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#as long as the final color is darker than my natural one im good
zeussim · 2 years
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The burgundy henna mix I use has gotten soooo expensive also because it's really expensive getting stuff from the US so I have decided to make my own burgundy hair mix using henna and indigo. The worst thing that can happen is it going dark brown or black, and I don't mind either of those.
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bee-ina-boat · 5 months
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hi friends :D! i FINALLY finished my concept art for mythos!Jon and im so happy with him- look at him. plese. i spent so long on this
the sketches were all of my initial concept art for him! he's. so fun to draw. even if it did take me a bit to figure out how to do so. i love his hair ;_; <3
overall his design is very inspired roman Catholicism but. like. more fun? idk lol i just vibe with it. might make the tie darker? and the gloves with his cassock might look good with another color? eh! whatev, i might change it i might not- but this is it so far :D!
for context the Magnus Mythos is an au where the fears are gods rather than paranormal entities like in canon- here is my initial post on that if you want to know more! or if you just want to see art of the Ceaseless watcher :3!!! im really so happy so many of y'all seemed to like it ;w; it makes me feel so warm aa ilu all <3
putting all Jon's lore stuff under the cut!!!
highly recommend you read the linked post because alot of this probably wont make much sense otherwise dsjgfdjgfdb-
so, as a young child Jon grew up neutral on religion. his grandmother didn't favor any one of the gods more than the other and that sort of thinking carried over to him for a good while
when Jon was 8, he had a close encounter with a creature born from the Web: a giant spider that would tell you your fate (and possibly offer you a gift) if you gave it a sacrifice
Jon had found an old fable book with a map to it's nest. of course he had no intention of following it, just enjoying the stories inside! but a thief snagged the book from him- and upon realizing what the book led too -took Jon with him as his sacrifice
when they reached the nest after a long journey, the thief presented Jon to the spider. but the spider did not take him, it took the thief- and the little Jon could only watch, frozen in terror, as his captor was eaten by the giant spider.
after it finished its meal, the spider told Jon that his fate was of a cosmic importance, "I'm quite excited to see how this plays out," it said.
naturally this was kinda traumatizing for the child that literally just wanted to read but ok :l
the whole experience brought jon a phobia of spiders, a distrust and fear of strangers, general paranoia, ptsd, and a rejection of the webs power and the concept of fate as a whole
now- its not uncommon for some people to reject the powers of certain gods? some things born from their power are quite unpleasant, so there are steps one may take to protect themselves from the powers of one or more of the gods. (its complicated to explain but i hope that makes sense-)
suffice to say jon does NOT want to be controlled or have his fate decided by anyone or anything like that! being THAT important is scary!!! so he tries very hard to prevent any powers of the web coming near him- and he also tries to keep a low profile so he can live a calm and peaceful life without. yknow. being an important part of the fate of the entire bloody world.
he turns to the cult of the Beholding for salvation. after all, its whole thing is being aware and knowing things, and jon wanted nothing more than to know what wanted to hurt him and what didn't.
moving to London, he joined the House of Magnus, and went from a devotee to a researcher.
he became friends with Tim: a man who turned to the beholding out of his own rejection for the Stranger, and Sasha: a young woman who'd worshipped the beholding and worked at the house of magnus her entire life.
things were great for a while, and then the head archivist, Gertrude Robinson, disappeared.
normally the previous archivist would choose someone to pass the position down to, but her disappearance meant that the current head of the church, Elias, would have to choose instead. and he gave the position to Jon
it was absurd! Jon didn't want the position of archivist- everyone knew about the prophecy and Jon certainly didn't want that much pressure on him!!
not to mention- it became pretty much expected that Sasha would become the next archivist! given her history of devotion, her skills, all the work she did for everyone, hell- Gertrude even mentored her for half her life for god's sake!
Elias's reasoning was that Gertrude had broken the Archivists oath: to always protect and preserve knowledge. he claimed that the Ceaseless Watcher itself had requested Jon rather than Sasha, as Gertrude's choices were not to be trusted. and it was not up for debate what their patron wanted...
so there was no choice. jon was terrified, sasha was devastated, and tim was furious for them both.
the ceremony went on, jon was given the Watchers Crown (the sacred headpiece of the archivist) and then he went down to the archives with tim and sasha as his chosen assistants.
Elias sent down another down with them- Martin, a librarian who devoted himself to both the eye and the web. Jon was not so keen to be trusting a devotee of the web, especially with all the stress going through his head at the moment- so he wasn't very warm to martin.
as the archivist- jon does his best to do the work he was given, frequently requesting help and teachings from sasha as she clearly knew more about this than him. all throughout, he squished any spider he found. and stubbornly refused to give in to any possible notion of him being the one from the prophecy. he couldnt be. he refused it.
but the will of one man is far outweighed by that of a god, and at some point he just might have to accept the responsibility he deep down knows is his...
AAAAAAAAAAA THAT WAS ALOT- if you read this entire fucking essay then just know i love you so so so much and i am hugging you tightly ;_;
thanks for dealing with another round of my brainrot!! im thinking of working on sasha, martin, or the web's design next :3
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jcwriting · 3 years
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There’s A First Time For Everything
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summary ↬ namjoon has never had a blowjob before. you’re about to change that.
pairing ↬ idol!namjoon x reader
genre ↬ smut, pwp (im not kidding there is zero plot to this), fluff, (new) established relationship 
word count ↬ 2.8k
warnings ↬ swearing, oral (m receiving), face fucking, choking, reader has a painful thigh kink (don’t we all), overuse of the word thigh
authors note ↬ listen,,,,i saw that picture of namjoon in shorts (you know the one) and i just,,,lost it. also, this is my first time posting fic for bts and im shitting bricks about it so pls be nice to me!!!!! i hope you enjoy this quick (thirsty) little ode to namjoon’s thighs. pls let me know what you think!
also, the gif above haunts me. everyday. okay, enjoy.
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“I want to give you a blowjob.”
Namjoon choked on the swig of water he had just taken. The two of you were watching TV. Actually, Namjoon was watching TV. You were sitting on the floor at the coffee table with your laptop out to answer some work emails. But, you were distracted. Specifically by Namjoon’s shorts. More specifically, Namjoon’s thighs in said shorts. The smooth golden skin was begging for your lips and your fingers itched to scratch your nails down to his knees. Then, your eyes naturally glided further up to the apex of his thighs. Where you knew his cock was resting. Again, just begging to be in your mouth. The thought of your jaw and throat aching while he lost it above you consumed your mind. All hope was lost then.
“You…um. Sorry. You want to do that?”
You cocked your head to the side. “Uh, yeah. Wait, did you want me to ask? I’ll ask. Can I give you a blowjob? Please?”
Namjoon chuckled. “No, no. You don’t have to ask. It’s just, y’know, are you sure?”
“Yes,” you said slowly. What was he not getting? “Do you not want one?”
“No! No, oh my god. I want that. I definitely want that. That’s not the issue.”
“Then, what is?”
Namjoon blew out a breath that fluttered the hair that rested on his forehead. He cupped the back of his neck and rubbed awkwardly. “I’ve never had someone do that to me before. So-”
“What?” You would have been less shocked if he had told you that he was a closeted furry. The two of you had only been dating for about a month so the in-depth what things did your ex do in bed conversation hadn’t been fully fleshed out yet. You knew he had lost his virginity to his previous girlfriend and they had had a healthy sex life, so you had just assumed that him receiving oral was part of that. Yet…this man, this absolute Adonis of a man had never gotten his cock sucked? It was the most absurd thing you had ever heard in your life. “Hold on. You had a girlfriend before me, right? She didn’t go down on you? Ever?”
Namjoon looked like he wanted the couch to swallow him whole but you barely noticed. You were too busy experiencing the shock of your fucking life. “I did. But she - uh, no. She didn’t want to and I didn’t want to pressure her.”
Your heart melted a little before you shut your laptop. Healthy sex life your ass. You were sucking this mans dick and that was final. “I’m going to give you a blowjob, Namjoon. Right now.” You turned to him and began crawling forward. His eyes flew to your ass that swayed in the air and he audibly swallowed. “If you don’t want me to then you need to tell me within the next thirty seconds.”
“Oh God,” he whimpered and spread his legs a little wider. You were salivating. “Yes. As long as you’re sure-” Whatever he was going to say was cut off by a heavy groan as your hands slid up his thighs. Finally, you smiled to yourself as you bent your fingers and allowed your nails to dig into the meat of his inner thigh.
“I have a thing for your thighs,” you murmured. “Never realized I had a thigh kink until I met you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I want to ride your thighs. Will you let me?”
“God, yes.” Namjoon went to reach for your arms but you batted his hands away. This wasn’t about you right now. This was about him. You reached for your hair and quickly pulled it into a sloppy bun. His eyes followed your movements and you didn’t miss how the bulge in his shorts twitched.
“I need you to tell me if I do something that you don’t like, okay? I want to make you feel good. Don’t be afraid to talk to me. If you like something, let me know. If not, then definitely let me know.” Namjoon nodded feverishly. His eyes were almost black and his chest was straining against his white top. You smirked to yourself. This was going to be fun.
Bending down, you pressed a kiss to the top of his thigh. Your mouth dragged along his skin and you relished in the way he quivered beneath you. Following the seam of his leg before doing the same on the other. Nails pressed little crescent moons into his flesh before your thumbs smoothed over the marks. Your nose lifted the loose material of his shorts up to his hips and skimmed the exposed areas as your tongue reached out to flick the little freckle that found a home on his hip before you set your sights on his dick that was straining for you. Lips that had previously kissed his skin now moved to the fabric that jailed his heavy cock. Sitting back, your thumb traced the underside of his dick softly before you barely brushed over the head. The cotton dragged against your finger and Namjoon huffed loudly before lifting his hips further into your touch.
“Don’t tease.” Namjoon’s voice had lowered a few octaves and the deep tone had you clenching your thighs. His hands fisted the pillows next to him and you could feel the restraint he was exacting on himself through the trembling of his muscles.
“I’m not,” you promised. “I’m just making sure you’re ready.”
“I am. Swear to God.”
Unable to keep the smile off your face, you nodded and reached for the waistband of his shorts. He lifted his hips and helped you shove the material to his ankles. That was when you realized two things.
One, he was right. His cock laid thick and proud on his stomach and was weeping for you. He was of average length but his girth let you know that were going to struggle to fit him in your mouth. The thought only made you shiver in delight. A phantom pain panged in your gut when you took in the slight curve of the head, knowing it was going to hit everything you needed.
Second, he had the prettiest cock you had ever seen. You never thought dicks were pretty. In fact, you were pretty resolute on that thought. Most likely due to the disgusting amount of unsolicited dick pics you had received in your life. But, Namjoon’s?  You wanted to take a picture, frame it and admire it whenever you wanted to. The skin that stretched around his width was a shade darker than the rest of him and his cock head, a pretty red color, made you want to see how far down you could get the flush to go.
You wrapped your hand around his length and twisted up. Namjoon’s back arched off the couch and a string of curses fell off of his lips. Your thumb collected the glistening pre-cum on his tip and used it to smooth your palm over him.
“I normally don’t say this,” you said as you became infatuated with the vein that ran along the underside of his cock, “but if you want to send me a dick pic, I definitely won’t complain. Like, ever.”
“B-baby, I’ll give you whatever you want. Just keep doing what you’re doing.” Namjoon moaned, throwing his head back when your thumb pressed against the delicate skin that resided under the his mushroom tip.
You giggled lightly. “So sensitive. I’ve barely even started.”
Namjoon opened his mouth to say something but you didn’t give him a chance. You licked the vein that had caught your eye earlier and followed it to the top before enveloping the head of him into the heat of your mouth. You relished the broken groan that he let out. Several kitten licks were placed on his weeping slit before taking him deeper. You worked slowly, gauging his reaction as you took him further. He responded well, panting and moaning in encouragement, head still thrown back against the couch.
“You can look at me, you know,” you reminded him as he popped out of your mouth. Kisses were mouthed over the soft skin that was wrapped around the steel of his erection. Your hand used your spit as lube to tug him harder.
“Can’t,” Namjoon gasped. “Gonna blow my load if I watch you.”
“That’s kind of the whole point.”
“Not yet,” he whined. “I don’t want this to be over.”
You pinched his hip until he met your gaze, offering him a sweet smile. “This isn’t going to be the last time I get on my knees for you, baby.” You held his wide-eyed stare as you took him back into your mouth. Ignoring how his hands seemed to flutter around you, unsure of what to touch, you focused on sliding him further into your mouth. Then, you sucked hard, using your tongue to lave at the warm skin.
Namjoon lost it above you. He released a strangled moan that caused your core to absolutely gush. One hand finally tangled into your hair and the other gripped your shoulder with warning, which you ignored. You merely sucked and pulled harder. Namjoon’s hips flexed, causing the tip of him to slam into the back of your throat. Not expecting it, you couldn’t help but cough around him as your eyes watered.
“Oh, God! I’m so sorry.” Namjoon used the hand on your shoulder to yank you off. His thumbs wiped at the tears that trickled down your cheeks, the concern etched across his face made you feel warm inside. “Shit, are you okay?”
“I am, promise,” you assured him. “Just give me a second, okay?”
He nodded while pushing back some of your hair that had escaped your sloppy up-do. You gently removed his hands before looking down at his length that was still clutched in yours. As much as he had shocked you, the thought of him fucking your face was not something you shied away from. Really, it was exactly what you wanted. But you needed to prep a bit first.
When you took him back in your mouth, you focused on relaxing the muscles in your throat. Breathing deeply through your nose, you slowly worked yourself further down until your nose was pressed into the base of him. Spit trickled out of your mouth and over his balls as you pulled back. You did this a few more times, working past your gag reflex and allowing your throat to get used to the intrusion.
Namjoon was anything but quiet as you deep throated him. It was honestly the sexiest thing you had ever heard. While your past lovers hadn’t necessarily been quiet, the praises Namjoon kept raining on you and the beautiful noises he made were music to your ears. Your body certainly agreed. Your cunt ached to be filled and the fabric of your panties was soaked through. But, you ignored your needs and focused on the panting man before you.
“Okay,” you nodded as you popped him out of your mouth. “I’m ready.”
It took Namjoon’s brain a few seconds to process what you said. He shifted restlessly on the couch cushions as you ran your hands over his thighs. “Huh? W-what did you say?”
“I’m ready for you to fuck my face.”
His pupils were blown wide as he stared at you with an open mouth. “Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“What if I want it to hurt?” You stared at him while purring the words that was his undoing. Namjoon’s eyes got impossibly darker as his chest expanded with a sharp intake of breath. He spread his legs wider and gently held the back of your head as he guided you down his shaft. You held eye contact with him as he cautiously raised his hips to meet your lips. Once he saw no signs of distress from you, he began thrusting more consistently as you bobbed your head to match his rhythm.
His steady movements didn’t last long but it didn’t bother you. You were more than happy to take over for him. Like you said, this wasn’t going to be the last time you worshipped his cock. The two of you had plenty of time to figure things out. Plus, knowing how much you clearly affected him gave you all the motivation you needed.
Your throat began to tense up again so you focused your attentions on his sensitive head and let your hands twist up to your mouth and back down. The sounds of your palm gliding along his slick skin and your lips sucking tightly filled the spacious living room. They were nearly drowned out by Namjoon, though.
“Baby, oh f-fuck…shit,” he keened loud and hard when your other hand moved to brush over his swollen balls. You cupped them gently and rolled them between your fingers. Even as he was practically thrashing against you, hips thrusting in an aimless rhythm, the hand he had originally placed on the back of your head remained there. He applied no pressure, allowing you to set the pace, but it also seemed to ground him. To remind him that this wasn’t a dream.
“M’gonna cum. Baby…baby, I’m gonna cum. Soon, oh God,” he babbled. You appreciated the warning but you didn’t need it. He was twitching wildly in your mouth and your tongue was coated with the salty essence of his pre-cum. In response, you ran your index finger on that sensitive spot behind his balls and that’s when Namjoon exploded.
Thick ropes of white shot down your throat, causing you to almost gag. Instead, you swallowed past the reflex and took as much as you could. By the fourth stream, a bit had managed to slip past the suction of your mouth and dribble down his cock. You were quick to clean up, licking at the mess the both of you had made before returning to his tip. You suckled the sensitive head until Namjoon practically shoved you away from him.
When you looked up you were met with a glorious sight. Namjoon was completely fucked out, twitching against the couch and his broad chest heaving for air. Sweat beaded his sharp jaw line and trickled down the column of his throat. His face was tilted towards the ceiling and his hair was haphazardly pushed off of his forehead. He looked completely ruined and entirely yours.
“Was that good?” You asked softly as you rose to your feet, ignoring the sharp ache in your knees. Namjoon made an unintelligible sound in the back of his throat that you took as a resounding yes. He cracked his eyes open and looked at you with such adoration you couldn’t help but blush.
“Really?” He murmured. “Don’t get shy on me now. You can’t just suck the life out of me one second and then start blushing like a school girl immediately after.”
“It’s called duality,” you muttered as your cheeks flushed darker. Namjoon snorted and reached for you, pulling you onto his lap. His spent cock nestled between your thighs and his eyes rolled back into his head when he felt the simmering heat through the fabric of your shorts.
“I need five minutes. Then, I swear to God, I’m going to eat you out like you deserve.”
Giggling, you wrapped your arms around his neck, playing with the strands of hair at the base of his neck. “You don’t have to. This wasn’t a quid pro quo situation. I gave you a blowjob because I wanted to. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“It’s either you give me five minutes so that I can eat you out or ten minutes so I can fuck you into next week. You decide.”
His determination brought a smile to your face until you took in the purple bags under his eyes and how his eyelids kept drooping lower and lower. “How about a nap first, hm? I’ll decide after you get some sleep.”
Namjoon looked like he wanted to protest but you kissed him instead. His argument clearly wasn’t that strong because when you pulled away he was nodding in resignation. You helped him pull up his shorts and squealed when he lifted you up into his arms. Wrapping your legs around his waist, you let him carry you into the bedroom and wrap the both of you up in the comforter. You hadn’t planned on sleeping with him, wanting to get more work done while he slept. But the faint scent of his aftershave and the soft way he caressed your spine could lull an insomniac to sleep. Who were you to refuse?
“Wake me up when you decide,” Namjoon whispered into your hair. You nodded against his chest, and within minutes the two of you slipped into a deep slumber. Happy and content.
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©jcwritings Do not repost, translate, or use my stories without my permission.
LINKS:
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watchmegetobsessed · 3 years
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Drum it out - Harry Styles
a/n: hiya lovelies! im bringin an OC fic this time only because i had a strong vision about the girl and thought it would be best to have her as one instead of Y/N this time, but hope you’ll enjoy it regardless! Remi Devon is a baddie, i like her!
pairing: Harry x OC
summary: Harry is forced to find a new drummer since Sarah is about to become a mom, but no one seems to be good enough to replace her. It is until he meets Remi Devon, the woman who completely takes his breath away from the moment he sees her on stage.
word count: 7k
warning: NSFW content, some slight spanking
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“Don’t worry, you’ll love her just as much as I do!” Sarah smiles at Harry, giving his arm a gentle squeeze as they make their way into the small but cozy looking bar. Harry is skeptical, mostly because for him, no one compares to Sarah and if it wasn’t for her pregnancy, he would do anything to make her stay in the band. But he is so happy his two friends are starting a family together, it’s only that Harry is now forced to look for a new drummer as it’s getting harder for Sarah to keep up with the hectic lifestyle they’ve been living. Her bump is now pretty obvious and it’s only a matter of time until she can’t sit behind her instrument.
They’ve been trying to find someone to replace her during the second half of her pregnancy and at least the first year after she gives birth, but no one seemed good enough. Truth is, and Harry knew it damn well, that his problem was always the same: they weren’t Sarah.
Now she has dragged him to check someone out, a girl Sarah knows from years ago and who was told to be a mind-blowing drummer, though Harry has doubts about that.
“Sure will,” he hums, not too convinced about it.
The bar was previously a small theater, the seats have been taken out on the ground floor, replaced with tables and stools around the sides and a dance floor in the middle. The gallery is used as a kind of VIP area, this is where the two of them are right now, sitting at a small table in the front corner so they have an amazing sight of the stage where a local band is about to start very soon. Sarah said Remi, the drummer in the talk, is just a jump-in for the night for a friend, but it was a great opportunity for Harry to check her out.
“You know, she beat me at an audition a while ago. This super cool rock band was looking for a drummer for their mini-tour in Canada, because their drummer broke his leg and we both tried for it. There were still some people waiting to audition when she went in and she blew their mind so much, they just ended the audition right there,” Sarah tells him, the story still holds a dear place in her heart. She and Remi used to be close friends, but got a little distant as life took them to different paths. Now they are meeting up every few months when they are in the same city, catching up on everything since they last saw each other, sharing their equally exciting stories.
“Really?” Harry asks with genuine surprise as he takes his beer from the table and glances down at the stage. Everything is set up already and his eyes move to the shiny looking drum set at the back. It’s hard to imagine himself finding someone as good as Sarah, for Harry she has been the etalon ever since they met. But now he is forced to find someone even though he doesn’t want to, not even a bit.
“Yeah. She is the kind of girl that just turns heads wherever she goes without even trying.”
“You think I would get along with her well?” he asks, turning to face her just in time to see the wide smirk on her lips as she nods.
“I think you two would make an epic duo, H.”
“Alright, now I’m interested,” he smiles softly.
“She said they will play a lot of covers.”
“What kind?”
“You’ll see,” she smirks, sipping on her lemonade, a hand going to slide down on her stomach.
The dance floor is not packed, but there are a lot of people, seemingly most of them are here specifically for this band called Striped Shoes, Harry hasn’t heard about them until now but he is always happy to discover new music.
Soon, the lights go down, darkness falling to the theater, the only light is coming from the bars at the back. Then a spotlight turns on and a guy is standing in the middle of it, cheers erupting from the people as he starts playing the guitar and Harry immediately recognizes the song: Smells like teen spirit by Nirvana. Just a few riffs later all the other spotlights come on, each of them illuminating a member of the band and Harry’s eyes flick to the drum set where the only female on the stage is sitting, he catches her the moment she starts playing, the vibrant energy lingering around her almost knocks him off the stool even from this far away. Her hair barely reaches her shoulders, it falls to frame her heart shaped face in soft waves, the roots are a darker color than the rest that’s an odd shade of mahogany, but it suits her perfectly, Harry thinks. She has a few tattoos littered across her arms but not a full sleeve on any of them. They are on full display in the shirt that’s sleeves were seemingly ripped off, the fabric is raw on her shoulders. It seems to be some kind of old band shirt but Harry doesn’t recognize the logo on the front. Her legs are wrapped in ripped jeans and Harry is immediately mesmerized by how steadily she keeps the rhythm while absolutely nailing the song.
She makes it look so easy yet fascinating, her head snaps back a few times, a satisfied grin stretching across her lips as she enjoys the music, clearly a fan on it. She doesn’t miss a beat and flows into the next song that’s an original from the band as if the two songs were the same while she had to switch up the rhythm entirely through the transition.
Harry feels starstruck, watching this woman take the whole show, in his opinion, while simply sitting behind the drum set, playing like no one he has ever seen. She puts all of herself into it and that’s why she manages to outshine everyone else. Harry knows how hard it is for a drummer to get the same kind of attention as other members, but Remi makes it seem like it’s the natural, like drummers are the front people without a doubt.
