#i only did this for style testing before lining the icon i wanna make

[artskls]

that feeling when starfleet expects u to take ur captain seriously but he's flouncing around looking like he's running an onlyfans on the bridge when ur not looking

#i only did this for style testing before lining the icon i wanna make #part of me says i made him too pretty and polished #the other part says good #as he should be #next i need to draw him making ridiculous expressions that ruin the illusion #star trek #star trek aos #jim kirk #james t kirk #james tiberius kirk #jim kirk aos #i dont think y'all understand what a struggle this was to make #i add so many extra details #this was just me going ooh maybe i'll style test a bit #except like #i had to stop myself so many times from ruining this with extra layers #artskls

[thiscastielhasflown]

day three of day two of j&kcreatorfest (with @expectingtofly)— prompts: movie night or baking dean just wants to watch brokeback mountain in peace and cas is there to enjoy the emotional roller coaster ride. (2.1k) [does contain spoilers of the movie's plot, you have been warned]

"Okay choose — Midnight Cowboy or Brokeback Mountain?"

Cas looks directly at Dean who is standing in front of him holding two DVDs and smiling wide with eagerness. To celebrate and commemorate their first Pride Month official out together, both collectively decided to watch a different LGBTQ+ themed movie every night during June (if at all possible).

Rather than the Winchester/Leahy family's normal Tuesday night movie routine, Sam and Eileen were more than willing to change up their usual viewing schedule — even helping to prepare and order movies unavailable to be streamed. But sadly this night coincided with their short weekend getaway trip up to Donna's cabin for a needed change in scenery from the bleak walls of the bunker. No matter how good the movie choice was going to be for those nights, nothing compares to either couple getting some alone time together.

Cas and Dean are left alone to watch a movie in the newly renovated 'Dean Cave' — now including a larger sectional couch (to fit everyone more comfortably), an LED monogrammed neon light of Dean's nickname from Cas, 'Titan', along with new pictures hung up from a recent family photoshoot, and a new stereo sound system all set up by Dean earlier that day.

While Dean was busy with that, Cas was in the kitchen trying out a homemade sourdough pretzel dough recipe — made with his own fermented starter — along with a batch of double-chocolate chunk brownies with lines of caramel crisscrossing across the top as their movie viewing snack for the night.

"I thought we were watching the Trixie Mattel documentary."

"I know we agreed on that, but I'm more into a gay cowboy sort of mood tonight. You feel me?"

Cas blinks, "I haven't felt you yet."

"Cas, it's a figure of speech. Stay on track. Which one do you want to watch?"

"Isn't Trixie a gay Western icon as anyway?"

Dean hesitates, "Well, I would say not exactly. Maybe because of her music style and love for Dolly—"

"Parton, we've listened to her music before," Cas interrupts.

Dean smiles, "Yes we have. We've listened to Trixie too. So I guess it depends on who you ask if they’d categorize her as a modern gay Western icon in the drag business. We're sidetracked, please just pick one."

"Okay, sorry. How about the one with the happier ending."

Dean pauses to think, "I don't think either end up happy."

"Then the one where someone doesn't die."

Dean pauses again, "I...do believe someone dies in both of them."

"Then what are the differences?"

"To be honest, there really aren't that many," Dean laughs it off, "They both take place within the same 1960s setting, even though Brokeback was made in 2004. There are two main male characters in both, who aren't close in the beginning but end up so by the end. Um. The biggest difference is that Brokeback actually takes place in Western-type locations, where Midnight Cowboy setting is in New York. Is any of this helping in your decision process?"

"To be honest, not really," Cas stands up from the couch and adjusts his shirt, "Well, you go ahead and make the final decision, okay? Let me go grab the pretzels and brownies from the kitchen while you get it set up. Want a beer?"

"Yes, please. Can you bring extra cheese sauce too?" Dean answers.

"Of course, nacho or cheddar?"

A sparkle glazes over Dean's eyes as he looks at Cas, a smirk making its way across his lips, "How about both?"

"Sure can," Cas leans in to give Dean a kiss on the cheek, brushing his hand up against the other man's shoulder, "Be right back."

Dean watches Cas walk out of the room with a smug look on his face, admiring his love before bending down in front of the TV console and turning on the DVD player to give it time to boot up. He looks back and forth between either movie case, still unable to pick one over the other. Sighing, he ends up picking Brokeback Mountain, knowing deep down that Cas would most likely end up enjoy watching it more.

As he stands back up holding the DVD player remote in his hand, he hears the sound of Cas walking down in the hallway near the mancave’s door. They've been together so long at this point, but even the slightest presence of Cas will still make a butterfly giddiness erupt inside of Dean.

"Right on time as always," Dean puts down the remote after pushing 'play', grabbing the plate and beer held out to him by Cas.

He holds it up to his nose and breathes in the mingling smells of delicious food, "You really outdid yourself on this one."

Cas blushes from the compliment before pulling his own plate closer to him, breaking off a piece of the brownie and slipping it into his mouth, "Glad to know you approve."

Dean winks and takes a bite of his own, letting out a tiny moan of satisfaction from the taste, "Did you put sea salt in this?"

"I'm surprised you noticed, it was one of my secret ingredients I added in. Thought it would go well with the caramel."

"Your intuition was right, this is delicious," Dean takes another large bite and lets the flavors melt over his tongue.

At this point in the movie, Jack and Ennis sit at the bar drinking together, getting the chance to have the last bit of freedom before heading up to the mountain to work. This reminds Dean of the many times he's shared a drink with Cas before they assumed the worst would happen, losing each other. Yet those moments have now become ones he'll never forget.

The soft touch of a hand against his face pulls Dean's eyeline from the movie, Cas reeling him into a deep kiss, their lips melding into each other creating a familiar yet comfortable feeling.

Before letting anything escalate Dean pulls back and faces his head back towards the TV, reaching up to wipe off his bottom lip softly, "Watch the movie, you're going to miss a good part."

Cas pulls away and pouts, giving him one last peck on the neck before returning fully to the boundaries of his seat.

Dean turns his head back again to Cas and reaches out for his hand, weaving their fingers together, "Hey don't do that, all I wanna do is watch the movie. We can do plenty of that later."

"Fine, fine," Cas mocks, grabbing a piece of the soft pretzel and dips it in the cheese, shoving it in his mouth with a hint of annoyance.

They manage to in silence to watch the movie a little longer before Cas speaks up again, "So...what exactly is going on?"

Dean clears his throat, "Well, Jack and Ennis got their orders to go up to the mountain to go work with the sheep and they're still trying to get used to each other. Testing out the ropes, trying to work together as a team."

"Are you sure they fall in love? They definitely don't very seem into each other at the moment."

Dean takes a sip of his beer, "Love happens in mysterious ways Cas, just like us. It is never as easy as we think, especially when two people don't really get along, to begin with."

"We got along just fine, what are you talking about?"

The only thing Dean does when he hears Cas make that statement is laugh, downing another large gulp of his beer.

Cas tilts his head, "Why are you laughing?"

"Your memory must be skewed now that you're human. Don't you remember threatening my life multiple times? Trust me, you and Uriel were a couple of dicks for the majority of that early time."

"I've changed a lot since then."

Dean smiles and squeezes Cas' hand, "We've both changed a lot. Us, being here like this, is the ending we both deserve. For them, it was much harder of a situation. Their free will isn't as fluid as the ones we take for granted."

"You're not telling me—" Cas sits back with wide eyes, trying to formulate the future plot points in his head.

"I'm not going to spoil anything from the movie, you're going to have to watch it yourself to find out yourself," Dean mimics zipping his lips and turning a key to lock it, "My lips are sealed.”

A sudden vibration erupts from Dean's back, shoving his hand into it and pulling out his phone to see Sam's picture contact picture lit up (from a drunken Halloween night dressed up in a Chewbacca costume, minus the head, with a herbal cigarette dangling between his lips), swiping to answer, "Hey Sammy, what's going on?"

"Hey-uh-hi, are you busy right now?" Sam asks in a mildly frantic tone of voice over the phone.

"Well—" Dean signals to Cas to pause the movie, "It is movie night like you know, but I can talk. Everything going okay?"

"No, yeah, everything is fine. Do you know how to treat a spider bite?"

Dean coughs slightly in surprise, "Are you telling me you already managed to get a spider bite?"

Cas, overhearing the conversation holds a hand up to his mouth to help suppress the giggling he's unable to prevent himself from doing.

"Yeah, um, neither Eileen and I can remember if it's supposed to be a cold or warm compress."

Dean shakes his head and lets out a chuckle, "Did you just drunkenly call me, to ask me, how to treat a spider bite less than 24 hours after leaving here?"

"Yes Dean, do you have the answer or not?"

"Go get some ice and makeshift ice pack. For the swelling. Any other questions?"

Sam pauses not answering right away, Dean hears the sound of rustling and clanking of ice in the background, "No that should be it. Thank you."

"Yep, you're welcome. Bye," Dean hangs up before Sam can say anything else.

"I'm sorry for all of the distractions tonight Dean, I really am. I know how much you wanted to watch this movie," Cas puts a hand on his shoulder, slightly massaging at the tense muscle underneath Dean's favorite Led Zeppelin shirt.

"It's fine Cas, we can stop the movie if you want. Maybe pick it back up tomorrow?"

"Why can't we continue watching it? If we have to pause again, then we pause again. Anyway, you have me interested in learning what will happen.”

“Alright, we’ll continue.”

Thankfully, no one else bothers them for the rest of the movie. Even when Cas was confused in certain sections, he reminded quiet and attentively watched, quickly becoming attached to the characters and the blossoming (and losing) love between them. When the credits begin to roll, Dean looks over to see Cas crying, tears streaming down his face, and biting on his bottom lip to possibly contain his emotions.

"Cas, what's wrong?"

"The jacket...Jack was the one who took the jacket that Ennis thought he forget on the mountain. He took it and kept it for all those years. And now...with Jack gone..." Cas leans in towards Dean, who wraps his arms around his shoulder in comfort, pressing little kisses on the top of his head. He lets Cas cry, holding onto him tight.

When Cas feels ready enough to pull away, Dean reaches up to wipe the tears from his cheeks, "What’s wrong Cas?"

"It just reminds me of us. When you kept my coat, the symbolism of keeping an article of clothing when your loved one is gone. In this case—" Cas sucks in a deep breath, bottom lip quivering, "Ennis lost Jack, his soulmate. But no matter how many times you've lost me, I've always come back. I wish that could have been the same for them."

"Oh, babe..." Dean pulls Cas into a kiss, strong and supportive, "They got to share their love while they could, and even though things could have been different, that was the ending destined for the."

"Why couldn’t they have ended up together?"

"Just how their cards were played, nothing we can change about it.”

Cas sighs, rubbing away his remaining leftover tears, "This really is a goddamn bitch of a unsatisfactory situation."

Dean can't help himself from laugh out of happiness, "That was a pretty good usage of that phrase, glad to know you picked up on it."

"Oh, it's going to be my go-to now, along with 'I wish I knew how to quit you’."

"Sounds to me like you liked the movie. Well, I do have an idea," Dean stands up from the couch and reaches for Cas' hand, pulling him up to a standing position, "How about we go start something? Sound good to you?"

#j&kcreatorfest #dean winchester #castiel #deancas #destiel #i know this is late don't just me #i'm positing it anyway #this goes out to all of the drag queen brokeback mountain fans out there #hopefully i have hit a niche audience #jace is typing...

[meetmymouth]

when sunny met harry : harry styles imagine

based on this request

summary: harry and y/n break up but they’re not the only ones suffering. their -now her- golden retriever sunny thinks harry’s coming back.

“Sunny?” She calls from the bedroom when she doesn’t hear the nails on the wooden floor signalling that he’s following her.

As soon as Y/N gets home from work, Sunny would follow her around like a baby duck for a couple of hours, at least until after dinner, before he decides that Y/N’s here to stay.

Harry and Y/N found the lovable Golden when he was only 2, abused and abandoned near their local Waitrose. When Harry noticed and tried getting close to him, the puppy was all teeth and growls. At the end of year, they had the loveliest, goofiest puppy who loved head massages and belly rubs.

Despite Harry’s hectic schedule, Sunny loved him and Y/N even made fun of him and called Sunny a ‘daddy’s boy’. Harry loved being Sunny’s favourite because he was the fun ‘parent’: he found nothing wrong in sneaking him a few more treats than usual, didn’t raise his voice whenever Sunny decided that the bed was his territory and he let him bite and chew on his arms as much as he liked.

So when they broke up three months ago, it felt like a divorce more than anything so to say. Giving up Sunny and having him stay with Harry wasn’t an option not only for her but also Harry since he was rarely in London and whenever he was, he used to stay over at hers.

So when Harry was moving the last box out of her flat, he gave Sunny one last pat and a kiss on the head before leaving for good. Bless him, Sunny didn’t even know what was going on, he probably thought Harry was coming back either with treats or a movie to cuddle up on the sofa like they always did on Fridays.

“Sunny? Come get it,” Y/N tries again, thinking it will make him come to her if he thinks she’s offering him food but there’s nothing.

When she takes off her watch and earrings, she makes her way into the leaving room but she stops at the sound of Sunny’s wagging tail hitting the floor.

“What are you doing silly?”

Sunny turns his head and gives him a quick glance before turning back.

He’s sat in front of the front door, tail wagging happily as if someone showed him his leash which would mean he would go on his ‘walkies’.

Growing frustrated, she gets closer to the chubby dog and pets his bum.

“What are you doing, huh? You wanna go potty,” she muses more to herself and pouts. “Potty?” Her voice comes out louder than before, hoping that the word he’s fully familiar with would get a reaction out of him. But he stays put.

She does have a theory that might explain his behaviour but she really doesn’t want to go there. She starts walking away, just to test if he follows her but he’s still waiting by the front door.

“Are you kidding me?”

She reaches and knocks on door only once and her feelings are confirmed when Sunny replies with an enthusiastic bark.

Her heart sinks at the realisation that Sunny is, in fact, missing Harry and thinks he’s coming back.

Of course, he’s been showing signs of missing him and looking for him ever since he moved out but they weren’t as heartbreaking as him waiting by the front door. He would wait in front of their -her- bedroom door every morning despite Y/N already leaving the room, as if he was still asleep and would wake up, leave the room and give Sunny his morning pets.

Or when it’s time for bedtime and Sunny sneaks into her room and steals the second pillow from the bed, only to lay his head on it while he snoozed on the floor, next to the bed.

When he did stuff like that, Y/N knew it was because he missed Harry. But when he waited by the front door, it felt like he didn’t even know Harry wasn’t coming back. And that broke her heart.

“Sunny...” she tries guiding him towards the living room by his collar but he keeps barking. “Come on, come get treats.”

He doesn’t budge. In fact, he starts barking more and Y/N backs away, hands rubbing her forehead in hopes of getting rid of her headache.

As he barks away, she leaves him by the front door and perches on the sofa, hand reaching for her phone.

She knows he’s on a break and since they have mutual friends, she knows he’s in London. But she also knows how inappropriate and well, bad it would be to call her ex boyfriend because her dog misses him.

It all sounds so pathetic. And sad.

She sighs happily when Sunny stops barking for a moment but he starts again after a minute, making Y/N groan in frustration.

She calls his name, yells, tells him to stop but Sunny doesn’t budge. It’s like he’s doing it on purpose to piss her off.

With a quick decision, she unlocks her phone and find his contact. She doesn’t even hesitate before pressing the tiny icon and it starts ringing. When it signals that he’s picked up, Y/N feels herself starting to sweat.

“Hello?”

Y/N can’t help but close her eyes at the sound of his voice. It’s been longer than two months since they’ve spoken and only for a moment, she wants to pretend like nothing’s happened and she’s only calling to ask if he wants curry or tacos for tonight.

“Hi,” she almost whispers. “It’s Y/N.”

“I know, I have your number,” he chuckles and Y/N wants to feel jealous over the nonchalant response. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m good. It’s just-“ as she tries to explain what’s going on without sounding like a clingy ex, Sunny’s barks become louder.

“Is that Sunny?” Harry chimes in.

“Yeah, he’s just- he won’t stop barking and he’s been sitting by the front door ever since I got home.”

She gets up and peeks her head into the corridor where Sunny’s still barking.

Harry must’ve heard the increasing sound that he signs on the other end of the line.

“Put me on speaker?” he suggests and Y/N obeys, pressing the speaker button and hopes that Sunny will stop barking if he hears his voice.

“Done,”

For a moment, they don’t speak. Harry doesn’t say anything. Sunny keeps barking.

