#anyway in his universe there are at least 6 levels of formality

[ssstardust3001]

James had spent the whole night pacing after the message he'd gotten, but he'd spent the last two hours getting ready for a meeting. He wasn't sure how formal he would have to be, so he just settled for a clean Starfleet uniform over his civilian clothes, going for a semi-formal uniform since he figured it was important, but wouldn't be a very important diplomatic meeting.

He really had no idea why the Vulcan embassy would want him to show up for a meeting, but he hoped he wouldn't embarrass himself. He'd been told he could bring up to two others with him for moral support by the person who'd called him, but he really didn't have anyone like that.

So, he went alone.

[melida-daan]

ENL Writer’s Commentary: Chapter 6

In his teens, Obi-Wan thought he knew what made a perfect Jedi and thought he'd been a failure, barely scraping by. As an adult, he'd questioned some of that, outside the influence of his Master's constant criticism, but he'd still done his best to outwardly project what he thought a Jedi should be. He'd assumed everyone had known it for the lie it was, but apparently the one person who needed that knowledge most never had.

....

It was sacrilege, in this time, to think such things. Even the age at which Luke and Rey started training would have completely disqualified them, Anakin too old at nine despite blazing like Tatooine's twin suns in the Force.

This whole part is both my attempt to show a little more of what Obi-Wan feels about the Force and Jedi training in particular, after having lived so long both in and outside of the Order. What the contemporary Jedi Order practices was not always what the Jedi Order practiced and it certainly wasn’t what Luke’s Order would have practiced, so Obi-Wan knows a lot better.

I don’t think Obi-Wan was necessarily a wreck of insecurity that some fics show, but I don’t think he was half as confident as he shows (in a lot of the EU stuff, at least, we see him doubting his ability to raise and train Anakin well, for example). He was abused and neglected during his childhood and that has an effect on someone.

On Melida-Daan, there were no Temple Jedis, and it was Obi-Wan who followed the Force to each citizen with even the slightest hint of potential.

....

He tried to teach everyone techniques to shield their minds and the most force sensitive he gave creche games as training until they were ready to do more.

So one thing I’m kind of going with here is that there’s a level of midochlorian count required to be a Jedi, but a lot of people still have more than just...nothing. And also that Melida/Daan, in the state it was in, probably wasn’t having people checked for Force sensitivity, anyway. With maybe a hint of “people can become more sensitive to the Force with proper training” thrown in there.

Cerasi and Nield joined them, even, sometimes, and while they had no Force Sensitivity of their own, Obi-Wan was training them to feel the edges of their unexpected bond, to utilize the Force through Obi-Wan's own abilities. After a few months, they could not affect the physical world, but Nield was starting to feel the truth or lies in people's words and Cerasi had feelings, sometimes, like the slightest hint of Obi-Wan's precognition.

For example lol

This goes back to the canon where Cerasi and Nield are shown to have an almost preternatural connection with Obi-Wan from the start and that since he isn’t blocking his own Force use this time around, that’s a strong bond between them. Open and free-flowing, I feel like that would allow them to utilize parts of Obi-Wan’s abilities that maybe he isn’t using/doesn’t have time to focus on.

He wasn't even surprised it was Qui-Gon Jinn, suspecting Yoda's hand in that.

Yoda is the literal worst in the JA books. I very much prescribe to the idea he kept other Masters from choosing Obi-Wan and that everything about Bandomeer was basically manufactured to force Qui-Gon to take him on.

More often than not, it was Jango, lounging nearby and Obi-Wan could swear he heard the Force screaming “danger” at Qui-Gon every time he got too close to Obi-Wan. Even with the buy’ce hiding his face, his glaring was obvious. 

Even without Galidraan being a total massacre, any traditional Mandalorian is going to despise the Jedi. Even moreso for the ones who are coming to care about Obi-Wan and know what Jinn did.

“No, it’s not. And if the Council had sent me to the ExplorCorps instead of the AgriCorps, I wouldn’t have even protested leaving.” Not entirely the truth, but not entirely a lie, either. “I have friends there, who I will hopefully be in contact with again someday, but my family is here.” 

So in both the Legends/EU stuff and the Disney/canon stuff, younger Obi-Wan actually loved flying. There’s a point in the Master & Apprentice book where he has a hugely traumatizing event involving it, which is what started his dislike, but before that he learned basically everything he could about every type of ship he could. It was one of many reasons his assignment to Bandomeer made no sense, since everything showed he would fit better in the Corps that actually had to do with flying.

“Obi-Wan--”

“Archon.” Obi-Wan held back a sigh at Qui-Gon’s incredulous stare. “We informed you, Master Jedi, of the titles of the Ruling Three of Melida-Daan. You are also free to address Archon Cerasi, Archon Nield, and I as ‘your grace,’ if that suits you more.”

As much as he didn’t want another title, when dealing with offworlders they needed such formalities. They’d dug it up out of old holos, like so many of the rare glimpses of Melida and Daan culture, and decided it suited them better than trying to work around “governor” for three people.

Trying to come up with a governmental system that wasn’t overused, didn’t depend on me making up a bunch of words, and didn’t have any negative connotations in the Star Wars universe was really hard haha I play a lot of fantasy games, so “Archon” really amuses me. And “Triarchy,” which is what the ruling body is referred to going forward, flows a lot better off the tongue than some of the other options.

Also I love the power play of Obi-Wan reminding Qui-Gon that they don’t have any sort of formal relationship anymore.

“This isn’t...you can’t honestly mean to stay here! It’s been months already!”

“When did you start to miss me, Master Jedi? I doubt it was when you first returned. Or for weeks after that. Was it when you could no longer dodge the questions of where I was? When others mourned my loss? When your grandmaster scolded you for failing his plans again?”

Qui-Gon didn’t know what to do with an Obi-Wan who was both assertive and informed, anymore than he ever had.

I love tearing Qui-Gon apart haha JA came out when I was a teenager and so I’ve always sort of despised him, and none of the earlier Disney/canon we get on him makes me like him anymore, at least in regards to his relationship with Obi-Wan.

In the JA books, other people have to continually push him to try to get him to think about Obi-Wan during the time period of the Melida/Daan stuff, like to the point Bant broke down in tears over it. And then Qui-Gon continued being a complete dick to Obi-Wan after he got back, which this Obi-Wan obviously would know.

He strode to the door with a confidence his teenage self couldn’t have felt. Through the Force he felt Qui-Gon move to follow him and Jango step between them, keeping him inside until Obi-Wan could make his escape.

Later, Jango would pat him on the head in passing, but not speak of it. Somehow, though, half a dozen of his people would be there at dinner to eat with Obi-Wan and keep him distracted with hilarious stories from their exploits.

I’ll never not love Jango/the Mandalorians protecting kids (and part of that is comforting kids).

[thefruitloop-chan]

My thoughts in Chapter 237

Just wanted to say, It’s really creepy how All For one’s eyes are just shown there, plus I see a hand like cover on that thug left over there.

So it seems that All for one is giving Tomura some toys as a reward in terms of him congratulating him for killing which is conditioning him that killing is okay and you have to continue doing so to get more rewards. As we can see the toys on Tomura’s table. 

It’s also the case of Tomura wanted to do whatever he wanted, he feels so free. Since we do know now that his dad is pretty much an abusive parent that no matter what Tenko does, he would punish.

The way All for one addressed Tomura like the hand gestures is pretty much how you addressed a kid much more younger. Which is a strange behavior even turning his back just to be surprise on his ‘new look’ 

It’s also is strange that All for one gave Tenko the same almost identical design to Izuku’s shoes like huge in some way.

-

It is also kinda ironic

On one hand:

All for one lecturing Tomura in the way of, you should not have restrains. 

On the other hand, All for one has a way to restrain him to keep him in check. More like controlling and manipulating. 

It’s also is ironic because, ‘People who wanted the world to run smoothly’ is pretty much him back in the day where there was chaos.

-

In regards of last names. We get to see that ‘Shigaraki’ is ‘his’ last name which I will call that he is lying since we do know that he is a liar and he lied before.

As we can see on Chapter 116.

He took Tenko around at the age of 5, but we do know that he was injured around 5 to 6 years ago prior from the current events of BNHA. Which would mean that Tenko is around 15 years old when AfO was injured.

That was one of his lies. (We do know that he is a petty man that wanted to use Nana Shimura’s on relative to cause chaos and hurt All Might because that’s how petty he is)

Anyways, If Shigaraki was his last name, it would make sense in terms of puns, due to the fact  Shigaraki has the literal translation of ‘Death Grip Tree’

Which in turn, Death Grip means, never letting go. The tree however is suspicious because, Trees are green and we do know where the green color is reference from *wink wink*

Like I say, in terms of puns, it would make sense due to the fact that:

All for one can’t let go of the past.

All for one clings to his anger and grudge at all might.

His possessive nature, a.k.a. when he mentioned of all might stole someone or something from him.

Again, it doesn’t mean that this debunks the DfO theory because we do know by fact that in the BNHA Universe. 

It is uncommon to use a wife’s last name but it doesn’t mean it’s not impossible. As we can see on Jirou’s parents. That her last name is from her mother’s side of the family.

He could have dropped his last name and used ‘Midoriya’ instead which would mean:

A new identity, new life, leaving the past behind. (We kinda theorized that green is new. and a new life of retirement for All for one and such)

A false lead if the police is investigating or someone is aware of his real name since last names are being used to how someone addressed one self.

Come to think of it, It could also be that Shigaraki is his literal ‘last’ name but not a ‘family’ name. If you know what I mean. Like, a wanted man can have a lot of names throughout the years, how much more for a 200 year old cyptid that has been lurking around the shadows with a lot of names?

On how to make an broken orphaned kid trust you. They have to at least give him a name as if they are part of your family. It’s more like that in All for one and Tenko’s case. 

Then again, it’s more like, it would be interesting if his last is Shigaraki if it’s a Dad for one theory case because.

Look at Izuku’s name: 

His first name “出久”. The kanji “出” contains meanings like “Exit” and “Come Out”. Then “久” means “Long Time”. 

Part of Izuku’s name is 久 (Hisashi) which would mean and is possible that Hisashi’s first name is used on making Izuku’s name.

Think of it this way, First names are more personal than the Last name.

Last names are addressed more formality. While First names are, ‘You’ as it’s who you are and it’s much more connected in the much more personal level if anything.

If anything though, him giving Tomura, his last name pretty much is saying in a literal sense that his word 'he will be the next 'me’’ not as a successor but as an identity. Dumping his work load on him and disappear in the background.

-

Parallels on Eri and Tenko

So we get to see the Bystander effect in regards to the society they have now. Which also reflects to our current society today.

Which is really sad, they could have at least made a call about a wondering lost child around and could have helped him.

We can also get to see how this also parallel to Eri as well on Chapter 129

When we got to see Mirio’s reaction to just leave her be at first. We need to not suspect anything bad happened to the little girl. 

But to Eri’s case, Izuku happened to bump to her but the thing is that, he was able to helped her and even hold her tightly and secure and do whatever it took to keep her safe even for that short amount of time.

But this time though, its more of another parallel what All for one did to Tenko.

He reached out and helped Tenko.

Izuku reached out for Eri and comfort here.

Parallels are doing its wonders. :’)

And here are my thoughts.

[gwentoryfics]

Hot for Teacher, Part 6.

Genre | College Student x College Professor Smut AU

Pairing | Reader x Hongseok x Hyunggu (Kino) x Wooseok

Words | 14k

Summary | You never realized how much one drunken night could color the rest of your college experience until you discover that the handsome stranger from your cousin’s wedding is also the new professor at your university.

Warnings | Mentions of abusive familial relationships. Explicit sexual content. Grinding. Penetrative sex. Swearing. And, as always, poor choices.

Parts | 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 5.5 • 6 • More Coming Soon

Note | Added Wooseok to the official Pairing list because, let’s be real. He’s earned it. Thank you all for your never-ending patience! I love each and every one of you, and I’ll never get over how much love and support you all give me.

The morning brings with it a throbbing headache and a brief moment of surprise when you realize you’ve woken up in an apartment that is not your own. You remember quickly, however, that you ran into Kino last night and ended up crashing at his place, so you’re not alarmed.

You’re sweaty under the blanket that’s draped over you, and your shirt- er, the one you borrowed from Kino- sticks to your back. Vague bits of a dream mix with faded memories of last night, and you have to take a moment to sort everything out.

You went to the club with the seniors from jazz band. The boys were so supportive, and their performance was stellar, and… and they fucking signed you up to play. Right.

And then you ran into Professor Yang, who sent you home. Your whole body had throbbed with want for him, as per usual. But instead…

Wooseok.

You went to Wooseok’s place, and he fingered you on the kitchen counter.

What was that all about? How did you end up making out with him of all people? Not that he was a bad choice or anything, maybe just an unexpected one.

Desperately, you try to piece together what you feel about the whole situation. So you start with the things you know to be true about him:

Wooseok is tall and attractive, especially in a jean jacket.

Wooseok is an incredible kisser.

Wooseok knows how to use his fingers.

And then you think of things that you know to be true about you:

You’re feeling turned on again just by thinking about Wooseok.

You’re blessedly distracted by something that isn’t Professor Yang for once.

You don’t know what you feel towards Wooseok emotionally, but you maybe wouldn’t mind if something like last night happened again. Maybe.

You puff out your cheeks and let the air rush out in a deep sigh. Somehow, you had managed to make a messy semester even messier. Literally all you had to do was just get your shit together. Is that really such a difficult thing for you to accomplish?

Thoughts of Wooseok’s lips, tongue, and fingers swirl in your brain, and it’s weirdly relieving. It feels like there may be hope for you after all - your world doesn’t have to revolve around Professor Yang. You can move on. You can see other people and stop feeling so hung up on him. 

Maybe the rest of this semester won’t be so bad.

Grabbing your phone off of the coffee table, you check your notifications. Just a message from Nailah - oops, you forgot to let her know you weren’t coming home last night - and an email in your school account. You send off a quick reply to Nailah letting her know that you’re alive and that you’ll make it up to her, and then you check the email.

“_____,

Because you missed our meeting last week, I would like to reschedule. I have set aside time this Thursday afternoon to meet with you. Please let me know if this time does not work for you.

Thank you,

Professor Hongseok Yang”

The email is so formal, it makes you roll your eyes. You get it - your school email is probably monitored and he doesn’t want to at all hint at any kind of comfortability between the two of you, but it doesn’t have to sound like a fucking dissertation. 

You know what? Whatever. You’ll meet with him. It’s not a big deal, anyway, because you’re getting over him. 

Without the slightest hint of sass or sarcasm or whatever else, you genuinely write back: 

“Professor Yang,

Thursday afternoon works great for me. I’ll see you then.

Thank you!

_____”

Sending the message, you feel relieved. You’re turning over a new leaf. All that’s left for you to do is send a quick text to Wooseok letting him know that you won’t be able to tutor him this week, and once that is on its way to him you feel like you’re ready to start the day.

As you sit up on the couch, about to get up and go to the bathroom, you notice a Kino-sized lump on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. Had he slept there all night?

You reach down, lifting the end of the blanket that covers his head. “Psst.”

He inhales deeply and shifts, eyes opening and squinting at the sunlight pouring in from the windows. Passively, you note that he’s actually really cute when he’s so sleepy.

“Good morning, sunshine,” you coo. You ruffle his hair, and he swats your hand away, emitting a noise that sounds like a cross between a chuckle and a groan. 

“Five more minutes.”

“No. I’m up so you should be up, too.” 

“Oh, is that how this works?” He peeks up at you, one eye still squinted shut. 

“Think so. I am the guest of honor here, so you should probably do what I say.”

“Guest of honor, my ass.”

“I’m not the one sleeping on the floor, so I think that puts me a step above you.”

“Please. I’m only down here because of you.”

You laugh. “Why? Were you worried I might have nightmares out here by myself?”

“No, I thought you’d be fine.” He sits up, stretching his arms and back, which are surely stiff from sleeping on the carpet all night. “You’re the one that asked me to stay with you.”

Your cheeks suddenly warm and your eyes widen. “...I did?”

He nods. “Yeah, I was going to head in because I thought you were asleep, but the second I stood up you asked me to stay. So I stayed.”

“Shit, Kino, I was drunk. You didn’t have to do that for me.” You frown. “You’re probably stiff as hell because of it.”

Kino just shrugs. “Well, now you know what I’m willing to do for you.”

“Would you be willing to make me some eggs?”

With a broad smile, Kino stands. “Anything for you, dear.” And then he pushes you back onto the couch, giggling like a maniac as he runs for the kitchen.

“Shithead!”

***

You’re grateful to find Changgu at the reception desk on Monday. You never actually sent the apology text that you drafted, and at this point it’s probably better to just do it in person - no matter how embarrassing it might be.

“Hey, Changgu.” You approach the desk, greeting him quietly. Shyly.

He looks up from the computer, eyebrows lifting in surprise before a smile settles on his lips. “Quite the weekend, huh?”

Oh, he has no idea. “You’re telling me.”

“How can I help you?”

“I wanted to apologize for everything. You guys could have all had a perfectly good time without me. I shouldn’t have lied to you about my age.”

“Yeah, you probably shouldn’t do that too often. But I’m not going to lecture you.”

“Thanks.” You shift your weight awkwardly, not really sure what else to say. “Anyway, I really appreciate you inviting me to the jazz club, and getting me into the jazz band practice. I really enjoyed it. Both of those things.”

“It’s not a problem.” Changgu smiles warmly. What a gentle ray of sunshine he is. Then he grabs a stack of post-it notes and scribbles something down before handing it over. “I’m supposed to give you this.”

“Oh?” You look at the square of paper to find what looks to be a phone number.

“From Yanan. You don’t have to text him if you don’t want to. He can be a little forward sometimes, but he won’t be weird about it if he doesn’t hear from you. He just always has to try, you know?”

“Oh. Okay.” You slip it into your pocket, not exactly sure what you want to do with it. “Um, I should probably get going. Class and all. You know.”

As you turn to head out, he calls your name. “_____?”

“Yeah?” You look back at him.

If you’re not mistaken, Changgu’s cheeks are the most delicate rose color. “Don’t forget that you have my number, too.”

Is he flirting?

You smile reassuringly. If Bad Choices is becoming your middle name, you may as well embrace it. “I won’t forget.”

***

Thursday afternoon, you find yourself in Professor Yang's office, as he requested. You feel surprisingly level-headed, but you do notice just a hint of nervousness in the back of your mind. After all, you’re getting over him - so you’re not quite over him yet. He’s still beautiful and tempting and damn him for wearing such a delicious cologne all the time.  

Professor Yang sits across from you, behind his desk, as always. He’s looking through the two incorrectly-graded assignments you brought in, and he takes the time to correct them.

"I apologize. You were right about my miscalculations." He plugs the updated grades into his computer, and they hardly even affect your total grade. "I assure you that I'll take my time with your midterm and all other assignments from here on out."

"Thank you." You take back your labs and stuff them into your backpack. The midterm you took on Tuesday hadn't been terribly difficult and you're anticipating that you'll get a good grade anyway. But at least you know that he's aware of his mistakes so you won't have to confront him about it again (hopefully). 

You stand, ready to leave now that your meeting’s purpose is complete, but he beckons you. "I need to speak with you about something else."

You meet his caramel eyes, and he's just as impossible to read as always. Begrudgingly, you fall back into your chair. "What is it?"

Professor Yang's tongue swipes over his lower lip, but in such a way to indicate that he's thinking, considering where to start. Still, it catches your attention, and you probably look at his lips a hair longer than you should. Damn him.

"About what you said this weekend..." He searches your face. "I don't have a girlfriend."

Why the fuck did he have to say that, of all things?!

"Okay," you spit out, trying to act aloof even though you're fucking mortified that he would even bring that up. You're sure that your furiously warming cheeks give you away. "Good for you."

Professor Yang looks dissatisfied. "Can we perhaps have an adult conversation about this?"

"I don't have to have anything with you." You cross your arms over your chest, defaulting to your usual sass mode that always seems to emerge around him.

His eyes narrow and he scoffs. "See, this is exactly why I said you needed to leave Saturday night. Do you at all notice the childish fit that you're throwing right now?"

With a roll of your eyes (yes, you realize that's still childish), you uncross your arms and take a deep breath. "Fine. Let's talk. What do you want?"

"I want to know what's going on with you. Why did you tell me to say hi to my girlfriend?"

The thing is, you know that he knows exactly why you said it. He just wants you to admit it out loud. "I was heated." That's as much as you'll give him.

"Is that why you left our last appointment? Because you were heated?" Professor Yang recalls the way you stormed off after seeing that woman in his office last week.

"You seemed busy."

"I wasn't. She was leaving."

"Whatever. I didn't feel like talking."

"Did you think she was my girlfriend?"

"I don't care who she is."

"She's my sister."

Somehow, that genuinely catches you off guard. You shift in your seat, curious. "You have a sister?"

Professor Yang nods calmly. "Two. Both younger than me. The sister that you saw was in town for a conference, and she just stopped in to visit. I don't get to see her very often."

Shit. Well that certainly explains why she was so gorgeous, since they share the same gene pool. You try to remain neutral about it all. "I'm glad you got to see her, then."

"The way you've reacted to her is very concerning." His brow furrows. "I knew this would be an issue if we tried to do a class together."

"This has nothing to do with you and me, okay? This..." you gesture between him and yourself, "...is nothing. You can date whoever you want. I literally don't care."

"You want me to believe that after the way you acted?"

"You think I'm jealous or something?" You scoff, laughing, but it's awkward and forced. He notices, and gives you the look of oh-please. Defensively you say, "I'm not jealous!"

Pause. A lull in conversation. You’re both aware that you’re lying, and it’s obvious that you will never admit to it, no matter what he says. You hold each others' gaze, and you wonder which of you will be the first to look away. And then he speaks.

"I wanted to tell you something else. Something honest. But I need you to not read into it, okay? Just take it at face value. Promise me you can do that."

Faintly, you notice the way your heart skips. "Okay. I promise."

"You obviously shouldn't have been at the club over the weekend, but I just thought you should know that you're a really talented pianist. I was very impressed to hear you play like that."

It hadn't even occurred to you that he was in the audience while you were playing. But now that he's acknowledging it, you feel retroactively nervous about your performance. "Thank you... I appreciate that."

He nods once and then turns to his computer, closing out of the grading screen and generally avoiding your gaze.

"I want to say something honestly, too." You get up the nerve to speak, but you have to hold your hands together to keep them from trembling. How could he affect you so much?

His gaze is so intense, full of warning. "Please be careful with whatever it is you want to say."

He doesn't trust you. You can't blame him. You don't really trust him either. You're both tiptoeing around very dangerous territory even allowing yourselves to be in the same room. But this time you want to share with him something genuine, something that has absolutely nothing to do with whatever may have transpired between the two of you in the past.

"I'm truly enjoying your class. And it's not because you're the one teaching it, I swear. The material is really interesting to me and I'm really looking forward to building my dulcimer."

He smiles, and it's almost unguarded. Like he's relieved that you didn't say something else. "That means a lot to me. Thank you."

"You're welcome. I’m not kidding when I say I've been looking forward to this class since I heard about it last year. And I think you're a great teacher, everything else aside."

"Thank you."

"Can I actually ask you a question? About building instruments and stuff."

He sits back a little, as if he's finally able to relax around you, now that you're actually acting like a student speaking with their teacher. "Of course."

"When did you start building instruments? And did you build that guitar?" You gesture to the instrument resting in the corner of the room, with its beautifully stained wood and delicate detailing around the sound hole. 

“I did!” He lights up and stands, retrieving the guitar. “I built my first guitar when I was sixteen. Didn’t turn out that great because I was not very skilled. But after honing my craft for a few years, I saw more success in the instruments I built. This little lady came along just two years ago.”

“She’s beautiful,” you praise his handiwork. “Seriously. I’m impressed that it’s actually a handmade guitar.”

Professor Yang looks at you like you just sprouted a second head. “Of course it’s handmade. All of the best instruments are. You expect a machine to produce something that sounds like this?”

He strums the strings gently, an arpeggiated chord ringing sweetly through the room. The warm, buttery sound is enough to raise goosebumps on your arms.

“You’re right. No robot could ever make that.” 

“This guitar is my heart and soul.” He smooths his hand over its curves lovingly.

“Can you play that? ‘Heart and Soul’?”

“Why on Earth would I want to play that atrocity on my masterpiece of an instrument? Absolutely not.”

You laugh. “Fair enough. Play something else, then. I want to hear what she can do.”

With no further prompting needed, he dives into a beautiful melody, plucking the strings softly and tapping his nails against the strings to create a beat. The sound is gorgeous, and it’s incredibly special to see him get swept up in the music he’s creating. He’s entirely focused on the movement of his fingers, the swell of each phrase, the gentle groove he’s creating.

Your eyes close so you can hear the music more deeply. It seeps into you, and you can feel him in each note. He is part of the music, giving himself to the melody and turning it into something beyond notes on a page. He breathes life into it.

