#if i could erase one color on earth it would be beige

[asksuccubussides]

(Hi, me again.)

I’d like to go with you if it isn’t a bother. I can just scuttle around the walls while you talk to Emile.

Sketch

"Alrightie. Come on lil buddy"

Remus got up from his bed and it was quite noticeably that he'd recently eaten in his unsual demon way. With his skin less pale and his movements less slow and shaky he looked a lot more like Roman, which he would probably vehemently deny.

You followed along the long white halls that made up the succubi living quarters. He made a sudden turn into something that looked like a mix between a library and an office. It stood out from the rest of the halls since it was bathed in warm earth tones. Brown floors and bookcases mixed with green desks and beige mats.

A succubus was sitting up on one of the desks with their back turned against Remus and you. Remus got a mischevious grin on his lips as he put his finger against his mouth to make you shush.

"That's Reeeemmmmyyy! Let's spook the guts out of them!" He was half whispering even if he fully knew they couldn't hear him.

He sneaked on the tips of his toes while laughing. His tail was swinging back and forth behind him out of evil excitement. He stopped right behind Remy and got ready to pounce when Remy suddenly turned around and smacked him on the forehead like a sibling would.

Remus' mouth hung agape for a moment before exclaiming "HOW DID YOU KNOW I WAS COMING!?!? You sneaky fuck! You ruined my scare!"

While he talked he signed every third word or so with his hands. He had a bad habit of skipping signs when he got filled with any sort of extreme emotion.

'I could still see your shadow Ridiot' Remy signed back, signing the letter R before idiot to indicate it was such an idiotic move only one of the R twins could have been behind it.

'Gonna lock my shadow up before jumping on you next time' Remus rembered you were stil there and told you directly "This is Remy by the way. They're a silly bitch with brocoli growing out of their ass and-"

'I can still read lips RIDIOT!' Remy interrupted, making their hand movements bigger to show they were doing the sign language equivalent of yelling.

"And they're deaf so please think of that if you're gonna speak to them" He covered his mouth before continuing so Remy couldnt read his lips "Andasillybitch" He moved his hand away again signed to Remy 'This is sketch. She's one of those weird sunglassed non demons that keep popping up'

He held you up like you were a tiny dog or a ferret. You got a good look at Remy. Their stark white hair stood out the most, you hadn't seen any demons with non human hair colors so far. They wore sunglasses that hid their eyes and their blue horns looked a bit like a rams. Their skin was so pale it took almost a blueish tone that matched with their blue and black clothes.

Remy waved hello to you while giving a relaxed smile.

'You here to talk with Emile?' The sign for Emile was one they'd made up. It was like a mix of the signs for honey and babe. 'Cause you sure as hell wasn't here yesterday when you should have. Y'know Orange's gonna super bitch about that on the next meeting'

Remus waved it off "Yeah Yeah. I'll gnaw off his feet and feed the toes to crows or something"

Remy's expression softened a little as they asked 'Were you on earth?'

He nodded. They silently bumped their forehead against his, they knew he was only on earth if he had to do his job.

They stood up and let him lean his head against theirs as he followed them a bit further into the room where Emile Picani had his desk set up.

Emile was focused on writing something with a pen with a lil elephant eraser on the top of it. He had a beanbag as a chair, a stitch plushie watching from the top of a stack of books and his desk was decorated with stickers from various cartoons.

He shone up like the sun when he saw the three of you. Remy made place for themself on his lap and kissed his cheek. He had a fluffy afro and long reddish horns that nearly created a circle around the top of his head, like a saint. He wore loose brown soft clothes and a bright pink tie.

"Remus! Just the demon I've been looking for" Emile scrambled to find his glasses and report card in the mess that was his desk "Ready to give your monthly report?"

"No I'm ready to assasinate the both of you..Kidding uhuhahauhhhghh...." He let out a sigh "I've seduced 4 humans this month"

"Aw buddy. You must be hungry" Emile commented like he usually did while writing it down "I'm sure you're just a late bloomer. You'll find someone that tingles your tongle someday. The latest bloomed flowers are the prettiest"

"Yeah...I'm aiming for a venus fly trap"

Remy and Emile are now open for asks!

#thanks for the ask ! #sketch #sanders sides #thomas sanders #remus sanders #remile #remy sanders #emile picani

[taeminfucks]

beige truly is the worst color tho. im like a bull and beige is my rage activation color

#if i could erase one color on earth it would be beige #mine #disgusting fashion color. terrible.

[nerdwriting]

The Creative Directors Behind Fate: The Winx Saga Must Not Be K-Pop Fans

Also, they have a pretty wrong idea of the role fashion should play in a show.

There are a few words that will stand out across most reviews of Netflix's Fate: The Winx Saga - drab, boring, flop, flat, unimaginative. Critics and audiences consensus is that the show is not only a mediocre-at-best story, but also an atrocious (and ultimately confusing) choice of adaptation of the color pop and fairy magic cartoon it’s based on, 2004 italian cartoon Winx Club.

Fate has plenty of it's own issues - white washing and erasing characters, cringey dialogue, outdated melodrama, etc. But where it truly, unequivocally fails is as an adaptation. Fate misses everything that was magical and lovable about the original series, in all levels, from bizarre writing choices, - such as never actually developing any sense of friendship between the characters, who are based on a cartoon about…..a group…….of friends -, but it's especially and immediately felt in the art direction and costume design.

Winx Club is set on a fantastical world, Magix, where each of our main characters hail from a different planet, à la Sailor Moon. Alfea, the fairy school they attend, is the most common background: a pastel colored, futuristic high tech-meets-fantasy, art nouveau inspired castle. Alfea sets the tone for the whole visual of the cartoon: bright, colorful, futuristic meets vintage, leaning into the technological positivism of the Y2K style, uniting it with magic, DnD worthy monsters and, of course, fairy wings. Often featured are also the Red Fountain school, where the Specialists train, and especially Cloud Tower, the goth and gothic inspired witch school Alfea has an OxBridge rivalry with (How cool would that be in a live action? I guess we’ll never know…).

On Fate, Alfea is the only school we ever see, and it’s another beige boarding school in not-Britain, somehow set in a magical world where everyone has the exact same technology and even social media that we have on Earth in 2021, no transformations and, most egregiously, no fairy wings.

This lack of visual creativity is pervasive throughout the whole show, and its most heartbreaking iteration is in the characters' wardrobe. The styling has the barest bones of a color scheme, - such as 'Bloom has to only dress in red since fire, duh',- the clothes are ill fitting, bland, dark and very dated. These are supposed to be teenagers who enjoy fashion, and yet they look like varying types of soccer moms from 2010.

The series seems to operate on an old and tired vision that women and girls can’t have depth and have adventures and fight monsters while also caring about fashion, a vision that the original show played a big, big role in challenging in the early 2000's. Fashion and costume design sets as much of the tone of a visual medium as the script does; through clothes we can gauge characters’ backgrounds, passions, and personality.

Winx Club has some of the best examples of this in the cartoon sphere - Bloom’s comfortable and bright style, Stella’s glitzy and bold, Musa’s edgy and cool, Aisha’s sporty and fun, Techna’s neon and tech gear inspired, Flora’s earthy and romantic, they all work as extensions of each character and serve a narrative purpose. And that’s not even mentioning how insulting it feels that in their quest to make Winx “edgier, darker” and fit for an older audience, the creators of Fate somehow decided that was in opposition to caring about style and fashion. Most “girly” shows, including the Winx Club are just as much adventure action shows as the ones geared towards boys, and it’s emphasis in fashion, friendship and color does not detract from that. The original run of the cartoon deals with war, violence, grief, abusive relationships and even genocide; leaning into those plotlines would not require Fate to erase any integral parts of what made Winx so beloved, and the fact that they did shows that the Netflix team completely missed the point of fashion in the original show, and really, the point of fashion and costume design in the world building of any show.

That, however, is not a mistake K-Pop makes very often; (This might seem like a bit of wild swerve in topic, but stay with me here). Unlike it's western counterpart, the Korean pop scene never lost the emphasis on music videos and how the visual medium can complete and potentialize music and performance; the K-Pop culture is very album and concept oriented in a way that has been all but lost in many other pop circuits, and the music video, styling and set design of a ‘comeback era’ is a key point of excitement among fans.

As such, music videos that follow storylines, connected universes, boundary pushing concepts and visual effects are the norm, rather than the exception, and a list could be made of works that are beautiful examples of what a live action Winx adaptation could look like. In fact, and very smoothly, here is a small list of exactly that!