And then they hear Harry shout Sunny’s name.

Then all of a sudden, the barking stops. Sunny starts looking around, trying to spot Harry and it breaks Y/N’s heart even more. He looks so happy, tail still wagging and tongue out as he comes towards the living room where Y/N’s standing with her phone on hand.

“Sunny boy?” Harry calls again and Sunny finally spots the phone and how Harry’s voice is coming from there.

As Sunny jumps up and down, Harry starts laughing at the sound of Sunny’s nails hitting the floorboard.

“He stopped barking,” Y/N starts but Harry starts talking to Sunny again.

“Sunny! Why are you being so loud, huh? Are you being a bad boy for Y/N?”

She rolls her eyes but at the same time his chest feels tight at the way he says her name.

“Do you think... should I FaceTime him? I mean...” he starts blabbering. “I know it’s not ideal but I miss him too and-“

“You can come and visit him when you’re in London, Harry. It’s us who broke up. Not you and Sunny.”

She knows three months isn’t a long time to get over him. She still misses him. She sometimes freezes in her place when she spots the single toothbrush in the bathroom. She still struggles cooking for one rather than two and she still doesn’t know if she should delete his pictures from her phone or not so she sticks to going through them with a wet smile and a glass of white.

“You sure? I feel like I’d overstep.”

“You wouldn’t. Maybe- maybe not now. Like, not at the moment but you can visit in the future. If you want.”

When she looks down, Sunny’s watching Y/N where he’s now laying on the dog bed in front of the TV unit.

“Alright. Thanks. I think- I’d like that I think. I really do miss him,” he mumbles and Y/N can picture him pinching his bottom lip.

She’s selfish so she wants to ask ‘what about me? Do you miss me too’ but she refrains and clears her throat.

“Okay. Okay- that’s cool. We can arrange that.”

“Has he settled down?”

“Yeah, yeah. He’s just staring at me.”

“Good. Good boy,” he calls out again and Sunny’s ears perk up.

“Silly boy. Anyway, uhm. Thanks, Harry. Sorry for bothering you-“

“Don’t be silly. I know how anxious you get when he keeps barking. This was- this was good.”

She smiles gives another glance at the dog.

“Okay, I’ll let you go now. Thank you.”

“Y/N?” He says, voice all rushed and hurried as if he wants to sneak in a last few words before they hang up.

“Yeah?” She asks, feeling anxious over what’s coming next.

Is he going to tell her not to call again? Or only call for things concerning Sunny?

“Can you- I mean. Can you send me a few pictures of Sunny? I haven’t seen him months and well... yeah.”

At his hesitant request, Y/N feels her chest tighten with sadness and there’s a knot in her stomach, making its way towards her throat and she wants to hang up as soon as possible so that she can start crying.

“Of course,” she promises, head tilted to the side and eyes all glassy with tears threatening to fall.

And later when she’s cuddled up with Sunny on the sofa and spamming Harry with some recent pictures of the silly dog who’s snoozing on her, the tears starts falling down as Harry replies with numerous heart eyes emoji.

                      *                    *                         *

                                 *                      *

part two

💌 SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS 📝 MASTERLIST

#harry styles imagine #harry styles fluff #harry styles au #harry styles smut #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles one shot #harry styles blurb #harry x reader #my writing #harry blurb #harry writing #harrysgucciloafers

[anastasiyaigorevnadobrodevskaya]

Savior (Series 81) - Erik Černák

(This GIF is mine, but feel free to share his beautiful smile. *wink*)

I whish you a wonderful day. I decided to finally post this thing. It is the very first part of a little project of mine. I named it Series 81 (yes very creative of me, sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ) and it is a serie of oneshots, which should make sense without reading the other parts. I am creating a new universe for this serie and all of the Series 81 oneshots will be from the same AU. Does that make sense? No? Too bad.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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Part 1 of Series 81

Word count: 2577

Noise, lights, people and alcohol.

Loud music bouncing off of the isolated underground walls, to prevent the noise complaints from coming, is blending together with the voices of dancers. Dancers, who would stubbornly claim, that the sound was actually singing. If you asked anyone else, they would tell you the exact opposite.

Flashing lights could cause more than one seizure to an epileptic, but make no worries to the tipsy dancers. The dance floor is flooded by not the smallest amount of bodies per say. Only one spot remains almost empty. In the very corner, next to the DJ booth. Just a few seconds prior it was occupied by a group of young girls, dancing their night away. Gradually they slipped away to go god knows where. Safe for one.

Little blond girl is suddenly left all alone, her friends excusing themselves with a promise to be right back. They aren't. But the creepy looking guy, who's been eyeing her the entire night, is. Now he is trying to get closer to her, but she's not having any of that. She makes the bee-line for their table. However, the table is now claimed by some strangers with drinks in hands. She huffs and turns on her heel. He's still looking. More like staring.

She fidgets with her phone and clicks the contact icon. No signal. Is this some kind of a sick joke or bad karma? She thinks. She runs up the stairs and next to the very entrance, the signal is back.

The number is dialed and it rings.

She doesn't pick up.

"Why the hell can't she pick up the damn phone when I need her?" she mumbles desperately under her breath. Suddenly she remembers. Her jacket. It was left forgotten in the booth filled with strangers. She goes back. Speed-walking by the pair of eyes making her skin crawl. She asks for her jacket. When she is handed the jacket she makes a run for the bathroom. In the tiny space she splashes her face with water. It’s times like these she is really grateful for not wearing any make up at all.

She stays there for a little longer than necessary, hoping that by the time she leaves her friends will have returned already.

When she emerges and walks over to the dance floor she is met only with the disgusting stare again. She turns on her heel to leave, but is met with a hard surface she is pretty sure wasn't here couple of seconds ago. A yelp escapes her mouth and she takes a step back.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?"

The hard surface is in fact a broad chest of a tall man standing in front of her. She takes in his features. Light hair, or so she assumes since it is pretty dark in the club, besides the flashing lights. His shoulders are wide and that face...

Recognition flashes in her eyes. Her lips form an "o".

The voice speaks again. This time in English instead of her native language.

"I am fine." She finally responds, in Slovak. "I'm sorry I didn't see you I was... " she trails off. Trying to get away from that creepy dude over here. She thinks.

"Which one?" he looks around.

"What?"

"That creepy guy. Is that him?" he jabs his chin behind her. She looks over her shoulder briefly.

"Yeah," she nods.

"I'm Erik, by the way." says the not so mysterious man and extends his hand to her.

"Lucia," she accepts his hand.

"So, you want some help getting rid of him?"

"I- yeah, actually yes." She mentally face palms for tripping over her own words. He only smiles.

"Would you like to dance?" He offers. She gives him a small nod. She is led towards the dance floor with her hand in his, which makes her heart rate quicken. But not the same way like when she was followed by the creepy gaze. The blaring music pulses trough her veins while she does her best to forget the weird guy. Having Erik as a distraction right in front of her helps a lot, though. The way his eyes stay glued on her face makes her insides warm. His gaze flicks behind her and he reaches for her. He grabs her waist and leans in.

"He's looking." He talks over the music.

"So you're doing it only because he is watching us and you are definitely not using the situation to your advantage." She muses.

"I might be." A smirk stretches on his lips.

Her hands wrap around his neck and her smirk mirrors his own. The roaring noise makes her almost deaf, yet she swears she can hear her heart beating in her ears. That's what his cocky little smirk and touch do to her. She might have just met him, but she's realised one thing the moment she met his gaze. She's fucked and under his spell. She might be a little shy, but she sure as hell ain't giving up that easily. Two can play this game.

Her palm slides down his chest and back up to his arm. She traces the muscles on his arm all the way down towards his wrist. She grabs it and brings it in the air. She makes him twirl like men do to women while they dance. Erik laughs, but plays along. A smile makes its way on her features. He takes her hands. He turns her in his arms, with her arms crossed over her chest. He leans down to her ear.

"Why are you here alone?" his breath fans her neck, making a shiver run down her back.

"I am not alone," she turns and pushes his chest. His hand reaches for her wrist before she can get too far.

He spins her and brings her back to him. Putting his hands on her waist she places her small ones on his broad shoulders.

"I take it there is no boyfriend to worry about."

"If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn't need you in the first place," she answers confidently.

He squeezes her hips dragging her closer. His lips grazing the delicate skin of her exposed neck while he speaks his next words."You sure do run your mouth."

The breath gets caught in her throat. "But you like it," he doesn't miss the teasing in her words. A deep groan rumbles in his chest. She might not hear it, but she does feel it under her fingers.

A familiar song comes through the speakers and she pulls away a bit. She grabs his hands and smiles big. She starts waving around their conjoined hands like a mad person. Apparently this is her dance style.

When his gaze falls upon her moving figure he smiles just as wide. He's just gotten back home from Tampa and decided to blow off some steam in a club with his friends. It's been a long season and corona delaying the playoffs sure as hell made this summer different. Thank goodness for having the bars and clubs open, with limited capacity of course. Tonight he won't be thinking about hockey, though.

Who would have thought that after everything that is happening around him he would quite literally stumble upon a woman like Lucia.

Behind Erik she spots her friends coming back in. They haven't noticed her yet, but are looking around. She slips away from his grip.

"I have to go." She looks away from his piercing gaze and makes a move to step around him.

"Wait," he catches her arm gently. "Don't run away from me. Even Cinderella left a shoe behind," he smiles.

"Smooth." The corner of her lips tugs up into a devilish smirk. "Give me your best pick-up line and I just might leave something behind."

He pauses, thinking. Then he opens his mouth as he speaks. "I've got one, but it's in English," he rubs the back of his neck. Suddenly seeming out of place.

"Try me."

"Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

This one is her favourite. If it's finished correctly, that is.

"No, I actually crawled from hell," she gives him an innocent smile. This is the part where she tests him.

"So that's why you're so damn hot." If it wasn't his words, then it was the smirk what did it for her. Lucia motions for Erik to hand her his phone. He happily obliges. She goes to his apps and adds herself on snapchat. He didn't think he would get her number that easily, did he?

"Here," she pushes the small box into his palm. She stands on her tiptoes and leans on his shoulder. She quickly presses a kiss to his cheek and disappears as if she's never been there. But she was. And the proof is now in his phone.

"There you are. Where were you?" one of her friends, a short brunette, asks her as soon as she approaches their group.

"Me? All of you disappeared and left me here alone. Which reminds me. Where the fuck were you?" She jumps into the defence mode immediately.

"I told you I went out to buy cigarettes. Calm down," the girl resists to roll her eyes.

"Wanna dance?" a tall equally brown-haired girl asks.

"Sure," all of them answer as one. The girls make their way to the dance floor. From the very center where they managed to squeeze in, Lucia catches a familiar par of eyes. And then another, one she would rather forget. She fixes him with a glare and resumes her dance moves. Her favourite song comes up and she squeals. She leans toward her friends. "This is my song." She yells over the loud music. They all laugh, but scream the lyrics on the top of their lungs with her.

Suddenly Lucia feels a presence behind her. She tenses, her eyes crying for help.  But her friends are too busy to actually notice that. Hands settling on her waist finally get a reaction out of her. She spins pushing his chest. She is in the middle of the process of raising her hand when she realises who it is.

"Do riti Erik! You scared me!"

"I'm sorry, but that guy was getting close again so I thought I'd give you a hand, " he smiles innocently.

"Or two hands on my waist, right?" she raises her brows, a smirk stretching on her lips.

"Didn't think you'd mind,"mirroring her expression he extends his arm towards her. "Shall we dance?"

Before she has the chance to grab his outstretched hand her friends are dragging her away. She grimaces kind of apologetically.

"I'll see you,"she mouths. Yeah, in the friking TV. She thinks bitterly.

//

After a rather long walk through the town they finally get to the bus stop. Maybe and maybe not four police cars go by and maybe and maybe not one of them actually stops to ask if everything is okay. Because maybe and maybe not some of the girls were dancing on the bus stop.

When Lucia finally gets on the bus she fishes her phone out of her purse. She takes a pic of the darkness behind the bus window and posts it on snapchat.

Erik.Cernak

Are you going by bus?

Lucyy

Yes?

Erik.Cernak

Are you alone in a bus at night??

Lucyy

I mean, there are some people in the bus...

Erik.Cernak

What bus are you on?

Lucyy

N1 why?

Erik.Cernak

Do you get off on the terminus?

Lucyy

Yes?

Erik.Cernak

If anything happens during the bus ride text me okay?

Lucyy

Okay.

He is worried about me?

Why, yes. Erik is indeed worried about Lucia. Finding out a pretty girl from the club is going home alone in the dark, sure does make one feel unsettling to say the least.

The bus ride goes rather smoothly. It's just the fact that the guy sitting a few rows in front of Lucia on a seat facing her keeps looking at her. To say it makes her stomach bubble with uneasiness would be an understatement. The closer to the terminus the bus gets the emptier the bus is.

When it's time to get off it's only her and another older lady sitting in the very back. She steps outside into the dark of the night and looks around to make sure no danger is waiting around.

A tall male figure is standing near the lamp post. His hair is indeed blond, just like she assumed before. She approaches him with a rather quiet "ahoj".

"Hi. Where to?" he asks.

She rises her eyebrows with an amused smile playing on her lips. "At least ask me out first."

"I might. If you are nice." He smirks.

"Too bad. I am a very mean person." She shrugs.

"Are you now?" He lifts his brow.

"Yeah." She moves her shoulders again. "Come on it's kinda cold." She gestures with her hand and starts walking.

"Is that an invitation?" He follows.

"Don't push your luck Erik."

After a minute or so Erik's deep voice cuts through the quiet air of Košice. "Watcha doin' next week?"

She smirks."I am going out with this hot guy I met recently." She answers nonchalantly.

"Really? And who that might be?"He catches on her intentions quickly.

"You see he lives in Florida, you probably don't know him." She shakes her head. Just as the chilly breeze wraps its arms around her a shiver runs through her body. Soon a denim-like hoodie is placed on her shoulders.

"I though he was some local or something." He states as if he didn't just give her the only layer of his clothing other than the tight T-shirt.

"He's a Košice born guy actually." She shrugs. "Won't you be cold?" She looks up at him, but pulls the hoodie tighter.

"Nah, I can hear your teeth clattering. Keep it." He shakes his head. "So when are the two of you going out?"

"Monday at two I guess." She shrugs again. She sure does shrug a lot.

"Good." He nods.

They stop in front of an old flat and she turns around to face him."Thanks for walking me home and making sure and I didn't die along the way."She laughs. He likes her laugh. He really does.

"Mom would be ashamed of me if I let a pretty lady go home alone at night. "She chuckles again. A shiver runs down his spine when the wind blows again. She makes a move to return him the hoodie, but he extends his hand and shakes his head lightly.

"I'll get it back later."

She laughs shaking her head."You guys always let us have your clothes just to see us again."

He smirks. "You caught me."

"Just try not to freeze to death."

"I'll try to stay alive till Monday. Your smile will keep me warm." He winks.

"Gosh you're cheesy." She couldn't help, but roll her eyes.

He takes a step closer."I am glad I met you."

Lucia's confident facade wavers for a second."Same here."

They just stand there looking at each other not letting out a single tone slip past their lips. Erik leans closer, his hot breath fanning over her cold cheeks. Lucia inches towards him, but not connecting their lips yet. She wants him to take the last step. And so he does, slightly leaning in meeting the pink lips of the girl he quite literally ran into.

#series 81 #series81 #erik cernak imagine #tampa bay lightning imagine #hockey imagines #hockey imagine #nhl imagines #nhl imagine #hockey fanfiction #oc #slovakia #erik cernak #tampa bay lightning #nhl #hockey

[theshinsun]

KNB for the fandom ask thing if you’d like to!!

(sorry this took forever, work was crazy this week ;;-;;)

send me a fandom and i’ll tell you…

the first character i ever fell in love with:

Kagami. (I know, right?) I started watching the show when I saw the way he was drawn, and came to really love his character throughout seasons 1 and 2. 

Side note: I really only fell in love with Aomine once I saw how he looked in the manga, and got more into his backstory in late season 2/early season 3. 

a character that i used to love/like, but now do not:

Idk I used to like, unironically like Himuro, and subscribe to canon’s endgame portrayal of him as a harmless nice guy (with no personality to speak of). Now I like him, but like... only in the sense that he can be used narratively, and to comedic effect. I also still like his play style, but I don’t like him like, as a person.

a ship that i used to love/like, but now do not:

I don’t really wanna bash any ship in this show, since the characters are loose (read: underdeveloped) enough for their actual ship dynamics to kinda be up for interpretation. 