The song ends, and you wish it never had to. You could listen to him play forever. In the end, all you can manage is a soft wow.

“Nice, right?” Professor Yang grins widely, clearly proud of himself.

“Seriously incredible. And you’re so good at playing it, too.”

“Thank you, thank you.”

You sit up a little more, interested. “The way you were tapping the strings… it reminds me of those people who can, like, play the strings and drum on the guitar body at the same time. Can you do that?”

“I used to. Let’s see…”

He plays something a little more upbeat this time, tapping his fingers, knuckles, and the heel of his palm against the guitar’s body as he strums. It’s not perfect and eventually he stumbles, but it’s still incredibly impressive.

With a short laugh, he gives up. “Like I said, I used to. It has been a while.”

“That’s probably the coolest thing in the world,” you laugh along with him. “I don’t know how you have enough coordination to do that.”

“It’s a skill. Like anything else, you just have to take the time to practice and learn.” Professor Yang drums his fingers against the wood softly. “Clearly I’m a little out of practice.”

“I mean, if you don’t have the time to grade my labs properly, I can’t imagine you have time to sit around drumming on your guitar.”

He cocks his head and purses his lips. “You try teaching a class at a university and we’ll see how easy it is for you to keep up with everything.”

“Hey, I’m not doubting the incredible stress you must be under.” You tease. 

It hits you then how incredibly comfortable you feel with him, how easy it is to be with him unguarded. It’s really… nice.

There’s a knock at the door, then, and Professor Yang glances at the clock on his desk. “Ah. Come in!”

The door opens to reveal another student - a boy from your class. “Hi, Professor.” He notices you still sitting in the office. “Am I too early for our meeting?”

Professor Yang reassures him, “Right on time, actually.”

You nod. “I was just getting ready to leave.” Grabbing your bag, you stand and address Professor Yang. “Thank you for meeting with me today. Really.”

“Not a problem. Thank you for making the time to stop in. I’m glad we got everything sorted out.” He nods once to you. “Have a good weekend and I’ll see you in class.”

“You, too.” 

The two of you exchange a smile, and it feels delightfully innocent. It feels like it means something different, like an agreement to be okay with each other from now on. An agreement to not be at each others’ throats this semester. It gives you hope that you’ve finally broken through into a more peaceful part of your relationship as student and teacher.

This semester is going to be just fine.

***

“_____.”

Your eyes lift from the keyboard to find that the tallest human you know somehow snuck into the R&B Ensemble rehearsal without you noticing. You forgot that he was allowed to rejoin the group this week. “Oh. Hi.”

“...hi.” Wooseok tries to smile, but it’s small and awkward and he looks kind of concerned.

You haven’t spoken to him at all during the week or so that has passed since you made out with him. The only communication that happened was the text that you sent to let him know you had to cancel tutoring. He hadn’t responded, and now that you think about it, you probably should have reached out to him again at some point.

A smile pulls across your lips, although you’re sure it seems just as ingenuine as his. But if it’s ingenuine, it’s only because you’re actually wildly nervous about being in front of him again. From your seat on the piano bench, he towers over you, tall and handsome and… and he’s wearing that fucking jean jacket. It’s devastating.

The silence between the two of you stretches on for far too long, and he eventually gives up on having a conversation as he retreats to the drumset. 

Yikes. You didn’t mean for that to get so weird.

Rehearsal goes much more smoothly now that Wooseok is back, and he drums like he never missed a single practice. Every rhythm and fill is spot on. The whole ensemble falls into a groove that’s just a little bit deeper, a little bit smoother than before. And you can tell that your instructor, Typhanie, is jazzed about it.

After rehearsal, Kino darts over to the keyboard. “_____, your solo was killer tonight!”

“You know I’d say the same to you, but I compliment you every week and eventually you’re going to get a big head about it.”

He pouts. “Nonsense. Compliment me.”

You rise to your feet and pat his head twice. “Well done.”

Kino rolls his eyes, but his smile is bright. He nods his head in the direction of the door, tugging on your sleeve absentmindedly. “Come on, let’s go. I want to ask you something.”

You grab your things and follow him. “Alright. Go on.”

“So, um, two-fold question.” He pushes the door open, and ushers you out of the room. “First, are you free this weekend? Specifically Saturday night?”

“I think so. Are we gonna do something?”

“Yeah, I just wanted-”

“_____! Hold up!” Wooseok’s voice precedes him down the hall as he comes thundering after you. Both you and Kino pause as he approaches. “Sorry, can I talk to you? Please?”

You look over at Kino, who wears a slight frown. As much as you don’t want to do this to Kino, you know you really should talk with Wooseok. “Can I catch up with you later?” 

Kino cocks his head, like he’s surprised you would choose Wooseok over him. But you’re not choosing Wooseok over him, you just… you just have to do this. Kino throws on a half-hearted smile and says, “Sure. Later.”

Wooseok pulls you aside as Kino departs, heading down a different hallway to get you away from the other students leaving rehearsal. You don’t protest, but you tell yourself that you will if he tries anything funny.  

“What is it?” you ask, knowing full well what this conversation is going to be.

“I was kind of hoping you could tell me.” Wooseok expression is unsettled. “I’ve been dying to talk to you, but I thought you might need space, since you just kind of stormed off and then immediately canceled tutoring.”

Oh shit. You didn’t mean for it to come off that way. You canceled because of Professor Yang, not because things were weird between you and Wooseok. Nevertheless, you had run out of his apartment without any kind of explanation, and that is entirely your fault. “I’m sorry I left like that. And I swear, I didn’t cancel tutoring because of… everything. Something else came up. That’s all.”

The gentle giant takes a deep breath, his eyebrows knitting together in concern. “I’m sorry, too. I didn’t want to make you feel uncomfortable. We were both a little drunk and I shouldn’t have taken it so far. If you don’t ever want to be around me again, I understand. But I just wanted to talk to you about it and let you know that I’m sorry. Honestly.”

Your chest warms. It’s so sweet that he’s worried about you, but it’s also unnecessary. There’s nothing for him to be worried about. “It’s okay. Really. You have nothing to feel bad about. I… I wanted it. And I liked it.” You have to look away from him as you admit it.

It feels like a weight is lifted between you. “I did, too. You’re a good kisser.” He chuckles softly, his hands shyly slipping into his pockets.

“Not so bad yourself,” you chime, still avoiding his gaze. “Um, so even though I enjoyed it, I just felt kind of confused after? I’m…” Go on. You can say it. “I’m getting over someone. So I didn’t know what to feel about all of it. Other than fucking mortified because of your roommate.”

“Don’t worry about him. I promise he doesn’t care.”

Finally, you look up at him. He really is quite handsome, and you fully understand why your drunk self had enjoyed him so much. 

“But I totally understand. I didn’t assume that it meant anything, but thanks for letting me know. Oh, by the way…” Wooseok drops his backpack from his shoulder and unzips one of the small side pockets. “I brought something for you.”

You accept the square of tissue, confused about what he could possibly be giving you - until you unwrap it. He had nicely folded your abandoned underwear to return to you, which is simultaneously embarrassing and sweet.

“Oh my God,” you mumble as you recognize the underwear, a stupid little chuckle leaving you. “I… um, thank you.”

“I’ve gotta be honest, I thought about keeping them.”

“W-what?”

Wooseok shrugs nonchalantly, a goofy grin on his face. “I mean, it’s kind of hot to have a girl’s panties. And they’re cute.”

“You really have no filter.” You stuff the panties into your own backpack, flustered.

“Just wanted to see your reaction,” he laughs. “Worth it.” 

“Glad you thought so. Can we head out now?”

“Mm.” He nods once, and you both head for the stairs. “So, just to make sure we’re both on the same page, I still want to be your friend and I don’t expect anything else from you.”

“Agreed.” You smile, grateful that he’s so considerate about all of this. But against your better judgment, your words don’t stop there. “But if it happens again…”

Wooseok freezes a few stairs ahead of you, turning to face you exactly at eye level. He peers at you curiously. “If it happens again...?”

You shrug, trying to play it cool. You can’t turn back now, so you may as well embrace it. “Then it happens. But I’m not just a booty call, so don’t even think about treating me that way.”

“So…” He moves up a step towards you, regaining a few inches of height. His voice is low as he asks,  “...what exactly are you saying?”

“I’m saying… if it feels right and we’re in the moment, then it is what it is.” You know that you’re still being incredibly vague, but you just can’t bring yourself to say I’m down to fuck if you are. “But no catching feelings because I’m still trying to sort mine out.”

“Right, with the guy you’re getting over and everything.” Wooseok leans in a little, the smallest smirk on his lips. “So I shouldn’t call you up out of the blue. But if we’re both here, and we’re both in the moment…”

He leans in further, and you realize he’s going in for a kiss the second he grabs your hand. But you’re all too aware of the fact that you’re standing on the main staircase of the music building, and anyone could walk past you at any time.

You shake off his hand and put your hand on his chest, holding him back. “Not here, idiot. Someone might see!”

He grins mischievously and shrugs. “Worth a shot.”

After that, Wooseok walks you all the way to your dorm, and he’s a total gentleman. He stands with you in front of your building for a moment, his hands buried in his pockets. 

“Just so you know, you’re welcome to come over to my place whenever,” he offers. “Even if you just want to hang out. We could play games or something. We’re friends, after all.”

“That we are. Thanks.” You hold your fist out for him to bump. “See you at tutoring on Thursday, if not before then?”

“Yeah.” He bumps your fist with his own and smiles sweetly. “Catch you later.”

As he walks off, you’re actually really pleased with the way things turned out. Although you didn’t expect to actually bring up the whole maybe-we-could-do-this-again thing, it excites you that he’s at least open to the idea. Who says you can’t have a fling?

You head upstairs and open the door to your room, and you remember that Kino was in the middle of asking you something when he left - and he didn’t seem too pleased by the interruption. So… maybe you should call him to see what’s going on. You do feel kind of bad that he had to leave on his own.

You’re not sure why your impulse is to call and not text, but he answers the phone before you can really question it too much. “Hey, _____.” 

“Hey, Kino. Did you make it home?”

“Yeah.” 

“Go to your window and look up at my building.”

“...Okay…”

You flicker your bedroom light on and off to catch his attention. “Do you see my room? With the flashing light.”

A quiet chuckle comes across the line. “Yeah, I see it.”

“Now show me where you are.”

A short moment later, you notice one of the windows on the building across the street repeatedly light up and go dark. “Found you!”

“What’s this all about?”

You watch as his silhouette reappears in the window. “You didn’t get to ask me your question. I wanted to know what it was.”

“Oh.” He drags his hand through his hair. “So, I haven’t told you yet, but a piece that I choreographed is going to be performed at the Dance Department Showcase.”

“What? Kino, that’s amazing!” It’s not easy to get work presented at a department-wide showcase, so you know that it’s a huge accomplishment for him. “I’m so proud of you. Oh my gosh, that’s so cool.”

“Thank you! Thank you.” Kino laughs, pleased at your reaction. “So… the showcase is this Saturday night and I’m freaking out. I’m not performing, but I’m still incredibly nervous because it’s like… this project, this baby of mine… it’s being put on display and it’s going to be critically watched by all of my peers and professors. It’s just such a big deal.”

“Can I come?” The question eagerly bursts out of you. You would absolutely love to see what he’s capable of choreographing. If it’s anything like his dancing and singing, you know it’ll be awesome. But then you realize that he’s already freaking out about the people in the audience… maybe you shouldn’t add to that stress. “Actually, would that make it worse? I don’t want to stress you out more by being there.”

“No, no, not at all. That’s actually why I brought it up. I want you to come with me.”

You lean against your window, playing with the hem of your shirt. “I would be honored to go with you.”

He exhales deeply. “I think I’m going to feel much better with you there. Thank you.”

“Of course! What are friends for?”

“Exactly.” Kino’s hand comes to rest on the glass, like he’s reaching out to you. “I’ll see you Saturday, then. Well, and probably before then, too.”

You touch your window, too. “Yeah. I’ll see you soon.”

“Goodnight, _____.”

“Night, Kino.”

***

Your class with Professor Yang has officially moved over to the woodshop, now that your midterms are done. He had gone over standard dress code the week before (no loose, drapey clothing or open-toed shoes), but you hadn’t realized that he would be dressed differently as well.

Up until this point, you’ve only seen him in dress slacks and button-downs. But now that he’s teaching a woodworking class, he’s dressed way more casually than you expected. It makes sense that he would dress down, but it still surprises you to see him in jeans and a fitted t-shirt. His hair is swooped up and back, exposing his forehead and keeping his hair out of his eyes. 

It would be great if you could go a day without drooling over him. Seriously.

Professor Yang goes over the basics of the woodshop with everyone, explaining some of the general tools you’ll all use regardless of instrument. You’ve never used any sort of woodworking tools before, and it makes you a little nervous to think that you’ll be responsible for keeping your fingers intact while sawing away at the body of your dulcimer, but you know he’s there to help if you’re struggling (or injured).  

If nothing else, you and Shinhye can struggle together.

Beside you, Shinhye observes the slab of wood that is to be the neck of her cigar-box banjo. Her calculations are all finished and she knows exactly how far apart to mark each fret along the neck, but she hesitates. “I don’t know man, I’m going to fuck this up for sure.”

“Look, all you have to do is mark it with pencil, and then Professor Yang will come to check your work. Just don’t make any cuts into the wood without his approval and you’ll be fine.” You start marking up the wood that you’ve been given, confident in your math.

As you measure and make your marks, your ears tune in to the music Professor Yang plays throughout the workshop. He’s playing an old rock station, to be expected, and you perk up when a certain Aerosmith song comes on.

A smile grows on your face as Steven Tyler starts singing, and you remember when you sang “Dream On” in Professor Yang’s office.

You glance up to the front of the room to find Professor Yang looking right at you with a stupid grin on his dumb little face.

Oh, he remembers, too.

You struggle to hide your laughter as he breaks into a huge smile. What a loon you are.

“What are you giggling about?” Shinhye questions, still concentrated way too hard on her little pencil marks.

You’re about to respond with a simple nothing, but then she tucks her short hair behind her ear, revealing a purplish mark just under her jaw. “Oh my God, Shinhye, is that a hickey?”

She looks up at you like a deer in headlights, quickly ruffling her hair out with her fingers. “You didn’t see that.”

“What the hell do you mean? Of course I fucking saw that.” With a shit-eating grin, you lean in close. “Why didn’t you tell me you were hooking up with someone? I need to know these things!”

“It’s not important! I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Dude. Fine. I’ll give you a pass since we’re in class right now but you need to dish later.” Shinhye looks disgruntled at your demand, and you try to make her feel better about the whole situation. “Look, I’m proud of you. I never thought this day would come and I just want to know what happened! This is kind of a big deal.”

“It’s really not.” She rolls her eyes.

A third voice joins the conversation. “How are we doing over here?” Professor Yang stands next to Shinhye, looking over her work.

“Oh, perfect timing. I think I’m just about done. Can you check my marks?” Shinhye hands over her wood, seemingly grateful for the change of topic.

He takes a moment to check her math, but not her measurements. “Your math is good, so as long as you measured according to your numbers you’ll be good to go.”

You don’t even have to ask - he immediately picks up your scrap paper to check your math, too. It astounds you that he doesn’t feel the need to pick up a calculator, as if he could do all of the calculations in his head.

“Your math looks good, too.” He sets your paper down. “Go ahead and put your frets in.”

You cock your head, still surprised that he could be so good at math. “You can do all that math without a calculator?”

“I do have a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Mathematics, so believe it or not, I don’t really need a calculator.” His voice is touched with sass, as if to say I’m your teacher and I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you.

But you can’t help the question. This man has not one but two math degrees, and he still fucked up your grades? The probability of that being an accident is practically zero - as you’re sure Mr. Math Wiz would agree.

So it must have been intentional. No matter how much he denies it.

It doesn’t seem like he was doing it to punish you, though. It doesn’t seem to have any purpose besides getting your attention.

Getting you into his office.

Getting you one-on-one.

And he succeeded - you sat in his office with him for a solid half hour as he re-graded your papers and chatted. He hadn’t tried to make a move or anything, so why did he want that alone time with you?

Could it be as innocent as just wanting to spend time together?

It doesn’t matter, you remind yourself. I’m getting over him. He doesn’t want anything from me, and I don’t want anything from him. The past is the past and I’m moving on.

You avoid his gaze for the rest of class.

***

Wooseok sits next to you in the practice room, working diligently on the exercises you’ve given him regarding figured bass. Overall, not at all an important concept for him as a drummer, but it’s definitely going to be on his final and he needs to know it for the sake of his grade.

You don’t know if it’s just because the nature of your relationship has changed, but you’ve felt so distracted through the whole session by how cute he looks. His hair is ruffled and he’s not wearing anything different than what he usually wears, but he just looks so damn attractive.

You know you shouldn’t say anything. You should let him work like the good little tutee he is. But since when do you pay attention to what you should and should not do?

“I think tutoring you is going to become increasingly more difficult.”

He pauses, his pencil still in his hand as he meets your gaze. “Why’s that? Because of the material? I feel like I’m actually doing pretty well.”

“No, idiot. Because, well…” Jesus, you never really know what to say in these situations. “Things are different between us now, you know?”

“It’s not that different.”

You can tell by the face he’s making that he’s teasing you. “It is! Don’t make me feel stupid.”

“You’re the one calling me an idiot!”

“It’s a term of endearment.”

“How sweet.” Wooseok shifts in his seat, turning towards you and placing his arm across the back of your chair. “So you’re flirting with me?”

“That may or may not be true.”

His fingers brush gently over your shoulder as he silently watches you, letting the air between you thicken with the thought that it would be so easy to close the gap.

Really, there’s nothing stopping you anyway.

“Wooseok… Have you done something like this before?” You ask before you convince yourself to cross the threshold. “Being friends with benefits and all of that?”

“No, actually.” Wooseok’s fingers reach your collar bone, delicately tracing the peaks and valleys. “I don’t have much experience with girls. I had a girlfriend in high school, but that’s it.”

“Really?”

He nods. “Dating’s not my priority.”

“Is this something you want, though?”

“Well yeah. I probably said it when I was drunk, but you’re really cool and you’re hot, so of course I’m down. This is totally different from dating.” He tilts his head minutely. “Have you done this before?”

Almost instantly, an image of Professor Yang flashes in your mind. “Not technically a friends with benefits situation, but I have hooked up before.”

“How’d it go? Were you okay with keeping it casual?”

Big fat fucking no, you were not okay with keeping it casual. Well, maybe you would have been if he hadn’t turned out to be your teacher. Things might have been so different. But the fact of the matter is that you’ve been an absolute wreck for the last two months because of your failure to keep it casual.

You’re fully aware of the fact that you should be honest about your hookup history. You should tell Wooseok that you most definitely caught feelings the last time you hooked up. It’s your duty to stop this trainwreck before it happens.

But… that means that you wouldn’t be able to hookup with Wooseok. And you really want to hookup with Wooseok right now.

“Yeah, it was totally fine,” you lie through your teeth. “No problems at all.”

“Cool.” He reaches out to cup your face. “Let’s stop talking about it then.”

As if they have always belonged together, your lips meet his. The kiss is sweet and gentle, and his hand is warm on your cheek. It feels so, so good to give in to your urges, to do what you want instead of overthinking. A friends-with-benefits situation is exactly what you need.

You don’t stay in your chair much longer as you continue to kiss. His lap is a much more appealing seat. Without pulling away from his lips, you get up and straddle him, your hands sliding behind his neck. 

Wooseok’s teeth bite down on your lip and his large hands are quick to venture into less innocent territory. His fingers slip down your sides and into the back pockets of your jeans, cupping your ass and giving a gentle squeeze. You roll your hips to show him that you’re pleased, and he lets out the quietest groan.

“Be careful moving your hips like that,” he warns against your lips, “or you’re signing yourself up for a whole lot of trouble.”

You smirk and roll your hips again as you say, “Maybe I want trouble.”

He responds by claiming your lips, his tongue diving deep into the cavern of your mouth as his fingers dig hard into your ass cheeks. 

You feel so alive. And so blissful - especially as you feel him start to harden through his jeans. The extra friction provided by rubbing against his thickness is absolutely delicious, and you shamelessly grind against him.

It’s clear that Wooseok is enjoying himself, too. He kisses you deeply as you grind, and his hand sneaks under your shirt, pushing your bra out of the way so that he can pinch and rub your nipple. 

You moan for him, careful to stay quiet - the sound proofing in the practice rooms isn’t perfect, after all. But you sigh and groan to let him know that you feel amazing and you love everything he’s doing to you. You would be totally content to just stay like this for the rest of your session, and it doesn’t seem like Wooseok would mind.

Unfortunately, though, you know this can’t last forever - you have to leave soon for your piano lesson. But he’s just such a good kisser…

You’re not sure what causes it, but suddenly the mood changes. His hurried kisses and touches melt into something much softer. Wooseok’s hand migrates to the small of your back, pulling you in close and embracing you as he kisses you. 

It’s mind-numbingly sweet, and you hold him tight, too.

With one last kiss, you part, but you rest your forehead on his as you catch your breath and try to process how he could be such a phenomenal kisser.

“What are you doing after this?” Wooseok asks, his voice low - and you know exactly why he’s asking.

“Piano lesson,” you huff quietly.

“Skip it.” Kiss. “Come back to my place.”

“Ugh, I wish. But I can’t. My lessons are important.” Your fingers glide through his soft hair, your gaze connecting with his sweet eyes. “What about tonight?”

Wooseok shakes his head as his fingers drum a rhythm against your spine. “Minho’s having some guys over. Tomorrow?”

“Girl’s night with my roommate.” You sigh. Who knew it would be so difficult to find time to hook up?

“I’m pretty sure Minho said he was going out of town this weekend, so we’d definitely have the place to ourselves.”

That sounds like a blessedly perfect scenario. “I have a thing with Kino on Saturday, but I could come over later that night?”

“Stellar. I’ll make sure Minho is out of the apartment.” Wooseok presses another kiss to your lips before helping you stand up. “You should probably get going though, since you have your lesson. Right?”

You glance at the clock on the wall and realize you have exactly thirty seconds to get downstairs. “Shit. Yeah, I have to run.”

Wooseok helps you gather your things. “I’ll see you Saturday night then?”

You hoist your backpack onto your shoulder and run a finger down Wooseok’s torso. “You bet.”

***

“Remind me why we’re doing this,” you grumble as you follow Nailah and Shinhye through the gym locker room on Saturday morning. Being physically active has never been your favorite thing, yet Nailah has managed to drag you along.

“Cute boy. You love cute boys, don’t you?” Nailah turns, tucking you under her arm and leading you over to the row of lockers. “This is all for you, baby.”

“But whyyyyy…”

“_____, exercising is good for you.” Shinhye tries to boost your morale as you each claim a locker, tossing your gym bags but keeping your water bottles in hand. “I promise it won’t be as bad as you think.”

“Since when have you become such a gym rat? Little Miss I-Live-On-The-Couch.” You tease her. She never seems to be interested in working out, but she looks like a total natural in her mid-calf leggings and moisture-wicking tank top.

She shrugs, touching the outer rim of her glasses to push them further up her nose. “I don’t know, I just go when Nailah invites me. And I think it’s actually pretty fun.”

“Yeah, Shinhye’s a great gym partner. She doesn’t complain.”

You roll your eyes, ignoring Nailah. “So have you seen this cute guy, then? Is it worth the effort?”

Shinhye shakes her head. “We’ve never seen him when I come along.”

“Okay, hold on.” You close your locker, realizing that this mystery cutie hasn’t been spotted in quite some time. “Are you telling me that it has probably been, like, a month and a half since you last saw him? Does he even go to this gym anymore?”

Nailah sighs exasperatedly. “I don’t know, _____. But we’re here now, so we may as well sweat a little.” She lifts her shirt up over her head, so she’s just in her spandex shorts and a sports bra. The shirt gets tossed into her locker and she holds out her hand to you. “Give me your shirt.”

“What?”

“Do it. We’re gonna go out there looking hot so you can seduce cute guy.”

“He’s probably not even out there!”

“Come on. It’s not even a big deal.” She gestures for you to hand her your shirt, and you begrudgingly do as she asks. 

“What about you, Shinhye?” You ask as your shirt disappears into Nailah’s locker.

Her face reddens. “Isn’t it weird to just wear a bra?”

“Not at all,” Nailah reassures her, closing her locker and patting Shinhye on the head as she walks away. “But don’t worry, my little Shinhye doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to.”

You notice Shinhye’s eyes grow wide and her blush deepen, and look at her quizzically. What the hell is that reaction all about? She just avoids your gaze and tails after Nailah.

As you follow them into the equipment room, you try not to feel embarrassed about your lack of shirt. It’s not that unusual for a girl to work out in just her bra and shorts, but you don’t feel particularly confident since you are bound to make a fool out of yourself on the machines, anyway.

The three of you head for the stationary bikes on the opposite side of the room, scoping out all of the other gym-goers along the way. When you reach the bikes, Nailah turns on her heel and pulls you and Shinhye in close.

