#6 portraits was easily too many to be doing and i should have stopped at 3

[nessypanda-art]

Felt a little rusty about drawing faces from a reference, so I decided to open up tiktok and draw the first six faces that came up.

Yes, the one on the bottom right is our resident menace GB (he was the fifth one out of six).

#ideally if i drew him right he's recognizable #if i didn't i don't want to hear it xdd #6 portraits was easily too many to be doing and i should have stopped at 3 #if you see it GB i hope you like it! #nessart #digital artist #digital art #digital fanart #artists on tumblr #goodboyaudios

[oohnoniall]

A Court of Fire & Ice {Tamlin x OC} - Chapter 7

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5 

Chapter 6

Warnings: Tamlin is being portrayed as he is in ACOMAF and ACOWAR. Trigger warnings include fantasy violence, misogyny, swearing, and Tamlin being an uncontrollable rage beast (no domestic violence !!)

        The wedding seemed to come before he had a chance to process anything. He didn't know what he was doing with Lyriel. Ianthe still wanted him to banish her. Lucien told him how stupid it would be. But they didn't know. They couldn't know. Ianthe may have thought she knew something was up, but she could never be sure. Tamlin counted on her not being certain of anything. If she figured him out, everything would be chaos.

        Feyre had sunk into herself more and more. He wanted to fight it, wanted to bring her back to life. But he felt as though he couldn't. He didn't know the full truth of the horrors she went through. He just knew what he'd had to do. He couldn't compare either experience. It wouldn't be fair to either of them.

        Needless to say, the wedding felt as though it was the least important thing happening. He had briefly thought about postponing it. But Feyre had worked so hard on the plans. She deserved a perfect day. One where she did not have to think of anything, where she didn't have to worry about anything. Tamlin wouldn't allow his troubles to ruin anything for her. He wouldn't let any creatures come and interrupt the festivities either.

        If only he had known what she was hiding from him.

        His suit clung to him, making him feel claustrophobic. He had never felt so stifled before. The beast inside of him wanted to rip free of the clothing, wanted to react to the whole thing in a way that Tamlin would not allow. His emotions were all over the place. He felt as though he could barely breathe.

        It was a miracle he hadn't destroyed something yet.

        A gentle knock sounded on the door. "Enter," he called out as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. 

        Lyriel slipped silently into the room, her frozen berry scent giving her away. He glanced at her once through the mirror, his mouth going dry at the sight of her.

        She wore a dress of silk, as green as his eyes. A slight ran up her left leg, revealing a dagger sheathed at her thigh. The gown hugged the curves that her corsets and pants had never bothered to hide. But it seemed different. This was far more inviting. The beast inside of him wanted to touch her, to feel the soft skin of her thigh, of her arms. Her skin looked just a bit more tan than when she had first come, yet it still held the glow of the winter. Her hair fell in waves down her back, white as snow and so soft that he wanted to run his hands through it.

        The scars on her arms were still visible, as were the ones that ran up that delectable thigh. He wondered how many more were hidden underneath her gown. She had been a warrior for a long time. Longer than he ever would have expected.

        "You look beautiful," the words left his mouth before he could think about them. He swallowed once, trying to wet his dry throat. "But, uh, I doubt a dagger is an appropriate accessory."

        Her lips quirked into a smirk, a dimple appearing on the left side of her mouth. Had it always been there? Was he just noticing it now? "You'll have to take it from my dead body."

        Even when they were about to be parted for the rest of their lives, she still found it so easy to be Lyriel. Tamlin knew this wouldn't hurt her. She would get away from him without ever taking a backward glance at him. The thought killed him. Yet, at the same time, he knew he had no right to expect less of her. She deserved everything that he was getting. She deserved more.

        "Don't say that," he said as he turned to face her. He didn't miss the sparkle of amusement in her frozen eyes as she took in the sight of him in his finery.

        "You don't look like yourself," she stepped towards him slowly. Unsteadily. Tamlin glanced down once, noting the black heeled shoes she wore. She wasn't used to them, her steps small and uncertain. Or maybe she didn't want to be close to him. He couldn't blame her. She was losing a mate that she had never known. He was giving her up without ever actually rejecting her. They weren't supposed to be doing this. But he couldn't stop it. Neither could she.

        "What do you mean?" His voice was strained as she stopped just inches away from him. He kept his gaze at the wall behind her, trying not to think of the way her scent tickled his nose. He tried not to think of how her body had felt next to his. He tried not to think of how her hair had felt against his cheek.

        That night had been a mistake. One that he replayed over and over again in his mind. He would never have another night like that. Not with her.

        "You're not meant for finery," Lyriel stated, her hand slowly coming up. Her fingertips gently traced the shape of his cheekbone, going to his beard. She dropped her hand just before he had a chance to shudder. He hated what she was doing to him. Hated that she was playing with him. "You're meant to tear down kingdoms, to end tyranny. You're a warrior, Tam. Same as me."

        He stilled, hating the truth in her words. He had never wanted any of this. Had never wanted the responsibility. But he didn't want to be the monster everyone thought he was. He didn't think he was a warrior. He just didn't like to see injustice being done. Even if he knew, at this point, that there was very little he could do to stop it. 

        "Lyriel," he whispered her name, it felt like the beginnings of a secret song. "You should go. Home."

        A flash of something shone in her eyes as she stepped back from him. It was gone before he could figure out what it had been. "I understand. After the wedding, I'll depart with the rest of your guests. We wouldn't want to cause a scene, would we?" 

        Her voice had hardened. It wasn't the soft lilt she'd used when speaking to him of who he was. She sounded as though she had just spoken to her general. Maybe the respect should have made him happy, but it just chilled him.

        He went to open his mouth, to say something else. Anything to make this moment different. He didn't want to say goodbye to her, didn't want to let her go. But Tamlin knew that he would have to. It had donned on him when she had slipped into the room. When her dress had begged him to tear it from her, he had known that they could not do this. She needed to go her own way, find her own happiness. He had to allow her the opportunity. He couldn't be selfish.

        Not when it came to her.

        Lyriel slipped from the room before he could find the words to say. Her scent lingered, his body ached with the need to go after her. To comfort her. He didn't though. He just turned back to the mirror, wiping whatever emotion may have been lingering in his face. He wouldn't allow any of the guests to see what he was feeling. All anyone would see was a man who was about to marry the woman he loved. 

        The only woman he loved.

        "Tam," Lucien spoke from outside the room, his knuckles gently rapping on the wood. "It's time."

        Tamlin took a deep breath, looking himself over once more. He nodded at himself before he turned to leave. He stepped out of the room, clasping his best friend on the back. "How's Feyre?" It felt wrong not to ask, even if he knew it was probably inappropriate to ask about her.

        "About as nervous as you are," Lucien could read him too easily. It came from knowing each other as long as they had. He had never hated it before. "It's all going to be alright. As soon as you two are married, we can finally settle everything."

        He knew that Lucien was right. They had a long way to go to make damn well certain that the Spring Court would make it through the aftermath of everything. Not to mention preparing for a war that may or may not come. He had to hope that the wedding would at least give his people some faith that things were getting better. He had to hope they believed it. Even if he wasn't sure if he did.

        They made their way to the gardens, Tamlin painting a smile upon his face as they walked. He wanted everyone to see what they should. A man who was finally getting everything that he wanted. He greeted guests, laughing at jokes and making his own when it felt appropriate to do so. His gaze flickered around, not taking in the decor.

        The flowers were beautiful, wrapping around columns that had been erected for the wedding. He didn't care about them, didn't care about the way the breeze fluttered around them and wrapped them in warmth. His gaze searched for Lyriel.

        She was standing with a group of Spring Court lords, a glass of champagne in her hand and soft laughter falling from her lips. His stomach twisted. She looked so at ease. She didn't look like the woman who had just told him he wasn't meant for this life. She didn't look like the soldier that he knew she was.

        She looked like a lady of the court. Lyriel may have thought that she was not suited for anything but a blade and a shield, but he knew better. He could see it in the way she carried herself, in the way she had wrapped his lords around her finger. She belonged in court life. She would do well in it. Mother above, he wished he hadn't of thought about it.

        He knew that Lyriel would sooner take a sword to the throat than belong to this world.

        "Lyriel's leaving tonight," he murmured to Lucien. Needing to get the words out before they festered in his chest and became a disease.

        "What did you do, Tam?" Lucien's smile never faltered, the perfect portrait of a man at ease with his lot in life. Even if it had been particularly shitty. "Did you say something to her?"

        "No," he was somewhat affronted that Lucien had even thought that he could do something to Lyriel. "It's just time for her to go. We've got enough on our plates without worrying about the Winter Court and what information they could be gathering."

        "Why haven't you had Ari check her out?" Lucien questioned, taking a glass of champagne from a waiter. Feyre would not show for another half hour. Plenty of time to get drunk on faerie wine. Celebrations often turned into week-long events. That was one of the many reasons why Tamlin had not wanted to postpone the wedding.

        "Didn't think she would have the time," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. "She's been too busy dealing with Rhysand and his moods."

        He did feel bad for sending the girl to the Night Court. But the opportunity had never presented itself before. A mating bond had snapped into place, a bond that they could easily exploit. It was a wonder that he had yet to do the same thing with Lyriel. He had to get away from her before he did something he regretted.

        Lucien gave him a quick look before he slipped away to speak with others. More people came up to Tamlin, laughing and talking with him about things that did not matter. None of this mattered. At least, he didn't feel as though it did. He was stupid for thinking it. Stupid for thinking anything bitter on the supposedly happiest day of his life. Tamlin hated to think that he was in a foul mood. He hated to think that anything was going to ruin this day.

        Feyre deserved so much better than him. He hated himself for thinking that.

        "It's time," Lucien murmured to him. 

        Tamlin's throat felt dry as he watched Ianthe take her place at the head of the alter. He took his own place to the right of Lucien. The guests took their seats, Lyriel in the very back. He hadn't noticed the flowers that she had braided into her hair until then. The periwinkle petals were bright in her white hair. She spoke in soft tones to a man who sat by her. Good, she didn't need to be alone during this.

        He tore his eyes from her as the music began to fill the air. Feyre stepped out of the manor, her gown more taffeta and looking as though it was the most uncomfortable thing she had ever worn in her life. He painted a smile on his face for her. 

        Her own smile did not reach her eyes. She looked anxious, as though she was afraid of everything that was happening. He chalked it up to the last time she had been in front of a crowd of this magnitude. He could imagine how she would have to tell herself that they were okay. She wasn't being made to compete in trials that would possibly end in her death. She was walking towards him. Towards their future together.

        Until she stopped.

        His brow furrowed, his feet already beginning to move toward her. Something was wrong. Something was happening that he was unaware of. Had something happened? Had she decided to hide from him again? When would they get to the point where they could actually speak to each other?

        A gentle breeze that smelled of spiced wine and the depths of depravity was the only warning. Rhysand appeared in the blink of an eye, a cruel smile on his lips as he looked down at Feyre.

        "Feyre, darling," Tamlin wanted to rip him limb from limb. His claws felt as though they were ready to poke out. He heard the sound of steel being drawn from a sheath. "I've come to make good on our bargain."

        Before Tamlin could say a word, Rhysand had her in his arms. 

        "She'll be back in two weeks," Rhysand winked casually at Tamlin. A snarl tore free from Tamlin's lips as the scent of spiced wine and depravity filled the air once more.

        A dagger embedded itself in the pillar just beside Tamlin's head. If it had been thrown a second earlier, it would have caught Rhysand straight in the throat. The dagger was unadorned, a simple blade that had been used countless times if the smoothness of the handle was anything to judge by. If anger had not clouded his senses, he would have realized it carried Lyriel's scent with it. He would have seen the woman standing up, the flower petals falling from her hair and a look of rage painted on her face. 

        "Find her," Tamlin shouted, his voice carrying farther than usual with his rage. His entire body was shaking, his claws out and the fangs pushing at his gums. It hurt, it hurt so much. But he couldn't stop the beast from taking over.

        The guests fled, his guards and sentries quickly rushing off in order to figure out the impossible. Tamlin didn't know how to feel, how to react. He just went into the manor, his rage causing him to go through the home blindly. He ripped doors off of the hinges, tore down paintings, and crushed statues that were in his path. Anything to release some of the tension. Anything to release some of the rage that he felt.

        He wound up in his office, the desk becoming splinters as he pounded it over and over again with his fists. He had known Rhysand would take her. He'd done all he could to find out how to break their deal. Yet, nothing had ever come up. He'd never imagined that Rhysand hated him so much that he would go out of the way to ruin his wedding. Despite the hatred that he felt for the High Lord of the Night Court, he had respected him enough to think that Rhysand was better than this. Better than this dramatic bullshit.

        But he wasn't. No one was ever better. No one ever would be.

        He didn't hear her footsteps. He didn't smell her frozen berry scent. No, he didn't notice a damn thing until she gently touched his arm. His hand twitched, not knowing if he should shove her away or pull her closer. Nothing made sense anymore. Nothing would ever make sense again and he knew it.

        "Tamlin," Lyriel spoke softly, kneeling on the floor beside him. The splinters of the desk tore her dress, ceramic pieces from the lamp tanged in the silk. "Tamlin, look at me."

        She didn't look afraid of him. He picked up on that before anything else. Her eyes were wide, but with concern. She was willing to put herself in a vulnerable position in order to try and speak with him. Tamlin trembled slightly as he looked at her. He was afraid. 

        Afraid of himself. Afraid of her. Afraid of what Rhysand was doing to Feyre. What he would do just to fuck with Tamlin. It all left him feeling powerless, unable to change anything or protect anyone that he loved. It was like he was a child again. Watching as his father did things that he wasn't proud of. The things that still haunted him at night.

        "I'm right here," she spoke softly, as though she were trying to soothe a wounded animal. Perhaps that was all he was. "I'm not leaving. We'll get her back. I promise. Everything is going to be alright, Tamlin. You'll find a way to get her out of whatever deal she made. You'll get married and have multiple children."

        Despite the fact that she could have easily been sarcastic, Lyriel sounded sincere. She sounded as though she believed that he would get those things. That he deserved those things. No one had ever made him feel as though he deserved to be happy. No one had ever made him feel as though he were anything but a monster.

        Feyre did her best. She had done better as a human when he had saved her from a life where she would have died before age twenty. She loved him because he had protected her. She had needed a protector. Now, she needed something different. Tamlin just had trouble realizing it. He never would. 

        "I just need you to breathe, alright?" Lyriel's eyes were brighter than he thought they had any right to be. He didn't know how a frozen evergreen could look bright, wide, and ... Perfect. His stomach ached at the mere thought of it all. This was too much. All of it was too much.

        "Lyriel," he breathed out, his fists clenching in front of him. He looked away from her, his eyes shut tightly. "You should go."

        "No, I shouldn't," it was infuriating how she never did as he asked. How she followed her own desire. He'd never known a soldier who didn't listen to orders. "You might tear down the manor if I do."

        He knew that she was right. He knew that she was just trying to help. She was trying to be a better person than he deserved. Tamlin felt as though every single thing that Feyre had ever been through was his fault. Everything Rhysand, Lucien, and everyone in the Spring Court fell on his shoulders. He knew that it was nonsensical to think that way. But he did.

        He always did.

        "Please," his voice was so small. So much smaller than it had been since the day he had become the High Lord.

        Lyriel took his hand in hers. He tried not to note how small her hands were in his. Hers were just as calloused as his own, just as full of scars and of stories that she may never tell him. He shuddered slightly at the chill her skin brought but he did not pull away.

        "We're mates," she had to bring that up now? When the world felt as though it were coming to an end. "Even though you're choosing her, I'm here for you. I'll always be here for you."

        He opened his eyes then, looking at her. Really looking at her. The periwinkle petals had fallen from her hair, one had been left behind. Her eyes were filled with tears, perhaps due to knowing that he wouldn't pick her over Feyre. Yet, she clung to his hand with as much strength as she could muster. She held his hand as though he was her one lifeline. Tamlin had always wanted to be someone's protector, someone's lifeline. 

        He didn't dare believe he could protect Lyriel.

        He brought his right hand up, his claws shrinking back into his skin, and gently moved it to her hair. He plucked the periwinkle petal from her hair and let it fall slowly to the floor. His eyes didn't follow it. Neither did hers. Instead, he allowed his gaze to travel from her eyes to the other areas of her face.

        With her time in the sun, freckles had begun to bloom across the bridge of her nose. He wanted to trace them with his forefinger but he did not. The bridge was crooked, having been broken a few times. He wanted to know those stories, wanted to share his own with her. His gaze fell to the small scar above her upper lip. It cut into the cupid's bow and made her lips look much more kissable.

        He didn't think about it. Not for the first time in his life, Tamlin took action without thinking. He leaned forward, lightly brushing his lips against hers.

        She tasted of those damned frozen berries. The sweetness of them was addicting and he cursed the Winter Court for it. Her lips were soft, perfect against his own.

        He kissed her again, hungrier. Desperate. It felt right. Like some switch in his brain had been flipped. His right hand tangled in the white-blonde hair, pulling her as close as he could. She kissed him back, just as hungrily. They were teeth and tongue and fire and ice.

        They were berries and roses and pine and peony. Everything they shouldn't be and everything they should.

        Lyriel pulled away first, a shuddering breath leaving her. She stood, her gown showing more skin now that it had been ripped by splinters of wood and shards of ceramic. She looked at him for a few seconds, he could taste the tension in the air, before she turned on her heel and left.

        Leaving Tamlin alone in his broken kingdom.