The one example I can think of, though, for a ship I used to enjoy that now kinda bothers me, is KiKasa. I just don’t see much genuine affection between these two, and yeah I get that people show their love in different ways and all that, and there is definitely something there to work with if you read between the lines, but still... I dunno in canon it mostly seems one-sided at best and antagonistic at worst to me.

my ultimate favorite character™:

...C’mon, you know who it is. The number one spot has to go to Aomine, every time. Someday I’ll write a whole in-depth character study to explain why, but if you want the thesis statement, it’s this: Aomine is the most interesting, developed and multi-faceted character in the entire series, and you can fight me on that.

prettiest character:

If we’re talking manga, then Aomine, but since he looks like a raisin in the anime, I have to give the award to Midorima, with Mibuchi coming in a close second.

my most hated character:

Heh. Uh... funny story, it used to be Hanamiya, or possibly Haizaki, but now I think my hatred for Akashi has actually surpassed them both, because we’re meant to dislike them so at least they serve their most basic function. Whereas Akashi’s arc is so forced and anticlimactic it’s infuriating, and that’s before even getting into his personality.  

my OTP:

You know what, it’s still AoKaga. After six fucking years, they still have my heart. If I can bend the rules and slip in an OT3, I’d say AoKagaKuro, but otherwise, if I had to pick one ship, it’s those two idiots with their rival dynamic, interesting chemistry and essential narrative function of pushing each other to get better. 

my NOTP:

Like I said, I don’t want to bash any ship, but if I have to pick one that just grinds my gears, it’s AkaKuro. I just... don’t get it. I mean, I get it, I know why it exists, but I don’t get it, you know? 

...I dunno, if that’s your cup of tea, more power to ya, but I personally don’t ship it and I don’t think I’m ever going to. 

favorite episode:

Episode 37: I Look Forward To It. 

Ah, the onsen episode... I know this one by heart. 

Okay, I guess I should explain myself, because on the surface this looks like pure empty fan-service (on both sides), but this episode actually has some really great character and plot-related moments. It’s the part I always jump back into when I re-read the manga, because it’s where things really start to kick off. Seirin’s been beaten down and hopeless and finally have their chance at revenge, and they find out in this episode that they’re going to be getting it right away. There’s some really great Seirin and Touou bonding, some more evidence of Momoi being a data-gathering badass (though her actual appearance in this ep bombs the Bechdel test and kinda just rubs me the wrong way). 

My favorite part, though, is Aomine and Kuroko’s confrontation in the bath house. I’ve heard someone say once (and I agree) that this episode shows a whole team of naked men (and two naked women) and yet the scene with the most sexual tension has everyone fully clothed. It’s also just a super emotionally-charged moment, full of saying things without saying them, and Kagami showing up to declare Seirin’s intentions of victory is the cherry on top. I love this episode, I’ve probably watched it about a hundred times, but I’d gladly watch it a hundred more and that tells me it’s my favorite.  

saddest death:

Himuro’s character development. I mean uh... Kiyoshi’s leg breaking, yeah, that’s totally it. Actually, him leaving at the end of season 3 is really sad, we don’t get many third years retiring in this show but that hit just as hard.

favorite season:

Season 2. It’s where the show kicks into high gear, and the plot really gets rolling. It’s well-paced and exciting up until the middle of the Yousen game, and shows so much awesome development for the characters it introduced in the previous season. Everyone gets some new abilities, but my favorite reveals have to be Kuroko’s Vanishing Drive and Overflow (that moment when Izuki gets “erased” in the Seirin/Touou game lives in my head rent free), and of course the Zone. Season 1 is nice and season 3 has some really iconic moments, but season 2 is great from start to (almost) finish, and that makes it the strongest of the bunch.

least favorite season:

As I said, it has some iconic moments, but KNB’s weakest season by far is its finale. For one thing, it focuses almost entirely on a single game, and so that game drags on forever, beyond the realm of enjoyment until it becomes tedious to get through. Besides that, though, it goes out of its way to introduce plot threads and characters that don’t really go anywhere (Haizaki and Ogiwara come to mind...) the animation budget takes a noticeable beating, and so do the trajectories of two of Season 2′s most interesting antagonists (Himuro and Akashi). The main saving grace of this season is the Teiko arc, but, enjoyable as it is, under a critical eye it’s still a lengthy, pretty unnecessary detour that stops the main narrative dead in its tracks and all but kills the tension for the final game.  

character that everyone else in the fandom loves, but i hate:

Would it be gratuitous to say Akashi, at this point? It’s funny, because I never really liked him, and didn’t understand why so many people did, but I never had any strong opinions about him until recently, when I started looking at his character up close bc I’ve run out of reasons not to. Again, if you like him, that’s totally fine, but I just can’t agree.

my ‘you’re piece of trash, but you’re still a fave’ fave:

Uhh... Imayoshi, I think. I don’t know what it is about this guy, but I love him so much. He’s a shit, and he knows it, but he’s also smart, and funny, and kind of just a big dork? Severely underrated character, with a really unique look (I don’t care if he doesn’t have eyes except when he’s pissed, it’s good character design, you guys are just mean). 

my ‘beautiful cinnamon roll who deserves better than this’ fave:

Oh, Kuroko... sidelined in your own damn show. I’ve heard people argue that Kuroko is not the protagonist of KNB, and in fact it’s Kagami, and just... whether that’s true or not technically, it just makes me sad for Kuroko bc once again he’s being overlooked in favor of other, more flashy characters on screen. Maybe that’s the point, but still, I don’t see this guy get nearly enough attention considering his name is in the fucking title. Kuroko is every bit as valid and interesting as the other GoM, and the other members of Seirin, often even more so, and he deserves all the love.

my ‘this ship is wrong, nasty, and makes me want to cleanse my soul, but i still love it’ ship:

Pretty much anything with Haizaki, but because this is me we’re talking about... AoHai. I used to be interested purely from a hatefucking standpoint, but recently I’ve seen some art and short little ficlets, and... have started to maybe ship it... unironically? Um. Yeah, so that happened.

my ‘they’re kind of cute, and i lowkey ship them, but i’m not too invested’ ship:

KiKuro. I don’t think I’ve really talked about them before, I love their backstory and dynamic, and I tend to write them together off on the sidelines, but I’m not very passionate about this one. Maybe because it is often used as a background ship, maybe because they both work better with other people (side tangent: their dynamic instantly becomes more interesting the second you throw a third person in the mix... doesn’t matter who it is either, KiKuroKaga? AoKiKuro? KiKuroMomo? I could go on) Idk. It’s sweet, but I don’t often give this pairing a whole lot of thought on its own, maybe I ought to...

#shin speaks #answered #knb #i can't get into these things without giving long detailed answers anymore can I #side effect of analyzing my favorite show and breaking it down until I barely recognize it I guess #I've got a full essay on the successes and downfalls of KNB coming in a bit #so uh #prepare for that #thanks for asking! I hope this doesn't piss anyone off too much #lmao

[ghostboy-gamedev]

Learn Log #2 - Pixel Art Basics 2

This week I continued learning the basics of pixel art and ended up making some pretty alright-looking RPG items. The topics covered this week were colour, shading and dithering and you can read about them below.

Colour

To understand colour in pixel art, you first need to understand colour. Colour theory explains the existence, and relationships, between the primary colours (red, blue and yellow) and the secondary colours (green, orange and purple). These colours and everything in between appear on the colour wheel, which we’ll get to in a second. What’s important to know is that these different colours can contrast against each other, complement each and give off different moods. I’m not going to go into depth but having some understanding of colour theory is essential in creating any artwork, including pixel art.

Anyway, that colour wheel I mentioned is vital to pixel art. Every digital art program you use for pixel art will include some form of the colour wheel which will allow you to select colours for your artwork. Below I’ve made a rough image of a colour bar with the very left pixel starting at hue 0 and the furthest right being hue 360 (each pixel increases hue by 15).

You’ll notice that hue 0 and 360 are both the same red. This is because a revolution around the colour wheel has been completed and we’re now back at square one. Remember that even in bar form this is a colour wheel – this information is key to utilising the colour wheel.

Now, looking at these colours, your eyes might start to tear up a bit. They’re very bright and harsh. If we put two contrasting colours, such as green and red, next to each other, this would only get worse. This limits our creativity and makes our games a bit irritating to play. So, if we lower the saturation and value of the colours a bit, it can make our pixels pleasant.

You’ll see here that I’ve reduced the value by 10 points making the colours a little darker and more comfortable on the eyes. You can also see the saturation decrease the further down the image the pixels are. Desaturation can also make your pixels less harsh. However, keep in mind that adjusting value and saturation will affect the mood of your game. Lighter, brighter games give off a friendly vibe while darker, desaturated games will give off a more serious vibe. You can also use these techniques on black and white pixels if you replace the white with a highly desaturated yellow and the black with a desaturated, dark purple as shown below.

Finally, if you’re looking for what colours to use in your pixel art piece or video game here’s some advice. 1) Make a colour palette – this will serve as a constant reference for what colours you’re using in the art. 2) To develop a palette, make a mock-up of your art – this will help you pick colours that work together and create a cohesive mood. 3) Remove unnecessary colours – keeping your colour palette simple or simplifying it as you go will make animation easier and make the art less noisy.

The final thing I’ll say is; use the HSV (Hue, Saturation and Value) measures and forget about RGB (Red, Green, Blue). I used RGB before this week and it pails in comparison to HSV. It might take some time to get used to, but it is crucial for nice shading, which I’ll explain later on.

Shading

To discuss shading, we’ll be using this box and this sphere. Of course, they don’t really look like a box or sphere without shading, but we’ll get to that.

Someone starting out with pixel art, like myself, would usually just adjust the saturation and value measurements of the colour to achieve a brighter or darker tone. A lower saturation will give off the impression of brightness even if the value is at 100 by moving closer towards white. Meanwhile, decreasing the value moves the colour towards black making it darker. These new colours would be applied as shadows and highlights and often with gradients moving between the colours.

However, there is a much more interesting method of shading called hue shifting. In an environment, we will have a light source which may not be 100% white light. With hue shifting, we move towards the hue of the light source for brighter colours and for darker colours we move away from that light source (typically towards the opposite colour). This is why it is so important to ditch RGB and remember the properties of the colour wheel. Below are some examples of the different types of shading: the first image is of standard shading, the second is of hue shifting, and the third is a comparison.

You’ll immediately notice hue shifting is a lot more colourful and nicer to look at than standard shading. You’ll also see some colours seem a bit off (yellow, for example, shifts too far green and orange. This is because I simply followed the numerical values of the colour wheel. When using hue shifting, DO NOT do this. It can help a bit if you need guidance, but if you strictly follow the numbers, you’ll end up with weird colours. Go with your eye and what looks best.

Now let’s apply hue shifting to our box and sphere.

Looking much better! You’ll also notice I added another highlight to the sphere. This is because the sphere is also receiving indirect light bouncing up from the ground.

The formula for hue shifting goes:

Lighter = Hue Shift – Saturation + Value

Darker = Hue Shift – Saturation – Value (you can instead add saturation if you want brighter shadows)

The extent to which you manipulate these values will be part of your art’s style.

Dithering

Another method of shading used in retro machines that can still be used today is dithering. Dithering is used by alternating between colours in a pattern to trick the brain into thinking that the colour present is a combination of two different colours. There’s a couple of different ways to dither such as:

Uniform dithering – alternating each pixel between the colours

Pattern dithering – making a pattern transition between the colours

Random dithering – scattering the pixels randomly

Dithering is useful if working with limited palettes and works great with larger pieces. However, dithering between similar colours might not make a difference, and too much dithering can make an image noisy.

Week 2 Practice

I wanted to make some fantasy RPG items for this week’s practice following HeartBeast’s and Davit Masia’s videos on item and gem icons. The first thing I did was create a colour range, as shown below. To make this, I picked out the six primary and secondary colours on the colour wheel and adjusted them to a tone that fit what I wanted. Next, I hue shifted them to create two brighter and two darker tones each.

This range allowed me to easily pick and choose colours for my colour palette. If I felt any of the colours from the range needed to be different, I just adjusted them in the palette. I decided on working with a small palette for the twelve items I was making and choose 16 colours as I was working in a 16x16 space. Within the palette, there are fifteen grids with the colour white and fourteen others. The sixteenth colour used was the black outline surrounding the palette.

I based these colours off a list of ideas I had which include health and mana potions, currency (coins, a bag of coins, gems), and weapons (bombs, sword, shield, spell scroll). To test out the colours I’d picked for my rough palette, I made line art of the items and roughly coloured in each item (Note: the grey background was not part of the colour palette).

I assessed what I had and realised I wasn’t going to use green anywhere. I removed both shades of green from the palette giving me two spaces if I needed any new colours. I then proceeded to add more detail to the icons, including shading, and outlined each object so they stood out from the background. After a while, I realised that I needed some more brown tones as the coin bag and sword lacked some necessary shading. I used the new two spots in my palette for a lighter tone and a darker tone and finished my items.

Now that I felt happy with my items, I quickly added a small shadow beneath each of the items I’d consider ‘pick-ups’ and animated them into a little GIF (apologies for the watermark). This was where I completed the piece.

Reflecting on the piece, I think the items look pretty good. The form of the sword could use some work – the addition of the outline made it a bit big, turning it into a toy sword. Also, the shading of the coin, bomb and shield could all be a bit better, but I feel like I did an ok job with the limited palette.

The End

So, that concludes this week’s learn log. Next week I’m moving away from learning the basics and starting with GUI pixel art including logos, fonts, buttons and cursors so follow my blog if you’re interested.

My learning and this blog post wouldn’t have been made possible without these amazing resources. Go check them out if you wanna learn some stuff about pixel art!

Pixel Art 101: ‘Colour Palette’ by Pixel Pete

How to Colour Pixel Art by TutsByKai

How to Pick Nice Colours by MortMort

Pixel Art 101: ‘Shading’ by Pixel Pete

Hue Shifting in Pixel Art by Brandon James Greer

Dithering and Pixel Art by Armitage Games

[Let’s Pixel] 18x18 Item Icons by HeartBeast

How to Start in Pixel Art by Davit Masia

#pixel art #pixelart #video games #learn #learning #gamedev #game dev #pixel #art

[resbang-bookclub]

AMA Transcript: Close Your Eyes

Next up, @redphlox​ & @mrsashketchum​ stopped by to chat about their Resbang, Close Your Eyes. Here’s some of what went down:

Q: What inspired the concept behind the fic?

redphlox: WELL, I've had the idea to write a left-at-the-altar fic for a while, but I never quite had it envisioned in my mind scene/plot wise. I only had the premise. Then this year I decided to research wedding planning and ask my married friends [about] their wedding planning experience, and after brainstorming/talking it out with @professor-maka​ I had a solid idea finally. I love writing about emotions, especially coming-of-age/working through difficult situations, but writing this was difficult because I've never been in that situation (being left at the altar) so it was a journey.

Q: Mak, what went into how you chose which scenes to art/gif?

Mak (mrsashketchum): I actually had to work closely with Julie on what scenes to art and for the animatic :D But for the first piece, I really loved the bathtub scene and I thought it was such a unique challenge for me to draw the backgrounds and to bring the scene to life visually :0 If it makes sense?

redphlox: Mak drew the bathtub scene first right after she read the first chapter, like she mentioned, and we worked on picking out the scene for the icon collage together! I had the characters closing their eyes during specific moments and wanted to highlight those, and Mak brought them to life!

Q: Jackie/Soul brotp is a thing that you've created in not only this fic but some of your past ones as well! What inspired that? :D

redphlox: I LOVE Jackie so much, I think it's because I see her as a snarky, quietly sarcastic type that I relate to, so writing her with grumpy ass Soul just makes sense to me. They both are so reticent in canon, it just fits to me to put them together and have them be BFFs :D

Q: Mak, what made you decide to do an animatic?? It was so cool I looooved it.

Mak (mrsashketchum): I enjoy making animatics so much and I've always wanted to be a storyboard artist. I've also been planning to make an animatic anyway for Resbang, but when I saw Julie's fic summary I knew that the animatic was absolutely something I wanted. And I thought a trailer-like thing would go very well with the story? (This is definitely not because of watching so many wedding themed movies before, nope, lol).

