#danni b creations

[epkot94]

Infinit realms —> realm between? Between dimensions and realities?

If zone connected to all dimensions/realities than what does that mean for people who die and become part of the zone?

Are there infinite Batman ghosts around?

Or maybe the people who are destined to become citizens of the infinite realms only exist in one dimension/reality and none other

At this point my thoughts drifted to an idea for a Bruce x Danny fic

Dimension A or DA is where Batman is in a relationship with phantom

Dimension B, Danny doesn’t exist

Batman of DB accidentally crosses over to DA with a few teammates, immediately brought to the wat tower. Someone makes a comment about being surprised batman of DB didn’t have Danny in the team with him as they are “known to be attached at the hip” (Danny’s spook powers match up really well with Batman’s skills and aesthetic)

Cue teammate from DB asking who danny is

DA batman tells them about Phantom and his role in the league as a founder (CN JL)

DB claiming there is no Phantom in their world

DA batman, who is widely familiar with phantoms backstory and has decent knowledge of the realms begins thinking about what it means when there are apparently infinite Batman’s in all of creation but not infinite Danny’s

This idea went off track a lot by the end of that thought vomit

#danny phantom #dp x dc #dc universe #danny fenton #dc x dp #bruce wayne #Batman #Bruce x Danny #Danny x Bruce #Spirit Halloween: ship #Batman x Phantom

[tom-whore-dleston]

jordan turns 25

hey siri, play my birthday playlist...

hello and welcome to my online 25th birthday party!! I hope you all got your dancing shoes on bc we're gonna party like it's 1999 iykyk xD we all know how much I love to party, but even the life of the party has to lay down some rules. Please click the keep reading button for more party information:

House Rules

This is an adults only party! You must show some indication that you are 18+

Any minors, blank blogs, ageless blogs will be blocked

You are welcome to participate in multiple party activities but please send one ask at a time

The party is open to all followers and non-followers ❤️ again, as long as you are 18+

Please do not send requests regarding the following:

non-con, smut with minors (all parties will be aged up), pregnancy/baby/child fics, a/b/o, bathroom kinks, incest, step-cest, foot fetish.

Please be patient with your response. I cannot guarantee I will respond in a timely manner however I can do my best.

The party begins April 4th (my official birth date) and ends April 30th

Party Activities

Social Hour: ask me anything about me and my life on/off tumblr

BYOB: share one of your creations (fanfic, art, moodboard, gif, playlist, original writing) and I will share your amazing talents with others

Party Games: cym, fmk, wyr, smash or pass (with any hottie not listed)

Arts and Crafts: select a hottie + scenario/AU/trope/prompt** and I will make a playlist/moodboard/fic (please specify the creation you are requesting)

see prompts tag for ideas/inspo; please indicate the post the prompt is from

VIP Access: mutuals only! send me your fave hottie (doesn’t need to be on list) and I will create a ship moodboard based on how I imagine your relationship with them

RSVP'd Hotties

Marvel: Loki Laufeyson, Xu Shang-Chi, Frank Castle, Peter Parker (any variant), Wanda Maximoff, Erik Kilmonger, Scott Lang, Thor Odinson, Sersi, Thena, Sam Wilson, Pietro Maximoff (Age of Ultron), Joaquin Torres, Bucky Barnes, Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley, Layla El Faouly, Adam Warlock, Gamora, Kate Bishop

DC: Harley Quinn, Pamela Isley, Jaime Reyes

Star Wars: Din Djarin, Anakin Skywalker, Poe Dameron

The Bear: Carmy Berzatto, Luca

Bridgerton: Anthony Bridgerton, Benedict Bridgerton, Colin Bridgerton, King George

Misc: stereotypical!Barbie (Barbie 2023), Tangerine (Bullet Train), Joel Miller (The Last of Us), Soldier Boy (The Boys) 

RPF: Harry Styles, Jensen Ackles, Will Poulter, Danny Ramirez

Early Bird Invite tags

@inklore @psychedelic-ink @fluffyprettykitty @buckets-and-trees @witchywithwhiskey @mothdruid @mochie85 @navybrat817 @jobean12-blog @vonalyn @goldylions @wintersoldierdarling @wint3r-h3art @buckybleu @blackbat05 @neganwifey25-blog @give-me-a-moose @yummymatcha @ozarkthedog @hollandparkersx @mrs-illyrian-baby @jen-with-a-pen @late-to-the-party-81 @little-diable @undutchable11 @littlestatesman @tonystarksfavoritedaughter

#jordan is 25 celebration 🍰 #sleepover 🌚🌝 #marvel x reader #dc x reader #star wars x reader #the bear x reader #bridgerton x reader #barbie x reader #bullet train x reader #the last of us x reader #the boys x reader

[stealingyourbones]

Y'know, I've seen a few stories where someone goes after Danny to prevent a bad future, but what if they went for the Fenton parents.

Like, they are responsible for a few world ending problems in some fics, usually because of their own carelessness. Like that one where they shoot Danny with a strange weapon and he accidentally freezes the whole world.

Or the fics where they kill or capture him and experiment on him or try to 'cure' him. Danny is the only thing standing between the world and it's destruction so this leads to a lot of problems.

Like, ok, Dan was a thing but either a) since that future was stopped, nobody is aware of it or b) they are aware of it but decide that Phantom's importance to the general universe outweighs that possibility. And tbh, most heroes have a bad version of themselves so it would be a bit hypocritical.

The Fenton's on the other hand are constantly causing problems for the world. Hell, they were the one's that ripped open a portal to the ghost zone in the first place. Not to mention that them starting beef with a whole other dimension is just putting the world at stake.

And considering that Danny is so important, the fact that the Fenton parents are his biggest and most common threat would cause concern. Especially if he's in line to be king.

I just imagine the Fenton's having to deal with being hunted down by someone who claims they are a threat to humanity.

Or maybe they are imprisoned or held to trial. The Fenton's must then watch all the realities where their actions cause threats to the world.

Or maybe the Justice League end up in or witness one or two futures or universes where the Fenton's actions have put the world in jeopardy.

Maybe Danny is taken out of commission by the (killed or experimented on) and now the world has very little defense against the ghosts. Or maybe Danny has been king for a bit, and the killing or experimenting on him has caused a war to break out with the ghosts.

Either way, once they'd get back, they would want to prevent this future as soon as possible. Even if the Fenton's haven't done any of that yet, they've still ripped open a portal to another dimension filled with dangerous beings and intended to be hostile with said beings, putting the world at risk.

this is such a wonderful and amazing take and I love it sm. the core issue isn't Danny being Phantom, it's the Fentons and the actions they take that lead up to and follow after Phantom's creation

#what a neat lil idea #danny phantom #dp x dc #dc comics #dpxdc #writing prompts #bones replies #anon

[duckprintspress]

Meet Aether Beyond the Binary Contributor Terra P. Waters

Another day, another AETHER BEYOND THE BINARY creator to shine the spotlight on!

Before we get to that, just a note: hi, I’m Nina Waters, the lead editor, the person running this campaign, and the one who writes all these blog posts. I’ll be traveling for the next four days (Friday, Jan 12 – Monday, Jan 15) to vend for Duck Prints Press at Arisia in Boston. As a result, I will be slower to answer messages, reply to comments, and post updates (I’m going to try to post one, but I’m not sure I’ll have time). I appreciate your patience while I’m less available. And if by some chance, you’re attending the con, make sure you come and say hi! I’ll be at table D14 in the dealer’s room.

Now, on to Terra…!

About Terra: Terra is a scientist by day who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. She has been writing fiction as long as she can remember, and has always told her partner of 17 years that if she wasn’t a scientist, she would be an author. During grad school, she discovered fanfiction and immediately began writing her own. After many years and several fandoms (including Teen Wolf, Hawaii Five-0, and Stranger Things), she returned to writing original fiction. To date, she has self-published two novellas in a 90s-nostalgia polyamory comedy series and has drafted two YA/NA sci-fi novels. When not doing science or writing, you can find Terra indulging her yarn addiction and knitting.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr (pterawaters) | Tumblr (terrapwaters) | Instagram | Bluesky

Terra has previously published one short stories with Duck Prints Press, a Patreon-exclusive entitled The Wayward Timekeeper, and she also wanted to share a few of her works from AO3: 

Kope Kamekona (Hawaii Five-O, Steve McGarrett/Catherine Rollins/Danny Williams)

Forever’s gonna start tonight (Stranger Things, A/B/O, multiple ships and ot3s)

Other Delicacies (Our Flag Means Death, Ed Teach/Stede Bonnet) – this is the piece that Terra used to apply to Duck Prints Press, and several of us reviewers liked it so much that we sought it out and read the whole thing even though we aren’t in the fandom!

An Interview with Terra P. Waters

What motivates you to create?

My love for the ideas!

How did you pick the name you create under?

I’ve been using the name “pterawaters” since 2009, when I joined fanfiction.net. “Ptera” came from an old gaming character I had, “Ptera the Pterrible,” and “Waters” was a last name I really liked the sound of. For my original writing, I decided to go with a more conventional version of the name. I moved the P from the front of my name to the middle initial as an homage to my fannish writing name.

What do you consider to be your strengths as a creator?

My ability to brainstorm scenarios and know how to outline the plot from there. Longer-form works, where I get to dig into the character motivations and development. World building.

What do you consider to be your weaknesses as a creator?

Short stories, creating characters who serve the story I want to tell, adding enough description around the dialog and plot.

When and why did you begin creating?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid, and even took a lot of creative writing classes during college (aside from my science major). I get a lot of joy out of thinking “what if…” and then turning that idea into a story.

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

I’m most often a planner. I like to outline the story beats of any project before I write. Sometimes, I’ll be more of a plantser. I’ll write 1-2k words of an idea before I do the rest of the outline, so I can see if it’s an idea worth planning out further.

Which of your own creations is your favorite? Why?

I wrote a story called “Entanglement” that was part of a long Stranger Things fanwork series. It’s absolutely my favorite thing I’ve ever written, and I’m excited to get to the point where I can incorporate the rewritten version into my sci-fi series.

What are your favorite tropes?

Polyamory, First times/Getting together, Forced proximity (cuddling for warmth, only one bed), Soulmate AUs, Omegaverse, Fake relationship, Friends to Lovers

What are your favorite snacks and/or drinks to consume while creating?

I like herbal tea, candy, or a crunchy snack like popcorn. I’ve recently gotten into eating roasted lentils, which is a nice substitute for not being able to eat nuts anymore.

What is your “dream project” – the thing you’d see as the culmination of your work as a creator?

I want to finish a series of at least 4 novels and have them all in print.

When you look at your “career” as a creator, what  achievement would you most like to reach – what, if it happened or has  already happened, would/did make you go “now – now I’m a success!”?

I would like to have at least one full-length novel printed and for people to actually buy it!

Tell us about your pet(s).

I have two orange cats, Gadget (the chonk) and Gizmo (anxiety in animal form).

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Finish the thing. My writing got so much better once I forced myself to finish fan works so I could put them up for other people to read. Practicing the first part of writing a story without practicing how to write the end leaves you never finishing anything.

Terra’s Contribution to Aether Beyond the Binary

Title: Ancient Hearts Unearthed

Tags: academia, alternate history, cancer, character illness (serious), f/nb, f/f (background), fat, first kiss, friends to lovers, getting together, hospital, modern with magic, mystery, non-binary, panic attacks, past tense, phobia (claustrophobia), pining, professor, scientist, third person limited pov

Excerpt:

Victoria turned and ran a hand over the runes again. “What bothers me is that these are early Age of Aether markings. You see the way they’re using archaic forms of our letters?”

Sasha leaned closer. “I’ll be damned. This doesn’t match the bronze-era artifacts in the rest of the cave, either.” They made a tiny humming noise. “Who else would have this much knowledge of ancient runes?”

As Victoria leaned as close as she could to the wall, she asked distractedly, “What do you mean?”

“Obviously, it’s a fake,” they said, mulling over the problem in their head. “Sanderson has wanted my place on the admissions committee since he joined the department.”