When the cover version of Rock and Roll by Led Zeppelin comes on, in a way more hard rock version, Harry almost fears the stage is about to catch on fire. The song already has amazing drums in it, but the band gave it even more attention, giving a chance for Remi to show how amazing she really is.
“So? What do you think?” Sarah shouts over the music and Harry suddenly realizes he is not alone. He managed to zone out on the drummer without even noticing.
“She is… amazing,” he admits truthfully, in complete awe of what he is witnessing. This is music. This is passion. This is exactly what Harry always looks for in musicians and Remi has a whole lot of it.
They push the short drum solo a little longer at the end and Harry watches as Remi finishes the song standing, playing so hard that with the last hit, one of her sticks simply snaps into two, flying across the stage as she is breathing hard, skin glimmering from the sweat, her hair a complete mess from all the head shaking she’s been doing, but Harry thinks that it’s the hottest thing he has ever seen in his life.
Sarah knows she finally found her replacement, judging from Harry’s look she knows he is a sucker for Remi so she just lets him enjoy the rest of the concert.
When they play their last song and they all gather at the front of the stage to bow in front of the audience, Harry finds himself standing as he is applauding the band, but especially Remi who doesn’t even know Harry Styles is now a fan of hers.
“Let’s talk to her, shall we?” Sarah suggests once they disappear from the stage. Harry nods, finishing up his beer before the two of them head backstage.
Sarah has been put on the list since she previously let Remi know she would be coming. She was ecstatic to see her old friend, however was not told that Sarah would be coming with someone else so when Remi spots the two of them walking down the small hallway at the backstage, she is surprised but not shocked. She knows Sarah has been working with him for a long time now, but she wasn’t expecting him to be here tonight.
“Hey! There you are, mama!” Remi jokes with a heartfelt chuckle as she hugs her old friend. “Already looking like a milf!” she teases, earning an eye-roll from Sarah.
“Rems, I want you to meet Harry. Harry, this is Remi Devon.”
Remi’s eyes meet Harry’s piercing green ones and for a moment, Harry feels his stomach drop. She is even more breathtaking up close, in her simple but very fitting outfit, hair pushed back from her face carelessly she is easily the first woman ever to make Harry nervous to the point where he is having a hard time to even talk.
Remi holds out a hand for him smiling warmly and he luckily takes control over his actions and shakes it before it could get awkward.
“Nice to meet you, Harry. Heard a lot about you,” she chuckles softly.
“Hope you believed only the best,” he nods with a shy smile.
“Oh, of course,” she winks and Harry swears he felt his heart skipping a beat.
“We actually have something to talk to you about, Rems. Do you have some time for us?” Sarah asks.
“Yeah, just let me wash my face and I’ll be right back. There’s a small green room on the left, feel free to wait there,” she nods and disappears a moment later.
Sarah and Harry move into the room as Remi told them to and just a few minutes later she storms inside, a new shirt hugging her torso, a simple black one, but it’s tight unlike the one she wore for the concert. She sits into the armchair while Sarah and Harry have taken the small sofa.
“Alright, I’m all yours,” she smiles at them crossing her legs. Harry knows he should be the one to bid the offer, but it seems like he is not finding his words just yet. But Sarah is quick to talk when she realizes Harry is at a loss of words.
“I brought Harry today because I wanted him to see you play. We are currently looking for someone to take my place shortly,” she explains, placing a hand to her bump. “I know you’ve been freelancing lately so I thought you’d be interested in working with the band and of course Harry.”
“Oh!” She seems genuinely surprised at the offer. “So this was kind of my audition in secret?” she chuckles.
“You could say that,” Sarah smiles.
“And how did I do?” she asks, eyes meeting Harry’s gaze that hasn’t left her face since she arrived.
“You… definitely passed. The best I’ve seen so far,” he tells her and the smile on her face is worth everything for him. 
“So what does this mean exactly?” This time Harry answers, finally finding his voice.
“If you are not too busy in the upcoming time, I would love to have you as my drummer,” he states, handing her the offer on a silver plate, basically.
It’s an offer most musicians dream of, so Harry thinks she’ll accept it right away, but of course, Remi is not like others. 
“I’ll be needing some more details before I give you my answer though,” she smiles.
And that, she gets. A few days after the concert Remi meets up with the rest of the band and Jeff to talk about all the details. She clearly wants to know what she is jumping into and Harry respects that. At the end she accepts the offer and as Harry watches her sign the paperworks, a huge wave of satisfaction and excitement washes over him. 
***
The public imagines Harry as the picture perfect human being who is always at his best, never making any mistakes, but that’s far from the real truth. He is as flawed as anyone else, it’s just that not many get the chance to see him in this state.
His bandmates are among the few privileged ones that are bound to see all his ups and downs as well and since Remi is part of them now too, she has witnessed his bad days since they have started working together.
Harry’s growl is heard in the microphone when he is supposed to be singing and the music soon comes to a halt. It’s probably the tenth time he is messing up the exact same part because his head is just not at the right place. He knows he should be at the top of his game, not wasting his colleagues’ precious time, but he just can’t bring himself away from the heavy thoughts that’s been occupying his mind lately. There are days when he is as free as a bird, not a worry in the world, but sometimes everything comes down at once and he feels like crumbling under the weight of his own career.
“Sorry guys,” he apologizes into the microphone, a heavy sigh escaping his lips as he closes his eyes for a few seconds to collect himself. The silence in the auditorium where they are currently rehearsing for tour is harsh, everyone is tired and they can feel the nerves creeping up on them about the upcoming tour and making sure that everything is perfectly in place for the first show.
Remi looks around from behind her drum set, holding her sticks in one hand and she doesn’t like what she is seeing. A group that’s always so happy and carefree is now just a big ball of stress, this is not right. 
“Guys, why don’t you all wrap it up for today, I’ll stay here with Harry and help him get it right,” she offers.
“How do you want to practice without everyone else?” Mitch asks, not at all in an offending way, more like out of curiosity.
“I’ll find a way,” she smiles softly and he doesn’t push it further. 
As the rest of the band is packing up, leaving slowly, saying their goodbyes Harry is sitting on the floor next to one of the speakers, head hanging low, deep in his thoughts. Adam is the last one to leave the place and once it’s just the two of them, she stands up from behind her set and walks over to the desperate man.
“Get up,” she orders, not in a bossy manner, more of a ‘do what I asked, I’m trying to help’ way so Harry obeys. Standing up he towers above her, almost a full head taller than Remi, but still, sometimes she can make him feel so small.
Harry has noticed that her energy is making her push the air out of his lungs sometimes, just the way she stands, looks, moves around a room, it’s making her appear like the ruler of everyone around her. He has often found himself just staring at her from afar since she has joined the band and even though she has caught him ogling her a few times, he just still can’t bring himself to stop admiring her. He definitely has a fat crush on the new addition to the team, however now his feelings are pushed aside, their place taken by his anxiety and worries.
She takes his hands and pulls him to the middle of the stage, putting the microphone stand to the side so they have some space cleared out around them. She then turns to face him, a warm smile tugging on her lips while he is rather curious about what she has on her mind.
“Scream,” she simply tells him, his eyebrows immediately knitting together in confusion.
“Wha’?” 
“Scream,” she repeats, but he is still lost about the situation. She chuckles a little before taking a few steps away from him, twirling around her heels before stopping facing the area where the audience is supposed to be during a concert. “Whenever I feel like I’m locked, like everything around me is so suffocating that I can’t even function normally, I take a minute and just let it all out,” she explains before taking a deep breath and hunching over, the most eardrum-breaking scream bursts out of her, making Harry jump a little.
She holds it long, until her throat is cracking up and she runs out of her breath, then the scream dies and she takes a deep breath, filling up her lungs again. Harry stands there, completely stunned, thinking that if anyone heard her now, they are surely convinced she is being tortured here. 
When she turns back to face him again, she is smiling as if nothing just happened, like it’s the most natural thing to randomly scream from the top of her lungs on a casual Wednesday night.
“Now it’s your turn,” she tells him, but Harry doesn’t feel like it’s gonna be his thing at all. But he still turns to the side, clears his throat and lets out a not too forceful shout that’s quite saddening compared to her scream. “Oh, come on, I’m sure you can do better, Styles,” she chuckles, hands on her hips as she tilts her head to the side.
“Is this really necessary?” he questions, eyebrows still furrowed at her.
“Very much. Now come on, do it!”
“Remi, I--”
He doesn’t have the chance to finish, because she screams at him, knocking the air out of him once again, making him flinch at her sudden action.
“Scream!” she then snaps at him.
“I don--”
“Scream!” she repeats forcefully and Harry gives up. Taking a deep breath he lets his voice out in a hoarse scream that’s way more vibrant than his last attempt. “Yes! Again!” she grins nodding and he does it again.
And then again and again, until he feels like his chest is completely empty, like nothing is keeping a tight grip on his insides anymore. He is panting, mind racing as he realizes how much better he is feeling now, meaning that Remi’s technique worked.
“How are you feeling?” she asks, smirking, her arms folded on her chest.
“Fucking awesome,” he chuckles out of breath, running his hands through his messy hair. 
“Great. You think you can handle going through the song now without messing up?”
“I… think?”
“Alright, grab your guitar and I’ll give you the beat.”
She moves back behind her set as Harry grabs a guitar, throwing the strap over his head, turning to face Remi behind him as he places the microphone stand in front of him.
“I’ll go softer on the beats, you just do your thing okay?” she tells him and he just nods, fingers already on his guitar.
Kiwi sounds a whole lot different with just the drums playing weakly and only one guitar playing, but it’s not what matters. Harry finally manages to go through the song without messing anything up.
When the song ends and the music is replaced by silence, Harry can’t help the grin stretching across his face.
“I fucking needed that,” he sighs, his head falling back for a moment as the last bits of euphoria settles in his body.
“Want to go over something else?” she asks, turning back and forth to the sides on her stool, playing with the sticks, twirling them between her fingers easily.
“You sure don’t want to go home like the others?”
“Let’s see what choices I have. I can go home and watch an entire season of Love Island on my own, eating leftovers from two days ago or I can stay here, play music with a hot dude. I think I’m fine with the second option.”
Harry’s eyebrows shoot up at how simply she just called him a hot dude, his heart fluttering in his chest again like the first time he saw her play, only difference is that now her eyes are piercing on him and it’s just the two of them in an empty room. He is already having thoughts that should probably be pushed down.
“Did you just call your boss hot?” he teases her then.
“I don’t think you’re my boss,” she scoffs. “You need me here more than I need to be here, so I think I’m the one having the higher ground,” she points out and Harry knows she is so damn right. “Besides, I know you find me hot as well.”
He is quick to blush at her words, but that doesn’t stop him from questioning her.
“What makes you think that?”
“I see you staring, Harry. I’m not oblivious or naive. I know you like checking my butt out every time I’m fixing my set leaning down,” she chuckles and now he is certain his ears are a deep shade of red, he was caught more often than he thought, it seems like. “Also…” she smirks slyly. “If you think you hid your hard-on cleverly the other day when I played my solo, you are wrong.”
“For fuck’s sake,” Harry mumbles, cursing himself for being such a horny teenager around her, but he can’t help it. The woman is the epitome of everything Harry finds so fucking attractive, it’s like she was made for his imagination specifically. “This, um, this is a little awkward, but I’m sorry--” “Oh, don’t be,” she chuckles. “I’m just lucky I’m a woman and my arousal can’t be seen that easily,” she comments and Harry almost chokes on his own breath.
Did she just admit she has been turned on by him before? When? What did she think about? What was it that made her turned on? Harry needs answers, however he is not given the chance to get them.
“Alright, you can choose two more songs we’ll go over and then we are off,” she simply says, as if they weren’t just talking about being horny a moment ago.
“Uh, maybe Only Angel and, um, Lights Up?” he prompts, trying his best to regain his composure. 
“Cool. Let’s do them.” And with that, she switched back to work mode without batting an eye.
***
It feels like the crowd will never stop screaming. It just keeps going and going, people are probably losing their voice, but the screaming just continues as Harry stands at the front of the stage, his adrenaline jumping to the sky, eyes roaming around the full arena. He throws a few more kisses, placing his hands to his chest one last time before turning around and heading off the stage, his eyes meeting Remi.
She is not wearing her usual clothes, instead, she is now sporting a pair of high-waisted dress pants in a lavender color, a white top tucked into it, her matching blazer thrown to the floor, she probably got hot the moment she started playing. Her tattoos are on full display and she looks just as sweaty as Harry feels. But still, for him she is a sight he would love to look at for the rest of his life.
Their eyes meet and she smirks at him, eyes glimmering from the high she experienced through the concert, it’s a feeling they all share every time they perform together and it’s clearly like a drug neither of them wants to come clear of.
“Good job, Rockstar,” he reads her lips saying and he laughs, winking at her.
Ever since their one-on-one rehearsal, things have felt to change between them. It’s like a barricade that’s been lying between them has come down and they are feeling much more free around each other. Secret glances, touches and flirty comments are their usual and they don’t care that the people around them are starting to catch on it as well. They love the game they are playing and neither of them plans on stopping it.
Harry stops at her drum set, holding out a hand to help her up and walk her off the stage, knowing well she doesn’t feel the most comfortable in her stage clothes and feels a little too restricted by the end of the concerts, but she understands that her style does not go well with the look they are going for. 
She snatches her blazer from the floor and gladly takes Harry’s helping hand as he walks her off the stage, her Gucci boots feeling a little too tight at the moment.
“One of these days I’m gonna rip these pants off,” she jokes, pulling on the tight waistband of them.
“Just make sure I’m around when it happens, Darling,” Harry teases, making her laugh as they walk backstage, everyone congratulating them and the band following behind on their way.
“Oh, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?”
“Very much,” he admits without shame, the blushing long gone from his cheeks and ears. The buildup has changed his nervousness around her lately and he is enjoying the teasing and flirting all too much. 
The whole team agrees that tonight’s show was exceptionally good and that it deserves some celebratory drinks. A few blocks away from the hotel where everyone is staying there’s a cozy looking bar and the rather loud lot occupies half the place as they flow in and start ordering their endless rounds of drinks. 
Harry is sitting at one of the tables they have taken up, going strong with his third beer of the night, half zoned out of the conversation with the small group he is sitting in. His eyes are fixated on Remi’s figure who is standing at the bar with Charlotte, unlike every other female around she is not sipping on some kind of fancy drink or a cocktail, she went straight for the crafted beers the place had to offer. She has changed her stage clothes, wearing her usual tight black jeans and a sheer top with a simple black sports bra underneath it. Harry can’t stop his eyes from raking down her body, taking in every curve, tattoo and tiny detail about her and he thinks that there is not one thing on her he doesn’t find attractive. 
Her eyes find him, a playful smirk playing on her lips Harry has been thinking way too much about lately, and she cocks an eyebrow at him in a way that yells at him: Like what you see, Rockstar?
As an answer, he just simply shrugs with a growing smirk until she turns back to Charlotte, who is still talking to her, she hasn’t even noticed that Remi was focusing somewhere else for a moment. Remi laughs at something her bandmate said and Harry wishes he could be closer to hear her voice, he has grown quite a liking to her laughter, he has been trying to crack as many jokes lately as he can just to hear it.
He takes his eyes off her just for a second when someone at the table asks him something. He mumbles his reply and reaches for his beer as his gaze shifts back to her figure, only to find that Charlotte is not gone and a not so friendly looking guy is behind her, clearly trying to chat her up.
The dude is standing way too close to her for Harry’s liking, leaning in to talk to her, but she keeps backing away, however he does not care about that. She is clearly not enjoying the exchange and when the guy reaches up to her face Harry is quick to jump to his feet, ready to go to her rescue. But it’s not needed.
Just as he takes one step towards the scene near him, he witnesses as Remi grabs the bloke’s hand before he could touch her face and with a strong and quick move, she twists his arm behind him, keeping the guy on his toes as he is trying to escape her deadly grip on his wrist, his hand pushing into the middle of his back.
Harry’s mouth hangs open as he watches Remi tell something to the guy in a not too friendly manner before letting him go and the man flees before Harry could blink twice.
“That was impressive,” Harry tells her, walking up to her at the bar. Remi just shrugs, gulping down the rest of her beer. 
“I know some tricks.”
“How come?”
“Grew up with three older brothers, had to learn how to defend myself when they decided to attack me out of nowhere.”
“Three brothers? That must ‘ave been wild,” he huffs impressed.
“I surely didn’t have a girly childhood, I’ve always been kind of a tomboy,” she shrugs again. As a teenager, she often wished she would be like the girls in her class, but later on she realized how big of an advantage it is that she speaks the boys’ language so easily.
“I think it just made you… badass,” Harry smirks, leaning against the bar counter.
“Is that what I am?”she arches an eyebrow cockily. 
“Definitely. A handful, but the good kind.”
“Oh, just be careful, Rockstar. I might think you are trying to get into my pants,” she chuckles and as Harry hears her laugh he can’t stop himself from taking it further. She is too intoxicating.
“And what if I am?”
Remi doesn’t seem surprised at his comment, not even a bit. She is clearly enjoying the flirting once again, but when she answers, he surely is the one who is surprised.
“Then I gotta say you are working way too slow. I’m losing my patience.”
His eyebrows rise, lips parted as he stares back at her, the words that left her lips pushing the air out of his lungs once again, he is done for her. Utterly and completely. He wants to say and do a million things, but then settles on just one simple question.
“Want to get back to the hotel then?”
“Thought you’d never ask,” she smirks and simply heads towards the door without another word spoken. Harry is quick to grab his stuff from the table and catch up with her at the exit. 
The crispy night air feels a little sobering as they both step out of the bar, heading to the nearby hotel with rushed steps, keeping their silence but they both are grinning madly. When their eyes meet they can’t push down the laughter and Harry grabs her hand before he starts running, pulling her after himself.
By the time they reach the hotel they are both out of breath, adrenaline running high once again as what’s been building up between them since the first time they saw each other is finally about to bloom fully.
Remi pushes the button for the elevator and as it moves down painfully slowly Harry’s hands find her hips, pulling her back against his chest. His lips tease the soft skin on her neck, peppering kisses everywhere he reaches while his fingers dig into her skin under her sheer top. She leans against him, head falling back to his shoulder and she pushes her bum against his crotch, a whiny moan escaping his lips that makes her smile in satisfaction. 
“Fuck, Remi,” he breathes out, eager to finally have her all to himself and make all his fantasies come to life. The elevator finally dings and as the door slides open Remi turns in his arms abruptly and grabbing onto the collar of his shirt she simply pulls him inside, hand snapping on the button of his floor and just as the door slowly slides closed and they start moving up, her lips finally crash against his.
They are kissing hard, eager to take as much from each other as they can, they are both greedy, wanting the other all to themselves, the heat of the moment lighting up the small elevator. His fingers rake through her hair, grabbing a handful of it in each of them while one of her hands slide down his upper body until it stops on the obviously growing bulge in his pants. Harry moans shamelessly when she gives his erection a teasing squeeze and she smirks against his lips, satisfied with how easily he reacts to her touches. 
Harry melts into her, wanting to devour every bit of this moment with her, he is seeing stars when she takes his lower lip between her teeth and tugs on it. A hand flies down to her ass and he squeezes it hard without shying about how much he is enjoying touching her.
The elevator reaches their floor and once again he grabs her wrist and starts pulling her down the hallway towards his room. Her lips are glued to his neck when he is trying to get his keycard from his back pocket and open the door, but when he finally succeeds, they basically fall into the room, tangled into each other and the door snaps closed behind them. 
He is quick to push her against the door, lips attacking her neck, nipping and sucking on her skin until he is sure a mark is left on her. 
“Off with it,” she pants, her hands tugging on his shirt and they work with all four of their hands to unbutton his shirt until it flies across the room. Remi pushes on him, hands spread across his hot chest as they get farther inside the room. The bump into some furniture on their way, lips glued together again until they finally reach the bed and fall right onto the perfectly made sheets. They are both showing dominance so it’s a constant fight for the lead between them, rolling around until at last Remi ends up on top, strangling his lap. She straightens up and grabs the hem of her shirt, getting rid of it fast before she does the same with her sports bra, baring her upper body completely to Harry’s greedy eyes.
“Fuck,” he breathes out, pushing himself up until he wraps his arms around her, mouth meeting her chest, littering her heated skin with sloppy kisses until his lips reach one of her nipples.
“Yes!” she moans as he starts playing with it, his hands coming to cup her breasts, massaging them continuously before his mouth moves over to her other nipple, giving it the same attention. 
Harry uses her momentary weakness and turns them over, his crotch coming in contact with her center as he pushes his hips between her legs forcefully. He kisses down her stomach before he leans back and works fast on the buttons of her jeans. The tight material hugs her legs stubbornly, but he is eager to get rid of them and he soon succeeds, leaving her in just a lacy black thong. He undoes his own pants in a heartbeat, pulling them off and throwing them to the side before he gets on top of her again, kissing her lips so hungrily as if it hasn’t been just a few moments since he kissed her last. 
She whimpers under his touch when he moves a hand between her thighs, running his fingers along her clothed folds, her arousal already soaking the fabric. He doesn’t hesitate to slip his hand into her underwear, her juices wetting his wandering fingers and he teases her hole and clit playfully.
“You better not fucking tease me, I don’t like that,” she pants, her dark eyes meeting hers and he can see the threat behind her words, she is not joking.
“Then what do you like?” he breathes out, eager to please her so much, she’ll forget about everyone else she has ever slept with.
She doesn’t answer, instead, a devious smile tugs on her swollen lips as she pushes him off until she is able to move. Harry is now kneeling on the bed and watches as Remi pushes her ass up into the air, back arching perfectly, her thong looking so delicious on her round butt and when she pushes herself back so her behind meets her throbbing dick in his briefs he could cry from the sensation. His hands immediately grab onto her asscheeks, pulling her even harder against himself.
“Smack it,” she breathes out, glancing over her shoulder.
“Yeah?”
“Do it,” she nods and Harry doesn’t need more encouragement, he lifts a hand up and smacks her ass so it leaves a little redness after it. Remi moans erotically, enjoying herself fully and seeing how much it turns her on, he smacks the other cheek as well.
“You are gonna be the death of me,” he whines and pushing down his briefs his erection finally springs free, he grabs it with one hand, stroking himself a few times while his other hand is keeping a tight grip of her ass.
Remi wants to see him naked, so she quickly pushes herself up to her knees and turning around her eyes fall on Harry stroking himself. Hunger fills her eyes as she launches forward, lips meeting his while her hands simply take the place of his on his length, doing the job for him.
“I’m on birth control. When were you last tested?” she mumbles against his lips before leaning back so she can get rid of her thong and Harry does the same with his underwear.
“Three weeks ago, haven’t been with anyone since and I’m clean,” he mumbles in a rush.
“I’m clean too. You can ditch the condom if you want to.” “I wanna feel you,” he pleads desperately as she lies back on the bed and he gets on top of her again.
“All yours,” she smirks, spreading her legs wide for him, the sight in front of him is easily beating any art he has ever seen, he thinks. 
He positions himself to her entrance, but doesn’t push into her just yet, leaning down so his lips brush against her ear as he whispers into it.
