#I keep seeing people saying they need mats to craft stuff but the only mats I know are things you put on the floor

[galactic-pirates]

4, 8, 18 for the fic ask? :)

Thank you!!! :)

4) How do you choose which fics to write? When I was writing fanfic it was mostly by prioritising.

I've said before about my lists. I get an idea - it goes on the list. Say I get an idea for an event - it goes straight to the top, everything else has to wait. When I finish a WIP/there's no events etc. I can then pick off the list. Invariably though what happens is I don't pick the oldest idea, I usually pick whatever is newest because it still has the shiny quality. In some ways the list is a bit of a death sentence for ideas.

8) Post an out-of-context spoiler from a wip I can't really do this because I'm not writing fanfic anymore. Sorry. I post a line off my art the other day about "librarians win with what they know - not magic" but that's all I have for you.

18) Do you enjoy research? Which fic of yours required the most research? Answered here :)

You get two bonus questions because of the repeat/skip :)

3) Do you share your fic ideas, or do you keep them to yourself? This is tricky. There is honestly nothing I like more than talking about my ideas. I can exhaust anyone and everyone. I remember back in the day when we did TMI Tuesday I used to be desperate for people to ask me. I would try and bait the question sometimes. It was probably kinda attention seeking and I should be more sorry than I am. I don't know if this also tied into how I always feel like an outsider. Although I shouldn't be claiming I feel invisible when I've had so many wonderful asks lately (I seriously do appreciate you guys so much).

The trouble is though, what happens if you never get round to writing the idea? Having talked about it, that feels a bit like a promise made, and a debt unpaid. It's never my intention to tease. I just genuinely love my ideas and wish I could will them into existence. I want to read them!

All of this is about fanfic ^^ and I mostly don't talk about my doomed ideas anymore. Sometimes I'll make a reference because I'm nostalgic, because I wish I had got round to writing it. Also because I wish it could live somewhere other than in my head.

For my original novels I'll make vague references sometimes, and I would love to talk about them, but I'm hesitant to share. I'm protective I guess.

24) How do you choose whose POV to write in? (in which I apparently have a lot to say)

Ah POV. AO3 will show a clear divide. Probably most of my Once stuff was back before I trained myself out of 'head hopping'. It's... can I say frowned upon in original writing? I don't want to sound judgemental. Having a clear POV and not shifting within a scene, is recommended best practice, put it that way.

Anyway, initially once I stopped I found it very confining. I see stories in my head like they are TV episodes. If there are multiple characters in the scene, then each has a perspective and sometimes with conflict I wanted to see all of those sides. But I couldn't with maintaining POV.

Except you can.

It's magic that I have only just discovered (thank you to the ridiculous number of writing craft books I got last summer). So you are in the head of Character A who is talking with Character B. Now Character A is going to be an unreliable narrator because what they see is flavoured by their perspective. So they can observe that Character B is frowning, and distracted looking out the window rather than at them, and they think they sound terse. So Character A concludes that they are mad at them about X that happened earlier BUT compare those noticed cues with the words that Character B chooses. Perhaps an off-hand mention that the post is late today. You can make enough suggestions that perhaps Character B has something else going on.

Next scene the post drops on the mat and Character B is about to hurl as they sort through the letters, and it becomes clear what their POV was in the previous scene. You don't need to recap and have Character B think over the past scene to do their thoughts on it (I was terrible for this when I first stopped headhopping). The reader is smart and you can infer a LOT.

As for choosing what POV to go with, a few factors play in. First does the character have a unique take on the scene? Something that can't be inferred so easily. What about the surrounding scenes? As the example I just made up above, by switching POV in the next scene you can add depth. So there's balance to consider.

If a character is a POV, generally speaking they are a main character and they will have POV given to them more than once in the story. Now this isn't always true because POV is a technique and you can play with it. Also I just realised I'm making assumptions about the POV being limited, and of course you can do omniscient narrator and the like but I don't personally. A good rule of thumb though is that readers will tend to bond with POV characters more (makes sense, we've been in their head, it's a closer relationship), hence the number of POV's in a story should be limited, and the characters need to prove they are worthy of getting a POV.

When writing a romance it's quite common to split POV in half between the couple. I have to be honest when writing any of my fanfic I never counted scenes to make sure the division was equal. POV is something I tend to assign by feel. I want to make sure the pacing is correct. That a character doesn't get forgotten in say the back half of the story (this is especially important when the POV shifts due to subplots).

Anyway yeah basically I pick the POV based on who I think we need to hear from at that point in the story.

#I answer things #sam talks writing

[angiestown]

when people talk about needing mats to craft stuff is that just like,,, a non-north american way of saying wood or something? like mats of wood?

#I keep seeing people saying they need mats to craft stuff but the only mats I know are things you put on the floor

[gumnut-logic]

Hi Nutty. I span the random whump generator and this is what I got. Character = Alan please 😁

I dunno if there was much whump in this, but there was something :D I hope you enjoy it :D

Spin the wheel and send me a prompt :D

-o-o-o-

Well, this just sucked.

Alan fiddled with the restraints holding him to a bulkhead. Nope, not a thing he could do about it.

Other than him, the room, more a cargo hold than anything else, was empty except for an airlock door on the far side.

Why couldn’t he be kidnapped by an idiot? These ones had actually removed his baldric and his helmet, effectively cutting him off from Thunderbird Five.

Except for the tracker in his wrist, but they didn’t need to know about that.

The nerve, though. He was out here to help. He had thought he was saving a private space yacht that had engine trouble and was making a good attempt at colliding with a satellite or two.

But no, it had all been a trap. Probably to get a hold of his ‘bird.

Why couldn’t the bad guys make their own Thunderbirds and stop messing with theirs.

Oh, yeah, technology and all.

Then go invent your own technology, you assholes, and leave us alone.

Alan gave his restraints another tug and grunted as they bit through his uniform.

Of course, the astronaut in him was having a mild fit. He was stuck in an unknown craft of unknown safety specs with people who undoubtedly did not have his best health in mind, and he had no helmet.

He might as well be naked.

No, don’t give them ideas, you idiot.

Okay, focus. He had his training.

And he had his brothers.

While he had no wish to worry said brothers it was kind of reassuring to think exactly what those brothers might do to the persons responsible for this. If there was one thing he could say, it was that he was ever so proud of his family.

Scott would be pissed. That had both its positives and its negatives. There would likely be tactical scenarios in the future to prevent this from happening again. Scott was all about prepared and strategic readiness.

Couldn’t blame him really. The list of incidents in his brother’s resume was extensive. No doubt, Scott had learnt the hard way.

Now Virgil, Virgil was the softy. He smiled to himself. His tank of a brother was almost as much a worry wart as their eldest brother. He was less likely to get angry, but when he did, the whole house knew about it and avoided him. Only Scott and occasionally John would weather a Virgil snit, simply because it was terrifying. Add the list of equipment the engineer had at hand and buildings had the potential to be reduced to rubble. Nah, you didn’t want to piss off Virg.

But then there was John. No one, just no one dared rankle his middle brother. Alan snorted. John was the quiet one, and that fooled a lot of people. To their detriment. Gordon...it was always Gordon...had once taken a step too far and his music streaming still hadn’t recovered...six years after the incident. There was still whining. John just raised an eyebrow and smiled that gentle smile of his and flickered out.

Bit hard to chase a brother down who was literally thousands of miles away, yet had access to every personal detail, ever digital print, every part of your life.

Not that he didn’t trust John. No, he trusted him with his life, but hell, you did not want to piss him off.

The ship around him suddenly shook and Alan found himself thrown against the bulkhead. A grunt as his suit armour took the brunt, along with his shoulder guards.

These guys were really starting to piss Alan off, much less his brothers.

The ship stilled again and he was left wondering what the hell was going on. What did they want?

He pictured his next eldest brother beside him and the smart ass grin that came with the image. Gordon. Alan couldn’t help but smile. Gordon could be an ass, but he was an ass who was always on your side. The two of them had done so much...often to the ire of the above three brothers, but that just made it more fun.

Alan found himself grinning and he wondered if the assholes had a camera on him. Good luck to them if they did, because Gords was always going to make him smile.

His fish brother was amazing. Alan had seen him go through absolute hell, but his spirit was ever so strong. Alan admired Gordon. He was a role model.

That had him snickering. Scott’s frown at that thought was hilarious. 

But it wasn’t the pranks - though they were hilarious - it was Gordy’s view on life. His ability to keep smiling, stay in the positive, even when everything was absolute shit.

That was a thought for right now. Chained to a bulkhead in a strange ship, possibly abandoned, possibly kidnapped. What would Gords do?

A snort. Put jello in their knickers before kicking their asses out into space.

But Gords wasn’t a fan of space, was he? But his bro was brave and would kick ass anyway.

That was Gords.

Alan swallowed. Would Gords be as scared as he was at the moment?

Possibly.

But he would kick ass anyway.

Like Kayo.

Kayo.

You never pissed off Kayo and lived. Again it was Gordon who had tried exactly that. At the time, Alan had thought his brother was upset. That could be the only reason for tempting death.

He’d been partly right.

The dye in Kayo’s shower rose had prompted her focussed attention. She had cornered Gordon and the next thing Alan knew she had thrown his brother so hard around the spar mat he had bruises.

Which led to a Scott lecture of epic proportions. The smile on Gordon’s face had said so much more.

Alan still questioned his fish brother’s sanity.

And admired him for his bravery.

The whole ship shook around him and Alan startled.

The door on the far side of the bay stayed closed.

Scott, where are you?

And there was the truth of the matter. Scott had been his go to for so long, he was the default he yelled for when he needed help.

He would love to see him walk through that door.

Hell, he would love to see any and all of his brothers and his sister put a fist in these assholes’ faces and set him free.

Honestly, it wasn’t a matter of if, more of when. You don’t piss off a Tracy.

Any of them.

Because they would all kick your ass.

Even the littlest. 

Alan straightened where he floated. Yes, he would kick necessary ass anytime. He may be the littlest, but he was a damned astronaut, he knew stuff.

The restraints were still too damned tight.

The door on the other side of the room suddenly hissed and cracked open.

Alan spun and readied himself. He was not going down without a fight.

A familiar blue helmet peered through the door. “Alan?”

“Scott!”

And his big brother was there. A laser cutter and he was free and enveloped in a strong hug. “Hey, Allie.”

Before he knew it, he was being towed towards the door.

“How? Who?” He swallowed as Scott shoved the door wider and pushed him through. “What?”

But the answer was there before him.

Virgil was hovering in the space version of his exosuit, monitoring a forcefield over a massive hole in the side of the spacecraft’s cockpit.

Gordon and Kayo had three men hanging upside down from the ceiling wrapped in so many restraints, breathing appeared optional.

And John was muttering to Eos as he hovered over the controls of the craft. There was snarling.

Oh, dear.

“Here, we found these.” Scott’s hand hadn’t left his shoulder, but his other hand suddenly had Alan’s baldric and helmet hovering in front of him.

“I...”

There was a hum as a scanner was whisked over him from the direction of Virgil.

Scott’s eyes questioned the engineer, but he must have received the info he needed because a second later those eyes were once again trained on Alan.

As Alan took his baldric and snapped on his helmet, both of Scott’s hands landed on his shoulders. “You okay?”

There were so many eyes trained on him at the moment.

Alan straightened. “Yeah, I’m good.”

One of the bad guys whimpered and Gordon prodded him.

Blue eyes flickered but didn’t leave Alan. “Three is secured, though John is not happy.”

Another snarl issued from his red-haired brother.

Alan arched an eyebrow.

Those hands squeezed his shoulders. “Let’s get you home.”

Alan stared at his four brothers and his sister and smiled. 

“I’m driving.”

-o-o-o-

#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #alan tracy

[connordavidscamera]

Slip of the Tongue | Connor Brashier

A/n: it’s been a minute since I’ve written smut, so I hope this is okay for the six people that do still read my stuff lol... also the ending is shit

Request: uhh can we get a piece of writing to connor hearing you moan his name when masterbating and losing his mind a little and walking in to- 👀

you don’t have to respond it’s just something to think about if you’re open to it.. for the moaning ask would it be more exciting if they aren’t dating or together yet? maybe crushing on each other and he’s just like holy. Shit.

Summary: Connor catches you in a most… intimate moment.

Warnings: masturbation (f), smut, oral (f recieving), unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it though), with soft roommate banter at the end

Word Count: 2.7k

***

It was never the intention to fall for him. Truly, she thought they could just be roommates and live their lives as friends. Which had been working for the last year that they’ve lived together. However, y/n wasn’t quite sure when something shifted for her. All she knows is that one day her and Connor were just friends, and then the next day she felt a tinge of jealousy when he mentioned he met a girl in his psych class and that she was “really pretty.” She doesn’t know why the sudden jealousy. He had mentioned girls before and it had never bothered her. In fact, she was his wingman when the guys couldn’t be there to talk him up. (And if she’s being honest, she was a better wingman than all his other friends combined.)

But again, something shifted for her and now he’s all she thinks about. Especially today, when she doesn’t have class and he’s still out because he did have class, and then lunch with Sam afterward. So the apartment was pretty lonely without him there to keep her entertained with his silly questions and constant need to film everything she does because “I need to master my craft and you’re my muse! Please!”

His muse. He’s been calling her that since the very beginning. It always resulted in an eye roll from her, but recently it resulted in her blushing like there was no tomorrow. 

It’s not like she never had the place to herself. But today she was feeling a little more… needy than usual. And having the apartment to herself for at least another couple of hours, she had plenty of time to take care of herself. In her rush to get started, she didn’t shut her door all the way, and while she was alone, she still felt like maybe she should shut it. Something in her told her that it would be the best idea. She didn’t do it though.

It was stupid, she knew that. But when she hit a particular part of her she moaned his name. And she did it again and again. “Connor,” she whimpered, bucking her hips into her hand. She was so lost in the sensation - and the music she was playing that was loud, but not quite loud enough to drown out her cries for her roommate - that she didn’t hear the front door open and shut. She didn’t hear Connor’s footsteps stop in front of her room.

Connor wasn’t expecting to come home early, but on his way to get a coffee before class, he realized he forgot his card, and he only had enough cash to buy the coffee, so he knew he had to take a trip back to the apartment before going to lunch with Sam. Honestly, he expected to find y/n on the floor of the living room working on some assignment that would most likely be due tomorrow. But he definitely did not expect what he walked into. Her music was playing, which wasn’t unusual, but she wasn’t in the living room like he had expected. He shrugged it off and started walking toward his room when he heard his name. But it wasn’t in the normal way she said it. It was like a plea and he wondered if she was okay. He moved closer to her door, just to check, make sure she was okay. She was more than okay. Her back arched, hand between her legs, eyes shut tight as she moaned his name again. “Connor please.”

He had to bite his tongue to keep from groaning at the sight. He stands there watching for three minutes, but it feels like longer. He can feel himself straining in his jeans while he continues watching. He knows he shouldn’t. Obviously she thought she was alone and by watching he’s invading her privacy. But she’s saying his name like it’s the only word she knows and he just can’t stop.

He didn’t realize that she liked him in this way. They both swore they wouldn’t fall for each other, they were just roommates, nothing more. They didn’t want to complicate things. But the longer they lived together, the more he realized that he wasn’t gonna be able to keep his side of that promise. Because he noticed things about her he’d never noticed with anyone else and he felt things for her he never felt for anyone else. And to see her like this, in bed, begging for him, he can’t believe that she wants him too. He’s spent many nights doing the same thing, wishing it was her helping him get off. To know she does the same causes something in him to stir. 

Connor’s just about to leave, pretending he didn’t see anything and leave like nothing happened, but then her back arches off the bed and she gasps, his name falling off her tongue like a prayer as she reaches her high. 

“Fuck,” he mutters, palming himself, but it was the worst time to say something because just as he said it, the song came to an end, making his curse louder than intended. 

“Shit, Connor?” Y/n sits up, looking towards her door, covering herself with her blanket. She wasn’t completely naken, but she was close enough with only a cami with no bra and panties that she had pushed to the side. 

“Sorry,” he stumbles into her room. “I left my card. Just came to get it.”

“How long have you been standing there?” She runs her fingers through her sweat matted hair.

“Not - not long. I just got here.”

She rolls her eyes after looking him up and down. “That bulge says otherwise.”

He clears his throat, his cheeks burning red. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to - I really did just come to get my card.” He rubs the back of his neck, daring to glance at her. “You were - how long have you, I um… my name?”

Y/n can’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I was a little shocked too.”

“Is it a uh, a new thing?”

She shrugs, looking down at her bed sheets. “A few months.”

He nods.

“I should go uh, clean up.”

Connor doesn’t know what possessed him to say it, but he can’t stop himself. “I could help you with that.”

Her eyes widen. “Excuse me?”

He shrugs, “I mean… I helped you get off, I’d like to help clean you up, too.”

“Connor.”

He shakes his head, “I like it better when you moan my name.”

“I don’t -”

“You like me… that’s clear now.” he chuckles, coming further into the room. “I like you too,” he gestures down to his pants. “And you clearly get me excited.”