“What if it’s not a fake?” Victoria made a tiny, excited noise. “What if this is early Aether Age work? What if this is a secret that’s been buried for almost a thousand years?”

Sasha’s heart swooped at the thought. “We have to find out what that inscription says.”

You've read the interview! You've read the excerpt! Now go back the campaign!

#aether beyond the binary #terra p. waters

[androidcharles]

Hey Katie! I have a curious question about your chef oc, I saw your post with Scottie and Danny, so I was curious about how my oc Milfra Hope would feel about his sweet cooking creations

Since he's based on that guy who makes all those cool choco sculptures, I hope she likes those a lot! I might draw something w/ them later on, but I think he'd like her b/c she's so multitalented (although he'd prob want her to take a break every once and a while)

He'd also prank her at least once by replacing her stethoscope with a chocolate one. Nothing too serious, like actual medicine or band-aids or anything

#stickmin oc #thsc chocolate guy #milfra hope #questions and answers #lovelygirlnicole15 #the narrator speaks

[souurcitrus]

Earth-18104

Since I started getting more into Marvel I made a bunch of OCs for the media, and with time I created a whole universe to insert them in the stories. So I'm gonna start posting here my personal time-line.

These events include stories from the comics, a bit of the cartoons and the movies. Many events or characters have their backstories changed and I will include my ocs here.

It's just a project I do for fun (and has been taking my mind in the last years help). It's not complete. There's still a lot to work but I got the basics.

Time-line

B. C - Events

• Okkara and the Enriched

• Birth of Apocalypse

• The Clan Akkaba

A. C. - Events

• Thanos' birth

• Creation of the Ten Rings

• Fall of Titan

15th / 16th / 17th Century - Events

• Odin brings the Tesseract to Earth

• Rise of Count Dracula

• Apocalypse and the Army of Darkness defeat Dracula

• Fall of Tenochtitlán

• Creation of Talokan and birth of K'uk'ultan

• Selene Essex becomes Lady Sinister

• Trial of Agatha Harkness

• Apocalypse is sealed by his subordinates

18th / 19th Century - Events

• Mystique's birth

• Victor Creed's birth

• Logan's birth

• Victor Creed and Tereza Márquez (OC) meet

• Howlett's Tragedy

• Irene Adler and Raven Darkholme meet

• Fall of Akkaba Clan

• Origins: Wolverine I

20th Century

1900 - 1930 - Events

• Origins: Wolverine II

• Wolrd War I

1940 - Events

• World War II

• Johann Schmist finds the Tesseract

• Steve Rogers becomes Captain America

• Bucky Barnes becomes his partner

• Phineas Horton creates the original Torch

• Sgt. Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos

• Foundation of Weapon X by Dr. Abraham Cornelius Truett

• Captain America dissappears and Bucky Barnes is taken by HYDRA

• Logan marries Itsu. Later she is murdered by the Winter Soldider and his son is taken

• Cain Marko and Charles Xavier become stepbrothers

• Wong starts his training in Kamar-Taj

• Howard Stak works for SHIELD

1950 - Events

• Cain Marko and Charles Xavier fight in the Korean War. Marko dissapears after finding the Temple of Cyttorak

• Max Eisenhardt marries Magda

• The original Torch dissapears / dies

• Logan meets Silverfox

• Magda and their daughter dies, Max Eisenhardt changes his name to Erik Lehnsherr

• 1950 Avengers

1960 - Events

• Charles Xavier meets Moira Mactaggert and Gabrielle Haller

• Sabretooth and Wolverine join Team X

• Adam Brashear becomes Blue Marvel

1970 - Events

• Professor X, Magneto, Mystique and Destiny create the first team of X-Men

1980 - Events

• Captain Marvel

• Ghost Rider

• The Incredible Hulk

• Iron Man

• Ant-Man and Wasp

• Hawkeye and Mockingbird

Age of Heroes - The first famous groups of heroes start to rise, the first conflicts earth went through after FF, the Avengers, the X-Men, the Decenders and the others formed.

1989 - Events

• The Fantastic Four

• Puppet Master

1990 -

• The Avengers

1991 -

• Jessica Drew works for SHIELD as Arachne

• Logan adopts Amiko Kobayashi

• Matt Murdock debuts as Daredevil

1992 -

• The X-Men (Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Angel, Iceman and Beast)

• The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

• X-Men VS Juggernaut

• Sam Wilson becomes the Falcon

1993 -

• Simon Williams joins the Masters of Evil as Wonder Man

• New Avengers (Black Panther, Hercules, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, Hawkerye, Falcon)

• Jennifer Walters becomes She-Hulk

1994 -

• Sue Storm and Reed Richards Wending

• The Fantastic Four meets Black Panther

• Dane Withman becomes Black Knigt

• Z'Nox attack

• Wade Wilson becomes Deadpool

• Silver Sufer and Galactus

• Alex Summers becomes an X-Man

• Betsy Braddock becomes Captain Britain

1995 -

• Mesmero attacks Krakoa. Lorna Dane joins the X-Men as Polaris

• Patsy Walker becomes Hellcat

• Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man

• Jessica Jones becomes Jewel

• Heroes for Hire (Luke Cage and Danny Rand)

• Norman Osborn becomes the Green Goblin

• Natasha Romanoff leaves the Red Room and joins SHIELD, working alongside Mockingbird and Hawkeye

• Frankie Raye joins the Fantastic Four as Photon.

• The Avengers battle against Ultron and Vision

• Among us stalk the Sentinels! Ororo Muroe and Sean Cassidy join the X-Men

• Frank Castle becomes the Punisher

• Jean Grey absorbed the power of the Phoenix

1996 -

• Hank McCoy joins the Avengers

• Greer Nelson becomes Tigra

• Secret Empire

• Avengers / Defenders War

• Flint Marko becomes Sandman

• Second Genesis.

• Hulk VS Wolverine

• Cyclops starts a new team of X-Men (Wolverine, Storm, Thunderbird, Colossus, Nightcrawler and Sunfire)

• X-Men VS Erik the Red and D'Ken

• Wanda Maximoff and the Darkhold

• Darren Cross becomes Yellow Jacket

• Wanda uses her magic to create her sons

• Mystique and Destiny start a new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants

• Kitty Pryde and Alison Blaire join Xavier's Institue

• Dark Phoenix and death of Jean Grey. Cyclops leaves the team

• Kree / Skrull War

1997 -

• Days of Future Past. Rachel Summers and Lucas Bishop join the X-Men

• Cyclops meets Madelyne Prior.

• Rogue absorves Carol Danvers powers

• Rhino VS Spider-Man

• The trial of Hank Pym

• X-Men VS the Brood

• She-Hulk joins the Avengers

• Wanda and Vision find out their sons are magic creations of the Darkhold

• Illyana Rasputin is captured and taken to the Limbo

• New Mutants

• The Morlocks

• Rogue joins the X-Men. Logan marries Mariko.

• Beta Ray Bill!

• Venom arrives at Earth

• Hawkeye creates the West Coast Avengers

• Forge joins the X-Men

• Curtis Connors becomes the Lizard

1998 -

• Jean Grey returns

• Nathan Summers is born

• Mutant Massacre

• Madelyne is corrupted by the demon N'Astirh, becoming the Goblin Queen

• Asteroid M

• Fall of the Mutants

• Franklin Richards is born

• The Punisher took over the Assassins' Guild, and later became a substitute teacher while investigating drug trafficking at a school

• Wolverine and Jubilee work together against the Hand

• Gambit joins the X-Men

• Genosha X-Tinction Agenda

• Legacy Virus

1999 -

• Kree/Shi'ar War

• X–Cutioner Song

• Rise of Midnight's Children

• Maximum Carnage

• Fatal Attractions

• Bloodties. Fabian Cortez kidnaps Luna Maximoff

• Sabretooth goes to the X-Men after he starts losing control of his feral side

• Cyclops and Marvel Girl marry

• Generation Next and Phalanx events. Emma Frosts takes the new mutants as her students. Blink dissapears.

• The Hellions die

• Peter Parker meets Olivia Octavius, who later becomes Dr. Octopus

• Sabretooth escapes. Angel loses his wings

• Ozyamndias comes to warn the X-Men about the return of Apocalypse

2000 -

• Jessica Drew joins the Heroes for Hire

• Graydon Creed's assassination

• Apocalypse returns with his Knights

2001 -

• Mantis creates Adam Warlock. Later Gamora is sent to kill them, but decides to betray Thanos. With Drax, Groot and Rocket, they become the Guardians of Galaxy.

• The Thunderbolts

2002 -

• Sepent Crown's arc. Lemuria and Talokan are revealed to the world

2003 -

• Jessica Drew returns as a heroes and joins the Heroes for Hire with Cage and Rand

2004 -

• The start of Infinity Gaulent arc. Earth's heroes lose the battle to Thanos. Half of the Universe dissapears.

• The X-Men split in Team Gold and Team Blue

2005 -

2006 -

• Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson marry

2007 -

2008 -

2009 -

• Mayday Parker is born

2010 -

• The Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Guardians of Galaxy and Denfenders join forces to fight Thanos once more

• Thor becomes king of Asgard

2011 -

• The Avengers rebuilt their base.

• Scott Lang joins the team as the new Ant-Man.

• Emma Frost and Scott Summers re-open the Academy X

2012 -

• E is for Extinction

• Runaways!

• Jean Grey dies fighting Xorn

• Gitfted / The Mutant Cure

• Ana Corazon becomes Spider-Girl

• Logan meets Laura Kinney

• The Winter Soldier Returns

2013 -

• M Day happens

• Vulcan takes the throne from Lilandra

• Peter Quill joins the Guardians of Galaxy

2014 -

• The Young Avengers!

° Iron Lad (16), Kate Bishop (17/18), Wiccan, Speed (16), Patriot (16), Hulking (16), Sting (14), Jonas (??)

• The New X-Men

° Armor, Loa, Prodigy, Cuckoos, (15), Rockslide, Pixie Hellion, Flubber, Gentle, Wind Dancer, Surge, Wallflower, Onyxx, Quill, Network, Wither (14),

° Mercury, Indra, Dust, Ink, Laura, Elixir, Kidogo, Trance, Dryad, Icarus, Tag, Preview, DJ (13), Wing, Wolf Cub, Rubber Maid, Bling!, Anole, Match, Specter (12)

• Stryker attacks Xavier's Institue

2015 -

• World War Hulk

• Birth of the Mutant Messiah

• The Avengers and other heroes fight Kang. Sam becomes Captain America

2016 -

• Skrull Invansion

• Dark Reign

• The X-Men move to Utopia

• The Inner Circle attacks Genosha

• Hope returns as the Messiah

• Hank Pym opens the Avengers Academy

2017 -

• Children's crusade

• Hope and the Lights

• Apocalypse Solution. Warren Worthington III becomes heir of Apocalypse

• Fear Itself

• The Schism between the X-Men happens

2018 -

• Miles Morales (13) becomes Spider-Man

• Logan opens the Jean Grey School For Higher Learning

• Jean Foster is diagnosed with cancer

2019 -

• The Phoenix returns

• Rage of Ultron. Hank Pym dies

• Khamala Khan (16) becomes Ms. Marvel

2020 -

• Ms. Marvel, Nova and Spider-Man create the new Champions

2021 -

2022 -

2023 -

• The Mutants create Krakoaland

#original universe #AU #marvel #x men #avengers #champions #fantastic four #captain america #spider man #spider-man #krakoaland #citrus writing #earth 18104 #dont know how to tag this #young avengers #defenders #x force #watxm #new x men #watnxm #Apocalypse #en sabah nur #shi'ar #west coast avengers #guardians of galaxy

[pransesdp]

Dark Danny HCs pls?

Headcanon A:  realistic

Since he's practically a full-ghost now (having destroyed his past human-halves), Dark Danny hasn't slept at all since his "creation". Every night he mostly just spends his time hanging off different buildings, staring into the distance like a gargoyle.