Q: For Julie: There were a lot of feelings spread out through the fic, some that nearly brought me to tears. Did you have the same reactions to writing it? What emotions exactly were you trying to bring out in the reader? (because you brought out a lot).

redphlox: Hmmm, well... I wanted to bring out a sense of loss in reference to relationships, and rebuilding, and growing together after the trust is lost or the other person seems to be changing in a way you aren't. I also wanted to touch on Soul and Maka's separate and individual relationships with other people outside of their relationship, if that makes sense? I also aimed to highlight all sorts of love, so it was important to me to talk about everyone's relationships with each other. Friendship, lala, haha. My reaction to writing it was... ahh, frustration, because certain scenes were beyond reasonably difficult to write.

Q: What brought about the Soul and Wes conflict? Because like I was telling you in DMs, that wounded me ahahaha it was way too real.

redphlox: The Soul and Wes conflict was something that came up as I writing. Originally Wes was supposed to be the all-knowing, all supportive and understanding brother, but the more I wrote the more Soul started to resent Wes's blind optimism, and it makes sense - Soul can be a negative person, and it seems like he needs to sulk to process, and Wes just wasn't having it. Their personalities are too different, and showing that was important because it's okay to love someone and not know how to comfort them.

Q: That felt so real julie I loved it. As the owner of many siblings it read as absolutely true. Did your life influence that?

redphlox: Wes and Soul's relationship issues are inspired by some self-reflecting I've been doing, and taking the Love Languages test and comparing it to my loved one's results.

Q: For Mak: What inspired your color palette for the bathroom scene? It was very warm and it brought out as much emotion through visuals as the words themselves did. Was that intentional?

Mak (mrsashketchum): Yes it was definitely intentional! Like I said in my previous answer, I worked so closely with Julie (we fangirled so much over everything honestly), she helped me with colors and their poses and if there were tiny details I missed. She sent me a lot of references too which is very helpful for me since I tend to make use visual references more. It's always helpful to work closely with the author so that the feeling of the artwork doesn't wholly overwhelm the feeling of the writing style? Like I wanted it to match as well :") I'm glad it turned out amazingly.

Q: I was wondering Julie how you came up with the concept of the radio confession. I loved that Jackie's show was commandeered.

redphlox: Well, I was thinking, what's the opposite of having Soul be constipated with his feelings?? Blurting them out in public of course, haha, so that's how I came up with that scene. It's the first scene I had actually, and I plotted the fic for that ending. I also have Jackie as a public figure in many of AU's, she was a blogger in my model au, so the role seems a running gag in my writing.

Mak (mrsashketchum): Constipated was the best way to describe him with his feelings.

Q: So weird question for Julie: There's a movie I remember watching years and years ago, that I was reminded of when reading the radio confession scene, unfortunately for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. Did you draw that scene up from what would have fit into the story, or were you influenced by an outside source, like perhaps that mystery movie?

redphlox: I like to listen to the morning radio and always wonder how people are brave enough to go live on air and talk about their relationships or embarrassing moments etc, so that kind of inspired the radio scene too!

Q: I really enjoyed TsuWes btw, and it's not a ship I've really seen. What made you decide on it?

redphlox: AHHH well, they're both Tall, and I love both of them so.... I made them love each other. Also the ship name WesTsu Bestu got me.

Mak (mrsashketchum): I always thought that Tsu and Wes love to tease Soul and Maka together, so the ship happened like that haha.

Q: Btw Tsubaki owning a flower shop is greaaat was that always the plan?

redphlox: Tsu owning a flower shop was also one of those things that just came about because I needed someone to deliver those "I still love you" flowers, but it fit so perfectly because of how Soul fit into learning flower arranging from her and thus getting him to stay in Death City. It was one of those things that fell into place.

Mak (mrsashketchum): Those stuff in AUs that fall into place are the best accidents, if u can call it that.

Q: Question for Mak; the animatic, that collage, the illustration; how did you manage to capture the fic in its entirety, while still giving each piece made its own personality so to speak? For example; the bathroom scene with your color choices made it warm, melancholy, touching, the watercolor for the collage was deep and soothing at the same time, intense, and the animatic, the monotones give it a blank canvas for each viewer to create their own emotional interpretation. How are you absolutely amazing I guess is my overall question??

redphlox: This is the most important question of this AMA tbh. I love the lighting in that piece akfdsgnfkdfdss. I felt it in my heart.

Mak (mrsashketchum): Oh my god. Thank u for the question!!!! I... actually honestly have no idea haha. I guess it's just that when you love a concept so much and completely have a wonderful connection with your partner that it just flows? I wanted to really make the artworks fit into the theme and the feel of the writing. I made sure that while Julie checked if my artwork had the feel she was going for, I also wanted to make sure that what I was feeling was gonna reflect on it as well. This is for the bathtub scene btw haha. The collage was actually supposed to be monochrome as well but I wanted to give it some color too? Like the fic in its entirety is just blasting with emotions? And yet it's generally so soft to me. The animatic was really supposed to have that gray background because I've seen a lot of animatics drawn that way haha. But I did make it work to my advantage that it wasn't too overwhelmingly dark but it's so that you could see the tears as well? It would be hard if the background was white and the tears were white too, right? :0

Q: By the way I loved the weddings in the fic. Like I wanted to attend them they sounded gorgeous. How did you decide on those elements?

redphlox: I have an aesthetic/personal blog where I reblog a lot of pictures of flowers and I came across one that was a ball room covered in flowers and I thought - yep, Wes and Tsu would be married here. As for Soul and Maka's wedding, I LOVE being out at night, and I love soft lighting and would like a night wedding if I ever get married, so yeah. Aesthetic, haha.

Q: How did you manage to capture a canon-like Soul in an AU?

redphlox: Ahhh I just... plot out the fic centered with feelings first and go from there.

Q: I wanna know more about this fantastic partnership. it sounds like you guys were a great team and worked so well together - any tips on communication for anyone out there who may have felt shy? Also, give us the beta comments >:)

redphlox: Okay I LOVED working with Mak! Even though we're like, what, twelve hrs time difference??? we still managed to be online at the same time and work on our projects together. She'd draw line art and show me and I'd write a scene and show her and we'd keysmash at each other. It was soooo rewarding and fun!

Mak (mrsashketchum): I would like to say that Julie and I are the Angst Twins actually. I love working with Julie too???? Like everything just really worked out.

redphlox: It wasn't even planned tbh, I would see her online and go like :eyes: and she'd be like "im working on the collage!" or vice versa. It really felt like it was OUR resbang and not just MINE y’know? Tip wise, I'd say find a platform you really enjoy being on/are available on the most and communicate through there, that really worked for Mak and I.

redphlox: Since this was a srs fic most beta comments were of surprise and like, offended bc I did something Bad.

Jaded [@jaded-envy​] made a lot of silly comments! She is amazing. Like when Maka is at the bookstore and looking up self help books for looooove, jaded titled them after some fics i've written.

Q: Question for both Mak and Julie; your partnership sounded like it flowed like a dream. Did you guys ever feel like you were overpowering one another? I know alot of partnerships struggle with the "am I bugging them too much" or "what if i'm doing it wrong" mindsets, so how did you guys get past that, for anyone who suffered from those feelings.

Mak (mrsashketchum): Oh that's actually an interesting question!  I never thought of me overpowering Julie or her overpowering over me? It's more like I want to be able to do as much work as she does? Since we're partners we must work hand-in-hand and not with one of us being the overpowering one? So to speak.

redphlox: SAME what Mak said, I always offered her to give suggestions for the fic and she always asked me for advice on colors and we listened to each other. Basically we were considerate of each other, it was/is amazing :' D

Mak (mrsashketchum): aaaaaaa true ;w; Since it is technically a partnership, we treated it as if it were like something we needed to work on together, and doing stuff at the same time really helped put it into perspective in a way?

Q: Where did the inspo from the bathtub scene came from? Did you draw from a specific experience/influence for that?

redphlox: Hmm... well, no specific experience influenced that, it just like, happened? I thought like, "ok where would Maka be if she were crying?" and it made sense to put her in the bathtub after she spilled the ink on herself, and she prob had no energy to leave, so there she stayed until Soul found her.

Q: Also Julie, I know you suffered from writers block I kicked your butt into gear once, lol. How did you overcome it? When I get to a sentence or idea that I can't exactly word or find a way to explain, I usually drop it for weeks and then come back to it. Can't do that with Resbang to an extent so how'd you get past it within a limited amount of time without rushing the pace, or glossing over an idea that was meant to be incorporated into the fic?

redphlox: ahhhh WELL, I wrote 40kish between Jan 1st and Jan 16th, so a deadline kicks me into high gear. A lot of the block was not knowing what happens in weddings and doing research tbh x) I died a little but it made me stronger.

Q: Okay you broke my heart a number of times, can you explain the thought process of why Maka never texted Soul?

redphlox: Maka was just too shook to think rationally :0 Have you ever been so anxious it feels like you're going to die? That's basically how it was for her, the emotion was too strong. She realizes later she could have done better and coming to terms that she makes mistakes is also a lesson she had to learn.

Q: How long did recording voices for the animatic take? And did you have any silly moments while doing so? haha

Mak (mrsashketchum): I actually had the weirdest time doing every voice, it's crazy. It took half an hour to be honest? It didn't need to be perfect, it just needed to have the right emotion. I had to channel every angsty fiber of my being for crying!Maka.

Q: For Mak: Do you feel like you grew in your art skills through this bang? If so, how?

Mak (mrsashketchum): I actually did grow a lot in my art skills with this bang! I felt that giving myself more challenges in backgrounds helped a lot in dealing with drawing perspective. And also with hair. I learned so much with color as well and how each shade and palette is definitely super important.

Q: What are you most proud of for the piece/pieces you did?

Mak (mrsashketchum): I’m really proud of all my pieces! But if i could only pick one then it would be the bathtub scene for sure! I spent most of my waking hours for it and I even made a 3d model for the perspective just for a reference.

Q: What are you working on next?

Mak (mrsashketchum): I’m definitely working on some more animatics and animations and my Vday art will be super late haha. Also SoMa Week is near and I'm planning really big things!

Q: Favorite/least favorite moment/scene to write?

redphlox: Mmm my fave scene to write was all of them, I felt like I looked forward to all of them now that I look back to it, if that makes sense?

Q: Hardest scene/part to write?

Redphlox: A difficult scene to write was the very end where Soul and Maka finally talk it out bc I felt that I had gotten them in SO MUCH TROUBLE that I was like "how the fffff do I fix this?" But luckily I had the best betas, jaded and proma, there as I wrote it and we were all on the doc at the same time and we were all just, live writing/betaing. I’m v happy to have explored Soul and Maka's friendships and family life. One of my favorite scenes was the scene where Liz talked Maka through some Hard Truths. I love Liz. I think there was a scene I had to delete bc it just wasn’t fitting, it was with Kim and Soul, but I ended up using bits of it later.

Q: Tell us about your writing process.

redphlox: My writing process was basically writing like a turtle at the beginning/struggling to find inspiring music to write to/plotting, and then the last bit was writing 7k daily and going !!!! internally. Lots of keysmashes to my betas.

Q: What are you most proud of this Resbang?

redphlox: Im really proud of writing and finishing this resbang tbh, I had an amazing partner and had fun with my betas, and I pushed my writing speed/abilities because I explored some feelings I hadn't ever experienced before (being left at the altar) I'm happy with the outcome!

Q: Was music important to your process at all, and if so, are there any songs/playlists that were relevant?

redphlox: Yesssss so jaded made a playlist! Lemme get it. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7rssdV2CkoNRl4-cPWuqm7ocC-QxP0Vn

Q: What are you working on next?

redphlox: Next, I'm working on plotting this year's Resbang, finishing Siren AU, writing and posting my longfic Sailor Moon AU, and aside from writing I'm working on being a better reviewer/commenter and beta :D

#AMA transcripts #close your eyes #rbbc #resbang book club #resbang 2017

[rainsonata]

Friend

Fandom/Shipping(s): Elsword; none Rating: K Word Count: 3,556

Summary: It started with Time’s black nails.  Time became friends with Arc as he wondered when his dad would come home.  MMLP Modern AU developed with @blazingsnark, where MM and LP are single dads to AT and PT.    

Note:  Rest of MMLP Modern AU can be found here.      

The lights were off when Time turned the doorknob with one hand and entered the unlocked classroom.  With the flip of a switch, light flooded the empty room and blinded him for a moment before he blinked to adjust his eyes.  He threw his backpack on his desk near the back, where he could avoid the teacher’s judgmental sight and went to write the date and period on the whiteboard with a purple marker he always brought with him.  

He couldn't pretend to be the student that said they loved school, it sounded too nerdy and uncool.  It was hard to place his thoughts on what school was aside from what it was supposed to be: a place to go to everyday because it was his job and there was nowhere else for him, like it was Dad's job to go to work and come home if he remembered.  Not too different from what he did every day. 

Even though the optometrist warned not to, Time rubbed the patch covering his left eye.  It was hard not to.  They said it was temporary and that eye needed rest, but he felt ridiculous wearing it when it made him look like an anime character.  He paused on that thought with amusement.  Being an anime character sounded easier than going to middle school.  They spent more time saving the world than studying or worrying about what other kids said about each other.  

The clock’s big hand pointed to the number five when the door slammed open, hitting the wall adjacent to it with a thud.  He jolted from where he stood, still at the board and gazing at the schedule written from last week.  Standing at the door wasn't the teacher, but a student.  They walked to where Time was and stared at his writing with disapproval.  

“Morning,” Time greeted them.  

“So you're the one writing on the board,” they mumbled, grimacing like there was something on his face.  “Did you finish last weekend’s homework?”

“A little,” Time lied.  Of course he finished it, and the reading too.  “You're early today.”  He gestured his hand over to the clock.

They grabbed his arm and raised it to reveal black nails painted on all five digits, “Hey, Halloween’s over.”

Time’s mind froze, wide eyed that this was happening.  He threw his arm the opposite direction, ripping it away from them with shame and rage floating through his mind.  So what if he thought black nails were cool after watching his cousin paint her nails before asking if he wanted to learn.  He thought black nails would be better than the red nail polish his cousin wanted to apply on him.  

“You're weird,” they commented while Time struggled to conjure something to say.  He was never one to really talk back and he didn't want to deal with this person either.  

Time shrunk away from their words and sank back his seat with dread.  He should have spoken up when he had the chance, but something stopped him from even moving his lips.  The student was already walking away and talking to someone else in the classroom, no point in trying.  It would make him sound like he's trying too hard to sound tough.  

“Are you okay?”

Time turned to see his neighbor look at him with concern, fluffy jacket ruffled as he slipped it off his back to reveal a boy with white hair.  Huh...Arc was early today, an unusual gesture when he was almost always late to homeroom.  

“It's nothing,” Time shook his head, although he glanced at his nails again.  They were a little off and he could have done a better job with the coating, but he thought they were good for the first time.  

“Did you paint your nails black?” Arc asked.  Oh no, not him too… “Cool!”

Was this guy stupid?  Time checked his face if he was joking, but saw the other smiling with that dumb fringe flopped over one side of his face.  Arc usually talked to other people around them, why him today?  He did well on tests, so it couldn't be to copy off him.  

“Um...sure,” was all Time could muster, uncomfortable of being stared at.  They sat next to each other in three periods, why was this awkward?

“Can you show me how to do that?” Arc asked, “Wanna hang out sometime?”

“For what?” That came out more blunt than intended.  Time mumbled a sorry, but Arc wasn't fazed and laughed.  

“I dunno,” he shrugged.  “The mall?  The arcade?”

There was an arcade close to his house, but he never went inside before.  It was always dark when he peeked inside with neon lights flashing from the machines with teenagers shrieking.  He wasn't sure if he wanted to go in.  

“Don’t we have a test coming up?” Time asked.

“Gross,” Arc said with no sign of worry about said test.   

What was he doing saying no to someone wanting to hang out with him?  Test or not, he had more than enough time to study for it.  Arc was annoying and talked a lot in class, but never intentionally bothered him or tried being snarky to him, although the occasional snide comments he made in class were worth a chuckle.  

“Okay, but it’s Friday.” Arc waved his hand, “Who studies on Fridays?”

Heat traveled up Time’s ears as he stopped himself from blurting out embarrassing things that could only mess him up further.  Okay, so maybe he had too much time, but did Arc have to make it sound stupid?  Pushing aside his pride from telling Arc to fuck off, Time rubbed his face to see that it was still hot.  He needed to stop overreacting to stuff like this before turning permanently red.

Time said.  “What’s so special about this arcade that I can’t do the same at home?”