“Let’s see if you feel just as amazing as I imagined.” And with that, he pushes into her with one swift movement, stretching her all the way until his whole length disappears inside her.
“Fuck, Harry!” she cries out, back arching at the sensation. He sucks on her neck once again as he starts moving in and out, fitting inside her so perfectly, he is convinced she was crafted just for him. 
He is going fast and hard, their pants and moans completely filling the hotel room and they can only hope they can’t be heard by anyone right now. She circles her legs around his hips, the angle he is reaching making her toes curl behind his back.
“You feel so fucking good,” he chokes out, face contorting into a blissful frown as he is getting closer to his orgasm with each thrust.
“I want to be on top,” she gasps, already pushing on and this time Harry doesn’t hesitate to obey. He rolls to his back, pulling her with him so now she is on top. Her hands come to rest on his stomach as she starts riding her, circling and lifting her hips so perfectly, so breathtakingly that Harry could cum just from the sight of her bouncing on him, but the feeling is making it a mind blowing experience. His fingers dig into her hips as she is starting to move faster and faster, before Harry starts bucking his hips up to meet her rhythm as well, going so deep into her, he is having a hard time deciding where she ends and where he starts. They are completely merged together in one hot mess. 
“Fuck, I’m gonna cum!” she screams gasping, her head falling back as she doesn’t fall out of her rhythm, still being such a drummer even in the bed, dictating the beat. 
Harry pushes himself up into a sitting position, wrapping his arms around her so he can push her naked chest against his, their sweaty skins sliding against each other relentlessly, creating friction.
“Scream my name when you cum,” he orders, his lips finding hers once again, but it’s a messy kiss, their teeth are clanking, noses are bumping together as they are both nearing their high.
“Harry, oh fuck!” she exclaims and with her next movement he can feel her clench around him.
“Louder!” he growls on the edge of his own orgasm.
“Harry! Harry!” she screams shamelessly, throwing him over the edge, a guttural moan bursting from him as they both fall out of the rhythm, satisfaction washing over them in waves.
“Oh shit!” she breathes out, lips against his as she keeps him close with her hands on the base of his neck. 
“Fucking Hell, Remi. I think I almost had a heart attack,” he breathes out with a soft chuckle making her laugh as well. She pulls him into another kiss, but it’s way slower now, the hunger and greed taken by their pleasure, now it’s time for something softer.
When they fall back to the bed, arms and legs tangled as they are still trying to stay close to each other, Remi looks up at him with a tired smile.
“So, was it like you imagined?” she asks and he chuckles softly.
“A thousand times better. But now we have a problem on our hands.”
“And what would that be?”
“Now I’m hooked. I won’t be able to stop thinking about you, not that it hasn’t been the situation since the start.”
Remi chuckles shortly, pushing herself up enough so she can look comfortable at his flushed out face. 
“Well, it’s a good thing we are kind of locked together for months.”
“I’m one lucky man, aren’t I?” he smirks, so full of himself before he pulls her back down, kissing her like they have all the time in the world on their hands.
808 notes · View notes
ink-the-artist · 4 years
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Its a lot harder to do with traditional art but I'd love to see progress shots of your colored pencil stuff its so neat
I wanted to wait until I had progress shots to show before answering this and I took some as soon as I was starting a new colored pencil illustration, which was the Pepto Bismol one I just posted. Gonna put a keep reading cut here bc this’ll probably be a bit of a long post lol. 
I don’t have any kind of strict process I always follow, I just do whatever works best for each specific drawing, so I kind of just took a pic whenever I finished anything that felt like it could be it’s own “step.” Also keep in mind I worked on this during different days, different times of day, and different locations, so the lighting will be pretty different throughout the pics here which will affect how the colors look and the overall quality of the photos, I did the best I could with the changing lighting.
First step is the graphite sketch. Since I’m focusing on the colored pencil part of the process I didn’t document the process of sketching, just the final outcome
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I go over the sketch with a colored pencil, I usually use a lighter color so that the lines you’ll see in the next step are lighter and not going to be noticeable when the drawing is all done, and I’ll go with a color that would be found in the illustration so that it doesn’t look unnatural wherever it may show through (I chose pink because, Pepto Bismol)
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then I go over the whole thing with an eraser, only the graphite erases completely while the colored pencil stays, even though it dulls a bit. This is so I can still have a sort of outline to color in without having to worry about graphite mixing with the lighter color pencil colors and muddying everything up (it also just cleans up the sketch a lot which makes everything easier to work with)
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then I start putting some of the colors down while also adding some basic detail that I’ll color and shade along later. I also go over the lines again just to make sure everything is shaped correctly, but I’m using the base colors of whatever the object is because I don’t actually want things to have outlines later on
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I’m kind of mapping out the colors now as well as shadows
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(also I finally found a use for this super bright neon pink colored pencil I have lol)
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I’m basically just continuously layering on more color and detail, making sure to go light to dark. I mostly work on everything evenly rather than meticulously finishing one area after another but I was a bit more meticulous with the pepto bismol tablets just because they were the most detailed part of the illustration
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I pretty much color the borzoi last because it’s the one white thing in this image and I want it to sort of “reflect” all the colors that will be around it and you can see I’m still adding new colors to the background as I go along
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adding some green, Im basically trying to get a black without using black by layering opposing (is that the right word?) colors over each other, it makes it so that the black still looks like a natural part of the image because it’s made up of the colors in it, and it gradients toward the foreground better. I’m also doing the same for the nose and lips of the borzoi
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finally putting some more color down on the borzoi, both giving it a base color and making the shading more defined
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added the pepto splash before I layer any more color on the background. Also in just about every step here I’m continuously touching up the pepto bismol tablets, maybe a bit too obsessively
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adding more colors from the background to the borzoi as well as shading it some more
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adding more green (and some dark blue) to the background and floor to darken it some more, and again to the borzoi
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I blend some of the lighter areas with orange-yellow, dunno if this is a real technique I just like the kind of glow effect it has and I do it a lot in my drawings (basically layering light colors over dark ones and sort of pressing harder with the strokes to blend/smooth everything together while giving it an almost glowing undertone of that light color)
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still layering colors to darken everything up
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Only at the very end I use a white colored pencil, I haven’t used it at all so far. I give the borzoi it’s fur texture + its whiskers, basically using the same method as earlier when I blended the yellow into darker colors by pressing harder with the strokes, here the strokes are just fur-shaped. I also add some highlights to the metal bowls, the splash of pepto bismol, and the nose and mouth of the borzoi with white colored pencil and a tiiiiny bit of white gel pen (a really tiny bit, basically a few little dots here and there)
oh and I added the “Pepto Bismol” writing to the pepto bismol tablets (or as close to writing as I could get)
also at some point in this step a mysterious black line appeared on the drawing that I couldn’t get rid of :( but its ok I just removed it in photoshop later lol
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then I just take as good a pic as I can and touch it up in photoshop, this is for getting rid of flaws like that weird black line as well as to make the photo resemble what the drawing looks like irl as closely as possible, I’ll usually have the drawing next to me so I can reference it while editing the photo to make sure it looks like the real thing. 
also in this step I usually crop the image both to hide the messy edges and to give it a better composition.
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you can see how different all these pics look from each other (in terms of lighting and quality) let alone from the final piece, which is why the editing step is important lol
hope this is helpful!
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nikrangdan · 3 years
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photographer!ni-ki
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pairing: photographystudent!ni-ki x gender neutral reader
genre: fluff, comedy
description: every time you went to the park you noticed a mysterious boy who would take pictures of the scenery on his cute little camera. you liked to see what he’d take pictures of from afar but one day you noticed his camera pointing straight at.. you
for ni-ki’s bday!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LOVE <33 sorry i posted a day late but i hope u all enjoy!
———
“y/n!”
you groan before getting out of your bed at 10am
it was a saturday why was your mom yelling at u ..
you walked into the kitchen all sluggishly and rubbed your eyes
“you need to start taking suki on walks to the park. you need the exercise too.” your mom doesn’t even spare u a glance before walking out the door to run some errands
right
u forgot u were taking care of ur cousins dog while he was out of town... her name was suki
shes a little shiba inu AND SHES THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!!
WELP
u dont even have a choice anymore
u got somewhat ready before heading out with suki in your arms
shes so soft and fluffy
though u dont like to admit it, u kinda agreed with ur mom about u needing to exercise and get out the house
you’ve been cooped up in your room for days with no social or nature interaction
so
the park was about a 10 minute drive from ur house
and it was actually a really pretty park...
there was a lake and really pretty flowers everywhere and alot of gazebos and benches
and a nice open field of greenery
it basically looked like a park out of a movie
so you weren’t suprised that there was a decent amount of people there
but not too much thankfully.. or else you would’ve driven to another park with less people
you got out the car with suki and put her on the leash
let the walking begin!!!!
it was a really nice day out... the sun was shining but it wasnt too hot or cold
you led her onto the sidewalk and she began sniffing at the grass around her
whenever a few people would pass they would coo at how adorable she was
it wasnt until 5 minutes later that ur eyes locked onto a figure infront of the lake
you were just walking with suki in silence.. admiring the scenery
until u caught sight of a boy
u could only see his back but u noticed the camera over his shoulder
he was standing in one of those photographer poses where like one leg is bent and kind of out while his back is hunched to get that perfect angle of a shot
he was infront of the sidewalk railings where the lake begins and he was taking photos of the scenery across from it
it was a beautiful sight honestly
there was another sidewalk but behind it was colorful trees and blossoming flowers and bushes
u understood why he’d take pictures of it
you didnt see his face but u kind of acknowledged the boy before walking past him with suki
basically thinking he was just another passerby that you noticed making a single appearance in your life and never expecting to see him again
OH BOY U WERE WRONG
the next time you see him is 3 days later at the same park
you were walking suki again but this time at 7pm after dinner
the sun was almost done setting so the sky was getting darker but there was still a hint of the orange circle peeking from below
this time you walked further down the sidewalk path towards the scattered gazebos
and you noticed the same boy again
this time he was sat in one of the gazebos with his tiny camera in his hands
his back was hunched over again and he was looking closely at the pictures he had taken
‘oh its him again’ u thought
and that was it
LOL
u just acknowledged him in ur head AGAIN before u thought nothing of it and continued ur walk with suki
so the NEXT time u saw him was another 2 days later at 7pm again
you wanted to take suki on a quick walk
but you got tired after like 10 minutes so you sat down on a blanket u brought
suki was just laying next to u while u were on ur phone
it wasnt fully dark out yet and there was still a few people in the park
the fairy lights that were placed around were lit up already
it was super pretty and the weather was nice
after staring at ur phone for a few mins u looked up just to look around
and u saw Him again
wow
why do u keep seeing him !?!?!
his back was faced towards u like always
and he was like 40 feet away from u so he looked so tiny
but u could tell it was him because of his blond hair and black coat he always wore
you kind of zoned out and unfortunately ur eyes were trained on his back without u even noticing
and he
turned
around
for the first time EVER!!!!
its like he sensed someone staring at him
but yes he turned around with his camera in his hand
the first thing u noticed was that he got a new camera
it was a larger black one
definitely more expensive
Awe good for him!!!!!
and then u glanced up to see his face
and u made EYE CONTACT
u looked away so fast
because
He was SO CUTE.............
u awkwardly started looking to your left and tried turning ur face away from him
‘oh look at those beautiful um... birds.. yeah’
hopefully he didnt notice
*nervously sweats*
u didnt dare look back in that direction so u spent the rest of your evening in the park on ur phone or playing with suki
eventually it reached 8pm so u packed up ur stuff and went home
U were still kind of thinking about that boy....
so u were like
i need to go back
and u did Lol
u went back the next day at 6pm this time with suki
it was lighter out and the sky was beautiful
perfect for a certain boy to be taking photos
*evil laugh*
u were walking for like 15 minutes and u didnt see him anywhere :((((
the one time u go there for HIM
u settled down under a tree
suki immediately went on the blanket when u sat down too
you played tug of war with her and fed her some treats while playing
playing with her for 10 minutes straight definitely tired u out so u laid down and just stared at the sky
it was a faded blue turning into orange and pink
U were kinda bored so u sat up and started petting suki
you would occasionally glance up at the strangers walking past u
and
let me tell u what Happened..
u looked up at another lady walking her dog and went like
‘aweee that dog is so cute’ in ur head
and u took ur eyes off the dog and glanced to ur right
idk bc u felt like it
AND GUESS WHAT U SEE???!??????
THE BOY
LIKE 20 FEET AWAY
STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FIELD
AND HE HAD HIS CAMERA UP TO HIS FACE
and it WAS POINTED AT U ??!?!
as soon as u looked in his direction he jumped and put his hands down
he like
Blushed????? and awkwardly smiled u know rubbing the neck and all that
he was embarrassed
ur cheeks were turning so red
BUT HE WAS SO ADORABLE
was kind of weird.... stalkerish but um
he cleared that up BECAUSE
He started walking over to u
he was wearing black jeans that were ripped on the knees with black high top converse
and a gray sweater with a black coat over it
HE JUST LOOKED CUTE OK
ur were like OMg []£{€]%[#{%€]£{
n he just Plop
he stood right infront of u basically towering bc u were sitting under the tree
suki noticed the boy and tilted her head like hmmmm???
u had the SMALLEST smile on ur face bc u wanted to seem friendly but not TOO friendly
he had his camera strap over his arm while he held it and his other hand was rubbing the name of his neck
“uh... sorry about that.. i didn’t mean to seem weird or anything!” he waved his hands infront of him to deny it
u just sat there while he talked like ❤️_❤️
“im uh taking photos for my class and i thought u looked nice so i took some pictures.. im really sorry i should’ve asked first now i seem weird or something im really-,”
u cut him off so he didnt ramble any longer
“no its okay! i get it” you gave him a warm smile and pet suki while she drifted to your side and kept her eyes on him
u both just stared at eachother for a few seconds before you spoke
“um.. would you like to sit?” you scooted over and made room for him in the blanket
WOW U WERE FEELING BOLD TODAY...
“uh sure” he set his camera down and sat beside u
“this is suki.. shes my cousins dog” u said when she climbed into his lap and started sniffing him
he grinned and pet her before looking up at you
“im ni-ki by the way” his cheeks turned a bit pink which u thought was cute
“y/n” you smiled
“suki seems to like you” u laughed
“so how long have you been working on this project or whatever?”
“oh um i started last week... i just have to make a portfolio of photos i take and turn it in” he said while keeping his eyes trained on suki
u noticed he didnt make eye contact with u often but u knew it was probably because he was nervous because u do that too
“can i see the pictures...?” u hesitantly ask him
his eyes light up when u say that
“yeah!”
AWE HES SO EXCITED
he picks up his camera next to him and clicks a few buttons
“oh by the way... ive noticed u at the park before! you’re always with the camera” you laugh
“ah yeah, this park is where most of my project photos are taken.”
he leans over and shows you the pictures on the device
“woah” you let out a gasp
he showed u the picture he took of you first
How does a picture look better than real life...
you’ve never really been into photography but now that you’ve seen his work u might just have to start getting into it
“this isnt even done yet, i still have to edit it so it’ll look even more perfect” he shyly says
“this is amazing what the heck” your jaw is Dropped
“thanks”
“i need to see the final result” u said because it was such a nice picture
“um.. if you give me your number i can show you it” he sent you a cheeky grin
SMOOTH.....
he was so AGGGHGGHG ur kind of obsessed
you two exchange numbers and talk about random things for a whole hour until he says he has to go
“it was really nice meeting you.. i had fun” he tells you as he starts standing up
suki is sleeping so he tries not to wake her up
“i had fun too” you smile
“would you like me to walk you to your car?”
A GENTLEMAN !!?!?!?!
“oh yeah, thanks”
you two spend another 2 minutes together as you walk side by side with suki in your arms and he held your blanket and bag for you
you reached your car and thanked him
“ill see you soon, dont forget to text me! and good luck on the project, i know you’ll do great”
“thank you..”
ni-ki’s cheeks turn pink once more before he turns around and starts walking away with a smile on his face
he is just the cutest thing ever
you definitely need to see him again
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iminagony2 · 2 years
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hi guys here's a sneak preview of the new spooky story bc im so bad at writing within the deaddlines I set for myself LOL but it is on its way and also the next hpaer I sound like. broken record but like for real....soon <3 enjoy the littl e tidbit
Prologue~
Four dark figures in cloaks surrounded a big pot of deep dark redbubbling steaming concoction...
"Brothers... a offering approaches," one of them said looking into the pot and seeing an image
"Whence shall she arrive?" the tallest of tha figures asked
"heareaboits 7 pm.." the first one said
"I so hungr for a nice dinner..." another one said. He had glasses and was rubbing his hands together hungrily.
" Here here," they all said rowdy
"let us prepare the manor..." the first one who talked said. “I shall prepare z room…”
"yes yes," they said. And they all left from the room containing the pot and began to prepare for their specoal visitor....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I.
It was becoming a dark and stormy night....Marie was on her way to her grandmas house when a sudden torrential downpour happened!!!
"oh no! Rain!" she cried as the droplets began soaking her and her clothes.
it was getting really dark from the storm except for the flashed of lightening that lot up the sky. She needed to find better shelter than some gnarly trees!
Ahead on the road she thought she was able to see a little light coming from what looked like windows,
She had left for her grandmothers house at 3 and was supposed to he there at like 9 but the rain relay hapered her journey
Maria just HAD to get there it was important that she get to her grandmas!!!
" Come on Radish, we've got to find shelter..." she told her horse and potted it on the side. He was a reddish brown horse and he was 16 hands high and he had a birthmark that was slightly darker color than the rest of him that looked like a radish which is why they named him Radish.
Marie was wearing a midnight purple cloak and underneath she was wearing a blue dress with white ruffles on the ends and it went down to her ankles and it had darker blue bits and she had her hair in its natural form but she had some of it in two braid on the sides that joined in the back that kept it out of her face. She was wearing whatever makeup was culturally adequate (AN: idk LOL)
But all her clothes and possible makeup were getting ruined in the pouring rain!
Oh no!
She got Radish to hurry to the light so they wouldnt get strike by lighteneing....
She arrived at the door to the big stone mansion and did mounted and held radishes reigns as she knocked on the door with the doorknoker
She made sure to hold them tight because there was a moat thing and the door was at the end of a bridge over it.
She hoped they had a place for her horse radish :( She could barely see any thing except for when lighteneing struck it was raining so hard.
There waz a big door knocker on the door and s he saw it when the lighting flashed and it was a big long dog head with the circle knocker in its mouth?? Weird Maria had never seen anything like it before…
The knocker had been knocked for like a minute and the storm was getting worse but Maria was absolutely sure shed seen a light in the big building when she was driving up with her horse ….they looked down on her like eyes as she stood ther but was there anyone behind them???
Finally there was a biiig shock of the lightning and she hadn’t even noticed but the door opened!
Another lightneing flash and the open door had a figure in the inside!
Wow the storm must be right above them there was almost no gap between the thunder and the lightening.
“Good eevening..” The figure sais mysteriously
“Hello kind sir I was on my way ot my grand mother’s dwelling when this terribel gale overtook me…would you be so kinda as ro all wme to stay with you for a short time until the storm rebates?
Alls she could ee was a hunched over sillouete because there was alight on behind him. HE seemed tall but he was all hunched.
“Yes, sweet child you shall stay with us as longs you need…” the strangers vice was high pitched and mousy it reminded her of her grandmother’s so she felt safe
“Whos house is this?” Maria asked
“Tis the house….of Seymour,” said the guy he moved his candelabra (he had a candelabra btw) and Maria saw his face in good light . He was wearing thick spectacles and was very very pale like he hadn’t been in the sun for weeks and weeks maybe even moths. He looked really tired. And he had dark hair.
“I thank you dor your hospitality,” said Marix as she was ushered inside by the slouching figure
---------
ok there's a lot more that happens... its kinda turning into a short story but I wanna post it alltogether <3 Its like 8 thousand words rn and but im like halfway to where I want to be LOL ugh. But like biiiiig big thank you 2 my friend Nic who is helping me with it :) shes an English student so she like knows stuff ;P
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charincharge · 4 years
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Kiss and Cry, Part 5
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jurdan figure skating au > masterlist
Jude rubbed her temple, which throbbed with pain from too little sleep and caffeine deprivation. Images of Cardan and Locke swam through her mind, distracting her, no matter how hard she tried to focus on the new choreography. Jude was ready to punch something; she’d never had a problem picking up moves before, and Cardan was making her look incompetent. Not only that, but Madoc was getting progressively more frustrated with her.
“No, it’s crossover with arms, tilt, arabesque then into the lift,” Madoc yelled as Jude fumbled the order of the choreography again. “Try it again.”
Jude marked the arm motion and titled her torso to the side, then lifted her leg and spun toward Cardan, who waited patiently with open arms, ready to assist in the lift, the picture of rested and calm.
Jude was even more bothered by that part.
She hopped up and gasped as Cardan’s fingers brushed beneath her breasts. Jude snapped her head towards his smirking face, and she couldn’t help but jab her elbow into his shoulder. The small smile disappeared quickly as Cardan hissed in pain and let Jude wriggle out of his grasp. She breathed deeply, brows furrowed as she glared daggers in his general direction.
“What the hell?” He rubbed at his tender muscle.
“That’s not my waist, Cardan,” Jude hissed. “Watch your hands.”
Cardan rolled his dark eyes. “You’re just so much shorter than Nicasia,” he explained seriously, but Jude could see the amusement in his eyes. “I just need to adjust.”
“Well, adjust faster,” Jude seethed. She knew he was doing it on purpose. And it was pushing her to her limit. Cardan held up his hands in apology.
“Take five,” Madoc sighed, clearly exasperated with the pair in front of him.
That was fine by Jude. She grabbed her empty water bottle and walked out into the hallway to fill it at the water fountain. Cardan slinked up behind her as the water poured into the bottle, and Jude could feel herself tense at the feeling of him hovering behind her.
“Can I help you?” she ground out, refusing to look over her shoulder.
“I should be asking you the same thing,” Cardan retorted quicky. “I’ve never seen you so out of sorts,” he continued.
“I didn’t sleep well,” Jude replied, screwing the top onto her bottle and taking a long sip.
“Funny,” Cardan said. “I slept like a rock.”
Jude couldn’t help but grimace, remembering why Cardan was so well rested. Images of his lithe body in the throes of ecstasy flashed through her mind. She didn’t know why it irritated her so much. But it did.
“Gross.”
“Hmm,” Cardan hummed, his dark eyes slowly perusing Jude’s form. She suddenly felt self-conscious.
“What?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I didn’t realize you were such a slut shamer,” Cardan retorted, his eyes suddenly amused with his own realization.
Jude knew he was trying to rile her up – but she was too aggravated and exhausted and couldn’t help but take the bait.
“I’m not,” she said, jutting her chin out stubbornly.
“I mean, you’re clearly judging me. So, either you’re offended by my sexual activity, or you’re homophobic,” Cardan prattled on, circling the water bottle in his hand with his hand, moving it up and down the cylinder in the most phallic motion he could imagine. Jude cringed again. “Neither is a good look.”
“I just think sex should be private,” she replied, her face warming slightly as she continued to track Cardan’s hand’s motions around his water bottle.
Cardan barked out a loud laugh. “That’s rich, coming from the girl who barged into the men’s locker room.”
Jude’s blush deepened. He had a point, but Jude had no idea what she’d be walking into when she’d gone to confront him.
