#I’m too tired to fight and literature is open to all interpretations

[gemini-care-barr]

What do you think of the ending of failsafe in Batman? How failsafe? How did you analyse the “compassion” virus and what do you think Zdarsky was trying to do here?

Okay, so bear with me because it’s been a minute since I read the ending of Failsafe haha, but from what I remember, Failsafe’s whole deal is that he was created to literally be a fail-safe, to destroy a Batman that has lost control, a Batman that has gone beyond the brink, a Batman that broke the one rule: don’t kill.

In order to do that, he was created to be calculating, relentless, and unforgiving, all the things that Batman is, except that last part. I said it before on my answer about Bruce and Clark’s different approaches: Bruce is forgiving, he cares about the criminals he apprehends, he believes in redemption, in coming back from beyond the brink, he has compassion.

So how do you stop a robot designed to destroy Batman? You teach it compassion. You teach it to believe in the worth of every life. You teach it that even a Batman that crossed the line can still be redeemed, just like all the other criminals that Batman cares about.

So, what’s the point to the story? Easy, it’s to remind people that as cool as Bruce may seem any time he says, “I am vengeance, I am the night, I am… BATMAN,” he is still more than that. He cares. (And now we’ve come full circle to how Bruce makes it to my top 3 😜). And all this builds up to Zdarsky’s next storylines that show Bruce being very tested in terms of how compassionate he is (or should be ???). I also think it acts as a reassurance that Zdarsky does in fact get Bruce, he’s just willing to push him to the brink (and beyond) to tell a story. And thank goodness for that.

From a meta perspective (and focusing strictly on the Failsafe storyline), I think stories like this are hugely important to tell in comics because we need to be reminded why our favorite characters do what they do. If we go too long without showing what an unforgiving Batman can do, and focus only on all the baddies he apprehends (and the horrific things they do coupled with the cool way Batman stops them) then more and more people start running around with those dumb “WhY dOeSn’T bAtMaN jUsT kIlL jOkEr?” takes which are so beyond easy to rebut when we just remember that compassion is a thing that exists haha

#comic books #dc comics #ask me anything! #comics #opinions #thoughts #batman #bruce wayne #failsafe #chip zdarsky #I don’t have anything funny to say hahah #so I’ll just say: I don’t mean for this to be that deep if you disagree with anything I said then that’s cool but pls don’t fight me haha #I’m too tired to fight and literature is open to all interpretations #interpret as you will #I do love this story though and I think Zdarsky’s run has been straight fire lol

[willowbleedsonpaper]

Ghost Of You (Part 2)

Draco Malfoy x Muggle!Reader

W.C. : 3000

Summary:  The war with Voldemort was over. Draco Malfoy was forced to flee for his life ending up in Muggle London where he met you, the muggle whose house he broke in looking for a place to hide. You agreed to let him hide in your house if he promised to let you live your life normally. How will your relationship work as time passes and you both realiz you’re no longer just partners in crime?

A/N: Here I am with the second part of Ghost Of You. I´m really happy that you are liking it so much. Please tell me what you think, I love readng your comments.  Happy Reading! <3

Shoot me an ask or something if you would like to be tagged!

Warnings: None

*Not my GIF. Credits to the creator*

The next morning you lay awake staring at the ceiling, your eyes following the slow movement of the fan. Did all of that really happened? The sound in the guest room next to yours gave you your answer. With a sigh you moved the covers getting out of bed just in time to stop your alarm, having waking up long before it sounded. 

You took a short shower, washing your teeth and doing quick work on your hair and work clothes. Just as you walked to your door your arm froze mid air, your grasp on the knob tight as footsteps sounded from the opposite side. A gulp formed in your throat, only being able to swallow it when his footsteps sounded far away going downstairs.

You followed his trail careful to not make a sound, curious as to why was he up so early and what he was doing, not like he had much to do in your house, his job was to hide. And then it hit you again, the panic you felt the day before. If he needed to hide was because someone was looking for him. 

The question was: Is he the guilty of the innocent? 

You made your way to the kitchen, as he seemed to like the kitchen, finding him sitting with a newspaper in hand. Where did he get that newspaper? You walked past him, going straight to get your coffee mug. “Morning” you said turning to him.

He lazily lifted his eyes from the page, a frown quickly setting in his forehead “Where are you going?” Draco asked you, closing the newspaper and carefully placing it on the table.

“To work” your gripped tighten around your bag on your shoulder, watching as his eyes hardened.

“You’re not going.” he stated, getting to his feet and blocking the kitchen entrance with his body. You mirrored his stance, crossing your arms over your body, squinting your eyes at him. “You forget I can make you do whatever I want.” he told you pulling, what you decided to refer to as his wand, out of nowhere.

“That’s not our deal, remember?” you said back “I can’t just miss work. I have to get the future of this planet ready!” you said completely serious, earning a scoff from him.

He rolled his eyes, turning in his place to pace around the kitchen “They’ll survive a few days without you, I’m sure there’s plenty of teachers around” he claimed.

A squeak of surprise left your mouth, capturing his attention as he turned his face to you “Excuse me, but I got that job for a reason,” you told him, voice higher as you grabbed your mug with determination “I am the only one capable of doing it.” 

As soon as the last word left your mouth you quickly turned on your heel, marching towards the back door through the washing room, missing the look of shock in his eyes at his completely unawareness of the existence of that way out. He shook himself out of the state of shock, grabbing his coat from where he had left it last night and ran out the front door. 

“What the hell are you doing?” you screamed as soon as the passenger door of your car was closed, he looked a little lost but said nothing and you huffed “You can’t come with me.” you said, seeing right through him at his true intentions.

“If you are so set in going to work I am going with you” he said coldly “I’m not risking you telling someone”

“I am not telling anyone!” you yelled, slamming your hands in the wheel in exasperation, accidently honking and making you jump in surprise. You hid your face in your arms, keeping in the groan at the pain from hitting your head. “I’m just going to work.” you muttered in defeat raising your head slightly, catching a glimpse of his amused face before it quickly turned dead once more. You straighten your back completely, glaring at him “Are you making fun of me?” you asked him angrily.

“No.” he said turning to face the front “Now drive before I force you to go inside again.” You didn’t fight him this time, opting to have him follow you like he was your tail than missing work. Maybe you could make something out of this.

You drove in complete silence, the radio low in the background. You stole a few glances at him, he looked tired. Even if he went to sleep early the bags under his eyes resembled the ones you saw on your students during the exam season. He rested his head on the window, his eyes dancing through all the places you passed by with a glint in them. 

You took a turn and parked just behind the school, cutting the engine off you turned your body completely to him “There will be guards there, someone could recognize you” he lifted his head from the window, only then realizing you had arrived at the school.

e“No one will recognize me” he told you, unfastening his seatbelt and getting out of the car. You groaned loudly, getting your bag from the backseat and running towards him.

“I’m sorry, are you forgetting you’re supposed to be hiding?” you hissed as you jogged to him, his long legs making it a little hard to keep up “If someone sees you they will go to the police.”

Not once did he turned to you, his eyes scanning the streets and always looking up front “I’m not concerned about the police” he simply said making you halt and look at him with wide eyes.

“What?” you whispered.

He stopped turning to you with a tilt of his head, he had a small grin in his face, sending shivers down your spine. He walked and stood right in front of you “It seems like your plan is not going to work” he said lowering his face to your ear “You see, your police won't even react at the sight of me” he whispered, straighten his posture and giving a small nod towards the school “Shall we?”

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

You entered the school with him following close behind, too close to your liking.

Using the back door, you took the long way to get to your classroom, taking every deserted corridor you could. 

You had thought maybe he was careless, coming with you to a public school with other teachers that you knew for a fact watched the news, students with parents that worked as officers, guards that would have the police there with the press of a button. It was madness that he would have gone with you just like that. Now you understood why, and you wish you didn’t.

The only thing that made you relaxed a little was the fact that he was not  criminal, or at least not one looked by the the police. Which meant he was probably not going to hurt you. Probably. 

Unfortunately, that left you with more unanswered questions than you had before.

You opened the door to your classroom, not waiting to see if he was still behind you or if you lost him with how fast you were walking. But his arm towering over your head to hold the door open told you he was right there, still with you.

You unpacked your things, your face always down and avoidant of him. You heard him walk around, going through the seats and stopping a couple of times to watch the things you have up on your walls, quotes from books and a few things on basic grammar. 

“You teach literature.” he said. 

You didn’t know if he was asking you or or just talking out loud, so you stayed quiet turning your back on him and starting to write on the board about the subject of the day. 

“So you’re not talking, ” he said, closer than he was before and you turned. He sat on your desk, his hands resting in his lap as he stared intently at you. You held his gaze for a second before it was too intense to bare, turning again on him “I scared you, didn’t I?” he asked you and your hand froze. 

Where you that transparent? That easy to interpret? Or was he so clever that he could already read you like an open book? Not having knowing you for even 24 hours.

You shifted in your place, he had moved to stand right beside you and you couldn’t help yourself meeting his eyes with a shaky turn of your head. You tried to say something but no words came out.

He frowned taking a step towards you when the door opened, the wave of students inside their own heads never noticing the close stand you two had. Draco took a hesitant step back, going around you and taking your chair behind the desk. 

You let a shaky breath out, resting your head against the board.

“Miss Y/L/N?” someone called “Are you alright?” she asked you. You straighten your back, putting on a smile and turning to face her.