#a court of thorns and roses #a court of mist and fury #a court of war and ruin #a court of silver flames #acotar fanfic #acotar #acotar fanfiction #tamlin #Tamiel #tamlin defense squad #tamlin x oc #tamlin rosehall #Lyriel #lyriel chaeren #tamlin x lyriel #lyriel is just here to give tamlin migraines #lyriel is a badass #tamlin just wants his fiddle

[marshmallow-phd]

Catching Rain

Part of The Untamed - EXO Wolf Universe

Genre: Wolf!AU

Pairing: Minseok x Reader

Summary: You were more than satisfied with your life. You attended a nice college, had nice friends, a nice boyfriend. That’s what your life was: nice. You weren’t looking for anything more, so what were you to do when this seemingly harmless boy walked into your life and turned your nice little world into one much more dangerous?

Part: 1 I 2 I 3 I 4 I 5 I 6 I 7 I 8 I 9 I 10 I Epilogue

**

You didn’t have any destination in mind, only “away”. Away from the dorms where Willa was sleeping, away from campus where someone else might see you. By your side was your trusted camera. Why you brought it, you weren’t sure. Its not like the two of you were going for a portrait session. You hated those types of shoots anyway. But you felt better with it. The bag was like an anchor, keeping you grounded. If things grew awkward or too silent, you could simply pull out the camera and start shooting. A handy distraction.

For the first few blocks, Minseok walked half a step behind you. Once the campus was merely an outline on the skyline behind, he stopped you with a warm hand on your wrist. It was a gentle tug, nothing forceful or demanding.

“Where are we going?”

You pursed your lips nervously. He hadn’t let go of your wrist and your skin was sparking from the contact. There was an urge to step forward and envelop yourself with him to feel that electricity all over. “You said you wanted to talk.”

“Yeah, I did. But all we’ve done is walk.”

“Just a little further.”

His jaw twitched with the want to argue, but he dropped your wrist and waved for you to continue. Yes, you were simply putting off the actual talking part. He didn’t need to know that. Or he’d already guessed that and was simply allowing it to happen. You were scared of what might come out of your mouth if your feet stopped. But you couldn’t walk the earth forever. When a line of trees came into view, you sighed silently in your head. There. That would be the place to talk. You beelined for the forest, Minseok hurrying to catch up. You went in just deep enough to be invisible to the city.

“Okay,” you said as you turned around. “Talk.”

Minseok looked taken aback by your sudden attack. “I… um, I just….” He finished off with a sigh that blew up his rounded cheeks. When he didn’t continue, you pulled out your camera and snapped a picture of him. He blinked at the sudden flash. “What was that for?”

You shrugged. “You weren’t doing anything else.”

You continue to take pictures of nothing. It felt wrong to not actually think about what you were capturing, but it was all an act. You needed to be doing something so you didn’t spiral into an interrogation. By it’s own will, your camera turned to Minseok and snapped another candid.

“Are you going to keep doing that?” You could tell he wasn’t used to being the subject of a photo. He’d shoved his hands in his pockets and looked off to side, only giving you profile.

“Yup,” you answered gleefully, snapping another picture. “At least until you tell me what you wanted to talk about.” Now you got a slight smile. He moved back to face you fully and reached out for the camera.

“Come on. That’s not fair.”

You easily evaded him. “No, what’s not fair is showing up randomly at my dorm and saying you need to talk and then not saying anything.”

“Okay, that’s fair.” You took another picture. He pounced again. You dodge again. So, he mixed up his strategy. Instead of going for the camera, he went for your waist. That, you couldn’t dodge and the two of you crashed down on the grass below. The camera flew from your fingers and a horror ran through you at the thought of it being damaged. Being the hero with incredible reflexes, Minseok caught it safely in his palm. The strap swung calmly in the breeze, unaware of what almost was.

“Oh, thank god.” You tried to take back from him, but he held it out of reach. The position the two of you were in gave him the advantage. So close was his face that you could feel his quick, shallow breath against your nose. Everything stopped. No longer could you hear the soft rustling of the leaves or the distance hums of car engines. Only Minseok was in focus as the two of you lied on the forest floor, mere feet from the city but so far away at the same time.

“(y/n), I….” His voice came out scared, unsure. He frowned and looked away like he was chasing after the words he wanted to say. Finally, he caught up with them. “What I wanted to say was... I… like you.”

Your breath halted in your throat. When the tension was unspoken, it was safe. But with his confession you were now forced to examine that fork in the road. It terrified you. Making the wrong decision terrified you. If only you could have avoided it forever. A luxury that never existed. “Minseok, I-”

“I know we haven’t known each other long,” he said, cutting you off. “And I know you have a boyfriend, but I just had to say… something.” It didn’t feel like the end of what he wanted to say, but nothing else came out.

You left his words hang in the tiny space between you and him. I like you, too. That’s what you wanted to say. He’d been brave enough to tell you and yet, you were a coward. In your silence, he lifted his hand and brushed away a blade of grass from your cheek. The electricity that you should have expected still stunned you. How could he transfer so much energy with the slightest of touches? It was only the tips of his fingers, but your whole cheek was aflame.

Minseok’s eyes flickered down to the bottom half of your face, to your lips. He snuck another peek at you as if asking for permission before looking down once again, leaning in closer. And you let him. You let him come closer at a snail’s pace. He was giving you time to pull away. But you didn’t want to. How many times had you accidentally found yourself fantasizing about a moment like this? Far too many. You’d asked yourself if his lips would be soft, if they would be warm and gentle. Now you could find out.

But it was spoiled by circumstances. You couldn’t do this. Not now.

At the last second, you pulled away, standing. “I have to go.”

“(y/n)-”

You grabbed your camera and shoved back into its bag. “Good night, Minseok.”

“At least let me see you back to your dorm. It’s dark out and-”

“I’ll be fine.” You ran out back into the city, back to reality, not giving him the chance further a logical argument. You needed to get away before you turned around and found the answers, right or wrong.

The whole way home you beat yourself. Leaving with him in the first place was wrong. It seemed you were constantly making the wrong decision these days. Back at the dorm, you quietly slipped into your room, careful not to wake Willa. It didn’t work.

“(y/n)?”

“Yeah, its just me,” you whispered. “Go back to sleep.”

“M-kay.” In the dark you could barely make out the lump on her bed flipping over.

As you headed for your own mattress, you stripped off your clothes and blindly felt for the t-shirt you typically slept in. Under the covers, you lied there, staring at the wall. A single tear fell down your cheek. You stopped it in its track. It stayed on the tip of your middle finger as you brought it out in front of you. Great. Now you were crying.

What the hell were you going to do?

**

Minseok was unable to move. He couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. It had all gone so quick. First he was silent, then he was speaking words and almost kissing you. His confession – if it could be called that – hadn’t done any good. It was stupid to go about it in this manner.

He’d wanted to tell you everything and all he gave you was a small sliver of the truth. The word “like” was an understatement. Mate or not, he was falling in love with you. He was fascinated with the way your mind worked, like an artist’s. It was so different than his more analytical nature. The way you smiled, the way you laughed. To him, those sights and sounds that belonged only to you made him feel like he’d been living in an isolated cave his whole life and was only now coming out to discover the surface.

Grabbing a fist full of grass, Minseok threw the blades into the air in front of him. The anger still didn’t dissipate. He fell back, his head hitting the dirt with a thunk. The pain was easy to ignore. His focus was completely on how stupid he was. How stupid this whole mate situation was. Maybe Jongdae had the right attitude all along.

No. Minseok wasn’t that bitter about life. Maybe he would have been if his parents had dropped him off at a relative’s house with absolutely no explanation of his heritage, but Minseok grew up in a fun, loving home. He was raised to be optimistic.

Sitting up, Minseok sighed. He wondered if he’d messed the whole thing up. For now, he’d give you space. Even though it felt impossible not to follow his instincts. He didn’t want to come across as desperate as he felt. He just hoped that the two of you could come together, before the consequence came to light.

**

It had been three days and you were still stewing over Minseok’s confession. Your heart went back and forth between being elated and being bogged down with worry and guilt. While Erik sat across from you at the table in the student cafeteria, you clicked through the pictures you’d taken of Minseok that night. A smile subconsciously pulled at the corners of your lips.

“(y/n)?”

Your head snapped up. “Yeah?”

Erik pushed his glasses up his nose. His pen was bouncing off his textbook. Thunk-thunk-thunk-thunk. “Are you okay? You seem distracted lately.”

You feigned ignorance. “I’m always distracted.”

“This is different. I feel like you’re so far away lately. Something’s happened in the past few weeks.”

“Nothing’s happened!” Because acting defensive always worked. You slid back the chair, the legs scarping against the tile with a high pictured squeal. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

Erik didn’t try to stop you at all. You’d left your things behind so he knew you’d be back. Luck decided to throw you a bone and give you an empty bathroom to sulk in. Letting the water run, you waited until it was freezing before splashing your face. The burst of cold to your skin made you gasp. With a paper towel you dabbed at the water droplets left behind until you felt somewhat dry again. In the movies, a scene like that came with clarity, a decision and an answer sparkling in the mirror as realization hit. No such moment came for you. All you were left with were two wet eyebrows and smeared makeup. Wonderful. Tossing the paper towel into the trash, you left the restroom and headed back to the table.

When you arrived, you couldn’t sit back down.

Erik had your camera. His thumb hit the arrows back and forth. He flipped through the film furiously. It didn’t take a psychic to know which photos he was looking at. “You used to take pictures of me like this.”

“Erik-”

Sighing, he put the camera back down, pushing it gently to your side of the table. “I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised, huh? Freshman relationships don’t usually last as long as ours. It was only a matter of time.”

“No! It’s not like that!”

“If you say it’s not, then I’ll believe you. Everyone’s allowed to have friends. But… you don’t even use the notebook I gave you anyone.”

You flinched back at that comment. “I… lost it. I’m sorry.”

Erik’s reply was a nod. He stood up, gathering his things and putting them into his bag. He started to walk away but paused just as he passed you. “I think we should take a break.”

“A break?”

“For now.”

You collapsed in the chair as soon as he was gone. What a mess you’d made. And you hadn’t even really done anything. Were changing feelings really such a crime? Being here wasn’t giving you any room to think. You needed solitude, space.

The woods.

You were in the car and down the street before you could blink. The road was so familiar by now that you didn’t even remember actually driving. Getting out of the car, you threw your unneeded school supplies in the trunk while keeping some essentials and personals. For good measure, you turned your phone off. You didn’t get great service out here anyway. It was a spin wheel if the call came through or not. So, the trek began.

You pushed your way through the trees in the direction of the clearing. More leaves had fallen since your last visit, leaving a fresh carpet of brown and green for you to walk on. It muffled your steps. The forest sounded quiet today. Hardly any birds chirped and no bunnies came running across your path. The lack of wildlife caused your heart to race. You worried if you’d made a mistake coming here. When the clearing came into view, you stopped.

Near the middle of the field lied the wolf. He was alone. His ears flicked every few seconds or so, possibly picking up on the noises of life around him. But why was he just lying there? It was odd behavior for a wolf. Or, so you figured. Zoology was not your major. Your fingers twitched towards your camera, but you thought better of it. You didn’t know why, but you wanted to simply… watch him. It was calming, being in this wild animal’s presence. He looked so peaceful. You didn’t want to disturb him so you decided to stay on the outskirts.  

Ten minutes went by and the wolf decided he was done. He stood up on all four legs and turned to walk in the direction opposite of you.

Follow him.

You blinked. That reaction came from nowhere. Following a wild animal deeper into the woods was something only a crazy person would do.

Apparently, someone needed to put a jacket on you and call you crazy.

You kept your distance, far back enough to not spook him but still be able to keep him in your line of vision. He walked for what felt like miles. You’d never been in this part of the forest before. Which made this even more of a ridiculous adventure. The only consolation prize was the fact that he didn’t zig zag around, so you had a straight shot back to the clearing. You should be able to make your way back to your car from there. Up head, the tree line broke. It gave way to another clearing, but this one was far larger with two buildings sitting near the center. You stayed back, clinging to one of the last trees for cover as you watched the wolf walk towards the front porch. A familiar looking man stepped out and waived to the wolf. Was he their pet?

No.

The answer was a big, glaring No.

The wolf’s shoulders shivered and rolled. His body morphed like clay until he was no longer on four legs. You gasped.

Minseok.

Both men’s eyes snapped in your direction. You made eye contact with them both, then you turned and ran for your life.

You didn’t make it far. Minseok caught up with you easily.

“(y/n), wait!”

“Stay away from me!”

He did exactly the opposite, tackling you from the back. You both rolled in the leaves as you fought him off.

“Let me go! Don’t touch me!” Your last scream was enough to make him step back. You pushed yourself to your knees. Each breath was a huff as you tried to recover from the sprint. You could feel the fear emanated from your eyes.

Minseok held his hands up as if that would be enough to convince you he was harmless. “I can explain.”

“What are you?” you demanded.

“I’m….” He cringed as he sucked back the word you both knew he was going to say. “I’m a… werewolf.”

“Its you, isn’t?” You pushed yourself up onto shaking legs. All the stories you’d read as a child, all the movies you’d consumed, and all the folklore from around the world told you what kind of creatures werewolves were. “You are the one who killed those campers, aren’t you?”

“No! It was another wolf. A rogue!”

You shook your head. “How am I supposed to believe that? You’re not even supposed to exist! Was this all a game? Lure me into a false sense of security before you ripped me apart?”

“No, (y/n), listen to me!” He was in front of you, hands on your shoulders before you could react. “I. Did not. Kill. Them. And I would never hurt you. There’s a rogue omega around here and we haven’t caught him yet. Please, I’m begging you. Come back to the house with me and I will explain everything.”

“Why do we have to go back to the house?”

“So I can put on some clothes.”

You coughed and shifted your eyes high to the sky. “Oh, right.”

Minseok held his hand out for you to take, but you let it hang there in the air as you passed him. You heard him sigh behind you then his footsteps fell into rhythm with yours.

#exo #exo wolf au #exo wolf!au #minseok x reader #kim minseok #xiumin #exo werewolf au #exo werewolf!au #exo supernatural au #exo series #exo fanfic #exo fanfiction #The Untamed Universe #Catching Rain

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Good morning/night/afternoon/evening/day/time hello!

So after seeing how many friends mc have, like wait let me count-----

26! in the friendlist not including, the unofficial friend like Corey,...

With how many friends there are, are there any friends that you would delete in favor of flashing out the other characters or would you like to keep it that way?

I have some ideas on who to delete in favor of flashing out the more main characters, but i fear that this might be a bit... yikess.. I understand that people like this characters and me saying that they "should not exist" might get people mad, i hope this does not give you to much problem.

1. Tulip to Penny ( thks one is still debateable)

I know we have too much Penny especially at year 5/6, sidequest and all tht, but I feel like Tulip doesn't have to exist because her existance can be taken by Penny which flashes her character more.

Hear me out, Tulip is great. But after year 3 or maybe 4 her existence is uneeded anymore. In year 3 we can instead use Penny, Penny is a popular person with many friends. It wouldn't be out of character for her to try to understand Merula maybe try to befriend her ( i mean she did befriended Talbot, who isn't exactly the nicest or the most approachable ) but later, on something happend and now there is more substance in Penny hating on Merula rather than yeah, she such a bully or smth.

2. Barnaby to Ben

Ben is really untouched at the early years ( 1 to 3) I feel like the whole ark of Barnaby can be dealt with Ben. Like imagine Ben was Merulas lab dog, but because of Jacob's sibling kindness and all that, he finally have the courage to stand up to Merula proving his Gryffindor side. This could also explain Rowan sudden suspicions of Ben in Year 4, (its quite mean of Rowan tbh) I mean like after year 3 aside from the dating tlsq, Barnaby doesnt really do much does he? I mean you can argue that he have some influence on the last curse vaults but nah-

3. Badeea Ali to Rowan

Simple, we need more Rowan! I think the thing Badeea did in year 5 can easily be done with Rowan, i mean she just disappears later on anyways.

4. Instead of Bea, Rowan should be in the potrait.

5. Talbot as Ben? I'm not so sure about this one but yeah, they could put aside Talbot so we can flash out Ben. The flying solo quest can be switch into Ben losing his Bear again but we get more background to what the Bear meant to him ( maybe about his muggle life?? ) the tlsq could be at around year 5 or 6 to help Jacob's Sibling understand more about whats going through Ben's mind.

6. Diego = Ben

Ben is told to be good at charms we never really get to see it until around year 4 with the red cloak shenanigans. I would like to see JC explore more of his charms ability by teaching mc.

Anyways im not here to bash on your favorite characters im just saying that a lot of the characters are wasted pottential. To much characters can kill a story, rather than adding more characters jc should focus on the current one.

Sadly, they never did

Year0 Rowan

Year 1 Ben, Penny, Merula, (Chiara)

Year 2 Bill, (Chiara)

Year 3 Barnaby, Ismelda, Tulip, Andre Tonks, Talbott. Year 3 is definitely the worse case of it.

Year 4 Charlie

Year 5 Bea, Jae, Badeea, Liz, Diego

Year 6 Alanza

Year 7 Corey

The problem is, the more jc adds the characters the more they just stack up in the background, clogging the story. Imagine the characters as dept and the currency is good writing.

Anyways love your content, keep it up!

Personally, I couldn't begin to imagine doing this.