“You know what I think?” Cardan took a step toward her, infringing upon her personal, and Jude inhaled sharply as his finger twisted itself in one of her chestnut curls. She held her breath, her body going still beneath his touch. “I think you’re jealous.” Cardan’s lips twitched upwards into a wry smile as fury overcame Jude.
“In your dreams,” Jude bit back, pushing his hand away from her face, out of her hair. She needed space.
Cardan bit his lip and his dark eyes became somehow impossibly darker. “Oh, dear Jude, you have no idea how right you are. The things you do with me in my dreams would positively shock you.”
“What, like stab you?” She mimed attacking him, her arm poised with an imaginary blade in her hand.
Cardan laughed, his head tilted back as the joyous noise reverberated through the hallway. “That wouldn’t be shocking to either of us, now would it?” he said, taking another step closer to her. Jude instinctively took a step back, needing to maintain her space.
As if challenged, Cardan took another step forward, until Jude had backed up into the wall. She hadn’t realized she’d inadvertently trapped herself. With no escape, Cardan hovered over her, looming tall and far too interested in her. She’d never been the object of his attention like this before, and it was unnerving. Jude shivered, feeling his warmth radiate between them.  
He leaned down, his breath ghosting over her face as he whispered, “If you need a teacher, just let me know. I’d be most happy to educate you,” he smiled again, and Jude suddenly wasn’t so sure he was making fun of her or not. “With proper instruction maybe you’d finally see that sex isn’t evil.”
“You’re disgusting,” Jude breathed. She attempted to inject some vitriol into her tone, but it was hoarse and husky even to her own ears.
“Ah yes, there’s that frigid exterior I’d love to thaw…” Cardan ran his finger down her cheek, watching the color bloom beneath his touch, but it was short-lived.
“Frigid?” Jude froze, a proverbial bucket of ice water spilling down her back. “You sexist piece of shit.”
Jude ducked under his arm, breathing hard. It wasn’t the first time a man had used that word against her, and it stung. As if being more interested in skating than physical intimacy somehow made her unworthy of romantic attention.
Cardan’s confident face faltered for a second. “I didn’t mean…”
“Didn’t mean to call me frigid?” Jude scoffed. “A commonly sexist term used to describe women who are more sexually conservative? Asshole.” Jude was sure their break was over, and she didn’t want to stand here having this conversation anymore. She began to head back into the studio.
“Jude, I’m sorry,” Cardan apologized as he trailed after her. “I wasn’t thinking.” He reached out and brushed his hand against his shoulder, retracting it quickly when Jude flinched under his touch. “I meant that you’re cold, icy…not that…”
“Whatever, Cardan.” Jude pulled her hair into a fresh bun, tightening her elastic and securing her loose strands. She wouldn’t show him how his words hurt. Instead, she placed on a ferocious mask, ready to attack her choreography.
She stood in front of the mirror and ignored the way Cardan’s dark eyes continuously sought hers out. She’d look anywhere but at him.
His hands remained respectful as she learned the routine, sticking to the safe spots of her waist, hands and calves.
Jude dug into the choreography, refocusing and letting it fill her body until it became second nature. She refused to let Cardan get under her skin, into her head.
“Much better,” Madoc sighed, relieved, as they finished their final run through of the morning. “Let’s call it.”
Jude was anxious to get the hell out of there, and away from Cardan, but Cardan stopped her again with another apology.
“Jude, I’m sorry, I really didn’t mean—” he began again, but Jude held out her hand to stop him.
“Listen, we’re stuck with each other for the next month during practice,” Jude said. “I can’t get out of that. But, the rest of my life is mine. So, just leave me the fuck alone, okay?”
Cardan’s gaze hardened as he nodded, acquiescing to her request.
“Cardan, Jude,” Madoc shouted from back inside the studio. They both walked back to the doorway, waiting expectantly for their coach. “I’m being honored at the Champions On Ice benefit Gala this weekend. As the placing leaders of this team, I’d like you both to introduce me.” Cardan and Jude glanced at each other tentatively. “Please work together to come up with an appropriate tribute. And, yes, it will be black tie, so dress accordingly.” Neither Cardan nor Jude said a word to their coach, so he continued. “Is that going to be an issue?” They shook their heads. “Great.” Madoc clapped his hands. “See you tomorrow.”
Jude glanced over her shoulder at Cardan trailing after her. “I guess we’ll be spending more time together, hm? Should we grab lunch?”  he asked.
She spun around, watching a surprised Cardan pause his pursuit. “Nice try, Cardan. Just draft something up and email it to me, and I’ll do a pass and send it back.”
She turned around again, not seeing Cardan and his sagging shoulders in the middle of the parking lot.
~*~
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Blue Eyes Part 32
Summary: After the Garrison is shot up, the youngest Shelby daughter finds a new home in London. She strips herself of her last name and tries to live a peaceful life far away from her brothers’ chaos in Birmingham. But fate leads her right back into it after she runs into Alfie Solomons.
Part 32: Alfie and Ella get wrapped up in the bliss of parenthood. But things aren’t over yet
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      Ella was in the bliss of motherhood. When she awoke, it was almost a miracle to her that the twins weren’t just a dream. They were there in the flesh, cooing softly from their cots.
           Alfie was fast asleep in the rocking chair, snoring lightly. His wife smiled and kissed his cheek. “Good morning, love.” She murmured.
           He stirred and lifted his head with a wince. “Fucking hell, my hip hurts.”
           “Well, you fell asleep in a wooden chair, I can imagine it does.” Ella laughed softly and went to scoop up Sofia. “Hello, chavi.” She whispered affectionately. “Was papa keeping you company last night?”
           The baby girl yawned and wrapped her fingers around one of Ella’s dark curls.
           “Oh, Alfie, aren’t they so perfect?” She sighed adoringly.
           Alfie smiled, watching mother and daughter bond. “They sure are. Our son’s got a set of lungs on ‘im but we finally got back to sleep, didn’t we?” He reached a hand between the bars of Ezra’s cot and rubbed the baby’s stomach.
           Ella beamed. “And you were doubting yourself as a father. I knew you’d be perfect.” She touted triumphantly.
           “Hang on, only been one day.” He reminded her.
           “Mhm, still.” She rocked Sofia softly.
           “I never told you the meaning of their names. Their middle names, at least, you know why we chose their first names. But not their middle names.” He remembered. “Did I?”
           “No, you didn’t.”
           Alfie beckoned her over, patting his thighs. “C’mere, I’ll tell ya.”
           “Your hip.”
           “S’fine.”
           Ella relented and made herself comfortable in his lap, resting Sofia against her chest.
           “Eliana is Hebrew, well they’re both Hebrew names. But Eliana means ‘God has answered’. And Shai means gift. They’re both quite beautiful written in Hebrew. I’ll hafta show you.” Alfie rubbed Ella’s shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple.
           “Oh, Alfie, that’s beautiful, how perfect and-” Her eyes began to well up with tears. “Oh c’mon, I feel as if I’m crying about anything nowadays.” She laughed weakly and sniffled.
           Her husband gently dabbed her tears away. “They’re tears of happiness, though, ain’t they?” He double-checked.
           “Of course. I’ve never been so happy. Forget the world outside of here, I don’t care anymore. All I need is my family. This family.” She used her free hand to guide his lips to hers. Her hand rested on the left side of his face, her fingers gently resting on the scars and abrasions leftover from the wound.
           Alfie jerked a bit involuntarily.
           She withdrew from the kiss and pulled her hand away. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”
           He swallowed and looked into her blue eyes. “No, love. I just…fuck you’re the only person who could ever still love me like this.”
           “Will you still love me when I’m aged? Wrinkled and grayed?” She questioned, returning her hand to his injured cheek. The pads of her fingers just barely grazing over the marred skin. She wasn’t afraid to look into his eyes, not caring about the appearance of his clouded eye.
           “Of course.” He nodded. “You’d still be beautiful to me.”
           “Then why should it be any different for you? You’re still so beautiful to me, Alfie.” She whispered and lightly pressed a kiss to his cheek before kissing his lips again. “Nothing will ever change that.”
           He sat with her for a moment. “Can you grab me a pen and paper?”
           Ella looked confused but nodded. “Sure.” She stood up and handed Sofia to him.
           “Hello, love.” He murmured softly and cradled her close.
           She grabbed her diary and returned with it to the nursery. “What do you need this for?” She wondered.
           “Here,” Alfie exchanged their daughter for the journal. He found a fresh page and uncapped the pen.
           Ella looked over his shoulder with Sofia resting in her arms. She watched as Alfie began writing in a different script. It wasn’t unfamiliar to her, she’d seen him read it before, it was the Hebrew alphabet. And yet it was still very odd to see him writing it. Very patient and learned. It wasn’t like his normal handwriting, scrawled out without much care. His hand was steady, a practiced skill that must have been taught to him by someone he cared very much about.
           “That’s Ezra.” He pointed to the characters. “Then here’s his middle name, Shai. Sorta short, reminds me of part of a menorah.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Right, Sofia’s spelled a bit differently in Hebrew. They’d spell it T-Z-O-F-I-Y-A.” He wrote the coinciding letters in Hebrew on the page. “Then Eliana. Mum didn’t spell it with a Y but some people do.” He shrugged and handed her the diary.
           “You were right.” Ella murmured. “It’s beautiful.” There was something so special about celebrating Alfie’s culture. He’d been accustomed to some of the Shelby Traveler ways so Ella was glad to learn more from him. It was empowering knowing that Mosley wanted to kill Alfie simply because he was Jewish. But Alfie survived and responded by blessing his children with Hebrew names.
~~~~~~~~~~~
           Weeks passed by at an unbelievable pace. Alfie was worried that if he blinked, he’d miss a big moment. Luckily, Ella was carefully keeping track of every milestone their twins took. She purchased two brand new journals, one a deep teal and the other a light lilac. Inside, she penned the twins’ first moments.
           Ezra’s first smile when Anthea sniffed at his feet.
           Sofia rolled over much to the delight of her father.
           Ezra managed to sleep through the whole night despite his sister waking a few times.
           Sofia laughed when Alfie kissed her cheek.
           Ezra was the first to try sitting up on his own.
           But Sofia was the first to crawl.
           Once the pages started to fill up, Ella was taken aback by how much time had passed. She had become so conditioned to expect something awful to happen when things had been going so well. Times like that couldn’t last long. Inevitably they would end with something terrible blindsiding them.
           But things maintained. It had been the longest Ella was genuinely happy. She had two beautiful children, two playful dogs, and a husband who loved her. It made her a little paranoid, always worried that something would come crashing down on their perfect world. But it stayed quiet for a very long time.
~~~~~~~~
           “Okay, try and…yes, Alfie, stay there. Oh, Anthea.” Ella sighed as she tried to get her family in frame.
           Alfie had spoiled her with a brand-new camera. Naturally, the first thing she wanted was a picture of her family all together. So, they went down to the beach to take a family portrait. Ella was setting up the shot as Alfie tried to keep both dogs still while holding Ezra and Sofia. The six-month-olds were wide awake and giggling at the dogs.
           “Ah, you little fucker, get back here.” Alfie tried to get Anthea before she dashed off to swim.
           “Alfie!” Ella scolded and snatched the pit bull by the collar. “You cannot swear in front of them anymore. They’ll start talking any day now and I don’t want them fucking spouting off your vocabulary.”
           He grinned. “You’re just as bad as me, love.”
           Ella frowned. He was right. One of her first words had been ‘shit’, after all. “We both have to work on it.” She sat Anthea down and returned to the camera to start the timer. “Ready?” She dashed back over and stood beside Alfie, wrapping an arm around his waist.
           They waited for the shutter to go off before they could all take a breath.
           “Bet it looks great.” Alfie set Ezra and Sofia down on the sand so they could play. He grunted as he lowered himself down beside them. “Look at that, aye?” He picked up a scallop shell and showed it to the twins. “What’s that, then?”
           Ezra cooed and reached for the shell.
           Ella watched from behind the camera, waiting for the perfect moment to take a candid shot. It was amazing to see how the twins had grown from little bundles to happy babies. They were healthy with pink, round cheeks. They weren’t identical, Ezra’s hair was much darker than Sofia’s. His hair reminded her more of her hair color. A very dark brown with warm chocolate highlights. Sofia’s was a beautiful lighter color with hints of honey that shone in the sun. They both had blue eyes but Ella knew from experience that the color could change. Already Ezra’s eyes were slowly melding to green. They looked like the ocean. Sofia’s eyes were starting to appear a bit browner. It thrilled Ella to think about how they would look in another month’s time. There was so much to look forward to.
           After Ella took the picture, Alfie frowned and stood up. His eyes fixed above the bluff to their home.
           “Alfie?” She asked. “What is it?”
           “Someone’s pulled up in a car.” He answered.
           “Are you expecting anyone?”
           “No.” He whistled for Cyril and began walking toward the path back up to the house, his hand slipping inside his coat.
           Ella felt a hint of dread as she realized this was it. This was when everything fell to shambles. She felt foolish for believing things would be okay.
           Alfie muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like “Tommy Fucking Shelby.” Apparently, he saw the man get out of the car before Ella could.
           Tommy noticed the two figures on the beach from the drive near the bluff. He walked over and shouted over the ledge. “Alfie!”
           “The fuck does he want, aye?”
           Ella shrugged. “I don’t know. He didn’t mention he was coming.” It had been quite some time since she heard from her brother. She naturally assumed that he was caught up in the business of trying to plan Oswald Mosley’s assassination.
           “Tommy Shelby MP, OBE, thinks he can come calling whenever the fuck he wants.” Alfie scooped up Ezra and began walking back up the bluff to the house.
           Ella picked up Sofia and began to follow them, making sure the dogs were right behind her.
           By the time she reached the drive, Alfie and Tommy were already in a heated argument.
           “You ain’t bringing your mental state here to disrupt me fucking family. That ain’t happening, mate.”
           “What is going on?” Ella paused, taking in her brother’s appearance. He looked even more sleep-deprived than usual. He was twitching and couldn’t stand still. His eyes kept shifting, glancing over his shoulder, waiting for something or someone.
           “Bring the kids inside.” Alfie handed Ezra over instead of answering his wife.
           Ella hesitated but brought the twins and the dogs inside. She could hear the shouting match escalate through the house as she put the twins in their cots. Hoping to break them up, she hurried back outside and drew Alfie away from Tommy.
           “What is going on!?” She demanded again.
           “Your brother’s come here all doped up, that’s what’s going on.” Alfie jabbed a finger at the man.
           Tommy looked ready to either pounce or rip his own hair out. His whole body was tensed up and practically trembling. His hands balled into fists. “This is it, Alfie. All those times you pointed a gun to my head. You fucking do it, right now!”
           It was nonsensical, almost as if Ella’s hearing had gone out for a moment. His words disjointed and not making any logical sense. “Tommy, what are you talking about?” She struggled to get between the two who were in each other’s faces.
           “This is it? Aye? You’ve finally lost your fucking marbles, Tommy? ‘Bout time we locked you up, right, in a fucking asylum!” Alfie shouted, his face turning red.
           “Stop it!” Ella pushed her husband back knowing he wouldn’t fight her. “Stop it right now, the both of you!” She grabbed her brother by the overcoat and physically forced him back a few steps. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t resist her and stumbled backward. “What are you on about?”
           But Tommy’s eyes were fixed on Alfie, almost like a rabid dog that had locked onto a victim. “It’s your lucky day, you finally get to blow me brains out!”
           Ella had enough and slapped him across the face. “Take a fucking breath, for Christ's sake! You're going on like a fucking lunatic.” She snapped.
           The stinging pain managed to knock Tommy back into a bit of sanity. “It all fell apart.” He gasped out; his lungs raw from screaming.
           “What did?” Ella didn’t let go of his coat so he couldn’t go after Alfie again.
           “The rally. Mosley, it all went to shit. Someone knew.”
           “Who did?” Alfie asked.
           “I don’t fucking know!” Tommy shouted. “I don’t know who!”
           Ella’s stomach dropped. She had almost been certain that Mosley was dead. Maybe it was because things had been going so well for her. But that sick man was still out there. And now he knew that the Peaky Blinders were trying to kill him.
           “He knew nothing.” Tommy pulled away from his sister and began to pace in a frenzy. “Mosley knew nothing. Then Barney was shot. Aberama was killed.” His breathing picked up pace again as he began to hyperventilate, his hands grasping tightly at his hair. “Mosley knew nothing!” He screamed.
           Ella had seen her brother in very bad states before. But never to the extreme that he was now in.
           Tommy stopped pacing and looked back at Alfie. He paused and then pointed at the man. “That’s why I’m here.”
           “What are you talking about?” Ella made sure she was still in between them.
           “He’s going to shoot me.”
           “Oh for fuck’s sake, Thomas.” Alfie threw his hands up in disbelief. “Always with the fucking dramatics. You get a grip, right, and then we’ll talk about what we’ll do next.”
           “There is no next! There’s nothing left!” Tommy began approaching Alfie again. Ella pushed his chest to keep him back. “There’s nothing left. You go get your gun and you end it. I’m fucking done.”
           “I ain’t shooting you, mate.”
           “Tommy, please, just take a breath and-”
           “I’m done!” Tommy’s voice roared across the windy landscape.
           “I ain’t killing you.” Alfie crossed his arms over his chest.
           “Fine.” Tommy shoved Ella to the side and stormed toward Alfie.
           Ella only just gathered her bearings when she turned and saw Tommy had withdrawn a gun and was pointing it to her husband’s temple. Her blood ran cold. “Tommy…put the gun down.”
           “You go inside. Get your gun and you kill me.” He replied. “Or I’m fucking shooting him.”
           “Jesus Christ, you’ve gone fucking insane.” Alfie had been at the end of Tommy’s gun before but never had he been so convinced that the man would actually pull the trigger.
           “I’m not going to kill you, Tommy.”
           “Ella, do as I say!” He shouted, his finger fidgeting on the trigger. “This is how it’s meant to be. Shelbys don’t die of old age, you fucking know that. We get killed or we kill ourselves.”
           “It doesn’t have to be this way.” Ella’s voice quivered. “Alfie and I will help you. Mosley can be defeated. He can!”
           “No. No, he can’t.” Tears were forming in Tommy’s eyes. All the emotions colliding together and driving him to madness. He just wanted to sleep.
           “Yes, he can. With Alfie’s help, we can make alliances. We’re smarter than he is, Tom.” She held out a hand to him. “Please, just put the gun down and we’ll do this together.”
           “Listen to her.” Alfie agreed steadily. “Just listen to her. We can sort this out, mate. Don’t hafta be like this.”
           In a snap decision, Tommy lowered the gun and Ella swooped in to rip it out of his hands. Her heart racing, she emptied the pistol of its bullets and tossed it into the gravel. ���For fuck’s sake, Tommy.” She gasped in disbelief. “Are you high?”
           The once invincible man looked as if he was crumbling right before her eyes. “I can’t do this, El. Not anymore.” He whimpered in Rokka to her.
           “Stop, just stop.” Ella pulled him into her arms and let him unload his weight onto her. Tommy Shelby carried the world on his shoulders. To hold him was to hold Atlas.
~~~~~~~~~~
           “He said he hasn’t slept in three days.” Ella came into the kitchen where Alfie was stewing a bit.
           “So, he made it our fucking problem?” He muttered in response, never particularly enjoying having a gun shoved in his face.
           She sighed and put on the kettle. “I’m sorry.”
           “Ain’t your fault. No one needs to apologize for him. That’s his job, not yours.”
           Ella hummed in agreement and walked up to him. “What are we going to do?”
           He dropped his hands to her waist, trying to let go of the tension in his shoulders. “No fucking clue.” He admitted. “I assumed-well I figured he had in under control.”
           “Yeah, I did too.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her fingers tease the hair grazing the nape of his neck.
           Alfie drew her in close, letting her rest her chin on his shoulder. She glanced out the kitchen window behind him. Gazing out across the small lawn that overlooked the bluff. Something stirring in the garden made her perk up a bit. She almost expected another stray dog to come wandering onto the property like Anthea had. Instead, a dark shadow of a cat slunk out of a bush. Its tail flicked in the air as it crossed the trimmed lawn. For a moment it paused and seemed to listen to something, its ears pointing back. Then as suddenly as it had appeared, it dashed off.
           “We need to find the black cat.” She whispered.
           “Huh?” Alfie tilted his face towards here. “Didya say something, love?”
           “No. No, I didn’t say anything.” She buried her face in his neck and began making a list of all the people who would betray her family.
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kindapinkskies · 4 years
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living daydream || h.s.
im baaaaack! this is so short but it’s something and i hope you like it. she has been stuck in my head for five days and this has been in my head also. how is everyone? are we good? how’s fine line? let’s talk about the masterpiece. 
you should probably listen to she while you read
i love you already
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He sees her at the end of the bar with the room dowsed in a deep red. The light gives her face a sultry look, shadows hiding half of her face. They hold eye contact for a moment too long, both captivated by the others eyes and he should be scared. Scared that he’ll be recognized but he finds himself calm, for the first time all day. He’s utterly entranced by her, the way her hair falls over her shoulders, the way her body is relaxed (even in the uncomfortable looking clothes), the way her lips move as she talks to a friend all while holding eye contact with him. 
He’s afraid to blink, afraid that the ethereal being at the end of the bar will disappear if he does. 
And when he does blink, she does disappear. 
His head whips around in all directions, in too fast of a movement to be natural, but he can’t spot her. The person she was talking to is still there, where she should be, but they look like they’ve been alone all night. Like they were never even talking to her, like she wasn’t just there. He swivels around in his chair, trying to catch sight of her moving through the crowd, through the mass of bodies moving around in the deep red light to a guitar solo from a Pink Floyd song. He comes up empty. So, in return he empties the glass he’s holding in one gulp. 
Time goes by almost in a haze and his mind is spinning. It also seems like the red light gets even darker but that just might be the copious amounts of alcohol running through his system. The music doesn’t really change, different guitar solos fill up the area and the crowd of people dancing don’t move too far from hip sways that are a little too dirty for such music. 
There’s a hand on his shoulder some time later and he whips around so fast, hoping for it to be her, only to come face to face with the last person he really wants to see right now. Of course he’d be found here, should’ve known that someone so close to him would find him. He just wanted to get away, away from work. 
“Harry, lets go.” Mitch is stern with his words, a deep frown set on his face.
But Harry doesn’t want to go anywhere.
“No,” he protests, instead focusing on Mitches hair, on how it has gotten long again and how it sways around his shoulders in slow motion. 
Mitch steps between his knees, “You’ll be spotted here if you get messy. You get messy.”
He blinks. Blinks again. Blinks one more time. Tried to get the haze to go away but then, just over Mitches shoulder, she comes into view again. Her top has lost a few buttons and it seems like her skirt has gotten shorter. Her arms are above her head, as she runs her hands through her hair before dragging them down the front of her body. He watches as her hips move in perfect tune to the bass drum and run of the guitar. He follows her every move and when they make eye contact again, Harry can’t help but shamelessly stare. 
He isn’t sure how she doesn’t have the attention of every single person in this bar. He’s shocked that he’s the only one that seems to notice her. 
He stands up, effectively pushing Mitch back, under some sort of trance as if her eyes were calling him to her. But, Mitch places a hand to his chest and that makes Harry break his attention for a split second and he hates himself for it because when he looks back up, she’s gone. 