“Don’t make it obvious, but he’s here. He’s at the bench press.”

What are the odds that he would actually be here today? You take a swig from your water bottle before setting it next to one of the bikes and casually turning around to try to spot him.

Shinhye finds him first. “Oh my God. Him?” She bursts into laughter. “Nailah, you don’t know who that is, do you?”

“Should I?”

“He teaches at our school! _____ and I are both in his class!”

“What?!” You and Nailah respond simultaneously, both for different reasons. Is it really him?

Your eyes scan over the weight machines, and just as you spot the row of bench presses, he sits up and wipes the sweat from his brow with a hand towel.

Fucking Professor Yang is sitting halfway across the room, biceps bulging, a delicious V of sweat forming on the chest of his muscle shirt. 

God, you wish you could just melt into a puddle and disappear from this world.

“No way.” Nailah chuckles. “He’s a Professor? Oh, this is gold.”

Shinhye starts giggling, too. “Yeah, and _____ totally has a crush on him. You should have seen them in class this week.”

“Well just look at her now.”

You finally snap out of your trance. “I do not!”

“No shame, girl.” Nailah smirks as she settles onto a bike. “We’ve all had an innocent crush on a teacher before.”

Oh, if only she knew how not innocent this was.

“Yeah, no shame.” Shinhye chimes, climbing onto the bike next to Nailah.

“Whatever. Shouldn’t we stretch first?” You quickly change the subject. You’re going to spend the rest of this hour pretending like the world’s most handsome professor isn’t over there keeping up his gorgeous physique with which you are unfortunately quite familiar. 

“It’s bad to stretch cold, so we do an easy five-minute ride just to get things warmed up a bit.” Nailah states.

“Alright, then.” 

So you bike, stretch, and tackle a few machines - and you’re incredibly aware of the fact that Nailah’s routine is strategically getting you closer and closer to wherever Professor Yang is stationed. 

You trail along behind her from machine to machine, and next thing you know you’re headed straight for him.

As the three of you approach, you hope and pray that he doesn’t notice you. And when you look over, you’re blessed. He grabs the bottom of his shirt and lifts it to wipe his face, but you’re too distracted by his abs to be grateful for his blocked view of you.

Professor Yang is absolutely chiseled under his muscle shirt, and you shouldn’t even be surprised. You’ve seen him shirtless before, you’ve felt the ripples of his muscles, but you’re still taken off guard by the body that hides beneath his clothes.

The glimpse of his abs is so distracting that you actually forget how you’re supposed to act around him. He drops his shirt and looks up just as you’re passing him, and you unintentionally flash him a coy smile. When his eyes widen as he recognizes you, you realize that you do not want to try to look cute right now. 

Well, you want to, but you shouldn’t.

Somehow that doesn’t stop you.

Professor Yang’s eyes travel down your body, taking in your shirtless state. But you don’t feel shy or nervous - you feel weirdly confident, and you walk with a little extra sass in the swing of your hips. You hope with all of your might that he’s as flustered by the sight of you as you always are by him. 

If your appearance gets to him at all, he certainly doesn’t make it known. Without any hint of what he might be feeling, he gets up and moves to a different machine farther down the row, and he doesn’t look back at you again.

Thankfully, it seems that Nailah and Shinhye did not notice anything that just happened, but you feel suddenly embarrassed about strutting past him the way you did. You need to step out for a second and collect yourself.

“I’m going to grab some more water.” You hold up your mostly empty water bottle for the two girls to see and tear off before either one of them can offer to come along.

That was so dumb. Why did you react that way when he saw you? You know better. You should be avoiding him at all costs, because you’re getting over him. You’ve got Wooseok to keep you entertained now, so you can finally let go of Professor Yang.

He just looked so good… and you want the confidence boost of knowing he thinks you look good, too.

But the thing is, though, you know that he thinks you look good. He’s made it kind of obvious throughout the semester that he’s still attracted to you, so you’re positive that he must have felt something when he saw you in your tight leggings and sports bra. He’s just really good at masking it.

You fill up your bottle and take a sip from it as you turn around, and you accidentally bump into a warm, solid body that immediately fills you with dread.

“_____.”

You’re surprised by the face you see when you look up - this is not the human you were expecting. “Yuto?”

He has a black bandana rolled up and tied across his forehead, and honestly it’s a look. Yuto hardly gives you so much as a smile before his hand comes to rest on your shoulder, gently pushing you aside so he can access the water fountain.

“I didn’t know you worked out here.”

He stands upright after taking a leisurely drink, looking you up and down. “I didn’t know you worked out. Wouldn’t have guessed it.”

“Don’t be rude, asshole.” You huff, stalking off towards the weight room. You don’t need to deal with him if he’s going to be a jerk.

“Hey, wait.” Yuto catches up to you, matching your stride. “I just meant that I haven’t seen you here before.”

“Yeah. Roommate dragged me along.”

“Nailah, right?” He points off to the left, and your eyes follow to that part of the room. Nailah’s hands rest on Shinhye’s hips, guiding your friend into the correct form for squats. You frown, worried about what that could mean.

If she’s starting to crush on Shinhye, she really needs to cut it out before she gets herself hurt. Shinhye’s straight - she’s not going to reciprocate any of Nailah’s feelings. And really, Nailah needs to make sure she’s not making Shinhye uncomfortable by being too forward with her flirting.

“That’s her.” You can’t help your frown as you beeline for them. 

“Wait, wait.” Yuto grabs your arm. “I need to talk to you.”

Surprised, you pause. “What about?”

“Wooseok.”

Your frown deepens. Does he know about your agreement? “What about Wooseok?”

“Be careful with him. He’s a kid.”

“We’re the same age...? What are you getting at?”

“He’s naive, okay?” Yuto looks frustrated that you don’t understand what he’s trying to say. “Just try not to hurt him. He’s a lot more delicate than he seems. He told me about you two, and I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“It’s none of your business what we decide to do.” You scoff. “But yeah, okay, I’m the Big Bad Meanie here so I’ll be ‘gentle’ or whatever.”

Yuto’s voice noticeably softens when he realizes you’re upset. “_____…”

“I don’t want to have this conversation with you.” You brush off his hand. “Have a good workout.”

You stomp back over to your friends, and they both watch you quizzically as you approach. 

“What was that all about?” Nailah asks.

“It’s nothing.” Your first instinct is to just dismiss all of it, but these are two of your best friends. They deserve to know at least a little bit of the boy drama in your life - but you don’t want to spill the tea in the middle of the gym. “I’ll fill you in later.”

Shinhye chimes in, “Professor Yang left while you were gone. We thought you might run into him out there.”

“No, I didn’t see him. Just Yuto.”

“Who’s Yuto?” She asks. “The guy you were just talking to?”

Nailah responds for you, nodding. “He’s our neighbor, right across the hall.”

“Oh.” Shinhye chews timidly on the inside of her cheek. “He’s kind of cute, too.”

“Shinhye! I didn’t know you liked dark, brooding boys.” Nailah reaches out to smooth Shinhye’s hair, and Shinhye blushes.

“Apparently you really don’t know her type, Nailah.” There’s a slight edge to your voice as you say it. It’s just so weird to see Nailah being so forward with Shinhye, and you feel the need to stop it. Shinhye isn’t particularly vocal, so she probably won’t say anything if she’s feeling uncomfortable.

Seems like you’ll have to have a chat with Nailah later.

***

Kino meets you in your dorm’s lobby at exactly 6:15pm. Doors open for the dance department showcase in fifteen minutes, and you can sense the energy bubbling out of him when he arrives.

“Hi.” He bounces slightly, standing still for a moment before pulling you into a hug.

“Hi,” you echo, a small smile spreading across your lips. “How are you feeling?”

“Nervous. Oh my God, I’m nervous. But let’s not talk about that because I’ll literally die before the show.”

“My CPR skills aren’t exactly stellar, so I guess we should probably do what we can to keep you alive before that becomes necessary.”

“Good call.” He places his hand on the small of your back, guiding you out of the building and into the brisk night air. “You look really nice, by the way.”

“Thank you!” You look down at yourself, taking a second to button up your jacket over the burgundy dress and black tights you’ve chosen for the evening. Your heels click along the sidewalk as you walk, and then you realize how Kino is dressed; his burgundy pants didn’t immediately draw your attention, but you have to laugh at the coincidence now that you’ve noticed. “Oh my God, are we actually matching?”

Kino nods, laughing. “Yeah, we are.”

So this is what it feels like to wear a couple’s outfit... Obviously you’re not a couple, but it’s still kind of cute that you’ve got similar tastes in clothes.

Kino is oddly quiet as you make your way towards the theater, and you know it’s just because of his nerves. You speak up to try to distract him. “Is your family coming tonight?”

He shakes his head. “I didn’t invite them.”

“Oh.” That surprises you. “Why not? This is a big deal. I’m sure they’d love to be here.”

“I don’t really want to talk about that right now.” Kino frowns slightly, clearly bothered by the topic.

Has something happened? He never really talks about his family, so you don’t know what his relationship with them is like. 

Wait - he has talked about them before. You remember the first night you talked to him after R&B Ensemble practice, when you both bonded over your unsupportive parents. How could you be careless enough to forget something like that? Are you really that distracted by your own life?

“I’m sorry, Kino. I shouldn’t have brought that up.” You link your arm with his. “I’m here to support you no matter what.”

“Thanks, _____.” He smiles slightly. “And no worries. It’s fine.”

To keep the mood light, you chat with him about your excursion to the gym this morning, leaving out the parts about Professor Yang, of course. Mostly, you just complain about how you have to use the baby weights because everything else is too heavy.

Thankfully you can keep him chuckling until you’re seated in the theater and the lights go down, signaling the start of the show. That’s when the terror sets in - Kino takes a deep, nervous breath, and his leg bounces wildly as the first performers step on stage. His piece isn’t until a little later on in the show, but you know he’s going to feel anxious until then.

Normally it doesn’t bother you when someone else bounces their leg, but his movement shakes your chair and you don’t want to sit through the whole show like that. Without even thinking about it, you place your hand on his thigh, squeezing gently to grab his attention. His movement stalls and he stares at you wide-eyed.

You lean in so he can hear you whisper over the music. “It’s gonna be great, okay? Everyone’s going to love your piece.”

Kino’s gaze flits between your eyes, and it occurs to you just how close your faces are. Then his hand covers yours, and he smiles. “I was right to bring you along.”

His attention returns to the stage and he seems much calmer now, but you struggle to focus on the dancers. Your whole consciousness is alert to the fact that his hand is so warm and secure around yours, and for some reason that makes your heart beat just a little bit faster.

All rational thought goes out the window. When the first performance ends, you don’t want to let his hand go. Kino notices the way you cling to his hand when he tries to let go to clap, and he gives you a funny look - not one of judgment, but one of curiosity.

You’re immediately embarrassed, so you let go and hurriedly clap before the applause ends. 

It’s fine. You’re just friends. Friends can hold hands. It’s seriously not a big deal - worst case scenario, Kino’s just going to tease you a little bit after the showcase. You do your best to shake it off.

But then the applause ends, and Kino places his hand on your lap, palm up. It’s an invitation, and his smile makes it so that you cannot refuse. You interlace your fingers with his, your heart beating happily in your chest.

You don’t know what it means, or if it even means anything. But you’ll sort it out later.

That becomes your routine, your hands letting go only to clap between pieces and then quickly returning to each other. It feels foreign yet completely comfortable, exciting yet confusing. 

And then he squeezes your hand tightly and leans over, whispering in your ear, “This one is mine.”

For just a brief second you think he’s talking about your hand, but then you realize that he means his piece is next. Your cheeks flush because of the way you misunderstood him, but you pretend that didn’t just happen and whisper back, “I can’t wait.”

A delicate piano melody guides the two male dancers on stage, but it isn’t until the lyrics kick in that you realize just how mournful the performance is going to be.

“Don’t know where I am with you Forgetting time and space with you Oh I wish we had a common view You see my red as blue I don’t belong in your universe For better or for worse…”

The dancers move fluidly across the stage, embodying the story of two people - maybe lovers, maybe friends - who want to be together despite the invisible force that’s keeping them apart.

“I’m the same but I’m bolder You get home, but I’m on my way out now Not the same destinations I will stay when you get off the train…”

No, they don’t want to be together. It’s not mutual - you see that now, how one dancer is caught in the other dancer’s world and he is trying to break free. Is this an abusive relationship?

“You’re safe as a mountain But know that I am dynamite Oh, oh, you’re safe as a mountain But know that I am dynamite…”

The pieces come together, and it suddenly makes sense. Maybe you’re making a huge assumption, but you can’t help but think that this is the story of Kino’s relationship with his family.

It moves you to tears, and you struggle to keep your composure. It feels like you’re watching a little piece of Kino’s soul through these dancers, and it’s devastating to think that someone as sweet and gentle as Kino would ever be caught in such a terrible situation. He deserves so much better than that. He deserves a family that loves him.

When the performance ends the whole audience applauds, but you can only look at Kino as he wipes away his tears, a melancholy smile on his lips. 

***

Kino walks you back to your dorm, and you stop just outside the front door. You haven’t said much since the performance because he was immediately bombarded by other students and professors coming up to congratulate him. But now, you finally have his undivided attention.

“Your piece was absolutely beautiful,” you gently praise him. “I think you’re incredibly talented to draw that much emotion out of the audience. Seriously, it was incredible.”

“Thank you.” He looks down, his soft voice accompanied by a shy smile. “I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you came with me tonight. Thank you so much for being there to support me.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world, Kino.” You pull him in for a hug, feeling proud of him and also feeling much closer to him than you were before. 

When you pull away, he asks, “Do you want to maybe come over for a little bit? Just to hang out?”

That would be nice, but you remember your plans with Wooseok. For some reason, though, it doesn’t feel right to tell Kino about that. “Ah, I can’t. I told Nailah I’d spend time with her tonight.”

You immediately feel guilty about the lie, but Kino isn’t bothered by your excuse. “Have fun with her, then.”

He reaches out, his hand gliding down your forearm until his fingers interlace with yours. You look down at your intertwined hands, your pulse quickening just as it did in the theater. You’re not sure why you react that way. And then you feel the soft press of lips on your forehead.

Did…? Did Kino just…?

You look up at him, shocked. He had just kissed you. What was that all about?

His eyes scan your face, the sweetest, gentlest smile on his lips. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

You nod, still kind of confused and surprised by what just happened. But he walks off before you can really process it, and you just stand there like an idiot for a minute or two.

Reading into it is probably the worst thing you could do. Kino is a touchy guy, so it shouldn’t seem unusual for him to kiss you on the forehead. It’s just a sweet, friendly gesture, right? He probably doesn’t mean anything by it, so you shouldn’t assume he does.

The last thing you want is to make things weird. He’s a great friend, and you don’t want to lose him. So you’re not going to make a big deal out of this.

Desperate for a distraction, you pull your phone out as you head inside. A few texts from Wooseok are waiting for you, just as you had expected.

Wooseok (8:13pm): Still want to come over?

Wooseok (8:13pm): Minho just left and won’t be back until tomorrow

You respond.

You (9:02pm): Of course. Just got back. Give me 10 to freshen up and I’ll be over.

Wooseok (9:02pm): I’ll give you 5

You (9:03pm): 7?

Wooseok (9:03pm): 6.5 starting now. 

Wooseok (9:04pm): see u soon, short stuff 😘

***

You make it to his place in exactly seven minutes because you’re a glutton for punishment, but you think you’ve devised a plan to help you earn back his favor.

“You’re late.” He greets you at the door to his apartment.

“But I brought a gift.” You try your best to look cute as you hide the small ‘present’ behind your back. “Close your eyes and hold out your hands.”

He looks suspicious, but he smiles slightly as he does what you ask. Into his large palms, you place the panties you’ve been wearing all day. If Minseo has taught you anything, it’s that men go crazy for a girl in a dress with nothing on underneath.

“You said you wanted to keep them, so these are for you.”

Wooseok’s eyes shoot open as he realizes it’s silky, lacy fabric puddled in his hands. He looks at them with a sly smile. “Are you wearing any right now?”

You just smile coyly and shake your head. Success.

“Christ, woman, get in here.” He grabs your wrist and pulls you inside, letting the door slam shut behind you. You don’t even have time to kick off your shoes before he picks you up, your legs naturally wrapping around his hips to hold yourself up.

Wooseok’s lips crash into yours like he can’t stand the thought of waiting one more second. He’s way too eager, but you could never complain. You love feeling so wanted.

He presses you against the wall and you lace your fingers into his hair, tugging gently as you bite his lower lip. A deep growl vibrates in his throat, and it immediately shoots pleasure straight to your core.

You let yourself moan as you feverishly return every kiss he offers. You just can’t get enough of him, and it’s making you crazy. 

For just a second you pull away, but only because you need more. “Bedroom?” you pant.

Wooseok nods and carries you deeper into the apartment, throwing open the door to the bedroom and dropping you onto the bed.

“Hey! I’m not a doll!” You lecture him, but you can’t help the giggle that escapes you. “Don’t toss me around like that.”

Wooseok just ignores you. “You’re wearing too many clothes.” His long fingers immediately find the buttons of your jacket, fiddling with one after the other until he pulls it off of you.

“It’s freezing outside! What did you expect? That I’d run across the street without a jacket on just so it would be easier for you to strip me? It’s bad enough that I came over without my tights on.”

“I mean… You probably would have gotten here when I asked you to if you hadn’t stopped to put a jacket on.” Wooseok runs his fingers over your bare thighs. “But next time, keep the tights on. They’re hot.”

“You’d like that?”

“Yeah, but you’re hot like this, too.” 

You raise an eyebrow. “You’d be hotter with your shirt off, if it counts for anything.”

“Sassy,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to your neck. Still hovering over you, he grabs the back of his collar and easily pulls the t-shirt over his head.

You’re right - you definitely like him better without the shirt. His torso and arms are nicely toned, and he just looks so good. Even his face is somehow more attractive than it’s ever been, and you know you’ve made the right choice in coming over here tonight.

You touch his cheek, and you can sense the depth behind his irises as his eyes scan your face. He’s fully present, and you just want to live in this moment with him.

“Why do you have to look at me like that?” he asks.

“Like what?”

“Like… I don’t know, you’re just fucking cute.” Wooseok dives in, laying you back onto the bed as his lips connect with yours. His hand starts at your neck and runs down over your arm before transferring to your hip, his kiss overwhelming your senses. Everything about him feels so good, so nice.

As you wrap your limbs around him, you remember what Yuto said to you at the gym this morning.

Be gentle with him.

Try not to hurt him.

Even though it’s none of Yuto’s business, you can’t help but keep his warnings in mind. The last thing you want to do is hurt Wooseok. This is all supposed to be harmless fun, after all.

You press a hand to his chest, silently asking him to stop kissing you.

“You good?” Wooseok asks, concerned.

“Yeah! I just wanted to make sure… You’re totally cool with this, right? Like, with us just being friends and doing this for fun? This isn’t going to make anything weird, right?”

Wooseok shrugs calmly. “Yeah, it’s cool with me. I don’t mind it at all and I promise I won’t get weird around you. You cool?”

You nod. “I’m cool with it. I just needed to know we were still on the same page. I, um, ran into Yuto today…”

“Shit, did he say something?”

“He told me to be careful with you. Like he thought I was going to break your heart or something.” You search his eyes. “Also, not cool that you told him about us. I thought this was going to be a private thing.”

Wooseok closes his eyes, sighing quietly. “I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut. He’s my best friend and I tell him everything. I didn’t even think about it.”

“It’s okay. Just don’t go telling the rest of the school, okay?” You chuckle quietly, not quite realizing how much you sound like a certain Professor asking someone to keep things a secret.

“I won’t breathe a word of it to anybody else. I promise.” He smiles. “And don’t worry, I’m not gonna catch feelings.”

“Okay, I’m going to trust you on that. But if either one of us starts to feel something, we have to be honest and stop. Deal?”

“Deal. But, not gonna happen. You can’t lock me down, woman.”

You roll your eyes. “You can lock me down, tie me up, whatever you’re into…”

Wooseok lowers himself onto you again with a devilish grin. “You’re bad.”

“What are you gonna do about it?”

“Probably just get you naked and plow you into tomorrow.”

Laughter bursts from you and you can’t control yourself. “Did you really just say that?”

He laughs too, never one to take himself too seriously. “Yeah, I think I did. That was pretty awful.”

You slide your fingers into his hair and pull him down to you, crashing your lips together now that your concerns are alleviated. Your body is already aching for release and you’ve hardly even started.

Wooseok’s large hands roam your body, gliding over your curves and massaging your chest. Your fingers trail down his back and the groan he emits is absolutely precious. It feels like it has been ages since you’ve gotten laid and suddenly you’re starving for it.

Every kiss fuels the fire burning deep within you, your core throbbing with want. Your legs are wrapped around his waist and you wiggle your hips in search of some sort of friction. 

Wooseok gets the message loud and clear. His hand glides under the skirt of your dress in search of your folds, which are already delightfully wet by the time he reaches them. Even though you’re more than ready, he teases you, taking his time to caress your most sensitive spot. 

A quiet moan escapes you, and you reach down between your bodies in search of his length. You just have to know what it feels like, what kind of fun you should expect for the rest of the night.

Your fingers brush over the front of his jeans until you find an unmistakable bulge, and he sighs deeply as you pass over it. The sound is actually really hot, and you know instantly that you need to get him naked. 

“Take off your pants,” you murmur against his lips, your fingers already working to unfasten his jeans. You get the button and zipper of his pants undone, and he steps out of his pants and boxers all at once.

Seeing Wooseok naked is both weird and thrilling, and you realize how incredibly sober you are. The last time you were here in his apartment, you were both a little drunk. But this time you’re not inebriated in the least bit.

You definitely don’t need any alcohol to be convinced that you should have sex with this man right the fuck now.

“Condom?” You seriously hope that he has some, because you definitely didn’t think to bring one over.

“Yeah, hold up.” He opens the top drawer of his dresser and pulls out a rubber from his stash.

You pull him back down onto the bed as soon as he’s within reach, and he chuckles at your eagerness. You climb on top of him, kissing him passionately and wrapping your hand around his cock. 

“I don’t want to wait,” you whine as you stroke him. He’s already incredibly hard, and he’s just the perfect size for you. Usually you would insist that foreplay is a good idea, but you are way too impatient at the moment. “I want you inside of me.”

“Then stop waiting.”

Wooseok tears open the condom packet and rolls it on, and you lift yourself up, lining him up with your entrance. 

You let out a slightly strained breath as you slide down onto him, your walls stretching around his girth as you finally fill yourself with his cock. You unfortunately have to take it easy since you completely skipped the foreplay bit, but you slowly rock your hips, indulging in every bit of pleasure even the smallest movements bring you.

Eventually you’re able to increase your speed, and you lean back, helping his cock hit just the right spot inside of you, the spot that you know will leave you blinded with ecstasy. 

You don’t even realize that you’re still in your dress until Wooseok’s hand pushes your skirt back, bunching it at your hip as you ride him. “Lemme see.”

He fixates on the place where your bodies connect, his gaze full of lust. The sight of him beneath you only serves to turn you on more, and it only gets more perfect when his thumb grazes over your clit.

“Oh my God, yes,” you murmur, placing a hand behind you to hold yourself up as you lean back more. Between Wooseok’s touch and the angle of his cock, you felt yourself very quickly becoming unraveled.

Wooseok’s fingers dig into your hip, his cock sliding deliciously in and out of you. Your walls contract tightly around him as you work yourself up, entirely obsessed with the beautiful pleasure pulsing through you. 

“I’m… so close…” You moan for him. “Please, keep going. Don’t change a thing.”

He groans softly. “Already, baby?”

“It feels good,” your voice is absolutely blissful. “Count down from five. Slowly.”

It’s something you like to do when you masturbate - you’ve practiced orgasming on demand because there’s something you absolutely love about forcing yourself to hold off right when you’re ready to explode.

Wooseok doesn’t question. He just keeps rubbing circles into your clit, and he counts. “Five.”

Your chest is already growing warm, your abdomen tight. 

“Four.”

You force yourself to take deep breaths, but they’re littered with moans.

“Three.”

Your pussy swells with pleasure, hot and electric.

“Two.”

“Fuck!” You can barely keep yourself together. “Please please please…”

“One, baby-”

“Oh!” 

You don’t just explode - you burst like a fucking broken dam. Ecstasy overwhelms you as you unintentionally squirt all over Wooseok’s stomach. You’re an absolute gushing mess for him, but you’re too caught up in your pleasure to care. Your whole body feels bathed in sunshine and you’re convinced there is no better feeling than this.

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

You’re brought back to reality when Wooseok finally speaks up. He looks absolutely shocked by what just happened, and you realize that you didn’t give him any sort of warning that you might soak him.

Panicked, you apologize. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

“Shut up, you’re so fucking hot.”

Wooseok sits up and pulls you to him, kissing you more roughly than ever. You eagerly return each kiss, grateful that he’s not upset like you originally thought. 

