ain&#x27;t your mama

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#c;josh #powers;;event #nsfw

Performance Anxiety || Josh & Circe

With all the thousands of people living in Pansaw, he’d thought that it was unlikely he’d meet anyone who was unfortunate enough to have his company when he’d been less than human – especially since, whether he liked admitting it or not, most of them hadn’t survived the experience. Those that hadn’t died hadn’t exactly been given a good impression, and even on the off chance someone had been endeared by such a monster, he wasn’t capable of piecing together the memories well enough to seek them out. Especially when it wouldn’t fit the villainous narrative he’d spun for himself, the version of the story where self-punishment seemed like the right path to take.

Out of all his exceptions (or lackthereof) he certainly hadn’t expected to hear the voice he did, and before he’d even turned to face the woman his eyes had widened in surprise. He sent a quick glance in her direction before he was able to cover it up, his eyes skittering across the visible marks he’d left – ouch. Clearly she didn’t seem as bothered by them as he was, but he couldn’t help but feel a wave of self-directed disgust at how awful, how uncontrolled, he’d been. “I–” He broke off, trying to swallow down his negativity, for her sake – he was trying to make himself feel bad, not others.

“I, I… uh– hi,” he finished lamely, acutely aware that he didn’t even know her name – it hadn’t seemed important at the time, but now that he was thinking more clearly he almost (aka, definitely) felt bad. “You’re, um– you’re not… you’re okay?” It felt ridiculous asking when she was so visibly alright with everything that’d happened (he didn’t think she would’ve teased much, otherwise), but he was finding it hard to believe she was alive at all. Out of the memories he had (which were… admittedly enjoyable, though he also had trouble with admitting that) the endings of certain interactions were always harder to grasp than anything else.

It was such a stark difference from the way he had been while he was in his feral state. Where he had been fierce and unrelenting, he was stammering and shy. The rough edges of him, the violence and confidence that she had loved so much, were all but invisible, wrapped up in a sad sort of softness. She wondered which side of him was the real him, but that thought didn’t last long. The answer was obvious enough; they were both him, real and raw and in conflict. It seemed a difficult way to live, but she doubted he wanted her pity.

“Hi,” she echoed, grin spreading across her face as she teased him. It was good natured and affectionate, rather than anything cruel. Really, she couldn’t help it. He was just so damn adorable with the way he stammered -- and with the way he took in her appearance. She just wanted to eat him all up, much in the way he had wanted to not so long ago. For a moment, she wondered if he’d be up for another round, but that was something to be brought up later.

The question made her laugh, bright and clearly amused. “I’m more than okay. Why wouldn’t I be? It was fantastic,” she purred, leaning back against the back of the bench as she talked to him. “Are you okay? You seem a little flustered.”

#c;josh

Macrocosm | Open

Starz it was. Her mind open, Jim needed not his powers to read between the lines. By choosing the heterosexual club it said that that was what she wanted; that he was on her menu. He smiled handsomely and slid into the taxi beside her, giving the driver their destination: Starz Club. Then he turned his smile on Circe, his teeth showing through. Like him, she sounded intrigued at how the chaos would play out. At the face of the city they would see tonight, one previously unseen.

“Here’s hoping it’s actually open. There’s a chance it won’t be.” They were lucky to get a taxi and Jim glancing at the male driver, his eyes tracking over him. He seemed quite in control…curious… What kind of man would work on a night when he had such an endowment…when his customer base was such a danger… “If not…I’m sure we can manage to find some sort of party for ourselves.”

Circe gave a shrug, knowing there was certainly a possibility that it was closed. The city was in a state of chaos, after all, and not everyone could adapt quickly. There was also the small but very real possibility that someone had damaged it due to out of control powers; that reminded her that she needed to call Janet back at the clinic and make sure that everything was alright. It wasn’t in the downtown area, so it was a little safer than most places, but nothing was truly safe and she knew it.

