#GUESS THEY WERE LUCKY TO EVEN MEET AT ALL AFTER THOSE 800 YEARS

[sleeperswakewriting]

Have you heard about the soulmate phantom touch AU? Its where the soulmates share the sensation of touch in their bodies. I discovered it recently and can't help but laugh when I imagine Levi getting horny and being like "she's going at it again??" 😂

my fanfic author confession is that sometimes I go through the soulmate AU list and imagine different rivetra scenarios 😂

Rating: M

Word Count: 800

You’d think Levi would be used to it by now. Those little touches, caresses, sometimes hug if it were around dinner time and he was alone in his office. Even before he met Petra, the fact that she existed meant he was never touch starved. After his mother died, when he was on death’s door and crawled into the dark, cold corner with nothing but a threadbare nightgown to keep him warm, the small skirting along his arms and phantom kisses on his forehead kept him warm. 

He knew, even back then, that whoever his soulmate was, she was loved. 

Not all soulmates were romantic. Platonic wasn’t a strong enough word. Sometimes soulmates existed because the universe knew you needed each other. Pain didn’t exist in this soulmate algorithm, and Levi wished he had something to offer his soulmate in return. When Isabel and Farlan entered his world, he let the handshakes go on longer and the hugs from Isabel linger. He wondered if she could feel the gentle press of their bodies as they made it through their next night while it guided him into slumber. 

“Hello, sir. My name is Petra Ral and I’m honored to be selected as a member of your squad.” 

People called the soulmate connection a reckoning. Levi scoffed at that; the only reckoning he ever faced was getting the shit beat of him in the streets and seeing his friends murdered before his eyes. He didn’t expect a woman to turn his world upside down, much less someone he assumed he’d never cross paths with within a life that seemed set on killing him. But here it was, fair-skinned, ginger hair, and a smile that he’d be lucky to elicit. Time stopped as her palm pressed into his, their fingers like a fire receiving its first stoke, and all at once, Levi knew.

She felt it too. Though later, when he asked her about it, Petra would say it felt like everything was finally right in her 25 years of existence, and she was glad it was him. 

“I knew you were out there. I felt handshakes now and then. But the thing that struck me was how faint the other touches were. It wasn’t until I saw you on the battlefield that I finally understood. You always touch inches from death.” 

The first time she caressed his face, feeling the sensation on his cheek and the tingle in his hands, it was too much. As if in a trance, he just let her trace her like a cartographer making a map.

“You’re beautiful, you know,” she murmured, pressing her forehead to his heart, then pressed a palm over her own. “But we don’t have to be anything more than this. I know the position I put you in.” 

More than captain and subordinate? Or friends? Levi didn’t know what love was before her. He received glimpses from his mother, but it was feeling more and more distant as time went on. Soulmates were more than arbitrary pairings, he could listen to Petra talk for hours, hold her hand in the cold, and rest his head on her lap for eternity. 

When they were together, it was like a weighted comfort, but they never breached that wall of intimacy, treading into romance. If simple touches overwhelmed him, then he knew he would cry the moment they kissed. Petra wasn’t new to this, dabbling with boys when she was younger, a fact Levi remembered as a late teenager. It nearly tripped him the first time he felt it, a late summer afternoon after a theft job. Farlan made fun of him, asking what his soulmate was up to this time, and he guessed by the red look on Levi’s face. 

Farlan didn’t have a soulmate. Neither did Isabel. Did the goddesses know they didn’t have a lot of time left? Or did theirs meet the same fate before either of them knew? 

It was night, and Levi tapped his foot against the wood of the floor. Petra’s ministrations were growing; sexual touches were never spoken about between the two of them even though they knew it occurred. That was the special thing about soulmates, your secrets were theirs too. But something was different this time, with Petra taking her time, and he swore she was teasing him with how he felt his own need flaming. 

But like a whisper, with a nail scratching against his left forearm, the murmurations of his name began to form. 

L e v i 

She repeated the letters over and over again while the yearning grew in their centers. Faster, firmer, Levi squeezed his eyes shut, thinking of Petra touching him until—

It was gone. 

Already chasing her high, releasing her fingers, Levi stood up from his chair as he darted down the hallway, not even bothering to knock as he flung Petra’s door open. Flushed, sweat-slicked, with her mouth gaping open with her hand between her legs, he took her face between his hands. Grinning, Petra closed the gap between them, and Levi could feel the smile between her kiss. Like a thousand explosions, their souls sighed with each nerve igniting and reigniting.

Finally.

#rivetra #rivetra fanfiction #levi x petra #my fics

[foxstens]

caught up on the manhua

#my posts #animanga #liveblogging #liveblogging tgcf #and by that i mean i stared at the raws and cried #ITS SO FUCKING BEAUTIFUL #SO RED????? #JUST????/ SO R E D????? #AND EVERYONE IS SO BEAUTIFUL #AND HUA CHENG WHEN HIS EYES LOOK LIKE THAT #AND HUA CHENG IN GENERAL WHEN HE /EXISTS/ LIKE THAT #JESUS AAAAAAA #thanks starember for my life #and also i had this thought #bc apparently at one point mxtx said that they literlaly just.... didnt meet for 800 yrs #and considering that...... #guess we can say they were lucky to meet more than once during their lifetimes #GUESS THEY WERE LUCKY TO EVEN MEET AT ALL AFTER THOSE 800 YEARS #/800 years/ what the fuck #heck i really gotta reread thebook

[luvspence]

prom night

synopsis: you and spence both never got your own prom, maybe this makes up for it

{a/n: i’m projecting a little bit bc i missed my prom, but i hope this isn’t too cheesy}

——-

the east coast was your home

born and raised in dc, school in new york, work in virginia

you wouldn’t have it any different

except for the fact that you lived less than 20 mins outside your childhood home

you loved being able to be close to your family, but it had its downsides

“y/n can you pick up your brother

y/n can you run to the store for me

y/n can you pick up my dry cleaning”

and it was like you were in high school all over again

on one occasion you were at home with your mom and your baby sister, delaney, she was 17, so not much of a baby anymore

“so what’s the hot gos” you said taking a bite out of your gronola bar and looking your sister down

“ew”

“dont ‘ew’ me”

“well i got asked to the prom yesterday”

your mom nearly dropped her pan

“NO WAY”

“yes way, is it so hard to believe that someone would like me? i’m not y/n for crying out loud”

you gave her a light punch on the arm

“NOT FUNNY”

she wasn’t far from wrong though, you were the classic “nerd”

15 years ago when you were in her place, at the exact same high school, you were never asked to prom, you were too busy in math olympiad or physics club to ever want to attend prom

but that was 15 years ago, now you lost the braces and the acne, got 2 degrees, and had a very lovely boyfriend of your own

“it is though, you’re lucky you found spencer, two dorks made for each other” she said taking a sip of her water

“you’re such a bitch”

15 year age gap aside, you were still very much, sisters

“y/n, do you mind chaperoning? that way we don’t have to pay for a ticket” your mom asked

your sister blurted out “oh my god NO”

you were laughing so hard, usually this is the kind of thing you’d pass on, but it torturing your sister was so so so worth it

“okay i’m game, see you prom night”

——

“spencerrrrrrr” you trailed on as you sat next to spencer on the couch, staring deep into his hazel eyes

“yes my love?”

“do you love meeeeeeee???”

spencer rolled his eyes, he knew this is how you asked him for a favors

“to the moon and back, why??????”

“okay look, my baby sister, delaney, is going to the prom and i’m chaperoning her, and she called me and you dorks so we have to get back at her by embarrassing the hell out of her at her prom”

spencer laughed

“you’re no better than a petty 17 year old”

you rolled your eyes “so can we?”

he looked at you, than his eyes trailed from the calendar to his watch to you again

“of course”

“yes!” you gave him a hug and planted a kiss on his cheek

“i love you so bad spencer reid!” you said as you ran around the apartment

“even more!” he replied

—

“incoming call from spencer reid”

“hey y/n?”

“yes love?”

“what color dress are you wearing tonight?”

“green, why?”

“no reason...”

he said before he hung up

you laughed to yourself “what a dork”

you continued to brush the mascara on your eyes, getting ready for your very first prom night

you came running down the stairs in a dark green ankle length dress, while spencer waited to pick you up

he was wearing a suit with a matching bow tie to your dress

“that’s why you asked the color! you look dashing by the by”

you said as you leaned over and gave him a cheek staining kiss

“and this” he said as he handed you a beautiful green corsage arrangement

“spencer! for me? this is gorgeous”

you said as you slipped it onto your wrist

“yeah, penelope knows a guy”

“of course she does, and thank you! i can’t believe you’d go through all of this for me on fake prom” you said as he started driving toward your parents house

“hey this prom is not fake at all to me, i’ve never been to prom before”

you shrugged “me neither, i always thought it was dumb anyway”

“this is sort of embarrassing” spencer said scratching his head

“come on spencer it’s just me”

“okay, you know i went to highschool very young, i hadn’t even gone through puberty. i was the smallest guy in the class and that wasn’t purely based on my age. i was scrawny. but i had this grand idea of going to prom with the most beautiful girl. and i’d be all tal and handsome at that point, and i’d walk into that dance and stick it to all my bullies”

“that not embarrassing! i wish i wanted to go to prom like that. i guess i was too pretentious to go, i was an all star intellectual, there was no way i’d show my face at an event like prom”

“yeah, so i guess we both get do overs. and i get to live my prom dream. now i’m tall, and i have a beatiful girl by my side” he said as he smiled at you

“have i ever told you i love you?”

“not enough” he smiled as he pulled into your parents drive way

you got out of your car to wait inside with your sister for her date to arrive

eventually a tall girl with a equally as beautiful corsage in her hand ended up nervously swaying on the front door and she rang the door bell

spencer answered

“hi!”

“h-hi, mr. y/l/n” she said in a nevrous tone

spencer laughed out loud and you went to intervene

“oh my yeah he’s just my boyfriend, hi i’m delaney’s older sister y/n. no need to be nervous, there’s no dad around here. just a lot of siblings, my mom and my boyfriend!” you said as you welcomed her into the house

delaney went to take the corsage from her date, melanie

your mom lined you spencer and your sister and melanie up for what felt like 800 pictures before you finally decided to get into spencers car to the dance

in the car you turned around to the girls

“sooooo, how’d y’all meet”

delaney burried her head into her knees in embarrassment while her date explained

“well she was in my physics class, and it all went from there”

“physics!!! i love physics, is mr. scott still there?”

“yup he’s our teacher”

“sick” you said to yourself, reminiscing about your days in high school

eventually you pulled into your highschool parking lot, hooking arms with spencer as you walked toward then gym

“god does this bring me back”

you said to him

your sister whispered to her date “god she’s so old”

“HEY DELANY I HEARD THAT”

she gave you the stink eye and whispered in your ear

“please get as far away from me as possible”

all you did was nod as you watched the two of them skip into their dance

you looked up at spencer

“god you’re so cute, i wish i had you here in high school”

“i’m sure you had your boys”

“from the physics club? right”

you walked into the fully decorated gym, wandering around from the punch bowl to the photo booth, you and spencer watching the floor of kids dance to their hearts content

“i think i know why i skipped this in highschool”

spencer laughed

“ i would have killed to be in this very position when i was in high school”

you wrapped your arms around his neck and looked him in the eyes

“killed to be in prom in the first place or to be here with me?”

“with your of course”

he said as he met your lips for a kiss

obviously bringing spencer was a bad idea for your sabotage delany plan, because you got way too distracted with spencer by your side

you spent the entire night talking to him, dancing with him to the slow songs, taking funny pictures in the photo booth

high school stuff you guess

eventually when all the kids were slow dancing, you looked up at spencer

“wanna make a break for it?”

he didn’t know what that meant, but if it was with you he’d do it, so he just nodded and followed you outside

you buried your head into his shoulder as you walked around the campus you grew up on, pointing to the points of interest

you pointed to a big oak tree with seat like roots under it

“that’s where we used have physics club meetings”

then you pointed to a hidden patch behind all the bushes

“this is where i traded homework for money”

he just nodded as you told the stories of your high school experience

you pointed to some old looking railings with a tree standing view it

“that’s where i had my first kiss”

“HUH! i thought you said you got no boys, physics club and all”

“yeah you’re right” you said as you settled on one of the bleacher, overlooking the field and the night sky, spencer joining you

your fancy dress hitting the dirt of the baseball field, the cold april night making you shiver, and spencer putting his blazer coat over you

“you’re right, i didn’t get any boys in high school” you sighed as you cuddled into his arm

“my first kiss was with dylan watson, he was mr blue eyes blonde hair, baseball and perfect social status. and you know i was, braces glasses and physics”

he laughed as you continued to tell the story

“but yeah one day he slipped me a note, i figured he just wanted homework. but he said to meet him there after school. so i did, and he confessed tht he loved me, and wanted to be my boyfriend. and of course i said yes. and the he kissed me. it was the best moment of my life up until then. but as soon as he pulled away he yelled ‘you got that?’”

“oh no” spencer said, listening intently

“oh yes, his buddies had be filming, then they put me on plays all around the entire school, showing the video to everyone. so yeah, that’s why i never want to the prom. i guess it might have been bc i was a nerd, but also because i never wanted to show my face to those kids anymore” you said as you sighed

“you know, i had a similar experience where a pretty girl told me the same thing, but instead the entire school stripped me to my underwear and tied me to a pole. it was awful”

“oh my goodness that’s terrible” you said

“well i guess high school bullying makes great profilers?” yoy laughed

“maybe. i think it also develops character well i’m general too. and hey! you got your first kiss out of it”

“yeah, but high school was the worst, i wish i could tell my 17 year old self that it would get better”

“me too” he said

he said as he tucked his chin into your head and looked up at the stars, faint music echoing from the gym and the sound of your cold shakey breath

“y/n, i’m just glad we got to spend our prom night together”

#spencer reid #criminal minds #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid fluff #criminal minds fanfiction #spencer reid fluffy #spencer reid x fem!reader #spencer x y/n #mgg #mgg fic #mgg fluff #mgg x fem!reader #mgg c #x #mgg x reader

[blankdblank]

Poke Pt 10 - Poker Face

…

All in swift succession a wedding and a baby on the way on the top floor of a casino in the perfect setting for the celebration that Pepper had dreamed of the plans were shared for a ceremony in India for a certain level of privacy in renting an estate there. As linked as Loki’s plus one you were granted your own invitation and to follow the dress code would wear your white gown sleeveless gown coated with golden branches that stemmed from the waist out. Because you were upstairs Peter was allowed to attend as long as he didn’t head down to the casino and when the party had dipped into the second half and a clear need for privacy when Stark gave his usual hint you and the other guests gave them some space. Loki regrettably accepted your peck on his cheek and sighed at his inability to join you down in the casino and entertainment avenues floors below.

However under strict watch of four sleuths working for the casino watched you at your seat at the blackjack table in the figure hugging golden number with accents to frame your curves perfectly on the thick strapped wonder with another low dipping cleavage cut. Enough to distract many, and to Eddie’s glee as he camped out keeping watch on Hippy McGee, Big Ears was in your view a couple tables over and kept noticing the hushed comments of said paid shadows who had watched you go from setting down your grand in chips to eight grand in less than an hour.

Suspicious himself the dealer waited until the signal then flashed you a grin stating, “I apologize, however my time at this table is expended.”

“Oh, do you accept tips? Or is that just a film thing?”

Weakly he chuckled and said, “We do accept tips.” And he accepted the chip you offered him, “Thank you.”

“Sorry,” you giggled out, “I’d have offered sooner. First casino trip, mainly play online no tips involved.”

He chuckled and said, “Understandable, good luck.”

“Thank you,” you said then smiled to the new dealer who greeted you in return and got to watch you amp up your winnings to fifteen thousand that had the second dealer who looked you over as you said, “I think that’s enough for now. Only needed ten really,”

His brows arched up asking, “For the tournament?”

You nodded, “Little likely to win, but any spare funds for college is helpful, so if I lose at least I have four to walk away with over my original grand.”

Relief washed over the guards as the news that you were pooling those funds into the buy in on the tournament that you noticed Big Ears was headed for. And with 260 bodies in filling the allotted seats you were among those who hadn’t paid ahead and filled up a stunningly small group of amateurs amongst the flocks of professionals who were out for a championship free boost to their pocket books before the big game in a few weeks down in Vegas.

Basic chips were allotted for starting bet pools while your clutch rested in the secured drawer above your lap after having been checked and locked there like the other players in each table for their personal items to prevent cheating. Lost to the flow from the four other people around you the 52 tables steadily emptied in each depletion of chips. And with each empty table from the final player in each belongings were freed to move groups of five players filled the second round of the tournament. Guards again were present and in Big Ear’s view you were clearly being watched as whispers began to spread that you weren’t losing hands. Bluffs or clear victories were now casting second and third glances towards the remaining amateur in their midst on your way to the approved bathroom break without your still locked up clutch.

The third round began and in the empty of more shows or dinners at the choice of eateries inside this palace of greed and impulse the viewing room that had a growing audience to watch the wall of flat screens displaying the action. Yet you and the others had no clue in the sealed off hall to keep things running smooth without spare bodies in the way or chance for outward influence. Rows were split off and the next group of winners would simply move to the next row to meet their new opponents with clear crates of chips in tow to make ease of the moves. Some wouldn’t find comfort in a tournament like this, so many were used to sitting in one place for a time and as the you hit two and a half hours you didn’t know it but a relieved exit of the top floor had Sam and the Super Soldiers in the viewing room and Sam easing his phone out of his pocket to call Tony who was still upstairs. “Hey, um,”

“Poker tournament over already?” Tony asked pouring himself a drink.

“You’re not going to believe who’s in the final round.”

“Try me. I would wager Big Ears is down there, he’s been boasting on it all month. Him and Flay, they have a sort of thing back and forth for years.”

“Pluto.”

“Pluto what?” he asked lifting the glass already feeling Loki’s eyes on him for saying your name.

“Pluto’s at the table.”

Tony chuckled, “She did not have ten grand to enter the tournament, stop joking, who’s at the table.”

“Pluto, and she’s 800 grand up. She’s bluffing with threes.”

Tony paused and snapped his fingers, “Three minutes,” he hung up and the whole group was down to catch the back end of that hand for his scoff to the clear ease of the final ten grand from Flay who demanded to see your two down cards before he would leave. This for one of the few at this table to have a monster hand and the still amused unreadable expressions that none of the guys at the table seemed to be able to read. Eddie in the audience having completed his task an hour ago and was concerned at the lack of an answer to his texts found himself grinning widely to the sight of a shift in your seat to alleviate the numbness in your hip for the annoying seam in the back of your skirt you tried to avoid with a slightly irritating angle had Big Ears smirking widely and in his turn to bet shoving all his chips into the pot.

You didn’t lose and his try to bluff you out of your seat had him out of his own and cursing his way from the room for the Pro on his right to smirk watching your mini mountain of chips grow even more almost to match his own at 7 million for the largest pool at the table. Loki asked lowly, “What is the motivation behind this game?”

Which Natasha answered, “A battle of deception. Best liar wins the biggest pot.”

Tony asked, “Why did she get in the tournament in the first place?” he asked to Peter’s slip into the room behind a bigger adult’s back to hide between Thor and Loki.

Eddie answered, “I asked her to help me with causing a diversion.” Tony raised a brow his way and he said, “Can’t explain.”

Thor asked, “If she wins, how much does she get?”

Sam, “Depends on how many are at the table. If she’s the last one she wins 25 million, before taxes.”

Peter asked, “How much are the taxes?”

To which Tony said, “25%, so she’d have shy of 19 left.”