Not that I'm saying it's a heartless idea, mind you. I've worked with this line of thinking before. I work in children's theatre, and when we adapt scripts for different sized casts, we have to often cut characters or absorb them into others. So this isn't unheard of, and I get it. Still, having grown emotionally attached to each and every one of these little misfits, and feeling like they all have potential in different ways...cutting them is not what I would do at this stage. I believe the TLSQ system should be completely overhauled, and in doing so, used to give screen-time to characters that don't always get a lot. Imagine if each character had a TLSQ that starred them at maybe LV 5, and then a sequel quest at LV 10. Might seem excessive, like too many quests...but again, this goes back to the idea of a revamp. Allow players to hit pause, and put a TLSQ on a "waiting list" so to speak. Allow them to reroll so they can skip one if they want to for whatever reason. Stop having TLSQs disappear forever if they're failed twice.

As far as your first suggestion...I realize that my status as a Tulip fan might be affecting my reaction, but absolutely not. I have no issue with Penny, but if it comes down to omitting one of these two...well, Penny does come with Beatrice, and that whole emotional arc during Years 5 and 6. But I'm not sure if keeping that is worth losing Tulip. Because her storyline with Merula is quite compelling, and it adds to the backstory of one of the mainstay characters. Plus...Tulip is kind of way more interesting than Penny, if I'm being honest. Actually, if I was to have anyone be "absorbed" into anyone else...I feel like Tulip could have easily been the "detention" character in Year 5? And that would have been a way to keep her relevant? Again though, I love Jae so much that I couldn't imagine doing this. But it's one example of how this idea could be done give more focus to fewer characters. You know who could be absorbed into Penny, though? Andre. Just, so long as we're actually thinking about this.

Barnaby is a character who sadly has not done much since his arc ended in Year 3, you're right about that. However, I feel like Ben is just too complicated and too tied to the main story for him to be shuffled with anyone. We still have unanswered questions about the gaps in his memory from Year 2. Did he cross paths with R? With Merula? Then there is the question of his time as the Red Cloak in Year 4. His transformation into "New" Ben, after going into the Portrait Vault with MC. I suppose these things could be transferred over to Barnaby, but that would leave the Year 2 stuff up in the air. And as for transferring it the opposite way, cutting Barnaby to give Ben more prominence...I mean, it could be done, but Ben already has plenty, if you ask me. And I don't see him being able to take on the role of Merula's lapdog, given their history from Year 1.

I'll never say no to getting more of Rowan, and this is something I could actually see working. The idea of Badeea being absorbed into Rowan and that screen time being given to them. I love Badeea, but it's definitely tempting. By in large, the Year 5 characters did feel at least a little gimmicky. They're all wonderful, but the fact that there were four of them, one for each House, and they all had a specific interest that was central to their character? The fact that all things considered, they didn't really matter to the story apart from perhaps Jae? Yeah, I would never want to lose any of them, but I can see why that might work. As for Rowan taking the place of Beatrice...well, that's an idea. For sure. It could give MC the same kind of immediate emotional context. Allow Rowan to be heavily relevant without them actually needing to have any lines. But their entire character would have to shift after that point. If they're absorbing Beatrice' character arc...I mean, the Forbidden Forest comes to mind. Does that still happen? Does Rowan's personality change? What becomes of them after Year 5?

I still believe Ben is doing just fine in terms of his relevance, but I'll admit there's definitely something to the idea of Diego being absorbed into him. And I've grown to truly like Diego. Ben having talent at dueling could show how far he's come. If they depicted it prior to the end of Year 4, it could be foreshadowing of him being the Red Cloak. If he still helps MC prepare to challenge Rakepick in Year 5, it could play into his fear of her. And I like what you're doing with the idea of Talbott being absorbed into Ben....but no, I can't endorse that one. It's just not needed for Ben's story, and Talbott is already so fascinating on his own. I dig the Ravenclaw representation, I dig the Animagus representation.

Either way, it's an interesting topic to think about. Not to worry, I don't take offense at all. I get that people have different opinions and there are certainly valid critiques of this game's writing. I still enjoy it though, and I think the characters are the strongest suit. Their placement in the game, perhaps not quite so much. But it's because of this that I wish for all of them to be handled better, without having to lose any of them. Thank you for the kind words and I hope to hear from you again!

#Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery #HPHM Analysis #Penny Haywood #Tulip Karasu #Ben Copper #Rowan Khanna #Barnaby Lee #Diego Caplan #Talbott Winger #Badeea Ali #Beatrice Haywood #Jae Kim

[daddy-ul]

I was tagged by @62kh a couple of days ago but of course I'm doing it only now sjdjdjdjdj

1. why did you choose your url?

BACKSTORY TIME, DUDERS.

2. any side blogs? if you have them name them and why you have them.

This is my sideblog fjdshfjhdf I had another one but i deleted it bc I couldnt even remeber why I created it.

And I have this sideblog so I can put my obsession for metallica in one single place and leave my main as a mixed bag of fandoms and stuff.

3. how long have you been on tumblr?

Uhhhhh, since 2013, I think?

4. do you have a queue tag?

Nope and honest to god I didnt even know what a queue was till last year dhfjhsfjks like, i saw these recurring tags that people had with the word queue in it but I never understood what that was about. Yes, I am a genius.

5. why did you start your blog in the first place?

BACKSTORY TIME, PT 2

6. why did you choose your icon/pfp?

At first I wanted to emulate the ‘daddy ul’ portrait buuut the pic was too small, so no. I still wanted to recreate it somehow, so I needed a younger Lars pic. Aaaand I love scrunchie faces, so I picked this one!

7. why did you choose your header?

THE IRONY! Also I wanted a “contemporary” pic, bc I find the idea of living in the past kinda boring. I love metallica now as they are, I am a fan now. So here, let me show that! (before this one, I used the one where they are failing to hug on stage, struggling and laughing)

8. what’s your post with the most notes?

No idea, gotta check, but I am PRAYING for it not to be the one with the official tallica dad shirt merchandise.

Okay, I dont know where to check but i think is the mulletallica interview.

9. how many mutuals do you have?

... what’s with the numbers questions? How can someone know that? Should I go on my follow list and count? too lazy for that, sorry fhdjfhsjfj

let’s say I have enough of them.

10. how many followers do you have?

Okay, now that’s a number question that I know how to answer easily: 300+

11. how many people do you follow?

Another number question? Are you Lars?

12. have you ever made a shitpost?

That I did, but i prefer rb other’s shitposts bc this fandom is PEAK shitposting. I love you all, please keep it up.

13. how often do you use tumblr each day?

No, really what’s with the numbers questions? You are not Lars, you are the one writing the emails to Lars before the Metallica Mondays!!

(I honestly have no idea and it varies on how busy I am that day? like a normal person?)

14. did you have a fight/argument with another blog once? who won?

the idea only of that happening is making me tired fdjskfkjsfhs so no, please.

One should be only fight for fun! With your fists! Possibly in a dojo!

15. how do you feel about ‘you need to reblog this’ posts?

It triggers my “YOU TELLING ME TO DO SOMETHING???? GUESS WHAT, DUDER” and i skip the entire post fhjsdkhfjsdfhk

16. do you like tag games?

yep!!! bc I love to read other ppl answers and it’s fun! it’s mindless! it busies you when you are bored! I am bad at them, tho, bc i forgot to do them myself most of the time.

17. do you like ask games?

Also yepp! or i wouldn’t rb them. but I know sometimes they are too much, so i limit it to 1-2 every once in a while bc all the answers to the asks can clutter others’ dashboard.

18. which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

I’m gonna take this as a sarcastic question bc what does it even mean? fdksjfjsf

so, yes! they are all famous...ly nice and funny people! I truly didn’t expect a fandom so chill and cozy when I started the blog. I know that is v small but I enjoy it bc I like to recognize urls and ‘style’ of posting and not being drown in content.

.... but I’m digressing, as usual.

19. do you have a crush on a mutual?

URGGG sarcastically thank you for this question bc I read it, and bc my answer would have been obviously “no” and I am not made to be simple, I start thinking abt possible puns with the word “crush” and my brain, scrambling for something, unearthed AWFUL lyrics from an okay song. So thanks!, now I have an earworm that keeps singing melodramatically ‘you are a car crash... and i cant look away”.

Catch me groaning and begging my brain to stop ✨✨

20. tags?

the usual suspects! duders, sorry if you were already tagged! @newsteds, @the-mighty-het-speaks, @breadfan, @cxrgans, @mewstashio @andiftheycare

#phew! luckly i have a backstory tag snsjsnsnsn so i could rapidly answer those questions without droning on and on abt it for the 34th time #tag game #this was super fun! #thank you for the tag duder ✨ #and sorry for doing it just now sjsjsjsnsn #but i am proud of myself bc for my standard i gave short answers! #just a couple of digressions! #jinn out #62kh

[gigisbit]

Today I celebrate Hyunjin's life, a bit sad that I cannot celebrate it as I wish but I hope he spends it with his loved ones.

Happy birthday Hwang Hyunjin ❤

Thank you for teaching me to work hard for what I want, to laugh and enjoy life and for teaching me that there's beauty in every single thing.

And me being a Seungjin sucker, I want to share with you my fav fics today. Ugh there so many good Seungjin fics out there btw but here are my faves in no particular order.

1. This one holds a special place in my heart because it's the first Seungjin fic that I read and it is so good, it was a roller coaster, the writer is very mature in their writing so please read it.

when we cross at intersections

“Hyunjin?” Seungmin’s voice is soft.

He takes off his sunglasses; now Hyunjin can see his eyes. Hyunjin has always liked Seungmin’s eyes, how sincere his gaze is.

Hyunjin is frozen. “Do you want a different server?”

And here, Seungmin’s mouth flattens into a frown. “No,” he snaps, harsh. “I’m a normal paying customer. Treat me the way you’d treat anyone else.”

[Hyunjin is a part-time waiter; Seungmin is an idol. Seven years later, they meet again on a Wednesday at the Nine & Dine.]

2. A super hero/villain fic, A M A Z I N G, this fic for sure is a chef kiss

Beautiful Chaos

Hyunjin laughs. Seungmin imagines that the sound has been the last thing many have ever heard. His hand moves, and the fingertips trace Seungmin’s lips. “Can you guess what I want right now?”

3. We all need a barista AU and this is it, so sweet and funny.

Worth it

Hyunjin hates winter mornings, but the cute Starbucks barista makes it totally worth it. Even when he keeps on getting his name wrong after two months of religiously going there three times a week.

4. I enjoyed this fic so much, a bit unexpected yet so so good, I want to hug Hyunjin here

two sides (of the same coin)

Seungmin plans weddings; Hyunjin plans funerals. One December day, Seungmin hits Hyunjin with his car, setting off a chain of events that neither Seungmin nor Hyunjin could have ever seen coming.

5. One of my favorites Greek mythology pieces, portrait by one of my favorite people.

Pomegranate Seeds

Silence hangs between them. Hyunjin’s naturally calculating and intimidating eyes are boring into Seungmin’s, which held the practiced poise and grace that he was associated with. The God of Spring raises his head by a modicum, exuding a sense of determination that he was not known for possessing.

“No.” almost mockingly, he giggles as he speaks.

Hyunjin raises a brow. “Excuse me?”

“No.” Seungmin repeats, tauntingly this time.

“That was not a request, sweet Seungmin.”

“And I was not asking for your permission to stay.” Seungmin answers. With the practical isolation by his mother, Seungmin was particularly spoiled. He was granted whatever his heart desired; and right now he wanted to stay in the Underworld.

“And I will have you know,” Seungmin narrowed his eyes as the flowers in his hair wilted with every syllable he spoke, framing Seungmin’s figure with ashen petals and leaves falling over his face. “that I can command death as easily as you can.”

6. Seungjin sexy time, honestly, I laughed with this so so sweet.

To Switch or Not To Switch

Seungmin let his eyes wander about the boy’s godly proportions, sliding over Hyunjin’s milky shoulders and hard nipples before staring at the light trail of hair that stretched from his belly button to his crotch. There, beneath the curly tufts of dark hair was Hyunjin’s cock, half-hard and leaking and looking impossibly beautiful wrapped in a silky, red bow.

7. Pinning, long distance friendship yaaaaaas, read it, so so good, I want more.

Still the same

Hyunjin moved away years and years ago, any feelings seungmin had harbored for him when he was a kid dissipated over that time, or so he thought. when hyunjin came to visit, seungmin was ecstatic, until he saw how attractive his friend had become, and as they got along like he had never left, seungmin's old, pesky feelings began to crawl back.

8. This fic, this ficcccc, minsung, changlix and seugjin in one piece, ugh a m a z i n g

And We Were Roommates

"... The spider is gone." Seungmin says stiffly.

Felix, Hyunjin, and Jisung collectively let out a long, relieved sigh.

"Thank God," Felix says, muscles visibly relaxing.

"No, you don't understand," Seungmin purses his lips, and emphasizes again. "The spider is gone. It disappeared, I couldn't kill it because I don't know where it went."

There's a prolonged ten-second pause where neither of them dares to move or breathe, before Jisung breaks the silence and says in a monotone voice.

"That's it, we are moving out. Throw the whole apartment away, fuck this." Jisung says decisively as he pushes away a terrified Felix off of him, and attempts to make a run to their front door before Seungmin grabs him by the collar of his shirt, almost choking him in the process, but successfully stopping him from running away.

 

Alternatively: The ups and downs of living with your boyfriend and your two best friends under the same roof. Chaos ensues, fights unveil, kitchens explode, and the four of them get closer than ever. (Spoiler: there's a lot of naked)

9. This is what I call knowing your priorities, ladies and gents Seungmin deserves a round of applause.

I'll make you mine, whatever it takes

Hyunjin was an infamous playboy in school while Seungmin was school's sweetheart. Basically, everyone loved him. When Seungmin made a move on Hyunjin, everyone thought either he was threatened by Hyunjin to do so or it was just simply a dare from his chaotic friends. But the truth was, Seungmin just wanted Hyunjin for himself.

Or alternatively, Seungmin made Hyunjin fell in love with him.

10. Serial killer and obsessive behavior, please read it with caution. A good good fic.

the sky under the sea

It feels fitting and contradictory of Seungmin all at once, a strange impression that he should be brighter than he is warring with the reality of how he is, gentle and breathtaking and unsettling in turn.

(Hyunjin probably shouldn't ignore the warning signs. But he's smitten, and it doesn't take long to be in too deep.)

It was so so hard to pick only 10 but these are it. All the credit and love goes to the respective writers, thank you for sharing and please do not repost their work.

Happy reading!🤟🏽❤

#stray kids #fics #fic rec #hwang hyunjin #hyunjin #kim seungmin #seungmin #minnie #jinnie #skz seungmin #skz hyunjin #mine #love #skz #stay #seugjin

[nappe-plays-the-sims]

The Ideal Sims Game

Had some thoughts and have to put them somewhere.

I’ve thought about what I like about different sims games and reached the conclusion that it would be... Mostly a mix between The Sims 2 and The Sims 3.

Hear me out.

“The Sims 6″ or whatever we should call this hypothetical game, would be generally similar to The Sims 2, with some notable differences

CAS

CAS customization options closer to the The Sims 3 level. Color sliders!

Traits, aspirations, lifetime wants, and personality points. Obviously some traits would be removed since personality points cover some of those (mean, outgoing etc), and plenty of traits should be featured later in expansion packs/DLCs so EA can milk their dear cash cow, but as said, DLCs should not be for gameplay essentials, it should be for gameplay enhancement.

Turn ons and turn offs. Should include things such as personality traits, approximate hair color, work type, work level, clothing, glasses, yadda yadda. The hair color would check based on what’s in close proximity by using hexadecimals, that way sims can also be attracted to custom hair colors such as purple hair.

Age options, because sims shouldn’t have to start at the beginning of the adult stage every time.

Height sliders!

Disabilities. Yes, this would include a Simlish sign language. Disabilities should also be able to overlap, and occur because of events and chance cards.

Worldbuilding

The ability to create your own town like in The Sims 2, but the ability to edit the map itself such as adding/removing roads and more.

No townies or NPCs should spawn unless you approve of it. This means you’d be able to create your own NPCs for the town. Your sims shouldn’t be able to go to the hospital if no one is employed in the Medical career, or call a fireman unless no one is in that career, etc. (unless you have chosen yourself in settings that should be created by the game automatically).

Open world and story progression like in The Sims 3 if the player enables it in settings, university shouldn’t be separate. The university system shouldn’t be as complex as in previous The Sims games, just a school essentially but requires more homework and similar. This experience can be elaborated on in expansion packs and DLCs.

More control over economics and politics in the world. Should taxes exist? You decide. Monarchy? Democracy? Dictatorship? All of this should be something the player can fix. Alternatively include this part in a DLC since it’s very specific.

Gameplay

Wants and fears, affected by traits, aspirations, and personality points. A family sim with commitment issues will still fear marriage. A “Gold Digger” lifetime want family sim will want their relatives to marry rich sims.

Aging settings- let players decide for themselves how many days a sim should be a baby, toddler, child, teen, young adult, adult, and elder. The default days should match number of years IRL, because no one is a teenager until they’re 30.

Jealousy changes. Being in love and being in a relationship needs to be a separate thing, because Don Lothario getting slapped for “cheating” on Nina Caliente with his fiancé makes very little sense. Open relationships should be a possibility, perhaps require certain traits for this to happen?

Sims who hate each other shouldn’t necessarily get into violent fights constantly. Traits and personality points etc. should change how the sims act around the people they dislike.