Headcanon B: while it may not be realistic it is hilarious

Being trapped in the thermos as he is right now, Dark Danny likes to annoy Clockwork through declaring "vengeance" if he so much as tilts the thermos the wrong way.

Headcanon C: heart-crushing and awful, but fun to inflict on friends

Despite his bloodthirsty rampage throughout the years, Dark Danny still carries a huge ton of grief about the loss of his friends & family. Anytime he comes across their statue in the town, he has to hurry to fly away from it to avoid breaking down crying...

Headcanon D: unrealistic, but I will disregard canon about it because I reject canon reality and substitute my own.

If Dani (his clone) existed around the TUE timeline, Dark Danny would've taken her in as a pseudo-ward/daughter-figure. Fiercely (albeit reluctantly at first) protecting her as his only living relative left, and then possibly teaching her how to stand strong on her own as she gets older (*think Wolverine & X-23's dynamic in "Logan"*).

#danny phantom #dp asks #dark danny #ask meme #dp headcanons #dp ask meme #dan phantom #(*Idk which name is more commonly used for this guy so I'll just include both tags .3.*) #(*Which name do yall prefer to call him btw? For me I've always gone with Dark Danny for simplicity's sake*) #(*'cause everytime I hear the name 'Dan' I just think of Dan Conner from 'Roseanne' lmao*)

[writingsofwesteros]

Weekly Menu

Information: Asks and requests will be answered on specific days (of course that can change if I’m not so busy). But I will schedule work/replies so that days aren’t too full of it or some days don’t have anything.

As ever things will be answered and posted outside of the specific day but it just gives me more time to work with and add drabbles to any ideas you all have.

Weekly menu will be attached the masterlist of works

You can still ask anything anyday - my inbox is always open to you lovely people. Just some topic of discussions and ideas of when things could be updated. Might take a while to get work scheduled. Thank you!!

Ｍｏｎｄａｙ - Bobby B deserves all the love at the start of the week. Tragedy of love AU and everything else in between. 

--- Character creations: Face claims and such 

Ｔｕｅｓｄａｙ - Let’s go supernatural if you want ;) All these Alphas running around ;)

--- The Princess & The Queen (Rhaenyra + Alicent + Helaena)

Ｗｅｄｎｅｓｄａｙ - Yandere!Characters and everything that comes with it. Should just be Larys day ;)

-- The Lion’s Den: Cersei, Jamie, Tywin Galore 

Ｔｈｕｒｓｄａｙ - Innocent reader! 

--- DILF/MILF Thursday - Otto, Viserys, Corlys , everyone in between 

Ｆｒｉｄａｙ - Stepfather/Stepmother talk. This taboo subjects brings in the sinful weekend. 

-- The Knights - Criston & Harwin Galore 

Ｓｉｎｆｕｌ Ｓａｔｕｒｄａｙ - 24 Hours of sinful delight. 

-- The Wolf Pack - Cregan, House Stark & the rest of the North

Ｓｕｎｄａｙ - AU’s.  -- Below are the list (that I remember atm, of course more can be added)

- Time Travelling AU ( Danny’s sister travelling back)- Modern CEO Daemon.- Rockstar Daemon 

#hotd #weekly menu #asks #masterlist

[ofthecaravel]

Miss karou, I have a question (actually 2) for u regarding the tiny!gvf universe. How did the tinies come to be, and does big gvf have nicknames for the littles (outside of tiny josh, tiny Sam, etc.) to differentiate from the bigs in conversation? I gotta know.

Hiya homie how the hell are ya! Ask and ye shall receive!

I honestly wish I had a better story as to the divine creation of the Tinies but they were really born out of a necessity to A) Draw them without having to go through all the hoops of drawing them realistically and B) Have them resemble their true, goober nature. Also everybody just seemed to like them a lot so I decided to draw them more so you guys would be happy!

Also yes of COURSE the bigs have nicknames for them and they are as follows

Tiny Josh = Lil Joshy or Fluffball

Tiny Jake = Cap'n Jakey, Lil Jakey or just Cap'n

The Tiny Twins = Curly 'n' Cappy

Tiny Danny = Just Tiny Danny or Cutie

Tiny Sam = The Biting One or The Tiny Demon

#thank u for asking! #i have so much tiny lore in my head that i just never say aghghjahgak #tiny van fleet

[rhythm-catsandwine]

Life Finds a Way

Master list

Chapters

Read on Ao3

Summary

It can be dangerous and lonely in the black. The only thing you can do is cling together and protect those you love. Reavers aren't the only thing to fear in the black.

Will life find a way? Or will they die an early and horrific death?

Notes: This is a Firefly Au with a few additions and changes of my own. They are in a polycule, but the main couples are Danny/Maynard and Justin/Adam.

I also have no clue how many chapters there will be, and if you think something is a reference to something. It probably is.

Chapter One: Inspection

 Justin opened his eyes and stretched. “Adam.” He gently shook the man sleeping next to him. Two weeks ago he had his own bunk. A tiny space on the ship to call his own. Now he slept in the captain's quarters, but he was just the pilot. “Adam, wake up.” 

Justin opened the hatch to their bunk and climbed up to the walkway that led from the galley to the bridge. The crew bunks lined the walkway. The two biggest were across from each other where the four of them slept.

Maynard smirked before stepping down into the kitchen to make breakfast. “You two still fucking like cats in heat?”

“Least I don’t fuck Danny in the engine bay. With the door open.” Adam squeezed Justin’s shoulder before heading to the bridge. 

“You're the only one on this ship who doesn’t.”

“You two should just move in together,” Danny said.

“We already did.”

“When?” Danny his way towards the gallery, stomach growling.

“Bout a week ago,” Justin answered then turned to head up to the bridge. 

“I told you they would.” Maynard held his hand out to Danny. “Come on, pay up.”

“How? Thanks to you we have one account. How would that work?” 

“Then you do laundry for a month. Cover both our turns.” 

“Why laundry?” 

“I need a break from washing your stinky socks." Maynard turned back to the pancakes cooking on the ship’s small stove. “Pancakes, Pancakes, sure do love them pancakes.” He handed the ship foodie the first plate of his sweet delicious creation. “Pancakes, pancakes, Danny loves my pancakes. “ 

“Danny! Will you wake her up? Breakfast can wait.” Adam’s voice came from the bridge. 

Danny mumbled through a mouthful,  that sounded something like “But a growing boy needs his breakfast.”

“Fine! I’ll do it.” Their captain grumbled as he passed the other two. Once in the engine bay, he ran his finger over the metal of her hull. “Time to wake up. It’s everyone’s least favorite day of the year.” He pressed the button that made the engine start spinning. “It’s only for a couple of days then we’ll find a job, and you’ll be flying through the black again.” Adam made his way back up to the bridge.

Justin flipped a few switches and started driving the ship forward. "Wot time is her appointment?" Their boat was due for her yearly inspection. So once a year every ship had to go to a moon located in the inner planets and let the feds look all over their beloved home. 

"Hour and a half," Adam answered.  He fell back into the captain's chair. Across from where his young pilot was. "When is-"

"Atmo in one hour. Go change.” The green and blue planet and its grayish mood slowly grew bigger amongst the stars. “ N braid yer hair it makes you look a bit more polished.”

“Only for you.” Adam left the bridge once more to pull the long coat that identified him as a captain out of his entirely black wardrobe. He was only captain because he owned the ship and he made some of the tough decisions as well as found jobs that put food on the table. Other than that they voted, without rank. 

They landed softly in their inspection slot. Adam walked down the cargo bay door which doubled as a ramp. 

"Registration for ship and crew?" The inspector asked. 

Adam handed over the paper sheets. "Firefly class B midbulk cargo ship. 6th model. "

"Name?" 

"Shadow."

"Crew?"

“Adam Thomas Jones - Captain. Danie Edwin Carey - Mechanic (and one half of security), Maynard James Keenan- medical ( second half of security and cook ) - Justin Gunner Walter Chancellor - Pilot. (the pretty one )”

"License?" Justin handed over the little metal rectangle. The inspector studied it and read the notes that came up on his handheld screen. His eyebrows raised and his mouth and lips curved down into a frown. He then looked at the man in front of him. Long curls and dressed in shorts and an old t-shirt. "You've got remarkably high marks. And you sure look a little young to piolet a ship by yourself."

"Mum said I was born to fly." He grinned. 

"I'll need one more person to look at this. "

Adam sighed and rolled his eyes." yeah. So he graduated top of his class and is already one of the best pilots in the verse. No need for that. How long will we be here?”

“Well, these Firefly models have quite a few hiding spaces. Common for smugglers and pirates to fly. So it will be two days. But I’ll give you extra night credits since you were early. How many do you need? 4?”

“Two.” Adam took the two plastic hotel keys from the inspector. Then walked over to the rest of the crew. Grumbling about paranoid and corrupt government.

"You're the paranoid one," Danny said just loud enough for him to hear.  

"Someone always stays on the ship."  That was the only rule Adam had. “Someone could steal her.”

"Only your paranoid ass thinks that."

"She was once!"

"Paul's fault," Maynard added.

"You mean the betrayer?" Adam hissed.

“Least it only happens once a year.” Justin tried to soothe the irritation in the air.

"So once a year we all have to be off the ship. Big deal!”  “ It's just a ship."

"Her name is "Shadow!"" The other three said together. 

They had split up. Danny and Maynard to stock up on food. Justin and Adam went to check into their room for the night. 

"Ask Miranda" was graffitied on a few walls, trash bins, benches, and signs. 

"Wot zackly happened with Miranda? I only heard rumors as a kid." Justin asked, walking next to his captain, shoulders almost touching. He was the youngest of the crew, and just a kid when the verse changed forever. 

"So I guess a Firefly like ours but the  3rd model went there. Found out the feds created the reavers. Apparently, they fucked with the atmo to make people more relaxed.  Some went too far. Didn't care about anything.  Not food. Breathing.  Just laid down and died. But a small population went the opposite way.  Went insane and became cannibalistic. And the reavers were born. Then they stuck the memories in the verse-wide broadcast channel. So everyone knows what they did. There were rebellions. Nearly started another war."

"But why ask Miranda?"

"Cus that was the planet where it happened.  And they had a government-created psychic that as it and which made them go there." Adam pulled the other closer by the hip.” More on this later. I need a distraction from all this stupid shit.”

“Strawberrie galaxy?” Justen read the name on the bottle of lube. “Again?”

“It’s basically tradition at this point.” Each time they had to stay in the hotel waiting for inspections to be over they fucked. Distractions could hold back any paranoia. And Justin was always the main part of the distraction. Normally Adam wanted to last longer than he did. Justin liked to push them both toward the edge and then jump over it, dragging Adam with him. This was different. The longer they fucked. The less everyone had to deal with the paranoia. 

“Where ya going?” Adam wrapped his arms around his pilot's bare hips. Dark hair out of their braids, hanging down in slight waves.

“Shower. Want to join?”

The huge tub had a bench built into one side of it. Perfect for Justin to sit on the bottom and Adam to reach down and wash those long curls.

“This feels good?” a content hum answered him. “We both needed this.” Last time they were there they weren’t an official thing. One night after they fucked on the bridge under the stars, that changed. On their last job, Justin nearly died and realized how much he cared for the captain. “Okay, rinse.”  Justin sunk down under the warm water, letting the suds flow out of his hair “No. let this sit.” Adam kept him from washing off the lavender-scented conditioner. 

“Why do ya, always do this?”

‘Cus I don’t want your curls to turn into a ball of frizz.”