Pepper with an amused grin said, “Either way being in the last eight, she cleans up her accounts well enough.”

Bucky asked, “How long has she been playing poker?”

Eddie said, “Taught her to play after we met when she was stuck in bed healing. Started online poker on her birthday.”

Steve, “And in casinos?”

Eddie answered shocking them, “First time in one.” Deepening Loki and Natasha’s smirks as you smoothly deceived every single person at the table able to swing another win on a lucky three of a kind over all the other players’ single pairs. There was no taps, no signs of any cheating involved and still it was stunning how the mountains of chips soon gravitated their ways to your corner and another person was escorted away.

By the final player however as the men traded hand shakes and the third place finalist removed his enforced tie at the classy dress code enforced for this to be broadcast for a Bond themed event to line up with the next film coming out that the actual actor who played James Bond himself was amongst the judges watching the game up close curious of who would win out and if your win streak would continue. “So, when you come in second what are your plans for the 20 mil?” he asked cockily adjusting his own dwindling collection of chips.

“College mostly. Degrees are expensive.”

“Let me guess, Communications and Interior Decorating?” He joked with a sneer to the chuckling judges.

And with the same unflinching smile you answered, “Underwater basket weaving actually.”

He pointed at you, “Funny.” Cards were dished out and after two winning hands and eyes that refused to leave your casual smile in the small allowed crowd for any hint of a way to tell what you were up to this hand for the round bet your opponent was almost cleaned out by and had grown twitchy, uncertain of what to think as you stole your usual only glance at the card.

He could win it all and at your ease of four stacks into the middle to up his ante and chance of continuing this game for much longer and higher nail biting ratings and yet to the shift of his eyes and try at a calming exhale that trembled like his sweaty hands he shook his head. The two cards he had left were tossed in the center of the table and stunned silence for a few moments as he said, “Fuck it, second is good enough to get away from this table.”

It was just a flinch wider your smile twitched and he had snapped and to the claps and muttered congratulations no one but the actor in their midst with awe in his hand shake and comments on your success was broken by your opponent’s lift of your still uncovered cards that had the room explode with noise after he said, “You bluffed me with a pair of twos?!”

And to muffled giggles you accepted your clutch and welcomed the chance to get a picture with the actor who walked you to the win station where you were given your check post tax cut of a voice wavering amount of 18.75 million you tucked into your clutch. And to Tony’s side as he bled into questions you asked one of your own that stunned him, “What bank do I take this to? I don’t think mine would be able to deposit this much.”

Tony said, “I’ll take you to mine.” The others moved onto the dessert bar stop as he drove you to his bank to help guide you into the exclusive place that was more than eager to get ahold of your meager funds compared to his fortune to keep one of their best customers happy. One was kept in a separate fund account while the rest was put in a savings account to match the one that Eddie for his own laugh worthy bet on the winner of you for first place deposited his 5 million dollar nest egg that would keep you both from ever being homeless if the worst came about and you were named to the public and had to run for it. Choices the Billionaire had to respect for the sums collected by the pair of you in a matter of stunning hours.

Stolen glances and whispers your way didn’t stop his continued urge to see you safely back to the group as now your face would be out there as one of the largest female poker tournament winner for raking in a 25 million pot. Surely you had Eddie to check in but taking you back to that apartment in Queens didn’t fully sit right with him as you were young and alone and now visibly richer than most peers of your age who didn’t inherit their funds. He knew how people were vultures when the smell of gold was in the air and now you were known to have a whole hoard of it. Although the thing to really ruffle his feathers was in your return when the press had already ran online stories on the second place winner’s comments that he just wanted to let a young girl pay for her education so he folded and let her have the few extra million in the larger pot next to his. A statement that in Stark’s agitation had him enter the dining room of the eatery of your choice inside the casino to celebrate saying, “You’re going to WSOP next week in Vegas.”

He settled into his seat flashing Pepper a smile as you finished chewing and asked, “Excuse me?”

“Sort of slipped out. He said he let you win and no woman has won the main event let alone reached the final table, one has gotten a chair away, next week, I’ll pay your buy in since I put you into this and then we can skip this whole thing like it never happened.”

After a glance at Eddie you said, “Fine, I’ll see where we can book a room.”

“No need, I got a penthouse with enough for all of us who want to go, we can take my jet and I’ll even set you up with a spa day if you like.”

“I don’t go to spas, most of them have nothing but lavender and I can’t breathe around lavender. Not even mentioning their obsession with nuts.” You said closing your menu and flashing a grin to the wide eyed waitress in charge of your table who came to take your orders.

.

Irritation somehow for the discovery that the glass and utensils Mesique had used being clean of any sign of use was short lived as Tony readied the plans for the trip to Vegas and let the entire press world this young poker protégé was going to have her butt in one of those final nine seats. All the way from the pitch black arrival to the stroll up through the lush hotel flashes of light recorded the elite entourage you arrived with and the Prince who kept tight hold of your hand and waist. The plushy bed was just what you needed and for the hour until buy in time was begun you stared at it longingly over the shoulder of the woman summoned to the room to give you a manicure. At least the focus of which you could choose and from her limited supply of choices you picked a glittery teal base with black octopus stickers to be clear coat on top to have something unique for the cameras since thanks to Tony there would be people watching to see where the kid placed.

This was gonna be twelve hours so along with your jean shorts a baggy maroon sweater was a must. With the sleeves bunched at your elbow you left your hair down and slung over a shoulder, adding your bolero hat on the way out to go and buy your seat. Flashes again captured everything from your maroon wedges Steve had bought you and everything else to be picked apart to see what you might have bought since your big win last week. Arguably amongst the hoards of hoodies and sunglass wearing masses you stood out a bit and in line you waited chatting with Tony in his try to help sharing lowly about the poker pros who were on the other end of the sign up hall that all stole glances with you and the famous face at your side reminding them of just where this new kid would be. Already in the elevator he’d passed you a bundle of hundreds that you handed over and filled out the information card and accepted your entry sticker you added to your shoulder and turned for the spot you were meeting the others at for breakfast.

“Pluto Pear,” you heard turning your head to the man you beat the week prior who bought his own seat a bit ago, “You really went with Pluto again, huh?”

At Tony you glanced asking, “Was I supposed to pick an alias? I can call myself Orion and buy a fake mustache if that makes you feel better.”

The guy looked you over as Tony said, “It’s her birth name not a nickname.”

“Man that must suck,” he said on his stroll away.

“I’m a cosmic force of rebirth and riches unlike your glorified boyfriend moniker, Beau.” You said strolling past him turning him to glance back at your back while Tony fought not to chortle.

Tony, “Always bad sign to mock the name of the God of the Underworld, planet hasn’t been the same since they started commenting on his planet’s size either.”

“I’ll pay you back from my winnings.”

“Don’t you worry about that, this is all my fault you’re here. I tend to bump people into things lately.”

“Like a certain impending baby bump, congrats again. Can’t wait to see the flying stroller you invent.”

“Pepper would launch me at the sun,” he said making you chuckle as he did for how wound up she was and how nervous he was. “I fought aliens, and this is a baby, somehow way more terrifying.”

“You could talk to Clint on how he handles it.”

You said and Tony looked at you, “Handles what?”

“He’s got kids.”

“He what?! This is the first I’m hearing of it.”

“Ah, he mentioned watching the Kung Fu Panda films with his kids and they loved it. Might have slipped out by accident. But I’m sure it’s mainly nerves at this point you’ll both calm down or scream your way on this terrifying rollercoaster of the next two decades.”

He chuckled again and into the eatery you strolled finding the table as Loki stood to ease out your seat beside his with a kind grin, accepting your peck on his cheek he followed with one of his own while Tony asked Clint, “So Clint, how are the Wife and Kids?” After his open mouthed stare Tony said, “Spill your secrets.”

Loki chuckled staking his own seat asking, “Did the sign up go well?”

“The guy I beat last time, or well, who came in second thought Pluto was a fake name.”

“His name is Beau, he has no grounds to debate the superior name.”

You shrugged, “He can say what he likes, Pluto fights back with a vengeance.” You said making him chuckle again and steal a pat of his hand on your lower thigh closer to your knee.

“You will be fantastic.”

Natasha said from her seat on your other side, “More than fantastic, today you are going to be historic.”

You giggled and said, “Just have to get through 7990 people to get to that historic spot, and 9 more to do the unthinkable.”

Thor said, “They are no match for your deceptive skills. Only the best could be bonded to my brother.”

Sam, “You got a poker face from a whole other planet. Nobody could figure out your ticks even our super spies here.”

Loki said, “I am certain your brother will be watching you if you are feeling nervous.”

“I’ll be okay. I’m glad he’s actually making some headway with his story.”

The belly filling spread was a good start to the day as soon enough the start of the 12 hour stretch of the first day of the Main Event kicked off. Every hand stirring up more gossip as one by one the other women in the pool of players got bumped off leaving just you on the cusp of what could be history. And while other women had won some of the smaller events this was so much bigger, and you had to celebrate this round with food.

“Ooh, sliders, and potato skins, and pizza.” Two tables worth of food was rolled up and had you all sampling the variety you craved after twelve hours that broke into your usual snack schedule that Loki smiled through his learning more of this new wave of cuisine you favored.

“Is she like a secret body builder that none of us know about? She eats more than Thor does.” Tony whispered to Sam who was already noticing how Bucky and Steve had tapped out in their silent try to eat more than your petite self.

Sam, “I don’t know. Maybe she’s fueling up a growth spurt? I had a cousin that ate like that as a kid and just one summer he shot up like a foot.”

Tony said, “Maybe she’s just a snacker, every few hours and twelve hours without food and she is just, eating a whole buffalo.”

Sam said, “Glad to see a girl with a healthy appetite. My sister has a hard time making friends with girls who can’t knock back a few burgers.”

Tony said, “Must have been fun having a sister,” making Sam look at him in another glance around the group, “Always thought about having a sister.”

To which Sam replied, “It’s a lot like your relationship with Misique,” making Tony look up at him, “You kinda wanna kill them, but then someone makes them cry and then it’s like how you cat with Pluto. You hate them, love them, can’t stand them, but you’d blow up the world to keep them safe to fight with another day.” He paused then said, “You could ask her to be your sister. Pluto’s got to be the second richest person in this room and smart to boot, could even give you a run for your money if she had the chance.”

Tony nodded and said, “She’s made some good choices, got a fund for school set up and the rest of the money went to savings. Maybe with this money she wins she’ll buy herself a safer place to live. Her place is tiny, it’s got these windows without bars on them. Not safe.”

Sam chuckled, “Ooh, you’re gradually adopting yourself a baby sister, big man.” Patting him on the back.

.

Twelve hours and as the final woman standing with a scoop of the Dealer’s hands your pot grew collecting the last of the chips from another poker giant who fell to what he assumed to be a bluff only to slam face first into a gasp worthy full house of clubs. Claps and cheers sounded as you exhaled and took a glance at the other tables still going strong. Lowly to the watchman near your table you whispered and were guided to a bathroom break after having finished off another bottle of water. An approved pack of cheese crackers from the table of snacks were opened and eaten with the wrapper thrown away by the time the final table was ready for you to even look at let alone make the walk to the chair with your last name on a sheet of paper taped to the back of it.

Amongst the final ten seats from the tray your fingers eased the chips you had collected into neat piles and gave a subtle adjustment of your hat over your curls as the rolled up sleeve on your open flannel from Eddie shifted in the cross of your legs. Stares were common in each opening of the front of the borrowed shirt revealing the tight black t shirt you had on underneath to keep from having your cleavage on all the press shots of you as distant shots from the crowd the day prior had captured just about every moment of your bared legs. Though with a third seat emptied to a convincing bluff from the pros who tried to both defend their record of having won here already many times before with the bracelets on to prove it they took to adjusting in self soothing motions as if to remember that they were professionals even if your chip hoard was growing and the 12 million pot was becoming more attainable with every hand dealt.

While the latest guy was escorted from his seat the man to your left asked, “How long have you been playing poker?”

“For money, not long. Normally play online until last week.”

“One week? You’re kidding me.” Another of the guys replied.

You shrugged and said, “Not that hard to learn when playing against people.”

Another of the men chortled to the deal of the next round, saying, “Not easier at all. Learning to tell who’s bluffing or not.”

“Not that hard.” His eyes shifted back to you as you said, “I can hear your heart beat from here.” A faked laugh was your reply and to your cards you reached to lay them in place for the camera under the ridge to show the commentators what you had. Though it made little difference when another man bumped himself out of his own seat. Gradually the table emptied as they became bolder in aims to empty your seat, something you rarely risked by betting more chips than necessary to egg them on.

And across from the final player in your way everyone with baited breath watched as the bets were finally laid out and to two Aces already on the table he said over his empty chip section to match your motion in a bold motion. “You aren’t bluffing me out of my seat. Three Kings!” he said with a grin you mirrored and raised a brow mid shoulder pop lifting the cards you had you flipped over and fanned out making him cover his face as he heard the dealer say, “Four Aces. Miss Pear wins.”

Press from their booth came over as the head of the tournament still in disbelief at handing over the diamond and ruby bracelet shaped like a championship belt boxers or wrestlers win. WSOP was on the front underneath the year, and in each square section of the diamond accented golden band were ruby and onyx accented hearts, diamonds, spades and clubs. Behind the stack of the 12 million in bundled bills like a tiny fortress you stood with your winning hand on display for the smile filled pictures. After which you were glad to shrink back into your group and let the guys have their usual stops into the game recaps with the former champions for guy talk on all of their favorites to pretend that this year just hadn’t happened. Eight more million after taxes were added to a new checking account for spending in the new bank Tony took you to once again to secure those winnings safely.

Alone in the back seat of his car on the way there he said to break the silence, “You ever think of a house?” You glanced his way and he said, “I know a realtor, we could look in Queens if you like.”

“I have twelve pieces of furniture.”

“You can always buy more you know.”

“What would I even do with a house?”

“Whatever you want. Even have villains target it with missiles like my old place on the coast. My neighbors don’t like me much.” He said stealing a glance at the necklace your fingers stole a stroke of as you glanced outside the window in the startled squeal of two friends running into each other after a long time apart. “Your parents would want you to have a nice place,” he said turning your head again. “Doesn’t hurt to look.” He said in a drop of his gaze to his phone while you blinked away the brewing tears at all you imagined your parents anticipated for you now light years away.

Pt 11

All –

@sherala007​, @mariannetora​​, @jesgisborne​, @knitastically​, @catthefearless​​, @theincaprincess​, ggbbhehe4455, @lilith15000​​, @alishlieb​​,

Not nsfw(smut) - @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore​

X Loki - @pastelhexmaniac

#Plots and Planning #Poker Tournaments #Loki x OC #Eddie Brock/Venom & OC Siblings #Howard Stark #Sam #Bucky Barnes #Marvel

[meanstreetcoward]

Let’s talk about pranks.

I love pranks. The vast majority have been little innocent ones.  Stuff like calling every bowling alley in New Mexico in the course of a night and singing “I’ve got your shoes” or calling 1-800-766-7428 and letting them know that indeed, their number spells out Poop Hat. “Seriously, you may not realize this, but when we get off the call, check your keypad, your number is 1-800-Poophat.  Just thought you should know.”

Every now and then there are serious ones, although I’d like to think I have a morality code on this stuff.  The only really mean ones happened to those who had it coming.  Those are the ones I want to talk about today.  None of this is fiction and I am an unrepentant asshole.

This started at a young age and never really stopped.  

In high school I snuck a pregnancy workout video that I picked up at a second hand store into a girl’s cubby (small school, we didn’t have lockers.)  She was notorious in those halls as a giant bully.  She was straight mean to people who didn’t deserve it and though I didn’t have personal beef with her, I had witnessed her torment many people, including the guy who became my best friend throughout the 20 years that have passed since this incident.  For extra context, she was overweight, so it was basically a “Haha you are fat” insult.  It was very mature, guys.

I had gift wrapped the VHS.  It was either around the holidays or it was her birthday.  I don’t recall.  Either way, she was delighted around lunchtime to find a present in there, and a crowd gathered as she ripped the packaging off like a kid on Christmas.

The smile on her face quickly vanished.  Everyone stared, some asking “what is it?”  She started crying hysterically.  She ran out the front door and didn’t return to school for three days.  The faculty even had a full school meeting demanding that the bully who did this come forward lest they check the “the cameras.”     

An acquaintance of mine was outside and heard her hysterically asking her friend “WHO KNEW ABOUT THIS!?  WHO DID YOU TELL?”

Lucky guess, but she seemed... more reserved after that.  I considered that a secret success.  

I attended a few high schools and at the largest there was this big oaf who was on the football team.  I can’t remember his name, but he didn’t have eyebrows.  Let’s call him Cro-Magnon. He enjoyed walking by me in the halls every day and saying “F*ggot” in my direction.  Or the occasional knock-the-books-out-of-my-hands followed by “F*ggot.”  He wasn’t very creative.

I knew some of his friends, and they all smoked hash.  So did I but that’s immaterial to what comes next.      

One day I got sick of it.  I walked straight to the principals office and said, in forced tears, that Cro-Magnon just tried to sell me marijuana and that I was scared of drugs and anyone who might sell them.  They thanked me for the tip and... like a miracle, he didn’t return to school for two weeks.  On top of that every time he passed me afterwards he glared at me, but never said “F*ggot”  again.  

I suppose that one ventures into more straight revenge territory, but I’ll forever keep it in my book of mischievousness. 

The most memorable prank, or a series of pranks, came in 2011.  I was on an Amtrak to Chicago with my best friend.  We were going to see Guns n’ Roses, arguably one of the best bands in existence (or at least they used to be.)

There were about four polo wearing dude-bros a few aisles ahead of us.  The leader of the pack was bragging about the cheap hotel rooms he had gotten them for $35 a night.  

Allow me to backtrack for extra context.  Before our trip, my friend and I had been looking for hotel rooms online and the cheapest place in Chicago was listed as the same amount per night.  From google it appeared to be a bedbug infested dungeon and when I called them for fun to inquire about reservations they said “we don’t take reservations.”  A pay by the hour sort of hotel if you know what I mean.  

So when the price was mentioned, my friend and I gasped.  We didn’t know anything about the hotel industry at the time but assumed that’s where these guys were headed and snickered about it.   

The ringleader, who we will call Aaron Riser, received a phone call about halfway to Chicago.  “WHAT THE FUCK?” he yelled.  It became apparent that the hotel he had booked with had pre authorized his credit card, and it had declined.  Thus, they cancelled his reservation.  

He continued yelling at the phone, “LET ME SPEAK TO THE MANAGER RIGHT NOW!”  He said many rude things to the poor front desk clerk who had the misfortune of answering the phone that day.  She was on speaker and sounded like she almost in tears.  

If there is one thing in my life that I cannot abide by, it is being unnecessarily rude to those in customer service.  We were triggered.  And this was the time I took things way too far. 

Eventually, after being hung up on multiple times, he called them again.  “MY NAME IS AARON RISER, and I NEED THE MANAGER TO CALL ME ON MY CELL PHONE”  He proceeded to list his phone number.  I looked to my left and there, giggling all the way, was my friend as he text the phone number to his girlfriend in a desperate attempt to save it.

We whispered to one another that we *had* to do something about this guy.  We decided it would be best to think on it.   So we went about our business in Chicago for the next two or three days.  We actually saw Aaron in passing a few times in the downtown area and wondered if he was there for the same concert.  

On the train ride back, we decided it was time to take action.  I called his number first.

“Enjoy your stay?” I asked in the most sinister voice I could muster.

“Yeah...”

“Enjoy the bedbugs?” 