But that was a worry for later. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy and she wasn’t about to be dull. “Oh, I’m sure we’ll find something to do. There’s enough stubbornness and cleverness between the pair of us that I doubt we’ll give up that easily.” Sure, she was fairly sure that both of those traits mostly came from her, but she’d give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being.

lunaraaliyah-blog

Aaliyah couldn’t help the way the illusions around her glowed even brighter, the pink and purple nebula swimming around her the more flustered she got. “That’s very true,” she said, her voice soft as she started to walk into the planetarium seating area with Circe. Her cheeks flushed a bit more and she tried to keep the illusion from glowing brightly but it was getting more difficult. “I’m Aaliyah. It’s lovely to meet you, Circe.” She smiled fondly and let her sit down before she did in the row. Once they were both sitting and comfortable, Aaliyah offered the beautiful girl the box of candy. “So, I’m curious, I know not everyone is a space nerd like I am, what do you do?” She asked, her voice was soft as the show started, but she had turned her head to look at the girl beside her. She had come to watch the planetariums show but the day had definitely gotten more interesting with the arrival of Circe.

#c;aaliyah #powers;;event

Circe’s gaze followed the shimmering shapes that moved around Aaliyah, fascinated and endeared in equal measure. She couldn’t help but think that the other woman looked something like a goddess, like the brightness of space wrapped up into the shape of a girl -- though the brightness seemed to be too much for her to contain, if the glowing illusions were anything to go by. “It’s wonderful to meet you, Aaliyah.” It was a name just as pretty as her, just like Circe had thought. “I’m a veterinarian. I actually own Vibrant Pet Veterinary Clinic. Animals on Earth are more my style, but space is pretty groovy. Especially when it involves pretty girls.”

Performance Anxiety || Josh & Circe

@circevelasquez

Time hadn’t necessarily healed much of the suffering he felt over certain events, but he’d grown used to the feelings enough to go about his usual business without breaking down more than once or twice every few days. Being that it’d only been a short while since things had gone to hell – the city was still cleaning up, even! – he felt like he’d made a reasonable amount of progress. To reward (punish?) himself, he’d decided against isolating himself back at his broken down apartment, instead forcing himself out to the park, a comparatively sparse area in Pansaw.

The people (or lackthereof) however, didn’t make the slightest bit of difference in his anxiety, the very thought at being outside something hellish for him – though normally he would’ve done his best to shove the feeling aside, to enjoy what the day had to offer, in that moment he was content to bask in his suffering. He’d been doing that more and more lately, intentionally aggravating himself in many different ways, and being out and about was the least of what he’d done. It was less intentional on his part, but it was slightly harder to keep himself completely miserable when it was such a nice day.

Sighing, he set himself down at an already-occupied park bench, oblivious to who, exactly, he’d ended up coming across. “Nice day, huh?” he asked, still keeping his gaze ahead – there were some limits to interaction he wasn’t willing to challenge.

#c;josh #u get all the points

Besides an inordinate amount of animal feces, Circe didn’t have much cleaning up to do after the whole steroid debacle. The people who had seen her little show off in front of Jim hadn’t made much of a fuss and besides, there wasn’t a lot of real proof. Who was going to believe them when they said that the friendly, talented veterinarian could spontaneously grow wings if they didn’t have actual video proof? It didn’t leave her with a lot of fear, but -- as her other adventure during the week proved -- not a lot of things did.

She’d been out for a jog, never one to neglect her physical health even if the face of mild disaster. It’d been about half an hour by the time she sat down on the bench, taking slow drinks from her bottle of water as she relaxed a little bit as she psyched herself up to run home. But as she was sitting there, someone a lot more fun decided to throw a wrench right into the middle of her plans. It was a welcome wrench, but a wrench nonetheless.

“Better since you arrived,” she hummed, eyes sliding over his frame as she thought back to their exploits. Did he remember, she wondered. Did he regret it? Either way, the evidence of it all was still written across her skin in the language of scratches and bite marks; she’d made no attempt to conceal it all. “Fancy seeing you here. Ready for round two yet?” she teased.