Y/n covers her face. “Oh god. Connor, this is embarrassing.”

“I want you.”

“But, what about lunch with Sam?” 

He pulls out his phone and quickly texts him. “Canceled.” 

“I don’t - won’t this be weird?”

“Weirder than us getting off to each other without knowing it?”

“I don’t want to make things between us messy.”

He laughs, “Really? Because I’m hoping we get a little messy.”

“Oh,” she laughs nervously. “Um, are you sure?”

He nods. “I know I’m already overstepping, so I’m gonna ask. Can I kiss you?”

She closes her eyes, this isn’t true. It can’t be. He is not right here asking her if he can kiss her. He did not just see her get completely lost at the thought of him doing unspeakable things to her body. And she can’t be nodding right now, begging him to kiss her. 

And god, he can’t be doing it. She’s imagining it. She has to be. No one's lips can feel this good. No one’s hands should be able to light her on fire everywhere they touch - her chin, her throat, down her arm, across the expanse of her back, down her already aching and trembling thighs and back up. She’s seriously ignited by his touch, even more when she’s leaning back and he finds himself between her legs, his jeans brushing against her core resulting in an involuntary moan from her. 

He smirks against her lips. “Still worked up?” He asks, his lips trailing down her neck.

“Mhm, very.” She swallowed back the moan that threatened to escape. 

“You think I can help you with that?”

“Please,” she begs. “Please, Connor. I need to feel you.”

“How do you need me?” He muses, kissing down her chest and toward her stomach. 

“Literally anyway,” she gasps when he bites at the flesh above her hip. “I just need you.”

“Hmm,” he hums against her exposed skin, toying with her panties, now soaked with her arousal. “These are in the way, aren’t they?” he tugs on the waistband so that it snaps back against her skin.

“Please,” she whimpers.

He can’t believe how fucking needy she is for him. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he would have her beneath him like this. Begging for him like this. Of course he wanted it. God, he wanted it more than anything. But to actually have her here, gasping, moaning, squirming under him, he feels like he’s won the lottery. 

Slowly, teasingly, he pulls her panties down, spreading her legs even more once they’re off and he groans at the sight of her, wet and waiting for him. He doesn’t even have to think before his head is buried between her thighs and he’s licking, sucking, slurping, and moaning. She tastes like heaven and he knows in this moment that he could spend the rest of his life right where he is. She’s perfect.

He stares up at her face the whole time he’s lost between her legs. Her eyes are shut tight, mouth open in a silent scream, and she’s gripping the sheets so hard her knuckles have turned white. 

“Oh fuck, Connor, don’t stop. Please. Oh god!” she arches her back, but with a heavy hand, he pushes her back down. He needs to see her face. But he’s pleasuring her so well that she can’t stay still. He pulls away and she nearly screams at the loss of him. “Come back,” she cries.

But he shakes his head, removing his shirt and then going to unbuckle his belt. “I want your next orgasm wrapped around me.”

Fuck, that’s hot, she thinks to herself, as she continues to watch him undress. 

“You’re sure this is okay?” He asks crawling back toward her, getting ready to align himself with her entrance. 

She nods but he shakes his head. 

“No, pretty girl, I need to hear you. Is this okay? Do you really want this”

“I do,” she says, reaching up to thread her fingers through his hair. She’s grateful that he’s grown it out, makes it easier for her to tug on in to bring him in for a kiss. “I want you so bad, please.”

“Okay,” he nods, kissing her again, tugging on her bottom lip. He slips inside her, and neither of them are able to hold back their moans. “Fuck, you feel amazing,” he growls into her neck where his teeth are once again sinking into her skin.

“More,” she gasps, pushing herself up, pulling him closer to her, into her. “Faster.”

He chuckles, “So needy.”

“Oh yeah, because that wasn’t clear when you got home?” she says before arching her back, clawing at his shoulders. “Fuck! Right there!”

He goes in harder, deeper, slow intricate strokes. He revels in the way she contracts around him, in the way her walls keep pulling him back in. “Feels good?” he questions, nipping at the skin behind her ear. 

“So - ah, so good. Keep going.”

He rubs his thumb over her lips. “Open,” Connor growls, she complies. “Suck.” Once his thumb is sufficiently wet, he removes it from her mouth and he presses it against his clit. He only makes three circles over her clit before her breath hitches and he has her coming undone beneath him. She’s crying out his name, her body shaking as she once again claws at his back.

He grunts because the feeling of her contracting around him so much is sending him to his edge as well, and even though it kills him to do it. He pulls out, jerking himself a few times before he’s spilling all over her stomach. “Fuck, fuck,” he curses.

Once they’ve both calmed, he falls beside her, trying to catch his breath while she tries to keep her eyes open. 

“Wow,” he pants.

“Yeah. That was - that was something.”

“A good something, I hope.”

“Mhm,” she swallows more air. “So fucking good.”

“Good. Good,” he dares a glance over at her. He watches her chest rise and fall, stares at the light beads of sweat that cover her chest and hairline. She’s beautiful in this blissed out state and he swears he wants to see her like this because of him again and again. “God, you’re beautiful.”

Y/n rolls her eyes, “Yeah, I’m sure I look amazing after that.”

Connor nods. “You do. You look amazing always.”

“Oh god, don’t get sappy on me now.”

“Well what would you prefer, huh?”

“I don’t know. But you can’t tell me I look beautiful after you’ve just fucked me like that.”

“Ah, so I have to make love to you to tell you that?” he jokes, only somewhat though.

She shrugs, “Sure let’s go with that.”

He nods, “Okay then.”

They lay there in silence for a while before y/n speaks again. “I want oreos. But we’re out of milk, aren’t we?”

Connor can’t help it, “I don’t know if we are, but I definitely am.” He smirks.

She furrows her brows at him and then it hits her as she looks down at her stomach that is still sticky and covered in his “milk.” She gasps and slaps his arm. “I hate you so much!”

“No, you don’t.” He sits up. “I’m gonna go get you a towel. I did promise to clean you up, and I am a man of my word.”

Y/n lays there in bed, staring at the ceiling. She doesn’t know how they’re both so chill about this, but she’s grateful for it. She would hate to make things awkward between them, especially when Connor’s one of her closest friends. Although, after this, she doesn’t quite know what they are now.

“Hey,” he says, coming back into her room with a wet towel. “We should go out for dinner tonight.”

“Yeah? Why?”

He just shrugs, “Well why not?” he sits beside her on the bed and taps her knee with his thumb. “Open for me.”

“But wasn’t tonight supposed to be pizza and movie night with Shawn and Brian?”

He nods, “Yeah.”

“So then we can’t go out.”

“Says who?”

“Connor, we’re hosting it tonight. We can’t just bail last minute.”

He sighs, folding the towel to wipe himself from her skin. “Okay, then let’s go out tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow. Okay, I think that’ll work.”

“Good,” he beams and leans down to kiss her lips. “I’m gonna go take a shower. Care to join me?”

“I should probably go downstairs and wash my sheets.”

“Do it later.”

“But then they won’t dry in time.”

He rolls his eyes, “Okay then you’ll sleep in my bed with me. Problem solved. Now come shower with me.”

She nods, “Okay.” they both remove themselves from the sheets and walk towards the bathroom. “Oh,” she snaps once he starts the water. “But seriously, remind me to put milk on the grocery list.”

“Got it. And speaking of the grocery list, we need to see if they have that other hand soap, I hate the one we got last time.”

“Milk and hand soap. Okay. Maybe we should go today before the guys get here,” Y/n says, slipping into the shower. 

“Mhm, sounds good,” he mumbles, sliding his hands around her waist, letting the water splash off her and onto him. “I wanna kiss you again,” he says matter of factly. 

“I want you to kiss me again,” she confirms, threading her fingers through his hair. 

“The guys are gonna have a cow when they find out,” he says against her lips.

She just shrugs, “Could be entertaining to watch. Now could you kiss me, please?”

“Yes,” he mumbles, covering her lips with his, humming when she tugs on his hair. “You up for a round two?”

She smirks, “Well I know you’re up for one,” she jokes and he shakes his head. 

“Is that a yes or no?”

“Yes. Definitely yes,” she says, pulling him closer, bringing them both under the stream of water. 

***

I hope you enjoyed! Please like, reblog, and leave feedback!!

Permanent tag: @soyalimoncada-blog @tinycertain @magcon7280 @daisyangei @fallinallincurls @lovewithanattitude @sinceweremutual @myyohmyuohmyy @harry-hollands @enchantingbrowneyedgirl @baroness-alison @lostinmendess @linanilssonfurberg @luvluvxx @mariamuses @shawnieeboyy @divinginfearlessly @mendesficsxbombay @shawnsthighs @zaahidahhh @adelaidestreets @shawnandconnor @shawnsblue @turtoix  @honestlyimstilllivinginthe90s

Connor tag: @gangofhoes @verlaneswiftie13

#connor brashier #connor brashier x reader #connor brashier x y/n #connor brashier imagines #connor brashier imagine #connor brashier fanfiction #connor brashier blurb #connor brashier smut

[starr-fall-knight-rise]

Humans are Space Orcs, “Sailor.”

Decided to take a break from the main story-line. I want to go back to working with krill for a while, allowing him to experience different kinds of people and situations, so if you have any ideas, I am open, though weather or not I will get to them is another matter entirely. 

Te chopper blades whirled overhead so deafeningly loud that Krill couldn’t hear himself think. Leave it up to the humans to create a piece of technology that got them into the air by attaching a giant fan to the top of it, or giant spinning blades of death. It actually offended him that they didn’t use some kind of hover-craft, which he was sure they had. However, Commander Vir had said that the Navy didn’t have a whole lot of “funding” anymore so their technology tended to be older than dirt.

Krill didn’t think anything would be older than dirt, but stopped short of correcting the human when he realized it was probably just some sort of saying. But now, here he was trapped inside this loud, metal container, feeling the wind buffet them back and forth as Commander Vir adjusted the pedals.

Krill had no idea that the Commander could even fly a helicopter, be here it was. 

The guy could probably fly a cardboard box if it had a big enough engine.

Beside him sat the Navy pilot surprisingly eager to learn from the more experienced man, and the two kept a light string of conversation over the headsets. The second guy was on lend from the Naval office as an assistant of sorts. The commander seemed confused, but apparently it was common for higher ranking officers to have subordinates to lick their boots and hand them things.

Commander vir hadn’t gotten that memo.

The original pilot pointed out the front and the helicopter tilted just slightly.

Krill lifted up a bit to look out the front window, but was mostly blinded by sunlight as it reflected off water.

Commander Vir flew the helicopter in low aiming for the helicopter pad on the back end of the ship.

He managed to maintain a hover just above  the circle surprised when, “It’s moving!”

“Yes sir, we are on water.”

“Its not supposed to be moving.” he said to himself trying to determine the best way to let down.

“Just get her in close commander than drop her when she comes back up.” The pilot instructed, pleased that they could teach something to a superior officer, though the way the man talked it was hard to remember all those fancy ribbons on his dress grey.

He was a pretty good listener too, and didn’t back down from a fight, lowering himself towards the deck and then timing it just so it placed when the ship swung back up.

It was a minute movement, but still could have thrown anyone off.

As soon as they touched down and the commander cut the engines, Krill could feel the light rocking.

He, and the others stepped out onto deck. 

Krill stopped in his tracks eyes staring out at a scene he had only seen through the small windows of the ship. A vast and unending horizon of water on all sides. Tiny white capped waves rolled up and down as the massive steel ship bobbed below him. He turned in a wide circle, staring off at the vast horizons and stretches of water so wide.

They were the only ones here, nothing else in sight.

He grew a bit dizzy.

“Good morning Commander.”

Krill turned to watch as the ships XO (executive officer walked forward to greet the man with a firm handshake. He was surprised at the youth of the commander, he was older than a good portion of his men, but younger than a lot fo them too. The Captain was in his early forties, this man almost young enough to  be his son.

“A pleasure captain.” At his back the Lieutenant stood stiffly waiting to be used for some reason or another.

“I heard you were coming, to what do we owe the pleasure.”

Commander Vir glanced out at the sloshing waves with some unease, “I wanted to come down to observe the operation of your ship, Captain. I am afraid to say that current UNSC protocols are still being made, and I thought Navy and UNSC vessels are similar enough I might due to take some lessons from the way things are run.”

The man smiled, “Well, sir generally the brass doesn’t sail. In the Navy you would have a cushy job somewhere on land behind a desk.”

“String me up when that day comes.”

“You and I feel the same way then. The sea is my life, Been sailing since I was a kid, and I couldn’t imagine what I’d do without her.

Commander Vir nodded, “its flying for me.”

Krill glanced around the ship, watching as men and women worked on objects that he did not know, wearing uniforms he did not recognize. They were led down onto the deck, and Commander Vir stumbled a few times, unsteady on the moving platform.

The captain grinned, easily riding the gentle rocking motion as if they weren’t moving, “Someone has yet to get their sea legs.”

Commander Vir gripped the railing, “Fun fact. I’ve never actually been on a boat, at least not larger than a canoe.

Behind him, Krill simply tried floating to avoid having to move, but found the boat deck moving below him, and a gentle sea breeze pushing him back. In panic he set down on the deck again.

“Seems strange, someone who pilots a ship,”

“No such thing as space legs.” The commander commented gingerly letting go of the railing. We have gravity mats that make it just like earth, and there is no wind or water to make us move. Steadier than riding in a car, and once the acceleration is done there is no way to know you are even moving.

The man shook his head, “Can’t imagine wanting to fly in space, being trapped inside a tin can that, if it malfunctions my eyeballs would be sucked out of their sockets.”

“Actually that doesn’t happen. You would freeze first, while your blood boiled off anyway.”

The man gave him a look, “You’re insane.”

“I’m insane! At least its better than drowning, or being eaten by sharks.”

The captain waved a hand, “I can’t remember the last time someone in the navy actually drowned.”

Commander vir eyed the edge of the ship nervously.

“Anyway, Commander, I am glad we could be of service, truth be told us sailors arent needed all that much anymore now that wars tend to take place in space and off world. Most of the stuff we do includes tracking down pirates and saving dumbass civilians who don’t know what a red sky at morning means.”

Commander Vir stared at hi blankly.

The man frowned, “You don’t know do you.”

“Can’t say I do.”

“Red sky at morning sailors take warning. Meaning there’s going to be bad weather?”

He shrugged, “Why not just use radar for that.”

“The man looked almost offended, “Thousands of years of accumulated knowledge, and you just want to use radar?” 

Krill watched in silence keeping notes in one of his cortical hemispheres as he listened. It was strange, by all rights these two men should have been similar in a lot of ways. When it came right down to it  a UNSC vessel and a Navy one were pretty much the same and included a lot of the same sort of things on board. Even the two men were similar in their almost rabid love of the place they worked. One and knew more about the ocean than krill thought there was no know, while the Commander had a handle on space that no other man in the history of humanity ever had.

To krill’s surprise it turned out there was some actual sill to floating on a large body of water. The man talked about the currents, and the weather patterns, and the way the ship liked to ride them. 

Space vs ocean, and neither man seemed to understand why the other would want to go anywhere near the other’s domain.

The Navy captain also seemed to be having a right old time watching commander vir stumble into things as he adjusted to his “sea legs.”

Krill had no idea what that meant, but he kind of doubted it was what it sounded like. The saying made hi think the human was going to spontaneously grow new legs for walking on the ship, but the more likely explanation seemed that the human body would get used to the constant moving, so the person would no longer have trouble when walking.

Krill didn’t really need sea legs, though he marveled at how the humans could seem to work so normally on a rolling surface when their balance was already unbelievable.

Around the ship, the regular Navy men were more than a bit tickled to see a member of the brass (UNSC or otherwise) wobble about like a ‘drunken’ sailor. Mostly it was funny and partially it made them feel superior to someone who would usually have that edge over them.

Eventually the Commander go the hang of it and accompanied the Captain to the bridge and around the ship to see how things worked taking occasional notes, but eventually ordering the Lt. to do it for him as, “Your fidgeting is making me nervous, so have something to do.”

Krill got stared at, a lot, but that was pretty normal for him, and, on one occasion, a call went out from one of the men on deck, and an entire group of them rushed over to one side, pointing at the water. The captain led them over just in time to watch in awe as a massive creature breached the surface of the water. Krill stepped back as the massive shape slowly tilted backwards and water erupted around it.

The captain turned to look at the commander with a smug expression, “Guess you didn't get to see that in space.”

He was a little less pleased to see the commander smirking at him, “Perhaps not…” he let it trail off there, though his grin was rather telling.

“What! You’re not telling e there are space wales.”

“I am not at liberty to discuss that, captain.”

Krill wasn’t entirely sure if their teasing was friendly or if their rivalry was something more than that.

Either way the captain did get the last laugh, as sitting inside the ship the commander didn’t touch his food head resting back against the wall, eyes closed. As a doctor, krill couldn’t help but notice the parlor that had fallen over his face. He was about to ask the commander if he was feeling ok when the captain strolled up, his turn to look smug and took a seat, “Don’t worry, a lot of people get seasick their first time. But I’m sure that’s not a problem in space.”