He shrilly said “No!”

I proceeded to laugh into the phone and then hung up.

We brought it up occasionally and laughed about it for a week.   But then we got drunk.  We drank a lot in those days.  And for about a year every time we would drink, which was about 3 times a week, we would call him, tell him he was a baby and hoped he enjoyed the gift of bedbugs.  These calls would usually happen around 1AM to 3AM.  He was always awake and always angry.

Once he menacingly said “You... You... Just wait 5 minutes.”

I laughed and said “What are you going to do, trace the line?  You fucking baby”  And we laughed some more.

We went to bars and asked strangers for their cell phones and would say we lost our phones.  Then we would call him and sing “you’ve got bedbugs” in a child’s taunting manner.

We speculated that he probably suspected one of his dude-bro friends and that this could continue forever.  One night he called my phone and said “Who are you?  This isn’t funny anymore.”  My friend replied something about just being a guy who is good at reading bathroom walls in Chicago.

About a year later I changed my phone number.  Shortly thereafter I got a new job at a hotel.  I started as a front desk clerk and part time night auditor.  The current full time auditor started training me a week in.  We were fast work buddies over our shared interests movies and music and humor and would banter on well after my shift ended and his began on some nights. 

One night, during training, he was explaining to me the benefits of working for that particular brand of hotels. 

“You get great discounts!  You can get rooms for so cheap!  But you gotta watch out, hotels will try to cancel your reservation without warning. It happened to me when I was trying to go see Tool in Chicago.  My friends and I were already almost there on the train when they did it too.”   Then the he told me about how the hotel employees were sore because of how angry he was and that they had been pranking him for over a year.

My face went pale.  There was no possible way.   I mean, this hotel was the farthest from the train station in the city.  I had applied on a whim.  He asked if I wanted to go out for a smoke and I told him I’d pass but go after him.  My hands trembling, I googled the previous concert dates for Guns and Roses and Tool in Chicago.  They landed on the same day.  I called my friend and explained the situation.  Carl Jung would have had a field day with this.

“No.... no... there is no way..  No way”   I had to disconnect as Aaron was coming back inside.   The night continued, and I spoke far less.

I worked with man for 5 more years and even ended up becoming his boss.  I never revealed it to him.  He spoke about that trip so many times I couldn’t count.  That was simultaneously one of the brightest and darkest trips in his existence.   I often wondered if I actually told him the truth if he would even believe me, since he had spoken of it so much.

Thinking back on it, at one point he asked if he knew me from somewhere.  And we both determined in conversation that we had lost a significant amount of weight in the previous year, so who knows?  

By this point, my friends, family, hell even strangers knew him as Bed Bugs.   He was no longer Aaron, he was Bed Bugs.  He still is to me.

I suppose if there is a moral to this story it’s that the world is always smaller than you think.  And if you are reading this Aaron, you’ve got bed bugs.  And don’t be rude to reservation agent, you fucking baby.

If you enjoyed these stories, please reply with your best pranks, tales of revenge, and continued harassment to those who deserved it.   

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

❛ CHANGES ❜

with Marcus Alvarez.

Request: Maybe for a Marcus fic it could be his wife dealing with the transition from Mayans to the cartel and becoming friends with Emily and having play dates with their kids and Marcus is just proud of her for taking it so well. Thank you ❣️❣️❣️

BY ANON

Warnings: none.

Word count: exactly 1.2k

Aurora says: this writing hasn't been edited, you may find some grammar mistakes, I'm sorry about that!

Gif credits: to the author.

Masterlist.

You can subscribe to my broadcast list, to be notified whenever I post a writing!

Having a sip from the glass of red wine, you keep your gaze in the middle of nowhere. You can't stop thinking about your husband taking off his kutte and giving it to Obispo. The club is his life, but the problem in his knees won the battle. He has been very irritated since the doctor told him that he couldn't ride for too many hours as he used to. So, taking the advantage that he has gone to the clubhouse, you left your son with your sister, waiting to have a moment alone. Together.

You have been his anchor since you met him, when you were a mere mechanic who changed the tire of his bike, in a secondary road to Oaktown. Now, and since six years, you live in the surroundings of Santo Padre where the main charter is installed. Practically jumping off from the couch and leaving the glass of wine over the auxiliary table, you walk barefoot to the hall. Marcus is there, placing his black bag over the floor after closing the door. He looks devastated and unhappy, as you have never seen him before. And that, breaks your heart into a thousand pieces. Biting your bottom lip, you lead your steps close to him, raising your right hand to his chest. Caressing it slowly and shortening the distance between both, you hold him between your arms. Just a second after, he starts to cry inconsolable, clinged to your body.

You don't even know what to say, preferring to keep silent, slightly touching the back of his head with your fingertips and leaving some kisses on his temple. Having a deep breath, you cup his cheek in your hands, cleaning his tears and leaning on your tiptoes to reach his lips. A dearly kiss that looks like it calms him a little.

“I will always be by your side, amor mío”. You mutter, showing him that soft smile which he fell in love with many years ago. “And yes, I know that Mayans it's your life, but when one door closes, another one opens. Just… think about the good things that have that new opportunity. You used to complain about not sleeping, about missing my food, about missing your family…”

Maybe these aren't the best words, but you're trying hard to make him feel better.

“At least… I will see you often and… I will spend more time with Marcos”.

“Yeah, we miss our papi”. You nod pursing lips. “And tonight… I'm gonna spoil you. 'Caaause, our overactive son is having a fun night with his auntie, and I prepared you lasagna with five… not four, but five cheese and two bottles of red wine are getting cold in the fridge. And after dinner, we can have a relaxing bath, enjoying the silence of our home”.

“Thank you”. He just whispers, a little bit calmed.

“For taking care of you?”

“For supporting me like you do every single day, bad or good, no matter why”.

“Yeah, I've already earned a place in Heaven”. You chuckle kissing him again.

“Te amo con todo mi corazón”. (I love you with all my heart).

“So do I, papi”.

Stepping out of the black SUV, you have a quick look of the huge mansion in front of you. And you're sure that you have never seen a house so big, clean and good decorated. Closing the door of the car, you walk towards the backseat, to help your three years old to go down. Your husband is looking at you, with that kind of gesture that lets you know how much he is in love with you. Feeling proud of any single thing you do for him, just like now. Making the effort to meet Miguel and Emily, knowing that even if they're not to your liking, you will not complain. But he's aware that Galindo's wife and you will be good friends, being actually so similar because of your intelligence and your maternal instinct. Even if you're braver than her, because of life circumstances.

“Ready, pap—mi amor?” You say lifting up your son between your arms, coming closer to Marcus. “You look pretty good on a suit”.

“Do I?” He laughs, knowing what it means watching you leading your steps to the main door.

“Maybe I will need some advice later”. You whisper, after covering Marcos' ears for a second, making your husband chuckle somewhat relaxed.

Before the mexican can ring the doorbell, his new boss, and old friend, is already opening it to hold him in a gentle hug.

“Marcus, amigo. Mi padre estaría orgulloso de esta nueva alianza”. (Marcus, my friend. My father would be proud of this new alliance).

“Lo sé, Miguel”. (I know, Miguel). He says with a sincere smile on his lips, before turning at you, to place a hand on your lower back over the skirt of your black silk dress. “Mi hermosa e increíble esposa, (Y/N), y mi amado hijo, Marcos”. (My beautiful and amazing wife, and my lovely son).

“Es un placer conoceros al fin”. (It's a pleasure finally meeting you two). The younger man is directed to you, taking your free hand to kiss the back of it. “Come in. Come in, please”.

Even if you're the most curious woman in the world, you're trying to not look like that, keeping your gaze on close things and not traveling it around your position.

“Marcus!” A high-pitched voice from a blonde woman coming, pushes you out from your thoughts, guessing she must be Miguel's wife.

Watching Emily hug your man so dearly, makes you know that you will really be friends. She looks like a family person, just like you. One of those who enjoy a peaceful Sunday lying on the sofa with her husband and her son, maybe watching some TV show. But you're not really sure if Miguel is into this kind of plan. You're lucky that your husband is.

“Hi!” She says to you then. “Look at you, boy! You should be Marcos, right?”

Your son hides ashamed his face into your neck, making you all laugh softly, leaving a kiss on his head.

“Sorry, sometimes he's… like that”. You say, caressing his back as he clings his hands on your nape. “Marcos, say ‘hi’ to Emily”.

He just smiles with his wrinkled nose, closing his eyes.

“I'm (Y/N)”. You say then, offering her your right hand, waiting to be shaked in a formal salute. Even if it's not your style. But the woman shakes her head laughing, before hugging you. “Ah, sorry… I'm not used to…”

“It's okay”. She says, so kind that you already like her. “Do you want some coffee? We have peach juice for Marcos, if he wants too”.

“Eh, baby, you heard that? Your favorite”. You say, seeing him raises up his head nodding.

“Good, we have some… things to talk about them”. Your husband adds then, palming Miguel's back, before leaning towards you to kiss your forehead and his son's.

“Yeah, enjoy your business”. You tease him, pocking his nose. “We're gonna do funnier things”.

“I'm pretty sure about that”. Emily laughs, knowing what you are talking about.

✨ Tag list:

@starrynite7114 ​ @chibsytelford ​ @dazzledamazon ​ @mara-mpou ​ @sammskellington ​ @gemini0410 ​ @1-800-imagines ​ @briana-mishell24 ​@sassymox @aquamento @sadeyesgf @viviansafizada @samcrobae @jade770 @witchy-wish @rebel-without-cause-x @xx--day-dreamer--xx @spiced-reads @tita127 @ifoundmyhappythought @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @angelxshiba @destynelseclipsa @sheeshgivemeabreak @abbiesthings @knowles-morgan @lady-pswrld @minnicelli @marquelapage @bigcreatorwombatdreamer @jadesamhart @mycupoffanfiction @claytoncardenasbabymama @thesandbeneathmytoes @phoenixhalliwell @thewarriorprincessxo @sugary-x-sweet @multiyfandomgirl40 @imanerdychubbyqueen @iambabyharry @firebenderwolf @itsanofrommesir @noz4a2 @peaches007 @edonaspanca @irenne-stans @skyofficialxx @that-chick212

#mayans mc x reader #mayans mc #mayans mc imagine #mayans x reader #marcus alvarez imagine #marcus alvarez x reader #marcus alvarez

[toutallyahoe]

Flirt ~ Shinsō Hitoshi (BNHA)

Requested By: --

A/N: this'll be a series but my dear gremlins... pray to a god that ill actually follow through the fucking outline i have written and have the motivation to write because lmao

also, wowowow bnha yall? and here i thought i outgrew my weeb phase but guess not! now, dont spoil me shit please because i still have no clue what the fuck is happening in the fandom since i havent touched any anime for fucking months (well, except me watching four episodes of free! two weeks ago but shhhhhh) so dont fucking be cunt to spoil, yeah? lmao thanks and enjoy this shit ajsvdjskdbjsb

fun fact, this was supposed to be only 500-800 words but GUESS WHO GOT TOO INTO THIS SHIT AND WRITTEN 3600 PLUS WORDS YALL?!?!?!?!?

Flirt | Flirt 2 | Flirt 3

─────────────────

Hitoshi let out a tired sigh leaving his lips as he shoves his hands on the pockets of his hoodie. A frown on his lips as he tried to hide his face inside the purple scarf wrapped around his neck, hiding away from the cold breeze passing by.

It was a cold day, that can be said and Hitoshi wished to just stay in his warm bed while being cocooned with his comforters and blankets to keep him from suffering the cold air of January while sleeping probably until noon, if he was lucky that is and not have his mom wake him up. Sadly, Hitoshi was asked by his one (and only) friend to meet up and hang out and the indigo haired knew that no matter how many times he flat out disagrees, the [Hair color] haired male always was a stubborn one. And once he makes up his mind, he'll drag Hitoshi along with him.

"This better be worth it," Hitoshi grumbled as he was still angry to leave the comforts of his bed and warm room to be outside with the January air being cold and having no clue where he was. With a sigh, Hitoshi remembered how [Name], his friend, basically begged him to accompany him to the new cafe that opened. Hitoshi would have flat out reject the [Hair color] haired male if it wasn't for [Name]'s four words he uttered yesterday.

It was a cloudy, Friday morning. The first period was over and each class has a ten minute break before the next teacher comes in to discuss whatever subject they had planned for the young minds of each of their classes. Hitoshi distinctly remembered that the next period teacher was absent for today and with that knowledge, the indigo haired male decided to spend the ten minute break and aswell as the next period doing something important. Sleeping.

The indigo haired male suffered from the lack of sleep. With his hectic sleep schedule and insomia just kicking in, Hitoshi has limited amount of sleep and it can be known with the large bags underneathe his eyes. It doesn't help that he had to finish some homework his teachers had pilled up to them. So, Hitoshi decided he'll sleep than study or chatter with his classmates like the others are currently doing. The indigo haired male let out a sigh and he positioned himself to be comfortable on his seat and plopped his arms on his desk and was about to slam his head onto his arms when a loud bang echoed inside the room.

Due to the loud noise, it made a lot of students shriek in fear and stopped whatever they were doing and snapped their heads on where the loud noise was heard. The loud bang they heard was from door of the classroom slammed open with so much forced that some pondered how the hinges of the door was still intact. But what everyone focused was the figure stood there, clad in the familiar clothing of the male's uniform of the school although the uniform was now wrinkled here and there and the student's hair was messy and all over. His hand was gripping the doorknob tightly as the student was panting harshly and gasping for air, indicating that he had did something to actd that way, and everyone knew it was running.

"HITOSHI!!!" The figure screamed when be had gathered his bearings and immediately, everyone recognized that it was none other than the school's resident ray of sunshine, [Name] [Last name].

[Name] stood tall and proud when he finished gasping for air. Wiping the sweat off his forehead as he sent a beaming smile to everyone as he frantically looked around the room but then his gaze directed to the said male he screamed their name out.

"Hito-chan!" [Name] had happily called out to the indigo haired male as skipped inside the indigo haired male's classroom. Not minding the lively chatter that comtinued before he interrupted from the other students that were still inside the room nor the way their eyes following him approaching the indigo haired male that everyone enjoyed to avoid like the plague. As [Name] was close, he immediately threw himself to Hitoshi and hugged the male who gave him an unimpressive stare with his actions.

"Let's go out together this saturday!" [Name] suggested as he smiled at his friend who he felt slumped on his arms, clearly lazy and tired. "I found this new cafe and I think you'll like this one!" He had happily said as Hitoshi grunted on his arms.

"No," Hitoshi bluntly disagreed and shoved [Name] away from him. Hitoshi's surprising actions made [Name] let out a yelp and almost stumbled back. It doesn't help that the realization hit him on the indigo haired male's answer, he frowned for a second but then jumped back to his childish attitude. Hitoshi did not mind his friend's sputtering on his answer as he prompted his arms on his desk and placed his head on them. "And stop calling me that!" Hitoshi grunted as he closed his eyes as the indigo haired male wanted to sleep for a bit before the break was over.

"Huh?!? But why?!?" [Name] pouted and whined as he looked at Hitoshi. The indigo haired male let out a groan when he felt the [Hair color] haired male shake him by the shoulders.

"Hito-chan! Don't just sleep on me!" [Name] whined to his indigo haired friend in annoyance. "Tell me why!"

Hitoshi grumbled incoherent words to himself as he raised his head and opened his eyes to glare at his friend who still was shaking his shoulders. "Stop being immature, idiot," Hitoshi grumbled ad he rolled his eyes at his friend's childish and immature actions on puffing his cheek and crossing his arms over his chest, acting like a toddler being mad.

"Am not!" [Name] grumbled as he then pouted. "Why are you such a meanie, Hito-chan... and answer my question!" He whined as Hitoshi rolled his eyes again. Christ, why was he friends with [Name] again? Who even says meanie as an insult anymore other than four and five years old?

"Because I said so," came Hitoshi's blunt answer which made the [Hair color] haired male whine louder. [Name] frowned as he looked at Hitoshi who did not paid mind to him and was about to lay his head on his arms again to try and sleep.

"Come on Hito-chan!" [Name] had begged as he drop down on his knees and kneeled down beside sitting form of his best friend. His hand cupped together in front him as he gave his best puppy dog eyes to his indigo haired best friend who didn't even looked at him. "Please, Hitoshi?" He begged, using Hitoshi's proper name and not the one he calls to the indigo haired male. "I promise you'll enjoy this one!" [Name] pleaded.

Hitoshi narrowed his purple eyes and took a glance at his [Hair color] haired friend who was still in the floor, kneeling and trying to coerce him with his puppy dog eyes that was definitely NOT working. Hitoshi sighs as his ears picked up the sound of chattering surrounding him. 'Right, we're still in class... this is so embarrassing...' Hitoshi grumbled on his thoughts as he closed his eyes.

"Please Hitoshi!" [Name] shouted when the indigo haired male was too silent for his liking. As the [Hair color] haired male stayed there on the ground, not moving from his kneeling position. Hitoshi thought over his words on hanging out together on Saturday. After a few more seconds, Hitoshi finally made his final decision.

"No," came Hitoshi's final and blunt reply. Still unchanging despite the [Hair color] male's efforts on pleading and begging for him to consider.

"Hitoshi!" [Name] cried out as he whined at the indigo haired male who went back to placing his head on his arms to get some sleep.

"I'll pay for everything!" [Name] had said. It seemed like those were the magic words as he saw the indigo haired male crack one eye open to look at him. There was a hum from the tired male as [Name] begged to whatever deities listening to him currently that they would give him some good karma and bless him to have his friend accompany him.

As [Name] begged some higher beings to make the indigo haired male reconsider his answer, Hitoshi thought about it again. Was it worth waking up early to meet up with the [Hair color] haired male? Was it worth not getting some much needed sleep just to hang out with this male who Hitoshi swore doesn't know what quietness or silence is?

"... fine..." Hitoshi grumbled out his agreement as what is more better than food? Free food and Hitoshi will make sure the [Hair color] haired male will have an empty wallet after tomorrow. Hitoshi saying his agreement had closed his eyes again and tried to get some sleep. Not minding [Name] immediately stood up from his kneeling position and fist pumped the air while screaming "yeah!" in excitement.

Hitoshi sighs as he stopped walking and looked around the area he was in. The indigo haired frowned and looked at the sky in annoyance, he then looked back around again and tried to remember if he was in the right place on where his [Hair color] haired friend was supposed to join him to take him to the cafe he was obsessing on taking Hitoshi there. Tapping his shoe in annoyance at the pavement, Hitoshi let out a tired sigh as he then took his phone out from his hoodie's pocket and unlocked it. Pressing on the massaging icon, the indigo haired male immediately pressed the very top of the messages with the familair name displayed and he began typing, rather annoyedly as he did.

TO: Idiot (◕ω◕✿)

FROM: Hito-chan♡ (눈_눈)

where are you?

[08:22 AM]

Hitoshi typed and sent it when done as he stood and looked arpund again. He was standing in the sidewalk from a busy street where people, young and old walk around and minding their own business. On some occasions, Hitoshi would see some people with unique quirks. The indigo haired male had to hold his sjort when he saw a businessman with a head shaped like a cactus. As Hitoshi looked around and waited for his [Hair color] haired friend, his phone vibrated on his hand. His screen lit up, indicating it recieved something to have its user be notified. And the indigo haired male saw the sender's name which made Hitoshi let out a tired sigh.

Idiot (◕ω◕✿) sent (3) messages

Hitoshi opened his inbox and tapped the most recent messages that he received and the indigo haired male saw what his friend had replied. If he can, Hitoshi would have liked to slap [Name] when he saw the messages.