Macrocosm | Open

How cold. It was admirable how much confidence Circe had, how her thoughts revolved around worth and utility. Much like Jim’s, just without his ability to ensure he got what he wanted. She realised what skills she possessed, what qualities she, born and honed, she could make use of. A trait that many, sadly, did not possess, their talents wasted and unrealised. Jim stood, waiting, listening, taking her hand soon.

Circe had it right; Jim worked with people. She with animals. Controlling two constants of reality, two that were among the most diverse and numerous on the planet. Jim’s smile widened and he lead them off. “Now a second question; the Starz club or the Gay 90′s?” Jim had shares in both, his net of influence spread as wide as possible. Business was power. Money was power. Jim had his fingers dipped into every pot.

Hailing them a taxi, Jim let Circe sink in first, sitting beside her and giving the driver their destination.

Circe had never lacked for confidence, a fact that was likely the only reason she had been as successful as she was. The entire world had tried to tell her that she was nothing and that she would never amount to anything, yet she never bothered to believe them. She was the most dangerous kind of woman; one who knew her own worth.

For a brief moment, she considered the options and her company before settling on her choice. “Starz,” she hummed. She certainly spent a fair amount of time at The Gay 90′s, but her interest was -- for the moment -- focused on Jim. Maybe later she’d chase after a couple pretty girls -- or she’d have a couple girls chase after her.

She slid into the taxi, relaxing back into the seat with a smile on her face. “Hopefully there won’t be too much trouble at the bar given how everyone is today,” she remarked idly.

andrewmcrin

Admittedly, it had been a little longer than it should’ve been since Andrew last trained but he couldn’t help it. He got distracted by… By a lot of things. But that wasn’t going to get in his way, he was going to train with some of Alice’s bots and do his best to get his aim back in place. He had always been quite fond of throwing things at targets, whether it was knives or daggers, he enjoyed it.

And with the love constructs, he could easily create quick fire weapons to practice. It really made him laugh about the song You Give Love A Bad Name. With each target he hit, he was getting the gut or the sternum but he was wondering if he could really throw right through the heart. With another throw he saw someone out of the corner of his eye wandering into the training room and but he didn’t register the person standing in what seemed to be the line of fire until it was too late and his eyes went wide, “shit, look out!”

#c;andrew #I KNOW THE GIF ISN'T CIRCE #BUT IT FITS SO WELL #probably bc it's the actual scene #but fight me okay

Maybe she should have been paying more attention or maybe he should have been, but fault wasn’t really the first thing on her mind as the weapon hurtled towards her. Instead, she reacted quick to defend herself, panic flashing for a brief moment despite how she kept her calm demeanor. There were several options at her disposal, but the first she thought of was to call on her pangolin imitation and in a flash, her body was covered in thick scales like those of the animal.

Then the weapon connected with her chest, the sharp blade digging into the scales but not causing her actual skin any real damage other than perhaps a scratch. “Well, hello to you too,” she remarked with a light chuckle as she wrapped her fingers around the weapon and pulled it out of her chest, rolling her shoulders as the scales disappeared. “Is this how you greet everyone? Or am I just special?”

thirdnova-kara

Kara smirked a bit, not sure if she should be impressed or concerned with how bold Circe could be with using her powers in public. Then again, she knew Circe long enough that she was trustworthy to not create a huge and dramatic scene in public that could put herself or others in danger. “Sounds like a pretty sweet deal,” she chuckled, nodding and taking up Circe’s invitation and having a seat next to her. “How’ve you been doing? How’s the clinic? Are all those cute animals behaving for you?”

"You should try it sometime,” Circe said with a chuckle, knowing the business owning life wasn’t for everyone and Kara was probably far too busy with the rebels. But, then again, being a rebel nova was sort of like being one’s own boss. “Me and the clinic have been groovy. They always behave for me, but maybe that has something to do with the mind reading.” She laughed, taking another bite of her biscotti. “I’m getting a bit famous for it actually. Everyone is fascinated by how well even the most unruly animals turn into putty in my hands.”