A Small List of K-Pop Music Videos That Are Better Winx Club Live Actions Than Fate: The Winx Saga

3. Red Velvet - Psycho

If it was a darker and more somber look that Fate wanted, there was a way to make it actually appealing. While it still feels a liiitle too grown up and elegant for Winx, (maybe this author is biased, as a full proponent for the Y2K fun) Psycho makes a very compelling argument for a witchy, mysterious, fairy tale-esque show that could look scrumptious and definitely not boring, or even a gorgeous example of what the witches in Cloud Tower could look like. Black and white, dark green, pastel blue and pops of jewel tones make Psycho's color palette. To add interest to the understated colors, the styling is heavy on textures; We see plenty of stonework, intricate embroidery, tassels, lace on lace on lace, feathers, bows, opera gloves and lots of glitter. All of that is offset by bold, dark makeup, leather accents and eerie cinematography. Needle & Thread, Marchesa Notte and Self Portrait lend their hyper feminine and intricately detailed tulle gowns, juxtaposed with the creepiness of the lyrics and the dark backgrounds; their deep berry and green fairy tale looks are built with pieces from Zara to Nina Ricci to Dolce & Gabbana to Alexander McQueen.

Red Velvet’s more edgy styling for 2018's Bad Boy would also not feel out of place on the Trix.

2. IZ*ONE - Fiesta

IZ*ONE kicked off 2020 with sweet and fun Fiesta. The MV features rooms with mismatched décor that go from retro to space opera, rocky faux landscapes that feel other worldly, and visual effects that would look perfect on the back of a transformation sequence. Mirroring the set design, the girls wear various outfits by sustainable up and coming brand Chopova Lowena. Their signature skirts made with discarded and repurposed fabrics give a cool and interesting twist on a schoolgirl look that would look very sweet for a band of school fairies that occasionally go off to save the world. Also, wouldn't those bedazzled headphones look great on Musa's fairy outfit?

1. Aespa - Black Mamba and Next Level

Aespa is what fans call a monster rookie. With only three music videos under their belt, they still have some of the most visually interesting work in the industry right now. Their concept is very tied in with high tech, featuring even AI avatars of each member, packaged in a glitzy, fantastical and futuristic aesthetic, candy pop meets cyberpunk. I think I’ve exhausted ways to say that is exactly what a perfect Winx adaptation should feature.

Their debut smash hit, 2020’s Black Mamba is truly a perfect moodboard for live action Winx. Wearing a sequined and colorful mix and match of Dollskill, Gucci, Didu and Balenciaga to a backdrop that features some alien fairy forest realness, a pyschedelic fever dream, rooms straight out of a Y2K catalog or donning lime green and black techwear inside a metro fighting the "black mamba", Aespa look through and through the part of fashion loving fairies who save the world together, while looking fierce, stylish and, most importantly, interesting.

The styling and the sets jump seamlessly from more casual colorful fits with blouses, shirts and baggy pants to barren, darkly lit backgrounds and fringe-and-glitter heavy pieces necessary to fight giant snakes, in a way so fitting to transformation outfits for magical girls we could cry.

In their third MV, 2021's Next Level, the cyber in their concept is taken up a notch (get it. because Next Level-), set to a futuristic urbanscape intersped with a planet made of crystals and the ocasional alien fauna popping up again. We get treated to Monse, The 2nd Skin Co., Johanna Ortiz and The Attico styled to fairy princess standards, sporty sky racers and a white and sequined group styling that is top ten fairy busy saving the world uniform material, or maybe even a specialist worthy getup.

This particular look from Ningning is so Techna that it almost feels as if it's mocking Netflix.

And doesn’t this Karina trapped inside the "black mamba" in Alexander McQueen feel like a perfect Dark Bloom moment?

These are only a few examples of interesting and creative designs that are in line with what a live action Winx Club should have given us. There are so many more I could list, even among other TV Shows, like Sex Education and even polemic dark Euphoria, that know how to have fun with style and design without losing the depth of their stories. In the end, it's hard to justify why Fate creators even wanted to make an adaptation that didn't even try to capture the heart of its source material, and all we can do is watch one more "Restyling Fate: The Winx Saga" video on Youtube whilst mildly dreading season 2.

#winx #winx club #fate the winx saga #fate: the winx saga #tv #tv/movies #cartoons #k-pop #kpop #red velvet #aespa #iz*one #fashion #costume design #art direction

[auroreswritings]

ChuuAtsu Week Day 1! Fluffy fluff because why not!

I love sugared violets, so when I saw the prompts I knew I had to pick this one haha hope you like this little story, I wanted to start the week with something soft but not too sweet either.

Got inspired byt this song, please check it out, it melts my heart, it’s so soft!

Find it on A03.

Morning Lights and Sugared Violets

              The first rays of the day were starting to shine, turning the deep blue sky a dark shade of grey, painting the clouds in soft hues of pink and gold. The moon had set and the stars were fading little by little. The air was chilly but pleasant: the coldest hour of the night was slowly warming up in the light of the firmament’s emperor. The emerald grass was glistening with dew, tiny droplets sometimes rolling down the tender blades to feed the earth. Small dots of blue, purple and white were sprayed across the hills, soft pastels not yet showing their authentic colors. Everything was quiet. Most of the birds were sleeping; their chorus would start soon enough, but for now the air was still, lethargy enveloping nature and its habitants just a little while longer. The hills and mountains were rising towards the heavens, sharp edges barely visible in the now gunmetal sky. The clouds were puffing around them, soft, multicolored cotton candy wrapping the rocky giants in their delicate tones.

              Sitting amongst the tall blades of grass, observing the horizon from a relatively high hill, was a young man. He was wrapped in a warm blanket, trying to protect himself from the damp ground. His silver hair was almost reflecting the earlier morning colors, not quite catching the weak rays sneaking from behind the mountains. His bicolor eyes were glued to the sky, expectantly waiting for the sun to show up and illuminate the Earth in a myriad of intense shades. It had been a while since Atsushi had been able to admire the sun rise. When he was at the orphanage, he could sometimes sneak out early in the morning to the building’s roof and marvel at the rainbows rays shooting through the sky, one of his only peaceful moments at the institution. His life had been so busy since he’d left the horrendous place, he hadn’t found the time to unwind and gaze at the morning lights. Working for the Armed Detective Agency had been nothing but great, but his days were so packed with cases to solve and paperwork to fill in that he would find himself going to bed late at night and waking up as late as he could to try and garner as much sleep as possible to face the busy day. Today, however, he could finally indulge into his old habit and had left the hotel he was staying at very early to catch all the beauty of the sun waking up.

              His eyes were so fixed on the horizon, all his senses so consumed by nature around him, that he didn’t realize a silhouette was approaching behind him, huffing a little in the cold air.

              “-What are you doing out here? You’ll get a cold with all this humidity!” Chuuya scolded him, a tinge of concern sipping in his annoyed voice. Atsushi answered without taking his eyes off the sky, face barely moving towards the red-head:

              “-That’s why I brought a blanket.” Chuuya groaned and sat down next to him, tightening his coat around himself, making sure he was not sitting directly on the wet ground.

              The two men were currently on a mission together; a truce had been negotiated between the ADA and the Port Mafia, and a few of the organizations’ members had been sent on various missions around Yokohama that would require the two ability users’ institutions to work hand in hand. Atsushi and Chuuya were now in the mountains west of Yokohama, investigating on a series of disappearances in the area.

              The two men sat next to each other in silence, waiting for the sun to appear from behind the mountains. Chuuya glanced at the silver-haired man next to him from the corner of his eyes and took one arm out of his jacket.

              “-Here.” He poked Atsushi on the arm with the small plastic pack he was holding in his hand. It was full of purple, sugar-coated flowers. “I saw you looking at them through the shop’s window yesterday.” Atsushi’s eyes turned to Chuuya’s hand and lit up at the sight of the sweet violets.

              They had crossed a small town the previous day, questioning people on the way about the strange disappearances. While Chuuya was finishing up with a witness, Atsushi had wandered around and ended up in front of a fancy looking sweet shop, the windows full of expensive chocolate, sugared flowers and other sweet delights. His eyes had been particularly attracted to the candied violets, the small purple flowers making his mouth water just by the look of them. A glance at their price however made Atsushi close his drooling mouth right away and give up on the idea of ever tasting the mauve petals.

              The tiger reached for the small bag hesitantly, unsure if he should accept it are not. Chuuya’s gaze softened at his indecisiveness and he poked him with the bag again, hitting the tips of Atsushi’s outstretched fingers. He looked up at the Mafioso and smiled at his relaxed feature, grabbing the bag of sweets and thanking him with a brighter smile and glowing eyes. Chuuya quickly turned his eyes back to the skyline, a tiny tinge of pink coloring his cheeks. Atsushi looked back to the sky as well, savoring his first tiny blossom. The taste was exploding in his mouth, the sweetness caressing his taste buds, the flavor of the flower transporting him to a meadow in full bloom.