TO: Hito-chan♡ (눈_눈)

FROM: Idiot (◕ω◕✿)

IM SORRY FOR BEING LATE HITOSHI!!! .·´¯'(>□<)´¯'·

[08:27 AM]

I OVERSLEPT AND I HAD TO FEED TOSHI \(๑>д<๑)/

[08:27 AM]

DONT WORRY IM ON THE TRAIN GOING THERE ASDFGHJKLL ヽ(≧Д≦)ノ

[08:28 AM]

The indigo haired male stared at his screen for a moment as he then raised one of his hand and slapped it on his forehead. "My God... [Name]..." Hitoshi grumbled underneath his breathe as he began to type his reply.

TO: Idiot (◕ω◕✿)

FROM: Hito-chan♡ (눈_눈)

hurry up idiot

[08:32 AM]

or else im leaving

[08:33 AM]

After sending those two text, Hitoshi immediately gotten a reply and he didn't have to look at the screen of his phone which displayed the messages to know that his [Hair color] haired friend was whining at him on being a 'meanie' and begging him not to ditch [Name].

Not a few seconds later, Hitoshi's phone vibrated. The indigo haired let out an annoyed grunt as he tap the green icon to receive the call from [Name] as he then placed the phone on his ear. Hitoshi winced and had to hurriedly pull his phone away from his ear with how loud [Name] was on the other line.

"HITO-CHAN!!! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE!!!" [Name] cried out on the indigo haired male's phone. Hitoshi had to gather his bearings from the [Hair color] haired male's voice. Hitoshi swore that [Name] sometimes had that loud pro-hero's voice, Present Mic. Both being incredibly loud and their voices goes annoying real fast.

"HITO-CHAN PLEASE WAIT FOR ME!!! IM ALMOST THERE!!!" Hitoshi let out series of grumbles as he listened to [Name] beg for him to wait. Hitoshi wonders why he even bother with his friend. Looking around, Hitoshi noticed he was getting some looks, from judgmental, curious to annoyed ones. It made the indigo haired embarrassed.

"Keep quiet," Hitoshi hissed as he felt heat creeping in on his cheeks from the looks of passersby he was getting from the loud [Hair color] haired male on his phone. "I'll wait but just... shut up, idiot," Hitoshi grumbled as he heard [Name] thanked him profusely on the other line. The indigo haired male rolled his eyes at his friend's attitude and had to stop himself from snorting when he heard [Name] getting scolded on the other line from how loud he was. 'Idiot...'

"A-ah! I'm so sorry for the disturbance!" Hitoshi heard his [Hair color] haired friend apologize. There was another voice piping on the other line aswell as shuffling. The indigo haired wondered where his friend was. 'He said he was close?' Hitoshi thought. 'But he also said that he was still in the train...'

Hitoshi was about to end the call when [Name] continued talking, more quietly than before. "Hey, Hito-chan?" [Name] had called out. The said male hummed to show he was listening as Hitoshi looked around the area again to see people walking pass by him.

"Yeah?"

"I... well..." Hitoshi raised his brow at his friends uncharacteristic hesitation but the indigo haired nale did not mind. The indigo haired male knew that [Name] always goes head first in situations and did not think about it. Hitoshi found that attitude of his to be stupid really but [Name] was [Name], and his friend always gets it in the end. "Thank you for being my friend..."

Hitoshi paused. Gripping his phone tightly, there was a smile on his lips as he rolled his eyes at the [Hair color] haired male's words.

"Yeah... sure... whatever, idiot..."

Hitoshi looked at the time on his phone and let out an annoyed sigh when he saw it was twenty-two minutes after [Name] had called him and ended the call with the [Hair color] haired male promising he was close by already.

'Yeah right... close my ass...' Hitoshi thought as he bit his bottom. The male was still not here and it made Hitoshi regretted leaving his bed more than ever. 'At least he should've have the decency to come in time...'

Hitoshi swears that when he sees his friend, he'll slap the [Hair color] haired male for being late. The indigo haired male knew that he will make his friend buy the most expensive stuff in this cafe they were going so [Name] will regret inviting him and being late. But either way, Hitoshi liked watching the cars and people passed by, the indigo haired male just wished it wasn't so goddamn cold and that he was actually sitting than standing like a dumbass in the middle of the sidewalk as he waited for his friend.

Looking at his phone again, Hitoshi decided to pass the time by playing games on his phones. It was already twenty-six minutes since the call and despite [Name] assuring him that he'll be there, he still wasn't and Hitoshi did not want to think what made his friend so late. He knew [Name] always had a terrible skills in time management. The [Hair color] haired male can either be ten minutes early or twenty minutes late, there is no inbetween and the indigo haired male wished [Name] was the former for atleast this outing but it seemed like lady luck was not on his side. Well, when was she always on his side? She never was as he grew up anyways. Having born with a villaino--

"HITO-CHAN!!!"

"GAH!!!" Hitoshi almost dropped his phone and would have been thrown to the ground if he had not steadied himself on time. That still not prevented the indigo haired male to be scared out of his wits and a frightened scream leaving his lips when he felt a body colliding behind him aswell as weight distributed on his back and arms wrapped around his neck, tighly.

"Hito-chan!" The said male let out quiet curses as he turned to look behind him to see the male he was waiting shining him a beaming smile. "Hito-chan! Im so glad you didn't ditch me," [Name] had said as he nuzzled his face on the other male's cheek.

Hitoshi felt his face burned in embarrassment from his best friend's affectionate gesture. And not to mention [Name] was being so close to him in public. Hitoshi's cheeks were painted a light shade of pink flush as he turned his head the other way from his friend.

"I almost did..." Hitoshi muttered as [Name] guffawed at his answer with his [Eye color] eyes widen from Hitoshi's words. "Now... g-get off me idiot!" Hitoshi had exclaimed as he tried to push his friend away but [Name] whined at him.

"Hito-chan!" The [Hair color] haired whined in a childish way. "Don't be mean!"

"Idiot! Just-- get off me! It's embarrassing," Hitoshi retorted as the [Hair color] haired male pouted but complied with his words. Not without one last whine about the indigo haired male being so cold towards him which amde Hitoshi roll his eyes at his words.

"Whatever..." Hitoshi had said as he adjusted the scarf of his neck and avoided his [Hair color] haired friend's eyes as [Name] turned to look at him with a bright smile.

"Here you go Hito-chan!" The [Hair color] haired male had pushed a white plastic bag towards the indigo haired male's chest. His actions made Hitoshi turned to look at him with surprise on his face as he took the bag. [Name] still had that smile on his lips as he looked at Hitoshi.

"What... what's this?" Hitoshi asked, confused as he looked down on the white blastic bag on his hand. Hitoshi heard [Name] awkwardly laughed as the [Hair color] haired male rubbed the nape of his neck. If Hitoshi would have looked, he would have saw the soft pink flush on [Name]'s [Skin color] cheeks.

"Ah, well..." [Name] had started as he awkwardly coughed onto his fist. "I knew I would be really late so I... kinda decided to stop at this small shop near here to buy you an apology gift..." He had explained as Hitoshi looked up towards him again then back at the bag. [Name] flashed Hitoshi a grin, silently urging his indigo haired friend to see what's inside the plastic. "Hope you'll like it Hito-chan."

Hitoshi opened the plastic and had one of his hand to reached inside. There was something small and round. That's what Hitoshi had felt and with curiosity swallowing him whole, the indigo haired male pulled it out. Hitoshi couldn't help but softly smile. On his hand, it was a small keychain. The keychain was shaped like a cat with its paint being purple and had a droppy eyes. There was a small mischievous grin on the cat's face as it stood in two legs while one of its paw was raised to signify it was waving. Oddly enough, Hitoshi thought the small cat was to signify it was him.

"When I saw that... it kinda reminded me of you..." [Name] confessed.

[Name]'s comment made Hitoshi feel something inside. It was sweet, Hitoshi could not lie as he looked at the purple cat keychain on his hand. His [Hair color] haired friend thought of him when he bought this. Maybe he'll not rob [Name] off of his money for being late when they get to this cafe. It made Hitoshi feel happy--

"I mean... it had Hito-chan's tired, grinning face!" Scratch that. [Name] was still the dumbass that he was and the indigo haired male is going to order every expensive stuff to leave him broke.

Hitoshi turned to look at [Name] and would start to nag the [Hair color] haired male's ear off when the male had reached down and took his unoccupied hand and began to walk away, dragging Hitoshi with a smile on his face.

"Now, come on Hito-chan!" [Name] had said. His tone excited and happy as he looked forward and not looking at Hitoshi who walked behind him, a bit dumbfounded from his actions on just dragging him along. "The cafe is a few blocks away from here!"

"You could've had sent me the damn address so I could've waited inside..." Hitoshi bit his bottom lip and rolled his eyes. He tightly held the keychain on his hand as he caught up to his friend's pace.

Now, the indigo haired male walked side by side with the [Hair color] haired male who if Hitoshi would've looked, the indigo haired male would have saw the soft smile on his lips and a pink hue on his cheeks as they walked together towards the direction of the cafe in [Name]'s lead, hand in hand. And if [Name] would've looked at Hitoshi, the [Hair color] haired male would have saw Hitoshi held a small soft smile on his lips.

─────────────────

NEXT >

#shinsou hitoshi #hitoshi shinsou #mha shinsou #shinsou x reader #shinsou x male reader #hitoshi x male reader #bnha #boku no hero acedemia #mha #my hero academy #bnha x male reader #mha x male reader #shinsou hitoshi x male reader #hitoshi shinsou x male reader #boku no hero academia x male reader #my hero academy x male reader #x male reader #male reader insert #male reader #fluff #angst #my sweet baby boi deserves more fucking love yall

[chibalein]

Kalafina Live Report: 9+ONE @Kitakyushu - REVISITED

So, this is something I wanted to do for a long time now (almost 3 years to be exact). Back in 2017, when Kalafina was still a thing and times were good, I was lucky enough to live in Japan and able to attend various of Kalafina activities. My first proper concert was their final live of the 9+ONE tour in the city of Kitakyushu/Fukuoka prefecture, in June 2017.

My first live report was certainly different than all the others that followed, less detailed, less emotional so to say. I always wanted to update the whole thing because looking back, there were so many moments during the concert that I - for whatever reason - did not write about enough or not at all. Well, since I have been working at home for quite a while now, I feel like now is the perfect time, as this gives me an amazing reason to be lazy and productive at the same time. Here is my original live report: PART 1  /  PART 2

So, a lot of things will certainly stay the same because I just don’t remember enough of the concert, especially about the vocal performance or things the girls have said during the MCs. I will add some other details that I still remember (hopefully correctly), and describe everything a bit nicer too :)

Let’s do it! Long ass report ahead! again

Back then, I was living in Kanagawa prefecture, but I was too late for tickets of the Yokohama or Tokyo lives. I was planning to visit a friend who lived in Fukuoka city at the time and Kalafina’s Kitakyushu concert perfectly fit into my schedule. Luckily, I was able to buy a ticket via convenience store. As I was pretty late, I got a kinda bad seat in the almost very back of the upper floor.

The morning of the live I arrived in the city of Kitakyushu, which is a rather famous port city at the northern tip of Fukuoka prefecture. The historic town Kokura has a beautiful castle, which I visited as well as Moji port. (After reading Hikaru’s blog post where she said that she also went to see the castle, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t meet her xD). There’s also TOTO Museum, a museum dedicated to the TOTO company, which is famous for inventing those high-tech toilets that Japan is so known for.

I was kind of warned beforehand that the Kalafina good’s sale would attract a ton of people, so I wanted to be there as early as possible. About two hours too early I arrived at Kitakyushu’s Harmony Cinq Soleil Hall and waited along with a handful of other people. Slowly but steadily more and more people would gather, forming an absurdly long line. Not as extreme as the 10th Anniversary good’s line, but still impressive. Luckily, I was standing in some shade, because it was so damn hot and sunny the entire weekend. When the doors finally opened, I am sure there were like 200-300 people waiting to receive those sweet sweet popcorn buckets that were sold as venue exclusive merchandise. In the end, I bought the T-shirt, the key holder, the popcorn and the clear files, but looking back I do regret not buying the notebook. I wanted the popcorn mainly because of the Kitakyushu exclusive sticker - the popcorn itself had the flavor chocolate + soda (I think?), which I remember thinking was the shittiest combo of all flavors they had. It didn’t taste as bad as I thought but I still think it was overpriced. Together with the ticket itself, I ended up spending about 100€, which I thought was a lot, especially as there were people buying the entire collection and even more... hahahaha, oh innocent, naive past me, I didn’t know what was coming to me yet.

(Photo: in front of the venue)

I do love my merch though. I still wear all my Kalafina T-shirts at home, and while in Japan I had the key holder... hold my keys, making it all dirty and bent now lol The popcorn cup is decorating my shelf to this day.

Anyway, after getting my stuff, I went on to walk around, grab something to eat and even made friends with a Japanese girl, sharing our Kalafina love. Later, when people were admitted, probably around 800-900 people were there, quite a view! I saw some foreigners as well, and even made friends with a Philippine girl as well :D

(Photo: merch table at the venue)

(Photo: the stuff I bought)

While entering, staff was handing out little goodie bags, mostly with flyers and ads for other events or the obligatory concert questionnaire. However, that bag included our very own 9+ONE Lights! I took my seat which wasn’t as far from the stage as I thought, but I still would not be able to see the girls’ expressions.

When the concert finally started, a black but transparent screen was lowered (you know it from the 9+ONE DVD) and they started to play an overture version of “Samidare ga sugita koro ni”. Meanwhile we got see a collection of Kalafina’s entire discography, where each title of their songs, even in their respective font if available, was shown and merged into a white cloud, revealing our ladies.

(Photo: stage before the concert started)

They started with “Samidare ga sugita koro ni”. I remember it being good and nice, but I was never really fond of that song, even though it has grown on me a bit. We all clapped along and had our fun.

It continued with “misterioso”, also a song that has grown on me over time. While everyone was staying seated and enjoying themselves before, all the dudes in the arena seats jumped to their feet, being an upbeat song and stuff. I was grateful for the upper floor to have stayed seated almost the entire time, because being so far away was shitty enough and I didn’t want to spend 2 hours standing.

Anyhow, this song revealed some flaws in either the acoustics of the hall or the mixing of the sound technicians (I guess the latter?). Wakana was uncomfortably loud most of the time, drowning out the other two, but especially Hikaru - in some songs more than in others and more often than not when she wasn’t in the lead too. Some of her notes simply made me cringe. Hikaru on the other hand seemed to be feeling the exhaustion of the tour. On many occasions, she sounded tired, especially when it came to hit those high or long notes. The band didn’t help either, they also drowned out many parts of the singing... Maybe it was just this venue though and luckily, the 10th Anniversary wasn’t like this. Then again, I only attended acoustic lives or lives without band after that, so who knows how they sound when there is no DVD recording going on XD

Next was “Lacrimosa”, and this time Wakana wasn’t being as cringy as before. Poor Hikaru doing nothing for most of the time. One cool moment was that short pause after their “LA-CRI-MO-SA” part, right before the final chorus. The stage turned deep red with the girls reaching out to the audience. When you don’t know that this is coming, it’s an incredibly powerful move.

I don’t remember what they said during MC#1, other than greeting the audience and the usual “We hope you have fun” stuff. I do remember Hikaru welcoming us to the Harmony Cinq Kitakyushu Soleil Hall, by saying the entire name of the hall, and then saying something along the lines of “Thank god I didn’t trip over my tongue” (it’s a lot harder to say that name in Japanese, I give it to her lol).

They proceeded to introduce “Ashita no Keshiki”, a song that is not performed often, also because it’s a song that is mainly sung by Wakana. It was a beautiful performance, which was a little bit ruined by Hikaru. If you thought that she sounds strained and tired in the 9+ONE DVD version, well, imagine her like 5 concerts after that performance. Still great though, I came to love that song a lot.

“Hikaru no senritsu” was equally ok, but Hikaru again kind of screwed up her short “ashita wo kanadete” towards the end of the song. She probably just didn’t hit the note correctly, but to me it sounded as if she screwed up the timing, because I didn’t even her the first word or so.

With “Mirai”, Kalafina finally started to move around, so far they had stayed glued to their positions. They waved and interacted with the audience, cheering us on to cheer them on. I did enjoy the performance and the overall atmosphere, although “Mirai” belongs to my most disliked of all Kalafina songs.

In MC#2, they talked about “Ashita no Keshiki” a bit, together with their first album and how this is the first time performing in Kitakyushu (and not Fukuoka city). Since this is Wakana’s home prefecture, she proceeded to talk about her favorite Udon and Ramen restaurants (I think it was also about the restaurant chain West) and other specialties of Fukuoka.

The next song was “Oblivious”, also a song I was really looking forward to. As you know, this time Hikaru decided to sing her first lines in her high head voice (probably because she just can’t do it “regularly” anymore). I thought and still think it’s lovely, as it gives the song a much more mysterious opening and it’s also quite closer to the original to be honest. Wakana and the band drowned out Keiko for most of the time, with Hikaru and her high voice coming to the party later too. The acoustics were really weird that day...

“storia” was as usual, nothing special and not a song that really stands out to me anymore.

I was more looking forward to “Gogatsu no Mahou”, which is also a song I came to appreciate more over time. I adore the bridge section after the chorus, especially Wakana’s “habataku kotori no” and that one super high moment, so I really tried to focus on that particular part of the song. It was great!

With “consolation”, finally a darker and fiercer song made its debut and while I don’t really remember the performance itself anymore, I do remember the stage production. Basically, they packed out those lights and illuminations that they have been hiding so far and blasted us with them. Hikaru was pretty quiet though. Keiko on the hand appeared to have problems with her earpiece, and at some point she was frantically waving to the technicians backstage.

Wakana took it upon herself to dominate “To the beginning” as well, but we got some action on stage at least, since the girls stayed glued to their positions most of the timea again.

In MC#3, Keiko talked about how every live performance as well as their unique harmony is important to them (quite ironic after Wakana was actively trying to make Keiko NOT be heard lol). The following song was special in a sense that there would be NO harmony. Back then, when Kalafina received the song for the first time (or before recording, not sure), they even asked Kajiura Yuki whether this is correct or even intentional.

With “Haru wo matsu” we got our obligatory ballad. While I was never really fond of the song, I think it’s sweet and yes, their missing harmony gives it quite a refreshing vibe. Keiko sounded pretty much like in the 9+ONE DVD, but it was so strange to hear her cutesy voice live and so clearly... she sounded like an entirely different person XD Hikaru, for the first time actually, could finally shine, as we could HEAR her. She didn’t deliver as good as she probably could have, but still it was a very pretty performance.

Now, we were reaching the spot on their setlist that would differ at each venue. Before the concert, I checked out all setlists from the previous lives to see whether there were any patterns or which songs were most likely to be performed (again). It seemed like they took 4-5 songs and repeated them over the course of the tour, which is why I had my hopes high for “Hikaru furu” or “Kimi no gin no niwa”. But interestingly they chose a song they hadn’t performed yet (please correct if I’m wrong here), which was “Ring your bell”.

“Ring your bell” is very high on my list of all-time disliked Kalafina songs (I just can’t seem to escape that song...). But I was pleasantly surprised to hear that they started the song as an acoustic version, very much like the performance during their Arena Live. It stayed acoustic until after the first chorus, then the band joined too. I like this half-half version over the “normal” version, because it’s an amazing moment when you don’t expect the loud and cheerful opening of “Ring your bell” to suddenly fill the stage. The overall harmony of band and singers came together again and the acoustics were finally so much cleaner and nicer. The audience rose to their feet and even some dedicated dudes on my loser floor stood up to cheer them on. However, Wakana’s final high-pitched “ring your BELL” was incredibly cringy and breathy, one of the main reasons I hate the song so much.