“Wooseok,” you smile against his lips at what you’re about to say. “I think now’s the time to get me naked and plow me into tomorrow.”

He laughs loudly, and his smile is adorable. “Hell yeah.”

In no time, your dress is on the floor and Wooseok has you pinned under him. Per his request you’re lying on your stomach, and he straddles your legs. He nestles his cock between your thighs, pressing into your slit with a pleased groan. 

“Shit, you feel good.” He holds himself up on his forearms, and his lips find your shoulder as he thrusts into you. He starts slow but very quickly picks up the pace until you’re both panting.

You lift your hips as much as you can to meet him, your fingers deftly working your clit. A second orgasm is definitely feasible at this rate, but you’re not going to try to force it.

Wooseok leaves a trail of bites and sucks from your shoulder up your neck until he reaches your ear. He sucks your earlobe into his mouth, biting and toying with your earring as he pounds into you. The sensation drives you wild, and very suddenly you crash into another orgasm.

A weird half-squeak, half-moan comes out of you as you dissolve beneath him, and you hear a strange series of noises come from Wooseok, too. He starts to laugh, but it’s strained and broken up by strangled, awkward moans as he finishes - then he collapses on top of you, shaking with laughter.

You know he’s definitely laughing at the sound you made, and you’re definitely laughing at the way he just laughed through his orgasm. It’s just such a drastic change of mood, and it’s absolutely endearing the way he clutches onto you as he laughs.

Wooseok is everything you thought he might be in bed, and it doesn’t even phase you that your hookup ended in a less-than-hot circumstance. How could you be bothered when you’re laughing this hard?

Something about the laughter makes his embrace feel exceptionally warm. And you kind of adore that.

You feel lighter than you have in a while, even though you’re sort of being crushed by him.

“Can’t breathe!” You squeal.

“Sorry,” he chuckles, rolling off of you and onto his back. “Hey, whatever the fuck that noise was, it was super cute.”

“I could say the same about your laughing orgasm,” you retort, scooting closer to him to indulge in his warmth.

Wooseok pushes your hair back, his dark chocolate eyes locking with yours. “It’s your fault I laughed through it. I don’t know how the hell your voice even got that high.” 

Just for fun, you try to recreate the noise, reaching as high as you can through your vocal range to pull out the most ridiculous note you’re capable of. You both laugh at your attempt, and then Wooseok gives it a try - and somehow far surpasses whatever pitch you had managed.

His eyes get so wide you think they might just fall out of his head, and you laugh more hysterically than you ever have in your life. It has to be physically impossible for him to screech as high as he just did, but he succeeded!

“Wooseok, what the fuck?” It’s impossible to catch your breath, but you manage to get some words out.

“I don’t even know.” He shakes his head and shrugs, laughing right along with you.

Eventually you’re both able to calm down. Your arm is draped across his chest, and his hand glides up and down your spine in a way that soothes you. The friends-with-benefits line is a little blurred because you’re not sure if cuddling is part of that package, but as per usual you tell yourself that you’ll figure it out later. You’d rather just enjoy yourself.

“_____?” Wooseok gently breathes your name into your hair, and you prop yourself up on your elbow so you can look at him. He’s gorgeous and you don’t know how you didn’t see it before. “I’m glad you came over.”

You don’t think - you just act on instinct. Your fingers glide up to his cheek and you lean down to kiss him. Wooseok’s lips are warm and soft, and the kiss is sensual and provocative and...

And it melts deep into your heart, lighting you up from head to toe.

It stirs up every romantic thought that you know you shouldn’t have about him.

Fuck.

Post Script | Thank you for reading! Please stay tuned for Part 7.

All Rights Reserved © gwentoryfics. No translations, reposting, and/or modifying of the material is allowed without my direct permission.

[prorevenge]

Boy meets girl

I often pressed V for information on how she earned income but she would give conflicting answers about grants and scholarships until one day.... About 6 months after our first meeting, she finally tells me and IT. IS. NOT. GOOD. I was interviewing at a professional school when I receive the call, she's in trouble, BIG TROUBLE, and needs my help. She tells me she earns money by doing others' assignments for them. $200 to write a paper and $800 to complete an online class, usually a 100 level introductory course. She describes the method she uses to circumvent the ITs detection of others completing others assignment and how her client wasn't doing his part to copy/paste and submit from his own computer. He is failing the course and blames her. He threatens to turn her in. Her plan is to refund his money and wants me to 'follow him to see if he goes somewhere alone and take his phone' because that has all the evidence of their communications. HOLY SHIT! SHE WANTS ME TO COMMIT STRONG ARMED ROBBERY, a FELONY for her! I'm not going down for this or with her and I know nobody would believe me. ENTER: military experience - if there's no record, it didn't happen. So, I agree to help her, somehow, as soon as I return to town. I go to V's dorm the next night and she shows me EVERYTHING. Her list of clients, their blackboard passwords, how she meets them, how she defends them during honor code violations, etc. So I tell her not to worry, I'll handle everything on the day she refunds his money. Relieved, she goes to bed but before she lays down I ask to use her computer for on assignment and she says "sure do whatever you want". In my state, if you let someone use your electronics, its called "having privilege" and anything you do with their computer which may harm them is legal as if it your own computer. So, I took screenshots of her conversations with her clients, I open google settings and screenshot all the blackboard users and passwords stored on her computer. I go to her messenger and screenshot their conversations. Back home, I compiled our recordings and saved our facebook conversations. A week later, I made up an argument about an upcoming New Years Party and broke up with her. Then sat on the information I had on hand for 2 more weeks thinking about what I should do.

I remembered how she has a history of arrests from high school to freshman year for stealing from outlet malls and selling their loot online. Never formally charged. She, of course, omitted this from her application into professional school. How she admitted "finding a mark" and using them to pass her courses. How she denigrated others who were completing courses through hard work. How she used her position as honor council to get her friends out of trouble while helping to expel others for doing exactly what she was doing. How she cheated on me multiple times, used me, manipulated me, tried to make me commit a felony and ruin my life. SHE HAD TO BE STOPPED.

Knowing she was friends with the faculty on the honor council, they often bought each other gifts, I had to go above their heads. I gave names and descriptions of the events to my program director. He then goes to the honor council, anyway. I was called into the honor council's head office of "Corrupt Administrator" CA. CA tells me I should delete the information I have because it could become a civil matter and I should consider my "self preservation." She schedules another meeting with me a week later. I return and she asks if I want to make a statement about V. Guess what I said, I tell her "no, I deleted everything and I don't remember" because I was in the military and I know how to 'play ball' when superiors tell you to shut your mouth. But the most important reason I decided to not file against V directly was due to the fact I was applying for a military scholarship to pay for professional school. Since I did not follow through, the program director filed an honor code violation complaint against V on a date [suggested by CA]. A month later they tell me their investigation was inconclusive and they will close the case due to the director waiting 1 day too long to file according to the school's academic policy. CA set us up! However, since the director used my name as a source, they must notify V because students have rights to know their accusers. FUCK.MY.LIFE. CA fucked me and ruined any chance for a case against V based on a technicality. Now I fear for my safety because V tried to get me to strong arm rob someone now I just implicated a dozen cheaters who have as much as her to lose. CA schedules a meeting with V and tell her about an ongoing investigation and tells her she will be kept up-to-date. I know the investigation is over and now they are just doing formalities. V requests the information of the investigation and they promise to email it to her. V calls me for support even though we aren't together. She is crying and talking about killing herself. She tells me her dad had been paying for her college this whole time and starts coming clean with other lies. I feel bad and almost regret everything. Maybe she is not a sociopath, maybe she is really sorry. She stays at my house the next few days, I'm watching her trying to keep it together. THEN HER FUCKING CLIENTS START COMING TO MY HOUSE. She is still doing their assignments! She NEVER LEARNS!

Finally she gets the investigation info and there's my name. She calls me 130 times in 3 days, sends her friends to my classes to tell me to come to her house, finally I do. But I don't go into her room because she will trap me. She takes my phone so I can't record. She tries to get me to sign a paper saying I fabricated everything and its all false. I tell V, "They already closed the investigation, you wont get in any trouble why should I implicate myself and get in trouble? It wont solve anything!" And she pleads, "Do you still love me?" I shake my head and walk out. Two days later, police are waiting at my house to serve a 72 hour emergency protective order (EPO) commanding me to stay away from V. I know what she is up to. She is trying to get me to violate the protective order, discredit me, and send me to jail. Its very easy to lie to create one and lie to say it was violated.

NOW ITS NOT JUST REVENGE TIME, ITS WAR

Here's the plot twist: I never really deleted the files as I told CA. TYVM, Google drive.

After the 72 hours EPO expired, another EPO arrives which lasts two years but requires a court appearance. This is a huge problem because I am in the US Army reserves and it requires the handling of firearms which is illegal under an EPO. Her lawyer calls me and threatens me not to "participate in anymore investigations against her" and sends a paper tiger. I get a lawyer, lets name him "Folds like a lawn chair". He tells me "who will they believe: a pretty girl or you?" I fire him. Get a better lawyer, a trial lawyer, called "Miss Badass Esq." and prepare for war. Miss Badass requests a copy of V's EPO from the court. It essentially says I was blackmailing her, threatening to beat her up, and I broke into her room to steal incriminating information against her. All lies. I provide my lawyer the entire history of our relationship: 600 pages of facebook and text messages showing she is the aggressor, the abuser, in the relationship, phone call history, all the recordings and screenshots of her cheating ring. I make a poster sized chart of her room and the events that transpire there the day in question when she tried to trap me into signing a statement taking responsibility for her actions.

Courtdate: We made V and her lawyer look REALLY stupid. They were going with the 'pretty girl' strategy. But the dorm gave us records showing she was signing me in and out of her room, so it discredits the need to break in. The call logs: 130 times in 3 days and aggressive texts showed she wasn't actually afraid of me adn it was her, not me, being aggressive. And when he asked what I had to use to blackmail her, her lawyer said "just some tutoring papers" for which the judge said, "that doesn't sound like anything wrong. What power did that give him over you?" They had no response. My turn to speak, I explain how she tried to get me to rob a guy, how she wanted me to write a letter to take the blame, how she used her position as honor council chair to break state law and violate academic policy. And summarized we were only there because she wanted revenge on me. I watched V and her lawyer stutter and squirm uncomfortably under the judges questioning, case dismissed.

All that information I gathered to defend myself was not going to go to waste. I took it to a newly hired honor council investigator called "Meg" who had no affiliation with V. I told her what CA had done to defend V. A week later, I was told the by Meg there had been a meeting with the school police, the provost, their legal team, then the provost himself decided filed a complaint against V. I had to meet with the police to file a statement about V trying to recruit me to rob someone but other than that I was out of the loop. I later learned the results: V lost her her slot at that school's professional program, her program director yelled at her at the top of his lungs, "YOU WILL NEVER GO TO ********* SCHOOL, I KNOW ADMISSIONS AND I WILL SEE TO IT", she got expelled, her TWO degrees (biomedical engineering and biology with a minor in chemistry) were withheld for 6 years and her transcripts would carry a permanent mention of an honor code violation, her clients who graduated had their degrees retracted with similar mentions on their transcripts, and current clients were also expelled. The school changed its policy on reporting date requirements to like 60 or 90 days. Me? I am in professional school. V had her chance to get away with all of this until she tried to get revenge on me. I reduced this super villain from owning a fleet of beta male minions, being the most connected person in the university, and having a lucrative future in ripping people off in the medical industry to the last time I saw her: riding a fucking scooter.

(source) story by (/u/Apophis1942)

[myatlantispoets]

@dottilyn @thoopsy A little birdie told me that you signed up for the @shera-secretsanta-2019 event. Well guess what, I know who’s supposed to give you your present  and it’s....this girl right here! (forgive me for the awkward introduction ). Anyways, happy holidays and may you fight like a princess in the next decade! (i’m...not the best at fandom references).

I’ve prepared a fic set in a Modern AU-Etheria is a small kingdom, where magic doesn’t exist but goodness always prevails. 

Characters:Entrapta, Adora, Mermista, Bow, Perfuma, Frosta, Glimmer (basically the main squad)

Word count:2031

Hope you like it!

"Emily, will you hand me the wrench, please?", Entrapta asked the small robot that usually accompanied her. Today would be a bit different, for she was celebrating her high school graduation by going on a camping trip with her friends, so she was planning to leave the robot in charge of the house while she was gone. The thought of being without Emily was quite saddening but the thought of being with the people who've gone on so many adventures with her throughout high school helped. Of course, there was also the thought of what was going to happen now that high school was over-but she brushed it off. For now, she had to leave her messy room, say goodbye to the other robots and try and run to the train station, where they were waiting for her. "I have to leave now, but I'll be back soon. Take care of the others, ok?", she said, planting a kiss on the closest thing that the robot had to a forehead. With that, she picked up the wrench, threw it in her backpack and closed the door behind her. --- "This has to be the longest road I've ever travelled. How much do we have left?", Glimmer sighed looking out the window of the train compartment. "This is the fifth time you've asked", Mermista muttered under her breath. "We've already passed by the lake. Perfuma said she's waiting for us at the next station", Adora interfered. "Is it too late to suggest not going at all?", Mermista asked rhetorically . As the only one in the group who's grown up in Salineas-Etheria's most prosperous harbour city-she found it a lot more enjoyable to spend her summer break at the seaside than among leaves and bugs and...whatever else hid in those woods. Adora gave her a gentle, but disapproving look. "So that's a no?" --- Ten minutes later they were chatting with Perfuma, telling her how Entrapta spent the whole time while they were on the train in the  driver's cabin, figuring out how the vehicle worked. She laughed a bit, asking the mechanic about her discoveries. As the purple haired girl answered, she felt hopeful about the celebration ahead of them. But of course, a lot can go wrong in a night. The group found their spot rather quickly, as it had been previously prepared by Perfuma. When they decided to spend a week during their summer break camping, she insisted that it takes place in a natural reservation she'd been to before in Plumeria, Etheria's "greenest" region. Knowing how persistent the environmental activist could become about these things, they let it go. They were in a meadow not far from a river, surrounded by tall, green trees and a big range of flowers, among which they could find bluebells, primroses and starflowers. Perfuma went on a long speech about the forest and the various forms of life they could find there but Bow was the only one still listening after hours spent on a train ride. After taking some rest, they started unpacking the tents and setting them up. The process went easier than expected, especially after Entrapta excitedly began going around, offering everyone her help. She was the best out of all of  them when it came to spatial thinking, tools and equations, so they instantly agreed. Bow finished first, being quite good with these types of things himself. He admired Entrapta's skills and looked forward to any opportunity to learn from her. He was followed by Glimmer and Mermista-who let an overly eager Entrapta do the whole thing and then Perfuma and Frosta. Frosta was the youngest one of them and, though she wouldn't admit it, was a bit scared about her first camping trip, so  when Perfuma offered to share a tent with her, she gave in. After an hour, Adora was still struggling to set up her tent, despite her friend's help. The reason had 4 legs, 2 puppy eyes that begged one to do its bidding and fluffy ears perfect for scratching. Yes, the girl brought her pet dog, Swift Wind with her. No,she wasn't regretting her decizion but she admitted that there were...unforeseen situations that could be caused by one bringing their golden retriever on a camping trip. Because she was living them right now. "Come here, puppy! "Frosta shouted at the top of her lungs, waving to the fluffy animal. He was chewing on one of the tent poles after grabbing it while Adora was looking somewhere else and running with it to the other end of the meadow. Adora facepalmed. She thought things couldn't get any worse until he broke into one of the tents and started chewing on the pillows, spreading feathers and polyester filling all over in the camp while she watched in horror. While the others were trying to bait the puppy into returning the pole and chewing on something more edible-like one of the dog biscuits that Bow had carefully packed with him-Mermista was sitting in the back,  eating a bag of popcorn with Entrapta. The young genius was giggling, oblivious to the fact that she needed the pole to finish. "You'd think he was tired after the road, but his energy level is comparable to that of Sea-Hawk's", the Salinean raised an eyebrow, slightly impressed. "Do you think I could make my robots run as fast?", Entrapta asked, throwing a popcorn in the air and catching it with her mouth. Mermista was about to reply when she saw Frosta run up to them. "Guys, we could use some help", she threw them a glare while trying to get some feathers out of her hair. The girls sighed before getting up. The sooner they do something, the sooner they can go back to snacks and jokes. Twenty minutes later, Adora's managed to get Swift Wind to stop by giving him one of his favorite toys to play with, after finding it at the bottom of her backpack. The cleaning was resolved by Entrapta, who's turned one of her smaller robots into a surprisingly functional attempt at a vacuum cleaner. The others didn't know how she'd managed to make it work but hey, it was Entrapta. They were past questioning it. --- A dimly lit fire and a group of 6 people gathered around, laughing and enjoying each other's company. Is this what friendship feels like?, Entrapta thought, looking around. It was well known that Entrapta had been alone before meeting Adora, Glimmer and Bow, who would later introduce her to Mermista, Perfuma and Frosta. She grew up in an isolated city called Dryl, as an orphan. They met during their freshman year of high school and her life changed almost instantly. She wondered what she would have been doing right now if it wasn't for them. The girl  was awaken from her reverie by the sound of Bow opening one of the many bags of marshmallows he'd packed. A campfire wouldn't be a campfire without s'mores and the squad had relied on him, as resident "mom friend", to bring the goodies. Now, it was true that in a very characteristic excess of zeal, he'd packed a lot more than they needed, but Frosta assured them that she'd take care of it. He gave each one a bunch of marshmallows and biscuits and they soon started chatting, sharing their fears, hopes and dreams. "So what are you doing this fall, Entrapta?", Adora asked, not long after they'd replaced the s'mores with hot cocoa and gotten all wrapped up in blankets. Everyone except Frosta, anyway. She was surprisingly resilient to cold weather. "Yeah, good question.", Glimmer said. "I've heard about the others, but you never mentioned anything." Entrapta looked down on her own cup, trying to find answers in her drink. Sadly, it didn't answer. Stupid hot beverage. It was true though. On their way here, everyone's shared their plans for the future except her. Bow was planning to go into psychology and become a counselor, helping people who were doubting themselves or their path in life, like he used to at some point. Mermista would start preparing to take on her parents' business-they owned a few ships and offered tours of Etheria's coastlines. She's always liked the sea, so taking over the business with her boyfriend, Sea-Hawk seemed like the natural option. Adora has been training to become an agent for Etheria's crime fighting agency for a few years now and would take her exam in September. It sounded more like a formality for her though, since she'd aced all the other required tests and practiced every day. Glimmer had decided a long time that she wanted to take a leap  year instead and figure out things before making a decizion. She'd already signed up for a bunch of clubs and volunteering associations to test things out in the meantime. She had the freedom that she didn't have before, when she was a kid trying to graduate and to make her strict mother proud. Last but not least, Perfuma recently got offered an internship for an enviroment-focused international NGO that she was excited about, while Frosta was still in high school as the youngest. And Entrapta? She did get an acceptance later for a course she applied out of boredom-Etheria's best engineering course, offered by a prestigious, modern university with a big library and an even bigger research lab. It sounded like a dream come true. But she feared it'd turn into her biggest nightmare-losing her friends and being alone again.  She'd be far from everyone else, while her friends would each go away their separate ways. If she turned it down, she could at least stay with Frosta for another. She was afraid of what would happen if she didn't. Before she knew it, she'd started crying in front of her friends. "Hey, are you ok?", Bow asked, taking a seat next to her. The others followed him, forming a circle around her. They were looking at her, eyes filled with concern. She revealed the acceptance letter that had been hidden in her backpack. She'd brought it with her to think about it-having physical things to thinker with always helped her figure out solutions. The only problem was, you couldn't fix fear and insecurity using equations. She heard the others gasp at the sight of the letter as Glimmer snatched it from her hands. She read it out loud before they all congratulated her. "This is amazing, Entrapta!", Adora exclaimed. "Totally. I mean, I didn't expect any less but you know...congrats", Mermista patted her on the back. "So...why are you upset?", Bow was confused. "Is this not what you wanted ?", Perfuma raised an eyebrow. "I...I'm afraid", was all Entrapta could say between the tears. Once Bow handed her a box of tissues, she was able to continue, "Of what will happen...once college begins. Of losing you guys." After a few seconds, Adora broke out the silence, "Not a chance", she said, slinging an arm around her shoulder. The others nodded encouragingly. "Yeah, we can totally still hang out whenever we find the time. Etheria isn't that big.", Glimmer chimed in. "And group chats are still a thing as far as I know", Mermista added. "Knowing you, you'll probably invent holograms or...teleportation and what not. That'll make things a lot easier", Frosta said, inciting a chuckle from Entrapta. "Yeah, you're a genius, Entrapta", Bow said. "And you deserve the chance to reach your full potential", Perfuma smiled at the purple haired girl. Slowly, but surely, Entrapta began feeling relieved. And maybe she wasn't so alone after all. "Thank you, guys", she sniffled."I've decided I'm going to accept the offer...and I'm going to treat it as an other scientific experiment. With courage and curiosity." "GROUP HUG", Bow announced loudly before giving the girl a hug, followed by the others. Entrapta smiled once again, looking up at the stars. This is what friendship feels like.

[crystalrequiem]

The Voice that Urged Orpheus

[Part 3/6(?)] [TRC] Summary: Kurogane learns more about a mysterious new world and accidentally seals his own doomed fate. Tags: Kuro/Fai, Canon Universe, Post-Canon, Warnings:  suggestive thoughts and implications (nothing graphic), People assuming married status, GOD, so much fluff, Is it still slow-burn if they’re already in a relationship? because that’s basically what this is. [Part 1] [Part 2]... [Part 4]

Honestly this section probably should have just been included with the one previous. Not as happy with it because it feels less... cohesive? directed? meh.  Nevertheless I feel like it’s necessary to set up some of the world-building so I can get to the good points later. Hope you still enjoy! I really look forward to reading your comments and tags. They seriously keep me going!  

The shopkeep, it turns out, does look a little familiar. She has dark-skin and a well-toned frame, pretty face framed by a shower of pink, fluffy hair. He doesn’t think any version of her has ever been a particularly close friend, but something about her rings a bell anyway.

“Hello, hello! Your young friend here was just telling me you wa—wow.” She seems perfectly amiable but the moment Fai steps fully into view, her whole expression shifts. Her jaw drops, and the wide eyes she graces them with matches the expressions they’ve been earning outside. “Oh-ho-kay, Hi! I’m so sorry; I didn’t think anyone from the academy would stop by, uh. How—how can I help you?”

Kurogane and Fai search each other out long enough to share a moment of confusion.

“Academy?” the mage echoes. However badly Kurogane’s attempt at reassurance rattled him before, he displays no indication now. Given his ability to bury his feelings beneath exhausting layers of façade, this comes as no surprise.

“Yes? I mean—I just assumed… what with your magic the way it is—” She glances from Fai to Kurogane and back, shock and bewilderment only incrementing. “Do you—are you two sharing the same magic?”

Alright, so they’ve at least found a reason for the staring. Apparently the people of this world can commonly sense magic, and they find something strange. Something about himself and Fai, in particular. Kurogane breathes a little easier given an idea of what makes them stand out. He just wishes he had any hope of keeping up with the why. Magic focused-worlds make his head spin.  

At least for right now, Fai seems equally clueless.

“No, I don’t think we are,” he answers, bemused.  

“Wow. Hunh.” Her eyes catch on something they can’t see, staring into the empty air between them.

“Actually, Miss Caldina,” Syaoran leaps to the rescue in the awkward silence that follows. “When I said we were travelers from far away, I meant… We’re from very far. We don’t really know anything about this place. Is there any way you could explain a few things about the area?”

The woman, apparently named Caldina, breaks herself from her trance. She pats her face with both hands hard enough to produce a resounding slap. “Sorry! That was rude of me. Let’s start over. Hello, Welcome to the Enchantress. Why don’t you nice folks ask me your questions and I’ll see what I can do?”

A world where everyone can see and use magic.

Kurogane doesn’t get most of what Caldina says, nor does he really understand what Fai and Syaoran ask in return, but he understands that much. People here… see magic. How much potential people have, the spells they cast, the lingering enchantments in his arm, and now his cloak.

According to the shopkeep, Syaoran’s magic stands out on its own—a prodigy, for certain. That alone might distract the townsfolk, but… Fai brings it to a whole other level.

Apparently Fai’s magic is dazzling. He stands visibly above the rest. Caldina had taken a single look and assumed he must belong to the city’s prestigious Academy, where this world’s best casters gather to learn and teach, developing the field of magic further. Then she’d spotted Kurogane and nearly had a heart attack.

“It’s like looking at a flame about to go out—for I second I thought you were dead! No offense!” He doesn’t know how the comparison to a corpse should not offend him, but in the context of magic he supposes he doesn’t mind. “Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone live with as little magic. I thought your husband must have been pulling from you or masking you or something.”

Chaos reigns as soon as she completes the sentence. Mokona bursts into a flurry of giggles, rolling across Syaoran’s shoulders. The Kid stares at his fellow travelers like a deer caught in lamplight, and Kurogane… looks to Fai.