“Yes, Emma.” you answered “Just tired, that’s all.”

“Staying up late watching Friends again, Miss?” the entire class laughed, you chuckling softly as well, feeling the hot stare of Draco on you.

“You know me too wel.l” you said, going to the desk and picking up the papers “I have your tests here. I have to say, you really surprised me, even you Walter.” you said, meeting the boys eyes and realizing the focus had shifted from you.

“Who is the guest today?” asked one of the girls at the front of the class looking straight at Draco, oblivious to the extra attention. 

You turned to him, not even thinking of an excuse for him being there “Right,” you muttered, clearing your throat to catch his attention. He lifted his eyes to you, giving you a funny look before he turned to the front, the entire class attention on him “This is Harry… Enfield,” you beamed, forcing a smile as you saw the glare he gave you, dismissing him with the wave of your hand “Mr. Enfield is an old friend of mine from college.” you explained, getting a little nervous at the shift of the mood inside the room.

They looked excited, Emma almost launching herself from her sit “You knew Miss Y/L/N in college?!” she asked, their eyes growing in size as she looked expectant at him. 

You slowly turned, the calm look in his face making the pit in your stomach grow “He is not here for your thirst in my personal life.” you told them sternly, only for Walter to shoot his hand to the air. You were screwed.

“Miss Y/L/N,” he said, with a mischievous glint in his eyes “You told us at the beginning of the year that we could call Break Day for one day we wanted during the course.” he said smiling at you “Well, I call for Break Day.”

They all cheered, of course they would call Break Day to gossip about you. Those little devils. You cursed under your breath turning to Draco who had an amused look in his face and this time he stared right at you with a smirk. 

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

The entire hour they make all kind of weird question and to your surprise, Draco answered each and every single one of them. He loved to be the center of attention, you noticed how he moved through the classroom with the confidence of the most popular boy in the school. He talked in front of them without the slightest doubt of the details he made up along the way and you didn’t know what should scare you the most: The embarrassing detailed stories he was sharing that will surely haunt you for the rest of your days at that school or his innate ability to come up with lies at the spot. 

What of what he had told you was true? Was his real name Draco? Did he mean it when he said he wasn’t going to hurt you?

You realized what a grave mistake you’ve made by letting him in into your work space when you saw the flash of his wand from underneath his sleeve, making your body tense. Could he force the entire class to do as he pleased like he did with you?  

“Okay guys, that’s enough.” you said, standing up. All faces turned to you, Draco’s included at your sudden interruption.

“But there’s still fifteen minutes left.” one girl said with hopeful eyes. You smiled at her, handing them their tests from your desk.

“I know, but I have to let you go a little early today.” you lied, watching their faces fall, sad mumbles filling the classroom “Mr. Enfield and me have to go somewhere else and it’s a long drive.” 

“Will you come back Mr. Enfield?” Emma asked and he stayed quiet.

“If he has the chance.” you said for him “Please, do the reading we were going to do here as homework.”

 They all reluctantly packed their stuff, saying their goodbyes to you and Draco as they walked out the door. You doing the same, closing the door behind you. “I have to sign some papers before I leave” you told him, pointing to the end of the hall avoiding his eyes. He nodded, following you with a safe distance between the two of you, which you appreciated.

“Hello Y/N!” greeted Sally, one of the secretaries in the school “You signing off for the day?” she said, handing you the book.

“Yeah” you said quietly, writing your signature and the hour “Any messages for me?” you asked softly.

“No, not today” she smiled to you, her eyes moving behind you “And who do we have here?” she asked smiling at him. You turned your head, forgetting for one second that he was standing right there.

“Oh” you muttered, facing Sally again “This is a friend of mine, Harry Enfield” you said, extending a hand for Draco to come closer. “Harry, Sally Eaton” you introduced her, both shaking hands.

“Pleasure to meet you” said Draco politely, looking at you “All done?”

You nodded, saying goodbye to Sally and walking out the front door. The entrance was filled with teenagers getting out of class or on their break. Many stares turning to you. You were probably the youngest teacher there, making you a little more easygoing with your students. Many said they considered you a friend and even if it was unprofessional to say it back you thinked the same way, but you could never say it out loud. 

That was the reason everyone was so interested in your life, they knew so little and were curious. So you walking out the school with an unknown man, a really handsome man, made them wonder who he was.  

And he noticed this to, the stares of so many people on him made him a little nervous. Who could assure him not one of them knew about the Wizarding World and would get word back to the Death Eaters looking for him? 

“Let's leave,” he murmured your way, holding your wrist in his hand “Now.”

“Okay.” you said, following his lead, that until someone called up your name.

“Professor!” you turned, hearing the low groan from Draco. Officer Forbes making his way to you with Emma right beside him “How are you today?” he asked you.

“Officer Forbes,” you said “I’m great, just about to go home” 

Emma tilted her head in confusion “Weren’t Mr. Enfield and you going somewhere?” asked Emma with a frown.

You opened your mouth, a dry chuckle leaving your mouth “Yes, I-uh  I left some documents back at my place” you lied making a funny face, making them laugh.

“I assume this gentleman is your boyfriend?” Officer Forbes said, looking at Draco, his grasp in your hand tightening.

“What?” you laughed, looking between him and Draco who had turned into a statue beside you.

“The boyfriend that surprised you last night?” he said, a suspicious look in his eyes. And then you remembered what Draco had ordered you to do, the soft whisper in your ear when you felt in a haze and didn’t even hesitate to say what he told you. You were sure if he had asked you to jump off a cliff you would have done so with a smile in your face.

The gasp from Emma pulled you and Draco from your confused state “You said he was a friend!” she squeaked, the most excited you had ever seen the girl. “Oh, wait until everyone knows you lie!” she said. 

Thankfully she was stopped by her father “Emma, that is none of your business,” he said sternly “There must be a reason she didn’t tell you.” he turned to you with an apologetic look “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude. I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”

You smiled “It's alright” you told him “But we really need to go” you said, pulling Draco with you after saying goodbye to them.

Once in the car Draco sighed loudly in his seat, running a hand down his face. You started the car without a word not wanting to anger him any further, scared of what he would do if you even muttered a word.

You got to your house in no time, opening the door you didn’t wait for him to say anything. Making your way straight to your bedroom and locking the door behind you.

What had you gotten yourself into?

TAGS: @fanficflaneuse​ @accio-rogers​ @gloriousrebelrunaway​ @slytherinprincess03​ @coldlilheart​ @aasthapiplani​ 

#Draco Malfoy #draco x reader #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy x reader #draco x muggle!reader #draco malfoy x muggle!reader #muggle!reader #hp fanfic #hp fanfiction #Harry Potter #harry potter fanfiction

[pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles]

Colour Me In (Part 5)

Eliza gasped as a blue butterfly landed on her nose and giggled when she looked over at Calum. He had a yellow butterfly in his dark curls and his mouth was hanging open, eyes wide as he fed several others from his hand. He'd brought her to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

They'd started in the butterfly jungle and Eliza swooned at Calum trying to be extra careful with the tiny delicate creatures.

Next was the aviary where Eliza stared at the birds the zoo keeper brought out one by one following along with the script on Calum's phone. He seemed a little more skittish around the birds as they were brought up close, but he tried to play it off.  She marveled at the colors, and judging by the way Calum flinched when it opened its beak she guessed it was very loud.

Calum bought behind the scenes tickets so they learned about kangaroos for about an hour, even holding and feeding a baby roo. The park employees teased Calum about being a natural, being from Australia and all. Eliza noticed the side glances cast her way, some girls nodding at her and smiling in appreciation of the man she was on a date with. Other females shot her looks of pure envy and venom, but Eliza ignored them, she was too happy to care what anyone thought.

They grabbed a quick snack before Calum took her on a caravan safari through the Asian and African savannah. Calum had preloaded the guides script into his phone so Eliza could read along, but he kept poking her and pointing, signing “What's that?”

She'd sign back “lion, rhino, antelope,” and so on and the tour continued. A couple of kids sitting in front of them turned around to watch the impromptu lesson and were soon asking their own questions.

Calum grinned watching Eliza answer every one while still paying close attention to the animals they were there to see. He brushed a curl off her cheek tucking it behind her ear earning him a smile that made his heart catch in his throat. He took a video of her teaching the kids to sign “giraffe” and he couldn't help but think she'd be such a good mom someday. The thought unnerved him for a second, but he squeezed her knee and smiled back. The kids got distracted by their parents who felt bad intruding on what was obviously a date, and Eliza snuck in a quick kiss, pressing her lips to his briefly, just long enough to let Calum know he was already in too deep.

The safari was about two hours long with Eliza alternating between signing for Calum and the kids and holding his hand enjoying the scenery. Every now and then resting her head on his shoulder so her hair tickled his face, and he noticed it smelled like honeysuckle flowers and coconut. Cal couldn't remember the last time he'd taken a girl out on a date and he'd never done anything like this before.

By the time the tour was over they were both hungry and the parents of the two kids offered to treat them to lunch at the restaurant on that side of the park. They wandered back through the park deciding to try the zipline even though Eliza objected not wanting Calum to spend any more money. He overruled her objections and flying above the animals she was glad he'd insisted. He'd gone first so he was waiting when she landed. Eliza was so overwhelmed at the days experience, and this gorgeous man grinning at her with his arms out, she couldn't help but throw her arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss. His hands tangled in her hair and his tongue parted her lips when they were asked to move along. Calum frowned as he pulled back, leading Eliza back down the trail.