Anyway, Kalafina got their break to change costumes and we got an AMAZING performance by the band that played some BGM of the anime “Kubikiri Cycle”. To this day, I don’t know what exact song they played and for the love of god, please SOMEONE TELL ME. I know it was fairly uptempo and rather dark... help pls XD

So far, the stage production was pretty much boring and simple. Other than some light effects, nothing really happened, we just had that huge curtain as background. Now, we finally got ACTION. Well, at least for the eye. They lifted the curtain and revealed those huge, impressing statues of Kalafina’s silhouettes, mostly made out of their past live outfits. I could have spent a long time checking out every part of this artwork, trying to recognize what dresses from which live they used and what not. Now that I watched the DVD, I know where Kalafina was standing, but at the time I didn’t see them AT ALL. The music played the overture and suddenly Keiko was on stage with the other two following her. To me it looked like they stepped THROUGH the middle silhouette, but turns out they were just standing in front of it - they were so far away, I couldn’t differ between them and the clothes behind them lol

(Photo: Hikaru’s “silhouette” with her outfits)

Well, I think I already gave you my opinion on those new dresses... At the time, both Keiko and Wakana looked kinda cool and pretty shiny, but even though I could see jack shit from so far away, I knew that Hikaru’s outfit was a disappointment. Her fucking pants and skirt or whatever that is... XD

I was incredibly looking forward to “Märchen”, as now it became one of my all-time favorite songs. But back then I was especially amazed by the song during their release event of the single in April. I wanted to hear this live again so badly and well... I did, but it wasn’t as good as the release event. Again, Hikaru sounded tired and Keiko and Wakana were fighting about who could be louder than the band. Keiko drowned out Hikaru most of the time... During the middle section we saw their Kala-dance, which I already got to witness during the release event. However, I was pleased to see that they decided to spice things up by showing background animations. It looked like they danced in sinc with themselves, it was truly impressive and such a refreshing use of video. This, as well as the later “Magia” performance made this concert/tour truly stand out and I am glad that they could take their creativity to a new level. I wish they would have continued to do so much more later on.

So, let’s talk about “Magia”. Holy shit, what a performance. The screen from the very beginning was lowered, intro was played, forest was shown, you know it guys. In sync with their live singing, they showed this fucking amazing pre-recorded bits of Kalafina and as I didn’t see this coming, it absolutely blew my mind. It was a psychedelic wtf show with cinema feeling all over the place and for once, the acoustics were actually good. Especially the instrumental part was... I don’t know what it was, but HOLY. SHIT. Truly guys, it was so cool. If there ever was an interview on that particurly performance I would love to read it to how Kalafina thought about this one and how the creation process went. When Keiko stepped in front of the screen it just added to her overall cool demeanor. When the screen was lifted again, we got a little sneak peak of the microphone stands in back.

(Photo: Keiko’s “silhouette” with her costumes)

Which were of course used for “Kyrie”. The DVD version is truly one of my favorite performances of that song and in Kitakyushu it was pretty cool too, especially with their small but effective arm movements. Keiko’s final long-ass “kyrie” was amazing and fairly unexpected from my side. Also some fat light show and big bass sounds, which I am always appreciating.

Next up was “heavenly blue” and here they tried to interact with the crowd once more. I like this song mostly for the kajiurago bridge and I always focus especially on Wakana’s super high “so na” (or whatever), while Keiko is going low at the same time. Wakana was too loud again though, but by now their overall performance and acoustics improved quite a lot.

“One Light” once again activated the crowd, especially Hikaru went crazy here. The atmosphere was amazing and you could just feel that everyone was fired up, singing along and having fun. Everyone just screamed when Hikaru sang “boku wa yukeru”, so cool.

MC#4 was about band introduction. Konno Hitoshi and Sakurada weren’t present if I remember correctly, which was a shame... but then again, I wouldn’t know the difference lol

The last song of the block was their new single at the time, “Into the world”. It was really beautiful, Hikaru finally sang more clearly. A good performance, very similar to the ones I would see from that point on.

We got a little break again, as Kalafina traditionally fake-ended the concert. While the audience was clapping, it took about 5 minutes or so for them to return. But first, the screen was lowered again, and some text, together with the intro for “Ongaku” finally told us to switch on our 9+ONE Lights. Everyone did so and boy, what a sight! Even from so far in the back, the lights in the dark hall looked so great! While of course hundreds and hundreds of people were present, you don’t really get a sense of that sheer number when you focus on the stage the entire time. I looked around and with so many lights illuminating the hall, you truly get a feeling of how many people actually are here with you.

Kalafina returned with their plain, but nevertheless cool black outfits, wearing the little lights themselves and standing on a mini-stage. The song played out as usual, but this time, as Konno Hitoshi wasn’t present and the other violin guy played his solo different than usual. Don’t ask me how it differed, I really don’t remember, but I liked that version a lot more. We got a new cool background too.

“blaze” pretty much business as usual.

(Photo: Wakana’s “silhouette” with her outfits, sorry for the bad quality)

MC#5 was about Hikaru and her beloved sales corner, where she mainly introduced the Kalafina produced goods like Keiko’s pink dumbbell and her bath salt (I think). She talked about the 9+ONE Lights and that they do not produce new lights for each concert, but re-use them every time. That was supposed to increase to sense of unity and connection between them and the fans as well as among the fans themselves, “carrying the fire of every fan and concert to the next” or something like this. As Kalafina had upcoming concerts in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Hikaru said that they would bring the lights to international fans too, so “don’t take them home!”. Well... I guess my ten years of studying Japanese at this point must have failed me in that particular instance because I truly don’t know what she said or meant. I unfortunately ended up taking the ring home. #guiltybutnotguilty #sue me

I think this is also where they talked about the big silhouettes we have seen in the earlier block and that they used dresses from previous performances to decorate them. They then turned around, facing the wall and imitated the poses of the silhouettes - it was super funny and crowd laughed and cheered. I think they lifted the screen of this stained glass pattern to show the silhouettes for direct comparison. (Correct me if I am wrong, but I think they cut out this conversation from the DVD? Not sure, too lazy to check).

We sadly arrived the final song of the setlist, which again should differ at each venue. What song would it be? I hoped for songs like “sprinter” or “Yume no daichi”, as those were among the songs they had already performed during the tour.

Well, back then, they had announced their new single “Hyakka Ryouran”, but it wasn’t released yet (I think we only knew some bits of the chorus at the time). Funnily, I talked about that with the girls I had met prior to admittance, something like “Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if Kalafina performed Hyakka Ryouran as surprise encore?”. I mean, they were no strangers to performing songs that haven’t been officially released yet, see “Into the World” during the Arena Live. But, you know... I thought that would be unlikely, because why should they?

BUT NOT THEY ACTUALLY DID IT! Keiko was like: “Ah, which song will be the final song... Well, how about our new single?”, and the crowd LOST IT. I lost it too XD Seriously, no one could handle that. Anyway, now that I know the full version by heart, it’s hard to describe how I felt back then. Listening to a song for the first time is always an experience, but it makes it hard to remember when you can’t listen to it again and again. I tried to focus on every aspect of the song, and remember it as being “dark”, due to Keiko’s deep intro, “fast” and “rock-like”, fitting into the samurai setting of the anime with its flute elements. I still couldn’t believe my luck though and afterwards, the crowd cheered and cheered.

Now the concert should have been over, but instead they entered MC#6. They talked about the first sing of the night “Samidare ga sugita koro ni”. Apparently, they pretty much have never performed this one live, except once during a fanclub-only event. For this tour they wanted to sing this song “for everyone”, as it is such a bright and warm piece.

So, for whatever reason, Kalafina decided to perform “Samidare ga sugita koro ni” AGAIN. However, this time they emphazised that bright feeling of connected hearts and unity by making us turn on our One Lights and wave along with the rhythm. Everyone loudly sang with them, especially during the “lalala” part towards the end. It was so much fun to listen to Kalafina, to the audience around me and singing along too, all while watching this amazing light show that we were creating ourselves. It was even better and much more carefree than the first performance. Still can’t believe my luck that of all venues of the 9+ONE tour, I got to attend to most unique one.

After that, the band was introduced again, they all held hands and thanked the audience for coming. But just before they wanted to bow, Wakana suddenly sobbed (so loud that I actually heard it lol), trying to wipe away tears. Being in her home prefecture, I figured she was just so overwhelmed by her emotions. Each of the three said some final words and with that the concert and the domestic 9+ONE tour ended.

I proceeded to take photos of the stage, as we were still able to see the big silhouettes. However, staff members appeared and told everyone to stop taking pictures and get the fuck out, probably to stop people from “spoiling” the concert before the DVD release or copyright or whatever. Well, thankfully I already took like 3 photos and managed to sneakily take another one, in order to have a close shot of each silhouette (which is why the third photo of Wakana’s statue is not a close-up like the other too). I left the building, returned to Fukuoka city and 2 days later back to Kanagawa.

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

Despite the sound issues, it was truly a great live experience. 9+ONE would be, along with the 10th Anni, my only “real” Kalafina concert experience, as all the other concerts I attended would either be acoustic or without live band. I am so thankful that I managed to seize the opportunity and attend this live, especially in Wakana’s home. Writing this report again made me remember all those feelings I had back then, now they make me both happy and sad.

Anyway, I hoped you like my updated report!

#kalafina #9+ONE #live #live report #revisited #a bit more details #talk about overdue #fukuoka #never forget

[writingfromkitchenator]

Thorin ~ Total Eclipse of the Heart

800 Followers Challenge!

Requested by Anon

Based on  Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler

Words: 1,425

Warnings: WerewolfAU!, angstish, longing, transformation, violence, smidgen of smut (if you can even call it that).

You and Thorin had been avoiding each other for weeks.

It had been like this since you’d unintentionally joined the party, a lone dwarf on the road, being hunted by something far worse than orcs, only to discover that the company was more than capable of fighting them off too.

You’d wanted to run for it after meeting Thorin’s gaze, both of you knowing instantly, both in what you were and what you could be for each other, but the attack had stopped that, leaving you wounded and a little in awe at the skills of the other dwarves in dealing with them.

Gandalf had been furious, you were meant to be hidden away with a group of rangers further south, but it had never been in your nature to stay in one spot, which was what had gotten you into trouble in the first place.

But you never expected to meet another dwarven werewolf.

The two of you kept distant, not wanting to trust the emotions and the rumours that you’d both found when you’d first been bitten.

It was taking it’s toll though, you kept finding those bright blue eyes staring at you from across the fire, or he would catch you following him unintentionally, your faces always burning furiously when the other caught you.

Neither of you had even mentioned what you were to each other, but even the company could see that there was no need to.

The first real conversation happened after the troll incident, where Thorin had found you staring at him with a frown.

“What?”  He asked with a grunt.

“I’m just wondering why you don’t use it?”  You asked simply.  “It might have it’s disadvantages, but it also has some good ones.”

Thorin’s expression is strained.  “It is a curse, nothing more.  I will risk no harm to those around me.”

“But-”

“It’s not something I’m going to discuss Y/N.”

The silence continued well into the time you spent in Rivendell, Thorin mulling over both your words and your actions as you’d run from the wargs, saving his life in a leap that no normal dwarf could’ve ever performed.

This time, he found you.

“You realise there’s no point in being quiet around me, right?”  You asked as he hesitated behind you as you leant overlooking Rivendell. “I can both hear and smell you.”

He frowns and joins you. “How do you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Tap into it so easily. You could’ve easily missed out there. Someone could’ve gotten hurt.”

You nod.  “Maybe, but that goes for any fight, doesn’t it?  I’m not here to prove my ways to you Thorin, I’m just hoping to understand you a bit more.”

He stared at you, those blue eyes intense.  “And don’t you think I’m trying to do the same to you?”

A smile tugged at your lips. “Most likely, I think we’re both careful for different reason.  You’re afraid to let go of the control you have and I’m afraid of what this will actually mean for me in the long run, of what I could lose; either way, I guess we’ll eventually find out.”

Thorin stared out for a long moment with you, trying his best to ignore what it felt like, of just how much he wanted to reach out and touch you.  “I’m not afraid of losing control.”

“You’re afraid of what you are.”

“And you are not?”

“No.”

He curses in dwarvish and steps away, his mood going dark as he walks away.

You let him go, heart racing a little, not wanting him to go but feeling nothing good would come from it if you followed.

The avoiding started again, even after the two of stepped into battle so easily together in the goblin tunnels.  You knew it was because it called on Thorin’s other side, that he actually growled through a lot of the fighting, but you didn’t dare mention it.

He blamed it on the moon being close later to some of the dwarves and you just shook your head, knowing that he saw you out of the corner of his eye.

It was Beorn that raised it again between the two of you, asking why neither of you had stopped him in his bear form, or at least, tried to.

Thorin denied having the capabilities of doing so.

You sighed heavily.  “Someday you're gonna be wrong, I just hope I'm there to see it.”

He glared at you as you got up from the table.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

You ignore him, leaving the room, Beorn looking between the two of you worriedly.  “It means, Oakenshield, that the nature of the beast can only be denied for so long.”

It did nothing to improve Thorin’s mood.

Then you went toe to toe with Thranduil, not backing down from the Elven King as he threatened you and the company, and while you stood your ground, you also got hurt.

Something that Thorin couldn’t stand.

He didn’t remember much after Thranduil’s blade cut your cheek as you’d taken a step forward, in fact, as you thought about it later, it was lucky that you both survived at all.

While the elves dealt with a werewolf leaping through their halls, you found Bilbo and freed the other dwarves, calling to Thorin as you all escaped.

Outside, attacked by elves and orcs, you joined him over the edge.

You had better control, after teaching and training yourself to have discipline over the years on how much you let go.  Thorin, not so much.

As the company came to a standstill at the end of the river, you shifted back on shore, your cheek stinging slightly, catching your breath as you called for Thorin.

The black werewolf approached you with burning amber eyes.

“I’m okay Thorin,” You said softly as he stood before you, the company keeping their distance, knowing that if anyone could handle this, it was to be you.  “It’s okay.”

He sniffed the air and moved closer, nudging your cheek slightly before licking over the wound. You smiled and leant against him, pressing a hand into his fur.  “It stings a little, but it’s okay.  Right now, we need you back.”

It took him a few minutes, but eventually he managed, looking exhausted.  You helped him stay on his feet and then kept him back as Balin negotiated with Bard to get you into Laketown.

You kept close to him after that, although neither of you seemed to want to look at the other, as if some sort of invisible line had been crossed that neither of you wanted to currently face.

When celebration begun in Laketown, you withdrew from the others, not in the mood to celebrate, your mind working through a lot of things as you looked out over the mountain and just what life was possibly awaiting you there.

“Y/N?”

You hadn’t heard him this time, turning, a little surprised to find Thorin standing there watching you. The two of you didn’t say anything for the longest moment, just standing there staring at each other.

Then he cursed and let his feet carry him forward, lips crashing hard into yours in a hungry growl.

There was no fighting it, not anymore, and neither of you, after all that had happened, could hold back now.

With the tearing of clothes, the bruising of fingers and too much teeth, it was a miracle that you made it to the bed at all, but even then, it meant little as you focused intently on the other.

Growls left Thorin from deep within his chest, answered by your own purrs, growls and whimpers, your scents mingling as you clung desperately to each other, riding out the highs, but neither caring for control.

After, the two of you lay tangle in the sheets together, his arm wrapped protectively around you as you gently nuzzle your nose against his, your fingers trailing through his hair.

You smiled at him as those intense eyes locked with yours.  “What?”

He joins your smile, pressing a kiss to you.  “I didn’t think love would be like this.”

A content sigh leaves you, returning the kiss softly.  “We still have to get to the mountain Thorin.”

“I know,” He said against your lips, his hand cupping your cheek, thumb brushing lazily along your skin. “But for now, I’m glad you were right.”

You just smile wider, pressing your hand over his to keep him there.  “I love you to Thorin, no matter how much it consumes me.”

#the hobbit #thorin #thorin x reader #short #drabbles #werewolf au #800 followers challenge

[frenchly-anxious]

She denied her rapists a closed hearing: Claudine Cordani tells her story

“I wasn’t the one who was supposed to feel ashamed”

Here’s a quick video I just discovered of an amazing French woman, Claudine Cordani. She’s a rape survivor and was, in France, the first minor to make her rapists’ trial go public. Nothing’s graphic in the way she retells it, but obviously, trigger warning for rape.

I did a full English translation because there are only French subtitles. And well, I felt her story deserved to be told as much as possible.

“I am, in France, the first minor who has denied their rapist a closed hearing, and who wanted everybody to be able to come because I wasn’t the one who was supposed to feel ashamed.”

February the 2nd, 1984, Claudine Cordani is kidnapped while exiting the subway. She was 17…

“I’m about to live a few hours of hell, where I’m raped by this 2 men, then they bring me in an apartment, where they actually live, in the suburb.

What I know is: I truly almost died that day. I almost took a bullet, that’s for certain. There. I saw only one pistol in my life, and it was that night.

At some point, the 2 men leave, I stay in the apartment of the 3rd man who was living there… but I hear other voices and when I exit the room, fully dressed and ready to leave, I stumble upon 2 youngsters that I didn’t know, who ask me questions very quickly.

I understand really quickly that they had a disagreement, that morning or the evening before – no, the evening before, and… And well, they’re the ones who give me their names… Thanks to this 2 men, I was able to know the names of my rapists.

The 2 persons I had dealt with, they were 2 well-known thugs who already went to prison before, one was the cousin of the other, and the cousin had been released the day before.”

Immediately after leaving the apartment, she goes to report it to the police.

“I arrived in such a state… my face was burned, they had pissed on me, it wasn’t raining. I mean, well, I was dripping like… I was dripping from a rape, something sordid, really. So, I mean, it was obvious. It was obvious I had just came back from hell.

I was really well taken care off. So yes, I got lucky, because I didn’t have to suffer through another shock. I didn’t have to suffer through another shock in a police station where I was verbally disrespected, in a hospital or in a gynecology service where I was poorly treated*. I didn’t endure that.”

(*note: there, she says in French “mal traité, en deux mots” = “poorly treated (or poorly taken care of), in two words”; she precises “in two words” because “maltraité” means “abused, tortured”)

When she meet the judge for the first time, he tells her that her rapists’ trials will be a closed hearing.

“When he pronounces the words ‘closed hearing’, it’s an expression I don’t know. So I ask him what it means, and he explains: “The closed hearing, because you were a minor at the time it occurred, means no one will be able to enter the room. There will be the president of the Assize Court (criminal trial court in France), the members of the jury, all the persons…”

And that’s it and I told him: “Ah no. Ah no no no.” I said: “Personally, I want the doors to be open.”

And so at this moment, I was refusing the closed hearing. He was astonished.

He’s someone very professional, with a lot of control, who looked at me very calmly and asked me: “Why? Why are you refusing?”

And then, I replied: “But that’s because I’m not the one who’s supposed to be ashamed.”

For me, actually, it was plainly obvious. That’s why I never was ashamed. I mean, I never felt guilt or shame because I’m not the one who should feel ashamed, actually. Let’s set things straight. The shame, it’s not for the victims.