The spot she was once in, filled by some middle aged man. 
Like she was never even there. 
Maybe it is time to go. 
+
She won’t leave him alone. Not physically but mentally. It’s been thirteen days since the night of the bar but she’s still there. She haunts him almost and he’s not even positive that she’s real. One moment she was there but then she wasn’t and Harry’s not too sure if he’s just created this perfect human being in his head or not. 
He closes his eyes and she’s the first thing he sees. The red behind his eyelids gives the perfect shade of red, right where she belongs. In that perfect red light, it compliments her skin, her body, the way she moves. He has no idea who she is or where she’s at but she’s always there, in his head. Where his mind spins at the thought of her. 
He swears he sees her one morning though, when he’s taking a friends kid to school in the morning. Swears that she’s dropping a young girl off to the same teacher he’s about to speak with but he’s not close enough to truly tell if it’s her. But then he feels it is because there’s a tug on his hand as he’s being pulled across the street and he looks away for a second before looking back and she’s gone. 
Just like in the bar. 
+
“I’m going on a trip.” She says to him one day. 
She’s sitting in his office, the makeshift one he’s created, in the studio. The small corner of the room where he goes when he wants to focus a little bit more without any distractions. She doesn’t seem to get that though. She follows him anywhere. 
He blinks at her, his vision a little hazy as he focuses on her. “Where are you going?”
He doesn’t know her name, doesn’t know where she’s at most of the time. She just shows up. Shows up most of the time when he wants to be alone. She’s there so he won’t feel so lonely. 
She only shrugs and when he blinks at her again, she’s gone. 
She’s gone when the current producer he’s working with walks up to him with a coffee in his hand, placing it on the table next to Harry. He leaves him alone after that but he can hear him in the room, messing around with the soundboard. He’s not alone anymore. 
She doesn’t come back. 
“Harry, man, are you alright?” The worry is clear in Mitches voice. “You’ve been distracted.”
He blinks at Mitch, focuses on him actually being right in front of him and it takes a few seconds for his words to register in his mind. He finally mutters out a “Yeah, I’m good,” before turning back to the paper in his hands. 
His brows furrow at the words written on the page. He doesn’t remember writing them. 
I’m going on a trip. 
Where are you going?
+
The room is a deep red again, darker than the last time but that makes it only that much better. This time it’s in his room though. The music is still the same, quieter, but it’s still the same just like the red light. 
He’s seemingly in a trance once more, his eyes stuck on hers before they move down her body. She’s straddling his waist, her body positioned just right on his hips as he leans against the headboard. His hand move up her sides, tracing the lace of her black bra. His fingertips move over the fabric carefully, like if he were to press any harder it would rip. It won’t and he knows that but that doesn’t stop him. He just takes it all in, takes in the way the fabric is a stark contrast to the red glow of her skin. 
She’s bends down and her hair cascades around them both as she presses her lips to the base of his throat, just under his chin. His breath catches in his throat and his hands grip her hips a little too tight. She moves up the side of his neck, her lips leaving behind marks of red and purple and he can’t find it in him to stop her. Not when this is all he’s wanted since he saw her at the bar all those weeks ago. Not when she’s normally just something that might be in his memory. She’s here. And she’s in his bed. 
“How was your trip?” 
He’s not too sure when it happened but eventually she’s the one laying down and he’s the one above her. He’s listening to her sharp intakes of air, the curse words tumbling from her lips, the soft moans, the sound of her lips as they come in contact with his skin. He’s basking in the feel of her all around him, as close as he can get. The feeling of her nails moving across his shoulder, her leg around his hip with her heel digging into his lower back, her hand tugging harshly in his hair. He stores every touch; every pull, every movement, every kiss into his memory. He wants to be able to live this moment over again, even when it’s over. 
“I’m going on another one.” 
She falls asleep right there. Right there in his bed. And he can’t help but think that this is the longest he’s ever seen her, ever been with her. She’s still just as ethereal as the first time he saw her and he has a hard time believing that she’s real. That she’s not just in his head. 
He goes to the bathroom and when he comes back she’s gone. The only thing placed on the bed is his song book that he doesn’t even remember using. 
The room isn’t even red anymore. 
But the words on the page are written in red. 
How was your trip?
I’m going on another one. 
+
“I swear she’s real.” Harry defends one afternoon when Mitch doesn’t particularly believe him. They were talking about that night in the bar. The night he met her. 
Met is used very loose though. 
“Harry, you don’t even know who she is.”
“Sure I do.” Harry scoffs. “Her favorite color is red.”
Mitch doesn’t look convinced and Harry isn’t even convinced himself. He’s not sure what’s real and what’s not anymore. Any time she’s around, it feels so real. He feels her touches and can her hear voice so clear that she has to be real. She can’t just be someone he sees when he’s feeling like it. 
But he can’t be sure because she lives in his daydreams, too. She’s the first person to pop up whenever he closes his eyes, whenever his mind wanders a bit too far away from his current state of mind. Her smile, the slope of her nose, the light in her eyes. It’s always right there whenever he only thinks about it. She’s just there. 
But as soon as his attention breaks. She’s gone. 
+
He sees her again. This time the bar is a deep orange color, making it look like the room is slightly on fire. The music is still the same but this time it’s a live band playing the guitar runs and the bass drums. It makes everything feel more. She’s at the end of the bar again, looking at him, smirking at him, as if taunting him. He’s already four drinks down and the room is spinning about but he can see her perfectly clear. Just like he always can. 
He stands up when she does. 
Walks the same direction she does. 
Subconsciously sways the way she does. 
His steps stumble a bit but he follows her anyway. 
He runs a hand through his hair when she turns a corner but he makes sure to not break his attention. He doesn’t want her to disappear. 
Her hand wraps around his bicep and he staggers into a wall when she pushes him up against it. She covers his body with her own in seconds and she runs a hand down his chest. Her fingers trailing over the skin there, dipping underneath the fabric of his unbuttoned shirt. His knees falter slightly but she just smiles at him before she places a kiss to the base of his throat. 
“I missed you.”
He goes along with her movements, basking in the feeling she gives him. The mesmerizing feeling of her. 
“Yeah?” 
Someone calls his name though and his attention breaks. 
She’s gone. 
He stares at the wall across from him for a few moments and his attention focuses on someone’s handwriting there. 
I missed you.
Yeah?
+
He sees her back at the bar while he’s talking to the old man next to him. 
“She’s a real looker,” he says and it makes Harry follow the mans finger. He nearly falls off his chair when he sees her. 
He looks at the man again and when he looks back she’s still there. His attention broke and she’s still there. He just nods his head at the man before getting up, this time his walk more stable. More in control of himself, almost like this is real and not some sort of daydream. 
“Hey, it’s good to see you again.” He says as soon as he gets to her. 
She looks up at his and confusion paints itself on her face. Her brows are furrowed and her lips are pursed slightly. 
“I’m sorry. Do I know you?”
Harry’s knees give out and he has to catch himself against the bar so he doesn’t tumble to the ground. She doesn't even know him? How could that be? He looks around for a second and the room is just dim, like a normal bar, the fire orange color gone. He didn’t even notice. 
He realizes that everything isn’t hazy, his mind isn’t even spinning like it normally is when she’s around. 
“Oh uh, I’m sorry I must’ve mistaken you for someone else.”
Harry’s heart leaps into his throat when she places a sympathetic hand to his bicep. She smiles sweetly at him before turning away from him. 
He stands there, dumbfounded, for a few minutes. Her touch lingering on his arm. The very real touch. The touch that feels so familiar. The touch he’s felt before. 
He closes his eyes and he sees her, sees the red, feels the touches and he doesn’t know why. He doesn’t even know who she is. 
She only lives in daydreams with him. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
my master list is in my bio
please feed my narcissism 
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The forgotten sibling
Edited: changed name of character and fixed some grammer
Mc is already a person i like to think its short for someones name like Marie Claire or Mason Conner even though i know it means main character (or it could be the reader)☺
Mari is Latina (im hispanic) and she human but i felt like making her an angel here the idea wouldn't get out mah head 😢
If there is errors im sorry its really late here and im tired but i hope you like Part 1 of the forgotten sibling!
I didnt want to go there but was asked specifically by Michael to check on Simeon and Luke's well being as well as gift Diavolo Prince of the Devilmon a wine dated back from the time he once visited the Celestial realm as a gift to show our appreciation and willingness to comply and make the three realms close once again. But he and I both knew what he was doing. Ever since the beginning of the exchange program hes been trying to get me to see my brothers but I refuse to do so so in exchange Luke was sent with Simeon hopefully the little one doesnt cause poor Simeon too much trouble.
They started a war and they fell from grace so I see no reason the be anywhere near them. I lost my older sister Lilith beautiful Lilith i remember her short pink wavy hair and baby blue eyes and her beautiful skin darker than my own but lighter than big brother Mammon's she was a gem of the women but even her beauty was no match for big brother Asmodeus the jewel of the heavens... But orders are order and so I followed though begrudgingly. 'You owe me big Michael' I thought, on the way down I was careful to stap on the cloak that would cover my wings as to not cause uproar or bother the demons there as I was entering their domain. The other two angel also had similar cloaks demons were so easily offended it was sad honestly but it'd save me time and I'd return to kick Michaels butt. And no im not getting a picture of Lucifer if you wanted one come down here yourself feather for brains.
I wait patiently before being called in the bottle of wine fitting snug in a basket with a simple cotten blanket to cover it. If i was known for anything it was my woven basket with thewhite cotton cloth being able to pull anything from existence from it gifting those I favored and helping the poor when the Celestial realm was close to the human realm. When I walk into the room I see all the exchange students as well as the prince and his seven lords all seated. Barbatos moved to offer me a seat but i kinfly refused I wont be here long. The look of suprise on my brothers faces was pure satisfaction especially when I ignored them in favor of tge prince. "Hello Prince Diavolo I am here to check up on the two angel here as agreed upon as well as the well being of the two humans." That part was for myself though the Celestial realm and Human realm were apart my love for humans stemmed from my creator but grew because of my sister and big brother Belphegor.
"Yes hello you must be Mari Michael said you'd be coming my you've grown since I last saw you those thousands of years ago." The prince smiles taking a quick look at the brothers to which I nod my head. "Of course its only natural. I had to grow up quite quickly." I say before pulling out a celestial wine and presenting it to him " A gift for taking good care of our angels as well as the humans. Michael couldn't make it but sends his best regards for the program and hopefully its success." He took it examining it a smile at the date while I turned away to the two I came to see.
"Hello boys" I smile warmly "Mari!" Luke launched at me arms wrapped around my waist as I pet his hair "Hello dear I missed having you around my little angel the house no longer smells of baked goods anymore" I tell the boy I felt was like a son to me having raised him myself.
"Hello Mari its good to see you" Simeon smiles approaching us two. "Its great to see you too Simeon" I reply back just as warmly a hand creaseing his cheek "How has the Devildom treating you two? Has my little angel been doing have you taken care of him well?" I ask. As they recap how things have been as of late. I felt eyes in me and not just demon eyes.
The angel talking to the two celestial exchage students was pretty with hair similar to Mammon that fell midthigh and skin lighter than his own beautiful color. She had sea foam grean eyes and thick lashes she looked to be 5'1 and curvy more so on her hips thighs and butt than her chest.
Her outfit was white the dress flowed to her ankles two slits from her hips down with and a couple of x strings laced where her hips where stoping before midthigh and golden heels that laced around the ankles the top half was low cut and wrapped around her neck. Her back was a low cut leaving her back bare though no one could see it. It was for her large wings that touched the ground and was nearly as white as her snow colored hair.
"Hello little humans my name is Mari I'm an angel from the Celestial realm. If prince Diavolo allows it I can deliver a letter to your family's about how your doing and such if you desire. I'm sure they're worried about your well being." I say with a smile. The two humans after getting a nod were given a pen and paper to write. How cute
I again wait patiently but i could tell even if i was trying to ignore them my brothers were watching me. I suspect one would explode and start asking questions. And i didnt have to wait long because i sense one was approaching. Which one I wonder..
"Mari?" I turn to see Lucifer the look of shock on his face. "Hello Lucifer is there something I can help you with?" I smile but I'm sure anyone in the room can see I didnt want to talk to him. "Little sister.. your here?" He reached with a gloved hand but I step out of reach. I refused to let him touch me. Displeasure clearly on my face I was told my face gave me away.
"Im sorry but please dont touch me so casually. I dont allow strangers to touch me as it is improper." His brow furrowed "Stranger? I am your brother" this caught everyones attention more so one of the humans "No you were my brother as in past tense. I have no brothers after they caused a war and fell and left me alone." My words like ice pierced them each but I didnt stay to see more of their reaction I wanted to go home. "I'm here for business not pleasure so please if its not pertaining to the well being of these four dont approach me." Frustration clear in his eyes the other brothers closely behind him.
"Who taught you to be disrespectful?" He seethed "Clearly not you." I responded taking slight amusement in upsetting him.
I turned and saw both humans not writing and warmth filled my voice once more " Are you finished?" They nod, such adorable little things they have such short lives but they live it to their fullest . As an angel I have watched many of them and though they are ignorant and weak they are strong and smart taking what they have and making the best of it I truly adore them.
I took each one letter carefully like a little baby placing it in my basket and give one last smile maybe I'll see one of them again one day. But I had a feeling they weren't the only ones I'd be seeing as I felt the eyes of my former brothers on my back. Burning into me and with a final goodbye I leave the Devildom.
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bladekindeyewear · 4 years
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HS^2 bloggin’ mainline 2020-03-12
I have been told only a few things about the upd8 that just landed, over Discord by two people:
upd19 feat. 4,901,157 read it. now. note: the featuring note is accurate if in a different base than what you might be expecting
What the fuck does that even mean.
Okay Pretty good chapter.
...from another friend who VERY dislikes HS^2?  Oh shit.
I also glimpsed a post that may or may not have been about Homestuck at all at the top of my Tumblr feed for an instant that said “YES YES YES YES YES” in huge bold print.  I have no idea whether to be excited or nervous.
Okay, it’s not a Bonus update... let me comb through from an earlier page to be careful not to get a spoilerlook at the pagecount...
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...huh.  That seems... like a conversation that would be up my alley, but not necessarily unique so far or worth all this crowing about.  I thought we were about to get Dirk-aliens with a full Horschestra backing... are we getting something else?
> CHAPTER 6. A Conversation Regarding Relevance
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Hmmmmmmmm.  With the contrast between their reactions and this ominous buildup, there’s got to be a serious fun-twist coming.  Right?  --I’ll stop with that talk for the moment though.
space is vast. an unproductive statement, almost a tautology. [...]
Alright, that and the starry background are riffing the fuck off Star Trek.  Nice homage to Andrew’s roots.
the lives of the many are far too volatile and instinct-driven
Alt!Callie what the fuck are you doing.  This is intentional now.  You can’t play this off as “what’s a Star Trek”.
tautologies are, in general, reserved for stories. for narrative device. for finding new and inventive ways to tell an audience that which they already know.
God damnit she’s still doing it
neither of us ever able to convince the other of the righteousness of our stance. we were never meant to agree. it isn’t in our blood.
Blah blah overanalyzing classpect blah
when they scoff at my tautology ‘space is vast’, what do they really know? nothing. as far as any of them have experienced, space does not exist.
It’s still nice to see some real personality leak through on Alt!Callie.  We definitely know from her other self that she can develop quite a relatable and colorful one.  Have the years helped?
> ==>
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dramantic pouse... ........
Also,
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-look at that collar.  Damn, Callie, that is a collar
very few have stood and looked into the abyss, the true gulf of nothingness that spreads out around the single point of consciousness adrift in a constellation. all the combined weight of sentient endeavour would quail underneath that sheer, irresistible truth. the realization that they are so small, that the universe cares about their puny lives so very little. sitting in the glowing light of the stars this becomes even more apparent
In the official aspect quiz I never took the time to analyze, the aspects were put on a wheel where Space was a neighbor to Void, if I recall correctly.  I wonder how much those aspects engender feelings of goddamnit I’m doing it again aren’t I
...
are we out of orange juice?
Yesss let more personality Alt!Callie bleed through, more of it~
Wait, does Alt!Callie even taste through Jade?  Isn’t this remote control?  Is she vicariously drawing pleasure from Jade’s not-just-meat-or-candy mostly-human taste buds or?
> ==>
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JADE: are you talking to me? JADE: because if you are i would like to remind you that i hate!! orange juice!!
OH FUCK YES!!! SHE’S IN THERE AND AWAKE!!! SHE STILL HAS AT LEAST ENOUGH AGENCY TO BE PRESENT AND ARGUE WITH CALLIE! YESSSSSS
no you don’t.
JADE: well i guess i never really had a strong opinion on it before JADE: but now i cant stand it!! JADE: its all you drink!
i like the pulp.
QUIT INADVERTANTLY FORCING SHIT ON JADE WITH NARRATIVESPEAK GIVE HER A BIT OF LEEWAY ALT!CALLIE YOU CONTROLLING--
JADE: its my body and i dont want orange juice! JADE: i hate pulp, and i didnt just make that up to spite you JADE: who wants strings in their juice?
i do.
JADE: ughhhhhhhhh
I have had friends hopefully fantasize about and/or therapeutically roleplay this exact situation with Jade breaking through and arguing with Alt!Callie’s control to make this all a fair bit more palatable but I didn’t dare to hope we’d get even THIS much
Maybe the HS^2 authors DO care about not leaving us wallowing in hopeless witness to the characters’ constant torture and existential turbosuffering!!!! :#D
i realize that jade’s situation is less than ideal from a characterization perspective, but i still politely point out that nobody likes a whiner.
Fuck you, this isn’t CALIBORN you’re trying to repress you asshole!  Leave Jade some AGENCY!!!!!  She deserves it!!
JADE: fuck you rude calliope inside my head!
YES EXACTLY
JADE: why dont you try being possessed by the spirit of some other version of a good friend of yours, and floated around a spaceship full of people you love JADE: unable to affect anything or say hello to anyone! JADE: then tell me about whiners!
i killed my brother and consumed him.
JADE: sounds like a you problem
Compromise and give her some agency finally come on compromise and give her some agency you red-text twatwaffle
i suggest to the witch that i have spent untold eons in the void between universes, waiting for the moment i would be needed to prevent the dissipation of reality as we know it. her appeals to emotion will not help her. i will remain unmoved.
Oh god damnit.
JADE: well i had to watch my boyfriend and my brother die in front of me on a tiny scaled version of a world that i shrunk for them! JADE: and then spend the next three years talking to myself, wracked with guilt that id killed them!
Oh. God. Damnit.  This had better not be where the Suicide trigger warning was coming from.  Are there going to be any characters left who DIDN’T emerge from this mess feeling suicidal?!?  (I mean if there were any understandable case it would be three years alone on the golden ship Jade but-- I mean COME ON, we have to discuss that in our FIRST GLIMPSE at her since the epilogues?!?)
> ==>
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i remind the witch that my time was in the void, which is far darker and lonelier [...]
Oh fuck you don’t compare suffering as an excuse to COMPLETELY body-enslave and squash the agency of someone when you probably don’t have to.  You’re just doing what’s COMFORTABLE alt!Callie admit it.  There’s a way you could give her some leeway, I’m almost positive.
JADE: even if i had the powers of a first guardian, my brain still worked in modules of human pattern recognition! JADE: three years is a long time for a human teenager, i dont care how many of her molecules are made of a god!
(i love it when jade talks smart, that bit of the epilogues was a treat too, plz reveal more of the big brain on jade)
It seems Jade can’t see or quite understand the full import of there being a “narrative”.  Or THINKS she cant, because she still says:
JADE: your voice is impossible to read and i cant see your face
If she’s “reading” alt!Callie’s remarks, that means she’s breaking through to understand the narrative to SOME extent.  She might be one of the ones who learns to do that a little more and better in the future, especially with alt!Callie almost unintentionally training her to see it.
> ==>
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Oh, good.  So A!C’s not above being considerate.  That’s a step in the right direction.
> ==>
D’aww, Jade conceding and trying to empathize like her usual self.  I appreciate it.  :)  --but Alt!Callie’s definitely in the wrong here.
JADE: but i think it is a very natural thing to be silly when you are used to being able to control your own body, but now cant
i will allow that, yes.
Thanks.  Learn some damned reason.
jade smiles. dave and karkat will always be a source of pain for her, a low ache somewhere in her center of gravity, but she is happy for them. she knows that there is really no other alternative for how to be. they chose each other over her, and they always will. they are the two people who matter to her the most in every universe, and that will not change, no matter how much she wishes it would, no matter how--
JADE: do you actually know that?
pardon me?
Oh, shit.
JADE: do you actually know that im doomed to pine over dave and karkat across every iteration of reality? JADE: like, can you actually see that? JADE: because youre a space player, like i am. JADE: i know that you are more powerful than me, but i dont think you can see other timelines any better than i can JADE: so i think you are just being dramatic JADE: for the “audience”, whatever the heck that means
i experience a moment of unease as jade looks at me. keeping her out of my thoughts is proving to be more difficult than i had first assumed it would be.
That’s a damned interesting question.  I was giving the narrative the benefit of the doubt, but given everything the Epilogues warned us about when it came to the narrators and alt!Callie’s occasional slips into her own bias, I really should have known better.
i had begun confident that i could keep her consciousness sleeping peacefully inside the shell of her body, tamed and quiescent, but she has proved to be more irascible than i initially gave her credit for.
JADE: heheh JADE: i have never been particularly tamable, and my consciousness is huge!
This might end up playing out more like my friend’s Jade-breaks-out roleplays than I initially assumed.  (What does she mean “huge consciousness” though?  Superpowered due to part-First-Guardian, like she alluded earlier in the conversation?  That never got much play before, so it’s great to see that potential realized here a bit...)
> ==>
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...I’m a fucking idiot.  Of COURSE “huge consciousness” and the whole line around it was just an unsubtle double-entendre.  A small part of me actually wondered if it was and dismissed it as a clumsy reading in an instant.  How stupid am I?  Jade is the best.
If only this sort of thing worked on Cherubs.
> ==>
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Yeah.  It really doesn’t.
...Alt!Callie, you are a fucking war-criminal for bottling all these double-entendres up where none of the others can appreciate them.
> ==>
JADE: you are a pretty tough crowd, evil callie JADE: but yes, i can hear most of what you are thinking to yourself JADE: it took a little while to separate it from my own thoughts, just like it did with dirk JADE: because thats what he was doing the whole time, wasnt it? JADE: controlling our thoughts JADE: making us believe things we never would, things he thought we SHOULD believe
Fucking excellent.  She’s definitely training herself on this shit.  The more people who have a harder time getting fooled by this nonsense the better.
jade knows all of this, i don’t have to tell her. she is a very bright girl, and even if she didn’t have partial access to my thoughts, she is good at compiling data and using it to fill in gaps. as she herself had rather licentiously mentioned, her brain is quite large.
C:
and all of these reasons are why i know i can count on her to be reasonable and realistic about her situation. i need a body to continue interfacing with this timeline, and her body is the only one that will do.
Dammit.  Trying to get her to logic her way back into keeping Alt!Callie in complete control.  That’s a tactic that will probably work.  :(
what about [kanaya], jade? she is a space player, it is true, but her powers are nothing compared to yours. for one, she isn’t god tier, and for two, she is dead. a living dead, but dead nonetheless.