#c;kara

lunaraaliyah-blog

“Yeah, I know exactly how you feel. Not the best thing but definitely better off than a lot of people around here,” Aaliyah said with a laugh. Her cheeks almost instantly flushed though as Circe said the word ‘date,’ yes, she was confident and thought highly of herself but dating just… Never ever came easy to her. Not even the mere thought of it. “Uh– sure. Sounds good. Great. Is there any candy you want specifically I can get or you fine with whoppers?” She asked with a small chuckle, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She couldn’t take her eyes off Circe now, she was too beautiful and it wasn’t fair.

#c;aaliyah #powers;;event

"Always look on the bright side. A positive attitude can solve anything,” Circe said, giving a certain nod as she stepped closer, eyes sliding across Aaliyah without any subtlety. She was gorgeous and adorably flustered at the suggestion of a date and it only made the dark haired woman want to see what else she could do to get her even more flustered. “Whoppers sound perfect. I’m Circe, by the way. I’m guessing your name is just as pretty as you, isn’t it?”

meta-caitlin-winchester

Caitlin chuckled with the other girl and shook her head. “Sorry, the only kind of alcohol we have here is for sterilizing stuff. Trust me it wouldn’t taste very good. We do have food though and that’s a lot better than normal hospital food.” Given that she devoted most of her time to the clinic she found herself often cooking for the clinic as well. “Here you go,” Caitlin smiled and handed her a plate of food but was careful not to make skin contact. “Just sit and relax, hopefully this will all blow over soon.”

#c;caitlin #powers;;event

"Damn,” she said with a laugh. She’d mostly been joking about the cocktail bit, but really, a dash of alcohol might help her relax after the day she’d been having. Unfortunately, that wasn’t an option but she’d survive. “Thanks,” Circe hummed as she took the plate, immediately beginning to eat like she was starving. “Do you guys have any idea why this is happening? This food is amazing, by the way.”

Keep reading

#c;josh #powers;;event #nsfw

Macrocosm | Open

Remarkable. Circe’s thoughts flowed so easily, giving him window after windows into her past, her character bared to him through more than just feeling it. Their histories, while terribly different, were painfully similar. And they were stronger for it. Gone in instances, thoughts flying so fast, Jim held his smile in place, not reacting to the world he just glimpsed, remembering the distant echo of her satisfaction. Of her pride and confidence, so similar to his own.

Before Circe agreed Jim knew she would, her abandonment of her schedule telling him quite a bit. Jim offered his hand to her again, his smile changing with the purr of her tone, giving her a once over. “I have two places in mind, all depending on what satisfies you.” He said, pausing for a moment to let insinuation set in. Early on, Jim had learned that his body and face tended to attract lustful and appreciative reactions, using them as another charm in his quiver. “I have an account at the Athena hotel, or we could peruse on of the more lively clubs I have shares in.” Jim had a most unique business acumen…

There was a pause as he gave the options. It wasn’t a pause of hesitation but more a brief consideration of where things could go. He was attractive without a doubt, but so was she -- a fact that she was far from unaware of if the years she had spent as an exotic dancer were any indication -- and she was hardly starved for attention. Pretty men were on every street corner and it hardly took a lot to get them crawling after her. She wanted something that really caught her interest and while Jim had been interesting so far, she wanted more. She wanted proof of his worth to her.

“Why don’t we start with the club?” Her final decision was phrased as a suggestion as she took the hand offered to her, the choice of words making it clear that she wasn’t entirely opposed to a change of location with him later on. For a brief moment, however, she didn’t fail to appreciate the amusing nature of how different their business ventures were. He went for clubs. She ran a vet clinic. It fit, she supposed.