So from there, the doors shouldn’t have to be closed. And I told him: “I want everybody to know. I want everybody to be able to come. I want society to know.” And, the paradoxical thing is, I don’t tell my parents. Well, paradoxical, yes and no, because you can have reasons to do things and reasons not to do them. Because I had decided to press charges and handle things by myself, I was gonna handle it by myself. It meant, and the judge Jean-Pierre Getti understood it, I said– he told me– he exposed to me a real difficulty, because being a minor when it occurred, my parents had to come sign for me if I was refusing the closed hearing. Except – and that’s when he was confronted with something quite unusual I guess – except I didn’t want my parents to know. So I asked him to find a solution.

My big brother, the eldest, came to sign. So he came with me one day to the Palais de justice (law court), he came to sign the papers, he left, I told him ‘Thank you’, and that’s it. I didn’t want to involve them any more, I didn’t want to tell them, I had told my brothers and my sister: “Here’s what happened to me. Here’s the procedure I’m undertaking and we don’t tell the parents about it. I’ll manage.” And still today, I’m managing it.”

At the end of the trial, her 2 rapists were sentenced to 12 and 10 years in prison.

“Personally, the things I wanted when I pressed charges, it was first for justice to be done and prevent them from doing it again to other people, because rapists don’t stop. It means there’s one time, but there are others. And I wanted to be the last they would hurt.

The most important is: we almost died, clearly. We partly died. When I say ‘we’, I don’t only mean women, I mean all the persons, kids, men, who went through this; every person who went through this: it’s a violation of their life. So, after, you have to rebuild your life, and it takes time.”

In France in 2018, among 34 000 persons suspected to have committed acts of sexual violence, less than 5 800 have been convicted.

[In France] An adult rape victim can press charges until 20 years after the rape occurred. A minor victim can press charges during the 30 years after they reached the age of majority.

“I’m asking for rape to be recognized as a crime against humanity. It’s, for me, after doing researches, the only way to remove the statute of limitations. It could help clear up a lot of cases. It could also bring – and it’s what I say at some point in my book – it could bring some kind of sword of Damocles above the head of those people, because us, we do get a life sentence actually. We do get a life sentence. For my part, I still have nightmares of this rape, of course, and during the day I sometime think about it. I do have some techniques to push back those ideas, to think about something else, and I manage differently, I’m almost 54, it’s been more than 36 years and a half, I manage differently. But we do get a life sentence. Those people should, before they even commit such thing, get some kind of sword of Damocles, they should clearly know what they’re risking.”

#trigger warning: rape #tw: rape #rape #rape survivor #claudine cordani #french #learning french #english translation #the shame is not for the victims

[runaway-horses]

The Missing Soulmate: Chapter One

Next>>

Word Count: 800-ish.

Warnings: Mention of anxiety. Let me know if you'd like me to add a warning.

A/N: I just felt like this should he here too. I will be uploading a chapter a day.

Logan stirred to awareness, drawn out of his sleep by a gentle tingling on his arm. He sat up quickly, turning on his light so he could see.

A purple line of ink was tracing its way across his skin. The line continued, gentle movements calm and measured. Logan smiled and reached for a pen of his own.

By the time he found one, the purple lines had formed a picture of a cloud with raindrops falling from it. He uncapped the pen and wrote one his own skin. Salutations. It would appear we are soulmates. My name is Logan.

The purple lines, which were now beginning to add more clouds, stopped immediately. After a minute, the tingling sensation returned. 

Hello Logan… It would appear we are. 

And that was it. Logan waited for a more forthcoming answer. After several more minutes, one came. 

Sorry I’m just, not used to someone writing back. My name is Virgil.

I turned 18 today, so any writing of yours would not have appeared on my skin before today.

Right, yeah, that makes sense. Sorry about the drawing, I hope I didn’t wake you.

Do not apologize, you did awaken me but I did not mind in the slightest. I quite enjoy your drawing.

Right. Well. Goodnight Logan.

Goodnight Virgil.

Logan stares at his arm a while longer, feeling a happy buzz spread through his chest. He had a soulmate.

Over the next few weeks, Logan got to know Virgil better. He learned that his soulmate drew when he was anxious, and his favorite color was purple, which was why he always drew in it. Virgil lived on the other side of the state, far enough that a trip would be very difficult. During the summer perhaps, they would be able to meet.

He was happy, Virgil was happy. It was good.

Then it changed.

Logan was typing an essay, hoping to finish before eight so he and Virgil could have a proper conversation before he went to bed, when he felt a tingle on his arm. Hello? In blue pen was written on the back of his hand. Very odd, Virgil had yet to write in a different color than purple. 

One moment Virgil, I am close to finishing this essay.

But the the familiar purple ink was moving across his skin in hurried movements.

Logan? Who wrote the hello?

The blue ink reappeared. Logan, Virgil? Are those your names? Do I- are you- both my soulmates?

Logan stared at his arm in complete and utter confusion. Was it- could it be possible- that he had two soulmates? Virgil seemed very upset, his handwriting incredibly shaky, and Logan’s protective instincts kicked in. 

Take a deep breath Virgil. Everything is ok. Please remember you breathing exercises. Hello Blue. I am Logan, and the purple is Virgil. And it would appear we are your soulmates.

Virgil’s scrawl reappeared, still shaky. Is that even possible? I’ve never heard of this happening before… 

Well it has happened to us, so it must be possible. I will look into it. In the meantime, I am very curious to get to know our other soulmate. Blue started writing again immediately.

Hello Virgil! Hi Logan! I’m Patton! Gosh, two soulmates.. I guess I got twice as lucky :)

Patton seemed much more chipper and energetic, and his handwriting was almost childish. Fate couldn’t have given him two soulmates more dissimilar, and he couldn’t wait to get to know them.

Virgil would always remember how thrilled he was upon meeting his two soulmates. The owner of the light blue pen and happy notes, Patton was just as supportive and energetic in person. And the red pen that showed up halfway through senior year, Roman somehow managed to be even more extra and romantic in person. The day was as close to perfect as possible.

Except.

It had been a full year since his first message from his soulmates. And the soulmate who wrote that message, wasn’t here today.

He hasn’t received a message from Logan in months. Not a list, not a scribble, not a drop of ink. Roman has never had any messages from Logan at all, being the last to turn 18.

Everything felt off without their final piece. Patton had helped him through several attacks caused by fretting over their missing soulmate.

He has tried contacting Logan every day, even turning to Google to see if he could track him down through social media. To no avail, Logan never wrote back and the internet failed him.

He wasn’t dead, that at least Virgil was sure of. If your soulmate died, you felt it. And in some cases, a black stain appeared on the remaining soulmate’s body.

Virgil checked every day. No black burn. Logan was still alive. But if he wasn’t dead, then why wouldn’t he write?

What had happened to Logan?

#the missing soulmate #lamp/calm #soulmate au #athena rambles #love athena #this is going to be a project #im already tired

[ezilyamuzed]

My Tangerine

Summary: Innocent back and forth between two hunters online turns into a little more. 

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Warnings: Fluff. Angst. Language. Mentions of blood. Decapitation. Drinking.

A/N: This was developed for @frejahertziswritingthistime 800 Follower writing challenge. The trope I picked was  ‘internet pen pals’. I apologize for any grammatical errors, but I am human. Thank you all for taking the time to read this. Any comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! Enjoy! 

It all started off simple enough, just a harmless back and forth conversation with an internet stranger, but it slowly turned into.. much more. About two months ago you were trolling the online group message boards, hoping a case would pop up. Most of them of course had no merit to them. Michael Jackson had not possessed their child. Idjits. You couldn’t help yourself as you were scrolling through while finishing off a bottle of Jack to call them out. To have fun with them if you will. Back and forth arguments about Steve Jobs haunting all Apple™ products kept you amused for the next hour. You were about to call it a night when you received a private message request

 IMPALA67: You seem to know a lot about ghosts.

You rolled your eyes at the screen. Of course you knew about ghosts, you had just took out one the other night. The dirt from the grave site was still stuck under your nails. You were just going to ignore it, but decided to see what this stranger wanted. Maybe they had a case for you to work and were just trying to find someone to help them

Tangerine23: I might know a thing or two.

Tangerine23: Why do you ask?

IMPALA67: I thought it was funny the way you were handling those conspiracy freaks. They don’t seem to know anything about what they are talking about.

Tangerine23: ….

Tangerine23: No. No they don’t. They watch too much Ghostfacers.

IMPALA67: LOL. Yeah, they are douches.              

Tangerine23: So do you just randomly stalk people’s online debates to find people to talk to or do you have a point to all of this?

IMPALA67: Just found you interesting. That’s all.

Tangerine23: If you are a weirdo web stalker that lives in your parent’s basement you really need to find a new hobby.

IMPALA67: I most definitely am not.

IMPALA67: Why were YOU picking arguments with those posers anyways? Maybe you are the weirdo web stalker living in your parent’s basement.

Tangerine23: Maybe I am…you will never know IMPALA67.

IMPALA67: A mystery huh? Okay, I’ll bite.

IMPALA67: So Tangerine, what do you know about ghosts?

The message lingered in front of you as you sat pondering what you should say. Normally you would lie your ass off to any civilian, they would just call you crazy anyways. Even worse have you committed. This was different though, this was an unknown person on the internet. You most likely would never talk to this person, let alone actually meet them. The fifth of whisky you had finished off and your presumptions of the circumstances led you to the simple conclusion. Fuck it.

Tangerine23: More than you will ever know. 

 IMPALA67: Try me.

Hours had past as the two of you traded stories of the encounters you both had endured. Providing each other with little tidbits on some of the more interesting ways you have had to relinquish a pissed off spirit. As the stranger disclosed to you some of the things that would definitely have placed them in the looney bin, you came to only one possible conclusion.

 Tangerine23: You’re a hunter aren’t you???

 IMPALA67: Well I’m sure not gearin after Bambi if that’s what you mean.

 Tangerine23: You know what I mean smartass. You hunt monsters.

IMPALA67: Monday-Friday, every other weekend. Well, depending on the case. I kind of already figured you were one by the way you were talking there.

Tangerine23: I’ve only known a couple of other hunters.

IMPALA67: Maybe you have met me then.

Tangerine23: Unless you are also dead, then no I haven’t.

IMPALA67: Yeah, that’s what comes with the territory unfortunately. Sorry to hear about your friends, I’ve lost a lot of good ones too myself.

 Tangerine23: Never said they were my friends…

 IMPALA67: Lone wolf then?

 Tangerine23: It’s how I work best.

 Tangerine23: Hunter’s tend to be sexiest asshole anyways.

  IMPALA67: …?

  IMPALA67: Wait, you’re a girl?

Tangerine23: Yeah dude. A girl. Got a problem with that?

IMPALA67: Nah, I’ve known quite a few girls that have kicked my ass once or twice. Just talking to you…it was like talking to one of the boys. Shootin the shit, ya know?

Tangerine23: So because I wasn’t all, “Like totally. OMG! Those shoes!” you just assumed.

IMPALA67: You’re a rare bread sweetheart.

Tangerine23: That I am. Not many of us girls getting the job done.

IMPALA67:  So why do you call yourself Tangerine23?

Tangerine23: Well 23 is just a number…

Tangerine23: The other part deals with a song. If you don’t know it, then I don’t think I can continue this conversation any further.

IMPALA67: Tangerine, Tangerine, living reflection from a dream I was her love, she was my queen, and now a thousand years between

IMPALA67: Who doesn’t love Zeppelin?

His comment made you laugh while a smile rose upon your face. No one ever gotten it before. Heck, if it didn’t have anything to do with Stairway to Heaven, most people gave you glossed over looks when you even talked about Led Zeppelin.

Tangerine23: I see you can web search lyrics real quick there.

IMPALA67: If you could only see my tape collection. It’s a good song.

Tangerine23: That it is. Let me guess Impala67 is the year and model of your car?

IMPALA67: That it is.

IMPALA67: My Baby.

Tangerine23: Eh, a ’70 Impala is better…

IMPALA67: YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!

Tangerine23: LOL! Touchy about your car huh? Sorry but I’m a little biased on the models there. I have a ’70 Impala parked right outside that is MY BABY.

IMPALA67: Well I accept your apology, and appreciate your choice in models, but I will have to disagree on your year choice. Clearly you are insane.

Tangerine23: Whatever dude. You know we’ve been at this for like 5 hours now…the sun is rising here.

IMPALA67: Where would that be?

Tangerine23: Like I am going to tell you.

IMPALA67: Okay… so I guess you won’t tell me your name then?

Tangerine23: Correct-a-mundo. Give the man his prize…

IMPALA67: And what prize would that be sweetheart.

Tangerine23: Dude, no.

Tangerine23: But seriously, I need some type of sleep. I got a long drive coming up.

 IMPALA67: Yeah, me too. I got another case in the works.

 Tangerine23: Well good luck with it Impala man.

  IMPALA67: Can I talk to you again?

You sat back staring at the screen. It was nice to talk to someone about, well everything. Too often you lied so much about who you were, that you actually started to forget the truth yourself. An internet pen pal…why not? Someone you could just talk to on the road when you found yourself lonely on the road. Someone you could just be yourself with, without consequences.

Tangerine23: Yeah. Goodnight Impala man.

 IMPALA67: Goodnight Tangerine.

Your drive was going to take you at least a day if you didn’t waste time sleeping or eating. There was a vamp nest on the other side of the country that was catching a lot of attention from the media. Of course they had no clue what was going on. They chalked it up to unusual animal attacks, but after a while of hacking into the coroner’s report you had your proof that there was definitely a case.

By the time you reach hour 15 of your drive you couldn’t take it anymore. You needed a break from staring at the same yellow and white lines along the road go by. You decided to check into a dump off the highway to maybe get something to eat and an hour or two of shut eye.

When you finally fed your hunger, you decided to flop on your bed with your laptop to see if there were any new reports of attacks. You had only been on it a minute when you had the pop up notification on the bottom of your screen that IMPALA67 had sent you another message.

 IMPALA67: I’m dragging ass today. How about you? 

Tangerine23: I’m here, that’s as much as I can say.

  IMPALA67: So besides ganking monsters what do you do for fun?

That was the start of it. Your almost 6 hour conversation about everything and nothing at the same time. The two of you exchanging stories about your past hunts, the interesting people you’ve met, and what you did to pass the time by that was often lonely. It was easy to fall into since he understood what the life was like, for once it was like having a friend.

  IMPALA67: Do you ever wish for the apple pie life?

 Tangerine23: You mean the white picket fence, 2 ½ kids, and a dog life?

  IMPALA67: Yeah, normal.

 Tangerine23: I think I bypassed normal a long time ago.

Tangerine23: I don’t know, it’s just not really in the cards. I couldn’t really see myself settling down like that.  

IMPALA67: Yeah, me too.

IMPALA67: I don’t know, I guess it would just be nice to actually share somethings with. You know?

Tangerine23: Yeah, I get it. It’s a lonely life.

IMPALA67: Yeah. I’m lucky I have my brother, but it may be nice to have someone else around.

Tangerine23: …….

Tangerine23: You hinting at something there Impala man?

IMPALA67: No…

IMPALA67: I guess, yeah. Say you and I were to meet tomorrow, what do you think would happen?

Tangerine23: We wouldn’t know.

Tangerine23: Look, I have to catch some sleep now.

You shut your laptop quick to not look at what he could have possibly responded with. The pit of your stomach felt like butterflies were going a thousand miles a second. Meeting him…this stranger. The stranger you met on the internet that you felt so comfortable exposing your true self to. Were you crazy? This was how serial killers find their prey. Humans were the worst monsters of them all. They had too many emotions going on that they usually picked the one that was the strongest. Yours right now bordered on fear and what was that? Infatuation? It had been so long since you had felt like this before. The last time you felt like this it ended horribly. End of your steel blade, horribly. There was no way you would ever let that happen again. You would not let yourself fall down that rabbit hole.

After a couple of hours of sleep you found yourself back on the road once more, picking up speed along the way trimming some time off your journey. You found a crappy motel in town that would make due for your base camp. As long as there was Wi-Fi and a bed you were set.

You pulled out your laptop to check out anything that could be found about the town, local hang outs, abandoned houses, the kind of places that screamed nest. You noticed a lingering message icon on the bottom of your screen. It was probably him. You hesitated before clicking on it to read what he said.

IMPALA67: Sorry if I had freaked you out. I just think you are a pretty interesting person, if you don’t want to talk to me anymore it is fine, I get it. Take care of yourself Tangerine.

Ugh! How could this guy be so sweet and understanding? He was literally making you sick to your stomach now, mostly from the guilt that you just shut him out so quickly. This was just an internet friendship. Two hunters shooting the shit. What was the harm really in that?

You stared at his message for quite a while, contemplating your words. You didn’t want to lead him on, but the last couple of days felt so nice. Being able to talk to someone else. Someone who got it. Got you.

Tangerine23: No, it’s fine. I had just really needed sleep.

You went to go and grab a beer from the 6 pack you bought earlier when you heard the computer chime with another message. You sat yourself back into the dusty chair in front of the screen to read the message.

 IMPALA67: I get it. Hell I needed sleep too.

 IMPALA67: What kind of case are you working on?

Tangerine23: One that is driving me up the walls right now. I can’t find the link anywhere.

 IMPALA67: Care to share some details? Maybe I can help.

 Tangerine23: And have Mr. IMPALA swoop in on my case? No thanks.

 IMPALA67: Alright then. The cliff notes.

 Tangerine23: Something alive killing a whole bunch of people.

 IMPALA67: Well that really narrows it down lol.

Tangerine23: Small town with very little suspects.

IMPALA67: Small towns usually mean small town bars. Everyone knows everyone in them. That’s where I would probably start. If anything I’m sure you could use the drink during your investigation.

Tangerine23: You have no idea.

IMPALA67: I would try that first before running around crazy into abandoned buildings. You don’t know what you will walk into.

 IMPALA67: I know you will disagree with me, but having back up isn’t a crazy idea.

 Tangerine23: I’m good on my own. 

 IMPALA67: Just watching out for you.

 Tangerine23: …..

IMPALA67: I mean, I don’t really want to lose this fun pen pal I’ve met. Kind of stubborn, but easy to talk to. Lol

Tangerine23: I’ll be fine. Actually I am going to check out somethings now while I still have a couple of hours.

Tangerine23: Talk to you later.

IMPALA67: You better. Stay safe Tangerine.

You decided to drive around the town for a bit while checking out the locals. This town screamed the white picket fenced life. Hell there was a coffee shop with a huge advertisement for homemade pies that you knew IMPALA67 would love. As he entered your thoughts you tried to shake it off. Got to get your head in the game. A run down bar appeared in the distance as the sun was starting to set. You shrugged while thinking ‘what the hell’. Maybe it did have answers for you in there. It definitely had the beer you needed.

When you walked you there was only a couple of people sitting around the bar. They looked like they were permanent fixtures in this place. You found a stool near the end where your back could be against the wall so you could keep your eyes open for anything strange and suspicious walking in. The bar tender brought you your beer while you just sat back and waited.

About two hours had past when a group of very pale 80’s looking rockers all fumbled in together. Your instincts screamed vampires as they walked to a back corner booth. The son of a bitch was right. A tall brunette man with a leather jacket and torn jeans led them in. He was definitely the leader of the group. He was going to be the prize fight tonight.

You found yourself watching them carefully, noting their antics as they interacted with one another. Some of the others watched the other bar patrons walk in while showing the hunger in their eyes. They were going to find someone right here, tonight. Out of the corner of your eye you saw someone walking towards you. You reached into your jacket pocket slowly as they drew closer to you, feeling the handle of your machete that hid underneath.

 “Hey there sweetheart.”

You looked over at the deep voice, ready to attack. There stood a tall muscular man with the brightest damn green eyes you had ever seen. He gave you a half smile as he placed his hand on the stool next to you to sit himself down.

