Wattpad

<< Chapter 5

6. Still there

Stiles puts his right hand on the copier, closes the lid with his other and presses the green button. The machine groans to life with a shudder and a light passes from left to right and back again underneath the half closed lid. There’s more mechanical sounds and then papers start to come out of the side, neatly stacking in the tray. Stiles pulls his hand back and puts both of them on top of the copier, idly noticing how his ten fingers are splayed out on the grey plastic. 

Realisation dawns on him at the same time that Derek appears in the door opening behind him. “Thank God, at least this part is easy this time.” He moves in for the hug automatically. 

“You okay?” Derek asks, his mouth moving against the side of Stiles’ head. His hands surreptitiously feel around Stiles’ back, looking for injuries perhaps. 

“I’m fine,” Stiles nods, lifting his face from Derek’s shoulder. They step out of the hug, but stay close. “Where are we this time?” 

“An office,” Derek answers, sounding a bit puzzled. “I was sitting at a desk earlier, stapling the same paper over and over again. I think it had at least fifty staples in it already.”

Stiles snorts a laugh and grabs the papers from the copier. They’re still a bit warm from the machine. When he holds them up they show a photocopy of his hand balled to a fist with the middle finger out. “I guess we both get an A+ for productivity.”

A quick check of their surroundings doesn’t really give them much information. The small room they’re in houses a copy machine, several stacked boxes with paper and a metal cabinet that holds various office supplies, including the staples Derek likes so much. 

They’re both wearing slacks and a button down shirt, Derek a light blue shirt on dark grey slacks and Stiles has navy slacks paired with a white shirt. Their pockets are empty except for a pack of gum in Derek’s pants and a keyring with three keys on it for Stiles. Just like in some of their former realities, Derek is a regular human instead of a werewolf. Stiles scowls. “I hope that doesn’t mean this is another one of those realities without magic. It’d be really helpful if we could actually research what’s happening to us.” 

“There’s a computer on my desk,” Derek offers, “we could start there.” He puts a comforting hand on Stiles’ shoulder as they turn to leave the room.

They almost bump into someone on their way out. “What are you two doing here? No fucking around in the copy room!” The man cackles maniacally. “No fucking either. Were you two fucking? Hale, are you fucking Bilinski?” He looks from one to the other and then he suddenly punches both of them on the arm simultaneously. “Nah, just messing with ya! You know how I mess with people. I’m a fun boss like that!” The man - their boss - looks at some point over their shoulders with a meaningful grin and then he’s suddenly gone again, power walking down the hall.

“What the hell was that?” Stiles rubs the spot on his arm where he was hit. “Was that Coach Finstock?” 

Derek looks just as dazed as he feels. “I think it was.”

A couple of hours later they’ve learned a lot of things. Derek and Stiles are desk buddies: their desks are pushed against each other and they seem to work in sales. It’s still a bit unclear what they sell, their best guess is office supplies. Scott works at the office too, though he spends most of his time leaned up against the reception desk, where Allison sits. They’re making moon eyes at each other when they think the other isn’t looking, it’s hilarious and pathetic at the same time. Coach Finstock is indeed their boss, he sits in a glass walled office and talks a lot, even when nobody is in there with him. 

In the break room they met Lydia, who sat there doing her nails, surrounded by at least ten different shades of nail polish. The room smelled of chemicals so badly that Stiles and Derek chose to eat their lunch at their desks. There’s various other pack members at the office, like Jordan and Kira, but they’re all occupied with their own stuff. None of it seems to be work related or even productive, yet somehow they all manage to look sufficiently busy. Talking to them wasn’t a success, everyone in here seems to be Finstock’s level of nuts. Any research into magic was a bust too. The computer only really seems to allow them access to generic websites like Google Maps and work related stuff; anything else is hidden behind some kind of firewall.

“This is a really weird place,” Stiles whispers to Derek, swivelling his desk chair from left to right. He has a couple of spreadsheets open on his computer, but the numbers are pure gibberish to him. It wouldn’t surprise him if it was actual gibberish to begin with and not just incomprehensible because of his lack of knowledge of the topic they pertain to. He spent his last hour scrolling up and down through the spreadsheets and Finstock walked by with a comment of “Working hard or hardly working?”, yet the guy seemed pleased with his work ethic either way.

Derek nods his agreement. “Just one hour to go.” They tricked Allison into looking up Stiles’ home address for him by telling her he thought the zip code was registered wrongly, figuring one of the keys in his pocket will unlock the front door, offering them a safe space to figure out how to get home for real. The address seems to be only a ten minute bus ride away, so even if they can’t use public transport, they can just walk. All they have to do is wait for the clock to strike five, to signal the end of their work day. 

When the digits on his computer change to five o’clock, Stiles makes quick work of closing all the tabs on his computer. He jumps up from his chair, much to the surprise of Scott, who is just walking by. “You going already?”

“Uh, yeah?” Stiles falters, looking around him . Everyone else is still working away at their computers, or in Lydia’s case, admiring her own nails by the light of her computer screen. Only Derek looks ready to leave, frozen halfway from getting up from his desk chair. “Gotta… feed my cat?” It comes out like a question, but Scott doesn’t seem to notice.

“Dude, you got a cat? I didn’t know that!” Stiles cringes, expecting Scott to go off on some ‘I’m your best friend, how could I not know that’ tirade. It never comes. “I bet you’ve got a red one, named Garfield! Oh! Or like a grey tabby and you call her Mrs. McGonagall!”

Kira looks up at that. “Oh, I love her! Did you know that she played quidditch back in her day? She had a bad fall in the last game against Slytherin, that’s why she’s always so hard pressed to see them lose!” 

“She’s a total badass too,” Jordan agrees with her good naturedly and then every employee in close vicinity of Derek and Stiles’ desks joins in on a very elaborate Harry Potter discussion. Scott seems to have totally forgotten about Stiles and his non-existing cat, or the fact that Stiles was leaving earlier than was apparently the norm. He jerks his head towards the elevator to get Derek to follow him. The werewolf follows him with wide eyes, clearly weirded out and more than ready to get out of here.

Stiles pushes the button of the elevator and is more than a little relieved when the doors slide open immediately. They slip inside and both hit the button to close the doors with something akin to desperation. “That place is the worst!” Stiles exclaims as he lets himself fall against the back wall of the elevator, where Derek is already standing. Their shoulders touch. “It all looks so normal, but everyone is off their rocker! It’s like one of those pranks where they move everything in the room two inches to the left. You know something’s not right, but you can’t tell what it is!”

Derek nods vehemently and grits his teeth. “Let’s get out of this place.” 

He agrees wholeheartedly. “Hey, do you think everyone in this world is crazy? Or just the people in this office?” Whatever it is, they’ll find out soon enough when they get to the streets. The doors of the elevator slide open and Stiles steps forward, ready to get as far away from the office as possible. “What the…?” He stops right between the doors, staring at the office he just tried to leave. Everyone is sitting at their desks again, their Harry Potter discussion seemingly forgotten already. 

“Did we forget to push the button for the first floor?” Derek sounds puzzled as he looks over Stiles’ shoulder into the office. He pulls Stiles back inside the elevator by his arm. “Come on, let’s go.”

The button for the ground floor lights up when Derek pushes it and the doors close obediently. A minute later they open again, to show the same view of the office. “What the hell? Did this thing even move?” Stiles jabs the buttons again, this time concentrating on whether or not the lift moves up or down. He can’t tell.

Derek is at a loss too. “I feel like we’re moving, yet that can’t be, because we still end up on the same floor.” 

“Maybe the button is broken? We’ll just get out on the second floor and walk down the last bit.” He’s not looking forward to walking down from the fourteenth floor, but when the doors of the elevator open at the office again, that’s exactly what they do. The stairwell is pretty generic, concrete steps with blue metal railings and grey doors. Each floor looks the same, except for the numbers on the doors that indicate the floors. Stiles pushes open the door with the large number one on it, Derek on his heels.

By the reception desk Allison greets them cheerily. “Hi guys!” Scott is there too, waving jovially at them. 

Stiles turns immediately, pushing Derek back into the stairwell. They stare at the number on the inside of the door, a large fourteen. A cold chill creeps up Stiles’ spine, but he ignores it and rushes up the stairs. The door on the floor above says fifteen, but when he opens it he is again greeted by Allison. He almost shrieks and quickly closes the door. Derek is behind him, on the small landing between the two floors. “The other door says thirteen instead of fourteen now,” Derek whispers, horror creeping into his voice as his eyes flick from one door to the other.

“It’s a loop,” Stiles realises. “We can’t leave the office.” He goes to sit down on the stairs, his hands hanging between his knees. Derek stays on the landing, leaning against the handrail by the first step. They stare at each other, sharing looks of equal parts of panic and resignation.

“Kissing will work,” Derek says eventually. “If we can’t get away from this office, we can at least get out of this reality.”

Stiles makes a face and rubs his hands roughly over his cheeks. He really hoped they could catch a break this time, get some rest even when it wasn’t in their real home. “I was actually looking forward to a night on the couch with you, maybe getting some take out food and watching bad movies.” It comes out a bit garbled because he’s pulling his cheeks down, but Derek hears it anyway.

“With me?” The guy has the freaking nerve to look up through his eyelashes at Stiles, who sits just a bit above eye level for him. He’s sporting a crooked half smile that does funny things to Stiles’ stomach.

“Yes, with you,” Stiles parrots. “Cuddling and shit. Don’t even front, I know you want it too.” He’s done pretending he only wants to kiss Derek to get to another reality. And he’s like eighty percent sure the older man feels the same way, so he’s just gonna ignore the other twenty percent. He makes grabby hands at Derek, motioning for him to sit down on the stairs too. The werewolf does, sitting down obediently between Stiles’ knees with his back to him. He leans forward, wrapping his arms around Derek’s shoulders and resting his chin there too. Derek puts his hand on Stiles’ arm, a comforting gesture. They sit like that for a while, enjoying the closeness and the peace and quiet. 

“I don’t want to go back into that office,” Derek admits quietly. He’s been rubbing his thumb in back and forth motions across Stiles’ arm and it’s been all Stiles was able to focus on for the past few minutes. “But we can’t stay here either.” 

Stiles shakes his head. “My ass is getting kinda sore from sitting on these concrete steps.”

“If only it was a couch, huh?” Derek tilts his head to the side so he can look at Stiles.

“If only,” he sighs, seeing his own tired but fond smile mirrored on the other’s face. He closes his eyes and leans his forehead against Derek’s temple. “I guess we better give it another try? Who knows? We might end up in our own world at last.” 

Derek slides his hand across his arm until he can curl his fingers around Stiles’ hand and give a squeeze. “There’s a couch there.” 

“And take out.” 

“And bad movies,” Derek agrees, letting Stiles nuzzle the side of his face blindly. “I bet you have a whole lot of them all queued up and ready to go.”

He chuckles and presses a small kiss to Derek’s stubble, right next to his ear. “I have them catalogued. There’s a shark themed collection.”

“Jaws is a classic,” Derek argues, “that’s not a bad movie.” 

“I know, but The Meg is. And Sharknado, and -” 

Derek gives him a push with his head. “Shut up, I get it.”

Stiles grins. “Did you know they made six Sharknado movies? Six! The last one has Nazi’s, dinosaurs and knights! It’s so epic, it even -”

The werewolf who’s not a werewolf right now turns in the circle of his arms and clamps a hand over Stiles’ mouth. He’s not mad though, he’s still smiling. “Shut up, Stiles!”

“Make me,” Stiles mumbles against the warm skin of Derek’s hand. He’s tempted to lick it, so he does. Derek just wipes the spit off on his cheek, reminding Stiles he comes from a large family and was used to shenanigans like this. As always, he feels a pang of hurt in his chest when he thinks about the late Hale family. He can’t imagine what Derek feels, so he takes his mind back to the subject at hand. “Perhaps it's better not to do that right now,” he says. “Make me, I mean. We both know what’ll happen then.” It’s a shame, really. He’d like to be able to kiss Derek for a length of time, without having to worry about where they’ll end up because of it. 

“We might go home,” Derek reminds him, nudging his chin up so Stiles looks him in the eye again. “And when we don’t, I’ll come find you.” 

“You just want to kiss me,” Stiles teases, trying to lift the emotionally charged atmosphere somewhat. 

“True,” Derek admits easily, slowly closing the distance between them until their lips are almost touching. “Ready?” 

Stiles breathes out slowly one last time. “I’ll find you,” he promises.