              The firmament above heads was brightening as minutes were passing, peach and coral now replacing grey, clouds slowly paling as the sun rays were getting bolder. Stronger smells were starting to tickle the nose, flowery fragrances mixing with the sweet humidity of the dew sprinkled all around. Chuuya was eyeing the young man next to him from time to time, taking in the look of pure joy illuminating his face. He had only met the tiger boy a couple days ago, but he could feel himself wanting to protect him with all his might already. He looked so innocent all the time; Chuuya was mesmerized by how even the simplest thing could make him instantly happy. The tiger’s reaction to everything was stirring something in the Mafioso and he just felt a strong urge to shield him from any harm that could go his way. He had heard of him from Akutagawa, but the depiction the broody man had made of the weretiger was so far from what Chuuya had witnessed in the past two days he had even wondered if the person his junior had talked about really was the one he was with now. However, he knew he couldn’t get too close to him. Atsushi was part of the ADA, and even though they were allies of sorts right now, chances were they would be back to being fierce enemies in a very near future. Despite that, he had figured he could indulge in this caring feeling, at least for the few days they would be on this mission.

              A small gasp escaped Atsushi. The sun was finally peeking from behind the hills, golden rays pouring over the earth. His breath was stuck in his throat at the beauty in front of him. The sky had taken a soft, golden hue, the mountains were now clearly visible between the clouds, the beige of the rocks and deep green of the forests taking tints he had never seen before. Chuuya had turned his eyes to Atsushi when the quiet huff had escaped him. His face was entirely illuminated by the soft glimmer soaring through the heavens, tired features almost entirely erased by the bliss taking over his entire being. The tiger grabbed another sugared violet, eyes slightly closing with joy as he sucked on the candy. Chuuya’s blush grew redder as he observed the young man. He almost looked like an angel in this morning rays, his silver hair glowing in the light resembling a halo around his gentle face. The morning dew was glittering around them, adding an ethereal aura to the whole scene. Seeing Atsushi enjoy his present so much was warming the Mafioso inside; he had offered presents to Akutagawa or Kouyou before, but none of them seemed to have appreciated them as much as Atsushi, this almost stranger, was in this exact moment. His heart fluttered a little at the thought and sight. Feeling the heat across his cheeks, Chuuya cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.

              Atsushi turned his head to him, eyes locking for a second into the blue gaze of the red-head before the Mafioso looked back to the sunrise, trying to avoid eye contact with the young man. The tiger smiled at Chuuya, admiring the way the sunlight was playing in the few fiery strands visible under the man’s hat. He could see the red hues covering his cheeks; he didn’t know such a person could be so sensitive to nature’s wonders. They may be able to get along after all. Atsushi turned his attention to the giant orb again.

              “-It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” Chuuya answered with a simple nod, not sure if he was thinking about the sunrise or the man next to him as he did so.

              Slowly, the sun made its way up and was finally completely out. The magic was disappearing little by little as the sky turned bluer and the light whiter. They sat there for some time still, both looking at the now clear blue sky, puffy clouds gathering around the mountains’ edges.

              “-Have some, please.” Atsushi shook the small bag of candied violets in front of Chuuya. He was so grateful for this present, he had to share it with the red-head. Dazai had told him about him, and he had heard stories of how powerful he was, but the person he had with him right now was the complete opposite of the image he previously had in mind. Of course it had been a little weird at first, having to work so closely with the mafia and actually going on a mission with one of their members, an executive at that, but Atsushi had quickly changed his opinion on the man. He wasn’t some kind of blood-thirsty monster or a stupid gnome, far from it. Atsushi smiled at the red-head as their eyes met and softly shook the violets again.

              “Th-Thank.” Chuuya couldn’t help but stutter as he accepted one of the flowers. The tiger quickly stood up, tightening his blanket around him.

              “-We should get back to the hotel.” Chuuya only hummed in response as he rose up. He put the sweet in his mouth as he started following Atsushi, flavors filling in his senses. It seemed the young tiger was warming up to him, and the idea of getting close to him didn’t seem so impossible or silly anymore. One thing was sure: he knew he would never be able to eat another sugared violet without thinking about the young detective. As they were making their way back, Atsushi’s mind was filled by the same thought.

#chuuatsuweek2019 #chuuatsuweek #chuuatsu week 2019 #chuuatsu week #Bungou Stray Dogs #BSD #Nakahara Chuuya #Chuuya Nakahara #Chuuya #BSD Chuuya #Nakajima Atsushi #Atsushi Nakajima #Atsushi #BSD Atsushi #Chuuya x Atsushi #ChuuAtsu #Fluff #Sugared Violet #Sunrise #Morning Lights and Sugared Violets #My Writing

[sadisticsmiles]

Celebrity Love Adventure Episode 4 (Revived Celebrity Darling Fanfic)

Wave’s First Banter

             Back in Café Darling, Nanaka had returned from Shibuya. She saw Runa smiling with lunch ready in the middle of the first floor. No customers at the moment. Just their usual small dining table present, which could seat up to four people. Yet with Nanaka’s arrival a few weeks ago, it had just been Runa to eat during meals. Nanaka saw her sister-in-law’s daffodil ankle socks and egg shell Mary Janes since Runa was not behind the counter in preparation for anyone who would stop by the café. She took her seat, which was always facing the staircase, to join her already seated family member sitting across from her.

           “Grape jelly on your omurice again,” Nanaka eyes stared as she frowned slightly. “It’s nice on eggs if you serve it on a biscuit with meat, but don’t you ever want a change of pace when it comes to omurice, Runa-san? Salsa isn’t bad to have on the egg.”

           Runa’s smile did not budge. “This is my favorite, though. Anyway, how was Shibuya?” She took a small spoon with her right hand, dug into her food, and took a bite of it.

           “There were a bunch of girls screaming,” Nanaka replied, taking in some of her food and swallowed. “They were looking for some human men, but not to worry; they were over on the other side of the buildings to my left, so no harm was done.”

           “Humans are quite fueled with energy,” Runa stated. “They’re quite unlike magicians, but Shibuya does have a lot of them around. I’ll still worry for you if you decide to go there often. Outside of Ikebukuro, you’re unprotected.”

           Nanaka swallowed again after eating some more. “You didn’t mention going to other magic-filled areas in the Human World. Onii-sama, Taiga-san, and Nao-san are safe, so I’ll be fine as well.”

           Runa finally frowned. “Yes, but danger follows you frequently, Nanaka. It’s not as though it’ll always be a safe zone, wherever you are. This world in particular will not allow magicians to stay anywhere without slowly draining your stamina. Return to Ikebukuro often.”

           “I’ve not forgotten, but there is something I’d like to think about to myself later,” Nanaka proclaimed. “You know I can never forget. But, I do appreciate the sentiment, Runa-san.” A faint, yet somewhat soft smile appeared on her visage, adding to the beauty and adorable looks she had.

           Runa smiled once more. “Having you here with me is a large comfort. To think we’re able to spend time as a family is more than I could’ve thought possible.”

           They two of them resumed to eating, enjoying the other’s presence. It seemed as though the two of them had were getting to live together for the first time again in Ikebukuro. The days had passed by since Nanaka entered the Human World with Eri to escape the danger surrounding the Thai tea-haired girl. Yet…

           Was the guy I met today a threat to my existence? Nanaka pondered. I didn’t feel anything bad about him. Then again, he broke through my magic and something enabled him to see through my invisibility. The other humans, on the other hand, did not notice my presence. What could be going on?

           Nanaka glanced at her sister-in-law and asked, “Runa-san? Is it fine if I stay in my room for a while longer? I’d like to rest.”

           “I don’t mind,” Runa replied. “I can handle work around here. I’ll stay down here if you need anything.”

           With a nod, Nanaka said, “Thanks.”

           Then, she headed upstairs to her room. She walked over to her bed, which was all the way to the wall across from the door. It had blue-green sheets, a fluorescent blue blanket, and a picton blue pillow. She climbed onto it, placing her blanket over her body and stayed on her left side, falling asleep in an instant.

 ♡💓♡

             Meanwhile, Sho Kiriya was inside the locker room before dance practice was about to start. He was already dressed in a white V-neck shirt with mid-length sleeves, a pair of black knee-length shorts, a pair of white ankle socks, and black sneakers, along with a white wristband on his right hand. He paused to look at something inside his shoulder bag in his locker. His other band mates were already leaving, but one person stayed behind with him.

           Ryota Miike, who had auburn hair and eyes, was wearing a black T-shirt and a pair of charcoal sweatpants with bronze thin stripes on the side of them, smiled casually. “Sho, we should get going or the dance teacher will be peeved at us.” His eyes widened a bit in bewilderment. “Hey, what’s up with you? Are you even listening to your best friend?”