They held hands as they made their way out of the park, stopping occasionally to look at an exhibit and even popping in to feed some colourful lorikeets. Eliza laughed when Calum seemed to finally be warming up to birds until one pooped right in his hand. He looked so embarrassed and grossed out, she felt bad for him but laughed harder as she handed him a wet wipe. They stopped at the petting kraal so Calum could brush a goat which Eliza just had to get video of.  

They made their way to Calum's car, and he acted like he was gonna reach around to open the passenger door for her. Instead his hands found her waist backing her against the car. Eliza stood on her toes tilting her head up as his mouth came crashing down on hers continuing where they'd been rudely interrupted. The kiss was deep and passionate, his hands running down her sides gripping her hips, her fingers pulling his curls as her teeth grazed his bottom lip. He started to dip down to kiss her neck and Eliza pushed him away, suddenly.

“I'm sorry I'm sorry” she signed, wide eyed and shaking her head. She grabbed her phone.

I can't have marks on my neck. Where my mom and boss could see them.

Calum backed up and nodded before leaning in and kissing her lips again.

If I ever leave marks, they'll be where no one can see them.

Eliza's jaw dropped and Calum burst out laughing. He opened the door for her, before walking around and getting in himself.

I'm still hungry, let me buy you dinner

That's not how this is supposed to work ya know

Calum was using voice to text so he could talk to her while driving.

Don't care, you just dropped several hundred dollars taking me out today, I can buy you a pizza.

Okay fine, but let's go back to the hotel and let me get a quick shower before we get dinner.

Shower? Where?

I got a room this morning because I figured I'd be too tired to drive back tonight after getting up that early to drive down

How much is this costing you?

Don't worry about it, I can afford it and it was worth it to come see you.

Eliza got freshened up in her room and changed into a yellow sundress with sneakers and a white denim jacket over the dress. Calum was at her door looking handsome as always in a black tank top with an unbuttoned red shirt over it. Ripped black jeans and boots with his hair still wet from his shower, Eliza had to fight the urge to forget about dinner.

The desk clerk was a fan and insisted they try her favorite restaurant about twenty minutes away. The menu was California cuisine with a Greek twist. Eliza skipped it and went straight for the kebab, the smell of the lamb meat already had her mouth watering. Calum followed her lead and it was a slow night so the owner was also running food. He stopped to chat them up and they had a laugh how international the table was, a Maori-Scottish man on a date with an Portuguese-Iranian woman at a Greek restaurant in a Mexican named city eating Turkish food.

He insisted they take a shot of Ouzo on the house, only relenting when Eliza explained she was Muslim, insisting Calum take two in her place.

Calum texted her can you drive a stick? Eliza nodded with a wink and he took the shots. He nursed a beer for the rest of the night not wanting to get silly around Eliza. The liquor got him feeling a bit loose and he couldn't stop touching her. He kept playing with her fingers, rubbing her shoulder, bumping her knee with his, Eliza wasn't drunk but felt intoxicated by the attention.

The food was amazing finally breaking the spell as they concentrated on their meal.

Afterwards they were absolutely stuffed but the owner insisted they take some of his wife's famous kourabiedes, Greek walnut sugar cookies, with them to go.

They got back and Calum walked her to her room. Eliza stopped and pulled out her phone

I want you to come in and hang out, but I don't want you to think this is an invitation to fool around

Okay but you're looking really pretty tonight so I can't promise I won't try and kiss you

I'll consider myself warned

They ended up sitting on the bed holding their phones to chat. Calum was sitting up with a pillow behind him with Eliza sitting between his legs, her back resting against his chest. They were both fully clothed although she'd changed into yoga pants and an oversized t shirt with a sports bra underneath and Rocket and Groot knee socks.

If you're trying to look unappealing, it's not working, but what's with the socks

Maggie is Rocket and I am Groot

He giggled and she looked back at him receiving a kiss before settling back against him.

They stayed that way until after 2am. Cuddling and texting eventually putting one phone one the charger while they passed the other back and forth. Calum talked about his two girlfriends in high school and how awful he'd been to them. He'd had sex for the first time at 15 and he was embarrassed to admit he honestly couldn't tell her how many girls he'd slept with. After that he told her about the girl who'd convinced him he was finally in love. She'd been a drummer and a tattoo artist about a year older than him. He'd become jaded when that fell apart piece by piece until they hated each other. He never missed them as a couple, but sometimes he still missed her.

Eliza nodded she told him about her first boyfriend, Miguel who'd been deaf like her. They'd met at school, as there was only two high schools in the district that had ASL interpreter. They'd dated from sophomore to senior year, and he'd been the one to take her virginity, convincing her they would marry after college and live happily ever after. She found out he was cheating a week before graduation. Her second serious boyfriend was Patrick who she met in literature class her first week of college. They'd been together a little over a year despite Maggie and Kevin never being fully happy with the relationship.

As far as sex was concerned she and Miguel had been kids, sneaking around, figuring things out together, and it had been enjoyable. Patrick had been boring in bed, she knew enough to know that. When she'd gotten the courage to suggest trying something different he'd turned it around on. Patrick had blamed her extra weight and her lack of experience for his poor performance. Their relationship crumbled quickly after that.

Eliza felt suddenly bashful explaining her limited sexual experience and prowess.

I hope if something ever happens you won't be disappointed

Eliza felt Calum's whole body tense up as he read that.

You could never disappoint me, don't ever think that.

He turned her head so she was looking at him and mouthed “Never” before pulling her into a kiss.

Soon they were tangled together in a flush of heavy breathing, roaming hands and passionate kisses. Calum stopped and pulled away watching her face. Eliza was still unsure if she was ready for this and Calum understood that. He got up of the bed and helped her up.

“Not yet” she signed.

“I understand” he signed back before kissing her forehead. “I should go get sleep.”

He kissed her goodnight and went to the desk to see if he could keep his room until Monday.

The next day Calum slept till 10 but Eliza was already up and ready with a bagel sandwich and a coffee for him. She'd decided that since Calum had planned yesterday, and it had been expensive, that today would be the opposite.

They went to Balboa Park to explore the gardens. She only expected to be there a couple hours but the place was huge and breathtakingly beautiful. They marveled at the stunning Spanish-Moorish fountains in Alcazar Park, took pictures at the lily pond in front of the Botanical Building and delighting at the rare orchids inside. They grabbed a light lunch before heading to the carousel.

It was a gorgeous historic menagerie carousel with many animals to choose from.  Calum picked a horse but Eliza wanted the dragon. She smiled the entire ride her eyes kept wandering around taking it all in. Calum's heart was in his throat, and he couldn't stop staring. Reputation be damned, he liked this girl, and he had to make sure she knew.

The rest of the short day was spent wandering hand in hand through the Memorial Rose Garden, Calum memorizing which flowers were her favorites. Then the Japanese Friendship garden where they enjoyed strolling through authentic buildings and reading the exhibits.  He stole kisses walking down the paths before standing behind her holding her and resting his chin on top of her head while they silently watched the koi ponds.

Calum stepped back and turned her around to face him and raised his eyebrows carefully signing “want girlfriend my will.”

It took Eliza half a second to realize what Calum just asked her.

“Of course” she signed back at him beaming before raising up on her toes to kiss him.\

@wildhearthood @kiiiimberlyriiiicker1995 @cal-puddies @biba3434 @babygirlcashton @angelbabylu @itstheholls @5sos-ficssmut @cal-pal-cuddles @calumh-excess @1dthewantedlove

#calum hood #calum hood fanfiction #deaf #eliza #colour me in #asl #sign language #calum 5sos #calum imagine #calum hood imagine #calum hood fanfic #calum hood blurb #calum hood smut #5sos #5sos calum

[icywhitescar]

QoAaD and theories based on the chapter titles

Today, Cassandra Clare released the chapter titles of QoAaD and as a faithful literature student, I decided to analyse the poem they are based on.'The City in the Sea' by Edgar Allan Poe (1845) is the poem they are inspired from so I will be analysing the poem and theorising any possible events. The chapter titles aren't chronological to the linear structure of the poem so this will go according to the poem and not the sequence of the titles.   I'll be mostly blurting out random thoughts so this is just some general points of interest and maybe they're far-fetched but let's just get into it. 

The poem was initially published under the titles of  'The Doomed City', and 'The City of Sin' and tells the story of a city ruled by the personification of Death, perhaps alluding to many deaths in the upcoming novel. The city resides near "melancholy waters" (title of chapter 2) and the water element has been a theme throughout 'The Dark Artifices' and is a key aspect of all three book covers. The poem ends with the city sinking, which many argue is symbolic of the descent to Hell - most likely caused by mortal sin. One interpretation of this is the downfall of the Shadowhunter race by the sin of some - an idea the Cohort have already undertaken as they strive to restore the Nephilim to the old 'golden age'. The submersion of the city could allude to the downfall of the Cohort that is brought about by their own ideology, or the downfall of individual Shadowhunters due to unspeakable deeds they have committed (perhaps Julian's punishment for his willingness to transgress morals and laws for the benefit of his loved ones, seen when he was open to the idea of severing all parabatai bonds so he could be with Emma whilst also keeping his family). 