“One, it has the newest, coolest, games, like that shooting game that lets you fight as a robot.  Two, awesome prizes.  They’re going to put up that new console when it comes out and there’s even a hoverboard!  Glide to class in style and never being late to class again.”  Arc demonstrated himself balancing on his seat with a stupid grin.  “And three, they have the best fries.”    

“I think you need that hoverboard more than me,” Time snorted.  “The Switch isn’t coming out for another year and what game are you even going to get with that?”

“What I’m trying to say here is, you’re missing out.”  

Time asked, “You’re not going to make me do stupid dumb like karaoke, are you?”

“What?  No!” Arc laughed, “But if you want…”

Time placed his hand in front of Arc to shut up, “Tell me about those games.”    

Arc had a jacket too big for his size thrown over his shoulders and his shoes half way done when Time caught up later that day.  When they stepped inside, bright lights flickered from giant screens coming from different directions and packed with people.    

The ceiling was decorated like the night sky with dim lights, packed with arcade games that would make any teen burn away their week’s saving on the whim.  Shooting games, claw machines, rhythm games, and many untranslated games imported from a foreign country flashed in blinding colors, but that made Time as ecstatic as Arc, who was beaming.   

“You haven't been here, right?” Arc led him through the rows of machines.  “I have enough for some games, so we can use my card.  I almost have enough tickets for the big prize.”

Oh, he wanted him to help earn tickets.  Time thought it made sense, seemed fair since this was Arc’s money they were using.

“I’ve spent months trying to win this and Psych’s been helping me too,” Arc said as he led him through the side of the arcade that led to a room filled with prizes hanging off shelves and set behind glass cases.  Tags hung over all of them with big numbers to indicate the tickets required to trade for them.    

There were necklaces, stickers, plastic figurines on the lower shelves, stuff Time assumed to be the ones requiring less tickets.  On the higher shelves were stuffed animals of standard size, star shaped lamps, even game consoles.  Standing in the back was a black rabbit plush with pink beaded eyes, the size of a small child and easily taking up half of his bed if he was to measure it.

“What are you looking at?” Arc asked when he caught Time staring at the plush.

Time averted his eyes, careful not to look at Arc either, “So what’s the prize?”  He scanned the shelves for what he thought Arc would have his eyes fixed on.  What could Arc want that costed so much?

“There’s a steel metal frame bike back there,” Arc pointed to the one sitting behind the counter, “It can do tricks and it’s supposed to be fast.”

“Neat,” Time leaned over to see the black handlebar sticking out.  It had silver linings too and the cushion seat didn’t look uncomfortable, better than the ones used for kid bikes.  It was no surprise that it was one of the more expensive prizes.  “You really think we can win enough for it?”  

“If we play enough, yeah.”  Arc waved his card around and flashed a grin, “Don’t bother with the claw machines.  The real money comes from the shooters.”  

“You mean that new game they just released?”

Giant robots, feminine looking men, and girls in skimpy outfits holding laser guns several times their size seemed to be the aesthetic when Time saw the posters.  It didn’t take long to find the machine.  It was the newest one with polished screens and it had a line.  A pink haired girl with an energetic voice greeted them when they swipe Arc’s card to begin.  It took another few minutes for them to get past the character selection page - no customizing, but plenty of characters pick and choose.  

“We get two guns?” Time almost dropped his when he discovered it was two guns held together by a magnetic force.  He glanced over his shoulder to mirror Arc, who separated the two and pointed at the screen to select the ready button.  It was a shooting game, couldn’t be too complicated.   

There wasn’t much time for talk because the game threw them head first into a city empty of civilians and filled with robots.  The cheery voice from the title screen was back and throwing them orders in a language neither could understand.  All Time could do was use the icons and green arrows for guidance as he and Arc attempted to follow the game’s cue to fulfill its demands.     

“Got it!” Arc cheered when he shot down a few robots and slammed the two guns together for a bigger shot, “Did you see that?”  

Time looked over to see a cleared screen of enemies fading into the background before another wave showed up.  He gasped in shock when he turned back to see his character was losing too much health and slapped his finger into the trigger to clear his own screen.  

“Is that it?” Time frowned when there was a delay on both of their screens.  How many kills did Arc have?  

There was a loud sound coming from their screens when a bigger robot crashed in with a thud, only allowing giving Time a couple of seconds to move his character to narrowly avoid getting hit before shooting at it.  He saw Arc follow suit, but he was less than lucky and had half of his health points lost.  After they finished off the final boss, a smaller screen with red numbers popped out to display their scores, comparing their number of kills and health lost.

It was a tie.  

Time wiped his brow, still in awe when he looked away from the screen.  His eyes felt strange looking into darkness again after the rainbow flood his vision.  He had to grasp the head of his seat when he got off to avoid falling over.  They had to play that again.  

“Look at how much we won,” Arc ripped out a line of tickets for show.  “Seven tickets each, that’s fourteen.”

Time grabbed his tickets from Arc with a content expression, “How many tickets did you say you needed?”

As they jumped to the next machine, Time found himself lost in the midst of it all.  There was no feeling of rush when they ran through the rhythm games or when Arc tried to pull something from the claw machine with no success.  It wasn’t until he checked his phone did he realize how much time has passed.  

“I should have been home an hour ago,” Time groaned, “Dad won’t be happy.”  

“I can’t come over?” Arc sounded guilty.  “We can study if you want, I have my stuff.”

“I guess you can,” Time said.

Well...if they were studying, maybe Dad would let it slip when it’s related to school.  Time prayed that his dad wouldn’t mind having someone over when he didn’t warn him ahead of time.  He texted him anyway when they left the arcade to be safe, but not before he stole a glance from the black rabbit at the prize shop.  Maybe he could come back alone next time.          

They were greeted by an empty house when they stepped into Time’s house with their backpacks on the floor.  It was well furnished with a black sofa pushed against lavender painted walls and a chair to the side with a coffee table in the middle to match with the furniture.  Books cluttered the bookshelves and the white carpet didn’t look past a day of its installment.  The only signs of someone living in the house was a black cat using the scratch post in the corner when it heard its owner and started meowing.  Ah...Paranoia was hungry.    

After feeding the cat and fixing up a quick after school snack of cheese and crackers, they sat on the living room floor with their legs crossed and their backpacks on the opposite side of them.  Textbooks and notes spread out with pens and papers scattered on the coffee table.  

“Have you ever tried painting your nails other colors?” Arc asked as he flipped over to skim over the review questions at the end of the chapter, pressing his finger into temple in concentration.  

“Black is a better color,” Time said without second thought, never mind that he knew Arc was trying to change topics to avoid studying his least favorite subject.  He thought it was funny watching his friend make a face at the history book cover.  “What answer did you get for the last question?”

“A person living under a king or dictator,” Arc checked his book to see if he was right and sighed.  “Yeah, black is awesome, but what if you painted it blue or green?  Or rainbow?” He asked with a mischievous gleam in his eyes.  

“No one is going to take me seriously,” Time complained.  “How about I add sparkles to your nails and make it rainbow.”  

“Ooh, scary.”  The other laughed at his threat, “You don’t know how to do that.” 

He painted his nails with one color before, but six?  Time wasn’t sure if he had enough faith in his nail painting skills when he had only done it a few times, although painting Arc’s nails in bright neon colors wasn’t a bad idea.  

“I can always watch videos to learn how,” Time grinned.

Arc turned to make a comeback, but his expression faltered when the door opened.   

Walking into the living room was a man somewhere in his thirties, wearing a black turtleneck with a white labcoat in his arms.  His face was as pale as Time’s when Esper saw the eleven year olds sitting on the floor.

“D-dad, you’re home early,” Time squeaked.  There weren’t any texts from him mentioning coming home today, did something happen?   

“Lab closed early today because the boss’s kid got sick,” Esper said.  “Did I interrupt something?”

“No, we’re almost done.”  Time shook his head, still getting over that his dad was home and it wasn’t a weekend.  The next holiday wouldn’t be for another month or so and Esper wasn’t sick.   

Esper nodded at Arc, “I’m Time’s father.  And you are...”  

“Arc, sorry for intruding,” Arc said with pink cheeks.  

“You’re welcome to come here if Time invites you,” Esper said, but he looked like he would rather be somewhere else.  He glanced at Arc’s features with an unreadable expression, eye moving over to scrutinize Time.  

Time wished he yelled at Arc to stay a little bit longer because when he left, the house was silent again.  He knew Esper was going to bombard him with questions because it has been years since he last invited someone his age to come over like this.  The kitchen smelled of Esper’s amazing cooking, but it didn’t make up for the awkwardness between father and son.  

“I bought you new nail polish,” Esper said when they were at the table.  “It’s the brand you wanted.”  

Time smiled in appreciation that Esper remembered, even if he only said it once or twice when he ran out of black nail polish.         

“So, where is that from?” Esper saw a new addition hanging off his backpack.  It was a keychain of a monster from one of those handheld games, a turtle with a plant sprouting from its back. “I don’t remember buying that.”    

“Arc gave it to me,” Time said.  In the end, there wasn’t enough tickets for the bike, but impulse fell over them and they agreed to get keychains from the prize shop.  He had a turtle and Arc got the penguin.  There was a third one, a monkey, but Arc took it and said he thought it was funny looking.  As long as it went under one hundred tickets, no harm.  “We went to the arcade and won them.  We studied too, I’ll clean up-”

“We can clean up later,” Esper said, uncomfortable when Time gave him that wide eyed look at the word ‘we’.  “Um...  work gave me vacation next month and Christmas is coming up.  We’ll have a few free weeks and plane tickets will be gone quick.  Is there anywhere you want to go?”  

Last year, they went to the tropical islands and he got to skip a few days of school early with Esper telling the teachers he was sick.  The water was warm and clear unlike the cloudy river not too far from their house and the sand was as fine as silk.  He liked the idea of going somewhere where work couldn’t call Esper away from him, but then he thought about Arc, who didn’t mention about going away for Christmas.  If he went away, that meant being away from home and by the time they get back, he would have to worry about school again.   

“We don’t have to go anywhere,” Time stared at his feet, away from Esper’s surprised expression.  “Can we spend Christmas at home this year?  And drink hot chocolate like we did with M-, the other year?”  

Esper’s hot chocolate wasn’t the premade ones that came in packets from the supermarket, but homemade from years of experimenting and the cookies that came along with it always had the right amount of sugar.  He used to let Time decorate them with buttercream frosting from a recipe they found online that no longer existed.  With ugly sweaters and blanket draped, it was almost easy to forget it was snowing outside.       

The man turned off the stove and went to grab two plates for them, not answering immediately with a stiff expression on his face while calculating a proper response.  When he came back with food, he placed them at the table, biting his cheek with his eyes blinking.   

“You want to stay home?” Esper handed the utensils from the drawer to Time for him to set up the table.  “If that’s what you want…”

The man was startled when Time pulled him into a tight hug, arms wrapped around his thin waist with his head against his chest.  Esper gave him awkward pats on the head, but didn’t wriggle out of the embrace and let Time stay there. 

Esper relaxed when they separated from the hug.  Today’s dinner was different for many reasons.  For Time, it was sitting at a table with Esper instead of coming home to leftovers with a text from him that he was going to be late again.  For Esper, it was harder to tell, but Time thought it was because he was having a good day to be away from work.  Even though the holidays were still a month away, he wished for November to pass by faster so he could get to spending time with Esper and hanging out with Arc.  

After he helped washed the dishes and brought his stuff back to his room.  Time said nothing when he joined Esper in the living room to clear his books and learning material, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he should have said something.  Perhaps he was wrong in thinking spending time with him was all it took to make Esper happy.      

Author Notes: I have no excuse in writing this except I want happy Time to be friends with Arc and Psych so he won’t be lonely ; w;.  I haven’t introduced Psych yet, but I want to in another fic.  Please let these children be happy.  I decided to write from Time’s POV because I realized I’ve never done that before, so I wanted to change that and practice writing from someone else’s perspective.  Thank you @dezimaton and @zeloree for beta reading and helping me out with the details!

#elsword #elgag #add (elsword) #arc tracer #time tracer #diabolic esper #modernmmlp #mywriting #my writing #elsword fanfiction

[delamd-blog]

STORY TIME!

This is the story of my life before medicine proper--- my Nursing journey! This is my first year or at least, what I could remember from it.

USTET, Interview and Admission

Fun fact, when I was in high school I was actually torn between Architecture and Nursing. I put both courses when I took my Ustet exam (which was uneventful so I won’t even bother writing about that). I passed Nursing and but failed in Arki so I just accepted the fact na maybe that path really isn’t for me. Besides, ever since I was in grade school I’ve always wanted to pursue something that would eventually prepare me for Medicine anyway. For Ustet just bring a jacket, pencils and your eraser. I also took the upcat and acet and compared to those two tests, ustet seemed easier. Just remember that the opposite of love is indifference. (Ayan may 1 point ka na haha)

Before getting officially accepted into nursing, you have to undergo an interview. I remember that I was last in my batch (This always happens, swear. I was last to get interviewed in FEU med din lol). They asked me easy questions like “Tell me something about yourself.” “What are your parents’jobs?” “Why did you choose UST Nursing?”. They also asked me about current issues that may affect me (?) to which I had no idea what to answer lol. I can’t remember who interviewed me but thanks ma’am for passing me hope I made you proud. ^_^v

Dorm Life 

After a while, I got formally accepted into the program and I had to move in to Manila. This is probably the toughest part honestly. I was a naive probinsya all alone in the harsh Manila world. I chose a solo room in Lacson (but I don’t recommend this dorm lol) na walking distance lang to dapitan gate coz my mom didn’t like the idea of me commuting everyday especially since I was new to the area. We had to buy everything talaga like foam for solo bed, air-con, refrigerator, rice cooker and printer. So if you’re moving into an unfurnished room, be financially prepared. If you wanna save money, join the Dorm Hunters group in facebook and look for a roommate. There are also several fully furnished rooms in Espana or Sun Residences in Rotonda.  

Food Struggles

Okay so after moving in, I had to figure out where to buy food. In Lacson, there’s Jollibee and Mcdo. If you turn a corner, just go around Dapitan street and there are plenty of restaurants and food stalls. There’s KFC, Wendy’s, Army Navy and further along is Starbucks. If you’re into saving money, just be adventurous and go try the different food stalls. One of my all time favorites in Chowpoint in Rosarito street with milktea from Simple Line. If you love milktea, boi, you’re gonna have a grand time. Ang daming shops around. Hindi ka mauubusan. If you’re feeling adventurous you can go to the other sides of UST, like P.Noval and even all the way to Espana. The food scene is always changing so be adventurous. 

Welcome Walk

Don’t miss this event! This is very iconic and it’s the perfect start to your Thomasian journey. You get to enter the Arch of the Centuries (careful though. Legend says you’re not supposed to exit the Arch coz it will lead to your debarment). Every year the nursing central board of students work hard to come up with a theme and make props. Thank them when you see them. They’ll be your Ates and Kuyas for the upcoming year. When I talked to the upper classmen they even offered to sell their secondhand books for low prices.

Books and Uniform

Don’t buy books unless your prof requires it. You’ll probably be required to buy the anatomy book, the lab manuals and the math book coz it has the sheets for your seat works that you will pass. Most books for minor subjects you can buy from your upperclassmen. If you’re okay with pdfs, some books on major subjects are available online. Or just ask your senpais for help.

For the uniform, there is only one place you should go to and that is Aling Ising’s. You can finer her shop sa Lacson. Diretsong lakad lang sya once you cross the pedestrian lane from Jollibee Lacson to the other side. The sign is small though so be alert if it’s your first time going there. Yung style namin ng mom ko is we just followed the other nursing people na nakasabay ko nung enrollment hahaha

Quota Grade & Summer Term

Nursing is tough. It’s a quota course and they eliminate the people who don’t make it to a certain general weighted average (GWA). This was a constant source of anxiety for me. I always felt like I wasn’t good enough or ang stupid ko naman but eventually I just realized that I’m naturally weak in some subjects and strong in others. So my technique was just to pass those subjects na I suck at and then actively participate in classes where I’m good at so I can pull my grade up. Theology for example is a subject ignored by most but look at the bearing that it has on your grade.  

Chemistry by far was the most challenging at that time. I literally have no idea how I got my grade there kasi I had no idea what was going on. I remember we had to work individually but also as a group? And we had to report to the class din. If the reporter failed to cover the topic properly then the class suffers coz bahala kayo iresearch kung ano man yung correct answer sa questions ng prof. Dark times for me. And this carries on to the next semester. Ugh.