“Cosmic hysteria is worse.” The commander muttered.

“A bit green about the gills there. Do you want e to get you a bag.”

The commander frowned, but didn’t open his eyes.

“I thought you were a fighter pilot, shouldn’t you be immune to motion sickness.”

The human was teasing him, but commander Vir felt to sick to respond. He was very much determined to keep his lunch down, but knew that was going to be a losing battle. 

He could hear the sailors laughing as he bolted upright and sprinted to the edge of the deck mouth salivating so badly he was sure he was going to drip on his uniform.

Nothing was funnier to the crew than a member of the brass who couldn’t hold in his lunch on a ship.

Krill personally found a couple of things interesting, number one being the ardent glee that the other humans experienced upon watching the suffering of another. It seemed to be a common theme in humans, enjoying watching someone in power over you get what they deserve It seemed to make underlings feel superior in some way where they normally wouldn't. Through their ribbing was generally light-hearted and nothing worse beyond that.

Second being the human’s strange ability to become sick because of unpredictable rocking motions. He had never seen an alien with that issue, though, upon looking into it with the crew physician, he learned that humans, while having the best sense of kinesthetic awareness out of most of the species, that had to do with the placement of liquid inside the ear canal that moved with the movement of the head.

Constant movement that was in contradiction to the movement of the eyes, or caused the sloshing to become confused inside the ears could cause a reaction in the brain that simulated poisoning.

You see one of the first signs of neurotoxin is dizziness and the body responds with nausea. When movement causes the fluid in the ears to become jumbled and confused, the rain interprets this in the same way and responds with nausea.

Quite fascinating, and Krill couldn’t help feel his own sense of satisfaction knowing he couldnt get seasick.

Although he was ore than happy to get off this moving metal tube of death.

Leave it to humans to figure out a way to make metal float and then decide to spend days at a time on it.

Humans who loved large bodies of water were insane.

Though most humans were insane he supposed 

[katefiction]

A Royal Christmas Carol

by katefiction (Maria) / 2013

The voices of hundreds of feverish and excitable people rose and fell through the crowd. Occasionally, snippets of conversation could be heard like little balls bouncing up from the ground. ‘How much? Ten pounds?’, ‘Oh she’ll absolutely love that!’, ‘It looks yummy…I might just have to try one’.

Catherine Middleton’s voice was just one of them.

‘Brutwurst for the pretty lady?’ a vendor said, thrusting a long German sausage in her direction.  

‘Oh no thank you’ she replied politely.

‘Only two pounds for you’ he said, with a twinkle in his eye, his thick German accent adding extra charm, ‘it’s delicious!’

‘I’m sure, but I’ve just had some stollen and mulled wine from that stall over there’ she said pointing to one of the wooden huts that were lined neatly in a row.

‘Stolen my business!’ he said, throwing his arms theatrically in the air, followed by something in German that Kate presumed to be an expletive.

Kate giggled, pushing William along gently before they were convinced into buying any more food. They both already had a bag each filled with meats, gingerbread and fudge. 

It seemed to William that his new housemate wanted to stop at every stall possible at the Christmas Market that had landed in St Andrew’s that December day.

‘Oh that’s gorgeous!’ Kate enthused, looking at some blown glass baubles with a hand painted design.

William trudged on behind her, his feet sore from the walking and fingers numbing in the wintery air. He pondered for a second whether this was what having a proper girlfriend felt like. The constant pretence of being interested in the wooden toys, sparkling decorations and handmade crafts that Kate had insisted on showing him that afternoon. Not to mention always having to carry the heavier shopping bag.

Still, William might not mind all that much if Kate were his girlfriend.

‘What do you think Will? Should I get one for Mum?’ she said holding a bauble up to the last bit of daylight there was left.

‘Urm, yeh?’ he replied, looking over to his protection officers who blended into the crowd like two bored men waiting for their wives.

‘Oh I don’t know though, she might not like it. It’s one of those marmite things, you know, she’ll either love it or hate it’

William nodded, ‘how much is it?’

‘Twelve pounds’

‘For ONE bauble?!’ he exclaimed.

‘You’re paying for the quality and the craftsmanship’ she explained.

‘Extortionate’ he muttered so the vendor couldn’t hear him.

‘Oh don’t start that again’ she laughed putting the bauble down and walking away from the little wooden hut a little mournfully.

It was a fact well known that William Wales hated Christmas. He thought it a brazen excuse for companies to rip people off. Who says you should have a turkey, a tree, and a mound of brussel sprouts at the table? And why, oh why must Christmas songs be obligatory from November onwards?

As they walked back to their little home in Hope Street, Kate rattled off all the things she still needed to get for their house Christmas meal.

‘We still need crackers, and to decorate the tree, oh and I should fish out my snowman slippers!’

If William weren’t as enamoured with Kate as he was, he would find this irritating. But the plain fact was that just recently, he found nothing about Kate irritating.

The way she threw her hair behind her shoulders, sending a gentle waft of her shampoo scent in his direction. The manner in which she gently touched his arm when she was teasing him. He liked everything, every little thing.  

‘I think the snowman slippers are going a bit far’ he said drily.

‘Oh bah humbug!’ she retorted.

Just as he was about to tell her how her festive spirit was all a concoction of the media driven world, a small ball of energy, about knee height crashed into them.

‘Whoa’ Will shouted, almost dropping his bag.

‘Tim!!!’ screeched a high Scottish voice.

From around the corner leading up to Hope Street came a rather dishevelled looking woman. From a far, she looked like she could be fifty, with dark thin hair and bags under her eyes. As she grew closer, however, it was clear to William and Kate that she was thirty at the most.

‘Say sorry Tim!’ she shouted at the little boy, who was now peering into William’s carrier bag.

‘Sorry’ he said.

‘It’s fine’ Kate said kindly.

Tim, like his mother, was scrawny and tiny too for his ten years.

‘Righ’ come on’ Tim’s mother said, grabbing him and pulling him along the street.

‘But Ma, they’ve go’ a turkey!’ they heard him say, ‘you said  the shops were all out o’ turkeys!’

‘They must’ve gone somewhere fancy, we can’nae afford somewhere fancy’ she replied.

It was true, William and Kate had queued for half an hour for their turkey from a high end butchers in town.

‘But I want a turkey this Christmas!’ he moaned.

‘I said no! We’ll have ham’

Their voices were cut off when they entered one of the terraced houses on the street William and Kate were walking down.

‘I feel terrible now’ Kate said, looking down at their overflowing bags.

‘Don’t, if we hadn’t been preconditioned to associate turkeys with Christmas, that little boy wouldn’t know any different’

‘Do you ever get tired of being a Scrooge?’ she asked.

‘No’ he laughed.

‘What made you hate Christmas so much anyway?’ Kate said as they approached their house.

‘No reason’ William said. ‘I just do’

 Christmas Past

‘Where are you going!?’ she shrilled.

‘I told you, I have a meeting’ he responded calmly.

‘I don’t believe you’ she said defiantly.

‘Well that’s not my problem’

William stood behind the door, peeking through the crack at the two figures inside his father’s study. He couldn’t see much, just the odd shadow or a splash of blonde hair going back and forth.

‘I don’t want you to go!’ she continued.

‘I have to’

‘Please Charles…’

Sometimes the shadows would come closer and William would jump back quickly, scared to be found eavesdropping.

After a minute’s silence, the voice of his mother came again, but quietly this time. ‘I know where you’re really going’ she said at almost a whisper.

‘I am going to a meeting’ he said sternly.

‘Why must you lie? Why must you lie to me?’

William could hear the familiar closing of her throat, her voice becoming wobbly. He pressed his eye closer to the door crack.

‘William, what are you playing?’

William was almost thrown backwards by his heart jumping at the shock of his six year old brother’s voice behind him.

‘Shhhhhh’ he ordered quietly, turning around with his hands on his hips. ‘Go away’

‘Why?!’ Harry said at his normal volume.

‘I said shhh!, it’s grown-ups only’

‘You’re not a grown up’ Harry sulked.

‘I’m more of a grown up than you now push off’. He attempted to push his brother down the hallway, but he wouldn’t budge.

‘I’m gonna tell mummy and papa you were spying’ Harry said, poking his tongue out.

The voices inside the study began to raise once again, footsteps approaching the door.

‘It’s Christmas in two days Charles! Please think of the boys!’

The footsteps stopped briefly. ‘I must go, I’m sorry’.

Darkness covered the whole crack of the door and William sprang to action.

‘Go, move!’ he said, pushing Harry down the hallway and around a corner just as the door swung open. Neither Harry nor William dared peek to watch their father descending the stairs, but they heard him. Seconds later, their mother’s heels clicked on the hardwood and she shouted over the bannister.

‘I hope you’re happy! You’ve ruined Christmas! Ruined it!’

A door slammed. Then there was silence.

‘Go back to the playroom’ William told Harry as they released themselves from the soldier like stance against the wall.

‘Where are you going?’

‘I’ll come in a minute’

‘And we can play spies again!?’ Harry brightened.

‘Yes, we can play spies’ he agreed.

Harry ran off, leaving William to tread carefully down the hall, purposely avoiding the creaky floorboards he knew so well. He went into the study and pulled a few tissues from the tissue box on his father’s desk and set off to find the familiar sound of sobbing.

It wasn’t long before he found it, at the end of the hall in the first floor bathroom.

‘Mummy?’ he said to the shut door. There was no response, just the harmony of sobs.

‘Mummy?’ he said again. She couldn’t hear him, so consumed by her sorrow as she was.

Deftly, William kneeled onto the floor and pushed each tissue under the door one by one. Then he waited, and waited and waited until finally she came out, mascara wiped from her cheeks, her smile back on her face, but the sparkle gone from her eyes.   

Christmas Present

William had never told anyone that it was that Christmas when he was eight years old that has ruined it for him for years to come. No-one need know how his parent glared at each other in stony silence over the turkey at the dinner table. They didn’t need to know how Charles had lavished gifts on the boys that year, only for Diana to say he was ‘trying to make up for something’ when she thought they weren’t listening.

He’d never enjoyed Christmas since that year, and after his mother passed, it seemed even more meaningless.

‘We’re home!’ Kate called to their housemates, as she brushed her boots onto the door mat.

Fergus bounded down the stairs, eager to lay his hands on the sweet treats they’d bought.

‘Don’t let him near them!’ Kate said immediately to William, ‘they’re for tomorrow’

‘What a taskmaster’ Fergus laughed. ‘Was she like this all day?’

William stared at Kate dopily but said nothing. Their hands had just touched when she took his bag off him and he was reeling from the after effects.

‘Helloooo?’ Fergus said. ‘Bit distracted are we?’

William frowned at his friend, but Kate was so caught up in her festive haze that she didn’t notice.

‘Can you two unpack this stuff? I need to put up the tree’ she called from the kitchen where she placed the shopping down. ‘But no snacking, Will I’m trusting you to keep him in check’

She flashed a wide grin at him, causing butterflies to flutter inside his stomach.

‘I’ll rugby tackle him if I have to’ he said.

After Kate had gone upstairs to relay the wonders of the Christmas Market to Olivia, Fergus set about interrogating William.

‘So did you talk to her?’ he said, inspecting a gingerbread man.

‘About what?’ he replied, his cheeks flushing.

Fergus sighed, ‘About you two, you should do it before Christmas’

‘There’s no rush’

‘Not if you’re not worried about her going home for a few weeks and kissing some loser from Bucklebury under the mistletoe’

William didn’t reply to this, focussing instead on a bottle of wine.

‘I’m just saying, you don’t wanna leave it too late, Kate’s a good one’

‘I know that’

William more than knew that. But beneath it all, he was shy and insecure and did he really want a steady girlfriend anyway? He tore open the gingerbread man to distract himself.

‘William!’ came Kate’s voice from the stairs as she spotted him eating the biscuit.

‘Sorry’ he smiled. ‘Couldn’t resist’

She tutted and rolled her eyes at him.

‘You keep telling me to get into the festive spirit, so I did!’ he teased and read from the label of the gingerbread, ‘“enjoy your Christmas with Gingerbread George” – see he told me to eat him’

Kate pulled it off him and snapped off the arm to taste ‘Gingerbread George knows that festive spirit isn’t about eating yourself silly’

‘You tell him Kate!’ Fergus chimed in. ‘It’s about drinking yourself silly too’

Kate scowled at Fergus playfully, ‘it’s about spending time with your loved ones and being thankful that you have them’

‘Isn’t that thanksgiving?’ William teased.

‘Yeh and Christmas is about Jesus?’ Fergus added.

‘You two are impossible!’ she huffed jokingly.

As Kate went over to the living area to decorate the tree, Fergus saw an opportunity to leave them alone, patting Will on the back and sprinting upstairs.

‘So what do you do on the actual day?’ Will asked, helping her to attach some baubles to the tree.

‘We usually go to church, and take a nice walk, play board games…oh and dad usually buys some kind of fancy dress outfit and turns up in it’

Will laughed at the thought of Mr Middleton in fancy dress.

‘Pretty similar to our family Christmas then, minus the fancy dress’ he said.

‘See, not so different, you and me’ she said with a nudge.

‘Apart from you actually like Christmas!’

‘I’ll make a convert of you yet, just you wait’

‘I doubt I’ll ever enjoy it’ he said, his mother’s dulled blue eyes suddenly popping into his head.

‘Maybe when you have kids you’ll change your mind’ she said placing the star at the top of the tree.

William scoffed, ‘doubt it’

Then would’ve been the perfect time to talk to her about how he felt. Surely that little nudge was a sign?

Kate looked at him expectantly, like she was waiting for him to say something. But his thoughts had been clouded by memories of Christmas’ past, the stale feeling it gave him, the one he thought he’d never get over.

‘No, Christmas is about money and pretending to like people you wouldn’t talk to any other time of the year’

Kate shook her head; clearly her patience with William’s attitude was waning.

‘Well I’ll enjoy it regardless’ she said plainly, getting up and heading upstairs again.

Will cursed himself; he’d just missed his chance.

 Christmases Yet To Come  

That night, he slept fitfully, images of Kate and Gingerbread George floating in his mind. He had probably eaten too much of it, he thought as he drifted uncomfortably from reality to dream.

He found himself standing in a large living room, a sparkling tree in the corner, a cream sofa covered in thick throws and a fire crackling under the mantelpiece.

To his shock, out from one of the rooms came someone who looked very much like himself. Well a version of himself that he almost didn’t recognise. This William had bags under his eyes and much less hair, but he was smiling, beaming even at something he was holding in his arms.

‘Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party shop’ he sang, bouncing the thing up and down in his arms.

‘Those aren’t the lyrics’ came a voice he knew so well.

Kate appeared from the room looking just as, if not even more beautiful than William knew her.

‘It’s Christmas party hop, not shop, that doesn’t make any sense’ she added.

‘Alright Mother Christmas!’ he laughed. ‘Mummy’s such a know-it-all isn’t she?’

It was only then that Will noticed what his older self was holding. A bouncing baby boy.

Was it his? Surely it couldn’t be his.

‘George, tell daddy that mummy does know it all, yes I do’ she said tickling the baby’s stomach. ‘Especially about Christmas’

Kate held up a tiny red knitted jumper that she’d had behind her back, a reindeer design was on the front.

‘That’s ridiculous’ the two Williams said in unison. The younger clapped his hand over his mouth before realising that no-one could hear or see him.

‘It’s cute Will!’ Kate insisted.

‘He’s gonna be boiling in that thing’

‘He’ll be fine for a few minutes while we take some pictures, won’t you my pumpkin?’

William sighed in defeat.

As he stood observing from the corner, William recognised the look that his older self was giving Kate as the same dopy look he often gave her in their home at Hope Street. Was it conceivable that this could be his future? Married to Kate and with a baby that he sang Christmas songs to?

George screamed out as Kate tugged the jumper gently over his head.

‘He hates it!’ William shouted over the noise.

Will walked over to the sofas and sat close to the three of them, finding himself grinning at their domesticity.

Kate managed to get the jumper on and began snapping away with her camera, while William stood behind her making faces at the baby until finally after all the fuss, George cracked open a huge smile.  

‘That’s my boy!’ Kate beamed.

For the next hour, or what felt like an hour as he had no sense of time, Will followed the family around the house. He watched them as they laughed together, chatted about a trip to Australia and other everyday things. He smiled with them when they fed George, and got frustrated with them when he wouldn’t eat.

When George was safely tucked up in bed, they sat down again at the couch, and he was surprised to see his older self voluntarily switching on Miracle on 34th Street. What had happened to him?

‘I love this film’ Kate said happily, tossing her legs up onto William’s.

‘It’s a good one, especially that scene at the end in the court room’

‘Do I need to get you some tissues?’ Kate teased.

William smirked at her, as did Will.

So this was what normal family life was all about, he thought.

Just as he was about to get comfortable and watch the film with them, darkness clouded over his dream, pulling him away.