           Sho felt a jolt before he turned around on his left side. Not even a shockwave had made its way to the back of his right side and he saw the impatient look and frown on Ryota’s visage. “Uh, sorry, Ryota! I’m just not into the idea of having dance practice and singing lessons these days.”

           Ryota was still frowning. “I know that you’re not as into them as before. Not when you’ve been getting a lot of job offers. You’re more swamped then the rest of us with our separate jobs. Kazuma’s gotten busier with married life, coming back and forth between Neon and Earth, Kyosuke’s relationship with Sakura is adding to Wave’s overall publicity, Yoshito’s… somewhere for the most part, and I’m getting more drama roles. But you, Sho. You’re in dramas, commercials, press conferences, and films. There’re more promotional offers with magazines and other photo shoots.”

           “I-I can’t help it,” Sho blushed, embarrassed by his own popularity. “The president’s accepted as much as he can to fill my schedule… And today wasn’t good for all of us getting chased by fan girls. And now—” He stopped himself.

           “What is it?” Ryota asked, his frown finally erased from his face.

           “N-Nothing.”

           “Uh-huh,” Ryota eyed Sho suspiciously. “Lying won’t help you. Not to me, of all people.” He exhaled softly. “Let’s go. We’re probably late now.”

           Sho’s shoulders fell in resignation. “Right.” He pushed his locker room door dejectedly with his right hand.

           Then, the two of them walked out into the practice room, where the others greeted them.

           “Yo, you two,” Kazuma said. His jet black hair with his bangs parted on his left side (some of his bangs were growing there) were still the same as always; so were his dark medium gray eyes full of kind understanding. He had on an azure long-sleeve jacket and sweatpants, a light gray shirt, and orange athletic shoes.

           “Kept us waiting for a while,” Kyosuke Nakanishi said. His hair was umber, parted in the middle and his eyes silver pink. He wore a black tank top and a pair of golden brown pants. Plus, his tennis shoes were a mossy color and did not have any shoe laces.

           “Ew, Kyosuke,” Ryota rolled his eyes. “You look disgusting like that. Your shoes are the worst.”

           Kyosuke smiled slightly smugly. “My, Ryota. Look at how cute you are. Better not let our dance teacher see you scowl like that.”

           “…” Ryota’s mood crushed under a tiny weight as he narrowed his eyes. “Whatevs.”

           “By the way,” Kazuma said. “What kind of fun chat did you two have in the locker room?”

           “Nothing special,” Sho smiled reluctantly. “Just work as always.”

           Yoshito Fujisaki stared. He had fallow hair with a full set of bangs like Ryota and Sho, but most of his were slanted toward his left side, like Ryota’s. His eyes were pale taupe and he was wearing a purple short-sleeve zip-up hoodie that was made of light material, just that it was opened to reveal the beige V-neck T-shirt underneath. He wore a pair off messy faded light blue jeans and hazel wood athletic shoes. “Hm. Sounds fishy.”

           “Pssh,” Sho laughed. “As if. We’re usually too busy with work to think about anything else, right? There’s nothing wrong, Yoshito.”

           “Is that so?” Yoshito blankly inquired.

           Sho gave another laugh. “You know how it is, seeing as we’re top idols.”

           “Hm.” Yoshito’s eyes were still on his band mate.

           He was staring at something in his locker, Yoshito noted in his head. Something in his bag, perhaps. On the other hand, his laughter wasn’t awkward.

           Kazuma continued. “It looks like the dance teacher is still running late. We can take some more time to talk about anything, you know.”

           “Oh?” Kyosuke cocked his head to his right. “Well that sounds nice coming from our leader.”

           Kazuma laughed wholeheartedly. “Ahaha, we do deserve some time away from work and training.”

           “Yes!” Sho and Ryota exclaimed jovially together.

           “…” Yoshito was as nonchalant as ever. He was evidently the quiet one of the group.

           Ryota grinned adorably. “So, Kazuma. How’s married life going for you and Rui?”

           Kazuma’s eyes widened at the curious nature of the question. “You want to know about our married life?”

           “Well sure,” Ryota continued, not removing his grin. “You two used to stay in this world together before and when you were dating. Not like your relationship pleases her dad even now, I would think, but… You’ve been quite busy going back and forth between our two worlds. Is everything alright?”

           Kazuma looked flustered with deep pink tints on his visage, but then he looked normal—his usual tranquil self. “It’s a complicated matter at home in Neon. Rui’s working as well, but she’s often at Takuji-san and Asuka-san’s place.”

           “Her parents’ house?” Ryota blinked twice. “What’s going on for her to stay there?”

           “I reiterate: it’s complicated. Nothing to worry about, but she’s busy as well.”

           Ryota frowned. “More like she’s being overprotected by her dad even more now that you’ve married her.”

           Kazuma frowned as well. “It’s been over a year now. I can’t exactly complain to my father-in-law about being lenient towards me.”

           “Although,” Sho said with his regular smile, “he was more lively and cheerful before Rui was born. Can you believe how he was like in 2007? Everyone loves him, even if he’s not the same as before.”

           Kyosuke brought up, “Then again, Satsuki and Yuzuki Kitaoji, and their friends are long-time friends of Takuji and Asuka Uramoto. The thought of friends being separated by two worlds must have been eternalized by Takuji’s supporters. He’s still popular and well-respected, so he’ll always be a huge part of their hearts.”

           “His fame isn’t going to die down,” Yoshito nodded. “It’s escalated ever since he came to the Human World. The popularity of magicians is beyond what we can reach.”

           Sho frowned. “Come on, Yoshito! You’re making it sound as if we’re not actually at the top of the entertainment industry. Try getting optimistic more often.”

           “…” It was as though Yoshito glared, but his visage did not display any irritation or anger.

           Sho felt a chill run down his backside. “Wh-Whoa… Don’t be like that…”

           Yoshito sighed with his eyes closed and opened them. “If you think we made it to the top just because we’re popular idols, take a jab at what our popularity means.”

           Sho blinked twice. Ryota did too. They were like an inseparable pair.

           “What it means?” they asked in perfect harmony.

           “It means the entertainment industry in our world prospers without magicians,” Yoshito explained in disdain. “We’re a generation apart from the last time there were any whose popularity soared above humans. Yet, we’ve recently gained a few magicians to work with.”

           “Now that you mention it,” Ryota replied, “the biggest hits were Nao Kujo (née Aozora), Multi-Star Clover, and Frenzycs over twenty-one years ago. Only one human female was in Multi-Star Clover and that was Kuruha, but who knows what her marital status is.”

           “I agree they were the best during their time,” Sho complimented. “Frenzycs disbanded earlier, but they were a band full of guys, who worked with MSC since they debuted together. They were quite impressive for a short-lived group.”

           Kyosuke smiled helplessly. “Hey, don’t jinx us.”

           Ryota stuck his tongue out. “We’re not Jade, and they’ve got a female magician.”

           Kyosuke shrugged. “She has a name, you know.”

           Ryota replied sarcastically. “Of course anyone would know Chitose Sakakibara. Jade’s famous because of her as the female singer in the group. She and Haru Shindo do duets together.”

           Kazuma smiled in a strained manner. “…Well, a band is different from an idol group. We’ve never had a magician who performed by themselves as an idol, other than Nao.”

           “Married and still a legend,” Kyosuke mused. Then, his eyelids raised, as though he thought of something. “Wait. That applies to you too, Kazuma. But. You’re still an idol, so you’re active in the entertainment industry. Otherwise, where would Wave be without our leader?”

           Sho closed his eyes, simultaneously laughing. “Pfft. Right? Having Yoshito as our replacement leader would be way different!”

           Ryota said, “We’d certainly be a quieter group, and less upbeat for our fans. They’d probably cry until we continuously decline in the numbers without Kazuma around. Wave wouldn’t be at the top anymore.”

           “Hey,” Kazuma stated with a frown, “you’re being rude to Yoshito.”

           Yoshito shrugged. “Not really. It’s the usual stuff.”

           Kazuma’s frown became concerned. “If you say so.”

           Kyosuke pondered for a bit, staring at the ceiling. “Hmm. Do you think Nao has any kids with her husband?”

           “Huh?” Ryota asked.

           “What makes you say that?” Sho said with a puzzled expression on his face.

           Kyosuke looked at his fellow Wave members. “I don’t know much about magicians, even though I’m dating Sakura, but it’s a possibility that Nao could have a kid or two. Married couples concerning magicians may have up to two children, but if there are any siblings among the children, they’re really close in age. Not that all married Neonian couples have kids, but this is just a notion I have.”

           “And what if she doesn’t?” Sho asked. “For all we know, you could be wrong, Kyosuke. As an idea, it’s plausible, but look at reality. We know for a fact that magicians aren’t conceived easily. What do you think school’s taught us about them?”