The mage doesn’t react to Caldina’s mistaken assumption save for the extra-bright flush rising to his cheeks, visible even despite the sunburn.

“Well,” he murmurs, lips quirked in a teasing half-smile, “You’d be surprised how little magic people really need to live.” He doesn’t contradict her. He wants to tease—to fall back into their game of overreaction and meaningless words. Fai meets Kurogane’s eye like he’s issuing a challenge—just waiting for the embarrassment to overwhelm the surly ninja and push him to set the record straight.

He doesn’t.

Once upon a time he would have died of mortification and flown right off the handle to hear someone call Fai his husband. But right now… well it’s kind of his goal, isn’t it? It only annoys him that apparently people other than Fai don’t need his intentions spelled out for them.

Eventually, his family realizes he doesn’t plan to say a word. Mokona’s celebration falls to a hush and Syaoran clearly has no idea what to do. Fai’s expression remains implacable, save for the distinctive blush still written on his face.

“Sorry, did I say something wrong?” Caldina drawls.

“Not really! It’s just that those two aren’t married..?” Syaoran takes pity on them all and lets her know, though the fact that he phrases it as a question doesn’t skip Kurogane’s notice.

The poor shopkeeper visibly takes a moment to process this information, flabbergasted. She stares again at whatever it is she can trace between himself and Fai, and shakes her head. “Why not?” her expression reads quite clearly. And boy, does Kurogane not have an answer to that.

“I’m doing a great job of putting my foot in my mouth today.”

“It’s fine! Sometimes Mokona forgets they aren’t really married too.” The manjuu chimes amidst nervous laughter.

Kurogane huffs and turns away, tuning out the cheerful banter that follows. Maybe this is part of his problem. After everything, he feels so close to Fai that even marriage can’t quite encapsulate what they already are to each other. In the end, the extra title of “husbands” won’t change them. It won’t make Fai more or less than he is, or guarantee a forever, or do anything other than put a layer of formality over what they already have.  

Still… there’s something about that formalization that he wants. A definite moment in time he can point to as a promise made, a good memory he can give to Fai who has so many to outweigh it, a declaration of intent that the world can’t ignore… He wants to ask for that.

Maybe he’s just a sentimental fool.

He emerges from his thoughts, watching as the shopkeeper purchases a few of their curios for what seems like a decent sum of currency. They exit the shop with a little more confidence and directions to the famed Academy of Chizeta.

“Shall we?” Fai charms, gesturing theatrically towards the direction of the supposed academy. His early sunburn has settled on a pink that gives him a permanent look of over-heated exertion.

Kurogane squints in the too-bright sunlight, but only Fai truly blinds him. The jerk has no business being so damn attractive. Especially not when he’s going to permanently damage his skin at this rate, walking around with his hood down. The urge to thread his fingers through sweat-dampened gold and kiss that stupid grin off his face strikes Kurogane with all the force of a hurricane. He reaches out before he can stop himself and only manages to switch tacks at the last second, tugging Fai’s hood up far enough to cover his eyes.

“You’re gonna burn, dumbass.”

The line of Fai’s mouth tilts from shocked to pleased in moments, and the mage laughs, reaching up to adjust his cloak enough to see. Shit, Kurogane feels weak to that sound every time—unguarded and honest.

“Looking out for me?” Fai teases.

“Always.”

The word escapes him before he can think twice, but he can’t regret it. At least it forms some part of the mess he so badly wants to communicate. This time, Fai takes his desperate sentimentality a little better. He shakes his head, frustration and affection swimming in a churning cocktail of emotion behind his too-blue gaze.

“You’re hopeless.” He touches Kurogane’s shoulder as he sighs the words, sending a renewed burst of magic into the fabric that cuts right through the re-building heat.

“Can we really be sure they aren’t married though?” Mokona’s voice shatters the moment, and Fai and Kurogane both startle badly. He lunges for the damn pork bun, ready to pound it into mochi, before he thinks better of it and remembers that the world outside his Mage exists. They’ve already begun to draw stares again. Maybe Fai’s use of magic just now looked particularly interesting? He doesn’t know.

They start their sojourn toward the school in good spirits, even despite the heat and the persistent attention. He finds himself far less paranoid, even if so many eyes still make him feel like he doesn’t quite fit in his own skin. Syaoran and Fai take the lead, talking softly about cooling charms and how they work. Eventually, Mokona catches on that his cloak has already been ensorcelled and burrows into his hood without his permission. Annoying, but… well he can’t blame the manjuu for seeking out a little relief. It is hot. Part of him wonders why Fai hasn’t copied the spell on his own clothes or Syaoran’s, whether the spell might have taken more work than he thought, and whether he should pass the chilled cloak around in turns… He’ll suggest it when they stop next.

Either way, the enchantment does its work well. The ache of his shoulder nearly disappears as magic wicks the heat away. Less distracted by pain, he has a far easier time monitoring the stares they gather. He can track the eyes of others lining the crowded city streets as they trace lines of invisible magic. A few people glance his way in confusion, but for the most part, Fai and Syaoran draw a majority of the attention.

He thinks of Caldina, pleased and impressed just by the sight of them, able to gauge magic power with a glance, and something like pride struggles to escape him. It buoys upwards, a nervous bubble caught in his chest. So maybe he feels like the kid and mage deserve a little recognition… surely there’s nothing strange about that.

He can’t help wondering what they must look like.

“Everyone is so interested in Fai! Seeing magic must be very exciting. Mokona wants to see too.” The pork bun mirrors his thoughts and sours his mood, speaking in that tinny voice far too close to his ear. He’s not prepared to hear the mage answer,

“Oh, it’s not so exciting really….” Fai’s gaze drifts somewhere distant as he trails off. Sadness seeps through the cracks in his mask—hard to see, but Kurogane can find it in the way he holds himself. Old, and tired. Burdened by some bad memory. The kids don’t notice.

“Does that mean you can see magic too, Fai?” Syaoran voices the thought aloud, quiet enough to escape the hearing of any onlookers, and the mage’s smile sharpens. He focuses on the boy and that heart-twisting sorrow bleeds away.

“Not naturally, like people in this world can, but there’s an old spell for it from… well.” He waves a hand, as if to knock the words from the air. Kurogane knows somehow with a distant pang that he would have said “Valeria.” “I can show you later if you really want, but I promise it’s not as exciting as it sounds.”

The kids both chorus out a “Mokona does really want,” and “Yes, Please!” to the surprise of no one. Fai must have expected the children to say as much; he doesn’t so much as blink when he hears them. No. Only Kurogane’s quiet, “Sure,” shocks Fai enough to forget his words and halt him mid-step.

His cheeks burn with the weight of a different sort of stare and Kurogane looks to see his family gaping.

“What,” he grouches, and Fai rewards him with another honest laugh.

“Nothing at all, Kuro-sama.” He turns back to the path and keeps walking, careful to make sure Syaoran keeps up. “The spell has to be cast by the viewer to work. I meant to teach Syaoran, but… well…” He glances over his shoulder at both Kurogane and Mokona, smiles that slow, easy smile Kurogane loves so much. “I guess I’ll see what I can do.”  

Kurogane manages to choke out a gruff, “thanks,” and tries to ignore everyone the rest of the way to the Academy. Between Mokona’s muffled snickering at his ear and the way Fai’s every breath draws his attention like a moth to flame, he does not succeed. He tries to imagine what the magic might look like—Fai somehow brighter and more incandescent than he already is, blue eyes cutting through his soul, that signature white and blue written into his skin or drifting off him in waves...

…Fuck. He’s so doomed.

[sonoilbastardo]

FULL NAME: Easton Craven

PRONUNCIATION: /EES-tuhn CRAY-ven/ MEANING: Easton | Old English: eastern settlement or eastern town. Craven | Irish: anglicized form of Gaelic Ó Crabháin (‘descendant (or ‘son’) of Crabhán’); English: contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly. REASONING: Stella Craven did not waste her time thinking of a name for a child that isn’t hers, unlike when her own darling baby boy was born, and she gave him the name Everett - which means brave as a wild boar. For her husband’s bastard boy, she refused to grant him a name, and so Gabriel shrugged his shoulders and simply wrote Easton on a piece of paper, feeling his heart sink as he wrote the last name Craven right after. This unfortunate boy will bear his name for as long as he lived, a reminder of his, Gabriel Craven’s, horrible mistake. NICKNAME(S): Edmund, East PREFERRED NAME(S): East BIRTH DATE: 30th March 1992 AGE: 26 ZODIAC: Aries GENDER: Male PRONOUNS: He/Him ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: Heteroromantic SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual NATIONALITY: Italian ETHNICITY: Caucassian CURRENT LOCATION: Verona, Italy LIVING CONDITIONS: Comfortably living alone in a small villa with a terrace, garage, and a fireplace. Considerably smaller than the estate he grew up in, but prefers his own place than to live with his father (he already works with the man, he doesn’t want to live under the same roof as well.) TITLE(S): the shadow, il bastardo

BACKGROUND

BIRTH PLACE: Verona, Italy HOMETOWN: Verona, Italy SOCIAL CLASS: Upper-class EDUCATION LEVEL: Bachelor of  Business Administration & Master of Business Administration from the University of Milan. FATHER: Gabriel Craven MOTHER: (unknown), Step-Mother: Stella Craven SIBLING(S): Everett Craven ( Half-brother ) BIRTH ORDER: 2nd for his father, unknown for his mother CHILDREN: None. PET(S): None. OTHER IMPORTANT RELATIVES: None. PREVIOUS RELATIONSHIPS: Two official. Both while in university. First one lasted three months, he was cheated on. Second one lasted two years. The woman is from another rich family, but in a much higher league than his, is brilliant and talented, and he felt intimidated by her command of language and intelligence. He broke up with her right before joining the mob. ARREST: Once when he was 22 years old, he crashed his car into a tiny storefront and he was arrested for drunk-driving. Was bailed out by Everett, and the store-owners dropped their lawsuit and were happy to settle. Everett didn’t really give them much of a choice anyways.   PRISON TIME?: None.

OCCUPATION & INCOME

PRIMARY SOURCE OF INCOME: Working at his father’s legitimate hotel and wine businesses. He holds a key personnel position (operations manager), and while Stella disapproves of this, Gabriel could not deny that he is capable. SECONDARY SOURCE OF INCOME: The mob, as a Capulet soldier. Thanks to his Captain, Tiberius, most of the work he does are boring, to the point that he’s a “glorified personal assistant”. This jobs pays well regardless, almost at par with his job at his father’s companies. TERTIARY SOURCE(S) OF INCOME: Fighting. He earns money through underground fights that he participates in, though he has blown some of that money anyway for treatment of injuries he’s suffered from them. CONTENT WITH THEIR JOB (OR LACK THERE OF)?: No, wants to own his father’s entire company one way or the other, and wants to rank higher up in the mob. PAST JOB(S): None, was accepted into his father’s business right after college, and did not have to work for his tuition since his father paid for it all. SPENDING HABITS: Spends a lot of money on alcohol and cigarettes, likes to dress well and buys new clothes at least once a week, whenever he sees anything that he fancies. Sometimes pends money on good ingredients because he likes to cook Italian food, but often is too lazy to do this and would simply head down to one of the restaurants in hotels his father owns. Spends money on books as well, mostly poetry, and likes to collect first editions. MOST VALUABLE POSSESSION: Rare first edition of Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Commedia.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

PHYSICAL STRENGTH: Physically strong, but does not rely solely on it when he engages in fights. OFFENSE: Usually fights with open hands, which he believes are far more brutal than closed fists, using his body parts: elbows, knees, and others as weapons to deliver forceful strikes. Recently, as well, he has been mastering a new fighting style that allows him to make use of objects around him and allows him to fight in any given situation, a style with which one must also have a clear goal for his opponent: to kill? to maim? DEFENSE: Use of an opponent’s strength against them, which is something he learned as a child when he signed up for Judo as an extra-curricular. He has long since abandoned his formal Judo training for Muay Thai and most recently, Keysi, but this defensive technique could not be lost on him. SPEED: Quick on his feet, trusts his instincts. INTELLIGENCE: Easton has been blessed with a good head in his shoulders, but still somehow not a match for his half-brother’s. He did not graduate with any Latin honors, but did not have any difficulties in college whatsoever. That made it easy for him to deal with graduate school as well. He also enjoys reading, which sometimes surprises people, and he is somewhat a snob, preferring to read the classics and works of long dead poets. For the earlier years of his life he has been considerably sheltered, and only when he decided he did not need to impress his father anymore did he take to the streets of Verona and find Measure by Measure. ACCURACY: With the gun, fairly accurate. He likes to use his hands and fists in fights that let him channel his rage, but he’s had to learn how to shoot a gun for his job, and he can’t say he’s a champion marksman. AGILITY: Quite agile and coordinated, hyper-aware of his body parts and movements. STAMINA: High endurance. TEAMWORK: Considerably good, if he sees some use with teaming up. Most likely not good if forced to work together, and he does not see how he’d gain anything from it, and he would rather work alone in instances like these. Still completely loyal to himself only. TALENTS: Martial arts (from years of training as a child, and then later in underground fights), exceptional memory (helped him throughout college) and helps him keep up with work and the mob. SHORTCOMINGS: At times, lacks the “street-smart” attitude that someone working for a mob should have. LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: Italian, English. DRIVE?: Yes. JUMP-START A CAR?: Yes. CHANGE A FLAT TIRE?: Yes. RIDE A BICYCLE?: Yes. SWIM?: Yes. PLAY AN INSTRUMENT?: Used to. Learned piano to try and impress his father. PLAY CHESS?: Yes. BRAID HAIR?: No. TIE A TIE?: Yes. PICK A LOCK?: Yes. Just because he wanted to learn it.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE & CHARACTERISTICS

FACE CLAIM: Daniel Sharman EYE COLOR: Blue HAIR COLOR: Light brown HAIR TYPE/STYLE: A curly mop of hair GLASSES/CONTACTS?: None. DOMINANT HAND: Right. HEIGHT: 6′2 WEIGHT: 83 kg (183 lbs.) BUILD: Mesomorph EXERCISE HABITS: Jogs every morning before work, goes to the gym to train Muay Thai five to six times a week, goes down to Measure by Measure whenever he feels like it. SKIN TONE: Type II: white, fair TATTOOS: Lines of poetry on his left rib. PEIRCINGS: None. MARKS/SCARS: Birthmark on his lower back, looks like a misshapen heart. Scar on his right bicep, a small slash about two inches in length, from a knife fight with a gang member he was assigned to. NOTABLE FEATURES: That jawline? I mean? USUAL EXPRESSION: Either expressionless or scowling, eyes always intense and glaring. CLOTHING STYLE: Wears expensive suits to work. Wears leather jackets when not at work, along with jeans and boots. JEWELRY: Thin gold necklace always kept underneath clothes, simple columnar pendant. ALLERGIES: None. BODY TEMPERATURE: Normal? DIET: Lots of protein, moderate on carbs and fats, very minimal sweets. PHYSICAL AILMENTS: None.

PSYCHOLOGY

JUNG TYPE: ENTP ENNEAGRAM TYPE: Type 8; Active Controller MORAL ALIGNMENT: Chaotic Neutral TEMPERAMENT: Choleric ELEMENT: Fire PRIMARY INTELLIGENCE TYPE: Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence APPROXIMATE IQ: 125+ MENTAL CONDITIONS/DISORDERS: None. SOCIABILITY: Fairly social when he believes it useful for him. EMOTIONAL STABILITY: Fairly stable. Is able to channel rage into “appropriate” avenues like fighting, rarely takes it out on anyone innocent. Is more likely to punch a wall than punch a person. OBSESSION(S): Getting revenge. Taking everything his father denied him. COMPULSION(S): Cursing. Sex and talking about it. PHOBIA(S): None. ADDICTION(S): Smoking. DRUG USE: Minimal. ALCOHOL USE: Occassional. PRONE TO VIOLENCE?: Yes

MANNERISMS

SPEECH STYLE: Low, throaty voice, always with a hint of arrogance. A slow drawl. He usually thinks carefully about what he says, and likes to speak in a “romantic” way that uses a variety of words showcasing his command of vocabulary. (Prime example of how he speaks is how Daniel Sharman speaks in Fear the Walking Dead. link ) ACCENT: Italian QUIRKS: Prone to reciting archaic lines of poetry both in Italian and English. HOBBIES: Aside from martial arts, reading poetry and reciting them. HABITS: Smokes to relieve stress. NERVOUS TICKS: Chewing the inside of his cheek, cracking his knuckles. DRIVES/MOTIVATIONS: The idea of being able to take everything away from his father and his brother. FEARS: That he dies before he attains his goal. POSITIVE TRAITS: Passionate, driven, independent, assertive, confident. NEGATIVE TRAITS: Self-absorbed, dishonest, materialistic, resentful, secretive, vengeful. SENSE OF HUMOR: Insensitive and crude. DO THEY CURSE OFTEN?: All the fucking time. CATCHPHRASE(S): None.

FAVORITES

ACTIVITY: Muay Thai. BEVERAGE: Black coffee. BOOK: You Get So Alone Sometimes That It Just Makes Sense by Charles Bukowski COLOR: Black. DESIGNER: Gucci. MODE OF TRANSPORTATION: Maserati Quattroporte MOVIE: V for Vendetta MUSICAL ARTIST: Queen QUOTE/SAYING: “I wanted the whole world or nothing.” SCENERY: Fights at Measure by Measure. SCENT: on himself | Hermès, on women | Yves St. Laurent (something that screams sophistication), in general | old books TELEVISION SHOW: Game of Thrones WEATHER: Autumn VACATION DESTINATION: places Game of Thrones have done filming in, tbh

ATTITUDES

GREATEST DREAM: To take control of his father’s empire and take control over Verona. GREATEST FEAR: Dying before he achieves his goal. MOST AT EASE WHEN: Alone and cooking up plans for his rise. LEAST AT EASE WHEN: Around his family or his family’s home. WORST POSSIBLE THING THAT COULD HAPPEN: Dying not only having his goals achieved, but dying with nothing left to his name. BIGGEST ACHIEVEMENT: Being recognized as one of the most capable Capulet soldiers and soon after, promoted by his own father. BIGGEST REGRET: Wasting time and energy ever believing he would be fully and lovingly accepted by his father. MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT: Begging an ex-girlfriend to come back to him even after she cheated. One of the lowest points in his life, ever. BIGGEST SECRET: That he sometimes wake up to dreams of his entire family dead by his hands. TOP PRIORITIES: Himself

[imjustthemechanic]

Natalie Jones and the Golden Ship

Part 1/? - A Meeting at the Palace Part 2/? - Curry Talk Part 3/? - Princess Sitamun Part 4/? - Not At Rest Part 5/? - Dead Men Tell no Tales Part 6/? - Sitamun Rises Again Part 7/? - The Curse of Madame Desrosiers Part 8/? - Sabotage at Guedelon Part 9/? - A Miracle Part 10/? - Desrosiers’ Elixir Part 11/? - Athens in October Part 12/? - The Man in Black Part 13/? - Mr. Neustadt Part 14/? - The Other Side of the Story Part 15/? - A Favour Part 16/? - A Knock on the Window Part 17/? - Sir Stephen and Buckeye

Jim needs help - and the gang get another possible idea about where they’ll be heading next.

Since Sir Stephen had put the chair down, Jim pulled it over and sat on it – backwards, leaning his elbows on the back of it.

“I don’t know my name,” he said.  “You asked and I said it was Jim, but I didn’t know it – when I try to remember it, there’s nothing there.  I know I’m an art student, and I’m here to see the museums, but I don’t know what school I go to, or what airline I took to get here, or where I live.  I know I was following you around because Mr. Neustadt told me he’d pay me to, but if you asked me about anything else I’d have to make something up.”  He ran a hand through his hair.  “I don’t know my parents’ names, or whether I have any siblings. You don’t think about this stuff minute-by-minute, especially when you’re focused on something else, but now that I do think about it, it’s not there.”

Like Barnes on the train, Natasha thought.  Allen had asked him where he was from and he’d said Brooklyn, but he’d had to think about it.  Had he had a moment of crisis like the one Jim seemed to be having now?  Or had he simply dismissed it and moved on?

“I asked Mr. Neustadt if it were true that he’d, uh, made me,” he went on, “and he said yes… that they’ve got these bacteria, I guess, that take up traits from other living things instead of having their own DNA.  They can make a person, but they don’t live very long.  I didn’t believe him, and he said if I didn’t then I could test it, and he gave me this.”

Jim took out a pocket knife and unfolded a blade from it.  “It took me a while to get up my nerve to do it, but…” He put the blade against his palm, gritted his teeth, and prepared to drive it in.

Sir Stephen stepped in and took the knife from him.  “There’s no need to do that,” he said.

Startled, Jim reached to get it back.  “It goes right in and it seals back up!” he said.

“We will take your word for it,” said Sir Stephen, folding the knife back up. He handed it back to Jim with a warning look.

Nat cocked her head.  Sir Stephen was a warrior – he’d killed people, up close and persona, using a sword or a spear.  She knew he wasn’t squeamish.  Was it just because Jim looked so much like his old friend?

Jim put it away.  “So… yeah. Apparently I’m not human, and I’m going to die in a week or so.  And you guys have met other… ones… of me… before?”  He was dreading the answer.

“We have met other men who looked like you,” said Sir Stephen.  “Upon their death they vanished into piles of ash.”

Jim shivered.  “Right. So… I don’t want that to happen, obviously,” he said awkwardly.  “Mr. Neustadt said he can’t help me live longer, although I don’t know if he meant it or if he just doesn’t care.  At dinner, though he said something about Perenelle being more into biology than he is?” He looked up hopefully.

“We don’t know,” said Nat honestly.  “We only just learned that any of this is possible at all.”

Sir Stephen, however, got down on one knee to be on eye level with Jim, and put a hand on his shoulder.  “Your name,” he said, “is James.  It has always been James.  Your family called you Buckeye, as did I.  You were the son of a Cornish knight, a thousand years ago, and you died in battle with Count John the Red Death, a treacherous ally of William of Normandy. Your body fell into a crevasse, and it was there that this Neustadt found it and used it to make homunculi to do his bidding.”  He gave the shoulder a gentle squeeze.  “I am Sir Stephen of Rogsey, and you are my friend.  You have been my dearest friend for a very long time, and never failed to help me when I needed it.  Now I will help you.”

He stood up again, and turned to look at Natasha.

“Neustadt spoke of the Philosopher’s Stone as an engine that can transmute matter into other forms,” he said.  “Do you think it could transmute this elixir into human flesh?”

Natasha hadn’t thought of that, and she had no idea whether it was possible or not. “I don’t know why you keep asking me. I don’t know,” she said.  She was unavoidably reminded, though, of how she’d worried that both Allen Jones and Sir Stephen himself would disappear when the group got rid of the Holy Grail that had created them.  Jim had it even worse, in that he’d come with a ticking clock already hanging over his head.

“Madame Desrosiers must know,” Sir Stephen decided.

“Doesn’t mean she’ll actually do anything about it,” Natasha noted – Neustadt had said she was selfish, and they knew she’d healed Clint only because he got hurt trying to help her.  “We’re waiting for her,” she told Jim, “but if she hasn’t turned up by the morning, we’ll have to go.  We need to figure out which of these two alchemists is the one who destroyed that mummy, and have him or her taken back to the UK to face charges.”

Jim nodded, disappointed.  “Can I wait with you?” he asked.

That would allow them to keep an eye on him, at least.  “I guess,” said Nat.  “We don’t know for sure she’ll turn up, though.”

“That’s fine,” said Jim.  “Thank you. Even if you can’t do anything, thank you anyway for trying.  I don’t want to die.”  He sighed heavily.  “I don’t know if I really want to live when I don’t even know who I am and it sounds like I’m not anybody but… but I know I don’t want to die, and that only leaves so many options.”

“To live is always better,” said Sir Stephen.  “But if you must die, die gloriously, and not ignominiously falling apart.”

Jim raised his head and gave Sir Stephen a sideways look.  “Do you always talk like that?” he asked.

“He does,” said Natasha.  “He’s a knight from a medieval poem, brought to life by the Holy Grail, so he hasn’t quite caught up on the twenty-first century yet.”

“Oh,” said Jim, unsure what to do with this information.

“I’m a former Russian spy,” Nat added with a smile.  She wondered if he believed her.  “Now I teach archaeology at a university in Scotland.”

He just blinked at her.

“We’re weird people,” she said.

“I can kinda tell,” Jim said carefully.  “What about this Buckeye guy?  What was he like?”  He turned back to Sir Stephen.

Sir Stephen’s face lit up in a smile – he loved to talk about his old life, and particularly about the people he had known then.  “Buckeye was my friend from when I was very small,” he said.  “I Still have a lock of his hair that I keep.” He’d once had it in a medieval pendant, but had since bought a modern locket.  He pulled it out of his shirt and opened it to show Jim the curl of hair inside. “You see, I grew up in an Abbey. My mother had fled her husband and put out to sea, hoping to reach Wales…”

Nat shook her head.  Sir Stephen would be going on half the night now, but it would make him happy, and Jim was already nodding eagerly, hoping to find something he could latch onto as an identity of his own.  For however long this lasted, Nat’s own presence would be irrelevant.