Hm.  Are you saying she maybe has less relevance, less of an effect on her surroundings because she spent some of her “cred” on unconventional partial resurrection?  To the extent where she’d make a less influential vessel?  Hmm.
For that to even matter, you have to be planning to use Jade’s Space powers too.  Taking a far more active role in things than narrative beacon.
and a sylph’s specializations lie on a different end of the spectrum from my own. a witch is a far closer match.
!!!!!
Sounds like details of the classpect system that we don’t know will have relevance in HS^2, and we’re indeed gonna possibly get some actual new, clearer details about the system Andrew invented unlike the dearth of new info the Epilogues brought us.  That is... promising.
no, jade understands and sympathizes with my assurance that her body, and her body alone, will do for my purposes.
JADE: um...no i dont!
YES.  Jade is now officially immune to absolute command! :D :D :D
she does. after all, she would not wish this sort of state of being on anyone else, and especially not on one of her friends. jade may have undergone a lopsided number of narrative hardships in her life, but at least she is used to them. why spread that suffering to another?
What the fucking shit???  You’re using that on her?  You think it’ll WORK?!
jade understands and accepts her place in the story, which has always been to enable events to play out around her, just as it has been mine.
..........yeah Jade’s gonna bust the fuck out on the very next page, isn’t she.
What the fuck is Alt!Callie thinking, here?  Wasn’t the other Calliope the one to let us know that the Witch is one of the most active classes there is??  ...what exactly does a Witch officially do anyway, for Alt!Callie to think saying such a thing wasn’t dead wrong?  This sounds MUCH more like the sort of statement someone might make after breezing through Homestuck and confusing the old Jade (cough) for the person she grew up into.
And the fact that you’re phrasing this as a narrative command to try and make her forcibly THINK this way deserves you a smack in the non-literal depictive face.  Let’s see if you get one:
> ==>
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Oh wow, no smack yet?!  That’s some restraint!
because what is a story, truly? nothing but a series of misadventures and connections, actions spurring reactions, tumbling into one another, over and over and over. with so many competing interests, clearly the story cannot account for all perspectives, for all threads? it would be laughable, childish, even selfish, to demand that they do.
in other words, not everyone will achieve a happy ending. this is a truth that jade had come to grips with a long time ago.
JADE: wait. JADE: stop. JADE: why are you saying all of this?
Ohh.  Because she still had even MORE smackworthy stuff left to say, to make the smack even SMACKIER, didn’t she.  Alt!Callie you asshole.  If this gets you kicked out of her almost entirely and jeopardizes the crew as Jade struggles to combat Dirk’s narrative influence on her OWN, then I’m fucking blaming YOU!  Do you realize how horrible it’ll be if Dirk gets to almost singlehandedly write the whole story around her and the others for the first section of HS^2 with only one or two characters aware and trying to mentally avert it??  We already TRIED that in the Epilogues!  It was awful!
jade’s body is my vessel, and it is through this realization that she will understand her true role in the story. her true relevance.
Go fuck yourself, Alt!Callie.  Read the audience a bit!
if i released my hold on her consciousness, there would be no guarantee that i would be allowed in again. therefore i cannot permit her the control of herself that she so desperately craves, and she understands that.
THAT’S your reasoning your used-to-surpressing-Caliborn ignorant--!??
JADE: wait. so...you could give me my body back, and then just hop back in when you need to?
in theory, yes.
JADE: then what the hell callie!
because i don’t trust you to cooperate when the time comes.
MotherfuckerTheMusical.mp4
(or real existing equivalent that’s just off the top of my head)
JADE: why not? JADE: i thought you said i was a reasonable girl with a huge brain!
you are, to an extent.
she is. but the truth of the matter remains that humans are capricious and emotional. and even jade herself can admit that she hasn’t been the most...committed example of her species in the last few years.
Oh my fucking god.  I know they’re trying to make this more satisfying when she actually DOES take control in a few panels, but, Alt!Callie, seriously, get more on your other self’s level!!!
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Yes, please >:O some more
moving from lover to lover, job to job, interest to interest. over the last few years jade had found herself listless, unable to settle and unwilling to commit to anything or anyone. she knows there’s nothing wrong with that on a moral level, but on a personal level she’s always believed that she could be more, could do better. be better. and now, because of this, she realizes that sacrifices must be made.
and that she, as a space player, is uniquely built for sacrifice.
JADE: yeah JADE: i guess youre right JADE: i have been such a silly little slut! JADE: hey callie
yes, jade?
JADE: oh my god, whats that!!!!
You are so fucking screwed Alt!Callie.
this space is utterly under my control. jade could control it too, if she had any access to her own powers. but with my grip around her cortex, there is no chance of that.
(Wait, there’s an extent to which this space is “real” and not imaginary?  Or does holding her space powers in check also mean keeping her imaginary space powers in check?)
Anyway, here comes the smack.  And, though Alt!Callie deserves this, I hope Dirk isn’t let in too often amidst the others as a result.
> ==>
Yup, poising to pounce...
> ==>
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I thought there was a weird infinity symbol underneath them but it’s just two spotlights and a shadow cast by her head.
and here i make my first mistake.
No you made your first mistakes WAAAY earlier in this conversation.  And what you did to Jade in general.  She’s a hero/player for a reason, she doesn’t take stuff lying down forever.
but bringing her into a place where we can both physically manifest has left me, foolishly, vulnerable.
First, physically manifest?  This isn’t pure imaginationspace?  And second, she’s going to blame her polite concession to Jade for this and hold on even tighter the next time, isn’t she.  God damnit, not looking forward to that.  Alt!Callie won’t learn her lesson til the end, will she?  :(
her fingers tear at my throat, trying to find purchase. she won’t be able to kill me here, but it is certainly unpleasant, and not to mention slightly repetitive. we just saw this in the previous chapter, although this particular fight will not end as amorously as the last one did. so don’t get your hopes up.
JADE: who! JADE: are you talking to!
I really hope Jade ends up with full narrative powerOOOOOHHHH FUCK THEY COULD GO FOR THAT HUH
Dirk was able to become an Ultimate Self in his own body because it was the uniting of an irrepressible “self” that he always unbreakably represented.  The others had more trouble.
But Jade
has a BIG PART-GOD BRAIN as reinforced in the narrative repeatedly!!
Meaning that later, SHE could Ultimate Self without ANY PHYSICAL CONSEQUENCE.  :D
I was hoping Jade would end up with full narrative-dictating-and-reading power when she wants to use it, at some point, but I might’ve been aiming too low! :D :D :D
Yaaaaaaaaaaaay
Now all the playfully-horny omnipotent Jade fanfics are true, what that totally isn’t part of why I love this go ahead and admit she doesn’t deserve it
> ==>
Yesss flashy gif struggle against control!  (Though, not as elegant as one of Andrew’s might’ve been. Gotta say.)
> ==>
Blinky-eyes about to resolve normal-Jade-colored....!
> ==>
Wait, what?  I thought Jade was about to snap in and--
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during the ship’s trip through space, there have been numerous experiments; modifications to the nutrition output of the various machines designed to create sustenance for the various species on board. i myself have been content with orange juice and synthetic proteins, but dave and roxy have both expressed longing for various ‘earth snacks’, and so the trials and errors began.
What the fuck?  I don’t even know where this is going if it’s punways.
Is there like a dog treat somewhere that’s gonna push her over the edge?  Where is this headed even.
> ==>
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Wh...
WHa??????
the results were mixed. as roxy told us in a previous chapter, alchemized food all sort of tastes the same, although the visuals really help to bring about the flavor. and at the end of the day, isn’t it the journey that is more important than the destination? the stories you tell as you create the strangely flavored nutritional paste?
JADE: ????????????
Um??  What’s even going on.
so far, everyone’s favorite attempt has been a vaguely peanut-butter and chocolate flavored creation called "Rices'". nobody eats them really. they just sit in a bowl on the counter.
i’m not actually sure what the witch is trying to accomplish here.
Is Jade trying to humorously gross Alt!Callie out of her body with a candy she doesn’t like or?  But, “suicide threat”? Why joke--
JADE: you dont? JADE: really?
i don’t know what she is trying to accomplish, because surely she would not be doing what it appears she is trying to do. making such a meaningless threat.
JADE: meaningless? JADE: do you even know anything about the body you stole? JADE: shouldnt you have run some sort of psychic physical before you possessed it? JADE: its definitely what i would have done!
Oh SHIT.  You mean Jade has the same peanut allergy JOHN does?!?
> ==>
jade must know that i am well-aware of her family-wide peanut allergy. a story thread that has been extremely important and weighed in on in multiple parts of the narrative. how could i have forgotten such a key detail?
...yes, she totally forgot, but more than that.
I’m betting John is the ONLY one with a peanut allergy.  That Jade is USING that fact to bluff like hell.  :D
(Allergies aren’t usually inherited that way you alien!)
there is nothing remotely just or heroic about dying from self-imposed anaphylactic shock in the throes of a childish tantrum. at the most i’ll get a relaxing few minutes of sleep.
Is Alt!Callie bluffing now?  Even a resurrecting death could throw her off.
> ==>
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FUCK YES JADE.
JADE: do you really want to risk it?
what are you talking about, jade? i just said--
FUCK YES JADE, BE A HUGE WITCH
(i say in the most witch-connotatively and non-classpect-related way)
JADE: i dont know, callie JADE: ive never really understood the rules that govern the death of a god tier, have you? JADE: it seems pretty arbitrary from where im standing JADE: who makes the decision whether or not something is heroic or just?
...that’s unclear. but it certainly isn’t you.
JADE: right, of course not JADE: but are you so confident that youre a good guy? JADE: are you sure that the alpha timeline WANTS you to be here?
...what.
JADE: youve done some stuff, callie JADE: im only saying you shouldnt be so quick to assume that me killing you wouldnt be just JADE: and that taking my own life to do it wouldnt be heroic
Even with JUST this one fucking situation Alt!Callie put her in, throwing off her control forever by dying would be shortsighted but HELLA JUST.  What Alt!Callie is doing to her is a crime.
Oh shit!?!?
> [S] ==>
What is this, HTML5?  *clicks play*
...for a second, I thought this was gonna launch into a huge thing with that clock ticking song from the Felt album.
Having Rose and Dirk’s colors competing here really reinforces that... Prospit vs Derse vibe that was feeding the whole this-is-the-basis-for-the-game’s-structure-and-the-birth-of-Paradox-Space theory more earlier.
> ==>
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i don’t let the witch manipulate me. i refuse to falter in the face of her whispers. without my careful planning and swift action, the prince would have taken full control over this timeline. none of my friends could even begin to imagine the turmoil.
In the end, you’re ignoring what’s right and brave in this instance to instead do something EXPEDIENT, to the exclusion of trust and compassion when things COULD work out just as well without taking the worst actions -- which is textbook villainous.
> ==>
JADE: they arent your friends!! JADE: you took them from me!
Now isn’t THAT a way to put it. :D :D :D
Alt!Callie is sinning almost as badly as Dirk, here.  Viewing everyone else as characters in a story, the only way she’s ever viewed “friends”, and her as the not-so-humble narrator doing what’s best for all of them.  If she’s going to win against Dirk -- or if that victory is going to MEAN anything -- she will HAVE to realize that she needs to be different.
JADE: you keep saying that youre doing all of this for my own good, but youre just lonely! JADE: i know you are, because so am i!
Ouch.
Will Alt!Callie force her to swallow it?
JADE: you said that being a space player is all about sacrifice JADE: well
> ==>
JADE: bet
...I guess she really might have an allergy.
> ==>
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Aaaand the candy drops.  A W A K E ! ! ! !
Yaaaaay Jade is BACK and we’ll get to see even more of her!!!
...please tell me on the next page she grabs the candy, noms it, and mentions she doesn’t have a peanut allergy after all.  That would be sweet.
> ==>
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...
Nope, you just leave us on a sad.  Dammit, why do you gotta be all adult and showin’ us both sides in a moment of triumph, HS^2.  Shucks.
Anyway, YAY JADE!  C:
I am happy by this, if slightly too emotionally-rollercoastered by the past 24-hours to give this the full-rejoicing it deserves.  That, and worried about the openings Dirk will get because of this... joy now for potential frustration later, even if Jade tries her best to let Alt!Callie back in in-time.
See y’all next time!  And, uhm.  I guess I’ll comment on whatever other asks I promised to comment on another less-eventful day.  Keep reminding me and holding me to it though!
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unordinary-analysis · 4 years
Text
Episode 173
Honorable Mentions:
PSA (I keep repeating in every recent post sorry) this greatly relies upon things I’ve said in previous episode analyses especially for episode 167 where I go most in depth about John and his inner battles (his fake personality vs. his old one). (seach “#episode 167” on my page). My recent post “John’s “fake” self,” though kind of extreme, is good too but please read the reprise I just posted on that.
Finally I’ve been able to create a concept that holds up both in my mind and in the story and that I find myself sticking to, and then this whole issue of having to explain it every post appears…
This comes off as annoying self-promotion and I’m aware of that, but I just really value reader comprehension uishiuskjh
When I refer to John’s “fake” self/side, I don’t mean it’s actually completely false, it’s just easier to differentiate his two sides that way. One side is John’s dominant nature, his “evil” side (I call this “dark, evil, and true” side) and the other side is John’s “good” side (I call this “fake, false, fabricated” to emphasize the idea that it’s “borrowed” in a way/not really ‘from John himself.’ I explain this a lot in the actual post though lmao im kinda redundant
Do new people even read my posts? I feel like they’re too bulky for a new follower to commit to reading… lmao. If so, this post really isn’t helping 
John asking Sera why she didn't take him for a drink or on a walk to talk to him like they haven’t been avoiding each other for like a month sends. When even is the last time you got drinks with Sera, John.
Sera keeps bringing up stuff for the first time in the comic and its great
How thick are these school’s walls istg it’s like every other episode that one of the characters is yelling at another in one of these classrooms smh
I recently had the thought to go back to watch the progression of the ratio of John’s text bubbles changing from white to black in each episode as a sort of scale/timeline of how John’s dark side is overpowering his good one. But then I didn’t…
I want to talk about Sera’s mention of UnOrdinary the book so much, but this is too long and I don’t know what I would say
Word choice is hard :(
Lot of redundancy in this one that's what I get for going in chronological order
Favorite words of the day apparently: “obviously, “we’ll get to that later”, and further”
This doesn’t have a title because instead of breaking this into multiple sections like I normally would, this episode is only one scene plus the things I want to talk about are kind of intertwined. So you get this mega post.
    I actually wasn’t too keen on the confrontation being limited to a single episode because usually I feel, it seems very crammed to read and just usually doesn’t resonate, but I thought this episode was actually amazing. I was so well entertained throughout and the conversation didn’t just “happen” you know? That was probably because the episode was a little longer than it normally would be, at least I think it was. It felt like it.
    Anyways, this is still in chronological order, so let’s start at the beginning.
    The first thing I want to talk about is how this episode starts off. John and Seraphina are alone in a room together, and John has on his wide, innocent (, fake) smile. And I know that was kind of expected due to him still trying to sell the whole harmless cripple thing to Seraphina, but it really struck me right off the bat because of much it stood out to me (love the repetition). John’s fake personality has been in use less and less in the comic recently because he hasn’t been interacting with Sera as much who really is the last person that he puts it on for anymore. This absence of John’s false innocence has dissolved my immunity to it and for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m recognizing just how different the two sides of John are. When I would see it every chapter, I got used to it and became numb to the constant switches back and forth by John, but the heavy focus put on his more darker side recently has changed that.
    This can also be taken into the context of that slow progression from the fake John to the old John that I’ve been talking about since my analysis for episode 161. Like I said, before I was used to both of John’s faces, and the fact that we have seen so little of his fake persona recently alludes to the thought that, just like it reflects on screen, there is less and less of that side to John left. Brief disclaimer: this sounds kind of dumb if you don’t understand my context. I have been in this continuous explanation of John’s two sides (fake personality that I just talked about and true personality shown recently by Joker and previously by New Bostin John) being in an ongoing battle with one another, a battle that is very much so one-sided as it is already established that the real John will win because John’s anchors to his fake side are slowly disappearing. That probably made some sense if you’ve never read one of my posts before, but if you don’t understand me even a little, please look at the honorable mentions. It is important to everything I talk about in this episode.
    Anway, like I said, this is the first thing in this episode that points to this concept, and we’re only on like the third panel. 
    Something else that we get teased for in the beginning of the episode is John still putting effort into displaying this fake persona because in this episode, Seraphina does not even once smile back at him or display anything warmer than a deadpan expression (maybe later, but not right now). His immediate reaction is to still act so cheery and motivated. I will be honest though, this is only for a while though because he does start to show frustration and similar emotions while still trying to keep Seraphina believing in his created self, but more on that later. Anyway, the main idea this is hinting at is that John is clinging to his false personality as best he can and the easiest way to do that is through extremity. By showing more negative emotions, he is risking accidently slipping out of character, which would not only lose Sera (makes sense now, but will make more sense later), but also something else, which is why his go to with Sera is that over the top smile, that wouldn’t be naturally appropriate for a serious conversation that is obviously about to happen. More on that later too. 
    More recently, I made a post about what I refer to as John’s “fake” self, and I explain there how Seraphina is an anchor and draw of goodness for John. Him trying his best to put that goodness forward and project it onto her in not only this episode, but every episode, really shows how much he relies upon her because, as I said a bit ago, she is the only person he really does this for. When John is with Seraphina, he tries to get the most out of the person he’s forced to become. 
    This chronological order is already getting on my nerves, sorry about that. This might be a hard post to follow.  Anyway, if you take two of the ideas I talked about in the previous paragraphs and put them together, they connect into the next thing I want to say. My statements “there is less and less of that[fake] side to John left” and “John is clinging to his false personality as best he can” lead into my next point, which is supported by the first outburst of the episode (there’s a lot). And I’ve  also said this in previous posts. John doesn’t want to be overcome by his evil, past self. John doesn’t want to lose the person he created to hide behind, his fake self, because once that image of himself is shattered (haha get it) the only person left is John’s true, hidden self. All we will have left is the dark side of John. Obviously because John created this fake personality for himself, he doesn’t like the person he really is and attempted to overcome it, defeat it. But his attempt is experiencing exponential failure (for reasons I’ve kind of said before and will explain in this post) and his dark side is corrupting him again, slowly but surely taking over. Again, I repeat, John does not want this. John is scared of himself. This is one of the reasons why, whenever he can, John takes the opportunity to deny the progression being made by his evil side. This is why, when Seraphina tells him that she knows John is Joker and there’s basically nothing he can say to make her not believe that, John says, “How many times do I have to say it? I’m not Joker!” This internal refusal to accept that he is Joker (evil) is what I was referring to literally a second ago when I said that by slipping out of his fake personality, John would be losing Sera, but also something else (I swear I thought it would take me longer to get to this). That “something else” would be his belief that there is any good in him at all. Let me explain. Because dark John’s takeover is inevitable and we can recognize that he makes up most of John’s mind currently, if John switches to his dark side now, it would basically represent the defeat of his fabricated (“good”) self. A quote of mine from my analysis from episode 161 is, “By denying that Joker is himself, John is in part saying that Joker isn’t the only thing that makes up John.” The moment John stops denying that he is Joker to himself, he admits that he is wholly evil, and you’ll have to wait a second for a full explanation on this. In John’s mind, his two sides are very black and white: his past self (evilness) and his new one, (goodness). This is exemplified in his previous flashbacks to New Bostin and their contrast to his daily life. The colors used, the words used. Very good vs. evil, hero vs. villain. And it’s meant to be. It’s one or the other. Anyway, as long as John denies that he is fully old John, fully evil John, he is saying that there has to be some left of the other side (good) in him. (usually it isn’t this black and white but I hope I literally just explained how he sees it as so. For John, it really is one or the other). 
    A very important aspect of this whole thing, this whole denial, however, is actually in who he’s with. Seraphina’s presence in this scene is very influential, as I’m trying to stress. Her image, to John, is a symbol of his goodness, which I’ve said earlier in this post (briefly), but first in my analysis for episode 161, and even more so in my recent post “John’s “Fake” Self.” John draws his “good” (what I refer to as “fake”) side Seraphina because he doesn’t want to risk trying to get it from himself (because he’s scared of himself). Anyway, I said in the beginning of this post that by showing his evil side to Seraphina, he would lose her. And beyond the obvious, which is that she would hate him for it and leave, there’s also the reason that because Sera is where John tends to get his goodness from, by showing her his evil self, by admitting he is joker (what I talked about more recently), John would be exposing himself as completely evil (already explained this line of thinking). This would mean he doesn’t have any goodness (aka Sera) in him, or that Sera would have somehow lost her own goodness as well, which is something that I just thought of, so I’m not sure if I’ll expand. I’m still thinking. Anyway, John doesn’t want to fully be evil, or at least doesn’t want Sera to know, which is why this all has a more symbolic meaning. And why this episode is so polarizing for John. This is a confrontation between what he considers his goodness and what he considers his evilness.
    Next in the episode, when John says a second later, “Hello? It’s me, John! I’m a cripple! I don’t have an ability! I like going out for drinks, and hanging out on the roof, and exercising, and playing games! Sure, I act like a smart-ass and it gets me in trouble sometimes…! But have you seen the kind of shit Joker has done? That’s not me,” this supports my statements that John is clinging to his fake self, that he does view his Joker side as his “evil” side (old statement, but confirmation is nice), and that he will keep denying himself as Joker to not become him fully. 
    Anyway, the next thing really shown in this episode is when John grabs Seraphina and begs for her to believe him. Specifically he says, “Everyone else can think I’m shit. But you have to believe in me! PLEASE!” Another nod to his obsession with Seraphina and my concept of her as the source of his good. This is just kind of repeating what I’ve already said, just in a very extreme and eye-catching way so I wanted to say something about it.
    This back and forth that the chronological order is putting me in is not it.
    Now we get to the part where Seraphina validates me :). John finishes his plea to her with, “I’m not Joker. I’m not a monster, okay?” To which Sera responds (in her head), “”Monster”? Why is he acting like this? Is he really still trying to convince me? Or… Is he trying to convince himself?” This is the first time an UnOrdinary character has brought this idea up. Sera is probably the only character to have been in such a situation with John, though. Anyway, the concept that John is trying to convince himself of his own goodness has largely only been used in my own episode analyses rather than the actual comic (lol). I’ve already talked about it in this post, but it’s been a common theme for me throughout my last 10 posts or so.  Seraphina thinking this same thing herself confirms the importance of the idea. John’s denial of himself as Joker is just as much for his sake as it is for Sera’s, likely even more. I said all of this up above when I talked specifically about his denial of himself as Joker, but the direct confirmation from the comic made me happy.
    When Seraphina tells John that she knows about what happened at New Bostin, it’s significance is more grounded than these mind games I’ve been talking about up until now, thank god. I can never tell when I go too far… This can still be taken into that context, but I want to talk about a different aspect, because I would just be repeating myself from earlier if we talked about all that again. Anyway, when Seraphina says, “John, I already know everything… New Bostin, your expulsion, how you’re secretly a high-tier... “ John has a very extreme reaction, instantly throwing himself back into those flashbacks to New Bostin. He sees himself as the monster he was then now paired with the knowledge that Seraphina knows all about it too. 