           “And yet,” Ryota muttered, “we don’t even have magician teachers for the Magicians Studies elective classes offered in school.”

           “The school curriculum changed in the 2008-2009 school year so we could learn more about them,” Kyosuke iterated. “We barely had any knowledge about them in the years before that, except for some facts.”

           Ryota was getting tired by the older member’s words. His visage was in discontent with his eyes barely narrowed, and his shoulders slumped as though a small load was placed onto them. “Urgh…! Kyosuke, everyone knew they at least existed even back then.”

           Kyosuke’s smile curved a bit at the edges. “My, my, Ryota. Your temper’s not good for your health and development. Perhaps your pubescent mind hasn’t gotten control these days because we’re all too occupied with our jobs.”

           “Pubescent, my ass,” Ryota retorted. “Nothing’s wrong with me, but you’re too impure to have fans. Are you even treating Sakura right, or are you too sexually involved to care about anything else in your relationship?”

           Kyosuke wagged his right index finger, still smiling. “Tsk, tsk. Don’t tell me you’ve evolved into a gentleman just because you’re worried about us. I’m not mistreating my girlfriend, young man.”

           Kazuma frowned. He was somber and grew tired of the listening to the discourse of his boyband members. “Cut it out, Kyosuke. You’re making things worse for all of us.” He looked at the second youngest member. “You too, Ryota. It’s best not to lose your temper.”

           Ryota took a deep, silent breath. “…Right. Sorry.”

           Kazuma’s smile was kind and gentle. “Well, as for Kyosuke’s question, I’ll just answer. Nao has a daughter who’s currently in the Human World.”

           “Seriously?” Sho asked.

           “Well, yeah,” the Wave leader replied. “She’s married, though.”

           “Uh,” Sho continued, “you’re talking about Nao’s daughter, right?”

           “Of course I am.” Kazuma wasn’t sure why Sho was confused.

           Sho responded a frown of his own. “You tend to be vague about details, Kazuma. Are you not supposed to tell us more information about magicians and all?”

           “Oh,” Kazuma understood right away. “I guess I could since we’re in the same idol group, but how much do you want to know?”

           “For instance, who is Nao’s daughter married to? We don’t need to know her name, but tell us more about the family.”

           Well I don’t want to spoil the fun, but Sho’s gotten curious, so it wouldn’t be a bad thing to let the guys know, Kazuma thought.

           “The Prince of Neon. That makes the Aozora family in-laws with the Royal family.”

           As the other members were astonished, Sho shouted, “WHAT?!”

#Sho Kiriya #Ryota Miike #Kazuma Honda #kyosuke nakanishi #Yoshito Fujisaki #wave #voltage inc. #celebrity darling #wave cd #love 365 #otome games #otome fanfics #voltage fanfics #voltage inc. fanfics

[scribblessims]

Sea Change

Hello Seth.

I am not sure how you managed to reply to my last letters at all. There is no computer here to scream a blinding whiteness at me even after I pull the cord up by the root. The house is dead: no doors have come.

If I am the same Anya I have always been, it is only another hollow shell that I have left behind me.

Nevertheless: order. Answers and Questions. I have noticed that I have a tendency to begin from the middle, because following my thoughts and lives forward and back is a mobius of confusion.

I found a pencil lying next to a broken telephone buried in the house basement, its sarcophagus a faded, water-warped cardboard box. I don’t know why it suddenly appeared: a gift from the house, perhaps? It was worn to a stub by the time that the house died, and I seem to have kept it, wherever I am now. Writing on the back of your letter with it is somewhat difficult.

Time has come unstuck between us: by the count I cut in the door it has been over two hundred days since I sent my last letter, since I set out for my last trip to the Night Garden, since I killed the house.

Yes, I killed the house. I didn’t mean to – I didn’t know. I reached out and I yanked what I needed to know out of what I understood and the whole thing came crashing down, houses, gardens, salami.

To answer your question: my other pen pal was, unlike me, an innocent trying to survive, a child who turned into a plant. They tried to help me, but the bitter alchemy of my eternity turned every present sent through the envelopes to dust. The world that has closed around me like a damp, clammy curtain has no room for the generosity of a world filled with other people, real or cardboard.

Before the letters stopped, Kia was very happy. In love, at home, and sustained by the sun. Then after the long months, my house finally died, and I was alone with its corpse. I never did learn the secrets of what I could send between the houses in those envelopes, or why.

The house gave me eggs and bread and tiny take out cartons of fried rice, apples and almonds and those strange little individual cups of yogurt with flavors like passionfruit and buddha’s hand and durian. I gave it nothing. Even at the end there was always something to eat, even if it was only the cardboard skins and instant ramen.

Did the house know that I had killed it? I’m not sure.

The things that grew in the night garden were not thorns and jagged rocks and other solid, intentionless instruments of natural pain. They were miasmatic, sticking inside the lungs in the dry static air, hulking in the gloom and rustling without wind. The first time I wrote to you a great root like a faceless person wrenched itself out of the side of a rock where it had been digging and chased me back to the manhole that sealed off the night garden from the way to the house. I had to wait, and watch, and sneak back in when the root being was asleep.

I wanted the secrets. I wanted a faster way to discover the half-intuited secrets in the books that I could not read, a better knowledge of when the gardens would appear, to not be afraid of the Night Garden or the emptiness around me anymore. So I ripped the root of judgement out of the night garden, from under the water and the earth that even then smelled like a grave. And as the night screamed around me I ran, and the tunnel crumbled behind me. I didn’t notice until much later that the house was fading, losing the color that it had gained beneath the greasy beigeness, the smugness of the yellow siding fading away to a haggard color, the yellow wallpaper no longer a slightly flaking skin, but smoldering and unclean with ghosts.

It blistered and peeled away in great sores, the brittle windows cracked, and the blood-rich smell of rot wafted up from the drains. The house took a very, very long time to die.

I have not seen any fireleaf – life was scarce and grey in that new place – but my skin burns all the same.

All this time since the house died I have been alone. I would welcome a cardboard person, a sculpture made of paper mâché, the house a wasp makes for her heart. I could not kill an unreal thing, a person who nothing could happen to.

We die because we actually bothered to live. The cardboard people simply stop being once they are too creased and wrinkled to stand up to the other paper dolls.

Well… you die, I suppose. Theoretically.

This makes me wonder once more If I am truly alive.

At the moment, I am more interested in your garden, and the woman who appeared to you there. I don’t think it is entirely similar to the gardens I once had, since it appears to exist in a world where there is more than one person, and I don’t think you went through a door of mine, since you are, all existential worries about being the same person aside, still writing to me, and still existing in the same sort of time and space.

I am not exaggerating about being unmade, or inhabiting a new person. I have not dropped into the same life, or a Xerox of a life, whenever I have gone through a door. But if, as I have come to suspect, all other people are ants crawling on their own separate page of the universe, and I am something without consistent substance, a subset of a subatomic particle, bouncing between these beings, perhaps it is possible that my doors, my transformations, exist perpendicular to yours. You may have gone through the sort of door that I can only approach sideways, unable to step away from the dimensionless frame to walk through.

Perhaps this is why it seems so strange to try and see myself through the eyes of any other person. I do not know if to them I am beautiful or terrifying, or if there is a difference at all – and what an angel I would make with a halo of teeth! Here with no dry wind to gnaw at my face, I will never encounter a poet to tell me if I am human.

I should tell you to be careful. You know what you are willing to do, but you do not know what will happen when you do it, what brittle piece of worldglass you might break. This would, however, be hypocritical. You do not know what will shatter if you do nothing. Thrice I have changed the space around me, and it was only the third time that I caused any harm.

Once I was a carver of stone, and I carved the weighing of the heart against the feather of truth. Ma’at spoke to me then, or so the I that was a filmy wrapper over my self believed. Perhaps he was more real than I am now, for he was not aware that he would be annihilated when he walked through the new door deep beneath the tomb. How many hearts do I have, and how many feathers? Can the good I hope to have done for Kia, the good I might do for you, outweigh the fact that I killed the house?

I do not know how to try. Perhaps I did once, when I was another person, but for now all I have is existence, a mailbox grown from the pink dry corals sprouting from a soil I cannot sense. I am still here. If I had to chose again, I would have asked more questions before I decided to tear out the root.

I am at the end of many, but not quite all things. It is dark here, the sky and ground indistinguishable, vertiginously black, a night with no horizon and no stars. Beyond the edges of humanity there is a howling quiet in my stomach, a void which turns it’s gaze from me in disgust.

Perhaps you would like it here. There are many plants and things which might exist perpendicularly to planthood. In the dark meadow of the mailbox the sea grass waves without a sea. I would, perhaps, like it much better, both here and with the house, were I not afraid of the doors – guilty over all that I have done, afraid of what I might do in the future, the people I might erase.