In first sem you also have general psychology but for some reason in my head, mas mahirap yung first year psych compared to third year psych lol Or maybe kasi you basically have no prior knowledge about it. I don’t recall much here except yung interesting tidbits like yung aso ni Pavlov.

In second sem, you get Anatomy and Physiology which is a subject that I took for granted. Haha never forget the things that you’ve learned here because this will be the foundation of the things you will tackle in all the other years. Plus, sa board exam namin may questions about basic anatomy and ang daming nadali hahahaha.

For summer term we got Health Assessment lecture and lab. This is something that you have to keep in mind. Because on your second year, you’ll have your duty na and you will use these assessment skills to assess the needs of your client and this will help you form a nursing diagnosis. So try to store these things in your long term memory. Don’t make the same mistakes we did lol

Always do your best but don’t forget to have fun. First year may seem so hard but before you know it, boom, it’s done. You’ll be second year and you’ll get your caps and pins na. One step closer to your dream.

That’s all for now.

In the future, I’ll write more.

See you around!

#premed #nursing #ust #ustnursing #real life #ultimate guide #freshman #survival guide #first year #freshie #ust nursing

[thegroovethief]

#TGTfeature 012: Bukkha [Moonshine Recordings/Dub-Stuy Records/Infernal Sounds: Valladolid, Spain] Diving deeply back into the bass bins, following France’s digital reggae extraordinaire Manudigital, it is #TGTfeature 012 with heavyweight producer Bukkha, an American based out of Spain. The audio interview was featured on KGNU Community Radio's "Dub Palace" show. This and forthcoming #TGTfeature articles will highlight dedicated musical talents by featuring their recent work as well as an in-depth interview. The low-end enthusiast has released weighty wax on respected labels and tested sound systems around the globe. While he works with a range of tempos and styles, there’s always a sense of dub, or at least dub wisdom, in his work. Prior to his Denver debut at The Black Box, Bukkha spoke about his production work, his Preacha project, limited-edition vinyl, working with vocalists, and much more. A bit about Bukkha: - Heavyweight bass producer, he’s maintained a strong relationship with Moonshine Recordings while also working with labels like Dub-Stuy, Grand Ancestor, Infernal Sounds, Lion Charge, and ZamZam Sounds - Known for his stellar vocal collaborations – a recent example is the grime/trap cut “Chasing Dreams” featuring Rider Shafique - His late-2018 mix for Moonshine is filled with forward-thinking productions, many his own, and demonstrates the potency of proper dubwise sound system music

TGT: How'd your upcoming USA tour come together - seems you're bouncing around a bit? B: I don't know, everything just panned out really well. I ended up hitting up the cities that I didn't get to last year really, for the most part. You know Arcada, Portland, Denver, San Antonio, Maui, so, it's very exciting really. TGT: Yeah, yeah, and a bit eclectic as well... B: Definitely all over the US man, like kind of circular in a way. Oh yeah shoot, even Miami, how I can forget Miami, I'm so excited to go back to Miami. TGT: At this point in your career, do you find it more fun to be still going to new places, do you also enjoy going back to a crowd you've had success with before, and now you're being welcomed again with open arms? B: Both man, both. It's always nice to go to somewhere new, but it's kind of like a home situation - you go to one place, and you've made a really great impression, so like everybody's waiting for you to get back and rock it. Yeah, I just find myself in that position now too, where I can go back to a place, feel welcome, everybody's looking forward to it. It's either as good, or even better than the last time. TGT: Glad to hear that, I know a lot of effort goes into putting these overseas tours together, and do you know big differences between being booked in Spain and mainland Europe, compared to the UK and the US? Or do you feel like the scenes are pretty equal in their expectations and taste? B: Well, I mean, here's the thing, it's like, I think that if you get booked and people go there to see you, then they kind of know what to expect. I don't - I mean I guess I might - surprise people with some of the stuff that I play sometimes because I kind of am all over the place; just like my productions really, I do a lot of steppers, a lot of dub/reggae stuff, but at the same time, I've made dubstep early on, and just starting messing a bit more with drum n bass and jungle, kind of jukey stuff, all that get stuff gets thrown into my sets. I try to add a little something for everybody. TGT: So that means you're not letting the larger perceptions, like that Europeans only love steppers, for example, you're not letting that impact your selections on any given night? B: No, no, no, no. Not at all. TGT: You just mentioned a lot of different genres, has that been part of you as Bukkha, or is that you wanting to get out of the 140 box? B: Ooh - both. Both. And I mean, everybody's gotta grow, I definitely don't want to just stay stuck in a genre or a certain tempo and it keeps things a little bit more interesting. I've done everything from like, I think the slowest tune I've done is 110, and now even I'm working close to the 200bpm range, which I mean would really be 96-99bpm but you know... so yeah, I'm really just all over the place, because I don't want to get bored with it. For me, even when I go to shows, four or five hours of the same stuff, it just kind of gets, for me, a little boring, I just like a little variety. So I do that with my productions as well. I don't want people to get sick of me, too, I think that's probably like a fear, I definitely don't want people to get sick of me, like 'oh shit, here's Bukkha again with some stepper, or here comes some dubstep' - you know, just switch it up man. TGT: That is good advice for all producers, right? Mixing it up is not a bad thing, even if you're well-known for a certain sound. B: Exactly, exactly.

Chasing Dreams by Preacha ft Rider Shafique

TGT: And, can you talk a bit about the relationship between Bukkha and Preacha, your newer project (or alter-ego?) - how do you describe it? B: Man, alright, so here's the thing. Preacha was originally supposed to be kind of like a digital reggae project. That's what I was gonna do. And then somewhere along the way, the new tune I did with Rider Shafique, it was not digital reggae at all, it was just like more grimey, I guess trap, I keep wanting to call it that. I don't know, I'm not even limited with that project anymore, whatever happens, happens. I think the next Preacha project is gonna be like jungle/drum n bass, that's what I'm gonna shoot for. I don't know, so we'll see what happens. TGT: That means, maybe you started Preacha with more of a firm line dividing the two, but then that's kind of disappeared...? B: Exactly, I don't why, but yeah, that's just how it's kind of worked out. TGT: Will we get to hear more of these digital reggae productions though, since that's actually one of my favorite styles of music ever? B: Yeah, actually, yeah man. I'm still gonna do it, and I'm still gonna try and put them out on NICEUP! as Preacha is exclusive to NICEUP! Records. I've sent the label owner, Shepdog, some of the newer stuff, and he's like 'oh no, I love it, I love it, let's try and get a vocalist on it.' So yeah, the last couple of things have been more digital reggae, but also with the intention of maybe trying to go jungle and drum n bass. TGT: And those are working in very similar bpms really, like Chopstick Dubplate they do a lot of jungle obviously, but then they'll have reggae remixes that are basically just cutting the tempo in half, right? B: Yep, yep. TGT: Does that mean you've already got some vocalists lined up for that, or is that still in the works right now? B: Still in the works, definitely got some vocalists in mind, but you know, still gotta see how I get them. That's always the toughest part is communication. TGT: Do you find that you're wanting to go back to vocalists you've worked with - you know given the success of the Rider Shafique track are you hoping to do more with him? - or do you view that as 'that was great' but who else can I work to bring a new tone and new lyrical perspective to your production work? B: Actually, let's see. I've worked a lot with Junior Dread and he's been great. I think I'm kinda gonna give him a little break since we did quite a few tunes together. I've got Killah P on some tunes TGT: Including Dub-Stuy right? B: Exactly, that's how it all first came about. Rider, we've got a couple of things as well, so yeah. I think it's on my last Mooncast mix, I put him in there. I don't know, sometimes it just depends on the tune, you might have a vision, who you want to hear on the tune, but I'm always open to working with new people, and also old, familiar faces. If it works, it works. TGT: I don't wanna get too in-depth on the business side here, but what's your approach to find a new singer to work with? Are you doing this all through Facebook or since you have relationships with a lot of record labels, are they able to help? B: It's a good mix man, most of the time it's me going on Facebook and reaching out, if it just seems like there's a bunch of circles to go through, then I'll reach out to a label... let's say I send an instrumental to a label, and they're like 'this is tune is great, but it could really use a vocalist' or something like that. So I'm like 'OK,' and then you talk about it, and then they might make a recommendation and then they reach out because they might have the link. It's definitely a mix. TGT: And does that mean you've kind of got a dream list of vocalists that you're hoping to work with? B: Yeah [laughs], there's a list, but that list is kind of getting smaller and smaller, as I've been pretty fortunate in working with a good bit of vocalists lately. TGT: Definitely, but I do know you're not scared of sampling classic Jamaican sounds. B: Not at all [laughs].

TGT: I think the most notable recent release is that absolutely killer "Discjockey" with Dubbing Sun... so how did that collaboration come about, since I know Dubbing Sun do a lot of work with Digid usually, so what brought you together, and why'd you decide to tackle such an iconic vocal? B: Well, I was in Austria last year, like around this time, and they had helped set up a couple of gigs for me, so after my gig with Dubbing Sun out in Austria, we just kind of kicked it for a whole week and we worked on a good bit of tunes. Right there and then we had started "Stop Dem" - TGT: the b-side on that? B: - yeah, exactly, the flip. And it was just so weird because we were talking about the WAR label, and we're like we really miss that label they have some really great tunes, blah blah blah, and then maybe a month or two later DJ Madd reached out to me and he was like 'hey, you got some tunes for WAR?' I'm like 'whaaat - what's going on here?' I mean, it was honor, first of all, that he reached out; secondly, we already had one tune, and then I was like 'yo, yo, David' - that's Dubbing Sun - 'David, you got another sample somewhere around there?,' a sample you know, we can use for a tune? And he was all pumped man, he couldn't believe it either. So he was like, let me reach out to one of the other guys from Dubbing Sun because it's a collab project, and so he got that "Disc Jockey" sample going on - it's like 'oh bro, this is perfect.' And the funny thing about that tune was it started off as another stepper, so we're gonna have two stepper tunes on there. When I sent it to Madd, he goes like, 'this sounds great, but can we do more of a dubstep version of this?' And I was like 'ahhhh man, alright, cool.' So we did that, we just switched it up and then it completely took on a whole new body and it sounded great. The other one, the stepper version, is like a dubplate song. Somebody's gonna be lucky enough to hear it whenever I play out. TGT: Well, keep in mind you're coming to Denver soon - B: yeah [laughs] TGT: - we're happy to hear that! And related to that, I wanted to ask, what are your thoughts on these limited edition vinyl-only releases? WAR is 500 copies, it's a very very limited thing... B: Man, OK - it's kind of a double-edged sword, I think [sighs]. OK, like, this is gonna sound really funny: I don't play vinyl, but I love collecting it. I might play it at the house and stuff, but it never leaves my home. I treasure it. But nowadays, people seem to be, or promoters might look at, Spotify, and look how many plays you might have on Spotify. And if you've only got a vinyl-only release, it's not showing up on Spotify. It's either or, I don't know how much it affects what... me personally, I like them. Some exclusive thing, whoever got it, got it. And that person either is gonna collect it and/or play it out. And then only that person has it, which I think is cool. It does give it a certain exclusivity, not everybody should have the tune, because then everybody's just gonna play the same tunes over again, and over and over and over again. TGT: But I suppose you're in a better position because you've got the digital right [laughs]? B: [laughs] Yeah, exactly, I don't know - it's cool, I mean - I made it [laughs]. TGT: I do want to kind of rewind because I noticed an interesting thing... you mention very specifically on your Facebook profile that this started as a bedroom project and it's obviously evolved well beyond that, while I find a lot of producers kind of want to pretend that they didn't start in a bedroom and that they just magically emerged on a club floor with ten killer 'plates you know - so why have you decided to include that in how you present yourself, and do you think that's an important message for other DJs? B: To be honest, I really never gave it much thought you know? For me, it just really is how it started. And the thing is, I didn't start making dubstep. Like, I was just making... weird music. Like weird instrumental music. When I first started I was listening to a lot of Radiohead, Mogwai, Explosions In The Sky, these bands... when I first started they really blew my mind. Then I started getting more into the avant garde electronic stuff, like Squarepusher, Luke Vibert/Wagonchrist, Aphex Twin - so I was like 'man, how are they doing this stuff?' So I was just in my bedroom trying to do this sort of stuff. TGT: What time period would that be? B: Oh - let's see, this was probably in 2004-2005, I was in the last couple years of my college career and I was kind of looking for an outlet too, you get senioritis and just looking for something to get rid of that stress, and yeah, I was doing that... and what was funny also, Luke Vibert was doing grime and I guess dubstep-ish beats, but I didn't know what it was called, it just sounded really good to me, really bass-heavy and all that stuff. And basically, when the Dubstep Warz show with Mary Anne Hobbs came on, a friend showed it to me and I was just like 'holy crap, this is what that is, alright.' So I don't know, that sound just kind of stuck with me, and I kind of stuck with it, and practiced it, and not even gonna say mastered it because it's still evolving and there's nothing to master - you do what you do and hope that somebody likes it I guess. But I think really as long as the producer likes it, then other people will like it, too. You believe in your product, so to speak. TGT: For sure, you need to right? If you as a music-maker are satisfied with what you've made, then I don't think it an inappropriate assumption that there will be listeners out there who want to hear it, so the challenge is more getting that music to the right people, yeah? B: Exactly, exactly.

TGT: What methods do you use to try and reach fans at this point in time, or do you feel like you've gotten over that initial hill of exposure? B: Luckily, I've been working with the right labels for what I do. And because of that, then more labels have reached out, and they kind of know what they're gonna get from me. Although man, it's still is kind of just tough, because I might want to experiment a little bit more, and it just might not fit a certain... so, the only other thing that helps is doing mixes, or guest mixes for radio shows, and if somebody hears it and really likes it - that's great. The last mix that I did for Moonshine, that was a great help, and the timing was perfect. Everybody was heading out to Outlook [Festival], so a lot of people were downloading it, and then I reposted it again after Outlook, and even more people started downloading it, because there were like some tunes in there that, I didn't know but Mala and Truth and N-Type were like pushing at Outlook, so people were like 'well, who did this tune' and they saw that it was me, and it was like holy crap. So yeah man, the timing was perfect for that mix. I think it surprised a lot of people because it included a lot of stuff that they just didn't expect from me because I had been doing more dubwise stuff. TGT: Yeah, and does that mean you're maybe trying to get a step away from always having there be a Jamaican air, shall we say? B: No man, not really, it's always gonna be a part of my sound I think. I'm a sucker for delays and spring crashes, so that's always just gonna be a part of my sound I think, I think no matter what I do it's always gonna be a part of that project... TGT: I did want to ask a bit more, I've really enjoyed that Moonshine mix, that's the one that came out about five months ago, so we're talking October 2018... you've had a very long relationship with Moonshine, so how did that relationship first come to be, and does that mean we're going to see more Bukkha out on Moonshine in 2019? B: Yeah, yeah, there's - alright, well my relationship with Moonshine was - let's see, 2019... - almost ten years, I think it probably started around 2011. That relationship started because of Radikal Guru, so I had known Radikal Guru since the beginning of both of our careers - quote unquote careers, because I've never really had a career [laughs]. So yeah, because of him I linked with Moonshine, and Moonshine gave me the first remix opportunity. And they've been wanting tunes, but for whatever reason I just - I don't know, because I had a regular job, I never saw it as 'I need to this, I can do that.' I was happy with just my regular job and making music on the side, so you know, that was that. But always, I just kept sending them tunes so they might want to play or maybe release. And it did take a while, I think I got my first release on Moonshine in 2016. The recent mix that I did has a lot of forthcoming tunes, but not all of them are Moonshine. Some of them are gonna be Infernal Sounds, the more dubstep ones... and then a good bit of them are gonna be on Moonshine actually. TGT: How often does your name get brutally mispronounced? B: Ooh, more than mispronounced, misspelled. Which I think is really funny. And you know what, recently I just found out that in I guess Croatian - I'm hoping that's the language they speak in Croatia - Bukkha means noise, it translates to noise. I thought that was pretty funny, oh shit man, that could be another meaning to my name, noise [laughs]. TGT: So what was the original inspiration then, because in some ways you know, Bukkha has a very dubstep feel to it, but it's not a word, right? B: Exactly, exactly. OK, long story short, basically I got the name from - I don't know how many people remember the show Wildboyz, it was the spinoff of Jackass - so in one of the episodes, I forget, Steve-O and the other guy [Chris Pontius], they go to India and they spend time with a cannibal tribe, the Aghori tribe there in India, and one of the guys in the tribe, his name was Buka. So I was like, 'OK, I kind of like the sound of that,' so I just jacked it and spelled it a little bit differently. And you know, stupid, I just had one of those moments where I'm gonna take this and misspell it and that'd be cool - I didn't know any better. I don't know, the name's cool, it's kind of like easy, I think [laughs], but I guess not if people mispronounce it and misspell it. I don't know, but yeah, I like it. TGT: Yeah, I think 'boo-kah' makes sense, but I could certainly see people trying to say 'buck-a' or something... B: Oh yeah, yeah, 'buck-a' yeah, they say that one a lot [laughs]. TGT: As long as they don't read 'bukkake' it's probably alright... B: Yeah, awww, yeah but I make fun of that - I make fun of that, too - I call myself that as well... how do you think I got my name? I like that genre of pornography - and they're like 'oh my god' - it's like 'no, I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding.' TGT: My understanding, this is going to be your first gig here in Denver, correct? B: Yes... TGT: Especially when you're coming to a new market - but obviously Denver has a big reputation for dubstep and bass music at this point in time - so what's your mindset when you know most of this crowd is gonna be familiar with what you've put out, and a lot of people will probably have listened to that Moonshine mix, whether they've already heard it or they're gonna check it out once it's being emphasized before the show; so what do you want to bring us, and what can the crowd be expecting on March 12? B: A lot of Bukkha [laughs]. A lot of my favorite tunes that I've made, a lot of my newer stuff that I haven't put in mixes yet, so if you like my sound then you'll like the new stuff. And then I'll also have stuff that friends have sent me, some dubstep or the dubwise tip - it's definitely gonna be something for everybody, it's how I do things. I don't want to say I educate, because that just kind of sounds a little pretentious, but I just want to show the people there are different sounds, different styles, you don't just have to be into this one thing, there's everything, and it all fits together if you just really listen to it, it all truly does fit together. TGT: Do you give much thought to who you're co-headlining with? In this case, it's Six Sunsets and Opus, does that enter into your thought process at all? B: To be honest, yeah. I did do a Shitty Dubstep event in the UK; now, if you know anything about Shitty Dubstep, you'll see that it's nothing but dubstep. And, that's probably the most nervous I had ever been, because it's been such a long time since I just did dubstep, and I don't really talk to too many of the new dubstep cats. So man, I just really had to dig deep and search for dubstep tunes, the hottest stuff for at that moment, even if it was new and nobody's even heard it... I reached out to some friends, 'oh yeah man, here have this one, have that one.' So yeah, but it all worked out, it was all great. I played dubstep, but I also did play "Discjockey," like "Discjockey" just went off - I mean, whether you like dub or not, it's just that perfect mix of trap/grime/low-end, but with a dub sample... TGT: Any final thoughts on things... B: ... I hope to be around as long as the greats like Channel One and Jah Shaka - that would be great, you know? Just play tunes, play music that I love, hopefully, my ears and eyes will still function in a way that I can make music still...