I love chance cards, keep those in please. If anything, add more of them. Also, if chance card choices go against the sim’s personality, possibly have a small % risk that they will lose that trait or gain/lose certain personality points (with the % increasing per time the sim acts out of character)? And of course, chance cards that give you the ability to gain traits. You could also have extra options arise depending on skills, personality points, traits etc. (For example, a charismatic sim should be able to talk themselves out of a situation, or have a greater % chance of success doing so.)

Pre-made sims

The “alternate universe” idea was cool but poorly executed. Feel free to try again, and do so with the old Sims 2 premades. That way, you can take the storylines everyone thought were so cool and give it a new spin, without ruining current canon.

Stop making their skintones lighter...

By following these we essentially have a mix between The Sims 2 and The Sims 3 base games with a few enhancements.

What can be added in expansion packs and DLCs?

How can you milk the cash cow without taking away essentials from gameplay that make players feel forced to buy everything or they can’t play? Well, ideally everything should just be included in the first game, but we know EA doesn’t operate that way.

The key to “expansion packs” is that functions in it should add more to gameplay but not be a requirement to enjoy the game. To quote someone on the Steam review page who bought African portraits for Crusader Kings II: “I have to pay money to be black.” That’s not how it should work.

Things you can leave out from the OG game and include in Expansion packs or DLCs:

CAS

Various clothes and hairstyles. With the color changing tool there’s a lot of room to change things already. Cut down on the number of hairstyles and outfits so more energy can be focused on improving the gameplay aspects. Cosmetics are always best reserved for DLCs.

Tattoos.

Secondary aspirations. They’re good to have in the game to give your sim more depth, but they are not a neccesity and are thus good to save as optional content.

More aspirations and lifetime wants. Goes together with more careers of course, and pet-related lifetime wants for pets expansion pack etc.

Stuff packs that focus on certain time periods, cultures, and more.

Worldbuilding

Alternate start years. A medieval expansion pack, for example, that allows you to create a medieval world specifically, where technological advances aren’t available etc. You could use “into the future” ideas for this too. You would be able to choose whether technological progression should be flat or improve over time. (Imagine the Legacy Challenge done in this!)

On that note, a “Castaway” type of thing would be cool.

Gameplay

Aspiration rewards. Not essential for a base game.

More careers! Can easily be included in a work expansion pack. With this expansion you could include career rewards, more chance cards for all careers (including chance cards that make you gain/lose traits, personality points). Businesses go here too IMO but knowing greedy EA they’d put it in separate expansion packs.

Expansion packs with chance cards and special events for different life stages. A mid-life crisis? Teenagers going through hormone hell? All that doesn’t need to be in the original game but can be included in expansion packs.

While we’re talking about that, a pregnancy DLC sounds like a mess, but this is an opportunity to add triplets and quadruplets, pregnancy tests (although obviously sim-ified), the ability to lie about the father of the child, paternity tests, and more.

Pets! Not much to add here other than that it’s a perfect opportunity to add a unicorn and, idk, the ability for horses to get jobs if your sim has particular traits that lead to nonsense behavior á la Caligula.

Weather and season holidays.

Vacations, because every sims game needs it.

The Sims 3 Supernatural was incredible with the complexity to each supernatural creature. Something similar again, however, it should also acknowledge hybrids (we know this is possible to some degree, because aliens in The Sims 3 had a hidden “alien DNA percentage” value), and no random assignment of supernaturals. They should be rare unless the player changes it to not be so in settings.

#ramblings #ideas

[gingyboo]

Mirror Mirror

A/N: Again many thanks to @booglebug

Description- Soulmates existed. People knew that much. Soulmates were rare, a handful in each generation, an unexplainable phenomenon that formed a bond closer than blood and more sacred than marriage.

Bucky finds his soulmate when he needs her most. Little does he know how much she needs him too.

(Soulmate au that slots pretty much in to the MCU but with soulmates. Set after TFATWS.)

Pairing- Bucky Barnes x OFC

Warnings- Mentions of violence and guns, but its mostly fluff, drama and angst.

This is a multi chaptered fic.

Please like, comment, reblog!

prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3Chapter4Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8

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Chapter 9

Shuri led Nancy back to her lab, Nancy looked around in awe at the screens and monitors. She saw one with Bucky’s face on it, lines of data forming around the edge.

“I’m monitoring Bucky, trying to see what caused last nights relapse, but it got me thinking.” She explained leading Nancy to a chair beside her desk. “Soulmates have been around as long as anyone can remember, but no real research has been done, they tend to be quite secretive.” She said inspecting Nancy’s neck with warm fingers. “If your willing I have some theories I’d like to test.”

“What were you thinking?” Nancy asked,

“There’s some form of bio-chemical link between you and Bucky, symbiosis of sorts, I’ve seen your medical records, I know what happened to you following the blip. From what I’ve found those soulmates who were separated, well most of them didn’t make it, and their soulmates never returned.”

“And you want to test how far this link goes?” Nancy said, realising the plan.

“Exactly that.” She grinned opening a small metal box beside her. Inside was a small, round metallic device, it looked similar to the beads around her wrist only flatter. “May I?” She indicated to the back of Nancy’s neck. Nancy swept her loose hair round to her front as Shuri pressed the disk to the nape of her neck. It felt cool and weightless. “There, that’ll measure your brain activity, your vitals and the like. I’ll compare the two of you, see if there’s any consistencies.”

“That’s so cool.” Nancy remarked seeing her own picture appear on the screen next to Bucky’s, her own data starting to appear.

“It you think that’s cool, you haven’t seen anything yet.” She stood up gesturing Nancy to follow. “I was thinking about why you should have survived when the other separated soulmates died. I thought what the difference could be. The serum that runs in Bucky’s veins, it’s never run in yours, but you’re bound to him and you were born decades after he was experimented on. If I’m right about this link then I think you might have some of his capabilities.” Nancy stared at her bewildered.

“I have never had any form super strength.” She protested.

“Maybe not, but recovering, like you did, that was impressive.” Shuri insisted. She led Nancy to the training room.

“What do you need me to do?” Nancy sprung lightly from foot to foot, she’d missed her gym back in London.

“Just a few basic exercises at first, we’ll go from there.”

Shuri started her running on a treadmill built into a panel on the floor. Her heart rate was monitored as well as the impact her feet were having on the ground. She then moved her to some loose weights, measuring the nerve activity in her muscles. She led her over to some targets on the wall, passing her some throwing knives. Her aim wasn’t poor but far from perfect, Shuri kept tapping away on her screen in the corner. By the end of the session Nancy’s bones ached and her head was dizzy with exhaustion. When they returned to the lab Shuri indicated to a bed in the corner.

“Do you think you could rest in here, I’d love to take readings from your sleep state.” Nancy simply nodded, the poor sleep the previous night twinned with the exertions in the training room allowed sleep to come easily.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Buck we need you on your A game today,” Sam said coming to sit beside Bucky as Torres flew the jet over Europe. “We’re doing this for her.”

“I know.” Bucky said scratching his head, “I just thought this was over.”

“I know you did. This was just a relapse. Shuri will figure out what’s going on up there,” he indicated to Bucky’s temple, “And we’ll fix it.” Bucky shook his head.

“It’s not that simple he could’ve killed her Sam. I could have killed her” He almost shouted.

“No you couldn’t, don’t you see?” Sam persisted, “She stopped you, she brought you back. No Russian words, no powers, no helicopter to the head. Just her. Now I only know one other person who could do that.”

“Steve.” Bucky sighed.

“Exactly.”

���But I hurt her, how could she ever forgive me. Who wants to be with someone capable of that?”

“She’s your soulmate, you’re not capable of hurting her and she’s not capable of hating you.” Although Sam’s words were encouraging, Bucky still felt the guilt pulsing through his veins. Every time he closed his eyes her face appeared behind his lids, contorted in pain, pleading with him. He tried to focus on mission at hand, finding the dark-haired man, getting to the bottom of his pursuit of Nancy. He just had to focus. He dove into his pocket pulling out the compact mirror Nancy had given him the night before. Before it had all gone so wrong. He opened it seeing only himself staring back. He imagined her there smiling back at him. He snapped it shut again pulling out his phone to send her a text.

‘I miss you.’ He started, staring at his phone not knowing what else to say. He sent the text closing his phone and heading into the cockpit to see the sky opening up in front of them.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Miss Cartwright,” Shuri gently shook her awake. “There’s something I’d like you to see.” Nancy stretched out on the bed.

“Please, it’s Nancy, Just Nancy.” She protested, dragging her aching limbs out of the bed.

“Alright Nancy, look at this.” She enlarged a stream of data on the screen. “This shows your brain activity whilst sleeping, your subconscious.”

“Okay.” Nancy said following the rise and fall of the red line.

“Okay, so this is Bucky’s subconscious.” She dragged his data across to overlap Nancy’s. “Do you see the spikes here?” Nancy nodded, “it echoes the spikes in yours.”

“No, that’s not possible.” Nancy starred at the overlapping lines in amazement.

“You see the Winter Solider, he is part of Bucky’s subconscious,” Shuri explained.

“So you mean…” realisation dawned in her eyes.

“I think it’s possible something in your subconscious woke him up. And in waking him he reverted to what he knows.” Shuri continued.

“Killing.” Nancy sobbed.

“But you also managed to stop him. The winter solider stood down for you.”

“He did.” Nancy sniffed, she’d stopped him, she’d brought Bucky back.

“He did, and I think I might be able to figure out what it was that woke him to begin with, but I’ll need to do some more tests with you first. Are you up for it?” Shuri asked, excitement ablaze in her eyes.

“Could it help him, stop it from happening again, he’ll be tearing himself apart over this.”

“I think it might.”

“Then yes, whatever it takes.” Nancy said with all the conviction she possessed. “But I wonder if you could do me a favour?”

“Of course,” the Princess agreed.

“I’d like to look into the circumstances of my brother’s death, would you help me?”

“Sure.” She said smiling sympathetically. Nancy always hated other people’s pity, but she had gotten used to it. She closed her eyes.

“We can’t tell anyone what we’re doing though, please, not my father, not even Bucky, not till I know what I could be looking at.” Nancy bit her lip nervously, she hoped she was right in trusting Shuri, she knew she couldn’t find what she needed alone.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christopher Cartwright had been at the top of his game, fresh out of Eton, good grades, a loving family, when he’d decided to enrol at Sandhurst. He felt with everything going on in the world he had a duty to his country to serve. So, serve he did, throwing himself into military training with enthusiasm. He’d never seen his mother look as proud as the day he passed out, an officer of the Royal Navy. That night he’d partied like it was the last night on earth. After that he was fully committed, swearing his life to the military, dumping his then boyfriend, throwing away any previous ideas of joining politics like his father, rejecting his sisters calls. He was a solider now, his duty had to come first. Two tours and 5 medals later he was recruited by a specialist training facility. It was on one of these training missions that tragedy struck, and he perished at sea along with his whole unit. All further information was classified, an empty casket had been buried, no body could be recovered.

Nancy had been 18 at the time. It had destroyed her parent’s marriage, caused her father to flee the country, her mother to move county and Nancy to be left alone. Nancy remembered the funeral well, the black coffin draped in the union flag, Kit’s military portrait standing at the front, the rose arrangements reading ‘Brother’ and ’Son’. People she hadn’t known had stood up sharing stories she’d never heard. They’d shaken her father’s hand and patted her on the shoulder. The whole day had seemed surreal, like it was for someone else’s brother.

The months following were filled with crippling grief. Then university provided a helpful distraction and Nancy managed to throw herself into her degree. In all that time she’d never really dealt with what his death meant for her, her heart never could accept that her big brother, who had always been there, was gone. He was the one who’d chase her around the garden with a water pistol and the hottest day of the year. He had snuck into her room during the thunderstorms to hold her hand because he knew how much they’d scared her. They’d grown together and played together. He’d pulled funny faces behind their mother’s back when she was being told off. She’d snuck into their father’s study to steal back Kit’s Gameboy when it was confiscated for pulling faces behind their mother’s back. She remembered terrorising Acedown Court’s garden with screams and cheers playing pirates with the neighbour’s children. Falling asleep in the back of the car on the way back from holiday after eating too many travel sweets. They had been a double act. Until he’d joined the Navy.

Then a few weeks ago the first glimpse of hope, a hope she didn’t dare speak out loud, not even to Bucky. The man in with dark hair, he could be lying, he most likely was, but there was a chance. Kit might just be alive. She’d be damned if she didn’t find him.

#bucky barnes #winter solider #sam wilson #captain america #mcu #mcu fic #soulmate

[thelifedocumentor]

Nkuley Masemola and his iconic creative expressions

Nkuley Masemola is a multidisciplinary creative who works as a fashion model, DJ and stylist. Nkuley Masemola has modelled for iconic South African fashion brands such as Rich Mnisi, Thebe Magugu and Nao Serati. They also invite the young vibrant youth of Johannesburg to the eccentric scenes of Braamfontein through DJ’ing. With styling that transcends cultural eras and borders, Nkuley translates their experiences of navigating South Africa and the creative culture artistically into their photographs. The success they have garnered since working as a fashion model from the age of 17 is truly inspiring. In this interview we talk about what inspired Nkuley growing up, their artistic journey and the importance of being yourself in order to thrive in the creative industry. 

1. How was it like growing up in Pretoria? 

The funny part is that I didn’t actually grow up in Pretoria, it was more outside of Pretoria than it was Pretoria. I grew up on the outskirts of Pretoria - that’s the farms. Bronkhorstspruit is where I was from. And it was bland - I don’t know any other way to explain it. It was like growing up on a big sheet of white paper. I had to make out myself. It was an experience but it was also really overwhelming because no one there had progressed to anything. It was complicated but also a good learning curve. I always say I would have rather not. I would have rather had a soft life but I guess I see the benefit of growing up like that but it was overwhelming. 

2. What are some unforgettable childhood experiences you believe shaped who you are today? 

When I finally moved to Bronkhorstspruit, after my father passed on, my mom bought herself a huge mirror. I didn’t have friends, I didn’t have anyone. So the only thing I ever did was look into that mirror. I had all my performances there, I had all my interviews, I did everything with that mirror. I just became so self-obsessed, all of my art is self-obsession. Everything is all about me. It’s my self-portrait, it’s music that is about me, everything that is structured in a way that is like self-worship. So I think that particular childhood experience shaped me forever. I got harassed but I never got bullied. I never let anyone bully me. If it happens, I can just avoid it, I’m not gonna stick around. I was always inside the house. I would make up my own stories, live in my head, and wait for the day I move to Jo’burg. When it finally happened, I already had like self-discovered so much. That particular childhood experience shaped who I am today. I created my whole world, and now I’m living in it. 

3. How did you start modelling? 

Back home, there used to be this modelling agency. It was just high school kids who had high-quality cameras, more than it was a modelling agency. They were like, “Yeah you should be a model.” And I was like, “I guess.” It was never my thing. I take really good photos, but I don’t look like a model, I don’t present myself as a model. At that time, I wasn’t the typical male model. And so I was like I’m not a model. That happened and it wasn’t really serious. When I moved to Jo’burg, my friend and I had just come from registering and we were going past Kitcheners and my friend was with their friend. We were all speaking to a guy and he said, “Yeah you can just come back to my place.” We all went back to the place. Then I left my matric certificate at their place and then when I left and went back home, they were like, “You left your stuff here [matric certificate] and also, I saw on Twitter that you might have to drop out of school because you don’t have anywhere to live until March so you can just live with me.” This is the person that I met with a friend because they met on the streets of Braam, literally at the corner of Kitcheners. I lived with that person for 3 months. They literally got me into modelling.

The first day I got here they were like, “You’re a star!”. I was on a music video set, and they needed one guy and I had just moved to Jo’burg and put my bags down. My parents had just dropped me off. I put my bags down and went up to shoot the music video. After that, I had another job. It was quiet for a minute and then my friend asked me to escort them to a casting. Still, I was not in the modelling game, I was just deep in love at the time. So cool, I go to this modelling gig, and then when we get there, my friend doesn’t get picked but they’re choosing from outside. They’re like, “You? Come here.” I said that I’m not here to model what’s happening? They said, “No, just audition quickly.” So I walked and strutted to the wall and then when I came back I got picked. It was The Threaded Man show. After that, everything started picking up, everything just set off. That’s how that happened. I just started modelling after that. Still very weird. 

4. Wow! The Threaded Man was so huge at that time. 

I didn’t even know. I didn’t know who Siya Beyile was. I had just got to Johannesburg. I had no idea who anyone was. So literally getting calls from Rich Mnisi being hey it’s Rich Mnisi. When I found out it was Rich Mnisi I was like OMG! They were shooting for i-D. That is one thing I’ve always dreamt about - I’ve always bought i-D magazines at the taxi ranks. When they said, "You’re 17 you’re gonna shoot for i-D", I was like that’s crazy, that’s crazy. I shot for almost every magazine that I had back at home. In one year, I had Cosmopolitan, Vogue, and i-D. My mom was like, “Aren’t these the magazines that are in your room.?” It was my favourite flex. I didn't even know it’s gonna happen in terms of modelling. I had always imagined being a part of the creative team or like one day when I’m all the way older on the cover of i-D for doing something. But not a whole documentary that is based on us. That’s so crazy, that’s insane. 

4. Which would you say are your favourite fashion collections you have modelled for?

I really enjoyed the Rich Mnisi collections that I modelled for in the first year - I thought I looked really good in zebra print. Thebe Magugu gave me a suit and said “Do what you must with it.” That was really insane for me. Siyababa Atelier’s collection, Rich Mnisi’s collection and Nao Serati’s collection. 

5. The South African creative scene has truly evolved over time, but there’s still so much work to be done. What do you think still needs to be done to move the culture forward? 