“I’m gonna get us a pizza,” she decided.  “I’ll be back in maybe twenty minutes.”

When she came back, Sir Stephen was telling Jim about a time Buckeye had carried him back to the Abbey after Stephen had stepped in a rabbit hole and twisted his ankle.

“He joked that were I to wax any heavier, he would have to set me down and cut my throat as he’d do for an injured horse,” Sir Stephen said.  Nat noticed that his grammar had gotten a little more formal again, the way it had been when he’d first showed up.

Jim was startled.  “That’s a horrible thing to say to your friend,” he said.

“It was a longstanding jest between us,” said Sir Stephen.  “I knew he would never have proposed it seriously, unlike some of the crueler boys.”

Jim shrugged one shoulder.  “Go on,” he said.

Sir Stephen talked until long past midnight, when the pizza was gone and several bottles of sparkling water had chased it down while they waited for the evening to cool – which it never did.  While the men talked in the bedroom, Natasha went and sat in the living room, waiting for Desrosiers, or whoever else Neustadt had been expecting, to arrive.  Time passed. Nat could go a long time without sleep if she had to, but she was out of training.  Besides the murmur of voices in the bedroom, the only sound in the apartment was that of traffic on the streets outside, which was a noise she’d always found soothing.

If anyone had tried to come into the room during the night, they would have woken her – but Natasha slept curled on the floor until she woke in the morning to her phone telling her she had a text message.  She opened it, and found it was from Sharon.

Our stuff is here, it said.

A moment later, a second line appeared.  Some of it.  Apparently what are referred to as Newton’s ‘apocalyptic’ writings were bought by a Polish guy named Maslanka who has spent the last ten years or so in Santorini.  You know, the island with the blue domes.

Natasha did know the name.  Santorini, or Thira, was the Greek island that appeared on all the postcards and calendars.  She texted back.

Sounds nicer than Kotor.  We’ll head back and take a look.

Having learned their lesson yesterday, Nat, Jim, and Sir Stephen took the bus back to the hotel.  They arrived to find the rest of the group having breakfast in the dining room, and passing around several books.  One was a modern, softcover-bound facsimile of the Voynich Manuscript.  The others were a biography of Sir Isaac Newton, and one called Alchemy According to Newton, a summary of his magical and alchemical beliefs.

“Hi, guys,” said Nat, sitting down next to Allen.

“Morning,” said Allen.

Sam swallowed his mouthful of ham and cucumber sandwich and pointed at Jim. “What’s he doing here?” he asked.

“He is a man in need of help,” said Sir Stephen.  “He came to us in the hope that we can provide it.  I will not turn him away.”

“Because it’s not like the last two or three of him tried to kill us or anything,” Sam observed.

“Actually, the ones on the train only fought back when we tried to stop them,” Nat pointed out, “and Neustadt said the one at Guedelon was only after Desrosiers, and attacked us when it thought we were protecting her.”

“I’m not going to hurt anybody,” Jim said.  “At least, I don’t feel like I am.  I don’t want to.”  He looked worried.  It seemed to have occurred to him that maybe Neustadt could control him from a distance, or had perhaps implanted some kind of hypnotic suggestion.

“We won’t let you,” Nat told him.  She noticed Clint rubbing his side again.  “If you try, Neustadt did tell us how to stop you.”  Pressure on the hyoid bone, she thought, could inhibit the vagus nerves, stopping the heart.  It wasn’t reliable in most people, though… apparently it was in the homunculi.

“If you’re a product of alchemy, yourself, maybe you can shed some light on this.”  Sharon handed him a packet of the papers Fury had sent them.  “Whether we’re going to Kotor or Santorini or somewhere else, we need to do some research first.”

[songmasters]

Muses (Mobile Friendly Version)

Vocaloids

Miku Hatsune

Age: 17

Role: Captain of the Exploration ship Crypton and current Voice of Terpsichore for the Vocaloids.

Bio: A cheerful and kind-hearted girl with a great passion for music. She’s still quite young and very new to the position of Voice and as captain of her own ship but she’s a confident girl determined to do her best in both areas. She’s always wanted to explore the galaxy and meet and sing for other people since she was little. She was chosen due to her high aptitude with the Universal Harmony and high natural charisma that tends to naturally draw others to her.

Gumi/Megupoid

Age: 16

Role: Navigator for the Crypton

Bio: An energetic and adventurous girl with an occasionally strange outlook, Gumi jumped at the chance to join the Crypton crew on their journey. She has a particular talent for tuning into the “Heart’s Melody” of an entire planet, making her well suited as a navigator. Gumi is also a bit strange on occasion and has a tendency to adopt stray animals as pets. Or at least try, Luka usually doesn’t let her.

Rin Kagamine

Age: 14

Role: Communications Officer

Bio: The more outgoing and mischievous of the Kagamine twins, Rin came along mainly out of boredom and to look out for her brother. She prefers to spend most of her time playing video games and will sometimes do so even when she’s supposed to be on duty. Her other past times include playing pranks on the rest of the crew and teasing her brother.

Len Kagamine

Age: 14

Role: Helmsman

Bio: The more reserved and responsible of the Kagamine twins, Len came along out of a desire to see new worlds like most of the others but also because he took to learning the ship’s controls the easiest out of the Vocaloids chosen to go, making him best suited for the role of the helmsman. He tries to get his sister to take things a little bit more seriously, but he often ends up getting dragged into her mischief anyway and even sometimes willingly goes along if only to make sure it doesn’t get too out of hand (and it can be fun). The Kagamine twins have a special gift for using the Universal Harmony that is strongest when they sing together.

Luka Megurine

Age: 20

Role: Second in Command

Bio: Luka is the Mom Friend™. A mature and elegant young woman, Luka is Miku’s best friend who came along to help her on her mission and keep her and the rest of the crew out of trouble. This isn’t always an easy task, but at least she has it better than Defoko. Like any other Vocaloid though, she does know how to relax and have fun. It’s just that someone needs to be The Adult around here and it sure isn’t going to be Meiko.

Meiko Sakine

Age: 21

Role: Ship’s Engineer

Bio: As one of the oldest members of the crew, you’d expect Meiko to be the most responsible, but you’d be wrong. The truth is that Meiko is a far too laid back woman who spends most of her time drunk. Still, she does know what she’s doing as an engineer. She can act more maturely while sober, when the situation warrants, but most of the time she doesn’t bother, much to Luka’s annoyance.

Kaito Shion

Age: 17

Role: Chief Medical Officer

Bio: Kaito seems like an odd fit for a medic. He’s clumsy, has terrible luck and is a favorite teasing/bullying target for the ship’s more troublesome crewmembers but he always works hard and tries his best. Fortunately, he is surprisingly talented at his job for his age, which is why he got the job in the first place (that plus no one more experienced was really available).

Gakupo Kamui

Age: 22

Role: Chief of Security

Bio: Gakupo dresses as and sees himself as a samurai (don’t ask how they even know what one is) and is pretty skilled with a sword, probably being one of the only members of the crew with formal combat training. That is basically the only reason he got the posit of security chief, though he certainly does his best to conduct himself well in this position.

Utauloids

Teto Kasane

Age: 30 15

Role: Captain of the Vip2ch and Voice of Terpsichore for the Utau

Bio: A mischievous and fun loving girl who is probably the most gung-ho about going out and seeing the galaxy. She has a friendly rivalry of sorts going on with her fellow Voice Miku and is eager to prove that Utau are just as capable as idols as Vocaloids are. Getting to go on cool adventures is also a plus. While seemingly a very irresponsible and scatterbrained person who makes many who encounter her wonder how a girl like her got the position of Voice, let alone made the captain of a ship, she is scarily competent when the chips are down. Teto is a “chimera” which is to say, she has the power to spontaneously sprout giant bat wings out of her back and use them to fly.

Momo Momone

Age: 16

Role: Chief Medical Officer

Bio: Based on a template for a type of Utau meant general domestic service as well as musical entertainment, Momo enjoys helping and taking care of others making her a natural fit as a medic, though she’s still learning. Momo is a very sweet girl but somewhat shy and sometimes a bit of a pushover with anyone who’s not currently a patient of hers. Momo has the ability to gain super strength in an emergency, but the power only lasts for five minutes.

Uta Utane/Defoko

Age: 15

Role: Second in Command

Bio: While seemingly the most calm and level-headed of the Utau on this mission, Uta actually has a very sarcastic sense of humor and enjoys teasing her friends on occasion, especially Momo, but in many ways, she often is the most responsible person on the ship. As the Vip2ch’s second in command, she has the often thankless job of keeping her captain from going too far off the rails and wrangling the rest of their ragtag crew together, making sure they don’t get into too much trouble. This isn’t really anything new as most of them were already friends before the mission but it’s a bit different when they have to all live and work together in a spaceship for who knows how long. Fortunately, she has a lot of patience and is quite used to how quirky most Utauloids are. She suffers from a condition where her voice sounds more obviously robotic than the average Utau, making her sound almost emotionless in normal speech, but she can still manage to sing well despite this if she works at it.

Tei Sukone

Age: 19

Role: Communications Officer

Bio: While she seems like a nice enough girl under normal circumstance, Tei is actually a mentally unstable backstabber, albeit one who genuinely cares about her friends and fellow Utau in her own special way. It’s Vocaloids and especially Miku Hatsune that she hates. The only exception to this is Len Kagamine who she has a rather unhealthy and potentially (ha) dangerous obsession with. She also considers Teto a rival, though in a more friendly way. She’s mostly here because she knew Miku and Len were also both going out on the same mission and she is hoping to meet them. She probably won’t betray the rest of the crew at some point just to get at Miku or Len, probably…

Ritsu Namine

Age: 20

Role: Helmsman

Bio: Ritsu is a bit of an odd one. He claims to be a man cross-dressing as a woman and stuffing his bra, but since he claims he’s stuffed it with missiles, no one is sure whether they should take him seriously, which is how he likes it (he also claims to be 6 years old but that one’s more obviously a lie). He has a reputation as being a bit of a bully and enjoys messing with people’s heads.

Ruko Yokune

Age: 19

Role: Navigator

Bio: Ruko is a romantic person and is rather eager at this chance to see the stars, but she’s also extremely prone to drowsiness and spends a lot of time sleeping, even sometimes (often) falling asleep on duty. Still, she has the same power to navigate by hearing the Heart’s Melody of planets that Gumi has and she does her best to do her job to the best of her ability. Unfortunately, Ruko also has a bit of a gambling habit.

Miko Ooka

Age: 14

Role: Chief of Security

Bio: Miko claims to actually be a wolf in humanoid form, and she does indeed possess a wolf’s ears and tail as well as the power to fully transform into a wolf. She also tends to act rather more animalistic than most Utau, from the way she sleeps to her tendency to bite people, even chewing on people she likes as an odd way of showing affection. Still, she’s actually fairly good at her job as security chief and one of the better fighters in Teto’s crew, as well as a pretty nice person overall despite her eccentricities.

Hate Aino (Pronounced Ha-Te)

Age: 17

Role: Ship’s Engineer

Bio: Hate is an energetic chatterbox. She will talk your ear off about any manner of things and seems to actively hate being quiet. She’s also very friendly and really likes working with tech, which makes her perfect for the job of Engineer so most people forgive her so long as she does her job.

[imaginemycroftholmes]

An imagine where the reader owns a bakery, which Mycroft falls in love with along with the reader so he visits as much as he can. But one day her friend covers for her, due to a nasty cold. So Mycroft basically goes into a game of 20 questions and stalker mode?

Tyrese side eyed the man in the suit for what felt like the hundredth time as he shuffled slowly around the bakery. 

He’d been in here for almost an hour before this morning and again after lunch but as it was getting closer to the closing hour it was beginning to get more than a touch suspicious.

Yeah, the guy would buy a few things while he milled about the place while keeping out of the way of others waiting for something or someone only to leave alone.

Some tall bloke in a suit with a brolly looking at sweets by his lonesome for almost four hours when he looks like he outta be doing some big wig government stuff or something just struck Tyrese as out of place.

It was just weird. 

And concerning.

But mostly weird.

And Tyrese would know something about weird because he went to Liberal Arts university.

Putting away what could be saved for the next day Tyrese stands up to ask the man once more, “Can I help you sir?”

The guy opens his mouth and while it looks like he’s going to decline politely like last time his mouth closes and walks toward the bakery counter.

His voice is the same as it was this morning; smooth and calculated as he replied, “You know I think that you just might be able to Mister…”

“Tyrese is fine sir,” Tyrese offers as he leans on the counter to become more level with the man. He was never one for such formalities as he was more of carefree soul. Being called ‘mister’ anything just made him feel old and stuffy.

The man in the suit nods. “Then Tyrese perhaps you would be so helpful me with obtaining some information.”

Now this is something that Tyrese lived for-he loved explaining sweets!

Anyone dumb enough to ask him the difference between a Berliner and an American jelly would be stuck listening him for ages as he waxed on about the different properties and ingredients.

It’s why he took the job at _____’s bakery so that he could talk about them and learn to make them for his own shop one day.

“Well you came to the right bakery today sir, lay it on me. What do you want to know about? Our Brandy Snaps? Fruit Fools? I’m an expert on pretty much everything save the Lardy cakes but I’m workin’ on it,” Tyrese jokes as he points to the items on the counters’ menu.

“I’m afraid the information I am trying to receive is a bit more…off the menu.”

Now if that didn’t sound ominous Tyrese thinks but knows better than to offend a customer much less a customer in a suit that looks like it costs more than his rent and tuition combined.

“Not a problem sir,” Tyrese amends easily, “ here at _____’s bakery we can make just about anything to order provided you give us a weeks heads up first-” 

“I have a very lucrative business proposition for you Tyrese  Flanders, something that would prove to be quite substantial toward finishing your degree and keeping your head above water well past boxing day,” the strange man offers.

Instinctively Tyrese goes to clutch his name badge. This was more than suspicious now. Shit just got real.

“How did you know my last name,” Tyrese demands.

The man of course doesn’t look the least bit bothered or seems to notice his discomfort. “In this day and age of information and social media finding last names, addresses, universities, work is hardly difficult to locate if one puts it up willing,” he explains easily, “but for what I’m after I would need a more human approach rather than a search engine I’m afraid.”

Doing his best to keep the panic out of his voice Tyrese demands again,“Who are you and what do you want?”

The man moves closer to the counter and Tyrese vaguely wonders if the cops would be upset with him if he pushed panic button just to get this dude out of _____’s shop.

It didn’t matter that Tyrese had a good eight inches on this man the dude creeped him the fuck out.

His smile was big though largely insincere as he said, “No one of consequence Tyrese. Just a man willing to pay handsomely for some inconsequential information concerning your current employer. Nothing too personal. Just her habits and interests.” 

And holy shit Tyrese was going to push the fuck outta that button and lock himself in the manager’s office.

This guy is crazy. This guy is trouble. And what the fuck does he want with ____? 

This guy looked like he had his own crime mob and the money to shush him up so why was he asking about _____? Why did he only show up when she’s not here? And why the fuck isn’t the panic alarm going off when _____ replaced it last week?

His heart nearly stops and all color fades from his face as the man reaches into his inner coat pocket.

OH GOD NO.

Without thinking Tyrese ducks for cover behind the counter screaming, “DON’T SHOOT” and tries to army crawl his way to the kitchen as fast as his long limbs could carry him.

He stays in the kitchen with the door locked huddled behind the ovens armed with a frying pan. Its been well over twenty minutes but he has no idea if the man is still in the store.

Tyrese knows he has to find out but since the panic button didn’t go off the police won’t be here for another twenty and he needs to get home in order to feed Buttercup on time.

Carefully crawling as quietly as a 6′9 man could Tyrese peeked through the kitchen’s small door peephole. 

No creepy dude in sight but he could be standing outside.

Tyrese attempts to slither out of the kitchen as silently as his pet Buttercup but finds that he sucks at being a snake while he crashes into the corners of the display cabinets.

Sore and paranoid Tyrese slowly gets up from the floor to pick through the display glass. No creepy dude there.

Getting up fully Tyrese looks around the shop to see if anything has been stolen.

All the pastries are still there, none of the gift baskets are missing, the jams are still in place but there’s a folded up paper on the counter with his name scrawled in an elegant red.

Using paper towels from the dispenser to pick up the note (because Tyrese knew that their could be prints to catch this weirdo) he opens it up.

When its convenient for you Tyrese Flanders I would prefer that you text this number with any and all information concerning your employer’s interests, hobbies and status within the following seven business days. Provide this and not only will the check enclosed be yours but on a weekly basis.Your employer must not know about this contract however, I can attest that none of the information gathered will be used to harm or displease her in anyway. The choice is yours Mr. Flanders. You could use this money to pay for your beloved python’s food supply and then even for food for yourself. Think about it.

-M

If the note wasn’t concerning enough the amount of zeros on the check enclosed was enough to make Tyrese feel faint.

He could pay off his loans before he even graduated! He could get a car! A small house big enough for Buttercup! His dad a car! The possibilities were endless!

Wait tho…

“I can’t sell out ____ like that especially to some crazy wanker in a suit,” Tyrese says with a sigh.

 She had been one of the few that was willing to hire him despite his mum being a career criminal. Being a man in this economy was hard enough with ‘diversity’ quotas to fill but being a man who’s mummy regularly steals and aggressively assaults people on a day to day basis doesn’t help a man get a job either.

Yeah the money would be great but he couldn’t do his employer like that. Not after all she’s done for him.

Tyrese is shreds both the paper and check and then throws it into the bin by the registers. Thanks but no thanks he thinks hoping that was the last of it when his cell phone pings.

I’ll double my offer. Think carefully Tyrese Flanders and make the correct choice for both of you and ______.  -M

While the screams that come from Tyrese don’t entirely wake up the small block but its enough to finally get someone to call the police even if it was from mean old missus Yao from the Chinese buffet next door. 

[christianlensonline]

How to choose your life partner as a Christian

Marriage is a universal phenomenon in every society. Marriage is a formal, legally recognized agreement between a man and a woman making them husband and wife, whether educated or not, the rich and the poor. The mode of entering into marriage differs from one culture to another, but the matter of harmony in marriage is a common issue that needs urgent and frequent attention. Many have limited the matter of marriage as a means of bearing children, yet others see it as a means of pleasure, to some, it as a hindrance to personal freedom. Others have the view that it as a "necessary evil" that one must cope with anyway. Some also believe that marriage ought to be happiness, bring fulfillment to both parties. Others have abandoned their marriage home as it seems impossible for them. Several have packed it up and divorced. Some are opting for ‘singleness' to avoid trouble. What Is Marriage? This is a very broad topic, but at the moment, let us discuss Christian marriage. Photo by Sandy Millar on Unsplash Christian marriage is a heterosexual covenant between one man and woman that is one Adam and one Eve. Marriage is the first human institution blessed by God. It is ordained and sealed by God. Homosexual marriage is not God’s approval. Christian marriage is duly recognized or properly instituted when the following conditions are satisfied. (Genesis 2:18-25) Why Marriage? We Marry Because:   It is a command (Mat 19:5-6) - "For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”   It is to make our joy complete (Gen 2:18) -  The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”   It is for the continuity of our species. (Gen 1:22,28) - 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”   28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”   It is to bring out our potential in marriage, as said it is instituted by God for men. He blessed it. And it was meant to develop each other's personality and to enhance each other's life especially if one goes into it with the right motive and right practices. People get into marriage with different expectations and hopes. Most of these satisfy their selfish ends and their ‘I’ or Ego consciousness. The Following reasons answer some of the real purposes for marriage:   It is meant to build our personality, body, soul, and spirit and to make us have a meaningful relationship with our spouse and with our God.   Marriage is a way of life. We live it all the time, from the time we entered it till the end of our life. My schooling is an event. The one or two year’s period at school passed off quickly, but proper marriage is “till death do us apart”. The period has turbulence and its calm waves, but the gracious Lord gives us the grace to live it. We enter into this life with determination, and we live it with wisdom from above.   Marriage is a refining process. In it, we get the opportunity to enhance some of our inner potential qualities.   Marriage is to bring the needed intimacy that man and his wife need in their life. This intimacy reaches every level of their life – the spiritual, the material, the emotional, the physical, the financial and the social levels. HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR LIFE PARTNER? The subject of marriage is a very delicate issue and as such needs to be tackled tactfully and divinely. How to find a life partner or choosing the right life partner is a high stake decision. Finding the right partner is essential for a happy and healthy marriage. It may sound pleasant but can be very confusing when choosing your life partner. So, if you are trying to figure out how to pick your life partner, let's look at 5 major steps to take before you say "I do". STEP ONE: SEEK GOD’S DIVINE DIRECTION In every area of our lives as Christians, any step that one takes in life ought to be directed by the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:1 states and I quote: “Those who are led by the Spirit of the Lord are the Children of God”. Concerning marriage, a true Christian seeks the face of the Lord for a divine direction. By this, I mean that a Christian should pray and ask for guidance in choosing a life partner. God does not make mistakes and He will never mislead us when it comes to Christian marriage. The Scripture tells us in Psalm 37:4-5 and I quote: “Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this". And verse 23 “The steps of the righteous are directed by the Lord and He delights in his ways”. Then the above-mentioned scripture paints a clear picture that any believer who patiently and persistently waits on the Lord in prayer concerning the choosing of a Life–Partner, will definitely receive a divine direction from the Lord and God will lead him or her to get the right partner. Let's also read the following scriptures: Proverbs 16:1-3, 9, 20 - 16:1 "To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue.2 All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. 3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans". 16:9 says, "In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps". Verse 20 says, "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord". Isaiah 40:31 - "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint". Mathew7:7 - “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you". THE FIVE P’s > Prayerful > Preparations > Prevent > Poor > Performance Prayerful preparations prevent poor performance. God is not bound by one system of working. He works in diverse ways. When it comes to divine directions concerning Christian marriage, God can speak to us through: Your Inner Man – 1Kings 17:9-11 Fleece   - Genesis 24:12-27 Vision – Acts 10:1-8 Trance – Acts 10:10-23  Prophecy – 1 Corinthians 14:3-4 Recommendation – Acts 14:26; 15:40  Dreams - Genesis 37:5-11; Mat 2:13-15 STEP TWO: A PARTNER OF THE SAME FAITH Whiles, we believe that having faith in something is extremely important for personal growth, also believe that it is important to share the same faith as your spouse as it is important for raising your kids to avoid any confusion that may arise on beliefs and doctrinal teachings so that the children will see the unity and the reflection in Christ. Photo by Jack Sharp on Unsplash It is advisable that the person you are courting to marry should be of the same faith as you, being it the church’s doctrinal difference when you’re are both Christians faith in God should be your very reason of living (Amos 3:3) STEP THREE: MARRY A MATURE CHRISTIAN Maturity does not just base on age or physical appearances; it involves a lot of things. As a man or woman looking for a partner, set your targets on the person who is seen as a mature Christian. This is very important as your salvation is concerned (1Timothy 3:6). Marriage, as it is designed, needs some extensive preparation to make it a success. Marriage is not for boys and girls, rather for a matured man and woman. In this article, I will share with you 5 useful tips of maturity measures that need to be in place to able to build a happy marriage Spiritual Maturity Before you go into marriage, you need to be spiritually grounded in faith. For you to be spiritually matured, you must be genuinely born again and filled with the Holy Ghost. You must know how the Lord speaks and how He leads you. Also, you must understand God's principles on marriage as pertains to love, submission, leadership, and commitment. To marry without spiritual maturity can be dangerous because of the enemy attack on marriage. Spiritual maturity is a process, of salvation and then praying to God through his word. To be spiritually set means having an understanding of what it takes to be in marriage. This equally entails eradicating from your mind all forms of myth and evil philosophy and every barrier both past and present. Having done all these, you need to face the future with faith in yourself and God.   Must be born again   Must be filled with Holy Ghost   Understand God's principles on marriage as it pertains to leadership, love, parenting, submission, contentment, commitment, faithfulness, responsibilities, oneness, etc. (Genesis 2:24-25, Matt. 19:4-6)   Must pass the test in (11 Pet 1:5-9 only)  Quality prayer life   Lover of the Bible   Working for God  Quality time with God. Physical Maturity This involves age and appearance. Marriage is not for infants; it is for mature people who are strong enough to face the challenges of life. Physical maturity entails being ready to accept responsibility for one’s actions without passing the fault to another person. You must be independent of parents and guardian. It will interest you to know that physical maturity does not come with age rather it comes with the acceptance of responsibility. The truth is that, when you are physically matured for marriage, there will be peace in your mind.   The woman to be at least 21 years   The man to be at least 25 years Emotional Maturity For you to be emotionally matured, you must be able to control your emotions, pride, anger, malice, resentment, bitterness and strife. The ability to do this is what makes you emotionally matured. Many have destroyed what they have labored to build due to wrong counsel form friends and parents. Seeking counsel is good but you need to be matured in handling its application. So to enter into marriage without emotional maturity is tantamount to the life of instability because marriage with external interference is a display of emotional immaturity. This is because you cannot run back to mummy and daddy as it used to be, after your marriage.   Ability to handle anger, pride, etc.   Control over fear, joy, love, jealously, etc.   Display of boldness, faith, courage, tolerance, forbearance, meekness, etc.   Ability to manage stress/crisis   Doggedness in time of test and trial Social Maturity Marriage is a friendly relationship that must be valued socially. Social maturity in marriage is the ability to make friends and keep them. Isolation of yourself from your mate will not bring gladness to your spouse. Marriage is a deeper friendship, you have to be friendly Most singles are socially backward in terms of investing in themselves. You need to invest time and money into developing yourself socially. Read good books, interact with people. Join your church youth group. Belong to an association that you know is good and contribute your own quota. Once modesty and morality are observed social exposure is not a crime.   Ability to make and keep friends.   willingness to say “I am sorry” when wrong.   Ability to commend, appreciate, and praise.   Readiness to change and adjust where necessary Financial Maturity Financial maturity entails having a regular source of income, financial intelligence and investment mentality. There are many needs in the marriage that love cannot meet. Expenses like mortgage, children's school fees, feeding expenses, tax, and clothing, it takes only money to do that. Photo by Michael Longmire on Unsplash One of the reasons many people are not married is because they lack the financial capability to do so. Many have become super singles. All you need is to balance some of the necessary things for your marriage because if you wait till when you get a car, furnish your apartment before your wedding, you might wait till eternity. All you need is a moderate accommodation, a regular source of income and be able to take of the family need, you can latter pull resources together and move on to a more decent accommodation or comfort. There must be a willingness to work and provide for the family. There must be regular income There must be prudence Above all, there is no perfect marriage but you can invest in it to make it work. STEP FOUR: MARRY SOMEONE WHO IS RESPONSIBLE A responsible person has stability in their finances, relationships, job, and character. You can rely on this person and trust what they say. This means that before you think of getting married, your partner must have a source of income. Your spouse must be an expert in doing something. It could be a paid job, personal business or trade that will bring income to cater to your basic needs such as; children's school fees, utility bills, feeding expenses, tax, and clothing, it takes only money to do that. STEP FIVE: MARRY SOMEONE WHO IS ATTRACTED TO YOU God gave us physical senses and desires for our own good. The attraction is very important, and you should be physically attracted to someone you’re in a relationship with It is very important that you marry someone who is attracted to you other than that, the marriage will never work out. You will feel distant, you will not want to snuggle, you will have little compassion, you will reject your partner continuously making him or her miserable (this will help in the event of marriage and sex) Photo by Ben Rosett on Unsplash To wrap up, if you are wondering how to choose the right partner for marriage, Remember to employ the things discussed above in order to make a good and Godly decision.   Read the full article

[tennesseeprelawland]

The Role of Public Law In Personal Tragedy: Vanessa Bryant’s Legal Claim Over Kobe Bryant Photos

By Teresa Xu, Vanderbilt University Class of 2023

May 14, 2020

Vanessa Bryant, the wife of late basketball star Kobe Bryant, has filed a legal claim seeking emotional distress damages over several unauthorized photos of her husband and daughter’s deaths taken by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials.