It seems that I do not need a door to commit that crime.

Before the house died, I could have been happy here, or if not happy, since happiness is a liquid that drips away, content. If I could know that a door would never come, that I was quit of wandering, that with the house and the letters I was not alone… Perhaps someday I would stop thinking about who I have been and what I have done. Perhaps I could detangle the order of my lives and find the first, discover what I was before the first door, unpeel myself to the center of the onion and sprout again.

I could be old again – perhaps doorless I would rejoin the progression of time, count the cycles of the earth, discover a way to make the books in the house readable, settle into every crevice of my body until one day I was so deep into myself that the separate thing that was me was no more.

I am not sure if I would be someone else then, the final days of this body, or if it would be a transcendence. Religions argue back and forth and sideways and I have long since decided that it is not a question of deserving.

The theory that each of us is eternal, an unbroken line stretching to the edges of the universe, has some appeal, as does the idea that we are a mobius strip of life repeating on and on. Today I take comfort in the idea that I may not contain an infinity, simply an unreal number to massive to measure but far too short to contain itself a thousand times over.

If that is true – if a person perpendicular to me, like you are, does not contain infinity, branching off into the stacked pages of an infinite number of universes – then perhaps you do have a choice, whether or not to go through one of your metaphorical doors. If it is not, perhaps there is one of you who was hungry instead of curious and did not go behind the roots, who did not approach the barefoot woman in the garden, who did not listen, who ran.

Or perhaps the philosophe-physicists are full of shit and we are a soup of coincidence, motes of the universe colliding to form an atom, a chemical, a strand of DNA, a chaos of neuroelectrical impulses trapped in a calcified skull, each of us not a photocopy but entirely alone in the universe. Infinity is an unattainable god that we believe in because we cannot bear the idea that someday all things will be gone and there will not even be a nothing as there was before us.

I would love to believe that in the lives I inhabit there was nothing before me, but there are only so many crimes I can commit with perfect arrogance. I have been everyone, Seth – whether I was aware that I was more or not, there is no pattern amongst the static scream. Happy, despairing, confident, anxious, alone, beloved, revered, afraid – how could they all have wanted to stop existing, to disappear? It seems too much like a malicious fairy tale, that in a moment of weakness whispering ‘I wish I were somewhere else,’ you could be snatched away and replaced with… whatever it is that I am. A changeling, a doppelganger?

Aside from you and from Kia, on the other side of a closed door between living houses, there is no one who knows what I am, what I have done, and for some strange reason you don’t seem to be afraid that I exist at all. If there is one of me, perhaps there are others? There could be an infinity of people and an infinity of doors all without my knowledge. Tommorow you could wake up a new shell for a chorus of hermit crab ghosts. You might even be a part of me – I wouldn’t mean to do it, but when the doors arrive I always go through eventually. Once it took almost a century.

I don’t want you to disappear, even if there is more than one of you.

And you – what do you want from me? Do you want me to absolve you of a crime that you have not yet committed? Do you want me to open a door for you beyond all things? Do you think that if you walked through that door with your Sarah, with a real, live non-cardboard person, she would not burn and liquefy, with no guarantee she could reassemble herself metamorphic on the other side? That’s true of you as well.

I do not want to be alone. I do not want to have killed the house, to be the magnet taken to the floppy disc of a practical infinity of people, a protozoan in the skull or a hookworm in a cardboard skin. If the woman in the garden is at all like me then she knows of doors and regrets. Perhaps she was trying to warn you that if you go looking for a door you may not like what is on the other side. She’s clearly better at it than me.

Not every story ends in fire or ice. I think. Most go through, leaving the smelling of the burning of your childhood home clinging to your hair, reeking of guilt and a white bone sky.

You can only see the ends of other people’s stories, not your own.

I have begged the mushrooms to tell me how I could have done better, or at least less harm, and they remain silent as the gibbous moon that does not live in my empty sky.

No one is listening.

#Instant Messages in a Bottle #the letter game

[rebelmeg]

Let's Get Personal

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?  Recently, it's been "Secret Love Song" by Little Mix, "Poison" by Rita Ora, "What Ifs" by Kane Brown and Lauren Alaina, "U and Ur Hand" by P!nk, "Perfect Matchup" by Kenny and London Holland, and The Greatest Showman soundtrack 2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?  Robert Downey Jr. 3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.  “When was the last night or day you took time off?” 4: What do you think about most?  Writing.  A new idea, a current idea, something I need to jot down, something I need to fix, the one I want to read. 5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?  I'm fine, unless you want the time. 6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?  Underwear. 7: What’s your strangest talent?  Personalizing or adding to things that probably do not need to be personalized.  (The beige Calvin Klein purse was BORING so I defiled something expensive to make it more “me”.) 8: Finish the sentence.  Girls… are strong; Boys… are allowed to be soft. 9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?  Not that I know of. 10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?  I'm not an air guitar person, I have a THING about looking stupid and I’m certain that I can’t pull off looking cool doing air guitar. 11: Do you have any strange phobias?  Nah, just the regular ones. 12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?  Don't think so? 13: What’s your religion?  LDS 14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?  Walking to my car. 15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?  Behind, definitely. 16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?  I do hate this question.  I'll go with Queen, it's the first one that popped into my head. 17: What was the last lie you told?  I don't recall. 18: Do you believe in karma?  Eh, sorta 19: What does your URL mean?  I am and have always been a little bit of a rebel. 20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?  Weakness, personal motivation and time management.  Strength, creativity. 21: Who is your celebrity crush?  RDJ and Sebastian Stan 22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?  Yep. 23: How do you vent your anger?  Stewing about it, venting to other people. 24: Do you have a collection of anything?  Soooo many collections... I collect shot glasses as my travel souvenir. 25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?  Phone. 26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?  For the most part. 27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?  Permanent markers on cardboard boxes give me the heebie-jeebie shivers, the sound of a soda pop tab opening a can makes me swoon with happiness. 28: What’s your biggest “what if”?  I'm not sure.  Maybe what if I'd married someone else (not a desire at all, but something I've wondered about from time to time), my life would be entirely different from what it is now. 29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?  No and yes, but not in the traditional sense. 30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.  The chair next to me on the right, the child that is being clingy on the left. 31: Smell the air. What do you smell?  My house and my perfume. 32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?  A casino. 33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?  I've never been to the East Coast, so I can't really say. 34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?  Oh geez, I don't know. 35: To you, what is the meaning of life?  To do your best, be kind, and be happy. 36: Define Art.  Life made viewable. 37: Do you believe in luck?  Not really. 38: What’s the weather like right now?  Rainstorm is heading this way. 39: What time is it?  9:31 am 40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?  Yep and yep.  Not a big crash, though, minor one.  Fixed the alignment! 41: What was the last book you read?  Currently reading "Blood Fury" by JR Ward 42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?  Don't mind it as long as it's not too strong. 43: Do you have any nicknames?  A fair slew.  Meg, Megs, Rebel, Mom, Mama, and then standard endearments. 44: What was the last film you saw?  Geostorm, I think. 45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?  Not sure if this counts as an injury, but I ended up in the hospital with a miscarriage that required surgery.  If that doesn't count, I broke my foot falling out of a tree. 46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?  Yep!  I found one on the grass once during recess as a kid when it was raining, it was close to getting crushed by the other kids playing ball. I held it cupped in my hands so I could show my teacher, its wings dried while I held it, and it flew away while we all watched. 47: Do you have any obsessions right now?  Fandom ones, heck yeah. 48: What’s your sexual orientation?  Straight. 49: Ever had a rumor spread about you?  Probably. 50: Do you believe in magic?  Everyday magic, yes. 51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?  Yeah. 52: What is your astrological sign?  Libra 53: Do you save money or spend it?  I spend like it's burning a hole in my pocket. 54: What’s the last thing you purchased?  Lunch last week. 55: Love or lust?  Love 56: In a relationship?  Yes 57: How many relationships have you had?  Just one serious one. 58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?  Not quite. 59: Where were you yesterday?  Home. 60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?  My elbow is resting on a pair of my daughter's pink underwear. 61: Are you wearing socks right now?  Yep, I love socks. 62: What’s your favorite animal?  Bears, penguins, peacocks, owls, dogs. 63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?  Being kind and friendly. 64: Where is your best friend?  Teaching school. 65: Give me your top 5 favorite blogs on Tumblr.  Oh geez, I can't narrow it down to just five! 66: What is your heritage? Mostly British, good mix of other UK and European ancestors, I’m a 2nd generation American. 67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?  Watching Gilmore Girls and folding laundry. 68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?  Don't think he has one. 69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?  Of course. 70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?  I hope so. 71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?  Save the dog quickly. 72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die?  Yes, everyone. b) What do you do with your remaining days? Be as happy as possible and spend as much time with the people I love as possible.  c) Would you be afraid?  Heck yes. 73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.  A huge part of love IS trust, so love. 74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?  Goody Goody by Julie Lavery, it's an upbeat, bouncy song.  (Which is funny, because the lyrics tell a sad story) 75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?  Nope, I use it as a passcode for stuff sometimes. 76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?  Humor, taking care of each other. 77: How can I win your heart?  Interact with me. 78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?  Yep. 79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?  To start writing again. 80: What size shoes do you wear?  7 81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?  *shrugs* Something nice. 82: What is your favorite word?  Popcorn.  I love the sound and the visual appearance of the way the letters are arranged. 83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.  Love, courage, strength. 84: What is a saying you say a lot?  "Best thing ever!" 85: What’s the last song you listened to?  "Hey Soul Sister" by Train 86: Basic question; what’s your favorite color/colors?  Purple! 87: What is your current desktop picture?  Shamrocks 88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?  I don't know enough to be able to make that decision.  Also, too many corrupt world leaders to narrow it down, I think. 89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?  I can think of many. 90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?  "I am too tired for this nonsense, either sit down and chill or go downstairs and wait until morning." 91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?  Time manipulation without accelerated aging.  I just want to be able to nap whenever I want and have time to catch up on my Netflix list... 92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?  The first time my hubby and I held hands when we were dating.  It was perfect and absolutely adorable. 93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?  Ugh, I'm not sure, there are two that immediately spring to mind that were pretty awful. 94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?  I have no idea. 95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?  Europe.  Anywhere in Europe, but particularly the UK. 96: Do you have any relatives in jail?  I don't think so? 97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?  I'm sure I did when I was a kid, but not that I can remember. 98: Ever been on a plane?  Finally went on one for the first time a couple years ago! 99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?  Be kind.