I think South Africa needs to stop normalizing things and actually live in them. We need to stop trying to normalize things so much because we are othering them more than we think. We are othering people more than we think. We are regressing more than progressing. If we keep saying “Normalize trans women” - why? They’re women. Women are already normal. You don’t need to normalize women. It’s microaggressions like that. People don’t realize homophobia is just as serious as racism. The same way people are judging you because of your skin colour is the same way you are judging someone for loving someone. I think South Africa would be much better if they just lived in their truth more than trying to be these progressive people. We’ve been through so much, that we should know by now that we can’t risk having another revolution. We’ve revolved too many times. We’ve been traumatized too many times - we don’t need any more trauma. We just need to get that into our heads. We need to let go of the power game. The obsession with power in this country is a hectic obsession - that needs to be let go of. 

6. How do you find the experience of integrating fashion, music and creative direction together to tell a story? 

It comes easily because everything that I do is still self-obsession. Everything that I create is based on me so it’s not that hard. Self-awareness. It’s hard in that term that you know yourself so much that people want to digress you into this way. The only thing hard about it is people not understanding you and wanting to change you and who you are at that point. You already know who you are. Trying to accommodate everyone into your world because I’ve already said I am living in my own world, in my own space. In my own space, there is no need to accommodate other people. I think that’s the hardest part about it. It’s just me finding spaces for people in my world. In terms of navigating it, it’s always been me living out what I wanted to live out. It’s always playing music - when I DJ I play all the music that has registered with me. I’ve always been a Rihanna girl, I’m always going to play Rihanna. I’m always going to have the Rihanna aesthetic - the same way she does it. I’ve been studying Rihanna for the longest time in my life. The same way she does it. The same way she has this creative direction that goes into her music that also goes into her modelling - it’s really insane. That’s what I’ve always done. Rihanna, FKA Twigs, and FAKA do that in the most perfect way ever. That’s my thing. 

7. If you ever feel a creative block during a project, how do you reconnect and channel your energy? 

I like feeling things out. If it doesn’t happen then it’s not gonna happen. I was at a point where I was really depressed last year - I was at my lowest. I had never been that depressed ever in my life before. I told myself that I never want to feel like that ever again. For that to happen, I always have to be honest with myself. I have to know that I can’t do this right now. If I’m gonna go somewhere and I’m like okay you’re gonna have to model today but you don’t have the haircut. You look bad, you’re gonna feel bad and the pictures are going to look bad. So rather, we don’t do it. Rather sacrifice that and put me in a risky position but I’m not going to put something out there that I don’t believe in and don’t feel comfortable with. Being uncomfortable with something that’s seen by so many people is actually kinda crazy. It’s like uploading a picture of your pinky toe that you don’t like. I know people always say embarrassing yourself on the internet is being real, but that is always different for me. My realness is perfection. The real me is the perfect me. 

8. Which creative material inspired you on your overall journey - it could be a book, film, exhibition, art collection - anything really. 

Definitely seeing FAKA. Sitting down, talking to FAKA, and realizing that we have had the same life experiences. When I was 15, when I was a party girl - I still am, FAKA was like, “Oh you host this party called “Umrubisho” and I was like omg we used to host that party and FAKA was like we were always there. It’s so crazy how the Universe aligns like that - that’s insane to me. No one at that point understood what that meant to me but it just means to me my life is fine, I don’t need to worry about a lot of things. Life is just going to progress the way life progresses. I’m just going to get to where I need to get. A moment most pleasing to me was when FAKA was curating a Versace show. That’s so insane. That means anything is possible. That moment for me just sparked up everything. Thebe Magugu winning the LVMH Prize. Rich Mnisi doing Milan Fashion Week. Moments like that for me make anything. Moments like that for me are the most affirming.

9. Which brands and artists would you like to collaborate with in the future? 

I’m not a big fan of Kanye but I really love Yeezy and the direction that it’s taking. As much as I’m working with Adidas, I would love to go deeper into Yeezy like that. Of course, I want to be a FENTY girl so, so, so bad. All the luxury brands - not necessarily as a model but as a muse nonetheless. I would love to be a DIOR girl, I would love to work with YSL but most mostly, I want to be a FENTY girl. 

10. And lastly, which words of advice would you give to artists who aspire to manifest their dreams in this creative industry? 

I would say be yourself. It’s not a joke, really be yourself. Everyone always says this, and it sounds corny all the time but really but it took me at least 2 years to realize, be yourself. Don’t fake it out, be yourself in such a way that even if you are being fake, you’re being fake in a way that is beneficial to you. You’re being fake in a way that is not going to hurt you in the end. You’re doing chaotic things but everything you do must be aligned with you. Everything you do must not come back and bite you. Everything you do must be something that you’ve always wanted to do. Be selfish as much as you can because being selfish just means being yourself and be selfish in ways that will still benefit you. That’s what it has always meant. Just remain yourself because that’s all you’ll have. People will come in and out, but you’re gonna remain with the same person forever - and that’s gonna be you. Take care of yourself, you know what’s good for you, you know what hinders you. You know what you need to do, so just do enough of that to keep yourself going. 

[juupo45]

Hey Elisa! I love you work so much, you are one of my favorite creators! I just had a couple questions because I am having a hard time with gallery poses. I really only create large dogs, so I just downloaded the 6 large dog poses but can't seem to get all 6 of the them show up no matter how many times I click randomize portrait. In fact I can only get the first three to show up. These are the only gallery poses I have installed too. I have also tried to delete everything but they still show up

Hi there sweetie! Thank you so much♥ I think I made only 3 poses for large dogs small dogs and for puppies. My blender stopped working for pets don’t know why.. or it suddenly stopped making changes when I tried to make them this is why I stopped making poses for pets. there are 6 files for all of them because i coped the files or made all poses x 2 to make poses show up more easily. I should try if my blender would work out for pets now it have been a while for a last try so I probably should start trying them again. There are so many things what to do so you will forgot some what you should do so thank you for bringing this up :)

[juliabohemian]

have you started hiking due to the pandemic?

let’s talk about hiking etiquette...

I’d like to preface this by saying that I have been a naturalist for about 30 years. I have been a birdwatcher and native wildlife photographer for about 20 years. I volunteer with a number of CA based organizations. I photograph and educate people on local wildlife in the Southern California area.

That being said (all the Boogaras take a drink), in light of the recent pandemic, droves of people who ordinarily don't set foot in the wilderness (and probably shouldn’t) are now flocking to hiking trails to get some fresh air. Sans masks, of course. Because everyone knows that germs only live in urban areas.

And I have observed a number of behaviors among these people over the past 6 months. There’s not a whole lot I can do about it. I guess I am hoping that someone will read my words and pass them on and maybe someone else will glean something from it.

1. Do not feed the wildlife. 

Outside of using bait to catch a fish or hanging bird feeders on your patio, there is no reason for you to be feeding wild animals. In fact, there are even limits to how much you should be feeding birds. 

This rule does not exist to annoy you, or to ruin your fun plans, or to violate your personal freedom. It is a very important rule. I have seen local wildlife populations fluctuate enough to know what happens when wild animals are fed. They develop an expectation. They become aggressive. There’s overpopulation and, eventually, disease. Not just disease for you, but disease that can be transmitted to humans and other animals.

Don't feed the animals. Don't give bread or processed food to the ducks (because it's actually terrible for them). Don't feed the squirrels. Don't feed the deer, raccoons, rabbits or bears. If they dig through your trash, that’s on them. But don’t serve it up for them on a silver platter.

Today, I actually had a man tell me that since squirrels have never been aggressive towards him, he does not believe that feeding them is a problem. And besides, he's an animal person. Animals like him! I wish I had it on video, because he was standing right next to a sign that said do not feed the squirrels. 

Where I live, feeding the wildlife is a finable offense. Unfortunately, people rarely get caught doing it.

2. Cyclists, yield.

Earlier this year, I actually watched a middle aged man throw a tantrum because he had to swerve very slightly to avoid hitting me. I had my tripod set up on a paved jogging/bike trail. The trail is easily 9 feet wide. It was broad daylight and he could see me from 100 feet away. I wish I had THAT on video too.

Cyclists, please make absolutely sure that the trail is approved for bike traffic before you use it. And even if a trail is approved for bikes, that doesn’t make it safe for bikes. Conditions on a trail can change, seasonally. Sometimes there is a lot of vegetation. If a hiker has to step off the trail and into a potential rattlesnake area, just so that you can pass, it is not safe for you to use at that time. A trail is not safe for you to use if your using it might endanger hikers.

Hikers and pedestrians have the right-of-way. Always. Without exception. It’s actually the law. Do not ring your bell or yell “on your left!” as you are barrelling down the hill directly at us, and expect us to dive out of the way. 

I understand that cyclists want to be able to “enjoy” nature too. But if your enjoyment of something results in ruining it for someone else, you might need to reassess.

3. If you want to listen to music while hiking, wear earbuds. 

Please. I don’t care if it’s Bach. I don’t care if it’s Tom Hiddleston, reading my grocery list. Other people don’t go hiking to listen to your music. Why? Because it’s yours. You’re not in your car or in your room at home. Other people can hear it. It’s almost like you are but a single individual in a world full of other living things that have needs and desires entirely separate from yours.

I personally come out into wilderness to listen to wilderness sounds. Why? Because the sounds help me know where things are, so that I can take more pretty pictures. If I can't hear the wildlife because of your music, that's a problem.

It’s really easy, in 2020, to listen to music with earbuds. Countless devices are pocket sized. There is no excuse.

4. Dog owners, leash your dogs. 

First of all, you should always check first to make sure your dog is even allowed on a trail before using it. If I had a dollar for every dog I’d seen on a trail that said “no dogs” I could probably buy my own private trail somewhere. If a trail isn’t marked safe for dogs, do not bring them.

If you are hiking in a wilderness area with your dog, it must be on a leash. I don't care how nice or cute or old your dog is. You have no idea how it will react when confronted with any number of things that it might encounter out in the wilderness. Not to mention that some hikers have allergies to dogs, or anxiety, or might just startle easily when your pet comes running at them and tries to jump on them.

I can’t even count all the times I’ve been lining up a shot of some wild animal, only to have it frightened away by a dog...doing what dogs do. It’s totally reasonable for a dog to want to chase a rabbit or a bird. It’s a dog. Which is why dogs have owners, and why there are leash laws.

5. Dog owners, pick up after your dogs.

Pick up your dog’s poop. Do not leave it for other people to step in. Just because you are out in nature does not mean you don’t have to pick it up. Coyote poop is nature. Dog poop is not. I can easily tell the difference between the two. 

Do not put your dog’s poop in a bag, tell yourself that you’ll come back for it, and leave it there forever. I frequent the same trails often enough to recognize a bag and know how many days it’s been sitting there. You’re not fooling anyone. And don’t assume whoever “maintains” the trail will pick the poop bag up for you. Many trails are maintained irregularly by volunteers. And they should not have to pick up your dog’s poop.

6. Do not fuck with the animals.

Don’t interfere with any animal in any way that might alter its sleep cycle, its ability to eat, its likelihood of being eaten, its ability to mate, its access to shelter etc. Don’t harass animals. 

A few months ago, I had to stop a guy from throwing a stick at a rattlesnake that was blocking the trail. Snakes do not care about people. They want nothing to do with us. Give them wide berth. Do not harass them. You have no idea how they will react or what they will do to protect themselves.

A good start would be educating yourself on what animals are native to your area BEFORE going out into the wilderness. But that’s a lecture for another time.

7. Parents, be parents.

A wilderness area is not the same as a public playground. For one thing, it is far more dangerous. Thus, it is not a place where you can just let your kids run free and not bother to supervise them.

If you take your kids hiking, you are absolutely responsible for their behavior and their safety. When I see a kid screaming, throwing rocks, running off trail and chasing animals, I always look to see how their parents (assuming they are even nearby) are reacting to their behavior. Children are children. They are going to do these things. It is the parent’s job to say “no, that is not appropriate” and then to explain why it is not appropriate. Model appropriate behavior.

Parents with kids...while hiking, stay together. If your kid is out of your line of vision, they are too far away from you. Stay on the trail. More experienced hikers can scramble up boulders and down inclines. Your child probably shouldn’t. Do not throw rocks or sticks, or use sticks to hit anything. Do not throw things into water. Do not rip branches off of trees or move large stones. You might be interfering with an animal’s habitat.

Bonus complaint:  

If you go out into the wilderness to have alone time with your significant other, to film yourself doing intimate things, or to shoot portraits of any kind, assume that it’s possible you will be interrupted at some point. You are still in a public place. You didn’t pay to rent that area. You do not have a guarantee of privacy.

You may have noticed that all of these have something in common. 

Just like the refusal to wear a mask, these behaviors all demonstrate a failure to evolve beyond egocentricity. That means, they demonstrate a complete lack of awareness that one’s actions affect other people, and that we aren’t simply entitled to something because we want it.

Model empathy for your children. Teach them about ecosystems. Teach them that the world is made of up of living things that are all connected in some way. Teach them basic science. Lots and lots of science. Educate them on their local wildlife. Know what is dangerous and why. Familiarize yourself with laws that are relevant to you. Be teachable and open to input from more knowledgable or experienced parties.

#theory of mind #suddenly everyone is a hiker #juliabohemianrant #covid hiking #leash your dog #yield to pedestrians #wear a mask #wear earbuds #don't feed the wildlife #don't feed wild animals #don't be an asshole #model empathy

[upstartpoodle]

Evens for the WIP meme ask? Thank you! ❤️

Hi, thanks for the ask! Since the number of WIPs I have are well into double figures, I’ll probably just choose a bunch of random ones for these out of the ones I’ve got on my computer.

2. Post a line from your WIP without context.

Once they had returned home, he had wanted nothing more than to head up to his room and hide, but his uncle’s iron grip on his upper arm pulling him into the drawing room had thwarted that wish. He hadn’t dared fight against the man. Uncle Cary had made it quite clear upon his arrival back from school that he expected to be obeyed in all matters, and George knew his future was far too uncertain to risk provoking his only remaining family member with displays of defiance. 

4. Describe the setting of your WIP.

Hmm, I think I’ll go for my JS&MN AU for this one, an extract of which I have posted here. So this is basically an AU set in the universe of the novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell--for anyone who might be unfamiliar with it, it’s a book (and a pretty decent TV adaptation) set in a regency England where magic was once frequently practised but has declined after the Raven King, a medieval magician who conquered the north of England with a fairy army, left his kingdom behind to return to Faerie. The fic is set in Poldark’s s1 timeline, so about fifteen/twenty years before the events of JS&MN canon, featuring Dwight, Ross and Francis as magicians, George as a fairy nobleman from a neighbouring Faerie kingdom, and Elizabeth as a magician’s wife whom George ends up taking an interest in.

6. Search for the word “dream” in your WIP. If you find it, paste the line and explain the context.

I haven’t been able to find it in any of the extracts I have on my computer, but I’m sure it’s probably there somewhere in one of my notebooks. Unfortunately the majority of those are in a box over three hundred miles away so I can’t really check through them ha.

8. What is your biggest challenge?

Actually getting anything finished. Honestly, it depends on the individual fic but for a long time it’s been writer’s block. My undergrad dissertation took a lot out of me and I wasn’t really in the mood for writing for a long time afterwards. S5 airing gave me a bit of a kick up the arse writing-wise though, so I’d say my biggest challenge at the moment is trying to figure out where everything goes in my super long post s5 AU where George gets shot by Hanson. At the moment I’ve just got loads and loads of random bits with only a vague idea of what order they go in and how they join up to each other, and it’s getting to be so long I just keep putting off planning it out properly. Also finishing that last chapter of The Cornish Way damn I can’t even remember when I last updated that I feel so guilty about it ha.

10. How would you describe your WIP’s narrative style?

Well, as I’ve already mentioned I have a whooole bunch of WIPs, but I always write in 3rd person (1st person grates on me, both reading and writing, for some reason--I don’t know why). I’ve got several multi-chap fics in the works, some short, some long. Most of my shorter multi-chap fics tend to alternate between Elizabeth’s POV and George’s, but my long post s5 AU will feature the majority of the characters’ POVs at some point, depending on when they’re needed, though since the fic is George-centric, his perspective is the main one. When it comes to my one-shots, they’re usually either from George or Elizabeth’s perspectives, sometimes both if it’s a particularly long one. I tend to lean towards using Elizabeth’s POV for one-shots for some reason, but there’s a fair few from George’s as well, and a couple of angsty ones told entirely from Valentine’s perspective.

12. Which character do you have the least in common with?

Since my post s5 AU includes Merceron, Hanson and Dr Penrose, I’m glad to say that I haven’t the slightest thing in common with any of those three. But if we’re talking about a main character, I’d say probably Ross. The only thing I have in common with him is a tendency to get fed up at parties ha.

14. Have you chosen birthdays for any of your characters? If so, when are they?

Not really--tbh, I’m not sure how many of them, if any, were given birthdays by WG. I tend to headcanon George’s birthday as being in October, but that’s about it.