    The aspect of the story I want to talk about is one of my favorites :D. Parallels! The parallels between John’s past and his present are absolutely phenomenal and I love them. And they’ve been growing a lot more ‘in your face’ as of the more recent episodes. Some examples are when John and Seraphina fought off that fake joker in the hall that one time and also that one scene between Cecile and John where John got all pissed off at Seraphina. That probably made no sense to you, but I talk about it a lot in my analyses for episodes 161 and 167 so….. I don’t know what to tell you lol. Anyways, with my analyses, I’ve been pushing the concept that John is becoming more and more unable to differentiate both events and people from his past and his present. My main evidence for this is that John’s flashbacks have been pairing up with details from the current storylines. In my analysis for episode 167, I say, “John’s flashbacks are making it so that John cannot separate the present from the past. He cannot exist at Wellston without his subconscious relating everything that is happening to what happened to John at New Bostin.” I also talk about what this means for his relationships with the other characters who go to school with him currently, especially Seraphina. Here are two quotes that are, again, both from my analysis of episode 167: “This episode’s flashbacks to Claire and situations revolving around her and the comparison to current events revolving around Seraphina, and especially the outburst by John at her; they all suggest that John doesn’t see Seraphina as her own person anymore, maybe that he never has.”... “It’s become clear that John is, currently at least, viewing Seraphina as another Claire.” My whole support of this is because of Seraphina resembling Claire in the events of episode 161 cueing John’s flashbacks of her, but more importantly (at the moment): how John, when told about Sera and Arlo meeting behind his back, has automatic flashbacks to Claire’s betrayal and seemingly takes his anger at Claire out at Seraphina. 
    So, basically, Claire was John’s best friend, but then she went behind his back because of his evil actions to secretly recruit their other classmates to defeat him. I know anyone reading this post should know that, but I wanted to mention it because of how startlingly similar this is to how John is viewing his current situation with Seraphina. Sera was John’s best friend, yet she’s been drifting away from him, and according to Cecile, she has even met with Arlo behind John’s back. I’ve talked about all of this before (I think? I don’t really remember lol). Anyway, the developments that this episode adds to this parallel, this comparison, are quite substantial. Both Seraphina telling John that she knows he is Joker and that she knows about the events of New Bostin further push this concept of her and Claire’s similarity, which in turn encourages John’s mental association of the two characters and his inability to differentiate between the past and the present.
    Seraphina telling John that she knows he is Joker is adding to the similarity between the storyline at New Bostin and the storylines at Wellston. As I described in my brief summary of Claire’s buildup and betrayal, Claire turned against John because she realized how horrible he’d become. This is why we have the infamous one-liner, “monster,” from Claire. Claire’s entire motivation for turning against and leaving John was that she saw how corrupted and twisted he was becoming and wanted to put her other classmates’ suffering to an end. Now, there’s a bit of bias here on John’s part, as I do not believe he truly grasps that Claire only wanted him put out of power/authority (which was what corrupted him in the first place). I think John just thinks that Claire couldn’t stand the person he was and what he was doing, and that attempting to defeat him was purely a retaliation without an end goal and less of the logical decision and mission it was (to dethrone him). I think Keon’s classes really pushed this into John’s head, actually, because they were so focused on enforcing the fact that John was a monster. He became overwhelmed with that idea of himself as a monster and assumed everyone else was too. (The last few sentences have awful word choice and consequently worse comprehensiveness, but it is what it is). Anway, back on track, because John thinks that when people discover what a “monster” he is, they go behind his back and plan attacks. Now, because Sera has admitted knowing of John’s past/his identity of Joker, which are the most obvious examples of the “monster” in John paired with her having recently gone behind his back to talk to Arlo about John, her actions are obviously mirroring the buildup at New Bostin for John. Something else that’s big in this episode, is the later panel of Seraphina and Claire overlapping each other says, “monster.” This is both a support for what I’ve been saying and its own separate addition. With Seraphina now playing Claire’s part, this is going to further John’s association and muddlement of his past and his present.
    There will be a lot more of this later in this post though, so stay tuned.
    I do realize that without the confusing explanation of John’s difference in view regarding the events of New Bostin in comparison to Claire’s was kind of useless, I just included that because it really emphasized the comparison to this episode particularly, which is what this post is about lol.
    Next in the episode, we get the creepiest panel of John drawn ever. You know the one. I first saw that and was stunned. Anway, normally that would go in honorable mentions, but come on.
    Moving on, we have finally reached the turning point for this post, for this episode, and for the entire comic of UnOrdinary lmao. Early on in this post I said, “John doesn’t want to lose the person he created to hide behind, his fake self, because once that image of himself is shattered (haha get it) the only person left is John’s true, hidden self.” And, besides me still laughing because of that, it really helps me explain what’s happening here.
    Currently, we are at the panels of the episode where John is seeing an image of his created self, aka L for loser John, aka hair gel John, splintering and shattering like glass. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out what this means. Everything I’ve been talking about for a while. Not only this post, but for many posts in the past, is finally completely itself. 
    This is the final takeover of the dark side of John. I’ve always talked about this gradual battle between good and evil within John where the evil side is going to inevitably win and this is that. Most of this episode has been me saying stuff like ‘if this happens, it will mean that John has truly lost himself and is completely evil.’ And that’s where we’re at now. All of that has happened, okay? It’s time to abandon everything I’ve been saying recently because it’s in the past now.
Which is why, we see that completion of Seraphina and Claire becoming mirrors of each other in John’s mind. Throughout the rest of the episode there is obvious molding of the two, more so than ever before. So much so that I can’t really call my ideas on this topic an idea because they’re proved correct. John is blatantly viewing Sera as Claire now, and it’s meant to be understood by the reader because of the constant switches between the two from frame to frame. The concept of John’s anger at Claire being targeted and associated with Seraphina also makes a comeback. I am confident enough now to say that it is confirmed in the comic that John cannot fully differentiate Seraphina and Claire’s characters from one another. 
Even the whole idea that John cannot fully differentiate his past and present as wholes gets extreme support, though not exactly enough for me personally to say that it is confirmed. After the “shattering”(I like that, might keep that), John instantly attacks Seraphina with accusations of going behind his back and why even when Seraphina kept telling him that she was in no way taking sides, only collecting the facts, John repeatedly told her that she was abandoning “his side.” These are obviously things that happened at New Bostin, and though it fits into the more set in stone Sera vs. Claire comparison, I am using it to support this more overall idea of present vs. past. But the best support for that past vs present thing is in this episode when Seraphina says, “You’re repeating everything you did at New Bostin!” That line is very self-explanatory, I feel. Also, the fact that it’s one of the characters saying this, makes me pretty confident that this is true.
I have now decided to call this turning point in UnOrdinary “The Shattering” because of both John’s and Seraphina’s uses of the concept. So, that’s fun. And it also leads into the next thing in the episode: Seraphina’s personal shattering.
Seraphina is always a more grounded character than John and it’s kind of refreshing turning my analysis onto her because she makes more logical sense. In this episode, Seraphina really lets loose at John about everything she’s been through because of him and even uses the phrase, “My whole world shattered.” She expresses how she feels like she’s been lied to about everything for such a long time (which she obviously has) and how to figure out what parts of both her relationship with John and even her own personality are true. It’s a very passionate and straightforward moment and I do feel like I tend to overlook Seraphina in analysis when it comes to focus, probably because there’s more to analyze with John, but I do feel like while reading this episode, my focus was really split between the characters.
Seraphina has completely changed as a person since she met John. Mostly, in fact, because she met John. Upon learning that he isn’t who he says he is, she’s met with this inevitable question of ‘how much of my personality, of myself, is also built upon lies.’ John largely influenced the changes in Seraphina and if that wasn’t true, what does that mean for her.
I’ve talked about this before in my analysis for episode 162, so I don’t really have much to say because unlike John, I pretty much have the same feeling for Sera as I did then.
    The real development in this episode, however, was obviously that, “Sera you’re just a cripple,” from John. That completely broke Seraphina. I know that she knew that he was faking his whole personality before, or at least most of it, but I think this is when she really takes that in fully. Before John said that, Sera even said, “This isn’t you, John. Something happened at New Bostin that you haven’t opened up about.” This really conveys the message that Sera still believes in part that John didn’t completely fake himself, or even that she’s in denial, but when John harshly mocked her for being a cripple, which is probably the thing most opposite what Sera could imagine the John she knew doing, she completely just collapsed into herself. Like she said, her whole world was shattered. We get this whole flashback collection of John that Seraphina knew and it’s almost like he’s died in a way and been replaced by this fake, but it’s even worse because that’s who he was this entire time.
    So then she hits him at the end so i'm kind of really wanting to read the next episode now so I’m putting this up now, over an hour after the new episode came out. ;-; r.i.p..
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valkyrieofsmut · 4 years
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Im a black reader of urs and wanted to talk about ur reader inserts. Theyre amazing and I really love them. But its hard to read them because I don’t always feel included. With things like the reader blushing or hair being brought up its hard to put myself in that space. Ur not a bad writer, ur one of my favorites. Im black and dark skin so u can’t see me blush. And my hair is a different thing. If u wanted to work on this there’s a blog called “writing with color” that helps with writing POC.
(Bet you thought I was going to forget you! Naw, just at work and a long winded bitch… Lol.)
Hi! I am completely open to talking about anything that won't give away my private info. Thank you for sending me this! This is great feedback, and that will be a great resource! (I'm going to go follow it after I get my long ass answer out.) 
I'm sorry that you don't feel included! I honestly try my best, but my experience is limited, as I'm white, and all of my POC relatives have generally paler skin as well. I even try to think of kids I went to school with, but there again, I don't live in their skin, so it's pretty limited experience. 
Now. I could just brush this off, and say "you lose some in trying to please the many" but that is bullshit, and I think you (and anyone else who feels left out) deserve to see why I failed. Openness is honesty! And I'm going to cross my fingers and hold my breath, hoping I don't sound like an insensitive, racist asshole at the end of this… (That is not my intention, and would seriously make me cry… but I've never experienced living in darker skin, so please have patience with me…)
This is a completely serious, honestly just trying to know to get things right, question. Directed at you personally, since we are discussing you for a moment (feel free to send another anon ask if you don't feel comfortable with being known). Do you really not see blushes on your face? Not even in a slight change of hues or anything? (Some good embarrassment shield right there… Jealous… I turn red like a stop sign if it doesn't stop…)
As I stated, my family are all on the middle to lighter side of the spectrum (and not because they're mixed), but I do notice their cheeks get darker when they blush, even if it's a darker "brown" and not "red" or "pink" or whatever. Maybe it has to do with undertone? (I thought I was getting away with it being general enough when I vagued it out to only "her cheeks darkened"... damn…)
Believe me, I know hair is an entirely different conversation … I DO NOT claim to know what your hair specifically is like.
Personally, my hair is more like mixed ethnicity (my mom theorizes from the Middle Eastern region but who tf knows), even though I'm white. And I was always so jealous of my cousin Camille's hair! She's a few years younger than me, so whenever my aunts were having salon day doing hair and nails and stuff, I always wanted to do her hair in the pigtail puffs- they're so freaking adorable! (I mean, I was only like 9, so they weren't amazing, but… I did what I could… Lol) (realize that I have to come back and mention my cousin Camille is black... so you don't think I'm trying to do that to a white girl's hair... lol)
When I write hair, I try to remember her (natural) hair, for inclusion. I personally have a pain in the ass mop that is so long I accidentally sit on it sometimes (somehow the hour it takes to wash, day long drying, and all the aftercare of moisturizing spray, anti frizz lotion and constantly breaking combs is worth it… Somehow...) but I know short hair is a big thing, so I try to keep it only touching hair on neck to be neutral enough, and keep the styles as vaguely up, down, or braided (though I've probably slipped and put ponytail in a few times), as it's something I've seen on all varieties of hair I can think of. (I've seriously spent an insane amount of time sitting, staring blankly at my computer thinking, but what about (x ethnicity)? Could their hair do this? And (x ethnicity), too? Before finally giving up and thinking "a vague 'put her hair up' will prompt them to think of how they put their own hair up, right...?")
It's GOOD CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM to know that I'm failing to capture a section I thought I was including at least to an extent (still feel bad about it, though!). 
PLEASE, NEVER BE AFRAID TO SEND THINGS LIKE THIS; CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM IS HOW WRITERS GET BETTER AT WRITING, AND WRITE BETTER THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO READ! IF THE WRITER CAN'T HANDLE POLITE CRITICISM, i dunno… maybe they need to mature a little more and not take themselves so seriously… realize they they don't know all about everything… 
Also, please never be afraid to point me in the direction of reference material! (Maybe it'll balance out the large amount of reference material I have for all the psychopath/ harm/ killer stuff I have for the darker parts of my writing and I'll look more normal…) 
Again, I hope you take this as the explanation/ open questioning thing it is and I don't look like a giant asshole. 
Thank you for the ask, and the reference material, anon! I'm going to work on it, and I hope it'll show in the next (new; I have some that are already set to go out that I can't change without rewriting) thing I put out. Feel free to let me know if I still suck or if it's changing in the right direction! 
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psychosistr · 4 years
Text
Talk to Me- Chapter 4
Summary: On their way home, Domino and Steelbeak take a detour through the park. The pair take their time talking, getting to know each other, and reveal old wounds that bring them closer together.
Notes: Slight trigger warning for this chapter for mentions of gun violence, police brutality, and some minor bodily horror regarding Steelbeak’s beak (but it’s nothing overly graphic).
-First Chapter-
“-and I still have all of the dresses in my closet.” Dominic said, an amused smile on his face as he reached the end of his story.
The pair of agents had finished their dinner over an hour ago and, with neither wanting to end the date quite yet, had stopped at the park on their way back home. The gates had been locked as part of the local government’s vain attempts to keep petty criminals, supervillains (particularly Bushroot and the rest of the Fearsome Four) out at night; the locks didn’t slow them down for more than two seconds before they were in. Still, the locks did serve a different kind of greater good now- they allowed Dominic and Steelbeak to have the scenic park all to themselves as they walked wherever they felt like and talked the night away.
Steelbeak laughed at the other man’s tale, shaking his head as he walked beside him. “Wow, that IS crazy. You’ll have t’ show ‘em to me sometime- bet they look real good on ya.”
“I suppose I could model one or two of them for you.” Dominic looked at the other bird expectantly. “Same question: What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever had to do on a mission?”
They’d started playing “fact trade” a while ago. Dominic remembered it from his school days and thought it would be a fun way for them to get to know each other better. The rules were simple- they would take turns asking each other questions and whoever refused to answer one would lose. Both of them were too stubborn to give up easily, so they’d been going back and forth for over half an hour already.
Steelbeak pondered the question for a moment, tapping the base of his beak before an amused smirk slipped onto his face. “Alright, so, this one time F.O.W.L. High Command’s got me stealin’ all this rubber for- and I ain’t jokin’ on this one- a giant, bouncin’, remote-controlled SUPERBALL.”
“Oh, this is already off to a great start.” Dominic nodded along as he listened.
“I know, right? Think the guys were runnin’ outta ideas.” Steelbeak chuckled before continuing. “So, like I said, I’m tryin’ t’ steal this rubber and- big shocker- Dipwing Dork keeps showin’ up t’ stop me, only he ain’t alone this time.”
“Did he have his sidekick with him?” The loon’s mind wandered briefly to the handsome, well-built pilot that seemed to tag along with Darkwing wherever he went. He’d have to see about getting him alone sometime without his annoying boss around..
“Yeah, but this time he’s got someone else, too.” Steelbeak continued. “See, it’s this weird alien- real’ stupid lookin’ with muscles ten times the size of his brain. The guy’s got crazy powers and takes out me an’ the eggmen all on his own. Second fight with the guy, I get thrown in a closet and hear ‘em arguin’: The guy’s there gettin’ trainin’ from Dorkwing on how t’ be a ‘real hero’, but he’s so annoyin’ that even DARKWING gets fed up with ‘im!” He chuckled a little, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold in his laughter long enough to finish his story. “So, I figure, why let that much power go t’ waste? I put together a superhero costume usin’ what I got in the closet…and come out with a towel on my back, a plunger in my hand, and a friggin’ BUCKET on my head I’d pecked a couplea eye holes in!”
“A bucket?” Oh, that image would be in Dominic’s head ALL NIGHT. “And that worked?”
“It did! Told that chump I was a ‘superhero trainer extraordinaire’ named ‘Professor Steelcluck’, and he FELL FOR IT!” Steelbeak laughed, holding his side as his laughter left him wheezing. “OH man, I’m tellin’ ya, that was even better than gettin’ Darkwing an’ Gizmoduck t’ fight each other!”
The rooster’s laughter was contagious, making the darker bird laugh too. “I wish I could have been there to see it.” After they’d both settled down, Dominic looked up at the taller man. “It’s your turn.”
“Let’s seeeee…” Steelbeak hummed as he thought his question over. Then, as if the humming gave him an idea, he grinned. “Oh, that’s a good one: What kinda music do ya like?”
“I actually don’t listen to music that often.” He replied. “Sometimes I’ll put on classical music if I want something in the background or I’ll find an artist here and there whose style I enjoy- like the one on the radio earlier- but I don’t really have anything I’m particularly interested in.”
“Classical stuff, huh? I’ll have t’ remember that..” The other bird muttered to himself before holding his hands out in front of himself like he was playing a piano with a chuckle. “I ever tell ya ‘bout the time I had t’ go undercover as a concert pianist for a couple months?”
“No, you haven’t.” So his assumption from before had been correct. “I didn’t know you played.”
“Yeah, can’t do nothin’ fancy like read sheet music, but I got a pretty good ear an’ can play a few songs if I hear ‘em enough times. Spent two months travelin’ ‘round the country playin’ songs so me an’ my ‘entourage’ could break int’ all the swanky hotels, music halls, and galleries the band played at- we cleaned ‘em out an’ snuck everythin’ out in the instrument cases.” Two light fingers lifted up and tapped the side of his beak, producing a dull “thump” like an empty plastic cup. “That’s where I got this one- stands out less than my usual piece. Not as good in a fight, but it works when I gotta blend in..plus it’s heck of a lot better for preenin’ than the metal one.”
“I can imagine..” Dominic winced in sympathy at the thought of trying to preen his feathers with such sharp, jagged metal- he’d probably end up tearing skin with a beak like that. That thought actually brought to mind a question that had been on his mind for some time now and, knowing that it was technically his turn, he felt it was a perfect time to ask. “Why do you use prosthetics, anyway? Were you injured during a mission?”
“Nah, nothin’ that excitin’.” Steelbeak said while scratching at some of the feathers around the edge of his beak with one finger. “Good old fashioned case of police brutality: I was fourteen, got caught stealin’ from this high-end mall. I was faster than the security, but it was one of those places where they had cops patrollin’ the area on speed dial- couldn’t outrun the cars an’ they grabbed me when I tried t’ climb a fence. One of ‘em pinned me t’ the ground while the other one stomped on my beak..said they were gonna ‘teach me a lesson’.” He winced, rubbing a finger over the beak to comfort what was likely a phantom pain. “Hurt like heck..broke most of it off..guess I got lucky it didn’t get infected, but it sure felt like it did..” Dominic saw the feathers on the rooster’s comb fluff slightly before he shook his head. “Anyway, when I signed up with F.O.W.L. I got access t’ all those sweet free doctors an’ surgeons- they whipped up the fakes an’ gave me a new identity. Still got some of the real one underneath, though. Stings sometimes, but it don’t hurt as bad when I cover it.”
“……” Dominic debated for a moment over the request he was about to make. Would it be rude to ask? “..I want to see it.” He finally said after a minute, his curiosity winning out. “If you’re comfortable with it, of course.”
“…” Steelbeak stopped walking to look down at him. “It ain’t exactly pretty t’ look at.”
“I don’t care- I want to see it.” The loon repeated resolutely.
“Alright, don’t say I didn’t warn ya..” He reached up to the sides of his beak with both hands and started applying pressure with his fingertips. After a moment there was a popping sound and the material shifted, looking more like it was loosely resting on something rather than connected now. He took the top part of the false beak in one hand and the bottom in the other and carefully pulled it away.
Once he finally got a full look at what had been hidden under the plastic, Dominic could certainly see what Steelbeak meant: It was not a pretty sight.
A large portion of it had been broken off, leaving behind dark scars that contrasted the natural yellow color. The closest part to still being intact was a long strip along the upper-right side of the rooster’s mouth, reaching almost the same length as the prostheses. Right beside that, though, was a sharp, jagged drop that didn’t go back up until almost reaching the middle of his mouth. After that there were two small slivers of his beak centered around the middle, leading to one last piece on the left that was barely an eighth of an inch longer than the other two. And that was just the UPPER mandible- the lower one was nothing but one half-length sliver in the middle and a few scattered fragments. Then, to top it all off, both parts of his beak were fixed to a thin metallic frame outlining the normal shape of a beak with a wire-mesh connecting the natural pieces to a series of metal posts that had been drilled into the hard tissue at the base of his beak and two small metal bolts at the corners of his mouth.
Looking at it left Dominic with some harshly conflicting feelings. On one hand, while it wasn’t the most beautiful sight in the world, it was quite an interesting feat of medical and scientific engineering. On the other hand, though, it was sickening to think that two fully grown men would pin down a child and permanently disfigure him in such a horrific way.
“It really doesn’t hurt..?” Just LOOKING at it made his own pointed beak ache- the loon shuddered to think what it must actually feel like.
The taller bird gave a calm shrug, able to still speak surprisingly clearly. “Not like it used to. Smarts a bit every now an’ then, but it’s mostly just phantom pains. Talkin’ an’ other stuff don’t bother it, but if I try t’ eat without one of the fakes it feels like gettin’ kicked all over again.”
“I see..” He took one last look at the mix of broken tissue and metal before looking up into the rooster’s eyes again. “Thank you for showing me.”
“Eh, don’t mention it.” Steelbeak brought the prosthesis back up to his mouth and slipped it over the metal frame all the way up to the base, popping the corners onto the bolts with an audible click. After opening and closing his mouth a few times to check it, he looked back down at Dominic as they continued their earlier pace. “Hey, whose turn was it again?”
“Yours.” The loon replied, walking beside him at an even pace.
“Right, right..” Taking a minute to think his next question over, Steelbeak eventually came up with something and gave the loon a curious look. “Why’d ya join F.O.W.L., anyway? Sharp, good-lookin’ guy like you had t’ have options, right?”
“Not really..” Dominic looked up at the moon as they walked. “My mother lost her job right when I was about to graduate from high school. Before I knew it, I was forced to drop out and we were living on the streets. Without a diploma I couldn’t get accepted into the college I’d applied for and I had to beg for money on street corners just to get by.” He scowled a little, the memories of those days still bitter and unpleasant for him. “The recruiter for that sector, Di Amund, approached me after he saw me take down two police officers on my own- they were trying to arrest me for vagrancy and, well, you know what happens when someone tries to pin me to a wall.” He heard a hum of acknowledgement in response. “He told me that I would be paid well, get to travel the world, and even be given a place to live. I took the enrollment bonus he offered, gave it to my mother, and left for the northern academy as soon as I could.”
Their walk had led them to the lake in the middle of the park, it seemed. Once Dominic’s story concluded, Steelbeak crouched down by the bank to pick up a few stones. “Livin’ on the streets, huh? Bet that must’ve been rough.” He split them up, keeping half for himself and offering the other half to Dominic. “Livin’ like that’s gotta be hard..bet ya picked up a few things that stuck with ya, right?”