He tossed and turned in his bed, neither waking nor going back to that room in Kensington Palace. Instead, he found himself plunged into a study, just like the one his father had.

There was William, the older, sitting at the desk, writing letters. Only this time, he was even older, fifty maybe. He sat with no expression on his face, a lamp flickering on his desk. There were no pictures on his desk, no sign of his wife or child, just emptiness.

 ‘Oi’ Will shouted.

But William couldn’t hear him.

He walked around the desk and behind the chair, where he could see William dating the letters as 24th December.

‘Oi’ he repeated. ‘It’s Christmas Eve, what are you doing here alone? Shouldn’t you be with your family or something?’

Will knew instinctively that there was no Kate or George in this scenario. This was the William of a future without a family.

And he hated it. He wanted to see himself ice skating with his kids, or chasing after them with snowballs. He wanted to be forced to watch Christmas movies, and eat turkey and brussel sprouts, and spend ridiculous money on visiting Father Christmas’ grotto with George.

‘Get off your arse!’ he shouted at his older self. ‘It’s Christmas!’

‘Get up! You’re married remember?! Go to your family!’

Of course the older William didn’t move, he merely sat solemnly, and just like he’d seen somewhere before, the sparkle gone from blue his eyes.  

*

Will woke with a start, feeling like he hadn’t been asleep at all. He sat up for a few minutes dazed from being snapped out of the particularly vivid dream. But it had felt so real, he thought. He could almost taste the crackling fire from his apartment. 

On walking downstairs, unable to stay in bed any longer, he found Kate warming some croissants in the oven.

‘Morning’ she said brightly. ‘Sleep well?’

‘Not really’ he said rubbing his eyes, ‘I had the weirdest dreams’

‘About what?’

He considered for a moment telling her the truth, but maybe it was a little too strange. ‘Um Gingerbread George…he came to life’ he said.

Kate laughed.

‘Can I help you with the lunch today?’ he asked.

She eyed him suspiciously, ‘you want to help?’

‘What’s wrong with that?!’

‘No, nothing’ she said, waving a butter knife in the air, ‘just surprised that you want anything to do with Christmas, that’s all’

William smiled, ‘I promise I won’t do anything without your approval’

‘Fine, you can start on the turkey stuffing, that’s hard to mess up’ she joked.

So William and Kate set about making Christmas lunch. William was pleased to spend this time alone with Kate before they went home and once or twice he almost plucked up the courage to ask her out. The dreams from last night still ran through his mind. If he didn’t ask her now, would he end up that lonely old man working on Christmas Eve? Was it even possible that he could know a happy family life so different from those tense Christmases of the past?

By the time Olivia and Fergus emerged in the kitchen, William was still mulling over his thoughts and was alone with Kate no longer.

Timed perfectly by Kate, at one o’clock, the four of them sat down at their small table, food and drink almost falling over the edges.

‘It all looks amazing’ Olivia enthused, ‘I can’t wait for you to cut into that turkey’ she said to Kate.

The turkey was the centrepiece of the table setting, golden brown and oozing with juices and stuffing.

‘Actually I think Will should have the honours’ Kate said, slipping on her snowman slippers for the occasion.

‘Me?’ he said unconvinced.

‘You’ve shown your Christmas spirit today, plus you made most of it, it’s only fair you should carve it’.

They exchanged a look over the table, and Will knew he was doing the dopey eyes again, realising how much he liked Kate’s attention.

‘There’s enough to feed a small army here’ Fergus remarked as William picked up the knife.

Just as he was about to slice the knife through the turkey, he stopped abruptly.

‘Will?’ Kate said.

‘You’re right…you’re absolutely right’ he said vacantly.

He dropped the knife on the table and picked up the entire turkey, platter and all.

‘Um Will, are you ok? … where are you going with that?’ Kate said, concerned as William headed for the front door.

Kate, Fergus and Olivia exchanged worried glances.

‘Come with me’ Will said, attempting to put on a baseball cap while balancing the turkey with one hand.

‘Where?!’ Kate asked, but William was already on the doorstep, so she was forced to jump up and follow him.

William turned right from their home, and strode up the street purposefully. ‘Keep up!’ he teased as he turned and saw Kate rushing behind him.

They rounded a corner onto the next street and William looked searchingly at each door, finally recalling the one he wanted.

It was then that Kate understood what was happening, and she couldn’t help smiling to herself as William rang the doorbell at his chosen house.

The door opened a few inches, ‘we haven’t got any spare change’ a voice snapped from behind the door, and began to shut it again.

‘No we’re not collecting for charity’ William said quickly. ‘I’d just like to…well I have something I’d like to give you’

‘I’m not interested in finding Jesus’ she said spikily.

‘Wait please’ he said before she could slam the door in his face, ‘we met yesterday, we live down the road, your son’s Tim isn’t it?’

‘What has he done now?! TIM!!!!!!!!!!’ she screeched.

‘Nothing!’ Kate attempted, ‘please could you open the door’

The woman finally relented; opening the door fully as tiny Tim came storming down the stairs.

‘Wow! Ma look a’ tha’ turkey!’ he said, his eyes transfixed.

William grinned at his excitement. ‘It’s for you, if you’d like it’

‘Wha’ for?’ the woman said suspiciously.

William pondered for a second and then said, ‘call it Christmas spirit?’

Kate beamed and placed a hand on William’s back.

‘There’s nothing wrong with it honestly, we made it this morning, I know it’s a bit large…’

‘…but you can cut it up and put it in the freezer until Christmas day if you’d prefer’ Kate finished for him.

‘I’ve go’ three more kids in there’ she said, ‘they’ll polish that off’

‘So you’ll accept it?’ Kate said hopefully. ‘As a gift’

‘I can’nae really say no, can I?’. For the first time the woman smiled, softening her face considerably.

William handed the turkey to her, and ruffled Tim’s hair, who was still transfixed.

‘Thank you’ the woman said. ‘From all o’ us’

‘No problem’, Will said, lowering his hat and turning away.

‘Wait, what are your names?’ she said.

‘It doesn’t matter’ William said. ‘Merry Christmas to you all’

‘Merry Christmas’ she said back to them both.

*

William and Kate walked back to Hope Street partly in silence, nothing really needing to be said.

‘Do you think Olivia and Fergus will be pissed off I’ve given their turkey away?’ William asked eventually, as they walked purposely slowly.

‘We have more than enough other food’ Kate said sensibly. ‘Besides they’ll have the same opinion as me when they know where it went’

‘Which is?’ he said, smirking.

‘That you’re very sweet and even a little awesome’

William stopped in the pavement, ‘you think I’m awesome?’

‘You know I do’ she said rolling her eyes as if it was a silly question.

‘Right…well the thing is, I think you’re kind of awesome too’ he said, with all the confidence he could muster.

‘Do you?’ she gave him a smile that made him blush.

‘And I was thinking…maybe when we come back after the break, we could…um…you know’ William was bright red and running out of words.

‘Be awesome together?’ Kate suggested.

‘Yes, exactly, if you wanted to, obviously’ he mumbled.

‘I thought you’d never get the hint’ she chuckled.

‘Well I’m not very observant’ he said calmly though his spirits soaring.

Kate reached on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek, sending the flush roaring back to his face.

Maybe that dream last night wasn’t just a dream, perhaps it was the push he so badly needed, he thought optimistically.

He looked down and saw that to his great amusement, Kate was still in her snowman slippers.

‘Nice slippers’ he teased, pulling a face at their gaudiness.

‘Oh bah humbug!’

#katefiction #royal fanfiction #cambridge fanfiction #kate middleton

[i-just-love-spop]

For the OC asks, could you do 2 for Clover, 26 for Arrow, 14 for Sagi, 34 for Thorn, 48 for Finn, 38 for Leo, 71 for Angie, and 3 for Willow? Also, thanks again for sending me asks for my characters.

For context: Arrow, Angie and Sagi are my Glimbow-kids, Leo and Finn are my Catradora-kids and Clover, Thorn and Willow are three of my Scorfuma-kids.

Other characters mentioned: Kohana is another one of my Scorfuma-kids, Sirena is one of my Seamista-kids and Eira is Frosta’s adopted daughter.

Here are the questions again if anyone wants to ask anything else.

2. Do they have a fear of an animal? If so, what animal?

Yes, he does. Clover is afraid of birds, especially really big ones. There’s no specific reason for this, at least none he can place, but he just finds them kind of terrifying for some reason. He had a lot of nightmares about being pecked at as a kid, and he’s still startled by big birds when he grows older.

It also takes him some time to get used to Angie because of this. When she’s flying around, the sound of her giant wings flapping freaks him out quite a bit.

26. Have they ever been in a physical fight before? If so, with who? Who won?

Arrow actually gets into a lot of fights – most of them accidentally. She’s not one to deliberately pick fights under normal circumstances, but she often ends up in situations where they just can’t be avoided, especially when she’s with Sirena. They’re both sensible people most of the time, but Sirena is very inquisitive and keeps probing people even when it’s obvious that they don’t appreciate her digging into stuff that’s not really her business, and she’s also not good at biting back sarcastic comments when they’re out of place, which gets her in trouble often, and then Arrow gets in trouble along with her most of the time. The fact that Arrow has a tendency to be a bit too sassy for her own good usually also doesn’t help defuse the situations they get into.

Who wins might depend, but she’s more likely to loose, at least when it comes to physical fights – she has won a couple of times, but she’s not that great with hand-to-hand-combat outside of training situations (she and Sirena fight in training regularly, and whoever looses will not hear the end of it for at least an entire week, but that doesn’t really count because they just kind of know the way the other moves after a couple of years, which of course isn’t the case in regular fights). She’s more the “if possible let’s blind them and get out of here before things get serious”-type of person, and if that’s not a possibility, she will still choose using magic to fight from a distance over brawls any day.

There’s one particularly bad incident when she’s about sixteen where she and Sirena investigate some strange activity in the Crimson Waste, and once again Sirena cannot keep her mouth shut and they end up in a fight, which is especially problematic because there is no water anywhere near them that Sirena could use for self-defense. The criminals corner them pretty quickly, forcing them into hand-to-hand-combat. And the two girls lose. Badly.

14. What is a pet peeve of theirs?

People. Being. Mean. To. Willow.

Also, Sagi really has an issue with unreliable people who don't follow through on promises. He takes promises very seriously and is genuinely hurt when people say they’ll do something for or with him and then don’t do it.

If someone promises too meet him, he’ll expect them to show up and be really upset if they don’t. Being late is fine, but not showing up at all really hurts, even if it’s just out of forgetfulness rather than out of malicious intent.

And sure, he’ll forgive someone after they broke a promise and maybe put on a fake smile, but once you’ve broken a promise without having a good reason to (sometimes things don’t happen as planned, and if the person just couldn’t keep the promise because of something out of their control, that’s fine), he’ll possibly never trust them again the way he used to.

He also doesn’t forgive being lied to very easily, at least if it’s a serious topic.

34. Have they ever broken the law?

No. Thorn I think is the one that’s the least likely to break the law out of all of my characters? She’s the teachers’ favorite student, good-girl kind of person and would never do anything that could potentially harm someone else. She wouldn’t hurt a fly – aside from accidentally stinging people out of reflex if they startle her –, which is ironic, since she’s definitely one of the most powerful kids and also the one that could potentially cause the most damage out of all of them because she’s the only kid that’s connected to more than one Runestone.

The only thing she’s ever done that might be considered law-breaking would be the cake-‘heists’ Arrow pulls with her (and sometimes also Sirena if she’s around), where they sneak into the Bright Moon-kitchen and ‘steal’ cake if one of them is upset for some reason... but nobody actually considers it stealing since Arrow is the princess, and the kitchen staff often just... pretend not to see it when the kids are young but actually deliberately place some cake somewhere they can reach it easily so they don’t climb the furniture and get hurt.

48. What does their room look like?

Finn has a huge bed. Don’t tell anyone, but it actually has the softest mattress in the entire palace because they genuinely like sinking into the mattress unlike their moms.

When they’re practicing a scene for the first time, they spread out the pages in order all over the bed and read every page in a different position and with a different voice.

They also have a really large wardrobe. This is because they have tons of different clothes – both regular and costumes – because they love dressing up in different ways to play different characters. It’s not quite Double Trouble’s shapeshifting abilities, but it’s close enough. If they can fool someone in Bright Moon into thinking they’re someone else than Finn, they’re extremely happy for the rest of the day because that means their acting skills are actually kind of good. They also have the biggest, weirdest wigs and hats you could ever imagine, both because it’s funny to see other people’s reactions to them and because they’re good for cheering people up and making them laugh when they’re in a bad mood, which can be found all over the room. (Honestly, they have so many different clothes that they try on regularly spread out across the furniture of the room that sometimes you wonder if anything is actually inside the wardrobe).

There’s also about three different lamps on the ceiling for different kinds of lighting for when they need to practice scenes – one was a present from the Seamista-family and sort of imitates Mermista’s ‘lightning when I need it for dramatic effects’, one is a mood light that can change color that their moms and their older brother got them together, and one is a straight up spotlight from Double Trouble. Pro tip: don’t turn them on all at once, especially not in addition to the regular ceiling light, unless you want to go blind or crazy or both.

They also have a meditating mat hidden under the bed somewhere that they’ll absolutely only ever use when they’re sure no one is around because they’re too embarrassed to admit they actually kind of enjoy it, as well as tons of childhood toys that are kept in a treasure chest for good memories.

Finn’s also pretty sure they misplaced a knife in the room somewhere because they ‘borrowed’ it from Arrow’s knife throwing target when they needed it to practice for a scene (nobody was hurt, thankfully), and after that, it just kind of... disappeared and was never seen again.

They have a family picture in the nightstand drawer that’s way more precious to Finn than any of the toys they got as a kid could ever be, and beside it is a bracelet that Bow and Glimmer gave them for their very first audition when they were still a little kid that they’ve since worn to all their auditions as a good-luck-charm.

They also have some crafting and sewing supplies lying around because if they can’t find the exact clothes or accessories they have in mind, they might as well make them.

Some posters on the walls cover the burns left there by Kohana when they trained in the room very poorly.

And there’s a waterfall, because this just seems to be a thing in Bright Moon. Finn also has no idea what it’s for.

38. Do they get along with others easily?

Leo has a hard time making friends because he’s pretty shy, and he’s also very shut-in for a while after he’s adopted because he’s pretty traumatized from losing his biological parents.

Aside from that, he is a very sweet little kitten that most people like once they get to know him, and very unlike his parents, he doesn’t really pick fights – although he does sometimes end up in some anyway – or ever make actual enemies (which, admittedly, is kind of easier without the Horde around to ruin everyone’s day).

Sure, there are people who don’t like him – I mean, really, having literally everyone like you would be kind of a reach –, but his friends love him to pieces, and he’s one of those people that rarely ever fight with their friends.

So in general, I would say yes, he does get along with others pretty easily, as long as he can actually bring himself to start a conversation.

There is an exception, however, and that’s if someone he meets is rude to him or his friends right off the bat for no reason. He will not try harder to get this person to like him. He‘ll forget his shyness for a moment, hiss at them and move on.

He won’t waste his time and energy on trying to get along with someone like that.

71. Who is their ride or die?

Angie is actually kind of a fun person for this question because she’s not close with many people – nor does she want to be, she’s never been very comfortable with the idea of a huge friend group – and if she ever lets anyone get close, there’s a good chance she would go to great lengths for them.

Out of her family, her ride or die is definitely Sagi. She gets annoyed by his clinginess sometimes and his enthusiasm can get exhausting to her – especially because she’s not a morning person and she doesn’t appreciate him talking her ear off at seven in the morning because she doesn’t even want to be up already can he please shut up, but they are really close because they’re so close in age and she loves him dearly and is very protective of him. He gets insulted from time to time because a bunch of people find his endless babbling annoying, but while the insults fly over his own head most of the time, there’s a chance said people might get their ass kicked by her later if she overhears it. She also tries to keep a bit of an eye on him whenever she can because she knows how much of a klutz he is and that he has a tendency to get himself into dangerous situations by accident.

Out of her friends, Eira. These two are a bit of an odd match because Angie prefers to go on adventures alone and Eira doesn’t like to go on adventures at all and would rather stay inside all day... but when they met they just kind of clicked. Eira is the only one Angie will actually stay inside and read a book with, and Angie is the only one that can really bring Eira to take risks.

3. What do they wear to bed?

The most important thing for Willow is comfortable clothes. How they look doesn’t matter as much as how they make Willow feel when worn – the fluffier the clothes are, the better. They also prefer long, warm clothes over short ones.

Willow doesn’t get hot very easily, and either way, they prefer being hot at night a lot over being cold (they can’t sleep at all when they’re cold), so they’ll still wear long woolen clothes all through spring and at least during parts of summer.

They really like colorful clothes, especially when they’re a kid, and despite eventually growing to like simpler colors when it comes to the clothes they wear in public, their pajamas always stay really colorful.

They also have a glow-in-the-dark-pajama with stars and planets on it that helps them cope with their fear of the dark.