16. What would your characters be for Hallowe’en?

Well, I’ve got a couple of WIPs set in the modern era which this could work for, but since one of them is a modern witchcraft AU (in which Elizabeth, Caroline, Demelza, Morwenna and Verity live together in Truro as a secret coven of witches, Francis is a melancholy ghost who haunts the building and they’ve never been able to exorcise, and George, their landlord’s nephew, is their baffled neighbour who only puts up with their weird shenanigans because he has a soft spot for Elizabeth), I guess that’s appropriately Hallowe’en-y ha. For that AU, I reckon Elizabeth would probably dress up as something kind of classy, like as an Ancient Greek lady or a medieval queen, something like that. Caroline would dress up as a witch, I reckon, for the sake of irony (Horace, of course, would have a complementary costume :P). Verity, I think, would make a cute angel, and one of those wood nymph/woodland fairy costumes would probably suit Demelza. Morwenna might dress up as a Hogwarts student or something like that, and Francis insists that since he is an actual, literal ghost, there’s no need for him to dress up. George, on the other hand, absolutely does not do Hallowe’en, but they still manage to drag him down from the flat upstairs, put a pair of little Devil horns on him and make him watch scary films with them. Which he hates every minute of. Absolutely. Totally.

18. What’s easier, dialogue or description?

It depends, but I generally find description easier than dialogue. When I have dialogue-heavy scenes to write, I generally write them out in my notebooks basically in script form so I can figure out where the scene is going and once that’s out of the way, I find it much easier to add all the description in around it rather than having to constantly stop to figure out what the characters are meant to be saying to each other.

20. Post a brief excerpt.

So there’s a whole load to choose from, but I’ve decided to go with this one, which is from a ghost Elizabeth AU I’ve been working on ever since the end of s4 and have been really struggling to get on with because there’s so much bloody angst in it ha :--

The days leading up to Christmas dragged slowly on, and with each long hour that passed, George found himself regretting his decision to allow their initial plans for the festivities to go ahead with ever increasing certainty. The Blameys were neither unkind nor insensitive—quite the opposite in fact; their presence seemed to restore some faint but much needed cheer to Geoffrey Charles, and the company of another boy near his own age had restored Valentine to a fraction of his usual liveliness—but he, who had never been a friend to Verity, and was not well acquainted with her husband or stepchildren, felt the constant pressure of their scrutiny, alongside the horrible awareness of his own inadequacy as their host, whenever he found himself in their company. Verity, in particular, had taken to sending him at frequent intervals, whenever she saw him decline a meal, or else stumbled across him staring up at Elizabeth’s portrait hanging above the mantelpiece in the drawing room, what he had come to refer to in his mind as Looks. Verity had always been a kind and well-meaning soul, but there was a distinct pitying quality to those Looks which he had come to both resent and despise. He could have far more easily borne it if she had scorned his conduct. Her pity, however, wounded what little care he could summon for his pride in the wake of Elizabeth’s loss—he had no need to be reminded of the wretched creature he was fast becoming every time he met her gaze.

Finally, after what seemed like an age, the morning of Christmas Eve came. It had snowed once again during the night, and upon seeing the unblemished blanket of white through the window upon waking, Valentine and young master Andrew had rushed outside, accompanied by the Blameys Senior and Junior and Geoffrey Charles, in order to enjoy it. As the young Esther, whom it had not taken George long to discover was somewhat reticent in nature, had elected to break her fast in her room, that, unfortunately, left he and Verity alone together at the dining table, save for little Ursula, who was playing quietly and contentedly with her own feet in her cradle beside his chair. At barely a few weeks old, however, she was not quite an accomplished enough conversationalist to distract Verity from engaging with him. With a barely audible sigh, George reached for a slice of toast despite his lack of appetite in a vague hope of fending off another Look which he was sure was on the verge of rearing its unwelcome head above the horizon.

“I am glad to see that the boys have regained a little of their usual cheer,” she spoke up suddenly, causing George to pause halfway towards taking a bite out of his unwanted toast; a glance her way confirmed that, despite his best efforts, he was being treated to what could only be described as a Look. “It is a terrible thing to lose one’s parent, no matter one’s age, and certainly not a burden one should face so early in life.”

WIP Ask Game

#asks #ask meme #fic ask meme #harry-leroy #fic #poldark fic #mine #my fic

[lifesasickjoke]

The Dirt

The Dirt - part 5

part 4 - part 6

Pairing: Douglas!Nikki x Reader

Word count: 2648

Chapter summary: Mötley Crüe rises to fame, bringing (Y/N) with them. They've just signed a new record deal with Elektra Records and found their new manager. The dream of becoming big stars is quickly becoming a reality.

Warnings: Swearing, drugs

Elektra Records signed the boys to a five-album deal, and tonight Nikki hosted a party at our apartment to celebrate.

I was sitting next to the guys in the centre of the room around a round table, doing a limited edition celebrity questionnaire, this week featuring Mötley Crüe.

‘Tommy, vacuum this mess up.’ Nikki giggled, and passed Tommy who was sitting opposite him, the screwed off hi-hat with a couple of lines of cocaine on it.

‘Yes, sir.’ Tommy said and took the assorted little vacuum cleaner that posed as a straw for them.

‘Vince?’ I asked, taking the pen I was chewing on out of my mouth. Vince stopped giggling with the others and turned to me with a smile.

‘Yes?’

‘What year were you born?’ I asked, twirling the pen around my fingers just like Tommy did with his drumsticks. Tommy's smile widened when he saw me copy his trademark movement.

‘1961. Why would you need to know that?’ he burped and took another swing from his beer.

‘Because I'm filling out this questionnaire.’ I answered absentmindedly.

‘Why?’ he asked incredulously.

‘Because all the other girls filling this out would have to hunt for the information while I have the main sources right in front of me. Hey Nikki, what's your favourite childhood memory?’ I asked, looking down at the questions.

I read over the question again. ‘Huh, even I don't know the right answer for this.’

I didn't get an immediate answer though. I looked up from the paper. He was staring across the room.

‘Nikki.’ I repeated. I followed his concentrated gaze to see why he was so zoned out. I followed his gaze to see that across the room, he had his eyes on some other girl. She was flirtily looking back over the rim of her beer glass. They were practically eyefucking and it hurt to see.

I brushed it off, though, as I do at all the other parties. I folded my magazine and whacked it against his shoulder to get his attention.

‘Ow! What-’ he yelped, his attention snapping back to us.

‘What's your favourite childhood memory?’ I asked again, waiting expectantly with the pen above the answer box on the questionnaire.

Nikki took a while to absorb what I was asking him. Nikki's mouth fell open as if to say something, or at least, it looked like he wanted to say something. He seemed to remember a memory, and it made him smile. But I think he also blushed. And just as fast as the blush crept onto his face, he closed it again, frowned and shrugged.

‘Is this like some sort of competition?’ he asked.

I nodded, ‘yeah the winner with the most right answers gets a prize.’

‘Cool. what is it?’ Tommy leaned in closer when Nikki asked, so he could see what I was actually writing.

‘Hundred dollars. Surprisingly.’ I scoffed, only now bothering to read the small prints on the competition.

‘Why would you need a hundred dollars?’ Vince asked.

‘Why do most people need a hundred dollars? For rent. And food.’ I answered with a playful smile.

‘Rent? But I'm paying rent?’ Nikki said.

‘Yeah. and I'm paying half of it.’ I reminded. ‘Besides, with all the waitressing shifts I'm missing for you guys I'm really just about to run out of money.’

I noticed that Nikki was actually going to protest, and I mentally prepared my bullet points for why I should still be paying half of the rent, even though he had just gotten some cash advance and could easily cover rent for the next couple of months.

This very dreaded conversation was stopped before it could even happen. As Tommy passes around the hi-hat plate with the cocaine line, a man leaned onto the table beside me.

‘Can I get a fucking line, man?’ he asked, obviously high and drunk.

‘Yeah, right, man. Get the fuck out of here.’ Nikki answered curtly.

Mick, the life of the party, came back from the bathroom and shoved the man out of his seat. The man fell onto the floor without a protest and stumbled away to ask someone else.

That happens to be David Lee Roth from Van Halen, who was sitting on my favourite spot on the couch. How cool is that?

As a background noise, I heard the same man mumble something, before a thud happened, and then a loud crash. Multiple people gasped my head turned to the source of the commotion.

‘Whoa! What the fuck, dude?!’ Nikki shouted. He and the boys shot up from their seats.

‘Chill out, asshole. It's cool’ slurred the man that just broke the portrait mirror by falling into it. It fell onto the blond-haired vocalist.

‘Cool?’ Nikki gasped in offence and advanced forwards. ‘That is David Lee Roth. How about you show a little respect or get the fuck out?’

Baring in mind, Nikki was a tall and high on energy, like, all the time, and the man he was accusing was at least a foot shorter than Nikki and about to faint. Yet, he got into Nikki's face and drunkenly threatened.

‘Make me, motherfucker.’

He then proceeded to push Nikki.

In a heartbeat, I lifted off my seat. And if Tommy had not launched forward past Mick and held me back by the arm I would have thrown punches already.

A different man did the honours for me, though. As Nikki got pushed passed him, he stepped in, hit the other guy right in the face, twisted his arm, pushed him to the ground, and pinned him.

He looked up to the boys and smiled.

‘You fellas are gonna need a manager.’

‘Oh, good. You met Doc.’ Tom Zutaut said, walking over to us. He was the spokesperson for Elektra Records and the one that signed Mötley Crüe their deal.

‘He works with James Brown, Kiss, you name it.’ he presented.

‘Fucking hate Kiss.’ Mick spoke.

With a creepily cheery expression, Doc turned to Mick.

‘Well, I make them a shitload of money, and I take care of everything they need, which is what I'm gonna do for you.’

‘Oh, yeah? And how are you gonna do that?’ Nikki asked, setting up a defensive perimeter for his band. Somehow this usually includes pulling me into his arms so I can lean against his chest as we both evaluated the possible threat. And to be honest, Nikki does this so often, neither of us actually notice that this simple affectionate action happens.

But I can tell you the boys definitely noticed, and with each passing day, and with each passing little touch that seems normal to Nikki and me, they start to question what exactly our relationship is.

‘Look,’ Doc reasoned, ‘I know what I see up there. Anyone can start a band and crap out a song or two, but not many have the vision to go the distance.’

He looked at each individual band member warningly, ‘and you guys need someone to guide you through the fucking wilderness.

‘And you're gonna be that someone?’ I asked, equally sceptical.

Doc looked me directly in the eye and coyly said, ‘you're goddamn right I am.’

I tilted my head up too look at Nikki and see if he agreed. The rest of the band nodded their heads too. Tommy shrugged goofily at me. Vince nodded slowly, his mind evidently racing. And although Mick seemed a little distrustful, he agreed too.

Before any of us knew it, they’d conquered the sunset strip and, in Nikki's words, it was time for America to meet Mötley Crüe.

I was standing backstage with Mick, Tommy, Doc, and Nikki at their biggest stadium sellout ever.

‘We're gonna fucking die.’ dreaded Mick. His face turned paler the more he thought about the crowd on the other side of the black curtains.

I leaned against the wall next to Tommy, who was nervously walking around, twirling his drumsticks in both hands and rehearsing his drum solos.

‘What?’ I gasped in disbelief at the magazine in my hands, ‘how did I not get first place?’

Nikki looked up from the floor and quizzingly looked at me.

Dramatically I waved the magazine around, ‘you remember the questionnaire? I didn't even get the top five! I mean how is that possible? I literally bribed Mötley Crüe for the answers.’ I pouted.

A small smile formed on Nikki's lips. It's was a teasing one.

‘Oh shut up.’ I told him and playfully scrunched my nose at him. He returned the gesture.

I could tell he was nervous too, just like his bandmates. Over the years I have learnt to pick up on the little mannerisms that were displayed by Nikki so I could clearly get a message of his mood. He was eerily quiet and still today. He was a shy person too, believe it or not, and he was definitely nervous to go out there today and play as well.

Tom Zutaut marched around the corner with one of the employees for the stadium.

‘Boys,’ he greeted, ‘on behalf of Elektra records, I just wanna wish you good luck tonight.’

He then counted the boys and noticed our singer was missing.

‘Wheres Vince?’

‘Just saw him in the dressing room getting ready.’ doc covered for him. Although, we all knew what he was actually doing. Or who he was doing.

‘Well this is your first big show, and there are 18,000 people out there tonight, so… please don't fuck this up.’

Nikki began to fidget too and he was trying to avoid everyone's gaze. I took this chance to really admire him. Two black lines painted on his cheeks and his hair ruffled up to make it look more intimidating. But to me, he looked absolutely stunning.

Don't get me started on the outfit he was wearing.

‘Thanks, Tom.’ Doc smiled sourly.

Tom nodded and left with his assistant to go find Vince.

Nikki looked up again, my eyes being the first he's meeting. I gestured at him to come stand next to me and he jumped at the opportunity.

In an attempt to ease his nerves, I laid my head against his shoulder.

‘Fuck all that.’ Doc said when tom was out of earshot. ‘You guys just do what you do.’

Tommy nodded excitedly and spun his drum stick again. Only this time it slipped out of his fingers.

‘Fuck!’ he swore and jogged after it as it rolled down the corridor.

‘Jesus Christ.’ Nikki muttered (probably as second-hand embarrassment). This mishap also caused Doc and I to chuckle. Even Mick cracked a smile.

I looked down at my wristwatch, ‘Oh. Time to go guys!’

The lady (Toms date for the night) that Vince took into the changing room returned. Soon after, Vince came running to meet us.

‘Vinnie, come on, man. Let's go!’ I shouted at him, waving him over. Vince jumped up the stairs leading to directly behind the stage and joined us.

‘Jesus fucking Christ. You do realize we just signed a record deal with his company and that fucking his girlfriend could seriously fuck that up?’ Nikki scolded in a lower voice, referring to Toms date.

Vince taunted, ‘only if he finds out, man.’

At that moment, Tommy also vomited off the stage. My best guess is that he had too much to drink in one go, or that it was all the drugs he had this morning.

‘Seriously, we're gonna die.’ Mick repeated.

‘Aw,’ I scoffed at the comment but engulfed him in a reassuring hug.

Mick immediately tensed up. He still wasn't a hugging person.

‘No you’re not.’ I promised.

‘You are officially invited to my funeral.’ he joked seriously.

‘Right, listen up.’ Nikki said and reassuringly slapped micks shoulder.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tommy getting back up and use his beer to extinguish the foul taste in his mouth. I took the beer from his hands like a mother and replaced it with a glass of water. He was going to protest, but then saw my hardened expression.

‘Come on, gather round guys.’ Nikki insisted. He also slung an arm over me and pulled me down with him into a huddle with Mick, Vince and Tommy.

‘Look where we are.’ he said proudly, ‘we've got an older man, a kid drummer, a cover band singer and a fucking runaway and his best friend that got swept with them and shrugged it off like it's nothing.’

When he said that last part, he directed it right at me. The hand resting on my shoulder squeezed affectionately.

‘No one would have thought we'd make it here, so fuck them. Win it all or lose it all, were Mötley fuckin’ Crüe!’

Tommy howled and I laughed in agreement with Nikki's enthusiasm.

‘So let's destroy these motherfuckers!’ the huddle broke apart and everyone high fived.

I pulled Tommy and Vince into a quick good luck hug too before they ran off with mick.

‘Nikki.’ I proudly opened my arms and he immediately dove in for a hug.

He was seriously getting too tall, and whenever we hugged it was either he had to bend down to reach me or I had to get onto my tiptoes.

On special occasions though, like today, he bends down for the hug and then slightly lifts me off my feet. He grinned like an idiot as he sat me back down gently.

‘Nik, come on!’ waved Vince. Nikki stood back up to his full height, but his arms never let go of the lock they had around me.

‘You better fucking kill it out there.’ I stated, patting his chest.

‘Anything for you.’ he playfully bowed and ran off.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, from Los Angeles, Mötley Crüe!’ the announcer announced. The crowds cheering erupted like a bomb as soon as Tommy got onto the stage.

I stood with tom, his date, and Doc on the sidelines, with a clear view of my boys perform. Originally, I wanted to be in the crowds to view them from the front and get the real concert experience, but the whole arena was fully booked and sold out. I couldn't get a ticket even if I told the stadium venue the boys specifically wanted me there. Doc saved me, though, and from now on insisted I just stand backstage and watch them from there with him and tom.

Nikki lead with his bass into their opening song, shout at the devil.

But when the intro really started, Vince bolted onto the stage. There was a whole new set of screaming from the crowd.

‘The title track from our up-and-coming album. We call it ‘‘shout at the devil’’!’ he spoke into the microphone.

He then began to sing, and the crowd chanted with him. And every time a new verse began, fire shot up from the stage in little flame balls, adding to the craze of the whole situation.

‘He's the wolf screaming lonely in the night, he's the blood stain on the stage. He's the tear in your eye, been tempted by his lie. He's the knife in your back. He's rage.’

‘He's the razor to the knife. Oh, lonely is our lives. My head's spinning round and round. But in the seasons of wither, we‘ll stand and deliver, be strong and laugh and shout!’

POV change

Nikki finished his riff and scanned the crowd for (Y/N). he found her dancing next to Doc, in clear view of the stage by the secondary cameras and sound and control systems.

He smiled at her goofiness, watching her twirl and stepped to the beat of the music. Every time he watches her dance, he reminds himself just how much in love he is with her.

And how much of a coward he is for not telling her how much she means to him.

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Love to Hasugi :)

#the dirt #motley crue #nikki sixx #tommy lee #mick mars #vince niel #x reader #machine gun kelly #douglas booth #daniel webber #iwan rheon #colson baker!tommy lee #daniel webber!vince neil #nikki sixx x reader #douglas booth x reader #douglas booth!nikki sixx #iwan rheon!mick mars #tommy lee x reader #vince neil x reader #the dirt 2019 #mötley crüe #reader insert #x you #1980s #80s music #90s music

[jj-lynn21]

You will remember things that we never said ch 4

Warning: SMUT, angst, fluff

mood board: My creation with photos from google, AHS website. Other photo credits on pix.