*** *** ***

Stiles guesses he should consider himself lucky Scott is his friend in this reality. They live in Boston, so it was pretty clear right from the get go that this wasn’t his own world. It’s a pretty cool world though, because he ‘woke up’ in Fenway Park. Way up in the nosebleeds, but still, he was watching a baseball game in freaking Fenway Park!

As far as Stiles can tell, this is a reality without magic. Scott isn’t a werewolf, though he works as a veterinarian and is still every bit the dopey best friend Stiles grew up with. There’s an Allison in this world too, who they met in high school and there’s even a story about Scott borrowing her a pen, which resulted in them being head over heels for each other. It’s as nauseatingly cute now as it was with the werewolf drama included.

This world is pretty much the same as his own, just without all the supernatural bullshit. He found Lydia on Facebook, her profile showed she is engaged with Jackson. Danny was listed as their mutual friend, so nothing odd there. He was able to find Boyd and Erica too, but they didn’t have any connection to Stiles or Scott except for going to the same Boston high school. It’s like everything reverted back to the time before Scott got bitten and the world continued on like it maybe would have if there wasn’t such a thing as werewolves. Unfortunately, no werewolves also means no Hales. Stiles hasn’t been able to find a trace of Derek anywhere. He even tried to abuse his father’s powers as the captain of the local police precinct to find his packmate, only to risk getting grounded even though he’s in his early twenties. The fact that he’s not even living with his father anymore did nothing to deter his old man from trying to abuse his parental powers. 

He’s been here for about a week now and he still hasn’t found a trace of Derek. To say he is worried is an understatement, considering their previous experiences. This world seems normal enough, yet who is to say there aren’t secret nefarious powers that could be doing horrible things to Derek as we speak? He also briefly considered the fact that he is alone in this reality, that the werewolf doesn’t even exist here, but that thought was somehow even more devastating than the idea of Derek being tortured somewhere in an underground lair, waiting for Stiles to rescue him. 

The thing is, Stiles has no clue how to go about rescuing the werewolf, if he can’t even find proof of Derek Hale existing in the first place. Is he living under a different name here? Is he in Boston or back in Beacon Hills? Does he even live in the United States? 

So with nothing to go on, Stiles has no choice but to live his life here and keep looking for his packmate in any way that he knows how. Apparently he’s a TA at the university, in the Anthropology department, and he’s working on his thesis. Luck has it that Stiles landed here in the middle of summer break, so he doesn’t have to worry about teaching or anything else work related. This version of him also seems to enjoy video games, so Stiles has been doing that, as well as hanging out with Scott when he’s free. He’s taking a lot of cues from Scott, who knows more about his life than he does right now. Hence why they’re at the dog pound right now, where Stiles is filling out the sign-in form so they’ll let him visit the dogs. 

“You’ve been saying you want a dog since forever,” Scott excitedly chatters from right next to him. “Now you’ve got a house with a backyard you can finally make it happen!”

The backyard Scott is talking about is hardly bigger than a post stamp, but there’s a park within walking distance, so Stiles guesses he has the right living circumstances to get a dog. He feels a little awkward about making such important life decisions when it’s not even his own life - not his real one anyway. Who knows what will happen with the dog when Stiles finds Derek and they get out of here? Better yet: what happened with the Stiles that originally lived in this world? Did he vanish into thin air when Stiles got here? Is he walking around in someone else’s body, as some kind of pod person? Scott hasn’t shown any signs of suspicion that his friend is not the same person as before and apart from his practical experience, Stiles has absolutely no clue as to how these different realities actually work. So he’s just rolling with the punches, doing the things that seem somewhat logical. And apparently he already set a date with Scott earlier, to go pick out a dog.

The dog pound is pretty large, with multiple rooms with dogs in them. Each dog has his own decently sized pen, although there are some of them that share. Those are the dogs that already lived together before they ended up here and they’re supposed to leave this place together too. Stiles doesn’t even let himself look at them, because his house is really tiny and he already decided that he would pick out one small or medium sized dog. No big ones, no special needs dogs, no couples: he doesn’t want to dump some complicated or impractical situation in other Stiles’ lap. If he’s stuck making life decisions for someone else, he’s gonna be sensible about it.

Stiles has already met two potential candidates, a cute labrador-mix female and a fox terrier male that licked his hand, when he spots a door to a backroom that’s slightly ajar. “What’s back there?” he asks, getting up from his crouch in front of the terrier’s pen.

“Those dogs are not up for adoption, sir,” the middle aged woman who shows them around tells him matter of factly. She introduced herself as Linda, telling them she has been working at the pound for over ten years.

“Are they still in quarantine?” Scott asks knowingly. But the woman shakes her head and from the way Scott’s face falls Stiles suddenly understands what fate awaits the dogs in that room. 

He tries to be rational. There must be a good reason those dogs are in there. They could be feral, or sick. Whatever it is, they’re not a good choice for him. So he tries to focus on the nice dogs that curiously watch him from their pens, eager for his attention. Yet not even five minutes later he finds himself close to that forbidden door and when the woman is distracted talking to Scott, he slips inside. It’s quiet here, much quieter than in the other rooms. It’s a lot smaller too. There’s only eight cages, four on each side. They’re all empty, or so Stiles thinks at first. He’s about to leave the room when he catches a hint of movement in a cage on the right, all the way in the back. With a strangely hopeful feeling in his stomach he walks over to that cage, seeing a large black mass of fur rolled up in the back. The animal is curled up, his head mostly hidden. It’s hard to make out what kind of breed it is, though Stiles thinks he knows the answer anyway. “Derek?” 

The animal lifts his head at the sound, looking over his shoulder to where Stiles is crouched down in front of the cage. The black wolf blinks, staring at him. Then he suddenly scrambles upright, his large body bumping the sides of his cage. He barks excitedly, pawing at the heavy duty bars that separate them.

“Derek! It’s you!” Stiles hooks his fingers around the bars, wishing he could put his hands on the werewolf. The animal licks his fingers, expressing his happiness to see him. The space between the bars is just large enough for him to stick his nose through. Stiles can’t believe he finally found Derek, and in relatively good condition too. “Are you okay?” he asks. “Can you change back?”

The wolf shakes his head, whining softly. He keeps pawing at the cage door, clearly wanting to be let out. Stiles looks around to see if he can spot a key or something. All the cages have a padlock on them, sturdy enough that Stiles doesn’t even contemplate getting it open with his bare hands. “Don’t worry, big guy,” he assures Derek. “I’ll have you out of here in no time.” 

“Sir! You’re not supposed to be in here!” The woman from the pound, Linda, is standing in the door opening.

“Ah, good! Help is here, Derek. She can open your cage and then we’ll figure out how to change you back.” Stiles stands up and gestures to the lock. “I want this dog. Can I take him home right away?”

Linda looks at him like he’s lost his mind. “You can’t adopt that dog. He’s dangerous.” 

Stiles laughs incredulously. “Dangerous? Please. He’s all bark and no bite. This guy is practically a marshmallow inside.”

The werewolf in the cage is offended and growls, which is arguably a stupid thing to do. The woman seems to think it strengthens her point. “He bit three people when he was picked up from the streets.”

“I would bite too if you put me in a cage.”

“He’s feral,” Linda states, crossing her arms in front of her chest. 

Stiles sticks his fingers through the grate to scratch Derek’s snout. “You’re not feral, are you, big guy?” The woman shouts at him to get his fingers out of the dog’s reach, arguing that the pound is not responsible for him getting hurt and he should listen to what he’s being told. 

Scott joins them in the room, coming to see what all the commotion is about. “Stiles? Buddy? What are you doing?”

“I want to adopt this dog!” Stiles keeps his hand on the cage, feeling a strong urge to maintain physical contact with Derek, however small. 

“That’s a dangerous animal,” Linda insists again, but Stiles talks right over her.

“He was just angry about being put in a cage, I’m sure he’ll behave perfectly if we let him out. There’s absolutely no reason for him to be put down, especially not if I want to adopt him!” Stiles gestures at Scott to come closer. “Come look at him! He’s great!”

Slowly Scott walks over to take a peek inside the cage. “Dude! He’s huge! I thought you said you wanted a small dog.”

“Yeah, well, I’m allowed to change my mind? Aren’t I?”

“Sure, but…” Scott doesn’t sound so sure. To be fair, Derek’s not really helping. He’s agitated and it has him showing his teeth way more than is considered good doggy behaviour. They’re pretty big, sharp looking canines.

Stiles just wants to hurry this up. The sooner he gets Derek out of that cage, the sooner they can figure out how to turn him back into his human form and then they can get out of here. Or perhaps they can stick around for a bit, just until the end of Summer. Stiles has a house all to himself, after all. They could hang out there, try to figure out how to get back to their real world. He could take Derek to see a baseball game at Fenway Park, if they’re in Boston anyway. They can get take out and watch crappy movies together on the couch. Whatever. They can discuss what to do after Derek’s out of this cage. 

Linda doesn’t want to open the cage. She keeps repeating the same things over and over. Derek is feral, he bit three people, he’s dangerous, he has to be put down. Stiles is equally stubborn and demands they let him take the dog home. He refuses to leave the room, in fact, he refuses to move away from the cage at all, especially after Linda tells him the dog is supposed to be picked up later today to get his lethal injection. Derek growls at that too, butting his head against the grate and snarling. Both Scott and Linda yelp at him to take his hands away from the cage, but Stiles pays their warnings no mind. He tries to show the lady Derek will not harm him, but she’s adamant that the rules have to be followed. Scott is helplessly flitting around between them, trying to make the both of them see reason. 

Eventually Linda huffs and turns on the heels of her sensible shoes to stalk out of the room. “I’m going to call the police!”

Stiles and Scott stare after her, one with a grim, determined look on his face, the other totally flabbergasted. “Dude,” Scott laments feebly, “are you really gonna let her call the cops on you over a stray dog?”

Stiles shoots him a mean glare. “I thought you liked animals.” 

His friend shrugs sheepishly. “Yeah, sure I do. But you heard her, he was brought in from the streets and he bit three people already. From the looks of him, I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s some wolf mixed up in his genes too. It’s your first dog, don’t you think you should start with something a little… I don’t know. Easier?”

Stiles groans and rolls his eyes. His friend just sees this large, black dog that animal control decided has to be put down. Scott came with him to help him pick a nice, healthy dog; there’s no way he’s gonna give Stiles his blessing to take this one home. And telling him the scary black dog is actually a werewolf will not make him change his mind. Instead, he’ll think Stiles is crazy, which will put Scott even more on the side of the dog pound lady. He needs to come up with a plan to get out of here, and fast. “Scott, buddy, my best friend,” Stiles pleads. “Do you trust me?”

Scott’s answer is quick, bless his heart. “Of course I do.”

“Then I need you to trust me on this. Go after that woman and stall her!” At Scott’s hesitation he shoos him towards the door. “There’s no time to explain. Please do this for me!”

Again, he’s so glad that Scott is his friend in this reality, because even though the doubt is clear on his face, he still nods and disappears from the room.

As soon as Scott’s out of sight, Stiles goes into overdrive. He searches the whole room for something he can use to pry open the cage, but apart from the cages there’s hardly anything in the room. He curses, falling to his knees in front of Derek’s cage. “I don’t know what to do,” he whispers. “The police might be here any minute. If I leave this room to go looking for a crowbar or something, I might not be able to get back to you.” 

Derek pushes his snout against his hands, licking his fingers where they stick through the bars. “I’m not gonna let them kill you! You’re coming with me, one way or another.” He leans his head against the grate, closing his eyes in a desperate attempt to come up with a brilliant idea that will get them both out of here. A warm wet tongue laps at his face, startling a laugh out of him. “Eww… dog kisses.” Stiles rubs his hand over his face to get rid of the wetness, but then he stills. “Dog kisses…”

They stare at each other for a long moment, Derek’s eyes that same undefinable mix of grey and green they are when he’s in human form. There’s a hint of amusement in them now, because he knows just as well as Stiles what they’ll have to do. Stiles grumbles something about bestiality before he lets out a resigned huff. He crowds as close as possible to the cage, his nose touching the grate. “This better work,” he threatens as Derek comes closer from the other side, their noses now touching. The cold wet nose of the wolf touches his upper lip and then there’s furry lips and sharp canines. Stiles sighs and presses even closer. “You’re lucky I like you so much,” he mumbles, going in for the kiss.

It works.

Stiles is never ever going to mention it ever again.