The city is located "far down within the dim West", which is the direction of the setting sun and could symbolise the descent from light to darkness as night-time prevails in the poem. Downfall is a key theme and as "everything changes" in  QoAaD, it's quite obvious that dark and sinister forces will arise. "Holy heaven come down" and "Hell, rising", convey a feeling of good forces being defeated or supressed by the villainous opposition. The most powerful villain yet is said make an appearance so the allusions are probably spot on as the Shadowhunters will struggle against a powerful enemy. 

A chilling rhyming couplet goes: "Where the good and the bad and the worst and the best / Have gone to their eternal rest", suggesting that people from both the 'good' (Livvia's Watch etc) and from the 'bad' (Cohort, Unseelie King) side will die. Cassandra Clare hasn't revealed a precise death count which supports the idea that many will be lost. Death's city is described as elaborate and impressive with "kingly halls" and "marvellous" shrines, but the magnificence is juxtaposed because the architecture is "long forgotten" and "shadowy". There is an overwhelming absence of life and it reminds me of Edom's history from CoHF, a reality where Shadowhunters perished because they lacked certain equipment such as seraph blades, but ultimately because they were too prideful to accept the help of Downworlders in order to fight demons. This is a chilling parallel to the current situation in Idris, where a blight caused by the Unseelie King is not only present in large parts of Faerie, but it has also spread into parts of Brocelind Forest. Shadowhunters would be unable to use their tools in the case of an invasion, and if the Cohort's ideology spreads and Downworlders are alienated, the Nephilim could perish exactly as they did in Edom. The presence of ruins is also in the cover of QoAaD where the ruins of a city are seen in the background.

"Babylon" is the title of chapter 3, and I believe will focus on the Cohort. The term 'Babylon' is used by Rastafarians (a religious movement in Jamaica) to refer to oppressive colonial institutions as Jamaica was a British colony. There is an inextricable link between the Cohort's fascist ideology and the ideology shared by colonial powers who saw non-white races as inherently inferior, and the Cohort represents the rise of extremism in contemporary US politics.  Perhaps Downwolders will rally up in opposition to the Cohort (maybe ally themselves with Livvia's Watch) the same way the Rastafarians do with Britain's oppressive establishments that are still present in Jamaica to this day. The title of chapter 15 is "Turrets and Shadows" which likely alludes to Julian's dark nature as he is further isolated from others by his secrets. There are plenty of theories on Julian's downfall and he is an anti-hero so this isn't surprising. Similarly to the tower covered by thorns on his bedroom wall, Julian is metaphorically trapped by his own darkness (his lies and deceitful nature). Cassie has revealed that Julian will be more isolated in QoAaD than Emma will be because he has no one to talk to, to share his burden with, and this isolation reflects the entrapment of a tower. Julian is a Blackthorn and his fairy tale is Sleeping Beauty where he is Beauty that lies in the tower so this imagery is very familiar with his character. 

Another terrifying chapter title is that of 31: "A redder glow." In Poe's poem, this is about the water's colour right before Death's city begins sinking, but in the context of TSC, this is frighteningly close to the glow of the demon tower's in Alicante during a demon invasion. A war is certainly coming and will likely take place in Alicante like it did in TMI. 

Lastly, "Hell Rising" of chapter 18 reminds me of Sebastian's quote, "If I cannot move  Heaven, I will raise Hell", something that Satan said in Paradise Lost by John Milton. Sebastian's known legacy right now is Ash who is generally accepted by the fandom to be his son which makes me question if Ash will follow his father's footsteps.  

I might add more later but I'm too tired at the moment, let me know what you guys think of this! I finally put my literature skills into use for this fandom since I don't draw or write fanfiction and doing this was really fun (and time-consuming). I'm posting this on the 10th of November 2018 and please tag me if you want to use any of these points so I can read your theories!

#Queen of air and darkness #TDA #qoaad theories #qoaad predictions #qoaad spoilers #edgar allan poe #Cassandra clare #The dark artifices #The Shadowhunter Chronicles

[my-darkstrangeson]

And this begins your epilogue, chapter 3

Summary: ever since the fateful day he found his mother’s body, Virgil has been able to interact with ghosts. His newfound sight gives him nothing but strife, so as the years go on he hides his abilities and ignores the ghosts around him. He lives normally, until he moves into his new apartment and finds it's already occupied by some unexpected, incorporeal roommates.

Words: 1223

Tw: descriptions of violence and death (lots of ghosts my dude, lots of ghosts) references to abuse, alcohol mention (I think that’s it but if not let me know!)

A/N: I’m tired rn so the tag list comes tomorrow, sorry y’all

“Doesn't this guy have taste?” He’ll moan, floating upside down as the original Willy wonka and the chocolate factory plays. “Everyone knows that the remake is better!”

Virgil ignores him, choosing to hum along as Gene Wilder sings about imagination. It’s a rare night that he doesn't have any essays or papers due, and he intends to enjoy it before going back to caffeine filled, deadline induced stress.

“I mean, come on!” The ghost continues dramatically. “Just look at the oompa-loompas!”

“Roman.” The other ghost says, slightly annoyed, “are you actually complaining about the visual aesthetic of this movie?”

Roman shushes him loudly, but he falls silent after that.

_____

A few weeks after moving in, Virgil is finishing a paper that should have been done yesterday when he senses the presence over his shoulder. He inwardly groans, expecting more of Roman’s antics, but instead there’s just silence for a few seconds until a voice mutters next to him.

“That's an interesting interpretation of the text.” The voice Virgil recognizes as Logan says quietly, “though, I have to wonder if additional reading of…”

The ghost continues on as Virgil types, and Virgil is silently remembering some of the books Logan mentions, because he seems to know his literature, and Virgil needs an A in this class.

He spends an hour the next day researching the writers and philosophers that Logan mentioned, citing them in his paper. There’s actually a lot of interesting ideas, ones that go in-depth on concepts his professor mentioned. He adds at least two pages to his paper with the information gained.

When his essay is handed back, a large red “A” followed by a smiley face is scrawled just above the title.

_____

Virgil is going crazy trying to find where his headphones went. He’s searched everywhere: in his car, under his mattress, in his bag, behind the toilet, inside the fridge. They’re just gone, poof! Out of existence. He suspects the ghosts; it seems like something Roman would do to annoy him. But he hadn't boasted about how clever he was, or how good he hid the headphones, which is suspicious because Roman lives to brag. He’s about to give up, when the aforementioned ghost throws his hands in the air.

“That’s it! I’m going to help him look!” The ghost says, and sure enough he begins to float around, lifting pillows and opening cabinet doors. “This is far too frustrating to watch!”

Together they search every last nook and cranny, and just as Virgil is about to call it quits and buy another pair Roman lets out a triumphant yell.

“Found them!” He says, floating over Virgil’s desk. The pencil jar that sits there behind to wobble, and Roman pushes it off the edge of the table with a loud clang!

Sure enough, Virgil’s headphones spill out amongst the brightly colored assortment of pens and pencils. How they got there Virgil doesn't know, but he’s glad to finally fund them. Pretending to be curious, he slowly approaches the spilled contents of the jar and picks of the headphones. He gives a fake “huh” of confusion, before shrugging and tucking the headphones into his bag.

“There,” Roman says, satisfied, floating inches from his face. “Now we don't have to watch him pace about. It was beginning to grate on my nerves.”

“It sounds more like your growing fond of him.” Logan says from some part of the apartment. Sometimes Logan will seem to disappear, sinking into the walls in another room for an hour or two before reappearing. Whatever he does, it doesn't cause Virgil trouble, so he pays it no mind when Logan isn't to be found.

“I am not!” Roman objects loudly, turning away from Virgil. “It’s simply ridiculous to think that I would be growing fond of anyone!”

Logan hums, unconvinced. Virgil brushes the exchange off as the two just bickering, but he does have to wonder if Roman’s reason for helping was actually the truth.

_____

It’s dark, far too dark, and Virgil feels like iron chains are strapped around his chest, tightening with each breath he takes. The nightmare he managed to rip himself out of is still replaying over in his mind, roiling and frothing like a vengeful wave out to drag him under and keep him there.

You’re okay. He whispers to himself in the unnerving silence of his room. You’re okay, you're okay, your okay.

But words don't stop the visions creeping into the torn edges of his mind, demanding to be seen. He’s drowning in his fears, black liquid seeping into his lungs, stealing his breath and choking his lungs like overgrown weeds.

There’s a sound from the kitchen, a slamming door and the sound of the tap switching on and off. He can't deal with their antics right now, not when he’s drowning in his own mind, not when the monsters of his dreams are grabbing at his sheets like desperate men thrown into the sea, fighting through a raging storm, drowning, drowning, drowning.

Breathe, he tells himself, just breathe and it’ll be okay. He shuts his eyes tight, curls up where the bed meets the corner of the wall, and tries to quiet his mind.

A thump on the cardboard box he uses for a bedside table draws his attention, and when he looks up a steaming mug is sitting there. The door shuts with a click as Virgil reaches for the cup. The gentle scent of chamomile greats him and he takes a sip, letting the warmth soak into him.

_____

“Hey Logan, look at this!”

Virgil is tapping away at his laptop when Roman shouts from the kitchen. Moments later, a loud crash resounds through the small apartment, and Virgil sighs, pulling himself up to survey the damage.

When he gets to the kitchen, Roman is hovering over the ground, shattered bits of porcelain scattered in the kitchen tile.

“Roman!” Logan scolds, floating in to view the mess. “Petty pranks are harmless, but destruction of property is going too far!”