#spop next gen #spop #she ra #she-ra #my ocs #finn applesauce meowmeow #finn #spop finn #spop willow #spop sagi #spop angie #spop clover #spop arrow #spop thorn #spop leo #spop sirena #spop eira #catradora #glimbow #scorfuma

[illbefinealonereads]

Blog tour day! Today I’m sharing some information about Lobizona by Romina Garber, as well as an excerpt. Scroll down to learn more.

Some people ARE illegal.

Lobizonas do NOT exist.

Both of these statements are false.

Manuela Azul has been crammed into an existence that feels too small for her. As an undocumented immigrant who's on the run from her father's Argentine crime-family, Manu is confined to a small apartment and a small life in Miami, Florida.

Until Manu's protective bubble is shattered.

Her surrogate grandmother is attacked, lifelong lies are exposed, and her mother is arrested by ICE. Without a home, without answers, and finally without shackles, Manu investigates the only clue she has about her past—a mysterious "Z" emblem—which leads her to a secret world buried within our own. A world connected to her dead father and his criminal past. A world straight out of Argentine folklore, where the seventh consecutive daughter is born a bruja and the seventh consecutive son is a lobizón, a werewolf. A world where her unusual eyes allow her to belong.

As Manu uncovers her own story and traces her real heritage all the way back to a cursed city in Argentina, she learns it's not just her U.S. residency that's illegal. . . .it’s her entire existence.

Early Praise: “With vivid characters that take on a life of their own, beautiful details that peel back the curtain on Romina's Argentinian heritage, and cutting prose that shines a light on the difficulties of being the ‘other’ in America today, Romina Garber crafts a timely tale of identity and adventure that every teenager should read.”–Tomi Adeyemi New York Times bestselling author of Children of Blood and Bone

“Romina Garber has created an enthralling young adult fantasy led by an unforgettable Latinx character Manu. In Manu we find a young girl who not only must contend with the injustice of being undocumented she also discovers a hidden world that may explain her very existence. I fell in love with this world where wolves, witches and magic thrives, all in a rich Latinx setting!” –Lilliam Rivera, author of Dealing in Dreams and The Education of Margot Sanchez

Buy Link:https://read.macmillan.com/lp/lobizona/

Author bio:

ROMINA GARBER (pen name Romina Russell) is a New York Times and international bestselling author. Originally from Argentina, she landed her first writing gig as a teen—a weekly column for the Miami Herald that was later nationally syndicated—and she hasn’t stopped writing since. Her books include Lobizona. When she’s not working on a novel, Romina can be found producing movie trailers, taking photographs, or daydreaming about buying a new drum set. She is a graduate of Harvard College and a Virgo to the core.

Social Links:  Twitter: @RominaRussell // Instagram: @rominagarber

Excerpt:

2

I awaken with a jolt.

It takes me a moment to register that I’ve been out for three days. I can tell by the well-rested feeling in my bones—I don’t sleep this well any other time of the month.

The first thing I’m aware of as I sit up  is an urgent need  to use the bathroom. My muscles are heavy from lack of use, and it takes some concentration to keep my steps light so I won’t wake Ma or Perla. I leave the lights off to avoid meeting my gaze in the mirror, and after tossing out my heavy-duty period pad and replacing it with a tampon, I tiptoe back to Ma’s and my room.

I’m always disoriented after lunaritis, so I feel separate from my waking life as I survey my teetering stacks of journals and used books, Ma’s yoga mat and collection of weights, and the posters on the wall of the planets and constellations I hope to visit one day.

After a moment, my shoulders slump in disappointment.

This month has officially peaked.

I yank the bleach-stained blue sheets off the mattress and slide out the pillows from their cases, balling up the bedding to wash later. My body feels like a crumpled piece of paper that needs to be stretched, so I plant my feet together in the tiny area between the bed and the door, and I raise my hands and arch my back, lengthening my spine disc by disc. The pull on my tendons releases stored tension, and I exhale in relief.

Something tugs at my consciousness, an unresolved riddle that must have timed out when I surfaced . . . but the harder I focus, the quicker I forget. Swinging my head forward, I reach down to touch my toes and stretch my spine the other way—

My ears pop so hard, I gasp.

I stumble back to the mattress, and I cradle my head in my hands as a rush of noise invades my mind. The buzzing of a fly in the window blinds, the gunning of a car engine on the street below, the groaning of our building’s prehistoric eleva- tor. Each sound is so crisp, it’s like a filter was just peeled back from my hearing.

My pulse picks up as I slide my hands away from my temples to trace the outlines of my ears. I think the top parts feel a little . . . pointier.

I ignore the tingling in my eardrums as I cut through the living room to the kitchen, and I fill a stained green bowl with cold water. Ma’s asleep on the turquoise couch because we don’t share our bed this time of the month. She says I thrash around too much in my drugged dreams.

I carefully shut the apartment door behind me as I step out into the building’s hallway, and I crack open our neighbor’s window to slide the bowl through. A black cat leaps over to lap up the drink.

“Hola, Mimitos,” I say, stroking his velvety head. Since we’re both confined to this building, I hear him meowing any time his owner, Fanny, forgets to feed him. I think she’s going senile.

“I’ll take you up with me later, after lunch. And I’ll bring you some turkey,” I add, shutting the window again quickly. I usually let him come with me, but I prefer to spend the morn- ings after lunaritis alone. Even if I’m no longer dreaming, I’m not awake either.

My heart is still beating unusually fast as I clamber up six flights of stairs. But I savor the burn of my sedentary muscles, and when at last I reach the highest point, I swing open the door to the rooftop.

It’s not quite morning yet, and the sky looks like blue- tinged steel. Surrounding me are balconies festooned with colorful clotheslines, broken-down properties with boarded- up windows, fuzzy-leaved palm trees reaching up from the pitted streets . . . and in the distance, the ground and sky blur where the Atlantic swallows the horizon.

El Retiro is a rundown apartment complex with all elderly residents—mostly Cuban, Colombian, Venezuelan, Nicara- guan, and Argentine immigrants. There’s just one slow, loud elevator in the building, and since I’m the youngest person here, I never use it in case someone else needs it.

I came up here hoping for a breath of fresh air, but since it’s summertime, there’s no caress of a breeze to greet me. Just the suffocating embrace of Miami’s humidity.

Smothering me.

I close my eyes and take in deep gulps of musty oxygen, trying to push the dread down to where it can’t touch me. The way Perla taught me to do whenever I get anxious.

My metamorphosis started this year. I first felt something

was different four full moons ago, when I no longer needed to squint to study the ground from up here. I simply opened my eyes to perfect vision.

The following month, my hair thickened so much that I had to buy bigger clips to pin it back. Next menstrual cycle came the growth spurt that left my jeans three inches too short, and last lunaritis I awoke with such a heightened sense of smell that I could sniff out what Ma and Perla had for dinner all three nights I was out.

It’s bad enough to feel the outside world pressing in on me, but now even my insides are spinning out of my control.

As Perla’s breathing exercises relax my thoughts, I begin  to feel the stirrings of my dreamworld calling me back. I slide onto the rooftop’s ledge and lie back along the warm cement, my body as stagnant as the stale air. A dragon-shaped cloud comes apart like cotton, and I let my gaze drift with Miami’s hypnotic sky, trying to call up the dream’s details before they fade . . .

What Ma and Perla don’t know about the Septis is they don’t simply sedate me for sixty hours—they transport me.

Every lunaritis, I visit the same nameless land of magic and mist and monsters. There’s the golden grass that ticks off time by turning silver as the day ages; the black-leafed trees that can cry up storms, their dewdrop tears rolling down their bark to form rivers; the colorful waterfalls that warn onlookers of oncoming danger; the hope-sucking Sombras that dwell in darkness and attach like parasitic shadows . . .

And the Citadel.

It’s a place I instinctively know I’m not allowed to go, yet I’m always trying to get to. Whenever I think I’m going to make it inside, I wake up with a start.

Picturing the black stone wall, I see the thorny ivy that

twines across its surface like a nest of guardian snakes, slith- ering and bunching up wherever it senses a threat.

The sharper the image, the sleepier I feel, like I’m slowly sliding back into my dream, until I reach my hand out tenta- tively. If I could just move faster than the ivy, I could finally grip the opal doorknob before the thorns—

Howling breaks my reverie.

I blink, and the dream disappears as I spring to sitting and scour the battered buildings. For a moment, I’m sure I heard a wolf.

My spine locks at the sight of a far more dangerous threat: A cop car is careening in the distance, its lights flashing and siren wailing. Even though the black-and-white is still too far away to see me, I leap down from the ledge and take cover behind it, the old mantra running through my mind.

Don’t come here, don’t come here, don’t come here.

A familiar claustrophobia claws at my skin, an affliction forged of rage and shame and powerlessness that’s been my companion as long as I’ve been in this country. Ma tells me I should let her worry about this stuff and only concern myself with studying, so when our papers come through, I can take my GED and one day make it to NASA—but it’s impossible not to worry when I’m constantly having to hide.

My muscles don’t uncoil until the siren’s howling fades and the police are gone, but the morning’s spell of stillness has broken. A door slams, and I instinctively turn toward the pink building across the street that’s tattooed with territorial graf- fiti. Where the alternate version of me lives.

I call her Other Manu.

The first thing I ever noticed about her was her Argentine fútbol jersey: #10 Lionel Messi. Then I saw her face and real- ized we look a lot alike. I was reading Borges at the time, and

it ocurred to me that she and I could be the same person in overlapping parallel universes.

But it’s an older man and not Other Manu who lopes down the street. She wouldn’t be up this early on a Sunday anyway. I arch my back again, and thankfully this time, the only pop I hear is in my joints.

The sun’s golden glare is strong enough that I almost wish I had my sunglasses. But this rooftop is sacred to me because it’s the only place where Ma doesn’t make me wear them, since no one else comes up here.

I’m reaching for the stairwell door when I hear it.

Faint footsteps are growing louder, like someone’s racing up. My heart shoots into my throat, and I leap around the corner right as the door swings open.

The person who steps out is too light on their feet to be someone who lives here. No El Retiro resident could make it up the stairs that fast. I flatten myself against the wall.

“Creo que encontré algo, pero por ahora no quiero decir nada.”

Whenever Ma is upset with me, I have a habit of translat- ing her words into English without processing them. I asked Perla about it to see if it’s a common bilingual thing, and she said it’s probably my way of keeping Ma’s anger at a distance; if I can deconstruct her words into language—something de- tached that can be studied and dissected—I can strip them of their charge.

As my anxiety kicks in, my mind goes into automatic trans- lation mode: I think I found something, but I don’t want to say anything yet.

The woman or girl (it’s hard to tell her age) has a deep, throaty voice that’s sultry and soulful, yet her singsongy accent is unquestionably Argentine. Or Uruguayan. They sound similar.

My cheek is pressed to the wall as I make myself as flat as possible, in case she crosses my line of vision.

“Si tengo razón, me harán la capitana más joven en la his- toria de los Cazadores.”

If I’m right, they’ll make me the youngest captain in the history of the . . . Cazadores? That means hunters.

In my eight years living here, I’ve never seen another per- son on this rooftop. Curious, I edge closer, but I don’t dare peek around the corner. I want to see this stranger’s face, but not badly enough to let her see mine.

“¿El encuentro es ahora? Che, Nacho, ¿vos no me podrías cubrir?”

Is the meeting right now? Couldn’t you cover for me, Nacho?

The che and vos sound like Argentinespeak. What if it’s Other Manu?

The exciting possibility brings me a half step closer, and now my nose is inches from rounding the corner. Maybe I can sneak a peek without her noticing.

“Okay,” I hear her say, and her voice sounds like she’s just a few paces away.

I suck in a quick inhale, and before I can overthink it, I pop my head out—

And see the door swinging shut.

I scramble over and tug it open, desperate to spot even a hint of her hair, any clue at all to confirm it was Other Manu— but she’s already gone.

All that remains is a wisp of red smoke that vanishes with the swiftness of a morning cloud.

Excerpted from Lobizona by Romina Garber. Published by Wednesday Books.

#lobizona #romina garber #blog tour #excerpt

[sherryaptx4869]

Cycle Decoded

This is my first Senhaku fic also on ao3.

A bit OOC 😬 This took place sometime around chapter 86 of the manga. Some spoilers ahead 😊

After returning from the oil exploration mission, Senku noticed a big acne perched atop Kohaku’s nose. He dismissed it, teenagers get it ten billion percent of the time.

“You can take a rest while the others prepare for the provisions needed in our biggest project yet- going to the side of the earth where the petrification light started. There are tons of tasks delegated to everyone so basically everyone’s plate is full.”

“I can’t do that. I have to help anyone who needs assistance. And you said that everyone’s plate is full, might as well share the burden.” Kohaku crossed her arms in front of her chest taking on a defensive stance.

“Tch, such a gorilla! Where do you even get that unlimited strength?” Senku tried to convince her by goading her.

However, despite Kohaku flipping him off, he saw the exhaustion on her face as well as on Chrome’s and Ukyo’s faces. The trio travelled by foot after all.

“You know, taking is a rest is part of the job. How will you perform ten billion percent when your limbs are about to fall off from exhaustion, you lioness?”

“Well I’m not a lioness for nothing,” she smirked.

This banter did not go unnoticed by Yuzuriha. It’s been quite some time since she’s surrounded by lots of people. She wondered how the Ishigami villagers who were only used to seeing each others’ familiar faces are taking this new development on their daily lifestyle.

Yuzuriha is about to pass by the arguing duo on her way to the crafts room when Senku caught her attention. They stood a few steps away from Kohaku who remained rooted in her spot. They talked out of earshot while looking at Kohaku every now and then. Kohaku felt funny especially they kept on looking at her while Yuzuriha’s face was reddening a bit.

When it is apparent that Senku finished whatever he is telling Yuzuriha, Kohaku exclaimed, “I’ll enlist Ukyo’s help for that magnificent hearing he’s got and eavesdrop from even a hundred paces from you.”

“Oh, I’d like to see you try lioness. Later!” Senku waved and went to see updates on how the others are doing.

Before Kohaku has the chance for a witty retort, Yuzuriha led her by her arm.

“Kohaku, let’s go to the crafts room and take your measurement. We have plenty of cloth to work with after all.” Yuzuriha practically beamed and bounced her steps while dragging Kohaku. She can imagine different designs for Kohaku and she can’t wait for Kohaku to try them on like she did with Kinrou and Ruri.

Kohaku gave a bewildered look at Senku’s retreating back before following Yuruziha’s lead.

Inside the crafts room, Kohaku spotted different assortments of clothes, and cloths yet to be sewn into Yuzuriha’s beautiful creations. She saw a wood carved in the likeness of a human form in the corner. “Is this for target practicing?” she asked.

“Oh no, that’s a model for wearing clothes I designed. It’s called a mannequin.” Yuzuriha answered.

Yuzuriha measured the bust of Kohaku with a string. Kohaku sat there quizzically looking at dresses, clothes and a number of other clothing articles while Yuruzuha did wonders with her nimble fingers and agile hand movements. After a few nips, and stitches here and there, Yuruzuha handed her a small fabric.

“This is called a bra, and you clasp it here at the back, adjust the straps here and here so it fits snugly.” She explained to Kohaku, while showing how the straps work.

“Er, thank you, did Senku ask you to do this?” Kohaku asked after she changed into the article. She found that the texture and softness of the material somehow made her more comfortable than wearing what she was accustomed to use as animal skin for breast binds.

“Well he may or may not have,” Yuzuriha answered vaguely with a smile blossoming her face.

“Uhm, I have to talk to him again. Thanks for this Yuzuriha!” said Kohaku as she dashed off.

She found him talking to Gen, Chrome and a few other people from their generation who jumped ships from the Tsukasa Empire to the Kingdom of Science. She marvelled at how Senku’s charisma and manipulative stunts brought them the kind of manpower they need in order to bring back the glory of their lost civilization.

After Senku received updates with how their projects were moving along, Gen and Chrome left the two of them alone. She watched as Senku slumped on a chair and cracked his neck.

“You look tired,” she commented. She sauntered towards him and just stood by him.

He looked up only to see turquoise orbs meet his crimson ones.

“That’s rich coming from you.” He laughed. “We only moved 1 millimeter from where we started and there’s lots of work that need to be done. With that prospect, get excited!”

“Well, speaking of excited, did you ask Yuzuriha to make me this?” she asked as she gestured towards her chest.

“You don’t go around showing that to everyone, idiot!” Senku replied while looking away.

“No one’s interested 1mm of what you’re wearing.” He added while touching the back of his neck.

“Surely if you were the one making stuff, there has to be a scientific reason behind it right?” Kohaku prodded. She sat on the table with her arms crossed.

“You are a valuable ally of the Kingdom of Science and it won’t do if you’re not in your best element of ten billion percent.”

Kohaku stared at him with a big question mark written on her face.

“Why, what do you think is up with me Senku-sensei?” she asked.

“The past months I’m with you guys, it can’t be helped that I noticed. I pretty much know your cycle like the back of my hand,” Senku smirked.