Chapter 7 >>

[drum-circles]

Deaf Drum Circles (or) Drumming With Hearing Impaired

At first glance one might think a deaf drum circle presents a lot of challenges. It really doesn't. I learned from experience to just facilitate it like you would a regular drum circle. Don't over-think it. I did that early on, and it was a mistake that I quickly had to get corrected.

Rhythm games, passing shakers, and pie slices type of thing just wastes valuable time. We are there to have a rhythm session as a group, not play games or talk. Let's just start playing, and shake out those nerves. Then the real fun can begin. Exploring rhythms with different tempos, cultures, and styles.

There are a few mechanical adjustments I make after testing the acoustics of the room, (beforehand if possible loud hand claps, or yell a loud Hey in the likely spots to facilitate the circle). Forgive me for this, but I call it the clap test. If there's an echo in that spot, find a place that is more ideal. Sometimes you have to work with where they want it, or in large gyms, so echo is important to minimize if you can.

One, that is most important, is that neither myself, or the person signing is in front of a window, or less than ideal lighting. I made that mistake early on. You become silhouetted or worse.

The other thing is to remember to keep my head up when I speak, because many are so sharp, they read lips rather than even look at the signer. So heads up, no bright light behind you.

I tend to not say much during a drum circle, because an hour goes by so fast. I mix in a little about volume, history and names of a few rhythms, what they mean, a little about the drums, good safe hand technique, and little else. We can chat a little when drum circle time is up. Let's just get to that warm up that lets everyone relax, and realize they can just have fun, and not worry about silly things, like making a mistake. I was very self-conscious when I approached my first drum as a teen.

Anyway, I just start things off with a basic warm up boom cha la ka where the tempo is nice and slow until everyone finds a place. Then up to faster tempo for 5 minutes or so, and end it up with a nice up and down massive rumble, wailing away, and everyone comes out of that joyous, smiling, and feeling good! That sets a nice tone for the whole session. That this is going to be fun. I'm going to improvise, and make some music with my own two hands.

Generally speaking, a group dynamic happens after 45 minutes, so we are just getting to the real groove on the beam at that point. It's the same with children or adults. I often go an extra half hour because of this. I want them to have as much fun as possible, and it is at this point where they start to feel what playing and experiencing a real groove feels like. It goes deep into your spirit and soul.

After that warm up, I usually have a set list in my head. I also keep it in my pocket, and that way, I don't need to look at it. But it's nice to know it's there in case of a mental hiccup. Sometimes it just happens as a performer. We all make mistakes, move past it, and go on to the next rhythm. I keep duration of rhythms to 5 -7 minutes so we can try out a bunch of them from different cultures. It's all part of giving a full experience. I almost always include African Fanga, something in 6/8, something Native American, and Mid-East Beledi as a part of my experience. Most of it is in 4/4 time.

I always start each rhythm out with a 2 measure vocalization of the beat, and then I start playing it at a very slow tempo so everyone can latch on, and then I slowly bring it up to a comfortable pace. Encourage them to experiment, and find a place in the rhythm when they feel comfortable. I try to keep each rhythm no more than 7 minutes long, as an hour goes by so fast. I can get maybe 7 or 8 drum rhythms in there.

I like to have them experience different cultures as I play along with them. As for endings, I try to mix them up a bit, but nothing beats a good rumble ending. Drum circle chairs set-up: Chairs about 20 feet across the circle, or as you see in the photos, sometimes a semi-circle so everyone can see.

I use only body drums, djembes, doumbeks, darbukas, congas, bottom drums, and a few frame drums.

No lollipop drums or sound tubes, give them a real drum to play if you can, they can feel the resonation more.

My experience working with deaf, or the pc version hearing impaired, is many prefer to embrace the term deaf, and why not? It makes sense if I think about it. Something else as many know, is if one sense is weakened, often one or all the other senses, are heightened. So, good hygiene, no colognes or perfumes.

I don't really care for TV shows with sub-titles, but this Russian series titles Sniffer is about a guy with a heightened sense of smell, and it's pretty good also. It's beautifully shot, the relationships of the characters fascinated me, and the plot lines were pretty good as well.

There was this strange familiarity of the main characters for me. It was like I had seen them somewhere in something. I used to get that look a lot from my acting peers when I had a number of commercials running on cable TV.

That's the life of working as an actor, you tend to watch more than what you see, and it takes a well produced film or TV series for me not to be looking at the filmmaking process or mistakes. It needs to draw me away from that world, and Sniffer did that. Maybe you will enjoy it as well. I'm definitely not a film critic.

I'm not an expert on deaf drum circles, but I do have many years of drum circle facilitating experience, both with adult, kids, and mixed families. My hope is, if you are offered to facilitate a deaf drum circle, some of this may help you.

Something I didn't know much about early on, is that there are varying degrees of deafness. Someone who might be clinically considered deaf may have limited hearing of certain different pitches and sounds. It meant that they could only hear sounds in a very high sound register. Like in super soprano, but that was all they could hear. Others can only hear just a hint of, or feel a hint of the bottom bass beat. My experience is that on the whole, people who are deaf still can be highly functional, and very musical.

Some only can feel the vibration of the drumming. Repetition, repetition, repetition. This is one reason I like to bring 2 beach towels, or yoga mats, and have people lay down flat in the center of the circle and close their eyes for a moment somewhere during the circle. To see things without the eyes, and to feel, even if they can't hear a rhythm, they can feel it. Many times after just one circle I've had many different people come up to me and tell me how delighted they were. Their other senses are so acute, many feel more than say just a public gathering drum circle.

Watching someone signing to music or a rhythm is a beautiful thing to watch. It flows so nice to a drum rhythm if someone is signing to it, and it feels really nice. Or even vice versa. It looks like a sort of hand bound Tai Chi. Signing gives a beautiful sense of rhythm to the music. Many concerts or events I've been to have someone signing off to stage right or something.

I've facilitated many deaf drum circles over the years, and seen many different signers. I've learned a little signing myself in the process, and I use it as often as I can during events while I speak. It is not easy to sign, just try it if you haven't, but if I could learn the basics of it, so can you. I love it when the interpreter interprets the rhythm and prompts everyone to participate. Try to make sure that there are interpreters present if you encounter this. When I am working with a signer, I just have to remember that they have to hear what I am saying, keep my head up when I speak, but not exaggerate it, or speak more deliberately, that is a bit off-putting.

If it's possible, when I load in my gear I try to find the signer and make a new friend. I let them know how my speaking will work, and what I'm going to be saying. For many, it's the first drum circle they've ever seen, they have no idea what to expect, and it is much appreciated most of the time for the head's up.

I explain to the signer, (or signers) I'll be saying short bits here and there, but mostly rhythm names, drum names, cultures, and what they will sound like using 3 or 4 different methods. Middle Eastern doume tek-ka, Babatune's Godo pa-ta, a boom chick a boom boom, I may just scat out a few. Lots of them with a strong downbeat. Some modern stuff, and etc. That gives them a heads up, saves time, and helps everything go smoother.

At this one kids camp event, they were swapping in a new signer every 10 minutes, so be ready for that if it happens. We jammed out like they were drummers mid-jam like in the Parliament Funkadelic days back in the 70s Mothership. The fun never stopped, so be ready if that happens.

Often times, it will be a transitional event, where people have time restrictions, but they can feel free to enter, or leave the drum circle at any point during a rhythm.

Sometimes it is up to you to anchor it, and keep the groove going.

It makes good sense to do your homework beforehand on any group or condition that might be present at a drum circle. So I can be respectful, understanding, patient, considerate, and have a better understanding of it.

Then I can help them feel more comfortable, and if necessary, stay within their boundaries. It's always better to do a little research on deaf culture or anything else you might run into before working with them. Like all cultures, they have their own habits, values, and language. Generally, the deaf community does not see their deafness as a disability. As I said, my experience has been that they embrace it.

It's a deaf drum circle. Nobody wants to be treated differently, so I never do that. It takes some experience to just trust yourself, and do this. It's a regular drum circle. Heads up, no windows behind you or the signer, and slow the pace a tad, especially when presenting the names of rhythms, and what they look like being played.

Do this simply, and there's no communication barrier. We just speak a different language, and it is a beautiful one at that. Connect your rhythm whenever you get a chance.

It's not a variety of challenges, it's a drum circle. Come have some fun!

My website started in 1999. It used to be: drumcircles.net where I updated and ran the drum circle finder worldwide. I ran it for 20 years, and passed it to a younger person.

Please check out my drum circle book on Kindle, 300 pages for just $8.

www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Hand-Drumming-Circles-ebook/dp/B003PPDB26/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1

My 2 Hour 101 Drum Circle Rhythms is also on Amazon Video for $8. (On DVD it's a bit more.)

www.amazon.com/101-Drum-Circle-Rhythms-Hand/dp/B006VT37W2/re414000714&sr=keywords=drum+circle+rhythms

If you're making a film - video game, or any other project? A live drum circle track might be just the vibe you need.

Check out iTunes CDBaby.com and listen to a few. There's a wide variety of cultures, styles, and tempos to choose from.

All of my drumming and drum circle music tracks are copyrighted, and licensed.

www.cdbaby.com/Artist/SLRatigan

Thanks, and keep on drumming!

Copyright Shannon Ratigan All Rights Reserved.

[voigtbock93]

Harvest Your Own Personal God-Given Water

The different of bead that can also effective in this Christmas craft is known as the tri bead or propeller bead. The rii three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing spot. Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung when. For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colours of red, green, and clear. yuantai derun can even be found in metallic silver and gold which could be used in this particular Christmas craft as well. If must drive regularly to bike, then can really clog be very know exactly how recent bicycle car rack innovations are making transporting your bikes a lot easier for the public. 50mm box section tip the end of our tubes with a seaworm also makes me think that bass mistake tubes for worms. More evidence could be found if we take a search at the sizes on the bass we often catch on tubes-as well as how bass typically bite replacements. Getting our oil extracted, and the pipeline built are just two projects which require pipe welders. Nothing to be able to do with oil and gas could be done without more pipe welders, as well as need more, now. The truth is remains continual business growth . about 5% of all welders are pipe welders. Why? It isn't easy. Each joint must pass X-Ray check. A 2% failure rates are the industry standard. If you are a pipe welder, that means you must get 98 joints to pass, from the every 100 you weld. Conclusion As possible see.I am a big fan of both 2 into Harley pipes and the Vance and Hines Pro Pipe is definitely an outstanding tyoe of one of these kinds of pipes. black rectangular pipe offers one within the nicest fits and finishes available between a manufacturer an individual can trust to stand behind their objects. Drill a dent in center of the PVC cap. Insert the vinyl hose into the hole, confident it fits tightly. Are going to leaks, silicone sealant in order to be used. Push the cap onto the PVC pipe and, if needed, seal it with PVC sealer. Next, fold the piece of filter paper and push it into the PVC pipe so that it covers the outlet in the cap. Don't are before riding on a towable tube. This 1 other one normally gets overlooked, but are a real life saver. When you've had several drinks and ride 1 side of these fun water toys it's even to be able to fall in the water, hit your head, and discover a dangerous situation. Using a few drinks on working day at the stream can be a fun, relaxing way to pay the day-just don't ride in the tube. From the underside start laying the bricks along the wall on the bore well using cement and other used material for a concrete wall construction. Method is dress yourself in as completed in making concrete bore wells but distinction is the successful is backside is well above water table.

[howeaboutthatrace]

Howe About That Race? The Clash at the Coliseum

The NASCAR Cup Series season is unofficially underway thanks to the second of running of The Clash at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. I’m Jonathon Howe and I ask, Howe About That Race?

Since this is the first edition of this series, let’s talk a little bit about what you can expect from Howe About That Race? Well, as a big fan of racing, pretty much anything with an engine and 4 wheels, (sorry Moto GP fans, maybe you’ll get me on board this year), deserves discussion. My goal is to watch as many races this season as I can and talk about them in this space. NASCAR, IndyCar, Formula 1 are the main things I will be watching but given the fact I work as a commentator at my local dirt track, Merrittville Speedway, I’m sure we’ll mix in some dirt talk as well. We are going to review races from current seasons, and maybe even watch some old races via live stream. I’ll offer some takes, listen to yours, and hopefully we can all have fun talking about fast cars, big stars, and good clean racing.

Back to The Clash, NASCAR’s experiment with a purpose-built temporary racetrack inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The first year of this pre-season event was tame. It was the first race with the NEXT Gen Cup car, and it came when most teams were still working through a parts shortage. Rather than teams building their own parts pieces to assemble a race car, these Cup cars are now vendor cars, with each team buying the same parts and pieces, creating a spec series of sorts. Well, the concept is good and has increased parity in the series, it affected last year’s event.