“I didn't mean to!” Roman exclaims. He sounds genuinely distressed. “I was trying to see if I could still juggle! And I could, by the way, I just got distracted.”

Virgil shakes his head and kneels down to pick up the shattered remains of the mug, but he’s interrupted by a spectral hand scooping up the remains and depositing them in the garbage.

“Sorry.” Roman whispers, low enough to escape Logan’s ears, but not Virgil’s. Than the ghost is back to his jubilant self, loudly proclaiming “there! I cleaned it up! Happy now, Microsoft nerd?”

Virgil doesn't acknowledge the quiet apology, but he appreciates it all the same.

#logan sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #sanders sides #ghost au

[cocoachoux]

Pairing: Levi/Eren Rating: General Word count: 4.4k Other Tags: bad boy/punk!Levi, pastel/punk!Eren and awkward encounters

Pastels could actually look nice in leather and piercings… Or maybe it was just Eren who was the exception to the fashion rule. The boy was full of surprises as Levi found out.

Happy New Year everyone! :D I'm starting off this year with a fic that is looooong overdue. This fic is for Maddi, @lillilgirl‘s friend, in return for the lovely art she did for the COMH collab over here (it's the one where Levi's and Eren's noses are touching! ♥). She requested a story with bad boy/punk!Levi and pastel/punk!Eren. I hope I did the prompt justice honeybun! Thank you again for the amazing art! ^^

Levi often wondered if expressing himself through appearances was actually worth it, especially how… loud his clothing choices were.

It wasn’t the color that people had an issue with (black was a staple color for everyday wear after all), nor was it because of the material (though, people would raise their eyebrows when they see him strut down the hallways in his leather pants), definitely not. Maybe it was the combination of the two paired along with more than the standard amount of piercings all over his face and his extreme side shave hairstyle that made him look like a walking ’70s fashion show.

Or maybe it was because of his naturally stoic expression that screamed, “Fight me” to every person who passed by. Who knew? He looked great and anyone who thought otherwise could fuck off for all he cared.

He was used to it, though, the staring anyway. He was comfortable in his attire choices and wore them with confidence. People’s gazes naturally gravitate to him and admittedly, it felt oddly satisfying having that kind of power over someone, intentionally or not.

But all that attention came with a price.

See, because of the way he looked, rumors started circulating around the school about how much of a ‘bad boy’ he was, and that he could beat the shit out anybody. And while the last part may be true (with all the training he received from his uncle, high school brats had nothing on him), those rumors earned him the reputation of being the strongest student in the school.

And with that kind of reputation, came with many challenges. Literally.

Not too long after those rumors started spreading through the student population (he had suspected that Hange was to blame for it), guys came flocking to him left and right, challenging him to a fight. ‘Asserting dominance’ or some shit. Levi didn’t know and didn’t care, but it got annoying real fast. It was funny the first few times back when he was a freshman – the look on the seniors’ faces when he was able to pin them down in a few seconds were delightful – but now being a junior (and undefeated), he didn’t have time to play games anymore.

Contrary to his appearance, he was a bright student, taking AP classes with all those high expectations and stress that came along with it. He was halfway through his third, and critical, year in high school and had scholarships to apply for and test preparations to attend to. Top that with having a part-time job and participating in club activities and sports teams, he had a lot of responsibilities to juggle and not keel over from exhaustion. He literally had no time for bullshit.

Which was exactly why he clocked the guy in the face.

Thinking back on it, he really shouldn’t have retaliated the way he did. It wasn’t a proud moment in his life, but he was stressed out and tired from a long and grueling day of classes and studying. He just wanted to go home and sleep until the next year. Suddenly being ambushed by a stranger once he stepped out of school grounds didn’t help his situation at all.

Especially when the guy was sprawled on the ground, not moving.

Shit. He didn’t kill him with one punch, did he? He didn’t use that much strength.

He bent down and gingerly poked the side of the stranger’s face.

No response.

Levi didn’t even bother to hide his groan of annoyance. Great. Just fucking great. This was exactly why Kenny kept lecturing him about thinking before acting: because of shit like this.

He examined the listless person’s face and didn’t recognize him. From a rival school maybe? He wouldn’t be surprised if his reputation spread to Maria High and St. Rose as well since the schools were only separated by mere fences.

Levi sighed. What should he do? Should he bring him into the nurse’s office? But the nurse was probably long gone by now. Besides, he didn’t want to get reported and go sit in the principal’s office for causing a disturbance despite the incident happening off school grounds; it would hurt his chances of getting into his top college choices if it was on his record. Maybe he should-

“HEY!”

Levi raised his head at the new voice to see another stranger storming towards him, eyes blazing, teeth baring and- wait… was that a pink leather jacket?

Not making the same mistake again, Levi calmly stood up as the other person approached. He put his hands in front of him in a defensive stance and stepped away from the guy who was still on the ground, motionless. “He started it.”

All those years of writing brilliantly-worded essays and assignments to pass his English classes didn’t help him in real life when it came to his preferred method of speaking abruptly. He briefly wondered why he even bothered taking AP English Literature and Composition in the first place if he didn’t actually benefit from it.

Even the new guy seem confused by the childish response that came out of his mouth, stopping a few feet away from him and gave him an odd look. “Uh…?”

Levi took the chance to clear his throat. “He ambushed me and I punched him.” Still need to work on speaking better, but at least he got the main point across.

To his luck, the new guy seemed to accept his answer and visibly deflate from the angry expression he had worn seconds ago. “Why am I not surprised?”

Levi barely caught what he mumbled under his breath and crossed his arms. “You friends with this guy?” He nudged his chin to the sprawled body.

He was puzzled when he received a snort from the new stranger. “Kind of, but not really. We just tolerate each other’s existence but we back each other up from time to time when we’re not fighting ourselves.”

“Right.” That sounded like a weird and complicated relationship but the same could be said with him and Hange (well, he might interpret it that way but they probably didn’t).

The new guy (fuck it, he would call him ‘Pinkie’ until he got a proper name) dropped down and placed his hand over his kind-of-but-not-really-friend’s wrist and then checked his breathing. Whistling lowly, Pinkie said in astonishment, “Wow, you knocked him out cold.”

“I can see that.” Levi checked his phone and sighed in frustration when he realized how late it was getting. “Look, I’m really sorry that I retaliated the way I did to your not-really-friend. Do you mind if we take him to my place until he wakes up? I only live a few blocks away from here.”

He honestly expected Pinkie to decline and call an ambulance or something but received a nod instead.

“Okay. I’ll grab this side and you grab on the other. I can’t wait to see his face when he wakes up from getting the shit beat out of him from a single punch.”

*****

It was a long walk to his house.

Normally it would take him a few minutes to get back home from school, but lugging a lifeless body (he decided to call him ‘Horsie’ since the guy was pretty lean and sturdy despite his frame) along wasn’t easy. At least Pinkie was good support and was relatively silent the whole way to his house except for the occasional remarks about how dumb Horsie was to attack without thinking. Hah, he heard that one before.

They finally made it to their destination but before Pinkie reached for the door, Levi stopped him. “Hey, can you hold onto your kind-of-friend for a moment?”

Before Pinkie could protest, he pushed Horsie onto him, watching him stumble from the extra weight before regaining his balance. “Hey!”

Levi ignored him and eyed the door with an intense gaze. He outlined the door frame before he zeroed in on the doorknob. Checking underneath and the sides of it, he finally nodded in approval and carefully opened the door.

He heard Pinkie shift behind him and blocked the entrance with his arms. “Wait.”

Pinkie started to get irritated. “What now, man? Are you going to let us in or not?”

“Hold on for a second. My sister’s not home yet so I have to do it.”

Confused, Pinkie asked, “Do what exactly?”

Not entertaining him with a reply, Levi scanned the wooden floorboards and the walls with the same intensity he did for the door. “Guess he was in a rush this morning,” he mumbled.

Looking at his options, he sighed before he took off one his shoes and the scarf around his neck. He looped one end of the fabric with his hand while the other one tied between the shoelaces. Once secured with a knot, he twirled his makeshift lasso and threw the shoe to the furthest side of a framed picture on the wall and tugged on the scarf.

Pinkie yelped in surprise behind him when the ground beneath them rumbled before it stopped just as quickly as it suddenly came. He pulled back his scarf and shoe and stepped through the door. “Okay, it’s safe now.”

“Safe? Safe from what? What exactly did you do?” Pinkie asked, wearily eyeing the place as he slowly stepped inside the house with Horsie’s arm slung around his shoulders. “We’re not going to die, are we?”

“No, not this time at least,” Levi pressed a few buttons on the control panel that was hidden behind the picture frame before positive beeping sounds came from it. Putting the frame back to how it was before, he turned to see the incredulous look on Pinkie’s face. “What?”

“‘Not this time’?”

Levi stepped towards the living room as Pinkie followed. “My uncle’s in charge of security control for the house and likes to set up different traps depending on his mood. It was just simple floor movement triggers today so it was easy to disarm. ”

“Diff- Are you serious? He does this every day?” At Levi’s nod, Pinkie was even more flabbergasted. “You’re shitting me.”

“My uncle does use some… unorthodox methods for securing the place, but we’ve never been robbed so it gets the job done.” Nodding to the couch he said, “Put your not-friend there. I’ll go get the first aid kit and some water in case he wakes up.” Leaving Pinkie to take care of Horsie for now, Levi stalked off to the washroom and grabbed the kit located in the medicine cabinet before heading off to the kitchen.