#let's get personal #about me

[normanandcaliban]

Demons and Department Stores

Music: “You and Me” by Shallou

“Whoa, dude check this out!” Norman’s voice called to Cal from several aisles down in the department store.

They’d been rummaging through the $5 movie section for the past fifteen minutes trying to find something christmas-y for the annual family Christmas movie marathon. Every year, the Castor household came together the first weekend of December to watch all the classic holiday movies like “The Santa Clause” or “Deck the Halls” or “A Christmas Story.” This year, Norman wanted to find something new to add to the movie collection. It was also Black Friday, which meant their $5 movie was actually closer to a $1 movie. Bonus points for team thrift shop.

Cal’s human-form ears perked up at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice. They tingled and felt slightly uncomfortable due to their unusual small, round shape. He scratched them in irritation. The natural curves of his elongated, pointy, red lobes suited him much better, but he promised Norman he’d remain shifted whenever they were in public since “ordinary humans can’t handle the concept that demons actually exist.” Yet, Cal thought to himself.

Maintaining a human appearance was a pain in the neck and took intense psychological focus to keep up. Any distraction, no matter how slight, could cause his skin tone to shift back to its bright, demonic red or his tail to sprout through his pants, which, by the way, was definitely as painful as it sounded. Most demons his age still struggled to keep basic transformations down, but he wasn’t worried. He was almost five hundred years old and he’d had several centuries of practice maintaining concentration when shifting his physical form. Besides, he was out having a good time with Norman. That’s all that mattered to him right now.

Without taking his eyes off the back cover of a bizarre “Rudolph the Reindeer: Zombie Apocalypse” movie, he called back over his shoulder, “Yeah? What’d you find?” He chuckled as he put the movie back in the bin. He never knew Rudolph could be such a badass, saving the world from mutant elves, armies of undead creatures, and powerful, unholy entities.

He turned to head towards the spot where he last heard Norman’s voice and collided with a middle-aged woman looking at CD’s.

“Oh shit, I’m so s–!” Cal’s eyes widened as he saw the woman’s sharp, blue claws quickly shift back into human form. She frantically checked her surroundings to make sure no one else saw the transformation. Her eyes returned to meet Cal’s with an edgy, apprehensive stare. She readied herself to pounce, as if she was waiting for him to scream or run. If Cal had been human, she likely would’ve silenced him to make sure her secret disappeared along with his body.

Cal cocked an eyebrow at her aggressive stance and shifted his eyes to their true demonic form, giving her a flash of his true identity.

The woman immediately backed down and relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. “Goodness you sure gave me a fright, deary! If you had been human, I was going to have to call the Collectors to have this mess straightened out.”

The Collectors were a sort of black market “laundry team” that helped demons stay below human radar by cleaning up…accidents. They mostly worked in stain and body removal, but they also worked behind the scenes to position evidence and erase identities.

“It’s not the Collectors you’d have to worry about, ma’am. Work harder at maintaining your appearances or the Department of Earth Affairs will step in to reclaim you.” Cal tried to keep the underlying tones of condescension in voice hidden.

The woman straightened up and quickly hustled away as a confused Norman approached.

“What was that all about?” He asked, holding about twenty shiny, red and green movie cases in his arms and three in his mouth.

Cal scratched his head, “Seems like I’m not the only demon out Christmas shopping in this town.” He noticed the overflow of movies his boyfriend was attempting to carry and took some to lighten the load.

“Seriously?” Norman looked over Cal’s shoulder at the woman in question. She appeared as normal and as human as Cal did now, which meant she must be a shifter too. She grabbed a box from a shelf containing a small, lighted trees and placed it in her shopping cart. Seeing demons actively participate in Christian traditions was both intriguing and confusing. “How is it demons can stand Christmas? Aren’t you supposed to hate all things holy, religious, and God-related?”

Cal’s eyebrows shot up and he burst out laughing. “Well, yeah, as long as you don’t dump a bucket of holy water on me or start an exorcism. But Christmas? Heck no! Giving and receiving gifts is awesome, dude. Think of all the loot you collect!”

Norman thought about the Christmas traditions and realized that some of them didn’t have much religious symbolism. The tree. The gift giving. Santa Claus. The pieces started fitting together in his head, “Oh, so it’s the greed that attracts you to it?”

Cal shrugged, “I guess.”

Norman blushed, realizing he’d been ignorant.  “I’m sorry if I’m sounding like a bigot…”

Cal waved it off, “No, no. you’re fine. Your assumption was partially correct. The greed is definitely a huge draw for my kin, but just because we thrive on the vices of humanity doesn’t mean we hate Christmas. We love spending time with the people we care about just as much as humans do. We are creatures of passion after all.”

“I guess that rings true with all of us.” He grabbed Cal’s free hand with his and gave it a squeeze. Cal smiled back at him as they walked to the checkout aisle.

“How did you know that woman was a shifter? Do you have a 6th sense?” Norman asked, changing the subject back to the other demon.

“Oh I bumped into her and she partially shifted back. That happens sometimes if a shifter loses their focus.” He said as they payed for and bagged their movies and walked toward the exit. The cashier had been listening in on their conversation and looked at the two of them like they were a couple of weirdos. He figured they’d been talking about some “Dungeons & Dragons” thing and rolled his eyes at the weird shit young people get into these days.

“Wait, so how does that work? You just focus really hard and stay in your human form?” Norman pinched Cal’s cheek trying to test his concentration to see if his beige skin color would change back to its natural crimson.

Swatting away Norman’s hand, Cal laughed and shook his head, “Yes and no. Focus is definitely key, but so is age. A demon’s power solidifies and matures with age. That’s why young demons are considered more dangerous due to the volatile nature of their abilities. When I was younger, I could barely even hold my tail in, much less my wings.”

“So how old are you then?” Norman realized this was the first time he’d asked about Cal’s age. He felt kinda ashamed for not asking sooner.

“Well, time works differently in my home dimension. There, I’m about twenty-two, but here I’m almost five hundred years old.”

The information took a moment to sink into Norman’s head. His eyes widened when it did, “Whoa, wait WHAT?! You’re FIVE HUNDRED YEARS OLD?!”

Cal raised a sarcastic eyebrow, “Oh come on, don’t tell me you’re honestly surprised that demons have long lifespans.”

Even though Cal was right, Norman had no response. He was still quite astonished at the fact that his boyfriend was currently old enough to be his living 16th-century ancestor. A shudder passed through his body.

Cal wrapped one arm around Norman’s shoulder, pulling him close. A wicked smile curved across his face.

“Kiss me, I’m ancient.”

“Ew, no! Get away from me grandpa.”

“Oh ho! So that’s the type of kinky shit you’re into, huh?” He briefly tickled Norman’s ribcage.

That comment, plus the tickles, earned Cal a soft punch on the arm. “Shut up, you know what I’m into.” Norman pulled Cal in for a kiss.