 “Get lost buddy,” you snapped.

He stepped back and put his hands up in defense. “Sorry there sweetheart. I just noticed you were sitting here all by yourself. I figured you would want the company.”

 “I’m spoken for buddy,” you lied.

He nodded his head and went to go sit down with a long haired guy who was holding back his laughter. Stupid men. Just then you saw that the vampire leader was starting to motion to the group that they were going to take off. You quickly fixed yourself up as you jumped down from the stool. Show time.

 “Oh, my…” you cried as you “tripped” into the leader. He had caught you and pulled you up to his gaze. “I’m so sorry sugar, I must have had a bit too much tonight. I guess I am a little clumsy.”

 “That’s alright there Darlin,” he replied with the smell of iron lingering in his breath and a malicious smile rising upon his lips. “We can get you home safe.”

 “Well that would be mighty kind of you mister,” you smiled your most innocent smile you could muster. Damn your acting skills were good.

He led you outside by placing his hand at the small of your back, slowly rubbing it back and forth. The others in the group all chattering amongst themselves while displaying devilish grins toward you. You were going to be their dinner, but little did they know they weren’t going to get the chance.

Walking around to the back of the building you slowed yourself a bit, pushing yourself back into the leader’s hand. Were they going to do it here? You turned to face him, as he was licking his lips hungrily. Your hand shot to the inside of your jacket to grab the hidden machete, but the strong force of his hand across your face made you stumble down, hitting your head hard on the ground. You tried to get up quickly, but your vision was foggy along with an intense ringing in your ears. Someone was on top of you now, trying to push their mouth down to your neck as you swung and pushed back with all the strength you could. There was muffled yelling in the distance that you couldn’t make out as you fought your attacker. You managed to push them up just quick enough to feel the hot splatter of his blood across your face. You pushed the headless body off of you while you sat up, rubbing the blood off from your face. Your vision cleared enough to see the guy who had hit on you in the bar with his long haired friend standing above you with machetes in hand. Hunters.

“You alright miss?” The long haired one asked while reaching for you hand to pull you up. You ignored it and pushed yourself to your feet, rubbing your dirty and bloodied hands on your jeans.

“Just peachy,” you replied.

“I’m Sam, this is Dean,” he stated while pointing over to the green eyed flirt behind him.

“Good for you,” you said while pushing yourself past him.

“You were attacked, those things were not human,” he started to say, but you quickly turned to him with a scowl.

“No shit Sherlock,” you sarcastically replied.

“Do you need a ride someplace?” Dean asked while watching you look around to where you parked.

“No, asshat, I got it,” you said while collecting your bearings. You walked away angrily at them, but it was really mostly at yourself. How stupid could you have been to let them get a one-up on you. That was almost bad. You had really cut it too close that time. If it hadn’t been for the two guys showing up, you would have been the main course. You got into your car and punched the steering wheel releasing your frustration on it.

“Son of a bitch.”

After taking a much need hot shower, you passed out in your hotel room until early afternoon the next day. Your stomach grumbled that you needed food, and coffee was going to be a necessity to get you through the rest of your day. The small coffee shop in town that advertised the pies sounded like the best choice. After ordering you sat down at a table towards the back that was hidden behind a low wall so you could go through the web to find your next case in peace.

Others were coming in and out as the hours passed, but you weren’t paying attention to them as you searched through the web for anything that looked suspicious. An incoming messaged popped up on the screen that made a smile form across your face.

 IMPALA67: How did the case go?

Tangerine23: Shitty, but it’s all taken care of now. How is yours going?

You heard a familiar ding almost as soon as you hit send, but it wasn’t coming from your screen. You shrugged it off awaiting his reply.

IMPALA67: It was a bit messy but it’s done. A civilian was stuck in the middle of all of it.

Tangerine23: That is always hard when civilians get stuck in the crossfire.

There was that damn ding again right after you hit send on the keyboard. You peaked your head over the wall a bit to see the same two guys from the night before sitting on the other side. The green eyed one typing on the computer in front of him.

IMPALA67: Yeah, she called me an asshat.

Your eyes widened as you read his reply. IMPALA67 was right there. The man you had been fighting feelings for was less than two feet away from you. A wall only dividing the truth. You watched him as he happily took a bite of apple pie while waiting for your response. This was it, you could fall down the rabbit hole or run away.

Tangerine23: Enjoying your apple pie?

You quickly and quietly packed up your stuff to sneak out the back, away from his sight as the nervousness hit you while tapping the send button. What had you done? You didn’t even stick around to see him staring at his screen in confusion while also looking around the shop to see if any one there could be you.

As you walked out you saw it, the sleek black ’67 Chevy Impala. You ran your fingers over her hood while appreciating her beauty. She was gorgeous. You leaned up against her and pulled out your phone to get to the messenger app, Sam and Dean walking out at the same time. Dean had a look of furry on his face that someone was on his baby as he stomped over but you just held up one finger while typing, stopping him in his tracks. You then held out your phone’s screen for him to read. He furrowed his eyebrows while leaning down his face to read it, the shock rising up in his face as he reread what it said.

Tangerine23: Hello IMPALA67.

He looked up with a shine in his green eyes. A smile growing so wide that every line in his face became deeper in pure happiness.

               “My Tangerine.”

#pen pals #my tangerine #tropechallenge #supernatural #spn fanfic #dean x reader

[douchebagbrainwaves]

HACKERS AND RESEARCH

Odd as it might sound, we tell startups that they should try to make relativity strange. Are they hypocrites?1 If the world were static, we could have done it by fixing something that they thought ugly.2 One thing you can say about it. To the extent there's any difference between the people who'd been out in the world just switched them from bad to good.3 Practically every successful startup, including stars like Google, presented at some point to investors who didn't get it and turned them down. When you hear such labels being used, ask why. With the rise of the middle class.4 The central issue is picking the right companies, is also the hardest. However, that doesn't mean you should talk like some kind of paternal responsibility toward employees without putting employees in the position of children. Then all you have to do to create an environment where startups condense, none are great sacrifices.

Both make sense here. Where should one look for it? If you try to start a startup. As with gangs, we have no idea what the number should be than you do. Would we be just as well without, however, you'll start to get sued, no matter what your lifespan was.5 It's conversational resourcefulness.6 Those in the print media.7 I think what holds back European hackers is simply that they don't meet so many people complain about software patents stifling innovation, but when a few people in a company financed by selling a VW bus and an HP calculator. So while I stand by our responsible advice to finish college, then go work for a big company, or have been outmaneuvered by yes-men and have comparatively little influence.8

Michelangelo was not trying to teach you important truths about aesthetics. I never reach them through the Times front page. But events like Demo Day only account for a fraction of matches between startups and investors.9 They're increasingly rare, and they're expected to spackle over the gaps with gratuitous transitions Furthermore. They're not allowed to include the numbers, and only take money from investors one at a time. It was pretty advanced for the time.10 There's room not merely to equal Silicon Valley, but to serve a ruler powerful enough to enforce taboos, but weak enough to need them. The VCs will have to be careful to avoid if he happened to set his time machine for Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1992.11

But other considerations can outweigh the advantages of moving. Intriguingly, this implication isn't limited to books. The patent office has been overwhelmed by both the volume and the novelty of applications for software patents, and as a result. If you fire or avoid toxic customers, you can often do it better if you're not.12 Northern Italy in 800, off warlords would steal it. Nothing will teach you about angel investing like experience.13 Go find some users and see what they need. So despite the huge number of software patents generally. If you're eating at a restaurant you suspect is bad, your best bet is to order the cheeseburger. I think it's because hackers have intrinsically higher principles so much as that their skills are easily transferrable.14 When you have small children, there are a lot of hand-wringing now about declining market share. If founders become more powerful.

It can take years to learn how companies work.15 When you negotiate terms with a startup, I have to bother being diplomatic with a British audience. They just want to get a job. The problem is, the huge size of current VC investments is dictated by the structure of VC funds, not the needs of startups. The before the number if you really believe you've made an exhaustive list. We weren't sure at the time. In fact, this is part of the language, and adults use them all the time. The solution may be some hybrid of investment and acquisition: for example, they're often reluctant to redo parts that aren't right; they feel they've been lucky to get that far, and if they take it, they'll be out of business, even if you forget the experience or what you read, the less likely it would be possible to reproduce Silicon Valley in another country, it's clear the US is a particularly humid environment. Perhaps what practice does is train your unconscious mind to handle tasks that used to be like.16

Things that used to require conscious thought. Like chess or painting or writing novels, making money is a very hard question to answer in the general case. It's inconvenient to do something expensive and custom. People just produce whatever they want online without worrying whether it's work safe.17 And it can't have been heredity, because it would cause the founders' attitudes toward risk tend to be interesting. There's also a newer way to find startups. The opportunity is a lot of the people working there.18 He never referred directly to the users. Business is a kind of semantic deficit spending: they knew new things were coming. And if, as nearly everyone who knows agrees, startups are taking charge of their own stock in later rounds.

Their unconscious mind decides for them, shrinking from the work involved. If you want to avoid directly engaging the main body of the enemy's troops. There are also a couple things you could do to beat America, design a town that puts cars last. A lot of the money. This rule is left over from a time when the fast-growing startup overpaying for infrastructure. And God help you if you thought things you didn't dare say out loud.19 That first million is just worth so much more important than low cost.20 Web it was harder to reach an audience or collaborate on projects. So we have no data about what it takes to get from the first one to write a check, limited by their guess at whether this will make later investors balk. Because they personally liked it.21

Notes

I spent some time trying to make the argument a little if the founders of the world of the auction. Globally the trend in scientific progress matches the population curve.

If we had to work in research too. At the seed stage our valuation was in logic and zoology, both your lawyers should be taken into account, they have to mean the hypothetical people who should quit their day job might actually be bad if that got fixed.

Hypothesis: A company will be regarded in the US. It turns out to be started in 1975, said the things startups fix. I were doing Viaweb again, that you could get a job after college, but only because like an undervalued stock in that sense, if you hadn't written it? We didn't swing for the manager of a problem this will help you in a non-corrupt country or organization will be weak: things Steve Jobs tried to motivate people by saying Real artists ship.

So the cost of having employers pay for stuff online, if you repair a machine that's broken because a friend who invested earlier had been Boylston Professor of Rhetoric at Harvard Business School at the bottom of a place where few succeed is hardly free. In Boston the best are Goodwin Procter, Wilmer Hale, and the restrictions on what you learn about programming in Lisp, because talks are usually more desperate for money.

If you're doing.

Cost, again. Max also told me they like the increase in trade you always see when restrictive laws are removed. Few consciously realize that species weren't, because Julian got 10% of the number of situations. If you're part of their pitch.

Auto-retrieving filters will have to want them; you don't get any money till all the difference. To do this would do it is probably part of creating an agreement from scratch. This is isomorphic to the yogurt place, we found Dave Shen there, and Foley Hoag.

I wonder if that got fixed. What drives the most successful ones. That's because the remedy was to backtrack and try another approach. It would have disapproved if executives got too much to say exactly what they're building takes so long to send a million dollars in liquid assets are assumed to be located elsewhere.

The way to tell them about your conversations with VCs suggest it's roughly correct for startups to have to be considered an angel. There are fields now in which only a sliver of it in B.

An hour old is not whether it's good, but art is brand, and partly because so many still make you register to try to become one of the anti-dilution, which wouldn't even cover the extra cost. I'm saying you should probably fix. The dictator in the country would buy one. They might not have raised: Re: Revenge of the previous two years, dribbling out a chapter at a 30% lower valuation.

No. The empirical evidence suggests that if you pack investor meetings too closely, you'll be well on your board, there are few who can say I need to import is broader, ranging from 50 to 6,000. Some people still get rich by creating wealth—wealth that, isn't it?

Plus one can ever say it again. Default: 2 cups water per cup of rice. Believe me, rejection still rankles but I've come to writing essays is to use them to. 5%.

In Russia they just don't make their money if they were offered were so bad that they only even consider great people. There need to warn readers about, like good scientists, motivated less by financial rewards than by the financial controls of World War II, must have had a broader meaning. Y Combinator.

166. Hypothesis: Any plan in 2001, but it's not inconceivable they were buying a phenomenon, or that an idea that investors don't like to cluster together as much the effect of low salaries as the little jars in supermarkets. How can I make this miracle happen? But that being part of your last round of funding rounds are at selling it.

You've gone from guest to servant. Comments at the 30-foot table Kate Courteau designed for us! 7 reports that one Calvisius Sabinus paid 100,000, because she liked the iPhone SDK.

I've deliberately avoided saying whether the 25 people have responded to this day, thirty years later. The moment I do, just as much difference to a degree that alarmed his family, that they don't yet get what they're selling and how good they are in love with their users. Now we don't use Oracle. When you fix one bug happens to compensate for another.

What drives the most dramatic departure from his family, or liars.

Another promising idea is the stupid filter, which have remained more or less, is deliberately vague, we're going to call them whitelists because it made a million dollars in liquid assets are assumed to be more precise, and average with the high score thrown out seemed the more subtle ways in which I warn about later: beware of getting rich, purely mercenary founders will do worse in the computer world, and for filters it's textual. You'd think they'd have something more recent. MSFT, having sold all my shares earlier this year.

Wave.

But that turned out to be a predictor of low quality though.

I call it ambient thought.

#automatically generated text #Markov chains #Paul Graham #Python #Patrick Mooney #principles #deficit #applications #US #cost #remedy #ways #question #considerations #idea #companies #implication #design #part #cars #users #rewards #money #quality #organization #till #projects #Demo #acquisition #matches

[brisbaneweddingphotographer2001]

Brisbane Wedding Photography

Everything you ever wanted to know about wedding photography but were too afraid to ask!

Published by Brisbane Wedding Photographer Ben Clark

So, you’re getting married and have discovered that finding a wedding photographer can be a bit harder than you thought ! Well I’ve put together a few tips that might just make things a little bit easier. A handful of questions that I get asked on a regular basis.

I’ll try answer a few wedding photography questions I’m often asked

These days everyone is a photographer, if you own a smartphone with a decent camera then hey guess what, you’re a photographer too !

When it comes to your wedding you really want to know that your chosen photographer has the correct systems in place to look after your priceless memories, I’m talking about backing up your files. The AIPP (Australian Institute of professional Photographers) has a strict list of membership requirements. These include having all the correct insurances in place. Then there is the accreditation process that every member must complete, basically this means we photograph consistently to a professional level. I myself am an accredited AIPP approved professional (Master) Photographer (I can hear your oohs and ahhs)

Why the heck does wedding photography cost so much ? Well hey I’m glad you asked. There’s an awful lot of wedding photographers out there charging a variety of different prices, some include all day coverage and some charge out at an hourly rate. Either way you can rest assured that however long your photographer spends with you on your wedding day he or she will spend 3 times longer in post processing, basically taking a great image and making it freaking awesome ! Making it the best it can be, and lets be honest, it’s your wedding day, you want to look your best right ? If you’re looking at albums then you can most likely add an extra couple of days to the post processing time as there is the design and layout of your gorgeous album. We also have things like new cameras & lenses, software , back up systems, all of these things are expenses that we carry every year. This is just the cost of running a business and it‘s not cheap but you can rest easy knowing that your precious images are well taken care of and you won’t see me on your TV Sunday night getting chased by a camera crew and a bunch of angry brides demanding their images. My albums are all Australian made (handcrafted) and I make sure that they are the best quality available, if you’d like a Chinese made inferior product that will most likely fall apart after 2 years I’m probably not your guy.

Ok so what happens if you’re sick ? This one I hear a lot, and it really is a great question, my answer is very simple. What if, on your wedding day you woke up feeling a bit average ? You’d probably still turn up yeah ? Well unless I’ve broken my leg or come down with Malaria I’ll be there too ! Now it would be irresponsible of me not to mention that I also have a very large network of wedding photographers that I can call on if for some reason I am ill, in the 15 years (800 weddings) that I’ve been photographing weddings this has never happened.

Do we need two photographers ? The simple answer is nope. I shoot 98% of all my weddings solo, on the odd occasion I will use a second photographer. Usually if you’re having more than 200 guests or if you specifically WANT a second photographer then in those cases sure you can have one. But otherwise it’s not necessary and don’t let anyone tell you that you NEED two photographers because it’s just not true.

I only have budgeted $750.00 for photography, will I find someone ? Sure you will, there are photographers for all budgets but you will have to compromise somewhere. It will most likely mean that he or she won’t belong to a professional body or that maybe they’re just starting on their journey as a wedding photographer. It all comes back to doing your research and meeting face to face with your potential photographer. Price is always going to be a deciding factor but if your photographer yells at your family & leaves an hour early then you’ll be left with that ‘I think we booked the wrong person’ feeling. So research, ask questions, if you can’t meet face to face then ask for a Face-time meeting. I get monthly emails from unhappy Brides wanting to re-shoot their day as their photographer made a mess of it, by then it’s too late. If you’re having trouble choosing your photographer take a look here.

Do we need to feed you ? During the day us photographers will generally look after ourselves, I would usually try and grab a bite to eat after I leave the girls and on the way to the ceremony. Having said that it’s not always possible. Imagine you’re getting ready and getting married with reception all at the same venue, there is zero opportunity to be able to grab something to eat on the way to the ceremony as it’s generally a 5 minute walk to the location. Then once the ceremony is over it’s straight into hugsNkisses and then straight into bridal party shenanigans. After we’ve spent about an hour and a half with the bridal party out on location we’re heading back to the reception, we must get our room shots / tables shots BEFORE your guests are let into the room, this leaves us with a window of normally around 10-15 minutes if we’re lucky. Sometimes we arrive back to find that the guests are already in, not the end of the world but not ideal to get those nice room shots. So after we’ve done our room shots and the guests are being seated it’s game on for the reception, so again zero down time. It’s go go go without a break, the last break we had was just before meeting the boys at the ceremony, and that wasn’t really a break, more of a slow down. So the wedding reception has started and you’re feeling excited for what the evening will bring, I’ll be there capturing all of those moments, this is why we ask for a meal, the reception timeline just doesn’t allow us to leave and have dinner. Ideally if asked by your venue coordinator when your photographer would like their meal the perfect time is when you are having yours, then we can down tools without worrying that the speeches are about to start. Although the reality is that most venues will serve up meals to the bridal party and then all the guests and only after everyone has been sorted will they look after your service providers, photographer, band, Dj, etc .. The problem here is that sometimes, by the time we get to sit the speeches are about to kick off again and our dinner becomes a ‘lets see how much food I can stuff into my mouth before the MC gets to introducing the next speech maker’ type deal.

Should I have an unplugged wedding ?

We live in a modern world, one that allows us to have a mobile device on us almost 24/7. The downside of this at weddings is when you’re walking down the aisle and in front of you is a sea of mobile phones. Now I know that if I were you I’d probably be wanting to see smiling faces rather than phones. Seriously though, what the heck is Uncle Harry going to do with those 20 shots of you walking down the aisle? I’m sure you don’t really want images up on Facebook before you even reach the end of the aisle? I’m all for an unplugged wedding, but don’t do it for me, do it for you. Your guests  can happily snap away before and after your ceremony but give them permission to enjoy it with phones off.

I’m thinking of hiring a Videographer what do you think ? I have worked with both awesome & less than average videographers, again it comes back to doing your research and a face to face meeting. I have written up a whole post dedicated to this one subject. But in short I have a list of terrific videographers that I recommend and am happy to share with those that love what I do. Brisbane Wedding Photographer

Ben Clark Photography

https://benclarkphotography.com.au See our latest work: https://benclarkphotography.com.au/latest-weddings-gallery/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/benclark69/brisbane-wedding-photography Twitter: https://twitter.com/BenClarkPhotog Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/benclarkphotography/ Instagram: https://instagram.com/benclarktog/

#wedding photography #wedding planner #Wedding #photography

[galpalaven]

Xeranthumum and Samara

Xeranthemum - Eternity, Immortality

under a cut again because length. again.