When he got back to the living room, Horsie was laying on the couch and Pinkie was checking for any additional injuries. “How is he?”

“Nothing’s broken from what I can tell, just a swollen cheek.” Pinkie accepted the ice pack Levi passed to him and pressed it against the swelling as he turned Horsie to his side. “You sure know to hit clean, though. Not even a broken nose from the force of the punch.”

Levi rubbed the back of his neck at the compliment. “Thanks, I guess. I had lots of practice.”

Pinkie chuckled. “I bet.” Seeing that Horsie wasn’t going to move anytime soon, Pinkie left the ice pack and sat down on the floor, back against the couch. “You’re quite the legend at our school.”

“Really? What school do you attend?”

“Maria High. I’m a freshman and same goes for this idiot here,” Pinkie jabbed a thumb behind him, “He heard about how you were undefeated from one of the seniors and wanted to fight you himself. Didn’t expect him to take off immediately, but it didn’t take long for the victor to be settled, huh?”

Levi plopped on a nearby armchair and rested his chin on his hand. “It’s not the first time something like this happened. The fights slowed down in the middle of my sophomore year, but there are the occasional freshmen who don’t know better and want to see for themselves.”

“You a senior?”

“Junior.”

Pinkie visibly grimaced. “Sorry. You must be doing lots of studying and test prep stuff, huh?”

“Yeah. It’s partially the reason why I hit your not-friend there in the first place. I was stressed out and lashed it out on him. Not that what I did was right or anything, but I didn’t expect to be ambushed after school either so it took me by surprise.”

Pinkie offhandedly waved it off. “It’s fine; he’s used to it. And his name’s Jean. ‘Not-friend’ and ‘kind-of-friend’ sounds really weird in a regular conversation.”

“Are you going to give me your name too, or do I still have to refer you as Pinkie in my head?”

“Pinkie? Why that name?”

“Because it’s the color of your jacket.”

Pinkie looked down to what he was wearing and laughed. “You sure you’re not in elementary school? You’re about creative as one.”

Levi huffed in irritation. “Art was never my strongest subject. So are you going to tell me your name or what, Pinkie?”

Pinkie rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “I’m Eren. It’s nice to meet you, Captain Levi.”

“Seriously? That’s what they call me?” Though he shouldn’t really care, he expected a title that was at least more fearsome than that.

“It’s that or the Savage of Sina.”

Ah, that was better.

Levi got more comfortable in his chair now that the fiasco was settled (more or less anyway, Jean still needed to wake up). He eyed Eren who was distracted with his phone and took a good look at him.

The pink leather jacket was what caught his attention first, but underneath was a pale yellow shirt with broken heart prints. He raised a brow at that but then he saw the ripped, mint jeans and the pair of white converse that were absentmindedly tapping on the carpet.

Trying not to be as creepy as possible, his gaze traveled up to Eren’s face and caught the multiple piercings along the ears and eyebrows. Hell, the kid even had anti-eyebrow piercings on each side of his face, too.

He had never met anyone like Eren before – someone who was the same yet different from him, in terms of clothing choices anyway. It was though he took the clothes from his wardrobe and did a pastel color swap and it would be just like Eren’s. He appreciated punk aesthetics but Eren, on the other hand, looked like a cutesy badass if he had to categorize it. A special breed of punk that he has never heard of before.

“It’s rude to stare, ya know?”

Levi blinked when he got caught staring but Eren didn’t even look up from his phone as he continued, “You’re wondering about my clothes, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, sorry. Just wondering where you got them from.” He was curious where one would be able to get mint green ripped jeans plus that leather jacket. No department store or mall nearby would carry that kind of style.

“Isn’t it a bit ironic for you to be asking me that?” There was mirth in Eren’s voice as he put his phone away, giving Levi his undivided attention. Eren gestured a hand to him and Levi looked down to his black leather pants that had zippers in various spots and multiple chains hanging off the loops.

Levi offered him a lopsided smirk. “Heh. I guess so, but black is a common color for us punks, no?”

“That’s true. It’s a bit easier to find our kind of style in black or red.” Eren bent his knees and pulled them close to his chest. “Getting piercings isn’t a problem since many accessory stores have stuff I like, but for clothes, I have to order them online and sometimes it can be a hit or miss since most of it comes from overseas.”

“Yeah, that can be a problem,” Levi supplied, “But why the pastel colors though?”

“Why punk in general?” Eren retorted, “I just like the colors, that’s all. They’re soft and nice to look at. And when it’s matched with clothing that’s the complete opposite of what people expect, it’s fun and unique.”

Levi nodded thoughtfully. “I think I understand. It feels good to break out of a stereotypical mold and be whatever the hell you want to be.”

Eren broke out into a grin at that. “I’m glad you get me. My sister says I should be one or the other, but I like mixing the two styles to have them both.”

“Tell me about it. My sister also tells me that I should tone my style down so I don’t look like a try-hard rock band leader.”

The two laughed about how eerily similar they were and the rest conversation flowed easily. Levi learned that Eren was on his school’s rugby team already despite being a freshman. He said it was because last year’s team composed of many seniors who had graduated so the positions were opened to freshmen as well. Levi still commended him for a job well done by making it on the team, earning his spot because of his dedication to the sport. It was endearing to see the pastel punk boy flush from the compliment.

Levi also answered any questions Eren had about preparing for his junior year – “Enjoy the little time you have left, Eren, before everything turns into shit” – and what his plans were after high school. It was actually nice to vent to an almost-stranger about the ridiculous amount of schoolwork he had to do before his last year of high school and telling shitty customer stories that he had to go through from his part-time job.

He didn’t realize how much time had passed until he heard the front door open and there was a pause of silence.

“It’s safe,” Levi called out.

Shortly after, he saw Mikasa poking her head into the living room. She was about to greet her brother but stopped short when she saw they had guests over. “Eren?”

Levi watched as Eren’s eyes flashed with recognition before breaking into a smile. “Hey, Mikasa. I didn’t know you lived here.”

“You two know each other?” Levi asked.

“His sister’s the female rugby captain for Maria High. Our schools always have mock matches and practices together,” Mikasa explained. Stepping closer, she looked at Jean, who was still unconscious on the couch and whipped her head to her brother. “What did you do to him?”

“My friend started it first, don’t worry about it,” Eren said, “We’re just waiting for him to wake up before leaving.”

Mikasa looked doubtful but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. “If you’re sure. Did you start on dinner yet?”

Levi shook his head. “No, I haven’t. Kenny’s working late and Mom’s out with friends so it’ll be just us tonight.”

“Do you want to stay for dinner, Eren?” Mikasa asked.

Eren perked up at the offer, but sheepishly asked, “Would I be imposing?”

Mikasa smiled at his childish behavior. “No, I don’t mind. And I don’t think Levi will mind either. Besides, I’m sure your friend will be hungry when he wakes up and I’m used to making meals for four anyway. I’ll call you guys when it’s ready.”

When Mikasa left the room, Eren turned to Levi. “Man, your sister’s nice. Isabel usually makes me do the cooking at home,” he said with a pout.

“Is Isabel the rugby captain sister of yours?”

“Yeah. She can be intense but she’s a good person. You should meet her sometime.” Digging for his phone, he added, “Which reminds me, I should call home that I’ll be having dinner here. I should also call Jean’s mom, too. She’s very kind but a total worrywart.”

Once Eren made his calls (and reassuring Jean’s mom that her ‘darling baby boy’ was safe), Levi invited Eren to his room to play video games.

Levi let out a bark of laughter when Eren saw his room with a bewildered look on his face. “Not what you were expecting?”

Eren looked around the industrial-level clean room and the off-white walls that weren’t decorated with posters or pictures. “Not exactly, no.” There was a faint smell of lemon and Eren was willing to bet that Levi cleaned up his room before going to school. The only mess he could see was the stuff in the trash bin, and even then, it somehow managed to look cleaner than his own room.

“I guess we’re both full of surprises, then. Go sit on the bed while I get the console set up. Do you have a preference of what game to play?”

“I’m pretty good at shooters if you have any.”

Nodding, Levi set to work booting up the game system and passed Eren a controller as he seated next to him. They played a quick campaign run to see what the other’s skills were like and then quickly moved on to the 1v1 mode.

“First to five wins?” Levi asked.

“Sure. Winner gets the loser’s share of dessert.”

Levi shook his head but agreed to it nonetheless. He wasn’t really big on desserts anyway, so it wouldn’t be much of a loss if he did actually lose.

Eren took the first two games but then Levi quickly tied the score. Their skill level was nearly on par with each other’s, winning and losing every other game, but Levi was lucky to catch Eren while he was reloading his gun to seal his victory in the end.

“Aw, man!” Eren flopped back on the bed and covered his face with the controller. “I was so looking forward to eating your share in front of your face.”

Levi rolled his eyes and poked the side of Eren’s stomach. “Rude. And to think I was going to offer you my share regardless of the outcome, too.”

Eren suddenly sat up and wrapped his arms around Levi. “Did I also forget to mention that you’re the best? Because you are. So strong and undefeated,” he gushed, nuzzling his cheek against Levi’s shoulder, careful not to rub his piercings on the leather.

The junior stiffened at the contact, unused to this amount of affection from anyone (besides Hange… but Hange was Hange and one must learn how to get used to Hange, fast) let alone an acquaintance. An acquaintance that shared a lot of common interests as him. And if he was being completely honest with himself, an acquaintance who was cute in appearance and in personality.