Kohaku stood up abruptly, disbelief written all over her beautiful face. “You’re keeping tabs on my monthly cycle?”

“So as not to awaken the gorilla in you,” Senku in a low voice, “like now.”

“Hah! And how sure are you Senku, that you are correct?” Kohaku subconsciously took a step back.

“With your grumpiness level, I would say you’re having PMS right now.” Again that goofy smile.

“PMS?” Kohaku repeated.

“Premenstrual syndrome. You feel tired , irritable, bloated, you have acne and you’re feeling sore and tender breasts.”

As Senku rattled on the symptoms, Kohaku can’t help but agree for once with what Senku is saying.

“From when you got back, it seemed that your breasts grew bigger with the way the fabric of your dress was stretched more than usual. I figured, the increase in your estrogen caused your boobs to get bigger and progesterone made your milk ducts puff up making your breast feel tender and heavy. I asked Yuzuriha to make you a firm, supportive bra. You tend to move a lot and a good-fitting bra will help the pain associated with excess swaying of your breasts. And that’s why you feel grumpy is because of all the discomfort.”

“The what now? As usual, I don’t understand 1mm of what you’re blabbing on.” Kohaku deadpanned, though she did not miss the fact that Senku is looking at her. And he even knows her body clock at that!

“Bottom line is, it just means that your body is getting ready for a baby.” Senku stated matter of factly.

“WHAT!?” To Kohaku’s amazement, her fist connected to Senku’s face that put him in a much-needed sleep.

“Oops, that was a bit much,” she muttered to herself while she placed a sleeping Senku on his sleeping mat and covered his form with a blanket.

“Oh Kokahu-chan. Leaving already?” Gen greeted Kohaku as she was about to exit the crime scene.

“I might have accidentally knocked out someone to sleep,” was her sheepish reply.

After three days.

“Since every preparation for our numerous projects are well underway, we’re planning to go to the hotspring to gather some sulfur powder, would you like to come?” Chrome asked Kohaku.

The hike will take about a day by foot. The party consisted of Chrome, Senku, Suika, Ruri, Kohaku, Gen, Taiju and Yuzuriha. Chrome took the lead while Kohaku brought up the rear. With her abdominal cramps, she figured she could take it easy by walking slower. And there’s Senku whose physical stamina needs major overhaul.

Upon arriving, Kohaku wanted so badly to take a dip in the warm water but something held her back. Although the warm water looked inviting, she sat on a boulder satisfied to dip her thigh and her legs, keeping her center and the rest of her upper body out of the water.

The others did the same, they looked for spots that will keep them relaxed as they bask in the hot spring before they go on a long and arduous journey towards the source of the petrification light. Chrome and Senku are inspecting the rocks right off the bat. Taiju helped them position their tools before joining Yuzuriha at the hot spring.

Yuzuriha watched as Senku approached Kohaku. It is interesting indeed. She remembered how more than a year ago, the three of them were so desperate to escape Tsukasa. In the same place, Senku met his demise while practicing the one that he loves- science. But before that, she did not fail to notice how Senku discretely gave space to her and Taiju to talk privately. Senku wasn’t the odd one out in their group, he just felt he’s not one to be a romantic type. He is the intellectual who does not have time to fool around with feelings. Today however, she watched as Senku approached Kohaku who was sitting by herself and not taking a dip as the rest of the gang. Only Kohaku and Senku are not in their bathing wear.

“You managed to knock me off unconscious.” Senku told Kohaku.

“Are you mad that I made you sleep?,” she retorted.

“No, either way I couldn’t ignore my exhaustion button anymore, you just made it sooner.”

“You’re welcome,” Kohaku smiled. She splashed a little of the water running on her feet.

“Why don’t you take a full dip?” Kohaku asked Senku who made himself comfortable by claiming the seat beside her.

“Why don’t you? Besides, I came here to collect sulfur powder.” Senku noticed how badly Kohaku wanted to jump in the water.

“You always think of work.” She stared at their party, how everyone loved the rejuvenating power of the warm water after hard days of work, apparent in their faces.

“It never hurts to be prepared. Especially a lot of the reagents were knocked off after the battle with Hyoga.”

“You know, I might take up Ukyo for his offer,” Kohaku visibly winced when the cramps in her abdomen demanded the pain to be felt.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Senku asked when he saw Kohaku grip her abdomen.

“The cramps in my abdomen are very uncomfortable “

“There is rose geranium oil back at the lab. You should use it when we get back. Suika collected the plants Pelargonium roseum. Gen and Chrome obtained the essential oil by hydrodistillation for three hours.”

Senku launched into a lengthy explanation of her anatomy and physiology, but seeing Senku in his best element does bring a smile to her face.

“The abdominal cramps are from prostaglandins which make your uterus contract helping to shed the endometrium out of your body.”

“You seem to know more about my body than I do.”

“I also know when your cycles are, mind you.” Senku said with that irritating smirk.

“What the hell?” A nerve found its way on her temple again.

“So what’s up with Ukyo?” Senku interrupted her before she get too violet and knock him down again.

“I think he’s good at mapping on the ground, he’ll be of tremendous help to the Kingdom of Science. I also wish to learn how he fully utilizes his hearing capabilities… ”

Senku’s mind wandered while Kohaku gushed about how amazing Ukyo is. He is brought to attention when Kohaku mentioned how Ukyo saved Chrome from falling when he caught Chrome with his arrow just when Hyuga and Tsukasa dealt him the killing blow.

“Care to repeat that again?”

“He said it will be totally okay for him to teach me archery. It will be so cool to fight from a distance,” Kohaku repeated while glancing at the spiky-haired man beside her.

“Is that right,” he said with a devious smirk.

“You look like a villain right now Senku. Stop making that face, you’re creeping me out.” She admonished him.

“All right, just stay put while I do this.”

Senku kneeled, balanced one of Kohaku’s legs above the water and perched it on his lap.

“Okay you’re freaking me out. I can still fight you know,” Kohaku threatened. She looked around and saw Ruri and Yuzuriha glanced their way, but they quickly averted their eyes when they caught her looking right back at them. It seemed like they were prying on such a private moment. Which isn’t because Senku is doing something weird again.

“Lo and behold the pelvic and menstrual busting powers of scientific knowledge.” Senku told her dramatically.

“There is a pressure point around your ankles called spleen 6.” He explained as his fingers located the inside of Kohaku’s left leg just above the highest point of her ankle. Then with four fingers width up her leg, he gently applied deep pressure behind her tibia (bone) and massaged the area for 4-5 seconds.

“This pressure point effectively alleviates pain and menstrual distress,” he said as he gently propped Kohaku’s leg down.

“Wow, so this pressure on my leg will trigger something in my gut?” Kohaku asked excitedly, eyes twinkling.

“Yes, and there’s a lot of pressure points that produce significant pain or other effects when manipulated properly.” Senku added.

While still on his knees, just before the sunset, the golden hour has approached. While everyone around them were soaking the healing power of the hot spring and minding their own business, Senku leaned over to Kohaku and she let out a small yelp from the sudden onslaught. When he finished, there is a small yet noticeable bruising on her neck from where Senku sucked on her skin. “This will help Ukyo mark out territories” his traditional smirk in place.

Unknown to them, Gen laid back and watched all of it unfold.

“Humans are such silly creatures. When they lose something they thought they had for sure, that’s when they stress and feel the most loss. Many psychological experiments have been conducted on this especially in love and relationships.”

“I never thought I’d see the day when Senku-chan experienced this himself.”

#dr. stone #dr stone #kohaku dr stone #kohaku x senku #senku ishigami #ishigami village #chrome #yuzuriha #dr stone taiju #tsukasa #kingdom of science #tsukasa empire #get excited #saionji ukyo #dr stone ukyo #dr stone hyoga #dr. stone manga #ao3 fanfiction #Senhaku #kohasen #i write #ao3 #pms

[suicidalcatz]

DOG DAYS ARE OVER : CHAP 9

Pairing : Jake Kiszka x reader

Genre : College AU

Previous parts : Prologue ; Chap 1 ; Chap 2 ; Chap 3 ; Chap 4 ; Chap 5 ; Chap 6 ; Chap 7 ; Chap 8

Masterlist : here

AN : Hello reader ! How we feelin today ? Yeah me too, I guess it’s time for a party then ! But pay extra attention to the title, I warned you. I’ll be waiting at the end, I have some things I’d like to discuss, see you in a few!

Chapter 9 : Be careful, okay ?

Unsurprisingly, it turned out that we were the only ones invited, for some reason I couldn't quite decipher. It was only December so maybe the boys didn't make friends with their other classmates yet, but still I found it odd. They were funny, nice, and really, really skilled. But their friends, or lack of for instance, wasn't a topic I could bring just like that, so I'll have to wait for now and ask any of the twins when we were alone, I guess. Couldn't say I was surprised by their dorms, too, as they were pretty much the same as ours, maybe a little bit more messier. The four of them slept there, in two different rooms, on two different floors, from what I understood.

Josh of course lead the way, while Mandy was whispering questions she couldn't keep in her head but was too shy to say out loud for everybody to hear.

- Who's the long haired bassist ?

- That would be Sam, my little brother, he replied in the same quiet tone. Why ? Interested ?

Mandy poked him in the ribs when he smirked at her in a suggestive way, and I let out a chuckle. The boys were all in favor of going inside to get warm and drink together while getting to know each other. It seemed like a good program. We helped them bring all of their stuff back inside either to the Music Dept building (drums and mic) or their dorm (guitar, bass and amps). And as Jake wouldn't let me lift anything that he deemed heavy, they declared me tambourine supervisor, making a show of putting it in my hands like a holy relic and insisting that this job meant a lot of responsibilities. Not gonna lie I was feeling kind of stupid seeing them carrying gigantic amps in their arms while the tambourine I got kept ringing with every step I took as if to remind me how useless I was.

- Oh that's him you were talking about last time, I said while sneaking a peek at him behind my shoulder. You guys really look alike. And the drummer is your childhood friend Danny, right ?

Josh looked positively surprised for a moment before acquiescing, asking me how I knew this info.

- Jake told me one time, when you were rehearsing.

The thought of that night made me smile to myself, remembering the awful pictures and odd war metaphors with poor Danny trying to calm everybody down. However, my smile disappeared quickly when I caught Josh's unamused expression. It didn't last long, hardly a second, before he found his usual cheerful self, but it was enough to make me uneasy. Something in his eyes told me there was something wrong. And I knew it was linked to Jake, I just ignored why. A piece of the puzzle was missing and it was slowly upsetting me since nobody cared to tell me. He was weird when he saw the both of us hanging out together, and flipped when he discovered we texted, but I thought we were over that now. So was he still upset about the whole thing ? Should I avoid talking about it even though I have his phone number too now ? Or am I being totally paranoid ?

The singer abruptly stopping still in the middle of the hallway got me out of my thoughts, though, painfully so since I face-planted on the back of his head and shoulder blades, making the tambourine ring in the process.

- Please stay with us mama, we're here.

Rubbing my nose, I heard Sam snort loudly and probably at me but had already been warned that he was a sass master, so took no offense in it. Danny, on the other hand, seemed like the sweetest dude alive. Always smiling and asking if we needed help with anything, with a quiet charm and a soothing aura. What a great guy. Now that I knew a bit more about the Kiszkas, I felt sympathy for his poor soul.

Jake came by my side, and I suddenly got surrounded by the twins, one of them waiting impatiently at my left, and the other filling the empty space between the wall and I. Gently dropping his amp on the ground, he searched in his jeans pockets for the key to their room, lightly brushing my face with his hair in the process, before bending over a little to unlock the door. He moved aside just enough so that Josh could have the honor of introducing us to their room by violently slamming the door open while posing and screaming « TADA ! ». Shaking his head, Jake got in first, seemingly not in the mood to wait for his brother, switching on the lights and putting his guitar and amp at their place in a corner of the room. Josh motionned us to go first, and Mandy pushed me by the shoulders.

It looked... just like them. And smelled like them, too. The ground was covered by gigantic berber carpets, bunk beds were on the side of a wall, cornered by guitars, amps, and boxes of vinyles piled up in a tower. Some rock legends posters were displayed here and there next to their respective beds, and facing their single wardrobe, which I supposed they all had 2 drawers of it. On top of it was a turntable, and facing the door a window and a messy, messy desk. Orange leathered fatboys were sitting on the floor, an ashtray was hiding in a corner beside the wardrobe, and a door next to the desk was leading the way to their kitchen. Raising my head, I saw they had decorated their celling with colorful fabrics in red, maroon and orange, keeping one of them at the window as a curtain. Numerous mobiles hung by the celling, some of them with agate and quartz stones of every color, others in the shape of animals crafted by hand, and the whole room smelled of masculine perfume and incense. It was so them I was suddenly aware of where I stood and every nervousness I had lost came rushing back again.

- Welcome to our humble home, greeted Josh as Sam had already climbed barefoot on the top bunk.

- Please make yourself comfortable, added Jake.

The brunette removed his shoes and went around the room to get a towel in order to scrub his sweaty face, letting it stay around his neck. Danny asked Mandy if he could take the beer keg to get us all drinks and she thanked him, standing by my side frozen in their doormat.

- Oh please don't stay here ladies, have a seat, anywhere you want.

Josh didn't even have to turn around from his vinyle collection to know we didn't move an inch, it was honestly scary how well he knew us already. That piqued Jake's interest who raised his head and gestured for us to come.

- This is my bed, he said while straightening the covers a bit, feel free to sit on it if you want to.

Jake then sat down on the bottom bunk and gave a heavy pat on the mat, and that's the moment Mandy chose to shake out of it and push me on the bed in the less discreet way possible to make sure I couldn't sit anywhere else but besides Jake. I swear to God.

The death glare I gave her when she made herself comfortable on a fatboy was so intense that she felt it and smirked at me. Unbearable.

- Be careful not to bump your head, okay ?

Jake's raspy voice came to my ears and when I turned my head he was smiling at me, hand on the back of the top bed. We were cramped in here, not having much space to ourselves and almost hitting our heads with every movement we made, but it came with a strange sense of security and intimacy. You could put a curtain around us, and it'd be like we were all alone.

- If you're uncomfortable you can always sit on the ground or take the desk chair, interrupted Josh without looking away from his vinyles.

Both his brother and I shot a glance at him but he wasn't returning the favor, instead he kept his face burried in his boxes, trying to find something to listen to. His behavior was beginning to concern me more than I thought it would. And even Jake raised a questionning brow at his intervention. For some reason he looked really serious, with a closed expression. Not someone you'd like to ask the hour on the street. I shrugged it off for now, like the others did, telling myself it'll pass eventually, and that we were all gonna have a fun night together. Once Josh finally found something worth listening to, Sam let out a loud sigh of relief before relaxing into the bed cracking under him, letting his long legs hang into the nothingness between the mattress and the ground.

- Oh, you must be reading my mind, he groaned. Finally some fucking good music. All those pop and rap concerts today nearly made my head explode.

We all snickered at that comment and a smiley Danny put a goblet of beer in all of our hands before settling down next to Mandy. Once Josh was absolutely sure of his choice of music and nodded along in the rythmn of the first few seconds, he climbed on the desk and clapped his hands in his little brother's direction, something that surprised me for a second before Sam threw a little box his way, and I understood. They had a weed box, that Josh opened and began to roll a joint for us to smoke together.

As the night went on, my former stiff posture got more relaxed, and Mandy had already befriended every person in the room, requesting for Sam to teach her how to roll a proper joint, and laughing at Danny's witty interventions on the matter. We were pleasantly either drunk or high at this point and Josh got into an unstoppable karaoke mode, blessing us with his singing and exaggerated dance moves, only focused on the music blaring through the turntable's speaker. Jake and I were face to face now, sitting cross-legged while he passionately shared his knowledge on astronomy with me. And I knew for a fact that in this moment all the stars he spoke about were nothing in comparision to the ones he had put into my eyes when he talked with such passion to what he and other people  deemed as nerdy subjects. With the alcohol running in my veins, listening carefully to the words coming out of his mouth was becoming more of a challenge, especially when said mouth looked so delicious, with his voice low and eyelids hooded by the drinks he had.

- I'm sorry that's not interesting, he finally apologized while running his fingers through his hair.

- What, no ! I love listening to you, you know so much stuff, it's impressive.  

On the covers, my hand found his knee in a reassuring manner, too fixed on his smile to care about everything else. The world could catch on fire and I wouldn't even notice, had a feeling he wouldn't either. We were in our own little bubble, not paying attention to anything that wasn't the other. Mandy flirting with Sam, Danny contemplating the ceiling, Josh singing loudly ; everything was just background noise to us. Certainly because he was drunk himself, Jake took my hand in his to give my knuckles a light peck kiss.

- Thank you. If only people were more like you...

He trailed off, taken aback by the sudden music change, and gave me back my hand. My heart was still banging against my ribcage while he was trying to guess what the song was, asking his twin for a confirmation. The sensation of his soft lips against my hand was still very vivid, and my brain was too busy replaying his last sentence again and again to think of anything else. A fluttering sensation I knew too well spread in my stomach when he returned his attention to me, a boyish smile adorning his mouth. I could ear him say how much he loved that band, but my heart was still thumping so loud in my ears that I stood there in silence, replying to his smile with my own and craddling my hand with the other like I just got burned.