Kobe and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020, along with seven others.On the morning of the crash, Vanessa personally spoke to Sheriff Alex Villanueva to request the site be secured for privacy. Villanueva confirmed that only the county coroner’s office and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board were permitted to photograph the scene, and anyone outside of that would be unauthorized. However, contrary to Vanessa’s explicit request, “no fewer than eight sheriff’s deputies” and two L.A. firefighters were at the scene taking cell-phone photos of the deceased[1]. The Department itself later admitted that “there was no investigative purpose” for deputies to take photos at the helicopter crash site[1, 2, 3].

“When a family suffers the loss of loved ones, they have the right to expect that they will be treated with dignity and respect.The Deputies in this case betrayed that sacred trust,” a spokesperson for the Bryant family argued[1].

Vanessa’s claim also criticizes the Department’s handling of the situation. Department leadership reportedly told deputies that they would face no discipline if they simply deleted the photos, rather than formally investigating the allegations and further acting to contain the spread of the photos. The Department did not launch a formal investigation until February 28, after the Los Angeles Times wrote about the story. The claim further alleges that when Vanessa’s attorneys requested information about the Department’s investigation, including the steps taken to find those who had taken the photos and anyone else who may have viewed them, the Department said it was “unable to assist” with the request[1, 2, 3].

Ultimately, the lingering threat of the photos becoming public has “compounded” Vanessa’s grief, as she worries that she or her daughters will inevitably encounter the graphic photos on the Internet[1]. Vanessa’s attorneys conclude that those involved in taking and sharing the photos are liable for charges of negligence, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of the right to privacy[1].

Negligence is a failure to behave with the level of care that a reasonable person would have taken under the same circumstances[4]. The following conditions are necessary to establish a case of negligence: the existence of a legal duty that the defendant owed to the plaintiff, the defendant’s breach of that duty, the plaintiff’s sufferance of an injury, and proof that defendant’s breach caused the injury[4]. It appears that these conditions will have been met if Vanessa’s attorneys can produce solid evidence that the unauthorized photographers had a duty to respect Vanessa’s privacy and wishes, breached that duty by taking and sharing photos anyway, and that Vanessa suffered because of the leaked photos.

Intentional infliction of emotional distress (IIED) is a tort that occurs when one acts outrageously with intent to cause another to suffer severe emotional distress[5]. A tort is an act or omission that leads to the violation of any legal right or individual harm to another, amounting to a civil wrong for which courts impose liability[6]. In a case of IIED, the defendant acts, the defendant’s conduct is outrageous, the defendant acts for the purpose of causing the victim emotional distress severe enough to adversely affect mental health, and the defendant’s conduct causes such distress[5]. There are, however, First Amendment limits on IIED liability: certain intentional actions that meet the aforementioned conditions may not qualify for tort liability as an IIED, depending on the people involved[5]. A defendant who speaks harmfully about public figures is not typically liable. In Vanessa’s case, however, the defendants did not speak; rather, their actions of taking photos had physical manifestations. Based on current knowledge, there does seem to be a case that defendant committed outrageous actions, violating Vanessa’s request and right to privacy, and caused distress to Vanessa, but it is unclear what evidence there may be to suggest that the deputies specifically intended to cause Vanessa harm.

Invasion of another’s privacy is a tort that occurs when a person or entity breaches the duty to leave another person alone[7]. Privacy as a tort concept embraces at least four branches of protected interests: “protection from unreasonable intrusion upon one’s seclusion, from appropriation of one’s name or likeness, from unreasonable publicity given to one’s private life, and from publicity which unreasonably places one in a false light before the public” [7]. This tort isdistinct from the constitutional right to privacy, which protects against invasions by the government, and the constitutional right is not at stake in Vanessa’s case[7]. Instead, intrusion upon seclusion and unreasonable publicity of private facts appear to be the most pertinent to this case. Intrusion claims occur when one intentionally intrudes and the intrusion would be highly offensive to a reasonable person—which seems likely in this case, given that the intrusion was upon the deaths of Vanessa’s loved ones—and they arise even if no photos or other work are published; intrusion can occur as soon as the image is taken[8]. Unreasonable publicity of private facts occurs when one’s publicization of a private matter would be highly offensive to a reasonable person and is not of legitimate concern to the public[8]. This aspect of the privacy tort may not apply to Vanessa’s case, however, because photos of crimes, arrests and accidents are typically of legitimate public concern[8].

Although privacy laws are often unclear and vary by state, California recognizes the four privacy torts and has a misappropriation statute[8]. Sanders v. American Broadcasting Companies  (1999) set a precedent concerning when an expectation of privacy is legitimate: “in an office or other workplace to which the general public does not have unfettered access, employees may enjoy a limited, but legitimate, expectation that their conversations and other interactions will not be secretly videotaped by undercover television reporters, even though those conversations may not have been completely private from…coworkers” [9].

In fact, California may pass a new privacy regulation, concerning first responders specifically rather than journalists. State Assembly Mike Gipson (D-Carson), a California lawmaker outraged by the scandal,has introduced legislation that would make it a misdemeanor for law enforcement officers responding to the scene of an accident or crime to take photos for any purpose outside of official law enforcement or a “genuine public interest” [3, 10]. This misdemeanor would be punishable by up to a year in jail and $5,000 in fines[3]. If passed, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program[3].

________________________________________________________________

[1] https://people.com/sports/vanessa-bryant-files-legal-claim-release-kobe-crash-scene-photos/

[2] https://pagesix.com/2020/05/08/vanessa-bryant-files-legal-claim-over-kobe-bryant-helicopter-crash-photos/

[3]https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-05-08/vanessa-bryant-kobe-crash-photos-claim-sheriffs-department

[4] https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/negligence

[5] https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/intentional_infliction_of_emotional_distress

[6] https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/tort

[7] https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution-conan/amendment-1/invasion-of-privacy

[8] https://www.rcfp.org/wp-content/uploads/imported/PHOTOG.pdf

[9] https://law.justia.com/cases/california/supreme-court/4th/20/907.html

[10] https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB2655

[asfeedin]

11 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We’ve Ever Seen [+ Bio Templates]

Is your professional bio as good as it can be?

In this article, we have nine real bio examples you should definitely compare yours to — and a series of free bio templates you can use to perfect it.

Most people don’t think about their professional bio until they’re suddenly asked to “shoot one over via email,” and have approximately one afternoon to come up with it. That’s when we scramble, and our bio ends up reading like this:

Rodney Erickson is a content marketing professional at HubSpot, an inbound marketing and sales platform that helps companies attract visitors, convert leads, and close customers. Previously, Rodney worked as a marketing manager for a tech software startup. He graduated with honors from Columbia University with a dual degree in Business Administration and Creative Writing.”

Woof, that was dull. Are you still with me? I swear, not even adding a tidbit about his cats would liven that bio up.

To be fair, in certain contexts, your professional bio does need to be more formal, like Mr. Erickson’s up there. But in many cases, writing a bio that’s readable — even conversational — is actually a really good thing. That means dropping that traditional format of listing your accomplishments like a robot and cramming as much professional-sounding jargon in there as you can.

How to Write a Bio

Create an ‘About’ page for your website or profile.

Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.

Mention any associated brand name you might use.

State your current position and what you do.

Include at least one professional accomplishment.

Describe your values and how they inform your career.

Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.

Consider adding humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

How to Write a Bio

Writing a professional bio that captures your brand and what you offer to your audience can help you grow better. But doing it right is just as important. Here’s how to write a bio, step-by-step.

1. Create an ‘About’ page for your website or profile.

Before you can publish your professional bio, you need a living space for it. Here are a few to consider (some of these you might already have in place):

Facebook Business page

LinkedIn profile

Instagram account

Personal website

Personal blog

Industry website

Industry blog byline

As you’ll see in the professional bio examples below, the length and tone of your bio will differ depending on which of the above platforms you choose to be on. Instagram, for example, allows only 150 characters of bio space, whereas you can write virtually as much as you want on your personal website — or even your Facebook Business page. But once created, this bio should represent who you are in the eyes of your audience.

2. Begin writing your bio with your first and last name.

If your readers don’t remember anything else about your bio, make sure they remember your name. For that reason, it’s a good idea for your first and last name to be the first two words of your professional bio. Even if your name is printed above this bio (hint: it should), this is a rare moment where it’s okay to be redundant.

For example, if I were writing my own bio, I might start it like this:

Lindsay Kolowich

Lindsay Kolowich is a Senior Marketing Manager at HubSpot.

3. Mention any associated brand name you might use.

Will your professional bio represent yourself, or a business you work for? Make sure the brand you want to be associated with is mentioned in your bio. If you’re a freelancer, perhaps you have a personal business name or pseudonym you advertise to your clients. Here are a few examples:

Lindsay Kolowich Marketing

SEO Lindsay

Kolowich Consulting

Content by Kolowich (what do you think … too cheesy?)

Maybe you founded your own company, and you want its name to be separate from your real name. Don’t be afraid to keep it simple: “Lindsay Kolowich is the founder and CEO of Kolowich Consulting.”

4. State your current position and what you do.

Whether you’re the founder of your company or a mid-level specialist, use the next few lines of your bio to describe what you do in that position. Don’t assume your audience will naturally know what your job title entails. Make your primary responsibilities known for the reader, helping them paint a picture of who you are during the day and what you have to offer the industry.

5. Include at least one professional accomplishment.

Just as a business touts its client successes in the form of case studies, your professional bio should let your own audience know what you’ve already achieved. What have you done for yourself — as well as for others — that makes you a valuable player in your industry?

6. Describe your values and how they inform your career.

Why do you do what you do? What might make your contribution to the market different than your colleagues? Better yet, what values do you and your colleagues share that would make your business a worthwhile investment to others? Start to wrap up your professional bio by simply explaining what gets you up in the morning.

7. Briefly tell your readers who you are outside of work.

Transition from describing your values in work to describing who you are outside of work. This may include:

Your family

Your hometown

Sports you play

Hobbies and interests

Favorite music and travel destinations

Side hustles you’re working on

People like connecting with other people. The more transparent you are about who you are personally, the more likable you’ll be to the people reading about who you are professionally.

8. Consider adding humor or a personal story to add flavor to your professional bio.

End your professional bio on a good note — or, more specifically, a funny note. Leaving your audience with something quirky or uniquely you can ensure they’ll leave your website with a pleasant impression of you.

It’s important to follow the steps above when writing your bio, but don’t obsess over any one section. Remember, the people reading your bio are suffering from information fatigue. If you don’t hook ’em in the first line, you’ll lose them quickly.

(P.S. Want to give your professional brand a boost? Take one of HubSpot Academy’s free certification courses. In just one weekend, you can add a line to your resume and bio that’s coveted by over 60,000 marketers.)

Why Good Bios Are Important for a Professional

Alright, I know what you may be thinking … So what? It’s just a bio. I mean, how many people actually read professional bios, anyway?

The answer: A lot of people. More importantly, though, there’s no way to tell exactly who is reading it — and you always want it to be ready for when the right people come across it. And when they do, you want it to catch their eye. In a good way.

You see, while your resume is only useful for when you’re actively applying for specific positions, your professional bio is much more visible. It can live on your LinkedIn profile, your company’s website, your guest blog posts, your speaker profiles, your Twitter bio, and many other places.

And, most importantly, it’s the tool that you can leverage most when you’re networking.

Bottom line? People will read your professional bio. Whether they remember it, and whether it makes them actually care about you, is a matter of how well you present yourself to your intended audience.

So, what does a top-notch professional bio look like?

Below, we’ve curated some of the best real professional bio examples we’ve ever seen on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the various websites where you might describe yourself.

Check ’em out, and use them as inspiration when crafting your own.

Best Bio Examples

Ann Handley

Rebecca Bollwitt

Mark Gallion

DJ Nexus

Lena Axelsson

Mark Levy

Corey Wainwright

Marie Mikhail

Wonbo Woo

Chris Burkard

Megan Gilmore

11 of the Best Professional Bio Examples We’ve Ever Seen

1. Ann Handley

Bio Platform: Personal Website

If you’re a marketer, you’ve likely heard of Ann Handley. Her list of credentials is lengthy, and if she really wanted to, she could go on and on and on about her accomplishments.

But when people list out all their accomplishments in their bios, they risk sounding a little egotistical. Sure, you might impress a handful of people with all those laurels, but many people who read your bio will end up feeling either intimidated or annoyed. Think about it: Is that how you want the majority of your readers to feel when they read your bio?

To minimize the egoism that comes with talking about yourself, think about how you can list out your accomplishments without sounding like you’re bragging. Ann does this really well, choosing a tone in her bio that’s more approachable.

It starts with the excerpt in the footer of her personal website. Give it a quick read, paying close attention to the opening and closing lines:

“This is Ann Handley’s website, and this is a bit of copy about her … That’s not giving you a lot of detail, is it? So read more here.” This is the kind of simple, friendly language that invites the reader in rather than shutting them out.

Follow the link and you’ll be led to a page dedicated to a fuller bio, which she’s divided into two parts: a “short version” (literally a bulleted list of key facts) and a “long version,” which includes traditional paragraphs. There’s something in there for everyone.

2. Rebecca Bollwitt

Bio platform: Instagram

Instagram is a notoriously difficult platform on which to write a good bio. Similar to Twitter, you simply don’t have room for a professional bio that includes everything about you. And because Instagram is primarily a mobile app, many viewers are reading about you passively on their mobile device.

Instagram’s limited bio space requires you to highlight just your most important qualities, and blogging icon Rebecca Bollwitt does so in her own Instagram bio in an excellent way.

Rebecca’s brand name is Miss604, and cleverly uses emojis in her Instagram bio to tell visitors exactly what makes her a valuable content creator. Take a look in the screenshot below.

Starting with a trophy emoji, Miss604 says she’s BC’s most award-winning blogger. I haven’t even looked at her pictures yet and the introduction of her bio has already sucked me in.

The rest of her bio follows suit, breaking up the text with an appropriate emoji and a perfect collection of nouns to tell me who she is as a person. She even links out to her husband’s Instagram account after the heart emoji (an adorable addition), and assures her followers that all of her pictures are authentically hers.

Take a lesson from Miss604, and show your personal side. Just because you’re branding yourself as a professional doesn’t mean you have to take your human being hat off. Often your most personal attributes make for the best professional bio content.

3. Mark Gallion

Bio Platform: Twitter

As a venture capitalist and an executive at several start-ups, Mark Gallion has different versions of his bio all over the internet. You can imagine some are more formal than others. But when it comes to his Twitter bio, he carefully phrased his information in a way that helps him connect with his audience — specifically, through the use of humor.

Why would he choose humor when he runs four start-ups and constantly seeks funding for them? Well, Mark’s tactic is totally intentional: it’s a lever he pulls to refresh his brand while maintaining his already impressive and established identity as an entrepreneur.

Mark leverages his Twitter bio because it’s place where he can be human. And it helps him relate to his followers and potential investors.

When crafting your own Twitter bio, consider your audience and the personal brand you’re trying to create for yourself. Use it as an opportunity to be relatable. (And check out this list of amusing Twitter bios for inspiration.)

4. DJ Nexus

Bio Platform: Facebook

This New England-based DJ has single-handedly captured the Likes of more than 2,000 people in and beyond Boston, MA. And even if you don’t listen to the type of music he produces, it’s hard not to listen to his compelling Facebook bio.

Stage-named DJ Nexus, Jamerson’s professional bio makes use of nearly every Page field inside the About tab. Right away, his audience knows which genres he plays in, where he’s from, and who else he’s worked with. The latter — under “Affiliation,” as shown in the screenshot below — is unique and seldom mentioned in professional bios today.

Our favorite part about DJ Nexus’s bio? His tagline, under “About” — “Quiet during the day. QUITE LOUD at night!” DJ Nexus tells you when he works in an awesome way. I got goosebumps just imagining a dance club he might play his music in.

DJ Nexus’s bio brilliance doesn’t stop there.

The great thing about Facebook Business Pages is that you can write as much as you want without overwhelming your Page visitors. For those who just want Jamerson’s basic info, they have the four categories shown above. For those who want to learn more about him, he tells an excellent story of his career. Here’s just a preview of his story, below:

In this story, DJ Nexus describes both when he “became known as DJ Nexus” and a company he founded shortly afterward — all before going to college. This is a terrific lesson for Facebook Businesses today: customers want to learn about you, and as Facebook increasingly becomes a place for meaningful interactions, there’s no better place to tell your story than on your Facebook Business Page.

5. Lena Axelsson

Bio Platform: Industry Website

When it all comes down to it, your professional bio is no different than any other piece of persuasive copy — no matter where it lives. One of the most common mistakes people make is thinking of it as its own beast, separate from other pieces of writing. If you think about it that way, you’re far more likely to write something painfully uninteresting.

When you sit down to write your professional bio and you’re watching that cursor blinking on the screen, think about how you would introduce a blog post. You don’t just dive right into the meat of the thing, now, do you? No. You start with an introduction.

The best bios are often concise (around 200–300 words), so you don’t have a lot of room to play around. But a single sentence that tees your reader up and provides context for the accomplishments that follow could make the rest of your bio that much more persuasive.

Take Lena Axelsson’s bio, for instance. She’s a marriage and family therapist — a job where empathy and compassion are a big part of the job description. That’s why she chooses to open her bio with a great introductory sentence: “When human beings experience trauma or severe life stressors, it is not uncommon for their lives to unravel.”

Then, she goes into why she’s passionate about her job, how she helps her clients, and how she caters her approach to each individual patient. The necessary educational information is left for the end, after the reader has been hooked.

Your bio doesn’t have to be super serious, nor does it have to start with a joke. This bio shows how you can capture your reader’s attention by being empathetic and showing how that empathy shapes a valuable professional.

6. Mark Levy

Bio Platform: Personal Website

Mark Levy is a small business owner who’s taken a more traditional approach to the professional bio on his website — but in a way that takes care to speak to his intended audience.

What we love about his bio is the way he’s set it up: On his business’ “About” page, he’s listed two biographies, which he’s labeled “Mark Levy’s Biography #1” and “Mark Levy’s Biography #2.”

Click here to see the full version.

Like Ann, Mark’s given his readers two different options. The first biography is a “short version,” which includes a combination of bullet points listing his credentials and a few short paragraphs.

The second is the “long version,” which is actually even more interesting than the first one. Why? Because it reads like a story — a compelling one, at that. In fact, it gets really funny at parts.

The second sentence of the bio reads: “He was frightened of public school, loved playing baseball and football, ran home to watch ape films on the 4:30 Movie, listened to The Jam and The Buzzcocks, and read magic trick books.”

Here’s another excerpt from the middle:

Of course, the fantastic copywriting isn’t a surprise, given that this guy wrote several books. But the conversational tone and entertaining copy let his quirky personality (and great writing skills) shine.

7. Corey Wainwright

Bio Platform: Blog Byline

Corey Wainwright is the director of content here at HubSpot. She’s written content for HubSpot’s Marketing Blog for years, and her blog author bio has caught my eye since before I ever started working for HubSpot. (Back then, it started with, “Corey just took a cool vacation.”)

What I love most about Corey’s bio is that it’s a great example of how to deliver information about yourself without taking things too seriously. And in this context, that’s totally appropriate.

Despite having a number of impressive accomplishments under her belt, she simply doesn’t like displaying them publicly. So, she prefers making her author bio a little more “light.”

Her bio (pictured below) reads, “Corey is a Bruce Springsteen fan who does content marketing, in that order.”

It works in this particular context because, at HubSpot, our blog authors often prefer to make themselves as friendly and approachable as possible — while letting the content speak for itself.

It helps that authors’ social media accounts are located right below our names and above our pictures. For folks who really do want a list of Corey’s credentials, they can click the LinkedIn button to go to her LinkedIn page. (You can read this blog post to learn how to create social media buttons and add them to your website.)

8. Marie Mikhail

Bio Platform: LinkedIn

Marie Mikhail checks off nearly every box for what makes an excellent bio. A professional recruiter, she expresses her “passion for recruiting” upfront, in the first sentence, while using that sentence to hook her profile visitors into a brief story of her background.

But there are a lot of recruiters out there, and Marie knows that. So, to differentiate herself, she closes the first paragraph of her bio explaining that she likes “getting people excited about the things [she’s] excited about.” It’s a well-put value proposition that sets her apart from the rest of the HR industry.

Marie Mikhail finishes off her bio by including a smooth mixture of professional skills, such as her Spanish fluency; and personal interests, such as podcasting and Star Wars (she mentions the latter with just the right amount of humor).

9. Wonbo Woo

Bio Platform: Personal Website

Wonbo Woo is the executive producer of WIRED’s video content, and he has a number of impressive credits to his name. What does this mean for his professional bio? He has to prioritize. With this in mind, Wonbo opens his bio with the most eye-catching details first (if the image below is hard to read, click it to see the full copy).

Not only does Wonbo’s bio start strong, but he also takes readers on a suspenseful journey through some of his most harrowing assignments — where he was when news broke and how he responded. You can see this quality below.

The accomplished journalist concludes his gripping bio as strong as it began, measuring his experience by the number of states, countries, and continents to which he’s traveled in his career. See how this looks above. All in all, it’s a fantastically concise bio for as much detail as it holds.

10. Chris Burkard

Bio Platform: LinkedIn

If you’re writing your bio but having trouble figuring out how to showcase your accomplishments without boasting, photographer Burkard’s LinkedIn bio is a great example for inspiration.

Written in third-person, his bio tells a fluid story, starting with his ultimate mission — “capture stories that inspire humans to consider their relationship with nature” — before diving into more tangible accolades (giving a TED talk, publishing books, etc.).

Best of all, rather than using his bio as an opportunity to brag, he instead ties his talents into how he hopes to help others, writing, “Through social media Chris strives to share his vision … and inspire [his followers] to explore for themselves.” I wouldn’t necessarily be inclined to follow Chris if his bio had simply read “I post beautiful images” … but inspire me to travel? Now that’s something I can get behind.