Macrocosm | Open

The paradigm of Circe’s mind was one many spent years seeking out. Self-help books, therapy, talks, seminars and courses. So much time and energy spent for what Circe had learned all on her own. His respect for her grew. Jim had learned the same lesson from years of never being enough, from only being given praise when grades and awards matched his father’s high expectations. With the emergence of his abilities, he had started to change, securing his own thoughts and feelings and realising they were all that truly mattered.

Jim nodded with Circes, in agreement. It was a shame she was one of these ‘rebels’, their presence exacerbating C.A.R.M.A. - a bonus - but otherwise useless. It was why they will be revealing themselves in the days to come. A firm force to oppose C.A.R.M.A.’s oppression.

“I completely agree,” Jim said voice soft but firm, husky and full of gravitas. The years spent in Moxxi’s Madhouse, fighting his way up the chain, surviving by any means necessary, had taught him exactly how to pull back against the reigns binding him. Soon he was standing near Moxxi’s side, able to so easily influence her and the fights. Subtlety had been his greatest weapon. “Might I buy you a drink. Such a locale,” Glancing around at the street. Dark and dank. Basic. “Seems unbefitting of such a conversation.”

#c;jim #powers;;event #this gif is so dark i'm sry #i just like it tho

The reality of the life that Circe had lived was that if she hadn’t learned how to believe in herself, she wouldn’t have done anything. Since her family had died, she’d had no one who supported her, no one that thought she was capable of anything. In fact, more often than not, she had people telling her how worthless she was and how she was destined to fail. Even when she left the system and moved out on her own, everyone tried to tear her down. But she was the one laughing when she graduated debt free and oh, she laughed even harder when half her classmates were applying to work at her clinic within a year of opening it up. She had enjoyed stringing them along right before refusing to hire them.

The offer was intriguing and, while she had other things that needed to be attended to before the day was over, she wasn’t about to miss the opportunity that came with the man in front of her. At the very least, it would be fun. “You certainly may,” she purred, smile pulling up into more of a grin. “Did you have a place in mind we could go?”

Macrocosm | Open

As long as she wanted to be there Jim could take the mismatch between her words and her thoughts/feelings. A natural distrust was safe, vigilant and wise, especially when someone could get inside ones head. And soul. Jim did not hold it against her, he respected her for her intelligence, shaking her hand then after holding it for those seconds, seeing her memories through her emotional thoughts. She had the right idea; she had power, it should reign unhampered and unrepressed. Like him, she had fought for her present, her life.

Jim shared her amusement, smiling wider, always handsome and charming, his face lighter and younger when he truly smiled. “People fear anything with power greater than theirs, with the ability to hurt them. What they call a zoo…you must call a cage.” His voice dropped, understanding and sympathetic. What they called a zoo Jim had a skewed perception of, the animals’ souls bare to him. Some appreciated the security, structure and lack of need to hunt. Other’s natural instincts were diminished. Their power and ferocity blunted and dulled.

Circie was unblunted and undulled, overflowing with confidence. Jim respected that, wanting to learn more and ideally without the use of his powers. People like him, that shared his view of the world, he did not want to manipulate; it was much sweeter when their choices were their own.

Unlike so many Metas, Circe had never feared her powers. There had never been a time where she truly hid them, not out of shame and not out of fear. Sure, she certainly wasn’t stupid and she knew when flaunting her powers would do nothing but cause trouble she couldn’t be bothered to deal with, but she had never censored herself for the sake of others’ comfort. A fact she supposed applied to all aspects of her life. She was exactly who she was and she had more important things to do than waste her life trying to impress useless people; either they adored her or they hated her and she could live just as happily with either.

“It’s why animals are hunted and locked up and why humans want so badly to brand us all,” she remarked, anger easily restrained. She wasn’t one to go into a rant, but she had her opinions as sure as anyone; she wasn’t a rebel just for the luxury of the base, after all. “No wild thing should ever be caged or leashed. But some creatures are clever and they adjust well. Some are smart enough to know that a leash can be pulled from both ends.” She hoped that they would never have to truly learn what it meant to have a collar around their throats, but she had a feeling that they were both people who knew how to turn any situation to their advantage.