Unaware of my internal breakdown, Jake let the joint hang between his lips, and my gaze could only follow his movements before he noticed me.

- My bad, do you want some ?

My whole being was on auto pilot and I only bobbed my head at his question, letting the boy in front of me put the joint between my own lips, getting his zippo to light it for me.

- There ya go, don't inhale too hard or your head'll get dizzy. Try to keep the smoke in for a bit.

Taking a deep breath, I did as I was instructed, his eyes never leaving mine as I did, careful and cautious until he motioned for me to blow. As an art student, it obviously wasn't my first time smoking weed, because all stereotypes were true, people here smoked a lot. More than necessary if you'd ask me. But it felt good nevertheless to be taken care of while I did, even being instructed what do to. I didn't cough, but my face heated up almost instantly as I felt the smoke burn my lungs and my vision getting a bit blurry with the drinks I had before. The whole room reeked of weed and booze Sam had toppled on the carpet, the air filled with a thick cloud of white smoke mixing with those of the incenses Josh had lit up earlier. Jake took the joint between his fingers, considering the few centimeters left before looking at me with a serious expression.

- Do you trust me ?

- Of course I do.

Maybe sober me would've said that it depended on the topic or asked what shenanigans he was up too, but drunk me was on autopilot mode and couldn't get enough of Jake, whether it was his scent, his voice, or his fingers and knees brushing mine because of how close we were sitting. So it really didn't matter right now, I trusted him with anything.

- Come closer, he muttered while putting half of the joint on his mouth.

He gestured for me to get closer to him and swiftly brushed my hair behind my shoulder before framing my face with both of his hands, fingers linking our two heads together as he leaned on me, keeping us merely inches apart. With the joint between us, he began blowing smoke for me to inhale, keeping it from escaping with the barrier his hands formed. It was intense. Both the strong effects and the proximity of our bodies. I don't know which one made my heart rate go wild, too concentrated on his eyes just in front of me, body heat emanating of his body and bathing mine in a warm sensation. I could feel some of his fingers gently tug on my hair as it got tangled in it, and automatically put my hands on his shoulders during the exhange, giving it a firm squeeze when I couldn't take more weed. It hardly lasted more than a few seconds but everything seemed to happen in the painfullest slow imaginable. I coughed, this time, not letting go of Jake's arms as he took me in his arms, rubbing circles on my back.

- Are you crazy ?

Tiny tears had gathered at the corner of my eyes because of the smoke but I could still clearly ear Josh's humorless voice next to us. My back was facing him so I missed the exchange but Jake's body tensed and his hand left my back as he shrugged, probably silently asking his brother what was up. Wanting to calm my breathing to listen to them only made my body betray me as a violent coughing fit got over me, causing me to shake and Jake to reaffirm his hold on me.

- Can't you tell she's not used to it ? Good job, Jake.

- I'll get her some water.

His voice resonnated in my ear before I felt him slowly detach himself from me to get up. I could tell part of him was upset his brother kept nagging him, but the other one probably felt too guilty to retort and he just got to the sink with an empty glass in hand. Scrubbing my eyes, I met Josh's sympathetic gaze before he patted me on the hand, and even though I'd usually appreciate his concern, his whole bizarre behavior had me more upset than anything at this point so I shook his hand off to follow Jake in the next room, slaloming between Danny's large sleepy body and Mandy and Sam's spot. I found him in the dark, standing back to the door, checking the water with his index finger to make sure it was cold enough.

- Hey.

When the brunette looked at me, his concerned eyes made me instantly feel guilty. Maybe I should've been more responsible, but I was okay, more than okay, I didn't drink too much or anything, just enough to feel light-headed, and there really wasn't anything to get worried about.

- I'm sorry I made you smoke too much, he started while filling the red cup.

- You didn't do anything wrong, I just had a coughing fit. You know, I said while getting closer, I used to do this with friends so you don't have to feel bad or anything.

A small smile spread at the corner of his lips and he turned off the water, only looking at me when he handed me the cup. And after all the booze, weed, and smoke, I must admit it felt pretty nice to have cold water running down my throat.

- I know, but I should've been more cautious, y'know ? One time I got carried away and my girlfriend got sick so I should've known better s'all.

My heart stopped at his words. I didn't hear correctly what he just said. It wasn't possible. Maybe I was too drunk after all, imagining things that nobody said, ever. A painful lump grew in my throat, making it impossible for me to drink anymore. My stomach was in knots, overcoming my whole body with a nauseous feeling. My voice was small and strangled as I spoke.

- Your girlfriend ?

- Yeah, Mina. She lives in our hometown so it's kinda hard, but I feel like you two would get along so fine. You kinda remind me of her sometimes, you know ?

A fond and nostalgic smile danced on his lips as he said that, making me want to vomit for real now. Not because I was disgusted, but because my stomach kept turning on itself, and my breath was stuck in my lungs. I put the cup back in the sink when I noticed my fingers were shaking. How could've been so stupid ? Of course he had a girlfriend. I wanted to cry and then laugh at myself for being so dumb. Of course there was no way this perfect boy was single, what was I even thinking ? Anger started rising within me, at myself, for being this delusional. I was feeling downright pathetic to have ever thought he could love me the way I loved him, and what pained me the most was that I was the only one I could blame.

- Everything alright here ?

That's when Josh's head peaked through the open door and I sucked in a breath, feeling tears clouding my vision. Unable to bear it much longer, I faked a headache and waved everyone goodbye, only letting myself cry in the comfort of my dorm.

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

AN : Not gonna lie I’m so stressed about this chapter, please don’t hate me, I had this idea in mind for a while now. The Angst Days Are Not Over unfortunately, but it’ll get better in a few chapters. Please let me know what you think, feel free to message me or review, see you on Saturday for Part 10 ! (And I’m currently writing Part 13 atm) As always, thanks for the love and support, I know this is a slow burn so you might get impatient but we’ll get to it soon now.

#gvf fic #gvf x reader #gvf imagine #gvf fanfic #jake kiszka x reader #jake kiszka fic #jake kiszka imagine #jake kiszka #josh kiszka fic #greta van fleet fic #greta van fleet #greta van fleet imagine

[fbwzoo]

Hello! I've seen your wonderful crab posts and figured you'd be one of the best people to go to. I've been put in a weird situation. My roommates got me a hermit crab. I'm aware that they require a lot of care; however, he is currently living in the fish bowl that they provided me with with a sponge, some shells, a little plastic house, and generic crab food. What is the most immediate way I can provide him with good housing/food/stimulation until I can save up for something better?

Ooof, that’s a rough situation, I’m sorry! :/ But I’m glad you’re aware of their care needs and want to improve things for your new crab!

Okay so housing first thing. Plastic totes are your friend! They’re cheap, easy to get, and will work great for a temp enclosure for a few months. If you can, get one that’s at least around the size of a 10g tank, but a bit bigger will be better & easier to set up - think 20-40g size. Make sure you get a lid with it, as you’ll want that to help hold in humidity for your new friend.

On the plus side, substrate is pretty cheap for these guys! Play sand is the bulk of it, and usually you can get a 50lb bag of that for $3-8 at a hardware or home improvement store (Lowe’s, Ace, Home Depot, etc.). Depending on the tote size you get, you’ll need at least one, maybe two bags. Make sure you buy it from inside the store if at all possible - outside sand is more likely to end up with mold or fungus spores in it. If you can, get a brick of Eco Earth to mix in with the sand. You’ll want to add water to expand it, let it dry out for a little bit, then mix it in. The loose stuff in the bag works fine too, if you’d prefer, and doesn’t need water added to it. You want around 6″ of substrate, at least, so your crab has plenty of room to dig.

Enclosure decor - This can be pretty cheap & easy! You can use some tupperware containers for water pools - they should be deep enough for your crab to submerge in completely. Make sure they have a way to climb in & out though. Plastic cross stitch canvas is really good for this & costs like 25 cents a sheet. I prefer to double up the bowls - this way you can leave the bottom one in place (in case crab is buried around it) and just take the top one out to change the water. 

Hides and climbing stuff can be a lot of things. Coconut hides, tupperware with holes cut in them, ceramic plant pots, etc. Climbing stuff can be  cross stitch canvas, coconut mats, fake plants, wood, etc. http://www.hermitcrabassociation.com/ if you check out the Crabitat Conditions, DIY, and Pictures sections on there, you should be able to get some good ideas for these things! Just be careful as some things are more prone to becoming moldy, like hay/straw, twine, some types of wood, & such.

You can get cheaper fake plants from dollar stores & craft stores, just be careful that they don’t have glitter, small plastic pieces (like berries) that will come off, not painted, and the dye doesn’t leak when you clean them before putting in.

Heat & humidity - Make sure the tote is closed up & that will help keep heat & humidity in. Larger water bowls will help add humidity, and so will bowls or piles of sphagnum moss (which you can spray carefully, don’t spray the rest of the enclosure so as to avoid flooding substrate). You can add air stones/bubblers to the pools to help boost humidity as well, but the equipment for that stuff can cost a bit more unless you find it secondhand. Small fish filters can work too, but in both cases, you want to be careful that water isn’t splashing out of the bowls a lot, which is a flooding risk.

For heating, you’re really better off spending the money on something better right now. Pet store heating pads aren’t great, IMO, and most of them are meant to be stuck on & not taken off (which can break wires & turn into a fire hazard). http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads are the best heating mats IMO, and can be attached to the back of the tote with tape (I use packing tape) and then taken off to be used on another tank. They can also be safely insulated with cardboard or styrofoam to help increase temps. It’s best to use them with a thermostat, especially if your room temps vary a lot. But tbh, I don’t have mine on thermostats as crabs do okay with some temp fluctuation within the proper ranges (as opposed to other animals that need stricter temps to avoid overheating/injuries). Put the heating mat on the back of the tote, above the substrate line (or as much above as you can).

For measuring temp/humidity, these are my favorite gauges currently - https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Humidity-Thermometer-Hygrometer-Indicator/dp/B0013BKDO8/ It’s best to have it hanging from the lid or at least set in an empty bowl or something to keep it off the substrate (which can alter numbers).

Food & water - Crabs need both fresh & salt water. Both need to be treated for ammonia & heavy metals. Prime is what most people use & that little bottle will last you ages since the dosage is only 2 drops per gallon (or for less than a gallon). For the salt water, you want to get Instant Ocean salt, not the stuff sold for hermit crabs (which isn’t complete). Same thing, that box will last you a while! Word of advice, it’s worth splitting it up into single use baggies/containers when you open it, as moisture gets in immediately & turns it into a big brick pretty fast. The amount for that is ½ cup for a gallon, you can make a gallon at a time & then dose it with the Prime when you put it into the tank.

For food….Toss out the commercial stuff. You can often feed them bits of stuff you eat, with no spices/additives. Fresh/frozen fruits & veggies, raw or cooked meat (shellfish must be cooked though), stuff like that is good for them. The HCA forum I linked above has safe & unsafe food lists. I also like the Facebook group Land Hermit Crab Owners Society, and they have safe/unsafe food lists in their files as well, if you join. 

Since they eat so little & fresh foods go moldy fast in the humid heat of the enclosure, a lot of people feed dry foods, which can be left in for a week. There’s all kinds of things you can get from the pet store & grocery store, so I have a post about what you can get & where here - http://fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem.tumblr.com/post/163525780954/hermit-crab-food-shopping There’s also a post linked on that one to my nutrition post, which explains more about what they need in their diet!

Also uhhhh if this isn’t too weird, feel free to message me off anon & I can send you some food stuff if you want! I hoard crab food & have a lot of some things because I buy in larger packages (like the supplement type stuff, worm castings, green sand, etc.). I’m sending out a food package to someone else soon as well. I can’t give food to everyone (unfortunately), but I would like to help where I can! But no worries if you’re not comfortable with that!

And lastly, shells. Here’s a good post about types of shells & where to get shells - http://fantasticbeastsandhowtokeepthem.tumblr.com/post/135316962746/hermit-crab-shell-guide-on-shell-types-and-buying I will say that I would highly recommend going to Joann Fabrics if you have one around you, or other craft stores. You can often find cheaper usable shells there. Joann has this awesome green shell pack that has tons of green turbo shells that I’ve bought at least 5-6 of. If your crab is the right size, that could be perfect! Other than that, I really like Naples best for making sure you get the sizes you want.

I think that’s about it, just a couple other things I wanted to mention.

First, once you have things set up for your little one, it’d be a good idea to get them a friend. Crabs are social & live in large colonies in the wild, so it’s really recommended to have at least two. If you don’t want to get another one from the pet store, check Craigslist, or else check out the LHCOS adoption program - http://lhcos.org/adoption-program-beta/ 

Second, if you’re really not sure you’re able to take all of this on, that’s okay! If you’d rather see if someone who already has things set up can take your crabby, you can check the above link for someone in your area, & submit a form to place your crab for adoption.

I hope all of this helps and isn’t too overwhelming! Please feel free to ask if you have any more questions or if anything is confusing. The LHCOS Facebook group is really helpful as well, especially for new owners! Good luck!

#asks #hermit crabs #land hermit crabs #hermit crab care #long post #fbw rambles

[hazyheel]

Impact Wrestling Rebellion 2019 Review

Night began with a six man scramble. We had Petey Williams, Jake Crist, Aiden Prince, Ace Austin, Cousin Jake, and Eddie Edwards. No real reward for winning here, but it would be a big victory. The announcers seemed to be implying that this match would be important in the X-Division. The big spots started right out of the gate, with Crist intercepting Austin’s suicide dive with a cutter onto a pile of opponents. Crist was actually all over the place, drilling people with huge DDT’s and cutters all over the place. Austin as well was flying around with well placed kicks to all of his opponents. Jake was the powerhouse of the match, coming in to deliver huge power moves when the action was low. The finish came very quickly, with Williams hitting Jake with a Canadian destroyer, but Austin slid in and rolled up Williams for the win.

Grade: C-. Fine match, very spotty, not really long enough. Jake Crist and Ace Austin really shined, but everyone else felt very left out. Prince and Edwards in particular only really got one spot each, with Edwards hitting a tiger driver and Prince hitting a 450. The physicality of the match may be enough for some people to put it on the positive side, but they just didn’t give it enough time, nor was there much of a story here. A couple side stories converged here, especially between Austin and Williams, but we didn’t need this many people in a match to further that story. If you are gonna book a match with this many people, then you need to give it ample time. There was less than 6 minutes here, so each wrestler literally had less than a minute to do something memorable. That would be impossible. This match was doomed from the start.

Then there was an ad for Impact+, a new streaming service. Very exciting.

Next was another new match on the card, Scarlet Bordeaux vs Rohit Raju. This was a pretty basic inter gender match, with Raju being a dick and not taking her seriously. Raju had the win early on with a snap suplex, but he pulled her back off the mat. Not long after, Bordeaux was able to lock in a cross face, with Raju nearly tapping out but powered out of the hold. Scarlet was able to get the win after hitting a low blow while Fallah Bahh distracted the ref, and then a package pildriver for the win.

Grade: D. Bordeaux really isn’t all that good, and this match was so easily telegraphed that I called her getting a win with a low blow from the beginning. Raju did his best selling and such, but this match was heavily held back by its own “gimmick.” Not really worth watching.

Into the 6-man tag, Moose and The North against the Rascalz. Page and Alexander were actually cheered as they entered, possibly because of their affiliation with Canada. Heels has a huge size advantage. Rascalz started out with some high flying teamwork, hitting senton after senton to Moose, before Moose destroyed them after a kip up. Dez was destroyed for much of the beginning, but when they got the offense they hit some killer offense. Page was taken out after being hit with a pushed moonsault off the stage from Wentz. Moose then caught a suicide dive from Trey, powerbombing him into the barricade, before Dez came flying in with a senton, jumping off the back of Alexander on the stage. The Rascalz hit a series of offense of the top rope, only for Page to break it up with a crucifix bomb. Alexander then threw Wentz out of the ring onto Trey. Dez continued to get destroyed, being hit with a superkick, forearm, and then a pump kick. The North then destroyed him with an assisted fireman’s slam, and then a spear from moose for the win.

Grade: B+. This is how to have a flippy sprint of a match. Everyone had a chance to shine, with the Rascalz showing some of their high flying prowess, and the heels showing how good they could be in a prominent pay per view spot. Makes sense for the heels to pick up the win, builds up a new tag team and a new challenger for the world championship. I liked this a lot.

In an interview, Johnny Impact and Taya Valkyrie bullied Melissa Santos, and ultimately said that they would destroy their opponents. Simple stuff, but Santos is an awesome interviewer. She gives me Renee Young vibes, and hopefully she becomes just as big.