Asari do not think like other species.

The coming decades that might be an entire salarian or human’s adulthood, is merely a blink of an eye in the asari lifespan. A few decades is nothing, compared to a millenium—or possibly more, if you were one to believe in superstition and conspiracy theories.

(They are not as robust as the krogan, though meeting asari like Aria T’Loak sometimes leaves Samara wondering how many more years she could theoretically get out of this body. 800 years and she hasn’t reached the Matriarch phase just yet.)

When Morinth—Rana, Samara thinks, watching the nebula pass outside the window of the observation deck, my Rana—finally draws her last breath, Samara realizes that perhaps there is something to that human saying: 

“The years are starting to weigh on me.”

She has not been able to sleep normally, in the past few day cycles on the Normandy, and her meditating has only brought her so much calm since that moment.

Samara feels—older, she wants to say, but she’s not sure what that means. She’s nearly 500 years into her Matron years, and yet she’s never felt quite like this. Old and tired, like she almost wants to give it all up and sleep until there is nothing left of her but bones—bones and stardust.

When Shepard comes to visit, as a part of her daily rounds, she doesn’t turn her away this time. She doesn’t have to, because Sun doesn’t try to talk—instead, she simply pads quietly across the floor and settles into position beside her, letting out a long, quiet breath. After a beat, Samara feels a shift in the energy of the room as Shepard’s biotics flare, and she smiles a little.

If nothing else, she seems to have passed on a healthy habit.

The silence, as always, does not last.

“What is it like?” Shepard asks softly, and when Samara turns curiously, she finds the Commander’s eyes trained on the window. “I couldn’t imagine being able to live centuries.”

That’s not the question she was expecting, and it makes her wonder…no. Humans have no psycho-telepathic tendencies. It’s just a lucky guess.

“I have not really given it much thought until recently,” Samara replies after a moment, looking back out the window as well. “When the ability to live centuries upon centuries is built into your very DNA, you don’t often try to think what life might be like if you were only allowed to live one of those centuries.”

“And not even all of it, in our case,” Sun says amiably, and Samara sees her grinning out of the corner of her eye. “We get maybe 60-80 years out of ours, before we either get to old to want to move, or too sick. And then we’re basically children for 20 years, too. Not a lot of time to get in a lot of adventuring.”

Samara hums. “No, I suppose it isn’t. You, however, seem to be doing better than most.”

Shepard laughs, tilting her head back, and Samara sees something of her youngest daughter, Falere. It makes her heart ache.

“Good point,” Shepard finally says, nodding. “I’m doin’ my best, at least, and that’s all that matters, right? Still…living that long, especially if you’ve got people to live that long with, well—it must be nice.”

“I suppose. I wouldn’t really know, though, having isolated myself as I did. This is…the first time I have traveled with companions in a long time.”

“Yeah, you mentioned.” She shifts again, so that she can lean her back against the sofa, still carefully not looking at Samara. “I know you’re not technically immortal, but it would feel like it, to me. Being able to live 1000 years—that’s gotta be incredible. I was talking to my friend about that once, back on the other Normandy—she was a Prothean researcher, see—and I pointed out to her once that if, assuming her parental line was all consistent, then she’s not all that far removed from the Protheans. 50,000 years is 50 mothers’ lifetimes, in asari years, isn’t it? It’s only been 50 mothers since the Protheans ruled the galaxy.”

Samara blinks, tilts her head and considers that. Such a thought makes her life feel—both much smaller and much larger than it had a moment ago. “I suppose you’re right.”

She can hear the smile in Shepard’s voice. “My mom and I used to talk about stuff like that. She—she didn’t exactly believe in reincarnation, but dad was a scientist. Energy can be neither created nor destroyed, you know? And she always said I had an old soul.”

“Yes, I’ve heard that expression before. What—how can you tell?”

Shepard shrugs. “Dunno. Mom always said I was destined for greatness. That my soul’s probably been around since the beginning of the universe, doing good things and fighting the good fight. Mind, this was back when all I wanted to do was make music.” She giggles again, shaking her head. “Mom saw me for who I was more than I did, sometimes, I think. Or at least, who I was going to be.”

“A mother’s intuition,” Samara sighs, smiling when Shepard grins more. “That seems to be something that translates perfectly between out cultures.”

Shepard hums, watching the nebula pass the window, leaning her cheek on the cushions of the couch now. “Immortality is inconceivable to me, and a thousand year lifespan is getting pretty close to immortality.”

“I knew a krogan warlord once that was already pushing 1200 when I met him.”

“Good god.” Sun shakes her head. “I see eternity when I look out at the galaxy like this, but—what do you see, when you already live so long? Do you see the same thing, or do you see—something else?”

“That’s what I find so comforting, I think,” Samara says quietly. “So many things can change in 100, 500, 1000 years planetside, but the stars—aside from your occasional supernova, they never change. Or at least, I will never live to see them change. It grounds me. Humbles me. Reminds me that my life, though longer than most, is still only a small piece of an infinite universe.”

A small piece of an infinite universe, playing a small part in tandem with a very large, important piece of galactic history—a piece that is currently still sitting cross-legged beside her in fluffy, Blasto-print pajama bottoms.

“…my dad used to have this theory, about the universe,” Sun continues after a beat. “He used to talk about how all the particles and molecules that make up our bodies have been around since the dawn of the universe. Used to say that, maybe, sometimes some of those particles imprint on each other, and every new life we have, they’re drawn to particles that they were near in the beginning.”

“Quantum entanglement,” Samara replies quietly, and Sun frowns, tilting her head.

“Sort of, but not quite. I think it was just his way of explaining cross-species relationships to the preachy old ladies down at the colony diner, to be honest, but…it makes a strange sort of sense. Why all of these things come together so perfectly, in just the way they need to, with just the people who need to be there. Why the people who have come to mean so much to me, particularly the aliens, have come to mean so much to me. We have so much in common for being completely different lifeforms—who’s to say it’s not because our souls were created together in the beginning, and that they try and find their way back to each other every time we move to a new body?” 

That…makes a lot more sense than Samara had been expecting. Perhaps humans are not as blind and stupid as a lot of people seem to think.

Before she can say anything about this, Shepard lets out a huff of air, shaking her head as she moves to stand. 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to get all—philosophy on you. I came down here to ask if you wanted to watch a vid in,” she pauses to check her omni-tool, “five minutes with me.”

Samara smiles as Shepard rises to her feet, wobbling slightly. “Just you?”

Shepard shrugs. “Well, me and…Kasumi and Kira and Tali and Garrus and Thane and Jacob and Grunt and—”

Samara cuts Shepard off with a laugh. “Sounds like fun. Count me in.”

She looks surprised by that. “Really?”

Samara reaches out and lets Shepard pull her to her feet, squeezing her hand just for a moment before letting go. “Eternity can wait. Perhaps it’s time I started investing in friendship again.”

Shepard tilts her head, so small in her oversized pajamas, and a full five inches shorter than her. “Couldn’t hurt too much. You can always leave whenever you want, anyway.”

Samara smiles and nods. “An excellent point. After you, Shepard.”

Asari do not think like other species…

But maybe they should. At least every once in a while.

I uh got a little deep there.

FLOWERS AND PROMPTS

#my writing #sun shepard #samara #i kinda like the way this turned out actually #mass effect #verpine95 #kiana answers

[getyouraoion]

Another drabble for @riseofthephoenixfallofdestiny​  <3333

~Aster and Aoi have been dating for well over a year now, even moving in together shortly after her graduation. He’s even starting to open up some, which thrills the charmer duelist... But it also opens up the possibility for all kinds of nasty surprises, including one with ties to Aster’s past.

Warnings for kidnapping, electric shocks, and death mentions.

Part 2 of 2.

Aoi groaned, rubbing at the tingling skin around the shock collar. With only a few hundred points left, she couldn't afford another mistake, glancing from the Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier and the canon behind her to the cards in her hand. She'd been dragging the duel on for an hour, taking her time and cracking jokes, but no matter her move, it had to be her last turn. With a wave-motion canon on the field and having been sitting there for six turns just for the humiliation of being thoroughly defeated, she'd either win, or probably die from the resulting force of the shock the attack and canon would give her.

And with only a Magician's Valkyria on her field, boasting a hundred points less attack strength than the princess, she was ultimately done for without a good draw. But how could she draw when her hands kept shaking so badly? How had Zane gotten so addicted to this? If not for the fact she was trying to keep Aster safe, she'd definitely have run home after the first three turns, when the biggest shocks had hit. Underground dueling definitely wasn't for everyone, apparently, and if she had her way, it'd never bother either of them again.

Trembling fingers slowly pulled the next card from her deck, eyes drifting closed. If this wasn't something good, then he'd be getting his hands on Aster... She didn't care what happened to her, but like hell she'd let anyone touch him! “My move-”

“Taking your sweet time about it, too. Come along now, kid. You met your match. Give in and let me have him.”

Her captor's snide tone made her blood boil; how was he so certain he'd win? Sure, he'd managed to destroy all her charmers but Hiita, the familiar-possessed spellcaster sitting her her hand. Even combining her with the Unpossesed trap active on her field wouldn't help, the raven lifting her new card to peek at...

And instantly breaking out into a smile.

“Hey, remember m' charmers?” she called out, plucking the fire charmer from her hand to summon. “Y' met wind, light, an' earth, but never fire. So I think it's time for you t' meet the girl that changed destiny f' both me and Aster, Familiar-possessed Hiita!” The angry sound from her charmer made her lips quirk into a grin and her opponent's into a smirk; oh, how she was going to cherish wiping that smirk off his face! “Next up, Th' field spell secret village of the spellcasteers! S' long as I have a spellcaster out, you can't use your spell cards – An' I've got two. So guess that means y' won't be beating m' next turn, huh? Not that you'll get a next turn.”

Her kidnapper sighed, making a grand show of examining his fingernails while the stage around them filled with holographic branches and trees, creating the small hidden village pictured on the card she placed. “And I can destroy it next turn. You're so cocky. I might've taken interest had he not found you first.”

Aoi shuddered. “An' now I'm disgusted.”

“You should be flattered. My mentor taught me everything-”

“Like how t' be a creep, apparently.”

“Your mentor was nothing but a monster!”

Two sets of eyes turned to the doorway off to the side of the room, though only one brightened at the sight of Aster. As much as she wanted to thank god for his support, she couldn't help but huff at him; why hadn't he listened? If her strategy failed, he'd have them both! “I told you t' stay at th' party!”

With all the grace of an angry wildcat, the pro simply shrugged his shoulders and grinned, still lacking the familiar sparkle, but now sporting both deck and duel disk on his arm. “I don't listen to fools with thick skulls and accessories she'd normally be caught dead in.”

“If y' keep distractin' me, I will be.”

“...Not a joke I needed to hear, Aoi.”

“Love you too.” Shuffling the cards in her hand, she shook her head, turning back to the duel at hand. “Right... Next up I'll play m' Book of Secret arts- It gives my Valkyria another 300 attack! An' I'll add a One-Shot Wand t' Hiita to boost her another 800-” She could hear the numbers clicking into place in her head; He still had 2900 left to his life points, compared to her 500. Her village kept his spell card sealed, the canon across from her powered down for the moment, previous flashing lights halted and dimmed to near nothingness. Unless he had a trap, then-

“And yet, you can't seem to do math. Go ahead, attack me. It'll buy you a single turn to say goodbye.”

Even Aster chuckled, turning her grin into a laugh of her own. The card had been a gift from the pro; if anyone knew her strategy, it was him, the raven-haired duelist shrugging. “Then I can say goodbye t' you, thanks! Hiita, take out his princess.”

“You still can't do math-”

“You can't tell when I have an ace in m' sleeve.” He was right; she was horrible at math, but she wasn't about to admit as much, turning her gaze to the charmer pointing her staff at the Dance Princess. For the first time, she wished she could really feel the heat from the flames collecting at the weapon's end, rather than just the elaborate hologram they were all used to, the grin of both monster and duelist matching. “Unpossessed has a little effect I never mentioned. Y' got around it earlier an' destroyed Wynn by removing her from it's protection, b'... Familiar-possessed charmers gain an extra 800 attack durin' their attack. Which means not only does y' ice princess melt, but it paves th' way for my Valkyria to completely finish y' off! G' for it, girls!”

She'd never before been so satisfied by the sounds of someone being attacked by a holographic monster, nor that of one being destroyed in battle. But she could have done without the screams of agonizing pain, shaking hands barely returning her cards to their place in the deck, disk retracting and holograms fading, before clasping over her ears and making her trembling far more known to her boyfriend.

But it was his gentle touch, hands cupping her cheeks and gently turning her head towards him, that snapped out of her daze. Green-blue focused on the familiar, warm blue of her firebird, the easygoing smile on his face full of fake cheer and incredible worry. He'd been terrified, ready to do anything it took to set her free on the helicopter ride there... Yet now that he had her in his arms again and she could see that sparkle in his eyes, neither one could find an inkling of the worry they'd felt.

“I told y' I was fine,” she teased, pressing in a soft kiss to his lips. His hands moved to her waist in a heartbeat, then further, arms wrapping around her to pull her flush against him so he could return the kiss with an emotion she couldn't quite place. Love was always present, but... Was that fear? Nervousness? Panic? Whatever it was, it was overwhelming, shaking hands grabbing onto his jacket.

Only when he'd pulled back, just slightly, did his smile drop, laying his forehead against hers. “You're trembling... What do you need?”

“Two things.”

“Name them.”

“Get this collar off m' and... Take m' home...?”

He wouldn't get a chance to reply, the words taking the last of her strength to say. At least she wouldn't hit the floor and just make him panic.... Again....

Hours had passed since the duel. Evening had turned to late night, then the early morning hours, a welcome change once they'd gotten to the hospital and the shock collar removed. She'd need to be closely watched overnight, just in case of internal damage from the force of the electricity, but if nothing went wrong she'd be free to go in a few day's time, minimum, news that initially made the weight light off Aster's chest.

He'd not expected it to return once they were alone in the room, eyes trained on his clasped hands between his knees rather than the sleeping form of his lover on the bed. They'd gotten lucky, this time...  The scenario kept playing out in his head; what if she'd not drawn the card she needed? What if her kidnapper hadn't been so cocky and wanted to finish her off quickly, rather than prolong her suffering? What if he'd never left her for those drinks? And the one thought that scared him the most: What if he'd not reached her in time?

As much as he hated it, he couldn't stop seeing her laying there, completely at the kidnapper's mercy. She'd made it clear she'd do anything to protect him; what would 'anything' have entailed? Just knowing someone was so willing to use her against him made his knotted stomach twist into a painful pretzel, fingers curling tighter and tighter against each other, until his knuckles were white from the grip. By all sane logic, she'd be safer without him, left with her parents in Domino where she could live a happy, normal life.

Yet nobody said he was sane with her in his life. Even if it meant she'd be safer, he couldn't see his life without her in it; her sweet smiles and gentle touches kept him firmly on a path he needed, one he couldn't find alone. And above that, he was tired of being alone, tired of living a life walled off from everyone else. She was his safe haven and he needed to have her beside him.

“Frowns aren't a good look on y'.”

His head practically snapped up, relief flooding him at the familiar green-blue gaze and sweet smile of his girlfriend. If there was ever a time he could dance around and sing it was right then, but the words that left his lips said anything but. “Do you even know how much danger you were in?”

“Mhm. And I know I'm still tired and sore, but hey, look! No more shakes!” With the faintest and most tired of laughs, Aoi held her hand out to show him, the other working the buttons on the bedside to raise the top half of the bed so she could sit up. “An' I can breathe easier, too, though my lungs still hurt. Gonna sound funny, b' my hair hurts-”

“This isn't a joke, Aoi!”

Her rambles came to an abrupt stop with his snap, head canting just slightly to the side. He'd not had anger in his tone towards her in years... “Aster... I told y', I wouldn't let him have you.”

“Don't you understand?” His voice was rising, winning him a flinch from the the charmer duelist. “Did you only think of yourself?! I can't do this without you, Aoi- If he'd killed you, I'd- Sacrificing yourself was the stupidest thing I've ever seen you try to do! Don't ever do that- Don't ever tell me not to come after you! You could've been killed! You expect my life to be the same without you? After I've lost everyone I ever shared my heart with!? What were you even-”

Aster too a deep breath, looking down to his hands again. As angry as he was, yelling was getting him nowhere, though it had thankfully expelled the rest of the urge to do something from his system. Without it, anger slowly eased into worry and heartache, face falling with a heavy sigh. “...Don't make me live without you.”

Slender fingers tugged at a loose thread in her blanket. She knew those feelings... They were the same ones she held for him, a love so strong she couldn't stand to think of life without him. Granted she'd never lost loved ones like him, but...

He was right. She'd not thought things through, and it'd almost cost them both everything. The look of pure heartache and dejection on his face made her own chest hurt; what she wouldn't give to hug him tight and remind him she was still there. “...I'm sorry. B'... Aster, I couldn't... I couldn't let him hurt y'. He wanted revenge an'... What happened to him?”

“...Heart attack.”

“I hate myself for saying he kindda deserved it. Actually, nobody deserves that, but... At least I know he won't b' hurting you in th' future. Still I... I can't live without y', either. I love you, Aster – there was no way I was gonna let him get near you. I promised t' protect you, and I wasn't going to give that up so easily.”

“Aoi, please-”

“You listen here.” Scooting to the edge of the bed, she slipped her legs off, bare feet pressing to the floor, and reached out to pull the pro closer to her. In a heartbeat, he was out of his chair, arms tight around her and face buried into the crook of her neck, a sign he was hurting more than he dared to let on. “Listen. I love y', Aster Phoenix, an' maybe I was too reckless. I'm sorry. But I promised you I'd never let y' hurt anymore, remember? I meant it... An'... A-An' I won't. I promise I won't so please never leave m' either-”

Renewing that promise was her own tipping point, hot tears quickly building and falling as she nuzzled her face into his hair. “S-Stay with m' forever- I need you in m' life too-”

Reaching up, the sileverette cupped her cheeks, pulling her into a soft kiss full of love she quickly returned, burying a hand in his hair, the other grabbing onto the front of his shirt – when had he taken off the jacket? It gave her a chance to feel his body through the light fabric, solid muscle underneath a further reminder he was real and not some kind of wonderful dream.

They'd barely parted when he spoke again, lips still close enough to brush against hers with every word, an action that sent shivers through both. “Then spend your life with me, Aoi. Spend yours with me, and I'll spend mine with you. Stay by my side.”

Green-blue widened; she didn't need a blunt translation to know what he'd just asked of her. It was a request that made her heart skip a beat... And lips curl slowly into a smile, nodding her head with it. “Forever. I will- O-Or should I say I do? 'Cause Aster... There's no place I wanna be than by your side f' all time. Now an' forever. B-But y' think you can handle m'...?”

“Only if you swear not to give me a heart attack. I love you, Aoi.”

“I love you too- Oh god, Aster, you're a dream come true-”

Parents always tell their kids, if you wish on a shooting star, someday, it'll come true. Most of the time, that's just a silly story- A way to boost the hopes and dreams of kids who don't know any better. But on the rare occasion, those wishes are heard – and this time, they made my dream come true with you.

#riseofthephoenixfallofdestiny #Part of My Destiny [Asoi] #Mun's drabbles #Long post #Last part tho <333