Macrocosm | Open

Very impressive. An ability to summon a live creature from the other side of the planet was not inconsiderable. And Circe had an attitude that he respected; power, and the will to use it. To not be oppressed by the planet that had no such abilities, had only a fear for them and their kind. Jim’s easy smile stayed as he watched the scene, tracking her thoughts and feeling her affection for such a small creature in the grand scheme. It was simple for her to dismiss the snake as quickly as she’d conjured it, Jim taking her hand in a firm, but soft, grip. Not shaking, just holding.

“Jim Irons.” If he gave no name she would find out in the days to come. This was much simpler and would aid any relationship. While not against it, Jim would use his abilities on his own kind, trained to survive for his own needs from such a young age. A manipulator, like himself, may have an awareness that Jim would rather not trip; it was easy to withhold himself and keep Circe’s regard for him positive. “Pleasure. I have my own tales but, sadly, none as dramatic as the one you painted.” His abilities being ethereal and astral, Jim could cause no obvious drama such as Circe. Subtlety was his domain, a double edged sword.

"The pleasure is all mine, Jim.” While not outwardly wary of Jim -- and perhaps not inwardly wary either -- Circe was all the more conscious of her own thoughts and emotions in his presence now that she had the knowledge of his powers that she did. Once was quite enough for her and he didn’t strike her as a gentle or honest thing; she may have had no telepathy when it came to humans or Metahumans, but she knew how to understand people all the same. There was no judgement from her, of course. She had built herself from nothing with no help at all and no one could do that without stepping on a few toes.

She gave a laugh at his words. “Your gifts do seem a little more subtle than mine,” she mused, upward curl never fading from her lips. “You should have seen the first time I went to the zoo after my powers manifested. I jumped the fence into the wolf enclosure and by the time anyone realized where I had gone, I was leading the pack.” The memory was amusing, especially given how much she resented the people she had been with. “People were screaming and panicking and it was utter chaos right up until the moment they realized what was going on. It was back before Metas were well known, which made it even more amusing.”

Macrocosm | Open

Jim nodded, tracking her thoughts and feelings. He himself agreed whole heartedly; any control exerted over his own mind or body was not welcome or warranted. He would not like it and respected Circe’s ability over her own feelings; she had asked for the demonstration and, while disliking it, did not let herself be triggered by it.

Thought’s occurred faster than reality, so Jim had a portion of a second before the black mamba coalesced around their hands. Enough time to diminish the surprise but not dismiss an internal reaction entirely. His own senses now keen, Jim shared Circe’s smile, purring her words right back. “Nice trick.” Glancing down, he caught the snakes cold stare. A little nudge, emotions in animals simpler yet distorted, and Jim slowly took his hand away from the amiable snake, impressed. “Now I’m curious, where did you summon him from?”

When he pulled his hand away, Circe pulled her’s back, turning her attention briefly to the beautiful creature curling through her fingers. She had a soft spot for delicate things, small creatures with dangerous bites. She had even more of a love for the females, but she supposed that was just true in general. There were few men who were interesting and unique enough to keep her attention for long. When it came down to it, most of them were only after two things; sex or power. Or both. Either way, it was dull and short sighted.

“She’s from Madagascar. Of all the black mambas I’ve met, she’s the quickest and the smartest. Scared the shit out of my high school math teacher, that’s for sure,” Circe explained, a low chuckle slipping from her. “That scream was definitely worth being called a witch for the next three years.” There was no regret on her face and the tale was definitely not meant to be any kind of sob story. After lifting the snake up and pressing a kiss to her head -- and leaving a lipstick mark in the dark scales there -- she teleported the creature back home with a small shimmer. “Circe Velasquez,” she introduced, offering a now non-snake covered hand to him. “And you are?”