#rpf #tw rpf #tool band rpf #firefly au #polyamory #ashland writes

[sugareey-makes-stuff]

Oh geez. I know I’m very behind, but late is better than never. So, I’m wishing @danni-the-puff a very happy belated birthday (almost a month later, whoops)! Rather than gifting art (since RL is cray and there’s not enough time in the day), I thought I’d do something different by combining hand-lettering, paper stars and fic recs to celebrate how amazing Danni is! Danni is a caring human and a friend who has such a bright and bubbly personality. She’s also so supportive and enthusiastic about people’s creations and she has such a way to lift people up. I first started to get to know Danni through a couple of rare pair servers (and then through Wizarding Creators Den and CoMs). I especially love seeing her Tumblr posts about writing, meta and more. She just knows her stuff, and she has such interesting insights to share about a lot of different topics. If anyone has read Danni’s fics, you’ll know she’s a long-time lover of Snarry (and rare pairs). Her writing blows me away, whether it’s fluffy, sexy, angsty, rough, or out of this world. Danni knows exactly how string words together so  they flow so smoothly and poetically, with intention and a punch. That’s such a hard thing to do, but she has that gift! While there are some tropes and things I don’t usually read, Danni’s work somehow beckons me to take the chance and discover something new (well worth it too!). Her passion for Snarry is truly amazing, and I’m reminded why a good chunk of my fandom friends are Snarry fans. Maybe we all just know how to get along; I have no idea, but I’m totally for it, especially when it comes to bonding over and delving back into old-school fandom vibes (if you had a LJ during the early 2000s, you know exactly what I’m talking about). Some of my favourite Danni fics are: >> Obscene (Snarry, E, 1.9k): Summary: Never has Severus been so wet outside of heat. It’s humiliating; obscene. A/B/O is not something I generally read, but this? Is smokin’ hot. If you want some push and pull energy, desperation and delicious smut, go read this ASAP! >> Orange Blossoms (Snarry, T, 3.5k): Summary: These are foolish times to have hope, and more foolish still to be in love. The way Danni uses flowers in this is so beautiful. So many subtle messages and secrets woven in and passed along, and it really does make this such a sweet story. Harry, of course, is very insistent, and he’s such a Gryffindor. >> Lover Boy at Play (Snarry, E, 4.5k, mind the tags): Summary: These are foolish times to have hope, and more foolish still to be in love. Okay, if you want a classic teacher/student fic, go read this one. It has so much packed in when it comes to feelings and sex and trying to figure a lot of things out. From bitterness to jealousy to want and tenderness, Severus definitely does through all of these emotions. Harry is Harry with his cheekiness and determination, but he’s also a real person who is open to learning (and pleasing and wanting). And when these two come together (heh), it’s turns out to be something really gorgeous. >> The Green Dress (Jegulus, E, 1.8k): Summary: Christmas is no time for sulking over lost love. Not when there is new love in a pretty green dress. The angst and cross-dressing was all I needed to go read this one. It’s sweet, sensual and sexy. And if you want something to pull your heart and break it a little, this will do it. >> A Little Taste of Wasting Time (M, Fleur/Hermione, 1.5k): Summary: “One cannot learn all from books, ‘ermione.”. I am pretty sure this was one of the first rare pair fics I’ve read of Danni’s, and I love how it’s suggestive, but there’s absolutely no sex. All the flirting and innuendo are in the dialogue, small actions and glances, and that’s enough to leave things to the imagination and make this super hot. >> ALSO: I am currently reading, Contempt (E, 20.5k, mind the tags), which was written for Snarry-a-Thon: Summary: Harry hates Snape, and he always will. (He will, won’t he?) I won’t say too much (yet), but if you’re looking for a post-war, complex love/hate fic that also has wanting, obsession (from both sides) and a lot of messy situations and feelings, give this one a read too. I’d love to know what you think, since I’m loving it so far! Check out more of Danni’s work, and give her some love for her great contributions to fandom. Danni, thanks so much for being a lovely spirit, and have an awesome day! :)

#danni-the-puff #happy birthday #even if it's belated #snarry #jegulus #fleur/hermione #hp fanfic #spicy #read at your own risk #rec lists #fic recs #lettering #friends with bdays #sugareey does lettering #sugareey recs things #fandom friends

[tom-whore-dleston]

In honor of hitting another milestone, I wanna spend some time with all my besties. Whether you have been here since my Hiddles days or if you just now making yourself comfy in my little space in the tumblrverse, I am grateful for every single one of you and I hope we get to have some fun and share our love for fandoms ❤️

For more information on activities to look forward to, click the Keep Reading feature 🪴

Dates: Monday, May 22 - Sunday, May 28

Rules:

Please do not interact if you are a minor, blank or ageless blog

Any asks from a minor, blank or ageless blog will be denied and blocked

This celebration is open to followers and non-followers 

There is no limit to how many asks you send but I ask that you please send one at a time

Please be patient with your response. I cannot guarantee I will respond in a timely manner however I can do my best. 

I reserve the right to deny or ignore any asks that I do not feel comfortable with or do not vibe with*. It’s nothing against you, I want to be able to protect my own peace.

Asks:

Personals: ask me anything about me and  my life on/off tumblr

Promos: share one of your creations (fanfic, art, moodboard, gif, playlist, original writing) and I will help spread the word about your amazing talents

Games: cym, fmk, wyr, smash or pass (with any hottie not listed)

Creations: select a hottie + scenario/AU/trope/prompt** and I will a playlist/moodboard/fic (please specify the creation you are requesting)

Mutuals only: send me your fave hottie (doesn’t need to be on list) and I will create a ship moodboard based on how I imagine your relationship with them

All the Hotties: 

My AUs

Adam Warlock x f. reader (Like Real People Do)

Fictional

Marvel

Adam Warlock

Joaquin Torres

Layla El-Faouly

Marc Spector/Steven Grant/Jake Lockley

Gamora

Star Wars

Din Djarin

Poe Dameron

Anakin Skywalker

Other

Joel Miller

Real life

Danny Ramirez

Will Poulter

Harry Styles

*Unapproved Topics:

water sports

scat play

blood play

underage

incest

step-cest 

non-con

weapon play

a/b/o

bestiality

kids/pregnancy 

abuse of any kind

**Prompts:

Smut

Fluff

Shameless plug tags: @yummymatcha @neganwifey25-blog @wint3r-h3art @crazycookiecrumbles @buckybleu @inklore @fluffyprettykitty @psychedelic-ink @give-me-a-moose @mothdruid @hollandparkersx @frying-panties @buckets-and-trees @blackbat05

#sleepover 🌚🌝 #tags I will use for the celebration>>> #1.2k celebration🌱 #personals 🪴 #promos 🪴 #games 🪴 #creations 🪴 #mutuals only 🪴

[writingcold]

Sweet Rayne, Pt. 1

Okay, this is my first fanfic. I write stories for my own pleasure, but this hit my brain and took over EVERYTHING. I thought, after all the lovely, lovely, smutty stories that I've been reading about GVF, this needed to be shared. So, this is a sweet little story featuring a soft, romantic Jake and original female character. That said, I have no idea what this man is actually like, nor any of the men from GVF. Rayne is my creation - perhaps what I wish I could be, I don't know. This is set forward a bit - so an older Jake. There will be eventual smut, I can't get away from that piece of this story. It will be mostly in the second part of the story. Otherwise, it's mostly just fluff, a fairy sprinkle of angst thrown in. Oh! And I need to preface this with the fact that there is no Chicago Breaker's Fest (although, I think it would make for a fabulous summer music festival), and later on, band names and singer names are not real, but the song titles are. :)

Content warnings for pt. 1: language, smoking, drinking... if you needed the heads up on that stuff.

Jake had agreed to the music education initiative that had been proposed to him in the year prior.  He had loved visiting the different schools around Michigan.  He enjoyed talking to the kids as they seem to nearly combust with questions and excitement to be doing something other than their typical day.  The tiny rural schools were probably his favorite as he had more hands-on time with the kids, showing them different pieces of his equipment, and getting some playing time with them directly.  The larger schools were fine, it was more example and video, as the audiences were triple, if not quadruple of the small schools.

     The day’s school found him in a town with not quite four hundred students in grades K-1: the Winslow School in Winslow, Michigan, population 1294.  When he was driving in, he noticed that there were three bars, one gas station, small grocery, a diner, and a service station that made up the downtown.  The B&B that had been booked for him was on the west side of the village, nestled in the woods, right on the water, or at least that was what was promised.  When he had driven past, he had no idea what water they were talking about as none was in sight.

     The school was at the one end of the village, anchoring the few businesses that existed.  Aside from the diner that only served breakfast and lunch, the bars offered only bar food, and of course, the establishment he was rooming in for the night only offered breakfast, there was no other restaurant for ten miles in the neighboring town.  Sighing that bar food could be worse, he decided to race out of the village at first light in hopes of making it back to Frankenmuth well before lunch the next day.

     Winslow School looked just like many of the schools in the area - large rectangles covered in dark red brick, with scallops and old touches that crowned the top of the buildings so as not to look too institutional.  Parking his rental car, he saw that the van with all the equipment was already parked in what seemed to be the auditorium, the back doors open.  Mark and Will were unloading his amps and the other musicians’ equipment.  Aside from himself, Toni, the cellist, and Paul, the symphony director, were from Grand Rapids.  A few of the students from the U M marching band were still tucked in the back of the van, seemingly asleep. He saw Luna Lu, a folk singer that was over from Detroit, standing outside of the main doors.  If Danny were with him, he would be able to talk with Luna for days on end.  The thought of his friend made him smile.  The hiatus was wearing thin on Jake.  Sam had started a family.  Danny was honeymooning somewhere.  Josh was working on his film.  They had promised two years.  They were sitting at the eighteen months mark and they had yet to really talk about how to bring the band back.  

     “Hey, rock god,”  Luna poked as he walked up, guitar cases in hand.

     “Hi, Luna.  Lovely day in another lovely town,”  he said, moving to her side.

     “I didn’t think you could get smaller than Maron,”  she snorted.

     “Yeah, welcome to Winslow,”  he said, smiling as the college kids were finally roused from Will slamming the van door.  “Why don’t they let those kids come in a separate van?”

     “I’m thinking the higher ups feel we’d be a bad influence.  I bet they could teach us a thing or two,”  the singer jested, bumping his shoulder with hers.  “You staying in town tonight?”

     Jake nodded, though he was debating that choice as the thought of bar food touched his brain once more.  “You?”

     “Nah,”  she answered.  “I booked a charter from their little airport a couple of towns over.  Gotta gig tomorrow night.”

     “I plan on driving out to see my folks tomorrow, so,”  he nodded, hearing the familiar knocks and mics as the two men were setting up inside.  “I’m hoping to  check out the wild nightlife.  Maybe do a little bar hopping, so if you change your mind…”

     They laughed.  He tapped her arm before turning to enter the small auditorium to see what their next gig would bring.  Will and Mark were not just drivers, they were a few of the top audio engineers in the state, who had their own piece of the puzzle that was their show for the students.  Some kids thought that they were the actual stars, garnering more questions than the classically trained musicians in the smaller schools.  The two men had pieced together something akin to a clean comedy show whenever they were on the stage.

     Through the main doors, he noticed the typical long hall that went beyond the auditorium and pushed into what seemed the backside of the school building.  A small sign that read “Shared School/Public Library” with an arrow pointing down the cavernous hall was mounted next to the auditorium doors.  Below it was a handwritten sign saying that the library was closed for the day due to a massively cool assembly in the auditorium with a huge smiley face.  Jake found himself smiling at the little sign as he walked in behind Luna.

     “Oooo, we’re ‘massively cool’,”  she cooed as she pressed on down the aisle.  

     “Maybe it means only me, since you know,”  he teased.

     She cackled at the slight.  The auditorium was not unlike other schools, but this one seemed a bit more careworn and neglected.  The school bell chimed for the start of their day.  He knew that they had not quite an hour before the room would start filling up with students.  Will was already finished with his amps that were stage left.  Mark was working on the soundboards.  He waved Jake up to the stage to start his sound check.  It was not what it was like in L.A., Nashville, or Mexico City, but it was something to hear his sound filling the room all on its own, reverberating through his chest and back out to the space beyond.  It made him smile every time.