            Teams and drivers really took it easy in The Busch Light Clash last year. They had to, they wreck their cars, they may not have enough to race in the coming weeks. Plus, it was the first race, they didn’t know what to expect from the cars. How they would drive, how a sequential gear box would work, how a rack and pinion steering setup would handle a quarter mile track, the shortest on the schedule, etc. etc. Flash forwards a year, the parts shortage is over, a lot of questions about this new car have been answered and the drivers were prepared to put on a show.

            Let’s start with the heat racing. I think heat racing is a fun added element to NASCAR Racing, one I’d like to see in some regular season events. Get rid of stages at short tracks and give out bonus points for a top 3 finish in a heat. Something like that I think would be welcomed by the NASCAR crowd. The 25 lap Heat races came with a different added pressure, only the top 5 made the big show, with other drivers in the heats needing to race their way in via Last Chance Qualifier races. That led to some great desperation moves for final transfer spots and hard racing. The incident where Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Chase Elliott and Kevin Harvick all traded blows, resulting in Harvick driving underneath both in the final corner and beating Elliott to the line for the final transfer position was a highlight for sure, only made possible the added element of heat racing. I thought the heats were fun, and I figured the use of the chrome horn was only out of necessity.

            After the field was set, the sun set and a full moon rose over the California sky, which any short track racing fan knows the race is bound to be chaotic. It certainly was. While the first 75 laps were mostly tame with only a few cautions, we did get the sense that this year’s Clash was different. Drivers pushed the limits of the cars, pushed themselves, and a lot of times had to push each other out of the way to make passes. That gave me some vintage Bristol and Martinsville vibes. Except with the new composite bodies on NASCAR Cup cars are a lot tougher, so we didn’t get the attrition those vintage short track races produced. Toyota drivers like Denny Hamlin, Bubba Wallace, and Martin Truex Jr. showed that they came much better prepared for short track racing this season. Kyle Busch, now in the number 8 Chevy for Richard Childress also had an impressive first half.

The second half of the race was where the full moon chaos really took place. Multiple drivers found themselves pointing the wrong direction after contact in the corners. Most of the races 16 cautions came in the second half of the race. Ryan Blaney, Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Bubba Wallace were all victims of what Joey Logano via Denny Hamlin might describe as “just short track racing”. The final restart came with 7 laps to go, and leader Martin Truex Jr. used the inside line to hold off the duo of Austin Dillon and Busch, who drove back through the field after getting turned by Joey Logano with 65 laps to go. Ryan Preece showed strength leading late before a fuel pump problem dropped him back a few places. Alex Bowman was also impressive in the second half of the Busch Light Clash finishing fourth.

            So, with all that I ask, How About That Race? For me, I was entertained. While the almost comical number of cautions hampered my feelings, the racing was still better than last year’s event. Cars could move through the field if they had the set up right. It even seems like there was a second line coming in. The event is a spectacle and while the concerts weren’t exactly my cup of tea, the Busch Light Clash at Coliseum has become a must watch event and if there are future events at the Coliseum, be it exhibition or as a points race, it would be on my radar to attend. And with that I now ask you, How About That Race?

[i-cant-sing]

Yandere RE8: TRP Part 4

Part 1 is here.

Part 2 is here.

Part 3 is here.

Part 5 is here.

Check out my MASTERLIST for more!

"Uhh... hello?"

You looked at the woman standing in the stairs. She was wearing a dark veil that matched the rest of her outfit- oh shit, that's a funeral outfit.

I really did pick a bad time to come here, didn't I? She's in mourning, she sees an intruder, and her day went from bad to worst. Yep, she's gonna kill me.

You took one look at the woman and then at all the possible exits: the doors- no, they'd be too heavy to move and what if they're locked? The window- but I'd have to jump out and just because it looks cool in movies to jump through glass, doesn't mean it'll work, Y/n.

So, the only option was to eliminate the threat. Or maybe... defuse it.

"This is your doll, right?" You asked, pointing at the doll, judging by the lace designs on both of their dresses. The woman didn't reply. "It looks like its been... used a lot. To be honest, she's very different than most dolls I've seen, definitely a lot more spookier." You nervously giggled, hoping she didn't mind. "But... she looks like she's been loved. A lot. Despite being broken from a lot of places, someone still took their time to fix her." You smiled sadly, remembering your own doll that Mia had ripped. "Wish I had someone like that. To sew up the wounds and fix them."You mumbled, not really sure if you were talking about your doll or yourself.

"Your doll, she's- she's very pretty. My sister would've liked her." You began. "Which is why I'm here. My family, we were in an accident- I know it was wrong of me to come here without permission, but I need to find my sister, Rose and my father, Ethan." You took a step closer. "They both of have blonde hair. Rose, my sister, she's just 6 months old. She was dressed in a baby pink onesie, bundled up in a blanket. My father, Ethan, he's about this tall and has big blue eyes. I think he was wearing a jacket, with blue denim jeans. H-have you seen them?" You asked, eyes full of hope and voice laced with eagerness.

Please, please let her have seen them. God, please.

Unsurprisingly, the woman didn't reply, but she did turn her head towards the left window. You didn't know whether she was telling you to get out of her house or signalling that they are out there, but you knew you had to leave.

Nodding, you slowly walked towards the window, your heart beating faster as you prayed that this wasn't some sort of trap, hoping she wouldn't attack you from behind because that would be like... really shitty.

But you left the house unharmed, and without looking back at the window because you didn't want to jinx it, you walked towards the forrest once again, thankful that the sun had finally came out.

Where are you guys?

You had been walking for a couple of hours now, the sun had been a bit warmer today, which was good since you hated the snow that surrounded you now. You looked at the map, tracing the path to your new destination. The Salvatore reservoir. It seemed like it would take you a day's journey to get there, and you sure as hell weren't seeing any lake in sight.

God, when will this nightmare end?

You decided to sit on a stone and take some much needed rest. Your feet ached from all the walking, and your calves were cramping. You rolled your head, popping it from the side, before taking off the rifle that had been weighing down, stretching out your arms. Digging through the little back pack you bought from Duke, you pulled out a thermos of coffee and twinkie. You don't know how or where he got it, but Duke had filled your bag with a couple of snacks; saying its for his loyal customer.

So, here you sat, in the middle of the snowy woods, eating a twinkie and drinking a lukewarm coffee. Both didn't taste good, but they're gonna keep you alive so, no complaining.

After drinking the coffee, you rested your head against a tree, recalling last nights events as you waited for the caffeine to kick in.

You tried to make sense of what happened when you got... locked in the basement. You thought you had forgotten about her, Angel. Guess not.

Wait- didn't that lady lock me in the basement? Maybe, she didn't look very hostile, her creepy doll looked scarier than she did.

You laughed at the irony. You always made fun of the horror movies where the family would become so attached to the most horrifying doll, and you'd scream at their stupidity, And yet here you were, falling for the cliche as you found comfort in that creepy doll.

Man, I'm really losing it here.

You sighed, closing your eyes as you tried to come up with the next plan. But the warm coffee had lulled you right to sleep, which was dangerous but you were too tired to care.

Just for a couple of minutes...

You woke up to the sound of growling and heavy steps. And as soon as you opened your eyes, you knew you had definitely slept for far longer than a few minutes. But that was not of concern at the moment. No, it was the source of the growling that had woken you up.

Just about 40 feet away from you were lycans. Plural. Not one, not two, but 5 lycans, and one of them was a really big one.

You held your breath as you watched them wander around; they hadn't spotted you yet, and if you stayed quiet, you hoped they would just go away.

Stilling yourself as much as you could, you watched them with wide eyes. One of them started to walk in your direction, it wasn't looking at you, which meant that it hadn't seen you, but he would if he kept on walking this way.

God, I know we haven't been on good terms, but like c'mon, you gotta give me a break. Please, I love you? Come on, you know this is not how I want to go.

You sent a silent prayer, and perhaps it worked, since the lycan suddenly turned the other way, joining its pack as they started walking deeper into the woods.

Slowly, you began to gather up your things, silently shoving them in your bag, one eye on the lycans and the other one making sure that you don't accidentally drop something that'd cause noise.

Fortunately, you didn't. You swung the bag over your shoulder, and took a step forward, careful not to step on any twigs.

Maybe God did love me. All that time in church-

THWACK!

You jumped back as a huge sheet of snow fell from the trees in front of you. You whipped your head towards the monsters and they all had stopped dead in their tracks. Slowly, one of them turned and if they hadn't heard the snow fall, they'd definitely heard the way your heart was about to burst out of your chest. Then, it growled.

Motherfucker.

You pulled out your gun just as the two of them began running your way. With a quick jump to the side, you dodged them and shot them two times each. Hearing your gun fire, the other two began running your way too, while the larger one stayed behind as it watched. This time, as you shot one of them, the other managed to kick you in the chest hard, throwing you against the rock. Luckily, you didn't hit your head, as you rolled and shot it dead.

Spitting out the blood, you looked back at the last lycan who had already started running your way. You began loading up your gun with trembling hands, but just as you aimed, the lycan took a giant leap and knocked the gun out of your hand.

Fuck.

The giant grabbed you by your neck, lifting you up high before throwing you across the ground. You wheezed, scrambling up to your feet as you began running away from it, its heavy steps following you. It roared angrily behind you, and that only made you ignore the burning pain in your chest as you ran faster.

But of course, God had decided to make you live a cliche horror movie, because you tripped over a fucking branch, making you fall on your stomach. You flipped over instantly, and saw your nightmare come true as the lycan jumped on you.

On pure reflex, you punched it square in the face, which you doubted hurt it more than it hurt you, if anything, the monster was momentarily perplexed, but that was enough for you to slip from under it.

But you were only able to take a few steps away when it suddenly grabbed you by your neck and lifted you up again, snarling as it began opening its mouth, revealing its razor-sharp teeth at you.

God, if you're hearing this, I'm converting to atheism because I did not need this today.

Looking at the horrifying lycan, you prayed one last time before you were eaten by it. Surprisingly, your life did not flash before your eyes, which you were kinda grateful for because you did not need to relive that before your death.

But that moment didn't came. No, what came were familiar moans of pain, and then the sound of a drill, followed by blood splattering on your face as the lycan was sliced vertically from the head to the toe by the aforementioned drill.

The lycan fell to the ground, revealing the pair of soldats that killed them and behind them a smirking Heisenberg, who rested against a tree, tipping his hat at you.

You were far too shocked to say anything, and after a few seconds, the man walked over to you, blocking the view of his monstrous creations just mutilating the lycans.

"So... that was a bit traumatising." He started, chuckling at your stunned face. "You okay, kid?"

What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck. What the fuck-

"Yeah." You took his hand, and he helped you up. You groaned at the pain, touching the tender side around the chest where the lycan had hit you. Yeah, you probably broke a rib.

Heisenberg helped you sit down on a tree stump. "Hmm, that bastard kicked you hard didn't it." Wait- "But that was a phenomenal punch you threw at it. Nearly made me burst out laughing."

"You were watching? Why the fuck didn't you come in before!"

He shrugged. "I just wanted to see if you could really handle yourself- which you were pretty good at, but then you lost your gun and it was kinda an unfair match from there on." He pulled out some pills from his coat. "i was just passing by when I saw those lycans moving away. Thats when I pushed the tree which made snow sheet fall and you know the rest from there on."

Your eyes went wide. "You did that on purpose? What the shit, Heisenberg-?! Fuck." You doubled over in pain, clutching your ribs, heaving.

"Shh, stay still, kid. Here, take these. They'll help with the pain." You eyed the bottle before popping two in your mouth. Hey, if he wanted me dead, he wouldn't have saved me from the lycan. "I just wanted to see if you were worth the trouble, and as it turns out, you are."

"You didn't have to almost kill me to see that. And now I've lost my gun. And I don't have any money to buy a new one. I doubt Duke gives freebies." You huffed out.

Heisenberg rolled his eyes. "God, you sure do whine a lot. Here-" He dropped a tiny pouch in your lap. "There's some coins in there. That should be enough to buy you a new gun. And for fucks sake, get a gun with more rounds! You don't have time to be loading a gun mid battle." He huffed. "So, where are you going now?"

You rolled your head from side to side. "Well, I went to the Beneviento house. Didn't find Ethan or Rose there. Now, I'm going to the lake."