Into the Knockouts championship match, Jordynne Grace against Valkyrie. Grace attacked right at the bell, immediately dropping Valkyrie onto the apron twice for a near fall. Valkyrie targetted Grace’s arm throughout the match. Grace started to fight back, hitting Valkyrie with a lariat, but falling to the mat in pain from the injured arm. Grace continued to use her arms to attack, with one lariat after the other, but she just couldn’t keep it up. Valkyrie took advantage of that and hit the road to Valhalla for the win.

Grade: B-. This match was a bit slow, and really was just short of being bad. I liked the story of dissecting the arm, and having that come back to hurt Grace. Valkyrie played a great heel here, and nevertheless got a clean win. It was just a very straightforward match that felt like it should have been on TV, given how much limb work was in it. But I was into the story, so good on them for crafting a narrative.

Another interview from Santos, this time with Gail Kim. Kim said that she is coming back to the ring to teach Tessa Blanchard a lesson. A lesson that no one is willing to teach them themselves. She wouldn’t listen to Kim as an agent, so maybe she will listen as an opponent. 

And next up was Rich Swann against Sami Callihan for the X-Division championship, under OvE rules. The rest of OvE, including their new heavy, are banned from ringside. As Swann came down, he was not dancing at all, dead serious, opening the match with a series of quick strikes. Swann wasted no time getting extreme, stapling Callihan several times in he opening stretch. Callihan returned the favor with a staple to the mouth the second he got the staple gun. Callihan countered a suicide dive with a brutal shot with a steel sheet to the face. Callihan even countered a crossbody by catching Swann, and drilling him into a seated chair with an exploder suplex. Swann shocked the crowd with how sadistic he could be, licking Callihan’s blood, and nailing Callihan with a series of kicks while his head was in a garbage can. Swann also used the stipulation to aid his flying offense, swinging off part of the set into a hurricanrana, and also nailing a handspring cutter on the stage. Callihan has a bit of railing set up between the stage and ring steps, and ended up piledriving Swann onto it for a near fall. Swann was on the top rope locking for a splash, but Callihan countered with a hand full of salt to the eyes, and then piledriver him off the top and onto a pile of legos for a crazy near fall. Callihan introduced a barbed ware baseball bat into the match, but Swann got it after a hitting a low blow, tapping Callihan out with a cross face using the bat.

Grade: B. Pretty good match, with some absolutely brutal death match spots. I wasn’t sure how much Swann’s offense would translate into a style like this, but he worked pretty well. My biggest problem with the match was simply that they didn’t play up their rivalry enough. This match was one of the best built on the whole card, but I didn’t feel as much emotion as I thought I would. They didn’t really tap into it until the end, when Callihan begged Swann to have mercy on him. With that little bit more of storytelling, and possibly a bit more wrestling before they got into all the deathmatch stuff, this could have been a really great match.

Another interview, this time with Blanchard. She said that she doesn’t need to respect anyone who doesn’t deserve it. Tully Blanchard showed up out of nowhere, saying that he fully supported his daughter, and that she needed this win. Well alrighty then.

We went right into that match next, Gail Kim against Tessa Blanchard. This was a brawl from the bell, and it was Blanchard’s strength against Kim’s speed. Blanchard hit a brutal codebreaker off of the middle rope for a near fall. This really felt like the two hated each other, with a bit of extra emphasis on each of the strikes. The two even brawled on the ring steps, with Tessa going face first into the post. After a big splash out of the corner from Kim, the crowd erupted into well deserved “you still got it” chants. The two brawled on the stage, and Blanchard used her signature reverse dragon suplex spot to throw Kim off the stage. Kim was able to hit Blanchard with eat defeat after countering a slingshot suplex, but only a near fall. As Kim locked in a dragon sleeper on the top rope, Blanchard countered by biting her arm, and then hitting magnum for another near fall. Blanchard then immediately locked in a sort of cobra clutch on the mat, and Kim had no choice but to tap out. After the match, Blanchard offered a handshake, but Kim came in with a hug. Blanchard was balling her eyes out, so happy to get the torch passed to her. Kim was in the ring and soaked up the applause, in what could easily be her last match. And it was a hell of a match to go out on.

Grade: A-. This was a brutal match for a brutal feud. All the hatred that built between the two in the preceding weeks was addressed here. They brought the fight to each other with as much as they possibly could. The adversity between the two was real, and it was awesome to see the two get to show what they had. The showcase at the end was very sweet, but it kinda took me out of the whole “hate each other” thing. But it was clearly a huge moment for Blanchard, the biggest win she’s ever had, so I understand why she couldn’t contain herself.

Cage cut a weirdly quick promo about how he will do anything to beat down Impact tonight. Their friendship was long gone, and he wants to show him that he is the better man.

And that world championship match was next, Brian Cage against Johnny Impact with Lance Storm as the referee. Another match that started right at the bell, with Cage destroying Impact with tackles, kicks, a German Suplex and an F5 for a near fall right out of the gate. Then he hit a buckle bomb, and a deadlift vertical suplex off the apron and into the ring for another near fall. He went for another deadlift, but Impact fought out and hit an incredible German suplex. Impact then took the fight to the stage, and hit a Spanish fly off the the ramp and onto the floor. At some point, Cage did a blade job, probably after being thrown into the barricade. Actually, looking at his head, Cage May have cut open the top of his head, but either way, he was bleeding like a stuck pig. As the two brawled, Valkyrie and the crooked ref Bravo set up a table for Impact on the outside. Impact had Cage set up for a Starship Pain through the table, but Cage got up and powerbombed Impact through the table. Bravo tried to get involved, but Cage caught him. Impact hit Cage with the belt in the back, only for Valkyrie to pull Storm out of the ring, and Impact nailed him with a dropkick to the outside. Impact then played possum in the ring, with Valkyrie pretending that she hit Cage with the belt. Cage drilled her with a powerbomb, only for Impact to grab the belt and hit Cage with it. Bravo then ran in the ring, with a ref’s shirt on, and Impact hit the Starship Pain, but Cage kicked out! Storm ran back in the ring, and superkicked Bravo. He was about to disqualify Impact, but Cage stopped him. Cage then hit Impact with a superkick of his own, and the drill claw to finally win the Impact world championship.

After the match, Michael fucking Elgin showed up debuting in Impact, and he seemed to challenge Cage for his belt. He attacked Cage with a backfist and a spinning powerbomb. Seems like we have the next big opponent for Cage.

Grade: B-. This was fucking wild. Huge moves all over the place, and while it seemed slow at times, the big moves more than made up for it. That finishing sequence was all over the place, but it seemed to tick all the boxes. Impact got comeuppance with a powerbomb through a table and losing his belt. Valkyrie ate a rough powerbomb, and Bravo was hit with a superkick. However, everything that was leading up to that finish, apart from the opening sequence, seemed like it slowed down too much. I think that Cage looked a bit weak, even in his victory, because he didn’t have he advantage much after he started bleeding. But still, his win was the right choice. I wouldn’t have had Elgin beat him down right after his big win, his first big win at that, but it will probably be an awesome match. I was wondering where Elgin went, and this is a huge acquisition for Impact. Also, they used to be a tag team in PWG, so maybe they will bring that up. The finish, while entertaining, was a bit overbooked and had too many twists and turns to really keep up with. A bit tough to grade this one, but I think that the loss of momentum and the flurry of stuff happening in the latter half of the match hurt it a bit for me.

In the clubhouse, LAX were prepared for their match in the main event. Kennan called the full metal mayhem match a Mexican standoff, which is weird because it is nothing like a Mexican standoff, other than the fact that it is a standoff amongst Mexicans. Maybe I’m stupid, because I was thinking about that so much that I missed the rest of the promo.

And in the main event, the Lucha Bros took on LAX for the Impact Tag Team Championships, in Full Metal Mayhem. Once again, LAX attacked before the bell with stereo dives. Fenix and Pentagon responded with dives of their own, sending everyone through tables. The Lucha Bros hit their classic double superkick spot, but Satanna’s head was in a trash can this time. LAX hit their team combo, but Fenix broke up the pin with a big diving dropkick, and then fended them both off with a series of kicks. At one point, Ortiz had Fenix up for a draping cutter into a couple set up chairs, and Santana assisted with a double stomp to Fenix’s head, for a near fall. The four met in the middle of the right, nailing each other with elbow strikes while just sitting in chairs. Konnan involved himself after this, passing Ortiz and Santana a couple forks. LAX set up a bunch of chairs near the corner, only for the Lucha Bros to use it against them with a terrifying fear factor into the chairs, but Santana kicked out! Fenix looked pretty busted up during the match, and even Don Callis and Josh Mathews on commentary pointed out that his left arm looked limp. Lax had a table set up on the ramp, and Ortiz tried to put Pentagon through it with something off a ladder, but Fenix walked the top rope and drove him through it with the scariest Spanish fly that I have ever seen. Fenix under rotated, and landed on his fucking head and somehow he could still walk. Back in the ring, Santana ate a Pentagon driver through a chair, but still kicked out. Then came the thumb tacks. Pentagon spread them out on a pair of tables. Pentagon and Santana battled atop a ladder, teasing who would go through them. It seemed like Santana would do the honors, but Ortiz ran in to make the save, putting Pentagon in a powerbomb position. Santana helped out his partner by stabbing Pentagon in the head with a fork, and Ortiz blasted Pentagon through the tables and the tacks. That was what did it, and LAX began their forth title reign as the tag champs.

After the match, Fenix could barely stand up straight. Konnan decided to squash the hate, saying that they are family. They all embraced, and then the faces of the roster came out to pay their respects.

Grade: A. One of the most terrifying matches I have ever seen. The spots were so sick, everything was scary as hell, and it was car crash TV at its finest. This was as much of a war as their feud needed, and it was a hell of a blowoff. I hope that Fenix is okay, because that was a scarier spanish fly than Will Ospreay last year. The embrace at the end made a lot of sense as well. They started this feud as friends, and that was how they ended it. Great match through and through, easily the best Impact match in years. Match of the night for sure.

Overall Grade: B-

Pros: Good commentary; 6-man tag; X-Division Championship; Blanchard vs. Kim; Main Event

Cons: Way too short of an opener; Bordeaux vs. Raju

On a note that I wanted to be completely separate from the review, why wasn’t anyone disqualified for using the tables in the main event? They aren’t made of metal, so they shouldn’t be legal. Just saying.

#Hazyheel #impact #impact wrestling #impact review #impact wrestling review #impact wrestling rebellion #impact rebellion #rebellion #rebellion 2019 #impact wrestling rebellion 2019 #impact rebellion 2019 #impact wrestling rebellion review #impact rebellion review #rebellion review #rebellion 2019 review #impact wrestling rebellion 2019 review #impact rebellion 2019 review #pro wrestling #pro wrestling review #LAX #Pentagon jr #fenix #lucha bros #santana #ortiz #konnan #full metal mayhem #brian cage #johnny impact #michael elgin

[donvex]

you said you take prompts right?? how about a richie that doesn't see the point of art and a eddie whos a artist, and somehow they fall in love?

Here you go, anon! This prompt hit me with inspiration in the middle of... Well, let’s just say I was in a situation pretty similar to Eddie’s.

I Don’t Like Art, But I Do Like You - AO3 Link

It doesn’t matter that he goes to an art school -

Richie Tozier does not respect art majors.

He just doesn’t, not when they’re all pretentious and useless. The dance majors spend every night partying, and then meet up with the musical theater majors in the morning to dance on the tables in the cafeteria. The crafts majors are a joke before you even get past their name. There’s literally no use for a degree in fucking drawing.

He doesn’t respect them, not when they’re all useless.

Richie actually puts work into his craft. Woodcarving is difficult work that keeps his hands occupied and actually produces something useful in the end. His pieces, if not sold after turning them in for a grade, he can keep and use. Most of the furniture in his apartment is his own - which really saves him money.

And he’s dedicated enough that instead of going out on Saturday night to get wrecked, he tucks himself in early so that he can go into the studios at 6:30am on a Sunday.

Yeah, he’s a pretty great student.

The only downfall to going into the studios early, and on an off-day, is that almost every room is locked. The facilities are shit, to say the least, considering they’re only open twenty four seven during the last two weeks of each semester. And now he’s going to have to scope out the building to see if any floor has an already open room; Otherwise he’s going to have to go down to the security desk again and wait for twenty minutes for someone to bring a key.

Things aren’t looking great when he reaches the fourth floor and finds all the woodshop studios locked tight, but he doesn’t actually need the woodshop today. It’s just some prep work for his final project. There’s a whole lotta work to put down on paper before he’s ready to start building. So, since he doesn’t need the woodshop he decides to scour the rest of the building for an empty room.

The fibers floor isn’t even split into a bunch of studios. It’s just three long hallways that are, in themselves, studios - and all three hallways are locked. The illustration floor, two up from fibers and proudly displaying a glistening display case filled with art work, is equally useless. But snugged in between, past a small gallery and the lightbox room - is the guillotine. Richie doesn’t typically have need for the paper cutter, save on rare occasions where he needs to mat and display his blueprints, but he knows it’s there. And, to his surprise and pleasure, the light in the room is on.

Which means it’s open.

Which also means someone must be inside.

Richie’s first thought upon opening the door is fuck, I got beat out. That thought is quickly followed by a string of I was right, there is someone inside and oh god, it’s gonna be a useless visual arts major.

And, again, he’s right.

The single, large table in the room is covered in a stack of objects. Sketchbooks are flipped open to thumbnails and references, larger printed sketches with value are taped down beside that, and neon colored pencils spill out from a lavender colored tote. Several plastic containers are laid out, filled with water, watercolor tablets, and some remnants of paint mixing. A laptop is angled between them, the screen filled with photos and the speakers quietly playing music.

And, the crowning jewel - there’s a cute boy at the center of it all, frowning in Richie’s direction.

“You’re covered in fucking dust.”

Oh. Oh no. Richie likes that.

But, he reminds himself, he also likes his dust.

“Yeah, that comes from hours of working hard, short stuff. Using the whole table?” Richie leans against the doorframe, making it clear he isn’t going anywhere. He crosses his ankles, his scuffed up boots dragging across the floor. He would be going for a kind of rugged look, if it wasn’t for the fact that his denim jacket was hand-dyed to be bright pink.

“What’s the point of not utilizing my space when no one else is here?”

“Well, it didn’t take long for someone to show up, did it?” Richie is grinning, feeling like he holds the upper hand. There’s no real reason for him to be an asshole right now, but according to him, it’s part of his charm. It’s supposed to be endearing.

The kid does not seem to find it endearing in anyway. He just snorts and fixes a pointed look on Richie.

“It took sixteen hours.”

Richie is visibly confused, and the kid laughs at him. It’s more of a bark, but Richie hesitantly labels it as, well, endearing.

What he’s supposed to be, right now.

“I’ve been here since 3pm yesterday. You wanna share the table? Sure. You wanna be a dick about it? I’ve been staked out here on and off for the past five nights, you can go back to your own floor.”

Richie is...floored. Astonished. Confused?

This kid, this visual artist, has been here for sixteen hours. Sixteen hours on a Saturday night. Into a Sunday morning. And more than that, this isn’t even the first night.

“You gotta be a wreck.” There’s something new in Richie’s voice, something eerily close to a begrudging respect.

“Yeah, most of the illustration students are.”

Oh. Oh no again.

This kid isn’t just cute, he’s funny. He’s got a spark. Richie doesn’t think he can stand for that, not if he still intends on disrespecting visual artists.

“When are you going home?”

“God, you’re that desperate to take this room from me? I’ll probably go home around noon, but I’m coming back tonight. I need this done for my six hour studio tomorrow.”

Richie finally pulls out a stool and leans directly into this kid’s space, actually looking at what he’s working on. It’s a series of record covers, from what he can tell. He’s actually kind of fascinated by the layout, there’s obviously a lot of planning gone into it. Even the lettering is styled, pages of calligraphy and designs laid out next to the finalized sketch. The kid doesn’t push him away, either. He lets Richie take it all in, and after a few moments, quietly starts pointing out his favorite parts.

It’s quiet and soft. It’s still the early hours, when most people aren’t in the studios to begin with, and they have the room all to themselves. Richie thinks of a few questions to ask, and the more he pushes, the more interested he is. This kid has an answer for everything, and a good one. It’s not as bullshit as Richie thought it was.

Eventually this kid points to the sunrise, and Richie thinks for a moment that he’s going to take it all back if he has to pause for a picture, but again, he’s surprised.

“Look at that piece of shit,” Eddie grumbles. “That goddamn orange dot is supposed to make staying up worth it? Who cares that I just gave up an entire night of sleep when I get to see the fucking sunrise! Yeah, sure.”

Richie thinks he’s gonna piss himself from laughing so hard, or at least fall off the stool.

It’s still early, to be fair. And he hasn’t had coffee or breakfast. And he was immediately thrown off his game when he met an artist who’s actually competent. So he doesn’t think he can be completely to blame when his filter isn’t as strong as it should be.

“I think I’m in love with you. I think I’m in love with you and I don’t even know your name.”

He gets pushed off his stool.

(It’s worth it, though, when he looks up to a pair of shining eyes and the words “It’s Eddie.”)

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #it 2017 #my writing #Anonymous #answered asks