Lastly, he ends on a humble, sweet note, writing “He is happiest wth his wife Breanne raising their two sons”. Don’t be afraid to inject some personal information into your bio — it could help you seem more approachable as a result.

11. Megan Gilmore

Bio Platform: Instagram

Megan Gilmore is a best-selling cookbook author, and she often posts healthy recipes on her Instagram page to inspire followers’ to realize that you don’t have to sacrifice taste for the sake of health.

Fortunately, you glean most of this information immediately from her Instagram bio, which is short and to-the-point: “Best-selling cookbook author + former fast-food junkie + mom of 2. I like to make healthy food as easy as possible.” Her “former fast-food junkie” call-out shows followers she’s relatable (and that her recipes are likely delicious yet healthy alternatives), and by mentioning she’s a mother, you get the sense that her recipes really will actually be quick and easy.

Plus, Gilmore includes a CTA link within her Instagram bio that leads followers to free, ready-to-use recipes. You might be thinking — Why would she do that, since it discourages people from buying her book? But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

By giving her followers the chance to try out her recipes, she’s slowly turning leads into customers. After I tried a few of her Instagram recipes and loved them, I decided to go ahead and buy her book, knowing I’d like more of what she had to offer.

Want more? Read How to Write a Cover Letter That Gets You the Job [Bookmarkable Template + Examples].

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in November 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

Source link

Tags: 11, Bio, Examples, Professional, Templates, weve

from WordPress https://ift.tt/2Sa7zGg via IFTTT

[kpep]

X’S AND Y’S ∞ NAMJOON

⇢ Pairing: Kim Namjoon / Reader

⇢ Word Count: 2573

⇢ Genre: Fluff

⇢ Note: Y/N means “Your Name.”

Masterlist

You’re actually a great student. You’re not part of the Top 10, but you aren’t a flunk either. You can actually boast that some of your classmates are intimidated by your intellectual prowess when it comes to English, Science, and the Arts; but then again, you couldn’t have it all. Your greatest enemy in life is Maths. PE follows in the 2nd place, but nothing can beat Maths.  Your overall grades are always pulled down by Maths, and now, your Calculus professor has had enough.

It was the end of class, and you aren’t looking at your professor in hopes of him completely ignoring you for the rest of the day. It didn’t work. As the bell rang signalling the end of the last class for the day, he called you over to his table.

“Y/N! Namjoon! Can you two please come over here?” your professor bellowed.

The two of you quickly followed.

“Y/N, you’re a good student. Your grades in your other classes are good enough to pass your university classes, but good enough is not enough to graduate with honours, especially if they see your Maths grades.” He looks over to the boy on your right. “Namjoon, can I entrust you to tutor Y/N with our Calculus topics for the rest of the semester?” your professor asked, but it sounded like he wouldn’t have much of a choice.

Namjoon is a very intellectual person. He’s always in the Top 5 for the whole year level, and Calculus is easy for him. You kind of admire him for that, just a little bit. You also know that he’s also a pretty nice guy, so you’re sure that he’ll agree to your professor’s “request.” You guys don’t run in the same circle, but he has made a name for himself around the campus, so it’s pretty impossible to not know him especially since you both are in the same level and even same Calculus class. You just thank all possible forces in this earth that made your class the last one for that day as everyone quickly dispersed and not bothered to listen to your professor diss you in the nicest way possible.

“Yes, sir,” Namjoon agreed, as you hung your head in slight shame.

Once the professor went out the door, he quickly introduced himself to you, “Hi, I’m Namjoon.” He slightly bowed in that formal way old people usually do.

“Hi, I’m Y/N,” you said quietly and awkwardly smiled, not knowing what to say next.

“So, I guess we’re stuck with each other, yeah? I don’t mean it in a bad way though. Also, when would you be free to do this?” he rapidly spoke, as if it were a rap.

You stared at him and chuckled.

“Is something wrong?” he asked and adjusted his glasses.

“No, no. I’m sorry. It’s just that you said your previous statement in a fast and rap-like way, I was just shocked. Also, just tell me when you are free; I’m already bothering you with tutoring me, the least I could do is adjust to your schedule,” you explained.

“Oh, okay.” He grinned sheepishly. “But you’re not bothering me at all. It’s really fine, but if it’s all right with you, would tonight work for you? I’m usually free on Tuesday and Friday nights, and since it’s Tuesday today, I’m hoping it’ll be okay?” he inquired hesitantly, in that staccato like way of speaking awkwardly, which you found adorable.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m free tonight. What time and which place would work for you?” Deep inside, you were sweating. You were so dead. You and your boyfriend were supposed to meet tonight as he studies in another university so you don’t get to see him that often, but you can put him on hold for a little bit more for the sake of your studies.

“Is it fine if we study at my house? My mom’s going out tonight, and I have to look after my younger sister.” He sighed. “Is 6:00 p.m. all right for you? So at least you don’t have to go home late.”

You hesitated for a bit because you don’t really know him and his family, so you think that you might bother them, but then you understand him, as you have an older brother. He’s just being caring and looking out for his sister; he’s really a nice guy. He doesn’t even want you to go home late. He was raised a gentleman, better than the other guys you know at your university.

“Are you sure that’s fine?” you asked, still.

“Yeah, I’ll tell my mom. Also, could you prepare the list of topics you’re having a hard time in? I’ll look for examples we can solve together later, so you’ll have a better understanding of the processes and equations. I’ll see you later?”

“Sure, that’ll be fine. See you later,” you replied as he proceeded to go out of the room. But then, you remembered to ask him, “Oh, Namjoon, Can I have your number and address, so I can contact you for later and actually know where I’d be going exactly?”

“Right, I’m so sorry that I forgot. Here, let me write it for you.” Namjoon took out a piece of paper from his bag and a pen from his pocket. He gave it to you, and he said goodbye.

You quickly fixed your things as you were the last person in the room and slid the door open.  There were about six girls standing in front of the door, leaning by the windowsill. They were all chatting in an aggravated manner and stopped talking when you opened the door. The girl in the middle stared at you in a seemingly bored way, but the others openly glared at you.

You don’t know what their problems are so you decided to ignore them and walked away. You put your earphones on, but you didn’t play any music yet. They all started talking as you felt their gaze in your back. From their actions, you know that they were most probably talking about you, but you aren’t one for confrontations so unless they directly tell you anything, you just kept to your own business.

You walked slowly in hopes of hearing small bits of their conversation, and you weren’t disappointed. You heard one of them say the name ‘Namjoon.’

Boy, was he trouble.

Namjoon is attractive in that unique way of his plus he is intelligent. It is no wonder that he has a lot of fans around the university. You didn’t think that him tutoring you would cause any problems, but if those girls heard the conversation between you and Namjoon, then it would cause trouble. Envy is one of wrath’s greatest motivators.

You didn’t heed them any attention as if you didn’t care, but you really did. You guess it’s a good thing that Namjoon invited you over at his house rather than you guys go to a coffee shop where all his admirers could see you both, or worse, your boyfriend. From a distance, it could look like you’re in a date with Namjoon, and even if it weren’t true, it could still cause a misunderstanding.

6:00 p.m. quickly rolled around, and you were still walking, following a map on your phone to Namjoon’s house. You weren’t that worried, though, because it’s still light out, and his house is situated in a nice neighbourhood. You were running late because your mom wouldn’t let you go to Namjoon’s house without a little something for them. You know, common courtesy, so she immediately whipped up her specialty – rice cakes – for them.

You messaged Namjoon, “Namjoon-ssi, I apologize for being late. I’m near your house already.”

Namjoon quickly replied, “That’s all right, don’t worry. I’ll go out the house now, so you can see me. Oh, you can also call me Joon, no need to be formal.”

You replied back, “No, no, it’s all right. I’ll ring the doorbell?”

You messaged again, “Nevermind, I see you.”

The sun was setting, and Namjoon was standing in front of his house, casted in the shadow exhibited by the sun. He looked mysterious. Actually, he looked like trouble. He could actually pass for an idol or actor or whatnot.

“Hi! Let’s go inside?” Namjoon asked, as soon as you stopped walking in front of him.

“Sure. Here are some rice cakes; my mom made some for you and your family,” you said as you handed him the box.

“Wow, I love rice cakes! Thank you! Come on inside. Oh, let me get that for you,” Namjoon said as he received the box, and he took your backpack as well.

You didn’t have time to argue with him, so you just thanked him.

The both of you went inside, and Namjoon’s mom greeted you when you came in.

“Hello, I’m Namjoon’s mom. How are you?” She was dressed formally and looked to be going out, as Namjoon earlier said.

“Good evening, ma’am. I’m Y/N, nice to meet you! Thank you for letting me into your home. I’m well, thank you. How are you?” you responded hurriedly, sweating a little bit at meeting his mom so soon.

“Y/N brought rice cakes,” Namjoon quickly interjected and gave her the box.

“Oh! Thank you, Y/N. We love rice cakes. I’ll just put the rice cakes in the kitchen. Also, it’s no problem; you’re welcome here anytime, especially since you both are going to study, anyway. No need to be formal and nervous around me,” Namjoon’s mom teased as she went to the kitchen.

You didn’t know what to do, so you just stood there and waited for directions as to where you can sit. They were nice, though, so you didn’t mind much that you were stuck in place.

“Let’s go; you can sit there on the sofa,” Namjoon pointed out as he put both hands on your shoulders and directed you to the sofa.

“Oh, okay. Thank you,” you awkwardly replied and sat where you were told while waiting for them.

A beautiful girl, maybe a few years younger than you, went down the stairs. She was looking at you, and you smiled in greeting. You stood up from your place and smiled a bit. “Hello, I’m Y/N! Nice to meet you,” you introduced yourself.

“Hi, I’m Kyungmin, Joon-oppa’s sister. Nice to meet you,” she said and smiled at you before bowing and walking past you to go to the kitchen where her mom and brother are.

“So she’s the one Joon is babysitting. She doesn’t look like she needs it though,” you thought, your eyes following the direction she disappeared in as you sat back down.

A few minutes later, all three emerged from the kitchen. Namjoon was holding a tray filled with juice and food. His mom was eating one of the rice cakes your mom made. His sister was holding ice cream. They all came by your spot on the sofa and you stood up, as if on cue.

Namjoon settled the tray he was holding down the table in the middle, near the Calculus book and some notebooks.

“Y/N, I have to go. I’m sorry I couldn’t take care of you even though we’re hosting you in our home. I’ll leave you in Joon’s care. It’s nice to meet one of Joon’s girl friends because I always meet the other guys. By the way, thank your mom for the rice cakes, they’re so delicious. I’ll also leave Kyungmin to the both of you. Good luck in studying!” she, surprisingly, said in one breath as she waved goodbye to you all.

Now you know where Namjoon gets that from.

Namjoon’s sister decided to study with you guys, although she is studying English. You and Namjoon answer her questions towards English as you both are good in it.

You’re really just helpless in Calculus.

He’s been teaching you how to derive the Hyperbolic function from the hyperbolic angles, but the cosine, sine, and tangent just aren’t working well with you. You’re still getting confused with getting the exact number of angles from the algebraic formula, especially when there are Xs and Ys, but more so when there are Zs. You already understand how to plot the points and make it into graphs, but you still need the practice.

Your brain is fried, not literally, but figuratively. You aren’t retaining the words coming out of Namjoon’s mouth. You’re just staring into space.

“Y/N!” Namjoon called and waved his hand in front of your face.

“What? I’m dying here,” you mumbled.

Namjoon saw how your face contorted in pain, and he laughed out loud.

You didn’t share his amusement. You laughed, but in that way that it seems you were also crying.

“Let’s just eat dinner,” Namjoon offered, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes.

His sister and you stood up from your seats and went to the dining table. You helped Namjoon set out the table, while his sister took the food out. Kyungmin told you how he couldn’t cook even to save his life, to which you laughed at.

You truly couldn’t have everything.

9:00 pm quickly came because of studying and eating dinner. Namjoon and his sister have these easy-going banters between siblings every so often, and you find them adorable. After dinner, their mom came back home just as you were about to leave.

“Y/N, you’re still here? It’s already dark out.” Namjoon’s mom sounded a little surprised.

“Oh, we didn’t realize the time, but I’m already going. We were all doing school work and had dinner. Thank you for the food.” You were a nervous wreck when talking to her that you made yourself cringe.

“How are you going back to your house?” his mom questioned in a worried tone.

You smiled reassuringly at her. “I’m going to walk; my house isn’t that far from here any–“

“Is it okay if I walk her home? It’s already past 9:00 pm,” Namjoon interrupted, placing his hand on your shoulder.

You shook your head furiously, not wanting to create more trouble for him as it is. “No, really, it’s okay. I can walk back home.”  

“No, my son will walk you back home. I don’t want you to go home alone. Think of it this way, your mom will appreciate as well. I’m sure she’s also worrying about you.” Namjoon’s mom’s voice was firm yet kind that you didn’t argue anymore.

The two of you proceeded to go to your house with Namjoon carrying most of the conversation. You almost didn’t realize that you went past your house because of how absorbed you were in the dialogue.

“Thank you so much for walking me home and tutoring me with Calculus, I guess I’ll see you next time?” You offered him an awkward smile, rubbing the back of your neck to calm your nerves.

“Yeah, no problem. It was nice talking to you, Y/N. I’ll see you Friday?” Namjoon asked, giving you a grin that showed off his dimples that the girls in school probably swooned over every time they saw it.

“Sure, I’ll see you on Friday.” You waved goodbye, but Namjoon didn’t leave until you went inside your house.

Once you plopped down on your bed, your phone rang.

Your boyfriend messaged, “Where were you?”

It was followed by, “Who were you with?”

admin ren

[logh-icebergs]

Episode 12: Invasion of Imperial Territory

August 796/487. Yang, Sitolet, and Cazellnu get stuck in traffic. They run into Lebello and give him a lift in their handy military zip-helicopter. At the High Council meeting, Royal Sanford and Cornelia Windsor convince all council members except for Lebello, Huang, and Trunicht to vote in favor of the military’s proposed invasion of Imperial territory. With the operation approved by the government, Sitolet convenes a meeting at which he appoints Lobos to command the mission of eight fleets totaling 30,227,400 soldiers, with Greenhill his second in command. Andrew Fork, who crafted the invasion plan, accuses Yang of aiding the enemy. Meanwhile Rubinsky and von Remscheid go on a....date? No, okay, they’re probably just talking politics. Probably.

...Okay, got all that? We’ve been focused on laying the groundwork of the main themes and relationships that we’ll be following throughout the series, which means that many of the little plot details and secondary characters that have flitted by so far haven’t figured heavily in our posts. Since this episode is less like an iceberg and more like an ice floe that’s mostly above the water, I’m gonna take this opportunity to formally introduce us to some of these (many, many, many) characters. 

Alex Cazellnu

Pictured here with his characteristic “I’m not quite sure what’s happening around me” expression, Cazellnu is Yang’s friend and former upperclassman from the military academy. Many mysteries surround this man, as we’ll talk much more about later. For example, how did he land such a smoking hot and kickass wife? (We’ll see her soon, don’t worry.) What made him think Yang was fit to be anyone’s legal guardian? (Yes, that was his brilliant idea.) And what the fuck kind of name is Cazellnu? (Actually my guess is that it’s based on the word caserne meaning military barracks, which is a bit on the nose honestly since his job has to do with supplies and housing…)

More seriously, Cazellnu plays an interesting and important role in the show: He personifies the heteronormative societal structures and assumptions both of the in-universe world and the world of the audience. Like so much in LoGH this has a dual purpose. For the characters around him, the normative crap he says applies concrete pressure on them to meet the expectations of their society. For the audience, he explicitly articulates some of the (incorrect) "surface readings" that help the show pass as way straighter than it is. We will of course be keeping an eye out for these moments as we get to know him better.

Another Cazellnu mystery: Why didn’t he bother to give his younger daughter a name? Did he use up all the female names he could think of on Charlotte Phyllis??

Sidney Sitolet

We’ve seen Fleet Admiral Sitolet (or Sithole, as it’s sometimes spelled, but come on, have some respect…) before, most recently when he was laying a major guilt trip on Yang about trying to resign from the military. In this episode he intensifies that guilt trip even further, telling Yang that he’s the literal only hope for preventing the whole military from falling into the hands of over-ambitious zealots eager to get everyone gloriously killed. Sheesh. I know that Sitolet is clearly demarcated as one of the Good Guys here—an older, more powerful, slightly sterner version of Yang who is also extremely practical about using his resources to try to minimize the damage caused by the continuing war. And Yang is one of those resources. I get it, but...this scene at the end of this episode just makes me want to write AU fanfic where Yang tells him to go to hell and moves to a nice mountain villa where he writes history books all day while Julian goes shopping at the local market for the best deals on high quality tea.

...What, a girl can dream, can’t she? (From episode 3.)

Anyway, platitudes about patriotism and duty to crush the Evil Empire etc. won’t keep Yang in the military, but Sitolet is the one who knows exactly the kind of logic Yang finds inescapable. As much as it obviously frustrates and saddens him, Yang feels the burden of Sitolet’s expectations. 

João Lebello

Or Joanne, sure, why not.

This is the first time we’re seeing Lebello, the current secretary of the treasury serving on the Alliance High Council. He’s a childhood friend of Sitolet’s, and their banter reminds me a bit of Yang and Cazellnu’s friendship. 

In the council’s deliberations, he’s the loudest voice speaking up against the invasion, on the grounds that their economy is already being stretched thin by the ongoing warfare and further military spending could lead to collapse. Unfortunately the counter of “eh we’ll just print more money” is persuasive to most of the council, who vote in favor of the invasion in hopes that a victory will improve their polling numbers. Let’s hear it for democracy! 

Huang Louis

Like Yang, his family name is first; his given name is ルイ in Japanese, and I’ve seen it rendered as Rui, Lewi, or Louis.

The only other council member to speak against the invasion plan. Huang is quietly awesome; I don’t have a ton to say about him yet other than that, and the fact that I totally ship him and Lebello. 

Huang/Lebello is pretty high up there on the LoGH Ships expanding brain meme.

Cornelia Windsor

The token woman on the council, Windsor does a great job smashing the sexist stereotype that women are less likely than men to warmonger and advocate the deaths of millions of citizens. And she does so while reminding me so strongly of Dolores Umbridge that I’ve been trying to convince myself that J.K. Rowling must have watched at least the first twelve episodes of this show somehow. 

I mean, just look at that giggle.

There are three philosophies put forward in the council discussion: Lebello and Huang making practical arguments about the toll the war is taking on the Alliance economically and socially; Sanford, the head of the council, arguing that inaction is less likely to get them re-elected than a potential victory; and Windsor making the ideological case that war against the Empire is so righteous that no cost is too great to pay.

I’ll go out on a limb and say this show hasn’t been very subtle from the beginning about its distaste for people making arguments in favor of war and destruction on purely ideological or dogma-driven grounds. This stance seems mostly uncomplicated for now—pragmatism: good; blind idealism: bad—but so far the stars have aligned so that the characters spewing the dogmatic rhetoric are using it to push for increased death. It’s easy to roll our eyes at ideals of honor and glory in war; what about ideals like “try not to kill people if you don’t have to”? What if those go against the pragmatic arguments? We’ve already seen this tension a bit between Yang and Jessica, with his willingness to work within the military clashing with her ideals of pacifism, even though their ultimate goals align. In those cases there’s much less of a clear cut answer.  

...But for now at least, we can all agree this Umbridge-wannabe person sucks.

Job Trunicht

(From episode 6.)

We’ve already heard plenty about Trunicht and we’ll hear plenty more, so I won’t dwell on him here. But a quick Fun Fact*: Yang, being generally a luddite, refused to even get a remote control for his TV (er sorry, SolidVision) for a long time, until Trunicht started appearing regularly on the news. Yang hated seeing Trunicht’s face for even a split second so much that he would bound up off the couch to turn it off as soon as Trunicht showed up. Of course Yang is incredibly lazy, and he finally realized that with a remote control he could remain on the couch and have to see Trunicht’s face for even less time, so he caved and bought one; and now he sits eagerly watching the news with the remote clutched in one hand, hoping he’ll have the chance to turn it off in disgust.

...Relatable.

*Source: Julian’s Iserlohn Diary, one of the side stories written by Tanaka. Yes yes our canon here is the anime not the books; but we get to pick and choose adorable details that we like, and I hereby make this one Official Icebergs Canon.

Andrew Fork

Speaking of characters spewing pompous platitudes about war, meet Andrew Fork, who I really really wish I could say was a hyperbolic caricature who could never exist or gain actual power in real life but………..*looks around* here we are I guess. Fork must be a historian who wrote his thesis on early 21st century Earth internet message boards, since he employs tactics like accusing anyone who questions the practical implementation of his ideas of Aiding the Other Side. I again can’t resist sharing a passage from the novel of another character describing Fork:

*thinking emoji* *thinking emoji* *thinking emoji* I dunno it sounds familiar but I can’t place it...

Alexander Bucock

As you can tell by him giving Fork shit, Bucock is one of the more level-headed of the admirals. We’ll get to know him better in the future, so for now I’ll just mention that he’s awesome and him telling Fork that he’s impolite makes me happy. And that you shouldn’t get him mixed up with Lobos just because they both have white/gray hair and a mustache, as I may have done through pretty much the whole first season...

Quick Aside: Names

Cazellnu/Caserne/Caselnes? João/Joanne Rebelo/Lebello? Sitolet/Sithole/Shithole? Rui/Lewi/Louis? Fork/Falk? Bucock/Bewcock? Mittermeyer/Mittermeier, Reuental/Reuenthal, Mintz/Minci, Lap/Lapp/Shithole…??? It might have come to your attention by now that there is complete consensus about the spelling of essentially zero LoGH names.

You’d think “Jessica Edwards” would at least be free from controversy, but….. (From episode 2.)

Given that there doesn’t seem to be one clearly “official” source, and that it’s 1600 years in the future, we’re not especially hung up on trying to be super authentic and picky with our spellings. Maybe Cazellnu’s distant ancestors who also managed military barracks were named Caserne, but the spelling got modified as humanity emigrated to the stars; it happens. Generally our policy is to spell things however we happen to feel like it, based on some combination of aesthetics and just what we’re used to, and to be as consistent as we can once we pick a spelling; but we’re not really in the business of trying to arbitrate which spellings are “correct.” There’s too much about LoGH that’s worth caring passionately about to spend that much energy on the names. 

...Except Minci is still wrong, sorry animation notes that came with the laserdiscs.

Okay now, where were we…

Lazzll Lobos

...What, really? Lazzll, that’s what the subbers went with? Is that even a name? *quick Google search* No, no it’s not. Well, apparently it’s more commonly spelled Lassalle, but y’know what, I’m sticking with Lazzll god dammit. I make the rules here.

I don’t have anything to say about him beyond his name and that he is different from Bucock apparently.

And last but not...well okay maybe also least?

Adrian Rubinsky

When we last mentioned Rubinsky he was musing about how to use Reinhard and Kircheis’s relationship to his advantage somehow; here we find him informing the Imperial High Commissioner to Phezzan about the Alliance’s impending invasion, which he learned about...somehow. His air is constantly that of one attempting to play puppet-master and sculpt the situation to his own advantage, although ostensibly he is only doing his duty here as an Imperial subject, Phezzan being officially a territory of the Empire. It’s on his information that the Imperial nobles set Reinhard’s fleet in motion to meet the Alliance invasion force, as Yang was afraid they would do.

We also very very briefly meet Dominique Saint-Pierré, a mistress of Rubinsky's, seen here pouring wine while both men leer at her; she has more power than this glimpse suggests, though, and the power struggles between her and Rubinsky are definitely the most interesting aspect of Rubinsky’s role in the story.

Phew! And with this we conclude the entry that will probably mention the highest number of canonically straight characters by name of any Icebergs post. I hope you got all that; yes this will be on the exam. 

Stray Tidbits

I love the four-hour traffic jam caused by some intern feeding a corrupt string into a computer. I’ve mentioned how realistic the self-driving car system on Heinessen feels, and having it break down only adds to the realism.

So much for Yang’s optimism that capturing Iserlohn would lead to peace negotiations rather than an escalation of the war. Cracks are starting to show in Yang’s admiration of this whole “let the people control the government” thing, and I don’t blame him; especially since the Alliance “democracy” seems to involve decisions made by simple majority vote by an eleven-person High Council?? Umm? 

The subs tried to make sense of this line by drawing a distinction that I don't think is there in the Japanese: Yang uses the same verb, "akusei o shite iru," for both governments, where akusei (悪政) is literally bad+government. My interpretation is that Yang is expressing frustration at the irony of people choosing to elect a government that nevertheless governs against their interest...but I guess I might be projecting.

I love this random shot of a Phezzani street. Most Obscure LoGH Love Triangle Award goes to the three teenagers on the right; I wonder which of them is the vertex?? This is the fanfiction the world demands.