Ah, fuck.

Levi held his breath, hoping that the embrace would only last for a few more seconds, but it didn’t. If anything, Eren made himself more comfortable and engulfed Levi in a cuddly position. What the hell was he doing? He barely knew the kid.

But if honesty hour was still going, he would say that he didn’t mind the position at all. It was a tad uncomfortable (leather and more leather, what did you expect?), but Eren was pleasantly warm behind him and he felt oddly safe in his arms.

After a few minutes just sitting and being held, Levi couldn’t take it anymore and turned his head to look at Eren. “Are you flirting with me?” Tact. That, he had none of.

Eren didn’t seem bothered by the accusation. In fact, he batted his lashes and lowered his eyelids. “I don’t know. Is it working?”

Levi’s heart pressed against his chest and he could feel his body ran hot and cold at the same time. He hoped that he wasn’t shaking as badly as he thought he was.

Taking his chance, he gently pressed their foreheads together. The tips of their noses touching, and he could feel Eren’s breath fan over his lips. “Cute.”

Eren’s mouth curled up into a smile before he closed his eyes, waiting.

Oh, wow. Eren really was cute.

Levi mentally slapped himself out of it and slowly closed the space between them, pressing his lips against Eren’s softly before pulling away.

It was chaste and it was sweet. Not punk at all.

Eren opened his eyes and chuckled at Levi’s shyness. Taking charge, he held Levi’s chin and kissed him more firmly than their first, holding onto Levi’s waist as their mouths moved against each other’s.

Levi was surprised by Eren’s forcefulness, but he welcomed it just the same. Eren was full of many surprises and Levi enjoyed discovering something that he didn’t expect.

“DINNER’S READY!”

They abruptly pulled apart at the loud voice, faces flushed and mouths parted open. First to scramble off the bed, Levi straightened his jacket and offered his hand to Eren. “Let’s continue another time.”

Accepting the offered hand, Eren replied, “You bet your leather-clad ass we are. And I expect a new number in my contacts list by the end of the night.”

“Wow. Not even our first date and you’re already so demanding.”

Eren tugged on one of the chains on Levi’s pants on his way out and Levi smirked behind him as he followed him down.

Mikasa was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs and to their surprise, Jean finally woke up. Eren slapped his hand over his mouth to prevent laughing at the dopey expression on Jean’s face with the ice pack still miraculously stuck to his cheek. Levi’s eye twitched from the way Jean was blatantly ogling at his sister while she was on her phone.

Noticing their presence, she looked at the two for a moment before smirking. “Hope I wasn’t interrupting something,” she said teasingly.

Levi flipped her off. “You said that dinner’s ready, sis?”

Mikasa rolled her eyes but decided to let the topic drop, for now. She needed something to talk to Isabel about next time they have their meet. “It has for a while. Go wash your hands and help me set up the table.” She turned her heel and walked back to the kitchen.

Jean let out a low whistle once she was out of ear-shot and shot Levi an appreciative look.

“Dude, your sister’s hot.”

Levi curled his hand into a fist, but Eren turned to Levi to help diffuse the situation.

“Want me to punch him out instead?”

Or not. He and Eren were way too much alike.

Grabbing the front of Eren’s shirt, he pulled the boy down and kissed him right under his anti-eyebrow piercing.

Smiling, he said, “You’re a doll. You do that while I go reactivate the traps.”

#cocoa writes #lillilgirl #I FINALLY DID IT #QAQ #I'm so sorry again for the long wait OTL #new year's resolution: don't make honeybuns wait more than a month for updates ><

[dwestfieldblog]

DELUSIVE ENLIGHTENMENT MEGLOMANIA

2019...and a true two minutes to midnight on the doomsday clock. Now there's a king hell lead entrance eh? Annihilation and dystopia, coming soon to a planet near you...'One total catastrophe like this, is just the beginning' What did I learn last week? The name of the Egyptian god who created the universe by masturbating was Atum. Worth mentioning eh? Seeds of creation in atoms, his chosen warrior must have been Onan the Barbarian. And...Ethyl formate is in the centre of the galaxy, tastes like rum and smells of raspberries. Close your eyes and you are there. 'Meta programming the human bio computer' Dr John Lilly. 'Art and science have their meeting in method'. Bulwer Lytton. A long collage from the magician's hat......

Back in late January, the dubious blue shaded Bono of U2 was railing loud and hard against the evils of capitalism...surely I am not the only one to see the deep level of irony in this...A multi millionaire from writing songs with a number of offshore investments and minimal tax payments (well, only a few humans actually want to pay the tax demanded, but some of them can afford to pay it)...Without capitalism it is a touch unlikely he could have made so much money and kept it... only the corrupt in various regimes get to be so rich -  and precious few musicians get this much moolah...Some messianic front men should never be allowed to do anything other than sing and dance. Still haven't found what you are looking for?

Anyway, Jesus said 'When you give arms,do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your arms may be given in secret'. Or maybe it was alms. Arf. Don't show your hand too early:-) Ace of spades high. Speaking of which...

White House Spokesperson Sarah Sanders mentioned on a religious TV network that God 'wanted' (Useful Idiot) Trump the gurning Golden Reptile 'to be the American President.' Perhaps that is true...maybe he will be the last moron leader that will make people truly aware and take more care over who they choose to elect in a democracy. Fnord. 'Well ah trust him cuz he aint a politician and he speaks his mind'. Duhh.What does he actually say when he speaks his mind? He has certainly been a gift (in more mysterious ways than one) to Presidents and populists in other dubious countries as proof of how useless free elections can be and how simple it is to affect them from afar and within. A standard bearer who carries his nation's flag so low he should be arrested under the U.S law for defamation. Germaphobes like walls, but a touch pointless when you have such filthy hands. A new world disorder....Love the title of the book 'Crippled America' by D. Trump with a scowling picture of the blonde psychopath on the cover. Says everything about the USA today. And love even more the idea of his Space Farce/Force... Flash Gordon meets Star Trek. Trump as Captain Kirk and Pence as Spock. Tired of being the policeman of the world, time to be the Warriors of the Universe and have laser space fights with China. (Wonder how their president chooses to interpret the I Ching? May he live in interesting times.)

'Sovereign' internet for Russia...(or 'the World Wide Web without the world', as the BBC World Service put it) a new law being prepared to control exactly what internet goes in to the Motherland and protect their people from freedom. Arf. Wouldn't want any false news or manipulated election results going on there eh? Or access to non Kremlin approved news. We shall see if this actually passes into legislation. What do the majority of Russian people actually think about this? Goddess bless Pussy Riot, Tatu and Vladimir Vysocki. Mr. Putin, remember Dostoevsky.  ( A week after writing that, 15,000 demonstrated in Moscow against the proposed new laws. There is already a law making it illegal to insult a member of government. Not much room for satire or polite criticism, but Russia has never pretended to be a democracy.)

World leaders in more and more countries following the old western lead in starting a war on the basis of an outright lie and receiving no punishment for it. (Perhaps at the gates of Saint Peter. ) Well, if the ones in 'Christian' democracies can get away with war crime atrocities under the pretence of righteousness and liberation, why not them? And let's not forget the ever useful catch all word 'terrorist', carte blanche to get away with murder and invasion on false pretexts. Terrorists are not shopkeepers, students, quiet religious folk or disaffected individuals without guns who disagree with their government and march/write songs in demonstration to protest apparent/ obvious wrongness. Terrorists use fear, manipulation and extreme violence to maintain, assert and spread their power. (and how many governments fit that description?) They don't make pop videos, they make snuff movies.  

Step by incremental naughty step Hungary and Poland becoming ever more damaged, Britain, Europe and America being gleefully and carefully encouraged to pull themselves apart. I have never (well, from the age of about seven, so that is almost never) been a believer of what America and Britain did to dominate the world in olden times Whatsoever. BUT, life under a Sino-Russian world government?? FECK that. All those wannabe socialists from western universities are going to have a screaming bloodily rude awakening in a red dawn. Or perhaps they have such a well built narrow reality tunnel that all will seem just fine and dandy when 'their' system wins and will thrill to the new accepted literature. Slightly depressing how this current apparent time stream appears to be developing.  

(Maybe a temporary control in the chaos is all most generations can wish for. Perhaps only a sidestep into the actual flow of the river which seems to be chaos is all that is needed to evolve into a deeper awareness. 'Sink or swim' appears to be false option perpetuated by alpha types. Flow, surrender control, and in the Being so, a (deep breath) an open hearted universal view...Makes astral sense to some of us.)

Totalitarianism is a foul bastard swine whatever side or form it takes, political or religious. Read interviews with those who survived life under the Nazis AND the Communists. Or those who escaped extremes of the main religions, those in new age mind warp sects, having their souls drained via manipulation and enforced delusion. Cowed into kowtowing, despising the manipulations but knowing how much it hurts to think and feel...and so choosing the easier path of submission. Some people are proud of endlessly suffering pain, but only very rarely does their endurance create a stronger person. Survive yourself. As the song says, 'The final conflict is within'. Stand, kneel, adopt the lotus, just don't bend over and expect anything positive to come your way. (Unless...yes you can guess the rest...)