     The others ran through their paces as he sat quietly with Luna, practicing their snippet together while they waited.  There were no rooms behind the stage to hide in, so all of the musicians would have to stand on the side of the room while the kids filed in, dutifully taking their seats.  There were a few of the older high school students who called out to him who must’ve known the band.  He waved with a smile, trying not to show how dorky he felt, like he was sporting the dad wave thing.  The school principal introduced herself as she stood with them, shaking their hands in turn, before taking to the stage to quiet the room down.  She skillfully negotiated the rules and expectations, not unlike other schools.  Jake smiled as he knew he would have been one of those obnoxious kids who could not and would not, remain in a room as long as they were expected to, and do it quietly and respectfully.  The principal then waved the entire group on stage, and he followed, being last in the long line.  He stood under the hot lights, hands behind his back, eyes cast down as the woman introduced each one of them.  Luna seemed to turn on her high beams at him when the whole back of the room erupted when he was introduced. He waved with both hands, laughing as they cheered.  She snarked her “rock god” bit as he continued to wave.

     The room finally grew quiet, and Jake led the troop off stage to take reserved seats in the front row as the ‘sound guys’ were left to start their bit.  Jake did not take his seat, opting to sneak out the back for a break.  He knew he would have about fifty seven minutes before he would be needed again.  Nothing wrong with sneaking back outside for a respite.  He made a stop in the men’s room before planning to hide in his car for a bit and have smoke.  He could hear his mother scolding him for smoking in the school parking lot.  Perhaps he would put on the classic song while he did so just to spite her.  Respectfully, of course.  

     When Jake walked back into the hall, the sound of a blues guitar intrigued his ears.  It was coming from further down the hallway, towards the closed library.  He glanced at his phone.  He had forty minutes.  It was only a minute’s debate before his feet carried him further into the school.  Sure enough, the music was blaring out the door of what was marked “Winslow Shared School & Public Library”.  He looked through the windows, finding no sign of life.  He tried the door, pushing it open quietly, allowing a sweep of the music to wash over him.  The sound of a power drill squealed over the slide of the guitar, breaking the spell.  Just as he was about to turn and find his way back to the auditorium, there was a sharp crack followed by a crash that made him freeze with his hand on the door.

     “Are you kidding me!”

     The voice made him turn as if he were caught in the closed library and needed to explain himself.  Instead, he still did not see anyone.  He took a deep breath and decided to just make sure whoever it was in the room was not in trouble.  He wound his way back through bookcases and displays.   Another crash made him move faster as he finally found the back of the room and the source of the situation.  

     “Are you okay?”  he asked, taking in a bookcase that had looked more blown apart than fallen apart.

     A set of the greenest eyes he had ever seen met his own in a shocked surprise.  The woman was on her knees, remnants of a bookcase around her, dust in her light brown hair, looking a cross between surprised and furious.  She blinked a few times as he reached down to move a few of the larger pieces out of the way so that she could stand up.

     She took his offered hand, and he was quick to notice this was not a soft, manicured hand, but a hand that was strong and no stranger to work.  Helping her to her feet, he found that she was nearly level with his height, the better to look into those eyes, he supposed.  

     “I’m sorry,”  she said, brushing at the front of her long, multicolored sundress.  “I didn’t hear anyone come in.  Oh…”

     He smiled as she brushed past him, turning down the music as she moved.  He peeked at his own phone to see that he had exactly thirty three minutes before he would be needed back in the auditorium.  

     “They’ve already started next door,”  she said, as she moved around the counter of the main desk.  She was turning off the computer, cutting off the sound completely.  She stopped in her tracks, looking at him in a flustered state.  “You’re that guitarist.”

     Jake nodded, flashing his best smile.  “I am.”

     “Aren’t you supposed to be in the auditorium?”  she asked, rifling through books and papers that cluttered the desk until she found a set of keys.

     “Yes,”  he answered, moving closer to the desk.  “I have thirty minutes before my piece.”

      “Oh,”  she said, turning and nearly running into what appeared to be a very small office on the back of the main desk.  “I was supposed to be there for the start of this thing.  I just got busy and …”

     She kept talking, but her voice got lost in the distance.  She was a ball of energy in whatever it was that she was doing, while he stood taking in the library.  It was a classic school library with a learning space, and tons of older, worn looking bookcases that were neatly kept.  He noticed that there was a mural in progress that lined the coffered ceiling that once finished would make the space fantastic.  A display on the far wall was made up of paper flowers that looked like book covers were used to create the petals.  Every inch of kid space seemed to feature loved books and authors and characters.  The older kid side had a much cooler vibe, featuring more stark lines and contemporary displays that would catch the eye.  Unlike a school library, there was an adult section that spanned the far back that was full of contemporary displays with a wall of computers that separated the school and public spaces.

     “You’re still here?”  she asked as she froze behind the big desk again.

     “Yup,”  he said with a smile.  “I thought it would be rude to just walk out while you were talking.”

     “Oh,”  she said again, rattling the keys in her hand.  “Let’s get you back next door.”

     He followed her out of the library and into the hall.  She started walking briskly before stopping dead in her tracks again.  She held up a finger as she rushed back to lock the door.  Jake watched as she walked towards him, noticing that her hair fell well below the middle of her back, swinging softly against her classic hourglass frame in a thick braid.  She was pretty in a way that was not forced or amplified with makeup.  He was amused by how she just flitted around, much like a hummingbird, but with twice the energy.  

     They slipped inside and Jake noted that the two band kids were playing their butts off in their full regalia, much to the delight of the younger students.  There were several loud whispers from the back that caught his attention.

     “Ms. Thomas!”  followed by “Whoa - Ms. Thomas came in with Jake!”  She waved at students to shut it with a mock hard look that looked about as scary as a baby kitten.  He followed her to the side of the room before she turned towards him to usher him back to the front of the house to his seat like he was one of those kids.  He pressed his lips together as he tried not to laugh, returning to his seat next to Luna.

     “Oooo, the rock god found the hottie teacher,”  Luna whispered, craning her neck to look behind her.  “You know, there are tons of songs about that.”

    He rolled his eyes as he slouched down to peek once more at his phone.   Twenty two minutes before he was to do his piece of the performance.  There were also no texts from any of the brothers.  He rolled his bottom lip between his teeth before pocketing the phone and settling in.  His mind rolled back to the music that was blaring in the library.  He smiled.  His thoughts were definitely with the lady who was standing behind him.  

***

Rayne was so totally flustered that her brain felt like it was traveling at warp speed while her hands would only move at a snail’s pace.  She was shoving the drill against the platting on the bookcase, muttering under her breath that this had better work.  She could hear cracking, but Mike had said to expect that while securing the brackets.  When the cracking turned into all out popping and crashing, she panicked just as the whole end of the bookcase split apart falling around her mostly.  

     “Are you kidding?”  she ground out, wanting to throw the expensive drill at the mess.

     If Mike had just done this when he promised to, the entire case would not need to be replaced.  Knocking the board that was leaning against her side a bit harder than she meant to, it fell back into the case, smashing the rest to the ground.  She glared at the chaos feeling like the only way she was going  to feel better was to punch the maintenance man right in the face.

     “Are you okay?”  

     The voice that came from above was a mixture of smooth and rasp that scratched her brain in a very kind manner.  Looking up into a pair of warm brown eyes, she imagined that her jaw dropped, though it most certainly had not.  It was then she realized that the music she had been playing was certainly way too loud, and the man in front of her was probably the most handsome she had ever seen.

     Her warp speed brain kicked back in and she felt herself totally rambling to the very handsome man, who she remembered was a guitar player and his band was from north of Detroit and they were really, really good.  But she could not stop her body from lurching forward like a maniac, trying to find her keys and then disappearing into her office to find whatever it was that she needed from the office before finally deciding that she was just hiding anyways and needed to get to the auditorium for the show that she had a hand in bringing to the school.  When she returned from her office, she expected to find that the very handsome man had indeed returned to the stage where he belonged, not still standing in her very chaotic library, that was a complete mess, just like her brain was at that moment in time.  

     “You’re still here?”  She could have kicked herself for sounding so stupid.

     “Yup,”  he said, smiling that ridiculously high wattage smile that just made it even harder to think.  “I thought it would be rude to just walk out while you were talking.”

     “Oh.”

     Rayne decided that she was going to go down in this man’s journal as a complete dumbass.  She shifted into school mode, brought out her best Mrs. Poole, and shooed him out of the hall as if he were one of her high schoolers.  Sneaking into the auditorium, she felt as if every eye of the back row was on her.  

     “Whoa - Ms. Thomas came in with Jake!”

     The sharp whisper made her whip her head around to whomever it was that dared.  Jake.  Yeah - that was his name.  The guitarist.  The very handsome guitarist.  Putting on her hard face, she heard the snickers, but moved on when they quieted down.  She could see Marcy’s pinched face turn to her as Rayne allowed Jake to move ahead of her.  She was going to have to explain her tardiness - not one of her best traits.  Time seemed to stop whenever she was working in her space.  She had even set three alarms to keep her on track that morning.  Somehow, all three had been silenced.  Taking her place next to the principal, she tried to play it cool, not letting the stink eye that her boss was giving her affect her.  Instead, she let her eye trace from the stage to the front row where he was sitting with…  A little flutter passed over her as she realized that indeed Luna Lu was sitting next to the handsome guitar guy.  She had seen the singer at different festivals over the years and loved her work.  The gleam in the woman’s eyes made her smile all the wider as Jake glanced back at her before slouching down in his seat.

      Rayne watched the stage, unable to truly hide her excitement for the kids in the auditorium.  This initiative was so huge.  They were receiving money to expand, and more importantly, keep their music program that had suffered cutbacks and in the last two years, had debate over cutting all together.  The house lights came up and the musicians on the stage waved, announcing a break so the little ones could move and visit the restrooms.  The middle and high school teachers moved into action to keep the older students in place, only allowing them to stand and stretch.  

     “I can’t believe you were late to your own event,”  Marcy remarked, her smile locked into place, but a trace of irritation in her eyes.  “What was it this time?”

    “I was trying to fix the bookcase that was broken,”  Rayne said, waving at the littles as they marched by, even allowing for a few hugs that were tossed in for good measure.  

     “I thought Mike had that taken care of,”  the principal said, high-fiving one of the first graders.

     “He’s been a little busy, so I thought I would give it a try,”  she said, amping up her excitement as the lines moved into second graders.  “I made it worse.”

     “Your impatience is showing,”  her boss said tightly.

     “That may be, but there’s only two weeks until summer’s here, and just because your school mostly shuts down, I don’t.  It needed to be fixed.  Your only maintenance guy has a laundry list of things to do that just gets longer, and at that pace, it’d be Christmas before he got the time to actually fix it.”

     Her boss glared at her.  “And now it probably needs to be replaced.”

    Marcy moved away from the wall to make herself more visible to the older students who were starting to whine over how long the littles were taking in the bathrooms.  Closing her eyes, she breathed in, attempting to slow her brain back down.  Marcy was a good principal and a good boss.  She knew that budgets were tight.  This time of year was always harder.  Banking on summer school numbers to bring in money to supplement where their state budget was light.  It was a huge headache.  Rayne knew that Marcy’s stress was not due to her antics alone.  

     “Hey,”  the smooth/rasp of the guitarist's voice pierced her ears again.  

     Opening her eyes, she felt like she was thrust against the wall by those warm brown eyes.  “Hey,”  she responded, again feeling stupid for her lack of verbage.

     “I didn’t get to introduce myself,”  he said, holding out his hand.  “I’m Jake.”

     “Oh,”  she said, sliding her hand into his.  “It’s nice to meet you.  I’m Rayne.”

     His brows knitted slightly.  “Rayne, it’s very nice to meet you, too.  Are you a teacher here?”

     “Teacher?  No,”  she answered, as he was forced to step closer to her as the littles were being marched back to their seats.  “I’m the librarian.  Oh, and curriculum director.  Failed amateur carpenter, too.”

     She nearly smacked her forehead at her own dumbness.  The million watt smile was back though and she somehow forgot to scold herself.  He was pushed closer still as a kindergartener rushed at her to hug her, knocking into him.  The surprise in his face was precious.