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3 ch 5 ch 6 ch 7

Stephanie sits by a window at Skat’s Tattoo parlor while Axel works on a butterfly tat on a guy’s lower back. He didn’t realize guys got tramp stamps until this scrawny looking blonde guy in a suit came in to ask for it. He didn’t ask questions other than a few to determine if the guy was of sound mind. The guy was completely sober of all substances. Axel thought maybe he lost a bet.

Axel glance at Stephanie who looked miles away in deep thought. “What’s on your mind Stephanie? You can talk to me while I’m doing this.”

Her eyes were glossy dreamy blue as she looked at him biting her lower lip. “I was just thinking about you.”

He grinds the guy a little with the needle as he glanced at the way she is looking at him.

“Fuck,” the guy roars. “Is it supposed to feel like that?”

Axel lifts the needle up off the guys skin, “Yeah, dude. I’m right on your tailbone. Almost done.” He finishes up the butterfly. And pulls the guys shirt down. “Just put lotion on it and the color will stay vibrant. Don’t pick at the scabbing or scratch as it heals. It could get infected that way.  I hope you get much joy from your five-hundred -dollar piece of art.”

The guy leaves but Axel keeps the privacy curtain closed. “Come here Stephanie.”

She struts over to straddle his lap. Her hands go to the nape of his neck stroking his hair. “You’re the only one that calls me by my full name Axel.”

His hands hold her ass as he looks in her eyes. “I’m just never in a hurry to shorten your name. Plus, it’s a very sexy name to me.”

He licks his lips leaning to kiss her. She leans down to kiss him grinding working up friction in her jeans against his bulge. He groans.

“Axel, your next costumer is her.” Derick yelled.

“Fuck,” Axel murmured. “Stephanie, maybe it wasn’t the best idea for you to come hangout at work with me.” She pouts her lip. “I’ll make time for just us soon. I promise.”

Stephanie takes in a deep breath and gets off him. “I should be studying anyway. Did you get my portrait done for Monday?”

“Yeah, you get mine done?”  He really hadn’t even started on it but art came easily to him so he knew he could get it done in a few hours. Maybe even tattoo it on his back. Fuck, what am I thinking? Do I even love her enough to do that? I fucking do and I should fucking tell her.

Derick yells again, “I’m sending Charlotte back for her bellybutton piecing right now.”

“No problem Derick, I’m ready.” He stood to take Stephanie’s hand. He looked at her soulfully. “Walk back carefully.” Fuck, I’m such a fucking pussy, he said to himself.

“Sure, thing Axel,” She leaned in to give him one more lingering kiss as Charlotte walked in. Then she went to her dorm to study.

The sky was gloomy as Stephanie walked to class. The smell of the impending rainstorm in the air. As she gets inside the art building the rain begins to fall. Axel holds the classroom door for her. She lights up at the sight of him. She goes to the front to sit and he stays where he has sat since the beginning of the semester both creatures of habit.  

“Stephanie, I know your portrait is finish so why don’t you come and show us all and describe how you created it.” Professor Scotland said.

Stephanie showed off her work of Axel.

“I used charcoal for this. Shades of grey and black. It’s not any particular style. Its just what came out when I drew it.” Stephanie bit at the corner of her lip as she stood there nervously.

“It looks pretty good, Stephanie,” The Professor took the drawing looking at it closely. “Would this be Axel?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Yes, Professor Scotland.” She fumbled with her hands hearing whispery voices scattering through the room.

“Alright you can sit Stephanie.,” The professor looked towards the back of the room. “Well, Axel since Stephanie showed us a portrait of you, you’re on the radar. Come on up here with what you have to give me.”

Axel nods. He walks to the front of the room. “I uh, this is Stephanie.” 

His voice trembled a little, “I drew her from my mind’s eye. I used tattoo ink because it was what I had available.” Axel handed the portrait to the Professor. Then he went to sit down.

The Professor looked at the Portrait closely. “Very good using what was around you Axel.”

Stephanie thought the rest of the class’s portraits weren’t nearly as good as Axel’s, but she would be the first to admit she was bias. Many of the other students did self-portraits.

After class Stephanie gathers her things thinking she could walk with Axel too his next class or have lunch together. She frowned when he was already gone.

The rain poured outside the door to the building. Thunder crushed in the distance. Stephanie walked outside under the awning of the building deciding if she wanted to make a mad dash for the student union or just stay here until it subsided. She shivered at the temperature drop. A red pick up truck pulled up at the sidewalk. The door sprang open. It was Axel with his hand outreached to help her. She ran over, jumped inside and shut the door. Axel pulled away from the curb.

“Thanks Axel,” She ran her hands though her wet hair.

“You have another class soon?” He tried to keep his eyes on the road, but one pulled to view her damp dress clinking to her skin. Her hard nipples from the cold showing through her thin bra and top of her baby pink dress.

“No, I have a little over an hour to dry up,” She laughed. “Maybe it wasn’t the best day to wear this color dress.”

Axel pulls into the student center parking lot, “You can just stay in here for a while,” He looks at Stephanie and licks his lips.

Her hair covers her face as she tries to dry it with her hands. “Sure, Axel thanks.”

He undoes his seatbelt to move closer to her eyes are closed as she shakes her hair out of her eyes. She feels his lips on hers and progresses the kiss as his hand moves under her dress, along her inner thigh under her panties. She breaths heavily in anticipation as he moves his lips down to suck on her neck.

“Axel,” She murmurs.

He whispers in her ear as two fingers glide over her clit. “I fucking need to touch you as much as you want me to Stephanie. My cock twitches every time I see you.”

She moans out softly.

He continues talking dirtier as he goes. “Your pussy is so wet. Is my band bitch always this ready when I’m around?”

“Yes, Axel,” She moaned laying back against the seat. Her hips start to rock into his touch.

“My good little soaked band bitch riding my hand so desperate for relief.” Axel bites on her ear lope until she squeals. “That’s it, Stephanie be louder for me. My cock is throbbing to be in this tight pussy of yours.” He moves his fingers quicker in and out. “But I don’t think you’re ready for that yet. You think you’re ready for my big cock in this pussy? You want it Stephanie?”

“Yes,” She gasps.

He attempts to add a third digit. “I think I’m going to get you to cum just like this. You’re never going to have to finish yourself again. You are almost there. Just let go. Fuck my cock is so hard feeling you out like this. You want to fuck my cock with those luscious pink lips when I’m done milking this pussy for all you can give.”

Her orgasm hits, “YES, AXEL…YES…”

Her back arches as he keeps moving his fingers. “Say it Stephanie. Tell me you want to suck my cock as good as I’m getting you off.” He slowly slides his fingers out and licks them. “Fucking purity.”

“yes, yes, yes,” She comes down from her high and looks over to Axel. “I never gave anyone a blow job before Axel. My ex thought they were only something whores did.” She blushes.

“You are the most innocent person I have ever known Stephanie.” He kisses her lips. “I’ll show you what I need you to do to my cock so I can mouth fuck you another time but for now give me that small hand.”

He already has his jeans undone. His cock standing at attention through the slit in his boxers. He puts her hand at the base. She gasps.

“You never gave him a hand job either?” Axel groans. “He had some serious issues Stephanie. Now move your hand up and down the shaft and watch what happens.”

She does as he asks. She watched the pleasing look on Axel’s face and the dripping tip of his head.

“Faster Stephanie.” He lays his head back. Eyes closed gritting his teeth. “fuck, you’re a natural…mmm…oh damn…put your mouth around it Stephanie. I don’t want cum all over my truck.”

He tangles his hand in her hair as she leans down. Her lips go around his member. He encourages her to continue the motion her hand was doing.  He thrusts his hips as he cums pulling her head back, so she is less likely choke. “FUCK…yes, yes…”

She is willingly to swallow all she can manage panicking slightly when she needs a breath. She sits up and opens the truck door puking up what was still filling her mouth. He rubs her back.

“You alright, Stephanie.” He does his pants back up. “I sure do appreciate you trying something new with me.”

She leans back on the seat. Shuts the door. “Rain stopped.”

Axel takes her hand, “Hey, look at me.” She turns her head to look at him. “Are you alright?” He opens his glove compartment. Grabs the wet wipes and takes one dabbing her mouth.

“I’m not what you need Axel,” She looks away.

He takes her chin pulling her face back to him, “You are exactly what I need Stephanie. I love you. You can’t be great at things you never have done before. I don’t expect you to.”

“I love you to Axel,” Her lips quiver.

“Hey how about after the show a Friday you come back to my place.” His eyes shined as the sun broke loose in the sky. “no drinking. Both of us just being together. How does that sound?”

“Good,” She smiles brightly.  

He starts the truck back up. “How about some lunch before your next class?”

“Taco Bell?” Stephanie suggested.

“That’s fine with me.” He took her hand and kissed it before taking off to the local Taco Bell.

They talked like they never had before. Maybe it was getting some of their pent-up sexual attraction dealt with.  Maybe it was just timing. Axel ask her about her classes and motivations. She found out he was a business major with a minor in art to take over  skat’s when Derick retired.  But all he really wanted to do is write and play music on a small level. No ambition to take it bigger. To “sellout to a big record label.” Even if that would pay the bill. They both felt good sitting there just discussing life. The forty-five minute flew by.

Stephanie’s head was clear as she got to class. Her two afternoon classes seemed to go quickly. She went back to the dorm to study the rest of the afternoon into the evening. When Bella got back from her classes Stephanie glanced up, “Evening Bella. How was your day?”

Bella scrutinized her roommate demeanor. “You seem not so tense and frustrated. Did you finally masturbate to get yourself focused?”

Stephanie giggled, “Why would you say that?”

“You have been all flustered for weeks and,” Bella throws her bag in her bedroom and marches over to Stephanie’s room. “You fucked him, didn’t you? You fucked Axel?”

“Nope,” Stephanie’s cheeks burned red. “We had a nice lunch after class and chatted. I enjoyed finding out more about him.”

“Somehow I don’t buy that you just had lunch as hot as your cheeks are getting.” She sat on Stephanie’s bed looking at her in her desk chair. “You know he probably told all of his friends already so you might as well tell me.”

“Your probably right,” She signed. “He was waiting in his truck after class to pick me up, so I didn’t get to drenched in the storm. We didn’t fuck but we fooled around until the rain stopped. Then we went to lunch. End of story.”

She smirked, “He got you off, didn’t he?”

“Fantastically so,” Stephanie gushed.

“I guess you needed it baby so now he can be out of your system.” Bella turned to go study in her room.

“I’m going to his place after the show Friday night.” Stephanie admitted excitedly.

Bella just shook her head as she went to her room. “I’m going to see Dark Breed at a different venue.”

#axel and stephanie #axel cluney #rocker axel #au #bill skarsgard #college life #fantasy #smut #angst #friendship #love #lust #fiction #writing #creative writing #story telling

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Anaticula Pt 14

Pt 1 - Pt 2 - Pt 3 - Pt 4 - Pt 5 - Pt 6 - Pt 7 - Pt 8 - Pt 9 - Pt 10 - Pt 11 - Pt 12 - Pt 13 -

Dinner was filled with a cross table argument with Ron in his aim to get you to play him just one more game of chess in his claim he could finally beat you with how he had been practicing. Through your relenting move to sit by Neville across from him Draco took Harry’s side with a wide grin, “I got a letter from uncle Sirius, he filled out the papers. Oh, and he found that permission slip of yours. Sent it in as well.”

“Ooh, goodie. Thought he’d forgotten all about that slip.” Turning your head at Draco’s turn to talk to Hermione you asked Neville, “How did you like Sprout’s?”

His face lit up and he shared his lessons and all the notes he shared with her before Hermione shared her day at your asking, including the odd lesson Quirrell had given, far more restrained than yours had been.

They all shared their favorite courses of the day until you stood at the ache in your stomach saying, “Gotta head down to start on some homework.” Hermione popped up joining you along with the twins and Percy to do the same while Neville accepted Ron’s challenge. But in your departure the boys grouped up sharing their next plan.

.

Choir practice at 10 went smoothly, even in bringing Trevor to his first practice he had followed you to. An eerie chill filled the air as you stopped halfway to your dorm in the moonlit hall wondering at the silence around you soon broken by footsteps not belonging to you in a rapid pace. Turning around you eyed Percy hurrying towards you with a comforted wave washing over his panicked expression. Panting softly he said, “I hoped I’d find you here.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Well, I was on my rounds and I heard Ron out in the corridor.”

“What would he be doing out?”

Percy shrugged, “But I could have sworn I heard Harry earlier and then Ron was out too. They won’t listen to me.”

You nodded saying, “Let’s get them and drag them back again from whatever they’re plotting.”

.

Through a maze of halls Percy said, “This is where I heard them.”

You nodded and reached into your back pocket drawing out your folded map, giving it a gentle tap with your wand you whispered, “I solemnly swear I am up to no good.”

Percy raised a brow then leaned over your shoulder eyeing the enchanted map, “So that’s how you lot get around so well for the turners. I’ve tried making maps before.”

You chuckled easing the folds open until you saw them, “Just a few doors over.” By you he hurried checking the map that no teachers were around to catch him off his rounds seeing your names hurrying towards the other duo standing still.

Hastily you let yourselves into the room and closed the door behind you eyeing the startled pair in front of the mirror. Percy huffed and said, “Your curfew was hours ago. Now back to bed before I have to inform Professor McGonagall.”

Ron pointed at the mirror, “Perce, you have to see this, I’m Head Boy and just won the Quidditch Cup!”

Percy’s brow rose and he let out another huff moving by Ron to stare at the mirror, “No. I am clearly Head Boy. And the House Cup…? What is this?”

Moving closer you eyed the inscription around the rim reading, ‘erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi’ then you looked to Percy saying, “It looks enchanted to show you what you desire most.”

Harry pointed at it, “All I see are my parents.”

Lowering your eyes to him you sighed resting your hands on his shoulders, “You should not be out of bed. There are a million different things that could hurt you if you bumped into them.”

Ron chortled, “What, like your basilisk?”

You locked your eyes on him, “There are far worse hexed items in this castle, hexes that could kill in an instant if not countered correctly. Now, bed.”

Harry, “But we have to know what Snape did with Quirrell!”

Ron nodded, “Ya! We saw Snape shoving him into a wall, mumbling real low like and we had to hide in here or he’d have seen us sneaking after him.”

“You need to get to bed.”

Harry, “But Snape..!”

“Harry, there are things you don’t understand-..”

He stopped his foot, “Like what?! Like how Snape has done nothing but be rude to our entire class and pick on you, Fred and George with no proof while clearly targeting Quirrell! I saw him slip something into his orange juice-!”

“Harry!” You sighed and he stopped talking as you lowered to his level, “Quirrell went on sabbatical over the summer-.”

Ron chuckled, “Ya, ran into a vampire in the Black Woods.”

“He found someone much worse than that in those woods.” Their grins fell, “Harry, Quirrell isn’t himself, he hexed most of our class today. Snape and the other Professors are trying to keep an eye on him until a cure can be found. And I need you to promise me you won’t go after him alone again.”

Harry, “What would he do? We’re just kids.”

“Yes and we were toddlers when Riddle tortured and killed my Mum and then killed your parents before trying to use the Killing Curse on us.” His lips parted at your bluntness, “Harry, it doesn’t matter that you’re a child, you meddling is a threat, and trust me what Quirrell found won’t care who meddles, he will kill you.”

Ron, “You’re serious?”

“Yes. The war was never won, it just stopped when Riddle supposedly died. Now his followers, they’re still out there, waiting for a sign to start up again, and we have to learn to protect ourselves.”

Percy, “And that is exactly why you two should focus more on your studies, we won’t always be around to help you.”

“And you shouldn’t start on racking up detentions. I got into one fight my first year and I’m in the Choir for seven years.” Making Ron’s brow inch up.

Percy, “And as for Snape, he’s a strict teacher with a rough personality. Always has been, even more so with his best students. He expects a lot from us and pushes us to achieve greater.”

“Besides, our dads really tormented him in school. He grew up with our mums. So he’s just trying to see who you’re more like. Did the same with me.”

Ron drew in a breath then asked, “Can we at least see what it shows you?”

Stepping in front of it you eyed the blank mirror the boys all grouped around you, all open mouthed seeing a glowing ball of silver light in your place, “Apparently, I want to be a, glowing ball…” shaking your head you said, “I need to go to bed.”

Ron, “That’s so weird.”

Harry, “Perhaps it’s like an energy thing. You want to be well rested..?”

You shrugged glancing back at it, now seeing you as the glowing ball surrounded by the two stoic tall blonde men on either side of you turning their heads to look at you resting their hands on your shoulders. Furrowing your brows you turned away and focused on taking the boys back up to Gryffindor Tower.

.

Staring up at the Fat Lady Portrait you caught her eyes looking you over at Harry’s saying the password. She swung open and you grinned at Ron asking, “Could you take Trevor up?”

Ron nodded, “Sure,” Accepting the toad into his palm from your jacket pocket, “No doubt Neville is waiting up for him. Night.” He looked you both over as Harry did in your turn to trot down the steps again, both starting up a hushed conversation when the portrait closed behind them.

Percy after the first flight said, “You do realize they didn’t give you their word.”

You nodded, “At least they didn’t lie.”

Chortling to himself he replied, “True. No doubt we will have many sleepless nights this year.”

You giggled softly, “Not to mention what trouble they will get into in the years to come.”