"The lake? Huh, well if you survived Donna, then Moreau should be a piece of cake. You got the map? Let me show you the short cut, it's not far from here." You gave him the map and he showed you the directions.

"Where are you going then?"

"Mother Miranda called. Don't worry, I'll keep our meeting a secret." He then nodded at you. "Alright, I'm off now."

"Wait!" Your voice stopped him. "I don't know when I'll see Duke again. And I don't have gun, so what if another pack of lycans come?"

Heisenberg slumped his shoulders as he let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine. I gotta do everything by myself." He dog whistled and one of the soldats stopped maiming the lycan and ran to Heisenberg. "From now on, you're gonna listen to her."The soldat looked at you and nodded. "If she tells you to kill, you kill. If she tells you to die, you die. Follow her around and keep her safe." The soldat nodded. Then Heisenberg turned to you. "He's already dead, so don't worry about throwing him in danger. Oh and also, just take him into the sun every once in a while so that his engine can recharge. You'll know when he needs the sun."

You were baffled. "Wait, Heisenberg- how the- what the hell am I supposed to do with him?"

"Figure it out, kid. Think of him as a guard dog."

You looked at the soldat then at Heisenberg's retreating form, then back at the soldat.

"So..." The soldat stared at you. "You got a name?"

"Handsome." You nodded to yourself as you trudged, using the soldat's arm to support yourself. "That's what I'm gonna call you. Handsome. What do you think?"

The soldat was wearing a metal contraption over its eyes, so you couldn't really tell what it was feeling.

"Well, you don't seem to have any complaints, so from now on, you'll respond to the name "Handsome". Do you understand?"

The soldat nodded.

You laughed. God, the pain meds were either making me stupid or everything else funnier.

You looked at the map again. Just a couple of more minutes and then a right turn. And then you should see the lake- god, this map was confusing as hell.

"So..." you wondered what you should ask the cyborg. Oh right. "You seen Ethan? Blonde man, crazy big eyes. Or a baby, Rose?" The man shook his head no.

Sigh. What else could I ask him? What about how did he die? No, what if that's triggering? I can't handle a Terminator right now. And I don't think I should ask him about his past or anything that'll cause him to have a existential crisis. Ah! I've got it!

"Hey, how do you see?"

The soldat looks down at you for a few seconds then points at his metal contraption.

Wait- is that sarcasm?

You scoff. "Of course, you see with your eyes! I meant, with the whole metal thingy covering them, how do you- oh, there's this vision specs in them."

You smiled. "Hey, you're kinda like Cyclops, yknow-" you were cut off as Handsome suddenly pushed you to the ground, turning on his drill.

"Wait, shit- you don't have to be Cyclops! We can talk this out-" but Handsome was focusing on something else, and that's when you saw it. Two lycans.

Handsome ran and easily maimed them to pieces, I mean, you had to look away from the horrific scene midway.

The soldat returned five minutes later, covered in blood. He extended his hand and you reluctantly took it, letting him support you as you began walking again, your heart still beating like crazy.

But you calmed down when you finally reached the lake, the setting sun gave serene feel to the entire reservoir. You inhaled deeply before looking at Handsome. "Lets go down there." You pointed at the lake.

You were both sitting at the wooden broadwalk, your legs hanging off the ledge. You looked at the water, it wasn't crystal clear, but you could see some fishes swimming around, so at least it wasn't dangerous to life. You looked at Handsome, then at his drill and you realised he was still covered in blood. "Lets get you cleaned up, hm?" You said, pulling out a rag from your bag and dipping it in the cold water below. You began with cleaning up his drill, then dipping the rag back in cold water and cleaning his chest and his other arm.

"Good job back there, Handsome."You smiled as Handsome nodded. "Heisenberg was right, you are kinda like a dog. Hmm, I wonder if..." You tested your theory as you petted him on the head. "Good job, Handsome!" But the soldat only tilted its head in confusion.

"Hmm, perhaps not." You cupped the cold water in your hands and washed your own face, You looked at your reflection in the water. "You wanna go for a swim? I don't mind." Handsome shook his head. "Yeah, I'm not a fan of swimming either."

Handsome stared at you. You scoffed. "Oh so you pretend you don't understand what I say, but you want to hear the story? Fine, but I'm only telling you because it might be important later."

You both stared at the water as you began your story. "Well, when I was 15, I had snuck out of the house to go to a party. It was at this rich girl's house and I knew she didn't like me, but I was surprised when she had invited me to her place. Yes, a red flag I should've seen from miles ago, but I was young and dumb and desperate to climb the highschool social hierarchy." You chuckled. "Anyways, long story short, one of the guys there pushed me into the pool because I don't know if they thought it was funny to see me drown? By some luck, I managed to grab onto the pool ledge and pull myself up. I immediately left the party, embarrassed and cold and on the verge of breaking down. Then on the way back home, there was this car following me and then some weirdo catcalled me and tried to get me in his car. Now, scared for my life because I watched a lot of Criminal Minds, I ran all the way home, praying that he leaves me alone. I think he stopped when he saw a Range Rover following him, but I don't know. I just rushed back home." You sighed. "You know what happened next? I bursted through the front door, slamming it shut and I turn around to see my dad in the living room, looking surprised to see me. He stood up and looked me up and down and then said, "Y/n? You're drenched completely. And you're messing up the floor. You know what? Mia's in the bathroom right now, why don't you go upstairs and I'll clean up here. You know how she gets when there's water on the wood." And I was just so shocked, that I didn't say anything and went back upstairs. Once I was in the shower, that's when I broke down crying. I almost drowned, almost got kidnapped and my father was worried about me messing up the wooden floor? Hell, he didn't even ask me why I was coming home at midnight." Your tears fell into the lake, making small ripples. You chuckled, "God, I always wondered how tired he must've been from work that day to ignore all these visible signs of distress. I always hated his job, you know? They made him work way too much." You looked at Handsome who was looking at the lake. "Anywho, now you know I can't swim so, save me if I fall into this lake, okay?" He nodded.

You guys sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before a question popped up in your mind. "Handsome?" He turned his head towards you, only to see a mischievous smile on your face. "Are you seeing someone?" The man turned his back to the lake, making you laugh. "Ahh, so you like someone. Tell me, is it someone from the village?" The man further turned his head away from you in embarrassment. "Oh come on, tell me! Is it a girl?" He nodded reluctantly, making you punch his arm. "You dog! Does she know?" Handsome shook his head, making you smile. "Tell you what? As a payback for saving me back there, I'll help you get her. I'll be your wingman, Handsome, hm?" He nodded a bit enthusiastically.

"We all deserve good things, Handsome. No matter how we look, or what we are, these things don't really define one's self worth. Its our intentions, you know?" Handsome didn't know, but he nodded anyways.

"Good. Now, lets go check out this place. Keep an eye out for Ethan and Rose, okay?" You told him, not knowing someone was already watching the two of you.

So... thought?

What did you guys think about Handsome? I'm gonna post a pic of him soon if you guys want.

Part 5 is here.

[cloudenthusiast2]

To be a human - Scaramouche x reader - Part 4

You knew committing to a relationship with Scaramouche would be no easy task but you loved him dearly and unlike others, you believed he wasn't evil. But as a mortal and the devoted protector of your village you were too much of a good person, too much of a human compared to him and your differences slowly start to show.

Previous: Part 3 Next: Part 5

Length: ~1000 words

Trigger warnings: yelling

A.n.: Sorry I was a little late with this. But as a compensation it's really long! Here ya go, have some angst

You have been walking around in circles for almost twenty minutes in the kitchen when you finally decided you needed some fresh air.

You grabbed your spear - which was an essential to have even in times like this - and ran out of your home.

The house you lived in was built on a cliff so you could see everyone and everything well. Qingce with all of its beauty and treasures laid in front of you.

The first thing you noticed when you stepped out was the lack of agents.

The fatui has left the village.

Sudden pain stabbed into your heart. Before this all you felt was anger and confusion, but now... it's become official and somehow clearer too.

'What have I done?'

You covered your lips after these words tumbled out of your mouth. You desperately looked around, trying to find someone, trying to find a little shilouette with a ridiculous, huge hat...

But he was gone.

The only people standing around were the people of Qingce village. They tried to pretend they were just working or talking with each other but you could see them taking quick glances of you.

Finally one of them, an elderly, sick man you helped out multiple times looked directly up then started approaching your house.

You took a step back and realised you didn't want to talk to anyone at that moment. It didn't matter whether he wanted to thank you or ask what happened. You wanted and needed to be alone.

As rude as it may have been, you turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. Towards the huge mountains.

You escaped into the forest. Your steps became faster and faster - and suddenly you were running.

Loud gasping echoed in your head. Your hands were shaking, not being able to grab anything properly. A wet, itchy layer blurred your vision as you stumbled through bushes and rocks.

It was a miracle that you got up on the mountain in one piece. You didn't even know how you did it - in one moment you were still climbing and in the next you were standing on the cliff, looking down and being dazed by the height.

You came to this spot on days when you had nothing to do. You liked to write letters, sharpen your spear and most importantly, think everything through here.

For a minute, you were just standing there still, breathing in and out the chilly, fresh mountain air. The rough wind blew through your hair, lifting then letting it go. It fell down and covered your face. You slowly rose your hand and fixed it, staring into the distance.

The sun has reached the top of the sky. But it was still cold around you.

You had hoped the cool weather would be able to clear your mind but it helped nothing. Instead, it made you feel like you were breathing in nothing - like there was no oxygen in your chest at all.

You were suffocating.

Your lips opened to gasp for air but it felt like you were still drowning. Your legs started shaking and you immediately fell on your knees. This broke an invisible gate. Tears started streaming down your face.

He left...

Oh, how much you suddenly regretted your harsh, angry words. You could've just talked it out, you could've just explained it to him calmly...

But would he have really understood?

Loud screech as you clenched your teeth. You did everything to hold back the tears, but it was too late now, you had lost. You sobbed desperately, painfully, alone, in an abandoned top of mountain.

*

Scaramouche loudly slammed his hands on the table and there was no mercy in his ice-like eyes as he stared at the agents in front of him.

'How many times do I have to say this?! Don't start fights the Millelith! We already have diplomatic issues with Liuye Harbour because of that damn incompetent Tartaglia!'

'Apologies, my lord' a pyro agent bowed in front of him while the mirror maiden followed his example. 'We thought...'

'I couldn't care less about what you think' Scaramouche cut in enraged. 'Just follow your orders or I'll make sure you won't ever see the sun coming up again!'

Deep silence followed his words in the tent.

Scaramouche tossed his hat back to glare up at the agents. But they didn't dare look at him. They were always wary of the harbinger who was probably the most powerful and surely the most unpredictable among the Tsaritsa's followers. It wasn't hard to notice how angry he was that day as well.

The cicin mages in the camp were sure it was because of that Liuye girl but most of the agents refused to believe that. It seemed impossible that he would be so upset about splitting up with a mere mortal like you.

Scaramouche let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes for a moment to rest and think a little. He stood there silently with crossed arms and wrinkled brows.

The Millelith. A pain in the neck. How could they possibly avoid them while taking advantage of the small villages around Liuye? Villages who don't have protectors should be an easy prey...

He didn't even realise what a dangerous direction his thoughts were going. He just found himself thinking about you all of a sudden.

This was the hundredth time this day.

It's been almost a day since he turned his back on Qingce. He left the village without looking back, thinking he was free again and that he would be able to finally focus on his work.

But why were you still turning up in his thoughts over and over again? Why did he feel a constant knot in his throat? It didn't loosen, even when he yelled or coughed. He tried both multiple times.

He felt impatient. His body ached to move on, his mind tried to make big plans for the future...

But something in him still didn't want to think about anything or anyone other than you.

This was so stupid.

So unnecessary.

When did stupid humans become so important to him? He killed them off with handing out delusions not so long ago without any hesitation. It was the right thing to do. He never doubted that. Not even for a second.

You were so stupid to say otherwise! Why did you say otherwise?

For a weak moment, he tried to think from your perspective but even then, he understood nothing. All he could think of was that you were just crazy.

Humans deserve nothing. They born, they live so their superiors can make use of them.

You were no exception, he decided. It was ridiculous of him to even think you could be more than just a tool to him.

Why did he even start seeing you?

Memories started to emerge and they invaded his mind in a blink of an eye. And suddenly that weird feeling around his stomach started to strengthen again.

He remembered your smile, the playful and incredibly disrespectful way you greeted him when you two first met. He was out on a quest, alone but still recognisable. You knew he was a harbinger yet you acted like he was a regular mortal.