     “Hey, Marni,”  she said, excitedly, rubbing the little girl on the back.  “You’ve got to get back with your group, honey.  Show’s about to get started again.”

     “Bye, Ms. Thomas!” the girl said excitedly, practically running over Jake to get back to her seat.

     “Sorry about that,”  she said, suddenly shy from his closeness.

     “No, no, that’s great.  They really love you, don’t they,”  he said looking down at all the hands that were waving at her.

     Rayne smiled and waved at the parade of little kids.  Jake turned and stood against the wall, their shoulders bumping every time she moved.  He smelled like mahogany and traces of tobacco and vanilla all rolled into one package.  Her smile grew wider when he leaned closer to her.

     “I’m looking for someplace other than a bar to eat,”  he said, his breath close to her ear.  “You wouldn’t know someplace?”

     Rayne debated for a moment.  “So you’re staying tonight?”

    “Yeah, I’ll leave for home in the morning,”  he said, looking back at Luna who was waving at him.  

     “Oh, I figured that you’d sprint out of here with the rest of them back to civilization,”  she teased, nodding at the rest of the musicians.  “There’s a place out on Backline Road that has good fish fry.”

      “Sounds all right.  Since I don’t know where this Backline Road is, would you like to go with me for dinner?”  he asked, beaming that smile at her again.

     Her eyebrows flew up to somewhere near her hairline.  Her eyes darted back and forth thinking the scenario through.  “I…”  Her shoulders slumped a bit.  “I’m not closing the library until 7:00 tonight.  Is that too late?”

     He shook his head as Luna called out to him.  “No, not at all.”

     “Okay,”  she nodded.  “You’re at the B&B?”

     “Yeah, I can come-”

     “I’ll pick you up there at 7:30 then,”  she blurted out, as he started walking backwards, eyes still on her as he drew himself back to the stage.

     He waved in acknowledgement, making her heart pound like it was going to jump into her throat and out her mouth.  Marcy returned to the spot where Jake had been standing.  All Rayne could see was that very handsome man that had just asked her to dinner.  

***

Jake took to the stage, sitting at Luna’s side.  He turned as Will handed him the acoustic.  Settling in, he smiled as the singer beamed at him.

     “Rock god and hottie teacher going to dinner?”  she asked, as Mark was handing her the mic.

     He licked at his lips and nodded as he plucked out a few chords to warm up a bit.  “Librarian, actually.”

     “Leave it to you to find the smartest one in the room,”  the singer beamed at him.

     He was quick to work with Will to make adjustments while Luna talked with the students.  She was explaining that she was a folk singer, and what folk music was to her, as well as the instruments that could be expected to be heard while listening to folk music.  He continued to pick at the strings, tuning and adjusting.

     “I hope that it’s okay with all of you that my friend here plays with me, yeah?”  she asked the crowd who clapped and a few fans of his band whooped.

     Luna hummed as he started to play one of her songs that they performed well together.  There was a loud call out to the side, and he looked to see that it was the librarian who had her hands up in the air.

      Luna had tucked the mic down low with a demon smile plastered on her face.  “Ooo, hottie librarian is a fan of mine.  Maybe I will stay.”

      He playfully glared as she started to sing.  He softly sang along, allowing her to take her time in the spotlight.  When they shifted into children’s music that the youngest students would know, she encouraged them to sing along.  It was always their part of the show that they enjoyed being involved.  Typically, the music teacher, if there was one, would have practiced these songs with the students ahead of time.  It was obvious that it was the case in this school, as every kid was able to sing and play along.

     When it was Jake’s turn, he continued to hold onto the acoustic, strumming along as he spoke into the standing mic.  He explained that he started learning guitar at age three.  Without fail, there was always that one kindergarten student who had to yell out “you were smaller than me?”, much to his chagrin.  He talked about having passion to learn each mystery of what the guitar had for him as he grew up.  He switched out the acoustic to the Les Paul, and the whole back of the auditorium exploded in cheers.  He strummed and did a final tune before grinning at Rayne.  He began to pluck out the bluesy riff that was playing when he entered the library.  Her eyes lit up, making her pretty face all the brighter.  The principal leaned in her direction and had said something that made Rayne dim down a bit.

     He talked about listening to blues, and how that took him to a path of discovery of rock n’ roll.  He played a few riffs of different songs from the four albums, each one bringing cheers.  The last one, he was joined, in rather dramatic fashion, by all of the other musicians who added their own flair to his work.  He always appreciated the rounded out sound that they had together.  

     “All of us up here on this stage,”  he started, then jerked his thumb behind him, “including Mark and Will, all got our start through our own curiosity, creativity, and some really good music teachers along the way.  I know for me, music is a universal language of shared celebration that doesn’t require us to have shared words, culture, or even politics.  It’s just a shared joy that brings me to any stage, including this one.” 

      They continued to play the song out, all of them smiling and just taking a moment to enjoy playing the music.  The others dropped off, allowing him to play the final few chords, to which he did with flair and a smile.  He missed the stage.  He missed his band.

***

“Oh baby girl, you are in trouble,”  Mae called out from behind the desk.

     “I know!”  Rayne exclaimed as she was trying to pick up the shattered pieces of the bookcase.  “Marcy has let me know I’m in trouble.  I don’t need to hear it from you.”

      “Uh, not what I meant,”  she said over the noise.  “Come look at this.”

     “If you are looking at the circs for the month, don’t bother,”  Rayne remarked, dusting herself off before dragging the large garbage can towards the desk.  “You know May always sucks.”

     “Wrong again there, sunshine,”  the assistant said with a sardonic smile.

     Rayne huffed as she set the huge can out in the hall before turning to see what Mae was looking at behind the desk.  Rounding the long end of the counter, she stopped as her eyes landed on both screens of the circulation computer.  There, in HD, two pictures of Jake while on stage.

     “Whoa,”  she blurted.  “What the hell are you looking at?”

     “Research, for you my girl,”  she said, barking out a smile.  “These are from eight years ago.  Bottlerock, ‘22.  I’d say the man is aging quite well.”

     “Mae!  I can’t believe-”

     “Oh no, these aren’t the last ones.  Look!  He’s so pretty!”

     She watched in stunned silence as her assistant moved through different pictures from when the band was younger to current, each picture was the very handsome guitar player in varying states of concert wear, interviews, and candids.  A few were close to the t-shirt and jeans man she had met earlier, but most were just… whoa.

     “I don’t know what you got yourself into, girlie, but wow,”  Mae laughed with a shake of her head.  “Twenty seven years of library services and never once has a man like that entered my collection.”

     “To be fair, you’ve only been here, so, there’s that,”  Rayne jabbed back, leaning against the desk.

     “But he walked in here!  Oh to be so lucky,”  she said, narrowing her eyes at her boss.  “You’re not wearing that are you?”

     “Well, yeah,”  she said, standing up straight.  “I mean, I was going to pick him up right after I closed down here.”

     “Uh, no,”  Mae said, practically jumping from her chair and going into her office.  When she returned, she was carrying Rayne’s purse and keys.  “Get out of here.  I’ll take care of this dead zone of activity.”

     “No, Mae,”  Rayne protested as the woman practically shoved her things into her hands.  “I can’t do that to you.  Billy’s expecting you home.”

     “Eh, the old man can wait a bit for his supper.  I want you to have a good time with that guy,”  she said, pointing at the screen.

     “But that’s not the guy I’m having dinner with.  That’s his stage persona.”

     “Yeah, whatever it is, just go have fun, girl.  I think it’s been a year since I’ve been able to do this for you.  Just go!” 

     Reluctantly, she glanced at the clock.  It was 5:45.  Mae usually left at six.  If she really didn’t want Rayne to leave, she would have said so.  Nodding, she calculated that she could be home by 6, feed her fur babies, shower (because she was sure there were wood chips in her hair), and be back to town by that 7:30 mark she said she would pick him up.

***

He could hear laughter downstairs as he walked out of his room.  Jake locked the door, turned and made his way towards the fun.  The owner was behind the desk at the bottom of the stairs.  Her warm laugh filled the space and it was hard not to smile.  However, he discovered that  Rayne, with her back to him, was the source of that laughter.  He paused, checking his phone and seeing that he wasn’t late, rather she was early.  And she was wearing a different sundress - this one a dark purple that landed just above her knee.  And her hair was no longer in a braid, but pulled back, so that it fell loosely against her back.  

     “Oh, here he is,”  Mrs. Gentry said, her face glowing.  “I guess you found yourself a nice tour guide for the evening.”

     Rayne turned to look at him, and he found himself sucking in a breath at the sight of her ultra light touches of makeup that brought out her eyes even more, but her mouth…  Her smile made his mind explode with a joy that he had not felt in some time.  He was glad he landed on the last step instead of tripping at the sight of her.

     “Hi there,”  she said, light all in her face.  “You ready?”

     “Sure,”  he answered, unsure of what to do, so, with hands in pockets, he rocked back on his heels.  “Is there a curfew I should know about, Mrs. Gentry?”

     “Nope, I’ll leave the door open for you, sir,”  she  said with a nod.

     “Goodnight Gertie,”  Rayne said, reaching across the desk and touching the woman’s hand.

     “Night Rayne.  Have fun you two,”  she said as they walked out.

     Jake walked a few steps behind her, keys in hand, but noticed that she walked straight towards a small SUV that was parked next to his rental.  He stopped when she did as she must’ve realized that he was confused.

     “I’ll drive since you don’t know where Backline Road is,”  she said with a grin, before she ducked into the vehicle.

    He rounded to the passenger side and got in.  She squeaked as she started the engine and some power ballad blared his ear off.  She slammed her hand against the stereo button to cut the sound.

     “Sorry, sorry!”  she squealed, her cheeks flashing a soft pink.  “I was at risk for being late and I just put on whatever awful radio station I could to make me drive faster.  Sorry.”

      He laughed, knowing that he had done the same thing at times.  She played with her phone for a moment and the power ballad was replaced with some instrumental jazz that he vaguely knew, something that Sam would debate endlessly about.  She pulled out of the small parking lot and moved out onto the main drag that was already packed with cars of visitors to the bars.  

     “How far out is this place?  I didn’t find it in my search,”  Jake asked, watching as they moved past houses, and into the country.

     “Oh, it’s back in the woods, between Winslow and Karpe,”  she answered.  “It’s only about fifteen minutes.  And, yeah, it’s a bar, but at least they have a full kitchen.  Janie offers a good menu.”

     “Friend?”  he asked, eyes trained on the thick woods that flew past his window.

     “Yup.  She’s the best.  She was my first friend when I got into town,”  Rayne explained, as she took a turn onto a road that was one of those ones that photographers love for their treeline and winding curves.  

      “You’re not from here?”  he asked, looking at her.

      “No.  Don’t hold it against me, I’m from Superior,”  she admitted with a grin.  

     “Wisconsin?”  

     “Yup.”

      He groaned dramatically.  “City girl, then.  How did you wind up here?” 

      “Small city, really.  That’s a long story I’m sure you don’t want to hear.”

     “Try me,”  he said, nudging her elbow across the console.

      “I transferred to U M Ann Arbor my junior year after my mom died,”  she started with a nod. Jake grimaced and sucked in a breath  “Yeah,”  she said, looking out her window before continuing on.   “I got my degree in history and creative writing and wound up getting my teaching certificate for secondary school.”

     “So, you did teach high school for a while?”  he asked, seeing the bar ahead, and hoping for a beer to smooth over the edge he just caused.

     “Yup.  It sucked.  Bad.  I was an awful teacher,”  she laughed.  “It was my way to pay for my masters.  Got my MLIS from UW and took the first library job I could.  Been here ever since.”

     “Well that explains it,”  he said as they pulled into the dirt parking lot.  

     “Explains what?” 

     “I thought you were here because you were in witness protection or maybe on the run for bank robbery, international spy…”

     She laughed as she turned off the engine and pushed open her door.  “I like the sound of being an international spy!  Makes me sound so much more interesting.”