“I suppose..” Dominic took the offered rocks, picking one and tossing it across the water’s surface to get about three skips before it sank.
“Ya probably have trouble throwin’ food away when it’s stale.” Steelbeak tossed one of his own rocks, getting four skips out of it. “Not the stuff that gets moldy or goes bad like meat, or vegetables, or dairy- I bet ya know just how sick you can get offa that junk- but I bet ya probably still keep the dry stuff like chips an’ crackers after their expiration date ‘cause it don’t make sense throwin’ it away, right? Sure, they don’t taste that good anymore, but they’re still good t’ eat an’ it bugs ya wastin’ that sorta thing.”
While he was in the process of throwing another stone, Domino halted and turned his head to look at the other bird- the resulting toss only getting one skip. “How do you-?”
“I bet ya have a few shirts or pants with little holes an’ tears in ‘em stashed away in your drawers, right?” He wasn’t looking at the loon as he spoke, his eyes on the lake as he threw another stone- five skips that time. “They’re kinda beat up, but they still fit just fine, so ya keep ‘em ‘round for the days when ya know you’re not gonna go nowhere or see nobody. Y’know you could just buy more, but why waste the money when ya don’t gotta, right?” Another stone, six skips across the water. “Ya probably hate not bein’ able t’ shower right after gettin’ dirty, too, huh? Longer ya go without it, the more it bugs ya ‘cause it brings back memories of when you’d have t’ go days, probably even weeks without one.” There was a far off look in his eyes as he threw his last stone, the rock reaching almost to the other side of the water before it sank. “And ya can’t sleep without some kinda weapon nearby..but it ain’t just ‘cause of the trainin’ with F.O.W.L.- it’s ‘cause part of your brain still thinks you’re gonna get jumped, even though you’re in a locked room an’ not in an open alley somewhere, right?”
“…You’re right.” Dominic had been looking at Steelbeak the whole time he spoke. At first he’d been surprised that the other man knew some of his less obvious habits so easily, but now, after seeing the distant look in the rooster’s eyes and listening to the tone of his voice, he understood where that knowledge came from. “You used to live like that too, didn’t you?”
“Yeah..” A small, melancholy smile tugged at the lighter bird’s beak as he watched the ripples slowly roll across the lake from the stones that he’d thrown. “Used t’ live with my old man in a rinky-dink shack way out in New Duck City. Spent most of the time inside ‘cause the old man flipped his lid anytime I tried gettin’ out, for some reason. Never went out t’ eat, never went t’ the doctor, and definitely didn’t go t’ school- had t’ teach myself t’ read an’ write an’ junk ‘cause he sure as heck wasn’t gonna. Only ever got one visitor..” His attempt at a smile started to fall as the last of the ripples slowly went still. “My ma- least, I think she was my ma, she didn’t really come ‘round that much, could’ve just been some broad he liked, but we had the same eyes so I called her ma- anyway, my ma disappeared when I was about eight. Old man got way worse after that..started comin’ home with black eyes an’ bloody shirts, and even askin’ ‘bout what he did earned me a cuff upside the head. Then, one night about two years after my ma stopped comin’ around, there was all this racket outside and I kept seein’ red an’ blue lights through the curtains…got outta bed an’ went t’ see what all the noise was about..” He gave a short, strained laugh and shook his head, the lake finally still enough that both of their reflections were visible in the water’s surface again. “The old man went down swingin’- up ‘gainst ten cops with just a glock and he STILL took out half of ‘em…right before they iced ‘im. After that they started comin’ for the front door. I didn’t know nothin’ ‘bout cops back then, all I knew was they were the guys that just plugged my old man full of holes and thought they were gonna do the same t’ me…so, I ran out the back and kept on runnin’..” He took a deep breath and sighed, finally looking away from the water and up towards the sky. “Didn’t have nowhere else t’ go and no one t’ turn to, so I just kinda drifted ‘round from one alley t’ the next..went on like that for a few years, gettin’ by with what I could get for free and stealin’ what I couldn’t..”
Dominic wasn’t really sure what to say at first.
That was…a lot to unpack.
For all of his flashy style, expensive taste in clothes and cars and gifts, and his general demeanor, Dominic never would have guessed that Steelbeak dealt with that sort of thing from such a young age. Ending up on the streets in his teens had already been hard enough to survive day to day- he could only imagine how much worse it was for a child who should have been just starting middle school…
Black fingers tossed a stone across the lake, distorting the reflections again as it skipped five times. “How did you end up in F.O.W.L.?” A distraction, he eventually decided, would probably be better than sympathy in that moment.
To his relief, Dominic saw the life slowly returning to his partner’s eyes. “Now that,” Steelbeak began with a smile slowly forming on his beak once more. “Is a fun one..” He took one of the rocks the loon handed him and threw it at the lake, getting four skips. “So, I’m skulkin’ ‘round the classy part of Featherton lookin’ for chumps t’ fleece, when I see this guy goin’ off on some poor bird sellin’ hot dogs out of a cart. The guy’s a real jerk, y’know? Yellin’ at the girl, tellin’ her she don’t what she’s doin’, sayin’ she gave ‘im the wrong change- just bein’ a real tool, y’know?” He smirked, chuckling quietly. “Then I see his wallet stickin’ outta his back pocket and think to myself ‘This must be karma’s way of teachin’ ‘im not t’ be such a prick’, and who am I to argue with karma, right? So I snag his wallet when I’m walkin’ past- the moron don’t even notice ‘til I’m duckin’ ‘round the corner. He had over two hundred in there, it felt like I’d won the friggin’ lottery!” He watched as Dominic threw a stone, six skips that time. “I treat myself t’ a nice lunch in one of the lower-class joints on the other side of town, stock up on groceries, then head back t’ the half-finished construction site I’d been crashin’ in for the past couple weeks. I turn in for the night, thinkin’ I had a pretty good day…” He kneels down by the bank and finds another stone. “ ‘Course, that changed when I woke up t’ someone grabbin’ me in the middle of the night.” He found a suitable rock and threw it without standing up, only getting three skips. “It was the guy whose wallet I stole- he’d tracked me down an’ brought his buddies for backup. I see one of ‘em pullin’ out handcuffs an’ think they’re cops, so I grab the knife I keep up my sleeve and start fightin’ back. I get in a few good licks before I bolt, even slice the guy with the wallet right up over his eye.” Unable to find any more rocks, he eventually stood back up. “I almost get away, when BOOM! Some big guy in an egg-shaped helmet clothes-line’s me when I’m goin’ down the stairs. I fall down, black out, and wake up tied to a chair in a dark room. Buncha guys start askin’ me questions ‘bout who I’m workin’ for an’ I tell ‘em ‘Hey, if I had a job, ya think I’d be pinchin’ wallets and sleepin on rebar?’- I figured I was gonna die anyway, so might as well go out swingin’, y’know?” He chuckled, watching Dominic throw the last of his own stones out into the water- beating Steelbeak’s best toss and actually reaching the other side. “Nice shot. So, they keep at it for a while, even start pullin’ out guns an’ threatenin’ t’ kill me. When I don’t break down cryin’, the lights come on and this big TV comes outta nowhere- it was my first time meetin’ High Command. Turns out the chump I pickpocketed was one of their top generals and’ they were impressed ‘cause, not only did I manage t’ steal from a general AND take out a bunch of their guys on my own, but it turns out they can’t find any record of me even EXISTIN’- no birth certificate, no social, nothin’..guess my old man never wanted anyone t’ know ‘bout me, for some reason..anyway, High Command offers me a job. Same sorta thing they tell everyone they pick up off the streets- ‘come work for us, you’ll get money, a place t’ live, blah, blah, blah’. Didn’t have much t’ lose, so I signed up. Was too young for the academy, so they just had me shadow my first partner and learn the ropes from ‘im. Officially joined when I was fifteen, got full agent status a year later, and the rest is history.”
Dominic looked at the lighter bird curiously. “Wait- you were only sixteen when you became an agent?”
Steelbeak returned the questioning look with a proud smirk. “Ye-p. Youngest agent in F.O.W.L. history ever. Earned my promotion after that little ‘incident’ with my first partner: High Command figured I’d proved my loyalty and was good enough t’ start field work.”
“……” Red eyes gazed down at the slowly stilling reflections of the lake before, after deciding there was nothing else to do over there, Dominic started walking down the trail again. “I think I owe you an apology.”
Steelbeak followed after the shorter bird, looking down at him with one brow cocked curiously. “I ain’t gonna argue with ya on that one, but I gotta know- for what?”
“For..how I treated you at first.” He was reluctant to do so, but the loon decided he’d swallow his pride long enough to give the other man the apology he deserved (though he wasn’t willing to look him in the eyes just yet). “When High Command transferred me to Saint Canard, they originally told me that I was being reassigned as the apprentice for the chief officer of F.O.W.L.. I assumed someone with such a high rank would be much older than me, probably someone close to retirement looking for a protégé to pass his secrets on to…and then I read your file. The first thing I saw was your date of birth and I thought ‘Wait, we’re both 33?’. I felt so..insulted that they would want to make me an apprentice for someone who was only two months older than me- it felt like I was being demoted.” A frustrated sigh left him as he ran his fingers through his hair, pushing some of the longer strands back briefly before they fell back into place. “Luckily they changed my title to ‘partner’ by the time I arrived, but the whole thing still left a bad taste in my mouth when I was already in a bad mood…and I’m pretty sure it showed in my attitude. I didn’t realize that, despite our age, you had so many more years of experience.” Finally, he looked back up into the other’s dark eyes. “So..I’m sorry for how I treated you when we first met, you didn’t deserve all of the attitude that I gave you- only some of it.”
“Wow,” Steelbeak said with a quiet snicker. “That looked excrucriatin’.” Dominic was about to tell him that, yes, it hurt him immensely to say that out loud, but he was surprised when the other bird’s cocky smirk softened slightly and he looked away while running a hand over his comb. “But…I gotta take my share of the blame, too. I know I ain’t the easiest guy t’ work with.” He sighed and looked back down at Dominic’s inquisitive gaze. “Truth is, I didn’t expect ya t’ last this long, most partners don’t last a month with me. They usually get killed, get on my nerves so much I just let ‘em die, or I get on their nerves so much that they take the first transfer they see- one guy even took a demotion down t’ eggman in the arctic just t’ get as far away from me as possible. I’m..kinda used to them just comin’ an’ goin’ now, so I try not t’ get attached..I don’t even bother learnin’ their names most of the time.” The corner of his beak lifted up in a half smile. “Believe it or not, you’re the longest lastin’ partner I’ve ever had. I didn’t really know what t’ do with ya after the first month went by and you were still here, so I tried bein’ more social but..well…guess the damage was already done, huh?” The look in his eyes was gentle, almost pleading when he next spoke- an expression that Dominic wasn’t used to seeing on him. “Can we just, I dunno…start over? Start things from this week and pretend everything before didn’t happen?”
Pretend none of it ever happened?
The rude introductions, snide remarks, venomous words, and cold glares that made up the bulk of their first month together…The awkward trips to bars and restaurants where he’d blown Steelbeak off in favor of some good looking strangers…That horrible first dinner where Steelbeak had obviously been trying to impress him like he was another one of his usual arm-candy “dates”…The unnecessarily expensive gifts and the inevitable frustration that followed…
To pretend that none of that happened and just start over from this week- to start from that day in the break room where they’d shared a nice meal and had pleasant conversation while toying with the idea of having dinner at Steelbeak’s apartment sometime in the future- that, honestly, was one of the best suggestion he’d ever heard.
A soft smile spread across the loon’s dark beak, the smile instantly easing the other bird’s expression back into an equally soft look. “I’d like that.”
For a while, neither of them said a word, they just gazed into each other's eyes. They’d bared a lot to each other, exposed old wounds (literally, in Steelbeak’s case), and, with just a couple hours of actually talking to one another, had grown closer than they had in the months they’d worked together. In a way, it was a little silly: If they’d just talked to each other like normal people, they could have avoided so many awkward or unpleasant moments and may have even been further along than a first date by now. Well, they couldn’t go back and fix things, but they could definitely treat this as a new beginning and try not to repeat their past mistakes.
Before they’d realized it, they were at the end of the path back at the gate leading out of the park.
Dominic felt his smile fall ever so slightly. He really wasn’t in the mood to leave yet, not when things were going so well..
“Hey, stripes,” Steelbeak’s voice caught his attention and Dominic looked up at his partner curiously, seeing that the rooster’s focus was set on something on the other side of the fence. “You’re packin’ heat, right?”
“Always.” Dominic patted the side of his shirt, right over where he had his guns holstered beneath the fabric.
A smirk that promised mischief spread across the rooster’s face when he met his partner’s eyes, pointing at something on the sidewalk just outside of the park. “Ya packin’ ice, too?”
He looked at the object curiously, a matching smirk appearing on his own face when he found the object in question. Oh, this was going to be fun.
<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->
End Notes: This was probably my favorite chapter to write for this story. Coming up with a backstory for Steelbeak was way more fun then it probably should have been, but I couldn’t resist going all out x3
I also had a lot of fun thinking up what his beak would look like under the prosthesis and drew inspiration from the fact that I’ve had A LOT of dental work done in the past and actually have an artificial tooth with a post drilled into my upper jaw, so I thought about using something along those lines for Steelbeak but on a more extreme scale. I’m actually really satisfied with how it turned out, overall ^.^
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More than a one night stand
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*a/n: I am working on those requests. Tumblr didn’t notify me I had more so thank y’all for waiting for those to come out, until then hopefully y’all enjoy this little story. let me know what you think, as far as my other series, they will continue I just needed a little break from them in order to figure out where I want them to go next. all the love
-K. 
You were suddenly woken up by the sound of your screaming 2 year old. Walking into her room you saw Anika standing there in her crib crying and reaching towards you. Sighing you walked towards your child. “You wanna sleep with Mama?” you asked her picking her up and heading back towards your room. Laying her down on one side of the bed you tucked her in and walked to the other side. Laying down beside her you watched as she slowly closed her eyes. 
Her features were so similar to those of her fathers. All the features she contains were the features that made you fall for her father when you first met him. You were nervous as the date that you hoped would never come crept closer. After long talks with your parents you had come to the conclusion that it was time for Anika to meet her father. 
You felt movement in your bed, rubbing your eyes you were greeted by your child sitting on the bed staring at you. “Hi baby. Are you excited for today?” You asked Anika. “See daddy?” Your daughter asked with a smile on her face. “Yes Baby, we are going to see daddy today.” Getting out of bed you grabbed you daughter and headed towards the kitchen, you made Anika’s favorite food while you yourself hardly ate. You were so so nervous, thinking back to the last time you actually saw Anika’s father. You were young and dumb, you couldn’t believe that your fake I.d actually worked. 
You were running a little behind, grabbing Anika you went into the bathroom, giving her a quick bath you got her dressed and ready to go, hardly having time for yourself you sprayed some dry shampoo in your hair and doing some quick natural makeup. Grabbing Anika’s bag and the tickets you headed out the door. You reached the parking lot you turned your car off and just sat there. Debating on whether or not to actually go through with this. Clearly you wanted Anika to meet her dad in person, as hard as it is for you you put on every game the flyers played and made sure to point out her dad. 
To be honest it wasn’t like you and her father were dating but it did bother you not to tell him that he was a father. Pushing your thoughts away you opened your car door walking to the back to get Anika out. you headed towards the door, as you approach you took a big breath and headed in. You got you tickets scanned, knowing your way all to well around the Wells Fargo Center. Looking at your ticket you looked at the location of where Travis would be. It didn’t take long to get to where travis was set up however you happened to be the last in line to get a picture with him. The time ticked by ever so slowly as you got closer and closer to Travis. 
Finally it was your turn. Travis was all smiles until he spotted you. “alright Anika, you ready?” you asked looking even more nervous than ever. she just smiled and held your hand. Walking up to Travis you gave a weak smile. Travis looked at you and then at the little human. “would you like for me to take your picture?” the man working with Travis asked. “Yeah. just my daughter and him in a picture would be great. “And what is this little one’s name?” Travis asked. “Anika.” You said looking him straight in the eyes. Travis looked down at the little girl who was staring right back at him.
Travis looked closely at Anika, she had the same colored eyes as him, her hair was darker than Travis’s but she had facial features so similar to Travis that it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out they were related. Travis quickly looked at you with a confused looked. You could tell that he had figured it out but didn’t understand how you kept it from him. Pushing those thoughts aside he got down on one knee and pulled Anika in so the picture could be taken, as soon as it was you picked Anika up and started to walk down the stairs and to the concourse hoping that Travis didn’t follow. 
“I want daddy.” Anika cried. “i know baby, but we have a picture of you two together, we can see him another time honey.” you said trying to calm your child down without drawing attention. “I want daddy now!” she screamed. “He’s busy sweetie, why don’t we go and get some ice cream?” you asked trying to get Anika to stop. “okay mama.” she said. You had just paid for the ice cream when you felt a tap on your shoulder. dreading who it could be you turned around, coming face to face with a security personal, “Ms. please follow me.” he said before turning and walking. You grabbed Anika and followed the man. You ended up downstairs where the guys usually prepared for games. Looking confused the man told you to wait right where you were. a few moments later you saw a figure walking down the hall getting closer and closer. You were finally able to make out that it was Travis. 
You told Anika to go and sit in a chair while she and daddy talked, she didn’t argue considering she was too into her ice cream. Travis finally came face to face with you. “I think we need to talk.” Travis said. “Yeah...” was all you could muster. “When? how long? why didn’t you tell me?” Travis began. “She’s two now, I’m pretty sure it was the one night when we first met. I didn’t tell you because....” 
You were having a bad day at work and you wanted nothing more that to just have a drink. You clocked out and headed to your usual bar. You knew that you could get in despite being underage but you knew for a fact your fake i.d. worked. You sat in your usual seat ordering your usual drink. There was a good amount of people there considering it was a Thursday night. You had a feeling that someone was watching you, glancing up you saw a group of guys looking your way. 
You quickly looked away, watching the group of people on the dance floor. You felt a tap on your shoulder, turning in your seat you came face to face with the bar tender. “It’s from the guys at the end of the bar.” he said sliding the drink towards you. Typical you thought. You thanked the bar tender and then turned your attention back to the bar. a few hours must had passed because you felt another tap on your shoulder. Turning around expecting it to the be bar tender but instead you came face to face with this dark haired green eyed boy. “not your drink of choice?” He asked gesturing to the untouched drink sitting where the bar tender had left it. “Nah, I just don’t accept drinks from people I don’t know.” you replied not really giving him any of your attention. 
“Sassy, i like it.” He said taking a seat next to you. “There’s a bunch of other girls here to bother so why don’t you?” you asked. “Because they aren’t as pretty as you.” He responded. “Listen, I’m really not here looking to hook up with anyone, I came here to relax so like can you go back to your guys?” you asked getting a little annoyed. “Neither am I. Like you said there are plenty of girls here I could bother if I really wanted to hook up, they all know who we are  but I could tell that you needed a drink, if you wanna talk then here i am if not I will leave.” He said. You were honestly surprised. Turning around to face the guy you looked at him, studying his face you could tell that you’ve seen him but couldn’t put your finger on where.
“What’s going on?” he asked not moving. Not knowing why but you decided to engage in conversation with this stranger. “Just work, college, life. It’s all so hectic and feels like its never going to slow down.” you said taking a sip of the drink that was sitting in front of you. “ I feel that. It’s like its all going so fast that you probably feel like you can’t breath, right?” He asked. “Yeah, like I have a part time job but am literally always there when im not at class, they wanna promote me but I have to focus on my classes.” you said. “What are you majoring in?” he asked. “Nursing, I have theory for four hours and then lab the next for three then work the next day and then clinicals the next two days for about 8 hours each and then i work the weekends.” you said taking a huge sip of your drink. “Wow. All i do is play hockey for a living.” He laughed. 
You could feel your eyes grow huge, that’s where you knew him from. You were talking to Travis Konecny. “Oh my god.” was all you could muster. “Hi.” He laughed once again. “I am so sorry. I just.” you stuttered. “Its okay. tell me a little more about yourself.” He said ordering more drinks. You two must had sat there for hours just talking and drinking. It was about two by the time that you glanced at your watch. “Woah, i should get going...” you said stumbling as you stood up. “Where do you live? I don’t think that you should drive.” Travis said with concern. “I live about 15 minutes from here... by car.” you looked down. “Why don’t you just come to my place. you can sleep in my guest room. I live just a block away.” He said getting up. Going against your better judgment  you agreed. You were having a really good time with him would honestly didn’t want it to end. 
Walking down the street with Travis by your side he began to laugh. “You’re a real light weight aren’t you.” “Hey!!!! Rude.” You said back. You two finally made it to travis’s place. He showed you to the sofa before heading into another room, coming back he handed you a water bottle. “It’ll will help...” “Oh, right.” you said taking it. “So how old are you?” travis asked. debating on whether or not to tell him the truth you spoke before you could think about it. “19.” you said. “But you were in the bar...” Travis stated. “Fake I.d., aren’t you like 20?” you asked. “yeah but I’m a hockey player so like who isn’t gonna give me special treatment?” he laughed. The alcohol must had been hitting you because all of the sudden Travis’s lips were looking real good. Before you knew it you were kissing him. It was getting really heated in a matter of seconds. “You sure?” travis asked, you just nodded. You both were kinda drunk and probably wouldn’t remember it in the morning. 
“Because why y/n, don’t you think i should had had the right to know i was a father as soon as you found out?” Travis asked. “Because Travis! we were both drunk and it was a fling. A one night stand at most!” you yelled getting irritated. “I call y/n, I texted. I tried to keep in contact but you were the one to cut it off!” Travis yelled back. “Because I knew, I knew what had happened Travis. I didn’t want you to know because I didn’t want to ruin your career, it was your first year here in Philly...” you said. “I don’t care y/n, this is more important than a career.” He said gesturing towards Anika. “I didn’t want it to be a one night stand.” travis said. “You hardly knew me! This was a mistake, we are leaving.” you said walking over to Anika. “Please.... please, don’t keep her away from me.” Travis begged. “ready to go?” you asked Anika. “I want daddy to come with us.” Anika said. Looking between your daughter and Travis you made a decision. “Why doesn’t he come with us to dinner, that is if he isn’t busy.” you said looking at him. “Sure, just let me get my stuff, Anika, you wanna see daddy’s work place?” he asked. “Can I mama?” she asked. “Of course honey.” you said handing Anika off to Travis. 
“Mama, come with us?” She asked.  “Mama can come.”  Travis said smiling down at his child. “Okay.” you said walking beside Travis and into the locker room. Maybe this could work.... you thought. Travis brought you two into the locker room where all the other guys happened to be. “Guys, I want you all to meet my daughter.” travis told them, to be honest you were a little shocked. All the guys walked over to greet her. One of the guys asked to hold her, Travis glanced at me and I just nodded, of course I wasn’t going to make a scene but I wasn’t going to let Anika out of my sight. “Do you think we could talk about me seeing her more over dinner tonight?” Travis asked. You weren’t going to keep Anika away from him, you weren’t that type of person considering he has done nothing to prove that he would treat her poorly. “Of course travis.” You said. 
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