#TGTstylee #TGTfeature #Bukkha #Denver #Colorado #Exclusive #Interview #Dub #Dubstep #Reggae #Bass #Sound System #Preacha #Moonshine #Dub-Stuy #Infernal Sounds #Dubbing Sun #Discjockey #WAR #Valladolid #Spain

[hoekage-chan]

You should answer all the hella cute questions

yall about to learn so much about me

1. Who was the last person you held hands with? -uhh someone i went on a date w yesterday lmao2. Are you outgoing or shy? -im pretty outgoing, i only seem shy since i dont want to be cringey lol3. Who are you looking forward to seeing? -my friends ig lmao4. Are you easy to get along with? -yes! i love talking to people5. If you were drunk would the person you like take care of you? -probs not, but like im not close enough to ask that of them, and im gucci w that6. What kind of people are you attracted to? -stylish, confident, funny, good taste in music, seems like they would ruin my life7. Do you think you’ll be in a relationship two months from now? -bih i dont know i always find myself in something so maybe8. Who from the opposite gender is on your mind? -yee some guy i went out w friday c:9. Does talking about sex make you uncomfortable? -nope im an open book10. Who was the last person you had a deep conversation with? -probably my friends lmao (shout out to the 24hr diner ty for letting us just get fries and soda everytime)11. What does the most recent text that you sent say? -BIH I KNOW OMG IM DEAD12. What are your 5 favorite songs right now? -glow like dat, faygo dreamns, killamonjaro, need you, love me13. Do you like it when people play with your hair? -yes omg easiest way to get me whipped lmao14. Do you believe in luck and miracles? -yes!15. What good thing happened this summer? -i met up w all my friends again16. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? -uhh some guy i went out w yesterday lol17. Do you think there is life on other planets? -yah the world is too big for it to just be us18. Do you still talk to your first crush? -nope! i dont even know what has happened to them19. Do you like bubble baths? -yes. bath life is the best life20. Do you like your neighbors? -i dont kno my neighbors21. What are you bad habits? -i respond rlly late to things22. Where would you like to travel? -japan, korea, places w good food23. Do you have trust issues? -yah lmao that shit gets thrown in my face24. Favorite part of your daily routine? -my makeup! only reason i get up25. What part of your body are you most uncomfortable with? -everything26. What do you do when you wake up? -regret having an 9am class or regret staying up lmao27. Do you wish your skin was lighter or darker? -uhh either tbh, i just dont rlly like the tone in general28. Who are you most comfortable around? -my friends c: i hang out w them for a reason29. Have any of your ex’s told you they regret breaking up? -lmfao nope 30. Do you ever want to get married? -kinda... i wouldnt mind it31. If your hair long enough for a pony tail? -yeeeeeee32. Which celebrities would you have a threesome with? -... michael b jordan for sure and uhh maybe chris hemsworth??33. Spell your name with your chin. -no34. Do you play sports? What sports? -i used to swim but i just lift now35. Would you rather live without TV or music? -tv omg ill die w out my playlist36. Have you ever liked someone and never told them? -ALL THE TIME 37. What do you say during awkward silences? -anything so they dont feel awkward38. Describe your dream girl/guy? -nice, big dick energy, good taste in music, warm in general lol39. What are your favorite stores to shop in? -f21, h&m, khols, target40. What do you want to do after high school? -well i went to college so theres that41. Do you believe everyone deserves a second chance? -sometimes they do, but if they hurt u rlly badly then maybe its best they dont42. If your being extremely quiet what does it mean? -im tired, high, thinking, or confused43. Do you smile at strangers? -yeee44. Trip to outer space or bottom of the ocean? -bottom of the ocean omg45. What makes you get out of bed in the morning? -the fear of failing another class46. What are you paranoid about? -my life in general47. Have you ever been high? -yes48. Have you ever been drunk? -yes49. Have you done anything recently that you hope nobody finds out about? -not really lmao50. What was the colour of the last hoodie you wore? -navy blue51. Ever wished you were someone else? -sometimes i do52. One thing you wish you could change about yourself? -uhh everything lol53. Favourite makeup brand? -juvias place54. Favourite store? -........... i actually dont kno lmao55. Favourite blog? -... imma be real i dont even kno who i follow anymore tbh56. Favourite colour? -green57. Favourite food? -spam58. Last thing you ate? -rice59. First thing you ate this morning? -water60. Ever won a competition? For what? -if i did it was a swim competition61. Been suspended/expelled? For what? -nope im a good noodle62. Been arrested? For what? -nope63. Ever been in love? -yah64. Tell us the story of your first kiss? -i inv my friend to come over, we chill at my house, he asks if we can do something friends dont normally do, we kissed and then we did other stuff >:)65. Are you hungry right now? -not rlly lol66. Do you like your tumblr friends more than your real friends? -nah lmao 67. Facebook or Twitter? -twitter68. Twitter or Tumblr? -tumblr69. Are you watching tv right now? -nope70. Names of your bestfriends? -i dont put names on the internet lmao71. Craving something? What? -spam72. What colour are your towels? -like a teal/sea green color72. How many pillows do you sleep with? -273. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? -yes 74. How many stuffed animals do you think you have? -5 for sure at my apartment and at least 5 back home75. Favourite animal? -sea otters76. What colour is your underwear? -blue/white77. Chocolate or Vanilla? -choloclate78. Favourite ice cream flavour? -chocolate or matcha79. What colour shirt are you wearing? -.......... 80. What colour pants? -........................81. Favourite tv show? -golden girls82. Favourite movie? -uhh i guess either to all the boys i loved before or the breakfast club83. Mean Girls or Mean Girls 2? -mean girls84. Mean Girls or 21 Jump Street? -mean girls85. Favourite character from Mean Girls? -all too iconic to choose from86. Favourite character from Finding Nemo? -crush87. First person you talked to today? -my snap streaks88. Last person you talked to today? -welp days not over yet so....89. Name a person you hate? -i dont rlly hate anyone rn90. Name a person you love? -my friends!! they deserve everyting91. Is there anyone you want to punch in the face right now? -dumbass bitches92. In a fight with someone? -nope miss me with that bs93. How many sweatpants do you have? -294. How many sweaters/hoodies do you have? -too many95. Last movie you watched? -into the spiderverse96. Favourite actress? -kiera knightly97. Favourite actor? -michael b jordan98. Do you tan a lot? -not anymore99. Have any pets? -i have a doggo back home100. How are you feeling? -fucking cold omg101. Do you type fast? -probably lmao102. Do you regret anything from your past? -yah but i try not to dwell on it103. Can you spell well? -NOPE LMAO 104. Do you miss anyone from your past? -nah lmfao105. Ever been to a bonfire party? -nope but it seems fun106. Ever broken someone’s heart? -probably i can be p distant so i wouldnt put it past me107. Have you ever been on a horse? -yeee108. What should you be doing? -studying109. Is something irritating you right now? -the fact im a bitchass lmao110. Have you ever liked someone so much it hurt? -a couple times111. Do you have trust issues? -yah like i answered eariler112. Who was the last person you cried in front of? -my friends (at the diner lmfao)113. What was your childhood nickname? -shark bait, mosquito bait114. Have you ever been out of your province/state? -yeee115. Do you play the Wii? -used too116. Are you listening to music right now? -heck yeah i got a 15hr playlist on rn117. Do you like chicken noodle soup? -not rlly118. Do you like Chinese food? -yeee119. Favourite book? -uhhh its basic but animal farm (or maybe to all the boys i loved before)120. Are you afraid of the dark? -not rlly121. Are you mean? -nah i cant do it, but i feel like some would see me being distant/roasty as mean tho soooo122. Is cheating ever okay? -depends on the context of everything123. Can you keep white shoes clean? -barely124. Do you believe in love at first sight? -yes125. Do you believe in true love? -yes! i believe everyone has a soulmate out there126. Are you currently bored? -kinda lmao127. What makes you happy? -cute things, blankets, music, food, my friends, cuddling128. Would you change your name? -nah, ive thought about it tho129. What your zodiac sign? -scorpiHOE130. Do you like subway? -its aight131. Your bestfriend of the opposite sex likes you, what do you do? -test the waters, you never kno what will happen132. Who’s the last person you had a deep conversation with? -my friends (at the diner lmao)133. Favourite lyrics right now? - gusto ko lang naman ang lambing mo (i want to kiss you)134. Can you count to one million? probs in japanese but ill loose focus (esp in english omg)135. Dumbest lie you ever told? -too many to choose from (and i dont wanna expose myself)136. Do you sleep with your doors open or closed? -closed137. How tall are you? -5′7″138. Curly or Straight hair? -either or139. Brunette or Blonde? -ive been both soooo140. Summer or Winter? -winter (but i like summer style)141. Night or Day? -night all the way142. Favourite month? -november (my bday month)143. Are you a vegetarian? -nope144. Dark, milk or white chocolate? -dark145. Tea or Coffee? -tea146. Was today a good day? -it was ok (it wasnt bad but it wasnt good)147. Mars or Snickers? -either148. What’s your favourite quote? -getchu a mans that treats you like a queen in the streets and a slave in the sheets149. Do you believe in ghosts? -yah and i dont fuck with them150. Get the closest book next to you, open it to page 42, what’s the first line on that page? -nope that shits a textbook and i dont want to look at it

damn that was a lot to type but uhh now yall know shit about me

[carterthornton]

The Third Wave | Chapter Twenty: Punishment and Reunion

        "Arrgh! Christ!" Aiko winced as Ms. Fawkes pulled an icepack away from her wrist, proceeding to gently wrap the sprained forearm with a compression bandage.

       "Aw, don't be a baby, lass," Ms. Fawkes chuckled as she put a clip on the bandage, holding it in place. "There, good as new. Well... not quite, but you'll live." Ms. Fawkes got up from her stool and browsed the shelves, searching for anti-inflammatory medication (she had misplaced it the day before, and hadn't searched for it yet). Luckily, hiding behind a few other containers were the meds she was looking for, and she brought them over to Aiko, who sat on Ms. Fawke's medical bed in the center of the room. "Here we go!" Ms. Fawkes said as she handed Aiko her medicine. "These are anti-inflammatories- take em' for pain and swelling, but use in moderation, alright? Follow the instructions to the letter; I don't want to send to send ya to the hospital."

       "No prob, Ms. Fawkes," Aiko nodded, clutching her bandage tightly to make sure it was secure. "Thanks."

       "Yur welcome," Ms. Fawkes grinned, rushing over to Maeve, who sat off on the side in a lounger, awaiting treatment. "Now, onto my most frequent customer!" Ms. Fawkes almost seemed to skip over to Maeve, rolling the dragon-girl closer to Aiko as she hummed to herself. "Don't be followin' in the footsteps of this clown here..." Ms. Fawkes whispered to Aiko as she flipped Maeve over, examining her wound. "She's a bit of a loose cannon."

       "Yeah, I figured that much," Aiko giggled, Maeve grumbling under her breath. "How does her wound look? A member of my team treated it with his Mark. Has it healed at all?"

       "Well, he treated it right- plucked the shrapnel out and used a natural disinfecting agent to kill bacteria. Trouble is he didn't cover it up, and it's got a bit a dirt all in it." Ms. Fawkes walked over to a sink in the corner of the room, washing her hands vigorously before putting on medical gloves. She grabbed a pair of cleaned tweezers, picking out tiny pieces of dirt that were hidden in Maeve's wound. Unfortunately, some pieces were trapped; Maeve's enhanced healing had already begun to take effect and was quickly closing the injury with a new layer of skin. "Hmm... looks like I'll only be able to get out the exposed pieces. You're already healin' up."

       "Of course I am, I'm a Mythical Beast Mark-user," Maeve announced, prideful in the unique abilities her Mark granted.

       "Careful, Maeve..." Ms. Fawkes warned her, placing wet cloth on Maeve's wound. "I've treated countless characters like yourself who thought their Mark could protect em' from anythin'. Better healin' doesn't mean invincibility."

       Just then, Ms. Steele walked into Ms. Fawke's office, snorting under her breath as she saw Maeve on the bed once again. "Oh boy."

       "Robot-lady!" Yuko clapped as soon as she caught a glimpse of Ms. Steele's arms, standing close to Aiko.

       "Hey, Steely, whatcha doin' in here?" Gin's voice became sweeter as she turned to Ms. Steele, who sat down on a chair near the door.

       "Just here for a check-up is all- arm's on the fritz again," Ms. Steele replied, rolling her shoulder a few times and clenching her metal fist. She then popped her head up to get a better view of Maeve's leg, scoffing at the reckless dragon's new scars. "You gotta slow it down, kid. You'll get hurt if you keep this up."

       "Says the woman with cybernetics..." Maeve muttered.

       "She's right, ya know? You can't go rushin' into battle without any concern for safety, it's dangerous," Ms. Fawkes added as she slowly rubbed the damp cloth against Maeve's leg, mopping up any remaining dirt and debris whilst also cleansing the wound. "Listen to Ms. Steele, she's an expert when it comes to being reckless... right, cowgirl?" Gin shot Ms. Steele a naughty glance, teasing the veteran.

       "Shut yer trap, Potato-Head," Ms. Steele shook her head at Ms. Fawkes as she crossed her arms and leaned her head back against the wall, trying to hide the smile spreading across her face.

       "So, um..." Aiko treaded carefully with her next question, as she feared it would stir up unwanted emotions in Ms. Steele. "How did you get all those cybernetics?"

       "Yeah, tell us!" Yuko chimed in.

       "Ah, just got caught in an explosion- nothing epic or anything," Ms. Steele shrugged her shoulders, staring at the ground for a moment before continuing. "Typical injury on the battlefield."