In a glance at you he grinned saying, “It is hard to imagine us giving Mum such trouble.”

A soft gasp left you, “Oh we wouldn’t dare! She would skin us alive! The occasional explosion, sure, we were kids-,”

He nodded, “Not to mention that time I turned the garage into a rainforest, but that was a simple fix.”

“Easily mended.” He chuckled at your spreading grin, “Even though I was the worst of the lot. Month in Azkaban, facing off against Fudge.”

“Stealing a Dragon, harboring a Basilisk. Still, not that terrible, only one fight in school, not bad.”

You giggled again, “It’s surprising that I’m hated by the Minister of Magic, had to spend time in Azkaban and still it’s not that bad.”

“I doubt Fudge hates you.” He stole a glance at you and chuckled saying, “Just your family.” Making you giggle again turning for the last flight of stairs.

“Did you read about Gringotts?”

He nodded, “No doubt they cannot grant them another dragon. It would break all the codices to hand them another creature to blind and chain up, Dragon or other deadly creature. It would be too cruel. If they want another one they would have to steal one.”

A door opening in the distance had you draw out your map again, only to see it was The Fat Friar and the Grey Lady on their nightly rounds calming you both at the chance to pass unseen through the front hall to turn down for another final set of stairs leading to the dungeons where your dorms were. A tight hug was stolen outside yours and Percy mumbled into your shoulder, “Night sis. Don’t forget your meditations.”

“I won’t. Careful round the portrait of Kiwis.” Making him grin and pull back heading for the final portion of his rounds as you passed through the hidden door that swung open after giving the proper knock to the right barrel lid.

Between the singing dangling plants and plushy couches around the copper edged tables, the round windows exposing the moonlit dandelions and grass swaying in a soft breeze contrasting the fire from the lit fireplace under the portrait of your founder greeting you as you passed with a kind nod before looking back to the seventh year continuing their debate over their favorite animated plants.

In your dorm a change of clothes met you in the bathroom with a fresh towel beside it under your comb to wash off your long day. After a shower you wound your hair back into a long crooked braid and grumbled your way onto your bed as the twins grinned from theirs while Cedric sprawled out across the stools by the heater editing his ideas for his column due at the next lunch.

Cedric, “Nice practice?”

Plopping onto your bed you groaned out, “Harry and Ron snuck out of their dorm after Snape.”

Twins, “Oh come on-..” Shaking their heads.

“Ya, they found this mirror when they hid, shows you what you most desire.”

Cedric, “That sounds cool.”

You rolled onto your side looking at them in your lean over the edge of your bed, “My big desire, I was a silver ball of light.”

The twins laughed as Cedric’s brows furrowed in asking, “Why?”

You shrugged, “Not a clue. Then I turned to leave and those blondes were on either side of silver glowing ball of whatever I was.”

Fred, “You got them boys back again?”

“Ya, had to say that the teachers have been looking after Quirrell cuz he’s not himself.”

George, “That’s not gonna help them behave you know.”

Groaning you turned and plopped onto your back, “I know.”

The twins chuckled and said, “Alright, onto our meditations.”

Cedric sighed standing up to move to his bed leaving his notebook on his table, “I’ll surely dream something for my column up-, I hope.”

“You can stay up.”

He shook his head, “Nah. Besides, Kettleburn said it would be a full class so we should rest up.” Laying across his bed after tugging off his sweater to close his eyes joining in on your group meditation at their insistence to help you strengthen your defense in your sleep hopefully at not having to do this alone.

…

All around odd dreams on talking shoes and mumbling potatoes left you in a confused haze to change for the day. At the sight of the bright yellow cacti flowering outside your window you opted for shorts and a muggle band shirt Regulus had bought you years prior with a walrus and a submarine. The boys around you tugged on their own shorts and varied t shirts in similar shades to yours they straightened one handed through brushing their teeth around you in their giggle inducing habit of sharing your mirror each day. Boots were tugged on with Puff coats resting on the straps of your bags.

Around your table after the walk up to the great hall you eyed the jumble of students in varying stages of exhaustion as those in the tower dorms were complaining about the heat and blustery night that your below ground level dorm had protected you from. A hearty breakfast brought on another set of herbs to cross off the list through your furrowed and focused gaze at the letter you had received from Bill off on a treasure hunting job.

Detailing an odd snake his team had managed to capture he sent to your home with a house elf that K should have set up in a habitat perfect for it. The main interest was the odd hum it gave off and its shimmering scales and color changing eyes that set one of his team into a trance until Bill repeated a calming phrase you would use for your agitated snakes halting its behavior enough to capture it.

Cedric, “Your dad?”

“No. Bill found me a snake. Apparently it can put people in trances.”

George, “Which breed?”

You shrugged, “I’ll have to check on it late to be certain. I can think of five breeds already, all of them absurdly rare. Must have startled it something awful.” Folding the letter you eased it into your bag focusing on your meal through Cedric’s listing off possible topics for him to write on lasting through your walk out towards the groupings of Winged Horse breeds you were to observe and care for on this class.

Kettleburn, “Among the positives for owning a Winged Horse their owners are required by law to frequently cast Disillusionment Charms on them regularly.”

Loudly a roar sounded causing your class to jump and your eyes to turn to the shifting Forbidden Forest at the sound of racing hooves. Around you the other students joined the shifting horses inching away from the forest as the Professor stretched out his arm to guide you all in his move to draw his wand. Within a few moments the furious Chimera broke through the line of trees roaring again in full charge for you all making you inch closer whispering, “Professor…”

In a glance back a you he nodded his head and you inched closer to his back only to watch the Chimera roar at the students causing them to inch back before her eyes locked on yours with her mind tapping yours. Steadily she moved closer to you, halfway circling you to press its head into your back nudging you towards the forest as Kettleburn asked, “What does she want?”

You shrugged in the steps she forced you through, “She just keeps saying come help.”

He nodded eyeing the twins through Cedric easing his camera out of his bag to steal a picture of her guiding you with her head to her side. With your lips parted you rested your hands on her back and hopped up to swing your leg over, timidly eyeing her through her back tensing at your hands gripping her mane before she took off. Kettleburn looked at the twins who nodded and shifted to phoenixes to race after you at the point of his wand in your race away.

Left behind Cedric grinned eying the pictures capturing your mounting her back and her racing off mumbling, “First ever Chimera steed!” The students around him nodded in agreement while Kettleburn stole one last glance after you, spotting Hagrid in his own path after you on the back of his tan Hippogriff outside his hut in hopes of aiding you.

Through the dark forest you wondered where she was leading you to until you spotted the Centaurs breaking apart from a fallen horse body in the center of them they were watching over. With lips parted at her stopping you climbed down hurrying over to the body of the panting and whining Unicorn with a bloody gash on its neck teary eyed at its painful gasps for air you knelt in the silver pool around its chest. Above you Bane eyed the Chimera tentatively wondering why she allowed you to mount her until he watched a tear fall from your eye landing on the gash that started to heal through the boys transforming back again. “We found her like this. She was attacked last night.”

Firenze among them stated, “It is the cruelest thing, to harm such a pure creature.”

The head of the Unicorn raised to peer up at you as it whined again still weak from blood loss. Bane continued, “It was a hooded figure.”

Twins gritted out, “Riddle.” Drawing the eyes of the herd to them.

Bane, “You know who did this?!”

“One of our Professors is possessed.”

Firenze, “Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something so pure and defenseless to save yourself, you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips.”

Hagrid landed and gasped seeing the Unicorn, dismounting himself to inch closer bowing his head, “Bane, Firenze,”

Bane, “One among your kind is possessed?!”

“We’re working on that.”

Twins, “We’ll make certain this never happens again.”

Bane eyed the boys carefully and inhaled deeply then let it go as you summoned a tray of vials from your office in the chamber, “Hagrid, I’ll need an apple, or an orange.”

He nodded, “They prefer oranges.” Drawing his wand to summon one in his palm he peeled in scooting closer to your side as you raised the right vial and settled her head into your lap smoothing your free hand over her neck. “Venom can help this?”

“Hopscotch venom,”

He drew in a breath, “Yes, makes them gush blood.”

Bane, “She does not need to bleed more.”

You raised your eyes after adding a trio of drops to a slice, “No, it triples the body’s blood supply. We use it on blood loss victims. It only harms those without wounds.”

Bane nodded watching as you lowered your hand saying, “Please eat this.” A simple plea he translated to her she complied to, slowly chewing then swallowing the slice as your hand smoothed across her neck to the drop of more tears down your cheeks onto her fur twitching her muscles where they fell. Solidifying the conclusion you were no mere witch calming the Centaurs impression of the Chimera, a beast among their ranks sworn never to take a master or rider among the mortals no matter their rank.

In a deep inhale it was as if a flame lit inside the Unicorn, her light doubling in her shift to lay on her belly, folding her legs under her to eagerly eye the rest of the orange you split to offer her without the venom with a soft grin. “Now, you just rest up, eat plenty alright sweetheart?”

The bright sparkling blue eyes of hers fell on yours as you stroked her neck again through the relaxed grins of the Centaur herd at her return closer to health. Firenze shifted in his place asking, “She is healed now?”

“Still a bit weak no doubt, nothing a bit of rest could mend.”

Bane nodded, “We will have to double our watches,” he sighed deeply, “And contain their herd.”

George wet his lips, “Jaqi, that patch of forest on your grounds.”

Fred nodded, “Worst we have is that screeching owl family.”

“Well, past that screaming toad.”

Bane, “You have grounds that can protect them?”

Locking your eyes on his you said, “My family’s lands, we have a bit of forest they could remain in until we handle the possession.”

The herd shifted a few feet away and held conference as you zapped the container of vials back to your office inside the Chamber of Secrets and wiped your cheeks and glanced up to Hagrid who gave you a supportive nod. Turning back to you Bane stated, “We will gather the herd, though five among our herd will go with them to ensure their safety.” A group of them raced off sounding horns to summon the glowing herd off hiding after the attack.

You nodded, “Of course. Whatever you need.”

Fred, “Opal will be glad for the new voices.”

Bane, “Opal?”

“Opal is a blinded Opaleye Dragon I rescued. I swear she won’t hurt any of you.”

Bane shook his head, “We are aware of that creature. Firenze spotted her with you a few times in your travels across our lands. She is a kind soul and well fed. We would be grateful for her added protection.”

It didn’t take long for the first to arrive, bright white with younger silver mares, both horned and hornless showing their age. The first group of golden foals arrived with more pure white Unicorns behind them. Shakily you rose to your feet and inhaled snapping your fingers to summon your doorway that led into your own forest Firenze was the first to enter and inspect with another Centaur.

Turning around they gave the all clear guiding the Unicorns through the doorway with a final pair of Centaurs to help the injured mare through after her soft thanks to you. Bane kept watch over you at their vanishing through the door that shut and then vanished once you gave the signal, steadily he said, “We will await word on their health and happiness.”

“I can summon the door to you daily, if you wish so you could check yourself.”

He shook his head, “Best the cursed one have no tether to them. We will leave him to you. You have bested a Basilisk, Dragon and Chimera, we will trust you in this.” You nodded and he said, “We have grounds to patrol.” Nodding his head in a farewell before he took off guiding his kin with him.

Turning around you rubbed your face, “Oh this is terrible.”

Hagrid moved closer to rub your back, “Don’t you go blaming yourself. We can’t protect all the beasts on the grounds at all times. Besides, now you’ve got them tucked away,” his head turned to the twins, “Wait, did you say Riddle?”

They nodded and you said, “Yes, Tom Riddle.” Making his lips part, “He’s possessed Quirrell.”

Hagrid scoffed, “No wonder he keeps asking bout Fluffy.”

You peered up at him, “How is Fluffy? Last we saw she was knee high.”

His grin tripled and he shared her size in the walk back to the class as the Chimera and Hippogriff had strolled off chatting with one another. Just in time for the final portion of the class you exited the forest making your way to the excited Professor who asked, “Everything alright?”

You nodded and the twins said with you answered, “A Unicorn was attacked.”

He gasped and moved closer, lowly asking, “What happened?”

“It was bled, had a gash on its neck. We managed to mend it. Still needs rest but she should be tip top tomorrow.”

Again he nodded then asked, “What attacked it?”

You shrugged saying, “The person was cloaked.”

Kettleburn, “Per-,” he gasped then asked even softer, “You don’t think it was Quirrell? He usually stays away from the forest but lately, he’s been asking all these questions…”

“For now at least, he won’t be able to find them again.”

Kettleburn nodded, “Good. I’ll be adding extra guard charms to our herds. Even some Gnomes if I have to.” Making you grin as he nodded his head, “Now, let’s give you a crash course.” Turning to guide you to the eldest of the herd already turned to watch your approach from the forest with a pleased expression to find you safely returned again after having heard the horns.

At the hour mark you were released and Cedric hurried to your side asking for all the details he copied down with an enchanted quill. From how the Chimera fur felt down to the full details on the attacked Unicorn along with the herd of Centaurs and their reaction to one of the innocent creatures being attacked at all for the first time ever.

..

A first draft of the story was finalized and tucked away by the time you entered your double DA class and a copy of the pictures tucked into your bag to send off to Newt in a response to his latest letter. Thankfully this lesson was much more subdued as it was focused entirely on vampires, discovering and fending them off.

History of Magic was next with a much more relaxed Professor Binns seeing you all safely through his door to sit for a short exam on the chapter he had given you to read through the day prior.

Herbology bled into Arithmacy you once again used your turner to get to freeing you into a two hour break that broke into lunch. The long break aiding in the inspection of your new snake as well as the list of ways to expose Riddle in hopes of guessing the best way to do so. A vision or daydream or even a single prickle in the back of your mind at one of them would have been helpful but you got nothing at all leaving you overly eager to eat and try to think of anything but this.

Lunch freed you into a stop to the outer courtyard to help Neville collect some trimmings from a shimmering bush while Draco shared all about this book he found in the library on the mishaps of transfiguring humans he found quite amusing and helpful for his lessons with McGonagall. Behind him Hermione flipped through the book he brought out rocking her crossed legs under the tall bench she was seated on through Harry’s first Quidditch practice.

Pt 15

#Mirror of Erised #Sneaking Out #Percy #Harry Potter #Ronald Weasley #Hermione #Neville #Draco #Cedric #Forbidden Forest #Winged Horses #Chimera #Hagrid #Unicorns #Centaurs #Firenze #Bane #Life in Hogwarts

[marcelrigby-blog]

Investing in a Digital Camera? Avoid an error With 7 Insider Points

So, you're ready to buy a camera, huh? Maybe it's a, it would be the fourth. It might still be an overwhelming and confusing venture. Because of so many digital camera models available today ranging in price from under $100 to over $7,000, it might feel as if you will find A lot of CHOICES! Many individuals begin the process by investigating full functionalities and operations of Ten to twenty cameras in "their budget," however that is determined. Some individuals discover that process too frustrating and buy the very first digicam that "looks" right. Personally, I'm an analyzer. Being a professional photographer, when I start analyzing digital cameras, it's like unleashing a sumo wrestler with an all-you-can-eat buffet... there is no stopping me. But, for that typical consumer, understanding the digital cameras features alone just doesn't cut it. People would like to know What are the FEATURE DOES FOR ME! Whether you go the feature/function route or not, you'll find 7 insider tips that will help save you money and avoid getting the wrong photographic camera on your purposes. Tip #1: How to Get the Best Prices on Cameras Wherever you are in the investigation/buying process, eventually you can this step. If you want to obtain a digicam, the most effective costs are on the net. Whether you've purchased anything on the internet or otherwise, there are specific INTERNET BUYING STRATEGIES which will save you money, time, and aggravation. When selecting ANYTHING on the web, only look at the ENTIRE cost of the "digital camera + tax + shipping," Not only the price tag on the digital camera. Here is the best way that compares "apples to apples." Once you see the top ENTIRE cost, do not immediately purchase it from that vendor! You can find key INTERNET inquiries to answer: May be the photographic camera in stock? There is often a mysterious correlation relating to the cheapest digital camera prices and cameras being Sold-out. You dont want to order your digicam after which have it lay on backorder for 3 months, does one? Does your Nikon (Minolta, Canon, etc.) include a USA warranty or perhaps it what is called "grey goods?" You would like to verify it's actually a USA warranty, unless you don't mind being forced to service it internationally. If it is grey goods, you WILL NOT be capable of service it in america. When ordering your digital baby, beware of costly add-on accessories that may be needed eventually, but they are suggested with this "special order promotion time" at 200% with the normal price. Tip #2: Professional or Prosumer... Which is Good for you? Let's begin with clarifying our terms. An experienced camera is a dslr, while a prosumer is simply the rest. Because context, by no more 2005, digital SLRs may be purchased for $600 - $8,000 (Canon and Nikon, a minimum of). The true secret points to consider are:

If you intent to shooting night photos or other pictures in low-light situations, many prosumer digital cameras take good quality photographs at ISO 100 or 200. However, to look at good pictures in lower light at ISO 400 or 800 will typically have to have a dslr. Otherwise, digital "noise" will likely have too large a direct impact on display quality. If you're planning on taking flash photographs at distances higher than 10-12 feet from your subject, an external flash unit needs to be used. Along with the only way another flash unit can be utilized along with your digicam is always to attach it in your camera's hot shoe. Every professional photographic camera carries a hot shoe. Many prosumers also do, but NOT Every one of them. Salespeople often attempt to sway consumers faraway from professional video cameras into prosumer models, proclaiming that digital SLRs have so many complicated features that they are hard to use. Measuring only half correct. 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