When they parted, Cal could hardly restrain his curiosity, “And what would that be?” He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he wanted to hear Norman say it out loud. Norman rested his forehead against Cal’s and stared into the demon’s fiendish eyes.

“You.”

.

.

.

.

#digital art #shopping #black friday #christmas #cute cartoon couples #gay couple #Norman Castor #Caliban the Demon #rudolph #short story #gay fiction #supernatural fiction #magic #shifters #demons #gay cartoon

[bes52617-blog]

1: 6 of the songs you listen to most?

- I Think God Can Explain by Splender - Steady My Heart by Kari Jobe - Supermarket Flowers by Ed Sheeran - Imagination by Shawn Mendes - Dangerous Woman by Ariana Grande - Terrified by Katharine McPhee ft. Zachary Levi

2: If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?

My best friend in US.

3: Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 23, give me line 17.

“Oh, is it now?” she asked. (Looking for Alaska)

4: What do you think about most?

Yung mga taong ‘di ko na dapat iniisip. Sigh.

5: What does your latest text message from someone else say?

Oo meron nga.

6: Do you sleep with or without clothes on?

With clothes on.

7: What’s your strangest talent?

Parang wala, haha.

8: Girls… (finish the sentence); Boys… (finish the sentence)

9: Ever had a poem or song written about you?

Yes, poem and songs (haba ng hair hahaha ;P).

10: When is the last time you played the air guitar?

Hindi ko pa na try haha.

11: Do you have any strange phobias?

Claustrophobic ako so... ayun.

12: Ever stuck a foreign object up your nose?

Ew, no.

13: What’s your religion?

Wala ata, lol. But I do believe in God.

14: If you are outside, what are you most likely doing?

People watching lol.

15: Do you prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it?

Both :p

16: Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?

Coldplay.

17: What was the last lie you told?

“Okay lang.”

18: Do you believe in karma?

Yeah, both good and bad karma.

19: What does your URL mean?

Bookweeeeermchikabebs

20: What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?

Idk, basta alam ko weakness ko mga sweet na tao lol.

21: Who is your celebrity crush?

Chris Evans.

22: Have you ever gone skinny dipping?

Nope.

23: How do you vent your anger?

Pulling my own hair =))

24: Do you have a collection of anything?

Yeah, I collect books yung mga paperbacks. Pero kapag may nagbigay ng hardbound okay lang din ^^

25: Do you prefer talking on the phone or video chatting online?

Talking on the phone.

26: Are you happy with the person you’ve become?

Yes, I am happy.

27: What’s a sound you hate; sound you love?

I hate the sound of a ticking clock; I love the sound of the rain

28: What’s your biggest “what if”?

What if naihulog talaga ako sa hagdan dati, nabuhay pa kayo ako?

29: Do you believe in ghosts? How about aliens?

I believe in evil spirits so yeah, I think meron talagang ghosts but aliens? I dunno.

30: Stick your right arm out; what do you touch first? Do the same with your left arm.

Left, heater; right a book.

31: Smell the air. What do you smell?

Amoy vanilla. Nagsindi kasi ako ng kandila dito hehe ^^

32: What’s the worst place you have ever been to?

Siguro sa Divi kapag yung malapit na mag christmas.

33: Choose: East Coast or West Coast?

East Coast :p (Gayahin ko lang si bes haha)

34: Most attractive singer of your opposite gender?

Mmm.. Isip pa ako ;)

35: To you, what is the meaning of life?

To live, to love others, to enjoy the nature, to eat, to read, to love yourself.

36: Define Art.

Expression of creativity.

37: Do you believe in luck?

Yes, I do.

38: What’s the weather like right now?

Maulap, malamig, masarap matulog ;)

39: What time is it?

2:06pm na dito.

40: Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed?

'Di ako marunong mag drive. Haha..

41: What was the last book you read?

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

42: Do you like the smell of gasoline?

Nope.

43: Do you have any nicknames?

Yes.

44: What was the last film you saw?

Movie adaptation of Before I Fall.

45: What’s the worst injury you’ve ever had?

Wala.

46: Have you ever caught a butterfly?

Yes ^^

47: Do you have any obsessions right now?

M&M’s :D

48: What’s your sexual orientation?

Straight.

49: Ever had a rumour spread about you?

Yeah, kami daw nung best friend kong 17y/o haha! Mga malisyoso.

50: Do you believe in magic?

Maybe?

51: Do you tend to hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?

Hindi ko alam, pero matagal kasi ako magpatawad :/

52: What is your astrological sign?

Libra.

53: Do you save money or spend it?

I save it.

54: What’s the last thing you purchased?

Fries and burger sa branch ng Jollibee dun sa airport. Mag iisang taon na hahaha :))

55: Love or lust?

Love.

56: In a relationship?

Yes.

57: How many relationships have you had?

'Di ko binibilang haha.

58: Can you touch your nose with your tongue?

I can’t :))

59: Where were you yesterday?

Dito lang sa condo.

60: Is there anything pink within 10 feet of you?

None.

61: Are you wearing socks right now?

Nah.

62: What’s your favourite animal?

Dogs and rabbits ^^

63: What is your secret weapon to get someone to like you?

Wala, secret weapon? Bakit, sasabak ba tayo sa gera? lol.

64: Where is your best friend?

Somewhere in US.

65: Give me your top 5 favourite blogs on Tumblr.

Blog lang ni bes ^^

66: What is your heritage?

I am a Filipina from Mars. :p

67: What were you doing last night at 12AM?

Tulog na.

68: What do you think is Satan’s last name?

Wala siyang apelyido~ (bagsakan song lol)

69: Be honest. Ever gotten yourself off?

Minsan.

70: Are you the kind of friend you would want to have as a friend?

Yes, kahit alam kong mahilig akong manermon :))

71: You are walking down the street on your way to work. There is a dog drowning in the canal on the side of the street. Your boss has told you if you are late one more time you get fired. What do you do?

Tatawagan ko best friend ko.. Bes, tulungan mo ako kawawa naman si doggy chuchu. Malilate na ako. HUHUHU =)))

72: You are at the doctor’s office and she has just informed you that you have approximately one month to live. a) Do you tell anyone/everyone you are going to die? b) What do you do with your remaining days? c) Would you be afraid?

a. Oo, sasabihin ko b. Babalik ako sa Pinas

c. Oo.

73: You can only have one of these things; trust or love.

Love.

74: What’s a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?

Superstitious by Stevie Wonder

75: What are the last four digits in your cell phone number?

0209.

76: In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?

Intimacy, commitment and communication.

77: How can I win your heart?

Love me unconditionally.

78: Can insanity bring on more creativity?

Yeah, siguro.

79: What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?

Patawarin yung tatay ko kung ano mang ginawa niya sa’min ni mama dati. Para sa’kin best decision pa rin yun kahit ngayon parang balewala na naman ako sa kanya ^^

80: What size shoes do you wear?

Size 4.

81: What would you want to be written on your tombstone?

I shall return. LOL. Hindi ko alam, hahaha

82: What is your favourite word?

Okay :))

83: Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word; heart.

Love <3 Heart heart :))

84: What is a saying you say a lot?

“Okay lang.”

85: What’s the last song you listened to?

Attention by Charlie Puth

86: Basic question; what’s your favourite colour/colours?

Black, white and beige.

87: What is your current desktop picture?

Wala, color black lang siya. Ayaw kasi gumana nung licensed OS ko. Sa pinas ko kasi binili yun, tch.

88: If you could press a button and make anyone in the world instantaneously explode, who would it be?

Pag-iisipan ko pa, joke. Hahaha. Wala naman.

89: What would be a question you’d be afraid to tell the truth on?

“Naka move on ka na ba?”

90: One night you wake up because you heard a noise. You turn on the light to find that you are surrounded by MUMMIES. The mummies aren’t really doing anything, they’re just standing around your bed. What do you do?

Sisigaw ako nang sisigaw hanggang magising lahat ng mga kasama ko sa bahay para puntahan nila ako sa kwarto ko. =)))

91: You accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow you with the super-power of your choice! What is that power?

Teleportation :D

92: You can re-live any point of time in your life. The time-span can only be a half-hour, though. What half-hour of your past would you like to experience again?

Jan.4, 2016 para maexperience ko ulit na ipagluto ako ng almusal ni mama at asikasuhin bago pumasok sa office ^^

93: You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?

Yung nakikita kong nirerevive si mama. Sobrang sakit po, di ako makahinga > <

94: You have the opportunity to sleep with the music-celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?

Adam Levigne o kaya si Zayn Malik

95: You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?

Florida :p

96: Do you have any relatives in jail?

None.

97: Have you ever thrown up in the car?

Nung bata pa siguro ako :))

98: Ever been on a plane?

Yeah.

99: If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?

Hello world…! xDD

—

-G