He hated Liuye. He got lost on his first day in the mountains and who knows what might have happened if you didn't run into him on your way back home.

After making fun of the fatui and its "clumsy" harbingers you offered to be his guide and that had to accepted even though he couldn't stand you at all. You were teasing him all the time, never taking him seriously. And most unforgivable of all, you messed around with his hat.

On the first day, he absolutely despised you.

On the second day, after you have dealt with multiple treasure hoarders without any of his help, he had to admit you were a pretty good fighter.

He was in denial on the third day. You picked violetgrass for him and put them in his pockets, claiming that they suited the boy. He threw them away in a second, getting ready to face your anger. Instead, he was shocked to see you laugh it off. You had... a not so horrible laugh.

Fourth day. Your smile was not that terrible either, he realised.

Day five was the day he saved your life. You were cllimging a mountain together when you saw a Qingxin and reached out to grab it.

He caught you by the arm in the last second. Called you stupid but couldn't hide his blush when you rewarded him with the beautiful, pale white flower.

Then the quest came to an end and he went back home.

Only a month or two have passed when the harbinger came back. He went directly to your door to tell you he will be seeing you. It was not a regular ask - he literally ordered you to go out with him.

No one could tell who was more surprised when you still said agreed to it.

You two were an odd, hard to manage couple but a powerful one.

You could've been happy.

Why does it... hurt so much?

'She's just a stupid human' Scaramouche told himself. The thousandth time that day. 'Completely... replacable.'

These were the words you were the most hurt about. But he tried not to care any more and repeated it to himself.

'Replacable.'

'My lord!'

Scaramouche flinched and looked up as if he had been dreaming all along.

He realised he had been standing there the whole time thinking about you while the agents did not leave yet.

'What is it?' He grunted loudly and all of his weird, almost sad feelings got replaced by anger again. 'What do you want?'

'Your order to stay away from the Millelith' the mirror maiden dared to speak. 'Does it apply to the Abbys as well?'

'The Abbys?' Scaramouche frowned. 'What business do we have with them?'

'It's just that we've recently stumbled upon them multiple times on our quests' she started to explain but the harbinger wasn't patient enough to listen to the whole story.

'Hurry up.'

'Yes, my lord.' The mirror maiden hesitated for a moment but when the pyro agent nodded to her she continued. 'We just think that they might about to target villages next.'

'What are you talking about?' Scaramouche growled at her. He couldn't stand still any more so he started walking around in the small tent.

'The Abbys gathered a lot of hilichurls and monsters together lately. We suspect they might attack a bigger village or town.'

Scaramouche stopped as if he got frozen in his place. The maiden continued to explain what kind of disadvantage that might be for them but he heard nothing of that.

He turned around slowly, barely being able to move his own body.

'What... places will they attack?' He asked in a hoarse voice.

'We can't be sure' the pyro agent answered. 'But Mingyun village is a possibility. And... Qingce probably as well.'

Scaramouche stared at the ground.

So many emotions. Most of them he couldn't even name since he has never felt them. The only familiar ones were anger, confusion... and fear.

Deep, overwhelming, terrible fear. It started in his stomach and slowly reached out to grab his throat with its icy fingers.

He opened his mouth but at first no understandable words left his lips.

'My lord...?'

'Get ready' he finally found his voice.

Scaramouche turned his back to them so he could hide the fact he was shaking. Something terrible froze everything inside him but the fire lighting up his eyes was burning hot when he said:

'We're going back to Qingce.'

[yunoysl]

truth or dare. (m)

Summary: none it’s literally self explanatory they play truth or dare and proceed to fuck

Pairing: fuckboy!jaemin + fuckgirl!reader

Word count: 1.5k

Warnings: use of weed, mention of feeling like vomiting, fingering, unprotected sex, creampie, size kink, Jaemin’s very big, small praising and degradation

Hope you like it! Feedback is greatly appreciated! also off topic but I really like the header I made.

You’ve finally arrived at the party everyone has been talking about for two weeks now. You’ve been invited like crazy by a bunch of different guys, and who are you to turn down a good party.

“Y/N, you’re here” Jaehyun, the thrower of said party, asks you when he sees you step through the door. You both had a small fling for two months before he decided to make moves on the girl he’s been pining for 3 years. They’re been together for 5 months now, and you’re so happy for both of them.

“Yeah, where Haechan”

“In the kitchen doing god knows what”

You bid him a goodbye before heading to the kitchen, seeing your best friend Haechan mixing random drinks together and Jeno on the side looking at him and the drinks with disgust. You walked in just in time to hear the conversation they were having.

“I told you soda cannot make your stomach explode”

“But Yukhei said that it did, why would he lie to me”

“That’s because you’re naive and believe anything he tells you”

“I do not”

“Last week you believed the thing we saw while we were walking at night was a skincrawer because Yukhei said so”

“So, it actually might’ve been one”

“It was Taeyong looking for his keys that he dropped”

“You’re both idiots” you interrupt their conversion to make yourself known.

Your voice makes Haechan jump, which makes Jeno laugh. “We weren’t talking about how naive I am”

“Oh Haechan, you’re very naive, but that’s what I love about you”

“Hey Y/N”

“Hi Jeno” you’re extra happy to see him. Yes you’ve also slept with him but he was so sweet about it, not wanting do anything you didn’t feel comfortable with and also spoiling with your affection and praises before and after doing it.

“Haechan, what are you even doing?”

“I don’t know, I was bored, I came in here and saw drinks so I decided to get creative”

“He’s lost his mind” Jeno says, referring not just to him believing everything Yukhei tells him, but also the need to mix drinks just because he was bored.

“I knew that a long time ago”

“Can y’all stop bashing me like I’m not standing right here? So Y/N, you gonna sleep with anyone while you’re here? It’s been 3 weeks since you last slept with someone, I’m kinda starting to get worried that you’re a robot who’s replaced the real Y/N” You’ve had your fair share of guys. And you’re pretty experienced in what you do, never having a guy be disappointed when you’re with them. “You know Jaemin’s here?”

“So?”

“The amount of sexual tension you both have is insane, it makes everyone around uncomfortable. Just fuck him already”

“And I will, he’s the only one of your friend group that I haven’t slept with”

“Okay gross, and also you haven’t done me yet”

“You don’t count” he glares at you as you take a sip of the your drink, which thankfully wasn’t touched by Haechan and his experimenting.

“Thanks, I’ll try not to be offended”

“That’s the spirit”

Your attention switched from Haechan talking to Jaemin in the corner being very intimate with a girl. One of his hands was on her waist while the other was caressing her face, laughing at what she was saying.

“What are you guys doing inside” Yukhei, another friend of yours asked as he interrupted your attention to make his presence known in the kitchen, “all the fun is happening by the pool”

You, Haechan and Jeno moved to the pool, indulging in conversation with your group of friends. You’re watching as Johnny rolls a joint, about to have his second of the night. He offers you to take the first hit, you happily take it, only taking two puffs before passing it back to him not wanting to get too high or messed up tonight.

“If you’re not gonna get with Jaemin might as well get with Johnny again, I mean look at him, he’s huge, and I’m not just talking about what’s in between his legs” Haechan whispers into your ear, scaring you as you didn’t expect him to be all in your ear.

“Haechan, that’s gross”

“Rich coming from someone who’s had said thing between his legs in their mouth”

“I will punch you in the face if you don’t shut up”

“I’m just saying, the way his long slender fingers look while he’s pinching the paper of the blunt, a second time wouldn’t hurt”

You don’t get the chance to smack him before Jaemin is rushing over to where you were.

“Hey Y/N, can you come help me take Jaehyun to his bedroom. He drank a little too much and needs to be moved to his room”

“Oh, sure” you bid Haechan a goodbye, but not before having him give you a wink, silently telling you to get with Jaemin while you’re alone with him.

It wasn’t easy getting Jaehyun to his bed. First of all you had to kick out two people who were in there doing it, second you had to keep pausing and taking breaks since he’s very heavy and much taller than both of you — you don’t know why he didn’t just ask Johnny to help him. and thirdly, he was on the verge of throwing up a lot, so you had to keep him from puking on either one of you. You both decided to take a break in one of the empty bedrooms, too tired to walk back downstairs.

“Well we’re alone now... wanna play truth or dare”

“Really? You’re that childish?”

“Come on, it’s a fun game. Truth or dare”

“Okay, dare”

“I dare you to fuck me”

There’s a pregnant silence from you, making Jaemin slightly start to worry and make him think that he just ruined the friendship you both have, before you finally said, “okay”

He pushed you onto the bed before climbing on top of you, bringing his face close to yours to press a hard kiss to your lips. Your hand reaching up to pull on his soft locks while your mouth was on his. Your lips were so in sync with his, you found yourself lost in thought before he pulled away, eager to finally be inside you.

He obviously had to get you ready first and not just shove himself into you when you’re not even wet. He pulls your shorts and underwear off to throw them to the side. His fingers find their way to your wet count, teasing you by rubbing his fingers over you before shoving two inside you, not wanting to waste time.

“You’re so wet, naughty girl. You couldn’t even wait for me to do it myself, you’re already dripping just from me kissing you” The wetness of your cunt was very evident in the quiet room, the sound of it reaching Jaemin’s ears and having his thrusting into the air. He slipped another finger into you, thrusting them for a few minutes before pulling them out.

He pulled you off the bed to be in your spot where you were laying before pulling you on top of him.

His hands grip your hips while pulling you down on him.

His eyes made eye contact with yours as you stretched around him, his lips still swollen from your make out session.

“You’re so good for me. So tight, so so tight” He started thrusting upwards, your hips bouncing to meet his. You buried your face into his shoulder, moaning out as he bottomed out inside you. He was big, really really big, nearly splitting you in half if you hadn’t been adjusted to him.

“S-So big, Jaemin... it’s too much.” The stretch he was giving you almost had you dizzy.

“Shhh.. it’s okay. You can take me. I’m right here” His cock felt so good inside you, feeling every vein and ridge of his cock as he continuously thrusted into you. Your moans made his cock twitch.

You were both so sexually frustrated that it wasn’t quick until you felt yourselves about to finish at the same time. His tip continuously hitting your g-spot had you moaning in ecstasy, the pleasure he was giving you had you on the verge of almost blacking out. His cum was leaking from around his cock as he thrusted in and out of you.

“Cum with me, you can do it” that was what had you coming undone, your pussy clenching around him as his warm cum painting your walls white. Your eyes rolled back as he filled you up to the brim, your toes curling.

When he pulled out, both of yours cum that was mixed together leaked out of you, the white substance dripping down onto Jaemin thighs, having him moan at the sight of your abused pussy filled and leaking with his cum. It would’ve made him hard again if he wasn’t extremely tired.

You were so caught up in being busy with Jaemin you didn’t realize he had brought you to his room, and not some strangers like you originally thought. He cleaned you up before heading downstairs to get you both water and some snacks and returning back to you, both of you deciding to watch Netflix and enjoy each other’s warm company.

[gladerwolfstarkimagines]

Imagine being the childhood friend of Zuko and him getting angry when Jet starts showing an interest in you.

Your POV

To be fair Zuko had held in his fury over being banished and hunted down by his sister quite well but apparently the journey to Ba Sing Sei was where he drew the line and decided to have a break down. Zuko spat out his food and you smirked to Iroh at his dramatics. “This is disgusting” he yelled throwing the bowl down before resting his head in his hands “I’m sick of living like this”. You went to remind him you only had one more day of this boat trip left until you reached Ba Sing Sei when someone else spoke. “Aren’t we all?” a smooth voice called and you and Iroh turned to see a boy watching you all. He approached Zuko and introduced himself as Jet the freedom fighter, whatever a freedom fighter was. Zuko didn’t return the gesture but you saw this boy, Jet, swept his eyes over the three of you and he smiled. He walked around to stand between you and Zuko and leant forwards “I heard the captain’s hoarding all the food and eating like a king, how would you like to help me liberate it?”. You and Zuko exchanged a look and you smiled knowing what Zuko’s response would be. “We’re in”.