And as for all the student snowflakes no-platforming dissimilar voices to harm their delicate ears and cluttering up the channels tweeting meaningless self righteous rubbish, shouting so loud there is no actual debate...where do you imagine your place will be in the new world scheme? Outsiders will be enslaved or executed by 'popular' demand. You are not Chinese dissidents in prison, however you might feel. You have the right to be heard, (even as you deny that to others) but not the right to deafen and attack. Did you ever wonder about the past mentality and spirituality of those who could stand and watch a heretic/ witch' being burned to death at the stake or these days, those who can sit in a small invited audience to watch a man be fried alive in a chair? Those men who could watch and take part in a gang rape? To coin an old comedic phrase; 'That's you, that is.' Dig into the dirt and get to the molten core of morality. Find yourself there, then choose the height of your evil, the depth of your Love without ego. Ethics. Arf. Thus spoke Westfieldthruster.  

'The black man motivates, the other man imitates'...Damn straight.

'But I'm confused between sexual, murder, magical and medical, is the difference metrical or imperial, septic, fertile, feral or sterile?' Health and deficiency. (J>B)

(Diary...There is no one in my life in any way for whom I do not have respect. Empathy and compassion I have, long term patience too but after my respect is gone then so are they. Deleted. This will very highly likely apply to myself. But I have never done anything with a woman that I wouldn't allow her to do to me, if she wished to. (So I am still a gentleman eh? ) Remember lonely boys, She might be a goddess but she's still human. Meanwhile again...Situation Normal, All Fecked Up...

After a certain age, recklessness ceases to be quite as attractive as once it did in youth, as 'Death becomes real'. (Dylan Moran) Illnesses and disabilities, permanent or otherwise increase in number with the procession of years and the long journey through suffering can make a human paranoid and fearful. Imagining the worst of declines can seem very logical. The 'unpleasant preliminaries' as Cohen said. Most of us have made up our minds (in a very literal sense) about what comes next or what doesn't and it is fairly easy, given how we adjust reasoning to fit with the least unpalatable truth to find a comfortable justification for our various behaviours. Self destructive types (which most of us seem to be in one way or another) use rationality to declare that if everyone dies including the thinker, then why not do what you enjoy the most for as long as you can. I do this and know of many others after the age of thirty who reached the same conclusion and followed through past sixty and beyond. Smoking, drinking, drugging, fighting can lead to some of the worst types of deaths. But even those who never did any of these things suffer strokes, dementia, heart attacks and chronic end of life pain. Just consistently negative thinking can make people ill, just in less obvious ways than smokers etc. So we/I seek to 'justify'.  

Reactions to stress matter. A lot, But how many working people with families have the time to sit under a Bo tree or read Eckhart Tolle etc? Most of us appear to attract some mental/physical cataclysm as a way of taking stock and making a 'brutal re-appraisal of the situation'. (HST) Very often this is the only way a human stops what they are doing and starts thinking about Being. We all do what we do to keep various feelings and thoughts at bay, but the brain (and thus the body. 'Where a thought goes, a chemical goes with it'; Deepak Chopra) are not fooled and store it all up until overload occurs. Getting old is not for cowards. Shame I seem to be one, such die many times before their deaths. Endless physical pain and mental fear can do that and it is very hard to see that as an Initiation sometimes. And these days, most of the time. Glad I have a gun. How many of us can hope to die 'peacefully in our sleep'? Tranquillisers? Not quite the Portal of Daath, more like the gateway to the abyss. Which as uncle Frederick said, stares right back into you when you look long.

For those with patience, it is easy to say that meditation might well be the best way to re-programme the mind into letting go the poisons. To un-wire and react to stress in a more positive way. Discipline. Old habits die hard. Older habits die very badly. Alpha theta delta waves and LSD therapy? Chinese Auryvedic Reki Tantric massage, more sex for the endorphins and oxytocins? Some people will read this as a very dull and obvious piece of writing. Others will know all about the idea of suicide as a 'problem focused strategy'. Get on with dealing with and solving the attacks from within and without...Want the truth? A truth. There have been thousands of days when the only thing that kept me going was the thought of unwinding my useless tension with whisky for a few hours every night. And it is that lazy thought which has been killing me for the last 22 years. A liver is a remarkable organ unless you flood it with alcohol, the power of her regeneration is astounding until the tipping point is reached. Milk thistle isn't going to solve this. Can you tell how I feel today?

What causes that 'tension' Dave? The usual. Overthinking, self hatred, anger, desperation, guilt, regret, doubt, all the classics. Most of us seem to have these in various combinations during our lives. A generalisation but seems to be a fair one eh? Some people deal with the negatives in highly positive and/or immoral ways... regular holidays, saunas, horse tranquillisers, painting, flagellation, righteous causes, deviant behaviour, local politics, role playing (well, we all do that one way or another), virtual reality games (also), teaching things we should know better before we set ourselves up as such, conning the gullible with vague promises of better things, healers as politicians and vice versa seeking money and power/sex, lying to ourselves on an hourly basis, doing anything to be 'happy' and sustain the illusion that we are somehow promoting our immune system and to bring meaning to our existence. Burning through the days, raging with light because it seems sexier than being peaceful, Attempting immortality (in physical form) through health supplements, work, sport and having offspring. Faking our 'realities' until they temporarily become real. Working on massive ideas because we are captivated by the energy within them and the possibilities of a better life, curing dis-ease via mental, physical, chemical and spiritual research, using ourselves as a laboratory, exploring exactly what Will-Power truly means. Further and deeper into realms of the without which is truly inner, the macrocosm which is the microcosm. '100 books you must read before you die', the first of which is your own. Your very own Book of the Dead. A lifetime preparing before the next step.  

Been there, done that. Next. (How arrogant.)

So, survive, evolve and move on...He writes with dead eyes and in daily pain. Normal is very overrated, whatever my foul mental weaknesses, I regret very little. Could always Do more. But Being is key. There is only a time limit on the flesh. 'Who will deliver me from this body of death?' What seems important to you? Really, truly? Define 'important' and instinctive reasons why. Or not...to hell with me, in hell I seem to be and to hell I go. Pathos and hubris simultaneously. Woo-hoo. Etc.

One more final 'time' for the universe...'God' is/was/probably possibly a telepathic scientist, architect of infinity, quantum physicist, astral engineer and a psychic musician. ALL. WE are tiny sparks and mirrors of 'God', parallel possibilities, all serving the purpose of existence, which is (so I seem to choose to believe) to Evolve and experience all that matter can. We do not all need to be Einstein, Da Vinci or Beethoven but we all are on various levels, perhaps less 'grand' (depending on perspective) but the Poet/ Creator is within us all every time we appreciate Nature, enjoy humour or a story well told, think of some connection for ourselves...Small things Matter:-) As the bishop said to the actress. Smaller things are Quarks. Arf.  

Stanislav Grof... COEX...(Condensed experience montage. ) Eg, 'You are re-experiencing the birth process, remembering pre birth inter uterine events, reliving ancestral or archaeological crises of people/animals from whom you are descended, seeing the  sub-atomic energy whorl from which Form appears, previsioning the Superhumanity of the future...all at once!'  (That was, apart from the LIGHT that smashed into me for five seconds in a garden in 2008, exactly what I experienced in the Reconnection. It went far higher the next time. I do regret I didn't practice.

1.Amniotic universe – the womb. The only world that life knows at this point. Blissful feeling of peace and joy in a healthy womb. 2. Cosmic engulfment – no exit – Equilibrium disturbed, contractions begin- unbearable feeling of being stuck in hell with no way of escaping. 3. Death verses rebirth struggle – second clinical stage of childbirth, intense struggle for survival.4. Death versus rebirth experience – the child is born. Intense ecstatic feelings of liberation and love. New world begins. ...

I found this scrawled by me on an old A4 scrap of paper, not sure who actually wrote it, perhaps E. Tolle. Along with 'Conscious Ego...Self Image/Persona/... Subconscious memories...Shadow/Denied psychic material... Anima/Animus/ Opposite sex qualities...Collective Unconscious/Universal+archetypal processes.  In a cycle learning and relaying...'Information received, decoded and transmitted by a structure'. (Definition of intelligence by R.A.W.).  

An infinite number of reality tunnels threading in a spiral of a labyrinth between matter and the non physical. The 'Akashic Record' to tap into and imprint our own levels of experience, the Eye recording Itself. Individually/collectively. Why do we think? Why remember? Why care? Why create? What is the chemical programme which sparks curiosity and fascination? The survival trip is a journey to.....

.....................................................................................................................

Back in Middle School...I knew before I started the run/essay etc, that it was mine. No pride or ego, just knew I had already won. A calmness descended, not grit and determination, just KNEW it. And so it was, every time. Another example from life of no planning, just Being, THEN doing it. My entire life was full of these. Thinking never worked out for me. Everything good which has happened has been spur of the moment choices, instinct, following what (or who) I Love. TRYING (or trying too much) usually ends in tears. Parallel to this is the absolute negativity of my/the mind. Agree to be optimistic as a behaviourally rewarding hobby...he almost giggles.

Reprogramming takes effort and how many of us can say we are not lazy? The most regular homework I give to students is to just to write diary type paragraphs about things they notice or feel on various random days. I have been given some wonderfully honest expressive stuff. What would we reach across/back and tell ourselves at younger ages? What would we attempt to avoid or undo? This exercise is pointless if we feel negative or sadness over it. So don't. Arf. Self forgiveness is a beautiful thing, valuable and worthy. So are we. Stay warm and in flow:-) Last famous words unknown. Happy rebirthing Easter day again. And again.

'Today I broke a personal best, successive days alive':-)

LOVE.