     The parking lot was full and the music pouring out of the bar was loud.  He followed her to the door and held it open for her.  The smell of food and liquor and beer smashed him in the face as he followed her inside.

     “Oh hell, there she is!”  a booming voice called from the back of the bar.  

     Rayne let out a sharp laugh as an extremely petite woman clamored around the bar and rushed her full force.  Jake backed out of the way as the woman threw her arms around Rayne and spun her around.  She caught his eye across her shoulder, mouthing a “sorry”, before she was dragged off to the bar.  He followed,  looking around the wood and stone clad bar.  People were crowded around the l-shaped bar, and most of the many tables were packed.  Along the long end of the building, there were floor to ceiling windows that framed a huge deck beyond that overlooked a swath of woods and water.  

     Rayne appeared once again with two beers and menus and a wave of her hand to follow.  He hoped she would turn towards the deck door, but instead she headed what seemed to be an inside table.  She continued to walk past table after table, waving to those by the windows that greeted her, whispering as they realized that he was with her.  She pushed through a side door that revealed a set of stairs up to an upper deck.  There were five tables that crowded the small space, but there was one in the corner that had a reserved note taped to it.  She claimed it as theirs.

      “This is nice,”  he said, taking one of the offered beers.  “I take it that was Janie.”

     “She’s a mess, but she’s mine,”  Rayne laughed.  

      “She’s seems mighty,”  he said, before taking another drink. 

      The waiter came up to the table, beaming a smile at Rayne.  “Been forever since you’ve been out here!  It’s good to see you.”

     Rayne nodded politely, leaving no explanation.  They ordered and asked for another round of beers before settling in.  Jake closed his eyes as a cool breeze swept up over the side of the deck bringing in a tinge of deep forest and swift moving water  smell across his face.  It reminded him of home, and childhood and easier times. 

     “I can’t get this in Nashville,”  he said more to himself than to his companion.  The new green of the leaves and the sound of the river below relaxed him.  

     “Is that home?”  she asked, eyes trained on the woods over his shoulder.

     “Mostly, yeah.  I do try to get back here when I can, which has been a lot lately.”

     “Oh, with the initiative.  How much longer do you work on that program?”

     “Yeah.  I have one more appearance in Grand Rapids next week, then it’s actually done for my part.”

     “You seemed to enjoy today.  How long have you been a part of it?”

     “I signed up for four months.  It’s not been bad.  I’ve visited one or two schools a week, holidays off, snow days off.  Not a bad schedule.  I’ve seen a lot of the state.”

     “Do you usually stay in each town?  Even us little guys?”

     He nodded as the waiter returned with their beers.  “Let’s just say my schedule isn’t too strict right now.”

     “Hiatus, right.”  

     He watched as she took her last drink of her first beer, and mirrored her.  “What about you?  How come you’ve not been out here to see friends?”

     “Well,”  she smiled as she made eye contact, “you mean aside from being the school librarian, I’m also the regional librarian.”

     His brow pinched a bit as he waited for an obvious answer to pop up or she continued on.  He shrugged to prod her on when he couldn’t think of anything.

     “I oversee two other library branches in the county.  One’s over in Hampton, and the other is in Miller.  They’re small, but they are the only public library services available in the county.”

     “So you take care of three libraries?”

     “Yeah, but I have a few assistants and tons of volunteers that do most of the heavy lifting.”

      “Do not let that woman sell herself short!”  Janie’s voice carried out across the small deck as she carried plates towards them.   “She would work a hundred and fifty hours a week if she could.”

     “This from the entrepreneur that would out work me by five minutes any day just to say she beat me somehow,”  Rayne laughed.

     They settled into their meals, talking about travel, family or lack thereof on her part, more travel, music, literature, and where they haven’t been yet but would like to see before they die.  Janie had popped in a few times, checking on them, checking on other diners who seemed to float around them as if they were the only constant at that time.  Conversation was easy with her, something that Jake appreciated.  Before he knew it, the plates were gone, the beers were fresh and the sky was dark.

     “Hiatus,”  she said, sipping on her beer.

     “My elephant time, huh?”  She nodded as he felt his fingers tapping on the arm of the chair.  “Aside from 2020, we had been touring and recording for fourteen years.  Josh had this opportunity to work on a script, which of course turned into a film thing.  Dan got married last Fall and last I heard, they’re still honeymooning.  I’ve been busy with this initiative thing and working on new material here and there.  Josh wants me to work the score if the film gets over a few bumps that it's having right now.  And, this all started when my niece was about to be born and Sam needed to be there.”

     “That’s a lot of life stuff.”

     “Yeah, so much so that Sammy’s even about to have another one - a boy this time.”  The thought of his younger brother and his nerdy dad routine made him smile.  “We said we’d break for two years, so there we are.”

      There was a silence that followed that did not bother him.  However, it was enough for him to realize that they were the last ones on the small upper deck.  

     “What time do they close?”  

     Rayne looked at her phone.  “Uh, kitchen at nine, bar is at bar close.”

     “If you stay, it’ll be dawn!”  Janie boomed from below.

     She popped up, beer in hand and started leaning over the rail.  Jake followed, taking in the familiar smell of cigarette smoke.  The bar owner waved them down with a grin.  He followed, tapping the pocket of his denim button down for the pack that was there.  Rounding the side corner that led to the main deck, he found that the cooler night air had chased most inside, leaving a much quieter crowd.  Janie was wiping tables with a smoke hanging from her mouth.  The antsy craving prickled at his thoughts.

     “Hey, do you mind?”  he asked her as she stopped at the table Janie had pointed to.

     “No.  I was going to bum one from her, but yours are better.  May I?”  she asked politely.

     He fished his lighter out and held a flame up for her.  He could not keep his eyes from her mouth and the way it was wrapped around the smoke. He quickly lit his own to steady himself.  Sitting down next to her again, the view from the lower deck took in more of the narrow river.  Watching the water speed by relaxed him as he stretched out, just taking in the noise from the bar and the dull thrum of the other people.

     The first notes of a familiar song reverberated off the windows.  Instinctively, his fingers moved with the riff on the underside of his chair.

     “That’s gotta be a bit weird,”  Janie said as she slid up to their table.  

     He shrugged with a sheepish smile.  “You sorta get used to it after a while.”

     Jake forced himself to get out of his head as he felt the loneliness tug at him.  Taking a sip of his beer, he noticed that Rayne watched him closely.

     “What’s it’s like to be in front of that many people, playing your ass off?”  Janie asked, swirling her cubes around in her lowball glass.

     Jake grinned and cleared his throat in a flirty manner.  “Hot as hell and twice as fun.”

     “Smooth,”  the bar owner barked, her laugh loud and untethered.

     “It’s something,”  he continued.  “I’ve gotten to see so many people and places, but they are there just to have a great time.  I like to think that I can give that to them - at least for a little while.”

     “Joy,”  Rayne said quietly, holding his gaze.  “Earlier, you said it was a shared joy.”

     He could not look away from those green eyes.  Her friend said something but Jake could not put together words to answer her.  He found himself smiling stupidly and nodding.  Rayne leaned forward, finally breaking the connection.  Jake realized once again, Janie had drifted away, wooing customers inside at the bar.

     “What made you decide to be a librarian?”  he asked as he crushed out his cigarette.

     “I needed to be where the books were.  I get to provide access to information and books and resources that I love.  I get to talk about authors and stories and…”  She stopped as if she lost her train of thought.  “In all honesty, I love to write and be a storyteller.  This allows me to do that.”

     “Sounds great,”  Jake responded, capturing her attention again, seeing that she was beginning to be flustered like she had been in her library.  “A little like my line of work.”

     “I suppose so,”  she smiled as she turned her phone over.  “But mine is way more nerdy.”

     The look that traced across her face disappointed him.  He could feel her shifting back to her real life.  He had learned the look well over the course of the past eighteen months.

     “Time to go?”  he asked quietly.

     She scrunched up her face and sat back in a huff.  “I’m so sorry.  It’s already one and I’ve got storytime with the kids at ten and because of today, I totally have - shit, I didn’t get it set up.”

     He glanced at his own phone, not realizing it was so late. There was still no text from anyone either.  He felt himself frowning at the lack of anything, especially from his twin.

     “Oh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to upset you,”  Rayne said, touching his arm.

     “What?”  he asked, confused.  He replayed what she said and smiled.  “No, no, no.  You didn’t upset me.  I’m sorry I kept you out so late.  I didn’t realize how long we’ve been here.”

     He grabbed their empties and followed her inside, where she was already at the bar.  The bartender was searching for their tab, much to her displeasure.  

     “Janie, where are you?”  Rayne called out, looking for the scrap of woman.  When she poked her head out of the kitchen door, Rayne pointed at her menacingly.  “What did you do?”

     Jake watched as she stalked over to her friend, but stayed at the bar.  “Hey, can I get a couple of waters and two more of these please, to go?  And the tab too, please.”

     The bartender nodded as he passed a conspiring look towards the two women. “Janie, you can’t do that!”  he heard Rayne exclaim.  Jake smiled.  The loud friend was keeping to her word and covering for him.  He did not need that awkward moment of her trying to pay for anything.  He slipped the bartender his card, quickly signing the screen and adding a tip that matched the total of the tab.  By the time his transaction was done, Janie was practically running at him.

     “Hey - picture?”  she asked with a toothy smile.  “You’d sure look good on my wall, handsome.”

     “Janie,”  Rayne groaned.

     “It’s okay.  Where do you want me, doll?”  he flirted.

     “You are smooth,”  she cooed.  

     He allowed her to pose before moving in beside her, his biggest smile plastered on his face.  Rayne waited for him at the door as he was dragged in for a warm hug.  As he was drawn into conversation from a few people the bar, the door flew open, admitting three obnoxiously loud guys.  Jake noticed the cross look that breezed across Rayne’s face as one leaned in close to her.

     “Back it off, Toby,”  he heard her say in a hard tone.

     “If you’re here alone, you must be lookin’ for me,”  the guy said, his words slightly slurred.

     Rayne squared her shoulders, her expression turning blank.  “I’ve told you to back it off.  I mean now.”

     “You don’t have to be a bitch about it,”  he said.

     “And you don’t have to be the reason for ninety percent of the county’s STD problem,”  she said as he started to move away.  

     Jake moved towards Rayne, when the mostly inebriated Toby bumped into him on purpose.  

     “Janie, why you lettin’ in the long hair she-men?”  he asked with an edge.

     “If you were more of a gentleman, perhaps you would have a chance with the lady,”  Jake remarked.  

     “Who’s this dick?”

     “I’m the guy she’s taking home,”  Jake said with a smile.

     He curled the tip of his tongue between his teeth as he approached her.  The fire that was in her eyes was something to behold.  He pushed open the door and held it for her before following closely behind.  She was silent all the way to the car as he glanced over his shoulder to make sure the guy didn’t follow them out.  He heard the click of the door unlocking and he slid into the passenger side.

     Rayne took a deep breath before starting the car.  “Sorry about that.”

     “Did you ask for a run in with that asshole?”  he asked, stowing his bag behind his seat.

     She laughed without humor.  “Fuck no. ”

     “Are you going to be okay?”  he asked as she cued up the blues guitarist that he caught her listening to earlier.

     “Yeah, just sucks,”  she said, sliding the gear into reverse.

     “Oh, this is Jesse Larsen,”  he said, grimacing at his sudden lack of timing.  “Sorry.  My brain ran ahead of my mouth.”

     “Squirrel moment, huh?”  she teased, her smile returning as she pulled out of the parking lot.  “And yes, this is Jesse Larsen.”

     “He’s a really cool guy.  I met him at Chicago Breakers Fest a few years back.”

     “Gah!  I love Breakers.  I went once with my mom, then again with Janie about four years ago.  Yeah, we did a lot of stupid adult stuff that weekend.  It was great.”