You waited for night fall and then met Jet and his friend by the kitchen. Jet picked the lock easily with his swords and waved you all inside. Jet whistled as you all stared at the large kitchen amazed at it’s size. “You two take that side” he said to Zuko and his friends “we’ll take this side” he said and gestured to you. You nodded to Zuko and followed Jet to search the room. “So you or your friend got a name?” Jet asked as you searched. “Maybe” you shrugged opening a cupboard “but ours are nowhere near as colourful as Jet”. Jet smirked at your joke and walked closely past you to search the top shelf. “So if you won’t tell me your name how about where are you from? You and your friend seem close so I’m guessing you’ve known each other a while, since children?”. “Correct” you nodded “we’ve been friends since we were 5”. “Cute” Jet smirked “childhood sweethearts escaping to Ba Sing Sei to start a life together” he grinned mockingly. “We’re not childhood sweethearts” you snapped moving away and Jet followed you “ow really so you’re not a couple?”. “NO!” you said loudly before blushing as Jet laughed at your response. You hadn’t meant to be so adamant and you looked down embarrassed “I just meant that is not at all our situation, we’re just really good friends”. Jet nodded and stepped past you “that’s good to hear”. You watched him confused and he shot you a smile over his shoulder “for me that is”. You rolled your eyes but there was something about the boy that was very attractive. Jet smirked at your response and carried on searching. He opened a cupboard and grinned “look what I’ve found”.

You packed all the food up and snook it out of the kitchen easily. You distributed it out to the other families on the ship and Iroh smiled as you passed him a bowl “thank you y/n, you and Lee did a good thing”. “Try telling him that, he’s still pouting” you replied making Iroh laugh. You returned to get more for the other families but got distracted. “So your name’s y/n?” a familiar voice asked. Jet appeared beside you “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop of course but I couldn’t help it”. “Of course not” you smiled sweetly and Jet laughed “It’s a nice name, y/n, it matches you well”. You shot him a look but were slightly amused. It was honestly nice to have someone around that didn’t have the fire nation seriousness. You didn’t make it easy for Jet though and just ignored him. You opened the remaining boxes looking for more food but it was all gone. “Well I guess that’s the last of the food y/n” Jet said pointedly emphasising your name “how about we go for a walk? To celebrate?”. “Aren’t you hungry? We just liberated all that food”. Jet shrugged “I’d say you’re far more interesting to me right now so how about it...y/n” he said smirking and you smiled. You had a pretty boring time on Zuko’s exile so you shrugged “lead the way” and took off with Jet.

Zuko’s POV

Zuko made sure all the food had been dished out before he returned to his seat beside his uncle. He was just about to start eating when he noticed something was wrong....he couldn’t see you anywhere. Zuko looked around for you and blinked "uncle did you see where y/n went?". Iroh frowned when Jet’s friend spoke up. "She left with Jet" Smeller Bee replied and Zuko blinked "why? Are they running another job?". "No, Jet just works that quick" the girl shrugged before going back to her food. Zuko paused confused and craned his neck to see if he could see you. "You mean they're....on a date?". "Sure lets call it that" Smeller Bee agreed and Zuko frowned, when on earth did that happen and how did he miss it?

Panic seized Zuko and he began to wonder how on earth he’d missed this developing. He cursed himself for allowing it to happen right infront of his own eyes and wished things were different so he could’ve told you how he felt. The truth was Zuko had liked you for a while, more than a while actually. He’d liked you for almost as long as he could remember but he’d never told you for multiple reasons. Before when he was a prince he never told you because he was worried with him being the heir that would make you feel pressured to feel the same way and Zuko was 100% certain you didn’t like him. Then when he was banished and you decided to come with him he was amazed. He still remembered you marching your way onto his ship, demanding to come with you and how impressed and in love he felt. So he agreed to let you come but he couldn’t tell you he liked you for a different reason now. He was banished, what if he told you and you did like him? Then you’d get pulled down with him, tainted through association to him. You could return to the fire nation anytime and Zuko didn’t want to do anything to make you share the same fate as him and so he never told you how he felt and it appeared someone had beaten him to it.

When you hadn’t return before they retired to their cabin Zuko wanted to go out looking for you but Iroh told him you were just off on a date and not to ruin your fun. So Zuko didn’t search for you not wanting to *ruin your fun* but there was no way he could sleep not knowing where you were and so he waited up for you. As the time passed he got more agitated and decided if you weren’t back soon he would scour the ship for you no matter what Iroh said but just as suddenly as you’d disappeared you appeared. You opened the door to the cabin quietly and then jumped violently when you saw Zuko stood there in the dark. "Zuko...what are you doing?". "Making sure you got back okay, you took off with a stranger". You rolled your eyes "we’re on a boat Zuko, it’s not like i could be whisked off somewhere plus you know Jet!". "I know of him" Zuko said pointedly and you smirked "it’s sweet of you to worry but don’t worry i can handle boys like Jet" and you disappeared into your room. You patted Zuko as you passed and he sighed. Zuko didn’t like where this was going but he didn’t see how he could stop it. So ignoring the tingling sensation where you touched his arm he stomped into his room and laid face down in the bed.

Your POV

You arrived in Ba Sing Sei the next day and were eager to get off the boat but not as eager as Zuko. He practically dragged you and Iroh off the boat just so you could get stuck waiting in line for 4 hours. After your paperwork was finally approved you got into Ba Sing Sei and realised you had no idea where to go. Iroh claimed due to his old siege days he knew the city but as you stared at a map in the train station he frowned “hmmm it appears to have changed a bit” and Zuko cried out in anger. “You said you knew the city!”. “I did but that was over 10 years ago” Iroh explained “this might take some time”. You saw Zuko was getting ready to yell again and grabbed his arm “hey how about we go get some food while we wait?”. Zuko relaxed slightly and Iroh nodded “I’d love some tea”. “Of course” you smiled and tugged Zuko away. “You have to calm down” you told him softly “Iroh will work all this out we’ll be fine”. Zuko nodded “I know I’d just rather than was sooner rather than later”. “Why?” you asked “what’s your big rush?”. Zuko glanced around you as if looking for someone and then looked down “nothing I just want to get out of this place”. You frowned, something was clearly bothering your friend but you also knew Zuko well enough to know when he was in a mood like this there was no way he would tell you what was wrong. Zuko didn’t open up often and being agitated didn’t help that. So you tried to give him space and hoped he would confide in you when he felt comfortable enough. You spotted two different food carts and nudged his arm “you go get the tea, i’ll get us some food and meet you back by Iroh”. Zuko nodded and without a word walked away. You watched him with a worried frown before you walked towards the food truck. You joined the line, waiting for your turn to order when you heard a voice “so you made it in the city okay?”. You smiled to see Jet again and nodded “obviously” making Jet grin. It was your turn to order next and you stepped up and told the man what you wanted. When it came to paying you went to get the correct money but Jet stepped forwards. “Don’t worry I got this” he said placing some coins down on the counter. “You don’t have to” you started but Jet shook his head “no, I never got you anything on our date the other night so call this payback”. You rolled your eyes as you collected the food but you were blushing slightly. “I wouldn’t really call it a date, more of a walk”. “That’s true” Jet agreed “so that means I have to take you on a proper one”. “Ow really? You have to”? you asked and Jet nodded “for sure, custom all but demands it, I have to do it if I want to or not” Jet said shooting you a wide smirk. You laughed in shock and Jet smirk grew “it’s just a coincidence that I want to”. You smiled and went to tell Jet you’d think about it when Zuko appeared. “Y/n have you got the food?”. You looked down at the bag in your hands and nodded “yeah...”. “So are you heading back?” he asked glancing at Jet or more accurately glaring and you looked down. “You go ahead I’ll be right behind you”. Zuko narrowed his eyes and took the bag from your hands “Mushi is hungry so I’ll just take it”. “Z...Lee” you sighed but Zuko just shrugged “no it’s fine you stay and talk” and he stormed away. You frowned watching Zuko walk away and Jet laughed “that might’ve been my fault. You looked at him confused and Jet shrugged “your friend clearly has a problem with me”. You shook your head confused how Jet reached that conclusion "nonsense Lee likes you he’s just...moody, sometimes". Jet smirked "that i believe but no this seems specific to me and you". "Us?" you asked and Jet nodded "i saw him watching us before he came over, he clearly doesn’t like me being around you”. “I’m not sure...” you frowned and Jet smirked “y/n he’s watching us even now!”. You glanced at Zuko where he sat on the bench beside Iroh. Like Jet said Zuko was watching you and not just watching but openly glaring. He jumped when he saw you’d spotted him and looked away. "He’s just protective" you tried "we’ve been friends forever". Jet smirked "he's protective alright but not because you’re friend, I think the fact you’re just friends is where he has the problem". You realised what Jet meant and swallowed "i...no that can’t be true". Jet shrugged and laughed slightly "hey i’m not going to try and convince you, why would i when i’m interested in you?". You looked back at Jet and smiled "you are?". "Yeah, didn’t i make that obvious? Well maybe this will help" and Jet moved closer.

Zukos’s POV

As soon as you’d all arrived in Ba Sing Sei Zuko was thrilled for one sole reason. Jet. Ever since your date Zuko was anxious to make sure you never saw that boy ever again. So he rushed you and Iroh off the ship and was frustrated to see the long lines that awaited. However he never saw Jet once and so that helped ease his mind. Then when you finally did get through his uncle didn’t know where to go and he felt his temper rising again. Any moment now Jet could appear and tag along and...Zuko didn’t want to think about what could happen, how you and Jet could actually become a proper a couple. So Zuko was not in the best of moods and then the devil himself appeared. Zuko left your side for a second and who was there? Jet. Zuko was furious and so he tried to get you to come with him but you wanted to stay with Jet! Zuko couldn’t believe you were falling for this act and he stormed away from you both angry and upset.

He sat on the bench too angry to eat, just clutching his cup of tea staring at the back of Jet’s head. "Stop watching y/n nephew" Iroh commented and Zuko jumped "i’m not i was just....don’t you think it’s suspicious how much he’s around her?". Iroh shrugged "not considering what happened on the boat, it’s called dating". Zuko glared as Jet moved closer to you "but how do we know we can trust him? He could be anyone". You looked over suddenly and Zuko tore his eyes away "y/n should be careful, what if he hurts her?". "Well it’s ultimately y/n’s decision, we can't control her and while i think your concern for her is admirable perhaps you could work on your honesty?". Zuko paused "what are you trying to say uncle you know i hate riddles". "I’m saying that rather than chasing away any boy that comes near her maybe you should recognise your feelings for her and tell her". Zuko snorted "that’s preposterous! Y/n is just a good friend nothing more". Zuko knew that was a lie but he couldn’t have anyone working out his secret. Zuko was thinking of all the ways your friendship would be ruined when he glanced over and saw Jet kiss you. He breathed in sharply and clutched his cup so hard tea spilled over the sides burning him. He groaned in pain and threw the cup down. Iroh chucked passing him tissues "still going to pretend she's just a good friend to you?".

Your POV

“Here it is!” Iroh called throwing open the door “home sweet home”. Finally after days of waiting around and searching you’d found a home and jobs all thanks to Iroh. Zuko however wasn’t feeling so grateful. He glanced around the room and  gingerly dragged his hand across the table “it’s filthy, is everything in the earth kingdom filthy?”. Iroh shifted the plant pot in his hands and frowned “all it needs is a little cleaning and it will look as good as new. If we all chip in it won’t take long at all”. “Would you mind if we cleaned later please Iroh?” you asked and Zuko headed towards his room apparently done with this conversation. “Just I agreed to met Jet soon, we’re going to go explore the city a bit”. You didn’t notice but Zuko had stopped dead in his tracks. 

“Of course we can clean later better yet me and Zuko can get it all sorted for your return! Go and have fun you deserve it” Iroh smiled at you. You grinned and hugged him tightly “thank you!”. You separated and only then noticed Zuko was watching you. “What?” you asked “would you like to come too Zuko?”. “No!” he cried disgusted “why on earth would I want to hang around with you on your date”. You sighed and nodded “just asking”. “Are you two official now then?” Zuko asked and you shook your head “no”. “So that at the train station was just nothing?” Zuko asked and you frowned “why do you care?”. “I don’t care I just don’t understand why you’re wasting your time on him, you know he hates fire benders don’t you?" Zuko commented "if he knew you were one there’s no way he'd be sniffing around you so much". You rolled your eyes determined not to let Zuko ruin this for you. "Open your eyes Zuko everyone hates the fire nation and can you blame them? If anything Jet’s disdain for the fire nation makes him more attractive" and with a shake of your head you disappeared out the door. 

Zuko’s POV

The door shut behind you and Zuko gripped the table tighter. He stared at the door and breathed deeply to stop himself launching fire at it. “Nephew...” Iroh started and Zuko groaned “not now uncle!” and stormed into his room slamming the door.