       "Alrighty, lass, you're good as new," Ms. Fawkes declared as she finished bandaging Maeve's leg, handing her a package of extra bandages. "Here, make sure to switch em' when they get dirty."

       "Thank you," Maeve nodded, hopping off the medical bed.

       "You're very welcome," Ms. Fawkes beamed, looking over to Yuko. "How about you, sweetheart? Do you need anything patched up?"

       "Um..." Yuko checked her metal body for any scrapes or scratches; thankfully, nothing. "Nope!"

       "Hmm, I never did get either of your names..." Ms. Fawkes scratched her chin at Aiko and Yuko, sitting down on her office chair.

        Aiko stepped down from the medical bed and stood beside Yuko. "I'm Aiko Schmitt, and this is Yuko. She's err-... my sister."

       "Ah, I see the resemblance," Ms. Fawkes stated, noticing their similarities in face shape and body structure. " I can see who the athlete in the family is..." She snorted, pointing out Yuko's superior size and muscle mass.

       "Uh, yeah..." Aiko couldn't help but feel bullied for her mediocre height. "I'm not that short!"

       "Now, you guys run along to Headmaster Colter, he's got a bone to pick with the ya," Ms. Fawkes quickly shooed all three of them out into the hall, poking her head outside before closing it completely. "Have a good one!" And with that, Ms. Fawkes was free from a long day of tending injured students. "Bloody hell... I'm beat." She sighed, plopping back down on her office chair as she stared at the ceiling.

       "It must be damn tirin'- dealin' with all those reckless kid's injuries," Ms. Steele empathized with the exhausted nurse before her. "They're always so damn enthusiastic- gettin' into fights like that."

       "Were you any different at that age?" Ms. Fawkes smirked, bringing back old memories of their high school years.

       "Nope," Ms. Steele smirked as she tapped her metal hand against her leg. "But look where that got me, eh?"

       "You know it wasn't your fault- what happened to you," Ms. Fawkes reminded her like she had done countless times before. "Shit happens."

       "Yeah, yeah..." Ms. Steele brushed her off as she sat down on one of the medical beds, awaiting Ms. Fawke's healing touch. "Now, how about that check-up?"

       "Joy Steele... always so forward," Ms. Fawkes' voice became somewhat sultry, stirring up unwanted emotions in Ms. Steele.

       "What did I tell ya about callin' me 'Joy', Coal Cracker?" Ms. Steele's face flushed red as she forced a scowl.

       "Shut up and show me yur arm, Yeehaw," Ms. Fawkes giggled as she took Ms. Steele's forearm, raising it to see under her shoulder. "Hmm... not an expert with cybernetics, but it looks like ya got a dull magnet in there. You should check up with Billy downstairs, he'll patch you up."

       "Th-thanks..." Ms. Steele nodded as she clutched her left arm, testing its mobility.

      "Now, I'm curious... why didn't ya go right to Billy in the first place?" Ms. Fawkes bit her lower lip as she sat on Ms. Steele's lap, causing the poor gritty soldier to sweat from anxiety. "Did ya wanna ask me something, Maverick?"

      "W-well... I was wondrin' if we could maybe go somewhere tonight?" Ms. Steele slurred her words as the sweet aroma wafting off of Ms. Fawkes reached her nose, causing her to nearly go brain-dead.

      "Sounds good, A rúnsearc," Ms. Fawkes said in a bewitching voice as smooth as Irish cream, her amber eyes locking onto Ms. Steele's emerald gaze. "What did ya have in mind?"

       "Dinner? Maybe a movie?" Ms. Steele tried to calm herself down, but Ms. Fawkes made it exceedingly difficult to every hot and heavy breath she took. "I hear there's another Fast and Furious movie playin'."

       "It's a date then," Ms. Fawkes nodded as she skipped over to the door, locking it from the inside. "But first... I need a little time to unwind."

       "W-wait, here?!" Ms. Steele stuttered as Ms. Fawkes jumped on top of her like a cheetah pouncing on its prey. "Now?!"

       "Any complaints...?" Ms. Fawkes snickered drunkenly as she unbuttoned Ms. Steele's shirt, wrapping her long legs around the bumbling soldier's waist.

        "Uh..." Ms. Steele looked behind her lover, watching the door for a moment before finally giving in with a defeated grunt. "Ah, fuck it." A wild grin stretched across Ms. Steele's face as she grabbed Ms Fawkes and violently kissed her. "Ya fuckin' Clover."

       "Shut yur trap, Hick," Gin snapped back at her as she shut Joy up with another kiss. "I need some Fast and Furious right fuckin' here."

****

       Yuko held Aiko's hand as they entered the Headmaster's office, looking for Aiko's reassurance. "Ai-... Aiko?"

       "It's okay, Yuko. Don't be scared," Aiko calmed her little sister down, reaching up to pat Yuko on the head.

       "Oh... okay..." Yuko nodded as she looked all around the room, marveling at Headmaster Colter's odd taste in decoration. "Whoa, this is weird!"

       "An interesting design," Maeve affirmed Yuko's statement as she analyzed the space.

       "Not what you expected?" The Headmaster guffawed with his low voice, adding a jolly tone to the situation. "Come in!"

       The Headmaster's office was primarily designed with a 50's art deco style in mind, taking inspiration from jazz clubs and Hollywood glam of that era. Portraits of 50's pop-icons lined the walls where one would expect a bland still life painting to reside; Marilyn Monroe, Humphrey Bogart, Chuck Berry, they all were hung up in frames. There was even a jukebox close to the Headmaster's desk playing 'Maybe ' by The Ink Spots, and it's sound provided a very comforting ambience to the room that incited nostalgia in people that had never even experienced that generation.

       "Oh my God, is that-?" Aiko cut herself off as she took a gander at the Frank Sinatra album inside the jukebox, almost forgetting the reason why she came to the Headmaster's office.

      "Hush, buffoon!" Maeve silenced Aiko with a hushed scream.

      "Yep, it's original," Headmaster Colter answered her as he laid back in his chair, taking a deep breath. "Cost an arm and a leg to find. You like em'?"

       "Ah, yep... I like his music," Aiko nodded, trying to keep a serious face on. "So, um.. down to business then?"

       "Yeah, let's get to it," The Headmaster grabbed reading glasses from a compartment in his desk to read Officer Grey's report on the day's events. "So, you all can confirm these reports were true? You were all involved in today's incident and you actively went against a direct order given to you by one of the teaching staff?"

       "Yes." They all nodded.

       "Alright..." The Headmaster sighed, getting off his seat with an exasperated groan. "You're smart, honest students- that much is clear -but you disobeyed an order from a superior. That won't fly if you get out in the field one day; your commanding officer won't have time for any of your malarkey." He folded up his glasses and placed them back in the desk, slowly stretching as he got back up to relieve all the stress on his back that built up over the day. "Aiko, you're new here, so I hope you'll only have to hear this lecture once, but you..." He shot Maeve an annoyed look as he sat back down in his chair. "You've caused the teaching staff nothing but trouble since you first got here. Damn it, MacDonnell! You're a star student with stellar grades, but you've got to learn a little perspective. You can't just go barging in like you know everything because you don't!"

       "Yes, sir..." The fire inside Maeve seemed to dissipate, leaving her cold and emotionless; she simply stared off into space and nodded. "I'm sorry, sir."

       "Sorry isn't good enough anymore, and it's not good enough for your father either," Headmaster Colter shook his head as he packed up the papers of Grey's report into its file, placing it in his desk drawer. "My apologies, Maeve, but I'm going to have to give you a suspension to get my message across."

       Maeve was shocked back into reality by Colter's declaration. "Thank you, Headmas-."

       "There must be some other way, Headmaster. Maeve may have disobeyed orders, but she saved all those officers today! There must be some alternative to suspension...?" Aiko voiced her opinion on the matter, trying to shield Maeve from such a severe punishment. "Right?"

       "I suppose there could be..." The Headmaster scratched his chin as he thought for a moment. "Yes, I think I know the perfect alternative, though, I'm not sure if you'll be satisfied with it."

       "W-what is it...?" Aiko asked, cursing her conscious for covering Maeve's tail so quickly.

       "For the alternative, Ms. MacDonnell could live with you for the rest of the school week," Colter groomed his beard as he continued. "Yes... I think it would be a good way for Ms. MacDonnell to be more cooperative with her peers."

       "No, no, no!" Maeve waved her hands in the air as she voiced her concern. "I'm not going to live with..." She leaned in closer to Colter, secretly gesturing over to Aiko and Yuko. "Those two..."

      "Fine, then you take the suspension," Colter said as he tapped a pencil against his desk.

      "Um-!" Maeve trailed off as she weighed her options carefully. "I'll... take the alternative."

       "Yay, a sleepover!" Yuko cheered as she hugged Maeve tightly, completely ignoring her personal space.

       "Unhand me, you fool!" Maeve shouted at her captor, wheezing as Yuko hugged tighter. "Hrrnn!"

       "Yuko, what did I tell you about people's 'bubbles'?!" Aiko yelled at her sister, trying to pry Maeve out of her grasp. "Yuko!"

****

       In a storage warehouse in Rock Bay, in the Burnside District of Victoria, a door swung open, revealing Damian on the other side along with his fellow comrades. Reika, Camila, and Varg followed Damian closely, making sure he was safe from harm. Louise and Alistair tagged along behind them, whispering to each other in hushed tones.

       "Are we really gonna be meetin' these wankas, Damian?" Alistair spoke up, mumbling into The Father's ear.

       "These two are not 'wankas', they're old friends of the cause- the original Brother and Sister that joined eight years ago," Damian replied as he removed his sunhat. "Reika remembers them well."

       "I do! I'm so excited to see them all again! It's been so long!" Reika held her hands to her heart, reminiscing on the good times she shared with her old family. "Oh, Ara's gonna freak out when he sees how big I got after all these years!"

       "Yeah... big," Alistair gawked at Reika's rear as he trailed behind her.

       "Indeed, she shall," Damian let out a light chuckle as they all turned down a hall surrounded by wooden crates. "Please, try to be nice, everyone. We wouldn't want to be impolite to our elders."

       The Kin gathered at a clearing in the middle of the warehouse created just recently, as evident by the dust outlines on the floor which used to house various containers. The missing crates seemed to be arranged into two makeshift thrones, and sitting on top of them were two grizzled looking veterans. The one on the left was a woman in her early thirties, a Korean woman with very short, periwinkle hair that was done up in flapper curls. Despite her obvious Asian heritage (brown eyes, round cheeks, and a short nose), she had a very Western-looking body type and face shape. She had a long slender figure with tall legs and a very sharp chin, and she had a lengthy neck as well. The crane-like woman wore a purple tweed jacket over a red tank top cut above her stomach, with black denim jeans to tie it all together.

       "Bonjour, all!" She greeted them with a very dainty wave, gracefully crossing a leg over the other as she fiddled with a large steel needle in her hand.

       *Ara Kae Toutou (IMOP Bounty: 40,350,000 UND)*

        "Ah, Madame Toutou..." Damian kissed Ara's outstretched hand as she descended from her throne. "As graceful as ever."

       "Merci, Mousieur Dreyfus," Ara laughed, kissing him on either side of his face.

       "Oh, cariño... not more of that Frenchy-French garbage," The hulking man on the right grumbled with a thick Mexican accent as he rolled his eyes.

       The man occupying the next throne- aside from his height -was the exact opposite of Ara. His black hair was slicked back with Brill cream, and he had big and bold sideburns that complimented his bushy moustache. He was a swollen mass of raw muscle and testosterone, standing just under Varg's height, but far outclassing him in the brawn category. His broad neck was like a pyramid, and his barrelled chest stuck out of his tight, grey t-shirt. Each of his titanic arms was the size of Varg's torso, but his legs were fairly short compared to the rest of his body, though, they were still well-built. The man had a rigid face with a solid jaw line, and his eyes were dark brown; he appeared to squint most of the time as well. His black leather jacket just barely contained his musculature, and his tight blue jeans were done up with a spiffy brown belt made from the finest leather. The sleeves on his jacket were rolled up to accommodate huge metal cuffs on his forearms that looked as if they weighed at least a ton each, and he also wore modified hiking boots with heavy metal soles. He looked as tough as they come.

       *Pablo Hernandez (IMOP Bounty: 53,000,000 UND)*

       "Hola, Pablo," Damian gave Pablo a firm but cautious handshake as he stepped off his seat, wary of the raw strength behind his grip.

       "Hola, mi amigo!" Pablo pulled Damian in and hugged him like a brother would. "You look well, Damian! Have you been workin' out?"

       "I've had my share of field experience in these eight years," Damian replied, gesturing to his moustache. "You've grown facial hair, I see."

       "Ah, yes! You like it, eh? It took me a while," Pablo chuckled as he walked over to meet the rest of his old team. "Who are the newcomers?"

       "Of course, I must introduce you two. Come," Damian sorted his allies into a huddle, forming an amalgamation of Kin members, both new and old. "For those of you who don't know, this is Pablo; he was the first member I recruited all those years ago when Reika and I began, 'The Brother'." Damian then placed a hand on Ara's shoulder. "And Ara is the second recruit; she once bared the title of 'Sister' before you, Camila. But, since their roles have been filled, you shall refer to these two as your 'Grandmother' and 'Grandfather'."

       "It is good to work with you all, mes amies," Ara giggled delightedly as she struck up a conversation with Reika, whom she hadn't seen in years. "Ma parole, ma parole! You have grown into a beautiful woman!"

       "Thank you, Ara. It really has been too long," Reika felt an ego boost from Ara's compliment as she placed a hand on her hip. "How are you? How was Paris?"

       "Très bien, très bien, Cherry Blossom! Oh, ow wonderful Paris was! I will tell you more when we arrive at our new abode," Ara held back her enthusiasm, knowing full-well that Damian was about to get down to business. "Let us begin zen, oui?"

       "Yes..." Damian cleared his throat before continuing. "In light of our recent loss, I now realize just how different Victoria is from Vancouver. The population density of Mark-users is simply astounding. Though the IMOP forces are spread out far and wide across the island, there are many students at the academy that we may need to keep tabs on in the future. I must confess, we are horribly outmatched in this new environment, but we will adapt, like always. And so that is why I've invited some old faces back into the fold, you see."

       "So, what now?" Camila asked.

       "What is imperative to our cause as of right now is locating and liberating the Mythical Beast Mark-user hidden somewhere in this city by The Paladins," Damian answered.

       "And what do you know of this Mark-user?" Pablo inquired, crossing his arms as he groomed his moustache.

       "We know of her name, Isabelle. However, we know nothing of the Mark she carries- only rumours telling of its potential to aid entire armies in their advance," Damian explained in a grave tone of voice. "We cannot let a Mark-user of that calibre fall into the hands of The Paladins. If this girl is utilized properly by those fools, there's no telling the carnage they might inflict on fellow Mark-users."

       "Damn Paladins..." Varg spat on the ground at the mere mention of their name.

       "She is being held in a bunker somewhere underneath the Greater Victoria area," Damian sighed, tapping his thumbs together. "It's vague but at least it's something."

       "A bunker? Aren't zare many of zeez in za city?" Ara interjected whilst simultaneously inspecting her nails for any cracks or scrapes.

       "Yes, there are, which is exactly why I've called upon you two. We need more boots on the ground if we ever hope to find Isabelle," Damian responded, scratching his chin at the thought of such a large-scale undertaking. "And to start, we must work our way up The Paladin's chain of command until we finally sever the head of the demon, Peter Bishop. Once he's gone, the gang violence against Mark-users in Victoria shall be cleft in two."

       "The Master and Commander of the West Coast Paladins? Dios mío... how we gonna do that? That guy's a ghost." Pablo shook his head, dreading such an idea.

       "Like Damian said: we work our way up the food chain from local gangs, to grunts, to knights, and so on," Louise offered her support for Damian's plan. "It will take time, but it will eventually yield results."

       "Well, I ain't got better things to do anyways..." Pablo snickered, feeling all nostalgic as he heard the enthusiasm of Damian's group. "Let's do this."

       "Oui! Let us embark!" Ara cheered as she outstretched her hand into the middle of their circle.

       "Yes, let us begin," Damian smiled as he placed his hand on top of Ara's, the rest of his team joining in. "For the family..."

       "For humanity." They all chanted, hopeful of the future.

       "Ha ha! A happy day!" Pablo let out a hearty laugh as he hugged Varg and Camila. "We got any tequila at the new crib, eh? I'm in the mood for a party!"

       "And hopefully a shower..." Camila mumbled to herself as her nostrils puckered, catching a whiff of Pablo's overpowering musk.

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