     He smiled at her in the soft glow of the dash light.  It had been quite a while since he had an evening that he had not wanted his time to end with the company he kept.  Rayne was a beacon in this town.  She seemed to draw everyone from small child to town elder to her with a grace and happiness that was unexpected.  He felt warmed by her in a manner that few were able to make him feel.  Glancing at his phone, he noticed that there was a single word text from Josh saying “night”.   He felt irritated, knowing that his twin was just busy, but the lack of communication was a sore point.  As they pulled into the B & B parking lot, she parked next to his rental and cut the engine.

     “Thank you for sharing Janie with me tonight,”  he said with a smile.  “It was fun.”

     “It was fun,”  she repeated with a nod.

     “Please tell me you live here in town,”  he said, his eyes drifting back to the building for a moment before looking directly into her eyes.

     “No, actually, I’m about ten minutes south of here,”  she said with a shrug.

     “Shit,”  he ground out, not liking the sound of it.  “That’s not very gentlemanly of me.”

     “It’s fine.”

     “Let me see your phone please.”  She handed him the phone with a raised eyebrow.  “I will wait out here until you text me that you are home.”

     “It’s not a big deal,”  she said as he typed his number into her phone.

     He looked up at her, feeling deviousness play across his face.  “I could just follow you home to be sure you get there.”

     “Is that a threat?”  she asked, her tone challenging.

     “Maybe,”  he answered, rolling his eyes up at her, slowly taking her in, tracing the shape of her mouth before intently looking into her eyes.

     She sucked in a breath as the tops of her cheeks flushed.  “Oh my.  You are smooth.”

     “Just be safe, please,”  he said, handing her back the phone and grabbing his bag from behind the seat before sliding out of the car.

     Jake leaned up against his rental.  She sat for a long moment, just watching him.  He lit a smoke to show her that he was serious.  He would wait for her text just to know that she was safe.  When she did not move, he dug in his other pocket and took out his keys pushing off the car and moving towards the driver’s side.  The prospect of following her home was intriguing - he had to admit.   She started the engine and with a wave, Rayne was gone.

     Two smokes and a finished beer later, his phone finally pinged.

R ~ Home

J ~ Prove it

     He smiled, picturing her being flustered.  It was a few minutes before his phone pinged again, this time with a picture of her smiling while sitting on a blanket covered couch, dog across her lap and cat nearly sitting on her head.  

J ~ Thank you again for tonight.

R ~ Good night 

     Jake tapped his phone to his forehead a few times.  His plans of leaving early were certainly scrapped.  He felt the length of the day, but the time with Rayne had felt like it had literally flown by in a blink.  Heading inside, it was not a riff that played in his thoughts, it was an image.  He wondered if she would like it as much as he did.

#jake kiszka #jake kiszka fanfic #jake kiszka x oc

[dollhouse-tales]

i saw harlequinn and yeeted so fast /j I hand Elaine as a sacrifice to any slot you want owo

ELAINEEEE queen

There are a few roles I can see Elaine fitting in!! Some of them are hero roles, some grey roles, and some villainous roles... I'll talk a little bit more about each role's personality and roles in the story under the cut <33 (also obligatory harlequinn posting/j)

The Theatre of Darkness: Deep-Cut Poetry [Options]

Essence A-Tier | Forgotten Poem

Forgotten Poem is a grey character with a secondary skin!! She's one of the many victims of the tragedies that happened on the school's 4th floor. She's called the Forgotten Poem because they were the only victim who couldn't be identified after her death, leading to her name being "forgotten" in history :( and it's been so long that she's forgotten her own name too... leading to her calling herself the "Forgotten Poem"

In the storyline, Forgotten Poem's seen around a lot on the 4th floor and holds a lot of lore importance for being a character with an unknown past and non-existent future. She's a spirit on the shyer side, but oftentimes holds items required to move deeper within the 4th floor.

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Shop A-Tier | Bound to the Past

Bound to the Past is another grey character. Bound to the Past is a friendly spirit who excels in storytelling, and acts like of like a living record of the past. They know all the stories of the ghosts on the 4th floor, what lead them to their demise, and much much more.

Bound to the Past is a curious character because they don't see Lenore as a real person. Something about Lenore is wrong/doesn't make sense to BthP. But they're often very useful when it comes to dealing with more aggressive spirits, like 4th Floor Dissension or Warning Sign. While working underneath Safety Lullaby... they're rather passive, not trying to capture Lenore when they see her.

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Essence B-Tier | Past Literature Club

Past Literature Club... Well, PLC is a group of 3 b tiers all combined under one name!! They're a club that used to meet on the 4th floor's grand library and they would read through all the library's new arrivals to determine if the books being sent to the prestigious school were appropriate, and where those books would go. They'd also participate in keeping up the maintenance of the school library, so everyone could enjoy a nice and clean library to study in.

Past Literature Club serves as Lenore's allies throughout the story and often treats her like the 4th member of their club they had never gotten.

The 1st club member is Delora, who is the young organizer of the club. She was in charge of cleaning the library and organizing club lunches and takes on this sisterly role for her other clubmates.

The 2nd club member is Jessie, who is like the muscle of the group. She's very strong and carries around crates of books with ease. Because of her strength, she takes it upon herself to protect the other clubmates in dangerous situations.

The 3rd clubmate is Danni, who's the more smart and knowing one They're very familiar with the layout of the 4th floor, including all the secret passageways around. They're more suspicious of Lenore than the other 2 and doesn't mess around.

The Theatre of Darkness: Hotline 2047 [Options]

Essence A-Tier | Amusia

You know Amusia!! And you love Amusia!! But, just as a mandatory recap, Amusia is the second companion of Gracie [Korrie] and it shares a name with the condition amusia [a condition marked by inability to produce music] because... lore reasons. Similar to Gamebreaking Glitch [Red], Amusia is a "broken" character, in terms that they don't work as they are supposed to. This causes them to be regarded as glitches, but because Amusia's glitch isn't as severe as Red's glitches, Amusia often goes around undetected... until someone gets hurt, that is.

Amusia is, despite everything, a good guy. gal? A good pal. Even if many of their abilities cause harm to befall others, they're a good creation. Amusia's one of Gracie's closest friends and they carry lots of lore importance. But biggest of all??? Amusia is baby.

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Shop A-Tier | Passenger in Blue

The passenger in Blue is the first (and only lol) red option. They work with Otherworldly Guest [Harlequinn] to try and capture Grace and her companions on the subway train, and often try extreme methods of capture that just don't... work.

They’re not a bad person exactly… but the people that they work for? The company is definitely bad… little lore drop but PiB and OG were both kind of forced into their villainous positions in the essence. For OG, it revolves around a sickly loved one and an inability to take care of them. For PiB, it revolves around keeping something important to them open/in business.

#mod ghost #connection | essence content #ooc | mod post #elaine!! what a queen #Liam doesn’t get a choice he’s getting clowned on/lh #and now I gently hand Elaine back to you after giving you options #be aware I will throw Elaine into any of the upcoming slots because I can. HUGO you’re not safe either #hugo? hugo. hugo!! #/lh

[thelensofyashunews]

Danny Towers, Chow Lee & Lonny Love Connect for a Cash Cobain-Produced Sexy Drill Anthem

Orlando's Danny Towers prefers the bruising trap sound of his home state, but he's more than capable of being delicate when he wants. Today, Towers joins two of NYC's raunchiest emcees, Chow Lee and Lonny Love, for "Sexiest Soul," a debaucherous anthem for late night flings. Produced by sexy drill sensei Cash Cobain, "Sexiest Soul" is a relentless parade of out-of-pocket lines, as each emcee tries to outdo one another with over-the-top punchlines ("I f*cked 100 h*es up on a mountain," brags Lonny Love). The deep-voiced Danny Towers proves to be a natural at the sexy drill style, as he skates atop the sampledelic instrumental with aplomb. In the video, directed by Benny Flash, the one-track-minded trio takes over Miami, as they talk their smack while moving from a happening club night to a late-night convenience store rendezvous.

"Sexiest Soul" continues hot streaks for both Chow Lee and Danny Towers. Towers has been releasing a steady stream of singles since the release of Safe House, his 2023 collaborative project with DJ Scheme, including heavy-hitting collaborations with BossMan Dlow and Tony Shhnow. Chow Lee has been tearing up New York City and beyond, hosting a packed Valentine's Day celebration in Brooklyn and releasing viral singles like "Swag It," an ethereal sample drill anthem, which gained viral traction for its blunt opening line: "How do you feel about being my side b*tch?" "Swag It" recently surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify.

Danny Towers made his mark in 2023 with Safe House lead single "Florida Water" ft. Luh Tyler & Ski Mask The Slump God, which earned praise from XXL, Stereogum, HotNewHipHop, and more. "Florida Water" inspired a photo dump trend on TikTok, where creators drop the flyest selfies in their Photos app as the beat drops and Danny’s infectious hook, “Threw him in that water, I’m from Florida, but my wrist Cuban,” gives way to Luh Tyler’s croaking verse. Peaking at #1 on TikTok's trending charts, the song generated over 200k video creations on TikTok, over 35 million streams on all platforms, and reached the top spot on SoundCloud's daily chart.

Chow Lee continued his run as a sexy drill pioneer with last summer's album Hours After The Club. Hours After The Club is an addictive listen, radiating with the seductive charm that inspired Pitchfork to affectionately call Chow Lee the "horniest rapper out." Hours After The Club is chock full of infectious melodies, as Chow's natural bravado makes every X-rated flex feel natural. The tape is home to two new collaborations with his frequent running mate Cash Cobain: the quintessential "sexy drill" anthem "on behalf of the association," and "full service," a luxurious mix of drill, club, and cloud rap, featuring Chow's close friend Lonny Love. Chow followed-up Hours with singles like “team effort!” and  “ready 2 live.”

Stay tuned for more from Danny Towers and Chow Lee as the year continues.

#danny towers #chow lee #lonny love #sexiest soul #sexy drill #sex drill #drill rap #drill music #music #youtube #spotify #artist #rap #culture #rapper #soundcloud #musician #art #miami rapper #miami #broward county rapper #broward county #xxxtentacion #members only #south florida rapper #south florida #Youtube #Spotify

[realjaysumlin]

“You Would Not Believe What I Have to Go Through to Prove My Intellectual Value!” Stereotype Management Among Academically Successful Black Mathematics and Engineering Students - Ebony O. McGee, Danny B. Martin, 2011

"“You Would Not Believe What I Have to Go Through to Prove My Intellectual Value!” Stereotype Management Among Academically Successful Black Mathematics and Engineering Students - Ebony O. McGee, Danny B. Martin, 2011" https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3102/0002831211423972

When you can get people to believe in the negative stereotypes about themselves when this is just a sinister plot to destroy everything that is Black positive.

Most of the people around the world believe in the negative stereotypes of how Black People are projected as being a threat to all humans and the so called white people are seen as being good when white history proves that all humans on earth should see the white people as a threat.

Positive imaging in films is a cognitive behavioral disorder that convince people to believe in a myth and can't see the real enemies to the entire human race, you have done a great job in putting the world mindset in a fog to ignore realities and yet to embrace the beliefs in lies.

I look at the African continent and the people who lives there and can't see what the African People did before any humans on earth and they don't see their own accomplishments but believe the very people who destroyed everything about who they were before the European invaded their continent.

The same can be said about all of the Indigenous People worldwide who the Europeans colonized and force the people to worship them as gods.

This really made me turned to study psychology because I couldn't understand why people would accept the ways of their enemies as good and themselves as wicked people.

The so called white men invented race and subjugated women to second class citizens and yet these women love the idea of the white man and hate everything Black Men, when the Black Men didn't do anything to subjugate women until they adapted the beliefs in the gods of creation in Christianity and Islam.

Black Indigenous men are mostly Atheist and believe in a spiritual world based on nature and before colonization because they only see evil in both Christianity and Islam and this makes more sense for them to reject something that took everything from them.

I just wished people would see things as they truly are and not in a way that it isn't.

#black love #black positivity #black africans #black history #science #evolution #science side of tumblr #atheism #african atheism #black women