Zuko flopped on his bed when he suddenly heard your voice. He walked to his open window and saw and Jet down below. Jet was smirking at you, standing way too close to you while you just looked up at him smiling. Zuko felt his stomach churn as how cocky Jet seemed with you. You started walking away and Zuko sighed, he went to turn away when suddenly Jet looked back. He looked at Zuko’s window, stared Zuko right in the eye and smiled. Zuko’s temper flipped and he glared. So Jet knew what he was doing then? Well Zuko wouldn’t let him get away with it. Zuko climbed out of the window and began to discreetly follow you.

Your POV

You and Jet explored the city all day and you were amazed. The city was huge in a way the fire nation city could never be. Endless rows of shops and houses all protected by the huge walls of Ba Sing Sei. After walking for as long as your feet could possibly manage, you and Jet retreated to a restaurant to refuel. You were quickly shown to a table and ordered immediately you were so hungry. “So what do you think of the city?” Jet asked and you smiled “it’s lovely, it feels like there’s still so much to see and we’ve been walking around all day!”. Jet nodded “well we can always walk around tomorrow....and the next day and the next....there’s nothing stopping us”. You nodded your head “good point” and Jet smiled before frowning. He focused on something behind you and leant forwards "Is that Lee?". You turned around and followed Jet’s gaze to a corner booth when a man held a menu infront of his face. “It can’t be he was back in the apartment....” you started when the man dropped his menu and you saw it was indeed Zuko. Zuko spotted you immediately and went pale. "Told you he didn’t like me and now he doesn’t trust me either" Jet commented and you sighed. “I’m so sorry can we rain check this? I have a friend to yell at".

You and Zuko argued the whole long way home. “I told you it was a coincidence!” Zuko yelled “why on earth would I be following you?”. “So you expect me to believe you were 40 minutes from home, in the same restaurant as me and Jet just by chance? You followed us Zuko and I want to know why. Do you hate Jet that much?”. “Well I don’t like him” Zuko agreed and you frowned “Jet said that! What has he ever done to you?”. “Nothing I....I just don’t like how you act around him?”. “Me? How do I act? you asked your temper rising and Zuko rolled his eyes. “I don’t know all embarrassed and quiet, you’ve never been shy in your life”. You paused ready to convince Zuko you were fine with Jet when he made it 100 times worse.

“Honestly it just seems a little fake and desperate” Zuko finished. He seemed to realise his mistake seconds later as you gasped loudly. "Desperate!" you yelled “you did not just call me that! How could you even say that?”. Zuko didn’t really see how he could back down so he carried on “all i’m saying is you’ve flung yourself at the first boy who looked at you despite the fact he’s clearly a criminal! Or did you forget how quickly he suggested breaking and entering to us? Who knows what other crimes he’s committed". "Have you forgotten we’re criminals too?" you hissed "you of all people should understand the law isn’t always black and white, fair and unfair, why are you so hard on jet? You liked him fine until i started seeing him". "Well maybe that’s why!" Zuko yelled "you shouldn't date him! He’s not good enough". "Not good enough?" you asked "Zuko i’m just having some fun, the most i’ve had since we’ve been on the run, it isn’t that serious". “Well you would see it that way you’ve been behaving immaturely ever since we got here" Zuko said coldly "throwing caution to the wind, fraternising with people who openly detest the fire nation. Did you ever wonder what danger your actions have put me and my uncle in? How you could've ruined us all with your recklessness? I think you have been away from the fire nation too long, you have clearly forgotten your honour". You gasped surprised "my honour?" you asked. Back home having a *superior* say something like that was an abrupt dismissal and you knew Zuko was aware of that. You swallowed and stared at Zuko "are you...does this mean you’re dismissing me from your company?". "Of course not! I would never leave you alone here but i do think you should consider your actions". "Are you ordering me to stop dating Jet?". "No i’d never order you..." Zuko said backtracking and you glared. "Good because i am not going to stop seeing him just because it worries you, so sorry your highness" you said bowing mockingly "but you’re going to have to get used to it" and you slammed the door.

Zuko POV

Zuko couldn’t believe the rubbish that had tumbled out of his mouth in your argument. He wanted to punch himself for somehow blaming you for all this. He knew he only had himself to blame but he’d attacked you instead. Zuko decided to apologise to you and was rehearsing it, trying to get it just right when Iroh appeared. “Zuko why aren’t you dressed we have a shift in 20 minutes!”. “It’s that time already?” Zuko asked, he’d been planning your apology for so long he’d lost track of time. “What have you been doing?” Iroh asked staring at the stacks of paper and Zuko covered them quickly “nothing just let me sort something and I’ll be ready to leave”. Iroh nodded and left. Zuko stared at his apology and sighed, it wasn’t right yet! He couldn’t find the right words to say what he needed to say and it to be perfect or else you might not forgive him. He tried rewording a line but then threw his pen down in frustration, he’d just have to finish this later. He quickly dressed in his uniform and followed Iroh to the tea shop.

The evening shift was usually dead but for some reason it was packed tonight. Zuko was rushed off his feet so much he didn’t even notice Jet when he walked in. It didn’t matter though Jet made his way straight to him. “You’re from the fire nation aren’t you?”. Jet said it loudly and Zuko froze as many people turned and stared. “No” Zuko said calmly but Jet smiled “figured you’d say that but I heard you admit it with your own words. How dare you sneak away as a refugee when you’re one of them”. “I’m not, we’re from the earth nation...” Zuko tried but Jet carried on “and if you’re fire nation then maybe you’re benders too....only one way to find out” and he drew his swords.  

Zuko grabbed a sword from one of the nearby customers sheath and met Jet’s first strike. Zuko worked on defending himself only, he wasn’t interested in hurting him but the boy wasn’t making it easy. Zuko managed to take the fight outside and tried distracting Jet. “What do you mean you heard me say it, were you spying on us?” Zuko asked and Jet nodded. “After you made such a big deal following me and y/n on our date I got suspicious. Being jealous was one thing but you were downright manic! So I followed you both home and heard y/n say how you were fugitives from the fire nation, fire benders seeking aid in Ba Sing Sei” Jet glared “you’re the reason we’re all here!”. Jet carried on attacking Zuko but he deflected them easily, Jet was too emotional, he was getting easier to anticipate. "I should’ve known all along though" Jet smirked suddenly "you hated me far too much for it just to be over a girl". Zuko glared "for the record i hate you completely and utterly because you are nowhere good enough to be around y/n, you’re not worth the mud under her shoes, she’s too good for you". Jet spat on the floor "she’s a fire bender, she’s worthless and i regret the energy i wasted on scum like her". Zuko tensed and tightened his grip on his sword. Now he was interested in attacking Jet, screw defence, he was going to make this kid pay. 

Your POV

You heard about the fight from passer-by. When they described a boy with brown hair and hook swords fighting a teashop worker with a burn on his face you know exactly who they were. You waited for Zuko and Iroh to arrive home and the second they walked through the door you exploded. "You got Jet arrested?" you cried and Zuko looked down. Iroh frowned "y/n it wasn’t like that...Jet was attacking Zuko!". "I’m sure it wasn’t unprovoked, was this part of your plan?" you asked Zuko. "I refused to obey your order to stop dating Jet and so you arrest him?". "You ordered her to what?" Iroh cried and Zuko sighed "i didn’t order her i just suggested she consider her honour and re-assess her choices". Iroh sighed “you two are so...” he took a deep breath and fixed Zuko with a piercing look. "Zuko this has gone far enough explain yourself to y/n and just maybe she'll forgive your awful behaviour, Y/n listen to what he has to say and afterwards then you can judge him but let him finish first, okay?" Iroh asked before storming from the room without waiting for a reply. 

You and Zuko were both speechless to hear Iroh raise his voice and so you blinked and turned to Zuko “I make no promises to wait until the end but go ahead”. Zuko was quiet for a while and you could tell he was searching for the words he needed. “Zuko...” you frowned and he sighed “I was jealous okay! That’s what all this was, I was jealous of you and Jet spending so much time together”. Zuko stopped talking and you rolled your eyes "are you kidding me? So i can’t have anyone else in my life? Only you can take up my time?". Zuko shook his head "i wasn’t jealous of Jet taking up your time, if he'd just wanted to be your friend i’d have been fine but he clearly didn’t and that’s why i was jealous" Zuko snapped "he wanted to be something more and you did too and that bothered me". “Because you didn’t like Jet?” you tried and Zuko shook his head “because I liked you...like you” he said awkwardly staring at the ground. You blinked and stared at the ground too in shock “wow I....I don’t know what to say, how long have you...”. Zuko sighed “I can’t remember when it started because it’s been so long" he said softly "but I remember the moment I noticed. It was when my mom left, i was miserable all the time apart from the times i was with you. When you were around, i was still hurting but it was less and the more you were around the less and less it got until i didn’t hurt any more. You healed my pain and that’s how i knew i liked you". Zuko finished and you blinked "but Zuko your mom left when we were 11 you’ve known you liked me all this time? Why didn’t you just tell me?". 

"Because it wasn’t just a small crush it was big y/n and it grew more and more every day and by the time you left the fire nation with me i didn’t just like you it was...more". You got chills as Zuko spoke but you felt unable to speak or move. "When you came with after i got banished i so wanted to tell you but you'd left the fire nation just to help me, i didn’t want to do anything to make you to throw your whole life away for me. I hoped that even if i couldn’t return to the fire nation one day you could and have the life you deserve. I planned to send you away once i got on my feet, and then again when i got my ship working well, and then again once we’d swept the four nations for the avatar. But every time i came close i delayed it because i was selfish. I didn’t want to drag you down with me but i couldn’t seem to let you go. I made a mess of everything and i’ve done it again. I was jealous of you and Jet but also too afraid to tell you and so i ended up hurting you" Zuko sighed "y/n i am so sorry for that, you’re the last person i meant to hurt but still because of my selfishness i harmed you and that will always taint my honour but i hope you can forgive me one day". Silence fell and Zuko looked up "y/n? Please say anything". You looked up as if in a daze and shook your head "You still haven’t asked me". Zuko paused "i did i just asked you to forgive me". "Not that" you said shaking your head again "you told me you liked me but didn’t ask me back" you chuckled. "You just assumed to know my answer without asking me, do you think you know me that well?" you asked staring at him. Zuko stuttered. "I....i'm sorry i didn’t mean to...wait does this mean? Do you...". You smiled "i can’t give an essay on the exact moment i knew like you just did but yes" you nodded "i like you Zuko". Zuko stared at you in shock "you...you do?" he asked grinning. You nodded again and Zuko laughed out loud hugging you tightly before he stopped "wait so all this agony watching you with jet, i could’ve avoided it all if i just told you this earlier?". "Yup" you nodded “Zuko, Jet was an angry cocky teenager who fights with swords...why do you think I liked him? He reminded me of you”.  Zuko eyes widened and he promptly smacked himself in the face "idiot!" he cried. You laughed pulling his hand away gently "it’s fine we know now right?". Zuko nodded "that’s true..." and he took your hand staring at you intensely. You blushed and buried your head in his chest to escape his gaze "stop looking st me like that". "I can’t help it" Zuko laughed holding onto you "i can’t believe someone like you would like me". You moved your head out of his chest to fix him with a look “are you kidding me? You’re amazing, i’m the one that’s shocked, you’re smart and funny and kind...”. Zuko turned an ever deeper shade of red and you grinned “did I make the angry fire bender blush?”. “Stop it” Zuko said “that’s an order” and he smiled to let you know he was joking. “Well I have an order for you” you said calmly. Zuko looked at you confused and you just smiled “kiss me”. Zuko obeyed immediately and you were caught off guard but it was a pleasant surprise. You weren’t sure if it was the long time waiting or the pent up tension these past few days but Zuko was very passionate and the kiss quickly became heated. 

You were enjoying it but were also very aware Iroh could walk back in any minute. “Zuko” you whispered “you’re very good at obeying orders but we’re in the middle of the living room”. Zuko immediately blushed and looked down “sorry I think I got carried away”. “Don’t be” you smiled “I liked it just Iroh will be back any minute and he’s the last person I’d want walking in on us”. Zuko nodded his head “that kiss was not as sweet and innocent as I planned it to be” Zuko frowned "i don’t know what came over me". You chuckled "it’s fine it was wonderful but a date first would be better next time". "Of course, how does tomorrow sound” Zuko asked blushing and you smiled leaning against his shoulder. “That sounds perfect”. Zuko wrapped his arms around you and rested his head on top of yours “Tomorrow night it is”.